PAKISTAN’S FLOOD VICTIMS SETTLE INTO NEW HOMES ISLAMABAD: 50 families uprooted by floods earlier this year in northern Pakistan have moved into new houses they helped build with the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), an UNDP official said on Thursday. IRNA


world The Manila Times SATURDAY


ONDON: Rioters battled police outside parliament and attacked a car carrying the heir to the throne,


Prince Charles, on Thursday as Britain’s coalition survived a major test in a vote to raise university fees.


Dozens of officers and demonstra-


tors were wounded as a student pro- test in the heart of London turned violent during the government’s nar- row victory in a vote in parliament. Charles and his wife Camilla


were caught up in the protests when their car was attacked and daubed with paint as they travelled to a theater, although the couple escaped unharmed. The government suffered its first resignations over policy and the plans to raise fees exposed the deep strains


within the 7-month-old coalition. The government’s majority was


cut by three-quarters as lawmakers voted by 323 to 302 to raise the cap on annual tuition fees at English universities from 2012. The basic level of fees will now climb to 6,000 pounds ($9,460), with an upper limit of 9,000 pounds. The current cap is 3,290 pounds. Outside the Houses of Parliament, activists rained missiles on police protecting the building and clashed with police at other points around


Russian PM throws support behind WikiLeaks founder


MOSCOW: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Thursday led grow- ing support from some world leaders for the beleaguered WikiLeaks founder, describing his detention in Britain as “undemocratic.” The wave of support for Julian


Assange, currently in a British jail as Sweden seeks his extradition on rape charges, came as hackers—dubbed “hacktivists”—stepped up cyber at- tacks on those opposed to WikiLeaks. But after taking down the websites of Visa, Mastercard and others, sup- porters of the whistleblower website tried but failed to knock online re- tail giant Amazon.com offline. The loose-knit group of hackers


known as “Anonymous” said that they would attack the Amazon website as part of what they are call “Operation Payback.” But the Amazon.com website did not appear to have experienced any downtime and Anonymous ac- knowledged defeat on another Twitter feed. “Okay, we have changed our tar- get—the Hive isn’t big enough to attack Amazon,” a message posted on @AnonOpsNet said, instructing supporters to switch their cyber at- tacks to the website of Internet pay- ments company PayPal.


Putin railed against the detention of the 39-year-old Assange, the Aus- tralian founder of the website which has been releasing thousands of se- cret US diplomatic cables, as well as Pentagon communiques. “Why was Mr. Assange hidden in jail? Is that democracy? As we say in the village: the pot is calling the ket- tle black,” Putin said.


Despite his defense of Assange,


Putin was portrayed in an embar- rassing light by some of the leaked cables. In one, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called him a “be- hind-the-scenes puppeteer” dissat- isfied with his role.


Others detailed allegations of high-level Russian corruption and referred to Putin as an “alpha dog.” His comments echoed Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who expressed “solidarity” with Assange, blasting the Australian ac- tivist’s arrest as a blow against “free- dom of expression.” Meanwhile, Navi Pillay, the UN high commissioner for Human Rights, hit out at pressure being ex- erted on “private companies, banks and credit card companies” to cut commercial ties to WikiLeaks. “They could be interpreted as an attempt to censor the publication of information, thus potentially violat- ing WikiLeaks’ right to freedom of expression,” she told a press confer- ence in Geneva. Anonymous told Agence France- Presse in an online chat that they would attack anyone they perceive as having an “anti-WikiLeaks agenda.” The Swedish government’s web-


site was forced offline as was the office of the Swedish prosecutor. But WikiLeaks distanced itself from the group in a statement, saying that it had no affiliation with Anonymous.


“There has been no contact be-


tween any WikiLeaks staffer and anyone at Anonymous. WikiLeaks has not received any prior notice of any of Anonymous’ actions,” the website said in a statement.


AFP BY EUGENE SHEFFER


IRAN DENIES FREEING CONDEMNED WOMAN TEHRAN: Iranian television on Friday denied reports that the woman at the center of an outcry over her sentence to death by stoning for adultery has been freed, saying that footage of her at her home was for a


Parliament Square, with several of- ficers and demonstrators wounded. Flares, sticks, metal fences, rocks, snooker balls and paint bombs were among the missiles hurled at police in an ugly battle that lasted for hours. Hooded youths repeatedly at- tacked police lines, torched benches and a security guard box in the square, smashed the doors and win- dows of the Treasury and the Su- preme Court, and vandalized a statue of wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill.


Protestors attacked the car of


Charles, 62, and his 63-year-old wife Camilla as they were driven through central London, their Clarence House residence said. The couple were unharmed and


arrived as planned at a theater but the rear passenger window of the car—where Charles had been sit- ting—was smashed and the vehicle


B 5


December 11, 2010


UK students hit royal car in tuition riot L


was splattered with white paint. Close by, part of Oxford Street, London’s main shopping thorough- fare, was sealed off after protesters smashed two giant shop windows at a major clothing store. Police ac- cused them of targeting “innocent Christmas shoppers.” Several protesters suffered head


wounds, one being taken away on a makeshift stretcher. At least 38 protesters and 10 po- lice officers were injured, while 22 arrests were made for a series of offenses that include violent disor- der and assaulting police. The proposal to raise fees has ex- posed deep tensions within the Lib- eral Democrats, putting the strain on their coalition with the larger Conservative Party which came to power following the general elec- tion in May.


As they try to rein in Britain’s


SYDNEY: Floods sweeping across eastern Australia that have left four people dead and cost millions of dollars in crop losses could worsen next week, emer- gency officials warned on Friday. Some 30 regions have been declared natural disaster areas in New South Wales and more than 300 people have been isolated by the flood waters, but further storms are forecast for the nation’s most populous state. “The conditions are easing right now and over the weekend,


but the flooding will potentially increase next week,” a state emergency services spokesman told Agence France-Presse. “We are now monitoring very closely the Macquarie River, the Namoi River and the Murrumbidgee. If their levels rise, there’s a potential to require evacuation.” The floods, which have also


affected Victoria to the south and the northeastern state of Queensland, are estimated to have cost 500 million Austrlian


worldinbrief


N.KOREA MOUNTS PROPAGANDA DRIVE SEOUL: North Korea is mounting a propaganda drive to justify its deadly bombardment of a South Korean border island in the face of international condemnation, South Korean organizations said on Friday.


AFP


US ENVOY TALKS SANCTIONS WITH SUU KYI YANGON: A senior US diplomat discussed economic sanctions with Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday during the first high-level visit by a Washington envoy since her release last month.


12 AFGHANS FREED AFTER KIDNAP KABUL: Afghan police said on Friday that soldiers had freed 12 kidnapped mine clearers in an overnight sting operation, but six others were still missing after being abducted near the Pakistani border.


CLINTON BIDS TO END MIDEAST IMPASSE WASHINGTON, D.C.: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is holding a flurry of talks to find a new way to break the deadlock in the Middle East peace talks following a failed US push for an Israeli settlement freeze.


AFP AFP


US SENATE BLOCKS GAY BAN REPEAL WASHINGTON, D.C.: The US Senate on Thursday (Friday in Manila) voted to block an effort to repeal the ban on gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, upholding the controversial measure for now. XINHUA


AMERICANS WORSE OFF UNDER OBAMA WASHINGTON, D.C.: More than half of Americans say they are worse off under Obama’s two-year presidency, according to a Bloomberg National Poll released on Thursday (Friday in Manila).


11 1 1 1


19


4 21 4 25 41 11 44 1


5 11 6


record deficit, the plans amount to a reversal of one of the Lib Dems’ flagship election pledges. Deputy Prime Minister Nick


Clegg’s party vowed to phase out tuition fees altogether if they won the election.


Of the 57 Liberal Democrat law-


makers, 28 voted with the govern- ment, while 21 voted against. The coalition suffered its first res- ignations over policy when two Lib Dem parliamentary aides to ministers and one Conservative quit their posts in order to vote against the plans. The Lib Dem U-turn has outraged students who voted for the centrist party and has sparked a series of demonstrations over the past month which have turned violent. The rise in fees is supported by the majority of universities. Graduates will begin to pay them once they earn more than 21,000 pounds a year.


AFP Officials warn Australia floods to worsen


dollars ($493 million) in crop losses in New South Wales alone. Three people in Queensland and one woman in New South Wales have died in flood-related incidents since last week, prompting emergency services to urge people not to drive through the floods. In Victoria, a major flood


warning has been issued for two river regions, while Rockhampton, on the north Queensland coast, was bracing for possible floods early next week


televised reenactment to be aired later.


FOUR BOMBS EXPLODE IN ISTANBUL ANKARA: Four homemade bombs exploded simultaneously in three districts in the Turkish city of Istanbul without causing casualties, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported on Friday.


»horoscope


TODAY’S birthday (12/11/10). If you spend more time at home this year, you make lucky discoveries. You may find treasures you didn’t know you had, or you may refurbish old and tarnished objects into personal treasures. Either way, you contrib- ute to others and enjoy the process. To get the advantage, check the


day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. Aries (March 21-April 19)—Today is a 7—Check your schedule by email or phone. Absent team members require a shift in plans. Breathe deep, and release all tension. It all works out fine. Taurus (April 20-May 20)—Today is


a 9—Your partner imagines a personal slight from someone. Accept the role of investigator. Mediation may not even be required once you get the facts. Gemini (May 21-June 21)—Today


is a 7—The team’s critical juncture has the pieces in place, but any movement could cause them to crumble. Take small action for stability, and then firm it up. Cancer (June 22-July 22)—Today is


a 5—Take time today to thoroughly clean and rearrange your space. You don’t want anything to get lost now as crucial plans are in motion. This saves time. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)—Today is a 6—A lucky financial break challenges you to bigger goals. At the same time, a female family member stresses over details, which will work out over time. Give her chocolate. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)—Today is a


5—You butt heads with a family member over personal desires. A female tries to help, but it only increases tension. Step back and allow some time. It works out. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)—Today is


AFP AFP


a 6—You may stress about work or money, or feel like others challenge your judgment or perspective. Think it over, and remember what you’re standing for. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)—Today is an 8—A creative project stalls out if you don’t apply energy. Don’t stress out about it. Everything gets done with time to spare when you stay on track. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)—


XINHUA


Today is an 8—Stay at home today if you can. You need the time to think through a problem, and housework keeps your hands busy. Send others out to play. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)—Today is


AFP


a 7—You feel some pressure to communi- cate your feelings more clearly. Think about what you want to say and practice in private. This allows for the right tone. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)—


XINHUA


Today is a 9—A social event has everyone filled with anticipation. Team up to get weekend chores finished early. You all have a lot to do today. Waste no time getting ready. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)—Today is a 7—You may feel stress now due to emotional vagueness or intellectual overload. Follow instincts and intention to turn an impossible challenge to your preferred direction. BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES INC.


CHALLENGEof The Times BY CELSO BINAMIRA-GO BERINGUELA


Solve and arrange five (5) consecutive numbers into the given figures. Every three (3) numbers lying on the two (2) diagonals [forming the multiplication sign; TIMES or X] should have the same totals. Four (4) arrangements are needed. Given as clues is the Common Total (CT) (at the center) and other numbers to help you solve the puzzle.


46 57


67 45


»Sudoku 88


88 19


54 76


75 64


BY MICHAEL MEPHAM


Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk.


Solution to today’s puzzle will be published tomorrow.


Solution for yesterdays puzzle.


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