World Bank Preparing $485 Million in Brazil Flood Aid

The World Bank says it is preparing to lend Brazil $485 million in emergency relief after flooding and mudslides devastated parts of the country.

The World Bank's Brazil director, Makhtar Diop, said Tuesday the bank hopes to approve the first portion of the loan "in the coming weeks."  He said the initial piece would be worth $290 million.

The Brazilian government last week allocated $460 million in aid.

Ffficials said Tuesday the disaster's death toll is now more than 700.

Rescue crews, including military helicopters, continue to try to reach residents after heavy rains sent an avalanche of mud, water and rocks plowing through towns and villages.

On Monday, authorities sent hundreds of emergency personnel to neighborhoods that have been cut off from help by smashed roads and bridges.

The affected areas received the equivalent of a month's worth of rain in just a few hours.

The hardest hit towns have been Teresopolis and Nova Friburgo, and flooding has also affected Petropolis and Sumidouro.

Landslides and floods are common in Brazil, often affecting poor communities with shacks built on steep, unstable hills.

In January of last year, more than 50 people died in mudslides in the beach town of Angra dos Reis, and at least 180 people died in landslides last April that devastated slum communities in Rio. (From VOA)

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Thai FM thanks Cambodia for releasing six Thais on bail: Cambodian FM

Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Namhong said Wednesday that his Thai counterpart Kasit Piromya expressed thanks to Cambodia for releasing some of the seven detained Thais on bail.

During a meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat in Indonesia ended on Tuesday, "Mr. Kasit thanked Cambodia for releasing some of them on bail in recent days, " Hor Namhong told reporters on Wednesday.

"In the meeting, we also pledged to maintain currently good relations between the two countries, not allow the case of the seven Thais to affect the improving relations," he said.

"I told him that for the case of the seven Thais, Cambodia follows the legal procedures of the court based on Cambodia's immigration law, without any animosity towards the Thai people," said Namhong. "He also agreed with me."

The seven arrested Thais include a Democrat Member of Parliament for Bangkok Panich Wikitsate and Veera Somkwamkid, Thailand Patriot Network core member.

They were arrested on Dec. 29, last year by Cambodian border protection troops for illegal entry into Cambodian territory in Banteay Meanchey province.

So far, six of them have been released on bail by Cambodian court, except Veera Somkwamkid remains in custody awaiting trial as he was applied an additional charge by Cambodian court for attempt in "collecting information which might damage to Cambodia' s national security". The charge faces up to ten years imprisonment if found guilty.

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Wolves close on Hammill

Wolves are poised to win the race to sign Barnsley star Adam Hammill, skysports.com understands.

A number of clubs, including Blackpool, Wigan, Cardiff and Nottingham Forest, have all been linked with the former Liverpool youngster, but it appears Wolves are in pole position to land Hammill.

Hammill has been one of the outstanding performers in the Championship this season with a number of eye-catching displays for Barnsley.

Barnsley have been resigned to losing the 22-year-old with the skilful winger thought to have a £500,000 release clause in his contract at Oakwell.

Wolves are now thought to have reached the buy-out clause and have been given permission to hold talks with the player.

Mick McCarthy is a big admirer of Hammill and he is keen to tie up a deal for the player by the end of the week in time for the player to be available to face his former club Liverpool this weekend.

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Saudi Arabia Abandons Mediation Efforts in Lebanon

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister says his country has abandoned efforts to mediate Lebanon's political crisis. 

In an interview with Saudi-owned  Al Arabiya TV Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said Saudi King Abdullah and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had been in contact to help "end the whole Lebanon problem."

He said however that the Saudi king has decided to withdraw from those efforts. 

The foreign minister said if the situation reaches full separation and regional partition, then it could mean the end of Lebanon as a state that has been a model of peaceful cohabitation between different religions and ethnicities.

Lebanon has been embroiled in a political crisis for months over efforts by the United Nations to indict several prominent members of Hezbollah over  the 2005 assassination of the late Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri.

Last week, Hezbollah and its allies quit Lebanon's Western-backed government because of tensions regarding the impending indictment.

A draft was handed Monday to the pre-trial judge.

The contents, however, have not been revealed and may not become public for weeks, as the judge decides whether there is enough evidence for a trial.

(From VOA)

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Cambodia denies action to block critical web blog

The Cambodian government has denied that action was taken against critical web blog that runs from overseas.

Khieu Kanharith, minister of information and the government's spokesman said Wednesday that no action was taken against KI-Media, a web blog which is critical to the government.

He said he still can access to the web as of Wednesday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, local media Cambodian Express News reported a few users of EZECOM internet service provider, one of the country's internet services are complaining they are not able to access to the website, quoting a source as saying all websites with BlogSpot which includes KI-Media are blocked by the Interior Ministry.

But, spokesman of Interior Ministry could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

KI-Media which runs from overseas is considered by some readers as a critical blog against the Cambodian government which often carries articles touching on corruption, poverty among others.

No one could confirm whereabouts KI-Media is exactly operated, except saying it is run from overseas.

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Leeds v Arsenal preview

Leeds United entertain Arsenal in their third round FA Cup replay at Elland Road on Wednesday with Huddersfield Town awaiting the winners.

The Whites were minutes from claiming a famous 1-0 win at Emirates Stadium thanks to Robert Snodgrass' penalty before Cesc Fabregas snatched a share of the spoils.

Since the draw Arsenal have lost to Ipswich in the first leg of their Carling Cup tie before crushing West Ham at the weekend while Leeds destroyed Scunthorpe in Championship action on Saturday.

The teams have not met at Leeds since January 2004 when Arsene Wenger's side strolled to a 4-1 success thanks to goals from Thierry Henry, Edu, Robert Pires and Kolo Toure.

Leeds' last victory over Arsenal came in May 2003 when Mark Viduka's late goal at Highbury gave The Whites a 3-2 away win, securing their top-flight status in the process.

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Thai FM thanks Cambodia for releasing six Thais on bail: Cambodian FM

Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Namhong said Wednesday that his Thai counterpart Kasit Piromya expressed thanks to Cambodia for releasing some of the seven detained Thais on bail.

During a meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat in Indonesia ended on Tuesday, "Mr. Kasit thanked Cambodia for releasing some of them on bail in recent days, " Hor Namhong told reporters on Wednesday.

"In the meeting, we also pledged to maintain currently good relations between the two countries, not allow the case of the seven Thais to affect the improving relations," he said.

"I told him that for the case of the seven Thais, Cambodia follows the legal procedures of the court based on Cambodia's immigration law, without any animosity towards the Thai people," said Namhong. "He also agreed with me."

The seven arrested Thais include a Democrat Member of Parliament for Bangkok Panich Wikitsate and Veera Somkwamkid, Thailand Patriot Network core member.

They were arrested on Dec. 29, last year by Cambodian border protection troops for illegal entry into Cambodian territory in Banteay Meanchey province.

So far, six of them have been released on bail by Cambodian court, except Veera Somkwamkid remains in custody awaiting trial as he was applied an additional charge by Cambodian court for attempt in "collecting information which might damage to Cambodia' s national security". The charge faces up to ten years imprisonment if found guilty.

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Bendtner move talk dismissed

Nicolas Bendtner is not interested in speculation that Arsenal have put a price on his head, amid speculation West Ham are looking to sign him.

Reports have suggested that Arsenal are ready to do business

on the 23-year-old Danish international with a price tag of £15million being reported.

But the player's father Thomas, who is also his agent, insists that his son is not interested in such reports.

"That's not interesting," he told Ekstrabladet.

"If Arsenal want to sell and have set a price, then that's up to them.

"That's nothing that we have been involved in.

"I can only say that this is nothing of interest to us."

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Peacekeeping Officials: ECOWAS Invasion of Ivory Coast Unlikely

Officials at former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's Peacekeeping Training Center say the threat of a West-Africa-led invasion of Ivory Coast is unlikely to materialize and would mostly aggravate the power crisis that has seized the country since the November 28 elections.

"The use of legitimate force," to quote the agreement signed by 15 West African leaders, was supposed to be the last resort the West African bloc would turn to if Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo did not concede the elections that the African Union says he lost.
But 10 days shy of two months of failed negotiations to pry Gabgbo from power, the threat of a West African invasion of its second-largest economy appears unlikely or, at best, a controversial prospect between the leaders who agreed to it.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan chairs the Economic Community of West African States and has led the bloc's efforts to oust President Gbagbo from power.
If mediation doesn't work, the bloc says it has 6,500 troops on standby, ready to invade and capture Gbagbo. On January 7, though, Ghanaian President John Atta Mills said Ghana would not participate in such an effort.
Ghana has 500 peacekeepers in Ivory Coast. Mills told reporters that sending in a military force would not bring peace to Ivory Coast, and Research Head Kweis Anning at the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Training Center agrees.
"I think that possibility is fairly weak," said Anning. "If ECOWAS does not use a strike action to extract Gbagbo alone and his henchmen, which even then has very dangerous repercussions later from his supporters, a full-blown intervention force, as we saw in Liberia and Sierra Leone, is at best very far fetched."
Ghana's opposition, regional leaders, and supporters of Ivory Coast's internationally recognized president, Alassane Outtara, have criticized Mills for the decision.
A Burkinabé paper alleged that Mills received campaign contributions from Gbagbo during his own run for office, while an Ivorian newspaper claimed Ghana's main airport is allowing Ivory Coast to park military jets on its tarmac.
A spokesman for Mills' party denied both charges, and Anning said the Ghana president's refusal to participate is consistent with the country's long-standing foreign policy.
"The military intervention option, for me, it is supposed to be used as a stick, to elicit compliance from the Gbagbo camp that, 'Look, if you do not go by the rules and regulations to which you are a signatory to, this option is available,'" said Anning.
If the threat of military intervention is a stick, however, then Senegal's president said the economic community ought to be willing to use it.
In an interview with Bloomberg News last week, President Abdoulaye Wade's spokesman, Pape Dieng, said he is pushing leaders to remove Gbagbo "by any means necessary, even military means." If he does not leave, Dieng said African leaders will think there is never any need to concede an election. (From VOA)

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