Chavez’s condition worsens
CARACAS: Backers of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez prayed and called off New Year’s Eve festivities on Monday as the cancer-stricken leftist leader took a turn for the worse, fueling doubts about his political future. Venezuelans prayed after the government announced that Chavez suffered “new complications” from a respiratory infection following his fourth cancer-related surgery on December 11 in Cuba.

Japan’s population hits record drop
TOKYO: Japan’s population logged a record drop in 2012, health ministry estimates showed on Tuesday, highlighting concerns that an ever-dwindling pool of workers is having to pay for a growing number of pensioners. A record low 1,033,000 babies were born last year, against 1,245,000 deaths, resulting in a net drop of 212,000 in the nation’s population of about 126 million, according to figures from the ministry. The decline is sharper than in 2011, when the annual decline topped 200,000 for the first time as 19,000 people lost their lives in a 9.0 earthquake and massive tsunami that followed.

Thousands march vs Hong Kong leader
HONG KONG: Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Hong Kong on Tuesday, calling for the city’s embattled leader to quit and demanding greater democracy, 15 years after it returned to Chinese rule. Organizers have said that they expected 50,000 people to join the New Year’s Day march against Leung Chun-ying, while pro-government groups staged separate and smaller rallies in support of the Beijing-backed chief executive. Since taking office in July, Leung’s popularity ratings have tumbled and he has faced a no-confidence vote in the legislature amid a row over illegal structures at his luxury home—a politically sensitive issue in the city.