Chavez working amid chemotherapy: VP

CARACAS: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is still in charge and mulling political, social and economic policies even as he receives a new round of chemotherapy, his vice president said Saturday.

Vice President Nicolas Maduro said that the socialist leader, who is convalescing in seclusion at a Caracas military hospital, sent "guidance" to his Cabinet as recently as Friday.

"He is staying informed and in charge as chief who was ratified by our people various times," Maduro said during an event broadcast on state-run television. "Comandante Chavez is the supreme leader of the Bolivarian revolution."

The opposition says the government is lying about Chavez's condition and has voiced doubts that the 58-year-old president held a five-hour meeting with his Cabinet on February 22 as the government claims.

But Maduro repeated that the meeting took place and that the president sent more instructions the next day with Science Minister Jorge Arreaza, his son-in-law, before giving more guidance on Friday.

The leftist leader's chosen successor showed a dossier containing "political, social and economic actions" that Chavez has requested "to continue strengthening the economy to face the economic war of the parasitic bourgeoisie."

The "central document" will be sent to Chavez, he said, adding that the government was "respecting his treatment, we are not acting in an invasive way in his treatment."

Chavez, who was first diagnosed with cancer in June 2011, underwent a fourth round of surgery in Cuba in December.

Maduro disclosed for the first time late Friday that Chavez began a new cycle of chemotherapy in January and decided to return to Caracas last month to continue a "more intense" phase of treatment.

- AFP/ir

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Chilling documentary accuses Sri Lanka of war crimes

GENEVA: The Sri Lankan military committed numerous war crimes during the final months of the country's 26-year civil war, according to a documentary aired for the first time on Friday, amid vigorous protests from Colombo.

Using graphic video and pictures taken both by retreating Tamil Tiger rebels, civilians and victorious Sri Lankan troops, "No Fire Zone -- The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka" presents a chilling picture of the final 138 days of the conflict that ended in May 2009.

Filmmaker Callum Macrae insisted before the screening that the film at the UN headquarters in Geneva that it should be seen as "evidence" of the "war crimes and crimes against humanity" committed by government troops.

"The real truth is coming out," he said.

Sri Lanka's ambassador in Geneva, Ravinatha Aryasinha, strongly protested the screening of the film on the sidelines of the ongoing UN Human Rights Council.

He described it as "part of a cynical, concerted and orchestrated campaign" to influence the debate in the council about his country.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, which hosted the screening, are calling for the council to order an international probe.

They charge that Sri Lanka's domestic Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) has glossed over the military's role.

The film for instance alleges that a "no fire zone" set up by the government in January, 2009, basically functioned as a trap for the hundreds of thousands of civilians who flooded into it in the hope of finding safety.

The area was heavily shelled, and in the film maimed and bloodied bodies, of men, women and children, lay strewn.

The UN has estimated that some 40,000 people were killed in the final months of the war, most of them due to indiscriminate shelling by the Sri Lankan military.

Peter Mackay, a UN worker who was trapped inside the zone for two weeks, questioned in the film why the government would set up the "no fire zone" within range of all of their artillery.

"Either you don't care if you kill the people in that safe zone or you are actively targeting them," he said, adding that he believed the latter was true.

He and others describe how aid-centres and make-shift hospitals were shelled soon after UN or Red Cross workers informed the government of their coordinates, which is ironically standard practice to ensure that such places are spared in bombing campaigns.

The footage provided by the retreating Tamil Tigers and civilians is devastating, showing parents wailing over their dying and dead children, but the images provided by the government forces are perhaps even more shocking.

Video of a Tamil Tigers commander first being interrogated, and then a picture of his mutilated body in the dirt; naked and bound prisoners coldly executed; dead, naked women, who have clearly been sexually abused filmed amid degrading comments by onlooking soldiers.

And then there is footage of the 12-year-old son of Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, Balachandran, whose body is seen with five bullet holes in his chest.

He was not caught in cross-fire: a separate video shot two hours earlier, shows him sitting in military custody in a bunker eating a biscuit.

The Sri Lankan government has cast doubt on the authenticity of the footage, with Aryasinha insisting on Friday it was of "dubious origin".

Macrae however insisted that all the footage had been carefully checked and analysed to ensure none of it had been tampered with.

"All of it is, I'm afraid, genuine," he said.

- AFP/fa

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Needy families on public assistance scheme to get higher payouts

SINGAPORE: From April, Public Assistance (PA) recipients can look forward to a higher level of assistance that is flexible and customised to their needs.

The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) will enhance the PA scheme by providing additional assistance, other than a higher direct cash handout.

The change will mainly benefit those with special or once-off needs.

For example, additional assistance will be given to those who need healthcare and hygiene products such as adult diapers and nutritional milk supplements, or those who need once-off purchase or replacement of equipment such as a commode.

The ministry expects about one-third of existing PA households to benefit from the additional forms of assistance.

There are currently over 3,000 households on public assistance.

The cash assistance for all PA households will also be increased. The increase will range from S$50 per month for a one-person PA household to S$130 per month for a four-person PA household.

PA families with dependent children will continue to receive additional cash assistance of S$150 per child.

The ministry also added that the revision is part of the regular review of basic cash assistance rates to ensure that they are adequate to meet the needs of PA households.

- CNA/ck

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New SDPC mark for cigarettes from 1 March

SINGAPORE: From 1 March, cigarettes sold in Singapore which do not bear the new Singapore Duty-Paid Cigarette (SDPC) mark will be deemed duty-unpaid and illegal.

The new SDPC mark features a series of vertical bars around the cigarette stick.

The Singapore Customs said this allows enforcement officers and the public to easily differentiate duty-paid cigarettes from duty-unpaid or contraband cigarettes.

This measure will also enhance the effectiveness of the anti-contraband cigarette operations that Singapore Customs conducts across the island to curb the selling, buying and possession of contraband cigarettes.

To give manufacturers and retailers sufficient time to phase in the new SDPC mark, cigarettes bearing the new SDPC mark were allowed to be sold from 1 December 2012.

Travellers who bring in cigarettes from overseas for their own consumption are required to declare them at the Customs Red Channel for payment of duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST).

And they are advised to keep the receipt issued by Singapore Customs as proof of payment of duty and GST.

Those who buy, sell, deliver, store, keep, possess or deal with duty-unpaid goods face stiff penalties.

They could be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty evaded and jailed for up to six years.

Members of the public with information on smuggling activities or evasion of Customs duty or GST should contact Singapore Customs on its hotline 1800-2330000 or email customs_intelligence@customs.gov.sg.

- CNA/ck

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Yahoo! fuels fresh debate on telecommuting

WASHINGTON: Telecommuting, a growing trend in the US workplace, is coming under fresh scrutiny following news that Yahoo! is curbing the practice.

The trend of working from home has been gaining steam for decades, as part of a workplace evolution which allows greater family-work balance and saves energy and commuting costs.

An internal Yahoo! memo from chief executive Marissa Meyer posted this week by the Wall Street Journal said employees will be required to come to their offices to "feel the energy and buzz" of the workplace.

"Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home. We need to be one Yahoo!, and that starts with physically being together," according to the report.

Asked about the memo, a Yahoo! spokesman said Tuesday, "We don't discuss internal matters," but essentially confirmed the news by saying: "This isn't a broad industry view on working from home -- this is about what is right for Yahoo!, right now."

The shift counters the overall trend: some 53 per cent of US employers offered flexible work options in 2012, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. That compares with 48 per cent in 2007.

A 2011 report by the US Labor Department found 24 per cent of employed Americans reporting that they work at least some hours at home each week.

The trend is particularly noticeable in IT firms, where companies take advantage of technology to have virtual access to what they would have at the office.

Cisco Systems, which develops virtual private networks for remote access, said 40 per cent of its employees are not in the same city as their manager, and the average employee telecommutes two days a week.

IBM, another strong telework advocate, said 29 per cent of its 128,000 employees participate in a flex-work or work at home program, and that in 2011, in the US alone, this saved 6.4 million gallons of fuel and avoided more than 50,000 metric tons of carbon emissions.

The move by Yahoo! "goes against the grain of where a lot of organizations are going today," said Cindy Auten, general manager of Mobile Work Exchange, a public-private partnership that promotes telework.

"This is especially important in the tech industry; they are focused on recruiting and retaining the best and brightest."

Auten said telework is "a huge recruitment and retention tool," seen as a near necessity at some firms now, with the option offered in 85 per cent of the employers rated as "best places to work."

She said telecommuting often improves productivity, but that in cases where it fails, "it may uncover other weaknesses" in an organization.

The Yahoo! decision drew criticism from others, including Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, who said in a tweet: "Perplexed by Yahoo! stopping remote working. Give people the freedom of where to work & they will excel."

Kelly Ann Collins, a Washington marketing consultant who blogs on work and family issues, called the Yahoo! move confusing.

"High-tech companies like Yahoo! that are completely digital have the ability to make the lives of their employees so much better," she wrote.

"Telecommuting is not only efficient, it is better for team morale and employee retention. It makes for happier employees that (actually like to) produce top-notch work."

But some analysts say Yahoo!'s move could be positive, even if it drives away those seeking a more flexible environment.

"Yahoo! is in a creative innovation race and they need to get back to their roots," said John Challenger, chief executive of the consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

"There are great benefits to telecommuting, and there are more companies that need to do more telecommuting, but (Yahoo!) is a case where they are seeking to pull themselves out from a position where they have been behind the curve."

Even before the Yahoo! news, some data suggested telecommuting was not the panacea it was cracked up to be.

The Labor Department report found that telecommuters often ended up working more hours than if they had come into the office, effectively doing overtime work without compensation.

"The ability of employees to work at home may actually allow employers to raise expectations for work availability during evenings and weekends and foster longer workdays and workweeks," the report said.

But Challenger said Yahoo! will not be able to turn back the clock completely, and that some employees are likely to do some of their work from home, despite the new policy,

"Some people have always worked from home," he said. "And now technology allows them to work on the weekends, at night or on vacation. There is no boundary between work and home anymore."

- AFP/ck

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DKNY apologizes for using photos without permission

NEW YORK: Donna Karan New York apologised Monday for having displayed, without permission, portraits taken by a New York photographer in its Bangkok shop windows.

The fashion house also announced, in its statement, that it was donating $25,000 to a charity chosen by and in the name of the photographer, Brandon Stanton.

Stanton, who was alerted to the Bangkok display by a fan, wrote a post Monday morning on the Facebook page of his blog "Humans of New York," condemning the use of his photos without his authorisation.

The photographer said that, several months ago, DKNY had offered him $15,000 to buy 300 photos to display in their shop windows around the world, but that he refused, judging the offer insufficient.

"I don't want any money. But please REBLOG this post if you think that DKNY should donate $100,000 on my behalf to the YMCA in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn," he wrote.

By Monday afternoon, Stanton's post was shared more than 35,000 times on Facebook, prompting DKNY's response.

The company apologised, saying the Bangkok store had mistakenly used the images from an internal mock-up.

"We apologize for this error and are working to ensure that only the approved artwork is used," the statement said.

Stanton, 27, launched his blog featuring his photos of people and life in New York City in 2010. The blog's Facebook page has more than 560,000 "likes."

-AFP/sb

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N. Korea nuclear test a threat to Koreans' survival: Park

SEOUL: South Korea's new president Park Geun-Hye on Monday labelled North Korea's nuclear test a threat to the survival of the Korean people, but vowed a "step-by-step" policy of engagement with Pyongyang.

"North Korea's recent nuclear test is a challenge to the survival and future of the Korean people," Park said in her inauguration speech after being sworn in as South Korea's first female president.

- AFP/ck

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Woodlands Regional Centre to have two distinct precincts

SINGAPORE: The Woodlands Regional Centre, which aims to bring jobs closer to homes, will have two distinct precincts.

National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan revealed this as he unveiled preliminary plans for the regional centre at a community event in Woodlands on Sunday.

One of the precincts will for now be called the Woodlands North Coast and will include the area between the Republic Polytechnic and the Woodlands Waterfront.

The National Development Ministry said it will be a waterfront destination with a vibrant mix of business, residential and lifestyle uses.

Woodlands Central, the area around the Woodlands MRT station, will form the other precinct.

There will be a commercial centre for residents to shop, eat and participate in community events.

There will also be retail malls that are inter-connected with MRT stations and bus interchange.

Two new MRT stations will be added to the area when the Thomson Line is fully completed by 2021.

The Woodlands Regional Centre, like its predecessors in Tampines and Jurong, will take 15 to 20 years to develop.

Woodlands will be a key part of the new North Coast Innovation Corridor announced in the Land Use Plan last month.

The corridor spans Woodlands, Sembawang, the future Seletar Regional Centre and Punggol.

The plans for the Woodlands Regional Centre will be fine-tuned, as the public is invited to give their ideas on the development including the names for the two precincts.

A draft masterplan will then be exhibited later this year.

- CNA/ir

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Microsoft added to hacker hit list

SAN FRANCISCO - Microsoft joined Facebook and Apple on Friday on the list of US technology titans targeted in recent cyberattacks.

"As reported by Facebook and Apple, Microsoft can confirm that we also recently experienced a similar security intrusion," Trustworthy Computing team general manager Matt Thomlinson said in a blog post.

"During our investigation, we found a small number of computers, including some in our Mac business unit, that were infected by malicious software using techniques similar to those documented by other organizations."

There was no evidence customer data was stolen but an investigation into the attack was continuing, according to Thomlinson.

"This type of cyberattack is no surprise to Microsoft and other companies that must grapple with determined and persistent adversaries," he said.

Apple said Tuesday that hackers invaded its system in an attack similar to one recently carried out against Facebook, but that it repelled the intruders before its data was plundered.

The maker of iPhones, iPads, iPods and Macintosh computers said it was working with law enforcement officials to hunt down the hackers, who appeared tied to a series of recent cyberattacks on US technology firms.

"The malware was employed in an attack against Apple and other companies, and was spread through a website for software developers," Apple told AFP.

The malicious software, or malware, took advantage of a vulnerability in a Java program used as a "plug-in" for Web-browsing programs.

A "small number" of computer systems at Apple were infected but they were isolated from the main network, according the Silicon Valley-based company.

"There is no evidence that any data left Apple," Apple said.

Word of hackers hitting Apple came just days after leading social network Facebook said it was "targeted in a sophisticated attack" last month, but that no user data was compromised.

Facebook said malware that infected some of its machines came from a mobile developer website that had been booby-trapped.

Early this month, Twitter said it was hammered by a cyberattack similar to those that recently hit major Western news outlets, and that the passwords of about 250,000 users were stolen.

While those behind the attacks had yet to be identified, computer security industry specialists have expressed suspicions about China-sponsored hackers and Eastern European crime gangs.

- AFP/ir

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United Airlines extends 787 grounding to May

WASHINGTON: United Airlines said Thursday it expected to keep its six Boeing 787s out of service until May 12, as the cutting-edge airplane remained grounded worldwide due to battery problems.

United, the only US airline with the 787 Dreamliner, just two days ago announced it would keep them on the ground through March 30.

United has "tentatively" scheduled a 787 on its Denver route to Tokyo's Narita International Airport on May 12, UAL spokeswoman Christen David said in an emailed response to an AFP query.

"We are taking the 787 out of our schedule through June 5, except for Denver-Narita," she said.

A person close to the airline's situation noted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigation of overheated lithium-ion batteries on the 787 was ongoing and schedule adjustments were necessary.

All 50 787s in service around the world have been banned from flight since January 16 after a battery fire on a parked plane and battery smoke on another one forced an emergency landing.

US and foreign investigators have reported progress in the probe of the lithium-ion batteries but have yet to pinpoint the cause of the problems.

Boeing is set to propose temporary fixes to the battery problems to US air-safety regulators Friday and could have them back in the air in two months, The New York Times reported.

The Times, citing industry and federal officials, said Boeing had narrowed down the ways in which the lithium-ion batteries could fail, concluding they would be safe to use after making changes such as adding insulation between the battery cells.

Boeing commercial airplane division chief Raymond Conner will unveil the proposals in a meeting Friday with FAA chief Michael Huerta, according to the Times.

Federal officials told the newspaper the aircraft could be back in the air by April if the fixes are approved.

A Boeing spokesman said the aerospace giant was aware of United's 787 schedule adjustments and reiterated the company's regret about the impact of the groundings on its customers.

Asked about the media reports that Boeing intends to submit a proposed battery fix to the FAA Friday, the spokesman declined to comment.

- AFP/ck

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Oil down in Asian trade

SINGAPORE: Oil prices were down in Asia on Thursday as the dollar strengthened and amid market speculation that Saudi Arabian crude production could increase in the coming months, analysts said.

New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in April, shed 57 cents to $94.65 a barrel and Brent North Sea crude for delivery in April dropped 61 cents to $114.99.

The retreat in oil prices was driven by "prospects of increasing supply out of Saudi Arabia in the coming months," said Sanjeev Gupta, who heads the Asia-Pacific oil and gas practice at Ernst & Young.

Market chatter suggested that Saudi Arabia was planning to increase production to meet rising demand from countries such as China.

An increase in production usually puts a downward pressure on prices.

Another factor was the stronger US dollar, which rose Wednesday after minutes of the latest US Federal Reserve policy meeting were released.

Minutes of the January 29-30 meeting suggested the central bank could begin tightening its monetary policy even before the US labour market picks up.

"Such belief has caused the dollar to rally against the euro, making commodities less desirable," Phillip Futures said in a market commentary.

- AFP/ck

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Ubisoft sells rivals' games in online shop

SAN FRANCISCO: French videogame maker Ubisoft began selling computer games made by Electronic Arts, Warner Brothers and other rivals at its online Uplay shop.

California-based Electronic Arts, in turn, added Ubisoft hits including "Assassin's Creed III" and "Far Cry 3" to its Origin network for play as the companies ramped up their challenge to Valve Corporation's Steam service.

Third-party computer games available for download from the Uplay shop include a game-of-the-year edition of "Batman: Arkham City" and "Crysis 3," according to Ubisoft.

"We're thrilled to be bringing EA titles to Uplay and Ubisoft titles to Origin -- the more choice for consumers, the better in today's gaming world," said Origin vice president of production Michael Blank.

"Offering games like Dead Space 3, Need for Speed Most Wanted and more on Uplay is a great opportunity to reach even more PC gamers worldwide."

Uplay is an online gaming community boasting 50 million members who access the service from videogame consoles, mobile gadgets, or personal computers.

"Adding excellent titles from EA, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and many other top developers to Uplay shop means that players now have more choice in where and how they purchase games online," said Ubisoft vice president of digital publishing Chris Early.

Origin reports having nearly 40 million users who sign on to play or buy games using computers powered by Windows or Macintosh software, or iPhones, iPads or iPod touch devices.

At the start of this year, Steam network for game software and online play was reported to have more than 54 million active users and laid claim to the lion's share of the videogame digital distribution market.

- AFP/sf

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Shares in Australia's APN hit after directors quit

SYDNEY: Shares in Australian media firm APN News and Media plunged Tuesday after a walkout from board members over a capital raising dispute with major shareholder Ireland's Independent News and Media.

APN, owner of several Australian radio stations, billboard advertising assets, regional newspapers and some of New Zealand's top titles, said its chairman, CEO and three directors had resigned over a financial impasse.

"While the board agreed the company needed to reduce its debt, it was unable to agree on the methodology," APN said in a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) after the close of trading on Monday.

"Independent News and Media and its major shareholder, together with (fund manager) Allan Gray -- representing approximately 51 percent of APN's shares -- have unequivocally indicated they are opposed to a capital raising at the present time."

Australian-listed shares in the media group slumped more than 13 percent at the open Tuesday. They were down 11.11 percent in neighbouring New Zealand.

The departures had been expected, with Irish tycoon Tony O'Reilly's INM requesting the removal of six directors, including the chairman and CEO, in favour of establishing a new board. A sixth board member is to retire as planned in April.

APN had intended to launch an Aus$150 million (US$155 million) rights issue in conjunction with its full-year earnings results later this week.

Those who resigned, including chairman Peter Hunt and CEO Brett Chenoweth, had advocated this approach as consistent with "a continued focus on repositioning the publishing business and potential asset sales."

The remaining board members believed that "consideration of an equity raising should be undertaken in a time frame that allowed other options to be pursued", APN said.

"The departing directors have a different view on gearing levels to the major shareholders, and in light of their opposing position it is not tenable for them to continue."

APN intends to announce its full-year results on Thursday as planned and has begun the process of recruiting replacements to the board.

O'Reilly failed in a 2007 takeover bid for APN after shareholders rejected his Aus$3 billion offer.

APN publishes 20 daily and more than 100 other newspapers across Australia and New Zealand, including the leading New Zealand Herald national broadsheet. It owns three of New Zealand's top five radio stations.

-AFP/gn

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Yen weakens in Asia after G20 talks

TOKYO: The yen weakened in Asia after G20 finance ministers pledged not to devalue their currencies and avoided targeting Tokyo over the recent plunge in the Japanese unit.

Japan's policy of monetary easing has led to sharp falls in the value of the yen, sparking fears of a global currency war in which rival nations would drive down their currencies to gain a trade advantage.

In the past few months, the dollar has gained about 17 percent on the yen while the euro has jumped about 25 percent against the Japanese currency, leading to charges that Tokyo is manipulating the unit.

But the Japanese government and the Bank of Japan (BoJ) have denied orchestrating a devaluation of the yen, which weakened Monday to 93.81 against the dollar from 93.53 in New York on Friday.

It also lost ground against the euro, which bought 125.26 yen from 124.97 yen in US trade.

The euro also bought $1.3332, compared to $1.3360 in New York on Friday.

The G20 statement issued on Saturday said: "We will refrain from competitive devaluation," adding "we will not target our exchange rates for competitive purposes".

The pledge echoed a recent statement by the G7 richest nations. Neither named Tokyo as a currency manipulator.

The yen's return to a weakening trend -- after rising before the G20 talks on started -- signalled that "exchange rate shifts arising from appropriate domestic monetary and fiscal policies will not be criticised or challenged", National Australia Bank said in a note.

"But direct reference to currencies as a policy objective will be," it added.

"We believe this means the yen is free to weaken, but Japanese officials must refrain from being seen to be goading the yen to weaker levels."

The BoJ, under pressure from Japan's new conservative government, last month unveiled a plan for unlimited monetary easing and an ambitious target for two percent inflation as part of a bid to beat lingering deflation.

A number of senior Japanese officials have speculated publicly about the yen being over-valued based on its previous stronger levels.

Japan's efforts sparked charges of manipulation, particularly in Europe, but others have played down currency war fears, with the International Monetary Fund calling such talk "overblown".

Markets are also watching for the nomination of a new BoJ governor as traders bet that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will choose a candidate who shares his desire for policy easing.

- AFP/ir

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"Argo", "Lincoln" vie for Oscars crown in open race

LOS ANGELES - Steven Spielberg goes into next weekend's Oscars with the most nominations for his presidential "Lincoln" but the momentum is all with Ben Affleck's thriller "Argo" in the Academy Awards home straight.

And while the Hollywood veteran and the young pretender vie for the Oscars best picture crown, several other frontrunners remain hard on their heels, in one of the least predictable Oscar races in recent memory.

Taiwan-born Lee Ang's 3D spectacular "Life of Pi," Osama bin Laden manhunt movie "Zero Dark Thirty" and romcom "Silver Linings Playbook" could all be in with a chance at the Oscars, the climax of Tinseltown's annual awards season.

Spielberg and Lee are frontrunners for best director, while "Lincoln" star Daniel Day-Lewis is widely seen as a shoo-in for best actor. For best actress the hot money is on Jessica Chastain for her part in "Zero Dark Thirty" or "Hunger Games" star Jennifer Lawrence.

But Affleck's Iran hostage drama, despite only winning seven nominations -- against 12 for "Lincoln," 11 for "Life of Pi" and eight each for "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Les Miserables" -- has a clear edge for best picture.

It has swept up top prizes at a string of key awards shows, including the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), Producers Guild of America (PGA), the Directors Guild of America (DGA), and Britain's BAFTA last weekend.

Affleck has gotten used to making acceptance speeches over the last two months -- but he has been tightlipped on his prospects for the all-important 85th Academy Awards, to be held at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre next Sunday.

"I just feel so incredibly honoured to be nominated as a producer for this movie. To be here at the big party," he said at the Oscar Nominees Luncheon, the annual gathering of those in the race, held in Beverly Hills on February 4.

Indeed, his best picture nomination is as a co-producer of the film -- along with George Clooney and Grant Heslov -- rather than as a director, a category in which he was not nominated, in a perceived snub.

Snub or no snub, he will be among presenters at the show, along with a Who's Who of A-listers including Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Downey Jr, Samuel L Jackson, and Meryl Streep.

"Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane will be hosting, a move organizers hope will attract younger viewers among the hundreds of millions watching live around the world.

Other nominees presenting include Chastain -- best actress frontrunner for playing a relentless CIA agent on the hunt for Osama, in Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow's controversial "Zero Dark Thirty".

But Lawrence, star of the "Hunger Games" blockbuster franchise, could also win the category for her portrayal of mixed-up Tiffany to Bradley Cooper's bipolar ex-teacher in "Silver Linings Playbook".

Cooper is up for best actor, along with Hugh Jackman for "Les Miserables", Joaquin Phoenix for "The Master" and Denzel Washington for "Flight" -- but Day-Lewis is widely forecast for a record third Oscar for his "Lincoln" turn.

For best director, 66-year-old Spielberg will be hoping for his first Oscar since "Saving Private Ryan" in 1999.

But he is up against Lee -- whose "Brokeback Mountain" won best picture in 2006 -- as well as Michael Haneke for his Cannes-winning "Amour", David O Russell for "Silver Linings Playbook" and Benh Zeitlin for "Beasts of the Southern Wild".

Best supporting actor nominees are Alan Arkin for "Argo", Robert De Niro for "Silver Linings Playbook", Philip Seymour Hoffman for "The Master", Tommy Lee Jones for "Lincoln" and Christoph Waltz for "Django Unchained".

For supporting actress Anne Hathaway is tipped to win for performance in "Les Miserables" -- including her heart-wrenching close-up rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" -- against Amy Adams for "The Master", Sally Field in "Lincoln", Helen Hunt in "The Sessions" and Jacki Weaver in "Silver Linings Playbook".

The Oscars have a musical theme this year, including a performance by Britain's Adele singing the Oscar-nominated 007 theme tune "Skyfall" as well as by Shirley Bassey and Norah Jones, and Barbra Streisand, in her first Oscars turn since 1977.

- AFP/ir

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Meteor strike in Russia hurts almost 1,000

MOSCOW: A plunging meteor which exploded with a blinding flash above central Russia , set off a shockwave that shattered windows and hurt almost 1,000 people in an event unprecedented in modern times.

Experts insisted the meteor's fiery entry into the atmosphere on Friday was not linked to the asteroid 2012 DA 14, which later passed about 17,200 miles (27,700 kilometres) above the Earth without incident in an unusually close approach.

But the extraordinary event brought morning traffic to a sudden halt in the Urals city of Chelyabinsk as shocked drivers stopped to watch the falling meteor partially burning up in the lower atmosphere and light up the sky.

The fall of such a large meteor estimated as weighing dozens of tonnes was extremely rare, while the number of casualties as a consequence of its burning up around a heavily-inhabited area was unprecedented.

Chelyabinsk regional governor Mikhail Yurevich, quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency, said 950 people were injured, with two-thirds of the injuries light wounds from glass shards and other materials blown out by the shockwave.

Windows were shattered by the shockwave across the city's region with the ministry saying almost 300 buildings were damaged including schools, hospitals, a zinc factory and even an ice hockey stadium.

"At 9:20 am (0320 GMT), an object was observed above Chelyabinsk which flew by at great speed and left a trail behind. Within two minutes there were two bangs," regional emergencies official Yuri Burenko said in a statement.

The office of the local governor said that a meteorite had fallen into a lake outside the town of Chebarkul in the Chelyabinsk region and television images pointed to a six-metre (20-foot) hole in the frozen lake's ice.

However it has yet to be finally confirmed if meteorite fragments made contact with the Earth and there were no reports that any locals had been hurt directly by a falling piece of meteorite.

Schools were closed for the day and theatre shows cancelled across the region after the shock wave blew out windows amid temperatures as low as minus 18 degrees Celsius (zero degrees Fahrenheit).

"Thank God that nothing fell onto inhabited areas," President Vladimir Putin said in a meeting with Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov, ordering him to look into how to warn citizens about such events.

'A large object weighing tonnes'

The Russian Academy of Sciences said in a statement that it estimated the body to be several metres long and weighing several dozen tonnes. "It burned up at a height of 30-50 kilometres... but pieces could have fallen to Earth as meteorites."

The meteor explosion appears to be one of the most stunning cosmic events above Russia since the 1908 Tunguska Event, when a massive blast most scientists blame on an asteroid or a comet impact ripped through Siberia.

"I am scratching my head to think of anything in recorded history when that number of people have been indirectly injured by an object like this... it's very, very rare to have human casualties," Robert Massey, deputy executive secretary of Britain's Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), told AFP.

But he stressed that he saw "absolutely no connection" between the Chelyabinsk event and asteroid 2012 DA 14.

Live images from a telescope at the Gingin Observatory in western Australia showed the asteroid looking like a white streak.

The time of closest approach was about 2:25 pm EST (1925 GMT), said the US space agency NASA, which had called the event "the closest-ever predicted approach to Earth for an object this large."

NASA estimates an asteroid such as 2012 DA 14 flies close to Earth every 40 years on average, but only hits our planet once every 1,200 years.

Paul Chodas, a research scientist in the Near Earth Object Program Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, called the meteor-asteroid combination an "incredible coincidence."

Chodas said it was "virtually impossible" to spot objects such as the meteor that struck Russia, which he called a "tiny asteroid", ahead of time against a daytime sky.

With the meteor quickly a leading trend on Twitter, locals posted amateur footage on YouTube showing men swearing in surprise and fright, and others grinding their cars to a halt.

"First I thought it was a plane falling, but there was no sound from the engine... after a moment a powerful explosion went off," witness Denis Laskov told state television.

The Chelyabinsk region is Russia's industrial heartland, filled with smoke-chugging factories and other huge facilities that include a nuclear power plant and the massive Mayak atomic waste storage and treatment centre.

A spokesman for Rosatom, the Russian nuclear energy state corporation, said that its operations remained unaffected.

The emergencies ministry said radiation levels in the region also did not change and that 20,000 rescue workers had been dispatched to help the injured and locate those requiring help.

- AFP/ck

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Researchers collaborate on system to extend battery lifespan in devices

SINGAPORE: Researchers from Singapore and the US are collaborating to come up with a system that can extend the lifespan of batteries in devices such as laptops and smartphones.

The Institute of Microelectronics (IME) and Stanford University will work to advance innovations in nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS).

NEMS technology is known for its higher energy efficiency.

The system has the ability to stamp out leakage currents that occur during passive standby mode in electronic devices.

Leakage current is one of the leading sources of power consumption in digital systems, using traditional semiconductor switches.

By replacing these traditional switches with NEMS switches, the total power consumption of a digital block can be reduced by up to 10 times.

Dr Lee Jae Wung, the IME Scientist leading the project, said: "One of the challenges in building a reliable NEMS switch is in achieving Thin Film Encapsulation to protect the switch structure and the contact materials from degradation and oxidation by providing proper vacuum condition and/or filling inert gas inside the cavity. IME's capabilities in back end of line compatible materials and processes are expected to contribute strongly in this area."

"NEMS relay has proven to be an effective complement to conventional Si CMOS technology for reducing power consumption. The collaboration with IME will advance this device technology to a manufacturing process that is suitable for co-integration with Si CMOS in practical applications," said Professor Philip Wong, Willard R. and Inez Kerr Professor in the School of Engineering at Stanford University.

The Institute of Microelectronics (IME) is a research institute of the Science and Engineering Research Council of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

- CNA/ck

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Papal 'cohabitation' poses unique Vatican challenge

VATICAN CITY: The Roman Catholic Church faces a unique challenge starting next month when a living former pope begins a "cohabitation" with his successor, both residing in the world's tiniest sovereign state, Vatican City.

The Vatican insists that the German pope, who stunned the world by announcing that he will retire on February 28, wants to keep a low profile in retirement.

"He will live at the Vatican in total discretion," Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said Wednesday. "His presence will in no way be an impediment, interference or a problem."

Nevertheless, Lombardi said the octogenarian's presence would be felt and "appreciated", and did not rule out an advisory role for the future pensioner, whose title has yet to be determined but may be Bishop of Rome Emeritus.

"If his successor wants advice from him he will be totally free to provide it... (but) this would in no way be required" of the former pope, Lombardi said.

Others in the Vatican are more nervous about the unprecedented situation.

Rino Fisichella, head of the Vatican department for the new evangelisation, said the former pope may eventually have to live elsewhere.

The Vatican on Wednesday denied an Internet rumour that the pope would take up permanent residence in the Abbey of Monte Cassino -- a famous monastery that was destroyed in World War II and rebuilt.

The cerebral former theology professor, who will turn 86 in April, is a prolific writer. He is currently completing a work on faith that started out as an encyclical but will have to be published as a book given Benedict's imminent abdication.

He is also expected to spend more time with his beloved cats and playing Beethoven and Mozart compositions on his piano.

An early signal of Benedict's intention to go quietly is his plan to leave the Vatican the day he steps aside, slipping away to the summer papal residence of Castel Gondolfo outside Rome.

The Vatican has been unable to say how long he will stay there, but has stressed he will not have any role in the Conclave of Cardinals that is to elect his successor in the third week of March -- in time for Easter at the end of the month.

His absence will allow workers to prepare the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace for the new pontiff -- and complete renovations of the living quarters for the soon-to-be ex-pope in a former nunnery at the Vatican.

Benedict's choice not to return to his native Bavaria should surprise no one given that he has now lived in Rome for nearly four decades.

The little-known Mater Ecclesiae convent where he will reside was established by the pope's predecessor John Paul II to house cloistered nuns.

Their departure last November, two years earlier than expected, raised few eyebrows at the time but is now cited as one of a series of clues that presaged the pope's shock announcement, according to astute Vatican watchers.

The disused convent is an oasis of calm with its own gardens producing rare roses -- one of them named after John Paul II -- as well as vegetables and citrus fruit.

The peppers, tomatoes, courgettes and cabbages grown in the vegetable garden traditionally supply the papal kitchen.

Spread over three floors, the modern complex has 12 monastic cells upstairs, while the ground floor houses a kitchen, living room, library and chapel.

The cells are sparsely furnished: the only decorations to be seen are wooden crosses and a few paintings depicting scenes from religious life, according to the Vatican.

In retirement, Benedict is to revert to his birth name Joseph Ratzinger -- but canon law experts are looking into whether he can reclaim his status as a cardinal, or whether the new pope can make him a cardinal once again.

Asked if the pope would receive a pension, Lombardi hesitated but said the pope would not go hungry.

"We will ensure he can live a dignified existence," Lombardi said.

Some traditions usually observed at the death of a pope will be observed, notably the destruction of the Fisherman's Ring used to place the papal seal on official Church documents.

"It's an unprecedented situation, we'll see how it goes," Lombardi said.

-AFP/gn

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Obama vows 'firm' action against N.Korea

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama on Tuesday vowed to take "firm action" alongside US allies against the "provocations" of North Korea after the communist state carried out its third nuclear test.

"The regime in North Korea must know that they will only achieve security and prosperity by meeting their international obligations," Obama told Congress in his annual State of the Union address.

"Provocations of the sort we saw last night will only isolate them further, as we stand by our allies, strengthen our own missile defense and lead the world in taking firm action in response to these threats," he said.

Obama in his first term had largely given up hope of changing the behavior of North Korea and instead pursued a series of "strategic patience" of waiting for Pyongyang to make the first move.

But North Korea worked its way back into the headlines less than a day before Obama's speech when it carried out its third nuclear test. Obama spoke earlier Tuesday with South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak.

- AFP/sf

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Asian markets rise in quiet trade

HONG KONG: Asian markets rose in holiday-thinned trade on Tuesday, with Tokyo given a boost by a weaker yen while Sydney was at almost three-year highs as dealers grow confident in the global economic outlook.

With several regional markets still closed for Lunar New Year celebrations, trading was quiet, while dealers look ahead to a meeting of the Group of 20 top economic power at the end of the week.

Tokyo surged 2.43 per cent, Sydney added 0.17 per cent and Seoul gained 0.10 per cent.

Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur were closed for public holidays.

Japanese shares were the big gainers as the yen tumbled against the dollar in New York on Monday after US Treasury official Lael Brainard praised Tokyo's efforts to boost growth and counter deflation.

Analysts say his comments indicate Washington will not support any criticism of Japan's recent monetary easing measures at the G20 meeting on Friday.

Tokyo's recent moves have stoked fears, especially in Europe, of a currency war between the major economies as policymakers seek to devalue their currencies to make exports more competitive.

The dollar stood at 94.28 yen in early Asian trade, from 94.33 yen in New York late Monday.

The euro fetched $1.3403 and 126.36 yen, compared with $1.3404 and 126.42 yen.

"(The dollar/yen) is back in the 94-yen levels," Yoshihiro Okumura, general manager of research at Chibagin Asset Management, told Dow Jones Newswires. "This is going to give a tailwind."

There was little direction from Wall Street, where the Dow fell 0.16 per cent and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq ended flat.

In electronic oil trading New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in March, was down 15 cents to $96.88 a barrel in the morning, while Brent North Sea crude for March was up nine cents to $118.22.

Gold was at $1,643.10 at 0100 GMT.

- AFP/ck

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