Kyrgyzstan touted as ideal delivery hub for Santa

Seeking a novel remedy to revive its rickety economy, the tiny ex-Soviet state of Kyrgyzstan has declared itself the new home of Santa Claus. Citing Swedish engineering firm that determined the ideal spot for Santa?s global toy delivery hub, officials in this predominantly Muslim country have quickly moved to capitalise on the finding.

They named a mountain peak after Santa, to join Mounts Lenin, and Yeltsin, and declared 2008 ?The Year of Santa Claus.? Its slogan will be ?Kyrgyzstan is the land of Santa Clauses,? said Kyrgyz tourism authority spokeswoman Nurkhon Tajibayeva.

In most Western countries Santa Claus, or Father Christmas, is thought to live at the North Pole or in Finland. However, if he were located in Central Asia and started westwards on his traditional Christmas Eve trips, Kyrgyz officials said he would have a more efficient delivery route.

Tens of thousands expected to join Boxing Day hunts

More than a quarter of a million people were expected to take part in Boxing Day hunts despite restrictions imposed two years ago, foxhunting supporters said yesterday. More than 300 registered local hunts are due to meet across the country, reflecting a revival in the sport's popularity, the Countryside Alliance said.

It has called for the repeal of the Hunting Act 2005, which allows dogs to be used to follow a scent but bans the use of hounds to kill the fox. ?Hunting is as happy, prosperous and hopeful as it has been for a decade,? said Simon Hart, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance. ?With growing support from MPs and candidates of all political parties the hunting ban is on borrowed time.?

Anti-hunting groups, which describe the sport as cruel and outdated, say the ban remains popular among the general public.

Mike Hobday, who speaks for The League Against Cruel Sports, said he doubted the Hunting Act would be overturned. ?What we hope is that the British public will continue to take the view that just as there are laws to support domestic animals from cruelty, that there are [laws protecting] farm animals from cruelty, so will support the laws that protect wild animals from cruelty,? he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

?There is no reason for people to go out there and break the Hunting Act. They can go drag hunting, they can follow an artificial scent. They can have all the fun they want in the countryside without engaging in cruelty.?

SHOPPING

US retailers? holiday sales up 3.6 pct-SpendingPulse

US retailers? sales rose 3.6 percent in holiday shopping, at the lower-end of expectations, helped by a late-season spending surge on some items, according to data released on Tuesday by SpendingPulse.

The figures, from the retail data service of MasterCard Advisors, offer a glimpse at the strength of the 2007 holiday shopping season, which was expected to grow at the slowest rate in five years, as US consumers face a housing slump, a credit crunch and higher prices for food and fuel.

?It?s more at the lower end of the expected range but more or less in line with the reduced expectations coming into the holiday season,? Michael McNamara, vice president of Research and Analysis for MasterCard Advisors, said. SpendingPulse, a report released by MasterCard, had projected spending to rise 3.5 percent to 4.0 percent over last year?s holiday season. The figures include gasoline spending.

Economists and policy makers have been closely monitoring the U.S. consumer, a sector increasingly seen as the savior that could keep the U.S. economy from slipping into a recession. Some analysts expect U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) to weaken in the fourth quarter and show either no expansion or up just by 1 percent.

?If you were looking for this holiday season to kick-start a new acceleration of growth, you?ll probably be disappointed,? McNamara said.

The last two weeks did show signs a late-round spending surge, McNamara said.

SpendingPulse said sales at US speciality apparel chains, which include Gap Inc, Aeropostale Inc and Urban Outfitters Inc, rose 1.4 percent over last year, rallying from the anemic 0.5 percent seen at mid-season. The results measure the crucial shopping period from the Friday after Thanksgiving through midnight Dec. 24. They are adjusted for the 32 days included in this year?s period compared with the 31 days in 2006.

Women?s clothing sales fell 2.4 percent, but showed that sales made up some ground having been down 5.7 percent at mid-season.

On the other hand, sales of men?s clothing rose 2.3 percent but had been up by 4.5 percent at mid-season. McNamara said that so far, there is no compelling evidence that retailers cut prices more than they did last year.

Consumer electronics, which includes popular gift items such as Apple Inc iPods, laptop computers, flat-screen televisions, and also appliances rose 2.7 percent. SpendingPulse tracks sales activity in the MasterCard Inc payments network and couples it with estimates for all other payment forms.

Online shopping showed the greatest growth, up 22.4 percent. Sales of luxury items, excluding jewelry, grew 7.1 percent. However, including jewelry, sales fell 1.9 percent. Footwear also did well, up 6 percent.

The results do not include the post-Christmas spending activity, which has been growing with the popularity of gift cards, which are typically redeemed after Christmas and post-holiday sales. Last year, shopping during the seven days after Christmas reached $58 billion, McNamara said, and has been running at about 15 percent to 16 percent of the post-Thanksgiving season for the past four years.

?I wouldn?t be surprised if we crack $60 billion,? he said. ?It?s becoming a more important period.?