Football: Comfortable Bayern cruise as Dortmund slip

BERLIN: Bayern Munich moved a step closer to the Bundesliga title on Saturday as they beat Augsburg 2-0 and extended their lead over two-time reigning champions Borussia Dortmund to 14 points.

Thomas Mueller and Mario Gomez scored in Bayern's victory while 10-man Dortmund lost 3-2 at home against Wolfsburg. Munich jumped onto 41 points while Dortmund remained on 27 points one game day before the winter break.

Second-placed Bayer Leverkusen have 30 points and will play at Hanover 96 on Sunday.

Bayern dominated the proceedings in Augsburg and finally grabbed the lead in the 40th minute from the spot through Mueller after Augsburg's Gibril Sankoh handled Toni Kroos' pass.

Mario Gomez doubled the advantage in the 62nd minute, just two minutes after coming on, to decide the contest.

"Three points, so it was a nice Saturday," said Bayern captain Philipp Lahm.

"In order to win the championship, we have to win these kinds of game, and we did that," said Gomez.

In Dortmund, Juergen Klopp's hosts went ahead on a free kick by Marco Reus in the sixth minute.

Wolfsburg equalised in the 36th minute from the spot through Diego one minute after Marcel Schmelzer was red-carded for stopping Bas Dost's shot on the line with his hand - though replays showed the defender blocked the ball with his knee.

Wolfsburg took a 2-1 lead in the 41st minute as Naldo volleyed home Diego's free kick pass.

Jakub Blaszczykowski converted a penalty in the 61st minute as Dortmund pulled even at 2-2 but Dost re-established Wolfsburg's lead in the 73rd minute.

"I am satisfied with our performance - but the result hurts us a lot," said Klopp.

"It decided the game that we had to play the final 54 minutes a man down. Still, we had more ball possession and still felt we could win. But it was difficult to maintain the high energy level."

Fourth-placed Schalke 04's dropped further behind the leading trio with a 3-1 loss at VfB Stuttgart thanks to Vedad Ibisevic's hat-trick.

Stuttgart, who pulled even with Schalke with 25 points each, stormed ahead after two minutes through Ibisevic before Schalke equalised in the 12th minute though Ciprian Marica.

Ibisevic gave Stuttgart the lead 2-1 from the spot in the 38th minute and completed his hat-trick after 61 minutes.

Both teams finished with 10 men as Gotoku Sakai of Stuttgart (67th minute) and Schalke's Jermaine Jones (73rd) were sent off.

With 24 points, Eintracht Frankfurt could pass Schalke if they get a point at home against Werder Bremen later Saturday.

On Friday, Artjoms Rednevs scored two goals in Hamburg's 2-0 victory at home over Hoffenheim. Hamburg have 24 points and Hoffenheim 12.

Sebastian Polter (27th minute) and Markus Feulner (90th) scored to give Nuremberg (19 points) a 2-0 win over Fortuna Duesseldorf (18).

Freiburg (23) won 1-0 over Greuther Fuerth (8) thanks to Daniel Caligiuri's goal in the 15th minute.

The other Sunday match is Borussia Moenchengladbach (21) hosting Mainz 05 (23).

- AFP/fa

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India misguided, paranoid over China: Guha

MUMBAI: A good half-hour into the discussion on 'India, China and the World', historian Ramachandra Guha issued a disclaimer—all the three members on the panel had been to China only once. "We should learn their language, promote quality research, and have a panel on China driven by Chinese scholars," he said. And that was the general tenor of the debate—that the Indian attitude to China was influenced by a mix of ignorance, cautious optimism about partnerships and a whole lot of misguided paranoia. "Don't demonise the Chinese, please," Guha finally said in response to a question.

"China has existed in our imaginations," observed Sunil Khilnani, professor of politics and author of The Idea Of India. "There's been very little sustained engagement with the reality of China and very little of our own produced knowledge about China." It was after the events of 1962 ('war' in the popular imagination, 'skirmish' to the scholars participating in the discussion), explained Khilnani, that a miffed India "withdrew". It's the 50th anniversary of that exchange this year, and "what we haven't been able to do is learn from the defeat", observed Khilnani. Both could have benefited from greater engagement. "China has had a very clear focus on primary education and achieved high levels of literacy before its economic rise. It has also addressed the issue of land reform," said Khilnani. Guha added that China could learn from the "religious, cultural and linguistic pluralism" in India.

But China and India weren't always so out of sync with each other. Srinath Raghavan, a scholar of military history, got both Guha and Khilnani to talk about pre-1962 relations between the two when the picture was rosier. Tagore was interested in China and so was Gandhi. Both were very large countries with large populations and shared what Guha calls a "lack of cultural inferiority". "They were both," he continued, "also heavily dependent on peasant communities." Nehru was appreciative of China's will to modernize and industrialize and its adoption of technology to achieve those ends. In turn, Chinese politicians argued for Indian independence.

Things soured more, feel both Khilnani and Guha, after the Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959. "He was welcomed here as a spiritual leader but the intensification of the conflict dates to the Dalai Lama's flight," said Guha. Both Guha and Khilnani argued that Nehru's decision to not react aggressively to China's occupation of Tibet was, in the long run, the right one and prevented further "militarization" of the region. An audience member wondered if that didn't make India "China's puppet". Guha disagreed. "If there's a Tibetan culture alive today," he said, "it's not because of Richard Gere. Don't believe in the hypocrisy of the Western countries. Will they give them land, employment, dignified refuge? The Tibetans is one of the few cases in which our record is honorable."

But the difference in levels of development and the lopsided trade relations between the two countries have only fuelled the suspicions many Indians seem to harbour about China. People were worried, said Guha, even about cricket balls made in China. Audience questions reflected those worries. A member asked about China's "strategy to conquer the world" and its likely impact on India. Guha cautioned against stereotypes; Khilnani explained, "History is littered with the debris of states that have tried to dominate the world. What we're doing may be more long-lasting."

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Plants Grow Fine Without Gravity

When researchers sent plants to the International Space Station in 2010, the flora wasn't meant to be decorative. Instead, the seeds of these small, white flowers—called Arabidopsis thaliana—were the subject of an experiment to study how plant roots developed in a weightless environment.

Gravity is an important influence on root growth, but the scientists found that their space plants didn't need it to flourish. The research team from the University of Florida in Gainesville thinks this ability is related to a plant's inherent ability to orient itself as it grows. Seeds germinated on the International Space Station sprouted roots that behaved like they would on Earth—growing away from the seed to seek nutrients and water in exactly the same pattern observed with gravity. (Related: "Beyond Gravity.")

Since the flowers were orbiting some 220 miles (350 kilometers) above the Earth at the time, the NASA-funded experiment suggests that plants still retain an earthy instinct when they don't have gravity as a guide.

"The role of gravity in plant growth and development in terrestrial environments is well understood," said plant geneticist and study co-author Anna-Lisa Paul, with the University of Florida in Gainesville. "What is less well understood is how plants respond when you remove gravity." (See a video about plant growth.)

The new study revealed that "features of plant growth we thought were a result of gravity acting on plant cells and organs do not actually require gravity," she added.

Paul and her collaborator Robert Ferl, a plant biologist at the University of Florida in Gainesville, monitored their plants from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida using images sent from the space station every six hours.

Root Growth

Grown on a nutrient-rich gel in clear petri plates, the space flowers showed familiar root growth patterns such as "skewing," where roots slant progressively as they branch out.

"When we saw the first pictures come back from orbit and saw that we had most of the skewing phenomenon we were quite surprised," Paul said.

Researchers have always thought that skewing was the result of gravity's effects on how the root tip interacts with the surfaces it encounters as it grows, she added. But Paul and Ferl suspect that in the absence of gravity, other cues take over that enable the plant to direct its roots away from the seed and light-seeking shoot. Those cues could include moisture, nutrients, and light avoidance.

"Bottom line is that although plants 'know' that they are in a novel environment, they ultimately do just fine," Paul said.

The finding further boosts the prospect of cultivating food plants in space and, eventually, on other planets.

"There's really no impediment to growing plants in microgravity, such as on a long-term mission to Mars, or in reduced-gravity environments such as in specialized greenhouses on Mars or the moon," Paul said. (Related: "Alien Trees Would Bloom Black on Worlds With Double Stars.")

The study findings appear in the latest issue of the journal BMC Plant Biology.

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Australian DJs Behind Prank Call Under Fire

An outpouring of anger is being directed today at the two Australian radio hosts after the death of a nurse who was caught in the DJs' prank call to hospital where Kate Middleton was treated earlier this week.

Lord Glenarthur, the chairman of King Edward VII's Hospital - the U.K. hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge was receiving treatment, condemned the prank in a letter to the Max Moore-Wilton, chairman of Southern Cross Austereo, the Australian radio station's parent company.

Glenarthur said the prank humiliated "two dedicated and caring nurses," and the consequences were "tragic beyond words," The Associated Press reported.

DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian, radio shock jocks at Sydney's 2Day FM have been taken off the air, but the company they work for did not fire them or condemn them.

"I think that it's a bit early to be drawing conclusions from what is really a deeply tragic matter," Rhys Holleran, CEO of Southern Cross Austereo told a news conference in Sydney. "I mean, our main concern is for the family. I don't think anyone could have reasonably foreseen that this was going to be a result."

Nurse Jacintha Saldanha was found dead Friday morning after police were called to an address near the hospital to "reports of a woman found unconscious," according to a statement from Scotland Yard.

Circumstances of her death are still being investigated, but are not suspicious at this stage, authorities said Friday.

Following news of Saldanha's death, commentary on social media included posts expressing shock, sadness and anger.

Nurse Duped by 'Queen's' Prank Call Found Dead Watch Video

Jacintha Saldanha, Nurse at Kate Middleton's Hospital, Found Dead Watch Video

A sampling of some of the twitter posts directed at the DJs included: "you scumbag, hope you get what's coming to you" and "I hope you're happy now."

The hospital said that Saldanha worked at the hospital for more than four years. They called her a "first-class nurse" and "a well-respected and popular member of the staff."

The hospital extended their "deepest sympathies" to family and friends, saying that "everyone is shocked" at this "tragic event."

"I am devastated with the tragic loss of my beloved wife Jacintha in tragic circumstances, she will be laid to rest in Shirva, India," Saldanha's husband posted on Facebook.

The duchess spent three days at the hospital undergoing treatment for hyperemesis gravidarum, severe or debilitating nausea and vomiting. She was released from the hospital on Thursday morning.

"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Jacintha Saldanha," a spokesman from St. James Palace said in a statement.

On Friday, Greig and Christian had been gloating about their successful call to the hospital, in which they pretended to be Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles and were able to obtain personal information about the Duchess's serious condition.

"You know what they were the worst accents ever and when we made that phone call we were sure a hundred people at least before us would have tried the same thing," said Grieg on air. She added with a laugh, "we were expecting to be hung up on we didn't even know what to say [when] we got through."

"We got through and now the entire world is talking, of course," said her co-host Christian.

When the royal impersonators called the hospital, Saldanha put through to a second nurse who told the royal impersonators that Kate was "quite stable" and hadn't "had any retching."

The hospital apologized for the mistake.

"The call was transferred through to a ward, and a short conversation was held with one of the nursing staff," the hospital said in a statement. "King Edward VII's Hospital deeply regrets this incident."

"This was a foolish prank call that we all deplore," John Lofthouse, the hospital's chief executive, said in the statement. "We take patient confidentiality extremely seriously, and we are now reviewing our telephone protocols."

The radio station also apologized for the prank call.

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Jim DeMint’s resignation jump-starts S.C. campaign season two years early

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Let the death match begin.

In South Carolina — a one-party state that still produces some of the country’s meanest, weirdest political battles — the resignation of Sen. Jim DeMint (R) means that the 2014 campaign season started Thursday, in 2012.

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Football: City will benefit from European exit: Ferguson

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom: Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson says that Manchester City's European demise has given Roberto Mancini's side a clear advantage in the race for the Premier League title.

City, who host leaders United on Sunday, failed to clinch a place in the Europa League after finishing bottom of their Champions League group following defeat by German side Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.

Yet Ferguson told a news conference in Manchester on Friday that fewer games and distractions would aid their neighbours as they look to defend the title they won last season.

"I honestly think it is an advantage to City," said the long-serving United manager.

"The less games, the less chance of injuries. It gives them a full week to prepare for games now, but on the other hand, you have to keep (players) happy.

"They have a big squad, probably a bigger squad than most teams. I think they would rather have European football. Any big team would want European football all the time, and that's the biggest disappointment to them.

"But out of that disappointment, the advantage is there for them in terms of use of players and time to prepare for games. So there's no question it's an advantage to them."

United will open up a six-point lead at the top of the table if they win at the home of their neighbours.

Yet the 19-time champions of England arrive at the Etihad Stadium having lost three of their last six league and cup games and with concerns about the performances of their defence.

In addition, memories of the 6-1 thrashing his players suffered at the hands of City in October 2011 remain fresh in Ferguson's mind.

"It did (have an impact), particularly the 6-1 defeat, because of the goal difference. It turned us right round and that's what cost us (the title)," he added.

United have managed just four clean sheets in 23 league and cup games this season, and Ferguson added: "It's not as though we are ignoring it.

"City will have expected us to have worked on that this week. We have lost, I think, 10 goals from set plays this season, which is a lot.

"We hope to find a solution and if you do find a solution, it makes a difference. It will be a tight game on Sunday, there won't be a lot in it and we have enough players to make an impact."

As for the prospect of opening up a six-point lead, Ferguson said: "It wouldn't mean a great deal because there is such a long time to go until the end of the season."

Ferguson believes either United or City will win the title, claiming Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have fallen too far behind in the table.

"I think it's going to be close between the two sides," he said.

"We have that gap over Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham. It would be difficult to think the two of us would collapse and allow another team to get in."

Ferguson reiterated his statement from last season that City were now United's biggest rivals in the league before questioning the number of penalties his rivals have been awarded in recent times.

"It's 21 in the last year, isn't it? Something like that. If we were to get that number of penalty kicks there would have been an inquiry in the House of Commons, and protests."

Captain Nemanja Vidic had hoped to return to the centre of defence after three months out with a knee injury.

But Ferguson says the Serbia defender is not ready, while Nani (hamstring) is a definite absentee.

Japan midfielder Shinji Kagawa (knee) is also a doubt, along with Tom Cleverley (calf).

- AFP/fa

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BJP has 15 leaders fit for PM job: MP minister

BHOPAL: We don't need Congress leader Digvijay Singh's certificate to decide who will be the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate,'' Madhya Pradesh minister for industries Kailash Vijayavargiya said on Friday while reacting to AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh's observation on Thursday that Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj would be a better Prime Ministerial candidate that Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.

Digvijay Singh had compared Sushma Swaraj to former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee while calling her the moderate face'' in present BJP leadership.

Responding to that comment, Kailash Vijayavargiya, a front-line cabinet minister in Madhya Pradesh said: There is no dearth of Prime Ministerial candidates in the BJP. The party has more than 15 leaders who could fill-in for the top job.'' Vijayavargiya was speaking to journalists at the state assembly media lounge.

Asked if chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan was one of the 15 leaders who could be fit for the PM position, Kailash Vijayavargiya specified: Let us start from our veteran leader LK Advani, then Nitin Gadkari, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh, Murli Manohar Joshi, Venkaiah Naidu, Uma Bharati. In the states, the BJP has chief ministers who could be Prime Ministerial candidates like Narendra Modi, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Raman Singh.'' Vijayavargiya said that at the right time, the right person will be chosen for the job by the party.

Retorting further to AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh's comment, Vijayavargiya said: None take Digvijay Singh's statements seriously. Not even the Congress party. He just makes such disputable and controversial comments to remain in the media glare.''

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Photos: Best Camera-Trap Pictures of 2012

Photograph courtesy Zhou Zhefeng, BBC Wildlife Magazine

A leopard seems to strike a regal pose in China in the winning photograph of the annual BBC Wildlife Camera Trap Competition.

Photographer Zhou Zhefeng snagged both the top prize and a category win for Animal Portraits.

Established in 2010, the contest features the most "visually exciting" or significant camera-trap images taken by conservationists worldwide, according to the contest website.

"As forward leaps in technology go, camera traps have been relatively unsung," the website noted. Sensitive and affordable, these traps have given a huge boost to field researchers.

For example, "camera traps don't need to sleep or eat, but keep constant watch on key patches of habitat, ready to detect the action and providing priceless insights into wildlife movements, populations, and distribution."

(See "Pictures: Best Wild Animal Photos of 2011 Announced.")

Published December 7, 2012

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Nurse Duped by 'Queen's' Prank Call Found Dead

The hospital receptionist who was hoaxed by a prank call from a DJ claiming to be the queen asking about Kate Middleton has been found dead.

"It is with very deep sadness that we confirm the tragic death of a member of our nursing staff," the hospital said in a statement released today.

The nurse was identified as Jacintha Saldanha. The hospital said that Saldanha worked at the hospital for more than four years. They called her a "first-class nurse" and "a well-respected and popular member of the staff."

"We can confirm that Jacintha was recently the victim of a hoax call to the hospital," the statement said. "The hospital had been supporting her throughout this difficult time."

The hospital extended their "deepest sympathies" to family and friends, saying that "everyone is shocked" at this "tragic event."

"She will be greatly missed," the hospital said.

Earlier this week, the hospital fell for a prank call from an Australian radio show where the hosts pretended to be Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles looking to speak to Kate Middleton, who had been admitted to the hospital for her pregnancy. The call was put through to a second nurse who told the royal impersonators that Kate was "quite stable" and hadn't "had any retching."

Kate Middleton Leaves Hospital After Extreme Morning Sickness Watch Video

Kate Middleton Pregnant: Royal Couple Expecting Watch Video

Kate Middleton Pregnant: Hospital Stay Forces Announcement Watch Video

Saldanha was the nurse who transferred the impersonators to the second nurse who gave information about Kate's condition.

"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Jacintha Saldanha," a spokesman from St. James Palace said in a statement.

"Their Royal Highnesses were looked after so wonderfully well at all times by everybody at King Edward VII Hospital, and their thoughts and prayers are with Jacintha Saldanha's family, friends and colleagues at this very sad time," the statement said.

Police were called to an address near the hospital at about 9:35 a.m. GT today to "reports of a woman found unconscious," according to a statement from Scotland Yard.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. "Inquiries continue to establish the circumstances of the incident. Next of kin have been informed," the statement said.

Circumstances of the death being investigated, but are not suspicious at this stage, according to police.

The duchess spent three days at the hospital undergoing treatment for hyperemesis gravidarum, severe or debilitating nausea and vomiting. She was released from the hospital on Thursday morning.

The Tuesday morning prank call came from Australian DJ's Mel Greig and Michael Christian. They impersonated the royals, complete with exaggerated accents. They even enlisted two co-workers to bark like the queen's pet corgis.

The Sydney radio station, 2DayFM, could not be immediately reached for comment.

The Twitter accounts of both radio personalities have been deactivated, but it is unknown when the accounts were shut down. The DJ's are being heavily criticized on Twitter, with many people calling for them to resign or be fired.

The queen impersonator asked for her granddaughter and was promptly transferred to another hospital employee.

"I'm just after my granddaughter, Kate. I want to see how her little tummy bug is going," the radio host said, suppressing laughter.

"She's sleeping at the moment, and she has had an uneventful night and sleep is good for her," the nurse said. "She's been getting some fluids to rehydrate her because she was quite dehydrated when she came in, but she's stable at the moment."

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ECB slashes growth forecasts, keeps door open to rate cuts

FRANKFURT: The European Central Bank slashed its eurozone growth forecasts Thursday, keeping the door open to more interest rates cuts, even as it insisted it was up to governments to solve the debt crisis.

As widely expected, the ECB's decision-making governing council voted to leave the bank's main refinancing rate at a historic low of 0.75 percent at its last policy meeting this year.

But ECB chief Mario Draghi -- who last month had said further rate cuts were not discussed at all -- revealed there had been "wide discussion" of such a move this time round and the decision was anything but unanimous.

Nevertheless, "in the end the prevailing consensus was to leave the rates unchanged," the Italian central banker said.

The 23-member governing council traditionally likes any decisions to be unanimous or, failing that, by consensus.

And with economic gloom deepening over the 17 countries that share the euro, many ECB watchers believe there is room for additional monetary easing, even if none of them had predicted a cut in the bank's refi rate at this month's meeting.

The bank might be persuaded to act if economic prospects continue to deteriorate, analysts argued.

And the outlook looks gloomy indeed.

In its regular quarterly staff economic projections, the ECB forecast that the eurozone economy will contract both this year and next year and only return to growth in 2014.

According to the updated forecasts, the euro area economy is set to shrink by 0.5 percent in 2012 rather than by 0.4 percent as predicted earlier.

And it would shrink again by 0.3 percent in 2013, instead of growing by 0.5 percent.

Only in 2014 would the economy grow again, by an estimated 1.2 percent, the forecasts said.

The ECB governing council "continues to see downside risks to the economic outlook for the euro area," Draghi said.

"Over the shorter term, weak activity is expected to extend into next year."

Nevertheless, a gradual recovery should start "later" in 2013 as the ECB's low-interest rate policy and rising market confidence fed through into household spending, while a strengthening of foreign demand should support export growth, he argued.

Thus, the ball was very much in the governments' court to solve the two-year-old crisis, Draghi insisted.

By cutting interest rates and launching a raft of anti-crisis measures the ECB had "already done much that is needed," he said, even if he refused to explicitly rule out additional action further down the line.

"In order to sustain confidence, it is essential for governments to reduce further both fiscal and structural imbalances and to proceed with financial sector restructuring," he insisted.

A number of ECB watchers said they still expected the central bank to lower its rates early next year if the economy deteriorated still further.

"The ECB appears to have the door open for an interest rate cut, and we expect it to step through early in 2013," said Howard Archer at IHS Global Insight.

"With the eurozone clearly facing a difficult fourth quarter and beyond after moving into modest recession in the third quarter, and with the underlying inflation situation in the Eurozone looking relatively benign, we believe that the ECB has ample justification and scope to take interest rates down from 0.75 percent to 0.50 percent sooner rather than later," he said.

But others were not so sure.

Draghi "was quite clear that no further monetary policy action is to be expected in the near future," said Marie Diron at Ernst & Young Eurozone Forecast.

Commerzbank chief economist Joerg Kraemer said he "would forecast a lower refi rate if leading economic indicators declined in contrast to our expectations."

ING Belgium economist Carsten Brzeski felt that the fact that the ECB kept rates on hold "even after these strong downward revisions for growth and inflation in our view shows that the ECB prefers to stimulate the economy with non-standard measures and not with additional rate cuts."

A rate cut "might not entirely be off the table but would require an even worse weakening of the economy," Brzeski said.

-AFP/ac

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