Chavez 'would accept' Venezuela election defeat

Mr Chavez defended his decision to repatriate Venezuela's gold reserves 

 

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has told opposition leaders that he will relinquish power if he loses elections due in October.

In his annual address to Congress, Mr Chavez said the opposition should also accept the result if he wins.
The left-wing leader - who has governed Venezuela for 13 years - is seeking another six-year term in office.
The opposition coalition will hold a primary election next month to choose a unity candidate to stand against him.
Some of Mr Chavez's strongest critics have suggested he might cling on to power at all costs if he were defeated at the polls.
But he told the National Assembly in Caracas that he would accept the election result whatever it was.
"If any of you win the elections I will be the first to recognize it, and I ask the same of you," he told opposition leaders.
"We are going to show our democratic maturity."
Crucial year

India on course to be declared polio free

By Jill McGivering BBC News

India's thorough vaccination programme has helped it to stop new transmissions

India has been free of new cases of polio for a year, putting it on track to end its status as a country where the virus is endemic, officials say.

In a few weeks, if pending samples test negative for the virus, India will be officially regarded as free from polio for the first time in its history.
The World Health Organization described this as a critical milestone.
India was once seen as a polio epicenter, the country where the virus was most difficult to tackle.
India has battled hard for this moment and if the outstanding tests prove negative as expected, the World Health Organization will officially declare that India has stopped indigenous transmission.
That will mean only three polio-endemic countries are left: Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.
Sona Bari, a spokeswoman for the polio eradication program at the World Health Organization, said this was very significant, not just for India but the global campaign as a whole.
"India's success is proof," she told the BBC, "that it's biologically and technically feasible to eradicate polio."
India's final reservoirs for the virus were in two of its poorest and most populous states: Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Both also have large migrant populations and weak health infrastructures. All this made the process of comprehensive vaccination more challenging.

Australia v India: David Warner equals fourth fastest century

Warner's century took only 69 balls as Australia dominated in Perth

David Warner scored the equal fourth fastest century in Test history as Australia took control on day one of the third Test against India in Perth.

Warner, 25, raced to 104 not out as the hosts piled on 149-0 after bowling India out for only 161.
It was the fastest Test century by an opener - only 69 balls - and he brought it up with a huge six over long on.
India lost their last six wickets for 30 runs, with pacemen Ben Hilfenhaus taking 4-43 and Peter Siddle 3-42.
Warner, who played county cricket for Durham in 2009, said: "It's a pretty good feeling. The ball moved about but I just played my game.

Rajasthan offers help to ailing India-born Mehdi Hassan

Mehdi Hassan is immensely popular in India and Pakistan

The government in India's Rajasthan state has offered to help to ailing Pakistani singer Mehdi Hassan if he wants treatment in India.

Chief minister Ashok Gehlot spoke to the singer's son, Arif Hassan, and offered help with medical expenses.
Hassan, 84, was put on a ventilator at a private clinic in Karachi after he collapsed with respiratory problems.
Born in Rajasthan's Luna village, the singer is immensely popular on both sides of the border.
Reports from Luna say the villagers are praying for his recovery.
Officials in Rajasthan said Mr Gehlot had ordered Chief Secretary S Ahmad to keep in touch with Hassan's family and provide any help they may require.
The singer last visited Rajasthan in 2000 when the state government invited him for a convention of non-resident Rajasthanis.

Nigeria fuel subsidy strike: Protests suspended

Successive governments have failed to transform Nigeria's oil wealth into prosperity, with over half the country living in poverty

Nigeria's trade unions have suspended protests and some strikes for two days to allow more talks with officials.

The announcement comes on the fifth day of a general strike over the removal of a fuel subsidy, which has caused fuel prices and transport fares to double.
Thousands of people have taken to the streets, while several people have died in clashes with police.
A union official told the BBC the government had offered to reintroduce a small subsidy at talks on Thursday.
Nigeria Labour Congress chairman Abdul Waheed Omar said this would mean petrol would now cost 120 naira ($0.74; £0.49) a litre, down from the new price of 140 naira but still far higher than the former price of 65 naira.
He said this offer would now be put to NLC members.
Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the government had "put an offer on the table" during "very encouraging" talks.

NLC official Isa Aremu told Reuters news agency that protests on Friday would be "minimal".

"We are conscious of the security situation given it is Friday and Friday is a day of prayer" for Muslims, he said.
The mass action over the fuel subsidy comes as President Goodluck Jonathan also tries to tackle a new wave of sectarian violence.
'Energised'

Carwyn Jones calls for 'radical' constitutional rethink if Scotland leaves UK

Wales' First Minister Carwyn Jones was speaking at the British-Irish Council in Dublin hosted by Irish Prime Minster Enda Kenny

Wales' First Minister Carwyn Jones says radical changes will be needed to stop English MPs dominating Parliament if Scotland breaks away from the UK.

He said the House of Commons would need to be balanced by a new upper house with equal representation from England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Mr Jones said the system could be based on the Senate in the United States.
Speaking at the British-Irish Council in Dublin he said he would very much regret seeing Scotland leave the union.

In response to a question about what would happen if Scotland left the UK Mr Jones told journalists: "It certainly couldn't carry on as it is now.

"You can't just take Scotland out and expect the UK to continue as before.
"You would have for example, a Parliament in London with about 550 MPs, 510 of whom would be from England. Well that's no good to us at all.
"There would need to be a fundamental rethink of the nature of the relationship between the three nations left within the UK in order to make sure that, what was then the UK, was a stable body where people felt that they had full representation."
Later, speaking to the Guardian newspaper, he said the UK should look at following the example of the US if Scotland did break away.
Federal structure "Why not have an upper house with equal representation from England, Wales and Northern Ireland - same as the Senate," he said.
"It would be more of a federal structure.
"It is up to the people of Scotland what they do but it is certainly not the case that somehow things would carry on as normal."
The summit, hosted by Irish Prime Minster Enda Kenny, was attended by leaders from across Britain and Ireland.
Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond invited the prime minister and deputy prime minister to Scotland to discuss an independence referendum.
A Welsh government spokesman told BBC Wales: "The first minister made it clear that a major change in Scotland's relationship with the rest of Britain - or its separation from the rest of the UK - would require a radical reconsideration of Wales' constitutional relationship within a re-defined United Kingdom."

Alex Salmond in Abu Dhabi renewable energy trip

Alex Salmond visited the Middle East last year

 

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond is traveling to Abu Dhabi for a visit which will include the signing of a deal on renewables.

Mr Salmond will address the World Future Energy Summit as a guest of Masdar, a green energy developer.
Masdar is a wholly-owned subsidiary of an Abu Dhabi government company.
The Scottish government said a "landmark agreement to develop tangible green energy products with Masdar" would be signed on Tuesday.
Under the agreement, the Energy Technology Partnership - a union of 12 Scottish universities - will develop green energy products with the Abu Dhabi company.
They aim to produce new wind, solar, wave and tidal energy technology.
  Centerof excellence

Four arrested over north Belfast dissident bomb

The device was found under the driver's seat of the car

 

 

Three men and a woman have been arrested by detectives investigating a dissident republican car bomb attack in north Belfast last week.

An off-duty soldier escaped the attack after he spotted the device inside his car in Blackdam Court, off the Ligoneil Road.
The soldier, who does not serve in Northern Ireland, was visiting his girlfriend at the time of the attack.
The men - aged 43, 40 and 30 - and the 41-year-old woman were arrested in north Belfast on Friday.
They have been taken to Antrim Police Station for questioning.
A police spokesperson said searches were also carried out at nine separate properties in the area and a number of items have been taken away for further examination.

'Six dead' as cruise ship runs aground off Italy

The Costa Concordia ran aground on Friday evening

At least six people are reported dead after a cruise ship carrying more than 4,000 people ran aground off Italy.

The Costa Concordia hit a sandbar on Friday evening near the island of Giglio and listed about 20 degrees, after which people tried to reach land in lifeboats or by swimming.
The last 50 people on board are being evacuated by helicopter in a "worsening" situation.
Italians, Germans, French and British were among the 3,200 passengers.
In addition, 1,000 crew were on board the vessel.
One thousand passengers were Italian, with 500 Germans and 160 French.
The Costa Concordia had sailed earlier on Friday from Civitavecchia port near Rome for a Mediterranean cruise, due to dock in Marseille after calling at ports in Sicily, Sardinia and Spain.
'Groaning noise'

Cabin steward Deodato Ordona says the ship suddenly began to tlt.

Passengers were eating dinner on Friday evening, when they heard a loud bang, and were told that the ship had suffered electrical problems, one passenger told Italy's Ansa news agency.
"We were having supper when the lights suddenly went out, we heard a boom and a groaning noise, and all the cutlery fell on the floor," said Luciano Castro.
The 290-metre (950 ft) vessel ran aground, starting taking in water and listing by 20 degrees, the local coast guard said.
Orders were given to abandon ship, Deodato Ordona, a cabin steward on the Costa Concordia, told the BBC.

Balls supports public pay freeze

Ed Balls has angered the trades unions with his comments on public sector pay.

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls has said Labour will support a pay freeze for public sector workers in order to help reduce the deficit.

In an interview with the Guardian newspaper, Mr Balls says jobs have to come before higher pay.
But trade union leaders have accused Labour of failing to speak up for "ordinary people".
The government announced in November that public sector pay would rise by only 1% in the two years to 2015.
Mr Balls, who is due to give a speech on Saturday about his economic plans, says he endorses that decision.
He tells the Guardian that for now, Labour cannot make a commitment to reverse any of the government's cuts.
"It is now inevitable that public sector pay restraint will have to continue through this parliament," he said.
"Labour cannot duck that reality and won't.

"There is no way we should be arguing for higher pay when the choice is between higher pay and bringing unemployment down".

The BBC's political correspondent Ben Geoghegan says Mr Balls's comments are a clear attempt to counter the accusation that Labour lacks a credible plan for dealing with the deficit and that they've spent too much time defending policies which would involve more public spending.
"A big task"

Taiwan presidential election: Voters head for polls

Raymond Li from BBC Chinese on who the presidential candidates are and what the election could mean for the rest of the world

Voters in Taiwan are going to the polls to elect a new president, in a contest that will shape the island's key relationship with China.

The current President, Ma Ying-jeou, is seeking a second term, but is facing a strong challenge from Taiwan's opposition leader, Tsai Ing-wen.
Mr Ma has greatly improved ties with China, but Ms Tsai says his approach could endanger Taiwan's sovereignty.
China regards the island as a breakaway province and wants unification.
A third contender who is trailing in the race is James Soong.
He is a former senior figure in Mr Ma's party, the Kuomintang (KMT), who observers say could take votes away from the incumbent.
Local election watchers are predicting a turnout of 76% to 80% of the more than 18m registered voters on the island.

Mr Ma is seen as having a slight advantage in the polls, but the race is tight

Cross-strait relations Taiwan has been suffering its worst economic downturn in decades and unemployment has been rising.
However, most voters still view relations with China as the most important issue.
During Mr Ma's presidency, regular direct flights and shipping links have been established with China and a landmark trade deal has been signed that cuts tariffs on hundreds of Taiwanese exports to the mainland.
Mr Ma, 61, says a vote for him is a vote for peace.

But some voters are concerned that Mr Ma's policies will pave the way for unification with the mainland.

"I feel calm and hopeful," said Hwang Shiu-mei, a mother of three who waited to vote at a polling station in Taipei.
"I hope we can see a win-win situation with China in the coming four years. We don't want to see a stalemate and hope for a better economy, along with peace and stability."
Ms Tsai and Mr Ma both cast their votes early in the capital.
"I'm very happy, I urge everyone to come out early and vote. This weather should help the voting rate," Mr Ma told reporters at his polling station in a Taipei church as the light rain eased.
Ms Tsai, casting her ballot at a school in a Taipei suburb, said she was prepared to become the first female president of Taiwan.
Asked for further details, she said: "I hope we will be able to give you a full explanation after the vote is counted."
Ms Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party favors Taiwan's formal independence from China.
Despite that, she has made overtures to the mainland, saying that she is not against negotiating with China on economic and other matters as long as it does not affect Taiwan's sovereignty.
Potential flashpoint China nonetheless remains suspicious of her and her party.
Beijing has 1,500 missiles aimed at the island to deter any attempt to declare independence.
The United States, which is a key ally of Taiwan, will also be watching the outcome of the vote closely.
Under the Taiwan relations act passed by the US Congress in 1979, the US is obliged to come to the defense of the island if it is attacked by any other party.
While Washington has not openly endorsed Mr Ma, observers say it is an open secret that the US prefers his approach to China.

EU criticises Standard & Poor's ratings downgrade

Stocks fell on Friday as downgrade rumours reached trading floors

 

 

 

 

 

 

The EU's top economic official has criticised a decision by Standard and Poor's to downgrade the credit ratings of nine eurozone countries.

Economic affairs commissioner Olli Rehn said the move was "inconsistent" as the eurozone was taking "decisive action" to end the debt crisis.
Other senior European officials have also hit out the move.
The downgrade - which included stripping France of its top AAA rating - was announced on Friday.
Italy, Spain, Cyprus and Portugal were cut two notches, with the latter two given "junk" ratings. Germany kept its AAA rating.
Standard and Poor's criticised the bloc's response to the crisis, saying austerity and budget discipline alone were not sufficient to fight it, and risked becoming self-defeating.
'Keep your cool'

Oops: MSNBC Re-Records Audio After Matthews Claims Obama Added Only ‘13’ Federal Jobs

Here's one thing to note about Chris Matthews's MSNBC show "Hardball": it airs at 5 pm ET, but then that show is recorded and rebroadcast at 7 pm ET. That's important because it raises a question: If you make a mistake at 5, will it show up at 7? We seem to have our answer now --  no.

The ever-vigilant team over at NewsBusters noticed that during the 5 pm show, Matthews made the "preposterous" claim that Barack Obama added only 13 people to the federal workforce between 2009 and 2010. He used the figures to defend the president against criticism that he's expanding government jobs while the private sector is shrinking. But there's only one problem: MSNBC and Matthews misread the numbers, and even aired the wrong figures. And they must have noticed it, because the 7pm broadcast had brand new audio for the relevant section.

Why Is Tom Brokaw Accusing Gingrich of Republican ‘Jihad?’

Tom Brokaw, the famed journalist who anchored the "NBC Nightly News" from 1982 until his retirement in 2004, made an appearance yesterday on both NBC's "Today" and MSNBC's "Morning Joe." During his analysis of the 2012 campaign, Brokaw likened the ongoing attacks being waged on Mitt Romney by his fellow candidates to "the Republican Party equivalent of a jihad."
Here's the full quote the newscaster gave first on "Today":

"It's the Republican Party equivalent of a jihad....the real danger for the Republicans is that it will deeply divide the party at a time when they want it to be united."

In addition to using the word "jihad," which is denotatively defined to mean, "a holy war undertaken as a sacred duty by Muslims," Brokaw repeatedly referred to Romney as "George Romney."
When he was corrected, he laughed the blip off, calling it a "generational slip." Considering that Romney's father, George, ran for president in 1968, this is certainly a fair explanation. The use of the word "jihad, though?" Well -- you be the judge.

Space Station Dodges Space Junk from Satellite Crash

The International Space Station dodged a piece of space junk today (Jan. 13) to avoid a potentially dangerous collision.
The orbiting laboratory, currently home to six astronauts from three countries, burned its thrusters at 11:10 a.m. EST, boosting its orbit slightly to take it out of range of a piece of broken satellite that was due to pass between 0.6 and 15 miles (1 and 24 km) of the station today.
"At this point indications are that the debris avoidance maneuver was carried out as planned and carried out successfully," NASA commentator Pat Ryan said on NASA TV. "The crewmembers continued their work onboard while the burn happened this morning."
The space junk was part of the Iridium 33 communications satellite, which collided with a defunct Russian Cosmos spacecraft in 2009, creating a cloud of thousands of bits of debris that now orbit Earth and sometimes pose a collision hazard to working spacecraft.
The particular bit of space junk the station dodged today was only about 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter, but could have been catastrophic to the $100 billion outpost if the two had collided at their high orbital speeds.
Potential space debris conjunctions are not uncommon for the space station. In November 2011 NASA was considering sending the three station crewmembers at the time into their Russian Soyuz spacecraft lifeboats to wait out a close pass by a piece of orbital trash. However, a subsequent analysis showed that the debris would stay far enough away to render the precaution unnecessary.
NASA astronaut Dan Burbank is currently leading the space station's Expedition 30 mission, which includes flight engineers Don Pettit of NASA, Andre Kuipers of the European Space Agency, and Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov, Anatoly Ivanishin and Oleg Kononenko.
The crewmembers spent today working on scientific research and routine maintenance on their football field-size home in orbit.
Today's maneuver comes coincidentally timed with two other space junk events: the release of Space Junk 3D, a new IMAX film chronicling the growing danger of space debris in orbit, and the looming crash of the failed Russian Mars probe Phobos Grunt, which is expected to fall back to Earth in the next few days.

Ferrer, Rochus to contest Auckland ATP final

Top-seed David Ferrer beat Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-4 in the semi-finals of the Auckland ATP tournament to cap a gruelling day on court and book a final showdown with Olivier Rochus.
The unseeded Rochus, a finalist here seven years ago, came from behind to upset Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-7 (4/7), 6-1, 6-4 in the other semi-final.
It was a long day of tennis in blustery conditions for Ferrer and Verdasco who were on Friday forced to play two matches after their quarter-finals against Alejandro Falla and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez were washed out on Thursday night.
World number five Ferrer began the day with a marathon match against Falla, prevailing 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in just over two hours while Verdasco was on court for just as long beating doubles partner Garcia-Lopez 7-5, 6-4.
Four hours later, Ferrer and Verdasco were back for their all-Spanish semi-final where Ferrer made light of the quick turnaround as he raced through the match in 90 minutes and without dropping his serve.
The defending Auckland titleholder broke Verdasco early and never looked back, serving a love game to take the first set and setting up the victory with a second service break midway through the second set.
Rochus knocked out the tournament eighth seed Kohlschreiber after losing the first set in a tie break and then stepping up a gear to race through the second set 6-1.
The deciding third set reached 4-4 before Kohlschreiber dropped his serve allowing the Belgian to serve for the match.
"It is fantastic to be in the final," the world 68th-ranked Rochus said. "I am almost 31, so I've had a long time on the tour, but I'm still playing to have moments like this today."

Iran leader says CIA, Mossad behind scientist murder

Iran's supreme leader has accused the US and Israeli intelligence services of being behind the "abominable" assassination in Tehran this week of a nuclear scientist who was to be buried Friday.

The "cowardly murder" on Wednesday of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a deputy director of Iran's main uranium enrichment plant, was committed "with the planning or support of the intelligence services of the CIA and Mossad," said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In a message of condolence posted on his website, Khamenei said Iran's nuclear programme "does not depend on any one person" and "we are going to continue with determination and energy on this path."
His condemnation of the United States and Israel came amid calls in Iran's conservative press for "retaliation" against Israeli political and military officials -- but also a renewed offer for nuclear talks with world powers that collapsed a year ago to resume.
Ali Larijani, the influential speaker of Iran's parliament, said Thursday during a visit to Turkey that his country stood ready for the negotiations with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany.
"The negotiations can yield results if they are serious and not a game," he said, according to the official news agency IRNA.
Iran has several times said it is willing to resume those talks, which collapsed a year ago.
But the office of EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who represents the world powers, has said it is still waiting for Tehran to formally respond to a letter she sent in October offering to return to the talks.
Iran is being hit by UN and Western sanctions over its nuclear programme, as well as what appears to be a covert campaign of sabotage and assassinations, with at least three of its nuclear scientists killed in the past two years.

With clock ticking, Greece is anxious to seal debt swap deal

Private sector lenders might prove unwilling to write down Greek debt by 100 billion euros ($128 billion), one of the various measures introduced to try to bring the country back from the brink of bankruptcy.
Greece needs to secure the voluntary debt exchange, which could take six weeks to arrange once an agreement is reached in principle, by March 20; that's when its next large bond redemption is due.
"A range of issues were discussed and some key areas remain unresolved. Discussions will continue in Athens [on Friday], but time for reaching an agreement is running short," the Institute of International Finance (IIF) said in a statement after managing director Charles Dallara met with Greece's prime minister and finance minister on Thursday.
"It is essential in order to finalize the voluntary [private sector involvement] agreement that support be given by all official parties in the days ahead," the IIF statement said.
For Greek officials, who are hoping to cut their debt burden from 160 percent of GDP to 120 percent with the deal, the talks had provided cause for guarded optimism.
"I'm cautious and very confident after this two-hour meeting," Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said in a statement.
The chief executive of French lender Societe Generale was perhaps the most positive in an interview with the newspaper Les Echos, where he said that thanks to "exceptional" efforts on the side of the banks, the talks "have a good chance of reaching their end in the coming days."
Public sector to pick up slack?

Joe Biden raises Syria with Qatar premier

WASHINGTON: US Vice President Joe Biden has met the prime minister of crucial Gulf ally Qatar at the White House, and discussed the deepening violence in Syria, officials said.National Security Advisor Tom Donilon also joined the meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani, which also touched on key regional issues amid maritime tensions between the United States and Iran.'In particular, they condemned the ongoing violence in Syria perpetrated by the Assad regime and noted the significance of the Arab League observer mission s final report due on January 19,' a White House statement said.'The Vice President and Mr. Donilon also reaffirmed the longstanding commitment of the United States to the security of our partners and allies, and agreed with the Prime Minister on the need to maintain stability in the region.'Earlier, President Bashar al-Assad vowed to defeat a 'conspiracy' against Syria, as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton branded a rare speech he delivered the day before as 'chillingly clinical.'And the Assad regime s deadly 10-month crackdown on dissent showed no signs of abating, with a rocket attack killing at least seven people in the flashpoint central city of Homs, including a French reporter and six Syrians. (AFP)

Government report indicates better prospects for immigrants in Germany

The government's second "integration indicators report" - the first appeared two years ago - focused on integration in Germany between 2005 and 2010. Maria B?hmer, the government's special representative for migration, refugees and integration, unveiled the study in Berlin.
Key questions in the study included school qualifications secured by people with immigrant backgrounds, their participation in apprenticeships and their performance in the job market. Government researchers also sought to establish to what extent Germany's 16 million residents with immigrant backgrounds were an established part of society.
B?hmer alluded to significantly improved integration over the past decade, saying that people with foreign roots were more and more active in many parts of German society.
"That's especially the case for people born in Germany with immigrant backgrounds. And it's also the case in the core areas of society - early education, education more generally, on-the-job training and also on the job market," B?hmer said.
Start them young
Kindergarten and other forms of pre-school education remain a key focus of the study - with B?hmer saying that attending such institutions played a key role in the early development of German language skills. Despite the fact that 34 percent more immigrant families were sending their young children to pre-school education in 2010 compared to 2008, B?hmer also acknowledged that "when it comes to attendance in children's daycare facilities, we still have a smaller participation level compared to that of German children."
This can also sometimes be explained, B?hmer said, either by the availability of places in various states or by the working hours of the children's parents.
Improvements at school

Japanese whalers hand over Australian activists

Three activists who boarded a Japanese whaling ship on the high seas were Friday successfully transferred to an Australian customs vessel after Tokyo agreed to release them without charge.
The men from the Forest Rescue Australia environmental group boarded the Shonan Maru No.2, escorting Japanese whalers on an Antarctic hunt, off Australia's west coast on Saturday.
There were fears they would be taken to Japan and tried for trespassing but after a flurry of diplomatic activity, Tokyo on Tuesday decided to release them and an Australian ship diverted to pick them up en route to Antarctica.
Attorney-General Nicola Roxon said the men were transferred onto the ACV Ocean Protector using tenders without incident and appeared to be in good health.
She condemned Japanese whaling but warned protestors that similar action in the future could result in charges in Japan.
"We support peaceful protest, but dangerous action on the high seas is quite different. We strongly encourage both sides of this dispute to respect the law and act calmly," she said.
"Protestors must be aware that, in the future, such action may lead to charges in another country and possible conviction.
"The Australian government thanks Japan for its cooperation in the return of the Australian citizens," she added.

President Zardari goes to Dubai amid new crisis

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari was in Dubai Thursday for a brief scheduled visit, an aide said, against a backdrop of mounting tension as the government faces new challenges to its rule.
The one-day trip came after a confrontation between Pakistan's civilian leaders and the military over an probe into the government's role in a scandal centered on a mysterious memo that sought US help in curbing the army's power.
'President has gone to Dubai to attend a wedding and may also have routine medical check-up,' a close aide told AFP.
'He will return tomorrow (Friday),' he said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.
Zardari, who has a long-standing heart condition, spent more than a week in a Dubai hospital for treatment last month in a trip which triggered a frenzy of speculation and coup rumors.
The aide said the latest trip was a 'private visit' and not linked to the crisis which erupted Wednesday when the army reacted angrily to criticism from Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani over a probe into the 'Memogate' furor.
The scandal centers on an unsigned memo allegedly sent by an aide of Zardari to the US military last May, apparently to avert a possible coup in the wake of the killing of Osama bin Laden by US Navy SEALs in Pakistan.
The memo has pitted the army against President Asif Ali Zardari's weak civilian administration, and the Supreme Court is now tasked with deciding if the government endorsed the note, and if so, if it can remain in power.

Ipswich boss says he's no sexist in lineswoman row

• Ipswich Town manager Paul Jewell, pictured in 2006, has insisted his criticism of …

Ipswich Town manager Paul Jewell has insisted his criticism of assistant referee Amy Fearn following his team's defeat by Birmingham on Wednesday contained no sexist remarks.
After seeing his struggling side, facing relegation from English football's second tier Championship, lose 2-1, Jewell said Ipswich had been denied a penalty on the advice of Fearn.
Responding to a comment from a reporter at a post-match news conference, that "I think everyone to a man thought it was a penalty,", Jewell replied: "Unfortunately to every man, but not a woman.
"Although the referee didn't have a good view, I thought the lineswoman, or whatever she's called, had a great view."
Prospect, the trade union that represents match officials, condemned Jewell's comments as sexist.
But Jewell, who does not expect disciplinary action from the Football Association and will contest any charges that come his way, told Ipswich's website on Thursday: "I absolutely refute suggestions that my comments were made in a sexist way.
"The opening line from a journalist at the start of the press conference was 'I think everyone to a man thought that was a penalty' and I responded by saying 'but not to a woman', meaning the official that was on that side and didn't give the decision.
"I didn't suggest in any way that the official made a mistake because she was a woman. I don't think what I said was sexist and will argue all day long with anyone that says it is."
Jewell explained his remark about "a lineswoman, or whatever she's called" was "a reference to the officials who run the line now being known as assistant referees".
He added: "I'm not expecting any comeback from the authorities and would be disappointed if there is but if that arrives, I will defend it vehemently and will have the full support of the club in doing that."
But Alan Leighton, national secretary of the union Prospect, insisted Jewell was wrong to mention Fearn's gender in any context.
"The comments are clearly sexist and there is no place for them in football. They are sexist because they are based on her gender rather than her performance as an official," Leighton told BBC Radio Five.
"If she had been a man clearly there wouldn't have been comments made about the gender of the individual concerned."

First lady gets presidential welcome to Twitter

WASHINGTON (AP) — Michelle Obama went live on Twitter on Thursday, and scooped up more than 88,000 followers within a few hours.
In her first tweet, the first lady writes: "Hi, everyone, and thanks for the warm welcome. Look forward to staying in touch with you here. -mo.'"
Her twitter feed will be managed by the president's re-election campaign, with any tweets from the first lady herself to be signed "-mo."
The first two tweets came from the campaign staff, and described the account as "a new way for you to connect with First Lady Michelle Obama and the President's campaign."
The third came from the first lady herself.
President Barack Obama also has a Twitter account managed by the campaign.
Its first tweet of the day: "It's not every day we get to welcome the First Lady of the United States to Twitter — happy to have you, (at)MichelleObama!"

Greece may clinch bond swap deal by next week: source

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece could reach a bond swap deal with private creditors to reduce its debt load by the end of next week, with a formal offer possible by early February, a finance ministry source said on Thursday.

"We are completely on track, exploiting the momentum. By the end of next week we could have the final outline for a deal with the private sector," said a finance ministry official who did not want to be named.

"We may have the formal public offer by the beginning of February," the official added.

Time is running short to reach a deal on a voluntary debt exchange, the Institute of International Finance (IIF) warned earlier on Thursday after crunch talks with Greece's prime minister.

Negotiations between Athens and its creditors, spearheaded by the IIF, have entered the final stretch ahead of a major bond redemption in March. The IIF said key areas remained unresolved.

(Reporting by Dina Kyriakidou)

Black ex-worker files 2nd Panera racial bias suit

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A black man who quit working at a suburban Pittsburgh Panera Bread restaurant last year has sued the franchisee, saying the company doesn't want blacks in positions where they interact with the public.

Warren, Ohio-based Covelli Enterprises says in a statement that the 21-year-old man who filed the federal lawsuit Wednesday is a disgruntled employee who walked off the job last year for violating company policies.

The lawsuit filed by Guy Vines echoes claims in a November lawsuit by a white manager who claims he was fired from the restaurant for objecting to Vines' treatment.

Covelli says it investigated the former manager's claims and called them "completely unfounded."

The attorney for both plaintiffs says Covelli has a policy of discriminating against people who are "black, fat or ugly."

Greece euro exit worse than catastrophic: Toscafund

LONDON (Reuters) - A Greek exit from the euro zone would be worse than catastrophic and could provoke greater social unrest, Zimbabwe-style inflation and a military coup, said London-based hedge fund firm Toscafund.
In a stark note to clients, chief economist Savvas Savouri said introducing a new currency instantaneously in the wake of a euro exit would be impossible and the delay would lead to "a run on banks and evacuation of capital that would make what has already been seen as nothing by comparison."
"The word catastrophic would not do it justice enough," said Savouri, who comes from a Greek Cypriot background.
"Those who imagine some post-euro-exit stability would be restored ... quite simply fail to understand the magnitude -- social, economic and political -- of such an eventuality."
Toscafund said it invests solely in equities and does not give details of its positions.
Earlier this week German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the goal was for no country to leave the euro, as negotiations between debt-laden Greece and its creditors continue ahead of a major bond redemption in March.
Savouri said he would expect the euro to remain the currency of choice in Greece even if it left the euro and for the official exchange rate with the euro to be quickly undercut on the black market.
He predicted a range of problems for the country, from hyperinflation, extreme difficulty for the government in raising money on bond markets and an evacuation of people able to leave the country, taking as much wealth as they can with them.

Syria opposition says regime 'liquidating' journalists

   

• Calls grew on Thursday for greater protection for journalists in Syria after a French …
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  Syrians stand above a poster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (L) and Lebanese …

The opposition Syrian National Council accused the regime on Thursday of "liquidating" journalists in order to hush up what is happening in the country, a day after a French reporter was killed.

The SNC's accusation came as France demanded an investigation into the death the previous day of Gilles Jacquier, 43, who worked for France 2 television, during a government-organised trip to the flashpoint city of Homs.

The SNC denounced the "murder" of Jacquier, saying it was a "dangerous sign that the authorities have decided to physically liquidate journalists in an attempt to silence neutral and independent media."

The award-winning Jacquier was the first Western reporter to die in Syria since anti-regime protests erupted in mid-March last year.

An AFP photographer said he was killed when a shell exploded among some 15 journalists covering demonstrations in Homs on a visit organised by the authorities.

Six Syrians were also reported killed, and several other people were wounded.

Anti-regime activists in Homs also said the authorities had orchestrated the attack, while state television blamed "a terrorist group" that had opened fire on the journalists and regime supporters.

Wissam Tarif, an Arab campaigner with international activist non-governmental organisation Avaaz, undermined the government's claims.

"The journalists were attacked in a heavily militarised regime stronghold. It would be hugely difficult for any armed opposition to penetrate the area and launch such a deadly attack," he said.
Tarif also said the incident was an "unacceptable breach of the Arab League protocol," to which Syria has committed itself and which requires journalists to have freedom to report across Syria.
"The regime has denied journalists free access to the country, forcing them to join press tours organised by the ministry of information and chaperoned closely by regime minders," he said.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said his government "expects the Syrian authorities to shed light on the death of a man who was simply doing his job: reporting."

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the "deaths highlight once again the terrible price being paid by the people of Homs, as well as the courage of journalists who take great personal risks to bring to light what is happening to the people of Syria."
And EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton joined global press watchdog Reporters Without Borders in demanding a rapid inquiry.
The SNC urged international organisations to deal with the "crimes perpetrated by the regime against Syrian and foreign journalists."
Wednesday's attack came hours after President Bashar al-Assad took to the streets of Damascus to address cheering crowds of supporters.
"Without a doubt we will defeat the conspiracy, which is nearing its end and will also be the end for (the conspirators) and their plans," Assad said during the rare public appearance in the capital's Omayyad Square.
In a speech on Tuesday, he had vowed to crush "terrorism" with an iron fist, saying "regional and international parties" were trying to destabilise Syria.
That prompted opposition movements to accuse him of pushing Syria towards civil war and world powers to accuse him of trying to shift the blame for the 10 months of bloodletting.
The regime on Thursday released a picture of a man it said was the suicide bomber behind a Damascus attack on Friday that killed 26 people, and called for any information about his identity, the official SANA news agency said.
As the two sides remained polarised, demonstrations and killing continued.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security forces killed 13 people around the country on Thursday.
In December, the United Nations estimated that more than 5,000 people had been killed in the crackdown since March.
Earlier, the Observatory said 2,000 students were demonstrating in the Damascus province town of Irbin to demand an end to the regime and the "bringing to justice of the murderers of the Syrian people."
And Syrians were being called to demonstrate on Friday in support of the Free Syrian Army, which consists of deserters from the regular army and claims to have 40,000 men based in Turkey.
In Moscow, Russian Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev said "there is information that NATO members and some Arab states of the Persian Gulf, acting in line with the scenario seen in Libya, intend to turn the current interference with Syrian affairs into a direct military intervention."
Washington and Ankara may already be working on plans for a no-fly zone to enable armed Syrian rebel units to build up, he said.
In other developments, Turkish police prevented a convoy of about 200 Syrian activists from entering their country to deliver humanitarian aid, an AFP reporter said.

And the operations chief of the Arab League monitoring mission in Syria said two observers, an Algerian and a Sudanese, had quit, a day after an Algerian observer who quit was accused of making unfounded claims about the operation.

"The Real Romney": Did Mitt pressure a single mom to give up her baby?

A new book digs into the Republican frontrunner's controversial history, including his time as a Mormon lay leader in the 1980s

Mitt Romney's Mormon faith, long considered a potential issue in his presidential campaign, came under scrutiny this week when Vanity Fair published excerpts from an upcoming book that delves into Mitt's history as a lay leader in the church. The Real Romney, authored by Boston Globe reporters Michael Kranish and Scott Helman, suggests that Mitt once threatened a single mother with excommunication if she didn't give her soon-to-be-born baby up for adoption — an account the Republican frontrunner denies. Here, a brief guide to this unsettling story:

What does the book claim? In the early 1980s, Romney was serving as bishop of a Mormon congregation near Boston. Peggie Hayes, a 23-year-old divorced single mother, became pregnant with her second child. Knowing she needed help, Romney arranged for Hayes to get odd jobs from other church members. But as bishop, Romney also bore the responsibility of briefing Hayes on church doctrine. As quoted in the book, she claims he showed up at her apartment and encouraged her to give her baby to the church's adoption agency. According to Hayes, Romney said: "This is what the church wants you to do, and if you don't, then you could be excommunicated."

Justice Department backs legality of Obama appointments

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama was within his constitutional authority when he made recess appointments to two agencies, even though the U.S. Senate was holding periodic pro forma sessions, the Justice Department said in a legal opinion released on Thursday.
The opinion follows furious complaints from Senate Republicans who said Obama sidestepped the Senate confirmation process to install a new chief at the recently established U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, along with three members of the U.S. National Labor Relations Board.
Republicans had blocked Obama's nomination of Richard Cordray to head the consumer bureau, which they oppose as an excessive government intrusion on the financial industry. The bureau was set up after the 2008 real estate and banking crisis. Democrats say it is needed to keep tabs on the banks.
A legal cloud hangs over whether Obama's appointments were constitutional because the Senate was holding so-called pro forma sessions every three days, which Republicans thought would
prevent the president from making recess appointments.
However, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, which provides legal advice to the president as well as government agencies, said Obama was within his authority.
"We conclude that while Congress can prevent the president from making any recess appointments by remaining continuously in session and available to receive and act on nominations, it cannot do so by conducting pro forma sessions during a recess," the opinion said.
The White House has previously argued that the Senate began its holiday break on December 17 and will not be back until January 23, thus enabling Obama to make the recess appointments.
"The Senate as a body does not uniformly appear to consider its recess broken by pre-set pro forma sessions," the 23-page opinion said, authored by Virginia Seitz, assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been considering challenging the constitutionality of such appointments. Legal experts also said that anyone subject to rules or regulations imposed by the consumer bureau or the labor board could challenge whether they were legal in court.
The opinion was dated January 6, two days after Obama made the appointments, however an administration official said the advice was given orally to the White House before the written opinion.
(Reporting By Jeremy Pelofsky; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Judge Halts Mississippi Pardons After Uproar

As victims' loved ones ask why killers and rapists got pardoned by former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour during his final hours in office, a Mississippi state judge has temporarily halted the release of 21 of the 200-plus pardoned inmates.
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood had requested the injunction against the inmates' releases, telling reporters he believes some of Barbour's pardons could have violated the state constitution by failing to give sufficient public notice that the convicts were seeking clemency.
The state constitution requires a public notice about an inmate's intention to seek a pardon be published for 30 days before the governor can grant one.
Five former inmates, four of them convicted of murder and serving life sentences, have already been released. The state's top lawyer is asking the court to serve those former inmates notices underlining that their release may be challenged.
(ABC News)
The news came as families of loved ones killed, raped or robbed by the men and women set free are speaking out against Barbour's actions, saying they wish he had spoken to them first.
"I have a lot of feelings," said Betty Ellis, whose daughter was killed by her estranged husband, David Gatlin, in 1993.
Gatlin received one of the 210 last-minute pardons - nearly twice the number issued since 1988. Some of the pardons were for prisoners assigned to cook and clean at the governor's mansion. Four of those inmates were convicted murderers.
"I've been mad. I can't understand how a man that has children of his own could do this," said Ellis, who marched to the state capital, Jackson, Miss., searching for Barbour.
Barbour, a Republican, released a statement Wednesday evening saying that 189 of the 215 people pardoned were already out of prison.
"My decision about clemency was based upon the recommendation of the parole board in more than 90 percent of the cases," the statement said, according to WTVA-TV.
Thirteen on the 26 inmates released from custody were costly to the state because of medical expenses and can be returned to custody if they commit another crime.
Another three pardoned inmates were listed as receiving a suspended sentence, according to the statement   All 16 are said to still be under the supervision of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.  Information on the remaining 10 of the pardoned inmates wasn't included in the statement.
On the same night Ellis' daughter was killed in 1993, Gatlin shot Randy Walker in the head and left him for dead. Walker said Barbour's move has given the state "a black eye."
"This is going to make national news," he said.
He too traveled to Jackson, where he spoke with Gov. Phil Bryant, who'd been sworn in just hours before Barbour had issued the pardons and left office.

Liverpool build narrow League Cup lead over City

Steven Gerrard scored the only goal of the game as Liverpool beat Manchester City 1-0 in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final at Eastlands here on Wednesday.
The Liverpool captain fired the visitors in front from the penalty spot in the 13th minute after City's Stefan Savic fouled Daniel Agger in the box.
Premier League leaders City were a shadow of the side that beat Liverpool 3-0 at Eastlands just over a week ago.
The sides will contest the second leg at Anfield on January 25.
Whoever comes out on top will face the winners of the all Championship clash between Cardiff and Crystal Palace in the February 26 final at Wembley.
Palace will travel to Wales with a slender 1-0 lead on January 24 after Anthony Gardner scored the only goal of their first leg clash at Selhurst Park on Tuesday.

NBA finals MVP Nowitzki lifts Mavericks over Celtics

Reigning NBA finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki scored the go-ahead basket with five seconds remaining to lift the Dallas Mavericks to a 90-85 win over the Boston Celtics.
The defending NBA champion Mavericks were facing the Celtics just two days after being welcomed to the White House by American President Barack Obama.
Nowitzki broke an 85-85 tie by beating Celtics defender Kevin Garnett one-on-one then driving to the basket where he was fouled under the basket by a charging Brandon Bass.
Despite hard hit from Bass, Nowitzki still managed to get his shot off as he was falling which gave the Mavericks a two-point lead.
He then made his free throw which put Dallas ahead 88-85 with five seconds remaining in the fourth quarter at the TD Garden arena. Nowitzki made all six of his free throws Wednesday as is a perfect 23 of 23 against Boston since the beginning of last season.
Jason Terry put the finishing touches on the win with a basket on the final possession.
Terry, who finished with a team-high 18 points, was one of four Dallas players to reach double figures on Wednesday.
Dallas has now won 11 of the past 16 matchups against Boston.
Guard Rajon Rondo had a game-high 24 points for the Celtics who lost their second game in a row after putting together a four-game win streak.

Formula One driver Kubica fractures ankle in fall

Polish Formula One driver Robert Kubica, recovering from serious injuries suffered in a rally in February, has had a setback after falling on ice and fracturing an ankle, a medical source said.
Kubica, 26, fell over when he was out walking near his home in Pietrasanta, in the northern Italian region of Tuscany, the Ansa news agency reported.
Sources at the local Versilia hospital, where Kubica was initially treated, said he had suffered a "microfracture" of the right ankle.
There were also suggestions that Kubica aggravated the right tibia fracture he suffered during the life-threatening high-speed rallying accident last February.
Doctors applied a splint to the new injury and transferred the Renault driver to the Santa Corona di Pietra Ligure hospital, which is handling his overall rehabilitation.
The new injury could delay the return to the track for the Polish driver, who did not compete in the 2011 Formula One season.
Previously his progress was judged by doctors to be excellent, thanks to an intensive training regime.

Schwartzel hopes to join exclusive band of golfers

South Africa star Charl Schwartzel will join an exclusive band of golfers if he wins a third consecutive Joburg Open title this weekend.
A hat-trick of victories in the second 2012 Road to Dubai tournament would allow him to join a list of those who have won the same European Tour event three times in a row and includes Ernie Els, Sir Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie and Ian Woosnam.
Little Welsh wizard Woosnam got the ball rolling with three consecutive Monte Carlo Open titles (1990-1992) and Faldo (Irish Open 1991-1993), Montgomerie (PGA Championship 1998-2000) and Els (Heineken Classic 2002-2004) emulated him.
Reigning US Masters champion Schwartzel, 27, will be making his European Tour debut this season and compatriot Retief Goosen is the other Major winner in a 210-strong field.
Former Joburg Open winners Richard Sterne of South Africa and Ariel Canete of Argentina are other contenders who tee off Thursday in the four-day, 1.3-million-euro strokeplay event.
The competition shares with the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and Singapore Open the distinction of using more than one course with play on the west and east layouts at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club.

Aussie tennis great undeterred by gay protest

Australia's greatest women's tennis player Margaret Court says she will not be deterred by gay activists planning to target the Australian Open over her views on homosexuality.
Court, who is now a senior pastor at a church in Perth, is staunchly opposed to gay marriage and a peaceful protest is planned at the first Grand Slam of the season next week at Melbourne Park, where a court is named after her.
The Facebook group, Rainbow Flags Over Margaret Court Arena, began in response to Court's anti-gay marriage stance and they are urging people to display gay pride colours at the tournament.
Court vowed the protest would not stop her from attending.
"Are they not wanting me to come to the Australian Open? Is that what they are trying to do? I don't run from anything," Court, who won all four Grand Slams in the same year in 1970, told The Australian newspaper Thursday.
"I have always been a champion and always loved what I do and love tennis. I think it is very sad they can bring it into that.
"It is hard that they can voice their opinions but I am not allowed to voice my opinion. There is something wrong somewhere.
"We live in a free society and I stand up for families between a husband and a wife. I won't ever back down on that," added the 69-year-old.
Court's views on homosexuality, which she has publicly held for more than 20 years, have drawn criticism in the past from fellow greats including Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King, who are both gay.

Rejuvenated Li Na back on track ahead of Aussie Open

A gruelling boot camp and a cure for her husband's snoring have put China's Li Na back on track before the Australian Open, where she is among the favourites as she seeks a second grand slam crown.
The rejuvenated Li has been in eye-catching form in this year's early exchanges, winning all three of her Hopman Cup singles matches and reaching the semi-finals of the Sydney International, where she is defending champion.
The victories are stoking expectations of another successful run at the Australian Open, where Li lost in the final last year before making history as Asia's first slam winner at the French Open.
Fifth-ranked Li leads a strong Chinese contingent to Melbourne, after Zheng Jie claimed this month's Auckland Classic title -- albeit when Flavia Pennetta retired from the final -- and with Peng Shuai into the top 20.
Li, who turns 30 next month, fell into a deep slump after Roland Garros but she says the reasons for her revival are simple: intense training, and better sleep after her coach and husband, Jiang Shan, lost weight to curb his snoring.
"I say, 'If you put on more weight, you're divorced', so he change!" Li said, according to Australia's Fairfax media group. "He's getting better and better (because) he's losing the weight."
Li constantly joked about Jiang's noisy nocturnal habits last year at Melbourne, complaining his buzz-saw snoring woke her up every hour before her semi-final with Caroline Wozniacki.
Feisty, tattooed Li sidelined Jiang as coach in favour of Michael Mortensen for the French Open, but has now returned to the tutelage of her husband, the long-time mentor with whom she has forged her unconventional career.

Iran accuses Israel, US of killing nuclear scientist

Tehran blamed Israel and Washington for the car bomb death of an Iranian nuclear scientist, as a second US aircraft carrier arrived in the Gulf region amid a growing stand-off over Iran's atomic programme.
The moves came as a senior Russian security official said there was "real danger" of a US military strike against Iran, which the West fears is attempting to develop nuclear arms.
Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi told state television the murder of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan on Wednesday would not stop Iran making "progress" in its nuclear activities.
The scientist's driver/bodyguard later died, the Fars and ILNA news agencies reported, and a third occupant of the car was wounded.
Iran's UN ambassador Mohammad Khazaee called on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the 15-nation Security Council and UN General Assembly president Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser to condemn the killings "in the strongest terms".
"There is firm evidence that certain foreign quarters are behind such assassinations," Khazaee said.
Parliament erupted with yells of "Death to Israel" and "Death to America" after Wednesday's attack.
However US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton denied any US involvement.
"I want to categorically deny any United States involvement in any kind of act of violence inside Iran," she told reporters when asked about the Iranian allegations.

Russian fuel ship battles to reach ice-bound Alaska

A Russian ship carrying vital fuel supplies is battling through thick ice to reach parts of frigid Alaska cut off by a severe winter storm in the US state, officials said.
Helped by a US Coast Guard ice-breaker, the Russian tanker "Renda" is less than 100 miles (160 kilometers) away from the port town of Nome on Alaska's remote western coast, across the Bering sea from Russia's far east.
It is the first time such a fuel delivery has been attempted through some 300 miles of ice in the depths of winter, after bad weather in the fall stopped supplies reaching Nome before the heavy ice and snow began.
By Wednesday the "Renda" and the US cutter "Healy" were some 95 miles south of Nome, said Coast Guard spokeswoman Veronica Colbath.
But wind and currents were making progress difficult, while the "Renda" was having to be rescued itself by the "Healy" when ice built up quickly around the Russian vessel, despite it following in the wake of the ice-breaker.
"They have been experiencing a lot of weather challenges with the wind and the currents, that have made it difficult for them to make a lot of progress," she told AFP, saying ice was up to four feet thick in places.
The bone-chilling weather is harsh even by Alaska's standards, with huge snowdrifts and temperatures plunging down to 35 below zero Celsius (minus 31 Fahrenheit), according to the National Weather Service data.

North Korea says Kim's body to lie in state

North Korea announced Thursday that the body of Kim Jong-Il will lie in state in perpetuity in a Pyongyang palace and memorial towers will be built nationwide, as part of plans to honour the late leader.
Kim died on December 17 of a heart attack at age 69 after 17 years in charge of the impoverished but nuclear-armed nation. His son Kim Jong-Un has taken over the leadership.
The ruling communist party, describing the late Kim as its "eternal leader", announced that his body would lie in state at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace.
Kim's corpse was on display at the palace before an elaborate funeral on December 28. The embalmed body of his father, founding president Kim Il-Sung, is on view to favoured visitors at the building.
The party, in a report carried by the official news agency, announced plans for a statue to Kim Jong-Il. It also said smiling portraits "and towers to his immortality" would be built nationwide.
His birthday on February 16, "the greatest auspicious holiday of the nation", would be named the Day of the Shining Star, according to the decision made by the political bureau of the party's central committee.
The late Kims were the subject of a massive personality cult that bestowed near-godlike status on them. Kim Il-Sung, whose birthday on April 15 is known as the Day of the Sun, was declared eternal president after his death in 1994.
The North is now burnishing the image of Jong-Un, who is aged in his late 20s.
It has declared him "supreme leader of party, army and people" and formally appointed him as military chief. Troops held a rally Monday outside the memorial palace to pledge loyalty to the new leader.
Paik Hak-Soon, of Seoul's Sejong Institute think-tank, said Thursday's announcement indicated that Kim Jong-Il's body would be embalmed and put on display, just like his father.

US probes video of 'Marines urinating' on dead Taliban

The US military is investigating an online video purportedly showing Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, a spokesman said, calling the behavior "disgusting."
The video shows what appears to be four servicemen, dressed in US military uniform, relieving themselves onto three bloodied bodies on the ground, apparently aware that they are being filmed.
"Have a great day, buddy," one of them says.
The Pentagon has not yet verified the video, but spokesman John Kirby told AFP: "Regardless of the circumstances or who is in the video, this is... egregious, disgusting behavior, unacceptable for anyone in uniform."
"It turned my stomach," he added of the video, which was posted on the Live Leak website.
If authenticated, the images -- which conjure up memories of the detainee abuse inflicted by American soldiers at Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib prison -- are sure to spark deep anger and resentment in the Muslim world.
A military official who asked not to be named said the helmet and weapon carried by one of the men seems to indicate the four could be members of an elite sniper team.
The official also said such conduct would be punishable under the US code of military justice.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, condemned the alleged desecration of corpses by US Marines.
"If verified as authentic, the video shows behavior that is totally unbecoming of American military personnel and that could ultimately endanger other soldiers and civilians," CAIR said in a statement.
"We trust that this disturbing incident will be promptly investigated in a transparent manner and that appropriate actions will be taken based on the results of that investigation," the statement said.

AU asks UN approval for Somalia troop reinforcements

African nations stepped up calls for greater international support for the African force fighting Islamist rebels in Somalia.
The African Union called on the UN Security Council to increase the upper limit for peacekeepers in Somalia from 12,000 to 17,731 and also for greater financial help for the force which has won key battles against Shebab militants.
The foreign ministers of South Africa and Kenya and Uganda's defense minister joined a top African Union (AU) official in putting the case for more resources to the 15-body Security Council.
There are currently about 9,000 troops from Burundi and Uganda and Djibouti in the African force, officially known as AMISOM. Under an AU plan, all three would provide more soldiers while Kenyan troops which have been sent into Somalia to fight Shebab would come under AMISOM command.
Hundreds of Burundi and Ugandan soldiers have been killed in Somalia since the AMISOM force was set up in 2007.
AU Commissioner for Peace and Security Ramtane Lamamra highlighted territorial gains made in the capital, Mogadishu, since August. The shaky transitional government has won control from Shebab with help from the peacekeepers.
Lamamra said Shebab and its allies have also been "weakened" in other parts of the country.
Lamamra added that despite a famine, which has killed tens of thousands over the past year, and the divided transitional government, an "unprecedented window of opportunity" exists to establish peace and security.
He was backed by the UN under secretary general B Lynn Pascoe who said however that Shebab remains a threat and has stepped up suicide and roadside bomb attacks in the capital.

French journalist among 8 killed in Syria rocket attack

BEIRUT/PARIS: A French journalist was among eight people killed in a grenade or mortar attack in Syria s central city of Homs on Wednesday, the first Western reporter to have died in 10 months of unrest in the country.France 2 television confirmed one of its journalists had been killed. Syria s Addounia TV, which gave a total death toll of eight, said a Dutch journalist was among 25 people wounded.'France 2 television has just learned with a great deal of sorrow the death of reporter Gilles Jacquier in Homs,' France 2 said in a statement, adding it did not have details of the circumstances of his death.Jacquier - a war correspondent who had previously reported from Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and other hotspots - had been invited to Syria by the government and was in Homs with other journalists reporting on the situation in the city, the television station said.Syria barred most foreign media from the country soon after demonstrations against President Bashar Assad s rule began in March, but more journalists have been admitted since the Arab League sent a monitoring mission last month to check if authorities were complying with an Arab plan to halt the bloodshed.'Gilles Jacquier was just doing his journalist job by covering the violent events in Syria as a result of the unacceptable repression of the regime against the population,' French President Nicolas Sarkozy said.A Belgian journalist in Homs, who asked not to be named, said a group of reporters had been visiting a pro-Assad neighbourhood of the city when several grenades or mortar rounds landed. One fell on a school that was empty at the time.People were tending a small girl who was bleeding heavily when another explosion struck nearby. 'I saw three bodies,' the journalist told Reuters by telephone. 'There was a lot of chaos, blood, hysteria.