Asafa Powell eyes World Indoor Champs
Former 100-metre world record holder Asafa Powell is taking dead aim at the shorter 60 metres sprint at this year's IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics.
According to Powell, the principals guiding his professional career are discussing his participation in the meet, to be held March 9-12 in Istanbul, Turkey.
"My coach (Stephen Francis) and my manager have been having a lot of discussion about that," Powell said Thursday while here to run in today's US Open Track and Field meet inside the Madison Square Garden arena.
Powell, who has not run indoors since 2004, welcomes the chance to compete at the global championships.
"I would love to," he said. "It's another experience. I don't think it's much different from the World Championships, you know. It's the same thing. It's only a shorter distance."
Powell raised some eyebrows in track circles when he chose to run the 50 metres here. Not only has he never competed at that distance before, but the race will be his opener this season.
"This Saturday will be the first time I'll be going in spikes," said Powell.
He will face fellow Jamaicans Nesta Carter and Kimmari Roach; Antiguan Daniel Bailey, who finished third at the 2010 World Indoors; and Americans Trell Kimmons and Justin Gatlin, another former world record holder in the 100 metres.
The race is scheduled to start at 9:55 p.m., 10 minutes after the women's 50 metres featuring reigning World Indoor 60 metres champion Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica. Other Jamaicans competing at the meet include Dwight Thomas in the 50 metres hurdles and Davita Prendergast in the 500 yards.
Powell offered several reasons for skipping previous indoor competition, including the season's conflict with regular training schedules in Jamaica, plus one past experience that didn't go well.
"The last indoor meet I ran I got injured and I think my coach just decided not to send me back indoors," Powell said, explaining his extended absence from the "boards".
Powell's older brother Donovan was a finalist in the 60 metres at the 1999 World Indoors. However, a more realistic motive for his decision to run indoors is Powell's admission that he must "change" the preparation routine which helped him hold the world 100 metres record from June 2005 to May 2008, but has failed to earn him a gold medal in the event at either the Olympics or outdoor World Championships. Powell believes his time is running out, especially with the emergence of fellow Jamaican stars such as Usain Bolt, the reigning Olympic champion and current 100 metres world record holder, and Yohan Blake, who won that event at last year's World Championships.
He may get inspiration from Dwain Chambers, who won the 2010 World Indoors 60 metres at age 31, although the British sprinter's time of 6.48 seconds is faster than Powell's best of 6.56. What he'll produce today is still unclear..
"I still can run fast," said Powell. "I don't know how fast or what to expect."
Hopeful 'Rambo' now at Aston Villa
Rusea's High's star striker, Brian 'Rambo' Brown, whose goalscoring exploits were pivotal in the school's 2011 ISSA/Gatorade /Digicel daCosta Cup success, is now in England on trial with Barclays Premier League outfit Aston Villa.
Prior to leaving the island on Thursday, the prolific Brown, who was staying away from the local Red Stripe Premier League in a bid to concentrate on his academics, said the possibility of getting a professional contract in England was the kind of chance he was not prepared to bypass.
"This is something I was hoping and praying would happen for me one day," said Brown, who won the schoolboy 'golden boots' award in both 2010 and 2011. "My goal is to become a professional footballer so this is possibly the best opportunity to get myself into the big league."
At the conclusion of the schoolboy football season late last year, Brown rejected invitations from at least three teams to play in the 2011-12 Red Stripe Premier League, stating that he wanted to concentrate on the CXC subjects he will be sitting later this year.
Scholarship
"I am doing six CXC subjects and I want to pass all six as my aim is to get a scholarship to an overseas college or university," said Brown. "I would have to spend time training to play in the RPL and I just don't have that amount of them to share between school and club football."
Montego Bay United Football (MBUFC) and fellow western Jamaica outfits Reno FC and Village United were among the teams that made offers to Brown, who is the son of former Seba United star striker Brian 'Rambo' Brown Sr.
"We were prepared to work with him on his own terms," said MBUFC chairman Orville Powell. "We were prepared to give him a starting position on the team without him having to follow the regular training regime ... he is clearly a very special talent."
While he still has his sights set on doing well in his CXC Examinations, that could all fall through the window if he impresses at Aston Villa and is offered an immediate contract.
"If they offer me a contract I would take it," said Brown. "It is something I have discussed with my family and the decision is that accepting a contract would be in my best interest."
Brown's link with Aston Villa was facilitated by his England-based agent Barrington McIntosh, who was able to convince the club with video recordings and newspaper articles showcasing Brown's exploits on the local schoolboy circuit over the past three years in which he tallied 63 goals.
"McIntosh came to Jamaica to watch me play in the daCosta Cup this year and he is convinced that with my talent I could make it in England," said Brown. "I hope I will be able to justify the faith he has in my ability."
Rusea's assistant coach Anthony 'Follies' Williams is absolutely elated with the opportunity that has been opened for young Brown, and believes that he has the requisite skills to impress in England.
"This youngster is like a goal-scoring machine ... he always knows where the goal is and is able to score incredible goals," said Williams. "He is now Rusea's all-time leading goal
Greeks reject German plan for EU budget commissioner
Greek officials have reacted angrily to a leaked German proposal for an EU budget commissioner with veto powers over Greek taxes and spending.
The Greek government said it must remain in control of its own budget.
The European Commission says it wants to reinforce its monitoring of Greek finances, but Greece should retain sovereign control.
Meanwhile, Greece and its private investors are close to a deal which will pave the way for a second bailout.
Negotiators say a tentative agreement could be finalised next week.
Greece must reach agreement in the next few days in order to receive the next tranche of funds from its first bailout.
It needs the money to pay off a significant number of bondholders whose bonds mature in March. Without the bailout funds, Greece could be forced into an uncontrolled default from the euro.
'Budgetary sovereignty'
Under the German proposal, a budget commissioner would have veto powers over Greek budgetary measures if they were not in line with targets set by international lenders.
Greece would also legally commit itself to servicing its debt, before spending any money in any other way.
"Given the disappointing compliance so far, Greece has to accept shifting budgetary sovereignty to the European level for a certain period of time," the Financial Times quotes the German plan as saying.
Under the proposals, European institutions already operating in Greece should be given "certain decision-making powers" over fiscal policy, a German official told the Reuters news agency. He was speaking on condition of anonymity.
Greek government spokesman Pantelis Kapsis said Greece's budget must absolutely remain its own responsibility.
The spokesman for the centre-left Pasok party, one of the parties in Greece's coalition government, said a similar idea had been raised before and should be avoided.
The German plan was leaked ahead of a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on Monday, when they will discuss a new fiscal pact.
Anyone looking for a clear sign that Germany and its fiscally conservative allies are losing patience with Greece should look no further, says the BBC's Chris Morris, in Brussels.
Because Greece has repeatedly failed to meet earlier fiscal targets, and has made little progress on public-sector reforms, there is concern that even with a deal on the next bailout, Athens may need more than the 130bn euros agreed last October, our correspondent says.
Debt swap
Meanwhile, Greek officials and private investors struck an optimistic note as talks wound up on Saturday, saying they were close to reaching agreement.
They were discussing a debt swap, under which private creditors take a 50% cut in the nominal value of their Greek bond holdings, in return for cash and new bonds.
The swap would relieve Greece of about 100bn euros of its total debt of 350bn euros.
"We must do everything that will restrict the recession and will begin the cycle of growth. The coming days will determine the coming decade," Finance Minister Evangelis Venizelos told reporters as the talks broke up on Saturday.
In return for the first bailout, Greece agreed to sharply reduce public spending, including cuts in pensions and wages for public-sector workers.
However, it has repeatedly fallen short of its targets. Last year, the budget deficit went up, not down.
The austerity measures have angered many Greeks. In Athens on Friday, protesters tried to blockade inspectors from the "troika" of institutional lenders - the EU, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Central Bank (ECB) - into their hotel.
Elections in Greece are due to take place in April.
Davos 2012: IMF issues austerity warning
Inappropriate spending cuts could "strangle" growth prospects, the head of the IMF has warned.
Austerity programmes must be tailored to each economy, Christine Lagarde said, and not be "across the board".
The International Monetary Fund has been one of those stressing the need for countries to cut their debts, but some fear this could hit growth.
The correct response to the eurozone debt crisis has been a major debate at World Economic Forum in Davos.
"We are not suggesting there should be fiscal consolidation across the board," Ms Lagarde stressed.
"Some countries have to go full-speed ahead to do this fiscal consolidation, but other countries have space and room. They should explore what to do... in order to help themselves.
"It has to be tailor-made."
One of those expressing concerns about the possible implications of fiscal consolidation at the gathering at the Swiss ski resort was US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner.
He told the annual meeting of political and business leaders on Friday that there was a risk of a recessionary "cycle" from austerity measures.
"There is a risk that every disappointment in growth will be met with an austerity that will feed the decline, and that is a cycle you have to arrest to solve financial crises," Mr Geithner said.
'Progress'
Crisis-hit countries such as Greece and Spain are implementing deep government spending cuts and raising taxes in order to try to bring down their deficits.
"For parts of Europe for a long time, there will be no alternative to very substantial adjustment in budget deficits," Mr Geithner said.
He is one of a number of leaders who have said this week that the deficit-cutting measures have been an important step in addressing the eurozone debt crisis.
Ms Lagarde echoed those on Saturday: "There is work under way. There is progress, as we see it,"
But some see these policies as potentially very damaging. Financier George Soros told the BBC that the fiscal cuts, which Germany supports, could even lead to a "lost decade" of economic stagnation in Europe.
"This German insistence on austerity could destroy the European Union," he said. "This is reality, this is the harsh reality that we need to face.
"It is not written in stone, the future is not predetermined. We determine the future, so it would be well within the possibilities of the authorities to change it."
A document, reportedly leaked to the Financial Times, has suggested that Germany could be asking for Greece to do more, including giving up the financial control of its tax and spending decisions to an administrator appointed by Brussels.
Austerity is only one part of the solution, Christine Lagarde said.
She, and others on the panel, stressed the importance of reinforcing what is being referred to as the "firewall", a much-expanded rescue fund made up of funds pledged by eurozone members.
"It is critical that the eurozone members actually develop a clear, simple, firewall that can operate both to limit the contagion and to provide this sort of act of trust in the eurozone so that the financing needs of that zone can actually be met," she said.
The IMF managing director also spoke of the hundreds of billions of dollars of extra funds she wants to raise to support any crisis-hit countries, especially if a economic downturn takes hold.
Holding up her designer handbag she said: "I am here with my little bag to collect a bit of money."
"There will be needs in the eurozone, no doubt about it, but in central and eastern Europe there will be needs as well. And in other countries including in low income countries, including in middle income countries, there will be needs. Short term for some, long term for others."
The UK has been one of those resistant to pledging extra funds for the IMF to help eurozone countries, but there have been indications in recent days that its stance is softening.
"I think there is a case for increasing IMF resources and I think that will also be a way of demonstrating that the world wants to help... solve the world's problems," UK Chancellor George Osborne told the Davos audience.
But, like his US counterpart Tim Geithner, he said any additional help would be conditional upon Eurozone countries demonstrating they were doing all they could do help fellow members.
"There aren't going to be further contributions to the IMF from other G20 countries, including Britain, unless we see the colour of their money, and I think that's a reasonable request."
Debt deal
For the first time in a while, leaders meeting in Davos don't seem to be stalked by the fear that the eurozone might blow up, the BBC's economics editor Stephanie Flanders reports.
But many of the sessions have been discussing what still needs to be done.
"The fact that we're still, at the beginning of 2012, talking about Greece - again - is a sign that this problem has not been dealt with," George Osborne said.
"The danger here is that the tail wags the dog throughout this crisis. In other words, the inability to deal with specific problems with the periphery causes shock waves across the whole European economy and the world economy," he added.
Talks continued on Saturday between the Greek government and representatives of its private creditors, including banks and hedge funds, to renegotiate the terms of the country's debt.
"Further progress was made, building on the understandings reached yesterday on the key legal and technical issues," a statement from the IIF, the body representing the bondholders, said.
An agreement to reduce its debt burden is a precondition for receiving further bailout funds from European authorities and the IMF.
"Concluding the deal that will lead to a more sustainable situation in Greece, I think actually is fundamental to stability in the Eurozone," Mr Osborne said.
Spain's unemployment total passes five million
Spain's unemployment figure passed the five million mark in the last quarter of 2011, official figures show.
The National Statistics Institute said 5.3 million people were out of work at the end of December, up from 4.9 million in the third quarter.
The rate rose from 21.5% in the third quarter to 22.8% - the highest rate in nearly 17 years.
Spain already has the highest jobless rate in the 17-nation eurozone and is expected to slide back into recession.
The 22.8% rate is more than twice the average unemployment rate of the eurozone, which stood at 10.3% in November, according to data released earlier this month.
The Spanish figures show almost half of all 16-24 year-olds in the country are jobless - 48.6% compared with 45.8% before.
Spain's new ruling Popular Party conservative government has pledged labour reforms to try to improve the jobs market.
On Thursday, public service employees staged a series of demonstrations across Spain to protest against unemployment and increasing austerity measures.
Budget cuts
Spain has struggled since the property bubble burst in 2008.
In the years between 2004 and 2008, the average house price in Spain rose 44%, Construction represented about 16% of GDP by the end of the boom, and the unemployment rate was down to 7.95%.
However, rising house prices fuelled the sub-prime mortgage market, leading the Spanish to borrow more as they struggled to get on the housing ladder.
The downturn has seen repossessions of Spanish properties rise 32% in the past year.
The range of austerity measures proposed by new Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government angered many ahead of this week's protests.
His measures include 8.9bn euros in new budget cuts, and tax increases designed to boost government coffers by 6.3bn euros.
However, there are concerns that Mr Rajoy will be unable to meet his pre-election pledge to cut the country's deficit to 4.4% of GDP in 2012.
The Bank of Spain predicts the country's economy will shrink by 1.5% this year, saying the eurozone debt crisis has destroyed business confidence and closed off bank credit, causing a large drop in domestic demand.
Growth in the US economy quickens in fourth quarter
The pace of US economic growth increased in the final three months of 2011, according to official figures.
The economy grew at an annualised rate of 2.8%, the Commerce Department said.
This was up from the 1.8% annual rate recorded in the previous quarter, although it was slightly lower than the 3% rate predicted by analysts.
However, the growth largely came from businesses stockpiling goods they had produced, rather than selling them.
Although the stockpiling lifted the figures, analysts believe businesses will not continue doing this, resulting in a lower growth figure for the current quarter.
The pace of consumer spending picked up to 2% from 1.7% in the previous quarter.
Much of this was attributed to an increase in sales of new cars, which rose by 14.8% over the quarter.
The Japanese tsunami last March disrupted production and delivery of models for major manufacturers, leaving customers waiting for pre-ordered cars.
'Repairing damage'
US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said it was worth remembering that the economy was still recovering from the 2008 global recession.
"I think it's probably worth recognising that we still face tremendous challenges," he told a session at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
"As a country, we are still repairing the damage caused by the devastating financial crisis that still has huge lasting impact on the basic fortunes of most Americans."
He said the housing and construction sectors were still weak, unemployment remained a huge challenge and people still had too much debt.
He added it was reasonable to expect the US economy to grow between 2% and 3% in 2012.
The rate of growth depended on two fundamental factors, he said - what happens in Europe and the Gulf, which determines the oil price, and "whether Republicans in Congress decide they want to legislate things that are good for growth in the short term".
'Needs help'
Analysts warned that the headline growth figure for the fourth quarter did not tell the whole story.
"The Commerce Department's gross domestic product (GDP) report confirms the acceleration of growth that had been hinted at by a flurry of upbeat economic indicators and business surveys in recent weeks, but also reveals that the economy is less healthy than the headline growth rate would suggest," said Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit.
David Watt, senior currency strategist at RBC Capital, said: "It's not that encouraging, but again, it's not going to affect the Fed.
"They're downplaying the recent economic numbers anyway. This seems consistent with the Fed's view that the US economy is going to need all the help it can get."
On Tuesday, the IMF warned that the US, along with other advanced economies, was "susceptible to spillovers" if the eurozone debt crisis intensifies.
The latest US jobs data showed that the unemployment rate dropped to 8.5% in December - the lowest rate in nearly three years - from 8.7% the month before. The Fed believes the rate will drop to 8.2% this year.
Stuart Hoffman, chief economist at PNC Financial Services, said he expected US growth to be "2.4% in 2012, and job growth will average about 140,000 per month, adding up to 1.7 million new payroll jobs over the course of this year".
World top enterprises expanding presence in China
As the European debt crisis wears on, many enterprises are turning their focus to the Chinese market. At the Davos Forum, heavy hitters from the business sector are seeking chances for their companies to gain exposure in China via the Chinese media.
This interview was initiated by the interviewee, the world’s largest Aluminium producer.
Besides the Russia Aluminium Industry United Company, many others of the world’s top 500 enterprises have also asked CCTV for interviews.
At last year’s Davos Forum, the Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming said that China was to expand its imports, leading to nearly a quarter increase in China’s import volume in the past year. Shop owners in the town of Davos described how impressed they’ve been by the appetite of Chinese consumers.
As China’s domestic market draws more and more attention from all over the world, its export industry is having a tough time.
Gao Jifan, CEO of Trina Solar Company, said, "Many of the developed countries are at their lowest ebb, and are strengthening their trade protection against China. Companies like us are facing huge challenges."
As a result, these Chinese companies are seeking opportunties in other regions, like the Asia-Pacific area, South America and Africa. Lamy said as its largest trading partner Europe is in an economic recession, China, as a large exporting country, should think about its own trading methods.
UN discusses turmoil in Syria
The conflict continues to escalate in Syria. The Arab League is suspending its monitoring mission in Syria because of increased violence. For its part the United Nations Security Council is working on an Arab-Western resolution to put a stop to the violence.
6 days after the Arab League monitors finished their report on Syria, the focus is now on the UN Security Council.
On the Friday’s closed-door meeting, a new Arab-European draft resolution was presented and discussed.
But Syria seemed intent on not following the path other Arab states have taken recently.
Syrian ambassador to UN Bashar Ja’afari said: "Syria will not be Libya. Syria will not be Iraq. Syria will not be Somalia. Syria will not be a failing state. Syria will deal with them equally, equally."
The new draft resolution expresses support of the Arab League’s call for President Bashar al-Assad to transfer power to his deputy in order to form a unity government.
It was presented to the council by Morocco - the only Arab country in the 15-member UN body, and was jointly drawn up by Arab states along with Britain, Germany, and France.
French ambassador Gerard Araud stressed it was very important to reach an agreement on Syria soon. He said: "We are facing a major crisis. I’m not playing words on, more than 5,500 people have been killed. The country is sinking into civil war. We are desperately looking for a political solution. And unfortunately, or fortunately, there is again, there is no alternative. We have here the League of Arab States which is proposing a solution. So our reaction is simply to support it."
Meanwhile, violence in the country has dramatically escalated in recent days.
And thousands thronged main squares across Syria rejecting calls for President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
Syrian support of Assad said: "We are here to emphasize just one point. Bashar is the only president, and no one can drive him away."
Violence has already caused heavy loss of life, especially in the areas of Homs, Idlib, and Hama.
Since Thursday alone, around 50 people including children have been killed in clashes between protesters and security forces.
Thousands of Tunisians march against religious extremism
Thousands of Tunisians marched in central Tunis on Saturday to protest religious extremism and the violence that comes with it, according to some witnesses.
The organizers of the march said about 6,000 to 7,000 people walked down a major avenue in the capital city, chanting slogans and holding posters against religious extremism.
A large number of representatives from the opposition parties and the civil society joined the march, which ended peacefully despite a countering protest organized by supporters of the Islamic Ennahdha party in the same area.
Nejib Chebbi and Maya Jeribi, leaders of the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), were seen among the marchers, along with Hamadi Redissi, a journalist recently attacked by a Salafist for his support to a private TV that offended the extremists.
The TV channel was criticized by some conservatives for airing a controversial carton film allegedly representing God.
Lately, there has been a resurgence of incidents in Tunisia's universities involving some Salafists who demand a more conservative dressing code for students.
Most notably, some professors at a university campus at Manouba were injured during clashes with the Salafists and others have received death threats.
On Thursday, two police officers were seriously injured in the town of Regueb in southern Tunisia when a mob attacked a police station.
A similar incident occurred days before in the southern coastal town of Zarziz, when a group of some 50 assailants stormed a police station trying to free one of their friends arrested for alleged criminal activities.
Aung San Suu Kyi draws crowds on Burma election campaign trail
Burma's pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is visiting the coastal town of Dawei on a political tour ahead of by-elections on 1 April.
It is the first time she has ventured outside Rangoon for several months. The visit is seen as a test of how freely she and her party are able to campaign.
Thousands gathered to see the 66-year-old Nobel peace prize winner, who was released from house arrest in 2010.
Burma's military-backed government has embarked on a cautious reform process.
Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) is contesting all the available constituencies in the coming by-elections.
She herself is seeking office in the rural township of Kawhmu.
An NLD spokesman told the BBC Ms Suu Kyi's visit to Dawei was intended to help organise the local party ahead of the elections.
However, this is much more than just an administrative trip, says the BBC's Southeast Asia correspondent, Rachel Harvey.
Wherever Ms Suu Kyi goes, crowds gather, hoping to catch a glimpse of the woman who was kept under house arrest for 15 of the last 23 years.
In Dawei they stood by the road chanting: "Long live Aung San Suu Kyi."
AFP news agency quoted her as telling supporters: "If we move in the right direction our country will have many opportunities. We are eager to seize them."
Reform process
The Burmese government is planning to build a huge industrial complex in Dawei, which could transform the region.
Earlier this month the authorities cancelled plans for a coal-fired power plant there because of environmental concerns.
This was widely seen as a victory for local activists and a sign that the process of reform is developing, says our correspondent.
The poll in April will be the first time that Ms Suu Kyi will participate directly in an election. She was under house arrest in 1990 when the NLD won the election by a landslide. It was not allowed to take power.
The NLD boycotted the 2010 election that saw the military-backed civilian administration of President Thein Sein replace the military junta.
The new administration has since entered into dialogue with Ms Suu Kyi and has changed the electoral laws that led to the NLD boycott.