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� Vol-22 � Issue-1 � February-2012 � 510-677-4488� www.fijisun-usa.com

19

USA

I want to beIndia’s girl NextDoor: Amrita

Many Thanks...Many thanks to the avid Fiji Sunreaders for pointing out the miss-ing link on this article on page 27last month. In the last minuteeffort Rajendra Singh decided notto put the whole story in as hisson is currently an active policeofficer in Fiji

Food for the needyPastor Henry Rhema’s churchhelps distribute food to poor andneedy families in Hayward. Herehe is seen receiving packagefrom Fiji Sun editor.

Page 12

Page 32

Father kicked outson for sleepingwith his own aunt

INDIA PROVIDESBOOST TO FIJI’SHEALTH SERVICES

Flood damage inFiji tops $20m

Fiji’s Ministry of Health received atimely boost of $356,062 from the IndianHigh Commission for the upgrading ofsurgical theatres at the CWM Hospital.India’s High Commissioner to Fiji, MrVinod Kumar said this morning’s pre-sentation spoke volume of the assis-tance made by the Government of Indiato Fiji’s Health Ministry.

Fiji is facing more severe weather as thedamage caused by last week's deadlyfloods is estimated to cost about $20 mil-lion. A flash flood warning was in place forlow lying areas in Fiji, including Vanuale-vu, Taveuni and Northern Lau group, theFiji Village reported. Forecasters said atrough of low pressure with associationcloud and rain was moving slowly over thenorthern parts of the country, and the wetweather was set to continue for the wholeweek. The latest forecast followed lastweek's floods, which left six people dead,and villages, settlements and suburbs inFiji's western district under water.

Acting Permanent Secretary for HealthDr Eloni Tora left receives cheque fromIndia High Commissioner

Arifa Karim, youngest Microsoft certifiedprofessional, passes away in Lahore. Karimhad been struggling with critical health relatedcircumstance and had been on ventilator forlast 26 days. Medical experts pointed out thatshe had experienced brain damage, makingher inside a coma until the girl passed ontoday in morning. Karim ended up beingaffected by idiopathic epilepsy; a seizure that

resulted in brain damage.Arfa Karim had been handled in CMH

Lahore and also seemed to be preparedto moved to United states of america foradditional treatment.

Bill Gates said to be had requestedArfa Karim’s dad for getting Arfa movedto Dubai for additional treatment beforetaking the girl to United states.

CHAND SISTERS: OUR NEW-FOUND GRADUATESREADY TO LEAD A FIJI YOUTH FORUM

Sanjna Chand andVandna Chand are twodaughters of proud par-ents Mr. and Mrs.Shatish Chand ofHayward. Thanks totheir mom who calledthe Fiji Sun last weekseeking to have theirdaughters interviewed.“ How much does itcost?, “ Shatish Chandasked. There’s nocharge was ourresponse. In fact weare proud to featureour students and alsoanyone for that matterin our various columnsincluding BusinessNews, CommunityNews and Kids Page.( Continue on page-2 )

SUPERIOR COURT SUPERVISOR MS. DONNAWHITEHOUSE NEWEST AIM FELLOW

(Ms. Donna Whitehouse (in the center with AIM certificate) is flanked by from R-L Court atten-dants Art Rocha, Bob Ostini, Ed McColgan and H. Koya the Fiji Sun editor Pg.18 )

Youngest Microsoft Professional Arifa Karim Passes Away in Lahore

(Continued from last month)

But first let us clarify an importantpoint. We never said that involved son is aMuslim, Hindu or Christian. Some readershave wrong conclusion. This is a true storybut does not involve any Muslim man. Theonly Muslim character is the delivery manwho is of Islamic faith. He worked for themain character of the story—the son whogot kicked out for sleeping with his aunt.

Silence!Do you notice the silence in the camp?

It speaks the volume.Double-timing!The truth is the alleged aunt had

another side affair with a marriedSacramento businessman who gotdivorced and ran into financial problemsand probably is in jail .

Flashback FijiAward Night

Steve an AIM Fellow (See Pg 32)

(Steve Singh 3rd from left new AIM Fellow.}

Fa

Sothe w

Ththe dIslammainthe ssleep

FoPa

churcpoorHayw

2 � February 2012

M H Koya (PhD) Editor-Publisher

Sanjna Chand (MA)Associate Editor

PO BOX 54691, Hayward, CA 94544PHONE : 1-800-757-6619

FIJI SUN USA is extremelyproud to welcome on board avery talented, and articulate

Ms. Sanjna Chand, as associateeditor. With a BA Degree inCommunication from CaliforniaState University, East Bay, shebrings on board her experiencesfrom writing in The PioneerNewspaper.

As our associate editor,Sanjna’s prime duties will be to assist in editorial work and workon any area of her interest without limitation. Sanjna’s maingoal is to ultimately become a TV news reporter, a field that hasnever been reached by a US Fiji graduate thus far.

FIJI SUN USA wishes Sanjna the very best in her assign-ments and her future dream to be a TV news reporter.

Local Awarded Internship:Chand’s 13-week journey began in California State

University, Monterey Bay on August 14, 2011, where LeonPanetta’s institute is located.

Her family was upset that she was leaving, but Vandanacreated a family away from home. She made a lifetime ofstrong bonds and friendships in Washington D.C. Her journeyended on November 12, 2011.

Vandana Cha

By Sanjna Chand, Associate Editor Fiji Sun USA

Hayward, Calif.—21-year-oldVandana Chand, daughter ofShatish and Lalita Chand, appliedfor the Panetta Institute for PublicPolicy Internship at California StateUniversity, East Bay, and was chosento represent her school inWashington D.C.

The program is run by LeonPanetta, U.S. Secretary of Defenseand his wife, Director of theProgram, Sylvia Panetta. The pro-gram is specifically for CaliforniaState Universities, but they alsoinclude the Panetta’s Alma Matters,Santa Clara University andDominican University.

Vandana Chand was chosen torepresent her school, along with 22fellow CSU students. Chand’s 13-week journey began at CaliforniaState University, Monterey Bay,where Leon Panetta’s institute islocated.

When speaking to the 21-year-old about her experience before-hand, she said, “ I was really scaredand nervous,” continued Chand, “ itwas the first time I was leavinghome, but what motivated me wasthe experience I would be getting,along with receiving 30 units ofschool credit.”

Vandana is a Political Sciencemajor at Cal State East Bay with anoption in Pre-Law. When asking herwhy she chose this internship, shesaid, “It was completely and fullypaid for. It covered key issues ournation faces, and I wanted to bepart of the helping process.”

She underwent rigorous trainingfor two weeks in Monterey Bay.Afterwards, the then, 20-year-oldwas interviewed by CongressmanXavier Becerra’s office, and pickedto work in the Longworth Houseoffice building in Congress; XavierBecerra represents California’s 31stdistrict.

“At first I was a little disappointedthat I didn’t get to work for some-

one from the Bay Area, but as Istarted working for CongressmanBecerra, I noticed that he not onlyhas dedication to his constituents,his office, but the entire nation,” shealso said, “ he is part of the SuperCommittee, which is representingeveryone, not just California.”

“The internship program offeredmany memorable moments for me;to name a few favorites would bemeeting Secretary Panetta and get-ting a tour of the Pentagon, along

with hearing about his experiencesfirst-hand as the director of CIA,and becoming Secretary ofDefense. I also was given theopportunity to hear PresidentObama speak and shaking his andthe First Lady’s hand.”

When speaking to Chand’s moth-er and father, Shatish and Lalitasaid, “ It was a once in a lifetimeopportunity,” she continued, “ wehad to let her go.”

Her family was upset that shewas leaving, but Vandana createda family away from home. Shemade a lifetime of strong bondsand friendships in Washington D.C.

Currently, she is in the process ofapplying for Law School, and wouldlike to work somewhere in the fieldof Law and Public Policy. “ThePanetta Institute for Public Policyoffers an internship program thatgives students the opportunities likeno other. It is the finest internship ofits kind, and a once in a lifetimeopportunity for CSU students. Thisinternship program has trulychanged my life.”

Email: fijisun@gmail.com www.fijisun.org

Welcome on boardthe Fiji Sun team Ms. Sanjna Chand!

Local Indian-Fijian Girlawarded Internship in D.C.“ At first I was a little disappointed that I didn’tget to work for someonefrom the Bay Area, but asI started working forCongressman Becerra, Inoticed that he not onlyhas dedication to hisconstituents, his office,but the entire nation,”she also said, “ he is part of the SuperCommittee, which is representing everyone,not just California.”

Associate editor gets a digital KodakCamera for snap shotsAll writers must be armed with a camera at all times to

enhance his/her story. With that in mind FIJI SUN USA,gave Sanjna her first own digital camera to help her in

assignments as she is hopes to cover some community eventsand fashion shows etc. It is a small but a significant token thatshe very proudly accepted. The Kodak with its SD card comeswith the video shooting capability that many users feel comevery handy at the right time to captures great moments andimportant speeches that you replay to write your reports.

3� February 2012

4 � February 2012

BUSINESS NEWS 5� February 2012

By Sanjesh KumarYou can't watch television or read a

newspaper without being reminded of theuncertain times we're in. Disappearingjobs, disturbing stock market losses, therising cost of living — we don't need to tellyou that it's rough out there. This has maderetirement planning more complicated thanever. From October 2007 to the end of first-quarter 2009, the market lost nearly $2.8trillion in retirement savings.1 While themarket has improved since then, manywho were counting on their 401(k)s maynot even read their account statements anymore.

The Truth About Social SecurityBut other factors have muddied the waters for mapping a

course toward a financially secure retirement. People are liv-ing longer. At the beginning of the 20th century, life expectan-cy at birth was 47.3 years. Today, life expectancy is nearly 79years.2This is good news; but we need to prepare for moreyears of retirement.

And if you thought Social Security would take care of you,think again. In 2010, the maximum monthly benefit was$2,3463 — not enough for many of you to live comfortably.

While there are no easy solutions, the purchase of a lifeinsurance policy can guarantee4 the protection of your lovedones and also supplement your retirement savings5 if thedeath benefit is no longer needed. Leaving a Legacy

Life insurance’s primary purpose is to deliver guaranteeddeath benefit protection, which can provide a generally

tax-free legacy to your loved ones. But permanent lifeinsurance also carries many living benefits. Cash value is

money that accumulates within the policy,tax deferred. This means you do not paytaxes on any of the accumulation within thepolicy. In addition, you can access thatmoney tax-free though policy loans.5 Thecash value can also be accessed for col-lege expenses, as collateral for a smallbusiness loan, or any other anticipated orunexpected event. In addition to the deathbenefit protection, life insurance can alsobe used to supplement your retirementincome. As such, it can be a vital piece ofthe complex puzzle of retirement planning.This educational third-party article is being

provided as a courtesy by Sanjesh Kumar, Agent, CA Ins. Lic.OH23014 New York Life Insurance Company. To learn moreabout the information or topics discussed, please contactSanjesh Kumar at 39650 Liberty Street Suite 200 Fremont,CA 94538

Phone: 510-469-4667, E-mail:skumar3@ft.newyorklife.comWebsite: www.sanjeshkumar.com

Neither New York Life, nor its agents, provides tax, legalor accounting advice. Please consult your own tax, legal oraccounting professional before making any decisions.1 The Urban Institute, “Updated Account Balances,” by

Barbara A. Butrica and Philip Issa, October 2010.2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Deaths:

Preliminary Data for 2008,” December 2010. 3 Social Security Online, “The Maximum Social Security

Benefit,”December 18, 2010.4 Guarantees backed by the claims-paying ability of the

issuer.5 Loans against your policy accrue interest and decrease

the death benefit and cash value by the amount of theoutstanding loan and interest.

Home ownership docu-ment forgery scandal Bigbanks involved a CBSNews report reveals

You think that mortgage melt downwas the only crisis looming large

since 2006. Wait till you hear AttorneyGenerals of 50 states crack down onmajor bank officials in a cynical conspira-cy to use forged documents to provehome ownership.The new mortgagecrisis after thebubble bust

The escalating foreclosures that result-ed from the easy home loan no doc

qualifications that took the housing indus-try by storm got into further trouble as mil-lions more lost their homes for want ofownership document. The electronicallygenerated mortgages came with a short-fall that essential legal documents suchas “assignment of mortgage” were nevergenerated or obtained to finance thoseloans. In the absence of which manyhomeowners -were faced with legal situa-tions - demanded the banks to providethe ownership documents. Major Bankscould not provide such documents andadmitted they could not be found.However, soon they found answer as acompany name dox.com was hired toproduce those missing documents.

Brief News Don’t Rely Solely on ‘UncleSam’s’ Help during Retirement

What led this?

The no doc qualification syndrome! Bankswere refinancing left, right and center

without proof of income. All you had to saythat you earned certain thousand dollars andyou qualified. Then there were the overnightfinance companies that specialized in “cre-ative” financing “and allegedly recreatedeven payroll checks to suit their needs if thedoc was needed.. It appears that all partieswould understand such income was reallynot so widespread at the time. Despite thatknowledge of the economic situation, banksapproved loans in huge numbers and soldpaperwork to other banks even before newdocs were in the escrow office. Even theWall Street got in it and sold paperwork tointernational financial institutions.Stockton foreclosures

City of Stockton in California saw askyrocketingforeclosure homes in

recent years earning itself the title of fore-closure capital of USA. Homes afterhomes in streets after streets in Stocktonforeclosed rapidly that Real Estate agentshad to hire busses to take their clients toview the property as a tour rather than byindividual appointments.

Linda Green’s signature

The dox.com generated the missingdocuments signed by Linda Green

who represented 20 some banks with hersignature on the documents. Among vari-ous inconsistencies such as dates etc.,there were varied styles of Linda Green’ssignature. When CBS team investigatingthe scandal at dox.com, they found amale worker with a different namewas signing the loan documentspurporting to have been signed by

Lind Green.

By Sanjesh KumarHow’s your financial strategy coming along? That

old adage, “People don’t plan to fail, they fail toplan,” can be especially true when it comes tofinances. And, given the current economy, the besttime to start taking control of your finances is today.Being financially responsible doesn’t just happen. It’sa conscious decision

you make to live within your means. Slowly, U.S.consumers may be catching on. A nationwide surveyon the financial state of U.S. households, conductedby PricewaterhouseCoopers, found only 13%ofhouseholds are currently saving 7% or more oftheir disposable income, although fully 36% ofhouseholds expect to save at this level in 5 to 10years.1 While that trend may be encouraging, thereremains ample room for improvement.It’s Never Too Late to Plan

No matter what stage of life you’re in, you shouldhave a strategy that helps meet your current financialneedswhile creating a path to help you reach long-term financial goals. Whether you’re just starting outor nearing retirement, a strategy is necessary, andthe good news is no matter what your age, it’s nevertoo late to start.

A proactive approach now can help avoidheartaches and disappointments later on. Consider the following scenarios:• If you’re single and just starting out, it’s never

too soon to start a savings plan. By just saving asmall amount today, you can make a huge differ-ence later on. What financial goals can you settoday to help make your dreams a reality?

• If you’re the head of a new household, perhapswith a new baby, how do you protect your fami-ly’s standard of living in case anything happensto you or your spouse? If you died today, howwould your family manage financially?

• If you have young children, it’s never too early tostart saving for their college expenses. How canyou start a college education fund so they won’tbe burdened with student loans and can attendthe college of their choice?

• If you’re thinking about retirement, consider whatamount of your current income you can allocateinto retirement savings vehicles, such as 401(k)plans, IRAs and other investments. With retire-ment possiblylasting 20 or 30 years, the moreresources you have the more likely you’ll beableto enjoy it. Do you want to just get by or befinancially comfortable so you can enjoy life withyour family and friends?

No matter where you are in life, a financial strate-gy is a necessity. With a proper strategy, you’llalways be in a better position to help achieve yourfinancial goals, whether it’s buying a home, driving anew car or retiring.

1Viewpoint on U.S. Savings Rate, PwC FinancialServices Research Institute, 5/13/2010.

This educational third-party article is being pro-vided as a courtesy by Sanjesh Kumar, Agent, CAIns. Lic. OH23014 New York Life InsuranceCompany. To learn more about the information ortopics discussed, please contact Sanjesh Kumar at39650 Liberty Street Suite 200 Fremont, CA 94538Phone: 510-469-4667,

E-mail: skumar3@ft.newyorklife.com Website:www.sanjeshkumar.com

Taking Financial Responsibility: What’s Your Game Plan?

FIJI NEWS6 � February 2012

Russia in Fiji will begood for AustraliaThere is nothing to be alarmed about with

the Russian foreign minister's working visit toFiji. Apart from the demonstration of softpower in 2011 with promises to teach Fijianshow to dance like the Unidance project, or thescholarships offered through the PSC and thecustomary congratulatory messages on inde-pendence day to the “friendly Fijian people”what have the Fiji junta really got from Russia?What Fiji have publicly declared they wantfrom Russia are Tourist, what they have andwill get is a hand full in transit. They may alsoget some equipment to monitor the weather infuture. On the other hand what Russia wantsfrom Fiji they already got in 2011. For two con-gratulatory notes, a promise to teach Fijianshow to dance and a scholarship or two, other-wise known as trinkets for the blockhead ledjunta, Russia have obtained their seabedexploration and mining rights from the Fijichaired International Seabed Authority thanksto the Fiji based SOPAC and will through OlegDeripaskas Rusal enhance the welfare of allAustralians via their JV with Rio Tinto. So wesay bring in the Russians to Fiji, it will be greatfor business and our permanent financial inter-ests. There are no nationalities, tribal, religiousor class differentiation in international busi-ness, which has a universal language, so letsget this party started shall we and spare us theold cold war mentality conjured to fool peoplelike Inoke Kubuabola.

President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, direc-tor ICC Dr Kamal Kishor Mishra and artistsof Ramleela at Suva Civic Centre duringthe 40 years of ICC in Fiji: Festival of India2011. Picture: FEROZ KHALIL+ Enlargethis image President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau,director ICC Dr Kamal Kishor Mishra andartists of Ramleela at Suva Civic Centreduring the 40 years of ICC in Fiji: Festival ofIndia 2011. Picture: FEROZ KHALIL On theoccasion of the 63rd Republic Day of India,I convey my greetings and good wishes tothe friendly people of Fiji. The Governmentand the people of India have been workingover the years for inclusive and sustainableeconomic and social development of thecountry. The Government is committed tostrive for a more productive, competitiveand robust economy and an equitable andjust social order. India and Fiji share closeand friendly relations which have furtherstrengthened in recent years. Our people-to- people exchange and interaction hasalso been growing. As fellow developingcountries we have been collaboratingclosely in international fora and multilateralinstitutions. We are working with theGovernment of Fiji to enhance bilateraltrade and investment and cooperation inother areas. The first India - Fiji TradeCouncil Meeting is to take place in a fewdays, for which a senior official delegationis visiting from India.

Natural disasters take lives,shatter communities, inflict devas-tating economic losses and erodehard-won development gains. Overthe past 50 years natural disastershave affected almost four millionpeople in the Pacific, or half the cur-rent population, making the regionone of the most disaster prone andvulnerable in the world. Since 2009Fiji alone has reported over F$150million in damage as a direct resultof natural disasters.

Australia is committed to helpingFiji prepare for and respond to nat-ural disasters. Since the January2009 floods, Australia has providedapproximately F$10 million to Fijifor disaster response and recovery.This supported the rapid distributionof emergency supplies such astarpaulins, blankets and water con-tainers to affected communities. Italso funded essential repairs todamaged health centres andschools and supported farmers toplant new crops in the wake ofCyclone Tomas.

In Fiji, Australia is working withthe Fiji National DisasterManagement Office and the FijiCouncil of Churches to help makelocal communities more resilient

and better prepared for natural dis-asters. So far the program hashelped over 140 vulnerable com-munities to develop their own disas-ter response plans and communitydisaster management committees.These committees help inform peo-ple of what to do when disastersstrike.

The disaster response plansinvolve preparatory actions such asstoring food and drinking water,bracing houses, moving animals tohigh ground, and evacuating to vil-lage halls, churches or schools in asafe location.

"I am happy that this training hascome to our village," said an elderlywoman from Gunu village, Yasawa."I am 86 years old and cannot walk.After this training I am the first to beassisted. The youth help me packand move me to the evacuation

centre. The men secure my house.I am thankful."

Each community has tailored itsdisaster response plan to suit itsown unique needs. For example,the plans for Yavusania settlementin Nadi and Wasavulu village inLabasa are focused on respondingto floods as they are both locatednear major rivers. The plans forNakoronawa, Nakaugasele,Lomanikoro and Nakaunakoro vil-lage in Kadavu focus on a tsunamiearly warning system.

The program also builds linksbetween communities and the FijiNational Disaster ManagementOffice. During recent cyclones thefour villages of Nakasaleka Districtin Kadavu relayed information tothe National Disaster ManagementOffice on the track of and damagecaused by the cyclone. Thisenables emergency responders tobuild a clearer picture of the disas-ter so help can reach those in needfaster. Australia always standsready to help Fiji following a naturaldisaster, and we will continue towork hard with our partners to sup-port the people of Fiji to prevent theloss of life and livelihoods resultingfrom natural disasters.

Flooded areas in the west ofFiji's main island of Viti Levu havebeen declared natural disasterzones. The declaration is effectivefor fifteen days unless the interimgovernment revokes it earlier.

The death toll from the floodshas risen to six after a family of fourwere killed by a landslide, triggeredby the heavy rain. The permenantsecretary of Fiji's Ministry ofProvinvial Development, IniaSeruiratu, says the government isdoing its best to get necessary sup-plies to everyone in need. "There'sstill fast-flowing currents in a fewareas again there are problems withlandslide is some of the mainaccess roads". However we arealso ass by Fiji Red Cross andother organisations are available, itis a collective effort we are co-ordi-nating all of the assistances, how-ever as much as we want to get toall of the people in some of theremote areas we still have difficul-ties".Family killed

Reports from Fiji say the deathtoll from heavy flooding has risenafter a landslide killed a family offour. Local media reports suggest ahusband, his wife, and their twodaughters were trapped inside theirhome by the landslide in Ba on theisland of Viti Levu. The western sideof the island, including the populartourist area around Nadi, has beenhit by severe flooding. The Fiji RedCross says the rain is beginning toease this morning and flood levelsare falling in Nadi. But Red Crossdisaster coordinator EselomaLedau says teams are still trying toreach the site of the landslide. Morerain is forecast in coming days andauthorities will meet this morning toagain consider whether to declare astate of disaster.

Weather forecastFiji's interim government says it

appears floodwaters have peakedand are falling around Nadi andother regions of western Viti Levu.

But the Permanent Secretary forInformation, Sharon Smith-Johns,says the government is still not rul-ing out declaring a state of disaster.

Two farmers have died in thefloods which have put large areas ofwestern Viti Levu under water.Around 2,000 people have takenrefuge in evacuation centres.MsSmith-Johns says an assessment is

being made of the damage and fur-ther risk."The good news is thatbecause the rain has stopped thismorning, the rivers are subsiding alittle, but the forecast is for morebad weather to move in," she said.

She says the airport is open andtourist hotels are operating in thepopular area of Denarau, thoughsome guests have had to enter andexit the area by helicopter or boat.Flood aid

Fiji Red Cross workers areattempting to access those affectedby floods in the country's WesternDivision.The areas worst hit areNadi and Ba, with heavy rain fore-cast for Wednesday. The newsdirector for Fiji Village, VijayNarayan, has told Radio Australiathe Red Cross will be distributingemergency kits to people who needit. "Well there is an issue, whetherthough even officials cannot movein, floodwaters as high as five, sixfeet and officials do not want to riskgoing into those areas," he said."But the Fiji Red Cross decided togo out to the areas only where theycan gain access to."

Fiji flood areas declared disaster zones

Flood appealFijian interim Prime MinisterFrank Bainimarama haslaunched a flood relief appealto assist families affected bythe flooding on the Westernside of Viti Levu. Seventy-fourevacuation centres across thecountry are housing close tothree and a half thousand peo-ple. There have been six con-firmed casualties.

The floodwaters in Fiji haveretreated, leaving behind apath of devastation.

The people have no water, nopower and they're waiting forhelp. "There's none, apart fromyou guys," Nacanieli Vanasinatold 3 News. "You guys are thefirst one to ask about the dam-ages around here." His village ishome to 260 people, half of themcrammed into a church when theflooding was at its worst. But itdoesn't have to be this way.

The village evacuation centre,which would have been used dur-ing these latest floods if it was fin-ished, can hold the entire village.It would have a shower, runningwater, and a kitchen too. Theproblem is the village can't affordthe $60,000 to finish the job.

The immediate need here is

for food, water and clothes. TheRed Cross says the floods areworse than 2009. It says it haswater to deliver but with the stateof the roads, it can't.

"They have to walk, as wehave seen," says Pastor JoneLesu. "They can only walk fromthere to here, or we can arrangean agreement with the police,take them if they are willing." Thetown of Ba was open for the firsttime today - businesses werebusy cleaning up before a 4pmcurfew kicked in.

Back towards Nadi the railbridge used to transport a thrivingsugar cane industry has beentossed to one side by the floods.On the other side of the bridge, asingle tap provides the onlysource of clean water.

Devastation remainsas waters recede

Australia helps Fiji prepare for natural disastersIndia's strongties with Fiji

FIJI NEWS 7� February 2012

Amongst the local photogra-phers who were covering the recentUprising International Sevens wasa Spaniard. His presence wouldn'tprobably make anyone take noticeexcept for the fact, that he is a bigfan of Fiji rugby.He is Julio Martin Seras Lima

and he is the International RugbyBoard's photographer and his closeassociation with the HSBC IRBWorld Sevens Series made himtravel a long way to Fiji."It surprised me to see two Fiji

teams playing in the Uprising tour-nament and nice to see other Fijiplayers playing for their clubteams," Lima says.In sharing his story with the

Sunday Times, Lima's chosencareer path sounds just like the wayFijians play rugby, so full of passion.He first picked up a camera as a

university student in Spain whilestudying for a degree in tourism in aBarcelona university. As he had todo a lot of travelling, Lima learnthow to take his own photographsfor travel magazines.The bug finally bit him when he

went to England. He was supposedto go and learn how to speakEnglish but instead, went back toSpain as a fully fledged profession-al photographer.His choice of subject however, is

his first love, rugby! Coming fromSpain and soccer mad Barcelona,

it's surprising that Lima is not onebit interested in Lionel Messi or theLa' Liga.His first ever rugby assignment

was taking photos of his friend OriolRipol, the first Spanish rugby playerto play to level rugby in Englandwith the North Hampton Saints in2003.He began taking photos of rugby

games in England and also whenhe returned to Barcelona in Spain.Lima prefers shooting rugby and

sports than spending time withfashion models or taking portraitsand landscapes."I have done a lot of other types

of photography but I chose to dorugby. It's my passion. I love rugbyand I love photography and it's agreat combination," Lima says.His newfound passion earned

him many accolades back and he

finally became an international pho-tographer when he got published inArgentina in 2006.His big break came in 2007

when he joined the InternationalRugby Board as its photographer.For the last six years, he has

been part of nearly all IRB sanc-tioned events, beginning with the2007 Rugby World Cup in France.He also covered the 2011 RWC

in New Zealand where he took pho-tos from 19 matches, including allquarter-finals, semi-finals and thefinal match.In total he took more than

25,000 photographs in the tourna-ment.Lima is now a regular face on

the IRB World Sevens Series, evenoutlasting some coaches and play-ers.But the way for him was not

paved with gold. He at times hadfound himself sleeping in quirkyplaces like caravans and eatingjunk food just so that he can coverhis assignments."But I had to make a lot of sacri-

fices along the way. Sleeping in lowcost motels and travelling economyclass apart from all the travellingthat I have to do. In fact I havestayed at nearly all types of accom-modation. But as the years go on, ithas become easier," Lima says.All that, simply for the sake of

rugby and photography.

Shortly after the 2011 AFLOceania Youth Cup, the Fijicoach, Glen Butler said good-

bye. The reason being that his stintas an AYAD officer in Fiji had cometo an end. The AYAD program is ref-erenced over and over again inrespect to Australian Football in thePacific. Worldfootynews askedGlen to reflect on his time.WFN The AYAD process. What

got you into it. How did you gothrough the process, and how didthe AYAD promise live up in reality?GB I originally came across an

advertisement on the AFL websitein late 2009 to volunteer overseasand promote AFL. I had just recent-ly finished my university degree andwas living abroad for most of theyear. After returning to Australia andstruggling to get a job, I saw this asan opportunity to gain some workexperience, which might possiblylead to a job with the AFL. I emailedAFL Asia-South Pacific with a littleabout myself and my interest in theposition. I was called into AFLHouse in Melbourne and met withAndrew Cadzow (AFL Asia-PacificManager). We had a fairly casualchat about the AFL in the Asia-Pacific region and what it was allabout. Originally there was a similarposition in Indonesia for whichAndrew had suggested I apply.I remember receiving a call in

April 2010 from Cadz saying, “Thejob in Indonesia is gone, do youwant to go Fiji instead…?”I thought about it for maybe a

second, “Sure…”From there I was put in contact

with Austraining International, theproject management company thatdelivers the Australian Youth

Ambassadors for Development pro-gram, an Australian Governmentinitiative through AusAID. I then hadto apply for the Fiji position officiallythrough Austraining in May. I alsohad a phone interview before I wasofficially accepted in August thatyear. The AYAD Program, part ofAustralian Volunteers forInternational Development, sup-ports young Australians on volun-teer assignments in developingcountries. The program providesyou with a support network of othervolunteers and management staff incountry(sic). I quickly settled intomy new surroundings and had agreat group of friends before I evenleft Australia.WFN The Fiji experience. What

were your expectations? What havebeen some of the greatest chal-lenges, the greatest successes andwhat remain the greatest chal-lenges (esp from a footy perspec-tive). GB When I first arrived, theFiji Power were a month out fromtravelling to Tonga for the 2010Youth Oceania Cup. I was pleasedto find out I would be joining thesquad on the trip. I remember beingquite impressed with local commit-tee that seemed well organised andthe players were training hardunder the supervision of DylanWolfgramm and then David RodanSnr prior to leaving for Tonga.I didn’t really know what to

expect. I knew only of what I hadseen on their Facebook page andbrief contact with the chairmanRobert Wolfgramm via email. Ihelped out where I could withadministration and footy training.Soon we were off to Tonga, theboys played extremely well and I

learned a lot about the Fijian cultureand was warmly welcomed byeveryone. There was definitely nolack of enthusiasm for the game asI remember having boys waiting bymy front gate not long after the NewYear asking when training wasstarting again. I remember getting agroup of the boys together to handout AFL flyers around Suva. Thenext week, we had around eightyplayers turn up at a training ses-sion. The greatest success was get-ting the senior team to Australia tocompete in the International Cup. Ididn’t realise at the time the magni-tude of sending the team and offi-cials to Australia. Organising Visa’s,flight payments, budgeting andfundraising etc. as the majorityinvolved had never travelled over-seas before and I myself had neverapplied for a visa to Australia sur-prisingly, let alone 32 of them.Credit to all the players and thefamilies involved, it was a huge sac-rifice not only money but their timeand effort. The players getting downto training 3-4 times a week pluspractice matches on the weekend.For these guys it would be forsome, a long walk to the nearestbus route, getting on numerousbuses from all around Suva for any-where upwards of an hour to trainfor two hours and then get homeagain. So in addition to paying fortheir flights and visa’s to Australia,they were paying bus fares daily toget to and from training which puteven greater strain on their families.The biggest credit is due to the

committee which has been heldtogether by Robert and LupeWolfgramm. The two of them alongwith small group of parents and

friends are keeping AFL Fiji aliveand kicking. What I didn’t realisewhen I initially started was that theyare all volunteers. They have theirfamilies, jobs and everything else todeal with but they still sacrifice theirtime to be involved. I (have) a lot ofrespect to the Wolfgramm family, asboth Lupe and Robert would bedown at every training, practicematch and fundraiser.AFL 9’sLeading up to International Cup,

we started the AFL 9’s competitionthat normally ran on a Saturdaymorning. One of the biggest chal-lenges was finding a suitableground. Albert Park is ideal due toits size but generally the ground isoverrun by small groups playingschoolyard rugby or soccer and theoccasional game of cricket. Marchthrough September is the peak ofthe rugby union season so thismade it all the more challenging.The venue was ever-changing butthe players kept coming. By the lastweek of the competition, we hadclose to one hundred players play-ing across eight teams.Local media

AFL in Fiji was also getting moreregular media exposure. The mediain Fiji craved sport news and wereextremely open to learning moreabout AFL. The two major newspa-pers (Fiji Times and Fiji Sun) regu-larly published sports scores fromthe local weekend matches andupdates on progress throughout theyear. I was interviewed on Fiji OneTV network and had a couple ofradio interviews with Viti FM.

SchoolsThe major targets of AFL Fiji’s

programs were on youth. I startedvisiting schools during term 1 in theSuva area with of two of the seniorboys Max Wolfgramm and SemitiMateiwai. We visited about a dozenschools seeing close to 3000 stu-dents over an 8-9 week period.Another major challenge wasexpanding the program and estab-lishing it outside of Suva. I had vis-ited a number of schools in Nadi,Lautoka and Ba on the westerncoast of Viti Levu (main island ofFiji) and conducted several clinicsbut these were one-offs. It was a 4-5 hour bus trip between Suva andthe western coast of Viti Levu, notto mention travelling to the other320 or so islands that make up Fiji.Another challenge was thatbetween the Wolfgramm family,myself and a handful of under 16players, we were the only people inFiji (known as AFL Fiji) that had asignificant knowledge of the game.International Cup

The benefits of participating inthe International Cup were to createmore exposure in Fiji and hopefullyin the Australian media, to indicateto the AFL that progress is beingmade in Fiji, which may lead toimplementing a similar academy-program to Papua New Guinea andfinally that I now had twenty-eightassistants to now help run trainingclinics around Fiji. After returningfrom Australia, I caught up with agroup of the senior players, handedthem footballs, whistles and toldthem they are now coaching theUnder 16’s in the lead up to theOceania Cup.

A 24-year-old former Fiji womanwho fooled her family into believingshe was pregnant has beencharged with abduction afterallegedly walking into a hospital andstealing a new-born baby, NZ policesaid today. Neha Narayan wasarrested after she was found withthe baby heading for the hospital carpark where her partner was waitingto take her home with what hebelieved was their own child. Policespokeswoman Ana-Mari Gates-Bowey told reporters Narayan fakedher pregnancy for nine monthsbefore telling her partner to drop heroff at Auckland's Middlemore hospi-tal as she was due to give birth.Inside the hospital she was able toroam the maternity ward. At onestage she was found holding a baby

which she said she was comforting,and later she was handed an Indianbaby by a hospital staff memberwho believed she was the mother,Gates-Bowey said. Narayan isalleged to have then headed for thecar park where her partner andanother person were waiting andboth were under the impression thatshe had been pregnant, Gates-Bowey said. The baby's parentsraised the alarm as they sawNarayan leave with what theybelieved was their child and alertedhospital staff. "On her way out of thehospital, when she had a small two-day-old Indian child with her thatshe'd taken from the birthing unit, anurse stopped her in her tracks, andasked her to come back inside,"Gates-Bowey said.

Interview with Glen Butler

MARTIN SERAS LIMA Ex- Fiji woman charged with abduction

ONLY two new office bearers wereelected during the 33rd Fiji ChessFederation annual general meeting(AGM) yesterday. Teliko Koroi was elect-ed as the new general secretary whileGoru Arvind will be her assistant. Arvindsaid the Koroi would replace KrishneelSingh who had been at the post for a year."Office bearers are elected at every AGMto give other people the chance to take upthe office and help develop the sport,"Arvind said. "However, no other newoffice bearers were elected and Dr Virgilio

de Asa remains president and veteranplayer Gloria Sukhu and candidate mas-ter (CM) Calvin Prasad remain as the twovice-presidents," he said.

Also three awards were given out dur-ing the AGM of which two were new whilethe President's Cup saw a surprise nomi-nee being awarded. "Nine year oldJacquelyn Masilomani was awarded thePresident's Cup for her fine performancelast year." "2011 Player of the Year awardwent to last year's national champion CMCalvin Prasad."

Fiji Chess Federations appoints two new officials

INDIA NEWS 8 � February 2012

NEW DELHI: In a major devel-opment having implications for thecorporate sector, the SupremeCourt on Thursday cancelled the122 2G spectrum licences grantedby former telecom minister A Rajaon the ground that they wereissued in a "totally arbitrary andunconstitutional" manner.

Imposing a fine of Rs five croreeach on three telecom companies,which offloaded their shares aftergetting the licenses, the courtdirected regulator TelecomRegulatory Authority of India (TRAI)to make fresh recommendations onallocation of 2G licences.

Asking the government to takesteps on the recommendations ofTRAI within a month, a bench com-prising justices G S Singhvi and A KGanguly said the allocation of spec-trum will be done through the policyof auction within four months.

The order came on petitionsfiled by NGO CPIL and JanataParty president SubramanianSwamy alleging scam in the alloca-tion of spectrum licences by Raja inJanuary, 2008 during the tenure ofUPA-I government, on which theCAG had assumed the presump-tive loss of upto Rs 1.76 lakhs. The122 licences were given by Raja forover Rs 9,000 crore, while 3G auc-tions for a smaller number oflicences had fetched the govern-ment a sum of Rs 69,000 crores.

The companies that are set tolose on account of the cancellationof the licences are Uninor (jointventure between Unitech andTelenor of Norway), Loop Telecom,Sistema Shyam (joint venturebetween Shyam and Sistema ofRussia), Etisalat DB (joint venturebetween Swan and Etisalat of

UAE), S Tel, Videocon, Tatas andIdea. Among the 122 licencesissued by Raja in January 2008 onfirst-come first-serve basis, Uninorwas alloted 22 pan India licences,Loop 21, Sistema-Shyam 21,Etisalat-DB 15, S Tel 6, Videocon21, Idea 9 and Tatas 3.

Reacting to the Supreme Courtjudgement Uninor, which haslaunched services in most of thecircles, expressed shock and saidthat the company has been treatedunfairly.

"We have been unfairly treatedas we simply followed the govern-ment process we were asked to.We are shocked to see that Uninoris being penalised for faults thecourt has found in the governmentprocess," the company statement said.

Noting that the order has notstopped the company operationsfor now Uninor said "we expect theauthorities to ensure that our 36million customers, 17,500 work-force and 22,000 partners are notunjustly affected." Other new oper-ators said that they would examinethe order before commenting onthe future course of action.

Trial court to decide onChidambaram's role in 2G TheSupreme Court on Thursday said

the trial court will decide on JanataParty chief Subramanian Swamy'splea to make home ministerChidambaram a co-accused in the2G spectrum allotment case, IANSreported. The apex court said that

the trial court should decide thematter within two weeks. Special CBI Judge O P Saini, who is hearing a separate petitionof Swamyto prosecuteChidambaram .

2G scam: Swamy's petition to make Chidambaram co-ac-cused dismissedNEW DELHI: ADelhi court onSaturday dismissedJanata Party presi-dent SubramanianSwamy's plea tomake home minis-ter P Chidambaramco-accused in the2G case. "Your prayer to summonChidambaram as an accused is dis-missed," Special Judge O P Saini saidon Swamy's petition reading out fromhis much-awaited judgement. The courtsaid it will commence the hearing on thecomplaint filed by Swamy in which hehad made further allegations againstformer telecom minister A Raja withoutmaking Chidambaram an accused fromMarch 17. Reacting to the verdict,Subramanian Swamy said he was'surprised' by the court's decision, butwould now appeal against the decisionin the high court with more evidence..Swamy had moved the court seeking tomake Chidambaram as co-accused inthe 2G spectrum scam alleging he wasas culpable as former telecom ministerA Raja in determining the prices ofscarce spectrum and in allowing thedilution of shares. The Supreme Courton Thursday had refused to direct CBI toinvestigate the alleged role ofChidambaram leaving it to the specialcourt trying the 2G case. A bench of jus-tices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly,which asked the lower court not to getinfluenced by its decision, had alsorefused to direct CBI to "investigateChidambaram".

NEW DELHI: Following is the chronologyof the events in which a Delhicourt rejected the plea ofJanata Party chiefSubramanian Swamy to makeHome Minister PChidambaram a co-accusedin the 2G case.

Dec 15, 2010: Swamy moves Special CBIcourt seeking prosecution ofthe then Telecom Minister ARaja in 2G scam and his(Swamy's) appointment aspublic prosecutor.

Jan 7, 2011: Court holds Swamy's com-plaint against A Raja "main-tainable".

Mar 25, 2011: Swamy's complaint trans-ferred to Special court set upat the instance of theSupreme Court to try all casesrelated to 2G scam.

Aug 23, 2011: Swamy moves SC for CBIprobe against Home Ministerand the then Finance MinisterP Chidambaram in the 2Gcase.

Aug 26, 2011: Swamy tells Special CBIcourt that he will file a pleabefore it to makeChidambaram a co-accused.

Sept 8, 2011: SC directs Swamy to sub-

mit his correspondence withthe CBI in connection with hisplea to investigateChidambaram's alleged role inthe 2G scam.

Sept 15, 2011: Swamy tells court he willbring new facts thatChidambaram and Raja had arole in deciding 2G spectrumprices and entry fee.

Sept 22, 2011: CBI defendsChidambaram in SC, blamesDepartment of Telecom (DoT).

Oct 10, 2011: SC reserves order onSwamy's plea for a probe intothe alleged role ofChidambaram in the 2G scam.

Jan 7, 2012: Swamy places on recordvarious certified copies of thedocuments in support of hisprivate complaint againstChidambaram.

Jan 21, 2012: Special Court reservesorder for February 4.

Feb 2, 2012: SC refuses to ask CBI toprobe role of Chidambaram in2G case and leaves it to theSpecial Court to decide thematter.

Feb 4, 2012: Special Court dismissesSwamy's plea to makeChidambaram a co-accused.

Pak panel on26/11 again putsoff Mumbai visitNEW DELHI: In what would

cause further delay in the ongoingtrial of the 26/11 case in Pakistan, ajudicial commission from that coun-try which was to visit India in con-nection with the Mumbai terrorattack case probe, failed to arriveon its scheduled visit to Mumbai onThursday. "Islamabad conveyed toNew Delhi through diplomaticchannels that the commissionwould not be able to come to Indiaon its planned visit," a home min-istry official said.

Though no reason was given forthe cancellation of the trip, sourceshere said it could be due to a spe-cial hearing in the case onFebruary 4 at a Rawalpindi courtwhere the trial is going on. Pakistanhas not suggested any fresh datefor the visit of the commission.India had earlier conveyed that thecommission could come anytimebetween February 1 and 10. Thecommission is supposed to takestatements of officers linked to the26/11 probe, including additionalchief metropolitan magistrate R VSawant Waghule and investigatingofficer Ramesh Mahale, and alsothe doctors who carried out thepost mortem of the terrorists killedduring the attack.

NEW DELHI: Railways will needRs 14 lakh crore over the next 10years if next-generation moderniza-tion is to take place, ministerDinesh Trivedi said on Thursday.

This investment is essential forupgradation of the rail network,including automation of the sig-nalling system, strengthening oftrack and procurement of modernrolling stock, the railway ministersaid.

"The time has come for thePMO, Planning Commission andRailways to decide on the future ofthe carrier. The present system hasoutlived its utility. We have toembark upon a new generation ofrail services," Trivedi said.

Trivedi was hopeful that theinvestment will come from a combi-nation of government support, therailways' internal resources andpublic-private-partnership.

He expected a 200% hike in theRailways' plan expenditure, whichis Rs 20,000 crore in current finan-cial year. Linking the fortunes of thecarrier with that of India's growth,the minister argued that if the rail-ways are not modernized there wasno way the country could hold on toits high GDP growth rate. The min-

ister said he was bringing the PrimeMinister and the planning commis-sion on board with the needs of theRailways. Trivedi said a slew ofreforms was urgently needed,including a tariff regulatory bodythat would suggest train fares andfreight rates, de-politicization of therailways for undertaking modern-ization and a national rail policybased on broad consensus. Healso mooted the idea of expandingthe Railway Board to a nine-mem-ber body, up from seven at present."There should also be a memberrevenue and member safety in theboard," he said.

The minister wanted the pro-posed member (revenue) to focuson innovative ways of generatingresources. "We must find out newrevenue models," he said, givingthe example of Japan's railwayswhich generates 30% of its revenuefrom commercial exploitation of realestate. Trivedi said his main con-cern was to improve safety andafter that embark on modernizationof tracks, signaling system androlling stock.

He advocated e-tendering ande-auctioning as part of the modern-ization exercise.

2G scam: SC scraps 122 licences granted under Raja's tenureChidambaram relieved in 2G case:Chronology of Swamy's petition

Railways needs Rs 14 lakh crto modernize: Dinesh Trivedi

NEW DELHI: Army chief Gen VK Singh seems to have won the firstround in the legal battle on the agerow with the Supreme Court onFriday saying the manner in whichhis statutory complaint was rejectedby the government "appears to bevitiated".

Posting the matter for hearingon February 10, the court sought toknow whether the governmentwould like to withdraw its December30, 2011 order. Defence minister AK Antony had issued an order onDecember 30 turning down thestatutory complaint of Gen Singhthat his date of birth be treated inArmy's records as May 10, 1951and not as May 10, 1950.

Posing questions to the govern-ment, the bench of Justices R MLodha and H L Gokhale was of theview that the defence ministry'sorder of July 21, 2011 holding thedate of birth as May 10, 1950 wasbased on the opinion of attorneygeneral and so was the case whenthe December 30 order was passedon the statutory complaint. After thecourt asked whether the govern-ment would like to withdraw theDecember 30 order, attorney gen-eral G E Vahanvati said he will seek

instruction from the government onthe issue.

The court said there were otherremedies available for Gen Singh ifthe government withdraws itsDecember 30 order. It said in thatcase Gen Singh's statutory com-plaint against July 21 order can bereconsidered by the authorities andthere was also an option for him toapproach the Armed ForcesTribunal.

During the hearing, the benchobserved that when it was held thatGen Singh's complaint was notmaintainable, the only remedy hehad was to approach the apexcourt.

From the outset, the benchquestioned the decision-makingprocess of the government.

"We are not concerned as muchwith the decision but we are con-cerned with the decision-makingprocess which is vitiated as the July21 order was also based on theconsideration of opinion given bythe attorney general and when thestatutory complaint of the Armychief was decided on December30, there also attorney general'sopinion was taken into considera-tion," the bench observed.

Army chief age row: SC questions govtprocedure, defers hearing till Feb 10

PAKISTAN NEWS 9� February 2012

Anti-government protesters shout slogans as they march to demand a trial for Yemen's outgoing President Ali Abdullah Salehin Sanaa January 29, 2012.

ISLAMABAD: The rulingPakistan Peoples Party's top leader-ship has decided to contest theSupreme Court's move to frame con-tempt charges against PrimeMinister Yousuf Raza Gilani while notseeking any sort of confrontation withthe judiciary, according to a mediareport on Friday. Gilani's lawyerAitzaz Ahsan is likely to file an appealin a few days against the apexcourt's order summoning the premieron February 13 for the framing ofcontempt of court charges for failingto act on orders to reopen graftcases against President Asif AliZardari.

The government's stand in thematter has been influenced by itsdesire to ensure that nothing affectsthe holding of polls to the Senate orupper house of parliament sched-uled for next month, The ExpressTribune quoted its sources as say-

ing. The PPP's top leaders haveadvised cadres "not to resort to pub-lic rhetorical attacks against theassertive judiciary", the report said.

The PPP will fight its case in court"with all its might", arguing thatZardari enjoys immunity under theconstitution from prosecution in allcriminal proceedings inside and out-side the country. Most PPP leaderswere tight-lipped when asked tocomment on Thursday's proceedingsin the apex court. However, a major-ity of them said during informal inter-actions that the government wasbeing "squeezed" by the judiciary."We have a right to go for a review,as has been mentioned by the coun-sel of the PM," an unnamed PPPleader said. "One should not forgetthat after the 18th amendment thatright of a fair trial has been recog-nised as a basic right of every citizenunder clause 10A of the constitution."

Pak hospitalwon’t give baby toprez for adoption

LAHORE: Authorities in Pakistan'sPunjab province handed over a one-year-old abandoned girl to a childless coupleafter refusing some seven other hopefuls,including president Zardari, who wanted thebaby for his sister Faryal Talpur. AllamaIqbal Medical College Principal JavedAkram handed over the girl, Fatima, by hos-pital doctors, to Muhammad Iqbal and hiswife Ayesha during a ceremony held onWednesday. The adoption procedure wascompleted after the administration of state-run Jinnah Hospital turned down applica-tions from seven persons, including Zardari,who wanted the baby for his sister. The ail-ing girl was left by an unknown woman atJinnah Hospital some weeks ago.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan'ssupreme court on Thursday sum-moned PM Yousaf Raza Gilani toappear before it on February 13 toframe contempt charges againsthim for defying its orders to write toSwiss authorities to reopen a graftcase against president Asif AliZardari.Gilani told parliament later that

he respects the court and will hon-our its request for a second appear-ance. The court's order has rampedpolitical crisis in the country, asGilani could lose his job and facesix months in prison if convicted.But the PM could avoid beingcharged by appealing against the

order , apologizing or promising towrite to the Swiss. "After the prelim-inary hearing, we are satisfiedprima facie that there is enoughcase for further proceedings. Thecase is adjourned until February 13for the formal framing of charges.The PM will be present in person,"said justice Nasir ul Mulk, whoheads the seven-judge bench hear-ing the case. Gilani's lawyer,Chaudhary Aitzaz Ahsan, told thecourt that the country's law ministryhad advised him against writing tothe Swiss. On this, justice Mulkremarked that the premier was effi-cient in listening, but did not givedue consideration to the court's

orders. "The PM has the right toturn down law ministry's advice,"another judge pointed out.Ahsan argued that the Swiss

were told that the case againstZardari was closed after theNational Reconciliation Order(NRO) that granted amnesty fromgraft cases to politicians as part of adeal between former PM BenazirBhutto and military ruler PervezMusharraf. "The Swiss authoritiesclosed the cases on lack of evi-dence.'' The lawyer presented asummary of the Swiss response tothe government in September2010, which stated that there wereno cases against the president

there.The court questioned why thesummary has never been present-ed in any of the previous hearings."If the cases are closed, then whythe government is afraid of writingthe letter," the court asked."The government should write

the letter for our satisfaction andthen we will see what the Swissauthorities have to say in reply.''Since 2009, theSC has been insist-ing the government write to theSwiss about reopening of the casepresident Zardari after it threw outNRO. But the government has beendefying its orders, claiming that thepresident enjoyed immunity fromprosecution.

WASHINGTON: The US onThursday issued a travel adviso-ry, warning its citizens about therisks while travelling to Pakistanin view of recent developmentsand tension in US-Pak ties in theaftermath of NATO raid that killed24 Pakistani soldiers.Replacing its previous travel

warning dated April 8, 2011, theState Department today asked itscitizens to avoid protests andlarge gatherings which are hap-pening in Pakistan after theNovember 26 cross-border fire."There have been widespreaddemonstrations and large politi-cal rallies condemning dronestrikes and Pakistan's ongoingenergy crisis. "These protests arelikely to continue. US citizens inPakistan are strongly urged toavoid protests and large gather-ings," it said. The StateDepartment said presence of al-Qaida, Taliban elements, and

indigenous militant sectariangroups poses a potential dangerto US citizens throughoutPakistan. Terrorists regularlyattack civilians, government, andforeign targets, it said. "Threatreporting indicates terroristgroups continue to seek opportu-nities to attack locations whereUS citizens and Westerners areknown to congregate or visit,such as shopping areas, hotels,clubs and restaurants, places ofworship, schools, and outdoorrecreation events," it said."Terrorists have disguised them-selves as Pakistani security per-sonnel to gain access to targetedareas. Some media reports havefalsely identified US diplomats -and to a lesser extent US andother Western journalists andnon-governmental organisationworkers - as being intelligenceoperatives or private security per-sonnel," the travel alert said.

ISLAMABAD/LONDON: Exposingthe ISI's "manipulation" of Taliban'ssenior leadership and its "massive dou-ble game", a damning Nato report saysthat Pakistan government remains "inti-mately" involved with the Afghan-basedterror group. It leaked out on a day whenPakistan foreign minister Hina RabbaniKhar arrived in Kabul on a one-day visitfor talks with the Afghan leadership. TheNato report contains accusations thatPakistan is playing a massive double game with the West asit publicly claims to seek a political solu-tion to the Afghan conflict , while stillsupporting fighters who have killed thou-sands of international troops. Many ofthe revelations concern the scale of sup-port to the Taliban provided by Pakistanand the influence of ISI agency.

"The government of Pakistanremains intimately involved with theTaliban," the Telegraph quoted the reportas saying. Reacting to the report, Kharwas quoted as saying, "We can disre-gard this as a potentially strategic leak...This is old wine in an even older bottle."The report is based on material from

27,000 interrogations with more than4,000 captured Taliban , al-Qaida andother foreign fighters and civilians. Itnotes: "Pakistan's manipulation ofTaliban senior leadership continuesunabatedly. Pakistan is aware of loca-tions of Taliban leaders."

Pak: Allegations frivolous, we arecommitted to peace

Pakistan on Wednesday reactedangrily to a leaked Nato report thataccused its security services of helpingAfghan Taliban just as foreign ministerHina Rabbani Khar began a visit toKabul, saying the allegations were"frivolous" .

"This is frivolous, to put it mildly. Weare committed to non-interference inAfghanistan and expect all states tostrictly adhere to it," foreign officespokesman Abdul Basit said. "We arecommitted to an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process.. A stable,peaceful Afghanistan is in our own inter-est and we are very much cognizant ofthis," Basit said. Pakistan, he said, had"suffered enormously because of thelong war in Afghanistan".

Hafiz Saeed tojoin Pak politics?

ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-ud-Dawahchief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, blamedfor the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, haskept the guessing game on about hisreported political ambitions. At a pressconference on Tuesday in Karachi, heparried questions on whether the JuDwould declare itself a political party andparticipate in elections. There is specula-tion that Saeed plans to contest upcom-ing elections either to the Punjab assem-bly or the National assembly, the lowerhouse of parliament.He said it was a"misconception" to not consider JuD apolitical party as its activities were of polit-ical nature. "We believe the politics ofpolarization harms the Ummah (Muslimbrotherhood )," Saeed was quoted assaying by the Express Tribune daily.38 militants killedin fresh clashesThirty-eight militants, including a

top commander of PakistaniTaliban, were killed in air strikesand clashes with troops in north-west Pakistan. Tehrik-e-TalibanPakistan commander MullahMoinuddin was among those killed,reports said.

PPP to contest SC move againstPM Yousuf Raza Gilani: Report

Pak PM faces contempt charges

Nato report rips open Pak‘double game’ in AfghanistanUS asks citizens to avoid

gatherings in Pakistan

PACIFIC NEWS10 � February 2012

Boulder, Colo., USA - New GSABulletin postings discuss how sub-surface data can be used to under-stand the form and origin of giantsubmarine landslides, give newclues to the tectonic history of theEastern Cordillera, present an alter-native theory on how the mountainsalong the Atlantic margin of north-eastern Brazil formed long after theopening of the South Atlantic, inte-grate several kinds of geologicaldating for Upper Cretaceous rocksfrom the Pacific Coast of NorthAmerica, and more.Highlights are provided below.

Representatives of the media mayobtain complimentary copies ofGSA Bulletin articles by contactingChrista Stratton at the addressabove. Abstracts for the completeissue of GSA Bulletin are availableat http://gsabulletin.gsapubs.org/.Please discuss articles of interest

with the authors before publishingstories on their work, and pleasemake reference to GSA Bulletin inarticles published. Contact ChristaStratton for additional information orassistance.Non-media requests for articles

may be directed to GSA Sales andService, gsaser-vice@geosociety.org.The initiation of submarine slope

failure and the emplacement ofmass transport complexes in salt-related minibasins: A 3D seismicreflection case study from theSantos Basin, offshore BrazilChristopher Aiden-Lee Jackson,Department of Earth Science &Engineering, Imperial College,Prince Consort Road, London SW72BP, England, UK. Posted online 13Jan. 2012; doi: 10.1130/B30554.1.In this study, Jackson shows how

subsurface data can be used tounderstand the form and origin ofgiant submarine landslides. Hedemonstrates that giant landslidescan be triggered by the subsurfacemovement of salt. Giant blocks,which are several tens of meters inwidth, length, and height, can becontained in the deposits associatedwith submarine landsliding.

Discriminating rapid exhumationfrom syndepositional volcanismusing detrital zircon double dating:Implications for the tectonic historyof the Eastern Cordillera, ColombiaJoel E. Saylor et al., Department ofGeological Sciences, JacksonSchool of Geosciences, Universityof Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas,78712, USA. Posted online 13 Jan.2012; doi: 10.1130/B30534.1.

Uranium-lead (U-Pb) radiometricages of zircon grains record theircrystallization. Where volcanism issynchronous with deposition of sed-imentary strata, zircon U-Pb agesapproximate the age of their hoststrata. Zircon (U-Th)/He radiometricages record the time at which theywere cooled by being unearthed,often during mountain building. Inzircons from sedimentary strata,these ages relate to the timing ofmountain building in the sedimentsource region. Difficulty ariseswhere volcanism occurs at thesame time as rapid unearthing.Saylor et al. solve this problem byobtaining both U-Pb and (U-Th)/Heages from the same zircon grains.Zircon grains whose crystallizationand cooling age are similar are ofvolcanic origin, while those with alarge difference between these twoages were cooled as a result ofexhumation during mountain build-ing. The Colombian Andes resultedfrom an eastward-moving wave ofmountain building that affectednorthern South America startingabout 65 million years ago. Zircongrains from about 55-million-years-old sedimentary strata with about55-million-year-old radiometric agesare of volcanic origin while the mostrapid cooling due to mountain build-ing occurred at about 35. millionyears ago. This suggests a changefrom a volcanism-dominated moun-tain range to one dominated bymountain building.

Episodic burial and exhumationin NE Brazil after opening of theSouth Atlantic P. Japsen et al.,Geological Survey of Denmark andGreenland (GEUS), Øster Voldgade10, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark.

Posted online 13 Jan. 2012; doi:10.1130/B30515.1.Mountains along passive conti-

nental margins such as southwest-ern Africa, southeastern Australia,and western India are commonlyregarded as remnants from conti-nental breakup. In contrast, Japsenet al. show that the mountains alongthe Atlantic margin of northeasternBrazil formed long after the openingof the South Atlantic. Their synthesisof geological data, landscape analy-sis, and paleothermal and pale-oburial data reveals a four-stagehistory: (1) Following EarlyCretaceous breakup, about 110 mil-lion years ago, the margin under-went burial beneath a thick sedi-mentary cover.

(2) Uplift and erosion whichbegan around 80 million years agoled to almost complete removal ofthese deposits. (3) The resultinglarge-scale, low-relief Eocene ero-sion surface (peneplain) was deeplyweathered and finally buried undera thick sedimentary cover about 25million years ago (Early Miocene).(4) The formation of the present-daymountains began about 17 millionyears ago when uplift and erosionproduced a new, lower-level pene-plain by river incision below theuplifted and re-exposed, Eocenepeneplain. Similar chronologies ofuplift and erosion in Africa and theAndes suggest the controlling pro-cesses are global. Japsen et al.suggest that both vertical move-ments and lateral changes in platemotion have a common cause,which is lateral resistance to platemotion.Integration of macrofossil bios-

tratigraphy and magnetostratigra-phy for the Pacific Coast UpperC r e t a c e o u s(Campanian–Maastrichtian) ofNorth America and implications forcorrelation with the Western Interiorand Tethys Peter D. Ward et al.,Department of Earth and SpaceSciences, The University ofWashington, Seattle, Washington98195, USA. Posted online 13 Jan.2012; doi: 10.1130/B30077.1.

This work, by Ward et al., inte-grates several kinds of geologicaldating for Upper Cretaceous (100 to65 million years ago) rocks from thePacific Coast of North America. Thework greatly increases the resolu-tion for dating fossils in these strata,and shows that many species ofimportant fossils (ammonites) exist-ed both along the Pacific Coast aswell as in central North America inthe Cretaceous period.Evidence for middle Eocene and

younger emergence in CentralPanama: Implications for Isthmusclosure Camilo Montes et al.,Smithsonian Tropical ResearchInstitute, Box 0843-03092, Balboa,Ancón Republic of Panamá. Postedonline 13 Jan. 2012; doi:10.1130/B30528.1.In a study by Montes et al., new

geologic mapping and analyticaldata from central Panama greatlyrestrict the width and depth of theCentral American Seaway, and chal-lenge the widely accepted notionthat closure of this seaway triggerednorthern hemisphere glaciation inlate Pliocene times (about three mil-lion years ago). Geologic mappingrevealed the presence of an angularunconformity—a geologic featurethat separates strata of differentages, orientations, and affinities—along the southeastern flank of theSan Blas Range, Panama. Thisangular unconformity separatesnearly undeformed shallow marinestrata above, from strongly foldedand faulted rocks below, indicating aperiod of deformation and erosionfollowed by a period of sedimenta-tion. Fossils above the angularunconformity date the time of defor-mation and erosion as prior to lateEocene times (about 37 millionyears ago). Similarly, analytical datafrom apatite and zircon crystalsbelow the angular unconformity sug-gest that cooling related to deforma-tion and erosion took place about 45million years ago. Early Miocene(about 21 million years ago) fluvialstrata in the Panama Canal Basincontain zircon crystals that matchthose found in the San Blas Range

Range, further suggesting that theSan Blas Range remained abovesea level from about late Eocene toearly Miocene times.Neogene block-rotation in central

Iran: Evidence from paleomagneticdata Massimo Mattei et al.(Francesca Cifelli, corresponding),Dipartimento di ScienzeGeologiche, Largo San LeonardoMurialdo 1, 00146 Roma, UniversitàRoma TRE, Italy. Posted online 13Jan. 2012; doi: 10.1130/G30479.1.

Central Iran is a mosaic of differ-ent tectonic blocks once separatedby ocean basins that closed as aresult of the convergence betweenthe Arabia and Eurasia plates.Shortening related to the Arabia-Eurasia convergence in the Tertiaryperiod has been taken up mainly inthe Zagros, Alborz, and Kopeh Dagfold-and-thrust belts of Iran, where-as the intervening, fault-boundedcrustal blocks of central Iran (Yazd,Tabas and Lut blocks) show littleinternal deformation. Central Iran isseparated from the Alborz belt bynortheast-southwest left-lateralstrike-slip and thrust faults, whereasnorth–south right-lateral strike-slipfaults define the boundary betweenthe Tabas and Lut blocks within cen-tral Iran. Structural and seismologi-cal data from Mattei et al. suggestthat northeast-southwest left-lateraland north–south right-lateral faultscan accommodate thenorth/northeast-south/southwestArabia Eurasia convergence if theyare allowed to rotate clockwise andcounterclockwise, respectively.Paleomagnetic results fromOligocene–Miocene sedimentaryunits confirm this model. In fact,counterclockwise rotations of 20°.°have been measured in CentralIran, south of the Great-Kavir fault,characterized by the presence ofnorth-south to north-north-west–south-southeast right-lateralstrike-slip faults. These data showthat part of the shortening related toArabia-Eurasia convergence hasbeen accommodated in Central Iranby vertical axis rotations of fault-bounded crustal blocks.

South Korea GDPDue On ThursdaySouth Korea will on Thursday

release preliminary figures forgross domestic product for thefourth quarter of 2011, highlightinga busy day for Asia-Pacific eco-nomic activity. GDP is expected torise 0.5 percent on quarter and 3.5percent on year after collecting 0.8percent on quarter and 3.5 percenton year in the previous threemonths. Japan will release its corporate

service price index for December,with analysts expecting a contrac-tion of 0.1 percent on year followingthe 0.2 percent fall in November.The Bank of Japan also will releaseits monthly report on economic andfinancial developments.

Singapore will announceDecember numbers for industrialproduction, with analysts expectingan increase of 2.1 percent onmonth and 6.4 percent on year.That follows the 25.2 percentmonthly plunge and the 9.6 percentannual contraction in November.Hong Kong will release Decemberfigures for imports, exports andtrade balance.

The University of the SouthPacific hosted a farewell lunch forthe Japan InternationalCooperation Agency (JICA)Resident Representative to Fiji, MrJuichiro Sasaki on 23 January,2012.26th January, 2012The University of the South

Pacific hosted a farewell lunch forthe Japan InternationalCooperation Agency (JICA)Resident Representative to Fiji, MrJuichiro Sasaki on 23 January,2012.The Vice-Chancellor and

President of USP, Professor RajeshChandra together with members ofthe University’s SeniorManagement Team and othersenior staff were present at theJapan- Pacific ICT Centre in Suva,to bid farewell to Mr Sasaki and tothank him for his contributiontowards the University.Mr Sasaki took up his role with

JICA in 2008 and played a signifi-cant role in facilitating the construc-tion of the Japan-Pacific ICT Centreat USP. The state-of-the-art land-mark facility for the region compris-es two buildings with fully-equipped

computer laboratories, conferencerooms, and a multi-purpose lecturetheatre.In thanking Mr Sasaki, Professor

Chandra expressed his sinceregratitude to the outgoing JICAResident Representative for hiscommitment and support during histime in Fiji. Professor Chandra saidhe was extremely pleased to haveboth Mr Sasaki and his successor,the new JICA ResidentRepresentative, Mr ShumonYoshiara present at the farewell.“Through Mr Sasaki’s leadership atJICA, USP has gained a lot of sup-port and we look forward to workingvery closely with the incoming rep-resentative, to further this collabo-ration with JICA in the near future,”he added.It was during Mr Sasaki’s tenure

that the JICA President, MadamSadako Ogata visited USP.Professor Chandra described thisas a “momentous and meaningfuloccasion for the University” andthanked Mr Sasaki for making thevisit possible. Highlighting thestrong relationship that USP shareswith JICA and the Government of

Japan, the Vice-Chancellor saidthat Mr Yoshiara will be able to seehow such assistance has benefitedUSP and its member countries.JICA and the Government of

Japan assisted in the introduction ofnew computer and information sci-ence degree courses, enhance-ment of the distance learning envi-ronment through efficient utilisationof new ICT technologies includingthe USPNet – a satellite-communi-cations network that links USPcampuses in its 12 member coun-tries, and the establishment of theJapan-Pacific ICT Centre at USP.Professor Chandra wished Mr

Sasaki well for the future.In his comments, Mr Sasaki

thanked Professor Chandra for hisleadership and the University stafffor their cooperation during his termas the JICA ResidentRepresentative. Mr Sasaki said hewas pleased to work with ProfessorChandra and the University indeveloping the USPNet to enhancethe delivery of distance learning forstudents living in remote areas. Hewas also delighted by MadamOgata’s visit to USP.

Georgia critical ofRussia’s Pacific

moves over AbkhaziaThe Georgian foreign minister,

Grigol Vashadze, says Russia’slobbying in the Pacific for interna-tional recognition of the break-away regions of South Ossetia andAbkhazia is costing Russian tax-payers a lot of money. MrVashadze has told a meeting inStrasbourg that to win Nauru’s sup-port Russia paid 50 million US dol-lars. He made the comment justdays ahead of a visit by theRussian foreign minister, SergeyLavrov, to the South Pacific, whichwill include a stop-over in Fiji. Thisalso follows accusations byGeorgia that Russia was trying tokill talks to resolve their disputeover the two territories. MrVashadze says international law ison Georgia’s side adding thatGeorgia will not engage in cheque-book diplomacy.A spokesperson for the Russian

embassy in Canberra has told theSydney Morning Herald that therewould be no lobbying of Fiji overSouth Ossetia and Abkhazia.

New GSA Bulletin research posted ahead of print in January

University Farewells Japanese Delegate

HEALTH 11� February 2012

Glugging water duringmeals severely hampersyour stomach's digestivepowers and causesinsulin levels to fluctuatesignificantly, warnsMicroboitic counsellorShonali SabherwalTo know if you're drink-

ing enough water, it isoften said, just check ifyou are feeling thirsty. Ifyou aren't, your fluidintake is likely to be justabout right. But downingglasses of water alongwith your meals may notbe the best time toquench your thirst.Macrobiotic counsellor

Shonali Sabherwalexplains why you shouldnot drink water duringyour meal. "Most Indianshave water along withtheir meals. The usualtheory is washing downthe food while eating.People have no idea howwrong this practice is andhow difficult this can befor their digestion. Forthose suffering with diges-tion problems, the ramifi-cations are manifold. Ourstomachs have a knack ofknowing when you will eatand starts releasing diges-tive juices immediately. Ifyou start drinking water atthe same time, what youare actually doing is dilut-ing the digestive juices

being released to digestyour food, thereby hinder-ing them from breakingdown food."Research shows that

sipping a little water dur-ing meals isn't a cause forconcern but drinking aglass or two may interferewith digestion. It is best to

drink fluids before and twohours after meals as thishelps in absorption ofnutrients, researchershave found.

Elaborating on whatexactly happens insideyou when you glug waterduring meals, Sabherwalsays that it gets absorbedby the intestinal walls ofthe stomach. "Thisabsorption continues till itbecomes concentratedenough for the digestivejuices to begin digestingyour food. However, dueto it getting mixed withwater, this concentratedsubstance is now thickerthan the food contentspresent in yourstomach. So lessgastric juice will besecreted to digestyour food. The result

is, undigested food leaksinto your system as it getsabsorbed through thestomach walls. This willalso lead to acid refluxand heart burn." Drinkingwater with meals can alsocause a surge in yourinsulin levels, almost likethe way high glycemicfood would affect you,Sabherwal cautions. "Themore insulin is released into your blood stream, thehigher the chances of youstoring fat in your body."To avoid watering downyour meals, Sabherwalsuggests a few don'ts."Make sure your food isnot too salty as that wouldaggravate your thirst andtrigger your need to downmore water. Besides, eat-ing in a hurry will causeyou to gulp your fooddown. Most likely, youwould feel the need towash it down with waterwhile you are at it. Instead,chew, chew and thenchew some more. Wesecrete a lot of digestivejuices (enzymes) whilechewing, which makes ourstomach's job easier."

A daily dose of aspirincan sharply reducethe risk of death

from a wide range of cancers, anew study has suggested.Previous work by the same

team of scientists revealed thatthe century-old remedy foraches and pains, long a stapleof family pharmacies, can helpdefend against colon cancer.The new study has for the

first time revealed that aspirinalso helps protecting againstprostate, lung, brain, and throatcancers, among others."These findings provide the

first proof in man that aspirinreduces deaths due to severalcommon cancers," the HeraldSun quoted Peter Rothwell, aprofessor at the University ofOxford and lead author of thestudy as saying.Professor Rothwell and col-

leagues looked into eight previ-ous clinical trials comprisingover 25,500 patients. In each,some subjects took aspirin andothers look-alike placebos.During the trials, which last-

ed for four to eight years, dosesof aspirin as low as 75 mil-ligrams, cut cancer deaths over-all by 21 per cent.Risk was particularly dimin-

ished after five years of treat-ment with the drug, by 30 to 40per cent depending on the typeof cancer.The 20-year risk dropped on

an average by a fifth: 10 percent for prostate cancer, 30 per

cent for lung cancer, 40 percent for colon cancer, and 60per cent for oesophageal can-cer.For cancer of the lung and

throat, the protective effect wasrestricted to adenocarcinomas,the type typically observed innon-smokers."Perhaps the most important

finding for the longer term is theproof of principle that cancerscan be prevented by simplecompounds like aspirin, andthat 'chemo-prevention' is there-fore a realistic goal," ProfessorRothwell said.Another researcher of

Cancer Research UK, Ed Yong,asserted that even small doses

of

aspirin can reduce cancer risk iftaken for five years."These promising results

build on a large body of evi-dence suggesting that aspirincould reduce the risk of devel-oping or dying from many differ-ent types of cancer," Dr Yongsaid."This tells us that even small

doses reduce the risk of dyingfrom cancer provided it is takenfor at least five years.""We encourage anyone inter-

ested in taking aspirin on a reg-ular basis to talk to their doctorfirst," Dr Yong added.The study has been pub-

lished in the British medicaljournal The Lancet.

Say no to water between meals

Most Indians havewater along with theirmeals. The usual theoryis washing down thefood while eating.People have no ideahow wrong this prac-tice is and how difficultthis can be for theirdigestion. For thosesuffering with digestionproblems, the ramifica-tions are manifold. Ourstomachs have a knackof knowing when youwill eat and startsreleasing digestivejuices immediately.

Aspirin significantly cuts cancer risk

Daily dose of

Chocolate TO LOWER BP

Eat chocolate daily to boostyour workouts and lower BPNext time, when you reachfor that bar of Hershey's,

know that it only takes a biteor two of chocolate to get the

benefits. A new study hassuggested that a daily bite ofchocolate could bolster yourworkouts, reports theNew

York Daily News. Scientistsgave a group of mice a

twice-daily dose of purifiedform of epicatechin, cacao'schief beneficial compound.These mice outperformedthe group of mice who hadnot been given the choco-

late-y supplement, accordingto researchers at the

University of California, SanDiego. The cacao chemical

also increased the physiolog-ical response in the test

group's leg muscles. Darkchocolate in tiny amountshas also been shown tolower blood pressure.

INTERFAITH12 � February 2012

Fiji American Community’s three interfaith lead-ers join to host first Fiji Interfaith Day. (DTBA)

FIJI INTERFAITH DAY

Pastor Henry Latchman(Chief Pastor RhemaChurch, Hayward)

Dr. Isikeli(Pastor of Assemblies of God)

Dr. H. Koya(Director InterfaithAmerica)

If you would remember in thegospel of Luke chapter 1:37 aboutthe angel who visited Mary andtold her about the promised childwho is the Messiah. The angeltold Mary that she was going tohave a child. This shocked Marybecause she was virgin. God hasplans for us that does not makesense to us. If you look aroundyou will see situations in our lifewhere there seems to be noanswer. What do you do in a situ-ation where there is no way youwill make a break through?People have asked same ques-tions and I don't claim to have allthe answers to their questions butI do have the response from thebible about the problems. When situations look dark and

there is no way to make it, I turnmy attention to the word of God. Iask myself, "what does the wordsay about this situation"? I basemy faith on what the word of Godsays. If what the word saysapplies to my particular situation,then I start believing it in my heartand start to trust God to fulfill Hispromise. I claim it by faith becauseGod moves in response to ourneeds by faith in His word. Iremember I needed an X amountof finances for a ministry I neededto do in a foreign country. I hadGod's word for it which says inJohn 16:23-24 "...Ask and you will

receive that your joy will be full". Iasked Him in faith believing thatJesus will back up His word andbefore the time came for me tomove into the ministry thefinances came. One might say thisonly worked for preachers. Theword of God will work for any per-son who will believe in His nameand ask by faith. The angel said toMary in Luke 1:37 "For nothing isimpossible with God". What Godhad said will come to pass. Jesuswas born as God had said that itwould happen. Mary was excitedabout it when the angel Gabrieldeparted. Mary's response was, "let the

will of God be done" and that isexactly what happened. JesusChrist was born through Mary. Myfriends, you may be going throughhard times and situation may lookimpossible. Remember whatJesus said "with God all things arepossible" Our response shouldbe," if God has said it can bedone". Believe the word and startto confess it before it comes topass. The answer may comeinstantly or it may take some timebut our part of the confession isthat we believe the word of Godand stand on it until the answersmaterializes. Praise God for theanswer and thank Him often.

God Bless YouPastor Hendry Latchman

HAF Encouraged byMeeting with NorwegianAmbassador to U.S.

Washington, D.C.-The HinduAmerican Foundation (HAF) wasencouraged by its meeting yester-day with the NorwegianAmbassador to the U.S., WeggerChr. Strømmen, regarding theremoval of two young children froman Indian family in Norway. After initial media reports indicat-

ed that the two children wereremoved from parents, Sagarika andAnurup Bhattacharya, by Norway’sChild Protective Services for pur-portedly feeding their children withtheir hands and letting the childrensleep in the same bed as them,HAF wrote directly to the NorwegianEmbassy in Washington, D.C. andstarted an online petition to addressthe issue. The Norwegian Embassysubsequently invited HAF’sWashington, D.C. based AssociateDirector, Jay Kansara, to meet withAmbassador Strømmen.

“We are grateful to AmbassadorStrømmen for taking the time tomeet with us and address our con-cerns and inquiries regarding thestatus of the Bhattacharya children,”explained Kansara. “Although theAmbassador was unable to revealthe details of the case while it is stillpending, he indicated that he wasencouraged by the open discus-sions and communication betweenall parties involved. HAF will contin-ue to monitor the situation and stayin touch with the Embassy.”

HAF leaders also expressed sat-isfaction with the results of theChange.org online campaign andpetition, which generated over 6,000signatures, in a matter of days, fromaround the world. “The online peti-tion, which is now closed, has beena huge success in generatinggreater awareness about this issueand opening a constructive dialoguewith the Norwegian Embassy,” saidSheetal Shah, HAF’s SeniorDirector. “We remain optimistic thatthere will be a positive resolution tothis case.” The latest media reportssuggest that an agreement hasbeen reached between the Indianand Norwegian governments allow-ing the children to return to Indiaand live with their uncle, ArunabhasBhattacharya. But even as of this morning, the NorwegianEmbassy is still unable to confirmsuch an agreement.The HinduAmerican Foundation is a 501(c)(3),non-profit, non-partisan organizationpromoting the Hindu and Americanideals of understanding, toleranceand pluralism.

With God All things are Possible The Fiji Sun editor join fooddonation at Rhema Church

Since the Rehma Chirch Paster Henry Latchman annouced theFood Dination drive, the Fiji Sun editor Dt. H. Koya made a point togive his share in the drive.This act iis important rasie awareness in the community that there

of oour community mmembers who go with food many times andweed to help them too."Regardless of the circumstances behind the situation, no one

and no kid should be left behind without food," the dietor ssaid thegroup. He congratletd both Pastor Henry his church members fordoing very a noble and called other religions organizations to stepup their efforts to help the less frtunate ones.

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18 � February 2012

COURT SUPERVISOR DONNA WHITEHOUSE NEWEST AIM FELLOWMs. Donna Whitehouse get glowingtributes from judicial officersOn her retirement after 40 years of service withthe Alameda Superior Court system, Ms. DonnaWhitehouse Received glowing tributes from thepresiding Judge Clay and Several juridical offi-cers and staff for being one of the best Courtsupervisors. For the past 6 months she was alsoan acting supervisor for Hayward Court Attended.Bob Ostini extended his gratitude for all fellowcourt attendants. In addition, Ms. Donna also gotawarded as a Fellow of AIM by the editor for herexcellent professional leadership.

BOLLYWOOD 19� February 2012

Isha Khoppikhar takes a pot-shot at Katrina Kaif's itemnumber in AgneepathIsha Khoppikhar recently

performed at the NasikFestival on the Marathi super-hit track Kombdi Pallali, thesong that inspired KatrinaKaif's item song ChikniChameli in Ageneepath.Says a source, "Isha has

been telling people that hadshe been given Chikni

Chameli song, shewould have dancedbetter than Katrina.She even confessedthat the Kombdi Pallaliperformance was anode to Maharshtra fromtheir own Marathi mulgiand she prefersKombdi Pallali toChikni Chameli."When quizzed about

whether she prefers

Kombdi Pallali overChikni Chameli, theactress affirms,"Kombdi Pallali is aclassic Marathi num-ber. its got this rusticraw appeal. I feel thatthe song is best whenit's in Marathi. When Iheard Chikni Chameli, Ifelt that it doesn't evencome close to KombdiPallali in terms of the

fun element."She is, however, quick to

appreciate Katrina's efforts inthe song. "Katrina is a greatperformer and she has doneher best in Chikni Chamelitoo. But my performance inChikni Chameli would havebeen a little different. Had Iperformed the song, I wouldhave done it a tad differentlykeeping in mind myMaharashtrian roots."

The actor, who is slated to be in towntoday, says that the priority for her hasnever been to win the race but to con-

tinue doing what she love doing withoutcompromizing on her comfort zone.What brings you to the city this time

around? Surprisingly, each time I've been toKolkata, it has been for one award or theother. Last time, my performance in "Vivaah"had won me an award. And this timearound, I will be getting the Best Actressaward for "Love U...Mr. Kalakaar!" Fact is, italways pays to be a Rajshree heroine.During this trip, I intend to win not onlyaward but also the hearts of Kolkatans(laughs).Any plans in store? It'll be a day's trip.

But I've instructed my friends to get merosogollas and mishti doi for me. The bestpart of it all? I can dig into tonnes of it andyet not put on an ounce.Careerwise, ever thought of testing the

Tolly waters? Years back, I was offered afilm by Aparna Sen, which did not happenas I had date issues. I was juggling dates forthree Hindi films. But Rahul Bose is a goodfriend of mine and I did manage to watch his"The Japanese Wife". But I've never reallyasked him to put in a word to directors onmy behalf though I love the language, foodand culture here. You see, I have a Bengalconnect. My great-grandfather and grandfa-ther worked very closely with Netaji in theINA.What's keeping you busy in Bollywood? I

am filming my next with Boman Irani andArshad Warsi. All I can reveal for now is thatit's an intriguing and funny subject. I instant-ly agreed to come on board.But why this lull careerwise? For me, the

priority has never been to win the race butto continue doing what I love doing withoutcompromizing on my comfort zone or valuesystem. I am going slow and steady. I'mhappy with my work. In fact, I think "LoveU..." saw me as a better performer.What do you mean by 'comfort zone'? I'll

never kiss or do lovemaking scenes onscreen. As far as it comes to sporting a biki-ni in films, let me clarify that I'm not againstthe trend. But I speak for myself. It is subjectto individual discretion. And as long as youare happy doing what you do, everythingelse is secondary.Is that why you are stereotyped as the

girl next door, forever? It is. But I take this tobe the biggest compliment in the middle ofthis glam industry. I want to be India's girlnext door, not the prototype, the behenji, butone who is smart, intelligent, has a sense of humour and is the life of a party. Iwant to show that the girl next door can bedesirable too. Okay. Going back to theBarjatyas and their banner then, news isSalman will be back as Sooraj Barjatya'sPrem. Will you be part of that venture?

(Laughs) I am known as their ghar ki hero-ine. But the way Soorajji functions, healways gets his script in place and musicready before he approaches an actor. For"Vivaah" too Soorajji had said, 'Amrita Iwant you on board. Do you also want to bepart of the project?' They never exploit thefact that they are the Barjatyas. Consideringhow busy an actor Salman is, he must havebeen kept in the loop since the beginning.Don't you wish you are part of the film? I

am hoping the call will come.Coming to microblogging, every actor is

laying bare their thoughts, words andactions on it. But you don't seem to let yourguard down here too... For me, this is adirect medium to connect with my fans. Asactors, we usually communicate via journal-ists except for the electronic medium. Butthere too, the questions are predecided.Microblogging helps me express my candidthoughts. As far as settling scores or cam-paigning through the site is concerned, I feelchange happens when you want it to hap-pen. I might have expressed my opinions ontwitter but I've never tried to be influential.Some time back, there was news that youare seeing someone. There was no truth tothose stories. I am single and ready to min-gle. But how exactly did you manage toremain so? I believe in destiny. And the bestthings in life have happened to me as theywere destined to be so. I know the personwill come at the right time and I'll follow myheart.

I want to be India’s girlAmrita Rao

Next Door

Isha Khoppikhar can dance better then Katrina?

20 � February 2012

INTERVIEW 21� February 2012

Muslim Disengagement from ScienceMiddle East Quarterly: In 2007, you asked, "With

well over a billion Muslims and extensive materialresources, why is the Islamic world disengaged fromscience and the process of creating new knowledge?"How would you answer that question today? Has any-thing changed?

Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy: Sadly, little haschanged. About seven centuries ago, after a spectacu-lar Golden Age that lasted nearly four hundred years,Islam and science parted ways. Since then, they havenever come together again. Muslim contributions topure and applied sciences—measured in terms of dis-coveries, publications, patents, and processes—havebeen marginal for more than 700 years. A modestrebirth in the nineteenth century has been eclipsed bythe current, startling flight from science and modernity.This retreat began in the last decades of the twentiethcentury and appears to be gaining speed across theMuslim world.

MEQ: What role do you think is played by the ulemain blocking new knowledge by imposing the rulingsagainst innovation?

Hoodbhoy: The traditional ulema are indeed aproblem, but they are not the biggest one; the biggestproblem is Islamism, a radical and often militant inter-pretation of Islam that spills over from the theologicaldomain into national and international politics.Whenever and wherever religious fundamentalismdominates, blind faith clouds objective and rationalthinking. If such forces take hold in a society, they cre-ate a mindset unfavorable for critical inquiry, includingscientific inquiry, with its need to question received wis-dom.

MEQ: Have religious conservatism and anti-scienceattitudes among Muslims always been as strong astoday? Or were Muslims more pro-science, say, a hun-dred years ago?

Hoodbhoy: In my childhood, the traditionalulema—who are so powerful today—were regarded asrather quaint objects and often ridiculed in private.Centuries ago the greatest poets of Persia, like Hafizand Rumi, stripped away the mullahs' religious preten-sions and exposed their stupidity. Today, however,those same mullahs have taken control of the Iranianrepublic. The answer lies just as much in the domain ofworld politics as in theology. Khomeini developed thedoctrine known as "guardianship of the clergy," whichgives the mullahs much wider powers than they gener-ally exercised in the past. Instead of being simple reli-gious leaders, they now became political leaders aswell. This echoes the broader Islamic fusion of the spir-itual and the temporal.Scientists, Technologists, and Islamists

MEQ: Explaining the emergence of so many Muslimdoctors, scientists, engineers, and other technologistsas Islamists and, sometimes, as terrorists, MaliseRuthven suggests that a superficial understanding ofscience leads to a belief in authoritative texts and thisslots in with a belief in the infallibility of the Qur'an. Whatis your explanation?

Hoodbhoy: This question must be disaggregatedand examined at many levels. It cannot be answeredsimply in terms of mere theology—the Bible containselements of extreme violence and yet the vast majorityof scientists who are believing Christians are alsopeaceful people. What brought about the global Islamistwave is a much more relevant question. It is, in someways, the Muslim version of anti-colonialism and a reac-tion to the excesses of the West, combined with anexcessive traditionalism.

But let me concentrate on the sociological aspects.To begin with, we need to separate the scientists fromthe technologists, meaning those who use science in anarrowly functional sense rather than as a means forunderstanding the natural world. I have never seen afirst-rate Muslim scientist become an Islamist or a ter-rorist even when he or she is a strong believer. But sec-ond- and third-rate technologists are more susceptible.These are people who use science in some capacitybut without any need to understand it very much—engi-neers, doctors, technicians, etc.—all of whom are moreinclined towards radicalism. They have been trained toabsorb facts without thinking, and this makes themmore susceptible to the inducements of holy books andpreachers.

MEQ: Has this been happening with Pakistan'shome-trained scientists?

Hoodbhoy: Our best physics students in Islamabad

are often the most open-minded and the least religious.They have enough social strength to keep themselvesat a certain distance from the crowd. Among my col-leagues, something similar takes place; the weakestones professionally are the ones who demonstrate thegreatest outward religiosity. I see a strong correlationbetween levels of professional competence and sus-ceptibility to extremist philosophies.MEQ: Is the situation the same in India?

Hoodbhoy: Yes, there, too, I find anti-science atti-tudes rare among scientists but rather common withinthe technological and professional classes, both Hinduand Muslim. The latter type of people pray for rain,attribute earthquakes to the wrath of God, think suppli-cations to heaven will cure the sick, seek holy watersthat will absolve sin, look to the stars for a propitioustime to marry, sacrifice black goats in the hope that thelife of a loved one will be spared, recite certain religiousverses as a cure for insanity, think airliners can be pre-vented from crashing by a special prayer, and believethat mysterious supernatural beings stalk the earth.Their illogic boggles the mind.

MEQ: Does the fact that Indians and Pakistanishave both constructed nuclear weapons indicate thatscience now is firmly implanted on South Asian soil?

Hoodbhoy: To an extent, yes, but the battle againstirrationality has a long way to go. For example, India's1998 nuclear tests were preceded by serious concernover the safety of cattle at the Pokharan test site for reli-gious reasons. Former Indian foreign minister JaswantSingh wrote, "For the team at the test site—whichincluded President Kalam, then the head of theDefence Research and Development Organization—possible death or injury to cattle was just not accept-able."The Prohibition of Debate

MEQ: It seems that Muslims today are hampered bya culture that refuses to take on board the prerequisitesfor scientific and other intellectual progress—theEnlightenment insistence on freedom of speech andthought to enable open discourse and free debate.Even in the West since the Rushdie affair, Islamistsseek to use the law to prohibit debate about Islam. Doyou see a way to put an end to this pattern?

Hoodbhoy: On the scale of human history, theEnlightenment is a very recent phenomenon, barelyfour hundred years old. One must be hopeful thatMuslims will catch up. The real question is how to shakeoff the dead hand of tradition. The answer lies in doingaway with an educational system that discouragesquestioning and stresses obedience. Reform in theMuslim world will have to begin here. At the core of thisproblem, lies the tyranny that teachers exert over theirstudents. In Urdu, we say that the teacher is not just ateacher—he is also your father. But in our culture,fathers are considered all-wise, which means thatteachers cannot be questioned.

MEQ: Is this kind of education a source of authori-tarianism?

Hoodbhoy: It is both a source and an inevitableconsequence of authoritarianism. Instead of experienc-ing science as a process of questioning to achieveunderstanding, students sit under the watchful eyes ofdespots while they memorize arbitrary sets of rules andan endless number of facts. X is true and Y is falsebecause that's what the textbook says. I grind my teethwhenever a student in my university class gives me thisargument.

MEQ: How can countries like Pakistan develop ascientific mindset?

Hoodbhoy: College and university come much toolate; change must begin at the primary and secondaryschool level. Good scientific pedagogy requires thedeliberate inculcation of a spirit of healthy questioningin the classroom. Correct attitudes start developing nat-urally when students encounter questions that engagetheir mind rather than their memory. For this, it is impor-tant to begin with tangible things. One does not need aPh.D. in cognitive studies to know that young peoplelearn best when they deal with objects that can beunderstood by visual, auditory, tactile, and kinestheticmeans. As their experience grows, students learn tounderstand abstract concepts, to manipulate symbols,to reason logically, to solve theorems, and to general-ize. These abilities are destroyed, or left woefully unde-veloped, by teaching through rote memorization.

MEQ: What, then, should normal practice consist of?Hoodbhoy: Teachers posing such questions as:

How do we know? What is important to measure? Howcan we check the correctness of our measurements?What is the evidence? How are we to make sense outof our results? Is there a counter explanation, or per-haps a simpler one? The aim should be to get studentsinto the habit of posing such questions and framinganswers.Religion Trumps Science

MEQ: You have said, "No Muslim leader has pub-licly called for separating science from religion." Do youdetect any real movement by Muslim secularists andscientists to reverse this trend?

Hoodbhoy: Nothing of this kind is visible inPakistan, but I see this happening in Iran, the mostintellectually advanced country of the Muslim world, acountry that boasts an educational system that actuallyworks. Ayatollah Khomeini was quite content to keepscience and Islam separate—unlike Pakistan's leaderswho have made numerous absurd attempts to marrythe two. Khomeini once remarked that there is no suchthing as Islamic mathematics. Nor did he take a positionagainst Darwinism. In fact, Iran is one of the rareMuslim countries where the theory of evolution istaught. This may be because Shi'ites, as in Iran, have adifferent take on evolution than Sunnis and are gener-ally less socially conservative as well. Shi'i women maywear the chador or hijab [head covering] but never aburqa [full body covering]. I've seen women taxi driversin Tehran but never in New York City. Moreover, Iran isa front-runner in stem-cell research—something whichGeorge W. Bush and his administration had sought toban from the United States.

MEQ: How far have madrasas in Pakistan, espe-cially the Deobandi schools, made intellectual progresshard or impossible for society as a whole?

Hoodbhoy: The Deobandi-Salafi-Wahhabi axis ofunreason does not seem capable of accommodatingthe premises of science—causality, an absence ofdivine intervention, and scientific method. Ever sinceKhwaja Nizam-ul-Mulk of Persia established madrasasin the eleventh century, these schools have stuck totheir pre-scientific curriculum. However, they becamedangerous when the Saudis used their petro-dollars inthe 1970s to export Wahhabism across the world.Thousands of new madrasas were established inPakistan by the United States, Pakistan, and SaudiArabia to provide fodder for the great joint, global jihadagainst the Soviets. The CIA providedmadrasas withmillions of Qur'ans, as well as tens of millions of text-

books published in America designed to create ajihadist mindset among young Afghans resident inPakistan. Thesemadrasas eventually became nurseriesfor the Taliban.MEQ: Have no attempts been made to re-

form themadrasas?Hoodbhoy: Following the 9/11 attacks, General

Pervez Musharraf was prodded by the Americans to ini-tiate a madrasareform project aimed at broadening themadrasa curriculum to include the teaching of English,science, mathematics, and computers. Huge sumswere spent but to no avail. These misogynist bastionsof anti-modernism and militancy cannot be reformed.The Pakistani state literally cowers before them. Theyhave the power to bring every Pakistani city to a halt.On the other hand, in East Africa, India, or Bangladesh,one sees thatmadrasas can be quite different. Whileconservative, they do permit teaching of secular sub-jects. Some even have small minorities of non-Muslims,which would be unheard of in a Pakistani madrasa.

MEQ: You point out the emergence of low-qualityscientific periodicals in Iran and elsewhere, in which sci-entists publish articles of a poor standard. Also, mostMuslim countries tolerate outright plagiarism in Ph.D.theses and published books. What do you suppose isresponsible for such self-defeating behavior that clearlyacknowledges the superiority of properly assessed arti-cles and dissertations yet accepts the second- andthird-rate?

Hoodbhoy: I call this "paper pollution." The rapidincrease in substandard publications and plagiarism isthe consequence of giving large incentives for publish-ing research papers. Some contain worthwhile researchbut most do not. I consider certain ambitious individualsin government to be at fault for allowing, and even delib-erately encouraging, poor quality theses and books fitfor nothing but the waste basket. This problem can behandled using the current administrative machinery;just remove these incentives and punish plagiarism withsufficient severity.Open War between Muslims

MEQ: You have said, "Here [at Quaid-i-AzamUniversity], as in other Pakistani public universities,films, drama, and music are frowned on." This is alsoseen in numerous Muslim schools in the UnitedKingdom, where even chess was banned and com-pared to "dipping one's hand in the blood of swine."These attitudes prevent talented young Muslims fromachieving success as actors, directors, dancers, musi-cians, composers, artists, and writers. Your thoughts onchanging this situation?

Hoodbhoy: There is open war between thoseMuslims who stand for a liberal, moderate version of thefaith and those who insist on literalism. The unresolvedtension between traditional and modern modes ofthought and social behavior is now playing itself out inever more violent ways. Most Pakistanis, whileMuslims, want their daughters to be properly educated;Islamic extremists, however, are determined to stopthem. On most campuses, religious vigilantes enforcetheir version of Islam on the university community byforcing girls into the veil, destroying musical instru-ments, forbidding men and women from being together,and putting a damper on cultural expression.

MEQ: Do the Taliban play a role in this arena?Hoodbhoy: Yes, as of early 2009, they had already

blown up 354 schools and they issued a decree that nogirls in Pakistan may be educated after February 15,2009. In their view, all females must stay at home. InOctober, educational institutions across Pakistan shutdown after a suicide bomber blew himself up after walk-ing into the girls' cafeteria of the International IslamicUniversity [in Islamabad] while, simultaneously, anotherbomber targeted male students.

MEQ: Islamists bombed an Islamic university?Hoodbhoy: Indeed, this episode sent shock waves

across the country because the International IslamicUniversity is a conservative institution where mostwomen dress in burqas and very few wear normalclothes. But even this does not placate the extremists.

Muslims are at war with other Muslims. If the radi-cals win, or can at least terrify the moderates into fol-lowing their restrictions, then there will be no personaland intellectual freedom and hence no thinking, ideas,innovations, discoveries, or progress. Our real chal-lenge is not better equipment or faster Internet connec-tivity but our need to break with mental enslavement, tochange attitudes, and to win our precious freedom.

PERVEZ AMIRALI HOODBHOY (b. 1950) is one of SouthAsia's leading nuclear physicists and perhaps Pakistan's preem-inent intellectual. Bearer of a Ph.D. from the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology , he is chairman of the department ofphysics at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad where, as ahigh-energy physicist, he carries out research into quantum fieldtheory and particle phenomenology. He has also been a visitingprofessor at theUniversity of Maryland, College Park, and wasvisiting professor at MIT and Stanford. For some time, he hasbeen a frequent contributor to Britain's leading intellectual jour-nal, Prospect. His extracurricular activities include a vocal oppo-sition to the political philosophy of Islamism. He also writesabout the self-enforced backwardness of the Muslim world inscience, technology, trade, and education. His many articlesand television documentaries have made a lasting impact ondebate about education, Islam, and secularism in Pakistan.Denis MacEoin interviewed him by e-mail in October 2009.

Muslim Disengagement from Science - Pakistan's leading scientist

SPORTS22 � February 2012

MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovictore off his shirt, flexed his sinewymuscles and roared in celebration,but for once the machismo was notmisplaced. After nearly six hours ofthe most gruelling final in GrandSlam history, the strutting Serbhad shown he was not onlysupremely fit and talented, but astough as they come. The lankyworld number one with the soft-spike hair came on court early onSunday evening, played into thenight and finished in the smallhours of Monday. Until the verylast shot, blocking his way to theAustralian Open title was the fero-cious Rafael Nadal, the 10-timeGrand Slam-winner with aggres-sion to burn and a fearless com-petitive streak.Djokovic's white shirt lasted just

five games before he removed it indisgust on a steamy Melbourneevening and threw his racquet tothe floor after being broken.It was to be just the first act in a

long, long night of plot twists andmomentum changes which startedtamely but slowly built into an epic.Along the way, Djokovic rolled

his right foot, punched the air in tri-umph and collapsed flat on hisback after a punishing, 31-shot

rally. At the other end, Nadal treat-ed the crowd to his full range offist-pumps and Hispanic snarls asboth players went for broke. Rainfell, workers with towels moppedthe court and the stadium roof wasclosed. At the end of it all, around1:40 am, it was Djokovic embrac-ing his coach in triumph whileNadal was left to reflect on hismost valiant defeat. Even the greatRod Laver watching from thestands had seen nothing like it.The players won 369 pointsbetween them, made 140unforced errors, played 55 gamesplus a tiebreak, and hit 101 win-ners. It lasted 5hr 53min, thelongest Grand Slam final and arecord for the Australian Open. Soit was no surprise that during theofficial speeches, chairs werebrought out for the players, theireyes stark and staring from theadrenaline. Afterwards, Nadalwished the crowd "good morning",and he was asked if he wouldwatch footage of the match. "Toolong. Highlights only," he said."You watch, you look around

and you see the clock, threehours, four hours, five hours, final-ly five hours, 30 (minutes). Seemslike it's never gonna finish, no?"

India resumed on 166-6 need-ing to bat out the day for an unlike-ly draw, but Australia took just 58minutes to take the final four wick-ets as the tourists were bowled outfor 201.Australia scored a match-con-

trolling 604-7 declared and thendismissed India for 272. Then,electing not to enforce the follow-on, Australia batted again and setIndia 500 runs for victory.Local spinner Nathan Lyon,

who was a curator at the AdelaideOval in the last Australian summer,took four wickets and fast bowlerRyan Harris claimed three to pushIndia to its eighth straight defeat inoverseas tests.Fast bowler Peter Siddle, who

took five wickets in the first inningson a good batting pitch, wasnamed man-of-the match, whileskipper Michael Clarke with 626runs over six innings was namedas player-of-the series.Stung by recent poor results,

Australia had remorselessly goneabout out-batting, out-bowling,out-fielding, and even outthinkingIndia throughout a series whichmost expected to be a hard-foughtone but which turned into a white-wash. Coming into the series off arare home loss to New Zealand atHobart, and with many of thesenior players under severe pres-sure to retain their places in theteam, Australia produced a defiantperformance.``A lot of hard work has gone

into getting this result,'' Clarkesaid. ̀ `The loss in South Africa andNew Zealand is something everyplayer in that changeroom has inthe front of their mind ... and beena bit of an inspiration to make surewhen we feel things are going wellto keep pushing forward to make

the best of the momentum.``You need to go through those

tough times individually and as ateam to realize how hard test crick-et is, (and) how special when youhave days like these and win aseries.'' While Australia took 80Indian wickets in the series, theIndia bowling attack managed just36 wickets over the four tests.Australia scored five centuries inthe series including a triple hun-dred and two double hundreds,while India managed just one ineight innings thanks to 116 byrookie Virat Kohli in the first inningshere.Australia's bowling dominance

was made even more creditablefor the fact it was achieved withoutregular opening bowler MitchellJohnson and youngster PatCummins for the entire series andwith fresh young quick JamesPattinson sidelined for the last twotests.``Our bowlers should be very

proud of what they have achieved,to be able to get so many greatplayers out, on a couple of wicketsthat were quite hard for batting butthen also a couple of wickets thatwere very good for batting,'' Clarkesaid.Coming off a similar 4-0 series

loss in England, the previously No.

1-ranked India test team plummet-ed to a deeper low. It began theseries with a 122-run defeat in thefirst test in Melbourne, followed byan innings and 68-run loss in thesecond test in Sydney. In the thirdtest, it was hammered by aninnings and 23 runs inside 2 1/2days. The subcontinent-like pitchhere represented India's bestopportunity to win a test andredeem some of its reputation, butonce again its much-vaunted bat-ting order was unable to withstandAustralia's strong pace attack. Thepoor performances in England andAustralia have prompted calls foran overhaul of the aging batting

lineup. India's media managerG.S. Walia said after the gamethere was ``no truth to thesereports'' about the immediateretirement of Rahul Dravid but heand V.V.S. Laxman will be amongthose worried about their places inthe team, while 38-year-old SachinTendulkar is coming close to theend of his splendid career.Stand-in skipper Virender

Sehwag urged selectors and fansto stand by the experienced bats-men, and not to dwell on thisseries whitewash.``We failed as a batting unit

here,'' Sehwag said. ``The bestthing is to forget what has hap-pened. ``The fans are upset andthey have the right to feel so. Butat the same time they should sup-port the team at difficult times.They were all rejoicing when wewon the World Cup (last year). Weneed the support then we're downas well. There should be a balance.''

Australia meanwhile has had itsconfidence restored and it isbeginning to play the brand ofcricket that made it the No. 1 teamfor most of the 1990s and 2000s.With Clarke having now earned hisstripes as captain, and his prede-cessor Ricky Ponting experiencinga late-career renaissance, theAustralians will be ready to pushagain for that No. 1 ranking.``We've shown a lot of people

around the world that we're on theway up,'' Clarke said. ``There's stilla lot of improvement needed in allof our game individually and as ateam.'' In the official test rankings,India was clinging onto third spotwith 111.10 points while Australiawas fourth on 110.80. Englandremains at No. 1 and South Africaat No. 2.

Leander Paes of India (L) and Elena Vesnina of Russia (2nd L) stand with winner Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the US (2nd R) andHoria Tecau of Romania at the awards ceremony for their mixed doubles final on day 14 of the 2012 Australian Open tennis tour-nament in Melbourne .

Djokovic, Nadal and the six-hour epic

Australia Beats India for Series Sweep

TRAVEL 23� February 2012

Royal Fiji Police Awards Night

The recognitin of theRoyal Fiji Police Awardswill be backed with 100%professional evaluationand credential exceed-ing beyond what waslimited to departmentalsuittability only. It will bea definate mark of honor.

SACRAMENTO –First Royal Fiji Poluce Wards Night is slated for March thisyear tentavely to be held in Sacramento. We are open to suggestions and allformer police officers are welcome to call in with their ideas:

Recognitionbeyond belief

1800-757-6619Many police officers will

qualify for certifcates andDiplomas based on theirpast performances and

Civil Services Exams thatequits with American col-

lege education. Theseawards are aimed at fur-ther enhancing their pre-sent career and desire to

seek further education.

Awards

Soak in the extraordinary sights ofSagada in Philippines - hangingcoffins, endless bat caves and riceterraces known as the stairways toheaven

A strong, pungent smell hit us inthe face as we walked into the cave.We could hear some chirps andshrieks. Beyond where the sunshone, there was nothing but a vast,gaping hole. We removed our san-dals and got down on all fours.Everything we touched felt slimy. Ourguide told us that it's guano, theexcrement of bats living in the cave.

The cave was the largest of over60 underground caves in the remotetown of Sagada, which lies deepwithin the Cordillera Mountains of thePhilippines. Our guide paused to lightup his kerosene lamp. The flickeringflame cast eerie shapes on the wallsaround us. We pressed on, disap-pearing further into the cave.

Surreal rock formations: Therewas the sound of running water. If notfor the dim light cast by the kerosenelamp, we would be in complete dark-ness. We soon came to a pool ofwater. There was no way around it.Get in, our guide said. The water wasice-cold and chest-high. We grittedour teeth as we stepped gingerlyacross the pool, not knowing whatwas in the water.

After we emerged from the pool,our guide shone the kerosene lamparound to reveal gorgeous stalactitesand stalagmites. Further on, therewere otherworldly rock formations

which were given names such as'frog pool' and 'elephant formation.'The cave branched off in all direc-tions, and without our guide, weprobably would never find our wayout. In fact, there've been stories offoreigners who got lost in the caveswandering without guides. Their bod-ies were eventually found a few dayslater.

Feeling safe with our guide, forthe next few hours, we were IndianaJones as we clambered over slickrocks, and squeezed ourselves intonarrow passages that lookedimpassable. There were sectionswhere we had to haul ourselves upusing ropes.

Hanging coffins: Sagada, howev-er, is not just about adventure. In fact,there's more than a touch of mysti-cism about the town, given itsfamous hanging coffins. As theirname suggests, these hangingcoffins are in a state of suspension,hanging on for perpetuity on lime-stone cliffs.

Our guide told us that the coffinswere placed there because hisancestors believed that the higherthe body is laid, the closer the soulswere to heaven. The location alsohelps to protect the bodies fromearthquakes, floods as well as wildanimals. Not surprisingly, the act ofplacing the coffins on the cliffsrequires a tremendous amount ofeffort. Men would bind themselves inropes to climb the steep mountain-side and haul the body and the coffin.

Once the resting place is reached,the coffin is secured in place beforeprayers are chanted and the men bidthe dead a final farewell.

This dying tradition is no longer acommon practice for the locals ofSagada. The latest addition to thehanging coffins was in 2008, after along interval. With little new coffinsadded to the cliffs, and with the exist-ing ones exposed to the elements,it's really anyone's guess how longit'll be before they become history.Burial caves: Burial caves are anoth-er interesting location where thelocals of Sagada put their dead torest. In such caves, tens or evenhundreds of coffins are lined up

along the walls, forming what looksalmost like a crypt. We ventured intoone of these caves for a closer lookand noticed that some of the coffinswere open, revealing dark emptinesswithin.

Our guide told us that thieveshave made off with some of thebones; even carted away entirecoffins for sale. I imagine they arebrave thieves since I definitely wouldnot want to be poking around thesecaves at night. Banaue: The town ofBanaue, which lies just a day's driveaway from Sagada, is yet anotherruggedly enchanting spot within theCordillera Mountains. The town ismost famous for its 'Stairway to

Heaven,' which are rice terraces cre-ated by the Ifugao tribe, who wereonce feared head-hunters.

Situated some 1,500 metresabove sea level, the 2,000-year-oldUNESCO World Heritage-listed ter-races are largely believed to becarved into the mountainside byhand with minimal equipment. Butwhile we could already see some ofthese terraces around Banaue, it'ssaid that the truly spectacular oneslie in the village of Batad - a short onehour drive away.

Those claims were not unfound-ed. Beautiful as the rice terracesaround Banaue were, they could notcompare to those in Batad which riseup the mountains like an amphithe-atre draped in green. Also, due to thehassle involved in getting to Batad - abumpy ride followed by a one-hourhike into the jungle before we couldfinally see the rice terraces - therewere hardly any tourists there. In fact,we counted less than ten the entireday we were there. With only myfriend and the guide for company, Ihad all the peace and solitude. Icould truly appreciate how therugged mountain scenery cradles theirrigated rice terraces built directlyinto the side of the mountain in com-plete natural harmony. And standingat the bottom of the valley, looking atthe terraces as they extend upwardsinto the clear blue sky, it's not hard toimagine why some would refer tothese terraces as 'Stairways toHeaven.'

Philippines: The stairway to heaven

US Updates24 � February 2012

HAGERSTOWN: An Army offi-cer ordered a court-martial onFriday for a low-ranking intelligenceanalyst charged in the biggest leakof classified information in U.S. his-tory. Military District of Washingtoncommander Maj. Gen. MichaelLinnington referred all chargesagainst Pfc. Bradley Manning to ageneral court-martial, the Army saidin a statement. The referral meansManning will stand trial for allegedlygiving more than 700,000 secretU.S. documents and classifiedcombat video to the anti-secrecywebsite WikiLeaks for publication.The 24-year-old Crescent,Oklahoma, native faces 22 counts,including aiding the enemy. Hecould be imprisoned for life if con-victed of that charge. A judge who isyet to be appointed will set the trialdate. Manning's lead defense coun-sel, civilian attorney David Coombs,didn't immediately return a callFriday evening seeking commenton the decision. Defense lawyerssay Manning was clearly a troubledyoung soldier whom the Armyshould never have deployed to Iraqor given access to classified materi-al while he was stationed there fromlate 2009 to mid-2010. At a prelimi-nary hearing in December, militaryprosecutors produced evidence

that Manning downloaded and elec-tronically transferred to WikiLeaksnearly half a million sensitive battle-field reports from Iraq andAfghanistan, hundreds of thou-sands of diplomatic cables, andvideo of a deadly 2007 Army heli-copter attack that WikiLeaks sharedwith the world and dubbed``Collateral Murder.''

Manning's lawyers counteredthat others had access toManning's workplace computers.They say he was in emotional tur-moil, partly because he was a gay

soldier at a time when homosexualswere barred from serving openly inthe U.S. armed forces.The defense also claims

Manning's apparent disregard forsecurity rules during stateside train-ing and his increasingly violent out-bursts after deployment were redflags that should have preventedhim from having access to classi-fied material. Manning's lawyersalso contend that the materialWikiLeaks published did little or noharm to national security.In the December hearing at Fort

Meade, Maryland, prosecutors alsopresented excerpts of online chatsfound on Manning's personal com-puter that allegedly document col-laboration between him andWikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.Federal prosecutors in northern

Virginia are investigating Assangeand others for allegedly facilitatingthe disclosures. The BradleyManning Support Group, whichcontends Manning heroicallyexposed war crimes, issued a state-ment calling his prosecution ``fun-damentally unjust.'' ``This adminis-tration owes all Americans an hon-est explanation for their extraordi-nary retaliation against BradleyManning,'' said Jeff Paterson, oneof the group's lead organizers.

Army orders court-martialin WikiLeaks case

After Indian woman on fast inprison dies, US calls it a ‘tragedy’WASHINGTON: Sometime between Thursday,

December 29, when the world shuttered down to end2011, and Tuesday, January 3, when it reopened afterheralding in 2012, Lyvita Gomes drifted into a lonely andterrible death in a Chicago area hospital from self-imposed starvation and dehydration. Apparently, no onein 21st century America is particularly shocked by this.Regretful, yes; alarmed or repentant; no.The 52-year old Mumbai native, a former Pan Am

stewardess and Delta Airlines trainer, had been on ahunger strike in jail for nearly three weeks following herDecember 10 incarceration arising from charges of resist-ing arrest in a routine jury summons case.

PORTLAND, Maine: A treasure hunter saidon Wednesday he has located the wreck of aBritish merchant ship that was torpedoed by aGerman U-boat off Cape Cod during World WarII while carrying what he claims was a load ofplatinum bars now worth more than $3 billion. Ifthe claim proves true, it could be one of the rich-est sunken treasures ever discovered. But anattorney for the British government expresseddoubt the vessel was carrying platinum. And if itwas, in fact, laden with precious metals, whoowns the hoard could become a matter of inter-national dispute.Treasure hunter Greg Brooks of Sub Sea

Research in Gorham, Maine, announced that awreck found sitting in 700 feet (213 meters) ofwater 50 miles (80 kilometers) offshore is that ofthe S.S. Port Nicholson, sunk in 1942. He saidhe and his crew identified it via the hull numberusing an underwater camera, and he hopes tobegin raising the treasure later this month or inearly March with the help of a remotely operatedunderwater vessel. "I'm going to get it, one wayor another, even if I have to lift the ship out of thewater," Brooks said. The claim should be viewedwith skepticism, said Robert F. Marx, an under-water archaeologist, maritime historian and

owner of Seven Seas Search and Salvage LLCin Florida. Both an American company and anEnglish company previously went after the con-tents of the ship years ago and surely retrievedat least a portion, Marx said. The question ishow much, if any, platinum is left, he said. "Everywreck that is lost is the richest wreck lost. Everywreck ever found is the biggest ever found.Every recovery is the biggest ever recovery,"Marx said. Brooks said the Port Nicholson washeaded for New York with 71 tons of platinumvalued at the time at about $53 million when itwas sunk in an attack that left six people dead.The platinum was a payment from the SovietUnion to the U.S. for war supplies, Brooks said.The vessel was also carrying gold bullion anddiamonds, he said. Brooks said he located the wreck in 2008

using shipboard sonar but held off announcingthe find while he and his business partnersobtained salvage rights from a federal judge.Salvage rights are not the same as ownershiprights, which are still unsettled. Britain will waituntil salvage operations begin before decidingwhether to file a claim on the cargo, saidAnthony Shusta, an attorney in Tampa, Florida,who represents the British government.

Gingrich to chal-lenge Romney’sFlorida winLAS VEGAS: Newt

Gingrich announced a chal-lenge to how many delegateswere won in the RepublicanParty's Florida primary, inwhich he was soundly beatenby frontrunner Mitt Romney.Gingrich campaign officials

said on Thursday the appealquestions whether all ofFlorida's 50 delegates to theRepublican convention in Augshould go to Romney, underwinner-takes-all system."I'm told by the lawyers

that it's pretty clear, that it'ssupposed to be proportional,"Gingrich told Fox News televi-sion , stressing that theappeal is being made not byhim but by delegates inFlorida."That means that

Romney's advantage, insteadof being 50 delegates, will beabout a net of 10, and thatmakes a huge difference. Isuspect it'll be a fight," hesaid. The Republican NationalCommittee had alreadyslashed Florida's delegates tothe convention in half afterthe state flouted the electioncalendar and moved up itsprimary before April 1.

‘Jewish IndianaJones’ says his

exploits are tall talesNEW YORK: Once hailed as

the "Jewish Indiana Jones", aMaryland rabbi, who claimed tohave travelled the world to res-cue holy Torah scrolls haspleaded guilty to fraud, admit-ting that he made up those dra-matic stories.Menachem Youlus, 50, a

Jewish charity co-founder , onThursday confessed in a USdistrict court in Manhattan thathe had made up those daringtales, the New York Timesreported. Prosecutors say healso defrauded the charity hefounded and its donors out of$862,000. "Between 2004 and2010, I falsely represented that Ihad personally obtained vintageTorah scrolls - in particularways, in particular locations - inEurope and Israel," Youlus toldjudge Colleen McMahon of fed-eral district court on Thursday. "Iknow what I did was wrong, andI deeply regret my conduct," hesaid. The rabbi then pleadedguilty to mail and wire fraud,admitting that he had used theUnited States Postal Serviceand emails to further a schemeto steal money while claiming tobe saving and restoring historicTorahs.The government said he fab-

ricated detailed accounts ofexploits to recover Torahs lostor hidden during the Holocaust,including at the Auschwitz con-centration camp in Poland andthe Bergen-Belsen concentra-tion camp in Germany. PreetBharara, an Indianorigin USattorney for the southern districtof New York, said in a statementthat the guilty plea is "a fittingconclusion to his story, and hewill now be punished for hisbrazen fraud." At a 2004 Torahdedication, Youlus wrote: "Iguess you could call me theJewish Indiana Jones," thecomplaint said.

US President Barack Obama waits tospeak at the Democratic IssuesConference at Hyatt RegencyChesapeake Bay, Cambridge, Maryland.

Treasure hunter says he found $3 billion WWII wreck

Email: masterpiecewindows@gmail.com

25� February 2012STAR AGEARIES

March-21to

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TAURUS

April-21to

May-20

This month there is a strongly pronouncedaccent on matters of relationships at all lev-els and of all types. The first two weeks ofthe month are a bit careful and it is impor-tant that it does not go to waste. If you areself-employed or your own boss, the firsthalf of the month is favorable. You havethe charm, determination, and right attitudewhen it comes to generating interest inyour talents or company.

GEMINI

May-21to

June-21

CANCER

June-22to

July-23

This month, fortune too favors you witha boost to your cherished hopes andwishes in matters of your professionalendeavors. The first half of the month ismore hopeful and optimistic than thesecond half. You will be satisfies withyour current financial position and try tomanage and straighten out the domesticproblems successfully.

LEO

July-24to

August-23

Everything will appear very rosy andpromising especially at the beginning ofthe month. You will be eager to tie upyour affairs and get your accounts intosome semblance or order. Local travelin the first half of the month mightenable you to accomplish far more thanyou had hoped. In the second half of themonth it would be best to take thingseasy and not to get overly impatient.

VIRGO

August-24to

September-23

LIBRA

September-24to

October-22

Wonderful things are in store for you thismonth. The first half of the month will bea bit too demanding as compared to thesecond half. Your authority will be estab-lished more firmly if you bring coopera-tion and teamwork in your attitude. Youshould get off to an early start with yourwork. Do not have routine affairs until thelast moment. It would be advisable not toindulge yourself in extravagant whims.

SCORPIO

October-23to

November-22

This month you will find clarity in yourthinking and a higher level of focus inactivity now. The first week will empha-size your earning power and your abilityto gather possessions. It is also favor-able for those of you who work in themoney professions. The second week issensitive, so be careful while signingimportant papers. You may meet some-one special in this period.

SAGITTARIUS

November-23to

December-22

CAPRICON

December-23to

Januar-20

You could be a little tense this month astoo many ideas crop up in your mindand cause disorder and turmoil.. Thesecond and third week of the month isfavorable for many reasons. In the firsthalf of the month some of you mayreceive good offers. For business, a jointor partnership venture will prove to bebeneficial. The family members will sup-port you in your important decision madeon your own.

AQUARIES

January-21to

February-19

You may be wondering why so much ofimportance is being given to social net-working in this month. You will enjoyyourself in the first half of the week.Some of you are going to be at yourmost restless and flirty mood. The sec-ond week is the busiest part of the monthand you will certainly be making a gooddeal of fresh contacts with the peopleyou meet.

PISCES

February-20to

March-20

Relationship may flower this month. Youwill find yourself in better position to getwhat you want. If you are angling for a newcontract, be sure to hold out of much betterterms than the ones being offered. You willbe delighted to find that the atmosphere athome is improved. The mid-month is alsoa most favorable time for socializing, Youmay meet a special someone extend con-tracts and agreements.

You will have good time full of fun andenjoyment with your favorite people thismonth. You may be able to sort outmany of your problems early thismonth. Change in routine for good isindicated. You may get gains throughyour superiors or other influential per-sons. New start in the mid-month will bebeneficial. Appreciation from the superi-ors will boost your confidence up.

The month has many good things instore for you especially in the firstand third week. The second week isa bit difficult for some of you. Work-wise, the month is very much a timefor routine. Your personal life seemsto be taking up far too much of yourenergy so that you have precious lit-tle time to consider your ambitions inthe second week of this month.

From time to time during this month,you will pause and reflect on thedeeper purpose of your life andyour goals. New friends will beentering your life during the first partof the month, although the bondsare unlikely to last for very long. Thefirst week advice you to be cautiousand careful in financial dealings.

Prepare yourself to accept higher responsi-bilities, different roles and bigger chal-lenges in life ahead. Take advantage of thismonth to plan and upgrade your skills orgo in for higher education. A substantialgain in business and social status is indi-cated in the first week of the month.Concentration on your current work isneeded and should be finished up as earlyas possible.

Know how tochange your badluck into goodThere are some people who blame

their luck for everything bad that hap-pen to them. If you think that your luckis not in your favour then this tip canhelp you get all your wishes fulfilled.

How to: Whenever you cook foodkeep the first roti that you prepareaway. Divide this roti into four equalparts. Keep anything sweet like kheer,jaggery or sugar over the four pieces.

Give the first part to a cow, the sec-ond part to a black dog, the third part toa crow and keep the fourth part at acrossing. If you do this regularly, youwill notice that you will soon start get-ting success in whatever you do.

FIJI SPORTS26 � February 2012

THE Fiji men's baseball side has made a huge impact on theInternational Baseball Federation (IBAF) world rankings follow-ing its powerful performance at the Pacific Games in NewCaledonia last year. The "Fijian Latuis" remarkable performancehas Fiji ranked 62nd out of 76 countries that participated at IBAFsanctioned tournaments. Fiji Islands Baseball and SoftballAssociation (FIBSA) development officer Inoke Niubalavu saidafter just 10 years in Fiji, baseball was developing slowly everyyear and its performance in the past three Pacific Games hadenhanced its profile in the international arena. "During the 2011Noumea Pacific Games, majority of the players made theirdebut and had no international experience but they all stood upto the challenge and held their heads high after proving gameafter game that they can slug it out with the region's best,"Niubalavu said. Australia tops the Oceania region standings on11th position followed by the Commonwealth of the NorthernMariana (CNMI) on 36, Guam on 39, Palau on 42 and NewCaledonia on 55. American Samoa dropped its ranking from 41to 76 after Fiji defeated them twice at the Noumea Games.

Fiji 7s team a wellbalanced side-Waqa

The Digicel Fiji 7's team to the NewZealand and USA 7's tournaments is a wellbalanced team with speedsters andaggressive forwards. Assistant coach,Etuate Waqa who will take the team to thenext two tournaments of the IRB 7's seriessaid the selectors have roped in some newplayers who have a lot to offer as well assome seasonal reps who know how thejob needs to be done. Waqa who led Fiji tothe historic win in Gold coast added thatthe players selected have got what it takesto maintain Fiji at the top of the IRB 7'sseries table. There is an audio file attachedto this story. Please login to listen.Meanwhile, it's a special day for two broth-ers from Deuba village after being namedin the Digicel Fiji 7's team today. WaiseaNayacalevu and Avenisi Vasuinubu ratethis as the biggest surprise of their lives.The Digicel Fiji 7's 12 member team for theNZ and USA 7s: Captain, Setefano Cakau,James Brown, Emosi Vucago, LepaniBotia, Sekonaia Kalou, Nemani Nagusa,Osea Kolinisau, Jone Tiko, TanielaRawaqa, Metuisela Talebula, WaiseaNayacalevu, and Avenisi Vasuinubu. Non-travelling reserve are Jimilai Naikadawa,Malakai Volau, Josateki Naisilisili andIsimeli Taqea. Fiji is in Pool C in the NZSevens with Wales, Argentina and Tonga.The New Zealand Sevens will be held inWellington next Friday and Saturday.

LAUTOKA Primary School assistant headteacher Imdad Ali has been appointed as the Fijimen's soccer team interim coach.

Ali takes over from Yogendra Dutt who with-drew his services citing heavy commitments.

Fiji Football Association vice president andnational team director Tarunesh Reddy con-firmed the new appointment.

He said they had accepted Dutt's decision."We respect Yogendra's choice and he has workcommitments and is also involved with the Basoccer side," Reddy said. "Ba is involved in theO League so he has a lot on his plate. Imdad'sinterim appointment will not affect his status withthe Fiji Under-23 team. "He is still the Fiji U23coach. "The appointment of the national men'scoach will be done during the next full Fiji FAboard of control meeting." Former Nadi andLautoka coach Lambert Sarju will assist Ali.National coaching director Juan Carlos Buzzettiwill also be part of the coaching staff. The Fiji FAhas named its initial 30 member training squadin preparation for the 2014 FIFA World CupOceania Football Confederation stage two qual-ifiers in June. Ba, Lautoka and Labasa dominatethe squad. Savusavu midfielder Sanjesh Kumaris one of the new faces getting a call up.Labasa's New Zealand-based star striker Roy

Krishna is the lone overseas player in the squad.Reddy said the squad would hold its first campnext month. He said the selectors would bekeeping a tab on the players during the FijiSun/GP Batteries sponsored National FootballLeague. "The door for the national team is stillwide open," Reddy said. "The selectors will bescrutinising the performance of the players dur-ing the first camp and the NFL. "If some playersdo not perform then they will be dropped andreplacements will be sought. "I would like to urgethe district associations to release the playersfor the first camp which will run for five days."

The national training camp will be held at thesoccer academy in Ba from February 6-10. Ba:Malakai Tiwa, Jone Vesikula, Alvin Singh,Tuimasi Manuca, Avinesh Waran Suwamy,Osea Vakatalesau, Manueli Kalou; Lautoka:Jone Vonu Junior, Alvin Avinesh, ArvindraNaidu, Shameel Rao, Peni Finau, Jone Sorolo;Labasa: Pita Bolaitoga, Taniela Waqa, RoyKrishna, Maciu Dunadamu, Iliatia Tuilau,Samuela Kautoga; Nadi: BenaminioMateinaqara; Suva: Apisai Smith, SamuelaVula, Nathan Shivam; Navua: Reginald Chand;Rewa: Simione Tamanisau, Lorima Dau,Posiano Kalisito, Epeli Saukuru, Kelepi Qaqa;Savusavu: Sanjesh Kumar

Manchester United's Ecuador midfielder Antonio Valencia (L) vieswith Manchester City's Serbian defender Aleksandar Kolarov(back) during the FA Cup third round football match betweenManchester City and Manchester United at The Etihad stadium inManchester, north-west England.Manchester United won 3-2.

Argentine legend Hernan Crespoemerged the star attraction among a host ofsemi-retired world stars auctioned inKolkata today to play in a new football tour-nament in India. Crespo was picked up foran annual salary of $840,000 by theBarasat franchise to play alongside district-level players over seven weeks in the pro-posed Premier League Soccer (PLS). Italy'sWorld Cup-winning captain FabioCannavaro went for $830,000 to Siliguri,Robert Pires of France fetched $800,000from Howrah, Nigerian Jay Jay Okocha got$550,000 from Durgapur and RobbieFowler of England was sold to Kolkata for$530,000. Former Argentina captain JuanPablo Sorin, the sixth 'icon' player, was notnamed in the list of auctioned playersreleased by the promoters CelebrityManagement Group (CMG). The tourna-ment, the brainchild of football officials in theeastern state of West Bengal, is a franchise-based event on the lines of cricket's popularIndian Premier League. Organisers said thedates of the tournament will be announcedearly next month, although they had earlierpencilled in a possible February 25 start.The five city franchises will play each othertwice on a home-and-away basis with thetop four qualifying for the semi-finals.

The tournament is an attempt to fuelgrowing interest in football in cricket-madIndia, which is ranked a lowly 158th in theworld. Each of the franchises will becoached by well-known names, who werealso auctioned on Monday. Portugesecoach Fernando Couto was sold to Howrahfor $240,000, former Manchester City man-

ager Peter Reid went for $200,000 toKolkata, while Bolivian Marco Etcheverrywas picked up by Siliguri for $200,000.Nigerian coach Samson Siasia fetched$210,000 from Durgapur, the same amountTeitur Thordarson of Iceland got fromBarasat. Among the top buys outside the'icon' players' list were Robert Egbeta ofNigeria for $350,000, and Alonso Solis ofCosta Rica and Christian Lara of Ecuadorfor $200,000 each.

"This is an exciting time for Indian foot-ball," Goswami told AFP. "These legendswill make the sport even more popular in thecountry. "Television coverage will ensurethis tournament will attract viewers acrossIndia. Details are being worked out."Football has a huge following in WestBengal, where the state capital Kolkatahosted a friendly between Argentina andVenezuela in September. But doubtsremain over the PLS, which has struggledto publicise the event properly and may failto attract interest in games played at smallprovincial grounds. The PLS has alreadybeen dented by the refusal of the All-IndiaFootball Federation (AIFF) to allow Indianplayers from the domestic I-League to join.

"The PLS is meant to help popularisefootball at the district level and unearth freshtalent," AIFF secretary Kushal Das toldwww.goal.com. But Das said he had doubtsover the tournament.

"I personally do not believe such ven-tures without any I-League players and hav-ing a few retired World Cuppers as mar-quee players would be commercially viablein the long run," he said.

Suva hungry for a tournament win: Singh

The Suva football side is hungry towin a tournament this year and the play-ers are ready for the challenges ahead,says newly appointed coach Gurjit Singh.Having guided Labasa and Navua totournaments wins recently, the formernational coach believes Suva has achance to lift a major tournament title. “Iwill do my best so Suva can at least wina tournament,” said Singh. “I believe theplayers have the ability to win, but themost important thing is discipline. Ifthere is discipline and commitment in theplayers then the task of the coachbecomes easy."“We need to preparewell, we can’t sit and wait for miracles tohappen. Suva has not won a tournamentfor quite some time and with more prepa-ration and dedication the team can breakthe jinx this year," he added.

Argentine Crespo tops India auction

Ali to coach national team

Fijian baseball improved in worldrankings after Pacific Games

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 27� February 2012

DO THE COLORING

PUZZLE

Coloring pages arefun, but theyalso helpchildrendevelopmany impor-tant skills.These skills,eye-handcoordina-tion, colorconcepts,picturecomprehen-sion, formthe founda-tion for earlylearning success!

JOKESBad Man: Ireally feel bad for thepeople who do not drink

or booze.Good Man: Why so?

Bad Man: Because someday they will go to hospi-tal and die without know-

ing the reason.______

When you are in hospital,your friends ask: Hey, hi,

how are you dear?But your best friends ask:Hey buddy, how is the

nurse?______

Harry: Can you tell me,what is the best way toremember my wife's

birthday?John: It 's very simple,Just forget it once.

______Person visited psychia-trist office and psychia-trist said: You are Mad..He asked him to give asecond opinion and hesaid: You are ugly too.

______Shelly: I think you musthave taken birth in the

highway..Tom: Why you think so?Shelly: Because that isthe place where all major

accidents happen.______

Sim: Why it is hard tofind the boys who are

handsome, sensitive, car-ing and gentle?

Jaine: Because theyalready have a boyfriend.

______

Once upon a time there was a pre-cious sword. Now, this sword belongedto a great King, and for as long as any-one could remember, the King spent allhis time in his palace, enjoying hisshows and parties. One day a great dis-pute broke out between this King andthe King of a neighbouring country. Itended with both declaring war.

The sword was greatly excited at theprospect of taking part in its first realbattle. It would show everyone how trulybrave and special it was, and wouldbecome renowned throughout the king-dom. On the way to the front line, thesword imagined itself the winner ofmany battles. However, when theyarrived, the first battle had alreadytaken place, and the sword got to seethe results of war. What it saw had noth-ing in common with what the sword hadimagined. No elegant shining knights,triumphant, with their weapons gleam-ing in the sunlight. Instead, all the swordsaw was broken weapons, and hordesof hungry and thirsty men. There washardly any food left. Everything wascovered in dirt and shrouded in a dis-gusting smell. Many were half dead andscattered on the ground, bleeding frommultiple wounds...

At this, the sword realised it likedneither wars nor battles. It decided it

preferred to live in peace and spend itstime taking part in tournaments andcompetitions. So, on the night beforewhat was going to be the big final battle,the sword tried to find a way to preventit from taking place. After a while, thesword started to vibrate. First it gave outa low buzz, but this gradually got loud-er, until it became an annoying metallicnoise. The swords and armour of theother soldiers asked the King's swordwhat it was doing. It told them "I don'twant there to be a battle tomorrow. Idon't like war".

One answered, "No one likes it, butwhat can we do?"

"Make yourself vibrate, just like I'mdoing", said the King's sword. "If wemake enough noise no one will sleep."So the weapons started vibrating, andthe noise became deafening. It was soloud that it reached the enemy camp,and the weapons there, who wereequally sick of the war, joined theprotest. The next morning, when thebattle should have begun, not a singlesoldier was ready to fight. No one hadmanaged to get even a wink of sleep,

not even the Kings or the Generals. Sothey spent the whole day catching upon sleep. During the evening they start-ed to wake up, and decided to put offthe battle for the next day.

However, the weapons, led by theKing's sword, spent the night repeatingtheir peace song, and again no soldiercould rest. The battle had to be post-poned yet again, and this carried on forthe next seven days. On the evening ofthe seventh day, the Kings of the twoarmies met to see what they could doabout the situation. Both were furiousfrom their previous dispute, but afterbeing together for a while they started todiscuss their sleepless nights, the sur-prise on their soldier's faces, the confu-sion of day with night, and the amusingsituations all this had created. It wasn'tlong before both were laughing, likefriends, at these little stories.

Fortunately, they forgot their old dis-putes and they put an end to the war,each returning to their own land with thedouble joy of not having had to fight,and having regained a friend. And fromthen on, from time to time the Kingswould meet up to talk about their expe-riences as Kings. They now understoodthat the things which united them weremuch more numerous than anythingthat set them apart from each other.

The Sword of Peace

ACROSS1. Dismissal (7)5. Subtitle (7)9. Being on a very small scale (9)10. Stair part (5)11. The angle of a celestial body (7)12. French for "New" (7)13. Easily controlled (9)

15. Move very slightly (5)17. Foreword (5)19. Cause to feel self-conscious (9)22. It browns bread (7)25. A number defining position or rank (7)26. Cuban dance (5)27. A formal entry into an organization (9)28. Insanity (7)29. Alleviate (7)

CROSSWORD Catch-Words -02

DOWN1. Abundant (7)2. Beggar (9)3. A type of bridge (7)4. Absurd (9)5. Not dirty (5)6. Disquiet (7)7. Publish (5)8. Take under one's wing (7)14. Decorate with needlework (9)16. Waste pipe (9)17. Temporary (7)18. Righteous anger (7)20. Revolutionary (7)21. The absence of sound (7)23. Directed (5)24. Sometimes it's "pennies from

heaven" (5)

Answer of Crossword-01

http://www.crosswordpalace.com/

Next Town Meetings: Saturday, February 11thUNION CITY9:00 AM — 10:30 AMRuggieri Senior Center33997 Alvarado Niles RoadHAYWARD11:00 AM — 12:30 PMHayward City Hall, Council Chambers777 B StreetFebruary Legislative ReportCongressional Outlook for 2012Tax Tips: Filing your 2011 ReturnProtecting People with DisabilitiesInvesting in our CommunityHealth Reform UpdateGood News From the IRSAn End to Our War in IraqCongressional Outlook for 2012As Congress begins 2012, we have a lot of work

ahead of us. Despite signs that the economy is moving inthe right direction, too many people are still searching forwork and too many families are struggling to make endsmeet. Congress needs to work together and with thePresident to implement policies to keep this recovery ontrack and protect those impacted by the recession.Unfortunately, Congress finished last year with anothermanufactured crisis. Three critical programs were at risk:the temporary payroll tax cut and extended unemploy-ment insurance (UI) benefits were set to expire, andMedicare physician reimbursements were facing a 27%cut.

The House Majority refused to go along with a bipar-tisan Senate compromise to extend these three programsfor two months, which would buy time for further negotia-tions on a longer-term package. Fortunately, after diggingin their heels, House Republicans finally relented to pub-lic pressure and passed the Senate bill. Now back afterthe NewYear, we must pass a longer-term extension of UIand the payroll tax cut, and also prevent the Medicarephysician payment cut now pending for March 1st. A con-ference committee has begun its work on a deal. I amhopeful it will prove successful. While those policies willhelp prevent our economy from sliding backward, theFederal government must propel our economy by makingsmart investments. Construction workers, engineers, andothers in the East Bay and elsewhere should be put towork modernizing our aging transportation, sewer andwater systems, and our communications infrastructure.Teacher and public safety jobs currently on the choppingblock due to local budget cuts have to be spared.

Our staggering income inequality must be addressed.The Bush era tax cuts for the very wealthy should expireat the end of the year. Tax loopholes that reward well con-nected corporations and individuals and help to drive upour deficit have to be closed.

While our deficit needs attention, I remain committedto protecting bedrock programs, including Medicare,Social Security, and Medicaid from devastating cuts, andto reining in defense spending, which accounts for half ofour annual discretionary budget. Americans deserve farbetter. It’s time for Congress to step up.Tax Tips: Filing your 2011 Return

Pete's SignatureDeadline: This year, your 2011 taxreturns must be postmarked by Tuesday, April 17thbecause April 15th falls on a weekend.

Refunds: The IRS will issue refunds to taxpayers inas few as 10 days to those who e-file and elect to usedirect deposit. The IRS “Where’s My Refund?” tool onwww.IRS.gov will help you track the status of your refundafter your return is filed.

Tax Forms: Forms will not be mailed to your home.Tax forms can be downloaded for free at www.IRS.gov. Ifyou would like tax forms mailed to you, call 1-800-TAX-FORM (1-800-829-3676).

Using “E-File”: All taxpayers can file electronically forfree on the IRS website. If you earned less than $57,000in 2011, you can also use brand name tax software freeof charge to help you complete your tax return. The elec-tronic forms and free tax software are available online at:www.IRS.gov/efile.

The IRS Website: IRS answers many common tax-payer questions on its website, www.IRS.gov. New web-site features can help people get answers to their tax

questions, figure out if they qualify for the Earned IncomeTax Credit, securely pay owed taxes, and file tax returns.

Phone the IRS: If you’d prefer to call, the IRS’s tollfree phone number is: 1-800-829-1040.

In-Person Help: The IRS Volunteer Income TaxAssistance Program and the Tax Counseling for theElderly Program offer free tax help to taxpayers at morethan 12,000 centers nationwide. Taxpayers can find theclosest center by calling 1-800-906-9887. As always, ifyou need assistance with anything relating to the Federalgovernment, please visit stark.house.gov for informationon constituent services or call my Fremont office at (510)494-1388.

Protecting People with DisabilitiesPete's SignatureOne of the primary functions of gov-

ernment should be protecting citizens from discriminationand ensuring that everyone has the chance to succeed.For this reason, I asked the Government AccountabilityOffice (GAO) to examine how students with disabilitiesare provided accommodations by testing companies onexams used to gain admission to college, graduate schooland certain professions like law and medicine. The GAOreport came out in December and highlights significantbarriers that individuals with disabilities face when theytake high stakes tests, such as the SAT, GRE, LSAT, ormedical boards. (Link to the GAO report:http://go.usa.gov/nqr) Under the Americans withDisabilities Act (ADA), testing companies must provideaccommodations to students to ensure that the testresults reflect that person’s aptitude and skill, not their dis-ability.

For a blind person, this could mean providing the testin Braille. For a person with a learning disability, such asdyslexia that causes slower reading, an accommodationusually means a little extra time.

The GAO found that many testing companies are notproviding these accommodations and that theDepartment of Justice, the federal agency in charge ofenforcing the law, is not doing enough to ensure the lawis followed. Testing companies need to start following thelaw and the Department of Justice needs to start crackingdown on those that do not. In light of this disturbing report,I sent a letter to Attorney General Holder urging him toimprove the DOJ’s efforts and offered to help the agencyget the tools needed to stop discrimination against intelli-gent, talented people who happen to have a disability.

I have also formed the bipartisan CongressionalDyslexia Caucus. Through this caucus I will be workingacross the aisle to increase opportunities for people withdyslexia and other learning disabilities.

Investing in our CommunityIn late December, the Obama Administration

announced that the Hayward Promise NeighborhoodProgram and California State University-East Bay willreceive a five-year, $25 million implementation grant to

strengthen schools and improve educational outcomesfor children in Hayward’s Jackson Triangle Community.The grant is part of the Department of Education’sPromise Neighborhoods Program and Hayward is one ofonly five communities in the country to receive this fund-ing. The goal of the Promise Neighborhoods Program isto break the cycle of generational poverty by improvingthe educational outcomes and life prospects of low-income children and their families through great schoolsand strong community supports.

The Hayward Promise Neighborhood Program willbenefit our community by providing critical cradle-to-col-lege academic supports and other services, includingtutoring, after school, and summer programs. This willimprove the educational achievement of children andmake Hayward an even stronger community. The pro-gram will also support parents through parental educationprograms and health care to make sure they have thetools they need to raise healthy children.

It is essential to connect our community with federalresources that can help innovative local projects grow.I’ve been a strong advocate for maintaining federal fund-ing for the Promise Neighborhood Program during thesetough budgetary times. I supported the Hayward PromiseNeighborhood Program grant application and will keepworking to make the program and the Jackson Triangleneighborhood a success.

Health Reform UpdateAs implementation of the Affordable Care Act contin-

ues, more and more Americans are benefiting. Accordingto the Administration, since passage of the law in Marchof 2010:

2.5 million more young adults have coverage.More than 2 million seniors saved an average of $550

per person on prescription drugs in 2011.Tens of thousands of Americans with pre-existing

conditions now have affordable coverage.More than 22.6 million seniors and people with dis-

abilities received free preventive care in 2011.Taxpayers saved nearly $3 billion thanks to provisions

in health reform that crack down on waste, fraud, andabuse. This March, the Supreme Court will hear argu-ments on the constitutionality of the law with a decisionexpected by late June. Rep. Stark and other Democratic

leaders in the House and Senate filed a “friend of thecourt” brief supporting the constitutionality of theAffordable Care Act. Despite Washington Republicans’continued calls for repeal, states are moving forward withimplementation because they know health reform willbenefit their residents.

So far, 28 states -- including those with Republicangovernors and/or legislatures -- are working hard toensure they meet the promise of providing affordable,quality health insurance options by the January 1, 2014deadline.

California is a leader in implementation. To learn moreabout what’s happening in our state, visit

www.healthcare.ca.gov.Good News From the IRSIndividuals can sometimes face tax liability because of

the illegal actions of their spouse -- even if they were notaware of the misdeeds. This is unfair and it’s why I’vebeen working with the IRS to protect innocent spouses,who are often victims of abuse or have not had access tohousehold financial records.

Last month, the IRS announced that they’ve issuedguidelines to better protect innocent spouses. Each yearthe IRS receives some 50,000 innocent spouse claims.The new IRS guidelines mean that more of theserequests for relief will be granted at the initial stage of theadministrative process, saving victimized taxpayers timeand money. The guidelines expand the factors the IRSmust use when considering these cases. Specifically, theyrequire the IRS to look at whether the relationship wasabusive and whether the spouse seeking relief was pre-vented access to financial information. The new criteriawill mean that more spouses are protected. Thesechanges build on the July 2011 repeal of an arbitrary andharmful two-year limit on innocent spouses seeking relieffrom the IRS. That change was spurred by action I took inApril 2011 to organize nearly 50 Democratic colleagues topressure IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman to repeal thatlimit.

An End to Our War in IraqI’ve spent years speaking out against the war in Iraq,

signing letters and cosponsoring legislation to bring thissenseless war to a close. Finally, President Obama fullywithdrew our military from Iraq in December.

This will save lives and taxpayer dollars and is a majoraccomplishment of 2011. The costs, however, wereextraordinary: nearly 1.5 million men and women haveserved, more than 30,000 have been wounded, nearly4,500 have died and almost $1 trillion was spent in Iraq.

Where does this leave us, now? We are stillentrenched in a war with Afghanistan, which, if it stays onits current trajectory will cost even more than Iraq. Whilesome troop withdrawal from Afghanistan has begun, it isat much too slow of a rate. Maintaining a large militaryoperation in Afghanistan until 2014, as is the President’scurrent plan, places an undue burden on military families,first and foremost. But, it also places a heavy burden onour entire country as other important federal programs willface cuts in order to offset continued war spending. I willcontinue to work for a quick and responsible withdrawalfromAfghanistan. Diplomacy, not war, is the better way toaddress conflicts around the world.

LOCAL NEWS28 � February 2012

FIJI AMERICAN IDOL SHOWA unique, exciting and professional FIJI

AMERICAN IDOL SHOW is in the planning pro-cess and due to be launched early next year.

TO LOCATE AND PROMOTE NEWAND BUDDING TALENTS FROM THEFIJI AMERICAN COMMUNITY.

THERE WILL BE AN EARLY AUDITIONWITH $10 DINNER CHARGES.

MISSION

Call: 1-800-757-6619FIJI AMERICAN IDOL SHOW

AUDITIONWILL BY A PANELOF SUPERSTARS !JUDGING

NO PUBLIC JUDGING AT ALL.

This night dedicatedto the memory ofthe late Hon. S MKOYA is slated forearly next year.Everyone is wel-come share theirthoughts, commentsand memories. Ifyou stories and pic-

tures etc., you want to share you are mostwel come do so. The man who fulfilled thejourney crafted by one of the most learnedand seasoned politicians of Fiji the lateHon. Mr. A D Patel. THE KOYA MEMORIALNIGHT will be dedicated to celebrate thememories of tails of former leader of oppo-sition the Late Hon. S M KOYA

KOYA MEMORIAL NIGHT

29� February 2012

KIDS PAGE30 � February 2012

(Fiji Sun pictures by Ms. Prasad)

Send in pictures ofyour kids for ourKid’s Page at:

EMAILfijisun@gmail.com:

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Young Robin Paul ambitiousto be a marine biologist

Young and bold Robin Paul son of Moon Indian Cuisine ownerapproached the editor direct the other day when he finished interviewingCHAND sisters and asked, “ You never write anything about me.” “What is it you are interested in, what do want to become in life?” asked

the editor. Robin reflected and said he likes the Monterey Aquarium and likedwhat one of the guest speakers said about the marine life. Since them I am interested in it and I would like to be a marine biologist.

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Sanjiv Prasad in Seattle celebrates his 4th birthday with mom Payal and dad“Officer” Sanjay Prasad.

31� February 2012PHOTO GALLERY

BHAJAN COMPETITION -MODOSTO

COMMUNITY NEWS32 � February 2012

Steve Balram Singh receives the highest AIM honor

FREMONT, CA On the occasion of 2012 Valentine’s Day hosted by IFFER the nonprofit led by SteveBalram Singh, Steve was the highest honor as the Fellow of the American Institute of Management

From L-R Dr. Mrs. Singh. Stave B. Singh, Fiji Sun Editor, Ian FFER guest and Annie Koya, as Steve Singh hiswife proudly display AIM citation certificate.

Flashback Fiji Award Night

� Anil R. Singh and wife. � Narendra Narayan and wife.

� AIM guests � Ardent Fiji Sun fans Mr. and Mrs. Safiq.

INVESTRORS CLUBNewly formed Hayward Real Estate Investors Clubmeets every month at the Golden Peacock Restau-rant at 7 PM If you are interested in saving yourhomes and investing in Real Estate with no money down and with bad credit, it is important you attend the meetings.

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