5th Oct

Classic car museum breathes new life into history

11

Herath spins Sri Lanka into final of World T20

46

FR EE

6

Turkey strikes back at Syria, says will protect borders

Max 41º Min 21º

www.kuwaittimes.net

NO: 15589- Friday, October 5, 2012

Round one for Romney

See Pages 10 & 26

DENVER: US President Barack Obama (left) and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney finish their debate at the University of Denver on Wednesday. — AFP

Local FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

In my view

The lunchbox effect

By Jamie Etheridge

local@kuwaittimes.net

O

KUWAIT: The key to understanding Kuwait’s politics is in understanding the concept of the diwaniya. — Photo by Joseph Shagra

ur oldest daughter recently started kindergarten.

As I’ve come to learn these last 4+ years, having children teaches all over again the lessons I’d so studiously rejected in my early life. First, routine doesn’t have to be stifling but can also be a place for creativity and fun. Second, the Boy Scouts got it right: always be prepared. And finally, happiness is an attitude and it’s up to each of us to find it - and create it - wherever we can.

Let me explain with a simple example - my daughter’s lunchbox. Ask any primary school child about the importance of the lunchbox. You will find that it ranks right up there with a functional playground, adequate crayon color choices and their deskmates’ willingness to share.

Having skipped most of primary school myself, I didn’t realize the value of a proper lunchbox until about two weeks into my daughter’s school year. I knew I needed to buy a lunchbox, fill it with some food and stick it in her bookbag and that is essentially what I did. I did not realize, however, that she might be judged on the contents or that other students would take pity on her for the unappetizing choices I filled it with and offer her half their sandwiches or snack cakes.

When I found out what was going on, I quickly asked other moms for lunchbox advice. The response was fantastic and a bit surprising. There is a lot more to this issue of lunchboxes than I would have ever guessed. I discovered entire websites and forums devoted to the topic. So I began to research - a critical first step in being prepared.

Some moms have turned the morning lunchbox routine into a work of art, creating colorful collages of veggies, artistic renderings out of P&J, fruity rollups and artisan bread animal cutouts.

I decided to change my routine to make it more creative. Each morning, I compile a collection of ingredients on the kitchen countertop. If I’ve had time, I might bake the night before a tasty cocoanut slice or savory veggie muffins. If not, then I whip up a quick multicolored pasta salad, slice up carrots or apples (lemon scented to keep the color) and dribble goldfish across the bottom of the lunchbox. Some days I include only one color food. Last week it was green items - grapes, broccoli and pea muffins, celery sticks and green M&Ms. I’ve found that cheesesticks are never even opened. Boiled eggs work once a week but never twice. Watermelon will be eaten only if cut up and deseeded, the same goes for plums. Pretzel sticks get eaten but wholewheat crackers ignored. I’ve included small love notes, cards with Hello Kitty stickers or pictures of hearts and her name written in pink glitter. Sometimes she draws back on these and presents them to me when she comes home from school. The creation of the lunchbox has become a challenge - to see what I can make her to eat and how creatively I can make it.

Some days are more successful than others. I’ve taken to cataloging what gets returned and more importantly, what gets eaten. I find that a day when the lunchbox is empty - she’s eaten all her egg and grapes, the fruit cup is gone and spoon returned, the vanilla wafers mostly eaten - both she and I are much happier.

She doesn’t come home starving and I feel, at least for the moment, that I’m doing a good job as a mom. And that’s when I realize that in the everyday routines lies the most opportunity to be creative, to be thoughtful and to add to the happiness we all seek and that sometimes can seem so elusive.

Local Spotlight

Skyrocketing rents in Kuwait: A hot issue

By Muna Al-Fuzai

muna@kuwaittimes.net

I

f you belong to a family that lives in Kuwait on a limited income, you would surely agree that rents have skyrocketed and claim most of your monthly budget. But why is that happening, and why is no one raising this issue? Apparently, rents are rising for no reason at all. A small two-bedroom flat does not come with a rent less than KD 250, often going up to KD 300 or even KD 400. I am not talking about someone who does not care what kind of a place it is and would stay even in the dumps if it was cheap, or single men who do not bother whether or not the area they choose to live in is considered a decent one or has easily accessible schools, hospitals and other amenities. A single man may not need to take any of these factors into consideration.

As for staying in a safe place, in Kuwait that would mean staying at a place where there are other families around since most married men would want to be sure that their wives and children are safe. They would not like to live in a place that looks more like a bachelors’ camp. There are many areas in Kuwait inhabited predominantly by bachelors

and a large number of families living in such areas often complain that they do not feel safe.

The landlords in Kuwait do not respect the rent law. Although the rent law is very clear and protects the rights of the tenants, some landlords try to ignore it. The rent law does not approve of any increase in the rent before five years, but some landlords try to raise the rent before that time limit.

This leaves residents with two choices.

Either he agrees to the hiked rent, or refuses and knocks at the doors of a court. Going to the court means getting into a legal rigmarole and spending a lot of time. While some can afford to spend that much time, there is also the issue of lawyers that come at a price so high that most people cannot afford them. All they can do is to leave.

I firmly believe that there is need to think of ways to end the greed of such landlords.

Perhaps, the media should be carrying out more social campaigns to educate the residents, especially expats, about how to deal with such rent-related issues and hire lawyers who may devote their time for such cases, free of charge.

Kuwait is an expensive place to live, and while clothes could be cheap, budget-busters like food, rent and schools fees are not. I hope to see more people taking up this issue and they should not stay silent when a landlord tries to harass them. They have got to learn how to fight greed.

Local FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

F

lying has always been a dream for mankind. In the 9th century, inventor Abbas Ibn Firnas designed a flying machine using a set of wings in an attempt to fly. His dreams turned into reality when he managed to touch the clouds. Lately, creators and innovators in Kuwait have been busy designing their own flying machines to repeat the unique attempt. The upcoming 3rd Red Bull Flugtag to be held at the Marina Crescent on Friday October 19 at 1pm will give them a chance to realize their dreams.

More than 30 teams are putting the final touches on their flying machines. A panel of five judges will rate the flights, based on three important criteria. These will be distance (this is a flying contest after all), creativity of craft, and showmanship. The top three teams will win valuable prizes. The 3rd Red Bull Flugtag in Kuwait will be held under the patronage of Major-General Faisal Al Jazzaf, General Director of the Public Authority for Youth and Sport in Kuwait. The event, sponsored by Wataniya Telecom, Mini and Braun Cruzer, will be hosted

by Media Anchor Raya Abi Rached who presents Arabs Got Talent and Scoop along with TV presenter Abdullah Malallah.

Recently, Germany raised the bar for the Kuwaiti teams by setting a new world record at the Red Bull Flugtag held in Mainz when one of its teams flew 69 meters. This historic flight smashed the previous Red Bull Flugtag world record of 63 meters, which had held for more than two years. “This will be the third time we participated in the Red Bull Flugtag. This year we are readying an improved design, having learnt from our previous experiences. We are currently working to enhance the aerodynamics and reduce the weight of the flying machine in order to defend our title and entertain the spectators,� Sultan Ghareeb, member of the Dragon Fly, which was the 2010 Red Bull Flugtag winning team, said.

Local FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

All selected teams will fly their planes from a 25 meter long and 6 meters high runway, using only human power. Each team comprises a pilot and three assistants. The pilot leads the aircraft while the assistants help to hover as far as possible before landing in the water.

While the sky may be the limit as far as creativity goes, a few flight regulations will still be in place. First off, all flying machines must be entirely human-powered, and no external energy source or stored power will be permitted. Second, no matter what they say, size does matter - all crafts must be less than eight meters wide and must weigh no more than 180 kgs inclusive of the pilot’s weight.

Since safety is paramount, all competitors must wear a life jacket and a helmet. For more information, visit www.redbullmea.com/flugtag or follow

@redbullkuwait or like facebook.com/redbull.

Since the first Red Bull Flugtag took place in Vienna, Austria, in 1991, more than 100 Flugtags have been held around the globe, attracting up to 300,000 spectators at times for a single event.

Local FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

By Chidi Emmanuel

W

ith vintage four-wheeled beauties ranging from 1904 to 2012, the Kuwait Historical, Vintage and Classic Car Museum is where history meets modernity. Home to a collection of more than 40 historic and classic car models, it is Kuwait’s first museum specializing in vintage cars. According to the Head of Committees of Historical Vintage & Classic Cars Museum Mustafa Ali Makhseed, the museum is aimed at restoring Kuwait to the pinnacle of the region’s classic car community.

“It was established to preserve the historical automotive culture and houses cars that have valuable historical value,” he said.

The museum is a part of a broad spectrum of activities aimed at depicting Kuwait’s culture and tourism potential. It informs and educates the public about the automobile makers and the pioneers in the field. Also not only maintains the car models but also supplies spare parts for historical cars and organizes international auto exhibitions. “This museum promotes the need to preserve our culture and heritage in the automobile sector in the Arab world. It connects the past, the present and the future generations and breathes a new life into history,” Eslam Khamis, the secretary of the museum, said during an interview with Kuwait Times.

The museum houses many of the historic cars, including one belonging to the late Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad AlSabah - an Imperial that he used during his tenure as governor of Ahmadi. Other collections in the museum include the first ever car brought into Kuwait which is also the oldest car in the museum - a single cylinder Belgian-made 1904 Minerva Type A with bicycle-size wheels. Also, there is a 1924 Minerva Type AE four-speed 6 cylinder touring car, a 65 Model silver Aston Martin of the type used in James Bond movies, and a 1958 Corvette 8 cylinder sports car.

Other beauts on display include a 1909 Chrysler Imperial Crown used by the President of New Zealand, a 1928 Ford 4 cylinder saloon car once owned by Abdullah Al-Saqer and a 1962 22-hp Fiat 2 cylinder, 4 speed car, and many more classic models. Each such exotic car represents something unique. At the extreme end of the showroom stands an iconic Lincoln Continental - Kuwait Presidential Car and one which became known as the Constitution Car. It is famous for having served as a vehicle for official celebrations and ceremonies in Kuwait. It was first used by the late Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Al Sabah, the former Amir and who was also the father of the constitution.

History has it that he rode the car during the first Kuwait Independence Day celebration in 1961.

Since its launch in Oct 2010, the museum has welcomed thousands of visitors from within and outside Kuwait, becoming one of Kuwait’s major tourist attractions. It also has a well equipped library. In addition, it offers extensive facilities to support collectors and owners of Kuwait’s classic cars.

The main workshop has six garages. The museum regularly organizes technical workshops which are open to all car lovers and classic car owners. Its highly-qualified technicians provide free of cost service and expert advice to vintage car owners. The other side the museum also houses an entertainment center where children between the ages of 10 to 17 years can undertake fun drives.

The museum, located at Block 1, Street 49, Shuwaikh Industrial Area, is open to the public from 9 am-12 noon and 5 pm-8 pm daily and 3 pm-8 pm on Fridays.

Local FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

No need to

PANIK

Men in green dedicated to sav

By Ben Garcia

“A

cloud of smoke billowed over my head and the smell of burnt human flesh filled my nostrils. A lot of panic stricken women caused even more chaos, making it harder for us to get inside and save the victims.” This was how Hengie Taton, President of Pinoy Ambulance Nurses in Kuwait (PANIK), a club of mainly Filipino nurses, described the scene at the Jahra wedding fire that left over 50 people dead in 2009.

The memories of the Jahra arson haunt Taton, one of the “men in green”, till this day. “It happened around 8 pm, and we responded within about 45 minutes because our jurisdiction was limited to the Ahmadi governorate. We were not supposed to move on our own unless we were advised to do so.

We waited for the green signal, and once we received that, we rushed immediately. I was able to save many lives,” he recalled.

The ambulance unit of the medical facilities in Kuwait is divided into various governorates. Each governorate has its own fleet of ambulances, ready to rescue and help people in need. “The first person I saved when I arrived there was a

From just 20 ambulance nurses hailing from the Philippines in 2007, the number has now grown to 250 Filipino EMS staff woman with a heavy body built who had suffered severe burn injuries. I put her on the stretcher alone and rushed her to the Jahra Hospital. Even as she continued to cry in pain, my entire focus was on getting her to the hospital. I administered the first aid in the ambulance even as my driver and my assistant rushed to the nearest hospital,” he recalled, narrating the horrific events of Aug 15, 2009.

“As soon as we dropped off my first patient, we rushed back to the site of the fire and helped many more,” Hengie said. It was the biggest accident he had ever encountered in Kuwait and sadly the most horrifying scenes that he had ever witnessed.

The 2009 Kuwait wedding fire was an arson attack that occurred during a wedding ceremony in Jahra. Nasra Yussef Mohammad Al-Enezi was convicted for arson and sentenced to death on March 30, 2010. To avenge her husband’s second marriage, she poured gallons of petrol over a tent where women and children were celebrating and set it on fire. Within three minutes, the whole temporary structure, which had a single exit and did not meet fire safety regulations, was engulfed in flames, trapping many attendees inside.

The wedding fire in Jahra was the most horrifying moment he had ever witnessed as a member of ‘men in green uniform’ or the Department of Emergency Medical Services, Ministry of Health in Kuwait. Usually, their duty is to respond to emer-

Hengie Taton, President of Pinoy Ambulance Nurses in Kuwait (PANIK). gency calls/emergencies from fire to road accidents and so on.

“We rescue people almost every day and many are traffic accident victims. Unfortunately, most of the calls, especially those from residential areas, need only a cab to bring them to hospitals. But we respond anyway because it is our duty to respond to emergencies,” he said.

Hengie was part of about 20 Filipino nurses hired in 2007 in the Philippines to replenish the EMS at the Ministry of Health after several Filipinos around that time had left for better opportunities in the UK and the US. It was a time when migration of various medical staff was at peak since nurses’ salaries were just a tad more than what hospitality workers made.

Now, medical staff salaries have been readjusted by a few hundred dinars, making it the most lucrative government job in Kuwait.

From just 20 ambulance nurses hailing from the Philippines in 2007, the number has now grown to 250 Filipino EMS staff, although there are other nurses from other nationalities serving in the EMS. However, the Filipinos are in a majority. This was the reason why the Pinoy Ambulance Nurses in Kuwait

(PANIK) was reactivated in 2010. Established as a peer group

by Edwin Tan about 20 years ago, PANIK today includes over 200 members.

“When Tan established the group, it was only known to a few since its function was limited to assist each other in times of need. But with new and dynamic officers joining, we wanted it to become an organization with a legitimate function and objective to help and assist the Filipinos in Kuwait,” Hengie said.

That is how PANIK came to be reactivated in 2010 with an objective to foster camaraderie among the 250 EMS nurses, especially among the Filipino community. With the establishment of PANIK, they were able to share and impart their medical knowledge to the rest of the Filipino community, especially about first aid, socio-civil projects back home in the Philippines [assisting typhoon victims], and at the housemaid shelter at the embassy or providing educational assistance to the needy in their province of choice. PANIK will continue to serve Kuwait and also promises to the much needed aid for their less fortunate kababayans (compatriots).

Local FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Made to measure

Personal shopper service now in Kuwait

By Nawara Fattahova

W

hat can you do if fashion is not your forte and mismatching colours seems to be a well-mastered skill? In a place like Kuwait, where fashion is a way of life, the inability to spot the latest fads can be disastrous not only for your social life but for your reputation too. This, however, will no longer be a problem since there is a new personal shopper service that is on offer for free. Since the start of this week, Topshop’s Personal Shopper Hannah Delaimi, who is a young Kuwaiti, will be choosing the outfits and the matching accessories that many women in

from the next. “Some days, I will be hosting one-on-one appointments and pulling styles for travelling clients, or deal with customers popping in from their work breaks. Other days we

for photo shoots and hosting minievents in-store.

How did Delaimi land her dream job? “I’m relentless. I’m always looking for a challenge and a chance to move

Do you face problems finding matching clothes and accessories and having to skip social functions because of that?

Well, consider your problem solved.

Kuwait want.

The fairly new to the Middle East service, Personal Shopper, requires a keen interest and taste in fashion something Topshop Personal Shopper Delaimi has in abundance. Delaimi will be available at the Topshop store in Marina Mall starting this Oct 7 with a completely free service.

Delaimi’s love for fashion is vouched by credentials from a UKbased organization. She did a course in London in the personal shoppers’ field where she learnt how to interact with clients, personal shopping, how to deal with VIP clients, how to host events and many other skills. She first applied her skills on her friends in order to seek their feedback. “I was happy with their feedback,” she said.

According to her every day in the life of the Personal Shopper differs

Topshop’s Personal Shopper Hannah Delaimi.

— Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat will have the cupcakes and refreshments flowing for a birthday booking or celebrity appearances,” she said.

She said that sometimes her days see her styling at the Topshop by pulling

forward. The opportunity for Topshop Personal Shopper came along and I took it, knowing that I would get to do what I love doing with a powerful brand behind me,” she said.

According to her there are many skills that a personal shopper should have. She should have experience and expertise in the fashion industry. She should have a strong background and knowledge in both fashion and products and, most importantly, she should be talented in creating and controlling styles to suit different tastes. A personal shopper should be stylish themselves also, and should have an enthusiastic passion for styling.

Delaimi gave her first shopper session to the Friday Times. She advised the women to look for pieces outside their regular choices to give their style room to diversify and give it dimension. “Load up on accessories to transform your every day look and make sure you feel happy and confident in everything you buy. Most importantly, find a style that suits your personality and make it your own,” she said.

Asked to identify this season’s must-have staples, she suggested a look into Topshop’s A/W12 trends that have something to offer to suit every style. “With the Pennsylvania trend, it is about borrowing from the boys. The androgynous oversized outerwear is stamped with girlish approval, as dainty frills and ditsy florals allow for a flirtatious ruffle with sartorial rebellion,” she said, adding “Sensationalist is another one of my favourites; it’s the only way to shine.

The Personal shopper service provides great style advice according to a customer’s personal needs and budget. Since it is a fairly new trend for Kuwait, many wonder how it will be welcomed.

“Kuwait has always been a great shopping destination where the customers are forever on the lookout for the latest trends, and as a leader in the fashion industry, Topshop is constantly elevating the shopping experience,” she said. With Personal Shopper being a service integrated in prime Topshop stores across the UK, it only made sense to introduce the service in the Middle East where shopping is part of the lifestyle, she added. Through Topshop’s Personal Shopper, the customer’s shopping experience becomes luxurious and fun. “I know it will be received well in the Middle East. The women will be treated to a free personal shopper service in a lavish suite with an experienced personal shopper giving them undivided attention.”

Local FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Rate cut unlikely to spur lending without political deal DUBAI: Kuwait’s unexpected 50 basispoint interest rate cut will help reduce borrowing costs for businesses but is not going to be enough to kick-start bank lending without a lasting solution to the country’s political crisis. In the first such move since February 2010, the central bank (CBK) said late on Wednesday that it was lowering its discount rate to 2.0 percent, aiming to bolster the banking sector and support the economy.

The rate cut will also help to ensure the currency’s competitiveness, while price pressures have declined, state news agency KUNA quoted CBK Governor Mohammad Al-Hashel, who took office in March, as saying.

But the stock market rose only 0.25 percent in response, and many bankers and analysts do not expect much real impact from the policy change. “Last night’s move is like giving a patient a dose of morphine to lower the pain

instead of operating on him and permanently fixing the source of illness,” said a Kuwaiti commercial banker, who declined to be identified. “Alternative policies are likely to be more successful, in particular fiscal policy.”

The CBK, which pegs the dinar to an undisclosed currency basket, considers the discount rate its key policy benchmark. In May, it changed loan-to-deposit ratio rules to boost funds available for lending. Since then, credit growth to the private sector has picked up slightly, to around 5.0 percent in June-Aug from 2 percent on average in 2011. But that is still one of the slowest clips among the Gulf Arab oil exporters despite a petrodollar windfall from high oil prices.

Months of political deadlock have stalled Kuwait’s four-year, $108 billion development plan, which aims to diversify the heavily oil-reliant economy.

“Against this backdrop, we are not

hopeful that the Central Bank of Kuwait’s decision to cut its discount rate...will spur an acceleration in lending growth,” HSBC said in a note.

The latest rate reduction is unlikely to put much downward pressure on interbank rates as they are already at historical lows, analysts said. But it will give banks space to cut both deposit and lending rates without touching margins.

The three-month interbank offered rate (KIBOR) was fixed at an all-time low of 0.5625 percent on Thursday, down from 0.6250 percent before the rate cut announcement.

Kuwait’s banking sector appears to have enough funds to increase lending with the loan to deposit ratio at only 81 percent, below 98 percent in the nearby United Arab Emirates, data show. “The banking sector has some room to expand their loan book if the right credit opportunities arise,” said Giyas Gokkent,

chief economist at National Bank of Abu Dhabi. In June, the International Monetary Fund said Kuwaiti banks were sound but that weakness in the property and stock markets, and the financial difficulties of investment firms, were forcing banks to take large provisions.

“Banks are full of money but there are no good projects,” said Adnan AlDulaimi, director at Mena Consulting in Kuwait. Kuwait has seen 10 governments since early 2006 because of a long-running row between the elected parliament and the Cabinet.

In April, parliament rejected a draft bill on the development plan, which includes a new airport terminal and oil refinery, as opposition deputies accused the government of failing to make progress on major investments. Because of high oil prices, Kuwait’s economy is expected to grow a comfortable 5 percent in 2012, analysts say. — Reuters

Safety woes hit KAC ticket sales AMMAN: The Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) witnessed a decline in sales in recent months due to the media campaign about the safety of its air fleet and political events in some Arab nations, KAC Board Chairman Yousif Al-Hmaidi said.

Speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony to mark renewal of a maintenance agreement with the Ammanbased Jordan Aircraft Maintenance Company (Joramco) late on Wednesday, he insisted that KAC was operating with the highest safety standards as per international organizations that had expertise in the domain.

The renewal of the KAC agreement with Joramco was approved with prices lower than in the past. Humaidi said the media made much propaganda out of this issue, adding that civil aviation supervisory bodies like the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and the manufacturers were responsible for certifying the KAC air fleet. “The biased media campaign and the Arab Spring” affected the sales of the KAC, which forced the corporation to decrease its operating hours and number of flights, including suspension of flights to Damascus and temporarily halting of flights to Cairo and Beirut. The KAC air fleet was safe and the corporation was abiding by all safety measures before every take-off, he affirmed.

On the privatization of the corporation, he said the KAC was awaiting the government’s decision in this respect.

Humaidi added that KAC and Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) were ready for this move, pointing out that such a decision would result in a lot of benefits.

In case KAC turned private, the corporation’s employees would either retire or work in other institutions, especially “in the light of current circumstances”, he affirmed. Humaidi and the Chief Executive Officer signed an agreement late Wednesday for maintenance of eight KAC airplanes as part of the cooperation between the two sides that started in 2007. — KUNA

KUWAIT: A pigeon drinks its fill from a pavement puddle. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Oppn slams govt, warns against ‘autocratic’ rule No Amiri decree to dissolve Assembly

By B Izzak KUWAIT: The opposition yesterday strongly blasted the government, describing it as incompetent and warned that the country was increasingly heading towards an autocratic way of governance, insisting the Kuwaiti people will never accept less than democracy.

The National Front for Safeguarding the Constitution, a broad coalition of opposition groups and activists, and the Majority Group, comprising MPs from the 2012 Assembly, in separate statements also warned against issuing emergency decrees to amend the electoral laws ahead of the election.

The National Front said that following the constitutional court’s ruling rejecting a government’s petition against the electoral constituency law and after a great deal of hesitation, the government approved the draft decree to dissolve the 2009 Assembly.

It however failed to affirm that the next elections will be held on the basis of the existing law because it plans to unilaterally introduce changes to the election system which means that political tension in the

country will continue, it said. Since 2006, Kuwait has faced a series of political crises and continued failure to run the affairs of the country simply because the “government is a front for the ruling family and not a constitutional institution”, the Front said.

The National Front believes that the present government does not enjoy any degree of independence and is incapable of taking the crucial decisions which has “taken Kuwait more towards the presidential system and not the parliamentary system which defies the principles of the constitution”, it said.

These factors have plunged Kuwait into the current political chaos and the country sits “on the verge of a comprehensive political turmoil” because of an increasing tendency towards an autocratic rule which contradicts the constitution, the Front insisted. The Front warned that the continuity of the current situation will inevitably force the Kuwaiti people to defend their rights and the democratic system.

The Majority Group meanwhile warned that Kuwait’s democratic system was passing through a dangerous turning point rep-

resented in a continuous conspiracy with the aim to forge the will of the nation by unilaterally changing the election laws.

“The Kuwaiti people are aware that the plot against the constitution and the democratic system is being hatched by highly corrupt sides that have no popular support in collaboration with influential people to exclude the popular will and establish a police state and an autocratic rule with the aim to wrest control over the country’s fortunes,” said the statement.

The Group said that the free Kuwaiti people will not accept the government’s continued violations of the provisions of the constitution and court verdicts and the domination of corrupt sides on the decision-making process.

The two statements came as the Amiri decree to dissolve the 2009 Assembly, approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday, was not issued yesterday and is now expected on Sunday. They also came amid strong reports that the government intends to issue emergency decrees to amend the electoral constituency law to spoil the opposition chances of regaining a majority in the next Assembly.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Turkey strikes back at Syria

11

Two Brits could face death in Indonesia cocaine plot

14

Nine children dead in China school landslide

15

DENVER: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney (right) shakes hands with US President Barack Obama at Magness Arena moments before the start of their first debate at the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado. — AFP

Romney fuels campaign with debate win ‘Romney barrels out of first debate on offense

DENVER: Little more than a month from Election Day, Republican Mitt Romney is barreling out of the first presidential debate energized by a solid performance that telegraphed his determination to take it to President Barack Obama with gusto. The president, intent on keeping his momentum from stalling, is warning that his GOP rival’s policy prescriptions for a fragile economy are more fantasy than reality.

Standing toe-to-toe with the president for the first time in the campaign, Romney held his own and more at a time when there already were signs that the race is tightening in some of the battleground states where Obama has enjoyed an advantage. Obama kept his cool and signaled that he won’t let up on his message that Romney’s plans on taxes, health care, the deficit and more just don’t add up. “It’s fun,” Romney declared well into Wednesday night’s 90-minute faceoff, clearly relishing the backand-forth. “It’s arithmetic,” said Obama, hammering at Romney’s conspicuous lack of details with far less enthusiasm. After a few days of rela-

tive calm as the candidates prepared for the first of their three debates, the campaign now bursts out of Colorado in all directions Thursday, with an itinerary that touches down in some of the most hotly contested battleground states in the coming days: Obama campaigns in Colorado and Wisconsin, then on to Virginia and Ohio.

Romney and running mate Paul Ryan are off to Virginia, then Romney spends more time in Virginia before moving on to Florida. Vice President Joe Biden is bound for Iowa.

But before leaving Colorado, Romney brought in some more campaign cash to fund the final push. He went to a mansion located on the Cherry Hills Country Club south of Denver, where a Bentley and other luxury cars were lined up for a private breakfast with donors who contributed at least $50,000. Their money will help fund Romney’s current advertising gap in the final weeks, putting out messages like the ad his campaign revealed Thursday in which the candidate wore an open-collar shirt on a factory floor and outlined his job creation plan.

With a 13-day break before their next debate, Obama and Romney have time to hone their arguments while their campaigns continue to bombard the most hotly contested states with negative ads that go far beyond the more restrained jibes the candidates leveled from their respective podiums. Obama made no mention, for example, of Romney’s caught-on-tape remark that he’s not worried about the 47 percent of Americans who don’t pay federal income taxes. Democratic ads, though, have been making hay with the comment. Asked why the president didn’t raise the video, Obama senior political adviser David Axelrod suggested on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that he didn’t need to since it has been so widely seen and heard. “The president’s belief is that’s something that has been very much a part of the discussion,” Axelrod said.

In next few weeks, Romney is expected to give a number of policy speeches filling in details as he tries to sharpen the contrast with Obama while answering criticism that he hasn’t

clearly outlined his plans. The Republican challenger begins with a foreign policy speech in Virginia on Monday. Subsequent speeches are expected to focus on his plans for job creation, debt and spending. Romney has promised to balance the budget in eight years to 10 years, but hasn’t explained just how he’ll do it. Instead, he’s promised a set of principles, some of which - like increasing Pentagon spending and restoring more than $700 billion in cuts to Medicare over the coming decade - work against that goal. He also has said he will not consider tax increases. Obama argued that it’s all too much.

“At some point, I think the American people have to ask themselves, is the reason that Gov. Romney is keeping all these plans to replace secret because they’re too good?” he said. “Is it because that somehow middle-class families are going to benefit too much from them? No.” The president went on to say the nation faces tough problems that defy simple solutions and said his own choices were “benefiting middle-class families all across the country.” —AP

International FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Turkey strikes back at Syria Mortar bomb attack sparks retaliation AKCAKALE, Turkey: Turkey stepped up retaliatory artillery strikes on a Syrian border town yesterday, killing several Syrian soldiers, while its parliament approved further military action in the event of another spillover of the Syrian conflict.

Seeking to unwind the most serious cross-border escalation in its 18 month-old crackdown on dissent, Damascus apologized through the United Nations for shelling which killed five civilians in southeast Turkey on Wednesday and said it would not happen again, Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said. Syria’s staunch ally Russia said it had received assurances from Damascus that the mortar strike had been a tragic accident.

But Turkey’s government said “aggressive action” against its territory by Syria’s military had become a serious threat to its national security and parliament approved the deployment of Turkish troops beyond its borders if needed.

“Turkey has no interest in a war with Syria. But Turkey is capable of protecting its borders and will retaliate when necessary,” Ibrahim Kalin, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, said on his Twitter account.

“Political, diplomatic initiatives will continue,” he said. The peaceful pro-democracy movement which surfaced in March 2011 in Syria turned into a full-scale armed revolt after President Bashar AlAssad tried to crush it and is now becoming a sectarian conflict that could destablize neighboring states. Turkey hit back after what it

called “the last straw” when the mortar hit Akcakale, killing a mother, her three children and a female relative.

Atalay said Turkey had exercised its right to retaliation and that parliament’s authorization for a foreign military deployment was not a “war memorandum”. “It’s a deterrent measure taken in line with Turkey’s interests, for use when it needs to protect itself,” he told reporters.

Three armored personnel carriers were positioned on the southern edge of Akcakale, their guns trained on the Syrian town of Tel Abyad a few miles across the frontier. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said three Syrian soldiers were killed by Turkish shelling of a military post nearby.

Syrian state media has not reported any casualties. “We know that they have suffered losses,” a

DAMASCUS: In this image taken from video obtained from the Shaam News Network, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, smoke rises from houses due to government shelling in Damascus yesterday. —AP

Libyan protesters storm congress over govt line-up TRIPOLI: Protesters stormed the headquarters of Libya’s national congress yesterday angry about the new prime minister’s proposed government line-up, saying it was not fully representative of the North African country.

Between 100 and 150 demonstrators from the western town of Zawiyah walked into the main room where congress meets, forcing the cancellation of a special session to study Prime Ministerelect Mustafa Abushagur’s nominations for his transitional government.

Abushagur nominated his cabinet on Wednesday for approval by the national congress, presenting a line-up that excluded the leading liberal coalition.

“After we heard the list, everyone in Zawiyah was angry. Some even began protesting in Zawiyah’s main square last night,” said Nuri Shambi, who travelled

Turkish security source told Reuters, without giving further details. The observatory also reported clashes between Syrian rebels and the Syrian army at the military post, and said the rebels had killed 21 elite Republican Guards yesterday in an ambush on an army minibus in a suburb northwest of Damascus.

The southern edge of Akcakale, right on the border, resembles a ghost town. Houses stand empty and shops are shuttered. Much of the population is ethnically Arab and many men walk around in the traditional Arab jalabiyya and red and white headscarves.

“Everyone is gone, look around,” said Ibrahim Cilden, 33, who lives only a few houses away from the one which was hit on Wednesday. A new camp for Syrian refugees sits on the edge of the town but

the 50 kms (30 miles) from Zawiyah to the capital Tripoli to voice his anger. “Abushagur said he would form a coalition government, that he would look at experience. Zawiyah proposed candidates for oil minister, but he’s brought in someone who is not well known.”

Abushagur’s line-up includes many unknown names, including that of proposed oil minister, Mabrouk Issa Abu Harroura. The line-up is said to include several members of the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood. There are no candidates from the liberal National Forces Alliance, Ibrahim Al-Gharyani, head of the liberal coalition in congress, told Reuters. The protesters eventually left the hall but remained outside.

“We don’t accept this list, there seems to be just one ideology represented,” protester Ibrahim Gdara said. — Reuters

nobody has yet moved in. “Where have they built it? Right at the exit to our town. So the Syrians fire mortars at us. We act like a magnet,” he said.

Turkey’s parliament had already been due to vote yesterday on extending a five-year-old authorization for foreign military operations, an agreement originally intended to allow strikes on Kurdish militant bases in northern Iraq. But the memorandum signed

by Erdogan and sent for parliament approval also said that despite repeated warnings and diplomatic initiatives, the Syrian military had launched aggressive action against Turkish territory, presenting a “serious threat”. “At this point the need has emerged to take the necessary measures to act promptly and swiftly against additional risks and threats,” it said. Police fired tear gas to stop a group of around 25-30

anti-war protesters chanting “We don’t want war!” and “The Syrian people are our brothers!” from approaching parliament as deputies debated the motion. It was not clear who fired the mortar into Turkey, but security sources said it had come from near Tel Abyad and that Turkey was increasing the number of troops along its border. Syria said it was investigating the source of the mortar bomb and urged restraint. Information Minister Omran Zoabi said his country respected the sovereignty of neighboring countries. Russia said Damascus had vowed there would not be a repeat. “We think it is of fundamental importance for Damascus to state that officially,” RIA Novosti news agency quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying during a visit to Islamabad. — Reuters

AKCAKALE: Turkish soldiers take positions in the southern border town of Akcakale yesterday. Turkish artillery hit targets near Syria’s Tel Abyad border town for a second day yesterday, killing several Syrian soldiers according to activists and security sources. —AFP

US citizen sentenced to life in Iraqi prison BAGHDAD: An Iraqi court has sentenced an American citizen to life in prison on charges of assisting Al-Qaeda and financing terrorist activities in Iraq, according to a government statement. The Interior Ministry said Omar Rashad Khalil, 53, was recruited by Al-Qaeda in Iraq in 2005. Khalil, an architectural engineer, is of Palestinian descent and entered Iraq in 2001, the ministry statement said.

The ministry released excerpts from a confession it said Khalil made in which he admitted to receiving money from a Syrian man in the United Arab Emirates to pay for terror attacks.

Also known as Abu Mohammed, Khalil was sentenced by Baghdad’s central criminal court on Wednesday. Iraqi government officials could not immediately be reached for more details yesterday.

A spokesman for the US Embassy in Baghdad, Frank J Finver, said embassy officials were aware of the reports and were checking them. He declined immediate comment. Meanwhile, Iraq’s Justice Ministry said six people convicted on terrorism charges were executed yesterday, bringing the number of executions since the beginning of this year to 102. The ministry statement had no further details and did not identify the six. The increase in

government-sanctioned executions in Iraq has raised concerns among international human rights observers about whether the defendants are receiving fair trial. Iraq has shrugged off calls to abolish the death penalty.

Also yesterday, police and health officials said five bystanders were killed and 13 people wounded in a morning car bombing in Baghdad. The explosives-packed car went off in the upscale Sunnidominated Mansour district, two police officers said. The blast narrowly missed a passing convoy of employees working for an unidentified security company. Three policemen at a nearby checkpoint were among those wounded in the attack, the officers said. A medical official in a nearby hospital confirmed the casualty figures.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. Violence has dropped in Iraq since the height of insurgency a few years ago but militants still launch deadly attacks nearly every day. AlQaeda in Iraq has for years sought to undermine Iraq’s Shiite-led government with large-scale attacks that target security forces and Shiites almost every month. — AP

International FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Saudi warns against political rallies in Hajj Saudi beheaded for drug trafficking

AMSTERDAM: Oranje Fonds director Ronald van der Giessen (left) talks with Dutch Princess Maxima (second left) and Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser from Qatar (right) during their visit at the Oranje Fonds (Orange Fund) in Amsterdam yesterday. The Oranje Fonds is a foundation that provides financial support to foundations and associations to promote participation in society. — AFP

Drone strike kills 5 Qaeda suspects in south Yemen ADEN: A drone air strike blasted two cars carrying suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen in the southern Yemeni province of Shabwa yesterday, killing five of them, a tribal chief and witnesses said.

“Five militants belonging to Ansar Al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law) were killed in a drone strike” in Shabwa, said Abdulmajid Al-Awlaqi, a local tribal chief. Awlaqi said “among those killed were two from our tribe,” identifying them as Saad bin Ateq-chief of the southern town of Azzan which was an Al-Qaeda stronghold until the army recaptured it in June, and Musaed Al-Hadathi.

An Egyptian was also among those killed. A medical source told AFP that two wounded people were brought to the hospital, “one of them Yemeni and the second Egyptian” without giving further details. Witnesses said the drone fired four missiles at the two cars as they travelled through the town of Saeed in Shabwa, the ancestral homeland of Anwar Al-Awlaqi, the US-born Islamic cleric and Al-Qaeda leader who was killed in a suspected US drone strike in September last year. “The two cars are still burning and we couldn’t get close to them because the drones are still hovering in the area,” said a local resident.

Awlaqi said gunmen suspected to have links with Al-Qaeda had earlier arrived in four vehicles and “set up a checkpoint on the road linking Saeed and Ataq,” Shabwa’s provincial capital.

He warned that “these raids only widen the gap between the people and the government and only have negative effects.” The United States is the only country that has drones in the region and in recent months has carried out strikes on Al-Qaeda targets in the south and east of the country.

During a visit to the United States last month, Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi acknowledged that drone strikes in his country take place with his approval. “Every operation, before taking place, they take permission from the president,” Hadi told the Washington Post in an interview published on September 29. Hadi also spoke of a joint operations centre near Sanaa “that serves as an intelligence nerve center for operations” against Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. “You go to the operations centre and see operations taking place step by step,” Hadi said. A security official, meanwhile, told AFP that “two Al-Qaeda militants coming from Abyan province were arrested at Al-Alam checkpoint,” east of the main southern city of Aden, yesterday. Two others were arrested on Wednesday, he said.

Another security official said that two soldiers were wounded when “unknown gunmen” attacked a local government building in Aden’s Mualla district late on Wednesday using homemade bombs.

Al-Qaeda took advantage of the weakness of Yemen’s central government in mass protests last year against now ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh, seizing large swathes of territory across the south. But after a month-long government offensive that ended in June, most have fled to the more lawless desert regions of the east.

Although weakened, the militants continue to launch hitand-run attacks on government and civilian targets throughout Yemen. — AFP

JEDDAH: A Saudi security chief warned yesterday that the Muslim kingdom will not tolerate any attempt to exploit the Hajj pilgrimage to stage political rallies, as Iranians have in the past, provoking deadly clashes with police.

“We will not allow any attempt to exploit this gathering for aims that are not related to the rituals,” said General Saad Al-Khelyawi, the commander of hajj security forces. “All attempts to threaten the security of the hajj and pilgrims will be dealt with firmness,” he said, as pilgrims began to arrive in Saudi Arabia for the world’s largest annual gathering which peaks around October 25. He was responding to a question in a media briefing about reported calls from Iran to stage a “repudiation of polythe-

ists” rally, a ritual promoted by the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to denounce the West and Israel.

Saudi security forces have confronted Iranian pilgrims several times in the past for holding anti-US and anti-Israeli protests. In 1987, police efforts to stifle such a demonstration sparked clashes in which 402 people died, including 275 Iranians.

Iranian pilgrims have since held their rallies in tents without provoking clashes with security forces in the kingdom.

Last year, nearly three million Muslim pilgrims performed the Hajj, which is one of the five pillars of Islam and should be done by every able Muslim at least once in a life time.

Saudi Arabia beheaded one of its nationals yesterday for drug trafficking, the interior ministry announced.

Abdullah al-Wadie was arrested as he was “receiving and selling a large amount of hashish,” said the statement carried by the official SPA news agency.

He was beheaded by the sword in the Aseer region in the southwest of the Gulf kingdom. That brings to 62 the number of people executed in Saudi Arabia so far this year, according to an AFP tally based on official reports.

Amnesty International says 79 people were put to death last year.

Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under its strict version of sharia, or Islamic law. — Agencies

Israeli FM predicts ‘Persian Spring’ JERUSALEM: Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said yesterday he believes “the Arab Spring will be followed by a Persian Spring,” with international sanctions against Iran leading to renewed domestic unrest.

His remarks came a day after scuffles broke out in central Tehran in the first sign of unrest over Iran’s plunging currency, which has lost more than half its value since last week as European and US sanctions have bitten.

“The Arab Spring will be followed by a Persian Spring, instability is spreading in Iran, and not just in Tehran,” Lieberman told Israeli military radio.

“There is no doubt that the protest movement will be

strengthened by the approach of the Iranian presidential elections next summer,” he added.

“The Iranian regime is reaching a critical point.

International sanctions will not convince the leaders of the country to renounce their nuclear program, but what is important is that the Iranian people have begun to realise that they are not ready to be sacrificed to satisfy the revolutionary and fanatic ambitions of their leaders,” he said.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s rivals claim that economic mismanagement is the main cause of the currency crisis. He blames Western sanctions but insists Iran will make no concessions on its nuclear program. —AFP

Morocco denies entry to Dutch ‘abortion ship’ RABAT: Morocco blocked a Dutch “abortion ship” from entering one of its harbors yesterday during a campaign group’s first attempt to visit to a Muslim country to raise awareness about safe methods of abortion.

The Women on Waves ship, which already has visited traditionally Roman Catholic countries Spain, Portugal and Ireland at the invitation of local women’s groups, had planned to arrive at Smir, northern Morocco, but was denied entry. “The harbor is totally blocked by warships so no one can get in, and there are a lot of police here,” said Marlies Schellekens, a doctor from Women on Waves who had gone on shore. “We’re now working on an emergency plan but we have opened up our hotline so women can call for information about the abortion pill.”

The group, which was invited to Morocco by rights group Alternative Movement for Individual Freedoms (MALI), wants to spread awareness on land about the use of pills for a medical abortion and said it would carry out abortions aboard the ship in international waters.

Like in other Muslim countries, abortion is illegal and punishable by up to 20 years in prison under Moroccan law, but hundreds of illegal abortions

are carried out daily in clinics or using herbal medicines, sometimes resulting in death or injury.

“In Morocco, between 600 and 800 abortions are done every day, but only about 250 are done by doctors, so they are safer, while the rest are taking risks,” Schellekens said. There was no immediate comment from officials on Thursday,

but on Wednesday Interior Minister Mohand Laenser, a secular member of the government led since December by moderate Islamists, said the ship would not be allowed to reach Morocco. “The organizers have never contacted us to seek permission to visit Morocco,” Laenser told Reuters. “Plus, we are not going to let them in.” —Reuters

TETOUAN: A Moroccan policeman stops a car at the entrance of the Mediterranean Marina Smir harbour, near Tetouan, north of Morocco, yesterday as Navy blocks the access to the harbor in which a controversial Dutch “abortion ship” was due to dock in the first such trip to a Muslim country. — AFP

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

International FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

‘No evidence’ Nigeria massacre tied to vote Police investigate possible gang feud

BALI: Britain’s Linsay June Sandiford (left), 56, gestures as she attends her trial at a court in Denpasar on the Indonesian resort island of Bali yesterday. — AFP

Two Brits could face death in Indonesia cocaine plot DENPASAR: An Indonesian court indicted two Britons yesterday on multiple charges involving an alleged cocaine drug ring on the resort island of Bali, which could see them both face the death penalty. Prosecutors told Bali’s Denpasar district court that Lindsay June Sandiford in May smuggled 4.79 kilograms (10.6 pounds) of cocaine in the lining of her suitcase and that Julian Anthony Pounder had willingly received the drugs.

Sandiford was arrested in May upon arrival at the resort island’s airport in Denpasar from Bangkok after customs officials found the drugs. Police then set up a sting and netted three more Britons and an Indian national. “The defendant acted against Indonesian law in smuggling illegal drugs classified under category one into the country,” prosecutor Lie Putra Setiawan told the Denpasar district court of Sandiford.

Indonesian law divides drugs into three categories, the first listing those considered most serious, including cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines. “This offence carries a maximum penalty of death,” Setiawan told reporters after the session. Sandiford, who also faces charges of possession and selling narcotics, covered her face with a piece of cloth as she passed dozens of reporters to enter the courtroom.

She appeared with only a translator, saying she had been given no access to a lawyer in prison, and requested more time to find one. The panel of judges went ahead with the hearing, having postponed the trial last week for the same reason, but said they would appoint her an attorney for the next session. In a separate indictment by the same court, prosecutors said Pounder collected cocaine from Sandiford on the street near the airport before he was arrested in the police sting.

He was indicted on two charges, the most serious of which carries a maximum penalty of death. “The defendant acted against the law by offering a service to sell or purchase, or by being an intermediary in a transaction, of illegal drugs classified under category one,” prosecutor Ketut Sujaya told the court.

The drugs found in Sandiford’s suitcase had an estimated street value of around $2.5 million, customs officials have said. The trials for the two Britons will resume next week. Indonesia enforces stiff penalties including life imprisonment and death for trafficking, producing and selling illicit drugs.

Two members of an Australian drug smuggling gang known as the “Bali Nine”, who were arrested in 2005, are on death row, while the seven others face lengthy jail terms. Another Australian, Schapelle Corby, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for smuggling 4.1 kilograms of marijuana in 2005, recently had her term slashed by five years after a clemency appeal to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. — AFP

MUBI: A security official at a Nigeria college yesterday dismissed reports that a massacre at a nearby student housing area which left at least 40 people dead was linked to tensions over a campus vote. The official’s comments came after Nigerian police said they had made many arrests over the massacre which saw victims shot or have their throats slit, but offered no clues for what prompted it as questions mounted over the killings. “I have no evidence to link it to the election,” said Shuaib Aroke, deputy registrar at Federal Polytechnic Mubi, where some of those killed in the massacre in the early hours of Tuesday were enrolled.

“It is a fallacy,” he told AFP of the supposed link being suggested by some Nigerian authorities. “We are united here at polytechnic,” added Aroke, who said he is currently in charge of security on campus. He however said he had no information on who was behind the killings.

Suspicions have also fallen on Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, which has carried out scores of attacks in Nigeria’s northeast and was the target of a high-profile military raid last week in Mubi.

In the student vote, there were suggestions of ethnic tensions between the mainly Muslim Hausas and predominantly Christian Igbos, and a spokesman for the National

Emergency Management Agency said some of the victims were candidates.

Aroke however said the election went off peacefully and all candidates signed the results sheet. He noted that voting took place on Saturday, while the massacre-in which police said victims were called out by name before being killed-happened early Tuesday.

Police in northeastern Adamawa state, where Mubi is located, said they have arrested “many suspects” in connection with the slaughter, but have declined to provide further details.

Another school official, who requested anonymity, said most of those being held were students. He also said the death toll was at least 40. Police have given an official death toll of 25, saying at least 22 victims were students, with 19 from the polytechnic and three from another school.

On Wednesday, security forces had gone house to house and blanketed Mubi, a commercial hub and university town located near the border with Cameroon. Security deployments appeared less intense yesterday, though there were checkpoints along the road from the state capital Yola to the town. The killings occurred in a student housing area off-campus of Federal Polytechnic Mubi, an ethnically mixed school with several thousand students. Residents said it seemed the victims were both Muslims and

Christians, but police had not commented as is often the case in Nigeria, where ethnic and religious divisions regularly lead to unrest.

The town had already been under a 3:00 pm to 6:00 am curfew in the wake of last week’s raid, and it has remained in place. The suggestion that the killings were linked to the student election raised questions over how and why the dispute would have turned so violent.

At the same time, Boko Haram has continually widened its targets and its attacks have become increasingly sophisticated. Nigerian officials have been seeking to show success in the fight against the extremists with a number of raids and arrests. There had been a lull in major attacks in recent weeks.

The group has been blamed for more than 1,400 deaths since 2010 as part of its insurgency in northern and central Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and largest oil producer, divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south.

Boko Haram has claimed to be seeking an Islamic state in northern Nigeria, but its demands have repeatedly shifted and it is believed to include a number of factions with varying aims. Imitators and criminal gangs are also believed to have carried out violence under the guise of the group. — AFP

Muslims fear Serb win will complete genocide SREBRENICA: Muslims from Srebrenica, the site of Europe’s worst atrocity since World War II, fear a Bosnian Serb win in Sunday’s local polls would represent “the final step of a genocide”. Bosnian Serb forces summarily executed some 8,000 Muslim men and boys after they captured the eastern town in July 1995. Two international courts have ruled the massacre a genocide. For almost 17 years, Srebrenica Muslims who lived elsewhere after fleeing the 1992-95 Bosnian war were allowed to vote in local elections, ensuring the town had a Muslim mayor.

But this year, they have been stripped of that right after complex local voting laws were reformed, prompting fears that Serbs who have a slight majority in the town can now vote in their candidate. A Serb win “would be quite simply the final step of a genocide, an ethnic cleansing” of Srebrenica, warned Kada Hotic, member of an organisation of Srebrenica mothers who lost her husband and a son in the massacre. “Everything will be in danger, the existence of the Muslims who returned to Srebrenica, our memorial centre. We could even see a Serb mayor banning the yearly genocide commemoration,” she said, explaining it is the mayor who needs to clear permits for the event. The remaining Muslims were expelled and most of them never returned to Srebrenica, which is now in the Serb-dominated part of the Balkan country.

Returnee Hatidza Mehmedovic, who lost her husband and two sons in the genocide, said she feels the new rules unfairly reward Serb wartime brutality. “Serbs will never accept the truth of what happened here. They know very

well but their politics will not allow them to admit it,” she said from her house on the hills overlooking the town.

Srebrenica’s pre-war population was around 37,000 residents: 27,000 Muslims and 8,300 Serbs. Today the municipality, hard-hit by the economic crisis and with an unemployment rate of over 50 percent, has about 6,000 inhabitants. But thanks to several remaining loopholes, both camps have drummed up people to vote in Srebrenica, so some 14,000 voters divided almost equally among Muslims and Serbs are now registered. — AFP

PARIS: France’s President Francois Hollande (left) welcomes Yemen’s president Abed Rabbu Mansour Hadi to the Elysee Palace yesterday. — AP

International FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Nine children dead in China school landslide 800 residents evacuated

MANILA: Supporters of former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo hold candles during a rally outside the Veterans Memorial Medical Center where the former president is now under police custody yesterday. — AP

‘Distraught’ ex-Philippine president arrested MANILA: A “distraught” ex-Philippine president Gloria Arroyo was arrested at hospital yesterday after being charged over a third case of alleged corruption during her time in power, authorities said. An anti-graft court ordered her arrest after Arroyo was charged with plunder for allegedly stealing 366 million pesos ($8.8 million) in state lottery funds meant for charity programmes, and spending the money on election campaigns.

Police arrested Arroyo, 65, at a military hospital in Manila where she had checked in yesterday morning for treatment for a long-term spinal illness. “Gloria MacapagalArroyo is now under the custody and detention of the Philippine National Police,” Senior Superintendent Napoleon Coronel told reporters outside the hospital shortly after she was arrested.However Coronel said she would remain in hospital overnight, and the anti-graft court handling the case would determine later whether she could be moved. One of Arroyo’s lawyers, Anacleto Diaz, said she had reacted badly after being told on Wednesday night that she would be arrested again.

“She was not just disappointed, she was distraught. She was very sad,” Diaz told AFP, while insisting the case against her was very weak. Arroyo could face life in jail if found guilty of the plunder charge. Nine other lottery and government officials have also been charged over their alleged involvement. Arroyo ended her near-decade in power in 2010 as one of the country’s most unpopular presidents, amid allegations she had cheated to win elections, embraced feared warlords as allies and was involved in widespread corruption.

Rival Benigno Aquino won a landslide election victory in 2010, largely on a vow to fight corruption and prosecute Arroyo. Arroyo was initially charged in November last year with vote fraud for allegedly conspiring to rig the 2007 senatorial elections. Arroyo spent most of the next eight months in detention at the same military hospital where she was arrested yesterday. She eventually won bail in July, with a court saying the government’s case against her was weak.

In December last year, Arroyo was also charged with corruption for approving an allegedly graft-tainted contract with a Chinese telecom firm to set up a national government broadband system, Arroyo has pleaded not guilty to both those charges. Trials for those cases have begun but could go on for years. Arroyo is also a congresswoman, after winning a seat in parliament representing her political stronghold in 2010. She had registered on Wednesday to run again for parliament in next year’s elections. — AFP

BEIJING: Nine Chinese children were confirmed dead and nine classmates were missing yesterday after a landslide engulfed their school as they made up classes lost due to deadly earthquakes last month, state media said. A villager was also missing after the landslide buried the school and three farmhouses at Zhenhe village in the mountainous southwestern province of Yunnan, Xinhua news agency reported. The slide also blocked a nearby river, creating a lake and forcing the evacuation of more than 800 residents living downstream, the agency said. Almost 2,000 people had been mobilised to unblock the waterway and help in the rescue, it said, estimating the volume of earth at 160,000 cubic metres (208,000 cubic yards).

One person was seriouly injured by the mudslide, Xinhua reported. The students at the Youfang Primary School would not normally have been in school this week as China is on a weeklong national holiday. But officials said the children were making up for lost time caused by disruptions stemming from two September 7 earthquakes that struck Yiliang county where Zhenhe is located, killing 81 people and leaving hundreds injured.

Web users immediately raised questions about the decision to bring the children back to school. The safety of school pupils is a sensitive issue after thousands of students died when an 8.0-magnitude tremor in 2008 rocked Sichuan province in southwestern China and parts of neighbouring Shaanxi and Gansu. “Are the officials all on vacation? Why was there no alert?

Why were there students in school during the holidays?” a user of leading portal Sina.com’s popular micro-blogging service asked after the landslide.

Many schools collapsed in the 2008 quake, which killed more than 80,000 people in total. This led to accusations that corner-cutting in construction projects and possibly corruption led to shoddy buildings, especially as many

buildings near such schools held firm.

Images broadcast on state television showed rescue personnel picking through landslide debris. It said the landslide occurred after sustained rains in the area.

Many buildings in Yiliang county are located precariously at the foot of steep mountainsides. The landslide struck at 8:00 am (0000 GMT) as students were arriving for classes, reports said. “More than 30 students were supposed to attend classes today and there were 18 pupils at school before the class started this morning,” a local official who gave only his surname, Yang, told AFP by phone. “The school is just one single-storey teaching building.” Yiliang county was one of the areas worst-hit by the two 5.6-magni-

tude earthquakes last month. “Youfang is one of the schools that has resumed classes. I have no more details,” an official at the Yiliang Education Bureau who gave only his surname Zhang told AFP. An earlier statement by the bureau had encouraged all classes to resume by October 5. A family of three managed to escape before the landslide hit, Xinhua said, but gave no other details on them. Last month’s quakes left 820 people injured and 201,000 displaced. In the wake of that disaster, domestic media said authorities should emphasise safety and sustainability in future developments. Despite decades of rapidly improving living standards, China remains prone to natural disasters such as floods, quakes, and landslides, with heavy loss of life. — AFP

BEIJING: This picture shows visitors gathered on the Great Wall of China. Hundreds of millions of tourists crowded into scenery spots, resorts and other tourism destinations scattered across the country while millions of visitors arrived in the capital city over the National Day “Golden Week” holidays.— AFP

N Korea test-fires short-range missile SEOUL: North Korea test-fired one short-range missile off its west coast last week, a day after South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak held a top-level security meeting, a report said yesterday. The surfaceto-ship missile was fired into the Yellow Sea on September 27 and travelled an estimated 80-90 kilometres (50-55 miles), South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted a Seoul government source as saying. “The test-firing could be a part of the North’s routine efforts to improve their capabilities and

range, but there was an assessment that it could be a reaction to our government’s movement,” the source was quoted as saying.

On September 26 Lee and his top security officials urged North Korea to halt any attempt to sway South Korea’s presidential election in December. They reiterated their vow strongly to punish the North for any provocations. The North frequently conducts such shortrange tests but their timing sometimes coincides with periods of tension.

The South’s navy fired warning shots on September 21 to turn back North Korean fishing vessels that crossed the disputed Yellow Sea border, one of a series of such incursions. Pyongyang denounced the “shooting rampage” and threatened to respond with a “powerful strike of the (North’s) front units which know of no limit.”

South Koreans go to the polls on December 19, and there are fears Pyongyang may be looking to instigate a clash that would overshadow the election process. — AFP

International FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

2014 election will be on time: Karzai Karzai lashes out at foreign media for ‘doomsday’ reports

This picture shows French mountain guide from Chamonix, Remy Lecluse posing on February 3, 2009. The body of Lecluse was found yesterday.

He was reported missing after an avalanche struck the camp of a group of European adventurers on Nepal’s Manaslu mountain.— AFP

Afghan conflict feared as Taleban survive US surge KABUL: With the end of the US surge in Afghanistan, the Taleban have survived the biggest military onslaught the West will throw at them-and fears are growing that a disastrous new civil war looms. The last of the extra 33,000 soldiers President Barack Obama deployed nearly three years ago left late last month, and the remaining NATO force of some 112,000 will follow by the end of 2014. Although a small contingent of foreign troops may remain to conduct counter-terror operations, Western politicians stress that what Obama once called the “good war” will “end” in 2014. But while the unpopular conflict might end for NATO, some analysts predict a collapse of the Western-backed government and a civil war worse than that in the 1990s when Soviet troops withdrew after their own 10-year occupation. “I think it is only a matter of time before the government collapses. That is certain,” says Candace Rondeaux of the International Crisis Group. “What will come to dominate in Kabul in 2014, 2015 will be chaos and violence.

“And the fracturing that we saw in the 1990s will only be compounded by the fact that there are more weapons in the country and greater incentives now for a lot more brutality than we have seen before.” Afghan expert Gilles Dorronsoro of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace also predicts renewed strife, but goes further to foresee a Taleban return to power.

“After 2014, the level of US support for the Afghan regime will be limited and, after a new phase in the civil war, a Taleban victory will likely follow,” he wrote in a recent analysis. This contrasts sharply with forecasts by the NATO military and Western governments that Afghan forces will be able to defend the country after 2014. That claim is “completely unrealistic”, Rondeaux says, noting that the often illiterate and poorly trained troops “have no air resources, zero logistical supply capability and zero real cohesion”.

The Taleban have also proved adept at tactics: if they lost territory in the south, they assassinated key officials, staged highprofile attacks that humiliated their enemies and infiltrated the Afghan security forces. Last month, for example, they stormed onto one of the largest NATO bases in the country, destroying six fighter aircraft in the biggest single loss of air assets for the United States since the Vietnam War. One of the aims of the surge was to put so much pressure on the Taleban that they would come to the negotiating table, but the insurgents called off early contacts in March, accusing the United States of constantly changing its position. The New York Times reported this week that US generals and civilian officials have now all but written off the prospect of a Taleban peace deal.

Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul told Washington on Wednesday that the government would still work “vigorously” to seek peace with the Taleban , but the Islamists have always refused direct talks with what they call a “puppet” regime.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged after meeting Rassoul that the United States would stand by Afghanistan “despite the challenges”.— AFP

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai said yesterday that presidential elections would be held on time in 2014 and he would step aside as mandated, denying speculation that the exit of foreign troops and security problems would delay the poll. “The election will definitely happen.

Go on and choose your own favourite candidate. My term, if prolonged by even a day, will be seen as illegitimate,” Karzai told a press conference at his Kabul garden palace.

Karzai’s increasingly unpopular government has for months been considering a change in election timing to avoid overlapping with the drawdown of US-led NATO forces due to be completed by the end of 2014, when security is fully turned over to Afghan forces. Last month a newly formed “Cooperation Council” of around 20 political parties warned that any delay to the presidential poll would lead to a serious crisis.

Opposition parties also say they are worried Karzai could act outside the constitution on poll timing, or try to install an ally as his successor to maintain an influence on power. Karzai hit out at the foreign media for painting a “doomsday scenario” of Afghanistan after the NATO pullout, despite promises of ongoing international development aid and security assistance from Western military backers.

He said international media were conducting “psychological warfare” against the country’s international reputation. A German intelligence assessment of Afghanistan after 2014 seen by Germany’s Spiegel newspaper this week said it could take upwards of 35,000 foreign troops to stabilise the country after the NATO exit, including elite troops and advisers.

The US would provide most of those, the report said, while other NATO countries would be expected to provide around 10,000 soldiers. NATO forces in the country now number around 100,000. The World Bank, in its most recent assessment

of Afghanistan, said while the economy had expanded strongly in the past few years, bolstered by big aid flows helping real gross domestic product growth reach 8.4 percent in 2010/11, the NATO pullout was expected to cut that growth by about half. Donors meeting in Tokyo in July promised civilian aid worth $16 billion over the next four years, but tied that to a much stronger effort by Karzai to combat corruption that has seen millions of aid dollars stolen.

‘Bad mouthing must stop’ The president also fired a broadside at cabinet members and other senior officials whose families live abroad and who he said were bad-mouthing Afghanistan. “I have told many of them to bring their families back to Afghanistan because life and the environment is better and happier here,” he said. “Those whose families are

abroad and fuelling publicity about instability, I will fire them immediately.”

Karzai predicted the US-led war on militancy would “not be successful from Afghanistan’s view” because it was being fought in Afghan villages, rather than against insurgents sheltering in neighbouring countries, an allusion to Pakistan.

He said Kabul would only sign a cross-border security pact with Islamabad aimed at ironing out security differences when Afghans can be certain that “suicide bombers, terrorists, weapons and crossborder shelling” would stop. Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been strained in recent months over cross border shelling which Kabul blames on the Pakistan military. Islamabad says the shelling is in retaliation for anti-government attacks launched by insurgents operating from mountain havens on Afghan soil. —Reuters

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai (centre) arrives for a press conference at The Presidential Palace yesterday. —AFP

Taiwan’s jailed ex-leader is ‘severely’ depressed TAIPEI: Taiwan’s jailed ex-president Chen Shui-bian is suffering from “severe” depression and requires psychiatric treatment, a hospital said yesterday. Chen was convicted of bribery in 2009 and is serving a prison term of 17 years and six months, while facing several additional graft charges stemming from his time as president between 2000 and 2008.

The 61-year-old was treated in a hospital near his prison last month after he developed urinal problems and was later transferred to the Taipei Veterans General Hospital for a comprehensive check-up, authorities said.

“Chen is diagnosed with severe

depression and anxiety disorder, both of which have become chronic,” the hospital said in a statement without elaborating. It recommended further treatment at a specialised hospital.

Chen has also developed stuttering which might be linked to mental illness or a degeneration of his brain as well as problems with his prostate and sleep apnoea-a sleep disorder characterised by abnormal breathing — the hospital said.

The ex-leader sought medical parole earlier this year when he was diagnosed with a narrowing of his coronary arteries, but the justice ministry denied it on the ground that he

could get proper treatment in prison.

The ministry has so far only ever granted medical paroles to 22 inmates diagnosed with terminal diseases. Chen and family members have been accused in a complex network of cases of sending political donations and secret diplomatic funds abroad, laundering millions of dollars and taking kickbacks on government contracts. The ex-leader says that the legal action against him is a political vendetta carried out by the Beijing-friendly government in retaliation for his policies promoting Taiwan’s independence while in power. — AFP

International FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Chile, Dutch and others vie for nuclear treaty top job 150 states ratify pact to ban atom bomb tests

RIO DE JANEIRO: Supporters of Rio de Janeiro’s city councillor candidate, Maestro Reimont (teacher Reimont), wave flags at a square in Rio de Janeiro’s downtown.— AFP

Rio mayor favored to win re-election RIO DE JANEIRO: Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes is tipped to win reelection in Brazil’s upcoming municipal elections, which would keep him at the city’s helm during the 2016 summer Olympics.

The 42-year-old Rio native is credited with 55 percent support in the latest survey by the DataFolha institute. His main challenger in Sunday’s first-round nationwide balloting, ultra-leftist and human rights activist Marcelo Freixo, trails with 19 percent, followed by three other candidates.

“To be Rio mayor is the best thing in the world, especially when you are in charge of an Olympic city... I love running this wonderful city,” Paes told AFP last week as he toured a “school of the future” at the foot of the Rocinha hilltop shantytown. The innovative facility aims to reduce school truancy in high-risk areas. During Paes’ first year in office in 2009, Rio was picked as Olympic City over strong rivals such as Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid.

According to the daily O Globo, the incumbent mayor, who entered politics at the age of 23, lived up to 67 percent of his campaign promises. He has been campaigning on the themes of education and health in a city where one third of the six-million population lives in the poor neighborhoods known as favelas.

Like Rio state governor Sergio Cabral, Paes is a member of the centrist PMDB party and also has the support of the leftist Workers Party (PT) of President Dilma Rousseff, who enjoys record popularity. The mayor can also count on massive backing from voters in the favelas. Ahead of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 summer Olympics, authorities have since 2008 launched a drive to wrest control of these impoverished areas which had been under the control of rival drug gangs for three decades.

Some 150 of Rio’s 750 shantytowns have been brought under police and army control, with residents now able to move about freely. Since Monday, 3,000 troops have been deployed to boost security during the polls in favelas still under the sway of narcotraffickers.

The 2016 Olympics have also spurred huge infrastructure projects, such as construction of expressways linking the poor northern zone to the wealthy southern area. Paes is also credited with revitalizing the port area and setting up family clinics serving more than two million low-income people. But his opponents blamed him for the real estate speculation and the fact that the urban sprawl is not benefiting the underprivileged and is resulting in skyrocketing property prices. —AFP

Second gator found in NY supermarket BALDWIN: An alligator has been found in a supermarket parking lot on New York’s Long Island, just a day after another gator was discovered in the same lot. A 3-to-4foot-long alligator was discovered in the Pathmark parking lot Wednesday afternoon. On Tuesday, a 2-to-3-foot gator was found there. The reptiles were captured and turned over to the Nassau County Emergency Services Unit. They will be sent to a reptile sanctuary in Florida.

WCBS-Radio reports that authorities believe that someone dumped them there. It was the third gator sighting on Long Island in less than a week. Last Friday, an alligator was found crawling on the front lawn of a Mastic beach home. — AP

VIENNA: Chile, the Philippines and the Netherlands are among countries lobbying for their candidates to head an international body set up to monitor a planned global ban on nuclear weapon tests, diplomats said yesterday. Senior officials from Burkina Faso and Mongolia are also seeking the job as executive secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) in a vote expected later this month. “It is quite open. There are five good candidates” with nuclear and disarmament experience, one European diplomat said about the campaign to succeed Tibor Toth, an Hungarian who now holds the post. Another envoy in Vienna predicted a close race.

The successful candidate will take over at a potentially important time for the future of the treaty, with proponents hoping the United States will finally ratify it and give it a much-needed momentum towards becoming international law. It is one of eight countries - together with China, India, Pakistan, Israel, Iran, North Korea and Egypt - whose approval is needed for the pact that was negotiated in the 1990s and has so far been ratified by 157 states to take effect.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last

week called on them to ratify it, saying they were “failing to live up to your responsibility” as a member of the international community. “There is a direct link between ending nuclear testing and eradicating nuclear weapons,” he said. The United States and China are two of the world’s five officially recognised nuclear weapons states, together with Britain, Russia and France.

Nuclear tests India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel are also outside the separate nuclear NonProliferation Treaty, the 1970 pact to prevent the spread of nuclear arms. Iran is part of the NPT but the West accuses it of seeking to develop a capability to build atomic bombs. Tehran denies the charge.

Proponents say US ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), rejected by lawmakers in 1999, could encourage others to follow.

The administration of US President Barack Obama - who seeks a second term next month - said last year it was preparing a push for approval, arguing the country no longer needs to conduct atom tests but does need to stop others from doing so. More than 2,000 nuclear tests were carried out between 1945 and 1996, when

the CTBT opened for signature, most of them by the United States and the then Soviet Union.

Since then, only India, Pakistan and North Korea have conducted such blasts, supporting the view by its supporters that the treaty has already had a major impact.

At the time of the US Senate vote on the CTBT 13 years ago, opponents argued that a permanent end to testing could erode the reliability of the US nuclear arsenal.

The United States last carried out a nuclear test two decades ago. The Arms Control Association, a Washington-based research and advocacy group, said nuclear testing was a “dangerous and unnecessary vestige” of the Cold War. But, “without positive action on the CTBT, however, the risk that one or more states could resume nuclear testing will only grow”, it added.

The CTBTO has a verification regime to detect any nuclear blasts, including more than 280 monitoring facilities across the globe - a system that helped track radioactive particles from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011. His successor is due to be picked at an Oct. 22-23 meeting in Vienna of the more than 180 states which have signed the CTBT. In the absence of a consensus, a vote will take place. — Reuters

Troubled Calif nuke plant aims to restart reactor LOS ANGELES: The operator of California’s troubled San Onofre nuclear power plant yesterday proposed to restart one of its twin reactors, more than eight months after the seaside facility was shut down following a break in a tube carrying radioactive water. A plan to return even one reactor to service is a milestone for Southern California Edison, coming three months after federal regulators found that a botched computer analysis eventually led to excessive wear to hundreds of tubes inside the plant’s steam generators. Edison said in a statement that it has filed the proposal with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which is expected to take months to review the details. The NRC has said there is no timetable to restart the plant.

Edison President Ron Litzinger said in a statement that the company, working with industry experts, had performed more than 170,000 inspections to unravel the problem with tube wear and outline steps to fix it. “We have concluded that Unit 2 at San Onofre can be operated safely,” he said. “This plan will get San Onofre Unit 2 back to providing reliable and clean energy to Southern Californians.” Edison said it will operate Unit 2 at 70 percent power, which will prevent tube vibration. The company said it will shut down the reactor after five months for inspections.

The announcement is certain to cause fierce blowback from environmental groups and activists that have argued the plant is too damaged to be restarted safely. About 7.4 million Californians live within 50 miles of San Onofre, which can

power 1.4 million homes. In a March letter, federal regulators outlined a series of benchmarks Edison must reach to restart the plant, including determining the cause of vibration and friction that damaged tubes, how it would be fixed and then monitored during operation.

The trouble began Jan. 31, when the Unit 3 reactor was shut down as a precaution after a tube break. Traces of radiation escaped at the time, but officials said there was no danger to workers or neighbors. Unit 2 had been taken offline earlier that month for maintenance, but investigators later found unexpected wear on

scores of tubes inside both units. Edison has been trying for months to determine how to correct the problem, while environmental activists have depicted the plant as a disaster-in-the-making.

Overall, investigators found wear from friction and vibration in 15,000 places, in varying degrees, in 3,401 tubes inside the four generators. In about 280 spots - virtually all in the Unit 3 reactor - more than 50 percent of the tube wall was worn away. As far back as early May, Edison officials talked optimistically about restarting Unit 2, where tube damage has been less extensive.— AP

SAN ONOFRE: This photo shows the San Onofre nuclear power plant along Pacific Ocean coastline in San Onofre, Calif. — AP

International FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Argentine coast guard, police strike over wages Massive protests against govt economic policy

MOSCOW: The complex of offices of Apex System LLC (“Apex”) is seen yesterday. — AP

‘Russian agent’ set for court HOUSTON: The allegations that a naturalized US citizen obtained military technology for Russia through his Texas export firm have the makings of a 1980s spy film. Prosecutors say Alexander Fishenko and others sold cutting-edge microelectronics that could be used in Russian weapons systems, exchanged communications with Russian intelligence and tried to hide documents when they suspected authorities were onto them. “(If) you are making it up, make it up pretty, correctly, and make sure it looks good,” Fishenko allegedly wrote in one message to someone falsifying information.

Fishenko and six others charged in the alleged scheme are expected to appear Thursday morning in Houston federal court.

An indictment unsealed Wednesday accuses Fishenko of scheming to purposely evade strict export controls for cutting-edge microelectronics. It also charges Fishenko with money laundering and operating inside the United States as an unregistered agent of the Russian government. Fishenko was born in the former Soviet Union in what is now Kazakhstan and owns Houstonbased Arc Electronics Inc. He and seven others were in custody following raids there by the FBI. The name of Fishenko’s attorney was not immediately available. His wife, Viktoria, who was identified as a co-owner of her husband’s business but not charged, declined to comment Wednesday. “I will speak when I know what’s going on,” she said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry in a statement noted that the defendants had not been charged with espionage. Officials said diplomats have met with one of the detained suspects. Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich lamented the fact that the United States failed to inform the Russian authorities of the impending arrests.

The indictment alleges that since October 2008, the 46-yearold Fishenko and his co-defendants “engaged in a surreptitious and systematic conspiracy” to obtain the highly regulated technology from US makers and export them to Russia. US authorities say the microelectronics could have a wide range of military uses, including radar and surveillance systems, weapons guidance systems and detonation triggers. They also say the charges come amid a modernization campaign by Russian military officials hungry for the restricted, American-made components.

“The defendants tried to take advantage of America’s free markets to steal American technologies for the Russian government,” Loretta Lynch, US attorney in Brooklyn, said in a statement. Stephen L Morris, head of the FBI office in Houston, called the charges an example of how some countries have sought to bypass export safeguards “to improve their defense capabilities and to modernize weapons systems at the expense of US taxpayers.” According to court papers, Fishenko was born in the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan and graduated from a technical institute in St Petersburg before coming to America in 1994. He holds US and Russian passports and has frequently traveled overseas to do business, making tens of millions of dollars on exports, authorities said. An analysis of Arc’s accounting records showed a “striking similarity between fluctuations in Arc’s gross revenues and the Russian Federation’s defense spending over the last several years,” the court papers say.—AP

BUENOS AIRES: Argentina’s coast guard and military police held unprecedented wage protests on Wednesday, prompting the government to fire the heads of both services while Congress called for an orderly resolution of the dispute. Strikes over wages are common in Argentina, where inflation is running at more than 20 percent annually, according to private economists. But this was the first time in memory that uniformed Argentine military forces have taken to the streets over wages. “We support democracy. This is not a political uprising. It’s nothing strange,” military police officer Fernando Parodi shouted into a bullhorn at a rally in front of military police headquarters in Buenos Aires, where hundreds of olive-green clad officers chanted slogans in solidarity.

“We are workers, like any others, who need to support our families,” Parodi said.

The top leaders of Argentina’s military police and coast guard were replaced by the government earlier in the day. The protests started on Tuesday when officers demonstrated against an administrative measure that cut some of their pay checks by up to 70 percent. The strike soon morphed into a demand for higher wages generally.

The government promised to revise the administrative measure that sparked the protest. Cabinet Chief Juan Manuel Abal Medina said violence would not be tolerated and Congress issued a statement calling on the striking officers to conduct the protests “within the confines of democracy.” Striking officers assured the country that basic coast guard and military

police duties, particularly at border crossings, continued to be carried out despite the protests.

Inflation up, popularity down President Christina Fernandez’s popularity sank to 24.3 percent in September from 30 percent in August. A year ago, just before winning her second term, she had 64.1 percent popularity while campaigning on a promise to expand on the policy model of her late husband and predecessor, Nestor Kirchner, who increased the government’s role in the economy. After winning re-election in October, Fernandez imposed new currency controls to stem capital flight and the investment climate

also took a hit when her government seized a majority stake in the country’s No. 1 energy company YPF. With the economy of the grains-exporting country hampered by fallout from Europe’s debt crisis, slow demand from key trade partner Brazil and low soy output caused by a December-January drought, Argentines are increasingly worried about inflation. So disputes over wages are likely to continue. Tens of thousands from all walks of life rallied in major cities last month to protest policies such as the de facto ban on buying foreign currency and a possible bid to overhaul the constitution so Fernandez can run for a third term. — Reuters

BUENOS AIRES: Argentina’s Gendarmerie members participate in a protest outside their headquarters at the Sentinel Building in Buenos Aires on October 3, 2012. —AFP

Katrina victims take on hurricane tour operators NEW ORLEANS: Some New Orleans residents and city officials are pushing back against tour operators who bus out-oftowners into the city’s Lower 9th Ward, where Hurricane Katrina unleashed a wall of water that pushed homes off foundations and stranded residents on rooftops when the levees failed. About 9 million people visit New Orleans each year, mostly to see its stately homes along oak-lined avenues, dine at its renowned restaurants and take in the jazz and ribaldry of Bourbon Street. But Katrina’s devastation in August 2005 unleashed an unexpected cottage tourism industry, drawing a daily parade of rubbernecking tourists for a close-up look at the city’s hard-hit Lower 9th Ward.

Worried that a flood of tour buses and vans would interfere with clean-up efforts, the City Council approved an ordinance in 2006 banning them from crossing the prominent Industrial Canal entering the neighborhood that received Katrina’s fury.

Now, tour operators are crying foul, claiming the ordinance had been thinly enforced until recently. They say a business that is bringing them and the city tourist dollars is being hurt.

“I can’t afford to keep paying tickets,” said David Lee Ducote, owner of Southern

Style Tours. As the Lower 9th Ward slowly rebuilds - vacant lots still attest to where homes once stood - visitor interest has also been piqued by housing built by actor Brad Pitt and his Make It Right foundation.

City Councilman Ernest Charbonnet, who represents the neighborhood, says residents complain the tour vehicles are blocking streets and damaging the roads. They also are weary of being gawked at.

Charbonnet said city officials didn’t enforce the ordinance unless someone filed a formal complaint, an infrequent occurrence as a daily parade of buses, vans and shuttles packed with camera-wielding tourists trouped by the Pitt houses and the home of rock ‘n roll star Fats Domino. That changed in recent weeks when complaints prompted officials to stop and fine operators. “We’re fed up and tired of them coming through the neighborhood like we’re some sideshow,” said Vanessa Gueringer, a lifelong Lower 9th Ward resident. “After all the suffering we have been through, we deserve more respect than this,” she said.

“We don’t need those big buses coming through here tearing it up.” Lynn Wolken, a veteran guide who belongs to the Tour Guides Association of Greater New Orleans, said many fellow guides weren’t aware of the ordinance or knew it existed but wasn’t

being enforced.

Yet she said no warning had been issued from the city’s Taxicab Bureau, which regulates tour companies. “A warning would have been nice,” she said. She noted that about 30 companies ply the neighborhood, charging tourists about $25 apiece. Charbonnet said he believes there’s room for compromise. He plans to gather tour guides and residents together today to begin discussing possible changes to the ordinance, proposals such as limiting bus sizes and requiring a single route to protect streets and the privacy of the residents. “I feel confident that we will come up with a plan that will work for everybody,” he said.

For now, many tour companies have halted tours of the neighborhood. Ducote said his company still takes visitors elsewhere in the rebuilding city, including to the Musicians Village, a post-Katrina effort launched near the Lower 9th Ward by entertainers Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis. Meanwhile, not all Lower 9th residents oppose the tour buses. Some, like Sidney Williams, say they enjoy waving to tourists and selling homemade treats such as pralines, a popular New Orleans candy, as the buses wend through the neighborhood. — AP

Business FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

US unemployment aid applications up to 367K

Facebook reaches 1bn monthly active users PAGE 20

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DOHA: A dhow is moored off the Qatari capital Doha yesterday. Formerly a British protectorate, Qatar has been ruled as a unicameral federal republic by the Al-Thani family since the mid-19th century. Previously noted for pearling, today it has become one of the region’s wealthiest states due to its enormous oil and natural gas revenues. — AFP

Afghanistan imposes currency curbs Uneasy calm in Tehran after rial protests TEHRAN: Calm returned to central Tehran yesterday, a day after it was rocked by protests over Iran’s plunging currency, but money-changers and many shops were closed, witnesses told AFP. Much of the Grand Bazaar-the normally bustling commercial heart of the city-was shuttered inside, but streetside shops were open.

The inside of the historic maze was eerily quiet on what should be a very crowded day for Tehranis, whose weekend falls on Thursday and Friday. In the nearby traditional money-changing district, police were stationed in large numbers outside closed exchange bureaux. On Wednesday, hundreds of police and security personnel flooded central Tehran, closing the exchanges and arresting unlicensed money changers. Scuffles broke out with stone-throwing men, and trash dumpsters were set alight. The police action was part of efforts by authorities to halt the dive of the rial, which is at an all-time low against the dollar. The rate of the rial against the dollar and other foreign currencies has been censored from exchange tracking websites in Iran. In the past week it has shed around 40 percent of its value, sharply accelerating its slide this year as Western sanctions worsen Iran’s underlying economic problems.

It has started to become difficult for ordinary Iranians to afford staples, and import businesses have lost millions of dollars in a few days.

Wednesday’s protests in Tehran were the first sign of public discontent. Individual shopkeepers in the Bazaar said they had closed their stores because

they were unable to do any profitable business.

Police responded by warning they faced prosecution if they did not re-open. But yesterday around three-quarters of the Bazaar’s shops remained closed. One clothing vendor who was open for business yesterday said, on condition of anonymity: “I should be closed but I need whatever customers I can get. Maybe I’ll close later on. The foreign exchange situation can’t go on like this.” He blamed the rial’s fall mostly on the sanctions. “America wants us to bend but we have our pride,” he said.

Bazaar retail and production guilds said in a statement published by Mehr news agency that all the Bazaar will open on Saturday “with the presence of security forces.”

They also took aim at Iran’s government, which they said “inflicted damages on the nation’s economy by taking wrong decisions.” The separate Bazaar and Trades Islamic Society sought to distance shopkeepers from any repercussions by blaming Wednesday’s closure on a plot by “hypocrites”-Iran’s word for the exiled dissident group the People’s Mujahedeen of Iran-and on “elements linked to the enemies of Islam.”

It said that “despite criticism it has of the government’s economic polices and the president, (it) will stand to the death to defend the regime and the country.” The crisis has fuelled intense factional in-fighting in Iran, with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad deflecting blame onto the sanctions and hardline rival camps. On Tuesday he called the currency crisis a “psychological war on the

exchange market” imposed by the West.

His detractors in return pointed fingers at Iran’s monetary policies, which discourage bank deposits and fail to reverse sky-high inflation and unemployment. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday added to the internecine struggle, say-

ing “the Iranian government deserves responsibility for what is going on inside Iran.” She added: “Of course the sanctions have had an impact as well but those could be remedied... if the Iranian government were willing to work with the... international community in a sincere manner.” —Agencies

Market reforms help Dubai hit 5-mth high MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS DUBAI: Dubai’s index hit a fresh five-month high yesterday after the market regulator announced reforms aimed at boosting liquidity. Other Gulf markets were mixed, with some investors taking positions ahead of third-quarter earnings while others preferred to cut risk on the final day’s trading before the weekend.

Late Wednesday, the United Arab Emirates’ regulator said it had approved rules to allow lending and borrowing of securities, short selling and the introduction of market makers.

Bourse turnover slumped to seven-year lows in 2011 and many UAE brokerages have closed or cut staff, with trading levels now a fraction of the previous decade’s highs. “These reforms have been long-awaited and should increase liquidity in the medium term,” said Kanaga Sunder,

Gulf Baader Capital Markets head of research in Muscat.

Kuwait’s measure rose 0.3 percent, taking its gains to 5.6 percent since August’s eight-year low. “Kuwait has picked up a little bit over the last few weeks - there’s positive chatter that the government could be more active going forward in terms of spending, which has been the main trigger for the market,” said Shahid Hameed, Global Investment House head of asset management for the Gulf region. “Kuwait also lagged other Gulf markets, so there’s a catch-up play too - bellwether stocks such as Zain and Kuwait Finance House (KFH) have done well.”

Zain and KFH reversed early-session losses to end flat and have each made double-digit gains in the past month. —Reuters

Business FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

ECB leaves interest rate steady FRANKFURT: The European Central Bank has left its key interest rate unchanged at a record low of 0.75 percent, holding off on providing further stimulus to the lagging economies of the 17 countries that use the euro currency. The bank’s governing council made the decision yesterday at a meeting in Brdo Pri Kranju, Slovenia.

A rate cut could in theory provide a boost for the euro-zone’s economy. But rates are already low, and bank officials have questioned how much a further cut would help right now. Additionally, inflation has remained stubbornly above the bank’s goal of just under 2 percent, coming in at an annual 2.7 percent in September due to oil prices and higher taxes in some countries.

That is also grounds for caution in cutting rates further, since low rates can sometimes worsen inflation. The Bank of England also kept its key inter-

est rate unchanged at a record low 0.5 percent. Markets across Europe were broadly unchanged following the rate decision with the Stoxx 50 index of leading European shares rising one point following the announcement to 2,543. The euro was also steady against the dollar at $1.2952. Attention was expected to shift to the ECB President Mario Draghi’s news conference. The bank has already taken steps to bolster the euro-zone during its crisis over too much government debt. At last month’s meeting, it said it could buy unlimited amounts of short-term bonds issued by countries with heavy debts - such as Spain and Italy - so long as they took steps to reduce their deficits. Such bond purchases would lower the interest rates countries pay when they sell new bonds - which they must constantly do in order to pay off old bonds. The lower rates would save

governments money and help convince bond investors they will be able to keep paying off their debt. So far the other euro-zone countries have had to bail out three small countries - Greece, Ireland and Portugal - with rescue loans along with the International Monetary Fund. Leaders are now trying to support Spain and Italy, which are much larger. A full scale bailout for both would stretch the resources of the other countries.

At his news conference, Draghi was expected to underline that Spain needs to agree to strict conditions before it can get that help. The ECB has stressed that countries must first apply for financial help from the euro-zone bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism, and agree to a list of steps to reduce their deficits. Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has held off applying, apparently concerned that

surrendering that much authority over his country’s finances would be politically unpopular. Rajoy’s delay has started to unnerve financial markets that relaxed after the ECB announced the bond purchase plans. Interest rates on short-term Spanish debt have risen.

Draghi will also be questioned about his outlook for the euro-zone’s troubled economy. Lack of growth is a key obstacle to efforts to end the debt crisis because growth makes a country’s debt burden smaller relative to the size of the overall economy. The eurozone shrank 0.2 percent in the second quarter and is in danger of shrinking again in the third quarter. A recession is typically defined as two straight quarters of economic contraction.

Unemployment is at 11.4 percent, the highest since the shared euro currency was introduced by the European Union in 1999. — AP

US unemployment aid applications up to 367K Retail sales slowed in September

JAKARTA: An Indonesian woman checks footwear on display at a shop in Jakarta yesterday. Inflation in Indonesia eased to 4.31 percent in September as food prices fell after Eid-Al Fitr celebrations, the Central Statistics Agency said on October 1. Month-on-month inflation was recorded at 0.01 percent, from 0.95 percent in August. — AFP

WASHINGTON: The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose to a seasonally adjusted 367,000 last week, a level consistent with only modest hiring. The Labor Department says weekly applications increased by 4,000 from the previous week’s level of 363,000, which was revised higher from an initial 359,000.

The four-week average, a less volatile measure, was unchanged last week at 375,000.

Unemployment benefit applications are a measure of the pace of layoffs.

When they consistently fall below 375,000, it typically indicates that hiring is strong enough to lower the unemployment rate. Applications have mostly stayed near or above that level since the spring, coinciding with a weak stretch of hiring. Today, the government will release its report on September unemployment.

Monthly sales reports from major retailers are showing that Americans slowed down their spending in September as they took a pause after wrapping up their back-to-school buy-

Mubadala swings to profit on smaller write-downs ABU DHABI: Mubadala Development , the Abu Dhabi investment fund with a mandate to boost the emirate’s local economy, swung to a profit in the first half driven by a drop in investment write-downs and higher revenues at its key businesses.

Mubadala, which has stakes in General Electric and private equity firm Carlyle, made a profit of 851.54 million dirhams ($232.02 million) for the first half compared with a loss of 1.18 billion dirhams a year ago, it said in a statement yesterday.

Unlike other regional sovereign wealth funds like Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) or Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), Mubadala’s main goal is to engage in investments which enhance the local economy, a theme which has gained greater consensus since the wake of the Arab spring. The fund has interests in semiconductors, oil and gas, aerospace and real estate among others. Unlisted Mubadala, which earlier in the year bought a $2 billion stake in Brazil’s EBX Group, saw its revenues rise by 18 percent to 16 billion dirhams from 13.5 billion dirhams in the year-ago period, it said in a statement yes-

terday. Results were also boosted by a drop in losses on financial investments which fell to 771.6 million dirhams from 929.3 million dirhams in the year-ago.

Impairments on property, plant and equipments was negligible at 9.4 million dirhams against a figure of 353.8 million dirhams for the year-ago period. —Reuters

KABUL: An Afghan potter makes clay bowls in his house in Mihtarlam, the capital of Laghman province east of Kabul yesterday. Afghanistan, despite having experienced progress in its economy in the past few years, still remains extremely poor, landlocked, and highly dependent on foreign aid. — AFP

ing. As retailers announced their monthly results yesterday, Limited Brands Inc. and Costco Corp. reported sales gains that beat analysts’ expectations. Target Corp and Macy’s Inc. posted sales increases that were below what analysts had projected.

Teen accessories retailer The Buckle reported a surprise sales decline. The figures are based on revenue at stores opened at least a year and are considered a key indicator of a retailer’s health because it excludes results from stores recently opened or closed. — AP

Oman to build $400m desalination plants MUSCAT: Oman plans to build three desalination plants at a cost of about $400 million to meet the desert country’s growing demand for water, a government official said yesterday. The three plants will be built in Duqm, Sur and Sohar, an official close to the project told Reuters, estimating Oman’s water consumption is rising 5 percent annually.

“The desalination plants will meet the growing population and project development requirements,” said the official, who declined to be identified because he is not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

“We expect the three projects to be built at a total cost of $400 million.” Oman’s daily demand for water is expected to grow by around 29 percent to 269 million cubic metres by 2018, according to a report from state-owned Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP).

Oman is turning Duqm, a sleepy fishing village in the central part of the country, into an industrial city and is building a port, airport and petrochemical projects, including a 230,000 barrels-per-day refinery.

Sohar, in the north-west, is already home to a port, refinery, aluminum smelter and an iron palletizing plant, with the city’s airport due to be completed in 2014. The government has increased spending by an average of 7 percent a year since 2008, of which roughly 40 percent is used to fund development projects. Oman’s population of roughly 3 million people, including expatriates, is growing at about 3 percent per year, according to official data. — Reuters

Business FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Oil rallies to $109 as risk appetite returns LONDON: Brent crude oil rose towards $109 per barrel yesterday as expectations Spain would seek a bailout and better US data encouraged investors back into riskier assets such as oil and commodities.

Stock markets and the euro rallied yesterday ahead of a European Central Bank policy meeting which is likely to keep rates unchanged and US jobs figures that were expected to show the world’s biggest economy recovering slowly. The euro rose to a two-week high against the yen, gold gained for a fourth day and copper rallied in what traders described as a general return to risk appetite.

Brent crude for November was up 70 cents per barrel at $108.87 by 0830 GMT. The contract fell to an intra-day floor of $107.67 on Wednesday, the lowest since Sept. 20.

US light crude oil for November rose 50 cents to $88.64 a barrel, after dropping to its lowest since Aug. 3 in the previous session. On Wednesday, Brent dropped 3 percent and US crude lost 4 percent as fears a delayed recovery in China and recession in the eurozone would limit energy demand.

“There was no really convincing explanation for the fall in price yesterday,” said Carsten Fritsch, analyst at Commerzbank. “We are seeing a counter-movement, a slight counter-movement, after the exaggerated decline in price.” Even as economic worries in Europe and China keep investors jittery, data from the US is offering hope, with private employers adding more jobs than expected in September and new orders helping a pick-up in the service sector.

This data preceded widely followed jobs numbers from the US Labor Department on Friday, which are expected to show a slight improvement from the previous month. Employers are expected to have added 113,000 jobs to their payrolls, an increase from 96,000 in August, with the unemployment rate edging up by a tenth of a percentage point to 8.2 percent, according to a Reuters survey. — Reuters

EADS boss mulls job guarantees after BAE merger BERLIN: The head of European aerospace giant EADS yesterday said he was prepared to discuss job guarantees if a controversial merger with British defense group BAE Systems got the green light.

“I am so convinced of the merits of our project that I am prepared to talk about attractive job and headquarters guarantees that I could not consider for EADS (on its own),” Tom Enders told the mass circulation Bild newspaper in an interview. “The merger of the two companies offers the best opportunities for German sites and jobs in the medium and long term,” Enders said.

EADS and BAE Systems announced plans on September 12 to create a $45-billion (35-billion-euro) giant to rival Boeing of the United States. The companies have until October 10 to make a formal statement to the authorities to say that the deal is going ahead, being abandoned, or to request a delay. But Berlin, Paris and London-which has a “golden share” in BAE Systems each has a veto right on the merger negotiations and the merger has run up against objections in all three countries. According to a report in French daily Le Figaro on Tuesday, Berlin wants greater representation in the new firm, such as “for example the number of German administrators”. “We are offering France, Germany and Britain the same rights for the new company: above all a veto right against hostile takeovers.

The governments don’t need to pay a cent for this and can secure their interests,” said Enders. — AFP

MUMBAI: Indians watch a screen on the facade of the Bombay Stock Exchange, in Mumbai yesterday. BSE’s benchmark Sensex index rose to a 15-month high yesterday. — AP

India’s PM forging ahead with reforms Govt to approve new measures NEW DELHI: India’s embattled Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pushed ahead yesterday with his make-or-break reform agenda as the government prepared to approve the latest batch of measures to open up the economy. Despite fierce resistance from opposition parties who are threatening to bring down the coalition in the next parliamentary session, Singh has signalled he is intent on more moves aimed at reviving economic sentiment.

At a cabinet meeting later Thursday, the greenlight will be given for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the insurance and pensions sectors following similar moves for the aviation, broadcasting and retail industries last month. “Measures like opening the pension sector to foreign investment and raising the FDI cap in insurance to 49 percent will be announced,” a finance ministry official told AFP on Wednesday on condition of anonymity. Singh and his reformist new finance minister, P. Chidambaram, have stressed the need to encourage foreign and domestic investment to get India’s economy moving again after a slump in GDP growth and worries about the budget deficit.

“The government has to take a number of decisions. As we take these decisions it will be clear that we are on the reform path and we

will continue on that path,” Chidambaram told the BBC in an interview broadcast on Wednesday. “I think we will return to 9.0 percent growth once we address certain fundamental constraints.”

Other measures to be announced after the cabinet meeting at 04:30 pm (1100 GMT) include the setting up of a national investment board. In early afternoon trading on the Bombay Stock Exchange, stocks were at a 15-month high, up 1.06 percent at 19,069.56 points, while the rupee strengthened to its strongest in five-and-a-half months at $51.79.

Singh, as well as his political boss Sonia Gandhi, the head of the ruling Congress party, face a broad coalition of opposing forces from political parties hostile to foreign companies to trade unions worried about job losses. Furthermore, the ruling coalition dominated by the left-leaning Congress is now a minority in parliament, having lost an ally who quit over the sensitive issue of allowing foreign supermarkets into the retail sector. The proposed foreign direct investment changes-raising the cap to 49 percent in insurance and allowing foreign ownership of up to 26 percent in pensions companies-must be approved by parliament. —AFP

Kingfisher set to stay grounded as talks fail

MUMBAI: An Indian passenger enquires at the Kingfisher Airlines booking counter in the domestic terminal in Mumbai. — AFP

NEW DELHI: India’s ailing Kingfisher Airlines looked set to remain grounded after striking employees refused Thursday to return to work without payment of salaries, sending the carrier’s shares nosediving further. Flights at cash-strapped Kingfisher, once one of the country’s leading airlines, have been cancelled for four days as the company tries to persuade employees who have been unpaid for seven months to go back to their jobs.

Talks in New Delhi between chief executive Sanjay Agarwal and pilots and engineers ended in failure as “there was no commitment made by management regarding payment of overdue salaries”, a statement by the workers said.

Discussions on Wednesday between the airline and employees in Mumbai also ended in failure. “The employees demanded payment of long-pending salaries prior to resuming operations. All employees expressed their keenness to resume work provided their dues are cleared expeditiously,” the employees’ statement said.

The failure by the company, headed by flamboyant Indian liquor baron Vijay Mallya, to pay wages has deepened uncertainty about the debt-laden airline’s future. The airline had offered the workers one month’s pay and said they would get the remaining six months’ salary once the airline was recapitalized, but the employees rejected the offer. Shares in the Bangalore-headquartered airline slid for a fourth straight trading day, tumbling 4.79 percent-close to their daily five percent limit to 13.9 rupees on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

The airline said a minority group of “recalcitrant employees” had forced a “complete paralysis” of operations. But it appeared increasingly uncertain when Kingfisher would return to the skies.—AFP

Business FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Food prices rise, close to crisis levels: FAO Global cereals output forecast lowered ROME: World food prices rose in September and are seen remaining close to levels reached during the 2008 food crisis, the United Nations’ food agency said yesterday, while cutting its forecast for global cereal output.

The worst drought in more than 50 years in the United States sent corn and soybean prices to record highs over the summer, and, coupled with drought in Russia and other Black Sea exporting countries, raised fears of a renewed crisis. Grains prices have retreated in recent weeks due to rapid harvest progress and concerns about weak demand in a slowing global economy.

But the FAO Food Price Index, which measures monthly price changes for a food basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy, meat and sugar, rose to an average of 216 points in September after remaining stable at 213 points in August, the FAO said in its monthly update.

The rise reflected mainly higher dairy and meat prices,

with more contained increases for cereals, it said. “Prices are remaining high... prices are sustained, it’s highly unlikely we will see a normalization of prices anytime soon,” FAO senior economist Abdolreza Abbassian told Reuters in a telephone interview.

He added however that it was not clear whether the small increase in September meant prices were now on an upward trend, but he expected volatility in markets could intensify in coming months.

FAO’s index is below a peak of 238 points hit in February 2011, when high food prices helped drive the Arab Spring uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, but current levels are very close to those seen in 2008 which sparked riots in poor countries. The Rome-based agency said it had cut its 2012 world cereals output forecast by 0.4 percent to 2.286 billion tons from a previous estimate of 2.295 billion tons, mainly due to a smaller

maize crop in central and southeastern parts of Europe, where yields have been hit by prolonged dry conditions.

Despite the rise in food prices, the United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome released a statement yesterday saying it had agreed with other countries that a meeting of the emergency Rapid Response Forum under the G20 agriculture body AMIS was not necessary at the moment.

“Agricultural commodity markets are functioning,” the mission said. Abbassian said a ministerial meeting that goes beyond the G20 to discuss food prices was still planned for Oct 16. French President Francois Hollande has launched a global campaign to win support for strategic stocks of agricultural commodities, but EU development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said this week that was not the best way to tame food prices, advising a focus on agricultural investment to boost production. — Reuters

Facebook reaches 1bn monthly active users Users rise over 50m users since June

ATHENS: A woman stands in front of graffiti in Athens yesterday. The planned adoption of the new austerity measures has led to an increase in social tensions, but the EU and the IMF have made continuing financial aid conditional on them. — AFP

Business spooked by UK tax avoidance clampdown LONDON: The activists who have protested in recent months at the tax arrangements of some leading British companies are united with many politicians in wanting to cut corporate tax avoidance. On how best to do that, there’s less agreement. When the government first came out with plans to clamp down with a so-called General AntiAvoidance Rule (GAAR), UK companies were publicly positive, seeing the measure as helping tackle public resentment at corporate behavior as well as creating a more level playing field between companies themselves.

That view changed when proposals over the summer indicated the rule would be tighter than first stated. Now the government faces opposition from companies, raising the political temperature over the issue and potentially giving the measure a rockier ride through Parliament.

The CBI, the main UK business lobby, said the draft GAAR was so broad as to discourage investment at a time when the government was pushing measures to make the UK’s tax system the most competitive in the G20 group of large economies.

“The uncertainty caused by anything other than a narrowly-focused GAAR could undermine the positive effect of

these other measures”, the CBI said in its response to the consultation.

In theory, a GAAR-type rule should be pretty uncontroversial. Indeed the only surprise is that it took the UK so long to adopt one, given something similar exists in other developed countries, including the United States where an “economic substance doctrine”, which functions like a GAAR, was tacked on to President Barack Obama’s healthcare law in 2010.

What’s less surprising is that fiscal priorities have forced the government’s hand.

It needs the money to plug its budget deficit, while also hoping a GAAR will temper public anger at austerity measures by convincing a weary public that the better off and big businesses are being made share the burden of tackling the public debt mountain.

Business at first backed plans for a GAAR as companies unable to use aggressive avoidance techniques - perhaps because of their fear of reputational damage or because they were just too small felt it would stop rivals from getting an edge by gaming the taxman. More broadly, executives hoped a GAAR would soothe public cynicism toward big corporations, which could pressure the government into adopting less business-friendly policies.—Reuters

NEW YORK: Social media company Facebook Inc said yesterday it reached the 1 billion active monthly users threshold last month, and is up more than 50 million users since June. Facebook, based in Menlo Park, California, hit the 1 billion milestone on Sept 14 at 12:45 pm Pacific time, the company said on its website. It added that it had 600 million mobile users, according to a fact sheet posted on its website.

The 1 billion user count is up from the end of June, when it had 955 million active monthly users. The company also said it has seen 1.13 trillion “likes,” or endorsements by users, since the company launched the feature in February 2009. Many of the ad campaigns that companies conduct on Facebook are designed to garner likes. It said 219 billion photos were uploaded as of September. Excluding deleted photos, about 265 billion photos have been uploaded since 2005.

About 17 billion location-tagged posts were made on the website, Facebook said, and 62.6 million songs have been played 22 billion times since September 2011. The median age of a Facebook user was 22, it said, and the top five user countries were Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico and the United States.

The new data came a day after the company said it was letting US users pay a fee to boost the visibility of their postings - its latest effort to look beyond advertising for revenue.

Advertising accounted for roughly 84 percent of the total revenue in the second quarter.

With Facebook’s revenue growth rate slowing sharply in recent quarters, analysts and investors believe it needs to find new ways to make money. Shares of Facebook rose 2.1 percent to $22.27 in premarket trading yesterday. The stock made its public debut at $38 in May. — Reuters

WASHINGTON: A view of and Apple iPhone displaying the Facebook app’s splash screen in front of the login page in Washington, DC. Facebook said that it now has more than one billion users, in a new milestone for the world’s biggest social network. — AP

Carillion awaits Middle East contract flurry LONDON: Support services and construction firm Carillion is in line for potential contracts in the Middle East worth more than 3 billion pounds ($4.82 billion) in the next four months as infrastructure projects in the region show signs of life. Decisions on many Middle Eastern construction contracts have run into planning delays on large scale developments and financing bottlenecks due to the impact of the euro zone crisis on banks. But Carillion said on Thursday it was hopeful of imminent awards.

“It has been a frustrating year in the Middle East, not because the opportunities aren’t there, but because decisions have been slow, which is why we are still optimistic about the region,” Chief Executive Richard Howson told Reuters.

“We are well positioned for a number of large contracts, particularly in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates,” he said, adding that the construction sector in Oman was also thriving on increased spending on airport and hospitality infrastructure.

Carillion, which maintains some UK railways, roads and military bases, is aiming to double revenue in the Middle East and Canada to around 1 billion pounds each by 2015.

It said so far in the second half of the year it had won 185 million pounds of new and probable orders in the Middle East, a region which generates around 12 percent of group revenue. This compares with 201 million pounds of work in the first half.—Reuters

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 : TV reporter Nicole Avenegne doesn’t believe in heroes anymore, and is thinking of quitting her job. In northern Finland, she finds THE 99 engaged in rescue missions in a half-collapsed lighthouse. When the ceiling collapses, Jabbar is trapped underground...

www.the99.org

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

Opinion FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Romney the challenger, indeed

By Ben Feller

R

epublican Mitt Romney was fiery and having fun. President Barack Obama came off as the professor without much pop. And while Democrats grudgingly conceded that Romney did well in Wednesday’s first presidential debate, what matters is whether he changed the dynamic of a race that he appeared to be losing.

The best answers will come over the next few days: Did the debate help Romney close his polling deficit in a must-win state such as Ohio? Or take a polling lead in Florida, Virginia or the other toss-up states where Obama holds a slender lead?

The judging is best done in view of what Obama and Romney set out to do. By that measure, Romney may not have changed the game, but he sure played it well.

Obama avoided any gaffes but looked surprisingly lackluster at times. And he kept in his pocket one of the strongest weapons of his political arsenal, Romney’s secretly videotaped remarks to donors that “47 percent” of Americans see themselves as a bunch of entitled victims and that he could not convince them to “take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”

The video has undermined Romney’s bid for the presidency and gone to the heart of Obama’s case of how differently the two men see the role of government and the people it serves. The president never mentioned it over the 90-minute debate, even though he talks about it daily in his campaigning. Obama’s campaign disputed the notion that the president missed an opportunity. They argued that Romney’s own words, which the Obama campaign is using in television ads, are more effective. The president’s biggest trouble seemed to be that he got caught up in exactly what he wanted to avoid - engaging Romney time and again on the challenger’s accusations instead of turning each answer into a clear, coherent argument about how he would help people over the next four years.

Wednesday night was a rare chance for Obama in this election year to reach millions of people directly, yet the debate’s jerky pace and subject detours made it hard for him to break through. In the midst of the dense debate that lacked much discipline, something important appeared answers on how the two men would run the country differently. But good luck to the undecided voter who had to sort that out. The debate often got bogged down with complicated and contradictory versions of the candidates’ plans and of the truth, with a distracting dose of insider Washington references. Even voters clamoring for specific differences may have found themselves wondering why all the talk about “Bowles-Simpson” (a debt commission) and “Dodd-Frank” (a Wall Street reform law).

It did not help that moderator Jim Lehrer lost control of the debate to the point that the planned six 15-minute segments got reduced to five, a sign of how long both men took to answer questions. “Excuse me.

Excuse me. Just so everybody understands, we’re way over our first 15 minutes,” Lehrer said at one point. “It’s fun, isn’t it?” Romney said. Following tradition, Romney stood to

gain simply by standing next to the president and holding up well. Romney needed a commanding performance. He needed people to see him as a president, unflinching next to the guy who currently has the job.In 10 battleground states, which don’t reliably vote Democrat or Republican, none of the nonpartisan polling since before the recent Democratic and Republican conventions has found Romney holding a lead.

Romney’s mission was to come across as having a better and clearer economic revival plan than Obama; to undermine the president’s standing, particularly on the economy, without being petulant; to get people thinking that four more years of Obama would make their lives worse; to score that one memorable moment. “Mr President, you’re entitled as the president to your own airplane and to your own house, but not to your own facts,” Romney said during one of the flare-ups, this on one education. Romney clearly had his lines ready. Two more debates await.— AP

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney gestures following the first presidential debate with US President Barack Obama at Magness Arena at the University of Denver on Wednesday.— AFP

Romney wins debate, but will it be enough?

By Andy Sullivan

A

fter several difficult weeks, Republican Mitt Romney found his footing on Wednesday night in a strong debate performance against Democratic President Barack Obama. The question is whether it is too late to make a difference. Romney could see a burst of fundraising, new interest from undecided voters and a wave of support from his fellow Republicans after he appeared to have emerged as a clear victor in his first faceto-face confrontation with Obama. Romney likely will benefit from favorable news coverage as well.

Still, with the Nov 6 election little more than a month away, Romney is running out of time to seize the lead. Voting has begun in some form or another in 35 states, and 6 percent of those have already cast their ballots, according to a Reuters/IPSOS poll released on Wednesday. And while debates are among the most memorable events of any presidential campaign, there is little evidence that they can change the outcome of an election.

Obama may have underwhelmed, but he avoided the sort of disastrous performance that can cause backers to reassess their support. “Nobody is going to switch sides on the basis of this debate,” said Samuel Popkin, a political science professor at the University of California at San Diego.

Standing on the same stage as the president for the first time, Romney took full advantage of the opportunity to convince voters that he is up to the task of leading the

nation. Speaking in crisp, bullet-pointed paragraphs, Romney came armed with a quiver of “zingers” built for a long afterlife on cable television and YouTube. “You’re entitled to your own house and your own airplane, but not your own facts,” Romney told Obama at one point. Obama, by contrast, looked unhappy to be on stage. His answers were meandering and professorial, laden with facts but short on vision. He argued that Romney’s tax and budget plans don’t add up, but he steered clear of other lines of attack that have proven effective. “Romney won. The real surprise is that he won so clearly,” said Paul Sracic, a political science professor at Youngstown State University.

Voters seemed to agree. Some 67 percent of those surveyed by CNN in a “flash poll” after the debate declared Romney the winner.

Obama’s re-election prospects on Intrade, an online prediction market, fell from 74 percent to 66 percent. Obama maintains an advantage in opinion polls. On Wednesday, he led Romney by 47 percent to 41 percent in the daily Reuters/IPSOS tracking poll, a margin that has held fairly steady since the middle of September. Other polls have shown the race to be a little closer. Obama holds clear leads in most of the politically divided states that are likely to decide the election.

Many pollsters expect Obama’s margin to shrink somewhat over the coming month, but debates rarely have much of an impact.

Opinion polls have shifted by an average of less than 1 percent in the wake of the 16 presidential debates that have taken place since

1988, according to research by Tom Holbrook, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. The biggest shift came in 2004, when Democratic challenger John Kerry gained 2.3 percent points on Republican President George W Bush. Bush won the election.

People who have made up their minds to vote against Romney won’t change their minds no matter how presidential he looks in debates, said Popkin, author of “The Candidate: What it Takes to Win - And Hold the White House”. “If you think he’s a selfish person who’s out for the rich, you can still think he’s a confident, comfortable, genial executive who fires you with a smile,” he said.

And some voters may have been actually focusing on the words the two candidates said, rather than the manner in which they said them.

While Romney played down his conservative positions in an effort to reach out to centrist voters, Obama successfully emphasized themes like education and deficit reduction that appeal to this group, several observers said. His new emphasis on expanding opportunity, rather than ensuring fairness, also could help among the more ideologically moderate voters who have yet to make up their minds. “Often voters are looking more for substance than for style,” said Dotty Lynch, a professor of communication at American University.— Reuters

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012 www.kuwaittimes.net

South Korean rapper PSY performs during his concert in Seoul yesterday. — AP (See Page 34)

FOOD FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Flex time:

Eating a vegetable-centric diet continues to evolve N

ow, this time between seasons is when garden plots everywhere are brimming over with bounty and choices. Use this golden moment to experiment with all that growing greenery. Don’t relegate vegetables to side dishes, let ëem be the stars of dinner.

There’s plenty of inspiration out there that you can reap for your own dietary advantage, however you define it.

Cooks, chefs and cookbook authors are expanding the boundaries of what it

means to enjoy a vegetable-centric diet.

At one end, it might be all about going vegan - no animal products at all, including honey or dairy. At the other, it might be cooking just one dinner a week where meat or fish or poultry isn’t the star protein. This reality is noted in a new cookbook, ‘The Sprouted Kitchen: A Tastier Take on Whole Foods’(Ten Speed, $25).

‘I eat a vegetarian diet with a few sustainable seafood options on occasion my husband eats everything and I plan to let my kids make their own decision,’writes the author, Sara Forte. ‘I don’t draw a hard line and suggest that the choices I make are right ones for everyone, but I do believe that you are responsible for making wise choices in the proteins you choose to eat.î Lisa Ekus, who represents many food writers and authors at her eponymous agency in Hatfield, Mass., is seeing more ‘vegetable-driven’cookbooks, with emphasis on the veggies even if some of the recipes contain meat as well. People are willing to try new ingredients, she says, and meat or fish doesn’t have to be the protein on the plate. A number of those who do cook and eat meat have a family member who is vegetarian, she adds. Unwilling or unable to cook two meals at a time, these cooks are ‘eating less meat and looking to do more than a

simple nod to vegetarians,’she says.

That range of choices is highlighted on the cover of the new cookbook ‘Grain Mains: 101 Surprising and Satisfying Whole Grain Recipes for Every Meal of the Day’(Rodale, $24.95), from Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough. There, above the title, are the words: ‘Meat friendly. Vegan. Vegetarian.’‘Some people are so excited to see the vegan recipes in there,’says Weinstein, ‘while all of my meat-loving friends and family are saying, ëThank God, you didn’t do a vegan book.’ ... We wanted to make sure we have offerings for everybody.î The pair, Weinstein says, wanted to ‘highlight the deliciousness’of whole grains in a variety of dishes. The book focuses on adding ‘real’foods like whole grains to one’s diet rather than cutting foods out. ‘I hope we’re evolving out of that Puritan mind set of don’t eat this and don’t eat that,’he says. ‘We should eat everything, we are designed to eat everything.î MOROCCAN STUFFED SQUASH Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 40 minutes Servings: 4 servings Note: This recipe is adapted for vegans from Sara Forte’s ‘The Sprouted Kitchen.’It can be embellished following the variations below for non-vegans or carnivores.

Ingredients: 2 medium acorn squash 3 tablespoons coconut oil 1 teaspoon salt Freshly ground pepper 1 cup quinoa 1 can (13.5 ounces) light coconut milk 1 teaspoon sweet paprika 1\2 teaspoon each: ground coriander, ground cumin 1\2 cup thinly sliced preserved lemon peel or 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice 1 cup pomegranate seeds 1\2 cup chopped kalamata olives, plus more for garnish 1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the squash in half lengthwise; scoop out seeds. Rub 1 tablespoon coconut oil on the cut sides; sprinkle with teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Place the squash, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Pierce the skin a few times with a fork. Roast in the oven, 20 minutes. Flip squash over; cook until you can easily poke a knife through the flesh at its thickest part, 10-20 minutes depending on size. Remove from oven; let cool.

2. Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa; drain.

Heat the coconut milk to a gentle boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, with { teaspoon salt and pepper. Add the quinoa; turn the heat down to a simmer and cover. Cook

until the liquid is absorbed, 15-18 minutes; turn off the heat. Let the quinoa steam in the saucepan, 5 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons coconut oil, the paprika, coriander and cumin to the quinoa; toss to combine. Add the preserved lemon peel, mint, cilantro, orange juice, pomegranate seeds and olives; toss together.

3. Divide mixture among the squash cavities. Garnish with chopped olives.

Serve.

carded, caps thinly sliced 1 shallot, chopped 1 piece (1-inch long) ginger, peeled, minced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup medium-grain brown rice 1 cup millet \ cup each: soy sauce, mirin 3 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth 1 sweet potato, peeled, diced into 1-inch cubes 1 cup shelled edamame 1 cup jarred peeled chestnuts

Nutrition information: Per serving: 400 calories, 18 g fat, 12 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 57 g carbohydrates, 8 g protein, 516 mg sodium, 8 g fiber.

VARIATIONS: • CHEESE: Replace the chopped olives with { cup crumbled feta cheese.

• SHRIMP: Grill or saute 1 pound shrimp. Roughly chop shrimp; add to the quinoa mixture.

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat; swirl in the sesame oil. Add mushrooms and shallot. Cook, stirring, until just beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add ginger and garlic; cook, stirring, until aromatic, about 30 seconds.

2. Dump in the brown rice and millet.

Stir to coat the grains in the fat and liquid. Pour in the soy sauce and mirin. As the liquid comes to a full bubble, scrape up any browned bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pot.

3. Stir in the broth, sweet potato, edamame and chestnuts. Raise heat; heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally to keep the millet from sticking.

4. Cover; slide into the oven. Bake until the liquid has been absorbed and rice is tender, about 1 hour. Turn the oven off; leave covered pot in the oven to steam, 15 minutes.

Nutrition information per serving: 443 calories, 11 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 74 g carbohydrates, 13 g protein, 996 mg sodium, 7 g fiber

JAPANESE-INSPIRED BROWN RICE AND MILLET CASSEROLE Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 1 hour, 40 minutes Makes: 6 servings This vegan recipe from ‘Grain Mains: 101 Surprising and Satisfying Whole Grain Recipes for Every Meal of the Day’(Rodale, $24.99) is inspired by a traditional dish served in the fall by many Japanese cooks to celebrate the arrival of the new rice harvest.

Authors Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough recommend cooking this dish in a flameproof 2 {- to 3-quart casserole or Dutch oven; reposition the oven racks as necessary so when the covered casserole is placed in the oven there will be a couple of inches of air space overhead. Mirin is a sweetened Japanese rice wine available at Asian groceries and some supermarkets.

The recipe can be embellished following the variations below for non-vegans or carnivores.

3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil 5 ounces shiitake mushrooms stems dis-

VARIATIONS • BUTTER: Substitute 3 tablespoons butter for the toasted sesame oil.

• CHICKEN: Saute pound diced boneless chicken thighs in the butter at the start of cooking. Add the mushrooms and shallots and continue with the recipe. Three cups low-sodium chicken broth can be used instead of vegetable broth. — MCT

FOOD FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

The last of the summer’s tomatoes A

s you peruse the farm market for apples and pumpkins, don’t forget the last of the local tomatoes. During this exceptionally sunny end-of-summer, late harvest varieties have had the chance to fully develop that combination of acidity, sweetness, and meatiness which is so difficult to describe but so easy to love. The bins may not be overflowing, but the tomatoes picked at the very end of September after spending the entire summer on the vine will likely be the

best of the year.

The question is: What to do with them this late in the season? Late harvest tomatoes are already bursting with flavor, and oven roasting concentrates this flavor powerfully.

Unlike sun-dried tomatoes, which often taste overwhelmingly like salt and other preservatives in which they are packed, oven-roasted tomatoes have a fresh and pure tomato zing. Oven-roasting eliminates excess water from

tomatoes without drying them out, so they are quite different from sundried tomatoes in texture as well plump rather than shriveled, toothsome but never leathery.

The method is simple. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty foil (no clean up), quarter the tomatoes and toss them with some salt and olive oil, and roast them in a 350-degree oven until they’re wrinkled and collapsed but not dehydrated, 30 to 45 minutes, depending on their size. I imagined several appealing uses for my roasted tomatoes: I could spoon

them onto bowls of soft polenta enriched with butter and Parmesan cheese, toss them with spaghetti and olive oil, or scramble them with some eggs and goat cheese. But the oven was already on, so I forged ahead with my scones.

I gently squeezed most of the remaining juice from the tomato pieces before chopping them, so I wouldn’t be adding too much extra liquid to the dough. Because my oven-roasted tomatoes had enough personality to stand up to other assertive ingredients, I added a handful of shredded sharp Cheddar cheese to the dough along with mustard powder, mustard seeds and a little Dijon mustard. For the sake of tenderness, I made sure to use well-chilled butter, took care not to overmix the dough, and patted it into a circle rather than risk toughening it with a rolling pin before cutting it into wedges. Baking the scones in a very hot oven encouraged an impressively high rise.

TOMATO, CHEDDAR CHEESE AND MUSTARD-SEED SCONES 1 pound tomatoes, cored and quartered 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon salt, divided Ground black pepper 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons dry mustard 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into inch cubes and chilled 4 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 1 cup mustard seeds 1 cup milk 2 large eggs, lightly beaten, plus 1

large egg, lightly beaten, for brushing tops of scones 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine tomatoes, olive oil, { teaspoon salt and ground black pepper to taste in a bowl and transfer to baking sheet in a single layer. Roast until softened and wrinkled, 30 to 45 minutes.

Let cool, squeeze juices from tomatoes and discard, and coarsely chop tomato flesh.

2. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Line another baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Combine flour, dry mustard, sugar, baking powder and { teaspoon salt in a large mixing bowl. Add chilled butter pieces and mix with an electric mixer on low speed until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Stir in cheese and mustard seeds until distributed. Stir in milk, 2 eggs and Dijon mustard until dry ingredients are just moistened. Stir in tomatoes. Do not overmix.

4. Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide in half.

Shape each half into a 6-inch disk.

Use a sharp chef’s knife or bench scraper to cut each disk into 6 wedges. Place wedges inch apart on prepared a baking sheet. Brush tops with remaining egg. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm, or let cool completely. — MCT

Beauty FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Put your best P

edicuring is tender loving care for the feet. With the slinky shoes that are popular today exposing the toes and much of the feet, it is important that your feet look healthy and attractive. Not everyone has the time or money to have a pedicure done at the salon. But everyone can do a pedicure at home, using supplies that you

already have around the house.

1. The first step in a pedicure is to clip or file the toenails. The nails should be filed straight across, rounded slightly at the corners conforming to the shape of the toe.

You should never clip or file into the corners of the toenails as this could cause you to have ingrown nails.

foot forward 2. Soak feet in a basin or foot bath of warm, soapy water until the water cools.

This will allow the dry, calloused skin to soften. You can use a foot file, which can be bought at a beauty supply store, to rub off the dry skin. Wet the foot file, apply soap and rub gently in a circular motion across all areas of the foot. Repeat on the other

foot. Allow one foot to continue soaking while you work on the opposing foot.

3. Remove feet from the basin and pat dry with a towel. Use a cotton swab or an orangewood stick to apply a cuticle removing solution to the cuticle and under the free edge of each nail. Gently loosen the cuticle of each nail, keeping the cuticle moist with water or additional cuticle solution. Do not cut the cuticles, this can cause pain and infection. If you have any hangnails or loose pieces of skin around the nails, you may carefully trim them with cuticle trimmers or toenail clippers.

4. Wipe excess cuticle solvent off of feet with a damp towel. Massage each toe and foot with a thick foot cream or lotion. Allow lotion to penetrate feet for 5 minutes. For extra soften of extremely dry feet, wrap feet in a wet warm towel after you apply the foot cream. Wet your towel, ring out excess water, and heat the towel in the microwave for 30 or 40 seconds. Do not leave the towel unattended in the microwave.

5. Rinse both feet in a warm, soapy, basin of water. Scrub off any excess lotion or dry skin by using an exfoliating cream such as an apricot scrub. Rinse feet and dry them thoroughly.

6. Wipe each toenail with a polish remover to remove any residue of the lotion or exfoliant. Apply a clear, base coat of nail polish and allow it to dry completely. Then apply two coats of the nail color of your choice. Allow polish to dry.

7. Rub a light hand or foot lotion on feet, ankles and calves. .

Giving yourself a pedicure twice a month will keep your feet looking healthier and more attractive. In the summer time when feet are exposed to the weather, pool and beach, your feet may benefit from a weekly pedicure. www.essortment.com

Walk for good health S

eventy-five percent of Americans have serious foot problems at one point of their lives, although only a small portion of the population is born with foot problems. Others who were born with perfectly good feet develop problems due to inattention and lack of awareness of the importance of well-maintained feet. The 52 bones of a pair of feet is 25 percent of the body’s total number of bones. Together with 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles of each foot, the feet absorb about five times the body weight in pressure every day.

Typical foot problems include sores, athlete’s foot, cuts, ingrown toenails, bunions, calluses and plantar warts. To avoid most of these problems, good foot care should be a habit, including but not limited to daily inspection of the feet, toes and

toenails. This is especially true for people with diabetes, because the nerve damage and compromised blood flow may keep them from discovering cuts that could develop into serious wounds and perhaps amputations because they also do not heal as fast. Other diseases will manifest in the feet as well, including arthritis, nerve disorders and circulatory ailments.

The first measures to be undertaken for preventive foot care is the selection of shoes, socks and stockings that fit well. Some feet do not match in size so if this is the case, buy shoes that will fit the larger foot. Women are four times more likely to develop foot problems, due in part to the use of high heels, so avoid wearing them as much as possible or remove them at every opportunity to prevent sore feet.

Put feet up whenever possible to

keep the blood flowing and wriggle toes for up to 5 minutes, much like toe crunches.

Walking is considered good for the feet as well as for general health, provided proper shoes and socks are used. Purchase socks that absorb sweat away from the feet to keep from developing sores as well as fungal growth (athlete’s foot) and change socks every day.

Choose footwear made of leather or canvass that will allow the feet to breathe and shoes should be changed at intervals. Foot powder can also be used to minimize sweating. Avoid hot or cold for your feet, and avoid the use of electric blankets and heating pads which may burn your feet inadvertently.

Wash feet daily, rinse and dry thoroughly, especially between the toes. Nails should be trimmed straight and not too near the nail bed to prevent infections. Avoid digging out and cutting at corners; this could result to ingrown toe

nails. Remove rough skin gently by first soaking feet in warm water then gently scrubbing with a small towel or loofah, but scratch it if you are diabetic and you have a wound in your foot, soaking will make it worse. Indulge in feet massage as regularly as possible, and have a pedicure about once a week to keep toes pretty but make sure the implements used are clean.

There are many foot care products, especially for athlete’s foot, tendinitis and calluses. For the last two, consult your physician before purchasing. In general, chemical preparations for the removal of calluses are not recommended. A podiatrist or other health care professional can trim them for you safely. For those who may need special shoes, there may be Medicare coverage so ask your physician. www.dailyglow.com

Books FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Frommer’s Belize Guide

by Eliot Greenspan

Mountain Biking in the Yorkshire Dales

by Ian Boydon

I

n addition to a rather awesome front cover this guidebook is also jam packed with an incredible amount of information about the history and culture of Belize. With a huge array of suggested outdoor activities and wildlife spotting trips, itís easy to navigate the Mayan ruins and see everything worth seeing, with this guide. Better yet you can try before you buy with the first chapter available to download for free online. Hereís an excerpt of what to expect: “Belize proves the cliche that big things come in small packages. This tiny Central American country has the longest continuous barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere; the largest known Classic Mayan city, Caracol; and the highest concentration per square mile of the largest newworld cat, the jaguar”.

Y

orkshire is England’s largest county and as you’d expect, the size means you’ll find some of the UK’s greatest visual wonders here. The Yorkshire Dales are one such wonder and there really is no better way to see them than by bike ñ out in the open air and surrounded by scenery that will take your bike-riding breath away. This guide from Cicerone succinctly covers 30 of the best routes across England’s second largest national park, with itineraries to suit all abilities and timetables. Top tip would be the Cam Fell Cracker, complete with two truly cracking downhill glides.

Smut by Alan Bennett

The Rough Guide to Bath, Bristol and Somerset

T

his is an airport bookshop impulse buy and its small size shouldn’t be the only thing that attracts you to it when encountered on your travels. The contents too are worth the eight pounds and ninety-nine pence because contained within these pages you’ll find two scintillating tales of human nature at its most entertaining and perverse. Tale one for example, chronicles a widow struggling to pay the bills who takes on a pair of lodgers. When they in turn struggle to help out with the finances, alternative methods of payment are explored ñ methods described in gruesome, voyeuristic detail by Bennett.

You’d expect nothing less from this great British wordsmith.

— www.st-christopher.co.uk

B

ath, Bristol and Somerset are some of the favorite haunts in the Great British isles and this Rough Guide demonstrates exactly why this area is so very amazing. You can expect the Rough Guideís trademark no-holdís-barred approach with very practical advice about getting around on-theground, the essential sights to see and a top range of alternative attractions. Best of all thereís a healthy chunk of amazing information about Salisbury and Stonehenge! With itineraries and accommodation options to suit all budgets, you can do it all with this guide - whatever your approach.

Tales from the Tail End

I

f you like alternative literary angles and animals, youíre going to love this collection of true to life tales, told by Emma Milne ñ a vet in Yorkshire. Emma was the star of the hit UK TV show ñ Vets in Practice which was a trip in itself, but this book takes it one step further. With the kind of in-depth behind the scene insights that you can only glean from a book, this read educates everyone about how to stop a cow exploding, the truly weird objects that can get stuck in an animalís stomach and most entertainingly, that animals are relatively easy to deal with in comparison to the humans that come with them. Itís also a rather heartwarming read so definitely give this one a go.

Te c h n o l o g y FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Protect your Windows PC from viruses and malware

I

f your bank account registers strange charges and your mailbox is full of bills for things you never purchased, then it’s likely someone went online to steal all or parts of your identity.

That can mean your name, account number, user name and passwords. Such information is often snared in so-called phishing attacks. And internet attacks - especially upon internet banking accounts - are on the rise.

But there is one thing victims often have in common: they have not done enough to protect themselves from online criminals. Here are some tips on what you can do: Anti-virus programs: Use these to fend off the worst viruses, worms and Trojans. Make sure your protection is updated daily, says Michael Wuertz, an internet security specialist at the Technical University of Darmstadt, in Germany. Be sure to use only one, as multiple programs can cancel one another out.

Anti-spyware programs: Spyware tends to peek into a person’s surfing behaviour and forward that information to groups that might, for example, send out advertisements for dubious products or services. A lot of them can be tracked down with anti-virus programs.

“If you don’t have one, get an anti-virus program and keep it up to date,” advises Tim Griese, spokesman for Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). Avast Free Antivirus with behavior recognition and Spybot Search & Destroy are both options.

Update your browser and programs: Browsers are often the gateway for criminals, who make use of any security gaps in them, says Wuertz. Thus, keep your browser - and all other programs - as upto-date as possible.

Encrypt data: As with a house break-in, “just because a thief is in the house, doesn’t mean he’s cracked the safe,” says Griese. That’s why users should encrypt important files and folders. That’s possible with a simple series of commands after a right mouse-click on Windows 7. Freeware TrueCrypt is another option.

Be careful with emails: Always be sceptical about emails, since attachments and links can be an easy gateways for criminals. If you don’t know the sender, it’s best just to delete the message.

Use a firewall: “In general, a firewall comes activated and offers basic protection even with its initial settings,” says Wuertz.

Check https: Encrypted connections are always advisable for sensitive interactions, like internet banking, says the BSI. Encryption can be confirmed by the character string “https” at the start of an address and the presence of a padlock symbol.

Clicking on the symbol will provide more information about the encryption and the site’s owner.

“If that’s not the case, then the transaction should immediately be terminated and the bank informed,” says Griese. The browser plug-in HTTPS Everywhere can even force connections to become encrypted.

Pick difficult passwords: “Internet users should take care not to use a single password for various applications and services,” warns the BSI. A good password consists of at least eight characters featuring a mix of capital and lower-case letters, special symbols and numbers. It should neither be a name or a word found in the dictionary. Services like Keeppass save and encrypt various passwords for a user’s ease.

Make a secure backup: In the worst case, important data might get lost. “To minimize damage, users should regularly create secure copies of important data,” says Griese.

Update Windows: The operating system has to be up-to-date. It’s best to have Windows Auto Update up and running, as it provides automatic monthly updates. — dpa

Changing your Internet browser doesn’t solve every security issue

E

xperts warn of serious security vulnerabilities in popular Internet browsers that could be exploited by criminals so it’s a good idea to become familiar with the variety of browsers currently available. However, no browser offers perfect security, warns Michael Roitzsch from the Institute of Computer Science at the Technical University of Dresden in Germany. “Hackers often target a higher level than the browser,” he says.

For example programmes such as Java, Flash, or Adobe Reader can be used as a channel for malware.

“Then it doesn’t matter which browser is used,” says Roitzsch.

Nevertheless changing browser for security reasons can make sense, for example to a lesser known programme such as K-Meleon, Avant,

Maxthon or FlashPeak. Their advantage: as they’re not commonly used, attackers won’t be looking for vulnerabilities in them.

Surfers don’t need to have any worries about the limitations of these more obscure programs, Roitzsch says. “In 99 per cent of cases a modern browser can accurately display any webpage.” It could also make sense to use a separate browser for sensitive tasks such as online banking even though that can’t provide one hundred per cent protection against attacks.

Of the major browsers, experts say Google’s Chrome is the safest due to its sandbox technology which keeps web surfing separate from the rest of the computer’s operations. Other browsers are starting to follow Chrome’s lead in this regard. For example Microsoft’s

Internet Explorer 10 works on a similar principle but it’s only available as a preview release at the moment.

Different browsers offer different advantages - for example Opera has an integrated mail program while Firefox has numerous useful addons. There are speed differences between the different browsers but they’re generally in the millisecond range. “For the perceived surfing speed the quality of the Internet connection is much more important,” said Roitzsch. “The differences between the browsers you notice especially with a very fast connection such as VDSL.” And in terms of ease of use, today’s browsers are all very similar: for example multiple tab browsing is almost universal now. — dpa

Lifestyle FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Rush, Public Enemy among Rock Hall of Fame noms

R

ush, Deep Purple, Public Enemy and N.W.A. are among the group of first-time nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They join returnees Heart, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Randy Newman, Donna Summer and Kraftwerk among the 15 artists vying for entry. Even in the iPod age, the list of nominees up for induction in 2013 is as eclectic as they come.

Nominees differ wildly in sound, origin and influence, ranging from the enduring prog rock of Canadian trio Rush and Procul Harum to German protoelectronica act Kraftwerk, the disco of Chic and Summer to the New Orleans funk of The Meters and the blues of Albert King and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.

Motown also is represented by firstballot entries The Mavelettes. Joel

Peresman, President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, acknowledged the extreme variety of this year’s nominee class in today news release. “The definition of ‘rock and roll’ means different things to different people, but as broad as the classifications may be, they all share a common love of the music,” Peresman said. “This year we again proudly put forth a fantastic array of groups and artists that span the entire genre that is ‘rock and roll.’”

A group of 600 artists, music historians and members of the industry will choose 2013’s inductees. They will be honored April 18 in Los Angeles. It’s the sixth time on the ballot for Summer, but the first since her death in May at age 63. Chic is on the ballot for the seventh time since 2003. — AP

In this Dec 11, 2009 file photo, Donna Summer performs at the conclusion of the Nobel Peace concert in Oslo, Norway. — AP

Rush, Public Enemy among Rock Hall of Fame noms

This file picture taken on New York in 1964 shows The Beatles Ringo Starr George Harrison, John Lennon and Paul McCartney posing for a photograph with US talk show host Ed Sullivan. — AFP photos

In this file picture taken on October 26, 1965 Beatles fans try to break through a police line at Buckingham Palace in London where the group were due to receive the Member of the British Empire (MBE) decoration from the Queen.

ush, Deep Purple, Public Enemy and N.W.A. are among the group of first-time nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They join returnees Heart, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Randy Newman, Donna Summer and Kraftwerk among the 15 artists vying for entry. Even in the iPod age, the list of nominees up for induction in 2013 is as eclectic as they come.

Nominees differ wildly in sound, origin and influence, ranging from the enduring prog rock of Canadian trio Rush and Procul

R

Harum to German proto-electronica act Kraftwerk, the disco of Chic and Summer to the New Orleans funk of The Meters and the blues of Albert King and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.

Motown also is represented by first-ballot entries The Mavelettes. Joel Peresman, President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, acknowledged the extreme variety of this year’s nominee class in today news release. “The definition of ‘rock and roll’ means different things to different people, but as

broad as the classifications may be, they all share a common love of the music,” Peresman said. “This year we again proudly put forth a fantastic array of groups and artists that span the entire genre that is ‘rock and roll.’” A group of 600 artists, music historians and members of the industry will choose 2013’s inductees. They will be honored April 18 in Los Angeles. It’s the sixth time on the ballot for Summer, but the first since her death in May at age 63. Chic is on the ballot for the seventh time since 2003. —AP

The Beatles, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, and Paul McCartney pose during a rehearsal of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer night’s dream on April 29, 1964, in London.

The Beatles Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon perform on stage during a concert on July 29,1965, in London.

In this file picture taken on October 26, 1965 British band The Beatles, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr hold up their MBE (Bristish Empire Medal) awards at news conference following their investiture on at Buckingham Palace in London.

Lifestyle FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Afghans rock out at landmark music festival A

young woman grabs the microphone and yells: “Listen to the new generation of Afghans!” In the crowd throngs of young men leap about, shaking their fists. On this October night, Kabul awakens to rock ‘n’ roll. The timing of a unique rock festival held in Kabul this week is highly symbolic for the war-torn capital — 11 years ago this month the Taliban was routed by a US-led invasion, having banned music and erased women’s rights. Out in the provinces gripped by an insurgency and ruled by tradition, such a scene is still unheard of, and would face horrific retaliation.

South Korean singer Park Jae-sang, also known as Psy, performs during his concert at Seoul on October 2, 2012. —AFP

Psy brings

‘Gangnam Style’ home with free show

S

outh Korean rapper Psy will give a free concert in Seoul yesterday, capping a stunning month in which his hit “Gangnam Style” has stormed global charts and made the chubby 34-year-old a national hero. Around 50,000 fans were expected to turn out for the show in front of the capital’s City Hall that will be streamed live to an international audience via YouTube-the forum that launched him to stardom in the first place.

The video to “Gangnam Style”, featuring Psy’s much-imitated horse-riding dance, went viral after its July release on the Googleowned video sharing site, where it has now notched up more than 350 million views. Almost overnight, Psy was transformed into South Korea’s best-known cultural export, succeeding where the manufactured girl and boy bands of the homegrown “K-pop” phenomenon have failed by breaking into the US market. Despite being sung almost entirely in Korean, the song is currently top of the British charts and number two on the US Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. During a hugely successful US promotional tour last month, Psy made a guest appearance at the MTV awards in Los Angeles, taught his signature dance to Britney Spears, and was given a cameo role on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” His horse-riding moves have been imitated, parodied and referenced in pretty much every conceivable context.

Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show” produced a mock-up video showing US presidential candidate Mitt Romney doing the dance at the Republican convention, while West Indian batsman Chris Gayle has adopted it for his celebrations at the ongoing T20 cricket World Cup. Even Stalinist North Korea has jumped on the bandwagon, posting a “Gangnam Style” parody on its official government website that mocks Park Geun-Hye, the conservative frontrunning candidate in South Korea’s presidential election.

The Gangnam of the title is Seoul’s wealthiest residential and shopping district, lined with luxury boutiques, top-end bars and restaurants frequented by celebrities and well-heeled, designerclad socialites. The video pokes fun at the district’s lifestyle, with Psy cavorting through a world of speedboats, yoga classes and exclusive clubs. Psy, whose real name is Park Jae-Sang, is a product of Gangnam, having been born in the district to affluent parents. He later attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

A relative veteran after more than a decade on the Korean music scene, Psy had previously built up a small but loyal fan base that stuck with him through numerous ups and downs, including an early brush with the law for smoking marijuana. In 2007, he was forced to serve a second period of compulsory military service after it was revealed he had continued with his showbiz interests during his first two-year stint.

“This is my heyday, in 12 years since I debuted as a singer... this is just unbelievable, and I’m thankful for everything,” Psy told a press conference in Seoul after his triumphant return from the US. While some articles in the western media have suggested Psy’s overseas popularity may be linked to negative Asian stereotyping, the overwhelming domestic response to his success has been one of national pride. The South Korean government sees popular culture as a potent export force that provides national branding for a country that still feels overlooked internationally compared to neighbours China and Japan. The government expended much time and money supporting the so-called Hallyu (Korean Wave) of TV shows and pop music that swept across Asia in the past decade. —AFP

Afghans listen to an Afghan heavy metal band during ‘The Sound Central Festival’ at the French Culture Center in Kabul on October 3, 2012. —AFP

Just five weeks ago, 17 party-goers holding a gathering with music in a southern Afghanistan village were beheaded by Taliban insurgents. But for three days in the capital, the opportunity to rock out is seized by delighted audiences and performers alike at the Sound Central festival, organized by the French Institute of Afghanistan. “It’s so amazing. It’s one of the best things I’ve seen here in 10 years,” Afghan American singer Ariana Delawari told AFP. “On stage, I felt like Buddy Holly or Elvis Presley,” she gushed. “It’s like the birth of rock ‘n’ roll in this country.” Traditional folk music dominates in this conservative nation, although the tinkle of commercial pop can also be heard. Anything else, like pounding drums and bass lines, or wailing guitar solos, represents an alien culture. Qais

Shahghcy, a guitarist, was taken aback by the unalloyed joy and enthusiasm of the audience at the festival, which closes yesterday.

“I had never seen such a crowd, that craziness.

Look everywhere: it’s the new Afghanistan. I’m so happy that I think I’m dreaming,” he said. “One of our songs is called “Daydream”. I think it’s what I’m living now.” Sweating from his full-blooded performance, Shahghcy added: “I don’t know what I played. I played so hard that I killed my fingers”.

Outside the building a second stage hosted DJs mixing electro music. People surfacing for air from the dark room contemplated a mural painted by a local modernist artist, and a hip-hop battle saw break dancers flipping on the floor.

“In Afghanistan, we face a lot of problems,” said one performer who gave his name only as Basir, adding that he had been arrested in the past while break dancing by police who accused him of not being a Muslim. “Today, we performed in a festival.

It was our chance. I’m proud of myself,” he said.

Australian photojournalist and rock guitarist Travis Beard, founder of the Australian Sound Central music festival and its latest incarnation in Afghanistan, said a music scene taken for granted in the West is relished here.

“Afghans are really thirsty for music. The foreigners, who have more access to music, are more nonchalant about it,” he said. He said the festival was an opportunity to show Afghans what is out there, beyond the Bollywood and pop music they are exposed to. “We try to bring an alternative. For us, it’s to show that Afghanistan is more than just conflict. That there are new forms of culture.”

Some groups from outside Afghanistan were also invited to take part in the festival, including Sri Lankan metalheads “Paranoid Earthling”. Lead singer and guitarist Mirshad Buckman, 28, drew clear parallels between Afghanistan and the history of his own country, emerging from a devastating internal conflict with Tamil rebels that saw thousands killed. “We had a 30-year war that ended recently. Ten years ago, there were three rock bands. Now, there are more than a hundred,” said Buckman, who was not sure what he would find in Kabul. “We knew the CNN Afghanistan, not this one,” he said. “We were surprised to see how hot it was. When you play rock, all the emotions come out.” — AFP

Hong Kong thriller opens Asia’s top film festival

A

glittering line-up of top Asian cinema stars converged on the South Korean port city of Busan for the opening of the region’s premier international film festival. For the first time the hosting role was handed to an international guest as Taiwanese actress Tang Wei helped open the 17th edition of the Busan International Film Festival alongside the veteran Korean actor Ahn Sung-Ki. “I have been impressed by the passion people here have for film,” said Tang, who broke on to the international scene in director Ang Lee’s sexually explicit “Lust, Caution” (2007).

“Busan is a city full of energy.”

The star-studded opening ceremony at the Busan Cinema Centre was also attended by upcoming presidential election hopefuls Park Geun-Hye and Moon Jae-In. Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi-currently taking legal action against a number of news outlets over claims the “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” star was a prostitute who had sex with senior Chinese officials-is also scheduled to attend.

The world premiere of Hong Kong thriller “Cold War”, which stars screen veterans Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Ka-fai, opened the 10-day event. “It’s an honour to have this film open BIFF, the first time a Hong Kong film has done so,” said Kwok at the opening press conference. —AFP

Hong Kong actors Tony Leung, Aaron Kwok (and movie directors Longman Leung and Sunny Luk of the movie ‘col War’ wave to photographers after a press conference at the 17th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in Busan yesterday, which will be featured as the opening movie of the festival. —AFP

Lifestyle FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

M

arc Jacobs, more than anyone, knows that it’s not what you say it, but how you say it. The Louis Vuitton showman thus capped an incredibly strong Paris fashion week - with help from artist Daniel Buren - by building a life-size shopping mall inside the Louvre. Understatement is not a word in Jacobs’ vocabulary, so collaboration with the minimalist artist - who made the famed striped columns in Paris’ Palais Royal - might have raised eyebrows.

But Buren rose to the occasion. “(The Louvre) was already big, all I did was make it bigger,” said Buren, with trademark humor. “It was others that called me a mini-

malist, not me.” The sky’s the limit when you’re backed by Europe’s richest man and LVMH-owner Bernard Arnault, with whom he mingled before the show. Meanwhile, Miuccia Prada, who herself presides over a lucrative fashion empire, felled a small forest in aid of her presentation for Miu Miu, one of the final day’s other big shows.

Fashion insiders clutched wooden invitations as they walked down a wooden “red carpet” and into the auditorium with a 30-meter (yard) wooden runway, and the show’s huge wooden-tiered seating.

There was some irony that the collection was held at Paris’ grand Environmental Council. Paris Fashion Week designers are often

LOUIS VUITTON What do you get if you mix up the world’s most famous checks and Paris’ most famous stripes? The answer: Louis Vuitton, whose 1960s style spring-summer fashion show twinned the iconic checked Damier pattern with a set designed by artist Daniel Buren. Buren created four full-scale escalators, featuring his signature 8.7cm stripes, which wowed spectators inside.

“It’s exquisite, beautiful,” said 29-year-old Christina Malaki. “What a spectacle.” In fashion terms it was strong, with most of the 64 retro looks delivered in Mary Quant-style checks that made a bold optical statement in black and white, as well as browns, gray and leaf green.

Slightly puffed rounded shoulders, miniskirts, beehives and a few exposed midriffs pointed to one thing: The swinging 60s are back. The silhouettes - often flat and loose- prioritized the

Damier above the female form, which rippled nicely in skirts as the models, who walked in pairs, filed by with handbags. Louis Vuitton is a house that is proud of its tradition, but also likes to evolve. The collection saw the ubiquitous monogram banished for the first time. Instead, one recurrent feature was, so say the program notes, “the smallest sequins ever produced.”

Thousands of microscopic sequins brought a dazzling metallic shimmer to dresses and skirt suits, though when it was used on the blocked Damier pattern it was slightly too much. “It’s all about being graphic. (Buren’s escalators) are a mathematical equation,” Jacobs told journalists after the show. Another math equation will come from the buoyant receipts from this, a highly saleable collection. It’s a fair bet that by next year this bold check will be everywhere.

described as show-stopping, but none more than Elie Saab. The Lebanese designer threw huge graphic chunks of moon rock down the catwalk as set, to evoke his more geometric theme.

Unfortunately, one attendee didn’t pick up on the visual props and tripped head over heels - slightly delaying the show. Trends on the ninth exhausting day of the season included prints - both graphic and colored - as well as sheer transparencies and cutouts.

Lifestyle FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

MIU MIU Miu Miu’s spring-summer 2013 show in Paris had a wintery vibe. Despite the slightly off-kilter season it was a slick display, with lashings of faux fur on coats and stoles with dyed patterning at the brand often seen as Miuccia Prada’s baby sister offshoot. It picked up nicely on this season’s fascination with prints as contrasting explosions on loose skirt suits - sometimes resembling the negative of a photograph. As ever, it remained demure, but interesting back features graced a few

reversed boxy tops. Alongside looks in denim and the prints, it gave the clothes a distinctly cool edge which reached its peak in a few eclectic, asymmetrical pieces. Only a master like Prada can make a tiny strapped cropped camisole work underneath a thick fur coat, accessorized with leather gloves and jeweled Roman sandals. Uber-cool actress - and Miu Miu spokesperson - Chloe Sevigny watched from the front row.

Lifestyle FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

ELIE SAAB Elie Saab, master of the va-va-voom silhouette, broke out of his strict mold for his spring-summer 2013 show in Paris. The Lebanese designer must have been feeling in an adventurous mood: He dabbled in graphic details and floral prints in Wednesday’s show.

But never fear, his bread-and-butter traffic stopping dresses and sequins were still there - in cerulean blue and vermilion. After all, it’s what his buyers and celebrity wearers such as singer Taylor Swift on the front row expect and love. But the palette this season was updated to include beautiful cobalt, which in

turn exploded into fluorescent color prints on gowns, some full length, others above the knee that fluttered by in silk muslin. Saab included the odd peplum and some ‘90s looks with black-and-white geometric lines.

The catwalk set of graphic angular moon rocks signaled to fashion insiders even before the show started that Saab would move in this direction. — AP

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

ACCOMMODATION

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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25312700

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24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

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24846000

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24874330/9

Sharing accommodation available, near Jabriya Indian School, Jabriya, central A/C flat. Decent Muslim couple or two working ladies only. Call 66795253.

(C 4156) 3-10-2012 ROOM AVAILABLE - A room available in a furnished two bedroom flat for a working class lady in Salmiya — near the bus stop. Please call 99702658 30-9-2012 Sharing Accommodation, room partition for FILIPINO in Farwaniya near Coop main, Contact 66826412 or 66158188 27-9-2012 Immediate sharing accommodation available for a decent Indian Christian bachelor or, couple, near by Salmiya garden. Contact: 66884273, 25657832.

SITUATION WANTED Australian Project Manager, with two Engineering Degrees and four Master Degrees, with 23 years experience in Gulf and Australia, seeking top management job. Call: 65695468. (C 4141) 2-10-2012

REQUIRED For nursery homeroom

TEACHER

from British, Canadian or American nationality Email: hamelal-mesk@hotmail.com

FOR SALE

Galant 1997 model, blue color, good condition, A/C, price KD 400, passing valid for one year.

Contact: 96975726.

Kawai Piano, Yamaha electric organ, Yamaha keyboard, household furniture. Please contact: 22661316.

(C 4157) 3-10-2012 For immediate sale - Toyota Corolla (2011), 1.8 white, done only 22,000 km, expecting KD 3,900 (only cash) real buyers only contact mobile: 97473028 between 10 am - 6:30 pm).

(C 4154) 1-10-2012 Used DSLR Nikon D90 Camera body only for sale with Battery Grip and an extra battery, all with original package. Call or what’s app 66603401 25-9-2012

Passport No: E6580676 having an address 2/59, East Street, Melnariyappanur, Kallakurichi, Villupuram 606 201, Tamil Nadu, India had embraced Islam and changed the name as NASEER AHMAD. (C 4152) 30-9-2012 MATRIMOIAL

Proposals invited for a girl, God-fearing (Marthomite, 30 yrs/160 cm) born and educated in Kuwait and Mangalore, MDS doctor presently working in India, from Post Graduate

Rabiya

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Sri Lankan lady looking for house cleaning part time job, English family only.

Call 55680045. (C 4149) Sri Lankan driver looking for a job good company or office with good salary, transferable visa 18 (license with pick up permit). Call 97970965.

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I, Mohamed Haja Mohamed Sourcane, holder of Indian Passport No: E2780618 hereby change my name to Mohamad Saircane Mouhamad Hadja.

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SITUATION VACANT No:

Need driver to work or houseboy, visa 18 or 20 ok.

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15589

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Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw

112

CHANGE OF NAME

Clinics

boys Marthomite/CSI, Godfearing and having good family background. Contact email: mthewjacob201@hotmail.com (C 4153) 29-092012

Prayer timings Fajr:

04:24

Duhr:

11:37

Asr:

14:59

Maghrib:

17:30

Isha:

18:46

Pets FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Elease Travis (right) pets Woody the dog, owned by Ursula Dams (left) at an adult day care facility in Melrose Park, Illinois. — MCT

‘There’s something magical that happens with pets’ More senior living facilities are making room for pets

S

hirley Skirvin’s retirement community has its share of grumblings about aches and pains. But Skirvin, 78, who lives with her husband, Sid, in an independent living facility, has found a reliable if unintentional way to coax her neighbors out of their gloom: walking the grounds with her 6pound toy poodle, Spunky.

“Dogs keep you from being so self-absorbed,” said Skirvin, who brought Spunky with her when she moved into Village at Skyline in Colorado Springs, Colo, almost three years ago.

“They remind you constantly of other qualities of life.” As pets prove to lift the spirits and, some research shows, health prospects of elderly people, many senior living facilities are making it a point to incorporate pets into seniors’ lives, either through pet visits, having animals as permanent residents or allowing seniors to bring their own.

The number of senior living communities that permit residents to bring their pets has increased substantially in the past five to 10 years as more families request it, said Tami Cumings, senior vice president at A Place for Mom, the nation’s largest senior-living referral service. With about 40 percent of adult children inquiring about pet-friendly homes for their parents, the agency has compiled a guide to pet-friendly senior communities that its advisers use when placing clients. About half of the 18,000 programs in the agency’s network are pet-friendly.

“Many times we talk to families that have had a loss of a spouse, and they say, ‘I can’t take the dog away,’” Cumings said. People with allergies or who would prefer not to live among pets still have plenty of pet-free communities to choose from, she noted. While dogs are most common, many different types of animals bring cheer to senior communities.

At Pet Partners, a Bellevue, Wash-based nonprofit agency that trains and screens volunteers to take their pets on visits to senior centers, hospitals and schools, registered animals include

birds, llamas, chickens, guinea pigs and miniature horses.

A 2002 study found having fish tanks in Alzheimer’s units, where patients spent long stretches pacing and suffered weight loss, improved residents’ food intake and encouraged modest weight gain. “Nothing holds their attention except fish tanks,” said study author Alan Beck, director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. “I think our attraction to nature even survives our dementia.” Even robotic animals, an alternative in places where having a live animal might be too difficult or risky, can elicit positive responses from the elderly. A Canadian study of dementia patients interacting with Paro, a cute robotic baby harp seal, found many showed improved mood. Beck is in the midst of a study of how healthy elderly adults interact with a robotic dog called Aibo, and has found they talk to and confide in it as if it were a live dog - even though it’s hard and looks like a machine.

“You’re already suspending disbelief when you talk to your real dog; you’re just going one step more when you talk to the electronic animal,” Beck said. The reasons for pets’ palliative powers are varied. Touching, petting, even the way people talk to a pet are calming influences (for the pet as well as the human), Beck said. In the case of dogs, people are encouraged to walk. And pets demand attention. “Pet care is one of the few opportunities for people to be a nurturer again,” Beck said. Research dating back several decades has shown that being around animals reduces blood pressure, improves morale and relieves depression. One landmark study, published in 1980, found people who had had heart attacks were more likely to still be alive a year later if they owned pets than if they didn’t. Another, published in 1990, found elderly Medicare enrollees who owned dogs went to the doctor less often than those who did not, and were less likely to reach out to a doctor after a stressful life event.

Pets can provide comfort and companionship to a population at high risk of social deprivation, sometimes more than people can. In a 2006 study, geriatricians from Saint Louis University found nursing home residents who scored high on a loneliness scale felt less lonely when they spent one-on-one time with a visiting dog than if they visited with the dog and their peers. Tania Prystash, a volunteer manager at VITAS, the nation’s largest hospice provider, said patients who can no longer relate to people often still can bond with a pet. VITAS has a program called Paw Pals that brings volunteer owners and their pets, mostly dogs, to visit hospice patients in their homes or assisted living facilities.

Prystash remembers a patient in a dementia unit who was withdrawn and hadn’t spoken for days, no matter what people tried, but when a Paw Pals member arrived she lit up and started talking about dogs she had as a child. “There’s something magical that happens with pets,” Prystash said, more than with other tools like music. When Jeanine Young was seeking an assisted living facility for her 94-year-old uncle, Merritt Ziolkowski, a big reason she chose Sunrise Senior Living in Schaumburg, Ill., outside Chicago, was the friendly golden retriever, Molly.

“I think it made him feel more at home” during the difficult transition, said Young, who lives in Frederick, Md. He had an instant friend and “something to talk about,” she said. In addition to Molly, who often does the rounds with the caregivers and is available for residents to take out for walks, Sunrise has a bunny named Little Elvis in the activity room, birds named Romeo and Juliet in the foyer and Murray the cat hanging out in the memory care unit, said Executive Director Lisa Lauer.

Visiting with the animals is nurturing for residents, who sometimes don’t see their families for several weeks, she said. They comfort the families too. “Molly makes me feel better about him being there,” Young said. —MCT

Stars

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Aries (March 21-April 19) Some new responsibilities may require more mental discipline. You may have trouble keeping appointments and obtaining practical information. You have increased concentration and perception into the motives of others. You would be just the right person to work in a claim adjusting or a special sales job. This would mean that by listening to the customer you decipher just what is needed to help everyone benefit regarding a sale, a project, a rejection or acceptance decision, etc. You would also be in a good position to help people with a future decision regarding job, education, medical procedure, etc.

This time indicates success in healing problems in some relationship with family. Plan some fun entertainment for future get-togethers.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Your ability to socialize and work closely with others is highlighted. Positive thinking, as well as a little elbow grease, will get you where you want to go. You encourage others and are good at interacting with customers. You are particularly aware of how your social persona defines you in the eyes of others—allowing you to affirm your own identity. Use this opportunity of insight into how others view you as a tool for self-examination. The key phrase here is clarity of perception for your reflected personality. It is a time of change, stimulating friends and new acquaintances, favorable for enterprises in the technology and entertainment fields. You may develop an interest in spiritual studies and self- improvement. You feel optimistic, tolerant and secure.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) If you are involved in commercial activities, now is the perfect time to conclude transactions, especially if they involve buying or selling products or land. You are very much aware of the beauty that surrounds you. Your intuitive and inventive energies are steady and the time is favorable for all technological and humanitarian enterprises. City council may be the next meeting you attend as you and your neighbors may be threatened a loss of freedom. It seems the communities in which you live may be stopping people from have outdoor grills. Plans to be with lighthearted friends could be arranged for tonight but no grilling just now. Fun get-togethers with family or friends are a bonus for working hard during the week.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) You were tested about your decisions more in the past than in the present. Serious ego conflicts can be placed in the past—now you have the wisdom to rise above any emotional difficulties of which you may have become aware—congratulations! Work is accomplished by keeping your head down. Your physical stamina is high.

If you cannot interest anyone in golf, tennis, hockey or some other game after work today, consider the gym or perhaps a run for physical exercise.

You are able to win over any type of competition you might find after work today. Expand your horizons. Join a club or group that will introduce you to new territories and new people. Keep an open mind; you might be pleasantly surprised by something out of the ordinary this evening.

Leo (July 23-August 22) You may have intuitive insight into business or professional dealings and organize new methods of working.

You also may be aware of political and professional power struggles.

There could be some interesting changes in your professional environment soon. You seek the trust and confidence of others and will be prepared to compete in business transactions. Your attitude is positive and upbeat and you have a way of thinking outside the box, so to speak.

There is talk among friends of creating a volunteer service around each friend’s neighborhood. The seniors need things and a food delivery system may be a very fine idea. This evening you might take the universe up on an opportunity to cook a feast with the help of a very fine mate.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Your workload can be heavy just now. Organize your correspondence and paperwork. Do not delay any legal contracts, decisions and business initiatives. You may need to seriously communicate with authority figures, government officials or older, more experienced people. This is a stable period where you can make steady progress toward your career and social goals. You can develop the confidence, honesty, maturity and self-respect that can make you better able to handle authority and responsibility. Be ready to support your innovative ideas and do not promise more than you can deliver. Now is a favorable time for seeking employment or promotion as well as for learning new duties and travel related to work.

Libra (September 23-October 22) This time represents the balance between your need to be yourself and your desire to relate to others. Your responsibilities towards others may increase. You have been developing your negotiating skills and today is a good time to exercise one of your talents. Business propositions, whether they are for your own business or for your employer, are becoming very successful. On your personal time, you would be wise to devote more of your energies to healing, intuitive sensitivity, visualization powers and compassion for those who are lonely or needy. You could write a book or short story of your experiences. Your interests may also turn to art, music, therapy and social or volunteer service. In any case, this time also favors all creative endeavors.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Unusual and exciting social and romantic opportunities come your way now. Doors open, helping you make a step in independent growth. Today is a time of smooth sailing for you and all opposition seems to melt away. There are three days, beginning today, that are the most strong with regard to few difficulties in making changes regarding your profession or social status. Any obstacle that happens to occur will be navigated by you in most clever ways. You give wise consideration to each turn in the road and without emotion, choose the right path for your future. Your relationship with a partner is changing. Make sure any accommodations you are making to preserve the relationship are things with which you both will be happy.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Complete a business deal yourself—do not send someone else to do your negotiation. Your mind is sharp. Process your thoughts on a subconscious level before presenting your ideas. You have the drive to go after and get what you want. It is possible to hold out for better results if you so desire. Consider all the facts before reaching a conclusion—try to buy some time before making a final decision. In conducting business, there is still room to be polite. In the hurry and commotion of life, we often lose sight of what is important. Flowers are relaxing and on your way home, you may decide to pick up a bouquet from your neighborhood florist. Your family relationships stabilize during this period of relative happiness. Count your blessings.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) This particular time brings opportunities for regeneration through personal power. There are many opportunities now to offer your special talents. It will be quite easy to bring about some changes you have wanted to make—you should use this ability to benefit yourself and others. You can also use this time to achieve professional success, increase your finances or simply straighten out areas of your life that have given you problems in the past. Today you may have a tendency to go overboard with your demands. Listen to yourself communicate with others and become more involved with whatever progress is necessary for a smooth and successful result. Improved communication is a goal you may enjoy achieving now.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) This can be a period of psychological and emotional confusion if you allow other people to sway you in too many directions. Family and career responsibilities come first and then any commitments that others may talk you into must be considered carefully. Although you know this, you could become overwhelmed with requests for your attention. Set a good example and think through your other obligations before attempting more than any one person could handle in a day. If you are uncertain about your goals and objectives, it’s not a good time for business deals, a move or job transfer. If pushed, you will be able to meet unexpected obstacles. This evening you could attend a family or religious celebration. Be available to enjoy the family.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) Work to maintain a balance in your work or education so that you can see progress from your efforts. Conditions may excite you but you will need to take your time and make responsible choices. You will be pleased at your progress in many areas of your life as you learn new techniques for solving problems. You may have some major decisions today. It is better to be accused of taking too much time than of making rash decisions. There may be an opportunity after work to join some friends and co-workers and gamble a little . . . perhaps horses or bingo or even a casino. If you were going to gamble, think about ways you would teach a young person to avoid the impulsive tendency to overdo and apply that to yourself—now, go have fun!

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

L e i s u re

C R O S S W O R D

8 1 7

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

ACROSS

Yesterday始s Solution

1. A white linen liturgical vestment with sleeves.

4. Large bamboo having thick-walled culms.

10. (nautical, aeronautical) Situated at or toward the stern or tail.

13. Concerning those not members of the clergy.

14. In the same place (used when citing a reference).

15. Small cubes with 1 to 6 spots on the faces.

16. An inflammatory complication of leprosy that results in painful skin lesions on the arms and legs and face.

17. An independent ruler or chieftain (especially in Africa or Arabia).

19. One of the 150 lyrical poems and prayers that comprise the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament.

21. Evergreen Indian shrub with vivid yellow flowers whose bark is used in tanning.

23. A state in the United States in the central Pacific on the Hawaiian Islands.

26. Being one hundred more than three hundred.

27. The basic unit of money in Nicaragua.

32. The act of concealing yourself and lying in wait to attack by surprise.

36. South American armadillo with three bands of bony plates.

37. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

41. A federal agency established to coordinate programs aimed at reducing pollution and protecting the environment.

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

44. A soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal.

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

47. A city in southern Turkey on the Seyhan River.

52. Wild sheep of northern Africa.

58. English theoretical physicist who applied relativity theory to quantum mechanics and predicted the existence of antimatter and the positron (19021984).

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

62. Fermented alcoholic beverage similar to but heavier than beer.

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

65. Resinlike substance secreted by certain lac insects.

66. Type genus of the family Myacidae.

67. Surveying instrument consisting of the upper movable part of a theodolite including the telescope and its attachments.

68. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

DOWN 1. The 1st letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

2. East Indian tart yellow berrylike fruit.

3. A rule made by a local authority to regulate its own affairs.

4. A member of the extinct Algonquian people formerly living in northern Indiana and southern Michigan.

5. A defensive missile designed to shoot down incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles.

6. Having relatively few calories.

7. A sweetened beverage of diluted fruit juice.

8. A Chadic language spoken in Chad.

9. The square of a body of any size of type.

10. The sixth month of the civil year.

11. A tax on employees and employers that is used to fund the Social Security system.

12. A cooperative unit.

18. A genus of Ploceidae.

20. A Loloish language.

22. A magnetic tape recorder for recording (and playing back) TV programs.

24. Antibacterial drug (trade name Nydrazid) used to treat tuberculosis.

25. The district occupied entirely by the city of Washington.

28. South American wood sorrel cultivated for its edible tubers.

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

30. (Scotland) A small loaf or roll of soft bread.

31. A constellation in the southern hemisphere near Telescopium and Norma.

33. (British) A waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric.

34. An undergarment worn by women to support their breasts.

35. A toxic nonmetallic element related to sulfur and tellurium.

38. A decree that prohibits something.

39. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

40. A white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily.

43. An informal term for a father.

46. The compass point that is one point north of due east.

48. The capital and largest city of Bangladesh.

49. A public promotion of some product or service.

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

51. An indehiscent fruit derived from a single ovary having one or many seeds within a fleshy wall or pericarp.

53. Containing an unusual amount of grease or oil.

54. The chief solid component of mammalian urine.

55. A metabolic acid found in yeast and liver cells.

56. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

57. Offering fun and gaiety.

59. A user interface in which you type commands instead of choosing them from a menu or selecting an icon.

60. A boy or man.

64. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite.

Yesterday始s Solution

Sports FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

NL East champ secure home-field advantage WASHINGTON: NL East champion Washington secured home-field advantage throughout the postseason by beating Philadelphia 5-1 on Wednesday for their major league-high 98th victory. Nationals manager Davey Johnson missed the end of the game after feeling numbness in his left leg, leaving the dugout to get X-rays and treatment from a team doctor. Johnson - at 69, the oldest skipper in the majors said he does not expect to have any trouble traveling or managing in the playoffs.

By winning their regular-season finale, the Nationals clinched top seeding for the NL playoffs and will open on the road Sunday at the winner of Friday’s wild-card game between Atlanta and St. Louis.

Game 2 will also be at the wild-card winner’s stadium, before the best-of-five series shifts to Washington. Ryan Zimmerman led off the fourth inning with his 25th homer off Cliff Lee (6-9). Michael Morse, the next hitter, doubled and scored. Rookie Tyler Moore’s solo shot in the sixth made him the seventh National with at least 10 homers this season.

PADRES 7, BREWERS 6 Chase Headley drove in two runs, finishing the season with an NL-leading 115 RBIs for San Diego. Headley doubled home a run in the fifth inning. He hit an RBI triple in the seventh and scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Yonder Alonso. Travis Ishikawa drove in four runs for Milwaukee, including three with a double in the third that made it 6-0. Headley also drew two walks and finished with a .286 batting average. His previous RBIs high was 64 in 2009.

San Diego improved by five wins this year and wound up with a 7686 record. The Padres won only five of their last 15 games. The Brewers went 83-79, a drop of 13 wins after reaching the NL championship series last year. Since Aug 20, Milwaukee’s 29-13 record was tops in the majors. Cameron Maybin hit a two-run homer for San Diego, and five relievers held Milwaukee hitless in the final six innings. Tommy Layne (2-0) pitched 1 1-3 innings for the victory and Luke Gregerson earned his ninth save. Jim Henderson (1-3) gave up two runs in the seventh.

CARDINALS 1, REDS 0 Rookie right-hander Shelby Miller took a no-hitter into the sixth inning in his first career start and Matt Carpenter had a run-scoring single for St Louis. The Cardinals, who won 12 of their final 16 regularseason games, clinched the second NL wild card spot Tuesday and will face the Braves in Atlanta on Friday. Cincinnati, which has won four of seven, takes on NL West champion San Francisco in an NL division series beginning tomorrow. Miller gave up a two-out bloop single to Wilson Valdez in the sixth to end his no-hit bid. He struck out seven, walked two and allowed just one hit over six innings. Reds starter Homer Bailey, who threw a no-hitter at Pittsburgh in his previous start, tossed four shutout innings, allowing four hits. He struck out six and did not walk a batter. Carpenter drove in Shane Robinson, who singled off Jonathan Broxton (3-3) to start the rally in the eighth inning. Victor Marte (3-2) picked up the win with one inning of relief.

Jason Motte recorded his 42nd save in 49 opportunities, tying him for the most saves in the NL with Craig Kimbrel of Atlanta.— AP

BRAVES 4, PIRATES 0 Jason Heyward singled twice and scored two runs for Atlanta in the regular-season finale. Chipper Jones added a pinch-hit single in his final regular-season at-bat for Atlanta, which hosts St Louis in the wild-card playoff on Friday. Luis Avilan (1-0) won on a day the Braves used eight pitchers to hold Pittsburgh to four hits. Ben Sheets started and pitched one scoreless inning in his last major league appearance.

AJ Burnett (16-10) gave up four runs in 5 2-3 innings for Pittsburgh.

The Pirates finished 79-83, extending their record streak of losing seasons to 20. The switch-hitting Jones, who was hitting left-handed, slapped the first pitch he saw to right field for a single in the sixth, the 2,726th and final hit of his career. Jones scored on a single by Brian McCann that put Atlanta up 3-0.

CUBS 5, ASTROS 4 Houston ended its National League tenure with a result that’s become familiar: a loss. The Astros set a franchise record for losses in a season, finishing 55-107, one more loss than last year. The Astros split the final 30 games of the season, winning five of their final seven.

Bryan LaHair homered and hit a game-winning single in the ninth inning for Chicago. In the first series between 100-game losers in the major leagues since 1962, LaHair homered in the second and broke a 4-all tie against Hector Ambriz (1-1). The Astros became the first team with 106 or more losses in consecutive seasons since the 1964-65 New York Mets. Houston finished its NL tenure with 3,999 regular-season wins, 4,134 losses and five ties. The Astros are moving to the AL West next season, creating three divisions of five teams in each league. Carlos Marmol (3-3) pitched a scoreless ninth to earn the win.

The Cubs, who haven’t won the World Series since 1908, went 61-101 for their most losses since dropping 103 games in 1966.

METS 4, MARLINS 2 Ike Davis hit his 32nd homer and Scott Hairston got his 20th to help New York win its season finale. Jeremy Hefner (4-7) closed the season with his second consecutive strong start. He allowed two runs in 7 1-3 innings. The Mets (74-88) finished fourth in the NL East for the fourth straight year. The Marlins (69-93), touted as playoff contenders after an offseason spending binge, instead posted their worst record since 1999. Hairston reached the 20-homer milestone for the first time. Andres Torres hit his third homer. New York’s Lucas Duda was hit in the back of the helmet by a 79-mph curve from Dan Jennings in his final at-bat. Duda walked to first but was then taken out of the game. Miami’s Jose Reyes swiped second base in the sixth to reach 40 steals for the fifth time, and the first time since 2008. Rookie Tom Koehler (0-1), making his first major-league start, gave up three runs in six innings.

ROCKIES 2, DIAMONDBACKS 1 Jeff Francis earned his first victory in more than a month and Colorado used two unearned runs to beat Ian Kennedy to conclude disappointing seasons for both teams. Francis (6-7) allowed a run and five hits in five innings in his first victory since July 27. He had gone 03 in six outings since then. Third baseman Chris Johnson’s throwing error in the fourth led to both of Colorado’s runs. DJ LeMahieu singled in a run for the Rockies. AJ Pollock hit his second big-league home run for Arizona. Kennedy (15-12) gave up no earned runs, striking out eight and walking none. He was 4-0 in his previous six starts.

Matt Belisle got the final out in the ninth for his third save in 10 tries.

DODGERS 5, GIANTS 1 Clayton Kershaw finished with a major league-leading 2.53 ERA, Adrian Gonzalez singled in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning, and Los Angeles ended its season a day after being eliminated from playoff contention for the third straight year by San Francisco. Kershaw (14-9) allowed one run and three hits in eight innings, struck out eight and walked three in his 33rd start, tying a career high. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner recorded 229 strikeouts, one behind NL leader R A Dickey of New York.

ST LOUIS: Fans acknowledge the St Louis Cardinals after the Cardinals defeated the Cincinnati Reds in the final game of the regular season at Busch Stadium.—AFP

Oakland A’s grab AL West crown OAKLAND: Oakland won the AL West title with another improbable rally in a season full of them, coming back from four runs down and a 13-game division deficit to stun two-time defending league champion Texas on Wednesday. Josh Hamilton dropped a fly ball in center field for a two-run error that put the A’s (94-68) ahead 7-5 in a six-run fourth inning. While Hamilton’s Rangers (93-69) are headed to the new onegame, wild-card playoff, the A’s get some time off before opening the division series in their first postseason appearance since 2006.

The A’s needed a sweep Texas and they delivered to win their first division crown in six years and 15th in all. They overcame a five-game deficit in the final nine days and took sole possession of the West’s top spot for the first time this year. Oakland’s Coco Crisp hit a tying two-run double in the fourth against Derek Holland (12-7). Brandon Moss drove in three runs, including a two-run single in a four-run eighth. Rookie Evan Scribner (2-0) allowed two hits and struck out two in three scoreless innings after replacing struggling starter AJ Griffin. Derek Norris homered leading off the eighth with his seventh homer and Oakland’s major league-leading 112th since the All-Star break.

YANKEES 14, RED SOX 2 Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson each hit a pair of homers, powering the Yankees past the Red Sox for their 13th AL East title in 17 years. In front of fans poised to party from the first pitch, the Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the last-place Red Sox to win their second consecutive division crown. The championship was locked up by the seventh inning, when Baltimore’s 4-1 loss at Tampa bay went final. Cano tied a career high with six RBIs as New York secured homefield advantage throughout the AL playoffs. The Yankees will open on the road Sunday against the winner of Friday’s wild-card game between Baltimore and Texas.

RAYS 4, ORIOLES 1 Evan Longoria homered three times and the Rays beat Baltimore, ending the Orioles’ bid to force a one-game tiebreaker for the AL East title. The loss left the Orioles as a wild-card team. They’ll play Friday at Texas, with the winner advancing to the division series. Baltimore began the day one game behind the New York Yankees in the division.

The Orioles needed a win, plus a loss by the Yankees to Boston, to pull even. Longoria finished the season with a bang for the second straight year, hitting solo shots off Chris Tillman in the first and fourth innings and adding another solo shot off Jake Arrieta in the sixth. With a chance to tie the major league record, Longoria grounded out in the eighth.

TIGERS 1, ROYALS 0 Miguel Cabrera became the first player in 45 years to achieve the Triple Crown in the AL Central-champion Tigers’ victory over the Royals.

Cabrera went 0 for 2 with a strikeout, then left in the fourth inning of the regular-season finale. He received a standing ovation from the opposing fans. He finished with an American League-leading .330 average, 44 homers and 139 RBIs, becoming just the 15th player to achieve the milestone and the first since Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. Max Scherzer pitched four innings for Detroit to test his sore right shoulder ahead of the playoffs, which the Tigers will open Saturday at home against Oakland. The bullpen took over from there, with Luis Marte (10) picking up the win and Luke Putkonen his first career save. Austin Jackson drove in the only run off Royals starter Luis Mendoza (8-10).

WHITE SOX 9, INDIANS 0 Dan Johnson hit his first three homers of the season and Chicago added two more in the game as the White Sox routed the Indians.

Gavin Floyd (12-11) gave up three hits over seven innings. He struck out six, one short of getting 145 strikeouts for the fifth straight season despite being on the disabled list twice this year. Johnson hit two tworun homers off David Huff (3-1). His 424-foot shot in the second inning was his first in more than a year. His second made it 7-0 in the fifth, two batters after Paul Konerko hit his 26th of the season.

BLUE JAYS 2, TWINS 1 Brandon Morrow struck out a season-high 11, Omar Vizquel wrapped up his 24-year career and the Blue Jays beat the Twins to complete a three-game sweep. Morrow (10-7) allowed one run and three hits in eight innings, his longest outing since a complete game victory at Chicago on June 6. Toronto’s staff leader in wins, the right-hander reached double digits in victories for the third straight season. Brandon Lyon finished the ninth for his first save as the Blue Jays avoided 90 losses, finishing at 73-89. They finished at .500 last season. Mike McCoy replaced Vizquel with two outs in the ninth and the veteran infielder left to a standing ovation, hugging his teammates, doffing his cap and tapping his heart to show his appreciation.

MARINERS 12, ANGELS 0 Casper Wells tied a career-high with five RBIs including a three-run homer in Seattle’s six-run seventh inning, and the Mariners routed the Angels. Angels’ star rookie Mike Trout went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double leading off the sixth and a single in the eighth to finish the season with a .326 average. That was good for second in the AL batting race, but pretty much locked up the Triple Crown for Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera. Angels’ starter Jered Weaver pitched just one inning before leaving the game. Weaver (20-5) had a chance to become the fourth pitcher in Angels’ history to reach 21 wins, but called it a season early after giving up two runs, two hits and walking two batters in the first inning. The team said Weaver had “general fatigue” as the reason he threw just one inning.— AP

Sports FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

NBA to penalize floppers NEW YORK: Stop the flop. The NBA will penalize floppers this season, fining players for repeated violations of an act a league official said Wednesday has “no place in our game.” Those exaggerated falls to the floor may fool the referees and fans during the game, but officials at league headquarters plan to take a look for themselves afterward. Players will get a warning the first time, then be fined $5,000 for a second violation. The fines increase to $10,000 for a third offense, $15,000 for a fourth and $30,000 the fifth time. Six or more could lead to a suspension.

“Flops have no place in our game -they either fool referees into calling undeserved fouls or fool fans into thinking the referees missed a foul call,” vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson said in a statement. “Accordingly, both the Board of Governors and the competition committee felt strongly that any player who the league determines, following video review, to have committed a flop should - after a warning - be given an automatic penalty.”

The players’ association plans to file a grievance with the league office and an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, arguing that it should have been consulted first before the new rules were implemented. “The NBA is not permitted to unilaterally impose new economic discipline against the players without first bargaining with the union,” union executive director Billy Hunter said. “We believe that any monetary penalty for an act of this type is inappropriate and without precedent in our sport or any other sport. We will bring appropriate legal action to challenge what is clearly a vague and arbitrary overreaction and overreach by the commissioner’s office.” However, a number of players expressed support for the policy. Lakers star Kobe Bryant said he hopes it has an impact on the game. “I like the rule,” he said. “Shameless flopping, that’s a chump move. We’re familiar with it. Vlade (Divac) kind of pioneered it in that playoff series against Shaq, and it kind of worked for him.” Players cautioned that it would be difficult to completely eliminate flopping, but welcomed the attempt to try.

“It’s good. Guys can’t be flopping and get away with it anymore,” Oklahoma City guard James Harden said. “It was bound to happen at some point. Obviously, the league got fed up with it and they put it in. I’m happy they did.” The NBA said flopping will be defined as “any physical act that appears to have been intended to cause the referees to call a foul on another player.” “The primary factor in determining whether a player committed a flop is whether his physical reaction to contact with another player is inconsistent with what would reasonably be expected given the force or direction of the contact,” the league said.

Commissioner David Stern has long sought to end flopping, believing it tricks the referees. But the league determined it would be too difficult for refs to make the call on the floor, preferring instead to leave it to league office reviews. — AP

Yip outshines rivals SEOUL: Canada’s Ryan Yip shot a flawless seven-underpar 64 to take the first round-lead ahead of better-known rivals at the CJ Invitational in South Korea yesterday.

Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant, a 14-time Asian tour winner, and Australia’s Rick Kulacz shared second place on 65 at the tournament hosted by Korean star KJ Choi. Korea’s Lee Dong-Hwan signed for a 66 to take fourth place while seven players posted 67 to share fifth place, including seven-time Asian Tour winner Charlie Wi, Korea’s Lee Sung and Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat.

But Yip was the star on the first day of the $750,000 event at Haesley Nine Bridges Golf Club in the northern county of Yeoju, which is jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Korean Golf Tour. “It’s all about giving yourself as many chances as you can and luckily for me, I made a couple of putts and played really solid today,” said the 28-year old, in comments released by the tournament organizers.

“I love events like this... (it) grows the game and it’s great for Asian golf.”

Thaworn carded a flawless 65 despite being distracted by the huge crowd following the marquee group of host K.J Choi and American Ben Curtis, who were playing ahead of him. But the Thai, who holds the record of the most number of wins on the Asian Tour, felt that his score could have been better. “The putts were all dropping and I couldn’t have played my short game any better. I was just affected by the crowd ahead as they were running everywhere eager to watch K.J. in action,” said Thaworn. — AFP

This combo shows German driver Michael Schumacher holding his trophy after winning several F1 Grand Prix. — AFP

Schumacher’s career a drama in two parts SUZUKA: Michael Schumacher achieved more than any other driver in Formula One but the winner of a record seven world championships and 91 grands prix could not beat time however hard he raced.

Announcing his second, and seemingly final, retirement at the Japanese Grand Prix yesterday, the German acknowledged that it was time to go at the end of the season in November.

The Schumacher Mark II, now 43 years old and driving a suitably silver Mercedes, has become a scuffed shadow of the shiny Mark I model who dominated racetracks around the world in the colours of Benetton and Ferrari. “I have decided to retire by the end of the year,” he told reporters. His truly remarkable career will stand as a drama in two parts, with a threeyear intermission, that some will see as an entirely fitting outcome for a driver who also divided the sport like few others.

Back in 2006, when Schumacher informed the world that he would be retiring as a Ferrari driver at a Monza news conference after the Italian Grand Prix, it seemed like the end of an era. He had a string of records to his name, including finishing every race on the podium in 2002 and winning the title with six races to spare. In 2004, he chalked up a record 13 wins with seven of them in a row.

Yesterday’s announcement did not seem as momentous after three disappointing comeback years with Mercedes in which he has so far produced just one podium finish - and that a third place this year.

YOUNGER TALENTS The Formula One world has moved on and younger talents, such as Red Bull’s double world champion Sebastian Vettel and Schumacher’s replacement Lewis Hamilton, now command the attention.

Schumacher still holds many of the records but Vettel is now the youngest ever double champion, after winning his first at the age

of 23. Last year the young German also chalked up a record 15 poles. The man who was supposed to lead the ‘Silver Arrows’ works Mercedes back to the top of the podium was a mere spectator when team mate Nico Rosberg - 26 at the time secured the long-desired win in China this year.

There has been a question mark over Schumacher’s future all season and he said yesterday, after replacing it with a full stop, that he felt released from his own doubts.

“I have had my doubts for quite a while, whether I personally have the energy and motivation to do so (carry on). I have achieved so much,” he said. “I told you in 2006 that my battery was empty. And I am on the red zone with my batteries,” he continued. “I wasn’t sure whether you could recharge them with the time that you have available and I felt that it’s time for freedom again.” Self-doubt was never a big part of the old Michael Schumacher’s make-up. The freedom he enjoyed then was of the town of Maranello as Ferrari’s undisputed number one. Ayrton Senna was loved, despite the Brazilian’s sometimes questionable tactics on the track, and mourned after his death in 1994.

Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio was admired, Briton Jim Clark revered.

Schumacher may be the greatest, although the number who would dispute that has grown after three unimpressive years, but he will never rank as the most popular. “I think he is the greatest racing driver of this century,” said Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn, an accolade that also neatly sidestepped the sport’s first 50 years and comparisons with the greats of yesteryear.

LESSONS LEARNED Schumacher has softened, prepared to admit mistakes. He has, he freely recognized, learned lessons and become more approachable. Yesterday, he even practiced his Italian - something he rarely man-

aged even in his glory years when Ferrari fans worshipped his success but often wished he would be a little less German.

“In my first career, as I entered into Formula One (with Jordan in 1991), immediately I had a lot of focus on me. So there was a constant demand and pressure on me that was difficult to cope with over the years,” he said. “In that absence (from 2007 to 2010), I was more free and recharged myself...when I was back I noticed it is possible to be open, to enjoy, but not lose the focus. And that is something I was not doing in the first part. “(In the second part) I had a bigger picture, I had more experience, it was much more easy to handle things.” Yet the controversies of the past still hang over his reputation like the mists that shroud his favorite Spa circuit in the Belgian forests.

There was the collision with Damon Hill in the 1994 title decider, the notorious attempt in 1997 to run Jacques Villeneuve off the road and the global scorn and outrage that followed Austria 2002 when Ferrari ordered Brazilian Rubens Barrichello to gift him an undeserved win.

On his day, and particularly in the wet, he was breathtaking. His mind-management, and ability to gel a team around him and give swift and incisive feedback, set him apart from the rest. But his achievements were countered by the feeling that he benefited from the best car and a subservient team mate throughout his Ferrari years. The 2006 Monaco Grand Prix saw him branded a cheat after a blatant attempt to block rivals in qualifying by stopping his car at the penultimate corner in the final seconds and he has been in more scrapes since then.

He has also shown flashes of brilliance, his fastest time in qualifying in Monaco this year the prime example even if a gearbox penalty denied him the pole position, and physically he looks like a man 10 years younger. — Reuters

Sports FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Indonesian John, Yordan set to defend their titles SINGAPORE: WBA champion Chris John will defend his super world featherweight title on Nov 9 in Singapore against Thailand’s Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo, Indonesian media reported yesterday. Undefeated John will headline a card at the Marina Bay Sands resort that also features Indonesian compatriot Daud Yordan defending his IBO featherweight title against Choi Tseveenpurev of Mongolia.

It is the second fight in the southeast Asian citystate for John - 47 wins, 0 defeats, 2 draws, 22 knockouts - who defended his title with a lopsided points decision win over defensive Japanese challenger Shoji Kimura in May. John, 33, voted WBA fighter of the decade earlier this month, will be making his 17th title defense but critics will be unhappy that he is once

again not taking on the best in the division. Mexican Orlando Salido is one place above John on the highlyregarded Ring Magazine’s rankings, with undefeated American Mikey Garcia third and another Mexican Daniel Ponce De Leon fourth.

Salido holds the WBO version of the title and stopped Moises Gutierrez three rounds into their July contest, while WBC champion De Leon beat Jhonny Gonzalez in Las Vegas last month. While Chonlatarn boasts an impressive looking 44-0 record with 27 knockouts he hasn’t boxed outside of Thailand before and has fought few opponents of genuine world class stature. The 27-year-old, however, does boast two victories over compatriot and former bantamweight world champion

Yoddamrong Sithyodthong.

Yordan (29-2, 23 KOs) will be facing a far more experienced opponent in the English-based Tseveenpurev (36-5, 24 KOs) who previously held a version of the world title at 126 pounds. The 25-year-old will be making the first defense of the title he won on the undercard of John’s fight in Singapore in May where he picked himself up after a first-round knockdown to knockout Lorenzo Villanueva in the second. “I’ve seen (Tseveenpurev’s) video-taped matches several times and he’s a real fighter, the kind of opponent that I like.

It’ll be a great fight,” Yordan told the Jakarta Globe. “I have age as my advantage but he has the experience. I also believe he’ll fight hard for the title. That’s why I must not take him lightly.” — Reuters

Top seeds Sharapova, Azarenka reach last 8 BEIJING: Top seeds Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova reached the last eight of the China Open yesterday, both recording their third consecutive straight-sets victories, but there was a shock in the men’s draw with Richard Gasquet losing. World number one and first seed Azarenka dispatched Russian qualifier Elena Vesnina 6-3, 6-3 to set up a quarter-final tie with Switzerland’s Romina Oprandi. The 23-year-old from Belarus has yet to drop a set in the tournament, defeating France’s Alize Cornet 6-1, 6-0 in the first round and Sabine Lisicki of Germany 64, 6-2 in the second.

“It was a little bit of a challenge today, for sure,” Azarenka said. “I felt like I could have been a bit more aggressive and not hesitate so much. “When I won that last point, I was relieved and happy to finish the match in two sets.” Second-seed Sharapova, number two in the WTA rankings behind Azarenka, defeated Slovenian qualifier Polona Hercog, ranked 90th in the world, 6-0, 6-2 at the capital’s National Tennis Stadium. Sharapova, 25, had beaten Romania’s Simona Halep 7-5, 7-5 in the first round and Sorana Cirstea, also of Romania, 6-2, 6-2 in round two.

“I had a long first round, even though it was two sets, but today and yesterday was definitely a little bit quicker,” Sharapova said. “I played really well in the beginning and got a little tense in the second set, but I felt like I really needed that challenge. “It’s nice to be in the quarterfinal stage of this tournament.” Sharapova will face her first real test of the Premier Mandatory event in the next round when she takes on either fifth seed Angelique Kerber of Germany or former world number one Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. The China Open is the fourth and final compulsory tournament of the women’s calendar, behind only the Grand Slams and season-ending WTA Championships in prestige.

In the men’s section, fifth-seed Gasquet of France suffered a second-round loss to Chinese wild card Zhang Ze in three sets. Ze defeated Gasquet, who won the Thailand Open last week to end a two-and-a-half-year title drought, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. The Frenchman admitted afterwards that his exploits in Bangkok had left him tired but said Ze, cheered on by an excited home support, had been the better player and deserved his victory. “Last week I played a big tournament. I’m not physically 100 percent, but it’s not the reason I lost,” Gasquet said. “He’s talented, he played aggressive and fast, and at the end he played better than me. He deserves this victory.”— AFP

BEIJING: Russia’s Maria Sharapova returns a backhand shot to Polona Hercog of Slovenia during their women’s singles tennis match of the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing yesterday. — AP

Tipsarevic, Raonic through in Tokyo Berdych flattens Falla TOKYO: Former winner Tomas Berdych comfortably beat Colombia’s Alejandro Falla 6-3 7-5 yesterday to reach the quarter-finals of the Japan Open. US Open champion Andy Murray, the title holder in Tokyo, enjoyed a day off from the singles to team up with brother Jamie in a successful start to the defense of their doubles crown. Czech Berdych, who won the Japan Open in 2008, blasted nine aces as he strolled to his 50th win of the year. “I served well and took my chances,” the second seed told reporters after moving another step closer to qualifying for the season-ending World Tour Finals. “I’m not there yet,” added the world number six, referring to next month’s eight-man London shootout. “I need to keep playing well and stick to my tennis. Not talk about it but bring my best game and that’s the best way to qualify.”

Berdych, who upset Roger Federer on his way to last month’s US Open semi-finals, will play Japan’s Kei Nishikori in the last eight of the $1.2 million hardcourt event.

Eighth seed Nishikori hit back in style after dropping the first set to record a 5-7 6-1 60 victory over Spain’s Tommy Robredo. Third seed Janko Tipsarevic also progressed with a 6-4 6-2 victory over Swiss qualifier Marco Chiudinelli.—Reuters

Castres seeking Clermont scalp, with eye on Europe PARIS: Top 14 leaders Clermont will seek to ride out a raft of injuries as they travel this weekend to Castres, unbeaten at home this season, ahead of what promises to be a daunting European Cup campaign. But Vern Cotter’s expensively assembled, multi-national side face a Castres team that, although having lost former All Black No 8 Chris Masoe to league rivals Toulon, have not been beaten at home by Clermont in 36 years. Castres, one of the surprise packages of the Top 14 last season, have also racked up more than 30 points over allcomers to their Pierre Antoine stadium this season, something not lost on Clermont forwards coach Franck Azema.

“We’re looking at this match as a real test,” Azema said.

“Castres are an outfit used to play-offs. “They’ve been able to build thanks to a real stability among their backroom staff and playing personnel. “Even if some players have left and other come in, they’ve managed a smooth continuity and know how to adapt themselves and bring the best out of the squad.” Azema added that a run-out against Castres would be ideal timing ahead of the European Cup, in which they’ve been drawn in a tough group alongside Irish reigning champions Leinster, doughty English Premiership outfit Exeter and Welsh region Scarlets.

“Of course it’s an excellent way of preparing for our clash against Scarlets,” Azema said of their October 13 match-up at home against the Llanelli-based club. “We’ll have a very tough team up against us who will pose us problems. It’ll be up to us to find solutions. It will also prepare us for the level of combat that awaits us in a complicated European pool.” Castres hooker Brice Mach, making his comeback after treatment for thyroid cancer, said remaining unbeaten at home had been one of the squad’s targets at the start of the season.

“The team wants to act like the head of the household,” Mach said of Castres, who travel to Ulster for their opening European Cup match on October 12, with Glasgow and Northampton making up their group. “These matches give us confidence and we must approach them very seriously.

“Up until now, it’s smiled on us because we have put in all the necessary ingredients. Come today, we’ll have to be vigilant and snuff out the opponents from the off.” Clermont will be without centre Aurelien Rougerie (back) and wing Napolioni Nalaga (ribs), while prop Vincent Debaty (leg) and lock Jamie Cudmore (thigh) are also doubtful.

But South African flanker Gerhard Vosloo, who has been out since last April after a groin operation, is expected to return. Scrum-half Morgan Parra will also be missing because he has holidays to take after playing 505 of the 560 minutes played by the team since the beginning of the season.

Toulon, second in the table on points difference to Clermont, travel to fourth-placed Biarritz in tomorrow’s early game. Defending champions Toulouse, seven points adrift of Clermont and Toulon in third, play away at BordeauxBegles. Mont-de-Marsan, rooted to the bottom of the table without a win in seven outings, host Stade Francais, fellow Parisian outfit Racing-Metro host Montpellier, Bayonne entertain Agen, and Perpignan travel to Grenoble. — AFP

Sports FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Home fans change loyalty as T20 fever soars COLOMBO: For the first time in the World Twenty20 the home fans turned their back on Pakistan yesterday, naturally so because their semifinal opponents were none other than the hosts Sri Lanka.

Pakistan had received good support, even in their Super Eights match against arch-rivals India in Colombo on Sunday, but Premadasa stadium reverberated for Mahela Jayawardene’s team, aiming to lift their first major trophy since winning the 1996 World Cup. “This Cup is ours,” said sisters Malissa and Belinda, who have come with a group of girls from Colombo college, all dressed in yellow and blue Sri Lankan shirts. “We want the title and we are going to snatch it from

other teams.” The semi-final, a repeat of World Twenty20 final which Pakistan won in 2009, is a sell-out with the home fans outnumbering the travelling Pakistanis. Among the Pakistani fans is Zaman Khan, famous as Chacha (Uncle) Twenty20 cricket.

“I will shout my throat out,” said Zaman, a driver in Dubai who is in Sri Lanka to support Pakistan since the event started. “Up until now the Sri Lankans had supported our team but it’s natural that they will not do that today.” Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez had said the crowd turning their backs will not matter to his team. “We are now quite used to it as we don’t play any cricket in Pakistan for the last three years,” Hafeez said on the eve of the match. “I hope the

fans support good cricket by both the teams.”

Pakistan have been forced to play all their home cricket on neutral venues like United Arab Emirates and England since the March 2009 attacks on a Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore. “I hope international cricket resumes in Pakistan so that we could play before our home fans,” said Hafeez, whose counterpart Mahela Jayawardene also hoped a festive atmosphere will add to the charm of the match. “It’s good to be back in Colombo,” said Jayawardene, whose team played earlier matches at Hambantota and Pallekele. “We have enjoyed playing here, I am sure the crowd will turn out in big numbers and support us.”

Shops in the near-by markets were

shut down early in the evening and traffic was diverted to allow the fans to reach the stadium in time for the start.

“I had to close my shop at noon because I had to prepare for the match,” said Mohammad Azim, owner of a grocery shop. “As a Muslim I will be supporting Pakistan a bit but my prayers are for Sri Lanka to win.”

Inside the stadium fans chanted slogans in the local language, blowing trumpets on a good start by Sri Lanka, who won the toss and batted. ”I hope both the teams play well but Sri Lanka team wins,” said Liyana Gamage, a student at Sri Jayawardene campus. “The final will also be like a big party...” The final is scheduled for Sunday. — AFP

Aussies target Gayle in World T20 semis

COLOMBO: Cheerleaders perform during the 1st cricket semi-final match between England and New Zealand Women’s World T20 in Colombo. — AFP

Lankan cheerleaders branded an ‘eyesore’ COLOMBO: Sri Lankan cricket authorities have complained to organizers about cheerleaders at the World Twenty20 tournament after media criticism describing them as a “disgraceful eyesore”. Nishantha Ranatunga, secretary of Sri Lanka Cricket said that fans had also provided “negative feedback” after lackluster displays by the local performers, who lead celebrations when wickets are taken and boundaries scored.

“The impression created by these cheerleaders is not acceptable,” Ranatunga said yesterday. “We complained to the ICC (International Cricket Council) that this is harming the image of Sri Lanka. “We had a lot of negative feedback which we passed on to the ICC as we had nothing to do with selecting the dance

troupes.” The dancers, who are dressed in blue leggings, striped skirts and T-shirts bearing advertising slogans, have been attacked in the Sri Lankan media for their amateur dancing and un-coordinated routines.

“The sorry performance of the socalled cheerleaders is not only a disgraceful eyesore, but has show-cased Sri Lanka in a poor light to the entire world,” the Daily Mirror said.

The manager of the cheerleaders, Sudev Abeysekara, was quoted in India’s Hindustan Times on Saturday as saying that more attractive dancers were not available due to low wages.

“In an event like this you need good looking girls, and to get the beautiful girls who are professional dancers, you have to pay more,” he said. “The payment is not that great.” He added

that “the girls are not comfortable, the tights they are wearing slip down while dancing and the girls are busy tying them here and there.”

Abeysekara, who was not available to comment to AFP, also said that the dancers declined to wear shorts as they “are conscious that parents are watching”. Event organizers said the contract for providing cheerleaders had been awarded to a foreign company which sub-contracted the work to a Sri Lankan firm. Cheerleaders were popularized in cricket with the arrival of the high-energy Twenty20 format, and they have become a popular part of the annual Indian Premier League (IPL). The first Twenty20 semifinal was held yesterday between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, with the final on Sunday. — AFP

COLOMBO: Australia hope to remove big-hitter Chris Gayle early to put the West Indies under pressure during the second semi-final of the World Twenty20 in Colombo today. The belligerent left-hander holds the key to his team’s batting success and Australian captain George Bailey said it was important not to let Gayle settle down at the crease. “Their (West Indies) batting is no doubt their strength,” Bailey said after his team’s training session yesterday. “If you can knock Gayle over early it really does put pressure on the rest of their batsmen to step up.”

Gayle hit 54 to help West Indies to 191-8 against Australia in the preliminary league, before Shane Watson scored a 21-ball 41 to steer his team home via the Duckworth-Lewis method in the rain-affected match.

Gayle also smashed 58 during a 103-run opening stand with Johnson Charles to set up a 15-run win over defending champions England in the Super Eights in Pallekele.

But when the opener fell for two against Sri Lanka, the West Indies crumbled for a paltry 129 to lose by nine wickets. Bailey, smarting against the unexpected 32-run defeat by Pakistan on Tuesday, wanted an aggressive attitude by his team against the West Indies bowlerseven if it costs Australia a place in the final.

“I’d rather see us throw caution to the wind. If we get knocked over, we get knocked over,” Bailey said and hinted that David Hussey could be back for the semifinal in place of Glenn Maxwell. “I saw (coach) Mickey Arthur had weighed up those two players and that’s probably the only one to be weighed up.

But the structure doesn’t change in terms of a likefor-like,” the captain said. Australia’s four wins in five matches so far in the tournament have been made easier by a sensational all-round display by Shane Watson, who has scored 242 runs and taken 11 wickets. The West Indies, in contrast, have just two wins from five matches and need to lift their game if they are to stop Australia from making their second successive World Twenty20 final.

Skipper Darren Sammy insisted his team’s success did not hinge on Gayle alone. “It’s not only about Chris,” said Sammy. “Obviously he sets the momentum for us at the top of the order. But to win the game, it will need a total team effort. “In any cricket match, you get one individual doing something brilliant. But it will take a collective effort to win the semi-final.”

Sammy predicted a close game with the result depending on who wins the key moments in the game.

“It could be a spectacular catch somewhere, or guys out in the middle making the right decision at a crucial time,” he said. “I think the team that wins at the end of the day is the team that will make less mistakes. “But it’s two evenly matched teams and it promises to be an exciting game.” — AFP

Sports FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Herath spins Sri Lanka into T20 final COLOMBO: Veteran spinner Rangana Herath grabbed 3-25 to lift hosts Sri Lanka into the World Twenty20 final with a 16-run victory over Pakistan in Colombo yesterday. Sri Lanka, restricted to 139-4 after electing to bat, hit back to keep Pakistan down to 123-7 in a thrilling semi-final before 35,000 screaming fans at the Premadasa stadium. Herath, the 34-year-old left-arm spinner playing only his sixth T20 international, was supported by two wickets each from seamer Angelo Mathews and unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis.

It was Sri Lanka’s second appearance in the World Twenty20 final, having lost to Pakistan in the 2009 title clash at Lord’s. It was also the first time in four editions of the tournament that began in 2007 that a host country had made it past the semi-final round.

Rival captains Mahela Jayawardene and Mohammad Hafeez topscored for their teams with 42 each, but the other batsmen struggled to force the pace on a sluggish pitch that hampered strokemaking. Sri Lanka wasted a sound start to plod to 123-4 in 19 overs, before Thisara Perera smashed three boundaries in the final over of seamer Umar Gul, which realised 16 runs.

Pakistan’s openers Hafeez and Imran Nazir began the reply on a confident note, putting on 31 for the first wicket in six overs.

Mendis, brought on to send down the sixth over, broke the stand with the last delivery by bowling Nazir for 20. Pakistan moved to 55-1 in the ninth over when Mathews grabbed two wickets in four balls to swing the match Sri Lanka’s way. Mathews first had Nasir Jamshed leg-before-an unfortunate dismissal for the batsman since replays showed the ball pitch outside the leg-stumpbefore getting Kamran Akmal caught at mid-wicket.

In the next over, Herath bowled new batsman Shoaib Malik for six to leave Pakistan tottering at 64-4 in 11 overs. Hafeez, dropped by Lasith Malinga on 24, added 18 more runs when he was stumped off Herath, who then bowled Shahid Afridi first ball.

Earlier, Sri Lankan openers Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan put on 63 in 10 overs, a slow start by Twenty20 standards but crucial nevertheless with their team having all their wickets in hand.

Jayawardene liberally employed the reverse sweep during his knock of 42 off 36 balls, but was caught at fine-leg while attempting the same shot off Afridi.

Kumar Sangakkara made a promising 18 from 11 balls when he was snapped up on the long-on fence as he tried to hit Hafeez out of the ground. — AFP

SCOREBOARD COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: Scoreboard yesterday in the World Twenty20 semifinal between Sri Lanka and Pakistan at R Premadasa Stadium: Sri Lanka Mahela Jayawardene c Hasan b Afridi 42 Tillakaratne Dilshan lbw b Gul 35 Kumar Sangakkara c Malik b Hafeez 18 Jeevan Mendis st Kamran Akmal b Ajmal 15 Thisara Perera not out 11 Angelo Mathews not out 10 Extras: (3b, 4w, 1nb) 8 TOTAL: (for 4 wickets) 139 Overs: 20.

Fall of wickets: 1-63, 2-84, 3-117, 4-118 Did not bat: Lahiru Thirimanne, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis.

Bowling: Sohail Tanvir 3-0-11-0 (1w), Raza Hasan 4-0-26-0, Saeed Ajmal 4-0-33-1 (1w), Shahid Afridi 4-0-28-1, Mohammad Hafeez 20-12-1 (1w), Umar Gul 3-0-26-1 (1nb, 1w).

Pakistan Mohammad Hafeez st Sangakkara b Herath 42 Imran Nazir b Ajantha Mendis 20 Nasir Jamshed lbw b Mathews 4 Kamran Akmal c Jayawardene b Mathews 1 Shoaib Malik b Herath 6 Umar Akmal not out 29 Shahid Afridi b Herath 0 Sohail Tanvir st Sangakkara b Ajantha Mendis 8 Umar Gul not out 2 Extras: (2lb, 9w) 11 TOTAL: (for 7 wickets) 123 Overs: 20.

Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-55, 3-57, 4-64, 5-91, 6-91, 7-113 Did not bat: Saeed Ajmal, Raza Hasan.

Bowling: Angelo Mathews 4-0-27-2, Nuwan Kulasekara 3-0-15-0 (2w), Lasith Malinga 4-0-19-0 (7w), Ajantha Mendis 4-0-27-2, Thisara Perera 1-0-8-0, Rangana Herath 4-0-25-3.

Result: Sri Lanka won by 16 runs.

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s cricket team celebrates its victory during the ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup’s semi-final match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo yesterday.— AFP

ECB, Pietersen make peace COLOMBO: Batsman Kevin Pietersen has committed to playing for England in all three forms of the game until at least 2015 after making peace with the England and Wales Cricket Board in a row over “provocative” text messages. “I am committed to completing the reintegration process we have agreed over the coming weeks and resuming my England career in all formats, hopefully until the World Cup in 2015, as long as my body allows,” he told a news conference on Wednesday.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize to my team mates, all England supporters and the ECB for the situation that has arisen over the last couple of months.

“Thankfully we have drawn a line under it and can move forward,” he added in a prepared statement after signing a new central contract in the Sri Lankan capital where he has been working as a television pundit on the ICC World Twenty20.

Pietersen was dropped in August after sending messages to members of the opposing South Africa side which he conceded were provocative but denied were derogatory about former England captain Andrew Strauss, the ECB said. The 32-year-old, who has averaged nearly 50 in 88 test matches, said he had deleted the messages and the ECB added on Wednesday

that the issue had been “successfully concluded through a binding assurance provided by Kevin”.

Pietersen added: “Although it has been made clear in the (ECB) statement, I’d like to make it clear that at no time did I share tactical information with any of the South Africans.

“It’s been a horrible situation for all involved but it is time to move forward. All being well, I’ll be back in an England shirt as soon as possible.”

REINTEGRATION PROCESS ECB chairman Giles Clarke, who joined Pietersen at the news conference, said a “re-integration process”, which was intended to pave the way for the player’s recall, had begun with the pair meeting for 2-1/2 hours on Wednesday morning. “Kevin Pietersen has apologized to Andrew Strauss and... he now wishes to put the events of the summer behind him and to focus on regaining his place in the England team,” said Clarke reading from an ECB statement. “England Teams Director Andy Flower will lead the (re-integration) process. He will determine the progress of that process and will advise the Board when the team, management and Kevin himself feel he is ready to be reconsidered.

“Following this, it will be up to the National Selector (Geoff Miller)

and the England Teams Director to determine when he should be selected. It could be very soon,” added Clarke, who said Pietersen had signed a new ECB central contract. Strauss told reporters at St Andrews in Scotland where he is due to take part in golf’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship that he did not expect Pietersen’s return to happen so quickly. “I don’t know how the meetings have been going with the ECB and Andy (Flower), but they obviously feel that they’ve been given assurances,” Strauss said. “Once he’s back in the side it’s very important that people move on,” added Strauss who retired from cricket in August.

“I think a lot of what should happen now is that people have to sit down and be honest with each other, saying how they felt and getting it out of their systems and then clearing the way to move forward.

“We all know what Kevin is capable of. He can show that in India and help them win some test matches,” said the 35-year-old. Following England’s elimination from the ICC World Twenty20 on Monday, their next competitive action is a tour of India that features four tests, two Twenty20s and five one-dayers. The test series squad, selected last month, did not include Pietersen.

The first test starts in Ahmedabad on Nov 15.— Reuters

Sports FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Nothing sheepish about Ba’s threat to Man Utd LONDON: Alex Ferguson has had nine months to come up with a plan to combat the threat of Demba Ba and how Manchester United cope with the red-hot Newcastle United striker on Sunday (1500 GMT)could define their Premier League season.

The Senegalese bullied United’s injury-hit backline in Newcastle’s 3-0 victory on a windswept night at St James’ Park in early January, and will surely be licking his lips at the thought of testing a defence who have been uncharacteristically sloppy so far.

Third-placed United have leaked nine goals in six league games, including three in last weekend’s surprise home defeat by Tottenham Hotspur.

Injury has again robbed the Old Trafford side of Nemanja Vidic’s steadying presence for the foreseeable future, and now Ferguson has injury worries over Vidic’s fellow centre back Jonny Evans. Even though they conceded a sloppy early goal to fall behind, Ferguson praised his backline for a resolute display in the 2-

1 Champions League victory in Romania over Cluj on Tuesday.

With the imposing Ba, the Premier League’s top scorer with six this season, and strike partner Papiss Cisse awaiting, Ferguson can ill afford to lose Northern Ireland international Evans. The defender is battling to shake off a dead leg and was replaced late on by young centreback Scott Wootton against Cluj. Wootton made his debut in United’s 2-1 League Cup victory over Newcastle at Old Trafford last month. Cisse notched up his only goal of the campaign in that defeat, a match which Ba played no part in.

MIRALLAS PRAISED Second-placed Everton, three points behind leaders Chelsea, make the short trip to Wigan Athletic tomorrow (1400) with manager David Moyes hailing the impact of Belgium forward Kevin Mirallas. The Goodison Park side’s acquisition of Mirallas from Greece’s Olympiakos was one of the more unheralded signings of August but the 24-year-old has surprised

Moyes with how quickly he has settled on Merseyside. “He is doing much better to start than I thought he might do. I thought we might have to take our time with him and bed him in,” Moyes told Everton’s website (www.evertonfc.com).

“But he is doing a great job for us playing from the right at the minute and he is looking bright and looking a threat so I am really pleased with him.” A tasty London derby is in store at Upton Park in tomorrow’s late kickoff (1630) when Arsenal aim to check West Ham’s United’s bright start.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was less than enamoured with his side’s defending in their first defeat of the season last weekend at home to Chelsea and could decide to bring back Per Mertesacker to combat the threat of West Ham’s big frontman Andy Carroll.

Wenger deployed Laurent Koscielny instead of the previously impressive Mertesacker against Chelsea, a move that was less than successful, and the Frenchman also

Madrid’s Kaka working his way back into contention MADRID: For a 30-year-old former World Player of the Year who cost Real Madrid 67 million euros ($86.44 million) three years ago, Kaka has been spending a surprising amount of time warming the bench. The Brazilian appeared to have been discarded from Coach Jose Mourinho’s plans and the arrival of fellow playmaker Luka Modric from Tottenhan was interpreted by many as the final nail in the coffin of his undistinguished stint in the Spain capital. Linked in the media with moves to former club AC Milan or Paris St Germain, he only made his first appearance of the campaign on Sunday, coming off the bench in Real’s 5-1 La Liga win at home to Deportivo Coruna, their ninth game of the season.

However, Mourinho surprised many by including Kaka in the starting lineup for Wednesday’s 4-1 Champions League win at Ajax and he responded with a performance full of verve and creativity that suggests he may be working his way back into contention. “I was surprised to be starting,” Kaka told reporters after the match at the Amsterdam Arena, during which he provided a delightful assist for Karim Benzema’s breathtaking 48thminute overhead kick and came close to scoring several times himself.

“I found out in the afternoon but at Real Madrid we all have to always be prepared to play,” he added. “I had a very bad time. Starting games is a personal goal and if I work hard things will come good.” After consolidating their position at the top of Champions League Group D on six points from two matches, Real play at Barcelona on Sunday. A victory for Barca in the La Liga ‘Clasico’ at the Nou Camp will stretch their lead over the bitter rivals to 11 points and Kaka said he

was ready to play if selected in a match which could go a long way to deciding the championship.

Mourinho said his decision to initially leave Mesut Ozil on the bench on Wednesday before deploying the German playmaker in place of Kaka for the final 15 minutes was “nothing defini-

tive”. “I decided that with his (Kaka’s) characteristics, the nature of the opponent and the work he did during the week, it would be good for us if he played against Ajax,” the Portuguese told a news conference. “The media thinks every time a player of status is on the bench it’s a big problem,” he added. — Reuters

AMSTERDAM: Real Madrid’s Kaka (left) shoots next to Ajax Amsterdam’s Toby Alderweireld during the UEFA Champions League Group D football match on October 3, 2012. — AFP

started the 3-1 Champions League win over Olympiakos Piraeus on Wednesday. Fit-again England centre forward Carroll believes West Ham one place and two points above Arsenal in seventh - can cause the visitors plenty of problems. “We’ve obviously been playing really well and we proved that on Monday,” Carroll said in reference to a 2-1 away win at Queens Park Rangers, a game in which he made a return off the bench after four games out with a hamstring strain.

“I think all the lads are looking forward to Arsenal tomorrow.” Chelsea welcome struggling Norwich City to Stamford Bridge tomorrow (1400) and champions Manchester City, level on points with United and four behind the leaders, host Sunderland(1145) following their last-gasp 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. Liverpool, winning at the sixth attempt with a fivegoal romp at Norwich last weekend, welcome Stoke City to Anfield on Sunday (1400). — Reuters

Mancini vows to fix Man City problems MANCHESTER: Manchester City manager Roberto Manicni insists he knows where his team’s problems lie after their fitful start to the season. City’s 1-1 Champions League draw with Borussia Dortmund here Wednesday extended their poor run to just three wins in nine matches. Mancini’s team have just one point from their two Group D matches and are four points adrift of leaders Chelsea in the Premier League.

After being so solid on their way to the Premier League title last season, they have also failed to keep a single clean sheet in their nine matches so far. Mario Balotelli’s late penalty earned a point against the Germans but the performance gave Mancini real concern. The Italian refused to expand on what he thinks is currently going wrong for his team. Mancini, whose team host Sunderland on Saturday before the international break, is sure he can find a solution to his team’s issues and has promised he will rectify their issues quickly.

He said: “I know the problem and I will resolve it very quickly. It’s my problem and my job and I will solve this problem. “If we want to play in the Champions League we have to play better. “We have to run and fight. It’s not enough to just pass. Champions League is another situation - different from the championship. “We have to run and fight. It’s not enough to just have quality. If you don’t run like Dortmund did, then you have a problem. “Our performance was very poor but I think that in the end of the group this point could be very important.”

Mancini’s plans for the Sunderland game have also been hit by Javi Garcia limping out of the Dortmund game with a hamstring problem. City failed to progress to the knock-out phase last season after collecting just a point from their opening two group matches. They now face a double header with Ajax before a home game against Real Madrid and a trip to Dortmund. England goalkeeper Joe Hart, 25, who was outstanding against Jurgen Klopp’s side admits his team’s prospects of qualifying would have been slim without Balotelli’s late penalty at the Etihad Stadium.

He said: “I hope it’s important and not a wasted effort. “I hope the effort we’ve made in both of those games isn’t wasted and we can focus on qualifying but it shows what a group we’re in. “It would have been nice to win the game but we’ve come out alive and the group’s still alive for us.

After Mario Gotze twice saw shots pushed on to the woodwork by Hart, Dortmund took a deserved lead after Jack Rodwell’s error allowed Marco Reus to score. — AFP

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012

Schumacher’s career a drama in two parts Page 43

www.kuwaittimes.net

Herath spins Sri Lanka into Twenty20 final Page 46

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s Rangana Herath (right) celebrates dismissing Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi during the ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup’s semi-final match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan yesterday. — AFP