WASHINGTON – For the third straight year, President Barack Obama ranks as the man most admired by people living in the U.S., according to an annual USA Today-Gallup poll.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is the most-admired woman for the ninth year in a row, edging out former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and TV host Oprah Winfrey, as she did last year.
The poll, released Monday, asked respondents what man and woman, living anywhere in the world, they most admired. Rankings from one to 10 were based on total mentions and reported in percentages.
Obama has been the poll's most-admired man since his election in 2008. With 22 percent choosing him, Obama leads his predecessors, George W. Bush, with 5 percent, and Bill Clinton, with 4 percent.
However, Obama's percentage has fallen over the years. In 2008 he led the list with 32 percent and in 2009 with 30 percent.
Rounding out the top 10 most-admired men, with 2 percent or less: former South African President Nelson Mandella, computer tycoon Bill Gates, Pope Benedict XVI, the Rev. Billy Graham, former President Jimmy Carter, talk-show host Glenn Beck and the Dalai Lama.
Hillary Clinton has been the most-admired woman in the poll 15 times since 1992, when she first appeared following her husband's election as president. She leads this year with 17 percent, followed by Palin with 12 percent, Winfrey with 11 percent, and first lady Michelle Obama with 5 percent.
Rounding out the top most-admired women, with 2 percent or less: former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Queen Elizabeth, actress Angelina Jolie, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and, in a three-way tie for ninth place, Burmese democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi and former first ladies Laura Bush and Barbara Bush.
The USA Today-Gallup survey, conducted Dec. 10-12, is based on telephone interviews with a random sample of 1,019 adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
U.S. embassy in London was a target of UK suspects
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. embassy in London was a target of a group of men arrested last week in Britain and charged with conspiracy to cause explosions and preparing acts of terrorism, the U.S. State Department said on Monday.
Twelve men were arrested on December 20 in what British police said were counter-terrorism raids essential to protect the public from the threat of attack.
Three were later released without charges, leaving nine who appeared in court on Monday to face the charges.
Asked if he was aware of reports the suspects indicated that the U.S. embassy in London was on their target list, State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters: "I am aware and ... obviously our folks in London are aware of this."
In response to a follow-up question during a telephone briefing with reporters, Toner said: "You asked me if we were aware that we were on the targeting list and I confirmed that."
The suspects were from London, the Welsh capital of Cardiff and the central English city of Stoke.
A British police statement said the men had conspired to cause "explosions of a nature likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property".
It added they had been downloading material from the Internet, researching and discussing potential targets, carrying out reconnaissance and "igniting and testing incendiary material".
The police statement did not specify what the potential targets were.
Twelve men were arrested on December 20 in what British police said were counter-terrorism raids essential to protect the public from the threat of attack.
Three were later released without charges, leaving nine who appeared in court on Monday to face the charges.
Asked if he was aware of reports the suspects indicated that the U.S. embassy in London was on their target list, State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters: "I am aware and ... obviously our folks in London are aware of this."
In response to a follow-up question during a telephone briefing with reporters, Toner said: "You asked me if we were aware that we were on the targeting list and I confirmed that."
The suspects were from London, the Welsh capital of Cardiff and the central English city of Stoke.
A British police statement said the men had conspired to cause "explosions of a nature likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property".
It added they had been downloading material from the Internet, researching and discussing potential targets, carrying out reconnaissance and "igniting and testing incendiary material".
The police statement did not specify what the potential targets were.
Iran hangs man convicted of spying for Mossad: IRNA
TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran on Tuesday hanged an Iranian convicted of spying for the Islamic Republic's arch foe Israel, the official IRNA news agency quoted a statement from the judiciary as saying.
Ali Akbar Siadat was found guilty of relaying sensitive data to Mossad, having worked for the Israeli intelligence agency since 2004. He was arrested four years later when he tried to leave Iran with his wife.
Iran and Israel have been enemies since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran and Tehran periodically announces the arrest of people suspected of spying for Israel, which Iran refuses to recognize.
"Ali Akbar Siadat, who spied for Israel's Mossad, was hanged inside the Evin prison (in Tehran) this morning," IRNA said.
"He was convicted of corruption on Earth, confronting the Islamic Republic and strengthening the Zionist regime (Israel)."
"Siadat confessed receiving $60,000 for transferring classified information to Mossad on Iran's military activities," IRNA said. The statement said he had been given "special equipment including a laptop" to contact Mossad.
IRNA said Siadat met Israeli agents in Turkey, Thailand and the Netherlands among other countries. He gave them information on Iran's military drills, military bases, military aircraft as well as missile systems operated by the Revolutionary Guards, the news agency said.
A convicted Iranian, Ali Ashtari, was hanged in Iran in 2008 for working with Mossad. Israel denied any links with the case.
Iran often accuses Israel and the United States of trying to destabilize the Islamic Republic.
Israel, believed to be the only country in the Middle East with nuclear weapons, sides with the United States and its allies in accusing Iran of seeking to build atomic weapons of its own.
Iran denies this, saying it wants to use nuclear power to generate electricity.
Israel has not ruled out military strikes on Iran if diplomatic efforts fail to resolve the stand off over Tehran's nuclear programme.
Iran has vowed to retaliate to any strikes with missile salvoes on Israel and U.S. targets in the Gulf.
IRNA also said Ali Saremi, a member of the exiled opposition group the Mujahideen Khalq Organization, was hanged for various offences, including "moharebe" or waging war against God.
Under Iran's penal code, imposed since its 1979 Islamic revolution, espionage and waging war against God can carry the death penalty.
Ali Akbar Siadat was found guilty of relaying sensitive data to Mossad, having worked for the Israeli intelligence agency since 2004. He was arrested four years later when he tried to leave Iran with his wife.
Iran and Israel have been enemies since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran and Tehran periodically announces the arrest of people suspected of spying for Israel, which Iran refuses to recognize.
"Ali Akbar Siadat, who spied for Israel's Mossad, was hanged inside the Evin prison (in Tehran) this morning," IRNA said.
"He was convicted of corruption on Earth, confronting the Islamic Republic and strengthening the Zionist regime (Israel)."
"Siadat confessed receiving $60,000 for transferring classified information to Mossad on Iran's military activities," IRNA said. The statement said he had been given "special equipment including a laptop" to contact Mossad.
IRNA said Siadat met Israeli agents in Turkey, Thailand and the Netherlands among other countries. He gave them information on Iran's military drills, military bases, military aircraft as well as missile systems operated by the Revolutionary Guards, the news agency said.
A convicted Iranian, Ali Ashtari, was hanged in Iran in 2008 for working with Mossad. Israel denied any links with the case.
Iran often accuses Israel and the United States of trying to destabilize the Islamic Republic.
Israel, believed to be the only country in the Middle East with nuclear weapons, sides with the United States and its allies in accusing Iran of seeking to build atomic weapons of its own.
Iran denies this, saying it wants to use nuclear power to generate electricity.
Israel has not ruled out military strikes on Iran if diplomatic efforts fail to resolve the stand off over Tehran's nuclear programme.
Iran has vowed to retaliate to any strikes with missile salvoes on Israel and U.S. targets in the Gulf.
IRNA also said Ali Saremi, a member of the exiled opposition group the Mujahideen Khalq Organization, was hanged for various offences, including "moharebe" or waging war against God.
Under Iran's penal code, imposed since its 1979 Islamic revolution, espionage and waging war against God can carry the death penalty.
Nigeria says at least 80 died in Jos attacks
JOS, Nigeria (Reuters) – At least 80 people were killed in Christmas Eve bombings and clashes two days later between Muslim and Christian youths in central Nigeria, officials say.
The police said on Saturday 32 people were killed in the bomb attacks but with more than 100 wounded in hospital the death count was expected to rise.
"We have recovered 80 dead bodies so far in Jos," Daniel Gambo, an official at the Nigerian emergency management agency said late on Monday.
The chief of defense staff said two suspects were arrested in Jos, the capital of Plateau state, in possession of dynamite and dangerous weapons on Monday.
Armed police continued to patrol the streets in Jos and surrounding areas on Tuesday to deter further unrest.
A series of explosions on Friday led to religious violence which flares up sporadically in the central "Middle Belt" of Africa's most populous nation, where the largely Muslim north meets the mostly Christian south.
Hundreds of people died in religious and ethnic clashes at the start of the year but co-ordinated bomb attacks have not featured in previous violence and the governor of Plateau state has said the attacks were politically motivated.
President Goodluck Jonathan has pledged to hunt down those responsible for the bombings but the government has not said who might be responsible for the violence.
The police said on Saturday 32 people were killed in the bomb attacks but with more than 100 wounded in hospital the death count was expected to rise.
"We have recovered 80 dead bodies so far in Jos," Daniel Gambo, an official at the Nigerian emergency management agency said late on Monday.
The chief of defense staff said two suspects were arrested in Jos, the capital of Plateau state, in possession of dynamite and dangerous weapons on Monday.
Armed police continued to patrol the streets in Jos and surrounding areas on Tuesday to deter further unrest.
A series of explosions on Friday led to religious violence which flares up sporadically in the central "Middle Belt" of Africa's most populous nation, where the largely Muslim north meets the mostly Christian south.
Hundreds of people died in religious and ethnic clashes at the start of the year but co-ordinated bomb attacks have not featured in previous violence and the governor of Plateau state has said the attacks were politically motivated.
President Goodluck Jonathan has pledged to hunt down those responsible for the bombings but the government has not said who might be responsible for the violence.
Israeli companies to help build West Bank city
AMALLAH, West Bank – The developer of the first modern Palestinian city in the West Bank says about 20 Israeli suppliers will be working on the project — after the companies promised they will not use products or services from Israeli settlements.
Bashar Masri, the developer of the Rawabi city project, said Tuesday he tries to use Palestinian suppliers but when necessary, has had to turn to Israeli suppliers on condition settlement products aren't used. He didn't identify any of the suppliers.
Jewish settlers have accused the Israeli suppliers of caving in to an international boycott of businesses connected to the settlements.
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks broke down in September over Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem — lands Palestinians want for their future state.
Bashar Masri, the developer of the Rawabi city project, said Tuesday he tries to use Palestinian suppliers but when necessary, has had to turn to Israeli suppliers on condition settlement products aren't used. He didn't identify any of the suppliers.
Jewish settlers have accused the Israeli suppliers of caving in to an international boycott of businesses connected to the settlements.
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks broke down in September over Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem — lands Palestinians want for their future state.
Pakistan govt in turmoil as party to quit Cabinet
KARACHI, Pakistan – A key party in Pakistan's ruling coalition said it would quit the cabinet on Tuesday, threatening the stability of the country's already shaky U.S.-allied government.
The latest political pressure on President Asif Ali Zardari's government comes as Pakistan faces a slew of problems, including a violent Islamist insurgency and a financial crunch that has left the government relying on an $11 billion loan from the IMF.
Government instability could also hamper U.S. efforts to convince Pakistan to take more action against Islamic extremists and al-Qaida-affiliated groups hiding in Pakistan's tribal areas. Pakistanis are also still reeling from this year's massive floods and persistent electricity shortages.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement, a secular party whose primary base is the southern city of Karachi, said its two cabinet ministers would submit their resignations Tuesday, which is typically a precursor to joining the opposition. MQM leaders, however, said they would not shift their 25 seats to the opposition — yet.
Farooq Sattar, one of the MQM Cabinet ministers, said his party was unhappy with the lack of progress in solving Pakistan's problems and felt Zardari's Pakistani People's Party did not consult the MQM enough.
Earlier this month, another coalition member, the Jamiat Ulema Islam, said it would join the opposition. If the MQM decides to join the opposition as well, the governing coalition would fall below the 172 seat threshold needed to keep a majority in Parliament.
That could lead to early elections, continuing a long-standing pattern in Pakistan where civilian governments never finish their full terms, either because they are ousted in a military coup or forced out by other means.
During a news conference Tuesday, JUI leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman said Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani should resign or be removed by Zardari because he had exacerbated tensions within the governing coalition.
"If this crisis continues in the presence of this prime minister, then I fear that it might derail democracy," he said.
The PPP won the most seats in the 2008 elections weeks after its leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. Her husband, Zardari, gained the presidency months later after the ouster of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf from that position.
But Zardari is widely reviled in Pakistan, and the party's popularity has slipped as problems here have grown.
If the government does fall, the biggest beneficiary could be Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N. The party is more religiously conservative than the PPP or the MQM and it has not been as vocal in opposing the Taliban.
Zardari's party was lobbying hard Tuesday to prevent the MQM from leaving the coalition.
"We will try to sort out whatever their demands and concerns are," said Sharmila Farooqi, a PPP spokeswoman. "We will still have their support. We have a five-year mandate and we still have two more years."
The latest political pressure on President Asif Ali Zardari's government comes as Pakistan faces a slew of problems, including a violent Islamist insurgency and a financial crunch that has left the government relying on an $11 billion loan from the IMF.
Government instability could also hamper U.S. efforts to convince Pakistan to take more action against Islamic extremists and al-Qaida-affiliated groups hiding in Pakistan's tribal areas. Pakistanis are also still reeling from this year's massive floods and persistent electricity shortages.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement, a secular party whose primary base is the southern city of Karachi, said its two cabinet ministers would submit their resignations Tuesday, which is typically a precursor to joining the opposition. MQM leaders, however, said they would not shift their 25 seats to the opposition — yet.
Farooq Sattar, one of the MQM Cabinet ministers, said his party was unhappy with the lack of progress in solving Pakistan's problems and felt Zardari's Pakistani People's Party did not consult the MQM enough.
Earlier this month, another coalition member, the Jamiat Ulema Islam, said it would join the opposition. If the MQM decides to join the opposition as well, the governing coalition would fall below the 172 seat threshold needed to keep a majority in Parliament.
That could lead to early elections, continuing a long-standing pattern in Pakistan where civilian governments never finish their full terms, either because they are ousted in a military coup or forced out by other means.
During a news conference Tuesday, JUI leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman said Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani should resign or be removed by Zardari because he had exacerbated tensions within the governing coalition.
"If this crisis continues in the presence of this prime minister, then I fear that it might derail democracy," he said.
The PPP won the most seats in the 2008 elections weeks after its leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. Her husband, Zardari, gained the presidency months later after the ouster of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf from that position.
But Zardari is widely reviled in Pakistan, and the party's popularity has slipped as problems here have grown.
If the government does fall, the biggest beneficiary could be Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N. The party is more religiously conservative than the PPP or the MQM and it has not been as vocal in opposing the Taliban.
Zardari's party was lobbying hard Tuesday to prevent the MQM from leaving the coalition.
"We will try to sort out whatever their demands and concerns are," said Sharmila Farooqi, a PPP spokeswoman. "We will still have their support. We have a five-year mandate and we still have two more years."
Floods force evacuations in eastern Australia
SYDNEY (AFP) – Military helicopters were called in Tuesday to help evacuate hundreds of Australians stranded by rising floodwaters, as entire towns were inundated by the worst deluges in parts of the region in decades.
Torrential rains following in the wake of tropical cyclone Tasha, which last week crossed into the northeastern state of Queensland before quickly fading, have swollen rivers and flooded scores of farms and homes in the state.
Some towns saw their worst floods in 50 years, including Theodore some 400 kilometres (250 miles) northwest of Brisbane, which has been cut off for two days and whose 350 residents were being evacuated by helicopter.
Local Banana Shire Council Mayor Maureen Clancy said the town was "just a sea of water", telling Australian news agency AAP that floodwaters had even reached its evacuation centre.
"Following a request from Queensland, the government is providing two Blackhawk helicopters to assist in the evacuation of Theodore," Prime Minister Julia Gillard said in a statement.
"Australian Defence Force personnel are on stand-by to offer further support if required."
By early afternoon, the Dawson River at Theodore was at 14.59 metres (48 feet) and rising -- way beyond the town's 1956 record of 14.07 metres -- and most of the town under water.
As many as 1,000 people have been forced from their homes by the waters, which has affected large parts of central and southern Queensland, with more than 100 homes and businesses inundated.
Officials said while the rain was abating in some places, a vast amount of water upstream was yet to flow through the towns as it made its way to the sea.
"There's an enormous amount of water still coming and I think that's the problem, the unknown we've got to face," Western Downs Mayor Ray Brown told ABC Radio after touring affected communities by air.
The Queensland government has declared several areas, including Theodore, Chinchilla and Dalby, disaster zones -- a move that gives police the power to force people from their homes if necessary.
"We are facing a really significant event here right across many parts of Queensland -- a lot of flooding, a lot of people isolated, a lot of evacuations now occurring and a lot more rain to come," Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said.
The floods are estimated to have cost grain farmers more than 400 million US dollars, while the crisis has closed hundreds of roads, shutting down parts of major highways.
The government said that it would provide assistance to communities affected by the flooding, helping restore essential infrastructure such as roads, bridges and schools.
"While conditions across much of Queensland have eased, the threat from floodwaters remains in many areas," Gillard said, adding that while authorities had evacuated some people, other communities remained stranded.
Police have warned residents not to attempt to drive through waterlogged roads, after they were forced to rescue several people from vehicles -- including two adults and two toddlers who were forced to cling to trees after their car was swept away.
They also arrested three teenagers after they attempted to use inflatable mattresses in a "foolish and dangerous" attempt to ride floodwaters for 30 kilometres to get to Brisbane on Monday.
"It's tomfoolery ... people on li-los (inflatable mattresses) floating down rivers, it's madness, we implore people to stop the silliness," assistant police commissioner Brett Pointing said
Torrential rains following in the wake of tropical cyclone Tasha, which last week crossed into the northeastern state of Queensland before quickly fading, have swollen rivers and flooded scores of farms and homes in the state.
Some towns saw their worst floods in 50 years, including Theodore some 400 kilometres (250 miles) northwest of Brisbane, which has been cut off for two days and whose 350 residents were being evacuated by helicopter.
Local Banana Shire Council Mayor Maureen Clancy said the town was "just a sea of water", telling Australian news agency AAP that floodwaters had even reached its evacuation centre.
"Following a request from Queensland, the government is providing two Blackhawk helicopters to assist in the evacuation of Theodore," Prime Minister Julia Gillard said in a statement.
"Australian Defence Force personnel are on stand-by to offer further support if required."
By early afternoon, the Dawson River at Theodore was at 14.59 metres (48 feet) and rising -- way beyond the town's 1956 record of 14.07 metres -- and most of the town under water.
As many as 1,000 people have been forced from their homes by the waters, which has affected large parts of central and southern Queensland, with more than 100 homes and businesses inundated.
Officials said while the rain was abating in some places, a vast amount of water upstream was yet to flow through the towns as it made its way to the sea.
"There's an enormous amount of water still coming and I think that's the problem, the unknown we've got to face," Western Downs Mayor Ray Brown told ABC Radio after touring affected communities by air.
The Queensland government has declared several areas, including Theodore, Chinchilla and Dalby, disaster zones -- a move that gives police the power to force people from their homes if necessary.
"We are facing a really significant event here right across many parts of Queensland -- a lot of flooding, a lot of people isolated, a lot of evacuations now occurring and a lot more rain to come," Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said.
The floods are estimated to have cost grain farmers more than 400 million US dollars, while the crisis has closed hundreds of roads, shutting down parts of major highways.
The government said that it would provide assistance to communities affected by the flooding, helping restore essential infrastructure such as roads, bridges and schools.
"While conditions across much of Queensland have eased, the threat from floodwaters remains in many areas," Gillard said, adding that while authorities had evacuated some people, other communities remained stranded.
Police have warned residents not to attempt to drive through waterlogged roads, after they were forced to rescue several people from vehicles -- including two adults and two toddlers who were forced to cling to trees after their car was swept away.
They also arrested three teenagers after they attempted to use inflatable mattresses in a "foolish and dangerous" attempt to ride floodwaters for 30 kilometres to get to Brisbane on Monday.
"It's tomfoolery ... people on li-los (inflatable mattresses) floating down rivers, it's madness, we implore people to stop the silliness," assistant police commissioner Brett Pointing said
Gbagbo camp rebuffs presidents' Ivory Coast ultimatum
ABIDJAN (Reuters) – The government of Ivory Coast's incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo rebuffed on Tuesday a call for him to step down or face removal by force, before three West African presidents had even delivered the ultimatum.
Regional and world powers want Gbagbo to cede power to rival presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara after elections last month provoked a dispute that has killed more than 170 people and threatens to tip the country back into civil war.
The three presidents -- Benin's Boni Yayi, Sierra Leone's Ernest Bai Koroma and Pedro Pires of Cape Verde -- arrived in Abidjan on Tuesday to hand over the call from the West African bloc ECOWAS to resign or face military intervention.
Gbagbo's government originally said it would welcome the emissaries "as brothers and friends and listen to the message they have to convey."
But shortly before they were expected to meet Gbagbo at about 1300 GMT (8 a.m. ET), his government warned it would not tolerate any meddling in its affairs, nor would it heed any call to make way for Ouattara.
"Let's avoid political delinquency. No international institution has the right to intervene by force to impose a president in a sovereign state," government spokesman Ahoua Don Melo told BBC in an interview when asked if Gbagbo would leave.
Some newspapers said Gbagbo's government insistence that he won last month's elections and that he is backed by the Ivory Coast constitution, was already a clear sign that he is not going to heed the ultimatum to step down.
Provisional elections results in the world's largest cocoa grower showed Ouattara winning by eight percentage-points. But the nation's top court, run by a Gbagbo ally, overturned the results amid allegations of fraud.
The United States and the European Union have slapped a travel ban on Gbagbo and his inner circle while the World Bank and the regional West African central bank have frozen his finances in an attempt to weaken his grip on power.
The standoff turned violent this month after Ouattara supporters tried to seize the state broadcaster's building and clashed with security forces, killing at least 20 people.
After several days of calm, sporadic gunfire was heard on Tuesday morning in the Abidjan neighborhood of Abobo, a stronghold of Ouattara supporters. A Reuters witness said police were chasing youths who were trying to set up barricades with burning tires. It is not known if there are casualties.
Residents and human rights groups have accused pro-Gbagbo gunmen of extra-judicial killings, kidnappings and torture since the election. The U.N. condemned the violence.
The election was meant to heal the wounds of a 2002-03 civil war that split the country in two, but experts now fear the dispute over the results could reignite conflict.
The turmoil has pushed cocoa futures to recent four-month highs amid fears it could eventually disrupt exports. Ivory Coast's Eurobond hit a record low last week on concern that the country would not meet a $30 million bond payment December 31
Regional and world powers want Gbagbo to cede power to rival presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara after elections last month provoked a dispute that has killed more than 170 people and threatens to tip the country back into civil war.
The three presidents -- Benin's Boni Yayi, Sierra Leone's Ernest Bai Koroma and Pedro Pires of Cape Verde -- arrived in Abidjan on Tuesday to hand over the call from the West African bloc ECOWAS to resign or face military intervention.
Gbagbo's government originally said it would welcome the emissaries "as brothers and friends and listen to the message they have to convey."
But shortly before they were expected to meet Gbagbo at about 1300 GMT (8 a.m. ET), his government warned it would not tolerate any meddling in its affairs, nor would it heed any call to make way for Ouattara.
"Let's avoid political delinquency. No international institution has the right to intervene by force to impose a president in a sovereign state," government spokesman Ahoua Don Melo told BBC in an interview when asked if Gbagbo would leave.
Some newspapers said Gbagbo's government insistence that he won last month's elections and that he is backed by the Ivory Coast constitution, was already a clear sign that he is not going to heed the ultimatum to step down.
Provisional elections results in the world's largest cocoa grower showed Ouattara winning by eight percentage-points. But the nation's top court, run by a Gbagbo ally, overturned the results amid allegations of fraud.
The United States and the European Union have slapped a travel ban on Gbagbo and his inner circle while the World Bank and the regional West African central bank have frozen his finances in an attempt to weaken his grip on power.
The standoff turned violent this month after Ouattara supporters tried to seize the state broadcaster's building and clashed with security forces, killing at least 20 people.
After several days of calm, sporadic gunfire was heard on Tuesday morning in the Abidjan neighborhood of Abobo, a stronghold of Ouattara supporters. A Reuters witness said police were chasing youths who were trying to set up barricades with burning tires. It is not known if there are casualties.
Residents and human rights groups have accused pro-Gbagbo gunmen of extra-judicial killings, kidnappings and torture since the election. The U.N. condemned the violence.
The election was meant to heal the wounds of a 2002-03 civil war that split the country in two, but experts now fear the dispute over the results could reignite conflict.
The turmoil has pushed cocoa futures to recent four-month highs amid fears it could eventually disrupt exports. Ivory Coast's Eurobond hit a record low last week on concern that the country would not meet a $30 million bond payment December 31
Crude Oil Trades Near Two-Year High on Speculation U.S. Inventories Shrank
Crude rose to trade near a two-year high in New York on speculation that cold weather in the U.S. and Europe will boost demand in industrialized nations.
New York, the biggest city in the world’s largest oil consumer, suffered the heaviest December snows in six decades as storms spread across the eastern U.S. Oil fell yesterday after China raised benchmark lending and deposit rates.
“Oil is more or less balanced between positive data from cold weather in Europe and the U.S., and negative data from China’s latest interest rate hike,” said Daniel Briesemann, a commodities analyst at Commerzbank AG in Frankfurt. “I don’t expect a big move in one or the other direction this week as volumes are very low. When traders return in the New Year, we’ll get a better picture of the price direction.”
Crude for February delivery was at $91.33 a barrel, up 33 cents, in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 11:45 a.m. London time, after rising as high as $91.38. Brent crude for February settlement rose as much as 30 cents to $94.15 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange.
The New York contract lost 51 cents yesterday after rising to $91.88, the highest since Oct. 7, 2008, as China’s second interest-rate increase this quarter bolstered concern that growth will slow in the biggest energy-consuming country.
Winter Weather
Winds on the U.S. east coast may “quickly” cover roads with snow, even though storms have ended, according to a winter weather advisory from the National Weather Service late yesterday. The wind-chill factor pushed temperatures in New York City’s Central Park to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 10 degrees Celsius) at 12:51 a.m., according to data on its website.
Oil also retraced some of yesterday’s 0.6 percent drop before an Energy Department report forecast to show U.S. inventories shrank for a fourth week, the longest stretch of declines in a year. The dollar fell for a fourth day, bolstering the investment appeal of commodities.
U.S. oil stockpiles probably decreased 3 million barrels from 340.7 million in the week ended Dec. 24, according to the median estimate of nine analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News. Supplies have fallen this month by 19 million barrels, or 5.3 percent, the most since December 2006.
The Energy Department will release its weekly report at 11 a.m. in Washington on Dec. 30, a day later than usual because of Christmas. The American Petroleum Institute, which collects stockpile information on a voluntary basis, will release its weekly report tomorrow, also a day later than usual.
“We are looking ahead to this week’s reports to get a picture of the relative supply and demand factors as they exist here at the end of 2010,” Peter Beutel, president of Cameron Hanover Inc., an energy adviser in New Canaan, Connecticut, said in a note today. “If nothing else, they may tell us more about the economy.”
Oil, which rallied 78 percent in 2009, has risen 15 percent this year as signs of a global economic recovery bolstered optimism fuel demand will grow
New York, the biggest city in the world’s largest oil consumer, suffered the heaviest December snows in six decades as storms spread across the eastern U.S. Oil fell yesterday after China raised benchmark lending and deposit rates.
“Oil is more or less balanced between positive data from cold weather in Europe and the U.S., and negative data from China’s latest interest rate hike,” said Daniel Briesemann, a commodities analyst at Commerzbank AG in Frankfurt. “I don’t expect a big move in one or the other direction this week as volumes are very low. When traders return in the New Year, we’ll get a better picture of the price direction.”
Crude for February delivery was at $91.33 a barrel, up 33 cents, in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 11:45 a.m. London time, after rising as high as $91.38. Brent crude for February settlement rose as much as 30 cents to $94.15 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange.
The New York contract lost 51 cents yesterday after rising to $91.88, the highest since Oct. 7, 2008, as China’s second interest-rate increase this quarter bolstered concern that growth will slow in the biggest energy-consuming country.
Winter Weather
Winds on the U.S. east coast may “quickly” cover roads with snow, even though storms have ended, according to a winter weather advisory from the National Weather Service late yesterday. The wind-chill factor pushed temperatures in New York City’s Central Park to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 10 degrees Celsius) at 12:51 a.m., according to data on its website.
Oil also retraced some of yesterday’s 0.6 percent drop before an Energy Department report forecast to show U.S. inventories shrank for a fourth week, the longest stretch of declines in a year. The dollar fell for a fourth day, bolstering the investment appeal of commodities.
U.S. oil stockpiles probably decreased 3 million barrels from 340.7 million in the week ended Dec. 24, according to the median estimate of nine analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News. Supplies have fallen this month by 19 million barrels, or 5.3 percent, the most since December 2006.
The Energy Department will release its weekly report at 11 a.m. in Washington on Dec. 30, a day later than usual because of Christmas. The American Petroleum Institute, which collects stockpile information on a voluntary basis, will release its weekly report tomorrow, also a day later than usual.
“We are looking ahead to this week’s reports to get a picture of the relative supply and demand factors as they exist here at the end of 2010,” Peter Beutel, president of Cameron Hanover Inc., an energy adviser in New Canaan, Connecticut, said in a note today. “If nothing else, they may tell us more about the economy.”
Oil, which rallied 78 percent in 2009, has risen 15 percent this year as signs of a global economic recovery bolstered optimism fuel demand will grow
Uganda yellow fever outbreak kills more than 40
Yellow fever vaccines are being imported for the north of Uganda to inoculate people against the disease which has killed about 45 people.
People began falling ill about a month ago in nine northern districts, the country's health ministry says.
A health official in Kitgum told the BBC the outbreak was confirmed as yellow fever on Christmas Eve.
The disease, transmitted by infected mosquitoes, was last recorded in Uganda almost 40 years ago, officials say.
Task forces have been put in place in the affected districts and isolation units set up.
Bosco Ochola, chairman of the Kitgum task force, said his staff were treating about 65 infected patients.
"This morning we got a phone call from the Ministry of Health that arrangements are being made from WHO (World Health Organization) to bring vaccines to cover the population," he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme
Yellow fever, unlike malaria, is transmitted by a type of mosquito which is active only during the day.
Radio talk shows and dramas were trying to inform people of this, he said.
The health ministry says at least 2.5 million people will be vaccinated when the vials arrive, Uganda's state-owned New Vision newspaper reports.
The disease has a wide array of symptoms from nausea and vomiting to kidney failure, jaundice and bleeding.
About half of those who develop severe symptoms and are untreated die from the disease.
People began falling ill about a month ago in nine northern districts, the country's health ministry says.
A health official in Kitgum told the BBC the outbreak was confirmed as yellow fever on Christmas Eve.
The disease, transmitted by infected mosquitoes, was last recorded in Uganda almost 40 years ago, officials say.
Task forces have been put in place in the affected districts and isolation units set up.
Bosco Ochola, chairman of the Kitgum task force, said his staff were treating about 65 infected patients.
"This morning we got a phone call from the Ministry of Health that arrangements are being made from WHO (World Health Organization) to bring vaccines to cover the population," he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme
Yellow fever, unlike malaria, is transmitted by a type of mosquito which is active only during the day.
Radio talk shows and dramas were trying to inform people of this, he said.
The health ministry says at least 2.5 million people will be vaccinated when the vials arrive, Uganda's state-owned New Vision newspaper reports.
The disease has a wide array of symptoms from nausea and vomiting to kidney failure, jaundice and bleeding.
About half of those who develop severe symptoms and are untreated die from the disease.
No police in Mexico town after last officer kidnapped
The Mexican border town of Guadalupe has been left with no police force after the last officer was kidnapped.
Erika Gandara's house was set on fire by unidentified gunmen before she was abducted last week, according to the state prosecutor's office.
All her colleagues had resigned or were killed in the region's drug war.
More than 30,000 people have died in drug-related violence since 2006 when the President announced a crackdown on the cartels.
Ms Gandara, 28, had patrolled the town of 9,000 inhabitants on her own since June.
"Nobody wants to go into policing here, and the budget just isn't there anyway," she told AFP news agency earlier this year.
Guadalupe is about 5km (3 miles) away from the US border and 60km (40 miles) from Ciudad Juarez, the centre of drug smuggling operations into the United States.
It is also close to the hamlet of Praxedis Guadalupe Guerreror, where a 20-year-old college student got the job of police chief in October because no one else applied.
The Mexican government has sent soldiers to patrol Guadalupe and to investigate the kidnapping of Ms Gandara.
Erika Gandara's house was set on fire by unidentified gunmen before she was abducted last week, according to the state prosecutor's office.
All her colleagues had resigned or were killed in the region's drug war.
More than 30,000 people have died in drug-related violence since 2006 when the President announced a crackdown on the cartels.
Ms Gandara, 28, had patrolled the town of 9,000 inhabitants on her own since June.
"Nobody wants to go into policing here, and the budget just isn't there anyway," she told AFP news agency earlier this year.
Guadalupe is about 5km (3 miles) away from the US border and 60km (40 miles) from Ciudad Juarez, the centre of drug smuggling operations into the United States.
It is also close to the hamlet of Praxedis Guadalupe Guerreror, where a 20-year-old college student got the job of police chief in October because no one else applied.
The Mexican government has sent soldiers to patrol Guadalupe and to investigate the kidnapping of Ms Gandara.
Haiti mobs lynch voodoo priests over cholera fears
Voodoo priests in Haiti are being lynched by mobs who blame them for spreading cholera, the country's government has said.
At least 45 people have been lynched in recent weeks as Haiti continues to be ravaged by a cholera epidemic.
Haiti's communications minister has made an appeal for the lynchings to end and called for a campaign to ensure people understand how cholera spreads.
More than 2,500 Haitians have died from the water-borne disease since October.
Another 121,000 people have been treated for symptoms of cholera, with at least 63,500 admitted to hospital, figures show.
The outbreak has also prompted angry protests aimed at the United Nations, whose Nepalese peacekeepers have been suspected of introducing cholera to Haiti.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has announced an investigation into the reports, although the UN initially denied the suggestion.
Blame game
Although many Haitians still practise voodoo or use aspects of voodoo in their religious worship, the latest violence erupted out of fears the traditional priests were using their powers to spread the infection
"The victims... were stoned or hacked with machetes before being burned in the streets," communications ministry official Moise Fritz Evens said.
Haiti's communications minister said she abhorred the killings and insisted that the answer was to improve general education about how cholera is transmitted.
"Voodoo practitioners have nothing to do with the cholera epidemic. We must press for an awareness campaign about the disease in the communities."
A highly prominent voodoo leader, Max Beauvoir, told Reuters news agency police were not doing enough to stop the violence.
"Since the earthquake some people have been blaming us, saying that we cast spells and did evil things which brought the earthquake as a punishment," he said.
Haiti's cholera epidemic has provoked widespread fear across the country. Anger spread when suspicions emerged that the Nepalese UN peacekeepers could have brought the disease to Haiti - where it is extremely rare - from their country, where it is endemic.
Poor sanitary conditions in much of quake-hit Haiti have contributed to the rapid spread of cholera, which causes diarrhoea and vomiting. It can kill quickly but is treated easily through rehydration and antibiotics.
The country was hit by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in January 2010 that devastated most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and killed at least 250,000 people.
At least 45 people have been lynched in recent weeks as Haiti continues to be ravaged by a cholera epidemic.
Haiti's communications minister has made an appeal for the lynchings to end and called for a campaign to ensure people understand how cholera spreads.
More than 2,500 Haitians have died from the water-borne disease since October.
Another 121,000 people have been treated for symptoms of cholera, with at least 63,500 admitted to hospital, figures show.
The outbreak has also prompted angry protests aimed at the United Nations, whose Nepalese peacekeepers have been suspected of introducing cholera to Haiti.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has announced an investigation into the reports, although the UN initially denied the suggestion.
Blame game
Although many Haitians still practise voodoo or use aspects of voodoo in their religious worship, the latest violence erupted out of fears the traditional priests were using their powers to spread the infection
"The victims... were stoned or hacked with machetes before being burned in the streets," communications ministry official Moise Fritz Evens said.
Haiti's communications minister said she abhorred the killings and insisted that the answer was to improve general education about how cholera is transmitted.
"Voodoo practitioners have nothing to do with the cholera epidemic. We must press for an awareness campaign about the disease in the communities."
A highly prominent voodoo leader, Max Beauvoir, told Reuters news agency police were not doing enough to stop the violence.
"Since the earthquake some people have been blaming us, saying that we cast spells and did evil things which brought the earthquake as a punishment," he said.
Haiti's cholera epidemic has provoked widespread fear across the country. Anger spread when suspicions emerged that the Nepalese UN peacekeepers could have brought the disease to Haiti - where it is extremely rare - from their country, where it is endemic.
Poor sanitary conditions in much of quake-hit Haiti have contributed to the rapid spread of cholera, which causes diarrhoea and vomiting. It can kill quickly but is treated easily through rehydration and antibiotics.
The country was hit by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in January 2010 that devastated most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and killed at least 250,000 people.
Somali pirates free German chemical tanker
Somali pirates have freed a German-owned chemical tanker, reportedly after a $5.5m (£3.6m) ransom was paid.
The Marida Marguerite, with a crew of 19 Indians, two Bangladeshis and one Ukrainian, was seized in May by pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades.
Kenya-based officials said a ransom was paid, but there was no independent confirmation.
Pirates now hold 25 vessels and 587 hostages after they seized another German-owned ship on Monday.
The EU's Indian Ocean anti-piracy force (Navfor) said in a statement that the cargo ship Ems River was taken in the early hours, about 200 miles (325km) north-east of the port of Salalah in Oman.
The ship was on its way to Greece from Dubai at the time of the attack, carrying a cargo of petroleum coke.
The EU said it had an eight-strong crew of one Romanian and seven Filipinos.
One Tuesday afternoon, the Marida Marguerite was sailing to safe waters, according to Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenya-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme.
He said $5.5m was paid to release the ship. The vessel's owners have not yet commented.
Officials and companies rarely comment on the payment of ransoms, though analysts say such deals are widespread.
The Marida Marguerite, with a crew of 19 Indians, two Bangladeshis and one Ukrainian, was seized in May by pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades.
Kenya-based officials said a ransom was paid, but there was no independent confirmation.
Pirates now hold 25 vessels and 587 hostages after they seized another German-owned ship on Monday.
The EU's Indian Ocean anti-piracy force (Navfor) said in a statement that the cargo ship Ems River was taken in the early hours, about 200 miles (325km) north-east of the port of Salalah in Oman.
The ship was on its way to Greece from Dubai at the time of the attack, carrying a cargo of petroleum coke.
The EU said it had an eight-strong crew of one Romanian and seven Filipinos.
One Tuesday afternoon, the Marida Marguerite was sailing to safe waters, according to Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenya-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme.
He said $5.5m was paid to release the ship. The vessel's owners have not yet commented.
Officials and companies rarely comment on the payment of ransoms, though analysts say such deals are widespread.
Monday, December 27, 2010
NDC to cash in on NPP’s goodwill message gaffe
Myjoyonline.com
The National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for Adenta in Accra, Kojo Adu-Asare is pepping up the party’s propaganda secretary to ‘scan’ and mount billboards of an apparent “printer’s devil” contained in a sponsored goodwill message from the New Patriotic Party and its flagbearer for 2012, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to the general public.
The “goodwill message”, a full-page, colour poster of a smiling Nana Addo, published in the Thursday, December 23 edition of the Daily Guide newspaper, has the inscription Hope for the Season and says “Nana Akufo-Addo and The New Patriotic Party (N.P.P.) Extends Season’s Greetings to all Ghanaians and friends of Ghana and wish you the very best for the coming year.” It enumerates a number of aspirations of the party including making it possible for every Ghanaian to create prosperity for himself or herself, to make Ghana a safe, peaceful and truly democratic environment, and to bring back to Ghana, a strong decisive, and compassionate leadership of integrity and competence.
It however continues “We will not continue with our efforts to provide affordable, quality healthcare for all and to give free, quality education and skills for jobs to every child or youth. We are the party that can fix it. We are the NPP.”
It is this last part of the message that is threatening to discomfort the NPP and its flagbearer.
On Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen Thursday, Kojo Adu-Asare will not agree with suggestions that there was an error in the statement, insisting that the NPP was only being true to type, for “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”
He said it cannot be a typographical error for the statement to include an emphatic word like “not”, which must be underlined on the billboards he proposed to be mounted throughout the country to tell the electorate the real NPP, emphasizing that it amply demonstrates the mindset of the NPP.
It turned out the MP’s prompting was a belated one, for the NDC’s Propaganda Secretary had already hit town with the message in a statement he issued under the headline;
NANA AKUFO-ADDO & NPP REVEAL TRUE COLOURS ON NATIONAL ISSUES.
Said he; “The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has taken note of the NPP Flagbearer, Nana Akufo Addo’s Christmas greetings to the good people of Ghana as captured on the second page of the Thursday, December 23, 2010 edition of the Daily Guide Newspaper. In the said message, Nana Akufo Addo who hopes to be president of Ghana though it is most unlikely, emphatically stated that he and the NPP, apart from possibly creating property for individuals in the ever-expanding Ghanaian economy ‘will not continue’ with ‘efforts to provide affordable, quality healthcare for all and to give free quality education and skills for jobs to every child or youth’.
“Though the NDC in the name of God is convinced that Nana Akufo Addo and the NPP would never see power in 2012, we are incensed by such unpatriotic comments from a man who aspires to the highest office of the land in view of the fact that affordable quality health care, education and skills for jobs are some of the crucial needs of our people which the Atta Mills-led government is tirelessly providing.
“Having served this notice, Ghanaians must be wary of Nana Akufo Addo and the NPP since they do not consider issues such as healthcare, education and human resource development as important, though Ghanaians principally hold these dear.
“We in the NDC in wishing Ghanaians well during this festive occasion assure all that the NDC-led government would not relent or shirk its responsibility in meeting the expectations of the Ghanaian people,” the statement concluded.
Swine flu kills 56 in Egypt since October
CAIRO (Reuters) – A resurgent H1N1 swine flu virus has infected 1,172 people in Egypt and killed 56 since October 8, a Ministry of Health official said Monday.
The virus has infected 16,373 people, of whom 281 died, since it was first reported in Egypt in June 2009, said the official, who asked not to be named.
H1N1 flu broke out in 2009 and quickly spread across the world. The World Health Organization said about 18,450 people died from the virus, including many pregnant women and young people.
Last year Cairo took various initiatives to try to limit the spread of H1N1, including culling all pigs in the country, temporarily closing schools and stopping travelers with fever at airports.
The virus has infected 16,373 people, of whom 281 died, since it was first reported in Egypt in June 2009, said the official, who asked not to be named.
H1N1 flu broke out in 2009 and quickly spread across the world. The World Health Organization said about 18,450 people died from the virus, including many pregnant women and young people.
Last year Cairo took various initiatives to try to limit the spread of H1N1, including culling all pigs in the country, temporarily closing schools and stopping travelers with fever at airports.
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