February 11,2012

"Romney has a history ofbeing a corporate raider," sheadded. "He made all of hismoney do ing all the thingsthat Wall Street does. We don'twant him as a candidate."

Protesters gathered arounda giant inflatable figure of a catstrangling a worker, a symbolof the "one percent of fat catswho control the economy," oneprotester said.

Others erected tents thathave become the trademark ofthe Occupy movement.

"This country is up for saleto the highest bidder," saidBarry Knight, an Occupy ac-tivist. "We say no. Both sides(...) work no longer for the in-terests of the people. We haveto get rid of the big money inpolitics."

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Sev-eral hundred protesters gath-ered outside a conservativeconclave hosting Republicanpresidential hopefuls yester-day, with frontrunner MittRomney singled out for attackas the candidate of the rich.

The protest outside a Wash-ington hotel where the Conser-vative Political Action Com -mittee (CPAC), a key lobbyinggroup, was holding its annualmeeting was organized by theAFL-CIO labor confederationand other grass-roots organiza-tions, including the anti-capi-talist Occupy Movement.

"The Republican party is aparty running on money, greedand Wall Street," said CindyWalsh, a protester from Balti-more.

will be the Labor and DeliveryRoom, and a children’s sectiondivided by age groups.

The new tower is designedto create 90 new rooms, thirtyrooms divided over threefloors. The rooms will be forone or two persons affordingpatients much more roomspace. Nurses will be able tomonitor all rooms from onecentral station.

Construction time for theentire new area is estimated totake one and a half years. Assoon as the new tower is com-plete, they will proceed withthe renovation of the existingtower, according to JuniorTromp.

Every effort will be madenot to disturb patients withconstruction noises. The workwill be divided into twophases: first they will begin atthe top area of the building andthen the lower area of thebuilding.

Continued on page 3

expects the plans to be drawnup in time to be offered as apublic tender in the month ofJuly and to begin the con-srtruction a month later.

The government’s originalplan was to construct two ad-ditional towers to add to theexisting Hospital tower, ma -king the Dr. Horacio Oduber athree-tower complex. How-ever, this idea was abandoned,which means that the cost willbe considerably less as a resultof that change.

The Infra-Team has anagreement with SOGA, who isfinancing the project, that thefirst phase to be constructedwill be the new tower. The sizeis estimated to be around 10thousand square meters whichis about 60% of the existinghospital space.

It will be a six-story buil -ding with a new and modernemergency room on theground floor. The other areasto be moved to the new tower

ORANJESTAD -- One of thebig projects to be completed by2015 is the renovation and ex-pantion of the Dr. HoracioOduber Hospital. After an in-depth study, research and plan-ning they decided to enlist theservices of an architecturalcompany to come up with a de-sign according to the stramin ofthe government. It is expectedthat by August the pro jectcould be ready to be offered asa pu signing of an MOU,which was followed by thepreparation of the requirementsto employ the services of archi-tects. During this time periodthey were also engaged inadapting several existing laws,which needed to be approvedby Parliament. The SOGAFoundation (Stichting On-roerend Goed Aruba), which isthe foundation responsible forthe management of govern-ment buildings, sought theservices of an expert to assistthem with the entire procedure.

According to Junior Tromp,next week SOGA will besinging the contract with thearchitect who is charged withdrawing up the blue prints. He

Saturday, February 11, 2012

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Architects busy designing Blueprints for new hospital

Gathering of USconservatives attractsprotesters

schools did their utmost on theproject and were able to showtheir creativity and ….whenpresenting their pieces.

First place winners were :Bon Bini Madiki School; 2ndplace: Jacintha Kleuter School;3rd place: St. Francisco Cole-gio Madiki.

The foundation wishes tothank everyone who in oneway or the other helped inmaking this event possible, es-pecially Marlon Sneek. A spe-cial thanks also to Mr. Sprookwith his Organ Grinder.

Recently, the final of the Recy-cle Campaign of SETAR tele-phone cards organized byGabriel Flores Foundation washeld at the YMCA Dakota.

The campaign was heldamong different kindergartenschools to teach the children tobe more aware of their envi-ronment.

The theme of the campaignwas also a celebration ofAruba’s Status Aparte andSETAR N.V.’s 25 years an-niversary.

All the participating

earns a raffle ticket towards afinal drawing for round tripairfare to Bonaire with TiaraAir Aruba. There is no cost ofany kind to enter; the only re-quirement is to subscribe toTHE MORNING NEWS on-line and “like” our Facebookpage; both of which are ab-solutely free!

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by Rosalie Klein

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The end of Carnival 58 is acouple of short weeks away,and this weekend, with theTivoli Lighting Parade tonightand the Oranjestad Children’sCarnival tomorrow, spectatorswith their cameras ready willfind they have a several fantas-tic opportunities to win a threeday/two night stay at the stun-ning Boardwalk Retreat inMalmok.

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The grand prize is a stay atthe stunning Boardwalk Re-treat, across from the MarriottResort and what will be theRitz Carlton. If any facility onAruba deserves the descriptionof “retreat” it is the Boardwalkapartments. Not only are their13 casitas situated among themost gorgeous groupings oftropical fauna, the rooms areamazing, spacious, one-bed-room suites at the minimum,comfortably accommodatingat least 4 or more, fullyequipped with all appliances.

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at Cool Casinopate from the area as rapidly aspossible.

The plans will also includea parking area to relief the ex-isting parking problem theHospital has today. The plansalso take into account any fu-ture expantion.

According to Junior Tromp,they have taken into accountall the requirements and de-mands listed for the past 10years. Only minor changeshave been made to those pre -vious requirements and de-mands. The only majordifference to the originalpropositions is the amount oftowers. Reportedly, all stake-holders are involved in the ex-pansion and renovation plan ofour Dr. Horacio Oduber Hos-pital.

Patients will be moved to thearea that is not under construc-ton and later moved to theother area once the work at onearea is completed. By 2015 therenovation should be com-pleted.

The maintenance of the re -novation and new addition tothe Hospital will be completelyfor the account of the SOGAfoundation. To recapitulate,they have chosen for one newbuilding rather than threebuildings. The new buildingwill be built on the parking lotarea next to the EmergencyRoom. The problem of watersettlement that the Hospoitalhas been battling for a longtime, will also be incorporatedinto the new building plans.They will ensure that all rainwater will have a way to dissi-

Blueprints for new hospital...Continued from page 1


wonderful prizes is a favoriteafter-dinner entertainment, thepinnacle being the selection ofthe winner of the remarkableitem Nash has proudly providedeach year, without fail.

This year, Nash handedover a one-of-a-kind tennisbracelet from Italy featuring 2carats of fine rubies and 2carats modern round brilliantcut diamonds set in 14k yellowgold, valued at $2000.

Both Art and Nash werebeaming at the thought of thefunds this will raise in the sup-plementary raffle to assist theless fortunate. In the years thatFOTH members have beendedicating their time to volun-teering on Aruba, they haveraised over 1.2 million dollars.

Tickets can be purchased forthe Sweetheart Dinner Dancefrom the concierge desk at theRadisson Resort, where it willbe held this Valentine’s Day, be-ginning at 7:00 PM with a tra-ditional “Happy Hour” openbar with Hors D’oeuvres, fol-lowed by a three-course mealwith unlimited wine.

Continued on page 5

The special day for lovers,February 14, fast approaches,and those who really care tomake the day memorable withtheir significant other are snap-ping up tickets for the annualFriends of the HandicappedSweetheart’s Dinner Dance.

FOTH is a group of long-time island visitors who havebeen wintering on Aruba formore than 20 years, and 24years ago they registered afoundation dedicated to con-ducting fundraising events, ofwhich 100% of the proceedsare donated to local charitiesassisting the physically andmentally challenged, but hasgrown to include foundationswhich feed hungry children, orcare for terminal patients andthose with Alzheimer’s.

Art Stark is the President ofFOTH, and on Thursday, Febru-ary 9, he made his annual pil-grimage to Noble Jewelers inOranjestad, where he waswarmly greeted by owner Nash,who every year donates a uniqueand valuable piece for them tofeature in their fundraising raf-fle. The drawing for dozens of

Friends of the Handicapped is

gearing up for the Valentine’s

Day Sweetheart’s Dance

Starting with a fantastic donation from

Noble Jewelers!

by the nature that surroundsthe restaurant and the land-mark for which it is named (thewhite lighthouse.)

Continued on page 5

coming Valentine’sDay, any islanderwill tell you one ofthe most romanticspots for an inti-mate dinner for twois the restaurant onthe mount atAruba’s northwestpoint, La Trattoriael Faro Blanco,named for thelighthouse adjacent.

Not only do theyhave a wonderfully exten-sive Italian menu, but staffmembers were proud to in-troduce two exotic newdrinks devised by their vet-

eran bartender Rafael, inspiredUndeniably, if you are lookingfor the ultimate in romance this

La Trattoria el Faro Blanco offers

the ultimate romantic experience this

February 14Two new exotic cocktails added to their menu

La Trattoria Crew with Miss Aruba World

Bartender Rafael creator of thenew drinks

Nash hands over the donation to Art Stark

Arashi Blue and California Crazy

You and Me comes with 2straws

ORANJESTAD – The Depart-ment of Labor Progresso(DPL) announces to its clientsthat its Alien Admission De-partment will be closed to thepublic on Monday, February13, 2012. This is due to per-sonnel receiving an in-housecourse on work efficiency,which is based on the depart-ment’s 2012 new management.

All other departments, suchas Job Center and ManpowerPlanning will be open to thepublic as usual.

DPL kindly asks anyoneconcerned to take notice of thisin order to avoid any inconve -nience.

from their bill at the end of theevening; this is a limited timeoffer.

Those wishing to watch thesunset from this ideal vantagepoint while enjoying a superbItalian dinner are encourage toreserve early for the optimalhours, as that time in particularis always in demand. Reserva-tions can be made by calling586-0786 or visit their website,http://www.aruba-latrattoria.com/ where you can peruse themenu.

by Rosalie Klein

pineapple/coconut cream base,it is also laced with Bailey’s,White Cream de Cacao andFrangelico liqueurs; a tastytreat for two.

La Trattoia El Faro Blancoalso announced that through-out the month of February theyhave a special offer to encou -rage those seeking the amo -rous dining spot of theirdreams to discover their lovelyrestaurant. Patrons have achoice between a free soup,salad or glass of wine, or canselect to have 20% deducted

menu is “Arashi Blue,” in-spired by the turquoise watersoff the lovely beach closest tothe restaurant. This is a frozenconcoction containing pineap-ple juice, vodka, coconutcream and blue CuracaoLiqueur; a pina-colada with adistinctly Aruban twist.

Joining these two newmenu entries, especially forValentine’s Day, is “Me &You,” a delightful drink meantto be consumed by a devotedcouple, and served with twinstraws. Based on the popular

The California Light-house, named for a shipwrecked on Aruba’snorth shore in 1898, hasinspired the “Crazy Cali-fornia,” a tasty concoc-tion of orange juice,vodka, Grand Marnierand Midori liqueurs, witha touch of grenadine. Itslook and color will re-mind you of the stunningsunset you are observingas you sip it, with asunny flavor to match.

Also new on the drink


La Trattoria el Faro Blanco offers the ultimate romantic experience this February 14Continued from page 4

Alien AdmissionDepartmentclosed onMonday, February 13

The night includes roses for theladies (or men too if they want)provided by Elsa’s FlowerShop, and dancing to popularlocal band NBO afterwards.Tickets are $90 per person (150Aruban florins) and can be pur-chased at the concierge desk ofthe Radisson Resort in PalmBeach, with Anoushka in theExecutive Offices of the CasaDel Mar Resort, or by callingArt at 567-4102, who can alsoprovide raffle tickets.

Those who have been at-tending the dinner dance annu-ally will tell you there isabsolutely no better way toenjoy Valentine’s Day with aspecial someone, and whetheryour ticket is called during theraffle or not, everyone goeshome feeling like a winner!

by Rosalie Klein

Valentine’s DaySweetheart’sDanceContinued from page 4

The main boost to govern-ment income came from thecorporate sector, where re-funds shrank by nearly halfand tax payments rose 8.5 per-cent.

ror a spending planlaid out to avert agovernment shut-down in September.

Meanwhile USTreasury figures forthe first four monthsof fiscal 2012showed that the USsliced its deficit by16.6 percent from ayear earlier.

A 3.2 percent cut in spen -ding coupled with a sharp risein tax receipts helped bringdown the four-month deficit to$349 billion from $419 billiona year before.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Pres-ident Barack Obama's budgetto be released on Monday willproject a $1.3 trillion deficitfor the current fiscal year,slightly higher than $1.296 tril-lion in 2011, an administrationofficial said.

Obama's last annual budgetbefore he seeks reelection inNovember will also project a$901 billion deficit for fiscalyear 2013 (beginning October2012), and will frame his cam-paign trail message of a fairfight for all.

The spending plan, detailsof which were first reported bythe Wall Street Journal andDow Jones Newswires, willalso include more than $350billion for short-term job cre-ation programs.

The official confirmed thatthe proposal also includes$476 billion dollars in infra-structure spending on roadsand other transport projectsand includes more than $360billion in savings from govern-ment-run health programs forseniors and the poor.

The budget is likely to mir-

County would be no more orless biased than one from anyother Pennsylvania jurisdic-tion, a position that would pre-clude any later charges of jurybias.

sence on his deck with his dog.Attorney Joe Amendola

wants his client to be allowedout of his house at times tohelp with his defense andasked that Sandusky, 68, be al-lowed to see his grandchildren.

Prosecutors objected, say-ing at least one Sanduskydaughter-in-law has major ob-jections to her children spen -ding time with him.

Sandusky, who has deniedthe charges, was the centralfigure in a scandal that led tothe firing of the late Joe Pa-terno, an inconic coach at PennState with a record number ofwins in US collegiate gridironhistory, and two other officials.

He told Cleland that he con-sidered a jury from Centre

BELLEFONTE (AFP) - For-mer Penn State assistant Amer-ican football coach JerrySandusky, who faces 52charges of child sex abuse in-volving 10 boys, was givenyesterday a tentative trial dateof May 14.

Judge John Cleland set thedate but did not rule on severalother issues, including somethat would impact the formercoach's restricted bail statusand one that would seat a juryfrom outside the college'shome county.

Prosecutors seek to haveSandusky forced to remainwithin his home while await-ing trial. Neighbors and staff ata nearby school have com-plained about Sandusky's pre -

five in Slovakia, four in Mon-tenegro, three in Croatia, twoin Macedonia and one in Alba-nia.

At least 135 people havedied of the cold in the theUkraine, 82 in Poland, 46 inRussia, 25 in the Czech Re-public, and 24 in Lithuania.

Serbia's government re-duced power supplies to 2,000companies it said were notvital to everyday life and ap-pealed to consumers to cut en-ergy use by 10 percent.

And Zoran Manasijevic ofstate-run Electric Power Indus-try of Serbia warned that vitalenergy imports would dropwhen Bulgaria cut its supplyon Monday, "which will makeour situation harder."

In the southern village ofVarasti, inhabitants had to tun-nel their way out from underfour meters (13 feet) of snow.

In Bulgaria where 32 havedied, authorities continued amassive relief effort in thesoutheastern village of Biser,submerged under the icy wa-ters of a nearby dam that burston Monday. The ensuingfloods killed 10 people.

In France, the death toll in-creased to at least 12 as thecold claimed two more lives.

A nuclear reactor at the Cat-tenom plant shut down becauseof a fault, placing fresh pres-sure on the already strained na-tional power grid Friday, stateenergy giant EDF said.

BUDAPEST (AFP) - Hungaryclosed the Danube to river traf-fic yesterday due to thick ice,bringing shipping to a nearstandstill on Europe's busiestwaterway, as the continent'scold snap death toll passed540.

"Shipping was orderedstopped overnight Thursday toFriday because of conditionscreated by icing along theHungarian part of the river,"Istvan Lang, who heads the na-tional technical supervisorybody OMIT said.

"All ships still underwaymust immediately head for theclosest harbour," Lang, quotedby MTI news agency, said.

Hungary's navy had to sendits biggest icebreaker to try toram through the frozen river atBudapest.

The freeze had alreadyforced other countries alongthe Danube, including Austria,Croatia, Serbia, and Bulgaria,to suspend river traffic.

The 2,860-kilometer (1,780-mile) river, which flowsthrough 10 countries and is vitalfor transport, power, irrigation,industry and fishing, was nearlywholly blocked, from Austria toits mouth on the Black Sea.

Forecasters expect the coldsnap, which started two weeksago, to continue until mid-Feb-ruary.

So far the freeze hasclaimed 37 lives in the Balkans-- 16 in Serbia, 11 in Bosnia,


INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Hungary orders Danube

closed amid big freeze

Sandusky set for May 14 trial date

Jerry Sandusky,

Obama to forecast $1.33 trillionbudget deficit

to demonstrate, allowing thecourts to impose sentences ofup to three years in jail.

The charismatic Vallejoshot to fame during the 2011student demonstrations inChile, which denounced thegulf between public and pri-vate education in a series ofmassive demonstrations.

She is in Geneva as part ofa tour of European countriesand is due to meet officials in-cluding the UN human rightschief Navi Pillay, and Juan So-mavia, head of the Interna-tional Labour Organization.

Vallejo was accompaniedby the head of the country'sYoung Communists, KarolCariola and Jorge Murua, theleader of the Central Union ofWorkers (CUT).

GENEVA (AFP) - UN rightsmonitors should visit Chile tocheck the rights situation there,a leading student leader toldreporters in Geneva yesterday.

"We feel that you've beensold an image of our countrythat does not correspond towhat is our reality, which wasbehind the major demonstra-tions of 2011," Camila Vallejotold journalists.

Vallejo, the 23-year-olddeputy president of the Univer-sity of Chile's Student Federa-tion, said they had extended anopen invitation to the UN'srapporteurs on education, ille-gal detention and torture totravel to Chile.

She was critical in particu-lar of a bill before the Chileanparliament, which she saidwould "criminalize" the right

Student leader denounces

Chile rights violations

Britain's defence ministry doesnot comment on submarine de-ployments.

Britain has in turn com-plained about Argentina with-drawing from joint accords onthe Falklands. Argentina in De-cember persuaded the MercosurLatin American trade bloc tostop Falklands-registered shipsfrom entering member ports.

It has also stopped charterflights heading for the Falk-lands from using Argentine air-space.

Diplomats said much of thetensions can be attributed tothe anniversary of the SouthAtlantic conflict sparked byArgentina's invasion of the is-lands on April 2, 1982.

Britain sent a task force toretake the territory that it hasheld since 1833. The 74-daywar cost the lives of 649 Ar-gentine and 255 British troopsand three Falkland Islanders.

Since the war, the UN Gen-eral Assembly has passed res-olutions calling on Britain andArgentina to negotiate a settle-ment. Argentina also pressesits claim each year at the UN'sDecolonization Committee.

But Britain's Prime Minis-ter David Cameron has in-sisted that Argentina mustrespect the UN Charter's insis-tence on self-determination forthe people of disputed territo-ries.

after the Ban meeting that hewas at the United Nations "tocondemn Great Britain for itsmilitarization of the South At-lantic."

"Britain now has thebiggest military power in thezone, I gave him (Ban) infor-mation about nuclear issues,nuclear arms," he added with-out giving details.

Timerman was also to makea similar complaint to the UNSecurity Council. But Argen -tina has not announced whatUN action, if any, it is seeking.

Britain did not immediatelycomment on the Ban-Timer-man meeting. But it has reaf-firmed its stance in recent daysthat there can be no negotia-tions over the future of the is-lands unless the 3,000Falklands inhabitants want it.

Argentina has denouncedthe deployment of a British de-stroyer, HMS Dauntless, to theregion and the dispatch ofPrince William, second in lineto the throne, to serve as a res-cue helicopter pilot.

Britain says the warship,one of the most modern in itsfleet, is replacing one alreadyin the area and that William'sdeployment was a routine partof his job in the Royal AirForce.

Media reports say a nu-clear-armed submarine hasalso been sent to the region.

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) -UN lon Friday called yester-day on Argentina and Britainto avoid "escalation" of a dis-pute over the Falkland islandswith the 30th anniversary oftheir war over the territorylooming.

Ban's appeal came as Ar-gentina's Foreign Minister Hec -tor Timerman accused Britainof accumulating the "biggest"military power in the South At-lantic, including nuclear arms.

With diplomatic tensionsrising ahead of the war an-niversary, Britain insists it hasonly been carrying out "rou-tine" operations and maneu-vers around the Falklands.

After discussing the Falk-lands with Timerman, Ban "ex-pressed concern about theincreasingly strong exchangesbetween the governments ofArgentina and the United King -dom on this issue," UN spokes -man Martin Nesirky said.

"He expressed the hope thatthe governments of Argentinaand the United Kingdom willavoid an escalation of this dis-pute and resolve differencespeacefully and through dia-logue."

Ban said he was ready touse the United Nations' "goodoffices to resolve this dispute"if both sides requested, hisspokesman added.

Timerman told reporters


UN calls on Argentina, Britain to ease

Falkland tensions

CaraCas : Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez showsa replica of the VENEsaT-1 (simon Bolivar) satellite,constructed and launched by China as part of a anagreement between the two governments, in Caracas,yesterday. Yesterday, 50 Venezuelan students departedto China, to be trained in satellite technology, develop-ment of software and technical formation for the man-agement of satellites from Earth -- a condition includedin the agreement. (aFP PHOTO)

whip up a social issues storm,firing up their conservative po-litical base in an election year.

Republican presidential can-didate Rick Santorum on Fri-day accused Obama ofstooping to coercion.

"It's not about contracep-tion. It's about economic lib-erty, it's about freedom ofspeech, it's about freedom ofreligion," Santorum said at aconservative conference inWashington.

Polls show a majority ofCatholics -- and the US publicat large -- support the presi-dent's position, which hasdrawn heavy fire from some ofthe church's largest groups be-cause contraception is againstits teachings.

But the White House mayhave been concerned that therow could harm Obama'sstanding among blue-collarwhite Catholic voters whoplay an important role in pres-idential election swing stateslike Pennsylvania and Ohio.

free contraceptive services justlike other women," Obamasaid.

"Religious liberty will beprotected, and a law that re-quires free preventive care willnot discriminate againstwomen."

The fight erupted when theadministration decided not toexempt religious employersfrom a requirement under itshealth reform law that work-based insurance plans offerwomen coverage for contra-ception.

Officials argued that awoman who worked, for ex-ample, as a nurse at a Catholichospital might not share theiremployer's religious opposi-tion to contraception andshould have the same rights asfemale workers elsewhere.

Catholic leaders were out-raged -- though houses of wor-ship were exempt -- andRepublicans used the row to

WASHINGTON (AFP) - USPresident Barack Obama Fri-day announced a compromiseto defuse a row over access tobirth control which promptedelection-year Republican crit-ics to claim he was waging awar on religion.

In a concession, Obama saidhis government would nolonger require religious organ-izations to offer free contra-ception on employee healthplans and decried opponentshe said had turned the issueinto a "political football."

But he stuck by the principlethat all women should have freeaccess to such services, puttingthe onus on insurance firms tooffer birth control to thoseworking for religious employ-ers like Catholic hospitals.

"These employers will nothave to pay for or provide con-traceptive services. Butwomen who work at these in-stitutions will have access to


Health & Living

Obama forges compromisebirth control plan

do not breast feed their daugh-ter, starving the child to death,"Singhi says.

Local historians believe in-fanticide in the region mayhave its roots in wars foughtgenerations ago when RajputHindu clan elders chose to killtheir daughters to save themfrom rape by Muslim invaders.

The Muslim attackers wouldplunder Hindu villages, rapegirls and throw them in the vil-lage wells.

"Unable to deal with the dis-honour, the Rajputs chose tokill their daughters,"Umashankar Tyagi, a socialhistorian in Jaipur, the statecapital of Rajasthan, told AFP.

In peace time, the customcontinued to thrive, Tyagi said,explaining that "the expense ofdowries, illiteracy, poverty arethe new justification for infan-ticide".

Clan elders and state gov-ernment officials say that justtwo Devda girls have had wed-dings in the village in the past100 years.

The situation reflects a na-tionwide crisis in India, wherethe preference for boys ispartly due to the key role sonsplay in Hindu funeral cere-monies.

Other factors are the sub-stantial -- and illegal -- dowriesthat a father must provide forhis daughter's new family ather wedding, and the fact thatsons are often seen as bread-winners and daughters as fi-nancial burdens.

As many as half a millionfemale foetuses are estimatedto be aborted each year inIndia, according to a study byBritish medical journal TheLancet.

DEVDA (AFP) - As the onlygirl in her noisy classroom of22 boys, Padma Kanwar Bhattiis one defiant symbol of thetoll exacted by India's deadlypreference for male children.

Padma, 15, lives with herparents and two elder brothersin Devda, a village of 2,500people in the Rajasthan statedistrict of Jaisalmer, which hasone of the worst female sex ra-tios in the country.

"There is no other girl in myclass and there are very fewgirls in our village," she sayshesitantly.

Padma chooses to stare ather social science text bookwhen asked why there are lessgirls and more boys in her vil-lage, set in the barren lands ofthe Thar desert.

"Girls die," she says in Mar-wari, the main language of Ra-jasthan.

Almost everyone in Devdaand neighbouring villages ac-knowledges the reality of fe-male infanticide, a crime basedin ancient custom and contin-ued today even as much ofIndia undergoes rapid eco-nomic and social change.

"We are crazy for boys. Wemourn when girls are born,"says Rajan Singhi, a farmer inDevda and a father of twoboys, who is proud of his longancestry as a member of thewarrior Bhatti Rajput clan.

In most cases the killingtakes place within 24 hours ofa baby's birth and the crime iscommitted either by themother or the midwife, hesays.

"I have heard that people ad-minister opium or thrust asmall but heavy sack filledwith sand or mustard seeds onthe baby's face. Many mothers

No-one to play withat school: India'sinfanticide crisis

Padma Kanwar Bhatti smiling as she sits among a class-room of boys.

SAO PAOLO - Seen here Participants work on the inter-net or computer games during the first day of the ITevent "5th Campus Party" on February 6, 2012. The eventopens 24 hours for 7 days and about 7000 visitors areexpected to participate with different interests such asdigital art, robotics or computer games. Visitors willcamp in the about 5000 tents that were set at Anhembipark in Sao Paulo, Brazil. AFP/PHOTO


(AFP) - The US Federal Bu-reau of Investigation releaseda 191-page file on Steve Jobsthat paints an occasionally un-flattering portrait of the lateApple founder.

The report was compiledduring a 1991 background in-vestigation of Jobs by the FBIafter former president GeorgeH.W. Bush recommended hisappointment to the President'sExport Council.

It consists of interviewswith co-workers, friends, fam-ily members and even neigh-bors of Jobs, who died onOctober 5 of pancreatic cancerat the age of 56.

The names of the personsinterviewed by the FBI havebeen redacted from the file re-leased following a Freedom ofInformation Act request byThe Wall Street Journal al-though their places of employ-ment are frequently identified.

The FBI also interviewedJobs for the background check-- after first being told hewould be unavailable for threeweeks and could only spare anhour.

Jobs told the FBI he hadnot used any illegal drugs dur-ing the past five years but hehad experimented with mari-juana, hashish and LSD be-tween 1970-74 while in highschool and college.

The report notes that Jobshad been involved in severallawsuits as chief executive ofApple but had never been ar-rested and was not a memberof the communist party.

Jobs, who had left Apple atthe time of the backgroundcheck and was head of NeXTComputer, was described bysome of those interviewed as"strongwilled, stubborn, hard-working and driven," the re-port said, even a "genius."

"They further stated, how-ever that Mr. Jobs possessesintegrity as long as he gets hisway," the report said.

"Several individuals ques-tioned Mr. Jobs' honesty stat-ing that Mr. Jobs will twist thetruth and distort reality inorder to achieve his goals," itsaid.

"Appointee is very truthfuland straightforward with peo-ple and usually says exactlywhat he is thinking," it added

The report also delved intoJobs' relationship with his for-mer girlfriend and their daugh-ter.

"In the past, Mr. Jobs wasnot supportive of (the motherof his child born out of wed-lock) and their daughter: how-ever, recently has become

more supportive," it said. Jobs, in a recent authorized

biography by Walter Isaacson,acknowledged both his druguse and that he had not initiallybeen close to his daughter.

One woman interviewed bythe FBI said that “his successat Apple... also caused him attimes to lose sight of honestyand integrity and even causedhim to distort the truth at timesto get his way," the report said.

Another person said Jobs"had undergone a change inphilosophy by participating ineastern and/or Indian mysti-cism and religion.

"This change apparently in-fluenced the Appointee's per-sonal life for the better," the

FBI said. "The Appointee livesmore of a spartanlike and attimes even monastic exis-tence."

While some of those inter-viewed had reservations aboutJobs's character, all of themsaid they would recommendhim for a "position of trust andconfidence with the US gov-ernment."

Along with the backgroundcheck file, the FBI released thereport of its investigation intoa February 1985 bomb threatagainst Apple in which anunidentified caller demanded$1 million.

No bombs were ever foundand no money changed hands.

FBI releases backgroundcheck file on Steve Jobs

MOSCOW (AFP) - PrimeMinister Vladimir Putin wasgiven a water sample Fridaytaken from a pristine lake hid-den under Antarctic ice forover a million years, afterRussian scientists drilled downto its surface.

The Russian strongman,who enjoys venturing into thewilderness and has accompa-nied an expedition to trackpolar bears in the Arctic, wasthe first recipient of a symbolicwater sample.

"The head of the natural re-sources ministry has givenVladimir Putin the first sampleof prehistoric water the Russ-ian polar expedition extractedfrom the subglacial lake inAntarctica," the Russian gov-ernment said. "The age of thewater could be over 1 millionyears," it said.

Natural Resources and Ecol-ogy Minister Yury Trutnevhanded Putin a small glasscontainer containing a yellow-ish liquid with the inscription"Lake Vostok, aged more than1 million years," the state RIANovosti news agency reported.

With characteristic dry hu-mour, Putin asked Trutnevwhether he had tried drinking

the water. "No," Trutnev an-swered.

"That would have been curi-ous. Dinosaurs drank it andTrutnev," Putin said in com-ments released by the govern-ment.

A Russian expedition onSunday sunk a borehole downto the surface of the pristinesubglacial fresh water lake,hidden under almost 4 kilome-tres (2.3 miles) of ice andraised a column of water forscientists to study.

Putin, who is planning to re-claim his old Kremlin job inMarch elections, called for thescientists behind the discoveryto be decorated.

The water given to Putinprobably did not come fromthe main body of the lake, butwas frozen lake ice raised fromthe borehole just before itreached the lake's surface, anexpert behind the project toldRIA Novosti.

The costly project is a raretriumph for national scienceand has excited scientistsaround the world with its po-tential for discoveries of newforms of life and revelationsabout millions of years of theEarth's history.

Putin receives 'prehistoric' waterfrom Antarctic lake

Sci-Tech


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pany's board of directors gavethe green light for leasing 21rigs from the firm Sete Brasiland five dual-drilling rigs fromNorwegian operator OceanRig to achieve greater produc-tivity.

He said the company ini-tially wanted to lease 21 rigs

but found that the five addi-tional Norwegian rigs could"bring increased productivitywith their technology which al-lows simultaneous dualdrilling."

This "makes it possible tocombine two technologies, thetraditional and the new whichallows dual drilling in paral-lel," said Gabrielli, who will bereplaced Monday by Maria dasGraças Foster, the first womanto head the company.

The leasing contract is cru-cial to Petrobras's plan to taphuge sub-salt deep-water oilfields, which the national oilagency ANP says hold reservesthat could surpass 100 billionbarrels of high-quality reco -verable crude.

These fields are off Brazil'ssoutheast Atlantic coast be-neath kilometers of ocean,bedrock, and hot salt-beds.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) -Brazilian state-run oil giantPetrobras will lease 26 rigsover 15 years at a total cost of76 billion dollars for offshoredeep-water drilling, its outgo-ing president said yesterday.

Jose Sergio Gabrielli told apress conference that the com-

and has asked for European as-sistance in helping to drivedown borrowing costs for Italyon the debt markets.

The efforts have helpedbring Italy's 10-year borrowingrate closer to 6.0 percent afterhovering around 7.0 percentlate last year, a level largelyunderstood to be unsustain-able.

With sky-high public debtand an economy headed into arecession, Italy faces a daunt-ing challenge this year as itneeds to raise around 450 bil-lion euros ($571 billion) on themarkets at higher than usualrates.

PARIS (AFP) - Standard andPoor's yesterday lowered thecredit rating of 34 Italian banksin a move that follows theagency's two-notch downgradeof Italy on January 13.

Italy's biggest financial in-stitutions, including UniCredit,Intesa Sanpaolo, Banca Nazio -nale del Lavoro and Medio -banca, were hit.

In January, Standard andPoor's downgraded Italy'scredit rating by two notches toBBB+ from A.

Since coming to power inNovember, Prime MinisterMario Monti has pushedthrough a harsh austerity plan

Standard&Poor's downgrades34 Italian banks

of the coalition said it wouldnot support further austeritycuts demanded by the EU, theIMF and the European CentralBank, and its four members ingovernment later submittedtheir resignations.

They were followed by theassistant foreign minister forEuropean affairs, a socialistwho accused the EU of "fixa-tion" on a labour rights over-haul that contravened theTreaty of Lisbon.

The EU and IMF have toldGreece to revise labour agree-ments, slashing minimumwages and facilitating layoffseven though over a millionpeople are already unem-ployed in Greece, or over 20percent of the workforce.

"This fixation directly vio-lates the Treaty of Lisbonwhich recognises social cohe-sion, collective bargaining andthe autonomy of social part-ners as basic values," socialistMariliza Xenogiannakopoulousaid.

loans under the $171 billionbailout pending since October.

The rescue fund is essentialto stave off bankruptcy onMarch 20, when Athens mustrepay nearly 14.5 billion euros($19 billion) in maturing debt.

The belt-tightening mea -sures, which have sparkedprotests and two generalstrikes, will be taken to a par-liament vote on Sunday.

The three texts put to a votewill include measures to reca -pitalise Greek banks, an au-thorization for Papademos andFinance Minister Venizelos tosign the eurozone bailout, anda bond swap with private cre -ditors designed to wipe outaround 100 billion euros fromGreece's 350-billion-euro debt,semi-state agency ANA said.

Details on the austeritymeasures will be included in afollow-up law tabled in thenext two weeks, the agencysaid.

Earlier yesterday, the far-right LAOS party that was part

ATHENS (AFP) - Greece'syesteron Friday warned hiscrumbling coalition that thecountry faces "uncontrolledchaos" without a debt dealwhile a two-day strike andprotests in Athens left at leastten injured.

"A disorderly default wouldplunge our country in a disas-trous adventure," Lucas Pa-pademos told the cabinet aftersix members of the govern-ment, including a minister, re-signed in protests against newausterity cuts demanded byGreece's EU-IMF creditors.

"It would create conditionsof uncontrolled economicchaos and social explosion...sooner or later, (Greece) wouldbe led out of the euro," hewarned.

"This is an hour of historicresponsibility," the PM added.

Greece was explicitly toldby its eurozone partners thisweek that it must agree to aus-terity measures in order to se-cure the release of further


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PM: Greece facing 'uncontrolled chaos'

without debt deal

Brazil's Petrobras to lease 26 drillingrigs for $76 billion

HAVANA : AFP photo shows Cubans lining up at a busstop in Havana, on February 10, 2012. The 50-year-longU.S. embargo to Cuba subjected its people to incredibleshortages, but also forced them to find ways to carry on,in which the sociologists call a 'survival culture'.

at her beloved Aruba. Alma began traveling to

Aruba with her husband Tomin 1989 after they had tested anumber of vacation destina-tions and informed their travelagent they wanted to go some-where with “guaranteed goodweather.” The recommenda-tion of Aruba did not disap-point; their insistence on a5-star resort landed them atwhat was then the Concordand they were equally thrilledwith their accommodations.

“In the early days, we usedto travel everywhere and ex-plore the island,” she recalls.“We tried lots of restaurants,visited museums, did it all.”However, Alma lost Tom fouryears ago after long years ofbattling cancer, and it took twoyears to get used to the idea oftraveling here alone, by whichtime she found she couldn’tget a booking, so she could notreturn until January of 2011.

Here at the paper we alwayshear stories from island visi-tors about resort employeeswho have made a particularimpression and contributed sogreatly to the enjoyment oftheir vacation; it is our greatpleasure, however, to be con-tacted by resort operators whofeel compelled to tell us abouta guest they feel is so excep-tional, and has so endearedthemselves to their staff, theybelieve they merit some spe-cial treatment above and be-yond what is normally hotelpolicy.

Such a dedicated visitor isAlma Alexander from Vancou-ver Island, Canada, whogreatly appreciates the specialattention afforded her byWestin Aruba Resort employ-ees, and annually travels formore than 18 hours, sufferingconnecting flights in Seattle,Dallas and an overnight inMiami, to arrive every January

A special birthday treat

lightful presence during thetwo months she stays withthem every year. Alma ex-claimed, “Coming here is justsuch a joy for me,” and Westinstaff wanted her to know it wasequally a joy for them.

Happy Birthday Alma fromTHE MORNING NEWS, mayyou enjoy many more specialbirthdays on Aruba with allyour friends at the Westin Re-sort.

suggested I try, and it won meover.”

William was joined byPago-Pago staffers and F & BManager Justin Carson in pre-senting Alma with her per-sonal birthday cake and arendition of “Happy Birthday”when they treated her to a spe-cial dinner at the restaurant onThursday evening, February 9,in appreciation of not only herloyal patronage, but her de-

Happy Birthday from the entire Pago Pago crew

Alma spends two monthson Aruba, as she did with Tom,when it was their habit to es-cape Montreal’s harsh winters.They had retired to VancouverIsland some years ago, wherethe weather is quite mild, nomatter the season, but they hadno desire to give up their twomonths in Aruba. “We hadbought into the Aruba Royalwhen it was being built, buthonestly, timeshare life wasjust not our thing, and weended up back at what was bythat time the Wyndham; com-ing here every year is just likecoming home for me.” Sinceoperating under the Westinbrand at the end of 2006, shefeels nothing has changed.

Alma and Tom enjoyeddressing up for dinner; it waspart of their daily ritual, andshe continues to do so. Sincebeing on her own and havingexperienced most restaurantshere, she no longer feels aneed to go beyond dining at ei-ther of the resort’s two spe-cialty venues, and any night ofthe week you will find her ather special table in eitherPago-Pago or Baci ItalianRestaurant. “There were somedishes on the menu at Baci Iparticularly loved, like thispizza named for the formerowner, with sautéed onionsand shrimp. Even though itisn’t any longer, the kitchenmade it for me when I mentionhow I missed it.”

She also feels that Pago-Pago and their new menu is asfine as she could find any-where, and is impressed byevery dish she has tried. Almais a truly qualified to judge asshe is so renowned amongfriends as an excellent chef,she had even been requested tolecture on cooking. She alsoran her own “Alma’s B & B”in Montreal for nine years,which was enormously suc-cessful simply by word ofmouth, making her an experton service and hospitality.

“From the moment I arriveI am greeted by name by thebellman, the wait staff, thehousekeepers, even the chefs.William in the Pago-Pagokitchen personally makes mynightly latte, which is dessertfor me. It is something new he


A very happy, special birthday for Alma Alexander

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GRENOBLE (AFP) - PatriceCiprelli, husband and coach ofFrench cyclist Jeannie Longo,spent around 15,000 euros on15 purchases of EPO since2007, a source told AFP onFriday, fuelling a theory of"permanent doping", a claimdenied by Ciprelli.

Prosecutors in Grenoblehad stated Thursday that onlytwo purchases were made inMay and June 2011 respec-tively, both for less than 500euros apiece.

However, an investigationconducted by the police whileCiprelli was in custody led tothe discovery of a document inhis bag that contained a pass-word through which they wereable to access an online ac-count used to make EPO or-ders and track his recenttransactions.

The orders would then bepassed to a Turkish pharmacythrough companies based inMauritius, a source close tothe investigation told AFP.

"Since 2007, it's a perma-nent doping," the sourceadded.

But Ciprelli's lawyer PierreAlbert hit back: "PatriceCiprelli categorically deniesthis allegation from the inves-tigators and considers that thisinformation is misleading."

He insisted that Ciprelli hadmade between three and fiveorders "at most" for a totalsum "between 1,500 and 2,500euros".

Ciprelli "is not sure to havemade purchases in 2008,"added the lawyer.

On Thursday, Ciprelli hadacknowledged that he boughtEPO "for his personal usage",according to his Albert.

In custody since Wednes-day morning, Ciprelli wasfreed yesterday morning underjudicial supervision.

He is barred from his roleas a professional coach and isprohibited from meeting cer-tain people, including MichelLucatelli, the French ski-crosstean director, to whom he washaving his EPO packages de-livered.

He must also ask the coun-try's authorities for permissionbefore leaving France.

Prosecutors opened the in-vestigation against Ciprelli onSeptember 14, a day after thepublication of an article inL'Equipe that reported pur-chases of Chinese-based EPOmade in April 2007.

semi-finals at last year's USOpen, produced some flashinggroundstrokes to go 5-4 up butthe loss of the first set was allSharapova's doing.

The Russian netted a simplevolley to hand her opponent aset point and then found thenet again with an attempteddown-the-line forehand to giftKerber an unexpected one-setlead.

Sharapova's shot-makingtook an erratic turn in a tightsecond set and after once againfailing to protect an earlybreak of serve, she tamely con-ceded defeat on Kerber's firstmatch point with an over-hitbackhand.

Second seed Marion Bar-toli, the last Frenchwoman inthe draw, came perilouslyclose to following Sharapovaout of the tournament beforefighting back from 4-6, 1-4down to defeat Italian seventhseed Roberta Vinci 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2).

Roared on by her homecrowd, the world numberseven battled from 5-2 behindin the deciding set to force atie-break before clinching athrilling victory in two hoursand 39 minutes.

She will now face worldnumber 51 Klara Zakopalovaon Saturday, after the Czechcame from behind to win 3-6,7-5, 6-1 against German sixthseed Julia Goerges, who ap-peared to be hampered by aleft thigh injury in the decidingset.

PARIS (AFP) - Top seedMaria Sharapova crashed outof the WTA Paris Open in thequarter-finals on Friday afterfalling 6-4, 6-4 to Germanninth seed Angelique Kerber.

Sharapova had breezed pastKerber in straight sets en routeto the Australian Open finallast month but the 24-year-oldexacted sweet revenge on theworld number three at a disbe-lieving Pierre de Coubertin in-door arena.

"It was a tough day becausemy opponent played reallywell," admitted Sharapova. "Idid have opportunities but Ididn't take them today.

"I was up in both sets and Ihad breaks but she played ex-tremely well -- much betterthan I did, in any case.

Kerber, the world number27, had never previouslybeaten a top-10 player and willnow face either Belgian worldnumber 29 Yanina Wickmayeror 21-year-old German quali-fier Mona Barthel for a placein the final.

"It's amazing," said Kerber."It's my first top-five win.

"I tried to do that and I'mvery happy that I beat her andI'm in the semis."

Playing in her first tourna-ment since losing to VictoriaAzarenka in the Melbournefinal, Sharapova broke Ker-ber's serve twice in the open-ing set, only for the Germanleft-hander to break back onboth occasions.

Kerber, who reached the


Tennis: Sharapovastunned by Kerber atParis Open

SPORTS

Cycling:

Longo'shusband denies

"permanent doping" claims

gridiron history, and two otherofficials.

He told Cleland that he con-sidered a jury from CentreCounty would be no more orless biased than one from anyother Pennsylvania jurisdic-tion, a position that would pre-clude any later charges of jurybias.

Paterno was fired last No-vember after not doing morethan notifying school authori-ties when told about Sanduskyabusing a boy in the lockerroom shower.

BELLEFONTE (AFP) - For-mer Penn State assistantAmerican football coach JerrySandusky, who faces 52charges of child sex abuse in-volving 10 boys, was given atentative trial date of May 14on Friday.

Judge John Cleland set thedate but did not rule on severalother issues, including somethat would impact the formercoach's restricted bail statusand one that would seat a juryfrom outside the college'shome county.

Prosecutors seek to haveSandusky forced to remainwithin his home while await-ing trial. Neighbors and staff ata nearby school have com-plained about Sandusky's pres-ence on his deck with his dog.

Attorney Joe Amendolawants his client to be allowedout of his house at times tohelp with his defense andasked that Sandusky, 68, be al-lowed to see his grandchil-dren.

Prosecutors objected, say-ing at least one Sanduskydaughter-in-law has major ob-jections to her children spend-ing time with him.

Sandusky, who has deniedthe charges, was the centralfigure in a scandal that led tothe firing of the late Joe Pa-terno, an inconic coach atPenn State with a record num-ber of wins in US collegiate

"This was very stress-freegolf, fairways most of thetime, a lot of greens and givingmyself a lot of looks. So, over-all, I’m really pleased withhow I played today and obvi-ously looking forward to theweekend."

Denmark's Bjorn, whoowns the tournament record of22-under when he beat TigerWoods in 2001, said his roundwas so solid, it was almostboring.

"I played well all day. Iplayed the golf course in a waythat I want to play the golfcourse. And you know, therewas nothing that that stood out.I just played 18 solid holes ofgolf," said Bjorn, who was alsobogey-free in his round of 65.

Cabrera-Bello, looking forhis second Tour win, was happywith his position, and said: "Tobe honest, I played really goodtoday. I might have played evenmore solid off the tee."

He added: "The main differ-ence was the scoring game,obviously. My putting wasn’tas good today. It’s not that Iputted bad, it’s just I felt thatputts were not dropping in.

Scott Jamieson (68).The day’s best round was

by 2007 champion HenrikStenson of Sweden.

An eight-under par 64showed the Swede was reap-ing the reward for all the hardwork put in after a knee sur-gery in December last year,and he surged to tied 11thplace at 136.

Scoring continued to beeasy in exceptional weatherconditions and the cut was ap-plied at one-under par 143 and79 players, including Ameri-can past champion Fred Cou-ples and Mark O’Meara, madeit to the weekend rounds.

McIlroy, who is now 14-under and bogey-free for hislast 29 holes, hit 17 greens inregulation.

"I was never really underany pressure early in theround. I just got off to a muchbetter start today and made acouple of birdies early on,"said the Northern Irishman.

"And it was nice just to sortof pick up birdies along theway unlike yesterday when Ihad to light it up on the backnine to shoot a score."

DUBAI (AFP) - World num-ber two Rory McIlroy and red-hot Thomas Bjorn shared thelead at the halfway stage of theDubai Desert Classic on Fri-day.

At the $2.5 million Euro-pean Tour event, the 2009champion McIlroy posted anearly bogey-free round ofseven-under par 65 to set thepace, and his tally of 13-underpar 131 was matched later inthe day by the 2001 chamionBjorn (65).

Among those lurking be-hind the leading duo was Ger-man world number fourMartin Kaymer (67) and Eng-lish world number three LeeWestwood (65).

Kaymer, who made the firsthole-in-one of his life duringthe round, was tied for fourthplace at 11-under par 133,while Westwood was anothershot behind at 134.

Overnight leader RafaelCabrera-Bello came in with a69 to be at a 12-under par 132to be one off the lead.

Tied alongside Kaymerwere Frenchman GregoryBourdy (67) and Scotland’s


Golf: McIlroy, Bjorn shareDubai Desert Classic lead

Sandusky set for May14 trial date

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays a shot during thesecond round of the Dubai Desert Classic golf

PEBBLE BEACH (AFP) -

Former PGA Championship

winner Steve Elkington of

Australia has pulled out of

the Pebble Beach National

Pro-Am with a rib injury.

The 49-year-old from

Sydney withdrew after just

five holes with a rib injury,

the PGA Tour announced on

Friday.

Elkington has made just

two starts this season and

withdrew from both tourna-

ments. He also pulled out of


GENEVA (AFP) - Worldnumber three Roger Federerslumped to a shock 4-6, 6-3,7-6 (7/4), 6-2 defeat to JohnIsner on Friday as the UnitedStates opened up a 2-0 DavisCup World Group lead overSwitzerland.

Federer, playing a firstround tie for the first time ineight years, saw his 15-matchwinning streak in the compe-tition ended by the giant Isneron the indoor clay courts atFribourg.

Isner secured victory withthree return winners as the32-time Davis Cup champi-ons moved closer to a quar-

ter-final spot."The way I played today is

the way I need to play in allmy matches," said Isner, whopaid tribute to captain JimCourier.

"I owe it to Jim Courier --he was on at me to hit all myshots. It's the win of my life."

Courier, bidding to leadthe United States to a firstDavis Cup title since 2007,said Isner got his tactics justright against the 16-timeGrand Slam title winner.

"The mission was to goout there and not allow anartist a canvas to work with,"he said.

Earlier, Mardy Fish haddefeated Stanislas Wawrinka6-2, 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 9-7 in theopening rubber.

It was the fifth time in hislast six Davis Cup appear-ances that American numberone Fish, who spent four anda half hours on court, hadplayed five sets.

"There's something spe-cial about the Davis Cup. Youjust never give up," said Fish.

"I feel pretty tired. But Ilost a couple of long ones inAustin last year (againstSpain), and that feels so badI just needed to win this one."

Former US number oneAndy Roddick took to Twit-ter to congratulate his team-mates.

"Unreal effort by Daviscup team today over inSwitzerland!!! I was pumpedwatching. Go USA!!!," hewrote.

Federer and Wawrinka aredue to face Mike Bryan andRyan Harrison in Saturday'sdoubles.

The eventual winners ofthe tie will face either Franceor Canada in April for a placein the semi-finals.

the Humana Challenge with

a similar problem.

Elkington fired a one-over

73 in the first round at Peb-

ble Beach and played just

three holes on Friday before

packing it in. He was four

over for the round after a

double bogey and two bo-

geys on the back nine of the

Spyglass Hill course.

Elkington has 12 interna-

tional victories, including the

1995 PGA Championship.

Tennis: Federer slumps toshock Davis Cup defeat

Golf: Aussie Elkingtonpulls out of PebbleBeach

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February 11,2012