1st Oct

CR IP TI ON BS SU

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

Over 1,000 Indians freed so far, says ambassador

India clobber Pakistan to stay in World T20

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www.kuwaittimes.net

THULQADA 15, 1433 AH

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Govt to recommend dissolving Assembly In surprising move, MP Duwaisan files to grill PM

Max 41º Min 20º High Tide 00:06 & 12:33 Low Tide 06:11 & 18:18

By B Izzak

Wave of Iraq attacks kills 32 BAGHDAD: Militants struck nine cities and towns in Iraq with bombings and shootings yesterday, killing at least 32 people and wounding 104, in the latest wave of deadly attacks to hit the country. With the latest violence, at least 252 people have been killed and 801 wounded in attacks in Iraq this month. Insurgents are regarded as weaker than in past years but are still able to carry out spectacular masscasualty attacks, and have also shown they can strike heavily-protected sites such as prisons, police stations and the anti-terrorism directorate in Baghdad.

Most of yesterday’s attacks were centred in Baghdad and the nearby areas of Taji, Madain and Tarmiyah, where an interior ministry official said 25 people were killed and 59 wounded, while medical sources put the toll at 28 dead and 77 wounded. In Baghdad, a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-packed car in the central Karrada district, targeting the deputy head of police for the area, a police officer at the scene said. The explosion scattered debris for dozens of metres from the site of the blast, shattered store windows and burned a number of cars, smashing the windows and denting the bodywork of a number of others. A headless, limbless torso surrounded by pieces of flesh lay near the site of the explosion.

Gunmen also shot dead a policeman in Al-Amil neighbourhood in south Baghdad, an attack followed by a car bomb that exploded after a police patrol came to investigate, the interior ministry official said. Four car bombs exploded in Taji, north of Baghdad. The first bomb exploded near a husseiniyah, or Shiite place of worship, in the Shiite-majority Al-Askari neighbourhood, followed by three others in the same area, a security official said, adding women and children were among the victims. — AFP

BAGHDAD: Iraqi policemen help an injured colleague after a car bomb attack near the Sacred Heart Church in the Karrada neighborhood yesterday. — AP

Israel: Iran economy on verge of collapse ‘Sanctions could spark uprising’

Grass praises Israeli nuclear whistleblower

TEHRAN: An Iranian boy takes a tray of eggs at a grocery store yesterday. Iran’s currency, the rial, has lost over 60 percent of its value since the end of last year, as draconian Western economic sanctions take effect that has spurred already high inflation to even greater heights, with food costs soaring more than 50 percent. — AFP JERUSALEM: Iran’s economy is edging towards collapse due to international sanctions over its controversial nuclear program, Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz said yesterday. Israel regards the prospect of its arch enemy developing nuclear weapons as a threat to its existence, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that, although sanctions are taking their toll, they are not yet forcing Iran to abandon work that could soon lead to a nuclear warhead. However, Israeli officials appear increasingly ready to acknowledge the effect of recent American and European sanctions designed to restrict Iran’s lifeline oil exports.

“The sanctions on Iran in the past year jumped a level,” Steinitz told Israel Radio, noting that as finance minister, he follows Iran’s economy. “It is not collapsing, but it is on the verge of collapse. The loss of income from oil there is approaching $45-50 billion by the year’s end,” Steinitz said. In Israel, some prominent political and military figures question Netanyahu’s warning that Iran is so close to the threshold of nuclear capability that military action will soon be the only way to stop it. But there has been no open split in his coalition over the issue.

An Israeli Foreign Ministry document leaked last week said sanctions had caused

more damage to Iran’s economy than at first thought and ordinary Iranians were suffering under soaring inflation, although this did not appear to be changing policy.

On Saturday, the Iranian currency slumped to an historic low of about 28,400 rials to the dollar, a fall of about 57 percent since June 2011, meaning a sharp rise in the price of imports. “The Iranians are in great economic difficulties as a result of the sanctions,” Steinitz said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told yesterday’s Haaretz daily that he believed Iran’s Islamic theocracy would be toppled in a revolt like the one that toppled Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak last year. “The opposition demonstrations that took place in Iran in June 2009 will come back in even greater force,” he told the paper. “In my view, there’s going to be an Iranian-style Tahrir revolution. The young generation are sick of being held hostage and sacrificing their future. The situation in Iran, and the feelings of the man on the street, is one of economic catastrophe,” he said. “Just this week there was another devaluation of the Iranian rial .... There’s a shortage of basic goods, a rise in crime, and people are trying to flee the country, sending money abroad.” — Agencies

BERLIN: Nobel prize-winning German author Gunter Grass, declared persona non-grata by Israel over a poem saying it threatened world peace, has published another work critical of the Jewish state. In one of a collection of 87 new pieces, Grass hails whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu, who served 18 years in jail for leaking Israeli nuclear secrets to a British newspaper, in a poem entitled “A Hero in Our Time”. He describes former nuclear technician Vanunu as a “hero” and a “role model”, according to extracts published by the German news agency DPA. Earlier this year, Grass, 84, angered Israel after publishing a piece entitled “What Must Be Said”, in which he voiced fears that a nuclear-armed Israel “could wipe out the Iranian people” with a “first strike”. Israel has since barred him from visiting the country.

Vanunu himself said that he was pleased to be mentioned by a Guenter Grass writer of Grass’s stature. “I am very happy to be in the league of Gunter Grass,” he told AFP, speaking in English. He compared Israel’s ban on a Grass visit to its refusal to let Vanunu leave the country. “Vanunu would be happy to get from the interior ministry of Israel the title ‘persona non grata’ and they can send me out of Israel,” he said, speaking of himself with his customary use of the third person.

Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor mocked Grass’s poem as “surely no Schiller” adding that at least Grass had found in Vanunu one Israeli worthy of praise. “There is at least one Israeli who finds grace in his eyes,” Palmor said. — AFP

KUWAIT: In a surprising move, Shiite MP Faisal AlDuwaisan yesterday filed a request to grill Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah whose government is expected to recommend to HH the Amir today to dissolve the 2009 National Assembly.

Duwaisan charged in his grilling that the prime minister has violated his constitutional authority, bowed to pressure from corrupt forces and conspired against the Assembly. For the grilling to be debated, the Assembly must meet and since it was reinstated in a landmark court ruling on June 20, the 2009 Assembly has failed to meet and speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi has written to HH the Amir about the situation.

The 2009 assembly was dissolved last December following youth-led street protests against former prime minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad AlSabah, who also resigned. Duwaisan’s grilling charged that the prime minister has breached the trust of the Amir by violating the rules of the constitution, that he is responsible for obstructing the Assembly thus violating a court ruling and that he failed to serve public interests in performing his duties.

The grilling held the prime minister responsible for the Amiri decree issued on Dec 6 to dissolve the 2009 Assembly which was later found to be flawed on a procedural basis and as a result the constitutional court scrapped the February legislative polls, scrapped the 2012 Assembly and reinstated the 2009 Assembly.

Duwaisan charged that the prime minister is fully responsible for the flawed decrees which means that he has failed to live up to the powers entrusted into him by the Amir.

Continued on Page 13

Azeris eyeing aiding Israel against Iran BAKU: Israel’s “go-it-alone” option to attack Iran’s nuclear sites has set the Middle East on edge and unsettled its main ally at the height of a US presidential election campaign. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu exudes impatience, saying Tehran is barely a year from a “red line” for atomic capacity. Many fellow Israelis, however, fear a unilateral strike, lacking US forces, would fail against such a large and distant enemy. But what if, even without Washington, Israel were not alone?

Azerbaijan, the oil-rich ex-Soviet republic on Iran’s far northern border, has, say local sources with knowledge of its military policy, explored with Israel how Azeri airbases and spy drones might help Israeli jets pull off a long-range attack.

That is a far cry from the massive firepower and diplomatic cover that Netanyahu wants from Washington.

But, by addressing key weaknesses in any Israeli war plan - notably on refuelling, reconnaissance and rescuing crews - such an alliance might tilt Israeli thinking on the feasibility of acting without US help. It could also have violent side-effects more widely and many doubt Azeri President Ilham Aliyev would risk harming the energy industry on which his wealth depends, or provoking Islamists who dream of toppling his dynasty, in pursuit of favour from Israel.

Yet despite official denials by Azerbaijan and Israel, two Azeri former military officers with links to serving personnel and two Russian intelligence sources all told Reuters that Azerbaijan and Israel have been looking at how Azeri bases and intelligence could serve in a possible strike on Iran.

“Where planes would fly from - from here, from there, to where? - that’s what’s being planned now,” a security consultant with contacts at Azeri defence headquarters in Baku said.

“The Israelis ... would like to gain access to bases in Azerbaijan.”

That Aliyev, an autocratic ally of Western governments and oil firms, has become a rare Muslim friend of the Jewish state - and an object of scorn in Tehran - is no secret; a $1.6-billion arms deal involving dozens of Israeli drones, and Israel’s thirst for Azerbaijan’s Caspian Sea crude, are well documented. Israel’s foreign minister visited Baku in April this year. But a leaked US diplomatic cable from 2009 quoted Aliyev, who succeeded his father in 2003, describing relations with Israel as “like an iceberg, nine tenths ... below the surface”.

That he would risk the wrath of his powerful neighbour by helping wage war on Iran is, however, something his aides flatly deny; wider consequences would also be hard to calculate from military action in a region where Azerbaijan’s “frozen” conflict with Armenia is just one of many elements of volatility and where major powers from Turkey, Iran and Russia to the United States, western Europe and even China all jockey for influence.

Nonetheless, Rasim Musabayov, an independent Azeri lawmaker and a member of parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said that, while he had no definitive information, he understood that Azerbaijan would probably feature in any Israeli plans against Iran, at least as a contingency for refuelling its attack force: “Israel has a problem in Continued on Page 13

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

LOCAL

No end in sight for pollution Problem in Umm Al-haiman EPA announcement ‘funny’

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: The Um Alhaiman area is still suffering from pollution which is seriously affecting the health of its residents but no solution has been found to resolve this serious environmental hazard for more than 11 years now. The residents of this area filed a case in 2010 against the government and won it on May 27, 2012, but it has not been executed till today.

As the Environment Public Authority (EPA) did not provide any solution during all these years, the residents continue to suffer. To focus on this, the Green Line Environment Group -

General of the Environment Public Authority (EPA) about the solution to the pollution problem at Um Alhaima as funny.

“The EPA stated that they will solve the pollution problem in this area by using wind mills, which I consider is a fairy tale solution. As I mentioned earlier, the EPA is playing with the children’s health by not solving this problem,” Khalid Al-Hajiri said at the conference.

He also stated that the documents concerning this environmental disaster were falsified.

The representative of the EPA, Mohamemd AlAnezi, revealed these documents on one of the satellite channels.

KUWAIT: Ahmad Al-Shrie (left) and Khalid Al-Hajiri during the press conference.

—Photo by Joseph Shagra Kuwait (GLEG) held a press conference yesterday morning at its premises to call upon the government to help these people.

Khalid Al-Hajiri, the Chairman of the Green Line Environment Group - Kuwait (GLEG), described the announcement of the Director

“The people responsible for committing this falsification are all of the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak, the Head of the Audit Bureau, the Minister of Health, and the Director General of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Researches,” stressed Al-Hajiri.

During the conference, Al-Hajiri also showed a clip from a TV program, including an interview with Mohammed Al-Awadhi on Al Rai TV broadcast on September 10, 2012.

“During this interview, Al-Awadhi showed how the data collected about Um Al Haiman were falsified. This means that all the documents built on that data are also falsified. Furthermore, there was no official statement made by the government denying the statement of Mohamemd Al-Anezi, which proves that his statement is true,” he pointed out. “I demand that the scandal involving falsification of the environmental data be transferred to the general prosecutor to prove the falsification, and to specify which documents were falsified,” concluded Al-Hajiri.

On his part, the Representative of the Voluntary environment Committee for Um Al Haiman, Ahmad Al-Shrei, warned of the great danger posed to the health of the children residing in Um Al Haiman.

“These children will definitely suffer from ten different kinds of cancer over the next few years.

Everyday they are breathing in poisons including Formaldehyde. The tests made at Um Al Haiman proved that these toxic matters are present there in percentages many times more than what is allowed,” he explained.

Currently, there are over 50,000 people living in this area. “The pollution in this area was caused by the emissions from the numerous factories built there, which are at a distance of just two km from the houses. It is also surrounded by the high voltage lines which are badly affecting the health of the children and women of this area. Apart from this, people are vulnerable to many more poisons such as Toluene, Phenol, Benzene, stocked dust and others. It is badly affecting human beings’ health in most cases,” AlShrei further said.

PACI employees stage strike

Liquor trader in police custody

By Hanan Al Saadoun KUWAIT: Drug enforcement agents arrested one bedoon person on charges of possessing 216 bottles of liquor of different brands.

After receiving a secret tip-off about the suspect’s liquor trade, the information was verified and legal permission

was obtained to search his residence, where agents found 216 bottles of different brands of liquor in addition to KD 2600.

The suspect has confessed that he traded in liquor and the money found was from the sale of that liquor. The suspect and the confiscated material were sent to the relevant authorities.

Kuwait to present working paper on health reform CAIRO: Kuwaiti Health Minister Dr Ali Saad al-Obeidi said here yesterday that Kuwait would present a working paper on health reform and health regulations for the development of performance and work in health systems during meetings of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Al-Obeidi said in a statement after arriving in Cairo to participate in the meetings of the Committee tomorrow, that Kuwait will present during these

meetings t wo awards; the first is Sheikh Sabah’a award for the encouragment of research and health initiatives for the elderly care.

The second award the Minister said i s t h e S t a te o f Ku w a i t Pr i ze a t t h e Wo r l d H e a l t h O rg a n i z a t i o n ( W H O) which will be awarded to professor of medicine at the Faculty of Medicine in Ca i ro U n i ve r s i t y, D r. M o h a m m e d Mohsen Ibrahim for his scientific contributions in the field of heart disease research. —KUNA

By A Saleh KUWAIT: The Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) employees syndicate yesterday carried out a two-hour strike as a mark of protest and rejected the new decisions made by the director recently, some protestors said.

“Our job is very important to the society as a whole and the director’s decision should be more encouraging

instead of suffocating us,” they said, while holding banners demanding scrapping of the decisions and threatening to continue the protest until their demands were met.

Addressing the protesters at the sit-in, MP Khaled Al-Tahous said that PACI management should respect international agreements and that the government should respect unions’ work and concede the demonstrators’ demands.

KIB releases ‘Haj Guide’ as gift to customers KUWAIT: Kuwait International Bank (KIB) has recently released a Haj Guide for customers and employees on the occasion of approaching Hajj and Eid Adha season, as part of the bank’s commitment to share the blessings of Islamic events.

The Haj Guide will be available at all of KIB branches across Kuwait throughout this month.

Commenting on behalf of KIB Dr. Hisham Abdulhay Shariah Coordinator said: “It gives us pleasure to celebrate

the blessings of the holy season of haj by distributing free guides to all our customers and employees. The guide reflects our intent to continuously share special moments with our customers on spiritual occasions such as this one.”

Abdulhay added: “The guide includes tips for the customers going to haj and important instructions to be followed during the traveler ’s pilgrimage in Mekka. The distribution of the guide is one of the many activities is taking part in during this season.”

Cabinet commits political suicide by emergency decree KUWAIT: A delay in dissolving the parliament following last week ’s Constitutional Court’s ruling will prove to be costly while using emergency decrees to amend the electoral law would be akin to committing political suicide and a crime against Kuwait. This was stated by Abdullah Al-Roumi, the Deputy Speaker in the 2009 parliament which was reinstated by a Constitutional Court ruling last June.

Al-Roumi was commenting on a verdict by the same cour t last Tuesday that upheld the electoral law which divides Kuwait into five constituencies and enables voters to vote for four candidates each. “The parliament needs to be dissolved as early as the beginning of October,” AlRoumi said in an interview with AlQabas published yesterday.

He argued that after the court’s ruling, the fact that the Cabinet was never sworn in before the parliament “is no longer an obstacle in the way of dissolution.”

Moreover, Al-Roumi indicated that the next parliament “has the duty to legislate a new electoral law that maintains Kuwait’s unity,” while arguing at the same time that moving to

an elected cabinet system is “unrealistic before having active political parties and constitutional amendments.”

Meanwhile, Al-Qabas reported that a number of Jahra Governorate residents “are actively pushing for efforts to reduce the number of votes per voter to two” instead of four. The residents believe that the current system limits the chances of their representatives by boosting the chances of candidates nominated by two tribes present in the governorate.

A change in the electoral system, while not necessary following the Constitutional Court’s verdict, can still be made by an emergenc y decree made by the Cabinet after the parliament is dissolved, or by the MPs if they can make the parliament convene. In this regard, sources told AlQabas that the pro-government majority MPs in the 2009 parliament are “pushing for an emergenc y decree to change the voting system” to counter the opposition’s pressures for prompt dissolution of the parliament. The opposition, represented by a coalition of 34 members who dominated majority seats in the 2012 parliament and is better known as the Majority Bloc, will meet on a day yet

to be declared, following the Cabinet ’s week ly session today (Monday) in order to discuss their next step.

This comes amid reports indicating that the Nahj group still plans to stage a demonstration tonight (Monday) at the Iradah Square to press for the parliament’s dissolution, according to Al-Rai. The newspaper quoted sources privy to a meeting held by the oppositionist group Saturday “to discuss preparations for the gathering”.

Tak ing an emergenc y decree route seems unlikely with a team of constitutional experts reportedly informing the Cabinet that this option has lost its “constitutional merit” following the court’s ruling.

“The Cabinet does not have the authority to amend the electoral law through emergency decrees following the parliament’s dissolution,” a Constitutional Law professor at the Kuwait University, Mohammad AlFeeli, argued. He further explained in statements to Al-Jarida that this topic “is no longer a pressing matter following the ruling that requires to be rectified through an emergenc y decree.”

Deputy PM leaves NY for Peru NEW YORK: Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad AlSabah yesterday left New York for Peru to represent HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah at the Third Summit of the South American-Arab Countries (ASPA), to be held in the Peruvian capital Lima on Oct 1-2, meant to discuss economic opportunities between the two regions.

He was accompanied by his Office Director Dr. Ahmad Naser Al Mohammad Al Sabah, Kuwaiti Ambassador to the

Arab League Jamal Al-Guneim, and the accompanying delegation. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled held, on the sidelines of the work of the UN General Assembly’s 67th session, a number of bilateral meetings with his counterparts representing brotherly and friendly countries, during which they discussed ways to expand political and economic opportunities with Kuwait. He also co-chaired or attended regional meetings such as the ministerial meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) whose first summit, proposed by HH the Amir, will

be held in Kuwait on Oct 15-17.

Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled was part of the Kuwaiti High-Level delegation headed by Prime Minister HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al Hamad Al Sabah who represented HH the Amir at the work of the Assembly this year. He was seen off at the airport by Kuwaitís Ambassador to Washington Sheikh Salem Abdallah Al Jaber Al Sabah, Kuwaiti Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Mansour Ayad AlOtaibi, and diplomats members of the Kuwaiti Mission to the UN. —KUNA

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

LOCAL

Sri Lanka cultural heritage on display in Kuwait Three-day event opens

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: A three-day colorful cultural presentation about Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka Cultural Days) kicked off on Saturday at the Kuwait National Museum as part of the on-going cultural extravaganza. The event, hosted by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL), was a prelude to the upcoming First Asian Cooperation Dialogue Summit to be held in Kuwait midOctober. Various Asian countries were invited to showcase their heritage including cultural dances, their products and tourism sites.

C.A.H.M. Wijeratne, the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Kuwait, thanked the NCCAL for the privilege and great opportunity to showcase his nation’s proud culture.

“It was a result of HH the Amir’s proposal to hold such cultural events for Asian countries. HH the

Amir also proposed the summit to be held in a few days time. We are here to present our cultural heritage along with other member countries. Indeed, we are happy to be a part of this big event,” Wijeratne said.

The envoy said he invited the most accomplished cultural group back home in Sri Lanka to perform during the three-day event dedicated to the island nation. “They are here to perform and entertain not just the Sri Lankans but the multiethnic groups represented in Kuwait,” he said.

“Bilateral cooperation was not limited to just the political realm, trade and investments but, most importantly, we believe it also involves people-to-people contact which is a fundamental part of cooperation and dialogue. That is why we are happy to be part of this beautiful event,” he said.

The Sri Lankan dance troupe

Soft drinks prices to be cut by 75%?

KUWAIT: Restaurants and shops in Kuwait could soon be forced to sell soft drinks at their “actual prices” as per new regulations that could bring down prices by 75 percent, a local daily reported yesterday.

“Restaurant and major stores sell soft drinks for prices that exceed their actual value by ten to fifteen times,” Al-Rai said, quoting sources in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

It indicated that following a study carried out recently at the local market, the ministr y has decided to reduce the prices “to their supposed normal rates”.

The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, also said that discussions within the ministry focused on allowing stores to have profit margins ranging between 50 and 100 percent.

“The prime cost for a can of soda is estimated at less than 50 Fils, while it is offered for more than one Dinar at certain places,” the sources added.

However, they did not specify whether hotels will be covered by the new stipulation.

The ministry also has plans to ban serving of soda drinks with children’s meals at local restaurants, according to earlier reports.

from the Channa-Upuli Performing Arts Foundation, which had come all the way from Colombo, was set to perform at the Souq Sharq and Al-Kout Mall for two consecutive nights (7:30pm onwards on both Sunday and Monday, respectively).

The Sri Lankan dance has three traditions which are known as the Kandyan from the hill country of Sri Lanka, low country from the southern province of Sri Lanka and Sarabagamuwa from the mid-part of Sri Lanka.

The traditional dance will celebrate not just the graceful movements of people and even animals that can be found in Sri Lanka, but every traditional dance performed on stage will also be a celebration of colorful costumes which, by themselves, have values and beauty enshrined from ancient times.

The event is directed by Channa Wijewardena, the famous dance instructor from Sri Lanka.

Kuwait protects expat labor rights KUWAIT: The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MSAL) assistant undersecretary for labor affairs, Jamal Al-Doussary, recently accompanied a delegation from the US State Department on a tour around the temporary domestic labor hostel in Jleeb Al-Shoyoukh where they reviewed the projectís progress and facilities, including furniture, to ensure that they matched global recommendations made by various human rights organizations.

In this regard, the deputy ambassador and member of the human trafficking combat bureau at the US State Department, Mike Idler, expressed satisfaction with†the hostel and stressed that the Kuwaiti government was ëserious in protecting the rights of expatriate laborersí.

On his part, Al-Douussary emphasized MSALís keenness to protect the rights of the laborers sheltered at the hostel till their legal status and terms of stay in Kuwait were verified. He added that the hostel provides catering, social, health and recreational services.

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received yesterday at Seif Palace His Highness Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah after his return from a multi-destination overseas tour. The premier had represented the Amir at the recently held 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Over 1,000 Indians freed so far, says Ambassador

By Sajeev K Peter KUWAIT: More than 1,000 Indian domestic workers have been released so far by the Kuwait authorities out of over 2,000 expat workers arrested in a police raid recently, informed Indian Ambassador Satish C Mehta yesterday.

“Most of them have been released except those who have pending legal cases against them or those who have overstayed their visa in Kuwait,” Mehta told the Kuwait Times. According to Mehta, around 400 Indian workers

could have been still in detention though the exact figure is hard to infer. In certain cases, their sponsors have failed to show up yet, making it difficult for the authorities to regularize their residency, he added.

Around 2,136 expatriate workers were rounded up during the raid in and around Bneid Al-Gar area on Sept 19, of whom majority are Indian nationals, especially from Rajasthan. The arrest of a large number of Indians caused consternation among the members of the Indian community,

especially people from the state of Rajasthan. Although the arrested included other nationalities also, some press reports speculated that the raid specifically targeted Indians who form the largest expatriate community in Kuwait.

“It is not correct. The authorities have reportedly assured us that the Indians were not targeted in the raid,” the ambassador said. He added that the embassy officials are in constant touch with the authorities to ensure the release of the rest who are still in the detention center.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

LOCAL Local Spotlight

The column

The spread of rumor and its consequence

No religious tolerance

By Fouad Al-Obaid

By Muna Al-Fuzai

fouad@kuwaittimes.net Twitter: @Fouadalobaid

muna@kuwaittimes.net

I

really believe in the need to exercise and show tolerance in our daily life, no matter what our religion is or the belief system we follow. Now, I don’t wish to speak about tolerance in today’s world as I personally don’t see much of it in a world full of chaos, blood and anger all around, especially in the Muslim world.

Recently, an expat mother came to me with a complaint that I personally found to be sadly true. It was either a bad practice followed by a school manage-

A

s the Internet creeps into every device we own, the speed by which communication circulates is growing at an ever more frenetic pace. The value of information in such a society is heightened as people are affected by rumors as much as by facts. For instance, the furry caused by the movie slandering the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has led to mass chaos in many countries by people that have not seen the movie!

The very fact that a single person could lead to deaths in faraway lands is in itself startling, and yet this is the reality that today we are living in. More tragic especially in our very society is the spread of false or erroneous news circulated on different social networking platforms that spread links and news most of which is evidently false - however to many, it is taken at face value and only helps in creating a climate of unnecessary anxiety.

An example of the said rumors is found in the alleged movie-theater that was due to project the slanderous movie on the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) was destroyed by an earthquake that spared all the building except the movie theater! Another example, a message circulated stating imminent danger by rays’ emitting from Mars that would strike earth and lead to electromagnetic disturbances!

The examples are countless, but the picture is clear. Individuals -some I even believe are genuine in spreading information believing that it is correct out of good intention are only but creating a situation where fact and fiction starts to blend. In such a scenario not too dissimilar to the story of the ‘boy who cries wolf’ creating a village mobilization only to be ‘tricked’ into believing that what he has to say is true.

The wisdom is cry wolf too much and chances are that when danger is truly imminent people would not be able to differentiate truth from deceit.

The growth of pranks has increased in recent times, for our region it is nerve-racking. For instance a popular story that has circulated is that certain embassies in Kuwait have warned their nationals that hostilities might lead to insecurity in October! News of an imminent attack on Iran has been the talk of town ever since 2006, the danger of which is far too frightful to even consider.

Nevertheless, it is becoming a constant hence people are lost in confusion and perhaps such is a ploy to create a state of chaos. Ironically, if one looks into scriptures of all three-monotheist religions clear redlines are drawn with grave consequences to those that freely engage in slander and false news reporting!

In the Quran God Almighty states the following; “Behold, ye received it on your tongues, and said out of your mouths things of which ye had no knowledge; and ye thought it to be a light matter”, while it was most serious in the sight of Allah.

(Qur’an 24: 15).

Let us remind ourselves to report nothing but the truth... and may God give us guidance in such tumultuous times.

In my view

Who exactly are Salafis?

By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed

M

ore often than not, whenever a terrible act is committed in our region the Salafis are accused. Even before a single bullet was fired from the Syrian opposition, President Al-Assad had attributed heinous crimes of slaughter and destruction to them, and claimed that it was the work of Salafis affiliated with Saudi Arabia and the West!

Prior to the fall of Hosni Mubarak, the voices of young revolutionaries in Egypt accused the Salafis of supporting Mubarak and the West, but then their ranks were blamed for the attack on the US Embassy.

In Tunisia, Rachid Ghannouchi, leader of the ruling Ennahda movement, has previously praised the Salafis but has since begun to criticize them. Now he is calling on confronting them by force, with the former security forces of ousted President Ben Ali - now the forces of the Ennahda movement - pursuing them and surrounded their mosques, headquarters and leaders under the pretext that they were the ones who attacked the vicinity of the American Embassy and two American schools.

In Libya, the Salafis face an even greater predicament having been expelled from the city of Benghazi with their political headquarters burned down, after being accused of the attack on the US Consulate and the killing of the US Ambassador.

Of course, there are many other serious events I could mention, such as the attack carried out by Salafi jihadist groups on Egyptian forces in Sinai, who then crossed the border with Israel and killed a soldier there. So are the Salafis actually the bad guys, and the Muslim Brotherhood the good guys?

Before we come to that, who exactly are the Salafis?

In my opinion, such terminology and names no longer really express the truth of the matter. The Salafis now represent the raw state of the Muslim

Brotherhood; they are not like the old, traditional Salafis known for their hardline stances on social issues such as women’s clothing, beard shaving, the length of a man’s thobe, music and so on.

The traditional Salafi did not have an opinion politically speaking, because they believed in the Wali alAmr, i.e. absolute obedience to the governor or the state, who, as long as they did not prevent the application of God’s law, were responsible for the management of political affairs. This notion is now almost extinct. As for the new Salafis, they are the Brotherhood in its rudimentary form, i.e. they are the hardliners. The notions of Salafism and the Muslim Brotherhood have been intermingled in Afghanistan, and hence today we see the emergence of what are called the “Salafi jihadists” - militant religious groups, like the traditional Salafis, but with a political project, like the Muslim Brotherhood. My opinion is that there is no such thing as an “Islamist” who is politically engaged or ascribes to a political ideology from the outset. Rather, what happens is that they encounter the discourse of the Muslim Brotherhood and slowly become more politically active under its influence, participating with money, votes or in person.

Therefore I think it is perhaps partly correct to label extremist groups with terms such as political or jihadist Salafi, but the fact is that they are all Muslim Brotherhood entities in a rudimentary phase. After such groups mature ideologically, they will be labeled as Brotherhood affiliates or offshoots.

In my opinion, this raw state is the most dangerous phase, even more so when the Muslim Brotherhood was an underground movement working outside of the spotlight. Now however, operating in broad daylight, the Brotherhood is a political party exercising its right in a legitimate manner like any other party.

I think these things spring from a mind that sees matters only from one perspective.

What could be the risk if parents, who live in this Muslim country, wanted their sons to attend a call or wanted to know about the religion of this country in which they live and deal with its people, whose majority has faith in this religion? ment or a bad decision made by the officials at the ministry of education.

It seems like a contradiction when we claim that we, the Muslims, are open about our beliefs and we practise a model of tolerance. If we cannot display that in real life and in the simple day to day life in a school, then I surely fail to see how we can make that claim.

This mother, who was not a Muslim, and her 10-yearold son, heard many expats in Kuwait talking about Islam and they didn’t know much about it. Let us be fair here - not many of the non-Muslims can afford the time to go to places to attend sessions about Islam because they neither have the time nor the interest.

Anyhow, this mother wanted her son to attend some class in Islamic religion, just like the Muslims’ children, to learn more about Islam and to know about the religions of this country. Fair enough.

But her request to allow her Christian son to attend these classes at school, which carried no grades or credits, was denied. According to the school, nonMuslim students were not allowed to attend classes for Muslim students in religion? Why not? If the parents agree, what could be the harm?

I think these things spring from a mind that sees matters only from one perspective. What could be the risk if parents, who live in this Muslim country, wanted their sons to attend a call or wanted to know about the religion of this country in which they live and deal with its people, whose majority has faith in this religion?

We ask people to show tolerance and try to understand Islam but we do not show it in our daily practice.

This complaint only proved the common idea that some of us are not doing enough to prove what we really claim.

kuwait digest

You don’t deserve the wealth

In my view

Constitutional court verdict

By Bader Al-Rasheed

L

ook at the situation in countries which import our oil. Look at their parks, streets, bridges and tunnels.

Look at the level of their dedication at work and the way they protect their terrestrial and marine environment. Their golden beaches are open to the public whereas our coasts are destroyed on the pretext of establishing commercial projects.

Take a look at their swank airports, their commitment to follow the rules and regulations, and keep their appointments, their appreciation of the senior citizens and the smiles they always keep on their faces. After that, take a look at our own surly faces, our arrogance and hypocrisy practised even inside the places of worship.

Take a look at how patients are treated at their hospitals, or how human beings are treated in general. It is always with equality, not on the basis of tribalism, sectarianism, or discrimination in any other shape or form.

All citizens are equal in front of the law there, whereas here, the state officials and social figures get priority in treatment simply because of their status.

No, you don’t deserve the huge oil reserve beneath you.

Even if oil prices reach $500 per barrel, you will not change, at least not in essence. Except for the contributions of some charity makers in Kuwait, our hospitals would have become more like prisons where a doctor with a university degree and another with a middle school certificate have the same privileges. Alas, all this wealth has been in vain. We travel all through the year to countries that import our oil to find peace and a chance to rest. Complaints of high blood pressure, high sugar and

other health complications disappear magically during these trips, and even our appetite becomes better.

Nothing is alright in our country. Even democracy has been abused, and freedom is used to insult and settle personal differences.

Demonstrations and strikes are the only things you know about freedom.

What if we never had oil in the first place? What if we had to import oil from other countries? Alas, all these luxury cars and fine clothes that you, the members of parliament and cabinet, possess would not have been there. You ought to be riding camels instead.

Left to me, I would send you all in a dump truck to Somalia so that you can appreciate the blessings that we enjoy here in Kuwait, the country that you keep paralyzing. But it will never make us lose hope, as long as God is with us. — Al-Qabas

Except for the contributions of some charity makers in Kuwait, our hospitals would have become more like prisons where a doctor with a university degree and another with a middle school certificate have the same privileges.

Alas, all this wealth has been in vain.

By Labeed Abdal

local@kuwaittimes.net

A

fter the verdict of the constitutional court, which rejected the government’s objection to the elections law and directed it to the same statute, society must have heaved a sigh of relief.

Earlier, the political tension had escalated. The electoral constituency law was passed in 2006 following protests by the opposition calling for reforms to the election process.

The government said in its petition that the law was unconstitutional because the number of voters in each constituency varied considerably and there was no balance between the size of a constituency and the number of people in that area.

The new judgment meant that the electoral constituency law of five will remain for at least one more election and only the next Assembly can debate about amending it.

The verdict is also expected to provide some relief with lessened political tensions which had escalated after the dissolution of the Parliament of 2012 and bringing back the Parliament of 2009.

The historic judgment should put an end to the unwanted and chronic political tensions that have marred politics in Kuwait.

There are some voices expecting further tensions if the government issued a ‘Necessity Decree’ to change the voting methods or/and changed the number of votes to be accepted.

To be frank, neither the government nor the opposition can afford this, given the losses both have incurred in this crippling tension that has negatively affected our country’s development and has surely cost us a fortune in precious time and resources.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

local

Global organisations may join Kuwait bedoon sit-in Several messages to govt

By A. Saleh

KUWAIT: Aziza Martin, Sales and Marketing Manager of Ramada Hotel, visited Kuwait Times and congratulated KT on its 51st anniversary. She was received by Marketing Director Adnan Saad on behalf of Kuwait Times management.

227 killed in road accidents in six months KUWAIT: A total of 227 people were killed in more than 44,000 accidents reported in Kuwait during the first half of 2012, which saw the fatality rate increase by 25 percent compared to the first six months of the last year.

This was reported by Al-Qabas yesterday quoting statistics released by the Department of Traffic Planning and Research in the Ministry of Interior.

The report also showed that 4,895 people were injured during the first six months of this year, including 2,397 sustaining serious injuries or suffering disabilities. The number of injuries saw a whopping 900 percent jump compared to the same period of 2011.

Meanwhile, the statistics showed that 1,777,238 traffic tickets were issued during the first half of 2012, including more than 146,000 violations of crossing the red traffic light, and 668 tickets issued to

drivers involved in racing on public roads. The ministry also collected an estimated KD20 million in fines, Al-Qabas reported.

According to the same statistics, around 41,000 new drivers’ licenses were issued during the first six months of 2012, compared to around 38,000 during the same period in 2011. The total number of valid licenses in Kuwait as of June end stood at 1,282,714, while the number of registered vehicles stood at 1,680,830. The statistics further indicated that Kuwait citizens accounted for 102 deaths or about 44 percent of total road fatalities during the first half of 2012, followed by 62 cases of Asian victims that accounted for 27 percent. They also showed that 223 accidents were caused by over speeding, 80 by driving under the influence of alcohol, and 15 due to crossing red traffic light.

KUWAIT: Activists are calling upon the stateless residents to stage a sit-in in the Taima district of Jahra tomorrow amid unconfirmed reports that representatives from international organizations will also be present. According to invitation calls on social network websites recently, the event is aimed at sending “several messages to the government”, including “Bedouins’ right to citizenship, granting Kuwaiti nationality to deserving candidates immediately, and maintaining people’s right to protest peacefully.” As per the organizers, the demonstrators also aim to “shed light on the serious deterioration in human rights in Kuwait” and “failure of the Central Agency for Illegal Residents to resolve the issue.”

The stateless residents calling for the sit-in on Twitter also hinted that representatives from the Human Rights Watch, Refugee International, Amnesty International and other agencies from inside and outside Kuwait will take part in the event. The Kuwaiti government established the Central Agency for Illegal Residents a couple of years ago with the goal of dealing with the stateless residents’ community and to identify those who met the conditions for naturalization, including residents whose Bedouin ancestors failed to register for citizenship following Kuwait’s independence more than fifty years ago. Last year, the agency adopted measures to grant Bedouins several rights that included

branch for me to bank at and to win a brand new GMC Yukon is a tremendous bonus.”

The KOC salary package provides a non-interest bearing current account especially designed to fulfill KOC staff’s banking needs. KOC staff are entitled to several exclusive benefits such as, vouchers from X-cite by Alghanim Electronics, free issuance charges for Visa and MasterCard Credit Card and special discounts upon using Gulf Bank cards at 100 outlets in Kuwait. Upon entering the draw, KOC staff are further qualified to

KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s newest and most advanced mobile telecommunications service provider, announced the launch of a special promotion for prepaid customers on the occasion of the National Day of China. Customers can make calls to families and friends in China for 50 fils per minute, after the first three minutes of the call. This offer will be valid for 24 hours, on Oct 1.

Supporting the expat community in Kuwait and catering to their needs is very important to VIVA. It continuously makes an effort to create oppor tunities for its customers, and explores different means in which it can serve the different cultures, through new services and products. VIVA congratulates the Chinese community on this occasion, and confirms its

win a new GMC Yukon as an added bonus to the KOC salar y tailored banking package.

Gulf Bank is the only Bank available at the KOC Head Office and all KOC staff are invited to visit the branch to find out more about the KOC salary package. For more information about the package and all Gulf Bank’s products and services, customers can visit one of Gulf Bank’s 56 branches, or call the Customer Contact Center on 1805805 for assistance and guidance, or log on to www.e-gulfbank.com, Gulf Bank’s website.

KD16.3 billion for salaries, subsidies KUWAIT: KD16.3 billion was the estimated total of public sector salaries, government support and subsidies in the 2012-2013 budget, a local daily reported yesterday quoting a letter obtained from the Ministry of Finance.

The estimation was based on around KD10 billion to be paid to state employees, in addition to the KD650 million following salary increases and allowances enforced in recent months. The government’s subsidization for electricity, water, health and social support is estimated at KD6.3 billion, according to the Al-Qabas’ report.

The letter was prepared by the Ministry of Finance as part of its inputs to present short-term solutions to push forward the process of financial and economic reforms in the country.

It was presented during a high-profile economic team formed by HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah last year to formulate solutions to mitigate the impact of the financial crisis on Kuwait.

The ministry, in the meanwhile, presented proposals to curb current spending which, it said, “poses serious consequences in the near future if it continues at the present pace.”

The recommendations included avoiding new salary increases or allowances, as well as imposing income and value added taxes, in addition to increasing fees of public services.

The economic team will reportedly meet this week to discuss a number of quick solution mechanisms “which aim to increase competitiveness in the Kuwaiti economy and attract direct foreign investment,” the Al-Anba newspaper report said, quoting sources.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the sources identified seven solutions, which included “continuing the activation of the national portfolio in the stock market”, “launching efforts to attract foreign investments resettlement of projects, and investing in industrial counties to diversify sources of income.” The recommendations also

Oppositions’ tribesmen The Awazem and Ajman tribesmen in the fifth constituency may nominate new candidates if elections are held as per the current electoral law, instead of nominating members who won in the 2012 elections.

Sources in the know of things indicated that “the opposition’s efforts to convince the tribe to nominate their MPs in the 2012 parliament instead of holding primary elections have failed.” “A number of members in both the tribes are eager to take part in the next elections,” the sources said.

Teachers’ honoring A total of 331 teachers and 50 schools will be honored during a celebration held by the Ministry of Education at an event graced by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad alSabah. The event will mark the World Teachers’ Day next week. This announcement was made yesterday by Undersecretary Assistant for Students Activities, and head of the event’s organizing committee, Radhi Al-Owayed.

Labor support paid A total of KD36 million will be deposited in the bank accounts of 56,000 Kuwaitis benefiting from the government’s labor support today (Monday), a senior government official said yesterday.

“The funds have already been sent to local banks and all is set for payment [today],” Secretary General of the Management and Government Restructuring Program, Fawzi AlMajdali, said yesterday. He further indicated that more than KD1 million paid unlawfully to citizens, who were bogusly employed in the private sector, have been reclaimed so far.

VIVA offers special prepaid offer in celebration of China National Day

Masdoor wins in Gulf Bank draw KUWAIT: Gulf Bank announced Mohammed Masdoor as the winner of a brand new 2012 GMC Yukon in the third quarterly KOC prize draw for 2012. Gulf Bank’s Quarterly Prize Draw for a GMC Yukon is part of the benefits offered to all KOC staff members who transfer their salaries to Gulf Bank and have a valid credit card.

Expressing his gratitude on winning, Masdoor said, “I would like to thank Gulf Bank for this fantastic prize and for the excellent service the Bank provides me at the KOC branch. It is wonderful to have such a convenient

obtaining the marriage, birth and death certificates. The agency was given a five-year deadline to resolve the decades-old issue.

Last week, the Cabinet, during its weekly meeting, approved a new form of security IDs given to stateless residents. The new cards, used by stateless residents as their main form of identification, contain color-coded tags referring to the category under which a holder is recognized in state records, including those eligible for naturalization and others about whom the government claims to have proof that they belong to other countries.

Kuwait has a large community of stateless residents who demand citizenship as well as civil and social rights that they are deprived of due to their illegal residence status. Meanwhile, the government argues that some of them are Arabs or descendents of Arab people who deliberately disposed of their original passports after coming to Kuwait and now seek citizenship in the oil-rich country.

The term ‘Bedouin’ is Arabic for ‘without’, and is employed as a loose reference to the fact that stateless residents live without a nationality since birth.

included “activating the role of small projects” and “addressing the possibility of rescheduling defaulters’ loans,” in addition to launching operations to “renovating and building a new infrastructure network necessary to contain the economic growth sought for the upcoming years.”

The sources further indicated that the team was set to discuss ways to “boost efforts to improve the private sector” and “improve the quality of government spending.”

Meanwhile, Al-Watan daily reported yesterday that the team will also address “putting the final concept for the Madinat Al-Hareer (Silk City)” project so that it can be placed before the Cabinet which is meeting today.

In this regard, Al-Rai newspaper reported that the cabinet may discuss during its meeting today the issue of “appointing an administrative authority for the project for establishing the Silk City and Boubyan Island development authority.”

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and entertainment experiences. The company has rapidly established an unrivalled position in the market through our customer and employee centric approach. VIVA’s quest is to be the mobile brand of choice for Kuwait by being transparent, engaging, energetic and fulfilling.

VIVA continues to take a considerable share of the market by offering an innovative range of best value products, services and content propositions; a state of the art, nationwide network and world-class service. VIVA offers Internet speed up to 42.2Mbps due to the implementation of the most advanced third generation (3G and HSDPA) network in Kuwait resulting in superior coverage, performance and reliability.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

local

Police officer hurt while stopping brothers fight Senior citizen dies in fire

KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait took part in the Second Gulf Women Economic Forum with a speech presented by General Manager of the Commercial Credit Department, Sahar Al-Rumaih, in which she talked about women’s role in the decision making process, as well as the investment opportunities available for businesswomen in the Gulf region.

High hopes pinned on outcomes of Lima Summit LIMA: High hopes are pinned on outcomes of the Third Summit of Heads of State and Government of South AmericanArab Countries (III ASPA Summit), to be hosted by Peru from Sept 30 to Oct 2 in the capital, Lima.

With the participation of 34 countries; 12 South American and 22 Arab (excluding Syria and Paraguay), the Summit is held with the coordination and support of the Arab League and Union of South American Nation (UNASUR).

ASPA is a forum for policy coordination between countries in these two regions, and a mechanism for the cooperation in the field of economy, culture, education, science and technology, preservation of the environment, tourism and other topics relevant to the sustainable development of those countries and contribute to world peace. There will also be a special meeting on South American and Arab journalism for press and media personnel in both regions. More than 400 Arab and South American business leaders are also expected to show up. Many world leaders and heads of government have confirmed per-

sonal attendance, including Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Ecuador’s Rafael Vicent Correa Delgado, Guyana’s Donald Ramotar and Uruguay’s Jose Mujica.

List of prominent Arab leaders includes King Abdullah of Jordan, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Emir of Qatar Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani and Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki.

Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Hamad AlSabah will head Kuwait’s delegation to the Summit. The first ASPA Summit was held in Brasilia, Brazil, in May 2005, while the second took place in Doha in March 2009. The Lima Summit was scheduled to be held in February 2011, but was postponed due to the Arab Spring uprisings.

Earlier this month, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Peru Rafael Roncaglioglo underscored that the upcoming South American-Arab Summit was a “golden chance” for two emerging regions with a common ambitions. — KUNA

Awqaf helps to develop Sharia school in Kosovo KUWAIT: Kuwait Awqaf Public Foundation donated 25,000 euros to Kuwait’s Al-Najat Charitable Society yesterday, to develop the Alaa Eddine Sharia school in Kosovo.

The educational center has been dedicated to educating young Muslims about their religion since 1951, said Deputy Director General of Al-Najat Jaber AlWandah.

He praised the donation, noting that it comes according to the prominent role assumed by Al-Najat in Kosovo, that is predominantly Muslim and where the percentage of Muslims is over 90 percent, and where there is an urgent need to repair damaged religious educational establishments after years of devastating war.

Al-Wandah said that Alaa Eddine Sharia school operates under the umbrella of the Islamic Union of Kosovo, and works to

improve the educational level of Muslims, in order to raise them according to the values and ethics of Islam.

He stressed that the school has had a historic role in preserving the Islamic faith and heritage, while preserving Albanian as the official language.

Nearly 24 subjects are taught at the high school level, including the Qur’an, faith, interpretation, chemistry, physics, Albanian language and computer science, Under the supervision of the Presidency of the Islamic Union of Kosovo, the only executive body that is tasked with the affairs of Islamic education in Kosovo.

He expressed his thanks to the General Secretariat of Awqaf for its support to this scientific institution and for the significant effort inside and outside Kuwait in support of this charity. — KUNA

KUWAIT: A police officer suffered a stab wound and had to be hospitalized when he intervened in a fight between a knife-wielding man and his brother right inside the Mubarak Al-Kabeer police station. A 30-year-old Kuwaiti man arrived at the police station to press a threat to murder charge against his brother, younger to him by three years. Soon, the younger brother, too, showed up and quickly pulled a knife out of his pocket to attack his brother but instead ended up stabbing the police officer who tried to prevent the attack. The officer sustained an injury on his left hand and was taken to the hospital for treatment. The attacker has been detained and will now face charges.

House fire A senior citizen was killed in a fire that engulfed a house in Abdullah Al-Salem on Saturday morning while firefighters were able to save his family members. After arriving at the scene, firefighters formed two teams, with one focussing on rescuing the family and the other fighting the blaze. They were able to bring the residents out to safety, but were too late to save the 80-year-old man who succumbed to severe burns. An investigation is now on to determine the cause of the fire.

Man drowns A man drowned while swimming at a beach in Sharq recently, and an investigation was now on to determine the circumstances that lead to the incident. The 34-year-old Asian man was

pronounced dead on the spot after coastguards brought his body out of the water. The body was taken to the forensic department for an autopsy.

Armed robbery A man accused of committing at least 17 armed robberies in Abu Hlaifa was arrested recently following investigations carried out by Sabah Al-Saleh detectives. Investigations were launched following recent complaints by cell phone shopkeepers who had said that a masked man stole expensive devices at gunpoint.

Detectives were eventually able to track the signal from one of the stolen phones, and arrested its owner. The information obtained from the owner led the officers to a Gulf national from whom he said he had bought the phone a few days earlier. Since the information included the suspect’s address, it made it easier for the police to arrest him. The man initially denied the accusations but broke down when faced with evidence and confessed to have made thousands of dinars by selling the stolen items. He was taken to the relevant authorities to face charges.

Passports forgery Jleeb Al-Shuyiukh police arrested a male suspect who admitted forging passports along with his brother who was still at large. The Asian man was initially able to escape on foot after being pulled over by the police. The police had launched investigations after finding a number of passports, forged stamps and documents inside a car. The detectives contacted the car’s

Kuwaiti owner, who provided information about an employee who, he said, was using the vehicle.

The police headed to the suspect’s address but found his apartment vacant. Eventually, the detectives were able to arrest the suspect on Saturday. He has confessed to forging passports and selling them to Asian workers for KD200 each. Investigations are on to catch his brother.

Boyfriend disappears Search is on for a male suspect who disappeared after taking money from his girlfriend which he said he was in need of. Investigations started when the Kuwaiti woman later approached the police to report that her boyfriend had left her after she paid him KD2500 that he asked for to allegedly avoid going to jail.

The woman realized that she was tricked when her boyfriend’s phone went out of service and she found out that he had provided her with a fake residential address.

Search for stalker A female citizen filed a case at Al-Jahra police station against a stalker who harassed her inside a shopping mall in the area recently. The woman was reportedly shopping with her friends when she was approached by a man who told her that he knew that she worked at the financial department of Al-Jahra Hospital, and asked her to start a relationship. He left after giving her his phone number. She directly reported the matter to the nearest police station. Investigations are on.

— Al-Qabas, Al-Rai

KUWAIT: Reacting to a report received at 3 am yesterday morning about a fire in an under construction school shed at the Sabah Al Salem area, firemen from the Al Qurain center rushed there. The fire was soon brought under control.

US team visits safe house for domestic workers KUWAIT: A delegation from the US State Department accompanied by Assistant Undersecretary for Labor Affairs at Kuwait Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor Jamal Al-Dosari toured Saturday Kuwait’s safe house for domestic workers to review the Gulf nation’s latest achievements in this file. In a press statement, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour said that Al-Dosari has made a presentation for the US about the potential of the house in terms of food supplies, social, health and recreational services which go in line with the international standards.

Al-Dosari also informed the US delegation that the ministries of foreign affairs, health, social affairs and labor will have representatives in the

house to follow up the applications of the standards and offer help for the workers.

The statement said that the delegation member Mark Taylor, of the US State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, has expressed satisfaction with what he saw in the house and the Kuwaiti efforts to meet all the international conventions in this regard It also quoted Taylor as saying that the Kuwaiti government is serious in protecting the rights of migrant workers.

The house will host migrant workers who face problems till the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour verify their legal status and give them their full rights. —- KUNA

KSSC rewards outstanding students KUWAIT: In keeping with its tradition, the Cultural and Social Committee of the Kuwait Sea Sports Club will reward the outstanding children of club members in their last year of school at an event scheduled for this evening.

The event will be held under the patronage of Honorary President, Dr. Suad Al-Sabah, and will also be graced by Sheikh Mubarak Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah.

“The event comes as part of the KSSC’s efforts to encourage students into even more outstanding performances, and features rewarding elementary, intermediate and secondary stage students with excellent rating,” KSSC Secretar y General and President of the Cultural and Social Committee, Khalid AlFoudari, said in a press release.

Zain executives score amongst top female telecom professionals list

KUWAIT: The Coastguards General Department of the Ministry of Interior took part in minesweeping and de-mining exercises in the Arabian Gulf waters featuring warships from over 30 countries. The drill, one of the largest naval maneuvers in the Middle East, was carried out recently to evaluate the international community’s ability to ensure safety and security of international waters.

KUWAIT: Zain Group, the pioneer in mobile telecommunications in eight markets across the Middle East and North Africa, is proud to announce that eleven of its female executives were ranked in the inaugural CommsMEA list of Top 50 female telecommunications professionals across the region. Zain achieved the highest number of females from all telecom operators on the list.

Dubai based CommsMEA, one of the region’s leading telecommunications magazines, which ranked the nominees, stated the power list,

“includes those women who have shown the greatest level of innovation in tackling the challenges they face and ensuring their companies survive and thrive. So while financials are important, we have also taken into account factors including originality of ideas, rate of growth, and the challenges faced in different markets.”

Commenting on the successful achievers, Zain Group CEO Nabeel Bin Salamah congratulated the eleven who made the list and said, “Zain invests a lot in the career development of all its employees in

order to create the best leaders who will influence and benefit the company, the industry, and society at large. As an equal opportunity employer of choice across the region, it is heartwarming that eleven of our female executives were recognized in such a prestigious publication” He added, “Women are already leaders in many sectors across the MEA, and the eleven identified on this list represent many more who occupy senior positions and are critical to our success across all the Zain operations .The influence of

Nadia Al Saif

Khawla Al Jaber

Nabeel Bin Salamah

women in Zain can only grow in the future benefiting both our customers and the industry at large.”

The Zain personnel who were ranked in the Top 50 female telecommunications professionals by ranking order are: Zain Group, Strategy & Support Director: Khawla Al Jaber ranked 6.

Zain Kuwait, Value Added Services Director: Nadia Al Saif ranked 13.

Touch Lebanon, Chief Technical Officer: Rola Abou Daher ranked 17.

Zain Bahrain, Information Technology Director: Khawla Allan ranked 19.

Zain Jordan, Strategy and Project Management Office Senior Manager: Mervette Al Shihabi ranked 26.

Zain Republic of Sudan, Customer Care Director: Wafaa Hamoudi ranked 39.

Zain Jordan, Marketing Director: Rana Srouji ranked 41.

Zain Jordan, HR and Administration Director: Rasha Barakat ranked 44.

Touch Lebanon, Finance Director: Najwa Zeidan ranked 45.

Zain Bahrain, Corporate Communications Manager: Samya Hussein ranked 46.

Zain KSA, Corporate Communications Director: Aziza Al Ahmadi ranked 49.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

Nairobi church blast kills one, 9 wounded

Two Venezuelan oppn activists shot dead Page 9

Page 10

ARQUB: Smoke billows from a burning textile factory after a nearby position held by Syrian rebels was shelled by regime forces in the neighbourhood of Arqub in the northern city of Aleppo yesterday. Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad shelled rebel-held areas across Syria as fierce clashes were reported in second city Aleppo where a fire tore through a medieval souk. — AFP

Car bomb rocks Syria’s Kurdish city History will not forgive: Erdogan DAMASCUS: A suicide car bomb rocked the Kurdish city of Qamishli yesterday, state television said, in the first such attack in Syria’s Kurdish region which has kept out of the conflict between rebels and the regime.

Government forces and rebels, meanwhile, pressed on with the battle for the northern city of Aleppo-the main battleground since July of Syria’s 18-month conflict. The broadcaster said at least four people were killed in the Qamishli blast, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said eight members of the security forces were killed and that the attack targeted their headquarters in the city. “A suicide terrorist using a car laden with explosives attacked the western district of Qamishli,” the television said. The Britainbased Observatory said “at least eight members of the security forces were killed, and 15 were injured,” adding that the blast was followed by heavy gunfire.

The Qamishli attack comes less than a week after a twin bomb attack struck the heavilyguarded Syrian army headquarters in the

heart of Damascus, killing at least four of its guards. An Islamist rebel group claimed the Damascus attack.

Yesterday’s bombing was the first time since the outbreak of the anti-regime revolt that Qamishli witnessed such a violent attack, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said. “The earth shook beneath us, the force of the explosion was immense,” an activist who identified himself as Serdar told AFP via the Internet. Abdel Rahman said the military pulled out of Kurdish regions in northeastern Syria, including Qamishli, several months ago and the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) had no presence in the city, although some other fighters are based there.

The Qamishli blast came as intense fighting swept Syria’s second city Aleppo after a night of heavy shelling that destroyed houses and killed at least three people, including two civilians, said the Observatory.

Aleppo has been gripped by fighting on an unprecedented scale since Thursday and the Observatory, which relies on a network of

activists on the ground, said that rebel mortar fire damaged two helicopters at the area’s AlNairab military airport.

The army, for its part, shelled several other districts of Aleppo and battled rebels in Aleppo’s northern district of Jandul, the Observatory said. “ There were many rebels and soldiers killed, but both sides are trying to conceal their casualties,” Abdel Rahman told AFP. In Damascus province, rebels killed nine soldiers when they attacked a military checkpoint on the road linking the capital with Qatana to the southwest, the Observatory reported. Four people were also killed in the town of Irbin in Damascus province, the Observatory said.

A Kurdish activist, Raad Basho, was gunned down outside his home in the Kurdish city of Hasakeh, said the Observatory, whose nationwide toll for yesterday excluding the Qamishli attack was at least 66 people killed — 34 troops, 22 civilians and 10 rebels.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip

Erdogan, a one-time ally of President Bashar al-Assad turned critic of his regime, reiterated yesterday that China, Iran and Russia must stop aiding the Damascus regime. “Please rethink your current attitude. History will not forgive those who have sided with these brutal regimes,” Erdogan said in a speech at a congress of his ruling Justice and Development Party.

Russia, a traditional Damascus ally, and China have blocked all UN Security Council resolutions on the conflict that according to activists has now left around 30,000 people dead in 18 months. The UN puts the toll at 20,000. Shiite-led Iran is Syria’s closest regional ally and is accused by several Western and Sunni-led Arab nations of providing military aid to Assad’s regime. Turkey backs the Syrian rebels and Erdogan said it is also hosting about 91,000 refugees from the conflict in several border camps.

Meanwhile, UN spokesman Khaled al-Masri told AFP that Mokhtar Lamani, the head of UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar

Powerful typhoon hits Japan mainland TOKYO: Powerful Typhoon Jelawat hit the Japanese mainland yesterday, sparking the evacuation of thousands a day after it tore across southern Okinawa island, where local media said it left one dead and some 140 injured. Packing winds of up to 180 kilometres (112 miles) per hour, the typhoon reached central Aichi prefecture at around 7:00 pm (1000 GMT) and was moving up the main island of Honshu, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The municipal government of the central city of Nagoya issued an evacuation advisory for 57,000 people living in 21,000 homes, due to the fear of flooding caused by rising river levels in the city, according to Jiji Press. A further 11,000 were told to evacuate in the city of Ishinomaki in the countryís northeast, Jiji Press reported. A 29-year-old man was swept away by high waves when Jelawat hit Okinawa and was later confirmed dead, while at least 140 people were injured in eight prefectures, according to public broadcaster NHK. The typhoon is forecast to churn northeastwards towards Tokyo over the next 24 hours and bring torren-

tial rainfall and towering waves up to 10 metres (33 feet) high. The meteorological agency predicted rainfall of up to 400 millimetres in some areas in the 24 hours to Monday evening, Jiji Press said. More than 500 flights, mainly in western Japan, were cancelled yesterday and some shinkansen bullet train services across the country had been suspended, Kyodo said. — AFP

Brahimi’s office in Syria, met with an FSA commander in central Syria.

Lamani held talks with Colonel Kassem Saadeddine in the town of Talbisseh, Homs province, and other members of the FSA, which is made up of army deserters and civilians who have taken up arms against Assad’s regime. The official also met with the governor of Homs province, Ghassan Abdelaal, as well as representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Syrian Red Crescent.

Separately, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari vowed his country would stop and search any flights from Iran over its territory suspected of carrying weapons to Syria.

“We have assured US officials that the Iraqi government is determined to land (Iranian) flights and carry out random searches,” Zebari said, quoted by Arabic daily Al-Hayat.

Last week, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pushed Baghdad to deliver on pledges to stop such flights during a meeting with Iraqi Vice President Kudayr al-Khuzaie. — AFP

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

Egyptian leftist leader eyes parliament majority CAIRO: Popular Egyptian leftist politician and former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahy said yesterday he is confident a coalition of leftist groups he is working to unite will be strong enough to defeat Islamists and win a parliament majority.

Sabahy, in an unexpected outcome, came in third place in the first round of the presidential vote last May, behind well-known army commander and politician Ahmed Shafik and current president Mohamed Mursi, who was the candidate of the state’s most organised Muslim Brotherhood group.

Ten other candidates including two seen as frontrunners trailed Sabahy, who had later turned down an offer by Mursi to become his vice president.

The almost-always smiling, populist succeeded in attracting millions of supporters moved by his promises to promote social justice, a fairer distribution of wealth and the elimination of poverty.

With a parliamentary vote expected before the end of the year, Sabahy is building on his gains from the presidential race and working to form a strong, organised bloc to run for parliament.

“We are seeking a national gathering of groups that share our goals of social justice but not necessarily our exact ideologies, and with that we will get a majority in parliament,” Sabahy said in an interview with Reuters on Saturday night. Sabahy said his front could include liberal groups and individuals who agree to his social justice program, but when asked if the front was also open to Islamists, the answer was an outright “no.” “And certainly,” he added, it “would not include the (Brotherhood’s) Freedom and Justice Party and its allies.”

Islamists won around 70 percent in the first parliament, formed earlier this year after the state’s popular uprising, which ousted former president Hosni Mubarak last year. The parliament was dissolved last June after a court ruled the laws upon which the election was based were unconstitutional.

According to Sabahy, Islamists are a minority in Egypt and their sweeping victory in politics over the past year and half after the anti-Mubarak revolt is due to their strong organisational and grassroots skills, which he said is working to emulate in his new liberal front. “This front will end the contradiction that is happening in Egypt now with the organised minority acquiring the majority in parliament, and the presidency, while the divided majority hold a minority in parliament,” Sabahy said. Sabahy has recently founded the leftist Public Current movement but says he does not seek to revive old socialist economic policies like nationalization of private industries.

He has called for a system that combines public and private sector elements on the condition that it serves all the people and not just wealthy shareholders. “For Egypt to achieve what it needs and deserves of an economic renaissance it needs a joint system between socialism and the free market economy,” said the leftist, whose political career started when he was a student leader in the seventies.

Egypt’s economy has suffered deeply after last year’s populist uprising and the government is now in talks over a $4.8 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund.

Sabahy is a staunch follower of Egypt’s former socialist president Gamal Abdel Nasser, a popular pan-

Arab-leader who had a powerful popularity base among Egyptians and Arabs in the 1950s and ‘60s but was hated by the West for his opposition to Israel, with which he fought two wars in 1956 and 1967.

“Without Nasser I would not have been sitting here with you as I am the son of a peasant and I was supposed to only be a peasant like my father except for Nasser, whose experience has formed a big middleclass sector which is important for the preservation of the state’s economy and modesty.”

Egypt’s middle-class diminished during Mubarak’s time, as his economic policies were focused on the ruling elite. Sabahy said he does not see a change in those policies under the newly elected Islamist president. “We are preserving the same economic policies of Mubarak’s regime but with a religious flavor. ... The two systems are capitalist,” he said. “Egypt needs work on its poorest sectors and that is what the new president has not worked on or said he would work on,” Sabahy said, drawing a contrast between the early days of the Mursi and Nasser administrations.

Nasser also came to power after a revolution in 1952, led by the military against the monarchy.

“After 45 days of Nasser’s rule, he raised the minimum wage and redistributed agricultural lands, policies that created the biggest middle-class group in Egypt’s history and its lowest unemployment rate,” Sabahy said.

Around 40 percent of Egyptians are currently either poor, uneducated or both - and millions are unemployed. Other than a slight development in the state’s security system, which suffered badly after the uprising, Sabahy sees no other progress since Mursi

took office on June 30. “There is a big gap between the Egyptian dreams in social justice and the way of thinking of this elected president, who is more loyal to his group and its economic pattern,” he said.

“The millions of the Egyptians who took to the streets were Muslims and Christians seeking justice, dignity, modern education, work opportunities and fair wages and taxes. Such concepts are neither apparent in the work of this president and his government until now, nor present in his future program.”

According to Sabahy, “revolutionary measures” are needed in order for people to feel real change.

Sabahy’s history in the opposition dates back to the days of Nasser’s successor, Anwar Sadat, a proWestern capitalist, a position he also maintained in the Mubarak years. Mubarak was deposed on Feb. 11 of last year after ruling for 30 years.

He publicly attacked Sadat at a university conference, earning him later exclusion from any post as a university lecturer or in government.

And despite his strong participation in the 18-dayprotests that ousted Mubarak, Sabahy’s opposition status did not end but was extended under Islamist rule. “I am against using religion in politics and hence I will remain an opponent to Islamists but a decent opponent who would criticise their policies and run against them in elections but not ban or fight their existence,” he said.

Asked if he would be willing to run for the presidency again, he said: “Only if there were a national demand for that. My performance in the last elections is not an open-ended license for me to run unless it was needed and requested.” — Reuters

Somali militants flee invasion to avoid losses AU troops cautious about entering Kismay

ANKARA: Cheering supporters wave flags as they look toward Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, unseen, during the congress of his ruling Justice and Development Party in Ankara, Turkey, yesterday. Erdogan said that the era of military coups in the country is over and that Turkey is a model for other Muslim countries to emulate. — AP

Erdogan flaunts democratic credentials in Muslim world ANKARA: Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan trumpeted Turkey’s credentials as a rising democratic power yesterday, saying his Islamistrooted ruling party had become an example to the Muslim world after a decade in charge.

Addressing thousands of party members and regional leaders at a congress of his Justice and Development (AK) Party, Erdogan said the era of military coups in the nation of 75 million people was over. He vowed to forge a more diverse constitution and turn a new page in relations with Turkey’s 15 million Kurds, in a speech lasting almost two and half hours and meant to chart the AK Party’s agenda for the next decade.

“We called ourselves conservative democrats. We focused our change on basic rights and freedom,” Erdogan told thousands of cheering party members at the congress in a sports stadium in the capital Ankara.

“This stance has gone beyond our country’s borders and has become an example for all Muslim countries.” Leaders including Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev and Masoud Barzani,

president of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, were among the guests.

Under Erdogan’s autocratic grip, the AK Party has won three consecutive landslide election victories since 2002, ending a history of fragile coalition governments punctuated by military coups and marking Turkey’s longest period of single-party government for more than half a century.

Per capita income has nearly tripled in that time and Turkey has re-established itself as a regional power, with its allies seeing its mix of democratic stability and Islamic culture as a potential role model in a volatile region.

“Turkey has shown the bright face of Islam,” Khaled Meshaal, Hamas’s leader in exile, told the congress. “Erdogan, you are not only a leader in Turkey now, you are a leader in the Muslim world as well.”

But critics denounce Erdogan’s authoritarian style, accusing him of stifling dissent and using the courts to silence his enemies. They also say he has failed to bring any hope of an end to a 28-year-old conflict in the mainly Kurdish southeast. — Reuters

McCain steps up attack on Obama over Libya WASHINGTON: Top Republican Senator John McCain yesterday joined other members of his party in attacking Washington’s shifting explanations of the September 11 assault that killed the US ambassador to Libya. McCain, interviewed on CNN’s “State of the Union” show, hinted at “certain political overtones” in the administration’s initial claim that the assault was part of a spontaneous anti-American demonstration. His comments were the latest thrust in a what appears to be a coordinated Republican effort to undermine Obama on foreign policy, seen as his strong point and a big weakness for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

UN ambassador Susan Rice on September 15 said the hours-long assault with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades on the US consulate in Benghazi was part of a spontaneous demonstration over an amateurish video that mocked the prophet Mohammed.

Four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, died in the assault.

But that explanation was revised over the next weeks, and by Friday the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said that the consulate attack was planned and linked to Al-Qaeda, but stressed that “many unanswered questions” remained.

The administration’s initial explanation for the attack was flat wrong, said McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential candidate. “That doesn’t pass the smell test,” he said.

“It was either willful ignorance or abysmal intelligence to think that people come to

spontaneous demonstrations with heavy weapons, mortars, and the attack goes on for hours,” he told CNN. McCain joined Republican Senator Bob Corker and Congressman Pete King in expressing anger over the Libya affair.

King on Friday called on Rice, a member of Obama’s inner circle, to resign, saying that her statements had been “irresponsible.” And on Saturday Corker sent a letter to DNI chief James Clapper demanding “straight answers” on the incident.

Senior Obama adviser David Plouffe, speaking Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said it was “preposterous and really offensive” to suggest the government withheld information on Libya for political reasons.

“We do have an election in 37 days. You know, and we’re happy to have a debate about our approach to terrorism and foreign policy,” Plouffe said on ABC’s “This Week” show.

Senior Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod, speaking on CNN, said the administration first said the Libya attack stemmed from a spontaneous demonstration because that was the information it had at the time.

Axelrod then referred to Obama’s description of Romney as someone who has a “tendency to shoot first and aim later” when the Republican claimed the administration sympathized with demonstrators who assaulted the US embassy in Cairo the same day of the Libya attack. “What we don’t need is a president or an administration that shoots first and asks questions later,” Axelrod said. - AFP

MOGADISHU: The al-Qaeda-linked rebels who once controlled nearly all of Somalia’s capital and sowed fear throughout the southern part of the country are fleeing their last remaining stronghold because they are outgunned and don’t want heavy losses, experts said yesterday.

Kenyan troops invaded the southern Somali city of Kismayo early Friday, and the militant Islamist group al-Shabab announced soon after that their forces were leaving the lucrative port town behind. Kenyan forces have not yet moved through the whole town, but a military spokesman said troops met no resistance yesterday.

After years of bloody street-by-street warfare, African Union troops from Uganda and Burundi pushed al-Shabab out of Mogadishu in August 2011. The AU troops have since taken over towns outside of Mogadishu as well. Kenyan forces invaded Somalia late last year, and have been moving slowly toward Kismayo.

The once-powerful al-Shabab spent years defending its Mogadishu territory, but since being forced out has chosen to retreat from towns when challenged by African Union forces or Ethiopian troops who moved into western Somalia earlier this year.

“The most plausible explanation is that they fear that they’ll be outgunned by the coalition force, and as a result are incentivized to retreat,” said Abdihakim Aynte, a Somali political analyst in Mogadishu. “We also know al-Shabab, by nature, couldn’t engage in conventional warfare, especially in an urban area.”

Aynte noted that al-Shabab fought conventional-style battles with Ethiopian troops in 2006 and 2007 “and the result was bloody and nasty.” Col. Cyrus Oguna, the spokesman for the Kenyan military, said that Kenyan troops now stationed in northern Kismayo are making plans to expand south. Oguna said he didn’t know how many al-Shabab fighters are left in Kismayo, but that “we can probably say now that the numbers are less than when we got in.”

An al-Shabab spokesman said on Twitter that the militants had left town and residents have reported that government and police buildings once occupied by alShabab have been abandoned. Oguna said Kenyan forces are prepared for multiple scenarios.

“If they were going to fight, they were going to be fought. If they were going to run away, there were some contingencies to deal with that,” Oguna said. The conventional wisdom on al-Shabab says they will turn into a guerrilla force that attacks using suicide and roadside bombs. Mohamed Sheik Abdi, another political analyst in Mogadishu, said the group will most likely divide up and attack vulnerable targets.

Yusuf Abdi Hussein, a former colonel in the Somali army, said the future political leadership of Kismayo will also dictate what al-Shabab does. The new administration will either empower or thwart their guerrilla attacks, he said.

“Usually Kismayo is contested by rival clans seeking to manipulate the resources and revenues from the port,” Hussein said.

“Al-Shabab will take advantages of those clan lines and will side with the disgruntled clans to use them against the government and Kenyan forces. They’ll also use that issue to illustrate themselves as the only administration that could keep the two rivals living peacefully together.”

Al-Shabab tries to impose an ultra-conservative style of Islam and enforce conservative social rules in areas they control.

They carry out public punishments like whippings, stonings and executions. — AP

DHOBLEY: In this photo released by the African Union-United Nations Information Support Team, Kenyan soldiers serving with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) sit on the back of a military vehicle as part of a re-supply convoy at their sector headquarters in the town of Dhobley, in southern Somalia, yesterday. — AP

Hardline leader Baid boycotts Yemen meet ADEN: Yemen’s Southern Movement kicked-off yesterday a meeting calling for independence for the south from the central government in Sanaa, but the conference was boycotted by a leading separatist leader.

Yemen’s prominent separatist leader, Ali Salem alBaid, a former vice president who lives in exile, boycotted the conference, saying it was not well prepared.

Baid, who a few days earlier had expressed his intention of not attending the conference, and his supporters represent a hardline faction of the movement.

Southern leader Hassan Baoum launched the three-day conference in front of thousands of people in Martyrs’ Square in Aden’s city centre yesterday, an AFP correspondent reported. Baoum, in a speech to cheering crowd, declared that Yemen’s southerners reject the “occupation of the north” and that the conference would focus on outlining the parameters of a “peaceful struggle” for independence in the south, which was an independent state until it merged with the north in 1990.

Baoum made no mention of the national dialogue, a critical phase in Yemen’s transition process where all parties, including the opposition, the separatists, the

youth and the northern rebels are expected to come together and agree on a new constitution and on next presidential and parliamentary elections.

He said the uprising that forced the ouster of longtime president Ali Abdullah Saleh had given hope to the southerners-who have long claimed marginalisation by the north-that their calls for equality, and in some cases independence, would be recognised.

But those “hopes were dashed,” he said, referring to sporadic clashes with troops and increasing unrest in southern towns that have fought for the region’s rights.

Southern separatists tried to regain their independence in 1994, but their efforts were brutally crushed by northern troops who eventually overran the south.

On September 13, Baid told AFP that he had decided to return to Yemen after 18-years in exile.

He fled after northern troops took over Aden after the failed 1994 uprising against Sanaa. Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, himself a southerner, has called on exiled Yemeni opposition figures, including leaders from the southern separatist movement, to return home to participate in the transition process. — AFP

RAFAH: Palestinians hold slogans which read in Arabic “Oh free people, remove the blockade for us” (L) during a protest against the Egyptian decision to close the smuggling tunnels along the GazaEgypt border in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday. Since last month, Egyptian military have destroyed about 30 tunnels and blocked more which were used for smuggling to and from the Gaza Strip. — AFP

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

Police identify man who killed self on TV PHOENIX: A man who stole a car at gunpoint, shot at Phoenix police officers and then led them on a chase that ended with his suicide broadcast on national television was identified Saturday as a wanted felon with a long criminal history.

Jodon F. Romero, 33, was wanted for violating his parole for a weapons conviction and had numerous other violent crimes in his background, police spokesman Sgt. Tommy Thompson said.

At the end of an hour-long pursuit on an interstate west of Phoenix on Friday, Romero pulled into the desert and an officer shot at him, although it appears he missed, Thompson said. Romero then walked off the dirt road, put a gun to his head and killed himself.

Fox News was covering the chase that began about midday Friday using a live helicopter shot from Phoenix affiliate KSAZ-TV. Anchor Shepard

Smith told viewers that the video was supposed to be on a delay so it could be cut off if something went awry.

“We really messed up, and we’re all very sorry,” Smith said minutes after the suicide aired. Fox apologized for showing the violence on air. KSAZ itself was not airing the chase. On Saturday, Thompson said police did everything in their power to de-escalate the situation, but Romero seemed intent on continuing a crime spree that began with a minor incident in which he apparently hit a passing car with his hand, leading to a call to police.

As officers were heading to the south Phoenix area, they learned that a Dodge Caliber sedan had just been stolen at gunpoint from a nearby restaurant parking lot. They spotted the car and gave chase, but pulled back when Romero began running red lights and endangering the public,

Thompson said. Instead, unmarked cars and a police helicopter began following him at a distance.

Romero drove into an industrial area and spotted two marked police units, with one officer standing beside one car talking with another officer. He veered into their lane and opened fire, missing the officers but hitting one patrol car.

He then got onto Interstate 10, heading west toward California at speeds in excess of 100 mph.

The police helicopter and unmarked police vehicles followed at a distance, and the Fox helicopter began its coverage.

Romero fired at the police helicopter during the chase, but didn’t hit it, Thompson said. About 75 miles west of Phoenix he got off the interstate and drove off into the surrounding desert.

He eventually stopped, got out of the car and

began walking down a dirt road. That’s when an officer fired one shot at him. Although Thompson said it appeared the shot missed, television footage shows Romero stumbling and falling down and appearing to feel his torso before walking into some brush.

That’s when he shot himself in the head. An autopsy will determine if he was actually shot by an officer as well. Thompson said it was clear to officers they had to stop Romero from getting back to a populated area. “Anybody who will shoot at police officers, that shows a total disregard for them, will shoot at anybody else,” he said. “And this needed to be put to an end. Even after we backed out all the marked units he still continued to go.”

Arizona Department of Corrections records show Romero was imprisoned from April 2010 to June 2012 for a felony weapons charge. — AP

Two Venezuelan oppn activists shot dead Chavez, Capriles hit streets with one week to go

DES MOINES: In this Sept. 27, 2012, file photo voters wait for their ballots on day one of early voting for the November presidential election in Des Moines, Iowa. Five weeks to Election Day, President Barack Obama is within reach of the requisite 270 Electoral College votes needed to win a second term according to an Associated Press analysis.

Mitt Romney can still prevail in the race to amass the necessary votes, but his path to victory has become much narrower. — AP

Romney looks to gain momentum WASHINGTON: Barack Obama is cruising into the presidential debates with momentum on his side, yet he’s still struggling to revive the passion and excitement that propelled him to the White House four years ago. Republican nominee Mitt Romney is grasping for his last, best chance to reboot his campaign after a disastrous September. The fierce and determined competitors in the tight race have a specific mission for the three debates, the first of which is Wednesday night in Denver. Obama, no longer the fresh face of 2008, must convince skeptical Americans that he can accomplish in a second term what he couldn’t in his first, restoring the economy to full health.

Romney, anxious to keep the race from slipping away, needs to instill confidence that he is a credible and trusted alternative to the president, with a better plan for strengthening the economy. “The burden in many ways is heavier on Romney,” says Wayne Fields, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis who specializes in political rhetoric. “What we see right now is an uncertainty about whether he’s ready for the job.” For all the hundreds of campaign appearances, thousands of political ads and billions of dollars invested in the race, this is a singular moment in the contest. Upward of 50 million people are expected to watch each of the debates, drawing the largest political audience of the year.

Forty-one percent of Americans reported watching all of the 2008 debates, and 80 percent said they saw at least a bit, according to a Pew Research Center poll. That intense interest tends to crowd out everything else for a time, adding to the debates’ importance. With polls indicating that Obama has been gaining ground steadily in the most competitive states, the pressure is on Romney to turn in a breakout performance.

The race will be decided in a handful of battleground states which are neither reliably Democratic nor Republican. The US president is chosen in state-by-state contests rather than by national popular vote. The Denver debate, 90 minutes devoted to domestic policy, airs live at 9 pm EDT (0100 GMT), with the two men seated side by side in elevated director’s chairs.

Romney and Obama debate again Oct. 16 in Hempstead, New York, and Oct. 22 in Boca Raton, Florida. Vice President Joe Biden and Romney’s running mate Paul Ryan have their lone debate Oct. 11 in Danville, Kentucky.

With early or absentee voting already under way in more than half the states, any first impressions created in the debates could well be last impressions. What the candidates say is sure to matter immensely, but how they say it may count for even more. “We remember visual impressions from debates more than we remember specific words,” says Alan Schroeder, a Northeastern University professor who’s written a history of presidential debates.

Whether the candidates smile or grimace, strike a confident or defensive pose, speak with a resonant or strained tone of voice, it all matters. That may be particularly true for the allimportant undecided voters and those still open to changing their minds.

Staunch Democrats and Republicans may well be firm in their choices, says Patti Wood, an Atlanta-based expert on body language, but if less partisan voters are “frightened in general about their lives, if they’re insecure, they’re going to pick the most charismatic person.”

Both candidates have challenges to overcome on that score, according to Wood. Obama, 51, has been sounding “very tired and very strained” lately, she says, and Romney, 65, “has a problem with appearing superior and cold.”

Overall, she says, “Romney is looking a little bit younger than Obama right now,” in terms of

energy if not wrinkles. Both candidates are experienced and competent debaters. But each, setting the judgment bar high for his opponent, is working overtime to puff up the skills of the other guy and play down his own debate credentials. Romney recently described the president as “eloquent in describing his vision” during the 2008 debates. But the Republican nominee added that Obama “can’t win by his words, because his record speaks so loudly in our ears.”

Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki stresses that Romney has been preparing for the debates with “more focus than any presidential candidate in modern history.” Sketching sky-high stakes, Psaki says the Republicans fully expect the debates to be “their turning point” in the campaign.

The president himself mocked the idea that Romney still can alter the campaign dynamic.

“Every few days he keeps on saying he’s going to reboot this campaign and they’re going to start explaining very specifically how this plan is going to work - and then they don’t,” he said last week while campaigning in Virginia.

For all their positioning, both candidates will use the debates to try to surmount the same challenges that they long have confronted.

Romney, frequently criticized for shifting his positions to sync up with the politics of the moment, needs to project “a kind of character, a kind of maturity that allows him to be presidential,” says Fields.

Obama, an incumbent who’s shown himself to be comfortable in the media glare, “doesn’t have to prove that part,” says Fields. “He has to prove that he has real answers to problems that have not been solved in his first term, and for which there is a great deal of unrest.”

Romney is sure to be questioned anew about his caught-on-video comment dismissing the 47 percent of Americans who don’t pay federal income tax as victims who won’t take responsibility for their lives.

“How can Gov. Romney have such a profound misunderstanding of the people of this country?” Biden asked during an appearance Saturday in Fort Myers, Florida. “When I hear this talk, not just from Romney and Ryan, but from this new Republican Party ... I don’t recognize the country they’re talking about.”

Former President Bill Clinton, offering a bit of unsolicited advice to the opposition, says Romney would be wise not to “double down on that 47 percent remark.”“That will cause difficulties, because we now know that the overwhelming number of those people work and have children,” Clinton said recently. He added that the most important job for Romney is to “find a way to relate to more people in these debates and speak to more of them.”

Speaking in Derry, New Hampshire, Saturday morning, vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan contrasted the economic stagnation he said will continue if Obama is re-elected with the prosperity he said he and Romney will create, saying the northeastern state known as the “Live Free or Die” state wants to “live free and prosper.”

On Saturday, the Obama campaign posted a Web video urging debate viewers to take Romney’s claims of private-sector experience with a grain of salt. “Remember, it wasn’t about creating jobs,” the video says. It includes testimony from steel- and paper-plant workers laid off after takeovers by Bain Capital, the private equity firm founded by Romney.

Also Saturday, the Romney campaign announced plans for his wife Ann to speak at a rally Monday in Henderson, Nevada, where Obama is planning three days of private debate preparation. And Romney pointed to Syria, Libya and Iran to criticize Obama’s foreign policy as “one of passivity and denial” in his weekly podcast. — AP

CARACAS: Gunmen shot and killed two local leaders of parties backing presidential challenger Henrique Capriles on Saturday in the worst violence of a volatile campaign before Venezuela’s election next weekend. Capriles’ party, Primero Justicia (First Justice), said the gunmen fired from a van that witnesses identified as belonging to state oil company PDVSA or the local mayor’s office during a rally in the agricultural state of Barinas.

The government of President Hugo Chavez, who is seeking re-election, confirmed the deaths and vowed the perpetratorswould be brought to justice.

Interior Minister Tareck El Aissami said the circumstances of the attack were still under investigation.

Venezuela is awash with guns, and violent crime is frequently cited as voters’ No. 1 concern.

There had been shootings and fistfights in previous opposition rallies as “Chavistas” and Capriles supporters clashed, but no deaths.

“This tragedy gives us more strength and faith to fight for a Venezuela where justice and non-violence reign,” said Primero Justicia, the party of one of the victims. Another two people were injured, and there were six arrests after the attack on an opposition motorcade that had been blocked by Chavez supporters, Primero Justicia said in an account not confirmed by police or other authorities.

“I’m so sad at this bad news,” Capriles said via Twitter. The opposition Democratic Unity coalition, which has united Venezuela’s opposition parties, demanded a quick investigation.

Aissami said police were doing just that. “It was an isolated incident,” he told state TV. CLOSE CAMPAIGN On the campaign trail, Chavez showed off new infrastructure projects in Caracas, while Capriles accused him of wasting Venezuela’s money on foreign allies. With polls inconclusive, both men are wooing undecided voters in what looks likely to be the tightest presidential election of the charismatic socialist leader’s 14-year rule.

Despite two bouts of cancer since mid-2011, Chavez, 58, has declared himself completely cured and is trying to recapture some of his old panache and energy to win a new six-year term.

On Saturday, he inaugurated a monorail, then inspected extensions to the subway system, and a cable car in poor areas of Caracas typical of his power base. The projects cost a combined $2.5 billion.

“We are not thinking about making money. That’s

the difference with capitalism,” Chavez said in Petare, one of the largest slums in Latin America.

“The loser will have to go to the moon and see if he can govern a rock there because here the bourgeoisie are never coming back,” Chavez quipped of Capriles, whom he portrays as representing a heartless, right-wing elite. Later, in Guarenas town outside Caracas, the president drove through crowds in an open vehicle dubbed by some the “Chavezmobile.” He sang, danced and gave an exuberant speech in a show of energy few would have expected just months ago when he was publicly praying to be saved from cancer.

Capriles, a 40-year-old state governor who has a centrist political vision and sees Brazil’s mix of freemarket economics and strong welfare polices as his model, has been crisscrossing Venezuela all year in an exhausting campaign.

Addressing thousands in Falcon state, in west Venezuela, Capriles accused Chavez of making false promises to the public, while squandering oil revenues on foreign allies.

“The government prefers to build a refinery in

GUARENAS: Supporters of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez cheer during a rally campaign in Guarenas, Venezuela, Saturday. Venezuela’s presidential election is scheduled for Oct 7. — AP

UK investigators in Nepal to probe deadly air crash KATHMANDU: British experts have arrived in Nepal to investigate the plane crash that killed 19 people including seven Britons heading to the Mount Everest region for a trekking holiday, the government said yesterday.

Nepal’s aviation ministry said two staff from the Air Accident Investigation Branch had come to Kathmandu to assist local authorities looking into the accident, which also killed four Chinese, an American and seven locals.

“Two experts from the UK have arrived in Kathmandu to assist in the investigation of the crash,” Suresh Acharya, a senior official in the aviation ministry, told AFP. “They are here under the provision of the International Civil Aviation Convention which states that experts from the country whose citizens are dead in a crash can provide expert support for the investigation process.

“The British government expressed willingness to send them and we are ready to use their expertise.” The twin-propeller Sita Air plane had just taken off on Friday from Kathmandu and was headed to the town of Lukla, the gateway to Mount Everest, when it plunged into the banks of a river near the city’s airport around daybreak. The British investigators will assist a government commission due to report on the cause of the crash within three months.

“They will visit the crash site, collect factual information and will work with the investigation com-

Nicaragua, or send oil and worry about power cuts in Cuba, but it doesn’t care about blackouts here in Falcon,” he said. Of the six or so best-known pollsters in Venezuela, a majority put Chavez ahead, but they also show Capriles creeping up in recent weeks, and two put him just ahead.

Venezuelans are transfixed by the race, but also nervous of possible violence if the result is close and disputed. Foreign investors hope the more business-friendly Capriles will take over and end a nationalization drive and other radical policies that have polarized Venezuela like never before and made Chavez one of the world’s most controversial leaders. Chavez promises to “deepen” socialism if he wins. That will likely mean continued spending on his popular welfare “missions,” new confrontations with the private sector, and more support for his leftist allies in the region.

Opposition leaders are angry at Chavez’s use of state resources in his campaign, but say the electronic-based vote system should be hard to rig on election day, since they will have their own observers at most voting booths. — Reuters

mission. They will attend the first meeting of the probe committee scheduled for Sunday afternoon,” Acharya said.

The youngest British victim was Ben Ogden, a 27-year-old Oxford University graduate who recently qualified as a solicitor and was a rising star at a London law firm.

Other victims include Timothy Oakes, a 57-year-old secondary school adviser, and his friend Stephen Holding, a 60-year-old retired science teacher. Building contractor Vincent Kelly, 50, and his brother, property developer Darren, 45, were also killed along with Chris Davey, 52, an electronics engineer, and Ray Eagle, 60, a marathon runner.

The victims were too badly burned to be individually identified, hospital officials said, adding the foreigners’ bodies will be handed to relatives only when the results of tests on DNA samples sent abroad have been received.

The government said on Saturday an error by a “panic-stricken” pilot was a likely cause of the accident.

Officials are also investigating whether overloading and damage to the tail fin, possibly inflicted when the plane hit a bird, may have been a factor. “Although the probe committee will come up with the details, preliminary findings show that the aircraft was first bird-hit (and) that may have triggered the break-off of the tail fin,” Rameshwore Thapa, president of the Airline Operators of Nepal, told the Kathmandu Post. — AFP

3.4 magnitude quake rattles Dallas, Texas DALLAS: A minor earthquake measuring a 3.4 magnitude rattled a suburb west of Dallas overnight, but there were no immediate reports of any damages or injuries and a major international airport nearby continued operations without disruption, authorities said.

The quake struck at 11:05 pm CDT Saturday and was centered about 2 miles north of the Dallas suburb of Irving, the US Geological Survey’s national earthquake monitoring center in Golden, Colo., reported. USGS Geophysicist Randy Baldwin told The Associated Press by telephone from Colorado that the quake lasted several seconds and was strong enough to be felt near the epicenter and probably up to 15 or 20 miles away.

He said the quake’s online reporting system received no reports of any damages or injuries, but was flooded with some 1,200 online responses from people who felt it. “Of all the reports we’ve received there were no intensities of a damaging nature. We haven’t heard of any kind of damage and it’s probably too small for that,” he added.

Authorities in Irving said early yesterday they were still checking their area but had no immediate report on the quake or any impact.

The Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport continued operations normally during and after the quake, which barely rattled nerves at the airport located partially within the city limits of Irving, said airport public affairs officer David

Magana. He told AP said the airport, which bustles at peak hours to get some 1,800 flights in and out daily, was in a quiet period with very little air traffic late Saturday night.

But he said those still in the airport definitely felt the quake. “I wouldn’t call it panic. I would call it surprise,” Magana said.

He said members of the airport operations team immediately conducted a special inspection of the airfield, buildings and found nothing harmed by the quake. “We don’t have any damage to report. There were no impacts or (power) outages and no disruptions to flights,” Magana said. “I felt it at my house. It shook it a little bit but it wasn’t enough of a jolt to shake anything loose like you have in California. I’ve been in California and this was nothing like that.”

Some reports in Dallas said the rattling was felt for many blocks all around Irving and the surrounding area, beginning lightly and ending with a jolt. One person reported the quake was strong enough to knock open some file cabinets at a home near the epicenter.

Baldwin says smaller aftershocks are a possibility over the coming day or so, noting that the region has been rattled by a number of minor quakes since 2008.

He said the Saturday night quake was detected by a seismological station located about 65 miles from the epicenter - somewhat distant - and the preliminary magnitude of 3.4 could be revised up or down once further data is evaluated. — AP

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

First elected leader faces trial in Maldives COLOMBO: The first democratically elected president in the Maldives goes on trial today on abuse of power charges, seven months after being toppled in what he calls a “coup d’etat” in the tourist paradise.

Former leader Mohamed Nasheed’s honeymoon with multi-party democracy ended in February when he was forced out in a police mutiny after he detained the chief criminal court judge on corruption allegations.

Once an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, Nasheed, 45, now faces up to three years in jail or banishment to a remote islet in the archipelago where tourists pay up to $12,500 a day for Robinson Crusoestyle holidays.

The former leader insists he was ousted in a “coup” involving his former deputy, Mohamed Waheed, who has since become president. “The coup has not yet been completed,” Nasheed told AFP at the weekend after his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) staged a mass rally on the tiny capital island Male on Friday to denounce the charges against him.

Nasheed in January had criminal court judge Abdullah Mohamed arrested over corruption charges-a move that triggered weeks of opposition-led protests and his eventual downfall on February 7 after police mutinied.

Conviction as a result of his trial

could disqualify Nasheed from contesting the next presidential electionssomething he charged the new government is keen to to do. But he said: “People will not allow the regime to steal the next election.

A free and fair election is our overarching goal.” Pro-Western Nasheed, who won global attention as a campaigner against global warming, said he had “no chance of a fair trial, particularly in a case as political as this”.

The man who brought democratic reforms to the nation of 330,000 Sunni Muslims said he believed the nation’s judiciary was still loyal to his arch-foe Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Nasheed formed his MDP in exile but returned home to a hero’s welcome, sweeping 54 percent of the vote in the 2008 elections that ended Gayoom’s 30-year autocratic rule.

“You can bring down a dictator in a day, but it can take years to stamp out the remnants of his dictatorship,” Nasheed said, referring to Gayoom’s defeat in the nation’s first multi-party election.

Gayoom ruled the islands between 1978 and 2008 and repeatedly threw Nasheed in jail over a period of six years.

The new government denies Nasheed’s Monday trial is politically motivated, but accuses him of exceeding his powers when in office. It has vowed to maintain law and order on

the tiny capital island of 130,000 people. The government will not allow any opposition violence, a presidential spokesman said, and denied opposition accusations that the trial was politically motivated.

Apart from the criminal case, Nasheed also faces two defamation suits filed against him by Police Commissioner Abdullah Riyaz and by Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim.

The first defamation case was called yesterday but it was immediately put off indefinitely at the request of Riyaz, local media reports said. Nasheed’s MDP party official Shauna Aminath said they were yet to be told the damages claimed by the two petitioners.

Nasheed’s administration had decriminalised defamation in 2009 as part of democratic reforms.

Soon after Nasheed’s downfall, the government got an arrest warrant for him on charges of abuse of power, but it was never executed due to international pressure. He accuses the new administration of being influenced by Islamic extremists, a charge denied by President Waheed.

Nasheed became a darling of the global green lobby in the footsteps of his predecessor Gayoom, who was the first to raise fears of the Maldives being swamped by rising sea waters due to global warming.

In 2009, Nasheed turned environmental stuntman when he held the

MALE: In this file photograph taken on February 9, 2012, former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed gestures during a party meeting in Male. The first democratically elected president in the Maldives goes on trial today, on abuse of power charges, seven months after being toppled in what he calls a “coup d’etat” in the tourist paradise. — AFP world’s first underwater cabinet meeting to press nations to cap carbon emissions that cause global warming and threaten low-lying nations such as the Maldives. But his four-year tenure

was also marked by problems of unemployment, a lack of housing in the overcrowded capital, widespread drug abuse and a rise in Islamic fundamentalism-fuelled discontent. — AFP

Nairobi church blast kills one, 9 wounded Why are they attacking the church?

TBILISI: Women prepare yesterday a polling station in Tbilisi for today’s parliamentary elections. The vote comes as President Mikheil Saakashvili’s party faces a billionaire-led opposition in a test of the ex-Soviet state’s democracy overshadowed by a torture scandal. Outrage over revelations of the beating and rape of prison inmates, which sparked nationwide protests and international condemnation, damaged Saakashvili’s campaign and boosted the opposition coalition led by billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili. — AFP

Bomb explodes near north Nigeria Islamic school LAGOS: Gunmen detonated a bomb yesterday near an Islamic boarding school in northern Nigeria and later exchanged gunfire with security forces, causing unknown casualties in the region’s latest round of violence, officials said.

Yesterday’s attack hit Zaria, a city in the northern reaches of Kaduna state that is the nerve center of Shiite Muslims in a country where Muslims are predominantly Sunni. The blast struck the Gaskiya neighborhood in the city, causing some injuries, said Yushau Shuaib, a spokesman for Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency.

Following the blast, soldiers and police flooded the area and opened fire on gunmen they suspected of planting the bomb, killing two people, Shuaib said. Local authorities took the injured to a nearby hospital. Police and military officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

The explosion could have potentially killed more people, but the gunmen ordered the children out of the school before triggering the bomb, according to some witnesses who spoke to officials. The blast destroyed several homes nearby as well.

The Nigerian military had surrounded the blast site hours before as part of an operation to track down members of the radical Islamist sect known as Boko Haram,

a witness told The Associated Press.

Soldiers forced those living around the area to flee during the operation, the witness said. The witness spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of facing reprisals from the government for speaking to a foreign journalist.

It is not clear what led up to the bomb detonation as soldiers had been around the area for hours. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, though Boko Haram has carried out bombings and shootings throughout northern Nigeria. The sect, whose name means “Western education is sacrilege” in the Hausa language of Nigeria’s north, has been blamed for killing more than 680 people this year alone, according to an AP count. The group wants the federal government to release its imprisoned members and implement strict Shariah law across Nigeria, which is largely divided into a Christian south and a Muslim north.

Military officials recently claimed to have killed members of Boko Haram’s senior leadership, including the group’s spokesman who uses the nom de guerre Abul Qaqa. The sect, which typically speaks to journalists through telephone conference calls at times of its choosing, could not be immediately reached for comment yesterday. — AP

MANCHESTER: British opposition Labour Party leader Ed Milliband speaks on the first day of the annual Labour Party Conference in Manchester, yesterday.

The conference runs until October 4. — AFP

NAIROBI: A suspected grenade attack killed one child and wounded nine others in a Nairobi church yesterday, a day after Islamist fighters abandoned their last bastion in neighbouring Somalia in the face of an assault

by Kenyan and other troops.

The blast occurred during a service for young children at the Anglican St. Polycarp church, which lies in the Pangani district on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital. Bloodstained children’s jackets and shoes lay scattered on the floor, surrounded by remnants of metal walls that were broken and twisted by the force of the explosion.

“One child has died and three others have been seriously injured,” Nairobi police chief Moses Nyakwama told AFP. “We suspect it was a grenade.” A church official said nine children had been wounded.

“The children who attend this service are aged between six and 10... we usually divide them according to their ages,” said Livingstone Muiruri. “They had just started the morning session when the explosion occurred.”

“We were in the main church so we all ran there to assist the kids,” he said. “We have nine children admitted to hospital.” Janet Wanja was just entering the church when the blast shook the building. “I heard a loud explosion and then heard kids screaming,” she said. “I am traumatised by what I saw, kids with injuries and blood all over. “Why are they attacking the church?” Police were also investigating the possibility that the blast was a result of a bomb that had been placed in the building earlier, Wilfred Mbithi, another senior police official, told AFP. The church lies next to the Eastleigh quarter, nicknamed “little Mogadishu” because most residents are either Somali refugees or Kenyans of Somali origin. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest in a string of grenade attacks, shootings and bomb blasts that have rocked Kenya since it sent troops into southern Somalia in October 2011 to crush bases of Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab fighters, who have vowed revenge.

The Kenyan intervention came in retalitation for suspected Shebab attacks on its soil.

Yesterday’s blast came a day after the Shebab retreated from their last stronghold in Somalia, leaving the southern port city of Kismayo that has been a vital economic lifeline for the Islamists.

The fall of the port was the latest in a string of major losses of territory for the militia, which has vowed revenge and has switched to guerilla tactics in areas where it has been driven from fixed positions. Observers say the loss of Kismayo would leave the Shebab, who once controlled 80 percent of the country,

unable to retain large swathes of territory.

Shebab spokesman Rage warned on Saturday that the militia would remain a threat.

“We are still in the outskirts of Kismayo and it will remain a battle zone... The enemy will not sleep peacefully.”

The deadliest church attack in Kenya was on July 1 when suspected Shebab militants hurled grenades and opened fire at worshippers in two separate attacks on churches in the northeastern town of Garissa, killing 18 people. — AFP

NAIROBI: Police secure the area near the scene of an explosion. Kenyan police say they have arrested three suspects following the explosion at a church in Nairobi, Kenya, yesterday. The acting police chief in Kenya’s capital says an explosive device set off in a Sunday school class killed one child and seriously wounded nine. — AP

Kidnapped British, Aussie tourists rescued in Ecuador QUITO: Ecuadoran authorities say they have rescued two women tourists, one from Britain and another from Australia, who were kidnapped a day earlier near the Colombian border. Police and armed forces staff “located and rescued the two girls, Australian and English, kidnapped in Cuyabeno,” Interior Minister Jose Serrano said Saturday on Twitter.

The Australian Embassy in the Chilean capital Santiago, which is responsible for Ecuador, confirmed the rescue. The mission “has confirmed that an Australian woman and a British woman who were kidnapped in Ecuador have been released and are currently in the care of Ecuadorian authorities,” a foreign office spokeswoman told AFP. Kidnappings are common among Colombian gangs. The women, who were not immediately identified, were abducted

while visiting the Cuyabeno nature reserve in the Tarapoa region, in Sucumbios province, officials said. They were traveling in a canoe as part of a group of seven tourists-five foreigners and two Ecuadorans-and two local Ecuadorans working as guides.

Australia’s foreign ministry said its embassy in Chile was “working urgently with Canadian and British authorities in Ecuador to obtain more information,” and officials were also in contact with the women’s family.

“Our travel advice for Ecuador recommends that Australians do not travel to the border area of Sucumbios in northeastern Ecuador bordering Colombia and Peru as there is a very high threat of violent criminal activity in this area,” a foreign ministry spokeswoman told AFP. Australia’s Foreign Minister Bob Carr said the government’s travel

warnings “make the point this is not safe territory-it is underpopulated, it is remote.”

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was working with the Ecuadoran authorities over the incident. Its latest travel advisory to Ecuador warned against traveling near the Colombian border, especially in Sucumbios province where the pair were abducted. “Avoid all travel to the border areas in the northern province of Sucumbios,” says the advisory. “Colombian guerrilla groups and criminal gangs are known to have influence in all areas bordering Colombia.

Foreigners, including oil workers, are potential targets in these areas and the crime rate is high.”

A British oil worker and his driver were kidnapped and killed in July 2002, according to the Foreign O ffice, which urged

British nationals to avoid crossing the border from or to Colombia in Sucumbios.Ecuador’s environment ministry had reported the assault Friday, but said nothing of a kidnapping. It quoted local people as saying that three members of a Colombian gang of ex-paramilitary fighters known as the Black Eagles were behind the abduction.

The governments of Colombia and Ecuador coordinated their effor ts in bringing about the tourists’ rescue, the Ecuadoran interior ministry acknowledged.

Ecuador broke off diplomatic relations with Colombia following a March 2008 Colombian military attack against a Colombian leftist guerrilla camp on Ecuadoran territor y near the Colombian border. Relations were restored later that year following mediation by former US President Jimmy Carter. —AFP

12

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

international

Pakistan: Attack on Hindus prompts blasphemy case KARACHI: A group of Muslims suspected of ransacking a Hindu temple in southern Pakistan may be charged with blasphemy, police said yesterday. The case is a rare twist on the use of the country’s harsh blasphemy laws, which are more often invoked against supposed offenses to Islam as opposed to minority faiths.

The laws, sections of which carry the death penalty or life imprisonment, have drawn renewed international scrutiny this year after a young Christian girl in Islamabad was alleged to have desecrated the Muslim holy book, the Quran. A Muslim cleric now stands accused of fabricating evidence against the girl,

who has been freed on bail and whose mental capacity has been questioned.

Police officer Mohammad Hanif said the anti-Hindu attack took place Sept.

21. The government had declared that day a national holiday - a “Day of Love for the Prophet” - and called on people to demonstrate peacefully against a USmade anti-Islam film that has sparked protests throughout the Muslim world.

Those rallies took a violent turn in Pakistan, and more than 20 people were killed.

Hanif said dozens of Muslims led by a cleric converged on the outskirts of Karachi in a Hindu neighborhood commonly known as Hindu Goth. The pro-

testers attacked the Sri Krishna Ram temple, broke religious statues, tore up a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu scripture, and beat up the temple’s caretaker, Sindha Maharaj.

“The attackers broke the statues of (Hindu deities) Radha, Hanuman, Parwati and Krishna, and took away the decorative gold ornaments,” Maharaj said. “They also stormed my home and snatched the gold jewelry of my family, my daughters.”

Maharaj and other Hindu leaders turned to the police, who registered a case against the cleric and eight other Muslims. But none of the suspects had been found as of yesterday, Hanif said.

The police officer said the case against the attackers was registered under Section 295-A of the blasphemy laws, which covers the “outraging of religious feelings.” That section of the law can carry a fine or up to 10 years imprisonment, but, if the case were to proceed, it’s unclear exactly what punishment would be imposed.

Court decisions in the past have often confused what penalties should be applied in blasphemy cases in Pakistan.

And although many blasphemous acts are said to require the death penalty, Pakistan is not known to have executed anyone under the law. Still, many of the accused have been killed by extremists

outside the courts. Human rights activists say the blasphemy laws are too broad and vague, and that they often are used by people seeking to settle scores with rivals, or as a means of targeting Christians, Hindus and other members of minority religions. Pakistan has some 180 million people and is 95 percent Muslim.

Islamic conservatism, as well as extremism, is on the rise here, and even speaking out against the blasphemy laws can put people in danger. Two prominent politicians, including the sole Christian member of the federal Cabinet, were assassinated in 2011 for urging reform of the law. —AP

Afghan insider attack kills NATO soldier, contractor Assaults pose serious threat to NATO war effort KABUL: A NATO soldier and a civilian contractor have been killed in a suspected insider attack in eastern Afghanistan, the latest in a series described by a top US general as “the signature attack” of the Afghan war.

The assault on Saturday night also resulted in Afghan army casualties, NATO’s International

nor’s spokesman Shahidullah Shahid told AFP. A joint assessment of the incident by ISAF and the Afghanistan National Army is under way.

The scale of the so-called green-on-blue assaults is unprecedented in modern warfare, and has seriously undermined trust between NATO coalition forces and their Afghan allies in

KABUL: In this Sept 11, 2008 file photograph, US soldiers attend a ceremony marking the 7th anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks, at the US Camp Phoenix in Kabul, Afghanistan. US military deaths in Afghanistan have surpassed 2,000, a grim reminder that a war which began nearly 11 years ago shows no signs of slowing down despite an American decision to begin the withdrawal of most of its combat forces. —AP Security Assistance Force said yesterday, without providing further details. But police spokesman Abdul Wali told AFP that two Americans had been killed and three were wounded, while three Afghan army soldiers died and two others were hurt.

The deaths followed “a verbal dispute” during a joint operation in Sayedabad district of Wardak province west of Kabul, the provincial gover-

the joint effort against Taleban insurgents.

“I’m mad as hell about them, to be honest with you,” top NATO commander General John Allen told CBS’s “60 Minutes” programme recorded before the latest incident and scheduled to be aired today.

“We’re willing to sacrifice a lot for this campaign, but we’re not willing to be murdered for it,” the commander said, according to excerpts of

Myanmar leader would accept Suu Kyi as president YANGON: Myanmar leader Thein Sein has said in an inter view he would accept democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi as president if elected, but added he could not alone amend rules that bar her from power.

Former general Thein Sein has paid rare tributes to Myanmar’s Nobel laureate during a landmark tour of the United States where he has burnished his reformist credentials by insisting his country will continue its strides towards democracy after decades of army rule.

The Myanmar leader, whose meeting with Suu Kyi in New York marked the latest sign of warm relations between the nation’s leader and its most famous former political prisoner, told the BBC there were “no problems” between them.

“If the people accept her, I will have to accept her. As I said before, we are now working together,” he said, according to translated excerpts of an interview with the British broadcaster aired Saturday.

But he insisted he could not act alone to remove the barriers impeding the democracy champion’s route to the presidenc y, as the countr y heads towards crucial 2015 elections.

Myanmar’s constitution currently prohibits those with close foreign relatives from holding high office and Suu Kyi, who married a British academic, has two sons living in the West.

“I alone cannot change the constitution. This depends on the wish of the people and also the wishes of the members of parliament,” he said.

Thein Sein also underscored the continuing impor tance of the militar y.

Soldiers have a quarter of the seats in Myanmar’s parliament and effectively have a veto on constitutional amendment, which requires a more than 75 percent majority.

“The constitution clearly defines the responsibility of the military and every sector of the parliament. We cannot exclude the army from politics,” he said.

Thein Sein has won international plaudits-and the suspension or lifting of most Western sanctions-for the fast pace of change in Myanmar since he took the helm of a quasi-civilian regime last year.

Hundreds of political prisoners have been freed and Suu Kyi-who was kept under house arrest for a total of 15 years-has now entered parliament after her National League for Democracy (NLD) party swept key by-elections in April.

A spokesman for Suu Kyi’s party said the organisation “greatly welcome what he said” and stressed that the NLD also wants the president to have legitimacy under the constitution.

“If it’s the president’s real attitude, we have to amend some aspects of the constitution,” Ohn Kyaing told AFP. “We think he will accept if we want to make amendments.” He added that former defence minister Lieutenant General Hla Min had indicated recently that the military was willing to change when it felt the time was right.

Thein Sein, who was a senior figure in the previous junta, has met Suu Kyi on several occasions amid efforts to steer the long-isolated countr y towards democracy and economic prosperity.

In his address to the United Nations this week, the Myanmar leader went further than ever in his praise of the veteran activist, whose struggle for change in her impoverished homeland has earned her deep affection both at home and abroad. “As a Myanmar citizen I would like to congratulate her for the honours she has received in this countr y in recognition of her efforts for democracy,” he said. —AFP

the interview released by the network. Allen said that just as homemade bombs had become the signature weapon of the Iraq war, he believed that in Afghanistan, “the signature attack that we’re beginning to see is going to be the insider attack”.

The latest death takes the total number of ISAF troops killed in 36 insider attacks this year to 52, accounting for about 15 percent of all coalition casualties in the war.

NATO attributes about 25 percent of the attacks to infiltration by Taliban insurgents into Afghan security forces while the rest are believed to result from cultural differences and personal animosities between the allies.

Efforts to combat the phenomenon include orders that NATO soldiers working with Afghan forces should be armed and ready to fire at any time, even within their tightly protected bases, and the issuing of cultural guidelines.

The guidelines, drawn up by the Afghan defence ministry, urge their soldiers not to take offence if NATO colleagues exit the shower naked, swear or ask to see pictures of their wives. This is normal behaviour and no reason to open fire, the hastily written 28-page brochure says.

The assaults pose a serious threat to the NATO war effort, which has portrayed the advising and training of Afghan forces as the key to the scheduled pullout of Western troops.

Earlier this month, ISAF announced a scaling back of joint operations with its Afghan partners following a dramatic rise in such attacks, in which Afghan soldiers turn their weapons on their Western allies.

But US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said on Thursday that troops had resumed most joint operations with Afghan forces. Panetta vowed that the insider threat would not derail plans to transfer security to Afghan forces by the end of 2014, paving the way for the withdrawal of most NATO combat forces.

“We must and we will take whatever steps are necessary to protect our forces. But I also want to underscore that we remain fully committed to our strategy of transitioning to Afghan security control,” he said. —AFP

Western embassies secured after alert: Philippines MANILA: The Philippines said yesterday it had moved to secure Western embassies in the country as it monitors potential threats to their citizens following a security alert raised last week. On Friday, the US embassy warned that an unspecified threat against Americans in the capital Manlia had been detected by “reliable security forces”.

Britain, Canada and Australia on Saturday joined the US in issuing a security alert, warning Westerners to be on guard amid fears they could get caught up in an attempted attack against Americans.

Philippines deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte said the US embassy had asked Manila for additional security. “As a matter of precautionary measures, we responded to their request to augment security,” Valte said on government radio, adding that it had also “responded quickly” to improve security for the other missions.

While the US embassy did not elaborate on the threat, Philippine and Western intelligence officials have previously warned that Al Qaeda-linked militants were known to maintain sleeper cells in Manila.

In November 2010, the US government warned of an imminent attack, particularly in areas frequented by foreigners in the capital.

This prompted similar travel advisories from Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and France, but the attack never materialised and the government criticised them for hurting the country’s tourism prospects.

Of particular concern to foreign governments is the Abu Sayyaf, a small band of militants founded in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden.

The group is blamed for the country’s worst terrorist attacks, including a ferry bombing on Manila Bay that killed over 100 in 2004.

It is also behind a rash of high profile kidnappings targeting Western tourists, missionaries and local businesspeople.

However, the Philippine military with help from US intelligence has captured or killed many of the Abu Sayyaf’s top leaders in the past decade.

Lieutenant General Juancho Sabban, a senior Marine official once tasked with going after the Abu Sayyaf, said Sunday the group’s links to foreign terrorists had been cut, though they remained a threat.

“We have always said their capabilities have been downgraded, but it’s difficult for us to say that there is zero threat,” Sabban said. “We are exerting a lot of effort in monitoring these potential threats.” —AFP

DHAKA: A Bangladeshi youth peers at the burnt Buddhist temple of Shima Bihar at Ramu, some 350 kilometres (216 miles) southeast of the capital Dhaka yesterday. Thousands of rioters torched Buddhist temples and homes in southeastern Bangladesh yesterday over a photo posted on Facebook deemed offensive to Islam, in a rare attack against the community. —AFP

Rioters torch Buddhist temples in Bangladesh DHAKA: Thousands of rioters torched Buddhist temples and homes in southeastern Bangladesh yesterday over a photo posted on Facebook deemed offensive to Islam, in a rare attack against the community Officials said the mob comprising some 25,000 people set fire to at least five Buddhist temples and dozens of homes in Ramu town and its adjoining villages, some 350 kilometres (216 miles) from the capital Dhaka.

The rioters claimed the photo allegedly defaming the Quran was uploaded on Facebook by a Buddhist man from the area, district administrator Joinul Bari said. “They became unruly and attacked Buddhist houses, torching and damaging their temples from midnight to yesterday morning,” he told AFP. “At least 100 houses were damaged.

We called in army and border guards to quell the violence,” he said, adding that authorities had temporarily banned public gatherings in the area to prevent further clashes.

It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties, and authorities did not say if any of the rioters were arrested. The country’s home minister, industries minister and national police chief rushed to the scene yesterday morning.

Police officer Rumia Khatun said about “25,000 Muslims chanting God is Great” first attacked a Buddhist hamlet in Ramu, torching centuries-old temples,

and later stormed Buddhist villages outside the town. Witnesses said the rioters left a trail of devastation at the Buddhist villages.

“I have seen 11 wooden temples, two of them 300 years old, torched by the mob. They looted precious items and Buddha statues from the temples. Shops owned by Buddhists were also looted,” said Sunil Barua, a local journalist on the scene.

Barua, himself a Buddhist, said 15 Buddhist villages were attacked and more than 100 houses were looted and damaged. “The villages look like as if they were hit by a major cyclone,” he told AFP by phone.

Buddhists, who make up less than one percent of Bangladesh’s 153 million population, are based mainly in southeastern districts, close to the border with Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

Sectarian tensions have been running high since June when deadly clashes erupted between Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state. Although Bangladesh, where nearly 90 percent people are Muslims, has witnessed deadly clashes between Muslims and Hindus in the past, sectarian clashes involving Buddhists are rare.

In recent weeks tens of thousands of Muslims have hit the street across the country to protest a US-made anti-Islam mocking the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) —AFP

JAKARTA: Members of Indonesian Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) hold placards as they attend a protest against the US-made low-budget anti-Islam film “Innocence of Muslims” outside the US embassy in Jakarta yesterday. Thousands of Indonesians yesterday chanted anti-American slogans outside the US embassy in Jakarta, in the latest protest against a film that sparked demonstrations in at least 20 countries. —AFP

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

NEWS Azeris eyeing aiding Israel against Iran Continued from Page 1 that if it is going to bomb Iran, its nuclear sites, it lacks refuelling,” Musabayov told Reuters. “I think their plan includes some use of Azerbaijan access. We have (bases) fully equipped with modern navigation, anti-aircraft defences and personnel trained by Americans and if necessary they can be used without any preparations,” he added. The Azeri president’s team insist that that will not happen. “No third country can use Azerbaijan to perpetrate an attack on Iran. All this talk is just speculation,” said Reshad Karimov from Aliyev’s staff. He was echoing similar denials issued in Baku and from Israel when the journal Foreign Policy quoted US officials in March voicing alarm that Azeri-Israeli action could thwart US diplomacy toward Iran and across the Caucasus.

Israeli officials dismiss talk of Azeri collaboration in any attack on Iran but decline public comment on specific details. Even speaking privately, few Israeli officials will discuss the issue. Those who do are sceptical, saying overt use of Azeri bases by Israel would provoke too many hostile reactions. One political source did, however, say flying unmarked tanker aircraft out of Azerbaijan to extend the range and payloads of an Israeli bombing force might play a part in Israeli planning. Though denying direct knowledge of current military thinking on Iran, the Israeli said one possibility might be “landing a refuelling plane there, made to look like a civilian airliner, so it could later take off to rendezvous mid-air with IAF jets”.

As part of last year’s arms deal, Azerbaijan is building up to 60 Israeli-designed drones, giving it reconnaissance means far greater than many analysts believe would be needed just to guard oil installations or even to mount

any operations against the breakaway, ethnic Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. “With these drones, (Israel) can indirectly watch what’s happening in Iran, while we protect our borders,” legislator Musabayov said - a view shared by Azeri former military sources.

Less reserved than Israeli officials, the sources in Azerbaijan and in Russian intelligence, which keeps a close eye on its former Soviet backyard, said Baku could offer Israel much more, however - though none believed any deal was yet settled. The country, home to nine million people whose language is close to Turkish and who mostly share the Shiite faith of Iran, has four ex-Soviet air bases that could be suitable for Israeli jets, the Azeri sources said. They named central Kyurdamir, Gyanja in the west and Nasosny and Gala in the east.

The Pentagon says it helped upgrade Nasosny airfield for NATO use. It also uses Azeri commercial facilities in transit to Afghanistan. But US military aid to Azerbaijan is limited by Washington’s role as a mediator in its dispute with Armenia. One of the sources with links to the Azeri military said: “There is not a single official base of the United States and even less so of Israel on the territory of Azerbaijan. But that is ‘officially’. Unofficially they exist, and they may be used.”

Azeri tarmac, a shorter flight from key sites in northern Iran including the Fordow underground uranium enrichment plant and missile batteries at Tabriz, might feature in Israeli war planning in less direct ways, the former Azeri officers said. With Israel wary of its vulnerability to pressure over air crew taken prisoner, plans for extracting downed pilots may be a key feature of any attack plan.

Search and rescue helicopters might operate from Azerbaijan, the sources said - or planes that were hit or

Govt to recommend... low on fuel could land at Azeri bases in extremis.

Such engagement carries risks for Azerbaijan and its oil platforms and pipelines operated with international companies. Defending against Iran is part of public debate in Baku. The United States has provided Azerbaijan with three Coast Guard cutters and has funded seven coastal radar sites as well as giving Baku other help in protecting its oil installations. Relations have long been strained between the former Soviet state and Iran, which is home to twice as many ethnic Azeris as Azerbaijan itself. Tehran beams an Azeri-language television channel over the border which portrays Aliyev as a puppet of Israel and the West, as well as highlighting corruption in Baku.

Azerbaijan sees Iranian hands behind its Islamist opposition and both countries have arrested alleged spies and agitators. Faced with an uneven balance of force, Aliyev’s government makes no bones about Israel being an ally. As one presidential aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, explained: “We live in a dangerous neighbourhood; that is what is the most powerful driving force for our relationship with Israel.”

However, Israel’s confrontation with Iran may turn out, the arms build-up in Azerbaijan, including recent Israeli upgrades for its Soviet T-72 tanks, may have consequences for the wider region and for the stand-off with Armenia - consequences that would trouble all the powers with stakes in the Caspian region. “We keep buying arms. On the one hand, it’s a good strategy to frighten Armenia,” one of the former Azeri officers said of the shaky, 18-year-old ceasefire over Nagorno-Karabakh. “But you don’t collect weapons to hang on the wall and gather dust. “One day, all these could be used.” — Reuters

Continued from Page 1 He also charged the prime minister of preventing the revived 2009 Assembly from meeting by not fully participating in the two failed meeting in July and August which means that the premier has effectively blocked the implementation of a court ruling. The grilling charged that the prime minister has deviated from serving public interests when his government referred the electoral constituency law to the constitutional court to challenge Articles 1 and 2 as being unconstitutional. It claimed that by doing so, the prime minister was not serving public interests but bowing to symbols and forces of corruption and influential people as part of a government ploy to plunge the country in a crisis and a dark tunnel.

But former opposition MP Mohammad Al-Kandari blasted the grilling as an attempt to take the country into a new crisis and mix political cards with the aim to expand the life of the 2009 Assembly, about 13 of whose members are accused of receiving bribes. Former MP Mohammad Al-Dallal said the aim of the move is to pressurize the government to amend the constituency law with an emergency Amiri decree to reduce the number of votes a voter can cast from four to two or even one. Opposition MPs have warned the government against any changes in the constituency law or delaying dissolving the 2009 Assembly. Several opposition groups have decided to stage a rally tonight to press the point that the government must quickly dissolve the Assembly and call for fresh polls.

The prime minister cut his foreign trip short and returned to Kuwait late Saturday in order to chair the crucial Cabinet meeting today which is expected to discuss the political situation following the constitutional court’s rejection of the government petition against the constituency law.

The Cabinet is likely to approve an Amiri decree to dissolve the 2009 Assembly today or before the weekend and another decree inviting voters to elect a new Assembly, possibly in the first half of December.

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14

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

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Mexico giving Brazil, China run for their money

By Laurent Thomet ere’s a bold prediction for 2022, the year of another World Cup: Mexico will beat Brazil.

While football-mad Mexicans dream of defeating their regional rivals for the ultimate trophy, some analysts say 2022 may actually be the year when Mexico dribbles past Brazil to become Latin America’s biggest economy. And Brazil is not the only global powerhouse that Mexico is challenging. China’s rising wages are making Mexico an increasingly attractive location for manufacturers, who are flocking here despite a relentless drug war.

The country’s rising fortune has inspired a series of optimistic notes by analysts from some of the world’s biggest financial firms. “We forecast that Mexico may overtake Brazil as the No.1 economy in Latin America as early as 2022, on the back of strong growth in human capital and total factor productivity,” Nomura Group analysts wrote last month. “Embarking on a trajectory of high growth will mark the birth of the first, not tiger, but ‘jaguar’ country in Latam.”

Mexico posted growth of 3.9 percent in 2011 and the central bank is forecasting growth of as much as 4.25 percent this year. Brazil’s growth slowed to 2.7 percent last year, while a mere 1.6 percent is forecast for this year. Brazil’s slowdown came after it enjoyed a “golden decade” fueled by China’s appetite for commodities following the Asian giant’s entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001, Nomura stated in a previous note in May. Mexico, meanwhile, is at “the dawn of a new era” as more and more manufacturers set up shop here due to China’s growing labor costs, the Asia-based financial firm added. The Boston Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm, says it could already be cheaper to produce in Mexico than in China. “We believe that this year ... the costs of producing in Mexico are the same or lower than the costs of producing in China,” Hal Sirkin, a senior partner at the Boston Consulting Group, told AFP. Average manufacturing wages, when adjusted to productivity, were $3.06 an hour in Mexico in 2010 compared to $2.72 in China, he said. By 2015, They will rise to $5.30 in China and just $3.55 in Mexico.

Sharing a border with the United States, the world’s biggest importer, has helped too. But reliance on the United States has its risks. “The substantive role that external conditions have played in Mexico’s economic recovery makes their eventual weakening a fundamental risk,” said Mexican central bank deputy governor Manuel Sanchez. “In particular, if US industrial production slows, Mexican manufacturing exports may decelerate notably,” he said in New York on Friday, according to a copy of his speech.

Barclay’s bank analyst Marco Oviedo wrote on Sept 6 that, after lagging Chinese manufacturing exports for a decade, Mexico took the lead after 2008-2009.

“We believe this change is likely to be structural and persistent,” Oviedo wrote. Mexico became the world’s fourth biggest car exporter this year, jumping from fifth place, and other industries are increasingly moving production here, from aerospace to electronics and telecommunications.

This year alone, Nissan, Ford, and BMW announced plans to open new factories or increase production in Mexico. Audi became this month the latest automaker to decide to set up shop in Mexico. The plant in San Jose Chiapa, central Mexico, will create 3,000 to 4,000 jobs and produce 150,000 cars a year when it opens in 2016. “This will allow us to ship our cars duty free to the USA, Latin America and Europe,” Uwe Hans Werner, an Audi spokesman, told AFP. “This decision will lower our costs and increase our profit margins and will give us a definite competitive advantage with customers.”

Manufacturers keep coming even though Mexico has endured a wave of drug-related violence that has killed some 60,000 people in the last six years. “Some are saying ‘we will take the risk’ and others say ‘we don’t want to take the risk if violence goes out of control,’” Sirkin said. “This is one of the issues companies think about.” The violence has weighed on Mexico’s economic output. The national statistics institute said Thursday that crime cost the economy 211.9 billion pesos ($16.5 billion) in 2011, or 1.38 percent of gross domestic product. — AFP

H

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Jonglei revolt gives S Sudan security headache

By Hereward Holland heavy-handed government disarmament campaign to halt tribal clashes in South Sudan’s swampy eastern grasslands has triggered a small armed revolt against the rulers of the world’s newest state, threatening planned oil exploration in the area.

The budding insurgency in Jonglei state led by Murle militia chief David Yau Yau, a former theology student, may not number more than a few dozen fighters. But there are fears it could escalate by feeding on local grievances against South Sudan’s army.

The leaders of former civil war foes Sudan and South Sudan struck a border security deal this week that should be enough to restart suspended oil exports from the South, which became independent from Sudan last year. But with both sides still deeply mistrustful after decades of enmity, serious doubts remain over whether the uneasy neighbours can share their oil wealth in peace. Anti-government unrest in Jonglei stems from a muscular disarmament campaign by the South Sudanese military, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), to prevent a repeat of clashes in January between the Murle and Lou Nuer tribes which killed several hundred people.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said in August it received credible reports that elements of the SPLA had engaged in killings, rape, beatings and torture during the disarmament campaign, dubbed “Operation Restore Peace”. The United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) also reported similar abuses, saying most of the victims were women and in some cases children. “This is a recipe for recruitment. The disarmament has created an environment ripe for creating a nonstate armed group. It’s utterly predictable,” said

A

one aid worker in the country who asked not to be named.

South Sudan’s army played down the reports of abuses, but said they had already dismissed 30 soldiers. Authorities in Juba last week accused Sudan of airdropping weapons and ammunition to Yau Yau’s rebels in Jonglei state, which is the site of a vast unexplored oil concession that the government recently split into three. “There are hawks within the (ruling party) in Khartoum. There are those who are bent on thinking that they can only resolve the issues with the South through war and bringing a lot of instability in this country, supporting various militia groups,” said South Sudan’s government spokesman, Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin. “Their intention is to scare off investment, that is basically it,” he added.

Sudan’s government and military routinely deny Juba’s accusations that they are backing insurgencies. At its independence in July last year, South Sudan inherited the bulk of the oil output produced by previously united Sudan.

Juba shut down its 350,000 barrels per day at the start of the year, alleging Khartoum was ‘stealing’ its oil by diverting it from pipelines through Sudan. The deal struck by Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and his southern counterpart, Salva Kiir, in Addis Ababa is expected to restart oil exports.

Key to South Sudan’s future oil development plans, which include a proposed alternative pipeline that would take southern crude through Kenya or Ethiopia rather than Sudan, is a massive oil concession that covers much of Jonglei state. This month the government in Juba decided to break up the huge Block B largely held by Total into three blocks, giving one to the French company and the others to two more foreign firms. Total had stopped

operations in the block in 1985 after the resumption of Sudan’s long civil war, which finally ended with a 2005 peace deal paving the way for the South’s secession.

Fresh conflict in Jonglei state, where thousands of Murle and Lou Nuer have been killed in bouts of ethnic feuding stretching back decades - although these days automatic rifles have replaced spears and knives - would unnerve prospective investors and embarrass the government. In August, Yau Yau’s fighters killed at least 24 SPLA soldiers in an ambush.

Another 74 South Sudanese troops are still missing and may be dead, the army says.

Local leaders blame abuses committed by SPLA soldiers during the disarmament campaign for pushing local recruits into the insurgency, especially members of Yau Yau’s Murle tribe who feel they have been unfairly targeted. “If the (army) did not beat civilians, Yau Yau would not have come back because he knew he would not get support,” Ismail Konyi, a member of parliament and a senior Murle leader, said. “Now I think Yau Yau will recruit these youths easily.” The Murle tribe see themselves as victims of long-standing persecution and marginalisation by the government in Juba. In an email statement, another rebel group, the South Sudan Liberation Army (SSLA), which attacked several towns and planted land mines in Unity state in November last year, says it is on the brink of forming an alliance between anti-government forces, including Yau Yau’s fighters. “All the rebel groups have formed an alliance which would be announced in a month. Major General David Yau Yau is a commander of revolutionary forces in Jonglei. We are all one,” read the email sent from an account bearing the SSLA name.

The SSLA, which South Sudan also accuses

Khartoum of backing, says that Murle militia chief Yau Yau has even courted the rival Lou Nuer militia as a potential ally in his revolt against the government in Juba. The Lou Nuer’s “White Army” led by purported prophet Dak Kueth was responsible for the massacre of 600 Murle in December and January and was also targeted in the army disarmament drive.

Government spokesman Benjamin, himself a Lou Nuer member of parliament, rejected the assertion that the White Army could join Yau Yau. Yau Yau, thought to have limited military experience, first rebelled in May 2010 after standing as an independent candidate in the state’s parliamentary election for the Gumuruk-Boma constituency. He lost to the SPLM candidate by a big margin.

During his first revolt, he gained support amongst the youth because he was seen as a champion of Murle interests. But he also lost backing when he accepted a South Sudan government amnesty in June 2011, allegedly in exchange for a house, cars and cash, according to Murle involved in the negotiations. He defected to Khartoum in April while supposedly being treated in a Kenyan hospital, and later went back to Jonglei with 19 men, arriving in July, Murle leader Konyi said.

According to a radio station called Radio Yau Yau, which the Juba government believes is broadcasting from Khartoum, his rebels are fighting in reaction to abuses committed during the disarmament programme, especially the rape of Murle women. Konyi presents himself and other Murle elders as key mediators to defuse the tense situation.

They have asked the South Sudanese army to end disarmament, prosecute those responsible for the abuses, change the SPLA commanders in Pibor and help civilians return home.— Reuters

China targets dissent in attack on Bo

By Tom Hancock hina’s apparent decision to throw the book at disgraced politician Bo Xilai is aimed at killing support for a leader at the core of a scandal that tarnished the Communist Party and threatened its cherished unity, analysts said. China said Friday that the former rising political star would “face justice” for a litany of crimes including abuse of power, bribery and “improper sexual relationships” - an unprecedented rebuke for a top Communist official.

Allegations of graft and other lurid details in a scandal that has already seen Bo’s wife convicted of murder have caused divisions within the secretive party ahead of a sensitive leadership transition, observers said.

Residual support for the charismatic Bo has worried a Chinese leadership that insists on total allegiance to the course set by the party, and the attack on Bo is meant to exterminate it, they said. “Bo Xilai could have become a populist hero, which would have been bad for current leaders... it’s enough to name his crimes to shatter the illusion of Bo as a heroic figure,” said Zhang Ming, a political scientist at Renmin University in Beijing. Bo, a former commerce minister and party boss of the megacity of Chongqing, was known for his suave and open demeanour, unusual in a country where leaders are typically rigid bureaucrats, and for his open lobbying for promotion to the top national leadership.

But this irritated many in the Communist Party and violated a code against naked ambition and other ill-discipline - a lesson learned from the divisive and disastrous political campaigns of Communist founder Mao Zedong. Bo’s populist style of leadership included a nostalgic revival of Mao-era “red culture” that, along with a high-profile crackdown on

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organised crime in Chongqing, had wide popular appeal. “I think that (Chinese president and party chief ) Hu Jintao has scored some kind of victory because Hu and (Premier Wen Jiabao) wanted stiff punishment against Bo as opposed to some party elders and Maoist elements,” said China politics analyst Willy Lam. The scandal, which first emerged earlier this year, came at a highly sensitive time as the party prepares for a once-a-decade transition to a new set of top leaders that will be unveiled in a congress opening on Nov 8. Despite intense internal jockeying for top positions, an outward image of uni-

ty is considered sacrosanct. But Zhang noted that some protesters in recent antiJapan demonstrations over a disputed island chain carried banners that voiced support for Bo, which he said “alarmed many people in the party”.

China’s leaders were believed to be fiercely debating what to do with Bo, a risky business since airing details of impropriety would highlight official graft - a source of public anger amid regular reports of corrupt and high-handed officials. The fierce internal bargaining amongst China’s ruling elite likely has influenced the leadership selection, although it is impossible to know

In a file photo taken on March 9, 2012, Bo Xilai, Communist Party secretary of Chongqing leaves after the third plenary session of the National People’s Congress’s (NPC) annual session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.— AFP

for sure given the party’s renowned secrecy, observers say.

Bo’s supporters are thought to be identified with conservative forces backing greater state involvement in the economy.

They apparently “have agreed to let him be thrown to the wolves in exchange for whatever deal they have got in the leadership change”, said Steve Tsang, professor of contemporary Chinese studies at the University of Nottingham. Patrick Chovanec, from Tsinghua University in Beijing, said that destroying an official’s career by airing corruption allegations “was always a strategy to completely vilify whoever is getting purged, and therefore the message was really about cleansing itself of a bad apple”. “They are going after him with both barrels,” he added.

Analysts say a lengthy prison sentence possibly life - is likely. It is not known when Bo might be officially charged or tried. The scandal, which saw Bo’s wife Gu Kailai hit with a suspended death sentence in August for murdering a British businessman over a soured deal, has provided a glimpse into the wealthy lifestyles of China’s power elite. A day after state media painted Bo as an unscrupulously corrupt villain, Premier Wen called for Chinese to “rally more closely around” the party leadership, although his statement did not mention the Bo affair.

But casting Bo as bad egg will be a tough sell amongst ordinary Chinese who increasingly view the party as being rife with corruption. “Ordinary people will never know the truth of these allegations, but I reckon there are many others in the same position as Bo who behave in the same way,” wrote a user on leading portal Sina.com’s popular microblogging service.

“All government officials have corruption problems,” wrote another. — AFP

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

sp orts Mourinho: Terry is not a racist

2018 World Cup budget

Hamilton’s move to Mercedes

LONDON: Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has jumped to the defence of the club’s captain John Terry, saying he is not a racist.

Terry was given a four-game ban by the English FA on Thursday after being found guilty of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand in a Premier League match last season. Former England skipper Terry, who retired from international football last Sunday, is yet to decide whether to appeal. “Chelsea had a squad in which we had 12 African players,” Real Madrid manager Mourinho, who led Chelsea to two Premier League titles, said in an interview with CNN shown on Saturday. “It was a fantastic squad and he had always a great relation with every one of them. Please don’t say he is a racist, because I know what I am saying. “(Former Chelsea players) Didier Drogba will say, Geremi will say, Claude Makelele will say, all of them will say he is not a racist.” Terry was cleared of racism in a court of law in July but the FA’s decision to press ahead with their own case against him was followed by his decision to quit playing for his country. —Reuters

MOSCOW: Russia will have to almost double the projected budget to host the World Cup in 2018, the country’s top sports official said yesterday.

The new 600 billion ruble ($19.2 billion) preliminary budget, announced by Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, is almost twice the sum projected by then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin when Russia was awarded the World Cup in December 2010.

“These are not the final numbers,” Mutko said at a joint press conference with FIFA President Sepp Blatter a day after 12 host cities were finalized by FIFA and announced late Saturday.

“We can call the figures a rough estimate,” Mutko said. “It is what is required to do everything necessary so we can stage a high-quality championships in Russia.”

About 40 percent of the money will be spent to construct or refurbish 12 stadiums required for the tournament. The rest of the budget will be spent on upgrades to transport and hospitality infrastructure in the 11 host cities.

Five arenas are already under construction and four more stadium projects are to be started before the new year. The costs are expected to be split evenly between the public and private sectors, Mutko said. “Not one city is ready today,” said Mutko. “Not even Moscow.” — AP

LONDON: Niki Lauda revealed yesterday his role in luring Lewis Hamilton from McLaren to Mercedes for whom the Formula One legend acts as a non-executive chairman. On Thursday Mercedes announced that Hamnilton would replace Michael Schumacher next season, bringing to an end the Briton’s 14-year association with the British team. Lauda, 63, told BBC Radio Five: “I spoke to him (Hamilton) a couple of times, but I didn’t have to convince him much. “He had a clear plan and I didn’t have to convince him of anything. “I can honestly say I was impressed with his approach to things — very pragmatic, no emotions whatsoever. The real discussion was, ‘why should I leave a competitive car where my life is easier in the future?’

“My argument was, ‘if you’re looking for a new challenge then frankly the Mercedes team is one’.

Thinking the other way round, if Michael Schumacher could not get the Mercedes team for three years running - up front and you next year are doing much better, this makes a huge impact on your personality and people will rate you much higher than you are rated now.” — AFP

Tigers beat Twins in AL action

MLB results/standings Toronto 3, NY Yankees 2; Detroit 6, Minnesota 4; Oakland 7, Seattle 4 (10 innings); Tampa Bay 10, Chicago White Sox 4; Baltimore 4, Boston 3; Kansas City 7, Cleveland 6 (14 innings); Pittsburgh 2, Cincinnati 1; Atlanta 2, NY Mets 0; Philadelphia 9, Miami 5; Milwaukee 9, Houston 5; Washington 6, St. Louis 4 (10 innings); Arizona 8, Chicago Cubs 2; San Diego 7, San Francisco 3; LA Dodgers 3, Colorado 0.

American League Eastern Division W L PCT GB NY Yankees 91 67 .576 Baltimore 91 67 .576 Tampa Bay 87 71 .551 4 Toronto 70 88 .443 21 Boston 69 89 .437 22 Central Division Detroit 85 73 .538 White Sox 83 75 .525 2 Kansas City 71 87 .449 14 Cleveland 66 92 .418 19 Minnesota 66 92 .418 19 Western Division Texas 92 65 .586 Oakland 90 68 .570 2.5 LA Angels 87 70 .554 5 Seattle 73 85 .462 19.5

National League Eastern Division Washington 96 62 .608 Atlanta 92 66 .582 Philadelphia 79 79 .500 NY Mets 73 85 .462 Miami 67 91 .424 Central Division Cincinnati 95 63 .601 St. Louis 85 73 .538 Milwaukee 81 77 .513 Pittsburgh 77 81 .487 Chicago Cubs 59 99 .373 Houston 52 106 .329 Western Division San Francisco 92 66 .582 LA Dodgers 83 75 .525 Arizona 80 78 .506 San Diego 75 83 .475 Colorado 62 96 .392

4 17 23 29 10 14 18 36 43 9 12 17 30

Nationals and Brewers roll ST. LOUIS: Michael Morse circled the bases for a grand slam after taking an imaginary swing, and the Washington Nationals cut their magic number for winning the NL East to one Saturday night, beating St. Louis 6-4 on Kurt Suzuki’s tworun double in the 10th inning.

The Nationals were forced to wait at least another day when second-place Atlanta won. St. Louis’ magic number for clinching the second NL wild-card spot remained at three. The Nationals opened the game with a blast, and a bit of comedy. Morse’s drive with the bases loaded cleared the wall but caromed back onto the field, sending runners and fielders scurrying. The umpires reviewed the ball on replay and confirmed it was indeed a grand slam. The umps ordered all runners to retrace their steps and Morse back to the plate. He mimicked his swing minus a bat, then made his trip around the bases.

Brewers 9, Astros 5 In Milwaukee, Marco Estrada struck out 11 in eight shutout innings, Corey Hart homered twice and the Brewers beat the Astros. The Brewers began the day barely in the playoff race, a year after they reached the NL championship series. Any Milwaukee loss or St. Louis win would mean elimination. Hart drove in four runs to back Estrada (5-7), who won for the third time in four starts. The right-hander allowed only four singles and a walk after giving up six earned runs in just four innings against Washington in his last outing. Houston hit three home runs in the ninth to score five times off reliever Livan Hernandez. Fernando Martinez and Brian Bogusevic hit two-run homers and Tyler Greene added a solo shot.

Braves 2, Mets 0 In Atlanta, Mike Minor pitched 6 1-3 sharp innings to win his fifth straight decision, Martin Prado and Jason Heyward each had an RBI and the Braves beat the Mets. Chipper Jones, who played his nextto-last regular-season game at Turner Field, was hitless in four at-bats. Craig Kimbrel earned his 41st save of in 44 chances with a scoreless but shaky ninth.

The Braves began the night four games behind Washington in the National League East. If they don’t win the division, the Braves will host a wild-card playoff game next Friday.

Pirates 2, Reds 1 In Pittsburgh, Andrew McCutchen hit a solo home run off Jonathan Broxton with one out in the ninth inning, lifting the Pirates over the Reds. McCutchen’s 31st homer helped Pittsburgh keep a record 20th consecutive losing season at bay for at least a day. The All-Star hit a 2-2 fastball from Broxton (4-4) a couple rows deep in right-center before getting mobbed at home plate by his teammates. Joel Hanrahan (5-1) worked out of a two-on, two-out jam in the ninth, setting the stage for McCutchen. Pedro Alvarez had two hits for the Pirates, who won for just the seventh time this month.

Phillies 9, Marlins 5 In Miami, Roy Halladay survived a shaky opening inning, Jimmy Rollins had three hits and scored three times, and the Phillies beat the Marlins.

Chase Utley drove in three runs and Carlos Ruiz added a two-run double for the Phillies, who evened their record at 79-79 with four games left. Halladay (11-8) allowed six hits and four runs, striking out seven and walking three in five innings.

Giancarlo Stanton had three hits, including his 36th homer, and drove in three runs for Miami. The Marlins led 3-0 after an inning but lost for the 91st time matching the most by the franchise in any season since 1999. Ricky Nolasco (12-13) allowed nine hits and five runs in five innings for Miami, which got a three-hit night from Donovan Solano.

D’backs 8, Cubs 2 In Phoenix, Trevor Cahill threw a fourhitter in his third career complete game, Justin Upton drove in three runs and the Diamondbacks added to Chicago’s misery in the NL West with a victory over the Cubs. Cahill (13-12), 4-1 in his final five starts of the season, struck out a seasonhigh nine and walked three. — AP

PHOENIX: Arizona Diamondbacks’ Mike Jacobs slides safely around the tag of Chicago Cubs catcher Wellington Castillo on an RBI single by Diamondbacks’ Trevor Cahill during the seventh inning. —AP

MINNEAPOLIS: Miguel Cabrera hit a three-run homer to move into at least a tie for the lead in all three triple crown categories and Justin Verlander struck out eight in seven innings to help the Detroit Tigers stay in front in the AL Central with a 6-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday.

Cabrera’s blast in the eighth inning off Casey Fien was his 43rd home run for the year, moving him into a tie with Texas star Josh Hamilton for the AL lead. He also leads the AL in batting average (.327) and RBIs (136) as he looks to become the first player since 1967 to lead the league in all three categories.

Verlander (17-8) allowed four hits and one unearned run to drop his ERA to 2.64 for the Tigers, who moved two games ahead of the Chicago White Sox in the division.

Rays 10, White Sox 4 In Chicago, Matt Moore pitched one-hit ball into the sixth, Matt Joyce homered twice and the Rays stayed three games behind in the chase for the second AL wild card by beating the sliding White Sox. Tampa Bay, with nine wins in 10 games, remained three games out of the second wild card behind Oakland, which beat Seattle 7-4 Saturday.

Moore (11-11) went 5 1-3 innings with two walks and four strikeouts. Jeff Keppinger and Chris Gimenez also homered for the Rays.

With the White Sox trailing 100 in the eighth, pinch-hitter Orlando Hudson hit a grand slam off reliever Chris Archer Chicago’s fourth hit all day. Chris Sale (17-8) gave up five runs and seven hits in just 3 1-3 innings, his shortest start of the season.

Athletics 7, Mariners 4 In Oakland, Josh Donaldson hit a tying two-run home run in the ninth inning and Brandon Moss

hit a game -ending three -run homer in the 10th as the Athletics gained ground on the first-place Texas Rangers with a stunning win over the Mariners.

Coco Crisp singled off Oliver

Texas in the division and 21/2 ahead of the Los Angeles Angels for the final wild card.

Blue Jays 3, Yankees 2 In Toronto, Adeiny Hechavarria

win and Casey Janssen closed it out for his 21st save in 24 chances.

Andy Pettitte’s stretch of 11 scoreless innings since his return from a broken lower left leg was halted in the first when Davis hit a one-out solo homer to left, his eighth.

Orioles 4, Red Sox 3 In Baltimore, Chris Davis hit his 30th home run, rookie Manny Machado lined a go-ahead shot in the seventh inning and the Orioles climbed level atop the AL East by defeating the Red Sox. After finishing in the division cellar in each of the previous four seasons, Baltimore (91-67) is now in first place with the New York Yankees. Both teams have four games left.

The Yankees lost to Toronto before this game started, so the Orioles knew they would earn a share of the lead with a win.

Baltimore went ahead 3-0 in the fourth, then let Boston pull even before Machado homered a liner into the second row of the left-field seats off Felix Doubront (11-10).

CHICAGO: Tampa Bay Rays’ BJ Upton hits a one-run single against the Chicago White Sox during the fourth inning of a baseball game . —AP Perez (1-3) leading off the final inning for his fourth hit. Stephen Pryor entered with one out and walked Yoenis Cespedes on four pitches.

Moss hammered the first pitch against Pryor well over the wall in right for his 21st home run, sending Oakland streaming out of the dugout to celebrate its majorleague leading 14th walk-off win.

The A’s are 21/2 games back of

doubled home the tiebreaking run in the sixth inning and the Blue Jays beat the Yankees, trimming New York’s lead atop the AL East.

Toronto’s Rajai Davis homered and had three hits as the Blue Jays increased the pressure on the Yankees, who wasted several opportunities early.

Shawn Hill (1-0) pitched three innings of scoreless relief for the

Royals 7, Indians 6 In Cleveland, Tony Abreu’s two-out single in the 14th inning gave Kansas City a win over the Indians, ending the Royals’ sixgame losing streak.

Scott Maine (2-3) walked Mike Moustakas on four pitches to start the inning. Jeff Francoeur and Brayan Pena struck out, but Maine’s wild pitch moved Moustakas into scoring position. Abreu blooped a single to center to score the goahead run.

Both teams used nine pitchers and Cleveland’s bullpen pitched 10 scoreless innings before allowing the winning run. Vin Mazzaro (4-3) pitched two scoreless innings and Kelvin Herrera pitched the 14th for his third save. The Indians loaded the bases with nobody out, but didn’t score. —AP

Mutai beats Kimetto to clinch Berlin marathon BERLIN: Kenyan favorite Geoffrey Mutai survived a brave challenge by compatriot and marathon debutant Dennis Kimetto to win the Berlin marathon yesterday but narrowly failed in his quest to break the world record.

Mutai’s time of two hours four minutes 15 seconds on the fastest of the big city courses was more than half a minute slower than the world record set by compatriot Patrick Makau in the German capital last year.

His victory gave him an unassailable lead in the world marathon majors series which awards points during a two-year cycle from finish positions in the Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York marathons with a million dollar jackpot split between the men’s and women’s winners.

“I had the chance to break the world record but after 35 kms I had stomach cramps and I decided to maintain the pace,” Mutai told reporters. “I thank God for winning this race and it was possible to break the world record but I tried even though I could not move.”

Kenya swept the podium spots with another marathon debutant, 19-year-old Geoffrey Kipsang, finishing in third place a minute and 57 seconds behind the winner.

In the women’s race, Ethiopia clinched a one-two double with pre-race favourite Aberu Kebede winning he second Berlin marathon in 2:20:30. Her training partner Tirfi Tsegaye was second with Ukraine’s Olena Shurhno third.

On a warm and sunny autumn morning more than a million fans lined the streets of Berlin to see race favourite Mutai make a bid for the world record

after his failure to make the London Olympics.

Mutai, 30, bettered the world mark in winning the Boston marathon last year but his time of two hours three minutes and two seconds was not recognised because the course does not meet the criteria required for world records.

Yesterday, Mutai pulled away with a group of five runners from the start including a stubborn Kimetto, running his first competitive marathon.

The duo were joined from the start by Kipsang, also making his marathon debut, and Jonathan Mayo, whose personal best of 2:04:56 set in Dubai put him firmly among the pre-race favourites.

The group’s time, after a surprisingly bad run between kilometres five and 10, hinted at the 30 kms mark that the world record was slowly slipping away with their time half a minute off Makau’s 2011 pace. Mutai upped the tempo shortly after, pulling away from the rest but with Kimetto, who was looking for a Berlin treble after winning the half-marathon and 25 kms races here, hanging on.

Kimetto remained a menacing presence after he survived another Mutai attempt to shake him off at the 40 kms mark.

“I was not expecting to finish close to him since I knew I could not beat him,” said Kimetto. “But I am happy with my run and in future, I will try for the world record.” Going into the final stretch and through the Brandenburg Gate, Kimetto, who clocked the fastest marathon debut ever, had no reserves to launch a final challenge with Mutai clinging on for victory. —Reuters

BERLIN: Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya reacts after he won the 39th Berlin Marathon yesterday. —AP

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

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A tough guy in magenta stops US rout MEDINAH: The magenta shirt suited Ian Poulter well, even if it wasn’t quite his taste. His usual pink would have been better, but that wasn’t the European uniform Saturday at the Ryder Cup. So magenta it was, because a good teammate wears team colors.

And, oh, what a teammate Poulter was Saturday in a fist-pumping, gutroaring, bug-eyed display of golf that left his playing partner, the No. 1 player in the world, shaking his head in amazement.

“It’s intense. It’s very intense,” Rory McIlroy said. “He just gets that look in his eye, especially when he makes one of those big putts, and he’s fist-pumping, and he’ll just look right through you.”

If the look was impressive - Poulter’s signature bulging-eye glare that he concedes “can be a little scary to most” - the golf was even more so. Medinah Country Club was set up by the U.S. side to make birdies, but what Poulter did bordered on ridiculous.

With European chances fading as fast as the light on a beautiful day in the Chicago suburbs, he ran off five straight birdies at the end to steal a point from the US in a Ryder Cup per-

formance made even more remarkable because it was done before a hostile crowd while most of his teammates couldn’t get out of the way of their own putters.

With a final 12-footer on the 18th hole that just had to go in, he almost single-handedly rescued his teammates and gave them hope to play another day.

No, the Englishman whose first job was folding shirts at a golf center didn’t win the Ryder Cup for the European team. No one player can do that, including Tiger Woods, who can’t even win a point for the Americans.

But he stopped a potential rout. And he made sure that Sunday will now be a lot more interesting. “‘It’s not about me, it’s about the team,” Poulter said.

“We have kind of recovered a little bit today. It was not looking good.”

If it was fantastic, and it wasn’t entirely unexpected. Poulter may be in the running for the title of best player to have never won a major, but he excels when it’s us-against-them and that’s what the Ryder Cup is all about.

The fans yelling at his ball to go in the water or stay out of the hole merely made him that more determined. “I

love the fight of it,” Poulter said. “You get to stare your opponent straight in the face. Sometimes that’s what you need to do.”

He was 8-3 in three previous Ryder Cups coming in, and he conquered a personal demon the day earlier when he won a match against Tiger Woods, who had handed him two of his Ryder Cup defeats. For some reason, European captain Jose Maria Olazabal sat Poulter down in the second match, but he came back Saturday morning primed to play in both the alternate shot and better ball matches.

The fun began even before he hit a shot. Paired with Justin Rose against Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson, Poulter knew from what happened the day before that Watson would wave his arms and try to get the crowd to scream and yell as he hit his opening tee shot, even though that’s a no-no in golf etiquette. So Poulter decided to do it first, urging the crowd to yell and scream as he hit his first drive. There would be no first tee intimidation on this day.

Poulter and Rose would go on to win that match, the only one the Europeans took in the opening ses-

sion. For most of the afternoon, though, it looked as though his streak had run out when he and McIlroy struggled against Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson. Then Poulter went on a run that will be part of Ryder Cup lore.

By the time he made his third birdie in a row, curling in an 18-footer on the tough par-4 16th, he and McIlroy were suddenly up. He matched birdies on the tricky par-3 17th with Johnson and had a 12-footer for birdie to win the match after Dufner made one of his own.

His teammates gathered around the 18th green to watch knew it was in before it left the putter. They call Poulter “The Postman” because in the Ryder Cup he always seems to deliver.

“I’ve got me teammates right behind me,” Poulter said. “I’m not going to miss it for them, am I?” It’s that kind of attitude that endears him to his colleagues and irritates his opponents.

He’s become the guy on the European team no one likes to face, as much for his fiery demeanor as his impressive record. Olazabal said Poulter reminded him of the late Seve Ballesteros, who thrived in the format. “ I think the Ryder Cup should build

a statue for him, you know? You know, that’s Poulter,” Olazabal said. “That’s why we say that he has such a special character for this event. He thrives at this event. He loves to be on the spotlight. He loves to be in that kind of situations.”

On Sunday, mild-mannered US Open champion Webb Simpson will be that opponent as Poulter tries to kickstart yet another comeback. With Europe trailing 10-6, Olazabal sent off Poulter in the second of 12 matches, just ahead of McIlroy. The best of the European team goes out early as Olazabal tries to mimic the strategy of the 1999 US team that came back to win from the same score at Brookline.

Instead of being cheered to victory as the US team was back then, the Europeans will find themselves up against not only the Americans but a loose and loud Chicago crowd.

“That’s fine by me,” Poulter said. “I guess I’ve had a bull’s eye on my back for a while. Guys want to beat me, That’s fine. I want to beat them just as bad as they want to beat me, and I’m not going to roll over. I’m going to go down blazing. It’s dead simple.” If that sounds intimidating, it should be. —AP

US stretch Cup lead to 10-6 at Medinah

LA PLATA: New Zealand rugby team celebrate with their trophy after defeating Argentina 54-15 to win the Rugby Championship. —AP

All Blacks thrash Pumas LA PLATA: Winger Cory James scored three of New Zealand’s seven tries as the All Blacks put in a world champion performance to beat Argentina 54-15 and lift the inaugural Rugby Championship title on Saturday.

The other New Zealand winger, Julian Savea, also scored two tries in an open match in which the Pumas also crossed the All Blacks line twice, most notably with scrumhalf Martin Landajo’s opening try of the match.

A noisy 45,000 full house at the Etadio Unico were treated to some exciting running from both back lines with the All Blacks enjoying a clear edge when it came to slick handling and finishing.

New Zealand took their winning run to 15 since last year’s World Cup and travel to Johannesburg for their final match of the tournament next weekend against South Africa, who beat Australia 31-8 earlier on Saturday.

It was a return to regional dominance for the All Blacks, who won 10 of the 16 Tri-Nations titles but lost out to the Wallabies in last year’s final version of the competition before it was replaced to allow the addition of the Pumas.

“When we started out four or six weeks ago, the goal was to put last year behind us. We’ve got the tag of being world champions and we needed to play like them,” All Blacks captain Richie McCaw told the post-match news conference. “To secure the Rugby Championship was obviously the big goal and it’s nice to be able to do that, but I think tonight to put out that performance is something the guys are pretty happy about.” Pumas Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, whose side face Australia in Rosario next week in their final match of the competition, admitted the home side had been well beaten.

“They’re the world champions,” he said. “We started well but we couldn’t control them. We made more mistakes than usual. “It’s annoying but next week we have another match and we’ve got to pick ourselves up. We have to recover quickly from the blows and turn the page.” Argentina, whose former prop Omar Hasan - now an opera singer - sung both anthems, showed their intent to run

the ball at every opportunity and went ahead within nine minutes.

The Pumas won a lineout on the left inside their own half, the ball was passed inside to fullback Lucas Gonzalez Amorisino, who rode two tackles and set off on a diagonal run towards the right.

He was tackled inside the New Zealand 22 but laid off to Landajo, who darted between two players to touch down. Flyhalf Juan Martin Hernandez missed the conversion.

New Zealand hit back eight minutes later with the first try conceded by the Pumas in the first half of their championship matches. Centre Ma’a Nonu broke through the defence at a ruck in the middle and raced for the posts before passing out of the tackle to scrumhalf Aaron Smith, who touched down.

Carter converted to put the All Blacks ahead and then put over a penalty for a 10-5 lead at the halfway point of the first half. The All Blacks then scored a second try through Jane in the left corner after a break by number eight Kieran Read, with Carter again converting.

Flyhalf Hernandez and Carter exchanged penalties before a brief tale of two interceptions. First the Pumas snapped up a loose ball and moved play out right where wing Gonzalo Camacho dropped the ball to allow Savea to kick ahead, chase and touch down.

Savea scored his second try in the corner as the half was winding down after several phases of All Blacks attacks and, with Carter’s conversion, New Zealand went in at halftime 32-8 ahead.

Argentina pinned New Zealand back into their half from the restart and after several phases of attack won a penalty.

They chose to run and were rewarded when Camacho picked up from a ruck and scurried over to score their second try. Again, New Zealand hit right back with Jane’s second try at the end of a move that began on the far side after a lineout. A lot more running of the ball by both teams, amid a myriad of replacements in the final quarter, failed to deliver another try for the home side but Nonu crossed and Jane secured his hattrick for New Zealand. —Reuters

LA PLATA: New Zealand’s Aaron Smith scores a try against Argentina during the Rugby Championship second round match. —AP

MEDINAH: Though Tiger Woods lost for a third time this week, the United States tightened their grip on the 39th Ryder Cup by taking a commanding 10-6 lead over holders Europe at Medinah Country Club on Saturday.

After red-hot duo Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley inspired the Americans to win the morning’s foursomes session 3-1, Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson led the way in the afternoon’s fourballs which were split 2-2.

Europe had trailed in three of the fourballs but Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald held off a fightback by Woods and Steve Stricker to win one up before Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter came from two down to beat Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson by the same margin.

Matchplay specialist Poulter finished with five consecutive birdies, the last of them a 15foot putt in fading light to give the Europeans a slim hope of retaining the Cup heading into Sunday’s concluding 12 singles encounters.

A strong European team had arrived at Medinah closely matched with the US but with several of their top players not at their best, they face a daunting challenge on the last day. The Americans famously pulled off the largest Ryder Cup comeback at Brookline in 1999 when they trailed 10-6 going into the final day and the Europeans would have to match that to keep the trophy.

“Those last two matches were massive,” Europe captain Jose Maria Olazabal, who played that year at Brookline in the decisive match, said of his team’s strong finish on Saturday. “That gives us just a chance. It’s been done before in the past. Tomorrow is going to be a big day. I believe that momentum will come our way and why not tomorrow?”

US captain Davis Love III, who has rested all 12 of his players for at least one session at Medinah, was delighted with his team’s position, with just a further four-and-a-half points

needed to regain the trophy. “Our guys all played real well today,” he said. “We lipped out a bunch of putts, and we hung in there, but we haven’t lost a segment yet. We’re just going to try tomorrow to keep that string going.”

Left-hander Watson and Cup rookie Simpson earned the U.S. their first point on a

MEDINAH: Europe’s Graeme McDowell hits a drive on the third hole during a singles match at the Ryder Cup PGA golf tournament. —AP sunny afternoon when they beat England’s Justin Rose and Italian Francesco Molinari 5&4 in front of highly energised crowds. Watson sealed the win with a two-putt birdie at the par-five 14th, but U.S. Open champion Simpson paved the way to victory with a redhot putting display as he piled up seven birdies. “Webb just was a little anxious, wanted to make all the putts,” the long-hitting Watson said. “I did the par-fives and he did the rest.” Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar added

another point for the Americans when they held off a late charge by Belgian Cup rookie Nicolas Colsaerts and Scot Paul Lawrie to win one up.

With the match all square after 16 holes, Johnson effectively delivered the dagger blow when he sank a curling 20-footer to birdie the par-three 17th and trigger thunderous cheers from the crowd.

“It was probably the loudest roar I’ve ever heard,” said Johnson. “In that situation, it was probably one of the best putts I’ve ever made.”

Woods and Stricker, benched for the morning’s foursomes after losing their first two matches, seemed down and out when trailing Spaniard Garcia and Englishman Donald by four. However Woods, who had struggled badly with his game on the front nine, sparked after the turn with a run of five birdies in eight holes to take the match to the 18th as chants of “U-S-A, U-S-A” echoed across the course.

Stricker, one of the best putters in the game, lined up a seven-foot birdie putt at the last that would have tied the match but his attempt lipped out. “I’ve played well the last two afternoons and didn’t get a point. It’s tough,” said Woods.

Players from both teams thrilled the crowds in the late afternoon with a series of stunning approach shots and clutch putts but it was Englishman Poulter, flinty eyed as he repeatedly shook his fists in celebration, who gave a Europe a timely boost with his spectacular finish. “He was incredible on the way in, all the credit needs to be put on this man,” said Nor thern Irish world number one McIlroy. “When Poults gets that look in his eyes, especially the week of the Ryder Cup, it’s really impressive. “We have 12 great players on this team and we just need to go out there tomorrow, believe in ourselves and try as hard as we can.” —Reuters

Melbourne storm to victory SYDNEY: Melbourne Storm dished out a dominant display to beat the Canterbury Bulldogs 14-4 in a drama-filled National Rugby League Grand Final that was marred by accusations of biting.

Melbourne, who lost their 2007 and 2009 titles due to salary-cap breaches, scored three tries to Canterbury’s one to win their second premiership in front of 82,976 fans at ANZ Stadium in Sydney yesterday. Storm’s victory could have been greater but captain Cameron Smith had an off-day with the boot, kicking just one of his four attempts at goal.

No points were scored in the second half after a controversial first in which Bulldogs prop James Graham was accused of biting an opponent.

Storm fullback Billy Slater made an official complaint that Englishman Graham had bitten his ear during a melee after Sam Perrett touched down on a Krisnan Inu grubber to score the Bulldogs’ only points.

Melbourne halfback Cooper Cronk won the man-ofthe-match award for his stellar show in the first half when he had a hand in all three of the Storm’s tries.

Storm skipper Smith, who was part of the team that had the two titles stripped, finally has one premiership under his belt.

“I’ve been asked a few times whether this one, if we won, whether it would be sweeter than the others - I guess there’s a small spot that says yes,” Smith told reporters. “Winning a grand final, that’s what you aim for. “Your congratulations have got to go to the club and the coaching staff. “We were gutted a few years ago with our players (leaving), morale wasn’t at the highest that it’s ever been, but we built the club back up. “Last year we nearly got there and this year we did and we made it count.”

Bulldogs skipper Michael Ennis was brimming with pride despite the devastation of losing the final. “It’s been such an enjoyable year and to go out like that, it’s just devastating,” Ennis said. “Take the emotion out of it, I’m so proud of our boys, they should really hold their heads up high. “They’ve really turned the corner at this club and we’re going to be around for a few more years yet.” —Reuters

MILAN: (Left to right) Cyclists Alberto Contador, Taylor Phinney, Thomas De Gendt, Mark Cavendish, Ivan Basso, the winner of the 2012 Giro díItalia Ryder Hesjedal, Vincenzo Nibali, Rigoberto Uran and Joaquin Rodriguez pose after the presentation of the 96th Giro díItalia (Tour of Italy) 2013 route. —AFP

Giro d’Italia race route made to tempt Wiggins MILAN: Giro d’Italia organisers yesterday unveiled a time trial-heavy race route for 2013 that they hope will entice Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins into challenging for the race’s pink jersey.

Wiggins became Britain’s first yellow jersey champion in July thanks to a combination of his Sky team controlling rivals in the mountain stages and his two individual victories in the race’s two long time-trials. The Briton, who went on to claim Olympic time trial gold in London, is uncertain to defend his title in 2013 because the Tour de France is set to be a far more mountainous affair.

Observers believe that if that is the case it could be more suited to his Sky teammate Chris Froome, who in compar-

ison looked far more at ease in the mountain stages of the July epic.

Staring in Naples on May 4 and finishing in Brescia on May 26, the 2013 Giro d’Italia includes nearly 75 km of individual time trials, as well as a 17.4 km team time trial, in a total race distance of 3400 km. As far as designing the route, race director Michele Acquarone would only say: “We’ve gone out there and consulted everyone, from the public right through to former race champions.”

But it is an open secret that Acquarone, who had Italian Vincenzo Nibali, Spaniard Alberto Contador and British sprint king Mark Cavendish in attendance Sunday, want Wiggins to come and race for overall victory. — AFP

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

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Piquet Jr. wins Trucks race LAS VEGAS: Nelson Piquet Jr. raced to his second NASCAR Trucks Series victory of the year Saturday night, passing Matt Crafton on the final lap at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Piquet, the Brazilian whose father won three Formula One titles, also won at Road America in Wisconsin in June. Crafton took the lead on a restart after the final caution, with Piquet close behind. Piquet went to the bottom of the track on the final lap, and passed Crafton in the second turn.

“He (Crafton) was running high all the time,” Piquet said. “When I saw him running up, I started attacking the bottom for a few laps. And it worked in the end.

“I was trying (to pass Crafton) every lap. It wasn’t because that was the last lap.” The final pass was the 17th lead change, two more than the previous Las Vegas record set in 2009.

“That is just the hardest way to lose a race,” Crafton said. “I will not sleep for a week. I’ll be thinking what I could have done different.”

Pole-winner Joey Coulter was third, followed

by Brendan Gaughan, Todd Bodine, James Buesche, Cale Gale, Timothy Peters and David Mayhew.

Ty Dillon was 10th and held on to the series lead, ahead of Buescher by one point with five races remaining. Peters is third in the standings, 24 points behind leader Dillon.

During a caution period that ended on lap

106, Dillon collided on pit road with Mayhew and dropped out of the top 10 until the final few laps.

“We had an awesome truck tonight,” Dillon

said. “Coming off pit road, I really don’t know what happened. I’m proud of my team because we battled back. It hurts a little bit, but we still have the points lead.”—AP

HAMPTON: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. celebrates on his car after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.—AP

Pedrosa seals easy win in Aragon BOSTON: Clemson cornerback Bashaud Breeland (17) breaks up a pass intended for Boston College wide receiver Alex Amidon (top) in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game.—AP

Crimson Tide overcome Rebels TUSCALOOSA: Amari Cooper caught two touchdown passes from AJ McCarron and Christion Jones returned a kickoff 99 yards for another score, leading Alabama to a 33-14 victory over Mississippi.

The Crimson Tide trailed briefly, 7-6, for the first time in regulation since last year’s Tennessee game, a span of nineplus games. The Rebels put up a fight against a team that had been walloping opponents by nearly 37 points on average, but still lost their ninth straight SEC opener. McCarron completed 22 of 30 passes for 180 yards and Eddie Lacy gained much of his 82 yards in the fourth quarter when Alabama put it away with Jeremy Shelley’s third and fourth field goals of the game. The Tide’s defense bailed out an offense that sputtered at times with three interceptions.

Oregon 51, Washington State 26 At Seattle, De’Anthony Thomas and Kenjon Barner sandwiched touchdown runs around Avery Patterson’s 34-yard interception return for a score, and Oregon used a third-quarter scoring blitz to shake Washington State.

The Ducks looked shaky at times in the first half and led just 23-19 at the break, but put together a nearly flawless third quarter to run away from the Cougars.

Thomas capped an 18-play drive to start the half with a 4-yard TD, then Patterson stepped in front of Connor Halliday’s pass for Oregon’s third interception return for a TD in two games.

Lsu 38, Towson 22 At Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Zach Mettenberger connected with Odell Beckham Jr. five times for 128 yards and two touchdowns, and LSU overcame nagging offensive sloppiness to beat Towson.

Mettenberger ’s scoring strikes to Beckham went for 53 and 27 yards, and LSU’s quarterback finished with 238 yards passing. Still, Mettenberger missed some open receivers and his fumble one of three LSU turnovers - led to the first of two touchdown runs by Towson’s Terrance West. West’s first TD run gave Towson a stunning 9-7 lead in the second quarter before LSU responded with 24 straight points.

Florida State 30, South Florida 17 At Tampa, Florida, EJ Manuel threw for 242 yards and a touchdown, helping Florida State remain unbeaten. Receiver Rashad Greene got the Seminoles going with a 10-yard touchdown run, Christian Jones scored on a 12-yard fumble return and Penn State transfer Kevin Haplea had a 1-yard TD reception as the Seminolessurvived their first road test of the season by pulling away from a threepoint lead with two TDs and a field goal in the final 5:09 of the third quarter.

Georgia 51, Tennessee 44 At Athens, Georgia, Todd Gurley ran for three touchdowns and Keith Marshall added two as Georgia recovered after blowing a 17-point lead.

Georgia locked it up with three takeaways in the final 6 minutes. Twice Sanders Commings intercepted Tyler Bray ’s passes and in between the Tennessee quarterback was stripped from behind and the fumble was recovered by Georgia’s John Jenkins.

South Carolina 38, Kentucky 17 At Lexington, Kentucky, Marcus

Lattimore ran for two touchdowns and Connor Shaw passed for another in the second half as South Carolina scored 31 straight points.

Shaw was 15 of 18 for 148 yards as the Gamecocks moved into a tie with Florida and Georgia atop the East division, with the Bulldogs coming to Columbia, South Carolina, next week.

West Virginia 70, Baylor 63 At Morgantown, West Virginia, Geno Smith threw for 656 yards and tied a Big 12 record with eight touchdown passes to lead West Virginia in a record scoring game.

It marked the most points scored in a game involving a team ranked in The Associated Press poll. The previous record of 124 was set in No. 12 Oklahoma’s 82-42 win over Colorado in 1980. Baylor’s Nick Florence also had a standout game with 581 yards and five TDs. Texas 41, Oklahoma State 36 At Stillwater, Oklahoma, David Ash threw three touchdown passes to Jaxon Shipley and Joe Bergeron scored on a 2yard run with 29 seconds left to lift Texas in a thriller over Oklahoma State.

Ohio State 17, Michigan State 16 At East Lansing, Michigan, Braxton Miller threw for 179 yards and ran for 136, and Urban Meyer won his first Big Ten game as Buckeyes coach. Miller put Ohio State ahead 17-13 with a 63-yard touchdown pass to Devin Smith in the third quar ter, and the Buckeyes’ maligned defense held Le’Veon Bell and the Michigan State running game in check.

ALCANIZ: Honda’s Dani Pedrosa cruised to victory at the Aragon Grand Prix ahead of championship leader Jorge Lorenzo of Yamaha yesterday to trim the gap to his Spanish compatriot to 33 points with four races left.

Lorenzo started on pole and led from Pedrosa in the early stages at a sunny Motorland circuit but was overtaken by the Honda rider with around 17 laps remaining and never looked like regaining the lead. With a comfortable cushion at the top of the standings, he appeared to ease off in order to secure second spot and remains well placed to secure a second MotoGP title following his debut triumph in 2010.

Yamaha trio Andrea Dovizioso, Cal Crutchlow and Ben Spies fought an entertaining battle for the remaining place on the podium, with Italian Dovizioso eventually clinching third ahead of Briton Crutchlow and American Spies.

“It was tough to stay calm and remain focused but I came out full of concentration and I knew the bike would perform well,” Pedrosa, who crashed in Saturday’s qualifying session, said in an interview with Spanish tele-

vision. “I managed to pass Jorge and then got into my rhythm and I am very pleased with the home win,” added the Spaniard, who turned 27 on Saturday.

Lorenzo said: “I made a good start and tried to ride at my limit

SPAIN: MotoGP Honda rider Dani Pedrosa holds the trophy after winning the MotoGP Aragon Motorcycle Grand Prix.—AP

PARIS: Several Montpellier handball players have been arrested after an investigation into an alleged match-fixing scandal, a police source told Reuters yesterday. The source, who declined to be identified, said the players had been arrested after Montpellier’s league game at Paris St Germain.

They were expected to be transferred to the Paris suburb of Nanterre for questioning by police, the source added.

A judicial source said on Tuesday that French champions Montpellier were involved in an investigation relating to a first division match they lost at

Nebraska 30, Wisconsin 27 At Lincoln, Nebraska, Taylor Martinez guided four straight scoring drives against a tiring Wisconsin defense in the second half to lead Nebraska’s comeback from a 17-point deficit.

Boise State 32, New Mexico 29 At Albuquerque, New Mexico, Joe Southwick passed for 311 yards and three touchdowns and Timmy Smith knocked down a fourth-down pass with two minutes to go as Boise State edged New Mexico. —AP

Cesson-Sevinge on May 12.

Club president Remy Levy told the local newspaper Le Midi Libre that he had been spoken to as par t of the investigation but denied the club had been involved in match-fixing.

Montpellier will become plaintive in the case to “defend (their)

honor”, according to Levy, a move that would allow them privileged access to the case files. “I cannot confirm nor deny because I’m a plaintive in the case”, Levy told Reuters yesterday. Montpellier, the 2003 European champions, have been the French champions every year since 2008.—Reuters

Preview

Murray faces tough start to defence of Japan Open

Clemson 45, Boston College 31 At Boston, Tajh Boyd threw for 367 yards and three touchdowns and ran in another for Clemson, while DeAndre Hopkins caught 11 passes for 197 yards for the Tigers, who bounced back after blowing a two-touchdown lead against No. 4 Florida State last week.

Louisville 21, Southern Miss 17 At Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Senorise Perry rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns, Jeremy Wright added 84 rushing yards and Louisville rallied in a soaked Roberts Stadium.

leads on 290 points ahead of the next race in Japan in two weeks, with Pedrosa on 257.

World champion Casey Stoner of Australia, who is out injured and is set to retire at the end of the season after falling out of love with the sport, is third on 186 points, seven clear of Dovizioso.

Ducati rider Nicky Hayden suffered a spectacular crash early in yesterday’s race and was taken to the medical centre for checks.

Race organisers said the American had arrived there “conscious and with full mobility” and had later been transferred to a local hospital in order to “rule out any internal injuries”. Spaniard Pol Espargaro won Sunday’s Moto2 race ahead of compatriot Marc Marquez and Briton Scott Redding.

Espargaro’s victory cut Marquez’s championship lead to 48 points, with Italian Andrea Iannone in third. Luis Salom, another Spaniard, was victorious in the Moto3 category to move into second in the standings behind Sandro Cortese. Cortese finished second on Sunday and his German compatriot Jonas Folger was third.—Reuters

Several players arrested in handball match-fixing scandal

Tcy 24, Smu 16 At Dallas, Casey Pachall threw two touchdown passes, Jason Verrett had two interceptions and TCU extended its FBS-best winning streak to 12 games.

Oregon State 38, Arizona 35 At Tucson, Arizona, Sean Mannion threw for a career-high 433 yards and hit Connor Hamlett on a 10-yard pass with 1:09 left for his third touchdown, lifting Oregon State to wild win over Arizona.

but Dani really rode a spectacular race and we couldn’t do anything about him and his bike.

“But it was more or less what we wanted in terms of securing the points and better moments will come,” he added. Lorenzo

Duaij Al-Otaibi

Al-Otaibi lauds shooting tournament preparations

By Abdellatif Sharaa KUWAIT: President of the Arab Shooting Federation, vice-president of Kuwait Shooting Federation lauded the ongoing preparations by the organizing committee of HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber shooting tournament, scheduled to start on Thursday, for three days. Engineer Duaij Khalaf Al-Otaibi, thanked HH the Crown Prince, on behalf of the shooting community for his support of Kuwait and Arab shooting sports, as well as his major contributions in motivating shooters to continue making their achievements for Kuwait.

Al-Otaibi said that it is a good omen that the shooting club starts the 2012/2013 season with this dear tournament, after the shooting national team’s achievements during the London 2012 Olympics and Fuhaid Al-Daihani’s winning of the trap bronze medal adding another achievement for Kuwait in the Olympics. Al-Otaibi wished all participants success.

TOKYO: In-form Andy Murray will defend the Japan Open starting today fresh from winning his first Grand Slam at the US Open, but he faces a tricky encounter in the form of a resurgent Gael Monfils. The 25-year-old Murray, the top seed in Tokyo, enjoyed a double victory by beating Rafael Nadal of Spain in the final last year and then came back on court to add the doubles title with his brother Jamie.

Since then he won his first Slam at Flushing Meadows earlier this month by beating defending champion Novak Djokovic in a thrilling four-hour, 53minute final. Prior to that the Briton took gold at the London Games.

But Monfils of France, runner-up in Tokyo in 2010, represents a difficult start.

The winner faces Albert Ramos of Spain or Lukas Lacko of Slovakia in the second round.

“I have a tough first-round match against Monfils. I played him five times and lost to him a couple of times. He is a great athlete, so that’s a tough match to start,” said Murray.

“Also I play the doubles with my brother. We managed to win the tournament last year. I hope we can have another good tournament.” Murray has a 3-2 win-loss record against Monfils, who is targeting a return to the top 10 in the world as he steps up his return from a knee injury that kept him out for four months. Murray admitted that he is “a lit-

tle bit” tired after winning the US Open, as the season reaches its climax. He spent two-and-a-half weeks at home with friends and family after New York.

“I think a lot of players are at this stage a little bit tired mentally and physically as well. You need to find the best way of managing that for the last couple of months of the year,” said Murray.

“I also would like to play well in the tour finals in London. I didn’t have the chance to do that last year. It was a very disappointing way to finish the year. “I want to make sure I’m 100 percent fit for that tournament and try to finish the year well there.”

Murray is in the same quarter of the draw with Beijing Olympic doubles gold medallist Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland, the seventh seed, and in the same half with third seed Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia. Tipsarevic, the winner at Stuttgart this season, will play Gilles Simon of France in his opener. The sixth seed Milos Raonic, winner at San Jose and Chennai, will take on Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic. The 2008 Japan Open champion Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic will spearhead the bottom half as the second seed. He will play Benoit Paire of France in the first round. Also in the bottom half are local hope Kei Nishikori, the eighth seed, Juan Monaco of Argentina, the fourth seed, and the fifth seed Nicolas Almagro of Spain.—AFP

18

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

S P ORT S

India clobber Pakistan to stay in World T20 COLOMBO: Virat Kohli and cancer survivor Yuvraj Singh starred as India thrashed arch-rivals Pakistan by eight wickets yesterday to stay alive in the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.

India, who would have been knocked out of the tournament had they lost, skittled Pakistan

for 128 on a slow pitch and then surpassed the modest target in 17 overs, thanks largely to Kohli’s unbeaten 78 off 61 balls.

A sell-out crowd of 35,000 at Colombo’s Premadasa stadium, including Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, saw India contin-

COLOMBO: India’s batsmen Virat Kohli (middle left) and Yuvraj Singh (right) celebrate the victory over Pakistan by eight wickets in the ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup Super Eight match. —AP

Scoreboard COLOMBO: Scoreboard of the Super Eights group two match between India and Pakistan at the World Twenty20 in Colombo yesterday: Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez b Kohli 15 Imran Nazir lbw b Pathan 8 Shahid Afridi c Raina b Balaji 14 Nasir Jamshed c Dhoni b Yuvraj 4 Kamran Akmal c Dhoni b Yuvraj 5 Shoaib Malik c Sharma b Ashwin 28 Umar Akmal c Raina b Ashwin 21 Yasir Arafat run out 8 Umar Gul c Dhoni b Balaji 12 Saeed Ajmal c Dhoni b Balaji 1 Raza Hasan not out 0 Extras: lb1, w10, nb1) 12 Total (all out, 19.4 overs) 128 Fall of wickets: 1-17 (Nazir), 2-35 (Afridi), 3-43 (Jamshed), 4-49 (K. Akmal), 5-59 (Hafeez), 6-106 (Malik), 7-115 (U. Akmal), 8-115 (Arafat), 9-128

(Gul), 10-128 (Ajmal).

Bowling: Zaheer 3-0-22-0 (w8), Pathan 3-0-30-1 (w1), Balaji 3.4-0-22-3, Ashwin 4-0-16-2 (w1), Yuvraj 3-0-16-2, Kohli 3-0-21-1 (nb1) India: G. Gambhir c and b Hasan 0 V. Sehwag c Gul b Afridi 29 V. Kohli not out 78 Y. Singh not out 19 Extras: (w2, nb1) 3 Total (for two wickets, 17 overs) 129 Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Gambhir), 2-75 (Sehwag).

Bowling: Hasan 4-0-22-1 (w1), Gul 3-0-30-0 (nb1, w1), Ajmal 4-0-25-0, Afridi 4-0-34-1, Arafat 1-0-110, Hafeez 1-0-7-0 India win by eight wickets

ue their stranglehold on Pakistan in major world meets.

Pakistan have never beaten India in either the 50-over World Cup or the World Twenty20, in which they contested a thrilling final in 2007.

Yesterday’s match was only the third Twenty20 international between the two countries and the result set up a thrilling shoot-out for the two semi-final berths from group two.

Australia lead the group with two wins, India and Pakistan have one each, while South Africa have lost both matches so far.

The last round of group matches will be played tomorrow with Australia taking on Pakistan and India playing South Africa.

India lost Gautam Gambhir off the second ball of the innings, offering a tame return catch to 20-year-old left-arm spinner Raza Hasan, but Kohli and Virender Sehwag denied Pakistan another immediate break. The pair put on 74 for the second wicket, with Sehwag making 29 before he holed out in the deep off Shahid Afridi.

Singh, who is making his comeback from cancer treatment, claimed two wickets and threw a direct-hit run-out in Pakistan’s innings.

He then scored 19 not out in an unbroken third wicket stand of 54 with Kohli to carry India home.

The impressive win was set up by the bowlers as seamer Lakshmipathy Balaji claimed three wickets and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took two to leave Pakistan in tatters after they elected to bat.

Shoaib Malik top-scored with 28, but only one other batsman managed to touch 20 in the face of steady bowling by the Indians.

The match began on a scintillating note as the first two overs produced 13 runs each, besides a dropped catch in the slips by Sehwag and the wicket of Imran Nazir.

India hit back to grab four more wickets in the next nine overs, two of them in successive overs by Yuvraj, to reduce Pakistan to 59-5 by the 10th over.

Big-hitter Afridi, who was promoted to number three, had made 14 when he lofted Balaji to deep mid-wicket where Suresh Raina was perfectly positioned to take the skier.

Yuvraj, who was treated for a rare germ-cell cancer between his lungs earlier this year before returning to action at the World Twenty20, ran out Yasir Arafat with a direct throw.

Bilateral cricket ties between the neighbors, suspended after the Mumbai attacks in 2008, are set to resume in December when Pakistan tour India for three one-dayers and two Twenty20 games. —AFP

BANGKOK: Richard Gasquet of France holds his trophy after winning over his compatriot Gilles Simon in the final at the Thailand Open tennis tournament. —AP

Gasquet wins Thailand Open BANGKOK: Second-seeded Richard Gasquet won his first tournament of the year when he beat former champion Gilles Simon 6-2, 6-1 in an all French final of the Thailand Open at the Impact Arena Muang Thong Thani yesterday.

The No. 14-ranked Gasquet, who last won a title in Nice in 2011, routed the fourth-seeded 2009 champion in just 68 minutes, for his seventh career victory.

He became the third Frenchman to win in Bangkok since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s victory in 2008.

“He’s French player and a friend of mine. It’s a bit strange. I have won tough matches this week. It’s good for me because I had to come back to win twice in a week,” Gasquet said. “It’s my seventh title. I’m really happy.”

Playing with a right-knee injury Simon, who has never beaten Gasquet, started brightly by securing an early break but failed to capitalize on his advantage. Gasquet proved more accu-

rate with his groundstrokes, breaking the error-prone Simon in the sixth game to lead 4-2. Gasquet then held his serve and broke again to take the opening set when Simon hit a forehand wide.

Simon stretched his knee before the second set and again started by breaking Gasquet. But he appeared sluggish and tended to falter first in longer rallies.

Trailing 5-1, Simon saved two match points but Gasquet hit a backhand crosscourt winner to wrap up the match.

Simon said the injury affected him during throughout the game.

“It happened right before the match.

It was OK this morning. But when I started warming up before the match, I started to feel something there,” Simon said.

“It was harder to push for my right play every time. When you have so many injuries, it’s difficult because you just don’t know. You have to play with it. You don’t know if it’s gonna be worse if you push. “ —AP

Watson’s all-round show gives Australia easy win COLOMBO: Shane Watson continued his impressive form with both bat and ball as Australia cruised to a comprehensive eightwicket victory against South Africa in their Super Eight match in the World Twenty20 yesterday.

Watson picked up two wickets for 29 with

the ball and then cracked 70 off just 47 balls for his fourth consecutive man-of-the-match award in as many matches in the tournament.

Chasing 147 for victory, Australia lost opener David Warner early but W atson s nubbed South Africa’s hopes of victory with a 99-run stand for the second wicket with left-hander

COLOMBO: Australia’s batsman Michael Hussey (right) and Shane Watson (left) run between the wickets as South Africa’s bowler Wayne Parnell (center) tries to avoid a collision during the ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup Super Eight match. —AP

Scoreboard Scoreboard in the World Cup Twenty20 Super Eight match between Australia and South Africa in Colombo yesterday.

South Africa: R. Levi b Doherty 0 H. Amla c Wade b Watson 17 J. Kallis c Wade b Doherty 6 JP Duminy st Wade b Doherty 30 AB de Villiers c Bailey b Watson 21 F. Behardien not out 31 R. Peterson not out 32 Extras (b-1 w-8) 9 Total (five wickets; 20 overs) 146 Did not bat: W. Parnell, J. Botha, D. Steyn, M. Morkel Fall of wickets: 1-0 2-8 3-33 4-64 5-86 Bowling: Doherty 4-0-20-3 (1w), Starc 4-0-30-0 (1w), Cummins 4-0-33-0 (2w), Watson 4-0-29-2 (1w), Hogg 3-0-26-0 (1w), Maxwell 1-0-7-0

Australia: D. Warner b Morkel

5

S. Watson c Parnell b Peterson

70

M. Hussey not out

45

C. White not out

21

Extras (b-1, w-5) Total (two wickets, 17.4 overs)

6 147

Did not bat: G. Bailey, G. Maxwell, M. Wade, B. Hogg, P. Cummins, M. Starc, X. Doherty Fall of wickets: 1-10 2-109 Bowling: Steyn 3-0-15-0 (1w), Morkel 3-0-23-1 (1w), Kallis 1-0-8-0, Botha 3.4-0-31-0 (2w), Peterson 4-0-41-1, Parnell 2-0-24-0, Duminy 1-0-4-0 Australia won by eight wickets.

Mike Hussey (45 not out). The all-rounder, who is now both the highest scorer and wicket-taker in the tournament, hit eight boundaries and two massive sixes du ring his knock before he was out caught by Wayne Parnell off left-arm spinner Robin Peterson.

“It’s nice to be able to continue to play well. I know how important my role is. There’s still a hell of a long way to go,” Watson said during the post-match presentation ceremony.

“Facing Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel was always going to be a big challenge. I knew we have to get through it without getting out, scoring as many runs as we can.

“The top four batsmen are the ones who win you games consistently. (Mike) Hussey took the pressure off me to score.”

Peterson was unlucky when Parnell dropped a difficult catch off his bowling to dismiss Watson when he was on 52. Captain and wicketkeeper AB de Villiers also missed a stumping chance to dismiss Hussey off the same bowler. Australia’s l eft - arm spinner Xavier Doh e rty , playing his first match of the tournament, picked up three wickets for 20 to pu t South Africa on the backfoot after Australia ha d op ted to field first.

Doherty dismissed opener Richard Levi and Jacques Kallis in his first two overs and later took the wicket of Jean-Paul Duminy (30) as South Africa struggled for momentum.

Peterson (32 not out) and Farhaan Behardien (31 not out) added 60 runs for the unbroken sixth wicket to h elp t heir team r e ach 14 6 for five.

South Africa captain de Villiers said his side needed early wickets, especially that of Watson to defend the total.

“You got to get wickets if you want to win Twenty20 games like they (Australia) did early on. They got wickets and put pressure on a regular basis, but we couldn’t do that,” de Villiers told reporters.

“If you don’t get Watson early on, he is going to take away the game, that’s what exactly happened. “It was really hard to control the game against him and when Hussey came in, it was two different players, right and left hand combination, it was quite tough.

“We have played really good cricket in these conditions in the past. So it is very disappointing. They (Australia) adapted to the situation better than us.”

Australia have now won both their Super Eight games while South Africa are on the brink of elimination having lost both their matches. —Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR: Juan Monaco of Argentina kisses his trophy during the prize presentation after beating Julien Benneteau of France in their final match at the Malaysian Open. —AP

Monaco bags Malaysia title KUALA LUMPUR: Argentina’s Juan Monaco won a three-hour battle with Frenchman Julien Benneteau to win the Malaysian Open and break back into the top 10 yesterday.

Monaco, who had outlasted Japan’s Kei Nishikori in a tight semi-final a day earlier, took a see-sawing match 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 for his fourth title of the year and will move from 11 to 10 in the new rankings today.

The victory for the 28-year-old, who also spent three weeks ranked 10th over the summer, maintains his bid for a place in November’s season-ending ATP World Tour Finals, featuring the top eight players.

But Monaco’s first hardcourt title, after six wins on clay, was tough on Benneteau, 30, who is still waiting for his maiden tour victory after seven finals, including one earlier this year.

“It was an excellent game and I will never forget the Malaysian Open as it has brought me my first hardcourt title,” said Monaco.

“I saw Benneteau receiving treatment... but he still fought hard and never gave up.

I had to come out more aggressively in the third set and it helped me to get my first hard court title.”

Benneteau started the match with his right forearm heavily taped, but he got off to the perfect start as he broke the Argentine’s first serve.

Monaco broke back in the fourth and ninth games but Benneteau refused to give up and tied the first set 5-5. The 12th game was a thriller that lasted 20 minutes and saw 12 deuces before Monaco broke Benneteau’s serve to take the first set 7-5.

Benneteau, who looked uncomfortable throughout the match, called the trainer for attention to his right leg. But he came out strongly in the second set, breaking Monaco twice to take it 6-4.

However, it was Monaco who had the extra burst of energy in the third as he broke the Frenchman’s serve in the sixth game to clinch the set 6-3, and with it the title.

Monaco took home the trophy and $153,440 first prize, while Benneteau had to be content with the loser’s cheque for $80,815.

“I was very focused on this game, because I wanted to win this final,” said Benneteau, who was also a beaten finalist in Sydney in January.

“The fans were great, there was a lot of French in the crowd. It was a nice atmosphere and the game was a good level.”

Monaco’s fourth title of the year-after clay wins in Vina del Mar, Houston and Hamburg-gave him enough points to edge past American John Isner in the new ATP rankings which will be published today. —AFP

19

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

S P ORT S

Milan, Man City already under pressure in CL LONDON: The Champions League is only one round old and already AC Milan and Manchester City are under pressure to deliver victories this week, for very different reasons.

After opening with a lackluster 0-0 home draw with Anderlecht and languishing in mid-table in the Italian league, Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri’s job is at risk as the seven-time European champions make the tricky trip to Zenit St. Petersburg on Wednesday.

Roberto Mancini’s position as City manager isn’t under threat but his team’s place in Europe’s premier club competition certainly will be if the English champions fail to beat Borussia Dortmund on the same night. City lost 3-2 to Real Madrid in a thriller a fortnight ago and with Dortmund having opened up with a win over Ajax, Mancini’s team cannot afford another slip-up.

Of the continent’s other top teams, only defending champion Chelsea failed to get off to a winning start on the first matchday - drawing 2-2 with Juventus at Stamford Bridge - but it will be a major surprise if the Premier League leaders don’t come

away with a victory at tournament debutant FC Nordsjaelland of Denmark in Group E. Buoyed by its superb 3-2 comeback win over Sevilla on Saturday in the Spanish league, Barcelona heads to Benfica looking to stay perfect in Group G while Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson may be tempted to partner strikers Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney for the first time in the team’s trip to Romanian outsider Cluj in Group H. Much of the focus this week, though, will be on what is widely viewed as the toughest of all eight groups, involving Madrid and City - who served up a wild shootout when they met two weeks ago in the Spanish side’s 3-2 win at the Santiago Bernabeu. That result put Madrid’s campaign back on course after a wobbly start, with the Spanish champions away at Ajax next, but left City in early trouble in the Champions League even after just one game. If Dortmund wins at the Etihad Stadium, a second straight group-stage elimination is likely on the cards for an ambitious, wealthy club whose sights are set on mastering Europe after ending a 44-year wait for a domestic league title last season.

City has yet to keep a clean sheet this campaign, putting pressure on its star-studded forward line.

“Everyone spoke well about City for one year and now it’s negative because we are used to winning every game, scoring lots of goals, not conceding many goals,” Mancini said. “But this is normal. We are not worried about this.

“The group is very difficult. We didn’t start too well because we lost against Real Madrid and for this reason it is important to play well against Dortmund.” Milan, a decorated club very much at the other end of the rich list nowadays, gave up the lead in a 1-1 draw at Parma on Saturday to leave the Rossoneri with just two wins in six Serie A matches. Club president Silvio Berlusconi’s trigger finger is believed to be getting twitchy.

“If we’re not able to win matches like these, it means something is wrong,” Allegri said. Milan is struggling to overcome the loss of an entire squad’s worth of top players including the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva, who both bolted for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.

Stalwarts Alessandro Nesta, Gennaro Gattuso and

Clarence Seedorf also left.

A win in Russia, though, could be the result that sparks Milan’s season, with a city derby against Inter coming up next weekend.

Malaga is the Group C leader after beating Zenit 3-0 and travels to Anderlecht unbeaten in its last nine games in all competitions, despite the exit of several players in the offseason to balance the books. PSG had the most impressive victory on matchday one, thrashing Dynamo Kiev 4-1 in Group A, but should find things much tougher at Porto next. The big-spending French side is undefeated this season and, in Ibrahimovic, has a striker with seven goals in eight games since his Milan move. “I hope to win the Champions League with PSG one day, it’s what I train for every day,” the Sweden international said. Group B favorite Arsenal hosts Olympiakos while Schalke is at home to Montpellier in the other match.

In Group F, beaten 2012 finalist Bayern Munich looks to back up its 2-1 win over Valencia two weeks ago when it visits BATE Borisov, with Valencia hosting Lille. — AP

Napoli snatch Samp win as Serie A sees goal glut

GERMANY: Frankfurt’s Bamba Anderson of Brazil (left) and Freiburg’s Julian Schuster challenge for the ball during the German First Division Bundesliga soccer match. — AP

Two-goal Meier keeps Eintracht undefeated BERLIN: Alex Meier scored both goals as Eintracht Frankfurt defeated Freiburg 2-1 yesterday to maintain their undefeated start to the season and stay just two points behind leaders Bayern Munich.

It was their fifth win in six matches and also allowed them to stay five points clear of defending champions Borussia Dortmund in third place.

Just five days after coming from behind to draw 3-3 with Dortmund, Eintracht were trailing again on Sunday when Max Kruse opened the scoring for Freiburg in the 50th minute. But Meier drove in a superb equaliser in the 67th minute before heading the winner six minutes later.

It was Meier’s second double of the season after also grabbing a brace in the 4-0 win over Hoffenheim. The 29-year-old’s goals also helped make up for two bad misses by Japan star Inui Takashi in the 27th and 69th minutes. Freiburg ended the match with 10 men after Karim Guede was sent off in the closing stages. On Saturday, goals in the final nine minutes from Luis Gustavo and Mario Mandzukic gave Bayern Munich a sixth league win out of six as the Bavarians cantered to a 2-0 win at Werder Bremen.

Dortmund enjoyed a 5-0 romp over Borussia Moenchengladbach to show that they are back in the groove after dropping seven points in their opening five matches.

Bayern’s mean machine once again kept a

clean sheet - they have conceded just two goals to date - and Gustavo’s 20-metre drive into the top left-hand corner finally broke the deadlock when it looked as if Werder might pinch a point.

Gustavo had come on for Peruvian veteran Claudio Pizarro on the hour and coach Jupp Heynckes pulled off another tactical coup in sending on Swiss Xherdan Shaquiri, who combined with Franck Ribery in orchestrating a move which saw Mandzukic finish from close range for his third goal in two games. “In the first half we were slow and the players tried my patience,” Heynckes admitted. “I had to have words with them at half-time.” Bayern, who tomorrow face BATE Borisov in the Champions League, will expect to keep their run of form going next weekend when they take on midtable Hoffenheim. Dortmund’s thrashing of Gladbach took them into third place on 11 points with Schalke, who drew 2-2 draw on Friday at Fortuna Dusseldorf.

Jurgen Klopp’s men steamrolled their way to three points courtesy of goals from former Gladbach star Marco Reus — who netted the opener in the 35th minute and bagged another midway through the second period. In between there were goals for Serbia international Neven Subotic, Ilkay Gundogan — who returned from a flu bout to great effect — and Jakub Blaszczykowski. — AFP

German League results/standings Eintracht Frankfurt 2 (Meier 67, 73) SC Freiburg 1 (Kruse 50); VfL Wolfsburg 0 Mainz 2 (Diaz 27, Szalai 37).

German Bundesliga table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Hamburg 6 2 1 3 8 10 7 Bayern Munich 6 6 0 0 19 2 18 Mainz 6 2 1 3 6 8 7 Frankfurt 6 5 1 0 16 8 16 Nuremberg 6 2 1 3 7 11 7 Dortmund 6 3 2 1 16 8 11 M’gladbach 6 1 3 2 7 12 6 Schalke 6 3 2 1 12 7 11 SC Freiburg 6 1 2 3 8 10 5 Hanover 6 3 1 2 14 9 10 Stuttgart 6 1 2 3 5 12 5 Dusseldorf 6 2 4 0 6 2 10 Wolfsburg 6 1 2 3 2 10 5 Leverkusen 6 3 1 2 9 7 10 Furth 6 1 1 4 2 10 4 Bremen 6 2 1 3 9 10 7 FC Augsburg6 0 2 4 2 10 2 Hoffenheim 6 2 1 3 10 12 7

Blatter hails Russia World Cup progress MOSCOW: World football supremo Sepp Blatter yesterday said Russia was well ahead of schedule towards hosting the 2018 World Cup, despite facing the huge task of realising a project costing almost $20 billion.

Blatter said one day after FIFA and Russia unveiled the final list of the 11 Russian host cities that Russia’s “new approach” was more efficient than that of South Africa in 2010 or Brazil which will host the 2014 edition.

“We are one year ahead of schedule. This is a new approach for organising World Cups,” the FIFA president told reporters alongside Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko.

“With this approach we have already come so far, six years before the start,” he said. After a bid championed by President Vladimir Putin, Russia was in December 2010 awarded the right to host the World Cup by FIFA in a hugely controversial decision which was bitterly criticised by beaten rivals including England. But Blatter emphasised the historic nature of hosting the event for the first time in eastern Europe, saying FIFA had decided to skip the “traditional houses” of western Europe. He said that after winning the right to host the World

Cup in 2010, the South Africans were “just dancing” with joy and had to be told by FIFA to get to work. Brazil, meanwhile, had expressed confidence that the country is ready “but that is not exactly the case,” Blatter said. “The Russians started to work so hard right from the start. It is a different approach. I am very happy.” The 11 Russian cities that will host matches extend from the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad on the borders of the European Union to Yekaterinburg in the Urals, three time zones and 2,500 kilometres (1,500 miles) to the east.

Mutko described hosting the World Cup as a “great honour and a huge challenge”, with seven of the 11 host cities needing to completely rebuild stadiums or construct them from scratch. He estimated the total cost of the World Cup at 600 billion rubles ($19.2 billion) saying that half of the funds would come from private investment and half from either the federal or regional budgets.

Not only stadiums but new airports, hotels and roads will need to be built in several provincial cities which until now have seen only a trickle of foreign visitors and are almost unknown to the outside world. — AFP

MILAN: An Edinson Cavani penalty helped Napoli snatch a 1-0 win away to Sampdoria which allowed them to keep pace with champions Juventus as Italy’s Serie A saw goals galore yesterday.

Juventus underlined their status as title favorites with a 4-1 hammering of Roma in Turin on Saturday to make it 45 games unbeaten for the Old Lady of Turin.

Napoli, however, maintained their early season title charge by dominating Sampdoria in a thrilling match which was nevertheless decided by a disputed second-half penalty.

As Marek Hamsik dribbled his way into the area the Slovakian midfielder was tripped by defender Daniele Gastaldello on the edge of the area.

The referee pointed to the spot, Gastaldello was sent off and Uruguayan hitman Cavani, who scored a hat-trick in a midweek win over Lazio, stepped up to put Napoli into the lead to take his tally to five goals in six games.

Before then Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri had been banished from the touchline for protesting Pedro Obiang’s two-footed tackle on Paolo Cannavaro on 40 minutes.

But along with Juventus, Napoli are now the only unbeaten side in Serie A with Sampdoria suffering their first defeat of the campaign.

Despite the referee’s close call, Sampdoria coach Ciro Ferrara was philosophical in defeat despite his belief his side had “deserved a share of the points”.

“The referee did well to manage the situation as well as he could. Today it went against us but maybe in the future it will go in our favour,” said Ferrara. While yesterday’s early fixture between Udinese and Genoa finished in a scoreless draw, no fewer than 22 goals were scored in six afternoon games.

Diminutive striker Fabrizio Miccoli was making his first start since Gian Piero Gasperini took over two weeks ago, and was the star for 10-man Palermo with three goals and an assist in a 4-1 win at home against Chievo giving the Sicilians their first win of the season.

Miccoli scored a superb curling free kick on 13 minutes and gave Palermo the lead after Marco Rigoni had levelled in the 27th minute by muscling past two defenders to beat Stefano Sorrentino in the Chievo goal.

In the 80th minute Luigi Giorgi smashed the ball home after picking up the rebound from Miccoli’s shot after some good work along the goalline. The little striker then sealed his hattrick with an audacious volley from 40 metres.

“It’s one of my best days,” said Miccoli, who made a plea to be given a regular starting place.

“I’ve been with Palermo for six years but I still have to prove I’m not old or just worthy of playing the last half-hour.” Bologna’s second win of the campaign was a 4-0 thrashing of Catania.

Tiberio Guarente opened the scoring on 19

GENOA: Sampdoria Swiss defender Gaetano Berardi (left) is tackled by Napoli midfielder Juan Camilo Mosquera Zuniga during a Serie A soccer match. — AP

Italian Serie A results/standings Sampdoria 0 Napoli 1 (Cavani 67-pen); Palermo 4 (Miccoli 13, 59, 82, Giorgi 80) Chievo 1 (Rigoni 27); Lazio 2 (Ederson 17, Ledesma 38-pen) Siena 1 (Paci 90+1); Cagliari 1 (Pinilla 82-pen) Pescara 2 (Terlizzi 50, Weiss

76); Bologna 4 (Guarente 19, Gilardino 40, 61, Kone 90+5) Catania 0; Atalanta 1 (Denis 28) Torino 5 (Bianchi 38-pen, 76, Gazzi 62, Stevanovic 66, D’Ambrosio 73); Udinese 0 Genoa 0.

Italian Serie A table after yesterday’s fixtures (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Juventus 6 5 1 0 15 3 16 Pescara 6 2 1 3 6 11 7 Napoli 6 5 1 0 12 2 16 Parma 6 1 3 2 6 8 6 Lazio 6 4 0 2 9 6 12 Udinese 6 1 3 2 6 9 6 Sampdoria 6 3 2 1 8 6 10 Atalanta 6 2 1 3 5 9 5 Inter Milan 5 3 0 2 8 5 9 Palermo 6 1 1 4 5 10 4 Torino 6 2 3 1 9 4 8 Chievo 6 1 0 5 4 13 3 Fiorentina 5 2 2 1 6 4 8 Siena 6 2 2 2 7 6 2 Roma 6 2 2 2 12 11 8 Cagliari 6 0 2 4 3 11 2 Genoa 6 2 2 2 7 7 8 Note: Sampdoria (one point), Torino (one Catania 6 2 2 2 7 11 8 point), Atalanta (two points) and Siena (six AC Milan 6 2 1 3 7 6 7 points) all docked points for involvement in Bologna 6 2 1 3 9 9 7 ‘Calcioscommesse’ illegal betting scandal

minutes and Alberto Gilardino scored a brace in the 40th and 61st minutes to put the match beyond Catania’s reach.

Panagionis Kone was then on hand to make it 4-0 when he slotted home the rebound from Alessandro Diamanti’s attempted lob of the keeper in the dying minutes.

Torino also got in on the goal-frenzy with Rolando Bianchi levelling German Denis’s opener for Atalanta from the penalty spot following a

handball in the area.

Further goals came from Alessandro Gazzi, with a superb glancing header, Alen Stevanovic and Danilo D’Ambrosio before Bianchi grabbed his second in the 75th minute.

Lazio got over their midweek setback against Napoli with a 2-1 home win over struggling Siena while Cagliari suffered a 2-1 home defeat

by Pescara to remain the only team without a win in the league. — AFP

Valenciennes whip Marseille PARIS: Marseille’s stunning start to the Ligue 1 season, which had seen them win six from six games, came to a spectacular end yesterday as mid-table Valenciennes whipped them 4-1.

A double by much-travelled striker Anthony Le Tallec and one apiece from Foued Kadir-gifted to him by Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandandaand Gael Danic gave Valenciennes the points, with Jordan Ayew scoring a consolation in time added on. It was Marseille’s first defeat in all competitions this season but they still top the table by three points from Paris Saint-Germain, although Lyon can pull to within one point if they beat Bordeaux at home late yesterday.

Marseille coach Elie Baup said that Valenciennes had controlled the game from the outset. “Nothing worked for us or went right for us,” said Baup, who took over when Didier Deschamps resigned in early July. “To go in 3-0 down at half-time gave us no way back. The verdict this evening is a heavy one, brutal, and will have ramifications. “We will talk about it among ourselves and work on things during the week.

However, we should not dwell on such a heavy defeat for ever. “We should look ahead and think about our next challenge and how to put things right.” Marseille had only conceded one goal in Ligue 1 this season prior to the game but they fell behind in the 16th minute from a superb free-kick

by Danic, although Mandanda let rip at his wall for breaking apart. Le Tallec, who numbers unsuccessful spells at both Liverpool and Sunderland among his many clubs, doubled the lead in the 35th minute by putting away an excellent cross from Danic.

Any hope Marseille had of regrouping after the break disappeared when Mandanda completely fluffed a throw from inside his area, which landed at Kadir’s feet just outside the box, and he put it away with the Marseille goalkeeper vainly

FRANCE: Marseille’s midfielder Mathieu Valbuena (center) controls the ball during their French Division One soccer match against FC Valenciennes. — AP trying to regain his goal.

Le Tallec added his second in the 65th minute with a header from another Danic cross to send the record attendance of just over 22,000 wild and give Marseille plenty to think about ahead of their home game with bitter rivals PSG next Sunday. It maintained Valenciennes’ hold over Marseille, who have beaten them just once since the former were promoted in 2006. Meanwhile, Saint-Etienne have now gone three games without a win in Ligue 1 after drawing 0-0 at home to promoted Reims, who have assembled a fivematch unbeaten run since losing their first two matches on their return to the French elite. The result at Stade Geoffroy Guichard left Saint-

Etienne in 11th place, with Reims now seventh.

On Saturday, PSG geared up for a testing week with a comfortable 2-0 win at home to Sochaux.

A first-half Kevin Gameiro brace gave PSG their fifth consecutive win in all competitions, ahead of Wednesday’s visit to Porto in the Champions League and the trip to Marseille next weekend. “It was a good victory, a good match, particularly in the first half, when we played with more intensity,” said PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti.

“In the second half we were too conservative and the rhythm was too slow. We needed more rhythm. Perhaps some of them were thinking about the next matches. It’s not right, but maybe that was it.” — AFP

US stretch Cup lead to 10-6 at Medinah

Mutai beats Kimetto to clinch Berlin marathon MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

16

15

Napoli snatch Samp win as Serie A sees goal glut

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MADRID: Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal celebrates his goal during a Spanish La Liga soccer match against Deportivo la Coruna at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. —AP

Ronaldo hat-trick rout Deportivo MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo hit a hat-trick as Real Madrid kept on the trail of leaders Barcelona with a 5-1 rout of Deportivo La Coruna yesterday.

The visitors took a shock lead after 15 minutes through Riki but Madrid quickly bounced back with Ronaldo hitting his first from the penalty spot after Angel Di Maria was felled.

It was Di Maria himself who put his team ahead and then Ronaldo got his second shortly before the break. With Madrid controlling the game Pepe headed home and Ronaldo scored another penalty in the second half to complete the rout and remain eight points behind Barcelona who beat Sevilla 3-2 on Saturday. While Barca have won all six of their opening games, Madrid made a stuttering start but will now go into next weekend’s El Clasico with back-to-back wins and Ronaldo hitting form.

Coach Jose Mourinho chose to rest Xabi Alonso

and Alvaro Arbeloa and, in a new-look midfield, Sami Khedira was joined by Luka Modric in the centre, who up until Sunday had played further forward. At the back, Sergio Ramos switched to right back with Raphael Varane coming into the centre.

Madrid had plenty of early pressure with Ronaldo having a snap shot after 10 minutes which keeper Daniel Aranzubia got down well to block and then the Portuguese fired wide from the edge of the area. The visitors had seen little of the ball but went ahead through practically their first attack thanks to a Madrid defence which had gaping holes.

The ball was played into Riki who found plenty of space between Varane and Pepe and then slotted into the corner.

Di Maria was lively in attack and seemed the most likely to offer a response. He chipped over the crossbar from a tight angle and then won a

penalty after being pulled down by Manuel Pablo which was dispatched by Ronaldo.

It was Di Maria who then put Madrid ahead with a clinical finish inside the area after a fine through ball from Modric. While his big rival at Barcelona Lionel Messi has continued his blistering form this season, it has not been the same for Ronaldo who has not reached his usual standards, claiming that he was unhappy.

He lacked his killer touch after bursting past Manuel Pablo after 32 minutes as he fired wide but he showed desire to pounce and extend Madrid’s lead before the break.

Sergio Ramos’ shot was well saved by Aranzubia and Ronaldo was the first to react as he dived in to head the ball over the line.

Kaka was given a rare appearance after the break and Alonso was also introduced as Madrid

were able to stroll in the second half with Deportivo offering little.

Pepe headed in an Alonso free-kick after 65 minutes and then Ronaldo got his third of the night again from the penalty spot after a handball by Evaldo Santos.

Earlier Valladolid demolished Rayo Valladolid 61, Osasuna made easy work of Levante with a 4-0 victory while Granada came out on top 2-1 against Celta Vigo. Later Sunday, Atletico Madrid aim to maintain their unbeaten start to the season away to Espanyol. Meanwhile, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has told the club’s fans that the Spanish champions are not interested in selling Brazilian playmaker Kaka, despite reported interest in him from a number of clubs.

“We’ve never said that we wanted to sell Kaka, and we’ve never tried to sell him,” Perez told sup-

porters at an assembly of club members yesterday.

Kaka, who joined Madrid from AC Milan in 2009 for a then world record fee of 65 million euros ($83.6 million), was reportedly approached by a number of clubs over the summer, including bigspending French side Paris Saint-Germain.

The Brazilian has not played a single minute of competitive football this season and does not appear to feature in the plans of Madrid coach Jose Mourinho.

The 30-year-old has been unable to recapture his Milan form during his three years in the Spanish capital, but Perez said he had demonstrated his worth in other ways.

“Kaka has earned us lots of money,” said Perez.

“He came to the club three years ago as an investment that has brought us big profits. Economically speaking, it’s a transfer that has borne fruits.”— AFP

Bent rescues point for Villa Aston Villa 1

West Brom 1

BIRMINGHAM: Darren Bent came off the bench to rescue a point for Aston Villa in their 1-1 Premier League draw at home to Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion yesterday.

Bent, Villa’s club record signing, was among the substitutes as Paul Lambert started with Gabriel Agbonlahor and Christian Benteke up front. The England striker, with national manager and ex-Baggies coach Roy Hodgson watching from the stands at Villa Park, had only been on the pitch 11 minutes when he cancelled out Shane Long’s opening goal.

“Obviously it would have been nice to play from the start, but I managed to score the goal to get a point,” Bent told Sky Sports.

“It’s obviously been a difficult couple of weeks, losing the captaincy first off, then finding out I wasn’t playing today. But we battled all the way through and we got the point.

“The start of the season’s been up and down.

Obviously we had a good result against Swansea, but then we got beaten 4-1 by Southampton before getting a great result against Manchester City (in the League Cup).

“Today we showed signs that we are heading in the right direction and we’ve all got faith in the manager.”

The under-pressure Lambert added: “Darren’s a big part of (this squad) — everybody knows he’s a goalscorer. “I decided on the lads up front but I don’t value anybody higher than anybody else. To do well we need everybody.”

Yesterday’s result left Villa two points clear of

the bottom three. Long missed a chance to give West Brom-who have lost just once in their first six league games this term-an early lead when he headed wide from close range.

But Villa eased their way into the match and it needed a finger-tip save from Albion goalkeeper Ben Foster to divert Brett Holman’s long-range shot over the crossbar.

Foster then made another good save when he turned away a Holman shot that deflected off Billy Jones. However, it was the visitors who broke the deadlock in the 51st minute when Long turned in James Morrison’s low cross for his fourth goal of the season.

Bent came on mid-way through the second half, in place of Benteke, and 10 minutes from time the striker turned in a loose ball after Ciaran Clark’s volley from a Barry Bannan corner was blocked.

Albion almost won the match late on when substitute Roman Lukaku twice went close to regaining the lead for the Baggies.

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

English Premier League QPR v West Ham ................................ 22:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 5

Spanish League Getafe v Mallorca .............................. 22:30 Aljazeera Sport +2 Aljazeera Sport 2 HD

The striker, on loan from Premier League leaders Chelsea, first saw a shot deflect off Clark onto a post and then saw another effort come off the legs of Villa keeper Brad Guzan. — AFP

EPL result/standings Aston Villa 1 (Bent 80) West Brom 1 (Long 51).

English Premier League table after yesterday’s match (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points):

Chelsea Everton Man Utd Man City Tottenham West Brom Arsenal Fulham Newcastle West Ham

6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5

5 4 4 3 3 3 2 3 2 2

1 1 0 3 2 2 3 0 3 2

0 1 2 0 1 1 1 3 1 1

11 12 14 12 11 8 10 13 8 5

3 6 9 8 8 5 4 9 8 4

16 13 12 12 11 11 9 9 9 8

Swansea Stoke Sunderland Liverpool Aston Villa Wigan S’hampton Norwich Reading QPR

6 6 5 6 6 6 6 6 5 5

2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0

1 4 4 2 2 1 0 3 2 2

3 1 0 3 3 4 5 3 3 3

10 6 5 9 6 5 10 4 6 3

9 5 4 12 10 11 18 13 11 11

7 7 7 5 5 4 3 3 2 2

LONDON: Aston Villa’s Gabriel Agbonlahor (left) fights for the ball against West Bromwich Albion’s Gareth McAuley during their English Premier League soccer match. — AP

Business

Will Ohio’s economic uptick be a boon for Obama?

Page 25

UK Labor leader vows to split biggest banks

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

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Storm clouds gather over Africa’s ‘Rainbow Nation’

Syrians make brisk business in black market petrol Page 24

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ABU DHABI: Emirati women stand near a model of a new terminal of Abu Dhabi’s carrier Etihad Airways during the World Route Development Strategy Summit in Abu Dhabi yesterday. — AFP

Etihad Airways open to more stake buys: CEO Qatar Airways denies plans to join oneworld alliance ABU DHABI: Etihad Air ways, the Abu Dhabi-based carrier which has been on a recent acquisition spree, is eyeing further investments if the right opportunity arises, its chief executive said yesterday, adding 2012 revenue could top $5 billion for the first time.

“We see further equity investments only if it’s the right opportunity, right partner, right market and right price,” James Hogan, Etihad’s chief executive said at an aviation conference in the United Arab Emirates’ capital.

Unlisted Etihad has been on an acquisition drive in recent months, taking minority equity stakes in Virgin Australia and Aer Lingus and raising its shareholding in Air Berlin and Air Seychelles.

Any future acquisitions would follow the

same theme, with Etihad not interested in majority ownership, Hogan said, adding that the airline will continue to extend its codeshare network, which contributes around 20 percent of its revenue. “Our equity model is about growth, not control,” Hogan said.

“Through partners, we stretch our reach and it gives us the ability to compete with our immediate neighbors,” he said, in a reference to major rivals, Dubai-based Emirates and Qatar Airways. Etihad’s revenue this year is expected to pass the $5 billion mark for the first time, despite the wider aviation sector being under pressure from the global economic downturn and high fuel costs, Hogan said.

The airline, which had revenues of $4.1 billion in 2011, generated $281 million in

revenues from partnerships in the first half of 2012, he said. Qatar Airways has no plans to join the oneworld airline alliance, its Chief Executive Akbar Al-Baker said yesterday, dismissing reports that the airline had become the newest member of the group as “rumor.”

Asked if the carrier would join oneworld, which includes British Airways, owned by IAG, Baker said: “No, we will not. It’s all rumors.”

He was speaking on the sidelines of a conference in the UAE capital. Alliances were set up in the 1990s to help airlines take advantage of each other’s marketing and traffic in the face of tightly controlled bilateral traffic rights, but so far the Gulf carriers have refrained from joining as they build big networks. — Reuters

CBK issues annual report for 2011/12 KUWAIT: The Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) issued its annual report for the fiscal year 2011/2012 with data and information listed under six main categories.

The categories cover “monetary and banking developments in the Kuwaiti economy”, “key CBK directives and measures”, “key CBK operations”, “workforce at CBK”, “other CBK activities”, and “auditors report on CBK budget and on its profit and losses” for the said fiscal year. The report noted improvement in readings of many indices compared to the previous fiscal year. In terms of monetary developments, “Money Supply in its broad definition (M2) increased by KD 1996.6 million or 7.4 percent to KD 29,006 million at the end of the mentioned fiscal year, against KD 27,009.4 million at the end of the previous fiscal year.”

“Within this context, the balances of the utilized cash portion of credit facilities extended by local banks to the various economic sectors witnessed a rise of KD 760.1 million or 3 percent to reach KD 25,995.3 million at the end of FY 2011/12, against KD 25,235.2 million at the end of FY 2010/11.”

“Balances of the resident private sector deposits with local banks increased to KD 27,965.7 million during FY 2011/12, against KD 26,035.2 million at the end of the previous fiscal year.” Moving on to discount rate, the report indicated that “CBK kept its discount rate during FY 2011/12 at 2.5 percent since February 8, 2010.” “Interest rates on customers’ KD time deposits with local banks witnessed a decline during FY 2011/12 compared to the previous fiscal year ... On the other hand, interest rates on customers’ US dollar time deposits with local banks of one-month maturity and three-month maturity witnessed a slight decline during FY 2011/12 to 0.228 percent and 0.332 percent respectively.” “In light of that, the margin between the average interest rates on KD and US dollar deposits for one-month maturity and threemonth maturity during FY 2011/12 reached 0.630 percentage point and 0.747 percentage point respectively in favor of KD deposits, against 0.765 percentage point and 0.821 percentage point respectively in favor of KD deposits during the previous fiscal year.

In the same direction, the average interest rates on local interbank KD deposits of one-month maturity witnessed a decline during FY 2011/12 to 0.689 percent, against 0.738 percent for the mentioned term during the previous fiscal year. The average interest rates on the public debt instruments were stable at 1. 25 percent for one-year treasury bonds during both the fiscal year 2010/11 and 2011/12.

During FY 2011/12, CBK continued its efforts to maintain the relative stability of the KD exchange rate against other major cur-

rencies. “In this regard, the average exchange rate of the US dollar against the KD for FY 2011/12 reached 278.08 fils (per US dollar), against 287.87 fils during the previous fiscal year, i.e. a decrease by 0.79 fils or 0.28 percent. The difference between the highest (279.5 fils) and the lowest (271.8 fils) exchange rates of the US dollar against the KD during FY 2011/12 was 2.8 percent, whereas the exchange rates of the US dollar witnessed significant fluctuations against other major currencies during FY 2011/12, “The difference between the highest and the lowest exchange rates of the US dollar was 9.2 percent against the Pound sterling, 31.1 percent against the Swiss Franc, 17.4 percent against the euro, and 12.7 percent against the Japanese yen.”

The CBK underscored that it has continued its efforts in managing the levels of domestic liquidity during FY 2011/12 in line with local economic, monetary, and banking developments.

“In this regard, balances of time deposits of local banks with CBK, within the scheme of accepting time deposits from local banks, witnessed a decrease during FY 2011/12 by KD 16.7 million or 1 percent to KD 2165.6 million at the end of the mentioned fiscal year, compared to KD 2148.9 million at the end of the previous fiscal year.

“Moreover, CBK made 36 issues of its bonds with a total nominal value of KD 4966 million during FY 2011/12, and during the same fiscal year, 35 previous issues of these bonds with a total nominal value of KD 4369 million matured. As a result, the outstanding balance of CBK bonds rose to KD 1704 million at the end of FY 2010/11, against its level of KD 1575 million at the end of the previous fiscal year, i.e. a rise of KD 129 million or 8.2 percent.”

Moreover, the CBK made 8 issues of Treasury Bills during FY 2011/12 with a total nominal value of KD 525 million, and 6 previous issues of Treasury Bills with a total nominal value of KD 550 million matured during that period.

“In addition, CBK made 20 issues of Treasury Bonds during FY 2011/12 with a total nominal value of KD 1700 million, while 20 previous issues of Treasury Bonds with a total nominal value of KD 1740 million matured during FY 2011/12. “Accordingly, the CBK estimated the total outstanding balance of public debt instruments (Treasury Bills and Bonds) decreased by KD 65 million or 3 percent to KD 1973 million at the end of FY 2011/12, against KD 2038 million at the end of the previous fiscal year.

“At the end of FY 2011/12, the outstanding balance of public debt instruments among institutions holding them were distributed between local banks’ holdings which totaled KD 1905.7 million (97 percent), and other institutions’ holdings which amounted to KD 67.3 million (3 percent).” — KUNA

ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi’s carrier Etihad Airways CEO James Hogan speaks to the press. — AFP

Saudi rebounds; Gulf mixed on EU woes MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s bourse rebounded from a twomonth low yesterday despite concerns over third-quarter earnings, while other Gulf markets were mixed in cautious trade. Bargain hunters returned to lift Saudi petrochemical stocks. Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) gained 2.2 percent, although Bakheet Investment Group expects the petrochemicals and chemicals producer to post a 33 percent year-on-year drop in profit for the quarter. Thirdquarter earnings are expected to be announced next week. Yanbu National Petrochemical slipped 1.4 percent and Saudi Kayan Petrochemical shed 0.8 percent.

“Many of the traders are worried about petrochemical companies’ results, especially SABIC because of lower demand from their main markets of Europe and the US,” said Tarik Al-Mady, an independent Riyadh-based analyst.

“People are not willing to take big risks right now, because things are volatile until the results are out.” The kingdom’s index closed 0.5 percent higher and is up 6.6 percent since the end of 2011.

But shares in Zain Saudi dropped 4.7 percent to hit an all-time closing low of 10.25 riyals. On Saturday they sank 6.1 percent after the telecom operator said it had extended, for a second time, the maturity date of a 9.75 billion riyal ($2.6 billion) loan, disappointing investors who had hoped for a resolution to the financing issue.

The stock’s drop broke technical support at the 2011 low of 10.54 rials, hit in March and December that year, which may now act as resistance to any rebound.

Banks edged up with the sector’s measure gaining 0.1 percent, while insurance stocks rallied - the sector’s index climbed 1.2 percent. Elsewhere, Dubai’s index rose 0.6 percent, up for a second session since Wednesday’s twoweek low. Most blue chips lagged as investors remain wary of euro zone and global growth concerns.

Contractor Arabtec gained 3.3 percent and Dubai Islamic Bank added 1 percent. Emaar Properties ended flat

while courier firm Aramex fell 2.5 percent.

“It’s more of a consolidation day. Volatility is high in international markets, which is causing jitters,” said Marwan Shurrab, vice-president and chief trader at Gulfmena Investments.

“Even with high risk appetite after the various stimulus packages (by foreign central banks), the volatility is affecting regional sentiment in terms of direction. The real momentum now will be from third-quarter company announcements.” Global shares rallied in mid-September after the US Federal Reserve announced monetary easing measures to help the staggering job market, but Spain’s plans to ask for a 40 billion euro ($51.5 billion) bailout for its banks have wiped out some gains.Abu Dhabi’s index ticked up 0.1 percent. Banks supported the index, with First Gulf Bank up 0.6 percent and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank gaining 0.9 percent.In Qatar, the bourse climbed 0.2 percent, moving away from a two-week low. Qatar Electricity and Water rose 0.8 percent and Industries Qatar gained 0.4 percent.

Kuwait’s index finished 0.1 percent lower, easing away from Thursday’s 15-week high as investors booked gains.

National Bank of Kuwait slipped 1 percent and telecom operator Zain, which owns 37 percent of Zain Saudi, shed 1.3 percent. Local politics continues to dictate Kuwait’s market sentiment, with investors hoping against hope for an accord between the cabinet and parliament so that economic development projects can progress. Kuwait will not try to convene parliament again but will refer the country’s political standoff to its ruler, assembly speaker Jassim Al-Kharafi said, which could lead to parliament’s dissolution and fresh elections. “The opposition are likely to perform strongly in the next parliamentary elections, leading to a continued difficult relationship between the National Assembly and the cabinet,” EFG Hermes said in a research note. — Reuters

22

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

BUSINESS

Syrians make brisk business in black market petrol tomers will find him each day with his bottles and jerry cans. He fills up cars using a plastic tube and a funnel covered with a piece of cloth as a filter.

“Every day I come here to fill up because

Egypt but back home he has been unable to find a job and so he decided to become a travelling salesman and needs to fuel his vehicle to sell vegetables around the region. Hisham says he sells around 4,000 litres of petrol each day and that he has 60 regular customers. As he whiles away the time, he can be found chain-smoking on the side of the road surrounded by his petrol bottles.

In the rebel-held town of Aazaz, just a few kilometers (miles) from the Turkish border, a man has placed a barrel of petrol on a cart. He says he sells 160 liters every 48 hours. “What I earn from these sales is enough to feed me and my 10 children,” he says, declining to give his name.

Throughout the rebel-held border region, traffic is chaotic but flows unhindered despite government efforts to impose a blockade. Syria’s crude production was once largely destined for export but US and EU sanctions adopted in August and September last year have decimated foreign sales. Europe had previously bought 95 percent of Syrian oil, generating a third of the country’s revenues.

Pipelines serving Syria’s oilfields in the northeast have been hit by rebels during the fighting. — AFP

I am sure that the petrol is clean,” said Hassan. Another customer, Khaled, says he has no choice but to buy his petrol from Hisham, if he is to make a living. Before the uprising, Khaled studied Islamic law in

AZAZ , Syria: A man and a boy fill a vehicle at an improvised gas station in the town of Azaz, northern Syria yesterday. Like most commodities in sanctions-hit and war-stricken Syria, the price of petrol has risen dramatically since the start of the uprising against the rule of President Bashar Al-Assad 18 months ago. — AFP

Exxon yet to inspect Afghanistan’s biggest oil project KABUL: Exxon Mobil Corp, the world’s biggest non-state oil company, has not yet accepted an offer to look over a new Afghan oil concession in the country’s north, possibly indicating a fading appetite to invest in the conflict-wracked country.

As Afghanistan’s government finalizes new laws designed to attract more foreign mining investment, Mining Minister Wahidullah Shahrani told Reuters that Exxon had not turned up for a site tour which closes on Sunday, despite being shortlisted with eight other firms for the Afghan Tajik tender near Mazar-e-Sharif.

“Hopefully at some point they (Exxon) will visit the area. But that visit is not mandatory,” Shahrani said in an interview late on Saturday in his Kabul office. A spokeswoman for U.S.-based Exxon said she could not immediately comment.

Exxon’s July expression of interest in the Afghan Tajik basin, which holds an estimated 1.9 billion barrels of oil, lent credence to hopes that Kabul may be making progress in efforts to lessen its reliance on aid, through untapped resources worth as much as $1 trillion, despite an ongoing insurgency.

Shahrani said that with an October bid closure deadline looming, shortlisted companies had been invited to inspect the area and meet local community leaders, an offer which closes on Sept. 30, and which would usually be accepted. “Some compa-

nies, they have already visited, some companies are about to visit the area,” he said.

“Those companies, most of them are well established in the region.”

Chinese and Indian companies are already scrambling to lock in access to Afghanistan’s mineral wealth, most estimates of which date back to US surveys carried out decades ago. The country has large deposits of gold, copper, iron ore and oil, as well as lithium and rare earths used in high-tech manufacturing. Chinese firms are leading the race, with China Metallurgical Group (MCC) and Jiangxi Copper winning a 2007 deal to exploit the giant $3 billion Aynak copper mine southeast of the capital Kabul.

Exxon’s interest fuelled hopes that USbased majors may also compete, despite worries over security and endemic graft, adding urgency to a push for new laws designed to make resource investment more attractive as foreign combat troops withdraw.

Shahrani’s ministry will soon resubmit to President Hamid Karzai’s cabinet mining laws that Afghan officials and Western donors hope will persuade foreign firms to invest in the country’s resources, but which were rejected in July over concerns they were too generous to miners.

The re-draft, backed by Western donors and the World Bank, would remove a 2009 clause separating exploration from an

automatic license to exploit finds, a law which led miners to question why they were spending their money on expensive and risky exploration if they could not be assured of profiting.

“It created a lot of discomfort among the potential mining companies and global investors,” Shahrani said. “We have made the provision that whoever gets the license for exploration through the tender, once they conduct the exploration, if they find a deposit to be commercially and economically viable, their exploration license will be automatically converted to an exploitation or production license.”

Miners and Western diplomats have not managed to convince the government to include fixed royalty payments in the redrafted law, though Shahrani admitted that some resources firms thought it lead to greater confidence in planning. “In the new draft law, we have not mentioned that, and we will leave that to be determined in the bidding process,” he said.

Instead, the overhaul would commit the government to more transparency by publishing contract details in local and international newspapers, as well as on its own website, to counter perceptions of graft in Afghanistan’s notorious kleptocracy. The draft laws, he said, should go to Karzai’s cabinet in three to four weeks before a November vote in the fractious parliament, where lawmakers have in recent months

Fed will continue rewarding investors with further QE

By Hayder Tawfik

Crude production decimated after sanctions ALEPPO, Syria: Hisham does a brisk and lucrative business trading black market petrol to rebel-held areas of the battleground Syrian province of Aleppo, in defiance of a government ban.

Like most commodities in sanctions-hit and war-stricken Syria, the price of petrol has risen dramatically since the start of the uprising against the rule of President Bashar Al-Assad 18 months ago.

Before the uprising erupted, a litre of petrol cost 45 Syrian pounds (less than a dollar). Now it can fetch more than twice as much if one is lucky enough to find it.

In Aleppo, Syria’s economic hub, where rebels and troops have been locked in fierce fighting since mid-July, few are the petrol stations that have not been destroyed by shelling or set ablaze during clashes.

The rare stations that are open sell petrol at 100 pounds (around $1.5) a litre.

Hisham, and other blackmarketeers, buy their supplies of petrol from smugglers who come from the northeastern province of Raqa, a region mostly controlled by government troops where a litre sells for around 60 pounds.

Assisted by a young boy, Hisham, 32, keeps shop on the side of a road linking the Turkish border to Aleppo where cus-

Bayt.com weekly report

been testing their muscle with Karzai, sacking key security ministers.

Some political analysts have also speculated that Shahrani’s problems with the law’s initial draft may have been linked to political rivalries over control of potential resource profits.

Shahrani said he was optimistic opposition to the laws had faded in cabinet, and that parliament’s influential economics and resource committees were also positive about the legislation, which was drafted with World Bank help.

“We have been interacting very closely with parliament’s relative committees. I can see a significant degree of support on behalf of the members of those committees,” he said.

Despite the risk of global commodity prices falling as a result of concerns about the strength of the Chinese economy and a global economic slowdown, Shahrani said he believed Afghanistan had not missed the peak of the resource boom.

Most projects in Afghanistan, he said, including bids for northeastern gold concessions in Badakhshan now being considered, would take years to reach production. “If we do award the concessions tomorrow for iron ore and copper, usually it takes at least five to six years for these deposits to get developed,” he said. “We hope that by then the demand for commodities will again increase.” — Reuters

uantitative easing program such as the one put into place by Ben Bernanke the chairman of the US Federal Reserve will ultimately lead to expansion in money supply hence boosting economic activity which will also impact asset prices mainly global equity. Since 2008, equity investors have been rewarded handsomely and will continue to benefit from Bernanke’s generosity. The fact is that quantitative easing has yet to lead to bigger economic boost but for sure it has mitigated any threat of recession. However, the biggest impact of quantitative easing has been felt in the stock market and to a lesser extent in some asset prices.

Equity investors should stay fully invested as long as the Federal Reserve is committed to quantitative easing till the time when the economy does not need further help. This investment strategy is once in a life time, where equity investors are assured of economic growth by the most powerful central bank in the world. At sometime in the future, this policy will harm some assets classes such as bonds and real estates. Quantitative easing cannot work forever on its own against a back ground of banks deleveraging, governments introducing austerity measures and consumers saving more and more every day, but because it is the US Federal Reserve then it will work at the end.

Some encouraging economic data may be indicating a turning point for the US economy, which will be very good news for the global economy.

Most notably, the housing market which seems that it has reached the bottom and now it is in an uptrend move. Also, real consumption has been in a positive territory and should continue into next year. Above all we should not forget that US corporate cash level reaching a staggering figure of $ 3trllion same as China’s cash surplus. Some of this cash has been spent on share buyback and higher dividends which have been good news for equity investors. One other good news is the health of the US banking industry which has seen a remarkable turnaround over the last few years. Whereas European banking industry are still struggling with bad debts and tougher governments regulations.

I think we are slowly seeing the early effect of the quantitative easing and possibly a turning point in the global economy. However, this has not been shared by the majority of investors. Big money is still flowing into government bonds, corporate bonds and real estate and lately junk bonds. Capital flows into global equity have been relatively small. This is not encouraging for equities, but investors can imagine the impact of a possible shift in bond investor’s attitude towards equities. At present equity investors are defensively positioned at a time when equities are relatively undervalued by any historical standards.

The mix of a very easy monetary policy and an aggressive quantitative easing policy and lower governments spending and the combination of all these will lead to lower US dollar mainly against emerging currencies. There are still risks out there, but I think equity investors should look beyond these risks and position themselves for big surprises in the coming months, because one thing for sure is that quantitative easing will ultimately work.

— Hayder Tawfik - Executive Vice President of Asset Management, at Dimah Capital

Q

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Egyptian pounds

.2740000 .4500000 .3590000 .2960000 .2830000 .2900000 .0040000 .0020000 .0761350 .7417630 .3870000 .0720000 .7271670 .0430000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES US Dollar/KD .2804500 GB Pound/KD .4539780 Euro .3612900 Swiss francs .2988120 Canadian dollars .2853730 Danish Kroner .0484560 Swedish Kroner .0425660 Australian dlr .2917660 Hong Kong dlr .0361700 Singapore dlr .2282490 Japanese yen .0036110 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 Pakistan rupee .0000000 Bangladesh taka .0000000 UAE dirhams .0763860 Bahraini dinars .7441950 Jordanian dinar .0000000 Saudi Riyal/KD .0748070 Omani riyals .7287250 Philippine Peso .0000000

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. ASIAN COUNTRIES

Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Malaysian Ringgit

3.618 5.348 2.967 2.176 3.651 231.590 36.349 3.435 6.748 9.153 92.259

.2860000 .4610000 .3650000 .3070000 .2930000 .2990000 .0058500 .0035000 .0769000 .7492180 .4100000 .0780000 .7344750 .0510000 .2825500 .4573780 .3639950 .3010490 .2875100 .0488190 .0428850 .2939510 .0364410 .2299580 .0036390 .0053290 .0021800 .0029940 .0034750 .0769580 .7497680 .3996460 .0753670 .7341820 .0067950

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

GCC COUNTRIES 75.190 77.474 732.360 748.900 76.777

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 47.550 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 46.201 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.315 Tunisian Dinar 179.920 Jordanian Dinar 397.620 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.892 Syrian Lier 4.918 Morocco Dirham 33.554 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 281.850 Euro 365.280 Sterling Pound 458.570 Canadian dollar 289.670 Turkish lire 157.070 Swiss Franc 303.060 US Dollar Buying 280.650 GOLD 331.000 167.000 86.000

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria

50.400 731.980 3.090 7.010 77.950 75.240 230.900 36.390 2.684 459.400 43.900 303.200 4.100 9.450 198.263 76.830 282.200 1.350

10 Tola

GOLD 1,874.670

Sterling Pound US Dollar

731.800 2.986 6.765 77.520 75.240 230.900 36.390 2.176 457.400 301.700 4.100 9.340 76.730 281.600

COUNTRY

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 457.400 281.600

SELL CASH

SELL DRAFT

296.300 749.420 3.690 290.200 553.400 45.900 49.800 167.800 48.140 366.100 37.040 5.270 0.032 0.161 0.242 3.730 399.340 0.191 94.360 45.100 4.330 237.200 1.825

294.800 749.420 3.436 288.700

230.900 46.221 364.600 36.890 5.350 0.031

SELL DRAFT

Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro US Dollar Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

296.55 290.92 304.42 365.28 281.25 458.35 3.69 3.447 5.346 2.174 3.356 2.976 76.64 748.87 46.20 400.69 731.98 77.67 75.21

SELL CASH

296.000 291.000 305.000 364.500 282.400 458.500 3.690 3.620 5.450 2.290 3.530 3.150 77.350 748.500 47.650 398.100 735.000 78.000 75.650

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd 399.310 0.190 94.360 3.370 235.700

Rate for Transfer

Selling Rate

US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro

281.700 287.065 456.060 362.905

Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

300.150 745.795 76.675 77.325 75.085 397.095 46.236 2.174 5.343 2.966 3.443 6.741 691.010 4.605 9.220 4.370 3.405 92.105

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co.

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY

Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal

Currency

Rate per 1000 (Tran)

US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Yemeni Riyal Euro Canadian Dollars Nepali rupee

281.700 2.968 5.358 2.189 3.447 6.790 76.830 75.300 749.200 46.227 463.500 2.990 1.550 369.800 293.500 3.270

Al Mulla Exchange Currency

Transfer Rate (Per 1000)

US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

281.200 364.350 457.900 288.400 3.660 5.347 46.200 2.177 3.440 6.740 2.968 748.800 76.600 75.150

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

BUSINESS

UK Labor leader vows to split biggest banks Miliband slams ‘casino’ investment arms LONDON: Britain’s opposition Labor leader Ed Miliband vowed yesterday to break up the country’s biggest banks if his party comes to power at the next general election.

Miliband, whose party enjoys a 10-point lead in the latest polls, told the Observer newspaper that Labor would force banks to split their “casino” investment arms from their retail operations if they did not do so voluntarily.

“Either they can do it themselves, which frankly is not what has happened over the past year, or the next Labor government will, by law, break up retail and investment banks,” he told the paper.

Speaking ahead of the party’s annual conference, which opens in Manchester, northwest England yesterday, Miliband urged banks to focus less on “playing the international money markets” and more on lending to small businesses. Under plans by Britain’s Conservative-

led coalition government, banks have until 2019 to ring-fence consumer and small business accounts from their high-risk investment arms.

But Labor accuses the coalition of watering down reforms proposed a year ago by a report commissioned by the government in the wake of massive state bailouts of major British banks during the financial crisis. Bank of England chief Mervyn King has also warned that banks are lobbying for a weakening of the proposals. In a later interview with BBC television, Miliband said his party would raise £2 billion ($3.2 billion, 2.5 billion euros) by taxing bankers’ bonuses, and would bring back a top tax rate of 50 percent for Britain’s highest earners.

“If there was an election tomorrow that is what we would do,” Miliband told the BBC. The government lowered the top tax rate to 45 percent for incomes over £150,000 ($242,000, 188,000 euros) in the last budget

in March. But Miliband admitted that as Britain struggles to reduce its massive deficit, some of the current government’s austerity cuts would continue if Labor returns to power after the next election in 2015. “There will be tough decisions that we’ll have to make as a government,” he said.

“Yes, there would be cuts if we were in government.

But if you make the pace of those cuts slower, if you take less money out of the economy now, it would be better for the economy, better for growth.”

Miliband, Labor’s leader since 2010, is under pressure to boost his stubbornly poor personal ratings during his party’s five-day conference. After 13 years in government under prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, Labor was defeated at the last election in 2010 and David Cameron’s Conservatives came to power in a coalition with the centrist Liberal Democrats. — AFP

Thousands of Poles protest pro-market reforms WARSAW: Thousands of Poles blew horns, prayed and waved flags in downtown Warsaw yesterday to show their anger over a new law that raises the retirement age and a host of other issues.

The protest was organized by the conservative and nationalistic opposition party Law and Justice, led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, as well as the Solidarity trade union and other groups.

Dubbed “ Wake Up, Poland,” the protest is an expression of the deep anxieties gripping many Poles as the government tries to lower state debt by embracing pro-market reforms that are weakening the social safety net. Many of the protesters are also conservative Catholics ill at ease in a country that is quickly growing more secular as it grows wealthier and more integrated with the West.

A key source of anger for the protesters is a new law put through by the promarket government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk which will gradually raise the retirement age to 67 for all Poles

from 60 for women and 65 for men.

Participants also expressed anger at a decision by the Polish national broadcasting council to strip a Catholic TV station, TV Trwam, of a free digital TV signal.

They argue that it marks a blow to freedom of expression and an attempt to silence their conservative and Catholic world view. The broadcasting council, however, has said the station lost its transmission rights because of a lack of transparency in its funding.

Protesters sang patriotic and religious songs as they gathered at Three Crosses Square in downtown Warsaw, some of them holding rosaries.

“Our presence here is a sign of opposition to the discrimination against Catholic media and TV Trwam,” Zbigniew Ziobro, a leading conservative politician, told protesters, according to the news agency PAP. Police had no estimate yet for the number of protesters, but private broadcaster TVN24 said tens of thousands turned out. — AP

NEW DELHI: A pedestrian walks past cars at a parking lot in New Delhi. Even with its economy cooling, India’s car sales are forecast to go into overdrive, creating a huge challenge for the government to modernize the country’s antiquated road network. — AFP

BRUSSELS: Protesters hold a banner reading “Equality = Prosperity” as they take part in a demonstration against austerity and to ask for fiscal fairness and measures against unemployment in Brussels yesterday. — AFP

Baghdad to make payments to ease Kurd oil conflict BAGHDAD: Oil payments from Baghdad to Iraq’s Kurdish region will be transferred today, Kurdish Energy Minister Ashti Hawrami said yesterday, offering hope that a long-running conflict between the central government and autonomous region is easing.

Baghdad and Kurdistan agreed earlier this month to draw a line under a dispute over oil payments after the latter pledged to continue exports and Baghdad said it would pay foreign companies working there. Kurdistan has riled Baghdad by signing deals with foreign oil majors, such as Exxon and Chevron, contracts the central government rejects as illegal.

“Payments will be transferred to the Kurdish regional government today: that’s what I’ve been told in Baghdad today,” Hawrami told reporters in the Iraqi capital.

Small oil producers like Londonbased Genel Energy and DNO of Norway have been in the region for about a decade. Majors including Exxon, Chevron and Total are newer arrivals. “This is great news. Payments are crucial for us to keep oil flowing,” said an official with a company operating in Kurdistan.

The oil contracts row, however, is part of a broader battle between the Baghdad government and Kurdistan over oil rights, territory and regional autonomy that is straining Iraq’s uneasy federal union.

Hawrami was in Baghdad for the meeting of a special committee formed earlier this month to try to resolve differences over the country’s long-awaited oil and gas law.

Iraqi Oil Minister Abdul-Kareem

Luaibi, who also attended, described the talks as “very positive”.

More than nine years after the toppling of Saddam Hussein, the OPEC member still has no binding hydrocarbon law. A 2007 draft national oil law that aims to resolve the disputes over crude has been caught up in political infighting.

A draft national oil law that aims to resolve the disputes over crude has been caught up in political infighting for years. Another member of the committee tasked with forging consensus over the oil and gas law said yesterday’s discussions were a small step. “We don’t expect much from this meeting.

It’s the first meeting for the committee.

Building confidence and removing tension is the topic of today’s meeting,” said Qasim Mohammed, a Kurdish member of the panel. Luaibi said crude exports would exceed 2.6 million barrels per day (bpd) in September and estimated production at more than 3.3 mln bpd this month.

With the help of foreign firms, Iraq has ambitious plans to boost production capacity beyond 12 million bpd by 2017, but this target has proved unrealistic due to infrastructure bottlenecks and logistical shortcomings. It is expected to target 8-8.5 million bpd, but some oil analysts and executives see even 6 million bpd by 2017 as stretch for the war-torn country.

Under US and European sanctions on the country over its controversial nuclear program, Iranian output has declined sharply this year, forcing it into third place on OPEC’s list of largest oil producers, just behind Iraq. — Reuters

Thousands on Paris streets to slam EU ‘austerity’ pact PARIS: Thousands of left-wing protesters took to the streets of Paris yesterday to denounce the European Union fiscal pact forcing governments to stick to tough deficit limits.

Chanting “Resistance!”, protesters marched through central Paris in a rally organizers said was aimed at fighting EU-imposed austerity, not at criticizing the government of Socialist President Francois Hollande.

“This day is the day the French people launch a movement against the policy of austerity,” one-time presidential contender and Left Front leader Jean-Luc Melenchon said at the march, which organizers said gathered more than 50,000 people.

Melenchon denied the protest was aimed at Hollande, saying: “This is a left-wing demonstration under a left-wing government.”

Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault is to open what is expected to be a long and difficult debate on the fiscal pact in the National Assembly on Tuesday. The pact, agreed by EU

leaders in March, requires its signatories to write into law a commitment to limit structural deficits to within 0.5 percent of gross domestic product under normal circumstances.

Many on the French left-including within the Socialists and their Green Party allies-have said they will vote against the measure, but with rightwing deputies backing the pact it is expected to be approved.

Speaking to deputies from the left-wing PRG party on Sunday, Ayrault said approving the pact would be an “essential step” in resolving the debt crisis threatening the euro-zone and its single currency. “Francois Hollande and I will never take the responsibility... of making the euro disappear,” he said.

“The future of the euro-zone is at stake.” Hollande’s government on Friday unveiled a 2013 budget aimed at plugging the 37-billioneuro hole in France’s public finances through tax rises and spending cuts. — AFP

PARIS: A demonstrator holds a placard which reads: “Europe in Social and Democratic Deficit” during a rally to protest against the austerity measures announced by the French government in Paris yesterday. — AP

COMMODITIES WEEKLY UPDATE

Stimuli raise hopes for market recovery

By Ole Hansen

S

eptember was generally a strong month for riskier assets such as commodities following the announcement of additional quantitative easing measures from the US Federal Reserve Bank and the Bank of Japan plus the European Central Bank’s clear statement to do whatever it takes to save the Euro.

Speculative investors in currency futures turned their net dollar exposure from long to short as it continued to weaken, especially against the euro and this weakness also helped lend a hand to the euro’s rally. Looking ahead some raised focus on China in the coming weeks can be expected as they finally pencil in the date for their 18th Party Congress on November 8 when the strategy for the next five years will be presented.

Overall performance The Commodities with a cyclical nature such as industrial metals performed the strongest as the extra stimuli once again raised hopes that demand would begin to show signs of improvement despite the headwinds from global economic data which continued to disappoint. Precious metals also did very well as the money press and low interest rates for longer support the sector, not least silver and platinum. Crude oil is headed for the strongest quarter this year, despite losing ground in September, resulting in the energy sector ranking third place amongst all commodity sectors, primarily supported by a strong rally in natural gas and gasoline. The agriculture sector and especially grains ran into some heavy selling as all the supportive news following a difficult US and Russian growing season was priced in and attention turned towards the coming crop season in South America and Australia.

Natural gas On the individual energy commodity level natural gas had a strong month as the continued switch from coal to natural gas has seen increased demand, which in turn is helping to bring storage levels back in line with seasonal averages for the amount of gas stored in underground caverns across the US. Silver and gold were also strong performers, both putting in their best quarterly performance in more than two years as quantitative easing saw the return of hedge fund buying.

At the other end of the scale was corn and soybeans which both reversed some of their strong gains from July and August as the hype surrounding the dismal US and Russian crop season faded and speculative positions was scaled back as attention turned to the outlook for South American and Australian summer crops while favorable US weather has helped winter crop planting get under way.

Wheat did relatively better supported by speculation about when rather than if Russia, the world’s third biggest exporter, will be forced to restrict exports. A US government report which confirmed the low stock levels did return some support and could indicate that the correction is running out of steam.

Following a period of sideways trading gold was in need of a correction in order to test the underlying strength of the month-long rally. This test occurred mid-week when a combination of quarter-end selling by producers and short selling by day traders fishing for stops gave enough supply to push it back below 1,750 support, at which point frenzied stop loss and option related selling by high frequency and algorithmic funds drove it to a low of1,737 USD/oz. But as seen on previous such occasions buy orders were lined up and the recovery has been pretty impressive. We have once again set our sights on the resistance area between 1,790 and 1,802 which now stands in the way for a renewed attempt on the 2011 high of 1,921.

Silver, as always, is worth keeping a close eye on as it tends to rise and fall much faster than gold and it has indeed been outperforming gold during the last month as QE3 speculation intensified. It is however worth pointing out that the speculative long positions in futures have more than quadrupled in just three months which helps to explain the erratic moves experienced during corrections.

With our projection for additional gains in precious metals into 2013 we continue to favor gold over silver, not necessarily from a performance point of view but more due to the high volatility in silver which can make unavoidable corrections feel pretty painful.

Crude oil undecided Following a recent sell-off in crude oil (which hurt WTI more than Brent) on continued above seasonal stock build in the US, price action has stabilixed. Brent crude is currently trading around the important 200-day moving average after reaching a two-month low in the previous week.

Weak economic fundamentals have once again been outweighed by geo-political worries as both Israel and Iran put their case to the UN general assembly this past week. While Iran continues to claim that it’s nuclear ambition is purely for civilian purposes, Israel told the assembly that an Iranian nuclear bomb could be built by next year and that action to prevent such a situation was being considered.

The rebound in oil was also helped by a fairly positive reception of the Spanish budget for 2013 which, for a short period at least, helped general risk sentiment in the market and thus weakened the dollar.

Additional support came from gasoline which rallied to the highest level in a month on concern that refinery outages on the US East Coast helped erode stock levels in the Northeast US to the lowest since 1990 when the Energy Information Administration began keeping records. The delivery point for RBOB Gasoline (Reformulated Gasoline Blendstock for Oxygen Blending)is the New York harbor which helps to explain the price spike in this particular gasoline futures contract.

While the above mentioned factors have all been adding support to a market where speculative traders are still predominantly holding long positions, and as such are keen to protect these, we believe that the near-term outlook for demand will fail to provide support and make additional gains hard to achieve. This is basically due to the current level of global growth, combined with softer oil fundamentals heading into the last quarter. We believe that prices could eventually ease off and potentially average between 105 and 110 dollars per barrel for the remainder of the year.

From a technical perspective the 200-day moving average is currently at 112 USD/barrel (coinciding with the average price of Brent crude year to date) and is the level to keep an eye on, as seen below.

24

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

business

Uncertainty looms over global markets NBK WEEKLY MONEY MARKET REPORT KUWAIT: Last week the FX markets witnessed large swings, mainly due to uncertainty over Spain’s bailout plan, better than expected economic data from the US and geopolitical tensions between China and Japan over the disputed Islands. The US dollar had a strong performance it started the weak on a positive tone then lost steam in the middle of the week only to recover on Friday and close near its weeks high. The dollar Index opened the week at 79.43 moved to a high of 80.02 then dropped down to 79.33 only to recover and close the week at 79.39. The euro, started the week on a negative note, dropping to a two-week low of 1.2827 against its US counterpart, as uncertainty in the markets mounted on when Spain would request a bailout. The euro closed near its weeks low at 1.2854.The Sterling Pound had a somewhat similar performance opening at 1.6231, and then rallied to 1.6272 before it dropped sharply and closed the week at 1.6164. The US dollar drop continued against the Japanese yen reaching a two-week low of 77.41 before recovering slightly and closing the week at 77.96.The resent strength in the Japanese yen has hampered the Japanese economic recovery, fuelling concerns that the world’s third largest economy could slip into recession later this year. The Australian Dollar followed suit, opening at 1.0458 then easing towards a low of 1.0329 as tension between China and Japan intensified over the disputed islands, the Australian dollar closed at 1.0375.

On the commodities side, gold resumed its fivemonth rally, reaching a high of $1,783.10 an ounce, after Spain announced its budget reform plan. The

commodity closed the week at $1,772.25. On the other hand, oil had a volatile performance last week, as tensions between Iran and the west reinforced concerns about potential supply disruptions. The commodity started the week trading at $92.89 per barrel, and then dropped towards a seven-week low of $88.95 before recovering and closing the week at $92.19.

US consumer confidence The US consumer confidence Index rose in September to 70.30 from an upwardly revised figure of 61.3 in August. Consumer confidence jumped to its highest level in seven months in September, as Americans were more optimistic about the job market and income prospects.

The US new home sales held near its two-year highs in August and prices rallied to their highest level in more than five years, adding to signs of a broadening housing market recovery. New Home sales dipped 0.3% to a seasonally adjusted 373,000, but the decrease was from an upwardly revised 374,000, at the same time, the median price of a new home increased a record 11.2% in August to $256,900, the highest level since March 2007. Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke, stated that “housing was the missing piston in the recovery process” and that the central bank would buy $40 billion in mortgage-backed securities per month, until the outlook for employment improved significantly.

Jobless claims Fewer Americans than forecast filed claims for

unemployment benefits, a sign that the labor market is getting back on track. Applications for jobless benefits decreased 26,000 to 359,000, the lowest since July, compared with market expectation of 375,000 claims, adding to signs that an economic recovery is underway.

Europe German business sentiment dropped for the fifth consecutive month in September, against all expectations for a mild improvement, in a sign that German companies are negatively affected by the euro-zone debt crisis, which has reduced the export markets and hampered investment. The Business Climate index, based on a monthly survey of some 7,000 firms, fell to 101.4 in September from 102.3 in August. German unemployment rose by 9,000 in September for a sixth month running in September, suggesting domestic demand might not be able to compensate for weakening exports amid the euro-zone crisis. The unemployment remains near to its lowest level since German reunification, and the unemployment rate held constant at 6.8%.

Spain crisis budget Spain announced a crisis budget for 2013 based mostly on spending cuts; many investors see it as an effort to prevent the conditions of an international bailout. The central government sees budget savings of 13 Billion Euros in 2013, with spending down 7.3%, including income rising 4% due to a 15 % increase in value-added tax.

An independent stress test, aimed to lift doubts

about Spain’s banking sector, showed that the banking industry would need 59.3 billion Euros in additional capital to cope with a serious economic downturn. Spain, however, said it would only ask for 40 billion Euros in European aid for its banks.

The Spanish government commissioned the stress tests as part of terms to win a European bailout of as much as 100 billion euros for its banking system.

The EU Commission welcomed the results of the stress tests in a statement, saying that state aid will be determined in the coming months and that banks now need to file recapitalization plans.

The United Kingdom’s current account deficit was GBP 20.8 billion in the second quarter of 2012, up from a revised deficit of GBP 15.4 billion in the previous quarter. The trade deficit widened to GBP 10.1 billion in the second quarter of 2012 due to higher energy cost and weak export market.

The gold climbed to $1,783.10 an ounce this week before closing the week at $1,772.25, the rally was fuelled by optimism amid budget reforms in Spain and expectations that China will take more steps to boost its economy.

Oil regains Crude oil traded upwards and recovered from its seven-week low of $88.95 a barrel. Oil reached a high of $93.20 before closing the week at $92.19, spurred by tensions between Israel and Iran.

Kuwait Kuwaiti dinar at 0.28110 The USDKWD opened at 0.28110 yesterday morning.

Storm clouds gather over Africa’s ‘Rainbow Nation’ JOHANNESBURG: A toxic mix of government stasis, creaking infrastructure and social unrest is prompting doubts about South Africa’s stability in a continent with too many economic scare stories.

It may, in the end, be events on a dusty patch of Highveld two hours’ drive from Johannesburg that end South Africa’s 18-year postapartheid honeymoon.

In the weeks since dozens were killed in clashes between police and miners at Marikana, a wave of violent strikes has swept the South Africa, strangling vital mineral production and threatening fuel supplies. Long pent-up anger at the slow pace of economic reform has come to the fore. More militant unions and political populists such Julius Malema are mining that rich seam of discord. “ Things are not rosy ” said Mohammed Nalla, an economic analyst at Nedbank Capital in Johannesburg. “( The outlook) is deteriorating, we’ve got institutional decay and structural decay in the economy that is setting in.”

According to Nalla and others, the root of the problem is a lack of accountability at the top.

With no serious electoral rivals, the ruling ANC is accused of being too concerned with the accumulation of wealth and power. Today ANC members are squarely focused on a December meeting that will select their next leader and, de facto, the next leader of the country.

President Kgalema Motlanthe.

Neither man is risking difficult decisions that could upset their power base. That political drift is starting to eat away at investor confidence, and the timing could hardly be

worse. Just as the financial world seems ready to give Africa a shot at replicating the growth that transformed South East Asia and Latin America, some are wondering if Africa’s economic talisman is going to the dogs.

The cruel irony of the situation was underscored this week. South Africa was welcomed into an elite group of bond issuing countriesopening the door to a whole new set of foreign investors-while at the same time having its bond rating cut. Moody’s downgrade left South Africa, rated at Baa1 — around the level of peers Russia, Brazil and Thailand. But the diagnosis was bleak and a further ratings cut is likely. Moody’s said South Africa’s twin fiscal and trade deficits were a serious worry, but the more immediate problem was a government that is unwilling and, increasingly, unable to tackling mounting economic problems. If that sentiment takes root South Africa could be in serious trouble very quickly.

Thanks to the country’s mineral wealth and because of low returns to be had in the developed world, investors have been happy to seek out profits in more risky but growing markets such as South Africa.

As a result South African debt and the rand are still well liked by traders, helping keep the country’s already large trade deficit and tattered public finances under control.

“That momentum does not last forever, we know that these things come to end,” warned Nalla.

A significant slowdown in investment would be a double whammy for South Africa, which is highly dependent on both foreign inflows of capital and foreign imports. A

slowdown would increase the government ’s cost of borrowing, squeezing public spending and at the same time weakening the rand, which would push up the price imported food and energy.

Already, over the last year, foreign inflows to the South African stock market have turned into modest outflows. Equities may yet prove to be the canary in the coalmine, but so far more crucial bond and currency investors seem willing to roll with the punches. “We are not seeing the ‘Zimbabwe’ situation in South Africa. That is not what is happening. We are not seeing investors run away with their hands in the air,” said Peter Attard Montalto of Japanese investment bank Nomura.

“What is happening is a slow grind of under-performance, (South Africa) not realizing its full potential and that is a result of policy and the politics that are going on.” South Africa may be saved, at least for now, by the few institutions that still work well, he added. “The problem is, investors go to see the SARB (South African Reserve Bank), they go to see the National Treasury and these are amazing world-class institutions that are on a par with, or even better than, some developed markets.

“People don’t actually go and interact with the education ministr y, the labour ministr y-that’s where you see the real issues (and) at the provincial level, where the vast majority of provinces are highly inefficient, with large amounts of corruption.” If political stasis allows that type of institutional decay to spread, South Africa could be in for a rough time ahead. — AFP

French family feud erupts at clothing firm Lacoste PARIS: A family feud at the top of the Lacoste clothing company is pitting father against daughter in a battle for management of the green crocodile brand. Michel Lacoste, 69, has decided to seek a court ruling against the company board’s nomination of Sophie Lacoste-Dournel as nonexecutive president, which he told the daily Le Monde was an “irregular” decision “by an irregular board.”

Lacoste told Le Monde that his 36-year-old daughter, who has studied business and loves theatre and acting, “hasn’t spent a day of her life in a business and is not able to manage a successful company.” He would prefer that his niece, Beryl Lacoste-Hamilton, 56, take over and points out that she has already run several of the company’s licenced affiliates, which sell a wide range of casual clothes. The Lacoste group declined to comment on the matter when contacted by AFP. Sophie Lacoste -Dournel was named last Monday by a board elected the same day, which her father claims was stacked against him by a minority shareholder. She said in a statement that “in giving me their confidence, Lacoste shareholders and members of the management board have validated my project for the company.” The new executive also expressed “great pride at having been chosen to lead the process of generational transition,” and be the “guarantor of the family’s values with respect to shareholders, the company, its staff and partners.”

Lacoste-Dournel has been a member of the board since

2005. Her father charges that the Swiss group Maus, which owns a 35 percent stake in the French company and has three voting members on the board, “convinced half my family to form an alliance with it to take control.”

The Lacoste family owns 65 percent of the clothing retailer’s equity and has five votes on the board, which also includes three independent members, one of which was Patrick Thomas, head of the luxury goods company Hermes. Thomas has now given up his seat on the Lacoste board, Hermes told AFP on Friday, confirming information that initially appeared in the French business magazine Challenges.

Thomas had backed Michel Lacoste and his niece Beryl, Challenges said. The board decided last week not to renew Lacoste’s mandate as chairman and replaced him with Loic Armand, president of the cosmetics group l’Oreal France, a move that Lacoste is also challenging.

Lacoste told Le Monde he was “saddened by the weakness and incompetence of family shareholders who were seduced by mirages.” He was named chief executive of the company in 2005, replacing his brother Bernard, and remained as chairman of the board until 2008 when Christophe Chenut was chosen to run the company. The iconic Lacoste brand was founded in 1933 by tennis champion Rene Lacoste, and posted 2011 sales to retailers of 1.6 billion euros ($2.1 billion). Its business model is based on licenses sold to companies which then pay royalties to the group. — AFP

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

BUSINESS

Will Ohio’s economic uptick be a boon for Obama?

CANTON, Ohio: In this crucial battleground in campaign 2012, William Healy and Joe Halter stand on opposing sides of the great divide: How to jump-start the economy? Healy, the Democratic mayor of Canton, recalls how, in the grim early days of 2010, when unemployment topped 13 percent, the budget was shrinking and pressures to meet payroll were mounting, his city desperately needed help. The rescue, he says, came with millions of dollars in federal funds that Canton used to repair bridges, pave streets, demolish homes, hire workers and help keep police and firefighters on the job.

“Those stimulus dollars allowed us to survive the recession,” the mayor says. “Without them we would have been dead in the water.” Halter, meanwhile, is a Republican and CEO of a small steel forging company forced to cut workers during the downturn. He watched with frustration as billions of dollars were doled out to stimulus projects, drowning banks, the collapsing U.S. auto industry - and green energy companies.

“I don’t know that government spending has ever really grown the economy,” he says. “I don’t believe in subsidies - period,” Halter adds, pointing out no federal agency provided money when his business struggled.

(It has since rebounded and added workers.) He prefers tax cuts and less regulation.

The debate over how big government should be and how much it should do is a common theme in this campaign, but it has special resonance in this pivotal state, where many hail the auto bailout as a catalyst in Ohio’s recovery. It also raises larger economic questions about which direction and which candidate offer the best hope for more progress.

Will voters focus on the revitalized auto industry and unemployment below the US average and regard President Barack Obama as the architect of a hopeful but not yet robust economy? Or will they see government as an obstacle, hundreds of thousands of people still out of work and look to Mitt Romney for the answers? “Each side is selling a portrait,” says James Brock, an economics professor at Miami University in Ohio. “For Obama, it’s, ‘Look, things are getting better, stick with me.’ For Romney, it’s, ‘Things will be a lot better if you switch to me.’ Where does the electorate go? Will they stick with what seems to be working or jump to something that might work better?”

The answer could determine who captures Ohio’s 18 all-important electoral votes - and wins the White House. Ohio was once synonymous with steel and rubber, a land of roaring blast furnaces that filled the night sky with smoke and flames. The state was home to generations of blue-collar workers who streamed through plant gates with clockwork precision every morning.

The era when Goodyear, Firestone and LTV dominated the Ohio landscape is long gone.

Ohio has lost more than 368,000 manufacturing jobs since 2000. But heavy industry still has an enormous presence. There are autos in Lordstown (General Motors), Toledo (Chrysler), Marysville (Honda) and Cleveland (Ford). There’s steel in Youngstown and Lorain (and elsewhere). There are polymer companies making car parts, specialty tires, bowls, wall fabric, paint and more in Akron, the former rubber capital. There are medical hubs in Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland.

There’s farming across the state. And there’s a natural gas boom in eastern Ohio, driving demand for steel parts used in drilling.

Politically, the state is as diverse as the nation: The industrialized, union-friendly Northeast, and Democratic-dominated cities ringed by Republicanruled suburbs with Christian evangelicals and soccer moms. Small towns and rural stretches between Dayton and Toledo running up western Ohio that go Republican. And hard-scrabble Appalachian communities among the hills and rivers of the southern and eastern tier that have Democratic roots but can swing Republican because of conservative social views. That mosaic has helped cement Ohio’s reputation as a bellwether. The state has picked the winner in all but two presidential races since World War II. No Republican has lost here and made it to the White House.

This year’s contest is particularly intense with both candidates and their running mates making frequent appearances and their campaigns pumping in more than $100 million in TV ads, each side trying to gain momentum. In the last two weeks, several polls have shown Obama opening up a lead; in one survey, it’s as

high as 10 points.

Much of the focus is on the economy in this state where the jobless rate has dropped from its 10.6 percent recession peak to 7.2 percent in August, which is almost a point below the national average.

That decline, Brock says, complicates matters for the Republican ticket. “Romney wants to paint this picture that the economy is in a ditch and awful and the economy just refuses to play that role,” he says. In fact, Brock says, the state has bounced back more quickly than it did after earlier recessions.

“What’s different this time is Ohio has recovered faster than the rest of the nation,” he says. “We were quick to get hit, quicker to recover. In the past, we were quick to get hit and slower to recover.”

The reason, he says, is many plants with antiquated equipment closed in the last few decades. “The strong survived, the weak disappeared and that left room for newer, stronger type of industries to pop up,” Brock explains. “It’s almost like a forest growing after a fire.

What has grown since is much healthier, so it’s recovered quicker.”

But not everyone is prospering. About 10 percent of the state’s counties have double-digit unemployment, especially those in long-distressed Appalachian areas of southeastern Ohio. State and local governments are still shedding jobs and Ohio has regained less than 40 per-

MORAINE: Weeds grow outside the gate of an abandoned General Motors automotive assembly plant in Moraine, Ohio yesterday. Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney has made the nation’s weak economy the centerpiece of his campaign as he attacks US President Barack Obama’s handling of the deepest downturn in decades and insists “we can’t afford four more years.” cent of the 370,000 jobs lost during the downturn, according to Brent Campbell, an analyst at Moody’s Analytics. The result: continuing anxiety, even among those with a paycheck.

“Uncertainty is what’s driving people’s emotions right now,” says Jason Haas, president of the Akron school board and an Obama supporter. “There’s a lot of fear out there - uncertainty that my job is still going to be there in 12 months, that I’m ever going to get a raise again, that my health care’s going to go up.”

Haas knows some folks think the president should have turned the economy around by now, but he doesn’t. “These were the worst economic times since the Great Depression,” he says. “I think it’s foolhardy to expect that we’re going to come out of it in three years,” he declares, adding that a relatively small group of Obama backers “maybe had greater expectations than political reality allows.”

There’s no question, though, Ohio’s economy has improved. The question: Why? Obama and his supporters point to the U.S. auto comeback and a manufacturing rebirth. Republican Gov. John Kasich lauded his own policies in a speech at the GOP convention, noting he’d erased a projected $8 billion deficit without a statewide tax increase and Ohio has moved from 48th to 4th in job creation. His office says 122,500 jobs have been created since he took office in January 2011.

So who’s right? “They both served the state well,” says Ned Hill, professor of economic development at Cleveland State University. “The fact is if this wasn’t a political season, they’d both be sharing credit. They both played important roles.”

Kasich has recruited international food companies and manufacturers, improved the regulatory climate for

Germany’s jobless rate falls to 6.5% BERLIN: Germany’s jobless rate fell to 6.5 percent in September thanks to a traditional seasonal improvement, official figures showed.

Still, the underlying trend continued to drift higher, underlining concerns that Europe’s biggest economy is slowing down as economic problems around the euro area dent demand for German exports. The Federal Labor Agency said the unadjusted jobless rate was down 0.3 percentage points compared with August, and that the number of people registered as unemployed was 2.788 million - the lowest overall jobless figure for September since 1991.

The figure was 117,000 lower than the previous month and 7,000 lower than September last year. When adjusted for seasonal factors the unemployment rate remained steady at 6.8 percent, where it has stood for several months, and the number of jobless rose 9,000 over August, the sixth straight rise.

The end of the summer holidays usual-

ly sees a batch of new hirings. “The weaker economic development is affecting the job market, though overall the job market remains robust,” the head of the labor agency, Frank-Juergen Wiese said. Many analysts think unemployment could edge up over the coming months as the manufacturing sector, the heart of the German economy, struggles in the face of waning demand around Europe.

“Vacancies continue to drop, the share of temporary jobs in total vacancies is increasing and several companies have reintroduced short-time work schemes,” said Carsten Brzeski, an economist with ING in Brussels. Such government-subsidized programs, which allow employers to reduce production without cutting their workforce, were credited with keeping unemployment down during the 2008-9 financial crisis. Germany is still doing far better than many other countries in the 17-nation euro area.

Unemployment is above 20 percent in Spain and Greece. — AP

Daimler appoints new sales chief in China FRANKFURT: Daimler is calling in a new sales chief for its important Chinese market as it seeks to boost revenue and catch up with faster-selling rivals BMW and Audi.

Long-standing China sales head Klaus Maier will be replaced in December by Nicholas Speeks, currently chief salesman in Japan, Daimler said yesterday, confirming a report in German trade newspaper Automobilwoche. Maier will take on new responsibilities within the company,

businesses, taken innovative steps to finance infrastructure and promoted the energy boom that will produce oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids, an industry that already has reaped hundreds of millions of dollars in investment, Hill says. “He took it from zero to 100 miles an hour,” the professor adds. Obama also should be credited for being “aggressive” in providing stimulus dollars. Ohio received about $8.8 billion, with much going to communities such as Canton. Mayor Healy says his city is still struggling, but without those funds “we would have been in a world of hurt.”

Hill also praises Obama for “having the guts to do the auto bailout,” which he says “preserved a large part of the state’s economy.”

Campbell, the Moody’s analyst, agrees it was helpful.

“The jobless rate definitely would have been higher if we had not had the rescue,” he says.

The US auto industry’s renewed vigor has become frequent fodder for Obama and other Democrats, including Sen. Sherrod Brown, a target of Republican super PACS in his re-election bid. In one TV ad, the senator touts his support of the bailout standing before a Chevy Cruze, rattling off Ohio cities that produce parts of the car. And in campaign appearances before autoworkers, the president and Vice President Joe Biden repeatedly remind voters Romney opposed the bailout, sometimes referring to the Republican nominee’s widely

Daimler said, adding that a successor for Speeks in Japan had yet to be named.

Daimler said on Sept. 20 that profit at its Mercedes division would slip this year, citing heightened competition in China and the crisis in austerity-hit Europe.

BMW, Audi and Mercedes account for about three quarters of luxury car sales in China, but the effects of a slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy are already making themselves felt. — Reuters

GM veteran. “It was a risk because he didn’t know what the outcome would be. ... I know there are a lot of people out there that don’t like it. But the (government) loaned all the money to these banks and they were making all these crazy investments. With the auto loan, they were at least supporting workers and keeping good jobs in the community.” Still, there remain fierce opponents to the idea of using taxpayer dollars to help troubled companies. “If they can’t stand on their own, they don’t deserve to be propped up,” says Halter, the steel company CEO and Romney supporter. “Nobody propped up Toyota or Nissan. ... That was unfair.

That was a political gift to the United Auto Workers.

There’s no way around it. I could care less whether General Motors goes away because there’s somebody else there that’s going to take their place.”

The rescue does have one Republican booster: Randy Hunt, a lawyer, head of the Stark (Canton area) Development Board and owner of two small businesses, one an auto parts company.

Hunt says government is too big, too intrusive and spends too much money, but acknowledges from a “selfish standpoint” the bailout was a “great thing. ... The federal government needs to step in periodically to help the private sector.”

This isn’t the only polarizing election issue in Ohio.

Democrats and unions vow to remind voters of

BOWLING GREEN: US President Barack Obama speaks at a campaign rally at the Bowling Green State University yesterday in Bowling Green, Ohio. — AFP photos

quoted 2008 op-ed piece in the New York Times, titled “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt.” Romney preferred a managed bankruptcy, without federal money, and maintains the rescue was unfair, unnecessary and political payback to the unions.

While the candidates differ on the need for the bailout, Obama and Kasich, the governor, differ on its impact. Kasich’s office says that since he became governor (20 months ago), the 122,500 new jobs have been in areas such as plastics, metal and food manufacturing, health care and information technology - and auto jobs have actually dropped by 3,200. That count is limited to workers who assemble cars and make parts.

The Obama administration takes a longer and wider view in a bailout that began under former President George Bush, more than two years before Kasich became governor. In a three-year period starting in June 2009 - when GM and Chrysler were emerging from bankruptcy - it reports a gain of 17,400 industry jobs.

Those numbers include auto parts stores and dealerships.

What is indisputable is the auto turnaround has been good for Ohio, where about one in eight jobs is linked to the industry. In August, GM announced it will invest $220 million in manufacturing plants in Lordstown and Parma to build the next-generation Cruze, preserving more than 5,000 jobs. Chrysler is adding 1,100 jobs by late 2013 at its assembly complex in Toledo where it will make a new Jeep sport utility vehicle. Three years ago, there were rumors about the plant’s future after production had dwindled to one shift.

Not surprisingly, many autoworkers like Obama. “He had our backs then,” says Dave Green, president of UAW Local 1714 in Lordstown. “We have his back now.” “It was a courageous decision,” says Jim McGowan, a 24-year

Romney’s support of a law supported by Kasich and approved last year by the GOP-dominated legislature that would have severely restricted collective bargaining for some 350,000 public workers, including police and firefighters.

The measure, billed as a cost-cutting necessity, was resoundingly repealed in a referendum eight months later, following protests, a statewide petition drive and a multimillion dollar campaign spearheaded by unions.

“Everybody I talk to it’s like ‘Remember the Alamo,’” says John Russo, co-director of the Center for Working Class Studies at Youngstown State University. “There may be a small decline of energy because of time, but people have very strong memories and feel betrayed.”

Al Tuchfarber, a polling expert and professor emeritus at the University of Cincinnati, disagrees. “The bottom line is that issues aren’t nearly as important as they’re made out to be,” he says, with the exceptions being the economy and an unpopular war. “They’re what I call the 800-pound gorilla - when they jump on the table, they knock off everything else.”

Tuchfarber says he doesn’t think the collective bargaining fight or auto loans will matter much and Ohio will continue to vote 1 percent to 3 percent more Republican than the nation. In 2008, Obama beat John McCain by 4.6 percent.

But other economic issues weigh on voters’ minds.

For Hunt, the lawyer and Romney supporter (he likes the GOP nominee’s business credentials), it’s spending.

“Nobody’s coming up with a viable solution to deal with our federal deficit,” he says, adding that he’d willingly pay higher taxes if he knew the money was used responsibly. “If you said 5 percent for five years and it’s all going to go for the federal deficit,” he says, “I’d be the first person to sign up.”—AP

Data suggest US economy growing only modestly Demand for manufactured good fell WASHINGTON: A spate of data painted a mixed picture of the US economy: Demand for long-lasting manufactured goods fell, and slightly fewer people signed contracts to buy homes. At the same time, the job market looked only a little better.

Taken together, the reports suggest the economy is growing only modestly and not quickly enough to spur much hiring.

“The economy overall has only weak forward momentum,” Nigel Gault, chief US economist at IHS Global Insight, said in a note to clients. “The news from housing may be improving, but manufacturing is struggling now.” Most of the data seemed discouraging on the surface. But a closer inspection of the details offered some promise.

Companies cut orders for long-lasting goods by 13.2 percent in August, the Commerce Department said. That was the biggest drop in more than three years but it was largely influenced by a 102 percent decline in volatile aircraft orders. Excluding transportation equipment, orders fell only 1.6 percent.

And in a positive sign, orders in a category that reflect business investment plans rose 1.1 percent, the first increase since May. The overall economy grew at a 1.3 percent annual rate in the April-June quarter, much lower than the 1.7 percent the government previously estimated. About half of the downward revision stemmed from the severe drought in the Midwest, which cut overall farm output. But growth also fell because exports and consumer spending expanded at a slower pace.

The number of Americans who signed contracts to buy previously occupied homes fell in August from a two-year high in July. The National Association of Realtors said its index of sales agreements declined 2.6 percent to 99.2. That’s just below the reading of 100 that is considered healthy. Still, the index is 10.7 percent higher than a year ago.

Economists expect growth to hover near or below 2 percent for the rest of the year. That’s typically too weak to create enough jobs to lower the

unemployment rate. One report appeared to offer some hope that the job market will improve.

Weekly applications for unemployment benefits plunged 26,000 to a seasonally adjusted 359,000, the lowest level in two months, the Labor Department said. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, fell to 374,000. Applications are a measure of the pace of layoffs. When they consistently fall below 375,000, it typically indicates that hiring is strong enough to lower the unemployment rate. The weekly figures can be volatile, causing most economists to focus on the four-week average.

Economists were mildly encouraged by the unemployment applications. Still, many still expect the government’s employment report for September to show only modest job gains, perhaps about 100,000. That’s about the same as in August. The September jobs report will be released next week.

The September jobs report will be released next Friday. The past few reports on applications for unemployment benefits “suggest no significant acceleration or deceleration in employment growth,” said Jim O’Sullivan, an economist at High Frequency Economics.—AP

LAS VEGAS: The construction site of an apartment building is seen in South Las Vegas, Nevada. Las Vegas has long had the dubious honor of being America’s foreclosure capital. But as the election looms, there are faint signs of a turnaround, with home prices rising for six straight months, and the jobless toll down to 12.3 percent in August from 14.3 percent a year earlier. —AFP

26

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

BUSINESS

Fly away to Romanian capital with flydubai this Eid Picturesque Bucharest Are you excited about the Eid Al-Adha break but drawing a blank on where to go? With flydubai starting flights to Bucharest, the capital of Romania, on 1 October 2012, why not make the most of the Eid break and hop on a short flight to one of Europe’s most vibrant cities? A hidden holiday gem, Bucharest is teeming with interesting architecture, leafy parks and must-visit museums as well as bustling clubs, cafÈs and restaurants.

cases the fine art of glassmaking using centuries-old techniques. Located in the commercial heart of the old city, it is a stone’s throw from a number of art galleries, antique shops, cafÈs and restaurants. ● Built between 1886 and 1888, the Romanian Athenaeum was designed as a “Palace of Science and Arts”. The building which has exceptional acoustics is also home to the George Enescu Philharmonic orchestra.

Must-See Bucharest is called the “Little Paris of the East” and for good reason - the city has an abundance of elegant architecture including the Triumphal Arch built in 1922 to celebrate Romania’s victory in World War I. ● Fancy a walk around Dracula’s lair?

Curtea Veche Voivodal Palace was constructed by the order of Vlad the Impaler - the inspiration for Bram Stroker’s Dracula. Visitors can explore the remains of the old court - the Curtea Veche - as well as the palace’s Turkish bath. ● One of Bucharest’s jewels, the Glassmaker’s Court in Lipscani, show-

Unwind and Relax Enjoy a coffee and experience the hustle and bustle of the Romanian social scene at any of the restaurants and cafes that line the streets of Smrdan, Francez, elari, Sfntul Dumitru, Gabroveni and Covaci in the Historic Quarter. ● The 77-year old Her?str?u Park is the city’s largest and derives its name from Herstru, one of the lakes of the Colentina River around which it was developed. Spread over 187 hectares, it provides the perfect spot for a relaxing stroll, a cycle ride or a walk with friends to the local terraces. ● Sample Bucharest’s nightlife at

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Club A, the veteran of the city’s club scene. Founded by architecture students 40 years ago, it contributed significantly to the evolution of Romanian rock. flydubai Recommends For the Nature Lover: A day-trip to the Comana Nature Park (40 km from Bucharest), which is the second-largest protected area in Romania. Visitors can take a boat around the park’s lake or walk in the adjacent forest. Also noteworthy are the two floral reserves and the 500-year old Comana Monastery, where Vlad the Impaler was said to have been slain. ● For the Foodie: Experience a slice of history while you dine at the Caru’ cu Bere, the century-old restaurant on Stavropoleos Street. With delicious traditional Romanian fare, live music and dancing, it is one of Bucharest’s oldest, most respected and popular culinary hotspots. ●

Tips for Travel ● Stay: Bucharest offers a wide-selec-

tion of hotels ranging from two to five stars, many of which are part of hotel

chains. If you are travelling on a budget, Grand Ville is a small 20-room hotel, located close to the city centre. If you would like to splurge on your hotel stay, check out one of Bucharest’s three to five star-rated boutique hotels such as Hotel Epoque, Hotel Residence Arc de Triomphe or Scala Boutique Hotel. ● Money: Romanian Leu (RON) is the currency of Romania. AED 1 is equal to RON 0.95. To get the best rates while exchanging money in Bucharest, opt for a bank instead of a currency exchange office. ● Information: For daily information, refer to Nine O’Clock, the English-language daily that provides information on political, economic affairs as well as cultural events. ● Getting around: The subway is the easiest way to travel within Bucharest.

A journey from one end of the city to the other takes just 20 minutes. Buses, trolley-buses and trams also operate across the city. ● Shopping: Best buys in Romania include glassware (visit the Glassmaker’s Court); carpets, pottery and handicrafts (at the Peasant Museum or Village Museum); and

Water recycling solutions earn Dow prestigious ME Award Arabian Water & Power Forum recognizes efforts DUBAI: Dow Water & Process Solutions (DW&PS), a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company and a global leader in environmentally advanced separation and purification technologies, has won the prestigious Innovation in Sustainability

Award at the Arabian Water and Power Forum (AW&PF) 2012. Eng Waleed Ali Ahmed Salman, Executive Vice President Strategy & Business Development with Dubai Water & Electricity Authority (DEWA) presented the award during the ceremony which took place at The Atlantis Palm Hotel, Dubai.

Accepting the award on behalf of Dow, Dr Ilham Kadri, Commercial Director, DW&PS Middle East and

Africa, shared these remarks, “This part of the world has been blessed with oil and gas and less so with water. Winning this award is an honor and testament to our relentless focus on innovating solutions in the water arena. At Dow, we place sus-

tainability at the heart everything we do and it’s about making every decision today- keeping the future in mind.”

DW&PS has been at the forefront of efforts to help promote wastewater recycling in the Middle East as a means of addressing the region’s water concerns. The award, in the Commercial Enterprises and Government Institutions category, recognized the role of two Dow

Integrated Technology products; DOW Ultrafiltration, and DOW FILMTEC Reverse Osmosis Elements, in unique water recycling projects at the Al Ain Dairy Farm and the Park Hyatt Dubai, both in the United Arab Emirates.

“The advanced, integrated membrane technology that we produce at Dow purifies the water to remove organics, suspended solids, viruses and other particles through the DOW Ultrafiltration technology and then rejects soluble species using the Dow innovation extra fouling resistance reverse osmosis (RO) membranes,” said Rami Abu Amirah, Regional Commercial Manager, DW&PS Middle East and Africa. “The

CSR affirms Al-Safat Takaful Co at BB; Outlook remains stable KUWIT: Capital Standards Rating Co (CSR) has affirmed the Insurer ’s Financial Strength Rating (IFSR) at ‘BB’ and the national rating at ‘BBBkw’ for Al Safat Takaful Company KSC (closed).

The outlook for the rating remains Stable.

Al-Safat Takaful has shown improvements in retaining market position particularly in the local takaful market. In addition, the rating reflects Al-Safat Takaful’s adequate capitalization, with a low underwriting leverage compared to the total capital base. Historically, the company has been able to effectively manage underwriting costs, with the cost structure ratio being steadily on a declining trend for the past five years resulting in an overall better underwriting performance. The company implements a conservative reserve accumulation strategy and relies heavily on reinsurance for its marine and aviation and general accident segments. The company’s rating is however constrained by its high risk assets (mainly local quoted and unquoted equities) coupled with the investment losses which are threatening the company’s financial performance, given the risky nature of these investments.

The liquidity position is also weakening the company’s financial flexibility and is considered low when compared

to its markets peers. The outlook reflects CSR’s view of the continued improvement in the company’s insurance underwriting performance. The rating is also positively impacted by the changes that CSR made to the “Insurance Rating Methodology”.

The rating methodology used in rating Al-Safat Takaful is “Insurance Rating Methodology”, and the “Takaful - Rating Approach” and it can be found at www.capstandards.com in the ‘methodologies brief ’ sub-directory under the Rating tab.

Al-Safat Takaful Insurance Company was established in 2005 as per the Islamic Sharia principles and offers takaful insurance services in Kuwait. The company provides Islamic insurance in various segments such as marine and aviation, motor vehicles, fire and general accident, life and health. The ownership structure of Al-Safat Takaful has changed, and the major shareholders of the company are now; Kuwait Finance & Investment Company (36.353%), Securities Group (19.724%), Fuad Al Ghanim & Sons Companies (19.370%). Al-Safat Takaful is regulated by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry (Insurance Department). In January 2011, CSR assigned Al-Safat Takaful an IFSR rating of “BB” and a national scale rating of “BBBkw” with a stable outlook.

technology is integrated into a conventional plant easily, and it produces a final product which is ready to enter the cooling system, purified, with low salt and of high quality.”

The Park Hyatt project involved recycling of wastewater to supply the hotel’s Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) towers.

These towers were then used to cool the hotel’s 225 luxury rooms, helping it save 148,300 cubic meters of water annually. The Al Ain Dairy Farm utilizes the Dow integrated technology to treat wastewater that is reused to keep the Farm’s 2,500 cows cool, and also for irrigation and cleaning purposes.

This system helps the farm save as much as 300,000 cubic meters of water per day.

One of Dow’s strategic corporate objectives is improving global access to clean water. In line with this, DW&PS has been involved with a series of water-related initiatives and investments in the region. In 2009, Dow established the Dow Middle East and Africa R&D Centre at the King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, aiming to deliver innovation in water treatment technologies with immediate commercial application for the region. This was followed by announcement of plans to invest in a best-in-class manufacturing facility for DOW FILMTEC RO elements in the Kingdom. On Sept 16, Dow also signed a commercial agreement with Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) to collaborate on research, launching a pilot study that would test suitability of innovative desalination technologies in the Arabian Gulf.

ABK announces second draw winners KUWAIT: Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait is proud to announce the second draw winners of its “Save More and Win with Fahoodi” back to school campaign! The second weekly draw for 3 iPads took place at the Head Office and the young, lucky winners to receive the exciting prizes are Abdulla Ahmed Al Ghaith Salwa Branch, Haneen Mohammed AlDawsri Qurain Branch and Mohammed Fahad Al-Shemeri Hadiya Branch. Eligible Fahoodi customers are automatically entered into a weekly draw for 3 iPads, which are sure to provide them a great start to the new academic year.

Draws will now be held every week, and the fourth and final draw on 14th October 2012 will not only be for iPads but also for a magnificent grand prize the Macbook Pro laptop.

Stewart Lockie, General Manager of Retail Banking stated that “ABK encourages students to secure their future by ensuring their finances are well looked after in order to fulfill their dreams of a Stewart Lockie brighter tomorrow. A minimum deposit of KD20 ensures that all Fahoodi account holders have a chance of winning one of the weekly draws for 3 iPads and also a chance of being the lucky winner of the Macbook Pro laptop.” Any child 14 years of age or under can obtain a Fahoodi Account and gain immediate entry into the draw, and existing account holders can also be a part of it with a minimum deposit of KD 20. The campaign ends on 14th October 2012.

For more information please visit www.eahli.com to talk directly to one of our Account Managers through Al Ahli Chat Service or call Ahlan Ahli on 1899899.

antiques as well as artwork by emerging Romanian artists. For more mainstream buys, visit one of Bucharest’s 10 malls or luxury shopping districts such as Calea Dorobanti, Calea Victorei and Magheru Boulevard. ● What to watch en route: Catch all the latest releases including the Hollywood blockbuster Hunger Games or the comedic re-boot 21 Jump Street.

On a flydubai flight, you can stay entertained with 800 hours of non-stop entertainment featuring more than 190 movies, 150 TV programmes and 300 music albums.

Getting There Flights to Bucharest will operate four times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays connecting via Dubai. Flight FZ797 is scheduled to depart Dubai Terminal 2 at 0915hrs, landing in Henri Coand International Airport (Bucharest Otopeni International Airport) at 1330hrs local time. The return flight, FZ798, departs at 1415hrs, arriving in Dubai at 2000hrs local time, making it the perfect long weekend getaway.

Return fares from Kuwait to Bucharest start at KD 190

S&P raises Warba Insurance Co KUWAIT: Standard & Poor’s (S&P), one of the world’s leading international credit rating agency, upgraded Warba Insurance Co’s financial strength rating to BBB, and counterparty credit ratings to the same while raising the company’s outlook to stable. The stable outlook

Tawfiq S Al-Bahar indicates Warba’s financial profile could further improve over the next two years.

Standard & Poor’s explained in their issued report that Warba Insurance’s ratings have been raised to ‘BBB’, making remarkable progress and maintaining a lead market share of 11% amongst more than 30 licensed insurance providers in Kuwait. With noticeable improvement in its operating performance, it has been predicted that Warba Insurance will maintain its strong financial and business profiles supported by strong risk-based capital. Additionally, Standard & Poor’s stated in its report that the strong under-

writing performance reflects the significant steps Warba Insurance has taken to strengthen its investment risk controls and risk appetite, thus materially reducing its still-high equity holdings, improving capitalization to strong and reducing the potential volatility of its capital. The steps consisted of distinguished management performance through expanding its client base and enhancing its market share, strong underwriting performance, which led to a strong competitive position, and finally by its competitive attitude by strengthening its capitalization. The report also reflects the strong cover that liquid assets to net technical reserves worth 5.6 times, and and net claims reserves are covered by cash deposits by 2.8 times.

Commenting on S&P’s decision, Tawfiq S Al-Bahar, Warba Insurance Co’s Managing Director, said that the report is a great endorsement of our excellent management team, its strong leadership and our dedicated work force, as well as our risk management systems and controls. It also confirms that our strategy of focusing on providing the best and most dependable services is working, and is delivering the results we had planned.

The last two years have seen us put Warba Insurance Co on a solid growth trajectory, and I believe we are now well positioned for continued future growth. We have strengthened our balance sheet significantly, made good progress to meet challenges in a difficult market, delivered good results by concentrating on our core areas of Consumer and Corporate insurance products, and have greatly enhanced our levels of customer service. Our challenge now is to maintain our focus as we continue our development.

VIVA hosts world HR guru Dave Ulrich in Kuwait KUWAIT: In line with its continuous endeavor to strengthen relations within the Group and provide its employees with world class programs and training courses, VIVA, Kuwait’s newest and most advanced mobile telecommunications service provider, announced today that it hosted the

Dr Waleed Al-Tararwah, Chief Human Resources Officer at VIVA world HR Guru and author, Dave Ulrich, to lead a two day workshop entitled ‘The Next Step for HR Value Creation: outside/in’, organized and held at the Hilton Hotel, Mangaf.

Professor Dave Ulrich commenced the workshop by addressing the changing business conditions and the implications for managing individual ability, organization capability, and leadership. Several other topics were addressed such as the 10 major

trends shaping HR transformation from the outside/in as the title indicates, the required organization capabilities of the future and what leaders should know and do to respond to future business realities.

Commenting on this valuable educational event, Dr Waleed Al-Tararwa, Chief Human Resources Officer at VIVA said, “ This event has been a groundbreaking step towards reinforcing our existing skills and calibers and towards taking HR concepts and responsibilities to another level.”

Mohammed Al-Khushail, STC International Business Governance Director, stated, “ Within the STC Group, we strive to present our teams across the markets with exceptional opportunities and experiences that will only elevate the standards of their performance and efficiency, and this event exemplifies just that.”

VIVA invited STC & VIVA Bahrain Key HR Executives to have the chance to engage in an exciting and productive session, where Professor Dave Ulrich responded to their inquiries and addressed the different views and understandings regarding human resources.

It is worth mentioning that Dave Ulrich is a Professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan and a partner at the RBL Group, and a publisher of over 200 articles and book chapters and over 25 books and other countless prominent attainments.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

technology

‘Every third HDD in Kuwait has malware’ ACICS seminar focuses on ME cyber security

By Islam Al-Sharaa KUWAIT: Kaspersky Lab, a leading developer of secure content management solutions, participated at the Arabic Conference for Information and Communications Security (ACICS), which was held in Kuwait from September 2426. In an interview with the Kuwait Times, Vladimir Zapolyansky, the Head of Technology Positioning of Kaspersky Lab, said that the seminar focused on Internet security with main spotlight on cyber threats and technology to improve protection for IT manufacturers.

He revealed that the most vulnerable people in the Arab world are the consumers and even companies aren’t spared by hackers who steal valuable information from them in order to make a quick buck from it. Zapolyansky said that Kaspersky Lab was the first company to detect the Flame virus in the Middle East and came up with an antivirus to tackle it. Kaspersky Lab is No. 3 on the list of top anti-virus companies in the world and detects 1,250 new threatening malware on a daily basis. They also cooperate with ITU research and the police to keep an eye on new and upcoming viruses. Zapolyansky spoke about “Default Deny” approach; approach wherein employees are allowed to run only programs known to be legitimate. In order to make a Default Deny scenario possible, the security solution needs to access the high quality Whitelisting database, which contains complete, up-to-date information about the majority of legitimate programs in existence. Undertaking the Default Design approach significantly improves protection against unknown malware and targeted attacks.

Zapolyansky mentioned during his presentation some Kuwaiti cyber security facts, including finding something malicious on each third hard drive or removable device like USB flashdrives.

This figure is higher than Western Europe where something malicious is detected on each fifth hard drive. In addition to that, most prevalent exploits targeting Kuwait are dedicated for Adobe Acrobat Reader (31 percent) and

Android Root (33 percent).

Khalid Abu Baker, Corporate Sales Manager, Kaspersky Lab Middle East and Turkey, shared Kaspersky Lab’s experience and learnings from the Middle East region, and discussed with the attendance of the conference how to build an efficient IT security environment, and the importance of having a secure IT infrastructure to establish a successful business. Furthermore, how organiza-

Vladimir Zapolyansky

tions can overcome the IT security challenges - especially with the increasingly complex endpoint environments comprised of various devices, platforms and operating systems.

Commenting at the conference, Tarek Kuzbari, Managing Director of Kaspersky Lab Middle East and Turkey said, “The Central Agency for Information Technology is always in touch with leading companies about all aspects of technology, especially in the field of IT security. That is why we are witnessing one of the most important events happening in the Middle East Region today and we are very happy that Kaspersky Lab is being represented during this conference.”

He continued saying, “This event will allow users, experts, and vendors to exchange ideas about information security and best business practices in this area. Moreover, ACICS is aiming to improve the level of awareness in the importance of information security and the continued efforts to overcome the increasingly sophisticated methods of intruders and cyber criminals”.

The event was under the sponsorship of the Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT ), the government organization that is officially responsible for developing the e-government project in Kuwait which aims to bring Kuwait to an internationally advanced position of country automation.

Digital data mining spurs efforts to curb use without permission

CANADA: This undated photo provided by University of British Columbia a bird outfitted with a tiny backpack in British Columbia.—AP

Birds with backpacks help UBC track bird migration VANCOUVER: British Columbia birds outfitted with tiny backpacks have shown researchers that birds of a feather do not always flock together.

Forty birds from two distinct groups of Swainson’s thrushes - one in Pacific Spirit Park in Vancouver and another near the Interior city of Kamloops were fitted with penny-sized geolocators.

The state-of-the-art technology recorded light intensity data just about every day for a year, as the olive-green birds migrated as far south as South America over the winter and returned to British Columbia for the summer of 2011. That information allowed the researchers to determine where the birds went and where they stopped along the way, confirming what has long been suspected.

“These two groups are taking very different routes,” said Kira Delmore, a zoology PhD student at the University of British Columbia and lead author of the paper published this week in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B. The two groups took different routes to differ-

ent wintering grounds: the Vancouver birds down the coast to Mexico and Central America, and the Kamloops birds across the Rocky Mountains and down the central United States to South America.

The backpacks weighed just one gram, compared to the birds’ 30 grams, and they didn’t disrupt their flight. Return rates of the 40 birds in the study were the same as past years, she said. Top of FormBottom of Form As they fit each bird individually in June 2010, Delmore and her colleagues learned that a bird in the hand ... is a hard thing to accomplish.

“It can be quite a trial,” she said.

“To fit the backpacks to the birds, we make what they call a leg loop backpack harness, so it just loops around their legs and sits on their backs.”

Previous research suggests the migration routes are genetically determined, and the results gathered in June 2011 raise the possibility that migratory behavior plays a role in the process by which one species becomes two. “Given that migratory behavior is under genetic influence in many species of birds, these results

raise the question of what hybrids between these two subspecies would do,” Darren Irwin, associate professor of Zoology at UBC and coauthor of the paper, said in a statement. “One possibility is that hybrids would take an intermediate route, leading to more difficulties during migration. If so, the migratory differences might be preventing the two forms from blending into one.”

Although songbirds travel solo at night, in each distinct group the birds stopped at the same sites along the way.

“All of the individuals from each one of our populations are actually stopping at the same sites, on migration. For example, all of the birds from Kamloops stopped in Alabama before crossing the Gulf of Mexico,” Delmore said. That information will help with conservation.

“We know that habitat availability is going down and now we know where the birds really need to stop and where they really need to spend time on migration, so we can focus our conservation efforts on those areas.”—AP

ST LOUIS: Robert Cole helped a friend learn about his diabetes. Cole, of Ferguson, Mo, searched online, printed out some articles from his computer and passed along the information.

About six weeks later, Cole began receiving advertisements in the mail and online for diabetes testing supplies.

He was alarmed by the connection.

Cole, 65, who has no history of the disease, launched into a personal investigation several years ago about who owns his identity and personal information and began evangelizing to his family and friends about the way individual data is mined and potentially used.

He’s not alone in worrying about how his digital moves are being tracked.

New efforts are under way to help individuals regain some control of how their information is collected and shared. And new research suggests people are beginning to take steps to protect their privacy online and on cellphones.

Cole called the firm that mailed him brochures to find out how it obtained his name and address, but he was unable to get an answer. Eventually, he filed a complaint with the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse in San Diego and tried to contact the American Civil Liberties Union to find out who had the right to access and sell information about him.

“Am I in somebody’s database as a diabetic? Because I’m not. I don’t even know how to correct that,” he said. What if he applies for life insurance and is rejected based on a faulty profile? he asked. Could he be charged higher premiums or be denied credit because of what he types in his emails or in Google searches?

Automated bots sweep the Web for consumer information, and websites use cookies and browser fingerprinting to follow users across the Web, while third-party data brokers sell users’ projected online behaviors in real time.

Laura McCarthy Jarman, 30, of St Louis, said she noticed when she was planning her wedding in the spring that most of the ads she saw online were related to weddings. “It was just so bizarre,” she said. “You feel like your computer is reading your mind.”She ended up installing an ad blocker, which struck her as ironic given her own job in public relations and marketing.

It made the time she spent online much more enjoyable, she said. While she was motivated by both convenience and privacy concerns, she said, she can appreciate why collecting the information is important to help businesses and can be useful for some consumers.

Cole has a more philosophical objection. “I have an issue with how someone can sell my name without my acknowledgement or agreement,” Cole said. If someone is profiting from selling personal information about his behavior online, he wants a cut of it. George Blake, a retired newspaper editor in Atlanta, is hoping to attract millions of consumers who share Cole’s logic. Last

month, he launched two privacy-related websites based on what he believes is a pent-up public demand for taking back control of personal data.

One of his sites, Money For My Data, lets individuals sign up to allow companies to sell collected data and take periodic surveys about interests and future purchases. Individuals can decide which pieces of their consumer profile they want shared with companies interested in targeting them for ads, Blake explained. His company will package and sell the data or work with data accumulators on sales the users have permitted. His goal is to have individuals get a percentage of the profit from the sale when their name is included on such a list.

“Data is the new world currency,” he said. “People need to claim ownership of data in critical mass.” Blake believes that attaching a monetary value to an individual’s personal data will help bolster legal arguments protecting consumer privacy rights. He’s also working on a registry to allow users to opt out of being tracked online, although an international body, the World Wide Web Consortium, also has been working on Do Not Track standards for nearly a year.

The consortium’s proposed Do Not Track option will let users choose in their browser preferences a setting that indicates that they do not want websites and ad networks to track their browsing behavior. What businesses will need to do to comply with these standards is still being negotiated.

Microsoft said recently that Internet Explorer 10 will include the anti-tracking setting as a default, but the Apache Web server, which powers 60 percent of websites worldwide, responded by declaring it would ignore the Do Not Track request from all Internet Explorer 10 browsers because it was set as a default and not expressly chosen and set by a person.

The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nonprofit advocacy organization, has received 526 consumer complaints since the start of the year. The most common complaint topics relate to: medical privacy; workplace issues such as employment background checks and workplace surveillance; online data brokers and the availability of public records online; data sharing practices by small businesses; and unwanted phone calls that are difficult to stop, according to spokeswoman Amber Yoo. Most of the complaints have a technology element, she added.

Media coverage of high-profile, privacy-related news this year may also be raising awareness and concern about privacy issues, she said. The White House issued its Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, the Supreme Court limited police use of a GPS tracking device to track suspects and the Federal Trade Commission fined Google $22 million for violating the terms of Safari’s privacy protections.

Aleecia McDonald, a privacy researcher and fellow at the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School, says her work on users’ understanding of digital behavior and privacy reveals a significant knowledge gap.”They think they are protected by laws that don’t exist,” she said. Many people don’t realize that third parties can track them across the Internet and are invisible to them. Others don’t realize that ad content is influenced by what they write in emails.

But despite the perception that technology has somehow diminished the desire for privacy, McDonald found that different generations expressed different areas of concern. Those ages 18 to 25 wanted to protect their data from their parents and certain peers. An older demographic was more concerned about protecting data from employers, and those over 65 did not want their children to have access to all their information, especially on health-related issues.

“Privacy issues have been with us as long as we have been writing things down,” McDonald said. But sharing information and creating a sense of community is also something we value, she added. Cole, who is especially concerned about insurance companies’ mining of health records, says the tradeoff isn’t worth the price. He refuses to engage in Facebook or other social networks.

But that all-or-nothing approach doesn’t work for most people. “Many of the potential harms with personal information being shared with third parties go unnoticed and are hard to track,” said Mary Madden, a senior researcher with the Pew Internet and American Life Project. “There is this black box of data, and consumers are not sure what’s inside.” And when there is a harm, she asked, how do you prove that it can be traced back to what was collected from a Facebook page, Google search or cellphone app?

A Pew study released earlier this month showed that among cellphone users who download apps on their phones, 57 percent said they had uninstalled or refused to install an app because of to privacy concerns. An earlier Pew report found that more people were removing certain information from their Facebook profiles than two years ago. More users reported removing certain friends, deleting comments, untagging photos or restricting access to their profiles.

Online behavior profiling and data analysis have become sophisticated enough to prompt some people to wonder whether our machines know us better than we know ourselves.

McDonald, the privacy researcher, recalled a man she talked to during her research. He was concerned that he was getting ads for divorce lawyers on his browser. “Do I have some risk factors I don’t know about?” he asked.—MCT

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

H E A LT H & S C I E NC E

Figure out which illnesses should keep your children home and for how long Many parents have a hard time deciding if their kids are well enough to go to school. What well-intentioned parent hasn’t sent a child off with tissues in hand, only to get that mid-morning “come get your child” phone call?

But making the right decision isn’t as tough as you might think. It basically boils down to one question: Is my child contagious? Infections like pinkeye or strep throat usually necessitate a day home with appropriate treatment because they are highly contagious. Most daycares and schools won’t let kids return until after a fever has broken naturally (without feverreducing medicines) for at least 24 hours.

So what infections should parents be concerned about as kids head back to school? KidsHealth.org says these are the top five illnesses parents should look out for during the school year.

1. PINKEYE Conjunctivitis, or pinkeye, is an inflammation of the conjunctiva, the clear membrane covering the white part of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelids. It can be caused by an infection or by exposure to chemicals or other irritants.

Is it contagious? Yes. Conjunctivitis is contagious when caused by viruses (as in most cases) or bacteria, but not when caused by allergies or irritants (like air pollution or swimming pool chemicals).

How does it spread?

Conjunctivitis caused by bacteria or a virus can be spread through contact with the infected person’s secretions or by touching something the person has touched (like a towel or washcloth). Children may spread it from one eye to the other through touching. Noninfectious conjunctivitis, such as that caused by an allergy, is not spread person to person.

When do symptoms go away?

MCT

Usually two to three days after treatment has begun for bacterial conjunctivitis, and about one to two weeks for viral conjunctivitis. For non-infectious conjunctivitis, it depends on when the irritant or other cause is removed and, if necessary, treated.

Prevention: Kids should wash their hands often with warm water and soap and avoid sharing eye drops, makeup, pillowcases, washcloths and towels. For allergic conjunctivitis, keep windows and doors closed on days when the pollen count is high, and dust and vacuum frequently to limit allergy triggers.

Going back to school, work or play: Wait

until at least 24 hours after beginning antibiotics to resume activities.

Going back to school, work or play:

Viral conjunctivitis: once tearing and discharge are gone (about a week).

Bacterial conjunctivitis: at least 24 hours after starting treatment.

3. HEAD LICE Head lice infestation is one of the most common contagious diseases in North America. It can be successfully treated and is not serious.

Is it contagious? Yes. Lice are common among kids ages 3-12 (girls more often than boys). However, anyone can get lice, and it is not a sign of poor hygiene.

Lice do not spread disease.

How does it spread? Lice have claws that allow them to crawl and cling firmly to hair. They spread mainly through head-tohead contact, but sharing clothing, bed linens, combs, brushes and hats can sometimes help pass them along. Lice can spread quickly at schools, childcare centers, slumber parties, sports activities, camps and at home, so all bedmates, infested family members and close contacts should be treated as well.

2. STREP THROAT Strep throat is a bacterial infection that can cause sore throat, headache and fever.

With treatment, symptoms improve quickly. If left untreated, strep throat can lead to complications.

Is it contagious? Yes. It’s caused by group A streptococcus bacteria infecting the back of the throat and tonsils.

How does it spread? Strep throat is spread from person to person, through close contact, unwashed hands and airborne droplets from sneezing and coughing. Anybody can get strep throat, but it’s most common in school-age kids and teens.

Infections can occur even after tonsils have been removed.

When do symptoms go away? Usually within two

When do symptoms go away?

Medicated treatments usually kill the lice and eggs (called nits), but it may take a few days for the itching to stop.

Prevention: Discourage head-to-head contact at school (in gym, on the playground or during sports) and while playing at home with other children.

Discourage sharing combs, brushes, hats, hair accessories, towels or helmets with others. Every 3-4 days, examine I L L U S TAT I O N S C O U RT E S Y O F N E M O U R S ’ K I D S H E A LT H

days of starting antibiotic treatment.

Prevention: To prevent its spread, keep your child’s eating utensils separate and wash them in hot soapy water, avoid sharing food or drinks, encourage frequent hand washing, and teach kids to cough or sneeze into their shirtsleeve and not their hands.

members of your household who have had close contact with someone with lice. Only those with lice infestation require treatment.

Going back to school, work or play: Kids with active lice may return to

school after the first treatment.

4. MOLLUSCUM CONTAGIOSUM Molluscum contagiosum is a common childhood viral skin infection. It usually resolves without treatment in six to 12 months, though sometimes can take longer.

Is it contagious? Yes. The molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV), a member of the poxvirus family, causes this mild skin infection.

How does it spread? Through skin-to-skin contact with the virus, or by touching bath towels and clothes of those infected.

Molluscum contagiosum can easily spread from one part of the body to another when a person rubs or scratches the bumps and then touches another part of the body.

When do symptoms go away? Six to 12 months (sometimes as long as four years) for all bumps to go away completely.

Prevention: Ensure kids wash their hands often. Discourage sharing of towels, clothing and other personal items.

Going back to school, work or play:

Kids can continue activities as long they are receiving treatment and bumps not concealed by clothes are covered.

Get info on the go Want more information about common childhood illnesses and infections?

Download KidsHealth’s free iPhone app, “Is it Contagious?,” on the iPhone App Store.

5. WALKING PNEUMONIA Walking pneumonia is the leading cause of pneumonia in school-age kids and young adults. The main symptom is a bothersome and prolonged cough.

Is it contagious? Yes. This milder form of pneumonia is caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a type of bacteria. Walking pneumonia usually develops gradually and can be successfully treated with antibiotics.

How does it spread? Walking pneumonia is spread through personto-person contact or by breathing in particles spread through the air by sneezing or coughing. It is most common in school-age and older kids, but it’s occasionally seen in those younger than 5.

When do symptoms go away?

Usually three to four weeks, but antibiotic treatment may speed the recovery.

Prevention: Encourage kids to wash their hands thoroughly and regularly.

Going back to school, work or play:

Kids can resume activities after 24 hours of treatment if they feel well enough.

— Health information provided by Nemours’ KidsHealth.org © 2011 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth®

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

he a lt h & s c ie n c e

Are you ready to order?

W

ith our busy lifestyles, eating out is inevitable these days. The sad truth is that, it could also be the reason to all the extra kilos. Often we don’t know the preparation and calorie content, and may mistake unhealthy dishes as healthy dishes thus making the wrong choices with our meals at restaurants. Keen to know how to eat out healthily? There are even those who claim that women who wear dark colored lipstick when they dine out eat slower to avoid it from getting smudged. This means they feel fuller faster, and don’t overeat. “But, don’t pull out that dark lipstick just yet,” says Sarah Dimashkieh, expert dietitian at Diet Care. She takes us through 5 tips that assure that we enjoy both sides of the bargain - savoring our meal and keeping our calories in check.

Tip 1: Make seafood your number one choice Seafood is your all-important super food. It is not only the healthier option, but it also keeps your heart healthy, improves your overall mood and aids in the anti-aging process.

Always choose seafood that is grilled, broiled, baked, steamed, blackened, or poached and stay clear from fried seafood. “However, if you’re concerned about the mercury content in seafood, don’t worry too much as only larger seafood that are taller than 40 centimeters actually accumulates mercury in it,” Dimashkieh explains. Dimashkieh suggests choosing smaller seafood such as salmon, shrimp, sardine, trout and mackerel, and staying away from larger fish such as shark and swordfish if mercury content is your concern.

Tip 2: Stop the shake It’s a classic scene at the restaurant. You’re hungry so you assume you need a delicious beverage along with your meal and succumb to the temptation. Dimashkieh reveals that milkshakes, cocktails and even some coffee mixes are actually considered meals because of the high calories, carbs and fat content. “So in essence, you end up ordering two meals at a time without even knowing about it,” she reveals. Dimashkieh highly advices to stick with water as it is the only beverage that aids

in the fat burning process. Milkshakes or other heavy beverages can be consumed on their own as a separate meal.

Tip 3: Make sirloin your cut of choice Common misconception argues that it is impossible to try and be healthy at a steakhouse. “It’s all fattening so what I choose won’t even matter!” Dimashkieh begs to differ.

“Remember these two key cuts - sirloin and filet mignon. Both are actually the leanest cuts on the menu,” she goes on to say. So what about your favorite rib eye coated in butter sauce? “The rib eye actually has one and a half times more fat than a sirloin! And what we also forget to count as calories is the sauce that comes with the steak. Avoid sauces made almost entirely from egg yolks and melted butter and instead go with a peppery-base made of beef stock and green peppercorn,” Dimashkieh says.

Also, avoid the common mistake of trying to go healthier and ordering a juicy steak burger.

“Steak burgers that we all love is actually made of leftover steak trimmings, which can carry fat levels in excess of 30 percent. So if you’re in the mood for steak, go for regular steak rather than the burger,” she suggests.

Tip 4: Personalize your pizza Usually when we personalize our pizzas, we

end up asking for more high-calorie items on it instead of less. Dimashkieh explains the stepby-step process in personalizing your pizza so that it could actually be healthy for you. “Start with the crust - the thicker the crust, the worse it is for you. So opt for a thin crust pizza.” Then look at exactly what type of toppings you’d want and go for a variety of vegetables with different colors. “Also, don’t add extra cheese but instead opt for extra sauce. That way the pizza will be nice and crispy void of the unwanted calories and fat,” she reveals. Finally, when you get your pizza, don’t forget to dab the surface of the pizza with a paper napkin to soak up the excess oil. “Two slices are considered a full meal so ask for the rest to-go and have it another day. The same applies for all big portioned meals,” Dimashkieh on to say.

Tip 5: If you crave Asian, then go for sushi Asian food is generally healthy unless it’s Westernized. For example, Kuwaiti-based sushi restaurants generally offer options that have higher calories than the traditional sushi restaurants. Dimashkieh explains two key ways to order a healthy sushi. “Avoid sushi that has all sorts of fried toppings and layers in it. Most of it is deep fried and very unhealthy.” Also, stay away from sushi with mayonnaise. “Go for items that are simpler with lesser layers,” she adds.

Sushi is generally low in saturated fat, high in protein and rich with omega-3-rich fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel and a great overall choice for dining out. Dimashkieh also recommends learning how to use the chopsticks. “If you haven’t learnt how to use chopsticks, then here’s a reason why you should: you’ll eat slower, since you can’t grasp as much food with them at one time, compared to your normal fork and knife,” she goes on to say. This way you’ll feel fuller, faster.

NOTE: Sarah Dimashkieh is the Dietetics Manager at Kuwait’s leading nutritional service provider, Diet Care. With more than eight years of health and nutrition experience in the region, Sarah has helped mentor, guide and consult thousands of people in Kuwait who seek a more nutritious lifestyle

Dar Al Shifa Launches breast cancer detection campaign KUWAIT: Dar Al Shifa Hospital announced today the launch of its “Prevention better than cure” breast cancer early detection campaign, which aims at helping patients fully understand breast cancer disease. The campaign will run across the month of October 2012, in which the hospital will provide specialized medical screening tests as well as advice at its booth in 360 MALL. The booth will also include a medical team to educate interested female visitors about different methods of self-exams, while also providing them with a number of educational leaflets and brochures about the same.

Dr Tarek Sinan, Consultant and Head of the Diagnostic Imaging Center at Dar Al Shifa Hospital said: “It is crucial to highlight Breast Cancer at an early stage and to understand the signs, symptoms and methods of treatment.

New technologies have been developed that helps in detecting the disease earlier in the process.” Deaths from breast cancer among women in Kuwait are considered the world’s highest due to a lack of awareness and delay in detection of the disease. The ratio of deaths among patients of breast cancer worldwide is 1:8. Even as studies confirm the rate of breast cancer is higher globally, deaths resulting from breast cancer in Kuwait are higher than the global rate because the disease is always detected in its late stages. Around 3 percent of women between 20 and 29 years in Kuwait have breast cancer, and 5.9 percent of those between 30-39 years old suffer from the disease. 24.7 percent of the breast cancer patients are between 40 and 49 years, 29.1 percent of them 50-59 years, while 13.9 percent of women between 70 and 79 years have this form of cancer.

“Breast Cancer is a wide spread disease that is considered to have high death rates amongst women worldwide, although it can be treated

and cured if detected at an early stage. Through this campaign, Dar Al Shifa Hospital aims at showcasing its overall commitment towards raising more awareness while also becoming a primary healthcare information source across the community. The hospital’s team will be present to provide factual information that women need to be familiar with, such as for example selfexams,” added Dr Sinan.

Cancer is made up of abnormal cells growing out of control, and over time, if not detected and treated, the cancer can spread from the breast to other organs such as liver, brain, lungs and bones. Breast Cancer treatment includes surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and endocrine/ anti hormone therapy. The treatment success depends on the age factor, stage of growth of the cancer and its type, and whether it has spread to lymph nodes or other organs.

Screening is a primary prevention step where early detection will be made, and further allows early intervention measures to be implemented in order to secure a greater possibility of surviving and overcoming the cancer.

“Women are invited to visit Dar Al Shifa Hospital, and enjoy a 50 percent discount on the mammography and the breast ultrasound, while also having the opportunity to benefit from the discount of 50 percent on one of the latest breast MRI machines in Kuwait, during the month of October 2012,” concluded Dr Sinan. The breast cancer early detection awareness campaign takes place annually and is part of the continued development of the Dar Al Shifa Hospital’s successful contributions to raise awareness on the disease, and to encourage women to do the preventive checks .The hospital utilizes its state-ofthe-art technology, and renowned leading doctors and consultants to deliver optimal levels of healthcare to its patients.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

WHAT’S ON

Consular Open House

SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS

onsular Wing is providing daily service of Open House to Indian citizens on all workings days from 1000 hrs to 1100 hrs and from 1430 hrs to 1530 hrs by the Consular Officer in the Meeting Room of the Consular Hall at the Embassy.

For any unaddressed issues, Second Secretary (Consular) can be contacted. Furthermore, the head of the Consular Wing is also available to redress grievances.

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hat’s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others! This summer, let other people see the way you see Kuwait - through your lens. Friday Times will feature snapshots of Kuwait through Instagram feeds. If you want to share your Instagram photos, email us at instagram@kuwaittimes.net

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Indian workers helpline/helpdesk: Indian workers helpline is accessible by toll free telephone number 25674163 from all over Kuwait. It provides information and advice to Indian workers as regards their grievances, immigration and other matters.

The help desk at the Embassy (Open from 9AM to 1PM and 2PM to 4:30PM, Sunday to Thursday) provides guidance to Indian nationals on routine immigration, employment, legal and other issues. It also provides workers assistance in filling up labour complaint forms. For any unaddressed issues, the concerned attache in the Labour section and the head of the Labour Wing can be contacted.

Greetings

UPCOMING EVENTS ‘Leniency of Islam’ n unprecedented initiative of KTV2 (English channel) is the new program by the name ‘Leniency of Islam’ presented by Shaikh Musaad Alsane and directed by Hamid Al-Turkait.

The program is mainly meant to address the expatriates living in Kuwait. Religious questions are received through the program email qislam@tv.gov.kw and sms can be sent to97822021 and answered by the lecturer and Imam in Awqaf Ministry Shaikh Musaad Alsane - a Master Degree holder in Sharia and fiqih from Kuwait University. So don’t forget to watch the program every Friday at 1:00 pm.

A appy birthday to our aunt! Even a million speeches or billions of words will not be enough for us to explain your blessings and love which you have showered on me and my family. Thank you very much for being such a lovely and a very sweet aunt. Many, many happy returns of the day to Dr Sneh Lata Goel, with lots of love and best regards from Akash and fami-

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Study In Canada Fair 2012 he Embassy of Canada in Kuwait is pleased to announce that the seventh annual Middle East Education Initiative (MEEI), composed of approximately 20 leading Canadian universities and colleges, will be visiting Kuwait from October 2-4, 2012. Representatives from the institutions will be available to meet with students, parents and other members of the education community, and provide information about study opportunities in Canada.

The tour includes select school visits and a Study in Canada fair at the Marina Hotel, Salmiya, on October 3 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

Quality education is available throughout Canada, and each of our 10 provinces and three territories have something exciting to offer. With its safe and welcoming environment and affordable tuition fees, Canada remains a top destination for international students wishing to pursue their studies abroad.

The enthusiasm shown by international students for post-secondary studies in Canada gives testimony to the superior quality of our education system.

Students recognize that Canada offers them the opportunity to earn academic qualifications that are recognized and respected around the world, while being part of a tolerant and vibrant multicultural community.

International students in Canada have access to the most sophisticated and up-to-date technologies and facilities, and to programs which allow them to gain valuable work experience through work placements and cooperative education. We invite you to come and meet the representatives from Canada’s colleges, universities and language schools, and discover how studying in Canada will set you on the path to achieving your dreams.

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The schools participating in the tour will be: Carleton University Columbia College University of Winnipeg University of Alberta Dalhousie University Memorial University University of Windsor Vancouver Island University Mount Saint Vincent University University of Manitoba Saint Mary University SAIT Polytechnic Institute College of New Caledonia Fraser International College York University University of the Fraser Valley Grant MacEwan University Ryerson University Kwantlen Polytechnic University University of Waterloo, UAE International College of Manitoba (Navitas College) Seneca College Sheridan Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning

TKS organizes ‘Venu Gaana Geetha Lahari’ t was an awesome evening filled with sweet essence of flute music, tribute to old melodies and a feast of fast beat songs. The venue was Cambridge school, Mangaf and the day was Sep 21, Friday. Telugu Kala Samithi organized “Venu Gaana Geetha Lahari” a unique program with a blend of melodious flute performance and live music concert.

Renowned flute artist Naagaraj along with his wife and renowned singer Mani Naagaraj started the show with some traditional and mythological tunes and as the show went on, he mesmerized the audience with his variations using different kinds of flutes made in various countries. His spellbound performance lasted for more than 60 minutes and left the audience with a long lasting feel to cherish.

The program took a new turn when the live music concert began.

Along with Mani Naagaraj, there were three talented singers Revanth, Saicharan and Tejaswini who became very popular in

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Andhra Pradesh with their performances in many musical shows in various TV channels and are currently emerging playback singers in Telugu cinema. They started with some old melodies and slowly increased the tempo of the program with folk and fast beat numbers. The energy in the auditorium touched its peak when they performed a nonstop medley in the end with a superb fusion of all varieties of songs, mostly fast numbers.

Earlier, a melodious Telugu song and poem were sung and rendered by a few members of Telugu Kalaa Samithi. Then, the program was inaugurated by lightening of the lamp by the chief guest, Sri Vidhu P Nair, the First Secretary to the Ambassador, Rishi Kumar Reddy and Sudhakar from “Rishi Jaideep Group of Companies” the main event sponsors for Telugu Kala Samithi.

A redesigned website of Telugu Kala Samithi was launched by the chief guest Vidhu P Nair. The site will go live to all the people within 1

week’s time. All the artists and chief guests were felicitated by the committee.

P Subbarao the Presedent of Telugu Kala Samithi in his address to the members has expressed his gratitude to all the members, sponsors and well-wishers for their support. He said that Telugu Kala Samithi is always bound to encourage talent and invited everyone to actively participate in the activities and events of the organization. The anchoring by Swetha and Ratna Manojna was sweet and cute. TKS General Secretary, Reddy Prasad introduced various sub committees to all the members. Delicious dinner was served to all the members in the end.

Totally the program was a feast for music lovers and all the members were thrilled by the performances of the artists. The executive committee thanked everyone who have helped in making this program a huge success.

Documentary screening irror of the Invisible World, a new documentary narrated by Academy Award winning actress Susan Sarandon, will make its Middle East debut today October 1, 2012 at 7 pm at the Dar AlAthar Al-Islamiyyah’s (DAI) Al-Maidan Cultural Centre.

This new ninety-minute film, from executive producers Michael Wolfe and Alex Kronemer, “takes audiences on

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an epic journey across nine countries and over 1,400 years of history. It explores themes such as the Word, Space, Ornament, Color and Water and presents the stories behind many great masterworks of Islamic art and architecture.”

Kerala minister opens GPCC family meet ulf Pravasi Cultural Congress(GPCC) Kuwait celebrated its Annual Family Meet and Onam-2012 on September 27, 2012 at Kohinoor auditorium, Fahaheel with colorful cultural activities. The meeting was presided over by Becon Joseph, acting president, GPCC. Jomon Thomas Koikkara, general secretary, GPCC, welcomed the gathering.

Inaugurating the function, Kerala Minister for Excise, K Babu highlighted the contributions being made by Gulf Malayalis to the financial growth of Kerala and explained the opportunity for a non-resident Keralite to invest in Kannur Airport, Air Kerala etc. Babu pointed out the need for unity among Congress organizations in Kuwait.

The Kerala government’s various proposals in “Emerging Kerala “ were also discussed and the minister assured that the UDF government is committed to the wellbeing of the Gulf Malayalis. Kurian adorned the minister with a ‘traditional ponnada’ and Anish Kumar

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presented memento to the minister.

Vijayan Karayil, Secretary of ICSK School, distributed appreciation mementos to the top scorers in 12th standard students from GPCC family for the year 2011-2012.

who is leaving Kuwait after his long ‘pravasi life’ was also honored by GPCC. Danial, Kudkassery, GPCC patrons Kochappillil Vijyabhanu, Aby Varikad and Basheer Batha rendered felicitation speeches. Cultural

Audition for ZEE Antakshari or the first time Indian Cultural Society brings you live excitement of ZEE - International Antakshari in Kuwait. Audition & first round will be held in Kuwait, there after followed by semi finals in India & Grand Finale in Dubai. Complete team of Carnival films & Zee TV will be in Kuwait for the final round of selection on Friday 5th October with Jaaved Jaaferi: Celebrity Judge, Akriti Kakkar: Female Bollywood Singer & Host of Antakshari, Manish Paul: Host for Auditions, Sarfaraz Khan: Actor, Director and Producer, Michael Amin: Producer & Director Carnival films world. Musicians, Male Singer & many more for live performances.

Final audition at 10 am & music show at 7:30 pm at AIS-Hawally.

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Tulukoota Kuwait ‘Merit Scholarship’ pplications are now being invited for “Tulukoota Kuwait Merit Cum Means Scholarship” to be awarded during Tuluparba 2012 scheduled to be held on October 11 and 12, 2012. The objective of this scholarship is to provide financial assistance and support to deserving meritorious students, to enable them to pursue their higher studies. Applications are accepted from minimum one year valid Tulukoota Kuwait member’s children studying either in the State of Kuwait or in India and scoring high grades in Xth and XIIth standard Board Examination held for Academic year 2011-2012.

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ndian Overseas Congress, Kuwait is organizing photo exhibition of Mahatma Gandhi’s life, “Gandhidarsan 2012” on October 5 and 6 at United Indian School, Abbasiya. The exhibition starts at 6:30 pm on Oct 5 and ends on Oct 6 evening which will be inaugurated by Aleyamma Thomas, a freedom fighter who met Gandhiji.

More than 200 pictures of Gandhi’s life will be exhibited. Photos from Gandhi’s childhood to his tragic death will be exhibited at the venue. Very rare photos of His African life, pictures of various Indian Freedom movement and other exclusive photos are included. IOC requests each and everyone especially parents to make use of the exhibition by encouraging children to the venue.

Exhibition is organized to encourage the new generation to study and disseminate the thoughts, values and ideals of Mahatma Gandhi.

The organizers believe that it is the duty of every Indian citizen to spread the ideals of non-violence and to make aware of the great achievement by non-violence, India’s freedom. A committee of General convener Varghese Mamparampan, Jt Gen Conveners Tony Mathew and Santhosh, Prog Committee convener Tomychen Puthiyaparampil, Arrangement Comm Convener Joshy Ullatil, Jt convenors Roy Kuttanad and Sunil Sunny with MAHilal, Geevarghese Abraham, Somu Mathew and Raju Zakarias are leading the arrangements of the exhibition.

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Rajan Danial, vice-chairman of ICSK School and Jils Kudakassery, former president and chief coordinator- GPCC, were adorned by the minister with ‘ponnadas.’ Jacob George, advisory board member,

programs by GPCC families, musical treat by Delight Musical Band and delicious dinner also followed the meeting. Ali K Mohammed, proposed the vote of thanks.

Send to What’s On

ohnarts presents a caricature of visiting Kerala Excise and Ports Minister K Babu during the Onam celebration of Angamaly Pravasi Association Kuwait (APAK) at United Indian School, Abbassiya, last weekend.

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IOC ‘Gandhidarsan 2012’ exhibition

Write to us

upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

Focus Kuwait 6th annual day s a part of the 6th anniversary celebrations, Forum of Cadd Users (FOCUS Kuwait), a nonpolitical, non-religious organization is set to stage a mega cultural event “Focus Fest-2012”. This mega event will be a blend of traditional and contemporary dance and musical extravaganza by renowned South Indian playback singers Jyotsna and Sudeesh. Scheduled for the afternoon of Friday, October 12, 2012, at the Al-Jeel Al-Jadeed School Auditorium, Hawally, the mega musical show, is expected to be a super-hit in Kuwait.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

WHAT’S ON

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Australian Embassy Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visas and immigration matters in conducted by The Australian Consulate-General in Dubai. Email: info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VFS) immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office); Tel: +971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (Visa Office); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office). In Kuwait applications can be lodged at the Australian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor, Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem Street, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait. Working hours and days: 09:30 - 17:30; Sunday - Thursday.

Or visit their website www.vfs-au-gcc-com for more information. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas on-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm.

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Congratulations Yousuf Saleem Aues, son of Saleem Aues started Kindergarten in Pakistani School. His family and well-wishers congratulate him on this first big step in his life.

EMBASSY OF ARGENTINE The Embassy of Argentina requests all Argentinean citizens in Kuwait to proceed to our official email ekuwa@mrecic.gov.ar in order to register or update contact information. The embassy encourages all citizens to do so, including the ones who have already registered in person at the embassy.

The registration process helps the Argentinean Government to contact and assist Argentineans living abroad in case of any emergency.

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City Centre offers daily mega promotions he latest hypermarket of City Centre in Dajeej is continuing to attract a huge footfall of shoppers eager to avail of the many promotions taking place on a daily basis. Adding to the allure and convenience of Dajeej City Centre is its easy access and convenience features. Located just-off the Sixth Ring Road in Dajeej area and adjacent to the Farwaniya Traffic Department, the new City Centre outlet offers a safe play-area for children, dedicated car-parking for customers and a food court, with choice of menus from international restaurant chains and the only hypermarket in Kuwait to offer free wi-fi.

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A huge attraction at the new premises of City Centre are the daily Mega Promotions, competitive prices and the availability of 900 items at 900 fils everyday. In addition, Dajeej City Centre offers a wide range of products, including grocery, fresh and frozen foods, high class meat, fish, deli, produce, bakery, household items, electronics, beauty-care, stationery, garments, toys and a whole lot more to shoppers in Kuwait.

Since 1999, when City Centre first opened in Shuwaikh, the Group has been expanding its retail footprint across Kuwait through opening strategically located branches. Along with its two other branches in

Shuwaikh and Salmiya, the new City Centre at Dajeej entrenches the Group’s leading role on the retail landscape of the country. Offering good quality merchandise at competitive prices is only one of the value propositions that City Centre offers. A neat and spacious interior layout and fully-stocked shelves is designed to allow customers to search, find and select items with utmost speed and convenience.

AWARE diwaniya ou are cordially invited to our diwaniya presentation entitled, “Genius of Islam: How Muslims made the Modern World,”

by Bryn Barnard on Tuesday, October 2, 2012 at 7:00 pm. On October 2, 2012, Bryn Barnard will be discussing the impact of Islamic civilization on the West, the subject of his book The Genius of Islam: How Muslims Made the Modern World. This one hour illustrated PowerPoint talk will include aspects of Islamic philosophy, art, book arts, music, astronomy, medicine, engineering ; a discussion of how Islamic civilization is presented in North American schools; and suggestions about why the deep historical connections between Islam and the West are not better known today.

Bryn Barnard is an author and illustrator with twenty five years experience creating images for clients that include NASA, National Geographic and Scientific American. He has illustrated twenty-five books for children and is the author and illustrator of three books, all published by Random House, New York: Dangerous Planet: Natural Disasters That Changed History, Outbreak: Plagues That Changed History, and The Genius of Islam: How Muslims Made the Modern World, published last April. The Genius of Islam was on the November cover of Booklist magazine and selected as one of its top ten books on religion published in 2011. The Genius of Islam also received the top award for non-fiction from the Middle East Outreach Council, a North American university educational consortium.

The Genius of Islam was published in Arabic in 2012 by Dar Al-Ilm Lilmalayin, Beirut.

Bryn Barnard has had solo exhibitions of his illustrations in Asia, Europe and the United States. In 2009 the Global Health Odyssey Museum at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia exhibited the art from his book Outbreak. The National Museum of Health and Medicine in Washington, DC showed Outbreak in 2010 and will do so again in the spring of 2013 at their new campus in Annapolis, Maryland. Bryn Barnard teaches art at the American International School of Kuwait.

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EMBASSY OF CYPRUS In its capacity as EU Local Presidency in the State of Kuwait, the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus, on behalf of the Member States of the EU and associated States participating in the Schengen cooperation, would like to announce that as from 2nd October 2012 all Schengen States’ Consulates in Kuwait will use the Visa Information System (VIS). The VIS is a central database for the exchange of data on short-stay (up to three months) visas between Schengen States. The main objectives of the VIS are to facilitate visa application procedures and checks at external border as well as to enhance security. The VIS will contain all the Schengen visa applications lodged by an applicant over five years and the decisions taken by any Schengen State’s consulate. This will allow applicants to establish more easily the lawful use of previous visas and their bona fide status. For the purpose of the VIS, applicants will be required to provide their biometric data (fingerprints and digital photos) when applying for a Schengen visa. It is a simple and discreet procedure that only takes a few minutes. Biometric data, along with the data provided in the Schengen visa application form, will be recorded in the VIS central database.

Therefore, as from 2nd October 2012, first-time applicants will have to appear in person when lodging the application, in order to provide their fingerprints. For subsequent applications within 5 years the fingerprints can be copied from the previous application file in the VIS. The Cypriot Presidency would like to assure the people of Kuwait and all its permanent citizens that the Member States and associated States participating in the Schengen cooperation, have taken all necessary technical measures to facilitate the rapid examination and the efficient processing of visa applications and to ensure a quick and discreet procedure for the implementation of the new VIS. ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF FRANCE The Embassy would like to inform that starting September 2nd, 2012, visa demands for France will be handled by the outsourcing company “Capago - MENA Company”. Capago - MENA’S Call Center will be operational starting Sunday August 26 for setting appointments beginning September 2nd (+965 22270555).

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KNES University presentation visits ast week, Kuwait National English School played host to a number of universities from around the world who visited and delivered short presentation to students in Years 10, 11 and 12. The visit was organized under the aegis of Global Study UK, a London based group representing

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several universities from Malaysia, Greece, the United Kingdom and the USA. Each university delivered a short presentation extolling the many opportunities available to prospective undergraduate students. After the presentations, students from the

school were enthusiastic in their questioning of the representatives and the undergraduate courses available before leaving the theatre pondering their many future options.

TEMBASSY OF INDIA The Embassy of India will remain closed on the following days during the month of October 2012: OCT 02, 2012 -TuesdayMahatma Gandhi’s Birthday. OCT 24, 2012 Wednesday-Dussehra (Vijaya Dashami) ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF MYANMAR Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar would like to inform the general public that the Embassy has moved its office to new location at Villa 35, Road 203, Block 2, Al-Salaam Area in South Surra. The Embassy wishes to advice Myanmar citizens and travellers to Myanmar to contact Myanmar Embassy at its new location. Tel. 25240736, 25240290, Fax: 25240749, email:myankuwait11@gmai1.com.

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EMBASSY OF NIGERIA The Nigerian embassy has its new office in Mishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. For enquires please call 25379541. Fax25387719. Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.com or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk.

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EMBASSY OF UKRAINE We’d like to inform you that in response to the increasing number of our citizens who work in the state and the need for 24-hour operational telephone in case of emergency the Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait has opened “hotline telephone number” - (+ 965) 972-79-206.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

TV PROGRAMS

03:15 Shark Fight 04:05 Swarm Chasers 04:55 Squid Invasion 05:45 Dogs 101 06:35 Wildlife SOS International 07:00 Talk To The Animals 07:25 Earthquake: Panda Rescue 08:15 Dogs 101: Specials 09:10 Trophy Cats 10:05 Search For The Knysna Elephants 11:00 World Wild Vet 11:55 Safari Vet School 12:20 Safari Vet School 12:50 Wildlife SOS 13:15 Rescue Vet 13:45 Animal Cops Houston 14:40 Search For The Knysna Elephants 15:35 Dark Days In Monkey City 16:00 Talk To The Animals 16:30 Must Love Cats 17:25 Baby Planet 18:20 Dogs 101 19:15 Wildlife SOS 19:40 Rescue Vet 20:10 Animal Battlegrounds 20:35 Dark Days In Monkey City 21:05 Galapagos 22:00 Cats 101 22:55 Bad Dog 23:50 Animal Cops Miami

03:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 03:45 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 04:25 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 05:10 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 05:50 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 06:35 MasterChef Australia 07:00 MasterChef Australia 07:45 MasterChef Australia 08:10 Celebrity Fantasy Homes 09:00 Celebrity Fantasy Homes 09:45 Bargain Hunt 10:30 Antiques Roadshow 11:20 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 12:50 Gok’s Fashion Fix 13:40 Gok’s Fashion Fix 14:30 The Boss Is Coming To Dinner 14:55 Bargain Hunt 15:40 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 17:10 Gok’s Clothes Roadshow 18:00 MasterChef 18:50 MasterChef 19:45 Coastal Kitchen 20:10 Antiques Roadshow 21:00 DIY SOS 21:25 Holmes On Homes 22:15 Bargain Hunt 23:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 23:45 Gok’s Clothes Roadshow

03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30 04:45 05:00 05:30 05:45 06:00 06:30 07:00 07:30 07:45 08:00 08:30 08:45 09:00 09:30 09:45 10:00 10:30 10:45 11:00

Newsday India Business Report BBC World News Asia Business Report Sport Today BBC World News Asia Business Report Sport Today BBC World News Hardtalk BBC World News World Business Report BBC World News BBC World News World Business Report BBC World News BBC World News World Business Report BBC World News BBC World News World Business Report BBC World News BBC World News

11:30 Hardtalk 12:00 BBC World News 12:30 World Business Report 12:45 BBC World News 13:00 BBC World News 13:30 BBC World News 14:00 GMT With George Alagiah 14:30 GMT With George Alagiah 15:00 BBC World News 15:30 World Business Report 15:45 Sport Today 16:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 16:30 Impact With Mishal Husain 17:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 17:30 World Business Report 17:45 Sport Today 18:00 BBC World News 18:30 Hardtalk 19:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 19:30 The Hub With Nik Gowing 20:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 20:30 BBC Focus On Africa 21:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 21:30 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 22:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 22:30 World Business Report 22:45 Sport Today 23:00 Business Edition With Tanya Beckett 23:30 Hardtalk

03:00 Dexter’s Laboratory 03:25 Tom & Jerry 03:50 Looney Tunes 04:15 The Scooby Doo Show 04:40 Johnny Bravo 05:00 The Flintstones 05:25 The Jetsons 05:50 Wacky Races 06:00 New Yogi Bear Show 06:15 The Garfield Show 06:30 Bananas In Pyjamas 06:55 Gerald McBoing Boing 07:20 Baby Looney Tunes 07:45 Jelly Jamm 08:00 Puppy In My Pocket 08:25 The Garfield Show 08:50 Moomins 09:15 Pink Panther And Pals 09:40 Dastardly And Muttley 10:05 Tom & Jerry 10:30 Scooby Doo Where Are You! 10:55 Looney Tunes 11:20 Duck Dodgers 11:45 Dexters Laboratory 12:00 Jelly Jamm 12:15 Baby Looney Tunes 12:40 Ha Ha Hairies 12:55 Gerald McBoing Boing 13:20 Bananas In Pyjamas 13:35 The Flintstones 14:00 Popeye 14:25 Top Cat 14:50 The Garfield Show 15:15 Pink Panther And Pals 15:40 Tom & Jerry 16:05 The Scooby Doo Show 16:30 Looney Tunes (Hannah Barbera) 16:40 Pink Panther And Pals 17:05 Moomins 17:30 The Garfield Show 17:55 Johnny Bravo 18:20 What’s New Scooby-Doo? 18:45 Dexters Laboratory 19:00 Jelly Jamm 19:15 Baby Looney Tunes 19:40 Ha Ha Hairies 19:55 Gerald McBoing Boing 20:20 Bananas In Pyjamas 20:35 Pink Panther And Pals 21:00 What’s New Scooby-Doo? 21:25 The Garfield Show 21:50 Johnny Bravo 22:15 Dexter’s Laboratory 22:40 Dastardly And Muttley 23:05 Popeye 23:20 The Jetsons 23:45 Duck Dodgers

03:00 The Amazing World Of Gumball 03:25 Ben 10 03:50 Adventure Time

04:15 Powerpuff Girls 04:40 Generator Rex 05:05 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 05:30 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 05:55 Angelo Rules 06:00 Cow & Chicken 06:30 Casper’s Scare School 07:00 Eliot Kid 07:45 Johnny Test 08:05 The Powerpuff Girls 08:55 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 09:20 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 09:45 Courage The Cowardly Dog 10:35 Grim Adventures Of...

11:00 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey: ...

11:45 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 12:15 The Marvelous Misadventures...

13:05 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 13:30 Young Justice 13:55 Camp Lazlo 14:45 Ben 10: Alien Force 15:10 Ben 10: Alien Force 15:35 Ed, Edd n Eddy 16:25 Angelo Rules 16:40 Hero 108 17:00 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 17:25 The Amazing World Of Gumball 17:50 Adventure Time 18:15 Regular Show 18:40 Total Drama Action 19:05 Total Drama Action 19:30 Ben 10 19:55 Ben 10 20:20 Grim Adventures Of...

21:10 Courage The Cowardly Dog 22:00 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 22:25 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 22:50 The Powerpuff Girls 23:40 Chowder

03:00 Backstory 03:30 Talk Asia 04:00 Fareed Zakaria GPS 05:00 CNN Newsroom 06:00 I Report For CNN 06:30 World’s Untold Stories 07:00 World Sport 07:30 Inside Africa 08:00 World Report 09:00 World Report 10:00 World Sport 10:30 World’s Untold Stories 11:00 World Business Today 12:00 Backstory 12:30 African Voices 13:00 World One 14:00 Fareed Zakaria GPS 15:00 News Stream 16:00 World Business Today 17:00 International Desk 18:00 Global Exchange 19:00 World Sport 19:30 African Voices 20:00 International Desk 21:00 Quest Means Business 22:00 Amanpour 22:30 CNN Newscenter 23:00 Connect The World With Becky...

03:25 An Idiot Abroad 04:20 An Idiot Abroad 05:15 An Idiot Abroad 06:05 An Idiot Abroad 07:00 American Chopper: Senior vs Junior 07:50 Mythbusters 08:45 Ultimate Survival 09:40 Border Security 10:05 Auction Hunters 10:30 How Do They Do It? 10:55 How It’s Made 11:25 X-Machines 12:20 Crash Course 12:45 Fifth Gear 13:15 One Car Too Far 14:10 Border Security 14:35 Auction Hunters 15:05 Auction Kings 15:30 Ultimate Survival 16:25 American Chopper: Senior vs Junior 17:20 Extreme Fishing

18:15 19:10 19:40 20:05 20:35 21:00 21:30 22:25 23:20

Mythbusters How Do They Do It? How It’s Made Border Security Auction Hunters Auction Kings Around The World In 80 Ways Deadliest Catch An Idiot Abroad

03:10 Stuck With Hackett 03:35 Tech Toys 360 04:00 Tech Toys 360 04:25 Weird Or What?

05:15 Things That Move 05:40 Things That Move 06:05 Race To Mars 07:00 Brave New World 07:50 Head Rush 07:53 Weird Connections 08:20 How Does That Work?

08:50 Speed Junkie 09:40 The Sun 10:30 The Gadget Show 10:55 The Gadget Show 11:20 Engineered 12:10 Powering The Future 13:00 Tech Toys 360 13:25 Tech Toys 360 13:50 The Sun 14:45 Speed Junkie 15:35 The Gadget Show 16:00 Head Rush 16:03 Weird Connections 16:32 How Does That Work?

17:00 Engineered 17:50 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 18:40 Scrapheap Challenge 19:30 Things That Move 19:55 Things That Move 20:20 Morgan Freeman’s Through The Wormhole 21:10 The Gadget Show 21:35 The Gadget Show 22:00 Things That Move 22:25 Things That Move 22:50 Morgan Freeman’s Through The Wormhole 23:40 Dark Matters

03:05 Emperor’s New School 03:30 A Kind Of Magic 03:55 A Kind Of Magic 04:20 Replacements 04:45 Replacements 05:10 Fairly Odd Parents 05:35 Fairly Odd Parents 06:00 Phineas And Ferb 06:15 Suite Life On Deck 06:40 Suite Life On Deck 07:05 The Adventures Of Disney Fairies 07:30 Recess 07:55 So Random 08:20 Shake It Up 08:45 Shake It Up 09:10 A.N.T. Farm 09:35 A.N.T. Farm 10:00 Avalon High 11:25 Good Luck Charlie 11:40 Good Luck Charlie 12:05 Wizards Of Waverly Place 12:30 Wizards Of Waverly Place 12:55 Phineas And Ferb 13:05 Phineas And Ferb 13:20 Phineas And Ferb 13:30 Phineas And Ferb 13:45 So Random 14:10 So Random 14:35 Suite Life On Deck 15:00 Phineas And Ferb 15:10 Phineas And Ferb 15:25 Phineas And Ferb 15:50 Phineas And Ferb 16:15 Phineas And Ferb 16:40 A.N.T. Farm 17:00 Let It Shine 18:45 Austin And Ally 19:10 A.N.T. Farm 19:35 Good Luck Charlie 20:00 Jessie 20:25 Suite Life On Deck 20:50 Suite Life On Deck 21:15 Jonas Los Angeles 21:40 Jonas Los Angeles 22:05 Good Luck Charlie 22:30 Good Luck Charlie 22:55 Wizards Of Waverly Place 23:20 Wizards Of Waverly Place 23:45 Fish Hooks

03:15 E! Investigates 04:10 THS 05:05 Then And Now 05:30 Then And Now 06:00 THS 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Kendra 09:45 Kendra 10:15 THS 12:05 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 13:05 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 14:05 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 15:00 Style Star 15:30 THS 16:25 Behind The Scenes 16:55 Scouted 17:55 E! News 18:55 THS 19:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 20:55 Opening Act 21:55 Ice Loves Coco 22:25 E!es 23:25 Chelsea Lately 23:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians

PLANET OF THE APES ON OSN ACTION HD

03:45 04:10 04:30 Jones 05:20 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:00 08:15 08:40 08:50 09:05 09:15 09:30 10:20 11:10

I Was Murdered I Was Murdered True Crime With Aphrodite Mystery Diagnosis Disappeared Killer Outbreaks Street Patrol Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls Street Patrol Who On Earth Did I Marry?

Street Patrol On The Case With Paula Zahn Undercover Disappeared

12:00 12:50 13:15 13:40 14:30 15:20 15:45 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:05 Jones 19:55 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:40

Killer Outbreaks Street Patrol Street Patrol Forensic Detectives On The Case With Paula Zahn Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

Undercover Disappeared Forensic Detectives Mall Cops – Mall Of America True Crime With Aphrodite Who On Earth Did I Marry?

Nightmare Next Door Couples Who Kill Stalked: Someone’s Watching Stalked: Someone’s Watching Scorned: Crimes Of Passion Dr G: Medical Examiner

03:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 03:30 On The Camino De Santiago 03:55 The Best Job In The World 04:25 One Man & His Campervan 04:50 One Man & His Campervan 05:20 On The Camino De Santiago 05:45 The Best Job In The World 06:15 Kimchi Chronicles 06:40 One Man & His Campervan 07:10 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 07:35 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 08:05 Departures 09:00 Travel Oz 09:25 Travel Oz 09:55 Don’t Tell My Mother 10:20 Don’t Tell My Mother 10:50 On The Camino De Santiago 11:15 The Best Job In The World 11:45 One Man & His Campervan 12:10 One Man & His Campervan 12:40 Bondi Rescue: Bali 13:05 Bondi Rescue: Bali 13:35 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 14:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 14:30 Kimchi Chronicles 14:55 Kimchi Chronicles 15:25 Somewhere In China 16:20 Don’t Tell My Mother 16:45 Don’t Tell My Mother 17:15 Nomads 18:10 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 19:05 Banged Up Abroad 20:00 Kimchi Chronicles 20:30 Kimchi Chronicles 21:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 21:30 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 22:00 Madventures 22:25 Madventures 22:55 Around The World For Free 23:50 One Man & His Campervan

00:00 Caught In The Act 01:00 Strictly Asian Ballroom 02:00 The Known Universe 03:00 Blowdown 04:00 Alaskan Killer Shark 05:00 Alaska State Troopers 06:00 The Border 07:00 Inside 08:00 Caught In The Act 09:00 Strictly Asian Ballroom 10:00 The Known Universe 11:00 Clash Of The Continents 12:00 Shark Nicole 13:00 Alaska State Troopers 14:00 Great Migrations 15:00 Great Migrations 16:00 Animal Impact 17:00 China’s Great Wall 18:00 A Traveler’s Guide To The Planets 19:00 The Known Universe 20:00 Engineering Connections 21:00 Dangerous Encounters With Brady Barr 22:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 23:00 Is It Real? S3 (1 hour)

00:00 Python Hunters 01:00 Caught In The Act 01:55 Hooked 02:50 World’s Weirdest 03:45 Built For The Kill 04:40 Caught In The Act 05:35 Wild Chronicles 06:00 Wild Chronicles 06:30 Swamp Men 07:25 Swamp Men 08:20 Python Hunters 09:15 Snake Paradise 10:10 Wild India (aka Secrets of Wild India) 11:05 Dangerous Encounters With Brady Barr 12:00 Sahara 13:00 America’s Deadly Obsession 14:00 Mother Croc 15:00 Wild India (aka Secrets of Wild India) 16:00 Shark Nicole 17:00 Ultimate Predators GPU 18:00 Squid vs. Whale 19:00 Monster Fish 20:00 America’s Deadly Obsession 21:00 Mother Croc 22:00 Wild India (aka Secrets of Wild India) 23:00 Shark Nicole

04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 PG15 18:00 20:00 22:00

Road To Perdition-18 Rocky v-PG15 Planet Of The Apes-PG15 Aeon Flux-PG15 Drunken Master-PG15 Planet Of The Apes-PG15 True Justice: Deadly CrossingDrunken Master-PG15 Botched-18 Walled In-PG15

03:00 Dear John-PG15 05:00 Africa United-PG15 07:00 A Trace Of Danger-PG15 09:00 Dear John-PG15 11:00 According To Greta-PG15 13:00 Happiness Is A Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown-PG 15:00 The Hole-PG15

THE HOLE ON OSN CINEMA 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

16 To Life-PG15 S. Darko-PG15 The Deep Blue Sea-PG15 Moneyball-PG15

03:00 Happy Endings 03:30 Last Man Standing 04:00 Two And A Half Men 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Gary Unmarried 06:00 Friends 06:30 Til Death 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Two And A Half Men 08:30 Happy Endings 09:00 Gary Unmarried 10:00 The Office 10:30 Til Death 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 Friends 12:30 Two And A Half Men 13:00 Gary Unmarried 13:30 Til Death 14:00 Last Man Standing 14:30 The Office 16:30 Friends 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Happy Endings 18:30 Raising Hope 19:00 Cougar Town 19:30 New Girl 20:30 Melissa & Joey 21:00 The Daily Show Global Edition 21:30 The Colbert Report Global Edition 22:00 Veep 22:30 The Big C 23:00 It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia

03:00 04:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

House The Tudors Good Morning America The View Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show White Collar The View Unforgettable House Live Good Morning America White Collar The Ellen DeGeneres Show Emmerdale Coronation Street House Revenge The Newsroom Boardwalk Empire The Tudors

03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Greek Unforgettable House Hawthorne Emmerdale Coronation Street The Closer The Ellen DeGeneres Show Unforgettable House Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Closer Hawthorne Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Castle House Revenge The Newsroom Boardwalk Empire Greek

03:45 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00

The Godfather III-18 Men In Black II-PG Fatal Secrets-PG15 The Rocketeer-PG15 Hurricane Season-PG15 Fatal Secrets-PG15 Wild Bill-PG15

19:00 Fade To Black-18 21:00 Ronin-18 23:00 Kill List-R

04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Letters To Juliet-PG15 Flipped-PG Love And Mary-PG15 Life As We Know It-PG15 Cheaper By The Dozen-PG Cheaper By The Dozen 2-PG Life As We Know It-PG15 The Joneses-PG15 Stuck On You-PG15 The Royal Tenenbaums-18

03:15 The Color Of Money-PG15 05:15 Coyote Ugly-PG15 07:00 Bound By A Secret-PG15 09:00 Ike: Countdown To D-DayPG15 11:00 Desperate Hours: An Amber Alert-PG15 13:00 Teen Knight-PG15 15:00 Ike: Countdown To D-DayPG15 17:00 Le Syndrome Du Titanic-PG15 19:00 Moonlight And ValentinoPG15 21:00 Just Wright-PG15 23:00 Babies-18

03:00 Marion Jones: Press PausePG15 04:30 Les Miserables 25th Anniversary-PG15 07:30 Justice For Natalee HollowayPG15 09:00 Restless-PG15 11:00 Oceans-PG15 13:00 Ondine-PG15 15:00 Megamind-FAM 17:00 Restless-PG15 19:00 Vampires Suck-PG15 21:00 Super 8-PG15 23:00 A Single Man-R

00:00 MSNBC Investigates 01:00 ABC World News Now With David Muir 02:00 ABC World News Now With David Muir 03:00 Live NBC Saturday Today Show 05:00 Live ABC 20/20 06:00 ABC World News Now With David Muir 07:00 ABC World News Now With David Muir 08:00 MSNBC Investigates 09:00 ABC World News Now With David Muir 10:00 MSNBC The Dylan Ratigan Show 11:00 MSNBC Hardball W/ Chris Matthews 12:00 MSNBC The Ed Show 13:00 Live ABC 20/20 14:00 MSNBC Hardball Weekend 14:30 MSNBC Your Business 15:00 Live NBC Sunday Today Show 17:00 ABC This Week With G Stephanopoulos 18:00 MSNBC Melissa Harris-Perry 20:00 ABC This Week With G Stephanopoulos 21:00 MSNBC Hardball W/ Chris Matthews 22:00 MSNBC The Ed Show 23:00 MSNBC The Rachel Maddow Show

04:00 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2-PG 06:00 Supertramps-FAM 08:00 Micropolis-FAM 10:00 The Swan Princess-FAM 12:00 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2-PG 14:00 Crab Island-FAM 16:00 Little Einsteins: Rocket’s Firebird Rescue-FAM 17:30 The Swan Princess-FAM 19:45 The Smurfs-PG 22:00 Little Einsteins: Rocket’s Firebird Rescue-FAM 23:30 Crab Island-FAM

04:00 Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes-PG15 06:00 Battle For Terra-PG 08:00 The Nanny Express-PG15 10:00 The Hairy Tooth Fairy 2-PG 12:00 Rat-PG15 14:00 Bodyguard: A New BeginningPG15 16:00 The Nanny Express-PG15 18:00 Morning Glory-PG15 20:00 Super-18 22:00 Sleeping Beauty-18

04:00 06:00 07:00 13:15 14:00 15:00 17:00 23:15

The Rugby Championship Trans World Sport Ryder Cup Ryder Cup Closing Ceremony Trans World Sport NRL Premiership Ryder Cup Ryder Cup Closing Seremony

03:30 Premier League Snooker 07:00 NFL 09:30 NFL 12:00 NRL Premiership 14:00 Challenge Series Golf Highlights 14:30 Premier League Snooker 18:00 Trans World Sport 19:00 NFL 21:30 Futbol Mundial 22:00 AFL Premiership

04:00 Tour 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 10:30 Tour 12:30 13:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:30 19:00 20:00 20:30 21:30 23:30 Tour

Sailing World Match Racing Mobil 1 The Grid Total Rugby Golfing World ITU World Triathlon series Sailing World Match Racing City Center Races City Center Races City Center Races Top 14 Highlights Golfing World ITU World Triathlon series AFL Highlights Top 14 Highlights Golfing World Pro 12 Sailing World Match Racing

07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 10:30 11:30 12:00 14:00 15:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 22:00 23:00 23:30

WWE Bottom Line WWE Experience European Le Mans Series European Le Mans Series European Le Mans Series European Le Mans Series V8 Supercars Highlights WWE NXT WWE SmackDown European Le Mans Series UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC UFC The Ultimate Fighter V8 Supercars Extra European Le Mans Series

04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00 22:30 23:00 23:30

The Day John Lennon Died Ancient Discoveries WWII: Europe’s Secret Army Pawn Stars Storage Wars UFO Hunters Top Shot Pawn Stars Storage Wars Soviet Storm: WWII In The East Reagan Top Shot UFO Hunters Reagan Top Shot UFO Hunters Pawn Stars Storage Wars Soviet Storm: WWII In The East Pawn Stars Cajun Pawn Stars American Restoration American Restoration

Classifieds MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

REQUIRED We are seeking: DYNAMIC AND PRACTICAL

SALES PROFESSIONALS With good relationship skills and a strong motivation for taking action and getting results. The ideal candidate will have minimum 4 years sales experience in Kuwait market with IT or Office automation industry If interested, forward your CV to:

careerkwt12@gmail.com

ACCOMMODATION ROOM AVAILABLE A room available in a furnished two bedroom flat for a working class lady in Salmiya — near the bus stop. Please call 99702658 30-9-2012 Sharing Accommodation, room partition for FILIPINO in Farwaniya near Coop main, Contact 66826412 or 66158188 27-9-2012

SITUATION WANTED Australian Project Manager, with two Engineering Degrees and four Master Degrees, with 23 years experience in Gulf and Australia, seeking top management job. Call: 65695468. (C 4141) 29-9-2012 Sri Lankan lady looking for house cleaning part time job, English family only.

Call 55680045. (C 4149) Sri Lankan driver looking for a job good company or office with good salary, transferable visa 18 (license

with pick up permit). Call 97970965. (C 4150) 25-9-2012

CHANGE OF NAME Yuvaraja Dhanapal, son of Dhanapal and Paruvadhavarthani bearing an Indian Passport No: E6580676 having an address 2/59, East Street, Melnariyappanur, Kallakurichi, Villupuram 606 201, Tamil Nadu, India had embraced Islam and changed the name as NASEER AHMAD. (C 4152) 30-9-2012 I, Shaikh Meetela Ahamad, S/O Shaik Mettala Vali, holder of Indian Passport No: F3613218 have changed my name Shaik Meetela Ahmad to Shaik Mettala Imad.

(C 4147) 24-9-2012

Camera body only for sale with Battery Grip and an extra battery, all with original package. Call or what’s app 66603401 25-9-2012 VW TAUREG, 2004 model, white color, beige interior, full options, only 83,000 km.

Price KD 4,200. Contact: 99405067. (C 4145) 22-9-2012

1-10-2012 Used DSLR Nikon D90

Kuwait Parliament www.majlesalommah.net

The Public Institution for Social Security www.pifss.gov.kw

Ministry of Interior www.moi.gov.kw

Public Authority of Industry www.pai.gov.kw

Public Authority for Civil Information www.paci.gov.kw

Prisoners of War Committee www.pows.org.kw

Kuwait News Agency www.kuna.net.kw

Ministry of Foreign Affairs www.mofa.gov.kw

Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affair www.islam.gov.kw

Kuwait Municipality www.municipality.gov.kw

Ministry of Energy (Oil) www.moo.gov.kw

Kuwait Electronic Government www.e.gov.kw

Ministry of Energy (Electricity and Water) www.energy.govt.kw

Ministry of Finance www.mof.gov.kw

Public Authority for Housing Welfare www.housing.gov.kw

Ministry of Commerce and Industry www.moci.gov.kw

Ministry of Justice www.moj.gov.kw

Ministry of Education www.moe.edu.kw

Ministry of Communications www.moc.kw

Ministry of Information www.moinfo.gov.kw

Supreme Council for Planning and Development www.scpd.gov.kw

Kuwait Awqaf Public Foundation www.awqaf.org

Prayer timings Fajr:

04:22

Duhr:

11:38

Asr:

15:01

Maghrib:

17:34

Isha:

18:50

MATRIMOIAL

Proposals invited for a girl, God-fearing (Marthomite, 30 yrs/160 cm) born and educated in Kuwait and Mangalore, MDS doctor presently working in India, from Post Graduate boys Marthomite/CSI, God-fearing and having good family background. Contact email: mthewjacob201@hotmail.com (C 4153) 29-092012

FOR SALE

For immediate sale Toyota Corolla (2011), 1.8 white, done only 22,000 km, expecting KD 3,900 (only cash) real buyers only contact mobile: 97473028 between 10 am - 6:30 pm).

(C 4154)

GOVERNMENT WEB SITES

SITUATION VACANT House driver needed, preferably Philippine nationality, minimum two years with driving experience in Kuwait and transferable residency. Mob: 97162925. (C 4151) 27-9-2012

No:

15585

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines JZR QTR JZR JZR ETH GFA UAE ETD FDB MSR QTR JZR THY DHX JZR KAC BAW KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY GFA KAC QTR FDB ETD BAB KAC GFA UAE MEA JZR IRC MSR MSC JZR MSR GFA KAC FDB OMA KNE QTR SVA RJA

Arrival Flights on Monday 1/10/2012 Flt Route 185 DUBAI 148 DOHA 539 CAIRO 267 BEIRUT 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 138 DOHA 503 LUXOR 770 ISTANBUL 170 BAHRAIN 555 ALEXANDRIA 412 MANILA 157 LONDON 206 ISLAMABAD 53 DUBAI 302 MUMBAI 352 COCHIN 362 COLOMBO 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 223 BAHRAIN 284 DHAKA 132 DOHA 55 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 436 BAHRAIN 344 CHENNAI 213 BAHRAIN 871 DUBAI 404 BEIRUT 165 DUBAI 6521 LAMERD 618 ALEXANDRIA 401 ALEXANDRIA 561 SOHAG 610 CAIRO 219 BAHRAIN 672 DUBAI 57 DUBAI 645 MUSCAT 472 JEDDAH 140 DOHA 500 JEDDAH 640 AMMAN

Time 0:15 0:20 0:30 0:50 1:45 2:20 2:25 2:30 3:10 3:20 3:25 3:55 4:35 5:00 6:00 6:15 6:30 7:15 7:45 7:50 8:05 8:20 8:25 8:30 8:40 8:45 9:00 9:20 9:30 9:35 9:45 10:00 10:45 10:55 11:05 11:10 11:25 12:00 12:25 13:30 13:40 13:40 13:45 14:00 14:15 14:25 14:30 14:55

KAC JZR KAC QTR SYR KAC JZR ETD UAE UAL SVA GFA JZR JZR ABY KAC QTR BAB KAC FDB KAC MSC MSR KAC KAC KAC JAI KAC FDB MEA QTR GFA FDB ALK TMA UAE JZR KAC ETD ABY QTR AIC GFA UAL TAR JZR DLH MSR THY KLM PIA

788 257 546 134 341 118 535 303 857 982 510 215 177 777 127 542 144 438 786 63 104 405 620 618 674 742 572 774 61 402 146 221 59 229 213 859 135 43 307 129 136 975 217 981 327 239 636 614 772 411 239

JEDDAH BEIRUT ALEXANDRIA DOHA DAMASCUS NEW YORK CAIRO ABU DHABI DUBAI WASHINGTON DC DULLES RIYADH BAHRAIN DUBAI JEDDAH SHARJAH CAIRO DOHA BAHRAIN JEDDAH DUBAI LONDON SOHAG ASSIUT DOHA DUBAI DAMMAM MUMBAI RIYADH DUBAI BEIRUT DOHA BAHRAIN DUBAI COLOMBO BEIRUT DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH ABU DHABI SHARJAH DOHA CHENNAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN TUNIS AMMAN FRANKFURT CAIRO ISTANBUL AMSTERDAM SIALKOT

15:00 15:00 15:05 15:15 15:55 16:00 16:00 16:35 16:55 17:10 17:20 17:20 17:30 17:40 17:45 18:15 18:20 18:40 18:40 18:45 18:45 19:00 19:10 19:20 19:25 19:30 19:35 19:40 20:00 20:15 20:25 20:35 20:45 20:55 21:00 21:15 21:15 21:20 21:25 21:30 21:35 22:25 22:35 22:40 22:55 22:55 23:10 23:35 23:40 23:40 23:45

Airlines AIC UAL DLH MSR JAI PIA THY ETH UAE FDB ETD MSR QTR QTR JZR JZR GFA THY KAC BAW FDB JZR ABY JZR KAC GFA KAC UAE QTR FDB ETD BAB GFA KAC KAC MEA IRC JZR UAE MSR KAC MSC KAC JZR GFA FDB MSR OMA

Depature Flights on Monday 1/10/2012 Flt Route 982 AHMEDABAD 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 637 FRANKFURT 615 CAIRO 573 MUMBAI 206 PESHAWAR 773 ISTANBUL 621 ADDIS ABABA 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 306 ABU DHABI 613 CAIRO 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 560 SOHAG 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL 545 ALEXANDRIA 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 256 BEIRUT 126 SHARJAH 534 CAIRO 671 DUBAI 224 BAHRAIN 787 JEDDAH 856 DUBAI 133 DOHA 56 DUBAI 302 ABU DHABI 437 BAHRAIN 214 BAHRAIN 541 CAIRO 165 ROME 405 BEIRUT 6522 LAMERD 776 JEDDAH 872 DUBAI 619 ASSIUT 103 LONDON 406 SOHAG 785 JEDDAH 176 DUBAI 220 BAHRAIN 58 DUBAI 611 CAIRO 646 MUSCAT

Time 0:05 0:25 0:30 0:35 0:50 1:10 2:15 2:45 3:45 3:50 4:05 4:20 4:50 5:40 6:00 6:55 7:05 7:10 8:10 8:25 8:25 9:00 9:05 9:10 9:20 9:25 9:35 9:40 10:00 10:05 10:15 10:25 10:45 11:30 11:45 11:55 12:10 12:15 12:20 12:25 12:30 13:00 13:10 13:20 14:25 14:25 14:30 15:00

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

KAC KNE SVA KAC RJA QTR KAC KAC SYR ETD JZR JZR QTR UAE GFA JZR ABY UAL KAC SVA QTR FDB BAB MSC JZR MSR KAC JAI FDB KAC KAC MEA FDB KAC GFA JZR DHX ALK ABY ETD UAE QTR KAC KAC TMA JZR QTR GFA KAC TAR

673 473 501 617 641 135 773 741 342 304 238 538 141 858 216 134 128 982 43 511 145 64 439 402 184 621 283 571 62 331 351 403 60 543 222 502 171 230 120 308 860 137 301 205 214 554 147 218 411 328

DUBAI JEDDAH JEDDAH DOHA AMMAN DOHA RIYADH DAMMAM DAMASCUS ABU DHABI AMMAN CAIRO DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN SHARJAH BAHRAIN RIYADH RIYADH DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA DUBAI ALEXANDRIA DHAKA MUMBAI DUBAI TRIVANDRUM KOCHI BEIRUT DUBAI CAIRO BAHRAIN LUXOR BAHRAIN COLOMBO SHARJAH ABU DHABI DUBAI DOHA MUMBAI ISLAMABAD BEIRUT ALEXANDRIA DOHA BAHRAIN BANGKOK DUBAI

15:05 15:15 15:45 15:45 15:50 16:15 16:25 16:30 16:55 17:20 17:30 17:40 17:45 18:05 18:20 18:20 18:25 18:30 18:30 18:35 19:20 19:25 19:30 20:00 20:05 20:10 20:15 20:35 20:40 20:50 21:05 21:15 21:25 21:30 21:35 21:45 21:50 21:55 22:10 22:20 22:25 22:35 22:40 22:45 22:45 23:00 23:10 23:30 23:40 23:45

34

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

s ta rs CROSSWORD 813

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) You may be tempted to overextend yourself today with regard to new business, commercial ventures or physical exercise. Your passion is high and opportunities are many, but do not act rashly.

Impulsive action could lead to accidents or overspending. Expand your experiences but keep from recklessness. Use your money wisely—you are apt to spend more on speculation, hobbies, entertainment and children. Today is the day to tend to those special friendships. Balance between friends is important. It is good that you never tell secrets. Inventions, electronics, computers, etc., are what hold your interest—even on a Sunday. Sudden breakthroughs, flashes or insights are possible—inventions with computers and electronics.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You will be interested now in serving others, even in the professional world you work in. It could be that political issues are an interest now. You will be effective in discovering the needs of others and in communicating your needs. In the workplace, your self-discipline is in gear, so this is a good time to tackle work that requires attention to detail. You can develop the confidence, honesty, maturity and self-respect that make you better able to handle authority and responsibility. It’s a favorable time for seeking employment or promotion, for learning new duties and for travel related to your work. You are original in your thinking and one of a kind when it comes to creative hobbies, which you should spend more time to cultivate and fine tune.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. A wooden pin pushed or driven into a surface.

4. Belonging to or prescribed for celiac disease.

10. A unit of pressure.

13. God of war and sky.

14. A genus of tropical Asian and Malaysian palm trees.

15. The 17th letter of the Greek alphabet.

16. A constellation in the southern hemisphere near Telescopium and Norma.

17. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

18. Adult female chicken.

19. God of dawn and light.

22. Jordan's port.

24. (in Gnosticism) A divine power or nature emanating from the Supreme Being and playing various roles in the operation of the universe.

27. The capital and largest city of Bangladesh.

29. Wearing or provided with clothing.

30. A colorless and odorless inert gas.

31. King of Denmark and Norway who forced Edmund II to divide England with him.

34. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

35. An associate degree in nursing.

38. A small cake leavened with yeast.

39. Clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion.

41. The United Nations agency concerned with atomic energy.

42. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

43. A three-year law degree.

45. The rate at which heat is produced by an individual in a resting state.

49. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

51. A broken piece of a brittle artifact.

56. A state of deep and often prolonged unconsciousness.

60. Common Indian weaverbird.

62. A nearly horizontal passage from the surface into a mine.

63. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the sale of petroleum.

64. Influential German idealist philosopher (1724-1804).

65. (Scotland) A slope or hillside.

66. Goddess of the dead and queen of the underworld.

67. United States writer (born in Poland) who wrote in Yiddish (1880-1957).

DOWN 1. A major god.

2. A republic consisting of 26 of 32 counties comprising the island of Ireland.

3. Hard greenish-brown wood of the lignum vitae tree and other trees of the genus Guaiacum.

4. A family of North American Indian languages spoken widely in the midwest by Caddo peoples.

5. A trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group.

6. (archaic or Scottish) Faithful and true.

7. Antibacterial drug (trade name Nydrazid) used to treat tuberculosis.

8. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

9. An esoteric or occult matter that is traditionally secret.

10. A Buddhist who has attained nirvana.

11. 100 thebe equal 1 pula.

12. An atom having a valence of one.

20. Joint capital (with Riyadh) of Saudi Arabia.

21. An associate degree in nursing.

23. A family of Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in southeastern Asia.

25. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

26. (pathology) An elevation of the skin filled with serous fluid.

28. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.

32. Large sweet juicy hybrid between tangerine and grapefruit having a thick wrinkled skin.

33. The basic unit of money in Western Samoa.

35. An amino acid that is found in the central nervous system.

36. Lap that forms a cloth border doubled back and stitched down v 1.

37. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

40. A mature blood cell that contains hemoglobin to carry oxygen to the bodily tissues.

44. United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters.

46. Any of various cycads of the genus Zamia.

47. Talk pompously.

48. A doctor's degree in religion.

50. A coffee cake flavored with orange rind and raisins and almonds.

51. Headdress that protects the head from bad weather.

52. A blind god.

53. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely the razorbill.

54. Make synchronous and adjust in time or manner.

55. A vessel in which something is immersed to maintain it at a constant temperature or to process or lubricate it.

57. The syllable naming the first (tonic) note of any major scale in solmization.

58. Any of various primates with short tails or no tail at all.

59. Goddess of the dead and queen of the underworld.

61. An associate degree in applied science.

Yesterday’s Solution

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Your intuitive senses are on target with your business, professional or domestic goals. New options present themselves.

You can be assisted through professional groups and organizations. Your interests tend to turn towards cultural, religious and philosophical concerns. Changes can emerge from obscurity, offering you more freedom, stability and leisure. Your intuitive and imaginative powers are stimulated and you can focus on worthwhile goals and productive enterprises. Psychological, psychic or spiritual studies are favored. Vacations and artistic pursuits can be inspiring. Friends are supportive and stimulating. Involvement in travel, law and education can put you in contact with a more professional class of people.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

Your career can be especially challenging from time to time.

Old thinking gives way to new possibilities. Put your creative and innovative ambitions to practical use in order to gain greater control and independence. You could meet a new person who is a channel for your own efforts. It is a good time to join a professional group or business organization. You tend to be highly idealistic in your romantic life. You may unrealistically bestow your affection on the wrong people; careful. Your intuitive and psychic abilities are stimulated and you are especially sensitive to beauty, art and music. It’s a good time for you to become involved in the community as you tend to feel charitable and considerate of those who are less fortunate.

Leo (July 23-August 22)

Yesterday’s Solution

Changes in the workplace can be sudden and unexpected.

The changes that happen today, however, will take you into a most positive place. One day at a time, you will find success. You will find yourself achieving a goal that matters to you. Focus all your energy on what you want now—eventually, you will achieve it! Your intent to reach your goals will find you actively looking for ways to put sequences of life together to make your goal(s) happen. A colleague who is also a friend may call you with news about an upcoming assignment that has possibilities of success for you. Hard work is the order of the day but the evening may bring about an opportunity to renew some past relationship. You relax by skating, playing basketball or reading.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You have a most positive mood. Cooperative actions in important relationships go smoothly. You tend to form close relationships to dynamic authoritative individuals; you are better at listening than you think. One of your friends may be in business for himself or herself and you could be helping him or her out a little today. It may be that some legal matters have ended well and there is a promise of money coming in soon. As you tend to be more outgoing, it is also a good time for public relations, marketing and sales plans to get set down on paper for presentation next week. You may have ideas for improving work effectiveness and health practices. Say yes to a social opportunity tonight. All work and no play is just no fun at all.

Libra (September 23-October 22) You may have problems with groups or organizations today, particularly if you do not keep a clear focus. An important person may leave your life at this time—perhaps because of a long-distance move.

Exercise self-control and avoid taking unnecessary risks in unconventional areas.

Today you have the opportunity to learn something of value about yourself through your relationships with others. Reactions to those around you will highlight your own motives and concerns. The significance of these revelations will vary depending on your emotional outlook. Unexpected changes can disrupt the usual order and routine of your life. Powerful people seem to be unsympathetic.

You may feel a little rebellious today—patience.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You are probably feeling rather self-indulgent just now and you may not achieve much today. Watch your spending habits a little more carefully, as you will tend to spend more than usual during this season.

In addition, you have a tendency to give in now rather than fight against the flow; this would be whining children and pushy sales people. Do not conclude any contractual obligations, as you will not be satisfied with the results later. Taking calculated risks are favored. New horizons open up, enabling you to grow in a variety of ways. Physical fervor is high and you should be feeling in top form.

Others will think you have a special kind of luck today. Changes can emerge from obscurity, offering you more freedom.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) With the extra courage you have, you can plan your next request for a raise. You can earn more or spend to improve your security and comfort. You will have to deal with accumulated bills. Avoid spending on impulse. You seem inclined to purchase or sell art and luxury items. You may want more physical comforts and seek to improve your material security through financial or business agreements. There is a balance occurring now between a need to be yourself and your desire to relate to others. This evening is the perfect time to spend some special time with a romantic partner. However, this period is not strong enough to bring about a new relationship if one does not already exist. Creative endeavors are favored today.

Word Search

Yesterday’s Solution Capricorn (December 22-January 19) It will be quite easy to bring about any changes you want and you should use this ability to benefit yourself and others. You can use this time to achieve success in the entertainment field or business ownership, etc. You can soon pay off old debts and obligations and organize more ambitious, creative plans for the future. You will tend to compromise now, feeling that it is not worth the hassle to defend your position. Be careful not to give up something of value. Try not to overeat today, as this cycle could bring weight gain and indigestion. There are opportunities for regeneration through personal power. You have been reading about how to teach a cat tricks and finally you have succeeded—now it is time to dig out the video camera . . . bravo!

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You feel optimistic, tolerant and secure. You may find travel to be rejuvenating, bringing renewal to your sense of optimism and spiritual growth. You can release old beliefs and discover hidden truths and wisdom. Careful—family responsibilities may interfere with your work and work duties may interfere with your family. Fulfill your obligations—better times lie ahead. Family and domestic conditions are improving. Your home life is more comfortable and there is a therapeutic expression of sympathy, tenderness and unselfish consideration. You can enjoy more leisure and inspirational satisfactions.

Your creative imagination and intuition are favorable for artistic recreation, meditation and compassion towards family members.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) When it rains it pours, particularly where work is concerned.

It may be time to split your job in half or request some temporary help. Initially, you may be setting up new work methods for others to follow—perhaps a new business. Develop good work habits and a sensible health regime. Dress sensibly and find positive ways to serve your customers, clients or employer. As you develop more in skill and efficiency, you will find opportunities to improve and advance. Your thinking tends to be inspired by intuitive. Psychic impressions may confuse your practical thought processes. You may develop an intellectual interest in psychology, mysticism, art healing or poetry. You and a friend may decide to sign up for a creative writing class.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

i n f o r m at i o n For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 GOVERNORATE Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

Kaizen center

25716707

Roudha

22517733

Adhaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Keifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Hawally

ST TAT TE OF KUW K WA AIT

el.: 161 Te

DIRECTORA AT TE GENERAL GENE OF CIVIL AV VIA ATION T METEOROLOGICAL DEP PA ARTMENT

Ext.: 2627 262 - 2630

WWW.MET.GOV V..KW

Hot and relatively humid over coastal areas with light to moderate north westerly to light variable wind, with speed of 06 - 26 km/h

BY Y NIGHT:

Relatively humid weather especially over coastal areas with light variable wind, with speed of 06 - 22 km/h

No Current Warnings arnin a

WARNING A

40 °C

27 °C

22451082

KUW WA AIT AIRPOR RT

40 °C

20 °C

Al-Mirqab

22456536

NUW WA AISEEB

41 °C

24 °C

Sharq

22465401

WAFRA A

42 °C

22 °C

Salmiya

25746401

SALMI

39 °C

23 °C

ABDAL LY

Jabriya

25316254

41 °C

21 °C

JAL ALIY YA AH

41 °C

24 °C

Maidan Hawally

25623444

FA AILAKA

41 °C

24 °C

Bayan

25388462

AHMADI POR RT

37 °C

29 °C

Mishref

25381200

UMM AL-MARADEM

35 °C

30 °C

W.Hawally

22630786

WARBA A A - BUBY YA AN

36 °C

22 °C

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

ST TATION T

SFC. CHART

30/09/2012 0000 UTC

4 DA AY YS FORECAST Temperatures DA AY

DA ATE T

WEA AT THER

MAX.

MIN.

Wind Direction

Wind Speed

Monday

01/10

Tuesday

02/10

Hot+humid over coasts

39 °C

20 °C

VRB-SE

06 - 26 km/h

Hot+Relatively humid

40 °C

22 °C

NW-SE

06 - 26 km/h

South Jahra

24775066

Wednesday e

03/10

Hot+humid over coasts

40 °C

23 °C

NW-SE

06 - 28 km/h

North Jahra

24775992

Thursday

04/10

Hot+humid over coasts

39 °C

23 °C

NW-SE

06 - 28 km/h

North Jleeb

24311795

Al-Ardhiya

24884079

24719048

N.Kheitan

24710044

Fintas

23900322

PRA RA AY YER TIMES

RECORDED YESTERDA AY AT KUW WAIT A AIRPORT

Fajr

04:22

MAX. Temp.

41 °C

Sunrise

05:41

MIN. Temp.

23 °C

Zuhr

11:38

MAX. RH

62 %

Asr

15:02

MIN. RH

Sunset

17:36

MAX. Wiind

Isha

18:52

TOT TAL AL RAIINF FA ALL L IN 24 HR.

07 % NW 39 km/h 00 mm

All times are local time unless otherwise stated.

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Khaled Hamadi

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist

25665898 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535

Dentists

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

22618787

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

Dr. Salem soso General Surgeons Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart Dr. Adnan Ebil Dr. Mousa Khadada Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

22666300 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

3729596/3729581

Neurologists

22639939

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Kaizen center 25716707

25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888 Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

22666288

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

Dr Anil Thomas

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Fayhaa

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Al-Jahra

25610011

Al-Salmiya

25616368

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

BY Y DA AY:

KUW WA AIT CITY

Al-Omariya

Al-Shohada’a

Expected Weeather for the Next 24 Hours

MIN. REC.

24892674

22418714

Fax: 24348714

MAX. EXP P.

Firdous

Al-Madena

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Afghanistan 0093 Albania 00355 Algeria 00213 Andorra 00376 Angola 00244 Anguilla 001264 Antiga 001268 Argentina 0054 Armenia 00374 Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas 001242 Bahrain 00973 Bangladesh 00880 Barbados 001246 Belarus 00375 Belgium 0032 Belize 00501 Benin 00229 Bermuda 001441 Bhutan 00975 Bolivia 00591 Bosnia 00387 Botswana 00267 Brazil 0055 Brunei 00673 Bulgaria 00359 Burkina 00226 Burundi 00257 Cambodia 00855 Cameroon 00237 Canada 001 Cape Verde 00238 Cayman Islands 001345 Central African 00236 Chad 00235 Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros 00269 Congo 00242 Cook Islands 00682 Costa Rica 00506 Croatia 00385 Cuba 0053 Cyprus 00357 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Czech Republic 00420 Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia 00246 Djibouti 00253 Dominica 001767 Dominican Republic 001809 Ecuador 00593 Egypt 0020 El Salvador 00503 England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea 00240 Eritrea 00291 Estonia 00372 Ethiopia 00251 Falkland Islands 00500 Faroe Islands 00298 Fiji 00679 Finland 00358 France 0033 French Guiana 00594 French Polynesia 00689 Gabon 00241 Gambia 00220 Georgia 00995 Germany 0049 Ghana 00233 Gibraltar 00350 Greece 0030 Greenland 00299 Grenada 001473 Guadeloupe 00590 Guam 001671 Guatemala 00502 Guinea 00224 Guyana 00592 Haiti 00509 Holland (Netherlands) 0031 Honduras 00504 Hong Kong 00852 Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland 00354 India 0091 Indian Ocean 00873 Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686 Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland) 0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK) 0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

lifestyle M u s i c

J

azz harmonica virtuoso Toots Thielemans quipped that his legs don’t work but his mouth does after he was pushed onstage in a wheelchair to a standing ovation during the first of two Jazz at Lincoln Center concerts this weekend celebrating his 90 years. And once he put his harmonica to his lips, he more than lived up to his words.

Thielemans, who has been in poor health, had only played once this year at a summer jazz festival in his native Belgium and had canceled all his other US dates. JALC programming director Jason Olaine said that up to the last minute, the producers were not sure whether Thielemans would even be able to play at the tribute concerts.

But energized by an enthusiastic audience and his musical friends, Thielemans rose to the occasion. Among those paying tribute were American jazz pianists Herbie Hancock and Kenny Werner, and three Brazilian stars, guitarist-vocalist Dori Caymmi, pianist-vocalist Eliane Elias and guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves - all of whom appeared on Thielemans’ two “Brasil Project” CDs in the early 1990s.

Thielemans, who turned 90 in April, was the first musician to create full-fledged jazz improvisations on the harmonica. But he’s also made his mark in pop culture - as the whistler on the Old Spice commercials; playing harmonica on the themes for “Sesame Street” and the film “Midnight Cowboy;” and in performances with Paul Simon and Billy Joel. He was ennobled by Belgium’s king as a baron in 2001 and received the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters award in 2009, the highest US jazz honor.

&

Werner opened Friday night’s concert at the Rose Theater by playing two ballads - Michel Legrand’s “You Must Believe in Spring” and Bill Evans’ “Very Early,” which were on his 2001 duets album with Thielemans. Then Caymmi and Castro-Neves joined the band to play two Brazilian standards, including “Aquarela do Brasil,” the title track of a 1969 recording Thielemans made with bossa nova singer Elis Regina that made him a hero to Brazilian musicians. “When I heard Toots Thielemans for the first time, I’d like to tell you I was a baby,” Caymmi said. “I was impressed like I was by Gil Evans, John Coltrane and Wes Montgomery.”

Thielemans made his first appearance of the evening to play Caymmi’s composition “Obsession” with the band; a Gershwin medley of “I Love You Porgy/Summertime” and Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Chega de Saudade,” considered the first bossa nova song, with Werner; and Jacques Brel’s “Ne me quitte pas” with Elias. Hancock opened the second half by recalling that he first heard Thielemans when he was 14 years old with the George Shearing Quintet, a group he said greatly influenced him when he first became interested in jazz. He later played with Thielemans on records with Quincy Jones and others.

Hancock dedicated a spontaneously improvised piece with lots of classical influences - to his Belgian friend, and then Thielemans joined him for a playful free-form duet loosely derived from Miles Davis’ “Blue and Green.”

Thielemans stayed on stage to play a Sinatra medley (“All

M o v i e s

the Way/My Way”) duet with Werner and joined with Elias to play her ballad “Moments,” ‘which he played on her first CD for Blue Note Records.

After Elias and Castro-Neves played several Brazilian tunes to give Thielemans a break, he returned one more time. He dedicated his composition “For My Lady” to his wife, Huguette. “In this world I wouldn’t certainly be here if it were not for my lady. She pays all the dues I should be paying,” Thielemans said, addressing his wife in the audience before playing the tune with Werner and CastroNeves. All the musicians returned to the stage to play Thielemans’ best known composition, “Bluesette,” possibly the first swinging jazz waltz that was composed 50 years ago. Hancock and Elias engaged in some playful fourhanded piano playing as the audience sang and clapped along with the musicians.

For an encore, Thielemans thanked everyone by caressingly playing “What a Wonderful World” - a dedication to Louis Armstrong. He exited the stage standing proudly, supported by his fellow musicians, as the audience serenaded him with “Happy Birthday.”— AP

File photo provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, Belgian-born Toots Thielemans performs at the Rose Theater in New York.-AP

B

The historic Capitol Theatre in downtown Aberdeen, SD, is home to the South Dakota Film Festival.

The historic Capitol Theatre in downtown Aberdeen, SD, is home to the South Dakota Film Festival, as seen in this photograph. — AP photos

ritish pop singer George Michael cancelled his Australian tour yesterday revealing that he was battling “major anxiety” after a severe bout of pneumonia that he says almost killed him. The 49-year-old said he was heartbroken to have to cancel the Australian leg of his current Symphonica tour, which was postponed last year due to his pneumonia and was due to kick off in Perth on November 10.

“Since last year’s illness I have tried in vain to work my way through the trauma that the doctors who saved my life warned me I would experience,” Michael said in a statement from his promoters. “I was wrong to think I could work my way through the major anxiety that has plagued me since I left Austria last

Festival drawing filmmakers to Middle America

I

t’s a Friday night on Main Street in the small northern South Dakota town of Aberdeen, and it’s supposedly a hopping one with the marquee event of the annual South Dakota Film Festival being held at the historic Capitol Theater. And yet, the street is nearly empty. The chirping of crickets is only occasionally disturbed by passing cars or pedestrians. Cannes or Sundance, this is not. Some might consider it an unfortunate side effect of being, well, in the middle of nowhere in South Dakota, in a town hugged by corn fields and the closest “big cities” - Fargo, Bismarck, Sioux Falls and Pierre - each being about a three hours’ drive away.

But Tom Black doesn’t see it that way. “We’re not the middle of nowhere. We’re the middle of everywhere,” said Black, a co-producer of the South Dakota Film Festival, which this weekend is in its sixth year. Looking at a map, he’s just about right.

As long as film goers don’t mind that cattle outnumber local residents, Aberdeen is pretty close to being smack dab in the middle of the country.

And it’s that central location that has grown the small-town festival into a filmmakers’ favorite, consistently drawing hundreds of people into the quaint-but-spacious theater each of the event’s four days. It’s gotten so big, in fact, that organizers said they might need to spread to other downtown locations in the next year or two. “It’s charming here. It’s a great theater,” said Mike Scholtz, 42, of Minnesota, whose latest documentary “Wild Bill’s Run” has won awards at both the South Dakota and Seattle film festivals. The “arctic crime caper” also has been accepted into the better-known

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Mountain Film Festival in Canada’s Banff, Alberta.

“A lot of festivals are in hotel conference rooms, or just spaces that aren’t as nice for film watching.

This is a really nice space for it,” Scholtz said.

Indeed, the Capitol Theater is the stuff of theatres past. Inside the lobby is an ornate chandelier and restored 1920s organ. The theater itself is adorned with turn-of-the-century embellishments and balcony seating. The screen pulls down over a true stage, one that’s used for live performances by the Aberdeen Community Theatre.

It’s a space Penny Stolsmark of Pierpont, South Dakota, has known since childhood - but Friday marked the first time she and her husband have visited for the film festival. “We had to come. We’ve never been to this before, but we always wanted to,” Stolsmark said. “We’re big moviegoers.” What drew Stolsmark to this year’s festival wasn’t a new film, but rather one celebrating its 20th anniversary: “Thunderheart” starring Val Kilmer and Native American actor Graham Greene.

Greene is arguably best known for his role in another South Dakota-filmed movie, “Dances With Wolves,” for which he was nominated for a best supporting actor Academy Award.

The showing, followed by a question-andanswer period with Greene, was to be one of the festival’s highlights. Saturday is to feature a preview of upcoming films made in South Dakota, a sixminute silent flick called “Bus 1107,” a horror film called “Werewolf in a Girls Sorority,” and what Black describes as this year’s big get: “Butter,” a film starring Jennifer Garner that won’t be widely released

rench director Francois Ozon won the top prize at the San Sebastian Film Festival on Saturday for his psychological thriller “Dans la maison” (In the House). Ozon’s film tells the story of the relationship between a world-weary French teacher and a disturbingly gifted student. It is based on the play “El chico de la ultima fila” (The Guy in the Back Row) by Spanish playwright Juan Mayorga. In addition to the Golden Shell for best film, Ozon also picked up the best screenplay prize.

Warm applause greeted the announcement of his wins at the awards ceremony. The prize for best director went to Spain’s Fernando Trueba for “El artista y la modelo” (The Artist and the Model), a drama set in Nazi-occupied France during WWII. Shot in black and white, it tells the story of the relationship between an aging French sculptor and a Spanish girl fleeing Franco’s Spain.

The international cast includes Italy’s Claudia Cardinale and

until Oct 5. And that’s just a sampling. About 100 filmmakers entered their works; about half of those were accepted, organizers said. Many of the films have cast or crew from the Upper Great Plains states. “We’ll tear about 1,000 tickets over the course of the weekend,” Black said. Scholtz, who made his first film in 1997, said Aberdeen - population 27,000 - will continue to lure him because it’s a “filmmakers’ festival.” “Everyone in the film community in the Midwest is aware of the festival,” he said.

“Average people won’t have heard of it, but they have a really good reputation with filmmakers.”

Black said that while the festival is heavy on Great Plains artists, it also draws filmmakers from Florida, Washington state, Washington, DC, and the rest of the country. People don’t just love showing their work in South Dakota, he said, they like making it here, too. Not only does the state offer the picturesque landscape that made “Wolves” star Kevin Costner a lifelong fan, but it’s cheap for film workers, Black said. South Dakota doesn’t have the income tax, union labor or hefty sales tax of some other states, he said. “You may think Chicago isn’t the middle of nowhere, but it takes a lot longer to get to Chicago for most people,” Black said. “We’re actually the perfect place.”— AP

France’s Jean Rochefort. In speeches at the festival, both Ozon and Trueba denounced the Spanish government’s budget cuts to the national film industry.

The special jury prize went to Spanish director Pablo Berger’s “Blancanieves” (Snow White). This latest reworking of the classic fairy tale moves the setting to 1920s Spain. A silent movie with a flamenco soundtrack, it unfolds in the world of bullfighting in Seville and evokes the European cinema of that period. Spanish actress Macarena Garcia won the Silver Shell for best actress for her performance in the film, which has also been selected as Spain’s candidate for best foreign-language picture at the Oscars.

Garcia shared the best actress honours with Katie Coseni for her performance in the Franco-Canadian production “Foxfire,” by French director Laurent Cantet. The film, based on a novel by Joyce Carol Oates, tells the story of five teenage girls in 1950s

Spanish actress Macarena Garcia, third left, celebrates with Canadian actress Katie Coseni, 2nd left, after receiving the Silver Shell Award for Best Actresses, beside Spanish film director Pablo Berger, second right , next to Spanish film director Javier Rebollo, at the 60th San Sebastian Film Festival, in San Sebastian northern Spain, Saturday. — AP photos

December. “As soon as I complete these shows here in the UK I will receive the treatment which is so long overdue.”

Michael said doctors had recommended complete rest and counseling but he had “believed wrongly that making music and getting out there to perform for the audiences... would be therapy enough in itself”. Though he said his voice had recovered completely, adding that “I truly think that some of my recent performances have been my best ever”, Michael said there had been a heavy psychological toll. “Unfortunately I seriously underestimated how difficult this year would be,” the singer said. — AFP

Danny DeVito accepts the EMA feature film award for “Dr Seuss’ The Lorax” at the 22nd Annual Environmental Media Awards on Saturday, at Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, Calif. — AP

‘Lorax’ film wins Environmental Media award

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he feature film “Dr Seuss’ The Lorax,” documentary “Chasing Ice” and HBO comedy “Veep” are among the winners of this year’s Environmental Media Association Awards. The organization presented its 22nd annual honors for programs that raise awareness about environmental issues Saturday at a private ceremony on a sound stage at Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, Calif. Malin Akerman, who hosted the event, performed with her band and

New York who form a gang to strike back against their enemies.

The best actor award went to veteran Spanish actor Jose Sacristan for his performance in “El muerto y ser feliz” (The Dead Man and Being Happy) by Spanish writer-director Javier Rebollo, a road movie set in Argentina.

Sacristan plays an aging hitman stricken with cancer who is coming to terms with his own impending death. The prize for best cinematography went to Iran’s Touraj Aslani for his work in the Turkish film “Fasle Kargadan” (Rhino Season). And the jury’s special mention went to “The Attack” by Lebanese-born director Ziad Doueiri. It tells the story of an Israeli surgeon of Palestinian origin whose life is shattered after his wife turns out to have been the suicide bomber in a devastating attack on a restaurant.

This year’s festival attracted its share of Hollywood star power, with visits by Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon to promote their

Spanish actress Macarena Garcia, center, celebrates with Canadian actress Katie Coseni, left, after receiving the Silver Shell Award for Best Actresses.

announced that she is expecting her first child with husband Roberto Zincone. Other winners announced Saturday include the Disney Channel show “Handy Manny” and the National Geographic Channel’s reality show, “Superfish: Bluefin Tuna.” Jessica Alba and Ian Somerhalder were also recognized for their environmental contributions. — AP

financial thriller “Arbitrage”. The festival also presented special awards to leading figures in the industry, including US actors John Travolta, Tommy Lee Jones and Scottish actor Ewan McGregor.

Dustin Hoffman also attended to present his first film as director and received a lifetime achievement award for his acting career. His film, “Quartet”, set in a home for retired opera singers, features a strong cast of British talent including Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay and Trevor Peacock. The San Sebastian Film Festival is the oldest and most prestigious event of its kind in the Spanish-speaking world. — AFP

French film director Francois Ozon, US actor Dustin Hoffman celeright, after receiving the Gold Shell brates after receiving the Award for the best film, beside Spanish Special Donostia Award. film director Fernando Trueba, with the Silver Shell for the Best Director.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

lifestyle M u s i c

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Musician Neil Young, right, performs with Frank Sampedro from his band Crazy Horse at the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park on Saturday in New York.

K’Naan

Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys

Musician Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters.

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hilippine convicts who became famous for dancing to Michael Jackson’s hits have added South Korean spice to their repertoire, with a performance of the popular “Gangnam Style” rap. A video posted by prison authorities in the central city of Cebu on YouTube showed about 1,000 inmates clad in orange uniforms doing the horseriding dance made famous by South Korean rapper Psy. The lead dancers in the centre wore black shirts and mimicked the artist, whose recent appearances at the MTV awards in Los Angeles and on other US talk shows have lifted his song into the top 10 of

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M o v i e s

he Black Keys, Foo Fighters and Neil Young rocked New York’s Central Park on Saturday with a free concert highlighting effor ts to combat extreme poverty around the world. An estimated 60,000 people flocked to the Manhattan park’s Great Lawn for the event organized by the Global Poverty Project. Unlike past benefit concerts, the main aim was to raise attention, not money. Tickets were free, but to qualify, online concertgoers had to accumulate points by watching videos on globalcitizen.org about various elements of extreme poverty, ranging from malaria to mothers dying in childbirth.

Points also added up when those applying passed on information via social networks like Twitter. The Global Poverty Project says it has more than met its goal of securing pledges worth more than $500 million this year from aid agencies and other donors, some of which were announced between sets at the concert. But the concert itself was about bringing the anti-poverty message to ordinary people. With the United Nations wrapping up its annual General Assembly, this was the perfect moment to push for mass par ticipation in the cause, Global Poverty Project CEO Hugh Evans said.

“Politicians, you know what they do?”

Evans licked his finger and stuck it in the air.

“They look to see where the wind is blowing.

Civil society decides where that wind is blowing,” he told journalists near the stage, with the Manhattan skyline in the background. “We want to build a movement. It can’t be just one concert.” In addition to the concert headliners, there was a rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine” by John Legend and per formances from K ’naan and Band of Horses.

Rockers used the stage to promote the poverty awareness message, helped by short videos on huge screens showing the work of anti-poverty campaigners. “We believe these problems are solvable. All it takes is the will of the leaders, the will of the people, and that’s why we’re here,” Legend said. Karen

Sullivan, a 43-year-old teacher attending the concert, said she agreed there was a need to get people talking about extreme poverty around the world, and accused the media of failing to spread the word.”I think people want to know, but don’t have the avenues,” she said. “People say Americans don’t care and I get ver y angr y about that. I think Americans do care. They just don’t know what to care about.”

Perhaps many in the huge crowd, though, were at least as excited by the one - off opportunity to see their rock gods as by the idea of helping the world’s poor. “Mostly we just wanted to see the Foo Fighters. We got luck y,” said fireman Stan Kowalsk i, 30.

Organizers say they want supporters of the Global Poverty Project to Tweet President Barack Obama and his Republican opponent Mitt Romney with requests for a detailed discussion on foreign policy during the upcoming presidential debates. — AFP Katharine McPhee

People participate in the Global Citizen Festival, a mass music concert and event to urge world leaders to act towards ending extreme poverty, in Central Park in New York. — AP/AFP photos

Musician Neil Young, right, performs with his band Crazy Horse including Frank Sampedro, left, and Ralph Molina.

Ben Bridwell of Band Of Horses

A video from singer Beyonce is projected during the Global Citizen Festival.

the US charts. The inmates performed in the prison court yard for visitors at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center amid heavy rain, and the four-minute clip was uploaded to Youtube Saturday.

GMA television said more than 1,000 visitors watched the dance, the inmates’ first public performance since February when authorities stopped the shows due to violence at the jail. The convicts became an Internet sensation in 2007 after jail authorities posted a recording of them doing the zombie dance from Jackson’s “Thriller” music video, which registered more than 42 million hits on

Musician John Legend

YouTube. The video of their “Gangnam Style” performance can be watched at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1AGTGLL_wg —AFP

South Korean singer Park Jae-sang, aslo known as Psy, performs during the press conference after returning from a US trip, in Seoul. — AFP

Model Petra Nemcova

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

lifestyle F A S H I O N

Individual shows boldly stamp

Paris fashion week

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oco Chanel once said: “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself.” Day five of Paris Fashion Week showed that even today the legendary fashion designer’s words ring true. Saturday presented a gold mine of eclectic and individual shows: Each one with a unique stamp of their designer. London-based Vivienne Westwood led the crowd, celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, but travelling - as she did - via Japan, Russia, Spain and Africa.

Westwood is the only designer on the Paris fashion calendar - or perhaps anywhere - who can cross the globe and several centuries, mixing up Bangkok-style catwomen, Chinese tea prints, tropical cowboys, Velasquez wenches, the Ballets Russes, and still produce a coherent and unified show. Viktor & Rolf, meanwhile, went back to their signature plays on oversized proportion to produce a glitzy show - as they prepare to celebrate 20 years since they founded the label. The epitome of femininity, Cacharel, explored spring through the natural colors of Mother Nature, in a trademark delicate display. Sunday’s shows include Kenzo, Celine and Hermes.

jacket-skirts, twinned with black shorts - as seen in Raf Simons’ show for Dior. Black and navy was used well in A-line with trapeze silhouettes, and accentuated midriffs - one of the big parts of this season’s fashion conversation -which nicely nipped the silhouettes. One of the colors of the season, vermilion, was used perfectly as shards of color, or completely covering dresses. — AP

VIVIENNE WESTWOOD “Global exotic,” is how English designer Vivienne Westwood described her brilliant and wacky springsummer 2013 show, hosted on terra mater in Paris’ British Embassy. Disparate encyclopedic fashion references gelled together - amazingly - owing to herown, very British, eccentricity.

Westwood cited Sergei Diaghilev’s “Ballets Russes” - the early 20th century’s most famous ballet company - as a key inspiration. The influential troupe used exotic styles with billowing trousers and turbans which was evoked in many of the baggy globe-trotting looks. One of the nicest looks came in a series of modified Japanese kimonos. One in light gray silk, with wide bateau collar, had fluttering hoop panels that fluttered by. Above all else, Westwood - who’s 71 - has lost none of her humor. There was a special guest star - a model portraying Queen Elizabeth II. She clutched a handbag in a crown and demure gray silk dress. In this cameo, unlike in the Olympic Games opening ceremony in which a queen look-a-like parachuted into the main stadium, the model just walked in through the embassy door.

Models present creations by Vivienne Westwood during the Spring/Summer 2013 ready-to-wear collection show in Paris. — AFP/AP photos

VIKTOR & ROLF Viktor & Rolf were feeling reflective, looking back on almost two decades since founding their fashion house, and that was evident Saturday in their oversized spring-summer ode to 70s pleated glamor. “We were in a reflective mood...” said Viktor Horsting, one half of the famed Dutch design duo which is approaching its 20th anniversary. Not ones to normally take things quite so literally, the inseparable Viktor and Rolf channeled mirrors in their oversized spring-summer show. The designers, who founded their Amsterdam-based fashion house in 1993, sent models through a reflective tunnel onto a catwalk wearing mainly black, white and silver ensembles that featured blinding mirror appliques on sumptuous silks. Oversized proportion - a signature mark produced some hits. Giant bows in soft pink and purple were used high or low on the waist to sumptuous effect. But there were some small misses in proportion, too: One tubular floor-length skirt had roseshaped mirror appliques whose size competed with the model’s head.

CACHAREL Cacharel perfectly captured the fresh mood of spring, in a feminine collection - typical of the popular French house - that brought aquatic life to the catwalk. Free hanging A-line slip dresses and gently flaring peplums and skirts Saturday, floated alongside prints of goldfish skin, anemones and underwater tea flower bloom. This spring-summer 2013 collection was also a celebration of the natural world in its careful palette the Cerulean blue of sky, orange of sea coral and tea green. But perhaps nature is in the house DNA: After all, designer Jean Bousquet who founded the house in 1962, named it after a small, beautifully striped dabbling duck with the same name. Today’s designers Ling Liu and Dawei Sun keep these codes, therefore, adding this season a touch of contemporary graphic prints. The gentle blurring made this collection a visual treat.

MARTIN GRANT Australian Martin Grant is not a household name, but he has a solid reputation in the fashion world and a string of celebrity followers like Juliette Binoche, Kate Hudson and Cate Blanchett. Saturday’s clean and on-trend collection proves its little wonder. “I wanted to play with volumes,” Grant said backstage, referring to the many looks which had elongated peplums and

Viktor & Rolf

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

lifestyle F A S H I O N

Cacharel

Martin Grant

Individual shows boldly stamp Paris fashion week

38 Army of One MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2012

By Sahar Mousa

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rmy of One (AO1) is a hip-hop/R&B group from Kuwait.

They formed the band in 2002 and made their debut in 2005 with the album ‘Reprezentin’. The band consists of five members: Daffy, ArabFace, QB, Ya’koob a.k.a Phelony and Dub G. Each of them has his own unique style and talent. They fuse R&B and hiphop/rap beats with their unique music which also includes Arabic lyrics and beats inspired by the Arab world’s traditional culture.

AO1 has recorded over 200 tracks but not all of them have been released. Their last single ‘See-Line Woman’ got a lot of attention from their ardent fans. They are currently working on an entire album where they will be responsible for everything from the lyrics to the videos and art work. The album will have no manager, no company, and no record deal. Just these five guys.

And this is what makes them so special.

marches into Kuwait’s music scene

Daffy

QB KT: Who is your Hip Hop /R&B influence?

QB: Only being influenced by R&B would have limited my music. I have also been influenced by Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Boyz to Men, and my dad.

KT: Who do you think your music resonates most with?

QB: I think Slim from the group 112 and I have a lot in common. We’re both straight forward lyrically, and very calm vocally.

KT: If it wasn’t this name, what would have been the other option?

QB: Real talk.

KT: What is the one proverb that you stick by?

QB: Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.

KT: Which country do you think has the best music scene?

QB: I think if we make it in the US, then we have made it.

KT: What are the challenges you face singing in a country like Kuwait?

QB: As the first hip hop band in Kuwait to release an official album, we have faced a lot of problems. We couldn’t sell our first album in Kuwait. Our shows got canceled. We did not get any support whatsoever. You basically have to make it there all alone unless you know someone who, in turn, knows someone important, and even then, that person has to like you.

KT: Who has been your biggest support so far for the band?

QB: My biggest support had to be my family. They have stood by my side during both, ups and downs. The look on my families’ face after our success was indescribable.

KT: Which is your favorite video and song from all your music and why?

QB: See-Line Woman would be my favorite video and song. It is very new age and straight to the point. We put so much work trying to make this a hit. The combination of Army of one meets Nina Simone is a party starter.

KT: Do you guys have creative differences with each other?

How do you solve them?

QB: Well, in Daff records and the base beat are just endless.

KT: Do you think Kuwait is helping your music or restricting it?

QB: There’s no limit to what an army of one is capable of doing, but none of this comes to life unless we are on stage. So Kuwait is neither helping nor restricting, they’re limiting.

KT: What message would you like to send out to the youngsters through your music?

QB: My message would be “whoever you want to be and live your dreams”. So many people have a lot to say, some choose to write books some choose to do stand ups, we choose to sing our stories.

KT: Rap is synonymous with drugs and gangs... How do you manage to weed out these themes from your music?

QB: When you rap or sing about drugs and gangs then you are targeting that community. If I was to choose my listeners, I’d choose all ages and races, I’d even put the druggies and gangs there, too, since a song can change your life.

KT: If you guys weren’t singers, what would you have been?

QB: I’d love to try doing standup comedy.

KT: Do you have more male or female fans?

QB: I really haven’t checked, but I hope female.

KT: What’s the one thing that you think can catapult you guys to stardom?

QB: Someone that knows someone that knows someone important in the music business.

KT: What’s the craziest experience you’ve had with fans?

QB: Me and Daffy were once in Dubai. There we are coming out of the hotel, and a group of people just storm after us.

So we do what we do best, RUN! Not knowing why, where, who, just run! Then a guy screams out “We want your autograph”. You can’t imagine how dumb we looked after that, trying to act like we had everything under control.

KT: Who is your Hip Hop /R&B influence?

Daffy: I have been influenced by a lot of artists Michael Jackson, Sade, Nina Simone, Timbaland, Boyz II Men, and Usher.

KT: Who do you think your music resonates most with?

Daffy: I think with everyone.

KT: If it wasn’t this name, what would have been the other option?

Daffy: I would call myself 11.

KT: What is the one proverb that you stick by?

Daffy: Actions speak louder than words.

KT: Which country do you think has the best music scene?

Daffy: USA. KT: What are the challenges you face singing in a country like Kuwait?

Daffy: The challenge would be not giving up on work and is in rather doing three times the work that any music group would do which is not easy.

KT: Who has been your biggest support so far for the band?

Daffy: That would have to be my family and all my fans.

KT: Which is your favorite video and song from all your music and why?

Daffy: I would have to go with Representin’ since it gave us the start and the push for everything. Also, See-Line woman as I did something I never tried earlier, which was beat boxing on a full song and doing all those tricks I did.

KT: Do you guys have creative differences with each other? How do you solve them?

Daffy: Yes we do and because we are a big family and we all have are points of view, so like all families, we sit and talk to get to the right decision.

KT: Do you think Kuwait is helping your music or restricting it?

Daffy: I think fans are all the help we are getting but I don’t think my country is giving us what we need, but still we love what we do and if we had more help from our country we would be way, way bigger then what you guys know us today as and we do this since we have Kuwait on our backs but we could had more.

KT: What message would you like to send out to the youngsters through your music?

Daffy: Love, be strong, believe, chase that dream, don’t hate.

KT: Rap is synonymous with drugs and gangs... How do you manage to weed out these themes from your music?

Daffy: Days come and you get older and you understand what you are, and that let us say rap is a message and you have to speak out right so people can get you.

KT: If you guys weren’t singers, what would you have been?

Daffy: I would go back to where I came from-basketball for life-and I’ll go for pro NBA! KT: Do you have more male or female fans?

Daffy: Females! Hi ladies.

KT: What’s the one thing that you think can catapult you guys to stardom?

Daffy: That would be first Allah, second love and all the support we can get and what makes the world go round -Money.

KT: What’s the craziest experience you’ve had with fans?

Daffy: The craziest thing would be when I saw my fans screaming and crying when I got on stage. It just made me feel like they really love what we do.

www.armyofoneq8.com facebook.com/armyofoneq8 Twitter: @armyofoneq81 Instagram:@armyofoneq8 You Tube.com/armyofoneq8

ArabFace KT: Who is your Hip Hop /R&B influence?

ArabFace: Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, Sade, Keith Sweat, Donell Jones, Musiq Soul Child, and my mother KT: Who do you think your music resonates most with?

ArabFace: Army of one is unique and doesn’t resonate with any.

KT: If it wasn’t this name, what would have been the other option?

ArabFace: Faisal.

KT: What is the one proverb that you stick by?

ArabFace: Life is a beautiful struggle. Just be positive and look at the bright side of things and good things will happen.

KT: Which country do you think has the best music scene?

ArabFace: United States.

KT: What are the challenges you face singing in a country like Kuwait?

ArabFace: The acceptance of our type of music, and the stereotypes here made us work even harder to prove that we were not just copying the west but rather mixing two different cultures, the hip hop with the Arab culture.

KT: Who has been your biggest support so far for the band?

ArabFace: My family, friends and fans.

KT: Which is your favorite video and song from all your music and why?

ArabFace: See-Line Woman, as it was the first time we tried this style and genre of music. The idea of the song was mainly influenced by Alaa Wardi and the legendary Nina Simone. The chorus is a Nina Simone cover (See-Line) and the lyrics were written and performed by us. In this song, we used our voices, lips and bodies with sound editing. The song and video show how much we have grown as we mature, personally and musically.

KT: Do you guys have creative differences with each other?

How do you solve them?

ArabFace: Since we are in this music business for 10 years now as a group, we have met so many producers who are willing to help and support us. For example Nawaf Al Gheraibah, DJ Outlaw, Dj Shred, Fuad Murad and more. We started to do our own home production through Daffy and Ya’koob and also we buy beats from international producers to make sure we have a different feel to our music.

KT: Do you think Kuwait is helping your music or restricting it?

ArabFace: It we have been thorough lots since we started our official first album, as it was different for them and they didn’t know how to deal with it, so the easier solution was to reject it, no official record stores at the moment, but we still do what we do and thanks to our fans, friends, family and DJ’s for pushing our music and believing in us. I think it’s us.

I think the whole music scene in Kuwait is slow. I mean you rarely hear about a concert or a show and unfortunately radios are limited with what they have and do, so it’s the overall music scene that is not fully supported here in Kuwait.

KT: What message would you like to send out to the youngsters through your music?

ArabFace: If you have a dream, stick to it, believe it and never give up... Stay modest; be confident, patient and passionate... these are the keys to your success and to achieving your dreams.

KT: Rap is synonymous with drugs and gangs... How do you manage to weed out these themes from your music?

ArabFace: Again it’s a stereotype and new media brainwashing ... our mission is to prove to those who think that we follow blindly that hip hop can be mixed with Arabic culture; hip hop is art, poetry, a life style that is respectful and being real to yourself and society. We do that by being ourselves, that’s why our music has an Arabic twist to it and we have the advantage of having two rappers and three singers in the group-all Arabs, we have sang about everything-life, war, love, battle, freestyles, we do it all....we just make sure to deliver our messages creatively, clearly, and choose our words and lyrics wisely.

KT: If you guys weren’t singers, what would you have been?

ArabFace: event planner.

KT: Do you have more male or female fans?

ArabFace: I agree with the guys.

KT: What’s the one thing that you think can catapult you guys to stardom?

ArabFace: No comments.

KT: What’s the craziest experience you’ve had with fans?

ArabFace : went to my car once, as I was opening the door I realized that these is something on the back window so I reached to see what is it , I found a big heart drawing with a lipstick saying “I love you”.

Phelony

KT: Who is your Hip Hop /R&B influence?

Phelony: Ya, Bob Marley, Nas, Yasiin Bey, Marvin Gaye, and my father.

KT: Who do you think your music resonates most with?

Phelony: Real People.

KT: If it wasn’t this name, what would have been the other option?

Phelony: The Gunners. (Laughs out loud and makes it evident that it’s some sort of an inside joke).

KT: What is the one proverb that you stick by?

Phelony: Speak the truth amidst all falsehood.

KT: Which country do you think has the best music scene?

Phelony: Amreeka.

KT: What are the challenges you face singing in a country like Kuwait?

Phelony: Kuwait is the best place to make music. We have all the time and the space we need. But can we go out and perform? No. Can we have concerts or do live gigs? No. So yes, not being able to share our music with our own people, in our own country, can be very challenging at times.

That’s why we do what we do, which is, to inspire other people to speak up and be heard. Let’s break this silence.

We got major talent out here in Kuwait. Let’s achieve something.

KT: Who has been your biggest support so far for the band?

Phelony: My family, NG, Megastar, my brother “Humble Abdul”, my uncle Reda, our photographer Abdullah ST and so many other people. It’s a blessing.

KT: Which is your favorite video and song from all your music and why?

Phelony: I like Representin’ since it was our first single. And that’s when it felt like we really moved something in the Middle East. It was a beautiful experience. It was something new for all of us.

KT: Do you guys have creative differences with each other?

How do you solve them?

Phelony: We do have differences, and that’s what makes it fun and exciting when we are all in the studio together. We all have different musical styles, so when we start mixing them together and experimenting, we always come up with something new.

KT: Do you think Kuwait is helping your music or restricting it?

Phelony: I think the challenge makes us want to work even harder. And the culture helps us come up with something new and unique, I love it.

KT: What message would you like to send out to the youngsters through your music?

Phelony: Be good people. Count your blessings. Follow your dreams, and always remember the Creator.

KT: Rap is synonymous with drugs and gangs... How do you manage to weed out these themes from your music?

Phelony: RAP actually stands for Rhythm and Poetry. It’s a way of expressing yourself. You could use it in a negative or positive way; it’s up to the writer, really. But how else are you going to get on a mic and say whatever you want and share it with the world? And with Hip Hop culture, it just makes it more exiting and cool! I guess we can call it modern day poetry.

KT: If you guys weren’t singers, what would you have been?

Phelony: I’d still be playing Basketball KT: Do you have more male or female fans?

Phelony: I think females dig us more KT: What’s the one thing that you think can catapult you guys to stardom?

Phelony: A good manager.

KT: What’s the craziest experience you’ve had with fans?

Phelony: Once after me and Daffy finished performing, this 6 year-old kid came out of nowhere and started busting a Freestyle for us. I’ll never forget that kid, he was going at it!

He would’ve killed me in a freestyle battle!

Dub G KT: Who is your Hip Hop /R&B influence?

Dub G: 2pac KT: Who do you think your music resonates most with?

Dub G: Doesn’t really resonate with any since were more into creating a new sound which is a mix of different flows, lyrics and music blending the western and middle eastern culture.

KT: If it wasn’t this name, what would have been the other option?

Dub G: Don’t know.

KT: What is the one proverb that you stick by?

Dub G: Staying positive and always feel blessed.

KT: Which country do you think has the best music scene?

Dub G: USA. KT: What are the challenges you face singing in a country like Kuwait?

Dub G: Criticism which is not based on facts.

KT: Who has been your biggest support so far for the band?

Dub G: Our fans. God bless them.

KT: Which is your favorite video and song from all your music and why?

Dub G: Representin’ because it was our first single and got us where we are KT: Do you guys have creative differences with each other?

How do you solve them?

Dub G: Sometime it is normal, but at the end, each one does his own thing and we manage to blend it all together KT: Do you think Kuwait is helping your music or restricting it?

Dub G: Restricting it, but the fans help in bringing it out, especially with the internet and social network.

KT: What message would you like to send out to the youngsters through your music?

Dub G: Follow me!

KT: Rap is synonymous with drugs and gangs... How do you manage to weed out these themes from your music?

Dub G: That’s a misunderstanding that most people have, rap is not about drugs and gangs, but more about poetry portrayed as music which reflects an individual’s feelings, whatever they are KT: If you guys weren’t singers, what would you have been?

Dub G: Each one already had their day job, so we’d probably just stick to that.

KT: Do you have more male or female fans?

Dub G: Probably equal KT: What’s the one thing that you think can catapult you guys to stardom?

Dub G: Having a featuring from a big name with a high quality video.

KT: What’s the craziest experience you’ve had with fans?

Dub G: Someone stalking me.