6th Sep

CR IP TI ON BS SU

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Blaze at India fireworks factory kills at least 40

Sharapova advances to US Open semifinals

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Court to issue verdict on electoral law on Sept 25

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www.kuwaittimes.net

SHAWWAL 19, 1433 AH

Hearing sees heated exchanges • Protests feared after ruling

Max 44º Min 26º High Tide 02:46 & 15:41 Low Tide 09:03 & 20:56

By A Saleh and Agencies

Gulf wary of US shift on Islamists DUBAI: The rise of the Muslim Brotherhood and its ideological affiliates in the Arab Spring uprisings has stoked fears among Gulf Arab governments that the United States may one day abandon its traditional allies as it warms up to Islamists. While the ruling families in the Gulf are currently vital US allies who buy large amounts of American military hardware and facilitate a significant US military presence, some are apprehensive Washington may apply pressure on them to accommodate Islamists who could end up challenging their exclusive rule.

In a number of colourful online outbursts, Dubai’s outspoken police chief Dhahi Khalfan has warned of an “international plot” to overthrow Gulf systems of government with Western complicity. The Brotherhood, manipulated by the United States, is working to take over the Gulf by 2016, he said. “Today the Americans are mobilising the Muslim Brotherhood in the Arab nation, for the benefit of America, not the Arabs,” he wrote on his Twitter account on Sunday. “There is an American plan that has been drawn up for the region.”

Though Khalfan insists his tweets are his personal views, analysts and diplomats say they reflect largely unspoken concerns among the United Arab Emirates’ ruling elite about the regional popularity of the Islamists and the possibility that the West will sympathise with them as political underdogs.

Continued on Page 13

ABU DHABI: An Emirati man sits yesterday at the stand of German manufacturer Heckler and Koch on the first day of the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian exhibition (ADIHEX), which offers visitors the chance to enjoy camel auctions and traditional hunting and equestrian activities. — AFP

Iran treating Israeli threats as American Bibi halts meeting over ‘leaks’ DUBAI: Iran makes no distinction between US and Israeli interests and will retaliate against both countries if attacked, an Iranian military commander said yesterday. The comments came after the White House denied an Israeli news report that it was negotiating with Tehran to keep out of a future Israel-Iran war and as US President Barack Obama fends off accusations from his election rival that he is too soft on Tehran. “The Zionist regime separated from America has no meaning, and we must not recognise Israel as separate from America,” Ali Fadavi, naval commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency.

“On this basis, today only the

Americans have taken a threatening stance towards the Islamic Republic,” Fadavi said. “If the Americans commit the smallest folly they will not leave the region safely.”

Iran - which has missiles that could reach Israel and US targets in the region - has conducted military exercises and unveiled upgraded weapons in recent months, aiming to show it can defend itself against any strike against its nuclear sites. Israel - thought to be the only country in the Middle East with nuclear weapons - says the prospect of a nuclear armed Iran would pose a threat to its existence. Tehran denies it is developing weapons and says its nuclear program is peaceful.

Continued on Page 13

Man swallows diamond at Sri Lanka gem show COLOMBO: A Chinese man arrested for attempted theft after swallowing a diamond worth nearly $14,000 at a gem exhibition in Sri Lanka yesterday will have to undergo surgery to remove the stone, police said. The 32-year-old had asked the stall owner for a close inspec-

tion of the 1.5-carat diamond on the opening day of Facets Sri Lanka, an annual jewellery show in the capital Colombo. “He came with another Chinese man. One of them tried to distract me while the other had a diamond Continued on Page 13

COLOMBO: A security official and uniformed police escort a Chinese national (center) who is accused of stealing a $13,800 diamond by swallowing it at Sri Lanka’s main gem and jewellery exhibition yesterday. (Inset) Stall owner Suresh de Silva shows a 1.5 carat diamond which is similar to the stone the Chinese man stole from him. — AFP

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s top court will announce on Sept 25 whether current electoral boundaries are constitutional, a ruling that could spark protests in the increasingly politically divided state. The government asked the court to rule on a 2006 law that divides Kuwait into five constituencies, a move some opposition figures say is a bid to abolish the current boundaries and gerrymander victory in elections expected this year or next. The court will also rule on the number of votes a voter can cast, which is four currently. Opposition activists took to the streets in protest on Aug 27 and have promised to turn out again if the court rules in favour of the government and declares the law unconstitutional.

The government says a court ruling is needed to protect against possible legal challenges to future elections. The opposition bloc which won a majority in the 2012 parliament before it was annulled by a constitutional court ruling in June, demands any amendment to the electoral law be made by a new parliament that is elected after the 2009 parliament is dissolved which they demand take place as soon as possible.

The first hearing of the case yesterday featured an altercation between the Cabinet’s defense and a lawyer involved in the appeal against the constituencies’ distribution, followed by another exchange between a member from the Cabinet’s defense team and attorney Al-Humaidi Al-Subaei who is part of the team against the appeal.

Kuwait has been in political limbo since the opposition-dominated parliament was effectively dissolved by the same constitutional court in a separate ruling in June. While Kuwait has avoided the kind of mass Continued on Page 13

Morsi: Time for change in Syria CAIRO: Egypt’s president yesterday promised to put Cairo back at the heart of Arab affairs and made an impassioned appeal to Arab states to work to end the bloodshed in Syria, saying the time had come to change the Syrian government. Making his first presidential address to the Arab League in Cairo, Mohamed Morsi also said a quartet of states - Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey and Egypt - would meet to discuss the Syrian crisis. “The quartet which Egypt has called for will meet now,” Morsi told Arab foreign ministers, though he did not give further details.

An Egyptian delegate said the president’s comments meant the four states were talking about what action could be taken but that the formal formation of the quartet was still under discussion and that no date had been set for its representatives to meet. Tehran has backed Syria’s government but the three other states want President Bashar Al-Assad to stand down. Analysts said the group was unlikely to agree on how to handle the crisis but said the initiative was a sign of how determined the newly elected president was to put Egypt back at the centre of regional politics. Morsi said the time had come in Syria for “change and not wasting Continued on Page 13

Hair dye but no bullets in Laden’s room WASHINGTON: When US Navy SEALs gunned down Osama bin Laden in his bedroom, it was up to one commando to take photos that would serve as proof of the Al-Qaeda leader’s bloody demise. “I started to wipe the blood away from his face using a blanket from the bed. With each swipe, the face became more familiar. He looked younger than I expected. “His beard was dark, like it had been dyed,” the former Navy SEAL, Matt Bissonnette, recalls in his new book, “No Easy Day”. His eyewitness account of the raid, which was released on Tuesday, has angered senior officers and drawn a warning of potential legal action from the Pentagon, which says the author revealed classified information.

As for the book, it is a gripping read, even if it often resorts to the macho cliches typical of the genre. His account also conveys how “Operation Neptune Spear” was fraught with risk and uncertainty, with troops flying deep inside Pakistan without Islamabad’s knowledge. But in the end, the raid was all over in a matter of minutes with no gun battle and little drama. After an unarmed bin Laden was shot in the head and then pumped full of bullets, it fell to Bissonnette to take the only photos of the Al-Qaeda chief after his death. “It was strange to see such an infamous face up close.

Continued on Page 13

CAIRO: Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi (center) sits between Arab League Secretary General Nabil Al-Arabi (right) and Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah during a meeting at the Arab League headquarters yesterday. — AFP

Nokia shows off new Windows smartphones NEW YORK: Nokia revealed its first smartphones to run the next version of Windows, a big step for a company that has bet its future on an alliance with Microsoft. Investors were disappointed, and Nokia’s stock fell sharply yesterday.

Nokia Corp’s new flagship phone is the Lumia 920, which runs Windows Phone 8.

The lenses on its camera shift to compensate for shaky hands, resulting in

sharper images in low light and smoother video capture, Nokia said. It can also be charged without being plugged in; the user just places it on a wireless charging pod. Nokia also unveiled a cheaper, mid-range phone, the Lumia 820. It doesn’t have the special camera lenses, but it sports exchangeable backs so you can switch colors.

Continued on Page 13

NEW YORK: The new Nokia 820 (left) and Lumia 920 Windows smartphones are displayed during a joint event with Microsoft yesterday. — AFP

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

LOCAL

Opposition halts seminars, protests until court ruling Govt seeking to create legislative vacuum KUWAIT: The opposition has decided to stop holding public seminars until the Constitutional Court makes its ruling in the case, challenging the constitutionality of the electoral system in order to avoid losing public support as a result of “failure to discuss a fundamental issue during mass gatherings”.

This was disclosed by sources close to the Majority Bloc; a coalition of oppositionists who dominated majority seats in the annulled 2012 parliament. “The bloc plans to focus on boycotting future elections if the electoral system is changed [via an emergency decree from the Cabinet] if the ruling finds it unconstitutional”, said the sources who spoke to a local daily on the condition of anonymity.

Recent decisions for the opposition to establish a media team as well as the National Front for Protection of the Constitution are “only efforts for time consumption until verdict is released”, the sources added. The Constructional Court is set to make its ruling on Sept 25, following a decision made yester-

day after the first hearing in the case filed by the Cabinet.

Leading oppositionist Ahmad Al-Saadoun accused the government on Tuesday of “seeking to create legislative vacuum in order to violate the parliament’s authority, adding at the same time that “forces of corruption and enemies of the constitutional system attempt to revive the 2009 parliament that was toppled by the people”.

The parliament was reinstated last June by a Constitutional Court ruling that found its dissolution decree late last year to be unconstitutional. The dissolution initially came following public pressure fueled by allegations linking a number of pro-government MPs to corruption charges. A new parliament was elected last February, but was automatically ruled void four months later.

Outspoken oppositionist Musallam AlBarrak argued in the meantime that moving to an elected Cabinet system is “imminent”, adding that Kuwait experienced “50 years of

[appointed] government rule, and it’s time for the government to experience the people’s rule for four years”.

Making statements during a seminar held recently by the Progressive Movement, AlBarrak said that after 50 years of experiencing “a prime minister, a defense minister and an interior minister from the government, we are asking for a four-year opportunity to clean the country”. He reiterated his stance that it comes from “an indisputable conviction that Kuwait’s problem can only be resolved through an elected Cabinet capable of talking the woes”.

In the meanwhile, a source close to the Majority Bloc assured that communications are ongoing to “reach out to political groups with various views in order to join the National Front for the Protection of the Constitution”; as opposed to speculations hinting that the front will be dominated by members from the bloc, and the oppositionaffiliated Nahj group. — Al-Qabas, Al-Rai

Morsi speech ‘comprehensive, valuable’ KUWAIT: Members of the drug gang pictured after their arrest.

Drug trio in police net

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Anti-narcotics officials have arrested three men and seized 3kg of hashish in their possession.

An Arab expat who was in possession of 1kg of hashish was arrested following his confession that he distributed drugs with the help of two friends - one a compatriot and the other a Kuwaiti man. The two men were also arrested and 2 kg of hashish was seized from them.

The men said they brought drugs from other countries and hid them before smuggling the drugs into Kuwait for selling.

Suspected homicide The body of an Asian expat in his 40s was removed for an autopsy after police

suspected foul play, possibly a criminal act. The Hawally public prosecutor classified the case as homicide until the completion of a criminal investigation report.

Shooting case In Ahmadi governorate, a citizen filed a complaint with police stating that an assailant opened fire at his home but refused to name a particular individual.

Sexual assault An Ethiopian maid lodged a complaint with police, accusing her sponsor of sexually assaulting her at his office in Nugra. During interrogations, the sponsor denied the accusations leveled against him, saying that she was trying to trap him because of her financial problems.

CAIRO: Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid AlHamad Al-Sabah extolled here yesterday the speech delivered by Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi at the 138th round of the Arab League Council Foreign Ministers Convention, describing it as ‘comprehensive and valuable.’

Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid said in a statement to Kuwait News Agency and Kuwait TV after the first session, that Morsi’s speech included many of the issues on the agenda with an overview of the current situation in the Arab world.

He stressed the importance of the Egyptian role, saying, “There is no doubt that Egypt’s pioneering role and leadership of the joint Arab action is an important role in this delicate phase undergone by the Arab nation.”

He added that “what we have heard today from the Egyptian President should be given a great concern and attach special attention to it.”

He noted that the Ministerial Council discussed a number of important issues including the situation in Syria expressed particularly by the Egyptian President which attracted the attention of all the Arabs.

He added that the Egyptian president was

frank and clear in his speech about the situation in Syria on the need to stop the bloodshed and realize the dream of Syria in the transition to democracy.

He said that Kuwait is among the first countries that supported the Arab and African nations, describing its role as a ‘national duty.’

Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid pointed out that the tragic situation in Syria had overshadowed the previous 137th session that was chaired by the State of Kuwait.

He added that Kuwait par ticipated as Chairman of the 137th session in the expanded conference of the Syrian opposition held under the patronage of the Arab League last July 2 to 3 in Cairo as well as in the meeting of the ‘Group of Action for Syria,’ held in Geneva last June 30, in addition to its participation in the conferences of the Friends of the Syrian people.

He referred in this context to the efforts made by the Arab League to put pressure on the Syrian government and pushed it to honor its commitment through the immediate implementation of the Arab League and the relevant Security Council resolutions.

He welcomed the appointment of Lakhdar Brahimi, the special international and Arab envoy to Syria to succeed his predecessor Kofi

Annan, hoping that endeavors would be crowned with success.

He also thanked President Mohammad Morsi for his valuable speech delivered earlier in the day, and his presence and his full support for the entire process of joint Arab action.

Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid suggested the inclusion of the speech of President Morsi in the documents contained, as it has important implications related to joint Arab action.

He said that Kuwait was honored to lead the joint Arab action during its chairmanship of the Arab League Council at its 137th session, while the Arab nation was passing through delicate circumstances, stressing that Kuwait was keen during its presidency, to ensure the continued performance rates ‘to achieve what we are looking for.’

He added that the 137th session embarked on the preparation of the agenda items of the 23rd Baghdad summit on issues related to joint Arab action in addition to the completion of preparations for the participation of the Arab countries in the Conference of 2012, initiated by the final document of the Conference of 2010 to review the treaty to create a zone free of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East scheduled for next December in Finland.— KUNA

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

local

Doctors feel insecure as hospital attacks increase No strict laws to punish offenders

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Doctors in different hospitals have reported being attacked by patients or their families, with such incidents on the rise. Three days ago, a Kuwaiti doctor was attacked by a patient who demanded a report so he might retire, although he was not qualified to receive it. Also a few days ago, two Egyptian doctors were attacked by the Kuwaiti son of a patient who demanded having his father immediately x-rayed.

Sources say doctors do not feel safe when doing their job, since security systems in hospitals are not very effective. In addition, they see that laws are not strict enough in punishing attackers, who do not appear worried about being arrested.

Dr. Abdullah Hammadi is a doctor who was recently attacked at the Kuwait Center for Mental Health, which is a part of the Psychiatric Hospital. “There are many cases, this is not the first attack on doctors in Kuwaiti hospitals. Also, this is not the first attack on me, as I was previously attacked by patients, even with weapons such as a machine gun and an axe. This last attack came from a patient

at the Center who demanded a report from me so he could retire, although he is not qualified for retirement yet. When I refused, he attacked me by beating me in my office and then escaped,” he told the Kuwait Times. Dr. Hammadi was appointed as Director of the Kuwait Center for Mental Health two months ago. He is also the Head of the Forensic Unit and is a Consultant General Psychiatrist.

“The previous administration of the hospital was not made up of specialist doctors, so they didn’t pay much attention to this problem. Now I’m working seriously with the Chairman in pushing the issue of security to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Interior.

The Minister of Health and the Undersecretary realized our great problem and appreciate our remaining patient, so they are pushing the case now and promised us to find a solution,” he added.

The attacks, however, are not individual cases. “There are so many incidents reported to the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Interior and they have not taken any serious actions. In one general hospital, a family forced a doctor to per-

form a special medical check of their relative, and when he refused they beat him.

This was a direct physical attack, which is considered a crime, thus there are many attacks on doctors, nurses, psychologist, and pharmacists that are not reported,” he pointed out.

Patients usually attack doctors to get what they want. “The patients usually demand that a doctor prescribe controlled medications (they are addicted to), or to issue retirement reports, although they don’t deserve these medication or are not qualified to retire. If the doctor refuses, he might be attacked.

There are also attacks in the form of verbal assaults and humiliation, which is only considered as a transgression and not a crime, and we are demanding to change this law. And a draft was already submitted,” explained Dr. Hammadi.

According to Dr. Hammadi, the police are helpful, though this time they arrived late. “Usually the police arrive quickly, but this time they arrived after 45 minutes.

Also, they claimed that they don’t arrest patients with red card, which is the card given to patients at the Psychiatric Hospital. This is a rumor spread in the

community, that these patients are not responsible for their acts.

At the Addiction Section we witness attacks on a weekly basis and there are no functional security points or guards at the Psychiatric Hospital. I believe that the Ministry of Interior will help and support us in our demands of having security points, though they need statistics. And this is what I’m preparing right now. So I am putting together a study of physical assaults by patients and their families on doctors,” he stressed. “I don’t remember a death case of a doctor, though I think it will happen soon if the situation doesn’t change. We only want to work in peace and it’s a logical request.

The patients are out of control, as they think if they threaten us they will get what they want,” stated Dr. Hammadi. He concluded saying that the Minister of Health, Ali Al-Obaidi, and the Undersecretary, Adel Al-Sahlawi, are calling daily to do what they can do and will meet officials of the Ministry of Interior to push the security issue. Also, there will be the International Psychiatric Day held on October 10, including sessions for the public about psychiatric disorders.

Sheikh Al-Khalifa praises Kuwait’s support for Bahrain

Al-Otaibi conducts surprise visit KUWAIT: Acting General Director of Kuwait Municipality Mohammad Ghazi Al-Otaibi inspected the closed stores and showroom of the company involved in the shipment of hot dogs which contained lard and ham in Al-Aridiya and Shuwaikh area.

He conducted a surprise visit and gave his instructions to the officials to shut down shops on a daily basis and to ensure that legal action is taken against the violating companies.

Al-Otaibi’s tour included a visit to imported food administration and capital municipality. He told reporters that he is proud of the efforts of the officials who protect citizens and consumers from those who choose to endanger their health.

Director of Imported Foodstuff, Istiqlal Al-Meslem and Director of Capital Municipality Faleh Al-

Shimmary hailed the initiative of AlOtaibi and considered it as encouragement to do much more to protect consumers’ health.

During his tour, Al-Otaibi was met by Imported Foodstuff Director

Istiqlal Al-Meslem and Deputy Abdul Mohsen Al-Matairi and a number of inspectors who stopped the shipment. Faleh Al-Shimmary and his team of supervisors also met him.

214 Kuwaitis with HIV/AIDS KUWAIT: There are 214 HIV positive cases among Kuwaitis who are currently undergoing treatment at the Infectious Diseases Hospital, Director Dr Jamaal Al-Duaij was quoted by a local daily yesterday. In the meanwhile, Dr Al-Duaij told a local daily that only one patient is staying at the hospital for treatment, while the others visit the facility for periodic testing and relieving medications.

“The hospital adopts a medical system in treating patients clinically if their cases needed special attention”, Dr Al-Duaij said, adding that an average of two HIV/AIDS cases are discovered every two months through premarital tests and tests carried out before employment.

Meanwhile, Al-Duaij revealed that cases with HIV/AIDS among expatriates are treated at the hospital until their condition stabilizes, “after which they are deported to their home countries through cooperation with the Ministr y of Interior ’s Deportation Department”.

MANAMA: Bahraini Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa praised yesterday Kuwait’s efforts and appreciation in aiding the GCC development plan for Bahrain and Oman.

The Bahraini minister affirmed during a meeting with Kuwait’s Ambassador to Bahrain, Sheikh Azzam AlMubarak Al-Sabah that Kuwait’s contribution to Bahrain reflects deep-rooted relations, under the wise leadership of both countries.

He described Bahraini-Kuwaiti relations as an example of unique bilateral relations.

The Kuwaiti Ambassador stressed on the importance of cooperation in all fields, which reflect on strong historical relations. The meeting also dealt with ways to enhance relations, issues of common interest and latest developments in region. Meanwhile, Kuwait has signed an agreement for $2.5 billion over a period of 10 years, as part of the GCC Development Plan in support of Bahrain and Oman. — KUNA

Ministry cuts Syria donations KUWAIT: The government has stopped donations being collected in Kuwait to aid the Syrian people, owing to its inability to control the process and ensure that donations are following proper legal channels.

The decision was passed by Charity Organizations Department at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, and is a result of “[the ministry’s] failure to control the great inflow of cash donations, in addition to the weaknesses in the ministry’s monitoring system,” said a source.

The decision covers organizations who had obtained licenses to collect donations for Syria. “The MSAL failed to provide reports that include details about funds collected for the aid of the Syrian people, much to the disdain of the Interior Ministry,” the source explained, adding that state authorities demanded that ministry “stop making donations if they are incapable of effective control.”

The situation ‘spiraled out of control’ as the source describes it “when the ministry found itself unable to stop unlicensed organizations from collecting donations,” adding that “announcements of collecting funds to support the Free Syria Army garnered wide response turning into the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Badr Al-Awadhi, Director of the Charity Organizations Department, rejected news published on Tuesday which quoted him as saying that a list containing names of lawmakers who collected donations for the Syrian people was referred to the Interior Ministry.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

LOCAL kuwait digest

in my view

The power of counterpower

Why is there cheating, laxity

By Tariq Ramadan

By Dr Shamlan Y. Al-Essa he Education Ministry’s decision to distance guardians who are working in the same school where their immediate relatives are studying caused a furor of objection by school officials - the decision as I understood applies to the school director, secretary, as well as the teachers.

Why was such a decision reached and what was its purpose? The purpose is to prevent cheating, disclosing exam papers and favouritism towards children of officials.

A relative of mine who works as a senior teacher told me that it came to the notice of the ministry that children of school officials get outstanding marks and they do not fail because their guardians are officials in the school, to a point where some students do not know how to read and write in the intermediate stage while scoring excellent marks. Such instances generated a sense of discontent, leading to complaints by the rest of students to the ministry.

The question is why guardians resort to cheating? Why do they attempt to provide students with advantages they do not deserve? The problem has nothing to do with children or students as they study and work hard in an environment where only honest competition and fair treatment by teachers exist. Our students are victims of a growing culture that allows some undeserving students to get the highest degrees and posts not only in schools, but also in jobs with the help of wasta, influence, tribal identity, family and sect loyalty.

So the result is cheating, laxity and carelessness, which will continue forever because there is no law in the country against fatherly care.

It is naive and ignorant to imagine that the problem is linked to the education ministry and school officials. This dangerous social phenomenon that has helped illiterates, the lazy and corrupt, cheaters and hypocrites rise to occupy the

M

T

It is naive and ignorant to imagine that the problem is linked to the education ministry and school officials. This dangerous social phenomenon that has helped illiterates, the lazy and corrupt, cheaters and hypocrites rise to occupy the highest posts in the state is caused by the “state that cares” highest posts in the state is caused by the “state that cares”...because this state looks after everything and does not punish the citizen when he does not report to work on time, and absents himself from work or school, but is rewarded with increasing salaries and incentives. In such a situation, we should not expect deep rooted changes in the near future, also because the government allowed MPs to interfere in education issues, and MPs are politicians whose main interest is to satisfy the society to get their votes, and all that is taking place at the expense of education and the future of our children.

The problem is much more deeper than what the education ministry may have acted on, because the issue discussed is a deteriorating social and cultural condition happening in the third world that gives great significance to family, tribal and sectarian relations at the expense of the public interest.

The question is why has education, which was given prime importance in the Arab and Gulf countries, degenerated today? There are so many reasons that all cannot be mentioned here... but the most important is the quality of teachers, as previously Palestinian, Egyptian, Iraqi and others who taught us, were strict and were persistent until the student fell in line. I remember an Arab teacher from Egypt beat me really hard until my hands became swollen, and I went home crying and complained to Sheikh Yousuf bin Essa, who was the supreme judge at the time. He told me that the teacher had done a good thing and that I should comply with what he tells me because he is trying to help me.

Further, salaries of teachers today are low, especially those of our Arab brothers, who are also facing insults and assaults by their students and guardians.

This lax situation is created by some teachers who do not care if students succeed or fail, also by some students who beat teachers and destroy their cars if they do not pass them! Kuwait newspapers are full of stories about general laxity and the absence of respect for law. So if the teacher, doctor and police are being insulted and beaten without any societal or authoritative deterrence, then there is no hope for reform.

Finally, we do not think that the solution is in keeping guardians or relatives away from their children in schools...the correct action is in centralising exams at all levels, which means that the ministry prepares the questions and supervises examinations, not schools. —Al-Watan

en being men, vigilance must be the watchword. In his philosophical essay Human, all too Human, Nietzsche enumerated several of the characteristics of the human being above and beyond religions, philosophies, cultures and beliefs.

They included a hypertrophied ego, a taste for power, gregariousness, pretension and social role-playing: a never-ending human comedy in which men create illusions, lie to themselves and deceive themselves and others.

The common man is nothing more than this, claimed Nietzsche; only the exceptional artist can rise above the human condition. The moral philosophers, from ancient Greece to Kant’s practical reason - by way of the Confucian, Hindu, and Buddhist spiritual traditions, as well as the three monotheistic religions - also affirm that such is the human’s sorry state, the single cardinal difference being their claim that the common woman and man possess the intellectual and ethical capacity to overcome their state.

Humankind is in the shadow; if it aspires to full existence and to light, it must seek education and critical intellectual mastery, the counterpower of the individual and collective conscience. Mankind must be positively and constructively wary of mankind, of their fellow man, of their families, of the members of their faith community, of their fellow-citizens.

Depending on whether they are alone or in a group, they are not the same; not the same in a minority as in a majority; not the same in power or in opposition; theirs are not the same victims, the same executioners. The same persons, wearing different hats, are no longer the same: beware of the self, and keep an eye on those like you.

The final verses of the Quran, seen in this light, are troubling: at the end of a revelation of light and of the moral horizon, the repeated appeal for the protection of the Unique against mankind delivers up the secret of our societies: with or without God, alone or in society, oppressed or oppressors, we remain human, all too human. Dangerously human.

History is replete with ideologies of freedom, justice, liberation of the downtrodden and the exploited, that have been turned against the very people they had mobilised, or that have reproduced the same logic of exclusion and terror toward those whom they claimed to set free.

No civilisation, no political philosophy, no religion can claim a monopoly of its contradictions, of its opportunism, of the hopes dashed, despoiled, manipulated. The liberal and financial illusions of capitalism, the promises of equality and justice of socialism and communism, the moral ideals of the Islamists have been invoked and shown to be empty... All have guilty blood on their hands. No exceptions.

The great capitalist democracies protect their interests and sow death and dictatorship in the name of their ‘civilising mission’; the socialist and communist resistance, in the name of justice, as in Vietnam (and so often repeated) end up exploiting, killing, torturing.

Yesterday’s victims of extermination, who lay claim to such status, have become today’s oppressors, as with Israel (and with so many other peoples and ethnic groups around the world). Muslim leaders, selfproclaimed reformers, Salafist literalists or violent extremists, who had promised the Islamic ideal of peace and justice end up enmeshed in power struggles, conflicts of ego and self-serving interpretations, reproducing little more than repression, the death of intelligence, and the elimination of their opponents.

Grim realities; grim truths. While we speak of liberating uprisings in the Middle East and in Africa, while we speak of universal consciousness, while the shared values of democracy or the ideology of the free market and the liberal economy seem to be imposed on all of us, we must remain more than ever vigilant.

Those who, in the West, yesterday supported dictators now support the people in the name of the same logic of self-interest. Those who yesterday supported the peoples may well end up supporting dictators, as in Syria or in the petromonarchies, in the name of dark interests and calculations. The mass movements, the emotions, the shared illusions are dubious councillors; the crowd can be carried away, can become collectively blind, blinded, and dangerously ignorant, easily manipulated.

The world is a complex place and the influence of the media in its representation and its power of communication and interpretation is a remarkable amplifier of emotions, and of illusions. Instantaneous and mass communication is the mother of mass naivety.

Should we then lose hope? Is there any hope? But to lose hope is as dangerous as to nurture false hope.

Where then can we find hope that is responsible?

In relation to ourselves, to our neighbours and to societies, we must develop counterpowers, spaces of spiritual, intellectual, social, political, cultural and economic resistance. True critical consciousness begins precisely with this essential requirement: an ethics of counterpower that observes and seeks to master and to forestall the slippage of its own ego, the potential betrayals of its sisters and brothers in faith and in struggle. A counterpower that resists the excesses of power but does not hesitate to identify the latent oppression that slumbers among the minorities, the oppressed and the victims of today. The ethics of counterpower require an ethical counterpower: in the name of the overreaching principles of freedom, dignity, and justice, the humanity of humankind must be submitted to ethical judgment, one that is never compromising, compromised or selective.

Such a position cannot mean that we flee human society, social or political commitment: quite the contrary. In the light of mankind’s destiny, and of its human, all too human characteristics, there can be no question of offering power to those who will abuse it without counterparties, without requirements. For power we must hold up the demanding and determined mirror of resistance, and of counterpower, one that will make no concessions, neither to our brothers, nor to our foes. This is the awareness that, in the final analysis, is the cradle of just and reasonable aspiration, where the oppressed, the poor, women, the excluded, who so often count for almost nothing in the circles of power, emerge as subjects of their own history, and become the motor of historical change. The power of counterpower is but another name for conscience, a synonym for faith.

kuwait digest

‘Mother of all losses’

By Mohamed Ahmed Al-Mulla t is shameful for those who claim that they are enough, and they want more and more. I remember the protectors of the public’s money, and they here how there was fighting about this case among are the ones who stole this money, the money the majority between Hadas and other MPs as Hadas belonging to the state, when $2.5 billion is wasted wanted to open the file, while others want to close it. in favor of Dow Chemical, and Kuwait Petroleum And this file is the file of “playing in public money.” The Corporation and Petrochemical Industries Co, who real public money. But always the big piece of cake pay this amount, which is the can only be swallowed by “big” people. It is not right right of this state, without holding any one accountable This crime is theft of public mon- that public money is stolen from those who wasted this ey, but unfortunately those par- and the public is watching. In money. It is really the “moth- ticipating in it are officials and short, it is a crime performed jointly by MPs and influential er of all losses.”

MPs who stopped the project, officials and they were not This crime is theft of public money, but unfortunately then the penalty articles were held accountable.

My questions is: When do those participating in it are applied, which amounts to more officials and MPs who than $2 billion. This happened in I see the “fat” thief behind stopped the project, then daylight and without fear by the bars? And when will judges make the right verdicts the penalty articles were applied, which amounts to decision makers, as if the Kuwait when the court decides to more than $2 billion. This government is not concerned recover the money and happened in daylight and that those billions are taken due imprison the wrong doers and all the rats will run without fear by the decision to political fighting. away? Because the law of makers, as if the Kuwait govOmar Ben Abdulaziz, may ernment is not concerned that those billions are taken due to political fighting Allah rest his soul in peace, has been applied.

Dear all, when there is justice applied to everyone, and without a move by the government to negotiate with Dow Chemical to find solutions. But unfor- everyone becomes straight, and we become a goal tunately, many officials’ stomachs are still not full state. —Al-Shahed

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kuwait digest

Proportional representation

By Abdullah Al-Naibari earings are underway at the Constitutional Court in the case the Cabinet challenges the constitutionality of the electoral law, with a verdict to be passed in four to six weeks. A ruling that renders the present electoral constituencies as being unconstitutional will pave the way toward dispute regarding the best way to change the present set up.

Unfortunately, the Cabinet’s credibility and capability to pass a new electoral law that is acceptable to the general public is questionable. Therefore, the safest choice would be a joint action by political groups, activists, unions and columnists to start discussing what could be the best electoral system, hoping that the end result will be given high consideration by the government when amending the law.

Consultation is the best procedure to help avoid falling into a new political crisis created by public rejection to changes carried out solely by the government.

In my opinion, a voting system based on proportional representation is the best choice to be adopted. This system, adopted in around 73 countries, requires that Kuwait become a single constituency with elections carried out by list, with the number of seats won by each list being proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, if the number of voters reached 400,000 having to elect candidates for 50 seats in the Parliament, then a list that garners 40,000 votes becomes represented in the parliament by 10 percent, or in this case by five seats.

A similar system ensures more justice compared to a multi-constituencies’ system in countries featuring disparity in social structure.

There are several aspects based on which I believe that this system is best for Kuwait: 1- It opens the door for the opportunity to develop political life in Kuwait. Competition takes place between lists of candidates sharing similar - or even united - political visions.

2- It helps reinforce national unity, when lists eventually become a mixture of candidates from different social categories regardless of social barriers that currently prevent true representation of people’s choices.

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3- It opens the door for productive cooperation among parliamentary blocs, and between them and the government who currently approaches lawmakers individually.

4- It helps limit, or even eliminate, negative aspects found in the multi-constituencies’ system such as vote buying, bribery.

5- It helps address the problem of election funding.

An election system based on several constituencies favors candidates with high financial capabilities, and in return, limit the chances of middleclass citizens or those whose budget depends on the salary they are paid. Having competing lists, creates an opportunity for a system in which the states can provide financial aid through certain standards that maintain justice.

6- It gives better chances for women and youth activists to take part in parliamentary life, since the individual-nomination criteria in the current system makes a candidate’s social status a top advantage in winning.

7- It is hard to achieve balance in the distribution of voters within multiple constituencies or multitude of constituencies can at least lead for certain social groups to control election results. This is evidently shown in the current five-constituencies’ system which allowed certain tribes to control election results in the fourth and fifth constituencies where they are represented by less than 40 percent voters in average. (The same applies to the firs constituency to an extent; where a social category represented by less than 45 percent of voters controlled 60 to 70 percent of seats in the past three elections).

While a proportional system of elections do not require political parties, it leaves the door open for these groups to be established. Meanwhile, lists can be a coalition of political parties and blocs, or simply consist of candidates sharing similar political visions.

In the end, it s worth mentioning that both oppositionists and pro-government lawmakers presented proposals to adopt a single-constituency system in the past, which increases the chances that a proportional system of voting will be accepted by majority of activists in the political scene. —Al-Qabas

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

LOCAL

Lawmakers slam Sultan ‘Arab Spring’ warning Wasmi ruling on Sept 26

By A Saleh

NBK hosted 2,000 students during last academic year KUWAIT: The National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) hosted more than 50 school visits in the last academic year 2011-2012 during which more than 2,000 students were invited to tour the bank and learn firsthand about banking procedures and practices.

“The school visits were part of NBK’s ongoing commitment to its corporate social responsibility program, and to promote education and development of the country’s youth,” said Talal Al-Turki, NBK Public Relations Officer. “NBK is planning to increase the number of school visits made, and the number of students in the coming academic year.”

Al-Turki added, “more than 2,000 students learnt about the broad range of NBK financial, banking products and services and got introduced to the AlAzraq and Al-Shabab accounts, exclusively designed for high school, college and university students.”

NBK supports fresh graduates and

Talal Al-Turki Kuwait’s youth, offering them a range of initiatives and services to satisfy their needs. Other initiatives include providing summer training programs for students, hiring fresh graduates and offering professional development programs for new hires.

National Guards keen to cooperate with US army KUWAIT: The Kuwait National Guards(KNG) emphasized the importance of cooperation and coordination with the United States army through exchange of expertise, visits and joint training to boost military development. A delegation from US 316th Sustainment Command, led by Commander Brig Gen Bud R Jameson, is on visit to KNG’s military support services department.

KNG presented to the US delega-

tion, an explanation of the logistic support plan and role of its forces in cooperation with the state’s official bodies.

The forces consist of cadres that are capable of operating vital institutions in the country during emergencies like power plants, mills, bakeries and fueling aircrafts. Brig Gen Jameson praised KNG’s readiness and the role of support forces in offering logistic support to the units of KNG and the state’s bodies. —KUNA

‘KNPC to support issues for societal renaissance’ KUWAIT: The KNPC is keen to support activities that contribute to social renaissance, said Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, Managing Director of Government, Parliamentary, Public Relations and Media in the Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) yesterday. He noted that his nomination as president of the second Kuwait Energy Forum as a mandate and not an honor.

Al-Khaled said that the forum, planned early next year, will discuss key issues on energy, community and social responsibility entrusted to the oil companies, whether private or public, noting that the forum will be sponsored by Oil Minister and will be

attended by prominent oil figures due to the importance of issues pertinent to society responsibility.

He added that the forum’s High Commission is currently receiving worksheets to choose the most important to be discussed in the meetings of the forum, pointing to participations from regional and global specialists in community issues and energy. Al-Khalid pointed out that the support of KNPC for the second session of the Forum stems from its keenness to consolidate the concepts of social responsibility after becoming a main contributor in this area through its commitment to supporting all civil society organizations. —KUNA

Islamic microfinance curbs poverty: KFH KUWAIT: Islamic microfinance is a viable means to curb poverty, a specialized report by Kuwait Finance House (KFH) said yesterday.

Addressing poverty continues to be one of the greatest challenges faced by governments around the world today. In Islam, a person is considered poor if they don’t not have sufficient material wealth in hand to their basic needs, i.e. to protect one’s religion, physical self and family, seek knowledge or education, and accumulate some wealth.

Islamic microfinance is indeed unique, as it is a mixture of economic, social and religious principles: economic, social and religious, the report noted, pointing out that there are two types of resources that can be mobilized for Islamic microfinance purposes, external resources such as zakat and charity and internal resources like deposits and equity.

The first Islamic version of the microfinance model was developed in Egypt in 1963. As overall Islamic finance has become more developed, parties have revisited microfinance as a new asset class, which can raise the levels of societies while providing itself to be a profitable business model for Islamic financial institutions, the report said.

Institutions such as the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank have also allocated resources to study the viability of Islamic microfinance. IDB has recently taken further steps to fund certain Islamic Microfinance Institutions (IMFIs). In 2009, the Islamic Microfinance Network (IMFN) was established to develop and promote the Islamic microfinance industry, it added.

In recent years, driven by the demand for Islamic microfinance, some MFIs have started to offer Islamic microfinance products to lowincome Muslim clients. In Afghanistan, for example, strong demand for shariah-compliant microfinance has caused the Foundation for International Community Assistance to switch its conventional products to non-interest bearing Murabahah Islamic financing.

However, Islamic microfinance is still in its nascent stage and currently forms part of an informal economy. A 2007 global survey on Islamic microfinance undertaken by Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) shows that Islamic microfinance has a total estimated global outreach of only 380,000 customers and accounts for only around 0.005 percent of total microfinance outreach. —KUNA

KUWAIT: Several lawmakers and political activists rejected recent statement made by MP Khalid Al-Sultan, in which he reportedly hinted that “the Arab Spring will come to Kuwait if the government does not stop tampering with the constituencies”. One of the most notable reactions came from Dr Abdullatif Al-Senan, AlSultan’s fellow member in the Islamic Salafist Movement. “Whoever uses the Arab Spring as a threat is ignoring the fact that Kuwait has always been a safe haven for the Salafist movement, and opened the door for Salafist preaching while supporting it from outside,” Al-Senan said.

MP Maasouma Al-Mubarak criticized AlSultan’s statements, arguing that he might have never had the freedom to make similar remarks at other Arab countries “affected or not affected [by the Arab Spring].” Former third constituency candidate Safa Al-Hashem described Al-Sultan’s statements as “calls to oust the governing system,” whereas MP Salwa Al-Jassar blamed the opposition for “tensions that halted the development process in Kuwait for years.”

In other news, the Appeals Court will pass a verdict on September 26 in a case where former lawmaker Dr Obaid Al-Wasmi accuses security officers and special task forces of physical assault, during a seminar held at MP Jamaan Al-Harbash’s diwaniya in late 2010. The decision was passed during a court hearing yesterday. The Criminal Court had found the accused not guilty, explaining that “they were following orders to disperse a gathering that was held illegally outside the diwaniya”, arguing that the confrontation took place when AlWasmi refused to cooperate with the officers.

Dashti fights ‘extremists’ A member of the annulled 2012 Parliament Dr Abdulhameed Dashti remarked yesterday, reacting to Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi’s statements on the Syrian crisis. In his remarks, Dashti demanded an Arab intervention to “stop the flood of extremist fighters into Syria,” as opposed to demands calling for an intervention against the violent crackdown committed by the regime against civilians.

“If an Arab intervention in Syria is inevitable, it would best for President Morsi to stop the flux of extremists from regional countries who are involved in the murder of our brethren in Syria,” Dashti said, claiming that “3,000 extremist Al-Qaeda fighters reached Syria from Yemen recently.”

Search for POWs remains A human rights association in Iraq is actively searching for the remains of at least 500,000 missing Iraqi citizens in operations that include exhuming mass graves which could potentially include remains of Kuwaitis missing since the 1990/91 Iraqi Invasion.

“A search operation will reveal the fate of thousands of Iraqis who went missing during the first Gulf War (between Iraq and Iran from 1980 to 1988) and the Second Gulf War in 1991,” said Mohammad Radhi, Director of the Human Rights Ministry office at Iraq’s Dhi Qar Province.

Radhi also mentioned “unconfirmed statistics” which indicate that some of the remains could belong to Iranian and Arab people who went missing in both wars. In the meantime, the Amal Humanitarian Organization said in a statement that the missing Arab people include “Kuwaitis who disappeared after the 1991 war.”

Swiss watches imports Kuwait ranks 27th among the world’s largest importers of Swiss-made watches, with imports valued at 51.8 million Swiss Francs made as of July 31.

The list released by the Federation of Swiss Watches Industry which shows that Kuwait comes in fourth place among Arab countries, behind the United Arab Emirates (9th), Saudi Arabia (14th) and Qatar (21st).

Mislem slams foreign aid MP Faisal Al-Mislem has attacked government for giving financial help to other countries, which he considered as wasting public money. Mislem said the Kuwaiti people are despondent over the lack of growth in their country while the government in a few days has offered billions to finance growth project in Arab countries and without the approval of the public and its representatives. He said this is a great mistake and it is the government’s responsibility to protect public money, and all of this because of the absence of the National Assembly. Kuwait lately has given Bahrain financial aid amounting to $2.5 billion divided over ten years at the rate of $250 million ever y year in a program approved by the GCC council and also gave Jordan $2.5 billion as part of GCC’s financial aid to Jordan.

Fadl urges jobs for locals MP in the annulled 2012 Assembly journalist Nabeel Al-Fadl called upon Minister of Education Nayef Al-Hajraf to give priority to employing sons of Kuwaiti women and the bedoons in teaching posts as “they are the sons of this state and are much closer to the nature of society and its habits”.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

LOCAL

Arab teenager in custody for military base theft attempt Air rifle shooter at large KUWAIT: An Arab teenager was arrested redhanded while stealing items belonging to the US Army at Virginia Base. Search is currently on for his accomplices. The suspects were reportedly engaged in breaking into a number of containers that belonged to the army base in Al-Salmi, when they were noticed by patrol officers. One of the suspects was detained when his car malfunctioned during a pursuit that ensued afterwards, while two other vehicles managed to escape. The 16year-old boy remains in custody pending legal action.

identifying and arresting a male suspect accused of firing shots from an air rifle that left 10 people injured. Investigations were underway after 10 people from Arab and Asian nationalities provided descriptions of a man driving a Japanese-made car, who they said is responsible for shooting at them as mentioned in medical reports they obtained from Al-Jahra Hospital. Detectives have already got a lead which they believe will help them arrest the suspect very soon, according to a security sources.

Drunk Kuwaitis Two people were injured in an accident that occurred while driving under the influence of alcohol. A blood test ordered after police found a liquor bottle in the wrecked car revealed that the two Kuwaiti men were inebriated. The two were taken to the Mubarak Hospital following the accident which happened after the vehicle lost balance and overturned.

Fugitive nabbed A fugitive was arrested in Al-Sulaibiya recently following investigations which began after police learned that he managed to bypass his travel ban order to exit Kuwait and enter again illegally. Meanwhile, investigations are underway to take legal action against a number of passport officials who, according to the suspect’s confessions, helped him violate the law. Investigations that led to the Kuwaiti suspect’s arrest were carried out

by Al-Nuwaiseeb detectives who received a tip about his ability to travel despite facing

Jahra shooting Jahra detectives are currently working on

drug-trafficking charges in addition to several civil charges.

Kidnap foiled A pedestrian in Al-Farwaniya had the presence of mind to prevent a woman from being kidnapped recently. Detectives are working to identify and arrest three male suspects who attempted to abduct the Filipina victim. The suspects reportedly tried to force the woman inside their vehicle, but decided to drive away when the melee quickly grabbed pedestrians’ attention. The woman was helped to the area’s police station afterwards to report the case.

Airport thieves Three staff members at the Kuwait International Airport were arrested after surveillance tapes recorded them stealing a laptop from a passenger’s suitcase. They were arrested after a Kuwaiti man reported the theft in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh as soon as he realized that he had been robbed. The three Asian thieves remain in custody pending investigations as detectives are trying to determine if they were behind other airport thefts too. —Al-Rai, Al-Anba

KUWAIT: Employees along with their children during ‘Bring your child to work day’ at Gulf Bank.

‘Bring your Child to Work’ initiative KUWAIT: Gulf Bank recently welcomed the children of its employees at its offices, an initiative entitled ‘Bring Your Child to Work’, which allowed the children to get a sense of the working environment their parents are in, as well as the nature of the work each parent is responsible for. This initiative took place at Gulf Bank’s headquarters in Mubarak Al Kabeer, as well as a number of its branches across Kuwait.

Fatemah Al-Sabah, senior manager, human resources at Gulf Bank said: “This initiative is about bringing our employees and their children together in the workplace. Gulf Bank’s goal is to educate the children about the

work-a-day world of their parents and getting the children to dream about their own grownup careers.

“Bring Your Child to Work” is aligned with Gulf Bank’s strategy on education within the Kuwaiti community. Gulf Bank will continue exploring more creative ways to help the younger generation become aware of today’s business world and the importance of education.”

Children, whose ages were between 5 and 18 years old, enjoyed spending the day with their parents at work in their various departments, while experiencing firsthand the banking environment.

Two win KD 10,000 cash prize from Wataniya Telecom KUWAIT: Wataniya Telecom has announced the winners of the first and second weekly draw as part of a series of draws launched recently for prepaid customers. Abdulaziz Al-Enezi and Alauddin Nooruddin each won a cash prize of KD 10,000 for the first and second weeks’ draws respectively. The draws were held in the presence of company representatives and under the supervision of an officer from the Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Wataniya launched this exclusive campaign on Aug 15, 2012 which includes weekly draws for a chance to win KD 10,000 at each draw. To enter the draw, customers need to recharge their Wataniya prepaid lines for a minimum of KD 1 using any recharge method, such as vouchers, wataniya.com, recharge kiosk machines or Wcharger. They will get one chance to enter the draw for every fils; therefore 1000 chances for every KD 1.

On the occasion, Wataniya Telecom congratulated the winners and stated “We would like to congratulate both customers for winning the firstand second weekly prize of KD 10,000. We wish all our prepaid customers the very best for the upcoming draws.”

Wataniya added “The series of draws will continue for many more weeks. This exclusive draw is considered to be the first of its kind in Kuwait offering valuable cash prizes to customers. Wataniya looks forward to engaging its customers with many more exciting campaigns and surprises in the near future.”

All prepaid customers are eligible to enter the draw and win KD 10,000 by simply recharging their lines starting at KD 1 only. The more they recharge their line, the more chances they can get in the draws. Furthermore the chances collected by the customer are valid for all the remaining draws and the customer can check the total chances by dialing *555# In his words, the first KD 10,000 winner, Abdulaziz Al-Enezi expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Wataniya Telecom and said “I received couple of SMS after I recharged my line informing me that I have entered the draw but never thought I would win.”

“When I received the call from Wataniya telling me that I am the winner of KD 10,000 I was very surprised and happy at the same time.” Al-Enezi concluded with great excitement.

KUWAIT: Dr Abdulmuhsin Al-Kharafi, General Secretary of the General Secretariat of Awqaf, paid a visit to the Bait Al-Othman Museum recently. He toured the premises guided by the Kuwaiti Heritage Team. Al-Kharaifi was also accompanied by Mohammad Al-Jalahma, Secretary General Assistant for Banks Affairs. —Photo by Fouad Al-Shaikh

Armenia suspends diplomatic relations with Hungary KUWAIT: On Feb 19, 2004 a 26 years old Armenian Army Lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan was hacked to death while asleep by Ramil Safarov, a Lieutenant of the Azerbaijani Army. Both were participants of an English language training course within the framework of the NATO-sponsored “Partnership for Peace” programme held in Budapest.

The murder occurred at 5 o’clock in the morning, while the victim was asleep.

Immediately after murdering Lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan, Ramil Safarov went to the room of the second Armenian officer — Hayk Makuchyan — who was staying in another room to murder him as well. He attempted to knock down the door of Makuchyan with an axe. By then the police arrived at the crime scene. Having been detained by the Hungarian police, Safarov confessed to the act of murder of Gurgen Margaryan. He also made statements to the effect that he would kill another Armenian as soon as he was set free. His crime was aimed at the whole Armenian nation.

Budapest Police Maj Valter Fulop told reporters that Safarov committed a murder with unusual cruelty. The victim’s head was practically severed from his body.

During the trial, Safarov’s lawyers attempted to convince the judge that he was of an unstable mind, and claimed that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. However, this contradicted a statement Safarov had made when he said he had been studying in Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku and in Turkey from 1992 to 1996. A mental health examination concluded that Safarov was of stable mind condition at the time of the murder.

On April 16, 2006 a Hungarian court of first instance sentenced Safarov to life imprisonment without the right of appeal until 2036. Judge Andras Vaskuti cited the premeditated nature and brutality of the crime and the fact that Safarov showed no remorse for his deeds as the reasons for the sentence.

On Feb 22, 2007 the Hungarian Cassation court upheld the ruling following an appeal filed by Safarov’s lawyer.

It is noteworthy that this heinious crime has consistently received public praise at an official level in Azerbaijan and was cited as an example of patriotism for the Azerbaijani youth.

In its communication of Aug 31, 2012

the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice of Hungary announced about its authorisation to transfer Ramil Safarov to Azerbaijan. In adopting such decision, the Ministry refers to the 1983 Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons.

The Government of Hungary has been informed on numerous occasions by the authorities of Armenia about the environment of glorification and justification of the murderous act of Ramil Safarov, cultivated in Azerbaijan at official level, including the level of President of Azerbaijan. The Government of Hungary could not have failed to note the numerous public statements of the Azerbaijani officials at different levels to this effect, which should have been sufficient grounds for the doubt about the continuation of the enforcement of the sentence in Azerbaijan. Therefore, the Government of Hungary should have foreseen the implications of its decision to transfer Ramil Sahib Safarov, which effectively resulted in the termination of serving justice by a perpetrator of a murderous act. The Government of Hungary therefore shares moral responsibility for sponsoring a grave criminal act.

The transfer of Ramil Safarov has been executed without delay. As a proof of the concerns of Armenia, President of Azerbaijan has already issued a decree granting pardon to Ramil Safarov, who already enjoys freedom in Azerbaijan.

The Government of Hungary, at different levels, including the highest level, have consistently and up until the last moment assured the Government of Armenia that it will not take any steps whatsoever, which would result in the termination of serving justice by the perpetrator of a heinous murder and explicitly excluded any option for the execution of the transfer. The manner in which the Government of Hungary has acted in respect of this matter is also a matter of serious concern.

Armenia expects that the international community will react promptly to these concerning and unacceptable developments, which have undermined respect for justice, human rights and human dignity.

The Government of Armenia therefore informs about the decision to suspend diplomatic relations between the Republic of Armenia and Hungary.

(From Armenian embassy)

UN-Habitat, Bahrain sign agreement KUWAIT: The Boubyan Bank is inviting children to take part in the ‘Avenues Candy Train’ activities which will be held at the Avenues Mall until next Saturday. “Volunteers from the society’s service team are present every day until 9 pm to oversee activities as part of the event, including competitions for prizes allocated by the Boubyan Bank,” reads a statement released recently. The activities start from 10 am to 3:30 pm, and during a second period starting from 5 pm to 9pm.

Jordan hails Kuwaiti financial support of transport projects AMMAN: The Jordanian Minister of Transportation Hashim Al-Masaed said here yesterday that Kuwait has shown interest in financing two vital projects in the transportation sector, as part of the Gulf Cooperation Council grant of $5 billion to the country, to be delivered over five years.

Al-Masaed said in press remarks that the two projects are the railway project and the linking of the governorates of Amman and Al-Zarqa.

The rail project comes into two lines, one north-south from the Syrian boarders to Al-Aqaba, and an east-west line from Irbid passing Al-Mafraq, Al-Zarqaa all the way to the Iraqi borders, with a branching sub-line that reaches the Saudi borders, passing Al-Azraq.

As for the railway link between Amman and Al-Zarqa, the minister said the line stretches 24 kilometers.

A Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) delegation had signed a framework agreement with the Jordanian government a few days ago to define mechanisms for disbursement of funds from a Kuwaiti grant of USD 1.25 billion within five years, which is part of the GCC grant of USD 5 billion. This GCC grant is provided by Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. KFAED financed a total of 25 projects in Jordan to date, valued at $533 million, while Kuwaiti investments in the Hashemite Kingdom hit $10 billion, distributed across various sectors. —KUNA

NAPLES, Italy: President of the GCC Consultative Committee of UN-HABITAT Shiekha Amthal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah attended the signing of a cooperation agreement between Bahrain and UN-HABITAT here on Tuesday.

Sheikha Amthal, also, Chairperson of Kuwait’s Volunteer Center witnessed the ceremony where UN-Habitat’s Executive Director, Dr Joan Clos and Bahrain’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Urban Planning, Juma bin Ahmad Al-Kaabi inked a deal, while attending the World Urban Forum.

The signing ceremony was held upon the launch of the Bahraini pavilion at the event, which hosts 114 nations. “The Bahraini pavilion represents each of the (six) GCC states as it has succeeded in illustrating the huge development achievements in the Kingdom of Bahrain - especially those related to the role of women and youth, which are important in the growth and advancement of our societies,” Sheikha Amthal said.

As chief of the GCC committee of the Human Settlement Organization, she expressed optimism towards further cooperation between the two parties, in order for GCC states to reveal their “their wide accomplishments and vast experiments on the scales of civilization and

sustainable development.”

She hailed as ‘tireless’ the efforts being carried out by GCC states for modernization and development for their people and inhabitants, and to boost the standard of public services to a n international level, either in cities or other areas.

She also stressed the importance of making sure these efforts are linked with others on the environment, culture and education. Earlier, the Kuwaiti official sat down to a meeting of leading representatives, hosted by UN-Habitat, aimed at discussing the issues on the talks’ agenda of the World Urban Forum.

She is also expected to tour an exhibition, which is being held on the sidelines of the event. The World Urban Forum is aimed at examining the global problem of rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change and policies.

This year’s discussions have highlighted four key areas as platforms for discussion including ‘Urban Planning: Institutions, Regulation for Improving Quality of Life, Equity and Prosperity: Distribution of Wealth and Opportunities, Productive Cities: Competitive and Innovative Cities and Urban Job Creation and Urban Mobility, Energy and Environment.’ —KUNA

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Fireworks factory blaze leaves 40 dead in India

After army shake-up, Morsi turns to police Page 8

Page 11

34 perish as Syria death toll mounts With no ‘no-fly zone’, rebels target airports DAMASCUS: Syrian troops backed by artillery and warplanes fought rebels on multiple fronts yesterday as peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi described the death toll as “staggering” and destruction “catastrophic.” In the diplomatic arena, President Bashar Al-Assad came under renewed fire from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said Syria had become a “terrorist state”, and from Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, who told him to go.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said fighter jets bombed rebel zones in the northern city of Aleppo before dawn while ground troops simultaneously unleashed a barrage of shells.

After the bombardment, the bodies of at least 19 people were found, among them seven children, the Britain-based watchdog said. Aleppo has been the target of a five-week-old offensive by regime forces trying to dislodge rebels who took over swathes of the country’s commercial capital in July.

Activists have reported relentless bombardments and food shortages in those neighborhoods still held by rebels, while an AFP reporter who was in Aleppo on Tuesday said life in the loyalist-controlled central area was relatively normal.

Rebels yesterday attacked Hamdan military airport near Albu Kamal town in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, the Syrian Observatory said.

Having failed to persuade the international community to impose a no-fly zone over the country, the rebel Free Syrian Army has increasingly targeted airports used by regime attack helicopters and warplanes. “Fighting has been

going on for hours inside Hamdan airport between soldiers and rebels, who have taken over large sections of the site,” Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said, adding that at least six rebels died in the assault.

In Deir Ezzor city, two people were killed, one of them by sniper fire, the Observatory said. Several blasts were heard in the Jubar district of the capital Damascus as it came under heavy bombardment, and explosions were also heard in the Yalda area just south of the city, the watchdog said. In the central city of Homs, the rebel bastion of Khaldiyeh came under fierce mortar fire, and three children were killed in bombardment by regime forces of the Ariha area in Homs province, it added.

Brahimi, the newly appointed UNArab League peace envoy for Syria, said on Tuesday the death toll in the country was “staggering” and the destruction “catastrophic.” The Algerian former foreign minister, who took up his post on Saturday, also warned that the situation across Syria was “deteriorating steadily.”Turkey’s Erdogan, who turned against Assad when the Syrian president resorted to brutal force against unarmed protesters, used his strongest language yet against his erstwhile ally.

“The regime in Syria has become a terrorist state,” Erdogan told his ruling AKP meeting in Ankara. “Syria is not an ordinary country to us. We do not have the luxury to remain indifferent to what’s happening there.” Assad also came under fresh attack from Egypt’s Morsi, who told a meeting of Arab League ministers in Cairo that it was time for the Syrian

regime to step down. “I tell the Syrian regime ‘there is still a chance to end the bloodshed’. Now is the time for change... no time to be wasted talking about reform,” Morsi said. He urged Assad to “take lessons from recent history” and step aside, in reference to Arab Spring revolts that overthrew the longtime dictators of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

Morsi, who last week slammed the Syrian regime as “oppressive”, stressed that a resolution of the crisis was the responsibility of Arabs. “The Syrian blood that is being shed day and night, we are responsible for this,” Morsi said. “We cannot sleep while Syrian blood is being shed.” Less stridently, China said yesterday it supported a political transition in Syria and defended its record during a visit by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Clinton, meeting in Beijing with China’s top leadership, reiterated she was “disappointed” by Chinese and Russian vetoes of UN resolutions that would have threatened action against Assad to end the spiraling bloodshed.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi called for all sides to end fighting, telling a joint news conference with Clinton: “Let me emphasize that China is not partial to any individual or any party.” In a preliminary toll, the Observatory said at least 34 people were killed nationwide yesterday - 28 civilians and six rebels. The watchdog, which relies on information from a network of activists on the ground, says more than 26,000 people have been killed overall in Syria since the revolt against Assad’s rule broke out in March 2011. The United Nations says about 20,000 have died. — AFP

ALEPPO: The body of a man on the ground during clashes between Syrian army forces and opposition fighters in the area of Malls in the restive Seif Al-Dawla neighborhood. — AFP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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

In conflict with the West, Iran stirs war memories at home DUBAI: Iranian leaders hoping to lift morale at a time of rising prices, food shortages and threats of attack from Israel are drawing on memories of another era when people united against a common foe: Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.

But whether the government can rekindle the passion that powered Iran’s huge war effort a generation ago remains an open question.

The 1980-1988 conflict with Iraq, in which hundreds of thousands of Iranians were killed, provides a ready comparison for officials looking to frame Iran’s present isolation over its disputed nuclear program as an unwarranted aggression. “Saddam’s war against us was not a war between us and one government; it was an international war against us,” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in July. “These challenges ... are not new for the Islamic Republic.”

Western nations suspect Iran is covertly developing a nuclear weapons capability. Tehran says its nuclear activity is only for peaceful energy and medical purposes.

Memories of the hardships borne by Iranians during the war with Iraq are still seared into the country’s consciousness. Tens of thousands of civilians died in bombardment of cities. Teenage boys volunteered for the front and were killed in droves. Decades later, thousands of Iranians still suffer the ruinous effects of Saddam’s chemical weapons.

The war, known in Iran as the “sacred defense,” is marked by memorials and large murals of battle scenes.

Metro stations and many streets in Tehran are named after

News

in brief

Saudi man beheaded for incestuous rape RIYADH: A Saudi man convicted of raping a female member of his own family was beheaded by the sword yesterday, the interior ministry said. Faleh bin Ali Al-Oteibi was found guilty of forced incestuous sodomy, it said in a statement carried by the SPA state news agency, adding that he committed the act after drinking alcohol, banned in the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom. The identity of the victim was not disclosed. Oteibi’s beheading in the western city of Makkah brings to 53 the number of people executed in Saudi Arabia so far this year, according to an AFP tally based on official reports. Rights group Amnesty International puts the number of people executed in the Gulf country last year at 79. In addition to murder, the death penalty is handed down in Saudi Arabia for a wide range of offences including rape, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking, as stipulated by Islamic sharia law.

India MPs exchange blows in parliament NEW DELHI: Two Indian parliamentarians exchanged blows inside the Upper House ‘Rajya Sabha’, yesterday, at a time when a Bill allowing reservation in promotions for people belonging to lower castes in government jobs was being introduced. The members belonged to two different regional parties in northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

While one belonged to Samajwadi Party, the other belonged to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The latter is clamoring for reservation for lower castes people in government jobs, whereas the former is opposing the idea saying such a provision would mar merit. The BSP is the prime mover of the Bill. The party’s demand for reservation in promotions for lower caste people is not new. BSP president Mayawati had implemented reservation provisions a few years back in Uttar Pradesh state when she was the state chief minister. However, the country’s apex court Supreme Court had later struck down the provision.

Now, Mayawati, a member of the Rajya Sabha, has once again initiated the debate over the reservation issue by demanding of the Congress-led Centre Government to amend the country’s Constitution to pave way for a new law (for reservation in promotions for people belonging to lower castes).

South Korea MPs urge castration for rapists SEOUL: A group of 20 South Korean lawmakers introduced a bill yesterday that would allow for the physical castration of repeat sex offenders, amid public outrage at a spate of brutal sex crimes. If the bill is adopted, courts could order the testicular castration of recidivist sex offenders who fail to respond to behavioral or chemical treatment. Under legislation adopted by South Korea’s parliament in 2010, chemical castration can be carried out on serial sex offenders convicted of crimes against minors aged under 16. In May this year, a 45-year-old man became the first to undergo the chemical castration process which involves receiving injections to alter hormone levels. But lawmaker Park In-Sook, a medical doctor and one of the 20 MPs behind the bill introduced yesterday, said the effects of such medication were reversible as sexual impulses often return strongly when treatment ends. “We must take more drastic measures such as physical castration in order to stem mounting sex crimes,” she told journalists. Her aide, Park Jong-Won, said the bill would need to pass through several parliamentary committees before being subjected to a vote by a full session of the National Assembly. But he suggested there was a “high possibility” that it could eventually secure a simple majority in the 300-member house.

war “martyrs.” Iranian officials say sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe against Iran’s oil and banking sectors to force Tehran to stop its nuclear work amount to “economic warfare.” Renewed threats by Israeli leaders of a strike on the nuclear sites have contributed to the sense of siege. Some leaders hark back to the “imposed war” terminology of the 1980s, adopted because the conflict began when Iraq invaded.

Influential cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati invoked the sacrifices of Iranians in an era he compared to the present.

“During the imposed war, the entire nation was mobilized.

Even women were helping behind the front,” he said in a sermon in August, the Fars news agency reported. “The economic crisis is in reality a war which the enemy is waging against Iran.” Thanks partly to Western sanctions, Iran’s currency has lost about half its value this year, while an estimated 50 percent drop in oil exports compared to last year has cost billions in lost revenue. The government puts inflation at 23 percent, but unofficial estimates put it at double this.

The government has urged Iranians to adopt a “resistance economy”, without specifying what that means beyond preparing for tough times. One cleric has suggested Iranians meet their protein needs with egg soup if they cannot afford meat. Queues this summer for governmentsubsidized chicken reminded older Iranians of the war years, when butter and sugar were luxuries and people lined up for hours to buy milk. “They even used to give

coupons for cigarettes in the early days of the (1979) revolution,” said a tweet in Persian. “Today, they said come and get subsidized chicken. Welcome to the past era.”

DEFINING THE ENEMY But Iran is now a very different place from the Iran of 1980, and the enemy is much less easy to define - and demonize. “During the war with Iraq, most people including me believed we were oppressed by big powers that were helping Iraq and giving Saddam weapons,” said Nasrin, a 43-year-old housewife who once sewed sheets and clothing for Iranian frontline soldiers. “Many young people nowadays are not happy with the government and think the government is to blame for the country’s isolation,” said Nasrin, who like all the Iranians interviewed for this article did not want her full name used.

“I see my own daughters today and I often think how different they are from when I was their age. They are peace-loving people who think it is wrong for Iran to have bad relations with the rest of the world.” In 1980, the youthful Islamic Republic and its founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini enjoyed a deep reservoir of popular support, said Meir Javedanfar, an Iranian-Israeli analyst at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel. “Ayatollah Khomeini led the people of Iran through the initial stages of the war after leading them through a historic revolution,” he said.

That support will be difficult for Khamenei to replicate,

Javedanfar said, especially after the widespread popular unrest that followed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s 2009 re-election. Protesters said the vote, endorsed by Khamenei, was rigged. “Iran’s young generation is not as passionate as the one during that time (the Iraq war),” said 49-year-old Sotoudeh, an interior designer. “They are disillusioned somehow. “They want jobs, security and a free environment. They never experienced the social freedoms that we had before the revolution, but nevertheless they love Iran.” Rising food prices sparked protests in the northeastern town of Neishabour in July in a rare expression of discontent, according to a YouTube video and reports on Iranian news sites. “They (the government) will certainly attempt to recreate this narrative of Iran versus the world, but at the end of the day far more Iranians care about the price of chicken than they do enriched uranium,” said Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. Several Iranians said they believed people would unite behind the government if Israel struck Iran’s nuclear sites, though perhaps less fervently than during the Iran-Iraq war. An Israeli attack would probably involve air strikes targeting nuclear sites, rather than the full-scale air and ground invasion undertaken by Iraqi forces, depriving the government of images that could help stir nationalist sentiment. “In case of an attack, we might not see as many young people volunteering to fight in a battle but I am sure they would not stay indifferent,” Sotoudeh said. —Reuters

After army shake-up, Egypt’s Morsi turns to police reform Police, ex-government’s tool to curb opponents CAIRO: When a score of men wielding knives and petrol bombs stormed a glitzy five-star hotel in Cairo in broad daylight, the police failed to show up for hours. “I thought a war had broken out,” said Ahmed Mohamed, 70, who was driving past the Fairmont hotel during the Aug 2 robbery, which ended with a bystander dead and others wounded. He saw smoke billowing out and heard gun shots from inside.

“Where is our new president?” Mohamed asked. “Why doesn’t he bring the police back and put an end to the chaos and horror as he promised?” The priority for many Egyptians, and one of those listed by President Mohamed Morsi for his first 100 days in office, is ending a crime wave that started in the power vacuum after Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year.

But it will be a huge task to rebuild public trust in the police and state security services, which Mubarak used to persecute dissenters, including Morsi’s own Muslim Brotherhood, as well as to change the culture of the 450,000-strong force. Morsi has shown he can make tough decisions. On Aug. 12, he dismissed Egypt’s two top army generals and rescinded powers of the interim military council that took charge when Mubarak fell. Rights groups say police reforms must reach right down to the poorly paid recruits on the street taking bribes.

Corruption needs to be scrubbed out and routine rights abuses, such as torture in investigations, need to be stopped, they say.

OLD HABITS The fortress-like Interior Ministry in Cairo, surrounded by watch towers, once symbolized the power, privilege and secrecy of the police. Cash poured into the force, which crushed a rebellion by Islamic militants in the 1990s. Egyptians learned just how sophisticated the police had become when wiretaps of often very ordinary private conversations came to light after the revolt. The ministry’s spending outstripped that of education and health combined. It still does in the 2012/2013 budget, with an allocation of 17 billion Egyptian pounds ($2.8 billion).

Changing the force’s mindset on who should be seen as a danger to the state will be one obstacle to reform - Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, banned during Mubarak’s three decades in power, was long identified as Public Enemy Number One. “The Interior Ministry was a very significant part of the old regime,” said Khalil Al-Anani, an Egyptian analyst and scholar of Middle East politics at England’s Durham University. “It was its main tool to oppress opposition

respected in the ministry, where one officer called him “strong, successful and strict”.

Morsi, for his part, has sought to show he harbors no ill-will towards the police. “I tell my sons from the honorable police force that the apparatus includes many decent and honest national officers,” he told a police graduation ceremony.

CAIRO: Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi waves to photographers as he leaves the Arab League headquarters in Cairo yesterday. Morsi says Syrian leader Bashar Assad must learn from ‘recent history’ and step down before it is too late. — AP and any attempt to change its nature will be faced by resistance.”

Police antipathy to the new leadership is barely disguised. One officer summed up the feelings of many policemen when he told an Egyptian journalist while on duty during Morsi’s swearing-in ceremony: “He is your president, not ours.” “How can a man we had arrested not very long ago suddenly become a president over us?” said another, referring to Morsi’s jail stint during Mubarak’s rule. He asked not to be named.

An Interior Ministr y official, who also refused to be named, dismissed the idea that the president would shake up the force.

But Morsi’s new interior minister, Ahmed Gamal El-Din, 59, a career police officer who liaised with protesters during the antiMubarak revolt, has already changed some senior commanders and, after unannounced tours of police stations, sent one officer to a disciplinary committee for mishandling complaints. Gamal El-Din is

CAIRO: An Egyptian family takes a horse and carriage ride at Qasr El Nile Bridge in Cairo, Egypt. — AP

TORTURE AND CORRUPTION But it is not only the police he must win over. Morsi needs to convince Egyptians that the once-hated force is changing. One of the sparks for the anti-Mubarak protest was the killing in police custody of activist Khaled Said. And it was the police who used teargas, rubber bullets and even live fire to try to suppress the anti-Mubarak revolt in January 2011. Egyptians cheered when the police were taken off the streets and the army moved in. Since then, protesters have frequently besieged the Interior Ministry, seeing it as an emblem of the old order. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) and other rights groups list a host of abuses from the use of torture to corruption, which includes bribes to traffic police and graft in the issuing of car licenses and in land and factory deals. The police routinely dismiss accusations of torture and say corruption cases are swiftly investigated. “Eliminating corruption from the police and security forces will be the true mark of success of Egypt’s revolution,” said Amr Adly, a lawyer who works for EIPR on corruption issues related to land and state institutions. “It will mean that the state has succeeded in moving from a suppressing state to a democratic one.” It could take years to rebuild the reputation of the police, but Egyptians are desperate to have them back on the streets.

They complain of petty crime but are alarmed by violent incidents like the storming of the Nile-side hotel, attacks unimaginable under Mubarak when the police had sweeping powers.

Sama Abdel Rawaf, sales manager at the Fairmont, maintained the police delay in reaching her hotel was understandable given the recent turmoil, and added: “There is a bigger security presence around the hotel now and it is very safe.” Yet security remains a regular topic for talk shows, with callers phoning in with a litany of complaints about theft, thuggery and other security lapses, urging Morsi to act. “I used to feel safe about sending my kids onto the streets, but now I worry. Every day, I read in the paper about places and people being robbed and attacked,” Azza Hamdy, a mother and housewife, told Reuters. “Egypt did not used to be like that.” — Reuters

A year after murder, Iraq’s press freedom threatened BAGHDAD: One year after a prominent Iraqi journalist and government critic was killed, no one has been arrested for his murder and activists and analysts say press freedoms have, if anything, worsened. Hadi Al-Mehdi died of a single gunshot wound to the head on September 8, 2011, a day before planned

nationwide rallies he was involved in organizing against poor basic services and rampant corruption. Many blamed the authorities for Mehdi’s death-a charge officials denied, pledging a special investigation.

But as the months passed no arrest has been made, and no inquiry results have been

BAGHDAD: An Iraqi radio presenter works near a picture of assassinated Iraqi journalist Hadi Al-Mehdi at the studio of the Damozy radio station in Baghdad. — AFP

made public. Mehdi’s friends and supporters insist he has not been forgotten, with the radio station he worked at planning a special day of programming, and journalists and activists organizing events and demonstrations in his memory this week. “Hadi would say what people wanted to say but couldn’t-they didn’t have his courage,” said Karnas Ali, technical director at the Demozy radio station where Mehdi broadcast three 90-minute shows a week.

“His program was the kind of work that makes enemies,” Ali said. “Whenever I read his comments, I would tell him he was writing a suicide note.” Mehdi’s radio show, Ya Sameen Al-Saut (“You, Who Can Hear This Voice”), was known for its sharp criticisms of official incompetence and corruption. He was also a playwright, wrote for several publications and helped organize regular anti-government demonstrations. At the biggest of those rallies in February 2011, Mehdi was among four Iraqi journalists detained by security forces, and alleged they subjected him to electrical shock treatment and repeated insults during interrogation.

His murder sparked a public outcry, drawing condemnation from rights groups and spurring dozens to the streets for his funeral, a march through central Baghdad carrying an empty coffin draped in an Iraqi flag.

Authorities have not published any findings from the promised inquiry, or announced any

arrests. Deputy Interior Minister Adnan AlAssadi declined to comment to AFP on the case.

“They are trying to catch air with a net,” said Muayad Al-Tayyib, using an Arabic phrase to allude to criticism that officials have not genuinely tried to find any of those responsible.

Muayad, a 30-year-old journalist and friend of Mehdi, was among those who carried his “coffin” a year ago. Rights groups and diplomats point to Mehdi’s death, and the subsequent apparent lack of a comprehensive investigation, as one of many problems affecting journalism. “Day by day, press freedom in Iraq is shrinking,” said Ziad Al-Ajili, head of the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, an Iraqi watchdog. “Those who say there is freedom of the press should talk to journalists on the ground.”

Iraq ranks atop the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists’ Impunity Index, with the CPJ saying there have been no convictions for the murders of journalists since 2003, when Saddam Hussein was ousted by a US-led invasion. A bevy of new laws and bills also threatens to limit freedom of expression.

Along with what has been described by activists as a flawed Journalists Protection Law, currently being challenged in court by local rights groups, bills on Internet security, freedom of expression and political party organization are being considered.

These include vague and poorly defined

terminology, such as violating “public morals” or conveying “immoral messages,” along with what analysts and diplomats call disproportionately harsh punishments. “The combination of vague terms and extreme punishments outlined in these draft laws could have a chilling effect on freedom of expression in Iraq,” one Western diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity. But Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki’s spokesman Ali Mussawi has insisted that Iraqi journalists now “enjoy huge freedoms.” “Developments in the media, in all its forms, represent tremendous progress, and cannot be compared to the time of the former regime,” Mussawi said of Saddam’s rule.

In the year since Mehdi’s death, Demozy has scaled back its coverage of politics and corruption because, as Ali noted, “we couldn’t find a replacement for Hadi. We tried, and we are still trying.”

The station suspended regular programming for two weeks after Mehdi’s murder, instead airing passages from the Koran interspersed with condolences and discussions with his friends and other officials. Ali and Tayyib both pointed to the fact that Mehdi had relatives in Denmark as proof that he could have left the country, but chose to stay.

“We lost a brave journalist, and me, I lost a friend, an educated man, a funny man with a big heart,” said Ali. “He came to a homeland lacking in services, lacking in respect for its citizens,” he added. “He was a patriot.” — AFP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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

Democrats skewer Romney in convention blitz CHARLOTTE: Democrats assailed Mitt Romney on the opening night of their convention Tuesday, skewering the wealthy Republican presidential hopeful as elite and out-of-touch. In a rowdy start to three days of political theater in Charlotte, North Carolina, speaker after speaker hammered the multi-millionaire businessman as a ruthless corporate raider with little interest in helping ordinary Americans while hailing President Barack Obama as a champion of the middle class.

The headline act was First Lady Michelle Obama, who didn’t mention Romney by name but contrasted her husband’s hard-scrabble journey with the more cosseted upbringing of his privileged rival.

Others were more blunt, like rising Hispanic star Julian Castro, who claimed “Mitt Romney, quite simply, doesn’t get it” as he mocked the candidate’s suggestion that aspiring entrepreneurs could borrow money from their parents.

Critics even emerged from beyond the grave, with a video tribute to the late Democratic icon Ted Kennedy carefully crafted to show him annihilating Romney during a one-on-one debate from the 1994 Massachusetts Senate race. “I am pro-choice, my opponent is multiple choice,” Kennedy famously jibed, exposing Romney’s shifting convictions after his opponent flip-flopped on the hot-button issue of abortion. In less than nine weeks, Americans must decide if the country’s first black president should serve another four-year term or if Romney should take over.

National polls put the rivals neck-and-neck, but a closer inspection of swing states reveals that Romney has his work cut out, especially as the bounce he was hoping for from last week’s Republican convention failed to materialize. The arena in Charlotte, packed with thousands of Democratic delegates and Obama supporters, erupted whenever Romney came under attack,

with chants of “Four more years! “Four more years!” echoing across the auditorium. Former Ohio governor Ted Strickland dismissed the notion that Romney created jobs while running the private equity firm he co-founded, Bain Capital. “If Mitt was Santa Claus, he’d fire the elves and liquidate the inventory,” he said.

After the support cast had warmed up the crowd, the First Lady took to the stage to make the argument that life experiences “make you who you are.” “Barack was raised by a single mother who

struggled to pay the bills, and by grandparents who stepped in when she needed help,” she said. “Barack knows what it means when a family struggles. So in the end, for Barack, these issues aren’t politicalthey’re personal. He knows what it means to want something more for your kids and grandkids.” As if to drive the message home, the Obama campaign later tweeted a picture of the smiling president on a couch with daughters Sasha and Malia, with the caption: “Michelle’s biggest fans were watching from home.” The first lady’s speech was clearly

CHARLOTTE: Delegates wave banners reading ‘Forward’ and ‘No Back’ during Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel speech at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina on the first day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC). — AFP

intended to draw stark contrasts with Romney, who was born into wealth and privilege as the son of former presidential candidate and American Motors chairman George Romney. Democrats have made hay out of the wealth issue throughout the presidential campaign, attacking Romney for keeping much of his estimated $250 million fortune in offshore havens and asking why he will not release more tax returns. The Republicans have in turn accused Obama of disparaging success and waging “class warfare,” while failing to spur a more robust economic recovery or bring the unemployment rate down from a stubborn 8.3 percent.

“On the first night of President Obama’s convention, not a single speaker uttered the words ‘Americans are better off than they were four years ago,’” said Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul. With an economic malaise gripping much of the country, Democrats are fighting hard to counter the Republican narrative that while Obama’s 2008 election was historic his presidency has been a bust.

Obama was asked to grade his performance on the economy during an interview with a Colorado news program broadcast on Monday and unwittingly provided an opening for his opponents. “You know, I would say ‘incomplete,’” he said.

The president flew to Charlotte yesterday on the eve of a nomination acceptance speech in which he will try to persuade the American people to give him a second term despite the grim economic backdrop. The graying 51-year-old president will seek to rekindle some 2008 magic today as he leaves the confines of the convention hall for a 70,000-seater outdoor football stadium. Bill Clinton, a hugely popular former Democratic president remembered for steering a more prosperous age, lent his star power to proceedings yesterday with a speech making the economic argument for four more Obama years. — AFP

Gun death overshadows Quebec separatists win Separatists back in power after 9 years

HOLAMBRA: Boys play football in a paved street in Uniao de Vila Nova, recently converted in the framework of a favela upgrading project by the Sao Paulo state housing agency CDHU, in eastern Sao Paulo. — AFP

Sao Paulo slum morphed into vibrant community SAO PAULO: New hope is sprouting near a future Brazil 2014 World Cup stadium, where a once crime-ridden shantytown has emerged as a vibrant community with skyrocketing property values. Emerging powerhouse Brazil faces a daunting task in providing decent housing for its millions of urban poor, many of whom languish in slums, known as favelas, on the periphery of major cities. But in Sao Paulo, the country’s most populous and wealthiest state, increased funding and close monitoring has transformed some of these once druginfested favelas.

A showcase of that policy is Uniao de Vila Nova, a neighborhood of 32,000 people located 25 kilometers from the Sao Paulo city center. Like many other shantytowns across Brazil, Uniao de Vila Nova was created illegally, by people who, unable to afford city rents, cobbled together squalid, wooden shacks in risky or environmentallyprotected areas. But in place of the rickety homes-once routinely swept away by the flood waters of the nearby Tiete Tiver during the rainy season-the one -millionsquare meter area has morphed into a clean, safe and proud community.

The changes began a decade ago, when authorities launched a program to “urbanize” the favelas. They helped residents upgrade their homes and brought in basic services such as running water, paved roads, electricity and public transport. The results have been striking. “We have not had any murder in six years, while we used to have four a day in the 1990s,” says community leader Geraldo de Pindola Melo.

Melo migrated here in 1984 from the northeastern state of Pernambuco, joining the six percent of 42 million people in Sao Paulo who live in shantytowns.

The 42-year-old now lives with his wife and four children in a small, brightly colored house that he built and upgraded over the years, with help from the Sao Paulo state housing agency CDHU. “This is a very cohesive, stable community,” he said.

Today, the neighborhood has seven schools, three daycare centers, regular trash collection, a local soccer league with 28 teams and a recycling cooperative employing 36 trash pickers, most of them women. Residents also have a handicraft workshop, a gardening school equipped with a greenhouse and a factory where rehabilitated drug addicts come to make vuvuzelas, the noise-making trumpets popularized by South African football fans during the last World Cup. A new train station is set to open early next year, while a technical college will soon be built and residents hope to get a new mini-hospital soon. Throughout the neighborhood, residents, beaming with pride, showed off new, well-equipped

apartments, built with CDHU funding, and rented for 15 percent of their income.

Others who own their homes were contributing to a beehive of construction activity as they upgraded or expanded their brick and concrete dwellings. “We have 3,010 families living in new vertical apartment blocks funded by CDHU, while 5,300 families live in their own urbanized homes,” said Valkaria Marques de Paula, a CDHU official.

Property values skyrocketing-Valeria Araujo da Silva, the local urbanization secretary, has seen the transformation of her neighborhood since she moved to Uniao de Vila Nova 16 years ago. She and her husband built their own house, and thanks to the property boom in Sao Paulo’s eastern district-where construction is underway on the stadium that will host the opening game of the 2014 World Cup-da Silva says her home is now valued at $65,000.

The prices of many homes in the neighborhood have jumped as World Cup fever grows and word spreads about the emerging community in Uniao de Vila Nova. “In 2000, you could buy a 25-square meter (270 square feet) apartment for $1,000 here; now it is worth $25,000,” said Ailton Severino Dias, better known as “Pe de Frango,” who arrived here 20 years ago and also built his own home. Authorities are in the process of carrying out land registration in urbanized favelas and homeowners will begin receiving ownership titles in the next few months. In exchange, said CDHU’s de Paula, they will have to pay property taxes. De Paula said the urbanization policy works if “you empower the residents.” “We have been training community leaders that then teach responsible citizenship. We have launched health and sanitation awareness campaigns and residents have responded,” she added. CDHU President Antonio Carlos do Amaral stressed that “our job is to reintegrate marginalized people into society as productive citizens. Housing is only one phase of that process.”

He called for expanding the projects, which would require the city, the federal government and the private sector to get involved. Sao Paulo state has an annual housing budget of $1.1 billion, 43 percent of which is spent on building new homes or upgrading existing ones for favela residents, according to Eduardo Trani of CDHU. Over the past 20 years, some 500,000 homes have been built for an estimated two million low-income people across the state. But state officials say there is a still a deficit of half a million dwellings for the poor and another two million homes deemed sub-standard. The Sao Paulo metropolitan area alone is home to 20 million people, roughly 10 percent of whom live in favelas and illegal settlements. — AFP

MONTREAL: A masked gunman shot dead one person inside a Montreal theater where the leader of Quebec’s separatist Parti Quebecois was celebrating a narrow election win in the Canadian province, police said yesterday. The shooting eclipsed news that the Parti Quebecois had pipped the ruling Liberals in Tuesday’s election and would have to be content with a minority government, effectively ruling out another referendum on breaking away from Canada. Pauline Marois, newly elected as the first female premier of Quebec, had just told a rally of supporters the province would one day be independent when her bodyguards rushed her from the stage. She later returned to finish her speech.

The incident was shocking for Canada, where murder levels are around a third of those in the United States and political violence is extremely rare. Montreal police said a man around 50 years old had entered the back of the Metropolis theater just before midnight with a rifle and a handgun and shot two people. Police said a man in his 40s died on the spot, another was taken to hospital in a critical condition. RDI television showed pictures of police subduing a large man with a rifle who was dressed in a black cape and a black face mask.

He appeared to shout in French the phrase “The English are waking up.” Marois had promised to strengthen laws designed to ensure the dominance of the French language, which has worried some in the minority English-speaking community. “We are appalled by this violence,” said Carl Vallee, a spokesman for federal Prime Minister Stephen Harper. La Presse newspaper cited security sources as saying Montreal police had cordoned off a truck they suspected contained weapons. Other Canadian media outlets said the dead man was a technician at the theater and the badly wounded man was a driver of the PQ campaign bus.

INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM The last political killing in Canada occurred in October 1970, when a radical Quebec nationalist group kidnapped provincial Labor Minister Pierre Laporte and a British diplomat. Laporte was later found strangled. Almost lost in the aftermath of the Montreal shooting was the fact that the PQ won 54 of the 125 seats in the provincial legislature, ending nine years of rule by the Liberals.

Previous PQ governments held independence referendums in 1980 and 1995, but both failed.

QUEBEC: Pauline Marois, leader of the Parti Quebecois delivers her victory speech prior to a gunman opening fire in Montreal. — AFP Although Marois is promising another vote when the time is right, that could be years away.

A recent poll showed only 28 percent of Quebecers back separation from the rest of Canada.

Marois had promised to concentrate first on the economy, in particular tackling the province’s large debt, imposing higher tax and royalty rates on mining firms and making foreign takeovers of Quebec companies more difficult.

The results showed the Liberals had won 50 seats, down 14. Premier Jean Charest, who lost his seat, emphasized that the PQ had only won a minority. “The result of this election campaign speaks to the fact that the future of Quebec lies within Canada,” he said. The PQ won 31.9 percent of the vote, compared to 31.2 percent for the Liberals. Nomura Global Economics analyst Charles St-Arnaud said that given the current lack of enthusiasm for independence, even a PQ majority victory would not cause much market unrest. “We could see a slight depreciation of the Canadian dollar and a widening of spreads, but nothing meaningful. What will matter more for spreads will be the first budget,” he said.

Under the Liberals, who want Quebec to

remain part of Canada, relations with the federal government in Ottawa have been relatively stable since 2003. That would change under a PQ government, since Marois wants a quick meeting with Harper to demand he give Quebec overall control of immigration policy and unemployment insurance. Harper has often railed against Quebec separatists, and if he refuses to cooperate with Marois, that could boost support for the idea of independence. Harper issued a statement congratulating Marois and added: “We do not believe that Quebecers wish to revisit the old constitutional battles of the past.”

Minority governments in Canada are usually short-lived but Francois Legault, leader of the third-placed Coalition for the Future of Quebec party, indicated he would back Marois if she focused on fighting corruption and improving the financially strapped public healthcare system. His party wants to freeze all talk of a referendum for a decade and focus on the economy. The Liberals won three successive elections from 2003 to 2008, but became increasingly unpopular amid allegations of corruption in the construction industry that might be linked to the financing of political parties. — Reuters

Ex-presidents can be a burden or blessing WASHINGTON: Bill Clinton’s in, George W Bush is out. Jimmy Carter gets only a cameo. Ronald Reagan is ever-present, almost a quarter century after his presidency and eight years after his death. The way Democrats and Republicans treat their ex-presidents at convention time reflects each man’s personal popularity - and how well he’s weathered changing party politics. It helps to be a dynamite speaker, too. Clinton scores on all three: His speeches are rousing, if long; his popularity extends to coveted independent voters; and his centrist appeal plays well across today’s Democratic Party. It’s no wonder Democrats have forgiven, if not forgotten, that business about White House intern Monica Lewinsky and impeachment that seemed to have permanently marred his presidency as it ended a dozen years ago.

“Expect Clinton to deliver the most powerful case for re-election that is made at the Democratic convention,” predicted Kathleen Hall Jamieson, an authority on political speech and director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center. President Barack Obama is entrusting Clinton with a convention slot of strategic importance - introducing Obama’s name for nomination during prime-time TV on Wednesday night. It seems like a safe bet: Two-thirds of Americans rate Clinton favorably,

according to a Gallup Poll. Half of Republicans do.

He could help especially with groups where Obama needs a boost, including men, workingclass white voters, Southerners and senior citizens.

This year’s address will be freed of the drama surrounding Clinton’s convention speech four years ago, when his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, had just lost to Obama in a bruising primary battle littered with hard feelings. Now she is Obama’s secretary of state. And Bill Clinton can do a little burnishing of his own legacy in Charlotte, North Carolina. “Clinton’s not just a successful president for the Democrats,” said Republican pollster and strategist Mike McKenna. “He’s the guy that led them out of the wilderness. He’s their Moses. ... He was the one who sort of settled the issue of what kind of party they were going to be, how they were going to proceed. “And people like him,” McKenna added. Not so much the Republican president who followed him, George W Bush.

Americans are just as likely to view Bush unfavorably as favorably, according to polling over the past year, and many blame him for the Great Recession. Tying Republican nominee Mitt Romney to Bush is a favorite strategy of Obama’s re-election campaign. Even among Republicans, reviews of Bush are mixed. The tea party and other fiscal conservatives have pushed the party to

reject Bush’s record of spending hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars to expand prescription drug coverage to seniors and rescue banks during the fiscal crisis. “As long as the tea party is rising, Bush is hard to characterize as anything within the party except a divisive figure,” McKenna said.

Neither Bush nor his father, President George HW Bush, spoke at the Republican convention last week in Tampa, Florida. Instead, the fatherson duo appeared in a video tribute to each other that was more folksy than partisan. The only other prominent mention of George W. Bush came from former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who said he felt obligated to defend his brother’s White House record before launching into a speech on education. Other Republican speakers preferred to recall their beloved icon Reagan, one of the nation’s most popular presidents, whom they also lauded with a video tribute.

In Charlotte, it was Carter who got short shrift.

His remarks were relegated to a long-distance appearance by video, hours before most viewers had tuned in Tuesday. Republicans are eager to link Obama to Carter - as presidents who left Americans feeling they were worse off than four years earlier. “I’m not sure why they’re having him have a role at all,” Republican consultant Matt Mackowiak said of Carter. —AP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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

After Islam, Dutch far-right leader targets Europe THE HAGUE: Amid a Europe-dominated election campaign, Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders has swapped his traditional bugbear Islam for the meddling EU in a bid to boost support. “Given the financial crisis, Europe became an easy theme,” said Claes de Vreese, political communications lecturer at Amsterdam University, pointing to populist Wilders’ “opportunism”. “The rhetoric has stayed the same, it’s just the enemy that has changed,” De Vreese said ahead of legislative elections on September 12.

The firebrand golden-maned Wilders is the political heir of populist Pim Fortuyn, assassinated by an animal rights activist in 2002, and wants the Netherlands to quit the European Union, the euro-zone and the passport-free Schengen area as well as to stop bailing out heavily indebted southern European nations. It was Wilders who brought down the previous minority government of liberal Mark Rutte, whom he had propped up with his MPs’ support in parliament, by walking out of talks to bring the Dutch deficit below the euro-zone’s three percent limit.

Geert Wilders

Wilders refused to back an austerity budget, saying he would not bow to “the diktats of Brussels”.

“The loss of sovereignty, no longer being the master in your own country, these are themes that perfectly fit his ideology,” said Bert van den Braak, political researcher at Leiden University. “This theme gives him much more of a chance than if he’d stayed with the debate on Islam,” Van den Braak said. “We know that discourse, Wilders had to come up with something new.”

Wilders lives under 24-hour police protection having spent much energy fighting what he calls “the Islamisation of the Netherlands”. He has called for the full-veil burqa and the Koran to be banned and was acquitted on charges of inciting racial hatred. A week away from the September 12 vote, polls predict Wilders’ PVV (the Party for Freedom) will win 15-19 seats in the 150-seat lower house, having secured 24 seats in the 2010 election, a vote that catapulted the PVV to the role of the Netherlands’ third political force.

But analysts note that his party, founded in 2006, was only tipped to win 18 seats in opinion polls before the last election. “The polls give the impression that the PVV will remain stable or suffer a slight loss,” said Claes de Vreese. “Which isn’t paying a high price for having had the PVV in power and for the way the government fell because of them,” he said.

Analysts say that Wilders has opted for the best possible strategy available to him: keeping his head down as long as possible after the fall of the government and then leading a strong campaign shortly before the vote. “One thing seems clear to me, no one will want to collaborate with the PVV,” said Andre Krouwel, political scientist at Amsterdam Free University. “Whether he gets 10 or 25 MP seats, he will play absolutely no role in the formation of the government.”“I think they (the PVV) are no longer seen as a credible partner within the Dutch political class,” said De Vreese, noting that Prime Minister Rutte would lose “enormous” credibility if he were once more associated with the far-right party. — AFP

France enthralled as First Lady, Hollande’s ex battle ‘The Battle of the Ladies’ or ‘Royal Headache’ PARIS: France’s Socialist President Francois Hollande hoped he could keep his love life private and distinguish himself from his showy predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy. But his feisty first lady appears to have dashed those plans. Valerie Trierweiler has been quiet since launching an explosive tweet in June that rocked French politics and made headlines across the world, but her alleged feud with the president’s ex-partnerthe mother of his four children continues to fascinate.

“The Battle of the Ladies,” said the front-page headline of the latest edition of Le Nouvel Observateur magazine, beside a picture of Trierweiler and Segolene Royal, Hollande’s former partner of three decades. “ The Royal Headache,” Le Parisien punned last Friday, while the weekly Marianne led with: “Secrets of a Trio from Hell”. The continued interest has been fanned by the publication of three books over the past month-with more scheduled before year-end-that lay bare what their authors claim to be the tumultuous relations among the trio.

The most virulent, “La Favorite”, by Laurent Geilsamer, a former journalist at Le Monde

newspaper, directly addresses Trierweiler, a twice-divorced 47-year-old journalist and mother of three. “You have shown yourself to be unconventional, imperial, amorous, explosive, unpredictable. And clearly dangerous,” he wrote of the glamorous woman who has not married Hollande and who is keeping on her job at Paris Match magazine. “L’Ex”, by Sylvain Courage, traces the triangle back to the 1980s, when Hollande was already with Royal, a fellow Socialist politician, but, according to the author, was also enamored of Trierweiler, then a young political reporter.

It follows their relations over the next couple of decades, during which Hollande and Royalwho are now both 58 - moved up the ranks of the Socialist party and had a family. The former became party chief and then got elected president, while Royal made a failed bid to run for the presidency in 2007 against Sarkozy. During that time Trierweiler rose up the career ladder too, hosting television shows and writing political articles for Paris Match. Their intertwining worlds meant that contact was frequent, but it was reportedly not until 2005 that Hollande

PARIS: French President Francois Hollande (left) welcomes European Union Council President Herman Van Rompuy yesterday prior to a meeting at the presidential Elysee Palace in Paris. — AFP

Tensions cloud APEC summit VLADIVOSTOK: Asia-Pacific leaders gather in Russia’s far east this weekend for talks aimed at promoting trade but territorial disputes and other regional tensions may cloud the event.

The annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit aims to tear down trade barriers and promote integration across 21 economies covering the Pacific Rim, stretching from China to Chile. But this year’s meeting, in the former military port city of Vladivostok, will take place as tensions have reignited between APEC members Japan, South Korea and China over decades-long territorial disputes.

China has also become locked in hostile rows with APEC members Vietnam and the Philippines over competing claims in the South China Sea. Meanwhile, China has been showing increasing annoyance with what it perceives as American efforts to contain its global rise, which it said were highlighted by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s latest sweeping tour of the region. The disharmony could affect progress on trade at the leaders’ summit on Saturday and Sunday, analysts said, although they believe everyone involved will work hard to ensure the summit’s agenda is pushed forward. “(The tensions) will probably make the formal meetings a little bit less friendly and warm than they might otherwise have been,” Deborah K Elms, head of the Temasek Foundation Centre for Trade & Negotiations at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore said. “But I don’t think that any country wants the current problems in territory to spill over into economics at this point-and certainly derail the limited APEC agenda.” Among the key figures at the summit will be Clinton, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Hu Jintao and Japan Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.

Clinton is representing President Barack Obama, who cannot attend because he is campaigning for re-election. World leaders are known to veer away from the formal agenda at APEC summits to discuss pressing issues, especially on the sidelines when they take the

opportunity for face-to-face meetings. “Leaders being leaders, they are free to talk among themselves as to what topics they feel are important and relevant,” APEC executive director Muhamad Noor said. But Noor said the Vladivostok meeting’s formal talks would focus on speeding up trade liberalization-including cutting tariffs on environmentally friendly products-and ensuring steady food production to stop steep price rises.

Officials would also likely discuss ways to minimize the impact of disasters on the global supply chain, he added, noting industrial disruptions caused by last year’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan and floods in Thailand. Noor said average tariffs across APEC members were under 6.0 percent, down from 17 percent in 1989, when the group was formed, and officials were now focused on toppling non-tariff barriers. APEC members account for 44 percent of global trade and about 41 percent of the world’s population. Last year’s summit in Hawaii was dominated by Obama’s push for an Asia-Pacific free-trade area called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Some progress has been made on the TPP since, with the number of countries officially involved in the talks now up to 11. It is not on the formal agenda this year, with Russia not involved, but discussions among participants will be held on the sidelines.

Russia has spent $20 billion in recent years upgrading Vladivostok-a former naval capital that fell into disrepair after the fall of the Soviet Union-building bridges, highways, an airport terminal and a rail link. The event is being held at new university facilities on Russky Island, just outside Vladivostok, with Putin hoping the gathering will showcase Russia’s ambitions to be a major Pacific player. However, the revival efforts for Vladivostok have been beset by problems including cost overruns, shoddy construction and criticism about bad planning. Putin is scheduled to deliver a speech in Vladivostok during which he is expected to highlight Russia’s increasing presence in the region. — AFP

finally began a romantic relationship with Trierweiler.

PROBLEM FOR PRESIDENT That did not prevent him from publicly pretending to still be with Royal as she battled Sarkozy for the presidency in 2007, a pretence aided by France’s compliant media which largely regarded politicians’ private lives as off limits.

When Hollande made his own bid for the presidency this year, he appeared to have achieved harmony between his past and his current lover.

The two women were pictured shaking hands at a party conference, and Royal publicly backed her ex.

Hollande presented himself to the French as “Mr Normal” to distinguish himself from Sarkozy, whose tumultuous private life-which included a divorce just months after taking power followed quickly by marriage to a supermodel-dismayed many voters. But those hopes were dashed in June when, with a single tweet, Trierweiler managed to take a swipe at Royal, put herself publicly at odds with Hollande, and throw a spanner in the works of the Socialist party. The Twitter post appeared to be an innocent message wishing a politician good luck in his bid to win a parliamentary seat in an upcoming election.

But it was obvious that the real target was Royal, who was standing against the dissident Socialist candidate Trierweiler had wished good luck - and who went on to defeat her. That tweet sparked frenzied media coverage in France and for many confirmed that the independent-minded first lady had not put aside her rivalry and was going to be a problem for the new president. “Hollande has asked her to choose between her career and representing France, so she is suddenly reduced to minimum service and she’s not very happy about that,” Courage, the author of “L’Ex” said.

And Royal is not happy either, he said, pointing to an interview she gave this week saying she had been the victim of an “injustice” in the June election. “She’s waiting for a gesture from the president, who is embarrassed because obviously any gesture will be interpreted as favoritism,” said Courage, adding that Hollande’s hopes of being a “normal” president are a mirage. “His private life has blown up in his face. It was a brutal and troubling return of these questions to the top of the news agenda,” he said.— AFP

Great chestnut trees of Europe are dying GHENT: Visit the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris and chestnut trees greet you as you wander among graves of luminaries such as Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison. When Anne Frank was in hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam, the view of a monumental chestnut tree was one thing that cheered her up. In Cambridge, England, the twocentury-old chestnut standing outside King’s College chapel has become a beloved icon.

In all those places - and over much of Europe - the horse chestnut tree is under threat. Sometimes they crash across boulevards and smash cars, unable to bear the weight of their own foliage. At other times, city officials move in and cut them down before they collapse.

In high summer, their leaves can become so rusty it feels like October. As autumn approaches, many stand naked while other trees still wear their crowns of green. The culprits: a moth that produces leaf-eating larvae and a bacterium that makes trunks bleed and die.

“In a sense it is almost like a lethal cocktail,” said Dr Darren Evans of the University of Hull. “If it is under attack by moths, it is probably going to be more susceptible to this bleeding canker - which will kill it.” A cure?

Not immediately in sight. “It is spread throughout most of northern Europe,” Evans said of the leaf miner moth in a telephone interview. “We still don’t really know whether there is any effective way of controlling it.” The same goes for the bacteria.

Without any clear reason, the moth became rampant and spread through much of Europe about a decade ago.

In Britain, it first surfaced in Wimbledon in 2002 and soon spread across England and Wales. It has flourished across the continent. The moth lays eggs in leaves and the larvae start devouring them, causing foliage to turn color as soon as July. The rusting robs the tree of vital sunlight for key months and, weakened, some fall prey to other diseases such as fungi. The moth was soon joined by a bacterium that came from the Himalayas and causes chestnut bark to bleed an oozing sticky liquid, sapping the tree and in many cases causing death. “The worst case scenario is that we lose most of our horse chestnut trees to this bleeding canker,” Evans said.—AP

MARIKANA: Thousands of striking workers singing and carrying sticks march on a South African mine in Marikana yesterday. — AFP

Strikers march at South Africa’s Marikana mine March undermines mining peace talks MARIKANA: More than 3,000 striking South African miners marched through streets near Lonmin’s Marikana mine yesterday, the largest protest at the hot spot since police shot dead 34 of their colleagues last month.

Police armed with tear gas and assault rifles deployed armored vehicles and helicopters to keep an eye on the stick-waving protestors. It was the strongest show of police force since the immediate aftermath of the Aug. 16 shooting, the bloodiest security incident since the end of apartheid in 1994.

One man at the front of the column waved a placard reading “We want 12,500 or nothing else”, a reference to the group’s demand for a hike in base pay to 12,500 rand ($1,500) a month, more than double their current salary. The strike for the pay rise by rock drill operators and other miners is now in its fourth week and is threatening to cripple London-headquartered Lonmin .

Only 4.2 percent of its shift workers reported for duty yesterday. The unrest may also hurt President Jacob Zuma before a December vote for re-election as the leader of the African National Congress (ANC), the party that dominates politics.

Another protester, who did not wish to be named, said the demonstrators were heading to the company’s nearby Karee mine to “take out the people who are working in the mine shaft”. Marikana accounts for the vast majority of the platinum output of Lonmin, which itself accounts for 12 percent of global supply of the precious metal used in jewelry and vehicle catalytic con-

verters. The strike has raised worries that the labor unrest that has hit the platinum belt this year could spread to the gold sector. South Africa is home to 80 percent of known platinum reserves and is the world’s fourth-largest gold producer.

The Marikana unrest stemmed from a year-long turf war in the platinum sector between the dominant National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the small but militant Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU). NUM, an ally of the ANC, which has run South Africa in the 18 years since white-minority rule ended, suspects the labor unrest is being fuelled to undermine its influence. “We can see that there is an attempt to spread it,” General Secretary Frans Baleni said this week. “Gold is vulnerable.”

Both Marikana and Karee, 100 km northwest of Johannesburg, have been closed since thousands of rock drillers went on a wildcat strike and protest nearly four weeks ago that led to the Aug 16 police crackdown. Talks between Lonmin management, unions and the government to ease tensions and get the striking miners back to work are due to resume at 1000 GMT in the nearby city of Rustenburg. The march suggests chances of any progress is unlikely.

World platinum prices have risen more than 10 percent since the Aug 16 shooting, while Lonmin’s Johannesburg- and London-listed shares have lost nearly 20 percent. Lonmin shares were down another 4.9 percent yesterday.— Reuters

Pirates hijack tanker LAGOS: Pirates have hijacked a Singapore-owned oil tanker in Nigerian waters, the third attack in just over two weeks in the Gulf of Guinea, the International Maritime Bureau said yesterday. The group said the tanker was seized within the port of Lagos, but Nigerian authorities insisted the attack happened farther offshore. The vessel, which had 23 crew on board, was laden with fuel, IMB’s Kuala Lumpur-based piracy reporting centre said, adding that the pirates were sailing the ship into the open sea.

It did not say how the pirates hijacked the tanker on Tuesday evening. “We have informed the Nigerian authorities who are taking action,” Noel Choong, head of the IMB’s Malaysia-based piracy reporting centre said. The crew members had locked themselves in a safe room, said Choong, who added: “We are concerned about their safety and the spate of hijackings.” Nigeria’s navy spokesman, Commodore Kabir Aliyu, identified the tanker as the Abu Dhabi Star.

“The vessel was hijacked last night off the coast of Nigeria. We are trying to get the details of the seizure but everything is being done to ensure the safety of the crew,” he said.

A tracking device placed the tanker 31.4 nautical miles away from the Lagos port at roughly 1100 GMT yesterday and the navy had launched an operation to reclaim the vessel, Aliyu said, declining to give further details. The Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) denied that the vessel had been hijacked within the Lagos port complex. “There has

been no hijacking of vessels in the Lagos ports. In fact, it cannot happen and it has never happened. If there was any seizure it would be on the high sea,” NPA spokesman Michael Ajayi said.

Ships have previously been attacked while moored near the port as they wait to dock. Pirates hijacked and looted two oil tankers off nearby Togo last month. The two ships and all crew members were later freed. The IMB’s Choong said the same criminal syndicate could be behind the latest attack since the modus operandi was the same. “They would seize the ship for about five days-ransack the crew’s cabin and syphon the oil to another pirate vessel,” he said. The IMB has repeatedly warned ships plying the Gulf of Guinea off the west coast of Africa to be vigilant and called on authorities to step up patrols, saying last year the region was emerging as a new piracy “hot spot”.

The area has seen 37 attacks, including several hijackings, kidnappings and killings, so far this year. Pirates usually target cargo, loading it onto other ships to sell on the black market. Cyrus Mody of IMB, who closely tracks the region, said pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea have long gone under-reported and that the area had likely seen more violence than recent figures suggest. As a result, some companies working in the region may not have been fully prepared for the risks involved. Nigeria and nearby Benin launched joint patrols last year in a bid to combat the problem.— AFP

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

international

Teachers play truant in India’s schools BAGHPAT: On any given day in a state primary school in India, up to one in four teachers is missing. The cost for a country that sees its young population as its ticket to superpower status is huge. In the poor and agricultural district of Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, a state that is home to nearly 200 million people, or one in six Indians, absences afflict pupils and fellow teachers alike. One frustrated headmistress showed AFP the register for her staff: two out of seven full-time teachers are routinely away.

One has been seen only a handful of times in 2012 due to back-to-back medical and childcare leave.

“There are so many teachers who don’t want to work,” she complained in her simple and dimly lit office, asking not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the information she was sharing. “The government provides books, uniforms and midday meals to all students for free. They are spending so much, but if teachers are not dedicated then all the money is just being wasted.” In other schools dotted around the area, about a two-hour drive from New Delhi, teacher shortages due to absences or under-recruitment mean

class sizes are often double the recommended level of 30.

A recent scandal in the area saw 77 teachers sacked after an investigation by a local training college revealed they had forged their own school certificates.

Today’s dysfunctional education system is storing up problems for the future, say experts. “We have this very young population and it has so much potential,” Rukmini Banerji from leading Indian education and research group Pratham said.

“If you want children 10 years from now to have 21st-century basic skills, you’ve got to begin now in grades one and two. If we don’t do this, we are going to lose a unique opportunity.”

Measuring the absences-In general, state primary schools in India are “abysmal,” says Karthik Muralidharan, a professor at the University of California and long-time researcher on the Indian system. His studies on teacher absenteeism, done in conjunction with other academics and the World Bank, provide authoritative figures for the problem because they rely on unannounced visits to schools across the country. In 2003 a survey found an average of 25 percent

of state primary school teachers were absent at any one time. A re-run in 2010 found the figure had improved slightly to 23.7 percent. In Uttar Pradesh, the rate was still more than 30 percent.

Some of the absences are legitimatesickness, maternity or childcare leave, for example, but an estimated 60 percent are for questionable reasons. In the worst cases, politically connected teachers take other jobs and pay off school inspectors and continue to collect their salaries. The overall cost of absent teachers to the government could be as much as 85 billion rupees ($1.5 billion) a year, Karthik estimates in new research which is yet to be published. The leftleaning government has ploughed billions into education as a pillar of its “inclusive growth” agenda aimed at ensuring the benefits of economic development reach the poor, who rely most heavily on state education.

The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, listed the achievements during his Independence Day speech last month. A total of 51,000 new schools had been opened and about 700,000 teachers hired in the past two years, Singh said. For the first time, a Right to

Education Act guarantees state schooling for children from six to 14. “Our children are the biggest strength of our country,” he declared.

A DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDEND? The problem is that genuine improvements in infrastructure and enrolment levels have not yet translated into better skills. One of India’s most significant characteristics, and something that sets it apart from fellow Asian giant China with its one-child policy, is its huge and growing young population. It is home to the world’s highest number of children who, in the next few decades, will enter the work force and begin productive labor-something the government and economists refer to as a “demographic dividend.”

This supposed dividend, however, is set to come from the north of the country, the so-called “cow belt” of badly run states with high rates of corruption, malnutrition and illiteracy such as Uttar Pradesh (UP). The prospect of a demographic disaster-millions of badly educated young people with higher aspirations than their parents who are unable to find jobs is a danger that looms over

the country of 1.2 billion people. “Where is the demographic dividend? It’s in... states which are lowest down on the ladder on human resource indices,” admitted Kapil Sibal, the education minister, earlier this year. Pratham conducts an annual survey of rural state primary schools, which finds that after five years of school more than half of children are still unable to read a basic text in their own language.

The results for UP are even worse.

And disturbingly for the government and its spending splurge, the national results show an “alarming” fall in standards year-on-year in 2011 with India already “very poor on an international absolute scale.” The consequence is a surge in private education. More than 50 percent of primary school pupils in cities are enrolled in fee-charging institutions and 25 percent in rural areas, according to different studies, placing a huge burden on poorer families. But most continue to attend state schools such as the ones in Baghpat, where the children of agricultural workers and laborers sit on the floor in dimly lit classrooms, learning from a text book that leaves many of them baffled. —AFP

Fireworks factory blaze leaves 40 dead in India Latest tragedy in accident-prone local factories

KANDAHAR: Soldiers from the Afghanistan National Army (ANA) and US Army soldiers from the 3rd platoon Delta Company conduct a joint patrol at Nevay-deh village in Kandahar province yesterday. NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen shared his “deep concerns” over the rising number of insider attacks on NATO troops with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. —AFP

‘Hundreds’ held and sacked over Afghan insider attacks KABUL: Afghanistan said yesterday it had arrested or sacked hundreds of Afghan soldiers over attacks on NATO troops, trying to stem an increase in shootings that threatens to undermine Western withdrawal plans. The scale of attacks is unprecedented in modern warfare. Afghan personnel have opened fire on their NATO colleagues more than 30 times so far this year, killing at least 45 foreign troops-the majority of them American.

The shootings threaten to derail NATO’s flagship strategy of training Afghan security forces to take over when the bulk of the 130,000 US-led foreign troops leave the country at the end of 2014. US officials have expressed increasing concern over the attacks and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta last month called on Afghan President Hamid Karzai to crack down on them.

Defense ministry spokesman General Zahir Azimi said yesterday: “So far, hundreds of people have either been arrested or expelled from the army. We have found evidence against some people and some suspicious people have been arrested.”

When asked for further details, Azimi gave no breakdown on precise numbers.

Nor was it clear when the action was taken against the soldiers. On Sunday, the US military announced that its special forces have suspended training for about 1,000 Afghan police recruits to vet existing members. Karzai’s spokesman said on the same day that the attacks were the “mutual responsibility” of both NATO and Afghan forces, and the president had ordered all Afghan forces to be re-vetted.

The top US military officer visited Afghanistan last month and said Afghan leaders appeared ready to take decisive action to curb the attacks.

General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it was the first time that Afghans were as concerned about the attacks as the Americans. Azimi yesterday denied that

NATO training for Afghan soldiers had been affected with the spokesman insisting it was still “going well”. He also stood behind the processes of recruitment and vetting. “Good attention was paid during the recruitment process, but when some soldiers went on vacation and came back they became somehow problematic,” he said. NATO has tried to play down the attacks, saying that they are carried out by a tiny proportion of the Afghan forces over cultural differences or personal disputes.

The alliance’s Secretar y General Anders Fogh Rasmussen yesterday spoke about the attacks by telephone with Karzai, voicing his concern and calling on the president “to join in” with preventive measures being taken by NATO. Taleban insurgents claim responsibility for many of the attacks, saying their fighters have infiltrated the army and police. Their reclusive supreme leader, Mullah Omar, has boasted that the attacks are the result of a deliberate plan to sow distrust between foreign and Afghan troops.

Azimi blamed “some regional intelligence agencies”-a euphemism that Afghan government officials often use in reference to Pakistani spymasters, who have historically sponsored the Taleban.

But he said there were no foreigners among those soldiers arrested or dismissed. An Afghan army officer in the restive eastern province of Paktika blamed Taleban infiltrators and poor treatment from US mentors. “Most of our soldiers come from different provinces, they are illiterate, and US mentors sometimes behave badly with them. That is why they turn their weapons at them,” he said on condition of anonymity. August was the worst month for so-called greenon-blue attacks in Afghanistan, with nearly one in three international coalition deaths caused by Afghan allies. In July, a military court sentenced an Afghan soldier to death for killing five French soldiers in Kapisa province in January.—AFP

CHENNAI: A blaze at a fireworks factory in southern India yesterday killed at least 40 people after triggering a mass explosion of firecrackers in several packed warehouses.

Firefighter Shanmugaraju, who spoke from the scene, described a “huge explosion” as the factory went up in flames in Sivakasi, which is the centre of the Indian fireworks industry some 700 kilometers from state capital Chennai. “Thirty bodies have already been found. Some were factory workers, most of them were local villagers,” said Shanmugaraju, who like many people in the region only uses one name.

He said that local people had walked towards the Om Sivasakthi plant after the fire broke out and were then caught up in the carnage. Officials at two local hospitals confirmed to AFP that they had taken in 40 corpses as well as many badly burned survivors. “We have already registered 40 injured patients,” administrator in the Sivakasi government hospital, Venkatalakshmi said. “We have very limited accommodation here for patients. Already our burns ward is full.”

Sivakasi, which is home to some 700 fireworks factories, is running at peak production ahead of the forthcoming festival season which includes Diwali, the festival of lights which Indians celebrate by letting off firecrackers. Back-toback brick-built factories are packed into the centre of the fireworks district, where many workers assemble products by hand.

“Diwali is fast approaching and

there is a lot of activity going on out here,” local district police chief Najmulhoda, who also uses one name said by telephone from the blast site.

“The factory had a basic firefighting system which did not

six fire trucks at the scene took more than three hours to bring the blaze under control after it broke out around 12:30am, with exploding fireworks and toxic fumes posing a danger to the teams of firefighters.

CHENNAI: The remains of a building that was razed to rubble after a massive blaze swept through the Om Siva Shakti fireworks factory in Sivakasi yesterday. —AP work,” he added. Television pictures showed smoke billowing from the factory and the surrounding warehouses. Stocks of firecrackers could also be seen exploding in the flames. At least

About 150-200 workers were on the production line when the blaze began, but most of them managed to escape unharmed, officials at the scene said. The latest tragedy in Sivakasi comes after at least 20

will be in danger. We are all in one boat and if it takes on water in this ferocious storm sweeping the region we will all drown,” added Mikati, a moderate figure who gets on with rival regional powers Syria and Saudi Arabia and with Western states.

Mikati, who spoke at the Ottoman-era Grand Serail government building overlooking the rebuilt heart of once war-torn Beirut, has struggled to insulate his small nation from the bloodshed in its larger, and long dominant, neighbor. It is a task made nearly impossible by the close historic ties between Beirut and Damascus, and by Lebanon’s own sectarian

matches. According to recent estimates from the United Nations’ International Labor Organization (ILO), nearly 50,000 Indians die from work-related accidents or illness each year. —Agencies

Australia deal could cut deaths at the sea

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janta Party’s (BJP) pro-Telangana activists brave water-cannon as they break through barricades towards Indian police personnel during a protest in New Delhi. The activists are demanding the UPA government to immediately take steps to form a separate state of Telangana. New Delhi agreed in 2009 to the partition of Andhra Pradesh, India’s fifth-largest state in terms of territory, but soon after it said the proposal needed more consultation following a fierce political backlash. —AFP

Lebanon edgy as Syria burns BEIRUT: Lebanon’s fractious communities will “all drown” together if they let Syria’s civil strife spill over the border, the prime minister warned, as he called on factions to pull together and resist seeking partisan advantage from the Syrian violence. Speaking to Reuters, Najib Mikati acknowledged the Lebanese are deeply divided over the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, which has taken an increasingly sectarian turn.

But in an interview late on Tuesday he cautioned: “If this crisis reaches Lebanon, there will be danger for all Lebanese. “Nobody should think that he will benefit and the other party

people were killed in another blaze at a fireworks factory in the town in July 2005. Accident-prone local factories, targeted by child rights groups in the past for employing under-age workers, are also India’s leading manufacturers of safety

divisions. Many Sunni Muslims in Lebanon actively support the mainly Sunni revolt against Assad, who follows the minority Alawite faith which has links to Shiite Islam.

Lebanese Shiites, among them the militant group Hezbollah, have mostly backed Assad.

Fighting in Mikati’s own home town of Tripoli between an Alawite minority and a Sunni Muslim majority has rekindled fears of renewed strife in Lebanon, which from 1975 endured 15 years of civil war that saw regional players Israel, Syria, Iran and the Palestinians all use it as a proxy battleground. A wave of kidnappings last month reinforced a sense of

eroding national security while the arrest of a pro-Syrian Lebanese former minister and sporadic Syrian incursions and cross-border shelling have escalated friction with Damascus.

Mikati said he asked his ambassador in Damascus to protest this week at Syrian shelling across Lebanon’s poorly defined, colonial-era frontier, which residents say has killed more than a dozen Lebanese civilians. “We have kept out of interfering in Syria but we cannot turn a blind eye to any error being committed against Lebanon, or the crisis to be imported into Lebanon,” Mikati said. —Reuters

JAKARTA: Australian planes could be allowed into Indonesian airspace during sea search-and-rescue missions under a proposed plan that would help reduce asylum-seeker deaths, Indonesia’s defense minister said yesterday. The proposal, which was discussed between Australian and Indonesian ministers in Jakarta, might also let Australian planes refuel in Indonesia as part of closer cooperation aimed at saving boatpeople after a spate of drownings. “This is about saving lives. These efforts could help reduce the deaths at sea,” Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said.

“Sometimes Australia’s planes need to land and refuel, and that’s something we understand. We would need to work out the details, of how to communicate in these situations and where the planes can land.” Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith said he expected the cooperation deal to be made “in weeks or months, rather than days or weeks”, adding that he hoped it would come about after Australian Transport Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to Indonesia in December.

A statement released by the two nations Tuesday outlined a six-point plan to boost joint rescue efforts, including the Australian government’s allocation of an additional $4.5 million to enhance coordination between the countries’ rescue agencies and exchange expertise. The plan included enhancing Indonesia’s satellite surveillance and its ability to call on merchant ships to assist in emergency rescue situations. Indonesian Transport Ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan said Indonesia’s satellite surveillance capacity was “limited”.

“We often get information on boat accidents too late.

Hopefully, this information-sharing will translate into early action and more lives can be saved,” he said. Scores of asylum-seekers, many originally from Afghanistan, have drowned in recent months while attempting the dangerous boat journey from Indonesia to Australia. In the most recent case, close to 100 people are thought to have lost their lives last week after their boat disappeared off the coast of Java.

Indonesian officials initially investigated but called the search off after finding no sign of the boat or wreckage, but 55 people were eventually plucked from the ocean by merchant ships and an Australian navy vessel. —AFP

12

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

international

‘Latino Barack Obama’ enters national spotlight CHARLOTTE: A telegenic young Texas mayor billed as a Latino Barack Obama in the making, Julian Castro, bounded on to the world’s brightest political stage Tuesday, the first Hispanic to give a keynote speech at the Democratic convention. The 37-year-old mayor of San Antonio, the second-largest city in the Lone Star State, told his family’s personal rags-to-rich story, the embodiment of the American dream. Ahead of the speech-the most important of his political life-he said there were a few butterflies. “Of course, I’m a bit nervous but I know that when I walk up there I’ll be ready for it,” Castro said.

In the end, his performance brought adulation from the party faithful and complimentary comparisons to President Barack Obama, whose speech at the 2004 convention catapulted him toward the White House. Julian Castro played down comparisons between himself and Obama, whose 2004 keynote speech to the Democratic convention was seen as an important springboard for his presidential ambitions.

“I would not put myself in the same league as President Obama,” he said. “He is somewhat of a unique talent and abili-

ties. I’m a mayor of a city. I’ll try to be myself tonight and do a good job.”

Castro, a second generation Mexican American, whose mother was born like

but it’s not going to be me,” he said.

“That’s not what I’m aiming for. But I do think the United States is ready.”

Despite protesting to the contrary,

CHARLOTTE: San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro addresses the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC. —AP him in San Antonio, said it was flattering to be talked about as potentially the country’s first Hispanic president. “I’m confident that that will happen in time

Castro has several similarities with Obama: both were raised by single mothers and studied law at Harvard, both have huge electoral potential as

flagbearers of large ethnic constituencies. The White House drew parallels between Obama’s story and that of the young Democratic mayor from the South, who ticks several of the right boxes to be considered a very interesting prospect as a presidential candidate. His story “reflects the president’s story and the American story-if you work hard, play by the rules, this is the land of the opportunity, you can get a fair shot and a fair shake,” said Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

Castro, who married wife Erica in 2007 and has a three-year-old daughter Carina, speaks only a little Spanish but he dabbled a bit on Tuesday, using one phrase, “que dios los bendiga” (God bless you), as a staging post throughout the speech. First elected mayor of San Antonio in 2009 and re-elected in 2011 with almost 83 percent of the vote, Castro said the Latino community was “enthusiastically supportive” of Obama.

In a historic development in July, the president suspended the deportations of young illegal immigrants under 30 who came to the United States before the age of 16.

The plan was largely welcomed by the

Latino community and analysts say it could boost Obama’s chances for re-election on November 6. “Latinos recognize that Obama’s invested in education so that more Latinos can access Pell grants and afford college,” Castro said. “The Affordable Care Act has made it possible for nine million Latinos to get health care coverage. That’s a huge deal.” Obama has also called for the so-called DREAM act-a bill that aims to lead young illegal immigrants to permanent residency that has been blocked by his Republican opponents-to be given another chance in Congress.

There are 11.5 million illegal immigrants living in the United States, mostly of Hispanic origin, and efforts to deal with their status have foundered over sharp political divisions. Polls show Obama enjoys a big lead over Republican rival Mitt Romney when it comes to Hispanic voters. It is estimated they will number more than 12 million in November, showing the enormous emerging clout of the Latino community. Castro was introduced on stage by his identical twin brother Joaquin who is running for a seat in the US Congress in November. —AFP

SEAL’s book contains classified information Pentagon reviewing legal options WASHINGTON: A book about the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden by a former Navy SEAL who participated in the mission contains classified information and the Pentagon is reviewing legal options, a Defense Department spokesman said on Tuesday. But the book’s coauthor denied the book contained any information that would jeopardize the safety or future missions of Navy special forces personnel.

The book, “No Easy Day,” chronicles last year’s stealth operation in which members of US Navy SEAL Team Six swooped by helicopter into the Al-Qaeda leader’s house in Pakistan and killed him, ending an intense decade-long manhunt that began with the Sept 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington DC. The successful operation gave President Barack Obama a national security victory that he is touting in his bid for re-election against Republican rival Mitt Romney.

It is still unclear whether the government ultimately will pursue criminal charges against the book’s author, Matt Bissonnette, who was part of a team considered national heroes for taking down bin Laden. The book, which went on sale on Tuesday, was written under the pseudonym “Mark Owen.” Pentagon spokesman George Little said it was a “no-brainer” that the book should have been submitted to the US government for pre-publication review. He said legal options were being reviewed, but would not comment on whether any actual steps would be taken. “Sensitive and classified information is contained in the book,” Little said at a regular news briefing.

SEAL COMMANDER ‘EMBARRASSED” Rear Admiral Sean Pybus, head of the Naval Special Warfare Command that encompasses the SEALs, wrote to his personnel that he was “disappointed, embarrassed and concerned” by activities in recent months by former SEALs who have stated positions in a presidential campaign and hawked details about a top mission. “For an Elite Force that should be humble and disciplined for life, we are certainly not appearing to be so. We owe our Chain of Command much better than this,” he said in the letter obtained by Reuters.

“At risk with irresponsible disclosures is (Naval Special Warfare’s) reputation and security,” he said. Kevin Maurer, a veteran journalist who is Bissonnette’s co-author, insisted that the ex-SEAL was very careful about what was included in the book.

“When we worked on this book Mark Owen

was meticulous about adhering to his desire to never do anything to undermine the SEALs’ mission or put his former colleagues in harm’s way,” Maurer said in a statement emailed to Reuters. “I personally feel that Mark is a hero who has written a book that celebrates his teammates and the SEALs and that when people get a chance to read this book they will agree,” Maurer added.

Bissonnette’s lawyer previously questioned whether his client was legally bound to submit the book to authorities for pre-publication review, as the Pentagon says he was. Despite its concerns about the contents of the book, the Pentagon is not preventing it from being sold at military outlets, Little said.

This book cover image released by Dutton shows ‘No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden’ by Mark Owen with Kevin Maurer. —AP Bill Harlow, a retired Navy captain and former CIA spokesman, said when he chose to send his novel “Circle William,” published in 1999, to both the Pentagon and CIA for prepublication review, the rules for the Defense Department were “considerably more vague” than for the CIA. A Pentagon spokesman pointed to a Defense Department directive dated

Aug. 22, 2008, that can be seen at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/ 523009p.pdf. The directive states: “Retired personnel, former DoD employees, and non-active duty members of the Reserve Components shall use the DoD security review process to ensure that information they submit for public release does not compromise national security.”

‘TRICKY POSITION’ The book has put the government in “a very tricky position” because officials risk appearing “mean-spirited” if they move forward with legal action against someone who helped eliminate bin Laden and who pledged most of the proceeds from the book to families of Navy SEALs, Harlow said. But taking no action would open the door to others avoiding pre-publication security review in the future, he said. “Owen has certainly presented a thorny problem to the Pentagon.” The book describes why Bissonnette decided to become a Navy SEAL and the preparation ahead of the bin Laden raid, the day of the operation, and the aftermath.

Before the operation they referred to bin Laden as “the Pacer” because intelligence analysts said he walked in the garden area to exercise from time to time. The SEAL team watched him from North Carolina on footage taken by drone aircraft, the book said. When they saw that he did not react to Pakistani helicopters flying overhead, they knew that he was used to hearing helicopters and would not be alarmed, the book said. Bissonnette, in an excerpt of an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” said the raid was not an assassination operation and it would have been preferable to capture bin Laden alive. “We weren’t sent in to, to murder him,” he said.

The book contains colored photographs of weapons, helmets with night-vision goggles and other gear, and training shots of SEALs parachuting over the Grand Canyon. Little said he was not going to discuss any “damage assessments” from the book. “It may, frankly, be too early to tell. The book hasn’t been widely distributed yet, but we’ll see.” The book was the No 1 best seller at online retailer Amazon.com on Tuesday. Ultimately, the Justice Department would determine whether or not to pursue legal action against the Navy SEAL, Little said, without commenting on whether the Pentagon had or would refer the matter for action to the Justice Department. The Justice Department had no comment.—Reuters

Japan stresses cost of ending nuke power; Decision looms TOKYO: Japan’s government, buffeted by conflicting pressure from antinuclear voters and pro-nuclear business interests, is stressing the negative impact of a speedy exit from atomic energy as it nears a decision on a new energy mix. Japan is rethinking its whole energy policy after an earthquake and tsunami damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant in March last year, triggering the world’s worst nuclear crisis in 25 years.

Defining nuclear power’s role has become a hot button issue for Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, whose unpopular Democratic Party faces an election expected within months.

Signs the government, worried about a growing anti-nuclear movement, was leaning toward a target of abandoning nuclear power by 2030 have, experts say, galvanized a push-back by utilities and their business and bureaucratic supporters.

Among the numbers that the government floated this week was a forecast that household energy bills would by

2030 rise by nearly double 2010 levels if Japan abandoned nuclear power. But that has been disputed. “It is wrong and clearly designed to frighten the population to continue using nuclear power plants,” said Arnie Gunderson, a veteran US nuclear engineer and director of Fairewinds Energy Education Corp, a non-profit organization. “What will dramatically increase electric bills is the true cost to clean up after the (Fukushima) Daiichi disaster,” he said by email.

Predictions that power bills would double fail to take into account people’s efforts to cut energy use, other experts said. “Our estimate is that households will use 60 to 70 percent less electricity by 2030,” Hiroshi Komiyama, chairman of Mitsubishi Research Institute said. “Our calculation is that households would pay less than half of the current payments by 2030.” The government has also forecast that 50 trillion yen ($638 billion) would be needed to boost the share of power from renewable sources such as solar to offset the loss of nuclear, and

double that would be needed to cut consumption through conservation and better efficiency.

THREE OPTIONS Some experts said those figures were not only too high but also underestimated the positive economic impact of investment in renewable energy and conservation. “It’s not very reasonable because it assumes quite expensive renewable costs,” said renewable energy guru Tetsunari Iida, head of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies. “Also, such investment would stimulate the economy, but they are assuming that it is a burden,” added Iida, who last month startled pronuclear interests by coming in a respectable second in an election for governor of a conservative, rural prefecture in western Japan.

The government is expected to decide soon which of three options for nuclear power’s share of electricity by 2030 it will select for a medium-tolong-term energy mix: zero, 15 percent

or 20-25 percent. More than half of voters want the government to abandon nuclear power sooner or later, surveys show, and weekly protests near parliament and Noda’s office have grown since he approved the restart of two reactors this summer. All of Japan’s reactors were shut for checks and maintenance in the months after the Fukushima disaster. Only the two have been restarted.

Business lobbies are strongly opposed to substantially reducing nuclear power’s share, which before Fukushima was almost 30 percent, arguing higher electricity rates would push production and jobs overseas. In addition, regional utility monopolies would bear a heavy financial burden if they had to write off reactors early. “Many reactors are under-depreciated and there are not enough reserves set aside for decommissioning,” Keio University economics profess Masaru Kaneko told reporters recently. “If they can’t be fully utilized, the remaining book value will turn to losses.”—Reuters

BEIJING: US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (left) listens as Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (right) speaks during their bilateral meeting at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing yesterday. —AP

China and US soften tone on sea dispute BEIJING: China and the United States stepped back yesterday from sparring over the tense South China Sea as the Asian power told Secretary of State Hillary Clinton it would work on a code to manage disputes. China did not budge on its claims on the South China Sea, but both Beijing and Clinton took a conciliatory tone after weeks of escalating tensions in the strategic waters where Southeast Asian nations have been increasingly alarmed.

Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said that China had “plentiful historical and jurisprudential evidence” for its claims to virtually all of the South China Sea, but sounded upbeat on Clinton’s calls for a code of conduct. Welcoming Clinton in the imposing Great Hall of the People, Yang pointed to his recent tour of several Southeast Asian nations and said that China agreed on the need to “work towards an eventual adoption of a code of conduct” on the basis of consensus.

Yang said, without elaborating, that he hoped for “success” at the East Asia Summit in November in Cambodia.

Clinton has said that she wanted to see progress on the code in time for the summit after talks in July by Southeast Asian foreign ministers failed to make headway.

Clinton said it was “in everyone’s interest” for China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations to seek a code, which would establish rules and means of dialogue to prevent incidents from escalating into full-blown conflict.

She denied charges that the growing US military and political focus on Asia was

aimed at containing China, saying that President Barack Obama’s administration did not want “unhealthy competition”.

“Both President Obama and I have said frequently that the United States welcomes the rise of a strong, prosperous and peaceful China,” said Clinton, who spoke with Yang on Tuesday at a dinner that stretched past midnight.

The Philippines and Vietnam have accused an increasingly assertive China of running a campaign of intimidation to exert its claims in the South China Sea, through which around half of the world’s cargo passes. The United States has rallied behind the Southeast Asian nations and sharply criticized Beijing’s recent establishment of a remote garrison in the South China Sea, through which half of the world’s cargo flows. Yang said that China, in its claims to the bulk of the South China Sea, would assure freedom of navigation within it.

“For China and our neighboring countries, the South China Sea is really a lifeline for exchanges, trade and commerce.

There is no issue currently in this area, nor will there ever be issues in that area in the future,” Yang said. The show of conciliation stands in marked contrast to the tone of China’s state-run press which has ripped into the United States almost daily ahead of Clinton’s visit. Just as Clinton was meeting Chinese leaders, the overseas edition of the People’s Daily warned yesterday against the United States “sowing discord” among China’s neighbors, calling such a strategy “a counterproductive waste”. —AFP

Christians ‘forced’ to convert in Myanmar BANGKOK: Christian students from Myanmar’s Chin ethnic minority have been forced to convert to Buddhism, shave their heads and wear monastic robes, a rights group said yesterday. The Chin, a mainly Christian group in the poor and remote west of the predominantly Buddhist country, face harassment for the link between their faith and British colonial rule, according to the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO). “President Thein Sein’s government claims that religious freedom is protected by law but in reality Buddhism is treated as the de facto state religion”, said Salai Ling, Program Director of the CHRO. Rachel Fleming, another member of the group, said Christianity does not fit with the national view that “to be Burmese, you should be Buddhist”. Chin students are also frequently targeted for enrollment in schools run by Myanmar’s military which convert them to Buddhism, she said, adding that Christian students

are beaten for failing to recite Buddhist scriptures. Poverty among the Chin, whose main source of income is farming, leaves the group vulnerable to recruitment to these schools as the military offers free food, education and government jobs once they graduate.

Chin state, which borders India, is home to around 500,000 people. Tens of thousands have fled to neighboring India to escape army abuses under the former junta, according to rights groups. In its annual report this year Amnesty International said Chin Christians still face persecution, citing the case of a preacher barred from speaking at a church and ordered to leave the area. Myanmar is home to a patchwork of ethnic groups and civil war has gripped parts of the country since its independence in 1948.

But Myanmar’s reformist government has agreed ceasefires with several ethnic rebel groups as part of reforms since coming to power last year. —AFP

NEWS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Man swallows diamond at Sri Lanka gem...

Continued from Page 1 in his hand,” Suresh de Silva, director of the Belgrade International gem store, told AFP. “When I realised what was happening and shouted, one ran away and we managed to catch the man who swallowed the stone.”

The man - identified by police as Chou Wan - was taken to the Colombo National Hospital where he was to be administered laxatives, but police said X-rays showed the diamond was lodged in his gullet and was not going down. “Doctors have advised surgery to remove the diamond,” police spokesman Ajith Rohana told AFP. “The man’s life could be in danger if the pointed end of the diamond tears his guts. We have already informed courts about this. For the man’s own safety, he will have to undergo surgery.”

He said a successful prosecution was dependent on retrieving the stone, adding that officers were also keen to interview the other man, who fled the hall. The two

men had arrived in Sri Lanka on Monday as tourists, police said. The diamond owner Silva said the captured man had offered to pay for the 7.2mm-diameter stone, which was valued at 1.8 million rupees ($13,600), but that exhibition organisers wanted police to press charges. “He... appeared to be appraising it and suddenly put it in his mouth,” a police officer who declined to be named said.

A spokeswoman at the hospital said that an X-ray had been taken and that officers were holding the suspect under observation. “I believe the X-ray confirmed something that looked like a stone. The man is in police custody,” National Hospital spokeswoman Pushpa Soya told AFP. Photographs showed the man, dressed in a black shirt and jeans with his head bowed, being escorted from the exhibition centre by uniformed policemen.

Sri Lanka does not mine diamonds but it has a large gem and jewellery industry and is famed for its blue sapphires. — Agencies

Nokia shows off new Windows smartphones Continued from Page 1

MOSCOW: A Greenpeace activist dressed as a polar bear sits inside a police car after being detained outside Gazprom’s headquarters yesterday. Russian and international environmentalists are protesting against Gazprom’s plans to pioneer oil drilling in the Arctic. — AP

Hair dye but no bullets in Laden’s room Continued from Page 1 Lying in front of me as the reason we had been fighting for the last decade. It was surreal trying to clean blood off the most wanted man in the world so that I could shoot his photo.”

After taking pictures of bin Laden’s full body - the images were never released - the commando kneeled down with his camera to capture the man’s face. “Pulling his beard to the right and then the left, I shot several profile pictures. I really wanted to focus on the nose. Because the beard was so dark, the profile shot was the one that really stood out in my mind,” he said. At one point he asks a favor from his fellow commando: “‘Hey, man, hold his good eye open.’” To confirm bin Laden’s identity, the SEALs try to get someone in the compound to identify the tall man lying in a pool of blood. A woman refuses, but a girl tells the commandos what they had hoped. “The girl didn’t know to lie,” he writes.

Although packed with intriguing anecdotes, the book offers no major revelations that change the fundamental version of events, despite the author’s vow to set the record straight. About half of the 313-page book does not even touch on the raid in Abbottabad, barely a few hours’ drive from the Pakistani capital Islamabad. Instead, the former SEAL describes his upbringing in Alaska where he learned to hunt as a boy, the grueling training that preceded his joining the elite SEAL “Team Six”, other raids in Iraq and Afghanistan and the successful rescue of an American captured by Somali pirates.

He complains that in Afghanistan, the special forces’ nighttime raids were increasingly hampered by what he

deemed bureaucratic red tape. “It took pages of PowerPoint slides to get a mission approved. Lawyers and staff officers pored over the details on each page, making sure our plan was acceptable to the Afghan government,” he wrote.

“Policy makers were asking us to ignore all of the lessons we had learned, especially the lessons in blood, for political solutions.”

In the bin Laden operation, he describes searching the Al-Qaeda leader’s bedroom, finding hair dye but no stockpile of bullets. Above the bedroom door, he finds two guns, “which turned out to be an AK-47 and a Makarov pistol in a holster”. “They were both empty. He hadn’t even prepared a defense. He had no intention of fighting,” he says, expressing disgust for a man who appears to have relied on others to wage his extremist battles. He then discovers why bin Laden’s beard was not grey - as intelligence analysts had predicted - finding a bottle of “Just for Men” hair dye in the bathroom.

On the flight out of Pakistan, the author focuses on how the crash of one of two helicopters in the operation could have caused havoc with the mission. “Just more than an hour ago, I thought we were all going to die in a helicopter crash. It was funny, the crash stuck with me a lot longer than getting shot at through the door.” He credits the pilot with a skillful crash landing but he worries that the team had to leave before their job was finished, having had to rush out without fully searching the compound. Part of me felt like we had failed despite the body at my feet,” he writes, referring to bin Laden’s corpse on the floor of the chopper. We weren’t able to get as much intelligence as we could have. We left drawers unopened.” — AFP

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said the new phones will go on sale in the fourth quarter in “select markets”.

Investors seem to have expected more specifics, or an earlier launch. Nokia shares fell 32 cents, or 11 percent, to $2.51 in afternoon trading in New York. The stock is at its lowest levels since the 1990s. It had dropped to as low as $2.41 after the announcement. Apple Inc is expected to reveal the iPhone 5 at an event in San Francisco next week, which means the holiday quarter is going to be a tough one for competing smartphones.

Nokia, a Finnish company, revealed the new phones in New York. The American market is a trendsetter, but Nokia has been nearly absent from it in the past few years. One of Elop’s goals is to recapture the attention of US shoppers. Facing stiff competition from Apple’s iPhone and devices running on Google’s Android software, Nokia has tried to stem the decline in smartphones in part through a partnership with Microsoft Corp announced last year. It has moved away from the Symbian operating platform and has embraced Microsoft’s Windows Phone software.

Nokia launched its first Windows phones late last year under the Lumia brand, as the first fruits of Elop’s alliance with Microsoft. Those ran Windows Phone 7 software, which is effectively being orphaned in the new version. The older phones can’t be upgraded, and they won’t be able to run all applications written for Windows Phone 8. Nokia sold 4 million Lumia phones in the second quarter, a far cry from the 26 million iPhones that Apple Inc. sold during those three months. So far, the line hasn’t helped Nokia halt its sales decline: Its global market share shrunk from the peak of 40 percent in 2008 to 29 percent in 2011, and it is expected to dwindle further this year.

For Microsoft, the alliance with Nokia is its best chance to get into smartphones again, where it has been marginalized by the rise of the iPhone and then

phones running Google Inc.’s Android software. The launch of Windows Phone 8 coincides roughly with the launch of Windows 8 for PCs and tablets. That launch is set for Oct 26. “Make no mistake about it - this is a year for Windows,” said Microsoft Steve Ballmer, who joined Elop, a former Microsoft executive, on stage. Shares of Microsoft, which is based in Redmond, Washington, increased 5 cents to $30.43.

The new Windows Phones come as Google and makers of Android phones have run into legal trouble, which could slow the momentum of Android devices. A jury in Silicon Valley ruled two weeks ago that some Samsung Android phones infringed on Apple patents.

The jury ordered Samsung to pay Apple $1.05 billion, and Apple is seeking a ban in the US on some Samsung devices. US phone companies are also eager to build up Windows Phone as an alternative to the iPhone and Android, to reduce the leverage Apple and Google have over them. Android and Apple devices dominate in smartphones, with 85 percent of the worldwide market combined, according to IDC. Samsung Electronics Co, which has succeeded Nokia as the world’s largest maker of phones, showed off a Windows 8 phone last week. It didn’t announce an availability date either.

At yesterday’s event, Nokia executive Kevin Shields demonstrated the wireless charging technology by placing the phone on top of a JBL music docking station, which charged it. Wireless charging has shown up in other phones, most notably the Palm Pre of 2009. But Nokia is making its phone compatible with an emerging standard for wireless charging, called Qi. That means the phone can be charged by third-party devices. The docking station also played music from the phone, even though it wasn’t plugged in. The music was transferred from the Lumia’s near-field communications chip, which can connect automatically to other devices at short range. Coupled with the right apps, NFC chips can also be used to pay for things in stores, by tapping the phone to credit-card terminals. — AP

Iran treating Israeli threats as American Court to issue verdict on electoral law...

Continued from Page 1 uprisings that have transformed the Arab region since last year, tensions have increased between the government, opposition lawmakers and youth activists. Political infighting has held up legislation and investment in Kuwait which has had eight governments in just six years.

The 2006 election law reduced the number of constituencies from 25 to try to reduce vote-buying and trib-

al influence in a country that enjoys some of the highest per capita wealth in the world. Although Kuwait’s parliamentary system means more democracy than in many Arab oil states, political power still lies in the hands of the ruling family. The prime minister, chosen by HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, handpicks the Cabinet, with the most important posts going to ruling family members. The Amir has the right to dissolve parliament.

Gulf wary of US shift on Islamists Continued from Page 1 They also reflect fears among the region’s Sunni Muslim rulers that, despite being Sunni itself, the Brotherhood is soft on their arch enemy Shiite Iran. Egypt’s Islamist President Mohammed Morsi tried to dissipate such fears at a Tehran conference last week by condemning Iran’s ally Syria and urging attendees to back rebels trying to overthrow President Bashar Al-Assad.

Despite pockets of Western-style liberalism in cities like Dubai, most Gulf ruling elites seek to project an image of Islamic conservatism. So the threat they see is not religious or social but political: the Brotherhood advocates playing by the rules of parliamentary politics as a path to government, threatening inherited rights to rule and state-backed clerical establishments. An opposition movement that gains ground in Gulf states could perhaps find the US administration newly disposed to speak out in its favour.

Such an opposition has already emerged in the UAE, where more than 50 Islamists linked to Brotherhood thinking have been arrested since late last year. So far Washington has kept mum.

“While the US security umbrella protects the UAE against threats from Iran, Washington would be much more reluctant to support a widespread crackdown against a local opposition movement,” said analyst Ayham Kamel of the Eurasia Group. “This is making the political leadership in the UAE much more nervous about domestic threats,” he said. The Brotherhood also has potential to draw support from Gulf Arabs who may see their countries’ foreign policies as overly pro-Western and are concerned about the social influence of their large Asian and Western expatriate communities.

Washington was initially hesitant to openly support the uprisings that toppled Tunisia’s Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, partly because of concerns they could bring Islamists to power. President Barack Obama’s administration has since overcome its reluctance, and has made extensive efforts to engage Egypt’s Brotherhood over the past year. Analysts say Washington is simply pursuing realpolitik given the new power centres in the region. “I don’t think the West is keen on having a bunch of Islamists coming to power in the Gulf anytime soon,” said Michael Stephens, researcher at the Royal United Services Institute based in Doha. “It’s more the case that Washington is working with who they can work with, because Islamists are in power and they have to be dealt with.”

US officials said privately that they addressed the Gulf’s concerns last year after Mubarak fell and that subsequent conversations have not focused on the issue. They declined to go into specifics. “Gulf governments realise both the United States and Iran will want to have relations with the new regimes,” said Ghanem Nuseibeh, senior analyst with Cornerstone Global. They just needed to be reassured that those regimes’ gain was not their loss, he said.

Diplomats said they were confident that building good ties with the Brotherhood was unlikely to strain the longterm strategic relationship between the US and Gulf states.

“They (the Gulf states) need the Americans to protect them against Iran. Iran is the biggest worry for them in the whole region right now,” one Gulf-based Western diplomat said, asking not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Still, rumblings persist. Saudi Arabia, which has long seen itself as insulated from political Islam because of its promotion of more conservative Salafi Islam, is feeling less secure these days, said Abdulaziz Alkhamis, a Londonbased Saudi analyst. “After the Arab Spring they (the Islamists) are rising again. They start to use Islamist political rhetoric to gain publicity in the Gulf, especially Saudi Arabia,” he said. Prominent clerics such as Awadh Al-Garni and Salman Al-Odah, viewed as sympathetic to the Brotherhood, have become more outspoken, cheering Islamist gains in social media.

Brotherhood-linked Islamists are well-established in Kuwait, where parliamentary politics is most advanced in the Gulf. And in Bahrain the government has drawn closer to the Minbar party, another group inspired by the Brotherhood, as it shores itself up against a protest movement dominated by Shiite Islamists. The angst over what the United States plans for the region is at its most public and visceral in Bahrain, whose government Obama has urged to enter dialogue with leading Shiite opposition group Wefaq, citing the group by name.

Sunni clerics and commentators in official media regularly raise the fear that Washington, currently at odds with Tehran over its nuclear program, is plotting to create a Wefaq-led government in a regional reordering of power that would open a new page of cosy ties with Iran. TV presenter Sawsan Al-Shaer denounced a “Satanic alliance” between Tehran and Washington in an article in the AlWatan daily last month, claiming Wefaq was a “Trojan horse, used by the US administration and Iranian regime to redraw the region”.

The wild card in the region is Qatar. It has actively promoted the Brotherhood and its affiliates, giving them coverage widely seen as positive on its satellite broadcaster Al Jazeera. At an early stage in the uprisings Doha stuck its neck out much further than other Gulf states in its support for protests in Egypt and Tunisia, and then rebel movements in Libya and Syria, supporting those among them close the Brotherhood.

Earlier this year the Dubai police chief railed against Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradawi, a popular Brotherhood-linked Egyptian cleric based in Doha who criticised UAE policy towards Islamists on Al Jazeera. Khalfan threatened to arrest the cleric if he ever entered the country. Alkhamis said opinion in Saudi Arabia was split over whether Qatar’s close links to the Islamists was a smart move to keep a close eye on a rising movement whose historical time has come, or a ruse to sow discord for its neighbour and sometime rival. “The Qataris say that if we don’t have the Brotherhood (operating) openly then they will go underground and that it’s not against Saudi Arabia, but the Saudis are not happy with this,” Alkhamis said pointing to Qatar-backed Islamist seminars. “Some think the Qataris are not an honest friend, but have an agenda.”— Reuters

Continued from Page 1 With the approach of US elections in November, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for a tougher stance against Iran - implicitly knocking Obama’s emphasis on diplomatic and sanctions pressure to halt Iranian nuclear work. While Israel would expect US backing if it decided to strike Iran, the top US general has suggested Washington would not be drawn into a conflict. “I don’t want to be complicit if they choose to do it,” Britain’s Guardian newspaper quoted Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey as saying.

Netanyahu abruptly ended a meeting of Israel’s security cabinet yesterday, saying someone in the forum had leaked details of its discussions on Iran. Any decision to go to war against Iran would, by Israeli law, require the approval of the security cabinet. One government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said no such decisions had been on the table at Tuesday’s meeting.

“A short time after the conclusion of yesterday’s meeting, a very serious thing happened: a leak from within the cabinet’s discussions,” said a statement from Netanyahu’s office. “Yesterday, somebody severely undermined the confidence that Israeli citizens give to this forum. He violated the most basic rules regarding the conduct of security cabinet discussions,” he said.

Details about the meeting, at which the 14-member security cabinet was briefed by military intelligence chief Aviv Kochavi, Tamir Pardo who heads the Mossad spy service, and Yoram Cohen who runs the Shin Bet internal security, were splashed across the front page of Wednesday’s Yediot Aharonot. Under the headline: “Dispute over Iran between intelligence agencies,” the article said the various organisations “presented conflicting positions on Iran.”

“There is currently a disagreement about the point at which Israel’s ability to damage the Iranian nuclear program loses its effectiveness,” the paper said, indicating it was the first time “in many months” the forum had held an in-depth debate about Iran’s nuclear progress. They were also briefed on a list of crippling sanctions “that have yet to be used on the Iranians, such as a trade embargo and a flight prohibition, which in Israel’s opinion could lead to a change.”

At the meeting, Netanyahu had “warned the ministers... not to leak any information,” the paper said.

Netanyahu’s bureau did not mention Iran nor the Yediot article in the communique announcing the adjournment. “I have no complaint against the media; they are doing their job. I do have a complaint against whoever violated the most basic trust needed to hold security cabinet discussions on matters about Israel’s security, and undermined the ability to hold confidential discussions,” Netanyahu said.

Yesterday, Israeli President Shimon Peres said he “cannot imagine that the United States and Europe would allow the Middle East to fall to Iran,” as he met visiting Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi. “Time may be running out, but we still need to act now to make non-military pressure as powerful and impressive as possible while showing that if it does not work, there are other options,” Peres said, according to his office.

Israel says a nuclear Iran would pose an existential threat to the Jewish state and has consistently warned it all options remain on the table, including a military strike on Tehran’s nuclear installations. In that context, Israel’s air force yesterday deployed the Iron Dome missile battery in the area of Tel Aviv, said a military spokeswoman. “The Iron Dome system is operational and a battery is currently deployed in the area of Tel Aviv as part of a training exercise,” she said. — Agencies

Morsi: Time for change in Syria Continued from Page 1 time speaking of reform. This time has passed now.

Now it is time for change”. “The Syrian regime must take into account the lessons of recent and ancient history,” he said in the speech in which he also talked of the uprising in Egypt that unseated Hosni Mubarak and brought Morsi himself to power. “The Syrian people have made their voice clear,” Morsi said, and, in a message to the Assad regime, insisted: “You will not be around for long.” He told the ministers a resolution of the crisis is the responsibility of Arabs. “The Syrian blood that is being shed day and night, we are responsible for this,” Morsi said. “We cannot sleep while Syrian blood is being shed.” “I call on you, Arab foreign ministers, to work hard to find an urgent solution to the tragedy in Syria,” Morsi said.

Addressing Arab states he said: “If we don’t move, the world won’t move with any seriousness.” As Morsi was leaving the podium, the Islamist president briefly returned to the microphone to say: “Syria, Syria, this is the arena to do something”, pointing to the ministers below him, and then again saying “Syria” before stepping away. It was the second such appeal for action in a week by Morsi. At the Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Iran on Aug. 30, Morsi referred to Tehran’s ally as an “oppressive regime” and said it was an “ethical duty” to back rebels. More than 20,000 people have been killed in Syria since initially peaceful protests against Assad erupted in March 2011. Tens of thousands more have

fled across its borders to neighbouring states to escape the violence.

Nasser Al-Kidwa, deputy to Lakhdar Brahimi, the United Nations-Arab League mediator on Syria, arrived in Cairo yesterday to join the talks with Arab ministers.

Brahimi, who is expected to visit Cairo on Sunday, has described his bid to broker peace as “nearly impossible” but Kidwa told reporters at Cairo airport that “we have not lost hope” despite the difficulties facing the mission.

Morsi, elected in June after Mubarak was ousted last year after 30 years in power, told ministers that Egypt and its people would “return to occupy their natural place at the heart of the Arab nation”. In his address, he called for Arabs to support the Palestinians against Israeli occupation and said Egypt was committed to help reconcile opposing Palestinian factions. Morsi said Israel was “systematically” not showing seriousness toward efforts to reach a settlement. “We need to provide our Palestinian brothers with the necessary support to reach a just settlement,” he said. Morsi also labeled as a “fair demand” the Palestinian diplomatic drive to win full membership status at the United Nations.

Morsi also pledged to support Yemen, another Arab state where an uprising unseated an autocrat. However, Morsi said Egypt would not “export the revolution”, words he has used before and that are seen as a bid to reassure Gulf Arab states worried about the rise of Islamists in Egypt who fear unrest could spread to their monarchies. — Agencies

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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Issues

Israel preparing attack on Iran?

By Linda Gradstein n the past few weeks, the question has morphed from “Should Israel attack Iran to try to stop its nuclear program?” to “When will Israel attack Iran to try to stop its nuclear program?” Israel seems to be increasing its preparations for that attack. Gas mask distribution has been ramped up, and newspapers are filled with bellicose statements, some of which are directed at Israel’s closest ally, the United States.

Israel’s army chief-of-staff had a stern warning for Iran on Sunday, and an assurance that Israel has the ability to hit Iran. “There have been calls recently for the destruction of the state of Israel,” Benny Gantz said, alluding to Iran. “Against these threats, the IDF (Israeli army) is prepared and mobilized for any event.

We will reach anywhere at any time to protect this nation.”

On the same day, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said the international sanctions presently in-place against Iran have had no effect. “The Iranians are using the talks with the major powers to gain time in order to advance their nuclear project,” Netanyahu said this week. “The international community is not setting Iran a clear red line and Iran does not see international determination to stop its nuclear project.”

When Netanyahu says “the international community” he means “President Obama”. Israeli officials have repeatedly said they would prefer the US act to stop Iran, but the US does not seem to be hurrying to do so. “It is best if the US will lead the coalition of the democratic world to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities,” Danny Yatom, a former head of Israel’s famed Mossad intelligence agency told The Media Line. “President Obama can easily persuade Netanyahu not to take unilateral action but to wait for the US by giving him even a tacit guarantee that once Iran will cross the line of enriching uranium to 90 percent, the US will use its military might to destroy the nuclear facilities of Iran.”

Yatom said that Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Obama will meet at the UN General Assembly meeting at the end of the month, and Iran will be high on the agenda. In public, both Israeli and American officials insist that they agree that Iran must not be allowed to go nuclear. “There is absolutely no daylight between the positions of the United States and Israel when it comes to preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons,” White House spokesman Jay Carney insisted this week.

But differences also seem to be increasing. Israel’s mass circulation daily Yediot Aharonot reported on Monday that the US has secretly promised Iran that it will not support an Israeli strike on Iran if Iran promises not to target US facilities in the Middle East. Israeli officials also say that while the US and Israel agree on the goal, they differ on the timetable. “The main difference is the timetable due to the different means that the US and Israel have in their arsenal,” Yatom said. “For Israel, it will be very difficult to attack what is buried underground, while the US has the means to do that. What concerns Israel is that if we will not cause severe destruction to some of the facilities while we can, when we no longer can do it, the US will not do it either.”

That question is being debated at the height of a closely fought presidential election campaign in the US. “It became an American issue because the Israeli government created a situation in which if America does nothing about it, we will attack,” Ami Ayalon, a former head of Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security service and former commander of Israel’s navy told The Media Line. “Whether they like it or not, the US will be involved either because the price of the oil will increase or there will be violence in the Middle East.”

Ayalon says Israel has positioned itself as “the crazy player” who is determined to act against Iran. While in the short term that might serve Israel’s interest, in the long term it could erode Israel’s deterrent stance.

Israel has long maintained a policy of what it calls “nuclear ambiguity” saying, “Israel will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons into the Middle East.”

Ayalon says the international community assumes that Israel has nuclear capability, but will not use it.

“As soon as Israel threatens to use its nuclear capability but doesn’t, it becomes a paper tiger,” Ayalon said.

“As soon as Israel says to the US, “I can act crazy if you don’t stop me,” the world will reassess its attitude toward Israel.”— Media Line

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Obama has little choice but to persuade

By Charles Babington emembered for soaring speeches at the last two Democratic conventions, President Barack Obama faces much tougher constraints Thursday when he accepts his party’s nomination for a second time. Now he has a four-year record and must convince Americans to stick with the status quo in a climate of high unemployment, fallen home values and wide income disparity.

Given the tough environment, less lofty oratory is almost certain. And Obama has little choice but to walk a careful line as he unspools his vision for America’s future while picking apart Republican Mitt Romney’s plans for taxes, Medicare and the environment.

Overtly ambitious or novel proposals could invite an obvious rebuke: If it’s such a great idea, what hasn’t the president already done it? “Obama is definitely in a presidential pickle,” said McGill University presidential scholar Gil Troy. “The candidate of hope and change now has reality to contend with, including disappointments and messes.” The best re-nomination speeches - Ronald Reagan’s 1984 “morning in America” and Bill Clinton’s 1992 “bridge to the 21st century” - included “a heroic narrative of renewal”, Troy said. Obama must give a flavor of that today, he said, despite a serious handicap: The economy lacks the obvious upward trend that boosted Reagan’s campaign. “Obama has not gotten that statistical gift,” Troy said, “so he has to compensate with oratorical gifts.”

Great oratory has a mixed record in presidential campaigns. Dwight Eisenhower and George W Bush are among those who won two terms with lackluster speaking styles. Obama excelled in big forums from the start. He rocketed to national fame at the 2004 Democratic convention, where his “one America” speech largely overshadowed the nominee, John Kerry. “There’s not a liberal

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America and a conservative America,” Obama told the adoring crowd in Boston. “There’s the United States of America. There’s not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America.” When he accepted the nomination four years later in a huge outdoor stadium in Denver, Obama deplored “the broken politics in Washington”. “America, we are better than these last eight years,” he said. “We are a better country than this.”

Now, of course, Obama is the incumbent under the microscope. Unemployment is higher, Washington’s politics are more bitterly partisan than before and the notion of no liberal-conservative divide seems naive at best.

Reagan’s “morning in America” optimism might be ridiculed in today’s climate. And rhetorical flourishes by Obama could add fuel to Republican jibes that he is much better at talking than leading.

But Obama can hardly afford to assume the dour demeanor of Jimmy Carter. A presidential challenger can use big speeches to criticize the incumbent in detail while offering less-specific, even gauzy, alternatives. That’s what Romney did last week in Tampa, Florida., say Democrats, who repeatedly cite his lack of detailed explanations for claims that he can cut taxes, increase military spending and reduce the deficit.

Obama doesn’t enjoy that leeway. He’s constrained in looking both backward and forward. He must defend his four-year record, of course. But fierce resistance from tea party-influenced Republicans has thwarted some of his key proposals, including jobs bills. His biggest legislative achievement, the 2010 health care overhaul, sharply divided the country and gave Republicans a new battle cry: “Repeal Obamacare.” The same partisan dynamics could crimp Obama’s ability to offer a second-term agenda. With Republicans likely to retain control of the House along

with filibuster powers - if not an outright majority - in the Senate, bold new Democratic proposals might seem implausible. Still, a range of scholars and operatives urge Obama to err on the side of ambition and specificity. “We think the country is desperate to know where the president wants to take the country - his vision and plan in the face of weak recovery but more important, the long-term problems facing the country,” veteran Democratic consultants James Carville and Stan Greenberg said in a memo released Tuesday. “The more robust and serious his plans are for American energy production and independence, for infrastructure and America’s modernization, for advancing education and innovation, for getting health care costs down,” they wrote, “the more the Republicans will look irrelevant.”

Carville and Greenberg urged Obama to hammer at Romney’s plans to preserve income tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans while also cutting taxes on investment income that applies mainly to the rich. Voters “are rightfully angry and increasingly populist,” the two men said. Troy agreed that Obama should risk being labeled too liberal if that’s what it takes to defend his stimulus plan and auto industry bailout. Both initiatives generally got higher marks from economists than from average Americans. The president can talk about the bailout “as a reflection of a government that is good, a government that works,” Troy said. He said the president should use today’s speech to “invite Americans back into the Obama narrative. He has to sell Brand Obama.” The president might skip many of the flourishes that wowed the crowd in Boston eight years ago. Instead, expect him to try to use the speech - one of the last remaining prime-time, heavily watched events of the campaign - to put the best possible face on a grim economy, and to convince voters that Romney would make it worse. —AP

S Africa mining crisis may lead to more unrest

By Ed Stoddard outh Africa’s mining industry is being sucked into a vicious circle as labour unrest spreads from platinum to gold with steep wage demands neither sector can afford. Fueled by outrage over the police killing of 34 striking miners last month, the militancy in the world’s top platinum producer is leading to closed shafts and job losses, triggering in turn more union and social tension. “This may be the beginning of a ‘Miner Spring’.

Perhaps we have reached a point now where the inequity in the pay scale would lead to broader civil disobedience and protest action,” said Tony Healy, an expert on South African labour law.

The worker stridency has found fertile soil in the squalor of the poor communities that ring the mines in South Africa, the continent’s wealthiest economy but one scarred by the inqualities of its racist past. It is also the most serious challenge since the end of white rule in 1994 to the unwritten pact at the heart of post-apartheid political and economic power: unions aligned to the ruling ANC deliver modestly higher wages for workers, while also ensuring labour stability for big business.

Operations have been frozen for almost a month at world No. 3 platinum producer Lonmin after violence erupted with the killing of mine security guards and two police officers. The mass shooting by police followed days later.

Although the most violent, it was just one in a string of incidents caused by a turf war in the platinum belt between the dominant National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the militant Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU). Aquarius Platinum shut its Everest mine in June, citing labour infighting, with the loss of 2,000 jobs. Lonmin has warned if its strike is prolonged, 40,000 jobs will be lost. But worker anger at NUM is rife, with its leaders seen as too close to management and the ANC, its senior partner in an official governing alliance.

At Marikana yesterday, demonstrating miners chanted “We hate Zokwana” - a reference to NUM President Senzeni Zokwana.

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The discontent has enabled AMCU to recruit thousands of disenchanted NUM members at Lonmin, Impala Platinum and Aquarius Platinum. They are also active at Anglo American Platinum, the world’s biggest producer, although have not had as big an impact. In response, NUM has signaled it is prepared to push its own wage

with their local NUM leaders, whom they want replaced. Gold was supposed to be immune, in part because much of its workforce lives on hostels on private mine property. In the platinum sector most workers live off-site in communities around the mines where union recruiters can work freely. But the Gold Fields’ wildcat strike,

Thousands of striking workers singing and carrying sticks march on a South African mine in Marikana yesterday. — AFP demands harder, by insisting that negotiations on two-year collective agreements in the gold and coal sectors start several months early.

“We are strongly of the view that we need to arrest the dissatisfaction that members have over their wages and start talking sooner rather than later. Maybe as early as February next year,” spokesman Lesiba Seshoka told Reuters. NUM members have been getting pay rises above inflation but at the bottom of the pay scale that does not go far as most mineworkers have on average eight dependents.

The anti-NUM contagion has now infected the gold sector, with 12,000 workers at Gold Fields, a quarter of its workforce, downing tools last week because of anger

which ended yesterday, did not need outside agitators. The workers in the hostels became fed up with their NUM branch and insisted they step down.

Gold was also seen as shielded from militancy by the industry-wide, collective bargaining process that defines wage talks among the big producers. Platinum has a company-by-company process that has provided a gap for upstart unions to muscle in pit by pit and claim they can strike better deals. But if NUM wants to bring wage talks forward, this framework may start to fall apart.

The battle cry at Lonmin, which began with 3,000 rock drill operators who launched the illegal strike, has been for a basic wage of 12,500 rand ($1,500) a

month, well over double the 5,400 rand they currently receive. If Lonmin concedes, it will add about $30 million a year to its wage bill against a first-half profit of $18 million. But the demand has spread from rock drill operators to thousands of lessskilled workers who also want 12,500 rand as a minimum monthly wage.

Lonmin already has a shaky balance sheet and is widely expected to offer a rights issue to shore it up. Much of the platinum sector is already underwater with shafts seen closing because of depressed costs and soaring prices. Gold companies look on firmer ground, in large part because of high bullion prices, but they too are getting squeezed and the sun may be setting on South Africa’s 120-year-old gold industry. Take Gold Fields, the world’s fourth largest bullion producer that gets about half of its production from South Africa. Its total cash costs per ounce in South Africa have risen from $618 in 2007 to $1,360 last year. The average gold price over the same period has risen to $1,569 an ounce from $659 but there is no guarantee the bull run will be maintained.

Global mine inflation, the cost of running a mine, is about 15 percent per year but has been higher in South Africa. Power costs have soared and NUM has consistently delivered above-inflation wage hikes for its members, usually 10 percent or more.

Adding just 15 percent a year to Gold Fields’ costs would mean it would need a gold price of over $2,000 an ounce by 2014 just to break even in South Africa. In a research note, SBG Securities forecast downsizing at almost all South Africa’s mature gold operations over the next 3 years in the face of “declining reserves and unrelenting inflationary pressures.”

The gold sector underwent a painful restructuring over a decade ago when the price of bullion slumped, leading to tens of thousands of job losses and South Africa’s fall from world No. 1 gold producer to 4th place. Job losses in the mining sector have already added to South Africa’s social ills, inequalities and poverty levels, but the next round looks set to come at a time of hardened union militancy which will stoke tensions higher.— Reuters

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

sp orts Casillas and Xavi win Spanish sports award

‘Malaga not for sale’ MADRID: Malaga owner Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani has no intention of selling and will continue to invest, his executive vice president said yesterday as he announced a new leadership structure for the La Liga club. Moayat Shatat said Malaga had appointed a new director general and a new sporting director as they push ahead with an “internal restructuring” that has seen the departure of some of their best players. “We have invested a lot in this project and we have no intention of walking away,” Shatat told a news conference announcing the appointments. “We love this club and both Sheikh Abdullah and (vice president and CEO) Abdullah Ghubn support the project and are excited. The club is not for sale.”

Hefty investment by Al-Thani, a member of the Qatar royal family, helped Malaga qualify for the Champions League for the first time last season, but their preparations were disrupted by cashflow problems and reports the Sheikh wanted to sell after only two years.

After offloading Spain midfielder Cazorla to Arsenal and Venezuela striker Salomon Rondon to Rubin Kazan, the club has brought in players including United States defender Oguchi Onyewu and Paraguay striker Roque Santa Cruz. —Reuters

MADRID: Spain captain Iker Casillas and team mate Xavi have been jointly awarded the nation’s most prestigious sports prize, the Premio Principe de Asturias de los Deportes, the jury announced yesterday. Real Madrid goalkeeper Casillas, 31, and Barcelona playmaker Xavi, 32, have helped Spain to consecutive European Championship triumphs with a World Cup in between, the country’s first, and were put forward for the award by FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

They have been friends since they competed together at the Under-20 World Cup in 1999 despite playing for bitter club rivals Real and Barca and the jury said that was one of the reasons they had been selected. Their friendship had “helped resolve disputes between players of different clubs, promoting fair play and the philosophy of the team as the basis for sporting success,” the jury wrote. “It’s true that there was tension at times but friendship comes before everything else,” Xavi said on the sidelines of Spain’s training camp in Madrid after learning of the award.

“It’s recognition of our work but also of this generation of players, some of whom have been friends for 15 years,” he added. Blatter said the award reflected the “fantastic work” done in Spain’s soccer academies, both at club level and with the national teams. “It’s something that goes beyond what they have achieved in football,” he said, in an interview with Spanish sports daily Marca published yesterday. “Casillas and Xavi are an example on the field of play but also as people when they are away from pitch.” Previous winners of the award include Sebastian Coe (1987), Seve Ballesteros (1989), Steffi Graf (1999), Lance Armstrong (2000) and Rafael Nadal (2008). —Reuters

Owen’s Stoke move all clear LONDON: Former England striker Michael Owen was yesterday given the green light by the Premier League to join Stoke City on a free transfer. The 32-year-old, who made his name at Liverpool before joining Real Madrid, signed a one-year pay-as-you-play deal on Tuesday following his release from Stoke’s Premier League rivals Manchester United at the end of last season.

Owen was unveiled as Stoke manager Tony Pulis’ seventh summer signing but both the player and the club were made to wait on the decision from the Premier League to confirm his eligibility.

Owen will be available for selection ahead of Stoke’s next Premier League fixture, which sees champions Manchester City visit the Britannia Stadium.

A Premier League statement, giving its all clear for the deal, read: “The Premier League board has confirmed to Stoke City the registration of Michael Owen.

Consequently he can be included in their 25-man playing squad.”

Owen confirmed the news himself on Twitter moments before the club posted the decision on their official website. His Tweet read: “It’s official! Deal done.

I’m a Stoke player. Can’t wait to get going.” —AFP

Nationals tame Cubs WASHINGTON: Adam LaRoche hit two of Washington’s six homers, Ian Desmond had four RBIs and the Nationals beat the Chicago Cubs 11-5 on Tuesday night.

LaRoche and Jayson Werth had four hits apiece for the NL East-leading Nationals, who opened a seasonhigh 71/2-game advantage in the division. Secondplace Atlanta lost to Colorado 6-0.

Desmond, Jesus Flores, Tyler Moore and Ryan Zimmerman also went deep. The six home runs matched a team record. Washington right-hander Edwin Jackson (9-9) allowed four runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings. Desmond hit a two-run drive off Chris Rusin (0-2) in the first for his 20th homer. The All-Star shortstop added a two-run double in Washington’s three-run second. Alfonso Soriano hit his 26th homer and a two-run triple for the Cubs, who have dropped four straight. Starlin Castro drove in two runs.

ST. PETERSBURG: New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez runs to first base after hitting a ground ball to Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria during the sixth inning. —AP

Rays roll over Yankees ST. PETERSBURG: Evan Longoria hit a goahead homer as the Tampa Bay Rays beat New York 5-2 on Tuesday night to drop the struggling Yankees into a tie for first place in the AL East.

Coupled with Baltimore’s 12-0 win at Toronto, the Yankees fell into a tie for the division lead with the surging Orioles after sitting atop the standings by themselves for 84 consecutive days - New York’s longest streak since 2004.

Desmond Jennings and B.J. Upton also homered for the third-place Rays, who pulled within 11/2 games of the Orioles and Yankees.

Tampa Bay trailed by 101/2 games at the end of play on July 18.

Longoria hit a two-run shot off Freddy Garcia (7-6), wiping out a 2-1 deficit in the third inning. Jennings and Upton delivered back-toback solo shots in the fifth, giving Alex Cobb (98) and Tampa Bay’s bullpen all the offensive support they’d need against the Yankees’ sputtering lineup.

Orioles 12, Blue Jays 0 In Toronto, Mark Reynolds hit a three-run homer, Zach Britton pitched seven innings to win his fourth straight start and the Orioles moved into a first-place tie in the AL East with a victory over the Blue Jays. Baltimore’s third consecutive victory coupled with the Yankees’ loss at Tampa Bay gave the Orioles a share of first place in September for the first time since 1997.

Reynolds went 3 for 4 with four RBIs as the Orioles pounded out a season-high 18 hits.

Recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to face the Blue Jays, Britton (5-1) allowed four hits and improved to 4-0 with a 0.94 ERA in four starts since his last loss on Aug. 1 against New York.

The left-hander struck out eight and walked two, one intentional.

Carlos Villanueva (7-5) lost for the fifth time in seven starts, allowing a season-high six runs and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings.

Twins 18, White Sox 9 In Chicago, Chris Parmelee hit a three-run homer to cap a 10-run fifth inning and the Minnesota Twins routed the Chicago White Sox 18-9 on Tuesday night.

The Twins also batted around in a seven-run second against rookie Jose Quintana (5-4), but first-place Chicago remained one game ahead of Detroit in the AL Central.

Minnesota pecked away methodically with 17 hits - only three went for extra bases.

Parmalee drove in four runs while Ryan Doumit had three hits and three RBIs. Doumit hit a solo homer in the seventh and scored three times.

Chicago outfielder Dewayne Wise pitched a scoreless ninth for the White Sox, who had a franchise-record 10 doubles - five in a four-run eighth.

Scott Diamond (11-6) made his first start for Minnesota since Aug. 28. He settled down after the rough first inning to hold the White Sox to four runs and seven hits over five innings.

Indians 3, Tigers 2 In Detroit, Justin Masterson pitched six solid innings, and the Indians beat Detroit for their second straight victory over the playoff-chasing Tigers. Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer for Detroit, but the Tigers missed another opportunity against a struggling team. Masterson (1112) allowed two runs and four hits. He walked one and struck out four.

Four relievers finished, with Chris Perez pitching a perfect ninth for his 34th save in 38 chances. Rick Porcello (9-11) allowed three runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings. The Indians had lost 29 of 35 before taking the first two games of this series.

Angels 6, Athletics 1 In Oakland, Zack Greinke pitched seven sharp innings to win his third consecutive start as Los Angeles beat Oakland. Kendrys Morales had three hits and an RBI for the Angels, who remained 31/2 games out of a wild-card spot.

Los Angeles has won four of five on its six-game road trip and 11 of 14 overall. Brandon Moss homered for the A’s, who have dropped two straight to the Angels following a nine-game winning streak. Oakland, tied for the wild-card lead, is four games behind first-place Texas in the AL West and 31/2 ahead of the third-place Angels. Greinke (4-2) scattered four hits, struck out four and walked two. Scott Downs and Jason Isringhausen finished the four-hitter.

Oakland lost for only the fourth time in 19 games. Jarrod Parker (9-8) gave up two runs in seven innings.

Royals 6, Rangers 3 In Kansas City, Jeremy Guthrie pitched seven strong innings and the Royals got home runs from Alex Gordon and Johnny Giavotella in a victory over Texas. Gordon broke a 2-all tie in the fifth with a two-run shot off Matt Harrison (15-9), the third home run he has allowed to a left-handed hitter this season. Harrison allowed five runs, three earned, and eight hits. The Royals scored a pair of unearned runs in the third after an error by second baseman Ian Kinsler.

Guthrie (4-3) held the Rangers to two runs and five hits. He went 3-9 with Colorado before the Royals acquired him in a July 20 trade for Jonathan Sanchez.

Red Sox 4, Mariners 3 In Seattle, Cody Ross tied it with a three-run homer in the sixth inning, Ryan Lavarnway connected two batters later and Boston snapped its seven-game losing streak with a win over Seattle. Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury opened the sixth with singles off starter Blake Beavan (9-9) before Ross hit his 20th homer.

Two outs later, Lavarnway lined his first of the season. The quick turn of fortunes made a winner of Jon Lester (9-11), who gave up consecutive homers to Franklin Gutierrez and Kyle Seager in the third. Andrew Bailey worked a scoreless ninth for his second save. —AP

one out in the fourth. Gonzalez, who had two hits, has 22 homers - including his most recent shot before Tuesday on Aug. 24. Pacheco led off the fifth with his fourth homer for a 2-0 lead. Hanson (12-8) allowed five hits in 5 2-3 innings. He has lost three straight starts. Pomeranz needed 72 pitches to make it through three innings. He gave up five hits and one walk.

Pirates 6, Astros 2 In Pittsburgh, Andrew McCutchen had his major league-leading sixth four-hit game of the season and drove in three runs to help the Pirates snap a fourgame losing streak. Brock Holt added four hits in just his third major league start, and Pittsburgh’s Wandy Rodriguez (10-13) scattered four hits over seven shutout innings against his former team.

slugger Matt Holliday left with lower back tightness after walking to start the seventh. The team said Holliday, among the league leaders with 92 RBIs, was day to day. Garcia (4-6) gave up an unearned run in 7 1-3 innings for his first victory in five decisions since May 16.

Reds 2, Phillies 1 In Cincinnati, Jay Bruce homered for the third straight game, hitting a two-run shot that sent the Reds to the win with first baseman Joey Votto watching from the bench. Votto was activated off the disabled list before the game, but didn’t play. Cincinnati went 32-16 without him, taking control of the NL Central.

Bruce’s 31st homer in the sixth inning ended a four-game winning streak by Kyle Kendrick (8-10).

Diamondbacks 8, Giants 6 In San Francisco, Aaron Hill had a career-high five hits and Jason Kubel tripled home the tiebreaking run in the 11th inning to lead Arizona over San Francisco.

The first-place Giants used 11 pitchers, matching a major league record for extra-inning games. They remained 41/2 games ahead of Los Angeles in the NL West because the Dodgers also lost at home in extra innings, to San Diego. Hill drove in two runs and was a triple shy of his third cycle this season. John McDonald also had two RBIs for the Diamondbacks, who ended a three-game skid. Brandon Belt had three hits, including a two-run homer, for San Francisco. Pablo Sandoval knocked in two runs but the Giants had their three-game winning streak stopped.

Josh Collmenter (4-3) pitched two innings for the win. Hill opened the 11th with a single off George Kontos (1-1) and scored on Kubel’s one-out triple to right off Javier Lopez. After an intentional walk to Paul Goldschmidt, Miguel Montero added an RBI single.

Padres 6, Dodgers 3 In Los Angeles, Logan Forsythe hit a two-run single for San Diego with the bases loaded in the 11th inning after Yasmani Grandal tied the score against Los Angeles with a two-run homer in the eighth.

Andre Ethier homered but the Dodgers wasted an excellent outing from ace Clayton Kershaw and dropped 11/2 games behind St. Louis in the race for the second NL wild card. John Ely (0-1), working his second inning of relief, gave up a leadoff single to Cameron Maybin in the 11th. Everth Cabrera followed with a bunt single, and both runners took an extra base on third baseman Luis Cruz’s throwing error to first. Will Venable was intentionally walked with one out before Forsythe lined a 1-2 pitch to right-center.

Chase Headley followed with an RBI single. Padres rookie Tommy Layne (1-0) pitched a perfect inning for his first major league win, striking out Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez on 13 pitches. Luke Gregerson got three outs for his fourth save.

Rockies 6, Braves 0 In Ataanta, Carlos Gonzalez hit his second home run since July 23 to give Colorado the lead, and Jordan Pacheco also went deep for the Rockies. Four pitchers combined on a nine-hit shutout. Carlos Torres (4-1), who took over after Drew Pomeranz lasted only three innings, threw three scoreless frames. Rex Brothers and Matt Belisle closed it out.

Gonzalez hit a solo drive off Tommy Hanson with

WASHINGTON: Nationals’ Jayson Werth crosses home as Bryce Harper follows behind to score on Adam LaRoche’s two-RBI single during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals. —AP Jordan Lyles (3-11) gave up five runs - four earned in 4 2-3 innings for Houston, which failed to win consecutive games for just the second time since the AllStar break. The Pirates came in losers in 10 of their previous 13, including a 5-1 setback to the Astros on Monday.

Cardinals 5, Mets 1 In St. Louis, Jaime Garcia carried a shutout into the eighth inning and Yadier Molina got his 1,000th career hit with an infield single that started a three-run second for St. Louis against rookie Matt Harvey. Daniel Descalso and David Freese had two hits and an RBI apiece for the Cardinals, who are 42-26 at home for the second-best mark in the National League. St. Louis will go for a three-game sweep late yesterday with Adam Wainwright facing 17-game winner R.A. Dickey.

Pinch-hitter Mike Baxter hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the eighth for the Mets. Harvey (3-4) gave up three runs and six hits in five innings. Cardinals

Bruce has homered in four of his last five games. Mat Latos (12-4) gave up one run - on a bases-loaded walk - and four hits in seven innings. Aroldis Chapman worked the ninth for his 35th save in 39 chances.

Jimmy Rollins doubled off Latos in the fifth inning, making him the fourth Phillies player to reach 2,000 career hits.

Brewers 8, Marlins 4 In Miami, Norichika Aoki and Jeff Bianchi homered and drove in three runs apiece to power the Brewers to the victory. Ryan Braun drove in Milwaukee’s other two runs to give him 98 RBIs, which leads the National League. The reigning NL MVP is looking for his fifth straight season with 100 RBIs. The Brewers’ Kameron Loe (6-4) and Marlins’ Mike Dunn (0-2) each faced one batter and threw just two pitches. John Axford got one out for his 24th save. Giancarlo Stanton hit his 30th home run and Gorkys Hernandez hit his first career long ball for the Marlins. —AP

Safety dominates discussion as Formula 1 heads to Monza BELGIUM: As Formula One prepares to race in Ferrari’s home grand prix at Monza this weekend, safety still dominates discussion. Championship leader and Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso nearly had his head clipped when Romain Grosjean’s Lotus flew over him in a wild multi-car accident at the start of last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.

Ideas being debated run from some sort of cage around drivers’ heads to adding rear-wheel bumpers to employing running starts. Others have called for a football-like system whereby if you get two warnings for reckless driving you miss the next race.

It’s all talk for now in a climate which feels similar to the aftermath of Ayrton Senna’s death in 1994.

However, Alonso is alive and well and the Italian GP represents a chance for him to bounce back and pad his 24-point lead over Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel.

The crash sent Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez off the track at the first corner. Grosjean went for a small gap and clipped Hamilton’s McLaren. That sent both cars spinning and led to Grosjean’s Lotus flying over Alonso’s Ferrari, which then took out Perez’s Sauber.

“The risk was large and seeing another car flying over one of ours,

just a few centimeters from his helmet, made us feel like our hearts were in our throats for a few dozen seconds,” Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said.

For causing the accident, Grosjean was banned for one race and will be replaced by Jerome D’Ambrosio at Lotus this weekend.

Alonso said immediately afterward that he “felt a train coming with a big, big hit,” while Hamilton briefly confronted Grosjean after the accident.

But Alonso said on Tuesday that he felt no ill will toward Grosjean. “We’ve spoken about it,” Alonso said in an online chat with Ferrari fans. “I have a good relationship with him. We were teammates at Renault and after the accident he sent me an SMS saying he was sorry and that he hadn’t calculated the distance well.” Alonso was against running starts.

“You would carry even more speed into the first corner and you would also lose one of the best moments in F1, where you’ve got to calculate the risk, be very alert and make decisions,” the Spanish driver said. “It’s too big a part of the show.”

While Alonso’s race at Spa ended almost as soon as it began, he has been known for risky moves at race starts, such as when he shot up from fourth to first at the first chicane of last

year’s race at Monza. However, Alonso’s Ferrari last year lacked speed and he was soon overtaken by Vettel, who cruised to victory.

This year is different, with no car thus far proving to be clearly the fastest. That could change at Monza, where average speeds are 250 kph (155 mph) and top speeds get up to 340 kph (210 mph), making it the fastest circuit on the calendar.

McLaren-Mercedes’ Jenson Button led from start to finish in Spa and has finished second at Monza for the past three years. “I head to Monza absolutely full of motivation after a fantastic result in Spa,” Button said. “It was the perfect weekend for me. It’s not only put me back in contention for the drivers’ championship, but it’s shown that we have a car that can definitely fight for the constructors’ title.”

Button is sixth in the drivers’ standings, 63 points behind Alonso, and McLaren is second to Red Bull in the constructors’ standings, 54 points back. “Monza is one of the greatest circuits in the world and our car seems to be particularly well suited to highspeed circuits, so I’m optimistic that we’ll be competitive again this weekend,” Button said.

Built in 1922 in a royal park north of Milan, Monza is one of F1’s iconic circuits. The Italian GP is one of only four

races to have survived from the first year of F1 in 1950, and the crumbling banking that formed part of the original Monza layout was still adjacent to the modern track.

“For me, there’s something about Formula One’s older circuits that’s very special,” Hamilton said. “Despite each being very different, the newer tracks all seem to have the same character and the same sort of rhythm, but the older circuits are very different. “They feel like the land has shaped and influenced them rather than the other way around. I like that - it means you never fall into any particular comfort zone and you’re always pushing the car one way or the other to get the best from any lap.

“I’ve never won at Monza before,” Hamilton added. “I’ll be doing everything I can to take the victory this weekend.” Alonso won with Ferrari at Monza in 2010, having taken his first victory at the track in 2007 with McLaren-Mercedes.

“It’s always special and the expectations are very high,” Alonso said.

“From a driver’s point of view it’s a strange circuit, though. There are only five curves and two chicanes, which don’t give you much of a chance to make an impact. It’s not difficult for a driver but you need a very fast car on the straights.” —AP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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Armstrong’s titles? Whole era is worthless PARIS: It surely would be have been more useful for his sport if Tyler Hamilton hadn’t waited until this week to tell us what he knows about doping in the Lance Armstrong era.

But, on the other hand, better late than never.

Because Hamilton, a former Tour de France teammate and later rival of Armstrong’s, knows more than most.

His dope-and-tell book set for release yesterday is important not so much because of what Hamilton tells us about Armstrong’s own alleged doping but because - like ex-doper David Millar’s biography last year — it smashes the code of silence that cyclists of their era lived by and kept their rampant drug-taking largely hidden from public view for far too long.

Both Hamilton and Millar’s books should sober up those opinion-makers who have developed a ho-hum attitude to doping in sports, and especially those who argue that since it cannot be eradicated, perhaps it should be accepted and even legalized.

Why continue to spend taxpayers’ money trying to catch dopers and unmask people like Armstrong? If athletes want to pour poison into their veins, let them. Why should we care?

How ridiculous. Criminal even. Anyone in his right mind should conclude that anti-doping efforts must be redoubled, not abandoned, compromised or sniffed at, after reading Millar and now Hamilton explain in their own words the horrors they experi-

enced. Not merely the injections. Those, after all, are simply the mundane practicalities of doping.

No, most shocking in both their accounts is how they concluded separately that they had no choice but to dope, that cycling was so rife with drug-taking that the only way for them to continue and to succeed in the sport was to become rotten, too.

That is what the legalizers and the shoulder shruggers don’t get. If doping were permitted or largely ignored, in other words if we all didn’t care, then all athletes with an ounce of ambition would have to do it. Giving them freedom to dope or looking the other way would, in effect, mean they have no freedom at all. Spending millions on anti-doping is worthwhile not only to catch some if not all dopers but, perhaps more important, so that the majority of other athletes can feel that they don’t necessarily have to dope to win. It’s protection money.

In “The Secret Race,” Hamilton recounts that it took him about 1,000 days of riding clean as a rookie professional to reach the opposite conclusion, to cave in and take drugs to keep up with the other riders who were doping. He started by swallowing a capsule of testosterone - “a tiny red egg” - and later graduated to injecting the hormone EPO and storing and transfusing bags of his own blood to boost his endurance, performance and recovery.

“Yes or no. In or out. Everybody has their thousand days; everybody has their choice,” Hamilton

says. Millar, too, resisted for a while, riding clean in this same era of cycling with two speeds, where those who doped overpowered holdouts who, for whatever reason, didn’t.

In “Racing Through The Dark,” Millar says that by 2001 he, too, “accepted that it was easier to dope than not to dope.”

Jonathan Vaughters, another former teammate of Armstrong’s, says he doped because it was either that or renounce his dream of riding the Tour de France in this era when cycling’s rules against doping were dead letters, largely unenforced or unenforceable because a test for EPO wasn’t validated until 2000 and because then, as now, there was no single test to spot self-transfusions.

“When I was racing in the 1990s and early 2000s, the rules were easily circumvented by any and all and if you wanted to be competitive, you first had to keep up,” Vaughters wrote this August in The New York Times. “This environment is what we must continuously work to prevent from ever surfacing again. It destroys dreams. It destroys people. It destroys our finest athletes.”

Hamilton’s accounts of doping with Armstrong when they rode together for the U.S. Postal team are the headline generators for his book. Armstrong points to hundreds of drug tests he says he passed in arguing that he won his record seven Tour titles legitimately. Readers can make up their own minds whom to believe.

The gruesome details of Hamilton’s doping also make his book a page turner. Hamilton recounts, for instance, how he urinated blood at the 2004 Tour after poisoning himself with a transfusion of blood that had been improperly stored and gone bad.

And, for both Millar and Hamilton, success while doping seems to have brought little or zero satisfaction.

“While you smiled on the surface, underneath you squirmed,” Hamilton writes. “The more I doped, the more I hated cycling,” says Millar. “I may have been able to win bigger races but I’d never felt less joy in doing so.” How sad.

Cycling’s governing body, the UCI, must now decide whether to endorse the decision by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to strip Armstrong of his seven Tour victories and all his other race results since Aug. 1, 1998, following its assertions that he doped and conspired with others to conceal it. Hamilton was among those USADA interviewed.

Whether the UCI has the stomach to put the boot into Armstrong remains to be seen. But, ultimately, whether it accepts USADA’s findings or not seems less important than the bigger picture that Millar, Vaughters, disgraced 2006 Tour winner Floyd Landis and now Hamilton have belatedly revealed to us - that the sport was putrid. That era is wor thless. I t would have been better if Hamilton had told us the truth at the time. But at least we know now. — AP

Pace-laden Wallabies all set to hit Springbok wall

Bubba Watson

Watson to play in Thailand THAILAND: Masters champion Bubba Watson will join last year’s winner Lee Westwood in a quality field at the $1 million Thailand Golf Championship in December, the Asian Tour said yesterday.

American Hunter Mahan, Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke, South Africans Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen will also head to the Amata Spring Country Club, 80 kilometres east of Bangkok, for the second edition of the tournament from Dec. 6-9.

Englishman Westwood shot a stunning 12under 60 in the opening round before going on to win the inaugural edition last year by seven shots.

The world number four will face tough competition in this year’s tournament with the Americans Watson and Mahan making their debuts in Thailand and the local challenge led by three-times Asian Tour order of merit winner Thongchai Jaidee.

“I had an incredible time last year. The fans were great and backed me all week,” Westwood was quoted as saying in a statement. “I love Amata Spring as its layout suits my style of play and the greens are fast and firm.

“I’m excited to be returning. Anyone can win the tournament but I’ll do my best to defend the title.”

Left-hander Watson, who won his first Major in April at Augusta National after an emotional playoff victory against Oosthuizen, was looking forward to the experience.

“My friends have told me lots of nice things about the country, the beautiful beaches and the great food and of course the friendly people,” Watson said. “I’m really excited about playing in the Thailand Golf Championship in front of all the fans there and I also hope to experience the Thai culture.”— Reuters

SYDNEY: Australia have a nation to assuage in their Rugby Championship match in Perth this weekend when they take on a South African side who also have a point to prove after being held to a draw by Argentina two weeks ago.

Defeats to New Zealand in the first two matches of their campaign - the second a humbling 22-0 shutout in Auckland - have left the Wallabies reeling and coach Robbie Deans once again living on borrowed time.

The gritty New Zealander is not one to back away from a fight but there can be little doubt that a record fifth successive win over the Springboks is the minimum expected by a demanding Australian public. South Africa have won three and drawn one of the six tests against Australia in Perth but, after their disappointing 16-16 draw against the Pumas in Mendoza, new coach Heyneke Meyer is also feeling the pressure.

“They’re similar to us, they want a result out of this game,” Deans said earlier this week. “They would have been frustrated with their last outing, so both sides will be pretty keen.”

Australia have lost key players like captain James Horwill, flanker David Pocock and back James O’Connor to injury but more concerning, perhaps, has been the form of flyhalf Quade Cooper and fullback Kurtley Beale.

Cooper was the inspiration behind Australia’s triumph in the curtailed Tri-nations last year but he has not had nearly the same impact since returning from the knee injury that ended his World Cup. Beale is one of the most exciting backs in the world when on song but had a miserable outing in the 27-19 defeat to the All Blacks in Sydney and was dropped to the bench for the Eden Park defeat.

Deans is backing both to fire in Perth,

Misbah under fire after Pakistan defeat KARACHI: Pakistan skipper Misbah ul Haq came under fire from former players yesterday for his tactics and defensive approach in Pakistan’s 2-1 one-day international series defeat to Australia.

Pakistan lost the deciding match by three wickets on Monday, missing a good chance to record their first win against Australia in a limited overs series in 10 years. Former captain Wasim Akram said Pakistan were short of bite.

“You need aggression to beat Australia,” Wasim, a member of the team which won 2-1 in Australia in 2002, told AFP. “Misbah is not batting well and not showing aggression in captaincy.”

Wasim, who took 502 one-day and 414 Test wickets and was one of the best left-arm fast bowlers ever to play the game, said Misbah needs to show courage after notching up three one-day series defeats in a row. “At his age Misbah needs to play his remaining cricket with a big heart,” said Wasim of the 38-year-old.

Pakistan lost 4-0 to England and 3-1 in Sri Lanka earlier this year. Wasim criticised the decision to promote an out-of-form Shahid Afridi to number three in the third match.

“Afridi is playing as a bowler these days as he is not in the best of form with the bat, so sending him at number three was a mistake and I don’t understand the strategy of sending Kamran Akmal low in the order when he can be good as (the) opener,” said Wasim.

Former paceman Sarfraz Nawaz also criticised Misbah. “It was his defensive approach that cost Pakistan the series,” said Nawaz. “Pakistan had a good chance of beating Australia but they lacked planning and aggression.”—AFP

Misbah ul Haq

Lance Armstrong however, and selected a team built for speed.

Queensland Reds flyer Dom Shipperley will make his debut on the wing while number eight - and occasional winger - Radike Samo has been brought into the back row.

The Springbok team will be looking to stop the supply of ball to the Australian backs and Meyer’s team selection suggested there would be little change to his tactics of a big physical presence up front with plenty of tactical kicking.

Powerful number eight Duane Vermeulen will make his test debut in a big back row but the only specialist openside flanker in the squad, Francois Louw, will start on the bench.

Alongside him in the replacements will be 20-year-old flyhalf Johan Goosen, who has a hefty kick but also the ability to surprise in

attack, and talented young fullback Pat Lambie. Meyer, whose team won their opener over Argentina in South Africa, will be looking for much improved execution from his side and a little more luck than they had when they lost to Australia in the World Cup quarter-finals last year. “The challenge that lies ahead is a massive one,” Meyer said on arrival in Western Australia.

“We’ve not beaten Australia in our last four matches and have won only one out of our last seven encounters against them. I have a lot of respect for Robbie Deans’ coaching and they have a very good squad. “We also realise we were not good enough against Argentina in Mendoza and we have to improve a lot if we are going to be competitive on Saturday.”— Reuters

Lynx triumph over Sparks MINNEAPOLIS: Maya Moore and Seimone Augustus scored 23 points each to lead the Minnesota Lynx to an 88-77 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday.

Lindsay Whalen added 12 points and Candice Wiggins had 10 for the first-place Lynx, who extended their lead in the Western Conference to three games over the Sparks. With eight games remaining, Minnesota needs only four more victories to clinch the No. 1 seed in the West regardless of what Los Angeles (19-9) and San Antonio (17-9) do the rest of the way.

The Lynx (22-4) won their ninth consecutive game and tied a franchise record with their 14th home win of the season.

Alana Beard scored 17 points and Jenna O’Hea added 15 for the Sparks, who matched a season high with their third straight loss.

Maya Moore

Sun 77, Mystics 70 At Washington, Tina Charles scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lift Connecticut over Washington. The Sun (20-7) have beaten the Mystics (5-22) nine straight times, including all five matchups this season. Connecticut extended its lead in the East to two games over idle Indiana.

Crystal Langhorne led the Mystics with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting - her highest-scoring game since she had 24 against the New York Liberty on July 13 - and added nine rebounds. But Washington lost its season-worst sixth in a row.

Charles scored with 46 seconds left to give Connecticut a 73-70 lead and grabbed a defensive rebound on the ensuing Washington possession.

Mystics guard Noelle Quinn answered with a steal, but Washington turned the ball over and began intentionally fouling. — AP

Trott out of rest of English season NOTTINGHAM: England batsman Jonathan Trott has been ruled out of the final weeks of the domestic season with a broken hand, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced yesterday.

However, he is expected to be fit for next month’s tour of India. Trott suffered the injury when hit on the right hand while batting against South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn during England’s six-wicket win in the fourth one-day international at Lord’s on Sunday.

The injury was severe enough for the South Africaborn right-hander to be ruled out of the fifth and final one-day international at Trent Bridge on Wednesday, where he was replaced by Jonathan Bairstow in a series England lead 2-1.

An ECB statement said Trott had been sidelined with “an undisplaced fracture of the third metacarpal in his right hand”. It added: “Although initial X-rays were clear, a subsequent MRI scan revealed a fracture at the base of

his third metacarpal. “No intervention is required and the 31-year-old should be able to resume batting in three to four weeks and is expected to available for the tour of India next month.”

Trott was not included in England’s squad for the defence of their World Twenty20 title in Sri Lanka later this month so his injury has no bearing on that tournament.

But it does mean he will be unavailable to play in

Warwickshire’s domestic 40-over final against Hampshire at Lord’s a week on Saturday.

However, England will take heart from the fact that one of their senior batsman is set to be fit for a tour of India where they will be without former captain and opener Andrew Strauss, following his retirement from all cricket, and could still be missing international exile Kevin Pietersen. England are expected to announce their squad for the India tour next week.—AFP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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Button win would make Ferrari fans see red

COPENHAGEN: (From left to right) Denmark’s Lars Jacobsen, Kasper Lorentzen, Simon Kjaer, Jakob Poulsen, William Kvist and Daniel Wass during a training session ahead of Saturday’s Group B 2014 World Cup qualifying match between Denmark and the Czech Republic.—AP

NZ look at redemption in Oceania qualifying WELLINGTON: Redemption will be driving New Zealand as they open their third round campaign of Oceania’s qualifying tournament for the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil against New Caledonia in Noumea tomorrow.

Ricki Herbert’s side were humbled 2-0

by New Caledonia in the semi-finals of the Oceania Nations Cup in June, which cost them the opportunity of a milliondollar payday and attendance at next year’s Confederations Cup in Brazil.

The All Whites, who qualified for the 2010 finals in South Africa and were undefeated in their group, were heavily criticised at home after the Nations Cup where they struggled with the pace of the Pacific Island sides and the oppressive heat in the Solomon Islands.

Herbert’s decision to take the squad to North America for friendlies against Central American opposition instead of going to Honiara early to prepare for the Oceania tournament was also interpreted as taking their Pacific neighbours too lightly - something that was not lost on him.

“There are no easy games in international football (and) we’ve proved that in recent years and also had a timely reminder of it in Honiara,” Herbert said recently.

“We need to be ruthless at home and clinical away during this campaign if we are serious about reaching a consecutive World Cup. “A winning start to the campaign is vital as we don’t want to open the door for anyone else to build momentum.” Herbert has named a virtually full-strength squad for their first two games, recalling inspirational captain

Ryan Nelsen of English Premier League side Queens Park Rangers.

West Ham United’s Winston Reid, who scored in his side’s 3-0 win over Fulham in the Premier League at the weekend, has also returned to the side and will link with Nelsen and Tommy Smith, who captained the side in June, to shore up the defence that leaked too many goals at the Oceania Cup. “ We put in a great per formance against them (New Zealand) at the Nations Cup and that was a big achievement but we are still the underdogs,” New Caledonia coach Alain Moizan said in a statement.

“The players are all very focused on the qualifiers and know how important these matches are.” The final qualifying round consists of a single pool of four teams, all playing each other home and away, with the winner advancing to face the fourth-placed team from the Central and North American confederation (CONCACAF) in a two-legged playoff for a spot in Brazil.

Tahiti, who won the Nations Cup with a 1-0 victory over New Caledonia, and the Solomon Islands also play on Friday in Honiara.

“After our success at the Nations Cup, all the teams are waiting for us and want to beat us,” Tahiti captain Nicholas Vallar told the Oceania Confederation website (www.oceaniafootball.com).

“We will do our best to start with two good results because that will determine much of our prospects for the rest of the competition. “It will be hard but we have to put everything into our attempts to qualify.”—Reuters

US and Mexico face stern qualifying tests MIAMI: The United States and Mexico face the toughest tests yet of their World Cup credentials with home-and-away qualifiers against Jamaica and Costa Rica respectively starting on Friday.

Juergen Klinsmann’s US team share the lead in CONCACAF qualifying group A with Jamaica and head to Kingston after picking up four points from their opening two games.

After being surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw in Guatemala, the U.S. gained a much-needed 3-1 victory at home to Antigua and Barbuda in June.

With the top two teams from each of the three groups making it to the fourth round of qualifying, starting in February, the US and Jamaica should be confident of progressing.

But they are eager to get a psychological edge for what should be a fiercely contested battle for three places at the 2014 finals in Brazil from North and Central America and the Caribbean.

“It’s huge, it’s a six-point opportunity but it’s going to be difficult though, the guys know that, “ said Klinsmann, whose team were boosted by a friendly win against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium last month. “You look at Jamaica their team, their individuals, they have a lot of quality and a lot of speed. But we should be confident because we did well in Mexico. The team is growing, the chemistry is good and the goal is to win in Jamaica,” he said.

The US, whose four previous qualifiers in Jamaica have ended in draws, will be without injured record goalscorer Landon Donovan and AS Roma midfielder Michael Bradley - two major absentees.

But Klinsmann could feature forward Clint Dempsey who has just moved from Fulham to

Tottenham Hotspur, either in Kingston or in the return game in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday. Jamaica have never beaten the US in 18 competitive fixtures but coach Theodore Whitmore, who has overseen some steady improvements since taking charge of the team on a permanent basis in 2009, says the past counts for little.

“None of that matters. We know what the job at hand is, we know it is a tough one and that the US will have done their homework. So have we and we have to go out and execute the plan and win,” he told the Jamaica Gleaner.

Mexico, with two wins from two in Group B, travel to San Jose to face Costa Rica on Friday and then host the Ticos at the Azteca Stadium on Tuesday. Despite the friendly loss to the U.S., El Tri are still basking in their London Olympics success.

Coach Jose Manuel de la Torre has called up eight members of the gold medal-winning team who beat Brazil in the Olympic final, including Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez. However El Tri will be without midfielder Pablo Barrera who has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury and will be sidelined for up to six months.

Costa Rica, whose 2-2 draw at home to El Salvador leaves them with plenty of work to do on four points, will feature Bryan Oviedo at left back after he joined English Premier League team Everton. Group C could be the most tightly contested with Panama, who have a maximum six points from their opening two games, facing a double-header with Canada. The improving Canadians are in second place with four points but know they cannot afford to slip up with Honduras expecting to pick up all three points against bottom side Cuba.—Reuters

MONZA: McLaren’s Jenson Button has finished runner-up in the Italian Grand Prix for the past three years but, strangely, the prospect of actually winning it this weekend does not fill his heart with unconfined joy.

Monza, Ferrari’s home race, is the temple of Italian motorsport and anyone who beats the red cars is never going to feel the true love of the hugely-partisan massed hordes of local ‘tifosi’ (fans).

Button, winner in Belgium last weekend from pole to chequered flag, had few problems in 2010 when he finished second to Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso with Brazilian Felipe Massa third for the Scuderia. But last year he crossed the line ahead of the Spaniard and that did not go down so well.

Alonso arrives this time leading the standings, despite suffering his first retirement in more than a year at Spa when he was shunted out in a first corner pile-up, and will be expected to deliver in a car he claims is the slowest of the leading teams.

McLaren have won the last two races and, with their staff marking every team victory by donning ‘rocket red’ T-shirts for post-race celebrations, there is every chance of the fans seeing red this year - if not the richer tone they prefer.

“Monza’s just a little bit different,” Button told Reuters. “Winning in Monza is a great feeling but it’s not one that you enjoy standing on the podium at,” added the Briton, who has never won at the high-speed track outside Milan and needs every point he can get to close the gap in the title race. “ The tifosi are there to suppor t Ferrari...they’re not there to support us,” said the Englishman, runner-up to then-team mate and former Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello at Monza in the 2009 season when he won the title with Brawn GP. “I don’t like people booing. I’m not used to football crowds. But Monza’s a great place...so yeah, it would be great to win there.”

The Monza crowd — particularly in these days of economic hardship — is not what it was in the days when Enzo Ferrari was alive, with fans scaling the advertising hoardings for a better view and invading the track in their thousands after the race in a red wave sweeping all before it.

But it is still one of the most evocative stretches of asphalt anywhere in motor racing. “When I think of Monza, I immediately see ever ything through a red veil,” said Mercedes’ Michael Schumacher, winner of

five of his record seven titles with Ferrari and still hailed as one of the Maranello immortals despite now racing in silver overalls.

“It is the beating racing heart of Italy, everything there lives and breathes Ferrari, and I must inevitably think of the good times I spent there.”

The wooded royal park is home to a track unlike any other, steeped in history and with the pre-war banking still surviving if no longer a part of the layout, but the star attraction is never in doubt.

“We will have so many fans supporting us in the Autodromo and I’m sure that we will get a boost from the emotion they will transfer to the team and the drivers,” said Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali.

“The more ‘horsepower’ the fans can give us, the better.” Alonso has a lead of 24 points over Red Bull’s titleholder Sebastian Vettel while Button, sixth overall, is a hefty 63 adrift of the Spaniard but with a sense of momentum after picking up from a mid-season slump.

If Alonso were to draw another blank and Vettel to win to take the overall lead, the gloom descending over Monza would be almost tangible.

McLaren Mercedes driver Jenson Button

Malaysia probes fixing claim MALAYSIA: The Malaysian government has launched a probe into alleged soccer matchfixing after a top goalkeeper fumbled the ball into his own net in a crunch Malaysia Cup match.

Terengganu’s English manager Peter Butler hauled Sharbinee Allawee off the pitch after he had clumsily palmed the ball into the net to allow Kedah to equalise on Saturday, then vowed the international’s days at the club were over.

“We don’t need such players,” he blasted.

“We only want those who put in an honest effort. “I can safely say that he won’t feature in the team anymore.”

Sharbinee, capped eight times by Malaysia, hurled a water bottle at his coach in the heat of Saturday’s substitution and vehemently

rejects the suggestion his blunder was deliberate.

“It pains me to show my face in public whenever I bungle in a match but it hurts even more now when people accuse me of being corrupt,” he told local media, vowing to clear his name. The government’s Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) is investigating the matter.

MACC director for Terengganu, a sultanate and state on Malaysia’s eastern coast, Md Yusoff Md Zain said that among those called up to give statements were Terengganu FA President Che Mat Jusoh and Sharbinee.

The agency had also recorded statements from other Terengganu FA personnel and players, he said, adding that the investigation was only in its initial stages.

cause for optimism. “We have undertaken a 10-year development program. We are hopeful of qualifying for the World Cup by 2022,” the All India Football Federation President Praful Patel told reporters on Wednesday.

“India should be one of the teams to play in Qatar. FIFA has gone out of its way to see that India emerges as a strong footballing nation.” After a bye, India were beaten 5-2 on aggregate by United Arab Emirates in the second round of Asian qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil last year.—Reuters

Butler, a midfielder for West Ham and West Bromwich Albion during his playing days in England, has launched a one-man campaign to weed out indiscipline and corruption from Malaysian soccer.

Last week he kicked out two senior playersMuslim Ahmad and Ismail Faruqi-for allegedly breaking a curfew. The two have denied the allegations and have demanded an apology.

Terengganu FA president Che Mat Jusoh said the club’s management will meet later on Wednesday to attempt to resolve these issues.

Early on Tuesday Butler had said he was happy that most players and fans were supportive of him, but his tone had changed by Tuesday evening. “Just heard I am getting fired tomorrow (...) interesting!” he posted on social media site Twitter.—Reuters

Del Piero moves to Sydney FC TURIN: Former Italy and Juventus forward Alessandro Del Piero is joining Sydney FC in a deal that will make him the highest-profile player in the A-League.

“For the next two years I suppose I can say that I’ll be Australian,” Del Piero said on Wednesday. “I’m starting a splendid and fantastic adventure. I couldn’t have chosen a better situation or a better place.”

The two-year deal is reportedly worth $2 million per season, which will make Del Piero the highest paid athlete in Australia’s four football codes, including rugby league, rugby union and Australian Rules.

The 37-year-old Del Piero reportedly turned down offers from English Premier League clubs Liverpool and Southampton. He was also linked with moves to the Middle East, China,

Argentina, the United States and Switzerland.

“We touched all the continents,” Del Piero said. “This choice is far away in terms of kilometers but it’s very close in terms of philosophy. ...

I can’t wait to go and discover a country that everyone describes to me as fantastic.” The ALeague, which has had several teams fold in the last two years due to financial problems and dwindling attendance, needs Del Piero as a draw card.

He was a member of Italy’s 2006 World Cupwinning team and scored a club-record 286 goals in all competitions over 19 seasons with Juventus. Although he managed just five goals - and only two in Serie A - last season in limited playing time as the Turin club won its first Italian league title since before the 2006 match-fixing scandal. “We’re honored to have

India eye World Cup as ranking hits new low NEW DELHI: On the day India hit their lowest ever FIFA ranking, the country’s soccer chief said he was eyeing a place at their first World Cup finals in Qatar 2022.

The countr y of 1.2 billion people dropped one place to 169th in the latest FIFA rankings released yesterday, behind Aruba, Nepal and Maldives.

Sepp Blatter, the head of the world soccer’s governing body, has called India a ‘sleeping giant ’ but the countr y obsessed with all things cricket continues to slide into soccer mediocrity. Indian soccer heads, though, believe there is

Button’s team mate Lewis Hamilton will be champing to get back on the podium after winning in Hungary just before the August break and then being caught in the same first lap collision as Alonso at Spa. The Briton will also have learned his lesson after Tweeting secret team data to the world, a gaffe that ‘disappointed’ Button as much as the rest of the team.

French driver Romain Grosjean is serving a one-race ban, although he is still due to be present, for causing the Spa pile-up that fortunately caused no injury despite his car flying inches over Alonso’s head. Jerome D’Ambrosio, Belgian of Italian extraction, will fill in for Grosjean in a car that has provided regular podium appearances this season and could make him his country’s first driver in 20 years to score a point.

His Finnish team mate Kimi Raikkonen, very much a title contender despite not having won a race yet in his comeback season, looks a good bet as ever as he chases his fourth podium in a row and 10th successive points finish.

Vettel, winner from pole last year, and Australian team mate Mark Webber will also be among the favorites.—Reuters

TURIN: Former Italy and Juventus forward Alessandro Del Piero (right) poses with Sydney FC shirt next to club Ceo Tony Pignatta at the Lingotto Palace.—AP

Alessandro sign for Sydney FC,” club chief executive Tony Pignata said, sitting next to Del Piero at a press conference in Turin. “It’s a momentous occasion.” Pignata added that Del Piero will have his familiar No. 10.

Sydney chairman Scott Barlow called the signing a major coup for the club and a historic day for Australian football. “ This is for all Australian football fans,” Barlow added in a statement. “Alessandro Del Piero is a global icon of the game and we are honored he has chosen Sydney FC, ahead of many other options, as the club where he will begin the next chapter of his illustrious football career.”

The A-League’s other past marquee signings have been formerly England-based Trinidad and Tobago star Dwight Yorke, who also played for Sydney in 2005-06, and former Liverpool forward Robbie Fowler, who played with the now-defunct North Queensland team and Perth Glory from 2009-11.

The marquee status puts players outside the salary cap. “The only question I asked was if we can win, and they responded ‘yes,’” Del Piero said. “I’m not going there for a vacation. I’m going there with total dedication.” Juventus announced early last season that it would not renew Del Piero’s contract.

“It will be a big change for me after 19 years with a team which I will continue to support,” Del Piero said. “I’ve done all I could have done here and there couldn’t be a better choice for me.”

While without a club over the past few months, Del Piero has continued to train. He pledged to be ready for Sydney’s season opener at Wellington Phoenix - in New Zealand - on Oct. 6. The A-League regular season finishes on the last weekend of March, followed by playoffs in April. Sydney did not qualify for the Asian Champions League this season. It was the inaugural A-League champion in 2006 and won again in 2010. It is the glamour club of the competition.—AP

18

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

‘Blade runner’ shows disabled sport can stand controversy LONDON: South African “blade runner” Oscar Pistorius has unleashed a debate about disabled sport with an emotional claim that a rival in the T44 200 metres final at the London Paralympics beat him thanks to longer prosthetic legs.

Pistorius had not been beaten over 200m for nine years, but the result of Sunday’s final was less of a shock than the post-race outburst of a man who is the face of disabled sport partly thanks to his dignified campaign to be allowed to challenge able-bodied runners at the Olympics.

“The size of some of the other guys’ legs are unbelievably long,” Pistorius told Britain’s Channel 4 television. “We’re not racing a fair race.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) have the regulations, but the regulations allow the athletes to make themselves unbelievably high.”

Besides detracting from the victory of Brazil’s Alan Oliveira, it was a surprising rant from a man who had convinced sports administrators that his own carbon-fibre blades gave him no advantage over able-bodied runners.

So can Paralympic medals be decided by the length of an artificial leg? And where does that leave a branch of sport striving to be taken as seriously as able-bodied sport?

If Pistorius has a case, it is certainly not that Oliveira’s longer blades give him a longer stride. South African-based sports scientist and coach Ross Tucker pointed out on his blog “The Science of Sport” that Oliveira took 98 strides to Pistorius’s 92.

John Brewer, Director of Sport at the University of Bedfordshire in Britain, said the advantages of longer blades were not clear.

“With any lever, the length could leverage more force, but I also suspect that longer blades would increase instability,” he said.

Pistorius accepts Oliveira’s blades were legal. This means Pistorius could also have used them, if he had been prepared to change from the blades that he was authorised to wear

against able-bodied runners at the London Olympics four weeks ago.

“This situation may be a reason to force Paralympians to use the same kind of technology, while of course adjusting to their individual body types,” said Andy Miah, Director of the Creative Futures Institute at the University of the West of Scotland.

“The big question emerging from the T44 200m final is whether the Paralympic rules need to be tighter ...

If Oliveira’s prosthetic legs are bigger and better and legal, then Pistorius really ought to get some.” But how to tighten the rules?

Pistorius was born without proper lower legs. It might be possible to

times focus on the technology when they shouldn’t,” said IPC spokesman Craig Spence.

“You could say that the fact that Oscar Pistorius has attracted such media attention is a positive for Paralympic sport. The negative aspect is that the story overshadowed some terrific other performances in the stadium.”

In many ways, he says, it means disabled sport is becoming mainstream as big audiences increase the pressure for transparency and fairness. “Serious sport has big controversies ... This debate shows how seriously we want to be taken,” he added. For all its stories of personal

LONDON: South Korea’s Lim Woo-geun competes to win gold in the men’s 100-meter Breastroke SB5 final at the 2012 Paralympics. —AP work out the leg length of an average person with Pistorius’s upper body, but Pistorius is not average.

“In elite athletes ... the ranges that you’d find in the normal population don’t apply,” Tucker wrote, adding that Oliveira may just have been catching up with Pistorius in finding his personal optimal blade length. “If you’re wondering about whether Pistorius has a valid argument, then welcome to the slippery slope that is the introduction of technology with no clear answers to the sport.”

So can the Paralympics be credible on that basis? “The media some-

struggles against adversity, disabled sport has never been immune to rule-bending and cheating, but has learned to adapt as mainstream sport has.

Doping is not unknown, and drug testing is systematic - although not as extensive as at the Olympics.

“Boosting” is the practice by some wheelchair-bound athletes of using self-harm to get the higher blood pressure and endurance that other athletes can achieve naturally. It is considered dangerous and banned, but is hard to test for, and has probably not been eradicated.

Athletes with intellectual impairment were shut out of the Paralympics entirely for 12 years after a Spanish basketball team faked their impairment to win gold in Atlanta.

Events are now being reintroduced slowly with tougher testing, but the complex classification of physical disabilities to allow meaningful competition regularly generates controversy.

In London, US swimmer Mallory Weggemann was left fuming after having her classification changed from S7 into the less disabled S8 class on the eve of the Games. She reluctantly accepted the ruling and went on to win the S8 50m freestyle gold. Her compatriot Victoria Arlen had to appeal to be allowed to swim after being declared ineligible days before her event.

The system remains hard to grasp. But London’s ecstatic spectators seem completely unperturbed by the fact that there are no fewer than 15 men’s 100m finals, or that swimmers with two arms can compete against others with one arm or even none.

With 2.5 million tickets sold, the Games are a sellout. Events have been shown in more than 100 countries. The host broadcaster Channel 4, which for the first time paid for the rights, has expanded its coverage in response to high ratings. Some 5,500 journalists and broadcasters are covering the Games.

The event has become a draw to sponsors and television advertisers.

If disabled athletes are stretching the rules and the technology, it is not least because a number of them, not only Pistorius, can now earn a living from sport.

Spence says the IPC will continue to do its best to ensure a level playing field, but adds: “Athletes are getting faster because more and more of them are going full time and putting in six days a week of training.

“Oscar Pistorius has taken 2.5 seconds off his personal best in the time that he’s had those blades, and that’s not because of technology, that’s down to hard work.” —Reuters

Zanardi savors Brands Hatch win

LONDON: Britain’s Steve Brown (left) falls over as he collides with Derrick Helton of the United States during a wheelchair rugby preliminary match at the 2012 Paralympics. —AP

Workshop knocks wheelchairs, limbs into shape LONDON: Between the din of drilling and banging and the anxious faces of athletes in its waiting room, the Paralympic repairs workshop feels like a cross between a doctor’s surgery and a mechanic’s garage.

An industrial smell of molten plastic and metal fills the air at the workshop, which has carried out some 200 repairs every day at the athletes’ village in east London since the Games began a week ago.

“The most repairs are for athletics, simply because that has the biggest number of competitors,” said Peter Franzel, the workshop’s organising director.

“But the most damage is definitely done in wheelchair rugby and wheelchair basketball. These sports are just brutal. We do a lot of welding.”

The 80-strong staff at the centre, run by German prosthetics firm Ottobock, includes technicians specialising in wheelchair repairs, prosthetic limbs and orthoses-devices that support the athletes’ bodies. The shelves are stocked with some 15,000 spare parts, including limbs, tyres, running blades like those worn by South African doubleamputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius and thousands of screws, nuts and bolts.

In one corner, Cape Verde’s only competitor in the Games-T44 100m, 200m runner and F44 javelin thrower Marcio Miguel Da Costa Fernandes-watches anxiously as the technicians fix a socket to his running blade.

“Normally the athletes stay in the waiting area, but if they want to have a look they can,” said Franzel. “He (Fernandes) is racing tonight (Wednesday), so naturally he wants to see what we’re doing with it.”

But rather than the specialist kit that takes a bashing when athletes compete, the majority of repairs are on their everyday wheelchairs and other equipment.

“The wheelchairs that athletes use every day actually get more worn out than the ones they use for sport, which they might use for just one or two hours every day,” Franzel explained. All repairs and replacements are completely free of charge-prompting regular accusations that disabled athletes from developing countries exploit the Paralympics as a chance to get free equipment. —AFP

BRANDS HATCH: An emotional Alessandro Zanardi yesterday clinched Paralympic gold in the individual H4 (hand-cycle) time-trial, savoring victory at the circuit where he once raced sports cars.

The 45-year-old Italian’s time of 24min 50.22sec over the 16km course was good enough to clinch victory at Brands Hatch from Norbert Mosandl of Germany, who finished 27sec behind, and US rider Oscar Sanchez, who was 45sec back.

Zanardi, a former F1 pilot for Minardi and Lotus who also drove in Indy and touring car races, was critically injured and had to have both legs amputated after a horror smash in 2001.

He battled back into sport, even competing in a touring car race at Brands Hatch in a specially-adapted car with hand controls, before turning his attention to hand-cycling.

Last year, he won the category at the New York Marathon. His average speed on Wednesday — 38.652 kilometres (24.017 miles) per hour was considerably less than his previous best at the fabled circuit in the county of Kent, southeast England.

But he said: “This is a great accomplishment, one of the greatest of my life. I worked very hard to get here. It was great to live such an experience at 45...

“With an engine pushing me, I didn’t realise it (the Brands Hatch circuit) was so hilly. It is very hard but if I had to design a course, this is what I would have done.

“It is beautiful, hard, it suits my characteristics of an old man.” Zanardi retired from motor racing three years ago and said the Paralympic Games would be his last in hand-cycling.

“It (retiring from motor racing) seemed a stupid thing to do to drop everything. It was against all odds. But it’s not the first crazy thing that I do in life. At the end I was right,” he added.

“I enjoyed every day of training. I’ve had a magical adventure and this is a fantastic conclusion.” Zanardi’s performance was one of the highlights of a day that saw Britain’s Sarah Storey clinch her third gold medal of the Games, taking the Paralympic women’s individual C5 timetrial title after double success on the track.

Her victory in the 16km race against the clock came after Olympic success for Britain’s cyclists, notably for the country’s first Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins, who took the men’s time-trial.

“I just wanted to make sure I added my name to that list of success. I just can’t believe it,” said Storey, who was born

without a functioning left hand and now has 10 Paralympic golds in swimming and cycling.

In the equivalent men’s race, Ukraine’s Yegor Dementyev took gold, while Czech rider Jiri Jezek exacted revenge over Carol-Eduard Novak in the C4 time-trial after the Romanian beat him on the track.

Jezek has now won four gold in four Games.In the men’s individual C3 timetrial, David Nicholas added to Australia’s

LONDON: Alessandro Zanardi of Italy celebrates holding his gold medal following the medal ceremony for the men’s road cycle individual time trial H4 category at the 2012 Paralympics Games. —AP c ycling medal tally, while Germany ’s Tobias Graf and Michael Teuber struck gold in C2 and C1 class. Graf had already picked up a silver and bronze on the track. In the women’s races, Megan Fisher of the United States saw off a challenge from Australia’s track gold medallist Susan Powell in the C4 time-trial, while compatriot Allison Jones took the C1-2-3 equivalent.

Jones said the win more than made up for her experience in Beijing, where she was denied the gold because of time adjustments based on cyclists’ impairments in the mixed classification race.

In the men’s individual time-trial for blind and visually impaired riders, Spain’s Christian Venge, with pilot David Llaurado Caldero took gold, while Kathrin Goeken and Kim Van Dijk took the women’s equivalent. —AFP

Paralympics medals table LONDON: Medals table after the sixth day of competition at the 2012 Paralympic Games on Tuesday: Gold Silver Bronze Total Kenya 2 1 1 4 China 53 39 40 132 Thailand 2 1 1 4 Great Britain 23 30 26 79 Mexico 1 4 4 9 Russia 23 22 17 62 Turkey 1 4 3 8 Ukraine 18 15 17 50 Algeria 1 1 7 9 Australia 18 13 21 52 Greece 1 1 4 6 United States 14 15 18 47 Slovakia 1 1 1 3 Brazil 10 7 4 21 UAE 1 1 0 2 Germany 9 11 10 30 Denmark 1 0 4 5 Iran 7 4 1 12 Switzerland 1 0 1 2 France 6 9 10 25 Fiji 1 0 0 1 Poland 5 7 5 17 Iceland 1 0 0 1 Nigeria 5 5 1 11 Jamaica 1 0 0 1 Cuba 5 4 2 11 Latvia 1 0 0 1 Ireland 5 2 3 10 Macedonia 1 0 0 1 Spain 4 11 9 24 Romania 1 0 0 1 Canada 4 7 5 16 Czech Republic 0 5 2 7 Netherlands 4 4 10 18 Croatia 0 2 2 4 South Korea 4 4 5 13 Argentina 0 1 3 4 New Zealand 4 4 4 12 Taiwan 0 1 2 3 Tunisia 4 4 2 10 Bulgaria 0 1 1 2 Belarus 4 1 2 7 Portugal 0 1 1 2 South Africa 3 5 7 15 Singapore 0 1 1 2 Italy 3 4 4 11 Colombia 0 1 0 1 Egypt 3 2 6 11 Ethiopia 0 1 0 1 Finland 3 1 1 5 India 0 1 0 1 Morocco 3 0 1 4 Malaysia 0 1 0 1 Japan 2 3 2 7 Namibia 0 1 0 1 Austria 2 2 4 8 Uzbekistan 0 1 0 1 Hungary 2 2 3 7 Slovenia 0 1 0 1 Sweden 2 2 3 7 Israel 0 0 3 3 Azerbaijan 2 2 2 6 Venezuela 0 0 2 2 Norway 2 2 0 4 Angola 0 0 1 1 Serbia 2 2 0 4 Indonesia 0 0 1 1 Belgium 2 1 1 4 Sri Lanka 0 0 1 1 Hong Kong 2 1 1 4

Peacock puts rivals on notice for 100m final LONDON: Britain’s world record holder Jonnie Peacock yesterday fired a warning shot to his 100m rivals, including “Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius, as he equalled the Paralympic record to qualify for the T44 final. The 19-year-old, who lowered the world best to 10.85sec in June, sprinted clear of the field in his heat to clock 11.08sec.

Jerome Singleton, of the United States, also qualified in 11.46sec. Singleton, a former National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) intern, won silver in Beijing.

Defending champion Pistorius, making a return to the track for the first time since his sensational defeat in the 200m on Sunday, ran a season’s best of 11.19sec to win his heat ahead of US sprinter Blake Leeper, who ran 11.46sec.

Brazilian Alan Oliveira, who took Pistorius’ 200m title, and China’s Lui Zhiming qualified as the two-fastest losers in 11.56sec and 11.84sec respectively. Lui’s time was a new Asian record.

Peacock, 19, lost his right leg below-theknee to meningitis at the age of five, and is coached by Dan Pfaff, who coached Canada’s Donovan Bailey to Olympic 100m gold in Atlanta in 1996.

The T44 final-billed by organisers as the showpiece straight sprint of the Games, as all eight finallists are capable of running under 11secs-takes place today.

Pistorius, known as the ‘Blade Runner’ because he runs on carbon fibre prosthe-

ses, has warned that winning gold again will be tough because of the progress made in the event-and because it is not his favoured event.

“It’s not really my event,” he said last week.”As Jonnie (Peacock) and those guys focus on the 100, my focus is on the 400, on the complete opposite side of the spectrum when it comes to sprinting.” Even more focus was on Pistorius after his outspoken claims that he was unable to compete with the stride length of his rivals in the 200m final because the other competitors were “a lot taller”.

Pistorius, the first double-amputee to compete in the Olympics and the Games’ biggest star, said he had raised the issue with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) but it had fallen “on deaf ears”. He later apologised for the timing of the comments but not the substance.

Swapping blades mid-competition is currently against the rules. The IPC have agreed to meet the sprinter to discuss his concerns but insisted that all eight finalists’ prostheses, which have to be proportional to body length, were within the rules and there were no infringements.

His comments have re -opened the debate about the fairness of athletic prostheses. Pistorius himself had to fight to convince the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which governs able bodied athletics, that his J-shaped “Cheetah” blades did not give him an advantage. —AFP

Annual disabled sport festival for Olympic Park LONDON: Plans for an annual festival of disability sport on the Olympic Park were announced yesterday as London 2012 legacy chiefs tried to capitalise on the popularity of the Paralympic Games.

The festival will be linked to a programme of sports training across sporting clubs in the surrounding boroughs, the London Legacy Development Corporation said.

As part of a £2 million ($3.2 million, 2.5 million euro) Paralympic legacy package, sports such as wheelchair rugby, boccia, wheelchair basketball and goalball will be introduced in the Copper Box venue. The

6,500-seater £41 million copper-clad arena will be converted into a multi-purpose indoor sports centre for community use after the Paralympics.

Currently hosting the goalball competition, it was dubbed “the box that rocks” due to its compact and noisy atmosphere during the Olympic handball.

“By working with the operator of the venues on the Park now, they are ensuring that Paralympic sports will continue to be at the heart of the sporting legacy,” said International Paralympic Committee chief executive Xavier Gonzalez. —AFP

19

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

S P ORT S

Road to 2014 World Cup starts for European teams LONDON: The road to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil begins for European teams on Friday, with the top lineups expected to ease into their group campaigns after being handed some benign opening qualifying matches.

France, in particular, will be desperate for a fast start in Group I after being pooled with world champion Spain, which has the night off from qualifying and instead faces Saudi Arabia in a friendly in Galicia. The French, who have a new coach in Didier Deschamps, will be keen to avoid the kind of early slipup that marred the start to their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, when they lost embarrassingly 1-0 at home to Belarus.

The Belarusians are in the same World Cup qualifying group, too, with the teams meeting in Paris on Tuesday. First up for Les Bleus is a trip to 96thranked Finland on Friday.

“We’ll have to be at 200 percent during both games against Spain if we want to beat them,” France midfielder Yohan Cabaye said. “But we have two games to win against Finland and Belarus first to put ourselves in a good position before playing Spain.

“We have to fight with the idea of getting first place in the group.” Germany is at home to the lowly Faeroe Islands in Group C and England takes on 141st-ranked Moldova in Group H with coach Roy Hodgson acknowledging that “for us, they are going to be pretty much unknown.”

With Euro 2012 finalist Italy visiting Bulgaria in Group B, the biggest test for a heavyweight European side could come in Amsterdam where the Netherlands will look to end a four-match losing run when they host Turkey in Group D. Following the departure of Bert van Marwijk, the Dutch are under the command of Louis van Gaal and one of his first tasks is to decide who of Robin van Persie or Klaas Jan Huntelaar leads his forward line in World Cup qualifying.

Huntelaar started ahead of his fellow striker in the Netherlands’ most recent match - a 4-2 loss to Belgium in a friendly last month - but Van Persie looks in fine form after scoring four goals in his last two games for new club Manchester United.

“I’m just available,” Van Persie said. “It does not matter what I think - those are questions for the coach. I am available for any position.”

Turkey failed to qualify for Euro 2012 but is ranked 35th and has the players to trouble the Dutch, who go on to meet Hungary on Tuesday.

Qualifying continues for teams in Oceania, Asia, CONCACAF and South America. In total, 76 matches will be played around the world from Friday to Tuesday.

In the European zone, only one team goes through automatically for the 2014 finals from the nine groups, so the head-to-heads between Spain and France in October and March will be key.

The Spanish have won their last three meetings and cemented their reputation as one of the world’s greatest ever teams by defending their European title in Poland and Ukraine this summer to claim their third major title in a row.

Deschamps, who replaced Laurent Blanc in charge of France, has eyes only on top spot in its five-team group and won’t be satisfied by reaching Brazil through the playoffs open to second-place finishers.

“We aren’t going to start off by saying we are going to finish second - it doesn’t serve anybody any good to speak about Spain at the moment,”

Deschamps said. “They are the big favorites but our target is to finish in front of them.”

France is coming off a 0-0 home draw against Uruguay in a friendly last month but should have no problems finding its form against Finland, which has never qualified for the finals of a major tournament.

Germany’s attackers will be licking their lips ahead of a match against the Faeroes, Europe’s third lowest-ranked team, above only Andorra and San Marino. A tougher test will come four days later when the Germans visit neighbor Austria. Sweden and Ireland also feature in the group.

England will be without arguably its only two world-class players - Wayne Rooney and Ashley Cole - when it travels to Moldova, which Hodgson rates despite seeing it draw only 0-0 against Albania in a recent friendly. “There will be a lot of thought that Moldova are not very special, not very strong, but we certainly don’t go into the game with that thought at all,” said Hodgson, who begins his first qualifying campaign in charge of England.

“Certainly, my message to the players is, ‘I don’t care if they are called Moldova. As far as I’m concerned, they could be called Brazil.’” — AP

Argentina, Uruguay out to underline credentials

SOFIA: Bulgarian national soccer team players warm up during their training session ahead of tomorrow’s Group B 2014 World Cup qualifying match between Italy and Bulgaria. — AP

Glum Ronaldo insists it’s not about the money MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo insisted Tuesday his complaint about being glum at Real Madrid is not a ploy to get more money out of the club.

The 27-year-old forward sparked a global media storm when he confessed to being “sad” at Real Madrid, explaining why he did not celebrate either goal after snatching a brace in Madrid’s 3-0 win over Granada on Sunday.

Many papers accused him of trying to leverage more money out of Real Madrid. Spain’s top selling sports paper Marca said his salary was 10 million euros a year, putting him 10th on the world list earning half of that of Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o at Russian team Anzhi Makhachkala, “Salary is one of the reasons for the Madrid player’s annoyance,” the paper said. But Ronaldo took to his Facebook page and Twitter to deny financial motives for his misery. “That I am feeling sad and have expressed this sadness has created a huge stir,” the Portuguese said. “I am accused of wanting more money, but one day it will be shown that this is not the case,” he added.

The key Real Madrid player said he wanted to guarantee fans that his “motivation, dedication, commitment and desire to win all competitions” would not suffer.

“I have too much respect for myself and for Real Madrid to ever give less to the club than all I am capable of. Abrazos (hugs) to all madridistas,” he said in a message in English. Ronaldo has still not explained why he is unhappy, saying only on Sunday that it was professional, not personal. “People know why,” he was quoted as saying in the media.

At the same time, he denied being upset because Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta was crowned UEFA Best Player in Europe on Thursday, saying: “No, it’s not that. There are more important things.”

Ronaldo’s statement also sparked speculation that he might want to leave Real Madrid.

But team-mates weighed in with messages of support.

As he arrived for training in the Spanish capital with the national team on Tuesday, Real Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa said: “If Cristiano is sad and needs the support of his team-mates then of course he is going to get it.

And if it is the support of the fans, I am sure they will give it.”

“In Real Madrid we are a family. When one member is not as happy as he should be we help him,” Arbeloa added. “When things are not right we all help,” he said. —AFP

PARIS: The 16-game South American World Cup qualifying campaign can be something of a marathon, but the continent’s leading nations can take big strides towards sealing their places in the 2014 finals this month.

There are four automatic qualifying slots available for the tournament in Brazil, as well as a play-off against an Asian nation as a consolation for fifth place.

With their old rivals not having to qualify, all the pressure is on Argentina, who host Paraguay in Cordoba in third place in the section.

Failure to make it to neighboring Brazil is unthinkable for the Argentines, but Lionel Messi is not taking anything for granted, especially after forming part of the sides that slipped up against supposed outsiders Bolivia and Venezuela earlier in the campaign.

“The qualifiers are tough regardless of what kind of form your opponents are in,” he warned ahead of the Paraguay clash.

“We knew that changes needed to be made after the game against Bolivia (a 1-1 draw in November last year) because of the result and because of the way we played,” added the Barcelona star. “But we did that and we have since won some difficult games against good teams.”

Paraguay’s run to the Copa America final in Argentina last year is now but a distant memory after their miserable start to World Cup qualifying.

A run of just one win and three defeats in their opening five matches led to coach Francisco ‘Chiqui’ Arce being sacked.

His replacement is Gerardo Pelusso, and the experienced Uruguayan is determined to turn around the fortunes of his new charges.

“I don’t think any football fan in South America could have imagined that Paraguay would be right down near the bottom, especially when you take into account the last World Cup qualifying campaign, how they performed at South Africa 2010 and the runners-up spot they achieved in the Copa America,” he told FIFA.com recently.

With group leaders Chile not in action until their home clash with Colombia next midweek, Uruguay can go clear at the top of the table with a win against the Colombians in Barranquilla.

The reigning continental champions, who warmed up for the game with a goalless friendly draw in France last month after a disappointing showing at the Olympics, are the

CORDOBA: Argentina’s Ezequiel Lavezzi stretches during a practice session in Buenos Aires.

Argentina will face Paraguay in a World Cup qualifying soccer match tomorrow. — AP

only side in South American qualifying still defending an unbeaten record.

“These games will be fundamental. If we can take something in Colombia and then win at home (against Ecuador next Tuesday) we will have taken a huge step towards making it to Brazil,” said defender Diego Godin.

Ecuador currently hold the fourth and final automatic qualification berth, largely thanks to their impressive home form at alti-

tude in Quito. However, their weekend opponents Bolivia are no strangers to playing in rarefied air and will be out to impress under new Spanish coach Xabier Azkargorta, who led the greens to the 1994 finals in the USA. Venezuela, who have already held Uruguay and beaten Argentina, continue their quest to qualify for a first major tournament finals when they go to bottom- of-the -table Peru.—AFP

Half of Brazil World Cup stadiums half done

PARIS: France’s soccer players Patrice Evra (left) and Franck Ribery (right) practice during a training session ahead of their World Cup qualifier game against Finland tomorrow. — AP

Japan coach gets tough for World Cup warm-up TOKYO: Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni promised today’s home game against the UAE would be anything but friendly in nature as the Asian champions warm up for the World Cup qualifier with Iraq next week.

“I don’t like calling these games ‘friendly’ matches,” the Italian told reporters after training in Niigata yesterday.

“This game carries great weight for us before the game with Iraq. We have to stamp our authority on the game and tighten up for an important game on Tuesday.”

Zaccheroni will call on Manchester United’s Shinji Kagawa and CSKA Moscow playmaker Keisuke Honda, although Inter Milan defender Yuto Nagatomo is an injury concern. Kagawa, who scored his first goal for Japan in Niigata against UAE in 2008, will again be forced to play on the left, deferring to Honda, much to Kagawa’s chagrin.

Having made a strong start for United since his pre-season move from Germany’s Borussia Dortmund, Kagawa admitted he wanted to play in the hole against UAE.

“Obviously I want to play in an advanced position but the situation is up to the coach,” said Kagawa. “I have to perform wherever I’m picked to play.”

Japan overpowered Oman 3-0 and Jordan 6-0 at home before being held 1-1 in Australia in June in their first three games in the final round of Asian 2014 World Cup qualifiers.

A mistake from Kagawa led to Venezuela’s equalizer in last month’s 1-1 draw in a Sapporo friendly. “I didn’t play well in that game,” said the 23-year-old Kagawa. “This is an important game so I have to make sure I’m at my best.”

Zaccheroni said Nagatomo would undergo a fitness test to determine whether he would take part in the UAE warm-up.

“Let’s see how he feels tomorrow,” said the Italian. “I don’t want to take any risks. If he’s 100 percent, he will play. If not, he won’t.”

Japan currently lead World Cup qualifying Group B by five points from Iraq, Australia and Jordan going into Tuesday’s game against Zico’s Iraq at Saitama. — Reuters

BRASILIA: Less than two years before the 2014 World Cup kicks off in Brazil, half of the 12 host stadiums are at least 50 percent completed, the sports ministry said Tuesday.

Work on Rio’s iconic Maracana stadium, which will host the World Cup final, is 62 percent completed, according to a progress review posted on the government’s official World Cup page.

Venues in Brasilia and the northeastern city of Salvador are more than 70 percent completed. But the arena in the northeast city of Natal is only 30 percent done and work on the stadium in the southern city of Porto Alegre is just 33 percent completed.

Work on the venues in the northern city of Manaus, the southern cities of Curitiba and Sao Paulo, and in Cuiaba, capital of the central-western state of Mato Grosso is nearly halfway done, the progress review said.

Last week, visiting FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said preparations for the World Cup-renovation or construction of stadiums, as well as infrastructure projects-were progressing well. “No stadium is behind schedule.

All the projects are proceeding well and we have reached cruise speed,” Valcke told a press conference in Rio after inspecting host arenas in Manaus and Cuiaba.

“Things are working better. More is being accomplished. Things are speeding up,” he said with former Brazilian football great Ronaldo, a member of the World Cup Organizing Committee, at his side.

His comments, made on his fourth visit to Brazil to assess progress, contrasted with his comments in March when he suggested World Cup organizers needed a “kick up the backside” to hasten lagging preparations.

He subsequently apologized for his comments, as did FIFA President Sepp Blatter. But experts believe the country still has major challenges to overcome, notably with respect

to transport and housing.

On Tuesday, the sports ministry cited good progress on the arena in the northeastern city of Fortaleza, which is 87 percent completed, and in the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte, which is 78 percent done.

Both stadiums will host both matches of next June’s Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup, the first in Brazil since 1950.

In Brasilia, the arena where the opening

game of the Confederations Cup and seven World Cup games will be staged is 72 percent completed while stadiums in the northeastern cities of Salvador and Recife are 70 percent and 51.6 percent done, respectively.

FIFA will meanwhile announce in early November whether the arenas in Recife and Salvador will host Confederations Cup matches next year, along with Rio, Brasilia, Belo Horizonte and Fortaleza. — AFP

Reus ready to roll for Germany BERLIN: Germany coach Joachim Loew has said captain Philipp Lahm will revert back to the right side of defence for Friday’s World Cup qualifier against Faroe Islands while midfielder Marco Reus should start. Lahm switched to left-back for Germany at Euro 2012, but the Bayern Munich star will return to his favoured position with Borussia Dortmund’s Marcel Schmelzer on the left for the opening World Cup qualifier.

“That is how it will be at the start, that is how we have trained,” said Loew. “With regards to Marcel, I feel that he has now arrived for us.” Schmelzer trained with the national team for the first time yesterday after recovering from a slight infection.

Bayern midfielder Toni Kroos was missing with a bruised hip and faces a race against time to be fit for Friday. Dortmund’s Reus was one of the few Germany players to come out of Euro 2012 with his reputation enhanced after the Germans lost to Italy in the semifinals and Loew said the attacking-midfielder is set to start.

“You can assume that he will play,” said Loew. The Faroe Islands lost their friendly away to Iceland 2-0 last month and the archipelago, which is ranked 151 places below

Germany according to FIFA, would need to pull off a considerable shock to beat their hosts in Hanover.

Germany breezed through qualification for Euro 2012 with ten straight wins, but Loew is warning against expectations of another perfect record in Group C as his team look to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

“Basically, I feel that the side still has a hunger for success after the disappointment of the European Championships,” said the 52year-old looking ahead to Tuesday’s qualifier against Austria in Vienna.

“We are facing a new round of the qualification. “The last time we passed with flying colors, but I think it will be harder this time.

“Sweden, Ireland and Austria will demand something from us and clear victories are expected against Faroe Islands or Kazakhstan.

“We want to win both our opening games to give us a good basis.” Loew has hinted he will change the style of play against Faroe Islands and is looking to see his side counterattack quickly.

“In defence, we have to improve our game without the ball. In attack it is becoming more and more a question of flexibility,” he said. —AFP

Del Piero moves to Sydney FC

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Argentina, Uruguay out to underline credentials

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Button win would make Ferrari fans see red

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NEW YORK: Maria Sharapova of Russia returns a shot against Marion Bartoli of France during their womenís singles quarterfinal match on Day Ten of the 2012 US Open. —AFP

Sharapova in US Open semis NEW YORK: Maria Sharapova advanced to the US Open semi-finals for the first time since winning the title in 2006, rallying to defeat French 11th seed Marion Bartoli 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 yesterday.

The Russian third seed, who improved to 12-0 in three-set matches this year, reached a Friday semi-final against World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, who beat Sharapova in the Australian Open final, for a berth in the championship match.

Azarenka, the top seed from Belarus who ousted defending champion Samantha Stosur of Australia on Tuesday, leads the all-time rivalry with Sharapova 5-4, including a 6-3, 6-0 victory in January’s Melbourne final.

“Tough challenge,” Sharapova said. “She beat me in Australia quite easily and I would love to get my revenge at a Grand Slam.”

Sara Errani, the 10th seed, became the first Italian woman in the Open era to reach the US Open semi-finals with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over 20thseeded compatriot, doubles partner and best friend Roberta Vinci.

Errani, who in her best Grand Slam result lost to Sharapova at this year’s French Open final, will next face the winner of a later quarter-final between US fourth seed Serena Williams and Serbian 12th seed Ana Inanovic. “It’s always hard to play against a friend and it was strange seeing her on the other side of the net,” said Errani.

“I am happy to get to the semi-final. Can I win the title? I will tell you in three or four days.”

Olympic runner-up Sharapova, who completed a career Grand Slam last June by winning the French Open, could not explain her third-set dom-

Pakistani spinners wreck Australia in first Twenty20 DUBAI: Pakistan’s spinners Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal and Raza Hasan bowled Australia out for just 89 to set up an easy seven-wicket win in the first Twenty20 international here yesterday. Ajmal (2-13), Hasan (2-15) and skipper Hafeez (2-24) shook the Australian batting before left-arm paceman Sohail Tanvir (3-13) wrapped up the innings in 19.3 overs. Pakistan then romped home in 14.5 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

It was an easy win for Pakistan at Dubai Stadium after going down 2-1 in the preceding one-day series. Shoaib Malik hit the winning boundary, finishing with nine not out while Kamran Akmal finished with an unbeaten 31 with three boundaries and a six.

The victory was never in doubt once Pakistan bowled well. Hafeez (17) and Imran Nazir (22) gave Pakistan a solid start of 30 before losing Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed (10) in quick succession. Akmal and Malik saw off the target without any discomfort. The second match will be played here on Friday. Hafeez was delighted at his team’s fightback.

“We stuck to our plans and the bowlers did

very well to bowl them out cheaply,” said Hafeez. “We were more determined to do well after the disappointment of the one-day series.”

Australian captain George Bailey praised Pakistan. “Certainly they were the better side and when we were bowled out for 89 there was not much for the bowlers,” said Bailey.

“Hopefully we do well in the next game.”

Earlier Australia were let down by poor shot selection against quality spin bowling after they were sent into bat. Australia hit only three boundaries in the innings with their last coming in the fourth over as Pakistani spinners never allowed them to settle on a turning track, reducing their opponents to their second-lowest Tweny20 total.

Opener David Warner top-scored with 22 off 25 deliveries, hitting two boundaries. Cameron White (15) and Bailey (14) were the only others to reach double figures.

Paceman Umar Gul dismissed Shane Watson (eight) in the third over while Tanvir accounted for Michael Hussey (one) in the next before Warner and Bailey put on the best stand of the innings, adding 33 for the third wicket. —AFP

Scoreboard DUBAI: Scoreboard in the first Twenty20 international between Pakistan and Australia played at Dubai Stadium here yesterday: Australia: S. Watson lbw b Gul 8 D. Warner c and b Hafeez 22 M. Hussey c Malik b Tanvir 1 G. Bailey c Umar b Hafeez 14 D. Hussey c Ajmal b Hasan 3 C. White b Ajmal 15 M. Wade c Nazir b Hasan 6 G. Maxwell c Jamshed b Ajmal 4 P. Cummins c Umar b Tanvir 1 X. Doherty not out 6 B. Hilfenhaus c Kamran b Tanvir 0 Extras: (lb6, w3) 9 Total: 89 Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Watson), 2-13 (MEK Hussey), 3-46 (Warner), 4-51 (D. Hussey), 5-52 (Bailey), 6-72 (Wade), 7-81 (Maxwell), 8-81 (White), 9-88 (Cummins) 10-89 (Hilfenhaus).

Bowling: Hafeez 4-0-24-2, Tanvir 2.3-0-13-3 (w1), Gul 4-0-17-1, Ajmal 4-0-13-2 (w1), Hasan 4-0-152 (w1), Malik 1-0-1-0 Overs: 19.3 Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez c D. Hussey b Cummins 17 Imran Nazir c White b Watson 22 Nasir Jamshed b Hilfenhaus 10 Kamran Akmal not out 31 Shoaib Malik not out 9 Extras: (w1) 1 Total: (for three wickets) 90 Fall of wickets: 1-30 (Hafeez), 2-44 (Jamshed), 368 (Nazir).

Bowling: Maxwell 2-0-25-0, Hilfenhaus 3-0-18-1, Cummins 3-0-14-1 (w1), Doherty 3-0-12-0, Watson 2.3-0-9-1, White 1-0-12-0 Overs: 14.5 Result: Pakistan won by seven wickets

ination this year. “A little bit of luck always helps,” Sharapova said. “You work hard to achieve your goals, get to one-set all, and this is where it matters. You have to put it all on the line. It’s not over until the last point.” Sharapova, 25, improved to 50 all-time against Bartoli but only after falling behind 4-0 on Tuesday before rain halted the match, postponing the conclusion for a day and giving the Russian time to regroup. “That rain break gave me a few hours to think about things. I came out so flat and she was on fire,” Sharapova said. “Bad four games yesterday. The match wasn’t over. I had a chance to come out today and see how things go.

“I’m so happy to get through this one,” Sharapova said. “It has been so long since I have been to this stage at the US Open.”

Bartoli, 27, settled for her first US Open quarter-final, which gave her a trip to the last eight in every Grand Slam event for her career.

Sharapova, seeking her fifth Grand Slam title and second US Open crown six years after the first, also won majors at Wimbledon in 2004 and the 2008 Australian Open.

Bartoli surrendered a service break on a double fault in the first game once play resumed but held serve twice after that to claim the opening set. After trading early breaks on double faults in the second set, Sharapova broke in the eighth game on a forehand winner and then held to force a third set, finishing off the second with her fifth ace of the match at 109 mph.

A blistering forehand cross-court winner by Sharapova broke Bartoli in the third game but

Bartoli broke back to 2-2 on a backhand winner.

Bartoli squandered two break chances in the sixth game while Sharapova came through on her second break point in the ninth game when a Bartoli forehand went long. The Russian held serve to end matters after two hours, 32 minutes.

Errani broke to open her match and again in the seventh game to take the first set after 36 minutes, then powered past her friend into the final four.

Errani, 25, has four wins this year, all on clay, at Acapulco, Barcelona, Budapest, Palermo. They were her first WTA titles since 2008.

Vinci, 29, reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal in her 32nd Grand Slam appearance. She took her seventh career WTA title last month at Dallas in her final US Open tuneup. — AFP

SA share England series NOTTINGHAM:- Hashim Amla piled on the runs once again as he led South Africa to a series-levelling seven-wicket win in the fifth and final one-day international against England at Trent Bridge yesterday.

South Africa, chasing a seemingly modest 183 for victory, collapsed to 14 for three inside five overs under the floodlights in this day/night fixture.

But opener Amla responded with a superb 97 not out and, together with Proteas captain AB de Villiers (75 not out) he shared an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 172. Victory, with more than 15 overs to spare, saw South Africa share the series at 2-2.

Amla, who made a brilliant 150 in South Africa’s 80run win in the second ODI in Southampton, was named man of the series for a tally of 335 runs in four innings at an average of more than 111.

That followed on from his corresponding award in the Proteas’ 2-0 Test series win over England where he scored a South Africa record 311 not out at The Oval.

Amla’s combined tally for both series was a colossal 817 runs at 116.71. One consolation for England was that, despite this defeat, they remained top of the 50over world rankings having won 12 of their last 14 completed matches. Amla could only watch as the Proteas slumped at the start of their reply.

Left-hander Graeme Smith fell when he edged Jade Dernbach and James Tredwell held on at the second attempt. International novices Faf du Plessis and Dean Elgar then both nicked excellent James Anderson deliveries to wicket-keeper Craig Kieswetter. But de Villiers then pulled two successive short balls from South Africa-born seamer Dernbach for four. Amla eased paceman Chris Woakes, in for Steven Finn who had a back problem, off the backfoot for a typically stylish four through the covers.

And when Woakes carelessly dropped short, de Villiers pulled him for four. Amla then went advanced to drive left-arm spinner Samit Patel through the covers for four. He completed a 63 ball-fifty, with de Villiers taking just 54 balls to get to the landmark.

Amla drove off-spinner Tredwell over extra-cover for six and ended the match with a wristily flicked boundary off Dernbach. In all he faced 107 balls with a six and nine fours. Earlier, left-arm spinner Robin Peterson took three for 37 after enterprisingly being given the new ball by de Villiers as England, without injured top-order mainstay Jonathan Trott and the still exiled Kevin Pietersen, were bowled out for just 182. Fast bowler Dale Steyn, a more familiar new-ball operator, took two for 24. —AFP

NOTTINGHAM: South Africa’s AB de Villiers plays a shot off the bowling of England’s James Tredwell as Craig Kieswetter looks on during their One Day International cricket match. —AP

Scoreboard NOTTINGHAM: Scoreboard in the fifth one-day international between England and South Africa at Trent Bridge yesterday: Morkel 8-0-41-2 (2w); England Parnell 8.2-0-38-1 (2nb); Elgar 4-0-20-0 (1nb); A. Cook c and b du Plessis 51 Duminy 4-0-11-1; Du Plessis 2-0-8-1 I. Bell lbw b Peterson 10 South Africa R. Bopara c de Villiers b Steyn 0 H. Amla not out 97 J. Bairstow c Ontong b Morkel 29 G. Smith c Tredwell b Dernbach1 E. Morgan c Amla b Duminy 0 F. du Plessis c Kieswetter b Anderson 3 C. Kieswetter c Amla b Morkel 33 D. Elgar c Kieswetter b Anderson 1 S. Patel c de Villiers b Steyn 9 AB de Villiers not out 75 C. Woakes not out 33 Extras (lb1, w8) 9 J. Tredwell b Peterson 6 Total (3 wkts, 34.3 overs) 186 J. Anderson c Morkel b Peterson 0 Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Smith), 2-11 (Du Plessis), 3-14 J. Dernbach c de Villiers b Parnell 2 (Elgar) Extras (lb3, w3, nb3) 9 Did not bat: JP Duminy, J Ontong, W Parnell, R Total (all out, 45.2 overs) 182 Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Bell), 2-24 (Bopara), 3-79 Peterson, D Steyn, M Morkel (Bairstow), 4-82 (Morgan), 5-99 (Cook), 6-124 (Patel), Bowling: Anderson 9-2-41-2 (1w); Dernbach 7.3-07-156 (Kieswetter), 8-175 ( Tredwell), 9-175 56-1 (6w); Woakes 6-0-35-0 (1w); Tredwell 6-0-30-0; Patel 2-0-11-0; Bopara 4-0-12-0.

(Anderson), 10-182 (Dernbach) Bowling: Steyn 9-2-24-2 (1w); Peterson 10-0-37-3; Result: South Africa won by seven wickets

Business

Saudi seeks bids for Midyan gas plant Page 22 Australian growth ebbs Page 25

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Gulf investors see value in post-revolution Egypt

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UAE shipping sector a calm port in the storm Page 26

MANILA: A vendor sells fish at a farmers’ market in Quezon City, suburban Manila yesterday. Inflation surged to a seven-month high of 3.8 percent in August, the government said, owing to a disruption to food supplies caused by deadly floods at the start of the month. — AFP

Switzerland tops competitiveness league US slips to 7th spot, Qatar moves up to 11th place GENEVA: Switzerland ranked as the world’s most competitive economy for the fourth year running, while the United States continued a four-year slide down the table, the World Economic Forum (WEF)said in its annual survey yesterday.

The study by the WEF, best known for running the annual meeting of world business leaders at the ski resort of Davos, ranks 144 countries by examining 113 indicators culled from official data sources and a poll of 15,000 executives who opine on the country where they do business.

Switzerland pipped Singapore to the top spot thanks to strong scores in areas such as innovation, labor market efficiency and effective public institutions.

The United States fell from fifth spot to seventh because of political and economic problems that detracted from its

status as a global powerhouse of innovation, the study said.

“We see this development as a result of the growing macroeconomic imbalances in the country but also due to the political deadlock that has been augmenting the problem of macroeconomic imbalances,” said Margareta Drzeniek, a senior economist at the Geneva-based organization.

“There does seem to be an inability to take decisions on the political side.” Rather than a big shake-up in the rankings, the 2012 survey found deepening divides, she said.

“One of the reasons those persistent divides are not being closed - and the prime example here is Europe, or the United States as well - is because of the political deadlock that we’ve observed, that has prevented those countries from taking a longer term approach to improving competi-

tiveness with a view to stabilizing growth in the future.”

“This political deadlock is jeopardizing the future prosperity of those countries because it may lead to a reduction of productivity and a loss of competitiveness and reduced growth in the future.” The lowest ranked EU country was Greece, at 96th. But it was rock bottom - 144th out of 144 for its macroeconomic environment.

Qatar moved up three places to 11th but may need to reduce its vulnerability to commodity price fluctuations if it is going to break into a top 10 dominated by northern European countries, the report said. Four of the five BRICS nations fell in the rankings, with only Brazil climbing, up five places from last year to 48th.

China still led the group. Its 29th place ranking was down

Investors cautious ahead of ECB meet

Kingdom Holding surges; markets mixed in thin trade GULF STOCK MARKETS DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding shares surged yesterday after announcing its 550 million riyal ($146.7 million) hospital expansion project, while Gulf bourses were steady on caution one day ahead of European Central Bank policy meeting.

Kingdom Holding, the investment vehicle of billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, rose 4.4 percent, extending year-to-date gains to 46.6 percent. The expansion plan includes an inpatient tower, an outpatient treatment pavilion and a day surgery centre, a bourse statement said.

The index ended flat at 7,050 points, taking the week’s losses to 1.3 percent. Analysts predicted slight profit-taking during the week if monetary stimulus in the United States was not announced. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke put off monetary easing on Friday, but kept the door open if economic indicators worsened.

“TASI found some support close to 7,000 - the current key resistance is found close to 7,180,” said Mohabeldeen Agena, head of technical analysis at Cairo’s Beltone Financial. “We are expecting the price to move flat within this range, followed by another upward move toward 7,300-7,350 for the next few weeks.” Caution on the global front is keeping risk appetite in check. Markets have been expecting ECB President Mario Draghi to unveil a bold plan to tackle to the euro zone’s debt crisis at Thursday’s meeting, but public disputes among policymakers over the extent of the measures have sowed doubt.

Elsewhere, Dubai’s index ended 0.3 percent lower, trading within a tight range in recent sessions, with investors seeing little

reason to increase their market exposure.

Index volumes drop to 31 million shares, the lowest one-day total since July 26. “It’s only natural for investors, especially retail, to stick to sidelines or exit in an attempt to avoid any unnecessary risk in case the ECB fails to deliver,” said Firass Yaish, head of business development and economic consultant at Trust Capital.

Abu Dhabi’s measure ticked up 0.2 percent, while Doha’s index finished 0.2 percent lower. In Kuwait, the bourse resumed gains as investors shift funds to smaller-cap stocks. The index rose 0.3 percent, up for 12 sessions in the last 15. The market however, is still recovering from an eight-year low hit on Aug 12. Small-caps Ithmaar Bank and Commercial Real Estate Co gained 2 and 4.2 percent respectively, two of the top traded five stocks.

Bluechips have underperformed the benchmark of late, with small-cap stocks the biggest gainers. The latter are largely the preserve of retail investors who typically speculate for short-term gains, but analysts say improving economic fundamentals are a factor in the recent rally.

“I don’t see new liquidity coming from abroad but there certainly is a movement of funds,” said Fouad Darwish, head of brokerage at Global Investment House. “Many people discounted sectors like industrial and financial, but they outper formed expectations. Companies have a done a good job decreasing losses and increasing profits.” Large-caps dipped. National Bank of Kuwait fell 1 percent, Zain slipped 1.4 percent and Kuwait Finance House shed 1.5 percent. — Reuters

from 26th in 2011 but still 30 places ahead of India, which has lost 10 places since peaking at 49 in 2009. “(China’s) various barriers to entry appear to be more prevalent and more important than in previous years,” the report said. It added that China benefits from a macroeconomic situation ranked 11th globally, despite a prolonged episode of high inflation. Russia was 67th, down one place from 2011, with a sharp improvement in the macroeconomic environment offset by weak public institutions, which were ranked 11th worst.

On several scores Russia was ranked among the 10 lowest achievers globally, including its low rates of technological adoption, lack of trust in its financial system, weak level of competition and inefficient markets for goods. — Reuters

BETHLEHEM: Palestinian taxi drivers park their cars in a street to protest against rising fuel prices and the high cost of living, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, yesterday.

Palestinian authority is undergoing chronic budgetary difficulties, described by several ministers as “the worst financial crisis” since its inception in 1994, due to continued Israeli restrictions and declining international aid, especially from Arab countries. — AFP

Policy paralysis scuppers Palestinian economic dream RAMALLAH: Palestinian dreams of building a strong economy to speed up the state’s drive towards independence could soon be plunged into darkness, quite literally. The cash-strapped government of the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Authority (PA), is so behind with its bills that the Israeli company that provides Palestinians’ electricity has threatened to cut the power unless the PA pays outstanding debt of almost $80 million.

Poor planning and continued, rigid Israeli controls have caused boom time Palestinian growth rates of 9 percent in 2010 to fall by half, and struggling businesses are accusing the PA of not helping them as they face ruin. Hopes, entertained by Israeli and Palestinian leaders alike, that the US- backed Palestinian Authority could build a viable economy before statehood are fading fast.

“There is no illusion whatsoever that we can achieve our full potential given the restrictions under which we have to operate,”

Palestinian Finance Minister Nabil Kassis told Reuters. Two decades after the Oslo interim peace accords, there is still no final treaty and the lack of progress has caused a sharp drop in foreign aid. United Nations agencies and Palestinian economists say the economic annexes of the Oslo pact, outlined in the Paris Protocol of 1994, have been implemented by Israel selectively and mostly to its benefit.

The government is grappling with a recurring deficit and external debt, both hovering above a billion dollars or nearly a fifth of gross domestic product. Some economists say economic growth could be as low as 3-4 percent this year, and with a fifth of the population unemployed, prospects for many of the West Bank’s 2.5 million Palestinians are declining.

Bassim Khoury, head of Palestinian generic drug maker Pharmacare PLC, says he is doing his best to build a major West Bank business, but complains that the odds are against him.—Reuters

LONDON: Global markets fluctuated yesterday as investors weighed poor economic data against expectations that the European Central Bank will announce a plan to support financially weak countries in the 17-member euro-zone.

ECB President Mario Draghi is expected to reveal today the details of a new bond-buying program intended to bring down the high borrowing costs of Spain and Italy. The move would go a long way to stabilize Europe’s financial crisis - in fact, expectations of the move have buoyed markets for weeks. But analysts warn the plan’s success may yet face challenges. To be eligible for the central bank’s help, for example, countries would likely have to accept conditions on their budget policies, which many governments would be reluctant to do.

“Expectations for Thursday’s ECB meeting are high, perhaps too high,” said Marie Diron, senior economic advisor at Ernst & Young. Europe’s economy also remains fundamentally weak. A survey of the euro-zone’s services sector yesterday showed the sector continued to contract in August. The socalled purchasing managers’ index fell more than earlier estimated, suggesting the currency bloc is headed for a sharp drop in GDP in the third quarter.

By midafternoon in Europe, Britain’s FTSE 100 was down 0.4 percent at 5,651.23 while Germany’s DAX was up 0.3 percent at 6,951.07. France’s CAC-40 rose 0.1 percent to 3,401.41.

Asian indexes closed lower and Wall Street was steady on the open - the Dow was up 0.1 percent at 13,050.81 while the S&P 500 was flat at 1,405.05. Weaker-than-expected US manufacturing figures, just days after China announced its own production slowdown, was weighing on those regions’ markets.

Investors will look ahead to Friday’s US payrolls data for signs that the world’s largest economy is recovering.

Continued signs of weakness in the US economy may help persuade the Federal Reserve to announce new action after its meeting next week. “If we don’t see any good, positive catalyst, investors will be very reluctant to buy stocks at this point.

We are waiting for the ECB, U.S. jobs data and other major US economic data,” said Jackson Wong, vice president at Tanrich Securities in Hong Kong.

Other analysts cautioned that central bank actions may be too little to protect markets from volatility through the end of the year. “Whether upcoming ECB and Fed actions will be sufficient to prevent an escalation in risk aversion is debatable especially as markets have already priced in a lot of potential action,” analysts at Credit Agricole CIB in Hong Kong said in a market commentary.—AP

22

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

BUSINESS

China seeks full Iran oil volume despite delays BEIJING: For the third month in a row, China has nominated full contract volumes of Iranian crude for this month, but refineries have begun to complain about delays in oil deliveries posing a problem, trading sources said.

China, Iran’s largest oil customer and top trading partner, is expected to load about 15.5 million barrels of Iranian oil this month, the third that it will be using the tankers of National Iranian Tanker Co (NITC) to carry home oil and get around a European Union insurance ban that began in July.

But the downside of relying only on NITC vessels has started to show, with delays piling up as the transport volumes stretch the capabilities of the Iranian firm’s fleet. “The delivery dates

fleet, including a $1.2 billion order to have 12 super-tankers to be built in China, has been delayed.

However, Chinese buyers are unlikely to slap punitive measures on from the Iranian side as their contracts do not stipulate such penalties, Chinese sources said.

“We can’t do much about that for now. But it’s an issue we will discuss internally soon,” said a third source. It was not immediately clear whether the delays would force China to scale back on its Iranian oil imports but they could cap Chinese plants’ appetite for additional supplies beyond contract volumes, they said.

China and Iran agreed in June to use NITC vessels to supply oil on a

West suspects Iran wants to build an atomic bomb, but Iran says its aim is peaceful.

At 520,000 barrels per day, the Iranian shipper would have to provide eight very large crude carries (VLCC) each month to meet China’s needs alone. A round-trip voyage between Iran and China takes about 48 days.

“Sometimes a cargo could arrive more than 10 days behind schedule, making it difficult for plants to manage inventories,” said a second Chinese oil official. “It actually has started to affect refinery productions.”

NITC has a fleet of 39 oil tankers including 25 VLCCs, but the shipper also uses some of its vessels for floating storage. Its plan to expand its

have become very unpredictable,” said one Chinese buyer who declined to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

“This has become quite a headache.

It shows their shipping capacity is really over-stretched.”

At 15.5 million barrels a month, or roughly 520,000 barrels per day, China alone would account for almost half of Iran’s total exports last estimated by the International Energy Agency at 1 million bpd in July.

Iranian oil exports have plunged from a year-ago figure of some 2.3 million bpd because of tough Western sanctions aimed at choking off Tehran’s oil revenue in a bid to halt its controversial nuclear program. The

delivered ex-ship basis (DES), which sets settlement prices at the point when the oil leaves the tanker in the Chinese port and requests the seller to provide third-party insurance to cover indemnities for oil leaks and personal injuries.

Since July 1, the European marine insurance market that dominates the sector has stopped covering vessels carrying Iranian oil. China’s Iranian crude oil imports in July fell nearly a third from an 11-month high in June, customs data showed. Imports in the first seven months were down 22 percent on the year, largely due to cuts made in the first quarter due to disputes over the 2012 supply contracts. —Reuters

Saudi seeks bids for Midyan gas plant Riyadh refinery upgrade in pipeline KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia: State oil giant Saudi Aramco has opened bidding to develop a plant to process gas from the Midyan field to supply a power plant, industry sources said, as the world’s largest oil exporter moves to stop burning crude oil and diesel to generate electricity and power industry.

Seven companies will submit their offers by the end of November to build the plant, to have a processing capacity of 75 million standard cubic feet per day (scfd) of gas and a pipeline to a power plant in the western port city of Dheba, one of the sources said.

Aramco and Total start testing Jubail refinery DUBAI/KHOBAR: Saudi Aramco and France’s Total have started testing their new refinery at Jubail, three sources with knowledge of the project said, raising the prospect of full operation of the $14 billion facility ahead of a scheduled start-up in the third quarter of 2013.

Saudi Aramco Total Refinery and Petrochemicals Company (SATORP) has fired up the boilers at the plant, designed to reduce Saudi reliance on imports and meet rapidly rising fuel demand. The company hopes to bring the first of two crude distillation units (CDU) online before year-end, the sources said.

One of the sources said the new facility could be fully operational in the second quarter. Top oil exporter Aramco relies heavily on imported gasoline and gasoil and plans to boost domestic refining capacity from 2.26 million bpd to 3.5 million bpd by 2016. “The project is in pre-commissioning stage,” one Saudi-based industry source said.

A spokesman for SATORP said the project was on schedule but gave no other details. A Total spokesperson contacted by Reuters had no immediate comment.

“Boilers have already started. The first 200,000 bpd CDU is going to start before the end of the year, that is what the JV is targeting,” a second industry source said, adding that the second CDU was due to be brought online in the first quarter of next year.

bid by Oct 20 for the project, estimated to cost around $300 million, to produce cleaner fuels.

The state-owned firm has embarked on a program to upgrade its refineries to produce cleaner fuels. It spent $2 billion for a clean fuels project at its joint venture refinery with USbased Exxon Mobil due to be operation in 2013.

The project is expected to cut sulfur content for gasoline by 2013 and for diesel by 2016. The second phase of the upgrade involves plans to start cleaner fuels and aromatics production at its largest crude oil refinery in Ras Tanura by 2016. —Reuters

In January, Aramco’s CEO Khalid Al-Falih identified Midyan as one of the new gas fields in the northwest area to produce gas for power plants and potentially to supply other industries in a region rich in iron ore deposits. Saudi Arabian Mining Co (Maaden) plans to invest 21 billion riyals ($5.6 billion) in a phosphate project as part of a new industrial city in the north.

However, the phosphate ore is located near a gas field in Jalamid where extensive exploration is taking place. Aramco also invited companies to bid for the upgrade of Riyadh’s 124,000 barrels per day oil refinery. Companies are due to

The joint venture’s chief executive said last September he expected the refinery to be fully operational in December 2013, although in Saudi Aramco’s 2011 annual review published last May, this was brought forward to the third quarter of 2013. Saudi Arabia’s domestic fuel consumption has been booming because of a growing population and economy. Heavy government subsidies that make retail fuel prices some of the lowest in the world have also helped stoke demand. “Aramco wants to become as self-sufficient as they can as quickly as possible,” the second industry source said. The state-run company is building two more refineries apart from SATORP; one near the Red Sea city of Yanbu with China’s Sinopec, and another at Jizan, near the border with Yemen. All will produce cleaner fuels and some petrochemicals. It has also started upgrading existing refineries with a $2 billion project at a joint venture with US-based Exxon Mobil due to be in operation in 2013.

Jubail will refine Saudi heavy crude into a range of fuels from gasoline to petroleum coke-for domestic consumption and export.

Around 54 percent of the project’s output will be diesel and jet fuel, with an estimated quantity of 11.4 million tons per year.

Annual gasoline and petcoke production is estimated to be around 2.8 million tons and 2.1 million tons respectively. —Reuters

COLOMBO: Foreign visitors look at gems during an international gem and jewelry exhibition in Colombo yesterday. The opening was marred when a Chinese visitor was caught swallowing a $13,800 worth diamond he had stolen from one of the exhibition stalls. —AFP

Euro bank retreat raises costs for Abu Dhabi’s Emal DUBAI/LONDON: Emirates Aluminum (Emal) will have to pay much higher rates to borrow money from banks to help finance a $4 billion smelter expansion due to the impact of the euro-zone crisis on infrastructure lending in the Middle East.

Emal, a joint venture between Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala and Dubai Aluminum, aims to raise about $2.8 billion via the loan. The company will also invite banks to pitch for a bond mandate at the end of September, banking sources said on Wednesday, a sign that companies are having to turn to bond investors for cash as the euro crisis makes bank loans more difficult to access.

The loan portion of the finance package, currently being studied by banks, will cost Emal more than double what it paid for financing on the first phase of the smelter. Pricing on the 15.5-year loan, earmarked to raise around $2.8 billion, starts at 225 basis points and increases to 300 bps over the life of the loan, two bankers said, speaking on condition of anonymity as the information is private.

This is up from the 70 bps - 130 bps margin Emal paid on the $4.9 billion loan that backed the first phase of its Abu Dhabi-based aluminum smelter in 2008. The price hike reflects the shift in the Gulf ’s project finance market, where cheap, abundant liquidity from European banks is no longer available because these lenders are grappling with a host of problems related to the

euro crisis, including the high cost of access to US dollars.

“It is fairly realistic pricing and banks are reasonably confident that they can get it for that sort of level,” one Middle Eastern banker said. NonEuropean banks are expected to provide a large chunk of the loan funding, with Japanese banks in particular lining up to back the deal.

One European banker said two firms with an existing relationship to Emal, Bank of TokyoMitsubishi and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, could put down $500 million between them.

Local banks, including National Bank of Abu Dhabi, First Gulf Bank and Union National Bank, are also likely to join the deal, with the possibility of others which have not ventured into the project finance market since the economic crisis, such as Emirates NBD, joining, the banker added.

Responses to the loan proposal are expected at the end of September, with the invite to pitch for the bond expected around the same time, three bankers said. The bond amount is still to be determined but could raise up to $1 billion, depending on market conditions and investor demand, two bankers said. If the bond reaches that amount, the final loan figure will be scaled back slightly.

Project finance bonds are a rarity from the Gulf Arab region because of their complexity and also

because projects have traditionally had strong backing from banks as lenders. But as lending sources have dried up, other fundraising methods are being explored.

The bond’s structure will be a so-called 144a issue, according to one project finance banker, which means it will be open to institutional investors in the United States who are familiar with the long-term, complex nature of infrastructure bonds.

Abu Dhabi’s Shuweihat 2 independent water and power plant (IWPP) project may launch a bond by the end of September as part of a $2.2 billion refinancing plan, sources told Reuters this week.

Emal’s expansion finance will also include around $500 million from four export credit agencies - Export-Import Bank of the United States, France’s Coface, Germany’s Hermes and the Export-Import Bank of Korea - Project Finance International, a Thomson Reuters publication, said last month.

The second phase will boost Emal’s production by approximately 1.3 million metric tons by 2014. The metals producer announced in March that it was aiming to double its exports to the United States by the end of this year in response to a growing automotive industry, targeting 250,000 metric tons from 100,000 metric tons in 2011. —Reuters

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Egyptian pounds US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian dollars Danish Kroner Swedish Kroner Australian dlr Hong Kong dlr Singapore dlr Japanese yen Indian Rs/KD Sri Lanka rupee Pakistan rupee Bangladesh taka UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi Riyal/KD Omani riyals Philippine Peso

.2740000 .4440000 .3520000 .2930000 .2830000 .2870000 .0040000 .0020000 .0763380 .7437430 .3870000 .0720000 .7291070 .0430000

.2860000 .4560000 .3560000 .3040000 .2950000 .3040000 .0067500 .0035000 .0771060 .7512180 .4100000 .0780000 .7364350 .0510000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2812000 .2833000 .4467140 .4500500 .3546490 .3572980 .2953010 .2975060 .2853660 .2874970 .0475960 .0479520 .0420700 .0423840 .2888770 .2910340 .0362540 .0365250 .2259540 .2276420 .0035880 .0036150 .0000000 .0051370 .0000000 .0021480 .0000000 .0030010 .0000000 .0035000 .0765900 .0771620 .7461850 .7517580 .0000000 .4007070 .0750070 .0755670 .7306740 .7361310 .0000000 .0068120

Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal

3.720 289.700 555.300 46.100 48.700 167.800 48.580 358.300 37.300 5.370 0.032 0.162 0.236 3.700 400.680 0.191 93.620 44.500 4.350 229.300 1.831 49.900 734.450 3.080 6.970 78.210 75.490 228.350 36.500 2.693 452.400 43.800 300.200 4.300 9.400 198.263 77.090 283.100 1.360 GOLD

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar

SELL CASH 291.900 751.940

SELL DRAFT 290.400 751.940

10 Tola 1,801.710

Sterling Pound US Dollar

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 450.400 282.700

3.450 288.200

228.300 46.328 356.800 36.980 5.065 0.031

400.650 0.190 93.620 3.210 227.800

734.270 2.998 6.755 77.780 75.490 228.350 36.500 2.134 450.400 296.700 4.300 9.240 76.990 282.700

UAE Exchange Centre WLL COUNTRY Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro US Dollar Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

SELL DRAFT 292.57 290.76 299.49 357.40 282.30 451.28 3.68 3.464 5.059 2.136 3.173 2.992 76.93 751.67 46.34 402.18 734.71 77.96 75.49

SELL CASH 310.000 289.000 297.500 357.000 283.150 449.000 3.630 3.560 5.350 2.310 3.650 3.150 77.400 750.000 48.600 400.000 736.000 78.000 75.850

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

Selling Rate 282.350 289.783 448.796 355.568 296.226 747.514 76.852 77.502 75.258 398.014 46.362 2.132 5.091 2.976 3.451 6.736 692.609 4.599 9.071 4.379 3.264 90.008

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. Currency Rate per 1000 (Tran) US Dollar 282.700 Pak Rupees 2.979 Indian Rupees 5.082 Sri Lankan Rupees 2.139 Bangladesh Taka 3.459 Philippines Peso 6.780 UAE Dirhams 77.075 Saudi Riyals 75.545 Bahraini Dinars 751.500 Egyptian Pounds 46.315 Pound Sterling 453.900 Indonesian Rupiah 2.990 Yemeni Riyal 1.550 Euro 360.100 Canadian Dollars 292.500 Nepali rupee 3.200

Al Mulla Exchange Currency US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal

Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 282.400 356.600 450.200 288.000 3.620 5.058 46.320 2.136 3.455 6.735 2.985 751.750 76.950 75.450

*Rates are subject to change

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

business Commodity Update

Commodity markets ended higher in Aug

By Ole S Hansen

C

ommodity markets finished a strong month of August with an added boost given by Chairman Bernanke last Friday. In a long awaited speech, he left the market with the impression that additional stimulus could be implemented to spark economic growth and employment. Before the next Federal Open Market Committee meeting on September 12-13, at which time such measures might be announced, we will keenly watch the monthly US employment report on Friday.

Another strong reading like last month could sway the FOMC towards doing nothing, particularly if the FOMC considers the adverse impact that easing might have on an asset class like commodities, where food and energy prices are trading close to yearly highs at a time of weak global activity.

The DJ-UBS commodity index rose 0.5 percent over the week and returned 1.3 percent during August.

The positive return was driven by precious metals, especially silver and gold, which both broke higher. The energy sector came second, following a bounce in natural gas, while both Brent and W TI crude have settled into ranges following a strong rally during the early parts of August. Industrial metals suffered losses as Chinese economic data continues to weaken, with iron ore in particular taking the brunt, falling another 10 percent last week after having dropped by almost one quarter during August. A small agriculture sector gain was driven by cocoa and livestock, as recent strong momentum in corn has begun to slow.

Hedge funds Investors in gold exchange traded products have continued to increase their exposure to gold and silver both before and after the recent move higher. Gold ETPs added 364k ounces during the last week of August to a new record of 79.1 million ounces (moz). This took the monthly inflow to 2.07 moz and 3.32 moz over the year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. While these investors have been busy pulling their wallets out, hedge funds and other large investors have been much more reluctant, as lack of momentum and a month-long period of range trading has reduced interest.

That was until recently, when this leveraged investor segment finally jumped back to life, reacting to the rise in prices. During the two week period ending August 28,leveraged investors increased their net long exposure through futures and options by almost 5 moz, according to the CFTC. This was the biggest jump since July 2011 and it has brought their net long position up to 16.7 moz, still below the 2012 peak of 22.2 moz and the all-time high of 28.9 moz recorded one year ago. Silver has been even more impressive, with speculative long positions through futures more than doubling during the same two-week period. The speech by Chairman Bernanke on Friday initially triggered a small selloff, as no concrete new measures were announced. But the fact that the market quickly found support below 1,650 ahead of the 200 day moving average, and subsequently rallied by more than 40 dollars, indicates to me that many, regardless of the outcome, stood ready to pick up the yellow metal if lower prices emerged. Gold now probably needs some time to consolidate, especially ahead of the European Central Bank meeting this Thursday and the very important monthly job report from the US on Friday. Main support still lies below 1,630, the top of the previous range, and the 200 day moving average at 1,642 while. Initial resistance will be offered ahead of 1,700 followed by the March 12 high at 1,717.

Iron ore the big loser The price of iron ore, one of the two main components in the production of steel, dropped by almost one quarter during August thereby bringing the year to date loss to more than one -third. Slowing demand for steel in China, the world’s largest consumer, combined with already high volumes of stock

in Chinese ports looking for a home have done most of the damage to prices. Being such a key component in global manufacturing it highlights the weakness in this area and the market will be looking out for some additional Chinese stimulus to help clear inventories and bring support to the price.

Until that happens the price, currently trading at an almost three year low at 89 dollars per ton is likely to remain below $100 per ton.

Brent crude oil is currently stuck between 111.50 and 116.50 as supply side worries and geo-politics continue to lend support despite bearish fundamentals of weak demand and adequate supplies.

Manufacturing activity in China is contracting faster than expected while hurricane Isaac caused no major damage to the supply system and following a brief period of WTI crude outperformance the discount to Brent crude widened again to the current level above 18 dollars as production resumed.

The stand-off between Iran and Western countries over its nuclear attention will not go away especially not after the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) estimates that Iran has now doubled production capacity at its main nuclear site.

While Iran continues to deny that the use is for militar y purposes the patience among Israeli politicians is wearing thin as the window of opportunity for an attack is slowly closing.

Whether an attack will cause a major spike in oil prices mostly depends on what response it will trigger from Iran but until the situation changes, spike or not, a risk premium is being priced in at current levels.

The US government is also getting trigger happy but more in terms of triggering the Strategic Petroleum Reserve button. The relentless rise in gasoline prices which now for the third time in little over a year is approaching the physiological level of $4 per gallon has raised concerns about the impact on US consumers and the Presidential election campaign which is now underway.

The other major members of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the organization itself have so far been very reluctant in joining this call, primarily from running the risk that it could be seen as being politically motivated and therefore have limited impact. The last release during the Libyan war in 2012 did not manage to get the lasting impact which was hoped for and the IEA would not want to be seen as not being able to successfully manage such a release. The US accounts for almost half of all SPR. For the coming week the attention will turn to the ECB meeting on Thursday and the US unemployment repor t on Friday in order to see whether additional (supporting) monetary stimulus is forthcoming.

The weaker dollar in recent weeks has also supported the energy sector but with recent data pointing towards speculative investors now being net short of dollars for the first time in almost one year, any worsening situation could drive investors back into the dollar and out of commodities.

Speculative positioning as of August 28 was almost unchanged at 108 million barrels in Brent crude while money managers increased their net long position in WTI crude by 8 percent toa four month high at 190 million barrels.

Grain markets take stock Slowing upside momentum in corn and wheat triggered some profit taking in the two grains last week while soybeans continued to see new record highs. Soybeans are driven by continued strong export numbers with demand rationing still not evident. Wheat lost some of its recent support as the Russian government’s food security commission announced that, despite a sharp reduction in output following a summer of drought, there were no plans to limit exports.

Overall high prices in all three grains will be necessary to protect diminishing global stock levels. Corn is probably the one most exposed to profit taking given the size of the speculative long position. Any correction however below $7.82 should probably find new buyers thereby cushioning and halting the fall fairly quickly. — Saxo Bank

Gulf investors see value in post-revolution Egypt Positive sign for country’s battered economy DUBAI/CAIRO: After shunning Egypt for over a year because of political instability, Gulf Arab investors are returning to the country, lured by signs that politics are settling down and by the opportunity to buy assets at beaten-down prices.

The interest of Gulf Arabs, who tend to be more familiar with Egypt’s political dynamics and business culture than Western investors, is a positive sign for the country’s battered economy - especially since some Western firms are pulling out of Egypt because of financial pressures in their home markets. “There has been a renewed improvement in Gulf investor appetite for Egypt this year. This is not confined just to the financial industry - the pick-up has been across sectors,” said Declan Hayes, managing director for transaction services at Deloitte Middle East, a consultancy.

Egypt’s immediate economic prospects remain difficult. The economy barely grew last year because of industrial unrest and capital flight that followed the ousting of authoritarian president Hosni Mubarak in February 2011. The International Monetary Fund predicts economic growth of just 1.5 percent this year - not nearly enough to make a dent in high unemployment. The country’s new Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, elected in June, faces tensions between his Muslim Brotherhood and the military. Egypt has still not managed to write a new constitution, and parliamentary elections may need to be held after a court annulled the results of polls early this year.

Many Gulf investors now appear willing to accept such risks, however, because they think Mursi’s election has at least started the process of solving the problems. Mursi has redefined his relations with the military by dismissing two top generals. He has also taken the politically courageous step of asking the IMF for a $4.8 billion loan, larger than the $3.2 billion which Cairo was previously discussing, and visited China last month to discuss investment.

“The recent moves by the president to rejuvenate the military leadership and remove a potential

political deadlock have created confidence,” said Ahmed Badreldin, senior partner and co-head of large-capital private equity at Dubai-based Abraaj Capital, the region’s biggest private equity firm.

“The visit to China is one such example of reinforcing the message that Egypt is open for business, and that investors’ rights will be maintained and preserved.”

An Egyptian company in Abraaj’s portfolio, Al Borg Laboratories, agreed last month to merge with Al Mokhtabar Laboratories to create what it said would be the largest medical diagnostics business in the Middle East and South Asia.

One sign of improving business confidence is the rebound in Egypt’s stock market, which climbed this week to its highest level since June 2011, up 53 percent so far this year - though it is still 24 percent below last year’s peak.

The easiest pickings for Gulf investors in Egypt appear to be banking operations put up for sale by European lenders, which are retrenching globally.

Flush with cash because of high oil prices, banks from the Gulf do not need to seek near-term profits in Egypt; they can take the long view, counting on Egypt’s population growth to deliver profits down the road.

French bank Societe Generale said last week that it had entered preliminary talks with Qatar National Bank (QNB) to sell its 77.2-percent stake in its Egyptian arm, National Societe Generale Bank.

QNB may be obliged to make a mandatory offer to minority shareholders which would see it acquire the entire bank, Egyptian investment bank EFG Hermes said, adding that the Qatari lender might end up paying as much as $3 billion for the unit. BNP Paribas, another French lender, is seeking initial bids for the sale of its Egyptian retail arm, which could generate between $400 million and $500 million, sources familiar with the sale process said.

Interest in this deal is coming mainly from banks in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar as well as Turkey, bankers said, declining to

be named because they were not authorized to speak to media.

“We are telling our Gulf banking clients that this is probably the best opportunity ever for them to get into Egypt by buying quality assets at attractive prices,” a Dubai-based banker said.

Meanwhile QInvest, a Qatari investment firm part-owned by the state, plans to acquire EFG Hermes after last year’s economic turmoil left the Egyptian bank with little means to expand across the region.

Sectors other than banking are also in play as Gulf investors anticipate Mursi’s government will beef up infrastructure projects and policies to expand discretionary spending by a young population of about 80 million. Some projects will be funded by the investors’ own governments; Saudi Arabia and Qatar have pledged several billion dollars of aid to Egypt in recent weeks. “The interest is not confined just to the financial industry the pickup has been across other sectors including energy, oil and gas, consumer staples and in some cases, renewable energy-related investments,” said Deloitte’s Hayes.

Saudi food group Savola bought out the remaining stakes it did not own in two Egyptian companies late last year as part of a regional expansion plan.

Saudi-based private equity firm Amwal Alkhaleej, which has stakes in Egyptian companies such as Arab Cotton Ginning, is looking at another Egyptian investment, its chief executive said in an interview in April.

Infrastructure is another area which Gulf investors are expected to enter, if Cairo can offer the necessary administrative support and legal protections.

“Going forward, and with Egypt’s rising infrastructure needs from roads to power stations, we see increased foreign and Arab investor participation in these sectors, especially if a compelling public-private partnership framework is put in place,” Abraaj’s Badreldin said. —Reuters

Cash flows into Egyptian banks curb repo demand

PAMPLONA: State School teachers protest against cutback plans in Spanish state schools as they hold up banner reading: ‘not enough jobs, too much corruption’, in Pamplona, northern Spain yesterday.—AP

OECD says Spain has the right to a bailout MADRID: Spain deserves European Union support and has the right to ask for a bailout to unlock required finances over the next two-to-three years, OECD chief Angel Gurria said yesterday.

The head of the rich nations’ club spoke as spiraling borrowing costs pushed Spain towards a financing cliff, with about 30 billion euros ($38 billion) in debt repayments due in October alone.

The European Central Bank has said it will curb high rates by purchasing stricken eurozone states’ bonds-but only after they have formally asked for a euro-zone bailout with strict conditions.

Asked whether Spain would make such a request, Gurria told Spanish public radio RNE: “It is an option, it is a way.” If the euro-zone powers agreed that Spain must request financial help before the ECB can act, “then, indeed, we can consider a mechanism in which Spain makes a request for help,” he added.

“Spain has some requirements for additional resources in the next years while it reduces its deficit,” said the head of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

If Spain requested help, it would be within its rights, the OECD secretary general said, noting its membership of the euro-zone and of the International Monetary Fund.

“It would be doing something that is within its rights, which others have already done, and on the other hand the difference is that Spain has already done most of its homework.” Gurria urged Europe to support

Madrid. “The important thing is that Spain has done practically everything that at a given time would be necessary as conditionality to be deserving of that support,” he said.

“Spain deserves the support of its brothers and sisters in the EU for the stabilization of interest rates so it does not pay seven percent while some other members pay negative rates.” The need to stabilize interest rates was not a Spanish matter alone, Gurria added. “It is a systemic matter.” The OECD secretary general noted that Spain had already secured a euro-zone rescue loan of up to 100 billion euros for its banks, flooded with bad loans since a 2008 property market crash.

If, in addition to the banking rescue, Spain decided to ask for a bailout, and the ECB intervened in the bond markets to stabilize borrowing rates, then there would be action “on three levels,” Gurria said.

ECB president Mario Draghi said last month that the bank would buy enough bonds on the open market to attack the “financial fragmentation” that has led to such a wide variance in interest rates.

But the central bank would only help governments that had applied formally to the euro-zone’s bailout funds and agreed to submit to their strict conditions. Draghi vowed to design the mechanism “over coming weeks,” leading to expectations that the details will be ready for an ECB meeting Thursday, after which he will address the press. Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has refused to indicate whether he will seek such help. “When I know exactly what is on offer I will take a decision,” he said last week. — AFP

CAIRO: Demand for the Egyptian central bank’s repurchasing agreement (repo) facility has fallen back after shooting up in June, indicating that short-term pressure on the banking system may be easing as more money flows into the country.

The government introduced the facility in March last year to boost liquidity in Egypt’s turbulent financial markets a month after President Hosni Mubarak resigned in the wake of a popular uprising. The flight of foreign investors after the uprising forced the government to fund its burgeoning deficit - now running at about 8 percent of gross domestic product - b y relying mainly on local banks, whose lending capacity was rapidly stretched to its limit.

In June, repos outstanding surged to almost 38 billion Egyptian pounds ($6.23 billion), equivalent to more than a quarter of the government’s annual budget deficit. They have since fallen back to about 12 billion pounds.

The repo facility pumped more money into the banking system. But it also increased the government’s already high cost of financing its deficit by allowing banks to temporarily sell treasury bills that yield 12.75 percent or more to the central bank at only 9.75 percent interest. Over the last few months, liquidity problems have eased, particularly after the government received loans and pledges from Gulf states of more than $5 billion. Tourism has also improved and oil prices have fallen.

This appears to have taken some of the pressure off banks, although deposit figures for the period are not yet available, analysts and traders say.

“Liquidity is improving at the margins. You’ve seen a little bit of foreign interest in local T-bills and a little bit more liquidity showing up in the stock market,” said Simon Kitchen, an analyst at EFG Hermes. “How sustainable it is, I don’t know.” “Plus, the political outlook is clearer, which may have encouraged foreign investors to take the plunge as well,” he said. The amount of repo transactions peaked at 37.9 billion pounds on June 12 and remained above 30 billion for the rest of the month, apparently caused in part by a squeeze on the resources of both the government and state banks ahead of the close of the fiscal year on June 30. Immediately into the new fiscal year, the size of repo transactions began decreasing, falling to 22.3 billion pounds on July 3. This week the amount had fallen to 12 billion pounds.

Liquidity was further improved by a two percentage point decrease in the reserve requirement on local currency deposits that took effect on June 26.—Reuters

ABIDJAN: The new President of the World Bank Jim Yong Kim (center) bids farewell to Ivorian Industry minister Dosso Moussa (left) and Ivorian Finance minister Charles Diby Koffi (right) at Abidjan airport yesterday.—AFP

BOE to refrain from more QE stimulus LONDON: The Bank of England is expected yesterday to refrain from pumping more cash into the British economy, despite news that it remained stuck in recession during the second quarter, economists said.

The central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), which begins a two-day meeting yesterday, is also forecast to maintain its key lending rate at a record low 0.50 percent, where it has stood since March 2009. All nine MPC members voted last month to keep interest rates at 0.50 percent and continue with its quantitative easing (QE) program worth £375 billion ($584 billion,

476 billion euros). However, minutes from the meeting revealed the QE decision was “finely balanced” for some policymakers, amid Britain’s worsening recession and ongoing fallout from the euro-zone debt crisis. Most economists expect more QE cash this year-but the BoE is likely to wait until its most recent cash injection of £50 billion, announced in July, is completed in November.

“With the £50 billion of extra asset purchases announced in July still underway, there is no immediate pressure on the MPC to do more this month,” said Capital Economics analyst Vicky

Redwood. “Nonetheless, the increasing sense of gloom about the UK’s dismal economic performance has increased pressure on policymakers to do more to boost growth. “We still expect more quantitative easing (QE) and an interest rate cut to be announced in November.” Under QE, central banks create new cash to purchase assets, such as government and corporate bonds, with the aim of stimulating lending and economic activity.

Meanwhile, annual consumer price inflation spiked to 2.6 percent in July but the central bank predicts it will fall towards the target level by the end of the year. — AFP

24

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

business

Oil slips to $114 on growth concerns LONDON: Brent crude oil slipped to around $114 a barrel yesterday on worries over economic growth and ahead of a European Central Bank (ECB) meeting expected to announce new measures to tack le the region’s debt crisis. ECB President Mario Draghi is expected to back up his pledge to do “whatever it takes” to save the euro when he presents details today of a new bond-buying plan designed to ease the deepening eurozone crisis.

Investors also awaited US jobs data on Friday for clues on the health of the world’s biggest economy. A soft jobs report could strengthen the case for a third round of monetary easing (QE3) from the Federal Reserve when it next meets in September.

Since late 2008, the Federal Reserve has bought $2.3 trillion in long-term securities in a drive to spur growth, indirectly pumping billions into assets markets and injecting huge liquidity into oil and commodities and boosting prices.

Brent crude futures for October fell 30 cents to $113.88 a barrel by 1030 GMT. US crude futures slid 20 cents to $95.10. “We are seeing some volatility as the political rhetoric around Europe continues ahead of tomorrow’s (ECB) meeting,” said Guy Wolf, macro strategist at brokers Marex Spectron in London.

“Political noise is to be expected, but Draghi is likely to prevail - the alternative is not something European politicians appear prepared to contemplate.” Carsten Fritsch, oil analyst at Commerzbank in Frankfurt, agreed, saying market expectations of positive ECB action should under-

pin oil and commodities prices, at least in the short term. “The market hopes the ECB will do something special to solve the euro zone’s problems,” Fritsch said. Worries about economic growth moved centre stage after data showed that US manufacturing shrank at its sharpest clip in more than three years last month, while separate releases showed exports and hiring in the sector also slumped. The next big test for the US economy will be the August unemployment data. The median forecast in a Reuters poll is for a gain of 120,000 jobs, down from 163,000 in July.

The data is crucial as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in a speech at a Fed symposium last week said the weak job market and 8.3 percent unemployment was a “grave concern”.

Investors were paring expectations from the ECB’s today meeting, after driving markets higher on hopes it will detail a bond-buying plan to help out its crisis-ridden members.

Germany’s Constitutional Court will rule on Sept. 12 whether the euro-zone’s bailout fund is compatible with German law, and the ECB may not be able to do anything significant until then.

Hopes for ECB bond buying had been raised on Monday after Draghi said that short-term sovereign bond purchases would not breach European Union rules.

Oil prices were supported by the dispute between Iran and Israel after the leader of Lebanese Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah said Tehran could hit US bases in the Middle East in response to any Israeli strike on its nuclear facilities. — Reuters

DOJ language crushes BP oil spill settlement hopes Analyst revives BP break-up suggestion LONDON: Hopes BP can settle early out of court on liability for its 2010 US Gulf oil spill looked forlorn yesterday after US prosecutors laid out a legal case for gross negligence on which tens of billions of dollars hang. In the two years that have passed since the spewing Macondo deepwater well was capped, the Depar tment of Justice (DoJ) has made it clear BP may have a gross negligence case to answer - implying a potential $21 billion fine on top of other payments, some already made, others yet to be determined.

The British oil company has been vehement in denying such liability for the United States’ worst offshore environmental disaster, which killed 11 people and poured crude into the sea for months. It repeated that position after the DoJ filing on Tuesday.

Nevertheless, the parties have been in talks about a multi-billion dollar settlement that could cover outstanding liabilities, and two months ago the Financial Times raised expectations there was a deal in the air by reporting that BP was hoping to pay $15 billion to put the case behind it, while the DoJ was holding out for $25 billion.

The window of opportunity for a deal before the November presidential election and ahead of a trial scheduled to start in January has narrowed since then, and now investors see the weight of uncertainty on the British oil company’s share price sticking around for a long time to come. “The market

was hoping that some sor t agreement would be reached, either before the presidential elections or ahead of the trial,” said Ivor Pether, a fund manager at Royal London Asset Management.

“We don’t know when or whether they will reach agreement, but the aggressive language in today’s DOJ statement might well reduce the chances of a swift settlement.” BP shares were down 4 percent on Wednesday morning at 419 pence after 39 pages of DoJ court papers homed in on a key well pressure test, saying the way it had been “so stunningly, blindingly botched in so many ways, by so many people, demonstrates gross negligence”.

Uncertainty over whether BP can continue to operate in Russia, and whether it can even exit its business there at a decent price, have combined with the oil spill wrangle to put BP’s share valuation based on earnings at a discount to the sector in Europe, even though it is the second largest next to Royal Dutch/Shell.

“While these (DoJ) accusations are not entirely new or surprising, they appear to be a firming of the DoJ language,” said Credit Suisse analyst Kim Fustier in a note.

“This suggests to us that a settlement acceptable to BP is not imminent, and lowers BP’s chances of settling in the low end of the $15-25 billion range.

Hence, if it cannot get to a satisfactory agreement we think it might be best for BP

to continue to litigate, which would maintain the Macondo overhang for longer than we’d hoped... We believe a settlement or $20 billion or less would be a positive.”

Pressure for closure on the spill and in Russia is something chief executive Bob Dudley has become used to since he took over from Tony Hayward in the aftermath of the spill.

And yesterday, one analyst revived suggestions that the company should be broken up to release underlying value on the business.

“We re-iterate that the best outcome for long suffering BP shareholders, and indeed the only credible route to unlock our increased SoTP (sum-of-the-parts) value of 732 pence, is a demerger of remaining assets starting with the US,” said Investec analyst Stuart Joyner in a note.

That valuation is more than 68 percent higher than BP’s current share price based on Tuesday’s closing price of 437 pence, and suggests there could be $90 billion of hidden value in a stock valued at around $132 billion. Other analysts’ calculations based on pre-Macondo comparisons with rival Shell have put total lost value at between $60 and $70 billion. “BP died when it failed to cap the Macondo spill in the first few days,” said Joyner. “The CEO did a good job of saving BP from forced liquidation, but we do not believe he can revert to its pre-Macondo strategy.” — Reuters

Turkey’s trading bet on its Arab neighbors pays off

By Tim Reid urkey has identified a very unique selling point as a European country - it would like to project itself as an emerging Asian market with a very strong position in the Middle East. It should. It is. It has.

For a nation that spent much of the 20th century seeking adoption from Europe and being spurned, it has spent much of this century rediscovering old trading relationships with its Eastern neighbors that has proved to be a very wise and fruitful bet as Europe wallows in austerity triggered by the Great Recession while $100 oil has spurred an economic boom in the energy-rich Arab states.

Turkey ’s relationship with the nations of the Middle East has historically faltered between periods of ambivalence and periods of engagement, but the constant has been a layer of mistrust emanating from both ends of the neighborhood that appears to be set aside on this occasion of rapprochement - at least for the time being.

Turkey’s desire to join the EU had previously prompted it to distance itself from the Arab world, however, since 2001 Turkey’s attitude towards the Middle East and North African region has changed dramatically. The Turkish government has pursued a policy of active engagement in Middle Eastern affairs that has gone a long way to position Turkey as a major economic player in the region.

Turkish investment in the MENA region has grown from approximately $5 billion to more than $34 billion in just under a decade, a period in which saw per-capita income in Turkey almost triple as it enjoyed Asian-Tiger style economic growth.

Turkey ’s expanding trade with MENA now accounts for approximately a fifth of Turkey’s external trade and for $12bn or 7.5% of foreign direct investment into Turkey-this trade is not solely driven by the usual sectors: construction, vehicles, foodstuffs and textiles.

A cornerstone of Turkish policy, defined by the foreign minister as “zero problems with the neighbors”, has delivered bountiful rewards over the past five years with Turkish firms securing close to $20 billion-worth of contracts on some of the largest construction schemes in the Gulf States. The deals

T

include the $2.1bn contract secured by YapiMerkazi for work on the Haramain High-Speed Rail Network in Saudi Arabia and Baytur’s $800m contract for work at King Khalid University in Saudi Arabia. Perhaps the most symbolic example of this new regional partnership was in June when Turkey’s TAV Insaat led a consortium that included two of the largest Arab contractorsArabtec Holding and Consolidated Contractors Co. - to win a $3 billion contract to build the new terminal at Abu Dhabi International airport, which is the largest construction contract ever awarded in the UAE. Turkish contractors have a few

Tim Reid, Head of Commercial Banking, HSBC MENA inherent advantages when competing in the GCC market against more established regional and global players that should see this trend of success continue-they have some very capable companies that have moved up the quality curve and are as good as their international counterparts, but cheaper. Their cost advantage is bolstered by a geographic and cultural proximity advantage.

The influence of Turkish culture in the Arab world has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, and has helped create a positive image of Turkey among the average person in the street in the Middle East. Turkish television soap operas have become massively popular across MENA from Morocco to Iraq, as millions of Arabs

stop everything each day to view the latest episode of shows such as ‘Hareem Al Sultan’ and ‘Fatima’.

The tumultuous Arab Spring, which over the last 18 months has seen social unrest and governments overturned in many Arab countries, has not disrupted Turkey’s engagement in MENA. If anything the opposite has occurred as it has allowed Turkish companies to demonstrate their unwavering long-term commitment to their partners in the region.

The result of this could be seen in the speed with which Turkish exporters have found new channels to the lucrative Gulf markets-the first cargo-ferry vessels left Turkey at the end of April to take Turkish goods to the Gulf Arab states via Egypt.

Making use of Egypt as a logistics hub, Turkish firms could significantly boost their exports to MENA.Turkey is now planning to establish a logistics center in Alexandria to allow Turkish exporters to continue to supply the Gulf markets as well as Africa. In addition, the government is considering setting up a second logistics center near the Libyan border.

Turkey is a major energy importer, consuming some $60 billion of oil and gas imports a year that account for about two-thirds of the country’s current-account deficit. Energy security has become a central tenant of government policy, resulting in support for projects such as the proposed oil and gas export pipelines from Iraqi Kurdistan, which reinforces the need for closer trade ties with Turkey’s Middle Eastern neighbors from where it will continue to need to source more and more of its hydrocarbon needs. Energy could anchor this new found partnership for Turkey presents Arab oil exporters with a useful alternative to ever-more treacherous sea routes as the old Ottoman foe is increasingly at the crossroads of world energy trade. Due to tanker traffic through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, Turkey has become an important north-south oil transit route, and the Baku-TbilisiCeyhan oil and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipelines, as well as oil from Iraq, make Turkey an important east-west route as well.

• Tim Reid is Regional Head of Commercial Banking, HSBC MENA.

Miner Lynas gets Malaysia rare earths plant approval KUALA LUMPUR: Australian miner Lynas yesterday said it had secured a temporary operating license for its delayed $800 million rare earths facility in Malaysia and will begin production in October.

Receipt of the temporary license will enable Lynas to commence the transport of rare earths concentrate and prepare for the first feed to kiln, which is expected in October, the firm said in a statement. The plant in eastern Pahang state has been dogged by protests from environmentalists and residents over concerns of radiation for the past two years and they have threatened to organize a blockade of the refinery.

It has also become a political issue in Prime Minister Najib Razak’s home state

ahead of elections that must be held by the middle of next year.

“Like everyone at Lynas, I am eagerly anticipating the safe commencement of operations at the LAMP (Lynas Advanced Materials Plant) and being able to supply our customers with product,” executive chairman Nicholas Curtis said. The Lynas plant was ready to begin operations nine months ago but production was delayed due to strong public opposition with legal challenges by residents still pending.

Local MP and senior opposition figure Fuziah Salleh, who has driven the anti-Lynas movement, told AFP the move by the government showed complete contempt for the courts. “Even though it is not illegal, it is completely

unethical as they are jumping the gun,” she said.

Andansura Rabu, who leads the Stop Lynas Coalition of residents, said he was shocked by the decision given the next court date is on Monday. “We are thinking of that and will call a meeting on what to do next,” he told AFP when asked if they would follow up threats of blockading the plant.

The refinery is set to become one of the few sites outside China to process rare earths-metals used in high-tech equipment ranging from missiles to mobile phones. Malaysia’s Atomic Energy Licensing Board granted the temporary license for the plant to begin operations for an initial two-year period under strict safety requirements. — AFP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

BUSINESS

ECB may disappoint on new anti-crisis measures FRANKFURT: Financial markets risk disappointment if they expect the European Central Bank to unveil a cure-all for the euro-zone’s seemingly never-ending debt crisis this week, analysts warned yesterday.

Expectations are running high for the regular monthly policy meeting of the ECB governing council on Thursday after ECB chief Mario Draghi suggested last month the central bank “may” reactivate a contested program to buy up the sovereign debt of euro-zone countries, albeit under strict conditions that are still in the process of being worked out.

But since then, German central bank chief Jens Weidmann has launched a publicity counter-offensive against any such measures. Furthermore, Germany’s Constitutional Court is scheduled to give its opinion on Europe’s anti-crisis tools next week, so Draghi will likely opt to hold his fire for now, analysts suggested.

“Those looking for the ECB to announce explicit details (on the bond-buying program) are likely to be disappointed,” said UniCredit economist Marco Valli. “Don’t expect too much, for now. Draghi will-

News

and should-remain vague” on the bond-buying program, Valli said.

The ECB launched its Securities Market Program (SMP) in May 2010 to help debt-wracked euro-zone countries that were finding it difficult to drum up financing in capital markets, and has since accumulated 208.5 billion euros ($260 billion) in bonds issued by Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Italy and Spain.

But the program was controversial from the start, with two top German officials resigning from the ECB in protest, and the SMP has lain dormant for much of this year.

Bundesbank chief Weidmann-who insists he is not the only person to suffer “stomach pains” about the program-argues the scheme, which has succeeded in bringing down the borrowing costs of crisis-hit countries, is tantamount to monetary financing, where the central bank prints money to pay off a country’s debt. That is expressly forbidden under the ECB’s statutes.

Weidmann also fears the measures will fuel inflation, ease the pressure on over-spending governments to get their finances in order and erode the ECB’s independence.

Berenberg Bank economist Holger Schmieding said Draghi’s “hardline opponents will probably force him to accept compromises that will restrain the ECB’s intervention.” Speaking before the European Parliament’s committee for economic and monetary affairs this week, Draghi provided some hints as to what the revamped SMP might look like. He signalled that the ECB would limit the eligible maturities to a maximum of three years.

Another condition might be that countries wishing to benefit would have to request a bailout from one of the euro-zone’s rescue funds, the EFSF or the ESM, to ensure they continue their reforms.

Newedge Strategy analyst Annalisa Piazza said market players “who expect the ECB to start the new assets purchase as soon as possible are likely to be extremely disappointed as the ECB action will be linked to political developments out of its direct control.”

And DekaBank’s Kristian Toedtmann similarly said “we shouldn’t expect a ‘big bazooka’ from Draghi.” Of course, the ECB has other tools at its disposal to help fight the crisis fires, such as a reduction in key euro-zone interest rates.

Australian growth ebbs

SIA to start daily Yangon service SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines (SIA) said yesterday it will start a daily service to Yangon in October to meet growing business and tourist demand for flights to Myanmar’s largest city. The announcement by one of the world’s top airlines comes amid growing international interest in once-isolated Myanmar, which launched political reforms after ending nearly half a century of military rule last year. “Demand has been growing strongly for both business and leisure travel to Myanmar, and Singapore Airlines looks forward to serving the country for the first time,” SIA executive vice president Mak Swee Wah said in a statement.

Engine fumes halt Japan Dreamliner takeoff TOKYO: Japan’s All Nippon Airways aborted the takeoff of a Boeing Dreamliner yesterday after what appeared to be white smoke was seen billowing from the plane’s left engine. The 787 was moving onto the runway at Okayama airport bound for Tokyo when clouds of fumes were seen behind the engine, television footage showed.

“We are confirming what happened. At this point, we believe it was due to a glitch with the hydraulic system,” an ANA spokesman told AFP. “Oil from the hydraulic system leaked onto the heated left engine. Because the engine is hot, the oil was vaporized, like mist,” he said.GLGL Bulgarian economy grows 0.3% in Q2 SOFIA: Bulgaria’s economy expanded 0.3 percent in the second quarter of this year compared to the first three months, the national statistics office said yesterday, raising preliminary data released last month. On August 14, it had put growth at 0.2 percent. Compared to the same period of last year, gross domestic product (GDP) was up 0.5 percent during the three months ending June, it said. The government has forecasted 1.4 percent growth for the full year, while the European Union has been more cautious, predicting 0.5 percent.

German 10-year bond issue hit by low demand FRANKFURT: An issue of German benchmark 10year bonds attracted low demand yesterday as investors held back in a volatile environment pending key decisions from policymakers, central bank data showed. In an issue of 5.0 billion euros ($6.25 billion) worth of 10-year bonds or “Bunds”, only 3.93 billion euros in bids were received, of which 3.61 billion euros were allotted, said the German Bundesbank, which organized the sale.

Mining-fuelled economy hit by global woes

PERTH: A container ship sitting berthed in Fremantle Harbor near Perth. Australia’s mining-powered economy grew 0.6 percent in the three months to June, slightly below forecasts, and 3.7 percent from a year earlier, weighed by China’s slowdown and European woes. — AFP

Moody’s maintains Malta’s ‘A3’ rating VALLETTA: International ratings agency Moody’s maintained yesterday its “A3” rating on government bonds issued by Malta, along with a negative outlook despite Valletta’s successful fiscal policies.

“The first driver of Moody’s affirmation of Malta’s government bond rating is the success of the government’s 2010 consolidation strategy,” a Moody’s statement said.

The euro-zone member has brought its 2011 public deficit below the limit of 3.0 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), and the agency believes that Malta will stabilize its debt, “curbing further deterioration of key credit metrics.” But Moody’s also noted “the continued presence of significant macroeconomic and fiscal downside risks,” underscoring that “the consolidation strategy is mostly underpinned by additional revenue raising measures, and appears to be optimistic given the weaker economic environment at home and abroad.”

A spokesman for Malta’s finance ministry told AFP: “The government has successfully achieved its goal of reducing the fiscal deficit.

“While (Moody’s) maintains a negative outlook on Malta’s sovereign rating because of what is happening around us it expresses confidence that Malta will further narrow its deficit and sustain its successful consolidation strategy,” he added. But the government will also face costs linked to restructuring of the national carrier Air Malta, utility subsidies and “the current stage of the political cycle, with the deficit traditionally widening in pre-election periods,” Moody’s noted. It also identified a “risk of fiscal slippage in 2012” owing to weak business activity across the 17-nation euro-zone. The finance ministry said the government was committed to reducing the budget deficit further by the end of the year, a move it said was crucial to ensuring stability and continuing to attract investment and jobs.—AFP

UK banks face rules to curb mis-selling incentives LONDON: Britain’s banks have 18 months to stamp out incentives that encourage the misselling of financial products or face “intrusive” action, the Financial Services Authority said yesterday. UK banks have been hit by a string of scandals in the last 20 years for inappropriate selling of products, such as insurance, home loans and pensions, to customers who often did not need them. Compensation for mis-sold loan insurance alone will cost the banks 9 billion pounds ($14.3 billion).

Martin Wheatley, the FSA’s managing director, told a Thomson Reuters Newsmaker event it was time to tackle incentives for sales staff as banks were no longer serving customers properly. “Some time ago, this changed - financial institutions have changed their view of consumers from someone to serve to someone to sell to,” Wheatley said. Wheatley said banks could no longer expect to make heady returns and should get back to offering “plain vanilla products” that customers can understand.

The FSA has started enforcement action against one company over its sales incentives to stop what he called the “pile it high and sell them cheap” approach seen across the industry.

“If we think in a year to 18 months’ time the industry has not cleaned up its act, then we will revisit it in a much more intrusive way,” Wheatley said. “The question is how intrusive we need to be,” Wheatley told Reuters.

New rules could make certain that the FSA’s “new, fairer, approach is hard-wired into the way firms do business, and enforceable if they disre-

Since the crisis re-erupted late last year, the central bank under Draghi has brought benchmark borrowing costs down to an all-time low of 0.75 percent.

Additional easing might be on the cards if the euro-zone economy-which already contracted by 0.2 percent in the second quarter-weakens further.

Nevertheless, economists are divided as to whether further rate cuts will be announced this week.

Paul Donovan at UBS said he was pencilling in such a move but analysts at RBS were not so sure.

“We continue to believe that a rate cut at this week’s meeting is highly unlikely on the grounds that the governing council unanimously rejected a rate cut last month,” they wrote in an investors’ note. “Germany doesn’t need a rate cut right now and a rate cut won’t save Spain. The governing council is moving on the non-standard front and we think it is unlikely (they) will fire all its precious ammunition in one meeting,” RBS wrote.

Schmieding at Berenberg Bank agreed.

“The ECB’s aim is to make existing monetary policy work, not to make it even more accommodative,” he said. — AFP

gard them”.

He said cultural change was needed at the top of firms to tackle poorly designed incentive schemes that boost the earnings of the sales person but “too often result in customers being sold products they do not need or cannot use”.

The FSA will attend more bank board meetings and raise its concerns when it meets bank chiefs collectively each quarter to end a “disconnect” between CEOs’ willingness to correct shoddy sales practices and the apparent lack of action on the ground. The FSA was not aiming to ban commission but to put pressure on banks to have the right sales incentives, as piling on prescriptive rules could encourage them to find ways round them, hence the emphasis on cultural change, he added.

Wheatley is due to make recommendations on Sept. 28 on better supervision and governance for setting the benchmark Libor interest rate, which Barclays was fined $453 million for rigging. Wheatley declined to comment on his public consultation on proposed reforms to Libor which ends on Friday.

“I have a busy weekend ahead,” he said.

The FSA has already shown its teeth in changing culture at the banks. Chairman Adair Turner helped to force the resignation of Barclays chief executive Bob Diamond in July, saying he was not the right person to bring about a cultural change after the bank admitted manipulating Libor.

Financial consumer champion Martin Lewis told the Newsmaker that Wheatley’s pledge to

intervene in how banks “flog stuff” to consumer was music to his ears, but the challenge would be to deliver.

The FSA also published a review of sales incentives at 22 banks, insurers and investment firms, with most showing deficiencies that encouraged mis-selling.

“What we found is not pretty. Most of the incentive schemes we looked at were likely to drive people to mis-sell in order to meet targets and receive a bonus, and these risks were not being properly managed,” Wheatley said. The review found many examples of poor sales practices, such as “first past the post” incentives, where the first of 21 sales staff to reach a target could earn a “super bonus” of 10,000 pounds.

Another firm slapped big incentives on staff to sell the more expensive products to customers, despite claiming to offer impartial advice, the review said.

The watchdog also saw a sales person lie about the price of a product to increase his bonus, while another rushed through sales before the end of a quarter to avoid a pay cut.

Some firms intentionally “turned a blind eye” to mis-selling risks, while others that linked bonuses and other pay to the volume of sales needed to “dramatically” improve their standards, the FSA said. The FSA review recommended rewarding good compliance with appropriate sales rules. Bonuses could also be reduced when sales volumes approach a certain level so there is no incentive to push through more sales. — Reuters

CANBERRA: Australia’s growth slowed to 0.6 percent in the second quarter which the government said yesterday showed the nation’s mining-fueled economy is not immune from global woes.

The growth for the April-June quarter was down sharply from the 1.4 percent expansion reported for the first quarter of the year. The Australian Bureau of Statistics figures also showed that the economy grew 3.7 percent for 12 months through June, with mining, finance and insurance industries the largest contributors.

Treasurer Wayne Swan said the prices for Australia’s most lucrative exports to a cooling China - iron ore and coal - had fallen more than the government had forecast in May when it announced its economic blueprint to return the nation’s coffers to surplus in the current fiscal year.

He said the drop in commodity prices, if sustained, would make it harder to balance the nation’s books in the current fiscal year, which began on July 1. But the government remained committed to delivering Australia’s first budget surplus since the global economic crisis.

While the mineral prices boom had passed, the investment boom in Australia’s resource industry was continuing. Some companies had recently shelved mine expansion plans, but projects worth 260 billion Australian dollars ($265 billion) remained in the investment pipeline, many of them at an advanced stage, Swan said.

“That is something that’s an important economic driver for our country not just now but for a long time to come,” Swan told reporters. “They are decisions which are largely locked in, making that investment pipeline more resilient to ongoing global volatility,” he said.

He described the June quarter figure as a “stunning achievement” during three months when some European economies contracted and US growth remained subdued. “Our economy and our budget are not immune from these international influences and we are not complacent about the challenges that we face at home,” Swan said. The latest quarter marks 21 years since Australia’s last recession, the longest period of continual growth in the country’s history. — AP

H&M calls for higher wages for Bangladesh workers DHAKA: Swedish fashion giant H&M, the world’s second-largest clothing chain, has called for the Bangladesh government to raise wages at export factories that employ three million garment workers.

During a visit to Dhaka, H&M chief executive Karl-Johan Persson inspected a factory where workers make clothes for the company on wages starting at $37 a month-a figure that often triggers violent strikes. “We want the workers to be treated in a good way. Being a responsible company, we see low wages in the industry is a major point that is close to our heart and a major concern,” Persson told reporters on Tuesday evening.

“We demand that the Bangladeshi government increase minimum wages and consider yearly wage reviews for the workers,” he said after visiting a plant and meeting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Bangladesh garment exports were worth $19 billion last year, or 80 percent of total national shipments, and the sector is the mainstay of the country’s economy, employing 40 percent of its industrial workforce.

The export business relies on low labor costs but is plagued by frequent unrest over demands for better wages, which are set by the government after consultations with factory owners and trade unions. In June, more than 300

factories that make clothes for brands including H&M, Wal-Mart and Gap were shut down for over a week as tens of thousands of workers rioted over low wages, complaining of rising rent and food costs.

At least 100 people were injured in the clashes and dozens of plants were damaged. Factory owners rejected the demands, saying the minimum wage had risen 80 percent in two years and that further increases would threaten their survival. H&M bought apparel worth $1.5 billion from Dhaka last year, making the company the biggest European buyer of Bangladeshi goods, according to a local exporters group.

Asked whether H&M could insist on higher pay, Persson said that the company wanted “a long-term relationship with the suppliers... but we want the workers to get fair wages as well”.

According to the Clean Clothes Campaign, a Brussels-based textile rights group, a Bangladeshi worker needs about $130 to cover monthly living expenses due to rapid inflation.

Minimum wages were first introduced in Bangladesh in 1994. Since then they were reviewed twice in 2006 and 2010 after deadly protests. Many workers live in communal dormitories and save up money to take back to their families and home villages. — AFP

MANILA: A customer (right) buys vegetables at a farmers market in Quezon City, suburban Manila yesterday. Inflation surged to a seven-month high of 3.8 percent in August, the government said, owing to a disruption to food supplies caused by deadly floods at the start of the month. — AFP

26

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

business MINI Cooper S AVENUES

Limited edition model oozes Middle Eastern style KUWAIT: Get ready for another MINI exclusive. Created especially for and inspired by the Middle East, the MINI Cooper S Avenue Edition is stylish, daring and on sale now in Kuwait.

From exclusive body colours to Arabesque designed exterior and interior features, this special edition of the threedoor MINI is the ultimate embodiment of beauty and style - oozing Middle Eastern flare and standing out in every detail.

MINI enthusiasts can place an order for the new MINI Cooper S Avenue Editions at Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive showroom in Shuwaikh.

The most striking features of the exterior design are the body finish in a choice of two exclusive colours - Highclass Grey and Laguna Green metallic - and special twin blade 17-inch light alloy wheels sporting a

multi-spoke design. Other highlights include Soda wing mirror caps with an avant-garde hologram design and matching Arabesque bonnet stripes and side scuttles.

Luxury meets functionality inside the MINI Cooper S Avenues Edition. Passengers can sit back and relax in Arabesque trimmed Soda leather lounge satellite seats which ooze style and complement the exterior Highclass Grey colour and trims. A multi-colored, multifunctional MINI Sport

Steering Wheel in Carbon Black and Satellite Grey complements the leather seats perfectly while the instrument panel in Leather Black and Satellite Grey further enhances the high-quality look and feel of the limited edition model.

Optional MINI Cooper S Avenues Edition extras available include the Wired Package, offering Navigation, Voice Control, Bluetooth and exclusive MINI Connected dashboard features. The Chili Package offers customers velour floor mats, fog lights,

British Airways offers double frequent flyer points for Middle Eastern travelers KUWAIT: British Airways is offering double Avios frequent flyer points for Executive Club members on flights to the UK, Europe, USA and Canada for bookings made until 30 September 2012. The double points offer is valid for travel between 2 September 2012 and 31 March 2013.

British Airways Executive Club members would normally expect to collect a minimum of 2,894 Avios points by booking the Kuwait-London route. This special offer would entitle them to double those points and get them even closer to booking a reward flight, an upgrade, a hotel stay, or car rental.

Avios points are the currency of British Airways’ loyalty program, Executive Club. Frequent flyers collect Avios when they fly either with British Airways or their partner airlines. They can also collect Avios on hotel stays, holidays and car rental, and even when they are shopping, through deals with a wide range of partners.

Paolo De Renzis, Regional Commercial Manager, Middle East said: “British Airways offers great value for customers, whether flying to the UK or other destinations in the network. The flights are well timed for connections beyond the UK, giving passengers ample opportunity to

make use of the facilities at the awardwinning London Heathrow Terminal 5.

“British Airways’ great value fares on flights to the UK, Europe, USA and Canada combined with double Avios make September to March an ideal period to plan a well-deserved holiday, make a business trip or travel abroad to see family and friends.”

During this booking period fares to the UK and Europe start from just KD 1,038 in Club World (business), KD 442 in World Traveller Plus (premium economy) and KD 272 in World Traveller (economy). Fares to the USA and Canada start from just KD 1,377 in Club World, KD 746 in World Traveller Plus and KD 382 in World Traveller (economy).

British Airways’ Executive Club is free to join and provides a range of benefits, including exclusive access to special offers and promotions. Avios can be redeemed for flights, hotels, upgrades and more. Members can register their details for easy booking and save meal and seat preferences, while those in the higher membership tiers receive priority check-in, seat selection, lounge access and even free spa treatments at Heathrow and JFK. To become an Executive Club member, book flights and check schedules, visit ba.com

Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive launches AC cleaning campaign on Land Rover vehicles

KUWAIT: Ali Alghanim and Sons Automotive Company, the exclusive agent and distributor for BMW, MINI, Rolls Royce, Land Rover and McLaren, launched Air Condition cleaning campaign on Land Rover vehicles which will last till the end of September.

Yousef Al-Qatami, General Manager of Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive said “This comprehensive procedure is to ensure the air conditioning system is performing exactly as it should be, keeping your Land Rover cool, comfortable and fresh all summer long. The promotion costs only 29 KD and takes around only 1 hour to complete. This expert cleaning is performed by Land Rover trained technicians and we would like to welcome all our customers to take advantage of this offer, which lasts till the end of September”.

He added, “This campaign is part of Ali

Alghanim & Sons Automotive Company’s strategy to provide unparalleled aftersales service to compliment the brand.

Land Rover is a highly prestigious brand in Kuwait and our aim is to make sure it receives the after-sales service it deserves.

This is made possible through a team of highly qualified technicians, latest technology and Genuine Land Rover parts”.

Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive Company believes providing excellent After-sales service plays a vital role in gaining unmatched customer trust and loyalty. This is reflected in the company’s efforts to launch yearly after-sales campaigns such as the Brake campaign and Air Condition Cleaning campaign.

The service is offered at Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive, Land Rover service centre in Shuwaikh for which the operating hours are Saturday to Thursday 07:00am 05:00pm.

automatic air conditioning, an on-board computer and a multifunction steering wheel.

The MINI Avenues edition is available as MINI Cooper S variant only and is powered by a l.6-litre 135 kW/184 bhp fourc ylinder engine with Twin Scroll turbocharger, direct petrol injection and variable valve control. The power unit, which is featured for the first time in the new MINI Cooper S, impresses with spontaneous power delivery.

UAE shipping sector a calm port in the storm Global port throughput slows due to recession he location and sophisticated transport infrastructure of the United Arab Emirates has made it a transit point for the global movement of cargo, by sea, land, and air, as well as a crossroads for world trade. Recent estimates indicate that around 14% of the UAE’s GDP is now being generated by the supply chain and logistics sector. The importance of this sector: the shipping and ports and cargo industries in particular, cannot be underestimated.

These industries form an integral part of the Emirates’ economy and are in the enviable position to have weathered the crises, both financial and political, that have played havoc with so many other sectors, to a degree that few other industries can match.

At the start of the global financial crisis in 2008, the World Bank reported the total throughput of UAE ports at 14,756,127 TEU [twenty foot equivalent container units].

According to a World Bank report, the container port traffic in the Emirates 2009 was 14,425,039 TEU, which although it constituted a slight slowdown in volume still marked an increase in its share of global container traffic. By 2010, World Bank data reported the UAE’s total container traffic at 15,174,023 TEU, an increase of 748,984 TEU, despite the impact of the global economic slowdown, making it clear that the sector saw growth even during the downturn.

The deepening fears of recession that plagued 2011 also impacted the UAE’s trade prospects as, by mid-year, major organizations including the World Bank and the OECD - were predicting a downturn in all the major world economies and the euro-zone crisis began to affect demand out of China and as a result the UAE in its capacity as a conduit for East-West flows of goods. Yet, while the annual growth rate of global port throughput almost halved from 14.7 per cent in 2010 to around 7.2 per cent in 2011, the change in the Middle East was only from 9.0 to 6.0 per cent for the same period.

Fast-forward to 2012 and the prospects for the UAE’s shipping and ports industries are definitely looking more than merely promising. With the global economy finally showing signs of stabilizing and the increase in globalization and offshore sourcing, supply chain management is becoming an increasingly important segment of many businesses. The result is that the global demand for seaborne containers is expected to increase by 4 to 6 per cent in 2012; with AsiaEurope trades possibly showing lower increases, while higher increases are foreseen on northsouth trades.

The increasing size of vessels deployed on the Asia-Europe port calls will further strengthen the position of the UAE as a major transhipment hub in the region. The key reasoning behind this statement is that in an atmosphere of slow demand/growth and increasing size of vessels, shipping lines would consolidate container distribution at a hub port like Khorfakkan and feeder these containers to final destinations. This would have the advantage of cutting costs for shipping lines as any cost advantage of using large vessels would be lost if they would call multiple ports with lower vessel utilization.

Commenting on the future of ports and shipping in the UAE and GCC region, Peter Richards, Managing Director Gulftainer, the largest privately owned port operator in the world, based in Sharjah, remarked, “The Middle East will continue to grow as it has done over the last few years. Growth over the last decade has been encouraging at over 12% and, with more trade with the fast growing BRIC nations, the Middle East is set to enjoy continued success. With the predicted GDP growth in the Middle East over the next 5 years ranging between 4% and 10% and with container volumes typically in excess of GDP growth, we will see a continued and strong progression in the Middle East. There may have

T

to be some rationalization of capacity or cooperation of Lines together, but this will not mean a reduction and it will most likely lead to larger vessels and the need for terminal operators to plan for this.”

Established in Sharjah in 1976, Gulftainer manages and operates the container terminals in Port Khalid and Khorfakkan on behalf of the Sharjah Port Authority, as well as handling operations and logistics in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi, where it manages the facility on behalf of the international plastics company, Borouge. Well known and respected for their commitment to excellence and innovation, Gulftainer’s list of accolades and achievements include their Khorfakkan Container Terminal (KCT ), which recently underwent a major expansion, being named named ‘Shipping Port of the Year’ at SCATA, the Annual Supply Chain and Transport Awards, in 2011. They are also represented on the Board of Directors of the Arab Federation for

Freight Forwarders And Logistics (AFFFAL), which serves as an as advisory body to the Council of the Arab Ministers of Transportation.

Additionally, the Iraq Ports Authority awarded Gulftainer the concession to operate and manage container facilities in Umm Qasr Port, the key marine gateway to Iraq. Terminal operations started on Berth 8 in August 2010 and a new terminal, Iraq Container Terminal, with a capacity of 600,000 TEUs is set to commence operations in 2012.

The latest exciting development for the Gulftainer Company is a move into the Russian market following the signing, in late 2011, of a major joint venture agreement with Prominvest, the financial and investment arm of the Russian State Corporation, Russian Technologies. A number of projects are currently under development/review by Gulftainer which could lead to a possible investment of up to $275 million in the region.

Qatar Airways launches global sale at midnight DOHA: Qatar Airways is offering customers in Qatar and around the world with great savings to more than 100 destinations during its latest three-day global sale.

The 72-hour marathon sale, which started at 0000 hrs on Sept 4, local time in each market) and ends at 2359 hrs on September 6 (local time in each market) offers customers the opportunity to travel to a variety of destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas at very attractive fares.

To make a booking or for more information, visit qatarairways.com/3-day-sale.

The travel window is extremely generous over a six-month period between September 10 and March 13 next year.

Seats are limited and subject to availability.

The special fares are applicable to destinations across Qatar Airways’ network worldwide.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said: “Whether travelling for leisure or business, the three-day sale provides customers the opportunity to visit popular destinations and discover newlyintroduced routes available on our rapidly expanding network.

“Qatar Airways’ success is largely due to the suppor t of our customers. The Global Sale is our way of thanking our loyal passengers for their continued support, and provides the opportunity to welcome new travellers and give them a great travel experience onboard the world’s best airline.”

Qatar Airways, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, has seen rapid growth in just 15 years of operations, currently flying a modern fleet of 111 aircraft to 118 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America.

Since the beginning of 2012, Qatar Airways has launched flights to Baku (Azerbaijan); Tbilisi (Georgia); Kigali (Rwanda); Zagreb (Croatia), Erbil (Iraq), Baghdad (Iraq), Perth (Australia) and Kilimanjaro (Tanzania).

Over the next few months, Qatar Airways will launch services to a diverse portfolio of new routes, including Yangon, Myanmar (October 3); Maputo, Mozambique (October 31); Belgrade, Serbia (November 20); Warsaw, Poland (December 5) and Chicago, USA (10 April 2013).

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

technology

Cyber-threats set to become number one business risk DUBAI: Cyber-threats are predicted to be to be the number one risk to businesses within the next two years, according to the latest survey from B2B International in conjunction with Kaspersky Lab. The survey, involving over 3,300 IT specialists in 22 countries worldwide, found that cyberthreats were viewed as second only to economic uncertainty in terms of current busi-

ness risk with the gap quickly closing.

Other IT security risks identified as amongst the top three concerns of organizations surveyed included the theft of intellectual property (cited by 31% of participants) fraud (26%) and industrial espionage (24%).

Although such threats existed long before malware emerged, data theft, fraud

and industrial spying are all now typically conducted through cyber-attacks. The picture painted is of an environment under siege, with an alarming 41% of businesses acknowledging themselves less than ready to face cyber-threats.

For companies, effective protection from current levels of cybercrime means implementing unified security policies

across the organization, as well as building a comprehensive system for the entire IT infrastructure.

Kaspersky Lab can provide this level of cyber-security through a range of effective business solutions to ensure the security of important network nodes (file and mail servers) and workstations running under Windows, Linux or MacOSX. Protecting

data on smartphones connected to corporate networks is also critical and is accomplished by Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Smartphone. Managing the entire IT security infrastructure is handled through a single console provided by Kaspersky Security Center. The effectiveness of Kaspersky Lab’s solutions in combating cybercrime is widely known.

Apple event invites hint at iPhone 5 debut Consumers delaying iPhone 4S purchases

Canon launches four PIXMA All-In-One printers DUBAI: Canon Middle East announces the launch of four compact All-In-One PIXMA printers which feature comprehensive new software offerings designed to enhance the printing experience. The new PIXMA MP230, MG2250, MG3250 and MG4250 are optimised for printing documents from the internet and photo lab quality images at home.

The printers are the first PIXMA models to include, as standard, My Image Garden, a one-stop platform that combines all software currently available for Canon PIXMA printers into a single, easy-to-use interface.

The intuitive software also includes a range of new, advanced, user-friendly features, such as Automatic Suggestion, Automatic Layout and Face Recognition.

In addition, the printers are compatible with Print Your Days, Canon’s new Facebook app for PCs that has been designed to make it easy to send and print photos directly from Facebook to a Canon PIXMA printer without the need for any additional software. The app includes tools to allow users to automatically adjust photo layouts and create unique collage prints with up to five photos printed on a page. It also provides a range of style and editing options to add a further creative twist to photo printing.

Creative Park Premium1, Canon’s free resource for downloading and printing cards, printable crafts and stationery, is also available through My Image Garden and features a new, easy-to-use photo selection process that enables users to display, download and print images through a single user interface. New content from the likes of National Geographic and NASA is now available, including beautiful photos that can be used to create calendars and a selection of printable crafting templates for building 3D space shuttles.

All four new PIXMA printers feature Auto Power Off and a new Auto Power On setting, which makes printing from a powered-down state quick and convenient.

Documents or photos can also be sent from a wireless device and printed with ease without the need to manually switch the printer on beforehand, or off after printing. Quiet Mode, also available on the new PIXMA models, provides the option of a quieter printing experience.

PIXMA MP230 The new PIXMA MP230 is an affordable printer with print, scan and copy functions, perfect for first-time printer owners, students and young families looking for a home printer. With a stylish matte black design and compact footprint, the printer requires only minimal desk space and comes with print speeds of ISO ESAT 7.0ipm for mono and 4.8ipm for colour prints.

The MP230 produces high quality docu-

ments with 4800dpi print resolution using Canon’s FINE cartridges and also takes the economical XL cartridge size. The MP230 also offers ChromaLife100+ when used with genuine Canon paper and inks, for long-lasting, beautiful photos.

PIXMA MG2250 The new MG2250 is a competitivelypriced printer with print, scan and copy functions, and features a seven-segment LCD display. Perfect for those looking for a compact and affordable printer for personal use, the MG2250 features Canon’s FastFront design, saving desk space and making it quick and easy to replace ink cartridges and paper.

The PIXMA MG2250 prints at ISO ESAT 8.4ipm in mono and 4.8ipm for colour images. It can print 10x15cm borderless photos in approximately 44 seconds. When copying or printing, users can also select to print either two or four pages on a single sheet of paper, reducing the total number of printed pages required for larger documents and helping to reduce overall paper consumption and ink costs.

The MG2250 takes Canon’s FINE cartridges as well as the economical XL cartridge size. It prints at up to 4800dpi resolution and also offers the ChromaLife100 system, producing quality, long-lasting photos.

PIXMA MG3250 The PIXMA MG3250 includes all the features of the MG2250 but offers faster print speeds of 9.2ipm for mono and 5.0ipm for colour images. The MG2250 also features built-in Wi-Fi and a free smartphone and tablet app for printing photos and scanning, to give greater printing flexibility around the home. For the environmentallyconscious user, the MG2250 also features Auto Duplex (double-sided) printing which can cut paper costs by up to 50%.

PIXMA MG4250 The PIXMA MG4250 is a feature-laden, compact, All-In-One printer. It comes with a 6.2cm colour TFT display for printing easily without a PC and also offers a broad range of connectivity options. The MG4250 features built-in Wi-Fi and the PIXMA Cloud Link, which includes direct access to Picasa online albums, Web Template Print and Google Cloud Print. This flexibility to connect over a range of wired and wireless technologies provides users with the freedom to print from almost anywhere in the home and from a host of wireless devices.

With fast print speeds of 9.9ipm for mono and 5.7ipm for colour prints, the MG4250 prints high quality documents and photo lab quality prints quickly. Auto Duplex Print provides the option to print double-sided, helping to cut paper costs by up to 50%.

White House ‘apps’ tuned for mobile gadget lifestyles WASHINGTON: The White House rolled out upgraded “apps” to stay in tune with smartphone and tablet lovers as the Democratic National Convention got under way on Tuesday. Improved applications for mobile gadgets powered by Apple or Android software were synched with a WhiteHouse.gov overhaul to make the website more conducive to visits from people using smartphones or tablets.

“We’re excited to announce some big changes to the way you connect with the White House,” Peter Welsch said in a WhiteHouse.gov blog post. “We’ve relaunched the entire White House mobile program, making it even easier to see what’s going on at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”

Visits to WhiteHouse.gov from mobile devices have tripled in the past two years, reaching 15.17 percent of overall traffic to the website, according to Welsch, deputy director of online platforms for the Office of Digital Strategy. Mobile application features include live video streams of White House events and notifications of breaking news.

The release of the free smartphone and

tablet mini-programs came as organizers of the official campaign to re-elect President Barack Obama announced a CommitToVote application tailored for Facebook users.

Members of the leading social network can use the application to make online vows to vote and then remind friends to do the same, according to a Twitter message from @BarackObama, an account run by the president’s campaign staff.

Obama ran the most technology-savvy US political campaign in history four years ago, leveraging social networks, email, text messages and other media to build a vast volunteer and fundraising operation.

During his 2008 campaign, Obama relied heavily on the Internet to power his bid for office, and he is expected to do so again in the coming months. The White House is an active user of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, Foursquare and other services.

Early this year, while announcing an initiative to make key government services accessible using smartphones or tablets, Obama said “Americans deserve a government that works for them anytime, anywhere, and on any device.” — AFP

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple invited members of the media to a September 12 event in San Francisco for what is expected to be the debut of a new-generation iPhone. Email invitations bore the cryptic message, “It’s almost here,” and a large number “12” casting a shadow that appeared to be the number five, suggesting that the event would spotlight the long-anticipated iPhone 5.

Leaks and rumors portray the new iPhone as having a larger touch-screen than its predecessor and say that it will be available by the end of the month.

Demand for what is being referred to as “iPhone 5” is likely to be hot, with analysts convinced that many people in the market for handsets have put off purchases to wait for the latest offering from Apple.

“While our checks indicated consumers are delaying iPhone 4S purchases in anticipation of the iPhone 5, we anticipate an LTE iPhone 5 with a new hardware form factor will result in record iPhone sales,” Canaccord Genuity brokerage firm said in a note to investors.

Apple shares ended the official trading day at $674.97 and then inched up to $675.25 in aftermarket trades. Samsung mobile phones remained the most popular in the United States

with 25.6 percent of the market, but third-place Apple gained ground to claim 16.3 percent as of the end of July, according to industry tracker comScore.

LG ranked second with 18.4 percent of the US mobile phone market. Smartphones powered by Google’s Android software continued to dominate with 52.2 percent of the US market, but Apple’s iOS was the second most popular smartphone platform with 33.4 percent, comScore reported. Apple is expected to host a separate media event in October to unveil a new, smaller version of its wildly popular iPad. The 10-inch iPad has long dominated the tablet market, but faces a growing challenge from smaller models like Amazon’s Kindle Fire, the Google Nexus 7 and the Samsung Galaxy.

Analysts believe Apple will launch an “iPad mini” later this year in a move that could allow the company to again best its global rivals despite the death last year of visionary founder Steve Jobs.

Microsoft, Google and Amazon.com are out to grab spotlights ahead of the Apple event with announcements of their own this week. Nokia and US giant Microsoft are hosting a media event in New York City yesterday, most likely to launch one or more smartphones using the

Windows Phone 8 operating system.

Nokia on Tuesday unveiled a free music streaming service for US customers with its Lumia handsets, without ads, as the firm seeks to gain traction in the smartphone market. Nokia, once the leader in mobile phones, has been losing market share as consumers move to smartphones powered by Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android operating system.

The Finnish company’s new strategy is phasing out its Symbian smartphones in favor of a partnership with Microsoft. That alliance has produced a first line of Lumia smartphones, which Nokia is counting on to help it survive in a rapidly changing landscape.

Google-owned Motorola Mobility and US telecom titan Verizon Wireless will host their own New York City event yesterday, with analysts predicting they will introduce a beefed-up Razr smartphone powered by Android software.

A day later, Amazon.com is expected to debut a new version of its popular Kindle tablets at an event in Southern California. Meanwhile, Taiwanbased consumer electronics titan HTC plans a September 19 event in New York City, at which it is expected to unveil slick new smartphones powered by Microsoft’s new Windows 8 mobile software platform.— AFP

Manage data more efficiently with new Xerox DocuMate 3125 DUBAI: Xerox Corporation today announced the Xerox DocuMate 3125, a new compact, sheetfed document scanner that quickly converts paper documents, plastic cards and forms into searchable digital files that can be securely saved to a computer or in the cloud. By scanning images directly to the cloud, users can easily collaborate and share files while working in multiple locations.

The Xerox DocuMate 3125 scans up to 25 pages per minute (ppm) and 44 images per minute (ipm) in duplex mode and includes a 50page automatic document feeder (ADF) that accepts various-sized items from business cards to A4 documents. Double Feed Detection (DFD) technology increases confidence while scanning by notifying the user if more than one page is scanned at a time. DFD prevents unexpected dropped pages due to forgotten staples or adhesives. The Xerox DocuMate 3125 has an exceptionally small footprint of 11.2” x 6.7” x 6.5” with ADF and output paper trays that can be folded closed when not in use. Visioneer OneTouch(r), a software utility, is included to make scanning from the unit’s front panel easy and flexible with the touch of a button. “ The new Xerox DocuMate 3125 was designed to meet corporate compliance requirements, streamline workflow and improve overall office productivity,” said Dan Smith, Head of Integrated Marketing for the Middle East and Africa region of Xerox’s Developing Markets Operations. “It is an extremely affordable solu-

tion for organizations looking for ways to constantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations.”

Instant Cloud Storage Options Visioneer CONNEC T is a set of links for Visioneer OneTouch that enables users to scan and automatically upload paper documents to popular cloud destinations with the touch of one button. The following OneTouch cloud links are certified and available for free download: Google Docs(tm), Evernote(r), FilesAnywhere(tm),

OfficeDrop and DropBox. Intuitive Productivity Software The DocuMate 3125 includes bundled software that improves information accessibility, management and collaboration by: • Protecting sensitive information such as contracts & pricing, agreements and human resources employee files.

• Streamlining expense report and receipt submissions.

• Increasing security and control of paper document and ID card capture for Healthcare applications.

The software bundle includes Visioneer Acuity to provide advanced image enhancement. Visioneer DriverPLUS to enable sophisticated integration with your operating system and applications, with advanced options for consumer and enterprise customers. Certified TWAIN, ISIS and WIA drivers enable communication with hundreds of enterprise content management (ECM) and document image management (DIM) software solutions. Also included are Nuance PaperPort(r) and OmniPage(r) Pro OCR. Pricing, Availability The Xerox DocuMate 3125 has a U.S. list price of $499 and is available immediately through retail and online channel partners, major resellers, and Xerox and its agents and dealers.

LG exhibits new range of docking speakers at IFA DUBAI: LG Electronics (LG) showcased its new line-up of docking speakers at IFA 2012: ND8520, ND5520, ND4520 and ND1520. By offering a variety of technically advanced docking speakers with innovative connectivity features, LG is aiming to satisfy the diverse listening needs of the smart device generation.

“Smart devices have become a part of daily life and this trend has created the need for a whole new breed of intelligent peripheral devices,” said DY KIM, President LG Electronics Gulf. “LG’s docking speakers integrate a range of advanced technologies into sophisticated, unique designs which work seamlessly with every smart device.”

AirPlay: Easy Streaming, Premium Sound Optimized for connectivity with Apple’s mobile devices, the ND8520 differentiates itself from the typical iPhone, iPod and iPad speakers with AirPlay. Thanks to AirPlay’s wireless streaming capability, it is now possible to enjoy listening to music without the hassle of a wired connection or any additional devices. With AirPlay, users can also connect wirelessly to larger Apple devices, such as iPads and MacBooks.

What’s more, the ND8520’s easy-

to-use inter face allows for an entirely new user experience. A simple smar tphone -like touch interface lets users easily access and manipulate all the functions of the speaker, even entire libraries of music stored on external devices.

For example, swiping the screen brings up a menu for music playback while on the side, the Smart Square screen displays menus for other features such as a radio.

The ND8520 delivers surprisingly impressive sound out of its compact 2.1 channel 80W speaker. The

speaker even generates strong bass with a built-in woofer and minimizes sound loss resulting in music that is both crisp and rich in depth. The ND8520’s eye-catching cube design is in harmony with such a premium sound and adds a touch of style to any bedroom or living room.

For additional connectivity and a wider variety of content options, the ND8520 also includes a USB port that supports MP3 and WMA playback. An FM radio and alarm clock are built in. All of these fea-

tures can be controlled using the speaker’s own remote control as well as LG’s Bluetooth application, which can be accessed from a smartphone.

Wireless Streaming for iOS and Android OS Devices An independent 2 channel 30W speaker, LG’s ND5520 offers the greatest user convenience. It incorporates Bluetooth audio streaming allowing customers to play music and video content wirelessly. It also serves as a dual dock for both iOS and Android OS smart devices, bestowing flexibility on consumers to play the content they want with better sound, regardless of the device.

For added convenience, users can utilize their smartphones as a remote when streaming wirelessly once they download the Bluetooth remote app. The ND5520 also includes an FM radio and alarm clock. With a slim, portable design, the ND5520 features a premium white aluminum metal casing and tips the scales at only 3.6 kilograms.

In addition to the ND8520 and the ND5520, LG is also introducing the ND4520and the ND1520 The ND4520 runs on AA batteries, enabling users to listen to high fidelity music anywhere in the house.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

H E A LT H & S C I E NC E

Millions of Americans have uncontrolled blood pressure NEW YORK: Nearly half of about 67 million Americans with high blood pressure are not effectively treating their condition and face a high risk of a heart attack or stroke, a US health official said on Tuesday. About 36 million people have uncontrolled high blood pressure, a condition caused when too much force is exerted by blood as it is pumped through the body and moves against vessel walls, a cc ording to a report from the US Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention released Tuesday.

“The bottom line is ... most of those in this country who have (high blood pressure) don’t have their numbers under control, and because of that we have a ver y high burden of disease,” said Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC. High blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, contributes to nearly 1,000 deaths a day and $131 billion in annual direct healthcare costs, Frieden said. The condition is the second

most serious public health issue.

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the country, according to the CDC. Frieden said patients with high blood pressure are either not receiving a correct combination or dosage of medication or are not keeping up with their medication.

Some doctors are not warning patients who have had multiple readings of high-blood pressure, a problem

Frieden said could be solved by better systems to track patients. Of the 36 million Americans with uncontrolled hypertension, about 14 million were not aware of their condition and about 22 million either chose not to take medication or were on inadequate treatment, according to the report, which surveyed adults between 2003 and 2010.

“I think there’s clearly a lot of room for improvement,” Frieden said, noting that controlling blood pressure often means

taking multiple medications daily for the rest of one’s life. High blood pressure can be prevented through diet, exercise and taking drugs such as beta blockers and ACE inhibitors- which widen arteries.

Lowering blood pressure can cut the risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure and other conditions.

Risk factors include obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and chronic difficulties such as diabetes, kidney disease and high cholesterol.— Reuters

India emergency medical care system in tatters Private emergency response networks are quicker

MEXICO CITY: Women leave after buying eggs yesterday in Mexico City.

Mexicans, great egg consumers, wait in long lines to buy subsidized eggs, and in the north they cross the border into Texas to buy cheaper ones in US supermarkets due to a drastic egg shortage that has sparked a desperate egg hunt in Mexico. As part of emergency measures, the government lifted egg prices and has since imported 906 tons from the United States. More may come from Costa Rica, Chile, Colombia and Malaysia. — AFP

Shortage sparks egg hunt in Mexico MEXICO CITY: A drastic shortage has sparked a desperate egg hunt in Mexico, after a bird flu outbreak forced farmers to cull some 11 million hens, a disaster in the world’s leading per capita egg consumer.

Mexico City residents are waiting in long lines to buy subsidized eggs, while in the north some are crossing the border to get cheaper cartons in US supermarkets. As part of emergency measures, the government has lifted egg tariffs, importing 906 tons from the United States since the crisis erupted last month. More may come from Costa Rica, Colombia and Chile.

Some Mexican stores are even rationing sales, barring people from buying more than two cartons of eggs per person. In many places, the price of a kilo of eggs has doubled from 20 pesos ($1.50) to 40 pesos ($3), or even tripled.

The average Mexican eats 22.4 kilograms of eggs per year, according to the National Poultry Farmer Union. Given that a one-kilo carton contains 16 to 18 eggs, this means each Mexican gobbles up 350 to 400 “huevos” per year.

“It is an essential food,” Bertha Padilla Ramirez, a 53-year-old grandmother, told AFP after she bought a 30-egg carton at a mobile egg distribution drive in a poor neighborhood of the capital. “We eat eggs because meat is too expensive.” Eggs are a cheap source of protein in Mexico, where almost half of the population of 112 million lives under the poverty line.

Here they are served with other staples, like beans and rice, or mixed in “salsa verde” (green sauce). Prices jumped last month after a bird flu outbreak forced farmers to cull 11 million hens in the western state of Jalisco in June. The government has vowed to punish price gougers. “It is a psychological crisis for a homemaker because we can’t feed our children,” Padilla Ramirez said, as she and dozens of other people stood in line to get their two-kilo carton of eggs.

For the past four weeks, she has mostly cooked rice and beans for her household of seven people. Usually, she cooks around 10 eggs per day for her husband, three children and two grandchildren.

“Come back quickly,” she told the coordinator of the weekly egg distribution drive set up in Mexico City’s Coyoacan district.

Authorities are now allowing residents of border states to pass through customs with eggs they buy in US stores.

While the price of 30 eggs has jumped to 60 pesos in the border city of Nuevo Laredo, residents say they can buy a dozen Grade-A large eggs for $1.38 (19 pesos) in Texas. Some doubt that liberalizing imports will lower prices, since bringing eggs from abroad is expensive.

“While it may help a little, it will never lower prices and it will not be a better product than what we produce in Mexico,” said Homero Villarreal Cerda, adviser of the Nuevo Laredo Chamber of Commerce.

The federal consumer protection agency meanwhile is urging people to look for other affordable sources of protein, such as tuna, under a program called “You Choose to Eat Well.”

Economy Minister Bruno Ferrari also sees it as a way to combat egg price “speculators.” “I recommend that during this lack of stability, the consumer takes his responsibilities and does not allow this type of abuse. Change your diet, look for other types of protein,” he said. But since many meats remain too expensive for poorer Mexicans, their options are limited. At the egg distribution drive in Coyoacan, Monserrat Rojos, 23, and her husband Carlos Acuna, 26, each bought a 30-egg box. “Beans, rice, tortillas and eggs must always be on the table,” said Rojos, whose mother and grandmother also live with the couple. “We will eat three eggs per week.

We will ration and be very careful with them as long as possible.” — AFP

Women in Asia ignorant, fatalistic, about fertility HONG KONG: Women in Asia are largely ignorant about fertility problems and tend to blame their failure to conceive on “God’s will” and bad luck, a survey has found. The survey, which covered 1,000 women in 10 countries who had been trying to conceive for at least six months, found that 62 percent of them did not suspect they may have a fertility problem.

They were even less likely to point the finger at their husbands, with 80 percent of them not suspecting that their partners may have a problem with fertility. Infertility is defined by the World Health Organisation as the inability to conceive after a year of regular, unprotected sex. But only 43 percent of the women surveyed knew that. Only 30 percent of the women, all aged 25-40, recognised that obesity could reduce fertility and only 36 percent knew that chances of getting pregnant declined with age. Fortythree percent did not know a man may be infertile even if he could achieve an erection and 73 percent were unaware that men who had mumps after puberty could be infertile later on.

Instead of getting treatment, 46 percent of respondents blamed their inability to conceive on “God’s will” and

45 percent put it down to bad luck.

Lead researcher P C Wong at the National University Hospital Women’s Centre in Singapore said such a lack of understanding could result in couples waiting too long - only to realise when they finally decided to seek help that it may be too late.

“That’s a lost opportunity because even if they come for treatment, our success of treatment is higher with younger women,” said Wong, who heads the reproductive endocrinology and infertility division at the hospital.

Chances of success with in-vitro fertilisation - the best known fertility treatment - is 40-50 percent when a woman is under 30 years old but that drops to 10 percent once the woman is over 40.

By 44-45, the chance of success is one percent. “The reason is because eggs in the ovaries decline in quality and quantity ... as we go along and age, the chances of conceiving is much lower,” Wong said by telephone. The survey, commissioned by Merck KGaA unit Merck Serono, covered China, India, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia. Wong said his team hoped to work on a similar survey targeting men in Asia.— Reuters

NEW DELHI: Bharat Singh saw headlights zooming toward his motorbike and swerved.

For a split second, he thought he had dodged the truck. Then his passenger screamed. Singh saw the bloody flesh hanging loose from his brother’s knee and hit full throttle. It would take five hours for his brother to get the care he needed, in a journey that highlighted the deadly gaps in India’s emergency care system.

Singh didn’t bother calling the emergency helpline on the unlit Uttar Pradesh highway because he knew help would probably come late, and that it would probably be a police officer rather than a medical professional who responded.

His brother would end up needing an ambulance anyway, because doctors at the nearest hospital, a half-hour away in Bulandshahr, said he needed surgery that was too complex for them to perform. He had to make the three-hour trip to New Delhi in a small van with a stretcher, an empty oxygen tank, worn-out shock absorbers that magnified each bump - and no medic. Trauma care barely exists across much of India, where 160,000 people die in road accidents every year. Some of those people would surely survive if the system were better. Ambulances have no medical equipment, and very few doctors are trained in emergency care, said Piyush Tewari, whose nonprofit helps trauma victims get medical attention within the first 60 minutes after an emergency, when medical intervention has the best chance of saving a victim’s life. A 2006 report in the Indian Journal of Surgery found that more than 80 percent of Indians don’t get care within that “golden hour.”

This delay hasn’t really improved in the last six years, said Dr Mahesh Joshi, head of emergency medicine at Apollo, India’s largest network of private hospitals. “Even in big cities like Mumbai, it is virtually impossible for a heart or trauma patient to reach any doctor within the first hour,” he said.

Some private emergency response networks are quicker, but they bring in less than 7 percent of the 4,000-odd patients that reach Apollo’s emergency rooms across the country every day, Joshi said. People don’t even know how to call for help. The emergency number could be 108 or 102 or 100, varying by state. A survey at Delhi’s top trauma center showed that 90 percent didn’t know they could reach an ambulance at 102.

Local police do help accident victims reach hospitals, but their response times vary. In most cities, patrol cars don’t have room for a stretcher, and victims can be injured during transport. The police in Delhi are the quickest, said Tewari, and they bring in most of the cases that make it to the city’s top trauma center.

On one weeknight in July, the crew of patrol car Eagle Six had just unpacked dinner when the operator radioed about a motorcycle accident. Four minutes of siren blaring and tire screeching later, they were trying to resuscitate a badly bruised stranger in their patrol car. By the time they reached the hospi-

tal, their patient was disoriented but conscious. “Still, we could use better training,” said Constable Ajeet Singh. Police say they are a stopgap solution to a problem that needs specialists. “A mechanism needs to be developed involving paramedics,” said Satyaveer Katara, one of the top officers in charge of the capital’s police control room.

The only such mechanism in Delhi is the Centralized Accident and Trauma Service, which until recently ran just 34 ambulances for a population of nearly 17 million. In August, they added 70 more, but that’s still far from enough.

Many accident victims end up riding in what are essentially taxis masquerading as ambulances, said Dr. Shakti Kumar Gupta, who is helping the government draft a

of other such institutions. There is a Paramedical Council of India, but they train technicians in areas like dialysis and echocardiograms - not emergency care.

Dr. Angel Rajan Singh, a member of the government’s workgroup on emergency medicine, said there is no standard to distinguish between trained paramedics and those off the street. He said a national emergency authority has been proposed. Even emergency rooms suffer from a lack of specialized trauma training.

Emergency medicine was recognized as a subject only in 2009, and the programs accredited by the Medical Council of India admit only 22 doctors every year. The first batch won’t even graduate until 2014. “The government’s guidelines were, and still are,

NEW DELHI: In this Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2012 photo, the parents of Mohammed Lateef, 25, feed their paralyzed son lying on the waiting room floor at a trauma center in New Delhi, India. Lateef’s family are among several others who travel hundreds of miles to squat in and around big city hospitals, because they do not have access to emergency care in their hometowns. — AP national code to standardize ambulances.

Emergency workers too are not properly trained. Rahul, 24, who uses just one name, is a high school dropout and failed mechanic who managed to find work as an ambulance assistant. His job is to load patients on and off the ambulance, and if needed, set up their oxygen supply. Often, he is the closest thing to a paramedic patients get.

There were no emergency medical technicians in India less than a decade ago, and only about 10,000 have been trained since 2005 in the nation of 1.2 billion, said Subodh Satyawadi, chief executive of the Emergency Management and Research Institute. By contrast, the United States has 240,000 for a population that is a fourth of India’s.

EMRI is one of the largest contributors to India’s emergency workforce, but the government doesn’t recognize their courses or those

impractically stringent,” said Apollo Hospitals’ Dr. Joshi. He said even non-accredited programs run by the private sector have trained less than 500 trauma physicians.

Most emergency rooms are overburdened, with three or four doctors and a couple of interns managing several dozen cases at a time, said Dr. Arshad Anjum, a professor at Aligarh’s university medical college. At a packed emergency room in Delhi recently, patients with broken limbs, bleeding wounds, even burns kept piling up until they were forced to share beds, and when those ran out, stretchers. Waiting for care can have tragic consequences, as it nearly did for Bharat Singh’s brother. “If the delay had been any longer, we wouldn’t have been able to reattach the torn muscle,” said Dr. S.K. Das, the orthopedic surgeon who performed the operation. “In fact, he almost lost his leg.” — AP

India considers plain packaging of cigarettes

NEW DELHI: In this handout image taken and released on April 7, 2011, by the Australia government shows the new compulsory cigarette packet style in dark olive-green and plastered with health warnings. India is considering plain packaging of cigarettes in line with new Australian laws that ban all logos and brand descriptions, a top health official in New Delhi said yesterday. — AFP

NEW DELHI: India is considering plain packaging of cigarettes in line with new Australian laws that ban all logos and brand descriptions, a top health official in New Delhi said yesterday. Tobacco products in Australia will be sold in drab, uniform packaging with graphic health warnings from December in a ground-breaking move that has attracted worldwide interest.

“It is a good idea and can be pursued,” Amal Pushp, director of tobacco control at the health ministry, told AFP. “We are watching the developments in Australia with interest.” His comments came after Australian and Indian health experts presented a report by the University of Melbourne that found 275 million Indians use tobacco, leading to nearly one million deaths a year.

India’s health ministry welcomed the report and said that plain packaging as adopted by Australia could be taken up. The World Health Organization has called on other countries to pass similar laws. In plain packaging, graphic warnings are retained but all colour, imagery and corporate logos are taken off to reduce the appeal of smoking, especially among youngsters. Manufacturers are allowed to print only the brand name on the pack in a limited font size. “The tobacco industry uses attractive packaging and aggressive marketing to lure people,” K. Srinath Reddy, president of independent research group the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), told AFP. “India must initiate legislation on plain packaging, which would have tremendous public health impact.” In 2009, India began printing graphic health warnings on cigarette packets and other tobacco products.

One image attracted widespread publicity as it used an apparent picture of England footballer John Terry with a superimposed set of blackened lungs. —AFP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

H E A LT H & S C I E NC E

Trying to quit smoking? Patches, drugs help NEW YORK: Trying to stop smoking? Smokers have considerably more success when they use nicotine patches or prescription medications than when they try to go it alone, an international study found.

Past research has yielded conflicting evidence on the effectiveness of such aids since they seem to work in clinical trials, but less so in a real-life setting. But the current researchers, whose findings appear in the journal Addiction, found that some quitting aids were linked to four-to-six-fold higher success rates.

“Smokers in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the United States are more likely to succeed in quit attempts when they use (drugs) or nicotine patch,” wrote study leader Karin Kasza, a statistician at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York, and colleagues.

Kasza and her team surveyed more than 7,400 adult smokers in the United States, the Britain, Canada and Australia on their quit attempts, including whether they even remembered every time they resolved to give up cigarettes.

They then tracked these people to see how many had succeeded in staying smoke-free for at least six months. About 2,200 people used a prescription medication or nicotine replacement therapy, but the rest did not. Among those who used no medication to

quit, five percent managed to stay smoke-free for six months. In comparison, 18 percent of nicotine patch users, 15 percent of people who used buproprion - an antidepressant - and 19 percent of people who used a medication called varenicline stayed off cigarettes for six months. After taking into account factors that could affect people’s success, such as how long and how heavily they had smoked, the researchers determined that buproprion and the nicotine patch were each tied to a four-fold increase in quitting success compared with those who used no medications, and varenicline to a nearly six-fold increase. Eight percent of people who used oral nictoine replacement products, such as gum, stayed abstinent for six months.

Overall, the researchers found, people who tried to quit without any aids were likely to be younger, have lower incomes, be less addicted to nicotine and have higher confidence in their ability to break the smoking habit than those who used aids.

The study does not prove that the medications are responsible for the greater success in quitting, merely that people who use them are more likely to quit. “The disappointing reality is that even when people use these medications to help them quit, relapse is still the norm. It’s better than nothing, but it’s by no means a magic bullet.” — Reuters

Doctor banned over gay ‘cure’ SYDNEY: An Australian doctor has been severely reprimanded and banned from working as a general practitioner after prescribing a drug to a boy who came to him for help to “cure” his homosexuality. A Health Care Complaints Commission committee found Mark Craddock guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct over his treatment of the 18-year-old at a 10minute consultation at his home in early 2008.

Both men were at the time members of the Exclusive Brethren, a conservative Christian group whose members shun television, radio, and the Internet and do not vote.

In a letter of complaint to the commission, the patient wrote that he came out as gay at the age of 18 and was informed by a church leader, “There’s medication you can go on for these things.”

The patient then consulted Craddock. The commission argued that during the consultation the doctor did not provide appropriate medical management of the patient’s needs by failing to physically examine him or take a medical history. He also failed to refer him to a counsellor or psychologist.

Craddock instead prescribed cyprostat, a drug used to treat prostate cancer and manage sexual deviation by reduc-

ing testosterone, in circumstances which were not clinically indicated, the commission alleged. The committee found that Craddock, while well qualified and experienced, also failed to organise appropriate follow up with the patient. Craddock, 75, admitted most of the particulars of the complaint. “The outcome of this inquiry was that Dr Craddock was found guilty of unsatisfactory processional conduct,” the committee said in its decision made public on Tuesday. “He was severely reprimanded and practice restrictions were placed on his registration,” it said, including that he only practise in the field of radiology. — AFP

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

WHAT’S ON

UPCOMING EVENTS Onam celebration onni Nivasi Sangamam celebrates Onam on Friday, 21st September 2012 from 10 am to 4 pm at Abbassiya United Indian School. Public meeting honored with presence of prominent dignitaries from social-cultural-political sectors, maveli, athapookalam, chendamelam, ganamela, mimicry and other cultural events will be conducted as part of the program. Ccome and enjoy! Feel the experience of traditional tastes! Have lots of fun & frenzy! rock with music!

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SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS hat’s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others! This summer, let other people see the way you see Kuwait - through your lens. Friday Times will feature snapshots of Kuwait through Instagram feeds. If you want to share your Instagram photos, email us at instagram@kuwaittimes.net

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Free Arabic course PC and all its branches is opening free Arabic language course for non Arab ladies accessible in beginners and advance levels. Class will commence in September 14. Islamic and Quran courses are also presented in different languages. Registration is on!

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Taste of Jamaica’s 5th Poetry Slam Contest he 1st place winner of the 4th Poetry Slam Contest in Kuwait Skywalker (John Nicholson) will be defending his 1st place title during the Taste of Jamaica’s 5th Poetry Slam Contest on the Saturday, September 8, 2012. The event which is sponsored by Taste of Jamaica (Ayana Ashanti) will be held at Rotana Hotel in Fahaheel by 7:30 pm. Nada Faris (Kuwait’s finest) is the first and only Kuwaiti to participate in Taste of Jamaica’s Poetry Slam Contest since 2010. The first contest was held inside the Embassy of Jamaica in Kuwait on October 22, 2010. Nada is the first female, first winner and first Kuwaiti to hold the title of the First Place in the Taste of Jamaica’s first Poetry Slam Contest. Will Nada regain her title back from Skywalker? Find out at our 5th Poetry Slam Contest on September 8, 2012. Be there and watch us perform. Doors open at 7:30 pm. There will be dinner and an art show.

Calling all Ten-pin Bowlers, he Indian Bowling League (IBL) Season 3 will be held at Cozmo Entertainment, Salmiya commencing on Friday the 28th of September at 3 pm.

Kindly reserve your team in advance to avoid disappointment, on a first come first serve.

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BSK annual Carnival Day he British School of Kuwait, located in Salwa block 1, street 1, will be holding its annual Carnival Day on Saturday September 15 from 10 am to 1 pm. It will be a fun filled day with lots of activities for the whole family. You can also find out more information about the various afterschool activities for children and parents open to everyone in Kuwait at The British Academy of International Arts (BAIA)such as dance, theatre, music, art and cuisine and various sports such as football, swimming, karate, cricket and many more offered through The British Academy of Sports (BAS).

Sponsors will be on hand to provide free gifts and add to a wonderful atmosphere of fun and entertainment.

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Seminar on Islam’s Holy book at Aware he AWARE Center cordially invites you to its diwaniya presentation entitled, “The Qur’an: An Introduction to Islam’s Holy Book,” by Dr Teresa Lesher on September 11th, at 7 pm. The Qur’an is a 1400-year old Arabic document said to be God’s message to mankind. Dr Teresa Lesher will briefly explain the methods of revelation, documentation and preservation of the Qur’an, as well as its style and themes. She will clarify Its importance to Muslims until today is indicated by their approach to handling and studying it. Open discussion will follow the presentation and complimentary translations of the Qur’an in English will be offered to all attendees.

Dr. Teresa holds her PhD in Information Science from the UK and is now associate professor at the Kuwait College of Basic Education. She held the position of General Manager of the AWARE Center for three years and returns often to host presentations related to Arab and Islamic culture.

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‘Leniency of Islam’

Blood donation campaign at Al Manshar Rotana n line with its community activities and in cooperation with Kuwait Central Blood Bank, Al Manshar Rotana Hotel proudly organized a blood donation campaign on Sunday, September 2, at Al Kout Ballroom as an effort to educate the community about the importance of donating blood to help save lives.

More than 40 participants from the hotel guests, management and staff donated blood, making the campaign productive and successful.

Al Manshar Rotana set up a counter for registration of individuals who wish to donate blood and participate in related Corporate Social Responsibility activities; whereas the Central Blood Bank provided all the necessary equipment and medicines for the donation.

Pierre Zayyoun, General Manager, Al Manshar Rotana, Kuwait said: “We continue to look for opportunities to contribute to the community and organizing a blood donation campaign is one of them.

We recognize the importance of such initiatives in saving lives, espe-

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Winter 2012 AMIE examination he AMIE Winter 2012 examinations will be held between Dec 01-07, 2012 as follows:

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Section A (Diploma) - December 1-4, 2012 Section A (Non-Diploma) - December 1-7, 2012 Section B - December 1-7, 2012 The last date for submission of examination application forms are given hereunder: Candidates not appeared at Summer 2012 Exam: Aug 21 - Sept 21, 2012 Candidates appeared at Summer 2012 Exam: Sept 21 - Oct 19, 2012 Candidates who intend to appear for the Winter 2012 examination must apply directly to Kolkata by filling the prescribed application form along with requisite amount of demand draft in favour of The Institution of Engineers (India), payable at Kolkata.

Premier GOAL Academy, Everton hold Open Day he Premier GOAL Academy in association with Everton FC are holding their Open Day at Shaab Park GOAL Football Centre on Saturday 8th September from 0900-1200 and 1500-1700. Sponsored by Porshe Centre Kuwait, Behbehani Motors Company and under the patronage of the British Ambassador to Kuwait, Frank Baker, everyone is invited to attend.

There will be football matches, penalty shoot-outs, diving headers, shooting and coaching drills organized by the team of fully qualified UK coaches and coaching assistants. The 2012-13 schedule and program will be available, along with the new playing strips. The PGA offers organized football coaching for boys and girls aged from 3 to 19 years with players grouped according to age and ability. There are also Girls only groups from 11 years and above, specialist Goalkeeping coaching and Freestyle sessions.

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Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

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cially during times of emergency. On behalf of the management team, I commend everyone who participated and donated blood as this will benefit a lot of people who are in need. We intend to hold this activity every year.”

After the activity which lasted from 10 am to 4 pm, Kuwait Central Blood Bank presented certificates of appreciation to all donors thanking them for their support.

Al Manshar Rotana, Kuwait is part of Al Manshar shopping and entertainment complex. The 5 Star Fahaheel Hotel offers 200 luxurious rooms and suites, a variety of Food and Beverage outlets, Sports and Health Facilities in addition to extensive and flexible meeting rooms.

Abbasiya (Indian Educational School, Building No 4, Block No 241, School Street, Jleeb Al-Shyoukh) from 7 am - 1 pm.

The Medical Checkup & Consultation Camp is specially taking place for all the people who do not have the opportunity or facility to undergo regular medical check-

ups at a regular clinic. We urge people to come ahead and fill up and submit applications well before September 9 to avoid disappointments. Kindly do not miss this opportunity and come ahead to take part in our free Medical Camp.

dents from Kuwait participated, out of which 300 students reached the final round within the country.

Only 6 Students were selected to represent Kuwait for the international finals in Mumbai on July 1st.

The 8 hour finals was about ‘Contraption’ and Crime Scene Investigation’. The Judges, based on their overall performance, chose 7 students as global winners. Aheli Gupta of Class VIII of Fahaheel AlWatanieh Indian Private School is one among them. Congratulations to the proud winner.

Youth India symposium tomorrow outh India conducts a symposium on the ongoing human rights violations in India even after 65 years of independence. The event will be held on September 7 on Friday at 7 pm at Pravasi Auditorium Abbasiya. Thomas Mathew Kadavil, Abdul Fathah Thayyil, Anwar Sayeed, Sathar Kunnil, Vinod V

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Nair, Krishnan Kadalundi and VP Mukesh will speak on the subject representing the leading organizations in Kuwait. Youth India Press and Media Convenor Nisar K Rasheed will present the topic. Youth India President Arshad will preside over the function and Faisal Manjeri will moderate the discussion.

CFA Kuwait elects new society president FA Kuwait, the local association of finance and investment professionals consisting of portfolio managers, investment advisors, educators and other financial professionals, is pleased to announce that it has elected Mr Rafik Hafez as its new society President. Rafik was a member of CFA Kuwait Board and part of the original action group which led to the creation of the new Society in 2008.

Rafik is a Strategic Planning Director at the Sultan Center Company where he has worked for the past 8 years. As well as being a CFA charter holder he is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA)

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s a part of the 6th anniversary celebrations, Forum of Cadd Users (FOCUS Kuwait), a nonpolitical, non-religious organization is set to stage a mega cultural event “Focus Fest-2012”. This mega event will be a blend of traditional and contemporary dance and musical extravaganza by renowned South Indian playback singers Jyotsna and Sudeesh. Scheduled for the afternoon of Friday, October 12, 2012, at the Al-Jeel Al-Jadeed School Auditorium, Hawally, the mega musical show, is expected to be a super-hit in Kuwait. Joseph Panicker, Chairman of the Institution of Engineers India (IEI) has released the Raffle Coupon of “Focus Fest-2012” handing over a copy to Thomas Itty, one of the Conveners of Program Committee, in the function held at Ebenezer Auditorium, Abbassiya on the evening of August 13. An attractive program flayer also has been released by him handing over a copy to Sam Pynumood, the popular social activist and former advisory board member of FOCUS. The function was presided over by FOCUS President Sasi Thompson. General Secretary M N Saleem, Vice President Manoj George, Joint Secretary Shaheed Labba and various sub-committee conveners and members present on the occasion.

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Global icon from Kuwait in IkenScientifica 2011-12 heli Gupta of Class VIII of FAIPS - DPS is the only one from Kuwait, who has been selected for an all paid trip to NASA, for emerging the winner in a competition conducted by Mexus Education, India for the students of classes 4 to 9 from countries across Asia and Africa.

This is being organized for the last few years, as a platform for students to showcase their innovative ideas by exploring and experimenting with scientific theories and techniques.

At the national level in Kuwait, the competition was held in three rounds. Initially around 4000 stu-

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Focus Kuwait 6th annual day

Tulukoota Kuwait free medical checkup ulukoota Kuwait, in coordination with Indian Doctors Forum, Kuwait Medical Association, Indian Dentist Alliance in Kuwait and Kuwait Heart Foundation is conducting a Free Medical Check up & Consultation Camp on Friday, September 14, 2012 at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

n unprecedented initiative of KTV2 (English channel) is the new program by the name ‘Leniency of Islam’ presented by Shaikh Musaad Alsane and directed by Hamid Al-Turkait. The program is mainly meant to address the expatriates living in Kuwait. Religious questions are received through the program email qislam@tv.gov.kw and sms can be sent to- 97822021 and answered by the lecturer and Imam in Awqaf Ministry Shaikh Musaad Alsane - a Master Degree holder in Sharia and fiqih from Kuwait University. So don’t forget to watch the program every Friday at 1:00 pm.

and a Certified Financial Manager (CFM).

Commenting on his appointment he said: “The global financial crisis ensures that the CFA qualification is more relevant than ever. The need for properly qualified investment professionals working within the industry has never been greater.

He added: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the previous board and especially Raghu Mandagolathur, our first CFA Kuwait President, for all his hard work in establishing the Society and making it such an important part of the financial community over the past four years.

He will remain an important part of the work CFA Kuwait will continue to do.”

Audition for ZEE Antakshari or the first time Indian Cultural Society brings you live excitement of ZEE - International antakshari in Kuwait.

Audition & first round will be held in Kuwait, there after followed by semi finals in India & Grand Finale in Dubai.

Complete team of Carnival films & Zee TV will be in Kuwait for the final round of selection on Friday 5th October with Jaaved Jaaferi: Celebrity Judge, Akriti Kakkar: Female Bollywood Singer & Host of Antakshari, Manish Paul: Host for Auditions, Sarfaraz Khan: Actor, Director and Producer, Michael Amin: Producer & Director Carnival films world.

Musicians, Male Singer & many more for live performances.

Final audition at 10 am & music show at 7.30 pm at AISHawally.

First phase audition will be on Friday 21st September at KMA -Jabaria.

Audition commences at 10am sharp & music show at 7.30 pm with renowned playback singer Madhushree Bhattacharya and live orchestra from Bollywood.

Criteria for audition entry 1. Age - 15 years & above 2. Ability to sing 3. Bollywood trivia knowledge 4. Registrations are open to all nationalities residing in GCC countries.

Participant should be present on audition date as per given time frame. Carnival films & ICS Executive members or family members are not allowed to participate in this competition.

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Tulukoota Kuwait ‘Merit Scholarship’ pplications are now being invited for “Tulukoota Kuwait Merit Cum Means Scholarship” to be awarded during Tuluparba 2012 scheduled to be held on October 11 and 12, 2012. The objective of this scholarship is to provide financial assistance and support to deserving meritorious students, to enable them to pursue their higher studies. Applications are accepted from minimum one year valid Tulukoota Kuwait member’s children studying either in the State of Kuwait or in India and scoring high grades in Xth and XIIth standard Board Examination held for Academic year 2011-2012. Copies of marks sheet, proof of income, Civil ID, TKK membership number, contact number and photo to be submitted along with the application for scholarship to TKK Welfare officer Suresh Shyam Rao. Applications will be accepted from September 1-30, 2012. Candidates obtaining high grades but not eligible for merit cum means scholarship shall be honored with merit certificate and medal during Tuluparba 2012. For more information contact: Sathyanarayan, Willson D’souza; Suresh Shyam Rao.

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31

WHAT’S ON

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Australian Embassy Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department.

All processing of visas and immigration matters in conducted by The Australian Consulate-General in Dubai. Email: info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VFS) immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office); Tel: +971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (Visa Office); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office).

In Kuwait applications can be lodged at the Australian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor, Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem Street, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait. Working hours and days: 09:30 - 17:30; Sunday - Thursday. Or visit their website www.vfs-au-gcc-com for more information. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas on-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm.

We Baselian holds Onam aselius College Kottayam Alumini Association celebrated Onam at HiDine auditorium, Abbasiya. The meeting started with prayer song by Sharon and team followed by welcome speech by General Secretary Jiju Thomas.

Abraham Jacob President of We Baselian Kuwait presided the meeting. Chief guest was Raju Zachariahs the secretary of KUDA and Kottayam Association.

Geemon represented CMS College

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Alumni Association Kuwait who delivered Onam messages.

Various Cultural programs were performed by children and members of We Baselian under the leadership of Rejitha and Soma. Vanchi Pattu was by Jithu Kurian. Eldest member Raju Karunakaran delighted with songs. Vote of thanks was by our founder member Giju Chacko.

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EMBASSY OF ARGENTINE

The Embassy of Argentina requests all Argentinean citizens in Kuwait to proceed to our official email ekuwa@mrecic.gov.ar in order to register or update contact information.

The embassy encourages all citizens to do so, including the ones who have already registered in person at the embassy. The registration process helps the Argentinean Government to contact and assist Argentineans living abroad in case of any emergency.

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EMBASSY OF BRITAIN Consular section at the British Embassy will be starting an online appointment booking system for our consular customers from Sunday, 01 July 2012. All information including how to make an appointment is now available on the embassy website. In addition, there is also a “Consular Appointment System” option under Quick links on the right hand side on the homepage, which should take you to the “Consular online booking appointment system” main page.

Please be aware that from 01 July 2012, we will no longer accept walk-in customers for legalisation, notarial services and certificates (birth, death and marriages). If you have problems accessing the system or need to make an appointment for nonnotarial consular issues or have a consular emergency, please call 2259 4355/7/8 or email us on consularenquirieskuwait@fco.gov.uk. If you require consular assistance out of office hours (working hours: 0730-l430 hrs), please contact the Embassy on 2259 4320.

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IDF bids farewell to Bhaskar Bhatt he office-bearers of Indian Doctors Forum - Kuwait bid farewell to Bhaskar Bhatt (Second Secretary, Embassy of India) at the Indian Embassy in the presence of the Ambassador of India, Satish C Mehta. The President of the forum, Dr Amir Ahmed welcomed the gathering and felicitated Bhaskar Bhatt. He appreciated and commended

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the fruitful association IDF had with Bhatt during his tenure in Kuwait.

Dr Nampoory in his felicitation speech spoke highly of the firm work commitment Bhatt maintained during his entire tenure. Bhatt was the main coordinator and key player for the success of Indian Medical Tourism co-hosted by IDF. Dr Vinod Grover mentioned

that Kuwait would miss the smiling face of Bhat. A memento was presented on the occasion to Bhatt by IDF as a tribute to the support, cooperation and help rendered to the various activities of the forum.

Speaking at the occasion, the Ambassador praised Bhatt for his dedicated services and wished him good

luck. On his part, Bhatt thanked IDF for its kind gesture and expressed his happiness to associate with the various activities of IDF. The meeting concluded with the office-bearers of IDF wishing Bhatt good health and success in all future endeavors.

EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakel St, Block 4 in Da’aiyah.

Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday. The reception is closed from 12:30 to 01:00 pm for lunch break. Consular Services for Canadian Citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00 on Sunday through Wednesday. Individuals who are interested in visiting, working or immigrating to Canada are invited to visit the website of the Canadian Embassy to the UAE at www.UAE.gc.ca.

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EMBASSY OF FRANCE The Embassy would like to inform that starting September 2nd, 2012, visa demands for France will be handled by the outsourcing company “Capago - MENA Company”. Capago - MENA’S Call Center will be operational starting Sunday August 26 for setting appointments beginning September 2nd (+965 22270555). During a transitional period Al-Qabas will continue receiving visa applicants until August 27, then the visa section at the French Embassy (Mansouriah, Street 13, House 24, (+965 22582020) will handle those applications from August 28 until today.

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EMBASSY OF KENYA The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya wishes to inform the Kenyan community residents throughout Kuwait and the general public that the Embassy has acquired new office telephone numbers as follows: 25353982, 25353985 - Consular’s enquiries 25353987 - Fax Our Email address: info@kenyaembkuwait.com.

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KDNA declares winners ozhikode District NRI Association (KDNA) declared winners of the flower carpet competition. 1st Prize: Jerry Thomas (Ahmadi); 2nd Prize (1) Thulaseedharan Beypore (Abbasiya); 2nd Prize (2) Sandya Shijith (Abbasiya), Consolation Prize: Rajesh Kambla (Abbasiya). Prizes will be distributed during the KDNA Onam-Eid celebration which is scheduled on 14th September 2012 at Indra Prastah Auditorium, Mangaf from 4 pm onwards.

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EMBASSY OF MYANMAR Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar would like to inform the general public that the Embassy has moved its office to new location at Villa 35, Road 203, Block 2, Al-Salaam Area in South Surra. The Embassy wishes to advice Myanmar citizens and travellers to Myanmar to contact Myanmar Embassy at its new location. Tel. 25240736, 25240290, Fax: 25240749, email:myankuwait11@gmai1.com.

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EMBASSY OF NIGERIA The Nigerian embassy has its new office in Mishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. For enquires please call 25379541. Fax25387719. Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.com or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk.

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EMBASSY OF UKRAINE We’d like to inform you that in response to the increasing number of our citizens who work in the state and the need for 24-hour operational telephone in case of emergency the Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait has opened “hotline telephone number” - (+ 965) 972-79-206.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

TV PROGRAMS

00:45 I’m Alive 01:35 Untamed & Uncut 02:25 Shark Fight 03:15 Hippo: The Wild Feast 04:05 Monster Bug Wars 04:55 Animal Kingdom 05:20 Shamwari: A Wild Life 05:45 RSPCA: Have You Got What It Takes?

06:10 RSPCA: Have You Got What It Takes?

06:35 Wildlife SOS International 07:00 Ned Bruha: Skunk Whisperer 07:25 Crocodile Hunter 08:15 Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild 08:40 Breed All About It 09:10 The Really Wild Show 09:35 The Really Wild Show 10:05 Deadly Waters 11:00 Wildlife SOS International 11:25 Orangutan Island 11:55 Animal Cops Houston 12:50 Escape To Chimp Eden 13:15 Escape To Chimp Eden 13:45 Animal Precinct 14:40 Deadly Waters 15:30 Ned Bruha: Skunk Whisperer 16:00 Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild 16:30 Pandamonium 17:25 Britain’s Worst Pet 17:50 Britain’s Worst Pet 18:20 Dogs 101 19:15 Wildlife SOS International 19:40 Orangutan Island 20:10 Animal Kingdom 20:35 Shamwari: A Wild Life 21:05 Air Jaws Apocalypse 22:00 Austin Stevens Adventures 22:55 Venom Hunter With Donald Schultz 23:50 Animal Cops Houston 23:50 Animal Cops Houston 00:35 Antiques Roadshow 01:30 Open House 02:00 Open House 02:30 Saturday Kitchen 2007/08 02:55 Saturday Kitchen 2007/08 03:20 Living In The Sun 04:15 MasterChef 04:40 Raymond Blanc’s Kitchen Secrets 05:10 Living In The Sun 06:00 MasterChef 06:25 Holmes On Homes 07:15 MasterChef Australia 08:05 MasterChef Australia 08:50 Open House 09:20 Open House 09:45 Bargain Hunt 10:30 Antiques Roadshow 11:25 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 12:10 10 Years Younger 13:00 MasterChef 13:50 MasterChef 14:45 Bargain Hunt 15:30 Antiques Roadshow 16:25 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 17:10 Come Dine With Me 18:00 Nigel Slater’s Simple Suppers 18:30 The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook 18:55 Rhodes Across Italy 19:40 Come Dine With Me 20:30 Open House 20:55 Open House 21:25 Antiques Roadshow 22:15 Bargain Hunt 23:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 23:45 Holmes On Homes Edition 00:15 01:10 01:35 02:30 03:25 04:20 04:50 05:15 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:50 08:45 09:40 10:05 10:30 10:55 11:25 12:20 13:15 14:10 14:35 15:05 16:00 16:55 17:20 18:15 19:10 19:40 20:05 20:35 21:00 21:30 22:25 23:20

Deadliest Catch Shocking Survival Videos Superhuman Showdown Mythbusters Mythbusters Border Security Auction Hunters How Do They Do It? How It’s Made Deadliest Catch American Chopper Mythbusters Ultimate Survival Border Security Auction Hunters How Do They Do It? How It’s Made Superhuman Showdown Mythbusters Mythbusters Border Security Auction Hunters Ultimate Survival American Chopper Fifth Gear Deadliest Catch Mythbusters How Do They Do It? How It’s Made Border Security Auction Hunters Deconstruction American Guns First Week In Surviving Disaster

23:20 Surviving Disaster 00:35 01:25 02:15 03:05 03:35 04:25 05:15 06:05 07:00 07:50 07:53 08:20 08:50 09:40 10:30 10:55 11:20 12:10 13:00 13:50 14:45 15:35 16:00 16:03 16:30 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:30

Mighty Ships The Future Of...

Race To Mars The Gadget Show Smash Lab NASA’s Greatest Missions Mighty Ships The Future Of...

Race To Mars Head Rush Weird Connections Test Case Sport Science Smash Lab The Gadget Show The Gadget Show Mighty Ships Race To Mars Meteorite Men NASA’s Greatest Missions Smash Lab The Gadget Show Head Rush Weird Connections Test Case The Future Of...

Sport Science NASA’s Greatest Missions Speed Junkie

20:20 20:45 21:10 21:35 22:00 22:50 23:15 23:40

Bang Goes The Theory Bang Goes The Theory The Gadget Show The Gadget Show Speed Junkie Bang Goes The Theory Bang Goes The Theory Sport Science

20:20 Bang Goes The Theory 00:15 Little Einsteins 00:40 Jungle Junction 00:55 Jungle Junction 01:10 Little Einsteins 01:30 Special Agent Oso 01:45 Special Agent Oso 02:00 Lazytown 02:25 Little Einsteins 02:50 Jungle Junction 03:05 Jungle Junction 03:20 Little Einsteins 03:40 Special Agent Oso 03:55 Special Agent Oso 04:10 Lazytown 04:35 Little Einsteins 05:00 Jungle Junction 05:15 Jungle Junction 05:30 Little Einsteins 05:50 Special Agent Oso 06:00 Special Agent Oso 06:15 Jungle Junction 06:30 Jungle Junction 06:45 Handy Manny 07:00 Special Agent Oso 07:15 Lazytown 07:45 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 08:10 The Hive 08:20 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 08:35 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 08:50 Handy Manny 09:05 The Hive 09:15 Mini Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 09:20 Mouk 09:35 Mouk 09:45 The Hive 09:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 10:20 Lazytown 10:45 Art Attack 11:10 Imagination Movers 11:35 Lazytown 12:00 The Hive 12:10 Handy Manny 12:25 Jungle Junction 12:40 Imagination Movers 13:05 The Hive 13:15 Special Agent Oso 13:30 Lazytown 13:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 14:20 The Hive 14:30 Handy Manny 14:45 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 15:00 Mouk 15:15 The Hive 15:25 101 Dalmatians 15:40 101 Dalmatians 15:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 16:20 Lazytown 16:45 Art Attack 17:10 Handy Manny 17:25 Handy Manny 17:40 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 17:55 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 18:10 Little Einsteins 18:35 The Adventures Of Disney Fairies 19:00 Mini Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 19:05 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 19:25 101 Dalmatians 19:40 Mouk 19:50 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 20:05 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 20:20 The Hive 20:30 Mini Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 20:35 A Poem Is...

20:40 Animated Stories 20:45 Mouk 21:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 21:25 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 21:40 Special Agent Oso 21:55 Little Einsteins 22:20 Timmy Time 22:30 Jungle Junction 22:45 Handy Manny 22:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 23:20 Special Agent Oso 23:35 Special Agent Oso 23:50 Lazytown Lazytown23:50 Lazytn 00:25 00:50 01:20 02:15 03:10 04:05 Africa 04:30 Africa 05:00 05:55 07:00 07:25 07:55 08:50 09:45 10:40 11:05 11:35 12:30 12:55 13:25 14:20 15:15 15:40 16:10 17:05 18:00 18:25 18:55 19:50 20:45 21:40 22:05 22:35 23:30

00:05 00:30 00:55 01:20 01:45 02:10 02:35 03:25 03:50 04:15 04:40 05:05 05:30

Gotta Grudge Gotta Grudge Pro Bull Riders 2010 World Combat League TNA: Greatest Matches Kenny Belaey’s Big Time South Kenny Belaey’s Big Time South M1 Challenge Pro Bull Riders 2010 Ride Guide Snow 2009 Ride Guide Snow 2009 Alli Presents AMA Motocross 2011 Blood, Sweat And Gears Fantasy Factory Fantasy Factory Pro Bull Riders 2010 Transworld Sessions Transworld Sessions Mantracker World Combat League Fantasy Factory Fantasy Factory Alli Presents AMA Motocross 2011 Transworld Sessions Transworld Sessions Pro Bull Riders 2010 Mantracker World Combat League Kenny Belaey’s Big Time Kenny Belaey’s Big Time TNA: Greatest Matches M1 Challenge

Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Unique Sweets Unique Sweets Unique Eats Unique Eats Food(Ography) Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Guy’s Big Bite Outrageous Food Unique Eats Chopped

06:10 Barefoot Contessa 07:00 Iron Chef America 07:50 Barefoot Contessa 08:40 Paula’s Best Dishes 09:30 Jenny Morris Cooks Morocco 09:55 Cooking For Real 10:45 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 11:10 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 11:35 Hungry Girl 12:00 Chopped 12:50 Guy’s Big Bite 13:15 Cooking For Real 13:40 Barefoot Contessa 14:30 Kid In A Candy Store 15:20 Unique Sweets 15:45 Staten Island Cakes 16:35 Barefoot Contessa 17:25 Jenny Morris Cooks Morocco 17:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 18:15 Guy’s Big Bite 18:40 Unique Sweets 19:30 Chopped 20:20 Iron Chef America 21:10 Barefoot Contessa - Specials 22:00 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 22:25 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 22:50 Hungry Girl 23:15 Hungry Girl 23:40 Guy’s Big Bite 23:40 Guy’s Big Bite 00:30 01:20 02:05 02:55 03:45 04:30 05:20 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:30 09:55 10:20 11:10 12:00 12:50 13:40 14:30 14:55 15:20 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:05 19:55 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40

Ghost Lab Mysterious Journeys Australian Families Of Crime American Greed Extreme Forensics Ghost Lab Mysterious Journeys Disappeared Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Street Patrol Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Stalked: Someone’s Watching Nightmare Next Door Couples Who Kill I Was Murdered Nightmare Next Door Dr G: Medical Examiner

00:00 Graham’s World 00:30 Graham’s World 01:00 Danger Beach 01:30 Danger Beach 02:00 Kimchi Chronicles 02:30 Kimchi Chronicles 03:00 One Man & His Campervan 03:30 One Man & His Campervan 04:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 05:00 Bondi Rescue 05:30 Bondi Rescue 06:00 Graham’s World 06:30 Graham’s World 07:00 Danger Beach 07:30 Danger Beach 08:00 Kimchi Chronicles 08:30 Kimchi Chronicles 09:00 One Man & His Campervan 09:30 One Man & His Campervan 10:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 11:00 Bondi Rescue 11:30 Bondi Rescue 12:00 Graham’s World 12:30 Graham’s World 13:00 Danger Beach 13:30 Danger Beach 14:00 Kimchi Chronicles 14:30 Kimchi Chronicles 15:00 One Man & His Campervan 15:30 One Man & His Campervan 16:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 17:00 Bondi Rescue 17:30 Bondi Rescue 18:00 Graham’s World 18:30 Graham’s World 19:00 Wheel2Wheel 20:00 Delinquent Gourmet 20:30 Delinquent Gourmet 21:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 21:30 Pressure Cook 22:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 23:00 Danger Beach 23:30 Danger Beach

16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 20:00 22:00

The Bannen Way-PG15 The Rocketeer-PG15 Fright Night-PG15 Law Abiding Citizen-18 Fighting-PG15 Homecoming-18

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 The League 02:30 Hot In Cleveland 03:00 30 Rock 03:30 Community 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:30 30 Rock 09:30 Parks And Recreation 10:00 Parks And Recreation 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 14:00 Community 14:30 Parks And Recreation 15:00 Parks And Recreation 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 30 Rock 18:30 Community 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 How I Met Your Mother 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Family Guy 23:00 Hot In Cleveland 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 23:00

Warehouse 13 Alphas Supernatural Greek Bunheads Franklin & Bash Warehouse 13 Emmerdale Coronation Street Private Practice Supernatural Alphas Bunheads Emmerdale Hot In Cleveland The Ellen DeGeneres Show Private Practice Warehouse 13 Emmerdale Hot In Cleveland The Ellen DeGeneres Show Private Practice Parenthood One Tree Hill One Tree Hill American Horror Story Greek Greek

01:00 Ronin-18 03:00 The Shining-R 05:00 Vengeance-PG15 07:00 The Reunion-PG15 09:00 Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within-PG 11:00 Vengeance-PG15 13:00 Dangerous Flowers-PG15 15:00 Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within-PG 17:00 X-Men-PG15 19:00 Alien-18 21:00 The Echo-18 23:00 The Speak-18 Luste 00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Tank Girl-PG15 The Open Road-PG15 Prom-PG15 Love And Mary-PG15 The Open Road-PG15 The Bad News Bears (2005)-PG Fat Albert-PG Mean Girls 2-PG15 The Bad News Bears (2005)-PG Can’t Hardly Wait-PG15 Life As We Know It-PG15 Cyrus-18

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 10:45 13:00 PG 15:00 16:45 19:00 21:00 23:00 23:30

00:30 02:15 06:00 08:00 10:00 PG15 12:00 14:00

The Invaders Monster Fish The Living Edens Hunter Hunted World’s Deadliest Animals Expedition Wild Caught In The Act The Living Edens Hunter Hunted World’s Deadliest Animals Python Hunters Swamp Men The Invaders Hooked Hidden Worlds Catching Giants Night Stalkers Python Hunters Swamp Men Outback Wrangler The Living Edens Hunter Hunted World’s Deadliest Animals Python Hunters Swamp Men Hunter Hunted Dread-18 The Godfather-18 Friday Night Lights-PG15 Tremors-PG15 True Justice: Dark VengeanceThe Rocketeer-PG15 Tremors-PG15

SHARQIA-2 BRAVE (3D-Digital) TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 4:00 PM 3:15 PM 6:00PM 8:00 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

1:30 PM 4:00 PM 4:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

SHARQIA-3 THE EXPENDABLES 2 (2D-Digital) 2:00 PM TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) 4:15 PM THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2D-Digital) 6:30 PM THE EXPENDABLES 9:45 PM THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2D-Digital) 12:05 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED MUHALAB-1 TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) THE BOURNE LEGACY (2D-Digital) INTERVIEW WITH A HITMAN TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) THE EXPENDABLES 2 THE BOURNE LEGACY (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

MUHALAB-2 THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2D-Digital) 12:30 PM GRABBERS (2D-Digital) 3:45 PM LAWLESS (2D-Digital) 5:45 PM GRABBERS (2D-Digital) 8:00 PM LAWLESS (2D-Digital) 10:00 PM GRABBERS (2D-Digital) 12:30 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED MUHALAB-3 TINKER BELL: SECRET OF THE WINGS 2:00 PM TINKER BELL: SECRET OF THE WINGS 4:00 PM TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) 6:00 PM STOLEN (2D-Digital) 8:30 PM TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) 10:30 PM STOLEN (2D-Digital) 12:45 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED FANAR-1 TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

FANAR-2 GRABBERS (2D-Digital) GRABBERS (2D-Digital) THE BOURNE LEGACY (2D-Digital) GRABBERS (2D-Digital) GRABBERS (2D-Digital) THE BOURNE LEGACY (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:45 PM 9:45 PM 11:45 PM

FANAR-3 RAAZ 3: THE THIRD DIMENSION (Hindi) 12:45 PM INTERVIEW WITH A HITMAN 4:00 PM RAAZ 3: THE THIRD DIMENSION (Hindi) 6:00 PM RAAZ 3: THE THIRD DIMENSION (Hindi) 9:00 PM INTERVIEW WITH A HITMAN 12:15 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED FANAR-4 TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:00 PM 4:15 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

Sundays At Tiffany’s-PG15 Asylum-18 Babies-18 Bound By A Secret-PG15 Private-PG15 Funny Bones-PG15 Searching For Bobby Fischer-

FANAR-5 THE DARK KNIGHT RISES THE EXPENDABLES 2 THE DARK KNIGHT RISES 3 THE EXPENDABLES 2 THE DARK KNIGHT RISES NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:00 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

Private-PG15 Lorenzo’s Oil-PG15 Red Rock West-18 Adaptation-18 The Gray Man-PG15 Square Grouper-18

MARINA-1 THE BOURNE LEGACY (2D-Digital) 1:15 PM THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2D-Digital) 4:00 PM TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) 7:15 PM THE BOURNE LEGACY(2D-Digital) 9:30 PM TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) 12:15 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED

23:00 Naked Science 00:00 01:00 01:55 02:50 03:45 04:40 05:35 06:30 07:25 08:20 09:15 10:10 11:05 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 23:00

KNCC PROGRAM FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (06/09/2012 TO 12/09/2012) SHARQIA-1 THE BOURNE LEGACY (2D-Digital) INTERVIEW WITH A HITMAN SUN+TUE+WED THE BOURNE LEGACY (2D-Digital) THU+FRI+SAT+MON GRABBERS (2D-Digital) THE BOURNE LEGACY GRABBERS (2D-Digital) GRABBERS (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

01:15 13-PG15 03:00 The River Why-PG15 05:15 Soul Surfer-PG15 07:15 The Winning Season-PG15 09:00 Love N’ Dancing-PG15 10:45 The River Why-PG15 12:45 Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps-PG15 15:00 The Dragon Chronicles: Fire & Ice-PG15 17:00 Love N’ Dancing-PG15 18:45 Captain America: The First Avenger-PG15 21:00 The Artist-PG 23:00 MacGruber-18

01:45 Moomins And The Comet Chase-FAM 03:45 In Search Of The Titanic-PG 06:00 Tom Tom & Nana-FAM 07:45 The Fantastic Adventure Of The Ugly Duckling-FAM 09:45 The Ugly Duckling In Tales Of Mystery-PG15 11:45 In Search Of The Titanic-PG 14:00 Adventures Of A Teenage Dragonslayer-PG 16:00 Micropolis-FAM 18:00 The Ugly Duckling In Tales Of Mystery-PG15 20:00 Hop-PG 22:00 Adventures Of A Teenage Dragonslayer-PG

MARINA-2 GRABBERS (2D-Digital) THE EXPENDABLES 2 (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) GRABBERS (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) GRABBERS (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:45 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

MARINA-3 BRAVE (3D-Digital) 12:30 PM TINKER BELL: SECRET OF THE WINGS 2:30 PM TINKER BELL: SECRET OF THE WINGS 4:30 PM STOLEN (2D-Digital) 6:30 PM TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) 8:30 PM STOLEN (2D-Digital) 10:45 PM STOLEN (2D-Digital) 12:45 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED AVENUES-1 GRABBERS (2D-Digital) GRABBERS (2D-Digital) GRABBERS (2D-Digital) GRABBERS (2D-Digital) GRABBERS (2D-Digital) GRABBERS (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:45 PM 7:00 PM 9:15 PM 11:30 PM

AVENUES-2 TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) INTERVIEW WITH A HITMAN TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:15 PM 4:45 PM 7:15 PM 9:45 PM 12:15 AM

AVENUES-3 LAWLESS (2D-Digital)

12:30 PM

LAWLESS (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:45 PM 5:15 PM 7:45 PM 10:15 PM 1:00 AM

AVENUES-4 LAWLESS (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:15 PM 7:45 PM 10:15 PM 1:00 AM

AVENUES-5 STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

AVENUES-6 STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

AVENUES-7 THE EXPENDABLES 2 (2D-Digital) THE EXPENDABLES 2 (2D-Digital) RAAZ 3 (Hindi) (2D-Digital) RAAZ 3:(Hindi) (2D-Digital) INTERVIEW WITH A HITMAN NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:00 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 9:30 PM 12:30 AM

AVENUES-8 BRAVE (2D-Digital) 1:00 PM BRAVE (2D-Digital) 3:30 PM THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2D-Digital) 5:45 PM THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2D-Digital) 9:00 PM THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2D-Digital) 12:15 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED AVENUES-9 TINKER BELL: SECRET OF THE WINGS 2:15 PM TINKER BELL: SECRET OF THE WINGS 4:30 PM TINKER BELL: SECRET OF THE WINGS 6:30 PM THE EXPENDABLES 2(2D-Digital) 8:45 PM THE EXPENDABLES 2 (2D-Digital) 11:00 PM THE EXPENDABLES 2 (2D-Digital) 1:15 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED AVENUES-10 THE BOURNE LEGACY (2D-Digital) THE BOURNE LEGACY (2D-Digital) THE BOURNE LEGACY (2D-Digital) THE BOURNE LEGACY (2D-Digital) THE BOURNE LEGACY (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 4:15 PM 7:00 PM 9:45 PM 12:30 AM

AVENUES-11 TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:45 PM 4:00 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:45 PM 1:00 AM

360 ∞- 1 THE EXPENDABLES 2 (2D-Digital) THE EXPENDABLES 2 (2D-Digital) THE EXPENDABLES 2(2D-Digital) THE EXPENDABLES 2 (2D-Digital) THE EXPENDABLES 2(2D-Digital) THE EXPENDABLES 2 (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:15 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

360 ∞- 2 THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2D-Digital) 1:30 PM THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2D-Digital) 4:45 PM THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2D-Digital) 8:00 PM THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2D-Digital) 11:15 PM NO SUN+TUE+WED 360 ∞- 3 TINKER BELL: SECRET OF THE WINGS 12:45 PM TINKER BELL: SECRET OF THE WINGS 3:00 PM TINKER BELL: SECRET OF THE WINGS 5:15 PM TINKER BELL: SECRET OF THE WINGS 7:30 PM NO FRI (07/09/2012) Special Show “BRAVE (2D-Digital)” for Oil Kuwait Tanker Co. 7:30 PM FRI (07/09/2012) JUST CRAZY ENOUGH (2D-Digital) 9:45 PM JUST CRAZY ENOUGH (2D-Digital) 12:05 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED 360 ∞- 4 THE BOURNE LEGACY (2D-Digital) THE BOURNE LEGACY (2D-Digital) THE BOURNE LEGACY (2D-Digital) THE BOURNE LEGACY (2D-Digital) THE BOURNE LEGACY (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 3:15 PM 6:00 PM 8:45 PM 11:30 PM

360 ∞- 5 BRAVE (3D-Digital) BRAVE (3D-Digital) BRAVE (3D-Digital) BRAVE (3D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:00 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 8:45 PM 11:00 PM 1:15 AM

360 ∞- 6 TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:15 PM 3:45 PM 6:15 PM 8:45 PM 11:15 PM

360 ∞- 7 GRABBERS (2D-Digital) GRABBERS (2D-Digital) GRABBERS (2D-Digital) GRABBERS (2D-Digital) GRABBERS (2D-Digital) GRABBERS (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:45 PM 4:00 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:45 PM 1:00 AM

360 ∞- 8 STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital)

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM

STOLEN (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

11:45 PM

360 ∞- 9(VIP-1) STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM 11:45 PM

360 ∞-10 (VIP-2) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 4:00 PM 6:30 PM 9:00 PM 11:30 PM

360 ∞- 11 LAWLESS (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 4:00 PM 6:30 PM 9:00 PM 11:30 PM

360 ∞- 12 TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) 12:45 PM TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) 3:00 PM TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) 5:15 PM TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) 7:30 PM NO FRI (07/09/2012) Special Show “BRAVE (2D-Digital)” for Oil Kuwait Tanker Co. 7:30 PM FRI (07/09/2012) TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) 9:45 PM TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) 12:05 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED 360 ∞- 13 THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2D-IMAX) THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2D-IMAX) THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2D-IMAX) THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2D-IMAX) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:30 PM 5:45 PM 9:00 PM 12:15 AM

360 ∞- 14 INTERVIEW WITH A HITMAN INTERVIEW WITH A HITMAN INTERVIEW WITH A HITMAN INTERVIEW WITH A HITMAN INTERVIEW WITH A HITMAN INTERVIEW WITH A HITMAN NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

360 ∞- 15 RAAZ 3(Hindi) (2D-Digital) THU+FRI+SAT EK THA TIGER (Hindi)(2D-Digital) RAAZ 3(Hindi) (2D-Digital) RAAZ 3(Hindi) (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:30 PM 5:30 PM 8:30 PM 11:30 PM

AL-KOUT.1 TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:00 PM 4:30 PM 6:30 PM 8:45 PM 11:00 PM 1:00 AM

AL-KOUT.2 LAWLESS (2D-Digital) BRAVE (2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) THE BOURNE LEGACY(2D-Digital) LAWLESS (2D-Digital) THE BOURNE LEGACY (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

AL-KOUT.3 GRABBERS (2D-Digital) 1:30 PM GRABBERS (2D-Digital) 3:30 PM THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2D-Digital) 5:30 PM GRABBERS (2D-Digital) 8:45 PM GRABBERS (2D-Digital) 10:45 PM GRABBERS (2D-Digital) 12:45 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED AL-KOUT.4 THE EXPENDABLES 2 (2D-Digital) 12:30 PM INTERVIEW WITH A HITMAN 3:00 PM THE EXPENDABLES 22D-Digital) 5:00 PM INTERVIEW WITH A HITMAN 7:15 PM THE EXPENDABLES 2(2D-Digital) 9:30 PM THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2D-Digital) 11:45 PM NO SUN+TUE+WED BAIRAQ-1 TINKER BELL: SECRET OF THE WINGS 12:30 PM TINKER BELL: SECRET OF THE WINGS 2:30 PM TINKER BELL: SECRET OF THE WINGS 4:30 PM TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) 6:30 PM TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) 8:45 PM TETA RAHIBA (2D-Digital) 11:00 PM THE EXPENDABLES 2(2D-Digital) 1:15 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED BAIRAQ-2 THE BOURNE LEGACY 2D-Digital) 1:30 PM THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2D-Digital) 4:15 PM THE BOURNE LEGACY (2D-Digital) 7:30 PM THE EXPENDABLES 2(2D-Digital) 10:15 PM TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) 12:30 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED BAIRAQ-3 STOLEN (2D-Digital) GRABBERS (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) GRABBERS (2D-Digital) STOLEN (2D-Digital) GRABBERS (2D-Digital) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:45 PM 3:45 PM 5:45 PM 7:45 PM 9:45 PM 11:45 PM

PLAZA BRAVE (3D-Digital) TOTAL RECALL (2D-Digital) THE BOURNE LEGACY (2D-Digital) THE EXPENDABLES 2 2D-Digital)

3:45 PM :00 PM 8:15 PM 11:00 PM

LAILA THE BOURNE LEGACY THE EXPENDABLES 2 TOTAL RECALL THE BOURNE LEGACY

3:30 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 0:45 PM

AJIAL.1 RAAZ 3(Hindi) RAAZ 3(Hindi) (2D-Digital) RAAZ 3(Hindi) (2D-Digital)

3:45 PM 6:45 PM 9:45 PM

Classifieds THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines JZR QTR CLX LZB JZR SAI ETH RJA GFA UAE ETD THY FDB MSR QTR JZR KAC THY KAC JZR DHX JZR KAC BAW JZR KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY IRA QTR IZG IRA FDB ETD BAB GFA UAE MEA JZR MSR KNE MSC SYR JZR MSR GFA KAC FDB OMA JZR KNE JZR QTR SVA RJA KAC JZR KAC QTR JZR ETD UAE UAL GFA SVA JZR TAR JZR ABY KAC KNE KAC KAC QTR BAB KAC FDB KAC MSR MSC RBG JZR KAC KAC KAC JAI KAC KAC AXB FDB OMA MEA QTR GFA ALK FDB UAE JZR ETD ABY QTR JZR JZR AIC GFA UAL JZR DLH KAC MSR THY KLM JAI

Arrival Flights on Thursday 6/9/2012 Flt Route 185 DUBAI 148 DOHA 792 LUXEMBOURG 7787 VARNA 267 BEIRUT 441 LAHORE 620 ADDIS ABABA 642 AMMAN 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 768 ISTANBUL 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 138 DOHA 503 LUXOR 544 CAIRO 770 ISTANBUL 154 ISTANBUL 1541 CAIRO 170 BAHRAIN 555 ALEXANDRIA 412 MANILA 157 LONDON 529 ASSIUT 206 ISLAMABAD 382 DELHI 53 DUBAI 302 MUMBAI 332 TRIVANDRUM 352 COCHIN 284 DHAKA 362 COLOMBO 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 605 ISFAHAN 132 DOHA 4161 MASHAD 617 AHWAZ 55 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 436 BAHRAIN 213 BAHRAIN 871 DUBAI 404 BEIRUT 165 DUBAI 618 ALEXANDRIA 470 JEDDAH 401 ALEXANDRIA 341 DAMASCUS 561 SOHAG 610 CAIRO 219 BAHRAIN 672 DUBAI 57 DUBAI 645 MUSCAT 241 AMMAN 472 JEDDAH 535 CAIRO 140 DOHA 500 JEDDAH 640 AMMAN 788 JEDDAH 257 BEIRUT 546 ALEXANDRIA 134 DOHA 357 MASHAD 303 ABU DHABI 857 DUBAI 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 215 BAHRAIN 510 RIYADH 177 DUBAI 328 TUNIS 777 JEDDAH 127 SHARJAH 176 GENEVA 474 JEDDAH 502 BEIRUT 542 CAIRO 144 DOHA 438 BAHRAIN 786 JEDDAH 63 DUBAI 104 LONDON 624 SOHAG 405 SOHAG 3553 ALEXANDRIA 175 DUBAI 618 DOHA 674 DUBAI 614 BAHRAIN 572 MUMBAI 774 RIYADH 562 AMMAN 389 KOZHIKODE 61 DUBAI 647 MUSCAT 402 BEIRUT 146 DOHA 221 BAHRAIN 229 COLOMBO 59 DUBAI 859 DUBAI 135 BAHRAIN 307 ABU DHABI 129 SHARJAH 136 DOHA 513 SHARM EL SHEIKH 539 CAIRO 981 CHENNAI 217 BAHRAIN 981 BAHRAIN 239 AMMAN 636 FRANKFURT 118 NEW YORK 614 CAIRO 772 ISTANBUL 411 AMSTERDAM 574 MUMBAI

Time 00:15 00:20 00:20 00:30 00:50 01:30 01:45 02:10 02:20 02:25 02:30 02:50 03:10 03:20 03:25 03:55 04:10 04:35 04:55 04:55 05:00 06:00 06:15 06:30 06:40 07:15 07:30 07:45 07:50 07:55 08:05 08:15 08:20 08:25 08:30 08:35 09:00 09:10 09:15 09:20 09:30 09:35 10:00 10:45 10:55 11:05 11:25 11:35 12:00 12:05 12:30 13:30 13:40 13:40 13:45 14:00 14:05 14:15 14:20 14:25 14:30 14:55 15:00 15:00 15:05 15:15 16:20 16:35 16:55 17:10 17:20 17:20 17:30 17:35 17:40 17:45 17:45 17:55 18:00 18:15 18:20 18:40 18:40 18:45 18:45 18:55 19:00 19:05 19:15 19:20 19:25 19:30 19:35 19:40 19:50 19:55 20:00 20:10 20:15 20:25 20:35 20:55 21:10 21:15 21:15 21:25 21:30 21:35 22:00 22:10 22:25 22:35 22:40 22:55 23:10 23:30 23:35 23:40 23:40 23:50

Airlines AIC SYR UAL DLH MSR LZB CLX THY SAI ETH THY UAE FDB ETD MSR QTR QTR JZR RJA JZR GFA THY JZR KAC BAW FDB JZR JZR ABY KAC KAC IRA UAE QTR KAC FDB ETD IRA BAB JZR IZG GFA KAC KAC MEA KAC JZR UAE MSR KNE MSC SYR KAC JZR GFA FDB MSR KAC OMA KAC JZR JZR KNE KAC RJA JZR SVA QTR KAC KAC ETD JZR QTR UAE GFA JZR TAR ABY UAL SVA KNE JZR QTR FDB BAB RBG MSR MSC JZR KAC JAI FDB KAC KAC KAC OMA MEA KAC KAC GFA FDB DHX ALK JZR ABY ETD UAE QTR KAC KAC JZR AXB QTR GFA KAC KAC JZR

Depature Flights on Thursday 6/9/2012 Flt Route 976 GOA 344 DAMASCUS 981 WASHINGTON 637 FRANKFURT 615 CAIRO 7788 VARNA 792 MUSCAT 773 ISTANBUL 442 LAHORE 621 ADDIS ABABA 769 ISTANBUL 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 306 ABU DHABI 613 CAIRO 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 560 SOHAG 643 AMMAN 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL 534 CAIRO 545 ALEXANDRIA 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 240 AMMAN 256 BEIRUT 126 SHARJAH 671 DUBAI 787 JEDDAH 606 MASHHAD 856 DUBAI 133 DOHA 101 LONDON 56 DUBAI 302 ABU DHABI 616 AHWAZ 437 BAHRAIN 356 MASHHAD 4162 MASHHAD 214 BAHRAIN 541 CAIRO 1654 ROME 405 BEIRUT 501 BEIRUT 776 JEDDAH 872 DUBAI 623 SOHAG 471 JEDDAH 406 SOHAG 342 DAMASCUS 785 JEDDAH 176 DUBAI 220 BAHRAIN 58 DUBAI 611 CAIRO 561 AMMAN 646 MUSCAT 673 DUBAI 174 DUBAI 538 CAIRO 473 JEDDAH 617 DOHA 641 AMMAN 512 SHARM EL SHEIKH 505 JEDDAH 135 DOHA 773 RIYADH 613 BAHRAIN 304 ABU DHABI 238 AMMAN 141 DOHA 858 DUBAI 216 BAHRAIN 134 BAHRAIN 328 TUNIS 128 SHARJAH 982 BAHRAIN 511 RIYADH 475 JEDDAH 266 BEIRUT 145 DOHA 64 DUBAI 439 BAHRAIN 3554 ALEXANDRIA 607 LUXOR 402 ALEXANDRIA 184 DUBAI 283 DHAKA 571 MUMBAI 62 DUBAI 331 TRIVANDRUM 343 CHENNAI 351 KOCHI 648 MUSCAT 403 BEIRUT 153 ISTANBUL 543 CAIRO 222 BAHRAIN 60 DUBAI 171 BAHRAIN 230 COLOMBO 1540 CAIRO 120 SHARJAH 308 ABU DHABI 860 DUBAI 137 DOHA 301 MUMBAI 205 ISLAMABAD 554 ALEXANDRIA 390 MANGALORE 147 DOHA 218 BAHRAIN 411 BANGKOK 415 KUALA LUMPUR 528 ASSIUT

Time 00:05 00:15 00:25 00:30 00:35 01:30 01:50 02:15 02:30 02:45 03:40 03:45 03:50 04:05 04:20 04:50 05:40 06:05 06:50 06:55 07:05 07:10 07:30 08:10 08:25 08:25 08:35 09:00 09:05 09:20 09:35 09:35 09:40 10:00 10:00 10:05 10:15 10:15 10:25 10:30 10:35 10:45 11:30 11:45 11:55 12:00 12:15 12:20 12:25 12:25 13:00 13:05 13:10 13:20 14:25 14:25 14:30 14:40 15:00 15:05 15:05 15:10 15:15 15:45 15:50 15:55 16:00 16:15 16:25 16:30 17:20 17:30 17:45 18:05 18:20 18:20 18:25 18:25 18:30 18:35 18:45 18:50 19:20 19:25 19:30 19:45 19:55 20:00 20:05 20:15 20:35 20:40 20:50 20:55 21:05 21:10 21:15 21:30 21:30 21:35 21:50 21:50 21:55 22:05 22:10 22:20 22:25 22:35 22:40 22:45 23:00 23:10 23:10 23:30 23:40 23:50 23:50

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation available in Mahboula for non-smoking Keralites.

Contact: 66725394.

(C 4127) 6-9-2012 Available one bedroom for an Indian executive bachelor in a 2 B/R, 2 bathroom CA/C apartment /new building across Salmiya Garden block 10 from 1st September to stay with a couple, the person should be non-smoking with clean habits. Contact: 25653928 / 66015253. (C 4123)

decent accommodation for one mature person in Khaitan/ Far waniya/ Omeria. Call 66773840.

(C 4120) Sharing accommodation available for decent bachelor non smoking, Amman street, one big room, opposite to Al Rashid hospital.

Contact 66232356.

(C 4121) 2-9-2012

CHANGE OF NAME I, Bino Mathavath George, Passport No: Z2111118, Mathavath House P.O. Veerpad Kallara, Kannur Dt.

Fully furnished flat for rent for 3 to 4 months near Indian Public School, Salmiya. Good location.

Contact: 50166063.

(C 4124) 3-9-2012

Kerala do hereby declare that my daughter’s given name as ELIANE SHARON BINO (bearing Passport No: J0976424 issued at Kuwait) shall henceforth be known as ELAINE BINO MATHAVATH. (C 4126) 5-9-2012 SITUATION VACANT Driver for a Kuwaiti family, must he having driving license and transferable residence and knows the areas of Kuwait.

Contact; 99401126. (C 4125) 5-9-2012 Cook for Kuwaiti family, avail-

able in Kuwait with transferable residence, experience in houses, not restaurants. Call: 94088822. (C 4116) Required English speaking maid / nanny. Please call 99824597. (C 4117) 1-9-2012

Prayer timings

112

A room available in a furnished two bedroom flat in Salmiya for a working class single lady- close to the bus stop. Please call 99702658

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

Required one room in a

Fajr:

04:07

Duhr:

11:46

Asr:

15:19

Maghrib:

18:04

Isha:

19:22

GOVERNMENT WEB SITES Kuwait Parliament www.majlesalommah.net

The Public Institution for Social Security www.pifss.gov.kw

Ministry of Interior www.moi.gov.kw

Public Authority of Industry www.pai.gov.kw

Public Authority for Civil Information www.paci.gov.kw

Prisoners of War Committee www.pows.org.kw

Kuwait News Agency www.kuna.net.kw

Ministry of Foreign Affairs www.mofa.gov.kw

Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affair www.islam.gov.kw

Kuwait Municipality www.municipality.gov.kw

Ministry of Energy (Oil) www.moo.gov.kw

Kuwait Electronic Government www.e.gov.kw

Ministry of Energy (Electricity and Water) www.energy.govt.kw

Ministry of Finance www.mof.gov.kw

Public Authority for Housing Welfare www.housing.gov.kw

Ministry of Commerce and Industry www.moci.gov.kw

Ministry of Justice www.moj.gov.kw

Ministry of Education www.moe.edu.kw

Ministry of Communications www.moc.kw

Ministry of Information www.moinfo.gov.kw

Supreme Council for Planning and Development www.scpd.gov.kw

Kuwait Awqaf Public Foundation www.awqaf.org

34

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

stars CROSSWORD 788

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) This can be a time of profound exhaustion and rehabilitation as you eliminate the nonessentials and toxic influences. You could change your diet, find new friends, take on a new job or find an exercise gym. You are determined to have a healthier life style. Change needs to happen slowly instead of at a fast rate, because if you go at a normal pace, change will have a way of staying put. You may need to seek advice in some areas. Take responsibility for securing your own vulnerabilities with precaution, honesty, trust and self-respect.

You can deal effectively with business affairs today. You feel optimistic and hospitable, able to help others. Soon it will be favorable for a vacation, a religious pilgrimage or an artistic pursuit.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You are certainly feeling good today; you feel in harmony with yourself, the entire world and everybody in it. Others can feel this, so they in turn are drawn to you, making this a successful day for any kind of group endeavor. This is a secure period where you can make steady progress toward your career and social goals. You can develop the confidence, honesty, maturity and selfrespect that can make you better able to handle authority and responsibility. Now is favorable for seeking employment or promotion, for learning new duties and for travel related to your work. Best of all, relations with the opposite sex are at a peak. The evening was made to go on a date, be married or be in a romantic relationship—ahhhh, love!

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. (music) The pace of music measured by the number of beats occurring in 60 seconds.

4. An archaic name for Easter or Passover.

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

13. Leaf or strip from a leaf of the talipot palm used in India for writing paper.

14. Without moral standards or principles.

15. A group of Niger-Congo languages spoken primarily in southeastern Mali and northern Ghana.

16. A siren of German legend who lured boatmen in the Rhine to destruction.

19. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

20. (Scottish) Bluish-black or gray-blue.

22. Open-heart surgery in which the rib cage is opened and a section of a blood vessel is grafted from the aorta to the coronary artery to bypass the blocked section of the coronary artery and improve the blood supply to the heart.

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

25. God of love and erotic desire.

27. A salesman who travels to call on customers.

30. Someone who is skilled at analyzing data.

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

36. The unlimited 3-dimensional expanse in which everything is located.

37. A resort city in western Florida.

39. Large burrowing rodent of South and Central America.

41. Primitive predaceous North American fish covered with hard scales and having long jaws with needle-like teeth.

42. An association of nations dedicated to economic and political cooperation in southeastern Asia.

43. An island in the Aegean Sea in the Saronic Gulf.

46. A percussion instrument consisting of a pair of hollow pieces of wood or bone (usually held between the thumb and fingers) that are made to click together (as by Spanish dancers) in rhythm with the dance.

50. A bachelor's degree in architecture.

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

56. A narrow zigzag ribbon used as trimming.

59. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

60. A city in north central Morocco.

61. Small space in a tissue or part such as the area between veins on a leaf or an insect's wing.

62. The first month of the year.

63. A sweetened beverage of diluted fruit juice.

64. African tree having an exceedingly thick trunk and fruit that resembles a gourd and has an edible pulp called monkey bread.

65. A condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders.

DOWN 1. A cord fastened around the neck with an ornamental clasp and worn as a necktie.

2. Walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud.

3. God of death.

4. A close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities.

5. Pertaining to or resembling amoebae.

6. The state of being covered with unclean things.

7. A hard brittle blue-white multivalent metallic element.

8. Of or relating to or characteristic of Hades or Tartarus.

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

10. Largest known toad species.

11. A modified bud consisting of a thickened globular underground stem serving as a reproductive structure.

12. A steep rugged rock or cliff.

17. Mild yellow Dutch cheese made in balls.

18. The skin that covers the top of the head.

21. Jordan's port.

24. A mountain peak in the Andes in Argentina (21,654 feet high).

26. A Nilotic language.

28. Type genus of the Anatidae.

29. Willing to face danger.

31. A sharply directional antenna.

32. The act of scanning.

33. A three-tone Chadic language.

35. The capital of Western Samoa.

38. An informal term for a father.

40. An esoteric or occult matter that is traditionally secret.

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

44. Aircraft landing in bad weather in which the pilot is talked down by ground control using precision approach radar.

45. The basic unit of money in Nigeria.

46. Being nine more than forty.

47. In bed.

48. Tear down so as to make flat with the ground.

49. Decapod having eyes on short stalks and a broad flattened carapace with a small abdomen folded under the thorax and pincers.

50. A decree that prohibits something.

51. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

52. A Hindu prince or king in India.

53. Wearing or provided with clothing.

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

57. The corporate executive responsible for the operations of the firm.

58. Take something away by force or without the consent of the owner.

59. An associate degree in nursing.

Yesterday’s Solution

Gemini (May 21-June 20) It is a time of professional improvements, change, stimulating friends and new acquaintances. This day is favorable for enterprises in technology and entertainment fields. There are favorable changes on the horizon that bring you a greater choice of independent activities. Your intuitive and inventive energies are steady and any projects you are involved with now will get your full attention. You may even have a little time to take in a few relaxing breaths around the noon time and get out of your work area for a little change. Perhaps eating lunch with a friend would be a good thing. Friends and colleagues tend to give you their approval and business affairs go smoothly all day long. Health improvements are easy to find as you change your food choices.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) You tend to be productively involved with taxes, insurance, inheritance pensions, investments, credit and jointly held resources every year. You may be teaching or giving advice to others. It is also a good time to benefit from research or to direct your insight toward the understanding of other people’s motivations. You may have a desire to develop business or corporate strategy.

This afternoon your attention may be drawn to a new hobby. With all the responsibilities that you have, it is time for a little fun. This is a hobby that you can enjoy for a long time to come and will cost you whatever time and money you want to put into it. The best part about it is that it will get you out of your daily routine and make you smile.

Romance is near, if sought.

NON SEQUITUR

Leo (July 23-August 22) You may have intuitive insight into some business affairs—you find new ways to organize. A specific person may be a powerful influence in your life. This can be someone you will trust to guide or help you when it comes to increased dealings with corporate business, insurance, taxes and inheritance. This afternoon a family member comes to your attention and a little one-onone time really helps deepen the relationship. This may be a cousin from out of town that you haven’t seen in a long time. You have more in common than you thought and conversations go well. This cousin or relative may be leaving this evening but there is time to show off a few pictures and perhaps have a snack. Good insights are achieved.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You make steady progress toward a better career now. You will soon develop the maturity you need to handle authority and responsibility. Learning new duties related to your work is a possibility for today. This is a great day to take on the challenges that are set before you. Remember, the harder the struggles, the more satisfying the result—so, do not be afraid to tackle the difficult.

If you are willing to relax later today, just let life flow to you as it will, you could be in for excellent experiences. If you are driving home, you may decide to stop for a short while and enjoy particular plants or a view of the lake or park you have been curious about so many times on your route home. This is a positive transition to a good evening.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

With the horoscope placement this day, it is a communication sort of day; you may find yourself involved in plenty of meetings, scheduled discussions and encounters with new people. This day may seem frustrating but everything pulls together. You are concerned for those who work late, including yourself—but all are appreciative! You throw caution to the wind this afternoon and survey the group to discover the majority opinion about particular issues in the workplace. This information is used to the best advantage. Adjustments in the workplace are helpful to those who put in the hours to make the place run efficiently . . . good for you! You feel good about the business, your friends, your love relationship— and meeting new people.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You can throw caution to the wind today and speak your mind; the secret word is thoughtful. You may have trouble keeping appointments and obtaining practical information. Look for ways to stay focused.

Educational and financial matters may be delayed through lack of communication.

Make sure you have said what you mean and make sure you have understood new instructions. Travel is favorable but hotels are prone to be more expensive than expected; consider calling ahead. There are easygoing pursuits available. Innocent flirtation, a movie or theater matinee, or a stroll through an art gallery is positive.

Chances are also good that later this evening, you and your partner may want to agree to disagree until a little time has passed.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Your self-confidence is strong. This is another good time for accomplishing work started earlier. Your work is much more effective than usual and you are able to get a lot done. In addition, this is a very good time for physical competition and sports. If you work in a day job, so to speak, as well as compete in sports, you will feel most complete to do a bit of exercise during your noon break. Walking each day or an occasional climbing stairs on a rainy day will help you to stay in shape. Your vitality and enthusiasm make good impressions—with everyone. You will find this a day of clear communications and lessons learned. Where someone has been confusing . . . you will experience a good understanding. You may plan to travel soon; all is favorable.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) This day could be known for being quite lucky. You tend to draw things to you such as money, fortunate circumstances, people and objects of beauty. If you are willing to relax today and just let life flow to you as it will, you could be in for some excellent opportunities. Professional communications with superiors, government or other officials may be conducted to your benefit. News or publicity can affect your status or position. Your job responsibilities may require more efficiency or more training but you are able to learn quickly. You tend to be most understanding toward those in need and can be of great help to others through some volunteer program. You might spend a romantic evening with someone special tonight.

To

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) It’s time to get organized—sort, file and clean up. There are many useful things to do. If you are looking for employment, this is a good time to begin a job. If you are looking to improve your work efficiency and conditions, this can be accomplished now. You will certainly be able to make a system or a procedure run faster. Don’t stir up unnecessary trouble with your co-workers or employees. This would be easy because you are on a constructive path in the workplace and not everyone else is . . . let them come to you. This afternoon is a good time to buy new clothes. You can also improve your health. Relationships are the order for this evening. The rapport between you and your significant other should be especially strong at this time.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

There could be some pushing and shoving now between various facets of your life. You expect particular areas to have some balance but it sometimes takes some travel or life experiences before becoming ready for these areas, such as your home and family responsibilities. If these are in line, you should desire to dive into all sorts of projects. This is a lucky time. Business and commercial ventures are positive. You are much more likely to get a good deal for yourself.

Also, this is an auspicious time for any legal undertaking. As much as one does not like to become legally involved in any particular subject, you seem to really enjoy the process. You could be a legal secretary or you serve legal papers as a part-time job.

Keep up the good work.

THERSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

i n f o r m at i o n For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 GOVERNORATE Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

Kaizen center

25716707

Roudha

22517733

Adhaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Keifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Hawally

ST TATE T OF K KUW WAIT A

Te el.: 161

DIRECTORA ATE T GENERAL GENE OF CIVIL AVIA V ATION T METEOROLOGICAL DEP PARTMENT A

262 - 2630 Ext.: 2627

WWW.MET.GOV V.KW .

BY Y DA AY:

Hot with light to moderate north westerly wind, with speed of 10 - 32 km/h

BY Y NIGHT:

Relatively hot with light to moderate north westerly wind, with speed of 08 - 28 km/h

22459381

43 °C

32 °C

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

KUW WAIT A AIRPOR RT

44 °C

27 °C

Al-Mirqab

22456536

NUW WAISEEB A

43 °C

28 °C

WA AFRA

ST TAT TION

45 °C

25 °C

SALMI

45 °C

26 °C

ABDAL LY

46 °C

27 °C

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

JAL ALIY YAH A

43 °C

27 °C

Maidan Hawally

25623444

FA AILAKA

42 °C

26 °C

Bayan

25388462

AHMADI POR RT

39 °C

31 °C

Mishref

25381200

UMM AL-MARADEM

38 °C

32 °C

W.Hawally

22630786

WA ARBA A - BUBY YA AN

43 °C

23 °C

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

SFC. CHART

05/09/2012 0000 UTC

4 DA AYS Y FORECAST Temperatures DA AY

DA ATE T

WEA ATHER T

MAX.

MIN.

Wind Direction

Wind Speed

New Jahra

24575755 Thursday

06/09

hot

44 °C

27 °C

NW-NE

10 - 32 km/h

West Jahra

24772608

Friday

07/09

hot

45 °C

27 °C

NW-NE

10 - 30 km/h

South Jahra

24775066

Saturday

08/09

hot

44 °C

26 °C

NW-NE

10 - 30 km/h

North Jahra

24775992

Sunday

09/09

hot

43 °C

25 °C

NW-N

12 - 35 km/h

North Jleeb

24311795

24892674

Al-Omariya

24719048

N.Kheitan

24710044

Fintas

PRA RA AYER Y TIMES

RECORDED YESTERDA AY AT KUW WAIT A AIRPORT

Fajr

04:06

MAX. Temp.

43 °C

Sunrise

05:27

MIN. Temp.

26 °C

Zuhr

11:47

MAX. RH

23 %

Asr

15:20

MIN. RH

07 %

Sunset

18:07

MAX. Wind i

N 46 km/h

Isha

19:26

TOT TAL AL RAIINF FA ALL L IN 24 HR.

00 mm

All times are local time unless otherwise stated.

23900322

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Khaled Hamadi

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist

25665898 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535

Dentists

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

22618787

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

Dr. Salem soso General Surgeons Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart Dr. Adnan Ebil Dr. Mousa Khadada Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

22666300 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

3729596/3729581

Neurologists

22639939

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Kaizen center 25716707

25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888 Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

22666288

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

Dr Anil Thomas

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Fayhaa

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Al-Jahra

25610011

Al-Salmiya

25616368

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

No Current Warnings arnin a

WARNING A

KUW WAIT A CITY

Firdous

Al-Shohada’a

Expected Weather e for the Next 24 Hours

MIN. REC.

24884079

22418714

Fax: 24348714

MAX. EXP P.

Al-Ardhiya

Al-Madena

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Afghanistan 0093 Albania 00355 Algeria 00213 Andorra 00376 Angola 00244 Anguilla 001264 Antiga 001268 Argentina 0054 Armenia 00374 Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas 001242 Bahrain 00973 Bangladesh 00880 Barbados 001246 Belarus 00375 Belgium 0032 Belize 00501 Benin 00229 Bermuda 001441 Bhutan 00975 Bolivia 00591 Bosnia 00387 Botswana 00267 Brazil 0055 Brunei 00673 Bulgaria 00359 Burkina 00226 Burundi 00257 Cambodia 00855 Cameroon 00237 Canada 001 Cape Verde 00238 Cayman Islands 001345 Central African 00236 Chad 00235 Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros 00269 Congo 00242 Cook Islands 00682 Costa Rica 00506 Croatia 00385 Cuba 0053 Cyprus 00357 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Czech Republic 00420 Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia 00246 Djibouti 00253 Dominica 001767 Dominican Republic 001809 Ecuador 00593 Egypt 0020 El Salvador 00503 England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea 00240 Eritrea 00291 Estonia 00372 Ethiopia 00251 Falkland Islands 00500 Faroe Islands 00298 Fiji 00679 Finland 00358 France 0033 French Guiana 00594 French Polynesia 00689 Gabon 00241 Gambia 00220 Georgia 00995 Germany 0049 Ghana 00233 Gibraltar 00350 Greece 0030 Greenland 00299 Grenada 001473 Guadeloupe 00590 Guam 001671 Guatemala 00502 Guinea 00224 Guyana 00592 Haiti 00509 Holland (Netherlands) 0031 Honduras 00504 Hong Kong 00852 Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland 00354 India 0091 Indian Ocean 00873 Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686 Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland) 0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK) 0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677

36

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

lifestyle G O S S I P

Puddle Lawyer: LaBelle settles suit over NYC lobby run-in &B diva Patti LaBelle has agreed to pay $100,000 to a Manhattan woman who accused her of hurling curses and water at her and her 18-monthold daughter during a dust-up over parenting in an apartment building lobby. Roseanna Monk and her husband, Kevin, filed a lawsuit against LaBelle last year. The couple lives in a Manhattan building where the Grammy Award-winning singer stayed while

R

appearing in the Broadway musical “Fela!” The couple’s lawyer, Sam Davis, tells the New York Post LaBelle settled the case even before being deposed. The Monks will donate the money to a children’s cancer charity.

LaBelle’s publicist declined to comment. According to the lawsuit, LaBelle chastised Roseanna Monk, threw a bottle of water and launched into an obscenity-filled tirade during the Nov. 11, 2010 argument.

Cooper, Saldana reunite at premiere

he couple - who dated for three months after meeting on the set - have managed to avoid each other at previous screenings for the film, but posed for pictures together after walking the line of journalists separately.

They got together after ‘Star Trek’ beauty Zoe broke up with her partner of 11 years Keith Britton in November last year. By March the romance was over, although friends say they were never serious about each other. A source said: “They’re definitely not together. She and Bradley weren’t super serious at all.” The pair are not the only stars to have to reunite on the red carpet after splitting - it is thought Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart will be seen together to promote the last film in the ‘Twilight’ franchise, despite her cheating on him with ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ director Rupert Sanders. MTV Video Music Awards host Kevin Hart said: “From what I understand they’re both still gonna be here. I’m not really up to speed on the whole soap opera that’s been going on between them. I know they’ve got a movie to promote. Twilight’s coming out so it makes sense for them to show up at the VMAs if you ask me. [Although] I don’t really care.”

T

of Mudd singer Scantlin arrested uddle of Mudd lead singer Wes Scantlin has been arrested in Texas and charged with public intoxication after being removed from a cross-country flight. Police in Austin say the pilot of a JetBlue flight requested an emergency landing Tuesday to remove an unruly passenger creating a disturbance. Details about the incident weren’t immediately available, though the plane was traveling from Boston to Los Angeles. The public intoxication charge is a Class C misdemeanor, similar to a parking citation. Police say it isn’t clear if the 40-year-old singer for the multi-platinum rock band has an attorney. Contact information for a publicist couldn’t be found, and a message to the band’s website wasn’t immediately returned.

The Transportation Security Administration did not immediately respond to questions about the incident.

P

Biel, Farrell’s poetry club he two stars appear opposite each other in the sci-fi remake and after chatting between takes discovered they both share a mutual love of verse. Colin let Jessica borrow some books of his favorite poems and then they would discuss the ones she liked the best. She revealed: “Colin really likes poetry and I’m a bit of an amateur poet myself. He was telling me all about different poets he likes. He would let me borrow a book and I would look at his poetry book over a week and then I’d pass it back and we’d talk about which poems we liked best.” The 30-year-old actress insists it is important to bond with your costars at the start of a new film and she always tries to find out what her fellow actors like when shooting starts on a project. She added: “When you have to have chemistry with somebody you’ve just met the best thing to do is find one thing about them that you really like - whether it’s that he’s kind or really funny or a good chef. “It’s something that you grab on to and you make the basis for your fascination or obsession or passion for that person whom you really don’t know at all.” The brunette beauty - who is engaged to Justin Timberlake - recently revealed she writes her own poems because she finds it very relaxing. Jessica said: “I like being able to write when I find the time to get into it. I love reading poetry and I’ve written poetry myself since I was in school. “It’s very calming and spiritual to be able to get in touch with emotions and states of mind to write poetry.”

T

Fatherhood Alex Reid scary for Williams arrested T

Keaton felt intimidated by De Niro he Oscar-winning actress stars alongside the Hollywood legend in new movie ‘The Big Wedding’ and while they are close now, she admits she was quite wary of him when they first worked together many years ago. She said: “Mr Robert De Niro. My god. A legend and also a dear man.

He’s very kind. It’s like, oh, he’s so kind. Why is he so kind? And he’s quiet. But he’s a lovely man. I really like him. He loves his family. You don’t think of him that way when you only know him from a distance. I did a movie with him called ‘Marvin’s Room’ a long time ago, but he was a producer. I didn’t really know him and he was intimidating to me. But things change.”

Diane, 66, also revealed how she likes to walk around Los Angeles as that’s when gets to listen to new music. She told America’s Vanity Fair magazine: “The kind of music I listen to is when I’m walking, because I walk all over the neighborhoods of Los Angeles. How else am I going to see it? If I don’t drive, I take the dog and I listen to something. Right now I love the new Frank Ocean CD, ‘Channel Orange’. It’s just amazing music. I also like the Jay-Z album with Kanye West. The last one - The Throne album. I just think that’s so astonishingly beautiful, the way they orchestrate it. That’s how I got to know who Frank Ocean was.

Frank Ocean sang on one of the cuts. He [is] very orchestral in a weird way.”

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olice were called to a disturbance at the home in Essex he shares with Chantelle Houghton - with who he has daughter Dolly - in the early hours of this morning and he is currently in police custody “on suspicion of criminal damage and using violence to secure entry”. A spokesperson for the Essex Police told MailOnline: “Police were contacted just before 1.30am this morning with reports of a disturbance at a property in Spital Lane, Brentwood. “A 37-year old man from Brentwood was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and using violence to secure entry, and is currently in police custody.” Police were pictured leaving the property this morning and Chantelle’s mother was seen entering. Alex recently confessed he had made “bad mistakes” throughout his relationship with Chantelle. He said: “I’m doing everything in my power to make it work. I’ve made bad mistakes and choices. I love both of my girls with all my heart, they’re my life. It does make me sad because I’m a good guy. “We were talking about getting married the other day. We were talking about getting another house.”Alanis Morissette is “horrified” to have a day dedicated to her in her hometown. The ‘Ironic’ hitmaker - who has 20-month-old son Ever with husband Mario ‘Souleye’ Treadway feels uncomfortable with the fact that town officials in Ottawa, Canada, celebrate her pop achievements every March. She said: “Yes, 8th March is Alanis Morissette Day in my hometown Ottawa. I’m horrified. “But it’s also International Women’s Day, so I’m not stepping no any toes, because I am a woman...” If she got to choose how the day was marked, Alanis would want it to begin with a cocktail and there would always be good weather.

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he ‘Angels’ singer’s wife Ayda Field is due to give birth to their first child, a girl, next month and although he can’t wait to welcome her into the world, he is very nervous about the responsibilities of parenthood. He said: “She’s in my image, a mini-Robbie.

I’m excited but in truth I’m scared.” The 38-year-old Take That star also admits he has been experiencing food cravings like his pregnant spouse. He joked: “I’m really craving Minstrels and prawn cocktail crisps.” Earlier this week, Robbie announced the release of a new solo album ‘Take The Crown’ and admits he is more “energized” about his music career than ever as he has connected with the record in a way he didn’t with his most recent releases.

Speaking at the GQ Men Of The Year Awards, where he picked up the Icon Award, he said: “I haven’t really been engaged in the past couple of albums but I’m really into this one. It might be because I didn’t tour after any of them. “I’m reenergized. I want to take over the charts and get my crown back.”

Robbie’s Take That band mate Gary Barlow also picked up a prize on Tuesday’s ceremony, taking home the Outstanding Achievement accolade. He said: “Even though you don’t do the work specifically to get awards, it’s always nice to receive them. “I’ve had some fun this year and it’s nice to celebrate with some good friends tonight.” Other winners at the event included Chris Hemsworth, who took the International Breakthrough prize, Lana Del Rey, who got the Woman of the Year accolade, and Sacha Baron Cohen, who won Comedian of the Year.

Holmes to front

Bobbi Brown Cosmetics he former ‘Dawson’s Creek’ actress - who recently finalized her divorce with Tom Cruise after five years of marriage - is believed to have penned a deal with the brand, although representatives for both parties have not yet confirmed the development. On Sunday, Katie’s fashion range Holmes & Yang, which she founded with Jeanne Yang in 2009, will have its showing at New York Fashion Week, and the 33-year-old actress is said to be keen to make a big impression. A source told the New York Post newspaper: “This is a big deal for Katie to show in the tents, under the full attention of the fashion editors and the glare of the media scrutiny.

“They could have done a small show elsewhere, so this proves she and Jeanne are very serious about their business.” The ready-to-wear line is stocked in exclusive boutiques including Barneys in New York and Harvey Nichols in London. Lauren Conrad plans to wear “headto-toe” denim this season. The reality star-turned-fashion designer thinks the statement look can work well if the shades of denim do not match and are accessorized carefully. She said: “Double up on denim. Some may refer to this look as a ‘denim sandwich,’ but I think headto-toe denim is a definite do for fall. Just be careful not to mix two like-colored pieces. Ideally you want contrasting shades - like a super light denim (or chambray) top and dark denim bottoms. To give the look a girly touch, add a brightly colored statement necklace.”

Although the weather may be changing, Lauren insists the colder months don’t mean a complete wardrobe change is necessary. Writing on her website, she advised: “Add a cardigan. Transition your summer styles by topping them off with an oversize cardigan and closed-toe shoes (or sandals if it is still warm in your town). “Personally, I love the feel of a ‘boyfriend’ cardigan since it feels more relaxed and the oversize silhouette is cozy for fall. “Transition your sundress by layering over a lightweight sweater and pairing the look with low-rise booties.” — Agencies

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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ormer Disney Channel favorites Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens star alongside James Franco in the bizarre new “Spring Breakers” which premiered at the Venice film festival yesterday. A concoction of deliberately trashy visuals and dream-like sequences, the film directed

by Harmony Korine.

The plot revolves around four hedonistic girls who go to Florida for their spring break university holiday-a binge of drink, drugs and flesh. Their fortunes take a turn for the worse when they are arrested and are bailed out by Franco’s creepy gold-toothed gangster character Alien. At this point Gomez as Faith-a name that carries weight in what at times appears a parable of an American Dream gone wrong-leaves and the three remaining members of the gang embark on a law-breaking spree with Alien.

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The film builds up to a gory and garish conclusion-an inevitability that viewers are reminded of by the sound of a gun being cocked that is repeated throughout the flick as well as by bloody flash-forward scenes. The film is one of 18 competing for the Golden Lion prize to be announced on Saturday. It is due to go on general release next year. — AFP

(From left) actors Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Rachel Korine, Ashley Benson, James Franco and director Harmony Korine pose at the photo call for the film ‘Spring Breakers’ at the 69th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, yesterday. — AP

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ritish musician Dave Stewart, a co-founder with singer Annie Lennox of the iconic’80s pop duo Eurythmics, is releasing his latest solo album, “The Ringmaster General,” this week. After he and Lennox split in 1990, Stewart pursued a solo career, although the duo occasionally reunited over the years to record and tour together.

Stewart spoke to Reuters about his new album, which he recorded in Nashville, the tour and his Super Heavy side project with Mick Jagger.

Q: This is your second Nashville album, following last year’s “The Blackbird Diaries.” Why Nashville?

A: “Although I’m from the north of England, I really feel at home in Nashville.

It’s got the same kind of singer-songwriter, club scene which I grew up with. The whole Nashville thing began a few years ago when I was flying home to LA, and got rerouted through Nashville because of that Icelandic volcano. I ended up meeting Martina and John McBride and becoming friends, and they have this great studio full of all this vintage gear ... Nashville has all these great players, and, even though I’m not a country artist, it all felt very natural to me to record there.”

Q: Were you always a big country fan?

A: “Not really. But like everyone, once you delve into all the history and go through Stax and Motown and so on, you get to the great classic country music and writers. So I began to understand all those roots-country blues and bluegrass and so on-and how they relate to rock and all the contemporary country music.”

Q: How’s the new tour going so far?

A: “Great. We’ve been opening for Sugarland in the States and in September we’re doing a UK tour. The funny thing is, I’ve been living in America for the past seven years, and I didn’t play live or do an album for 14 years before last year. So ironically I’m now better known and more established here than back in Britain.”

Q: You have a new documentary, also titled “The Ringmaster General.” How did that come about?

A: “I have a company, Weapons of Mass Entertainment, and we make films all the time and I thought it’d be fun to shoot this documentary about my whole Nashville experience. So it covers the recording of the two albums, and Diane Birch plays my psychiatrist and Joss plays a psychic. It’s very tongue-in-cheek, and my company is also working on this really crazy movie called “Zombie Broadway.”

“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” Taylor Swift “One More Night,” Maroon 5 “Some Nights,” Fun. “Whistle,” Flo Rida “Good Time,” Owl City, Carly Rae Jepsen “As Long As You Love Me (feat. Big Sean),” Justin Bieber “Home,” Phillip Phillips “Everybody Talks,” Neon Trees “Want U Back,” Cher Lloyd “Call Me Maybe,” Carly Rae Jepsen

Top Albums 1.

“Eye On It,” TobyMac 2.

“Welcome To: Our House,” Slaughterhouse 3.

“Overexposed,” Maroon 5 4.

“Blown Away,” Carrie Underwood 5.

“Some Nights,” Fun. 6.

“The Lumineers,” The Lumineers 7. “havoc and bright lights,” Alanis Morissette 8.

“Now That’s What I Call Music, Vol. 43,” Various Artists 9.

“Chapter V,” Trey Songz 10. “My Head Is an Animal,” Of Monsters and Men.-AP

Dave Stewart

Q: What sort of album did you set out to make?

A: “It’s a continuation of the first album, with this mix of rock, R&B, blues and country, and then I added some ‘60s psychedelia on a couple of tracks. I intentionally arrive in the studio with nothing really written, maybe just a sketch or two, and then I make it up as I go and different people drop by and I end up singing a duet with them or they play on a track. its how it used to be ... I have people like Bobby Keys, who was on all the classic Stones’ albums, playing sax, and Martina.”

Q: You have some great guest singers including Stevie Nicks, Joss Stone, Alison Krauss and Diane Birch. Are they all pals you just call up?

A: “Yeah, I’m really good friends with them. Stevie was on my last album, and I produced her last album. Same with Joss who I’ve known since she was 16, and she’s in Super Heavy with me and Mick Jagger, and I also co-wrote and produced her last album.”

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Q: Fans still talk about another Eurythmics reunion. Any chance?

A: “We’re not talking about one right now, but never say never. Annie and I wrote so many songs together, and they keep popping up in different places, and I have this idea of putting them all together in a theatrical piece in the not too distant future.” — Reuters

Q: Whatever happened to Super Heavy?

A: “It’s still going. It’s more of a loose collaborative thing than an actual band, and an experiment in merging different types of music-Jamaican, Asian and so on.

Mick’s still very much involved and we just have fun together.”

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ustria will send Michael Haneke’s Palme d’Or-winning film “Love” (original title: “Amour”) to compete for next year’s best foreign-language picture Oscar, the Austrian Film Commission has announced. The heart wrenching tale of a man and his dying wife won Haneke his second Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in May, after he had already received the award in 2009 for his Oscarnominated “The White Ribbon.”

Austrian Haneke, 70, has established himself in recent years as one of the most important film directors in Europe, with films like “The Piano Teacher,” “Cache,” and “Funny Games.” The Oscar nominations will be announced in Los Angeles on January 15, with the awards handed out at a ceremony on February 24. — AFP

‘Love’ is the heart-wrenching tale of a man and his dying wife. — AFP

undance is the festival for low-budget filmmaking.

Cannes and Venice are glitzy industry showplaces. The Toronto International Film Festival is both of those and everything . in between, but mostly, it’s a place for ordinary cinema lovers to see a lot of great movies. Toronto’s status as a festival for the people is confirmed by this year’s opening-night film Thursday. The festival used to begin with a small Canadian film as a nod to local crowds that have made it one of the world’s biggest and most-prestigious cinema showcases.

For its 37th year, Toronto opens with a big Hollywood action film, the sci-fi tale “Looper,” starring Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt. Festival co-director Cameron Bailey said “Looper” works on “both the action level and the ideas level,” making it an ideal choice for festival audiences wanting something smart and entertaining. And with “Looper” hitting theaters Sept. 28, less than two weeks after the 11-day festival ends, the film highlights the value of Toronto as a launching place for Hollywood’s fall and holiday releases.

Written and directed by Rian Johnson (“Brick”), “Looper” casts Gordon-Levitt as a hit man who kills people sent back in time from 30 years in the future. He winds up on the run after his latest victim - his own future self (Willis) - escapes and tries to alter events. “I was absolutely floored by it,” said Blunt, who’s not a science-fiction fan but eagerly signed on after reading Johnson’s screenplay. “It’s just an incredibly unique, fast-paced, complex movie, and you sort of pat yourself on the back for actually keeping up with it as you’re reading.”

Other highlights among Toronto’s 289 feature-length films include director Joe Wright’s Leo Tolstoy saga “Anna Karenina,” starring Keira Knightley and Jude Law; Andy and Lana Wachowski and Tom Tykwer’s “Cloud Atlas,” a story spanning centuries and featuring an ensemble led by Tom Hanks and Halle Berry; Paul Thomas Anderson’s cult drama “The Master,” starring Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Philip Seymour Hoffman; Robert Redford’s manhunt tale “The Company You Keep,” in which he stars with Shia LaBeouf and Susan Sarandon; and Walter Salles’ Jack Kerouac adaptation “On the Road,” with Kristen Stewart, Sam Riley and Garrett Hedlund.

Ben Affleck, who premiered his bank-heist hit “The Town” at Toronto in 2010, returns with another film he directed and stars in, the Iranian hostage thriller “Argo.” Affleck stars in a second Toronto film, Terrence Malick’s romantic rumination “To the Wonder,” which also features Rachel McAdams and Javier Bardem. Set against the 1979 hostage crisis in Tehran, “Argo” is based on the true story of six Americans who escaped the takeover of the U.S. embassy and took refuge with Canadian diplomats, whose government worked with the CIA to smuggle them out of Iran disguised as location scouts for a fake Hollywood movie.

“One of the things about it that makes it so relevant for the Toronto festival is how it shows the cooperation between America and Canada,” Affleck said. “This event caused this eruption of appreciation by America for Canada.” Among other Toronto titles are Adam Sandler’s animated monster comedy “Hotel Transylvania”; Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena’s LA cop drama “End of Watch”; Bill Murray as Franklin Roosevelt in “Hyde Park on the Hudson”; the teen tale “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” with Emma Watson and Logan Lerman; the crime comedy “Seven Psychopaths,” featuring Colin Farrell, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken; and Dustin Hoffman’s directing debut, “Quartet,” with Maggie Smith in the story of a group of aging opera stars.

The Toronto festival marks the first public appearance for Stewart since news broke that she cheated on boyfriend and “Twilight” co-star Robert Pattinson by hooking up with her “Snow White and the Huntsman” director Rupert Sanders.

Festival co-director Bailey said Toronto organizers want the story to be Stewart’s performance in “On the Road” - not her personal life. “The thing we always want to do when something like this happens is to keep the focus on the film,” Bailey said. “I think she does great work, and it’s really a break-out role for her, so we hope whoever’s in the theater that night recognizes that.”

“The Master” star Phoenix also faces scrutiny, the film marking his return to the screen after a fake retirement in which he claimed he was becoming a rap singer. His supposed career shift was chronicled in a mock documentary by brother-in-law Casey Affleck, the film depicting disturbingly erratic behavior from Phoenix, which they later said was all an act. “I know a lot of people will say all kinds of things about all that happened with him, but this guy really is one of the best actors of his generation,” Bailey said. “What he does here in ‘The Master’ is so surprising. He’s the kind of actor where you never know what choices he’s going to make, and you cannot believe the direction he takes the performance.”

Another Hollywood heavyweight showing a new side at Toronto is “The Avengers” director Joss Whedon, who premieres his black-and-white adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” The movie was filmed in 12 days after he finished shooting “The Avengers” and features Whedon pals from some of his TV shows, including Nathan Fillion, Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof. Compared with the $1.5 billion global box-office returns on “The Avengers,” Whedon’s expectations for “Much Ado About Nothing” are modest. “Our hopes are to find a distributor and that the audience laughs and cries,” Whedon said. “At the end of the day, I’m not really overly sweating it. If we can’t find a distributor, I’ll put it on iTunes. That’s worked for me in the past. “People who saw ‘The Avengers’ and might be thinking that a black-and-white Shakespeare film now is going to be a franchise, it’s not going to happen.” — AP

This film image released by Sony Pictures shows Joseph GordonLevitt, foreground, and Paul Dano in a scene from the action thriller ‘Looper.’ — AP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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t’s more of an incantation than a song but it’s as ubiquitous as the sound of gunfire on Syria’s frontlines and has become the undisputed anthem of the revolution. “Yalla erhal ya Bashar” (It’s time to leave, Bashar). In Syria’s rebel-held areas, the words are spray-painted on walls, blared on minibus radios and exchanged as mobile phone ringtones.

Huddled fighters intone the song-cum-slogan as a battle cry before mounting military operations against Syrian army forces.

And in the liturgy of Syria’s street protests, demonstrators chant it to open and close marches against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. “Get out Bashar!” demands the song, a rageful drum roll of attacks calling the Syrian president a “liar” and an “ass” and his brother Maher a “coward”. Its creator paid dearly, however. Ibrahim Qashush, a singer from the central city of Hama, was little-known before the Arab Spring reached Syria in March 2011.

A few months later, a shaky recording of the nagging mantra performed by Qashush and echoed by a chorus of demonstrators at a night protest in Hama went viral on the Internet. “You have lost your legitimacy... Freedom is within reach... The martyrs’ blood doesn’t come cheap,” says the song, whose unlikely rhymes never fail to trigger laughter. It even pokes fun at Assad’s slight lisp. Qashush was soon arrested and his body was reported to have been found in a river in July last year.

The man nicknamed “the mocking bird of the revolution” had had his throat slit and vocal chords

ripped out. In many Syrian towns where anti-regime protests carry on, organizers call themselves Qashush in homage to the slain activist. “His song gives us courage... Ibrahim Qashush holds a special place in people’s hearts, I think,” said one of the organizers of a recent rally in the town of Marea, north of Aleppo in northwestern Syria.

“The Free Syrian Army is made up of normal people like me, who have families and jobs. There are not many heroes but we have our guardian angel: Ibrahim Qashush,” said the young man, who gave his name as Mohamed Qashush. In the disputed Aleppo neighborhood of Jdeideh, Abu Mohammed, a veteran commander who defected from the army three years ago and returned from exile to join the rebellion last year, likes to tease regime soldiers with the song. In the ancient district’s maze of narrow windy streets, enemy positions are sometimes 30 yards apart, literally within shouting distance.

‘His song gives us courage’ After checking the soldiers’ position by using a small mirror to peek around the street corner, Abu Mohamed wheeled out a speaker, stuck his mobile against the microphone and played the rebel anthem full blast. “Maybe they’re afraid or maybe they cannot defect, but I’m sure they enjoy listening to this,” he said, raising his eyebrows and turning an ear towards the army checkpoint as if he expected a sign of appreciation. “The words are very simple. I think every Syrian can relate to them. The regime

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has tanks and helicopters and lots of weapons we don’t have. But we have this music... that’s why I like to play it during the fighting.” If the Syrian revolution had a soundtrack, “Yalla erhal ya Bashar” would be the theme song but anti-regime music has flourished over the past year.

“This is my favorite time of the day,” said Abadllah, a Free Syrian Army fighter, as he flicked his laptop open and sprawled on a foam mattress in his brother’s empty home in central Aleppo. “This one always makes me cry,” he said, putting on a song entitled “Ya Hef” (Oh Shame), another revolution favorite written by Samih Shuqeir, a well-known Syrian singer exiled in Paris. The anti-regime repertoire flooding the Internet includes everything from a rap remix of Qashush’s song to heart-wrenching tales of bereavement mixing in soundbites from orphaned children backed by Arab orchestras heavy on whining violins.

The revolt has forced Syria’s celebrities to take a public stand and some of the Arab world’s best loved artists who chose to extoll the virtues of Bashar and his regime, like actress Raghda, are now hate figures in rebel strongholds. Conversely, a star singer like Asala unexpectedly announced she was siding with the rebels and has since been touring the world to raise funds for the revolution.

One of the most popular figures among Syrian rebels is Abdelbaset Saroot, the goalkeeper of Syria’s football youth team who joined the armed struggle.

An injury sustained during clashes with the army

might jeopardize his future in sport but his song “Have you no pity?” is a hit and a new career beckons.”You know, when your lips have been sewn shut for so long, people want to sing,” said Abdallah.

“They want to shout.” — AFP

Protesters chant anti-government slogans during a demonstration against the regime of Syrian President Bashar AlAssad on August 31, 2012, in the northern Syrian city of Marea. — AFP

Road warrior Dylan reopens theater in NY

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File photo shows Edward Villella, founding artistic director of the Miami City Ballet, left, watching dancers during a company class in Miami Beach, Fla. — AP

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dward Villella, the artistic director of the Miami City Ballet, has abruptly left the company after nearly a year of financial struggles and management shakeups that threatened to overshadow the troupe he founded and built into an internationally recognized company. Villella, 75, said last year he would retire after the 20122013 season ends in April. Ballet officials announced Tuesday that Villella has decided to leave now. The former New York City Ballet star founded the Miami Beach-based dance company in 1986.

In a statement, officials said Villella “had given the matter a great deal of thought” and decided with the company’s executive board to speed the transition to new leadership. The Cuban-born dancer Lourdes Lopez, who was set to succeed Villella as artistic director, now takes over immediately, ballet officials said. In the statement, Villella and board president Jim Eroncig thanked each other for support and leadership. There’s no mention of the angst that has shadowed Villella’s departure since his retirement was announced in September 2011.

Ballet trustee Marvin Ross Friedman said Tuesday he was leaving with Villella. Instead of thanking Villella for leading the company to wild acclaim in Paris last summer, a few members of the executive board forced him to resign, Friedman said. “He created a world-class company, a crown jewel in the pantheon of Miami’s cultural assets ... yet he was fired,” Friedman said in an email to ballet officials, dancers and board members.

Villella’s departure was planned and a mutual decision, said Roberto Santiago, Miami City Ballet’s spokesman.

Villella declined comment Tuesday. The terms of his retirement are guarded by a

confidentiality agreement. But in a recent interview with The Associated Press, he expressed frustration and disappointment with his impending exit. He remembered a comment his mentor at New York City Ballet, George Balanchine, made about wanting to “die in the harness,” and he had hoped to make a final bow on his own terms. “I’m not the retiring type,” he said. He will return to New York, where he was born, to pursue other opportunities in dance.

Villella was proud to have built a company where he would have liked to dance, despite one regret: “Just my failure to make everybody understand - and I’m talking about, not only donors and board people, the entire community, all of South Florida this is a company that’s had standing ovations in LA, Kennedy Center, Chicago, New York City, Paris. We are known and received better outside of Florida than we are inside of Florida.”

Like other arts companies, Miami City Ballet has struggled through recession and recovery. After a successful 2009 tour in New York, the company cut eight dancers to save money. The second half of the 2008-2009 season was performed to recorded music because live orchestral music was too costly.

An executive director hired last fall to improve fundraising and management was out by the end of June. Many dancers addressed the board in confusion after Villella’s retirement announcement. “It was news that came sort of out of the blue to us, and it seemed to us not happy news. We were trying to get some answers,” said principal dancer Jennifer Kronenberg.

Miami City Ballet has brought in Michael Kaiser, president of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, as a consultant to help

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im Carrey has joined the cast of “Kick-Ass 2: Balls to The Wall,” for director Jeff Wadlow whotweeted the news this weekend. Carrey will play Colonel Stars who helps rally a group of misfit super-heroes on a quest to fight evil.

The sequel reunites Chloe Moretz, Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Nicolas Cage. Wadlow tweeted: “6 days till we start shooting and we officially have our Colonel. Alrighty f’n then.”

This will be the first comic book film for Carrey since he played the role of The Riddler in “Batman Forever.” Calls to Carrey’s representatives were not immediately returned.

The sequel will be supervised by the director and co-writer of “Kick-Ass,” Matthew Vaughn. It will be released through Universal next summer.

In the comic book, which the film is based on, Colonel Stars is a member of Justice Forever, a poor man’s justice league. Colonel Stars gets out of the mafia and finds solace in Justice Forever. This will be the first comic book film for Carrey since he played the role of The Riddler in the 1995 film “Batman Forever.” — Reuters

financially restructure the company. Kaiser performed similar tasks for the American Ballet Theater and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in the 1990s, though he says the Miami troupe is in better shape than those companies at that time. Lopez, who also danced at New York City Ballet, has been the director at New York dance company Morphoses. She arrived in Miami last week to take over the company’s ballet school, which had been run by Villella’s wife.

Lopez, 53, attended classes and rehearsals Tuesday with the company’s professional dancers, Santiago said. In an email Tuesday to the ballet’s staff and roughly 40 dancers, Villella said he was confident the company would continue to flourish. He also wrote that he was especially pleased with the rave reviews they earned in New York and Paris.

Villella has said their triumph in Paris was as dear to him as the standing ovations he received from an audience in Moscow during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Miami never was an ideal place to build a dance company, Villella had recently told AP, in spite of its growing population and fundraising potential. He noted the company has always run a deficit.

South Florida also lacks the cultural heritage of major arts destinations such as New York, he said, along with major donors who prioritize arts funding. “My estimation when I came here was that I was bringing New York to Miami, but Miami has its own manner and fashion, and therein lies a complication,” Villella said. — AP

In this Jan 12, 2012 file photo, Bob Dylan performs in Los Angeles. — AP

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irque du Soleil: Worlds Away,” a 3D fantasy film executive-produced by “Avatar” director James Cameron, will open the Tokyo International Film Festival on Oct 20, organizers said yesterday.

Written and directed by Andrew Adamson, who helmed the first two “Chronicles of Narnia” movies, Worlds Away follows a young couple that becomes separated and must journey through dreamlike worlds of Cirque du Soleil to find each other. The film, which makes its world premiere at the Tokyo festival screening out of competition, incorporates performances shot in 3D from actual shows by the circus-arts entertainers.

Cameron, whose “Titanic” premiered at the Tokyo festival in 1997, is one of Hollywood’s biggest proponents of 3D. He said last month he would open a joint venture to provide 3D filming technology in China, where audience demand for the format is booming. The 25th edition of the Tokyo festival runs Oct 20-28.—Reuters

Jim Carrey

ifty years into his career as a recording artist and a week away from release of an extraordinary new CD, Bob Dylan spent his Tuesday evening where he seems to feel most comfortable - on a stage.

In this case, he marked the grand reopening of a refurbished theater in a gritty village 35 miles northeast of New York City. At 71, the renowned songwriter is a road warrior. Tuesday was his 50th gig out of 87 scheduled this year, a schedule that has seen him play a brewery in Missoula, Mont; a baseball field in Fort Wayne, Ind.; and an amphitheater built on the site of the first Woodstock concert in Bethel, NY In the past 20 years, Dylan has played more than 2,000 concerts, said Bill Pagel of the Boblinks website, who meticulously logs every song he performs. Next week, Dylan releases “Tempest,” a wide-ranging disc filled with the lyrical dexterity he’s famous for that’s getting such an advanced buzz that the Los Angeles Times website published a lengthy blog post on just one of its songs. He has yet to try out any of the “Tempest” songs before a live audience, and Tuesday at Port Chester’s Capitol Theatre was no exception.

His concert was the high-wire act his devoted fans are used to. It isn’t a well-rehearsed set of the same greatest hits every night. Instead, Dylan veers between train wreck and transcendent, sometimes even within the same song. He took one legendary song, “Tangled Up in Blue,” and twisted it into a nearly unrecognizable rocker. The strong 1990s era “Things Have Changed” was speeded up from a shuffle to nearly twice its tempo. The well-known “Highway 61 Revisited” was turned into a boogie-woogie led by Dylan’s piano playing and refreshed by changes to its melody.

With popular music’s most impressive catalogue at his fingertips, he’ll pull out an obscure song like “Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle Dum” and leave you wondering why he bothered. Yet the lovely ballad “Shooting Star” and relatively recent “High Water (For Charlie Patten)” from 2001 were highlights played back-to-back, with Dylan taking a microphone and prowling the stage like a Las Vegas showman.

Dylan’s voice is a haggard growl by now, and he sometimes barks his lyrics in ways that seem intentionally designed to avoid sing-a-longs. He used an echo effect on “Ballad of a Thin Man” that sent his voice whipping around the arena. Yet on a chestnut like “Visions of Johanna,” Dylan can sound surprisingly sweet. It was a high-wattage reopening for the Capitol Theatre, which opened as a movie venue in 1926 but turned to rock ‘n’ roll in the late 1960s and hosted the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd and Janis Joplin. It closed in 1976 and, except for a brief revival in the early 1990s, has been largely quiet except for bar mitzvahs and corporate parties. Promoters behind New York City’s Wetlands Club came in to refurbish the theater and present an ambitious schedule of pop music for the rest of 2012. — AP

The soundtrack of the Syrian revolution

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

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A woman looks at a picture of the Great Wall of China made from glass at the China International Glass Art and Decoration Expo in Beijing yesterday. The two-day event showcases world glass art and technology and claims to be the biggest in Asia. — AFP

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conomic hard times are well and truly over if you’re losing your baby teeth. Credit card brand Visa said Tuesday that, according to a national survey, the Tooth Fairy-or parents acting discreetly in her name-left an average of $3 (2.40 euros) under the pillow per tooth this year.

That’s up 15 percent from $2.60 a year ago, it said, making deciduous teeth one of the best investments out there. “The tooth fairy may be the canary in the economic coal mine,” said Jason Alderman, Visa’s senior director of global financial education, echoing hopes that the US economy might yet snap out of its post-reces-

sion blues. Visa is promoting a smartphone app to help parents figure out exactly how much a fallen tooth is worth, as part of a global program to better educate families about money.Its Tooth Fairy findings were based on a telephone survey of 2,000 households across the United States in mid-July, with a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.—AFP

The sculpture ‘Yellow Arrow’ by German artist Stefan Rohrer is seen in Obergut Lenthe near Hanover, central Germany. — AFP

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oward Stern might be part of the NBC family with his “America’s Got Talent” judging gig, but he certainly seems to be the black sheep among his new relatives. Stern claimed on his radio show last Tuesday that an NBC executive made a “threatening kind of comment” to Stern after he blasted NBC late-night host Jay Leno as a “spineless maggot.”

Stern slammed Leno last Monday on his show; following reports that Leno had taken a pay cut to save staffers’ jobs after 20 employees were laid off from “The Tonight Show.” The next day, Stern claimed on his Sirius XM Radio show that his attack on Leno was met with a chilly reception by one network executive. “I got sort of a threatening kind of comment from one of the

executives,” Stern said. “I was done with Jay Leno, now I’m all fired up again.”

On last Monday’s radio show, Stern cast doubt on accounts that Leno was attempting to save staff members’ jobs, suggesting to the contrary that Leno had wanted the staff cuts, and was hiding behind NBC. “It’s a smokescreen... Here’s what it really means, and you can take this to the bank: Jay Leno is a scumbag, said Stern. “That’s what that means. He’s a spineless maggot. Jay wanted to cut staff. He’s embarrassed to do it.

He didn’t want to come off as a bad guy.”—Reuters

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early a decade after Saddam Hussein’s statue was pulled down in an iconic moment seen globally; Baghdad will finally replace it with new artwork to mark its selection as the 2013 Arab Capital of Culture. It is the latest in efforts by authorities to promote the country and the capital, which this year marks 1,250 years since its founding. Baghdad played host to a landmark Arab summit in March, followed by talks between world powers and Iran in May over the Islamic republic’s nuclear program.

Baghdad’s selection as Arab Capital of Culture also gives the country a chance to make up for its failure to ready Najaf in time for it to take over as 2012 Islamic Capital of Culture, with the latter honor marred by delayed projects and allegations of corruption. Organizers of the Baghdad cultural capital project are planning to erect 19 new statues, monuments and memorials across the city to highlight its cultural heritage and to mark late artists and cultural icons.

But chief among them will be Abbas Gharib’s monument, to be erected at Firdos Square in the centre of the city, where for decades a giant bronze statue of of Saddam Hussein stood until it was pulled down with the help of US marines on April 9 2003, in a scene witnessed around the world via television. Gharib will replace what is left of that statue-just the metal replicas of his feet-with an architectural ode to the past millennium in Iraq at the square, named after the Arabic word for paradise. “The monument reflects the idea that Iraq is a unified country,” Gharib said.

The 21-metre (69 feet) cylindrical monument, a scale model of which Gharib showed off at a recent culture ministry news conference, flares at the top in 18 arches, symbolizing the country’s provinces.

Rounding the monument off is another cylinder of bronze, through which one can trace the history of Iraq-through the Mesopotamian, Sumerian and Babylonian civilizations.

‘Still a source of enlightenment’ Four “doors” to the monument pay tribute to the style of the Abbasids, who founded Baghdad in 762 AD. Surrounding it will be gardens, while lights inside that will point to the sky to show that “Iraq is still a source of enlightenment for mankind,” according to Gharib. Other statues and memorials around Baghdad will pay tribute to late cultural icons, such as Kamal Shia, who was assassinated in 2008, the poet Nazik al-Malaika, killed in 2007, and the intellectual Ali al-Wardi. “I think this is the first time Iraq has paid tribute to these figures of culture and heritage,” said Abdul Qader Saadi al-Jumaili, culture ministry spokesman.

Authorities also plan to build an opera house, theatres, concert halls, and ultimately to restore a city struck by years of violence and, before the invasion, crippling international sanctions throughout which maintenance of its heritage took a back seat to other more urgent priorities. The city has already taken some early steps to restore its former glory-in preparation for the March Arab summit, new grass and palm trees were planted along the

airport road, referred to by US troops as “RPG alley” for the frequency of rocket-propelled grenade attacks during the worst of the violence. And several of Baghdad’s hotels were renovated, roads were paved, and villas were built. Still, for all the planned improvements to the city’s dilapidated infrastructure and the additions to its parks and public squares, Gharib’s new monument on Firdos Square is likely to have special significance. “Leaders come and go, but Iraq will always belong to the Iraqis,” he said.— AFP

Iraqi artist Abbas Gharib stands next to a miniature replica of his statue to be erected in Baghdad’s al-Firdus square, at the same place where the statue of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was pulled down during the US army invasion in 2003, in Baghdad on August 29, 2012. — AFP