Your business:
Mobile
AFP Mobile provides live news and rich media content adapted to all mobile usage. Our offer includes reliable and mobile-ready feeds, a mobile publishing platform, embedded applications and technical solutions.
Rich and mobile-ready content, a mobile publishing platform, embedded applications (Java, iPhone) and technical solutions.
Quick access to all the latest news
Abbas, Netanyahu vow to meet every two weeks for peace
09/02 | 22:31 GMT
©AFP / Saul Loeb
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) of Israel and President Mahmud Abbas (R) of the Palestinian Authority shake hands alongside US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as she hosts peace talks between the two countries at the US State Department in Washington, DC. Israel and the Palestinians relaunched their first direct talks in 20 months.
©AFP / Saul Loeb
Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and Mahmud Abbas shake hands alongside Hillary Clinton
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Israeli and Palestinian leaders launched their first direct negotiations in 20 months here Thursday, agreeing to meet every two weeks in a bid to settle core differences within a year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas vowed to hold a second round of talks on September 14-15 in the Middle East, possibly in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
In opening some four hours of talks in Washington, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she understood the "suspicion and skepticism" leading up to the meetings.
"I know the decision to sit at this table was not easy," Clinton told Abbas and Netanyahu in a chandeliered room at the State Department, joined by their delegations. "Thank you for your courage and commitment."
©AFPTV/POOL
VIDEO: Abbas, Netanyahu relaunch peace talks. Duration: 01:09
After Wednesday's weighty symbolism and lofty rhetoric, culminating in a White House dinner with President Barack Obama, Netanyahu and Abbas finally got down to the business end of proceedings, presenting their opening demands.
"We expect you to be prepared to recognize Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people," Netanyahu told Abbas, as the two sat on either side of Clinton with their national flags behind them.
Such a move would be politically difficult for Abbas as it could undermine the right-of-return claims of Palestinian refugees who left or fled Israel when it was created in 1948.
In the wake of two Palestinian militant attacks on settlers in the occupied West Bank, Netanyahu renewed references he had made at the White House on Wednesday to protecting Israel's security.
"A real peace must take into account the genuine security needs of Israel," he said.
Abbas appeared conciliatory, saying: "We consider security as essential and vital both for us and for you, and we will not accept that anyone commits any act that would harm your security or ours."
Focus: Real target of Hamas attacks is Palestinian negotiators
The Palestinian leader said investigations into the shootings that killed four Israeli settlers on Tuesday were progressing.
animationSet
©AFP iactiv
Israel: Changing borders since. 1948 FLASH GRAPHIC
But he also stuck to his demands on settlements.
"We call on the Israeli government to move forward with its commitment to end all settlement activity and completely lift the embargo over the Gaza Strip," Abbas said.
Israel tightly controls access and egress from the Gaza Strip, which is run by the militant Hamas group, a rival of Abbas's Palestinian Authority and a fierce opponent of the peace talks.
Before going behind closed doors to begin tackling the core issues that have bedeviled past peace attempts, the two leaders poignantly shook hands, and Abbas appeared to give Netanyahu a thumbs up.
Focus: Netanyahu vows peace, but does he mean it?
©AFP/File / Tim Sloan
L-R: Hosni Mubarak, Benjamin Netanyahu, Barack Obama, Mahmud Abbas and King Abdullah II
US Middle East envoy George Mitchell described a first 90-minute meeting between him Clinton, Abbas and Netanyahu as "productive" and said the parties agreed the core issues could be settled within a year.
Netanyahu and Abbas then held a one-on-one meeting with no note-takers or translators which officials said lasted 93 minutes.
The Palestinians said Abbas had reiterated face-to-face with Netanyahu his demand that settlement construction must cease for the talks to continue.
A final meeting with both leaders, Clinton and Mitchell lasted another 18 minutes.
©AFP / Hazem Bader
An Israeli soldier aims his weapon at a flying checkpoint as troops check IDs of Palestinian drivers
Abbas and Netanyahu agreed to resume talks in two weeks and planned to meet every two weeks thereafter. Mitchell and Clinton announced their intention to be present at the future talks.
A Palestinian official said the talks on September 14-15 would take place in Sharm el-Sheikh, where negotiations have taken place in the past.
Mitchell said: "Our goal is to resolve all of the... core issues within one year. And the parties themselves have suggested and agreed that the logical way to proceed to tackle them is to try to reach a framework agreement first."
©AFP / Menahem Kahana
Israeli machinery work at the site of a new neighborhood in the Jewish settlement of Tekoa
Such an agreement is less detailed than a "full-fledged treaty" but more detailed than a declaration of principles.
Abbas had previously refused to enter direct negotiations without a full halt to Israeli settlement activity, but yielded under pressure from Obama.
The Palestinian leader is still warning that a renewal of settlement activities after September 26, when a 10-month partial moratorium expires, would end the negotiations.
The last direct peace negotiations ended in December 2008 when Israeli forces invaded Gaza to halt Hamas rocket fire on Israel.
Volume
Stories, images, videos and graphics
Languages
English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Arabic
A range of products and services covering all mobile usage
Services and technical solutions:
- A mobile publishing platform: Design your mobile site according to your needs, get AFP mobile rich content and integrate your own feeds, customize your mobile site to your “look & feel” and optimize the display for all devices. This platform has been developed in partnership with MoMac
- AFP mobile applications for iPhone, Java, BlackBerry and Android, developed in-house and with our partners Webwag and Handmark, are available as white label products.
Content in text, photos, videos and graphics
- AFP Direct Pocket, AFP news wires in real time available 24/7.
- SMS / MMS, breaking world news headlines selected and edited by AFP editorial teams.
- Internet Journal, AFP’s key multimedia product covering more than ten topics : complete stories, photos and videos.
- Mobile Journal, a rich media product designed for mobile – shorter illustrated stories going straight to the point.
- Video galleries, AFP’s worldwide video coverage adapted to mobile
- Photo galleries, the best of AFP’s photo service adapted to mobile.
Some examples of our mobile products
Spain eye Euro 2012 treble as football qualifiers kick off
09/03 | 03:56 GMT
©AFP / Fabrice Coffrini
Spain's defender Sergio Ramos is seen arriving with his team at their hotel in Feldkirch, Austria, on September 2. World Cup champions Spain play their first competitive match since lifting football's ultimate prize when they face minnows Liechtenstein in Vaduz, on Friday, in their first qualifying match for the 2012 European championships.
©AFP / Fabrice Coffrini
World Cup champions Spain arrive at their hotel in Feldkirch, Austria, ahead of Euro 2012 qualifier vs Liechtenstein
PARIS (AFP) - Conquerors of Europe and then the world, Spain will be seeking to complete an unprecedented treble when they embark upon their qualifying campaign for the 2012 European Championship in Poland and Ukraine.
Their World Cup triumph in South Africa enabled Vicente del Bosque's side to emulate West Germany (1974) and France (2000) as the only national teams to have held both European and world titles at the same time.
The challenge now confronting La Roja is to carry that dominance into uncharted terrain by successfully defending the European crown they won in Austria and Switzerland in 2008.
Worryingly for Spain's adversaries, the average age of the World Cup-winning squad was a sprightly 25.9 and Villarreal midfielder Santi Cazorla was the only new face in the group named to face Liechtenstein in their first qualifying match on Friday.
"We cannot afford to under-estimate anyone. We are playing away from home and everyone wants to beat us," said del Bosque, whose side's other Group I opponents are the Czech Republic, Scotland and Lithuania.
"We must all work hard to defend our status, and be conscious that we represent a country that is now the world champion."
©AFP/File / Fabio Muzzi
Italy's national football team players are seen during a training session
The irresistible quality of Spain's passing game in South Africa illuminated an occasionally turgid tournament, but one of the other teams to capture the popular imagination was Joachim Loew’s Germany.
Loew's young charges fell to Spain in the semi-finals, but not before thrilling fans around the world with their daring football, and Loew has demonstrated his faith in the project by extending his contract until 2012.
"I had to recharge for two or three days after the World Cup, but now a new phase begins," said Loew.
"We have a tough qualifying group for the championship in Poland and Ukraine, but the working conditions at the DFB (German Football Federation) are perfect, so we are looking forward to it.
"We have a lot of ideas on how to further develop this young team."
Germany face Turkey, Austria, Belgium, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan in Group A and begin their qualifying campaign in Brussels.
©AFP / Boris Horvat
French national football team players are seen here during a training session
While Loew has plenty of reasons to feel optimistic, the playing resources at his disposal -- including new Real Madrid recruits Sami Khedira and Mesut Oezil -- will attract envious glances from England, France and Italy.
All three countries arrived in South Africa with hopes of making a major impact, only for those hopes to turn to dust in embarrassingly abrupt fashion.
France and Italy, finalists in 2006, failed to even make it beyond the group phase and England were routed 4-1 by Germany in the last 16.
The experience was most harrowing for France, whose players attracted universal scorn for their infamous training boycott in protest at the exclusion of Nicolas Anelka for an outburst at coach Raymond Domenech.
The deeply unpopular Domenech has since given way to Laurent Blanc, whose unenviable brief is not only to guide France to Euro 2012 but to do so with a panache that wins over the country’s legions of disillusioned football followers.
"There's only one way to erase South Africa. It's results, winning spirit and victories," said Blanc in August.
©AFP / Ian Kington
England's players are seen here during a training session at Wembley Stadium
Italy are also rebuilding, after finishing bottom of their World Cup group behind Paraguay, Slovakia and New Zealand, and former Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli is the man charged with the responsibility of restoring the Azzurri to former glories.
Prandelli's first game in charge was a 1-0 friendly loss to Ivory Coast in London but he declared himself enthused by the endeavours of debutant Mario Balotelli and recalled playmaker Antonio Cassano.
"Cassano played pretty well and for Balotelli it was his first game with the senior team, but I wanted him to be part of this squad and a couple of times he showed glimpses of his class," said Prandelli.
Unlike Domenech and Prandelli's predecessor, Marcello Lippi, Fabio Capello held onto his job despite overseeing England’s heaviest ever World Cup finals defeat at the hands of Germany.
England eked out a 2-1 win at home to Hungary in their first post-World Cup game and Capello lauded his players for the way they performed in front of an indifferent public.
"It was a game we had to play with pressure," said the Italian.
"People spoke about the fans booing and there was big pressure but the new players played with confidence."
England host Bulgaria in their first qualifying match, while beaten World Cup finalists the Netherlands will look to take out their frustrations on perennial whipping boys San Marino.
Concerns over Ukraine's infrastructure initially prompted doubts about their ability to co-host the tournament, but the events of the World Cup meant that restoring reputations and establishing legacies were already destined to be the pre-eminent themes of Euro 2012.
Sports
Spain eye Euro 2012 treble as football qualifiers kick ...Jewish settlers resume building after West Bank attack
09/02 | 23:44 GMT
©AFPTV
Members of an Jewish settlement in the West Bank resumed building homes on Thursday, days after an attack claimed by Hamas killed four fellow settlers. Duration: 01:06
©AFPTV
Members of an Jewish settlement in the West Bank resumed building homes on Thursday, days after an attack claimed by Hamas killed four fellow settlers.
Video Gallery
Jewish settlers resume building after West Bank ...Search for box promoter's missing son continues
09/03 | 02:35 GMT
©AFP/Getty Images / Ethan Miller
Searchers in the Northern Cascade mountains have found two packs belonging to the son of boxing promoter Bob Arum (pictured in 2009), but are still seeking the missing climber, authorities said.
©AFP/Getty Images / Ethan Miller
Boxing promoter Bob Arum's (pictured) son is still missing in the Northern Cascade mountains
SEATTLE, Washington (AFP) - Searchers in the Northern Cascade mountains have found two packs belonging to the son of boxing promoter Bob Arum, but are still seeking the missing climber, authorities said.
John Arum, a 49-year-old environmental lawyer and an experienced climber, was reported missing on Monday when he failed to return from an attempt to scale the 8,515-foot Storm King peak northeast of Seattle.
North Cascades National Park spokeswoman Kerry Olson said Thursday that a backback belonging to Arum was found late Wednesday afternoon by ground searchers some 900 feet below the summit of the mountain.
Olson said the backpack was along a climbing route, and "it looked as though it was placed there."
A daypack was found in an area that suggested it fell because the terrain is too difficult, Olson said.
Olson said a dozen searchers aided by two helicopters resumed the hunt for Arum on Thursday morning. On Friday, search dogs will be used.
Bob Arum was in Los Angeles Tuesday for the first of three stops on a tour to promote the November 13 Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito junior middleweight title fight. He left that same day for Washington state after learning his son was missing.
The Pacquiao fight will take place at November 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas.
People
Search for box promoter's missing son ...Clashes continue in Mozambique price protests
09/02 | 19:36 GMT
©AFP / Sergio Costa
Mozambican protesters overturn a burning car on a street of Maputo. Fresh clashes between police and demonstrators erupted in Mozambique on Thursday, the second day of violent protests over food and fuel prices that have left seven dead and hundreds injured.
©AFP / Sergio Costa
Mozambican protesters overturn a burning car on a street of Maputo
MAPUTO (AFP) - Fresh clashes between police and demonstrators erupted in Mozambique on Thursday, the second day of violent protests over food and fuel prices that have left seven dead and hundreds injured.
Police in riot gear fired rubber bullets at a group of women protesting in a neighbourhood on the outskirts of the capital Maputo on Thursday evening, an AFP correspondent said.
Elsewhere, people queued to buy bread and water at the few shops that remained open amid reports of looting and vandalism.
Protesters had dragged rocks into streets that police had cleared of burning tyres and debris just hours before.
Red Cross spokesman Americo Ubisse said the unrest was ongoing.
©AFP / Sergio Costa
Mozambican protesters look at a burning car on a street of Maputo
"It dies down, then flares up again," he told AFP.
On Wednesday too, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in and around the capital to voice their frustration at sharply rising food and fuel costs.
But Mozambique's government, which held an emergency cabinet meeting Thursday as the clashes continued, said price rises in the impoverished southern African country were "irreversible".
Scene: Mozambique riots underline persistent poverty
Prices in the import-dependent country have risen on the back of a South African rand whose value has appreciated 43 percent against the Mozambican metical since this time last year.
Mozambique's state utility company implemented a 13.4-percent rate increase Wednesday, while the state water supplier raised prices in and around the capital, state newspaper Noticias said.
The price of bread has also risen 17 percent, increasing pressure on struggling households in a country with a per-capita income of just 794 dollars (620 euros) a year.
©AFP/File / Arthur Frayer
An armed policeman stands during a protest in the streets of Maputo
Government spokesman Alberto Nkutumula said Thursday that seven people had been killed and 288 injured during the riots in Maputo and surrounding areas, and called for a return to calm.
Thursday's cabinet meeting had emphasised "the importance of all citizens to abstain from participating in acts of upheaval, vandalism, looting and violence in general to enable the quick return to normality," he added.
The unrest had cost the economy 122 million meticals (3.3 million dollars, 2.6 million euros), he said.
Police denied reports by witnesses and doctors that they had used live rounds to quell the unrest.
"Our officers always use rubber bullets," police spokesman Pedro Cossa said.
Despite the police crackdown, some residents of the capital were said to be preparing for further demonstrations.
One resident told AFP that locals were planning future action via mobile phone text messages.
©AFP/File / Arthur Frayer
Mozambiquean police beat a protester in a street of Maputo
"Yesterday I received an SMS saying the strike must continue for three more days," said Abel Salvador Bild, a street vendor in the capital.
President Armando Guebuza said late Wednesday he understood the anger of the people at rising prices but said it was "sad that people used the right to demonstrate peacefully to turn it into violent protests.
"The government is aware of the poverty of the people. Combating poverty is part of the government's five-year plan," he added.
The violence is the worst in Mozambique since 2008, when six people were killed in protests against a public transport fare increase.
