boxing nights take root in shanghai shop caters for coffee lovers and their cats Boxing promoter Top Rank brought another professional fight night to mainland China yesterday, following the first edition of “Fist of Power” Imagine a relaxing afternoon with a cup of coffee, a cake and a cat on your lap. That’s exactly what a local café is offering P2 MDT IN SHANGHAI macau: is the ‘el dorado’ effect over? P5 P6 MSAR 15TH ANNIVERSARY WED. 17 Dec 2014 T. 9º/ 15º C H. 35/ 60% N.º 2213 Blackberry email service powered by CTM MOP 5.00 HKD 7.50 FOUNDER & PUBLISHER Kowie Geldenhuys EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Paulo Coutinho “ THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’ ” WORLD BRIEFS CHINESE manufacturing contracted in December for the first time in seven months in another sign the slowdown in the world’s No. 2 economy is quickening, according to a survey of factories released yesterday. More on p11 AUSTRALIA Tearful Australians laid mounds of flowers at the site where a gunman held hostages for 16 hours at a popular Sydney cafe. The siege ended early Tuesday with a barrage of gunfire that left two hostages and the Iranian-born gunman dead, and a nation that has long prided itself on its peace rocked to its core. More on p14 Taliban attack on Pakistani school leaves over 140 dead, mostly children P13 NORTH KOREA asked the U.N. Security Council in a letter to take up the CIA’s harsh treatment of terror suspects, instead of the North’s own human rights situation. North Korea’s U.N. Ambassador Ja Song Nam objected to the inclusion of his country’s human rights record on the Security Council’s agenda for debate — the first step toward a possible referral to the International Criminal Court. More on p15 More on backpage ad 24h borders expected to bring more visitors P3 MACAU 2 17.12.2014 wed th Anniversary 澳聞 Ada Chio and Ivy Leong win accolades at the Hotelier Awards China M Ik Yang defeated Fahsai Sakkreerin by technical knock out in round 4 Top Rank boxing nights take root in Shanghai Brook Yang, Shanghai B OXING promoter Top Rank brought another professional boxing event to mainland China yesterday, following the first edition of “Fist of Power” launched at Shanghai’s Mercedes-Benz Arena in late August. Sponsored by The Venetian Macao, co-sponsored by Anta Sports, and promoted by Top Rank, SECA and G Sport, the “Fist of Power II” staged seven bouts featuring ten pro fighters from China as well as three boxers from Southeast Asia and one from Ireland. Highlighted in the sevenbout boxing night, WBO Asian-Pacific lightweight champion, IK Yang, gai- ned his qualification to challenge the world titles in two divisions, by obtaining the vacant IBF Pan Pacific Junior Welterweight title. “I showed a good speed striking fists today becau- The event was regarded as a platform to develop Chinese pro boxers se I wanted to prove to my opponent that I am faster than him,” the unbeaten Chinese boxer told the media after defeating Thai- www.macaudailytimes.com.mo MDT’s Website has logged over 84 million page views since January 1st, 2012 up to today. Thank You! Like us? facebook.com/mdtimes land’s Fahsai Sakkreerin by technical knockout during the fourth round. China’s 8-year veteran Ma Yiming also fought his way towards a world title challenge, as he obtained both the WBO Asia Pacific Championship Light Flyweight title and the IBF Pan Pacific Light Flyweight champion belt, in the 10-round bout against Indonesian boxer Tommy Seran by unanimous decision. The event was regarded as a platform to develop Chinese pro boxers. Some 5,400 tickets were sold out and the show was broadcasted on national channel CCTV Sports where 5 million people were watching. “The ‘Fist of Power’ is more of the world-class best pro boxing event for Chinese boxers,” said the SECA’s CEO Mr Li Sheng. “Next year we might have a world title fight here; last time we had a world title of the entry of two foreign boxers, but what we find is the audience really want Chinese boxers.” Enthusiastic spectators cheered for their home champions in the ring from time to time. “Obviously Macau is even crazier, grander than this,” said Mr Li. “There are many so-called professional boxing events in China but we believe none of them have been done with the Top Rank-standard top productions, like the same you would see in Las Vegas and what you see in Macau.” DIRECTOR AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF_Paulo Coutinho paulocoutinho@macaudailytimes.com MANAGING EDITOR_Paulo Barbosa paulo.barbosa@macaudailytimes.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS_Eric Sautedé, Leanda Lee, Severo Portela CHINA & FOREIGN EDITOR_Vanessa Moore vanessa@macaudailytimes.com DESIGN EDITOR_João Jorge Magalhães magalhaes@macaudailytimes.com | NEWSROOM AND CONTRIBUTORS_Albano Martins, António Espadinha Soares, Brook Yang, Catarina Pinto, Cyril Law, Emilie Tran, Grace Yu, Irene Sam, Jacky I.F. Cheong, Jenny Philips, João Pedro Lau, Joseph Cheung, Juliet Risdon, Keith Ip, Renato Marques (photographer), Richard Whitfield, Robert Carroll (Hong Kong correspondent), Rodrigo de Matos (cartoonist), Ruan Du Toit Bester, Sandra Norte (designer), Sum Choi, Viviana Seguí | ASSOCIATE CONTRIBUTORS_JML Property, MacauHR, MdME Lawyers, PokerStars | NEWS AGENCIES_ Associated Press, Bloomberg, Lusa News Agency, MacauHub, MacauNews, Xinhua | SECRETARY_Yang Dongxiao amy@macaudailytimes.com ANDARIN Oriental, Macau, announced in a press release that the director of Marketing & Communications at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Ada Chio de la Cruz, was crowned Marketing & Communications Hotelier of the Year at the Hotelier Awards China 2014. Also holding the role of regional director of communications in North Asia, Ada Chio began working at Mandarin Oriental in 2000. According to the press release, wit her “solid communication skills and impressive creativity designing marketing initiatives,” Ada Chio de la Cruz has “played an important role in both the opening and re-launch of several Mandarin Oriental hotels throughout China and Taipei.” Under her supervision, Macau has received the award for Best Brand Communications in the Asia-Pacific. “I am thrilled to be recognized in China’s first-ever hotelier awards,” said Ada Chio. “I am so lucky to do what I truly love, and I will continue my commitment to the Mandarin Oriental, and help the group [develop its] talents with my passion and experience.” The hotel’s executive housekeeper, Ivy Leong, won as runner-up of CSR Hotelier of the Year. Ivy Leong has had over 17 years of experience in leading housekeeping teams in Malaysia and Macau. As an environmental enthusiast, she chairs the hotel’s Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Committee. Open to all hotels in Greater China, including Macau and Hong Kong, the Hotelier Awards China 2014 received close to 300 applications from over 100 properties and 44 brands. A two-round assessment process was conducted based on a combination of conditions presented in the application, as well as interviews and testimonials. Ms Ada Chio de la Cruz A MACAU TIMES PUBLICATIONS LTD PUBLICATION ADMINISTRATOR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Kowie Geldenhuys kowie@macaudailytimes.com SECRETARY Juliana Cheang juliana@macaudailytimes.com ADDRESS Av. da Praia Grande, 599, Edif. Comercial Rodrigues, 12 Floor C, MACAU SAR Telephones: +853 287 160 81/2 Fax: +853 287 160 84 Advertisement advertising@macaudailytimes.com For subscription and general issues: general@macaudailytimes.com | Printed at Welfare Printing Ltd send newsworthy information and press releases to: newsroom@macaudailytimes.com website: www.macaudailytimes.com.mo ISSN 2305-4271 wed 17.12.2014 th Anniversary 澳聞 Catarina Pinto M ACAU authorities are expecting an increase in passenger volume after new border crossing schedules are put in force tomorrow. They believe that the existing number of border crossings will rise three to four times at the Lotus Border and 15 percent at the Border Gate, while passenger flow is expected to alleviate and divide into different borders and respective extended schedules. In an official visit to Macau’s three border checkpoints yesterday, Ku Keng Hin, senior officer at Macau’s Immigration Department revealed that they forecast a 15 percent increase on passenger volume at the Border Gate, which is currently used by 300,000 to 350,000 people per day. He also revealed that there are currently 2,500 to 3,000 people using the Zhuhai-Macau CrossBorder Industrial Park checkpoint daily. Once the border begins operating around the clock, Macau authorities believe the number of citizens using it to cross to either Macau or Zhuhai will reach 30,000 per day. As for the Hengqin border, located in Cotai, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. the checkpoint is currently used by less than 20,000 people. However, the passenger volume could reach 50,000 to 60,000 after it starts operating on a 24-hour basis. In the early hours of tomorrow, the Lotus Bridge Cotai Frontier Post (connected to Hengqin) will start operating continuously, while the Border Gate (connected to Gongbei) will operate between 6am and 1am, an hour longer before and after its previous closing and opening times. MACAU 3 Police expects visitor increase with round-the-clock borders The Cotai checkpoint’s new schedule will be applied to visitors, residents and non-resident workers from mainland China, as well as passenger cars and heavy vehicles holding mainland and Macau registration plates. Finally, late night crossings through the Cross-Border Industrial Zone Checkpoint will open between midnight and 7am only to pedestrians, including Macau residents, non-resident workers from mainland China and students. This Industrial Zone checkpoint is therefore the only one currently in operation for the entire 24 hours. However, it is only available for use by those holding a special pass into the Industrial Zone. The ultimate goal of Macau’s authorities is to achieve 24hour border crossing at the Border Gate, Macau’s main checkpoint. Authorities assured concerned residents yesterday that special measures and new arrangements have been taken to ensure the smooth implementation of the new border schedules. Forty-five new immigration employees will be working at the Cotai checkpoint as the border starts operating around the clock in the early hours of tomorrow, connecting Macau to Hengqin Island. In addition, a higher number of e-channels will be available. At the Industrial Zone border, there will be six e-channels and three regular channels. The Border Gate will have a total of DSAT reinforces bus shifts A S Macau’s three cross-border checkpoints will commence operation under new extended schedules as of tomorrow, the Transport Bureau (DSAT) confirmed yesterday that it will be enhancing bus routes and extending some buses’ service hours. The 19 routes that pass through Border Gate (connected to Zhuhai) will see their shifts improved while the eight lines passing through the Lotus Bridge Frontier Post (connected to Hengqin) will be adjusted to cover the border’s new continuous schedule. In addition, more Route 25 shifts have been added, while a new night bus (N4) is introduced. The schedule of Route 27, which connects the Green Island area (Ilha Verde) and the Border Gate, was also extended to serve those wishing to use the Cross-Border Industrial Zone Checkpoint. DSAT said that it has been working to improve the traffic situation in order to optimize circulation in the areas surrounding Macau’s three borders. Further information on the new bus schedules passing through border checkpoints is available at www.dsat. gov.mo. There are currently between 2,500 and 3,000 people using Zhuhai-Macau Cross-Border Industrial Park checkpoint daily 124 e-channels - including arrivals and departures - of which 34 have just been added. Ku Keng Hin stressed that the new schedules will improve border crossing procedures for both residents and non-resident workers. He hinted that they do not expect an increase in passenger volume, but rather an overall redistribution of current passengers through different borders and timetables, providing them with more options to enter Macau. The new border schedules will be implemented one day before Chinese president Xi Jinping arrives in town to participate in the 15th anniversary celebrations of Macau’s handover to China. Analysts have argued that Macau’s new border crossing policies will be of benefit to the region, boosting visitation and possibly gaming revenue. Pro-democracy lawmakers hand in petition on universal suffrage Y E S T E R D A Y , pro-democracy lawmakers Au Kam San and Ng Kuok Cheong handed a petition to the government advocating for universal suffrage. They are hoping the letter can be forwarded to president Xi Jinping, who is visiting Macau this weekend and will be attending the 15th anniversary celebrations of the MSAR. The New Macau Association and Macau Youth Dynamics are also organizing a demonstration and assembly on Saturday to call for “real universal suffrage” in 2019. Organizers said on Monday that are unaware if Hong Kong protestors wish to join them at Saturday’s protests. They urged authorities to grant entry to any citizen, including the Hong Kong protestors who have been advocating for a genuine universal suffrage in the neighboring SAR, by joining the Occupy Central movement. Jason Chao revealed yesterday that he has been warned not to hold any type of protest which directly addresses Xi Jinping, Radio Macau reported. The political activist said he got hold of such information throu- gh “a credible source.” Chao added he does not feel intimidated for now, but revealed he has been followed lately by “middle-aged men who do not look like they’re locals”, which has caused slight concern. The president of the New Macau Associa- tion, Sulu Sou, had also complained of similar accounts on Monday at a news conference. There are also reports that two students from Hong Kong were not allowed to enter Macau on Monday “for representing a risk to internal security.” CP 4 ADVERTISEMENT 17.12.2014 wed th Anniversary 廣告 wed 17.12.2014 th Anniversary 澳聞 João Pedro Lau I MAGINE a relaxing afternoon with a cup of coffee, a cake and a cat on your lap. That’s exactly what the local café ‘Meows Corner Meeting’ is offering its customers. Angela Gonçalves owns this cat café at the corner of Calçada do Poço near the St Lazarus’ Church. She told the Times that she started ‘Meows Corner Meeting’ around a year ago. “When I travelled to Hong Kong and Taiwan, I saw many cafés like this. I am a cat lover myself. Therefore, I wanted to open one as well,” she said. When the Times visited the café, there were four cats napping at different corners of the shop. Ms Gonçalves said that the cats were all her pets. They all lived at her home and now they reside in the café. In terms of her patrons, the owner said that many of them are young people or students, with females the majority. “Usually [customers] are young people. Sometimes there are older people… They usually have cats at home as well or are cat lovers,” she said. Sometimes when the custo- Shop caters for coffee lovers and their cats Angela Gonçalves mers do not know how to interact with the cats, she has to intervene. “They may suddenly hold the cats, which the cats don’t really like, and we have to talk to them about it,” she said. Some customers would even bring their own cats to the café. However, the owner said that those cats would usually be too afraid to move. “But some are not afraid of anything and would walk around, even eat the food of our cats like they are really familiar with the place,” she said. When it comes to the business side of things, Ms Gonçalves said that the performance is not very impressive. But she already has a group of patrons. While business is good on the weekends, she said that the café can be pretty quiet on weekdays. “Maybe there are too many choices [of café],” she said. Ms Gonçalves told the Times that she once worked in the Municipal Kennel and believes that the government’s animal policy has room to improve. “The stray cat and dog issue in Macau is pretty serious. Stray cats usually hide at the MACAU 5 hills like the Guia Hill and the Mong Ha Hill,” she said. “[The Municipal Kennel] does not euthanize stray cats. They only catch them, neuter them and return them… This has helped to control the number but does not help the stray issue much,” she added. When I travelled to Hong Kong and Taiwan, I saw many cafés like this ANGELA GONÇALVES Ms Gonçalves suggested that this is a matter of civic education. “We should teach the next generation how to prevent making cats and dogs homeless. The stray problem exists because people just bought them and abandoned them”. She concluded that there should also be tighter restriction on pet shops to ensure that animals are not overbred. MSAR 15TH ANNIVERSARY Painting exhibition unveils diverse Portuguese artistic views Catarina Pinto T HE walls of Clube Militar’s Ho Yin gallery just became more colorful as a painting exhibition showcasing “10 Portuguese Artistic Views” has been launched to mark the MSAR’s 15th anniversary. Organized by Clube Militar (Military Club) in cooperation with the Cultural Events Promotion Association (APAC), the exhibition brings to town artworks by prominent Portuguese painters, such as Júlio Pomar, Graça Morais, Gil Maia, José Luís Tinoco, Maria João Franco, Velhô, and Alexandre Baptista, among others. The artworks were chosen by exhibition commis- sioners Maria de Lurdes Ferreira and José Duque Vicente. “I suggested this idea to Clube Militar. They thought it was interesting, so we invited two commissioners to arrange the exhibition. [It would have to be an exhibition] carrying different perspectives, different styles and ideas. An exhibition that could offer a glimpse into what is happening in terms of art in Portugal,” said Lina Ramadas, from APEC. Maria de Lurdes Ferreira likewise stressed that the exhibition showcases artworks by a wide range of painters, some who have already achieved great recognition and are now internationally renowned, and others who she believes will be recognized in due time as well. José Duque Vicente acknowledged that Portugal’s financial crisis might have helped artists to be proactive at finding ways of showcasing their art. “Portugal has never had as many artists as now,” he reiterated. He added that artists are no longer waiting for art galleries to display their canvases; they are now more actively seeking opportunities outside that circle to share their work. The exhibition, which gathers 60 pieces by 10 Portuguese artists, will be on display at Clube Militar’s Ho Yin gallery until Sunday. ad MACAU W HILE the region keeps on exceeding world records, with many praising the economic growth made possible by the gaming industry, some residents claim that the ‘El Dorado’ period is over for Macau due to rising inflation, the overflow of visitors, the pollution and aggravated social tension. The historian Jorge Cavalheiro, sociologist Hao Zhidong and economist José Isaac Duarte are unanimous in the view that Gross Domestic Product can’t be the single factor responsible for the region’s development. They claim that quality of life has been worsening over the years. “Local people have not benefited at all from the growth in Macau,” Jorge Cavalheiro bemoans. The scholar at the Portuguese Department of the University of Macau, who specialises in Macau History, says that the fact that the territory’s per capita wealth stands fourth in the world ranking, ahead of Switzerland, means little to most of the residents. According to him, there are several factors that contribute to a worsening quality of life, namely traffic, an increase in the local population and in visitors, bad food quality and decaying cultural heritage. He also says that even economically there are no advantages to living in Macau. “The housing prices, either to buy or to rent, are exorbitant and the government uses the pretext that Macau is a free economy to abstain itself from interfering.” Mr Cavalheiro also complains about the effects of inflation: “We go to the market and everything is much more expensive, there are items that have gone up 100, 200 or 300 percent.” José Isaac Duarte, on the other hand, is not so pessimistic, admitting that “there was a significant rise in salaries due to the lack of local manpower.” But those wage increases, he says, have been consumed by inflation and surges in housing prices. “The local SMEs have been degrading, which means that Macau could lose its status as a historic entity. If this is not changed, the region will become an amusement park with many casinos,” the economist explains. A consequence of the th Anniversary 澳聞 BLOOMBERG 6 17.12.2014 wed MSAR 15TH ANNIVERSARY Is the ‘El Dorado’ effect over? SMEs’ problems, Isaac Duarte says, is higher rates of school dropout. The younger generation tends to leave school and cant drop in the money that has been coming from China, although visitor rates are still climbing. These last few mon- There is a word, mainlandization, that means that Macau is resembling mainland China more and more HAO ZHIDONG UM SCHOLAR work in the casinos; this has been on the rise since 2011. Still, according to Isaac Duarte, the revenue drop that has been affecting the gaming industry proves that the MSAR’s economic model is “extremely vulnerable” to any external changes. “There is a signifi- ths are evidence that there isn’t a direct connection between the number of visitors and gaming revenues,” he argues, adding that if the trend continues, some of the projects currently being built or planned for Cotai will be suspended. Jorge Cavalheiro observes that Photo exhibition marks MSAR 15th anniversary A photo exhibition was launched in Macau yesterday to mark the 15th anniversary of Macau’s return to China. The exhibition, with more than 200 photos on display, features the achievements in the region since the MSAR was established in 1999. The exhibition, co-sponsored by the AsiaPacific regional bureau of Xinhua news agency, along with the Macau Foundation and Macau Convention and Exhibition Associa- tion, showcases the socioeconomic development in the SAR under the “one country, two systems” principles. “The photo show links the past, present and future of Macau,” said Ju Mengjun, chief of Xinhua’s Asia-Pacific regional bureau. The Chief Executive Chui Sai On visited the exhibition. It will be showcased until Dec. 26, at the exhibition hall of the UNESCO Center of Macau. the issue extends well beyond rising prices. “What we see today with this combination of people, traffic and pollution - is that people are demotivated, they tend to isolate themselves and, in a certain way, they stop liking the city,” he says. The scholar notes examples that, in his opinion, are not consistent with the region’s wealth: “If you visit the area around Senado Square you will find shallow streets with degraded houses - where people live without proper sanitary conditions, without proper kitchens or ventilation. Those are humid and unhealthy houses that are unfit for a human being to live in,” he says. Political analyst and sociologist Hao Zhidong has observed other tensions arising. “There is a word, mainlandization, that means that Macau is resembling mainland China more and more. This constitutes a problem, because it means there will be less free speech and press freedom and autonomy,” he says. Hao Zhidong highlights recent incidents including the scholars Éric Sautedé and Bill Chou, who were sacked from the local universities where they worked. The two professors of Political Science lost their jobs for publicly expressing political views. “That shows that there are problems regarding freedom of academic expression,” says Hao Zhidong, who teaches at the University of Macau (like Bill Chou did). “There are many concerns with the educational system in Macau,” says Hao Zhidong. Despite those concerns he has hopes in the new generation: “They are more aware of issues and I believe that they will keep on pressing for democratization. They know that freedom is wearing out, you only need to look at the universities and newspapers to know that.” MDT/Lusa the hurdles of moving to town GIVEN ALL of the concerns from many observers about the region’s development, is living in Macau still a viable option? Economist Isaac Duarte doesn’t think so for several reasons. First of all, the granting of residency is more problematic than before. In his view, the government is applying a “non-declared policy” which will end with non-permanent-resi- dents. Another issue concerns the fact that wages are not as competitive as before. “We are starting to see people that have jobs associated with high incomes starting to share flats and becoming more cautious with their spending. If people want to come and eat at home and reside in shared houses, that is an option, but it is no longer an ‘El Dorado.” wed 17.12.2014 th Anniversary 分析 Anurag Kotoky and Anand Krishnamoorthy I NDIA’S government gave billionaire Kalanithi Maran’s troubled airline SpiceJet Ltd. a lifeline by allowing it to take bookings until the end of March and extending a credit line for jet fuel by two weeks, an official at the civil aviation ministry said yesterday. The shares climbed. SpiceJet has sought 10 days from the government to submit a funding plan, the official said, asking not to be identified citing rules. The New Delhi-based carrier earlier this month had been barred from accepting bookings beyond a month. Allowing the airline to sell tickets for journeys through March may help bring in cash as it struggles to meet expenses. The company sought state relief Monday. A government official yesterday said it is working to find a solution to the crisis, though it is difficult to offer help to individual airlines. SpiceJet’s shares finished 2.6 percent higher yesterday in Mumbai. During the session, they had climbed as much as 8.9 percent when the government decision to allow extended ticket sales was announced. They also dropped as much as 17 percent. SpiceJet hasn’t submitted a concrete revival program, Junior Civil Aviation Minister Mahesh Sharma said yesterday. The relief the government has offered the carrier so far has been taken in the wider interest of passengers, he said. Base fares sometimes as low as 2 U.S. cents have stoked more than $10 billion in aviation losses BLOOMBERG SpiceJet said to get lifeline from Indian gov’t BUSINESS 7 Wanda said to be poised to raise USD3.7b in HK IPO Fox Hu D A SpiceJet Ltd. aircraft flies over a bus as it prepares to land at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai in the last seven years in India, one of the world’s costliest airline markets. Kingfisher Airlines Ltd., started by liquor baron Vijay Mallya, was grounded in 2012 after accumulating $1.4 billion of debt. “Without significant and immediate promoter funding, I see no future,” CAPA Centre for Aviation’s South Asia Chief Executive Officer Kapil Kaul said in an e-mail about SpiceJet. “Two airline closures in the last few years and a very challenged SpiceJet highlight the massive structural challenges faced by the industry.” A financial proposal the carrier submitted to the government in a meeting yesterday didn’t provide new information regarding new investors or funds, an official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation told reporters in New Delhi, asking not to be identified citing departmental rules. The government may give the company two to four weeks to pay outstanding jet fuel bills, the official said. Bloomberg ALIAN Wanda Commercial Properties Co., China’s biggest mall developer, plans to sell shares near the top end of a marketed range to raise about USD3.7 billion in a Hong Kong initial public offering, people with knowledge of the matter said. Beijing-based Wanda Commercial plans to sell 600 million shares at HK$48 each, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. The shares were offered at HK$41.80 to HK$49.60 each, according to the company’s IPO prospectus. No final decision has been made and pricing could still change, one of the people said. Wanda Commercial, controlled by billionaire Wang Jianlin, is raising money in Hong Kong’s biggest IPO in two years to build new projects after China cut interest rates to spur growth. The company, founded in 2002 in northeastern China, will use about 90 percent of the proceeds to fund the development of 10 malls across the nation, the prospectus shows. Kuwait Investment Authority and China Life Insurance Co. each pledged to invest $300 million in the IPO, while Och-Ziff Capital Management Group will buy $250 million of stock, the document shows. Cornerstone investors account for more than half of Wanda Commercial’s offering. Such investors typically agree to hold their stock for at least six months in return for guaranteed allocations. Wanda Commercial had 159 “Wanda Plaza” malls across 110 cities at the end of June, including 71 fully completed projects, the prospectus shows. It is the flagship of closely-held Dalian Wanda Group Co., which also runs a department-store chain, tourism businesses, a Chinese cinema operator and AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. in the U.S. The Wall Street Journal reported the pricing earlier yesterday, citing unidentified people. A Hong Kong-based spokeswoman for Wanda Commercial declined to comment. Wang has a net worth of $15.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Bloomberg corporate bits Hong Kong’s multi-awardwinning Cantopop diva Joey Yung will return to The Venetian Macao’s Cotai Arena with her Suncity Group presents Joey Yung in Concert 1314 Macao on Jan. 23-24. Joey Yung in Concert 1314 kicked off in Hong Kong last December with 15 shows, breaking Joey Yung’s personal record for the number of consecutive shows held before heading to Connecticut and Las Vegas, NV in the USA for two dates earlier this month to continue her world tour. When the tour arrives in Macau it is sure to delight audiences as she delivers her greatest hits including “Little Day,” “My Pride,” “Forest of Flowers” and “Wallpaper” at the Cotai Arena on Jan. 2324, 2015. joey yung returns to the venetian macao Tickets for the 8:00 p.m., Jan. 23-24, 2015 performances of Suncity Group presents Joey Yung in Concert 1314 Macao at the Cotai Arena are available now. huawei seeks to win top spot in china smartphones in three years Huawei Technologies Co. will use high- quality, mid-priced devices and online distribution as it targets to capture the top spot in China’s smartphone market within three years. The Honor line of phones introduced this year is aimed at young consumers with a focus on online marketing, sales and service, Jeff Liu, president of Huawei’s Honor line, said in an interview in Beijing. He was speaking ahead of yesterday’s unveiling of the Honor 6 Plus, the latest device in the series. Huawei, founded in 1987 and China’s largest maker of equipment for phone networks, has been surpassed in smartphones by younger, more nimble local competitors like four-year-old Xiaomi Corp. Xiaomi’s low-cost, online model propelled it to the top of China’s smartphone market, the world’s largest, in the third quarter, while Huawei was tied for fourth place in the period, according to researcher Canalys. “Many Internet based brands are coming so we need a new brand to face the competition,” Liu said. The goal in China is “first we’ll become number one. Then, globally, our target in three years is to be at least a top-two smartphone vendor.” Huawei ranked fifth in global smartphone shipments during the third quarter, with 5.1 percent share, according to researcher Strategy Analytics. Xiaomi was third worldwide with 5.6 percent, trailing only Samsung Electronics Co. and Apple Inc., Strategy Analytics reported in October. The Honor 6 Plus with 5.5inch display will sell in China for about 2,500 yuan (USD404), Liu said. Xiaomi sells its flagship Mi4 with a 5-inch display in China for 1,999 yuan. “The market is so dynamic, competition is so tough,” Liu said. “We have to make sure we do not make mistakes in the market, and be cautious.” FORUM th Anniversary 中葡論壇 published in partnership with macauhub.com.mo AP PHOTO Mozambican rubies auctioned for USD43m in Singapore This photo provided by Sotheby’s shows a ruby, emerald and diamond Cartier Tutti Frutti bracelet T HE latest uncut Mozambican ruby auction carried out by British company Gemfields in Singapore raised USD43.3 million, the ad company said. In a statement, the company said the auction of rubies mined by Montepuez Ruby Mining Limited (75-percent ow- ned by Gemfields) in the Montepuez mine in northern Mozambique, sold 62,936 carats of rubies at an average price per carat of USD689. “The two Montepuez ruby auctions, organized in June and December 2014, generated revenues of US$76.8 million,” the company said. Montepuez Ruby Mining Limited, which mines rubies in the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, is controlled by Gemfields, whose partner is Mozambican company Mwirit. At the end of November Gemfields said it had discovered an “exceptional” ruby weighing 40 carats (8 grams) in the rough at the Montepuez mine. “This gem will set a new benchmark for the quality of African rubies and makes the Montepuez mine the most significant reserve under development in the world,” the statement said. According to Gemfields, the area of 340 square kilometers of the Montepuez project is the world’s largest ruby concession in private hands and “has proven to be one of the most productive.” MDT/Macauhub Brazilian export finance plan expands to Angola XINHUA 8 17.12.2014 wed B RAZILIAN businessmen who want to make investments in Angola from 2015 will benefit from the Brazilian government’s Export Financing Program (Proex), said the president of the Brazil-Angola Chamber of Commerce. Simão Grilo dos Santos, who recently spoke in Sao Paulo, said Proex would have its funding increased in 2015 “to finance Brazilian businessmen interested in investing in Angola with local products.” Grilo dos Santos noted several Brazilian businessmen had shown Proex they were interested in operating in the Angolan market, a country that “is booming” and added that the agricultural and construction sectors were of greatest interest to Brazilian investors . The president of the Brazil-Angola Chamber of Commerce and Industry this was likely because Brazil is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of meat, and also has large business groups in the construction sector. Simão Grilo dos Santos said the next meeting between businessmen from both countries would be in July 2015 in Luanda, and would analyze new opportunities and strategic partnerships. MDT/Macauhub wed 17.12.2014 th Anniversary 廣告 ADVERTISEMENT 9 10 CHINA 17.12.2014 wed th Anniversary 中國 C HINA’S economic planner announced its approval on construction of a new airport in Beijing on Monday, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The project will involve 79.98 billion yuan (USD13.11 billion) of investment and take about five years, a statement from the National Development and Reform Commission revealed. The airport is designed to be able to handle 72 million passengers, 2 million tons of cargo and mail, and 620,000 planes in 2025, it said. It is expected to meet Beijing’s rising demand for air transportation and help achieve balanced development in the capital’s southern and northern areas, it said. The new airport will be built in southern Beijing’s Daxing District, which borders Hebei Province. Yet according to an article that appeared in yesterday’s Financial Times, some commentators have questioned the wisdom of an entirely new airport in such a remote location. China has built scores of new airports in recent years but barely a quarter of the 200 facilities currently in operation are making any money, with about BLOOMBERG New Beijing airport gets the go ahead A woman looks at her phone at Beijing’s international airport 150 surviving on government subsidies, the head of Chinese civil aviation said this month. The new Beijing airport is just the latest in a string of megaprojects approved in recent months aimed more at boosting construction activity to support sagging growth than providing essential infrastructure. Despite several expansions, Beijing’s existing airport has struggled to cope with the volume and growth in passenger and cargo traffic, and last year saw 83.7m passengers pass through even though the facility was designed to handle only 76m, the FT revealed. Beijing has the world’s busiest airport after Atlanta in PRC looking for new markets in eastern Europe Dusan Stojanovic, Belgrade I N an attempt to secure business ties and increase political influence, China is on a charm offensive in eastern Europe — where the European Union and Russia are also vying for sway. Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, accompanied by 200 corporate executives, met the leaders of 16 central and eastern European countries yesterday for a twoday summit being billed in China as an opportunity not only to deepen ties to the region and boost relations with the EU. The Asian economic power is interested in energy, infrastructure and other big projects to fuel its economy at a time when labor costs are rising at home, risking crimping its exports, its traditional economic strength. Chinese investors hope to boost their presence in the region where Western companies may be reluctant to take financial risks. The timing of the China summit — the third such in three years — is significant as it comes while Russia, the traditional regional powerbroker, is struggling with deep economic problems partly caused by crippling Western sanctions over Moscow’s role in Ukraine. Only a few weeks ago, Russian Pre- sident Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow is spiking a multibillion-dollar gas pipeline project for southern Europe that was to pass through several east European countries, which was to bring them hundreds of millions of dollars in transit fees. Putin argued that the EU’s opposition to the South Stream pipeline — which would have run under the Black Sea to Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary and further on to Europe — meant Russia had no other choice but to scrap it. The 16 European countries at the summit all share a former communist past. Some, like Bulgaria, Romania, Poland and Hungary, are part of the EU. Others, like Serbia, would like to join, but are still influenced by Russia. “The difference between the Russian and Chinese approach in the region is that Russians are more political, while Chinese are more commercial,” said Serbian economy analyst Miroslav Prokopijevic. Unlike Moscow, which is applying a combination of economic and political pressure on the regional governments, Beijing sees its increased economic influence in the area as a chance to boost ties with the EU. AP the US but it consistently rates as the worst airport in the world in terms of delays. In some months, less than 20 per cent of flights out of Beijing are able to leave on time, according to data from Flightstats. China’s growing middle class is fueling a travel boom in the world’s second-largest eco- nomy. As detailed by Bloomberg, air-travel demand in Asia is projected to expand 5.7 percent in the four years through 2017, the second-fastest pace in the world, with routes within or connected to China being the single largest driver, according to an International Air Transport Association study last year. MDT College entrance exam reform to take focus off score results T HE Education Ministry yesterday took a critical step in its initiative to reform the college entrance exam system, aiming to reverse exam -oriented education to help fuel future growth. According to the ministry, university entrance will no longer be solely determined by students’ Gaokao score, the national college entrance exam. In addition to exam results, students will also be evaluated on their morality standards, physical health, art cultivation and social practice. For example, volunteer activities will result in merits. Previously, only a small fraction of students were awarded extra Gaokao credits, mainly for success in academic competitions such as the highly competitive mathematical Olympiad. The current trend is that most students undertake a fixed, universal diet of exam subjects in either the sciences or arts. In the future, students will be allowed to submit the scores of three subjects from a pool of six - biology, chemistry, geography, history, physics and politics - together with their mandatory Chinese, math and English scores. “The new regulation will help students take advantage of their strengths and overcome their shortcomings,” said Zhou Bin, a schoolmaster from Haining city in Zhejiang province, adding that often students paid too much attention to their weaknesses. China resumed the Gaokao system in 1977. Since then, the exam has attracted criticism for its suffocation of students’ innovative spirit and its juxtaposition to modern society, leading to serious brain drain. The number of students taking the Gaokao test has declined from its peak of 10.5 million in 2008 to some 9.3 million this year, and many top scorers chose to study in Hong Kong. “We need to transform our education system to one for the people, to better cultivate our students,” said Zhou Bin. Xinhua wed 17.12.2014 th Anniversary 中國 A The fine is the biggest during the antigraft drive and may be the biggest ever levied against an individual in China Ding Yuxin AP PHOTO Chinese government propaganda words which read “Prosperity and Powerful” are displayed on a wall near a construction site in Beijing C HINA yesterday raised its official estimate of last year’s gross domestic product, possibly moving closer to passing the United States as the biggest economy. There was no indication the change would affect official policy. But higher output might help to reassure Chinese leaders who are trying to transform a slowing economy and reduce reliance on trade and investment. Last year’s official GDP value will be raised by 3 percent following a regular economic census, the director of the National Bureau of Statistics, Ma Jiantang, said at a news conference. Ma gave no details but based on previously reported data, the increase would make 2013’s GDP about USD9.6 trillion or just under two-thirds of U.S. output of $16.8 trillion. Growing economic output helps to support Beijing’s campaign to gain a bigger voice in managing global affairs. But officials insist China still is a developing country, possibly to blunt demands for Beijing to take on more international responsibilities. China’s growth fell to a five -year low of 7.3 percent last quarter. The economy grew 7.7 percent in 2013 though that figure is likely to change jor financial backer of former Railway Minister Liu Zhijun, and was charged with intervening in bidding for railway projects worth about 185 billion yuan and engaging in illegal business operations, after the revision of the year’s GDP estimate. Analysts expect the ruling Communist Party to cut next year’s growth target to 7 percent. But that still is more than double the 3 percent forecast by the International Monetary Fund for the U.S. Following an annual planning meeting last week, the party leaders affirmed their commitment to a “new normal” of slower, self-sustaining growth based on domestic consumption and technology instead of trade and investment. China is forecast to become the biggest economy as early as 2020, though its income per person would be much lower than developed nations such as the U.S. Most countries update estimates of economic growth as additional data become available but China’s revisions are the biggest among major countries. In 2009, the government raised its estimate of 2007 growth from an already high 11.9 percent to 13 percent. That meant China moved ahead of Germany as the third-largest economy behind the U.S. and Japan. In 2010, China passed Japan as the second-biggest economy. AP Xinhua News Agency reported at the time. Liu was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve in July for abuse of power and taking bribes. During Ding’s trial, prose- cutors said she gave Liu 49 million yuan ($330 million) in exchange for helping her and affiliated companies win 57 railway construction projects, in violation of state regulations, Xinhua reported. Liu presided over the ministry at a time when millions of yuan were wasted or stolen. In one case, at least 187 million yuan was misappropriated by individuals or companies involved in building the high-speed rail line from Beijing to Shanghai, the National Audit Office reported in March 2011. Bloomberg Survey: Manufacturing contracts in December Kelvin Chan Business Writer, Hong Kong C HINESE manufacturing contracted in December for the first time in seven months in another sign the slowdown in the world’s No. 2 economy is quickening, according to a survey of factories released yesterday. HSBC’s preliminary purchasing managers’ index fell to a seven month low of 49.5 from 50 in November, based on a 100-point scale on which numbers above 50 indicate expansion. It was the first time the index dipped below 50 since May, when it was 49.4. It’s the latest in a string of weak data on China’s economy, which is struggling to meet its full-year growth target amid weak global demand. China’s economy expanded at a five-year low of 7.3 percent last quarter, below the official full year target of 7.5 percent. The report boosts expectations that policymakers will add stimulus in order to prevent the economy from stalling. China’s communist leaders, who have expressed confidence they can manage the slowdown, cut interest rates unexpectedly BLOOMBERG the U.K. drug giant GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK) received the largest ever financial penalty of 3 billion yuan for offering bribes to boost its drug sales. Ding, 59, was described in her September trial as the ma- Gov’t raises estimate of size of economy Joe McDonald Business Writer, Beijing 11 Rail chief ally Ding given jail, USD400m fine in graft case XINHUA former ally of China’s disgraced railway chief was ordered by a Beijing court yesterday to pay the largest fine so far in President Xi Jinping’s anti-graft campaign, after being convicted of bribery earlier this year. Ding Yuxin, also known as Ding Shumiao, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined 2.5 billion yuan (USD403 million) for paying bribes and engaging in illegal business, the court said. She was also ordered to forfeit 20 million yuan of personal assets, according to a post yesterday on the court’s Weibo social media service account. “The number was extremely large and the violation was very serious,” Tang Bo, senior partner at W&H Law Firm, said in Beijing. Tang specializes in criminal law and isn’t involved in Ding’s case. Ding’s sentencing comes amid a two-year anti-corruption campaign to bolster Xi’s power base and curb the graft that he’s warned could erode the party’s legitimacy. More than 80,000 officials have been punished for breaking party rules, according to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. The fine is the biggest during the anti-graft drive and may be the biggest ever levied against an individual in China, Tang said. In September, CHINA A worker assembles car doors at the Geely Automobile factory in Cixi, Zhejiang Province in November in a sign that they were worried growth was falling too sharply. “The manufacturing slowdown continues in December and points to a weak ending for 2014,” HSBC Chief China economist Qu Hongbin said. “The rising disinflationary pressures, which fundamentally reflect weak demand, warrant further monetary easing in the coming months.” Other recent official data for November showed that growth in industrial production slowed to 7.2 percent while imports contracted unexpectedly. The report’s final version is due Jan. 2. AP 12 ADVERTISEMENT 17.12.2014 wed th Anniversary 廣告 wed 17.12.2014 th Anniversary 亞太版 ASIA-PACIFIC 13 PAKISTAN Riaz Khan, Peshawar T ALIBAN gunmen stormed a military-run school in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar yesterday, killing at least 141 people, mostly children, before Pakistani officials declared a military operation to clear the school over. The overwhelming majority of the victims were students at the school, which instructs grades 1-10. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the assault and rushed to Peshawar to show his support for the victims. As darkness fell on the area, officials said they had cleared the school of militants. A Pakistani military spokesman, Asim Bajwa, said 141 people died in the attack — 132 children and nine staff members. He declared the operation over and said the area had been cleared. An additional 121 students and three staff members were wounded. He said seven attackers, all wearing explosives vests, all died in the assault. It was not immediately clear if the militants were all killed by the soldiers or whether they blew themselves up, he said. Bajwa described an assault that seemed designed purely to terrorize the children rather than take anyone hostage to further the militant group’s aims. “Their sole purpose, it seems, was to kill those innocent kids. That’s what they did,” he said. The horrific attack, claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban, a Pakistani militant group trying to overthrow the government, sent dozens of wounded flooding into local hospitals as terrified parents searched for their children. “My son was in uniform in the morning. He is in a casket now,” wailed one parent, Tahir Ali, as he came to the hospital to collect the body of his 14-year-old son Abdullah. “My son was my dream. My dream has been killed.” The attack began in the morning when the gunmen entered the school and started shooting at random. Army commandos quickly arrived at the scene and started exchanging fire with the gunmen. Students wearing green school uniforms could be seen fleeing the area on Pakistani television. Outside the school, two loud booms of unknown origin were heard coming from the scene in the early afternoon, as Pakistani troops battled with the atta- AP PHOTO Taliban school terror assault leaves over 140 dead, mostly kids Pakistani volunteers carry a student injured in the shootout at a school under attack by Taliban gunmen, at a local hospital in Peshawar The overwhelming majority of the victims were students at the army public school, which has children and teenagers in grades 1-10 ckers. Armored personnel carriers were deployed around the school grounds, and a Pakistani military helicopter circled overhead. Pakistani television showed soldiers surrounding the area and pushing people back. Ambulances streamed from the area to local hospitals. The prime minister vowed that the country would not be cowed by the violence and that the military would continue with an aggressive operation launched in June to rout militants from the North Waziristan tribal area. “The fight will continue. No one should have any doubt about it,” Sharif said. Bajwa said that 1,099 students and staff were registered at the school. It is part of a network of schools run by the Pakistani military around the country. The student body is made up of both children of military personnel as well as civilians. A government official, Javed Khan, said most of the students appeared to be civilians rather than children of army staff. But analysts said the militants likely targeted the school because of its military connections. “It’s a kind of a message that we can also kill your children,” said Pakistani analyst Zahid Hussain. One of the wounded students, Abdullah Jamal, said that he was with a group of 8th, 9th and 10th graders who were getting first-aid instructions and training with a team of Pakistani army medics when the violence began for real. When the shooting started, Jamal, who was shot in the leg, said nobody knew what was going on in the first few seconds. “Then I saw children falling down who were crying and screaming. I also fell down. I learned later that I have got a bullet,” he said, speaking from his hospital bed. Another student, Amir Mateen, said they locked the door from the inside when they heard the shooting but gunmen blasted through the door anyway and opened fire. In a phone call to reporters, Taliban spokesman Mohammed Khurasani claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the suicide bombers carried it out to avenge the killings of Taliban members at the hands of Pakistani authorities. Peshawar has been the target of frequent militant attacks in the past but has seen a relative lull recently. The Pakistani military launched the military operation in the nearby North Waziristan tribal area in June, vowing that it would go after all militant groups that had been operating in the region. With the launch of the operation, security officials and civilians feared retribution by militants but until yesterday, a widespread backlash had failed to materialize. Yesterday’s attack calls into question whether the militants have been crippled by the mili- tary or will be able to regroup. This appeared to be the worst attack in Pakistan since a 2007 suicide bombing in the port city of Karachi killed 150 people. The violence also underscored the vulnerability of Pakistani schools, which was dramatically exposed in the attack two years ago on Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani girl shot in the head by a Taliban gunman outside her school in the Swat Valley for daring to speak up about girls’ rights. She survived, becoming a Nobel Prize laureate and global advocate for girls’ education but out of security concerns has never returned to Pakistan. Militants have also blown up schools in the northwest. “I am heartbroken by this senseless and cold blooded act of terror in Peshawar that is unfolding before us,” said Malala in a statement. AP un chief condemns ‘blood-curdling’ school attack U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL Ban Ki-moon is condemning the “blood-curdling attack” on defenseless children at a military school in Pakistan as “an act of horror and rank cowardice.” The U.N. chief told the U.N. Security Council at the start of a meeting yesterday that no cause or grievance can justify the killing of at least 126 people, mainly children. “Schools must be safe and secure learning spaces, and getting an education is every child’s right,” Ban said. “Going to school should not have to be an act of bravery.” He pledged U.N. support to Pakistan in its fight against terrorism and urged the government to bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice. “The hearts of the world go out to parents and the families who have lost loved ones,” Ban said. 14 ASIA-PACIFIC 17.12.2014 wed th Anniversary 亞太版 AUSTRALIA AP PHOTO Nation mourns for siege victims Staff members from the Lindt Chocolat Cafe with their arms linked pay tribute to their colleague who lost his live during a siege at the popular coffee shop at Martin Place in the central business district of Sydney Nick Perry, Sydney T EARFUL Australians laid mounds of flowers at the site where two of 17 hostages were killed yesterday when police swooped into a cafe to rescue them from a gunman — an Iranian-born self-styled cleric described by the prime minister as a deeply disturbed person carrying out a “sick fantasy.” The 16-hour siege that ended in a barrage of gunfire early yesterday left the gunman, 50-year-old Man Haron Monis, dead, and a nation that has long prided itself on its peace rocked to its core. At a news conference later in the day, Prime Minister Tony Abbott called the siege Australia’s first brush with terrorism in more than 35 years and addressed the most glaring question that has emerged from the crisis: How did Monis — a man with a lengthy criminal record — slip through the cracks? “How can someone who has had such a long and checkered history not be on the appropriate watch list? And how can someone like that be entirely at large in the community?” Abbott asked. “These are questions we need to look at carefully and calmly and methodically. That’s what we’ll be doing in the days and weeks ahead.” After a day of intense drama, many questions remained: Why was the gunman, who had a sordid criminal history, out on bail? Why was he not on a terror watch list? How did he get a shotgun in a country with tough gun ownership laws? Abbott sought to portray Monis as a deluded and mentally troubled person rather than a religious fanatic The siege heightened fears of a terror attack, but it also produced heart-rending displays of solidarity among Australians who reached out to their Muslim compatriots. Many Australians offered on Twitter to accompany people dressed in Muslim clothes who were afraid of a backlash against the country’s Muslim minority of 500,000 in a nation of 24 million. The hashtag #IllRideWithYou — or I’ll Ride With You — was used more than 90,000 times by early yesterday. But the most visible reaction the day after the siege came in the form of mountains of flowers blanketing the pavement at Martin Place, where the siege began during Monday morning’s rush hour. The gunman burst into the Lindt Chocolat Cafe, took 17 people inside hostage and forced some to hold a flag with an Islamic declaration of faith above the shop window’s festive inscription of “Merry Christmas.” “I’ll never forget this day as long as I live,” said Jenny Borovina, who was in tears with two friends while carrying white flowers to the site. She predicted that the effect of the standoff would leave a permanent scar on Australia’s psyche. “Our laid-back nature has just changed,” she said. Like so many who work in the area, Borovina said she was locked down in her office near the cafe for more than four hours Monday before police gave her the all-clear to leave. During that time, she said, she called her son to say take care. She also called her aunt, asking her to look after her son if she didn’t make it out alive. “Australia was a really safe place before,” said Andrea Wang, who laid a bouquet of lilies at the site, near her office. “I hope our country gets through this very quickly,” she said, adding that her family from China had been calling. “They worry about me in this country.” Abbott joined the outpouring of national mourning and laid a bouquet at Martin Place, a plaza in Sydney’s financial and shopping district. He called the spontaneous shrine “an expression of the innate goodness and decency which is a mark of Australian character.” Australian Muslim groups condemned the hostagetaking in a joint statement and said the inscription of the Islamic flag was a “testimony of faith that has been misappropriated by misguided individuals.” Abbott sought to portray Monis as a deluded and mentally troubled person rather than a religious fanatic. He called the victims “decent, innocent people who got caught up in the sick fantasy of a deeply disturbed individual.” He said the siege showed Australia is not immune to the violence that has hit other countries, but he doubted that Monis’ actions would inspire copycats. “There was nothing consistent about this individual except that he was consistently weird,” Abbott said. “I don’t think anyone would want to emulate that.” Monis was convicted and sentenced last year to 300 hours of community service for sending what a judge called “grossly offensive” letters to families of soldiers killed in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2009. He later was charged with being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife. Earlier this year, he was charged with the sexual assault of a woman in 2002. He had been out on bail on the charges. Police were investigating whether he was the registered owner of the shotgun that he used in the siege. The standoff started around 9:45 a.m. Monday and stretched into the early hours of yesterday morning. Heavily armed police finally stormed the cafe at around 2 a.m. when they heard gunfire inside, said New South Wales state police Commissioner Andrew Scipione. “They made the call because they believed that at that time, if they didn’t enter, there would have been many more lives lost,” Scipione said. A loud bang rang out, several hostages ran from the building, and police swooped in amid heavy gunfire, shouts and flashes. Authorities have not said whether the two dead hostages — a 34-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman — were caught in crossfire, or shot by their captor. One of the victims was Katrina Dawson, a Sydney lawyer and mother of three children. “Katrina was one of our best and brightest barristers who will be greatly missed by her colleagues and friends,” Jane Needham, president of the New South Wales Bar Association, said in a statement. The other victim was the manager of the cafe, Tori Johnson. Four people were injured, including three women who were hospitalized in stable condition after being treated for gunshot wounds, and a police officer released from the hospital after being treated for shotgun pellet wounds, said Deputy Police Commissioner Catherine Burn. Two other hostages, both pregnant women, were assessed by doctors and were in stable condition, police said. In the hours after the bloodshed, many struggled to come to terms with the incongruous nature of the attack, which took place at a cheerful cafe as people filed in for their morning coffees. “It’s shocking that it has happened to people like us that are just going out for a coffee,” said Michael Gardiner, a visitor from the western city of Perth, who recalled sitting in the cafe about a year ago. “But it’s beautiful to see everyone coming here. There’s a real sense of community.” AP wed 17.12.2014 th Anniversary RUSSIA Ruble declines despite Central Bank rate hike Nataliya Vasilyeva, Moscow A FTER a massive overnight rate hike by Russia’s Central Bank, the ruble staged a two-hour rally yesterday morning before rolling back to new historic lows. The surprise Central Bank decision to raise the rate to 17 percent from 10.5 percent came in the early hours yesterday in a desperate attempt to prop up the troubled currency. It’s the biggest interest rate hike since 1998, the year when Russia defaulted on its sovereign bonds. The move was meant to make it expensive for currency traders to buy rubles and sell them on the market. The ruble in the morning regained almost all of its losses from Monday’s 10 percent decline, the biggest fall since the 1998 economic meltdown. But it rolled back and was down 3 percent at 66 to the dollar by noon yesterday in Moscow. Central Bank chairwoman Elvira Nabiullina said in televised comments yesterday that the decision should stem inflation and encourage Russians to open ruble-denominated deposits. Nabiullina conceded that the ruble’s value will not be immediately influenced by the rate hike and said it will take ORTH Korea asked the U.N. Security Council in a letter Monday (yesterday in Macau) to take up the CIA’s harsh treatment of terror suspects, instead of the North’s own human rights situation. North Korea’s U.N. Ambassador Ja Song Nam objected to the inclusion of his country’s human rights record on the Security Council’s agenda for debate — the first step toward a possible referral to the International Criminal Court. “The so-called ‘human rights issue’ in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is politically fabricated and, therefore, it is not at all relevant to the regional or international peace and 15 Signs advertising currencies light next to the exchange office in Moscow The ruble has lost half of its value this year as the economy came under pressure from Western sanctions and plunging oil prices to RIA Novosti news agency. Russian stocks were moderately declining yesterday morning with the MICEX ben- chmark 1.5 percent lower, reflecting the rate hike’s pressure on businesses. A decline in the price of oil has weighed heavily on the Russian economy as Russia depends on oil revenue and lacks the diversification to withstand severe economic downturns. The average price of a barrel of oil has dropped below USD56 from a summer high of $107. The government recently downgraded its forecast for next year, predicting that the economy will sink into recession. The central bank has gradually raised the rate from 5.5 percent early this year. Last Thursday, it tried unsuccessfully to stem the ruble’s slide by boosting its key rate by 1 percentage point to 10.5 percent. The rate increase, although it can help stabilize the ruble, could spell serious economic troubles ahead, making it more expensive for companies to borrow funds. Alexei Kudrin, Russia’s finance minister in 2000-2011, said on Twitter following the rate hike that “the fall of the ruble and the stock market is not just a reaction to low oil prices and the sanctions but also (a show of) distrust to economic policies of the government.» Kudrin added that the rate hike “should be followed by government measures to raise investor confidence in the Russian economy.” He did not say what steps he advocated. AP HUMAN RIGHTS N. Korea seeks UN meeting on CIA torture AP PHOTO N the ruble “some time” before it finds a fair value. The ruble has lost half of its value this year and the decline intensified in the past months as the economy came under pressure from Western sanctions and plunging oil prices. “With these steps, the Central Bank is looking to bring stability back to the (foreign exchange) market, which has been behaving irrationally over the last few weeks,” Moscow-based investment bank Sberbank-CIB said in a morning note. “This state of affairs required extraordinary measures from the Central Bank — and such measures have now been taken.” Neil Shearing, a chief economist for emerging markets at London-based Capital Economics, said in a note yesterday that the hike does not eliminate the risks to the currency such as the prices of oil and will cause “a further tightening of credit conditions for households and businesses and a deeper downturn in the real economy in 2015.” Demand for durable goods, an overwhelming majority of which is imported, shot up in the past months as major retailers have announced upcoming price hikes. Major automotive dealers, for one, are reporting sales up 15 to 30 percent in November, according WORLD AP PHOTO 分析 Large screen monitors broadcast Choe Myong Nam, North Korea’s official in charge of U.N. affairs and human rights, as he speaks during a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly human rights committee security,” Ja wrote in the letter to Chad’s U.N. ambassador, the current council president. “On the contrary, the recently revealed CIA torture crimes committed by the United States, which has been conducted worldwide in the most brutal medieval forms, are the gravest human rights violations in the world,” he added, requesting that the council take up the issue with a view toward establishing “a thorough probe into the CIA torture crimes.” It is highly unlikely that the CIA issue will ever make it onto the agenda of the council, where the U.S. has veto power. There was no immediate comment from the U.S. Mission to the U.N. A recent U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee report detailed brutal interrogations of terror detainees during the George W. Bush administration, with tactics ranging from simulating drowning to improvised enemas. North Korea’s human rights situation was placed on the council agenda after two-thirds of its members, including the United States, requested it. That debate will occur Dec. 22 or 23, Chad’s Ambassador Mahamat Zene Cherif said Monday. A U.N. commission of in- quiry report early this year detailed widespread human rights abuses in North Korea and warned that leader Kim Jong Un could be held accountable. Last month, the U.N. General Assembly’s rights committee approved a resolution calling on the Security Council to refer the North’s human rights situation to the ICC. Even though permanent council member China is likely to veto any ICC referral, regular Security Council debate of North Korea’s human rights will elevate the issue. AP 16 INFOTAINMENT what’s ON ... 17.12.2014 wed th Anniversary 資訊/娛樂 TV canal macau Zimerman and Macau Orchestra Time: 8pm Venue: Macau Cultural Centre, 13:00 TDM News (Repeated) 13:30 News (RTPi) Delayed Broadcast 14:30 RTPi Live Avenida Xian Xing Hai, s/m, NAPE Admission: MOP100, MOP200, MOP300 Enquiries: (853) 2853 0782 18:40 Brazil Avenue (Repeated) 19:30 Soap Opera 20:30 Main News, Financial & Weather Report 21:00 Non-Daily Portuguese News 21:40 Seasonal Programmes 22:10 Brazil Avenue 23:00 TDM News 23:30 Non-Daily Portuguese News 00:00 Miscellaneous 00:55 Main News, Financial & Weather Report (Repeated) Hengqin Today Photos and Videos Creative Exhibition Time: 12pm-7pm (Closed on Tuesdays) Until: February 8, 2014 Venue: Ox Warehouse, corner of Avenida Do Coronel Mesquita and Avenida Do Almirante Lacerda Admission: Free Enquiries: (853) 2853 0026 “Beyond Pixels” by Victor Marreiros Time: 12pm-8pm (Open on public holidays) Until: December 31, 2014 Venue: SIGNUM Living Store, 285 Rua do Almirante Sérgio, R/C, Macau Admission: Free Enquiries: (853) 2896 8925 cinema cineteatro 13 Dec - 16 Dec Western Views on China: Prints of the 19th Century about China Time: 10am-7pm (Closed on Mondays, no admission after 6:30 pm) Until: December 31, 2014 Venue: Macau Museum of Art, Av. Xian Xing Hai, s/n, NAPE Admission: MOP5 (Free on Sundays and public holidays) Enquiries: (853) 8791 9814 Art Arena – Project from Centre Pompidou Time: 10am-7pm (Closed on Mondays, no admission after 6:30 pm) Until: January 4, 2015 Venue: Macau Museum of Art, Av. Xian Xing Hai, s/n, NAPE Admission: MOP5 (Free on Sundays and public holidays) Enquiries: (853) 8791 9814 Unearthing the Past Time: 10am-6pm (ticket counters close at 5:30 pm) Until: January 11, 2015 Venue: Macau Museum Admission: MOP8-15 Enquiries: (853) 2835 7911 EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS_ room 1 (2D) 2.30, 9.00 pm (3D) 6.00 pm Director: Ridney Scott Starring: Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Sigourney Weaver Language: English (Chinese) Duration: 150min THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING_ room 2 2.30, 4.45, 7.15, 9.30 pm Director: James Marsh Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Emily Watson Language: English (Chinese) Duration: 123min THE BEST OF ME_ room 3 2.30, 9.30 pm Director: Michael Hoffman Starring: Michelle Monaghan, James Marsden, Luke Bracey Language: English (Chinese) Duration: 118min Offbeat Anthony Eden 1942 Britain condemns massacre of Jews The British Foreign Secretary, Anthony Eden, has told the House of Commons about mass executions of Jews by Germans in occupied Europe. Mr Eden also read out a United Nations declaration condemning “this bestial policy”. He said news of German atrocities sent in by the Polish Government and widely reported in the press this month would only serve to strengthen allied determination to fight Nazism and punish all those responsible. After his announcement the House rose and held a one-minute silence in sympathy for the victims. Mr Eden described how the German authorities, who have already stripped the Jews of their basic human rights, were now carrying out “Hitler’s oft repeated intention to exterminate the Jewish people in Europe”. He described how hundreds of thousands of men, women and children were being transported from all German-occupied territory “in conditions of appalling horror and brutality” to Eastern Europe. In Poland, Jewish ghettoes were being “systematically emptied” except for the able-bodied who were being sent to labor camps. “None of those taken away are ever heard of again,” he said. Those who are sick or injured are left to die of exposure or starvation or killed in mass executions. The House then heard him read out a declaration made by the governments of Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, the United States, the UK, the USSR, Yugoslavia and the French National Committee. It condemned “in the strongest possible terms this bestial policy of cold-blooded extermination” and made a “solemn resolution to ensure that those responsible for these crimes shall not escape retribution”. He said the United Nations would try to give asylum to as many refugees as possible but that there were “immense geographical difficulties” as well as security procedures to overcome. James A De Rothschild, Labor MP for the Isle of Ely, made an emotional speech on behalf of British Jewry thanking Mr Eden and the United Nations for their declaration. He said there were many first-generation Jews living in England who believed they had had a lucky escape from the concentration camps. Four days ago, synagogues all over Britain held a day of mourning as a mark of concern for the massacre of the Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe. The Chief Rabbi Dr J H Hertz called on all Jews to commemorate “the numberless victims of the Satanic carnage”. The Archbishop of Canterbury has also expressed his outrage in a letter to The Times earlier this month condemning “a horror beyond what imagination can grasp”. London Courtesy BBC News In context banker banned for dodging rail fares A London banker has been banned from working in the financial services industry after he was caught dodging rail fares. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said in a statement Monday that Jonathan Burrows has been banned for not being “fit and proper.” The former BlackRock director would board a train at Stonegate, a suburb nearly 60 miles southeast of London, for his daily commute and, after arriving at London’s Cannon Street, pay only 7.20 pounds ($11.70) for the journey, instead of the full 21.50 pounds price that was required for that journey, railway officials said. By boarding at a station without a ticket gate barrier, Burrows was able to use a loophole in the system of pre-paid transport passes. When arriving in London he touched out with his pass, which is only valid for travel within London, and was charged only 7.20 pounds. He should instead have bought a full ticket for traveling into the city from Stonegate. Burrows paid 43,000 pounds (USD67,000) in an out-of-court-settlement with Southeastern railways. Michelle Ulyatt, a Southeastern spokeswoman, said the company believed Burrows was dodging fares for up to five years. this day in history BIG HERO 6_ room 3 4.45, 7.30 pm Director: Don Hall, Chris Williams Starring: Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, Jamie Chung Language: Chinese (Chinese/English) Duration: 102min macau tower 4 Dec - 17 Dec HORRIBLE BOSSES 2_ 2.30, 5.30, 8.30 pm Director: Sean Anders Starring: Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day Language: English (Chinese) Duration: 108min From 1933 when Hitler came to power, German Jews were deprived of civil rights, persecuted, physically attacked, imprisoned, and murdered. As Germany took over Europe many more thousands were shot in Russia and other Eastern European countries, by mobile killing squads or Einsatzgruppen. In January 1942 leading SS leader Reinhard Heydrich announced to the Wannsee conference plans for the so-called “final solution to the Jewish problem”, a systematic massacre designed to create a “Jew-free” Reich. Jews were transported to concentration camps, slave-labour camps and extermination camps. There they were herded into gas chambers and their bodies burned in crematoria. By the end of the war in 1945, more than six million Jews had been murdered in those countries occupied by the Nazis. Three million of them were from Poland. Other minorities such as gypsies, political and religious opponents, the handicapped, and homosexuals were also killed. Nazi war criminals were tried at Nuremberg and 12 men were sentenced to death in 1946. Some of those involved in the Holocaust managed to escape - most notably Adolf Eichmann, once chief of the Gestapo’s “Jewish section”. He was abducted by Israeli agents in Argentina, tried and hanged in Israel in 1962. The name “United Nations” was coined by US President Franklin D Roosevelt in the Declaration by United Nations on 1 January 1942 when representatives of 26 nations pledged to continue fighting together against the Axis Powers. But the United Nations was not officially founded until 24 October 1945. wed 17.12.2014 th Anniversary 資訊/娛樂 Taurus Mar. 21-Apr. 19 April 20-May 20 Now is the perfect time to get started on something new — maybe a new business venture, or maybe a new relationship. You feel more connected to the world, and should be able to make real progress. Work is pretty sweet today — or maybe your job search takes an unexpectedly positive turn. You need to make sure that you’re keeping the energy flowing and that all your colleagues are smiling. Gemini Cancer May 21-Jun. 21 Jun. 22-Jul. 22 You’re a whirlwind of energy today — starting all sorts of new projects that other folks can pick up tomorrow. Don’t worry about the future, as things are too sweet right now to ignore. Things just aren’t going smoothly for you today, so make sure that you’ve got a few allies you can call on when things get weird. You may find that wrinkles create new wrinkles of their own. Leo Virgo Jul. 23-Aug. 22 Aug. 23-Sept. 22 It’s a great night (or day) for a date. Even if you’re seeing someone and have been for years, ask them out all over again and see where it leads. If you’re single, now’s the time to catch someone’s eye! An ordinary discussion takes a surprising turn late in the day — you may get involved in something that feels much more serious than your ordinary day-to-day life. Embrace it! Libra SUDOKU WEATHER MIN Easy Sep.23-Oct. 22 Oct. 23 - Nov. 21 Try to figure out what needs to happen over the short term through discussion and mediation, not just telling others what to do. You need some measure of consensus if you want to succeed. Sagittarius Capricorn Nov. 22-Dec. 21 Dec. 22-Jan. 19 People seem to be looking to you for answers today — so listen carefully, and try to get them to explain themselves just as carefully. Your wisdom is heightened, but you can’t make any assumptions. Work is a big deal today — and you’re not only on the cutting edge of your industry, you’re doing it largely on your own. Don’t worry about isolation for now, as that should be remedied soon. Medium Hard Feb.19-Mar. 20 Your energy is turning inward — but in a good way! You should be able to focus on personal issues and get yourself out into a new situation that you really like. Get to work! You’re thinking a little too hard about what others may owe you — but you’ve got to flip that around and express some serious gratitude. Your bigger emotions can be herded (a little). Crossword puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com DOWN: 1- New Mexico art colony; 2- Harmony; 3- Crown of the head; 4Directed a light; 5- Building; 6- Actress Tyler; 7- Mother of Hermes; 8- Rise to Yesterday’s solution one’s feet; 9- Jason’s craft; 10- Legume; 11- Slippery; 14- Caper; 15- King Arthur’s palace; 20- Bit of gossip; 22- ___ uproar; 24- Ire; 26- Tooth; 27- Line in a play directed to the audience; 28- Confine; 30- Sucrose; 32- Turn; 33- Concur; 34Gaucho’s rope; 37- Desi’s daughter; 40- Nasty; 42- Tailor; 45- Four Corners state; 47- Run-down quarter; 50- Give it ___!; 54- Inuit dwelling; 56- Cesspools; 57- Hebrew month; 58- Graph prefix; 59- Resistance units; 60- Chow ___; 62Work hard; 63- Ballet skirt; 64- Age unit; 67- Arafat’s org. -6 5 clear Harbin -28 -19 clear Tianjin -6 4 clear clear/overcast Urumqi -18 -13 Xi’an -4 6 clear/cloudy Lhasa -4 9 light snow/cloudy Chengdu 1 11 cloudy overcast/cloudy Chongqing 4 10 Kunming 2 7 sleet Nanjing -4 7 clear Shanghai -1 6 clear Wuhan -5 10 clear Hangzhou -2 8 clear Taipei 8 11 cloudy Guangzhou 6 15 clear 10 15 cloudy Moscow 0 2 drizzle Frankfurt 0 5 drizzle Paris 3 7 overcast/moderate rain London 8 10 drizzle New York 6 9 drizzle/moderate rain WORLD CROSSWORDS ACROSS: 1- Cookbook amts.; 5- Shade trees; 9- Actor Vigoda; 12- Indian nursemaid; 13- Gaucho’s rope; 15- Manitoba native; 16- Not tricked by; 17- Perrier rival; 18- I’ve Got ___ in Kalamazoo; 19- Attractive route; 21- White metallic element; 23- Bluesy James; 25- Sup; 26- ___-jongg; 29- Half of zwei; 31- Spur; 35- Sugary suffix; 36- Influential person; 38- Norwegian name of Norway; 39- Arm or leg; 41- Old Ethiopian emperor; 43- Skater Lipinski; 44- Old French expression meaning “goodbye”; 46- Speed contests; 48- Safety device; 49- Soprano Scotto; 51- Iranian coin; 52- New Zealand parrot; 53- Dress often worn by Hindu women; 55- Big birds; 57- Aphorism; 61- Grimy; 65- Wonka’s creator; 66- Slumbered; 68- Pout; 69- Military force; 70- Sheer fabric; 71Falafel holder; 72- ___ Tafari (Haile Selassie); 73- ___ about (approximately); 74- Insult; CONDITION Beijing Hong Kong Pisces Jan. 20-Feb. 18 MAX CHINA Easy+ Scorpio Today is all about romance — so no matter where you are on the spectrum, from newly single to approaching a milestone anniversary, you should do what you can to focus on the right person. Aquarius 17 THE BORN LOSER by Chip Sansom YOUR STARS Aries INFOTAINMENT USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS Emergency calls 999 Taxi 28 939 939 / 2828 3283 Fire department 28 572 222 Water Supply – Report 1990 992 PJ (Open line) 993 Telephone – Report 1000 PJ (Picket) 28 557 775 Electricity – Report 28 339 922 PSP 28 573 333 Macau Daily Times 28 716 081 Customs 28 559 944 S. J. Hospital 28 313 731 Kiang Wu Hospital 28 371 333 Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) 28326 300 IACM 28 387 333 Tourism 28 333 000 Airport 59 888 88 ad SPORTS th Anniversary 體育 1998 World Cup winner Thierry Henry retires Samuel Petrequin, Paris I N announcing the end of a distinguished 20-year career, Thierry Henry made it clear where he felt more cherished. It wasn’t France, for which he won the 1998 World Cup, remains the national team’s leading goal-scorer, and secondmost capped player. Henry, who speaks French, English and Spanish, decided to announce his retirement by posting a message in English on his Facebook page, and via a statement from his future employer, Sky Sports in Britain. “The English have made a statue of him, but in France, he has not always been recognized at his full worth,” said Frederic Thiriez, the president of the French league. “(He) will, nonetheless, remain a legend. He was an exceptional striker.” The statue of Henry, on his knees celebrating a goal, stands outside the home stadium of Arsenal, where he is regarded as the Gunners’ greatest player. The 37-year-old Henry was ad linked to a potential coaching role with Arsenal after ending his career at the New York Red Bulls, but said he will become a TV analyst. Henry holds the French record of 51 goals in 123 internationals, but he never achieved the same popularity as Zinedine Zidane, Michel Platini, Raymond Kopa or even Just Fontaine. He started his career at Monaco, played briefly for Juventus, and won more trophies at Barcelona. But it’s at Arsenal, from 1999 to 2007, where he joined the pantheon of modern greats. He won seven trophies at Arsenal, among them two Premier Leagues, including the unbeaten 2003-04 side. He is their leading goal-scorer all-time (228), in the Premier League (175) and in Europe (42). When asked if he thought about another stint at the club, he said, “You kind of never leave Arsenal. How many comebacks do you make? At one point, it will turn out to be a bad movie. We all love the first Rocky, but I’m not too sure about the last one.” Henry, who was born in the tough Parisian suburb of Les Ulis, started playing football at the age of six, and his talent did not stay unnoticed for long. Nurtured at the national football center alongside Nicolas Anelka and David Trezeguet, the astute, fast, and technical forward started his professional career at Monaco, where he won the French league in 1997. His achievements with Monaco opened the door to the France team, and he was selected for the World Cup on his home soil. Although Zinedine Zidane was the big star of the tournament, Henry did not disappoint, and scored his first international goal in the group stage against South Africa, then a brace against Saudi Arabia. He also showed his coolness under pressure, scoring from the spot against Italy in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals. “When they (Henry and Trezeguet) had to take penalties against Italy in the quarterfinals it was no problem, even AP PHOTO 18 17.12.2014 wed In this Sunday, June 13, 2004 file photo Thierry Henry, front, of France, is challenged by England’s Sol Campbell during their the Euro 2004 Group B soccer match between England and France at Luz Stadium, in Lisbon, Portugal though there was a weight and a responsibility on their shoulders,” said Didier Deschamps, the then France captain. “It shaped the careers they would go on to have.” After a disappointing stint at Juventus, Henry reunited at Arsenal with his former Monaco coach, Arsene Wenger. After failing to score in his first eight games, Henry netted 26 goals in that 1999-2000 season, and would become the Premier League’s top scorer four times. From Arsenal, Henry joined Barcelona, becoming part of Pep Guardiola’s side that won six major trophies two years later, including the Spanish title and a Champions League triumph over United. His international career, which included the 2000 European Championship title, finished on a low. There was the infamous handball in the decisive goal against Ireland in a 2010 World Cup playoff, then in South Africa the team didn’t win a game, and refused to train before their final match, after Anelka was sent home for verbally abusing coach Raymond Domenech. “It has been an incredible journey (...) I have had some amazing memories (mostly good), and a wonderful experience,” Henry wrote on Facebook. “I hope you have enjoyed watching as much as I have enjoyed taking part.” AP wed 17.12.2014 th Anniversary 體育 19 FIFA dismisses Garcia’s appeal of World Cup probe Graham Dunbar, Geneva AP PHOTO T HE status of Russia and Qatar as World Cup hosts seemed even more secure yesterday after FIFA dismissed ethics prosecutor Michael Garcia’s appeal against the handling of his investigation into the bidding process. FIFA said its appeals panel ruled the case “not admissible.” The former U.S. Attorney had objected to ethics judge Joachim Eckert’s summary of the World Cup bid investigation, claiming “numerous materially incomplete and erroneous representations” of his work. Eckert sought to close the case against all nine bidding candidates last month. He concluded that any corruption or rule-breaking was of “very limited scope” and did not influence the votes. The FIFA executive committee chose Russia to host the World Cup in 2018 and Qatar won the vote for the 2022 tournament. It was unclear if Garcia can take his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Garcia filed his appeal last month only three hours after FIFA published Eckert’s report and welcomed “a degree of closure.” However, Eckert’s report “does not constitute a decision (...) and as such is neither legally binding nor appealable,” FIFA said in a statement yesterday. SPORTS A Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010 photo from files showing FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter announcing that Qatar will be hosting the 2022 Soccer World Cup FIFA also provided further legal opinion in a background paper on its website. “In doing so, the chairman (Eckert) had merely commented on the report of (Garcia’s) inves- tigatory chamber on a voluntary basis,” the FIFA paper said. The ruling was published less than one hour after FIFA announced a disciplinary committee judgment dismissing complaints by two whistleblowers who were interviewed during the probe. The timing of the decisions — as FIFA President Sepp Blatter and his board gather in Marrakech, Morocco — will further fuel skepticism. FIFA insists that its judicial bodies are independent and not subject to any influence within its Zurich headquarters. Still, the two rulings will help set the agenda ahead of the two-day board meeting starting Thursday, which appears weighted against reformers seeking greater transparency. The board is set to receive a review on Friday of Garcia and Eckert’s work by Domenico Scala, the chairman of FIFA’s audit and compliance committee. Scala should decide how much of Garcia’s confidential 430-page investigation dossier should be seen by the board to decide the next steps in the case, more than four years after Russia and Qatar won their votes. Blatter’s ruling board will then decide whether to relax secrecy rules and publish some or all of Garcia’s work. Garcia’s legal defeat does not affect his prosecutions of five men, including former FIFA board member Franz Beckenbauer, for wrongdoing in the bid campaign. Three current FIFA board members — FIFA vice president Angel Maria Villar of Spain, Michel D’Hooghe of Belgium and Worawi Makudi of Thailand — also face sanctions for their actions during bid contests marred by claims of bribery, collusion and favor-seeking, and the subsequent investigation. The Russian and Qatari World Cup bid teams and organizing committees have always denied wrongdoing. In the earlier disciplinary ruling yesterday, FIFA said the whistleblowers’ “breach of confidentiality claim had no substance.” The FIFA statement did not identify Phaedra Almajid, a former Qatar bid staffer, and Bonita Mersiades, who worked for the Australia campaign. Both worked in communications for their countries’ 2022 bids and left before the December 2010 vote. The FIFA panel ruled that both women “had gone public with their own media activities long before” Eckert’s summary was published. Eckert’s report also did not name them. FIFA said Garcia advised disciplinary chairman Claudio Sulser that the complaints against Eckert “were without merit.” The president German soccer federation, one of FIFA’s most influential members, spoke out yesterday against the legal turmoil. Wolfgang Niersbach, speaking on the fringes of a news conference, said “we’ve lost track” of the judicial mess over the Garcia report. Niersbach, who European members could elect to the FIFA board in March, said the sport’s governing body was failing to be an institution of “absolute credibility and integrity.” AP ad THE Police arrest 2 for death BUZZ in football fight Sport Views Tim Dahlberg, Sports Columnist Air quality Roadside 65-95 Moderate High Density 55-75 Residental Moderate Area SOURCE: DSMG opinion among them, 2 alleged perpetrators of the homicide.” On Nov. 30, a large clash between Atletico Madrid and Deportivo La Coruna “ultra” groups led to 43-year-old Deportivo fan Francisco Javier Romero Taboada dying later from injuries after he fell into the Manzanares River during the fight. Spanish police say they have arrested two men for the death of a football fan following a brutal street fight between rival radical fan groups before a match in Madrid two weeks ago. Spanish police wrote on their official Twitter account that “32 ultras arrested in Madrid, Avila and Toledo for the violent incidents at Manzanares, Station Ambient 55-75 Moderate Floyd Mayweather Jr. built a career — and made a fortune — by using deception to confuse and outwit his opponents. Playing the same game outside the ring has also paid off for Money May. Mayweather has, for the most part, been able to fight who he wants, where he wants and when he wants. He sells enough pay-per-views that he has been able to avoid a fight with Manny Pacquiao that should have taken place five years ago. But the game has gotten old, even if Mayweather’s many yes men haven’t had the courage to let him know. His latest attempt to twist the story line about a possible fight next year with Pacquiao was so dated and absurd that even the sycophants in his sizeable entourage had to be rolling their eyes. The wizard of defense has finally been boxed into a corner. The charade is over, whether Mayweather realizes it or not. He must fight Pacquiao next, if his career is to have any legitimacy. And he must to do it on terms that reflect he won’t be the only superstar in the ring. Mayweather didn’t seem to grasp that the other day when he broke his silence and tried to make it seem as if he were challenging Pacquiao to a fight, not the other way around. In an “interview” with the Showtime network that employs him, Mayweather not only declared he wanted Pacquiao, but set a May 2 date for the fight. Lest long suffering boxing fans get too excited, though, the conditions quickly followed. Mayweather not only wants to pick the date but to set the purse to his liking and have Showtime be the broadcaster. He regurgitated old arguments about blood testing that didn’t make sense five years ago when he first started spouting them and make absolutely no sense now. Luckily, the interview ringside in San Antonio didn’t last long. If it had, Mayweather might have demanded Pacquiao be allowed to train only one week for the fight, have his blood taken in the locker room just before he goes into the ring and not be able to use his right hand for the first eight rounds. That may be laughable. But so, too, is this: “Manny Pacquiao, (promoter) Bob Arum, you guys have been ducking us for years,” Mayweather said. “We’re tired of you guys fooling the public, fooling the critics. Before we tried to make the fight happen and you guys didn’t want to take random blood and urine testing. So that’s why the fight didn’t happen. Then I offered you USD40 million and you didn’t want to make the fight happen. Then you lost twice and now you’re coming back begging for the same money. That’s not going to happen.” Maybe Mayweather doesn’t read the papers. If he had, he would know Pacquiao had no problem with unannounced blood tests for his fight with Chris Algieri last month. He would know that Pacquiao and Arum would almost surely accept a smaller purse as long as the money split wasn’t lopsided. He would know that the free ride is over for the most part and Showtime won’t keep paying him $20 million to $30 million to fight the Marcos Maidanas of the world. The fact of the matter is pay-per-view buys are slowing for both Pacquiao and Mayweather. Pacquiao’s fight last month with Algieri in Macau wasn’t a big seller, and both of Mayweather’s fights last year with Maidana underperformed. Both HBO and Showtime are charging premium rates, but not showing premium fights. Put Mayweather and Pacquiao in the ring together and that would change. Though both fighters have slowed some in recent years, the matchup is still one fans desperately want and are willing to pay for. It would be the richest fight in history, and it wouldn’t be close. Frankly, it’s hard to see why Mayweather hasn’t already signed on the dotted line. He would easily make $100 million, maybe more. Assuming he wins — and Vegas oddsmakers have already put up lines favoring him by as much as 3-1 — he would cement his legacy and bolster his claim to being one of the great fighters of all time. But if the fight has an expiration date, so do the negotiations. For a fight as big as this, they would likely need to be wrapped up by the end of the year to allow time for the promotion to begin. It’s taken five years to even get Mayweather to say he wants the fight. Now it’s time for him to step up and show he really means it. AP Korean Air slammed for nut rage cover-up AP PHOTO Mayweather must fight Pacquiao next Youkyung Lee, Seoul S OUTH Korea’s transport ministry said Korean Air Lines Co. will face sanctions for pressuring employees to lie during a government probe into the nut rage fiasco that highlighted the tyrannical behavior of a top Korean business family. The ministry said yesterday it will also evaluate if the airline’s corporate culture poses safety risks after its chairman’s daughter Cho Hyun-ah overruled the captain of a flight to force the plane back to the gate in the incident early this month. Cho, who was head of cabin service at Korean Air, ordered a senior flight attendant off a Dec. 5 flight after she was served macadamia nuts in a bag, instead of on a plate, in what she thought was a breach of service protocol in first class. Transport ministry director Lee Gwang-hee said Korean Air could face 21 days of flight suspensions or a USD1.3 million fine for violating aviation law. The punishment will be deter- mined by a separate committee that could decide to increase or lessen it. Cho family members have a direct 10 percent stake in Korean Air, which is part of the family’s Hanjin conglomerate. Park Chang-jin, the crew member who had to disembark from the plane, told South Korea’s KBS television network on Friday that Cho had shamed and insulted crew members. A firstclass passenger told Yonhap News Agency that Cho yelled at flight attendants who kneeled before her, pushed one flight attendant’s shoulder and threw an object at the cabin wall. The incident now dubbed “nut rage” hogged headlines around the world and enraged the South Korean public, leading to Cho’s removal from all executive roles at the airline. The 40-year-old and her father apologized last week, but a new furor has erupted over Korean Air’s attempt to foil government investigators and local media reports that exposed how Korean Air employees were treated like servants of the Cho family. “If the incident itself were not beastly enough, Korean Air’s response has been abominable,” Korea Herald said in an editorial. “In attempts that are akin to feudal servants trying to protect their lord’s daughter, Korean Air staff rallied to the rescue of Korean Air CEO Cho Yang-ho’s daughter.” Park, the crew member, was visited by Korean Air Lines officials who pressured him to give a sanitized version of events to investigators. The airline will be punished because Cho and Park lied during the probe and because the captain was negligent in his duties, according to the ministry. However, the captain won’t face any sanction as he was powerless to refuse a member of the family that controls the airline, said Lee, the transport official. Its investigation found Cho used abusive language to flight attendants but could not ascertain if she used violence. It will file a complaint against Cho with prosecutors later in the day. The incident highlighted the risks of investing in family-controlled companies where the primary goal is to further the interests of the family, not that of the shareholders or employees. Shares of Korean Air closed 0.3 percent lower after dropping nearly 6 percent in Seoul after the government announced its plan to sanction the airline. AP THE DECISIVE MOMENT Brent Lewin/Bloomberg Bloomberg’s Best Photos 2014: A silhouetted employee carries a tray of massage oils at the Banyan Tree Macau’s spa at the Galaxy Macau casino resort. AP PHOTO WORLD BRIEFS PHILIPPINES The Philippine government says it is seeking custody of a U.S. Marine charged with the murder of a Filipino transgender woman. The Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday that it has asked Washington to turn over custody of Marine Pfc. Joseph Scott Pemberton after he was charged by Filipino prosecutors Monday in the October killing of Jennifer Laude in Olongapo city, northwest of Manila. Laude, whose former name was Jeffrey, had apparently been strangled and drowned in a toilet bowl. UKRAINE Fighting in eastern Ukraine between government troops and Russian-backed separatist forces has ground almost to halt. That should be good news for Ukraine, but Russia looks intent to pile on the economic misery. In a detailed op-ed piece Monday, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev painted a grim forecast of Russian economic blockades ahead as Ukraine embarks on closer integration with Europe. USA The price of oil has fallen by nearly half in just six months, a surprising and steep plunge that has consumers cheering, producers howling and economists wringing their hands over whether this is a good or bad thing. The price of a barrel of oil is just under USD56, down from a summer high of $107, and lower than at any time since the U.S. was still in recession in the spring of 2009. USA Demonstrators blocked streets around police headquarters and chained shut four doors of a California police headquarters to protest recent grand jury decisions not to indict white officers who killed unarmed black men in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York. Police made 25 arrests as the protesters chained themselves to the doors of the Oakland police headquarters during soggy weather and prevented people from getting inside.