Monday 17 December 2012

Aceh Governor Cup 2012: Atjeh Win against Selangor 1-0


BANDA ACEH - Atjeh FC managed to win the match against Selangor FA single goal by Muhammad Shakir, at the penalty spot. Score 1-0 to the referee blew the long whistle has not changed, despite the Selangor FA began to dominate the game in the second round.

Selangor FA continued to press the Atjeh FC defense did not managed to score fronted Zulbahra. 2x45 minutes of the game, at least two yellow cards the referee to camp dihadiakan Selangor FA.

Aceh Governor Cup 2012: Kelantan Back Early


alt

Kelantan had to leave early in Aceh Governor Cup after losing 2-4 in the final group action against Semen Padang FC from Indonesia. Kelantan's 2-4 defeat forced fate through vote after a tie tied in terms of points and network with Brunei DPMM FC team. Results from the poll, Brunei DPMM FC qualify to semifinal accompany Semen Padang FC.

In the game, players import Semen Padang FC, ​​Edward Wilson Junior put his team ahead by scoring in the 25th minute before captain Bihar, intermittent Piya minute equalizer. In the 33rd minute, Semen Padang FC awarded a penalty after striker Titus Bonai passed by the Kelantan defense. Edward Wilson who took the kick easily beat Shahrizan Ismail to return to put in front of Semen Padang.

Duric looks to go out in style



Singapore – Having already made his mark in the record books at the AFF Suzuki Cup, Aleksandar Duric will be looking to bring down the curtain on his untypical international football career when he takes to the field for Singapore in this week’s final against Thailand. 

The lanky striker only made his international debut for the Lions five years ago at 37, an age when most players would already have quit playing at that level.

But such is the skill and dedication of the man who once competed at the Olympics for his native Bosnia as a kayaker that he has flourished on the international stage and averaged nearly a goal every other game for the Lions since he netted a brace on his debut against Tajikistan in a World Cup qualifier in 2007.

Now 42, Duric has made no secret of his intention to retire from international football after this year’s AFF Suzuki Cup but he hopes that he can go out with a bang by helping to fire the Lions to a fourth regional title.

“Reaching this year’s final is kind of like a dream come true,” said Duric to affsuzukicup.com.

“I’ve played in this tournament twice before in 2008 and 2010 so this is my third time and I’m so excited to be playing in the final of the AFF Suzuki Cup because this is my last chance. I’m going to retire after this tournament and I badly wanted to be in the final and we are.

“At the same time, we have proved many people wrong by going through to the final. Not many people believed we go could even get through the group stage, but game by game we have grown as a team and showed that we are really good.”

Since his appearance in the 1992 Olympic kayak event, Duric has dedicated himself to football and played for club in Hungary, Australia and China before he arrived in Singapore in 1999.

A prolific scorer in the S.League for several clubs, he was just an interested observer when the Lions won the Asean title in 2007 but became a Singapore citizen on his own accord later that year and has gone on to score 24 goal in 51 international matches for his adopted country.

“I honestly never thought that I would be playing in the final for the national team,” he said. “I have to grateful because at my age, winning over 50 caps for the national team is a great achievement.”

Given his vast footballing experience, Duric insists that he was not about to panic when the Lions endured a poor build-up to this year’s AFF Suzuki Cup which came in the wake of their disappointing group stage exit two years ago.

“I’ve been playing football for nearly 20 years and being in the game for such a long time, I know that friendly games don’t really mean anything. It was the effort that the team was putting in and not the results of the games that mattered,” he said.

Up close with Thailand’s best XI



While emphasising that he has a strong squad of 22 players, Thailand coach Winfried Schafer has started his best XI in three of their five matches so far in the AFF Suzuki Cup. 

An injury to midfield dynamo Datsakorn Thonglao forced Schafer to make one change for the important group game against Myanmar, bringing in Sumanya Purisay, but the three-time champions were back at full strength for the two-legged semi-final with defending champions Malaysia.

Ahead of the AFF Suzuki Cup showdown with Singapore, www.affsuzukicup.com profiles Thailand’s likely starting XI.

Kawin Thamsatchanan, position - goalkeeper, club - Muangthong United, age - 22, nickname - Tong
Kawin, preferred in goals to Sinthaweechai Hathairattanakool, has been well protected by the back four but has shown his class when called into action. A reflex save from a pointblank header by Malaysia’s Safee Sali in the closing minutes of the semi-final first leg ensured Thailand returned to Bangkok with a 1-1 draw.

Piyaphon Buntao, right full-back, Muangthong United, 25, Dai
His marauding runs down the right have posed problems for defences although the final cross has often been lacking. However, he picked out Teerasil Dangda with a great outswinging ball for Thailand’s equaliser in the first leg of the semi-final against defending champions Malaysia.

Panupong Wongsa, centre back, Muangthong United, 29, Mai 
A rock at the centre of defence, the captain has proved a talismanic leader on the field with frequent urgings to his teammates. He has played a total of 383 minutes, featuring for the full 90 minutes in four matches and coming on as a substitute against Vietnam, and has hardly put a foot wrong.

Chonlatit Jantakam, centre back, Chonburi, 27, Chon
A no-nonsense defender, Chonlatit has combined well with Panupong to form a wall in front of Kawin. Technically sound, his distribution from defence has been first rate.

Theerathon Bunmathan, left full back, Buriram United, 22, Aum
The gifted Theerathon has lived up to his pre-tournament billing as a player to watch during the AFF Suzuki Cup. He has proved a constant danger with his overlapping runs and inswinging deliveries from corners and free kicks. Played in midfield against Malaysia in the semi-final second leg and topped off a fine performance with Thailand’s second goal.

Leaders Barca beat Atletico to go nine clear in La Liga


MADRID – Leaders Barcelona struck a potentially decisive blow in the La Liga title race when Lionel Messi scored twice in a 4-1 win at home to second-placed Atletico Madrid to move nine points clear at the top on Sunday.
Espanyol's Juan Albin (2nd R) celebrates his goal next Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo during their Spanish First Division soccer match at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid December 16, 2012. REUTERS/Juan Medina
Espanyol's Juan Albin (2nd R) celebrates his goal next Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo during their Spanish First Division soccer match at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid December 16, 2012. 
The victory moved Barca 13 points ahead of ailing champions Real Madrid, who were surprisingly held to a 2-2 draw at home by lowly Espanyol.
Tito Vilanova’s unbeaten leaders fought back after Radamel Falcao gave Atletico a deserved lead. A magnificent strike from Adriano levelled the scores, and Sergio Busquets and a second-half brace from Messi completed the scoring.
Barca have 46 points from 16 games, Atletico have 37 and Real 33.
"You can’t say the league is over," Real midfielder Xabi Alonso told Spanish television after their earlier game.
"We will continue fighting, it will be tough, but we will carry on."
Atletico made an impressive start, causing problems on the break, and after twice going close, Colombia striker Falcao put the visitors ahead in the 32nd minute with his 17th of the campaign.
Diego Costa stole the ball off Messi and fed Falcao who sped away and cleverly lobbed the advancing Victor Valdes.
Five minutes later, Barca were back in the game thanks to a thunderous shot from Adriano, who cut in from the right flank and fired in off the underside of the crossbar.
Atletico were struggling to break out of the area before halftime, and when they failed to clear a corner, Busquets calmly stroked home the second.
MESSI 90TH
After the break, Messi slotted a third into the corner and then pounced on an error at the end for his 25th in La Liga and 90th for club and country in 2012.

Dortmund beat Hoffenheim to end year in third


BERLIN – Champions Borussia Dortmund beat Hoffenheim 3-1 on Sunday to move back into the top three heading into the Bundesliga’s winter break.
Dortmund’s Mario Goetze opened the scoring for the visitors when he superbly drilled in through the legs of defender Andreas Beck and past keeper Koen Casteels in the 26th minute.
Borussia Dortmund's Mario Goetze (R) and his team mate Moritz Leitner celebrate Goetze's goal against Hoffenheim during their German first division Bundesliga soccer match in Sinsheim December 16, 2012. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski
Borussia Dortmund's Mario Goetze (R) and his team mate Moritz Leitner celebrate Goetze's goal against Hoffenheim during their German first division Bundesliga soccer match in Sinsheim December 16, 2012. 
Hoffenheim’s Sven Schipplock, however, levelled nine minutes later, stabbing the ball in from close range.
Dortmund, who had lost ground in the title race following two draws and a defeat in their last three league matches, renewed their lead early in the second half with Kevin Grosskreutz rounding off a quick move started by Goetze.

Espanyol stun Real at home with late equaliser


MADRID – Juan Albin stunned Real Madrid with a late equaliser as Espanyol grabbed a 2-2 draw at the Bernabeu, which threatened to put the champions even further adrift of leaders Barcelona on Sunday.
Albin bundled the ball in after Real failed to clear a corner in the 88th minute, and Barca can extend their lead over their arch-rivals to 13 points in the late game if they can overcome second-placed Atletico Madrid at the Nou Camp.
Espanyol's Juan Albin (2nd R) celebrates his goal next Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo during their Spanish First Division soccer match at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid December 16, 2012. REUTERS/Juan Medina
Espanyol's Juan Albin (2nd R) celebrates his goal next Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo during their Spanish First Division soccer match at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid December 16, 2012. 
Jose Mourinho’s team are third with 33 points from 16 games, four behind second-placed Atletico. Espanyol are 19th with 12.
Karim Benzema was left in the stands with an ankle injury, and Cristiano Ronaldo started in the centre-forward position, but for all their possession they struggled in the first half.

Corinthians stun Chelsea to win world title


YOKOHAMA, Japan – Paolo Guerrero poached a 69th-minute winner as South American champions Corinthians ambushed Chelsea to win the Club World Cup on Sunday, triggering wild celebrations in Yokohama.
Brazil's Corinthians captain Alessandro celebrates with the trophy after defeating Britain's Chelsea during their FIFA Club World Cup final soccer match in Yokohama, south of Tokyo December 16, 2012. REUTERS/Yuya Shino
Brazil's Corinthians captain Alessandro celebrates with the trophy after defeating Britain's Chelsea during their FIFA Club World Cup final soccer match in Yokohama, south of Tokyo December 16, 2012. 
Chelsea, who had been under pressure to win the tournament after becoming the first holders to exit the Champions League at the group stage, missed a string of chances.
"It doesn’t matter how skilful the opposition is, our players have the work-rate, energy and teamwork to overcome," Corinthians coach Tite told reporters.
"They have a great telepathy," added the 51-year-old, who guided the Sao Paulo club to the Brazilian title in 2011 and the Libertadores Cup earlier this year.
Their smash-and-grab over Chelsea completed a remarkable turnaround after Corinthians were relegated at the end of 2007.
"With this tournament and the Libertadores Cup we’ve now gone 16 games and conceded only four goals," said Tite. "The way we managed the game was excellent."
Gary Cahill, sent off in the last minute, Fernando Torres and Victor Moses were denied by brilliant saves from goalkeeper Cassio in a game the English side largely dominated.

First stadium for Brazil’s 2014 World Cup opens


The Castelao Arena in the northeastern Brazilian city of Fortaleza became the first stadium to be inaugurated for the 2014 World Cup finals on Sunday.
Along with the Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, to be opened on December 21, they are the only stadiums to meet the December 2012 deadline set originally for next year’s Confederations Cup, a World Cup finals dress rehearsal.
Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff (in red) kicks a soccer ball during the inauguration of the Arena Castelao in Fortaleza December 16, 2012. REUTERS/Roberto Stuckert Filho/Brazilian Presidency/Handout
Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff (in red) kicks a soccer ball during the inauguration of the Arena Castelao in Fortaleza December 16, 2012. 
President Dilma Rousseff attended the opening ceremony at the Castelao, which has been completely refurbished at a cost of 518.6 million Brazilian reals ($249.18 million) with a capacity for 67,000.
She said inauguration of the first stadium for the 2014 tournament and Corinthians’ victory in the Club World Cup final in Japan earlier on Sunday showed Brazil’s strength on and off the football field.

BlackBerry 10 RIM's last hope of reclaiming market share from iPhone, Google's Android system


TORONTO: The surprising rally in Research In Motion stock from its September depths shows no signs of waning ahead of next month's crucial launch of the company's BlackBerry 10 smartphones, and the stock could ring up more gains if RIM delivers on a handful of telling metrics in its quarterly report on Thursday.
At this stage, profit and revenue won't matter much for RIM. The company will likely report a third straight quarterly loss, reflecting declining monthly service fees, ebbing device sales and other problems.
What investors want to see are indications of momentum as the BB10 launch on January 30 approaches. The new line is probably the company's last hope of reclaiming market share lost to Apple's iPhone and devices powered by Google's Android operating system.
"The biggest catalyst for the stock by far is a successful BlackBerry 10 launch," said Morningstar analyst Brian Colello. "The entire investment thesis hinges on BlackBerry 10 ... so that is the key focus right now."
With focus on the launch, cash on hand will indicate whether the Waterloo, Ontario-based company has the funds it needs to market its new line effectively.
"I want to see the cash balances retained so that they have lots of availability to support the launch of BB10 in January and February," said National Bank analyst Kris Thompson.
"They are going to need money to build their inventory and to promote the new product on a global launch. It's going to cost hundreds of millions of dollars, so it is pretty important that they maintain that cash balance."
Despite a massive loss in the last quarter, RIM added $100 million to reserves as it slashed costs and cashed in on money it was owed, bringing the total to $2.3 billion.
As a second point of interest, investors will size up any charges RIM books in its fiscal third quarter for layoffs and other aspects of its painful restructuring.
"If it is $100 million or $200 million to finish off the restructuring, I think people probably would be OK with that," said CIBC World Markets analyst Todd Coupland, who has a "sector outperformer" rating on RIM's stock. "Anything beyond that probably is going to be cause for some concern."

China iPhone 5 sales in first weekend top two million


BLOCKBUSTER SALES: Apple Inc sold more than 2 million of its new iPhone 5 in China during the three days after its launch there on Friday, marking China's best-selling iPhone rollout ever. - Reuters
BLOCKBUSTER SALES: Apple Inc sold more than 2 million of its new iPhone 5 in China during the three days after its launch there on Friday, marking China's best-selling iPhone rollout ever.

Apple Inc sold more than 2 million of its new iPhone 5 in China during the three days after its launch there on Friday, marking China's best-selling iPhone rollout ever, the company said late on Sunday.
"Customer response to iPhone 5 in China has been incredible, setting a new record with the best first weekend sales ever in China," Apple chief executive Tim Cook said in a statement.

Palestinian PM Fayyad hits back at Israel with boycott call


RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad urged his compatriots in the occupied West Bank on Sunday to boycott all Israeli products, upping the ante in a standoff with the Jewish state.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad addresses the media during a news conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah September 11, 2012. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad addresses the media during a news conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah September 11, 2012. 

Tensions between Palestinian and Israeli leaders have risen since the United Nations General Assembly voted to recognise Palestinian statehood last month, a move opposed by Israel and its ally, the United States.
Israel retaliated by announcing last week that it would dock for four months the customs revenue it collects on the Palestinians' behalf - money the Palestinian Authority needs to function. It had already withheld December's revenues.
"Today, I call upon citizens to boycott Israeli products as an answer to the aggression directed against us, to defend our right to survive," Fayyad told reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
"We will take the necessary steps to implement that."

Syrian VP says neither side can win war - newspaper


BEIRUT - Syrian Vice President Farouq al-Sharaa has told a Lebanese newspaper that neither the forces of President Bashar al-Assad nor rebels can win the war in Syria.
Free Syrian Army fighters stand on a tank as they celebrate their victory after capturing the Military Infantry School during heavy clashes with forces loyal to President Bashar al Assad in Aleppo December 16, 2012. REUTERS/ Zain Karam
Free Syrian Army fighters stand on a tank as they celebrate their victory after capturing the Military Infantry School during heavy clashes with forces loyal to President Bashar al Assad in Aleppo December 16, 2012. 

Sharaa, a Sunni Muslim in a power structure dominated by Assad's Alawite minority, has rarely appeared in public since the revolt erupted in March 2011.
The newspaper, al-Akhbar, released only limited excerpts on Sunday from the interview appearing in Monday's edition, and it was far from clear that Sharaa's comments represented the view of the government.
But he is still the most prominent figure to say in public that the crackdown will not win. The paper, which generally takes a pro-Assad line, said Sharaa had been speaking in Damascus.
In the first phase of the 21-month-old civil war, which has claimed at least 40,000 lives, Damascus was distant from the fighting.
Rebels have now brought the war to the capital, without succeeding in delivering a fatal blow to the government.
But nor has Assad found the military muscle to oust his opponents from the city.
In Paris, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius of France, one of the major powers most insistent that Assad has lost his legitimacy, told RFI radio: "I think the end is nearing for Bashar al-Assad."
OFFENSIVE IN HAMA
On the ground, rebels said they were launching an operation to seize the central province of Hama to try to link northern rural areas of Syria under their control to the centre.
Qassem Saadeddine, a member of the newly established rebel military command, said fighters had been ordered to surround and attack checkpoints across the province. He said forces loyal to Assad had been given 48 hours to surrender or be killed.
"When we liberate the countryside of Hama province ... then we will have the area between Aleppo and Hama liberated and open for us," he told Reuters.
The city of Hama in the province of the same name has a special resonance for anti-Assad activists. In 1982 Hafez al-Assad, father of the current ruler, crushed an uprising in the city, killing up to 30,000 civilians.
In Damascus, activists said fighter jets had bombed the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp, killing at least 25 people sheltering in a mosque.
The attack was part of a month-old campaign by Assad's forces to eject rebels from positions they are establishing around the capital's perimeter. Yarmouk, to the south, falls within an arc of territory running from the east of Damascus to the southwest from where rebels hope to storm the government's main redoubt.

France says Afghan officials to meet Taliban near Paris


PARIS - France said on Sunday officials from the Afghan government, the Taliban rebel movement and other factions would meet this week near Paris to discuss the country's future as NATO troops prepare to pull out in 2014.
Speaking on RFI radio, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, whose country withdrew the last of its combat troops from Afghanistan on Saturday, said Afghan President Hamid Karzai had given his green light to the meeting.
"Discreet talks have been taking place between different factions for three years," Fabius said.
"If you want peace, it's usually between people who don't agree, and over there they don't talk to each other. So there will be discussions, but it won't be negotiations."
Karzai's government has failed to draw the Taliban into face-to-face-talks. The forthcoming event is the first time representatives from the Taliban, members of the Afghan High Peace Council and influential figures from the Northern Alliance who fought the Taliban for years are taking part.
A Taliban spokesman said there would only be speeches at the conference and there would be no political commitments and no negotiations would take place.

Egypt's Islamists aim to build on constitution vote


CAIRO - President Mohamed Mursi has won initial backing from Egyptians for a new constitution that he hopes will steer the country out of crisis, but which opponents say is an Islamist charter that tramples on minority rights.
Riot police walk past a banner with a defaced photo of the Muslim Brotherhood's supreme guide, Mohamed Badie, in front of the presidential palace in Cairo December 16, 2012. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
Riot police walk past a banner with a defaced photo of the Muslim Brotherhood's supreme guide, Mohamed Badie, in front of the presidential palace in Cairo December 16, 2012.

A first day of voting in a referendum on the draft basic law resulted in 56.5 percent 'Yes' vote, Mursi's political party said. An opposition official conceded that Egyptians voting on Saturday appeared to have backed the measure.
Next Saturday's second set of balloting is likely to give another "yes" vote as the voting then will be in districts generally seen as even more sympathetic towards Islamists, and that would mean the constitution should be approved.
But the apparent closeness of the early tally gives Mursi only limited comfort as it exposes deep divisions in a country where he needs to build a consensus for tough economic reforms.
If the constitution passes, national elections can take place early next year, something that many hope will usher in the stability that Egypt has lacked since the fall of Hosni Mubarak nearly two years ago.
"The referendum was 56.5 percent for the 'yes' vote," said a senior official in the operations room set up by the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party to monitor voting.
A statement from the opposition National Salvation Front did not explicitly challenge the Brotherhood's vote tally, saying instead that voting malpractices meant a rerun was needed.
RIGHTS GROUPS
Rights groups reported abuses such as polling stations opening late, officials telling people how to vote, and bribery. They also criticised widespread religious campaigning that portrayed "No" voters as heretics.
A joint statement by seven human rights groups urged the referendum's organisers "to avoid these mistakes in the second stage of the referendum and to restage the first phase".

South Africa is not "falling apart" - Zuma


BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa - President Jacob Zuma sought to dispel the concerns of rating agencies and investors about sluggish growth in South Africa on Sunday and insisted the country was not "falling apart".
President Jacob Zuma waves upon arrival at the start of the 53rd National Conference of his ruling African National Congress (ANC) in Bloemfontein, December 16, 2012. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings
President Jacob Zuma waves upon arrival at the start of the 53rd National Conference of his ruling African National Congress (ANC) in Bloemfontein, December 16, 2012. 

In his opening address to a conference of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to choose its leadership for the next five years, Zuma said two downgrades by international ratings agencies this year did not mean South Africa was in trouble.
"We want to dismiss the perceptions that our country is falling apart because of the downgrades," he said. "We continue to do our development work, we continue to plan for a recovery."
At the conference held in the central city of Bloemfontein and running through Thursday, Zuma, 70, is expected to garner enough support to head off a challenge to his party chief post from Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe.
Retaining the ANC leadership puts Zuma in pole position to secure a second five-year term as South Africa's president in the next national election in 2014.
Spicing up the contest for top ANC jobs, former mineworkers' leader and anti-apartheid hero Cyril Ramaphosa, now one of South Africa's richest men, has agreed to stand for the post of ANC deputy president currently held by Motlanthe.
"He (Ramaphosa) is running," a senior party official told Reuters on Sunday. Motlanthe will be angling to retain the job if he fails to win the leadership, and there are likely to be at least two other candidates.
Zuma said in his speech that the government was relying on its long-term National Development Plan for undoing the "glaring and deep" inequalities left by white-minority apartheid rule, which ended in 1994.

Armed with rocket and maybe heir, Kim Jong-un remembers father


SEOUL - North Korea may soon witness the birth of the fourth generation of its hereditary dictatorship as television pictures showed that the wife of the country's leader appeared to be heavily pregnant.
Ri Sul-joo (L), the wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (2nd L), is seen during the inaugural ceremony of the Kumsusan Palace Of The Sun in Pyongyang wearing a black Korean traditional dress and appearing to be heavily pregnant, as they attend the ceremony on the first anniversary of Kim Jong-il's death, in this still image taken from video December 17, 2012. REUTERS/KRT via Reuters TV
Ri Sul-joo (L), the wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (2nd L), is seen during the inaugural ceremony of the Kumsusan Palace Of The Sun in Pyongyang wearing a black Korean traditional dress and appearing to be heavily pregnant, as they attend the ceremony on the first anniversary of Kim Jong-il's death, in this still image taken from video December 17, 2012.

North Korean state television showed a pudgy Kim Jong-un and his wife paying homage on Monday at a national memorial service for Kim's father, former leader Kim Jong-il, who died a year ago.
The service was in a mausoleum that also houses the embalmed body of the country's founder, Kim Il-sung, the grandfather of the current ruler.
In the footage, Kim's wife, Ri Sul-joo, was wearing traditional Korean black mourning clothes and looked to be pregnant. It was not possible to verify that she was pregnant and there was no official announcement by North Korean media.

Japan's next PM Abe must deliver on economy, cope with China


TOKYO - Conservative ex-premier Shinzo Abe got a second chance to lead Japan after his party surged back to power in Sunday's election and faces pressure to move swiftly to bolster a sagging economy and manage strained ties with China.
Japan's main opposition Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) leader and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe answers a live television interview at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo December 16, 2012. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao
Japan's main opposition Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) leader and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe answers a live television interview at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo December 16, 2012. 

The Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) landslide just three years after a crushing defeat appears more a damning verdict on its rivals' brief spell in power than an embrace of Abe's agenda or the party that had ruled Japan for most of the past 50 years.
The vote gave the LDP and its small ally a two-thirds majority in the lower house. It will usher in a government committed to a tough stance in a territorial row with China, a pro-nuclear energy policy despite the 2011 Fukushima disaster and a potentially risky recipe for hyper-easy monetary policy and big spending to boost growth.
NHK public TV said on Monday the LDP had won 294 seats in the 480-member lower house. Its ally the New Komeito party won 31 seats, giving the two enough votes to overrule most matters in the upper house, where no party has a majority.
Executives of both parties discussed on Monday steps to pull the economy out of its fourth recession since 2000. Abe will meet his New Komeito counterpart on Tuesday to cement ties.
The prospect of overcoming the policy gridlock that has dogged successive governments for the past five years cheered investors, with stocks extending their month-long rally and the yen weakening further.
The yen fell to as much as 84.48 against the dollar, a 20-month low, while the benchmark Nikkei rose 1.6 percent. Bond prices eased in anticipation of economic stimulus.
A further increase in the central bank's bond-buying scheme is expected on Thursday, when the BOJ holds this year's last policy meeting, while markets also expect an extra budget worth up to 10 trillion yen (74.2 billion pounds).
Abe, 58, said he would revive an economic panel abolished by the outgoing government, which could give him a regular venue to speak with the BOJ chief and pressure the central bank for more aggressive action.
Analysts said Abe did not have much time to make good on his promises.
"If he doesn't deliver a feel-good factor by the July (upper house) election, the LDP will get trounced," said Jesper Koll, head of equity research at JPMorgan Chase in Tokyo.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's Democratic Party of Japan, which swept to power with a promise to break up the "iron triangle" linking the powerful bureaucracy, big business and LDP lawmakers, crashed under the weight of dashed hopes.
Get widget