President U Thein Sein receives US Senator Mr John Sidney ... the advent of market-oriented ... made...

Volume XIX, Number 277 15th Waning of Pyatho 1373 ME Monday, 23 January, 2012

Established 1914

True patriotism * It is very important for every one of the

nation regardless of the place he lives tohave strong Union Spirit.

* Only Union Spirit is the truepatriotism all the nationalities will haveto safeguard.

President U Thein Sein receives US SenatorMr John Sidney McCain and party

NAY PYI TAW, 22 Jan—President of the Republic of theUnion of Myanmar U Thein Sein received a delegation ledby US Senator Mr John Sidney McCain at the CredentialsHall of the President Residence here at 10am today.

Also present at the call together with President U TheinSein were Union Minister for Industry U Soe Thein, Union

Minister at the President Office U Thein Nyunt, UnionMinister for Labour and for Social Welfare, Relief andResettlement U Aung Kyi, Union Minister for Transport UNyan Tun Aung, Union Minister for Immigration and Popu-lation U Khin Yi, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs UMaung Myint and departmental heads.

US Senator Mr John Sidney McCain was accompaniedby Senators Mr Joseph Isadore Lieberman, Mr SheldonWhitehouse, Mrs Kelly Ann Ayotte and Charge d' Affairesai of US Embassy to Myanmar Mr Michael E Thurston.

They had a cordial discussion on cooperation betweenthe two countries.—MNA

President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar U Thein Sein receives a delegation led by US Senator Mr John Sidney McCain at Credentials Hall ofPresident Residence in Nay Pyi Taw.—MNA

President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar U Thein Sein and party pose for documentary photo together with US Senator Mr John Sidney McCain and party.—MNA

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2 THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 23 January, 2012

PERSPECTIVESMonday, 23 January, 2012

Cost-effective marketingstrategy

Cost-effective marketing strategy is usuallyapplied in a business or a family. And thestreamlined move could reduce the expenses tothe lowest level.

There used to be a widely accepted conceptthat was cost effective and self-reliant. But thecurrent trends of lifestyle has hardly touchedthe concept. For example, a tailor has nothingto do with making shoes; a shoemaker doesaway with sewing clothes; and a tea-drinkerdoes not make tea himself.

This fashion has brought about a newconcept which is in favour of thrifty practice.The thrifty practice for the first concept doesnot go well with the present time. The secondconcept is really going places although itgenerates extra cost.

With the advent of market-orientedeconomic system, the second concept met withfailure. At a time when an increasingly regulatedmarket is being introdued, those with the secondconcept have suffered a major setback. Thisshows that economic strategies undergo aconstant change with the passage of time.

Garment factories have emerged in place oftailoring shops. Shoes shops have been replacedwith shoes factories. Tea shops have been floodedwith with sachets of instant teamix. Whatever itis, balance should be striken on affordableprices, income, employment, benefits ofemployers and consumers. To cope withemerging socio-economic challenges the havesshould keep a balance on the have-nots sharingtheir possessions with the latter.

Clean government, good governance andrepresentatives of the people are a decisivefactor capable of overcoming the challenges.The people are only followers. Daily works areoften plagued with a spate of formidablehardships and difficulties. And they need to bein conformity with the current trends. To placethe public interest in the fore the role ofsteersmen is more important than that of leaders.

When the country is embarking on a varietyof reforms the interest of majority is to be givenpriority with visionary decision. This couldlargely result in poverty alleviation. With thisend in view, all the steersmen who constantlykeep in touch with the grassroots are toundertake a series of activities for theimprovement of social-economic status of thepeople.

NAY PYI TAW, 22 Jan—Union Minister forEducation Dr Mya Aye,accompanied by directors-general and deputy directors-

Self-reliant asphalt roadcommissioned in Homalin

NAY PYI TAW, 22 Jan—A ceremony to inaugurateKhaingthazin self-reliant asphalt road was held in KhopewaWard in Homalin of Hkamti District on 2 January morning.

Pyithu Hluttaw representative U Aye of HomalinTownship, Township Development Affairs Committee

Union Education Minister inspectsBEHSs in Kamayut, Insein townships

minister gave necessaryinstructions.

He also visited InseinBEHS No 6 and heard reportson preparation for securinghigh pass rate of the schooland left necessaryinstructions.

MNA

general of No, 1, 2, and 3Departments of BasicEducation, inspected theschool building to be repairedat Basic Education High

School No. 2 in KamayutTownship yesterday.

After hearing the reportspresented by theheadmistress, the Union

Executive Officer U Kyaw Kyaw and Road ConstructionCommittee Chairman U Thaung Kyi formally opened theroad.

Sagaing Region Minister for Shan National Race U SanShwe unveiled the signboard of the road.

The 7.71 furlong long facility was built at a cost of K 2.8million by the local people and K 1.5 million by the TownshipDAC.—MNA

NAY PYI TAW, 22 Jan—Under the supervision of MonState Traffic Rules Enforcement Supervisory Committee,Mon State Traffic Police Force gave a talk on traffic rule atMawlamyine University on 19 January.

Next, the educative film was presented to those present.

Traffic rules talked at Mawlamyine University

Afterwards, police officers gave talks on traffic rules forvehicles and padestrianians.

Faculty members and students of the university viewedround documentary photos on traffic rules displayed in thecampus.—MNA

Traffic rules talks in progress at Mawlamyine University.—MNA

Nay Pyi Taw FC hosted Zwekapin UnitedFC today. The host secured three points as it

beat the guest 3-0.—NLM

YANGON, 22 Jan—Veterans Boonchu Ruangkit ofThailand and Filipino Frankie Minoza will be eyeing torewrite the history on the Asian Tour when they play in theZaykabar Myanmar Open presented by Air Bagan nextmonth.

Boonchu and Minoza, aged 55 and 53 respectively, arehoping to roll back the years and overtake the record set byChoi Sang-ho of Korea, who became the oldest winner on the

Golden oldies ready to shine at Zaykabar OpenAsian Tour at the age of 50 years and 145 days when he wonthe 2005 Maekyung Open.

They will be joined by a strong line-up of players in theUS$ 300,000 event staged at the Royal Mingalardon Golf andCountry Club which include reigning Order of Merit ChampionJuvic Pagunsan of the Philippines and defending championTetsuji Hiratsuka of Japan.

Japanese Yuta Ikeda, a multiple winner from Japan,Rikard Karlberg of Sweden, the 2010 Asian Tour Rookie ofthe Year and Angela Que of the Philippines will also be featurein the event which returns on the Asian Tour schedule after aone-year break.

He played in three Asian Tour events last year, where hemade all three cuts highlighted by a sixth placing at the HeroIndian Open, Boonchu will be delighted to return to theMyanmar Open, which has been a hunting ground for him, ashe finished in tied 28th place in 2010 and tied eight in 2005.

Minoza is one of Asia’s living legends. The veteran starhas won titles across the region since the early 1980s and in2007, he showed that he could still perform at the highestlevel by winning once on the Asian Tour and Japan GolfTour.

Ideka, a nine-time winner in Japan, will spearhead astrong cast of Japanese players in the Zaykabar MyanmarOpen. He will be looking to emulate the success of Hiratsuas he seeks a first victory in Myanmar.

The Zaykabar Myanmar Open presented by Air Baganis a US$ 300,000 full filed Asian Tour event which will bestaged at the highly-rated Royal Mingalardon Golf &Country Club from 2 to 5 February and is sanctioned by theAsian Tour and Myanmar Professional Golfers Association.Myanmar’s national championship will return to the AsianTour Schedule after a year’s lapse. It was inaugurated in 1996and the list of champions includes illustrious names such asthree-time Asian Tour Order of Merit winner ThonggchaiJaidee of Thailand, countryman Boonchu Ruangkit,American Anthony Kang, South African James Kingston,Chinese Taipei’s Lin Keng-chi and Japan’s Tetsuji Hiratsukawho won the event in 2010.—MNA

LABUTTA, 22 Jan—The midwifery course No. 1/2012,jointly organized by Ministry of Health and Merlin Myanmar,was opened at the 200-bed hospital in 3rd-Mile Myothit ofLabutta District on 9 January.

Medical Superintendent Dr Sein Hlaing explained thepurpose of the course and Project in-charge U Zaw Pe Thanof Merlin Myanmar, assistance for the course.

Altogether 52 female trainees are attending the six-weekcourse.—District IPRD

Midwifery course commences

Take Fire PreventiveMeasures

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THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Monday, 23 January, 2012 3

Karzai says he’s met with Afghan militantfaction

KABUL, 22 Jan—AfghanPresident Hamid Karzai saidSaturday that he personallyheld peace talks recently withthe militant faction Hizb-i-Islami, appearing to assert hisown role in a US-led bid fornegotiations to end thecountry’s decade-long war.

Karzai made the announ-cement hours before he metwith American special repre-sentative Marc Grossman todiscuss progress and plansfor bringing the Talebanmilitancy into formal talksfor the first time.

“Recently, we met with adelegation from Hizb-i-Islami

... and had negotiations,”Karzai told a meeting of theAfghan parliament. “We arehopeful that these negotia-tions for peace continue andwe will have good results,” headded.

Karzai’s statement was areminder that any negotia-tions to end Afghanistan’swar will be more complex thanjust talking to the Taleban’sPakistan-based leadership,headed by Mullah Mohamm-ed Omar. The two other mainmilitant factions in thecountry have their ownleaders and agendas.

Hizb-i-Islami is a radical

militia that controls territoryin Afghanistan’s northeastand launches attacks againstUS forces from Pakistan. Itsleader, powerful warlordGulbuddin Hekmatyar, is aformer US ally now listed as aterrorist by Washington.

Based over the Pakistanborder, Hekmatyar has ties toal-Qaeda and has launcheddeadly attacks on US troopsin Afghanistan. Fighters loyalto Hekmatyar also havestrongholds in Baghlan,Kunduz and Kunar provincesin the north and northeastAfghanistan.

Internet

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, right, delivers a speechat the opening of the second year of the Afghanistanparliament in Kabul, Afghanistan, on 21 Jan, 2012.

Karzai announced to parliament on Saturday that he hastaken the lead in peace negotiations with the Hizb-i-

Islami insurgent faction, meeting personally with radicalIslamist militia representatives to push ahead with the

peace process.—INTERNET

Putin meetsKissinger onglobal issues,bilateral ties

MOSCOW, 22 Jan—Visiting former US secretaryof state Henry Kissinger andRussian Prime MinisterVladimir Putin discussedglobal issues Friday, andvowed to enhance tiesbetween the two countries.

Without giving detailsof the talks, Putin’sspokesman Dmitry Peskovsaid the “private meeting”lasted some 40 minutes, localpress reported Saturday.Interfax news agency saidKissinger described thebilateral relations as “of keyglobal importance” andexpressed hope they wouldkeep improving.

The pair met frequentlyin recent years, as Kissingeronce called Putin “extremelyintelligent” in 2007, whilePutin said in 2006 that the twocan “understand each otherwell” and can findcompromise.

Russian media noted thatFriday’s meeting came justweeks before the 4 Marchpresidential elections, inwhich Putin is seeking a thirdterm as president.

Internet

Hard disk from shipwreck may shed light oncaptain’s role

Divers working for Italian prosecutorsprobing the role captain Francesco Schettinoplayed in the disaster retrieved a hard diskwhich may have video footage from securitycameras on the ship’s bridge, media reportssaid.

Schettino is being investigated formultiple manslaughter, abandoning ship andcausing a shipwreck, after he steered the boattoo close to the Tuscan island of Giglio. He isunder house arrest.

The vessel’s owner, Costa Crociere, hassaid the company was warned too late of thescale of the disaster, though Schettino hasdisputed their account.

Internet

ROME, 22 Jan—Divers salvaged onSaturday a hard disk from Italy’s capsizedcruise ship with video footage that couldshed light on the captain’s actions, as anotherbody was pulled from the wreckage.

The discovery of a woman’s bodytowards the stern of the ship brought thedeath toll to 12, as hopes dwindled of findingsomeone who may have miraculouslysurvived in air pockets a week after thetragedy.

Still, officials said rescuers wouldcontinue throughout the night to scourpreviously inaccessible parts of the ship eightdays after it hit rocks and keeled over on to itsside off Italy’s northwest coast.

A view of the stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia offthe island of Giglio. Divers salvaged Saturday a hard

disk from Italy’s capsized cruise ship with video footagethat could shed light on the captain’s actions, as another

body was pulled from the wreckage.INTERNET

In this 18 Jan, 2012 photo, Iranian smugglers leave theport on a speedboat loaded with goods to cross the Strait ofHormuz to reach Iranian coastal areas, in Khasab, Oman.

Even as sanctions squeeze Iran ever tighter, there’s oneclandestine route that remains open for business: A short

sea corridor connecting a rocky nub of Oman with theIranian coast about 35 miles (60 kilometers) across the

Gulf.—INTERNET

KHASAB, 22 Jan—By dawn, the unmarked speedboatsfrom Iran pull into port. By dusk, they are racing back acrossthe Strait of Hormuz loaded with smuggled consumer goodsranging from Chinese-made shoes to cut flowers from Holland.

Even as sanctions squeeze Iran ever tighter, there’s oneclandestine route that remains open for business: A short seacorridor across the Persian Gulf connecting a rocky nub ofOman and the Iranian coast about 35 miles (60 kilometers)away.

Yet even this established smugglers’ path is now feelingthe bite from the pressures on Iran over its nuclear programme.

Business is sharply down, the middlemen and boat crewssay, as the slumping Iranian currency leaves fewer customersfor the smuggled wares. At the same time, the risks ofinterception are higher as Iranian authorities step up patrolsnear the strategic oil tanker lanes at the mouth of the Gulf.

The strait, which is the only access in and out of the Gulf,

A Ugandan soldierserving with the

African Union Missionin Somalia stands

guard as a tank passesfollowing an advance

with the SomaliNational Army on 20

January.INTERNET

NATO soldier dies in attack insouth Afghanistan

Iran’s Gulf smugglers feel blowback from tensions

MOGADISHU, 22 Jan—Somali transitional government forces on Saturday vowed to ridMogadishu of all “violent elements,” a day after a major offensive aimed at dislodging Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab militia from the capital.

Oficials in Galmudug, a semi-autonomous Province of central Somalia, meanwhile, saiddozens of security forces were on the trail of a foreigner who was kidnapped there.

And the Islamist Shebab militia in Somalia said a British fighter was killed on Saturday

Mogadishu government vows to eradicateShebab militia

KABUL, 22 Jan—NATO says a member of its internationalforce in Afghanistan has died in an insurgent attack.

A coalition statement said the incident took place Saturdayin southern Afghanistan but gave no other details, nor thenationality of the casualty.

The attack comes a day after an Afghan soldier openedfire on French troops during a training exercise, killing four ofthem and prompting France to suspend its trainingprogrammes.

Internet

has been the scene of Cold War-style brinksmanship betweenIran and the West after Tehran last month threatened to blockthe passageway for about one-sixth of the world’s oil inretaliation for new US sanctions.

“We used to make two or three trips across every day.Now, it’s maybe one,” said an Iranian middleman, who gaveonly his first name Agheel to protect his identity from authoritiesin his homeland.

He watched crews load up a pickup truck with bolts offabric from Pakistan and table-size boxes of cut flowers fromthe Netherlands, before the trucks headed off through thetreeless mountains to Khasab port.

The operation smuggles in merchandise to avoid Iraniantariffs and to bring in American and European products thathave disappeared from Iranian markets because of internationalsanctions. Experts note that the consumer items post no realchallenge to efforts to block material with military or nuclear

uses. “Still, it shows you can’t close off all channels into Iranno matter how hard you try,” said Paul Rogers, who followssecurity affairs at Bradford University in Britain. “People willfind a way.”

Internet

during a drone attack in the capital Mogadishu.“There are still a few pockets of resistance of the defeated

terrorists. They launched at least six desperate counter-attacks last night, but the TFG (government forces) andAMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia) troops haverepelled them,” a government military official said as theShebab vowed to fight on.

“Our forces consolidated the positions they capturedyesterday and the situation is quiet this morning, but themilitary campaign to eliminate violent elements from Mogadishuwill continue,” added the official, Abdulahi Mohamed.

One official said the kidnapped man, whose nationalitywas unknown, was a journalist, while another said he workedfor a company that is building a port for the coastal town ofHobyo.—Internet

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Third smallest baby ever leaves US hospitalLOS ANGELES, 22

Jan—A baby believed tobe the third smallest birth-weight infant ever tosurvive left hospital in LosAngeles, doctors and theproud parents said.

Melinda Star Guidowas born last August, 16weeks early, weighingonly 9.5 ounces (270grammes) — less than acan of soda or the same astwo iPhones — and hasspent nearly five monthsin a neonatal intensive careunit.

“I am so excited tofinally have my baby comehome,” said her motherHaydee Ibarra, 22. “Wehave waited almost five

Melinda Star Guido is picked up by her motherHaydee Ibarra as her father Yovani Guido looks onafter she was discharged from Los Angeles County-

USC Medical Center five months after her birth, on 20January, in Los Angeles, California. Guido was born

24 weeks early, weighing 9.5 ounces, and was the thirdsmallest baby born in the world.—INTERNET

months for this moment. It isso wonderful and we areready to bring Melindahome.” She is the thirdsmallest baby to survive,according to Global BirthRegistry figures cited by LACounty health officials.

Dr RangasamyRamanathan, neonatologychief at the LA County-USCMedical Center, said hewasn’t initially sure ifMelinda was going to survivebeyond a few days.

“This doesn’t happenevery day. In my 30 yearshere, ... this is the first time itever happened that we wereable to discharge a baby whoweighed less than 400 grams,or 300 grams,” he said.

“We have reached amilestone by being able tosee Melinda go home,” headded “We are hopeful to seemany more milestonesaccomplished in Melinda’sdevelopment as we followher care over the next sixyears.”—Internet

A person holds a reproductionof a patient’s skull at the GhentUniversity hospital, in Ghent,

Belgium, on 7 January. Turkishsurgeons on Saturday

successfully performed thecountry’s first-ever face

transplant, the Anatolia newsagency reported.

INTERNET

‘Turkish surgeons carry out country’s firstface transplant

ISTANBUL, 22 Jan—Turkish surgeons onSaturday successfullyperformed the country’s first-ever face transplant, theAnatolia news agency

A boy is vaccinated against Influenza A(H1N1) swineflu in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, in 2011.—INTERNET

reported. A team of doctors atAkdeniz University in thesouthern city of Antalyaperformed the operation on a19-year-old boy whose facewas burned when he was a 40-day-old baby, said Anatolia.

Tissue from the face of a45-year-old donor wassuccessfully transplanted, itsaid. The operation brings to20 the number of facetransplants carried outworldwide, the report said.The first was a partial facetransplant on Frenchwoman

Isabelle Dinoire in 2005.Turkish doctors wereperforming anotheroperation on Saturdayfrom the same donor, on a34-year old man in whatwas reported as theworld’s first double armand single leg transplant.

Doctors were trans-planting limbs to a manwho lost both arms andone leg when he waselectrocuted at the age of11, said Anatolia.

Internet

Two die of A(H1N1) swine fluin Mexico

MEXICO CITY, 22 Jan—An outbreak of A(H1N1)swine flu claimed the lives oftwo people — 19 and 21 yearsold — in Mexico’s capital inthe first weeks of the year,health authorities said onSaturday. The health secretaryof Mexico’s Federal District,Armando Ahued, said therewere 138 confirmed cases ofthe flu, including 110 cases ofA(H1N1), a novel strain of theswine flu that was first detectedin 2009.

Nationwide, 333 cases ofthe virus have beenconfirmed, the federalgovernment’s healthsecretary said earlier in theweek, without saying how

many deaths had beenattributed to it. The latestvictims were a 19-year-old anda 21-year-old who died inseparate hospitals. “Thetendency toward an increasein flu cases is normal becauseJanuary is the month with thelowest temperatures,” saidAhued adding that theincidence of flu should beginto subside in February.

The first outbreak of theA(H1N1) virus occurred inApril, 2009 in Mexico andthe United States, and quicklybecame a global pandemicthat claimed the lives of17,000 people. In Mexicoalone, more than 1,250people died.—Internet

RWE to sell $2.3 billion in hybrid debtin 2012

FRANKFURT, 22 Jan—German utility RWEexpects to issue 1.8 billioneuros ($2.33 billion) worthof hybrid bonds in variouscurrencies over the courseof this year, effectivelyrolling over debts maturingin the same amount, inorder to maintain its currentcredit rating. “I don’texpect any problems thisyear with refinancing,”Chief Financial OfficerRolf Pohlig told Germanbusiness daily BoersenZeitung in an interviewpublished on Saturday,ruling out any new sharesales.

“Hybrid bonds havethe advantage that undercertain circumstances,rating agencies classify onehalf as debt and the other asequity. The coupon is alsofully tax deductible, so thiscombination makes itattractive for us to usehybrid capital even if it isclearly more expensivethan normal bonds,” hesaid. In December, RWEsold the equivalent of 15

percent worth of its stock —mainly through a capitalincrease — but fell 400million euros short of raisingthe targeted 2.5 billion eurosin fresh equity that it wanted

The recharging system of German power supplier RWEis pictured during the International Motor Show (IAA)

in Frankfurt, on 14 Sept, 2011.—INTERNET

to retain its A- credit rating.RWE considers a single Arating to be benchmark forEuropean utilities, and thecurrent negative outlookgiven by both Standard &Poor’s and Moody’s puts ittowards the bottom of its peergroup that includes E.ON ,Iberdrola and EDF .

As a result of theDecember stock sale, inwhich investors were entitledto the full dividend for 2011even if some had only ownedRWE stock for less than a

month, the payout per sharewill decline substantially.“We aim to maintain ourdividend policy thatdistributes 50-60 percent ofour recurrent net income,” hesaid, adding this would bepaid out this year to a largernumber of investors.

Reuters

No formal bid yet for bankrupt Saab

A Saab logo covered with rain drops isseen on a vehicle in Zurich, on 24 June,

2011.—INTERNET

MILAN, 22 Jan—Plans tolaunch a European ratingsagency to compete with S&P,Moody’s and Fitch are at anadvanced stage and a newprivate institution could startbusiness as soon as the firsthalf of this year, Germanbusinessman Roland Bergertold an Italian newspaper.

The founder ofconsultancy Roland Bergersaid he hoped a new private,non-profit organization, in

STOCKHOLM, 22 Jan— The receivers forbankrupt car maker Saab are talking withseveral bidders and would like to sell theSwedish company as a whole, but there havebeen no formal bids yet, they said onSaturday. Saab was declared bankrupt inDecember after frantic rescue efforts by itsformer owner, Swedish Automobile.

Chinese group Zhejiang YoungmanLotus Automobile could make a fresh bid inthe coming week, sources have told Reuters.

“We have had discussions with anumber of interested parties. Some of themare interested in the factory as a whole andsome of them are interested in parts of it,”Hans Bergvist, one of the receivers, toldReuters in a telephone interview.

“There have been no formal bids,”added fellow receiver Anne-Marie Pouteaux.General Motors, which still licenses

technology to Saab, blocked earlier rescueefforts, saying it did not want helpcompetitors. Swedish newspaper DagensIndustri has reported Turkish private equityfirm Brightwell, as well as Indian utilityvehicle maker Mahindra and Mahindra Ltdare also interested.—Reuters

European rating agency could launch in 2012the form of a foundation,could be ready in “the firsthalf or the first nine monthsof the year,” according toSaturday’s Corriere dellaSera.

Berger, who has beenlobbying Europeangovernments and companiesto gather support andfinancing for a new agency,hopes to have raised the 300million euros of capitalneeded from European

investors by that time, thepaper said.

“The proposed modelis of an agency where theservice is paid by theclients, who have aninterest in having reliableand objective results,”Berger said.

Reuters

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Endangered turtle to be tracked in CambodiaBANGKOK, 22 Jan—

One of the world’s mostendangered turtles hasbeen released into aCambodian river with asatell i te transmitterattached to its shell totrack how it will navigatethrough commercialfishing grounds and otherman-made hazards.

The 75-pound (34-kilogram) southern riverterrapin — one of onlyabout 200 adultsremaining in the wild —waddled into the SreAmbel river insouthwestern Cambodiathis past week to thecheers of local residentsand conservationists.

The New York-basedWildlife ConservationSociety said the femaleterrapin was given to thegroup last year instead ofbeing sold to traffickerswho have decimated thecountry’s population ofturtles and other speciesto cater to demand forexotic wildlife in China.

The southern riverterrapin, once consideredthe sole property ofCambodia’s kings, onlysurvives in the wilds ofMalaysia, Indonesia andCambodia, the group saidin a statement.

The population in

In this photo taken on 16 Jan, 2012, provided by TheWildlife Conservation Society, a 75-pound (34-kilogram)

southern river terrapin, one of only some 200 adultsremaining in the wild, waddles on sand as it is released

near the Sre Ambel river in Cambodia.—INTERNET

the Sre Ambel river isestimated at less than 10nesting females.

But it said the terrapinsthere have an excellentchance of recovery becausecoastal mangrove forests inthe region are among thelargest and most pristine inSoutheast Asia, spanningsome 175 square miles(45,000 hectares).

The first-ever satellitemonitoring of the specieshopes to determine how theturtle will fare amongfisherman as well as in areas

threatened by sand miningand conversion ofmangrove forests intoshrimp farms.

A small population ofthe species was found in2000 in Sre Ambel afterbeing considered locallyextinct for many years.

Following the brutalrule of the Khmer Rouge inthe mid-1970s which leftthe country devastated,poor rural dwellers scouredthe forests for wildlife,much of which was sold totraders connected to China,

where many wild animals— from turtles to tigers —are believed to possessmedicinal and sex-enhancing properties.

The turtle project isbeing run by the WildlifeConservation Society incooperation with theCambodian governmentand Wildlife ReservesSingapore, a zoologicalenterprise.—Internet

US, Russia to conduct jointAntarctica inspection

WASHINGTON, 22 Jan—The United States and Russiawill jointly inspect foreignfacilities in Antarctica to makesure environmental and otherresponsibilities under the 1959Antarctica Treaty are beingmet, the State Department saidSaturday.

A US-Russian team willtravel to Antarctica January23-28 to check foreign stations,installations and equipment,it said. “The US-Russian teamwill review adherence by treatyparties to their obligations,including with respect tolimiting environmentalimpacts, ensuring thatAntarctica is used only for

peaceful purposes and thatparties honor the prohibitionon measures of a militarynature,” it said. This wouldbe the first joint inspectionever by either country toreview compliance with the1959 treaty and itsenvironmental protocol. Thelast US inspection was in2006. Currently 49 nationsare signatories of the treaty,which sets aside Antarcticaas a scientific preserve wheremilitary activity is banned.Signed in 1991, theenvironmental protocolprovides for environmentalimpact assessments andwaste management, anddesignates protected areasin order to safeguard thepristine region’s marineenvironment and its flora andfauna.—Internet

A village of tents, wherescientist sleep, is seen in

front of the Belgian PrincessElisabeth polar station inUsteinen, Antarctica in

2009. The United States andRussia will jointly inspect

foreign facilities inAntarctica to make sureenvironmental and otherresponsibilities under the

1959 Antarctica Treaty arebeing met, the State

Department saidSaturday.—INTERNET

Games company revealsdetails of Resident Evil 6LONDON , 22 Jan — The games developer announced

they are currently working on the new instalment of thepopular zombie series. An official trailer for the game wasreleased on Thursday (19 January), and hinted that parts ofit will be set in China. Resident Evil 6 is due to be releasedon 20 November for consoles, with a PC version of the gameto follow soon after. Capcom said Chris Redfield and LeonKennedy — characters from previous games in the series -would star alongside a number of new characters in RE6.

Speaking about the game’s plot, the company said: “Ithas been ten years since the Raccoon City incident and thePresident of the United States has decided to reveal the truthbehind what took place in the belief that it will curb thecurrent resurgence in bioterrorist activity.” “Due to be bythe President’s side is his personal friend and Raccoon Citysurvivor, Leon S. Kennedy, but when the venue suffers abioterrorist attack, Leon is forced to face a Presidenttransformed beyond recognition and make his hardest everdecision.”— Internet

Resident Evil 6 will be released in November 2012,Capcom have confirmed. — INTERNET

Kodak sues Samsung over imagepatents in latest lawsuit

The ability of Samsung’s cameras to upload pictures to remote serversmay infringe Kodak’s patents.— INTERNET

NEW YORK , 22 Jan — Eastman Kodak is suing Samsung over claims itspatents have been infringed. The US camera and printer maker said thecomplaint relates to five of its digital imaging technologies. It is the latestin a series of patent lawsuits filed by the firm since the start of the year. Kodaksaid on Wednesday that it was seeking bankruptcy protection. That followedan announcement in July that it was looking to sell or license about 1,100digital imaging patents. The latest alleged infringements include technologyto make an electronic camera capable of “automatically transmittingimages... to a service provider using a network configuration file,” andhaving a “communications interface for selectively transmitting imagesover a cellular phone network and a wireless LAN network to a destination”.Samsung launched its AllShare Play cloud storage service, which allows itscameras to upload pictures to remote servers after they are taken, earlier inthe month.

The South Korean firm could not be reached for comment. Samsungsettled a previous dispute in 2010 after its Blackjack II camera was accusedof infringing Kodak patents. It agreed to a cross-licensing deal whichinvolved it paying royalties to its rival. Further financial details were notdisclosed. Kodak has also filed lawsuits against Apple and HTC involvingthe same five patents. — Internet

McAfee tackles ‘spamhijack’ flaw in anti-

malware codeLONDON , 22 Jan — A leading anti-virus

software firm says a flaw in one of its programshas exposed its customers’ computers to therisk of being hijacked by spammers. McAfeesaid it planned to release a patch for its SaaSfor Total Protection service by the end ofThursday. The software is marketed as a“peace of mind” solution offering “completeemail and web protection”. McAfee saidthere had been at least one related attack, butstressed that users’ data had not been put atrisk. The problem was exposed on British artfirm Kaamar Limited’s blog earlier this week.

Keith and Annabel Morrigan posted awarning to other owners of the product afterreceiving a message alerting them to the factthat their server had been sending out spamemails. They said that further research hadrevealed their computer had been sendingout the equivalent of what would have been10 months’ worth of normal traffic in oneday. After linking the botnet attack to aproblem with their anti-malware software’s“Rumor Service” they said that they hadalerted McAfee to the problem on 5 January.

Internet

One affected business said its emailaddress had been blacklisted as a result

of being hijacked.— INTERNET

P5(23).pmd 1/23/2012, 9:08 AM5


Pakistani plain-clothespolicemen display seizedexplosive material and

ammunition to the mediaduring a news

conference at the PoliceCrime InvestigationDepartment (CID) in

southern Pakistani portcity of Karachi on 21Jan, 2012.—XINHUA

Gingrich win in South Carolina prolongsGOP race

COLUMBIA, (The UnitedStates) 22 Jan—Republicanvoters in South Carolina havethrown open the party’spresidential nomination raceby giving former Housespeaker Newt Gingrich aresounding victory in theparty’s first primary in theSouth on Saturday.

Gingrich’s win with some40 percent of the votes was thethird by a different candidatefrom the first three primaries,the first time this hashappened in recent history.Former Massachusettsgovernor Mitt Romney wonthe New Hampshire primary,and former Pennsylvaniasenator Rick Santorum wonIowa’s caucuses.

That means moreuncertainty at least until thenext primary in Florida, andpossibly beyond that.

The victory for Gingrich

also implies trouble forRomney, a multi-millionairewho struggled in debatesleading up to the primary overwhether he should release histax returns.

Thomas Mann, a USpolitics expert, said Romney,in his own halting andconfusing way, had

“effectively released his taxreturns by acknowledgingthat his effective tax rate wasaround 15 percent.”

Romney made theacknowledgement in the pastweek during a campaignevent, after being pressedduring the debate to releasehis tax returns.—Xinhua

Newt Gingrich (C), former US House of RepresentativesSpeaker, speaks during a victory party in Columbia,

South Carolina, the United States, on 21 Jan, 2012. NewtGingrich won the South Carolina Republican primary

earlier Saturday.—XINHUA

Reunited Haiti family carries on 2 yrs after quakeCALEBASSE, 22 Jan—The

American missionariesarrived in a beige bus in thedays after the earthquake,promising a better life for thechildren of this village in themountains above Haiti’s

Pressures on rival Palestinians may lead tocollapse of entire political platforms

GAZA, 22 Jan—Thedivided rival governments ofthe West Bank and the GazaStrip are facing heavypressures, with thePalestinians calling on themto immediately achieve fullpolitical and nationalreconciliation, otherwise thewhole political system of thePalestinians might sooncollapse. Observers areincreasingly slamming thetwo existing governments —one in the West Bank ruled bythe Palestinian NationalAuthority (PNA) and theother in the Gaza Strip ruledby Islamic Hamas movement— as the efforts to achieve aninternal reconciliationbetween them have beengoing too slow.

Since 2007, the twogovernments have been

towards reducing the generalbudget as well as thesignificant increase of prices.

To get out of the crisis,Fayyad recently presentednew plans to reduce thebudget and to approve thelaw of early pension for morethan 26,000 employees, inaddition to amending the VATtax law. However, these planswere heavily slammed byunions and corporations.

Xinhua

working separately in runningthe Palestinians’ daily affairsamid an obvious internaldivision, with eachgovernment establishing itsown ministries that follow twodifferent policies, strategiesand attitudes.

A prominent Palestinianpolitician told Xinhua that“our political system is facinga real danger amid difficultchoices ... Unfortunately, weare expecting more and wewill pay a heavy price beforethe reconciliation is fullyimplemented.”

In the West Bank, thecaretaker government ofprominent Palestinianeconomist Salam Fayyad iscurrently facing heavycriticism, due to corruptioncases of two of its ministers,the government’s attitude

In this photo taken on 17Jan, 2012, Leila

Laurentus, left, and hersister Soraya embracetheir mother ManetteRicot at their home in

Calebasse, on theoutskirts of Port-au-

Prince, Haiti.—INTERNET

capital.The Idaho-based

Baptist volunteers said theywanted to rescue the boysand girls they believed wereorphaned by the 12 Jan, 2010,quake. But their effort to spiritaway 33 children to theneighbouring DominicanRepublic failed when theywere stopped by police andthen jailed on kidnappingcharges. It later came out thatall the children had parents.

Two years on, residentsof Calebasse describe atempered sense of hope fortheir returned children evenas they struggle against

hardship. A humanitariangroup has provided thefamilies modest aid, andUNICEF has helped thechildren by building newschools.

“We still have problemsbut the children are able to eatand go to school,” said LellyLaurentus, 29, a computerrepairman who’s been unableto find work except as anoccasional cab driver.

Laurentus, whose twodaughters boarded the beigebus late that morning inJanuary 2010, thought he wassending them to a better life.

Internet

Singapore PM hopes for Yearof the Dragon baby boom

SINGAPORE, 22 Jan—Prime Minister Lee HsienLoong said on Sunday hehoped “fervently” thatSingaporeans would boost thecity-state’s stubbornly-lowbirth rates in the coming Yearof the Dragon.

In his Lunar New Yearmessage sent to the media,Lee — a father of four — saidgrowing Singaporeanfamilies was an “importantpriority” and that more localborn babies were needed tomaintain Singapore’snational identity “I ferventlyhope that this year will be abig Dragon year for babies...This is critical to preserve aSingapore core in our society,”he said. “We do not want torely more and more heavily on

immigration, nor do we want tosee our population shrinkingyear by year.” The Year of theDragon is regarded as the mostauspicious to have a babybecause it is the only mythicalcreature among the dozenanimals that represent eachyear in the Chinese cosmiccycle. Superstitious Chinesebelieve children born duringthe Year of the Dragon — thesymbol of ancient emperors— will possess courage andwisdom and bring luck to theentire family Historic datashows spikes of more than 10percent in the city-state’s totalbirths during the most recentdragon years, 2000 and 1988,even as numbers declined inthe interim years.

Internet

Two pregnant women walk along a street in Singapore.Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Sunday he

hoped “fervently” that Singaporeans would boost thecity-state’s stubbornly-low birth rates in the coming Year

of the Dragon.—INTERNET

Portuguese PM: Structuralreforms to continue even ifexternal situation worsens

LISBON, 22 Jan—Portuguese Prime MinisterPedro Passos Coelho saidSaturday that the governmentwill carry on structural reformseven if the external situationgets worse.

Speaking on a workshopon structural reforms, theprime minister stressed thegovernment’s economicpolicy and celebrated the laborpolicy agreement signed withemployer’s associations andone of the two Portuguesetrade union federations.According to Passos Coelho,the main reason for thestructural reforms is thePortuguese economyurgency to get morecompetitiveness.

“We are doing this forus, not for you,” he said,addressing the represen-tatives of the EuropeanCentral Bank, the EuropeanCommission and the IMF thatwere in the audience.

In his speech, the primeminister quoted some of theachievements of hiseconomic policy. In his list ofvictories were the 4.4 percentof the GDP structural deficitand the curve that points outto a 2.6 percent primarystructural surplus. He alsoquoted the Bank of Portugalreport that points out to anexternal balance of trade verynear to a surplus. Among thestructural reforms, heemphasized two aspects: thelabour market reform and thejustice reform.

On the justice reform,Passos Coelho said thatcompanies need a stableenvironment.

The aim of the reform willbe to give morecompetitiveness: “There arecontradictions in oureconomic ambiance thaturgently need to beremoved.”

Xinhua

JERUSALEM , 22 Jan — In a region where most land is desertand droughts are commonplace, growing a tree is not a guilt-free pleasure. The joy we felt in watching our lemon tree beingmanoeuvred off the back of a flatbed truck by two burlydelivery men was surely very similar to the joy you would feelin growing it from seed.It just took half an hour, rather thanhalf a lifetime.

There is an economic issue admittedly. So far I haveharvested only four of my lemons and I think they have costabout £100 ($155) each, but I am obviously hoping that theaverage price will fall over time. For all the fragile grace withwhich it dances in the chilly winter winds, the tree concealsan astonishing number of thorns beneath its gentle leaves -although at the moment it is pricking my conscience more thanmy fingers.

The problem is, that like most balcony gardeners in Israel,we have installed a miniature irrigation system to keep thelemon tree alive in the brutal heat of summer. It does notamount to much more than a couple of metres of brown plasticpiping and a timer attached to a tap. But every time I hear themuted sloshing of another carefully calibrated dose, thedesert around us feels a little drier. — Internet

Growing the world’s mostexpensive lemons

KevinConnolly’slemon tree

has pride ofplace on his

balcony.INTERNET

P6(23).pmd 1/23/2012, 9:08 AM6


I do not have a head forheights. And paradoxically,I love flying. I dreamt of itsince my childhood years,maybe as a superman or abird or something. I neverlook down when I am in anelevator. My knees may betrembling or my hands maybe wet with clammy sweats.I have such a conflictedattitude. As a frequenttraveler, I could no longerevade trip by air. I happenedto take a domestic flightrecently. I booked a flightfrom Yangon to Tachilek in

turning a profit in upcomingfiscal year.

I have to confess that Irecited some prayers just afterboarding the Fokker andbeaming smiles of air hostesseshelped me feel relaxed. Thetakeoff was much smootherthan I expected. I was flyingand no more frightening. I gotthe window seat. The onlythings I could define on theearth from the air were mightygreen mountains of BagoYoma and Yangon-MandalayExpressway, straight andstretching. Cordial and

also grasp the meaning of thetown that “Kengtung” isderived from “Nongtung”.Nongtung lake at its heart is alocal landmark. Some says thelake is formed by water runfrom cooking rice to be offeredto the Lord Buddha. “Nong”means “gathered” and“tung”, “water”. Anotherversion also says“Nongtung” means “icedwater”. Other significanttourist attractions are LoneTree Hill and Maha MuniBuddha Image to which youpay homage once, you getanother chance to revisit thetown, many travelers believe.

The road to Tachilek isnarrow and surrounded byvast mountain ranges, withsome decorated with terracecultivation and somedeforested. Shelves offirewood were foundfrequently by the road. Hereand there are bare hills whichbrought sweet faces ofstewardesses to my mind. Letme explain. I have learnt theywear makeup heavily at risk oftheir lovely faces. But the keyto their services I think is sweetsmiles they wear, not makeup.Does it deserve sacrificing? Iprefer to see air hostesseswith plain pretty faces wearingcharming smiles.

The bus stopped atMongphyat for dinner. Thenight had fallen when wecrossed Tahlay, a quake-hit

town. We are used to praise itas a phoenix rising from theashes for its rapidrejuvenation from the strongearthquake. The phoenix wassleeping when I touched it.

We arrived at Tachilek,one of the easternmost townsof Myanmar, late at night. Thefestival was starting. Tachilekwas celebrating LahuTraditional New Year from 19to 21 January. “There are threekey new year festivals inTachilek, one of Lahu,another of Akha and one moreof Shan,” a local friend of

town, traditional New Yearfestivals have been allowedto celebrate for about threeyears, he added. Most kidswere flying hydrogenballoons on their return fromthe festival. I found the samescene in Bagan at AnandaPagoda Feast on Full MoonDay of Pyatho. Maybe fromdifferent topographies, whatchildren mostly want is simplythe same thing. Origin, race,colour and others are whatmen use to distancethemselves away from others.Through rose-colouredglasses, definition ofhappiness for the entiremankind may be the same.

A couple of big namesand Lahu national singersentertained festival-goers.Fireworks were set off as themidnight neared. Vendorsdisplayed their booths oftraditional and Thailand-made products on theplayground where the festivalwas held. Baht is the mostlyused currency in Tachilek.Some shops do not even knowthe exchange rate and onlyaccept Baht. Most can speakThai. I surfed TV channels atthe hotel only to learn all werein Thai and Chineselanguages. That is commonamong border towns thatsimilar culture is shared.Tachilek shared borders withThailand and Laos, forminga region known as “Golden

Triangle”.Earlier in the next

morning, I visited FriendshipBridge under which Mae SaiRiver is streaming and overwhich commuters to MaeSai of Thailand and Thaivisitors, locally known asFarangs, are streaming. Thename “Tachilek” isinterrelated with the river. Itis derived from Mezali(Cassina siamea) tree,which is called “Tachilek”in Shan language, at the bankof Mae Sai River. I found anumber of school buses,heading Mae Sai, werepassing the bridge. AlsoFarangs and their cars areallowed to visit Tachilek. Ifelt sad to say goodbye toTachilek all too soon. I prettyenjoyed the short sojournthere.

On my return trip, I tookthe same flight as I did theprevious day. The sameflight and the same crew, itgave me same pleasantluxury. I boarded off inMandalay InternationalAirport where I was pickedup by the free-of-charge busof Sun Far. The bus reacheddowntown Mandalay afterabout-an-hour drive. It wasalmost the night. The culturalcity was bustling withmotorbikes. I visited MahaMyat Muni Buddha Image,locally known as Phayagyi.I then proceeded toKywesekan expressterminal, one of threeterminals in Mandalay. Thecramped terminal washeavily crowded.

I took the bus boundfor Nay Pyi Taw, the capitalof Myanmar. My journeywas started from thecommercial hub, destinedfor the easternmost part ofthe country and finished atthe administrative city.New friends I won alongthe trip introducedthemselves as Aukthar,lower Myanmar, orTaungpawtha, dwellers inhilly region, or Anyarthar,upper Myanmar. But, I sawno difference.

by H. K. AyePhotos: A. M. Soe

An orangevendor

passes overMyanmar-

ThaiFriendship

Bridge.

On arrival atKengtungAirport.

Sweetservices.

eastern Shan State at SunFar Ticketing Agency.Unfortunately, there is nodirect flight to Tachilek onThursdays as its airport isunder repair on Thursdaysand Fridays. Sun Far offeredan option to me, saying theyare providing free-of-chargetransportation services toTachilek from KengtungAirport on these days. Ihappily accepted the offer.Isn’t it a surplus experienceto explore more of ShanPlateau by traveling by bus?

Myanma Airways fliesthe route and Sun Farprovides services, bothticketing and on-board,under a joint venture by thetwo groups. I had alreadyheard about the news of thenational flag-carrier, bothgood and bad. Most wereabout courage or expertiseof its crews. The jointventure between the state-owned airline and theleading private tour agencyis assumed to be the earlysign of a new trend of state-owned enterprises towards

beautiful flight attendantswearing makeup offeredvarious meals, snacks anddrinks, cold or hot. Taste good.Along the trip, our flight hadtwo stopovers at MandalayInternational Airport andHeho Airport. The pilotinformed passengers thattemperature at Heho Airportwas one below zero. Afterabout three hours on air,towering mountain rangessaid hello to me before theaircraft landed KengtungAirport. Cold evening breezerushed through my face. Is it awelcome Kentung extendedto me?

An air con bus of Sun Farwas waiting for Tachilekpassengers at the airport. Thebus left Kengtung, headingeast. I could not help gaspingat how beautiful Kengtung is.The valley town issurrounded by steepmountains which might beacted as natural fortress inthe past. That may be whysome say the name Kengtungmeans “walled city of Tungcivilization”. Some records

mine said. Tachilek is a hometo various national races.Shan, Akha and Lahuconstitute most of thepopulation. As peace hasbeen restored in the border

New friends Iwon along the

trip introducedthemselves as

Aukthar, lowerMyanmar, or

Taungpawtha,dwellers in hilly

region, orAnyarthar,

upper Myanmar.But, I saw no

difference.

NLMNLMNLMNLMNLM

p7(23)(HKA).pmd 1/23/2012, 9:08 AM7


YANGON, 22 Jan—Union Minister forAgriculture and Irrigation U Myint Hlaingtogether with Deputy Minister U Khin Zawyesterday morning delivered an address atthe opening of former personnel’s office ofIrrigation Department and ceremony to payrespects to above 75 years old personnel atthe office in Mayangon Township.

The Union minister presented K 1million for providing health care of the agedformer personnel, and wellwishers donatedcash to the funds of the association.

Irrigation Department Director-GeneralU Kyaw Myint Hlaing formally opened the

University of Pharmacy (Yangon)celebrates 20th anniversary

YANGON, 22 Jan—Aceremony to mark the 20thanniversary of theUniversity of Pharmacy(Yangon) in WebagiMyothit of North OkkalapaTownship was held at theuniversity this morning.

On the occasion, ChiefMinister of Yangon RegionU Myint Swe delivered anaddress, saying that theUniversity of Pharmacy(Yangon) was opened at thebuilding of former BOC

College in YangonUniversity campus in 1992and then it was moved toWebagi Myothit in NorthOkkalapa Township in 2001.The art of pharmacy isplaying a key role not onlyin production ofpharmaceuticals fordevelopment of industrialsector of the State but also inupgrading health sector ofthe people, he said. He urgedfaculty members to uplifttheir pharmacy education

Union A&I Minister visits 400-tonAyeya Hintha Rice Mill

office of the association.Next, the Union minister inspected

storage of rice to be exported and productionprocess of 400-ton Satake Rice Mill of AyeyaHintha Co in Hlinethaya Industrial Zone.

The rice mill can mill 400 tons qualityrice per day.

The Union minister and party viewedPalethwe rice, Palethwe hybrid paddy seedsand Armo fertilizer at 100-acre Palethwehybrid paddy plantation near KyaiksagaingVillage of Taikkyi Township.

At 4 pm, he visited the Paddy ResearchTraining School in Hmawby Township.—MNA

Union Minister for Finance and Revenue U Hla Tun received 2011IMF Article IV Consultation Mission led by Deputy Division Chief of

Asia and Pacific Department of IMF Ms Meral Karasulu at his office inNay Pyi Taw on 20 January. Deputy Minister U Win Than and

Governor of Central Bank of Myanmar U Than Nyein were alsopresent at the call.(News reported)

MNA

Rural school gets new buildingTHAZI, 22 Jan—A ceremony to hand over new school

building to Ministry of Education was held at BasicEducation Primary School in Pinmon Village of ThaziTownship on 27 December afternoon.

Mandalay Region Hluttaw representative U San Tunand township level departmental officials formally openedthe new building.

Wellwisher U Ohn Myint handed over documentsrelated to the building to Township Education Officer DawThan Than Aye. Later, wellwishers donated cash to thefunds of the school.—Township IPRD

Clinic for Sangha openedHINTHADA, 22 Jan—The Jivita Gonyi clinic that will

give health care services to members of the Sangha free ofcharge was opened at Mogaung Monastery in Hinthadaon 17 January afternoon.

Pwintbyu Township opensrural health branch

PWINTBYU, 22 Jan—A self-reliant rural health branchwas opened in Shwehlay Village of Pwintbyu Township on6 January.

Magway Region Minister for Agriculture andLivestock Breeding U Aung Naing and local authoritiesformally opened the branch.

The region minister presented anti-snake venom to thevillage health subcommittee.

The building of health branch is 30 feet long, 20 feetwide and 10 feet high, built at a cost of K 3.5 millioncontribution of the people.

Township IPRD

MAHLAING, 22 Jan—A new building of Basic EducationPrimary School was opened in Awzachan Village ofMahlaing Township on 2 December 2011.

Pyithu Hluttaw representative U Aye Mauk ofMahlaing Township donated K 100,000, 15 bags of cementand 10 dozens of exercise books to the headmistress.

Township Education Officer Daw Aye Than presenteda certificate of honour to land plot donor U Than Naing-Daw Tin Tin Mya.

Local authorities formally opened the school buildingthat measures 90 feet long and 30 feet wide.—Myanma Alin

New school building opened

DISTRICT NEWS

The clinic was built with contribution of K 10 millionby wellwisher U Win Thein-Daw Aye Aye Khaing ofMandalay and other donors.

The clinic is being kept open from 1 pm to 4 pm dailythree days a week under supervision of the 10-membercommittee of townselders.—Myanma Alin

NAY PYI TAW, 22 Jan—Kachin State Anti-Human Trafficking Committee met on 19January at State General AdministrationDepartment in Myitkyina.

Chairman of the committee StateCommissioner U Min Chit Oo called forprevention and fight against trafficking inperson and rescue of trafficked persons andeffective implementation of rehabilitationworks. The committee vice-chairman

Kachin State’s Anti-Human TraffickingCommittee meets

commander of the State Police Force PoliceColonel Myint Lwin explained formation ofanti-human trafficking squads.

Next, personnel elaborated oninstructions of the central committee meetingheld in Nay Pyi Taw, probing of cases andeducative works, and cooperation ofrespective departments. The committeechairman highlighted the issue as a nationalduty.—MNA

YANGON, 22 Jan—Siam City CementPublic Company Limited of Thailand andits Myanmar sole distributor SinpoonchaiCompany Limited (Bangkok) and TunAkaree Company Limited hosted a ThankYou Party of Insee Diamond Cement atChatrium Hotel, here, on 16 December.

Chairman of Tun Akaree Co Ltd U Tun

Insee Diamond Cement hosts Thank You PartyLwin and Executive Vice-President(Marketing & Sales) of Siam Cement PublicCo Ltd Ms Chartana Sukumanont extendedgreetings. They presented prizes to topdealers of Insee Diamond Cement and giftsto customers.

Siam City is targeting to claim a leadingrole in Myanmar’s cement market.—NLM

NAY PYI TAW, 22 Jan—The President, thevice-president and CEC members of MyanmarMaternal and Child Welfare Associationundertook mobile health care in HsutatVillage of Toungoo Township yesterdaymorning.

While in Hsutat Village, wellwishersand responsible persons of MMCWA donated

MMCWA provides mobile health care inToungoo Township

cash to the funds to be spent on referring theemergency patients to the hospital.

At Toungoo Township MCWA Office,they donated K 200,000 to the funds of thetownship association and provided disposalequipment for the delivery room of theassociation and K 100,000 to its fund.

MNA

and pharmacy professionand to turn out qualified newgeneration pharmacists.

Deputy Minister forHealth Dr Daw Myat MyatOhn Khin made a speech.Rector of the university ProfDr Daw Marlar Myint and anold student spoke words ofthanks.

Later, the ChiefMinister and party viewedround the documentaryphotos displayed at the hall.

MNA

P8(23).pmd 1/23/2012, 9:08 AM8


Hand-made Paper of Shan State Byline & Photos:Sai Tha Hlaing (Orange Land)

About 11 miles fromHsipaw in Shan State Southlies Kyinthi Village besideMandalay-Lashio UnionHighway. Farming andorange is the economicmainstay of the village.

Besides, there is atraditional cottage industrythere which is production ofShan paper or Mongkaipaper in which every housein the village is engaged forextra income. Shan paper ismade from the bark of treecalled “Sar”. Such trees growwild naturally.

First, the bark is dried inthe sunlight, which is thenboiled in the water withashes. Not an easy task this

process is as it needs to cookthe bark until it becomestender. The boiled pulp isthen rinsed to clear the ashes,which is pounded on the rock

with a wooden mallet.The next step is to cut

neither-thick-nor-thin clothinto square according to thepaper size desired. If the clothis coarse, the paper made isrough and if it is smooth, itcannot be soaked and thuspaper of middle class is usedin this stage. This cloth isthen stretched and tied tobamboo splints. The next isthe preparation of a small vatof the same size as thescreen.

The screen is immersedin the small vat and thenpounded “sar” pulp ispoured down on it from thebamboo container in whichthe pulp is soaked well. Then,it is taken out of the containeralong with the screen, whichis put under the sunlight tolet the water drain out. Thisprocess only lasts for a daywith enough sunshine. Thenext step is to rub the paperwith tea cup or polishedwooden rod. Then the paperis peeled away from thescreen.

It is the handicraft ofShan State and the wholeproduction process is made

by hand, said 77-year-oldShan paper manufacturerDaw Nai Ying.

Shan paper or Mongkaipaper is manufactured overone million sheets permonth. Previously, there

Being the open season,as the time now is, foreigntourists are visiting the worksites of Shan papermakingindustry. Some Shan villagesmake the paper to be thickenough to use as bed sheets

cottage industry and itsmarket, I have such a strongbelief that if this businessis run on industrial scalefor the long-run and not asextra-income-generationwork during the free time of

“Sar” tree, the basic raw material of Shanpapermaking.

Shan papers drained and dried in the sunlight.

The boiling process of“sar” fiber.

The beating process of“sar” fiber.

Soaking “sar” pulp inbamboo container.

Making ofscreen.

The final step,peeling the paper

from cloth.

were two kinds of paper, butnow only one kind priced atK 6000 to K 7000 for 100sheets. It enjoys high demandin market thanks to itsconsiderable tear-offresistance.

whereas some use it aswaterproof wear after coatingwith lacquer. The paper iscalled Mongkai paper for it isoriginated in MongkaiTownship.

Having observed this

Winners in Developmentof School Libraries andReading Habit…

(from page 16)He also presented six Sky Net Receivers

for BEHSs in the township through theheadmasters.

The Yangon Region minister andofficials then presented prizes to awardwinners in contests at high school, middle

school and primary school levels.The chairman of Myanmar Library

Foundation donated publications for schooland ward libraries in the township throughofficials.

First prize winners demonstrated theirtalents and video documentary was shown.

The ceremony concluded with thesiging of a song by students.

Union Minister U Kyaw Hsan cordiallygreeted those present at the ceremony.

MNA

YANGON, 22 Jan—Members of MyanmarWriters and Journalists Association, writersChit Naing (Psychology), Myinmu MaungNaing Moe and Maung Sanda (Lewe) gaveliterary talks to aid development of rurallibraries and encourage reading habit of ruralpeople.

They gave literary talks in MankyisaukVillage, Dabayin Township, Sagaing regionon 9 January, in Aungtha Village of KhinU

Literary talks held in Dabayin Township,Sagaing Region

Township on 10 January, listened by localvillagers and enthusiasts of the surroundingvillages.

Likewise, Myinmu Maung Naing Moeand Maung Sanda (Lewe) gave literary talksin Pegyigyun Village of Hinthada Townshipin Ayeyawady Region on 9 December, inThosemyayysaing Village in the townshipon 11 December and Oatpon Village on 30December last year.—MNA

MLF Patron Union Information and Culture Minister U Kyaw Hsanawards Ma Thet Oo May, first-prize winner in basic education primary

level poem recitation contest.—MNA

farming, it would muchfacilitate the implementationof rural development andpoverty alleviation scheme.

Translation: TKKMyanma Alin

22-1-2012

P9(23).pmd 1/23/2012, 9:08 AM9


Crews contain Reno fire that claimed 29homes

RENO, 22 Jan—As rain helped crewssurround a brush fire that destroyed 29 homesand forced thousands to flee, the family of theblaze’s only known fatality said on Saturdaythat prosecuting the man who admitted tostarting it wouldn’t “do any good.”

June Hargis, 93, was found dead in astudio apartment next to her daughter’s homein Washoe Valley, where the fire startedThursday. Sheriff Mike Haley said her causeof death has not been established, so it’s notknown if it was fire related. No other fatalitiesor major injuries were reported.

Fire officials say an “extremelyremorseful” elderly man admitted on Friday toaccidentally starting the fire when heimproperly discarded fireplace ashes outsidehis home in the valley’s north end.

Hargis’s son, Jim Blueberg, 68, told TheAssociated Press that he didn’t think filingcriminal charges against the elderly man“would do any good.” “The man had thecourage to come up and say he did this. He’sremorseful. I think he’s punished himselfenough. It was a silly, stupid mistake tomake, there’s no doubt about that. But I justwant him to know I forgive him, and my heartgoes out to him,” he said.

His sister, Jeannie Watts, 70, had returnedhome from an errand to find the apartmentnext door and a barn with three horses insideengulfed in flames. She agreed that there wasprobably no need to file charges against theman. “What good is that going to do?Everything is already gone,” Watts said.

“He’ll pay the rest of his life for that,” she

added. The fire, which grew to more than 6square miles, burned through sagebrush,pastures and pines in a rural area with scatteredsmall neighborhoods south of Reno.

Gov Brian Sandoval, who toured the areaFriday, said “there is nothing left in some ofthose places except for the chimneys andfireplaces.”

Fire officials declared the blazecontained on Saturday after a storm broughtprecipitation that the region hasn’t seen inmonths. All evacuations were lifted and US395 reopened through the 3,200-acre firezone.—Internet

A man cries after pulling hisgrandmother’s coffee mug out of the

rubble of her home on 21 Jan, 2012, inPleasant Valley, south of Reno, Nev.

INTERNET

POUGHKEEPSIE, 22 Jan—A fire tore through a privatehome being rented by MaristCollege students nearcampus early Saturdaymorning, killing threepeople, authorities said.

The victims wereidentified as two femaleMarist students in their early20s and one male, who wasnot a student at the school.Their names have not beenreleased. Four other peoplein the house escaped withoutserious injuries.

Marist Collegepostponed two basketballgames “out of respect for thestudents affected by thistragedy,” Deborah DiCaprio,Marist’s vice president anddean for student affairs, said

Three dead in fire at NY houserented by students

in a statement on Saturday.The off-campus house

on Fairview Avenue wasbeing rented by six femaleMarist students, Town PoliceChief Thomas Mauro said.

At the time that the firewas initially called into 911by a passer-by at about 1:30am, Mauro said seven peoplewere in the house — fourresidents and three maleguests. The police chief saidthe group had gone to bedabout an hour before the firewas called into authorities.“There was no issue that theywere aware of in the housewhen they went to bed,” hesaid, basing his comments oninterviews with the foursurvivors.

At least two people

jumped through a window tosafety after realizing that thehouse was engulfed in flames,he said.

The first firefighters torespond to the emergency calltried to get into the house,but were forced back by theheat and flames, said ChrisMaeder, chief of the FairviewFire District, one of a handfulof agencies that responded tothe emergency call.

One victim was foundon the second floor of thehouse, one was downstairsand the third was under“considerable collapseddebris,” the police chief said.The four survivors were takento a hospital, where they weretreated and released.

Internet

The exhibition“Western

Mythology andLegends:

Selected Worksfrom the LouvreMuseum” willopen to visitorsin Taipei on 20

January.XINHUA

Storm blankets Northeast with a few inches of snowPHILADELPHIA, 22 Jan—A

few inches of snow coatedthe Northeast on Saturday ina storm so rare this season inthe East that some welcomedit.

“We’ve been verylucky, so we can’t complain,”said Gloria Fernandez of NewYork City, as she shoveledthe sidewalk outside her

workplace. “It’s nice, it’sfluffy and it’s on theweekend,” she said of thesnow, which hadn’t fallen inthe city since a rare Octoberstorm that that dumped morethan 2 feet of snow in partsand knocked out power tonearly 3 million homes andbusinesses in the region.

By midafternoon, 4.3

inches of snow had fallen inCentral Park and 3.4 inchesat LaGuardia Airport in NewYork. Most of easternPennsylvania, includingPhiladelphia, and centralNew Jersey saw about 4inches of snow, with a fewplaces reporting up to 8inches. Flurries and freezingrain fell around Washington,DC.

In Massachusetts, theNational Weather Servicesays 11 inches fell in theBristol County town ofAcushnet. Cape Cod also sawhigh totals, including nearly10 inches in Bourne,noteworthy in a seasonmarked by a lack of snowthroughout the Northeast.

The fast-moving stormleft several inches of snow inRhode Island, where thecoastal areas took the hardesthit. More than nine inchesfell in North Kingstown. LittleCompton in Newport Countywas also hard hit, as eightinches fell there. The storm

was expected to move out tosea overnight.

Road conditions werefair on Saturday, officials said.Crews in Pennsylvania andNew Jersey began saltingroads around midnight andplowing soon after. Bymidmorning, the snow hadturned to sleet inPhiladelphia north throughcentral New Jersey and hadstopped falling altogether byearly afternoon.

“It’s a fairly moderatesnowstorm, at best,” saidweather service forecasterBruce Sullivan.

Few accidents werereported on the roads, helpedby the weekend’s lack of rushhour traffic, but New Jerseytransportation spokesmanJoe Dee cautioned drivers tobuild in more time for trips.Though temperatures willwarm up this afternoon hesaid, forecasters expect thewet ground to freeze againovernight.

Internet

A worker clears snow from the sidewalk of Public School140 on the Lower East Side neighbourhood of New Yorkon 21 Jan, 2012. New Yorkers awoke Saturday morningto find an inch or two of snow on the ground, with moreon the way as a storm that had been in the Midwest on

Friday moved east.—INTERNET

Customer shoots robberysuspect at SC Waffle ShopSPARTANBURG, 22 Jan—

Authorities say a customer ata South Carolina Waffle shoppulled a gun and shot one oftwo men trying to rob therestaurant.

The Greenville Newsreports that the shooting tookplace early Saturday morninginside a Waffle Shop offInterstate 85 in SpartanburgCounty. Coroner RustyClevenger identified the deadman as 19-year-old DanteLamont Williams of Roebuck,who was shot in the head and

body.Spartanburg County

Sheriff Chuck Wrightdeclined to identity thecustomer, citing concerns forhis safety. Authorities saidthe customer had a concealedweapon permit and tried tohold the two men at gunpointuntil officers arrived, but thatone suspect began to pointhis gun at the customer, whothen fired shots. The secondrobber fled and is beingsought by authorities.

Internet

14 Indonesian, Korean crewrescued in Philippines

MANILA, 22 Jan—A cargo ship loaded with iron ore haslisted off the eastern coast of the Philippines, and passingboats rescued the 14-member crew.

Philippine coast guard operations officer Mark Anguesays the Panamanian-registered M/V Sun Spirit began to liston Saturday off Catanduanes Province and sent a distresssignal. The coast guard immediately deployed three ships anda helicopter for a search and rescue. Angue says the coastguard later learned that the 12 Indonesian and two Koreancrewmen abandoned their China-bound ship, which camefrom the central Philippine province of Leyte.

Coast guard Admiral Ramon Liwag says a passingPhilippine cargo ship rescued 11 of the crewmen while afishing boat saved three others. It’s unclear whether thedisabled ship sank.—Internet

Passenger boat sinks offIran, 15 missing

Visitors learn about a new style giant combined harvesterat the 77th International Green Week in Berlin,

Germany, on 20 Jan, 2012. The International GreenWeek (IGW) opened on Friday in Berlin, featuring foods,specialities and agricultural products across the world,with high-level panels on efficient, sustainable ways of

feeding the expanding world population. —XINHUA

TEHERAN, 22 Jan—Apassenger ship carrying 22people sank off the Iraniancoast near the port of BandarAbbas on Saturday, theofficial IRNA news agencyreported.

The report did not givethe cause of the incident but

said so far only seven peoplehad been rescued.

Local ports official, AliAkbar Safaie, said the boatwas travelling from the Islandof Hormuz to Bandar Abbas.Rescue efforts werecontinuing, he said.

Reuters

p10(23).pmd 1/23/2012, 9:08 AM10


Dutch sailor LauraDekker throws a rope as

she docks her boat inSimpson Bay Marina inSt Maarten, on 21 Jan,

2012.—INTERNET

Teen ends globe-circling voyage in St MaartenPHILIPSBURG, 22 Jan—

Laura Dekker set a steady footaboard a dock in St Maartenon Saturday, ending a yearlongvoyage aboard a sailboatnamed “Guppy” that appar-ently made her the youngestperson ever to sail alonearound the globe, though hertrip was interrupted at severalpoints. Dozens of peoplejumped and cheered as Dekkerwaved, wept and then walkedacross the dock accompaniedby her mother, father, sisterand grandparents, who hadgreeted her at sea earlier.

Dekker arrived in StMaarten after strugglingagainst high seas and heavywinds on a final, 41-day legfrom Cape Town, South Africa.“There were moments where Iwas like, ‘What the hell am Idoing out here?,’ but I neverwanted to stop,” she told

reporters. “It’s a dream, and Iwanted to do it.”

Dekker claims she is theyoungest sailor to complete around-the-world voyage, butGuinness World Records andthe World Sailing SpeedRecord Council did not verifythe claim, saying they no longerrecognize records for youn-gest sailors to discouragedangerous attempts. Dutchauthorities tried to blockDekker’s trip, arguing she wastoo young to risk her life, whileschool officials complainedshe should be in a classroom.

Dekker said she was bornto parents living on a boat nearthe coast of New Zealand andsaid she first sailed solo at 6years old. At 10, she said, shebegan dreaming aboutcrossing the globe. Shecelebrated her 16th birthdayduring the trip, eating

doughnuts for breakfast afterspending time at port with herfather and friends the nightbefore in Darwin, Australia.

Internet

Moreforeigncapital

expectedin

Indonesiaon credit

ratinghikes

JAKARTA, 22 Jan—Indonesia is going to enjoymore foreign capital inflows asthe Southeast Asian largesteconomy had got credit ratinghike to investment grade fromtwo rating agencies, spurringthe much-needed infrastruc-ture development in thecountry. Moody InvestorService on Wednesdayupgraded the Indonesiangovernment foreign-and-localcurrency bond ratings to Baa3from Ba1, putting Indonesia’soutlook at stable following thesimilar suite by Fitch’s ratingagency on 15 Dec that raisedthe country’s credit ratingfrom BBB- to BB+, putting

An artifact returned by Italy to Libya, known as theHead Domitilla, which was stolen from Sabratha, Libyain 1990, is seen on display during Italian Prime MinisterMario Monti’s visit to Tripoli, Libya, on 21 Jan, 2012.

INTERNET

Italy returns 2,000 year-oldstatue to Libya

TRIPOLI, 22 Jan—Italy has returned to Libya the head ofa 2,000 year-old statue that was smuggled out of the countryin the 1960s.

Prime Minister Mario Monti gave the sculpted head ofDomitilla Minor, the daughter of Roman emperor Vespasian,to Libyan authorities during his trip to Tripoli on Saturday.

The sculpture was taken from Libya’s northwestern cityof Sabratha in the 1960s, and recently auctioned at Christie’s.

Monti was making his first visit to Libya.Internet

Japanese man swims palacemoat ‘to meet emperor’

TOKYO, 22 Jan—A Japanese man who was arrested onearly Sunday inside the Imperial Palace grounds in Tokyowearing only his underwear told police he swam across themoat to meet the emperor.

The man, in his 30s, did not seemed to have a clear politicalmotive, said a duty officer at the Imperial Guard Headquarters.

“At the time of his arrest, around 4:34 am, he said ‘I cameto see the emperor. I swam’,” the officer said.

His clothing was found on the side of a public roadsurrounding the moat, the officer said, adding that policewould examine whether he is mentally fit to stand in criminalproceedings.

Light but cold rain fell in Tokyo early Sunday, withtemperatures around 4.0 degrees Celsius (39 degreesFahrenheit).—Internet

File photo shows moat outside the Imperial Palace inTokyo. A Japanese man who was arrested on early

Sunday inside the Imperial Palace grounds in Tokyowearing only his underwear told police he swam across

the moat to meet the emperor.—INTERNET

South Korea decries US washing machine probe mount refrigerators fromSouth Korea and Mexico,which totaled more than $3billion in 2010.

US imports of residentialwashers from South Koreaand Mexico were valued at anestimated $659.1 million and$450.2 million, respectively,the department said.

“Whirlpool is taking thislegal action to protect its23,000 US employees and thecommunities in which theywork from practices used bySamsung and LG that violateUS and international tradelaws,” the company said in astatement.—Internet

SEOUL, 22 Jan—SouthKorea objected strongly onSaturday to a planned USinvestigation into imports ofKorean washing machineswhich could trigger hugeimport duties, saying theaction was unfair.

The US CommerceDepartment said on Friday itwas launching the probe,requested by Whirlpool Corp,that could lead to import dutieson more than $1 billion ofwashing machines fromSouth Korea and Mexico.

The action comes

despite the two countriessigning a free trade agreementlast year.

The century-oldAmerican manufactureralleges South Koreanproducers are sellingresidential washing machinesin the United States at prices31 percent to 82 percent belowfair market value, theCommerce Department said.

It also accuses Mexicansuppliers of undercutting USprices by 27 percent to 72percent.

South Korea’s Ministry

of Foreign Affairs and Tradesaid it had “raised strongobjections to the unfairness”of the probes, via a letteraddressed to the CommerceSecretary and a series of high-level official talks.

“In addition, (theministry) will call on the USside to proceed with fair andobjective probes,” thestatement said.

In October, the USCommerce Department setpreliminary anti-dumpingduties ranging up to 37percent on imports of bottom-

Indonesia in a par with India.The decisions are taken amidthe downgrades of credit ratingin countries in Europe.Indonesia had lost the statusfrom both agencies since theAsian financial crisis.

The decision of the twoagencies on Indonesia hasbeen conducive for foreignfund managers to put theirinvestment in the emergingeconomy, where boomingmiddle class can boostdemand in the country homedby about 238 millionpopulation. It is needed at leasttwo investment grade statusfrom three rating agencies,Fitch’s Rating Agency,

Moody’s Investor Service andStandard and Poor’s, for fundmanagers to allocate theirinvestment in an emergingeconomies. “The global fundsmanagers can start to executetheir investment plan into anemerging economy like ourcountry when it hasinvestment grade status fromtwo rating agencies,”Chairman of IndonesianInvestmen Board GitaWirjawan has said recently.

It is predicted that thecredit hike status is going toadvance the country’s bonds,boost share market andappreciate rupiah against theUS dollar.—Xinhua

BELFAST , 22 Jan — There have been no new cases of thePseudomonas bacterial infection in Belfast’s Royal JubileeHospital, the health minister has said. The neo-natal ward isundergoing a deep clean this weekend, following the deathsof three babies from the infection. Edwin Poots said onSaturday night there was no further need to transfer mothersoutside Northern Ireland. He said testing had shown sixconfirmed cases.

The three infants died over a two-week period this month.All the babies in the unit are being tested to see if they havethe infection. In a statement, Mr Poots said the neo-natalnetwork was “managing well”. “As one would expect incircumstances such as this, there is currently extra pressureon the system.

“However, with the help of all neo-natal units in NorthernIreland our service is coping. “ Pseudomonas can causebreathing difficulties and tissue damage. The infection canlive on surfaces for several days, one expert told the BBC, anda team of specialists is working to identify the Beolfastsource. Bio-decontamination of the main part of the neo-natal unit began on Saturday and will take about 24 hours tocomplete.

Mr Poots added: “Ensuring that we eradicate the sourceof infection and are able to fully re-open the neo-natal unit atthe Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital as quickly as possibleremains a key priority.” He said the unit was the only part ofthe Royal affected—delivery wards and all other services areoperating as normal and expectant mothers are being urged toattend their appointments as scheduled. The neo-natal unithas the highest number of intensive care cots in NorthernIreland. As a result of the infection, two mothers were sent toDublin to deliver their premature babies.

Internet

Pseudomonas infection—‘nonew cases’

The neo-natal unit at the Royal is undergoinga deep clean.— INTERNET

P11(23).pmd 1/23/2012, 9:08 AM11


Italian divers find body in cruise ship corridorROME, 22 Jan—The body of a woman

wearing a life vest was recovered by Italiancoast guard divers Saturday from a narrowunderwater corridor of the capsized cruise shipCosta Concordia, raising the death toll to 12 inthe week-old accident that has sent some lightfuel spilling into the Mediterranean offTuscany. Coast Guard Cmdr Cosimo Nicastrotold The Associated Press that the victim was

found during a particularly risky inspectionof an evacuation staging point at the ship’srear.

“The corridor was very narrow, and thedivers’ lines risked snagging” on objects inthe passageway, Nicastro said. To permitthe coast guard divers to get into the area,Italian navy divers had preceded them,setting off charges to blast holes for easierentrance and exit, he said. The woman’snationality and identity were notimmediately known. Before the corpse wasfound, 21 people were listed as missing.One of the women on the list is a Peruviancrew member, the others are passengers.

Three bodies were found in the watersnear the ship in the first hours after theaccident’ since then the rest of the victimshave all been found inside the Concordia,apparently unable to get off the ship duringa chaotic evacuation via lifeboats and laterby helicopters. Some survivors jumped offand swam to safety.

The Concordia hit a reef and ranaground on Jan. 13, while passengers dined,about two hours after the ship had set sailfrom the port of Civitavecchia on theTyrrhenian Sea. Costa Crociere has said thecaptain had deviated without permissionfrom the vessels in an apparent maneuver tosail close to Giglio, a Tuscan island, toimpress passengers aboard.

Internet

An Italian fireman descends from anhelicopter to the grounded cruise ship

Costa Concordia off the Tuscan island ofGiglio, Italy, on 21 Jan, 2012.—INTERNET

Soldier killed as bus collides with militarytruck in Philippines

MANILA, 22 Jan—Onesoldier died and another wasinjured when a military truckwas sideswiped by apassenger bus in Magalangtown in Pampanga Provinceon Sunday, a militaryspokesman said.

Maj Enrico Gil Ileto,spokesman of the Army’s 7thInfantry Division, said thetroops were on the way to acounter-insurgency opera-tion when the incidentoccurred around 1 am on a

Griffin plays inthe Central Park

in the snow inNew York, the

United States, on21 Jan, 2012. Thefirst snowfall of2012 arrived in

New York onSaturday,

decorating thecity and bringinghappiness to the

residents.XINHUA

Cargo ship tilts off centralPhilippines, crew safe

MANILA, 22 Jan—Some18 crew members were safeafter the cargo ship filled withcement tilted in waters offcentral Philippines onSunday morning, officialssaid.

Philippine Coast Guard(PCG) said they had receiveda distress call from cargo shipSeaford 2, which was carrying47,000 bags of cement.

Initial investigationfrom the coast guard showed

Passengers queue up to buy train ticket at the railwaystation of Shiyan City, central China’s Hubei Province,

on 21 Jan, 2012. Many passengers in Hubei and Jiangsuprovinces encountered heavy snow and cold wave ontheir way home for the coming Spring Festival, which

falls on 23 Jan this year.—XINHUA

DNA was planted, says man cleared of N Ireland shootingsDUBLIN, 22 Jan—A man

cleared of shooting dead twoBritish soldiers in NorthernIreland claimed on Saturdaythat his DNA was planted inthe getaway car used in theattack. Colin Duffy, 44, saidthe charges against him were“spurious” and insisted heplayed no role in the murdersof the soldiers as theycollected a pizza deliveryoutside Massereene barracksin Antrim in March 2009.

His co-accused BrianShivers, 46, was convicted onFriday of killing the twosoldiers in an attack blamedon the dissident republicangroup, the Real IRA.

Duffy, still sporting theshaggy beard he grew whileawaiting trial, told a Press

conference: “I am firmly ofthe view that my DNA arosethere because it was planted.I was never in that car.

“I state quitecategorically here that I hadno involvement in whathappened at Massereene, noinvolvement whatsoever, andthat has been vindicated incourt because there was nocredible evidence to suggestotherwise.” Judge AnthonyHart told Antrim Crown Courtthat although the prosecutionhad proved Duffy’s DNA wason a latex glove inside the carused in the attack and on a seatbuckle in the vehicle, it hadfailed to link him to the murderplot.

It is the third time in thepast 20 years that Duffy has

Colin Duffy (C) walks out of the Antrim Courthuse,Northern Ireland, on 20 January, after being cleared ofshooting dead two British soldiers in Northern Ireland.Duffy claimed on Saturday that his DNA was planted in

the getaway car used in the attack.—INTERNET

walked free after beingcharged with murderingmembers of the security forces.

Two days after the soldierswere killed, a policeman wasshot dead.—Internet

Syria seizes Lebanese boat,family says man killed

TRIPOLI, 22 Jan—Syrian forces killed a Lebanesefisherman and wounded another when they seized a boatsuspected of smuggling off the Lebanese-Syrian coast onSaturday, a relative said.

Syria’s state news agency SANA said the sailors weresmugglers and that Syria’s naval patrol tried to stop the boatbut was fired on by other nearby Lebanese vessels. It said twoof the men on the seized boat were wounded by friendly fire.

The border areas between Lebanon and Syria are knownfor smuggling, and Syrian security services have becomeespecially sensitive to contraband runs since a revolt againstPresident Bashar al-Assad erupted 10 months ago. Syriacomplains that its neighbors are not clamping down onsmuggling of weapons they say are destined for insurgents.Residents in Lebanon’s northern coastal town of Arida saidthey heard gunfire offshore but did not see who was shooting.

They said they later saw a Syrian boat towing theLebanese fishing boat toward the nearby Syrian port ofTartous. Syrian authorities did not report any deaths to SANAbut the agency said two wounded sailors were in hospital. Itsaid a third man had been “turned in to concerned authorities.”

Reuters

FARC attack on Colombiaradar delays flights, drug fight

BOGOTA, 22 Jan—Anattack by Colombian FARCrebels on a radar installationin Cauca Province delayedflights in the south of theAndean nation as well assome bound for neighbouringEcuador and Panama, thecivil aviation authority saidon Saturday.

Guerrilla fighters fromthe Revolutionary ArmedForces of Colombia launchedhomemade missiles and gascylinders at the installation,killing a police officerguarding the radar, officialssaid. The attack underscoresthe ability of the FARC, asthe drug-funded group isknown, to harm the nation’seconomic infrastructure and

highway.Ileto said the truck, which

was carrying a platoon ofsoldiers or about 30 men, wascruising the Magalang-Concepcion road when it wassideswiped by a SagradaExpress Bus which wastravelling on the oppositelane.

Ileto said the driver ofthe bus was detained at theMagalang police station,facing a charge of recklessimprudence resulting in

homicide, physical injuries,and damage to property.

“Before the impact, thetruck driver, sensing thedanger coming from the twobuses who were apparentlytrying to get ahead of oneanother, reduced his speed togive way but was still hit onthe left side,” said Ileto,adding one of the soldiersdied upon arrival at a nearbyhospital. Another woundedsoldier was in stablecondition.—Xinhua

civilian population even aftera decade-long US-fundedoffensive severely weakenedthe group and killed anumber of its leaders.

The radar, which spansabout 186 miles, providescoverage not only for civilaviation but for the fightagainst drug trafficking inthe country. Repairs on theradar will take severalmonths, Santiago Castro,director of the civil aviationauthority, said. “The solutionto prevent problems to thesecurity of flights is to spacethem out,” Castro toldreporters. “We don’t know ifthere will be reductions inflights, but there will bedelays.”—Reuters

the ship left from Iligan City insouthern Philippines and washeaded to nearby Culasi,Antique Province when theincident happened.

PCG officials werelooking into the possibilityof strong waves that broke ahole on its side of the ship,causing water to enter.

Meanwhile, the coastguard is trying to prevent oilspill as the ship has 7,000liters of gasoline.—Xinhua

p12(23).pmd 1/23/2012, 9:08 AM12


Weather forecasts areoften unreliable but wouldyou send your local weatherforecaster to jail for 10 years?A newly proposed law inSouth Africa would punishunauthorized weatherforecasts with jail time andfines, according to theMother Nature Network.

The law would requirestate-sanctioning for anyweather forecasts issuesoutside of the government’sSouth African WeatherService (SAWS). More fromMNN:

As written, the SouthAfrican Weather ServiceAmendment Bill would affectnot just TV weathermen andonline weather sites but alsocommunity-based weatherservices. First offenses would

South African law would jailmeteorologists for weather

forecasts

Authorities in Florida said a man who fled the scene ofa crash led deputies on a chase that ended with him flippingthem his middle fingers. Levy County sheriff’s deputies saidRoy Thomas Willard, 62, of Morriston, fled the scene of thecrash Wednesday in his Nissan Titan and made multipleillegal U-turns while fleeing pursing deputies, the SouthFlorida Sun Sentinel reported Friday.

Willard eventually stopped his vehicle and displayedhis middle finger to deputies. He was ordered to exit theNissan and responded by flipping the bird with his otherhand, the arrest report said.

Willard, who was charged with fleeing and attemptingto elude a police officer and resisting arrest with violence,apologized to a deputy when he arrived at the jail, the reportsaid.

Fleeing man allegedly flippedoff deputiesA Wisconsin man says it took him several days to

realize he held the winning ticket to a $14.3 million lotteryjackpot.

Napolean Elvord of Madison claimed the Megabucksprize Friday, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

Elvord bought the ticket to last Saturday’s drawing atthe convenience store at Kelley Williamson Mobil, where hebuys coffee more than once daily. Store employees knewthey had sold a winning ticket and asked Elvord at least twiceif it was him, being told it was not both times.

It turns out Elvord thought the big jackpot was forWednesday’s drawing — and was trying to buy a Powerballticket when he purchased the winner. He finally dug up theticket sitting on a table at his home and took it to the stateLottery office, where he learned he was the big winner.

Purchase of winning $14Mticket a mistake

Fighting dogs lunge at each other as handlers andspectators watch on the outskirts of Islamabad, capitalof Pakistan, on 21 Jan, 2012. Dog fighting and other

forms of animal fighting are common in rural areas ofPakistan where some 70 percent of 167 million

population reside. Should weather forecasters need permission from thegovernment?

be punished with a fine or upto 5 million rand (about$630,000) or five years in jail.The fines and jail time wouldbe doubled for subsequentoffenses.

Previously, it wasinaccurately reported byseveral news outlets thatmeteorologists would bepunished for issuinginaccurate forecasts. Theproposed law, if put into effect,would affect weather outletsincluding the SA Weather andDisaster Observation Service(SAWDOS), which relies onweather reports submitted bythe public. SAWDOS wasrecently credited with issuingtimely warnings for threestorms that may have helpedto mitigate property lossesand damage.

N e w s A l b u m

PARK CITY, 22 Jan—Rashida Jones was almost upstagedby her famous father, Quincy Jones, at the Sundance premiereof her film, “Celeste and Jesse Forever,” but the actress andscreenwriter didn’t mind. “He’s what he is and he will alwaysbe and has always been, way before I was here,” Jones saidSaturday. “I feel lucky to hang out with him. And we’redifferent, too. People like us for different reasons.”

She added that her dad loved the film, which explores thenature of relationships, marriage and its meaning in society.

Jones’ first screenwriting effort (with co-writer WillMcCormack) emerged from “pain, lots of pain.”

“We’re both very deeply feeling people, and we love totalk about relationships and love and feelings,” she said. “Welike to be as inappropriate as possible when things are graveand difficult, so I think it probably came from that place.

Internet

PARK CITY, 22 Jan—Richard Gere once saw Utahfrom horseback while movingcattle, but his trip to theSundance Film Festival topremiere “Arbitrage” is hisfirst actual visit to the state.

The 62-year-old actorsays “it sounds ridiculous,”but he was moving cattlethrough Nevada with somefriends and “we rode up to aridgeline and they pointed up,‘That’s Utah there.’”

Gere says it was a seven-day cattle-moving trip onhorseback.

He was in Park CitySaturday to promote“Arbitrage,” a thriller aboutthe lure of money and powerand how it affects one’spersonal values.

Directed by NicholasJarecki, the film also starsSusan Sarandon, Nate Roth

LOS ANGELES, 22 Jan—“The Artist” followed itsGolden Globe win by takingtop honors at the ProducersGuild Awards on Saturday,as the silent film continues itsunlikely run toward Oscarnight.

Producer ThomasLangmann received the awardhanded out at the BeverlyHilton by the Producers Guildof America, as “The Artist”beat out George Clooney’sfamily drama and anotherOscar favorite, “TheDescendants.”

“The Artist” won bestmusical or comedy atSunday’s Golden Globes and“The Descendants” won bestdrama along with a best actornod for Clooney, making themovies likely rivals for BestPicture at the AcademyAwards. The other nomineesin the movie category were“War Horse,” ‘’The Help,”‘’Bridesmaids,” ‘’Hugo,”

PARK CITY, 22 Jan—The rap group that createdcontroversy in the early 1990s with songs like “Me So Horny”is reuniting and hitting the road.

Luther Campbell said Saturday that 2 Live Crew is backtogether and will tour this summer. The rapper and producermade the announcement at the Sundance Film Festival, wherehe is promoting his appearance in the short film “The Life andFreaky Times of Uncle Luke.”

The 51-year-old entertainer describes the offbeat film as“an art piece” that he did to help young filmmakers who wereinspired by his hip-hop work. But his mind was on getting backwith the old crew. “I just can’t wait to just start practicing,” hesaid. “That’s going to be a blast.”

So will they be “As Nasty As They Wanna Be” (the titleof the group’s 1989 album that a judge deemed obscene, aruling later overturned by the United States Court of Appeals)?

Not really, Campbell said.—Internet

Rashida Jones unveils her rom-com atSundance

Quincy Jones, left, and hisdaughter actress RashidaJones pose at the premiere

of “Celeste and JesseForever” at the 2012

Sundance Film Festival inPark City, Utah on

20 Jan, 2012.INTERNET

A model presents acreation of Wooyoungmi

during the 2012/2013autumn-winter men’s

collection show in Paris,France, on 21 Jan, 2012.

XINHUA

Richard Gere attends his firstSundance Festival

Writer and directorNicholas Jarecki,

centre, poses with castmembers, from left toright, Laetitia Casta,Brit Marling, Nate

Parker and RichardGere at the premiere of

“Arbitrage” at theSundance Film Festival

in Park City, Utah on 21 Jan, 2012.

INTERNET

and Laetitia Casta.The Sundance Film

Festival continues through29 Jan.

Internet

A model presents acreation of Chinese

designer Wang Yutaoat Wang’s personalfashion show in the

2012 Berlin autumn/winter Fashion Week

on 20 Jan, 2012.XINHUA

‘The Artist’ silent but golden at producer awards

French Producer ThomasLangmann arrives for thescreening of “W.” by USDirector Oliver Stone at acinema in Paris, in this 21

Oct, 2008 file photo.INTERNET

actors, directors and writersguilds, the producer prizeshave become part of thepreseason sorting outcontenders for the Oscars,whose nominations come out24 Jan.—Internet

Rap group 2 Live Crew toreunite, tour this summer

In this photo taken by APImages for Fender Music

Lodge, Luther Campbell isseen at the Fender MusicLodge during the 2012

Sundance Film Festival on21 Jan, 2012 inPark City, Utah.

INTERNET

‘’The Girl With the DragonTattoo,” ‘’Midnight in Paris,”‘’Moneyball” and anotherClooney movie, “The Ides ofMarch.” Along with honorsfrom other Hollywoodprofessional groups such as

P13 (23).pmd 1/23/2012, 9:08 AM13


Blackburn holds Everton 1-1in Premier League

LONDON,—22 Jan—Blackburn dropped into thePremier League’s relegationzone on Saturday despitesnatching a 1-1 draw atEverton thanks to DavidGoodwillie’s fortunatesecond-half equalizer.

An attempted goallineclearance by Australiamidfielder Tim Cahill, whoput Everton in front, hit

TimCahill’s

clearancescrashes off

DavidGoodwillie

and intothe net.

Davies, Reo-Coker & Steinssonstrikes send lacklustre Reds to

disappointing defeat

Steinsson(wearingnumber

2) volleysin

Bolton’sthird into

thebottomcorner.

LONDON, 22 Jan—Boltonmoved out of the bottomthree after taking fulladvantage of some slackdefending to sink Liverpool.

Mark Davies opened thescoring early on when hedrifted through the centre andfound the bottom corner from15 yards.

Nigel Reo-Coker addeda second when he chesteddown and slotted in, but CraigBellamy gave the Reds hopeas he lifted the ball overgoalkeeper Adam Bogdan.

However, GretarSteinsson’s volley ensured

Goodwillie flush in the chestand rebounded into the backof Everton’s net in the 72ndminute.

Cahill had tucked the ballhome from close range in the24th for his first Everton goalin 13 months, although therewas a suspicion of handballfrom Marouane Fellaini in thebuildup.

Once Everton’s mostreliable source of goals, Cahillhadn’t scored since nettingin a 1-0 win over ManchesterCity in December 2010.

“I think he’s looked morelikely to score in recent weeks.He’s been playing better andcoming into a little bit of form,”Moyes said.—Internet

that Bolton picked up theirfirst points over Liverpoolsince 2006.

Much of the pre-matchtalk had surroundedLiverpool’s lack of goals, theirlowest at this stage of theseason since the inception ofthe Premier League 20 yearsago. Moments later, Liverpoolfull-back Jose Enrique dwelton the ball for too long on thetouchline and was disposse-ssed by the intrepid ChrisEagles who jinked along thebyeline, but his prod acrossgoal failed to find a team-mate.

Liverpool’s main hope

was an appeal for a penaltyafter the ball brushed ZatKnight’s hand in the area, butreferee Kevin Friend wasunimpressed with theirimpassioned pleas. This wasthe first time Bolton havescored three goals in a leaguegame against Liverpool since1950.

Internet

Heidar Helguson, AkosBuzsaky & Tommy Smith on

target to keep Latics rooted tofoot of Premier League

LONDON, 22 Jan—MarkHughes enjoyed his firstPremier League win at thehelm of Queens Park Rangerswith a largely comfortable 3-1 victory over the league’sbasement club WiganAthletic.

Goals from HeidurHelguson and Akos Buszakyput the home side two in frontin a scintillating first halfperformance before HugoRodallega ensured a tightfinish with half an hour to go.

Tommy Smith then scored awonder goal with 10minutes left to give Hughes’men all three points.

Rangers were gifted thelead when James McCarthyhandled in the area and

Helguson scores hissecond penalty of the

season.Helguson converted thepenalty.

Buzsaky fired home astunning free-kick thatwent in off the post.

A Hugo Rodallegafree-kick pulled a goal backfor Wigan before Smithsealed the win with a long-range effort.—Internet

ROME, 22 Jan—Francesco Totti set a new single-clubscoring record in Serie A as Roma thrashed Cesena 5-1 onSaturday, while Juventus put daylight between themselvesand the rest in a 2-0 success at Atalanta.

Club captain Totti scored twice inside the opening eightminutes, while Fabio Borini, Juan and Miralem Pjanic scoredthe other goals, with Eder netting for Cesena, who remainedrooted in the bottom three.

It meant the 35-year-old reached 211 top-flight leaguegoals for the capital club, surpassing the 210 that Swedishgreat Gunnar Nordahl managed for AC Milan more than 50years ago.

“It’s what I’ve always wanted, to wear this shirt and beatone record after another,” said Totti.

“I feel good, I’m going to enjoy this splendid moment andI will keep playing as long as I’m physically able to do whatI want to do and if that’s no longer the case, I’ll be the first tostop.”

Sixth-placed Roma are now 11 points off top spot, havingplayed a game less than Juve.

“This type of football doesn’t just please me but wouldplease any coach,” said coach Luis Enrique. “If the players

Totti breaks goal record asJuve go clear at top

AS Roma’s forward Francesco Totti (R) kicks the ballin front of Cesena defender Maurizio Lauro duringtheir Italian Serie A football match at the Olympic

stadium in Rome.—INTERNET

enjoy themselves, they have a better chance of winning.“Everything seemed easy today because we were almost

perfect in the beginning but Cesena are an excellent side. Theresult was such because we were on a very high level.”

The match was all over inside eight minutes as Romaswept into a three-goal lead, carving through Cesena’s porousdefence.—Internet

LONDON, 22 Jan—Britain’s Holly Bleasdale laid down anOlympic Games marker on Saturday when she went secondon the all-time list of women’s indoor pole vault performers.

The 20-year-old leapt to 4.87 metres at a meeting in Lyonwith only world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva (5.00m)having gone higher indoors in the history of the sport.

And only Isinbayeva (5.06m), Jennifer Suhr and SvetlanaFeofanova have bettered the mark outdoors.

The British girl had already cleared 4.71m last month,but on Saturday she improved her own UK record by onecentimetre with 4.72m and then raised the bar to 4.80m toregain the world-leading mark.

Bleasdale then progressed to 4.87m before failing at anoptimistic 5.01m.

The British vaulter has improved rapidly this seasonafter failing to achieve a single height in qualifying at lastyear’s outdoor world championships in Daegu. She iscurrently training in France alongside men’s Europeanchampion Renaud Lavillenie and is building towards theworld indoor championships in Turkey in March.—Internet

Bleasdale vaults into Olympicscontention

Britain’s Holly Bleas-dale, pictured here in2010, laid down anOlympic Games markeron Saturday when shewent second on the all-time list of women’sindoor pole vaultperformers.

INTERNET

International Sports

Nadal praises Hewitt’sfighting spirit at Aussie Open

Australia’s LleytonHewitt during theAustralian Openmatch against

Canada’s MilosRaonic on 21

January.—INTERNET

MELBOURNE, 22 Jan—Rafael Nadal has lavished praiseon the never-say-die fighting qualities of Australian warhorseLleyton Hewitt, saying he is respected and admired throughoutthe sport. The 30-year-old Hewitt has defied a spate of injuriesand a free-falling world ranking to reach the fourth round ofthe Australian Open and a showdown with defendingchampion Novak Djokovic.

The two-time grand slam champion, who has slipped to181 in the rankings, typified his fighting qualities with aresilient four-set win over big-serving Canadian Milos Raonicon Saturday to progress to the round of 16. Nadal said he wasemotional watching Hewitt, a former world number one, givinghis all to get past Raonic, at 21, nine years his junior.

Internet

Lionheart Clijsters ousts Liat Australian Open tennis

Kim Clijsters ofBelgium during the

Australian Openwomen’s singles matchagainst China’s on 22

January.INTERNET

It proved a dramatic tipping point as errors flowed fromthe racquet of French Open champion Li, who was brokenimmediately in the third set and could not claw her way backdespite pleas from her coach and husband Jiang Shan.

Li recovered to break as Clijsters served for the match butthe Belgian made no mistake on her next service game,clinching a famous win on her second match point when theChinese player netted.

“It has to be,” said a disbelieving Clijsters, when askedif it was her greatest comeback. “I can’t believe I won. I knewbefore the match it was going to be a tough match... but I didn’texpect this.” The result was a carbon-copy of last year’sgripping final when Li, as the first Chinese player in a grandslam singles title match, took the first set but then fell to piecesas Clijsters came roaring back.

Internet

MELBOURNE, 22 Jan—Defending champion Kim Clijstersbattled back from a painful ankle injury to oust China’s Li Nain three thrilling sets Sunday as Rafael Nadal remained inclinical form at the Australian Open.

In an enthralling day at sun-drenched Melbourne Park,Czech player Tomas Berdych’s win over Nicolas Almagro wasmet with deafening boos, and Juan Martin del Potro, VictoriaAzarenka and Agnieszka Radwanska all went through.

Belgium’s Clijsters looked on the verge of quitting whenshe rolled her left ankle in the first set, and despite gritting herteeth and playing on she looked down and out facing fourmatch points in the second-set tiebreak.

But the despairing Li saw Clijsters save all four, culminatingin a brave drop-and-lob combination — and the Belgian tookthe set as the flustered Li netted, and then went long.

p14(23).pmd 1/23/2012, 9:08 AM14


Weather Map of Myanmar and Neighbouring Areas

Weather for 23rd January, 2012Overseas Transmission* News* A Day Out With Sarah

(Episode-1)* News* Creation in the light* News* As a White Candle* News* Record Album* Intricate Myanmar Silver

Art* News* School Family Day* A Myanmar Tapestry* News* The Myanmar Turban

Unique* Myanmar Movie Impact

"Love Into Love"* News* Music Gallery* News* Buddha Image Built of

Bamboo Strips* Shwe Inn Tha, Eco-friendly

Resort* Myanmar Movies

‘‘The True Love’’

(23-1-12 09:30 am ~24-1-12 09:30 am) MST

MYANMARINTERNATIONAL

MYANMAR TV(23-1-2012) (Monday)

Focus Myanmar TV Programme

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

7:00 am 1. Paritta By Venerable

Mingun Sayadaw7:30 am 2. Mornning News7:40 am 3. Nice & Sweet Song8:00 am 4. Dance of National Races8:20 am 5. Documentary8:30 am 6. International News4:00 am 1. Martial Song4:10 pm 2. Dance Variety4:55 pm 3. Songs For Upholding

National Spirit5:20 pm 4. Myanmar Language5:35 pm 5. Myanmar Idol7:00 pm 6. TV Drama Series8:00 pm7. News8. World’s Stars9. TV Drama Series10. India Drama Series

DISTRICT NEWS

Temperature (°C/°F) For Tomorrow Sr.

No. Regions/States

Maximum Minimum Forecast Percent

1 Kachin 24/75 11/52 Likelihood of isolated rain or

thundershowers (60%)

2 Kayah 28/82 06/43 Generally fair weather

3 Kayin 36/97 14/57 Partly cloudy

4 Chin 17/63 -1/30 Partly cloudy

5 Upper Sagaing 25/77 09/48 Partly cloudy

6 Lower Sagaing 31/88 13/55 Generally fair weather

7 Taninthayi 33/91 22/72 Likelihood of isolated rain or

thundershowers (60%)

8 Bago 29/84 13/55 Generally fair weather

9 Magway 32/90 13/55 Generally fair weather

10 Mandalay 30/86 12/54 Generally fair weather

11 Mon 35/95 17/63 Partly cloudy

12 Yangon 33/91 14/57 Partly cloudy

13 Rakhine 27/81 15/59 Partly cloudy

14 Southern Shan 23/73 06/43 Generally fair weather

15 Northern Shan 25/77 04/39 Generally fair weather

16 Eastern Shan 27/81 07/45 Generally fair weather

17 Ayeyawady 32/90 18/64 Partly cloudy

18 Neighbouring Nay Pyi Taw 34/93 12/54 Generally fair weather

19 Neighbouring Yangon 33/91 14/57 Partly cloudy

20 Neighbouring Mandalay 30/86 12/54 Generally fair weather

Summary of

observations at

09:30 hr MST on

today

During the past (24) hours, rain have been fairly widespread in Taninthayi Region, weather has

been partly cloudy in Sagaing, Mandalay and Yangon Regions, Kachin, Shan, Chin, Rakhine,

Kayah, Kayin and Mon States and generally fair in the remaining Regions and States. Night

temperatures were (3°C) to (4°C) below January average temperatures in Upper Sagaing, Bago

and Yangon Regions, Kayah and Kayin States, (6°C) below January average temperatures in

Chin State, (3°C) to (4°C) above January average temperatures in Taninthayi Region and Mon

State and about January average temperatures in the remaining Regions and States. The

significant night temperature were Hakha (-2°C), Namsam and Pinlaung (1°C) each and Heho

(2°C). The noteworthy amounts of rainfall recorded were Myeik (1.69) inches and Kawthoung

(0.51) inch.

Bay Inference Weather is generally fair in the North Bay and partly cloudy in the Andaman Sea and elsewhere

Bay of Bengal.

State of the Sea Seas will be slight to moderate in Myanmar waters.

Outlook for sub-

sequent two days Continuation of decrease of Night temperatures in the Northwestern Myanmar Area.

Traffic rules talked inKengtung

KENGTUNG, 22 Jan—An educative talk on traffic ruleswas given at Basic Education High School No. 2 inKengtung on 10 January.

Officials of Taunggyi and Kengtung traffic policeunits and Kengtung Township Directorate of RoadTransport Administration explained car accidents in threeyears and traffic accidents in Shan State with the use ofprojector.

Kyemon

Stake driven for X-raybuilding

MAWLU, 22 Jan—A ceremony to drive stake forconstruction of the X-ray building was held in the compoundof the station hospital in Mawlu Model Village of IndawTownship on 31 December.

Station doctor Dr Phyo Kyaw Aung drove stake forthe X-ray building that measures three 10 square feetrooms.

Kyemon

Wozniacki beats Jankovic to enterAustralian Open Quarterfinals

Other winnersof the day were thirdseeded BelarusianVictoria Azarenkawho breezed pastIveta Benesova 6-2,6-2 and PoleA g n i e s z k aRadwanska, whohumbled GermanJulia Goerges tomake the final eightcut.—Internet

Top seed and WorldNo.1 Caroline

Wozniacki

Manchester City 3-2 TottenhamMario Balotelli nets stoppage-time penalty to

foil Spurs’ comeback in sensational second half

MANCHESTER, 22 Jan—Manchester City recorded asensational 3-2 victory overTottenham as MarioBalotelli netted a stoppage-time penalty to give the homeside a precious win in thePremier League title race.

City took the lead in the56th minute when SamirNasri crashed the ball intothe net after

latching onto DavidSilva’s delightful throughball. Joleon Lescott thendoubled the advantage just

minutes later, scrambling infrom a corner.

Spurs respondedimmediately as Jermain Defoecapitalised on an error fromStefan Savic to beat Joe Hartto the ball and pass home intoan empty net. Moments later,Gareth Bale looked to havecompleted the comeback forthe visitors with a fantasticstrike from outside the area ashis left footed curler sailedinto the top corner.

However, substituteBalotelli was felled in the areaby Ledley King with secondsremaining and the striker madeno mistake from the spot

sliding into the bottom cornerto give City the three points.

Roberto Mancini madeone change to the team thatbeat Wigan on Monday withthe fit-again Micah Richardsreplacing Pablo Zabaleta inthe starting line-up while

Balotelli returned to thebench. City were still withoutthe suspended VincentKompany and brothers Yayaand Kolo Toure, both onduty at the Africa Cup ofNations.

Internet

Balotellicalmlyslotted

home thedecisivepenaltyto giveCity thepoints.

MELBOURNE, 22 Jan—Top seed and World No.1Caroline Wozniacki survived mid-match jitters to beatSerbian Jelena Jankovic and advance to the last eight of the2012 Australian Open.

Danish superstar Caroline Wozniacki brushed asidethe Serbian challenge of Jelena Jankovic to advance to thequarterfinals of the 2012 Australian Open, season’s firstGrand Slam event being played here in Melbourne, Australia.

Wozniacki opened the match on a scintillating noteand reeled off six games in a row to serve Jankovic a bagel.Things changed slightly when Wozniacki squandered adouble break lead in the second set to let Jankovic levelthings up at 5-5. Another break of serve followed though,and gave Wozniacki the second chance which she pouncedat and completed the 6-0, 7-5 win in one hour and 35 minutesof play. Earlier today, defending champion Kim Clijsterssaved four match points and staged a tremendous comebackto beat Chinese Na Li in a rematch of last year’s final,winning 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 in a two hour plus battle.

P15(23).pmd 1/23/2012, 9:08 AM15

Monday, 23 January, 201215th Waning of Pyatho 1373 ME

NAY PYI TAW, 22 Jan—Speaker of Pyithu HluttawThura U Shwe Mann receiveda delegation led by USSenators Mr John SidneyMcCain, Mr Joseph IsadoreLieberman, Mr SheldonWhitehouse and Mrs KellyAnn Ayotte at Zabuthiri Hallof Hluttaw Building here at11.30 am today.

Also present on theoccasion together withSpeaker of Pyithu HluttawThura U Shwe Mann werechairmen of Pyithu HluttawCommittees, secretaries andofficials of the HluttawOffice.

The US senators wereaccompanied by Charge d'Affaires ai of US Embassy toMyanmar Mr Michael EThurston.

They held discussions

Speaker of Pyithu Hluttaw Thura U Shwe Mann receivesSpeaker of Pyithu Hluttaw Thura U Shwe Mann receivesUS Senator Mr John Sidney McCain and partyUS Senator Mr John Sidney McCain and party

on further strengthening tiesand friendship between thetwo countries and

Speaker of Pyithu Hluttaw Thura U Shwe Mann receives a delegationled by US Senator Mr John Sidney McCain at Zabuthiri Hall of

Hluttaw Building in Nay Pyi Taw.—MNA

YANGON, 22 Jan—Information and PublicRelations Department, No (3) BasicEducation Department, Myanmar LibrariesFoundation and Myanmar Writers andJournalists Association organized

Winners in Development of School LibrariesWinners in Development of School Librariesand Reading Habit Festival awardedand Reading Habit Festival awarded

cooperation between the twoparliaments in a cordialmanner.—MNA

Union Minister for Information and for CultureU Kyaw Hsan presents prize to Maung LwinMoe Aung of Botahtaung BEHS-6 in middle

school level essay competitions.MNA

Significant nighttemperatures(22-1-2012)

Haka (-2°C)

Namhsan (1°C)

Pinlaung (1°C)

Heho (2°C)

Development of School Libraries andReading Habit Festival whose prize-presentation ceremony was held at No (6)Basic Education High School in BotahtaungTownship here this morning.

Patron of Myanmar LibrariesFoundation Union Minister for Informationand for Culture U Kyaw Hsan addressedprize-presentation ceremony of the festival.

The ceremony was also attended byYangon Region Minister for Finance andRevenue Daw San San Nwe, departmentalheads, officials, members of socialorganizations, departmental personnel,headmasters and headmistresses, students,parents and invited guests. Schoolchildrenopened the ceremony with a song.

The Union minister in his speech saidMLF is initiating school-based programmesfor cultivating reading habit of people andstudents and will continue to do the same inmany townships of Regions and States.

Youths are strength of the future nation,he said. He urged youths to master academicsubjects, emphasizing three points—to getdown to further reading, to instill themselvesgood morals since young, to build up physicaland mental fitness, and to extend socialsphere, to develop knowledge to intelligence,through innovation to be able to serve theinterests of the country and to cultivate

nationalistic fervour.Efforts for establishing self-reliant

libraries and providing assistances to librariesto meet five standards for their endurance arebeing carried out, he went on.

He underscored the need to cooperate inthe stride by the entire people as developmentof libraries and reading habit is a nationalresponsibility in the interest of the State andthe people.

Chairman of Myanmar LibrariesFoundation U Maung Maung explained aboutformation, aims, duties, and works of thefoundation.

The Union minister then presentedprizes to winners in essay, extempore andpoem reading contests.

The Union minister accepted donationsof stationery, cash and publications for sixBEHSs in Botahtaung Township from ElevenMedia Group, Seikku Cho Cho PublishingHouse, U Hla Tun Aung (Maung MaungTun Aung-Health), Pyinnya ShwetaungPublishing House, U Maung Myo (MaungMyo Two Cats Publishing House).

(See page 9)

Arsenal 1-2 Man UtdDanny Welbeck hits dramatic late winner to keep

champions within touching distance of CityLONDON, 23 Jan—A late strike

from Danny Welbeck gaveManchester United victory at Arsenaland ensured they stayed three pointsbehind leaders Manchester City.

After a quiet opening Ryan Giggspicked out Antonio Valencia to headUnited in front at the far post.

Arsenal were far better after thebreak and after Robin van Persiemissed a gilt-edged chance, he made

no mistake with another opportunityfrom 15 yards. But Valencia ghostedthrough and Welbeck lashed home fromclose range.—Internet

Antonio Valencia’s opener wascancelled out by Robin VanPersie but the visitors strucklate to inflict a third straightPremier League defeat onArsene Wenger’s team . . .

Valencia gets above Vermaelen to head United in front.

P16(23).pmd 1/23/2012, 9:08 AM16

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