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Your international update

Sunday 29 March 2009

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World Review NEWS IN BRIEF Czech government forced to resign

South Africa bans Dalai Lama trip By Meggan McCarthy

The Czech government lost a confidence vote in parliament Tuesday, forcing the prime minister and his Cabinet to resign, Czech media reported. The center-right government of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek lost the vote 96-101, the Czech daily Mlada fronta Dnes reported. The Central European country currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union.

S. Korea, EU reach tentative free trade deal South Korean and European Union trade officials reached a tentative free-trade accord and will seek to finalize the deal in early April. The two sides have agreed to abolish or phase out tariffs on nearly all goods within three years and on all industrial goods within five years. Also near agreement is allowing goods made at a South Korean-North Korean industrial complex in North Korea to receive duty-free status in the European market. The countries of the G-20 represent 85 percent of the world’s gross domestic product.

Plane crash in Tokyo The pilot and co-pilot aboard a FedEx cargo plane were killed when the plane burst into flames Monday while landing at Tokyo’s Narita airport in Japan. A video from the landing showed the plane bouncing at least twice on the runway and veering left as it turned on its side before bursting into flames. The National Transportation Safety Board in Washington said Sunday night it was sending a team to Japan to assist in the investigation of the crash.

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SOUTH AFRICA – The South African government has denied the Dalai Lama a visa to attend a peace conference linked to the 2010 Football World Cup, which the country is hosting. Archbishop Desmond Tutu has pulled out of the meeting in protest and branded the decision “disgraceful”. A government spokesman has denied suggestions that the ban was a result of Chinese pressure. He said he did not want anything to distract from South Africa’s hosting of the World Cup. The Johannesburg conference is intended to discuss football’s role in fighting racism and xenophobia. The Tibetan spiritual leader was due to attend the meeting, along with fellow Nobel laureates, Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Tutu and FW de Klerk later this week. Mr de Klerk has also withdrawn from the event, while Mr Mandela’s position is not clear. “It is disappointing that South Africa, which has received so much solidarity from the world, doesn’t want to give that solidarity to others,” Nobel Institute Director Geir Lundestad told the Associated Press news agency in Oslo, referring to the decades-long fight against apartheid. Presidential spokesman Thabo Masebe said the conference organisers had not consulted them before inviting the Dalai Lama. Huge preparations are underway for the South Africa 2010 World Cup. “The South African government does not have a problem with the Dalai Lama,” he said. “But at this time the whole world will

A rare occasion is captured in which the Dalai Lama does not have a smile on his face, this is the result of his visit to a conference in Johannesburg, intended to discuss football’s role in fighting racism and xenophobia, being denied. Pic: Leigh Lanham be focused on the country as hosts of the 2010 World Cup. We want the focus to remain on South Africa. “A visit now by the Dalai Lama would move the focus from South Africa onto issues in Tibet.” Speculation has also been rife that South Africa does not want to jeopardise its bilateral relations with China, one of its major trading partners. “We are shamelessly succumbing to Chinese pressure,” Archbishop Tutu was quoted as telling Weekly Review “I feel deeply distressed and ashamed.” A spokesperson for the Dalai Lama told AFP news agency he was “very dis-

appointed” by the decision, also accusing South Africa of caving into “intense pressure” from Chinese authorities. South Africa is China’s largest trading partner in Africa, with 2008 trade standing at 100bn rand ($10bn; £7bn). Dai Bing, an official at the Chinese embassy in Pretoria confirmed to that Beijing had warned the South African government that allowing the Dalai Lama into the country would harm bilateral relations. Beijing says the Dalai Lama is pushing for Tibetan independence, and has stirred up unrest in the region. But the Dalai Lama, who fled to India

in 1959 during an uprising against Chinese rule, has said he only wants limited autonomy for his homeland. The refusal has also drawn criticism of the government from South Africa’s opposition groups. Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille accused the government of hypocrisy, and says the episode shows that there is no consistency in the country’s foreign policy. Democratic Alliance spokesperson Tony Leon said the decision “flies in the face of all logic.” The Dalai Lama has visited the country on two previous occasions.

30 injured as Israel extremists march in Arab town By Steven Khan ISRAEL – Arab protesters threw rocks and hurled insults at flag–waving Jewish marchers in Israel’s largest Arab city on Tuesday, an event that reflected fresh hostilities between Israel’s Arab citizenry and rightist sectors of the Jewish state. The march by Israeli extremists turned into violence on the streets of Umm al-Fahm. About 100 far-rightists marched in the predominantly Muslim town of Umm al-Fahm, and the angry Arab demonstrations that erupted after the march took place left more than nearly 30 people injured and at least 10 people detained, police said. Deputy Israeli police commissioner Shahar Ayalon and 15 other policemen were wounded by stone throwing demonstrators, 12 Umm al-Fahm residents were hurt in scuffles with police.

Police also said Israeli leftist lawmaker Ilan Ghilon, a member of the Meretz Party, was lightly injured by a tear gas grenade, and is currently in hospital for further observation. The Jewish group, led by Hebron activist Baruch Marzel, petitioned the Supreme Court for permission to stage the march, with the rightists arguing that they were exercising their right to march under Israeli law as Arabs and Muslims have in Israeli towns like Tel Aviv. But marchers disseminated a particularly hot-button message in Umm al-Fahm that has been setting people off: They demanded that Israeli Arabs should be loyal to the Jewish state, a stance considered insulting by many Israeli Arabs. While the march leaders are not affiliated with right-wing party Yisrael Beytenu, their words about Arab loyalty reflect the concerns among Israeli Arabs about that political movement, which made a strong

showing in recent elections. It has called on Arabs – who it sees as disloyal to Israel– to have their citizenship revoked. Avigdor Lieberman, the party’s leader, said that such Arab towns like Umm alFahm could become part of a Palestinian state in any peace arrangement. Leaders in Umm al-Fahm – the scene of past bloody clashes with police and an Islamist hub– warned that the march would provoke violence, and 2,500 police mobilized in the town. Arab demonstrators waved Palestinian flags, chanted slogans and threw rocks. Police fired tear gas canisters. There were also Israeli Jews in Umm al-Fahm who protested the right-wing march and agreed that the display hurt Jewish-Arab relations. According to the CIA Factbook, Israel’s Jewish population is 76.4 percent. It’s non-Jewish population is 23.6 percent, including 16 percent Muslim, 1.7 percent Arab Christians and 1.6 percent Druze.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown voices his growing concern about nuclear and chemical terrorism in England.

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News

Sunday 29 March 2009

INTERNATIONAL OVERVIEW Michigan markets lose daily newspapers AMERICA – Daily newspapers will become a thing of the past for readers in four Michigan markets, with issues being printed only three days a week in Flint, Saginaw and Bay City, and twice weekly in Ann Arbor. Advance Publications said it would close the 174-year-old Ann Arbor News in late July, and replace it with two new corporate entities: a primarily Web-based news operation, AnnArbor.com; and a printing company that will publish two days a week. All 272 employees at The News, which has a weekday circulation of 45,000, will be laid off and invited to apply for jobs at the two new companies. Their staff size has not been determined, but “there will be by far fewer positions and many people with families will be left jobless,” said Laurel Champion, publisher of The Ann Arbor News.

Workers protest across France FRANCE – Airports, trains and utilities were hit by work stoppages on Thursday, as unions mobilized against President Nicolas Sarkozy’s economic policies and his government’s response to the global recession. Protesters marched in the streets of France’s biggest cities – Paris, Marseille and Lyon – in the second major strike in two months. An estimated 2.6 million people joined 213 demonstrations across France, according to the Confédération Générale du Travail, one of the nation’s largest unions. The national police, however, put the number of protesters at 1.2 million. France faces mounting dissatisfaction amid rising unemployment. French companies shed the most jobs in 40 years during the fourth quarter of last year.

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Nuclear, chemical terror threat growing By Sarah Jones ENGLAND – The threat from terrorists using chemical, biological and even nuclear weapons is growing, Britain said Tuesday, warning advances in technology will enable extremists to conduct more lethal attacks in the future. The predictions came as Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s government laid out its anti-terrorism policies and strategy in a document containing previously-classified information. Under the strategy Britain, where 52 people were killed by home-grown Muslim extremists in July 2005 bomb attacks on London’s transit network, says it needs to focus on longer-term causes of terrorism. It says some of the factors that sustain terrorism today are likely to persist in the future – such as conflicts exploited by terrorist groups that show no signs of abating, and evolving technology that enables terrorist acts. As part of its strategy to prevent terrorism, the government will openly challenge views that could encourage violence, may “undermine our shared values” and “jeopardize community cohesion,” the government said. “We have no intention of outlawing these views or criminalizing those who hold them,” the report says. “Freedom of thought and speech are rights which are fundamental to our society. But we

Safety on public transport is a thing of the past, with passengers fearing for their safety on their daily commute as a result of recent terrorist attacks. Pic: Bridgett Neilson will not hear these views in silence. We should all stand up for our shared values and not concede the floor to those who dismiss them.” The report says everyone must challenge and oppose those who “dismiss our shared values.” British government officials plan to

work alongside Muslim scholars, faith groups and influential people to challenge the ideologies that support extremism, the report said. The government even plans to sponsor the wider teaching of Islam and religious education, and develop citizenship education in mosque schools.

Obama beefs up border policy

Map offers hope in fight against malaria By Grace Wong ENGLAND – A new map illustrating global malaria risk in unprecedented detail suggests that wiping out the disease in many parts of the world is possible. An international team of researchers published Tuesday what they say is the

most comprehensive map ever showing how severe the risks of contracting malaria are in the world. Using mathematical modeling, spatial analyses and supercomputing technology, researchers were able to quantitatively map the prevalence of the disease around the world.

The map shows that 2.4 billion people are in danger of contracting the deadliest form of malaria, but that 75 percent of cases can be easily controlled. For more information or individual country maps, as well as world and regional-level maps visit out sight at www.WeeklyReview.org

China blocks Coke bid for juice maker CHINA – Shanghai said on Wednesday that it had rejected a bid by the Coca-Cola Company to acquire one of the country’s biggest beverage makers for about $2.4 billion. The move blocked what would have been the biggest foreign takeover of a Chinese company and suggested Beijing was still uneasy with the idea of foreign ownership. The ministry of commerce said Coke’s bid to acquire the China Huiyuan Juice Company was rejected on antitrust reasons. The government said the deal would have allowed Coke to dominate a huge segment of the chinese beverage market. The commerce ministry said it was worried that Coke would squeeze out smaller beverage makers. Shares of Huiyuan have lost about 30 percent of their value since the deal was announced in September. Muhtar Kent, the president and chief executive of Coca-Cola, said he was disappointed but respected the Chinese government’s decision, adding that the company’s commitment to China remained strong, and that Coca-Cola looked forward to working with them in the future.

Atlanta turns off all non-essential lights to celebrate Earth Hour, a global initiative to reduce global warming.

Pic: Supplied

Lights go out across planet for Earth Hour By Andrew Leman GLOBAL – Lights were going out across the world on Saturday as millions of homes and businesses in major cities went dark for one hour in a symbolic gesture to highlight concerns over climate change. In Australia, floodlights of the Sydney Opera House were extinguished as the city’s iconic harbor kicked off events for Earth Hour, a day-long energy-saving marathon stretching through 88 countries and 24 time zones. The event’s Web site reported that hundreds of people lined the harbour for a glimpse of the dimming skyline at 20:30 – the local time that nearly 4,000

participating cities around the world were expected to switch off lights. Sydney became the birthplace of the Earth Hour campaign in 2007 when 2.2 million turned off their lights, igniting a grass roots movement that has become a global phenomenon. In China, illuminations at major buildings including the “Bird’s Nest” Olympic Stadium and the Water Cube were extinguished as 20 cities joined in, according to the official Xinhua news agency. Other landmarks around the world expected to join the World Wildlife Fund-sponsored event were the Egyptian pyramids, Vatican, Niagara Falls, the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, the Acropolis in Athens and

Those who are vulnerable to radicalism are also a target of the government’s plan. There will be programs for mentoring, diversionary activities and leadership training as well as more intensive intervention for those who have already been drawn into violent extremist networks, the government said.

the Las Vegas casino strip. Earth Hour events got off to an unofficial start in the remote Chatham Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean where locals switched off their diesel generators, organizers said. Shortly afterwards, 44 New Zealand cities and towns joined in the event. Organizers say they hope this year’s event will send a message to world leaders meeting in Copenhagen in December for a major summit on climate change. “We are asking one billion people to take part in what is essentially the first global vote for action on climate change by turning off their lights for one hour and casting a vote for earth,” said executive director Andy Ridley.

By Simon Watson AMERICA – The Obama administration said Tuesday it’s sending hundreds of extra federal agents and new crimefighting equipment to the Mexican border as the U.S. struggles to roll back a tide of drug-related violence sweeping the Southwest. The renewed push for a stronger law enforcement presence along the border comes as the administration tries to help the Mexican government break up drug cartels believed to be responsible for the killing of roughly 6,500 people last year in Mexico, according to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. “Our role is to assist in this battle because we have our own security interests in its success,” Napolitano said at the White House. In an interview with Weekly Review later Tuesday, she said, “It’s all about border safety and security and making sure that spillover violence does not erupt in our own country.” The new federal plan, developed by the departments of Justice and Homeland Security, calls for doubling the number of border security task force teams as well as moving a significant number of other federal agents, equipment and resources to the border. It also involves greater intelligence sharing aimed at cracking down on the flow of money and weapons into Mexico that helps fuel the drug trade, senior administration officials said. The plan commits $700 million to bolster Mexican law enforcement and crime prevention efforts. The $700 million allocation, meant to assist what administration officials described as an “anti-smuggling effort,” will complement ongoing U.S. aid to Mexico under the Merida initiative: a three-year, $1.4 billion package aimed at helping Mexico fight the drug cartels with law enforcement training, military equipment and improved intelligence cooperation.

News

Sunday 29 March 2009

Man in court over police killing By William Yung IRELAND – A second man has been charged with murder over the killing of a policeman in Northern Ireland two weeks ago. The suspect, identified only as a 37-year-old male, was charged with murder and possession of a firearm, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said in a recorded statement on their media line. He is expected to be named after he appears in court Wednesday, police said. A 17-year old was charged Monday over the same incident, the killing of police officer Stephen Carroll, 48, on March 9. Four other people remain in custody but have not been charged in the killing, police said. The teen, who was arrested March 10 along with the 37-year-old, was also charged with “collecting information likely to be of use to terrorists” and being an alleged member of Continuity IRA – a republican splinter group considered a terrorist organization by the United Kingdom.

He appeared in court Tuesday, charged with murder, and will remain in custody, police said. The trial may take months to start. He is not being named because he is a minor. Four other people are being held in connection with the shooting of two British soldiers, Cengiz “Pat” Azimkar, 21, and Mark Quinsey, 23, on March 7. The shootings raised fears that Northern Ireland could be plunged back into the sectarian violence that left about 3,600 people dead over the course of three decades. But political leaders from across the spectrum condemned the killings, and so far the violence has not escalated. Republican splinter groups – which do not accept the Good Friday Agreement that ended the violence in 1998 – claimed responsibility for both incidents, according to British media reports. The killings of Carroll, Azimkar and Quinsey are the first political shootings of police or soldiers in the province in more than a decade.

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European carriers to share networks By David Jolly FRANCE – Two of the world’s largest cellphone operators, the Spanish company Telefónica and the British giant Vodafone, said Monday that they would share infrastructure in several European markets in an effort to cut costs and protect profit margins. The company has about 289 million customers worldwide. The companies said in a statement that they had agreed to share networks in Britain, Germany, Ireland and Spain, and were in “detailed discussions with one another” about doing so in the Czech Republic. In practice, the agreement means the companies will jointly build sites or consolidate existing antenna towers and infrastructure for second-and third-generation networks, reducing the total number of cellphone towers in operation and cutting the amount they pay to rent equipment. The companies said they would continue to manage their call traffic

independently and would still compete to attract and keep clients. There will be no job cuts, they said. Matthew Key, the chief executive of Telefónica Europe, said in an interview that the companies did not expect regulators to raise antitrust concerns because the deal would affect only the base stations of their networks. He said that the companies considered the agreement a first step toward greater cooperation, and that “the natural next stage” would be to work together on transmission services, the connection of the masts to the core network. However they wanted to make it very clear that they “are not talking about a merger,” Mr. Key said. Vodafone, based in Newbury, England, has about 289 million customers worldwide. Its businesses include a 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless. Telefónica, based in Madrid, has about 260 million customers for its fixed telephone and broadband networks as well as mobile calling.

Celebrity chef Oliver to cook for G-20 leaders Better terms for oil investors By Claudio Smith By Rod Nordland IRAQ – To attract badly needed investments to increase its oil production, the Iraqi government is considering new incentives for foreign companies, including plans to offer majority stakes in joint ventures to develop the country’s huge oil and gas fields, senior Iraqi officials said Wednesday. Foreign companies could own as much as 75 percent of the new ventures, the officials said. In its negotiations with dozens of international companies, including Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell, Iraq had until now offered stakes of no more than 49 percent in new joint ventures to develop existing and new oil fields. Under a formal process created last year, companies have been asked to bid openly for the right to take part in expanding Iraq’s oil production. Iraq’s improved security has meant that foreign companies are eager to invest in the country after decades of wars and sanctions kept them out. Iraq’s oil minister, Hussain al-Shahristani, addressing a conference hosted by OPEC in Vienna on Wednesday, also suggested for the first time that Iraq would consider allowing foreign companies to share directly in the profits from oil production, rather than the fixed fees in the joint ventures that are now offered.

ENGLAND – Budget-conscious celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has been hired to cook for G-20 leaders in London next week, nearly a year after they provoked outrage by eating an eight-course meal while discussing the global food crisis. Jamie Oliver is devising the menu leaders will eat at the first night of the G-20 meeting in London. Oliver’s company will feed the leader’s at Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s residence, 10 Downing Street. Leaders at last July’s G-8 meeting drew heavy criticism for enjoying an eight-course meal featuring 19 dishes while they were meant to be discussing how to ease global food shortages. Essex, England-born Oliver says he is planning a seasonal menu that will showcase “the best of British” for the international guests, his company said. The menu will be unveiled April 1, the day before the summit. Oliver will be joined by a team of young chefs from his apprenticeship program at Fifteen, the London restaurant he founded in 2002. “It’s always a huge honor to cook at No.10 (Downing St.), but to be invited to cook for such an important group of people who are trying to solve some of the world’s major problems, well that really is a privilege, and I am delighted I was approached,” Oliver said. “I’m hoping that the menu I’m working on will show that British food

Harry Nicolaides behind the bars of a Thai holding cell. Pic: Bridgett Louw

THAILAND – An Australian author imprisoned last month for insulting the king and crown prince of Thailand was on his way home Saturday after receiving a pardon from the king. Harry Nicolaides, 41, was arrested last August over his 2005 book titled “Verisimilitude.” The book includes a paragraph about the king and crown prince that authorities deemed a violation of a law that makes it illegal to defame, insult or threaten the crown. Mark Dean, a lawyer for Nicolaides, said he was released Friday and taken to the Australian embassy in Bangkok,

Margaret Rice-Jones, chief executive of Aircom International, a telecommunications consulting firm, said the partnership was significant because “these companies have been fierce competitors for the last 20-odd years and now they’re talking, increased communication will surely improve customer satisfaction.” In some other markets, including the United States, network sharing is already a fact of life. Two companies, American Tower and Crown Castle International, simplify the operations for many big cellphone operators by leasing access to the base networks they operate. “If two of the biggest players can see the benefit of it, then every player on the planet should,” Ms. Rice-Jones said. The economic slump has raised the pressure on mobile operators to control costs. Financing for the development of services has become more expensive and harder to secure. The European Union is also stepping up its pressure on operators to reduce fees.

Komodo dragon kills fisherman By Barry Neild

Jamie Oliver, cooking one of his budget-conscious dishes. and produce is some of the best in the world but also show that we have pioneered a high quality apprentice scheme at Fifteen.” Fifteen London is owned by a charity that uses the restaurant’s profits for an apprentice program. Young people who have been homeless or in trouble with the law are recruited to work in the program and get a second chance at life. Oliver is known for his healthy, lowbudget approach to cooking with local

Pic: Shaun Forteeth

ingredients. In addition to his restaurants, Oliver has published cookbooks and hosted TV cooking shows, including “The Naked Chef,” which was about hearty, simple food. He also had a British TV series in 2006 that aimed to make school lunches more nutritious while keeping costs low. Currently he is the spokesman for a chain of British supermarkets, showing families how to cook an entire dinner for £5 ($7.37, R70.00).

Author jailed for insulting Thai king freed By Terry Hillsong

where he stayed until leaving for Australia at about midnight. “He is obviously very relieved and grateful that the pardon was granted,” Dean said. Nicolaides was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty last month. He faced a term of up to six years before the plea. His lawyers then requested the pardon. King Bhumibol Adulydej had pardoned foreigners in similar cases in the past. Dean said Nicolaides was deported from Thailand, but that he did not know of any other stipulations related to the pardon. Nicolaides had been living in Thailand since 2003, lecturing at two universities.

He was about to leave Thailand when he was arrested on August 31. It is not clear why the authorities waited three years after the publication of his book to bring charges against him. Fifty copies of the book were published, and only seven were sold. Thailand’s king is highly revered in the Buddhist nation. But even he has said in the past that he can be criticized. Thailand’s prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, also has told Weekly Review he is concerned about what he called misuse of the law. Still, other cases of violating the law are pending before the Thai Criminal Court, involving both Thais and foreigners.

INDONESIA – A fisherman has been killed by Komodo dragons after he was attacked while trespassing on a remote island in search of fruit, officials said Tuesday. Muhamad Anwar, 32, bled to death on his way to hospital after being mauled by the reptiles at Loh Sriaya, in eastern Indonesia’s Komodo National Park, the park’s general manager Fransiskus Harum said. “The fisherman was inside the park when he went looking for sugarapples. The area was forbidden for people to enter as there are a lot of wild dragons,” Harum said. Other fisherman took Anwar to a clinic on nearby Flores Island, east of Bali, but he was declared dead on arrival, he added. Komodo dragons, the world’s heaviest lizards, can grow up to 3 meters (10 feet) in length and have a toxic bite that they use to kill prey such as buffalo, returning to feast when the animal succumbs to the poison. Last month a park ranger survived after a Komodo dragon climbed the ladder into his hut and savaged his hand and foot. In 2007 an eight-yearold boy died after being mauled. In June last year, a group of divers who were stranded on an island in the national park – the dragons’ only natural habitat – had to fend off several attacks from the reptiles before they were rescued. Park rangers also tell the cautionary tale of a Swiss tourist who vanished leaving nothing but a pair of spectacles and a camera after an encounter with the dragons several years ago. An endangered species, Komodo are believed to number less than 4,000 in the wild. Access to their habitat is restricted, but tourists can get permits to see them in the wild within the National Park. All visitors are accompanied by rangers, about 70 of whom are deployed across the park’s 60,000 hectares of vegetation and 120,000 hectares of ocean. Despite a threat of poachers, Komodo dragon numbers are believed to have stabilized in recent years.

Sci-tech

Sunday 29 March 2009

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New eco-surfboard hopes to catch wave of popularity By Christopher Kemp LONDON – An environmentally-friendly surfboard has taken to the waves after five years in development. British profession surfer Mark “Egor” Harris was one of the first to try the British-made board at Fistral beach in Cornwall, England, giving its performance and eco-credentials the thumbs up. “It felt good and I can see these boards being popular with surfers. We spend a lot of time on the beach and in the sea and surfers have been campaigning to clean up the oceans for years. This board goes hand-in-hand with that philosophy,” said Harris. Chris Hines, former sustainability director of the Eden Project and a lifelong surfer and committed environmentalist

came up with the idea. “I said, well, let’s make a completely sustainable surfboard, because I knew people who could laminate in hemp cloth and plant-based resin, so we went for it. It was a eureka moment: we thought, let’s really have a go, let’s really see what we can do,” he said. Hines and the Eden Project team soon realized that balsa and hemp cloth were too heavy for commercially viable surfboards, but desire remained to produce a surfboard that reduces the reliance on petroleum chemicals and uses more sustainable materials. Junior British surfing champion Tassy Swallow is set to compete at the International Surfing Association World Junior Championships in Ecuador on a new Eden surfboard.

On the way: Robots are developing steadily towards the goal of beating humans at football. Pic: Supplied

Soccer robots to beat humans By Mike Steere

Surf ’s up: Mark Harris tries out the Eden eco-surfboard.

Pic: Timmon Levi

Energy Department makes ‘Star Wars’ scientists create laser gun to kill mosquitoes first ‘Green’ loan By Jeremy Dobbin By John M. Broder AMERICA – The Department of Energy has tentatively awarded its first alternative-energy loan guarantee, breaking a four-year logjam in the federal loan program. The $535 million loan guarantee will go to Solyndra Inc., which said it would use the money to expand its production of photovoltaic systems at its facilities in Fremont, Calif. The company said that the federal loan guarantee would cover roughly 75 percent of the project costs and would ultimately produce thousands of new construction, manufacturing and installation jobs. Once the panels are installed and

No joke in April Fool’s Day virus By John D. Sutter GLOBAL – A computer-science detective story is playing out on the Internet as security experts try to hunt down a worm called Conficker C and prevent it from damaging millions of computers on April Fool’s Day. The anti-worm researchers have banded together in a group they call the Conficker Cabal. Members are searching for the malicious software program’s author and for ways to do damage control if he or she can’t be stopped. They’re motivated in part by a $250,000 bounty from Microsoft and also by what seems to be a sort of Dick Tracy ethic. Alvin Estevez, CEO of Enigma Software Group, one of many companies trying to crack Conficker said, “we’re like former hackers who like to catch other hackers.” What happens on April Fool’s Day is anyone’s guess. The program could delete all of the files on a person’s computer, use zombie PCs – those controlled by a master – to overwhelm and shut down Web sites or monitor a person’s keyboard strokes to collect private information like passwords or bank account information, experts said. More likely, though, said DeBolt, the virus may try to get computer users to spend money on phony products.

producing power, the company said, they will generate up to 15 gigawatts of electricity and save some 300 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The loan guarantee, which is still subject to final legal and financial approvals, comes under a slow-moving program originally authorized by Congress in 2005. The application process has been hindered by bureaucratic inertia and lengthy reviews of hundreds of applications for more than $40 billion in loan guarantees. The new energy secretary, Steven Chu, has made it a priority to begin releasing the guarantees to help meet the administration’s twin goals of creating jobs and developing carbon-free sources of power.

ENGLAND – Scientists in the U.S. are developing a laser gun that could kill millions of mosquitoes in minutes. The laser, which has been dubbed a “weapon of mosquito destruction” fires at mosquitoes once it detects the audio frequency created by the beating of its wings. Developed by some of the astrophysicists involved in what was known as the “Star Wars” anti-missile programs during the Cold War, the project is meant to prevent the spread of malaria. Lead scientist on the project, Dr. Jordin Kare, told World Review that the laser would be able to sweep an area and “toast millions of mosquitoes in

only a few minutes.” Responding to questions about any potential harm the laser could pose to the eco-system, Kare said: “There is no such thing as a good mosquito, there’s nothing that feeds exclusively on them. No one would miss mosquitoes,” he said. “In any case,” he added. “The laser is able to distinguish between mosquitoes that go after people and those that aren’t dangerous. What remains to be seen is how precise we can get.” He added that other insects would not be affected by the laser’s beam. Kare said the lasers could be mounted on lamp post-type poles and put around the circumference of villages, to create a kind of “fence” against mosquitoes.

Botox revolutionises the medical front By Donald G. McNeil AMERICA – After her stroke, Francine V. Corso, a software engineer who worked on NASA’s lunar lander, was housebound from 1992 to 2001. Her left arm was twisted up near her neck, making it difficult to pull on a blouse, and her fingers curled so rigidly that her nails buried themselves in her palm. When she finally learned to rise from her wheelchair, her contorted left leg had the so-called horse gait of many brain-injury victims – she stepped toedownward, and then fought to keep her foot from rolling over. Now, with injections of botulinum toxin every three months, she says, “I’m completely transformed – I drive, I volunteer, I take art classes.” Her fingers are so relaxed that a manicurist can lacquer her nails red. Botulinum toxin, the wrinkle smoother best known by the brand name Botox, has many medical uses, some official and some off label. It helps dystonia victims regain control of spasming muscles, actors who struggle with flop sweat slow down the flow, and children with clubfoot avoid surgery. Its use in stroke victims is still off label – that is, it is not approved for that purpose by the Food and Drug Administration. But it is so widely accepted that Medicare and other insurers will usually reimburse for its use. Ms. Corso, 66, never heard about the treatment from her first neurologist, whom she called “Dr. Bad News” because he told her family she would die and then kept telling her she would never walk. “I heard about it from Dr.

Dr. David M. Simpson of Mount Sinai Medical Center with Francine Corso, a stroke patient who says injections of botox have transformed her life. Pic:Alex di Suvero Max Gomez on NBC,” she added. In a Mount Sinai classroom with a broad view over Manhattan, Dr. Simpson stands behind two disembodied arms mounted on rocker joints. One looks pasty but muscular and is covered with needle tracks. Its partner is bright red and nothing but muscle; it is an anatomical model with all the skin and fat removed. Dr. Simpson is teaching residents how to find the harder-to-reach muscles. The rubber arms have sensors that beep when the tip of his needle enters the right muscle. Human arms do not beep, of course, but Dr. Simpson had used a variant of the technology on Ms. Corso only an hour before.

The syringe was wired to an electric stimulator that pulsed a charge – up to a tenth of an amp – twice a second. When Dr. Simpson believed he had pierced the right muscle, he dialed it up. If the correct finger began twitching in sync, he knew he was there, and pressed the plunger. If not, he tried again. He did that several times in Ms. Corso’s arm and then in her leg. Within 45 minutes, Ms. Corso said her foot was hitting the floor more evenly. Botulinum cannot restore the use of muscles when stroke has destroyed the brain region that controls them. But patients look and feel better and often find it easier to dress, hold objects and bathe themselves.

ENGLAND – Picture this: The European champions and current highestranked soccer team in the world, Spain, are beaten 3-0... by a team of robots. It may sound ridiculous, but robot developers in Asia, the U.S. and Europe are dreaming of that very goal. Working under the umbrella organizations FIRA (Federation of RobotSoccer Association) and the RoboCup Federation, researchers and developers are aiming to advance robot technology to the point that a team of humanoids can beat the best humans in the sport by 2050. Since robot soccer competitions began in the mid-1990s, researchers have already made significant developments towards their goal. Phil Culverhouse of the Center for Robotics and Intelligent Systems at the University of Plymouth told World Review that the first robots in competition were controlled by humans and many were on wheels or four-legged, but that is changing. “Since 2007 the team have progressed to bipedal robots that have cameras on board,” he said. “Our robots are autonomous – they have no control from outside sources. The cameras try to work out where the goal is, where the ball is and where the other players are.” Basically, the scientists were able to teach a virtual player simple reactions to visual stimuli – based upon how real humans react in the same situation. This year robots will go head-to-head at both the RoboCup event in Austria in June/July and the FIRA RoboWorld Cup in Korea in August. Co-chair of RoboCup 2009, Gerald Steinbauer, told World Review this year’s event was the 13th edition of the cup, and he was impressed by progress by advances since the competitions began. “At the last RoboCup in China 2008 we had games of teams of three humanoids playing attractive soccer. They walk on two feet, fight for the ball and of course score... so we are approaching the goal,” he said.

Your ‘first time’? By Daniel Terdiman AMERICA – In an industry dominated by men, leave it to women to come up with the winning idea in a contest to create a concept for a video game about losing one’s virginity. On Wednesday, at the Game Developers Conference here, the two-woman team of Heather Kelley and Erin Robinson won the Game Design Challenge with just 36 hours of preparation, while their competitors had weeks to come up with concepts for a game about “your first time.” Past themes have included a game about love, a game based on the poetry of Emily Dickinson, and a game that could win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Motoring

Sunday 29 March 2009

www.WorldReview.org

The plight of the UK’s motor industry By Ollie Williams

By Sarah Lyall SWEDEN – Saab Automobile may be just another crisis-ridden car company in an industry full of them. But just as the fortunes of Flint, Mich, are permanently entangled with General Motors, so it is impossible to find anyone in this city in southwest Sweden who is not somehow connected to Saab. Which makes it all the more wrenching that the Swedish government has responded to Saab’s desperate financial situation by saying, essentially, tough luck. Or, as the enterprise minister, Maud Olofsson, put it recently, “The Swedish state is not prepared to own car factories.” Such a view might seem jarring, coming as it does from a country with a reputation for a paternalistic view of workers and companies. The “Swedish model” for dealing with a banking crisis – nationalizing the banks, recapitalizing

Daimler to sell $2.7 billion in new Stock By David Jolly GERMANY – Daimler, the German maker of Mercedes-Benz cars, said on Friday that it would sell about 1.95 billion euros worth of new shares of stock to Abu Dhabi, making the emirate its largest shareholder at a time of extreme hardship for the global auto industry. Aabar Investments, the fund of the Abu Dhabi government, and Daimler said in a statement that the injection of cash was worth $2.7 billion and that it “further strengthens Daimler’s sound capital base and offers additional flexibility to invest in new automotive technologies.” Daimler and the Abu Dhabi fund said they would jointly develop low carbonemission electric vehicles and research the production of new composite materials for automotive manufacturing. Under the deal the German company said it would increase its share capital by 10 percent, with 9.1 percent of the new equity going to Aabar. Daimler is issuing the stock that Abu Dhabi is buying at a price of 20.27 euro ($27.53) a unit, a small discount to the closing price of Daimler’s stock on Friday in Frankfurt, which was 21.34 euros ($28.99). Daimler shares have lost more than 20 percent of their value this year.

them and selling them – has been much debated lately in the United States, with free-market defenders warning of a slippery slope of Nordic socialism. But Sweden has a right-leaning government, elected in 2006 after a long period of Social Democratic rule, that prefers market forces to state intervention and ownership. That fact has made the workers of Trollhattan wish the old socialist model were more in evidence. “I don’t think the government knows the situation in this town, how many people depend on Saab,” said Therese Doeij, 25, a clerk at a photo shop who has several friends who work at the company. “To them it’s just a factory. They don’t see the people behind it.” Governments all over the world are confronting the disintegration of the global automobile market in different ways, with loans, bailouts and takeovers. But Sweden’s approach has been particularly hard-nosed.

Why is the government apparently dead set against helping Saab, an iconic brand that stands as a global symbol of Sweden, with Ikea, Volvo and Abba? That is what Paul Akerlund, the local chairman of the automobile workers’ union, wonders. “I’m a little surprised,” he said. “They say the market should help itself, but the market has collapsed around the whole world. It’s an extraordinary situation.” He added, with a note of accusation in his voice, “In Germany, France and England, the government is going in to help the car manufacturers.” Swedish officials have condemned what they see as protectionism by other European countries that have pledged to prop up their own failing car industries. They have also been scathing about General Motors, Saab’s owner, and the last thing they want is to seem to be bailing out a despised foreign company.

Tata makes dreams come true for millions By Heather Timmons INDIA – The supercheap compact car with a base model selling for about $2,230 is aimed at the developing world’s millions of motorcycle owners with four-wheel dreams. It arrives as Tata Motors struggles with production problems and a huge debt load. But as the global economy withers and automakers bleed cash and cut employees, global warming continues and oil prices creep back up, even rivals say that tiny, wallet-friendly, fuel-efficient cars like the Nano might be where demand grows worldwide. Automakers and car enthusiasts will be following the Nano closely, looking for flaws and gauging consumer reaction. Projects like the Renault-Bajaj alliance, and plans from manufacturers including Honda and Hyundai might be scrapped if the Nano fails. Indian auto suppliers are not in straits as dire as their peers in America and Europe, but any supplier disruption could be devastating to the Nano, because its parts are custom-made. The company said most of its vendor relationships are covered by a “bill marketing” system, where Tata’s bank makes payments to the vendors, and Tata Motors pays the bank. “As sales begin to climb, vendor purchases will also improve, and a positive cycle will once again get created,” Tata said. If the Nano is successful, it will open the market for others just like it,

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Demonstrators in Trollhattan, Sweden, protesting against the threat of job cuts at the Saab factory there. The loss of 750 jobs was Pic: Adam Ihse announced two weeks later.

ENGLAND – The cancellation of the 2010 British International motor show and a record drop in UK car production are the latest signs of trouble for a sector that has endured a bleak existence for months. There have been more than 100,000 worldwide job losses directly linked to the industry’s demise, with carmakers poised to cut even more jobs in the months ahead. A total of 59,777 new cars were produced in the UK in February 2009, a record 59% drop when compared with the same month in 2008. The number of new cars registered in the UK has also declined, down 30.9% year-on-year in January and 21.9% in February. Overall, sales have fallen 28% so far this year. SMMT predicts that the UK car market will shrink by a fifth this year to 1.72 million units. The top 10 carmakers, led by Ford, Vauxhall and VW, shifted 282,795 cars between them in September 2007, they managed just 220,844 in September 2008, a drop of more than a fifth. A lack of sales has forced many carmakers to reduce – or halt – production of new vehicles in the UK. In the last quarter of 2008, UK plants produced 265,485 cars, down from 401,080 for the same period in 2007. However, cash-strapped consumers eager for bargains will struggle to take advantage of the car industry’s woes. While carmakers are finding it difficult to shift their vehicles from the forecourt, the signs are they are not prepared to sacrifice their profits by dropping prices.

NEW CAR SALES IN EUROPE Millions 1.5

Ford and Vauxhall both raised their UK prices in February - the Ford range increasing in cost by an average of 4.7%, while Vauxhall increased the prices of all models except the Vectra and VXR8 by an average of just under 5%. The luxury market is similarly affected. Bentley has announced a 5% increase in price for all of its models will apply in the UK from April 2009. The UK industry is not alone in feeling the pinch, however. In the US, car sales may drop to a 27-year low of 10.5 million units, automotive giant General Motors (GM) predicts. GM has been one of the worst hit manufacturers. It has axed 47,000 jobs, ditched 12 car models and cut production at five plants. In Japan, Toyota said worldwide production of all its brands fell 39.1% in January. Honda reported a 33.5% drop, the biggest since 1999, while Nissan’s global output declined 54%.

GM rethinks survival plan By Bernard Simon

Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata Group, introduced the Nano – small, fuel-efficient Pic: Imraan Gaani and cheap – on Monday in Mumbai. Mr. Sinharoy predicts. The four-seater Nano can travel 100 kilometers on 4.2 liters of fuel, getting 55.5 miles per gallon. It has lower emissions than most two-wheelers in India, Tata says. With its 11.8-inch dinner-plate-size wheels, an engine the size of a small outboard motor generating 33 horsepower, and a single windshield wiper, the Nano has already drawn some unflattering comparisons to kitchen appliances and garden tools. When the design was unveiled last year, Jalopnik. com, a car lovers’ Web site, asked, “Yes, but will it blend?” A few people have driven the car, and were only recently given permission by Tata to talk about the experience. “It feels like a real car,” said Hormazd

Sorabjee, editor of Autocar India magazine, who was one of the early drivers. “It does not feel like a golf cart.” But, he added, it felt like a car that would be used only for city driving. “You’re not going to take this on an intercity highway,” he said. The Nano’s fans far outweigh its critics so far. It already has a dedicated Facebook group. More important, it seems to have a number of eager would-be buyers. Despite a vicious land-rights battle that forced Tata to relocate the Nano factory from its West Bengal site, the car is viewed with great pride in India. It is “absolutely critical” that the Nano goes well, Mr. Sorabjee said. “The success of this will change the rules of carmaking in the world,” he predicted.

AMERICA – General Motors is to prepare a third version of the viability plan that forms the basis of US government aid to the ailing carmaker in order to take account of unrelenting weakness in the new vehicle market. The revised plan, known as VP3, will be published early this week to coincide with the March 31 deadline for GM and its smaller Detroit rival Chrysler to prove they are meeting conditions set by the US government bail-out. More conservative assumptions could force both carmakers into further costcutting measures, such as plant closures. People familiar with the plan said GM was not intending to ask for more aid from Washington in addition to the $13.4bn it has received. Chrysler has received $4bn and it is asking for another $5bn. GM is also seeking help from authorities in Germany, the UK, Canada and Thailand, among others. With the two companies still engaged in talks about concessions from lenders and the United Auto Workers union, the deadline for implementation of their turnaround plans is almost certain to slip into the one-month grace period. Optimism that GM will avoid bankruptcy helped drive its shares up another 12 per cent to $3.36 by midday in New York on Thursday.

Business

Sunday 29 March 2009

Brazil’s Lula raps ‘white, blue-eyed’ crisis

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By Gary Duffy BRAZIL – Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said the world’s poor people should not be forced to pay for the global financial crisis, as they had nothing to do with it. President Lula said white, blue-eyed people - not Indians, nor black, nor poor people - had created and spread the crisis throughout the world. He was speaking at a news conference during a visit by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Mr Brown was in Brazil in advance of the G20 summit in London next week. Mr Brown made a joint appeal with the Brazilian leader for the world’s biggest economies to provide $100bn to boost global trade. Both leaders also appealed for the stalled round of Doha trade talks to be

resumed as soon as possible. President Lula has long argued that poor and developing nations have been victims of mistakes made in richer countries, caused by irresponsibility or a lack of regulation in the world’s banking systems. It was not a surprise, therefore, that he would return to this topic just days ahead of the crucial G20 summit in London. What was perhaps less expected was the way in which the Brazilian leader chose on this occasion to identify those to blame for the current economic situation. Lula was speaking at a joint news conference with Gordon Brown “It is a crisis caused and encouraged by the irrational behaviour of white people with blue eyes,” the president said, “who before the crisis appeared to know everything, but are now showing

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G20 demonstrators march in London, whether or not their cries will be heard is still to be seen. Pic: Loraine Dalton

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ENGLAND – Tens of thousands of people have marched through London demanding action on poverty, climate change and jobs, ahead of next week’s G20 summit. The Put People First alliance of 150 charities and unions walked from Embankment to Hyde Park for a rally. Police estimate 35,000 marchers took part in the event. Its organisers say people wanted the chance to air their views peacefully. Unite union, general secretary Derek Simpson said: “I think it’s an important message but whether it will

get through to the people meeting in London I don’t know.” Protesters came from across the UK and around the world Families with children in pushchairs were among those marching along the 4.2-mile route under banners with slogans including ‘capitalists - you are the crisis’ and ‘justice for the world’s poor’. Italian trade unionist Nicoli Nicolosi, who had travelled from Rome, said: “We are here to try and make a better world and protest against the G20.” TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said,“this, unlike any other recession, is a recession right across the world, it affects everyone.”

Worries voiced over global economy

NYSE Composite Index

President Lula who has caused much controversy with his recent opinions on the so called ‘white crisis.’ Pic: Supplied

nearly doubled its loss forecast to $4.7 billion, from $2.5 billion in December. Airlines are suffering from sharp declines in the two areas from which they derive most of their revenue: firstand business-class passenger traffic and freight. High-end passenger traffic plunged 16.7 percent in January and cargo dropped 23.2 percent.

Serbia and IMF seal €3bn loan By Neil MacDonald

SPX

FRANCE – Losses for the world’s airline industry, grappling with its deepest crisis in 60 years, will total nearly $5 billion this year as the economic slowdown continues to shrink passenger and freight traffic, the International Air Transport Association said Tuesday. The group said Tuesday that it had

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that they know nothing.” If Mr Brown appeared uncomfortable with this claim, he did his best not to show it. Questioned by a reporter, President Lula expanded his theory. “As I do not know any black or indigenous bankers,” the president added. “I can only say it is not possible for this part of mankind, which is victimised more than any other, to pay for the crisis.” Mr Brown said he preferred not to attribute blame to individuals, and the rest of the news conference focused on a more conventional message of unity in advance of the G20 summit in London. As well as the plan for a $100bn fund to boost world trade, there were calls for greater regulation of financial markets, strong words against protectionism and an appeal for the stalled Doha round of world trade talks to be restarted.

World’s airlines face $5 billion shortfall

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By Nina Williams BELGIUM – The global economy is on pace to shrink by 1 percent to 2 percent this year, the head of the World Bank said Saturday. Speaking at the Brussels Forum on geopolitical problems, the bank’s president, Robert B. Zoellick, said that 2009 would be a “dangerous year” as the global economy wrestles with its first recession in more than 60 years. “We haven’t seen a figure like that globally since World War II, which really means since the Great Depression, this is a good indicator of how bad things really are,” he said. Global trade is set to slide the most in 80 years as demand dries up, with East Asia being the hardest-hit region. The World Bank has forecast a 2.1 percent decline in global exports, which would

be the first such drop since 1982. Mr. Zoellick’s remarks came less than two weeks before heads of state from the Group of 20 industrialized and developing economies are to gather in London to discuss a coordinated response to the economic slump. Mr. Zoellick urged G-20 leaders to use the meeting on April 2 to create a review process to determine whether further stimulus measures are needed. “There is a legitimate debate about how the stimulus will be used,” he said at the forum. The European Union economy will shrink 3.2 percent this year, the International Monetary Fund said Thursday, cutting a January forecast of a 2 percent contraction. Japan’s economy is forecast to shrink by 5.8 percent, according to the fund, while the United States is seen contracting 2.6 percent.

SERBIA – International financial institutions will extend to Serbia around €3bn in standby credit for just over two years, but with strict conditions including budget cuts and a temporary additional income tax. “The government has to do a fairly large fiscal adjustment,” Albert Jaeger, head of a visiting mission from the International Monetary Fund. “One big measure… is a surcharge of 6 per cent on all incomes, including wages, pensions and personal income.” The conditions coming at the same time as a two-year freeze on nominal wages and pensions, could be difficult for Serbia to swallow. The former Yugoslav republic has around 8m people, many of whom still cling to socialist welfare expectations. To shield the lowest earners, Serbia would double the minimum threshold for paying regular income tax, Mr Jaeger said. After 10 days of talks, the IMF agreed with the government on the 27-month standby programme to help weather the worsening global economic crisis. The €3bn package replaces a more

modest $520m standby loan that the IMF agreed to in January, which some Serbian officials initially said they would not even need to use. “We now believe the crisis will be deeper and more protracted, and this is also reflected in the much bigger [IMF demands for] fiscal adjustment,” Mr Jaeger said. But the government appeared to understand the need for more serious belt tightening now, making the IMF mission head “relatively optimistic” that the expanded standby loan would put Serbia on a firmer macroeconomic footing. Mr Jaeger questioned the effectiveness of Serbia’s popular new subsidy scheme for cheap cars, which drummed up over 17,000 loan applications for the locally assembled Fiat Punto in only a few weeks. “But it’s understandable why governments try out programmes of that kind,” he said. Far more important would be for big European banks not to pull their capital out of their Western Balkan subsidiaries – the subject the IMF mission will raise in Vienna on Friday with Austrian, Greek, Italian and French commercial bankers, Mr Jaeger said.

Sport

Sunday 29 March 2009

www.WorldReview.org

Japan wins world Baseball Classic By Jack Curry AMERICA – To Japan and South Korea, the final of the World Baseball Classic was more than the final game of a 16team tournament. It was the chance, the prized chance, to subdue a despised rival and be called the best team in the world. It was an opportunity for one proud country to incense another. With a pulsating 5-3 win over South Korea in 10 innings Monday night, the Japanese won their second straight Classic and remained atop the international baseball world. Until the next tournament, in 2013, the Japanese can boast about being superior to the South Koreans and any country where players pick up bats and baseballs. Ichiro Suzuki lined a two-out, twostrike single to center field off Chang Yong Lim to drive in two runs in the 10th and ignite a celebration from Dodger Stadium to Tokyo. But Suzuki did not immediately celebrate. After he scooted to second on the throw home, he showed no emotion. He calmly lifted his hand to call a timeout. “I believe that Ichiro’s hit is something I’ll never forget,” said Tatsunori Hara, the Japanese manager. “It’s an image that will forever be imprinted in my mind.” But Suzuki, the player who was cheered more lustily than anyone else

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on a raucous night, powered his team and pleased a baseball-obsessed country. Darvish was given a second opportunity to silence the South Koreans in the 10th, and he produced a scoreless inning. Darvish ended the game with a strikeout and notched the win, but it was Suzuki who saved it. The South Koreans decided not to intentionally walk Suzuki, who batted with runners on second and third, and the decision

doomed them. Suzuki diplomatically said that he was not surprised that the South Koreans pitched to him because walking him would have loaded the bases. But even Kim said that he regretted not walking Suzuki. During the memorable at bat, the usually focused Suzuki said his mind was cluttered. “I really wish I could be in a state of Zen,” Suzuki said. “I kept thinking of

Tiger tips teen Irishman as his successor By Simon Evans AMERICA – Tiger Woods regained some of his pre-injury swagger with a four-under-par 68 at the WGC-CA Championship on Saturday – and said teenager Briton Rory McIlroy could take his crown as golf’s world No 1. McIlroy, 19, is this week bidding to become the youngest winner on the PGA Tour and the Dubai Desert Classic champion, was a shot off the pace at one stage in the third round. Three late bogeys left the youngster from Northern Ireland six strokes away from joint leaders Phil Mickelson

and Nick Watney, who were both on 16-under-par 200. “The guy’s a talent,” Woods said of McIlroy. “We can all see it: the way he hits the golf ball; the way he putts; the way he can chip; get up and down. “He has all of the components to be the best in the world, there’s no doubt, he is just so talented,” Woods told reporters after finishing on 209. The 33-year-old Woods was playing his best golf after returning from an eight-month lay-off. He birdied the parfive first hole before failing to convert a series of tricky birdie chances. In all, he had seven lip-outs in his round.

all the things I shouldn’t think about. Usually, I cannot hit when I think of all those things. This time I got a hit.” Eventually, Suzuki celebrated, too. After the final out, he pumped his fist as he jogged in from right field. He hugged the center fielder and the left fielder, then joined a mob of teammates behind the mound. A gigantic Japanese flag was laid behind third base as a tribute to the champions.

By Stanley Gifford BRAZIL – Legend Pele has been threatened with court action unless he retracts a reported allegation that compatriot Robinho, the Manchester City striker, has taken drugs. Pele had claimed Robinho and Brazil’s former world footballer of the year Ronaldo used recreational drugs at a private party in Sao Paolo. Robinho’s official Web site says the player is “upset and disappointed” at Pele, whose alleged comments came during a court case involving his son, Edinho, particularly because Robinho

South Africa will host IPL Twenty20 cricket

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SOUTH AFRICA – Lalit Modi has confirmed South Africa will stage the 2009 Indian Premier League after officials decided to move the Twenty20 tournament to a neutral venue because of security fears. England was the alternative choice for the highly-lucrative event, but IPL chairman Lalit Modi confirmed South Africa as hosts at a press conference on Tuesday. Modi had flown to Johannesburg where he met Cricket South Africa’s CEO, Gerald Majola. Modi said after the meeting: “We are very happy to confirm that South Africa will host the 2009 DLF Indian Premier League tournament. “We would like to thank Cricket South Africa very much for the support they have given us over the past few days, which has helped us to come to this decision.” “The South African public loves T2O cricket and CSA successfully hosted the inaugural ICC World T20.” “Both these factors weighed heavily in South Africa’s favor, and we look forward to a successful tournament.”

F1 drivers shed weight for new season SPAIN – Formula One’s new rules are forcing even the drivers to adopt a more aerodynamic profile for the 2009 season. With the biggest changes coming to the world championship in more than 25 years, it may be a racer’s weight that decides the title. The brand-new Kinetic Energy Recovery System, a hybrid technology that gives drivers an extra boost for overtaking, will take up approximately 77 pounds, while car weight limits have not been increased. That leaves teams with only one variable - the driver. “(Weight’s) always been an issue in F1, but particularly this year because of the KERS – all the weight is in the back and with this year’s rules it’s beneficial to be a bit further forward,’’ said Nico Rosberg of Williams, who said he lost several pounds to get down to 154 pounds. “So that’s definitely something where the weight has become more important than ever.’’ Fernando Alonso and Rubens Barrichello have dropped about 4.5 pounds each going into 2009, when at least half of the drivers expected to fill the 20-car grid have lost weight ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 29.

Pele warned over Robinho drug slur

By Nick Thompson

SIX NATIONS RESULTS

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Japan celebrate their team’s win over Team Korea in the tenth inning of the World Baseball Classic in Los Angeles. Pic: Lucy Nicholson

has an admitted cocaine addiction. The story hit the headlines in Brazil and Robinho´s Web site says “that a formal retraction from Pele will be requested, if what he said was not misinterpreted by the media that published it. And if Pele does not come forward, he will have to deal with his very unfortunate comment in court. The statement by the player’s representatives, added: “Robinho is upset and disappointed at Pele, who seems to have forgotten the great idol he was and that it appears Pele must be reading sensationlist medias, to come up with such a wrongful statement.”

Armstrong will be in Tour de France By Bronwyn Prigg

Cricket South Africa chief executive Gerald Majola and IPL commissioner Lalit Modi. Pic: Meggan Mullins The tournament will feature 59 matches from 18 April 2009, and fixtures will be announced in due course. The Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India announced Sunday that it was shifting the Indian Premier League (IPL) out of the country because the tournament would coincide with general elections. BCCI president Shashank Manohar said the government had indicated it could not guarantee security for the competition. The IPL had already increased spending on security 10-fold on last year’s inaugural tournament, which featured

the world’s leading cricketers playing for eight franchises in the Twenty20 format, with fears heightened following the deadly attacks in Mumbai last November and this month’s targeting of the Sri Lankan cricket side in neighboring Pakistan. The IPL is one of sport’s richest tournaments. The BCCI made $1.75 billion from 10-year TV rights, promotions and franchise deals even before a match was played in last year’s opening competition. In India, the estimated television audience was 200 million people.

SPAIN – Lance Armstrong’s team manager is confident a broken collarbone won’t prevent the cycling great from riding in the Giro d’Italia or Tour de France. “I don’t think this changes anything for the Tour de France,’’ Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel said Tuesday. “A broken collarbone in the month of March does not at all compromise your performance in the Tour de France.’’ The Tour de France runs from July 4-26. The 37-year-old American had planned to ride in the Giro for the first time from May 9-31. Bruyneel said the team was “not ruling out the Giro at all.’’ Armstrong fractured his collarbone Monday after crashing in the first stage of the Vuelta of Castilla and Leon race in northern Spain. The seven-time Tour champion stayed in Bruyneel’s house in Madrid on Monday night before flying Tuesday to Austin, Texas, for possible surgery. For updates on Amstrong’s condition log on to our website, www. WeeklyReview.org.

Arts and Entertainment

Sunday 29 March 2009

This week’s Horoscopes

Prince’s 3 concerts in 1 night

New Dolls on the Block

By Taryn Smith

By William Lee Adams

AMERICA – Funk rocker Prince blasted a concert promotion giant for its poor sound equipment as he struggled to perform three concerts in one night at separate venues in Los Angeles. The man who once sang about travelling Around the World in a Day, shuttled among three venues on Saturday at a new downtown entertainment complex operated by AEG Live. But his ambitious promotion for an upcoming album hit a snag soon after he hit the stage at the 7 100-capacity Nokia Theatre. He had problems with the monitors, and constant pleas to the venue’s crew to fix them never had much impact. “This is my celebration. I don’t care what goes wrong,” he said.

AMERICA – Ever since Barbie and her reality-defying curves stepped into the playhouse, parents have complained that dolls promote an unattainable image of beauty. It’s a particularly piquant point for Lexington, South Carolina mother Mary Ann Perry, whose daughter Valerie lives with Down Syndrome. “Dolls represent real people in the imagination of a young person,” Perry says. “I don’t want Valerie to think she has to be conventionally beautiful to be loved.” So when Valerie asked for a doll at Christmas, her mother bypassed buxom Barbie and purchased Elizabeth. Featuring 13 physical characteristics of Down Syndrome, including almond-shaped eyes, low-set ears, a horizontal crease

By Linda Black Aries (March 21-April 19): This week is a 9 – You’re strong, intelligent and lucky now. You have your plan worked out. Launch, with confidence, quickly. This assumes you’re ready. If not, get ready and then do it. Taurus (April 20-May 20): This week is a 5 – Set priorities first; otherwise, you’ll be swamped. Take on more responsibility so you can call the shots. You’re getting stronger by the day. Put yourself in line for a promotion. Gemini (May 21-June 21): This week is a 9 – You practically invented networking. You have more friends than Carter has peanuts. They’ll come to your rescue again. Let them know what you want.

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in her palms and a slightly protruding tongue.” She’s also one of a new breed of dolls targeted at special-needs kids. Parents in the U.S. and Europe are snapping up Down Syndrome dolls, blind babies, paraplegic dolls in wheelchairs and dolls wearing scarves as if undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. “There’s a therapeutic impact,” says Helga Parks, who sells more than 2,000 Down Syndrome and Chemo Friends a year through her online Helga’s European Specialty Toys. Parks believes her products boost a child’s self-esteem by normalizing their condition, and foster understanding among peers: “They take away the fear and sense of alienation for both parties.” Among its hottest items is Tilley, a doll who uses an electric wheelchair.

Cancer (June 22-July 22): This week is a 5 – A controversy arises. Keep your opinions to yourself. Let the others duke it out first, while you consider your options. Include potential fringe benefits. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): This week is a 9 – Conditions are perfect, but you’d better get into port before nightfall. Complications are brewing and there could be trouble this weekend. Be tucked away in a safe harbor by then.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): This week is a 5 – Don’t let somebody else’s problem give you a big headache. Instead, offer your services to someone who’s planningchallenged. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): This week is a 9 – Launch new projects, make commitments, decide what you want to happen. Visualize yourself 10 years from now, happier than ever. Describe what that looks like and half the battle’s won. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): This week is a 5 – Looks like you’re making money from your home as well as pouring money into it. Maybe you’re selling old furniture so you can buy some new. Whatever, it works out. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): This week is a 9 -- Tackle the problem with enthusiasm and energy. The more you learn, the more questions pop to your mind. There doesn’t seem to be an end to it, and this is good. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): This week is a 5 -- It should be pretty easy to get what you want under these conditions. Go ahead and say you can do what’s required, even if you know you’ll have to study to keep that promise. You know you will.

Robbie talks Take That reunion ENGLAND – Singer Robbie Williams has said he is ready to rejoin Take That and is being welcomed back by his old bandmates. He told The Mirror newspaper the reunion was “looking more likely by the week”, adding he is in “regular contact” with them. The 35-year-old star quit Take That in 1995. The band split up a year later but reformed as a chart-topping foursome in 2006. He explained both he and the band had put their differences behind them: “We’ve matured now. We’ve have a laugh, and moved on.” “My head’s in the right place so the timing could be right,” he commented.

Kristy Hinze weds Jim Clark

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): This week is a 5 – Put everything into order, both down and across. Focus on the details, and the puzzle falls into place. Stick to your plan and you’ll be successful. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): This week is a 9 – You generally fall for the wild, adventurous type. You’re not that outrageous yourself, but you do find it quite attractive. Somebody like that is driving you crazy now. Settle down and start making plans.

Williams is ready to rejoin the group. Pic: supplied

This year’s Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus pairs elephants with Bollywood dancers.

Pic: James Estrin

Circus flies over troubles with greatest of ease By Glenn Collins AMERICA – Five minutes into each performance of “Zing Zang Zoom,” the new magical menagerie from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, an 8,500-pound elephant named Asia seems to vanish abruptly in a grand illusion. Is it possible this disappearing act presages the future of the circus itself? The down economy has taken its toll on working-class families, the traditional core audience of Ringling, a showbusiness perennial that offended circus purists by abandoning its classic three rings three years ago. And competitors, both nouveau and non, have proliferated, from Cirque du Soleil to New York’s Big Apple Circus.

Furthermore when Ringling’s 139th edition arrives Thursday at Madison Square Garden, audiences will be leafleted by animal-welfare protesters following a six-week trial in federal court where the circus answered charges that it mistreats the very symbol of the show: its elephants. And even the traditional opening-night postperformance gala has been canceled for the first time in decades. Big Bertha, as circus folk call Ringling, is under siege as never before. Kenneth Feld, the company’s 60-yearold producer, dismissed any idea that Ringling is no longer the Greatest Show on Earth. “We have survived – and thrived – through every upheaval, every world war, every election, every economic crisis, and even 9/11,” he said.

“And now we are the nation’s entertainment security blanket.” Experts say the show could benefit from the economic meltdown. “The circus is recession-proof – or at least, Ringling is,” said William B. Hall, a 75-year-old circus producer in Churchville, Pa., who has observed it since the 1950s. “It’s about escape and family.” “For many families now a trip to Disney World is out of the question, but a drive to Ringling can give the kids a vacation for an afternoon,” said Thomas J. Crangle, an event-marketing consultant. The recession has benefited the circus in other ways: excess railroad capacity and the oil-price collapse have been boons to Mr. Feld’s enormous global transportation operations, including both its mile-long circus trains.

AUSTRALIA – Supermodel Kristy Hinze, 28, tied the knot with billionaire Netscape founder Jim Clark, 65, over the weekend. The two “wanted a quiet location with no press,” a pal said, so they picked the Rosewood Little Dix Bay resort on Virgin Gorda across from Richard Branson’s Necker Island. Guests like Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts were ferried between the two resorts and Jimmy Buffett performed at the reception. The newlyweds stayed on Clark’s Athena, the high-tech, 289-foot three-masted schooner that’s the largest private sailing yacht in the world.

Jim Clark, 64 and Kristy Hinze, 28. Pic: Supplied

As Rights Clash on YouTube, Some Music Vanishes By Tim Arango AMERICA – In early December, Juliet Weybret, a high school sophomore and aspiring rock star from Lodi, Calif., recorded a video of herself playing the piano and singing “Winter Wonderland,” and she posted it on YouTube. Weeks later, she received an e-mail message from YouTube: her video was being removed “as a result of a thirdparty notification by the Warner Music Group,” which owns the copyright to the Christmas carol.

Hers is not an isolated case. Countless other amateurs have been ensnared in a dispute between Warner Music and YouTube, which is owned by Google. The conflict centers on how much Warner should be paid for the use of its copyrighted works but has grown to include other material produced by amateurs that may also run afoul of copyright law. “Thousands of videos disappeared,” said Fred von Lohmann, staff lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an Internet civil liberties group that asked

affected YouTube users to contact it. “Either they turned off the audio, or they pulled the video.” A spokesman for Warner Music said that YouTube’s system for identifying copyrighted material does not distinguish between professionally made music videos and amateur material that may include copyrighted works. “We and our artists share the user community’s frustration when content is unavailable. YouTube generates revenues from content posted by fans, which typically requires licenses from

rights holders. Under the current process, we make YouTube aware of WMG content. Their content ID tool then takes down all unlicensed tracks, regardless of how they are used,” said Will Tanous, a spokesman for Warner Music. The question for the two sides is, who will users blame — YouTube or the record label, in this case Warner? “I feel like the public’s perception of the record labels is so hostile that YouTube will be able to deflect any complaints,” said Phil Leigh, a new media analyst.