Travel-airfare site help to build up your link Popularity and give you higher Page Rank. http://www.travel-airfare.info SINGAPORE: From January 12, Singaporeans heading to the United States must obtain travel authorisation at least three days ahead of their trip. Otherwise, they may be denied boarding, experience delayed processing, or be refused admission at a US port of entry. The US embassy in Singapore said travellers can apply through the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) at the Department of Homeland Security's ESTA website at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov. There is no fee for ESTA authorisation. Once approved, ESTA applications are valid for multiple entries into the US for up to two years, or until the traveller's passport expires - whichever comes first. Additional information about ESTA can be found at http://www.cbp.gov/esta. More information about visa application procedures is available at http://singapore.usembassy.gov. Singapore is one of 35 countries eligible under the US Visa Waiver Program, which allows citizens from eligible countries to visit the US for up to 90 days without a visa. http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/S_poreans_must_apply_for_authorisation_72_hours_before_flying_to_US.htm 7th Jan,2009 KATHMANDU, Nepal : At least two people drowned and another 20 were missing after a crowded ferry capsized in a river in eastern Nepal, according to police. "The bodies of two people have been recovered some five kilometres (three miles) downstream near the Indian border and around 20 are still missing," police officer Chakra Basnet told AFP. "The number of the people on board has remained sketchy but some of the survivors said the number was around 40." Around 10 passengers were rescued and seven others swam to safety, said Basnet, who was involved in the rescue operation in Sunsari district, 230 kilometres (145 miles) southeast of Kathmandu. Earlier officials said that the boat was carrying around 50 people. Chief government administrator Durga Bhandari told AFP that the overloaded boat capsized after it hit a tree floating in the middle of the Koshi river. "There was a heavy fog in the morning and the boatman failed to see the tree," said Bhandari. He said that several boats have been in operation for passengers crossing the Koshi after the river breached its flood defences last year and swept away roads connecting the eastern parts of Nepal. More than 50,000 people in Nepal and one million people in India were displaced after the river washed away a dam and changed course. Boat accidents are common in Nepal as most vessels are overcrowded and do not follow safety measures. http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/u2mae58j0d.htm 5th Jan,2009 TOKYO: Japan's parliament convened Monday for a session on measures to revive the flagging economy with Prime Minister Taro Aso under pressure both from within and outside the ruling bloc to call a snap election. Aso, whose support rate has dwindled to around 20 per cent in recent polls, is introducing a 4.79 trillion yen (US$52 billion) supplementary budget for the year to March 2008 and a record-high annual budget for fiscal 2009. The packages include tax cuts, cash rebates and other incentives aimed at stimulating the world's second largest economy, which has slipped into recession. "We face a mountain of difficult issues sitting before us. But let us be united and go through the parliament session," Aso told his ministers in the new year's first cabinet meeting, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura. Economic measures will be the main focus of the Aso administration, Kawamura said as parliament started the 150-day session. "We will turn the public anxiety into a sense of relief with this economic stimulus package, which ranks among the most far-reaching of measures" taken around the world, Kawamura said. However, the Aso government faces tough battles on the legislative floor. The opposition, which controls the less powerful upper house, is gearing up to block bills from the ruling party and is demanding an early snap election. Even some senior members from within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) - which has been in power for all but 10 months since 1955 - have launched fresh criticism against Aso in the new year. Former LDP secretary general Hidenao Nakagawa lamented Aso's plan to raise the consumption tax in three years' time, saying the discussions could "further hurt the Japanese economy." Nakagawa has also suggested starting a new faction within the ruling party by grouping lawmakers who oppose Aso's ideas. Former reform minister Yoshimi Watanabe has also reiterated his call for snap elections and changes in the proposed budget. Aso on Sunday said he would not call elections at least for a few months, pledging instead to tackle the worsening economic crisis. http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/Pressure_mounts_on_Japan_PM_Aso_as_parliament_meets.htm 5th Jan,2009 WASHINGTON: President-elect Barack Obama, starting his new life in Washington, faced Sunday the first major embarrassment over his cabinet lineup as his choice for commerce secretary was forced to pull out. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said he was withdrawing his name from contention for the economic job owing to an investigation into a financial company doing business with his state. Richardson's withdrawal came after Obama left Chicago for Washington to join his family and begin the final countdown before his inauguration as president on January 20. After winning plaudits for a smooth transition process thus far, Obama must now rapidly find a replacement to Richardson on top of crafting a mammoth economic rescue bill that Democrats in Congress hope to pass early next month. The package, worth up to US$1 trillion, is needed to prevent a "much deeper economic downturn" with the United States already in the grip of recession, Obama said Saturday in a weekly radio address. In a joint statement issued with Obama, Richardson said he had asked the president-elect to pull his name from the Senate confirmation process with "great sorrow." "But a pending investigation of a company that has done business with New Mexico state government promises to extend for several weeks or, perhaps, even months," he said in the statement, without going into details. The Commerce Department is not in the front lines of US economic policy-making, but Richardson, a heavy-hitter who was said initially to be in consideration for the State Department, becomes the first big name to quit the putative Obama administration. The withdrawal came a month after Obama nominated the top Hispanic politician to the Commerce Department on December 3, when a federal grand jury investigation into the company was already under way. "It is a measure of his willingness to put the nation first that he has removed himself as a candidate for the cabinet in order to avoid any delay in filling this important economic post at this critical time," Obama said. The federal grand jury in Albuquerque is investigating how the company, CDR Financial Products, won lucrative contracts to advise New Mexico state authorities four years ago after donating money to Richardson. Richardson, insisting he had done nothing wrong, said he would continue as New Mexico governor "for now" as the investigation into the California-based firm plays out. On Monday, the president-elect was to hold a flurry of meetings on Capitol Hill and convene his economic team - now shorn of Richardson. Obama landed at Andrews Air Force Base, at 7:00 pm (0000 GMT), and then shuttled by motorcade to Washington to join his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, who are preparing to enter the exclusive Sidwell Friends School Monday. The incoming first family are staying at the luxury Hay-Adams Hotel overlooking the White House before moving to the president's official guest home, Blair House, on January 15. Discussing Obama's top domestic priority, House of Representatives Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told "Fox News Sunday" that Democrats in Congress hope to approve the economic stimulus plan by early February. While confirming the package would total from US$775 billion to US$1 trillion, Hoyer said it was unlikely lawmakers would get the recovery package passed before inauguration day as initially hoped. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was more circumspect about the bill's timing, but also stressed that speed was essential. "We'll be working nights. We're going to be working weekends. We're going to get this done," he said on ABC, pledging to reach out to Republicans who are fretting about the prospect of a far-reaching expansion of government. Obama got a taste of Republican opposition to come after the New York Times reported Sunday that he was considering a major expansion of government health care insurance and unemployment benefits in the stimulus bill. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said those proposals amounted to "very big systemic changes" that would permanently alter the economy, and demanded further debate. http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/Obama_heads_to_Washington_grapples_with_cabinet_headache.htm 5th Jan,2009 SINGAPORE : The foreign worker community in Singapore is facing the impact of the economic downturn. While the Manpower Ministry has said that foreign workers seeking assistance for salary arrears has remained at 0.2 per cent in the last few years, some volunteer groups helping foreign workers said they are seeing more of them coming to seek help. With the recession deepening, volunteer groups expect more jobless foreign workers to spend even more time in cramped dormitories. One dormitory in Tagore Lane recently saw a chicken pox outbreak, leaving one worker dead. After inspecting the area, the Health Ministry advised supervisors to provide the sick with a separate toilet, which seems to be a luxury in dormitories. Dr Noor Abdul Rahman, chair, Direct Services, Transient Workers Count Too, said: "Very often, some of these dormitories are not properly equipped with, for example, a proper sick bay, where a sick worker can recuperate and in a better environment, and be isolated from his peers, especially if it is an infectious disease." Transient Workers Count Too has also seen injuries sustained at workplaces going untreated. The volunteer group cited instances where an employer would make their workers sign informal contracts, stating that S$50 will be deducted for every day of sick leave taken. The recent case where an employer was fined for housing his foreign worker in a bin centre may be extreme. But volunteer groups said that some employers have a misconception that foreign workers live in slums back home. Volunteer groups also said that it is common to find cockroaches and bed bugs in dormitories, making it easy for infectious diseases to spread rapidly. Jolovan Wham, executive director, Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics, said: "I went to Bangladesh last year, and I went to a village, where in this village, many of these workers... go overseas to work. It is clean, it is hygienic, it is not cramped, it is comfortable." Volunteer groups hope that to ensure foreign workers' welfare, the Manpower Ministry can conduct a thorough survey of the workers' living spaces islandwide. They also hope to see closer collaboration between the Health and Manpower Ministries to reduce the spread of infectious diseases amongst foreign worker communities. In this economic downturn, they also hope for more rigorous checks on companies' cash flow status, so that foreign workers will be paid for an honest day's work. http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/kw36520o7c.htm 5th Jan,2009 SINGAPORE : Two more Singaporeans have been confirmed dead from the fire which engulfed Bangkok's Santika Pub during New Year celebrations early Thursday. They are 40-year-old Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore officer Leslie Yeo and 26-year-old undergraduate Lu Weiye. Thai authorities confirmed their identities through DNA testing. DNA from both victims' parents, provided by the Singapore Embassy, was used to make the positive identification as well as partial dental records. Singapore's Foreign Affairs Ministry has sent its condolences to the victims' families and is helping to repatriate the bodies. This brings the number of Singaporeans killed in the fire to three. The body of the first Singaporean identified - Teo Sze Siong - arrived home on Saturday night. His brother, Teo Sze Lam, said: "My brother was filial and he was always very concerned about my mom." 38-year-old Teo Sze Siong was among 62 people who perished in the Santika Pub's ill-fated New Year's Eve party in Bangkok. The air traffic controller was the fourth in a family of five children. The family said it was not Mr Teo's first visit to the nightclub. He had been there on various occasions to catch up with Thai friends working in the aviation industry. So when the incident happened, it came as the shock to the family as they did not expect a tragedy like this to happen. Teo Sze Lam said: "I was hoping that they got the wrong person. But after speaking to the police the next day, and looking at his belongings, it all pointed to the fact that it was my brother. "He was not that badly burnt. We could see that the skin, the first layer is very reddish. His face is reddish, his hair is still there. His hair was not burnt at all." He added that he was most grateful to Mr Chee Eng Thiam, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who helped make nearly all the arrangements in Bangkok. His family has chosen to close his casket and will only show it to family and close friends. Mr Teo's wife and mother are still coming to terms with the incident. A text message containing a New Year greeting sent just five minutes before midnight was the last time the family heard from Mr Teo. His funeral will be held on January 7 at Mandai Crematorium. Four Singaporeans survived the blaze. Donald Loh and girlfriend Adeline Tok suffered burns and are being treated in a Bangkok hospital. Two others, Melvin Lee and Adrian Ou, returned home on Saturday night. http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/Two_missing_S_poreans_confirmed_dead_in_Bangkok_pub_fire.htm 4th Jan,2009 TOKYO: Japan's parliament convened Monday for a session on measures to revive the flagging economy with Prime Minister Taro Aso under pressure both from within and outside the ruling bloc to call a snap election. Aso, whose support rate has dwindled to around 20 per cent in recent polls, is introducing a 4.79 trillion yen (US$52 billion) supplementary budget for the year to March 2008 and a record-high annual budget for fiscal 2009. The packages include tax cuts, cash rebates and other incentives aimed at stimulating the world's second largest economy, which has slipped into recession. "We face a mountain of difficult issues sitting before us. But let us be united and go through the parliament session," Aso told his ministers in the new year's first cabinet meeting, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura. Economic measures will be the main focus of the Aso administration, Kawamura said as parliament started the 150-day session. "We will turn the public anxiety into a sense of relief with this economic stimulus package, which ranks among the most far-reaching of measures" taken around the world, Kawamura said. However, the Aso government faces tough battles on the legislative floor. The opposition, which controls the less powerful upper house, is gearing up to block bills from the ruling party and is demanding an early snap election. Even some senior members from within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) - which has been in power for all but 10 months since 1955 - have launched fresh criticism against Aso in the new year. Former LDP secretary general Hidenao Nakagawa lamented Aso's plan to raise the consumption tax in three years' time, saying the discussions could "further hurt the Japanese economy." Nakagawa has also suggested starting a new faction within the ruling party by grouping lawmakers who oppose Aso's ideas. Former reform minister Yoshimi Watanabe has also reiterated his call for snap elections and changes in the proposed budget. Aso on Sunday said he would not call elections at least for a few months, pledging instead to tackle the worsening economic crisis. http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/ym8qes2x5g.htm 4th Jan,2009 WASHINGTON (AFP) - - The US space agency's Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity this month mark their fifth anniversary on the Red Planet, where they have endured harsh conditions and revealed a deluge of information.   The twin robots, which landed on Mars three weeks apart in January 2004, were initially expected to have just 90-day missions, but have since sent back to Earth a quarter-million images, toured mountains and craters and survived violent dust storms. "The American taxpayer was told three months for each rover was the prime mission plan. The twins have worked almost 20 times that long," said NASA assistant administrator Ed Weiler in a statement. "That's an extraordinary return of investment in these challenging budgetary times." The rovers, which along with 250,000 images have sent back to Earth some 36 gigabytes of data, have greatly advanced NASA's understanding of Mars' geology, including peeks into the planet's wet and habitable past. Analysts say the wealth of information data will keep scientists busy for years as they further unravel the vast banks of data. Since 2004 the machines have covered 21 kilometers (13 miles) of Mars' characteristic red rock desert, driving inch by inch to avoid chasms and rocky obstacles, picking up samples and snapping images to beam back to mission control on Earth. "These rovers are incredibly resilient considering the extreme environment the hardware experiences every day," said John Callas, project manager for Spirit and Opportunity. "We realize that a major rover component on either vehicle could fail at any time and end a mission with no advance notice, but on the other hand, we could accomplish the equivalent duration of four more prime missions on each rover in the year ahead." While the machines have had relatively balmy 20 degree Celsius (68 degree Fahrenheit) summers, they have had to endure frigid extremes, where temperatures of minus-100 degrees Celsius (minus-148 degrees Fahrenheit) in winter are common. Harsh Martian winds, however, have provided an occasional cleaning job to the rovers' solar panels -- critical instruments to power the machines. This unconventional aid, however, has not be reliable, with the Spirit machine's panels hardly clear enough to survive its third southern hemisphere winter, which ended in December. Although the 820-million-dollar project's mission began as scientific, the it has become something much larger, according to Steve Squyres of Cornell University, the rover mission's principal investigator. The journeys "have led to something else important," he said. "This has turned into humanity's first overland expedition on another planet. "When people look back on this period of Mars exploration decades from now, Spirit and Opportunity may be considered most significant not for the science they accomplished, but for the first time we truly went exploring across the surface of Mars." The continuing wealth of data provided by the rovers is a welcome hold-over for the US space agency, which was forced to delay a landmark mission to Mars by 26 months last month. The 2.3- billion-dollar Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is now expected to be launched in 2011. Launch opportunities for Mars come only every 26 months, when the planets are in right alignment.   http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/vj6x1q5t1j.htm 4th Jan,2009 SYDNEY (AFP) - - Saving the planet by eating kangaroos and wild camels may seem like pie in the sky, but the offbeat menu comes with a scientific stamp of approval in Australia. The aim in both cases is to reduce damage to the environment, but the reasoning behind the push to put the animals on the menu is sharply different. In the case of kangaroos, environmentalists say the national animal should become a dietary staple in place of cattle and sheep as part of the fight against global warming. The farm animals make a major contribution to Australia's greenhouse gas emissions simply by belching and farting, while kangaroos emit negligible amounts of dangerous methane gas. In other words, there should be more kangaroos and fewer farm animals. "For most of Australia's human history -- around 60,000 years -- kangaroo was the main source of meat," the government's top climate change adviser Professor Ross Garnaut noted in a major report on global warming recently. "It could again become important." In the case of camels, scientists say eating the imported animals would be one way of reducing the million-strong feral herd -- one of the largest on earth -- running amok in the fragile ecosystems of the outback. "Eat a camel today, I've done it," says Professor Murray McGregor, co-author of a three-year study on the humpbacked pests presented to the government last month. In each case, the scientists admit they face a struggle to change Australia's eating habits, but believe strongly in the need to somehow cut the numbers of sheep, cattle and camels. Garnaut's study concluded that by 2020, beef cattle and sheep numbers could be reduced by seven million and 36 million respectively, allowing for an increase in kangaroo numbers to 240 million by 2020, from 34 million now. He acknowledged, however, that there were some problems in this plan, including livestock and farm management issues, consumer resistance and the gradual nature of change in food tastes. The idea of farming kangaroos -- which appear on the Australian coat of arms -- for human consumption is distasteful to some, but many health-conscious Australians already eat kangaroo meat. "It's low in fat, it's got high protein levels, it's very clean in the sense that basically it's the ultimate free range animal," says Peter Ampt of the University of New South Wales's institute of environmental studies. A similar argument was put forward last month in an attempt to whet Australian appetities for camel meat. A three-year study found that Australia's population of more than a million feral camels is out of control and damaging fragile desert ecosystems, water sources, rare plants and animals. The Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre, which produced the report presented to the federal government, said a good way to bring down the number of camels is to eat them. "It's beautiful meat. It's a bit like beef. It's as lean as lean, it's an excellent health food," said McGregor. Unlike the native kangaroo, camels were introduced into Australia as pack animals for the vast outback in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but were released into the wild as rail and road travel became more widespread. With few natural predators and vast sparsely-populated areas in which to roam, the population has soared to around a million and is now doubling about every nine years, the centre's Glenn Edwards told AFP. While putting camels on the menu could help reduce their numbers, and is one of the proposals in the report, Edwards admits it is unlikely that Australia can eat its way out of the problem. Hundreds of thousands of camels will have to be removed to bring the numbers down to a point where they cause minimal damage, he said. "I think (eating them) is an option that may work in some areas but it won't be the panacea," he said. The local market for camel meat would be limited and even given the fact that there is a large demand from some countries overseas it would be difficult to harvest and process the animals. "To commercially use camels in that way you need to have access to them -- so you need roads and, depending on how you are processing them, electricity and water. "Parts of the range have the infrastructure but other places are simply too remote, nobody lives out there." The only way to deal with the populations in those areas if they did not become commercially viable would be to shoot them from helicopters, he said, and leave them to rot. Switching from cattle and sheep to kangaroos also faces problems, said beef farmer Kelvin Brown. "In theory farming kangaroos is probably good because they are selective grazers, don't tend to overgraze country and have a good conversion rate of feed into meat," he said from his farm Ykicamoocow. But the practicalities would keep farmers on the hop. "You would need ten-feet (three-metre) high fencing similar to the deer industry," Brown said. Transporting kangaroos to the abattoir would also be fraught with difficulties. "You are dealing with an animal that isn't used to being touched or herded and apparently they do have quite high rates of heart attacks from fright and also tend to damage themselves quite easily, break legs, things like that. "So although this idea of farming kangaroos is good, probably the only way you could do it would be to shoot the kangaroos on the farm and have some system of butchering on site." Given the difficulties, it seems that kangaroos and camels will not become a staple of the Australian diet any time soon and environmentalists will have to look elsewhere for solutions to the planet's problems.   http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/Put_kangaroos_camels_on_Australian_eco-menu_scientists.htm 4th Jan,2009 SHANGHAI/HONG KONG, Jan 5 - A real estate investment arm of Australia's Macquarie Group Ltd is putting one of its top-end properties in China on the block with a price tag of around 300 million yuan , according to sources with direct knowledge of the plan. Macquarie is trying to sell City Apartments , a 16,000 square-metre residential development in downtown Shanghai, which the Australian bank fully acquired in 2005, said the sources who declined to be identified before a deal is made. Macquarie decided to sell the project more than half a year ago with an initial price tag of around 26,000 yuan per square metre, but it failed to find a buyer at that price, said the sources. More recently, Macquarie cut its price to less than 20,000 yuan per square metre. It hopes to lure an institutional buyer who will purchase the entire block in cash, said the sources. A Chinese private equity house and a Singaporean firm have shown interest in a deal, although talks are still at a primary stage. Macquarie could not be immediately reached for comment.   http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/Macquarie_aims_to_sell_China_property_-_sources.htm 4th Jan,2009 AFP - Monday, January 5 GAZA CITY (AFP) - - Tens of thousands of Israeli troops backed by tanks battled Hamas fighters in Gaza on Sunday as the death toll from the offensive to end militant rocket attacks passed 510. Israeli forces moved into the fringe of Gaza City while families fled or hid in cellars awaiting a second night of combat. The Israeli government fought off intense international pressure over its biggest military operation since its 2006 war in Lebanon. At least 63 Palestinians were killed by tank shells or missiles fired from warplanes since the ground offensive was launched on Saturday night, Gaza medics said. Israel said one soldier was killed by a mortar shell and about 30 were wounded. Columns of Israeli troops and tanks surrounded Gaza City and fighting was reported in outer districts. Fierce clashes were also reported around the northern towns of Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanun and Jabaliya. Explosions and machine gun fire rocked the territory of 1.5 million people. Hamas fighters fired mortar rounds and detonated roadside bombs in front of the advancing troops, witnesses said. Moawiya Hassanein, head of Gaza medical emergency services, told AFP the number of Palestinians killed since the Israeli operation was launched on December 27 was now 512, including 87 children. Five members of the same family died when one tank shell hit their car near Gaza City, emergency services said. Three ambulance workers were killed when they were hit by a missile as they helped wounded victims of the conflict, medics said. Aid groups said the offensive had aggravated a humanitarian crisis for the population, who have no electricity, no water and now face dire food shortages. Hospitals were only running on backup generators. International efforts to halt the conflict sought new impetus after the UN Security Council failed to agree a statement on the conflict, with the United States giving strong backing to Israel. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice cancelled a planned trip to China this week because of the Gaza crisis. A Russian presidential envoy and an EU ministerial delegation headed to the Middle East to make pleas for a ceasefire. President Nicolas Sarkozy was also to hold talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Monday. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert refused to call off the offensive in telephone talks with Sarkozy, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and a host of other foreign leaders, his office said. The Kremlin said that in the conversation, Medvedev "stressed the importance of reaching a ceasefire as quickly as possible." Olmert told New York mayor Michael Bloomberg: "Israel is determined to continue its military offensive until the complete cessation of terror attacks against it and the return of calm to southern Israel." Israel unleashed "Operation Cast Lead" on December 27 with the declared aim of ending rocket attacks into Israel from Gaza that resumed after a six-month truce ended in December. Rocket fire over the past week has killed four people in Israel. Thirty two rockets and mortar rounds were fired across the border on Sunday and hit Sderot, Ashdod and other towns, lightly injuring three people. Israel believes Hamas may be seeking "a respectable" way out of the conflict having underestimated the scope of the military offensive, Social Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog said. He told CNN television that Hamas was under "huge pressure" from the military operation. "The intelligence reports that we've received today in the Israeli cabinet are that the Hamas is looking for a respectable way of finding a way to get out of this situation," he said. Israeli army spokesman Avi Benayahou told public television that "Hamas has come to the conclusion that it has made an enormous strategic error by refusing to extend a ceasefire accord" which ended on December 19. But the offensive has sparked spiralling anger in the Muslim world and protests across the globe. Israeli troops shot and killed a protester during a demonstration in the West Bank. Tens of thousands of Turks staged an anti-Israeli rally in Istanbul. Protesters threw rocks and eggs at police outside the Israeli embassy in Oslo and police responded with tear gas. The UN Security Council failed to agree a statement calling for a ceasefire in closed-door consultations late Saturday. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum condemned the Security Council action as "a farce" dominated by the United States, which has strongly supported Israel. Egypt summoned the ambassadors of the UN Security Council's five permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- to protest at the delay in passing a ceasefire resolution. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak condemned "in the strongest terms" Israel's ground attack which his office called a "terrifying aggression."   http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/fj44245c1q.htm 4th Jan,2009 Hong Kong writer Joe Nieh has initiated an apology to girlfriend Vivian Chow, after his unfaithful behavior at a nightspot with another lady was exposed by paparazzi on a magazine. According to reports, Chow is agitated over the incident but has not made known if she will make a clean break to their relationship. In an email Nieh sends to the publication which featured photos of him in passionate kisses with another lady, he admits to his wanton behavior and apologizes to Chow for "embarrassing her and causing her unhappiness". He is also ashamed of his own behavior and says he will introspect himself before trying to mend his relationship with Chow. Within their 19 years of courtship, 44-year-old Nieh has repeatedly derailed from their relationship. When the Hong Kong press sends him an SMS regarding the incident, he replies plainly, "I'm sorry." When asked about Chow's reaction to his apologies, he replies, "Sorry, no comments." Chow and Nieh had initially have plans to visit their adopted daughter in Thailand in mid Dec; however there are no replies to whether their trip will be canceled or if Chow has forgiven him. When Nieh's father, famous author Nieh Kuang, was asked of his son's Adam's sin, he says, "I don't know that lady, and I never interfere in his business." The couple's common friend Leo Ku says, he is not in any position to comment on the issue but hopes the public will give them time to communicate. He also says he will call on Chow to check on her. http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/z4vin52p1n.htm 12th Dec,2008 NEW YORK - Jennifer Aniston wears a tie _ and nothing else _ on the January cover of GQ magazine. The 39-year-old actress strips down and shows off her toned body next to the headline: "Is it just us or is Jennifer Aniston getting hotter?" Joking about the relentless media coverage of herself, ex-husband Brad Pitt and Pitt's partner Angelina Jolie, Aniston tells the magazine: "The funny thing is that people don't realize we all go away to the Hamptons on the weekends." Not exactly. Says Aniston: "But can you imagine? That'd be hysterical: I've got Zahara on my hip, and Knox ..." As for Jolie's past remarks about falling for Pitt on the set of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," Aniston says: "No daggers through the heart. I laugh. Am I surprised? ... Considering the source, nothing surprises me." http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/Jennifer_Aniston_poses_nude_on_January_cover_of_GQ_magazine.htm 12th Dec,2008 WASHINGTON (AFP) - - Struggling US carmakers weighed their options Saturday after the White House said it could tap a 700-billion-dollar rescue package to save them from immediate collapse. Democrats and a major labor union hailed the policy reversal, after Senate Republicans voted down a 14-billion-dollar rescue package, but automakers expressed concern amid warnings that they were quickly running out of cash. "Given the current weakened state of the US economy, we will consider other options if necessary -- including use of the TARP program -- to prevent a collapse of troubled automakers," spokeswoman Dana Perino said, referring to the Troubled Asset Relief Program conceived to help financial services firms. And the US Treasury Department "will stand ready to prevent an imminent failure until Congress reconvenes and acts to address the long-term viability of the industry," said spokeswoman Brookly McLaughlin. Lawmakers are due back January 6. Perino, speaking aboard President George W. Bush's official Air Force One jet, declined to say when a decision would come but said the White House understood "the urgency of the situation." The "weakened state of the economy is such that it could not withstand a body blow like a disorderly bankruptcy in the auto industry," which would "devastate further an already weakened economy," she told reporters. United Automobile Workers union President Ron Gettelfinger welcomed the White House and Treasury announcements as "great news" but worried about the details and pleaded for the funds to come "as quickly as possible." Gettelfinger said he was unsure "how much they're talking about, any terms or conditions that are associated with it," and warned that major automakers faced possible "liquidation" at the cost of millions of US jobs. Gettelfinger, who has access to the financial records of the Big Three, has said General Motors will run out of cash before 2009 without government help and Chrysler will not be far behind. Struggling Ford says it is in better shape. After GM announced Friday that it was idling 30 percent of its North American production "in response to rapidly deteriorating market conditions," Canada's government promised to aid its portion of the Big Three auto sector, as soon as its southern neighbor decided on its own package. "This support will be at an amount that would be approximately proportional to our share of the Detroit three production in North America," Industry Minister Tony Clement said. The Canadian aid would amount to 2.8 billion US dollars, or some 20 percent of the 14-billion-dollar figure being discussed in the United States. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he was "encouraged" by the Bush administration's announcements and "appreciative of the administration's change of heart" on his longstanding push to use TARP funds. For months, Bush had categorically refused to tap the TARP to save the iconic US carmakers, but the collapse in the Senate of alternative legislation bringing 14 billion dollars in bridge loans forced his hand. The measure would have required the manufacturing giants to engage in painful restructuring to ensure their long-term survival and repayment of the government monies or face bankruptcy proceedings. The House of Representatives passed the bill on Wednesday, but it collapsed the following day in the Senate on strident opposition from Republicans who blamed unions in a dispute on the timing of bringing their wages in line with those paid by foreign automakers to non-unionized workers in US states. Gettelfinger denounced the wage debate as a "subterfuge" by anti-union Republicans eager to "pierce the heart of organized labor" and charged that they had demanded more concessions from workers than other parties. US president-elect Barack Obama, who takes office January 20, urged the White House and the Congress to "find a way" to provide urgent aid while forcing "the long-term restructuring that is absolutely required." The White House announcement came minutes before the market opened. By the time trading closed, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 64.59 points (0.75 percent) to close at 8,629.68, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 32.84 points (2.64 percent) to 1,540.72. The legislation would have provided GM and Chrysler bridge loans to operate until March 31, the date by which they must have crafted a restructuring plan that ensures their long-term survival while repaying government aid. The bill also required the president to name a special designee, or "car czar," who would oversee the process. http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/hw8zf5l8vo.htm 12th Dec,2008 One of the conjoined twins born last week has died and her sister was critically ill last night after emergency surgery to separate them. Hope Williams died on Tuesday night after doctors decided to carry out the operation sooner than planned because the sisters' shared intestine had become blocked. The surviving girl, Faith, was described as being in a critical condition with a 50-50 chance of survival after the 11-hour operation. The twins' parents, Laura and Aled Williams, were at their bedsides when Hope died at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London.   Mrs Williams, 18, from Shrewsbury, had become the world’s youngest mother of conjoined twins. She and her husband had refused to have the pregnancy terminated after doctors said that the twins would probably not live beyond two weeks. Professor Agostino Pierro, head of the surgical team that separated the sisters, said Hope’s lungs had proved too small to support her breathing. He said Faith was in a stable condition and “gradually improving”. The twins, who were joined from the breastbone to the top of the navel and had separate hearts, were delivered by Caesarean section at University College Hospital last Wednesday and taken to Great Ormond Street. Professor Pierro said that his team had to start operating because of a sudden deterioration in the children’s health. “This was an emergency operation because there was a blockage in their joined intestine which could only be resolved through separation,” he added. “The technical surgery worked well — although it was extremely challenging — and went according to plan. However, very sadly, after separation baby Hope’s lungs proved too small to support her breathing and she died last night in the presence of her parents. They are clearly devastated by the loss of their daughter and we offer them our deepest condolences on their loss. “Baby Faith is stable after separation. She requires support for her breathing, but she is gradually improving. However, it is early days and complications can occur.” More than 20 hospital staff were involved in the procedure and the twins were moved into different theatres after they were separated. Professor Pierro said that Faith had a 50-50 chance of survival after the operation, which continued after Hope died. “If everything goes well, there will be more surgery required to close her tummy, but I can’t tell you now when the surgery will happen,” he said. “It’s fair to say the operation done on Hope and Faith was one of the most complex and challenging we have ever faced.” Before the operation Mrs Williams had said: “We knew that conjoined twins very rarely make it through the first 24 hours, and we could see that one girl was a bit smaller than the other, so we called the little one Hope and the bigger one Faith.” http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/Hope_Williams_dies_during_operation_to_separate_conjoined_twins.htm 4th Dec,2008 French scientists will try to create black truffles in test tubes in an attempt to revive an increasingly endangered industry. The French region of Corrèze is to sign an accord with key organisations in the industry to unlock the secrets of the Périgourd truffle. Known to connoisseurs as “black diamonds”, the truffles, which are usually found growing on the roots of trees, can sell for up to £860 a kilo. France produced 1,000 tonnes of Périgourd truffles a year at the start of the last century, but production has fallen to 40-50 tonnes a year. In the three-year project, scientists will culture cloned truffles with baby trees in test tubes. Once established, tree and truffle will be planted and allowed to mature naturally. The researchers hope to establish which aspects of the environment are linked to truffle growth. http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/Endangered_truffles_set_to_be_reared_in_test_tubes.htm 4th Dec,2008 Knut, the polar bear that became an international sensation after his birth in 2006, may be the latest victim of the credit crunch. The Berlin Zoo plans to find a new home for the bear because it can’t afford to build larger living quarters for him as he grows, the CBC’s Ann MacMillan reported from London. The bear is also approaching mating age, and the zoo can’t afford to purchase a female polar bear to mate him with. Knut made headlines around the world when his mother abandoned him and his twin shortly after they were born in December 2006. The twin died, but zoo staff were able to nurse Knut back to health. By July 2007, more than one million people had visited Knut at the zoo. Later that summer, he had grown too large to play with his caretaker, Thomas Doerflein. Doerflein was found dead of a heart attack in September 2008. Thousands of fans have signed online petitions calling on the zoo to keep the bear, MacMillan reported. Plans are also afoot for a protest to coincide with his second birthday on Friday. http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/Knut_may_get_boot_Zoo_ponders_selling_famous_polar_bear.htm 4th Dec,2008 MUMBAI, India – India suspects two senior leaders of a banned Pakistani militant group orchestrated the three-day siege of the country's financial capital that killed at least 171 people, Indian officials said Thursday. Evidence collected in the investigation pointed to Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Yusuf Muzammil as masterminds behind last week's bloody rampage in Mumbai, according to two government officials familiar with the matter. Lakhvi and Muzammil belong to outlawed Pakistani group Lashkar-e-Taiba — which India blames in the attack — and are believed to be living in Pakistan, the officials said. Lakhvi was identified as the group's operations chief and Muzammil as its operations chief in Kashmir and other parts of India. The lone surviving gunman in the assault told police Lakhvi recruited him for the operation, and the assailants called Muzammil on a satellite phone after hijacking an Indian vessel en route to Mumbai. During the attacks, the gunmen used mobile phones taken from hotel guests to place calls to the Pakistani city of Lahore. The Indian officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk publicly discuss the details. The revelations added to the growing evidence linking the attacks to Pakistani-based militants, and came as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Pakistan on Thursday for meetings with civilian and military leaders after visiting India. Rice aimed to increase pressure on Pakistan's government to share more intelligence and go after terrorist cells believed rooted in the country, saying that Pakistan must mount a "robust response" to find those responsible in the attacks. Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told Rice later during a meeting in Islamabad that the Mumbai attacks were "beyond anyone's imagination" and stressed his government's efforts to boost relations with India since taking office in March. U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen was pushing the same message as Rice in Pakistan on Wednesday, and also was to meet with officials in India during his trip. Indian airports, meanwhile, were put on high alert after the government received warnings of possible airborne attacks. "This is a warning which we have received. We are prepared as usual," India's air force chief, Fali Homi Major, told reporters Thursday. Last week's attacks were carried out by 10 suspected Muslim militants against upscale hotels, a restaurant and other sites across Mumbai. In a stunning new example of the botched security that has sparked public outrage since the assault, police on Wednesday found two bombs at Mumbai's main train station nearly a week after they were left there by the gunmen. While searching through about 150 bags, which police believed were left by the dozens of victims in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus station, an officer found a suspicious-looking bag and called the bomb squad, said Assistant Commissioner of Police Bapu Domre. Inside were two 8.8-pound (4-kilogram) bombs, which were taken away and safely detonated. After the attacks, police found unexploded bombs at several of the sites, including two luxury hotels and a Jewish center. It was not immediately clear why the bags at the station were not examined earlier. The station, which serves hundreds of thousands of commuters, was declared safe and reopened hours after the attack. The discovery comes amid intense criticism that India's security forces missed warnings and bungled their response to the Nov. 26-29 attacks. Fallout from the attacks widened Thursday as the chief minister of Maharashtra state, where Mumbai is located, stepped down after being pressured by the ruling Congress Party. The country's top law enforcement official resigned last week. "I regret that we could not have saved more lives, that regret will remain with me," the minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh, told reporters. With public anger over the attacks increasing by the day, Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday adopted a more strident tone against India's longtime rival, saying there's "no doubt" the assailants were Pakistani and their handlers in Pakistan. "The government of India is determined to act decisively to protect Indian territorial integrity and the right of our citizens to a peaceful life, with all the means at our disposal," he said, a turnaround from earlier statements that ruled out military action. Many Indians wanted more than just harsh words. At a candlelight gathering in Mumbai, many chanted anti-Pakistan slogans and called for war. "India should attack Pakistan right away," said Sandeep Ambili, 27, who works for a shipping company. "Something has to be done. Pakistan has been attacking my country for a long time," said another protester, Rajat Sehgal. "If it means me going to war, I don't mind." Similar rallies were held in cities across India. After a 2001 militant attack on India's parliament, also blamed on elements in Pakistan, the two neighbors posted nearly 1 million soldiers along their border in a yearlong standoff. The two nations have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947, but neither government wants a fourth. Both now have nuclear weapons. India has called on Pakistan to turn over 20 people who are "fugitives of Indian law" and wanted for questioning, but Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said the suspects would be tried in Pakistan if there is evidence of wrongdoing. Much of the evidence that Pakistanis were behind the Mumbai attack comes from the interrogation of the surviving gunman, who told police that he and the other nine attackers had trained for months in camps in Pakistan operated by the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba. Ajmal Amir Kasab, 21, told investigators his recruiters promised to pay his family from an impoverished village Pakistan's Punjab region $1,250 when he became a martyr. Kasab said he and the other gunmen were "hand-picked" for the mission and trained for more than a year by Lashkar-e-Taiba, based in Kashmir, according to two senior officials involved in the investigation. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to media about the investigation. http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/Officials_Pakistan_group_leaders_linked_to_attack.htm 4th Dec,2008 LOS ANGELES – Lil Wayne didn't get "A Milli" Grammy nominations, but his total haul was still pretty amazing. The prolific and ubiquitous rap MVP, who became pop's biggest success in 2008 with his top-selling album "Tha Carter III," was duly rewarded Wednesday with a leading eight nominations, including a coveted album of the year bid. Although the New Orleans rapper — who has been nominated for Grammys before but has never taken home a trophy — was the leading nominee, he wasn't the only big act to have a big night. Following close behind during the Grammys' first-ever nominations ceremony/concert combination was Coldplay, with seven nods. The Chris Martin-led British group's "Viva La Vida," one of the year's best-selling CDs, is in album of the year contention along with Radiohead's groundbreaking "In Rainbows"; singer-songwriter Ne-Yo's "Year of the Gentleman"; and Robert Plant's collaboration with Alison Krauss, "Raising Sand." Coldplay and Plant and Krauss were also nominated in the coveted record of the year category for the respective songs "Viva La Vida" and "Please Read the Letter." Other record of the year nominees were British songstress Leona Lewis for "Bleeding Love"; another British newcomer, Adele, for "Chasing Pavements"; and M.I.A. for her breakthrough hit, "Paper Planes." Some surprising omissions: Katy Perry, who had one of the year's biggest hits with "I Kissed a Girl," was shut out of the top categories, including record of the year and best new artist. Still, she was excited about her nomination for female pop vocal performance: "I feel very grateful to be recognized by an institution of such iconic musical history. I can't believe it, but this year I won't be watching the Grammys in my jammies!" she said in a statement. Metallica got three nominations, but their huge comeback record "Death Magnetic" didn't get a nod for album of the year despite being a top seller in 2008. Nominations were announced in a new format this year, with an hourlong CBS concert special that featured a brisk procession of performers and LL Cool J and Taylor Swift as hosts. Though she hosted and performed, Swift, last year's best new artist nominee, was shut out completely. The 18-year-old country artist has had a sensational year thanks to the continued success of her 2006 self-titled debut album and her latest top-selling CD, "Fearless." While neither was eligible for consideration, her recent singles were. While "Tha Carter III" was not regarded by critics as his greatest CD, it was the album that made the highly regarded rapper — who has been on the scene for more than a decade — a certified superstar, thanks to massive hits like "Lollipop" and "A Milli." Lil Wayne not only rapped on his own hits but seemed to be on just about every urban act's record, and that was reflected in his multiple nominations, some of which were for collaborations. "Tha Carter III" was the only record this year to sell 1 million copies in its first week and is the year's top seller with 2.7 million copies sold. Coldplay's "Viva La Vida," its first album in three years, was also a huge hit; it has sold 1.9 million copies to date. Radiohead's "In Rainbows" didn't break sales records, but it was as revolutionary as it was critically acclaimed. First released last fall in a pay-as-you wish format on the band's Web site, "In Rainbows" was an instant viral sensation that shook up an industry struggling with its traditional business model (although Radiohead later released the album traditionally via a record label). Plant linked up with Grammy darling and bluegrass artist Krauss for a CD that pushed both in different musical directions, while Ne-Yo, who has produced several smashes for other artists, had success with "Year of the Gentleman." "When I was putting it together, I was trying to do something that everybody could get into, as opposed to just my pop and RandB core group," Ne-Yo, who got six nominations, said after the ceremony. "I was trying to do something that the world could enjoy and I think that the Grammy people paid attention to that." Also nominated were The Jonas Brothers for the best new artist category. While they have already released two CDs, their latest, "A Little Bit Longer," was their biggest yet in their breakthrough year. The teen sensations join Duffy and Adele, both singers with a soul bent; singer-songwriter Jazmine Sullivan; and breakout country act Lady Antebellum. Sullivan, who has drawn comparisons to Lauryn Hill with her hit "I Need You Bad," had a stellar night, with five nominations. Other multiple nominees included Jay-Z, Ne-Yo and Kanye West, who had six each; Krauss, who has numerous Grammy wins, got five nominations. Another Grammy favorite, John Mayer, netted five as well, while Jennifer Hudson got four, including best RandB album for her self-titled CD. The Recording Academy typically has announced nominations like most top awards shows, during a morning news conference. But in an era where awards shows are as commonplace as reality shows, even the top-tier events are finding it hard to stand out. So they put on the prime-time event, included performances from past Grammy winners such as Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera and the Foo Fighters. Held at the Nokia Theatre, the show also celebrated the Saturday opening of the new Grammy Museum next door. The Grammy Awards are scheduled for live broadcast on CBS on Feb 8. Last year's show drew 17.2 million viewers, making it one of the least-watched Grammys and continuing the trend of shrinking awards-show audiences. http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/s6w7538hmo.htm 4th Dec,2008 NEW YORK – More than 400 years after Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe challenged established wisdom about the heavens by analyzing a strange new light in the sky, scientists say they've finally nailed down just what he saw. It's no big surprise. Scientists have known the light came from a supernova, a huge star explosion. But what kind of supernova? A new study confirms that, as expected, it was the common kind that involves the thermonuclear explosion of a white dwarf star with a nearby companion. The research, which analyzed a "light echo" from the long-ago event, is presented in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature by scientists in Germany, Japan and the Netherlands. The story of what's commonly called Tycho's supernova began on Nov. 11, 1572, when Brahe was astonished to see what he thought was a brilliant new star in the constellation Cassiopeia. The light eventually became as bright as Venus and could be seen for two weeks in broad daylight. After 16 months, it disappeared. Working before telescopes were invented, Brahe documented with precision that unlike the moon and the planets, the light's position didn't move in relation to the stars. That meant it lay far beyond the moon. That was a shock to the contemporary view that the distant heavens were perfect and unchanging. The event inspired Brahe to commit himself further to studying the stars, launching a career of meticulous observations that helped lay the foundations of early modern astronomy, said Michael Shank, a professor of the history of science at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The direct light from the supernova swept past Earth long ago. But some of it struck dust clouds in deep space, causing them to brighten. That "light echo" was still observable, and the new study was based on analyzing the wavelengths of light from that. http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/Study_illuminates_star_explosion_from_16th_century.htm 4th Dec,2008 LAS VEGAS - A grand jury on Wednesday indicted Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki on charges of mismanaging a multibillion-dollar college savings program when he was state treasurer. The indictments don't allege any money was missing. They include four felony charges, each carrying a possible sentence of up to four years in prison. Krolicki has said he is being targeted for political reasons. He was the first Republican to announce plans to run against U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in 2010. http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/Nevada_official_indicted_over_college_fund.htm 4th Dec,2008 MUSCAT, Oman - Passengers on a luxury cruise liner attacked by pirates in the dangerous waters between Yemen and Somalia said Wednesday they were surprised by the assailants' boldness and described hearing the "Pop! Pop! Pop!" of the pirates' rifles firing at the ship. Sunday's attack on the nearly 600-foot long M/S Nautica in the Gulf of Aden was the latest evidence that pirates have grown more aggressive, viewing almost any ship on the water as a potential target. "We didn't think they would be cheeky enough to attack a cruise ship," Wendy Armitage, of Wellington, New Zealand, told The Associated Press shortly after disembarking the ship for a daylong port stop in the Omani capital of Muscat. http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/Passengers_describe_cheeky_pirate_attack.htm 4th Dec,2008 ROME - The songs that whales and dolphins use to communicate, orient themselves and find mates are being drowned out by human-made noises in the world's oceans, U.N. officials and environmental groups said Wednesday. That sound pollution — including increased commercial shipping, seismic surveys and a new generation of military sonar — is not only confounding the mammals but also further threatening the survival of these endangered animals. Studies show that these cetaceans, which once communicated over thousands of miles to forage and mate, are losing touch with each other, the experts said on the sidelines of a U.N. wildlife conference in Rome. http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/Human_noise_drowns_out_song_of_whales.htm 4th Dec,2008 BERLIN - A baby boy whose troubled mother laid him in the manger of a church nativity in hopes that someone would find and care for him is doing well, police say. Authorities in Augsburg said a priest was startled to find the newborn in the nativity scene on the altar of the Peter and Paul Church in the village of Poettmes on Tuesday. He immediately called an ambulance. Police have found the 38-year-old mother. She said she gave up the child because she was in a "difficult personal situation," but hoped someone would quickly find the child and care for him. http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/German_priest_finds_live_baby_in_manger.htm 4th Dec,2008 PARIS - An international doctors' panel appointed by the Roman Catholic Church said it's getting out of the "miracle" business at Lourdes. The panel will no longer judge whether pilgrims to the French shrine could have benefited from "miracle" healing — a huge shift from the centuries-old way of deciding what makes the cut as a divine cure. "It seems 'miracle' may not be the right word to use anymore," Bishop Jacques Perrier of the Diocese of Tarbes and Lourdes said in a telephone interview Wednesday. "It's no longer a black-and-white question." http://www.travel-airfare.info/article/Doctors_group_says_Roman_Catholic_Church_must_now_confirm_divine_cures.htm 4th Dec,2008