monday, december 31, 2012

Monday, December 31, 2012

WASHINGTON (AFP) -Leaders in deeply polarizedWashington groped Sundayfor a stop-gap deal to avert afiscal calamity due to strikein a matter of hours and withpotential to shock markets

and spark global economicturmoil.

A blame game raged evenas party chiefs raced theebbing 2012 calendar toreach a pact that would avertthe "fiscal cliff" but fall well

short of a hoped-for longterm deficit cutting programboth sides say they want.

Continue on pg 11

Drama in Washington as fiscalcliff looms

The time is twelve noon, thedate Tuesday, January 1st, thelocation is MooMba Beach:what’s going to happenthere? Well, lots and lots ofhappy people are expected to

take the plunge to welcome2013. Behatted and often stillthe worse for wear (drink-wise), the young, the veryyoung, the mature and elderlyathletes are expected to runinto the ocean at the startingsign. Preceding the occasionis a live transmission of CoolFM Radiostation with gueststar DJ Diablo; they startbroadcasting at 10 am. At 11zumba master DwayneWever will warm up the mus-cles with a rousing zumbaclass. And then it’s time, timefor the annual Unox Nieuw-jaarsduik.

Freezing cold water, shiv-ering bodies and shattering

teeth hurting from the cold:nothing of the above is ex-pected to happen to you whenyou join the Unox Nieuw-jaarsduik (New Year’splunge) on January 1st. OnAruba the water temperatureis lovely, the sun is shiningand guiding in the New Yearwith a dip into the ocean is nohardship at all.

So why not join the funand the many people who aregoing to jump into theturquoise water, joining thethousands upon thousandsothers who are doing thesame all over the world, butthen in conditions one wouldnot enjoy at all!

Put on an Unox hat and welcome

the New Year!

2 Monday, December 31, 2012

There are certain criteria forqualifying for tax dispensa-tion on automobile numberplates.

January 3rd is the onlyday for returning 2013 num-ber plates that will not beused.

This is applicable for ve-hicles that will not be in useduring the first quarter of theyear – January to March2013. In order to receive taxdispensation, the plates mustbe returned on the 3rd of Jan-uary 2013. Here are the de-tailed conditions:

1. Must return the 2012number plates to the Tax Bu-reau before the beginning ofthe first quarter. The onlyday to do this is January 3rd,2013 along with the paymentof Afls.20. If the client showsup after January 3rd to returnnumber plates, the Tax Bu-reau reserves the right tocharge the client for the firstquarter and an additionalAfls.20.

2. The plates may remainat the bureau for the quarteror the entire 2013 year.

3. Reserve the number forthe fiscal year 2013

4. Car Insurance that hasbeen cancelled may not beused as proof that the plateswere not used

Returning plates:Plates must be brought to

the cashier; there you will re-

ceive a form titled, “Inleverignummer-en controleplaatmotorrijtuig.”

This form can also bedownloaded fromwww.siad.aw. On this formthe client explains why theplates will not be in use andwhy he is returning them. Forexample: he will be on an ex-tended trip or because the ve-hicle is not functioning. Theform is signed and submittedtogether with the plates to thecashier.

Plates can be submitted tothe main office in Oranjestador at subsidiary governmentoffices in San Nicolaas, Sa-vaneta, Sta. Cruz or Paradera.

Cancellation of automo-bile insurance:

At the moment the clientreceives the plates, cancella-tion of insurance cannot begiven as proof that the plateswere not used.

If owner of the vehiclepassed away:

In the case of the death ofa vehicle owner, a member ofhis family can return theplates or the spouse can au-thorize someone to get thenumbers. It is also possiblefor the heirs of the deceasedto allow the number to bepassed on to someone of theirchoosing. Each heir will berequired to sign a documentfor the transfer of the numberand submit a letter of author-

ization along with the deathcertificate of the deceased.

Another condition for taxdispensation is that the platesmust have remained at thebureau for an entire quarter.

There is no retroactive dis-pensation. Dispensation does

not cover the cost of theplates.

Numbers may be reservedfor the fiscal year 2013 aswell as for the owner of thevehicle.

For those wanting to re-serve their number and who

does not react at the begin-ning of the year run the riskof losing their number afterFebruary 15, 2013.

Everyone is encouraged toact with prudence to avoidhaving to pay more taxesthan is necessary.

Requirements for receiving Tax Dispensation on Automobile Number Plates

Monday, December 31, 2012 3

Those who are not familiarwith the smart contemporarydesigns of master jewelrycraftsman Effy Hematian arein for a very pleasant sur-prise. The cunning deploy-ment of sparkling diamondsof different colors or mixedwith brilliant gemstones haveresulted in several lines ofdelicate but striking jewelrythat will certainly illicit com-pliments and envy.

Aruba’s exclusive brandstore of Effy Jewelers is lo-cated in the Jewelry Center inOranjestad, just next to theRoyal Plaza Mall, facing the

harbor. Es-pecially forthe holiday,they are of-fering aunique bar-gain fromtheir Diversacollection.D i v e r s a

necklaces and earrings arecleverly constructed to beextremely versatile; theyunfold to change appear-ance completely. A strand ofhearts in white or yellowgold can also lock togetherto form a bouquet pendant,allowing it to complement adiversity of necklines.

Effy Jewelers will beopen on New Year’s Day forthose who have not yet had achance to peruse their elegantinventory. They are offeringdeep discounts on their Di-versa earring collection,which converts from a dar-ling stud-type to a graceful

hanging drop. It comes inboth 14K white and yellowgold, inlaid with diamonds,or a combination of blue andwhite, or black and white di-amonds, for a most stylishfashion statement. Normally

$795, they are only $495 dur-ing this first week of 2013.They also have them in asterling silver setting for thespecial price of only $195.

An acquisition of Diversajewelry, in effect, is gettingtwo fine pieces for the priceof one, offering two com-pletely different looks. Theyalso have other stunning,feminine designs that are astatement of your good taste.Visitors to the store can jointheir VIP Club to enjoy ex-

cellent discounts on theirmost popular lines.

Yes, there is shopping on January 1!Start the New Year right with great buys at

Effy Jewelers

For info call: 5875010 Email:

[email protected]:

www.laquintaaruba.net

Time Sharefor SALE

Diversa earing closed

Diversa earing extended

Versatile Diversa


As I sit on the beach enjoying the holidays on Aruba with my family, as I have donenow for more than 30 years, I wish to take a moment to wish all the people on Arubawho have always made our time here so wonderful a very happy, healthy and pros-perous 2013.

I and my wife Barb spend our winters on Aruba, having purchased several weeksthrough the cold months at the Playa Linda Resort. Now we enjoy the island with notonly our children, but our grandchildren, and we have watched it change and growover these decades.

We have seen restaurants, shows and activities come and go, and some are bettergone, others we will miss. The same goes for local English newspapers. We now havequite a choice waiting for us every morning, and this is a good thing, we enjoy relaxingon the beach and looking them over.

We were sad to see The News close its doors a few years ago, but were very pleasedto see The Morning News being distributed to the hotels. Over the past few years, wehave noticed the paper evolve in a way that is most welcome, and we must applaudthe distinctly different editorial policy of your paper, it makes our mornings sitting onthe beach informative and interesting.

I have to say, when it comes to local news of Aruba, your paper is the ONLY Englishpaper that gives us an in depth view of what is actually going on regarding importantlocal matters such as politics, culture and economy. We, as long term visitors, as domost of our fellow Playa Linda residents, find this vital, as we all have deep emotionaland financial investments in the island.

I also wish to compliment you on your original editorial content. I found your “Endof 2012-end of the world” commentary highly entertaining and thought-provoking. Ihope to continue to see such stimulating articles. You have taken your paper in a di-rection that we have never seen the English papers in Aruba go before; it the first onewe look for every morning. If we miss it at our hotel we will walk over to one of theother hotels to pick one up.

I repeat my wish to all Aruba for a happy and prosperous new year, but I wish toextend it particularly to The Morning News as it is an important part of our morningritual during the four months we spend here. Keep up the good work!

Ken and Barbara Varga of New Jersey and Aruba

Letter to The Morning News

According to Charlene Odu-ber, member of the Manage-ment Team of KIA (Aruba’sCorrectional Institute) , there-socialization pilot projectis moving along well and sheis convinced that the programwill be continued after itsevaluation. The cooperationand positive reactions fromthe business community isvery encouraging.

Oduber believes that theparticipation of commerce inthe re-socialization programis extremely important. Busi-nesses contribute not onlywith the donation of recycled

material but mostimportantly by giv-ing work to in-mates while theyare incarcerated.Part of the work isdone at KIA or dur-ing work-leave ofthe prisoner. Theprimary objectiveof the program is toensure that everyinmate in the pro-gram has a jobupon leaving theinstitution. And,this can be accom-plished onlythrough the cooper-ation of the busi-ness community.Every effort will bemade to ensure thateach ex-con re-

mains on the right path aftertheir release.

Oduber indicated that thereaction and behavior of eachinmate in the program is ex-cellent and that there is an ob-vious hunger to learn more,which is admirable. KIA andits management is intent onworking hard at bringingabout positive change in in-mates through this program.And, at the end of the prisonsentence they must return tothe community as changed,rehabilitated individuals whocan positively contribute toour society.

KIA's program relieson the cooperation ofcommerce

THE MORNING NEWS thanks you Ken for your kind words and wishes you andyours a wonderful time on Aruba and all the best 2013. We believe a newspaper playsa very important part in our daily lives, and it is always gratifying for your readers todemonstrate their appreciation.

Charlene Oduber


Tonight at 9 p.m. Aruba’sprime Minister Mike Emanwill be giving his End of theYear Speech to the Arubancommunity via local tv sta-tions ATV, Tele-Aruba andradio stations. PM Eman willfocus on the past and the fu-ture of Aruba.

“Our partnership withWorld Institutes such as Car-

bon War Room, Harvard Uni-versity and TU Delft partnersin the quest leading to aGreen Aruba and Greeen En-vironment, are putting Arubaon the world map,” saidEman

So Aruba is invited to tunein tonight and follow the endof the year speech by Aruba’sPrime Minister Eman.

End of the Year Speech by Aruba’sPrime Minister Mike Eman tonightvia tv and radio stations

Focus Magazine recentlychoose their seven personali-ties whom excelled in theyear 2012. They were chosenbased on their personalities,characters, professionalism,style and success. The 7 cho-sen ones were: Ruvette

Dirksz, Ivo Yanez, Juan Fran-cisco Pardo, Ana MariaRamirez, Amy Irausquin,Alejandro Muyale y Tyronede Freitas.

Focus this year also joinedthe Cas di Glas Foundation tohelp gather founds for Wit

Gele Kruis. They are proud toannounce that they reachedthe great sum of Afl. 21.000.

This was reached with thehelp of local artists Belindade Veer, Alida Martinez,Elvis Lopez y Elisa Lejuezwho donated some of theirartworks..

FOCUS Magazine dedicates its DEC. edi-tion to seven persons who excelled in 2012

6 Monday, December 31, 2012,

ROME (AFP) - Nobel medi-cine laureate Rita Levi-Mon-talcini, a neurologist anddevelopmental biologist, diedon Sunday at her home inRome aged 103.

She was the oldest livingNobel laureate at the time ofher death.

Levi-Montalcini sharedthe prize with colleague Stan-ley Cohen in 1986 for theirground-breaking discovery ofgrowth factors.

The Nobel committeecited the pair for advancing"our knowledge from a stagewhen... growth factors wereunknown, to a situation todaywhen the role of growth fac-tors in cell proliferation,organ differentiation, and tu-mour transformation is gen-erally recognised."

Their work has helped un-

derstanding of such disordersas cancer, birth defects andAlzheimer's and Parkinson'sdiseases.

Enjoying great affectionand respect in Italy, Levi-Montalcini intervened to de-fend the teaching of evolutionin schools when, in 2004, thethen education minister,Letizia Moratti, wanted to re-move it from the curriculum.

Born into a wealthy Jew-ish intellectual family innorthern Turin in 1909, Levi-Montalcini was the daughterof an engineer and an artist.

In 2001, Italy's then presi-dent Carlo Azeglio Ciampinamed Levi-Montalcini asenator for life, an honour be-stowed on former presidentsand prominent figures in so-cial, scientific, artistic or lit-erary fields.

Nobel medicine laureate Levi-Montalcini dies aged 103

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Presi-dent Shimon Peres on Sun-day urged Israel to resumepeace talks with the Palestini-ans, saying their presidentMahmud Abbas was a willingpartner with whom an agree-ment could be reached.

Speaking with Israelidiplomats at his Jerusalemresidence, Peres said the onlyway the Jewish state couldpositively affect the fluctuat-ing reality in the region was"to complete the peace agree-ment with the Palestinians."

"I know there are differentopinions," he said. "This isnot a matter of ideology, thisis a matter of appraising" thesituation.

"I have known Abu Mazenfor 30 years, and nobody willchange my opinion of him,"Peres continued, usingAbbas's nom de guerre.

"I know there is criticismof things Abu Mazen said,"Peres continued, but "there iscurrently no other Arableader who is saying he is infavour of peace, against ter-ror, in favour of a demili-tarised state, and of... thePalestinian consensual rightof return."

"There is not much timeleft," he warned.

Talks between the Israeland the Palestinians havebeen on hold since Septem-ber 2010, with the Palestini-ans insisting on a settlementfreeze before returning to thenegotiating table and the Is-raelis insisting on no precon-ditions.

Following last month'shistoric United Nations votegiving the Palestinians up-graded status in the worldbody, Israel announced a newspate of settlement buildingin the West Bank and Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

Israel must completepeace deal with Abbas:Peres

BRASILIA (AFP) - Rob-bers in Brazil blasted theirway into a gem-cuttingplant Sunday, fought a gunbattle with police then fledwith nine hostages, prompt-ing a massive manhunt, of-ficials said.Three of the assailants diedin the assault in the state ofRio Grande do Sul, a mili-tary police official told AFPon condition of anonymity.Authorities have yet to es-tablish contact with thehostage takers, said SergioAbreu, chief of the militaryin Rio Grande do Sul.The robbers detonated dy-namite to storm into theplant, then ran into policeon their way out, the mili-tary police official said.Police have recovered partof the loot, but gave no fig-ure for its value.

Robbers hit gem-cut-ting plant in Brazil,

take hostages

MANILA, The Phillipines(AFP) - The Philippinesbraced Sunday for its annualorgy of New Year's Eve mer-rymaking which every yearleaves hundreds maimed byfirecrackers or hit by bulletsfired in the air by armed rev-ellers.

A total of 171 people havebeen injured by fireworks

since the Christmas weekend,one was poisoned eatingthem, while another waswounded by a stray bullet,Assistant Health SecretaryEric Tayag said in an updatedtoll.

President Benigno Aquinointerrupted his holidays tomeet emergency services of-ficials about government

preparations for mass casual-ties, fires and other potentialmayhem from the oftendrunken revelry.

Filipino families celebrateChristmas and New Year bybuying and setting off largequantities of fireworks ontheir own, instead of watch-ing public displays as insome other countries.

The government reported454 firecracker-related in-juries as 2012 was welcomedin. Many of those hurt werechildren or drunk adults,while some of those accusedof indiscriminately firingtheir guns were soldiers andpolice officers.

Philippines braces for bloody New Year revelry

Opening hours End of the Year

December 31st:Open from 11:30 am until 8 pm also for takeout.

January 1st Open for Dinner from 5 pm to 11pm.

Staff and Personnel would like to Wisheveryone a Prosperous 2013

tions were having a big effectand called for a real offer to re-duce them in return for Tehranabandoning or at least freezingits uranium enrichment.

"I would not rule out the airattack on the Iranian nuclearfacilities because they shouldknow that it remains a least apossibility," he added.

SYRIA

Experts envisage that Syr-ian strongman Bashar al-Assad's Damascus could fall torebel forces and foresee the be-ginning of an "internationalconsensus," thanks to a soften-ing of Russia's position.

This should allow in 2013for "the beginning of what willbe a long, difficult politicaltransition," said Mathews.

selor for the Center for Strate-gic and International Studies(CSIS).

IRAN

The Iranian nuclear crisisremains "the burning issue" of2013, with "a reasonably highchance of a serious regionalconflagration," Vaisse said.The major powers and Israelsuspect Tehran of developingatomic weapons under theguise of a civilian nuclear pro-gram, charges denied by theIslamic republic.

As Iran stubbornly contin-ues to enrich its uranium "thelogic of the last decade of pur-suing sanctions coupled withnegotiations has been ex-hausted," said Vaisse.

Brown, however, said sanc-

pected recession," causing"political, social and geopolit-ical consequences in China."

"China's outgoing leader-ship, after years of stellar eco-nomic growth, could afford toallow growth to slow andpolitico-economic problems toaccumulate. Xi cannot," notedMathews.

CHINA, TERRITORIAL

DISPUTES WITH NEIGH-

BORS AND THE US ROLE

As tensions rise in theSouth China Sea, experts areincreasingly fearful of an armsrace or even armed conflict inthe Asia-Pacific.

Seemingly innocuous terri-torial disputes over remotearchipelagos could flare intomilitary conflicts betweenChina, Japan and South Korea.The United States has a mili-tary alliance with Japan buthas so far refused to take sides.

China's "neighbors look atthe US as the distant balancer,the country that to some de-grees balances the military andthe political power of China,which would otherwise havean easier time in completelydominating the region," saidformer US secretary of de-fense Harold Brown, a coun-

tained economic discipline andpolitical will," explained theAmerican expert. "The eurocrisis morphed in 2012 from alife-threatening emergency toa chronic disease that will bewith us for years to come," shesaid, warning countries likeFrance, Italy, Portugal andSpain of the need "to maintainthe harsh treatment, avoid set-backs (in France, especially),and continue to inch toward re-stored growth."

Eurozone GDP is forecastto contract by 0.3 percent nextyear, but Justin Vaisse, directorof research on the UnitedStates and Europe at theBrookings Institution, said hebelieved that the worst of theeuro crisis is behind us. "TheAmericans and the marketshave concluded that the eurowill not explode, otherwise itwould have fallen and therewould have been a flight ofcapital," he told AFP.

The French expert is wor-ried, however, about the ef-fects of the global slowdownon China.

Vaisse envisaged a gloomyscenario in which the euro area"cuts Chinese imports drasti-cally due to a deeper than ex-

WASHINGTON (AFP) -Barack Obama is back andChina has a new leader in XiJinping, but world leaders faceheavyweight issues in thecoming year, from lingeringeconomic crises to bloody tu-mult in the Middle East:

ECONOMIC CRISES IN

THE UNITED STATES AND

EUROPE

"No 'foreign policy' issue in2013 will matter as much toglobal economic, political, andultimately security conditionsas whether the United Statesand Europe are able to dealwith their economic crises,"Jessica Mathews, president ofthe Carnegie Endowment forInternational Peace, wrote in"Global Ten: Challenges andOpportunities for the presidentin 2013."

Unless a deal is reached be-tween US President Obamaand his Republican opponentsby the end of 2012, the UnitedStates will plunge off the "fis-cal cliff" -- a toxic combina-tion of tax hikes and spendingcuts that could trigger anotherrecession in the world'sbiggest economy.

As for Europe, "the chal-lenge is still to summon sus-


World leaders face big challenges in 2013

times circulate among thosewho are healthy; if they have anevent of public vomiting orthey don't wash their handswell before touching surfaces,certain illnesses such asnorovirus are spread easilyfrom one ill person to one ormore well persons, and that ill-ness spreads along that pat-tern," he explained.

Menendez -- who wasspeaking to herself as shepaced along the platform, ac-cording to witnesses -- pushedthe man as the train waspulling into the station. He ap-parently had his back toMenendez and did not see her.

Police released surveillancecamera video footage viaTwitter showing a woman run-ning from the scene.

Sen's death was eerily simi-lar to that of a 58-year-oldman killed on December 3when he was pushed onto thetracks during a fight with a de-ranged man at a Manhattansubway station. The assailant,later identified as 30-year-oldNaeem Davis, has beencharged with murder. Davis ishomeless.

Several million people usethe New York City subwaysystem every day, but inci-dents of this kind are rare.

NEW YORK (AFP) - A 31-year-old New York womanwas scheduled to appear be-fore a judge Sunday afterbeing charged with murder asa hate crime for shoving aHindu man to his death infront of an oncoming subwaytrain.

Erika Menendez of theBronx borough was motivatedby hatred of Muslims and Hin-dus, according to the QueensDistrict Attorney's Office.

"I pushed a Muslim off thetrain tracks because I hateHindus and Muslims. Eversince 2001 when they putdown the twin towers, I'vebeen beating them up," shetold police.

The victim, 46-year-oldSunando Sen, was born inIndia and raised Hindu, aroommate told The New YorkTimes.

Woman accused of NYCsubway hate crime murder


Health & Living

"Outbreaks occur throughoutthe year although there is a sea-sonal pattern of increased activ-ity during the winter months,"he said.

He said in an enclosed arealike a ship -- as well as in placeslike hospitals and nursinghomes -- the illness can spreadquickly from person to person.

"Those with symptoms many

MIAMI (AFP) - An outbreak ofvomiting and diarrhea has sick-ened more than 400 vacationersand crew members aboard twoChristmas-time cruises in theCaribbean, the CDC said.

The CDC said it was stillconducting lab tests to deter-mine the pathogen, but it indi-cated it might be Norovirus,which is highly contagious andtypically transmitted from per-son to person.

Both ships, Cunard's QueenMary 2 and Princess Cruises'Emerald Princess, reported theoutbreak to the Centers for Dis-ease Control, following guide-lines that come into play whenmore than two percent of thepassengers and crew are hit.

A similar outbreak earlier inthe month hit the P&IO Orianaliner on a 10-night Balticcruise, infecting about 300 ofthe 1,843 travelers aboard.

Such outbreaks are not un-common, said Jaret Ames, ofthe CDC's Vessel SanitationProgram.

Suspected norovirus hits 400 on twoChristmas cruises

NEW DELHI (AFP) - The victim of a gang-rape and mur-der which triggered an outpouring of grief and revulsionacross India was cremated at a private ceremony on Sun-day as it emerged she was planning to marry in February.The unidentified 23-year-old, the focus of nationwideprotests since she was attacked on a bus in New Delhitwo weeks ago, was cremated at a ceremony kept secretby authorities only hours after her body was repatriatedfrom Singapore. The funeral pyre was lit after trauma-tised relatives and friends said their final prayers at a cer-emony in southwestern Delhi, according to mournerswho revealed she had been due to wed a boyfriend whowas injured in the same attack. After initial treatment ina Delhi hospital following the attack, she was flown toSingapore on Wednesday night where doctors were un-able to prevent a multiple organ failure. She was pro-nounced dead in the early hours of Saturday. Her killinghas prompted government promises of better protectionfor women, and deep soul-searching in a nation wherehorrifying gang-rapes are commonplace and sexual ha-rassment is routinely dismissed as "Eve-teasing".

Indian gang-rape victim cremated

termarket cases may offer abit of extra protection, butthey'll often hinder access orslow the responsiveness of thephone's screen, buttons, andports that you access fre-quently.

.7. Phone camera zoomlenses really aren't.

8. Think twice about insur-ance and extended warranties.

9. Prepaid carriers are greatplace for smart phones.


LA PAZ (AFP) - Bolivia na-tionalized electric utilitiesowned by Spain's IberdrolaSaturday, sending police andtroops to enforce the latest ex-propriation ordered by thepopulist leader of South Amer-ica's poorest nation.

President Evo Morales an-nounced a decree targetingIberdrola-owned utilities Elec-tropaz and Elfeo in the citiesof La Paz and Oruro.

In La Paz, soldiers latertook control of power plantsthat until now were run byIberdrola, while police seizedcorporate offices.

Iberdrola said it hopes Bo-livia will pay "a fair price" forthe utilities nationalized by LaPaz.

Quoting market sources, theSpanish press estimated Iber-drola's share in the utilities inBolivia at $100 million.

It was the latest in a seriesof such seizures by the outspo-ken leftist who is a key mem-ber of a group of populistSouth American presidents ledby the now-ailing HugoChavez of Venezuela.

In May, Morales national-ized a subsidiary of anotherSpanish power group, electric-ity distributor Red ElectricaCorporacion.

Since coming to power inJanuary 2006, Bolivia's firstpresident representing the

country's indigenous majorityhas nationalized the country'soil wealth and smelters, in ad-dition to electric power com-panies.

This time, Morales said hewas acting because Iberdrolacharged more for electricity inrural areas than it did in cities,and service was also uneven.

He said Iberdrola would becompensated after an evalua-tion of its seized assets. Thiswill be done by a private Boli-vian company and can take upto six months.

Morales's actions over theyears have caused friction withSpain.

Spain said after the RedElectrica nationalization that ithad been given assurancesfrom Bolivia that there wouldbe no more such expropria-tions.

Spanish Foreign MinisterJose Manuel Garcia-Margallosaid in August that Spanishcompanies operating in Bo-livia needed legal security fortheir investments.

The May 2006 energy na-tionalization affected abotu adozen companies, includingSpain's Repsol, Petrobras ofBrazil, Argentina's PanAmeri-can and British Petroleum.

Morales has also national-ized refineries and telecom-munications companies.

Bolivia nationalizesSpanish-owned electricalutilities

Sci-Tech

Want to keep your phoneworking as well as it can?Here are some tips and warn-ings:

1. Weak signals kill yourbattery. Phones use morepower when they're trying toaccess a weak network sig-nal.

2. Smart phones need afresh (re)start. (every one ortwo days to purge memoryreserved by programs nolonger running and to correctvarious other glitches thatcan hinder performance.)

3. Smart phones getslower with age.

4. Video kills your data al-lowance.

5. Skip screen protectors.Many of today's touchscreens already come with aprotective layer of GorillaGlass or other hardened ma-terial that make scratchingthem nearly impossible.

Some screen protectors re-duce glare, but they can alsomake your display less re-sponsive and harder to see inother ways. And screen pro-tectors, even when properlyinstalled, often develop un-sightly air bubbles and an-noying scratches of their own.

6. A weak case for cases.Today's smart-phone bodiesoften include Kevlar, carbonfiber, or other hardened mate-rials that are quite tough. Af-

9 Tips to Help Keep Your Cell PhoneWorking at Its Best

RUSSIAN FEDERATION (AFP) - A couple embrace in a park withsnowy trees seen around, with the air temperature at about minus8 degrees Celsius (17.6 degrees Fahrenheit), in Russia's southerncity of Stavropol. Russia endures an abnormally cold winter, themost severe in more than 70 years, according to local media.

Democratic President BarackObama, eyeing a short-termpolitical victory, accused Re-publicans of causing the mess,saying they had refused tomove on what he said weregenuine offers of compromisefrom Democrats.

Obama said it had been"very hard" for top Republicanleaders to accept that "taxes onthe wealthiest Americansshould go up a little bit, as partof an overall deficit reductionpackage."

But Republicans were irkedby Obama's tone and matchedhis accusations. The uglymood could either hint thathopes for a consensus are fad-ing or be the kind of political-base pleasing rhetoric thatsometimes heralds a compro-mise.

The president won re-elec-tion partly on a platform ofraising taxes on the rich, butRepublicans who run theHouse of Representatives op-pose tax hikes as a point ofprinciple and claim Obama isaddicted to runaway spending.

If no deal is reached, a pack-age of tax cuts for all Ameri-cans that was first passed byformer president George W.Bush will expire on January 1.

All American workers willsee their own paycheck hit andthe broader economy will behit by massive automaticspending cuts across the gov-

around $400,000 a year.It is a measure of the dys-

function in Washington, wherethe political center has disap-peared and the two partiesshare power, that the fiscalcliff was set up by both sidesprecisely in order to avoidsuch a last-minute frenzy.

The combined $500 billionwhack from tax hikes and cutsto defense and social programswas supposed to be so punish-ing that it would force thehands of both sides to makelong-term compromises on taxand spending.

But the threat has failed, andany deal that emerges now willsimply set up new rows overthe tax code and reform of so-cial programs that are helpingto inflate US government debt,as the annual deficit runs atover $1 trillion.

Republicans are alreadypromising to use Obama's re-quest to raise the $16 trillionceiling on government borrow-ing, due to be hit by Monday,over the next few months todemand concessions from thepresident on spending.

The prolonged row is cast-ing a shadow over Obama'splans to name his second-termcabinet, reframe his politicalagenda and to move on keypriority issues like immigra-tion reform and gun control.

that wins Obama's stamp ofapproval could pass into law.

Both the House and the Sen-ate were due back in sessionSunday, for what could be adramatic 36 hours up to theturn of the year.

If leaders fail to find anagreement, Obama has de-manded a vote on his fallbackplan that would preserve lowertax rates for families on lessthan $250,000 a year and ex-tend unemployment insurancefor two million people.

Should Republicans blockthat attempt, they would facebeing lambasted by angry vot-ers who see their taxes shootup -- an unenviable politicalplight.

Reid and McConnell werenot expected to reveal theirhands until later on Sunday,but some reports said theywere working on a deal to putthe higher taxes threshold at

ernment.Experts expect the US econ-

omy could slide into recessionif the standoff is prolonged, ina scenario that could cause tur-moil in stock markets and hitprospects for global growth in2013.

Republican Senator LindseyGraham, speaking as his partybosses huddled with seniorDemocrats in search of a deal,predicted a short-term agree-ment would emerge, but wouldonly postpone the budget bat-tle by a few months.

For now, the action is con-fined to the Senate, as Demo-cratic leader Harry Reid andhis Republican counterpartMitch McConnell try to reacha deal that would pass theirchamber and then move to theHouse of Representatives.

Such is the power of theconservative dominatedHouse, it is unclear if any deal

BERLIN (AFP) - Germany,one of the world's top ex-porters, should post a newrecord for exports next year,driven by demand from Asia,the head of the BGA federationof exporters and wholesalerssaid on Sunday.

"We expect an increase ofup to five percent in exports to1.158 trillion euros ($1.53 tril-lion) in 2013 and a 5.5-percentrise in imports to 980 billioneuros," said BGA chief AntonBoerner in a new year's mes-sage.

Despite the eurozone crisis,Germany achieved record ex-ports in 2012, added Boerner,amounting to 1.103 trillioneuros, and a trade surplus of174 billion euros.

Boerner said the bullish pro-jection was based on "stabilityand no new volatility on the fi-nancial markets. Europe, theUnited States and China havea lot of homework to do in thenew year in this respect," hesaid.

He said order books for nextyear were full "especially fromthe growth markets in Asia"and added that the low value ofthe euro on the currency mar-kets was helping trade with theUnited States and Japan.

However, he cautioned that"the European debt crisis willbe with us for a long time yet"and said he was especially con-cerned about what he saidwere "increasingly protection-ist trends in several eastern Eu-ropean countries."

German exporters eyenew record trade in2013

drama in Washington as fiscal cliff loomscontinued from page 1

Monday, december 31, 2012 11

Finance

SATURdAy’S

Crossword Answer

BRAZIL (AFP) - People enjoy Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro on Dec. 27, 2012. Rio

de Janeiro reported a heat record of 109.7 degrees Farenheit, the highest temperature

since 1915, according to the National Institute of Meteorology.


GENEVA (AFP) - The UNrefugee agency said Tuesday ithad received governmentpledges totalling $550 million(423 million euros) for its ef-forts next year to help millionsof displaced people world-wide.

Government donors hadalso promised an additional$169 million for UNHCR'swork in 2014 and beyond, theagency said.

The UNHCR described thepledges as "heartening", point-ing out that at a similar pledg-ing session towards its 2012budget, donors only coughedup $482 million.

The amount promised Tues-day meanwhile only makes upa portion of UNHCR’s esti-

mated 2013 budget of $3.92billion, but the agency said theearly pledges were good indi-cators of how much it wouldhave to work with next year.

"New humanitarian crisesover the past months have cre-ated hundreds of thousandsmore refugees and internallydisplaced people," UN HighCommissioner for RefugeesAntonio Guterres said in astatement.

In the past year and a half,the world has seen several si-multaneous new conflicts thathave created a surge in newrefugees from countries likeSyria, Mali and the DemocraticRepublic of Congo.

The UNHCR for instanceannounced earlier Tuesday thatthe number of Syrian refugeesregistered in neighbouringcountries and North Africa hadswelled to over a half millionpeople.

"At the same time ... pro-tracted displacement situationssuch as that in Afghanistan andSomalia have not gone away,"the agency pointed out.

UNHCR said that of the 42.5million people forcibly dis-placed as of the end of 2011, ithad helped 25.9 million.

Donors pledge $550mnfor UN refugee work in2013

THE MORNING NEWS wishes you A Happy New Year

and the Best of Health, Wealth and Hapiness all year

round.

From all of us at THE MORNING NEWS,

a BIG Thank You for your Support.

We look forward to your continuing patronage of

our services this 2013

way to truly eat like a local.They are open from 11:00 AMto 11:00 PM, daily, offering in-door and outdoor dining.Aside from an extensive menuthey also have daily specialsmade from whatever is in sea-son and Mama Luisa is in themood to prepare, so don’t for-get to ask about what isn’t onthe menu!

Grilled Tenderloin range from$12 to $16, each including achoice of 2 side dishes; allquite yummy and bargain-priced to boot!

The Queen’s is located onthe second level of PalmBeach Plaza, tucked into acozy corner at the front of themall. If you have a mind to trythe real deal in Aruban food,without a doubt, this is the

gredients that are handy thatday, all incased in a thick skinof melted Gouda. It was verysatisfying and particularlymemorable paired with TheQueen’s garlic bread and veryspecial Pica, a mix of choppedonions and the famous localhot pepper, Madame Janette.Not overly spicy, it lends thatperfect bit of tang to this deli-ciously picturesque meal.

One of the distinctions ofAruban cuisine is incorporat-ing unique indigenous ingredi-ents such as in Wild CucumberStew and a particular light fishchowder accompanied by thelocal specialties pan bati (cornmeal pancake) and funchi (thelocal version of polenta.)

.Seafood main coursesrange from $14 for Catch ofthe Day Aruban Style to $18for shrimp and $20 for amixed seafood platter withshrimp, fish, squid, scallopsand mussels. Meat dishes suchas BBQ Chicken and Ribs or

investment. To further en-hance this, Gold Coast man-agement have inaugurated anumber of in-house servicesand have recently become af-filiated Interval International,the world’s largest network ofvacation ownership propertieswhich provides an unlimitedinternational pool of investorsto tap for ownership and rentalprospects. Property exchangefor a vacation in another desti-nation is also availablethrough the Interval Interna-tional affiliation. Gold Coast’sown rental services have alsoproven highly successful in as-sisting owners in renting theirvillas; 24-hour security andmaintenance services also tipthe scales when it is time tomake a decision. Aside fromall this, housekeeping, childcare, catering services , carrental through its partnershipwith AVIS car rental are alsoavailable as well as pre-shop-ping services so cupboardsand refrigerators are stockedupon arrival, which can alsobe arranged through theirproperty management depart-ment. Personnel are also avail-able to assist in arrangingrestaurant reservations and is-land activities.

Visit their website: www.

goldcoastaruba.com for

more details and availability

or call 586-2200 to arrange a

personal tour.

advantage of the on site man-agement’s rental services pro-gram. There is always a greatdemand for Aruba and facili-ties such as those at GoldCoast, make it easy for someowners to see a valuable returnon their investment.

The design of the resi-dences and public areas isopen, airy and spacious, takingfull advantage of the island en-vironment, with quality con-struction and finishingavailable. Partnering with twoof Aruba’s top providers ofkitchens and bathrooms en-

ables developers to offer cus-tom options allowing buyersto individualize their homes.An elegant and chic furniturepackage is available or islanddesigners will assist owners infinishing the décor to theirspecific tastes.

There are many aspects topurchasing property; not theleast is the future value of the

want in a permanent residenceon Aruba, and took fromthere.”

Input from frequent vaca-tioners who have dreamed oftheir own home in Aruba con-tributed to the realization ofGold Coast Aruba which whencomplete will be a communityof 260 town homes, villas andcondominiums with a stunningclubhouse complemented bytwo additional communitypool areas , The Clubhouse isabout to start construction andwill offer to the communityhomeowners and visitors 2

tennis courts, full service spaand fitness center as well as astunning pool area and is ex-pected to be complete by early2013. It will also house arestaurant and mini-market.

Owners who purchasedupon the groundbreaking onlya few short years ago, are al-ready enjoying a nearly 50%appreciation on their invest-ment, particularly those taking

Aruba. They really study thehistory and economy of the is-land and are impressed withthe political stability and con-tinually increasing value ofprime locations. Gold Coast isin the heart of Malmok, con-sidered Aruba’s most exclu-sive community where thevalue of properties has only in-creased over time. It is onlyminutes to the best beachesand all the action, and yet of-fers a quiet and secluded get-away; we are very pleased bythe response to our concept.”

Fito, with his sister Mayrinand brother Rudy operate CasBon, which has been con-structing homes and buildingdevelopments for all budgetsfor nearly twenty years. “GoldCoast Aruba is the jewel in ourcrown,” observes Fito. “Wewere very excited about thisproject and the scope of actualand planned facilities andamenities. We have spoken tocountless island visitors to findout what they would really

Management of Gold CoastAruba, the island’s newest andmost innovative gated com-munity, reports that sales havebeen very good and encourag-ing as the global economy re-covers and people looking topurchase vacation homes havefound that Gold Coast is anoutstanding investment value.Director of Sales, Fito Croeshas noticed a surprising per-centage of owners in reality donot spend a great amount oftime personally to use the vil-las or town homes they pur-chase, but are takingadvantage of Gold Coast’srental services to turn their in-vestment into ready income.

“The greater portion ofhome owners are using their“home away from home” inAruba to escape the wintermonths, or spend holidayswith the family on the island,”he remarked, “but I am grati-fied by how many are buyingbecause they felt secure withreal estate investment on

Gold Coast Aruba: This is the time to invest

loyal clientele. Varella’s mom,Luisa, is still in the kitchen,conjuring up the deliciousdishes that have been in herfamily for generations, ac-knowledged on the menu withitems such as “Carni Stoba diMamachi”-“Grandma’s BeefStew,” and their ArawakSteak, along with local delica-cies like Keshi Yena -“FullCheese.” This is a tasty, fillingstew of chicken, with other in-

An elegant décor with abreezy terrace overlookingPalm Beach welcomes gueststo Varella Innocencia’s verypopular restaurant showcasingauthentic local cuisine:

The Queen’s.They may have moved

from Oranjestad to hipper newdigs in Palm Beach Plaza, butthe food and prices are strictlynative, which is what first wonthis charming eatery their

Eat like a local at The Queen’s restaurant at Palm Beach Plaza

Varella, Luisa and the next generation of chefKeshi Yena with plaintains,vegetables and pica



SPORTS

Nikica Jelavic then hit thesame portion of woodworkwith a free-kick, before Lam-pard equalised in the 42ndminute when he met Ramires'cross with a precisely directeddownward header.

Chelsea lost Cech to an ap-parent ankle injury at half-timeand his replacement, RossTurnbull, was beaten by aJelavic header in the 69thminute, only for the crossbar tocome to his rescue.

The winning goal arrivedthree minutes later, Lampardnudging the ball into the roofof the net after Tim Howardsaved from Juan Mata to givethe Blues a fourth consecutiveleague win.

Everton's best chance of anequaliser fell to Jelavic in in-jury time, but the Croatianstriker got his legs in a tangleand could not make meaning-ful contact with LeightonBaines' cross.

Everton coach DavidMoyes confronted refereeHoward Webb at the finalwhistle but later revealed thathe had said sorry for his be-haviour.

There is a full programmeof Premier League games onNew Year's Day and January 2,with leaders ManchesterUnited visiting Wigan Athleticand second-place ManchesterCity hosting Stoke City.

LONDON (AFP) - FrankLampard provided a timely re-minder of his value to Chelseaby scoring twice as his side re-claimed third place in the Pre-mier League by coming frombehind to win 2-1 at Everton

on Sunday.The 34-year-old England

midfielder, whose contract ex-pires at the end of the season,cancelled out Steven Pienaar'sopener shortly before half-time and then claimed the win-ner with 18 minutes remainingat Goodison Park.

Victory moved Rafael Ben-itez's side above TottenhamHotspur into third place, fourpoints behind second-placeManchester City and with agame in hand, while Evertonremain sixth, three pointsbelow the top four.

"It was very hard. This is al-ways one of the most difficultgames of the season," saidLampard. "We got a (2-0)tanking here last year and wehad to stand up for ourselves.We went 1-0 down but afterhalf an hour, we started gettinginto the game.

Defeat prevented Evertonfrom asserting their Champi-ons League credentials, butthey had started the game inmenacing fashion and took thelead after just 63 seconds.

Victor Anichebe met stand-in right-back Phil Jagielka'sfloated cross with a headerthat came back off the left-hand post and Pienaar chargedin to spear the ball past PetrCech, who was making his400th Chelsea appearance.

Football: Lampard double propelsChelsea up to third

OBERSTDORF, Germany (AFP) - Norway's 2007 cham-pion Anders Jacobsen won Sunday's opening Four Hillsevent of the season at Oberstdorf. Jacobsen producedjumps of 138 and 139m for a total of 308.6 points to edgeout Austrian titleholder Gregor Schlierenzauer, whopulled out leaps of 134.5 and 138.5m for 297 points. Ger-many's Severin Freund was third after his efforts of 138.5and 135.5m gave him 290.8 points. Tuesday sees the nextFour Hills jump at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, before a Jan-uary 4 competition at Innsbruck and then the final eventof the quartet at Bischofshofen two days later.

NEW ORLEANS (AFP) - The New Orleans Saints andhead coach Sean Payton have agreed terms on a multi-year contract extension, the NFL team said Saturday.Payton hasn't coached this season as he served a one-year suspension for his role in the so-called bountyscandal, in which the NFL said Saints players were re-warded monetarily for injurying opposing players. Hiscontract was due to expire after the current season endson Sunday. In his six seasons guiding the Saints, theteam amassed a record of 62-34 with four playoff appear-ances and a Super Bowl triumph. This season the Saintshave been a disappointing 7-8 under interim coaches JoeVitt and Aaron Kromer.

"I have decided to exploreadditional treatment optionsand an extensive rehabilita-tion plan. My goal has been,and continues to be, to returnto the basketball court ashealthy as possible in order tohelp our team."

Roy, the NBA's rookie ofthe year in 2007, has longbeen plagued by knee trou-bles.

He retired briefly follow-ing the 2010-11 season and inNovember underwent hisseventh surgery to treatchronic knee pain.

Reports surfaced Saturdaythat he was again contemplat-ing retirement, but Roy saidhe hasn't given up on hisNBA dream, even though hehas played just five gamesthis season.

In 326 career games withPortland and Minnesota, Royhas averaged 18.8 points and4.7 assists.

"Last week while practic-ing, I suffered a setback inmy recovery. I've felt bettersince the recent surgery, but Iam not all the way better,"Roy said in a statement.

berwolves guard BrandonRoy said Saturday he's deter-mined to pursue his return tothe NBA, despite a setback inhis recovery from knee sur-gery.


points and grabbed 11 re-bounds.

The defeat marked just thesecond time this season theHeat have dropped back-to-back games.

On Friday, the NBA cham-pions fell 109-99 in front of asell-out crowd in Detroit.

Wade missed that game,serving a one-game suspen-sion for a kick that caughtCharlotte guard Ramon Ses-sions in the groin earlier inthe week.

Prior to the game Wadesaid he just wanted to "moveon" in the wake of the sus-pension. He scored 24 pointswith six rebounds, whileteammate LeBron James ledall scorers with 26 points.

James added seven assistsand six rebounds, and ChrisBosh contributed 12 pointsand 16 rebounds, but it wasn'tenough.

While the Minnesota Tim-

MILWAUKEE (AFP) -Brandon Jennings scored 25points and Cameroon's LucRichard Mbah a Moute added19 for Milwaukee Saturdayin a 104-85 victory overreigning NBA champions theMiami Heat.

Jennings added seven as-sists and four steals, whileMbah a Moute grabbed sevenrebounds for a Bucks teamthat has won three of theirlast four games.

Mike Dunleavy added 18points, nine rebounds and sixassists for Milwaukee, whileLarry Sanders scored 16

NBA: Bucks burn Heat despite Wade's return, Timberwolves'Roy still seeking NBA return

New Year’s Eve3 - Course

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Larry Sanders #8 of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots againstLeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat during the game onsaturday.

Speaking after hitting 44winners in disposing ofScheepers, Williams said thisyear was a great platform forthe coming 12 months.

bourg, teamed with sister Ser-ena to win gold in the doublesat the London Olympics andfinished the season ranked24th in the world.

4-6, 6-2, 6-3.The seven-time Grand Slam

singles winner has climbed therankings this year as she recov-ered from a major setback dueto illness in 2011.

Williams has not won aGrand Slam singles title sinceher 2008 success at Wimble-don. She slipped to 134th inthe rankings last year after suf-fering from Sjogren's Syn-drome, a systemic autoimmunedisease.

However, the 32-year-oldhas enjoyed much better for-tunes this year.

She won her first singlestitle since 2010 in Luxem-

PERTH (AFP) - American ten-nis star Venus Williams gaveher comeback hopes a boostwith a win at the Hopman Cupin Perth on Sunday, and saidshe still believed she could bea force in the Grand Slams.

The former world numberone beat Chanelle Scheepers inthree sets to help the UnitedStates post a 2-1 win overSouth Africa in their Group Btie at the mixed teams tourna-ment.

Williams, playing for thefirst time since October andjust 24 hours after arriving inAustralia, made a slow startagainst the 60th-rankedScheepers but steadied to win


ABU DHABI (AFP) - NovakDjokovic got his season off toa perfect start by defeatingNicolas Almagro 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday in the finalof the Mubadala World TennisChampionship exhibition tour-nament.

Djokovic had looked in im-pressive early season form inFriday's semi-finals, destroy-ing world No.5 David Ferrerin straight sets, while Alma-gro, a late replacement for theinjured Rafael Nadal, wastaken all the way by JankoTipsarevic.

But it was the Spaniard whoedged a close first set 7/4 on atiebreaker, with Djokovic, thewinner last year, looking list-less at times.

The world No.1 put that set-back quickly behind him as hebroke Almagro to start the sec-ond set, but he failed to turnthat into a 2-0 lead as Almagrobroke back to level in the nextgame.

A double-fault from theSpaniard though saw the Serbtake back the advantage andthis time he held firm to levelthe set scores.

The decider went with serveuntil the 10th game when Al-magro served up three straightunforced errors to handDjokovic the win.

The match for third placeplayed earlier was won bySpain's Ferrer as he defeatedTipsarevic of Serbia 7-6 (7/4),6-2.

All four players will headout for Australia to completetheir preparations for the Aus-tralian Open which gets underway in Melbourne on January14 where Djokovic will be thedefending champion.

Tennis:Djokovicwins AbuDhabi tournament

Tennis: Venus Williams leads US to victory overS. Africa

monday, december 31, 2012

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