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An oud-creator’s tale of talent

www.kuwaittimes.net

Max 50º Min 37º

NO: 15528- Friday, August 3, 2012

Annan quits as envoy to Syria See Page 10

GENEVA: In this file picture taken on July 20, 2012 UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan looks on before a meeting at his office at the United Nations Offices in Geneva. Kofi Annan is quitting as UN-Arab League peace envoy for Syria, UN leader Ban Ki-moon announced yesterday, as the civil war spiralled further out of control. — AFP

Local FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

By Dana Del Vecchio

L

earning experiences do not only happen in the classroom. They can take place in a taxi cab, at a restaurant eating fish or on the roads of Kuwait.

Abdal Ghafour Shoukri Omar, 35, has been a resident of Kuwait for the past seven years.

After 28 years living in Nubia, Egypt, Shoukri moved to the country where his father has been working since 1976. To Shoukri, Kuwait is his home - shared by his two uncles, five cousins, and two brothers. His work experience began as a security officer, followed by a string of employment opportunities at a local hotel.

Visiting a different country can be an

Visiting a different country can be an enriching experience if you move beyond the typical tourist attractions and are exposed to the residents of a place as well enriching experience if you move beyond the typical tourist attractions and are exposed to the residents of a place as well. During the last eight weeks I’ve been living in Kuwait, and I have met three people who have changed my outlook on life.

Coming from Boston - a bustling city comprised of schedules, punctuality and objectives - I rarely witnessed strangers reaching out to strangers, particularly between two different nationalities. Upon arriving in Kuwait City, I never expected a resident, Abdal Ghafour Shoukri Omar, to be so kind to foreigners. “I wake up every day and go to work where I see people from different countries every day. It’s not a repetitive routine every day. I am sure that tomorrow I will go and something different will happen.”

Standing at about 5’ 11, the lobby manager greets his guests with a smile and thick Egyptian accent. His platinum name tag reads “Shoukri”, but people know him as the man running around, checking that everything is running smoothly. He makes sure that events are operating on time, guests are satisfied with their rooms, and front desk agents are resolving guest complaints. No matter what time of day it is, he is always occupied with something.

Although he has had opportunities to take other jobs, Shoukri wouldn’t consider giving up this job; it’s not about the salary.

From behind the front desk, Shoukri displayed a wide smile and said, “Whatever you need, any time, you can call me - to take care of anything, for support, whatever.” It had been four weeks, and even though the Boston College professor and six students began their transit back to the United States, I felt assured that I was not alone in Kuwait. Shoukri has called me each week, asking how the internship was going, if I was eating well, and if I needed anything at all. “Whenever you would like to try Egyptian food at a favorite restaurant of mine, just let me know.”

Five days later, Shoukri, a well-acquainted Egyptian man, escorted a young pale American into the tucked away restaurant, while greeting the waiters with familiarity. Dishes mixed with every type of fish continued to fill the table until I could no longer see the table mat.

“Once when I was eating, I was not happy because I saw a guy not dining. He did not have money, and I was making order for lots of

A Kuwaiti man is reflected in a mirror at a barber shop in Kuwait City in this Jan. 31, 2012 file photo. — AFP things, and would throw leftovers in the trash.

Maybe in another case, he would be in my situation and I would be in his.” For Shoukri, “It’s not about being Muslim, Christian, or Jewish.

It’s about being a human.”

Shoukri’s kindness highlights the importance of reaching out to people who need help, whether that person is a stranger or even just a neighbor. Shoukri’s story is part one of a three part series.

Language is not the only medium of communication My taxi cab rides in New York City or Boston always consisted of a hello, a thank you and a money transaction. In Kuwait, there have been a few taxi drivers who have defied this status quo. One driver in particular, Amman, has altered my conception of communication, proving that differences can be overcome.

After bargaining the price down to two dinars, Amman agreed to drive me and two American friends to the hotel. Bodies slumped into the backseats, two friends began looking at their handful of new prayer beads; I waited nervously in the front seat. His tanned complexion and young face didn’t offer any hints about his nationality. “American?” he asked.

We nodded our heads in unison. To make us feel at home, Amman changed the music from Arabic to American pop music. Amman shared that he was Iraqi and began to reminisce over a childhood shaped by a volatile environment.

But as a young adult in 2005, Amman moved to Kuwait, bought a car and used the skills he had to become a certified taxi driver.

Language is not needed for cross border communication. “What do you think of the people here?” I asked. His face scrunched up and his eyebrows furrowed with confusion.

“Sorry, I don’t understand.” For a few moments, Amman and three of us sat in silence, anxiously hoping to find a way to overcome the language barrier. Replacing words with hand motions, I used over-exaggerated facial expressions and took on the role of a mime.

“Friendly?” Friendly was translated into a wide smile from ear to ear, with a left hand placed on his right shoulder. “Serious?” Serious was represented by a solemn expression, hands crossed, and a straight back like a lieutenant.

“Mean?” Mean was defined by two fists and a heavy disgruntled tone. “What about generous?” Generous was displayed by the offering

of three sets of prayer beads to Amman’s hands. Among the four of us, there was enough laughter to be heard by another car.

No longer turned away from me, he faced me in excitement at a red light. “The people are good,” Amman said with no explanation.

Amman illustrated that two people from different backgrounds, and different languages, can overcome the language barrier with a little creativity and effort. Amman’s anecdote is part two of a three part series.

Meet Sunil At the end of my eight-week trip, I realized that one of the people who I connected with the most was Sunil Wickramabala, a Sri Lankan man who helped provide transportation to and from work every day. The brief, cordial conversations with Sunil turned into a friendship that I will always look back on.

Sunil works the nightshift from six to six.

Once he is off, he drives his wife to work and daughter to class at 7:30 am, then proceeds to drop me off at work by 9 am. He sits by his hos-

pitalized friend until 11 am, sleeps for 2 hours, picks up his wife and daughter at 2 pm, arrives at the office by 5 pm, and restarts his routine all over again.

Sunil kept busy at work, like any other working man, until an incident occurred on July 19th, 2012. On that day, Nalu, a 69 year-old Sri Lankan man and Sunil’s friend of many years, found himself sitting in a hospital bed with little memory and no nearby friends or family. “I was introduced to him when a group of us met on our day off every week. After I [knew] where his house was, I would go to his home, and he would come to mine,” Sunil said.

As defined by the 30-year civil war in Sri Lanka, the Tamil people are enemies of the Sinhalese people. (Must explicitly state here that Sunil is Sinhalese and Nalu is Tamil, to avoid confusion.) But for Sunil, ethnic tensions have never prevented the two from being friends for 28 years. “I don’t see him as Tamil, and us, Sri Lankan. We have [a] friendship.”

Nalu’s friendship with Sunil was invaluable for Nalu, particularly since Nalu lived in the country alone. Before the incident, Nalu visited Sunil’s family weekly, and kissed both of his two daughters on the forehead each time. But after an unexpected fall, Nalu was hospitalized and slipped into a coma by the second day.

“He could not open his eyes, and his words did not make sense. We called his family, and they were crying, saying ‘please try to send him to Sri Lanka’,” Sunil said. For almost two weeks, Sunil and his family became Nalu’s surrogate family. They came to his room at the hospital as a family each afternoon.

It was the morning of July 1st, and Sunil walked into Nalu’s room after a week of absence. He found nothing more than a blankfaced nurse and an empty bed. Within one week, Nalu’s bank card was canceled, his family and employer informed of his death, the Sri Lankan embassy notified, and his body sent to Sri Lanka. He said, “I’m not thinking I have to sleep. Sometimes, when I’m going to [the] temple, they say, if you’re eating something and someone comes to your door, don’t turn to the other side.” Serving others is a priority for Sunil: “I give as much as I can give. What I have is not all money, except I can give little. If something happens to me, maybe some of the people will do the same for me.”

Local FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Conspiracy Theories

Tradition turns into fashion parade

By Badrya Darwish

KUWAIT: Ramadan tents, ghabqas and joyful spirit fill the midnight air in Kuwait after the athan announces the sunset.

— Photo by Yasser AlZayyat

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net Kuwait’s my business

I

don’t want to sound negative or pessimistic since I know it is the holy month of Ramadan. I try to always look on the bright side of things. It seems, however, as if you need rose-tinted glasses to see our world today in a positive light.

Why do our beautiful traditions have to be changed? Why have the wonderful traditions and customs we have raised our children to believe started to disappear? I am referring to one of the nicest holidays for children - Girgian. It occurs on the 13th, 14th and 15th of the holy month of Ramadan. If you have been in Kuwait for long, you know about it. Kids after futoor dress in traditional clothes, carry a cotton bag and knock on doors in the neighbourhood singing Girgian songs and asking for candy. Most houses prepare for the occasion and offer the children small gifts. In a way, it resembles Halloween in the West.

Today however, Girgian is being commercialized in an ugly way. The whole country is flooded with gift bags emblazoned with favourite soccer stars, singers and movie stars. Once simple but ornate bags are rising in price and becoming walking advertisements. In one shop you can buy a simple small bag for KD 3, yet the more popular commercialized bags are selling for as much KD 33. Why has this happened?

Why have we condoned the commercializing of a beautiful night in the holy month meant for kids? Why foster this new sense of competitiveness between children over what Girgian bags their family can or cannot afford? Maybe not all families can afford to buy kids expensive Girgian bags with celebrities, soccer stars and put gold or silver coins and expensive posh chocolates inside. If Jassem gives Yousef an expensively wrapped Girigan and Yousef gives a simpler one, do we not realize that children will feel self-conscious?

Is this what Girgian is supposed to be all about? The answer, of course, is no. It is not meant for mothers to compete as to who can buy a more expensive gift. The idea is that kids should roam the neighbourhood together and collect their own Girgian. Why, then, has the tradition been distorted and turned into a fashion parade?

Let children live their lives as they grow. Let them enjoy Girgian the way we enjoyed it when we were young so they can pass it on to future generations.

Get in the right business

By John P Hayes

local@kuwaittimes.net

W

hen you start a business you hope to earn a fortune and enjoy doing it, don’t you? But if you ask business owners in Kuwait or anywhere if they’re making fortunes and enjoying their businesses, most of them will say, “No!” So you might ask, “Then why should I start a business?” The issue isn’t whether or not you should start a business. If you seek both fortune and satisfaction, business ownership is a good choice. However, you must get into the right business, and that’s where most business owners fail. Their businesses are doomed even before they open their doors.

Business owners often tell me they’re not making enough money considering the hours they work, the struggles they encounter with employees, customers, suppliers, and regulators, and the risks they take. And when I tell them to get out of the business they’re in and get into the right business, they’re often incredulous. “What do you mean? This is a good business,” they claim, suddenly defending a business they had just said wasn’t all that great. “I inherited this business from my father, who inherited it from his father. Our family has been in the automobile business for 100 years!” “But the automobile isn’t a business,” I explain. “It’s something you sell. The automobile is a product, and it’s impossible to make a business out of something it’s not.”

By definition, a business should be both profitable and satisfying. One isn’t any good without the other. If you

make a fortune, but you’re unhappy, that’s no good. And I’ve never met a happy business owner who was losing money. Products do not generate profit or satisfaction.

They also don’t lose money, or create dissatisfaction. Only businesses do that! Get into the wrong business and you’re likely to fail. But get into the right business and you may become wealthy and feel great while doing it!

What you sell in your business isn’t as important as meeting the needs and expectations of the people who buy from your business. People want to buy automobiles (and many other products), but they don’t need to buy them from you. In Kuwait, there are countless places to buy automobiles. Why should customers buy from you? When you answer that question you’re beginning to get into the right business. You probably spend most of your time fussing over your products, your employees, your accounting, your environment, and wondering how to make more money. But until you focus on giving the customer a reason to buy from you, again and again, you’re in the wrong business.

There’s only one business to be in: The business of capturing and keeping customers. Until you do that, you’re in the wrong business, and you won’t make a fortune or feel satisfied. Get in the right business!

NOTE: Dr John P Hayes is a marketing professor at Gulf University for Science & Technology. Contact him at questions@hayesworldwide.com or via Twitter @drjohnhayes.

Local FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Lunar lovers or lunatics?

By Nawara Fattahova

S

ince Neil Armstrong made his giant leap on the moon over 40 years ago, the human race has targeted the moon as a leisure destination for tourism and, most recently, even as a residential location. Owning property on the moon has become a lucrative business beyond the borders of Kuwait. But dealing in moon land, a Kuwaiti lawyer says, is considered illegal.

Attorney Mubarak Mijzee explained that according to Kuwaiti law, buying land on the moon is a crime which is classified as a fraud. “The seller of property on the moon is cheating customers by misleading them with false information. Although, according to the law, the contract signed between the parties has legal power, thus the seller has to own what he sells. So selling property on the moon is illegal and considered a crime,” Mijzee said, adding that he has never heard of such a case in Kuwait or the GCC, and anybody can sue such a seller, whether it was an individual or a company selling moon property. “Even if it is a civil contract it should be canceled, since from a legal view it’s impossible to execute,” he said.

A few years ago, a real estate agency based in the United States was selling plots on the moon, and hundreds of people bought them at low prices. Recently, news circulated that some 100 Turkish customers who had purchased land on the moon received gifts from a website for $55. The customers received documents of ownership with their names and the location of their property on the moon. They were also given a map with the exact address of the land and a land deed for any potential minerals that might be mined in the future. The news circulated that more than 2.5 million people from 172 countries have bought land on the moon and the list featured many celebrities.

There are many websites in different countries offering acres of land for sale on the moon. For promoters and marketers, this is seen as the perfect gift. In Kuwait, some people have expressed a willingness to buy plots of land. Samar, a 30-year-old Lebanese, thinks it’s a great idea to have a holiday home on the moon. “I would surely buy a plot on the moon, if the price was only about KD 15 or KD 20, why not? It has always been a dream to reach the moon, and the moon is for everyone. It sounds like an amazing idea. I will do an online search to buy land there,” she said.

Not everyone in Kuwait is as open to the idea as Samar. Knar, 45, thinks it’s ridiculous because nobody owns the moon. “How can anybody believe such a thing or trust it? It’s like throwing money in the trash. Those who are selling the plots of land are thieves and they are cheating people. I wonder how so many people just buy such a thing, it’s not realistic,” she pointed out. For 26-year-old Ahmad, this is “nonsense”. “It’s just silly to think about buying land on the moon. Most probably, I would never go there to see this land. It’s a scam to get money from people,” he said.

Kuwaitis want to buy a moon plot, unaware it’s a criminal offence

NO: 15528

RAMADAN 15, 1433 AH

How many Suras (chapter) are there in 15 the Holy Quran?

114 Suras 113 Suras 115 Suras

Local FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

An

oud-cre‘I love this craft because I create something unique’

By Velina Nacheva

E

Ahmed Abduljalil performs on an oud he has made.

very day when the clock strikes midnight, Ahmed Abduljalil goes downstairs to his workshop in the quiet residential area of Rumathiya.

He plays his classical music collection, grabs a log of rosewood and starts carving the Middle East’s most melodic instrument - the oud. “I can only create surrounded by the tranquility of the night,” he says, sitting in his workshop where piles of various tools and wood types lay around.

Abduljalil, a mechanic by profession and a music lover by heart, picked up oud-making 20 years ago. To this day, however, he says that experimenting is one of the main traits of his art. “In order to create a masterpiece, you need to be in a certain creative mood...

Classical music inspires me,” he says, and starts narrating the story of how oud-making first became a hobby for him and then grew into a passion.

“If something is a hobby, you will be more creative practicing it than if it is your fulltime job,” he says.

A self-taught oud-maker The certain state-of-mind seems to take centre stage for the middleaged Kuwaiti artist when it comes to oud-making. Sometimes an oud (from the Arabic word for wood) takes him a week to complete and at other times the completion of the musical instrument stretches to one or two months. “It depends on my mood. Before I make the oud I have to feel it,” Abduljalil says, explaining that the creative process for him starts

Local FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

when the musician chooses a certain design. “The design depends on people’s taste,” the self-taught oud-maker explained, elaborating that he, himself, recreates the features of the Abdo Nahat design.

Perfect workmanship and elaborate design are the key characteristics of Abduljalil’s ouds, which he crafts with a ready mould to which he attaches 3mm thick rosewood strips until completing the pear-shaped bottom of the instrument.

According to Abduljalil, an odd number of wood pieces are essential to make a good oud. That is why he has chosen to make ouds with 25 strips.

His step-by-step process of turning wood into an oud is straight-forward: After he glues the ribs from the inside, Abduljalil scrubs the oud. The elaborate technique of polishing the oud is completed when French polish is applied atop with cotton. The oud is then ready for the intricate inlaid design, which Abduljalil does first with a pencil and later with a small knife.

Such design, he explains, is the trademark of the Abdo Nahat oud-makers.

After he completes the soundboard, Abduljalil says he combines it with the oud’s pear-shaped body. The last item of the oud is the soundboard, which provides the different quality and frequency of the sound.

In general, the weight, age and material of the oud will determine the quality of the sound. “The older an oud gets, the better sound it makes,” Abduljalil says. Using the analogy about the age of shoes and the oud, in relation to the quality of the sound, he says: “If the oud is old and nobody

Ahmed Abduljalil demonstrates the A-Z of oud-making.

— Photos by Joseph Shagra

played on it, the quality of the sound is not as good. Similarly, if you don’t wear old shoes, they will be painful to wear later on.”

Player, oud-maker Abduljalil is the family’s sole instrument maker. That is why he now teaches his craftsman’s skills and love for making the lute-like instrument to an Indian boy working in his house. “He is good with his hands and has talent,” he said, introducing his apprentice. “Contrary to the claims of oud makers that our craft is hard, I would like to say that oud-making is not such difficult work,” he says with a smile, and shows the so-called Ahmed’s oud name tag inside the oud he has just completed. Pointing at a small note in the belly of the wood, which could be seen through the instrument’s rosette, he says: “Each oud has the date it was made, name of the oud-maker and his phone number pasted inside.”

Holding an oud he had made, he sits on a sofa in his diwaniya and before he starts to play he says: “If you play the oud yourself, you find it easier to recognize the sound with precision. I always try to improve the sound... I love oud-making because I do something unique.”

Local FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Militants have threatened safety at Mubarak port: Iraqi MP Why Iraq pays compensation to Kuwait KUWAIT: Iraqi MP Alya Nsayef called upon the Kuwaiti government to make the memory of the Kuwait invasion a thing of the past and stop punishing the Iraqi people because of it. These opinions come from the belief that the invasion was caused by Saddam Hussain and not by the Iraqi people.

Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament group known as the Free Iraqi Group, Alya Nsayef, said, “We were hoping to fold the past pages and open new positive relations between the two neighboring countries, considering the mistakes and practices of the former regime.

“Iraq today extends its hands to Kuwait to build a relationship based upon good neighboring relations and to abide by international rules and regulations. But reality, unfortunately, is totally opposite to that due to the insistence of Kuwait to hold the Iraqi people respon-

KUWAIT: Policemen arrested an Asian expat on charges of possessing heroin and other of drugs for trading and use in Ahmadi governorate. — Hanan Al-Saadoun

Expat arrested for selling heroin in Ahmadi governorate

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Drug enforcement officers arrested an Asian expat on charges of possession of heroin and other drugs, as well as selling those drugs in Ahmadi governorate. Earlier information indicated that the man was active in the drug business, and after legal formalities were taken the suspect was arrested in his house. After searching his residence, officials reported finding 100 grams of heroin and other drugs he mixed with heroin, along with a weighing scale. The man confessed to the charges, following which he, and the confiscated materials, were sent to the appropriate authorities.

Earthquake hits Kuwait KUWAIT: According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre an earthquake with the magnitude of 4.2 on the Richter Scale hit Kuwait at around 7.30 am. Najji Mutairy, Director of Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research explained that the epicenter of the earthquake was to the north of Kuwait. He said that there were three follow-up earthquake-aftershocks with a weaker magnitude.

Fire shuts down unit of Equate KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Equate Petrochemicals Co, a joint venture with US Dow Chemical, said yesterday it has shut down a 550,000 tonnes ethylene glycol unit after it caught fire. The shutdown will be for approximately six weeks after a fire broke out there Tuesday following a leak. The fire did not cause injuries, the company said, adding that production at its other units was not affected. Equate is a multi-billion-dollar joint venture between Dow Chemical and Kuwait’s stateowned Petrochemical Industries Co (PIC), each holding 42.5 percent stake.

Two private firms Boubyan Petrochemical Co and AlQurain Petrochemicals hold nine percent and six percent respectively. Equate, which began operations in 1997, has a total production capacity of 5.2 million metric tonnes per year mainly of polyethylene, ethylene glycol and styrene, in addition to other derivative products. — AFP

sible for the invasion which they had nothing to do with.”

Nsayef explained that Iraqi interests today are unfairly treated, and the Iraqi people are being punished by the Kuwaitis due to the insistence of Kuwait demanding compensation, namely by deducting 5 percent of the Iraqis’ food supply. Kuwait also insisted to continue building Mubarak Port and insists on enacting decision 833, which the Iraqi people have suffered from. According to Nsayef, Kuwait also tried to legislate receiving oil from the joint oil wells at the border. She added that the relations which the new Iraq tried to build with Kuwait were more favorable to Kuwait than Iraq. She cited Iraq’s attempts to honestly wipe out the policies of the old regime and open a new beginning with their Kuwaiti brothers, citing Iraq’s hopes in receiving the same treatment

from the Kuwaiti government.

“Unfortunately, we did not find any step in this direction,” she added.

She emphasized the necessity that the Kuwait government and Kuwaiti politicians should give up their old hatred and work for clear intentions, and to deal with the invasion as an invasion designed by Saddam against the wishes of the Iraqi people.

Additionally, Iraqi MP Kathem AlShimmary explained that his country is besieged by armed militants dedicated to fighting the legitimate Iraqi government, American and International forces, and has even threatened Kuwait if they continue to build the Mubarak Port. Al-Shimmary stated that if those armed militants attacked Kuwait, the Iraqi government would then be blamed by Kuwait for not having control over its people.

Bedoons seek help on anniversary of Iraqi invasion

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: A group of bedoons and Kuwaiti nationals held peaceful gatherings at different cemeteries yesterday to mark the anniversary of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. The group went to the Sabhan Cemetery where the late Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmad was buried, then to the Jafari Cemetery and finally to the Sunni Cemetery in Sulaibikhat.

“The main purpose of this event is to call upon HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to consider the poor situation of the families and children of the bedoon martyrs, who were not naturalized. It’s absurd that some singers and actors were naturalized and are Kuwaitis now, while the children of the bedoon martyrs whose fathers died in Kuwait during the invasion to defend the country haven’t obtained their rightful Kuwaiti nationality,” Kuwaiti activist Husein AlKhaldi told the Friday Times.

According to him, there are 14 bedoon families of martyrs who were not naturalized and are living in very poor conditions. “The family of Homoud Al-Banoun Al-Enezi have been living in a Jordanian refugee camp since 1990 and haven’t been allowed to come back to Kuwait, although their father was fatally shot by Iraqis in one of the defense operations. We feel very bad about this issue,” explained Al-Khaldi.

“Also, the family of Mayouf Jaber Al-Harbi, whose father was also killed during the invasion, is facing a critical situation as their mother is seriously sick and were recently told to leave the house in which they had been living,” he concluded.

KUWAIT: A fire department vehicle is seen at the scene of a crash that killed Sergeant Yousef Talaq Al-Rasheedi (inset) late on Wednesday. — KUNA

Fireman killed in traffic accident KUWAIT: A firefighter died and three of his colleagues were injured in a horrific traffic accident while responding to the call of duty. General Fire Department staff expressed in a press statement yesterday their great sadness at the death of Sergeant Yousef Talaq Al-Rasheedi and the injury of three of his fellow firefighters from Al-Mangaf fire station. The department staff added that the accident occurred when the group of firefighters headed to Fahd Al-Ahmad area after receiving a call from the operation center informing them about a family trapped inside a residential elevator.

Lieutenant Hussein Ashkanani, Sergeant Mohammad Zabin Al-Mutairi, Sgt Yousef Talaq Al-Rasheedi and Corporal Mishari Al-Kharaza were all inside the fire car which was involved in an accident, preventing them from arriving to Fahd Al-Ahmad, they added. “The other firefighters sustained fractures and bruises and were administered first aid before being admitted to Al-Adan Hospital,” the staff said, noting that the Deputy Director of General Fire Dept Brigadier Yousef Al-Ansari and Deputy General Director Brigadier Khaled AlMukrad and a number of commanders and firefighters visited the injured firefighters at the hospital. The department prayed Allah the Almighty to accept the martyr, heal the injured and save everyone from all harm. — KUNA

Local FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Amir urges vigilance amid regional turmoil Amir visits Army, Police, National Guard clubs

KUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Sabah addresses officers at the Kuwait Army Officers Club late on Wednesday. — KUNA

KUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, accompanied by HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, visited the Kuwait Army Officers Club Wednesday evening. Addressing the army officers, HH the Amir congratulated the armed forces on the holy month of Ramadan, hailing their national role in defending the national against looming perils. He urged everybody in the country to do their utmost in order to safeguard national unity, security and safety and to stand against any attempt to undermine national unity. He also reminded the personnel of the armed forces that they have the honor of defending the nation and protecting its territorial integrity.

On regional risks, the Amir said: “You should be aware of the sizeable risks and challenges haunting our region, which has become a flashpoint for continuing regional and international conflicts.” “There is no doubt that such growing threats threaten, in the first place, our supreme interest and our livelihood sources as well as the security and stability of the peoples of the entire region,” he said. “Therefore, such circumstances necessitate vigilance, preparedness and response to decisively square up to anybody who may try to harm the nation’s security, safety and stability,” Sheikh Sabah urged. He added that the government spared no effort to develop all the services of the Armed Forces and to supply them with sophisticated military equipment and to provide them with high-level military training courses.

In this context, the Amir hailed the army command for great efforts to upgrade the personnel’s theoretical and practical military training level.

Sheikh Sabah then visited the Police Officers Club. Addressing the policemen, the Amir congratulated them on Ramadan, wishing Kuwait and all other Arab and Muslim countries welfare and prosperity. He thanked all policemen for their great efforts to maintain security and stability in the country and to protect the lives of citizens and residents and their interests as well as to safeguard public and private properties. He also appreciated their praiseworthy efforts to stand against any attempt by anybody to disrupt the nation’s security and stability or to undermine its social fabric.

The Amir even urged them to strictly apply law to everybody in the country. “The nation’s

security and the protection of its safety and international front as well as national unity are above all considerations,” he said. However, he voiced concerns over seriously growing phenomena that threaten security and stability, but necessitate decisive action to wipe out relevant reflections. Taking drug use as one of such serious phenomena, the Amir urged antidrug squads to exert more efforts to stop the spreading of drugs on Kuwait’s soil.

He also pointed out increasing car accidents, which urgently need to be reduced through effective plans, together with traffic congestion in most streets by day and at night, which causes high environmental pollution. He finally reminded policemen of their holy duty to protect Kuwait and its internal front.

Afterwards, the Amir visited the National Guard Officers Club, where he was welcomed

by Chief of the National Guard HH Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah. Addressing National Guard officers, the Amir congratulated them on the holy month of Ramadan , urging them to stick to religious and traditional constants and to safeguard national unity. Stressing national unity, he said: “Our dear nation, through its honorable history, has never witnessed such sectarian, tribal and factional tensions. We are all living as a single Kuwaiti family which embodies the spirit of national unity and loyalty.”

He urged the National Guard to be always ready for protecting national security and safety and for applying law to everybody strictly and decisively. He also voiced confidence that they are standby for surrounding developments and circumstances in the Arab world. — KUNA

FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Maryland man who called himself ‘joker’ charged

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Afghan finance minister faces corruption probe

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Romney to re-introduce himself to voters again

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DAMASCUS: In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, President Bashar Assad (right) meets with Kofi Annan, the United Nations special envoy to Syria. — AFP

Annan quits as Syria peace envoy Rebels use captured tank against Syrian forces UNITED NATIONS: Kofi Annan is quitting as UNArab League peace envoy for Syria, UN leader Ban Ki-moon announced yesterday, as the civil war spiralled further out of control. Ban announced “with deep regret” the resignation of Annan, who was named to the post on February 23.

Syrian rebels yesterday bombarded a military air base in Aleppo using a tank captured from government troops as activists reported the regime has launched new raids against opposition fighters near the capital Damascus, killing dozens. It was one of the first indications the rebels are starting to deploy the heavy weapons they’ve managed to capture in the past weeks from the Syrian army.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the rebel-seized tank shelled the Menagh military airport outside Aleppo, which the regime has used to launch attacks on rebel positions in the surrounding area.

The incident represents an escalation in the 17month-old uprising in which an estimated 19,000 have died. Since the beginning, rebel forces have suffered from the huge disparity in armaments with Syria’s well-armed military that also has fighter jets and helicopter gunships at its disposal. Rebel forces in northern Syria attacked the country’s

largest city of Aleppo two weeks ago and have captured several neighborhoods, mostly lower income areas on the periphery, which they have since held despite ground and air assaults by the government.

Residents reported yesterday that Internet and mobile phones were barely working since the night before, which has raised fears of an imminent government onslaught on Aleppo. But by early afternoon yesterday, there were only the daily, low level clashes around the rebel bastion of Salaheddine and shelling, a resident going by the name of Abu Adel told The Associated Press. Communications also began to work again by the end of the day.

With its proximity to rebel-friendly Turkey just to the north, Aleppo has enormous strategic importance to the opposition and if the rebels were able to capture and hold it, the city could form the kernel of a wider rebel-controlled zone.

“If Aleppo falls, then automatically we are going to establish headquarters at the presidential palace,” said Syrian opposition leader Burhan Ghalioun, late Wednesday in Paris. The comments could be seen as overconfident, given that the regime still wields considerable power. “Nothing more would stand in the way of the Free Syrian Army. Hama and Homs, to the outskirts of

Damascus, have in large part been liberated.”

The Syrian army, however, still has many more tanks and armored vehicles than the rebels and there was no indication that yesterday’s attack on the air base was particularly effective. Later, a nearby village was shelled by government forces out of that same air base. There was also heavy shelling earlier in the day around the town of Azaz on the Turkish border, which has been in rebel hands for weeks along with a checkpoint crossing in the area, making it easier to deliver rebel weapons and supplies to the Aleppo battle. It would be a huge blow to the opposition if the government retook the crossing.

In the capital Damascus, the regime yesterday announced a string of raids against rebels in neighborhoods on the southern edge of the city the night before, killing and arresting “a number of terrorists,” as the government refers to rebels.

Operations also took place in the well-to-do Muhajireen district yesterday close to the presidential palace in Damascus. Activist Abu Qais, based in the Syrian capital, said 20 people were arrested.

Also yesterday, the regime bombarded the southern suburb of Tadamon with artillery and mortars, sending plumes of smoke up into the sky,

according to the Observatory. People in downtown Damascus confirmed hearing explosions coming from that direction and seeing smoke. A bold rebel assault on Damascus was crushed two weeks ago in fierce fighting, but the latest raids show that pockets of resistance remain in the capital and the surrounding countryside. Abu Qais said that at least 20 people were killed by raids in the Yalda suburb on Wednesday night, in the south, while the Observatory reported that 47 people had been killed in the Jdaidat Artouz neighborhood to the southwest. Videos posted by activists show piles of bloody corpses, many with visible bullet holes. The videos could not be independently authenticated.

There has been a growing chorus of international condemnation of Syria’s handling of the uprising and a vote is set for today in the UN General Assembly on a resolution drafted by Arab League countries. The draft had to be softened, however, because of resistance from Brazil, Russia, India and China, finally dropping its call for Assad to step down and for sanctions on Syria. While the 193-member General Assembly has no legal mechanism for enforcing a resolution, an overwhelming vote can carry moral and symbolic power.—Agencies

International FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Tunisians face costly Ramadan under first Islamist government TUNIS: “These prices are unheard of!

They are worse than the Ramadan heat wave,” says Aisha, cradle in hand, sheltering from the blazing sun in Tunis’ central market during the Muslim fasting month. It is Tunisia’s first Ramadan under an Islamist government, which promised to rein in food prices when it came to power seven months ago but has yet to do so, and poor Tunisians are struggling to cope. “This year everything is expensive; the prices have hit all-time highs,” complains the housewife, as she eyes the well-stocked shelves, whose contents remain largely out of her price range.

“People can only look and go on their way,” says Aisha, adding that for iftar, the evening meal when Muslim’s break their fast, she is forced to feed her family a plate of kadhab, any sort of vegetarian poor-man’s dish without protein. Amid the cries of market traders and the pungent smell of fish, disadvantaged Tunisians wander

round the stalls searching for affordable food. “One kilo of lemons today, at four dinars (two euros/$2.46), is eight times more expensive than before Ramadan! It’s a disgrace,” says Souha, blaming the speculators who profit from the hunger that follows the daylong fast.

“Briks without lemon during Ramadan, there’s no point!” she adds, referring to a Tunisian dessert widelyeaten during Ramadan. Selima, a textile worker, says: “With my budget of 160 dinars (90 euros) I could get by for the month, but this year I’ve spent it all in the first week.” At the end of April, Prime Minister Hamadi Jabali pledged to bring down the cost of consumer goods before Ramadan, but it was a promise that rang hollow as prices continued to climb.

What is supposed to be a period of abstinence for Muslims, the holy month often paradoxically leads to a frenzy of consumer demand and price

hikes. In a bid to curb price speculation, the authorities deployed monitors, but they have met with hostility from some traders. Even so, more than a thousand offenses were recorded in the first five days of Ramadan. “The government must do what is necessary to contain high prices and increase salaries, otherwise it will be punished in the next elections,” says Mohammed, a civil servant.

“What is more important than allowing people to eat during Ramadan?” he asks, recalling that last year’s revolution, which ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, was sparked by frustration at the poverty and precarious livelihoods of so many Tunisians. “People sacrificed their lives. We have a government and elected MPs, but the prices have not fallen one iota,” says his wife Nabila, who works in a bank. The coalition government, formed after the first post-uprising poll in October, has raised the minimum monthly salary to around 150 euros, and

talks over public and private sector pay increases are in their early stages.

But for now, the cost of living is frequently satirised in the media, with newspapers devoting entire sections to the problem of high food prices and sometimes offering cheap recipes to help people make ends meet. “You have to secure a bank loan to make chakchouka” these days, quipped one radio commentator recently, referring to a highly popular, spicy dish made of tomatoes, onions, eggs and peppers.

Tunisia went into recession last year, and despite recovering in 2012, the economy remains fragile.

Unemployment, which spurred many of the revolutionaries into action, hovers at around 19 percent. The Ben Ali regime repeatedly claimed that less than four percent of the country’s population lived in poverty, but after the revolution it emerged that this was a gross underestimate, the real figure estimated at almost a quarter. — AFP

Egypt’s PM-designate pledges ‘people’s govt’ Tantawi keeps defence ministry post

CAIRO: Egypt’s prime minister-designate pledged yesterday that his new 35member Cabinet would be a “people’s government” and called on Egyptians to rally behind it and the nation’s newly elected president in the face of “grave challenges.” The US-educated Hesham Kandil also confirmed that Hosni Mubarak’s defense minister of 20 years, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, will retain the post. Tantawi led the military generals who took over from Mubarak when the president stepped down nearly 18 months following a popular uprising. The new government is the first since Mohammed Morsi, a longtime Muslim Brotherhood leader, was inaugurated as Egypt’s first freely elected president. The new Cabinet’s line-up appeared aimed at allaying worries that Islamists will monopolize power in the government - three Brotherhood members were given ministries and several members of the outgoing, militarybacked government will retain their posts, including the foreign and finance ministers.

Still, the line-up fell far short of the unity government that Morsi had initially said he would put together, bringing together political factions. Instead, the members were largely technocrats. And many will be looking to see how many of the new ministers, while not Brotherhood members, are Islamists or sympathetic to the movement to gain a real picture of the government’s diversity. “We are all Egyptians in the Arab Republic of Egypt. The coming period is not easy, to say the least, and we are all in the same boat,” Kandil told a news conference. “This is the people’s government; it does not belong to this or that trend.”

The new government comes at a time when tensions are rising over the country’s tenuous security, recent sectarian violence and growing popular dis-

content over issues such as widespread power and water outages as well as shortages. The military generals who took over from Mubarak in February 2011 handed over power to Morsi but not before they stripped the new president of significant powers and declared themselves as the country’s legislative authority after dissolving the Brotherhood-dominated parliament.

The military also has control over the process of drafting Egypt’s new constitution.

Morsi’s choice of Kandil, a devout Muslim reported by some Egyptian media to be sympathetic to the Brotherhood, has angered the liberals and leftists who launched the uprising against Mubarak. In his 40s, he maintains that he has no formal links to any of the country’s Islamist political parties.

The radical Islamist Al-Nour party, which supported Morsi in his presidential bid, decided to boycott the government after it was only offered the environment portfolio.

It had wanted the communication, local development and business sector ministries, according to a party spokesman. The Cabinet lineup includes only two women - one of them also a Christian - and signaled Morsi’s failure to give women and minority Christians more than the token representation they had under Mubarak’s 29-year authoritarian rule.

It also does not include any of the iconic youth figures of the 18-day, antiMubarak uprising. Still, Kandil sought to gain the goodwill of the secular, proreform groups behind the revolt, saying his government wanted to realize its slogan: “Bread, freedom and social justice.”

He acknowledged that he was abroad when the uprising began Jan. 25, 2011.

Brotherhood members were given the key ministry posts of higher education and housing. A third Brotherhood mem-

ber was named minister of state for youth. The new government comes to office during one of the worst bouts of unrest since the days and weeks that immediately followed Mubarak’s Feb. 11, 2011 ouster. Sectarian violence in the past week in Dahshour village south of Cairo saw a Muslim mob torching Christian homes and damaging the local church, which forced many Christian families to flee the village Wednesday. A Muslim injured in clashes died of his wounds on Tuesday, stoking the anger of Muslims.

Lengthy power and water outages in Cairo and across the nation of some 82 million people have been sending thousands to the streets to protest daily. In many cases, protesters cut off roads or attacked government offices. The outages have deepened the suffering of Egypt’s mainly Muslim population, coinciding with the dawn-to-dusk fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which this year falls during the scorching July and August heat.

During Ramadan, devout Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and other worldly pleasures.

In other violence, mobs angered by poor quality of medical care given to their sick relatives, have repeatedly attacked staff at outpatient wards of government hospitals. The popular discontent has spread to the gates of Morsi’s presidential palace in Cairo’s leafy suburb of Heliopolis where hundreds gather every day to express a wide range of grievances or to demand jobs, better medical care or housing.

Morsi opened two offices to receive citizens’ complaints. The offices attracted thousands who hoped the new president will redress perceived injustices or meet their demands, but hope was soon replaced by despair when nothing was done and some applicants returned to protest. — AP

KIRKUK: Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (left) receives a souvenir from the governor of Kirkuk Najm AlDin Omar Karim, in the disputed northern Iraqi city yesterday during a rare visit by a high-ranking Turkish official to the city. — AFP

Turkey’s war planes pound Kurdish rebels ANKARA: Turkish warplanes and attack helicopters pounded Kurdish rebel positions yesterday in a rugged southeast region, a clash that comes as Turkey grows increasingly concerned that Kurdish rebels may be trying to expand their reach by establishing bases in conflict-ridden Syria.

Yesterday’s fighting pitted Turkish troops against Kurdish rebels who were allegedly planning to seize the town of Semdinli. The town sits on a high plateau, about 14 kilometers (9 miles) north of the border with Iraq. It is located in an area where the borders of Turkey, Iran and Iraq converge.

Town mayor Sedat Tore said he saw the aircraft flying bombing sorties toward nearby Mount Goman, where rebels were believed to be hiding. A gray smoke billowed from rocky mountains in the distance, television footage showed. The clashes began when the rebels setup a road block near Semdinli on July 23, authorities said. The clashes since have forced many villagers to flee their homes.

At least two soldiers have been killed and 14 others were wounded, the governor’s office said. Turkey’s state-run TRT television, without citing sources, said at least 37 rebels have been killed in the clashes, but authorities have not confirmed the report. Kurdish rebels have been fighting for autonomy in Turkey’s southeast for the last 28 years.

Kurds make up a sizeable portion of the populations in neighboring countries as well. Turkish Kurdish rebels have established hideouts and bases in northern Iraq. More recently, Turkey says the rebels have managed to seize a handful of towns in Syria, another neighboring country. The Turkish military has repeatedly targeted Kurdish rebel bases in northern Iraq, and Turkey has hinted it would not hesitate to go after the rebels in Syria. — AP

International FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Punk band courtroom drama grips Russia MOSCOW: The trial of three members of an all-girl punk band charged for performing an anti-Vladimir Putin song in the country’s main cathedral has gripped Russians, some describing the court drama as better than the theatre. Journalists, bloggers, relatives and supporters have crowded since Monday into Moscow’s 40-seater Khamovnichesky courtroom for the hearing that included a “witness” who turned out to have viewed the incident online and another who declared the word “feminist” obscene if uttered in a church. Court bailiffs, armed with guns and even backed up by a brutal-looking dog, constantly snapped: “That’s not funny!” in an attempt to curb the sniggers.

The jokes have reverberated over the Internet via Twitter and judge Marina Syrova decided to suspend the trial’s Internet broadcast. “This is better than going to the theatre!” one member of the audience exclaimed during Wednesday’s hearing of the case against the three members of Pussy Riot. Yesterday, the courtroom drama took a sinister turn when a bomb threat prank call interrupted the hearing.

Although security officers escorted everyone out to inspect the premises, the defendants were left sitting in the court house, their lawyers said. On the eve of March’s presidential polls, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Yekaterina Samutsevich and Maria Alyokhina

had barged into the Church of Christ the Saviour and performed a “punk prayer” against Putin who was running for a third Kremlin term.

They now face up to seven years in a prison colony if found guilty of hooliganism in the case that has proved highly polarising in the predominantly Orthodox country, with the prosecution and victims arguing that the performance was intended to offend believers. A security guard, a cleaner and a woman whose job is tending the candles are among victims who have come under questioning in the case so far. Visibly out of their depth as the lawyers prodded them to describe the distress caused by Pussy Riot’s performance,

they were baited to make statements that have become the subject of ridicule by bloggers. On Monday, candle attendant Lyubov Sokologorskaya declared in response to a question from one of the Pussy Riot members, Tolokonnikova, that she considered the word ‘feminist’ to be obscene if it was uttered in church.

On Wednesday, the judge insisted on hearing a witness for the prosecution as the Pussy Riot members pleaded unsuccessfully for their complaint over their lack of sleep and food to be accepted. “You are torturing our defendants!” said one of the women’s lawyers, Nikolai Polozov, while the judge loudly pounded the gavel. —AFP

International FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Maryland man who called himself ‘joker’ charged Police wary of copycat crimes

MOGADISHU: A handout picture shows Somali soldiers standing guard during a visit by Somalia’s President to Balad town yesterday. — AFP

As transition nears end, Somalis pray for peace MOGADISHU: Sitting outside a dilapidated building in Mogadishu’s heavily fortified government area, Ali Hussein waves his hand dismissively at talk of Somalia’s notoriously fractious political elite. “It is all corruption, all stealing, all fighting,” Hussein, who says he is over 60 and unemployed, spits out in stuttering English.

“The president, all of them, they are just militia, militia, militia.” Now though-as the weak Western-backed government approaches the end of its mandate on August 20 —- it is down to these same politicians to grasp what many say is the war-torn nation’s best chance for peace in years.

Billed as the key to lifting anarchic Somalia out of two decades of civil war, the end of the transitional period comes as regional and African Union forces have wrested a series of key strongholds from Al-Qaeda linked Shebab insurgents. In the capital Mogadishu, Somalis are seizing upon the emergence of relative peace, with the streets bustling with shoppers and embryonic traffic jams forming around the city.

Dangers remain. Two suicide bombers blew themselves up on Wednesday outside the gates of a special assembly to endorse a draft constitution, seen as a key stage in the fragile political process. With the government’s mandate already extended twice, the international community-desperate for political gains to match military successes-is pushing for the complicated process to be completed by an August 20 deadline.

However, this is just one of over a dozen attempts to find a lasting solution, and with Somalia still not stable enough to hold elections, it will be unelected elders who select the parliament, that will in turn choose a new president. UN Special Representative for Somalia Augustine Mahiga has warned of “disturbing reports” of “bribery and intimidation” by the political elite to wreck the process to select supporters to staff the new parliament as lawmakers.

After years of infighting and minimal progress, Somalis are sceptical that their venal leaders are up to the task, and fear the process will see rampant bribery and the current crop of corruption-tainted officials returned to power.

‘Roadmap process hijacked’ Many believe the political merry-go-round will change nothing for the ordinary people, struggling for survival in grim conditions.

“Initially, the hope was that a change of government would rotate out some of the less desirable politicians and help create a truly representative and more effective ‘permanent’ government,” said EJ Hogendoorn, from the International Crisis Group thinktank.“This will most likely not occur, as a small group of politicians have hijacked the roadmap process.” One of those who has been tipped to remain in power is current President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, along with parliament speaker, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan. Both are linked to corrupt deals by a leaked UN report. President Sharif has denied the accusations, saying those behind them are opposed to Somalia’s recovery, and claims progress-however small-has been made in the more than three years he has been in charge. “We’ve started the rebuilding of government institutions, and today you can go to any ministry and visit them in their own offices,” Sharif told journalists at a recent press conference, an expensive-looking watch glinting on his wrist. Whoever ends up in charge-and the likelihood appears that the August 20 deadline will not be met-the job of cementing Somalia’s rocky peace remains a mammoth task.

Despite the collapse of earlier efforts-plus the fact a new government will remain just as weak, unable to deliver even the most basic of services to most of the country-UN officials have optimism.“The biggest strength is the people of Somalia, they are tired of violence, and they have tasted peace and stability,” added Mahiga. Waiting in the departure lounge of Mogadishu airport for his flight back to his family in Uganda’s capital Kampala, Muhamud Hassan turns to watch another plane cross the runway. —AFP

UPPER MARLBORO: A Maryland man accused of referring to himself as “a joker” and threatening to shoot up his workplace, raising alarms after Colorado’s mass shooting a week earlier, is facing charges of misdemeanor telephone misuse, prosecutors said Wednesday. The offense carries up to three years in prison and a $500 fine. Neil E. Prescott, 28, was taken into custody last Friday for an emergency psychiatric evaluation after the threats were reported to the police. Police said they found large quantities of ammunition and about two dozen weapons, including semi-automatic rifles and pistols, in his Crofton apartment.

Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks said that while the misdemeanor charge was “insufficient” punishment, Maryland law does not make it a felony to communicate general threats over the telephone.

She said her office would be lobbying for a law change. “I believe that when people like Mr. Prescott threaten violence, especially in this day and age with all that we have going on right now, he ought to be facing felony charges not just misdemeanor charges,” also brooks said.

Though authorities have determined the guns were legally owned, Prescott will not be eligible to recover the weapons while the case is pending. He also won’t be able to get the guns back if he’s convicted or if he’s hospitalized for mental health treatment for more than 30 days, she said. Authorities have said Prescott had either been fired or was in the process of being fired from his job when he allegedly said: “I’m a joker and I’m gonna load my guns and blow everybody up.” Police have said the threats, relayed in two separate conversations last Monday, were made to a supervisor, but Alsobrooks said Wednesday it was to a coworker.

The “joker” comment prompted particular concern because of a mass shooting a week earlier at a Colorado movie theater during a screening of the latest Batman movie. The man accused in those shootings had dyed his hair reddish-orange. The character Joker is a notorious villain in the Batman series. Police also said Prescott was wearing a T-shirt that said “Guns don’t kill people. I do” when officers made an initial visit to his apartment, at which point Prescott appeared “unstable,” Prince George’s County Police Chief Mark Magaw said.

Officers haven’t been able to interview Prescott in the hospital, but police believe the threats needed to be taken seriously, in part because of the “joker” reference and the weapons’ caches. Prescott will be served with the charges

UPPER MARLBORO: Prince George’s County, Md. State Attorney Angela Alsobrooks (left) accompanied by Police Chief Mark Magaw, listens to reportersí questions during a news conference. — AP

after he’s discharged from the hospital. “He’s going to have a lot to answer to when he comes out of the hospital,” the police chief said.

Prescott had been working for a subcontractor of software and mailroom supplier Pitney Bowes at a branch in Prince George’s County, just outside Washington. A company spokeswoman said he had not been on company property for several months. After he was taken into custody, friends described Prescott as a “gentle giant” - court records list him as 6 feet, 7 inches - who has a sarcastic and biting sense of humor. They said he was interested in computers and electronics, collected guns as a hobby and liked to shoot at a target range. Phone messages left with his parents have not been returned. The Associated Press couldn’t immediately reach an attorney for Prescott. Online Maryland court records list his only past offense as a speeding ticket in 2007. — AP

Assange’s mother fears he will face death in US QUITO: The mother of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is lobbying Ecuador to grant him asylum, says she is worried her son could face execution if extradited to the United States. Christine Assange met Wednesday with President Rafael Correa, who is considering whether to grant political asylum to Assange. The Australian campaigner took refuge in the Ecuadoran embassy in London in midJune to avoid extradition to Sweden.

Swedish investigators want Assange to answer questions about allegations of rape and sexual assault made by two women in August 2010 after WikiLeaks began releasing classified US documents.

“I feel as a mother that he is not capable of the charges-not even the charges, the allegations against him,” his mother said in an interview with AFP at the Carondelet presidential palace after she met with Correa.

“There is absolutely no doubt that this

is a political persecution, by the Swedish prosecutors and the police, with interference of the government,” she said.

Christine Assange echoed her son’s fears that Sweden would extradite him to the United States to face charges for releasing masses of US military and diplomatic documents into the public domain. “The US government feels that it can seek to try my son for espionage, and possibly executing him simply for doing the job of a good investigative journalist, which is telling the truth about power,” she said.

The United States has opened a criminal investigation into the leaks and is prosecuting US army private Bradley Manning in a military court. But it has not said whether it intends to bring charges against Assange as well.

Assange’s mother declined to discuss the substance of her conversation with Correa, but she is counting on his sympathy. “The president, and his ministers,

are very knowledgeable intelligent and compassionate people, genuinely so, and they have a good understanding of the case,” she said.

“It’s not a secret that the president and his foreign minister believe this case to be political,” she added. Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino has said that Ecuador will respond to Assange’s request on August 12, after the London Olympics.

“The important thing is for Julian to be assured that Ecuador is considering his request with great responsibility,” Correa told Assange’s mother during their hour-long meeting. Correa said his country has a “great humanist tradition and respect for human rights.” He added that he respects Britain, Sweden, and the people of the United States, and that the matter bears consultation, but that, ultimately, “Ecuador does not negotiate over its sovereignty.” — AFP

International FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

N Korea needs immediate food aid : UN SEOUL: North Korea needs immediate food assistance after heavy rains killed scores of people and submerged vast swaths of farmland, an UN office said yesterday. That assessment was released by the UN resident coordinator’s office in Pyongyang following visits to flood-stricken areas in North Korea earlier this week. Floods caused by two storm systems last month killed at least 119 people and left tens of thousands homeless, according to the North’s state media.

The flooding, which occurred on the heels of a severe drought, renewed concerns about North

Korea’s ability to feed its people. In June, the UN said two-thirds of the country’s 24 million people are coping with chronic food shortages. Yesterday’s UN report said torrential rains caused severe damage to homes, public buildings, infrastructure and farms, affecting maize, soybean and rice fields. The worst-hit areas are Anju city and Songchon County in South Phyongan Province, as well as Chonnae County in Kangwon Province, where residents are in dire need of emergency food aid, it said.

Some 36,000 families in Anju do not have access to clean water; wells are contaminated due to overflow

of pit latrines and open drainage, raising the risk of a diarrhea outbreak, the report said. A city official told The Associated Press earlier this week that it was the worst disaster in Anju’s history. North Korean officials are asking for food, fuel, medicine, water and purification supplies, while farmers are requesting seeds and fertilizer for the next season, the UN said. Aid groups have donated emergency supplies, including the British-based charity ShelterBox, which dispatched 270 tents to North Korea, according to Howard Chang, a spokesman for Rotary International, who provides funding to ShelterBox. — AP

Online and outspoken: China’s microblog craze Sina Weibo gives ‘voice’ to 300m Chinese

HAINING: Chinese residents take shelter along the seafront yesterday. — AFP

Taiwan flooded by torrential rains TAIPEI: A typhoon inched across northern Taiwan yesterday after already dumping up to five feet of rain that has flooded farmland, swollen rivers and paralyzed life on much of the densely populated island of 23 million people. Typhoon Saola weakened to a strong tropical storm by late afternoon, but its slow movement and continuing heavy rains raised the prospect of devastating flooding in areas that have absorbed more than 150 centimeters (58 inches) of rain since Tuesday. It has caused five deaths and left two people missing in Taiwan, after 26 people were killed in the Philippines earlier this week.

Earlier in the day in the northeastern county of Ilan, rescuers were using rubber boats and amphibious vehicles to help hundreds escape flooded homes. They were also seeking to locate at least six stranded residents, cut off from the rest of their farming community when flood waters overwhelmed a small bridge. Dozens of flights were canceled at Taipei’s main international airport, where heavy winds destroyed two jetways, and rail transport throughout the island was disrupted.

All seven major reservoirs in Taiwan released large quantities of water in a flood prevention measure.

By late afternoon, Saola was centered just off the northern Taiwanese coast, moving west toward China at 14 kph (9 mph). It had sustained winds of 108 kph (68 mph), gusting to 137 kph (86 mph). Offices and businesses were closed throughout northern Taiwan, including in Taipei. Normally busy streets in the capital were deserted except for cleanup crews clearing off trees and branches felled by the storm overnight. The Defense Ministry mobilized 48,000 soldiers to help mitigate the storm’s impact.

Television footage showed acre upon acre of flooded farmland in low-lying coastal areas, punctuated by scenes of raging rivers and roads blocked by mudslides in the island’s mountainous center. The typhoon left at least 26 people dead in the Philippines and forced 180,000 to flee their homes in the capital, Manila, and 27 central and northern provinces.

Coast guard and other disaster-response groups rescued 125 people from stricken sea vessels and flooded villages, according to Benito Ramos, who heads the government’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. — AP

BEIJING: China’s Twitter was raucous yesterday with horn-tooting over Beijing’s gold rush at the London Olympics, a digital reflection of the nation’s exuberant mood - embellished with flashing emoticons.

Earlier passions have been ignited on the site by a deadly high speed rail crash and outrage over factory pollution. Launched in 2009, China’s leading microblog site, Sina Weibo, has given a digital megaphone to more than 300 million Chinese, prompting many to wonder if it might drive Arab Spring-style political change and democratic reforms. Others see the platform as a brilliant new surveillance tool for the communist government in Beijing.

“You get to know what people are saying and... it’s a way for the middle class to let off steam,” said Michael Clendenin, managing director of RedTech Advisors, a tech research company in Shanghai.

“It’s better to let them blow off steam in a way you can control and delete rather than have 500,000 students all of the sudden show up at your doorstep.” And Weibo is heavily censored. Sina employs around 1,000 people who sift through the digital morass, catching sensitive material that keyword filters miss and deleting it. Not infrequently, they delete whole accounts. The government requires Sina and other Internet companies to do this in-house, and at their own cost, under threat of fines and shutdowns if they fail.

The government too has a corps of Internet police, believed to be in the tens of thousands, who patrol the Web and its total population in China of 485 million. They even boast a mascot, a pair of cartoon police officers named Jingjing and Chacha, a play on the Mandarin word for police. Sina has domestic competitors that offer their own weibo, which means microblog in Chinese, but Sina’s service has become synonymous with the Weibo label and has attracted the most high-profile and prolific users. Though modeled on Twitter, Sina’s version has more bells and whistles, like embedded video and images for posts and threaded comments.

Clendenin calls it a ‘frankenclone.’ “It’s taken a little bit of Twitter, of Groupon, of Hulu, or YouTube and essentially grafted all these pieces together. In aggregate it’s actually much better than what Twitter is.”

Weibo power users are pop and movie stars. Leading the pack, with more than 22 million fans, is a pillow-lipped beauty with glossy black hair and a passion for refugee causes. No, not Angelina Jolie, but Yao Chen, a 32-year-old actress who frequently tweets about her handsome grey cat Badun - named after US Gen. George Patton.

Weibo is rife with cat images and banal observations about pets, as well as entertainment gossip, jokes and the ravings of sports fans.

“Chinese athletes, you are so great!!!,” Damengmeng Betty posted yesterday on how she felt watching so many of her country’s competitors at medal ceremonies. “I feel so excited! Tears fill up my eyes.

Can’t use words to describe how that feels.” But the service has also given Chinese an unprecedented public platform on which to rage over serious social problems. When a bullet train crashed last year near coastal Wenzhou, killing 40, the fury that erupted on Weibo added to a pressure campaign that saw suspension of construction.

National outrage over graphic photos of a young mother lying beside her dead fetus, which had been forcibly aborted by local officials, sparked a shame campaign and led to punishments in Shaanxi province. The site has been used to organize as well, a rallying point for real-world demonstrations, including rowdy protests against a paper plant last month in Qidong, near Shanghai. It is this utility that makes the Chinese government nervous and that has become the main focus of the censors, according to recent research.

China’s online “censorship program is aimed at curtailing collective action by silencing comments that represent, reinforce, or spur

social mobilization,” said a Harvard study led by social science professor Gary King that was released in June. The study found that about 13 percent of China’s social media content is routinely scrubbed - up to tens of millions of disappearing tweets per day- but surprisingly, a great deal of negative comments were allowed to slide.

“Posts with negative, even vitriolic, criticism of the state, its leaders, and its policies are not more likely to be censored,” King’s paper said.

Such criticism may survive because the regime realizes the value of seeing what’s on people’s minds. Complaints also give the central government in Beijing a relatively unfiltered snapshot of brewing crises in cities and provinces across the country, a huge advantage for top leaders.

“The cat and mouse game is not only the government versus the netizens,” said Michael Anti, an internet researcher in Beijing. “You also have a local cat and a central cat... Weibo more and more is becoming a vehicle for the central government to control the local governments.” Provincial print and broadcast news are routinely censored at the source, while internal government reports are invariably burnished by the cadres preparing them. With Weibo, which is centrally censored by Sina with input from the government, Beijing has a valuable new national monitoring system - one that should make lower-level officials more accountable and prevent them from covering up problems in their backyards.

Jeremy Goldkorn, director of Danwei.com, a firm that researches Chinese media and Internet, says Weibo could add “flame to the fire of any kind of anti-government event,” but has also become an asset for the ruling Communist Party. “They’ve put a lot of energy and effort into understanding the landscape of the Internet and how to use it for their own benefit,” said Goldkorn. “I don’t really see Weibo as causing the next revolution anytime soon.”

Even with the weeding out of so much content, Sina Weibo’s data tsunami - with more than 100 million messages posted each day- is valuable intelligence to government officials, marketers and any curious China watcher. It offers a more unvarnished and personal glimpse of China than anything you will see on Chinese state-run television, or the scrupulously-vetted print media. Users try to fool the censors by posting blocks of text as images so they can’t be scanned by automatic keyword searches. They also make liberal use of puns, initials, nicknames and homonyms to dupe the digital knife.—AP

BEIJING: In this photo, Isaac Mao, a well-known Chinese blogger and the founder of Sharism Lab, a social media research group, works on a computer. — AP

International FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Top US commander in Afghanistan visits Pakistan ISLAMABAD: The top US commander in Afghanistan discussed border coordination with Pakistan’s army chief yesterday during his first visit since Islamabad ended its seven-month blockade of NATO troop supplies. Pakistan closed its Afghan border to NATO in November in retaliation for American airstrikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, and the two sides have held a series of meetings since then to try to prevent such an incident from occurring again.

Pakistan reopened the route in early July after the US finally apologized for the deaths, which Washington said were an accident. Both countries have made public statements since then about the need to move forward and patch up their troubled relationship, but major disagreements continue.

“We are making significant progress toward building a partnership that is enduring, strategic, carefully defined, and that enhances the security and prosperity of the region,” a press release quoted

Gen. John Allen as saying after his meeting with Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

The US has long been frustrated by Islamabad’s refusal to target Afghan Taleban militants and their allies using Pakistani territory to stage attacks against troops in Afghanistan. Many analysts believe Pakistan is reluctant to target groups with which it has strong historical ties and could be useful allies in Afghanistan after foreign forces withdraw.

Pakistan has denied this, saying its forces are stretched too thin fighting Pakistani Taleban militants at war with the state. It has also criticized NATO and Afghan forces for not doing enough to stop Pakistani militants holed up in Afghanistan from launching attacks across the border into Pakistan. Pakistan has also demanded the U.S stop drone strikes targeting militants in its northwest tribal region, although officials within the government and the military have supported these attacks in the past. The strikes are unpopular in Pakistan

because many people believe they mostly kill civilians an allegation denied by the US. The months-long dispute over the deaths of the Pakistani troops in November and the subsequent closure of the NATO supply line intensified feelings of anger and distrust on both sides. Even though Pakistan reopened the supply line in early July, bureaucratic delays, disputes over compensation and security concerns have prevented the flow of trucks from really picking up steam. One of the two Afghan crossings used by NATO has been closed for about a week as officials work with the Pakistani military to protect against militant attacks.

But both sides have an incentive to prevent their troubled relationship from totally falling apart. The US needs Pakistan’s help to negotiate a peace treaty with the Taleban in Afghanistan, while Islamabad wants Washington to continue sending billions of dollars in aid that shore up its shaky government finances. — AP

Afghan finance minister faces corruption probe

NEW DELHI: Young supporters of India’s anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare hold Indian flags as they participate in a protest yesterday. Hazare announced that he will end his six-day-long hunger strike demanding strong anti-graft laws by today evening. — AP

Indian businesses weather blackouts GHAZIABAD: Work making potato chip display racks at Jayraj Kumar’s factory barely paused when much of India’s power grid collapsed. The backup generators kicked in automatically and the electric saws, presses and welding machines kept running, just like they do during the five-hour power cuts the factory in suburban Delhi suffers nearly every day. India’s unreliable power system has forced businesses to create a workaround electricity system of noisy, dirty diesel generators that prepared them well when the world’s worst blackout hit the country Tuesday.

But the trouble has also vastly increased businesses’s expenses, dragged down their productivity and hampered economic growth in the country. “Running a factory is very tough here,” Kumar said.Power Minister Veerappa Moily said Wednesday the government would not allow a recurrence of the massive power outages. On Monday, 370 million people lost power for hours when the northern grid collapsed. On Tuesday, 620 million had no electricity after the grid collapsed again, dragging down two neighboring grids.

Moily said an investigation had begun and while he said he didn’t want to cast

blame yet, he cautioned states not to take more than their allotted power. “If they overdraw, this is the result. They can see for themselves. The entire grid will go black,” he said. The government needed to investigate ways to resolve the disparity between supply and demand, perhaps with congestion pricing, plugging leaks in the distribution system and bringing more power plants on line, he said.

Hundreds of millions of Indians have no access to electricity anyway. Many who do were insulated from the blackouts’ effect by the coping systems they use to handle the smaller power cuts that are routine across the country. The private Max Hospital in New Delhi said its generators were set up to fully power the facility. “The electrical system is so designed that patients do not feel even a flicker of power disruption at any point of time,” the hospital said in a statement.

Microtek, an Indian company that specializes in selling power backup inverters, claims to have 100 million “satisfied customers.” “Every year in the summer months demand peaks and there are power failures, so most middle-class families purchase an inverter. That’s why we’re in business,” said Manoj Jain, vice president at Microtek.—AP

KABUL: Afghanistan’s top anti-corruption chief said yesterday the finance minister’s business affairs will be investigated after accusations aired on Afghan television that he stashed away more than $1 million in overseas banks. Hazarat Omar Zakhilwal, championed by international donors for his integrity in a country mired in graft, over the past five years had transferred the money to accounts in Canada, according Afghanistan’s largest commercial TV channel, Tolo TV. Tolo showed what it said were his private bank statements on one of its programmes. Zakhilwal, in an interview with the station late on Wednesday, denied any wrongdoing and said there was nothing untoward in the transfers, which were the result of legitimate work and business interests before entering government.

“Before I came back to Afghanistan, I was a lecturer of economics in Canada and (as a consultant) I had good sources of income too worth $1,500 per day,” Zakhilwal, also President Hamid Karzai’s top economics counsellor, told Tolo. Zakhilwal, who moved back to Afghanistan from Canada, became Finance Minister in February 2009 and was former head of the country’s investment support agency. He has also been a consultant to the World Bank and United Nations.

Afghanistan’s High Office of Oversight and Anti-corruption chief, Dr. Azizullah Ludin, told Reuters that he was not convinced by the denials and an investigation would begin into Zakhilwal’s business affairs on Saturday. The team looking into the transfers would include officials from Ludin’s office, as well as intelligence officials from the National Directorate of Security and the Attorney-General’s office.

“The minister of finance says this money is from his business, but I asked him “what sort of business do you have?’,” Ludin said. “We will investigate this seriously.”

Afghanistan is regularly ranked as one of the world’s most corrupt countries, with more than $16 billion pledged in future aid at an international donor’s conference in Tokyo tied to a serious effort to crack down on graft.

Fourth car ‘worth $160,000’ Afghanistan’s Western backers have repeatedly called for more action to counter rampant skimming and kickbacks paid from the more than $50 billion in reconstruction money that has flooded into the country since 2001. Karzai last month issued a decree ordering all ministries to take steps to cut down on nepotism and corruption, while directing the Supreme Court to accelerate investigations already under way.

The directive, while less than Western backers had hoped, also pointed to a growing realisation within the

government that corruption must be addressed and senior figures prosecuted, diplomats said. Ludin said his office had already confirmed that, from 2007 until 2011, $1,080,000 was transferred to Zakhilwal’s personal accounts held with Standard Chartered and Alfalah banks, including $200,000 from a private company in 2009. Tolo said that amounts of between $50,000 and $100,000 were transferred from 2007 onwards, including $100,000 transferred in July 2007 to a bank in Canada to buy a house.

A payment of $70,000 was sent to his sister, Malalai Zakhilwal, the station said. The monthly salary of an Afghan minister was $2,000 with $1,400 in food allowances, Ludin said, and yet Zakhilwal had recently bought a car worth $160,000. “We should investigate this because he already has three cars belonging to the government,” Ludin said. Zakilwal’s spokesman said the money mostly came from business dealings prior to 2007 and said the investigation should instead focus on “how government and private secrets were disclosed”.

Zakhilwal as finance minister oversees government revenue from taxation, as well as customs, the department most frequently accused of corruption and bribery demands. Ludin said there were serious problems in the finance ministry, with “extreme fraud cases” already uncovered involving customs officials at the Torkham border post alongside Pakistan and the Hiratan customs outpost near Uzbekistan, in the north. More than $60 million had gone missing over the years in Hiratan alone, he said. Asked by Tolo about the transfers, Zakhilwal said he had been “happier when I was working in roles outside of the government, because there were less conspiracies surrounding me”. — Reuters

KABUL: An Afghan cameraman films the body of one of the insurgents who was planning a suicide attack yesterday. — AFP

International FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Romney to re-introduce himself to voters again

Obama ad portrays Romney as favoring rich NEW YORK: Mitt Romney has been on the national political stage for nearly a decade - through two presidential bids, countless campaign events and millions spent on TV ads. But the likely Republican presidential nominee still isn’t well-known to most voters. So now he’s trying to fix that. With less than 100 days until the Nov. 6 election, Romney is starting to introduce himself to them in earnest - through a combination of carefully selected media appearances and biographical ads - before President Barack Obama’s efforts to define him in a negative light cripple his candidacy.

“I got the chance to start my own business... I went off to have the chance at running the Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002... The real experience was in Massachusetts,” the former governor says in a new television commercial released Tuesday that features him on the campaign trail, in factories and with his wife, Ann, by his side. “I want to use those experiences to help Americans have a better future.”

Until now, Romney has emphasized his record at the private equity firm Bain Capital, giving Obama and other Democrats the chance to portray him in their ads as an out-oftouch corporate raider and job killer.

The new ad is an effort to deflect that barrage by letting him round out that biography by touching aspects of it that he hasn’t stressed in the past.

The ad marked the start of a new phase for the Republican presidential candidate as he looks to move from a seven-day, three-nation trip abroad and into a period where the media glare will shine even brighter as he prepares to announce his vice presidential running mate in the run-up to the GOP convention where he’ll

accept the party’s presidential nomination. In what may be his most extensive series of national broadcast interviews this campaign, Romney and his wife spent much of the trip answering questions from TV anchors

asked if he was a “hidden man.”

Romney said he expected voters to tune in more after Labor Day. “Most folks won’t really get to see me until the debates and will get a better sense of the character that I have,” he

BOWLING GREEN. Ohio: In this photo, Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks during a press conference. — AP on everything from her part ownership of a horse competing in the Olympics to whether they were each other’s true love (The answer? Yes.) In one appearance, Romney touched on the challenge he faces in introducing himself to voters as the clock ticks down on the campaign and he runs against an incumbent who is universally recognized and generally liked by most voters.

“You know, I’ve been on ‘The Tonight Show’ and Letterman and ‘The View’ and I do some of those things to get better known,” Romney said when NBC anchor Brian Williams

said. It was an unusual acknowledgement for a major party’s presidential standard-bearer this late in a campaign, but one borne out in recent polling. A CBS News/New York Times poll conducted in mid-July found that 31 percent of registered voters were either undecided or hadn’t heard enough about Romney when asked if they had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of him.

The new ad is meant to boost those numbers. It’s a striking shift from the negativity that has marked much of the TV advertising in the campaign so far this year. — AP

Psychiatrist warned university about accused Colorado gunman DENVER: A psychiatrist who treated the former graduate student accused of killing 12 people in a shooting rampage at a movie theater in Colorado warned her university about him more than a month before the massacre, a published report said on Wednesday. Dr Lynne Fenton notified a socalled threat-assessment team at the University of Colorado, Denver, in early June that she was alarmed by the behavior of James Holmes, but no further action was taken, the Denver Post reported, citing an anonymous source. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.

Holmes, 24, was charged on Monday with 24 counts of first-degree murder and 116 counts of attempted murder in the shooting at a midnight screening of the latest “Batman” movie in suburban Denver, one of the worst outbursts of US gun violence in recent years. Court papers filed by defense attorneys last week said Holmes, a former neuroscience student at the university’s Anschutz Medical Campus, had been a patient of Fenton, who is medical director for student mental health services on campus. Fox News has reported that Holmes sent Fenton a notebook outlining his plans for the shooting, illustrated

by stick-figure drawings, but that it was not opened before the attack. A university spokeswoman, Jacque Montgomery, declined to comment to Reuters on the Denver Post report, saying she was bound by a protective or “gag” order issued by the judge in the case and by student confidentiality laws. “I believe, until it’s been demonstrated otherwise, that our people did what they should have done,” University Chancellor Don Elliman said in a statement, according to Montgomery.

The joker Police and prosecutors, who have also been reluctant to comment on the case since the judge issued his gag order, could not be reached by Reuters for comment on Wednesday evening. The Denver Post reported that Fenton raised her concerns about Holmes with the university’s Behavioral Evaluation and Threat Assessment team in early June. Denver’s KMGH-TV, also citing unnamed sources, said school officials did not contact Aurora police before the shooting and that no action was taken because Holmes was in the process of dropping out of school. — Reuters

Florida terror case hits witness snags MIAMI: A once high-profile federal prosecution of an elderly Muslim cleric and one of his sons on terrorism finance charges has become bogged down in questions over the imam’s mental stability and a legal fight over the testimony of defense witnesses who refuse to leave Pakistan, according to court records and interviews. US District Judge Robert Scola said in a recent order there is “bona fide doubt” regarding 77-year-old Hafiz Khan’s mental fitness to stand trial. Prosecutors say Khan, imam at a downtown Miami mosque, was the ringleader of a group in the US and Pakistan that funneled tens of thousands of dollars to the Pakistani Taleban terror group.

Details about Khan’s mental issues were not provided in court documents, but he has appeared frail in court appearances and also suffered several physical health problems while in custody. If he is ultimately ruled incompetent for trial, under federal law Khan would undergo at least four months of treatment before a determination could be made on whether his competency might ever be restored. Assistant US Attorney John Shipley said in a court document filed Wednesday the government does not oppose a psychological evaluation of Khan, but he added that any evidence of mental problems so far is “unsupported and bare-bones, providing no detail at all.” The test for competency in federal court is whether a person can effectively consult with his or her lawyer and can understand the legal proceedings involved.

The mental instability issue cropped up after prosecutors abruptly announced in June the dismissal of all charges against Irfan Khan, the elder of Hafiz Khan’s sons. The younger son, Izhar, who is also a South Florida imam, remains jailed along with his father on charges of providing material support to terrorists that carry potential maximum prison sentences of 15 years for each count. Both have pleaded not guilty.

The three Khans and others in Pakistan were indicted in May 2011. Prosecutors say they raised money to help the Pakistani Taleban carry out attacks, including a 2009 military base bombing in Afghanistan that killed seven US citizens. The organization was also tied to the May 2010 attempted bomb attack in New York’s Times Square.

The backbone of the US case is more than 200 intercepted telephone calls involving the Khans and three people who were also charged but have remained in Pakistan: Amina Khan, who is Hafiz Khan’s daughter; Ali Rehman; and Alam Zeb. A fourth unindicted co-conspirator, Noor Mohammad, is a Taleban fighter, according to federal prosecutors. None of the four is willing to travel to the US to testify, but all have said they will give video depositions for the defense that would include cross-examination by prosecutors.

Hafiz Khan’s attorney, Khurrum Wahid, said they can explain the true destination of the nearly $50,000 at issue in the case and “dispel misconceptions” about the telephone conversations.

“If the government is seeking the truth they should be encouraged that the defense is actually able to provide these witnesses,” Wahid said in court documents. “Without such testimony, there cannot be justice.” Prosecutors, however, are arguing against allowing the depositions in Pakistan. Assistant US Attorney Michael “Pat” Sullivan said the defense hasn’t proven the critical importance of the testimony and also raised concerns about the physical safety of US officials who would be present.

“The nation of Pakistan is tumultuous, and there are special risks that United States citizens face there,” Sullivan said in court papers. He called three of the proposed witnesses “known Taleban sympathizers” and the fourth, Mohammad, “a known Taleban fighter” who told a confidential US government source that he had killed two American soldiers in Afghanistan. Mohammad has not been charged in those purported deaths or any other crime. — AP

International FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

US professor’s email reveals shooting plot SANTA ANA: Rainer Reinscheid was into his second bottle when he wrote a chilling email titled, “a good plan,” detailing violent revenge on the people he blamed for his teen son’s suicide. His son hanged himself after being disciplined at high school in March, sending the University of California, Irvine, professor into a downward spiral that authorities said led to setting fires and venting his anger in graphic emails describing plans for a mass murder, sexual assaults and his own death.

Reinscheid fantasized about buying a dozen machine guns, killing 200 University High School students, raping a school counselor and killing the assistant principal who disciplined his 14-year-old son, Claas Stubbe.

“I will make him cry and beg, but I will not give him a chance, just like he did to Claas,” Reinscheid wrote. “I will make him die, slowly, surely. Next I will set fire to Uni High and try to burn down as much as I can, there should be nothing left that gives them a reason to continue their miserable school.” Reinscheid never acted on his most violent musings and police have no evidence he was preparing for a shooting, but prosecutors charged him with a series of small arsons that targeted the high school, the assistant principal’s home and the park where Claas hanged himself.

Five fires erupted between July 1 and July 19, and police caught Reinscheid as he tried to start a sixth one July 24, Irvine police Lt. Julia

Engen said. While investigating the fires, police discovered three emails Reinscheid sent to his wife and himself in April from his university account. Copies of the messages were filed in court by prosecutors to have him held without bail. He’s due in court for arraignment Aug. 8.

In the emails, the distraught father asks his wife to forgive him for many disappointments but asks her to understand that he “had to go this way” after detailing plans to kill the vice principal and destroy the school in a firestorm. “You would have done the same if it was your child that you failed,” he wrote to her April 26.

Claas was Reinscheid’s son from a first marriage. He has a stepdaughter and son from his second marriage. He

Brazil’s bribery scandal could taint Lula’s image ‘Talking is one thing; showing evidence is another’ RIO DE JANEIRO: The corruption trial of ex-government officials opening in Brasilia yesterday turned the spotlight on a difficult chapter of the Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva presidency and could taint the image of the popular statesman, analysts say. The 66-year-old Lula, who has received 12 prizes and 12 honorary degrees since he stepped down at the end of 2010, is not among the 38 defendants appearing before the Supreme Court in connection with an alleged vote-buying scheme in Congress between 2002 and 2005. But the accused include many of Lula’s allies.

In a scandal dubbed “Mensalao” (big monthly payments), members of the leftist Workers’ Party (PT) which Lula founded are accused of offering bribes to members of Congress in exchange for votes. Prosecutors allege the bribe money was skimmed from advertising budgets of state-owned companies through a company owned by businessman Marcos Valerio de Souza, one of the accused.

Since the scandal erupted in 2005, during Lula’s first term, with bribery charges leveled against ministers, lawmakers, businessmen and bankers, the ex-president has denied any knowledge. He said he was betrayed and he offered public apologies on behalf of the PT. But a lawyer for Labor Party lawmaker Roberto Jefferson, who exposed the vote-buying scheme in 2005, said he would ask during the trial why Lula is not among the accused.

“Talking is one thing; showing evidence is another,” political analyst Cesar Alexandre Carvalho, of the consulting firm CAC, said in defense of Lula. “Lula became a mythical figure, a political Cinderella fairy tale, the metalworker turned president of a major country.

And this will not change. They will have to link him directly with Mensalao. He won’t be affected unless

they can show documents proving he masterminded the scheme,” said Carvalho.

Asked to comment on the case, the ex-president’s foundation said that he “is not involved, and will not comment on the Supreme Court trial.”

ship, for this nearly mythical figure, but one cannot say how big it is. And that will also depend on whether people are found guilty, and how many,” said Andre Pereira, a political scientist with the Prospectiva firm. The trial, billed as the most important in the

BRASILIA: Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff (left) fans herself next to former Chief of Staff Jose Dirceu during the celebration of the 32nd anniversary of Workers Party. — AFP Lula managed to survive the scandal, but many of his key aides were ensnared, including his chief of staff Jose Dirceu, one of the main defendants. Lula was re-elected easily in 2006 and handed over power to his protegee and fellow PT member Dilma Rousseff at the end of his second four-year term.

In 2009, US President Barack Obama hailed him as “the most popular politicians on Earth” and he stepped down with a record popularity of more than 80 percent. “The question is: will this ‘Teflon effect’ continue now that he is out of power? Sure, there is a risk for his image and leader-

history of the Brazilian Supreme Court, will last at least one month and will receive intense media coverage in the middle of the campaign for the October municipal elections which will set the political map ahead of the 2014 presidential vote.

Some analysts believe the trial could help the opposition in the municipal elections. “Lula’s image will be tainted only if he were to be accused of involvement” in the scandal, and in this case, Lula won’t be able to secure the election of his candidate, Fernando Haddad, as Sao Paulo mayor, said political scientist David Fleischer of Brasilia University. — AFP

asked his wife to tell their son, “Daddy was so sad when Claas passed away, he was just eaten away by his sadness and stopped breathing.” Two nights later, while on medication to stay awake and “legally drunk” while downing a second bottle of wine, Reinscheid wrote to himself about how he had fantasized about having sex with every young girl he saw on campus that day.

Then he discussed his “dreams” of mass murder at the high school, including explicit details of how he planned to make a teacher get naked in front of students and stab herself with a red pencil before he shot her in the head. “I will give myself a wonderful ending and be with Claas very soon,” he wrote. — AP

S Dakota hospital denies surgical scars say KKK SIOUX FALLS: A lawyer for a Rapid City-area hospital being sued by a blind man who says the letters KKK were carved into his stomach during surgery said the accusations were contrived by other people and that every scar “is explained by the medical procedures that he underwent to save his life,” according to court documents filed Wednesday. Vern Traversie, a 69-year-old Lakota man living on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota, filed a federal lawsuit last month against Rapid City Regional Hospital, its board of directors, several physicians and others. He claims he was left with scars on his abdomen in the shape of the three letters following heart surgery last year.

YouTube videos featuring Traversie went viral in Native American communities earlier this year. In them, Traversie talks about being mistreated at the hospital and shows his abdomen. Although he is blind, Traversie said he was told by others that the scars form the letters. A May rally in support of Traversie drew hundreds of people, many of whom said his story exemplifies the racism that Native Americans experience in Rapid City. But others said they couldn’t make out the letters, including police who investigated his allegations. No criminal charges were filed.

The defendants in the lawsuit said there is no medical evidence to suggest that anyone burned or cut letters into Traversie. “Every mark on Plaintiff’s abdomen is explained by the medical procedures that he underwent to save his life,” Jeffrey Hurd, one of the defendant’s lawyers, wrote in response to the lawsuit.

“Indeed, the allegations of a ‘KKK’ scar were apparently created by a group of unqualified people in Plaintiff’s home town, who simply discussed why Plaintiff had certain surgical scars.”

The lawyer noted that the people who told Traversie about his scars considered several possibilities, including a single “K,” a bite mark, the word “oink,” or four “K”s, before settling on the three-letter acronym. “After reaching this decision through speculation and conjecture, and with no attempt to consult with Plaintiff’s healthcare providers... they told Plaintiff that he had been victimized,” Hurd wrote.

The hospital also refutes claims that Traversie was denied pain medication, and noted that he was told to have a home health nurse inspect and care for the incisional wounds after he got home. Reached by phone at his home Wednesday, Traversie said he could not comment on the case and referred questions to his pastor, Ben Farrar, who is acting as his spokesman. Farrar said he wasn’t aware of Wednesday’s filing but that he expected the hospital to deny the claims.

Farrar said heart surgery patients can expect to be left with a vertical scar down the sternum and a few horizontal scars where drainage tubes would be inserted - as can be seen in photos of Traversie. — AP

Business FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Syria banks face deposit challenge, civil war expands

JAL net profit more than doubles to $343m

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BOSTON: In this Tuesday, July 10, 2012, photo, shoppers walk by a Gap in Boston. Clothing retailer Gap Inc. said yesterday, that July sales at stores open at least a year jumped 10 percent, easily surpassing analysts’ expectations, and said second-quarter earnings would rise from last year’s results. — AP

Qatar may issue local bond Excess funds keep climbing DUBAI: Qatar may issue a sovereign bond to local banks and consider tweaking monetary policy in coming months if excess liquidity in its banking sector continues rising. Banks in the world’s top liquefied natural gas exporter are already awash with deposits, which rose nearly 7 percent from a year ago to a record 378.3 billion riyals ($104 billion) in June, latest central bank data show.

Despite breakneck credit expansion - total loans jumped 33 percent on average in JanuaryJune - the overhang of unused money in the banking system has prompted some lenders to park large amounts of excess funds at the central bank’s low-yielding deposit facility.

The facility offers a 0.75 percent overnight interest rate but some funds placed there do not earn any interest at all, because the central bank last year introduced limits on the amount of money eligible for interest.

In June, funds deposited at the facility almost tripled from a year ago to 142.7 billion riyals, the highest since April 2011, when the central bank (QCB) cut its overnight deposit rate as one in a series of steps to deal with excess money.

Meanwhile, loose liquidity has pushed the average three-month interbank lending rate down to a one-year low of 0.93 percent in June from a March peak of 1.75 percent, central bank data show. The ballooning amount of money

sloshing around the interbank market and kept at the central bank might eventually become a risk for the economy. Any quick shift of the funds into the stock or real estate markets, for example, could potentially destabilise them or fuel inflation.

“Increasing use of the interbank market is a bit of a concern, but has not yet reached alarming levels to cause a policy action at this stage,” said Apostolos Bantis, emerging markets credit analyst at Commerzbank in London. “Obviously, if this trend continues over the next quarter and through the end of 2012, we may see some government intervention.”

The share of interbank lending is still manageable at around 22 percent of non-equity liabilities as of end-June, Bantis said, but he added: “Should this level start to inch towards the 30 percent range, this may trigger some action.”

Philippe Dauba-Pantanacce, senior regional economist at Standard Chartered, said excess liquidity could become problematic when the economy was overheating and inflationary pressures emerged, but Qatar was not in such a situation yet.

A poll of analysts in July forecast Qatar’s economic growth would slow to a still-robust 6.3 percent in 2012 from 14.1 percent in 2011.

Inflation is expected to climb to 2.7 percent from 1.9 percent, remaining far below a 2008

record high of 15 percent. Qatar’s central bank is no stranger to the problem of excess funds. In December 2010, funds parked at the central bank’s deposit facility reached a peak of 634.3 billion riyals. The rise prompted it to make a series of cuts in the rate on the facility: by 50 basis points in August 2010, and by a combined 75 bps in April and August 2011. The central bank said it aimed to encourage the use of money for lending in the real economy, and wanted to bring its rate closer to its US benchmark, the Federal Reserve’s fed funds target range of zero to 0.25 percent. Since the Qatari riyal is pegged to the US dollar, the central bank can’t keep too large a gap with US rates without inviting fund inflows.

The QCB also took other steps to mop up excess money. In January 2011 it issued a 50 billion-riyal bond directly to local banks, and in May and August, it launched monthly auctions of 91-, 182- and 273-day Treasury bills.

Analysts said a domestic bond sale to local banks, which could immediately lock up a large amount of funds for years, would be the most effective measure should the central bank again start feeling uneasy about the amount of excess funds in the economy.

“Probably the best way of mopping up that liquidity would be through the issuance of more government local paper,” said Farouk Soussa,

Citigroup’s Middle East chief economist. DaubaPantanacce predicted the QCB would focus on T-bill auctions for liquidity management: “I think this is a pattern they will continue to follow.”

QCB governor Sheikh Abdullah bin Saud AlThani said last October that the bank was selling 2 billion riyals of T-bills every month; in April he said monthly issuance had risen to 4 billion and the bank would continue that volume.

Any further increase in issuance volume would suggest the QCB was increasing its efforts to limit liquidity. The QCB did not reply to requests for comment on its monetary policy.

Issues of T-bills and bonds would only address the symptom, not the root of the problem, however. Citigroup’s Soussa said the authorities might also encourage the revenue-generating public sector to seek out a wider range of investments in the economy and abroad, instead of depositing funds in banks. A pipeline of government projects in preparation for Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 soccer World Cup sent credit to the public sector soaring 80 percent in June. That was slightly down from May’s 99 percent, which was the highest annual growth since July 2010, but some analysts expressed worries about such rates - especially lending related to some residential projects, since the residential real estate market is believed to be oversupplied in some segments. — Reuters

Business FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

BoE keeps status quo despite worsening recession LONDON: The Bank of England yesterday voted to keep its main interest rate at a record low and maintain its level of Quantitative Easing stimulus measures despite a deepening recession in Britain.

“The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) today voted to maintain the official Bank Rate paid on commercial bank reserves at 0.50 percent,” it said, adding QE funds would remain at £375 billion ($584 billion, 476 billion euros).

The central bank had been widely expected to keep its policy unchanged following its latest two-day meeting as it monitors the impact of last month’s decision to ramp up QE funds by an extra £50 billion by November.

Since the July meeting, official data has revealed a deepening recession in Britain, which is struggling under government austerity measures and fallout from the eurozone debt crisis. Shortly after yesterday’s monthly policy meeting decision, the

European Central Bank said it would hold eurozone borrowing costs at a record low level of 0.75 percent.

All eyes were now on ECB President Mario Draghi’s regular news conference later Thursday after he raised expectations of firm action against the crisis by vowing last week to do “whatever it takes” to save the euro. Britain is not a member of the eurozone but relies on the region for much of its trade. Worse-than-expected data last week revealed that British Gross Domestic Product (GDP) dived 0.7 percent in the second quarter from the previous three months due to steep output falls in construction and manufacturing sectors.

The slump was the biggest quarterly fall since the first quarter of 2009 and marked the third quarterly negative reading in a row. A recession is defined as two quarters running of contraction.

Economists added yesterday that the BoE also wanted to wait to see the impact

of the government’s £80-billion ‘Funding for Lending’ scheme aimed at injecting growth into the Britain’s economy by boosting lending by retail banks.

“Despite the continuing run of soft data, we now judge the MPC to be in ‘wait and see’ mode, as it assesses the impact of the recent QE increase and the Funding for Lending scheme,” said Victoria Clarke, an economist at Investec banking group.

Markets must wait until August 15 for the publication of MPC minutes from the August gathering, for an insight into the committee’s reasoning. In another heavy blow to the nation’s hopes of recovery, a key survey on Wednesday showed that British manufacturing output shrank by the biggest amount in more than three years in July.

The purchasing managers’ index (PMI)

by Markit research group stood at 45.4 points last month-the lowest level since May, 2009 — and down from 48.6 in June.

A reading under 50 indicates contraction.

Under QE, the BoE creates new cash to purchase assets such as government and corporate bonds with the aim of boosting lending and economic output. The Funding for Lending plan, which began on Wednesday, is aimed at lifting lending to households and businesses and ward off a tightening credit squeeze amid the ongoing eurozone debt crisis.

Under the scheme, lenders are allowed to borrow from the Bank of England for up to four years. As security, they will have to provide assets like business or mortgage loans.

The scheme aims to free up the log jam in credit hitting the economy, by offering banks cheap finance on the condition they pass it on to borrowers. It is hoped that this will help clear the blockage in credit lines which has hampered the country’s recovery from the 2008 global financial crisis. —AFP

Syria banks face deposit challenge, civil war expands Corporate lending, trade financing almost halted

TOKYO: A shopper tries a Sony’s product at a store in Tokyo, yesterday. — AP

Sony’s loss grows, cuts earnings forecast TOKYO: Sony’s red ink worsened in the April-June quarter and it lowered its full-year earnings forecast as it battles a strong yen and declining sales of liquid crystal display TVs and video game machines. The Japanese electronics and entertainment company yestrday reported a quarterly loss of 24.6 billion yen ($316 million) compared with a 15.5 billion yen loss a year earlier.

Sales edged up 1.4 percent to 1.52 trillion yen ($19.4 billion), helped by cameras, professional broadcasting products and mobile phones. Tokyo-based Sony Corp. lowered its earnings forecast for the business year through March 2013 to a 20 billion yen ($256 million) profit, down from 30 billion yen projected in May, citing uncertainty in foreign exchange rates and global demand. The company said it was hurt in the April-June quarter by a strong yen, which erodes overseas earnings, and by declining sales of liquid-crystal display TVs and video game machines. It also got hit by a 20 billion yen additional income tax expense, had 11.3 billion yen in restructuring charges for the quarter, and invested heavily in image sensor production.

Sony posted a 456.6 billion yen ($5.8 billion) loss in its last business year. That was the fourth straight year of losses and the biggest loss in the 66-year history of the maker of the PlayStation game machines, “Spider-Man” movies and the Walkman portable. Once the stellar brand symbolizing Japan’s technological prowess, Sony has lost its shine. It is getting beaten in TVs by South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. and by Apple Inc. in devices such as the iPhone and iPod. Sony’s troubles were exacerbated last year by factory and supplier damage in northeastern Japan from the March earthquake and tsunami. Key to Sony’s turnaround is stopping the red ink in its TV business, which has lost money for eight straight years. The losses are expected to continue for the current business year.

And it has yet to carve out new areas for profits it has long promised like smartphones and tablet computers.

Sony is aiming for a comeback under Kazuo Hirai, appointed president in April, who has headed the company’s game division and built his career in the US. Sony said that for the latest quarter, TV sales had fallen but operating losses in the division had been trimmed to less than half of what they were the year before.— AP

AMMAN/DUBAI: Now that rebels have carried Syria’s civil war from remote villages to the capital and the commercial hub, a banking system that survived 16 months of unrest will face its biggest test. In most of the country, banks have been managing to stay open, thanks to strenuous efforts by their managers and the needs of desperate customers who continue to deposit money because they can find no safer place.

But the spread of major fighting to Damascus last month, and then to Aleppo, Syria’s biggest city and top commercial centre, marks a new, more destructive period for the economy, putting banks under fresh pressure.

“Aleppo will hurt the real economy the disruption of production, inputs reaching plants. How long it will last - a few days, a week, two weeks - no one knows,” said Nabil Sukr, a Damascus economist who previously worked at the World Bank.

Like Syria’s economy as a whole, its banking industry is severely damaged and some parts of it have almost stopped functioning. There is little corporate lending or trade finance, but deposits and withdrawals continue. The banking sector, which is dominated by four state-owned banks but includes 14 privately owned institutions, mostly subsidiaries of banks in Lebanon and other Arab countries, has largely been cut off from the global financial system by international sanctions against Assad’s regime.

Deposits at the banks, which had total assets of 2 trillion Syrian pounds ($29 billion) before the revolt, shrank by roughly a third in the uprising’s first year as panicky companies and individuals sent money abroad, much to Beirut, bankers said. But thanks mainly to a windfall from their foreign currency holdings as the Syrian pound’s exchange rate plunged, the banks posted strong profits last year. Net profit at Chambank, one of three Islamic banks in Syria and 32 percent owned by Commercial Bank of Kuwait, soared 553

percent last year. In the last several months, the banks have been hit harder as the fighting has become more intense. For example, the Syrian subsidiary of Jordan’s Arab Bank suffered a net loss of 141 million pounds in the second quarter of this year, after a profit of 825 million pounds in the first quarter. “There is no lending and demand for money itself is low. Operations and decisions are being made on a day-today basis,” said a Damascus-based banker, who asked not to be identified because of the political sensitivity of the issue. A senior Gulf Arab banker who operates in Syria said banks there were still extending credit lines to some of the wealthiest companies and merchants, but that otherwise “banking has been reduced to the bare minimum”.

“There are no banking operations such as letters of credit for imports... and that applies to collection of debts,” said a banker working in the Syrian subsidiary of a Lebanese bank.

Nevertheless, the outflow of deposits from banks appears to have slowed greatly or even stopped in the last few months, perhaps because most people who want to transfer money overseas have now already done so, several bankers said.

For example, deposits at the unit of Arab Bank rose 5.5 percent between end-2011 and June 30, while the Syrian unit of Lebanon’s Byblos Bank saw its deposits climb 15.1 percent, according to its earnings statements.

The Damascus banker said many bank branches in the city stayed open at their discretion during last month’s fighting in the capital, and deposits even rose on some days.

“One explanation is that small depositors were afraid to keep cash at home because of fear of looting after homes were broken into by the army,” he said.

Syrians say they have few options left but to trust banks. Mohammed, a travel agent in his late 30s from the city of Homs, withdrew 100,000 Syrian

pounds (about $1,450) from his bank in June to keep in a safe at home, but deposited it back a week later before fleeing for refuge in the coastal city of Latakia.

“I had no other choice but to leave the money at the bank. Where should I take it to? Keep it at home? It would be stolen while I wasn’t there,” he said by telephone. “Take it with me in a suitcase? They’ll kill me on the road.

Transfer it outside the country - to whom?”

The Gulf Arab banker agreed that huge amounts were no longer being withdrawn from Syrian banks. One reason is the central bank’s success in keeping the pound’s exchange rate stable in the last several months after last year’s plunge, he said. This has allowed depositors to retain some faith in the currency.

Nassib Ghobril, chief economist at Byblos Bank in Lebanon, said that so far, the Syrian affiliates of Lebanese banks had not needed capital injections to survive. “They’ve been drawing on Lebanese banks’ experience in surviving long years of war. I don’t believe the Syrian banking system will collapse,” he said. The danger remains, though, that further damage to the economy from the fighting - perhaps hyperinflation or a fresh plunge of the currency - could trigger full-fledged bank runs, causing banks to go bust or the government to close them.

Sukr, the Damascus economist, said most Syrians retained some confidence in the economy because they could still buy daily necessities. “When you go to the markets, products are available, fruits and vegetables. Food is available,” he said.

The Damascus banker said the country was experiencing “panic pricing” temporary price surges in response to specific events in the conflict, such as bouts of fighting in the capital - rather than very high, sustained inflation which would put daily necessities out of the reach of most people. —Reuters

Business FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Strong dollar chips away MasterCard’s revenue NEW YORK: The strong US dollar swallowed a chunk of MasterCard’s earnings from overseas, leading to revenue growth that was slower than investors were hoping for. MasterCard on Wednesday reported a 9 percent increase in revenue for the second quarter to $1.82 billion compared with the same three-month period a year earlier.

That fell short of the $1.88 billion Wall Street analysts were expecting.

Analysts saw the slowdown as a worrisome sign for a company which has been on a tear for two years. “(It was) the first quarter where the company didn’t grow at least double digits since the third quarter of 2010,” said Thomas McCrohan, analyst at financial services firm Janney Capital Markets.

Investors bailed out of the stock, which fell $9.37, or 2.2 percent, to close at $427.20 Wednesday. In the second

quarter, the dollar’s value against most international currencies soared, which lowered the value of the company’s income in other countries when converted back into dollars. The company’s revenue would have grown 13 percent without the weak currency translations.

The euro declined about 4.5 percent against the dollar during the quarter.

MasterCard chief financial officer Martina Hund-Mejean said the company reaffirmed its targets for growth over the next two years and stressed that it excludes all currency fluctuations. “We live in a connected global environment and with the dollar’s strengthening we are facing a headwind in translating our overseas earnings,” Hund-Mejean said.

The United States was among the weakest areas of growth for MasterCard, though other economies of the world like Europe and Asia slowed more. In the

US, growth in the total value of transactions on MasterCard logo cards fell to 9 percent in the quarter, compared with 14 percent in the first quarter.

MasterCard’s CEO Ajay Banga pointed out that lower gas prices weren’t translating into spending, reflecting the anxiety that consumers have over uncertainty in the broader economy. Spending remained steady in Europe and Asia, but Banga appeared careful going into the rest of the year.

“We remain cautious on our outlook,” Banga said in a conference call with analysts to discuss earnings. The Purchase, N.Y.-based payments processor earned $700 million, or $5.55 per share, in the second quarter. That’s up from $608 million or $4.76 per share a year ago.

Excluding a litigation charge, MasterCard earned $713 million or $5.65 a share, more than the $5.57 per share

Wall Street analysts were expecting.

MasterCard took the $13 million charge to cover legal costs. Last month, MasterCard, Visa and a group of major banks announced a settlement with stores over transaction fees. MasterCard, which had set aside a large amount last year to cover legal costs, will pay $790 million as part of that settlement.

Purchase volume, the amount people spent on debit and credit cards with MasterCard logos, rose 13 percent worldwide. That was slower than the 17 percent recorded in the first quarter.

MasterCard increased rebates and incentives to both new customers and those that were renewing agreements. These kinds of incentives are common practice in the credit card industry, but they are a concern to Wall Street analysts because they can weaken future results for credit card companies. — AP

Spain debt auction a success despite investor doubts Spain sells 3.1 billion euros of bonds

TOKYO: Japan’s electronics company Sharp President Takashi Okuda speaks at a press conference in Tokyo yesterday. — AFP

Japan’s Sharp to cut 5,000 jobs by March TOKYO: Japan’s Sharp said yesterday it will cut 5,000 jobs by March as it reported a quarterly loss and said it would remain in the red for the rest of the year amid losses at its struggling TV business.

The major consumer electronics maker said its net loss for the April-June quarter was 138.4 billion yen ($1.76 billion), compared with a loss of 49.3 billion in the same period a year ago.

Its operating loss was 94.1 billion yen, plunging from an operating profit of 3.5 billion yen a year ago. Sales fell 28.4 percent to 458.6 billion yen. The company, which has seen its mainstay television, liquid crystal display and solar panel products struggle, said the job reductions were part of a bid to cut fixed costs by 100 billion yen to help its dented balance sheet.

The company currently employs 57,000 people globally. “The domestic and Chinese demand for liquid crystal display televisions fell at a faster pace than expected,” the company said in a statement. “Tough business climate continued as the slower demand forced production adjustment at factories for large LCDs, while prices fell for finished products and electronic devices,” it said. Sharp also had to book a 15.86 billion yen special loss related to the settlement of a lawsuit brought by Dell, which claimed it had been overcharged by Sharp and several other firms over several years. The company had originally considered cutting about 3,000 domestic jobs, but decided to expand the scope to include worldwide operations to accelerate a management restructuring, Kyodo News said.

Meanwhile, Sharp executives will take pay cuts of 20-50 percent, compared with originally planned 10-30 percent, Kyodo and broadcaster NHK said. President Takashi Okuda will address the media from 0900 GMT in Tokyo.Sharp also downgraded its annual earnings forecast, saying it now expected an annual net loss of 250 billion yen for the fiscal year through March 2013, a huge increase from an earlier projection for a loss of 30 billion yen. —AFP

MADRID: Spain passed a key test yesterday by easily selling 3.1 billion euros of debt at yields well below recent peaks despite investor doubts that the European Central Bank will act to help struggling euro-zone economies at its meeting later in the day.

Although the Treasury was forced to pay the second highest yield on its 10year paper since the launch of the euro in 1999, analysts said the auction was solid in the current context. The cost of borrowing over 10 years was 6.65 percent, nearly a full percentage point below the 7.64 percent peak n the secondary market last week.

The results lifted market sentiment, with the premium which investors pay to hold Spanish over German debt falling after the auction. Spanish bond yields, which had hit euro-era highs due to the possibility that Madrid would have to be bailed out, fell last week after President Mario Draghi said the ECB would do whatever it takes to save the common currency, within its mandate.

In the same spirit, Italian borrowing costs also fell at an auction on Monday, suggesting that Draghi has at the very least talked yields down. But concerns that the ECB will now fail to meet the market’s expectations when Draghi announces decisions of the Governing Council’s monthly meeting at 1230 GMT sent them up again in the last two days.

“The auctions were good, with better demand at the shorter maturities which looks to me like the auctions were driven by more short-covering demand,” said Peter Chatwell, rate strategist at Credit Agricole in London.

“Certainly there is still a lot of doubt whether the ECB has the mandate to do anything which structurally tightens Spanish or Italian spreads.” Sources have told Reuters that bold action such as the ECB resuming controversial purchases of government debt issued by the most troubled euro zone economies to curb their borrowing costs - is at least five weeks away.

However, Draghi may offer some clues on what is in the offing.

Yesterday, Spain sold 3.1 billion euros of bonds, beating its target of 2 to 3 billion euros, though it paid higher rates than the last time the bonds were sold at a primary auction. The Treasury raised 1 billion euros of the longer-dated, benchmark bond, due Jan. 31, 2022, at an average yield of just below 6.65 percent compared to 6.43 percent when it was last sold in the primary market on July 5. The yield in the secondary market had reached 7.639 on July 24, before Draghi spoke last week.

Demand was lower than the previous auction, with the bid-to-cover ratio at 2.4 compared to 3.2 a month earlier.

A bond due July 30, 2014 sold 1.1 billion euros at a yield of 4.77 percent and bidto-cover ratio of 3.0. The same bond was last sold at a primary auction in March, 2011, at an average yield of 3.59 percent. A bond maturing Oct. 31, 2016 sold at a yield of 5.97 percent, after just below 5.54 percent July 5. The Treasury sold 1 billion euros of the paper which was 2.7 times subscribed compared to 2.6 times last month. — Reuters

HONG KONG: Chairman Li Ka-shing (center) speaks as he is flanked by his son Vice chairman Victor Li (left) and Managing Director Canning Fok during an announcement of results of Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. and Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd. in Hong Kong, yesterday.— AP

Business FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

India’s online grey market for US clothing brands MUMBAI/CHICAGO: While India’s politicians dither over rules allowing foreign retailers into the country, some online stores are already selling discounted clothing from companies such as Abercrombie & Fitch Co that have yet to officially enter the market.

Homegrown start-ups including fashionandyou.com, myntra.com snapdeal.com, dealsandyou.com, yebhi.com and HomeShop 18 - which is eyeing a US initial public offering - are introducing India’s growing middle class to mid-market US brands, at discounts of more than 50 percent.

Reuters interviewed nearly two dozen online retailers, distributors and officials from US and Indian firms to try to determine how some of the hottest Western clothing brands, including Abercrombie, American Eagle

Outfitters Inc and Aeropostale Inc, ended up for sale on these websites.

None of these US chains have opened stores in India, and they have no official licensees. Abercrombie and American Eagle said Indian websites were not authorised to sell their products. “Our brands do not have any authorised third party websites anywhere in the world; all of our stores and official websites are owned and operated by A&F directly - we do not license or franchise our front-line sales,” Abercrombie said in a statement to Reuters.

A unit of online daily deal company Groupon Inc in India stopped offering some Abercrombie and American Eagle clothing in July following questions by Reuters. Some of the clothing available on Indian websites found its

way through distributors in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the United States who buy off-season or overstocked merchandise and sell it in countries where they hope demand is higher.

In other instances, online retailers bought from local manufacturers who supply the global brands. Those manufacturers are not supposed to sell apparel with name-brand labels, two Indian lawyers said. “What will happen is when these (foreign) brands eventually decide to come to India they will blacklist these sites,” said Darshan Mehta, chief executive of Reliance Brands, one of India’s biggest retailers of foreign brands and controlled by its richest man, Mukesh Ambani. For clothing companies waiting to get into India, where a complex

set of rules limits foreign investment, the online retailers can provide a useful consumer testing ground. But once foreign companies launch their own business in India, usually through joint ventures or licensing agreements, they typically become proactive in stopping unauthorized sales and are quick to take legal action to shut down those channels. Harminder Sahani, managing director of retail consultancy Wazir Advisors in Gurgaon, India, said brands that have managed to navigate India’s restrictions on foreign retailers and enter the market have been successful in stopping unlicensed sales. “No one sells Tommy Hilfiger online at discounts any more, not Calvin Klein, not Zara,” Sahani said. “All those brands already have a presence in India and they won’t allow it.” — Reuters

Asian markets mixed ahead of ECB meeting All eyes now on bank’s policy meeting

HANEDA: This file photo taken on November 30, 2010 shows Japan Airlines passenger jets jamming up the tarmac at Tokyo International Airport at Haneda. — AFP

JAL net profit more than doubles to $343m TOKYO: Japan Airlines, which just two-and-a-half years ago went bankrupt in one of the country’s worst corporate failures, said yesterday first quarter net profit more than doubled to 26.9 billion yen ($342.75 million).

The airline credited cost cutting and improved productivity for the result, which is up from a 12.7 billion yen net profit a year ago, and said sales rose 12.5 percent to 286.7 billion yen.

The revenue boost was helped by a spike in international flights “in response to robust travel demand prompted by the strong yen”, it said.

While the surging value of the yen has hurt the nation’s manufacturers it has had a positive effect on airlines as it also means relatively cheaper travel for Japanese going overseas.

Japan Airlines earlier this year said it had ordered 10 new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft as it looks to build on its recovery and fight off the threat from an emerging budget sector.

The announcement, part of a five-year plan, is in addition to an existing order for 35 of the planes. Built largely with lightweight composite materials, Boeing says the Dreamliner is about 20 percent more fuel efficient than similarly sized aircraft and is the first mid-size airplane capable of flying longrange routes. “JAL took delivery of the revolutionary 787 Dreamliner this past spring, and in April, and used it to launch a new nonstop service between Tokyo and Boston,” it said in a statement yesterday. “The mid-sized Dreamliner was also introduced on several existing international routes to adjust capacity with demand and to improve product appeal,” it added. Sales from domestic operations also improved as the market recovered from slumping demand after last year’s quake and tsunami disaster in Japan, it said.

The carrier kept its annual forecast unchanged, expecting a net profit of 130 billion yen in the fiscal year through March 2013. In March last year, the company exited bankruptcy, more than a year after a spectacular collapse that prompted a government bailout of the once-venerable flag carrier.

The airline went bust in January 2010 with staggering debts of about 2.32 trillion yen but continued flying during its rehabilitation process, which included massive job and route cuts. — AFP

HONG KONG: Asian markets were mixed in tentative trade yesterday ahead of a meeting of the European Central Bank that investors hope will produce a fresh round of stimulus measures to support the euro. The US Federal Reserve’s decision to hold off any such moves had little impact on sentiment, analysts said, but added that if expectations were not met by the ECB shares could tumble.

Tokyo was 0.13 percent higher, adding 11.33 points to 8,653.18 and Sydney added 0.16 percent, or 6.7 points, to 4,269.5. Hong Kong shed 0.66 percent, or 130.18 points, to 19,690.20 and Shanghai fell 0.57 percent, or 12.18 points, to 2.111.18 while Seoul closed 0.56 percent, or 10.53 points, lower at 1,869.40. Stocks have boomed since ECB chief Mario Draghi last week said the bank would do all it could to save the euro, with dealers taking that as a nod to a fresh round of bond purchases to ease the pressure on troubled Spain and Italy.

Eyes are now on the bank’s policy meeting later in the day for some action. But Sydney-based Macquarie Private Wealth division director Martin Lakos said there is still uncertainty on what precisely it will do. “We’ve heard all the talk from European officials, but the cynics are waiting to see what real policy action transpires,” he said.

Melbourne-based Chris Gore, currency analyst at Go Markets, said in a note to clients: “Mario Draghi’s pledge to do ‘whatever it takes to preserve the euro’ has inspired a material shift in sentiment, but if markets walk away unappeased, it’s likely to spark another bout of top-tier risk aversion.”

However, those who had hoped for some support measures from the US Fed were left disappointed on Wednesday when the central bank held off for now but said it stood ready to step in when needed. Tim Condon, economist at ING, said in a note that the Fed’s “do-nothing outcome was largely

priced-in”. He added: “There was less pressure on the FOMC because there is more pressure on the ECB.” On Wall Street the Dow fell 0.25 percent, the S&P 500 shed 0.29 percent and the Nasdaq dropped 0.66 percent.

Underwhelming global manufacturing activity data kept a lid on any gains, with eurozone and British figures at around three-year lows, while there continued to be contraction in China and the United States. On currency markets the euro bought $1.2250 and 96.12 yen in afternoon Asian trade, compared with $1.2223 and 95.91 yen in New York late Wednesday. The dollar was at 78.47 yen against 78.44 yen.

After the ECB decision is out of the way markets will focus again on the United States, where payrolls data for July will be released, with investors hoping for a clearer guide as to the state of the world’s top economy.

On Wednesday a survey of private firms by ADP showed unemployment rose a better-than-expected 163,000 in

July, with growth across all sectors. Oil was mixed. New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in September, shed seven cents to $88.84 a barrel in the afternoon and Brent North Sea crude for September rose 16 cents to $106.12.

Gold was at $1,602.00 at 0800 GMT, from $1,613.90 on Wednesday.

In other markets: Wellington closed 0.95 percent, or 33.46 points, higher at 3,564.11. Fletcher Building rose 2.2 percent to NZ$6.19 and Telecom added 1.7 percent to NZ$2.70.

Manila closed 0.10 percent lower, giving up 5.32 points to 5,293.40. Ayala Land dropped 0.55 percent to 21.95 pesos, Alliance Global ended 0.08 percent down at 11.30 pesos, while SM Investments lost 0.50 percent to 752.50 pesos.

Bangkok was closed for a public holiday while Taipei was closed owing to a typhoon. — AFP

REGENSBURG: An employee of German car producer BMW AG is busy at the BMW plant in Regensburg, southern Germany. The German luxury automaker said yesterday earnings fell 28 percent in the second quarter due to higher costs for investments in new technology and personnel. — AP

THEY ARE THE 99!

99 Mystical Noor Stones carry all that is left of the wisdom and knowledge of the lost civilization of Baghdad. But the Noor Stones lie scattered across the globe - now little more than a legend. One man has made it his life’s mission to seek out what was lost. His name is Dr. Ramzi Razem and he has searched fruitlessly for the Noor Stones all his life. Now, his luck is about to change - the first of the stones have been rediscovered and with them a special type of human who can unlock the gem’s mystical power. Ramzi brings these gem - bearers together to form a new force for good in the world. A force known as ... the 99!

THE STORY SO FAR : The Story So Far: Hadya brings Wakila and Raheema to her school, where the teacher hands out red and blue shirts to the class and tells them that the red-shirted students are now better than the blue-shirted ones. The students take to their new roles, alarmingly quickly...

The 99 ® and all related characters ® and © 2012, Teshkeel Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

www.the99.org

Opinion FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Saudis split on female Olympians, athletic hijabs Women otherwise involved in rights issues don’t necessarily support Olympic participation

Saudi Arabia’s athletes parade during the Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics on July 27, 2012 in London. — AP

By Richard S Willis

I

n Jeddah, a bustling, overcrowded city on the Red Sea, the 2012 London Olympics hardly raises an eyebrow although 17 men and two women are participating. But the debate over whether Saudi Arabia’s two female athletes - Sarah Attar and Wojdan Shaherkani - should compete, let alone abandon the hijab head covering to conform to the Olympic International Conference’s rules, is unsurprisingly divided along gender lines. The debate has been reduced to name-calling with a number of Saudis describing Attar and Shaherkani the “prostitutes of the Olympics”. It has highlighted the ongoing issues regarding a woman’s place in Saudi society.

“There are not many Saudi fathers and brothers who want to see the women in their family compete on a pitch or in an arena with thousands of men staring at them,” Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, an unemployed car salesman told The Media Line. “What does that say about the woman who exposes herself in such a way?” Attar, 19, who is attending Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, is competing in the women’s track 800 m. Shaherkani, 16, is participating in the women’s judo event. Shaherkani garnered the most attention since the opening day of the Olympics when the International Judo Federation banned Shaherkani from competing because her hijab posed a safety risk. Following negotiations between Shaherkani’s father, the OIC and the federa-

tion, the federation ruled the girl may participate wearing “suitable headgear”.

Wearing the hijab was an issue taken out of Shaherkani’s hands. The Saudi government made it clear that women can compete only if they “wear suitable clothing that complies with sharia, are accompanied by their guardian and they do not mix with men during the games”. However, the hijab controversy, while seized by women’s rights activists as another infringement on Saudi female athletes, prompted little outcry among women in Saudi Arabia. Rather, the issue boils down to what is appropriate behavior.

Abeer Al-Hussaini received her bachelor’s degree from a Florida university. The 26-year old wears her hijab loosely and considers herself liberal on social issues. Yet, she says her advocacy for women in Saudi society has its limits. “I wish the girls in the Olympics well, but it’s not something I would do. And even if I did, my father would not even consider it. There is too much at stake. Even if my family supported my right to compete in sports, our relatives, our neighbors would condemn it. There is too much at stake. It just does not affect me but my entire family.”

Indeed social pressure is immense to toe the line. While societal pressure provides checks and balances to ensure conformity and stability, the burden usually falls on women. A woman lecturer at Princess Nora Bint Abdulrahman University outside of Riyadh, told The Media Line that traditions and customs are so entrenched in Saudi

society that few women have the strength to break the bonds that establish their roles in society. “Forget about Islam,” said the academic who spoke on the condition that her name not be published. “The traditional roles of men and women are clearly defined with men providing the financial means for the family and women providing babies and a nice home. That’s changing with better educational opportunities for women and new jobs for them.”

However, she noted that women drawing attention to themselves is a “red line” that few Saudi women are willing to cross.

“It’s almost incomprehensible to the average Saudi to see a beloved daughter on television parading on the field for all to see,” she said. “It is too much for family members to see their daughters exerting themselves in some outfit even remotely form-fitting. It is a big shame for the family. As hard as it is to understand, it boils down to ‘what will the neighbors think’. “ What the neighbors think is found on social media websites. In addition to labeling Saudi female athletes as prostitutes, one Twitter writer suggested that Attar would purposely fall down while running to show off her body. Many Saudis, however, were quick to defend the athletes. @SkittlesFairy responded to a critic by writing, “You remind me of Europe in the Dark Ages, you insult this and slur people in the name of religion. This religion has nothing to do with you.” Saudi Rasha Al-Dowasi, tweeting as @Rsha_D, wrote, “Muslim athletes from Muslim countries have been participating in

the Olympics for years. Sport only becomes prostitution when Saudi women practice it.”

Khalid Khalifa, who describes himself as a Saudi comedian on his Twitter profile as @KhalidKhalifa, wrote, “The person who made this Hashtag (“Prostitutes of the Olympics”) is a reminder: idiots still exist.

He/She should be neutered. This gene cannot evolve.”

The Princess Nora University academic cautioned against taking Twitter flame wars as an accurate pulse of Saudis. “Most Saudis have never left the GCC (the Gulf Cooperation Council countries of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates), or even Saudi Arabia,” the academic said. “They don’t read or watch the Western media; they don’t tweet, watch the Olympics or even think about the women’s rights in the same context as Westerners do. There is a right and wrong. And displaying your body immodestly is wrong.”

Summer Khoury, a Palestinian expatriate who works for a charity organization in Jeddah, told The Media Line that she wants to see more Arab women represented in the Olympics, but understands Saudis’ trepidation with women’s participation. “Things here in Saudi Arabia are moving very fast,” Khoury said. “There is an explosion of women working in the shops and malls, and even mixing with men. It was unheard of just a few years ago. When society shifts so rapidly, you have people lash out crudely.

But it’s just the process how a society evolves.” — Media Line

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Years

www.kuwaittimes.net

Cast member Kate Beckinsale arrives at the premiere of ‘Total Recall’, in Los Angeles. — AP

FOOD FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

6 Sundaes ways to

BLUEBERRY-LEMON SAUCE Makes 2 cups 1 lemon 1 pint blueberries, divided 1/3 cup sugar 1. Finely grate the lemon zest into a small, nonreactive saucepan.

Juice the lemon into a bowl and set aside.

2. Add 1 cup blueberries and the sugar to the pan, then place it over medium-high heat. Cook until most of the berries have popped and the juice has thickened slightly, 6-8 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining berries and lemon juice. Serve warm or at room temperature. The sauce will keep, refrigerated, for up to a week, but it’s best the same day it’s made.

VANILLA BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE Makes 3 cups 1 cup cream, at room temperature 3 vanilla bean 1 cup water 1 teaspoon cream of tartar 3 cups sugar Pinch of kosher salt 1. Set the cream by the stove so it’s ready.

2. Split the vanilla bean. Scrape the seeds into a medium saucepan and add the pod, along with the water and cream of tartar. Pour the sugar in the center of the pan. Do not stir.

3. Place the pan over medium-high heat and watch carefully. Once caramelization begins, the mixture can burn in seconds. Cook without stirring until the sugar begins to brown in spots, 8 to 11 minutes.

Gently swirl once to evenly distribute.

4. When it turns light amber, about 5 minutes, turn off heat.

Immediately, but slowly, pour in cream. Wear oven mitts and be careful.

5. When bubbling subsides, gently stir to blend the cream into the caramel, scraping vanilla seeds from pan sides and back into the sauce. If you have lumps of hardened caramel, stir over low heat until melted.

6. With a fork, carefully remove hot vanilla bean pod. Gently stir in butter and salt. Let cool until just warm. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Rewarm before using.

EXTRA-BITTER HOT FUDGE SAUCE Makes 2 1/3 cups 1 cup water

1/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup light corn syrup 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped 1. Combine water, sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve. Off heat, add the cocoa, whisking well to combine. Add vanilla, and whisk until very smooth. Add chocolates, and let sit 3 minutes.

2. Stir the sauce until the chocolate is completely melted; it will have a smooth and glossy shine when it is ready. Serve warm, or let cool and refrigerate up to 2 months. To serve: Reheat, stirring, until warm and fluid.

LEMON FROZEN YOGURT Makes 1 quart 1 quart plain, low-fat yogurt 2 cups whole milk, divided 2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 ounces cream cheese, softened 1 cup heavy cream 2/3 cup sugar 1\2 cup light corn syrup Zest from 1 lemon Lemon syrup: 2 to 3 lemons 3 tablespoons sugar 1. Fit a sieve over a bowl and line it with 2 layers of cheesecloth.

Pour yogurt into the sieve, cover with plastic wrap and chill 6-8 hours.

Discard the liquid and measure out 1 cup of the drained yogurt. Set aside.

2. For the lemon syrup, remove the zest from 1 lemon in large strips; reserve. Juice the lemons to make 1 cup; combine with 3 tablespoons sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve.

Let cool.

3. For the frozen yogurt base, mix 2 tablespoons milk and cornstarch into a slurry. Whisk cream cheese until smooth. Fill a large bowl

FOOD FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

with ice and water.

4. Combing remaining milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup and zest strips in a 4-quart saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat; gradually whisk in slurry.

5. Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Turn off heat.

6. Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese.

Whisk in the reserved 1\2 cup yogurt and lemon syrup until smooth.

Pour the mixture into a gallon zip-top freezer bag, seal and submerge it in the ice bath. Let stand, adding ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

7. Remove the zest from the yogurt base. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and spin until thick and creamy. Pack frozen yogurt into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment against the surface and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

4. Meanwhile, whisk together the banana puree, egg yolks and granulated sugar until well blended. Slowly pour in half the hot cream mixture, whisking constantly. Transfer back to the saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula and being sure to scrape the bottom, until the liquid begins to steam and you can feel the spatula scrape against the bottom, 2-3 minutes.

5. Remove the custard from the heat, and immediately pour it through a sieve into the clean bowl you set up for the ice bath. Let cool.

6. Transfer to an ice cream maker and spin according to manufacturer’s instructions. Fold in the brittle, then transfer to an airtight container, cover and freeze up to 1 week. Or, serve the ice cream over banana slices, and top it with shards of brittle for Elvis sundaes.

FARMERS MARKET SUNDAE Serves 6 3 cups blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, halved strawberries or halved, pitted cherries 5 to 6 tablespoons sugar, divided 1 tablespoon honey 1 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Lemon frozen yogurt 6 sprigs fresh mint, basil or lemon balm 1. Toss the berries with 4 tablespoons sugar, honey, and let sit for 30 minutes to 6 hours to macerate. The berries will create their own lovely syrup.

2. Chill a large metal bowl in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Then add cream, 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar and vanilla, and whip to soft peaks.

3. Divide the macerated fruit among 6 plates or wide-mouthed Mason jars. Top with 2 small scoops frozen yogurt. Garnish with whipped cream and an herb sprig.

ELVIS (THE FAT YEARS) SUNDAE Makes 1 quart 3 ripe bananas, sliced 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup water 2 cups heavy cream 1 cup whole milk 1 teaspoon salt 3 egg yolks 1 cup granulated sugar 1. In a large, heavy-bottomed, nonreactive saucepan, combine bananas, brown sugar and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bananas are completely mushy, about 10 minutes.

Don’t let mixture burn. Puree the mixture in a blender.

2. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Set a bowl in the ice bath.

Get a sieve ready.

3. Using the same saucepan, combine cream, milk and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until hot but not boiling.

PEANUT BRITTLE Makes about 5 cups Note: Collect everything before you start, because things move quickly.

2 cups sugar 1/3 cup corn syrup 1 cup butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups roasted peanuts 2 slices bacon, cooked until very crisp, drained and finely chopped 1 teaspoon baking soda 1. In a medium, heavy-bottomed, nonreactive saucepan, bring sugar, corn syrup and butter to a boil over high heat, stirring often,

until the mixture turns golden brown, 10-15 minutes (300 degrees on a candy thermometer).

2. Immediately take pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla, salt, peanuts and bacon.

3. Sprinkle with baking soda, and stir the foaming mixture until evenly combined. Spread mixture evenly on a baking sheet. Cool completely before chopping or breaking into pieces. Brittle keeps up to 2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature. Do not refrigerate it.

FROSTED PEANUTS Makes 2 cups 1 cup sugar 1 egg white 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Pinch of salt 2 cups roasted, unsalted peanuts 1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

2. Lightly whisk together sugar, egg white, vanilla and salt. Stir in the peanuts.

3. Spread them on a Silpat- or parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake, stirring every 10 minutes so the nuts don’t clump, until dry, about 30 minutes. Transfer immediately to a plate to cool. Nuts keep up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. — MCT

Beauty FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

How to look beautiful after missing your beauty sleep D

o not worry gals, you can still look beautiful and get rid of all this morning blues, even if you didn’t get enough sleep. You can still get your face looking The below listed guidelines would definitely help you improve your morning beauty and kick start your day with full confidence.

Water effect The very first thing that you can do to look instantly fresh is to splash some cold water on your face. Your skin will really love this treatment! Water splash immediately after waking up from your bed will give an instant glow, making your skin look soft and fresh. It’s not only your skin which needs water early morning, but it’s your body too which needs it.

So drink 2-3 glasses of water every morning, preferably hot. Do not drink water only when you feel thirsty.

Green water therapy is also good for your body and skin. This water is not green in color, but it is water kept in green colored bottles and exposed to sun. When water is exposed to sun, it gets all the curative properties which helps in removing toxins from your body. All you got to do is get a green colored bottle and fill water in it and keep it exposed to sun for about 8-6 hours. Drink it after it cools. This helps in blood circulation and also purifies blood, making your skin look good and keeping you in the pink of health!

Use a moisturizer When you sleep at night, say for around 6-7 hours, you tend to have less or no water at all. So what happens is, your skin tends to get dehydrated. Your skin becomes dry and may develop fine lines and make you look older. Using a good moisturizer is the key. Regular use of a good moisturizer suitable for your skin will help in reducing dryness and early development of fine lines. So always keep a moisturizer handy..

Watch your diet Your skin can reveal your regular diet. Be conscious about what you choose to eat at night, or rather the whole day. Your daily diet is more important in maintaining your skin health. Do not eat much of salt or oily foods mainly at nights. Drink plenty of

water everyday. These things can do wonders for your skin!

Reduce puffiness If you look pale and your skin and eyes puffy, you can use cold milk/water and ice cubes to heal them. Just dip a napkin in water

and ice cubes mixture and then place it on your face for a while.

You can even use a gel-based or water-based cream to reduce puffiness. Keep your cream in refrigerator the night before and apply it to your skin in the morning. This will not only help in get-

ting rid of puffiness, but will also instantly brighten up your skin!

Use less make up One should always go slow on make up after not having enough sleep the previous night. One definitely wants to cover up those

signs of sleepiness, but never try to over do with your make up.

Avoid using foundations and powder. Instead use a good moisturizer and a light coat of concealer.

Make sure your eyes look bright.

You can curl your eyelashes a bit and even apply a light coat of mascara. Your eyes are eye catchers for others! So make your eyes look bright and beautiful but with minimal make over. Also using a pink or peach color blush on your face can do wonders. It will transform your complexion. You can use a cream based blush to give a natural look.

What at night?

Looking fresh and beautiful in the morning also depends on how you care for your skin during night before going to bed! You invite a lot of dirt for the day on your skin.

There is some make up left there.

Remember to clean it all up. Use a cleanser to remove all the dirt, make up and grime that is stuck on to your face. Your pillow also helps is taking good care of your skin. Always use a soft satin pillow.

This will smoothe your hair and will not come in the way of your skin while sleeping. (www.madhuri77.hubpages.com)

Books FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Ramadan: Islamic Holy Month

By Terri Dougherty

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first facts book which is written in a conversational tone, and is full of large colorful pictures that will help peak the interest of young children.

1 2 My First Ramadan

By Karen Katz

K

aren Katz is a wonderful author who can relate to young children. This is a great read for young children being introduced to Ramadan for the first time. For the child looking to expand their knowledge of holidays, and other cultures

5 Ramadan books for your early reader

3

Ramadan

By Suhaib Hamid Ghazi

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wonderful book that will even enlighten non-muslims to the ways of Islam and Ramadan. The author eloquently explains the origins of Ramadan, and it clearly defines alot of the Muslim terminology that is a vital part of Ramadan such as Imam, Suhur, Zakah, etc.

Celebrating Ramadan

By Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith

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his is a book written and explained through the eyes of an American fourth grader named Ibraheem. It explains Islam’s beginning, basic beliefs, Muhammeds (PBUH) revelations, the Quran, and forms of Islamic prayer. It is a very informative book that will leave any child with a better understanding of the Islamic way of life.

4 Magid Fasts for Ramadan

By Mary Matthews

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his is a story of a boy named Majid who witnesses his family participating in the fast for Ramadan, although he is too young to fast he vows to Allah the almighty that he will fast anyway. His family finds out about Majid’s fast and chastises him for it then they decide to honor his religious desire and provide him with a modified fast. This book explores the ins and outs of a boy’s desire to participate in the Ramadan. These books are only a few of many that aid in the education of Muslim and non Muslim children alike in the ways of Ramadan.

Health FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Nutrition, supplement & exercise rules for Ramadan 1) Don’t use Ramadan as an excuse to not exercise. It is crucially important that you do some gym work over Ramadan as without it, and in the absence of a regular eating pattern, your metabolism will go on strike quicker than a British Airways cabin crew.

2) The best time to hit the gym during Ramadan is either early in the morning (after your first meal of the day) or after sunset (after your first meal post fasting).

3) Ensure that both your Ramadan “breakfasts” (by breakfast I literally mean the two meals following a fast, one following sleep or opening the fast, the other following the day’s fasting) contain easily digested protein and, depending upon body composition goals, some complex carbs and essential fats. If you are due to follow one of these meals with a hard workout something like a whey shake with essential fats, an apple and a handful of nuts would be great. I personally would wolf down 6 eggs, some coffee, and then go bang the weights - but not everyone could digest that and then train hard.

4) Unless you are feeling on top of the world I wouldn’t go seeking new personal bests in the gym during Ramadan. My advice would be to switch up your routine from the norm, so that you don’t feel down in any way about a noticeable decrease in physical performance, and try to make the workouts as fun and varied as possible.

5) Workout duration during Ramadan should be kept very tight. Get in and out of the gym in under one hour and preferably aim for 45 minutes of hard work. If you normally take much longer don’t worry, you can still get an awful lot done in 45 minutes and for those of you who are looking to gain muscle Ramadan is more about antiatrophy workouts than super mega blasting hypertrophy!

6) During the time that you are allowed to drink you should be thinking “hydration, hydration, hydration!”. In past periods of Ramadan I have seen hardcore Muslim bodybuilders at Muscleworks Gym in Bethnal Green almost pass out as they tried to push themselves without drinking water.

A good goal for a 200lb man should be to try to down 3litres of water between sunset and sunrise.

7) Some people get into a little panic before Ramadan thinking that they will lose all their hard earned gains as it is impossible to benefit from good nutrition, supplementation and exercise during Ramadan. This isn’t so, and with a bit of organization and thought there is no reason to take a big step backwards. 4-5 meals over a 24 hour period are very possible, and this alone should be enough for maintenance, and maybe for the very lucky ones, even some small improvements. For example (and I may be slightly off in daylight times here so please forgive me), one could eat a large pre Ramadan fast meal at 5.45 am, then break the Ramadan fast at 7.30 pm, eat again at 9.30 pm, and finally have a supper at 11.30 pm. It isn’t ideal, but it does show you that your physique doesn’t have to come crashing down. If minimising fat accumulation (or fat loss for the super ambitious) is your goal the mainstay of my macronutrients

would be from protein and “good fats” (think unprocessed, natural fats and you won’t go far wrong).

8) There are also a few supplements that would definitely help ease the metabolic challenges of Ramadan. My top ten Ramadan supplement picks would be: Acetyl L Carnitine (3gms upon awakening) Essential Amino Acids (snack on these as much as possible during the hours of

darkness) Greens Powder (add several tablespoons to a large bottle of water and sip constantly) Casein Protein Powder (for supper) Whey Protein Powder Multi Vit / Mineral Magnesium (at night to aid sleep) Omega 3s A good digestive enzyme complex Phosphatidylserine (at night before sleep to reduce any extra cortisol production

caused by daytime fasting / and to aid sleep) In summary, the discipline of Ramadan need not prevent proper nutrition, supplementation and exercise. Yes, it will be challenging and require both discipline and moderation, but that is obviously what part of the whole process is about. www.myfitnesspal.com

Unless you are feeling on top of the world I wouldn’t go seeking new personal bests in the gym during Ramadan

Lifestyle FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

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In this Aug. 5, 1962 file photo, a police officer points to an assortment of medicine bottles on the table beside the bed, right, in actress Marilyn Monroe’s home in Los Angeles, Calif., where she was found dead.

half century has not dimmed skeptics’ suspicions about the death of Marilyn Monroe at age 36, but the intervening decades have seen technological leaps that could alter the investigation were it to occur today. DNA, more sophisticated electronic record-keeping, drug databases and other advances would give investigators more information than they were able to glean after Monroe’s Aug. 5, 1962, death - 50 years ago this Sunday. Whether any of the tools would lead to a different conclusion - that Monroe’s death from acute barbiturate poisoning was a probable suicide - remains a historical “What If?” “The good news is we’re very advanced from 50 years ago,” said Max Houck, a forensic consultant and co-author of “The Science of Crime Scenes.” “The bad news is, we’re still trying to put it in context,” he said.

Monroe’s death stunned the world and quickly ignited speculation that she died from a more nefarious plot than the official cause of death. The theories stem from the 35-minute gap between when Monroe was declared dead by her physician and when police were dispatched, incomplete phone records, and toxicology tests on digestive organs that were never done.

Interest has also focused on whether Monroe kept a diary filled with government secrets that was taken from her bedroom, or if she was killed to prevent her from revealing embarrassing secrets about President John F. Kennedy or his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. An investigation by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office 20 years after her death found no evidence of a murder conspiracy, although it theorized that Monroe may have died from an accidental overdose.

The district attorney’s report employed an outside coroner’s expert who concluded “that even with the more advanced -1982 - state-of-the-art procedures would not, in any reasonable probability, change the ultimate conclusions” reached 20 years earlier.

The Internet, digital imaging and more sophisticated testing mean that Monroe’s death if it occurred today would be subject to even more forensic scrutiny. Houck said some of the important stages of the investigation remain unchanged, including the necessity to quickly interview witnesses, control access to the crime scene and document its appearance.

“Like an archaeologist, you’re trying to reconstruct past events,” he said. In Monroe’s case, the first police officer on the scene later said he saw her housekeeper using the washing machine in the hours after the actress’ death. The 1982 DA’s report also states rough-

In this Aug. 5, 1962 file photo, police officers and newsmen stand at the driveway gate to the home of Marilyn Monroe after she was found dead in her bedroom. The Spanish-style one-story house is in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles. The first police officer on the scene later said he saw her housekeeper using the washing machine in the hours after the actress’ death.

ly 15 prescription bottles were seen at the scene, but only eight are reflected in the coroner’s report.

“In cases of intense public interest, there’s a tendency to not follow standard protocol,” Houck said, which is a mistake. “You’re going to be under that much more scrutiny.” While Monroe’s autopsy report includes an accounting of the medications taken from her bedroom, investigators are now able to do far deeper analysis of prescriptions than in Monroe’s time.

A state database allows investigators to scrutinize prescriptions issued to patients and their aliases. Doctor’s records are routinely subpoenaed, as in the cases of the deaths of Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Brittany Murphy and Corey Haim.

In Monroe’s case, the DA’s report noted, one of the doctors could not be located. Houck said investigators in some cities now employ toaster-size scanners to document crime scenes, giving them the ability to create “a 3D reconstruction that you can walk through.” In Monroe’s case, it might have been employed to show the relationship between where her body was found and the location of other important items, such as her telephone and prescriptions.

Improved fingerprint collection procedures might have also aided Monroe investigators, said Dr. Victor W. Weedn, chair of the Department of Forensic Sciences at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. DNA evidence, which police typically collect, might have only proved useful if there was a suggestion that her prescriptions had been tampered with, said Weedn, who is an expert in the use of DNA testing in death investigations. Houck said perhaps the biggest development for investigators to mine in a case similar to Monroe’s is a star’s digital footprints: their phone calls, emails, texts, tweets and other online activities.

Those all now “play a huge role,” he said.

Monroe’s phone records were incomplete, showing her outgoing but not her incoming calls, according to the 1982 DA’s report. “That’s not going to happen today,” Houck said. Despite other advances, autopsy techniques have not changed dramatically since Monroe’s death. Aside from its dimensions (Monroe’s autopsy report is printed on legal-size paper as opposed to current, 8 1/2 by 11 inch reports), the contents are similar to those prepared after recent celebrity deaths: a description of how she was found, detailed descriptions of her body - surgical scars, organs and all - and an accounting of prescription medications found at the scene.

“We forensic pathologists do talk about how much we’re clinging to an old method,” Weedn said, noting that basic autopsy procedures have been the same for centuries. New technologies are available, such as CT scans of bodies, but they are outside the budgets of most coroner and medical examiner’s offices, Weedn said. The DA’s investigation generally credited medical examiner Dr. Thomas Noguchi with doing a thorough autopsy of Monroe, including examining her body with a magnifying glass to check for needle marks.

However toxicology testing, which has improved since 1962, was lacking in Monroe’s case. Samples from Monroe’s stomach and intestines were destroyed before they were tested for drugs, Noguchi acknowledged in his 1983 memoir “Coroner,” and he quickly realized that would prompt alternate theories about her death.

“A variety of murder theories would spring up almost instantly - and persist even today,” Noguchi wrote. Despite lingering questions, photographer Lawrence Schiller doesn’t believe foul play was involved. Schiller knew Monroe in her final days and recently released the memoir, “Marilyn & Me: A Photographer’s Memories.”

“Was there a conspiracy to kill her? No. I don’t think so,” he said in a recent interview. He saw Monroe mixing champagne and pills and forgetting what she had taken several times, he said.

In this April 1962 file photo, actress Marilyn Monroe is shown on the set of her last movie, “Something’s Got To Give,” in Los Angeles.

“Did she lose track of what she was taking that night, to me that’s more than likely” than any of the conspiracy theories. Schiller said it wasn’t apparent to him at the time, when he was 23-years-old, but Monroe had reached a low point. “She was deeply a lonely person at the end of her life,” he said. The DA’s office agreed. “Our inquiries and document examination uncovered no credible evidence supporting a murder theory,” the report stated.

Weedn said that while death investigators around the country are better trained than they would have been in the early 1960s, their offices are often considered low budget Policy makers “should recognize that everything we do is for the living,” he said. In Monroe’s case that is certainly true, with generations looking at how Monroe died and still finding questions and “What If” scenarios.—AP

In this Aug. 9, 1962 file photo, Joe DiMaggio, (right) second husband of film star Marilyn Monroe, is comforted at the crypt by Mr. and Mrs. Sam Kindelcamp, former foster parents of Miss Monroe, in Los Angles, Calif. At left is DiMaggio’s son Joe Jr.— AP photos

Lifestyle FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Tippi Hedren on Hitchcock: ‘Genius and evil and deviant’

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ippi Hedren spoke Wednesday about rampant sexual harassment by Alfred Hitchcock nearly half a century ago, during the making of “The Birds” and “Marnie.” “I think he was an extremely sad character,” she said during a panel discussion of HBO’s upcoming “The Girl,” which recounts her troubled relationship with the director. “We are dealing with a brain here that was an unusual genius, and evil, and deviant, almost to the point of dangerous, because of the effect that he could have on people that were totally unsuspecting.”

She was one of those people, she said. Hedren, now a glowing 82, was a model in her early 30s whenHitchcock hired her for “The Birds.” Although there were times of “delight and joy” as Hitchcock personally coached her on her acting, there were other times when he treated her horribly. Those events form the spine of director Julian Jarrold’s “The Girl,” which will air in October and stars Sienna Miller as Hedren and Toby Jones as the master of suspense. Jarrold and his stars spoke at the Television Critics Association summer press tour.

“The Girl” shows Hitchcock aggressively forcing a kiss on Hedren in the back seat of a car during the filming of “The Birds,” and later demanding that she “make yourself available to me sexually.” The film also suggests that Hitchcock punished her for rejecting

Actress Tippi Hedren (left) star of the 1963 Alfred Hitchcock film ‘The Birds,’ poses with Julian Jarrold, center, director of the new HBO film ‘The Girl,’ and cast member Toby Jones on Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012 in Beverly Hills, Calif. —AP his advances. In one scene, he sends a prop bird crashing through phone booth glass without warning her.

Another sequence shows him forcing her to work with live birds for five days for the film’s attic scene. Hedren suffered multiple cuts, including to her face, in both cases, according to the film.

Hedren couldn’t escape Hitchcock’s control because she was under contract, and the director refused to let her work for others once she refused to work with him again after “Marnie.”

There were no laws in place to protect

Call me Alain, says

Clint Eastwood’s ‘Trouble With the Curve’ bumps up release date Transylvania,” the Bruce Willis/Joseph Gordon-Levitt thriller “Looper,” and “Won’t Back Down,” a drama starring Maggie Gyllenhaal. With its new release date, “Trouble With the Curve” will compete with the Jake Gyllenhaal crime drama “End of Watch” and the Jennifer Lawrence film “House at the End of the Street.”—Reuters

Alain-Fabien Delon

estranged Delon son

women from such harassment. Still, Hedren said Wednesday, she “lived through it beautifully.”“He ruined my career but he didn’t ruin my life,” she said.”If this had happened today I would be a very rich woman.” The film offers a rare look into the mind of one of Hitchcock’s cool blondes. Hedren said her daughter, Melanie Griffith, was unaware of what she went through.

After she saw the film, Hedren said, Griffith “jumped up and said, ‘Now I have to go back into therapy.’” (The young Griffith is briefly portrayed in

T

he estranged son of French actor Alain Delon wants to forge his own film career using the name that made his father a cinema legend. Alain-Fabien Delon, 18, told VSD magazine he wants to be known as simply Alain Delon as he attempts to establish his own reputation for acting, directing and film production. Relations between father and son reached breaking point following an incident in July 2011 in which a young woman suffered a bullet wound when a gun went off at a party hosted by Delon junior in his father’s flat in Geneva.

In his interview with VSD, the teenager begged Delon to “forgive me for all the stupid mistakes of the past” and vowed to make his father proud of him. “When I was little my father often told me I’d be an actor,” he said. “In my heart I know the cinema is going to play an important role in my life. It is inevitable, there is nothing I can do about it.”

Delon, 76, underwent surgery for an irregular heartbeat in Paris earlier this year and afterwards blamed the condition on stress brought on by his son’s misdemeanours. Alain-Fabien is one of two children Delon had with former model Rosalie van Breemen, from whom he separated in 2002. He also has three children with his former wife, Nathalie Delon, one of whom, Anthony, has had a minor career in film.—AFP

the film.) Miller said she has never suffered the kind of abuse from a director that Hedren described from Hitchcock.

“I think it’s a very different world for women in film today than it was for women then,” Miller said.

The film is based on the book “Spellbound by Beauty,” by Donald Spoto. Screenwriter Gwyneth Hughes interviewed several people familiar with the Hitchcock-Hedren dynamic, including costume supervisor Rita Riggs, “Marnie” actress Diane Baker, and Hitchcock’s first assistant director Jim Brown, who is prominently portrayed in “The Girl.” All helped shape her image of a cruel and despicable but also rather pathetic Hitchcock. In one scene, he drunkenly confesses his insecurities to Brown about his looks and weight. Jarrold said Hitchcock’s survivors, including his daughter, have not objected to the film - but also haven’t seen it. Hedren, now an animal activist who maintains the Shambala Preserve wildlife sanctuary, believes she is one of many actresses harassed by the cinematic legend.

After “Psycho,” she said, actress Vera Miles refused to ever work with the director again. Hedren also said Suzanne Pleshette told her during “The Birds” filming, “It isn’t always like this.” Hedren says she knows “Vertigo” star Kim Novak, but the actress has “never said a word about anything wrong.”—Reuters

Hitchcock’s ‘Vertigo’ ends 50-year reign of ‘Citizen Kane’

A

Clint Eastwood

T

he Clint Eastwood film “Trouble With the Curve” will be winding up in theaters earlier than expected. Warner Bros. has moved the release date for the film up a week, from its original Sept. 28 premiere date to Sept. 21. The film stars Eastwood as an aging baseball scout who takes his daughter (Amy Adams) along for one last trip to check out a prospect. John Goodman and Justin Timberlake also star.

Robert Lorenz, Eastwood’s partner at Malpaso Productions, directed the film. No reason for the scheduling shift was given. Had the film stuck with its original release date, it wouldhave faced the animated film “Hotel

lfred Hitchcock has dethroned Orson Welles.

Welles’ “Citizen Kane” has ruled as the greatest film ever made, according to critics’ polls by the British Film Institute’s Sight & Sound magazine. Every 10 years since 1962, when the magazine asked critics to name their top 10, “Kane” reigned. Until now.

But the 2012 poll results announced Tuesday place Hitchcock’s psychological drama “Vertigo” first. “Citizen Kane” slid to second place. “Vertigo” follows a private eye, played by James Stewart, in San Francisco who is hired to track a man’s wife. He falls in love with her, but tragically fails to stop the woman, played by Kim Novak, from committing suicide by jumping from a bridge because he is afraid of heights. The list also included a newcomer Dziga Vertov’s documentary “Man With a Movie Camera,” which placed eighth. — Reuters

Lifestyle FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Push to preserve Fela Kuti’s legacy 15 years after death

A picture taken on July 19, 2012 shows a billboard of the annual Felabration musical festival at the New Afrika Shrine in Lagos.

(Left) Femi Kuti, plays saxophone at the New Afrika Shrine.

Nigerian musician Femi Kuti, son of legendary afrobeat musician and activist Fela Anikulakpo-Kuti, performs on stage with his children at the New Afrika Shrine in Lagos on July 29, 2012. — AFP photos

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he spirit of Fela Kuti haunts his old house-the musician’s colorful clothes in the bedroom, his shoes on a rackbut the marijuana smoke, his many wives and his beguiling sax playing are long gone.

Yesterday marks 15 years since the death of Kuti, the Nigerian Afrobeat musician who became a global icon thanks to his unique sound, his wild lifestyle and his harsh criticism of his country’s corrupt military regimes. He is far from forgotten, both here and in many places abroad, and his family has been working to further preserve Kuti’s legacy, including efforts to turn his last house into a museum-the reason his bedroom was left as is.

“It’s gone beyond a Nigerian story,” his son Femi Kuti, also a musician, said recently before taking the stage at the family’s New Afrika Shrine club in Lagos. “It’s gone beyond an African story. It’s like jazz.” Kuti’s legend has in some ways only grown since his death aged 58 in 1997 from an HIV-related illness, especially following a recent Broadway musical about his life that drew rave reviews. His outsized personality and social activism made him a hero to many while he was still alive, and his funeral in the giant economic capital of Lagos drew massive crowds into the streets.

The saxophone player was a harsh critic of Nigeria’s corrupt elite, lashing out in songs like “Coffin for Head of State” or “International Thief Thief”, but with irresistible grooves that combined jazz, tradi-

tional music and other sounds. His songs repeatedly landed him in trouble with the authorities, including arrests and the burning, allegedly by soldiers, of his compound, which he had christened the Kalakuta Republic and declared independent. His original Shrine club where he regularly performed was shut after his death, but his family later opened the New Afrika Shrine at another location. He was also known for marrying 27 women on the same day, most of them his dancers, and his love of marijuana was well-documented. To some, echoes of his campaign for justice can still be heard in Lagos. His name was invoked repeatedly during a national strike and mass protests in January over the removal of fuel subsidies, which caused petrol prices to double.

President Goodluck Jonathan was eventually forced to partially reinstate the subsidies. Seun Kuti, another of Kuti’s sons, played politically charged concerts before thousands at the main protest site in Lagos.

Femi and his sister Yeni Kuti also helped lead rallies there. For Kunle Tejuoso, who runs a record label as well as a bookstore and music shop that caters to Lagos intellectuals, Fela Kuti was “bold enough to shout out and use music as a weapon against a very, very vicious system.” Kuti was raised in a middleclass family and studied music in England, but was able to connect with ordinary people even after his fame grew, Tejuoso said.

“He stuck to the basics, he stayed with the people, and I think he was immersed in his

music,” he said at his store, which sells framed photos of Kuti.

‘Be with the people’ “And to get to that music, you have to be with the people.

In order to get the message across, you have to understand what they’re saying.” Asked whether his father’s legacy had more to do with music or social activism, Femi Kuti said they were equally important. “You cannot forget the fight for social justice, making, especially, Nigerians aware of their predicament,” he said. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation and largest oil producer, and is often ranked as one of the world’s most corrupt countries. It was ruled by successive military regimes before a return to civilian government in 1999.

But it was not only Nigeria’s leaders that concerned Kuti. Femi points out that he was also intent on speaking out against the injustices of colonialism. Nigeria, a former British colony, gained independence in 1960. After the first Kalakuta Republic was destroyed, Kuti moved to the threestorey building his family is now seeking to turn into a museum in Lagos, with renovation work underway. His pyramid-shaped tomb sits out front, the building situated on a narrow road in a crowded neighborhood. —AFP

YouTube selects 10 short films for Venice Fest

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ouTube’s inaugural film festival has selected 10 short films that it will send to the Venice Film Festival. The Google video site announced Wednesday the finalists of its Your Film Festival. The contest was overseen by director Ridley Scott, whose production company helped winnow the 15,000 submissions down to 10.

All 10 films will be screened at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 2. A winner will then be chosen by a jury including Scott and Michael Fassbender and awarded a grant of $500,000. The finalists hail from around the globe, with entries from the US, Australia, Brazil, Bolivia, Spain, the U.K., Lebanon and Egypt. —AP

MGM settles lawsuit over ‘Raging Bull’ sequel

T

he battle between MGM and the makers of a sequel to the 1980 film “Raging Bull” has ended in a split decision. The studio has settled its lawsuit against boxer Jake LaMotta, the inspiration for the film, and RB II Production over a big-screen adaptation of LaMotta’s 1986 book “Raging Bull II.” Under the agreement, the new movie has been given the working title “The Bronx Bull,” LaMotta’s boxing nickname.

In a joint statement, MGM and Dahlia Waingort - a producer at Sunset Pictures, the production company of the film’s director, Martin Guigui - also stressed that the two films are in no way associated. “The parties have amicably reached a resolution of their pending litigation, pursuant to which production of a film based upon certain events in the life of Jake LaMotta will proceed under the working title ‘The Bronx Bull,’” the statement reads. “That film is not related in any way to the 1980 motion picture entitled ‘Raging Bull,’ and MGM is not associated with the film in any respect. Neither party will have any further statements regarding this matter.”

MGM filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court in early July, alleging breach of contract, intentional interference with contractual relations, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage and common law unfair competition.

The studio claimed that LaMotta was obligated to offer MGM first crack at motion-picture rights for the book, but that he went to RB II Production without their knowledge. In its complaint, the studio sought to halt production on the film.

“Raging Bull,” starring Robert De Niro and directed by Martin Scorsese, won two Academy Awards, in the Best Actor and Best Editing categories. — Reuters

Lifestyle FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Broadway will dim lights in memory of Gore Vidal

In this Nov. 19, 2009 file photo, actress Joanne Woodward (left) stands by as Gore Vidal speaks at the National Book Awards in New York. —AP

m left) Steven x, judges (fro e set of the Fo by ed as rele n on th , 2012 photo son are show In this Feb. 28 eles. —AP d Randy Jack ng an A z s pe Lo Lo in r ,’ Tyler, Jennife tion series, ‘American Idol ti singing compe

Steven Tyler says

‘Idol’

wasn’t his ‘cup of tea’

A

erosmith frontman Steven Tyler says he liked the paychecks on “American Idol” but had a love-hate relationship with the show. He says in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine the Fox reality series isn’t his “cup of tea.” But he says it was a “great job” because he sat next to Jennifer Lopez and “made a ton of money.”

Tyler announced last month he was

leaving the show after two seasons to rededicate himself to Aerosmith. He says it was a lot to juggle the show with recording a new album. Tyler tells the magazine he took the job because it was a good way to pass the time while he and his bandmates worked out their behind-the-scenes conflicts. He also says he didn’t have it in him to be negative to “Idol” singing contestants.—AP

B

roadway theaters will dim their marquee lights today night in memory of Gore Vidal and the cast of his play “The Best Man” will dedicate the next week of performances to the author and playwright. The Broadway League said Wednesday the lights will be dimmed for one minute at exactly 8 pm EDT Friday.

Executive Director Charlotte St. Martin called Vidal’s work both “timely and timeless.” Vidal died Tuesday in Los Angeles at age 86.

The second revival of his political play “The Best Man” opened in April with strong reviews and a stellar cast that included James Earl Jones, Angela Lansbury, John Larroquette, Candice Bergen, Eric McCormack, Michael McKean and Kerry Butler. The show currently stars Cybill Shepherd, John Stamos, Kristin Davis, Mark Blum and Elizabeth Ashley, in addition to Larroquette and Jones.

“I’m honored to have been able to call Gore a close friend,” said Shepherd in a statement. “I’m privileged to currently be appearing in his play ‘The Best Man’ and speaking his witty and eloquent words

every night only reinforces for me what a genius he was.” Producer Jeffrey Richards said there will be an announcement before each show for the next week that it is being dedicated to Vidal. At curtain calls, photos of Vidal will be shown on the monitors.

“Gore Vidal was an original,” Richards said in a statement, hailing Vidal for his “grace, distinction, style, wit and wisdom.” He added: “For his contribution to American culture, we will always be in his debt.” Set in Philadelphia during a fictional 1960 national convention, the play pits two candidates vying for the presidential nomination and sees how far they will go to win.

The play has been extended twice. It will close on Sept. 9 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. “It is filled with poetry about what it means to be human,” said Davis in a statement. “And we will think of him and everything he contributed to life as we perform his play eight shows a week.”—AP

Sorkin defends HBO drama ‘The Newsroom’

A

aron Sorkin is confronting critics of his HBO drama head on. The Oscar-winning writerproducer defended “The Newsroom” during a Wednesday gathering of the Television Critics Association and denied reports that he fired his entire writing staff. Sorkin said there were staff changes, but all the writers were not dismissed.

“They’re coming to work early. They’re being polite to me,” he joked. “I want the old gang back.”

Sorkin spent most of his 30 minutes in front of TV critics responding to those who lambasted the series starring Jeff Daniels as a cable news anchor for being inauthentic in its portrayal of women and the cable news industry. He said because the first season was written and filmed before it debuted in June, it was impossible to address any concerns. “I completely get why you do what you do,” Jeff Daniels told critics inside the International Ballroom at the Beverly Hills Hilton. “God bless you. You don’t do it for me, and you never have. It took me a long

time as an actor to stop reading you.”

Sorkin announced he was hiring consultants with real-world newsroom experience for the second season. “I think it can only add to the show,” he said. The series, which also stars Emily Mortimer, Alison Pill and Sam Waterston, is currently airing its first season. The premiere attracted a healthy 2.1 million viewers. HBO gave the green light to a second season of “The Newsroom” after just two episodes aired. Sorkin said the new season will debut next June, and the show’s ripped-from-theheadlines plots will be about “nine to 18 months behind” real-world happenings. “The Social Network” and “The West Wing” mastermind also teased that Sunday’s episode will be set during “the night we got (Osama) bin Laden.” — AP Actor Jeff Daniels (left) and creator and executive producer Aaron Sorkin appear onstage during HBO’s TCA panel for ‘The Newsroom’ at the Beverly Hilton hotel on Wednesday. —AP

Lifestyle FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Madonna airs 1944 Warsaw Uprising clip amid concert row

U

S pop star Madonna aired a World War II-era newsreel on the 1944 anti-Nazi Warsaw Uprising at the top of her Wednesday gig in the city marking the day 68 years ago when the bloody insurrection was launched.

Thousands of fans applauded the twoand-a-half minute long film which ran as the concert got underway with nearly an hour’s delay, the Polish PAP news agency reported.

Warsaw city hall requested the singer air the clip in the wake of an online petition against her concert by a group of young Catholics furious it would coincide with the Polish capital’s annual World War II commemoration of the doomed uprising against the city’s Nazi’s occupiers. As of Wednesday, the petition had gathered 54,000 supporters for the “Material Girl’s” concert to be called off out of respect for the estimated 200,000 people who died in the 63day uprising by Polish partisans.

Nazi German dictator Adolf Hitler ordered the deportation of the half-amillion residents who survived before his forces systematically bombarded the city leaving it as little more than a

smouldering heap of rubble. “August 1 is a day of remembrance in Poland. We pay our respects to those who survived and those who perished in the uprising.

We won’t allow the desecration of our hallowed symbols,” reads the Internet

petition launched by a group calling itself the Youth Crusade.

Warsaw ground to a halt Wednesday at 5 pm (1500 GMT) and sirens wailed as residents stood still to observe the annual minute’s silence across the capi-

Madonna

tal remembering the loss of life in the largest single rebellion against Nazi Germany during WWII. The Youth Crusade also slammed the 53-year-old Queen of Pop’s on-stage antics as “attacking the Catholic faith... offending Jesus Christ by burning crosses and wearing a crown of thorns”.

Warsaw Archbishop Henryk Hoser urged residents to pray against what he termed Madonna’s “blasphemous concert”. Poland remains one of Europe’s most devoutly Roman Catholic countries. Madonna’s ongoing “MDNA” world tour has been marked with her trademark brand of controversy. The pop diva outraged fans in France who had paid more than 250 euros (300 dollars) per ticket by quitting the stage in Paris after barely 45 minutes on July 26.

France’s far right National Front has taken legal action against her for screening a video showing its leader Marine Le Pen with a swastika on her forehead during an earlier concert in Paris. The video was also shown at a Tel Aviv gig in May kicking off the tour, covering about 30 countries and wrapping up in Australia in 2013. — AFP

HBO documentary will celebrate 50 years of The Rolling Stones

US

cable channel HBO will air a new documentary about The Rolling Stones this fall to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the British rock band. HBO programming president Michael Lombardo told journalists on Wednesday that the documentary, which has no title yet, was being directed by Brett Morgan.

“This is all done as part of the band’s 50th anniversary. This documentary has the full involvement of the four current band members, Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ron, as well as the former band members Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor. “We’ll follow the band from their early club days through their arrival as the greatest band in the world,” Lombardo said. The Rolling Stones were formed in London in 1962 and are one of the longest-performing rock bands in the world and have sold an estimated 200 million records worldwide. The documentary will be broadcast later this year, HBO said.—Reuters

Canadian singer Justin Bieber performs at the MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia, in Petaling Jaya, near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Saturday, July 14, 2012.— AP

Bieber spotlights his grown-up side in flashy new video

Tony Sly, No Use for a Name frontman, dead at 41

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ony Sly, guitarist and singer for the pop-punk band No Use for a Name, has died, his record label said Wednesday. He was 41. No cause of death was given. “It is with great sorrow that we must say goodbye to TonySly of No Use ForA Name,” the group’s label, Fat Wreck Chords, said on its web site. “We received a call earlier today of his passing, and are devastated. We have lost an incredible talent, friend, and father - one of the true greats.”

The label’s owner, NOFX

frontman “Fat Mike” Burkett, added, “One of my dearest friends and favorite song writers has gone way too soon.

Tony, you will be greatly missed.” Sly joined the San Jose, Calif.-based No Use for a Name in 1989. The group achieved minor mainstream success with the song “Soulmate,” from their 1995 album “Leche Con Carne.” Band members came and went, and Sly focused more on his solo acoustic career in later years, but the group had been working on a new studio album since 2010. Their last studio album, “Feel Good Record of the Year,” was released in 2008.—Reuters

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anadian pop star Justin Bieber has pulled out the Hollywood stops in his latest video for the single “As Long As You Love Me,” making a sort of mini-film showing his grown-up side. Bieber, 18, recruited gritty actor Michael Madsen, best known for his roles in “Pulp Fiction” and “Reservoir Dogs,” to play the disapproving father of Bieber’s love interest in the slick music video, which runs nearly six minutes.

In the video, which debuted online on Wednesday, Bieber plays a star-crossed lover. It features car chases, fights, raunchy dancers and steamy romance set against the Los Angeles skyline, all part of a plan to transition the singer from teeny bopper to adult artist. Bieber fans, known as ‘Beliebers,’ praised him on social media websites for showing his darker side and fighting for love. Kaylie @StrongForJustin tweeted, “The whole ALAYLM

video was amazing. It shows how if you really love someone, you would fight for them. There’s a lot of meaning.” Bieber rose to fame as a baby-faced pop star on YouTube, singing innocent love songs such as “Baby” and “One Less Lonely Girl.” In the past year, he has grown under the watchful eye of the public and is dating Disney actress and singer Selena Gomez. The new electro-pop “As Long As You Love Me”, not to be confused with the Backstreet Boys song with the same title, features rapper Big Sean and is the second single from his latest album “Believe.” Bieber unveiled his new image in the video for the first single from the album, “Boyfriend,” which saw him cavorting with dancers and driving fast cars. The video earned a nomination for best male video, and the winner will be announced at the MTV Video Music awards in September. — Reuters

FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Al-Madena Al-Shohada’a Al-Shuwaikh Al-Nuzha Sabhan Al-Helaly Al-Fayhaa Al-Farwaniya Al-Sulaibikhat Al-Fahaheel Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh Ahmadi Al-Mangaf Al-Shuaiba Al-Jahra Al-Salmiya

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Education FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

alfa-search

sudoku

solution

Can you find the hidden words? They may be horizontal or vertical.

AMAZON, COLORADO, CONGO, DANUBE, ELBE, EUPHRATES, GANGES, HUDSON, INDUS, LIMPOPO, LOIRE, MEKONG, MISSOURI, MUR-

alfa-cross

RAY, NILE, ORINOCO, RHINE, RIO GRANDE, SEINE, SHANNON, THAMES, TIBER, TIGRIS, VOLGA, YANGTZE, ZAMBEZI.

figure it Look at the clues below and fill all the numbers you can into the grid. Then start again and use your answers to help solve the other clues.

Across 2. Four times fifty-three 4. 2 down doubled 5. Forty-six plus 4 down 7. 14 down plus twenty-one 8. 4321 re-arranged 10. A quarter of 128 12. A fifth of 325 13. 8 across doubled 15. Half of 110 16. A quarter of seventy-two 17. A dozen 18. Half of 448 Down 1. A third of sixty-three 2. Four times five 3. Half of 5642 4. Six times seven 6. 14 + 21 + 48 7. Half of 1244 9. Five times 93 11. 2341 doubled 14. 1 down plus 2 down 15. Four times thirteen 17. Days in a fortnight 19. Hours in a day

There are no clue numbers in the grid. Use your powers of deduction to put the right words in the correct positions in the grid. All the I’s have already been filled in.

1. One of the two horizontal 7-letter words is a large flightless bird and the other is parts of a minute.

2. One of the two vertical 7-letter words is an ocean and the other is a lamp.

3. One of the 5-letter words is a large marine mammal and the other is a part of something.

4. The 4-letter words are highway; part of a dollar; nil; heavy metal.

5. The two 3-letter words on the left are cutting tool and something baked with pastry.

6. The two 3-letter words on the right are finish and rod used in pool or billiards.

Stars

FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Aries (March 21-April 19)

Taking care of business is a major theme where your emotional orientation is concerned now. You crave organization and practicality, and you want to get things accomplished. You aim to have a place for everything and everything in its place - and anything that gets in the way gets on your nerves. Sympathy and understanding are emotional qualities that take on greater importance for you now. It’s wisdom, not knowledge, that counts most at a time like this. Coming to grips with the past and resolving as many issues as possible if you make the effort.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

That all-consuming pastime of yours could take a backseat when someone reminds you that he or she has not been receiving nearly enough attention! Think about it: if the shoe was on the other foot, you wouldn’t be feeling too happy. An overdue apology may come your way from a friend or work associate.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Stop flying off the handle over unimportant issues, because one of the down-sides is that you won’t have any energy left for the important stuff. Something that has been playing on your mind for some time shows clear signs of resolving itself.

Talking about your feelings and the feelings of those close to you comes easily at the moment. Use this time to not only resolve any lingering misunderstandings, but to create a better understanding of the emotional bonds you share with those you love. Time spent strengthening your relationships now will guarantee many fulfilling moments in the future.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Someone’s inconsistent or indecisive actions will be impacting upon you and causing you to react in the same way. You must take charge of a situation, know your own mind and make decisions irrespective of other people’s agendas today. Friendships and love relationships are the energy for today, as you are openly affectionate, warm, and also quite responsive to loving gestures from others. It’s not enough for you to simply feel loving toward another right now, you really want to express it and show it physically. An opportunity for a new romance or friendship is likely to surface now and work out quite nicely for you.

Leo (July 23-August 22)

Other people have a way of getting your goat now, especially in close relationships (with family members, for example) and in your dealings with the public. Haste and impatience can cause strain; vitality levels may be a bit lower than usual.

Energy of similar minds and hearts gravitate toward you today and together you could make some very positive changes. Use this smooth energy to make big strides and conquer new ground so you’ll be in ever better position when the situation is less ideal.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

At the moment the keys to getting your way likely lie in your ability to strongly project your own personality in such a way that it overpowers others. This can make you the dominant, alpha player in your surrounds, but you may pay the price of resentment by others who feel pushed out of the way.

Libra (September 23-October 22) This is an excellent time to begin a new business enterprise or any new venture. You have the drive and courage to make your vision a reality. You feel great physically, and your confidence and optimism are high, so whatever you attempt now is likely to succeed. You want a break from your usual routine, and because you are willing to experiment and to be spontaneous, you are likely to experience a refreshing change of pace. A new romance or a revitalization of a current one is very likely. Unexpected pleasures, new friends, or a more playful, adventurous attitude in your relationships make this time period stimulating and delightful.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

Fairly significant meetings with other people can develop quite positively today as long as you have a clear agenda of what you want the outcomes to be. If you don’t take control however, you can spend a lot of time talking in circles with very few results.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Status and security goals need rethinking now, to take advantage of changing circumstances. Your career is a focus for this, but your home and family situation is also involved. Finances - purchases, investments, and credit in particular - could stand some clear thinking now. Your desire for love and affection, as well as beauty and pleasure, are strong now and you can act on feelings and creative impulses more easily than usual. If you are not happy with some aspect of your personal life, these issues arise at this time and there may be disagreements or tension in a close relationship. You can easily discuss your personal needs and desires, but only if you make the effort.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

A period of intellectual creativity has dawned in your life; expressing yourself with a flair comes to mean more to you.

Beating the odds through cleverness is appealing, and this may lead to an interest in all kinds of financial speculation. You are sharp, clear, decisive, and articulate today. This is a good time to assert your own needs and desires, to communicate to others what you really want. They’ll never know what how you truly feel if you don’t speak up.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) What is said and what is felt may not at all be the same today, so watch out for inner contradictions coming from those around you. Be careful what you sign today as intentions and reality may not be on the same page. It’s a better time for trying to conclude things than for starting new ones. Conversations have a particularly emotional, intimate, or nostalgic tone. Sharing memories and reminiscences, or discussing a very personal topic is likely now. You may have a significant communication (email, phone call, or personal discussion with someone who was once very important to you or with whom you have a long history. This is a good time to reflect, review, and get a perspective on emotional matters or things of the past.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) Your sense of happiness has been associated with someone or something through the force of habit. You’ll be absolutely surprised when you find that you can actually live quite comfortably without that thing or person in your life. This is a cycle of renewed selfrespect. You are likely to be far more critical of those close to you than you should be. Life’s pace may be a bit too slow for you at this time, which frustrates you so much that you may vent your frustrations on your loved ones. To maintain some semblance of harmony, keep your mind as busy as possible. Should you feel yourself hitting a boiling point, burn it off through exercise or try to lose yourself in a book or movie.

COUNTRY CODES 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 Republic 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 Somalia 00252 South Africa 0027 South Korea 0082 Spain 0034 Sri Lanka 0094 Sudan 00249 Suriname 00597 Swaziland 00268 Sweden 0046 Switzerland 0041 Syria 00963 Taiwan 00886 Tanzania 00255 Thailand 0066 Toga 00228 Tonga 00676 Tokelau 00690 Trinidad 001868 Tunisia 00216 Turkey 0090 Tuvalu 00688 Uganda 00256 Ukraine 00380 United Arab Emirates00976

Stars

C R O S S W O R D

7 5 6

FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Word Sleuth Solution

Yesterday始s Solution

ACROSS 1. An ugly evil-looking old woman.

4. Antineoplastic drug (trade name Elspar) sometimes used to treat lymphoblastic leukemia.

10. The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural).

13. To make a mistake or be incorrect.

14. Marine fishes with a flattened elongated body and a sucking disk on the head for attaching to large fish or moving objects.

15. The longer of the two telegraphic signals used in Morse code.

16. (informal) Of the highest quality.

17. United States space station.

18. 100 pyas equal 1 kyat.

19. A person to whom money is paid.

21. The capital and largest city of Poland.

25. A woman hired to suckle a child of someone else.

28. A branch of the Tai languages.

29. A South American shrub whose leaves are chewed by natives of the Andes.

33. West Indian tree having racemes of fragrant white flowers and yielding a durable timber and resinous juice.

34. A string of more than 3,000 islands east of Asia extending 1,300 miles between the Sea of Japan and the western Pacific Ocean.

35. A unit of length (in United States and Britain) equal to one twelfth of a foot.

36. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

38. Having nine hinged bands of bony plates.

39. A nucleic acid consisting of large molecules shaped like a double helix.

40. Someone who is morally reprehensible.

44. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

45. A nonmetallic largely pentavalent heavy volatile corrosive dark brown liquid element belonging to the halogens.

49. A building where prostitutes are available.

55. A particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography).

56. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

59. An aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect.

60. Slanting diagonally across the grain of a fabric.

61. An administrator in charge of a division of a university or college.

62. A Kwa language spoken in Ghana and the Ivory Coast.

63. A member of an extinct North American Indian people who lived in the Pit river valley in northern California.

64. Any of a number of fishes of the family Carangidae.

65. A small cake leavened with yeast.

DOWN 1. A collection of objects laid on top of each other.

2. Type genus of the family Arcidae.

3. An achromatic color of any lightness between the extremes of black and white.

4. Any of several related languages of the Celts in Ireland and Scotland.

5. The basic unit of money in Albania.

6. A port city in western Turkey.

7. A person active in party politics.

8. A member of a widespread group of Amerindians living in northeastern South America.

9. The capital of Morocco.

10. A system of one or more computers and associated software with common storage.

11. Common Indian weaverbird.

12. A wad of something chewable as tobacco.

20. An ancient Hebrew unit of dry measure equal to about a bushel.

22. A summary that repeats the substance of a longer discussion.

23. (Old Testament) The second patriarch.

24. A state in the western United States.

26. United States educator who introduced reforms that significantly altered the system of public education (1796-1859).

27. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely the razorbill.

30. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the sale of petroleum.

31. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits.

32. (Irish) Mother of the ancient Irish gods.

37. A light touch or stroke.

41. The compass point that is one point east (clockwise) of due north.

42. Squash bugs.

43. A heavy brittle diamagnetic trivalent metallic element (resembles arsenic and antimony chemically).

46. The seventh month of the Moslem calendar.

47. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

48. A particular environment or walk of life.

50. An elaborate song for solo voice.

51. Wild or seedling sweet cherry used as stock for grafting.

52. The probability of a specified outcome.

53. The (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb.

54. African tree with edible yellow fruit resembling mangos.

57. A former agency (from 1946 to 1974) that was responsible for research into atomic energy and its peacetime uses in the United States.

58. The cry made by sheep.

59. A state in northwestern North America.

Yesterday始s Solution

Sports FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Chinese investors buy into Inter Milan club MoD in the lead as Figo arrives

MILAN: A group of Chinese investors will pay Ä55 million ($67 million) for a 15 percent stake in Inter Milan, becoming the second-biggest shareholder of the Italian premier league football club, sources close to the situation said. The deal will give the 104-year-old club a new stadium to be built by China Railway Construction Corp, the main partner in the first such investment from mainland China in a major foreign sports team. Asian sports marketing company QLS will take a token stake, one of the sources said. “F C Internazionale welcomes the new shareholders,” Inter said in a statement, without identifying the Chinese investors.

Inter Milan did not give any financial details of the deal. China Railway will build the new stadium by 2017, Inter said. One of the sources familiar with the situation said the deal envisages more Asian investors eventually taking stakes in Inter Milan, even though the Moratti family will retain majority control. “The main aim is to

build a new stadium, that’s what the agreement with China Railway is really about,” Massimo Moratti, chairman and owner of Inter, said.

Chinese investors, encouraged by the government, have been actively pursuing overseas assets in recent years. Some high-profile purchases have included the takeover of cereal maker Weetabix by China Bright Food and an agreement by Dalian Wanda Group to buy the US movie chain AMC Theatres, both in May. Inter Milan and arch-rivals AC Milan, owned by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, use the existing San Siro Stadium, which is owned by the city of Milan and has a 80,065 capacity. A spokeswoman for Milan city council said there was no decision yet on where the new Inter Milan stadium could be built. Any decision would need to go through Italy’s lengthy authorisation process. Rival Italian club Juventus recently built their 41,000seater stadium in Turin.

China Railway Construction has actively pursued overseas investment this year, signing two projects in Africa with a total contract value of 9.1 billion yuan ($1.4 billion). In November last year, a consortium involving the Shanghai-listed company announced a deal to develop an iron ore mine in Guinea. Investors from the Chinese mainland have been pursuing stakes in foreign sports teams, but with little success previously. The Los Angeles Times reported last year that the Dodgers had received a $1.2 billion offer to buy the city’s troubled Major League Baseball team, funded, in part, by Chinese investors.

Chinese investors launched an attempt to buy the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team in 2009, Thomson Reuters data showed, and in 2010, news reports said investors from China bid for the Liverpool football club. In 2009, Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung bought English football club Birmingham City. — Reuters

KUWAIT: Late Abdullah Musharie Al-Roudhan tournament for indoors football receives today the legendary Portuguese player Luis Figo, best player in the world 2001 and the tournament ambassador in its 33rd edition. Figo will make his first appearance after being chosen as an ambassador of the tournament after signing a historical agreement with Khalid Al-Roudhan, chairman of the organizing committee which was attended by Kuwait’s ambassador to Spain Adel Ayyar.

Another guest to the tournament today is the legendary Gulf footballer Jassem Yacoub.

Figo will be warmly welcomed by the organizing committee and the fans of Al-Roudhan tournament.

The 13th day competition witnessed an important victory for the Ministry of Defence against Al-Ghazal group 4-0, while Kuwaiti Investment came to a draw with Al-Oula for fuel with one goal for each of them 11, and Martyr Fahd Al-Ahmad defeated Deewania Mohsen Al-Shimmary with 5-2. With those results, MoD hopes to qualify and raised their lead to 3 points while Al-Ghazal group has left the competition early after losing twice.

ARLINGTON, Texas: Los Angeles Angels’ Kendrys Morales (8) is tagged out at home plate by Texas Rangers catcher Mike Napoli while trying to score on a single by Maicer Izturis during the ninth inning of a baseball game Wednesday. Texas Rangers won the game 11-10 . — AP

Rangers stage thrilling comeback to beat Angels ARLINGTON, Texas: Elvis Andrus hit a walk-off two-run single to give the Texas Rangers a thrilling 11-10 comeback victory over the Los Angeles Angels in 10 innings Wednesday. The Rangers first climbed out of an early 6-0 hole, tying it 7-7 in the ninth, before delivering one last flurry in extra innings where they fell behind 10-7 in the top of the 10th. Nelson Cruz led off rally with a solo homer and Texas cut the deficit to one run as Andrus came to the plate and provided the heroics with two outs and the bases loaded. “Our mentality was to win no matter what,” Andrus told reporters after finishing

with four hits and three RBIs. “It was a great game for us.”

The victory helped the first-place Rangers (60-43) move four games in front of the hard-charging Angels (5748) in the American League West. Los Angeles had won the first two games of the four-game series and were on the verge of inching closer in the division race. Albert Pujols shone even in defeat, smashing two home runs for the second straight game including his tworun shot that put the visitors up three in the 10th.

The bullpen for the Angels could not come through. Ernesto Frieri took the

blown save and was charged with four runs in one inning pitched, while Jason Isringhausen surrendered the winning hit. “There are a lot of things that happened on the defensive side and pitching end that we just didn’t get it done,” said Angels manager Mike Scioscia.

“Give those guys credit.” Texas starter Yu Darvish (11-7) continued his own struggles, allowing seven runs and six walks. However, the home offense bailed him out with 17 hits. David Murphy and Mike Napoli had three apiece while Ian Kinsler went 3-for-6 with a solo blast in the ninth to force extra innings. — Reuters

FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

WINDSOR: US rowers, including coxswain Mary Whipple (center), Caryn Davies, Caroline Lind, Eleanor Logan, Meghan Musnicki, Taylor Ritzel, Esther Lofgren, Zsuzsanna Francia, and Erin Cafaro celebrate on the podium after winning the gold medal for the women’s rowing eight in Eton Dorney yesterday. — AP

South Africa claim first rowing gold LONDON: South Africa stunned favourites Great Britain and Denmark to claim their first ever Olympic rowing gold medal in the lightweight men’s four yesterday in front of a 25,000 crowd.

All eyes were on the host nation to follow up Wednesday’s gold in the women’s pairs, and Denmark, champions at the Beijing Games four years ago. But the South Africa four -James Thompson, Matthew Brittain, John Smith and Sizwe Ndlovu - gate-crashed their party in gripping fashion. The 29-year-old Ndlovu, who took up the sport at school in 1997, told AFP of the enormity of winning South Africa’s first Olympic rowing title.

“Rowing is big in schools but otherwise financially it’s an expensive sport,” he said. “So this gold will be good for South Africa’s rowing community and help give it a better image.”

The only black member of the triumphant crew, whose parents have both

WINDSOR: New Zealand’s Joseph Sullivan (right) and Nathan Cohen display the gold medal they won in the men’s rowing double sculls in Eton Dorney yesterday. — AP

passed away, added: “This is so exciting, amazing... I took rowing up at school in 1997, and now I’m standing here. My brothers and sisters are supporting me back home.”

Seemingly out of contention in the first 1500 m, South Africa exploded in the closing quarter to overhaul the Danes and then Britain to rewrite their country’s and the Games’ rowing history. Denmark took control from the start, with Britain, featuring Northern Ireland brothers Richard and Peter Chambers, looking dangerous in lane three. The British four started to press Denmark, for whom Eskildi Ebbesen was seeking a fourth Olympic title.

But the big guns had no answer to South African’s finishing surge, the winning crew falling over themselves in jubilation after crossing the line in front of a capacity crowd at Eton Dorney. “We stuck to our game plan,” reflected Ndlovu. “We knew Denmark would start strongly, and we had one call - to go for it in the last 500 metres. It worked.” World champions Australia came in fourth. “That was brutal, we were fighting, fighting, fighting,” said Richard Chambers. His teammate, Chris Bartley, provided a graphic description of the agony of rowing at this exalted level when the body has cried enough. “I don’t remember much about the last 250m, you literally do anything to get gold. The pain is extreme, I was sick quite a few times after the line, I’m still not feeling tip top.”

Teammate Rob Williams added: “It’s a tough event, we wanted to win gold, so silver’s not fantastic, but it is a medal at our home Olympics...”

On the home crowd’s support Richard Chambers added: “It’s amazing, they were

WINDSOR, England: South Africa’s Sizwe Ndlovu, John Smith, Mathew Brittain and James Thompson kiss the gold medals they won for the lightweight menís rowing four in Eton Dorney at the 2012 Summer Olympics yesterday. — AP

cheering on four midgets in a boat, what have we done to deserve that? “But we’ve shown here it’s not only 6ft 6in guys who can win Olympic medals.”

In other finals action, the all-conquering United States team, unbeaten in the past four years, added women’s eight gold to their Beijing and world championship titles. The USA comfortably held off Canada in silver with the Netherlands filling the bronze position. Winning cox Mary Whipple beamed: “There’s no place I would rather be, I’m so proud, I’m satisfied. I’m nothing without my teammates, they’re my heroes, I love them so much.”

She added: When we crossed, it was game

over. I felt so much power. And when we took our stride, we were a little high, but it was beautiful. I just told them to breathe, to enjoy the moment, to feel each stroke.

We got into our rhythm, and it was just a crushing rhythm, it was relentless. It was exactly what we planned to do, what we had practised, what we have visualised.

An Olympic gold medal, it never gets old.”

New Zealand world champions Nathan Cohen and Joseph Sullivan won gold in the men’s double sculls. The Kiwi pair overhauled Italy’s Alessio Sartori and Romano Battisti late on, with long time leaders Luka Spik and Iztok Cop of Slovenia taking bronze. — AFP

London 2012 Olympic Games

FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Montenegro, Serbia draw in water polo LONDON: Montenegro scored twice in the final two minutes and Milos Scepanovic made a late power play save to preserve an 11-11 draw yesterday with rival Serbia in a bruising match at the London Olympics. Trailing 11-9 late in the fourth quarter, Aleksandar Ivovic scored his third goal of the game before Mladan Janovic slotted the equalizer in the upper left corner with 51 seconds to go.

Scepanovic then denied Serbia’s Andrija Prlainovic from close-range in the closing seconds. ‘It was very difficult, physical game,î Montenegro captain Nikola Janovic said. ìI think we didn’t begin the match well, made a lot of mistakes, but after that we play our game and at the end I think we had a chance for a win. But this result is OK.’ With the draw, Serbia remains atop Group B with five points from three matches.

Montenegro is in third with three points, but has its two weakest opponents to come Romania and Britain. Montenegro was playing catch-up the whole game after falling behind in the first quarter on a goal from Serbia’s Prlainovic - the first of his five on the afternoon.

But in a game that included as many shots to the face and elbows to the throat as it did goals, the Montenegro players managed to get back into the contest with sharp shooting from Aleksandar Ivovic and Mladan Janovic.

Five players in the pool yesterday - three from Montenegro and two from Serbia - won silver as teammates for Serbia and Montenegro at the 2004 Olympics, two years before the

LONDON: Montenegro’s Drasko Brguljan (second right) tries to score past Serbia’s goalkeeper Slobodan Soro (center back) during their London 2012 Olympic Games men’s water polo preliminary match yesterday. — AFP countries separated. That shared history makes ‘Every game against Montenegro is very stressful and very emotional,’ said Serbiaís Filip Filipovic. ‘We were until yesterday, if I can say, in the same room and now we have to compete for who is going to be better and there is a very big rivalry between us.’

Earlier yesterday, Spain earned an easy 13-9 win over Australia behind goals from 10 different players. In a balanced offensive display, every outfield player except Balazs Sziranyi Somogyi scored for Spain, which is looking for its first Olympic medal in menís water polo since winning gold in 1996. Filipe Perrone

Rocha, Albert Espanol Lifante and David Martin Lozano led the way with two goals apiece for the Spanish in the Group A match, while Billy Miller scored five times for Australia. ìWe are really happy because we think that more than the result, the feeling is that the team is playing together,’ said Perrone Rocha, who has nine goals in three matches.

Spain’s win comes after a disputed 8-7 loss on Tuesday to Croatia, in which the officials didnít recognize a last-gasp Spanish shot that appeared to cross the line to level the game at the buzzer. Spain lodged an appeal to FINA, which the sportís governing body rejected.

Spain has four points from three Group A matches, positioning it well for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Australia finds itself in trouble, with just two points from three games. Greece also improved its chances of reaching the knockout stage with its easy 11-4 win over Kazakhstan behind five goals from Ioannis Fountoulis. The Greeks were never threatened in the match, holding their opponents scoreless for a 14minute stretch to build a 7-1 lead halfway through the third quarter.

Greece has three points from three Group A games, with Spain and Australia still to come in the preliminary stage. Kazakhstan is winless and at the bottom of the group. Yesterday’s last Group A game pitted group leader Croatia against reigning world champion Italy. In Group B, the United States looks to extend its perfect record in London when it takes on Britain, and defending champion Hungary aims for its first win of the games against Romania. — AP

France, Australia win to boost playoff bids LONDON: France took a major step toward reaching the medal playoffs in the Olympic men’s basketball tournament by beating Lithuania 82-74 yesterday and Australia boosted playoff hopes by ripping China 81-61. NBA star guard Tony Parker scored 27 points to lead France, which improved to 2-1 in preliminary Group A, trailing only the US NBA stars and with only winless Tunisia and last-qualifier Nigeria to play. “It was really important to win,” French NBA standout Boris Diaw said.

“We are chasing a quarter-final place and we want to be as high up the table as possible. “We were feeling confident after winning against Argentina, but the pressure was on us. That’s what we needed, a couple of wins.”

Lithuania sunk to 1-2 and must face the Americans next. “We’ve got to prepare for that game like we do for every game,” Lithuania’s Martynas Pocius said. “It’s going to be a very tough game. We’ve got to try.”

Even if they advance, the Lithuanians are looking at facing a top seed, likely Spain, in the quarter-finals. “We’re not quitting,” Lithuanian coach Kestutis Kemzura said.

“We want to use even the smallest chance.”

Australia knows the feeling. Barring an upset of Russia on Monday, they are fighting for the last playoff spot in Group B and a likely quarter-final date with the US NBA superstars. But by beating China, the Aussie

Boomers put themselves in position to secure a playoff spot with a victory over Britain tomorrow. “It meant a lot to win,” Aussie David Andersen said. “If we hadn’t it would have been hard to make it to the next round. We show character when our backs are against the wall. We worked as a team.”

NBA guard Patrick Mills scored 20 points for Australia while Andersen added 17 points and seven rebounds and Joe Ingles had 13 points and seven rebounds. “That was a must-win for us,” Aussie captain Matt Nielsen said. “These are the ones we have to get.” Wang Shipeng led winless China with 21 points and Yi Jianlian, who suffered a knee injury late in the game, added 13 in a losing cause. China now need help to have any hope of advancement. “I’m very disappointed,” Wang said. “We just want to fight for every single match. The morale of the team is just not to give up.”

Lithuania is at risk of missing out after a run of five consecutive Olympic bronze medal game appearances on the 20th anniversary of a bronze that was a big step for a basketball-loving land. “It was a huge achievement,” Kemzura said. “One side is good, it’s culture, pushing you forward. On the other hand it’s pressure, big responsibility. Now we are trying to show the best basketball we can. It’s a big thing.” Parker’s 3-pointer at the end of the third period gave France a 59-52 lead and the French began the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run

LONDON: Tunisia’s Salah Mejri (center) shoots over Argentina’s Luis Scola during the men’s basketball game at the 2012 Summer Olympics yesterday. — AP

to seize command, speed and passing helping to spread the scoring among four players.

“Tony Parker took over in the second half,” Kemzura said. “It’s hard to press Tony Parker. We were desperate. We were trying to take risks.” Nicolas Batum added 21 points and six rebounds as well as some

emphatic blocked shots while NBA standout Boris Diaw added 10 points for France.

“We’ve won two matches but we still need to work to get a good position in the quarterfinals,” Batum said. Linas Kleiza of the NBA Toronto Raptors led Lithuania with 17 points while Martynas Pocius contributed 15. — AFP

London 2012 Olympic Games

FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Zhang wins men’s table tennis gold LONDON: China’s Zhang Jike won the Olympic men’s singles tabl e tennis gold medal after defeating compatriot Wang Hao 4-1 in the final here yesterday.

Victory saw 24-year-old top seed Zhang become the first male player in history to win successive World Championship and

LONDON: Zhang Jike of China carries China’s flag after winning the gold medal match against Wang Hao of China during the men’s singles table tennis at the 2012 Summer Olympics yesterday. — AP

Olympic titles. Zhang stormed into a 3-0 lead before number two seed Wang, singles silver medallist at both the 2004 and 2008 Games, hit back in his quest for an elusive singles gold medal.

But Zhang held his nerve for an 18-16, 11-5, 11-6, 10-12, 13-11 win over the 27-year-old Wang, the 2009 world champion, in a final which was yet more evidence of China’s position as table tennis’s pre-eminent nation. An elated Zhang celebrated his victory by leaping out of the court and running to the empty podium, kissing the top step on which he would soon be standing to receive his gold medal. His latest success gave Zhang a ‘grand slam’ as he added Olympic gold to the World Cup and World Championship titles he won in Paris and Rotterdam respectively last year.

Zhang’s was the 22nd gold medal China have won in table tennis since it was introduced as an Olympic sport at the 1988 Games in Seoul.

Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov took bronze after a 4-2 win over Chuang Chih-Yuan of Chinese Taipei. Zhang’s victory gave China their second table tennis gold of the Games after Li Xiaoxia defeated Ding Ning in another all-Chinese clash in the women’s singles final. — AFP

Ki wins second archery gold, US ‘film’ star out LONDON: South Korea’s Ki BoBae added the Olympic Games women’s individual archery gold to her team title victory but America’s Khatuna Lorig, who trained archers on hit movie “The Hunger Games”, missed out. Ki defeated Mexico’s Aida Roman in the final at Lord’s yesterday. Another Mexican, Mariana Avitia, claimed bronze defeating Lorig of the United States, who was taking part in her fifth successive Olympics

under a third different national flag.

In Barcelona in 1992, she was a member of the Unified Team formed after the break-up of the former Soviet Union, before representing Georgia in Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney four years later. Four years ago in Beijing, she was already an American citizen. Lorig trained actress Jennifer Lawrence on how to fire a bow for her “Hunger Games” star turn. Ki’s win meant South Korea took back the title they had lost to China in 2008. — AFP

LONDON: Gold medalist South Koreaís Ki Bo Bae (center), silver medalist Mexicoís Aida Roman (L) and her compatriot bronze medalist Mariana Avitia pose during medal ceremony of womenís archery individual event at Lordís Cricket Ground yesterday during the London 2012 Olympic Games. — AFP

LONDON: Russiaís Tagir Khaibulaev is congratulated by Russian President Vladimir Putin after he won the menís -100kg judo contest final match of the London 2012 Olympic Games yeterday at the ExCel arena. — AFP

Khaibulaev delights Putin with judo gold LONDON: Russia’s Tagir Khaibulaev delighted his president and judo black-belt Vladimir Putin Thursday as he beat Mongolian defending champion Tuvshinbayar Naidan to win the Olympic under-100kg title.

Putin, seated among the crowd, raised his arms in celebration and was among the first to congratulate Khaibulaev after he claimed Russia’s third judo gold with an unstoppable seoi-nage (shoulder throw). Dutchman Henk Grol and German Dimitri Peters won the two bronze medals, beating Uzbek Ramziddin Sayidov and Hwang Hee-Tae of South Korea respectively.

Khaibulaev added the Olympic crown to the world title he won last year, becoming only the second reigning world champion to add Olympic gold in this competition. He also became the second fighter from Dagestan to win a judo gold at this Games following Mansou Isaev in the under-

73kg category three days ago. After coming off the mat, Khaibulaev was joined by Putin and his fellow Russian medallists Isaev, Arsen Galstyan (-60kg gold) and Ivan Nifontov (-90kg bronze) for hugs and photos. Russia’s third gold means only four teams - South Korea, Japan, France and Brazil could finish above them in the final medals table, by winning both heavyweight categories on Friday.

Khaibulaev began his day by pinning Belgium’s Elco van der Geest and Czech Lukas Krpalek, either side of an ippon win over Yauhen Biadulin of Belarus. His biggest threat came from Krpalek, who was leading their fight with a minute left by a yuko and in a ground battle was trying to roll his opponent into position for an arm-lock. Yet he made a mistake and Khaibulaev, who until then was merely defending, seized his opportunity to turn things around, managing to roll the Czech onto his back and pin him for ippon.—AFP

Harrison wins first judo gold for US LONDON: Kayla Harrison made history by winning the first ever Olympic gold medal in judo for the United States as she claimed the women’s under-78kg title here yesterday. The 2010 world champion beat shock finalist Gemma Gibbons of Great Britain by a pair of minimum yuko scores.

Harrison, who had been a victim of sexual assault by her coach when a teenager and once considered suicide, was just a little too good for Gibbons. Having overcome personal heartache she has become one of the best fighters in the world and she lined up here as the fourth seed.

Yet the 22-year-old needed a bit of luck even to get to the final. She armlocked Russia’s Vera Moskalyuk in her first fight but was in serious trouble against Abigel Joo of Hungary. Leading by a half-point waza-ari, Joo injured her leg with a little over a minute remaining and was left powerless to stop Harrison throwing her for the maximum ippon. She armlocked world number one Mayra Aguilar of Brazil 14 seconds from the end of her semi-final and then broke home hearts in the final. Gibbons, 25, has also had her fair share of heartache, losing her mother to leukemia in 2004.

For the Briton it was a remarkable achievement just reaching the final as she was only fighting in this weight division having missed out to compatriot Sally Conway for the hosts’ under-70kg place. Had it not been for London hosting the Games, the world number 42 would not even have been here, yet she came within a pair of yuko scores of becoming the first ever

LONDON: United States’ Kayla Harrison reacts after winning the women’s -78kg judo contest final match of the London 2012 Olympic Games yesterday at the ExCel arena. — AFP Briton to win Olympic judo gold. She also had to bounce back from shoulder surgery earlier this year. But throughout the day she was in inspired form, showing a willingness and determination to attack that bordered on the reckless.

She threw Portugal’s Yahima Ramirez with a delightful uchi-mata (inner thigh throw) for ippon in her first round and then left it late in her next two fights. She scored a winning yuko against Mongolia’s Lkhamdegd Purevjargal with just one second left on the clock and then scored a waza-ari to beat former world champion Marhinde Verkerk of the Netherlands with an ouchi-gari (major inner reap) with just 12 seconds left. In the semi-final she faced the current world champion Audrey Tcheumeo of France.

After five punishing minutes the bout was scoreless so it moved into an extra three-minute sudden death period of golden score.—AFP

London 2012 Olympic Games

FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Heartbreak for Deehani as Wilson wins gold

LONDON: Gold medalists Britain’s Tim Baillie (left) and Etienne Stott pose on the podium after the Canoe Double Men’s Slalom Final at the Lee Valley White Water Centre yesterday. — AFP

Britain win gold in canoe double WALTHAM CROSS, England: British crew Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott powered to gold in a thrilling Olympic canoe slalom double final at the Lee Valley White Water Centre yesterday.

The slowest of the six qualifiers from the semifinal, the British duo were the first down the surging rapids in the final but surged through the 23 gates in a time of 106.41 seconds - a mark that was to prove unbeatable. Britain’s first gold in Olympic canoe slalom was already in the bag when the other home duo, David Florence and Richard Hounslow, set off on the last run of the final.

With 12,000 people going wild in the stands, Florence and Hounslow, who had both failed to make their individual finals, seemed set to beat their compatriots but crossed the line 0.36 seconds slower. Slovakian three-times Olympic champions Pavol and Peter Hochschorner suffered a two-second penalty on their final run but still collected bronze. “We lost it on the final paddle to the line to be honest,” Hounslow told reporters. “But at least we get to stand on the podium and hear the British national anthem.” — Reuters

LONDON: World record holder Peter Wilson grabbed Great Britain’s first Olympic shooting medal for 12 years yesterday, winning gold in the men’s double trap at the Royal Artillery Barracks. In a see-saw contest Sweden’s Hakan Dahlby took silver and Russia’s Vasily Mosin won bronze after a shootoff against Fehaid Al-Deehani of Kuwait.

The towering Wilson only took up shooting in 2006 after damaging his shoulder in a snowboarding accident, and is trained by Sheikh Ahmed AlMaktoum, a member of Dubai’s royal family and gold medallist at the 2004 Athens Games. The 25-year-old qualified in first place for the final with 143 hits out of 150.

In the final, involving a further 50 targets, Mosin put huge pressure on Wilson but the red-capped Briton, standing six feet six inches (1.98m) tall, held his nerve to hit 45 targets and claim gold. Wilson admitted he was under intense pressure as his lead dropped to just one. “Of course you’re trying not to focus on it too hard but you’re just going through my technique,” he said. “I spoke in depth with my coach, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Maktoum. We made a plan. I felt I tried to execute it as well as I could.

Of course, things are slightly out of your control when you’re actually in that environment. I did know that everything got quite close during the middle and then I got a bit further ahead towards the end. But dropping a complete pair wasn’t exactly in the plan. I think every-

LONDON: Great Britain’s Peter Robert Russell Wilson (center) celebrates on the podium after winning the men’s shooting double trap final next to silver medalist Sweden’s Hakan Dahlby (left) and bronze medalist Russina Vasily Mosin at the Royal Artillery Barracks in London yesterday. — AFP one got a little bit more nervous certainly, so did I.” After a bright and breezy morning at the Royal Artillery Barracks the rain hammered down but the sun returned for the final, in which every shot by Wilson was cheered by the packed stand, including the watching Princess Anne.

Wilson is the first medallist in shooting for Britain since Sydney in 2000 when Richard Faulds, who failed to make the final yesterday, won gold in the same event. Britain also won a silver that year in men’s trap.

In double trap, two targets are released simultaneously from trap machines, travelling at different heights and angles. A round consists of 25 doubles. The shooters fire one shot at each target. After the qualification round the top six competitors advance to the finals. Medals are awarded based on the sum of scores from the qualification and the finals. After six days of shooting competition China, the United States and South Korea lead the way on two golds apiece. China have won the most medals overall. —AFP

British women lose, Americans hang on

LONDON: Gold medalist France’s Emilie Fer reacts after competing in the Kayak Single Women’s Slalom final at the Lee Valley White Water Centre yesterday. — AFP

Fer wins kayak single for France WALTHAM CROSS, England: Emilie Fer completed a superb couple of days for French paddlers at the Olympics when she won gold in the women’s kayak single final at the Lee Valley White Water yesterday. Two days after Tony Estanguet claimed gold in the men’s canoe slalom single final, his third Olympic gold, Fer produced a perfect run down the rapids to set a winning time of 105.90.

Australian teeenager Jessica Fox took a sensational silver medal, 0.36 seconds slower, bettering the bronze that her mother Myriam claimed at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. Spain’s Maialen Chourraut finished with the bronze medal. World number one Jana Dukatova finished off the podium, meaning paddling powerhouse Slovakia failed to win a canoe slalom gold medal at the Games after claiming three of the four titles up for grabs in Beijing. — Reuters

LONDON: British women’s beach volleyball players Shauna Mullin and Zara Dampney lost the last of their pool matches yesterday after wasting three set points against a Russian team, a bitter blow for the pair who were cheered on by 15,000 boisterous home fans. They were followed on the court at Horse Guards Parade, the spectacular Olympic venue a stone’s throw from Big Ben, by Americans April Ross and Jennifer Kessy who defeated Liliana Fernandez and Elsa Baquerizo of Spain in a three-set thriller.

Earlier, men’s favourites Emanuel Rego and Alison Cerutti of Brazil breezed through a clash against Italians Paolo Nicolai and Daniele Lupo to come top of their group after three wins.

Mullin and Dampney, who won their first pool match and lost the next two, still have a chance to go through to the knock-out phase, which starts today. For that, they need to win a “lucky loser” match later against another third-placed team. The Britons were ahead for much of the first set against Evgenia Ukolova and Ekaterina Khomyakova, earning three set points that they were unable to convert. In beach volleyball, the first two sets are played to 21 points and the third to 15, but a two-point advantage is required to win.

The first set of the British-Russian

LONDON: Germany’s Jonathan Erdmann (right) receives as Kay Matysik looks on during a beach volleyball match against Venezuela at the 2012 Summer Olympics yesterday. — AP The normally cheerful and chatty match went to 25-23 and despite vociferous support from a sea of spectators who Dampney, who gained a fervent followcheered, stamped their feet and danced ing among young British men by posing the conga to encourage them, Mullin in the nude for GQ magazine before the and Dampney lost the second by 21-13. Games, was visibly upset. “We’ll relax, “That was a match we wanted to win to we’ll obviously be talking to our coaches, get into the top 16 and not have to play we’ll eat, we’ll stretch, we’ll just make this evening so we could recover, so now sure we’re in the best frame of mind to we have to go back, lots of hard work to go out fighting again tonight,” she said. do before the match tonight,” Mullin told Beach volleyball is not played by many people in rainy Britain. —Reuters reporters.

London 2012 Olympic Games

FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

Nehwal makes history Chinese badminton star quits

LONDON: Saina Nehwal became the first Indian badminton player to reach the semi-finals of an Olympic Games with a performance outstanding enough to suggest she is capable of going on to win a medal. The fourth-seeded Commonwealth champion from Hyderabad did that by overcoming Tine Baun, the former world number one from Denmark by 21-15, 22-20 in an excellent contest which ended on a controversial point. Nehwal was 17-20 down against a dangerously attack-minded opponent but played an

LONDON: Saina Nehwal of India celebrates her victory over Tine Baun of Denmark during a quarterfinal women’s singles badminton match at the London 2012 Olympic games yesterday. — AFP

impeccably accurate last five points to swing the match dramatically in her favour.

She now plays Wang Yihan, the top-seeded world number one from China who won the world title in this same Wembley arena a year ago, and who will be favourite to reach the final again. A Chinese player is certain to reach the final in the other half, with Wang Xin, the former world number one, and Li Xuerui, the third-seeded AllEngland Open champion, coming through to play each other. Wang had to work hard to overcome Ratchanok Itchanon, the ninth-seeded Thai player, by 17-21, 21-18, 21-14, while Li came from 16-21 down in the second game to win 21-12, 22-20 against Yip Pui Yin, an unseeded Hong Kong player. Meanwhile, a top Chinese badminton star quit the sport yesterday as an Olympic match-throwing scandal met with dismay and criticism in China, Indonesia and South Korea, from where eight players were disqualified. The Badminton World Federation’s move to eject a Chinese, an Indonesian and two South Korean duos for failing to play their best, marked the first major scandal of the Games and prompted China’s Yu Yang to retire from the sport.

China roundly criticised the incident and, alone among the three countries, declined to appeal the decision to disqualify the athletes. Its sports delegation urged Yu, her partner Wang Xiaoli and head badminton coach Li Yongbo to publicly apologise. Shortly after her public apology, Yu announced on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like microblog, that she planned to quit the sport.

“This is my last time competing. Goodbye Badminton World Federation, goodbye my beloved badminton,” she posted. “After working hard and dealing with injuries to prepare, (you) say we’re disqualified and we’re disqualified. You have heartlessly shattered our dreams.” —AFP

Phelps through to another semi LONDON: Michael Phelps, his powers seemingly diminishing by the day, provided a reminder of his incredible feats from Beijing when he beat his old rival Milorad Cavic at the London Olympics yesterday. It was only a morning heat but the American showed why he remains the fiercest competitor in the pool when he stormed past Cavic on the last lap to book his place in the semi-finals of the men’s 100 me butterfly, his last individual event before he retires. “This is my last prelim swim ever so that was pretty fun to be able to do a pretty decent time in it,” Phelps said.

Phelps famously beat the Serbian by a fingernail in China four years ago to win the seventh of his eight gold medals and the pair remain on course to meet in Friday’s final, as long as they get through yesterday night’s semifinals. But Phelps, bidding to win the event for the third time, has a new and tougher challenger this time. South Africa’s Chad le Clos beat Phelps with a desperate late lunge to win the 200 butterfly final on Tuesday and qualified ahead of him in the 100. Missy Franklin, emerging as the new face of the powerful American swim team, stayed on course to add to her golden haul when she posted the fastest time in the heats of the women’s 200 backstroke, her favourite event. The 17-year-old from Colorado has already won two gold medals in London and has a great chance of winning more after qualifying fastest ahead of her team mate Elizabeth Beisel and Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry, the two-time Olympic champion and world record holder.

“That was my last prelim swim. It’s kind of sad to think of it like that,” said Franklin. “There is a little bit of relief but I am going to miss this so much.”

Rebecca Adlington raised hopes of a British

Nation G China 17 United States 14 South Korea 7 France 5 Britain 4 North Korea 4 Germany 3 Italy 3 Russia 3 Kazakhstan 3 South Africa 3 Japan 2 Hungary 2 Ukraine 2 Australia 1 Romania 1 Netherlands 1 Brazil 1 New Zealand 1 Slovenia 1 Georgia 1 Lithuania 1 Venezuela 1 Mexico 0

S 9 8 2 3 6 0 8 5 4 0 0 4 1 0 6 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3

B 4 9 4 6 4 1 4 2 6 0 0 11 1 4 2 2 3 2 2 1 0 0 0 1

Tot 30 31 13 14 14 5 15 10 13 3 3 17 4 6 9 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 1 4

Canada 0 Colombia 0 Cuba 0 Sweden 0 Denmark 0 Indonesia 0 Mongolia 0 Norway 0 Czech Republic 0 Egypt 0 Poland 0 Spain 0 Taiwan 0 Thailand 0 Slovakia 0 Azerbaijan 0 Belarus 0 Belgium 0 Greece 0 India 0 Moldova 0 Qatar 0 Serbia 0 Singapore 0 Uzbekistan 0

2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

5 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

7 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Federer reaches semi LONDON: US swimmer Michael Phelps competes in the men’s 100m butterfly heats swimming event at the London 2012 Olympic Games yesterday. — AFP winner in the pool when she charged straight into today’s final of the 800 freestyle. Adlington, who ended Britain’s long drought in swimming by winning two gold medals in Beijing four years ago, stayed on course to defend her 800 title, topping the time sheets just ahead of her great rival, Denmark’s Lotte Friis. “I’m going to give it my all in the final, it’s all about who can get that finish,” she told the BBC. Trinidad and Tobago’s George Bovell set the early pace in the men’s 50 freestyle sprint, winning his heat in 21.77 seconds. Cesar Cielo of Brazil, the defending champion and world record holder, was second fastest, touching the wall a fraction behind, but said he expected to go much faster. “It was enough to get through,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking of the podium, I was concentrated on qualifying.” — Reuters

LONDON: Roger Federer moved into the Olympic semifinals yesterday as the Wimbledon champion cut giant American John Isner down to size with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) victory on Centre Court. Federer had to be at his most patient in the face of a barrage of big serves from the 6ft 9in Isner, but the world number one was finally able to produce just enough magic to move into the last four of the Olympics for the first time since the 2000 Games in Sydney. The 30-year-old, bidding to win his first singles gold medal, will play Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro for a place in the final.

Kei Nishikori saw his Olympic medal dreams dashed by del Potro as the Japanese 15th seed lost their quarter-final clash 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) yesterday. Nishikori was bidding to become the first Japanese player to reach the semi-finals of the Olympic singles since Ichiya Kumagai won a silver medal at the 1920 Games in Antwerp.

Serena Williams remains on course for her first Olympic singles gold medal after crushing Danish eighth seed Caroline Wozniacki 6-0, 6-3 in the quarter-finals yesterday. Serena, a twotime doubles gold medallist with sister Venus, was at her imperious best on Wimbledon’s Court One and the American fourth seed, who faces a semi-final clash with world number one Victoria Azarenka, is now just two victories away from winning gold. Leander Paes and Sania Mirza made a winning start to their bid for a Olympic Games mixed doubles medal as the Indian duo defeated Serbia’s Nenad Zimonjic and Ana Ivanovic 6-2, 6-4 yesterday.

With all the Indian men’s and women’s doubles teams eliminated from the Games, Paes and Mirza are their country’s last hope of a medal and they remain in the hunt after a comfortable first round win on Court 14 at Wimbledon. Next up for Paes and Mirza is a quarter-final clash against Belarusian top seeds Victoria Azarenka and Max Mirnyi. —AFP

FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2012

www.kuwaittimes.net

LONDON: Kuwait’s Fehaid AlDeehani blows down his shotgun barrel after the shooting qualifiers for the men’s double trap event at the 2012 Summer Olympics yesterday. — AP

Heartbreak for deehani Page 46