Lalika blog

UN food officials in Seoul for N. Korea aid talks

A United Nations food agency team arrived in South Korea Monday to brief officials about North Korea's food situation, following a UN report that a quarter of its population urgently needs aid.

The four World Food Programme (WFP) delegates led by Terri Toyota, the director of government donor relations, will meet senior foreign and unification ministry officials on Wednesday, ministry spokesmen said.

South Korea, which in 2008 halted an annual shipment of 400,000 tonnes of rice, began sending limited emergency aid following last year's floods. It halted the shipments when the North shelled a border island last November.

Officials from the WFP and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation began a visit to the North last month to assess the food situation after Pyongyang appealed for international aid.

In a report last week, the agencies said more than six million people urgently need assistance because of substantial falls in domestic production, in food imports and in overseas aid.

Donations to UN food aid programmes for the North have dwindled due to international irritation at its missile and nuclear programmes.

The North has appealed to 40 countries for food aid, a Seoul government official said this month.

Some Seoul officials say last year's harvest was relatively good, and Pyongyang may be trying to stockpile food for celebrations next year of the 100th anniversary of the birth of founding president Kim Il-Sung.

Top seed Wozniacki upset by German Petkovic

World number one Caroline Wozniacki suffered a surprise fourth-round defeat by Germany's Andrea Petkovic in the Sony Ericsson Open on Monday, falling victim to a smart strategy from her lower-ranked opponent.

Petkovic, ranked 23rd, played positive attacking tennis in the Florida sunshine at Key Biscayne to move into the quarter-finals with a 7-5 3-6 6-3 victory over the Dane.

Petkovic saved 12 of 17 break points against Wozniacki but the foundations of her success were an aggressive serve and subtle variations in her game.

She resisted the temptation to try and slug it out with Wozniacki, opting instead to mix up her shots and employ a range of different speeds, then celebrating her victory with a jig she has dubbed the 'Petko dance'.

"Most of the players think they can overpower Caroline. I think that's the wrong approach, because that's where she's most comfortable, when she can run and bring the most balls back," Petkovic told reporters.

"What I try to do is mix it up and to make her play, and then when I had the short ball to go for it."

Wozniacki lost the opening set after squandering three set points and later said she only had herself to blame for the defeat.

"I had so many chances in my first set. I had set points and I didn't take them, then just the energy level dropped a little bit and I lost the match. That's what happens in sport," she said.

Russian Maria Sharapova, still working her way back from injury, eased past Australian Samantha Stosur, ranked fifth in the world, winning 6-4 6-1. Sharapova, currently ranked 16th, has never been beaten by Stosur in seven meetings.

Second seed Kim Clijsters was scheduled to face Serbian Ana Ivanovic later on Monday.

(Editing by Julian Linden)

India v Pakistan - the ultimate love-hate clash

The clash between India and Pakistan in the World Cup semi-finals will showcase one of the world's most intense sporting rivalries fuelled by nationalism, bloodshed and a shared history.

The two countries have had a fraught relationship since Pakistan was carved out of India to establish a Muslim homeland when British rule of the sub-continent ended in 1947.

They have fought two wars over the disputed region of Kashmir, another over the creation of Bangladesh, and they last came to the brink of warfare as recently as 2002.

On the cricket field, a knock-out World Cup match on Indian soil is the biggest fixture between the two rivals for decades, and the excitement across the region is already sky-high ahead of Wednesday's clash in Mohali.

After Thursday's victory over defending champions Australia, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said Pakistan were the ultimate opponents.

"India v Pakistan in the semi-finals -- it doesn't get better," he said. "A World Cup hosted by the sub-continental nations and India and Pakistan making it to the semis."

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis said that "there is no bigger rivalry in the game", while captain Shahid Afridi even expressed hope that a Pakistan-India match "could improve relations".

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he planned to attend the match and invited Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani to also watch the game.

"There is huge excitement over the match and we are all looking forward to a great game of cricket that will be a victory for sport," said Singh in his invitation to the leaders.

The two countries had broken off cricket ties -- except for a couple of volatile Test matches in India -- for 15 years before India's historic tour of Pakistan in 2004.

Fierce competitiveness, even hatred, is evident whenever India and Pakistan play, but recent games have also been marked by a sense of cross-border comradeship.

The conflicting emotions reflect the complex state of relations, which are often compared to those within an estranged family.

Pakistani flags have occasionally been raised in the Muslim slums of Hindu-majority India during games -- causing predictable outrage.

More strikingly though, the matches in 2004 when the India side returned to Pakistan prompted an outburst of affection.

Thousands of Indians were granted special visas to attend the fixtures, and many said that they had been greeted like long-lost brothers as taxi-drivers gave them free lifts and hotels refused to charge them for rooms.

At the first game of the tour, in Karachi, the local crowd cheered both sides and even gave a standing ovation when India won by just five runs.

The contrast between political and sporting links was again on display at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi last year, when many outsiders were surprised to hear the Pakistan team given a huge cheer at the opening ceremony.

Newspaper front-pages on Friday set the tone for the coming days. "Bring on Pakistan!" screamed the Mail Today in Delhi, as the Hindustan Times warned "Pakistan next test of nerves for India".

In Islamabad, the Express Tribune looked forward to the occasion with "Rekindling rivalries: it is India v Pakistan," while the Daily Times predicted a "blockbuster" game.

Whether cricket can help the two nuclear-armed nations to narrow their differences is uncertain, particularly as Pakistan struggles with militant suicide attacks, political assassinations and a collapsing economy.

Diplomatic tensions have remained high since Pakistan-based Islamist militants attacked Mumbai in 2008 killing 166 people -- though the two countries' foreign ministers are due to hold talks in Delhi in July.

Fears of another attack will mean a massive security presence in Mohali, and the Times of India summed up how the prospect of the game triggered excitement tinged with apprehension.

"It's a match fans, organisers and advertisers have been fantasizing about, and the fact that it will be Pakistan's first on Indian soil since 26/11 (the Mumbai attacks) lends an extra edge," it said.

"Fasten your seat belts."

Future uncertain for Pistons G Hamilton

MILWAUKEE – Pistons guard Richard Hamilton said on Saturday he has no idea why he was inactive for Detroit's 92-82 win over New Jersey the night before and doesn't know what to expect next.

Hamilton told The Associated Press that it's one of the most trying times of his career in a brief conversation before the Pistons played the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.

Coach John Kuester said Hamilton would be active against the Bucks, and he entered the game late in the first quarter.

"I just found out that I was active just now," Hamilton said walking to the locker room. "Your guess is as good as mine, man."

General manager Joe Dumars declined to comment before the game. In a later interview with Fox Sports Detroit, Dumars said he wants Hamilton and Kuester to put aside their differences and that he disliked the situation becoming a public display.

Kuester previously said it was an internal decision to make Hamilton inactive on Friday night.

Hamilton didn't directly address whether there had been an event that led to him being inactive even though the Pistons have been short-handed already because of injuries.

Hamilton said before the game it looks like he'll be traded, but his contract may not be easy to move even though he's averaged 17.7 points per game over his career. Hamilton signed an extension in 2008 for about $34 million over three years that just kicked in this season, but the third year is only partially guaranteed.

"That's how you see it, that's how you look at it. It's like a rollercoaster ride to tell you the truth. You don't know what to expect," Hamilton said. "It's tough, it's hard. It's one of those things that you can't control."

Hamilton, who turns 33 on Feb. 14, is having the worst season of his 12-year career since he played sparingly as a rookie in Washington. Before entering the game against the Bucks, Hamilton missed 13 games, last playing 21 1/2 minutes on Jan. 10 in a loss at Chicago.

Berlusconi's Sex Scandal Begins a New Decade of Impropriety for 21st Century Politicians

Silvio Berlusconi's political sex scandal is the latest to dominate the headlines. As reported at , the 74-year-old prime minister of Italy is fighting to remain premier despite allegations that he paid a 17-year-old girl for sex, which is a crime in Italy if the prostitute is under 18, and had topless women dance for him at his Milan villa. Berlusconi denies the allegations.

The public is aware of court documents and wiretapped phone conversations of the women who attended Berlusconi's alleged parties. Yet, the premier is not backing down."As you all know, firestorms don't scare me, and the bigger they are, the more I'm convinced that I have to react in the interest of all citizens, in the interest of our country."

Berlusconi's troubles ring a familiar tune. The decade of 2000 to 2010 was full of political sex scandals.From Eliot Spitzer to John Edwards to Mark Sanford, these scandals, from some of the most powerful men in history, are so numerous that people have come to expect them.

Sheridan off to jail

Not only does Berlusconi risk losing his position if he is found guilty of the allegations, he also faces jail time. Jail time is what will happen to former Scottish politician Tommy Sheridan.

In 2006, the "News of the World" accused the 46-year-old Solidarity leader of committing adultery and visiting a Manchester swing club. Sheridan sued the British tabloid for defamation and won damages of $320,000. Now, as reported at , Sheridan has been found guilty of lying under oath in that defamation case and was sentenced Jan. 26 to three years in prison.

Souder forced to quit

Although jail time is one of the worst consequences of a political sex scandal, having to step down from a position is another one. Mark Souder, the 60-year-old Republican and Indiana member of the U.S. House of Representatives, resigned in May 2010 after admitting he had an affair with a female aide who worked in his district office. "In this poisonous environment of Washington, D.C., any personal failing is seized upon, often twisted, for political gain. I am resigning rather than to put my family through that painful, drawn-out process," said Souder, as reported at .

Jackson rumors

Lastly, political sex scandals can keep a politician from major opportunities. Amid allegations that Jesse Jackson Jr. was involved in Rob Blagojevich's plot to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat for money, the 45-year-old Democrat and Illinois member of the U.S. House of Representatives is alleged to have had an affair with a Washington restaurant hostess, as reported at . The political sex scandal blew any remaining possibility Jackson had to run for mayor of Chicago afterRichard M. Daley announced he would not seek the office again.