Paypal Strengthen in Asia

PayPal, the online payments unit of Internet auction site operator eBay Inc., plans to double its staff in Asia to 2,000 by the end of the year.
"Asia is our fastest growing market and we absolutely expect that trend to continue," president Scott Thompson said Wednesday. "This is going to be a massive market and we look forward to having a really big business here."
PayPal's fourth-quarter revenue outside the US was $364 million, or 46 percent of overall revenue.
Thompson declined to comment on recent Chinese media reports that PayPal is in negotiations for a partnership with e-commerce retailer Alibaba Group, which is 39 percent owned by Yahoo Inc.
PayPal said Wednesday it has partnered with China UnionPay — which operates interbank transaction settlement for bankcards in China and the region — and Singapore's DBS bank to provide online payment services to the burgeoning Internet shopping market in Asia.
 China UnionPay has issued 2.1 billion bank cards in 10 countries, and its members will be able to use PayPal by the third quarter to make Internet purchases around the world, PayPal said.
Some four million DBS customers will be able to debit their bank accounts to fund PayPal accounts by the middle of the year.
PayPal's Asian operations recently hit a snag in another country, India, where the company has been blocking personal payments as it works out questions posed by Indian regulators. Payments to and from India were first suspended Jan. 28 after regulators began questioning if PayPal payments needed to be regulated like wire transfers of cash.

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Cyclone Hits Fiji

A powerful cyclone destroyed more than half the houses in many villages in northern Fiji, but only one death has been reported, officials said Thursday.

The full extent of the damage from Cyclone Tomas has yet to be determined because communications to the hardest-hit areas remain cut off and may not be restored before the weekend.

The South Pacific island nation has sent naval patrol boats laden with supplies to the northern islands that bore the full brunt of the storm, while Australian and New Zealand air force planes airlifted emergency supplies and began a second day of surveillance of the area.

A nationwide curfew was lifted Wednesday, but a state of emergency will remain in effect for 30 days in the country's northern and eastern divisions, where aid agencies say up to 130,000 people were affected by the storm.

"It is evident that wherever Tomas has struck, the damage has been overwhelming," Commodore Frank Bainimarama, Fiji's prime minister and military chief, said Wednesday as the first reports began to roll in.

The storm, packing winds of up to 130 miles (205 kilometers) per hour and gusts of up to 175 mph (280 kph), first hit Fiji late Friday. It blasted through the northern Lau and Lomaiviti island groups and the northern coast of the second biggest island, Vanua Levu, before losing strength as it moved out to sea Wednesday, the nation's weather office said.

"One village on the island of Taveuni lost all its houses, but there was no loss of life," Disaster Management Office senior official Pajiliai Dobui told The Associated Press.

While Fiji's north suffered overwhelming damage from the powerful winds and sea surges, Dobui said preparations for the storm meant "peoples' lives were not put at risk." Only one death was reported.

Dobui said some villages in the Lau island group lost up to 60 percent of their houses, especially near the coast where powerful waves surged inland.

"The impact of the storm surges was quite devastating," made worse by high tides at the time the storm passed over the islands, he said.

On the northern island of Koro, seven of the 14 villages were badly damaged, said Julian Hennings, a spokesman for the island's Dere Bay Resort.

"Some of the houses have blown away. A lot of trees have been uprooted, some of the roads have been blocked off because the waves have picked up rocks and coral and have dumped it on the road," he said. One of four landing jetties was also severely damaged.

Tiny Cikobia Island, home to about 400 people, suffered more than three days of hammering from the cyclone, which smashed houses, uprooted trees, washed away all local boats, and scattered debris across the island.

But Dobui said "many very strong homes" built on Cikobia after earlier cyclones "withstood Cyclone Tomas and protected the lives of our villagers."

Power, water, sewage and communications were still disrupted in many northern areas, but a key airport at Labasa in northern Vanua Levu reopened for emergency supply flights.

Troops have been deployed to provide relief, including food, water and basic supplies.

A New Zealand air force Hercules airplane that surveyed some northern areas found that "quite a few villages look like they have been hit pretty hard," squadron leader Kavae Tamariki told New Zealand's Stuff news Web site.

Many homes lost their roofs and some houses were destroyed, he said, adding that not many people were seen. "We think they have fled to safety inland," he said.

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Leyte Hit by 3 Quakes

At least three quakes rocked Leyte province in Eastern Visayas Wednesday, but state seismologists said there was no damage to property caused by the tremors.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the first quake measured Magnitude 3 and was recorded at 7:13 a.m., with the epicenter at 16 km northwest of Ormoc City.

It said the quake was felt at Intensity II in Tongonan in Ormoc; Ormoc proper; and Kananga town.

A second quake measuring Magnitude 2.9 was recorded at 7:33 a.m., with the epicenter traced to 4 km northwest of Ormoc City. The quake was felt at Intensity II in the towns of Albuera, Cananga and in Ormoc City.

The third quake measured Magnitude 2.4 and was recorded at 12:30 p.m., with the epicenter at 16 km northeast of Ormoc.

It was felt at Intensity II in Albuera, Kananga, Tongonan, and Ormoc City.

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Pinay Dies in U.S. Hit by 6 Vehicles

 A 73-year-old Filipina caregiver was killed after she was struck by several vehicles on the Pacific Coast Highway while attempting to cross a dark street to catch a bus on Monday morning.

Amelia Ordona died on the spot when a 2006 Honda Accord driven by Jay McNamara, 48, of Los Angeles, hit her as she tried to cross the busy Winding Way at 6:15 am.

The impact was so strong that the victim was thrown onto the other side of the road where she was hit again by six to seven other vehicles, some of which kept going, according to the Sheriff’s department.

Ordona’s 67-year-old sister, Amparo Pabalan, who was with Amelia at that time, was also hit but only sustained minor injuries, authorities said.

Ordona and Pabalan live in Westlake, Los Angeles near downtown.

Pabalan said they had just finished their shifts as caregivers and were walking to their bus stop at Paradise Cover and Pacific Coast Highway to take them back to their home.

It was their first time to cross Pacific Coast Highway near Winding Way, she said.

In the meantime, family members expressed a mixed feeling of grief and rage as police expressed no intent to conduct any arrest in connection with the incident.

On late Monday afternoon, Sheriff's Lt. Scott Chew of the Malibu-Lost Hills Station said there “won’t be any arrests."

“McNamara did not see the two women he hit until it was too late because of their dark clothing, poor lighting, and roadway conditions," Chew said.

“The person who initially hit her stopped. The feeling is that after the driver hit her and she was launched into lanes going the opposite direction, a couple of those people stopped. And it's somewhat debatable that the others who went on understood what was going on," he continued.

Chew said detectives would like to talk to the drivers who hit her and didn't stop, but it's not expected any criminal charges will be filed. "It was an accident," he said, "not a hit and run."

The victims’ families, on the other hand, said the sheriff’s statement “is unacceptable."

“I can not accept what they said," Ordona’s brother, Rolando, said. “When you are driving you must be aware of your surroundings whatever time of the day would it be."

“It seems they’re telling us now that my sister is responsible for her own death," he added.

Pacific Coast Highway was later closed between Kanan Dume Road and Malibu Canyon Road for about six hours while an investigation was conducted. The roadway was reopened about noon, according to a deputy at the station.

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No Fee for Campaign, says Reds

An official of the Cordillera People’s Democratic Front (CPDF) said guerrilla leaders would allow political candidates to campaign in Cordillera villages where communist rebels operate without paying permit to campaign (PTC) fees.
Simon Naogsan, spokesman of the CPDF, the local political arm of the National Democratic Front, said New People’s Army (NPA) rebels have never forced candidates to pay the NPA in exchange for access to so-called rebel territories.

Donations

But Naogsan said donations that rebels received during the election period in 2007 reached P500,000 worth of cash and goods in the Cordillera alone.
What rebel leaders in the region wanted was coordination to avoid clashes between guerrillas and security escorts of politicians, he said.
Naogsan said the group would welcome “any help or support from these candidates in cash or in kind … even moral support.”
“Kusang loob nilang ibinibigay (Candidates give us cash or goods on their own volition),” he said.

Goods

The type of goods previously donated to the rebels were firearms, mobile phones and food.
“In fact, even without the PTC, candidates may campaign in areas that we cover. PTC is not necessary. All they have to do is negotiate with us properly because we are strict [about our] security,” he said.
He said NPA rebels needed to know if candidates would bring along armed bodyguards. Rebels also need to be assured that the security men hired by candidates are not serving as spies for the government.

Where cash goes

He said cash donations helped fund the CPDF’s “administrative operations,” as well as training services for farmers.
Major Rosendo Armas, spokesman of the military’s Northern Luzon Command, said the military has no confirmation yet that PTC fees have been paid by candidates in Central and Northern Luzon.
“There were reports in Southern [Luzon], particularly in Bicol [about PTC fees]. We haven’t had any reports in our region [although] there were orders to our field units to closely monitor the areas where NPAs operate,” Armas said.
The military has advised candidates to reject rebel demands for fees to campaign.

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Manny's Game Plan Leaked

Did Joshua Clottey know in advance the traps laid out by Manny Pacquiao during The Event on Saturday?
Trainer Freddie Roach said this may be the only reason the Ghanaian fought like he just wanted to avoid a knockout during their World Boxing Organization welterweight title duel.
Pacquiao was well ahead on all scorecards—even of those covering the fight—and Clottey still refused to engage the Filipino despite pleadings from his corner to start taking chances.
As much as the ploy disappointed the crowd of 50,944 who trooped to the Cowboys Stadium, it also saved Clottey from being Pacquiao’s fifth straight knockout victim.
“I knew our best chance of knocking Clottey out would be to catch him when he’s throwing a punch,” Roach told TheSweetScience.com Sunday. “The instant Manny saw him start to throw his jab he was supposed to catch him with a hook on top of it.”
Roach became more intrigued by Clottey’s announcements that he doesn’t watch tapes and yet he was clearly familiar with the plan.
The four-time Trainer of the Year said the leak probably came from Pacquiao’s Ghanaian sparring partner, Abdullai Amidu.
Meanwhile, the concert in Hawaii featuring Pacquiao will no longer push through. Pacquiao was supposed to leave Thursday for Honolulu for a concert with his MP band.
Promoter Ryan Chang of Island Fire Productions told the website HonoluluAdvertiser.com that promoters needed to sell about 2,500 to break even. But as of noon Tuesday, only 603 tickets had been sold.


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Pacman's Concert Cancelled

A lack of interest in ticket sales has forced a promoter to cancel a concert by Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao in Hawaii, said a spokesman for Island Fire Productions.
The concert was scrapped just days after Pacquiao beat Ghana's Joshua Clottey in a welterweight world championship fight in front of a crowd of 50,994 at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
Ryan Chang of Island Fire said Tuesday that just 603 tickets had been sold for the concert in Waikiki meaning he would have to absorb a loss of about $50,000 if the show went ahead.


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Michael Jordan, Bobcats Majority Owner

The NBA board of governors approved the sale of the Charlotte Bobcats to Michael Jordan, making the former Chicago Bull star the first ex-player to be a majority owner in the league.
The $275-million bid by the five-time NBA MVP was approved on Wednesday elevating the 47-year-old from a minority investor to a majority owner.
Jordan, who led North Carolina's college basketball team to an NCAA title in 1982, was fired from his management position with the Washington Wizards in 2003. He then took a minority stake in the Bobcats' franchise.
Wednesday's board approval gave Jordan the green light after he initially struck a provisional deal to buy the club last month.
Charlotte is in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with 34 wins and 32 losses.
Jordan declined to comment on Wednesday.

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Bus-Truck Collide, Killed 35 in Afghanistan

 Up to 35 people were killed in a fireball Wednesday when a bus carrying passengers taking home gas canisters collided with a truck on a treacherous mountain pass in northern Afghanistan.
The bus was travelling north from Kabul along the narrow Salang pass when it "had an accident with a truck, as a result of which 35 passengers, including women, men and children, were killed," the interior ministry said.
The Salang pass -- the fastest route connecting northern and southern Afghanistan -- is a notoriously dangerous stretch of road, and the scene of avalanches in February that killed 170 people.
Police said initially that the bus crashed into an oil tanker, but the spokesman for the northern regional police, Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai, said the bus passengers were returning from Iran carrying canisters of gas.
"The bus was bringing families home from Iran and many of them had bought gas in Iran because it is cheaper there. So when the bus slammed into the truck, the canisters exploded," he told AFP.
Afghan homes generally use gas canisters to fuel stoves for cooking.
The interior ministry said the accident appeared to have been caused by the "narrow width of the road" and driver "carelessness".
"In the first moments after the incident police and first aid health workers arrived on the site and transferred a number of people to the provincial hospital," it said.
It did not give details of the number of injured.
President Hamid Karzai offered his condolences to the families of the dead.
The accident happened when the truck driver lost control of his vehicle and smashed into the bus, Karzai's office said.
It put the number of dead at 32, with six injured.
The type of bus involved in the crash can accommodate more than 50 passengers, a former bus driver said.
In February, the Salang pass was closed for four days as rescue workers dug through heavy snow and ice to recover bodies after avalanches in one of the country's worst natural disasters.
One of the highest highways in the world at around 3,650 meters (12,000 feet), the pass includes a 2.6-kilometer tunnel and was hailed as an engineering feat after it was completed with Soviet help in the 1950s.
Due to its relative isolation, much of northern Afghanistan has been somewhat sheltered from the eight-year Taliban insurgency that more than 120,000 NATO and US troops are trying to quell.
Traffic on the Salang pass is building as Afghans prepare to celebrate the Nowruz new year, which falls on March 21.
Many people travel to the northern provinces to spend the national holiday in one of the most peaceful regions of the war-wracked country.


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Black Eyed Peas Kicks Off Worl Cup

Grammy-winning international artists will perform at the World Cup kick-off celebration, on the eve of the world's biggest sporting event in South Africa, FIFA said on Wednesday.
The Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, Shakira and Alicia Keyes will share the stage with local and African artists in Soweto, in a concert to be broadcast worldwide on June 10.
"We are thrilled to have a concert of such magnitude and performing talent raise the curtain on the first FIFA World Cup in Africa," FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said.
The concert will take place at the 30,000-seat Orlando stadium, in the historic Soweto township, where liberation hero Nelson Mandela once lived.
According to FIFA, money generated from the event will be donated to the "20 Centres for 2010", a project which aims to use football to promote public health and education in poor communities across Africa.
Tickets will cost up to 1,150 rand ($156, €113).
Prominent African musicians include Angelique Kidjo from Benin, The Parlotones from South Africa and Amadou and Mariam, the blind musical duo from Mali.

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Who Wins?

 The three most-talked-about fighters in the world might be Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley, for obvious reasons.

Mayweather was supposed to have fought Pacquiao this month in a mammoth promotion but negotiations collapsed over drug testing. Mayweather then chose to fight Mosley in what will be the biggest fight of the year. And, if there’s any common sense in the world, the winner will fight Pacquiao next.

Who wins these fights, either real or speculative?

RingTV.com asked four respected trainers -– Joe Goossen, Ronnie Shields, Buddy McGirt and Robert Garcia -- to give their thoughts on the three possible matchups: Mayweather-Mosley, Pacquiao-Mayweather and Pacquiao-Mosley.

Here’s what they had to say.


MAYWEATHER vs. MOSLEY

Joe Goossen: I like Shane Mosley in this fight. He’s quick handed and fast on his feet. Mayweather is quick handed and fast on his feet except he’s half the man Shane is sizewise. Shane Mosley has fought 160 pounders and fared quite well. He beat (Oscar) De La Hoya when he was De La Hoya. He took on a giant Antonio Margarito and beat him at his own game, the inside, Mexican-style game. And no one does that against Margarito. I know everyone thinks Mayweather will win. Well, everyone thought Margarito would beat Shane. I just think Mayweather doesn’t punch enough. He can pop you here and there, move here and there, play cat and mouse and wear you down against a good or very good opponent. But Shane is a cut above.

Ronnie Shields: I think Mayweather is going to win a close decision. Shane will come at Floyd. Floyd won’t have to look for him. Shane has to put a lot of pressure on Floyd to win; he has to throw a lot of punches to try to outwork Floyd. I don’t see that happening. I think Floyd will hold him, walk him around, stand on the ropes, let Shane thrown punches and catch them on his arms and then counter punch him all night long. It might be a different story if Shane moved around the ring like he used to. He’s older now, though; he can’t do that. The only way Shane can catch him and hurt him would be with the left hook and Floyd never drops his right hand. Shane won’t hurt him with his right. It has to be the left hook. And I don’t see him touching Floyd with it.

Buddy McGirt: I go with Mayweather because of his speed. Guys with speed have given Mosley a little trouble. I think Shane will try to come in and try to overpower him. That’s a mistake. Mayweather has a way of getting you to dance to his beat. What happens when Mosley comes in? Mayweather strips and counters. You can’t stand in front of Shane; he’ll kill you if you do that. He has trouble with fast guys, though, guys like Vernon Forrest. If they fought eight, nine years ago, it would be a different ball game. Margarito was tailor-made for him, like me fighting a heavy bag. Shane can still fight. And he has an experienced trainer in Naazim Richardson. I’m quite sure he’ll have very good strategy. Floyd will make adjustments, though. He’s very good at that. He’s just a natural fighter.

Robert Garcia: I like Shane as a person. He’s been a friend of mine since the amateurs. I would love to see him win. But this is a difficult fight. Mayweather is very, very difficult to hit. He’s a great defensive fighter and very quick at the same time. It all depends on which Mosley shows up. The Mosley who fought Margarito looked great. He fought the perfect fight and showed he’s still one of the best pound for pound in the world. The one who fought (Ricardo) Mayorga didn’t look so good. I think he’ll give Mayweather a hell of a fight but I still give the edge to Mayweather. His defense, his speed, he’s awkward. I think Mayweather will win a decision.


PACQUIAO VS. MAYWEATHER

Joe Goossen: Mayweather wants nothing to do with Pacquiao. Certain guys give other guys the willies. I think Pacquiao gives him the willies. He’s Professor Moriarty to Sherlock Holmes. No. 1, Mayweather isn’t enamored with fighting southpaws. No. 2, Manny Pacquiao is very hard to discourage. And No. 3, Manny Pacquiao does not stop punching. He hits you in the arms, the ribs, the hip, anywhere he can. And he’s very accurate. He’s constantly on you, like a barnacle. You can’t get rid of him. No one respects Floyd Mayweather like I do but I call it as I see it. Mayweather can crack but I don’t think his punches come often enough. It might’ve been different when Pacquiao didn’t use his right hand. It’s too late for that, though: Pacquiao has learned how to fight.


Ronnie Shields: I just think Mayweather’s defense is too good. Manny throws more punches but he’s not going to land more punches. This’ll be a close fight either way it goes. Do you go with the aggressor, Pacquiao, or do you go with the guy landing the cleaner, harder punches, Mayweather? I think I’d go with Mayweather. Manny will have to make the fight, to come through Floyd, and that could play right into Floyd’s hands. Floyd will block and counter effectively. Floyd will stand and wait, wait, wait, and when Manny comes in, Floyd will hit him. I think Manny’s defense is a little better than Shane’s. You can’t miss Shane. It’s a pick ‘em fight. It depends what kind of fighter you like.

Buddy McGirt: I think Mayweather will win if he has the right strategy. You gotta punch when Pacquiao punches. (Juan Manuel) Marquez showed the way to beat Pacquiao. If you wait for him to get done punching, he’ll be gone. Floyd is very smart, though; so is Pacquiao. I just think Floyd is better. And he’s very fast. You don’t know how fast until you’re in the opposite corner. I was in Arturo’s (Gatti) corner. His speed is unbelievable. I think Pacquiao would run into counters. And once Floyd gets you to dance to his beat, he’s got you. A perfect example is Zab Judah. Judah won the first four, five rounds. Once Floyd figured him out, though, it was over.

Robert Garcia: I think Pacquiao beats Mayweather. Pacquiao throws a lot of punches. I don’t think he would knock Mayweather out. Mayweather is a good defensive fighter. Mayweather doesn’t throw as many punches as Pacquiao, though. I think Pacquiao will outpunch him three, four punches to one. I don’t think it’ll be like the (Joshua) Clottey fight; it won’t be easy. But I think Pacquiao wins a decision. I think Pacquiao will throw three-, four-punch combinations and move side to side. Mayweather doesn’t throw that many punches. I think there’ll be times he’ll take the combinations and not throw anything back. That should give Pacquiao the rounds.


PACQUIAO vs. MOSLEY

Joe Goossen: That’s a tough one. Mosley can punch. You saw where Clottey landed a couple of left hooks and right hands on Pacquiao. And he may have buzzed him a bit once or twice. Mosley would probably have to beat Mayweather to fight Pacquiao, which means he’d be coming in with a whole new set of confidence. And Shane has had some experience with southpaws, more than Mayweather. Pacquiao wouldn’t overwhelm Mosley. Shane isn’t a shrinking violet himself when it comes to throwing punches and Pacquiao knows it. A big, fast, strong guy like Mosley will be the biggest, fastest, strongest guy Pacquiao has fought and he really fights. Do I pick Mosley? I might if I were assured he hasn’t lost anything since his last fight. I can tell you this: Someone will get knocked out. Who? (Laughs.)

Ronnie Shields: That’s hard to pick. They really have the same style, although one is a southpaw (Pacquiao) and one is right handed. Again, though, Pacquiao’s defense is better than Mosley’s. I would have to go with Pacquiao for that reason. If this were Mosley at 135 pounds, I would say Shane Mosley any day of the week. At 147 pounds and … what is he, 38? … I have to go with the younger fighter because of defense and foot speed. This is a very entertaining fight. These guys both throw a lot of punches. I don’t think there’s a better fight in boxing right now than Manny Pacquiao against Shane Mosley.

Buddy McGirt: I think this would be a great fight. I don’t want to pick a winner. I just want to sit back and watch that one. Shane can still fight. He’s not the Shane of seven, eight years ago, though, so I lean a little toward Pacquiao. Shane is known for pulling upsets, though. So who knows? I know what Floyd does. He tries to out-slick you. Shane is going to bring it, and Pacquiao is going to bring it. I think Pacquiao’s edge is his speed. But if he sits in front of Shane too long, he could pay a price. Great fight.

Robert Garcia: I pick Pacquiao but I think it’ll be very close. Shane fights with his heart. He still wants to prove that he’s one of the best. He’s still hungry. He can stand in front of you, make you miss and then land counters. And Mosley can take a good punch, too. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mosley pulled it off. I know it’d be the best fight for the fans. It’s a more-interesting fight than Mayweather-Pacquiao, a real fight for true boxing fans.


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