Iran's Ahmadinejad sacks only female government minister

DUBAI - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday dismissed his only female cabinet minister, Health Minister Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi, after she criticised her colleagues for failing to provide funds to import vital medicines.

Appointed in 2009, Dastjerdi was the first woman government minister since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979. While seen as politically conservative, the gynaecologist has advocated a greater role for women in society.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad leaves after a meeting with Vietnam's National Assembly's Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung in Hanoi November 10, 2012.

Reports have emerged in recent weeks of shortages of some critical medicines for treatment of cancer, multiple sclerosis, blood disorders and other serious conditions.

Last month, Dastjerdi said only a quarter of the $2.4 billion earmarked for medicine imports had been provided in the current year and there was a shortage of foreign currency for the shipments.

"Medicine is more essential than bread. I have heard that luxury cars have been imported with subsidized dollars but I don't know what happened to the dollars that were supposed to be allocated for importing medicine," she said on state television.

Iranian officials blame the shortages on sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union. The government has come under heavy criticism itself for failing to manage the needs of Iranians properly.

Ahmadinejad's political rivals accuse him of exacerbating the effects of sanctions through poor management and cronyism.

New Japan PM to send envoys to South Korea amid territory dispute

SEOUL/TOKYO - New Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will send envoys to meet South Korean President-elect Park Geun-hye next month, a spokeswoman for Park said, a sign of Japan reaching out to its neighbour despite feuds over territory and wartime history.

Japan's relations with South Korea frayed badly in August after outgoing President Lee Myung-bak visited a disputed set of islands known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in Korea. Koreans also harbour bitter resentment of Japanese rule from 1910 to 1945.

Japan's new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attends a news conference at his official residence in Tokyo December 26, 2012.

The hawkish Abe, who wants to recast Japan's wartime history in less apologetic tones, led his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to a landslide victory in the December 16 lower house election, putting the conservative party back in power after a three-year hiatus.

The spokeswoman did not say who the envoys will be, but Abe told reporters last week he planned to send former finance minister Fukushiro Nukaga "to improve and develop Japan-South Korea relations". Abe visits on January 4.

Public broadcaster NHK reported on Friday that LDP senior lawmaker Takeo Kawamura would join Nukaga in the delegation.

Djokovic cheesed off

ABU DHABI: Novak Djokovic on Thursday denied reports that he had bought up the world's entire supply of donkey cheese, a delicacy which retails for around US$500 per pound in his native Serbia.

World number one Djokovic was reported to have purchased the cheese, known as pule, from the only farm which supplies it and that it would be served at a chain of restaurants which he owns in Serbia.

"I did not expect this story was going to get so much attention, and everywhere in the world too," said Djokovic.

"It is not completely true that we have bought the whole supply of donkey cheese, even though it was the first time in my life I heard that donkey cheese existed.

"There is a certain farm in Serbia that produces it and, as I understand it, it is the only farm in the world to do so, which is very interesting."

Second Penang Bridge concessionaire to recover RM4.5b construction cost within 10 yrs

KUALA LUMPUR: Jambatan Kedua Sdn Bhd (JKSB) aims to recover the construction cost of RM4.5bil for the Second Penang Bridge within 10 years of the bridge operation.

Its managing director, Datuk Dr Ismail Mohamed Taib, was positive that the construction cost would be recovered within the timeframe due to rapid development in the surrounding areas.

He also noted that the Batu Kawan and Balik Pulau areas would benefit from the Second Penang Bridge as economic activities become more focused in the districts with the new bridge.

"The (Federal) government wants the development in the Penang state to be balanced. Currently, it is concentrated on the north of Penang, which is George Town and Butterworth," he told Bernama.

The Second Penang Bridge, which connects Batu Kawan on the mainland and Batu Maung on the island, when completed by September 2013 will be the longest in Southeast Asia with a total length over water of 16.9 km.

It will be a seismic-resistant bridge when completed, able to withstand tremors of a 8.2 Richter-scale earthquake with an epicentre about 300km away.

JKSB targets to achieve 90 per cent progress by the end of 2012 and expects the bridge to be open to the public by November 2013, said Ismail.

Red Giants tie Kubala for AFC Cup

Former Perak imports, Michal Kubala be sheathed Selangor jersey for the AFC Cup next year.
After Ramez Dayoub and Forkey Doe strengthen Selangor for the Malaysian Laegue, Selangor has met the quota for import players with the AFC Cup, there are two players from Europe.
"We have to get Michal Kubala and another defender from the Czech Republic for the AFC Cup later.
"They are already in Kuala Lumpur and will be with the team after we returned from Orissa." said Selangor coach, Irfan Bakti.
Selangor is now in Kedah to action today friendship with Perlis and Kedah will meet on Dec. 30.
Kubala, who scored 14 goals last season for Perak today has undergone medical tests and will contract for six months training with The Red Giants next week.

Only 7 stadium pass to play at night

FAM decided seven stadiums allowed to hold a Malaysia League match at night and the rest will be played in the afternoon.
According to the Chairman of the Local Competition (JKPT) FAM, Datuk Hamidin Mohd. Amin, according to the rules 2013-2014, every stadium should have floodlights with more than 1,000 lux brightness level if you want to hold the match in the evening.
"I would like to say that the play in the evening no one, Olympics, Asian and any championship tournament held in Malaysia this afternoon just as accustomed to play at night," he said at a press conference at Wisma FAM, Kelana Jaya, yesterday.
Stadium irregularities had to hold the match in the afternoon.
"Some of the stadiums that will be held the evening of the match is the Selayang Municipal Council Stadium, Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium, Tan Sri Hassan Yunos, MBPJ Stadium, Stadium Hang Jebat Stadium and Perak Stadium.
"However, the Perak Football Association has appealed that they will try to provide floodlights in accordance with standards set out in the next one or two months, and they will compete in Lumut Stadium temporarily until the problem is over," he said.
Matches will take place at 4.45 pm in the evening while the match was conducted in the normal as before 8.45 pm.
"This is not a punishment to those who do not meet the standards but there should be a standard so that it is equivalent to the brightness level internationally by 2015 the 1.200 lux.
"We do not want to be the status quo, but we are concerned that some of the stadiums are not the property of the team but there should be cooperation between the management team and the stadium."

AC Milan's Stephen El Shaarawy believes he would have struggled to break into the first team, had it not been for the club's financial crisis.

The former Genoa youngster found himself on the outskirts of the AC Milan senior team just one season ago, during which manager Massimiliano Allegri picked the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Antonio Cassano to lead the line for the Rossoneri. However, the departures of a host of star names in the summer has forced the Milan boss to rely on less established names, and El Shaarawy has emerged as the club's on-form striker after scoring 14 goals in 18 Serie A appearances. 

Speaking to La Stampa, the 20-year old admitted that he never foresaw such a quick change in fortune, and he hoped his rise would open the eyes of other managers to offer their younger players more opportunities.

"It's all a bit unexpected, a year ago, I would never have believed that I would be Serie A top scorer now," El Shaarawy stated.

"The economical crisis has helped me, and lot of youngsters have been given a chance to display skills and they've taken advantage of that. We just needed some space - it makes no sense to go and buy players abroad when you already have good players at home."

Romeu would welcome Villa to Blues

Chelsea midfielder Oriol Romeu would welcome the signing of David Villa if the Spain international ends up moving to Stamford Bridge during the transfer window.

Chelsea have been closely linked with a move for the 31-year-old striker, who has been in and out of the Barcelona starting line-up this season since returning from his long injury lay-off after breaking his leg.

Barca sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta said earlier this week the Nou Camp outfit had no intention of letting Villa leave in January, but Romeu would be delighted if his fellow Spaniard did make the switch to Chelsea.

"I don't know that Villa's situation is, but if a great player like him comes, the record goalscorer with the national team, he would be welcomed and we would be happy," Romeu, who earlier this month underwent surgery on a serious knee injury, was quoted as telling Spanish radio show Esports Cope.

Welbeck: Red Devils in a great position

Manchester United's Danny Welbeck admitted he was still trying to find his footing in the new season, but was pleased with the team's good form.

As Wayne Rooney's strike partner for Manchester United in the previous campaign, Welbeck made 23 Premier League starts for the team, scoring nine goals. However, the arrival of former Arsenal captain Robin van Persie and Javier Hernandez's return from injury has limited the Englishman to just six starting appearances in the 2012/13 season.

Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson has often shuttled Welbeck out to the wing, but the club's academy graduate told United Review that he was still relishing his playing time with the team.

"It’s [the season] been a bit stop-start. I’ve not been playing in my favoured position up front – I’ve been on the wing in most games – so it’s been different to last season, when I played mostly as a striker," Welbeck admitted.

"But I’m enjoying it, the team is playing well and we’re in a great position in the league, which is the most important thing."

Rodgers calls for Reds to show "steel"

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has called on his players to find their steely side in order to cut out the inconsistencies which have dogged their season.

In the last three matches the Reds have surprisingly lost at home to Aston Villa, hammered Fulham 4-0 and then capitulated at Stoke having been a goal up.

Instead of being within touching distance of the top four, which was the main aim this season, Liverpool are 10th and looking an increasingly distant eight points back.

The lack of bite was a concern at the Britannia Stadium, where the Merseysiders invariably have a bad time having failed to win there since the Potters promotion to the Barclays Premier League, and Rodgers admits they have to toughen up physically and mentally.

"If you are going to affect the top of the league, which is what we want to do in years to come, you have to have more steel than that," said the Reds boss.

"But if you concede goals like that it is going to be difficult to win games anywhere.

Cech: Blues defending better as a team

Petr Cech declared Chelsea were back to their best after they combined successive Premier League wins with clean sheets for the first time in more than a year.

The 1-0 victory at Norwich on Boxing Day made it six points from six over the Christmas period for the European champions, who have also yet to concede in that time.

Not since games against Wolves and Newcastle in November last year had Chelsea enjoyed back-to-back league wins and clean sheets at the same time, while they had been shipping goals at an alarming rate before Rafael Benitez's arrival as interim manager.

That was simply unacceptable for goalkeeper Cech, who has spent most of his Stamford Bridge career playing behind one of the stingiest back fours around.

And having previously laid into his team-mates for gifting the opposition too many chances this season, the 30-year-old was quick to praise their rediscovered resilience.

"We were conceding too many goals, playing really open," Cech said, hailing the recent shift as "a very good sign".

"Suddenly, we are defending as a team much better - that is the key.

"Now we are back to our ways when we are difficult to score against."

Part of Chelsea's problem had been that their back four was being left exposed by the apparent unwillingness by their team-mates to track back.

Cech added: "I think we need the whole team to defend.

"We have really attacking-minded players. Sometimes, we were not making the right choices in terms of defensive transitions and that is what has improved. We are passing more and organising."

Nelson Mandela "not yet fully recovered" -spokesman

JOHANNESBURG - Former South African President Nelson Mandela is doing well after being discharged from hospital, although he is still not fully recovered, a government spokesman said on Thursday.

"He is not yet fully recovered, but he has sufficiently moved forward so that he can be discharged," Mac Maharaj told local broadcaster eNCA.

Former South African president Nelson Mandela looks on as he celebrates his birthday at his house in Qunu, Eastern Cape July 18, 2012.

"He is sufficiently well to be home."

The 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, ending a nearly three-week stay during which he was treated for a lung infection and had surgery to remove gallstones.

Mandela, who has been in frail health for several years, is now receiving care at his suburban Johannesburg home.

Mandela has a history of lung problems dating back to when he contracted tuberculosis while in jail as a political prisoner. He spent 27 years in prison, including 18 years on the windswept Robben Island off Cape Town.

The former president was admitted to a Pretoria hospital on December 8 and this was his longest stay in a hospital since he was released from prison in 1990.

Current President Jacob Zuma visited Mandela on Christmas Day and said the former South African leader was doing much better, making progress and in good spirits.

Mandela was also admitted to a hospital in February because of abdominal pain but released the following day after a keyhole examination showed there was nothing seriously wrong with him.

He has spent most of his time since then in another home in Qunu, his ancestral village in the impoverished Eastern Cape province.

Syria to discuss Brahimi peace proposals with Russia

BEIRUT - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad sent a senior diplomat to Moscow on Wednesday to discuss proposals to end the conflict convulsing his country made by international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, Syrian and Lebanese sources said.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (R) meets International peace envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi in Damascus December 24, 2012 in this handout photograph released by Syria's national news agency SANA.

Brahimi, who saw Assad on Monday and is planning to hold a series of meetings with Syrian officials and dissidents in Damascus this week, is trying to broker a peaceful transfer of power, but has disclosed little about how this might be done.

More than 44,000 Syrians have been killed in a revolt against four decades of Assad family rule, a conflict that began with peaceful protests in March last year, but which has descended into civil war.

A video posted by rebels on Wednesday showed the bodies of dozens of soldiers executed by a roadside. At least one of them appeared to have been beaten to death. The United Nations and rights group say the military and rebels have both committed war crimes, but have so far placed most of the blame on the army.

Past peace efforts have floundered, with world powers divided over what has become an increasingly sectarian struggle between mostly Sunni Muslim rebels and Assad's security forces, drawn primarily from his Shi'ite-rooted Alawite minority.

Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Makdad flew to Moscow to discuss the details of the talks with Brahimi, said a Syrian security source, who would not say if a deal was in the works.

However, a Lebanese official close to Damascus said Makdad had been sent to seek Russian advice on a possible agreement.

He said Syrian officials were upbeat after talks with Brahimi, the U.N.-Arab League envoy, who met Foreign Minister Walid Moualem on Tuesday a day after his session with Assad, but who has not outlined his ideas in public.

"There is a new mood now and something good is happening," the official said, asking not to be named. He gave no details.

Russia, which has given Assad diplomatic and military aid to help him weather the 21-month-old uprising, has said it is not protecting him, but has fiercely criticised any foreign backing for rebels and, with China, has blocked U.N. Security Council action on Syria.

SEEKING A SETTLEMENT

A Russian Foreign Ministry source said Makdad and an aide would meet Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Mikhail Bogdanov, the Kremlin's special envoy for Middle East affairs, on Thursday, but did not disclose the nature of the talks.

On Saturday, Lavrov said Syria's civil war had reached a stalemate, saying international efforts to get Assad to quit would fail. Bogdanov had earlier acknowledged that Syrian rebels were gaining ground and might win.

Given the scale of the bloodshed and destruction, Assad's opponents insist the Syrian president must go.

Moaz Alkhatib, head of the internationally-recognised Syrian National Coalition opposition, has criticised any notion of a transitional government in which Assad would stay on as a figurehead president stripped of real powers.

French troops to protect its nationals, not CAR government - Hollande

PARIS  - France maintains a presence in the Central African Republic to protect its interests and French citizens, not the government of President Francois Bozize, French President Francois Hollande said on Thursday.

"If we have a presence, it's not to protect a regime, it's to protect our nationals and our interests and in no way to intervene in the internal business of a country, in this case the Central African Republic," Hollande said.

"Those days are over," Hollande added, speaking on the sidelines of a visit to a wholesale food market outside Paris.

For Obama's second inauguration, a subdued, less crowded Washington

WASHINGTON  - It is one of those occasions that is quintessential Washington: the inauguration of a president, a multi-day festival of patriotism, politics, optimism and self-congratulation.

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about the fiscal cliff at the White House in Washington December 21, 2012.

All of that will be on display on January 21, when President Barack Obama is publicly sworn in for his second four-year term. But this inauguration will be far less grand than Obama's first in 2009, when a record 1.8 million visitors flooded the city to see the nation's first black president take office.

This time the celebration is likely to attract no more than 800,000 or so guests, city officials estimate. As a result, some luxury hotel rooms and coveted tables at high-end restaurants are still available, less than a month before the inauguration.

The swanky Mandarin Oriental Hotel, with its sweeping views of the National Mall, initially required inauguration guests to make reservations for four nights. Now it has relaxed that requirement to three nights to try to fill its rooms.

But the "inauguration markup" still applies: The Mandarin's least expensive room, normally available for $295 a night, starts at $1,195 a night during the long inauguration weekend.

Even so, the demand for hotel and restaurant reservations for this inauguration pales compared with the rush that followed Obama's first election.

Back then, the scramble for accommodation was so desperate that homeowners and renters in Washington and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs leased their homes for the inauguration, creating a vast secondary market in housing that week.

Hundreds of those homeowners - including former Tennessee senator and actor and Fred Thompson, who offered to rent out his condominium for five days for $30,000 - sought to profit from the festivities and leave town to avoid the crowds.

Today the website Craigslist shows only a few dozen ads offering housing for the inauguration.

"They swarmed to the market last time," said real estate agent Hill Slowinski, who deals in luxury properties. "We are not seeing the same level of interest" this year.

The story is similar at the Palm restaurant, which offers a $54 rib-eye steak and is a favorite of Democratic power brokers. Some tables are still free for Sunday night, January 20, the evening before the ceremony.

Looking over the reservations for that night, Tommy Jacomo, who has run the restaurant for four decades, said: "It's mediocre. Nothing out of the ordinary."

Jacomo said that for many of Obama's supporters, the 2009 inaugural celebration was a history-making one that can't be topped.

"The second time, it's always not that big," he said.

That has been the case in recent second-term inaugurations, particularly Republican Ronald Reagan's in 1985. Thanks to brutally cold weather, that became a mostly-indoor affair in which Reagan took the oath of office and delivered his inaugural address in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda rather than outside the Capitol.

For Obama's second inauguration, the thrill might be lessened further by the fact that he will take the official oath of office from Chief Justice John Roberts in a closed ceremony the day before the public festivities - on January 20, as required by law.

Russian parliament approves ban on American adoptions

MOSCOW - A bill banning Americans from adopting Russian children went to President Vladimir Putin for his signature on Wednesday after winning final approval from parliament in retaliation for a U.S. law that targets Russian human rights abusers.

Orphan children play in their bedroom at an orphanage in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, December 19, 2012.

Putin has strongly hinted he will sign the bill, which would also outlaw some U.S.-funded non-governmental groups and impose visa bans and asset freezes on Americans accused of violating the rights of Russians.

The Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament, voted unanimously to approve the bill, which has clouded U.S.-Russia relations and outraged Russian liberals who say lawmakers are playing a political game with the lives of children.

U.S.-Russia ties are already strained over issues ranging from Syria to the Kremlin's treatment of opponents and restrictions imposed on civil society groups since Putin, in power since 2000, began a new six-year term in May.

The bill has also drawn unusual criticism from senior government officials including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Olga Golodets, a deputy prime minister who warned the Kremlin that it may violate an international convention on children's rights.

Lavrov said last week that the ban would be "wrong", and that Russia should stand by a long-awaited bilateral accord that improves its ability to keep tabs on children adopted by Americans, which entered into force on November 1.

But Lavrov appears to have backed down. Foreign Ministry officials said on Wednesday that the bill would not violate the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, and Russia would take steps to halt the bilateral agreement.

Putin has described the bill as an emotional but appropriate response to U.S. legislation he said was poisoning relations.

U.S. President Barack Obama this month signed off on the Magnitsky Act, which imposes visa bans and asset freezes on Russians accused of human rights violations, including those linked to the death in custody of an anti-graft lawyer in 2009.

Nicaragua volcano spews ash cloud, residents evacuated

MANAGUA - Nicaragua's tallest volcano has belched an ash cloud hundreds of meters (feet) into the sky in the latest bout of sporadic activity, prompting the evacuation of nearby residents, the government said on Wednesday.

The 5,725-foot (1,745-meter) San Cristobal volcano, which sits around 85 miles (135 km) north of the capital Managua in the country's northwest, has been active in recent years, and went through a similar episode in September.

The latest activity began late on Tuesday.

Vidal confident in Juventus' treble ambitions

Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal is of the opinion that the Bianconeri can secure an historic treble this season.

The Old Lady hold an eight-point advantage in Serie A, and are through to the next stage of both the Coppa Italia and the Champions League.

While Vidal has stressed that a successful defence of their Scudetto crown is the main objective, he believes the side are capable of achieving even more.

"The intention is to get back to winning the title. And then we'll try with the Champions League and the Italian Cup," he was quoted as saying by Tuttosport. 

"We are well prepared for the three competitions. I have many positive feelings about this season, and a lot of confidence that everything will be realized."

Nagatomo: Losing easy games is Inter’s weakness

Yuto Nagatomo believes Inter trail Juventus in the Serie A table because of their inability to win "easier games".

The Bianconeri top Serie A with 44 points from 18 games, while the Nerazzurri - who had a rocky start to the campaign - are lagging nine points off the lead in fourth, with Lazio and Fiorentina also ahead of them.

The Japan full-back told ANSA: "I think Juventus are very good in the easier games, whereas we've lost a few points in those. Our squad is still a work in progress, but we have huge potential."

Boateng: El Shaarawy can be the new Ibrahimovic

Kevin-Prince Boateng has lavished praise on AC Milan striker Stephan El Shaarawy, claiming he can become the new Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The Italian has been a revelation for the Rossoneri since the Swede's departure last summer, notching 16 goals so far this season, and the Ghana international believes the 20-year-old is fast becoming a player of high calibre.

 "We almost have a new Ibrahimovic: if El Shaarawy continues like this, he will surely become that," Boateng told Die Welt.

"With a striker like Ibrahimovic, players like me and Nocerino had more space and therefore more chances to score. Now it is a bit more difficult, but we have improved a lot and we can do even more."