Cuba making good on pledge to free prisoners
Cuba appeared to be making quick progress in meeting a pledge to free 2,900 pardoned prisoners, most of them convicted of minor crimes, even as a top human rights official on the island criticized the year-end amnesty as a "media show."
Human rights official Elizardo Sanchez and dissidents on the Communist-run island said Wednesday that authorities had released more than 2,500 inmates. The government has published a list of names of those pardoned in the Official Gazette, but has not said how the liberations announced by President Raul Castro on Friday are going. Castro said he was granting the pardons in connection with an upcoming visit by Pope Benedict XVI.
One freed prisoner, Jose Menendez, told The Associated Press that it was a complete and welcome surprise when he heard his name over a prison loudspeaker and was told he was on the list.
"If I could talk to President Raul and the Pope, I would shake their hand and say that I am immensely grateful for this opportunity for life that they have given me," an emotional Menendez said from his small Havana apartment, his wife at his side.
Menendez, 46, was imprisoned in the late 1980s on gun charges, and subsequently convicted of other crimes committed while behind bars. He was not due to be released until 2029.
Castro announced the amnesty in a speech to lawmakers on Friday, and noted that most of those pardoned were first-time offenders, youths, women, inmates over 60 or those suffering from illness.
Sanchez, the head of the independent Havana-based Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation, said only five prisoners convicted of political crimes appeared to be among those pardoned, including a doctor convicted of revealing state secrets, and another prisoner sentenced in connection with a hijacking. He said the overall number of inmates freed was dwarfed by Cuba's prison population.
"It's evident that this is a media show," Sanchez said. "When there are 70,000 prisoners, releasing 3,000 of them is a very small thing."
The government has not said how many people it holds in its jails. While it tolerates Sanchez's activities, it considers all dissidents to be mercenaries sent by Washington to undermine the revolution.
Among those freed in Castro's amnesty were 86 foreigners, many convicted of drug trafficking or prostitution.
One high-profile inmate left off the list was American subcontractor Alan Gross, who is serving a 15-year jail term for crimes against the state.
Grenada draws down US$1.7 million from EU
The European Union (EU) has provided 1.37 million Euros (US$1.7 million) to the Grenada government as the last tranche of the ninth European Development Fund General Budget Support Programme.
A government statement said that this latest disbursement means Grenada would have drawn down 98 per cent or a total of 20 million Euros of the total available funds under the budget support programme.
Head of the European Union in Barbados, Valeriano Diaz, in a letter to Grenada’s finance minister Nazim Burke says the programme has been a success.
Barbados Copyright Agency (B-Copy)to get outside help
Almost four months after going public with its copyright infringement dispute with the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill campus, the Barbados Copyright Agency (B-Copy) is expecting foreign reinforcements to help it press for a settlement.
Chairman Antonio Boo Rudder told the SUNDAY SUN that his organization had received commitments of support from Copyright Clearance Centre (CCC), a global rights broker for print and online content, and the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organization (IFRRO).
Senior manager with CCC, Ed Colleran, as well as regional representative for the Belgium-based IFRRO, Carol Newman, who is also manager of the Jamaican Copyright Licensing Agency, are due in Barbados on February 8.
Rudder made the disclosure as he noted that B-Copy had so far received no indication that the Cave Hill campus was willing to pay the $16.50 per student licence fee demanded by the agency to allow it to reproduce copyrighted printed work of local, regional and international authors.
Nation News
Serena Williams wins on Brisbane International return
Serena Williams marked her return to competition in Australia with a 6-2 6-3 win over Chanelle Scheepers in round one of the Brisbane International.
The 30-year-old former world number one last played down under when she won the Australian Open title in 2010.
It was her first match since she was fined for an outburst in September's US Open final defeat against Sam Stosur.
Former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic beat Tamira Paszek 6-3 6-3 and faces Kim Clijsters in round two.
Williams had her service broken in the opening game against South African Scheepers.
However, she fired seven aces and took advantage of eight double-faults by Scheepers to secure victory in 68 minutes and book a match with Serbian Bojana Jovanovski in the second round.
"That was definitely not easy, I think she (Scheepers) played really well," said Williams. "I didn't expect that."
Ivanovic, another former world number one, took a shade under 80 minutes to dispose of Austria's Paszek and she said: "There were some nerves involved, particularly early on but I felt I played well. Obviously there is still some room for improvement but it was the first match and I'm happy."
Four-time world number one Clijsters, now ranked 13th, has beaten Ivanovic in all four of their previous meetings.
The 28-year-old Belgian defeated Simona Halep of Romania in the opening round, her first match since August following an abdominal injury.
Ivanovic squandered five match points in her last match against Clijsters in March. Asked about their latest meeting, the Serbian added: "It will be a battle and I just want to try and apply things that I have worked on and see how that plays.
"I just need to go out there and test myself and push and see how far I am from the top players."
Top seed Stosur was due to play later on Monday against Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus.
Meanwhile, British number one Elena Baltacha beat 21-year-old wildcard Sacha Jones of New Zealand in the first round of the ASB Classic in Auckland.
Baltacha secured a second-round tie with fourth seed Flavia Pennetta and said: "It was very windy out there and she had a lot of support so I'm pleased to get the win and get a good start to 2012."
Anne Keothavong failed to make it through to the main draw, losing in the final qualifying round 6-1 6-4 against Jamie Hampton of the United States.
Bosh scores 24 and Heat roll past Bobcats, 129-90
Last week, drama for the Miami Heat was defined as having one shot to beat the Charlotte Bobcats .
On Sunday night, it was defined as whether the Heat would enjoy the biggest win in franchise history.
Chris Bosh scored 20 of his 24 points in the first half, and the Heat improved to 5-0 for the first time by rolling past the Bobcats 129-90. The 129 points is the most scored by any NBA team so far this season and the 39-point victory margin matched the third-largest in Heat history, four shy of the team mark.
"I think we're where we should be," Dwyane Wade said. "I think we're only going to get better."
Wade scored 22 points and LeBron James, Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole all scored 16 for the Heat, who ran out to an 18-point lead after one quarter and held a 46-point lead at one point in the fourth.
DJ White scored 21 points and Kemba Walker finished with 17 for Charlotte, which lost its seventh straight regular-season meeting against Miami.
"Tonight was a night," Bobcats' guard Corey Maggette said, "where we just did not get it done."
The Heat needed a game-winner from Wade with 2.9 seconds left to win at Charlotte on Wednesday night.
No such heroics were necessary this time. In fact, it took a falling-down 3-pointer from Walker - while getting fouled - with 3:26 left to get Charlotte back within 40 points.
"Just one of those games where nothing went right," Charlotte coach Paul Silas said.
White made all eight of his shots in the first half for the Bobcats. The rest of Charlotte's starters in the first 24 minutes shot a staggering 3 for 22, including an 0 for 7 from D.J. Augustin and 0 for 6 from Maggette.
So in control was Miami that James - who got engaged to longtime girlfriend Savannah Brinson as his New Year's highlight - wasn't even an offensive factor in the first half. His first field goal of the game came on a layup with 48 seconds remaining before intermission, and by then the Heat lead was 63-37.
"We came into the game tonight trying to play with a heightened sense of athleticism," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "I was encouraged by our ability to concentrate, even as we got the lead."
Chalmers made all four of his shots from 3-point range, Cole scored his 16 points in 20 minutes, and Miami held huge edges in fast-break points (30-11) and points in the paint (58-38).
"We wanted a complete effort," Bosh said. "I think we got it."
Bosh controlled the play early, scoring nine of Miami's first 15 points, the last of those being an alley-oop dunk off a feed from Chalmers for an 11-point Heat lead. And with that, it was a total turnaround from the game in Charlotte last week, where Miami quickly got into an 11-0 hole and needed to scratch and claw all the way to the finish.
On Sunday, Spoelstra had the luxury of giving his starters plenty of time off in the fourth quarter, with the added bonus there being a few extra minutes to rest up for a visit from Atlanta (3-1) on Monday night. Every Miami starter spent at least 18 minutes on the bench.
"Guys had fresh legs and guys were very responsible last night with the new year coming in," James said.
Before the game, Silas said he thought Walker was "a little tired" as the rookie got used to the NBA grind.
Walker might not have been alone with that issue.
Besides White, no other Charlotte starter reached double figures in scoring. Maggette is now 1-for-16 shooting in two games against Miami this season. Augustin finished 1 for 11, the worst shooting night of his career when trying at least 10 shots. Combined, Charlotte's starters grabbed 14 rebounds, which was four more than what Bosh collected by himself.
"We're all going to take the load off every night for each other. That's what great teams do," Bosh said. "It was just a good night."
SI
Former Liverpool & Everton defender Gary Ablett dies
Former Liverpool and Everton defender Gary Ablett has died at the age of 46 following a 16-month battle against non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
More to follow.
Former Australia captain Murray Barnes dies at 57
Former Australia captain Murray Barnes has died at the age of 57.
Barnes skippered the Socceroos during their unsuccessful campaign to qualify for the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
He won 51 caps, scoring nine goals, and won four domestic titles with his club Sydney City Hakoah.
Football Federation Australia chief executive Ben Buckley said Barnes "will be remembered as a fierce competitor and as a proud Australian" who led his country "with distinction".
Players will wear black armbands as a mark of respect to Murray in the five A-League matches scheduled for Wednesday 4 January, when fans will be invited to join a minute's applause.
Barnes spent a year with Leeds United as a youth player in the early 1970s.
A tall, strong and aggressive player, he was predominately a midfielder but often played in attack and occasionally in defence.
Victor Cruz continues rise to stardom
The Cowboys will hear that sound all offseason long — a haunting cry that will nestle into their souls and keep them up at night, lest they slip back into a nightmare.
Cruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuzzzzzzzzz.
Two-hundred-and-fifty-five players were drafted in the 2010 NFL Draft. Victor Cruz was not one of them. He signed with the Giants and fought his way onto the team, before an injury ended his season. He then battled into the offensive plans again in 2011.
He made his first two career catches in Week 2 of this season. Over the next 14 games, he would haul in 80 more passes and compile more than 1,500 yards.
Sunday night, he was unstoppable. Seemingly every time Eli Manning dropped back to pass in a key situation, he looked for No. 80. And, try as they might, the Cowboys simply could not keep him from making plays in a 31-14 Giants win
In the first quarter, on a 3rd-and-1, he burned Terence Newman — who, incidentally, played the type of hands-off defense usually saved for the meaningless Pro Bowl. Cruz ran a simple out route, caught a pass from Manning, then turned up the left sideline and sprinted to the end zone for an early 7-0 Giants lead.
Cruz then set up Ahmad Bradshaw’s TD in the second quarter by coming up with a 5-yard catch on 3rd-and-4 from the Dallas 10.
Then, just as the Cowboys decided to show up, Cruz delivered the biggest play of the night. The Giants’ lead had been trimmed from 21-14, and Manning found himself in trouble on 3rd-and-7. But New York’s QB somehow spun from pressure and threw a jump ball up for Cruz — a play so much like Manning’s famous Super Bowl highlight against the Patriots that you couldn’t help but notice the similarities.
And, just like David Tyree did, Cruz got inside of the deep coverage, leaped and came down with a 44-yard reception. That one led to a Lawrence Tynes field goal that put the Giants back up 10 and allowed the New York players and fans to breathe again.
“He’s done a great job — working hard, understanding this offense, knowing how to get open,” Manning said of Cruz. “He’s a big-play guy. He’s done a great job making big plays for us.”
A Hakeem Nicks touchdown and a couple of defensive stops later, the Giants were NFC East champs, bound for the playoffs and a home date with Atlanta.
The Giants earned this win, and they earned the division title. While Dallas struggled to find its footing on the Sunday night stag in e, New York stormed out and grabbed the bull by the horns. Before Dallas knew what was happening, it was 21-0.
Give some credit to a wounded Tony Romo, who shed the glove protecting his injured throwing hand at halftime and pulled his team back within seven in the fourth quarter. This season never went the way Dallas expected, with some of the blame falling on injuries and a rash of second-half letdowns.
But the Cowboys’ failures ultimately came down to two losses to the Giants. Dallas had a 34-22 lead on its division rivals late in a Week 14 game, before watching Manning rally Big Blue back.
The ‘Boys did not have a chance to blow the rematch, because the Giants never gave them much life. The first half was a total clinic, with New York’s defense schooling Dallas’ offensive line, and Manning and company nearly scoring at will.
Things got a little dicier for the home team after halftime, with Romo threatening to turn the tables and cap off a rally. That is, until Cruz skied in the air and pulled one away from Orlando Scandrick — the latest moment of heroism from New York’s amazing second-year receiver.
“(This season has) been amazing,” Cruz said, “to come in, relatively unknown trying to find a spot on this team … it’s been incredible.”
It’s hard to imagine New York winning Sunday night without him, just as Week 16′s win over the Jets might have been a different story for the Giants had Cruz not turned in an incredible individual effort on a 99-yard touchdown.
The Giants have other playmakers on the their roster: Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham and Bradshaw, to name a few. But ever since that Super Bowl XLII win on Feb. 3, 2008, they’ve been struggling to find a real go-to guy, someone who can rise above the occasion and steal the moment for himself.
Call it great scouting, luck or whatever you want, but New York finally appears to have found that player in an undrafted wide receiver out of Massachusetts.
Cruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuzzzzzzzzz.
Dallas will spend all offseason trying to forget that sound. But the Cowboys may not be the last team burned by the Giants’ formerly unknown superstar.
Eurozone manufacturing decline persists, PMI survey says
Activity in the eurozone manufacturing sector fell for the fifth successive month in December, but showed a slight improvement on the previous month, a closely-watched survey suggests.
The Markit eurozone manufacturing PMI was 46.9, up from November's 28-month low of 46.4. Any score under 50 represents a contraction.
Markit said production levels and new orders fell in all 17 member nations.
Employment rose in Germany and France, but fell across the bloc as a whole.
Markit said manufacturing growth in the final three months of last year was the weakest since the middle of 2009.
"Eurozone manufacturing is clearly undergoing another recession," said Markit's chief economist Chris Williamson.
"Despite the rate of decline easing slightly in December, production appears to have been collapsing across the single currency area at a quarterly rate of approximately 1.5% in the final quarter of 2011."
No country in the eurozone saw an increase in manufacturing activity in December.
Austria recorded the highest score of 49, followed by France on 48.9 and Germany on 48.4.
The survey also found that input prices across the eurozone fell for the third straight month.
Many economists believe the eurozone economy as a whole is heading for recession, after growing by just 0.2% between July and September - the latest figures available.
"Eurozone manufacturers are now very much on the back foot and finding life extremely challenging as domestic demand is hit by tighter fiscal policy across the region, squeezed consumer purchasing power, and heightened eurozone sovereign debt tensions leading to tightening credit conditions and financial market turmoil," said Howard Archer, of IHS Global Insight.
The economic think tank believes the latest PMI data provides "significant support" to the case for the ECB to cut interest rates again in the next few months.
A poll conducted among leading economists by the BBC last week found that, of the 27 who responded, 25 forecast a return to recession for Europe next year.
Exxon wins $908m from Venezuela in oil dispute
Oil giant Exxon Mobil has won $908m (£586m) from an arbitration panel after the nationalisation of its Venezuelan oil project in 2007.
However, this is less than 10% of what the oil giant had reportedly sought.
The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris set the award, ruling that Venezuela's state oil company, PDVSA, did have liability to Exxon after its assets were nationalised.
The award is less than the $1bn Venezuela offered in September.
Exxon had reportedly sought $10bn in compensation for the nationalisation of its heavy crude upgrading project in Venezuela's oil rich Orinoco belt.
Future cases
It is one of many arbitration cases currently under consideration after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez ordered the nationalisation of the assets of some oil companies including Exxon and Conoco Phillips.
"They must be elated that they got off so cheap. It's certainly a happy new year for Venezuela," said Russ Dallen at Caracas Capital Markets.
The decision was made by an arbitration tribunal at the ICC. Under the rules of the arbitration, its decisions are binding.
Exxon will hope for a better result in the next case concerning the nationalisation of its Cerro Negro heavy oil project, which is being heard by a different arbitration panel.
Much of Venezuela's so far untapped reserves are harder-to-process heavy oil, and the Venezuelan government has been keen to increase state revenues from these reserves.
Analysts have said the country's aggressive nationalisation strategy may have deterred foreign investors and limited oil production.
But despite the moves, which saw Exxon and Conoco Philips leave the country, other oil firms have continued to invest .
In 2010, US firm Chevron and Spain's Repsol signed investment deals to exploit resources in the country's Orinoco belt.