Nations set up global climate fund


CANCUN, Mexico: Global talks on climate change on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) set up a new fund to manage billions of dollars in aid to poor nations in a hard-fought package that turned the page on the bitter Copenhagen summit. More than 190 countries meeting in Mexico agreed to seek “deep cuts” in carbon emissions blamed for global warming. But negotiators kept ambitions in check and tried to make headway on select areas instead of seeking a treaty.


In a change from Copenhagen’s


venomous atmosphere last year, the talks in the beach resort of Cancun ended after two sleepless nights with standing ovations for the chief negotiator, Mexican Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa.


US President Barack Obama congratulated Mexican President Felipe Calderon in a phone call for “Mexico’s excellent work [in] chairing the Cancun conference to a successful conclusion that builds on the historic Copenhagen Accord and advances the effort to address the challenge of climate change,” the White House said.


The agreement represents “a balanced and significant step forward” and “meaningful progress in our global response to climate change,” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton added.


United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who flew to Cancun to plead for progress, said that the negotiations “have delivered important success for a world much in need of it.” The Cancun agreement set up a “Green Climate Fund” to administer assistance to poor nations, which many experts say are already suffer- ing more floods and drought as temperatures steadily mount. The fund will be steered by a board of 24 members chosen evenly from developed and developing nations. For the first three years, the new international organization would be overseen by the World Bank—a controversial point for some who distrust the Washington-based lender. The European Union, Japan and the United States since last year led pledges of $30 billion in immediate assistance, to rise to $100 billion a year to start by 2020.


A broader issue is just how


wealthy nations would raise the money, with few governments enthusiastic to commit such large amounts in tough economic times. Some envoys advocated taxing airplane and shipping fuel. But the meeting postponed much of the hardest work—including the determination of emission cuts for all nations—for 2011 talks in South Africa. The Cancun agreement called for “urgent action” to cap temperature rises at no more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and asks for a study on strengthening the commitment to 1.5°C.


The Cancun deal also agreed on ways


forward on fighting deforestation, a leading cause of climate change and on monitoring nations’ climate pledges. AFP


world The Manila Times MONDAY


TOCKHOLM: Two explosions in central Stockholm killed one person and injured two others, in what Sweden’s foreign


B 5


D ecember 13, 2010


minister said was a “terrorist” attack that could have had “catastrophic” consequences.


The explosions on Saturday, in a


busy part of the capital packed with Christmas shoppers, came minutes after a Swedish news agency received a message denouncing Sweden’s military presence in Afghanistan and threatening deadly attacks. One of the blasts killed the suspected bomber, Sweden’s SVT reported, although neither police nor the intelligence service would con- firm that it was an attack. But Swedish Foreign Minister Carl


Bildt’s comments, sent from his Twitter account, were unequivocal. “Most worrying attempt at terrorist


Twin blasts rock Stockholm S


dead at the site of this explosion. “I cannot confirm that the death is linked to the explosion of the car but I cannot deny it either,” she added. But SVT reported that a bag filled with nails had been found near the body of the man who, it said, was thought to be the bomber. And witnesses cited by Dagens


attack in crowded part of central Stockholm,” wrote Bildt. “Failed—but could have been truly catastrophic . . . “ he added. The first blast hit at about 4:50


p.m. (11:50 p.m. in Manila) when a parked car packed with gas canisters exploded, police said. That explosion left two people in need of hospital treatment for minor injuries, said emergency services spokesman Bengt Norberg. The second blast was about 200


meters away, he added. Police spokesman Petra Sjolandero said that one person had been found


Nyheter newspaper said that the dead man had a large wound to his stomach as if something had exploded there. Swedish news agency TT reported that it had received messages about 10 minutes before the first blast in Arabic and Swedish, warning of unspecified “action.”


“Our acts will speak for themselves,” TT quoted the message as saying. “Now your children, your daughters and your sisters will die as our brothers, our sisters and our children are dying.” The message referred to the Swedish military presence in Afghanistan as part of the US-led international security


WASHINGTON, D.C.: US President Barack Obama has offered his strongest con- demnation yet of WikiLeaks’ “deplo- rable” documents dump, as defenders of the website’s founder denounced the rush to judgement against him. The president made his comments in a call to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday (Sunday in Manila), the White House said. Obama “expressed his regrets for the deplorable action by WikiLeaks and the two leaders agreed that it will not influence or disrupt the close cooperation between the United States and Turkey,” said his office. The comments, and similar state- ments in a call to his Mexican counterpart Felipe Calderon, were Obama’s most forceful yet against the website, whose steady leaking of a trove of secret US


diplomatic cables has polarized opinion. Obama’s call to Erdogan could be seen as an effort to soothe ruffled feathers in Turkey, a key regional US ally. Officials there, including the prime minister have reacted badly to some of the information divulged by the documents.


Spanish online supporters of Julian


Assange, meanwhile, called on Saturday for worldwide demonstrations to press for his release from a London jail, where he is fighting possible extradition to Sweden to face rape allegations. But rallies in Madrid and Barcelona drew only about 400 people and similar protests in Amsterdam and various Latin American capitals drew even smaller crowds.


Assange is due to appear in a London court for a second time on Tuesday after being arrested on a


worldinbrief


SOUTH KOREA TO CONDUCT NEW ROUND OF DRILLS SEOUL: The South Korean military will conduct a new round of marine gunnery exercises in 27 sites around the country from Monday to Friday, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed on Sunday.


XINHUA


MALAYSIA’S 14-YEAR-OLD BRIDE DEFENDS MARRIAGE KUALA LUMPUR: A 14-year-old Malaysian Muslim schoolgirl has defended her controversial marriage to a 23-year-old teacher after an uproar from rights groups, a report said on Sunday.


AFP


SINGAPORE BELIEVES ANWAR GUILTY OF SODOMY SINGAPORE: Singapore leaders believe that Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had sex with a male aide in a honey trap set by his enemies, according to leaked US cables published by WikiLeaks on Sunday.


warrant issued by Sweden. Prose- cutors there want to question him about two women’s allegations of rape and sexual molestation.


WikiLeaks insists the allegations are a politically motivated attempt to smear Assange in retaliation for the leak of 250,000 confidential US documents, believed to have been passed to WikiLeaks by a US Army private. Assange, a 39-year-old Australian, has been transferred from the main section of Wandsworth prison to an isolation unit, according to Jennifer Robinson, a member of his legal team. In the Netherlands, 75 people gathered in central Amsterdam to show their support for WikiLeaks, police spokesman Rob van der Veen told Agence France-Presse. The Amsterdam rally was spon-


SINGAPORE THINKS ASIAN ALLIES CORRUPT SINGAPORE: Singaporean diplomats think that the leaders of some close Asian allies—Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and India—are corrupt, incompetent or stupid, cables from WikiLeaks revealed on Sunday. AFP


»horoscope


force, TT added. Punitive actions would continue


“as long as you do not stop your war against Islam, your degradation of the Prophet and your stupid support for the pig Vilks,” said the statement. Swedish cartoonist Lar Vilks has been the object of death threats and at least one plot to kill him over a picture he drew depicting the Prophet Mohammed as a dog. The message concluded by urging mujahideen, or Islamic fighters, to rise up in Sweden and in Europe, the news agency said.


TT said a similar message had been sent to the Swedish Security Service SAPO. Sweden has 500 soldiers serving with the North Atlantic Treaty Orga- nization’s International Security Assistance force in Afghanistan, but their mandate only runs to January 1, 2011, and would need to be renewed by parliament for them to stay on. AFP


Worldwide rallies called in support of WikiLeaks chief


sored by the Dutch Pirates Party “to call for protection of freedom of the press” and “to express displeasure with the attempt to silence” sites such as WikiLeaks. In Mexico City, about 40 protestors demonstrated outside the British embassy, pasting signs that read “no to censorship” and “the Internet was born free” on its walls. In Peru, about a dozen Assange supporters gathered peacefully outside the British Embassy in Lima, where protestors stressed that the Assange’s values “affect us all.” In Bogota, only about 15 people turned out for the demonstration there. A protest in Lisbon drew several dozen people, some of them carrying photos of Assange or signs calling for freedom of the web. AFP


GAZA CLASHES KILL TWO MILITANTS, WOUND SOLDIER GAZA: Two Palestinian militants were killed and an Israeli soldier injured on Saturday night during an exchange of fire between Gaza militants and Israeli soldiers in the central Gaza Strip, Israeli Radio reported.


TODAY’S birthday (12/13/10). You face obstacles when making reno- vations and repairs at home. Purchase new, if you must. Recycle or repurpose used furniture, and kitchen or home items. It’s much less expensive and more sustainable. Wait until the object of your heart’s desire goes on sale.To get the ad- vantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. Aries (March 21-April 19) —


Today is a 6 — Private conversations with several people indicate the need for serious reworking of a plan. Begin by considering core values to develop the foundation. Taurus (April 20-May 20) —


Today is an 8 — You wish you had more control over the situation. Others state their feelings, insisting upon changes that delay the process. Go with the flow for least resistance. Gemini (May 21-June 21) — Today is a 6 — An associate faces serious challenges in a public forum. Luckily, you can provide more than mere data, which opens opportunities for effective persuasion. Cancer (June 22-July 22) — Today is a 6 — As you develop your plan from home, contact others with the practical means to help. They provide abundant choices for materials and location. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is a 6 — Your personal inclination to play is a double-edged sword at work. Associates offer opportunities, but you must focus on priorities. The team aligns on what those are. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is a 5 — You feel like coworkers are going off the deep end. Their actions seem out of character. Use practical discussion to rein in their wild ideas. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is a 6 — You can challenge your entire group to work hard and finish a project. Emotional incentive could work, but treats afterwards are probably more effective. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) —


Today is a 6 — Personal opportunities abound as you attempt to innovate a timeworn practice. Use the latest technology to revamp a classic idea. Then add your unique stamp. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) —


XINHUA


VATICAN HITS BACK AGAINST WIKILEAKS REVELATIONS VATICAN CITY: The Vatican hit back on Saturday after cables released by WikiLeaks indicated that it had refused to cooperate with an Irish probe into child sex abuse by Catholic priests in Dublin.


AFP AFP


PAKISTAN COURT INDICTS POLICE OVER BHUTTO MURDER ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan on Saturday ordered the indictment of two senior police officers accused of negligence in the killing of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.


BY EUGENE SHEFFER


US ENVOY HOLBROOKE IN ‘CRITICAL’ CONDITION WASHINGTON, D.C.: Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was critically ill on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) following surgery and has been joined by family members at a Washington hospital, the State Department said.


Today is an 8 — You have lots of details to take care of. Your work schedule comes first, yet you can make time for personal errands. Call around before you go out. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) —


AFP IRNA


MADOFF SON COMMITS SUICIDE IN NEW YORK NEW YORK CITY: The son of disgraced financier Bernard Madoff hanged himself on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) in his New York apartment on the second anniversary of his father’s arrest for perpetrating Wall Street’s biggest fraud. AFP


22 51 25 41 11 44 51 11


66 13


66 Series no.13


Today is a 6 — Nerves fray when others come with emotional arguments. If you want to persuade, choose tactics appropriate to each person. Take time for compassionate listening. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 5 — Decide how to show others your love. You don’t need to break the bank to find just the right appreciation for each person on your list. Choose something for yourself, too. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) —


Today is a 7 — When others pose difficult questions, dive into the inquiry. Look at it from a new angle, and sort the data differently. Test your ideas to see which works best. 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.


23 56


52 63


»Sudoku 44


44 12


Series no.12 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.


36 25


65 32


Solution for yesterdays puzzle.


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