30 dec 13 nlm

New Light of Myanmar

THE MOST RELIABLE NEWSPAPER AROUND YOU Volume XXI, Number 258

13th Waning of Nadaw 1375 ME

Monday, 30 December, 2013

Motion picture will be able to emerge as a new competitive value-added innovation only when art, economy and technology are combined perfectly

Union Minister U Aung Kyi delivers an address at Myanmar Motion Picture Academy AwardPresenting Ceremony 2012.—mna Yangon, 29 Dec— ing Ceremony for 2012 Myanmar Motion Picture took place at Thuwunna Academy Award-Present- National Indoor Stadium-1

on Waizayanta Road in Thingangyun Township, here, this afternoon.

Of 17 movies shown in 2012, academy awards went to the winners for their outstanding performances.

Then, the Academy awards ceremony followed.

Union Minister for Information U Aung Kyi delivered an address at the ceremony. He said: It is everybody’s knowledge that motion picture is recognized worldwide as a high-value creative industry in knowledge economy. Creative industry is different from conventional one. Whereas the latter manufactures conventional products with substantial capital, machinery and labor, the former has its essence in individual creativity, skill and talent founded upon innovation and cultural knowledge.

Therefore, each artist must have unlimited resources of intellectual creativity and skill, insight and

inspiration. Motion picture will be able to emerge as a new competitive value-added innovation only when art, economy and technology are combined perfectly.

It is everyone’s knowledge that cosmetic outputs will not create a sustainable business in local and foreign markets. Therefore, it is important that artists and technicians attract more local and foreign investment into film industry to ensure its competitiveness in the future.

As part of the government’s reform process, the Information Ministry has undergone some administrative changes. In the past, public services delivery was centralized and now it has been handed to institutions concerned. This move is bound to result in a “shift” from dependence on competence of civil servants to reliance on institutions concerned which are to take on greater responsibility.

The Information Min-

istry will stand as a facilitator for public services delivery and fulfill such institutional requirements as copyright protection, capacity building, antitrust measures, plus provision of legal coordination in regulatory framework and ethical issues and preservation of tradition.

It is my honour to take this opportunity to express

members of our industry, the executive board of Myanmar Motion Picture Organization was formed via free and fair elections on 10 April, 2012. We all are united and exerted our allout efforts in the start.

We all are responsible for the future of our world.

It is of vital importance for our industry to have a film law that protect the industry

Chairman of Myanmar Motion Picture Organization U Lu Min speaking at Myanmar Motion Picture Academy Award-Presenting Ceremony 2012.—mna my firm belief that since Myanmar Motion Picture Organization has complete freedom to choose Academy award winners as of 2013, it will achieve significant successes and greater support in providing services to the public from now on.

Chairman of Myanmar Motion Picture Organization U Lu Min spoke on the occasion. He said: While the country is witnessing a series of reforms, our world of arts is also moving upward. According to desires of the

Academy award winners for 2012 pose for documentary photo with broad smiles. mna

and lay a specific platform for the future. So, I would hereby like to urge the fellow members of film industry to focus on the emergence of the film law.

We for our part must strive to reach a level worth such congratulation and the state should also support us in our bid to progress. We ourselves believe that we will be the ones that could contribute to the good of the nation.

All in all, I would like to bring a theme of the previous SEA Games successfully hosted by our country, “We can do!” If all of us exert our efforts, we could develop our industry. I can’t do alone. And no one can.

But we can do.

(See page 9)

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Monday, 30 December, 2013

New Light of Myanmar Local News

Self-reliant concrete road commissioned into service B ago , 29 Dec—The inauguration of self-reliant concrete Wingabar Road was held in South Zaingganaing Ward of Bago on 27 December morning.

It was attended by Bago RegionChiefMinisterUNyan Win, Bago Region Hluttaw Deputy Speaker U Win Myint Soe, Region Minister for Development Affairs U Ye Myint Tun, Amyotha Hluttaw representatives U Kyin Thein and U Saw Maw Tun, departmental officials, ward administrators, staff and local people.

Officials formally opened the road.

After that, the Chief

Construction

Blocks of new town reclaimed near Myittha dam project

Minister strolled along the road.

MMAL-Thant Zin

Chief Minister U Nyan Win and party strolling along newly-opened concrete road in Bago.

G angaw , 29 Dec—A model block satellite town has been reclaimed downstream of Myittha Dam Project near Pyintha Village of Gangaw Township in Magway Region.

The new satellite town is constituted with four wards namely Panan, Sabei, Yinma and Sinpon.

Panan Ward comprises 135 houses, Sabei 77, Yinma 67 and Sinpon 96 in same size and colour.

Straight roads are stretching in the wards.

Each house is worth K 20 million. Each ward is constituted with one monastery, Basic Education Primary School and ward administrator office.

Water supply system will be provided to the local people for availability of safe water. Electrification has been supplied to the local people to enjoy high social standard. The local people call the new satellite town Myittha Myothit.

MMAL-Kyee Myint Naing (Loikaw)

Relief Efforts

Blankets donated to victims in Meiktila

M eiktila , 29 Dec— Sayadaw U Sumangala from Shwe Kyetyet monastery in Bahan Township and party donated 250 blankets worth K 1 million contributed by

those from Singapore and Malaysia for the victims who are taking shelter at Inngon, Magyigon and Okpo relief camps in Meiktila on 26 December.

Likewise, U Maung Aye and family and wellwishers from Mandalay presented blankets worth K 3.2 million to over 3000 victims from the relief camps in Meiktila on 26 December.

Similarly, Zegyo market family led by U Phone Naing and Mandalay Interfaith Friendship Group donated 3000 blankets worth K 8 million for the victims at relief camps in Meiktila and fire victims in Yindaw Village through Meiktila Township Islam Religious Association In-charge U Hsan Win Shein.

U Tin Hlaing (Meiktila)

Fire victims provided with relief supplies in Pyinmana

Anti-Narcotic Drives

Stimulant tablets worth K 20 million seized in Lashio L ashio , 29 Dec—A team led by IP Zaw Lin Kyaw of No 24 Anti-Drug Squad (Lashio), acting on a tip-off, made a surprised check on a motorcycle driven by Li Sin, 45 on Khaingshwewah Road in Ward 6 of Lashio on 23 December.

The police seized 240 grams of opium oil solid in a plastic bag.

According to the further information, they raided the house of Law

Paung in region 19 of Ward 5 in Lashio.

Law Paung escaped from the house and left a polyethylene bag containing white powder believed to be heroin weighing 10.5 grams.

On 25 December, the team led by IP Nyein Chan Soe of No 24 Anti-Drug Squad of Lashio, acting on tip-off, discharged patrol duty at the junction of Airport Road in Ward 12 of Lashio.

When Hla Aung, Nant

Aye Yin and Aik Kaw arrived there by motorcycle, the police interrupted and searched them.

The police found 9500 WY brand stimulant tablets in the bag of Nant Aye Yin. The narcotic drugs seized in the action totalled K 20 million.

Lashio local police station opened files of lawsuit over seizures of narcotic drugs under the law.

MMAL-Zaw Lwin (Lashio)

Yangon, 29 Dec—After making renovation, not only local people but also

have to take their tourists to the best sightseeing areas including Maha Bandoola

Park.

Not only people but tourists have free access to Maha Bandoola Park

Pyinmana, 29 Dec— With the help of Pyinmana Township Maternal and Child Welfare Association, Township Immigration and National Registration Department issued household registration certificates to the fire

victims at a relief camp in sector-17 in Yan Aung Ward-2 yesterday evening.

Next, a cash and kind donation ceremony attended by Staff Officer U Aung Naing Oo of Township INRD, Chairperson of Township

MCWA Daw Than Than Aye, Ward Administrator U Kyi Khaing Min and wellwishers followed. The fire victims were provided with mosquito nets, pillows, blankets, clothing and utensils at the ceremony.

Ko Myo-Shwe Paukkan

globetrotters are allowed to take relaxation at Maha Bandoola Park at downtown free of charge.

The park is crowed with picnickers and those who take relaxation daily.

That is why the tour guides

MMAL-Tin Win Lay (Kyimyindine)

New Light of Myanmar WORLD

Kerry to visit Mideast next week for peace talks

US Secretary of State John Kerry Washington, 29 Dec — US Secretary of State John Kerry will return to the Middle East next week to discuss Israeli- Palestinian peace talks, the US

State Department said on Saturday.

The top American envoy will travel on Wednesday, the New Year’s Day, to Jerusalem to meet

with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said.

“In these meetings, he will discuss the ongoing final status negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians, among other issues,” Psaki said in a statement.

The forthcoming trip will mark Kerry’s tenth trip to the region since taking the top diplomatic job.

Peace talks between Israel and Palestine were restarted under the brokerage of Washington in late July with a view to

18 killed in head-on collision in Indonesia’s Java

Jakarta, 29 Dec — At least 18 people were killed on Saturday afternoon when a van and a truck collided head-on on Indonesia’s Java Island, local police said.

The accident occurred in a village in East Java Province’s Probolinggo Regency, about 1,050 kilometres east of Jakarta, the

regency’s police chief Iwan Setiawan said.

The open-backed van, which was carrying 31 people, was trying to overtake a car when it collided with the truck approaching from the opposite direction, he said. According to the police officer, the van was carrying mostly women who were going to attend a

funeral nearby.

“Thirteen other people in the minivan are suffering from light and serious injuries and have been receiving medical treatment at a local hospital,” Iwan said.

Such an accident is not uncommon in the country due to careless drivers and lack of traffic enforcement.—Kyodo News

Beirut, 29 Dec — A Syrian army air strike on a vegetable market in the northern city of Aleppo killed at least 25 people on Saturday, a monitoring group said, continuing a campaign of improvised “barrel bombs” that has drawn international condemnation. A video posted on the Internet by local activist group Insaan Rights Watch showed residents pulling mangled corpses out of scorched and twisted car frames.

One road hit by the strike was covered with debris from nearby buildings and was lined with bodies, as young men shouted for cars to help transport the wounded. The content of the video could not be independently verified. Hundreds of people have been killed by air raids around the city of Aleppo in recent weeks, scores of them women and children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition monitoring group based

in Britain.

On Saturday, the Observatory said 25 people, at least four of them children, were killed by barrel bombing that also destroyed part of a hospital. It said the death toll was likely to rise as dozens more were wounded in the attack. Syrian authorities say they are battling rebels controlling large portions of the city, once Syria’s business hub.

Human rights groups and the United States have

condemned the use of the improvised bombs — oil drums or cylinders which are packed with explosives and metal fragments, often rolled out of an aircraft’s cargo bay. They say it is an indiscriminate form of bombardment.

President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have been regaining territory southeast of Aleppo in recent weeks and have made gains in suburbs around the capital Damascus as well.—Reuters

finalizing an agreement by the end of April next year, but blames traded by the two sides have brought the talks to a halt.

Israeli media reported on Wednesday that Netanyahu was expected to announce construction plan of thousands of new housing units in the settlement, close to the upcoming planned release of 26 Palestinian prisoners.

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said Thursday that Israel would destroy the peace talks if it announces any new plans for settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and could be met with retaliation.—Xinhua

Monday, 30 December, 2013

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Iran ready to consider EU opening Embassy in Teheran Teheran, 29 Dec — Iran is ready to consider opening the European Union (EU) embassy in the Iranian capital Teheran if the EU submits a formal request, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said here on Saturday.

“Given the importance and capacities of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the region, some members of the EU have expressed willingness to open a (diplomatic) mission in Teheran,” the spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham told Tasnim News Agency.

“In case Teheran receives a formal request

(from the EU) in this regard, it is prepared to study the issue within the framework of the current relations,” she was quoted as saying.

Western media reported that the EU member states have shown willingness to open an embassy in Iran.

Tarja Cronberg, a Finnish politician and a member of the European parliament, said earlier that member states’ Ambassadors in Teheran have backed the idea when she met them in the Iranian capital on an official visit earlier this month.

Xinhua

South Sudan says will attack rebel stronghold if ceasefire rejected

Syrian forces kill 25 in Aleppo barrel-bomb attack

Scattered produce are pictured amid the rubble after what activists said was shelling by forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad at a souk in Tariq Al Bab neighbourhood of Aleppo on 28 Dec, 2013.—Reuters

South Sudan Vice President James Igga (C) announces to the media the recapture of Malakal town by government forces from the rebels, in the capital Juba on 28 Dec, 2013.—Reuters Juba, 29 Dec — South But Kiir’s former dep- capital Juba.

Fighting between rival Sudan troops will attack uty Machar reacted coolly the main stronghold of re- to the truce offer, telling groups of soldiers erupted bel forces loyal to former the BBC that any ceasefire in Juba on 15 December, vice president Riek Machar needed to be credible and then triggered clashes in if the government’s offer properly enforced for him half of South Sudan’s 10 states — often along ethnic of a ceasefire is rejected, a to take it seriously. senior minister said on Sat“Until mechanisms for lines, between Machar’s monitoring are established, group, the Nuer, and Kiir’s urday.

More than 1,000 peo- when one says there is a Dinka.

Inside sprawling Unitple have been killed in two unilateral ceasefire, there weeks of ethnic clashes is no way the other person ed Nations camps acting as that threaten to turn into a would be confident this is a a safe haven for more than full-blown civil war in the commitment,” Machar said. 63,000 civilians, many trauworld’s youngest country.

Information Minister matized Dinka and Nuer Refugees sheltering in UN Michael Makuei said gov- say ethnic bloodletting has camps spoke of atrocities ernment troops on Satur- left them paralyzed with committed by both main day morning pushed rebels fear.

“They came with their ethnic groups. out of the town of Mayom President Salva Kiir’s in Unity State and were guns and spoke to us in the government offered an ol- ready to advance the 90 Dinka language,” said Gative branch to the rebels on km (55 miles) to Bentiu, tuor Gatkek, a Nuer man Friday, proposing a cease- the last state capital held by seeking refuge at the UN camp in Juba’s Tonping fire and saying it would Machar’s forces. release eight of 11 senior “We will flush area where other civilians politicians, widely seen to (Machar) out of Bentiu if he also have told Reuters about be Machar allies, arrested doesn’t accept the cessation summary executions, rapes over an alleged coup plot of hostilities,” Makuei told and mutilations. against Kiir.

Reuters by phone from the Reuters

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New Light of Myanmar

Monday, 30 December, 2013

S c ie nc e & Te ch no l o g y

Mobile carriers failed to use tech fixes to thwart spying New York, 29 Dec — The world’s mobile phone carriers have failed to implement technology fixes available since 2008 that would have thwarted the National Security Agency’s ability to eavesdrop on many mobile phone calls, a cyber security expert says.

Karsten Nohl, chief

scientist with Berlin’s Security Research Labs, told Reuters ahead of a highly anticipated talk at a conference in Germany that his firm discovered the issue while reviewing security measures implemented by mobile operators around the world.

Nohl also told Reuters that the carriers had failed to

An illustration picture shows the logo of the US National Security Agency on the display of an iPhone in Berlin, on 7 June, 2013.—Reuters

Russia launches new Soyuz rocket M oscow , 29 Dec— Russia successfully launched an upgraded version of its Soviet-design Soyuz rocket on Saturday, the Defence Ministry said, giving a boost to the country’s troubled space programme.

The launch of the Soyuz 2.1v rocket, which features a new engine and digital guidance system, had originally been planned for the beginning of 2012 but was postponed due to an accident during testing which caused engine damage, Interfax reported. It was then scheduled to be launched earlier this week but was delayed again, Interfax reported.

The lightweight launch vehicle blasted off Saturday afternoon from Russia’s Plesetsk launch pad in the northwest Arkhangelsk region.

A spokesman said it was a debut launch for the rocket to place a scientific earth-monitoring satellite into orbit.

The Soyuz 2.1v is the latest addition to Russia’s Soyuz family of rockets, which has become the world’s most frequently used booster since its first launch in 1966.

In 1961, a prototype of the Soyuz, Vostok, carried the first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin into space. Today, its descendants are the only way to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station.

Reuters

fully address vulnerabilities that would allow hackers to clone and remotely gain control of certain SIM cards.

Those vulnerabilities were pointed out in July.

While the German cryptologist criticized carriers for failing to implement technology to protect customers from surveillance as well as fraud, he said he does not think they did so under pressure from spy agencies.

“I couldn’t imagine it is complicity. I think it is negligence,” he said. “I don’t want to believe in a worldwide conspiracy across all worldwide network operators. I think it is individual laziness and priority on network speed and network coverage and not security.”

A spokeswoman for the GSM Association, which represents about 800 mobile operators worldwide, said she could not comment

on Nohl’s criticism before seeing his presentation on the topic at the Chaos Communications Congress in Hamburg, Europe’s biggest annual conference on hacking, security and privacy issues.

Nohl uncovered the issue while working on a project known as the GSM Security Map, which evaluates security of mobile operators around the globe. The map, which can be found at www.gsmmap.org, is partially funded with a grant from the US government’s Open Technology Fund, according to Nohl.

None of the carriers surveyed had implemented measures for thwarting a method that allows the NSA to eavesdrop on most mobile calls by unscrambling a widely used encryption technology known as A5/1, Nohl said.—Reuters

Sony to give up on sale of its battery unit Tokyo, 29 Dec— Japan’s Sony Corp has decided not to sell its lithium-ion battery unit, media reported on Sunday, in a gamble that it can turn the business around with a weak yen and growing demand for smart phone batteries. In addition to a weak yen, which can boost overseas earnings, the battery unit is also seeing increased demand for some of its new products, the Nikkei business daily reported.

For the past two years Sony had been planning to offload the unit, which was a pioneer in making lithiumion batteries for computers and mobile devices but has struggled recently against cheaper South Korean rivals.

A government turnaround fund tried to broker a sale of the battery business to a Nissan Motor Co Ltd and NEC Corp joint venture earlier this year.

However, talks have

stalled and Sony has now told the turnaround fund that it will hold on to the battery unit and develop it as a core business, the Nikkei reported, citing unidentified sources.

Reuters

Logos of Sony Corp are seen at an electronics store in Tokyo on 31 Oct, 2013.—Reuters

Reddit reaches for profits through a geek-culture bazaar San Francisco, 29 Dec — Social news hub Reddit snagged an interview with Barack Obama last year.

The big get for 2013 was reaching 90 million unique visitors a month, according to the company, on par with the likes of eBay. This season, even Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates joined its Secret Santa gift exchange.

Now, the self-dubbed “Front Page of the Internet” is going for a milestone it has been trying to reach since its founding in 2005: profitability.

After years of fitful experiments with paid subscriptions and display advertising, Reddit, with just 28 employees, has begun pouring resources into building an electronic bazaar.

Company executives say they increasingly believe such a venue is the answer to their long search for reliable revenue, complicated in part by their fans’ mistrust of advertising. If Reddit Gifts, as the burgeoning bazaar is known, brings sustainable profitability, it would mark a turning point for an outfit that has exerted an outsized

and sometimes controversial influence on Internet culture yet languished financially.

Reddit estimates over 250,000 items have been purchased over the holiday, mostly as part of the 50 or so mostly geek-oriented Secret Santa gift exchanges — where zombie- or fantasythemed presents, say, change hands — that users have created. Although Reddit won’t disclose details about how much money it has made from Reddit Gifts or its overall financial performance, it takes a 15 to 20 percent cut of every purchase.—Reuters

Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook talks to tech writer Walt Mossberg (R) during an Apple event in San Francisco, California on 22 Oct, 2013.—Reuters

Apple CEO’s 2013 pay steady but sees part of stock award shrink San Francisco, 29 Dec — Apple Inc (AAPL.O) CEO Tim Cook earned roughly the same in 2013 as in 2012, but lost part of his performance-based stock award during a year in which intense competition and margin pressure bludgeoned the iPhone maker’s stock.

Cook took home $4.25 million, including a base salary of $1.4 million and a performance bonus of $2.8 million, roughly on par with 2012, the company said in a preliminary proxy statement on Friday.

But he gave up about 7,100 shares tied to an annual performance-dependent award, based on shareholder returns from 24 August of 2012 to 25 August, 2013.

Apple’s stock lost a quarter of its value over that one-year period.

The company also advised shareholders to vote down a resolution by activist investor Carl Icahn, who proposed the iPhone maker buy back $50 billion worth of

shares in fiscal 2014. It was the first time the company had publicly voiced its response to Icahn’s demands.

Apple argued on Friday it has already returned $43 billion in dividends and share repurchases over the first six months of its roughly $100 billion capital return programme.

The “dynamic competitive landscape and the company’s rapid pace of innovation require unprecedented investment, flexibility and access to resources,” Apple said in advising shareholders to reject Icahn’s proposal.

Known for decades of strong-arm tactics, including proxy fights, Icahn has repeatedly made it clear that his proposal is not a sign that he stands against Apple’s management. The billionaire has discussed the issue with Cook in past months, arguing via tweets that a buyback of as much as $150 billion is within the company’s means and would prop up its stock.

Reuters

4G handshake a giant leap for beidou service Beijing, 29 Dec — While newly licensed 4G services will speed up China’s mobile networks, navigation experts said the speed will open the way for a major leap in electronic navigation using China’s homegrown Beidou satellite system.

“A modern information system needs three parts — the navigation system to provide timing and positioning services, the communication system to transfer information and the computing system for data processing,” said Li Changjiang, chief commander of the Beidou system.

“4G will help promote the use of the Beidou system,” he said.

The government granted

4G (or fourth generation) high-speed network licenses to the country’s top three telecom carriers in early December. The networks, which will extend to 340 cities by 2014, are immensely faster than the previous generation of mobile technology.

“The 4G networks will accelerate data transfer, and thus broaden the use of navigation services,” Li said.

One example is the use of navigation satellites to monitor vehicle flow on a particular stretch of highway or on a city street.

“In the past, networks overloaded easily in hightraffic areas, but with 4G, the speed is fast enough for real-time measurement of traffic,” he said.—Xinhua

New Light of Myanmar

Monday, 30 December, 2013

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B US I NE S S & H E A L TH

Japan auto makers to boost domestic output before sales tax hike Tokyo, 29 Dec — Japanese automakers will ramp up production early next year because they expect a big increase in car purchases before a sales tax hike in April, media reported on Sunday. Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) will increase domestic output in January-March by about 10 percent compared with this month, the Nikkei business daily reported.

Toyota has already told its parts suppliers that daily output in January-

March will total around 14,000 vehicles, the Nikkei said without citing the source of its information.

For December the automaker had planned to produce about 12,500 cars per day, the newspaper said.

In January, Honda Motor Co (7267.T) will operate two of its domestic plants two days longer than originally scheduled to meet demand for one of its smaller models, the Nikkei said.

Mitsubishi Motors Corp (7211.T) and Suzuki

Motor Corp (7269.T) will also keep domestic production lines running three days longer than originally planned in January to meet demand for newly introduced sub-compact models.

Japan will raise its 5 percent sales tax to 8 percent in April to help pay for rising healthcare costs. The tax increase has prompted consumers to bring forward purchases of homes, cars, other durable goods and luxury items before they become more expensive.—Reuters

A general view of the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show is seen in Tokyo on 20 Nov, 2013.

Reuters

Country’s hepatitis B vaccines are safe: WHO Small changes in kids’ fast

Beijing, 29 Dec — China’s vaccines are produced and regulated in accordance with international standards, and the hepatitis B vaccination programme is vital in safeguarding children against the illness, according to the World Health Organization.

Bernhard Schwartlander, China representative for the international health body, made these points during an interview with

China Daily on Thursday.

“Given that the hepatitis B virus is still around, it’s important for babies to get vaccinated,” he said.

The WHO Beijing office met with the National Health and Family Planning Commission on Thursday to discuss the latest developments surrounding incidents in which 11 newborns have died after being inoculated against hepatitis B. According to

Schwartlander, it’s difficult to establish a causal link between the vaccines and the babies’ deaths since nearly all infants in China receive the vaccine as part of a very successful vaccination program. Statistics from the commission showed that more than 16 million babies were born in China last year, and 90 percent of them were covered by the program that offers hepatitis B vaccinations free of charge.

“Without the immunization coverage, there might be a rapid increase of the disease,” Schwartlander warned. China initiated the hepatitis B vaccinations in 2002 under a nationwide immunization program that began in 1978 and aims to protect children from preventable diseases.

The vaccines, which guard against more than 10 diseases, are all manufactured domestically, said Zhao Kai, a vaccine expert

Siena, (Italy), 29 Dec — Italy’s third-biggest bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena was forced to delay a vital 3 billion euro ($4.1 billion) share sale to raise capital until mid-2014 because of shareholder opposition, plunging its turnaround plan into uncertainty.

The bank’s chairman and its chief executive may now resign after their plan to launch the cash call in January was defeated at an extraordinary shareholder meeting on Saturday due to the vote of Monte Paschi’s top shareholder.

The world’s oldest bank needs to tap investors for cash to pay back 4.1 billion euros in state aid it received earlier this year

and avert nationalization after being hammered by the euro zone debt crisis and loss-making derivatives trades. The unprecedented clash between the lender’s executives and its main shareholder — a charitable banking foundation with close links to Siena politicians — casts a pall over a tough restructuring meant to revive its fortunes.

Chairman Alessandro Profumo, a strong-willed and internationally respected banker who was formerly the chief of UniCredit, said he and CEO Fabrizio Viola would decide in January whether to step down.

“These are decisions one takes in cold blood and in the right place,” Profumo

said at the meeting. “What I have on my mind is a 3 billion euro cash call because we need to pay back 4 billion euros to taxpayers. Today this is uncertain and at risk,” he told a Press conference. Viola, sitting at his side, told reporters he would do everything “so that the ship does not sink”, but that he could not take responsibility for mistakes made by others.

A board meeting is scheduled for mid-January, a bank spokesman said.

Profumo and Viola had already secured a pool of banks ready to guarantee the rights issue, but only if it was carried out by the end of January. They said delaying it would make

A baby receives a hepatitis B vaccine in Liaocheng, Shandong Province, in July.—Xinhua

and academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Schwartlander called the programme “very successful”, saying that hepatitis B prevalence among Chinese children under the age of 5 is now below 1 percent.

But he conceded that some risks from the vaccination cannot be avoided.

According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, hepatitis B is a very safe vaccine, and most recipients have no problems with it. Severe problems are extremely rare. Dangerous allergic reactions are believed to occur about once in 1.1 million doses.

“Medical education is important for the public to fully understand the benefit and risk of the vaccine, thus enabling them to make the right choice,” Schwartlander said.—Reuters

fundraising harder because it would likely coincide with a string of cash calls by other Italian and European lenders triggered by a sector health check, and could precipitate the Tuscan bank’s nationalization.—Reuters

Monte Paschi shareholders delay cash call, top executives may quit

food meal cut calories

New York, 29 Dec — Changes made last year to McDonald’s Happy Meals selections for children may be helping kids to cut calories, according to a new study. “We were curious to know how diners might have changed what they were ordering in order to make up for the reduction of calories,” Andrew Hanks, one of the study’s authors, told Reuters Health.

Hanks is a post-doctoral research associate in the Department of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

“That was the component we were really interested in because there’s evidence of compensation when your calories decrease,” he said.

In addition to adding apple slices, the new Happy Meals contain a smaller portion of French fries and non-fat chocolate milk was offered along with 1 percentfat white milk. McDonalds still offers the same entrée choices for the meal — four chicken nuggets, a hamburger or a cheeseburger.

But the change in side items results in 98 fewer calories per meal, researchers say.

They had access to transaction records for June, July and August of 2011

and 2012 for 30 McDonalds restaurants located throughout the United States. They found 232,424 transactions that included the purchase of a Happy Meal.

They looked at whether the reduction of calories in the new version of the Happy Meal caused consumers to order more hamburgers and cheeseburgers versus the chicken nuggets, which are lower in calories.

But they found that the selection of chicken nuggets remained the same — about 61 percent. More chocolate milk was ordered, 20 percent compared to 16.5 percent before the meal change, but since it was a new offering, it’s not possible to determine if the additional orders were due to calorie compensation or restaurant promotion, they report in the journal Obesity. More white milk was also ordered, rising from 5 percent of orders to 6.5 percent, and regular soft drink orders dropped from 58 percent to 52 percent.

The researchers don’t know how much of the food was consumed, whether or not children ate more later to make up the difference in calories or how many of the meals were ordered by the children or by the parents.

Reuters

Top 7 skin lightening fruits

People are reflected in the window of a Monte Dei Paschi Di Siena bank in Rome on 29 Jan, 2013.—Reuters

1 Lemon 2 Cherry 3 Tomato 4 Grape Fruit 5 Kiwi Fruit 6 Strawberry 7 Aloe Vera

Xinhua

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Monday, 30 December, 2013

New Light of Myanmar WORLD

US intelligence estimate sees big rollbacks in Afghanistan

Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers keep watch near a building in which the Loya Jirga (or grand council) is holding a committee session, in Kabul on 22 Nov, 2013.

Reuters Washington, 29 Dec— A new US intelligence estimate predicts that gains the United States and allies have made in the Afghanistan war in the past three years will be significantly rolled back by 2017, even if some US troops remain, the Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing officials familiar with the report.

The National Intelligence Estimate also predicts that Afghanistan will quickly fall into chaos if Washington and Kabul fail to sign a security pact

North Sea oil platform evacuated after oil leak Oslo, 29 Dec — Statoil employees working on a North Sea oil platform were evacuated on Saturday following an indication of gas leakage, the Norwegian news agency NTB reported.

“We did notice an indication of a gas leak” on the nearby Statfjord A Platform at 17:40 local time (1640) and the number of workers on it was reduced subsequently, said Andreas Bull, chief of the Rescue Coordication Centre for South Norway. There were 168 people on the platform when the leaking was reported, said Kjetil Visnes, a spokesman for the Norwegian energy giant Statoil.

Half of those on duty on the Statfjord A platform were shifted to the Statfjord B and C platforms after the leak was located and isolated at the oil cooler on a module on the platform.

“This is not about a big leaking,” Visnes was quoted as saying. The situation was under control, said the Norwegian broadcasting company NRK.—Xinhua

to keep an international military contingent there beyond 2014, the newspaper said. The pact must be signed for the United States and its allies to provide billions more dollars in aid to the impoverished country.

The newspaper cited officials who have read the classified report, which includes input from the 16 US intelligence agencies, or were briefed on its conclusions.

“In the absence of a continuing presence and continuing financial

support,” the intelligence assessment “suggests the situation would deteriorate very rapidly,” the newspaper quoted one US official familiar with the report as saying.

But the newspaper said some officials felt the report on the potential outcome of the longest war in US history was overly pessimistic and did not take into account progress made by Afghanistan’s security forces.

“I think what we’re going to see is a recalibration of political power, territory and that kind of thing,” the paper quoted one official as saying. “It’s not going to be an inevitable rise of the Taleban.”

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has balked at signing the security pact that would permit US forces to stay in the country beyond 2014, and US officials have said that unless a deal is reached to keep perhaps 8,000 US troops, the Taleban insurgents might stage a major comeback and al Qaeda could regain safe havens.

Reuters

Abe’s surprise shrine visit may complicate Japan-US ties in 2014

Washington, 29 Dec — Ties between Japan and the United States could be complicated in 2014 by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s surprise visit on 26 December to a warrelated shrine in Tokyo, which displeased Washington, US experts said.

Dealing with the growing military presence of China and improving strained ties with that major trading partner will continue to be a priority for Abe in 2014, and he will have to rely heavily on US help to make progress.

Tokyo and Washington are also to start reviewing defence cooperation guidelines amid uncertainty about North Korea’s nuclear programmes, as well as work on relocating a US Marine Corps base within Okinawa and on concluding the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement.

But now ahead of President Barack Obama’s planned visit to Japan probably in April, Abe has thrown a spanner in the works by visiting Yasukuni Shrine despite US

objections, according to the observers.

“Now the feeling is that we have a big setback” in relations with Japan, said James Schoff, senior associate at Asia Programme of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

A US government official said Washington had asked Abe not to go to the shrine, worrying doing so would further inflame tensions with China and South Korea. The USgovernment has said stability in East Asia is in the US national interest.

Schoff, a former adviser for East Asia policy at the Defence Department, said there was hope in Washington political circles that Abe could try harder to reconcile with the neighbour countries, but it now appears Abe has given up for the time being.

After visiting Yasukuni, Abe tried to convey the message that he is committed to creating a world free of war. But he only heard Washington lash out at him with strong language.

A day after Abe’s

shrine visit made waves, the long-stalled JapanUS project of relocating the Marine’s Futenma Air Station within the southern Japan prefecture saw progress.

Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima gave the green light to landfill work to build an airfield to which the Marine base’s function will be moved under a bilateral accord, a major development since the original plan was first mapped out in 1996.

But looming disharmony between the two governments following Abe’s Yasukuni visit could be an obstacle to the base relocation plan aimed at reducing the burden of Okinawa, which already hosts the bulk of US military facilities in Japan.

Regarding the planned review of the Japan-US defence cooperation guidelines by the end of 2014, one focus will be on to what extent the roles of Japan’s Self-Defence Forces in joint operations with the US military can be expanded.

Kyodo News

Fighters benefited from NATO responsible for attack on US mission in Benghazi Washington, 29 Dec —Local fighters who had benefited from NATO led the attack on US mission in Benghazi that left four Americans dead last year, US media reported Saturday.

A New York Times investigation published on the newspaper’s website “turned up no evidence that al-Qaeda or other international terrorist groups had any role in the assault.”

The attack was led by local fighters who had benefited directly from NATO’s extensive air power

and logistics support during the uprising against former leader Muammar Qaddafi, according to the investigation, which was based on extensive interviews with Libyans who had direct knowledge of the attack.

US Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens, a State Department officer and two former Navy SEALs serving as consulate security guards died on 11 September, last year in what the report said “the most significant attack on USproperty” since 11 September, 2001.

The attack was fueled in large part by anger at an American-made video denigrating Islam, the report said, adding that it shows the difficulty of discerning friends from allies of convenience in a culture shaped by decades of antiWestern sentiment.

The report accused Ahmed Abu Khattala, a militia leader who “had no known affiliations with terrorist groups,” as the central figure in the attack and said US officials called him “a prime suspect.”

Xinhua Children pose for a group photo at a school in Bansheng Township in Dahua Yao Autonomous County, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on 24 Dec, 2013.

Xinhua

People returning to their hometowns and vacationers board a bullet train at JR Tokyo Station on 28 Dec, 2013, as the New Year’s holiday exodus began the same day.—Kyodo News

Israeli government approves release of 26 more Palestinian detainees Jerusalem, 29 Dec — The Israeli government approved on Saturday the release of 26 more Palestinian detainees as part of goodwill gestures for the resumption of its peace talks with the Palestinians.

A ministerial committee headed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized the release of the Palestinian prisoners Saturday evening, whose names will be published soon on Israel’s Prison Service website, said a statement issued by Netanyahu’s media adviser.

“All of the released prisoners perpetrated offenses prior to the Oslo accords and have served sentences of 1928 years,” the statement said, adding that the release of the prisoners will be carried out at least 48 hours after their names are published.

The release will be the third out of four batches involving 104 Palestinians that will be freed from Israeli jails before the April deadline the United States set for Israel and Palestine to conclude their peace talks.

Xinhua

New Light of Myanmar

Monday, 30 December, 2013 7

WO R L D

Connecticut police release Newtown massacre documents

Students from various faculties attend the 39th convocation ceremony of Tribhuvan University at Dashrath Stadium in Kathmandu, Nepal, on 27 Dec, 2013. More than 6,000 students from various faculties including humanities and social sciences, education, science, forestry attended the ceremony.

Xinhua

New York, 29 Dec — Connecticut state police released a trove of documents and video on Friday tied to their investigation of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School last year that killed 20 children and six adults.

The documents include footage of the school facade, including close-up images of bulletshattered windows, and a video tour through the cheerfully decorated home the shooter, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, shared with his mother, Nancy Lanza.

The 14 December, 2012, shooting rampage in Newtown marked one of the deadliest gun violence incidents in US history.

Lanza, who also shot and killed his mother before driving to Sandy Hook and forcing his way into the school he once attended, killed himself as police arrived on the scene.

Twenty first-graders, ages 6 and 7, and six staff members lost their lives.

The tragedy rocked the suburban town of 27,000 people and sparked a national debate about

school violence and access to firearms.

Much of the material, which was posted on the website Cspsandyhookreport.ct.gov, has been redacted, and none of the images that speak to the carnage unleashed that day are visible.

“I hope that the release of this report, though painful, will allow those who have been affected by it to continue in their personal process of healing, and will provide helpful information that can be put to use to prevent such

Strong earthquake shakes Cyprus Nicosia, 29 Dec — A strong earthquake shook Cyprus late on Saturday afternoon, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The tremor was felt all over the eastern Mediterranean island, especially by people living in high-rising buildigs.

The Cyprus Geological Department said the quake struck at 5:20 pm local time (GMT1520)

and measured 5.8 on the Richter scale.

Its epicenter was 210 kilometres north of the capital Nicosia at a depth of 61 kilometres under the sea between Cyprus and Turkey close to the city of Antalya, where reports said it was also felt.

Cyprus lies in a particularly active seismic area and smaller shocks are quite frequent. Several destructive quakes struck the

island in the past. In 1953, a magnitude 6 tremor destroyed several villages in the western part of the island, leaving 40 people dead and injuring about 100 more.

In 1996, an even stronger quake of magnitude 6.5 shook the entire island but despite widespread damage only two people were killed and 20 injured.

Xinhua

Afghan police kill 13 Taleban in 24 hours Kabul, 29 Dec — Afghan police backed by the army had killed over a dozen Taleban militants during series of operations across the country over the past 24 hours, the Interior Ministry said in a statement released here on Saturday. “Afghan National Police backed by the army conducted several anti-terrorism joint operations in Nangarhar, Laghman, Logar and Helmand provinces over the past 24 hours leaving 13 Taleban rebels dead,” the statement added.

Ten more militants have been captured during the operations, it added.

However, it did not say if there were any casualties on the side of security forces. Taleban militants have yet to make any comment.

Xinhua

The car driven by Adam Lanza is pictured at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in this evidence photo released by the Connecticut State Police, on 27 Dec, 2013.—Reuters

tragedies in the future,” Commissioner Reuben Bradford said in a letter introducing the documents.

The release comes about a month after the state Division of Criminal Justice released a report on Newtown that concluded Lanza had acted alone, and that his motive may never be known.

The documents offer an eerie look into the life of the shooter, including an assortment of firearms and targets riddled with bullet marks.

One lengthy video shows the interior of Lanza’s spacious Newtown home — off-white couches and chairs, brightly colored rugs and framed family photographs. Dirty dishes are in the kitchen sink and a telephone blinks with a new message.

In a message sent out on Thursday, acting superintendent of Newtown public schools, John Reed, warned families of the release and the likelihood of media coverage surrounding them.

Reuters

Turkey airlifts 21 citizens from troubled S Sudan

Locals watch a dog fighting in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, on 27 Dec, 2013.—Xinhua

Istanbul, 29 Dec— The Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that his country had dispatched an airplane to fly 21 of its citizens back home from South Sudan where clashes had left over 1,000 dead.

The ministry said in a statement that the Turkish government is closely watching the developments in the troubled African

country and that all necessary actions will be taken for the safety of the Turkish citizens there.

Violent clashes erupted in South Sudan earlier this month between two military factions, one descending from the Dinka tribe to which South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit belongs, and the other descending from the Nuer

tribe to which sacked former vice-president Machar belongs.

Machar was ousted from his post in July and has been accused of plotting against the government since the eruption of the clashes two weeks ago.

The fighting has displaced more than 120,000 people and killed more than 1,000.—Xinhua

Humanitarian agencies appeal for 152 mln USD in CAR relief United Nations, 29 Dec — The UN spokesperson office said on Friday that humanitarian organizations have appealed for more than 150 million US dollars to aid people amid continuing violence in the Central African Republic (CAR).

“The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Friday that humanitarian actors in the CAR urgently need 152 million US dollars to help save lives and ensure the protection of 1.2 million

people in the country during the next three months,” the UN spokesperson office told reporters here.

Following the inter-communal violence in December, an estimated 370,000 people have been forced to flee from their homes into makeshift camps in the capital Bangui alone, according to OCHA. Another 400,000 people are internally displaced across the country.

“Despite the growing insecurity in the country,

humanitarian organizations have reinforced their presence and continue to provide assistance to vulnerable people,” said the spokesperson office.

“The resources requested will allow aid organizations to provide a priority response in multiple sectors to the people displaced by the escalating inter-communal armed conflict as well as to host communities in Bangui and nine districts in western CAR, “ it said.

Xinhua

Photo taken on 16 Dec, 2013 shows the scenery of Lake Manasorovar in Ngari prefecture of southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. Mount Kailash and Manasorovar Lake, located in the west of Tibet, are considered as holy land in Buddhism and worshipped by believers.—Xinhua

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New Light of Myanmar

Monday, 30 December, 2013

NATIONAL Union A&I Minister’s inspection tours of farmland reclamation in Zeyathiri, Pyinmana Tsps Monday, 30 December, 2013

Boost role of traditional medicine Before western medicine was introduced, traditional medicine has been handed down from generation to generation in each and every country. Traditional medicines have been used to treat numerous human diseases, wounds and injuries.

“Every plant can be used for medicinal purpose”, as the saying goes. Plants have been used as herbal medicines for healing as they have several beneficial effects on the human health. With advancement in medical treatments, use of traditional medicines has become popular and production standards have kept development. The main difference between traditional medicine and modern medicine is that the former is required to be taken for a long time while the latter can cure disease quickly and recovery is usually quick. Provided that traditional medicines are produced through scientific methods and research findings, it can improve quality of traditional medicines and lead to an increase in use of traditional medicines.

As most of western medicines are able to kill viruses and bacterium that can cause disease, they can ensure quick recovery. Potency of traditional medicines will become effective if herbal medicines meet scientific standards. As every western medicine has some side effects, it is not suitable for long-term use while traditional medicines are found with low level of side effects. That’s why, scientific production of herbal medicines will help encourage a wide use of traditional medicine drugs.

Deputy Commissioner U Tun Wai, wellwisher U Myint Hlaing and IPRD Staff Officer U Zaw Moe Aung open Po Yazar Library donated by Amyotha Hluttaw Representative U Myint Hlaing from Rakhine State Constituency No (12) in Thandwe Township on 28 December.—District IPRD

We have made a shift in accordance with changes and developments alongside the holding of the 2012 Academy Award Presentation Ceremony.

Union Minister U Myint Hlaing inspects land reclamation for mechanized farming in Pyinmana Township.—mna Nay Pyi Taw, 29 Dec — Union Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation U Myint Hlaing paid an inNay Pyi Taw, 29 Dec — The second-day session of Myanmar Traditional Medicine Practitioners’ Conference continued today at the hall of the Ministry of Health, here.

Professor Dr U Meik of Myanmar Traditional Medicine Practitioner’s Association chaired the morning session in which those present made suggestions on a work programme to produce more traditional medicine practitioners and follow-up tasks.

In the afternoon session, group discussions on traditional medical treatment and formulation of future procedures were made.

The conference came to an end with concluding remarks by Director-General Dr Tun Naing Oo of the Department of Traditional Medicine.—MNA

spection tour of a 748-acre irrigated farmland reclamation area near Aung Zeya Village in Zeyathiri Town-

ship, here, today.

In meeting with farmers, the Union Minister spoke words of praise for

Myanmar Traditional Medicine Practitioners’ Conference concludes

Second-day session of Myanmar Traditional Medicine Practitioners’ Conference in progress.—mna

Literary talks given in Ottarathiri Tsp An IPRD official gives literary talks to locals at library in Thegyun Village, Ottarathiri Township.

You’re right. It’s Myanmar Motion Picture Organization that should stand freely for the development of film industry including the choosing of the 2013 Academy Award.

Cartoon Thabyay

their cooperation with the government.

After hearing reports presented by officials concerned, the Union Minister gave an account of the program for mechanized farming through the assistance of Korea Rural Development Communication.

On his arrival at the sites for the reclamation of 420-acre and 410-acre mechanized farmlands in Pyinmana Township, the Union Minister called for collaborative efforts between local farmers and officials concerned.

On his inspection tours, the Union Minister presented gifts to government employees carrying out farmland reclamation tasks.—MNA

Nay Pyi Taw, 29 Dec— Literary talks were given to locals at Pyinnya Beikman Library in Thegyun Village in Ottarathiri Township in conjunction with a donation of 21 inches TV yesterday.

On the occasion, Assistant Staff Officer Daw

Soe Sandar Waing from Ottarathiri District Information and Public Relations Department gave talks on knowledge about nationwide census taking process in 2014, mass participation of the people in the process, benefits of reading and ef-

fective use of the library.

Library committee member U Than Win accepted 21 inches TV worth K 90,000 contributed by the local people to connect with a digital set top box distributed by the State.

District IPRD

New Light of Myanmar Motion picture will be able to emerge as a new competitive... (from page 1) Union Minister for Information U Aung Kyi presented Best Sound Award to Tony (Lynn) from the movie “Kayan Beauties”.

Music Conductor Academy U Zaw Myo Htut presented Best Music Award to Music Conductor Win Ko from the movie “Ah Mway Khan Htike Thu Phyit Par Say”.

Union Minister for Health Dr Pe Thet Khin presented Best Film Editing Award to Zaw Min (Hanthamyay) from the movie “U”.

Academy U Than Nyunt (Pantha) presented Best Cinematography Award to U Aung Ko Latt from the movie “Kayan Beauties”.

Union Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Dr Daw Myat Myat Ohn Khin presented Special Award to Yunn

Yunn from the movie “Tein Min Tha Mee Ye Dandayi”.

Academy Yan Aung presented Best Actor Award to Pyay Ti Oo from the movie “Letpan”.

Academy Cho Pyone presented Best Supporting Actress to Chaw Yadana from the movie “U”.

Academy Moh Moh Myint Aung presented Best Actress Award to Phwe Phwe from the movie “Letpan”.

Union Minister for Culture U Aye Myint Kyu presented Best Director Award to Ko Zaw (AryoneU) from the movie “U”.

Also present on the occasion were Union Minister at the President Office U Soe Maung, Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr Ko Ko Oo, Yangon Region Chief Minister U Myint Swe and wife Daw Khin Thet Htay,

Academy Myint Myint Khin presents Best Supporting Actress Award to Chaw Yadana.—mna

University of Veterinary Science holds 28th graduation ceremony Nay Pyi Taw, 29 Dec—The 28th graduation ceremony of University of Veterinary Science under the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development was held at Golden Jubilee Hall of the university, here, this morning. At the ceremony, Rector Dr Daw Mar Mar Win conferred degrees on 186 graduates. Deputy Minister Dr Aung Myat Oo presented the golden award of the Union minister and other prizes to outstanding stu-

dents and made a speech.

The deputy minister and party then attended ceremonies to open the university archway and tarred road and to welcome freshers for 2013-2014 academic year. In his welcome speech, he called on freshers to try hard to be good vets as the university contributes to development of fishery sector and rural area. The welcoming ceremony was attended by 265 freshers.

MNA

Monday, 30 December, 2013

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national

Pyithu Hluttaw Sports, Culture and Public Relations Development Committee Chairperson Thura U Aye Myint, the representatives from Pyithu Hluttaw and Amyotha Hluttaw, Yangon Region Hluttaw Speaker U Sein Tin Win, Deputy Minister for Information U Pike Htwe, Yangon Region ministers, departmental heads, members of the scrutiny committee for development of Myanmar Motion Picture Standard, officials of Movies and Video Censor Boards, responsible persons of Myanmar Motion Picture Organization, Myanmar Thabin Association, Myanmar Music Association, Myanmar Writers Association and other groups, the ambassadors from the foreign embassies in Myanmar, film artistes and technicians, film producers and movie funs.

After the ceremony, the Union Information Min-

Union Minister U Aung Kyi greets comedian Ah Yine at Myanmar Motion Picture Academy Award-Presenting Ceremony 2012.—mna ister, the Yangon Region Chief Minister and party cordially greeted Academy award winners and doyen film artistes.

Academy Award-Presenting Ceremony has been held from 1952 to 2004 in Yangon, from 2005 to 2010 in Nay Pyi Taw and 2011

Academy Moh Moh Myint Aung presents Best Actress Award to Phwe Phwe.—mna Artistes and technicians from film industry at the entrance to Thuwunna National Indoor Stadium (1) where Motion Picture Academy AwardPresenting Ceremony 2012 is being held. mna

and 2012 in Yangon.

The 2012 ceremony was performed on a grand scale with the use of digital projector and silver screen produced by Clover Solution Co Ltd of Singaporebased Barco Co., Ltd. It was telecast live through MRTV, Nay Pyi

Taw Myanma Radio, Farmers Channel and National Races Channel, MRTV-4, MITV, MNTV, Sky Net up to date Channel, MWD Channel, MWD Variety Channel and MWD Documentary Channel as of 2:45 pm.

MNA

Academy Yan Aung presents Best Actor Award to Pyay Ti Oo.—mna

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Monday, 30 December, 2013

New Light of Myanmar

LOCAL NEWS

66 Anniversary Independence Day, 2014 th

Four objectives of 66th Anniversary Independence Day

- All the national people to live together in the Union forever in weal or woe; - All the national people to strive together for non-disintegration of the Union, non-disintegration of national solidarity and perpetuation of sovereignty; - All the national people to participate in efforts for ceasing

Thatta Thattaha Maha Bawdi Pagoda, Nay Pyi Taw

Photo: Ko Ko Khaing (IPRD)

Launching tube-well hails 66th Anniversary Independence Day Shwedaung, 29 Dec— As a gesture of hailing the 66th Anniversary Independence Day, the 2-inch diametre tube-well was launched in Belet Village in Shwedaung Township of Bago Region on 27 December.

The Assistant Engineer of Township Development

Affairs Committee reported on efforts made for sinking tube-well. A local spoke words of thanks for providing a tube-well.

Executive Officer U Han Shein of Township DAC presented commemorative pennants to officials.

Next, Township

Stake driven for extension of midwifery training school Myitkyina, 29 Dec—A ceremony to drive stakes for construction of the extension of Midwifery Training School and management office was held at the school under Medical Science Department of Ministry of Health in Myitkyina on 27 December.

Kachin State Minister for Finance U Nyunt Aung, State Minister for Forestry and Mining U Aung Naing, the Principal of the school and general manager U Htein Win of KT Construction Co drove stakes at the designated

places.

Engineer in-charge of the company U Nyi Nyi Lwin reported on plans for

Administrator U Thet Zaw Oo and Pyithu Hluttaw representative Dr Daw Aye Myint formally opened the tube-well.

The ceremony was also attended by Bago Region Hluttaw representatives U Tin Maung Myint and U Tun Tun Oo, departmental extended construction tasks.

The State Minister for Finance gave instructions on timely completion of the construction meting set standards.

Kyemon-State IPRD

armed conflicts and gaining genuine peace; - All the national people to work hard in building a developed and discipline-flourishing democratic nation

Rural Development officials, responsible persons of NGOs and local people.

Sinking the tube-well spent K 22.5 million.

The tube-well benefits 903 people from 221 houses of Belet Village with safe water.

Ye Htut (Nwamayan)

TV set donated to library Nay Pyi Taw, 29 Dec—An educative talk was given was held at Pyinnya Beikman Library in conjunction with the TV set donation in Thegyun Village of Ottarathiri Township in Nay Pyi Taw Council Area on 27 December.

Under the arrangement of Ottara District IPRD, local people donated a 21inch TV worth K 90000 to the library.

Kyemon-District IPRD

Census taking process disseminated to people in Nyaunglebin Nyaunglebin, 29 Dec—Talks on 2014 national census taking process was held at the hall of Nyaunglebin Township General Administration Department in Bago Region on 27 December.

Chairman of the Township Census Committee Township Administrator U Thihan Soe made an opening address.

Deputy Supervisor U Aye Min Soe of Township Immigration and National Registration Department reported on census taking process.

Secretary of Bago District Census Committee

Head of Bago District INRD Deputy Director U Ye Yint Tun gave talks on census taking process and its functions.

Officials replied to

queries raised by members of ward and village census committees and subcommittees.

The talk was attended by township level departmental

Prize awarding for outstanding students

officials, census committee members, ward and village administrators, supportive committee members, clerks and local people.

Nay Lin (Nyaunglebin)

P yuntaza , 29 Dec— The 16 th U Myint Thein Scholarship Award presentation took place at No 2 Basic Education High School in Pyuntaza of Nyaunglebin Township of Bago Region on 24 December morning.

Retired teacher U Tin Maung made a speech.

Assistant Township Education Officer U Tun Tun spoke words of honour for the awarding.

Daw Nwe Nwe Thein, daughter of U Myint Thein, explained the purpose of ceremony.

Teacher U Myint Oo clarified preparations for prize presentation.

ATEO U Tun Tun and officials gave prizes to 281 outstanding students who stood first from the KG to the matriculation examinations at the school in 2012-2013 academic year.

Nay Lin (Nyaunglebin)

Runway of Kalay Airport extended K alay , 29 Dec—Air Bagan, KBZ Airlines and Myanma Airways ply their flights on schedules from Monywa, Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw and Yangon to Kalay regularly.

Kalay Airport can place Fokker F 28 airplanes on 5500 feet long, 100 feet wide and 18 inches thick runway. It withstands 73000 lb capacity.

Survey was conducted for enabling the Y8 airplanes to land on the airport.

That is why it needs to extend 3000 more feet

long runway for safey of airplanes at Kalay Airport.

For the first phase, the 1500 feet long runway is under extension.

Earthworks are being undertaken with the use of heavy machinery this year and asphalt concrete will be placed next year.

Moreover, the repairing of the runway, expansion of the apron and electrification for signals along the taxiway are being carried out at the airport.

Kyemon-Ju Nine

New Light of Myanmar

Monday, 30 December, 2013 11

R e gi o na l

Anti-corruption icon sworn in as new chief minister of New Delhi New Delhi, 29 Dec — Arvind Kejriwal, the head of the anti-corruption Aam Admi Party, was sworn in Saturday as the chief minister of New Delhi.

The debutant party, which Kejriwal, 45, launched only a year ago, won a

surprising 28 of the 70 assembly seats in a recent election, defeating the Congress Party, which previously ruled the capital and holds power at the national level. Congress has promised “outside support” for Kejriwal’s minority government.

Estimates of the turnout of supporters at the oath-taking ceremony ranged as high as 100,000. The strong showing of the party in its first election has political observers wondering if it could be repeated at the national level.

Kyodo News

Polio-eradication campaigner killed in NW Pakistan’s firing Photo taken on 19 Nov, 2012, shows participants in a Kimono Jack event lining the historic Pontocho Alley in central Kyoto. Kimono Jack events encourage the casual wearing of the traditional Japanese garments without the need to adhere to strict dress codes.—Kyodo News

Nepal at odds over calling first meeting of constitution drafting body Kathmandu, 29 Dec— Nepal has entered into a new political deadlock as the government and the President’s Office are at odds over calling the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly (CA), sources from both sides said to Xinhua on Saturday.

As per the constitutional provision, the prime minister would call the first meeting of CA but the President’s Office is saying that constitutional provisions should be amended to empower them to call the first meeting of CA. Currently, there is not the post of prime minister in the country but Interim Election Chairman Khil Raj Regmi who assumed power in March for holding the

election is undertaking all the jobs of the prime minister.

Regmi is saying that the government’s right to call the first meeting should not be infringed. In 2008, then Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala called the first meeting of CA who was also undertaking the tasks of the head of the state.

But, the government and the President’s Office have interpreted such tradition in a different way.

Government officials said Koirala at that time called the first meeting of CA in the capacity of the prime minister, while officials from the President ‘s Office say Koirala called the meeting as the head of the state.

Both the government and President’s Office are holding legal consultations on the same issue but there has not been any agreement. The President’s Office also reasons that there is international tradition for a president to call the first meeting of CA. On Friday, Advocate Biswas Acharya moved to Supreme Court demanding an immediate invention to ensure that the president call the first meeting of CA. He said that the head of the state should call the meeting of CA as it is an international practice.

The petitioner argued that allowing the head of the government to call the first meeting would set a wrong precedent.—Xinhua

Islamabad, 29 Dec — A polio-eradication campaigner was killed and two people were injured when unknown gunmen sprayed bullets at a hospital in Pakistan’s northwest Peshawar city on Saturday morning, local media reported.

Express TV said that two unknown people coming on motorbike opened fire at the head of a local polio-eradication team when he was entering a hospital located in Matani area of Peshawar, the capital city of the country’s northwest Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa Province.

The campaigner got killed right at the spot and two other people including a woman and a policeman got injured. The injured were shifted to Matani hospital for treatment. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Police cordoned off the area and kicked off a search operation.

Polio teams frequently come under attack by Taleban militants as they believe that the United States is using the programme as a cover for

Japan, Oman seek to reach investment agreement during PM Abe’s visit

Tokyo, 29 Dec — Japan and Oman will seek to reach agreement on an investment pact when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits the Middle East Tourists watch a winter dragon boat race during the opening ceremony of the 19th Jilin International Rime and Ice Festival in Jilin City, northeast China’s Jilin Province, on 28 Dec, 2013.

Xinhua

nation in January for talks with Sultan Qaboos bin Said, sources close to the matter said on Saturday.

Oman, which seeks to lessen its dependency on

crude oil exports and develop other industrial sectors, wants Japanese companies to join projects to build an airport and other largescale public infrastructure,

the sources said. Japan and Oman launched talks in February toward concluding a pact to facilitate investments between the two countries.—Kyodo News

espionage and the workers associated with the campaign are potential spies.

Due to repeated attacks on polio teams, the health workers and volunteers have refused to perform their duties as polio vaccinators in the country’s tribal areas and parts of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, hampering government’s efforts to root out the disease.

Pakistan is one of the world’s three countries along with Afghanistan and Nigeria where polio still exists. In 2011, an estimated 173 cases of polio were registered across the county, following which the government

speeded up the eradication campaign.

According a report released by World Health Organization (WHO) on 4 December, an estimated 72 cases of polio were found in the country in 2013. In 2012, there were 58 cases.

“Pakistan has reported 72 polio cases which is the highest in comparison to two other countries with the disease, as Nigeria has 50 cases and Afghanistan reported only nine during 2013,” Elias Durry, emergency coordinator for the WHO’s Polio Eradication Pakistan Programme, said.—Xinhua

An injured man receives medical treatment at a hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan, on 28 Dec, 2013. —Xinhua

Thai constituency candidate registration proceeds amid protests Bangkok, 29 Dec — Constituency-based candidate registration for Thailand’s upcoming 2 February general election kicked off Saturday amid blockage from anti-government protesters. The constituency registration is expected to last through 1 January while the party-list candidate registration concluded on Friday with 45 political parties having their lists submitted.

Registration in 32 constituencies in six southern provinces was suspended due to attempts by protesters to block candidates from submitting their applications, the Election Commission (EC) was quoted by the Nation newspaper as saying.

According to the EC, 343 of 375 constituencies in other

provinces proceeded with the registrations. Election officials in the southern province of Chumphon have resigned, according to EC member Somchai Srisuthiyakorn.

The EC earlier suggested the caretaker government postpone the election until all sides work through their differences. Caretaker deputy prime minister Pongthep Thepkanchana said in response that the government has no legal power to delay the election. Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban on Friday night asked protesters to take a break during the New Year holiday season that runs from Saturday to 1 January , and then return to stage even more massive rallies to force the caretaker government to step down.—Xinhua

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Monday, 30 December, 2013

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a d v e r tis e m e nt

New Light of Myanmar

Monday, 30 December, 2013 13

Adve r ti s e m e nt & ENTERT A INMENT Pop star Selena Gomez

THE REPUBLIC OF THE UNION OF MYANMAR MINISTRY OF ENERGY MYANMA OIL AND GAS ENTERPRISE (INVITATION FOR OPEN TENDER) (17/2013) Open tenders are invited for supply of the following respective items in United States Dollars and Myanmar Kyats.

Sr.No Tender No Description Qty Remark (1) IF'B-147(2013-2014) Down Hole Mud Motor Ex Horizontal (1) Set US$

Directional Drilling Rig (2) IFB-148(2013-2014) Caterpillar C-9 Truck Engine for (1) No US$

30 Ton Mark Oil Field Truck (3) IFB-149(2013-2014) CNG Compressor Driven Electric (1) Lot US$

Motor With Complete Package (4) IFB-150(2013-2014) Spares for IMW (Mother) Dispenser (7) Items US$ (5) IFB-151(2013-2014) Arc Transformer Welding Machine (8) Nos US$

with Complete Accessories

AC, 400 AMP, Dry Type (6) IFB-152(2013-2014) Mobile Welding Machine with (10) Nos US$

Complete Accessories 600 AMP,

Diesel Engine Driven (7) IFB-153(2013-2014) Spares for GM 6V 53 Engine (15) Items US$ (8) IFB-154(2013-2014) Spares for GM 6V 71 Engine (17) Items US$ (9) IFB-155(2013-2014) Spares for CAT D-3408PC Rig Engine (26) Items US$ (10) DMP/L-047(2013-2014) Multi Grade Diesel Engine Oil (700) Drums Ks

SAE 15 W 40 (API- CF 4) - Tender Closing Date & Time - 22-1-2014,16:30 Hrs Tender Document shall be available during office hours commencing from 26'h Decem­ber, 2013 at the Finance Department, Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise, No(44) Complex, Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.

Myamna Oil and Gas Enterprise

Ph . +95 67 - 411097 / 411206

Selena Gomez suffering from Lupus disease?

Los Ange29 Dec — Pop star Selena Gomez is reportedly suffering from lupus, an autoimmune disease.

She had to cancel several tour dates for Asia and Australia ‘to address the disease’, said a source.

Originally, it was reported the 21-year old les,

wanted to take some time off for herself and be with her family, but the latest buzz is that Gomez is suffering from lupus, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Lupus can harm the skin, kidneys, heart, nervous system and blood cells.

Selena was reportedly diagnosed with the disease a couple of years ago and she has suffered multiple ‘flares’ recently that cause facial swelling, extreme fatigue, headaches and joint pain.

“Selena has been

Brad Pitt to do a cameo in 21 Jump Street sequel Los Angeles, 29 Dec — Actor Brad Pitt will be seen in a cameo in the sequel to 21 Jump Street.

The actor will be playing himself in a comedy scene. “The scene is very funny and the guys had a great time doing it. Brad was a great sport and the producers were thrilled that he took part,” PerezHilton.com quoted a source. 22 Jump Street is an action comedy film co-directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. It also features Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill.—PTI

Brad will be seen playing himself in a comedy scene in the movie.—PTI

going full throttle the past few years and her lupus is really catching up with her right now,” said a source.

“She knows that she needs to take some time to address the disease and look after herself better if she wants to live a full and healthy life,” the source added.

The Come & Get It singer has axed 13 shows from the Asian and Australian leg of her tour.

PTI

Will Smith and Justin Timberlake experimented with pop colours and slipped into chic suits during 2013.

PTI

Hollywood male stars who impressed with their fashion sense in 2013

Los Angeles, 29 Dec — During 2013, there were some Hollywood male stars who, almost effortlessly, grabbed eyeballs for their fashion sense. A few of the them are listed below: — Will Smith: Even at the age of 45, Smith looked good in simple silhouettes, pops of colours and even some sneakers.

— Justin Timberlake: The singer once known for curly locks, straightened

his hair. The pop icon also chose suit and tie for most events.

— Andrew Garfield: When not in Spiderman superhero red and blue suit, “The Amazing SpiderMan” star looked fabulous in casual wear. He was often spotted in sporty jackets, baseball hats and skinny denim.

— Ryan Gosling: The actor made the red carpet exciting by showing up in

velvet suits, saddle shoes as well as trousers. His everyday wardrobe also looks cool. It is full of jackets, vintage t-shirts and boots.

— Justin Theroux: The timeless combination of motorcycle jackets, aviator sunglasses and tattoos can come off as cliche; but Theroux makes it look like he’s the one who invented it. The groomed brows complete the look.

PTI

14

Monday, 30 December, 2013

Wozniacki pulls out of Brisbane warm-up with injury Brisbane, 29 Dec — Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki has pulled out of the Brisbane International warm-up for the Australian Open because of an injured right shoulder, organizers said on Sunday.

The 23-year-old Dane, currently ranked 10th in the world, was scheduled to open her season with a first round tie against Dominika Cibulkova and seeded to meet top ranked Serena Williams in the quarter-finals.

Organizers said Wozniacki still hoped to take part in next week’s Sydney International to get some match practice before the first grand slam of the year, which starts at Melbourne Park on 13 January.

The 2009 US Open finalist had a disappointing 2013 season, winning just one title in Luxemburg and failing to reach the quarterfinals at any of the four majors for the first time in five years.—Reuters

New Light of Myanmar S PO R TS

Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark pumps her fist after winning a point during her match against Sloane Stephens of the US at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on 3 Oct, 2013.—Reuters

Cech chasing Bonetti’s Chelsea record for most shutouts

London, 29 Dec — Petr Cech will reinforce his status as Chelsea’s most decorated goalkeeper if he equals the club record for most clean sheets in Sunday’s heavyweight Premier League showdown against Liverpool.

The 31-year-old Czech international recorded his 207th shutout in the 1-0 victory over Swansea City on Thursday and another one against Liverpool will move him alongside Stamford Bridge great Peter Bonetti.

Bonetti kept 208 clean sheets in 729 appearances

in all competitions between 1959-79 while Cech has only played 455 games for the London club.

“It is a great milestone for a goal-

keeper,” Cech told the club website (www. chelseafc.com) on Saturday. “It would obviously be fantastic to get the record.

“Beating Swansea ... was an important three points

Chelsea’s Petr Cech exhales during their Champions League Group E soccer match against FC Basel at St Jakob-Park in Basel a n d on 26 Nov, 2013.—Reuters now we are in a good million pounds in 2004 and position to go face to also won the Champions League in 2012. Manchester face with Liverpool.”

Former England in- City are top of the Premier ternational Bonetti won the League after Saturday’s 1-0 1965 League Cup, 1970 FA win over Crystal Palace gave Cup and 1971 European Cup them a total of 41 points.

Arsenal (39 points) can Winners’ Cup but never won the domestic championship. leapfrog City by winning at Cech has lifted the Pre- Newcastle United on Sunmier League title three times day, the same day as thirdsince joining Chelsea from placed Chelsea (37) meet Liverpool French club Stade Rennes fourth-placed for a transfer fee of seven (36).—Reuters

Cardiff caretaker Kerslake has no interest in top job Cardiff, 29 Dec — Cardiff City caretaker manager David Kerslake said he had no plans to enter the running for the perma-

nent role after seeing his side squander a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Sunderland in the Premier League on Saturday.

Cardiff City’s caretaker manager David Kerslake is pictured during their English Premier League soccer match against Sunderland at Cardiff City Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, on 28 Dec, 2013.—Reuters

Barclay Premier League Standings

Kerslake, who took charge of the team following the controversial sacking of Malky Mackay by club owner Vincent Tan on Friday, watched his team ease into a 2-0 lead before Sunderland scored twice in the dying minutes to snatch a point. “With all respect, I wouldn’t be interested in this job. I love being a coach, that’s where I see myself,” Kerslake told reporters.

“I’ve been a coach now for pushing 10 years. I love what I do, I love being on the grass with the players so I’m happy doing that.”

Kerslake and first-team coach Joe McBride were put in charge after Mackay was fired by Tan following weeks of speculation about his job. Former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is reported

to be the club’s preferred choice as manager, but Kerslake and McBride are expected to remain in charge for the game at Arsenal on Wednesday.

Cardiff moved two points above the relegation zone on 18, four ahead of bottom club Sunderland whose manager Gus Poyet was delighted with his side’s fightback sealed by substitute Jack Colback’s goal in final minute of stoppage time.

“It’s going to be very difficult to see one of my teams giving up, that I can assure you,” Poyet said.

“Character.

Desire.

We are not going to give up. To beat us you are going to have to be very good or you’re going to have to fight hard, because we are going to fight to the end.”

Reuters

Bruce purrs over hirsute Huddlestone’s Hull masterclass London, 29 Dec — While Tom Huddlestone’s first goal for Hull City means a trip to the barbers for the midfielder this week, manager Steve Bruce thinks his part in Saturday’s 6-0 win over Fulham could help put him on the plane to Brazil with England next year.

Former Manchester United stalwart Bruce struggled to recall a more complete midfield performance than that Huddlestone, who was celebrating his 27th birthday, produced in the Premier League rout at KC Stadium.

“The lads stood and applauded Tom when he walked into the dressing room and that doesn’t happen often,” Bruce told the Hull Daily Mail.

“I don’t often pick out individuals but I don’t think I’ve witnessed a performance as good as I’ve just seen from Tom “He gave a masterclass of how to play in midfield.

He had the lot: free-kicks, passing range, goals, a shot from 40 yards. He hit the post and the bar... he’s just an outstanding footballer, absolutely outstanding.

“I’ve been fortunate to have played in some good teams but I can’t really

remember an individual performance as good as he produced today.”

Huddlestone, who joined Hull from Tottenham Hotspur for five million pounds in August, vowed to grow his hair until he broke a scoring drought dating back to April 2011 and celebrated by having a lock cut off his Afro on the touchline.

The famously no-nonsense Bruce was less than impressed by the celebration — “ridiculous”, he called it — but respectfully suggested Huddlestone might be just the sort of player England needed in their squad for next year’s World Cup in Brazil.

“Who am I to talk about (England manager) Roy Hodgson’s job?” he asked, before continuing: “But it’s going to be hot and humid and horrible conditions to play in and you need technicians.

“Is there anybody in the country who plays off both feet like him? Week in, week out, he’s producing performances — not quite to the standard of today’s — but he’s a fantastic footballer who could be one of those that makes the squad.

“There’s always a surprise or two.”—Reuters

Hull City’s Tom Huddlestone (L) celebrates scoring with Jake Livermore against Fulham during their Premier League match at The KC Stadium in Hull, northern England, on 28 Dec, 2013.—Reuters

New Light of Myanmar

Monday, 30 December, 2013 15

GE NE R A L

Times Square visitors purge bad memories ahead of the New Year New York, 29 Dec — Hoping to forget the heartbreaks and hard memories of 2013, people lined up in New York’s Times Square on Saturday to discard physical reminders of unpleasant experiences with the help of industrial shredding machines.

The annual Good Riddance Day event, held three days before New Year’s Eve, allows people to symbolically purge bad memories by putting photos, documents or written reminders through a massive paper shredder in hopes of clearing a path to a brighter future.

Thomas Avila, 26, one of the first people in line on for the shredder, said 2013 was a roller coaster for him.

One of the hardest parts, he said, was telling friends and family he was gay and finding some of them could not accept him.

Shredding the memory was a way of saying “goodbye to my old life,” said Avila, 26, who lives in New York’s Queens borough. “I

Computers and outdated electronic gadgets that have been smashed sit on a carpet during “Good Riddance Day’’ in Times Square in New York, on 28 Dec, 2013.

Reuters know things will get better.”

Avila had written in his note for the shredder that he was saying goodbye to “horrible debt and people who betray.”

The shredding practice on Good Riddance Day was inspired by a Latin American tradition in which New Year’s revelers stuff dolls with objects representing bad memories and set them on fire, according to the

Former Congressman Andrew Jacobs Jr of Indiana dead at age 81 New York, 29 Dec — Former US Representative Andrew Jacobs Jr, a Democrat from Indiana who fought in the Korean War and later became an early opponent of the Vietnam War, died on Saturday at his home in Indianapolis at age 81, said friend and former campaign manager Gary Taylor.

Jacobs was first elected to the US House of Representatives in 1964, but lost his seat in 1972 along with several other Democratic members of Congress in Republican President Richard Nixon’s landslide re-election win.

In 1974, months after the Watergate scandal forced Nixon’s resignation, Jacobs regained his House seat and served until his retirement in 1997, representing a district in his native Indianapolis.

A former US Marine who fought in the Korean War, Jacobs was among the early critics of the

Vietnam War. He also helped write the 1965 Voting Rights Act, a touchstone of civil rights legislation, and was a longtime member on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.

“Congressman Andy Jacobs personified the kind of principled and compassionate leadership that Hoosiers most admire & will be greatly missed,” Indiana Governor Mike Pence, a Republican, said on his Twitter page.

Jacobs suffered a number of health problems in recent years, Taylor said.

He is survived by his wife, Kim Hood Jacobs, an Emmy Award-winning television reporter and documentary producer, and sons Andy and Steven Jacobs. His father, Andrew Jacobs, was also a Democratic congressman from Indiana, serving in the House from 1949 to 1951.

Retuers

organizer, the Times Square Alliance.

For many, the shredding was an attempt to cast off bad habits or bad relationships.

“I’m shredding the reminder of finding out the truth through DNA testing that my daughter is not my biological daughter,” said Sam Tlali, 39, who was visiting from Johannesburg, South Africa.

“I think after I do this I will feel relieved,” Tlali said.

Gabby Trofa, 19, a college student from Aston, Pennsylvania, visiting New York City for New Year’s, had a different goal.

“I want to say good riddance to any stress and worries and the people who bring me down,” Trofa wrote in her note.

Reuters

MYANMAR TV (30-12-2013, Monday) 6:00 am 1. Paritta By Hilly Region Missionaery Sayadaw 6:40 am 2. Physical Exercises 6:50 am 3. Documentary 7:00 am 4. News/Weather Report 7:30 am 5. People Talks 8:00 am 6. News/ International News 8:30 am 7. Pyi Thu Ni Ti 9:00 am 8. News/ International News 9:30 am 9. Teleplay (Health) 9:30 am 10. Beautiful ASEAN 10:00 am 11. News 10:15 am 12. New Melody 11:10 am 13. 2012 Myanmar Motion Picture Outstanding Awards (Academy Awards) (Delay)

4:00 pm 14. News 4:15 pm 15. University of Distance Education (TV Lectures) - Third Year (Botany) 4:45 pm 16. Teleplay (Traffic) 5:00 pm 17. News 5:20 pm 18. India Drama Series 6:00 pm 19. News/Weather Report 6:20 pm 20. Documentary 7:00 pm 21. News 7:30 pm 22. Documentary 8:00 pm 23. News/ International News/ Weather Report 8:35 pm 24. People Talks 8:50 pm 25. Hit Songs of Stars 9:00 pm 26. News 9:20 pm 27. Documentary 28. India Drama Series

MYANMAR INTERNATIONAL 30-12-13 07:00 am ~ 31-12-13 07:00 am) MST

* Local News * Awesome Myanma Sculptures * World News * Who can match their Unique Music and Fashion? * Local News * Secret Places For Yummy Food (Episode-4) (Pyay daw Oo Rice Salad) * World News * Early Morning Athletics * Local News * Me N My Travel With Maria (Night Market Of Pyay) (Episode-4) * World News * Around The Maha Boditahtaung * Local News * Preserving Myanma Handicrafts * World News * A Myanmar Tapestry * Local News * Shrinking Footprints * Myanmar Movie Impact “So Cool-2” * A Life In The Ring * World News * Ancient Htoke Kan Thein Temple * Local News * Five Treasures in the Ancient City of MraukU * World News * Mural Painting Bagan * Local News * The Stories of The Great Souls (U Pyae Son) * World News * I’m In Love With Diamond

Fulham coach apologises to travelling fans after 6-0 rout

London, 29 Dec — Coach Rene Meulensteen apologised to Fulham’s travelling fans after his third-from-bottom team were thrashed 6-0 at Hull City on Saturday, their heaviest defeat in the English Premier League.

The Dutchman, who replaced the sacked Martin Jol at the start of the month, made six changes to the side that won 2-1 at Norwich City on Thursday and the move backfired as Robert Koren (2), Ahmed AlMuhamadi, George Boyd, Tom Huddlestone and Matt Fryatt struck for Hull.

“The important thing is we take this on the chin, we learn from it, we bounce back from it and we react,”

Meulensteen told reporters.

“I’d also like to issue an apology to the travelling fans. It’s something I didn’t see coming after the good result against Norwich.

“Losing is hard to take but losing in such a manner is hard for any professional.

We need to make sure we don’t look back, we shrug it off and be ready to react against West Ham United on New Year’s Day.” Meulensteen said he rotated his squad due to the congested programme of fixtures over the festive period.

“We always knew it was going to be difficult with two away games in three days,” he explained.

“We utilised the squad the best we could and I was

R/489 Printed and published by the New Light of Myanmar press in Nay Pyi Taw, the News and Periodicals Enterprise, Ministry of Information.

Fulham’s David Stockdale reacts after Hull City scored their sixth goal during their English Premier League soccer match at The KC Stadium in Hull, northern England, on 28 Dec, 2013.—Reuters more than confident the players I picked today were more than capable of getting a result. “Sometimes because of the intensity

of games you’re forced to make changes due to little injuries and niggles and that’s what you have a squad for.”—Reuters

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New Light of Myanmar

Monday, 30 December, 2013

Pottery, stove industries Union Minister visits National Races Village in Yangon , 29 Dec— Thakayta Township and needs to prepare necessary that it is required to prehelp develop rural areas in Union Y Minister for Live- met with the national rac- arrangements for present- pare national races village stock, Fisheries and Ru- es staff yesterday. ing traditions and customs to be filled with atmosKyaukpadaung Tsp ral Development U Ohn

In meeting with of Myanmar to the guests phere of ethnic cultures. angon

Myint together with departmental officials and youths from National Youth Congress visited National Races Village in

them, the Union minister said that plans are underway to hold several ceremonies during Myanmar’s ASEAN Chair in 2014. It

from ASEAN and international community, he said.

He urged them to take pride for showing their cultural heritages, saying

The Union minister and party then viewed round National Races Village and fulfilled the requirements.—MNA

Union Minister U Hla Tun presents first prize to an official in the contest.—mna Nay Pyi Taw, 29 Dec—Union Minister at the President Office U Hla Tun looked into pottery and stove production industries in Khabaunggon Village of Kyaukpadaung Township this morning.

With the technical assistance of UNDP, the domestic stove industry has been operated for 15 years in the township and it contributes to social economic status of the local people.

Yesterday, the Union minister attended the fourth novitiation ceremony of 100 boys from four village-tracts sponsored

by Sagawah Myay Foundation.

The Union minister handed over gifts present-

ed by Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development to villagetracts for ensuring rural development and poverty alleviation. He enjoyed the Ozi and Dobet contest and greasing pole climbing contest.—MNA

Union Minister U Ohn Myint meets with staff in National Races Village in Thakayta Township. mna

Volunteers in opening and closing of SEA Games honoured

Yangon, 29 Dec—A ceremony to honour designers, make-up performers and wellwishers who contributed to closing and opening ceremonies of the XXVII SEA Games was held at

Union Minister U Aye Myint Kyu presents certificate of honour to a song composer.—mna

Karaweik Hall, here, today, attended by Chairman of the Committee for Preparation and Training for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the SEA Games Union Minister for Culture U Aye Myint Kyu. It was also attended by Yangon Region ministers, committee members, designers, make-up perform-

ers, vocalists and wellwishers totaling over 300.

The Union minister and party greeted the guests.

Next, certificates of honour conferred by the President were presented to those who were absent at the dinner at the Nay Pyi Taw City Hall.

Later, those present were served with lunch.

MNA

Female suicide bomber kills 13 at Russian train station Moscow, 29 Dec— A female suicide bomber killed at least 13 people at a train station in the Russian city of Volgograd on Sunday, authorities said, in the deadliest such blast outside the volatile North Caucasus region in nearly three years.

The second deadly attack in southern Russia in three days will bolster fears of attacks by Islamist militants as Russia prepares to host the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Black Sea city of Sochi in less than six weeks’ time.

The suicide bomber detonated her explosives in front of a metal detector just inside the main entrance of the train station, the federal Investigative Committee said. It said at least 13 people were killed and the number of wounded was not yet known.

As many as 50 people were wounded in the blast that blew out the windows of the lower floors of the imposing columned building, a health ministry spokesman told Rossiya-24 television.

TV footage showed emergency services carrying

out victims, with at least one body lying motionless on the ground.

“I heard the blast and ran toward it,” a witness, Vladimir, told Rossiya-24.

“I saw melted, twisted bits of metal, broken glass and bodies lying on the street.”

Volgograd is a city of around 1 million people, about 430 miles northeast of Sochi, where the Winter Olympics—a major prestige project for President Vladimir Putin —will open on 7 February.

Reuters

A still image taken from video shows firefighters, Emergency Ministry members and medics working outside a train station near the site of an explosion in Volgograd on 29 Dec, 2013. —Reuters