12 Dec 2011

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

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MUHARRAM 16, 1433 AH

Groups mull candidates as all wait for election date Doha Bank denies issuing cheque from Qatari PM

Max 17º Min 07º Low Tide 07:25 & 19:03 High Tide 14:16

By B Izzak conspiracy theories

Speculations in the air

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

A

s all of you know, parliament was dissolved and elections will be held on Feb 4. With or without parliament, we still hear the threats and the loud voices of opposition members. Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak, the newly appointed prime minister, has not received his credentials yet when he was threatened to be grilled if he does not work according to the MPs’ likes.

The way I see things from the news, the old gang is coming back. Few new names are here or there on the list, amongst them women. But most of the opposition is back and are going to nominate themselves. Other groups are also coming back with more or less the same names. The Shiite group is coming back and they are trying to organize themselves.

This election, in my opinion, is going to be very fierce. Unfortunately, it is going tribal and sectarian again. When I say tribal, it looks like the tribes are coming back hand in hand together. Musallam AlBarrak and his group will be back. Opposition member Saadoun and his group will also be back. The sectarians and the Shiites are also meeting to nominate their candidates.

I have one worry about this elections. What I hear from the diwaniyas and the street, the opinion of the public, is that female seats in next parliament are in danger because many people say that women MPs did not perform satisfactorily in the previous parliament so there is a doubt that the guys who elected them will reelect them.

Mind you, these are all speculations. In my opinion, Maasouma Mubarak stands a good chance if she makes a good pact with the Shiite group. I do not know about Aseel Al-Awadhi and Rola Dashti and if they manage to enter partnerships with strong groups. If they do, they will make it but I doubt it.

People still remember their stand on the teachers’ salary rise. If Saadoun wins, he has his eye on the seat of the speaker but the way I see it, he has a strong opponent - Al-Sager.

These are all speculations. But my personal speculations are that the same kind of parliament and grillings will make a comeback. Of course, the government will have its own MPs and few of these have already nominated themselves. We will have the same fun.

Have good fun, till the next speculations.

AMMAN: Men raise their shoes as a sign of disrespect during a protest demanding the release of Syrian refugee Ahmed Al-Shureiqi in front of the Syrian Embassy yesterday. — AP

Syrian troops clash with army defectors BEIRUT: Syrian troops battled army defectors yesterday in clashes that set several military vehicles ablaze.

The fighting and other violence around the nation killed at least eight people, activists said. For the first time, an act of violent protest against President Bashar Assad’s regime spilled across the border into Jordan, where about a dozen Syrians attacked their embassy yesterday in the capital, Amman, injuring at

Gingrich stands by ‘invented’ jab Arab revolts reshape map of US influence

DES MOINES, Iowa: Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney (left) and Newt Gingrich are seen during a Republican debate Saturday. — AP

KUWAIT: US Army Specialist Nathan Flores lays in his cot and watches a movie as he continues to wait to leave Kuwait and head home after exiting from Iraq yesterday at Camp Virginia. — AFP

WASHINGTON: Leading Republican White House contender Newt Gingrich has stood by remarks that Palestinians are an “invented” people, which have sparked outrage as he seemed to call into question long-held US policy on statehood. “Is what I said factually correct? Yes. Is it historically true? Yes,” Gingrich said during a thorny moment in the latest debate among the Republicans vying to challenge President Barack Obama in the Nov 2012 election.

Gingrich’s comments were the most hawkish to date from any Republican vying to take on

Nations set course for 2015 global climate pact

An unmarked date reflects Indian ambivalence

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least two diplomats and four other consulate employees.

The 9-month-old uprising against Syria’s authoritarian President Bashar Assad has grown increasingly violent in recent months as once-peaceful protesters take up arms and defected soldiers who have joined the uprising fight back against the army.

Continued on Page 13

KUWAIT: Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak AlSabah is scheduled to chair a meeting of the Cabinet that is expected to approve an Amiri decree setting the date for the forthcoming elections as political groups and tribes were discussing ways of fielding candidates.

It was not clear when the elections will be held, but they must be held before the lapse of 60 days from Dec 6 when the National Assembly was dissolved. It is expected that the Amiri decree calling on 400,000 Kuwaiti voters to elect a new Assembly will be issued today and the election date will likely be before the end of January. The decree should be issued in such a way to provide enough time for the registration of candidates and then withdrawal before the polls can be held. The decree is expected to give around one month for the registration of candidates, withdrawals and the election campaign.

A number of groups have started consultations to announce their candidates and the constituencies they will be contesting. Former MP Khaled Al-Sultan of the Islamist Salaf Alliance said that his group has not yet selected the candidates, who are likely to be former MPs Fahad Al-Khanna and Abdullatif Al-Ameeri. Sultan said the likely candidates include other hopefuls but this will only be decided at the meeting of the group shortly. He said the names of candidates will be announced in a statement.

Former independent MP Khalaf Dumaitheer, one of few people who have spent more than two decades in the Assembly, said yesterday he has decided to seek reelection from the second constituency. It was speculated that Dumaitheer, who has always backed the government, will not be contesting again because of a court ruling earlier this year that convicted him in a forgery case, which under Kuwaiti law prevents him from contesting parliamentary polls. Among other former MPs who plan to re-run are Mohammad Al-Huwailah, Hassan Jowhar, Ali Al-Deqbasi, Mohammad Hayef, Rola Dashti and others.

In a related development, Qatar’s Doha Bank categorically denied that it issued a cheque worth 200 million Qatari riyals from the Qatari prime minister to a Kuwaiti man whose first name is Musallam.

Continued on Page 13

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President Barack Obama in November 2012’s national election, and came as his rivals upped the bidding to gain key support from Jewish voters. In a sign he could abandon the US position on a twostate solution for Israel and the Palestinians, Gingrich said the Jewish people had the right to a state, but did not confirm if Palestinians should have the same privilege.

“Remember there was no Palestine as a state. It was part of the Ottoman Empire,” Gingrich told The Jewish Channel in an interview released on Friday.

Continued on Page 13

DUBAI: About 18 months before the Egyptian uprising that would doom Hosni Mubarak, a US diplomatic cable was sent from Cairo. It described Mubarak as the likely president-for-life and said his regime’s ability to intimidate critics and rig elections was as solid as ever. Around the same time, another dispatch to the State Department came from the American Embassy in Tunisia. In a precise foreshadowing of the revolts to come, it said the country’s longtime leader, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, had “lost touch” and faced escalating anger from the streets, according to once-classified memos posted by Wikileaks.

So what was it? Was America blindsided or bunkered down for the Arab Spring? The case is often made that Washington was caught flatfooted and now must adapt to diminished influence in a Middle East with new priorities. But there is an alternative narrative: that the epic events of 2011 are an opportunity to enhance Washington’s role in a region hungry for democracy and innovation, and to form new strategic alliances.

There is no doubt that Washington was jolted by the downfall of its Egyptian and Tunisian allies. The revolutions blew apart the regimes’ ossified relationships with the US and cleared the way for long-suppressed Islamist groups that eye the West with suspicion. But declaring a twilight for America in the Mideast ignores a big caveat: The Arabian Gulf. There are deep US connections among the small but economically powerful and diplomatically adept Continued on Page 13

Torchlit events in Indonesia break records

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Al Sadd set up dream Barca tie

DOHA: Kuwaitís Maryam Erzougi poses on the podium after winning the gold medal in the women’s 10-m air rifle shooting final at the Lusail Shooting Complex during the 2011 Arab Games. — AFP

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LOCAL

400,306 citizens eligible to vote in 2012 elections Women outnumber men KUWAIT: More than 400,000 citizens will be eligible to vote in the 2012 parliamentary elections, over half of whom are female citizens, according to statistics mentioned in AlQabas daily’s issue yesterday. The report indicates that out of 400,306 citizens eligible to vote, 215,306 are women who account for 53.8 percent of the total voters’ number, compared to 185,001 (46.2 percent ) male voters. It also shows that the number of voters increased by 1.5 percent compared to 2010 statistics. At least 5,960 young citizens will become eligible to vote this year.

Furthermore, the report shows that the

fifth constituency has the largest number of voters with 113,409, followed by the fourth with 103,409 voters and the first constituency has 71,148, voters.

The third constituency has 67,065 voters and the second constituency has the least number of voters with 45,402. Meanwhile, the largest increase in the number of voters was seen in the third constituency at 3.4 percent (addition of 2,197 voters).

It was followed by the second constituency which registered a 1.5 percent increase and 658 new voters. The fourth constituency registered a 1.2 percent rise.

Meanwhile, a report quoting sources said that candidates are expected to spend at least a total of KD 150 million on campaigns, divided into KD 50 million for billboards, campaign headquarters, feasts etc. An amount of KD 100 million has been set aside to ‘buy votes.’

On that regard, officials indicate that KD 50 million is expected to be spent on valuable gifts, and another KD50 million in direct cash payments.

The 2012 elections should proceed the same way as its predecessor. Sources predicted that the number of candidates running for elections this year will be on the rise.

Wataniya Telecom launches new benefits for members KUWAIT: Stemming from its continuous efforts to develop distinctive services that exceed its customers’ expectations, Wataniya Telecom is pleased to announce the launch of new benefits for its Wataniya Rewards Program members this month. Those members now earn even more points when they spend with Wataniya, allowing them to enjoy the many rewards offered in the program faster than ever before.

Wataniya created the Rewards program to give back to their customers in appreciation for their loyalty. Customers only have to sign up to the Reward Program(for free) to immediately start earning points which they can then exchange for a wide range of exciting rewards from Wataniya and its partners.

Starting from the beginning of December, customers that are members in Wataniya Rewards Program will earn even more points for every KD1they spend on subscription charges, calls (local and international), messages or mobile internet.

In fact the more a customer uses Wataniya’s services the higher their status level and earning power in the program becomes. There are three different levels of membership in Wataniya Rewards: Red Members earn 10 points for every KD1 spent; Silver Members earn 25 points for every KD1and Gold Members earn 40 points for every KD1 spent on any of the Wataniya services.

Commenting on the new points earning benefits of the Wataniya Rewards Program, Abdolaziz Al-Balool Public Relations Director at Wataniya Telecom said: “Given the great success achieved by the program since launch, Wataniya Telecom has worked day after day in developing it and improvingit in order to meet more of its customers’ aspirations. That is why, on the first of December, we have

Abdolaziz Al-Balool made the earning of points even easier, faster and more attractive to the members.”

Al Balool added, “Wataniya Rewards Program is a great opportunity for us to show our deep appreciation to our customers for their loyalty to Wataniya Telecom. It is also a reminder to them that their telecom company is always paving the way in delivering distinctive programs and developing them, as well as continuously working at rewarding its customers.

Therefore, we encourage all our customers to register for the Rewards Program and become part of it, in order to take advantage of the rewards and surprises that are awaiting them.”

Joining the program is free and simple.

Send a free SMS with the letter R to 129 or visit the website: wataniya.com/rewards to register and you will become a member of Wataniya’s Rewards program. Start collecting points and enjoy the 100 rewards and many other benefits from Wataniya Telecom and its partners.

Council of Ministers set to discuss salary increases

KUWAIT: Kuwait Red Crescent Society team yesterday delivered two ambulances to the Somali Disasters Authority to be used in humanitarian efforts to help drought-stricken Somali people. KRCS chairman, Barjas Al-Barjas said that the recent aid shipment to Somalia included two fully equipped ambulances and food items that would be distributed to around 150 families. KRCS team was received by the Somali PM, Abdul Wali Mohammed Ali.

US policy in Mideast changing quickly, says former envoy KUWAIT: The US is changing its policy to cope up with the latest developments in the region with a view to helping meet the democratic aspirations of Arab people without harming its interests in this important part of the world, visiting US academics concurred.

“The most important thing for people in Kuwait and the Arab world to understand is that President Barack Obama administration’s approach in the Middle East is changing quickly and dramatically,” Professor of Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Affairs Edward Gnehm said yesterday at a roundtable discussion held here.

Gnehm, former US ambassador to Kuwait (1991-1994), heads a visiting academic delegation from George Washington University (GWU) who shared him the discussion. Dr Marc Lynch, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs and Director of the Institute for Middle East Studies at GWU, explained the US administration is trying to reposition itself in a way that enables it to respond to Arab people aspirations.

“It is trying to put itself on the right side of history to identify itself with the aspirations and the hopes of the Arab people but at the same time protects its interests in the region,” he noted.

Lynch said that the US is at loss as it tries to meet people’s aspirations and protect its interests in the region. “On one hand, the administration genuinely believes that democracy is the future in the Middle East and people are going to have to be more involved in politics.

Yet at the same time it wants to preserve those core interests in the region such as oil, its relationship with Israel and its attempt to contain Iran.” He underlined that the US administration totally understands that what is happening in the region right now is not made in America. “It is not about the United States forcing democracy on the region. It didn’t create the Egyptian revolution. It didn’t create the Tunisian revolution. It is important to understand that the US does not see itself as the driving force behind those changes but at the same time it did not try to stop them.”

Lynch admitted that the US is losing part of its leverage on the region. “The US has tried to play a

constructive role in the region yet its resources are limited and its power is declining. “The military withdrawal from Iraq will seriously change the US role and its strategies in the region. The economic crisis in the US limits what the United States can do for or to countries in the region. The rise of other powers and players such as China, Brazil and Turkey in the region puts limit on what the United States can do.

Elections in the US will weigh heavily on what the United States can or cannot do in the coming year,” he clarified.

Meanwhile, Dr. Nathan Brown, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, focused on the US policy toward the Arab-Israeli conflict. He noted that over the last decade there has been a clear American vision of how to solve this conflict by negotiating two states solution, where an Israeli state and a Palestinian state living peacefully side by side.

However, there have been great differences within the administrations on how to pursue this solution.“We are reaching a crisis point with this American approach because the development of domestic politics in three places: on the Palestinian front there is a divided Palestinian authority since 2007.

If it moves toward reconciliation, the other seems to move away from any sort of negotiated peace. And, if it moves toward a negotiated peace with Israel then the division between Fatah and Hamas becomes worse. “In the Israeli politics, meantime, there is an enchantment of the idea of negotiated settlement. However, the Israeli government tries to keep correct relationship with the US by talking about two states solution. But the truth is there is little hope of achieving one since the Israeli political domestic configuration is not favorable to the two states solution.”

Dr. Steven Cook, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, shed light on Turkey’s new role in the Middle East. “It is undeniable that Ankara wants to play the new more constructive role in the region when it has been a mere observer over the past five decades.” The Obama Administration, for its part, recognizes the limits of its influence and the constraints on the American power in the region that is why it

has worked very hard to partner with Turkey and to leverage its long stand with Turkey and Turkey’s new desired to play this new role in the region and be influential, Cook said.

Dr. Cook questioned if the Turks are looking to the region in a way that is “too simplistic.” He explained that the Turks see themselves as the model for the region when there are a number of factors that would make that difficult.

He pointed out that Arabs will look to the Arab world for leadership not necessarily to the non-Arab Turkey. In addition there are competitors to Turkey in the region such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia even if Egypt succeeded in moving forward, Arabs will likely to look for Cairo as Arabs’ leadership than non-Arab Ankara. Turkey’s role in the region is based primarily on the principle position Turkey’s Prime Minister take on the Israeli-Palestinian issues and beyond that there seems to be not much Turkish role in the region.

On a question about how all calamities in the Arab region are blamed on the US administration Dr. Judith Yaphe, a research fellow in the Institute for Middle East Studies at GWU, responded by saying that “it is easier to pin blame, especially, when people pass issues and put them aside because they do not want to deal with them.”

For his part Dr Cook answered that “there is often a tendency to look at the outside and assign blame but we also have to be honest that the history of Washington conduct in the world is easier for people to assign blame to the United States.” “It is true the leaders have used this and manipulated it for their own purposes but in addition to the fact that the United States is a global power and there is a generally reservoir of resentment towards big powers.” Ambassador Gnehm pointed out that “it is normal for the average person to see America’s hand behind calamities that happen in the region. But, when I speak about the Arab spring to American audiences I make a very fundamental point that the latest development is not antiAmerican or driven by America. It is not anti-Israeli. It is not pro-Islamic.

It was an outcry of the people living in the region against their own governments to better their living conditions.” — KUNA

KUWAIT: In its session today the Council of Ministers shall discuss a number of urgent issues, including increases in the salaries of Ministry employees. Sources revealed that the salaries of those working in the Army and Police forces shall be discussed once the government employee increments have been finalized.

Thereafter, the salaries of retired Army

and Police employees will be reviewed to create equality among all and increase their level of income in order to face the increasing cost of living. The sources added that the council has asked the Ministry of Commerce to prepare a report on price increases to use in the discussions on salary increases.

— Al-Shahed

Opposition coordinates to secure parliamentary membership KUWAIT: Former MPs from the opposition bloc have prepared a work program that organizes agenda, stated a news report yesterday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, officials told that program includes taking follow up action on the cash deposits and foreign transactions scandals - the source of political turmoil that led to the former Cabinet’s resignation as well as efforts to amend money laundering and public funds protection regulations. The bloc members also seek to introduce a wealth disclosure law, as well as a law to establish an independent authority that oversees parliamentary elections.

Officials revealed that the bloc plans to sever ties with any of its members by making tribal primary elections or by being nominated through tribal consultations. This comes in line with the opposition’s stance on rejecting primary elections as this action has been criminalized. Another report noted that the 20 members of the opposition bloc

will coordinate to avoid inaugurating their election campaign headquarters, which sources believe will provide an opportunity for all bloc members to attend the inauguration of each candidate’s campaigns.

“Their collective participation is aimed at providing full support to each member in the hope of regaining full membership in the Parliament,” said sources. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah dissolved the Parliament last week, a week after the Cabinet of former Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah resigned following unprecedented public pressure. Under rules of the Kuwaiti Constitution, fresh elections must be held within 60 days of the dissolution’s decree. As candidates wait for an official decree to launch campaigns, news emerged about possible ‘tribal coalitions’ forged between candidates in the fourth and fifth constituencies to provide mutual support to help respective candidates win. This is mentioned

in an Al-Rai daily report yesterday, which quotes sources familiar with ‘ongoing coordination’ between Shummar and Thufair majority tribes in the fourth constituency. Officials also mention that a similar alliance is being formed between Al-Rashaidah and AlMutair tribes in the fourth constituency, and the Ajman and Awazem tribes in the fifth con stituency. Al-Rai also reported yesterdaySecretary General of the Democratic Forum Yousuf Al-Shaygi, as announcing the names of candidates to the supreme elections committee today.

Meanwhile, MP Khalid Al-Sultan told AlRai on Saturday that the Islamist Salafi Group is currently weighing options to select between himself, candidates Abdullatif Al-Omiari and Dr Fahad AlKhanna to stand for elections at the second constituency. The same newspaper also reported yesterday that Sheikh Dr Meshal Al-Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah plans to run for parliamentary elections from the first constituency.

—Al-Qabas, Al-Rai

Integrated reporting and corporate social responsibility KUWAIT: The last few years has seen the worst global economic crisis since the 1930s — a crisis that was in part driven by focus on short-term profits and rewards at the expense of long-term sustainability. It has demonstrated the need for capital market decision-making to reflect long-term considerations, and has called into question the extent to which corporate reporting disclosures, as they exist today, highlight systematic risks to business sufficiently.

The threats posed to the long-term interests of business, investors, societies and the planet are real and decisions taken in tackling these issues need to be based on clear and comprehensive information. It is becoming the norm for companies to produce what are commonly termed sustainability, corporate social responsibility (CSR) or corporate governance reports in order to communicate to their stakeholders on environmental, social, governance and risk issues.

‘Integrated reporting’ is the term increasingly used to describe the alignment of business reporting with sustainability performance and business value.

The premise is that corporate responsibility activities should not be conducted in isolation from the rest of the business.

Environmental, social and governance issues are having an increasing impact on companies’ ability to operate with long-

term viability and generate a profit. The specific issues with the most potential to influence business value - positively or negatively - depend on the industry sector, the geographic scope and the nature of the individual business. Investors, shareholders and other stakeholders have most interest in understanding how these issues link to strategy and the future value of the business.

It is within this context that integrated reporting was the subject of a recent roundtable workshop held jointly by the Pearl Initiative, the Centre for Responsible Business at Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales, and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Around thirty five senior finance, accounting, compliance and governance professionals participated in the interactive workshop session. Questions were discussed and debated in areas such as existing reporting practices, challenges to the adoption of integrated reporting and current trends in corporate disclosure.

Expert input on the global track towards integrated reporting was given

by Matty Yates of the Accounting for Sustainability (A4S) project of the Prince of Wales in the UK. In his own words, A4S was established “to help ensure that we are not battling to meet 21st century challenges with, at best, 20th century

decision making and reporting systems.”

Pearl Initiative, the private-sector led organization developed in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Partnerships to promote transparency, accountability and good business practices in the GCC, is partnering with A4S to improve the understanding and application of integrated reporting in the Gulf region. Narayanan Rajagopalan of Abraaj Capital shared his company’s experience of producing its first integrated report, and Andrew Robinson of KPMG gave input on his experience as an expert advisor to clients in this area. It was generally agreed that there are particular factors that should be taken into account in progressing the adoption of integrated reporting in this part of the world. For example, the bulk of the region’s economic activity is with family firms, privately-held companies and small/ medium-sized enterprises - which do not so far generally face requirements to produce financial reports. But, as at the start of any journey, it is important to build the foundations for the path ahead, and in this case that means raising awareness, communicating the value created and sharing good practices. At the end of the day, better communication between companies and investors will enhance access to markets, corporate reputation and the long-term viability of the business.

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News

in brief

6 perish in traffic accidents KUWAIT: According to a recent Ministry of Interior report, six people died in traffic accidents last week.

The report cited information from the official weekly statistics of noncriminal fatalities in Kuwait, which are released by the General Department of Criminal Evidence. The statistics indicate that two of the fatalities last week were Kuwaiti citizens. The report also quotes instructions from the Ministry’s Security Media Department for drivers to abide by traffic laws in order to help avoid such unnecessary casualties.

New institute for lawyers KUWAIT: The Kuwait Lawyers Society(KLS) is conducting a feasibility study on opening a Kuwait Lawyers Institute, said a member of the Society and Director General of Development and Training Center Sharyan Al-Sharyan. He said the profession requires creativity and innovation and relies on extensive knowledge and experience in interpreting texts and articles. He said that the role of (KLS) has evolved notably due to the persistent efforts of consecutive boards to raise the standard of the profession.

German president visiting Kuwait KUWAIT: German President Christian Wulff, accompanied by officials, is due to arrive in Kuwait today on an official mission, during which he would hold talks with HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-sabah. An earlier official statement released in Berlin indicated that the president would be accompanied by his wife and that his visit to the country would be part of a tour to Gulf states. The tour, from Dec 8 to 13, included Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. It had been also reported that the president would hold talks with leaders and grass-root figures on ties and current issues in the Arab world, including “Arab Spring” events.

Lebanese property workshop BEIRUT: A Lebanese delegation is due to take part in a workshop scheduled to be held in Kuwait later yesterday to promote investment opportunities in the local property market. Mesed Fares, Chairman of the Real-Estate Association of Lebanon, said in a statement that the society was keen on furnishing potential Kuwaiti investors with all facilities to run businesses in the country. The Lebanese association has recently signed a cooperation protocol with Kuwait Real-Estate Association, removing hurdles facing Kuwaiti businesses in the Mediterranean country. There are several Kuwaiti enterprises in Lebanon, worth billions of dollars.

‘Elect MPs who genuinely love the environment’ Govt needs to face Kuwait’s environmental challenges

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: A person with a genuine passion for the environment should be elected in the new Parliament, says Khalid Al-Hajri, an environmental activist. Speaking with the Kuwait Times yesterday, Al-Hajri, Chairman of the Green Line Group said one of the criteria which is badly needed right now in Kuwait’s Parliament is a person who’s genuinely concerned about the environment.

Kuwait will elect MPs in less than 60 days after HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah dissolved the Parliament last week following a series of protests.

“This time, we really have to be serious while choosing our candidates,” Al-Hajri said. In the coming days, according to AlHajri, Green Line is coming up with campaigns to help their supporters decide. “We are going to campaign actively to help our people, to help our country and to protect our environment,” he added. He also advised the new Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak to take a crucial look at the environmental issues in Kuwait or risk the same fate as his successor. “I believe the first two months (in office) of Sheikh Jaber Mubarak will be very crucial. As we have already said earlier, the PM should change the administration of the EPA [Environment Public Authority]. Some people there are not supposed to be at the EPA. They are not environmental experts and it’s completely against our law,” he said elaborating that there was an “outstanding order from the court to vacate the office but they defied

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Police found a half-naked body of an Egyptian expat behind Al Shadadia University yesterday. The body was sent to medical examiner to determine if foul play was involved.

Maternity mishap An Arab expat filed a case at Shuwaikh police station against a private hospital accusing it of causing the death of his pregnant wife during delivery.

EQUATE sponsors industrial conference KUWAIT: EQUATE Petrochemical Company sponsored the 6th International Health, Safety, Security and Environmental (HSSE) and Loss Prevention 2011 Conference and Exhibition. Adel Al-Munifi, EQUATE’s Senior Executive for Corporate Communications and Client Affairs, said “As the proud owner and single operator of one of the world’s safest operational complexes, EQUATE’s HSSE practices exemplify the company’s overall commitment to operational excellence and business innovation.”

Al-Munifi added, “EQUATE’s HSSE track record speaks for itself as it has launched the Middle East’s first plant water recycle project and Kuwait’s plant CO2 recovery project. It has also won numerous international awards, including the Gold Award from the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) as the top Gulf company in HSSE practices for three consecutive years.” Established in 1995, EQUATE is an international joint venture between Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC), The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), Boubyan Petrochemical Company (BPC) and Qurain Petrochemical Industries Company (QPIC). Commencing production in 1997, EQUATE is the single operator of a fully integrated world-scale manufacturing facility producing over 5 million tons annually of high-quality petrochemical products which are marketed throughout the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe.

Sexual harassment An Arab expat woman reported an unknown person wearing national garb of sexually harassing her in Mahboula. She told police that he left his telephone number on her car. A case was filed.

Cafe stabbing A 28-year-old Kuwaiti man was rushed to Mubarak hospital after being stabbed in a fight in a cafe in Hawally. Police are looking for the accused men to arrest them.

He claimed that 40,000 people living at Um Al-Haiman are still risking their lives, their health, and their future. “Serious efforts are needed in Kuwait to address human rights violations which thousands of families are subjected to as they try to protect their children from pollution to their environment and food resources, as well as the lack of proper medical services that can help cure diseases caused by this,” he added. “The government is required to take

KUWAIT: A file photo of Green Line Chairman Khalid Al-Hajri showing some documents connected to Environment Public Authority at a press conference at Green Line headquarters, Salmiya, recently.

Police find semi-clad body of Egyptian expat

Medics assaulted An Arab doctor accused two Kuwaiti men of assaulting him and another nurse at Sabah hospital after they were told about the death of their father. A case of beating and insulting was registered against them.

KUWAIT: Adel Al-Munifi addressing the conference.

the court order. “I think the new PM has a tough job ahead. The new PM should listen or people will return to Irada Square,” he warned. Al-Hajri noted that one issue which urgently required attention was the Um Al-Haiman environmental pollution.

“The issue will continue to haunt even the new prime minister. The pollution problem in Um Al-Haiman is unresolved at this very moment; that is what we call environmental human rights violations,” Al-Hajri said.

Hit and run case A speeding vehicle ran over a 30-yearold citizen who tried to cross Canada Dry Street opposite Al Ahlia Spare Par ts Company. He fractured his right leg and was admitted to Al Sabah hospital.

Street fight A noisy quarrel began at Abdul Kareem Al-Khatabi Street in which a 29-year-old citizen sustained a head injury. He was admitted to Mubarak Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.

8 injured in accidents A car accident took place along Canada Dry Street near Ghazali road yesterday. A 31-year- old Egyptian expat sustained injuries and an 18-year-old Syrian fractured his leg. Both were admitted to Sabah hospital. In a car accident that took place along the Fourth Ring Road opposite Al- Khalida, a 35-year- old Filipino expat and a 27-year-old Egyptian expat were admitted to Amiri hospital. In a car accident that took place at Nuwaiseeb road opposite Hardees, two citizens aged 35 and 27 respectively were injured and admitted to Adan hospital. Also, an accident took place along the Seventh Ring Road opposite the airport in which a 20year-old Somali expat , a 17- year- old bedoon were injured and admitted to Adan hospital.

more effective measures in preventing blatant violations , and boost precautionary procedures to protect these rights, especially for children”, Al-Hajri said.

In a press statement distributed to media on the occasion of World Human Rights Day yesterday, the activist further revealed that Green Line plans to launch a campaign to protect what he described as citizens’ environmental rights, as well as their social and economic rights. “Kuwaiti families are unable to afford treatment costs for their children from diseases created by pollution” the statement read. The Green Line also accused the Kuwaiti government of ‘covering up’ for companies which supplied bad food products to local markets during the past two decades.

Al-Hajri stated that the worst kind of violation to environmental human rights in Kuwait is “the act of concealing information and providing people with false and inaccurate data regarding the environmental situation in Kuwait”; something that Al-Hajri accused “certain bodies concerned with the environment” of committing. “Violations to environmental human rights start with individuals who are supposed to protect the environment, and end with the worst enemy of environment, which is the oil sector”, he added.

Al-Hajri concluded by reiterating that there are families in Kuwait who suffer serious financial problems as they are unable to afford medical treatment for their children “whose health has been destroyed by pollution”.

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LOCAL Local Spotlight

Satire Wire

If you are that sick, stay at home

Never ending bedoon issue

By Sawsan Kazak

By Muna Al-Fuzai sawsank@kuwaittimes.net

I

have always known that there are some inconsiderate people in this world, but it has come to my attention that some people are just taking this inconsiderateness a little too far. I was at the mall the other day, when a person standing in front of me in line began to cough uncontrollably. But this wasn’t any normal cough, it was the kind where you would think this person was about to kneel over and die. The kind of cough where you could swear that person was about to bring up a lung or lose an internal organ. I don’t have any need to hear, in surround sound precision, the mucus at the back of his throat attempting to escape. And that was exactly what was happening.

I know what you’re thinking, that I have no sympathy for that poor man that was coughing in pain.

But I think he is the one without sympathy for his own body, and for other people around him. How could he care so little about his well-being as to leave the house for some simple shopping.

I never understood why people feel the need to go out in public when they are feeling very sick and exhibiting physical symptoms of their illness. I would understand if people feel obliged to get to work while they are sick, as some jobs are not as understanding when it comes to giving out sick days. What is the use of getting to a crowded mall, surrounding yourself with ‘healthy’ people and spreading germs indiscriminately?

This action is a sign of vindictiveness on his part, where he knows he is contagious and somewhat disgusting, and yet still insists on being out.

Listen people, when you are so sick , so much so that you can no longer conduct a normal conversation, when you have no control over most of your bodily fluids and when your body is crying out for some rest, just stay at home. Others should not be forcefully exposed to your air-borne germs. The malls and other public places are not going anywhere and will be there when you get better. So just be patient and give your body the rest it deserves.

kuwait digest

The ball is in voters’ court!

By Meteb Al-Saeed

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hanks to his unrivalled wisdom and long-term experiences, HH the Amir finally issued an Amiri decree to dissolve the Parliament a few days after he issued another one, upon accepting the Cabinet’s resignation and appointing a new PM. This move will spare Kuwait from facing the unknown — thanks to the futile conflict between the legislative and executive.

After all the recent debates and tension, voters have learnt their lesson and now know exactly what they are supposed to do to safeguard Kuwait.

Voters who love this country have realized all the weak points present in various former MPs’ dossiers. They have read between all the lines, and can now tell between the corrupt and the honest.

This decision was based on HH the Amir’s experience, enabling him to read between the lines and perceive what people really want. HH the Amir accepted the Cabinet’s resignation, appointed a new PM and constitutionally dissolved the National Assembly.

Therefore, there is no more need of public rallies, seminars and lectures, not even during the pre-election preparations due to start next week. After all the recent debates and tension, voters have learnt their lesson and now know exactly what they are supposed to do to safeguard Kuwait. Voters who love this country have realized all the weak points present in various former MPs’ dossiers. They have read between all the lines, and can now tell between the corrupt and the honest.

As voters, it’s our duty now to fear Allah in making our choices for the next Parliament in order to pave the way for a better future for our children. We should set a roadmap for Kuwait’s future starting with the careful selection of MPs. Voters will have to be more careful prior to making a decision and casting their ballots in boxes so as to choose the right ‘men’ for the right positions at the right time.

The coming era of Kuwait’s history is so sensitive and requires honest men with a vision, placing public interest on top of their agendas. Loyalty to Kuwait and patriotism ought to be the prime motto.

Therefore, I’d like to draw the attention of my fellow citizens, tribesmen, that if they have to respect tribal traditions in choosing a candidate, let that be done, taking into full consideration that only the best be nominated for such sensitive positions. They should realize that whenever a candidate makes his way to the Parliament, he/she represents entire Kuwaiti people, not only his tribe! — Al-Watan

muna@kuwaittimes.net

twitter @munaalfuzai

S

kuwait digest

No need for a public sector

By Dr Wael Al-Hasawi

K

uwait’s annual income this year stood at KD 28 billion, boasting an approximate KD 8 billion surplus that is likely to be achieved as a result of selling more than three million oil barrels a day at an average price of $108 to 110 per barrel.

Of course, these numbers are good news to Kuwait since they deflect any concerns about potential financial deficits. However, if we look into the unstudied enforcement of financial benefits to state employees and reckless spending, the present lack of concern will soon turn into an anxiety of grave proportions.

According to a recent Alshall report, an annual five percent increase in spending rates will require oil prices to touch $280 per barrel by 2020 in order for Kuwait to avoid budget deficit (numbers in accordance with a two million barrels per day sale rate). The population growth of citizens, which also means increase in the number of job hopefuls in the local job market, and that the government must provide double the number of jobs it currently has within twenty years. Furthermore, the government is also required to double the budget during that period of time; despite the fact that spending has increased by five times in the past eleven years.

Every business analyst will not be able to ignore these facts, and work without warning people

against an imminent threat that looms large in the horizon.

Unfortunately, people here delib-

In every country, governments are the main enemies to development and prosperity; which instead can be achieved through private sector ventures. In his book “Beyond Peace,” former United States President Richard Nixon says that America became a great nation not because of what the government has done to the people, but because of what the people have done for themselves and each other.

kuwait digest

Worse than devil worshippers

kuwait digest

Elections and blows below the belt!

By Thaar Al-Rashidi

W

hen moral values decline, any foundation built on morals will also suffer a fall. One should expect such a person to be ruthless. I have met so many such lesser devils in my life. I think, because of my nature of work in the media, has given me the power to perceive the behind-the-scenes situation, I think I have seen enough human devils in my life. Things do not appear the way they are. In reality, 90 percent of the people, especially politicians’ exteriors do not reflect their real selves.

During my professional life I have met thieves, killers, inmates on death row, and have spoken with people who lived and died hundreds of times. I have listened to the stories of victims, have met with the Mujahedeen (or terrorist) as described by Uncle Sam and the government who follows him. I have spoken with a number of devil worshippers, met with arms dealers and prepared a very lengthy report about them, drug dealers and addicts.

All of them had lost a part of their morals. Some violated the law despite their personal beliefs. But all my life, even among such outcasts, I have never seen a person who is expunged of morals, like a snake that sheds its skin, similar to some Kuwaiti politicians.

Have you seen them? Have you seen the way they kept jumping between bandwagons?

I respect the one who sticks to his principles even if he differs with me in faith and opinion. But I am not obliged to respect small political devils in Kuwait because simply they do not respect others’ views.

I shall respect those who changed stances on Egyptian politicians after the fall of Hosni Mubarak Their excuse is convincing when they say that they were obliged to. I can even excuse Libyan politicians.

Kuwaiti politicians keep changing their stances from extreme left to right and that is not acceptable. We are not living in Egypt or Libya. Kuwaiti politicians who are of wavering mind are worse than devil worshippers. — Al-Anbaa

erately ignore all warnings made by specialists because saving the country isn’t a top priority for many in Kuwait. They choose to enjoy what is available today and leave tomorrow to fate.

It’s disastrous that since 1945, and that’s 67 years ago, Kuwait still depends on a sole source of income. If the new prime minister is serious about plans to save the countr y from threats, then he must start by introducing drastic changes in the way the state is administered. In order for that to happen, state departments must gradually be replaced with private firms in a process that eventually would render state management over the public sector unnecessary.

In every country, governments are the main enemies to development and prosperity; which instead can be achieved through private sector ventures. In his book ‘Beyond Peace,’ former United States President Richard Nixon says that America became a great nation not because of what the government has done to the people, but because of what the people have done for themselves and each other. In Kuwait, the government is the perfect venue that lacks production, masked unemployment, public funds theft as well as corruption.

We need massive changes in management approaches, instead of marginal reforms or sporadic development projects. — Al-Rai

By Sherida Al-Maosherji

W

ill our country ever calm down and sleep peacefully after the recent blows it has been receiving over the past few years? Initial indicators are, unfortunately, discouraging and one cannot stop pessimists from voicing out warnings and experiencing distress in fear of country’s destiny and future.

Such pessimism is clear in the ongoing preparations for the next parliamentary elections that can only confirm one thing — another ‘political war’ is inevitable. All kinds of weapons will be used in a way that destroys everything. This was clear in the threats exchanged by all parties and have been directed everywhere.

Previous electoral campaigns used to focus on candidates’ programs, agendas and aspirations. Promises were made to voters to meet their demands and improve their standard of living, criticizing government policies and the level of public services provided.

Nowadays, new electoral campaigns have been focusing on defaming opponents, questioning their financial status declarations and using both authentic and forged documents to defame them at a time when criticism has gone far beyond performance and started getting at honor, dignity and all kinds of personal matters in a Samson-like manner when he said: “Oh, Lord, Let me die with the Philistines!’

At such an unhealthy political atmosphere, even the most optimistic people cannot expect the elections process to run smoothly. It might even go as far as exchanging scuffles between opponents and using ‘bullies’ and their likes to get at rivals. The coming elections will neither be honest nor transparent; it will be more like a domestic civil war, Allah forbid!

This scenario is a likelihood unless voters show more awareness on the importance of their roles, more cultural behavior and clinging to law and the Constitution, refusal to go through political ‘swamps’ and preventing whoever isn’t worth it from representing the people in Parliament . Kuwait deserves better and more honest ones. The chance we have today might not recur in the future! — Aljarida

ome may think that the election period is about calls and demands that are applicable to Kuwaitis only. I don’t think so. In fact, I believe it is the right time to shape public opinion on many urgent matters that will affect them as members of the society. As much as I believe the privatization, national manpower, revision of labor laws and anticorruption are all urgent matters that need to be discussed, the case of bedoons (stateless residents) is not any less important than others.

I think this is the right time to make demands on many essential issues that have become embarrassing to Kuwait as a country, and to Kuwaitis as whole. This is because we have completely failed to end the misery of many thousands of bedoons. We the citizens did not create this problem. It is just that the government did not wish to solve it more than 50 years ago .

Now, the people are expected to devise solutions on the problem that has turned into an avalanche.

I believe the main issue here is that bedoons want to be treated like Kuwaitis — especially the ones who were born to a Kuwaiti mother or a father that sacrificed his life for Kuwait during the wars in the 1967 or 1973 or during the invasion. Now, I wish to know if the sons and daughters of all these bedoon or Arab expatriates were granted citizenship. It is not applicable to all because this issue is complicated. They are confined to the grey area where they are neither Kuwaiti nor expatriate. What are they?

Anyone who claims to be bedoon and possesses documents to reveal their real identity must be sent back to their native country without any hesitation.

Yes, laws should also be enforced. If we really care about ending the misery of many bedoons who live in Kuwait and know no other home or land, we need to explore new ways to ensure that they get a job and decent life. We should not violate their rights .

I think children born to Kuwaiti mothers face the worst situation ever. Some mothers have ended their marriages just so that their children can receive citizenship. This is nothing but cruelty and abuse against Kuwaiti women!

This issue should be ended urgently. It has been ignored for many years and we can’t turn a blind eye towards it forever. It is not only unfair to the bedoon but also does not make any sense to us as Kuwaitis.

Time will not end their agony unless we give them a helping hand.

kuwait digest

Freedom of speech shouldn’t be questioned

By Abdullatif Al-Dauij

F

or the second time in recent years, the opposition blocs have demanded during a meeting with His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Sabah to enforce penalties stipulated in the audiovisual and press laws against TV stations.

According to them, these are corrupt channels that spread false information to damage their reputation.

The aforementioned previous lawmakers have been active during their tenure in the Parliament to devise ‘standards’ that shape the way people behave and go on with their daily activities. Not only that, the same MPs who criticized the ‘verbal attack’ made against them, have crossed the line multiple times while criticizing opponents.

It would’ve probably made more sense if demands to take actions against insulting TV stations were made by revered lawmakers former MPs Sami Al-Munais and Mushari Al-Anjari. Such demands certainly do not make sense when coming from an opposition with the history of spreading rumors and baseless accusations.

After receiving a green light from oppositionist lawmakers whose job is to protect people’s freedoms, the Ministry of Information took action against Mubashar TV and its editors. Editors from Al-Youm TV allegedly ‘failed to report accurate information.’ The problem with the opposition is that these two stations actually support their causes.

But it’s already too late now for oppositionists to do anything when they started by demanding that restrictions be put on freedom of expression. It is not fair for anyone to be deprived of his right to express his opinion, regardless of how sound or accurate their opinions might be. It’s also injustice to take a decision to suspend a TV station’s broadcast which cost millions of dinars. What is even more unjustifiable and perhaps more weird is the fact that TV channel is accused of failing to report news 100 percent accurately. We have to consider what standards warrant for certain pieces of news to be rendered accurate. This accusation basically means that a reporter must report their news to the Ministry of Information first and gain permission before broadcasting it! In other words, this is a silly way to place restrictions on freedom of journalism.

I can understand the opposition blocs’ point of view while targeting opponents in the media, especially when they use a wide range of offensive vocabulary to criticize oppositionist MPs. However, it remains a form of freedom of expression which reflects the point of view of the person expressing it.

A parliamentarian’s job is to protect this freedom in any form. — Al-Qabas

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local Bedoon issue still worries ‘national conscience’ Rights society criticizes govt

By A Saleh

KUWAIT: A delegation representing the International Organization for Migration (Yemen branch) visited General Director of the Migration General Department in Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior, Maj Gen Kamil Al-Awadhi, and discussed Kuwait’s mechanisms in tackling human trafficking. The visitors were also taken on a tour to the interior ministry’s domestic laborers department, where they met with its General Director, Brig Gen Abdullah Al-Ali.

200 bedoons gather in Jahra KUWAIT: Hundreds of bedoon (stateless) residents gathered on Saturday in Jahra in demonstrations coinciding with the World Human Rights Day to demand more rights to illegal residents and shed light on their persisting troubles.

At the Taima’a district of Jahra, around 200 people gathered Saturday afternoon and chanted slogans against the government for failing to provide full human rights including naturalization. The demonstration lasted for an hour which is the period that Jahra Security Department director Maj Gen Ibrahim Al-Tarrah gave to the bedoons as an opportunity for them to express their opinions.

Meanwhile, a group of bedoons (Arabic for without - an indication to the fact that illegal residents in Kuwait do not have citizenships) attempted to access the Iradah Square Saturday afternoon where a two-hour demonstration was called to be held starting from 3 pm. The demonstration was not held due to prior security measures. A Ministry of Interior official noted on that regard that a request which the organizers provided earlier to license the gathering was rejected because public demonstrations in Kuwait are an exclusive right to Kuwaiti citizens.

In the meantime, the Kuwait Human Rights Society reiterated demand for putting an end to the persisting stateless residents’ problem, and that in a statement released Saturday on the occasion of the World Human Rights Day. The report also sheds light on other issues including mistreatment that some expatriate workers, especially domestic helpers are subjected to by their employers, as well as discriminations still existing between Kuwaiti men and women, mainly with regards to rights guaranteed to non-Kuwaiti children of female citizens.— Al-Qabas

MEW employee faces strange dilemma KUWAIT: If you happen to visit the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW ) headquarters, you might come across a woman in traditional Kuwaiti abaya sitting near the fountain on the ground floor. As you prepare to leave after finishing your work, you will notice the same person still sitting there. Fatima Omran, is dealing with a unique problem for the first time during her 15-year career with the ministry.

“I was told that I’m going to be registered absent and will have my salary deducted if I fail to report to my regular job”, Omran said to reporters who came to cover her story. The main problem that the veteran employee faces is that she doesn’t have a desk to sit at, and the office hasn’t provided her another one. According to her story, Omran says that she started with the ministry in 1996 when she was hired to work in the incoming mail department. A year later, then Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah made some changes and she eventually found her way to the registration department. “During that period, my relationship with the head of the department at that time Hamad Al-Huzaim was turbulent, and I requested a shift to the purchases department, which at that time, was led by Saud Al-Namran”, she explained. However, Al-Namran soon moved to the Cabinet and was succeeded by Yousuf Al-Ojail, who

Omran accuses of continuously being against her.

It was only after Omran returned from vacation that the problem erupted. “My mother passed away on Dec 12, 2010 while I was working with Chief Engineer Fuad Al-Oan”, she said. “Upon my return from leave, Al-Oan refused to take me back saying that I exceeded the limit of holidays”. Omran went on to explain that she eventually obtained approval from MEW assistant undersecretary for planning and training Dr Meshan Al-Otaibi to resume her work. But by the time she returned to office, she discovered that another employee was appointed at her desk.

“I returned to Dr Al-Meshan who offered to transfer me to the secretariat department within a couple of weeks”, she said, adding that a place was eventually found for her at the office of director of the water constructions department Hmoud AlRoudhan, but the minister’s office refused to sign her transfer request due to a stipulation that bans ministry engineers from being transferred to this certain department.

Facing this situation, Omran received a notice which stated that she would be considered absent from work if she failed to report to her original post with Fuad Al-Oan. But when she returned there, Omran says that Al-Oan instructed one of his secretaries to kick her out

of the office. So, as she waits for a solution to her dilemma, Fatima Omran continues to spend her work hours sitting by the fountain on the ground floor. — Al-Qabas

Kuwaitis not affected by Mexican quake MEXICO CITY: Kuwaiti Ambassador to Mexico Sameeh Jawhar Hayat announced that diplomats working in the embassy and their families as well as other Kuwaiti citizens are all well, after an earthquake that struck Mexico late on Saturday.

Ambassador Hayat said that the 6.7 magnitude earthquake which lasted for nearly a minute has inflicted no casualties among the Kuwaitis here.

The Mexican National Civil Protection System declared that it was checking buildings and vital sites in the capital to evaluate damage caused by the tremors, which cracked some structures.

Hayat said the earthquake struck Guerrero in south-west Mexico, adding its aftershocks reached the capital, shaking buildings and causing power outage.

Many people hurriedly vacated buildings and houses, fleeing to streets and empty spots, as a precaution. — KUNA

KUWAIT: The Kuwait Human Rights Society criticized the fact that the situation of bedoons and domestic helpers in Kuwait have been excluded from revised labor laws. “Dec 10 is celebrated as the 63rd anniversary of the World Human Rights Declaration, and we in Kuwait must utilize this occasion to underscore those principles,” it observed.

The society said, “It is no longer possible to avoid commitments towards these principles. We must not violate the rights of citizens and expats, including bedoons.” The society added that the bedoon issue still worries ‘national conscience’ due to many years of negligence.

Also, former legislator Ahmad Al-Saadoun asked for a meeting to be held with the National Democratic Alliance and the Democratic Forum to discuss the election situation in the third constituency. Officials said, “Al-Saadoun wants an agreement between National Democratic Alliance and DM over Aseel Al-Awadhi and Saleh Al-Mulla only.”

Sources said Al-Saadoun wants Liberals to promote only two candidates. However, liberals are divided over this issue for several reasons including the fact that AlSaadoun has foiled their attempts to raise certain issues.

This is in addition to the fact that liberals are committed to supporting Adel Al-Saraawi who is a member of the National Action Bloc(NAB).

Meanwhile, the Syrian President’s advisor Buthaina Shaaban has allegedly threatened to expose sex tapes involving rulers from Gulf countries. Shaaban briefed a delegation from the Syrian community residing in the region after a meeting was held with Bashar Al-Assad.

The advisor reportedly said, “officials from Gulf countries will be shown what ‘trump’ cards we have after we release their sex tapes to internet websites.”

In other news, the Kuwait Administrative Court revoked a decision to appoint lawyers to the Fatwa and Legislation Department, issued a few months ago.

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

local

Cross-dressers cause scene at Salmiya mall Cameraman held at airport DOHA: The Representative of His Highness the Amir, Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, arrived in Doha yesterday to head the Kuwaiti delegation at the Doha Alliance of Civilization Forum, a themed dialogue about development. The premier was greeted upon his arrival by Minister of Culture and Heritage, Dr Hamad bin Abd Al-Aziz Al-Kawari, Kuwaiti Ambassador Ali Salman Al-Haifi, Qatar’s Ambassador to Kuwait, Abdelaziz AlFheid and Kuwaiti embassy staff.

Kuwait takes part in Beirut Book Fair BEIRUT: Lulwa Al-Salem, Director of Publications at the Kuwaiti Information Ministry, said yesterday that there were more than a hundred books and publications provided by the Information Ministry being showcased at the 55th International Book Fair in Beirut.

Al-Salem added that the Ministry ’s publications suit different segments and ages of society and are printed in several languages, noting that new issues are

being presented for the first time ever in the exhibition.

She further added that the Information Ministr y is showcasing a v a r i e t y o f b o o k s a n d p u b l i c a t i o n s, including children’s books and Arab periodicals and journals. Al-Salem reiterated the Ministry’s keenness on taking part in cultural events, such as the book fair, in order to enhance media interaction. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Three men were taken in to custody to face legal action after they caused a scene inside a Salmiya mall while being crossdressed. Police headed to the mall after a shopper reported that “three women in revealing clothes were causing problems by behaving in an immoral manner and attracting the attention of other young people”. The officers arrested the trio after discovering that they were actually men in women’s clothes, wigs and make-up.

Inmate dies A Central Jail inmate was pronounced dead in his cell after apparently suffering from a heart attack. The inmate was serving a five-year jail sentence for a forgery case. His body was sent for an autopsy to confirm the cause and time of death.

Bully held Farwaniya police arrested an expatriate resident who extorted people in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh.

Investigators were able to locate the suspect’s residence based on information provided by one of his

victims who reported that he had to sell empty soda cans to be able to pay off his attacker. The man was arrested after police cornered him and arrested him.

Bandits at large Police are looking for bandits responsible for multiple cases of mugging reported near a roundabout in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh. Several cases were filed at the area’s police station where victims, mostly Asian workers, reported being attacked and mugged when they walked near one of the area’s darkest roundabouts at night. Investigators believe a criminal gang is behind the crimes.

Asian arrested A TV cameraman was detained shortly after shooting footage at a restricted zone in the Kuwait International Airport without permission. The Asian man was apprehended at a location where he was reported shooting footage of a Kuwait Airways flight during takeoff. He was released after police confirmed that the man was shooting material to be used on a TV

show which is currently under production.

Fugitive in custody Criminal investigators arrested a Kuwaiti man accused of physical and sexual assault of a minor.

According to a news report quoting a security source, officers rushed to a Mubarak Al-Kabeer home where investigations revealed that the suspect was staying. The officers, who arrived with a warrant to raid the house, arrested the fugitive and sent him to the General Department of Criminal Investigations for further action.

Driver beats up driver A male driver was punched by another driver when he showed him an obscene hand gesture while driving. The incident took place in Shuwaikh where the Arab man who was accompanied by a Filipina woman was struggling to move his car between two other vehicles, and disrupting the traffic in the process. When another driver honked after growing tired of waiting, the struggling driver expressed his irritation by making the sign.

This didn’t go down well with the waiting driver, who immediately exited his car and gave him a beating, before police arrived and brought the situation under control. During investigations, the driver initially claimed that his female companion was his wife, before eventually admitting that she works for him. He begged his attacker to not press charges against him, so that his wife would never learn about his episode with his female coworker. The other driver agreed on the condition that he wouldn’t press battery charges. No cases were filed and the two were allowed to leave.

Contraband found A number of Central Jail inmates are undergoing investigations after cell phones were found inside their cells during an unscheduled crackdown last weekend. According to a security source, a total of 12 phones were found hidden in hollowed bed frames. Investigations are also ongoing to ascertain whether the guards are involved in the smuggling process. — Al-Rai, Al-Watan, Al-Anba

KPC sponsors KSF competition KUWAIT: Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) announced yesterday that it will be sponsoring the Kuwait Science Fair competition, for the third consecutive year, in support of the competition’s continued efforts in driving math and science excellence in Kuwait. Such efforts are in line with HH The Amir’s recent speech, in which he highlighted the importance of investing in Kuwait’s youth in ways relevant to the present development needs in Kuwait.

Now in its fourth year, the Kuwait Science Fair is an annual science competition that encourages students from more than 200 public and private schools to develop innovative

projects in the fields of math and science over a five-month period. The Kuwait Science Fair was launched by ExxonMobil and Kuwait Energy in 2008. Aseel Al-Turkait, Managing Director of the fair, said: “We thank KPC for joining us in support of our endeavors to engage our future scientists. The competition’s success would not be possible without the commitment they have generously provided over the years.” Over 650 students have participated in the Kuwait Science Fair to date, making it the largest, longest-running competition supporting young innovators in Kuwait in the fields of science and math. Every year, the

competition offers support and guidance over two cycles in a five-month period, to help students develop their scientific ideas, master them, and turn them into tangible projects.

The first phase is the pledging phase, in which students from across Kuwait are asked to submit their ideas to the Kuwait Science Fair Selection Committee. The Committee then selects the ‘Best 100’ ideas based on a predefined check-list of criteria. During the second phase, students behind the ‘Best 100’ ideas will be asked to build their projects with the support of mentors and the Kuwait Science Fair team. This phase lasts for three

months. The final projects will then be judged by a panel of judges, comprising of engineers, educators, and other experts and showcased in an exhibition open to the public.

Two university scholarships, over KD 6,000 in cash prizes and training opportunities in leading international oil and gas companies have been awarded to tens of students in both public and private schools across Kuwait since the launch of the competition. The competition reaches out to students in grades eight to 12 from all public and private schools in Kuwait. The fair is held in both Arabic and English.

Aseel Al-Turkait

(Left) Competitors pose for a group photograph before the event. (Right) The top five finalists

Galyurdine wins TEC Triathlon KUWAIT: Emanuel Galyurdine of France was crowed the winner of the 4th TEC Triathlon which took place on Saturday featuring 60 competitors. The event, which was sponsored by Wataniya Telecom, was attended by senior Touristic Enterprises Company officials including Managing Director for Touristic Affairs, Khalid bin Sabt, Director of the Beaches

and Sea Clubs Department Ali Al-Qallaf and the triathlon’s coordinator Nasser AlFoudary. With this win, Galyurdine was rewarded with a KD1000 grand prize, while second place winner Saied Al-Ali of Kuwait received a KD750 reward, and third place winner Faisal Al-Enizy received a KD550 reward. Meanwhile, Nader Dandashi of Lebanon and Abdurrahman

Ahmad of Kuwait received KD400 and KD300 rewards respectively for finishing fourth and fifth. The event started at 9 am with cycling race from the Al-Aqailah beach to the Ras Al-Ardh Sea Club, followed by running race towards the Shaab Sea Club, where the competitors competed in 100 meters swimming event at the club’s main pool.

Emanuel Galyurdine receives his grand prize.

An award of appreciation for the Kuwait Red Crescent Society team.

A special award of appreciation for the Ministry of Health.

The cycling event in progress.

A group photo with the winners.

Members of the organizing committee.

Security officers that helped secure the event.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

Former Panama strongman heads home to prison

Ivory Coast holds first post-Gbagbo elections Page 9

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MOSCOW: Russian nationalists hold a banner that reads as “All for one and one for all” and wave old Russian imperial flags during their rally at Bolotnaya Square, on an island in the Moscow River adjacent to the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, yesterday.— AP

Russians look for change after rallies Biggest ever show of defiance against Putin’s 12-year rule MOSCOW: Russians sought out the first signs of change yesterday after tens of thousands rallied across the country and swarmed Moscow in the biggest ever show of defiance against Vladimir Putin’s 12-year rule.

Saturday’s historic demonstrations near the Kremlin saw more than 50,000 chant “Russia without Putin” and deride his ruling party for its narrow victory in December 4 elections that were alleged to have been riddled with fraud. The show of public anger was unprecedented for a city that emerged from the tumultuous 1990s as the birthplace of the “managed democracy” system that Putin set up across Russia on his rise to the presidency in 2000.

The ex-KGB agent now serves as premier and this month’s legislative

poll was seen as a litmus test of his decision to return to the Kremlin for up to 12 more years in March elections that he seemed destined to win. But scenes similar to those seen Saturday in Moscow were also replayed on a smaller scale across the industrial hubs of Siberia and the Urals-a sign that Putin’s path back may be more fraught than it appeared just a week ago. “Right now there is actually a chance for us to change something,” said 44-yearold Anna Bekhmentova as the demonstrators chanted “No to a police state!” and tied the protest movement’s white ribbons to their winter jackets in Moscow.

“No one I know voted for United Russia,” said Bekhmentova in reference to a party the opposition has branded a gang of “swindlers and

thieves.” Putin’s planned job swap with President Dmitry Medvedev saw his impressive popularity ratings take a surprise hit amid grumblings that the people were never consulted about who should lead their country next.

The opposition to Putin meanwhile is expanding beyond a narrow base of veteran liberals and farright nationalists to attract popular cultural figures with broad appeal such as detective story writer Boris Akunin. “I have not seen Moscow like this for 20 years,” Akunin told the Moscow crowd.

State television-scorned by the Internet community for its blanket ban on coverage of post-election unrest-took the unusual step Saturday evening of leading its news programme with Moscow rally

Iran says it will not return US drone TEHRAN: Iran will not return a US surveillance drone captured by its armed forces, a senior commander of the country’s elite Revolutionary Guard said yesterday. Gen. Hossein Salami, deputy head of the Guard, said in remarks broadcast on state television that the violation of Iran’s airspace by the U.S. drone was a “hostile act” and warned of a “bigger” response. He did not elaborate on what Tehran might do.”No one returns the symbol of aggression to the party that sought secret and vital intelligence related to the national security of a country,” Salami said. Iranian television broadcast video Thursday of Iranian military officials inspecting what it identified as the RQ-170 Sentinel drone.

Iranian state media have said the unmanned spy aircraft

was detected over the eastern town of Kashmar, some 140 miles (225 kilometers) from the border with Afghanistan. US officials have acknowledged losing the drone. Salami called its capture a victory for Iran and a defeat for the US in a complicated intelligence and technological battle. — AP

coverage. “So does anyone have complaints left about NTV after yesterday’s 7:00 pm (news) broadcast,” the television station demanded in an unusual message posted on its official Twitter feed.

And the official RIA Novosti news agency wrote a special analysis entitled “Saturday’s protests should convince the authorities to listen to the voice of the people.” Some in the Russian opposition interpreted this as an early sign of change while a Kremlin source told the popular gazeta.ru news site that the decision to run the mostly-balanced reports was taken personally by Medvedev. “I cannot believe it! Did they really decide to talk about it?!” one person wrote in a comment on the Twitter account of Channel One. The Kremlin source added that

Medvedev had also instructed the Moscow police to handle the protesters “extremely gently” after seeing more than 1,000 activists bundled away by riot police the previous week.

But dozens of people were still arrested in the Russian regions as officials scrambled to come up with a response to the re-emergence of political activity in cities that had stayed quiet since the early postSoviet times. “This is an entirely new situation. This is a lot of people for the provinces,” said Alexey Malashenko of the Carnegie Moscow Centre. The biggest regional rallies saw some 5,000 people come out in Novosibirsk Russia’s third largest city and the heart of Siberia-and the industrial hub of Chelyabinsk that Stalin

developed in the Ural Mountains in the 1930s. “This is the start of a new stage,” said Yevgeny Gontmakher of the Institute of Contemporar y Development centre that Medvedev set up in 2008. “People have developed a taste for mass demonstrations and are now ready to rise up in response to anything,” Gontmakher said.

Analysts said rapid social change and the Internet’s growing penetration in Russia may have caught Kremlin strategists off guard after a decade in which they could mold public opinion with the help of state-controlled media. “The elections are approaching and people’s trust is low,” said Carnegie analyst Malashenko. “This means that the ruling class has to think about how it should behave next.” —AFP

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Lebanon UN attack ‘a message from Syria’: Hariri BEIRUT: The bombing that wounded five French UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon was a message from Syria, pro-Western opposition leader and ex-premier Saad Hariri tweeted yesterday. “Another message from Bashar ” al-Assad, Hariri wrote on Twitter of the Syrian president whose regime has killed at least 4,000 people, according to the United Nations, in its crackdown on dissent since midMarch.

“Another Syrian message,” added

Hariri, who has been living abroad for several months. The five French members of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were wounded Friday when a bomb targeted their patrol on the outskirts of the coastal city of Tyre. Two passers-by were also wounded.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, the third this year on UNIFIL soldiers. Friday’s blast took place amid heightened tension over the revolt in Syria, with politicians

and diplomats warning the unrest could spill into Lebanon, whose government is dominated by the proSyrian militant group Hezbollah.

The UNIFIL force stationed in the south of the country is considered an easy target if unrest did spread to Lebanon. A security official in Tyre told AFP that two people are being sought in connection with Friday’s attack. They were seen in a Mercedes car in the area more than an hour before the blast.

The device, “made up of four or five kilos of TNT, was set off from a distance just before the UNIFIL Jeep passed, destroying the front of the vehicle,” the official said. “If it had gone off at the very moment the Jeep was passing, none of them would have survived,” he added.

Spain currently commands the 12,100-strong UNIFIL force, which was founded in 1978 and expanded after a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. France has one of the

largest contingents with 1,300 soldiers.

In July, six French UNIFIL troops were wounded, one of them seriously, in the southern coastal town of Sidon, in an attack similar to Friday’s.

In May, six Italian peacekeepers were wounded in Sidon, also in a roadside bombing. Three Spanish and three Colombian peacekeepers were killed in June 2007 when a booby-trapped car exploded as their patrol vehicle drove by. — AFP

Tunisian assembly adopts provisional constitution ‘Let’s get down to work, enough messing around’

ISA TOWN: Bahraini women protest, yesterday, outside the Ministry of Labor in Isa Town, Bahrain, during a demonstration by people who lost their jobs in the wake of a spring uprising in the Gulf island kingdom. A few hundred of the dismissed doctors, engineers and other professionals participated, holding up pieces of bread and signs saying workers’ strikes in March were legal. — AP

Armed groups clash near Tripoli airport TRIPOLI: A gunbattle broke out overnight when armed men in the vehicles of Libya’s new national army tried to take control of Tripoli’s international airport from a powerful militia, the commander of the airport’s security force said yesterday.

It was the latest in a series of clashes between the rival militias which, in the absence of a fully-functioning central government, have wielded real power on the streets in Libya since a revolt forced out former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Mukhtar Al-Akhdar, commander of a militia unit from Zintan, south-west of Tripoli, which controls the international airport, told Reuters a convoy of vehicles approached a checkpoint about 3 km from the airport. He said the armed men in the convoy said they had come to take over security, and a gunfight then broke out.

“No one was killed. We have only two people injured on our side,” Al-Akhdar said.

“These people were using national army vehicles. When we asked (acting army chief of staff Khalifa) Haftar about it, he said he did not know these people.” He said the row was defused after intervention from the head of the National Transitional Council (NTC) Mustafa Abdel Jalil, caretaker Prime Minister Abdurrahim El-Keib and Defence Minister Osama AlJuwali. NTC military spokesman Ahmed Bani did not comment on the details of the incident but said: “There is no political or

other problem. The problem is now sorted out.”

Libya’s central government is becoming slowly more assertive and signalling that it is time for the militias-which emerged from the seven-month war to end Gaddafi’s rule-to hand over to the new national police and army.

Tripoli city council has given militias from other towns until Dec. 20 to return home. The council chief said if they do not meet the deadline, all roads in the city will be blocked, except to defence and interior ministry vehicles. Most militia leaders say publicly that they are ready to hand over to central institutions as soon as they receive the order to do so from the NTC. But the national police and army are only just beginning to function. Some of the militias believe if they withdraw, that will leave a vacuum that will be filled by rival militias, in particular the powerful Islamists. Tripoli international airport has already been a flashpoint for tensions. Late last month, armed men from Zintan briefly detained Abdel Hakim Belhadj, the Islamist leader of one of Tripoli’s most powerful militias, as he tried to catch a flight. Militia unit commander Al-Akhdar said his men were authorised to be at the airpor t. “( We are here) because of orders from the NTC. They gave us a letter asking us to manage the airport and be in charge of its security,” he said. — Reuters

Iraq PM sets off for US ahead of pullout BAGHDAD: Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki headed to Washington yesterday, for the first time as leader of a country virtually empty of foreign troops as the US withdrawal from Iraq nears its final days. Maliki is to hold wide -ranging talks with US President Barack Obama during his twoday visit, which comes less than a month before the complete withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and more than eight years after the launch of the US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein.

“This will be the first visit where he is going as the chief of a country empty of foreign troops that can count totally on itself,” Ali Mussawi, media advisor to Maliki, told AFP. “We will discuss all the fields of collaboration ... and open a new phase of relations between Baghdad and Washington, which used to be dominated by military affairs.”

Maliki was accompanied by Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Culture Minister and acting Defence Minister Saadun alDulaimi, Transport Minister Khayrullah Hassan Babakir, Trade Minister Hadi alAmeri, and National Security Adviser Falah al-Fayadh. Also on the trip are National Investment Commission chief Sami al-Araji and Maliki’s chief adviser and former oil minister Thamer al-Ghadban.

The Iraqi premier is to hold talks with Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US lawmakers on issues including security, energy, education and justice. Obama will mark the final withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq by addressing returning soldiers on Wednesday at a base in North Carolina. It was not immediately clear if Maliki would attend the speech.

“The two leaders will hold talks on the removal of US military forces from Iraq, and our efforts to start a new chapter in the comprehensive strategic partnership between the United States and Iraq,” said

White House spokesman Jay Carney. “The president honours the sacrifices and achievements of all those who have served in Iraq, and of the Iraqi people, to reach this moment full of promise for an enduring US-Iraq friendship, as we end America’s war in Iraq.”

Baghdad and Washington are expected to maintain close ties after the military withdrawal, when the focus will shift to the work of the 16,000-strong US mission in Iraq. The US-Iraq relationship, “long defined by the imperative of security alone, is now giving way to a new, more normal partnership between sovereign nations seeking to build a future together,” US Vice President Joe Biden said on a visit to Iraq this month.

Around 6,000 US military personnel remain in Iraq on four bases, down from peaks of nearly 170,000 troops on 505 bases in 2007 and 2008. All the troops must leave by the end of the month. They leave behind an Iraqi security force with more than 900,000 troops, which US and Iraqi officials assess is capable of maintaining internal security but cannot defend the country’s borders, airspace or maritime territory.

The US will maintain 157 uniformed soldiers and up to 763 civilian contractors who help train Iraqi forces under the authority of the sprawling US embassy in Baghdad.

Yestertay’s trip marks Maliki’s third visit to the US as Iraq’s premier. He first visited in July 2006, when Iraq was in the midst of a sectarian bloodbath that left tens of thousands dead, and then in July 2009, shortly after American forces withdrew from Iraq’s urban centres. Violence has declined markedly from its peak, but remains common — 187 people were killed in attacks in November, and several major bombings have also been carried out this month. — AFP

TUNIS: Tunisia’s constituent assembly adopted a provisional constitution that will allow the north African country to name a government, a month and a half after its first post-revolution election. The 217-member assembly approved each of the 26 clauses of the document individually to get state institutions back on the move before voting on the entire basic law.

The vote — 141 in favour, 37 against and 39 abstentions-came after a five-day often tumultuous debate which saw hundreds of people demonstrating calmly outside the assembly building shouting slogans demanding “Freedom and Dignity”.

“The people are sick of waiting. Let ’s get down to work, enough messing around,” one lawmaker from the dominant moderate Islamist Ennahda party, Amar Larayedh, shouted shortly after the session began on Tuesday.

The outgoing government of Beji Caid Essebsi, formed after the ouster on January 14 of dictator Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, has officially resigned and many Tunisians have expressed growing impatience at the institutional limbo.

The election of a president and creation of a new government could only take place once lawmakers adopted the “miniconstitution”, laboriously drawn up over two weeks after the elections. “This is a historic moment, a memorable night, the beginning of a new Tunisia,” said assembly president Mustapha Ben Jaafar, as deputies sang the national anthem and those of Ennahda, which has 98 deputies, congratulated each other on the outcome of the vote.

Ben Jaafar said he was “proud

TUNIS: Tunisian men pose and flash the V sign during a “rally against the dictatorship” organized by Tunisian liberal party “Doustourna” yesterday in Tunis. Tunisia’s constituent assembly adopted the day before a provisional constitution that will allow the north African country to name a government, a month and a half after its first post-revolution election. — AFP The ruling coalition of too many powers at the expense to head an assembly that groups Tunisia’s best thanks to the revo- Ennahda and two left-wing par- of the president.

The president will outline the lution of its brave people”. The ties, the Congress for the adopted document outlines the Republic Party and Ben Jaafar’s country’s foreign policy in agreeconditions and procedures to fol- Ettakatol, which has 20 deputies, ment with the head of governlow by the country’s executive, had earlier agreed on this sce- ment, and is the head of the legislature and judiciary until nario for a transfer of power. armed forces. But he only names general elections are held, possi- Under the provisional constitu- or dismisses senior officers in bly in a year, and until a final con- tion the president must be agreement with the prime minis“exclusively Tunisian, of the ter. stitution is agreed.

Another controversial proviBen Jaafar said candidacies for Muslim religion”, the child of the presidency were open and Tunisian parents and at least 35 sion hands over executive and legislative powers to the presiadded that the new head of state years old.

During heated debates some dent of parliament, the head of would be elected today afterdeputies had backed allowing state and the prime minister in noon.

Moncef Marzouki, head of the candidacies of people with twin the event of force majeure, and Congress for the Republic Party, nationalities and expressly giving not only to the prime minister.

Ordinary Tunisians, as well as which has 29 deputies, was wide- each Tunisian man and woman ly expected to take over the pres- the right to stand in presidential the press and social media, folidency and name Hamadi Jebali, elections. The opposition boy- lowed the debates which were the number two of the Ennahda cotted Saturday’s vote, arguing broadcast live by television with that the prime minister will hold unprecedented interest. — AFP party, as prime minister.

New Israel envoy expected in Egypt CAIRO: Israel’s new ambassador to Egypt is set to arrive in Cairo this week after his predecessor was pulled out when the embassy was attacked by protesters in September, Egyptian and Israeli sources said yesterday.

Yaakov Amitai, the new envoy, replaces Yitzhak Levanon, who was ambassador when the embassy was stormed during protests over the k illing in August of Egyptian guards by Israeli troops pursuing militants who had killed eight Israelis on the border.

Staff from the Israeli embassy, located in a high-rise building in central Cairo, were evacuated after the protests in September.

Levanon briefly returned to Egypt in November for farewell meetings with foreign and Egyptian diplomats.

Egypt’s state news agency, citing airport sources, said the new envoy, who had been named to the role some 10 months ago, would come to Cairo today to begin work. An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman also said Amitai, a fluent Arabic speaker who has previously served at the embassy in Cairo, was scheduled to arrive in the Egyptian capital on Monday but did not rule out last-minute changes to those plans.

An Israeli source had said last month that Amitai would present his credentials in December but had also said the embassy would not be staffed or resume normal activity until acceptable security arrangements were in place. Many Egyptians view Israel, which signed a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979 after four wars between the two countries, with hostility. Anti-

Israeli sentiment, muted before President Hosni Mubarak was over thrown in Februar y, has become more vocal.

Meanwhile, Israel’s government approved yesterday a $167 million plan to try to stem the flow of African migrants who cross into the country through its porous border with Egypt.

Announcing the government’s intention to raise fines for employers who hire illegal workers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “If necesssary, we will close businesses so that

the enterprise called the State of Israel will not shut down.”

Netanyahu said he would visit Africa soon where among other issues he will discuss the repatriation of migrants. Political sources said he was likely to travel in February to Kenya, Uganda and possibly South Sudan. Israeli government figures put the number of illegal workers in Israel at more than 52,000.

Many of the migrants come from Eritrea and Sudan and cross into Israel from Egypt’s Sinai desert. Israel is building a fence

along its frontier with Egypt to try to block the migrants and prevent infiltration by Islamist militants.

The plan, which includes the construction of detention facilities for migrants, was first announced a year ago and yesterday’s cabinet decision freed up government funds to implement it. “Without a plan to deal with illegal workers, the number of migrants will rise to 100,000 a year,” Netanyahu was quoted by a government statement as telling the cabinet. — Agencies

AL-SHALAMJAH: Iraqi soldiers kiss the coffin bearing the remains of an Iraqi soldier at the border crossing between Iraq and Iran in al-Shalamjah, Iraq, yesterday. Iraq and Iran have handed over the remains of three Iranian soldiers and ninety Iraqi soldiers killed during the 1980s war between the two nations, officials said. — AP

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NATO to withdraw Iraq mission at year-end LONDON: NATO will withdraw its Iraq training mission at year-end after Baghdad refused to grant it legal immunity, Iraq’s top security adviser said yesterday, mirroring the nearly-complete pullout of US forces.

The decision, which “surprised” Iraq, means NATO’s troops will depart in the coming weeks for the same reason an agreement for a post-2011 US training mission fell through, despite NATO having agreed in principle to staying through to the end of 2013.

“NATO surprised us with this decision,” National Security Adviser Falah al-Fayadh said in an inter-

view aboard a flight transporting Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to Washington. “We are sorry that NATO has advised that it will withdraw its mission from Iraq... because immunity is something that is out of the government’s reach,” he added, saying Baghdad was informed of the decision on Thursday.

Fayadh added: “I would have preferred that there would be cooperation with NATO in other aspects, and not only through its mission in Iraq, and I was hoping that this mission would stay.” On November 29, Iraqi government spokesman Ali alDabbagh said Iraq was studying a contract to

extend NATO’s presence in Iraq beyond year-end, but noted that such a deal would not grant its troops immunity from prosecution.

And on the same day, a NATO spokesman said the grouping had been asked by Maliki to “extend its training mission until the end of 2013.” “The North Atlantic Council (the ambassadors of the 28 NATO Allies) has accepted this request in principle.

Technical details are currently being worked out,” the spokesman said at the time.

Major General Jeffrey Buchanan, the spokesman for US forces in Iraq, said that Baghdad and NATO were working on an agreement that would see

around 150 trainers beyond year-end. NATO’s training mission in Iraq was aimed at assisting “in the development of Iraqi security forces training structures and institutions”, and as of November 2011, 12 countries were represented in its force.

The failure to agree on immunity from prosecution closely mirrors Iraq’s refusal to grant US soldiers similar protections earlier this year, sinking a potential deal between the two countries that means all American soldiers left in Iraq will leave by year-end. Around 6,000 US troops remain stationed in the country on four bases, down from peaks of nearly 170,000 soldiers and 505 bases. — AFP

Ivory Coast holds first post-Gbagbo elections 25,000 security forces deployed to ensure security

ROME: Pope Benedict XVI arrives yesterday to visit and lead a mass at the Santa Maria delle Grazie parish church in Rome. — AFP

Germany arrests suspect in neo-Nazi cell probe BERLIN: German police arrested a man yesterday they suspect of assisting in six murders and one attempted murder committed by a neo-Nazi cell uncovered last month, a case that has renewed debate about banning a far-right party.

Prosecutors said the 36-year old, named as Matthias D., was arrested in the early morning at his home in Erzgebirgskreis, an area in the eastern state of Saxony. Police were now searching three flats in the area, including the suspect’s and another possible female supporter.

Investigators believe the cell, which called itself the “Nationalist Socialist Underground” (NSU), has killed nine Turks and Greeks and a 22-year-old police woman since 2000. The cell is also suspected of two bomb attacks and 14 bank robberies across the country, prosecutors say.

A statement by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office said the suspect was believed to have assisted the group in two cases. He is believed to have shared the right-wing views of the cell and at least to have assented to its crimes, the statement said. “He is suspected of providing two flats in Zwickau (Thuringia) to

the members of the NSU as permanent accommodation,” the statement said. The case has received widespread media attention and has prompted a second bid to outlaw the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) after reports suggested security services had informants among neo-Nazis and the NPD. A previous attempt in 2003 failed after witnesses were exposed as intelligence agency informants.

The NPD, which has condemned the crimes, is represented in two state assemblies and gets about 1 million euros in taxpayer money each year. The domestic intelligence service describes the party as racist, revisionist, antiSemitic and inspired by Nazism.

Prosecutors have said the “Nationalist Socialist Underground” cell was “motivated by xenophobic and subversive thinking” and that its goal was to kill citizens, mainly those with foreign roots and those representing the state’s authority. Their aim was to create a climate of fear and insecurity among the population, prosecutors say. The case has already led to other arrests, such as of a 36-year-old senior NPD official in Thuringia. — Reuters

French leader gears up for presidential vote PARIS: French far-right candidate Marine Le Pen said yesterday her anti-immigration views and vows to leave the euro represent the “silent majority” as her campaign for next year’s presidential vote geared up. Ahead of her first major campaign rally yesterday in the northeastern city of Metz, Le Pen railed against the French political elite in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche and said France needed a new “revolution”.

“I represent the silent majority. Those no one wants to hear, who are not spoken about on television, who do not demonstrate, who are too common for the elite,” she said. “I am calling them to a revolution-a patriotic, peaceful and democratic revolution,” she said.

Le Pen took over the leadership of the National Front (FN) in January from her father Jean-Marie, who stunned observers by making it into the second round of the presidential election in 2002 despite accusations of racism.

While sharing her father’s far-right views, the telegenic 43-year-old has sought to soften the party’s image and is seen by many analysts as more electable. Observers were shocked in March when a poll showed Le Pen beating her opponents in the first round of next spring’s presidential vote but she has since fallen into third place.

A poll by firm BVA released last week showed Le Pen taking 17 percent of the vote, behind Socialist candidate Francois Hollande with 35 percent and President Nicolas Sarkozy with 24.5 percent. In the interview Le Pen said she would limit immigration to 10,000 people a year and that efforts to save the euro should be dropped and France return to the franc. “I have always said the euro will collapse,” she said. “If it still exists when I come to power, I will bring together our European partners and propose an organised exit. France will return to the franc.” She said the eurozone debt crisis had exposed the risks of the common currency and that it would play a major role in the election.

“As I expected, the election campaign is setting itself up around Europe. I am calling on all sovereigntist and patriotic forces to support me against the European federalism being defended by Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande.”

Le Pen also said she would not support either of her main rivals in an expected second round of the election. “For me Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande represent exactly the same policies,” she said. Her 83-year-old father, a former paratrooper, founded the National Front in 1972 and led it until his retirement earlier this year.

Under Le Pen senior the Front never broke into government, and he was shunned by other parties, but he succeeded in forcing the mainstream right to compete with him on immigration and law and order issues. —AFP

ABIDJAN: Ivorians voted yesterday to elect a new parliament in a poll boycotted by the party of former strongman Laurent Gbagbo, who is awaiting trial in The Hague for crimes against humanity. The vote comes a year after the aftermath of a divisive presidential election brought the world’s top cocoa producer to the brink of civil war and follows a bloodstained campaign that left five people dead in the final week.

Turnout was weak, a spokesman for the UN peacekeeping mission here said, adding however that no incidents had been reported. Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara urged voters to ignore the boycott call, saying the new parliament would be “truly consensual (and) democratic ... and contribute to the strengthening of democracy in our country.”

“These elections are totally transparent and inclusive as we have more than 1,000 candidates for 255 seats,” he added. With Gbagbo sitting in an International Criminal Cour t (ICC ) cell, the coalition back ing Ouattara is widely expected to gain a majority of the 255 seats in the new assembly.

Ouattara, 69, took office six months after the November 2010 presidential polls as Gbagbo refused to step down, unleashing a conflict that claimed some 3,000 lives in a country that was once a beacon of stability in the west African region.

Gbagbo, who held on to his job five years after his initial mandate expired in 2005, was eventually captured in his presidential palace by pro-Ouattara forces in April, with support from French and UN troops. “I came to vote so that Ivory Coast can find peace again,” said Mathieu Kouakou, a mechanic, after he cast his ballot in Abidjan’s bustling Adjame district.

Some 25,000 members of the Ivorian security forces, backed by 7,000 members of the UN peacekeeping mission, have been deployed to ensure security for the elections in this former French colony.

Laurent Akoun, spokesman of Gbagbo’s Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), said the low turnout proved that the government is “illegitimate.” “The masquerade has thrived. We are staying in our corner. We have given no call for violence or to prevent voters from voting,” he said.

“Do you think that after this election we can speak of democracy in Ivory Coast?” said a Gbagbo supporter in the teeming Abidjan district of Yopougon, observing the party’s poll boycott by downing a few beers with FPI members. The FPI said in its boycott call that conditions were not met for fair elections and has asked for the release of its main

ABIDJAN: Dominique Ouattara (L), wife of President of The Ivory Coast Alassane Ouattara (R) casts her vote at a polling station in Abidjan yesterday. Ivorians voted to elect a new parliament in a poll boycotted by the party of former strongman Laurent Gbagbo, who is awaiting trial in The Hague for crimes against humanity. — AFP

leaders-notably Gbagbo, with whom reconciliation “will be difficult” while he is facing trial in The Hague.

The FPI has called its champion’s transfer last week to the ICC a “political kidnapping,” denouncing what they call “victor’s justice” and vowing to pull out of the reconciliation process. The ICC has carried out an investigation parallel to Ivorian justice, looking into crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by both Gbagbo loyalists as well as Ouattara supporters.

Sangare Sanissi, a voter in Adjame, told AFP: “This is to turn the page on a black period in our country. We’re too tired, we have to go forward.” In Ivory Coast’s second city Bouake, a Ouattara stronghold, turnout appeared far lower than in last year’s vote.

Trader Mariam Coulibaly, 49, a local official for Ouattara’s Rally of the Republicans party, said: “We must vote for our country’s

reconstruction and reconciliation.” And Edmond Aman, an unemployed youth added: “Things must quickly return to normal. The state has to redeploy officials (across the country) like before.”

After a political and military crisis lasting more than a decade, home -made guns, Kalashnikov assault rifles and rocket-launchers are circulating freely in the country.

About 5.7 million of a population of 21 million are eligible to vote, with polling stations to close at 5:00 pm (1700 GMT ), watched over by 150 international and 3,000 Ivorian observers.

Election results are expected mid-week.

Ouattara faces the daunting task of reconciling the divided country and integrating the rebels who fought for him into the proGbagbo armed forces. He must also breathe new life into the economy, which shrank six percent during the crisis this year. — AFP

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Ex-sheriff’s deputy shot after double slaying, chase JEFFERSON CITY: An ex-sheriff ’s deputy suspected in a double slaying led officers on a high-speed chase across rural Missouri to the state capital where he dashed into the lobby of an upscale hotel and was shot and wounded in an exchange of gunfire, authorities and local reports said.

Dent County Sheriff Rick Stallings said a witness reported 44-year-old Marvin Rice of Salem had shot a male and a female victim in that county on Saturday, taking a 2-year-old child with him who he then dropped off with a family member. He said author-

ities were alerted at 6:30 pm to the deaths in a rural part of the Missouri county.

Stalling’s statement said law enforcement officers, tracking Rice’s cell phone signal, chased the former Dent County deputy nor th on Missouri Highway 63. According to the statement, other law enforcement agencies were alerted and began pursuing Rice. Several attempts were made to stop Rice’s vehicle using spike strips as the chase reached speeds of 100 mph, according to the local reports. Stallings said the chase ended

at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City, a prominent hotel near the Missouri state capitol, where Rice ran into the lobby and shots were traded, wounding the man. His statement released overnight did not reveal Rice’s condition or how many shots were exchanged or by whom.

The News Tribune in Jefferson City said the chase crossed at least two counties besides Dent before Rice drove into the hotel’s parking lot about 9:20 p.m. It was not immediately clear how long the chase lasted and authorities released few details.

A hotel representative, who declined to be further identified, told The Associated Press that no guests were hurt. One local report said a holiday party was being held at the hotel at the time, but the representative said he would not release detailed information because he was not authorized to.

“Everybody’s fine; there’s nobody injured” among those who were in the hotel, the representative said by telephone. A Dent County sheriff ’s dispatcher, contacted by AP, declined to give details about the earlier deaths.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol, which was investigating, did not release any immediate information and its public information officer, contacted by AP, did not immediately return telephone messages seeking more details. The hotel is located a short distance from the state capitol complex and its website indicates the hotel is a regular host to conventions and other gatherings. Wayne Becker, a Dent County special investigator, told The Columbia Tribune that the victims’ identities were not being released until relatives were notified. — AP

Ex Panama strongman heads home to prison Noriega maybe eligible for house arrest

MEXICO CITY: People remain outside of a theater after an eartquake in Mexico City. A strong 6.7-magnitude quake struck on Saturday night in the Mexican state of Guerrero and was felt with intensity in the capital, where residents especially of tall buildings rushed out to the streets. — AFP

Strong earthquake shakes Mexico City MEXICO CITY: A magnitude-6.5 earthquake struck in Mexico’s western Guerrero state, shaking buildings and causing panic in the nation’s capital and the Pacific resort of Acapulco. Officials said at least three people died, but there were no reports of widespread damage.

The US Geological Service initially estimated the quake at magnitude at 6.8, but downgraded it to 6.7 and then 6.5. A quake of that magnitude is capable of causing severe damage, although the depth of this temblor lessened its impact.

The USGS said the quake occurred at 6:47 p.m. Saturday at a depth of 40.3 miles (64.9 kilometers). It was centered about 26 miles (42 kilometers) southwest of Iguala in Guerrero and 103 miles (166 kilometers) south-southwest of Mexico City. Mexico’s Interior Department said the quake was felt in parts of nine states.

Humberto Calvo, undersecretary of Guerrero’s Civil Protection agency, said three deaths had been reported in the state. He said one man was killed when a house’s roof collapsed in Iguala, a second died in the small town of Ixcateopan and the driver of a cargo truck was killed by

rocks that fell on the vehicle driving on the toll highway linking Acapulco with Mexico City.

Calvo said a secondary highway between the two cities was blocked in two places by rockslides. High-rises swayed in the center of Mexico City for more than a minute, and shoppers were temporarily herded out of some shopping centers until the danger passed.

Mexico City’s mayor, Marcelo Ebrard, reported by Twitter that no major damage had been reported. He said power failed in some parts of the city.

People in one part of Mexico City’s upscale Condesa neighborhood ran out of their houses and gathered in the streets, hugging each other while some shook and began to cry. On one street, a group of women joined hands in a circle, closed their eyes and began to pray.

“Please God, help us and let everything be OK,” said one. “It’s OK. It’s OK. Everything is OK.” Parts of Mexico City rest on the shaky soil of a former lake bed, which tends to magnify the effect of earthquakes. An 8.1-magnitude quake in 1985 killed as many as 10,000 people in the city. — AP

Chelsea exits shadows with US television job NEW YORK: Chelsea Clinton, the only child of America’s most famous political couple, today will abandon her oncecherished privacy, making a debut with a high-profile role on national television. At 31, Clinton has largely avoided the glare of public scrutiny that her parents, former president Bill Clinton and current Secretar y of State Hillar y Clinton, not only endure, but court.

That will change when she pops up on NBC as a special correspondent on the show “Rock Center with Brian Williams” and on the channel’s nightly news. But for her first foray into the polarized world of the US media, viewers should not expect to see Chelsea Clinton delving deep into sensitive political issues. On “Rock Center,” she will “highlight stories within the ‘Making a Difference’ franchise,” NBC said in a statement. The first contribution in this series, which focuses on inspirational people, will cover Annette Dove, who runs a charity in ArkansasBill Clinton’s home state-for neglected and often severely poor children. “In my work at NBC specifically, I hope to highlight stories of people who are both making a positive difference in their

Chelsea Clinton

communities and our world,” Clinton told The New York Times. For many viewers, though, the chief interest could be seeing and hearing someone who until now had taken great pains to stay out of the limelight, even as her parents became one of the most famous couples in the world. A high-flying student at Stanford, Oxford and Columbia universities, the young Clinton has avoided the gossip pages, barring a media frenzy over her marriage in July 2010 to a little known hedge fund employee Mark Mezvinsky.

But now she appears ready to embrace stardom. On Wednesday she will also host PBS’s live broadcast of “ The Nutcracker” ballet being staged at the Lincoln Center in New York.

Last month Chelsea accompanied her father at the New York Historical Society for a public conversation about his latest book. She also helped organize a 65th birthday event for the expresident, raising money for his foundation. Chelsea’s Facebook page went up in September listing her causes as women, children, health, education, the Clinton Foundation, as well as her late grandmother Dorothy Rodham, who had urged her to take part in public life.

Friends have spoken of Chelsea Clinton as a smart and warm person, much like her father. However, not everyone is happy with her new persona. Journalists who got to know her when she accompanied her mother during her failed 2008 bid to become Democratic nominee for the presidency have written on Twitter about her aloofness and apparent dislike for the media machine she is now joining.

Other reporters have griped that she was able to secure the NBC job thanks to the Clinton name, much as former president George W. Bush’s daughter Jenna Bush Hager landed work at the NBC’s Today show, and Meghan McCain, daughter of 2008 presidential candidate John McCain, works with MSNBC. — AFP

PANAMA CITY: Manuel Noriega, Panama’s drug-running military dictator of the 1980s, left Paris early yesterday, headed for a prison in his home country to serve a 20-year term for the murders of opponents during his rule.

Noriega, now 77, was toppled in a US invasion of Panama in 1989 and has spent the last two decades behind bars, first in Florida and then in France after being convicted for drug trafficking and money laundering during his time in power.

Panama’s attorney general and a doctor are part of the team accompanying Noriega on a commercial flight back to his homeland via Madrid. He boarded a plane at about 0730 local time (0630 GMT) after leaving Paris’ La Sante prison in a police convoy, according to a Reuters reporter, and was due to arrive in Panama yesterday evening.

A physically diminished shadow of the strongman once known for waving a machete while delivering fiery speeches, Noriega’s return is unlikely to have a major political impact on a country that has enjoyed an economic boom in recent years.

Widely reviled when he was Panama’s de facto leader from 1983 until 1989, his small cadre of remaining supporters has kept a low profile and even bitter opponents dismiss Noriega as part of a distant, shadowy past.

Much of the focus on Noriega will be on whether he sheds any light on the dictatorship’s mysteries, including some 100 unsolved killings or disappearances in the period of army rule from 1968 to 1989.

Noriega was convicted in absentia in three homicide cases involving 11 murders, including the 1985 beheading of Hugo Spadafora, a physician who threatened to reveal Noriega’s drug ties, and the 1989 execution-style slaying of nine officers who staged a failed coup. Some reports say more than 11 soldiers were killed.

Noriega was sentenced to 20 years in each case, and will serve the terms concurrently. A special unit has been prepared for him at a

penitentiary near the Panama Canal surrounded by tropical rainforest.

He will also face charges over the murder in 1970 of Heliodoro Portugal, an opponent of Panama’s military leaders.

“We hope he talks and says where the rest of the disappeared are, what happened to those

1980s have rallied ahead of his return to urge the government to keep him in prison.

Noriega rose to the top of the armed forces by tenaciously gathering intelligence on friends and foes alike and became de facto leader in 1983. Originally a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) protege, Noriega fell out with Washington

PARIS: A police vehicle escourts former miltary dictator of Panama Manuel Noriega from the Sante prison in Paris to the Orly airport where he will be extradited to Panama, yesterday. Two decades after being ousted during a bloody US invasion, former Panama strongman Manuel Noriega returns home yesterday to more time in prison and a mixed reception. — AFP who were killed,” said Patria Portugal, who has over his ties to Colombian drug traffickers and spent decades fighting for justice in her father’s his rigging of elections. The US invasion in case. “We hope ... he asks for forgiveness of the December 1989 came soon after a botched Panamanian nation for all the crimes he com- coup that the United States could have used to mitted.” Although Noriega controversially quali- nab Noriega, who was briefly held by rebel offifies for house arrest due to his age, the decision cers. Tensions were further stoked prior to the rests with the government. His lawyer, Julio invasion when Noriega forces shot and killed a Berrios, said house arrest would also imply an US Marine at a military checkpoint in Panama acceptance of his sentence and mean Noriega City. US forces were posted in the country at could not launch any legal challenge against the time to protect the Panama Canal, which the convictions. Leaders of a civilian movement was handed over to Panamanian control at the that protested Noriega’s regime in the late end of 1999. — Reuters

Mexico drug gangs up ante with high-tech tunnels MEXICO CITY: When architect Felipe de Jesus Corona built Mexico’s most powerful drug lord a 200-foot-long tunnel under the US-Mexican border with a hydraulic lift entrance opened by a fake water tap, the kingpin was impressed.

The architect “made me one f—-ing cool tunnel” Joaquin “Shorty” Guzman said, according to court testimony that helped sentence Corona to 18 years in prison in 2006. Built below a pool table in his lawyer’s home, the tunnel was among the first of an increasingly sophisticated drug transpor t system used by Guzman’s Sinaloa cartel. US customs agents seized more than 2,000 pounds of cocaine which had allegedly been smuggled along the underground route.

In the past five years, a crackdown on drug smugglers in Mexico and tighter US border security above ground has led to a dramatic increase in the use, and the sophistication, of tunnels under the border. There have been more than 100 tunnels discovered during President Felipe Calderon’s five years in office, double the number found over the previous 15 years.

Officials suspect most recently found tunnels belong to the Sinaloa cartel, which has been perfecting its technique for two decades using specialized technology and a cadre of trained builders. Agents of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, are trying to shut the tunnels down, working with the few companies that have the technology and equipment to dig deep and long horizontal shafts to prevent tunnel construction.

Two drug passageways were discovered along the California border in the past month, includ-

ing one about 1,600 feet (500 meters) long in San Diego.

Authorities seized over 32 tonnes of marijuana, worth $65 million, there after busting drivers hauling drugs from the tunnel’s end at a faux produce warehouse to an industrial suburb outside Los Angeles.

“It’s evident that those who constructed these tunnels are specialists, not only for the size but also because it requires study of the soil to prevent it from caving in,” said General Gilber to Landeros, a Mexican army commander, during the recent discovery of a Tijuana tunnel. “The machinery they use for construction is really sophisticated.”

That tunnel, replete with a hydraulically controlled steel door, elevator and electric rail tracks, was built by the Sinaloa car tel, which controls the California-Mexico border area where the bulk of subterranean

passages are, he said.

To burrow deep and long one tunnel stretched 2.5 miles (4 km) - smugglers employ powerful machinery, some of which can bore a small hole deep in the soil and create a walled shaft without having to send anyone below ground.

“It’s super fast, it’s really actually scary,” said Tim Durst, assistant special agent in charge of ICE’s San Diego office. “You can have a tunnel done in a couple of weeks.” The drilling equipment costs between $50,000 and $75,000, and officials say they have no way to stop cartels from obtaining the high-powered gear.

“If it’s the Sinaloa cartel, they have unlimited resources,” Durst said. A well built tunnel could be used to move 25 tonnes of drugs in one or two days, he said.

Officials believe cartels are turning to smaller horizontal drills

MEXICO CITY: In this Aug. 31, 2010 file photo, federal police escort Texas-born fugitive Edgar Valdez Villarreal, alias “the Barbie,” during his presentation to the media in Mexico City. Valdez is wanted in the United States for allegedly smuggling tons of cocaine. Five years after President Felipe Calderon launched his assault on organized crime, about 45,000 troops have been deployed, plus several thousand more from the Navy infantry, or marines. — AP

that dig the length of a tunnel fast and can easily be hidden in warehouses, a favored location among smugglers tr ying to blend into industrial areas along the border.

Only a handful of companies produce the specialized drills normally used for laying subterranean pipelines and other infrastructure projects. ICE officials are pushing to find the purchasers, but vendors say it is difficult to be sure of buyers’ identities. “If these guys have business cards that say (Mexico’s state oil company) Pemex and they want to do a pipeline here, how am I to know exactly what they are going to do?” said Gregg Shelton, who sells large -scale drilling equipment for American Auger, an Ohio-based manufacturer.

Hauling tons of drugs is no easy task. Even with industrialsized equipment, construction can take weeks and requires skilled workers. “The profile is somebody who has engineering or mining experience,” said Joe Garcia, deputy special agent in charge for homeland security investigations in ICE’s San Diego office. “It has to be somebody who is going to use tried and true surveying techniques with a compass and line of sight.”

Authorities are still searching for the architect of an Arizona tunnel discovered in 1999 and constructed by unemployed and striking miners. Operated by the Tijuana and Juarez cartel, smugglers slipped about 30 tonnes of cocaine through the tunnel.

“We all know that they have access to equipment such as hydraulic lifts, elevators, generators, water pumps,” said Ramona F. Sanchez, a spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Agency in Phoenix. “It’s not your pick and shovel operation.” — Reuters

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An unmarked date reflects Indian ambivalence NEW DELHI: A century ago, in a tent city of 25,000 people built on the plains of north India, a new king stood before princes and maharajahs, soldiers and bureaucrats, and made a surprise announcement that would change the fate of this city. Delhi, the king said on that December day, would be the new capital of India.

“There was first of all a stunned silence in the audience,” the British writer Geoffrey Moorhouse wrote of the announcement by Britain’s King George V. “Then there was wild and incredulous cheering all around.”

The decision would reshape this city, helping turn it from what was then an ancient fading city into an immense megalopolis, home to well over 16 million people. But in a country where just about any anniversary is cause for an official celebration 150 years of the government comptroller’s office, two years since the ruling coalition’s election victory - this obvious one is slipping past nearly unnoticed.

There are no parades or festivities to mark the Dec. 12, 1911 announcement, no speeches by parliamentari-

ans. There are just awkward statements that have shined a light on India’s lingering ambivalence, and maybe even a little bitterness, toward its former colonial ruler.

In a country that sees itself as a rising world power, one anxious to prove that it has moved out of the shadow of Great Britain, no one wants to look as if they are celebrating colonial rule. Politicians are loathe to come anywhere near the issue, and some of the remaining Indians who battled British rule before independence in 1947 have told top officials that they don’t believe the day should be celebrated, according to someone familiar with those discussions.

“There is ambivalence on what to celebrate and how to celebrate,” Sheila Dikshit, the equivalent of the New Delhi mayor, told the Times of India newspaper last month, saying she was waiting for federal culture officials to plan any festivities. Those officials, meanwhile, say they’re planning some yet-to-be-announced festivities for 2012, but are studiously avoiding linking anything to the royal announcement.

In many ways, that’s not surprising.

“Occupation is occupation,” said O.P. Jain, a historian and retired top official with The Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage, one of the country’s top preservation groups. “It wasn’t friendship” between India and Great Britain during colonial rule.

Still, he insists, there are ways the city can celebrate the anniversary.

India and Britain are now close allies, he noted, and should be able to face their shared reality. “You can’t settle scores with history,” he said. In the years after independence, India has often viewed Britain with a confusing mix of awe and anger. Much of the Indian elite has long spoken English with accents picked up at Oxford and Cambridge, even as colonial Britain was dismissed as a tyrannical occupier in search of profits. Praise was only grudgingly given for the institutions that England left behind, from a vast administrative system to a vast railroad network.

But as India’s economy grew, and its confidence increased along with it, that relationship has changed. By 2010, when British Prime Minister

David Cameron visited India, the former colony was widely seen in both countries as the dominant player. So it’s time, historians say, to accept events like the king’s announcement, and how the two nations’ histories are twined together.

“You’re talking about an event that transformed the city of Delhi,” said Sunil Raman, a journalist who has recently written a book about the 1911 Delhi Durbar, the immense gathering, at the tent city, when King George V came to India to be crowned Emperor.

It was during the durbar when the king also made his surprise statement. Not even the queen knew of the tightly held secret to shift the capital from Calcutta, where the British increasingly feared Bengali nationalists, to the city then simply called Delhi. He also announced that a new city - New Delhi - would be built alongside the old. Today, most Indians refer to the entire town as New Delhi.

The durbar was an explosion of pageantry. For the occasion, a temporary city was built on the undevel-

oped fringes of Delhi. The 40-square kilometer camp had thousands of plush tents for top British officials and hundreds of Indian royals. It had manicured lawns, its own postal system and its own electricity grid. It had a small-gauge rail network with 18 stops. The king and queen, draped in furs and jewels, greeted their subjects from an immense throne, watched over by tens of thousands of soldiers.

Indian royals lined up to pay them homage.

The spectacle itself had been carefully orchestrated to “assert the supremacy of British rule,” said Raman. “It was a show of strength, a show of might of the empire.” It was also a way to resurrect the grandeur of the ancient Moghul rulers, some of whom had used Delhi as a capital hundreds of years earlier.

That is part of the problem. “Delhi has a history of being destroyed and rebuilt, destroyed and rebuilt,” with periods as a political capital that goes back more than 1,000 years, said Jain.

But he also understands the way politicians shy away from history. He began arguing years ago to fix up

Coronation Park - the dusty, overgrown and crumbling remnant of the durbar. But repeatedly, he said, politicians told him it would be “best to put on the shelf for awhile.”

Standing in the park, it’s hard to picture the spectacle it once saw.

There is a stone obelisk erected long ago by the British, sitting atop a series of now-pitted steps and marked with a sign proclaiming it the spot where the king received from his Indian subjects “their dutiful homage and allegiance.”

There are also a cluster of five statues on crumbling red stone pedestals. There is a large one of the king and smaller ones of British officials, grim-looking men with ceremonial swords and fur capes. The city began construction last year on a series of stone pathways and plazas at the park, but it is already behind schedule.

For now, though, the statues remain exposed and unrestored.

Weeds sprout from the pedestal beneath the king’s feet, the nose of another statue has been worn away.

All are filthy. —AFP

India anti-graft activist holds day-long fast Calls for mass protest NEW DELHI: A popular anti-corruption crusader held a day-long fast in the Indian capital yesterday, urging supporters to court arrest and “fill up prisons” nationwide if the beleaguered government failed to enact a tougher law to fight graft.

The spectre of renewed protests led by the bespectacled

up a Lokpal (ombudsman) to investigate wrong-doing in government was a “betrayal.”

“Fill up the jails if that is what’s needed for a strong Lokpal (ombudsman) bill. We’ll ensure all the jails are filled, we won’t leave a single one empty,” he said to loud cheers at Jantar Mantar observatory, a traditional meeting point for

Prime Minister Singh. He broke his fast, which he started in jail, after the government assured him of meeting his demands.

The turnout at yesterday ’s protest was seen as a barometer of support for the 74-year-old, who has threatened to campaign against the already troubled government in elections in India’s

NEW DELHI: Indian social activist Anna Hazare, center, talks to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley, right, as Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat looks on during a seven-hour fast by Hazare demanding sweeping anti-corruption legislation in New Delhi, India, yesterday. —AP Gandhian campaigner Anna Hazare come at a difficult time for Prime Minister Singh, who is increasingly seen as a lame duck at the half-way stage of his second five-year term.

Last week, at risk of losing key partners from the ruling coalition, Singh backtracked on a flagship reform to allow foreign investment in supermarkets. Dressed in a crisp white kurta smock and cap, Hazare told hundreds of supporters that a draft legislation setting

political dissenters in Delhi.

Hazare has caught the imagination of a swelling middle class in India who are angry at the government’s inability to crack down on rampant corruption after multi-billion dollar scams related to telecoms and the 2010 Commonwealth games came to light.

In August, he was arrested for three days just hours before he was due to begin a fast to the death with similar demands and was dismissed as an anarchist by

most populous state early next year.

Hundreds of people with the Indian flag in hand and wearing “I am Anna” caps, sang patriotic songs as Hazare reached the venue of the strike yesterday after praying at independence hero Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial.

“Our government takes our money through taxes, through bribes and uses that again to buy votes. How can my grandchildren later say that they are proud to be

Indians?” said 56-year-old H.S. Kapoor at the protest site.

Once strongly supportive, the Indian media has taken a more critical view of Hazare’s Gandhian credentials in recent weeks after he appeared to support public flogging of alcoholics, said corrupt politicians should be hung and suggested an elderly politician who was slapped by a protestor had it coming.

The anti-graft bill is likely to be discussed next week by lawmakers and Hazare is adamant it must be passed in the form he wants before parliament closes for the year on Dec. 21. He has threatened a 10-day hunger strike from Dec.27 if the government failed to do so. The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, which is seeking to pile on the pressure on the ruling coalition, backed Hazare’s call for stronger legislation against corruption.

“There is no two ways about this that the country needs a strong and effective Lokpal bill,” Arun Jaitley, the BJP’s leader in the upper house of parliament, told the gathering. The BJP and other political parties are demanding that the prime minister’s office be brought under the ambit of the ombudsman. It is not yet clear whether the draft bill addresses that demand.

Brinda Karat, a leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said the ombudsman must also have the powers to investigate big corporate houses , many of whom have been named in a series of corruption scandals.

The ruling Congress party did not take part in Sunday’s debate, which was convened by Hazare. It said it was premature to debate the bill when parliament was seized of the matter.

Several India states go to the polls next year including the country’s most important political region, Uttar Pradesh, sharperning the political jousting ahead of the election. —Reuters

Taleban spokesman denies peace talks PESHAWAR: A Pakistani Taleban spokesman yesterday denied an earlier announcement by the militant group’s deputy chief that it was holding peace talks with the government.

The conflicting claims are a clear sign of splits within the movement, which could make it even harder to end the violent insurgency gripping the country. Maulvi Faqir Mohammed, who has been recognized by both militants and officials as the deputy chief of the Pakistani Taleban, had said on Saturday that the group was in negotiations with the government. Mohammed, the first named commander to confirm talks, said an agreement to end the country’s brutal four-year insurgency was within striking distance.

Spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan denied Mohammed’s claims, saying there would be no negotiations until the government imposed Islamic law, or Shariah, in the country. The group says it wants to install a hardline Islamist regime.

Ehsan has on several occasions over the past six months dismissed reports of peace talks by unnamed militant commanders and intelligence officials. “Talks by a handful of people with the government cannot be deemed as the Taleban talking,” Ehsan told The Associated Press by telephone from an undisclosed location.

The US has pushed for peace negotiations between the Afghan branch of the Taleban and Kabul, but the possibility of similar talks between Islamabad and the Pakistani branch could stoke concern in Washington. Past deals between the Pakistani Taleban and the government have bro-

ken down and given the militants time to strengthen their fight inside the country and against U.S. forces in neighboring Afghanistan.

The group, which is closely allied with al-Qaida, has been behind much of the violence tearing apart Pakistan over the last 4 1/2 years. At least 35,000 people have been killed in suicide bomb-

BAJUR: In this undated file photo, Taleban commander Maulvi Faqir Mohammed, who is known to be deputy chief of the Pakistani Taleban, is seen in Pakistan’s tribal area of Bajur. —AP ings, other insurgent attacks and army offensives.

But military operations and US drone strikes have weakened the Pakistani Taleban, which has splintered into more than 100 smaller factions, according to security officials, analysts and tribes-

men from the insurgent heartland.

The result is that the authority of individual commanders in the movement to control fighters and territory, already murky because of the Taleban’s clandestine nature, is now even more unclear.

Taliban deputy commander Mohammed’s main area of strength has been the Bajur tribal area along the Afghan border, but he reportedly fled to Afghanistan in recent years to escape army operations. He has long been identified as head of the Pakistani Taleban in Bajur and said a deal with the government there could be a “role model” for the rest of the border region.

But another commander, Mullah Dadullah, also now claims to be Taleban chief in Bajur. Dadullah contacted the AP on Sunday and denied the group, also known as the Tehrik-e-Taliban, or TTP, was negotiating with the government.

“As TTP chief responsible for Bajur, I am categorically saying there are no talks going on between the government and the Tehrik-e-Taliban at the Bajur level or the central level,” Dadullah said, also speaking from an undisclosed location.

Ehsan, the spokesman, said Dadullah rather than Mohammed was the head of the Pakistani Taleban in Bajur. Despite the Taleban’s record of indiscriminate violence, much of it directed at civilians, there is political and public support for peace talks. In September, the weak civilian government announced it was prepared to “give peace a chance” with militants, pandering to right-wing Islamist parties and their supporters. —AP

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai walks to the podium to deliver his speech during a ceremony marking the International Anti-CorruptionDay in Kabul, Afghanistan, yesterday. Hamid Karzai said during his speech in Kabul that the attacks were carried out by people seeking to undermine Afghanistan’s peace and stability. —AP

Karzai calls on partners to tackle Afghan graft KABUL: President Hamid Karzai called yesterday for foreign donors and businesses, who have pumped billions of dollars into Afghanistan in the last decade, to do more to tackle corruption in the country, which anti-graft groups say is among the world’s worst.

Speaking at a press conference to mark International Anti-Corruption Day, Karzai said foreign firms and donors operating in Afghanistan should inform anti-corruption workers if government ministers ask them for contracts.

“One urgent way to avoid corruption in Afghanistan is for our foreign friends and co-workers to stop giving contracts to government officials and their family members,” Karzai told the conference.

“Giving contracts to the Afghan government and their family members and government officials is corruption, cause for corruption, and encouraging corruption.”

The president’s own brother Mahmoud Karzai is a former shareholder in Kabulbank, which collapsed last year with outstanding loans of almost $1 billion, prompting an international scandal and a fraud probe. He denies any wrongdoing and is not under investigation in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is one of the world’s biggest aid recipients, receiving an estimated $16 billion this year. It relies on foreign aid for about 90 percent of its spending.

Azizullah Ludin, Director General of the Afghan High Office of Oversight and AntiCorruption (HOO), said only about 18 percent of foreign aid that flows into the country was spent by the Afghan government, while the majority is used by overseas organisations work ing in Afghanistan.

“Corruption exists in big contracts that foreigners are involved in directly, that is

undeniable,” he told delegates at the conference. “Misuse of big contracts over many years has polluted a large part of international assistance.”

Ludin admitted that corruption remained “rampant” in Afghanistan, and said the body he headed found it tough to make progress. “Currently the HOO is like a toothless lion, who with a lot of struggle can catch its prey, but has no power to bite,” he said. “All it can do is look at it.”

He said Afghanistan’s government would have to show strong political will to crack down on corruption, coupled with stricter law enforcement procedures to stop those with political influence escaping prosecution.

Ludin said large disparities in public sector wages, which can see officials trained overseas paid ten times as much as some of their colleagues, were harming attempts to combat graft in state institutions. He added that he favours bringing all the country’s anti-graft investigatorscurrently spread across at least ten departments-under one umbrella, to create a united force for fighting corruption.

“The current system is scattered and dispersed in a way that is impractical in combatting corruption, and means we cannot respond to our prevailing problems,” he said. “Based on my view and international practices, all parallel administrations should be removed. There should be only a single but strong and committed institution to fight corruption.” Earlier this month a survey by Berlinbased Transparency International rated Afghanistan one of the world’s worst countries for corruption, joint with Myanmar and only slightly ahead of North Korea and Somalia. —Reuters

US vacates air base in Pakistan: Officials QUETTA: The United States yesterday vacated a Pakistani airbase following a deadline given by Islamabad in the wake of anger over NATO air strikes last month that killed 24 soldiers, officials said. Pakistan’s military said in a statement that the last flight carrying US personnel and equipment had left Shamsi airbase, in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, completing a process that began last week.

Islamabad’s fragile alliance with the United States crashed to new lows in the wake of the November 26 NATO air strikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and which the Pakistan military called a deliberate attack. The base was widely believed to have been used in covert CIA drone attacks against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda commanders in northwest Pakistan’s tribal areas, which border Afghanistan. “The control of

the base has been taken over by the Army,” the statement said. A senior security official requesting anonymity earlier told AFP: “The Americans have vacated the Shamsi air base and it has been handed over to the Pakistani security forces.” Another official in Baluchistan confirmed that the last batch of US officials left in two flights yesterday.

Following the November air strikes, Pakistan closed two border crossings to Afghanistan to US and NATO supplies and gave American personnel until Sunday to leave Shamsi airbase.

US Ambassador to Islamabad Cameron Munter told a Pakistan television channel last week: “We are complying with the request.” A security official said the US aircraft left the Pakistani airfield around 3:00 pm (1000 GMT) with the remaining group of 32 US officials and material. —AFP

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US response muted as American jailed in Thailand NEW YORK: The US government prides itself on standing up for freedom of speech around the world, but when it comes to longtime ally Thailand and its revered monarch, Washington treads carefully - even when an American citizen is thrown in jail. Thailand on Thursday sent an American, Joe Gordon, 55, to prison for two and a half years for defaming the country’s royal family after he translated excerpts of a banned biography of Thailand’s king and published them online. He had been living in Colorado at the time.

The US government has offered a measured response to the “severe” sentence - saying it was “troubled” by the outcome and asserting the right to free expression of people around the world.

It has avoided direct criticism of Thailand over its use of laws punishing lese majeste, the crime of insulting a monarch.

Washington’s comments pale next to the strident criticism it gives when dissidents, even those without US ties, are jailed by more authoritarian governments in the neighborhood, like China and Vietnam. The State Department typically calls for dissidents’ immediate release and urges the government in question to uphold international law.

The muted US response may be partly explained by an unwillingness to spoil

efforts to secure a royal pardon for Gordon, as has happened for foreigners previously convicted of lese majeste. But it also reflects the depth of US relations with Thailand, which date back to 1833.

The country was viewed as a bulwark against the spread of communism and served as a key base for US forces during the Vietnam War. As the Obama administration seeks to step up its engagement in Asia, it wants to consolidate its old alliances.

Washington may also view behindthe-scenes efforts to get Thai authorities to ease up on lese majeste prosecutions more effective in a society where public criticism can backfire. Above all, it underscores the sensitivity of any critical, public discussion on Thailand’s monarchy.

Thailand’s lese majeste laws are the harshest in the world. They mandate that people found guilty of defaming the monarchy - including the ailing 84-yearold King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-reigning monarch - face three to 15 years behind bars. They can face stiffer sentences still under the 2007 Computer Crimes Act, that punishes circulation of material online that threatens national security.

Bhumibol is revered in Thailand and widely seen as a stabilizing force. He has stayed at a Bangkok hospital for more than two years, and there is deep uncer-

tainty about what happens when he dies, as his son and heir apparent does not command the same respect and affection. Political divisions in the country exploded into violence last year that brought the business district of the Thai capital to a halt for weeks and left more than 90 dead.

Even among Washington think tanks and US universities, experts on Thailand often prefer not to discuss the monarchy and lese majeste for fear they could be blacklisted. The lese majeste law “inhibits discussion on the future of the monarchy and the political system,” said Walter Lohman, director of the Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation think tank. “Even Americans worry of talking about it, let alone Thais.”

Thailand was once seen as one of the most democratic nations in Southeast Asia, a status that has eroded during five years of political tensions. Since a military coup in 2006, there has been a sharp increase in lese majeste charges, frequently used to silence oppositional voices in the name of protecting the royalty. Human rights groups have expressed growing concerns over censorship of the Internet, which has given Thai authorities more targets to pursue.

Authorities blocked 57,000 websites for containing anti-royal content in 2010, Thai monitoring groups say. Statistics

obtained by The Associated Press from Thailand’s Office of the Attorney General show that 36 lese majeste cases were sent for prosecution in 2010, compared to 18 in 2005 and just one in 2000. The figures do not include those filed under the Computer Crimes Act, nor the myriad complaints under investigation that have yet to reach trial.

This year has seen a series of stiff penalties. Last month, Amphon Tangnoppakul, a 61-year old Thai grandfather with cancer, got 20 years in prison for sending four text messages received by a government official and deemed offensive to the queen.

It was the heaviest sentence ever handed down for a lese majeste case.

Amphon, now called “Uncle SMS” by the Thai media, denies sending the messages and says he doesn’t even know how to send texts. He wept in court and said, “I love the King.”

The U.S. did not comment specifically on Amphon’s case, but in a deviation from past practice, did say it was “troubled” by recent prosecutions and rulings inconsistent with international standards of freedom of expression. The European Union was more forthright, saying it was “deeply concerned” about Amphon’s case. Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, said the US, EU,

and other countries were only playing lip service to democratic values and should be more outspoken.

“In reality, these countries have also their interests aligned with the Thai monarchy and, like many Thai politicians, do not want to risk their strategic interests in Thailand,” he said. Trying to stifle dissent and keep politics under control is not much different than what China wants to do, said Paul Handley, author of the unauthorized biography “The King Never Smiles” that Gordon was punished for translating into Thai and posting online. The book is respected by most Thailand-watchers as shedding new light on Bhumibol’s life. It alleges the king has been an obstacle to the progress of democracy in Thailand as he consolidated royal power over his long reign.

Aside from the lese majeste law, Thailand has a vibrant political environment, which is far from the case in China, Handley said. He was also encouraged by the new book released in Thailand marking Bhumibol’s seventh decade as king, which discusses the lese majeste law and says prosecutions have harmed the image of the monarchy.

But Handley, now based in Washington, has no plans to return. “I assume I would be arrested,” Handley said. “There’s no one who tells me otherwise.” — AP

Philippine plane crash site searched for victims, clues DNA tests to identify bodies

ZAMBOANGA: In this photo released by Zamboanga City Mayor’s Office, Kevin Lunsmann, right, a kidnapped American teenage boy, talks to Zamboanga city mayor Celso Lobregat early yesterday at the Western Mindanao Command headquarters in Zamboanga city, Philippines, following his escape from suspected alQaeda-linked militants. — AP

US hostage, 14, escapes in Philippine jungle MANILA: A k idnapped American teenage boy escaped from suspected al Qaeda-linked militants and wandered without shoes for two days in a southern Philippine jungle before villagers found him, ending his five-month captivity, officials said yesterday.

Kevin Lunsmann, 14, told his four armed captors that he would take a bath in a stream and then made a dash for freedom Friday in Basilan province, police Senior Supt. Edwin de Ocampo said. He followed a river down a mountain until villagers found him late the next day, de Ocampo said. Exhausted, hungry and still stunned, the boy initially fled from the villagers, de Ocampo said.

“He was in fear so there was a bit of a chase before the villagers convinced him that they were friends,” de Ocampo told The Associated Press. He said the boy was fine, but was exhausted and had bruises on his arms and feet.

Initial reports had said the boy was freed by his captors. Zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat said he has been flown to Manila and turned over to US officials there. US Ambassador Harry Thomas said the boy would be reunited with his family soon. “In this holiday season nothing makes me happier than knowing that an innocent victim is returned to his family in time for holiday celebrations,” Thomas said in a statement. “I also want to acknowledge the courage of Kevin himself, and his family, throughout this long ordeal.”

Thomas said there would be a “speedy investigation and prosecution of all those involved in the kidnapping of American citizens.” Lobregat said the boy has talked by phone with his Filipino-American mother, Gerfa Yeatts Lunsmann, who was in the United States. He, his mother and a Filipino cousin were vacationing with relatives on an island near Zamboanga City when they were snatched July 12 and taken by boat to nearby Basilan.

The captors then called the family in Campbell County, Virginia, to demand a ransom, officials said. The mother was

freed two months ago after she was dropped off by boat at a whar f on Basilan. The boy ’s Filipino cousin escaped from their captors last month when Filipino army forces managed to get near an Abu Sayyaf camp in the mountains of Basilan, about 550 miles (880 kilometers) south of Manila.

Lobregat said he was unaware if any ransom changed hands. Army Col. Ricardo Visaya said the kidnappers were believed led by Abu Sayyaf militant Puruji Indama, who is notorious for ransom k idnappings and beheadings.

Troops were hunting down the militants and clashed with one group in Akbar town, near Lamitan, which may have distracted the kidnappers and gave Lunsmann a chance to flee, he said.

When Visaya asked the boy if he was freed, which would indicate that ransom was paid, or escaped, Lunsmann replied that he fled from his captors.

“No, I really did it myself,” he quoted Lunsmann as telling him. Visaya said he later handed the boy to American troops based in Basilan.

Ransom kidnappings have long been a problem in the impoverished region and are blamed mostly on the Abu Sayyaf, an al-Qaida-linked group on a list of US terrorist organizations, and its allied armed groups. The militants are notorious for kidnappings, beheadings and bombings.

The Abu Sayyaf, which has less than 400 armed fighters, was founded on Basilan in the 1990s as an offshoot of a violent Muslim insurgency that has been raging for decades. Hundreds of US troops have been stationed in the southern Philippines, including Basilan, to train and equip Philippine forces but are barred from local combat.

On Monday, suspected militants abducted Australian Warren Richard Rodwell, 53, from his seaside house in Zamboanga Sibugay province, near Basilan. The Abu Sayyaf are believed to be still holding an Indian, a Malaysian and a Japanese in their jungle strongholds on Jolo island, near Basilan. — AP

MANILA: Philippine investigators yesterday combed through the smouldering wreckage of a Manila slum, hunting for more victims of a light plane crash as well as clues over the accident that left at least 13 dead. The cargo plane plunged into the shanty town on Saturday, exploding on impact and causing a fire that gutted a 2,000-square -metre (half-acre) section of the slum that stands on either side of an open sewer.

The pilot, co-pilot, and a third person on board were killed, and the other fatalities were residents who died in the inferno that destroyed dozens of simple dwellings. Five other people were reported missing, according to residents, while at least 20 were injured. Emergency crews said they were carefully sifting through the rubble in hopes of finding bodies beneath. “DNA testing will be done today on those who had been recovered to identify them.

They were burnt beyond recognition,” Philippine National Red Cross secretary general Gwendolyn Pang told AFP. Pang said that the injured had serious burns and were being treated at a hospital, including seven children who had been playing near the site where the plane crashed. Among those in critical condition was 11-year-old Rodelyn Molino, who doctors said had sustained serious burns across half of her body.

“She was at a safe area when she saw a friend asking for help.

She braved the crash site, but unfortunately couldn’t save her, and she herself was injured,” Pang said. About 200 families made homeless by the blaze were transferred to a basketball court which was converted into an evacuation site, and will likely

MANILA: Workers retrieve the burnt out engine of a four-seater twin engine cargo plane at a Manila slum yesterday, after the plane crashed into the area killing at least 13 on December 10. — AFP spend Christmas, social workers said. Yellow tape cordoned off the crash site, the once tightly packed area now reduced to heaps of smashed cinder blocks and twisted sheets of corrugated metal roofing. Traumatised residents sat at a distance, watching in silence as emergency crews worked through the debris.

Florencio Bernabe, the mayor of Paranaque district where the accident occurred, said that at least 50 shanty dwellings burned down and called for compensation for the families of the victims. “We’ve already found out the owner of the aircraft, and they need to be accountable,” Bernabe told reporters.

The four-seater plane had just

taken off Manila’s domestic airport Saturday when it radioed the control tower for permission to return and land, but instead crashed into the slum. It was to have picked up cargo from the nearby island of Mindoro and was believed to be carrying a full tank of fuel when it went down.

The blaze also engulfed a nearby elementary school, but it was empty at the time of the weekend crash-avoiding what would have been much bigger casualties. Civil accident investigation chief Amado Soliman said the plane’s engine had been recovered, along with other material that could yield clues as to what caused it to crash.

He said experts would also

examine the last conversation between the cockpit and the control tower to determine what transpired moments before the crash. The accident has trained the spotlight on the country’s problems in dealing with unfettered urban development and the lack of enforcement of zoning laws.

More than 2.5 million people or about a quarter of Manila’s population-now live in slums, many of which have sprung up near open canals, sewers and just across the fence from the capital’s main airport.

Deadly fires are common with many of the shanty towns constructed of light materials that easily catch fire. — AFP

Myanmar eases censorship for some BANGKOK: Myanmar has loosened restrictions on dozens of business and crime publications, local media reported yesterday, but kept news titles in the grip of strict censorship rules. A total of 54 journals, magazines and books

will no longer have to submit their content to censors before publication, according to a report in the Myanmar Times, after changes introduced on December 9. News media will continue to be subject to pre-publication censor-

YANGON: Pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi (R) and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hold hands as they speak after meeting at Suu Kyi’s residence in Yangon, Myanmar, December 2, 2011. — AFP

ship that is criticised by press freedom groups as among the most restrictive in the world, although officials told the newspaper that this would ease in time.

Myanmar’s army-dominated government, which came to power after a controversial November 2010 election, has launched a series of reformist moves in an apparent move to end its international isolation, and welcomed a landmark visit from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier this month.

Measures have included dialogue with democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, whose picture is now permitted to be printed in the media. Publishers were told in June that sports journals, entertainment magazines, fairytales and the winning lottery numbers would not need to have prior approval from the information ministry.

According to the Myanmar Times, Tint Swe of the country’s Press Scrutiny and Registration Department said that news, education and religious titles would also shift to “self- censorship”

before a new media law is enacted-without giving a timeframe or details of the legislation.

An executive editor from 7-Day News told the Myanmar Times that he was disappointed that the changes had not gone further, but welcomed the relaxation on business publications. “As our country is implementing economic reforms, it’s crucial that we have the freedom to write and criticise freely,” he said.

A report in the state-run New Light of Myanmar on Sunday said that Minister for Information and Culture Kyaw Hsan had suggested film and video censorship would also be relaxed, without indicating when this would happen. In September, Myanmar’s Internet users were able to see banned media websites for the first time, including the BBC and exiled media organisations such as the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB).

But the move, which was not officially announced, came in the same week that a court added an extra decade to the sentence of a journalist jailed over his work for DVB. He now faces 18 years in prison. — AFP

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

Years

NEWS In this photo taken on Saturday, a villager shows his painted ox on a stage during a bull painting contest held in Jiangcheng county in southwest China’s Yunnan province. The local tradition of bull painting originated from a Hani minority groupís tale, saying painting a bull is to scare away tigers in the village. — AP

Gingrich stands by ‘invented’ jab Continued from Page 1 “We’ve had an invented Palestinian people, who are in fact Arabs, and were historically part of the Arab community,” he said.

“They had a chance to go many places. And for a variety of political reasons, we have sustained this war against Israel now since the 1940s, and I think it’s tragic,” the candidate said.

Republicans aiming for the presidency have declared an unshakable commitment to Israel, while criticizing Obama’s policy toward the Jewish state. But Gingrich’s campaign was later forced to backtrack and a statement was issued that said the candidate did in fact favor the same two-state solution espoused by Obama and previous US presidents. “Gingrich supports a negotiated peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians,” spokesman R C Hammond said, “which will necessarily include agreement between Israel and the Palestinians over the borders of a Palestinian state.”

Outraged Palestinian officials called for the former US House speaker to apologize for his “vulgar, hur tful and ridiculous remarks”. His characterization of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict “constituted a totally unacceptable distortion of historical truth,” Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad said Saturday, stressing that in Israel “even the most extremist settlers don’t dare to speak in such a ridiculous manner”.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum accused Gingrich of “cheap election propaganda”. “Gingrich’s statements are violent, racist and deny the rights of the Palestinian people and our ancient history and are a clear incitement to violence against the Palestinians,” he said in a statement. And American Task Force on Palestine spokesman Hussein Ibish was quick to point out that “there was no Israel and no such thing as an ‘Israeli people’ before 1948”, when the Jewish state was established.

But late Saturday in the latest

Republican presidential debate, Gingrich kicked the hornet’s nest again, saying: “These people are terrorists.” “They teach terrorism in their schools. They have textbooks that say if there are 13 Jews and nine Jews are killed, how many Jews are left?” he said. “We pay for those textbooks through our aid money. It’s time for somebody to say ‘enough lying about the Middle East.’”

Gingrich’s latest remarks, including saying that “the Palestinian claim to a right of return is based on a historically false story”, put his rivals - and Americans in general on notice that he has no intention of shying away from controversy as he seeks his party ’s nomination. While Jewish voters account for a very small portion of the electorate, they play an important role in pivotal states such as Florida and delegate-rich Pennsylvania that are key to the presidential nominating process.

Earlier in the week, Gingrich told a Republican Jewish forum that if he won the nomination he would ask John Bolton, for-

mer president George W Bush’s UN envoy, to be his secretary of state. Bolton is known for his virulent defense of Israel. At that same forum, Gingrich’s main rival for the nomination, Mitt Romney, said he would visit Washington’s close ally on his first trip as president, and claimed that Obama had “chastened” Israel. Republican White House hopeful Michele Bachmann, meanwhile, joined Gingrich in saying she would move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, to which both Israel and Palestinians lay claim.

Democratic Sen Carl Levin of Michigan sharply criticized Gingrich’s comments as cynical attempts to curry support with Jewish voters and unhelpful to the peace process. “The vast majority of American Jews (including this one) and the Israeli government itself are committed to a twostate solution in which Israelis and Palestinians live side-by-side as neighbors and in peace,” Levin said in a statement.

“Gingrich offered no solutions - just a can of

gasoline and a match.”

Palestinian legislator Hanan Ashrawi, a top official in the Palestine Liberation Organization, said that Gingrich was seeking a “cheap way” to win Jewish and proIsrael voters in next year’s election. Some Israeli politicians on the margins of the Israeli consensus welcomed Gingrich’s stance. Danny Danon, deputy speaker of Israel’s parliament, and a minority voice among his hawkish Likud par ty, said Gingrich “understands very well the reality we live in in the Middle East” and said his statement on the Palestinians is shared by “most of the Jewish people, not just in Israel”. Israeli historian Tom Segev, however, said the argument about the existence of the Palestinian people is a thing of the past.

“There is no intelligent person today who argues about the existence of the Palestinian people,” Segev said. “Nations are created gradually. I don’t think the Palestinians are less of a nation than the Americans,” he added. — Agencies

Arab revolts reshape map of US influence

Groups mull candidates as all wait for...

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monarchies, emirates and sheikhdoms, which so far have ridden out the upheavals and are increasingly flexing their political clout around the Arab world.

The Gulf Arabs and America are, in many ways, foreign policy soul mates. Both share grave misgivings about Iran’s expanding military ambitions and its nuclear program. The Gulf hosts crucial US military bases - including the Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain - and is an essential part of the Pentagon’s strategic blueprint for the Mideast after this year’s US withdrawal from Iraq.

In summary: America’s influence took blows from the Arab Spring, but also remains hitched to the rising stars in the Gulf. “America has lost the predictability of friends like Mubarak,” said Sami Alfaraj, director of the Kuwait Center for Strategic Studies. “But, at the same time, its allies in the Gulf are on the rise. So I would call it a shuffle for America. Maybe a step back in some places, but not in others.”

Led by hyper-wealthy Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the Gulf rulers have stepped up their games in various ways as the region’s political center of gravity drifts in their direction. NATO’s airstrikes in Libya got important Arab credibility from warplane contributions by Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The Gulf ’s six-nation political bloc also has tried to negotiate an exit for Yemen’s protest-battered president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, and has taken the lead in Arab pressures on Syria’s Bashar Assad, one of Iran’s most crucial partners.

Yet the Gulf rulers’ desire for change stops at their own borders. In March, they authorized a Saudi-led military force to help their neighbor, Bahrain, defend its 200-year-old unelected Sunni dynasty against proreform protests by the island’s Shiite majority. And here lies one of the paradoxes for US statecraft in the Middle East: to align with rulers who are firmly vested in the status quo, but not be cast as the spoilers of the Arab uprisings.

“No one is immune from the waves of change,” said Nicholas Burns, a former No. 3 official at the State Department. “There’s certainly an effort to advise the Gulf Arabs to continue to get on the side of reform.”

Burns believes the Arab Spring has taught US diplomats valuable lessons in patience and perspective. “We are witnessing something that is transformative and whose full impact will play out over years, maybe decades, ahead,” said Burns, a professor of diplomacy and international politics at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. “Here is one of those times when the US has to not overact and overreact.”

But when events move fast, that may not be the easiest advice to follow. Mubarak was a loyal guardian of Egypt’s groundbreaking 1979 peace treaty with Israel, and there is no certainty that whoever succeeds him will do likewise. Meanwhile, the Palestinians have overridden US objections and asked the UN for statehood. “Our ability to influence is limited today more than at any time in the last 35 years,” said Graeme

Bannerman, a former State Department analyst on Mideast affairs, at a conference in November co-sponsored by the United States Institute of Peace.

That assessment may have some traction in places such as in Tunisia or Egypt, where the US is widely viewed as tainted by its long alliance with Mubarak.

But ask about America’s pull in other Mideast points the free-spending Gulf, the new proto-state in Libya, even slow-healing Iraq and its Iran-friendly government - and the conversation is different. It is more measured about how the US fits into the new Mideast.

There is more talk about the arc of history rather than the latest sound bite.

“It’s too early to tell whether US influence has diminished or indeed any change will happen because the Arab Spring is still in process,” said Nawaf Tell, former director of the University of Jordan Strategic Studies Center. Tell sees the Arab Spring as the death rattle of the Arab revolutions and coups defined by the all-powerful state and embodied by winner-take-all leaders: Egypt’s Gamal Abdel-Nasser (1954), Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi (1969), the 1970 putsch in Syria that brought Hafez Assad to power in Syria and now a dynasty-in-peril under his son, Bashar, and so on.

“These regimes have exhausted their revolutionary credibility and have seen their legitimacy go bankrupt,” Tell said. And as with any big unraveling, there are new rules in the aftermath.”

This may mean a less privileged position for US interests and more legwork for Washington’s envoys, said Morris Reid, managing director of the Washington-based BGR Group, which works often in liaison roles between Mideast officials and US companies. The US approach to the region “will be better,” he said. “Not necessarily stronger”. “The US will have to work harder for intelligence, diplomatic relations, commercial deals,” said Reid after meetings in midNovember at the Dubai Airshow, where Boeing Co made a slew of deals including a record $18 billion order from the fast-growing air carrier Emirates. “The US will now have to prove their value as allies.”

A showcase for that in the coming year is likely to be Iraq, and the contest for influence between neighboring Iran and the US after US military forces are gone. That rivalry in turn is influenced by events in Syria, Iran’s main Arab ally, and the concerns of emirates and sheikhdoms that lie just across the Arabian Gulf from Iran. “Look at it this way: If you accept that the Arab Spring is a once in a four- or five-generations moment, then, of course, it will reorder the entire game of influence and politics by the big powers,” said Salman Shaikh, director of The Brookings Doha Center in Qatar. “US leadership does matter,” he continued.

“It’s naive to say it will become irrelevant. But it’s also wrong not to notice that America’s era as the region’s diplomatic superpower is coming to an end. The Arab Spring has brought much more independent-minded diplomacy by nations and a new empowerment among Arab people. America is a big player, but no longer Big Brother.” — AP

The story was published last week in Al-Shahed newspaper which hinted that the beneficiary was leading opposition figure and former MP Musallam Al-Barrak, who strongly denied the story and challenged the newspaper to prove it.

Doha Bank vowed in advertise ments in local newspapers that it will take legal action against the newspaper. A lawyer for the Qatari premier has already denied the report and said he will file a lawsuit against the daily.

The information ministry said yesterday it recently appointed

auditors at local newspapers and television channels to examine sources of financing in accordance with the law. The ministry added that some of the media refused to cooperate with the auditors and the ministry has taken action against them. It provided neither names nor details.

Syrian troops clash with army defectors Continued from Page 1 The UN says more than 4,000 people have been killed since March. Opposition activists called for a general strike starting yesterday in a bid to squeeze the government and push it to stop its bloody crackdown.

Assad has refused to buckle under Arab and international pressure to step down and has shown no sign of easing his crackdown, which has included assaults by the military on unarmed protesters.

Now, fighting between loyalist forces and defectors calling themselves the Free Syrian Army threatens to push the confrontation into civil war. In one of yesterday’s clashes, which took place before dawn in the northwestern town of Kfar Takharim, two of the military’s armored vehicles were set ablaze, said the Britishbased Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Three other vehicles were burned in another clash near the southern village of Busra Al-Harir, the group said.

Similar battles took place in several other parts of the south, said the Observatory and another activist group called the Local Coordination Committees.

The Observatory said two people were killed in the clash with defectors in Kfar Takharim. Two other people who went missing days ago were tortured to death in the central province of Homs, and one person was shot at a checkpoint in the southern province of Daraa, the group said. The group also said that two people were killed in the central province of Homs, and the body of another person who had been missing for days was also found yesterday. Two other people were killed in the Damascus suburb of Douma, and another person in Hama in central Syria.

The LCC put yesterday’s death toll at 18. It was impossible to resolve the discrepancy or to independently verify either death count. Syria has banned most foreign journalists and prevented local reporters from moving freely. Accounts from activists and witnesses, along with amateur videos posted online, provide key channels of information.

In Jordan, the Syrian Embassy said a group of protesters linked to the unrest at home entered the mission claiming they had paperwork to finish and beat up the consul, another diplomat, a security guard and several other staff members. An embassy statement said its guards arrested one of the attackers, identified as Syrian refugee Ahmed Al-Shureiqi. It said Jordanian police arrested eight others, all Syrians allegedly involved in the Sunday morning attack. Jordanian police spokes-

men did not answer repeated calls to confirm the arrest.

The Syrian opposition called for a general strike yesterday, the first working day of the week in Syria, saying it will go on until the regime pulls the army out of cities and releases detainees. The LCC said security forces were breaking into shops closed for the strike in an attempt to force them to open. Residents in the capital, Damascus, said business continued as usual yesterday with shops, schools and other businesses operating normally. In Vienna, Israeli Defense Minister Ehuyd Barak said Assad’s downfall would be a “blessing for the Middle East,” and predicted the Syrian regime would be forced out of power within weeks.

Today, Syrians are scheduled to vote in municipal elections for the country’s 14 provinces - the first test of reforms by Assad since the uprising began. The staterun news agency SANA said 42,889 candidates will be competing for the 17,588 seats on local administration councils. It was unclear how many people would actually turn out to vote in tense areas like Idlib, Homs and Hama because of the crackdown.

The vote, held once every four years, also will be a test ahead of February’s parliamentary elections that authorities promise will be free. For the first time in decades, a Supreme Elections Committee, made up of five judges, has been formed to supervise the elections that used to be dominated by Assad’s ruling Baath party. Assad has tried to counter the mass revolt against his family’s 40-year dynasty with a security crackdown, coupled with promises of reform. He has lifted the decadesold state of emergency and in July endorsed legislation that would enable newly formed political parties to run for parliament and local councils.

Opposition figures, however, have dismissed the moves as mere posturing, and insist the only way to resolve the crisis is ousting the regime. Special indelible ink will be used for the first time in the local elections “to prevent any fraud”, SANA quoted the minister of local administration, Omar Ghalawanji, as saying.

Mohammad Habash, a member of the outgoing parliament, said the National Progressive Front’s list, which includes the Baath and 11 other closely associated parties, has been replaced by a new one called the “list of National Unity”, which, he said, combines new candidates who don’t belong to NPF parties. “I don’t think that such cosmetic measures will end the crisis in the country,” Habash said, adding that “what is needed is to end the congestion and move toward a correct democratic state”. — AP

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Issues

After protests, Putin says he’ll listen

By Jim Heintz n his dozen years of leading Russia, Vladimir Putin has been the one doing the talking. Now he may have to learn how to be a listener. The protests against Putin and his party that arose in more than 60 Russian cities on Saturday, including a vast demonstration a few hundred meters from the Kremlin, appear to have shaken the man accustomed to giving orders, lecturing journalists at marathon news conferences and dismissing dissenters with barbed and occasionally vulgar comments. Putin had no immediate comment on the demonstrations, which were the largest public show of anger in post-Soviet Russia, but his spokesman made efforts to portray the prime minister as open to criticism.

“We respect the point of view of the protesters. We are hearing what is being said. We will continue to listen to them,” Dmitr y Peskov said in a statement late Saturday. It’s unclear how that listening will be done - in actual talks or from a distance - and whether it will be just a disingenuous show until a presidential election in less than three months, during which Putin seeks to return to the post he held in 2000-2008. But signs of change have already come. State-controlled TV channels gave substantial airtime to the protests, a sharp change from their previously ignoring or deriding the opposition.

If Putin talks with the opposition, it should be done “not with the goal of talks for the sake of talks, hoping that the situation will dissolve by itself, but for finding ver y meaningful and real compromise,” Yevgeny Gontmakher, an adviser to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, wrote on his blog yesterday. Medvedev has agreed to step down from the presidency next year, clearing the road for Putin to return to the post he held in 2000-2008. The agreement, announced as a faitaccompli to a congress of the ruling United Russia in September, was widely seen as cynical maneuvering and Putin’s political fortunes took a dive.

Surveys from the respected independent polling agency Levada Center showed 42 percent of Russians in late September would have voted for Putin in March’s presidential election, but the number fell to 31 percent two months later. And that was before his image was further tarnished by the Dec 4 national parliament election, during which United Russia lost a substantial share of seats and observers said even that showing was inflated by vote fraud. Sensing weakness in the party and incensed by the fraud, long-marginalized opposition forces were emboldened to risk the mass protests.

Under Putin, Russian authorities routinely denied opposition groups permission to hold rallies or strangled their effectiveness by limiting attendance to a few hundred. Unauthorized attempts or larger crowds generally brought clashes with police and extensive arrests.

But most of Saturday’s protests had official sanction and Moscow officials showed unprecedented largesse by authorizing a crowd of 30,000 - and not sending riot police into action when the crowd clearly exceeded that number. That indicated that Putin, if not already listening, is deeply concerned about his weakened position.

He had much to lose if he went for the usual strategy of repressing the opposition.

If Putin had chosen a harsh crackdown, he risked international opprobrium that could have brought expulsion from the Group of Eight and the relocation of prestigious events such as next year’s APEC summit in Vladivostok and even the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Gontmakher said. Putin’s ability to attract such events has been a key part of the esteem citizens held for him, restoring Russians’ sense that their country is again a thriving world power after a long spell of confusion and chaos.

With the forthcoming presidential election, Putin is under pressure. But for all the signs that the campaign may be forcing him to rethink his ways, flashes of his characteristic style also appeared - notably a harsh criticism of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for allegedly instigating protesters and trying to undermine Russia.

In addition, despite protesters’ demand to annul the recent parliamentary election and hold a new vote, Putin appears far from acknowledging the vote was questionable. Peskov’s statement noted that the results are now official and added, pointedly: “In the past few days we also witnessed demonstrations by other segments of the population who were supporting those results.” — AP

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All articles appearing on these pages are the personal opinion of the writers. Kuwait Times takes no responsibility for views expressed therein. Kuwait Times invites readers to voice their opinions. Please send submissions via email to: opinion@kuwaittimes.net or via snail mail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait. The editor reserves the right to edit any submission as necessary.

Iraqi forces still under construction

By Jim Loney early nine years after the United States threw out Saddam Hussein and dissolved his feared security machine, Iraq’s rebuilt military is a long way from matching up with regional powers like Saudi Arabia, Iran and Israel. With little air defence, marginal control of its borders and a tenuous grip on Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias, Iraq may depend on American military help for years to come, even as most US troops leave Iraqi soil by mid-December. But current external threats are few amid Arab Spring turmoil and the Iran nuclear confrontation, analysts say, which may buy time for Iraq’s nascent forces to rebuild and re-arm.

A regional power under Saddam with 700,000 troops and an air force of 40,000 aviators flying French Mirage and Soviet MiG combat jets, the Iraqi military was devastated and then disbanded by US occupation forces in 2003. The ongoing internal battle against a stubborn insurgency and external defence now falls to a security force the government numbers at about 900,000 largely trained by Americans but not yet fully equipped for the task. “We are ready. But we need help,” said General Hamid Al-Maliki, head of the Army Aviation Command, echoing the sentiments of many Iraqi leaders. “Very, very big help.”

A couple of times a week this past summer, neighbouring Iran sent a fast boat into Iraqi Gulf waters, testing its defences, according to a US military official. Iraqi forces responded well, chasing the intruders away without escalating tensions. The Navy and Marines, about 4,100 strong, took over responsibility this year for guarding Iraq’s 35 square nautical mile slice of the Gulf and offshore oil export terminals that are the nation’s economic lifeline.

Iranian maritime incursions aside, threats from the region are limited with Iraq still firmly under the wing of the United States, military officials and analysts agree. “I don’t see any external threat to Iraq, frankly, and that means the Iraqi army has time to develop itself further,” said Joost Hiltermann, an analyst with International Crisis Group. It may be a welcome reprieve. In a region bristling with sophisticated weaponry, post-invasion Iraq is a lightweight. Its powerful combat jet fleet scattered to other countries or buried in the desert by

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Saddam, it relies on three Hellfire missile-equipped Cessnas and a few weaponised helicopters.

This year it placed a $3-billion order for 18 US F-16s, but their delivery is years away. General Anwar Ahmed, the air force chief, said another 18 F-16s will be ordered next year.

By comparison, Israel has 417 combat aircraft, mainly F-16s, while Saudi Arabia boasts a fleet of 245 and Iran has 290, according to IHS Jane’s defense intelligence. Iraq made a major purchase of 140 M1A1 Abrams tanks and has a total of 190 battle tanks. But Israel has 2,990, Iran 1,895. Iraqi officials have said they will be unable to defend their air space before 2020. Washington and Baghdad have no formal defence pact when the current agreement expires on Dec. 31. but the United States says it is committed to a secure Iraq. “If push comes to shove, I wouldn’t expect the US just to stand by. I’m sure they’ll get involved,” said IHS Jane’s analyst Craig Caffrey.

With no air force presence on Iraqi soil, though, US help with any incursion into Iraqi air space would come from a base in the region or a ship in the Gulf, meaning a critical delay. When US civil administrator Paul Bremer dissolved what was left of Saddam’s army and several other security bodies in May 2003, he effectively sacked 400,000 people in a single stroke. Two months later, the US army started recruiting for a new Iraqi army, with a promise of food, housing and medical care and $60 a month.

Today the government says it has hired 650,000 police and 250,000 soldiers. U.S. officials say the numbers are smaller, about 450,000 police, 192,000 soldiers, 5,100 special forces, 6,000 airmen and 4,100 sailors and marines.

Exaggerating military strength is common practice in the region. Iraq sorely lags neighbouring Iran (350,000) and Israel (133,000 plus 380,000 reservists) in military manpower but its army is now larger than another major regional power, Saudi Arabia (75,000), according to IHS Jane’s. The training of the soldiers and police is a work in progress.

Washington and Baghdad failed to reach agreement to station thousands of military trainers in Iraq. The current plan calls for at least 700 civilian trainers to work with Iraqi forces on defence coordination and skills on F-16s, Abrams and other gear. “Training pilots and making them ready to use these fighters will take at least 3-4 years,” Ahmed said. “A big portion of the training will take place in United States of

America and a small part will be in Iraq.”

At the Taji military base just north of Baghdad sit some of the light helicopters that make up a good part of Iraq’s air defence, deployed mostly against Al-Qaeda and other militants. Between the Air Force and Army Aviation Command, Iraq had only 158 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft by late summer. A delivery of weaponised Bell 407s has been delayed from year-end to April next year. Despite success ramping up oil production to 2.9 million barrels per day, Iraq’s military spending — $5.7 billion last year, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute - falls far behind the regional powers.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil producer, spent $42.9 billion last year, Israel $13 billion, according to SIPRI. Lack of equipment, from aircraft to bullets is a common complaint from soldiers. A defence official said 80 percent of the $4 billion army budget goes to salaries. The military is struggling to buy ammunition for new Abrams tanks, and last year spent $450 million on parts for 1,000 US armoured personnel carriers unsuitable for use in Iraq.

Iraq remains a major battleground for Al-Qaeda and its affiliates, who along with rival Shiite militias launch scores of bombings and other attacks every month. But US and Iraqi military leaders agree the militants have been badly damaged by years of conflict, and pose no real threat to the government. More worrying, analysts say, are continuing internal divisions along the potentially explosive faultline of the oil-rich northern city of Kirkuk, disputed by Baghdad and Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, and within the Iraqi forces. Americans have been mediating between Kurdish and Iraqi forces since the invasion.

Sectarian rivalries thrive within the police and army as Sunnis, Shi’ites and Kurds work uneasily together in a Shiiteled nation ruled by Sunnis under Saddam. “The new leaders don’t trust the Sunnis, for example. They see them as former regime elements. Potentially a fifth column,” Hiltermann said.

“Mistrust is still very much there. That shouldn’t matter if there is no internal conflict in which these divisions would be laid bare. But if things do start to happen you could well see a breaking apart of the military,” he said. “I’m not predicting that now. I would put it as an issue to watch for and worry about.” — Reuters

For Gingrich, no bombast or apologies

By Charles Babington ewt Gingrich is trying to preserve his rapid rise in the GOP presidential race by defending his most controversial stands without appearing to be the thin-skinned hothead his critics often describe. The former House speaker seemed to accomplish that goal in Saturday’s debate in Iowa.

His challenge will be to sustain the strategy while rivals attack him on the airwaves and the ground, and to convince conservative voters that he’s their champion despite his occasional departures from orthodoxy.

Polls suggest Gingrich is the likeliest alternative to former Massachusetts Gov Mitt Romney heading into the leadoff Iowa caucuses on Jan 3. So far, he has reacted with a steely calm. He may ruffle feathers by telling unpleasant truths, Gingrich says, but he’s not such an incendiary politician that he’s unworthy of being commander in chief. In the latest debate, Gingrich admitted wrongdoing and regret in only one area: the marital infidelities involved in his two divorces.

“I said upfront, openly, I’ve made mistakes at times,” he said. “I’ve had to go to God for forgiveness.” Voters have every right to examine such matters, he said, and “people have to render judgment”. Noting that he is “a 68-year-old grandfather,” Gingrich added: “I am delighted at the way people have been willing to look at who I am, to look at what my record has been.” The answer seemed to defuse the potentially emotional issue. The debate quickly moved to other topics, on which Gingrich was less apologetic.

He defended his former support for requiring people to obtain health insurance, saying it once was a popular stand with conservatives. “In 1993, in fighting HillaryCare, virtually every conservative saw the mandate as a less-dangerous future than what Hillary was trying to do,” Gingrich said.

Hillary Rodham Clinton was leading the healthcare effort for her husband, President Bill Clinton. “I frankly was floundering, trying to find a way to make sure that people who could afford it were paying their hospital bills, while still leaving an out so libertarians could not buy insurance,” Gingrich said. “It’s now clear that the mandate, I think, is clearly unconstitutional. “ Mandated health insurance is at the heart of the 2010 federal law passed at President Barack Obama’s urging, and many conservatives despise it. It also is featured in the Massachusetts law pushed by Romney when he was governor.

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The other GOP candidates painted both men as too liberal on the topic. “Newt Romney” will be unable to challenge Obama credibly on health care, said Rep Michele Bachmann of Minnesota. Romney has stayed at or near the top of the GOP polls for months, while others rose and fell. He has more money and organization than Gingrich. But some conservatives still revere Gingrich for his role in the 1994 Republican takeover of the House majority, and for his decades of writing books and making speeches about his political philosophies.

Romney renewed his effort to portray Gingrich as too erratic and bombastic to be president. The topic was Gingrich’s recent assertion that Palestinians are an “invented” people, a description that suggests Palestinians have no legitimate claim to their own state in the Middle East. That would run counter to long-term US policy and to Israeli efforts to find a two-state solution to the region’s turmoil. It was “a mistake on the speaker’s part”, Romney said. “We’re going to tell the truth, but we’re not going to throw incendiary words into a place which is a boiling pot when our friends, the Israelis, would probably say, ‘What in the world are you doing?’ I’m not a bomb thrower, rhetorically or literally,” Romney said.

Gingrich didn’t back down. “I feel quite confident an amazing number of Israelis found it nice to have an American tell the truth,” he said. Gingrich cast himself as a risk-taking, unorthodox politician in that regard, but at other times he played by the rules. He made a pitch to supporters of Texas Gov Rick Perry and former Pennsylvania Sen Rick Santorum by praising the two on constitutional and Iran policies, respectively. As before, Romney

contrasted his many years as a businessman with Gingrich’s two decades in Congress and lengthy career as a Washingtonbased consultant. Gingrich shot back: “The only reason you didn’t become a career politician is you lost to Teddy Kennedy in 1994” in a Senate race.

The debate offered one of the last chances for second-tier candidates to gain traction before voting starts in Iowa and, one week later, in the New Hampshire primary Jan 10. Perry avoided the gaffes that have hurt him before, and reasserted his claim to be a job-creating leader with no Washington ties.

The nation needs lower taxes, less regulation and more common sense, he said, “and an outsider like Rick Perry is going to do that”. Rep Ron Paul of Texas drew loud cheers from fans of his libertarian philosophies.

Iowa Republicans say it’s conceivable that Paul could win in Iowa next month.

But many party insiders say Paul’s positions are too radical for mainstream America. Examples include his call for extraordinarily deep cuts in federal spending and services. “If we took that oath of office seriously in Washington,” Paul said in the debate, “we’d get rid of 80 percent of the government”.

With former Utah Gov Jon Huntsman skipping the debate and businessman Herman Cain gone from the race, the stage contained only six candidates. That gave Bachmann and Santorum, who have struggled in the polls, a bit more time before the cameras.

Given the campaign’s ups and downs, and Romney’s inability to pull away, perhaps Bachmann or Santorum will make a late surge. But Gingrich is drawing the main attention for now. His calm-but-unapologetic style will be tested over the next three weeks. —AP

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sp orts Anelka to join Chinese club BEIJING: Shanghai Shenhua said yesterday that Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka had agreed to join the club, in a major coup for Chinese football.

Club spokesman Ma Yue told AFP the 32-year-old Frenchman could start playing for the team in January, “if all contract details are 100 percent confirmed.” He was unable to reveal the value of the deal.

The former Arsenal and Real Madrid star will be the biggest name to appear in China’s Super League, which is growing in stature despite significant corruption problems that have left several officials facing jail. In July, Argentine midfielder Dario Conca became China’s most expensive signing-and reportedly, one of the world’s best paid players-when he inked a $10 million deal with Guangzhou Evergrande.

The Chinese champions, who are bankrolled by a leading property company and were relegated two seasons ago for match-fixing, have also splashed out $7.5 million on Brazilian forwards Cleo and Muriqui, last season’s top scorer. China’s foreign legion also includes Henan Construction’s Leandro Netto de Macedo and Shanghai’s Luis Salmeron, while Romanian Christian Danalache and Serb Aleksander Jevtic both play for Jiangsu Sainty. — AFP

NHL results/standings Montreal 2, New Jersey 1; NY Rangers 4, Buffalo 1; Vancouver 4, Ottawa 1; Pittsburgh 6, NY Islanders 3; Philadelphia 5, Tampa Bay 2; Detroit 7, Winnipeg 1; Boston 5, Columbus 3; St. Louis 1, San Jose 0; Nashville 3, Anaheim 2; Minnesota 4, Phoenix 1; Calgary 3, Edmonton 0; Dallas 2, Los Angeles 1.

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L OTL GF GA PTS Philadelphia 18 7 3 101 81 39 Pittsburgh 17 9 4 94 75 38 NY Rangers 16 6 4 77 59 36 New Jersey 14 13 1 71 80 29 NY Islanders 9 12 6 62 88 24 Northeast Division Boston 18 9 1 94 59 37 Toronto 15 11 3 91 94 33 Buffalo 15 12 2 79 79 32 Montreal 12 11 7 74 77 31 Ottawa 13 13 4 91 105 30 Southeast Division Florida 16 8 5 81 71 37 Washington 15 12 1 88 89 31 Winnipeg 13 12 4 82 92 30 Tampa Bay 12 15 2 75 96 26 Carolina 9 18 4 79 108 22 Western Conference Central Division Chicago 17 8 4 96 90 38 Detroit 18 9 1 89 62 37 St. Louis 17 9 3 71 62 37 Nashville 14 11 4 77 79 32 Columbus 8 17 4 71 99 20 Northwest Division Minnesota 20 7 3 79 64 43 Vancouver 18 10 1 97 71 37 Edmonton 14 13 3 83 80 31 Calgary 14 13 2 73 80 30 Colorado 13 16 1 78 91 27 Pacific Division Dallas 16 11 1 73 78 33 Phoenix 15 11 3 77 76 33 San Jose 15 10 1 73 61 31 Los Angeles 13 12 4 65 67 30 Anaheim 8 16 5 67 95 21 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L)

MILTON KEYNES: Red Bull stressed its commitment to preventing a financial “arms race” in Formula One despite the reigning constructors’ champion quitting the teams’ association in a dispute over cost reductions.

Created in 2008 to help unify the series, the Formula One Teams Association has also seen Ferrari and Sauber leave in the last week over the failure to agree on a strategy to curb expenditure.

“FOTA did a lot of good things when it was first created, saving costs and so on, but in recent months it’s been less effective and more fractured in the way we should move forward and what it should be responsible for,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said on Saturday. “For the time being, we’re happy to be in

control of our own destiny.”

The resource restriction agreement (RRA) aimed to return expenditure to levels that prevailed in F1 in the early 1990s.

Overspending was a sticking point between the FIA and the teams when racing’s governing body tried to introduce measures that would have effectively created a spending cap, and in 2009 nearly led to a breakaway series being formed.

“We agree with budget controls, we don’t want to get into an arms race like that which happened with the manufacturers a few years ago, and at Red Bull we wouldn’t be able to,” chief technical officer Adrian Newey said alongside Horner at a briefing near the team’s headquarters in England. — AP

LOS ANGELES: US baseball’s National League Most Valuable Player Ryan Braun tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug and could face a 50-game ban if the finding is confirmed, ESPN reported Saturday.

The sports network cited two sources familiar with the case, but Major League Baseball has not announced any positive test for Braun, who is disputing the result.

A spokesman for Braun issued a statement to ESPN on Saturday saying the player expected to be “exonerated.” “There are highly unusual circumstances surrounding this case which will support Ryan’s complete innocence and demonstrate there was absolutely no intentional violation of the program,” the statement said.

“While Ryan has impeccable character and no previous history, unfortunately, because of the process we have to maintain confidentiality and are not able to discuss it any further, but we are confident he will ultimately be exonerated.”Braun, 28, provided the urine sample for the test during the playoffs and was notified of the positive result for an elevated level of testosterone in late October, ESPN reported. — AFP

Wild extend winning streak GLENDALE: The Minnesota Wild ran its franchise-record winning streak to seven games and boosted its lead in the NHL Western Conference with a 4-1 road win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday, with Kyle Brodziak scoring t wice. N ik las Backstrom returned from a three game absence to make 35 saves while Dany Heatley also scored and Mikko Koivu added a goal and an assist for Minnesota.

Backstrom, who missed three games because of a strained groin muscle, returned to appear in his 300th career game.

Lauri Korpikoski scored a consolation goal with 3:57 to play for Phoenix, which dropped into a tie with Dallas for leadership of the Pacific Division.

also scored for Detroit. Bryan Little scored for the Jets, who had their four-game winning streak snapped.

Canucks 4, Senators 1 I n O ttawa, R yan Kesler scored

assists to add to his NHL-high points total of 39 (16 goals and 23 assists) and extended his points streak to five games, but took an inadvertent knee to the head in the last minute of the second period and did not return.

Rangers 4, Sabres 1 In Buffalo, New York posted its 2,500th NHL regular season win by beating Buffalo, with two goals from Carl Hagelin. Hagelin, playing his eighth NHL game, and Ryan Callahan scored short-handed goals, as the Rangers become the fifth NHL team to reach the milestone. M arian Gaborik added a power-play goal for New York. Thomas Vanek scored for Buffalo.

Blues 1, Sharks 0 In St. Louis, Brian Elliott made 24 saves for his fourth shutout of the season, helping St. Louis edge San Jose. Elliott, tied for the NHL shutout lead, has allowed two goals or fewer in 13 of 14 starts. Elliott has 13 career shutouts. The sole goal came when Kevin Shattenkirk scored on a 5-on-3 power play in the final minute of the first period. The Blues are 11-2-3 since Ken Hitchcock took over as coach.

Red Wings 7, Jets 1 In Detroit, Jiri Hudler scored twice as Detroit routed Winnipeg for its ninth straight home victory. Valtteri Filppula, Todd Bertuzzi and Henrik Zetterberg each had a goal and an assist, and Chris Conner, Drew Miller

came home out front to win the Vase, pipping Hong Kong hopeful Thumbs Up, which finished second. It was the sixth win in 11 years for a French horse in the race. Afterwards Williams said of Dunaden: “He produced so much when I pulled him out, the hairs were standing on the back of my neck some way before the line. I really love this horse.”

There was a shock in the 1,200-metre Sprint, where Singapore’s Rocket Man, the preraceday betting favourite and the world’s second-top rated speedster, failed to finish in the top four. Lucky Nine, a Hong Kong horse, gave the home fans something to cheer when he won by a nose over Little Bridge and Joy and Fun who finished in a dead heat for second.

It was the third win in the Sprint for Brett Prebble, who becomes the most successful jockey in the history of the competition. In the 1,600-metre Hong Kong Mile, nine-year-old horse Able One finished first, with Cityscape and Xtension second and third.

It was a double podium delight for Hong Kong champion trainer John Moore who trains both Able One, ridden by 50year-old Jeff Lloyd, and Xtension.

The race was disappointing however for last year’s champion, Beauty Flash, and French mare Sahpresa, many people’s hot tip, with both horses finishing outside the top four. Horse racing is by far the biggest spectator sport in the southern Chinese city and former British colony, where the Jockey Club has a monopoly on legal betting. —AFP

Penguins 6, Islanders 3 I n Uniondale, New York , James Neal scored twice to help Pittsburgh beat New York. Pascal Dupuis had the go-ahead goal with 4:02 left in the second period, while Steve Sullivan, Matt Cooke and Paul Martin added goals for the Penguins, who were without Sidney Crosby, but still made it four from four against the Islanders this season. David Ullstrom, Milan Jurcina and Kyle Okposo scored for New York.

Flames 3, Oilers 0 In Calgary, Jarome Iginla scored t wice in Calgar y ’s defeat of Edmonton. Miikka Kiprusoff made 21 saves for the Flames, who have won ten consecutive times against the Oilers at the Saddledome. Tom Kostopoulos added a power-play goal for Calgary.

CALGARY: TJ Brodie No. 7 of the Calgary Flames escapes the stick of Eric Belanger No. 20 of the Edmonton Oilers during third period NHL action. —AFP t wice and Henrik S edin had t wo assists for Vancouver in the win over Ottawa. Alexander Edler and Dale Weise also scored for the Canucks, who have won nine of 10. Colin Greening scored for Ottawa.

Flyers 5, Lightning 2 I n Philadelphia, Danny Briere, Jaromir Jagr and Wayne Simmonds all scored in the second period as Philadelphia beat Tampa Bay to ex tend its winning streak to five games. The Flyers remained atop the Atlantic Division, while Tampa Bay lost for the sixth time in its past seven games. M att Carle and S cott Hartnell also scored for Philadelphia.

Forward Claude Giroux had two

California Mercury wins Hong Kong Cup HONG KONG: California Mercury galloped to victory in the 2000metre Hong Kong Cup yesterday, the richest of four meetings at the $8.7 million Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Kong International Races. Jockey Matthew Chadwick guided the horse to a surprise victory in the Group One contest, edging fellow Hong Kong-based thoroughbred Irian into second place.

After the HK$20 million ($2.6 million) race, worth HK$11.4m to the winner, a jubilant Chadwick said: “Winning this is the highlight of my career. It is the best horse I have ever ridden.”

German horse Zazou finished third while one of the pre-day race favourites, Ambitious Dragon, was placed fourth.

It was a disappointing day for another favourite, Cirrus des Aigles, which won one of the top races at Britain’s Royal Ascot in October but finished fifth without ever threatening the leading pack. A estimated crowd of around 60,000 packed into a sunkissed Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong’s New Territories to watch some of the world’s top thoroughbreds compete in what is one of the richest days on the global racing calendar.

The annual event, which features four major races on a turf track, is on a par with America’s Triple Crown, the Dubai World Cup, and Ascot.

France’s Dunaden, which won Australia’s biggest horse race, the Melbourne Cup, in November, triumphed in the 2,400-metre Hong Kong Vase. The favourite, ridden by Craig Williams and trained by Mikel Delzangles,

Braun faces doping ban

Bid to curb F1 expenses

HONG KONG: Matthew Chadwick riding California Mercury reacts after winning the 2000 metre Hong Kong Cup at the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races. —AFP

Vincent Lecavalier and Ryan Shannon scored for the Lightning.

Stars 2, Kings 1 In Los Angeles, Richard Bachman made 26 saves in his first NHL start, preser ving Dallas’ win over Los Angeles. It was the second game in a row that Los Angeles has lost at home to a goalie making his first NHL start.

On Thursday, M innesota’s M att Hackett stopped 42 shots in a 4-2 victor y. D efenseman Trevor Daley scored the go-ahead goal and Jamie Benn connected on a power play.

Brad Richardson ended a 34-game goal drought with a short-handed tally for the Kings, who have lost four straight.

Canadiens 2, Devils 1 In Newark, New Jersey, Tomas Kaberle had two assists in his Montreal debut, helping the Canadiens edge New Jersey. Kaberle, acquired in a trade on Friday, assisted on Max Pacioretty’s power-play goal in the second period and took the initial shot on Erik Cole’s third-period goal. Nick Palmieri had a third-period goal for the Devils.

Bruins 5, Blue Jackets 3 In Columbus, Joe Corvo scored his first two goals of the season to help Boston rally past Columbus. Milan Lucic had three assists while there were goals for Nathan Horton, Chris Kelly and Zdeno Chara, who left after two periods because of an undisclosed lower-body injury. Rick Nash, Jeff Carter and R.J. Umberger scored for the Blue Jackets.

Predators 3, Ducks 2 In Nashville, Jordin Tootoo had a goal and an assist as Nashville edged Anaheim. Nick Spaling and Roman Josi also scored for the Predators. Andrew Gordon and Francois Beauchemin netted for the Ducks. —AP

Bolt ready to prove 2012 critics wrong SALVO: Triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt was quick to remind those who think young Jamaican training partner Yohan Blake will be the favorite for next year’s London Games 100 metres that he was still the man to beat. “A lot of people have said guys are going to beat me but I am still number one. I am still the Olympic champion,” the world’s fastest man told Reuters in a telephone interview from Kingston on Saturday.

“It doesn’t really matter what people say. I go out there and prove them wrong everyday,” Bolt said from the set of a new Gatorade campaign that is launching early next year.

“That’s just one more challenge, and I enjoy challenges.” Former 100 metres record holder Maurice Greene stirred the pot last week by backing Blake to win the London Games’ most anticipated race.

“If everybody competes like they did this year, I’d say Yohan Blake is going to win,” the American told BBC Radio. Greene made the same prediction ahead of August’s world championships in Daegu, where Blake won the 100 metres after Bolt was disqualified for a false start. Things will be different in 2012, said Bolt. “I am coming back from injury and working my way back up,” said the world 200 metres champion who went undefeated in 2011 but never mustered the times he delivered in previous years.

Blake, meanwhile, raised eyebrows with his world title and a late-season 200 metres run of 19.26 seconds that was seven hundredths of a second outside Bolt’s world record. The 21year-old’s emergence has helped both sprinters, Bolt said. “We train together

and push each other to get better,” said Bolt, who is four years older than Blake. “Yohan is a very competitive person and he competes in training all the time,” Bolt said. “But I am not really that much of a competing person in training.

“Sometimes we go at it (in training), but it is all fun and games.” The seriousness will come when they race, and if Bolt has his way, his 100 and 200 metres records of 9.58 and 19.19 seconds will tumble next year, hopefully at the Olympics.“It would be very important, even wonderful if I could get my records at the Games,” Bolt said. “I really want to do that because that allows me to wow the crowd....but you never know what the weather is going to be.” Only if he breaks the records and defends his titles will he consider himself the best.

“A lot of people have done great things. For me to go back to the Olympics and get records and win again, that would make me in my books a legend,” Bolt said. “A lot of people already say I am, but I set high standards.” He may even go for gold in the 4x400 metres relay, something first mentioned several months ago. “I have looked at the schedule now and the 4x4 comes (a day) before the 4x1 so I don’t think I would really want to chance it,” Bolt said. But he quickly added, “if I am fit enough, and Jamaica has a good team, I probably will try.” — Reuters An individual 400 is unlikely until after the London Games, if then, except in training runs, Bolt said. But long jumping may find a way onto his programme before he retires in 2016 or 2017. “I definitely want to try it. I think I would be good.” —Reuters

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Gasol is hoping he’ll get to stay with the Lakers EL SEGUNDO: Pau Gasol felt simultaneously hurt and hopeful Saturday as he left the Los Angeles Lakers’ training complex for maybe the final time - or maybe just the final time until late yesterday.

Although Gasol has no idea whether his first practice of training camp will be his last with the Lakers, he’s still hoping something will happen to keep him with the club that seems determined to trade him.

“It’s not been easy,” Gasol said.

“Mentally and emotionally, it’s a hard situation to deal with because the situation is out of your control. Even knowing that, it’s still hard.”

The four-time All-Star is the centerpiece of the Lakers’ pursuit of Chris Paul, New Orleans’ superstar point guard. The NBA stunningly rejected a megatrade on Thursday that would have sent Gasol to Houston and Lamar Odom to the Hornets, yet the three teams went back

into negotiations a day later in hopes of salvaging the deal - and sending Gasol and Odom away from their beloved club just when they thought they had a reprieve.

“If the NBA hadn’t stopped it, I would be gone,” Gasol said. “I wouldn’t be here.

It’s tough to keep your balance. At the same time, I’m happy it hasn’t happened, because my heart is here, my mind is here. I want to be here.”

Odom didn’t report to practice at the Lakers’ training complex on Saturday, instead getting a physical elsewhere.

Gasol showed up and worked out with his longtime teammates at what’s turning into an awkward training camp for new coach Mike Brown.

So why would a player with Gasol’s accomplishments and pedigree stick by a team that apparently doesn’t want him?

Just in case the deal can’t be completed, Gasol wants to learn about Brown’s new

tactics while forming a bond with teammates who might be his opponents this season.

“This is what I love to do,” Gasol said.

“I’ve been through so much here. We won two championships in 3 1/2 seasons. I was looking forward to winning another one, making another run. I love practicing with my teammates. It was hard for me to sit down with my quad, just watching and sitting. Today I wanted to try it, and I was able to go and practice without too much soreness.”

Gasol’s honest love for the franchise must be painful for the Lakers, who uniformly praise him as a fine teammate and one of the NBA’s best big men.

Gasol’s arrival in early 2008 catapulted the Lakers into three consecutive NBA finals with Gasol as Kobe Bryant’s top lieutenant, and his fluent Spanish has endeared him to Latino fans across Los Angeles. “I’ve always been a committed

and respectful person, and I will continue to be,” Gasol said. “Whatever happens, hopefully it’ll happen quick, so I can adjust to the idea, to either idea whether it’s staying here and preparing myself for a very challenging season full of goals and exciting things, or a change in scenario.”

Gasol hasn’t been able to talk to Odom, who showed up briefly at the Lakers’ training complex on Friday for a meeting with general manager Mitch Kupchak, but left without practicing.

“I’m sure it hasn’t been easy for him, either,” Gasol said. “He has been here longer than I have. You try to make the city you play in your home, but it’s hard to do it because once you get established and comfortable and settled, anything can happen. It’s part of the business.” Brown still has no idea which big men will suit up for him in two weeks when the Lakers host the

Chicago Bulls in their Christmas season opener. The new coach has no choice but to proceed while Kupchak and the Lakers’ brass attempt to land arguably the NBA’s best point guard at the cost of decimating their enviable frontcourt depth and talent.

“His length and his skill set and all that stuff, it’s hard to replace,” Brown said of Gasol. “He’s a very good player. His mood was good. Going what he went through and what Lamar went through, it’s a tough thing to deal with. So, you respect that and you give those guys space. You let them be.”

Bryant has remained publicly neutral about the Lakers’ decision, neither endorsing a potential deal for Paul nor expressing support for Gasol and Odom.

When asked if Gasol’s presence was awkward Saturday, Kobe summed up the weekend with his typical brevity: “Nope.”—AP

Chan, Kostner golden but pairs shine brighter PERTH: Competitors line-up for the start of the women’s RS:X Windsurfer class at the ISAF World Sailing Championships off Fremantle near Perth. —AFP

Australian pair win 470 title FREMANTLE: Australian pair Malcolm Page and Mathew Belcher clinched the 470 title at the sailing world championships after crossing the line fourth in yesterday’s medal race.

Page and Belcher were well clear in the standings heading into the last race and needed only to beat one team in the 10-boat fleet to secure the title.

British pair Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell finished first in the medal race to secure the silver medal overall. Marit Bouwmeester of Netherlands won the women’s Laser Radial gold medal, overtaking Belgium’s Evi van Acker in the last 100 meters to claim her first world title. Van Acker was in a good position to earn the points to win the title until she was ordered to do a penalty turn close to the finish line.

“I could have won. Some mistakes were made, that’s what cost me the gold medal,” van Acker said. American sailor Paige Railey won the bronze medal by a single point.

The first medals of the Dec. 3-18 championships were awarded Sunday, with three-time Olympic gold medalist Ben Ainslie of Britain controversially ruled out of contention in the Finn class after he was found guilty by a championship jury of gross misconduct for grappling with a cameraman on a media boat late Saturday. Ainslie described the two-race disqual-

ification as a “massive overreaction.”

The sanction meant he cannot win a medal in the Finn, or heavy dinghy class, which he was leading by eight points ahead of yesterday’s medal decider.

After finishing second in the ninth race, Ainslie jumped from his dinghy and confronted the cameraman aboard the boat after being angered by the vessel getting too close to the race and creating a wash which he felt helped one of his rivals.

He argued with the skipper of the boat, grabbed the cameraman, then dived back into the water and swam back to his dinghy. “I got on the boat and I said to the guys ‘you’ve got no respect,’” Ainslie told reporters Sunday. “I was very angry with the situation.” He said he was disappointed at missing a chance at a sixth world title.

“It’s a massive overreaction to what was an incident,” said Ainslie, who was unhappy with how media boats have been deployed during the championships off the Western Australia coast. “Unfortunately it’s part and parcel of the sport trying to develop its area within TV and on a number of instances this week that line has been crossed. “Certainly I over-reacted to what I thought was a situation where my performance was being severely hindered.” —AP

QUEBEC CITY: Canada’s reigning world champion Patrick Chan stumbled twice and fell once, but held on for his second consecutive win at the ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix Final on Saturday.

Italy ’s Carolina Kostner claimed the women’s title, the three-time European champion’s first in the Grand Prix series finale.

Her performance also had some rough edges that will require attention heading into the 2012 championship events.

In contrast, the pairs medallists delivered sparkling performances. Three-time world champions from Germany, Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy, overtook first round leaders Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia to claim gold by the slimmest of margins — 212.26 to 212.08.

Both couples earned standing ovations for captivating performances which featured superb lifts, spins, throws and individual triple jumps performed at lightning speed.

A second Russian duo, Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov, earned bronze with an impressive free skate for a total of 187.77 points.

The Germans’ programme, set to music from the movie Pina-a documentar y about modern dance pioneer Pina Bausch-featured enchantingly quirky choreography. Their angular positions and movements gave the veteran couple a fresh, modern look.

Volosozhar and Trankov struck an emotional chord with their dramatic interpretation set to the Black Swan soundtrack.

The two couples will continue their rivalry in January at the European championships in Britain, and at the worlds in

France in March.

Chan, leader after the short programme, struggled to control the landings on his two quadruple toe-loop jumps. He stayed upright, but later fell on a simpler triple lutz. Still, he notched enough total points — 260.30 — to hold off Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi. “My quads were really good this week in practice, so it’s

funny that I kinda missed on both of them, but I did some quick thinking and put a triple toe at the end of the triple flip and that helped me today,” Chan said.

Takahashi rebounded after a disappointing short programme to climb from fifth to second overall with 249.12. The 2010 world champion delivered the most solid jumping performance

QUEBEC CITY: Canada’s Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford during the Pair’s free skate program at the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. —AFP

of the day. His only error came in touching one hand down to steady himself after two-footing the landing of his quadruple toeloop.

Javier Fernandez, the first Spaniard to qualify for the Final, goes home with bronze. He sailed through two of the best quadruple jumps-a toe-loop and salchow ever executed by anyone anywhere, but the landings of three other jumps were shaky as he finished with a total of 247.55 points.

Takahashi said that having to come from behind took the pressure off. “I didn’t have a lot to lose today,” Takahashi said. “Mentally, it was relaxing. I was able to focus and concentrate.”

Like Chan, Kostner was competent if not stellar. Sporting a shimmering silver-grey bodysuit, she showed six triple jumps but three of her landings were shaky.

She won with a total of 187.48 points, significantly outdistancing Japan’s Akiko Suzuki, who took silver with 179.76. Russian Alena Leonova claimed bronze with 176.42.

“I was really nervous going into this performance having to defend my lead, so I am happy I didn’t have any major mistakes, but I have the feeling I could have done better,” said the 24-year-old 2011 world bronze medallist.

Suzuki, 26, delivered more difficult triples than Kostner, including two lutzes, but also had miscues on three jump landings.

“This is the best placing for me in the Grand Prix Final and I’m very happy about that, but I did not skate my best and I’m not very happy about that,” she said.

The competition concludes late yesterday with the ice dance free dance.—AFP

Perrow completes dream Pipe win

PARIS: Racing Metro 92 player Lionel Nallet (center) is tackled by unidentified London Irish players during their Heineken European Cup rugby union match—AP

Northampton out of Heineken Cup LONDON: Last season’s runners-up Northampton will not go beyond the pool phase in the Heineken Cup this time after suffering their third successive defeat, 41-22 at Castres on Saturday.

Northampton had England flanker Tom Wood and flyhalf Steve Myler sinbinned in each half as Romain Martial scored two tries and Steve Malonga and Ibrahim Diarra one each for the French side, who had also lost their first two games in Pool One. Munster took charge of the pool as Ireland flyhalf Ronan O’Gara celebrated his 100th Heineken Cup appearance with 12 points in the Irish side’s 17-14 away win over the Scarlets. Munster’s 13th successive win over the Welsh side put them on 12 points to the 10 of the Scarlets, who they host next week.

There was something of an upset in Pool Five as Treviso beat 2010 runners-up but currently struggling Biarritz 30-26 thanks to tries by Michele Rizzo, Robert Barbieri, Cornelius van Zyl and the goalkicking of Kristopher Burton. Biarritz have seven points and Treviso six but English Premiership champions Saracens went top on 10 points after beating the Ospreys 31-26 at

Wembley later on Saturday. Harlequins’ record 14-match unbeaten run was brought to a halt on Friday night when they went down 21-10 at home against four-times champions Toulouse in the battle of the English and French league leaders A try in each half by Fiji winger Timoci Matanavou and solid goalkicking by Luke McAlister had Toulouse in control throughout, with Mike Brown’s try merely producing a better scoreline for the outclassed Londoners.

“The right side won,” said Quins director of rugby Conor O’Shea. “They were incredibly physical and stopped us on the gain line - that was a lesson for us and our crowd have just seen a great, great European side.”

The victory put Toulouse in control of Pool Six with three wins out of three ahead of their home return against Harlequins next week.

Gloucester remain in the hunt as they beat Connacht 14-10 away for their first win.

Cardiff also have three wins out of three in Pool Two after flyhalf Dan Parks kicked 20 points, including two drop goals, in their 25-8 home thrashing of Edinburgh, who had also won their first two. .—Reuters

OAHU: The end is nigh. Kelly Slater ran out of miracles and signalled the end of his career as a fulltime competitor as Australia’s Kieren Perrow won a thrilling 41st edition of the Billabong Pipeline Masters on Saturday to ensure himself at least one more year on the surfing tour.

Slater, the 11-times world champion, defeated fellow American John John Florence in a drama-charged quarter-final before he lost to Australian Joel Parkinson in the semifinals and then indicated he would only compete in selected events next year.

“I’m in somewhat of a transition period where I’m going to be re-evaluating my life whatever is left on tour and what is going to be off tour,” he said.

“It’s probably a little bit scary because you get so used to one thing but it’s also exciting because you have a whole different life open up to you and a whole different opportunity to experience things.

“I’ve had a lot of focus for a lot of years on competition and I’m definitely welcoming a different direction.” The 34-year-old Perrow, in contrast however, had started the Pipe event with his career on the line having to reach the quarter-finals to even re-qualify for next year’s tour. Instead he walked away with his tour future secured and the trophy.

“I’m speechless,” Perrow said after beating a wave-starved Parkinson by 13.7 points to seven. “This is too surreal and bizarre to be true.

“There was so much pressure on me just to stay on the tour. This could have been the last event of my life. I bought my wife, my brother, my daughter and son here in case it was goodbye to professional surfing.

“Not only have I re-qualified, I’ve won Pipe.

It can’t be true. “I nearly cried out in the water when I reached the quarters so to be standing here now as the winner, to say it’s a dream would be an understatement.

“It’s been the greatest few days of my life. I know I’ve re-qualified for next year but I feel like retiring on the spot.”

Slater’s ride had looked to have been head-

ing for an early exit, staring at a heavy defeat against the 19-year-old Florence, trailing by a whopping 16 points with only eight minutes remaining. The maximum score on a single wave is ten points, so Slater faced a nearimpossible task. He pulled it off with consecutive waves of 9.7 and 7.83, the heat-winner coming with a mere 46 seconds remaining.

“I was just trying to hold John John off for one more year,” Slater said. “This might have been my last chance to get a few waves against him. He’s going to dominate Pipe for the next 20 years.”

The 39-year-old, who then lost to Parkinson, then said he was only a certain starter at the season-opening Quiksilver Pro, to be staged on the Gold Coast in Australia in February, because it comes under the banner

of his major sponsor.

“If the next contest wasn’t with Quiksilver I don’t know if I’d be going,” Slater said. “I seem to do well there and that sets up my whole year but I don’t know if I would have started the tour the last couple of years if it wasn’t a Quiksilver contest.

“After 20 years on tour, it can feel like a bit of a grind. That’s not a complaint, the tour is a great life, but it can wear you down a little after this long.” Florence’s quarter-final appearance was still enough to earn him the Vans Triple Crown for being the best performer of the Hawaiian season at Haleiwa, Sunset Beach and Pipeline. “There are some incredible names on this trophy, it’s probably the next best thing to being world champion,” Florence said.—Reuters

OAHU: In this photo provided by the Association of Surfing Professionals, Travis Logie, of South Africa, competes at the Billabong Pipe Masters. —AP

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

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Griffin wins first Heisman Trophy for Baylor NEW YORK: Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III beat out preseason favorite Andrew Luck for the Heisman Trophy, taking college football’s highest individual award Saturday.

Known as RG3, he became the first Heisman winner from Baylor by taking the poll with a comfortable cushion over the Stanford star.

Griffin started the season on the fringe of the Heisman contention, a talented and exciting player on a marginal team, while Luck was already being touted as a No. 1 NFL draft pick.

Draft day might very well still belong to Luck, but Griffin diverted the Heisman to Waco, Texas, to a school that has never had a player finish better than fourth in the voting - and that was 48 years ago.

“It’s unbelievable because in the

moment we’re all amazed when great things happen,” Griffin said. “But it’s believable because great things don’t happen without hard work.

Griffin received 405 first-place votes and 1,687 points. “Everybody associated with Baylor has a reason to celebrate tonight,” he said.

Luck received 247 first-place votes and 1,407 points to become the fourth player to be Heisman runner-up in consecutive seasons and first since Arkansas running back Darren McFadden in 2006 and ‘07. He was also first to congratulate Griffin, “Very much well deserved,” Luck said. Alabama running back Trent Richardson was third with 138 first-place votes and 978 points. Wisconsin running back Montee Ball (348 points) was fourth and the other finalist, Louisiana State

cornerback Tyrann Mathieu (327) was fifth. Griffin’s highlights were spectacular - his signature moment coming on a long, cross-field touchdown pass with 8 seconds left to beat Oklahoma - and he put up dizzying numbers, completing 72 percent of his passes for 3,998 yards with 36 touchdown passes and a nation-leading 192.3 efficiency rating.

More importantly, he lifted Baylor (93) to national prominence and one of the greatest seasons in school history.

The 15th-ranked Bears won nine games for the first time in 25 years, beat the Sooners for the first time ever and went 4-0 in November.

Luck was the front-runner from the moment in January he surprised many by returning to Stanford for one more season instead of jumping to the NFL to

become a millionaire. He didn’t disappoint, with 3,170 yards receiving, 35 touchdown passes, a completion percentage of 70 percent and a rating of 167.5.

Griffin put up better numbers and, essentially, out-Lucked Luck, who became a star by lifting a forlorn program at a private school out of the shadows of its powerful conference rivals.

Landing Griffin, the son of two U.S. Army sergeants who settled in central Texas, was a recruiting coup for Baylor, though it was something of a package deal.

Griffin had committed to Houston and coach Art Briles, but when Baylor lured Briles away, Griffin followed the coach to a program that hadn’t even played in a bowl game sinve 1994.

He started 11 games as an 18-yearold freshman in 2008 and tore a knee ligament three games into the 2009 season. He returned last year as good as new and with a newfound commitment and love of football. He threw for 3,501 yards and led Baylor to a 7-6 record and its first bowl appearance since 1994.

This season, his passing has improved and he’s still a dangerous runner (644 yards and nine DS). He has left little doubt that he’s a pro prospect, though he’s got one more game - the Alamo Bowl against Washington on Dec. 29 in San Antonio - to show his stuff.

An aspiring lawyer who is working on a master’s degree in communications, he holds 46 school records and adoring Bears fans are praying he comes back for more.—AP

Australia win Champions Trophy

WASHINGTON: Amir Khan (left) of England battles Lamont Peterson (right) during a boxing match. —AP

Peterson seizes titles from Khan WASHINGTON: Hometown favorite Lamont Peterson took a contentious split decision victory over Amir Khan on Saturday to seize the WBA and IBF junior welter weight belts, leaving the British fighter feeling cheated.

Peterson, helped by referee Joe Cooper deducting two points from Khan for pushing in the seventh and 12th rounds, scored the split-decision to win the WBA and IBF junior welterweight titles on Saturday night.

Judges George Hall and Valerie Dorsett scored the fight 113-112 in favor of Peterson. Nelson Vasquez had Khan winning 115-110. “It must have been a good fight. They’re already talking about a rematch,” Peterson said.

Khan, who was favored to win in his sixth title defense, started out strongly, scoring the only knockdown in the fight late in the first round. In fact, Khan, who complained that Cooper was favoring Peterson, thought he had k nocked Peterson down a second time. It was ruled a slip.

“It was like I was against him and the referee,” Khan said. Peterson began his counterattack in the third round, taking the fight to Khan and hitting him with a

series of blows to the head, buckling his knee.

The challenger secured the fight by winning the 10th and 11th rounds on Hill and Dorsett’s scorecards. The 12th was ruled even after the point was deducted from Khan. “I was shocked.

There was no warning,” Khan said about the 12th round point deduction.

“I’m a fighter - not a referee,” Peterson said when asked his opinion on Khan’s penalty. “It’s always going to be rough at this level,” Peterson said.

“I’m always prepared for a backyard fight.” In a bizarre post-fight press confererence, fans of both fighters crowded the room, repeatedly cheered and had to be admonished by officials from the promoters.

Oscar De La Hoya, whose Golden Boy Promotions put on the fight, started campaigning for another bout even before both fighters spoke. “There will be a rematch,” De La Hoya predicted.

Spurred on by a crowd just short of a sellout in the first championship fight held in Washington since 1993, Peterson improved to 30-1-1. Khan is 26-2. “We all know who won the fight,” Khan said.—AP

Jones Jr. stops Alexander ATLANTA: Roy Jones Jr. won a 10-round unanimous decision against Max Alexander on Saturday night, snapping a three-match losing streak.

Neither fighter made a big impression, and there were no knockdowns in the fight at the Atlanta Civic Center. But Jones fought the more stylish fight while winning all three judges’ cards: 100-90, 99-91 and 100-90.

The 42-year-old Jones (55-8-1) rarely pressed over the first seven rounds, but put together several combinations in the eighth and 10th rounds to beat Alexander (14-6-1).

“I’m feeling wonderful. I want a cruiserweight title, the world title,” said Jones, who weighed in at 189 pounds. “This is just a start. I’m not through yet.”

Alexander fell to 0-6-1 in his last seven fights, last winning in 2007.

Jones, the only fighter to win world titles in four divisions, was knocked out in May by Denis Lebedev in Moscow with moments left in a match Jones appeared to be winning. Fatigue seemed an issue in that fight for the boxer once considered the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter. It was not an issue Saturday.

Jones was simply pacing himself. He was so concerned about his stamina that even before pacing himself Saturday night he visited the Mayo Clinic.

“I went up there to get checked out, make sure I was OK, make sure my heart was OK and all. And I was training hard like I should have been doing,” Jones said. “Also, the thing I worked on was not spending so much energy, so much useless energy. Don’t be bouncing around for nothing.” Jones pulled that off.

Prior to the eighth round, his best work came in the form of lunging - often wild - lefts and rights as he kept his distance from Alexander. Occasionally, Jones ripped off combinations in clench situations as Alexander kept switching from right- to left-handed styles, but until the late rounds he was not impressive.

“He was taking his time, but I was there for the whole night,” Alexander said. “He thought I was going to lay down. I could have done a little bit more.

If it was a 12-round fight, I think I would have stopped him.”

In the eighth round, as the fighters were clenched near Alexander’s corner, Jones was woofing toward Alexander’s corner men. Moments later, in the middle of the ring, Jones unleashed several combinations where his left hand was quick enough to remind fans of his past.

“He was fast, still fast, still strong, but he never hurt me,” said Alexander, who has never been knocked out.—AP

AUCKLAND: Australia became the first team to win the Champions Trophy men’s field hockey tournament four-straight times when it beat Spain 1-0 in yesterday’s final.

Eddie Ockenden crashed a penalty corner into the top-left corner of the Spanish net in the 59th minute to give the world champion Australians their 11th win from a record 13 finals appearances.

Spain protested the goal and referred the decision to the video referee but the official judged the score should stand and Australia remained unbeaten at the tournament and in 14-straight Champions Trophy games.

The Netherlands beat host New Zealand 5-3 to take the bronze medal. Germany beat Britain 1-0 for fifth place and Pakistan beat South Korea 5-2 to finish seventh in the elite eight-team field.

Australia’s Ric Charlesworth became the first coach to win three successive titles since Klaus Kleiter led Germany to victory in 1986, 1987 and 1988. He adds those victories to his two gold medals as a player in 1983 and 1985. “It was a typical final,” Charlesworth said. “It was very tough.

“We played much better than our first game against Spain, which was good. The one or two chances that Spain had came from our errors so if we can iron them out we will be a very tough team to beat.”

Australia captain Jamie Dwyer, who was named on Saturday as the World Player of the Year for a record fif th time, was the top goalscorer at the tournament with seven, heading Spain’s Eduard Tubau and Billy Bak ker of the

AUCKLAND: Australian players with the trophy pose for photos after defeating Netherlands in the gold medal match of the Hockey Champions Trophy. —AP Netherlands with five each.

Dwyer and and Luke Doerner won their fifth Champions Trophy gold medals, equaling the Australian record set by Craig Davies and Graham Reid.

In the bronze medal playoff, Bob de Voogd scored in the 67th minute and Billy Bakker in the 69th as the Netherlands broke away from New Zealand after the scores had been locked 2-2 at halftime and 3-3 late in the second half.

Netherlands veteran Teun de Nooijer scored his 43rd Champions Trophy goal in a win that made him

the all-time record holder in terms of Champions Trophy medals. The 35-year-old playmaker has now won 13 medals, moving him ahead of former teammate Jeroen Delmee.

The Netherlands have also won more bronze medals than any other team in Champions Trophy history with seven. “We were very disappointed to miss the final,” Netherlands coach Paul van Ass said. “We felt that we had lost the gold but now we will go away with winning bronze, which is a much better feeling.”

European champion Germany qualified for next year’s Champions Trophy when it’s 1-0 win over Britain earned it fifth place. Thilo Stralkowski scored the only goal of the match from a penalty corner in the 30th minute.

Muhammad Rizwan Senior scored a golden goal in the fifth minute of extra time to give Asian Champion Pakistan a 5-4 win over South Korea and seventh place. The win was Pakistan’s second over Korea at the tournament, having beaten their Asian rivals 6-2 earlier in the week.—AP

Saudi Prince feels the heat from Alesayi Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East ABU DHABI: Saudi Arabia’s Prince Abdulaziz Al Faisal says he will have to turn up the power when he returns to action in Abu Dhabi next month as he tries to build on his early advantage in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East.

He leads the 12-round championship as it heads towards the half way point at Yas Marina Circuit on December 15-16, but is feeling the heat from fellowSaudi Bandar Alesayi, Oman’s Ahmad Al Harthy and Belgian driver Stephane Lemeret.

Alesayi won Round 3 in the UAE capital during the recent Formula 1 weekend and 24 hours later Al Harthy scored his first victory in the series after starting in pole position for the second race in succession.

Two more podium finishes to add to his victory and second place from the opening race weekend at Dubai Autodrome kept Prince Abdulaziz ahead in the championship.

But with Lemeret now looking to improve on his four th place in the series with Dubaibased Al Nabooda Racing, the 2009-10 champion knows he has three serious title chal-

lengers hot on his trail.

“The first two rounds in Dubai went very well but the next two in Abu Dhabi were not so good,” he said. “Everybody else seemed to do a better job, and maybe worked harder on their cars.

“Al Harthy was very quick, so was Lemeret, and Bandar has upped his speed dramatically. I wasn’t on the pace at all. I’m not sure if it was the set-up of the car, or whether my head wasn’t quite right.

“But hopefully in the next two rounds I’ll be able to push myself more and that’s what I need to do. The other guys are definitely making me work harder.

“I wouldn’t say I’m under more pressure than I’ve been before.

Last season the championship went down to the final round and that’s the most pressure I’ve felt.

There are still eight rounds to go this season and it’s too early to predict the outcome.”

While the championship leader looks for a way to widen the gap between himself and the chasing pack, his team-mate, Saeed Al Mouri, will be aiming to close up on the top four.

After making his Porsche GT3 Cup debut at the end of last sea-

Saadon Al Kuwari

Championship positions after Round 4 1. Abdulaziz Al Faisal (KSA) Saudi Falcons 2. Bandar Alesayi (KSA) Alesayi Racing 3. Ahmad Al Harthy (OM) Oman Air Racing 4. Stephane Lemeret (BEL) Al Nabooda Racing 5. Saeed Al Mouri KSA) Saudi Falcons 6. Sadoon Al Kuwari (QA) 7. Mark Thomas (CAN) 8. Hans Guido Riegel (GER) Haribo Racing 9. Hannes Waimer (GER) 10. Clemens Schmid (AUT) 10. Armin Schmid CH Team TCE Mobil 1 Trophy 1. Sadoon Al Kuwari (QA) 2. Hannes Waimer (GER) 3. Hans Guido Riegel (GER) Haribo Racing 4. Fawaz Algosaibi (KSA) ClassicArabia Racing 4. Rob Frijns (NL) 6. Manfred Ender (AUT) 7. Jaber Al Khalifa (BAH) 8. Alain Muraour (F)

son, Al Mouri is contesting the championship in full for the first time and has been quietly impressive so far. Arguably the biggest surprise has been the performance to date of veteran

72pts 68pts 66pts 58pts 46pts 34pts 27pts 24pts 23pts 20pts

80pts 63pts 62pts 54pts 44pts 33pts 22pts 10pts

Qatari driver Saddon Al Kuwari who follows Al Mouri in sixth place in the championship, having maintained a 100 per cent winning record in the Mobil 1 Trophy for drivers over 45.

Saeed Al Mouri

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

S P ORT S

Pakistan close in on win after Younis double ton

HOBART: Australian fast bowler James Pattinson (center) celebrates the dismissal of New Zealand’s Dean Brownlie (left) who’s leaving the field in the third day of play in the second Test match. — AP

Openers propel Australia towards victory HOBART: Openers David Warner and Phillip Hughes gave Australia a strong platform for victory over New Zealand before rain ended play early on the third day of the second Test yesterday.

The two left-handers put on 72 without loss off 19 overs to give the Australians a flying start as they chase 241 at Hobart’s Bellerive Oval to wrap up a two-nil series win over the Black Caps.

Australia thrashed New Zealand by nine wickets in the first Test in Brisbane last weekend. No play was possible after tea, with Warner on 47 off 50 balls with eight boundaries and a concentrated Hughes not out 20 from 64 deliveries. Australia will push for victory today, the fourth day, needing 169 more runs with all 10 wickets intact. “I thought both openers did a fantastic job, it’s been hard work batting up the top of the order with that new ball and I thought they applied themselves well,” Australian vice-captain Brad Haddin said.

“They hit the ball there that needed to be hit, but they also left well which I think is important, especially with the left-handers out there to Chris Martin, to leave well.”

A total of 30 wickets have fallen in the eight of sessions play in a Hobart Test where the ball has dominated the bat.

Neither opener had too many troubles, although “Hot Spot” replays suggested Hughes may have gloved a leg-side catch to wicketkeeper Reece Young in the third over before he had scored, but the Kiwis did not seek a review.

Hughes is seeking a big innings to ease pressure on his Test spot after falling cheaply to Martin three times in the series.

The Kiwis, leading by 14 runs on the first innings, lost seven wickets for 87 in the extended morning session to be all out for

226 at lunch after resuming the day on 139.

“We have to start really well tomorrow, there’s been a little bit of assistance in the wicket throughout the game so we know that will certainly be there tomorrow morning,” said Black Caps bowling coach Damien Wright.

“Bellerive traditionally over the years offers a little bit in the mornings and it’s really important for us to break this partnership and get early wickets.”

James Pattinson (3-54), Peter Siddle (366) and spinner Nathan Lyon (3-25) shared the wickets as the Black Caps unravelled after losing skipper Ross Taylor and Dean Brownlie. Taylor top-scored with 56 off 169 balls but once he and first innings top-scorer Brownlie (21), the Kiwi innings crumbled as they sought to set a match-winning fourth innings total.

“They were playing well, but we knew if we could build enough pressure on them we felt they would crack before us and they did,” Haddin said.

Kane Williamson was out on the third ball of the day, brilliantly caught by a diving Ricky Ponting at second slip off Siddle for 34. Pattinson dropped a sharp caught and bowled chance off Taylor before the Kiwi captain brought up his 15th Test half-century off the next ball.

But the bowler had his revenge in the 63rd over when he enticed Taylor to nick an outswinger to Michael Clarke at first slip.

Brownlie tried to get out of the way of a Pattinson bouncer only to be caught behind off the back of his bat for 21.

Without the steadying influence of the injured Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand tail folded, with Tim Southee (13), Doug Bracewell (4) and Trent Boult (21) all out irresponsibly slogging spinner Lyon. —AFP

SCOREBOARD HOBART: Scoreboard at the close on the third day of the second Test between Australia and New Zealand at Bellerive Oval yesterday: 22 New Zealand 1st innings 150 (D. Extras (b4, lb11, w5, nb2) 226 Brownlie 56; J. Pattinson 5-51, P. Siddle Total (all out; 78.3 overs) Fall of wickets: 1-36 (McCullum), 2-36 3-42) Australia 1st innings 136 (P. Siddle 36; (Guptill), 3-73 (Ryder), 4-139 D. Bracewell 3-20, T. Boult 3-29, C. Martin ( Williamson), 5-171 ( Taylor), 6-178 (Brownlie), 7-190 ( Young), 8-203 3-46) (Southee), 9-203 (Bracewell), 10-226 (Boult) New Zealand 2nd innings Bowling: Pattinson 21-7-54-3 (1nb 3w), (overnight 139 for 3) Siddle 25-11-66-3 (1nb), Starc 19-6-47-0 M. Guptill c Haddin b Siddle 16 (2w), Hussey 5-0-15-1, Lyon 7.3-1-25-3, B. McCullum c Hughes b Pattinson 12 Ponting 1-0-4-0.

J. Ryder stpd Haddin b Hussey 16 R. Taylor c Clarke b Pattinson 56 Australian 2nd innings K. Williamson c Ponting b Siddle 34 P. Hughes not out 20 D. Brownlie c Haddin b Pattinson 21 D. Warner not out 47 R. Young lbw b Siddle9 Extras (lb5) 5 D. Bracewell b Lyon 4 Total (for 0 wkt; 19 overs) 72 T. Southee c Hussey b Lyon 13 Bowling: Martin 6-2-11-0, Boult 7-1-29-0, T. Boult c Hussey b Lyon 21 Southee 5-1-21-0, Bracewell 1-0-6-0.

C. Martin not out 2

Dubai glory for Donald, Quiros DUBAI: Briton Luke Donald became the first player to win the orders of merit on both sides of the Atlantic yesterday while Spain’s Alvaro Quiros lifted the European Tour’s season-ending Dubai World Championship title.

World number one Donald shot a closing 66 to finish third in the tournament on 16-under 272, one behind fellow countryman Paul Lawrie (67) and three adrift of Quiros (67). Donald, who had already clinched the US PGA Tour money list in October, picked up $1.5 million for landing the European order of merit and another $487,500 for his performance at the Greg Normandesigned Earth course. “I’m extremely proud,” the 34-year-old Donald told the presentation ceremony. “This is something I’ve been thinking

about for the last half of the season.

“I didn’t think it was possible to win the money lists on both tours. This was never going to be an easy week but it has capped off an amazing year for me,” he said referring to his four victories and a host of top-10 finishes.

The 28-year-old Quiros collected the first prize of $1.25 million after making it a Dubai double-he also lifted the Desert Classic crown in February-by coaxing home a curling 50-feet eagle putt at the 18th. “Obviously I was lucky to hole that long putt,” said the smiling Spaniard on another scorchingly hot day at the Jumeirah Golf Estates. “I love playing in Dubai, the great weather helps a lot. “Long hitters like me also have an advantage here.” — Reuters

DUBAI: Alvaro Quiros from Spain (left) holds the trophy of Dubai World Championship next to England’s Luke Donald, who holds the Race To Dubai trophy after he wins the European Championship tour of 2011 in the final round. — AP

CHITTAGONG: Younis Khan cracked an unbeaten double-century and Asad Shafiq made his maiden hundred as Pakistan closed in on victory in the first Test against Bangladesh yesterday.

Younis smashed a solid 200 not out and Shafiq an impressive 104 as Pakistan posted 594-5 declared in their first innings in reply to Bangladesh’s 135 in Chittagong.

The hosts faltered against spin before reaching 134-4 in their second innings at stumps on the third day, with debutant Mohammed Nazimuddin and Shakib Al Hasan each unbeaten on 41.

Bangladesh still trail by 325 runs with six wickets in hand. O ff-spinner Mohammad Hafeez, who was pressed into the attack after only five overs, struck with his fifth delivery after the tea break when he bowled opener Tamim Iqbal for 15.

Bangladesh lost three wickets in the space of six runs after Nazimuddin and Shahriar Nafees added 50 for the second wicket, with off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, leftarm spinner Abdur Rehman and paceman Aizaz Cheema doing the damage.

Nafees made 28 and Nasir Hossain three while Mohammad Ashraful failed to open his account before Nazimuddin and Shakib added 54 for the unbroken fifthstand stand to steady the innings.

Pakistan declared their innings in the af ternoon session immediately af ter Younis turned left-arm spinner Shakib to square-leg for two runs to complete his double-century, his third score of 200 or more in 72 Tests.

Younis dominated the Bangladeshi attack with rich strokeplay, hitting three sixes and 18 fours in his 290-ball knock.

Bangladesh continued to struggle for success as they took more than a session to get their lone wicket, but not before Younis and Shafiq had put on 259 for the fifth wicket.

Left-arm spinner Elias Sunny broke the stand when he dismissed Shafiq, who cracked two sixes and nine fours in his 235-ball innings before being caught by Nafees at long-off while going for a big shot.

Pakistan added 179 runs after resuming at 415-4. Younis, 96 overnight, reached his 19th Test hundred in the opening over when he flicked paceman Shahadat Hossain for a four. He was later caught off a Rubel Hossain no-ball by Sunny at deep square-leg on 138.

Sunny finished with 3-123, while offspinner Mohammad Mahmudullah and Shahadat took one wicket each. —AFP

CHITTAGONG: Pakistan’s Younis Khan bats during the third day of the first Test against Bangladesh. — AP

SCOREBOARD CHITTAGONG: Scoreboard at stumps on the third day of the opening Test between Bangladesh and Pakistan in Chittagong yesterday: Bangladesh 1st innings 135 (Abdur Rehman Ashraful 4-0-20-0.

3-9, Saeed Ajmal 3-40) Bangladesh 2nd innings: Pakistan 1st innings (overnight 415-4): Tamim Iqbal b Hafeez 15 Mohammad Hafeez lbw b Sunny 143 Mohammed Nazimuddin not out 41 Taufeeq Umar lbw b Mahmudullah 61 Shahriar Nafees lbw b Ajmal 28 Azhar Ali c Rahim b Shahadat 26 Ashraful c Hafeez b Rehman 0 Younis Khan not out 200 Nasir Hossain c Hafeez b Cheema 3 Misbah-ul-Haq lbw b Sunny 20 Shakib Al Hasan not out 41 Asad Shafiq c Nafees b Sunny 104 Extras (lb4, nb2) 6 Adnan Akmal not out 6 Total (for four wickets; 39 overs) 134 Extras (lb21, nb12, w1) 34 Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Tamim), 2-74 (Nafees), 3Total (for five wickets decl; 176.5 overs)594 Fall of wickets: 1-164 (Umar), 2-220 (Azhar), 3- 75 (Ashraful), 4-80 (Nasir).

Bowling: Gul 9-1-37-0 (nb2), Cheema 7-1-40-1, 265 (Hafeez), 4-311 (Misbah), 5-570 (Shafiq).

Bowling: Shahadat 27-3-113-1 (nb6, w1), Rubel Hafeez 7-2-21-1, Ajmal 8-2-17-1, Rehman 8-325-1-97-0 (nb6), Mahmudullah -7-94-1, Shakib 15-1.

41.5-7-121-0, Sunny 47-7-123-3, Nasir 2-0-5-0,

India deny Pollard a West Indies win CHENNAI: India overcame an aggressive century by Kieron Pollard to defeat the West Indies by 34 runs in the fifth and final onedayer in Chennai yesterday to take the series 4-1.

Pollard smashed 10 sixes and four boundaries in his 110-ball knock before the tourists were bowled out for 233 in reply to India’s 267-6 in the day-night match at the Chidambaram stadium.

Pollard was last man out, caught in the deep off Suresh Raina, to deny his team a win in the last match of the Indian tour, where the West Indies also lost the Test series 2-0.

The West Indies were reduced to 78-5 by the 16th over before Pollard and Andre Russell turned the game around by smashing 89 off 79 balls for the sixth wicket.

The pair pounded the Indian bowling with a flurry of fours and sixes before the hosts earned a lucky break when Russell was run out by a direct throw from Gambhir.

Russell hit 53 off 42 balls with five boundaries and three sixes. Three more wickets fell in quick succession to leave the West Indies tottering at 213-9, but Pollard reached his maiden one-day century in the company of last man Anthony Martin. Earlier, Manoj Tiwary smashed 104 as India recovered from a shaky start to post a challenging total.

The 26-year-old from Bengal, making his first appearance in the series, registered his first international century after India had lost two wickets in the first over of the innings.

Tiwary put on 83 for the third wicket with stand-in captain Gautam Gambhir and 117 for the fourth with Virat Kohli before retiring hurt in the 38th over due to cramps.

Kohli went on to make 80 off 85 balls.

India, already assured of a series win, rested three players, including skipper Virender Sehwag, who had compiled a world record one-day score of 219 in the previous match in Indore.

Sehwag, Ravichandran Ashwin and Vinay Kumar, who leave for Australia on Monday for the Test series starting later this month, made way for Tiwary, Irfan Pathan and Ajinkya Rahane.

The right-handed Tiwary, who had scored only 61 runs in five previous one-day internationals, seized his opportunity, hitting 10 boundaries and a six in his 126-ball knock.

Tiwary prevented a hat-trick when he came to the crease in the first over after Kemar Roach had trapped Rahane leg-before with his second delivery and bowled Parthiv Patel with his third. —AFP

CHENNAI: India’s batsmen Manoj Tiwary (left) and Virat Kohli run between the wickets during their fifth one-day international cricket match against West Indies. —AP

SCOREBOARD CHENNAI: Full scoreboard of the fifth and final one-day international between India and the West Indies at the Chidambaram stadium in Chennai yesterday: India: G. Gambhir lbw b Martin 31 A. Rahane lbw b Roach 0 P. Patel b Roach 0 M. Tiwary retired hurt 104 V. Kohli c Samuels b Martin 80 Rohit Sharma b Narine 21 S. Raina not out 16 Irfan Pathan run out 4 Extras: (lb6, w3, nb2) 11 Total (for six wickets, 50 overs) 267 Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Rahane), 2-1 (Patel), 3-84 (Gambhir), 4-241 (Kohli), 5-250 (Rohit Sharma), 6267 (Pathan).

Bowling: Roach 8-0-46-2 (nb2), Russell 6-0-31-0, Narine 10-1-41-1, Sammy 5-0-28-0, Martin 10-047-2, Samuels 9-0-54-0 (w1), Pollard 2-0-14-0 (w1).

West Indies: L. Simmons lbw b Pathan

0

K. Powell b Pathan 15 M. Samuels c Patel b Mithun 6 J. Mohammed lbw b Mithun 2 D. Ramdin lbw b Jadeja 14 K. Pollard c Rahane b Raina 119 A. Russell run out 53 D. Sammy c Rahane b Jadeja 3 S. Narine b Rahul Sharma 8 K. Roach b Jadeja 0 A. Martin not out 0 Extras: (lb2, w11) 13 Total (all out, 44.1 overs) 233 Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Simmons), 2-23 (Powell), 3-29 (Samuels), 4-36 (Mohammed), 5-78 (Ramdin), 6167 (Russell), 7-181 (Sammy), 8-195 (Narine), 9213 (Roach), 10-233 (Pollard).

Bowling: Pathan 9-1-42-2 (w6), Mithun 7-1-32-2 (w4), Raina 6.1-0-24-1 (w1), Jadeja 10-0-62-3, Rahul Sharma 10-0-45-1, Tiwary 1-0-15-0, Kohli 10-11-0.

India won by 34 runs to wrap up five-match series 4-1.

y

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Years

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

S P ORT S

Chelsea match excites City boss Mancini LONDON: Roberto Mancini believes Manchester City’s trip to Chelsea provides the perfect opportunity to move on from the disappointment of exiting the Champions League.

City manager Mancini reckons the next two months will prove decisive in determining the outcome of the Premier League title race. The Italian saw his side’s lead at the top of the table cut to just two points by Manchester United after the reigning English champions beat Wolves 4-1 on Saturday.

But City, who have a game in hand over their local rivals, will again move five points clear if they win at Stamford Bridge.

And victory in west London would also leave City a huge 13 points in front of Chelsea, a team expected to be one of

their main title rivals this season.

That would at least provide some consolation following their elimination from European football’s premier club competition at the group stage.

Victory over Bayern Munich wasn’t enough to take City into the knock-out phase and with a match against Arsenal six days after the Chelsea clash, Mancini knows they have a great chance to strengthen their Premier League title claims.

“I think it is good to play this game, it is an important game against a top team,” Mancini said. “Up to now in the Premier League we’ve done well, but the season is long.

“Now we face two difficult games against Chelsea and Arsenal. Then after that we have to play every three days.

The next two months will be important for us.

“Over the last two weeks Chelsea have improved and they are still a fantastic team. It will be a good game between two strong teams.

“We go there to win,” said Mancini, bidding to become the first City manager to take the English title since Joe Mercer’s team won the old First Division trophy in 1968.

While City bowed out of the Champions League, Chelsea remained involved following a 3-0 win over Valencia. That victory lifted the mood of the London club although Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas admitted defeat

by City could spell the end of his side’s title hopes. “There’s no quitting, and there will be no quitting of belief. But 13

points would be a massive gap again.”

However, the Portuguese boss remains in bullish mood and, having described the Valencia win as a “slap in the face” to those who had questioned Chelsea’s prospects this season, he returned to the theme ahead of the City game.

“It’s fair for you guys to admit that the media darlings of the press are blue collar and not Chelsea,” he told reporters.

“We were unfairly treated a couple of times, and fairly by yourselves in the beginning. It’s a love and hate relationship.”

He added: “A lot of things that were said, most of the things, were wrong.

“One day I will open the doors of training for you guys (the press) for a couple

of days and you will see the players have the talent and ability and want to compete. That’s what we hold on to during extreme criticism.”

Villas-Boas has also been keen to dampen down any suggestion his dressing room has been divided despite growing uncertainty about the future of a number of players including Alex, Nicolas Anelka, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba.

Lampard was left on the bench for the Valencia game but the manager denies the England midfielder is poised to leave for LA Galaxy.

“I have no idea,” he said when asked about reports linking the player to the US club best known for signing former England captain David Beckham. “There is nothing from our side.” —AFP

Al Sadd set up dream Barcelona showdown

GERMANY: Dortmund’s Jakub Blaszczykowski of Poland (left) and Kaiserslautern’s Rodnei of Brazil challenge for the ball during the German First Division Bundesliga soccer match. —AP

German League

Dortmund held at home BERLIN: Japan winger Shinji Kagawa’s first-half strike was not enough to give Borussia Dortmund three points yesterday as the defending German league champions were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Kaiserslautern.

Dortmund’s single point means there is now a three-way tie at the top of the table and puts them level on 31 points with both third-placed Schalke and leaders Bayern Munich.

Bayern remain top on goal difference and have the chance to pull clear of the chasing pack on Sunday night when they face VfB Stuttgart, but just two points separate fifth from first in the German league.

Kagawa put Dortmund ahead on 27 minutes after a deft flick from Germany winger Kevin Grosskreutz gave him enough space to fire past goalkeeper Kevin Trapp.

But the guests drew level when the Dortmund defence allowed midfield Olcay Sahan plenty of space to hit a stunning volley past Dortmund captain Roman Weidenfeller on 60 minutes.

Dortmund’s Poland striker Robert Lewandowski squandered the chance to claim his 11th goal of the season when he went one-on-one with Trapp, but fired straight at the goalkeeper on 72 minutes.

At the other end, only a fine save from Weidenfeller denied a header from Kaiserslautern striker Itay Shechter five minutes later. With ten minutes left, teenage star Mario Goetze hit the crossbar with a curling shot from outside the area.

On Saturday, Borussia Moenchengladbach missed the chance to go top after a shock defeat 1-0 at strugglers Augsburg while Werder Bremen got back in the title race with a 4-1 win over Wolfsburg.

‘Gladbach drop to fourth as Augsburg picked up only their third win of the season as midfielder Jan-Ingwer CallsenBracker scored the winner against his former club on 51 minutes. The Bavarian minnows held on for a valuable win which lifted them up one place up from

bottom.

Bremen are fifth after their 4-1 hammering of Wolfsburg with Peru striker Claudio Pizarro netting the hosts’ second goal and setting up two more.

Wolfsburg’s Germany defender Marcel Schaefer scored a consolation goal in the dying stages when his shot curled around Bremen goalkeeper Tim Wiese, but Wolves’ coach Felix Magath has admitted his side face a relegation battle.

Bayer Leverkusen, who have qualified for the knock-out phase of the Champions League, are sixth after they were held to a goalless draw at Hanover 96.

Freiburg replaced Augsburg at the bottom when they were hammered 4-0 at Cologne with Germany striker Lukas Podolski slotting home two second-half goals in the rout.

Schalke had admitted Saturday that they are interested in signing the 26year-old Germany star whose brace leaves him with 13 goals this season.

Schalke won 2-1 at Hertha Berlin on Friday to go third and draw level with Bayern and Dortmund.

Dutch star Klaas-Jan Huntelaar opened the scoring in the 20th minute to take his season’s league tally to 14 and sole possession of the leading scorers chart in Germany. —AFP

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

English Premier League Chelsea v Man City

23:00

Italian League AS Roma v Juventus Al Jazeera Sport +1 Al Jazeera Sport 1 HD

22:45

German League results/standings Borussia Dortmund 1 (Kagawa 27) Kaiserslautern 1 (Sahan 60) Playing later: VfB Stuttgart v Bayern Munich Played Saturday: Werder Bremen 4 (Sokratis 18, Pizarro 45,

Rosenberg 55, Arnautovic 71) VfL; Wolfsburg 1 (Schaefer 86); Mainz 05 0 Hamburg 0; Nuremberg 0 Hoffenheim 2 (Ibisevic 39, 56); Cologne 4 (Clemens 19, 60, Podolski 60,73) Freiburg 0; Augsburg 1 (Callsen-Bracker 51) Borussia Moenchengladbach 0; Hanover 96 0 Bayer Leverkusen 0.

German League table after yesterday’s match (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Bayern Munich 15 Dortmund 16 Schalke 16 Borussia 16 Werder Bremen 16 Leverkusen 16 Stuttgart 15 Hanover 16 Hoffenheim 16

10 9 10 9 9 7 6 5 6

1 4 1 3 2 5 4 7 3

4 3 5 4 5 4 5 4 7

38 31 33 24 30 22 22 19 18

9 11 22 11 26 19 17 23 18

31 31 31 30 29 26 22 22 21

Cologne Hertha Berlin Hamburg Mainz Wolfsburg Kaiserslautern Nurfemberg Augsburg Freiburg

15 16 16 15 16 16 16 16 16

6 4 4 4 5 3 4 3 3

2 7 6 5 2 6 3 5 4

7 5 6 6 9 7 9 8 9

26 23 20 21 22 12 14 14 20

31 25 26 27 34 20 28 27 35

20 19 18 17 17 15 15 14 13

TOYOTA: Qatar’s Al Sadd will play Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup after the Asian champions stunned Esperance of Tunisia 2-1 yesterday, sparking fan violence and a pitch invasion.

The Doha side’s win means Asian teams have won all five meetings against African opposition at the intercontinental tournament, but more importantly Al Sadd will now test themselves against the sublime Catalans on Thursday.

The other major talking point will be how an irate Esperance fan managed to jump the barrier by the pitch and make for Al Sadd goalkeeper Mohamed Saqr before being dragged to the ground just feet away from him.

There were several other disturbances in the stands at the stateof-the-art Toyota Stadium at the end of an entertaining game, as furious Esperance fans clashed with police and stewards.

Esperance supporters and players were left seething at Chilean referee Enrique Osses after they had two “goals” ruled out for offside and had a strong claim for a penalty, all in the dying minutes.

The Africans’ coach Nabil Maaloul apologised for the violence. “I’m really sorry. Sometimes that happens. Tunisia and Al Sadd are sisters, but of course this should not happen,” he said.

Al Sadd’s Uruguayan coach Jorge Fossati was more focused on Barcelona, saying it was a “dream” to take on the European champions. “ This victory tonight was a milestone,” Fossati said. “This was really important, not just for me, but for the players. “Barcelona are the best team in the world and it will be the most difficult chal-

lenge in the players’ career.”

Spurred on by their small but rowdy following, the Tunisians had

the opener when his cross-shot pinged off a post.

Al Sadd could barely string a

NAGOYA: Tunisia’s Esperance Sportive de Tunis Oualid Hichr (left) and Qatar’s Al-Sadd Sports Club forward Mamadou Niang vie for the ball during the quarterfinal at the FIFA Club World Cup. —AP the better of the opening 20 minutes and striker Yannick Ndjeng came within a whisker of scoring

Italian League

Udinese go top ROME: Udinese went top of Serie A with a 2-1 win at home to Chievo as AC Milan were held to a 2-2 draw at Bologna yesterday.

Juventus can still retake the lead today when they travel to Roma.

Captain Antonio Di Natale and Dusan Basta gave Udinese a 2-0 lead before Alberto Paloschi’s late consolation kept things interesting right to the end.

Udinese now lead by a point from Juventus with Milan and Lazio, 3-2 winners at rock bottom Lecce on Saturday, a point further back. The hosts had a scare when Chievo’s Luciano found himself 10 yards out and in front of goal but he blazed his volley wide.

Up the other end Ghana midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah broke forward but dragged his shot wide while Morocco centre-back Mehdi Benatia fired in an effort that was tipped over the bar by goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino.

In the second half Di Natale was denied twice in quick succession by desperate defending. The striker was about to knock home the rebound after Sorrentino saved Mauricio Isla’s shot but Boukary Drame slid in to block his effort. Then moments later Nicolas Frey hacked his back-flick off the line with Sorrentino beaten. But Udinese got the goal they deserved when Chievo finally cracked under the pressure and Di Natale headed home Isla’s cross.Dusan Basta seemed to have settled the affair with a stooping header from a corner but Alberto Paloschi curled home a shot from outside the box eight minutes from time to keep Udinese’s fans on the edge of their seats.

In Bologna it was a controversial tale of penalties given and not as Marco Di Vaio and Alessandro Diamanti scored for the hosts with Clarence Seedorf and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, from the spot, replying for the champions.

Bologna were off to a flying start when Di Vaio broke the offside trap on 11 minutes, running onto Diamanti’s long ball and lobbing the onrushing Marco Amelia. The lead lasted only five minutes, though, before KevinPrince Boateng beat two players and slipped the ball to Seedorf, who smashed a stunning strike from 20 yards into the top corner. Bologna were showing no signs of either fatigue from their extra-time Italian Cup defeat to Juve in midweek or being intimidated by illustrious opponents. Di Vaio had a shot from an angle that whistled just past the corner of post and bar.

A nice lobbed pass from Boateng sent Ignazio Abate running into the area but his volley was saved by Jean-Francois Gillet. Milan then had a lucky escape on the stroke of half-time when Seedorf appeared to handle in the area but the referee gave nothing. Bologna had the bit between their teeth and Di Vaio’s deflected shot beat Amelia but hit the post. Milan were then awarded a penalty for a foul on Ibrahimovic who duly slotted home from 12 yards, although there appeared very little contact between him and Andrea Raggi.

And yet 60 seconds later Diamanti turned inside Thiago Silva and fired home. Milan then also had a shout for a penalty for handball against Archemide Morleo from Ibrahimovic’s point-blank cross but that wasn’t given. In other games Atalanta and Catania drew 1-1 while it remained goalless between Cagliari and Parma. —AFP

pass together and could not get out of their own half as a scrappy first half wore on.

Saqr was kept busy, saving smartly from Youssef Msakni before Esperance captain Ousama Darragi scuffed the rebound wastefully wide.

But the Qataris took a shock lead in the 33rd minute. With Esperance sleeping, former Lyon forward Abdul Kader Keita unleashed a powerful shot that goalkeeper Moez Ben Cherifia could only flap at, allowing Khalfan Al Khalfan to steam in and head into an empty net.

It was Al Sadd’s first attempt on goal and typical of the kind of sucker-punch that they perfected in their unexpected run to the Asian Champions League title.

Esperance looked shocked going into the break, but just four minutes after half-time Africa’s finest somehow found themselves further behind-once again caught napping at a set-piece.

Former Portsmouth man Nadir Belhadj swept in a free-kick that South Korean Lee Jung-Soo headed back across goal, and there, totally unmarked, was his fellow defender and captain Abdullah Koni to gleefully score from close range.

Two efforts, two goals for the side in all white. But on the hour Esperance, who like Al Sadd were making their debut at the Club World Cup, struck back when the highly rated Darragi headed past an unsighted Saqr from another set-piece.

Esperance were back in it. They twice had the ball in the net but were deemed offside both times, while substitute Harrison Afful was denied a strong claim for a penalty. With minutes left on the clock Oualid Hichri shot tamely at Saqr when he should have scored. —AFP

Sporting defeat Rayo 3-1 BARCELONA: Sporting Gijon continued its battle against relegation in the Spanish League yesterday with a 3-1 win at Rayo Vallecano.

Sporting striker David Barral was quick to pounce on a poor clearance by the Rayo defense to score his sixth goal of the season 10 minutes in.

Former Rangers forward Nacho Novo then put the result beyond doubt with a pair of goals in the 37th and the 67th as Sporting got its first win in three games. “We were able to put the fear in Rayo,” Sporting coach Manolo Preciado said. “We knew that we could hurt Rayo with our speed and we succeeded in doing so.” Miguel “Michu” Perez scored a consolation goal in added time for Rayo, which has lost four straight games after a solid start to the season.

Elsewhere, 10-man Real Sociedad drew 1-1 at Villarreal to extend its unbeaten run to four games. Villarreal was the better team in the first half, but Sociedad held firm in defense before going ahead through Mikel Aranburu’s 52nd-minute goal.

The Basque midfielder received the ball on the left flank, cut back across the defense and fired the ball into the right side of the net.

Sociedad was left with 10 men from the 62nd when Gorka Elustondo received his second booking. Striker Marco Ruben tapped in substitute Joselu Moreno’s cross to equalized for Villarreal in the 72nd.

Getafe remained undefeated in its last six home games as it edged Granada 1-0 thanks to Javier Casquero’s 78th-minute blast from outside the area.

Later, it’s: Malaga vs. Osasuna, Zaragoza vs. Mallorca, Athletic Bilbao vs.

Racing Santander, and Espanyol vs. Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona overcame an early goal to beat Real Madrid 3-1 on Saturday to move top of the table. Barcelona is ahead of its fierce rival on goal difference, although Madrid has a game in hand.

Also, Levante edged Sevilla 1-0 to remain in pull to within one-point of thirdplace Valencia, which lost 2-1 at Real Betis after two stoppage-time goals by Ruben Castro. —AP

Spanish League results/standings Rayo Vallecano 1 (Michu 90+2) Sporting Gijon 3 (Barral 9, Novo 37, 67); Villarreal 1 (Ruben 71) Real Sociedad 1 (Aranburu 52); Getafe 1 (Casquero 78) Granada 0.

Playing later Real Zaragoza v Real Mallorca, Malaga v Osasuna, Athletic Bilbao v Racing Santander, Espanyol v Atletico Madrid

Spanish League table ahead of yesterday’s evening matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Barcelona Real Madrid Valencia Levante Sevilla Malaga Osasuna Atletico Bilbao Espanyol

16 15 15 15 15 14 14 14 14 14

11 12 9 9 6 7 5 5 4 5

4 1 3 2 6 2 6 4 6 2

1 2 3 4 3 5 3 5 4 7

50 50 24 24 16 19 18 21 20 11

8 13 16 17 11 19 26 21 17 17

37 37 30 29 24 23 21 19 18 17

Sociedad Getafe Real Betis Granada Vallecano Real Mallorca Villarreal Sporting Gijon Santander Real Zaragoza

15 15 15 15 16 14 15 15 14 14

4 4 5 4 4 3 3 4 2 2

4 4 1 4 4 6 6 3 6 4

7 7 9 7 8 5 6 8 6 8

16 15 15 8 17 13 12 15 10 12

23 22 22 15 25 20 21 25 20 28

16 16 16 16 16 15 15 15 12 10

Australia win Champions Trophy

17

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

Dubai glory for Donald, Quiros

18

Chelsea match excites City boss Mancini

Page 19

DOHA: Saeed Shayee (center) of Kuwait competes with Qatar’s Saeed Abdul Rahman (right) and Ali Al-Turki (left) during their basketball match at the 2011 Arab Games. —AFP

Larsson’s late show downs Blackburn Sunderland 2

Blackburn 1

SUNDERLAND: Sebastian Larsson’s stoppagetime goal enabled Martin O’Neill to mark his first match as Sunderland manager with a 2-1 come from behind win over fellow Premier League strugglers Blackburn Rovers yesterday.

There were only six minutes of normal time left when David Vaughan’s powerful shot drew Sunderland level in front of their own fans at the Stadium of Light.

And just when it seemed the hosts would

have to settle for a draw, Rovers conceded a free-kick on the edge of their box and Sweden international Larsson curled a shot around the defensive wall that flew in at former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson’s near post.

Victory meant Sunderland, who recently sacked Steve Bruce as their manager, climbed out of the relegation zone while Rovers remained in the bottom three.

“For periods it was a microcosm of our season, we played well enough, were not able to score and then succumb to a poor goal,” said O’Neill.

“But I thought the players were terrific, the way they kept at it. “I thought we deserved to win the game but you don’t always get what you deserve. We had loads of possession and were just hoping to get that break.

“We’ve got some points which is vital for confidence and the crowd. The roar for the

equaliser you could have heard miles away.”

Vaughan, after what was only the northeast side’s third league win this season, added: “The confidence was a little bit low, as you’d expect with where we are in the league, but hopefully we can get on a good run now.”

Rovers midfielder Simon Vukcevic opened the scoring in the 17th minute when he headed in after Sunderland goalkeeper Keiren Westwood could only parry Christopher Samba’s shot.

Sunderland should have equalised six minutes later but Kieran Richardson’s shot from six yards out and his effort was well saved by Robinson.

And four minutes before half-time Sunderland nearly fell 2-0 behind when Rovers’ Scott Dann out the ball in the net only for his ‘goal’ to be disallowed for a foul by Samba on the keeper.

“I’m really, really disappointed,” said Rovers manager Steve Kean, whose side have won just two out of 15 league matches so far this term. “I felt we had a very legitimate second goal; Westwood has banged into Chris Samba and Chris is just stood there.

“I don’t know why (it was disallowed).

Sometimes the size of Chris Samba brings fouls for some reason when he wasn’t even jumping for the ball.”

Blackburn seemed content to defend their lead for most of the second half, rather than press for a second goal, and it was a policy that looked as if it would result in a precious away win until Sunderland’s late revival.

Former Leicester and Celtic boss O’Neill had been out of management since ending his four-year spell in charge of Aston Villa last year by resigning from the Birmingham club.—AFP

Stoke dent Spurs’ hopes Stoke 2

Tottenham 1

STOKE: Tottenham Hotspur ’s Premier League title hopes suffered a setback as Matthew Etherington scored twice against his former club to earn Stoke a hardearned 2-1 win here yesterday.

Etherington’s first-half double put the Potters in firm control at the Britannia Stadium. But Spurs pulled a goal back via Emmanuel Adebayor’s penalty only to see their hopes of a comeback undermined by Younes Kaboul’s late red card.

It was Spurs’ first Premier League defeat in 12 matches and London rivals Chelsea now have the opportunity to climb above them into third with victory over leaders Manchester City today.

Victory for the Potters made it three consecutive wins in the English top flight as well as continuing their fine record against the big clubs in the Premier League this season, with Stoke having also beaten Liverpool and drawn with Manchester United and Chelsea.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis named an unchanged side which included the former Tottenham trio of Peter Crouch, Etherington and Jonathan Woodgate, while Spurs boss Harry Redknapp recalled Rafael van der Vaart in place of Jermain Defoe.

As so often at the Britannia, Stoke piled

on the pressure straight from the whistle and took just 37 seconds to create their first opening.

With Rory Delap on the bench, it was left to Ryan Shotton to deliver one of those trademark Potters long throws.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto’s attempted headed clearance fell straight to Etherington, whose stinging volley was palmed away by Brad Friedel, and Jonathan Walters could only find the side netting from the rebound.

Redknapp’s team could barely escape their own half and there was an air of inevitability about Stoke’s 13th-minute opener.

Again Shotton was at the heart of it, as his deflected cross was flicked on by Walters for Crouch, who evaded William Gallas before crossing for Etherington to rifle home. Spurs struggled badly to find their rhythm but Thomas Sorensen was fully extended by a swerving low strike by Luka Modric which the goalkeeper did well to turn around the post.

Spurs claimed they should have had a free-kick when Woodgate and Scott Parker collided on the edge of the Potters area and, already on a booking, the defender would have been relieved to see referee Chris Foy wave play on.

It was a key moment as two minutes before the interval Pulis’s team doubled their advantage. Once more Shotton was the creator as his long throw was nodded on by Walters and Etherington, having evaded marker Parker, bundled the ball beyond Friedel.

Redknapp responded by making two changes upon resumption, replacing Assou-Ekotto and Aaron Lennon with

EPL results/standings Stoke 2 (Etherington 13, 43) Tottenham 1 (Adebayor 62-pen); Sunderland 2 (Vaughan 84, Larsson 90) Blackburn 1 (Vukcevic 17).

Playing today Chelsea v Manchester City English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Man City Man Utd Tottenham Arsenal Chelsea Liverpool Newcastle Stoke Aston Villa Norwich Swansea Everton QPR Fulham West Brom Sunderland W’hampton Wigan Blackburn Bolton

14 12 15 11 14 10 15 9 14 9 15 7 15 7 15 6 15 4 15 5 15 4 14 5 15 4 15 3 15 4 15 3 15 4 15 3 15 2 15 3

2 3 1 2 1 5 5 3 7 4 5 1 4 6 3 5 2 3 4 0

0 1 3 4 4 3 3 6 4 6 6 8 7 6 8 7 9 9 9 12

48 35 30 31 31 18 21 16 18 24 16 15 15 16 14 18 16 14 22 20

13 14 18 23 17 13 19 24 19 28 20 18 26 18 23 18 28 29 34 36

38 36 31 29 28 26 26 21 19 19 17 16 16 15 15 14 14 12 10 9

Mourinho hits out at ‘lucky’ Barcelona

LONDON: Stoke City’s Wilson Palacios (right) and Jonathan Walters (left) vie for the ball against Tottenham Hotspur’s Luka Modric during their English Premier League soccer match. —AP Sebastien Bassong and Defoe in a tactical reshuffle.

Spurs came within inches of scoring when Kyle Walker’s inviting cross deflected off Woodgate and agonisingly past the far post. Yet they halved the deficit in the 62nd minute when Adebayor converted from the penalty spot after Foy adjudged Whelan’s outstretched leg toppled Modric inside the area despite Stoke’s claims the Croatia international dived.

By now the momentum had firmly shifted in the visitors’ favour and it took a fine save from Sorensen to tip a Parker drive

over the crossbar. Meanwhile Spurs’ calls for a second penalty when Kaboul fell under pressure from Ryan Shawcross were rejected. Luck did not appear to be on Spurs’ side as Kaboul was denied on the line by Shawcross’s arm before Adebayor slipped in the loose ball only for the goal to be wrongly ruled out for offside.

Tottenham’s hopes were dealt a further blow when Kaboul received his second yellow card with eight minutes remaining for a clumsy foul on Walters and Stoke comfortably held on, even hitting the crossbar via Shawcross late on.—AFP

MADRID: Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho blasted Barcelona as lucky winners yesterday after the defending champions came back from a goal down to clinch a 3-1 victory in El Clasico.

With the match level at 1-1, after Alexis Sanchez had equalised Karim Benzema’s shock 23-second opener, Barca took the lead when a Xavi drive took a wicked deflection off Marcelo and past Iker Casillas in the Real goal. Cesc Fabregas then scored with a diving header to secure the three points which put Barcelona top on goal difference although Real have a game in hand. “Without taking anything away from them, this victory was partly due to luck. The second goal was very lucky,” said Mourinho. “We had a chance to net an equaliser the following minute. It looked like the ball was in, but it wasn’t. We also had a chance to net a second strike and bring the score up to 3-2, but due to luck, not merit, their goalkeeper cleared a shot by Kaka.

“That’s why I believe luck made a difference, but I do not wish to deprive Barcelona of merit.” Pep Guardiola was able to celebrate his fourth win at the Bernabeu since becoming Barcelona coach in 2008 and while it was not as convincing as the 6-2 thrashing which his players gave to their rivals in his first season the result will be equally significant.

“I was expecting it to be more difficult for us to create chances. In the summer (when the two met in the domestic Super Cup) we lacked the necessary rhythm which was a big factor but now after the first goal we began to play with our heads,” said Guardiola. “I thought it was going to be tougher for us although it was a match in which we were going to need some luck. “Madrid were always going to create chances, that has always happened when I have come here, but overall I am happy with the way the game went.

“I don’t think that this result will cause distress for Madrid, they will recover and continue to be the biggest rival. Nothing is decided now and it wouldn’t be either if we had lost.” Xavi believes the outcome will spur on Barcelona who are looking for their fourth straight league title. —AFP

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China’s Hu promises to tackle trade imbalances Page 25

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KSE impetus fizzles out Page 24

Upgraded 2012 Cadillac SRX arrives in Kuwait Page 23 ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani child waits for customers at his father’s fruit stall at a wholesale fruit and vegetable market in Islamabad yesterday.—AP

Britain could be ‘isolated’ by EU veto: Clegg Cameron wins public support, but coalition in crisis LONDON: Britain could be “isolated and marginalized” by the European Union after vetoing treaty change aimed at ending the euro debt crisis, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said yesterday.

The Liberal Democrat party leader’s comments saw him officially breaking ranks with Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, who was responsible for the veto at a summit in Brussels on Friday. “I am bitterly disappointed by the outcome of last week’s summit, precisely because I think there is now a real danger that over time the United Kingdom will be isolated and marginalized within the European Union,” Clegg told the BBC. Clegg-who had until now limited himself to expressing “regret” over the veto-rejected Cameron’s arguments that it was necessary to protect Britain’s vital City of London financial services hub.

“I don’t think that’s good for jobs in the City or elsewhere. I don’t think it’s good for growth. I don’t think it’s good for families up and down the country,” he said. Clegg said he had told Cameron by telephone after he was

informed of the veto in the early hours of Friday that it was “bad for Britain.”

But he said Cameron’s hand was forced by the “intransigence” of France and Germanywhich both pushed for the deal to bring in strict fiscal discipline for the euro-zone-and also by euroskeptic Conservative lawmakers.

“I think the prime minister was in a difficult position because he faced intransigence from France and Germany,” Clegg said, saying it was “clear that the French government for instance would not shed a tear if Britain was pushed.”

Clegg said the centrist, pro-Europe Liberal Democrats would remain in the coalition that was formed in May 2010, saying it would be “even more damaging for us as a country if the coalition government were now to fall apart.” But he urged Cameron to re-engage with Europe.

“Far from retreating further to the margin, which is what some eurosceptics want and are calling for, we should be re-engaging more fully, and we’re going to have to redouble our efforts in doing so,” Clegg said.

S&P reviewing ratings of 50 MENA banks DUBAI: Standard & Poor’s (S&P) is reviewing credit ratings on 50 banks in the Middle East and North Africa under a new set of criteria, a move that could result in higher funding costs for lenders already hit by the euro-zone crisis and the Arab Spring revolts.

The agency, which last month classified Bahrain’s banks as the riskiest in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council), and saw a weak credit profile for United Arab Emirates lenders, expects more activity in debt capital markets as bank lending struggles, a senior S&P executive told Reuters in an interview. “We look at 25 banks in the GCC region. We also rate banks in Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon so across the MENA, we look at 50 credits,” said Timucin Engin, associate director, financial institutions, at S&P, adding that he expected decisions by year-end.

The agency late last month cut

its ratings on 15 big global banks, mostly in the Europe and the United States, as a result of the revamp of its ratings criteria.

JPMorgan Chase & Co, Bank of America Corp, Citigroup Inc, Goldman Sachs, Barclays Plc , and HSBC Holdings Plc were among the banks that had their ratings reduced by one notch each.

Engin said that S&P expected European banks to be less active in lending in the GCC area given the euro-zone crisis and higher capital requirements under Basel III. He said that given the funding and liquidity metrics of the GCC banks, excluding Saudi Arabia, S&P felt that the banking systems may lack the capacity to fill the potential funding gap. “S&P believes we might see more lending activity through the debt capital marketssukuks, bonds et cetera.

Particularly the sukuk space could be interesting,” he said.—Reuters

The deputy premier also warned against anti-EU elements in the centre-right Conservatives pushing for Britain to leave the bloc altogether, saying it would leave Britain as a global “pygmy”.

“I think a Britain which leaves the EU will be considered to be irrelevant by Washington and will be considered a pygmy in the world, when I want us to stand tall and lead in the world,” he said. British Prime Minister David Cameron won public approval yesterday for his decision to veto a new EU treaty to solve the euro-zone crisis, but cracks began to appear in his coalition government over the move. A new poll revealed 62 percent support for Cameron’s decision following allnight talks in Brussels overnight on Thursday, echoing the warm welcome it received among eurosceptics within his Conservative party. The Mail survey also confirmed strong public backing — 66 percent-for a referendum on Britain’s role in the European Union, which the eurosceptics have long been calling for. Cameron is keen to avoid such a vote, however, partly because of the damage it

could do to his coalition with the proEuropean Liberal Democrats-and reports suggest his dramatic veto is already causing problems.

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, has publicly backed Cameron’s move but a source close to him told the Independent yesterday that he was privately furious at the way the Brussels summit turned out. “Nick certainly doesn’t think this is a good deal for Britain, for British jobs or British growth,” the source said, saying Clegg “couldn’t believe it” when he heard the news of how the talks ended. Describing the result as a “spectacular failure to deliver in the country’s interest”, the source said: “It leaves us isolated in Europe and that is not in our national interest. Nick’s fear is that we become the lonely man of Europe.” Cameron had sought to secure safeguards for Britain’s financial sector from new measures designed to resolve the debt crisis. When these were rejected, he used his veto to block attempts to enshrine the changes into the EU’s treaties. — Reuters

OPEC set for meeting amid Iran tensions LONDON: OPEC meets in Vienna this week to decide on whether to change the cartel’s oil production levels in the face of heightened Iran tensions, higher Libyan output and a weak economic outlook.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which supplies one third of the world’s crude, is Wednesday set to maintain its official output target of 24.84 million barrels per day-where it has stood for almost two years. But with the International Energy Agency estimating that actual OPEC production, excluding Iraq, stood at 27.32 mbpd in October, the organization may decide to issue a statement promising stricter compliance to its quotas.

The Vienna-based cartel meets periodically to set production levels, hoping that its decisions result in favorable market oil prices for its dozen members, which include current OPEC president Iran, oil kingpin Saudi Arabia, Libya, Nigeria and Venezuela.

OPEC Secretary General Abdullah El-Badri last week said that current oil prices of around $100 a barrel were “satisfactory,” adding that crude supply was adequate-indicating that its official output ceiling would stay on hold.

On Friday, Brent North Sea crude was trading at $107.79 a barrel, while New York’s light sweet stood at $98.11. Despite economic turbulence and a pickup

in Libya oil output after recent war ravaged its production, crude futures have managed to remain at relatively high levels thanks to geopolitical unrest across the oil-rich Middle East.

All eyes at Wednesday’s gathering will be on Iran, OPEC’s second-biggest oil producer after Saudi Arabia, and whose oil sector is at threat from potential EU sanctions over the Islamic republic’s controversial nuclear program. EU foreign ministers have slapped sanctions on an extra 143 firms and 37 individuals in Iran, after the publication last month of a report on the country’s nuclear sector by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The ministers also threatened to “extend the scope” of punitive action to strike at Tehran’s economic heart, saying the EU would examine measures targeting the financial system, energy and transport sectors by late January. “Assessing the fallout from the Iranian sanctions, OPEC meets with a complex economic, fundamental and political backdrop,” said Barclays Capital analyst Sudakshina Unnikrishnan.

“The geopolitical context has deepened” since OPEC’s last meeting in June, she added. Iran and Venezuela are seen as OPEC’s traditional hawks, regularly calling on the cartel to cut production to boost oil prices and consequently their revenues. — Reuters

Arab Fund unlikely to offer aid to Europe ABU DHABI: The Arab Monetary Fund is unlikely to offer any funding assistance to the euro zone because providing loans to unrest-hit countries across the Arab world has priority, Director General Jassim Al-Mannai said yesterday.

“There is a big need in Arab countries, a constant need, taking into account the Arab Spring,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of regional bankers in the United Arab Emirates’ capital.

“Also, oil prices may drop because of weak economic growth...I cannot see Arab countries could help Europe.”

European Union leaders agreed at a summit in Brussels on Friday that euro zone states and other nations should provide up to 200 billion euros ($270 billion) in bilateral loans to the International Monetary Fund to help it tackle the zone’s debt crisis. They envisaged 50 billion euros of the total coming from noneuro countries, but it is not clear which nations would be willing to provide the money. The 22-member AMF provided loans worth around $548 million to Jordan, Morocco and Yemen in 2010, the highest level of annual lending in the last 22 years, its annual report shows.

Egypt said last month it would receive financing worth $470 million from the AMF this year after its budget deficit ballooned in the wake of the February uprising that unseated president Hosni Mubarak.

The total value of loans extended by the AMF reached $6.1 billion at the end of 2010, while total assets stood at 3.1 billion Arab Accounting Dinars, or $14.5 billion.

In addition to going through the AMF, wealthy Gulf governments often extend international aid on a bilateral basis and could potentially do so to help Europe.

But the governments have not so far pledged any fresh money to the IMF or euro zone.

Mannai also said the AMF did not expect any negative impact on trade between Arab countries and Europe due to the euro zone debt crisis.“Trade is going on. We cannot see a strong linkage of sovereign debt and trade between Europe and the Arab world. We should not expect any implications on trade,” he said.

Although Europe is a big trading partner of the Arab world, many Arab countries have diversified their trade to other regions, he said.

Some 27 percent of imports to Saudi Arabia, the largest Arab economy, came from the European Union in October, while the EU was the destination for 10 percent of the kingdom’s non-oil exports, official Saudi data show. — Reuters

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business

GE regional GM discusses future of gas flaring in ME Gas Arabia Summit 2011 opens in Muscat ABU DHABI: Sami Kamel, General Manager, regional marketing, Middle East and Africa, General Electric (GE) recently participated in an interview with the Energy Exchange to discuss gas flaring in the Middle East and how to successfully mitigate the catastrophic environmental and economic impact of wasting this valuable natural resource.

GE in the Middle East has a strong focus on infrastructure development and tackling major challenges such as cleaner energy and water scarcity. They have established their presence in the region especially in relation to gas flaring reduction.

The Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership estimates that at least 150 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas is flared or wasted every year out of which, the Middle East and North Africa account for 50 bcm with obvious environmental consequences.

Sami Kamel, General Manager, regional marketing, Middle East and Africa for GE said: “GE Energy has a long track record in working with governments and national and international oil and gas companies on gas flaring reduction. We have executed several projects and established intimate knowledge of this high-specialty sector and gained solid experience in identifying, struc-

Mercedes-Benz exclusive offer for KU students KUWAIT: Abdul Rahman Albisher & Zaid Alkazemi Co, authorized general distributors of Mercedes-Benz in Kuwait has started a special promotion for the students of Kuwait University from Sunday 04 December until Thursday 22 December 2011.

During this period Abdul Rahman Albisher & Zaid Alkazemi Co representatives will be having a promotional stand inside the college of Business Administration & Studies at the Kuwait University campus in Shuwaikh.

Students can get an Apple iPhone 4S as a gift with a purchase of any MercedesBenz car or SUV during this promotional period. This offer is valid only for students on showing their student university ID at the time of purchase of their favorite Mercedes-Benz.

Additionally every week, students who register at the stand can win one of the two weekend test drives of their favourite Mercedes-Benz car or SUV every week. There are a total of 6 weekend test-drives to be won. We are looking forward to many students making use of this limited time offer. The iPhone

4S will be presented at the time of delivery of the new car. For more information on Mercedes-Benz products and services in Kuwait, please visit us online at www.mercedes-benz.com.kw or become a friend on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MercedesBenzKuw ait. You can also download the iPhone application for Abdul Rahman Albisher & Zaid Alkazemi Company by searching for ‘MBKuwait’ in the Apple app store.

O

more efficient in managing their natural resources through utilizing gas flaring in order to achieve additional economical benefits.”

On being asked how operating teams involved in gas flaring get the buy in of their management, Kamel replied: “Capturing and utilizing flared gas is at the end of the day an investment decision. Teams operating on gas flare would need to build the business case for such projects, conduct the appropriate technoeconomic analysis, looking at the power generation dynamics within the gas flaring site in order to highlight the economic, environmental and other ancillary benefits that can be gained from doing a gas flare reduction project.”

GE’s presentation at the Gas Flaring Reduction Day at the Gas Arabia Summit 2011 in Oman focuses on various operational, economic and environmental benefits of using Jenbacher gas engines for generating power through utilizing gas flare. A number of case studies from different parts of the world will also be presented to demonstrate how these projects are actually done in the field under different site conditions.

The Gas Arabia Summit 2011 has commenced at the Al Bustan Palace, A Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Muscat, Oman yesterday and will last till December 14, 2011.

Tamdeen Entertainment wins IAAPA Brass Ring 2011

Swedish heritage ur Swedish origins: It’s no accident that the IKEA logo is blue and yellow.

These are the colors of the Swedish flag. In Sweden, nature and the home both play a big part in people’s lives. In fact, one of the best ways to describe the Swedish home furnishing style is to describe nature - full of light and fresh air, yet restrained and unpretentious.

turing and developing power generation projects based on gas flaring reduction.”

GE Energy currently has more than 325 Jenbacher gas engines installed in 15 countries producing up to 470 Mega-Watts (MW) through capturing associated petroleum gas and using it as feedstock for power generation.

The Jenbacher gas engines in addition have enabled companies to generate electricity and heating on-site sparing the cost of diesel deliveries to remote areas. In addition, the engines provide an excellent way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, resulting from the consumption of diesel fuel.

According to satellite data released by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) in August 2009, there has been a significant decline in gas flaring in the Middle East from countries such as Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Syria and the UAE. “With climate change mitigation now high on top of the agenda of many national governments, we are seeing increasing commitment from governments to reduce gas flaring,” said Kamel. “At the same time, a number of national oil and gas companies are working with in emerging markets have set quantifiable targets for gas flaring reduction as they are becoming

the styles of modernism and functionalism were developing at the same time as Sweden was establishing a society founded on social equality. The IKEA product range - modern but not trendy, functional yet attractive, peoplefocused and child-friendly - carries on these Swedish home furnishing traditions.

Swedish lifestyle Many people associate Sweden with a fresh, healthy way of life. This Swedish lifestyle is reflected in the IKEA product range.

The freshness of the open air is reflected in the colors and materials used and the sense of space they create: blond woods, natural textiles and untreated surfaces. In a country that is cold and dark for much of the year, these light, bright living spaces create the sensation of summer sunshine indoors all year round.

Our Smaland roots The IKEA concept, like its founder, was born in Smaland. This is a part of southern Sweden where the soil is thin and poor. The people are famous for working hard, living on slender means and using their heads to make the best possible use of the limited resources they have. This way of doing things is at the heart of the IKEA approach to keeping prices low. But quality is not compromised for the sake of cost. Sweden has an international reputation for safety and quality you can rely on, and IKEA retailers take pride in offering the right quality in all situations.

Historical influences In the late 1800s, the artists Carl and Karin Larsson combined classical influences with warmer Swedish folk styles. They created a model of Swedish home furnishing design that today enjoys worldwide renown. In the 1950s

Swedish society IKEA was founded when Sweden was fast becoming an example of the caring society, where rich and poor alike were well looked after. This is also a theme that fits well with the IKEA vision.

KUWAIT: Tamdeen Entertainment Company, a subsidiary of Tamdeen Group, has won the “IAAPA Brass Ring 2011 Award” for being one of the Top Family Entertainment Centers of the world. Tamdeen Entertainment Company was classified, during the “IAAPA Attractions Expo 2011” held in Orlando, Florida as one of the leading companies in the entertainment industry on a global scale due to its outstanding facilities “Infunity”, “The Bowl Room” and “Freeze Club” located at the 360 Mall.

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) is the largest international trade association for permanently situated amusement facilities worldwide and is dedicated to the preservation and prosperity of the amusement industry.

IAAPA represents more than 4,000 facility, supplier, and individual members from more than 90 countries, including most amusement parks and attractions in the United States. IAAPA hosts four trade shows worldwide focused on the amusement park and attractions industry-IAAPA Attractions Expo in Florida, Asian Attractions Expo, and Euro Attractions Show.

It is worth noting that the Brass Ring award is granted annually for outstanding global companies that consider the highest standards of

quality in its services and products in the sectors of entertainment and marketing, human resources, retail trade, and development.

The award was received by Tamdeen Entertainment Company’s Chief Executive Officer Ahmad Dakheel Al-Osaimi who on

his part expressed his appreciation and pride, despite the short operational duration of the facilities since its opening, which reflects the position occupied by the company globally, allowing it to be at the forefront of specialized companies by adopting the highest interna-

Tamdeen Entertainment Company’s CEO Ahmad Dakheel Al-Osaimi receiving the award.

tional standards and placing the State of Kuwait on the world map in this specific industry.

It is worth mentioning that each of the three different entertainment centers at the 360 Mall provide a unique experience for visitors. The Family Entertainment Center “Infunity” is the newest and largest entertainment center in Kuwait, with an area of 5,500 square meters and includes a series of trend setting rides & attractions that suit all age groups. In addition to an area, designed specifically for children under the age of five as well as two rooms for private events & birthday parties, and a Food & Beverage concession and a fully equipped performance stage.

The second facility, “The Bowl Room”, covers an area of over 2,500 square meters and offers 16 hightech bowling alleys in addition to 4 alleys at the VIP Room which provide visitors more privacy characterized by its unique design and airspace.

Targeting the teenagers generation, the third facility, “Freeze Club”, occupies an area of 1,500 square meters and includes arcades & video games, Internet services zone, and pool tables. A seating area is also available for visitors who wish to spend the most enjoyable times while having snacks and refreshments.

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 Philippine peso Egyptian pounds

.2730000 .4300000 .3670000 .2960000 .2690000 .2800000 .0040000 .0020000 .0749570 .7302820 .3810000 .0700000 .7159100 .0040000 .0430000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES US Dollar/KD .2761000 GB Pound/KD .4324690 Euro .3694630 Swiss francs .2986800 Canadian dollars .2712580 Danish Kroner .0497080 Swedish Kroner .0410500 Australian dlr .2821740 Hong Kong dlr .0354770 Singapore dlr .2137820 Japanese yen .0035600 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 Pakistan rupee .0000000 Bangladesh taka .0000000 UAE dirhams .0752010 Bahraini dinars .7326520 Jordanian dinar .0000000 Saudi Riyal/KD .0736460 Omani riyals .7174220 Philippine Peso .0000000

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. ASIAN COUNTRIES

Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

3.598 5.337 3.154 2.436 3.341 213.250 35.672 3.580 6.336 8.873 0.271 0.273

.2795000 .4410000 .3760000 .3090000 .2790000 .2890000 .0072500 .0035000 .0757100 .7376220 .4010000 .0760000 .7231050 .0072000 .0530000 .2782000 .4357590 .3727730 .3009520 .2733210 .0500860 .0413620 .2843200 .0357470 .2154080 .0035870 .0053910 .0024520 .0031380 .0036270 .0757730 .7382250 .3934940 .0742060 .7228790 .0064250

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

GCC COUNTRIES 74.150 76.402 722.230 738.540 75.715

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

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 47.500 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 46.282 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.272 Tunisian Dinar 189.860 Jordanian Dinar 392.670 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.865 Syrian Lier 6.003 Morocco Dirham 33.814 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 277.950 Euro 370.650 Sterling Pound 431.930 Canadian dollar 268.420 Turkish lire 153.940 Swiss Franc 300.620 Australian dollar 277.000 US Dollar Buying 277.750 GOLD 315.500 159.000 81.500

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

COUNTRY

SELL CASH

Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal

285.000 737.620 3.800 274.900 544.800 44.800 51.300 167.800 48.360 375.500 36.350 5.810 0.032 0.213 0.241 3.680 393.900 0.188 90.430 46.400 4.270 218.900 1.797 49.500 720.420

SELL DRAFT

283.500 737.620 3.480 273.400

216.400 46.173 374.000 36.200 5.330 0.031

10 Tola

75.520 277.300

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Selling Rate

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

276.850 268.505 443.300 374.970 303.055 733.125 75.350 75.990 73.785 389.700 46.310 2.422 5.309 3.179 3.615 6.383 679.095 3.675 8.955 5.830 3.415 91.960

Rate per 1000 (Tran)

US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Yemeni Riyal Jordanian Dinars Syrian Pounds Euro Canadian Dollars Nepali rupee

Currency

Transfer Rate (Per 1000)

284.80 275.50 305.19 373.65

440.00 3.70 3.800 5.710 2.650 4.050 3.350 76.00 737.62 48.37 393.00 721.00 76.80 74.15

277.300 3.115 5.330 2.440 3.490 6.400 75.605 74.105 737.200 46.145 441.000 3.190 1.550 394.400 5.750 376.900 278.300 3.690

Al Mulla Exchange

UAE Exchange Center WLL Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro

436.81 3.62 3.505 5.309 2.434 3.327 3.114 75.48 737.61 46.14 394.51 720.68 76.47 74.04

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co.

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 436.600 277.300

Sterling Pound US Dollar

Currency

720.240

302.200 5.300 9.190

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

Currency

393.010 0.187 90.430 3.340 217.400

6.370 76.300 74.050 216.410 36.460 2.433 436.600

GOLD 1,793.240

Rate for Transfer

Bahrain Exchange Company

3.300.130 6.770 76.730 74.050 216.410 36.460 2.643 438.600 42.200 303.700 5.300 9.340 198.263 75.620 277.700 1.220

290.00 280.00 307.40 378.00

US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

Transfer Rate (Per 1000)

276.950 373.800 436.400 273.100 3.595 5.325 46.100 2.431 3.432 6.365 3.125 737.575 75.475 73.975

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SRX dashboard

SRX sunroof

Cadillac SRX

Upgraded 2012 Cadillac SRX arrives in Kuwait Yusuf A Alghanim Automotive, sole provider of Cadillac vehicles KUWAIT: Yusuf Ahmed Alghanim & Sons, the sole provider of Cadillac vehicles in Kuwait, is proud to present its customers with the upgraded 2012 Cadillac SRX. The Cadillac SRX, a fast-rising favorite among mid-size luxury crossovers, has received a significant upgrade for the 2012 model year.

A new 330-horsepower 3.6L directinjected V6 engine gives SRX the most standard power in its class and includes a driver-selectable ECO Mode which

sets revised shift points in the 6-speed HydraMatic automatic transmission for optimal fuel economy.

Another upgrade of the 2012 SRX includes a standard Bluetooth on all models and heated steering wheel. The SRX also includes HID headlamps with Adaptive Forward Lighting, Bose 5.1 surround sound with navigation, a fullcolor LCD Driver Info Center and a rearview camera system.

The SRX features an Advanced All-

Wheel Drive system with electronic limited slip rear differential that distributes power front-to-rear and moves power across the rear axle based on driving conditions and traction, delivering smooth ride quality. The SRX is certified with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) under the 2011 Top Safety Pick with industry-leading active and passive safety. It is designed to be safe during all stages of impact.

The safety package also includes GM’s

StabiliTrak electronic stability control, all-speed traction control, and fourchannel ABS. Additional safety features include standard head curtain side air bags, standard front seat-mounted pelvic/thorax side air bags, front safety belts with dual pretensioners and load limiters, rollover mitigation sensors, trailer stability assist and remote keyless access. Yusuf A. Alghanim & Sons Automotive is strongly committed to providing customers with world-class

ser vice. Cadillac owners may rest assured throughout their total ownership experience ser vice with the world’s largest and most advanced service center. The new Premium Care Program for Cadillac caters to every customer ’s needs and wants at all times enhancing the new standard of luxury ownership. To find out more about the Premium Care Program, visit or call the Yusuf A. Alghanim & Sons showroom at Al-Rai

Egypt inflation deepens challenge for cabinet Urban consumer prices up 9.1%

CHENGDU: Two workers clean the showcase at the French boutique of Louis Vuitton in Chengdu, the capital of China’s southwestern province of Sichuan yesterday. China is forecast to be the world’s top buyer of luxury products such as handbags, watches, shoes and clothes by 2015 and those living in smaller cities such as Chengdu in Sichuan province are driving the growth, analysts said. — AFP

ABK in support of healthy living It is with great pleasure that Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait announces their sponsorship of IHRSA conference being hosted on the 14th and 15th December at the Corniche Club in Kuwait. The IHRSA (International Health, Racquet and Sports Club Association) event was initiated in 2008 and is today an eagerly awaited, world-class seminar on health and fitness. The event is hosted by 5 key international industry experts, who will conduct seminars over the 2 days covering a full range of topics.

Topics include the power of self-belief, the most effective children’s exercise programs and how to ensure their success, childhood obesity and its related problems as well as the mechanics of exercising.

Stewart Lockie, General Manager - Retail Banking remarked ‘ABK continues its commitment to the well-being in Kuwait and as part of our social responsibility, has in the past hosted health awareness programs including blood donation drives and breast cancer awareness workshops. We are extremely proud to be the main sponsor of an internationally acclaimed event like the IHRSA conference, which focuses on health and personal development, as well as making the fitness and spa industry in Kuwait a profitable and cost-effective enterprise’.

Seminars at the conference also include discussions on 5 winning strategies to overcome generational differences in the workplace as well as effective ways to increase your business profits within the fitness industry and ‘game changes’ that will increase a Health club or spa profits by up to 250%! This event is a ‘must do’ for all owners and employees of

the flourishing fitness industry in Kuwait.

IHRSA’s conference is open to the general public and all interested parties including team members and management from health clubs across Kuwait, suppliers of fitness and health equipment and services, school teachers, researchers and the Corniche Club members, are invited to attend.

For more details on the event please visit http://alcornicheclub.com/. A manned ABK stand will be available at the main entrance of Corniche from 8th to 15th December to answer any of your questions regarding ABK products and services Please contact Ahlan Ahli at 1 899-899 or visit www.eahli.com for further details.

Stewart Lockie, General Manager - Retail Banking

Guinness bubble Muslim Man prompts global computational meeting KUWAIT: The Guinness bubble Muslim Man who made a story by doing simulation in a glass of Guinness is the main driving force for an International Computational Modeling Conference in Sydney (www.doncomputing.com/sydney-conference).

This young scientist, Dr Nurul Hasan, is the CEO of Don Computing. Scottish and Californian scientists acknowledged Dr. Hasan’s finding of bubbles going down in a beer glass. Dr. Nurul Hasan said “I don’t drink; however, I can simulation the bubbles in a glass”. Computational modeling held the answer of many mysteries.

He urges all simulation/design engineers should attend the Sydney Conference (http://doncomputing.com/participant-registration/) and the deadline for registration is

this week! Please call Sydney for more info: 0061-2-90372475.

Email Sydney-conference@doncomputing.com for more info. Who can participate?

Academics, Researchers, Industrial Engineers, Scientists, Students, CFD/FEA/Process Modeling/Reservoir Simulation users, Computational modeler, managers What Industry Can Attend? Oil and gas, Aerospace & Maritime, Automotive & Transportation, Environmental Flows-Water, Environmental Flows - Atmospheric, Air-conditioning & Industrial Ventilation, Turbo machinery, Pumps & Appliances, Combustion & Power Generation, Biomedical Flows, Chemical & Process, Electronics & Semiconductors, Food & Beverage, Mineral Processing, Refining & Smelting.

CAIRO: Inflation in Egypt’s faltering economy accelerated in November, putting pressure on Egypt’s new government to help millions of poor whose living costs were pushed up by supply chain failures even as incomes have been stagnating. Urban consumer prices climbed 9.1 percent in the 12 months to November, up from 7.1 percent in October, the state statistics agency said. Core inflation, which excludes volatile items, slowed from a year earlier but grew on a monthly basis. “Rising inflation in such a weak growth environment is a concern,” said HSBC Middle East economist Liz Martins.

Egypt’s economy is likely to have grown 0.5 percent in the third calendar quarter, but the situation has worsened since then, Capital Economics said in its latest research note.

“Interest rates have been hiked to support the currency, while the combination of protests and strikes

are likely to have disrupted business,” it said. “As a result, we would not be surprised if fourth-quarter GDP data are much weaker.” The relentless price growth makes grim reading for a new army-backed government sworn in last week.

Prime Minister K amal AlGanzouri faces the twin challenges of tumbling foreign reserves and a budget crunch that has pushed some government short-term borrowing rates above 15 percent, a record level that analysts say cannot be sustained.

The central bank unexpectedly raised benchmark lending and deposit rates for the first time in more than two years last month. It blamed upside inflation risks linked to supply bottlenecks and distribution channel distortions.

Economists said the bank was faced with little choice but a rate rise to ease pressure on the local pound currency. Since then, the pound has plumbed fresh seven-

year lows against the dollar.

Foreign reserves were $20.2 billion last month, down from $36 billion in December 2010.

The previous interim government of Essam Sharaf struggled with political turmoil and social unrest, and resigned during protests last month in the run-up to a parliamentary vote. Fears of worsening violence have abated since the star t of the staggered elec tion passed off smoothly. Central bank Governor Farouk el-Okdah said at the weekend that reserves would rise in coming months because the new government is making security a top priority, and that would have a direct influence on tourism and foreign investment.

“The value of foreign currency in the central bank will witness an increase in the coming few months in view of its direct correlation to tourism and foreign investment and the correlation of all of this to the security situation,” he said.

Al Tijari announces winners of daily draw with Najma Account KUWAIT: Commercial Bank of Kuwait held the Al Najma Account draw on December 11, 2011. The draw was held under the supervision of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry represented by Muteab Al-Mutairi.

The winners of the Al Najma Daily Draw are :Amnah Masha Allah Mohammed Boshehri — KD 7000, Salema Saad Eid Al-Ruwaiei — KD 7000, Niyaz Jool Ajab Jool — KD 7000, Sana’a Jassim Khaled Al-Khalifah — KD 7000, Fahad Mohammed Saad Al-Azmi — KD 7000.

The Commercial Bank of Kuwait announces the biggest daily draw in Kuwait with the launch of the new Najma account. Customers of the bank can now enjoy a KD 7,000 daily prize

which is the highest in the country and another 4 mega prizes during the year worth KD 100,000 each on different occasions: The National Day, Eid Al-Fitr, Eid Al-Adha and on the 19th of June which is the date of the bank’s establishment.

With a minimum balance of KD 500, customers will be eligible for the daily draw provided that the money is in the account one week prior to the daily draw or 2 months prior to the mega draw. In addition, for each KD 25 a customer can get one chance for winning instead of KD 50.

Commercial Bank of Kuwait takes this opportunity to congratulate all lucky winners and also extends appreciation to the Ministr y of Commerce and Industry for their effective supervision of the draws which were conducted in an orderly and organized manner.

Gulf Bank moves to become ‘smoke-free’ Healthier workplace by outlawing smoking KUWAIT: Gulf Bank has taken steps to becoming ‘Smoke -Free’ by banning smoking completely at all its premises to enhance the working environment for the Bank’s customers and its staff.

The Bank’s ‘Smoke-Free’ approach is in line with its corporate strategy to provide a clean and comfortable environment for customers and employees, as well as a better banking experience. All Gulf Bank branches will have ‘No Smoking’ signs installed to inform customers and employees about this.

An overwhelming majority of customers have indicated that they prefer a

non-smoking environment while performing transactions at branches. As a responsible financial institution in Kuwait, the Bank is committed to the well-being of its community. Gulf Bank believes introducing a no smoking approach across all branches and Head Office premises will benefit customers’ and employees’ health, as well as providing a more comfortable environment in which customers can carry out their business. Gulf Bank will continue exploring new ways in which to enhance customers’ experience as well as providing a cleaner work-place for its employees.

The new government was putting security at the top of its concerns, Okdah added.

Foreign investors are still loath to return unless the government shows it can draw funds to stave off a budget crunch. Sharaf ’s cabinet negotiated a $3.2 billion facility with the International Monetary Fund earlier this year, only to turn it down in the summer. Since then Egyptian officials have sent conflicting messages about whether they still wants the funds.

“The resignation of the government just before the election has cast further doubt on the timing of any IMF funds being disbursed, if indeed they materialize at all,” said Martins. Annual core inflation was 7.04 percent in November, slowing from 7.6 percent in October, the central bank said. It grew by 1.0 percent month on month. Core inflation strips out subsidized goods and volatile items including fruit and vegetables. — Reuters

Egypt’s economic woes mount CAIRO: The success of Islamist parties in Egypt’s elections could aggravate an already serious economic crisis in the Arab world’s most populous nation, analysts say. Since an uprising in January and February that toppled the 30-year regime of Hosni Mubarak, attention has mostly focused on the political upheaval in a nation at the heart of the Arab Spring.

All the while, however, the economy has been on the slide, with violence scaring off vital holidaymakers and foreign investors choosing to place their money elsewhere. The success of Islamist parties including hardline fundamentalists in the first stage of elections for a new parliament, which concluded last week, risks exacerbating both of these trends. “The collapse of foreign currency reserves and the decline in tourism seriously complicates the economic situation,” said Samer Suleiman, economics professor at the American University of Cairo.

“The large scores of Islamist parties in the first phase of elections will make investors nervous,” he added. The biggest winner in the election was the more moderate Muslim Brotherhood movement, which won 36.6 percent of party votes, while the ultra-conservative fundamentalist AlNur party picked up a surprisingly strong 24.4 percent. Both are committed to instituting Islamic or sharia law, and have sent conflicting signals about their approach to the economy and the tourism sector. Some of the more conservative elements speak about banning mixed-sex beaches, alcohol and even bikinis, while party leaders have sought to reassure that tourists would not be subjected to more restrictions.

For investors, who seek a stable environment for their businesses, the uncertainty is a major deterrent. Foreign investments are about a third this year at $2.2 billion of the $6.8 billion registered in 2010.

Mohsen Rechad, a tourist guide and owner of a small hotel in Cairo, is worried, citing comments made from some followers of the strict Salafi brand of Islam that would scare off his customers. “This Islamist wave will have a negative impact on the tourism industry, especially if they decide to legislate against alcohol or certain clothes, especially on the coast,” he said.

About 15 million tourists visited Egypt last year, bringing vital foreign currency to the country and supporting businesses in the tourist hots pots of Cairo and the Red Sea coast. About 1,000 employees in the sector demonstrated last Friday to draw attention to their difficulties and the antitourist declarations of some Islamists. As holidaymakers head elsewhere, foreign reserves in Egypt have fallen from $36 billion at the beginning of the year to $20 billion. By February, they are projected to fall to $15 billion, a level at which it will become difficult to pay for imports such as wheat, analysts say.

Egypt is the world’s biggest wheat importer, buying about 10 million tons a year on international markets. The army, which has a host of business interests, announced on December 1 it had lent the central bank $1 billion from its own funds to help shore up its finances. — AFP

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KSE impetus fizzles off GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) failed to follow the Saudi and international markets’ momentum and ended the first trading session of the week on a weaker note. Only a few stocks managed to close the day at higher prices while large capitalization stocks were either down or flat.

Global General Index (GGI) ended the session down by 0.78 percent at 181.24 point.

Market Capitalization was down for the day reaching KD29.63bn. On the other hand, KSE Price Index closed at 5,853.30 point, shedding 0.75 percent from its previous close.

Market breadth During the session, 97 companies were traded. Market breadth was skewed towards decliners as 48 equities retreated versus 20 that advanced. Trading activities also went down yesterday. Total volume traded retreated by 16.86 percent with 163.1mn shares changing hands at a total value of KD26.3mn (27.95 percent lower compared to Thursday’s session).

Investment sector was the volume leader.

The sector accounted for 33.66 percent of total shares exchanges. International Financial Advisors (IFA) was the most traded stock in the sector with 18.9mn shares exchanged. The banking sector was the value leader, having 48.89 percent of total traded value. Gulf Bank toped the value leaders list of the day with a total value of KD12.1mn.

In terms of top gainers, Equipment Holding Company was the top gainer for the day, adding 9.62 percent to its share value and closing at KD0.057. On the other hand, Kuwait National Cinema Company shed 8.33 percent and closed at KD0.990 making it the biggest decliner in the market.

Sectors-wise Banking stocks were major decliners, with Global Banking Index losing 1.09 percent of its value. Five of the Kuwaiti banks stocks lost some value with Commercial Bank of Kuwait losing the most, down by 2.53 percent.

Heavyweights, National Bank of Kuwait and Kuwait Finance House were also seen down by 1.72 percent and 1.11 percent, respectively.

The sector was the most value traded for the day, accounting for almost 49 percent of the value traded (KD12.7mn worth of shares

traded). Alone, Gulf Bank saw KD12.1mn worth of shares traded (23.64mn shares exchanged) but ended the day flat at KD0.510.

Services Sector Index was the second biggest loser, shedding 0.85 percent of its value. Heavyweight telecom stocks negatively weight on the index.

Zain stock lost 1.10 percent of its value, closing at KD0.900 while Wataniya Telecom ended the day down by 1.02 percent at KD1.940. The industrial sector followed, losing 0.79 percent of its index value. National Industries Group (Holding) was the biggest decliner in the sector, down by 3.70 percent.

On the other side, Equipment Holding Company topped the gainers list for the day, adding 9.62 percent to its share value. The same sector witnessed the de-listing of Gulf Rocks Company.

Based on the results of the Ordinar y Annual General Meeting held on December 14, 2010, the company announced its final withdrawal from Kuwait Stock Exchange. It also announced the suspension of trading of its shares starting from December 11, 2011 due to weak trading on its stock.

Corporate news Further to its previous announcement dated October 10, 2011 on the capital call of National Cleaning Company (NCC), Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) declares that the company re-opened subscription to the remaining shares during the period from Wednesday, November 30, 2011 till December 11, 2011.

Shareholders of record on October 11, 2011 have the right to subscribe to the secondary offering effected on KCC. STC Group announced that it will begin procedures to list the shares of Kuwait Telecom Company (VIVA), an STC Group Company in the Kuwaiti Stock Exchange. This listing is an execution of the Amiri Decree number 187/2007 following the rules and regulations of the Kuwaiti Stock Exchange allowing customers to trade their stocks in the Kuwaiti Stock Exchange. STC Group CEO, Eng Saud bin Majed Al-Daweesh highlighted that the agreement was concluding at VIVA headquarter with NBK Capital to manage the listing. Combined Group Contracting Company (CGC) announced that its Abu Dhabi-based branch was awarded tender No C-10004-004 CMW, worth AED58.2mn (nearly KD4.4mn), by the General Command of UAE Armed Forces in Abu Dhabi.

UAE markets rise on MSCI upgrade hopes DUBAI: UAE markets closed higher yesterday amid rising investor sentiment on a possible upgrade by index compiler MSCI and an expected opening up of Saudi Arabia’s market to direct foreign investment.

Dubai’s index rose 0.9 percent, trimming 2011 losses to 14.3 percent. Emaar Properties gained 3.3 percent, Emirates NBD advanced 1.6 percent and contractor Arabtec climbed 2.7 percent.

MSCI will announce on Dec. 14 whether it will upgrade UAE and Qatar to emerging market status from frontier markets, having delayed its decision from June, a move that could help attract foreign investment. “Some of the institutionals believe that there might be a positive decision from MSCI and even if there isn’t, they will lose nothing,” said Samer AlJaouni, general manager of Middle East Financial Brokerage Company. “Taking into consideration that prices are low, investors can take advantage of any possible gains.” Abu Dhabi’s benchmark climbed 0.7 percent with banks supporting. National Bank of Abu Dhabi rose 1.9 percent and First Gulf Bank climbed 1.6 percent. The markets also was helped by hopes for a knock-on benefit from fresh funds into Saudi Arabia’s stock market.

Sources said the kingdom’s Capital Market Authority wants to allow direct ownership of local shares by foreign investors that manage at least $5 billion of assets. “It might encourage (foreign) fund managers to devote more attention to the whole region,” said Paul Gamble, head of research at Riyadh-based Jadwa Investment. In Oman, local institutional buying helped lift the index to a 10-week closing high, rising 0.8 percent. Analysts said attractive valuations and expectations for high-yield dividend are boosting buying. Bank Muscat gained 1.1 percent and Oman Telecommunications rose 1.2 percent. “Overall, we believe the riskreward ratio is turning positive looking at the medium term,” said Kanaga Sundar, Gulf Baader Capital Markets head of research. “We saw accumulation across the frontline counters from the local institutions.”

Elsewhere, Saudi Arabia’s index slipped 0.2 percent from Saturday’s four-month

high. Some investors booked profits and some took positions in large-cap stocks ahead of their annual results.

“Money is shifting from insurance to chemicals and banks, but the amount (invested) is stable,” said Tarek Al Mady, a Riyadh-based financial analyst. “We’ll start to know the companies’ results soon and people are building (positions) before them.” Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) shed 0.5 percent, Saudi Arabian Fertilizers slipped 1.7 percent and Al Rajhi Bank dipped 0.4 percent.

In Kuwait, the index slipped 0.2 percent, down 15.8 percent so far in 2011 as political instability weighed. Kuwait’s amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah dissolved parliament last week after the government was forced to resign in one of the deepest political crises in the oilexporting state.

“Overall, the sentiment is still negative because of political instability,” a Kuwaitbased trader said on condition of anonymity. “While in the past, the parliament being dissolved was taken as a positive and progressive step, the difference this time is that you don’t have a government.” The market may see an upside if a new parliament is elected with new members, the trader added.

DUBAI: The index rose 0.9 percent to 1,397 points.

ABU DHABI: The index climbed 0.7 percent to 2,459 points.

OMAN: The index gained 0.8 percent to 5,605 points.

SAUDI ARABIA: The index slipped 0.2 percent to 6,288 points.

KUWAIT: The measure slipped 0.2 percent to 5,853 points.

EGYPT: The measure shed 0.2 percent to 3,964 points.

QATAR: The benchmark eased 0.02 percent to 8,807 points.

BAHRAIN: The measure eased 0.07 percent to 1,157 points. — Reuters

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A lack of direction in forex markets NBK MONEY MARKETS REPORT KUWAIT: The US dollar had a mixed performance against its major counterparts towards the end of the week as investors awaited the outcome of the ECB interest rate decision and watched closely the EU Economic Summit. Meanwhile, the Euro opened the week at 1.3422 and came under pressure as the S&P credit rating agency threatened to downgrade 15 Euro nations driving the currency to a low of 1.3331. The Euro then recouped and range traded between 1.3350 and 1.3440 towards Thursday. The single currency gained momentum as the ECB announced that it lowered the key lending rate but quickly lost its drive as the ECB president played down expectations of a bond-purchase program. The Euro closed the week at 1.3479. Similarly, the sterling pound traded in a volatile manner, dropping to 1.5559 at the beginning of the week amid an unexpected drop in house prices. The pound recouped to reach 1.5770 after a better-than-expected GDP estimate, but quickly lost grounds as the BoE kept their bond purchase program and key lending rate unchanged.

Cable closed the week at 1.5662. The Japanese Yen range traded throughout the week between 77.62 and 77.83 but broke the range to drop to 77.13 after the ECB decision, the Yen returned to its previous range and closed the week at 77.13. Finally, the Australian dollar gained against the greenback towards the end of the week to reach a high of 1.0378. The Aussie slipped to a low of 1.0048 and closed the week at 1.0213.

The services sector expanded at

a slower pace than anticipated in November, while Factory Orders dropped signaling a slump in manufacturing activity. The ISM NonManufacturing index dropped to 52.0 from the previous 52.9 in October. A figure above 50 indicates expansion. In parallel, Factory Orders fell for the second straight month, adding concerns that the manufacturing sector, which has supported the economic recovery, is starting to slowdown.

Orders fell by 0.4% after a 0.1% drop in September.

Unemployment claims Fewer Americans filed for jobless benefits last week, an indication that the labor market may be gaining momentum. Applications for jobless benefits decreased by 23,000 claims to 381,000 the lowest level since February, versus market expectations of a drop to 395,000. The number of people still receiving unemployment claims also decreased.

The trade deficit in the US narrowed in October by 1.6% to $43.5 billion, the lowest level since the beginning of the year. Imports of capital goods and consumer goods climbed, showing spending by Americans is keeping the US economy growing. On the other hand, exports to China and South and Central America reached record highs indicating that demand from developing countries may cushion the US from the European debt crisis.

Confidence among US consumers rose more than forecasted in December to a 6-month high. The

University of Michigan preliminary index rose to 67.7 against the forecasted 65.8, higher than last months’ figure of 64.1. Gradual improvements in the labor markets and falling gasoline prices were the main driver of stabilizing Americans’ confidence in the economy.

EU economic summit European leaders agreed to sign an intergovernmental treaty that would require them to enforce stricter fiscal and financial discipline

in their future budgets. Additionally they pledged to provide Ä200 billion to the IMF. In a treaty hailed by the ECB President Mario Draghi, the leaders outlined a “fiscal compact” to prevent future debt run-ups, accelerated the start of a planned euro500 billion rescue fund and dropped private sector involvement. “It’s a very good outcome for euro-area members and it’s going to be the basis for a good fiscal compact and more disciplined economic policy in euro-

area countries,” added Draghi. On the other hand, the Euro weakened and bonds from Italy and Spain fell amid fears that the measures failed to address investors’ concerns.

Efforts to get unanimity among the 27 members of the European Union, as desired by Germany, failed as the UK exercised their veto right and three other nations asked to go back to their parliaments. Importantly, all 17 members of the European Union that use the euro agreed to the new treaty, along with six other countries

low of 1%. Additionally, the central bank is offering 3-year financing to banks and relaxed the rules on the collateral it requires from banks to access its funds. In a conference after the decision, the ECB president Mario Draghi, disappointed markets by playing down expectations that the bank would boost its bond purchases.

who wish to join the currency union one day.

France and Germany helped offset declining spending in Spain and Portugal. Sales rose 0.4% from September, when they dropped by 0.6%. Meanwhile, economists expected a gain of 0.1%.

Additionally, European households may cut spending as governments step up austerity measures in an attempt to contain the regions debt crisis while unemployment reached record highs last month.

German industrial production

ECB rate decision The European Central Bank lowered its key lending rate for a second straight month, in-line with market expectations. The move confirms growing concerns over the impact of the European debt crisis on the region’s economic outlook. Policy makers voted to slash the rate by 0.25%, lowering it back to the record

Retail sales Retail Sales rose more than expected in October, as gains in

rose more than expected in October gaining for the first time in three months as the debt crisis threatens to pull Europe’s largest economy into recession. Industrial production climbed 0.8% after dropping by 2.8% in September. Similarly, German factory orders surged the most in 19 months in October after three straight declines, led by a rebound in demand from overseas.

Orders jumped by 5.2% from dropping by 4.6% in September.

Germany faces a possible recession as the debt crisis and the slowdown in global growth dampen demand for its products.

Britain’s dominant services sector picked up slightly last month, against expectations that it would show signs of stagnation. The Purchasing Managers’ Index for the service sector rose to 52.1 in November from 51.3 in October, versus expectations for a dip to 50.5 and edging further above the 50 mark that separates growth from contraction.

UK manufacturing output fell more than expected in October as the intensifying European debt crisis diluted demand in Britain’s biggest export market. Factory output dropped 0.7% from September, the biggest decline since April.

Manufacturers are suffering as the sovereign debt crisis and a slowing global economy put at risk the outlook for exports.

Kuwait Kuwaiti dinar at 0.27665 The USDKWD opened at 0.27665 yesterday morning.

China’s Hu promises to tackle trade imbalances Beijing marks 10th anniversary of WTO accession

BEIJING: A girl runs through a park, before the Beijing skyline yesterday.

China’s economy is expected to grow 8.9 percent next year which would be the slowest pace in more than a decade, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a state-run think tank, said this week. —AFP

The day Europe lost patience with Britain BRUSSELS: It was billed as a summit to save the euro. It may be remembered as the day Europe lost patience with Britain, as most of the continent threw its lot in with EU founding members France and Germany and committed to binding their economies ever more tightly.

There was plenty of talk of history in the making in the week before the Dec 8/9 gathering of European Union leaders - the eighth this year. But it was all about the currency and whether it would survive the strains of a debt crisis that over the past two years has engulfed Greece, spread to Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy and now threatens France and even mighty Germany.

As the summit began, there was no hint of the drama that was to come in the early hours of Friday, the moment when Europe split, 26 against one, after about 10 hours of talks.

Britain has always had an uneasy relationship with its EU partners, choosing not to join the single currency or sign the open borders Schengen treaty and often kicking against what it sees as Brussels “interference”.

But this was a low point. The first time in 39 years that a British prime minister had used a veto to block an EU agreement. David Cameron cast it as a bold and necessary decision to protect British interests. Most of the rest of Europe appeared to regard it as reckless and went a different way. Hours later, when the leaders briefly reconvened to finish their discussions, Cameron cut a lonely figure. French President Nicolas Sarkozy appeared to avoid an extended hand as Cameron walked to his seat.

The build up to this last summit of the year had been much like the previous seven. The language had been recognizable too, even if market pressures had added an unprecedented degree of urgency to glacial EU decision making. Overnight borrowing from the European Central Bank hit its highest level since March at the start of December, showing the degree of tension amongst banks.

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner had spent several days in Europe before the summit.

The United States, like all of Europe’s trade partners, had been watching the accelerating debt crisis with profound concern, worried for their own economies and banks.

In meetings with the head of the ECB, Mario Draghi, and euro-zone finance ministers the conversation was all about the two-year-old

debt crisis and how to resolve it. The issues: the role of the ECB, how far should or would it stand behind countries to buy them breathing space, the scale of the euro zone’s rescue fund, the part to be played by the IMF, and should the EU let private bondholders off the hook.

Geithner spent time in Frankfurt, Berlin, Paris, Marseille and Milan. London didn’t figure on his itinerary. During the same week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Sarkozy spoke frequently and met in person. There were contacts with Spain’s incoming Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. Draghi was closely involved in discussions at all stages, insiders say. Once more, Cameron was peripheral.

Immediately before the summit, the U.S. assessment of Europe’s progress was, in broad terms, they know what they need to do but they need to work out how they’re going to do it. As one U.S. official put it, fixing the flaws of the 13-year-old single currency - a monetary union without coordinated budget policy could not happen overnight. But the Europeans were moving closer to addressing the problem at its root.

That assessment captured well the mood in the hours heading into the latest in a long line of “crunch” summits. Germany - Europe’s biggest economy - was intent on changing the European Union’s treaty to enshrine stricter budget discipline and penalties for countries that failed to adhere to them, to ensure there could be no repeat of the current crisis. From the German perspective, only by reforming economies, cutting social benefits and working longer would the indebted members of the euro zone and the single currency emerge from the turmoil. Printing money would buy only a temporary respite and would remove the incentive to reform.

France was ready to back Germany in a push for full-blown treaty change, but really favored the idea of an intergovernmental treaty - akin to a sideline agreement - among the 17 euro-zone members, anchoring the single currency and its members at the heart of a new Europe.

Britain’s prime minister, under pressure from a sizeable anti-EU element in his own party, set off for the Brussels meeting straight from his son’s school nativity play, having promised during a particularly raucous session of parliament the previous day that he would defend Britain’s interests at the summit. —Reuters

BEIJING: Chinese President Hu Jintao pledged yesterday to resolve trade imbalances with nations that have huge deficits with the Asian powerhouse, as China marked the tenth anniversary of its accession to the WTO. In a speech in Beijing, Hu said China was not intentionally seeking a trade surplus-a bugbear for major trade partners such as the United States who say Beijing’s exports are cheap because its currency is undervalued.

“We will strengthen economic cooperation with countries that have substantial trade deficits with China, and work together with them to gradually resolve trade imbalances,” Hu said in the Great Hall of the People. “We will... actively expand imports to drive the transformation of the foreign trade pattern in a bid to promote the basic balance of international payments. We do not deliberately pursue a trade surplus.”

The United States has recently stepped up criticism of what it says are unfair Chinese trade practices, in the face of deep US voter anger over high unemployment and the state of the economy.

Some US lawmakers have criticised China’s yuan currency, which they say is grossly undervalued, and therefore fuels the US trade deficit and costs US jobs. US President Barack Obama-striving for re-election next November-said last month that Beijing had not done enough to allow the yuan to reach a fair market value and called on a now “grown up” China to act more responsibly.

But last week, Vice President Xi Jinping-widely touted to take over from Hu in 2013 — urged the United States to “curb its tendency of politicizing economic issues”.

On Saturday, official data showed China’s trade surplus had narrowed to $14.5 billion in November from $17 billion in October. The nation’s overall imports outstripped expectations, expanding by 22.1 percent to $159.94 billion in November, up

total retail sales in China were expected to grow at an annual rate of over 15 percent in the next five years and reach 32 trillion yuan ($5 trillion) in 2015, making it one of the world’s largest domestic markets.

“It is estimated that China’s total

exports and imports rise nearly fivefold. The Asian powerhouse’s share of global trade has also jumed from 4.3 to 10.4 percent. But analysts say many obstacles remain for foreign firms wanting to invest in the world’s second-largest economy, in key sectors such as renew-

BEIJING: Chinese president Hu Jintao delivers his speech during the high level forum on the tenth anniversary of China’s accession to the World Trade Organization at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing yesterday. —AFP from the $140.46 billion recorded a month earlier, according to the data.

Exports also rose year-on-year, but analysts said the rate of increase was slowing, further fuelling concerns that China’s export-driven economy will be heavily affected by turmoil in the key markets of Europe and the United States.

To counter this, Beijing is pushing to expand its domestic demand. Hu said yesterday that

imports will exceed eight trillion dollars in the next five years, which will bring enormous opportunities to countries around the world,” he said.

Hu acknowledged that China’s decade-long membership of the World Trade Organization (WTO) had helped power its blistering growth, and said it had also benefited its trading partners.

Since it joined the WTO on December 11, 2001, China has seen its GDP almost quadruple and

able energy.

Hu said China would be more “proactive” in opening up to the outside world, and pinpointed the nation’s coastal and Western regions as areas where foreign firms should invest.

But he also called on China’s trading partners to implement measures to help the Asian giant, such as relaxing their controls on high-tech exports to China and facilitating Chinese firms’ outward investment. —AFP

Oman stress-tests banks to limit euro crisis impact ABU DHABI: Oman has started implementing stress tests in its banking sector to limit the impact of the euro zone crisis and a feared global recession, a senior central bank official said yesterday.

“Some banks are already doing their stress scenarios and the central bank is also conducting stress tests in the banking system,” Abdulrahman Ibrahim Al-Balushi, senior manager at the Banking Examination Department of Oman’s Central Bank, told Reuters.

“Directly or indirectly there will be some impact in our region from the euro zone crisis. So we will tell the banks to catch up with whatever is happening on a global scale.”

Balushi said there was no specific time frame or deadline for the implementation of the stress tests for banks. “We are encouraging the banks to continuously do it and not just for a specific amount of time,” he said on

the sidelines of an Arab Monetary Fund meeting on banking supervision in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

Balushi also said that Oman would not need to adopt any new liquidity measures currently. “As far as liquidity is concerned, there is not any change because we are not amongst those countries which face liquidity issues... Our overseas exposure is very limited.

The local market is highly liquid and we don’t have any problems in this regard.”

Gulf states should be largely unaffected by the euro-zone debt crisis as their banks have minimal exposure to the bloc’s debt, the head of Oman’s central bank said in November.

Analysts polled by Reuters in September expect the sultanate’s economy to expand by 4.0 percent this year and 4.2 percent in 2012, helped by the government’s increased infrastructure spending, after estimated 4.2 per-

cent growth in 2010.

Loans and deposits are expected to grow in Oman’s banking system in 2012, Balushi said.

“We’re focusing on credit risk, this is the major challenge,” he added. Total credit in the small non-OPEC oil producer grew by 12.8 percent year-on-year at the end of August, after 13.1 percent in the previous month, central bank data showed.

Rating agency Standard & Poors (S&P) revised its BICRA (Banking Industry Country Risk Assessment) methodology and affirmed its score on Qatar at 4, but changed the BICRA score on Kuwait and Oman from 5 to 4, Saudi Arabia from 3 to 2, UAE from 4 to 5 and Bahrain from 5 to 6. A BICRA is scored on a scale from 1 to 10, ranging from the lowest-risk banking systems (group 1) to the highest-risk (group 10). —Reuters

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business

Graft fuels Indonesia’s infrastructure woes JAKARTA: When Indonesia’s longest suspension bridge suddenly collapsed last month, killing more than 20 people, allegations immediately surfaced that corruption was behind the disaster.

Police have come up with little explanation as to why the 720-metre-long (2,400-foot-long) structure on Borneo island-built just 10 years ago to resemble San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge-gave way, sending dozens of vehicles into the river.

But they are investigating accusations by the country’s corruption-fighting commission and others that the materials used were of poorer quality and cheaper than the construction company claimed.

“The bridge collapse is one example of how quality is being compromised by corruption, where A-grade materials are substituted with lower-grade ones. That’s very dangerous,” Indonesian Chamber of Commerce chairman Suryo Bambang Sulisto told AFP. “It’s common for corruption to happen at all stages in Indonesian infrastructure projects, whether it’s during the tender process or extortion along the way.” After the incident, parliament called for an audit of every major bridge in

the country, in which East Java province alone found nine on the brink of buckling.

As developed countries remain in the economic doldrums, overseas investors have taken a keen interest in Indonesia, with foreign direct investment expected to top $20 billion by the year end.

A wealth of natural resources and a burgeoning middle class that fuels Indonesia’s economic expansion, forecast to reach 6.5 percent this year, make the country an attractive prospect.

But investors consistently cite corruption as a major deterrent and bemoan the lack of reliable infrastructure, with companies often forced to build their own roads, bridges, railways and ports to do business in the sprawling archipelago of 17,000 islands. Indonesia’s 2011-2025 development plan calls for around $440 billion of investment in highways, harbors and power plants, and to tackle crippling traffic in major cities. London-based risk consultancy Business Monitor International (BMI) says high levels of corruption have “severely impeded investment in the country’s infrastructure from non-public sources”. “Although the Indonesian government is working hard to attract private investors, there is still an underlying threat of corruption

and a lack of transparency in the tendering process,” a BMI report said. A World Bank analysis found corruption could add up to 20 percent to the existing costs of projects in Indonesia.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has won two elections on promises to tackle graft in one of the most corrupt countries in Asia, but critics say he has failed to make any genuine difference to the culture of graft and impunity. A Gallup poll released in October found that 91 percent of Indonesians believe corruption in government is widespread, compared to 84 percent in 2006.

At a function to mark International AntiCorruption Day on Friday, Yudhoyono called for action and told law enforcers to go after the big fish. “We should not make this event a ceremonial thing, but let’s use it to reflect and improve our efforts to eradicate corruption in this country, especially during my term,” he said, according to his official website. “What we need is action,” he said, calling on anti-corruption activists and leaders of NGOs to help eradicate graft.

But corruption is an old and deep-seated problem, said economist Sri Adiningsih from Gadjah Mada University.

“Here in Indonesia, it is a common practice for businessmen to bribe officials to get a project,” Adiningsih told AFP. “The government have actually placed layers of preventive measures to deal with this problem. However, we are still lacking efforts in law enforcement,” she said.

“It is very difficult to tackle this widespread practice since the younger civil servants tend to follow the common practice as soon as they are involved in the system.”

Indonesia has set up several bodies to tackle graft and the country‘s corruption ranking has improved slightly to 100 from 110 last year, out of 183 countries, according to a report by Transparency International last week. Poor infrastructure has also elevated distribution costs, so that a 50-kilogram (110-pound) sack of cement which sells for around $9 in Jakarta can cost as much as $130 in the remote and poorly connected eastern Papua region. “Logistics costs, which normally account for five to six percent of production costs, can eat up between 10 to 15 percent in Indonesia,” Indonesian Employers Association chairman Sofjan Wanandi told AFP. “If this goes on, Indonesians will likely start importing more goods instead of producing locally,” he added. — AFP

Paris: US threat of Airbus sanctions move excessive Unilateral decision not possible: Minister PARIS: A US move to ask the World Trade Organization for permission to impose trade sanctions on Airbus, after rejecting a European Union plan to eliminate subsidies, is “excessive and premature”, France’s Trade Minister said yesterday.

The US said on Friday it would ask the WTO to impose sanctions that could total $7 billion to $10 billion annually, marking a low point in the world’s biggest trade dispute, largely centered on European aid for the Airbus A350 aircraft. “This reaction is excessive and premature,” a statement from Trade Minister Pierre

Lellouche’s office said. “In any case, the US can neither determine unilaterally if the European Union has put into action the conclusions of the Airbus (compliance) panel, nor is it allowed by the WTO to impose sanctions.”

An end to the battle over aircraft subsidies could be some way off and a negotiated settlement may be the most likely outcome.

The EU has its own case against US support for Boeing , and resolving that will be part of the final mix. But US officials exploited a tactical advantage derived from the fact the WTO has already issued a final ruling in the US case

against Airbus subsidies, while the EU case against Boeing subsidies is pending.

“We are very confident with regard to the outcome of this (EU) case ... for which the conclusions should be released soon,” Lellouche said. The transatlantic aircraft dispute is the world’s largest trade fight, affecting more than 100,000 jobs in an airplane market worth more than $2 trillion. In early December, the EU presented a plan to comply with a WTO appellate body ruling against European government support for Airbus in a case brought

by Washington in 2004. — Reuters

EU’s poorest region teeters on the brink YAKIMOVO, Bulgaria: The bare fields, the empty roads, the ruined houses and the shuttered schools say it all. Welcome to Bulgaria’s rural northwest, officially the poorest region in the European Union.

“There is almost no socioeconomic indicator on which this region does not come last, both in Bulgaria and the EU,” Deputy Regional Minister Nikolay Nankov told AFP in a recent interview. “It’s not a rosy picture out there.” In the 1970s and 1980s, the region saw massive industrialization, making goods solely for the communist-era Comecon market. But when the Iron Curtain fell 20 years ago, the factories closed.

Since then, people have become a rarity, with depopulation and ageing taking a grim toll on the small towns, and notably the vil-

lages, leaving the once buzzing schools, stately churches and huge cooperative farms in ruins. “Oh, this was a big village of 9,000 people but it all went to hell,” 77-year-old Nikola Georgiev told AFP in the village of Yakimovo, at the heart of Bulgaria’s northwest, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of the capital Sofia.

Now the village has just 2,000 souls.

Unemployment in the local area, where the population now is just 4,300, hit 54.6 percent in September, the highest in the country, media reports said.

“I ache for it, I ache for Bulgaria, for my favorite granddaughter who emigrated to Italy looking for a job. I hope our kids come back home some day,” Georgiev said. There is little work to be found in the nearby towns of

SOFIA: An elderly woman looks through the gate of her house in the village of Chichil, some 100 km (60 miles) north of the capital Sofia, at the heart of Bulgaria’s northwestern region. — AFP

Montana and Vratsa, nor in Vidin, further west, where the lonely smoke stacks of long-shut factories are the sole remnant of the region’s industrial past.

Smoking house chimneys and the smell of burning coal have taken over instead, as people turned to the cheapest means of heating.

Unemployment in the three towns ranged between 17.6 and 19.9 percent in the first half of 2011, or almost twice the national average of 10.3 percent.

Farming is the main economic activity now in this corner of the fertile Danube valley, but because of outdated farming techniques, crop yields are low.

As a result, the northwest formed just 7.4 percent of the country’s gross domestic product in 2009, compared to 48.3 percent for the richest southwestern region, and attracted a mere 2.4 percent of all foreign investment.

The massive demographic slump and severe ageing are also to blame, Nankov said, recounting a “horrifying” 18.3-percent drop in the region’s population between the 2001 and 2011 censuses.

“What children? There are no children here,” 61-year-old unemployed Detelin Andreev shrugged outside the ruin of the local school in the village of Voynitsa, near Vidin. “It’s only pensioners and unemployed, buying food on tick all the time,” the local grocer, who refused to give her name, told AFP in her scantily stocked shop. The picture was even bleaker on the western arc of the region along the border with Serbia.

“There is no grocery here. Our children come once in a while to bring us food and check if we’re alive. There is a bus Tuesdays and Thursdays and we sometimes use it to call a doctor,” 70-year-old Nadezhda Pesheva said in the village of Chichil. What if you fall ill on any other day? “You go where we all will go, to God the Father,” she added, pointing at the village cemetery. —AFP

ATHENS: A tourist crossing the street as protesters clash with riot police during a 48-hour general strike in Athens. A bitter debate has reopened in crisis-hit Greece about the cost of violent demonstrations on the country’s battered capital and the risks they pose to the nation’s critically important tourism industry. — AFP

Greek property sector in the doldrums, but not dead ATHENS: The Greek property sector is in the doldrums, with the debt crisis sapping confidence in the future but all is not lost-what comes down must go up, just as surely as what went up had to come down. Figures from the Bank of Greece make for grim reading-sales have slumped from more than 148,000 in 2007 to around 74,500 in 2010 and just 33,500 for the nine months to September this year.

Prices, however, have held up relatively well. Indexed at 100 in 1997, they soared to a high of 261.1 in 2008 but then fell to 249.8 in 2009, 238.9 last year and, based on available data, around 229 up to September this year.

Walking around Athens it is easy to see the damage caused by the crisisabandoned building plots in fashionable and poorer areas alike, shops closed with for rent signs in the window and maintenance obviously cut.

Consumer confidence has been badly hit by the debt crisis which has seen the government slash spending and hike taxes in return for external help, hitting the middle class especially badly and putting the market into a tailspin.

The plight of the domestic market is thrown into sharper relief when it is known that a few rich Greek investors are buying up property abroad in increasing numbers as they seek a safe haven for their money, with London a favored destination.

For Christos Vergos at Remax New Deal estate agents in Athens, all this is no reason to be downheartened-”even in wars, there are some transactions”-but he insists that both buyers and sellers have to be realistic.

Some people sell because they owe money or have lost their jobs and so are prepared to offer big price discounts while those with several properties for income have been hit by higher property

taxes and lower rents, Vergos said.

That makes it a good time to buy and foreign clients with the money are looking at special properties, for example on the resort island of Mykonos, which are now much, much cheaper, he said.

Foreign businesses too can now consider, for example, Kolonaki, an upmarket central Athens quarter home to swanky shops and restaurants, where “they would not even have asked about two years ago,” Vergos said. Nicolas Lioliakis, a partner with Bain & Company in Paris who tracks Greece, said prices have held up because the last thing a Greek family wants to do is sell their home but “that might change if money becomes more and more scarce.”

Recent research by Lioliakis shows Greek home ownership at a very high 80 percent, second only to Spain in the EU. The market has “opened to foreign buyers but in very specific areas like the Cyclades islands, as you can easily imagine,” he noted.

Analysts put Greek mortgage lending at relatively low levels-about 30 percent of all bank loans in 2010 and around 34 percent of GDP on an accumulated basisbut this does not mean there is room now to grow. Mortgage “lending is low as a symptom of a market (with) low maturity in banking products,” he said, adding that for any upturn, “one should wait for a significant economic recovery as a prerequisite.”

Vergos said he was “happy in the (real estate) business but not happy that some people are still in denial about the situation,” estimating that prices are off 25-30 percent from their 2007 peak and will likely fall further. Two years down the line, however, the market should be steadier. “I have to do my job better, quicker ... If we all think like this, we will get out of this problem quicker,” Vergos said. — AFP

Obama criticizes consumer watchdog delay WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama isn’t backing down from demanding that Republicans confirm his pick to head a new consumer watchdog agency, saying Republican lawmakers are depriving middleclass Americans of better protection against the kind of deceptive business practices that contributed to the financial meltdown.

Every day that the country must wait for a director of the Consumer Financial Protection Board “is another day that dishonest businesses can target and take advantage of students, seniors and service members,” Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address. “So I refuse to take ‘no’ for an answer.

Financial institutions have plenty of highpowered lawyers and lobbyists looking out for them. It’s time consumers had someone on their side.”

Senate Republicans this past week blocked Obama’s appointment of Richard Cordray, a former Ohio attorney general, to lead an agency they said had been given too much

power and too little accountability. Without a director, the office designed to shield consumers from the excesses behind the 2008 financial crisis is unable to operate at full strength. With voters set to begin selecting a Republican presidential nominee in less than a month, Obama suggested the disagreement is another example of two parties who see fairness very differently. He said a consumer watchdog agency is critical to protecting ordinary Americans from the greed of the financial sector. “Today, America faces a make-orbreak moment for the middle class,” he said, echoing a theme outlined during a Kansas speech earlier in the week. “I believe that this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share and everyone engages in fair play.”

Obama also reiterated his push for congressional Republicans to extend the Social Security payroll tax cut, which is set to expire at the end of the year.

And using the approaching holidays as

leverage, he called on Congress to act on his priorities before leaving Washington for the year. “No one should go home for the holidays until we get this done,” Obama said. “So tell your members of Congress, ‘Don’t be a Grinch.’ Tell them to do the right thing for you and for our economy.”

In an interview with CBS television’s news magazine program “60 Minutes” Obama said that the speech he delivered in Kansas this week addressing income inequalities was designed to draw attention to his effort to restore an “American deal” that focuses on building a strong middle class.

Asked whether that amounted to endorsing redistribution of wealth, Obama said that building the middle class is not a question of left or right politics. “It matters if we are building a broad-based middle class, where everybody is able to do their part and everybody’s able to succeed,” he said, according to excerpts released by CBS on Saturday. The full interview will air Sunday evening. —AP

PORTLAND: Customers shopping at a Costco, in Portland, Oregon. Wholesale companies increased their stockpiles of autos, paper, and other goods in October by the most in five months, a sign they expect consumer demand to rise. —AP

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TECHNOLOGY

‘Skyrim’ wins top prize at Spike Video Game Awards

CALIFORNIA: (From left) Jason Biggs and Seann William Scot present the award for gamer god - Blizzard to Frank Pearce.

CALIFORNIA: Deadmau5 performs at Spike TV’s Video Game Awards.

CALIFORNIA: (From right) Zachary Levi introduces a clip from game of the year nominee “Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception” at Spike TV’s Video Game Awards on Saturday in Culver City. — AP photos

LOS ANGELES: “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” flew away with the game of the year trophy at the Spike Video Game Awards. The dragon-slaying epic also won as best role-playing game, and “Skyrim” developer Bethesda Softworks was selected as the studio of the year at Saturday’s ninth annual Spike Video Game Awards, which honors outstanding achievements within the gaming industry over the past year.

“We poured ourselves into this for the past three years,” said “Skyrim” game director Todd Howard. Valve’s sci-fi puzzler “Portal 2” bounced away with the most awards, winning five trophies for best PC game, multiplayer and downloadable content, as well as best performance by female human for Ellen McLain as GLaDOS and male human for Stephen Merchant as Wheatley.

Other titles winning multiple trophies included Rocksteady’s superhero sequel “Batman: Arkham City” for best character for the Joker and best actionadventure, adapted and Xbox 360 game; Supergiant Games’ role-playing fable “Bastion” as best downloadable game, song and original score; and the latest entry in Nintendo’s “Zelda” franchise, “The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword,” which was chosen as the best motion and Wii game.

The fantastical 25-year-old “Zelda” role-playing series itself became the first gaming franchise to be inducted into the show’s hall of fame. “Zelda” creator Shigeru Miyamoto from Japan was on hand to accept the honor. “None of this would be possible without you,” Miyamoto told the crowd. “We all at Nintendo are humbled by your sup-

por t.” “Chuck ” star and avid gamer Zachary Levi hosted the ninth annual ceremony at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, appearing on stage on stage alongside three-dimensional “augmented reality” versions of characters and weapons from game of the year nominees. The two-hour extravaganza, which featured performances from The Black Keys and Deadmau5, put more emphasis on upcoming games than awards though.

The show featured never-beforeseen footage from such titles as “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance,” “ Tom Clancy ’s Rainbow 6 Patriots” and “BioShock Infinite.” It also served as the launch pad for newly announced games like “The Last of Us,” “Fortnite” and “Alan Wake’s American Nightmare.”

Other winners included “Mor tal

Kombat” as best fighting game, “Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception” as best graphics, “World of Warcraft” developer Blizzard as gamer god and “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” as best shooter. “This is awesome, especially in a year like this when we have so many good games coming out, especially multiplayer games like ‘Gears of War,’ which is amazing,” said Robert Bowling, creative strategist at “Modern Warfare 3” codeveloper Infinity Ward.

The winners of most of the show’s categories were chosen by an advisory council, while the best trailer and most anticipated game winners were selected by viewer votes. The stealthy historical title “Assassin’s Creed: Revelations” was awarded the best trailer trophy, and sci-fi saga “Mass Effect 3” won for most anticipated game. —AP

CALIFORNIA: US soldier Daniel Aldema, background, and host Zachary Levi are seen onstage.

CALIFORNIA: Shigeru Miyamoto accepts the video game hall of fame award for “The Legend of Zelda”.

CALIFORNIA: Sefton Hill accept the award for best action adventure game for “Batman: Arkham City”.

Only one-third of companies making effective use of data EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) today unveiled the findings of the largest-ever global survey of the data science community. Spanning the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, India and China, the EMC Data Science Study reveals and quantifies a rampant scarcity across the globe for the prerequisite skills necessary for a company to capitalize on the opportunities found at the intersection of Big Data and data analytics. Only one-third of companies are able to effectively use new data to assist their business decision-making, gain competitive advantage, drive productivity growth, yield innovation and reveal customer insights.

The survey revealed that the explosion of digital data created by mobile sensors, social media, surveillance, medical imaging, smart grids and the like - combined with new tools for analyzing it all - has created a corresponding explosion in the opportunity to generate value and insights from the data. As such, the business demand for data scientists has quickly outpaced the supply of talent. The EMC Data Science Study respondents included nearly 500 members of the data science community globally including: data scientists and professionals from related disciplines such as data analysts, data specialists, business intelligence analysts, information analysts and data engineers globally, all of whom have IT decision-making authority.

Key findings decision-making - Only 1/3 of respondents are very confident in their company’s ability to make business decisions based on new data. lLooming talent shortage - 65% of data science professionals believe demand for data science talent will outpace the supply over the next 5 years - with most feeling that this supply will be most effectively sourced from new college graduates. l Barriers to data science adoption - Most commonly cited barriers to data science adoption include: Lack of skills or training (32%) budget/resources (32%), the wrong organizational structure (14%) and lack of tools/technology (10%). l Customer insights - Only 38% of business intelligence analysts and data scientists strongly agree that their company uses data to learn more about cusl Informed

tomers. l New Technology Fueling Growth - 83% of respondents believe that new tools and emerging technology will increase the need for data scientists. l Lack of data accessibility - Only 12% of business intelligence professionals and 22% of data scientists strongly believe employees have the access to run experiments on data - undermining a company’s ability to rapidly test and validate ideas and thus its approach to innovation. l Advanced degrees - Data scientists are 3 times as likely as business intelligence professionals to have a Master’s or Doctoral degree. l Augmenting business intelligence - Although respondents found an increasing need for data scientists in their firm, only 12% saw today’s business intelligence professionals as the most likely source to meet that demand. l Higher-level skills - Data scientists require significantly greater business and technical skills than today’s business intelligence professional. According to the Data Science Study, they are twice as likely to apply advanced algorithms to data, but also 37% more likely to make business decisions based on that data. l Love the work - The study discovered highly favorable attitudes toward the companies where they work.

In fact, data scientists believe their IT functions are better aligned and better able to attract talent, are ahead in key technology areas like cloud computing and not surprisingly rate their company’s data analysis and visualization abilities very favorably compared to the views of business intelligence professionals. l Involved across the data lifecycle - Data scientists are more likely than business intelligence professionals to be involved across the data lifecycle-from acquiring new data sets to making business decisions based on the data. This includes filtering and organizing data as well as representing data visually and telling a story with data. l Tools of the trade - Data scientists are more likely than business intelligence professionals to use scripting languages, including Python, Perl, BASH and AWK. Yet, Excel remains the tool of choice for both data scientists and business intelligence executives, followed closely by SQL.

CALIFORNIA: Charlie Sheen presents the award for best shooter onstage.

CALIFORNIA: Todd Howard, of Bethesda Game Studios, accepts the award for game of the year for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim at Spike TV’s Video Game Awards.

From malware in QR codes to targeted attack on corporations Kaspersky Lab announces the publication of its IT Threat Evolution report for the third quarter of 2011.

The company’s analysts noted a continued growth in cyber-attacks against some of the world’s biggest corporations throughout the period. When it comes to attacking smartphones, there were clear signs that cybercriminals have made Android their platform of choice. Increasingly sophisticated operations by malicious programs were also noted in Q3 along with some tried-and-tested methods: innocuous QR codes are now being used to conceal malware and computers are facing threats even before their operating systems start as cybercriminals revisit BIOS infection methods.

The third quarter of 2011 saw corporate networks targeted by unidentified hackers as well as attacks by the hacktivist group Anonymous. Targets included the Italian cyber police, several US police units, and FBI contractors. Hackers also targeted the defense contractors Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Vanguard Defense. These and numerous other similar attacks resulted in malicious users gaining access to employee and customer data, internal documentation, correspondence and classified data.

In July 2011, the DigiNotar certificate authority’s servers were hacked, resulting in 531 rogue certificates being generated by cybercriminals. By using fake SSL certificates for websites, the cybercriminals could access data sent to or from those sites even if an encrypted connection was used. Among the many resources targeted in the DigiNotar case were government agencies in several countries as well as major Internet services such as Google, Yahoo!, Tor and Mozilla. DigiNotar eventually had to file for bankruptcy as a result of the hack.

“The DigiNotar attack was the second time a certificate authority had been hacked this year.

Although the companies that issue root SSL certificates are required to pass a security audit, it is clear that the level of security at DigiNotar and its counterpart Comodo was far from per fect,” says Yury Namestnikov, Senior Virus Analyst at Kaspersky Lab

and author of the report. “The DigiNotar case should serve as a warning for other market players to strengthen their security policies.”

Individual users should also be on their guard; the number of malicious programs for mobile devices is increasing at an alarming rate. In particular, the last quarter saw the share of all mobile malware in 2011 targeting Android OS reach 40%, firmly establishing this platform as the leading target of malicious programs.

The number of new signatures for mobile threats targeting a selection of platforms, Q1, Q2 & Q3 2011 Kaspersky Lab analysts had anticipated that cybercriminals would look for new ways to make money on Android malware, and it didn’t take long to happen. In July, an Android Trojan of the Zitmo family was detected that works together with its desktop counterpart Trojan-Spy.Win32.Zeus to allow cybercriminals to bypass the two-factor authentication used in many online banking systems.

Sometimes, malware can penetrate a mobile device in the most unexpected ways, such as via QR codes. A QR code is essentially a barcode but with a larger storage capacity. Cybercriminals are spreading SMS Trojans disguised as Android software by encoding malicious links in QR codes. After scanning the QR codes, mobile devices automatically download a malicious file which then sends SMS messages to premium-rate numbers.

Perhaps the most curious incident in Q3 saw hackers looking to the past for ideas when they realized that the protection afforded to today’s operating systems makes it virtually impossible to install a rootkit on a running system.

Virus writers have once again turned to BIOS in an attempt to infect a system before it even boots up. It may be more than 10 years since the emergence of the infamous CIH virus (a.k.a. Chernobyl) that was capable of infecting BIOS, but the technology behind it is being employed once again. The full version of the IT Threat Evolution report for Q3 2011 can be found at: www.securelist.com/en/.

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

H E A LT H & S C I E NC E

FDA panel backs birth control patch despite risks ADELPHI: A panel of federal health advisers said that a birth control patch from Johnson & Johnson probably carries a higher risk of blood clots than older drugs, but should remain available as an option for women who have trouble taking a daily pill.

The Food and Drug Administration’s panel of reproductive health experts voted 19-5 that the benefits of the Ortho Evra patch outweigh its risks, specifically a potentially higher risk of dangerous blood clots in the legs and lungs. Panelists said the patch can be especially useful for younger women who have difficulty sticking to a daily pill regimen. “I have many teenagers and it’s the only method they’ll use - for them it’s the perfect method,” said Dr. Melissa Gilliam of the University of Chicago. The FDA sought the experts’ advice as it reviews the safety of newer

hormone -based contraceptives launched in the past decade. The agency is not required to follow their advice, though it often does.

Johnson & Johnson’s weekly Ortho Evra patch was approved in 2001 and has been marketed for its convenience as an “option for busy women who are looking to simplify life.” The drug works about as well as other contraceptive medications, allowing about one unplanned pregnancy per year for every 100 women.

Studies assessing Ortho Evra’s blood clot risk have reached differing conclusions over the years. At least two studies found that patch users have twice the risk of clots as women taking birth control pills. Even a slightly higher risk can be critical because blood clots can trigger heart attacks, strokes and blockages in lungs or blood vessels, which in rare

cases have been fatal, even among young women.

The most recent study by the FDA found that women using the patch have a 50 percent higher risk of clots than women taking various oral contraceptives. However, agency scientists said the data was not definitive. Panelists voted 20-3 with one abstention that the drug’s current label is inadequate and should be updated with the latest information about the potentially higher risk. In discussion, a majority of panelists said Ortho Evra probably carries a higher risk than older birth control pills, though the risk is less clear when compared with newer birth control pills launched in the last decade.

Despite the safety concerns, the experts stressed that Ortho Evra fills a unique niche among birth control products. “There is no alternative in this

range for women who desire hormonal contraception but can’t take the pill, so I think it is important to maintain that option,” said Dr. Michele Orza of the George Washington University.

Prescriptions for Ortho Evra have declined steadily over the last five years, from 5 million in 2006 to about 1.3 million last year.

The decline has followed repeated updates by J&J of New Brunswick, New Jersey, to the product’s labeling, including language indicating that patients absorb up to 60 percent more estrogen via the patch than with the pill.

“The company will continue to collaborate with the FDA on a product label that adequately reflects the known risks and benefits of the product, including new information,” said Jeff Christensen, communications manager with J&J’s Janssen unit. Ortho Evra is

part of a new generation of contraceptives that use recently-developed, laboratory-made forms of the female hormone progesterone. In the past decade the medications have overtaken older medications, though studies have reached conflicting conclusions on whether the drugs carry a higher risk of blood clots. On Thursday, the same panel recommended clearer risk labeling on Yaz, Yasmin and similar birth control pills marketed by Bayer and Teva Pharmaceuticals. As with Ortho Evra, the panel affirmed their overall benefit of the pills for women.

Ortho Evra sales last year totaled $124 million, trailing Merck & Co. Inc.’s NuvaRing, which posted sales of $437 million, according to health care data firm IMS Health.

NuvaRing is the most widely used, nonpill contraceptive drug. — AP

New climate deal struck, critics say gains modest UN talks agree deal on global warming PHNOM PENH: Cambodian and foreign journalists listen to senior former Khmer Rouge Long Narin (top left) speaking as an ECCC staff member from witness and expert support unit (top right) sits next to him during a live feed video at a hearing of evidence at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) in Phnom Penh.— AFP

Illness, fading memories give K Rouge trial slow start PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s historic Khmer Rouge trial has barely begun but one verdict is already in: the fragile health and failing memories of the elderly accused and witnesses will make for a long, slow road to justice.

More than three decades after up to two million people died in the country’s “Killing Fields” era, a UN-backed tribunal began hearing evidence over the past week in the case against the Khmer Rouge’s three most senior surviving leaders. For the hundreds of Cambodians who came to the Phnom Penh court each day hoping for answers that could shed light on the secretive 1975-1979 regime, the proceedings proved an exercise in patience-punctuated by frequent bathroom breaks. Judges pleaded for “flexibility” from all parties as they were forced to constantly adjust the schedule to accommodate the needs of the first four men to give evidence-including defendant “Brother Number Two” Nuon Chea.

“We saw a lot of hurdles this week from technical glitches to recollection issues and age issues,” said tribunal monitor Clair Duffy from the US-based Open Society Justice Initiative.

“It kind of set the stage for what this trial will be like, because these issues will crop up time and again.” Led by “Brother Number One” Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the hardline communist movement wiped out nearly a quarter of the population through starvation, forced labor and execution in a bid to forge an agrarian utopia. Co-defendants Nuon Chea, former foreign minister Ieng Sary and ex-head of state Khieu Samphan deny charges including war crimes and genocide. A fourth accused, 79-year-old former social affairs minister Ieng Thirith, who is married to Ieng Sary and was Pol Pot’s sister-in-law, was recently ruled unfit to stand trial due to dementia.

Owing to fears that not all the suspects will live to see a verdict, the court has split their complex case into several smaller trials, starting with the forced evacuation of Phnom Penh and related crimes against humanity.

“But even this first mini-trial is going to take one or two years,” Nuon Chea’s lawyer Michiel Pestman told AFP. “It’s going to be a very long, tiring process. It’s like a trial with a Zimmer (walking) frame.”

Nuon Chea, 85, was first to give evidence, and although the session was cut short because he was suffering from fatigue and high blood pressure, his performance was easily the highlight of the week. Pol Pot’s most trusted deputy gave detailed insight into the rise of the communist movement in Cambodia, rarely needing to refer to a blue binder filled with notes to jog his memory, though he did repeatedly complain of tiredness. In his testimony, broadcast live on television, he claimed the Vietnamese were instead to blame for the mass killings-and were still trying to encroach on Cambodian land.

Judges later turned their attention to the first high-profile witness, a former aide to Ieng Sary, who spoke via videolink as he was too ill to leave his home in northern Cambodia.

Long Norin, 73, appeared to struggle to recount exact dates and events. “It has been 30 years. How can I remember all these things?” he said in exasperation after the prosecution probed him about the tasks he carried out under Ieng Sary. Taking evidence from the Khmer Rouge insider, who prosecutors said seemed “reluctant” to testify, was an agonisingly slow process interrupted by the witness’s numerous toilet breaks and trouble with the audio technology, requiring questions to be repeated several times. In an effort to bring at least one testimony this week to a close and avoid renewed hassle with the interactive set-up, judges said the court would exceptionally sit on a Friday. But that hearing was adjourned as soon as it began after Long Norin called in sick-disappointing the 300 high school students who had travelled for more than two hours by bus to catch the trial in action.“We will come back again. We want to know about the Pol Pot regime,” said Seang Virak, 19, after the session ended abruptly, allowing him only a quick glimpse of the accused. “I am very angry with them because they killed people all over the country,” he said. Unfailingly polite, however, the teenager added: “But I am sorry to hear the witness is sick.” —- AFP

DURBAN: Climate negotiators agreed a pact yesterday that would for the first time force all the biggest polluters to take action on greenhouse gas emissions, but critics said the action plan was not aggressive enough to slow the pace of global warming.

The package of accords extended the Kyoto Protocol, the only global pact that enforces carbon cuts, agreed the format of a fund to help poor countries tackle climate change and mapped out a path to a legally binding agreement on emissions reductions.

But many small island states and developing nations at risk of being swamped by rising sea levels and extreme weather said the deal marked the lowest common denominator possible and lacked the ambition needed to ensure their survival. Agreement on the package, reached in the early hours of Sunday, avoided a collapse of the talks and spared the blushes of host South Africa, whose stewardship of the two weeks of often fractious negotiations came under fire from rich and poor nations.

“We came here with plan A, and we have concluded this meeting with plan A to save one planet for the future of our children and our grandchildren to come,” said South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, who chaired the talks.

“We have made history,” she said, bringing the hammer down on Durban conference, the longest in two decades of UN climate negotiations. Delegates agreed to start work next year on a new legally binding treaty to cut greenhouse gases to be decided by 2015 and to come into force by 2020.

The process for doing so, called the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action, would “develop a new protocol, another legal instrument or agreed outcome with legal force” that would be applicable under the UN climate convention.

That phrasing, agreed at a last-ditch huddle in the conference centre between the European Union, India, China and the United States, was used

by all parties to claim victory.

Britain’s Energy and Climate Secretary Chris Huhne said the result was “a great success for European diplomacy.”

“We’ve managed to bring the major emitters like the US, India and China into a roadmap which will secure an overarching global deal,” he said. US climate envoy Todd Stern said Washington was

ambiguous: “What that means has yet to be decided.”

Environmentalists said governments wasted valuable time by focusing on a handful of specific words in the negotiating text, and failed to raise emissions cuts to a level high enough to reduce global warming.

Yesterday’s deal follows years of failed

DURBAN: European Union ( EU) Commissioner Connie Hedegaard addresses an informal plenary on the final day of negotiations of the COP17 Climate Change Conference at International Convention Centre in Durban yesterday.—AFP satisfied with the outcome: “We got the kind of symmetry that we had been focused on since the beginning of the Obama administration. This had all the elements that we were looking for.”

Yet UN climate chief Christiana Figueres acknowledged the final wording on the legal form a future deal was

attempts to impose legally-binding, international cuts on emerging giants, such as China and India, as well as rich nations like the United States.

The developed world had already accepted formal targets under a first phase of the Kyoto Protocol, which runs out at the end of next year, although

Washington never ratified its commitment.

Yesterday’s deal extends Kyoto until the end of 2017, ensuring there is no gap between commitment periods, but EU delegates said lawyers would have to reconcile those dates with existing EU legislation.

India’s Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan, who gave an impassioned speech to the conference denouncing what she said was unfair pressure on Delhi to compromise, said her country had only reluctantly agreed to the accord. “We’ve had very intense discussions. We were not happy with reopening the text but in the spirit of flexibility and accommodation shown by all, we have shown our flexibility... we agree to adopt it,” she said.

Small island states in the frontline of climate change, said they had gone along with a deal but only because a collapse of the talks was of no help to their vulnerable nations.

“I would have wanted to get more, but at least we have something to work with. All is not lost yet,” said Selwin Hart, chief negotiator on finance for the coalition of small states.

Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu, head of the Africa Group, added: “It ’s a middle ground, we meet mid-way. Of course we are not completely happy about the outcome, it lacks balance, but we believe it is starting to go into the right direction.”

UN reports released in the last month warned delays on a global agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions will make it harder to keep the average rise to within 2 degrees Celsius over the next century.

“It’s certainly not the deal the planet needs-such a deal would have delivered much greater ambition on both emissions reductions and finance,” said Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists. “Producing a new treaty by 2015 that is both ambitious and fair will take a mix tough bargaining and a more collaborative spirit than we saw in the Durban conference centre these past two weeks.” — Reuters

Health squeeze: UK’s free healthcare under threat LONDON: When David Evans needed a hernia operation, the 69-year-old farmer became so alarmed by the long wait that he used an ultrasound machine for pregnant sheep on himself, to make sure he wasn’t getting worse. It was only after repeated calls from himself, his doctor and his local member of parliament that the hospital performed the surgery, nearly a year after it was first requested. Under government guidelines, he should have started getting treatment within 18 weeks. “I was in quite a lot of pain,” Evans said of his ordeal in Cornwall, southwest England. “It really restricted what I could do around the farm since I couldn’t lift anything heavy.” Across Britain, an increasing number of patients like Evans are facing more pain and longer waits. That’s because the National Health Service is being forced to trim 20 billion pounds ($31 billion) from its budget by 2015, as part of the most radical changes made since the system was founded more than 60 years ago.

For many hospitals, that means saving money by raising the threshold for who qualifies for treatment and extending waiting times for non-lifesaving surgeries. In January, the government introduced a new health bill that many fear will bring even more draconian cuts and competition from private providers. The bill, now in the process of being adopted, will ax more than 20,000 health jobs in the next two years and shut an undisclosed number of hospitals, possibly including the iconic St. Mary’s in London, where Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin. The medical profession is outraged. “The government is wrong to ask us to cut 20 billion pounds because the pressure on the entire service is rising and with the expense of new drugs and treatments. It’s impossible,” said Sir Richard Thompson, president of the Royal College of Physicians. “We’ve seen waiting lists go up, signs (hospitals and doctors) are trying to prevent patients from going to (the) hospital,” he said. “I think it’s immoral.”

Doctors and nurses have revolted. All of the top medical organizations are opposed to the health bill and many argue that scrapping the proposed changes would actually save 1.4 billion pounds ($2.2 billion), by getting rid of the bureaucratic effort to overhaul the system. The British Medical Association warned more competition means providers could choose only to offer profitable services rather than what patients need.

Prime Minister Cameron even had to halt the bill’s progress in April to conduct a six-week “listening exercise” to get input

from hostile health professionals. But while the bill still has several hurdles to clear, the government plans to put the first major changes into effect next April.

“The (health service) must be more efficient to meet the

The St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London.

In January 2011, the government introduced a new health bill many fear will bring even more draconian cuts and competition from private providers. The bill is now in the process of being adopted and will overhaul the current management structure and axe more than 20,000 health jobs in the next two years. — AP

pressures of an aging population and the rising costs of drugs and treatments,” Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said in a statement. “We are absolutely clear this does not mean cutting services - this means getting better value for every pound spent.” Britain’s NHS is one of the country’s most cherished institutions and, while grumbling about perceived slow service is widespread, its egalitarian ethos is also frequently cited as a source of national pride. When the NHS was criticized by US Republicans in 2009, a Twitter campaign in its defense became so popular it crashed the health service’s site.

Many leading figures like actress Helen Mirren, former Beatle Paul McCartney and Cameron himself proudly use government hospitals. Only about 11 percent of Britons pay for private health care and experts suspect that figure will remain largely static given the UK’s continuing economic crisis. In Britain, everyone is entitled to free emergency treatment, including foreigners. Registering with a local doctor requires only proof of identification and residency; no insurance cards, paperwork or bills are needed. In England, patients are charged a 7.40 pound ($12) prescription fee which covers whatever medicines doctors prescribe, including those for blood pressure, cholesterol, and birth control. Such fees are waived for more than 50 percent of people who need prescriptions, as exemptions cover children, students, pregnant women, the elderly and patients with disabilities or chronic conditions like diabetes or epilepsy. People on low incomes or who are unemployed are also exempt from the charges, so no one goes bankrupt paying medical bills. Across Europe, health budgets are coming under pressure from the new age of austerity. In Spain, the Catalan government introduced a 10 percent budget cut earlier this year, which meant closing or reducing the opening times of 100 outpatient centers.

Increased health charges in Italy are now being passed along to patients, who must pay an extra 10 euros ($13) for a medical consultation and another 25 euros ($33) for non-emergency hospital treatment.

French officials are cutting some reimbursements for health services and raising taxes on cigarettes and soda to bring in more revenue. According to the OECD, Britain spends about $3,487 per person on health. That’s far less than the US, which spends $7,960, and Norway, which spends $5,352, making it the country that spends the most in Europe. —AP

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

H E A LT H

In Iraq war, a revolution in battlefield medicine The Iraq war ushered in dramatic advances in battlefield medicine, with the effects of homemade bombs leading the US military to radically change how it treats wounded soldiers.

Underpinning the new approach is a golden rule for American medics: to save a life, stop the bleeding first.

Out of the terrible carnage in Iraq, where 3,480 US soldiers were killed in combat and nearly 32,000 wounded in eight years of war that are now drawing to a close, doctors and medics learned how to treat injuries that had proved fatal in previous conflicts.

Close to 70 percent of the wounds came from homemade bombs that left critical burns, severed limbs and damaged lungs. While body armor and newly-designed vehicles tried to counter the risk of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the military changed its approach to treating those injured by the bombs. As a result, American soldiers wounded in Iraq had a better chance of survival than in any previous US war, with more than 90 percent coming home compared to about 76 percent in the Vietnam conflict.

The biggest change came from a low-tech solution-tourniquets-which for nearly a hundred years had been dismissed as a device that could too easily cut off circulation and lead to amputations.

“When I was a medic, tourniquets were seen as the last resort,” said Lieutenant Colonel Robert Mabry, who as a Green Beret treated wounded soldiers in the battle of Mogadishu in 1993.

In previous conflicts, American medics did not even carry tourniquets but would have to improvise using whatever was at hand, including sticks. “Good luck finding a stick in Iraq or Afghanistan,” Mabry said. Now American medics, and soldiers, carry a tourniquet that has been specially

designed and tested. The new medical kit reflects the view of army doctors that in an emergency, stemming massive bleeding is more urgent than maintaining the flow of oxygen.

“You’ve got four minutes to get someone oxygen so their brain doesn’t start to die. But you really only have a few pumps of the heart before they’ve lost so much blood they’re not going to be able to live,” said Colonel Patricia Hastings, a doctor who edited

a new textbook for medics and served as director of combat medical training.

According to a medical study carried out in Iraq, 862 tourniquets were applied to 459 wounds. About 87 percent of the troops survived their wounds, and not one suffered an amputation as a result of the tourniquet. After looking at research on combat injuries in Vietnam, a small network of doctors and former medics concluded that the military’s approach

was shaped too much by civilian emergency medicine instead of the realities of the battlefield.

“An ambush is different than an automobile accident. The injury patterns are different and also the hazards are different,” said Mabry, who has played a key role in rewriting the rules for casualty care.

Apart from tourniquets, medics now carry gauze impregnated with clotting agents, big needles and

CALARASI: Romanians load a cart with sand from the Danube river bed exposed by the extreme low water levels following a long period of drought in Calarasi, southern Romania, yesterday. The waters of the Danube are so low that dozens of cargo ships are stuck, stranded in ghostly fog or wedged into sand banks on what is normally one of eastern Europe’s busiest transport routes. Water levels are at warning levels in Romania’s hydroelectric power plants and a further decrease would affect the operation of the country’s only nuclear electric plant in Cernavoda. —AP

catheters used to release air from chest wounds, and special tubes to create emergency airways through the throat or nose. US medics also undergo much more extensive training compared to previous eras, with 16 weeks of instruction. And even in the deserts of Iraq, medics now focus on keeping a wounded warrior warm, as hypothermia poses a serious threat for a patient that has lost large amounts of blood. “Who would think you’d get cold in Iraq when it’s 120 degrees?”

Hastings said, adding that “keeping the patient warm is much more critical than we ever knew before.”

But injecting intravenous fluid, long deemed vital by civilian paramedics and an iconic image from the Vietnam conflict, is no longer a top priority.

“I carried six liters of fluid in the field. Now medics are going on prolonged operations with a liter or liter and a half,” said Mabry, director of the emergency medical services and disaster medicine fellowship program at San Antonio Military Medical Center.

For injured soldiers who have stopped bleeding and are not in shock, there is no need for an IV, and in some cases, an intravenous fluid can do harm in a fragile patient that has lost a lot of blood, doctors said. At field hospitals in Iraq, army physicians also employed new techniques and devices while improving how medical air evacuations were organizedlessons that have been applied to the war in Afghanistan. The next challenge for combat casualty care are wounds to the belly, chest or neck that cannot be contained by a tourniquet, said Hastings, medical command liaison to the Department of Homeland Security.

“The thing we still haven’t figured out is what do you do about non-compressable hemorrage,” she said. “That’s the next big advance we’re trying to get to.” —-AFP

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

W H AT ’ S O N Greetings

Wishing Karim Kamer a very happy birthday.

May Almighty Allah bless you with good health and happiness. Best wishes for a bright future come from Sherif and family.

Premier Goal Academy Festival of Football at Shaab park Many happy returns of the day to Wesal Mohammed. May the Lord shower His choicest blessings on you. Best wishes come from Sherif and family.

BSK students perform Movement to Music

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he Shakespeare Theatre at The British School of Kuwait resonated with the sound of music and laughter as the Reception students performed their annual Movement to Music recitals this week. Over five days up to three hundred students performed their carefully choreographed pieces under the watchful eye of specialist performance instructor Ms Norah in front of an appreciative audience of parents and friends.

Movement to Music plays an important role within the Reception curriculum. Not only is it great fun and good exercise, it helps children develop their spatial awareness, sense of timing, rhythm and sequencing of movements. The atmosphere was electric with anticipation and the children exceeded all expectations.

Lighting and sound were professionally combined by Emily McGregor and all teachers and assistants, led by Heather Matthews, enjoyed a good work out. Parents, grandparents and teachers all left the auditorium swaying to the Wiggly Woo and tapping to I’m a little Tea Pot.

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he 2011 Winter Festival of Football event organized by the Premier GOAL Academy in association with Everton F.C. and sponsored by PORSCHE Centre Kuwait, Behbehani Motors Co. was held at Shaab Park on Saturday under the patronage of the British Ambassador, Frank Baker. The Festival kicked off early morning with the Junior Tournament and 31 teams played matches in four age groups; 3-5 years, 6-7 years, 8-9 years and 10-11 years. Each team played 5 or 6 games resulting in over 150 matches played on the 4 pitches during the course of this all day event - the biggest and best attended football tournament in Kuwaits’ sporting calendar, packed with goals, near misses, fantastic team and individual performances and most importantly, immensely enjoyable for players and spectators alike.

The Senior Tournament took place throughout the afternoon with matches for under 13s, 14s, 15s and 16s with a further 25 teams involved. In total over 550

players from 3 to 16 years of age participated in the event, including teams from the PGA/Everton Coaching Courses and Everton Centre of Excellence, Don Bosco Indian School, GAC, Mishref, Hawally Pakistan English School, the French School of Kuwait, American Bilingual School, Canadian Bilingual School and Pakistan School and College, Kuwait. A huge turn out of enthusiastic parents and spectators cheered and encouraged the players who were superbly organized and guided by their coaches throughout a series of exciting, closely fought and sporting matches. Wrigley provided the brightly colored tournament playing shirts and also sponsored the matchballs in addition to providing all the players with free samples of Wrigley Extra Chewing Gum to help the players maintain their concentration throughout the extensive program of matches. Special thanks also to DJ Simon for providing the musical entertainment throughout the day.

The PGA freestyle players, Karam, Arman and Obeid presented a display of amazing football tricks and skills in front of a 1000+ crowd, prior to the Awards ceremony when the British Ambassador, Frank Baker, and several other VIP guests presented medals to all participants and certificates of appreciation to the event sponsors and supporters. Supporters of the event contributed free gifts and special offers to ensure everyone had a great time and included; Wrigleys Extra Chewing Gum, United Sports Company GOAL, ABC Juices, Light Foods (Mickey Chips), Crowne Plaza, The Print Shop and Luscious Foods who provided delicious refreshments. the British Ambassador Frank Baker expressed his appreciation and recognition of their support for such an important community event and congratulated all the players and coaches who took part. “It’s fantastic to see so many young people participating in this program and obviously having a great time. Apart from the joy of the game

itself, football is a wonderful way to encourage young people to become physically active, improve fitness and develop their communication and good teamwork - essential skills as they grow up. Congratulations to all who took part and made this fabulous event possible to the P.G.A. organizers Mike and Baker, Wrigley and the other generous sponsors and all the teachers and coaches who have taught and encouraged the players and teams to such an exceptionally high standard” The PGA Winter Camp will take place from 18th to 22nd December from 09301330 daily at Shaab Park whilst the coaching program resumes on 13th January 2012 with courses held each day of the week catering to all ability levels from 3 to 18 years of age with fully qualified UEFA coaches. For details of all P.G.A. events and activities contact Academy Director, Mike Finn on 99981327 or Executive Director Baker Al Nazer on 66918666.

Movenpick Bida’a to hold Christmas event

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ovenpick Hotel & Resort Al Bida’a Kuwait will be holding the biggest Christmas Event for Kids on December 12th, 2011, which will feature plenty of activities and surprises for the little ones such as decorating Christmas stockings, pottery painting, Christmas cards, a traditional drum procession, a magic show and much more.

Box Hill College Kuwait application period starts

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ox Hill College Kuwait announced the start of their application period for the coming Spring 2012 semester. Applications can be made at the Office of the Registrar from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm at BHCK’s campus in Abu Halifa. Box Hill College Kuwait is the first private college for women offering locally and internationally recognized Diploma qualifications.

BHCK offers several majors through its two different departments of studies. The Department of Business Studies offers three diplomas: Management, Marketing, and Financial Services (Banking). The Department of Applied Arts & Design (DAAD) also offers three different diplomas: Graphic Arts, Interior Design & Decoration and a dual diploma of Information Technology (Website Development & System Networking).

DAAD students have participated in many competitions in their field of study. A group of students recently won Synpase 2011, a design competition in Doha, Qatar. They have also participated in projects in coordination with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), such as proposing a design for the UNDP’s premises in Kuwait, ideas for a women’s rights campaign and ways of recycling for the Saving Our Planet campaign.

These types of projects are a great source of inspiration for students, especially in the field of arts, as they bring out their creative side and provide a way of implementation in a professional environment whilst also introducing students to the market demand in Kuwait.

Knowing that the application period for scholarships will be from 11th December until 22nd December in BHCK’s Campus in Abu Halifa.

For more information visit BHCK’s website www.bhck.edu.kw, call the Office of the Registrar on 1 842425 or visit in person at our campus in Abu Halifa.

AUK Arabic Literature Club organizes Arabic Poetry Competition

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he Arabic Literature Club at the American University of Kuwait hosted an Arabic poetry student competition and open discussion at the AUK Auditorium in the Salmiya campus. The main purpose of the competition was to encourage talented students to share their poems with the AUK community and experts of Arabic poetry. The competition was juried by Kuwait’s prominent poet, Jenna Al-Greini; and Kuwait University Professor, Dr Siham Al-Freih; along with AUK Arabic Professor and Program Lead of Arabic, Dr Raymond Farrin.

During the event, which attracted a wide range of audi-

ence, the student contestants recited a number of poems from a variety of genres. All poems were authored by the students,

and responded.

Following the competition, Al-Greini took to the stage to recite some of her famous

conveying their self experience.

As the young poets shared their deepest feelings through verse, the audience eagerly listened

poems, captivating the audience with her unique style and literary abilities. An open discussion about Al-Greini’s poetry

was the finale of the poetry night. The event was then concluded by an awards ceremony announcing the winners and honoring all participants.

Professor Khaitam Al-Khouli, Assistant Professor of Arabic and Advisor of the Arabic Literature Club, commented on the event saying, “This event is fruitful, rich, and reflects the existence of an effective group of our students who preach a successful future of the Arabic language and literature by authoring a variety of poems which reflect their emotional and self -experience in life.”

The Arabic Literature Club at the American University of Kuwait, currently lead by

Maryam Fadhl, is a student organization interested in different aspects of the Arabic language and culture such as Arabic poetry and literature. The main purpose of the Club is to reveal the Arab identity and practice Arabic language at AUK. Most of the club events currently focus on Arabic literature and poetry. The Arabic Club aims to host more cultural events that would include Arabic music and hosting of famous experts in the Arabic language to share their experience and thoughts with the students. All events hosted by the Arabic Club are being done in association with the Arabic Department at AUK.

Toastmasters Club

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ctive Minds Toastmasters Club (formerly The Filipino Toastmasters Club) is a member club of TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL, a world-wide non-profit organization dedicated to developing leaders of tomorrow and making effective oral communication a worldwide reality. At Active Minds Toastmasters Club you will (1) Learn to communicate more effectively (2) Become a better listener (3)Improve your presentation skills (4) Increase your leadership potential (5) Become more successful in your career (6) Build your ability to motivate and persuade (7) Reach your professional and personal goals (8) Increase your self-confidence .

Active Minds meets every first and third Fridays, 6PM to 8PM at SPCL-HD, Rumaithiya. For more information about Toastmasters and on how to join, contact Vice President fro Education Raymond L. Hernandez (66035054) or send e-mail to activemindsclub@yahoo.com.

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

W H AT ’ S O N

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF BRAZIL The Embassy of Brazil requests all Brazilian citizens in Kuwait to proceed to the website www.brazil.org.kw (Contact Us Form / Fale Conosco) 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 Brazilian Government to contact and assist Brazilians living abroad in case of any emergency.

GUST Opens 10th JOB FAIR

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he Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) organized its 10th Job Fair led by the Center Alumni and Corporate Relations (CACR). Almost 33 major national and international companies participated from the private and public sectors, offering on-campus recruiting interviews for both part time and full time vacancies as well as internships.

Dr Abdulrahman Al-Muhailan, Chairman of GUST Board of Trustees, Dr Robert Cook Vice-President for Academic Affairs, Dr Sabah Al Quaddoomi, Vice President for Academic Services and Dr Osama AlHares, Director of the Center Alumni and Corporate Relations were all present to inaugurate the 2-day event by visiting each booth, welcoming the companies, introducing themselves, asking them questions about their

industry and the types of opportunities available to their students and giving advice on which student groups to

by focusing on self-awareness and broadening career options through lifelong career management skills

target within the university.

The CACR’s mission is to provide GUST students and alumni with a personalized career development process,

which is why this event was so important. Dr. Osama Al-Hares continuously tries to broaden the scope of industries present at the job fairs to allow the stu-

dents a wide choice of opportunity.

The job fair was sponsored by National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) and Gulf Bank (as Platinum Sponsors); Wataniya Telecom and GUST Students Association (as Gold Sponsors); and AlAnbaa Newspaper as Media Sponsor.

Among the companies present at the Fair: National Bank of Kuwait, Gulf Bank, Ahli Bank of Kuwait, Ahli United Bank, Boubyan Bank, Wataniya Telecom, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, KPMG, Al-Bazie & Company (RSM International), Kuwait Oil Company, Al-Ghanim Industries, Wafra Real Estate Company, Bayt.com, Diyar United Company, Kuwait Stock Exchange, Al Ahleia Insurance Co.; Safwan Petroleum Technologies, SOS HR Solution, Wazeefa 1, Mabanee, AlSeef Hospital, Manpower & Government Restructuring Program, LOYAK, and Career Hunters.

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. Canada offers a registration service for all Canadians travelling or living abroad.

This service is provided so that Consular Officials can contact and assist Canadians in an emergency in a foreign country, such as a natural disaster or civil unrest, or inform Canadians of a family emergency at home. The Embassy of Canada encourages all Canadian Citizens to register online through the Government of Canada Travel Website at www.voyage.gc.ca.

The Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi provides visa and immigration services to residents of Kuwait. 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. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF GERMANY

BSK students visit Mutla Ridge

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orty one International Award students (the first half ) from The British School of Kuwait completed their Bronze practice expedition in the Mutla Ridge region, completing a 30km walk over two days. The students were required to carry everything they needed along the route, from tents and

stoves to food and first aid supplies.

They successfully navigated Mutla’a in preparation for their final expedition in Oman early next year, where they will be visiting the Eastern Hajar region, Al Hamra. In addition to the students, eighteen members of staff were involved in the expedition, with more

experienced staff training new colleagues in the ins and outs of navigation to help run an ever growing International Award.

This year 145 BSK students will be completing the Award from Bronze to Gold level, seeing trips abroad to Thailand, Oman, Nepal and South Africa.

The students who completed the expedition were a credit to themselves, accepting a gruelling challenge and committing fully to the task. In doing so they found out more about themselves; their abilities; their personal skills and their leadership potential. Well done to all involved!

The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kuwait wishes to announce that as of 1 May 2011, the external service provider Al Qabas Assurex is operating a Visa Application Centre in support of the German Embassy. Short-term visa applications for travels to Germany (e.g. for tourism, visits, business) are to be submitted to the service provider Al Qabas who for your convenience will ensure that all relevant documents are included in your application. Your personal appearance at the Application Centre is not required. Address of the Visa Application Centre: Al Qabas Assurex Sanabel Tower (AlBabtain) Mezzanine (M3) opposite Sharq Mall Kuwait 22924444 Fax: 22924442 Further information are available on the following websites: www.kuwait.diplo.de www.qavisa.com nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF INDIA The Embassy of India will remain closed December 25, 2011 (Sunday) “Christmas Day”. nnnnnnn

Kalpak to present mega drama St Paul this Friday

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n 32 settings, 32 actors, and about 32 subplots, one of the oldest Indian theater groups in Kuwait, Kalpak, is on the final touch up of its magnum opus work, St Paul, a 2 and a half hour drama, scheduled to be staged at Cambridge School, Mangaf, this Friday.

Scenes are as varied as Emperor Nero’s palace to an ocean in motion and a ship that is wrecked. Visiting artist Sujathan along with the director Raju Chirackal are currently busy with a group of 50 volunteers in a rented out basement in Mangaf that is turned into a theater workshop, literally. The mega drama, the dream project of Babu Chakkola, a drama enthusiast based in Mangaf, will be the first of its kind drama experience in Kuwait according to him, considering the number of people taking part in it

and the amount of money and effort put into it. The making of sets, costumes and dubbing are done in Kuwait.

Music is coordinated by Manoj Mavelikkara.

The drama, the life story of Saul who became Paul, was popularly staged in Kerala last year by Kanjirappalli Amala Theaters. Babu Chakkola bought the copyright when he went for vacation last June to present the heroic epic in Kuwait after its visual impact ‘didn’t leave’ him, he said. Six months of rehearsal will be finally bloomed this Friday, December 16, when Kalpak team presents ‘something they have never done before,’ he said.

The two shows, at 3.30pm and 6.30pm, are open to all but will be restricted by complementary passes.

EMBASSY OF KENYA The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya wishes to request all Kenyans resident in or training through Kuwait to register with the Embassy.

We are updating our database. This information is necessary in order to facilitate quick assistance and advise in times of emergency. Kindly visit in person or register through our website www.kenyaembkuwait.com. The Embassy is located in: Surra Area Block 6 - Street 9 - Villa 3 Tel: 25353362 - 25353314; Fax: 25353316. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF NIGERIA The Nigerian embassy has its new office in Mishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. For enquires please call 25379541. Fax- 25387719.

Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.com or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF PERU Peruvian Permanent Expo will be temporary close from December 2lst 2011 to January 21st 2012. The Expo will reopen on January 22nd 2012 and offer once again “Peruvian Private Gastronomy Tasting Lunches” and much more like Peruvian culture, tourism, trade and great possibilities of investment. nnnnnnn

IKFS executives meet Indian ambassador

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ndo-Kuwait Friendship Society Office bearers met Satish Mehta, the Ambassador of India to Kuwait, and handed over the Constitution of IKFS and list of its Executives. IKFS complimented the ambassador for the new assignment in Kuwait.

President of IKFS, Dr Ghalib AlMashoor introduced its office-bearers and Patrons of IKFS such as: R B Sree Kumar, IPS, Sayid Munawar Ali Shihab Thangal (President of K M Data Bank), Mansour Marzook Abdullah (Former Captain of Kuwait National Hand Ball Team) Dr M K Munir (Minister of Kerala State Social Welfare), Jassim Al-Ajmi, (Administrative Service Manager, Kuwait) Mohammed Al-Sarraf, CFA (Businessman, Kuwait), Dr Kiran Bedi, IPS, Sami Bubere (Editor of New Delhi based Gulf Times), Rimpa Siva (Calcutta’s world famed Artist) and Binesh Kodiyeri (Business Executive and the S/o. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan Former Interior Minister of Kerala).

AK Abdul Nazar explained that IKFS is

a non-profit Association and will not contest with other Indian Associations (Registered with Indian Embassy) who are already in different fields of community works but will coordinate with them by aiming to build self confidence and friendship among different communities stationed in Kuwait. IKFS will strive to achieve maximum benefits to its Indian communities while preserving both Indian and Kuwaiti traditional values and customs thru relationship.

IKFS (www.indo-kuwaitfriendshipsociety.com) officials explained about their past activities and future programs to be implemented in the educational and philanthropic fields both in India and Kuwait to cement the bilateral friendship between Kuwait and India. Pradeep Kumar and Iftekhar Ahmed indicated that IKFS is planning to admit minimum 10 15 members from each states (India’s 28 different states) who are residing in Kuwait and will not engage with entertainment or crowd-pulling programs.

EMBASSY OF RUSSIA Embassy of the Russian Federation will hold the elections to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation (Parliament) on December 3, 2011, between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm in the Embassy s premises by the address: Kuwait City, Daiya, Block 5, Diplomatic campus, Plot 17. All the Russians are invited to participate.

They are requested to present valid Russian passports. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF US The United States and Kuwait enjoy a long-standing and fruitful relationship with higher education. As evidence of this enduring partnership, the number of Kuwaiti students enrolled in US institutions of higher education in 2010/11 increased from 2442 to 2998, a 22.8% increase compared to the previous year. Kuwaiti students study in 45 states. This year, embassies and institutions around the world will be celebrating International Education Week the week of November 14-18. In honor of International Education Week, the US Embassy s Mobile American Corner will be at the Marina Mall on Wednesday evening, November 16, and at the Avenues Mall on Thursday evening, November 17. Information about higher education in the US, English language classes and the student visa application process will be available, and staff will be present to answer questions about study in the USA from the general public.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

TV PROGRAMS

00:50 01:45 02:40 03:35 04:30 05:25 06:20 07:10 08:00 08:25 08:50 09:15 09:40 10:10 11:05 12:00 12:55 13:20 13:50 14:45 15:40 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:25 19:20 20:15 20:40 21:10 22:05 23:00 23:55

Untamed & Uncut Dogs 101 Air Jaws 2 Speed Of Life Whale Wars Dogs 101 Animal Cops Phoenix Michaela’s Animal Road Trip Monkey Life Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild Natural Born Hunters The Really Wild Show Breed All About It Bad Dog Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 Animal Cops Specials 2009 Bondi Vet Wildlife SOS Last Chance Highway Animal Cops Phoenix Mutant Planet Monkey Life Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild Natural Born Hunters Chris Humfrey’s Wildlife Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 My Cat From Hell Bondi Vet Breed All About It Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 Mutant Planet Must Love Cats Untamed & Uncut

00:20 Conviction 01:15 As Time Goes By 01:45 The Weakest Link 02:35 The Fixer 03:20 Conviction 04:10 My Family 04:40 3rd & Bird 04:50 Bobinogs 05:00 Boogie Beebies 05:15 Poetry Pie 05:20 Tweenies 05:40 Fimbles 06:00 3rd & Bird 06:10 Bobinogs 06:20 Boogie Beebies 06:35 Poetry Pie 06:40 Tweenies 07:00 Charlie and Lola 07:10 Fimbles 07:30 3rd & Bird 07:40 Bobinogs 07:50 Boogie Beebies 08:05 Poetry Pie 08:10 Tweenies 08:30 Charlie and Lola 08:40 Fimbles 09:00 3rd & Bird 09:10 Bobinogs 09:20 Boogie Beebies 09:35 Poetry Pie 09:45 Buzz & Tell 09:50 Tweenies 10:10 Charlie and Lola 10:20 Fimbles 10:40 My Family 11:40 The Weakest Link 12:25 The Inspector Mysteries 13:20 Doctors 13:50 As Time Goes By 14:20 Coast 15:25 My Family 16:25 The Inspector Mysteries 17:15 The Weakest Link 18:05 Doctors 18:35 As Time Goes By 19:05 Coast 20:10 The Inspector Mysteries 21:00 The Weakest Link 21:45 Doctors 22:15 EastEnders 22:45 Holby City 23:40 The Fixer

00:00 BBC World News 00:30 Horizons

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01:00 BBC World News 01:10 World Features 01:30 Nobel Laureates 2011 02:00 BBC World News 02:10 The Health Show 02:30 Asia Business Report 02:45 Sport Today 03:00 BBC World News 03:30 India Business Report 04:00 Newsday 04:30 Asia Business Report 04:45 Sport Today 05:00 Newsday 05:30 Asia Business Report 05:45 Sport Today 06:00 Newsday 06:30 Asia Business Report 06:45 Sport Today 07:00 Newsday 07:30 Hardtalk 08:00 BBC World News 08:30 World Business Report 08:45 BBC World News 09:30 World Business Report 09:45 BBC World News 10:30 World Business Report 10:45 Sport Today 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 World Business Report 11:45 Sport Today 12:00 BBC World News 12:30 Hardtalk 13:00 BBC World News 13:30 World Business Report 13:45 Sport Today 14:00 BBC World News 14:30 World Business Report 14:45 Sport Today 15:00 GMT With George Alagiah 16:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 17:30 World Business Report 17:45 Sport Today 18:00 BBC World News 18:30 Hardtalk 19:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 20:30 World Business Report 20:45 Sport Today 21:00 BBC World News 21:30 World Business Report 21:45 Sport Today 22:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 23:30 World Business Report 23:45 Sport Today

00:15 Samurai Jack 00:40 Megas XLR 01:05 Robotboy 01:30 Squirrel Boy 01:55 George Of The Jungle 02:20 Cramp Twins 02:45 Chop Socky Chooks 03:10 Best Ed 03:35 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 04:00 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 04:25 Generator Rex 04:50 Adventure Time 05:15 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 05:40 Chowder 05:55 Powerpuff Girls 06:30 Ed, Edd n Eddy 06:55 I Am Weasel 07:20 Squirrel Boy 07:45 Cow & Chicken 08:00 Eliot Kid 08:25 Angelo Rules 08:50 Best Ed 09:15 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 09:40 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 10:05 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 10:30 Courage The Cowardly Dog 10:55 Cow & Chicken 11:20 I Am Weasel 11:35 Adventure Time 12:00 Ben 10 12:25 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 12:50 The Secret Saturdays 13:15 Samurai Jack 13:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 14:05 Codename: Kids Next Door 14:30 Skunk Fu! 14:50 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 15:15 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 15:40 Ed, Edd n Eddy

16:05 Camp Lazlo 16:30 Chowder 16:55 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 17:25 Cow & Chicken 17:50 Courage The Cowardly Dog 18:15 I Am Weasel 18:40 George Of The Jungle 19:05 Codename: Kids Next Door 19:30 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 19:55 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 20:20 Generator Rex 20:45 Bakugan: Gundalian Invaders 21:10 Sym-Bionic Titan 21:35 Star Wars: The Clone Wars 22:00 Hero 108 22:25 Adventure Time 22:50 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 23:00 Ben 10 23:25 Bakugan Battle Brawlers

00:00 00:20 01:10 02:00 02:45 03:35 04:25 05:15 06:00 06:20 Cody 07:05 07:55 08:10 09:00 10:50 11:15 12:00 12:45 13:30 14:20 15:00 16:35 17:00 17:25 17:50 18:15 18:45 20:00 20:25 21:15 22:00 22:50 23:15

Kim Possible Replacements Fairly Odd Parents A Kind Of Magic Stitch Kim Possible Emperor’s New School Stitch Hannah Montana The Suite Life Of Zack And Wizards Of Waverly Place Phineas And Ferb Good Luck Charlie High School Musical 2 Hannah Montana Phineas And Ferb Wizards Of Waverly Place Fish Hooks Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Go Figure So Random Fairly Odd Parents Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Shake It Up Good Luck Charlie Sonny With A Chance Hannah Montana Suite Life On Deck Shake It Up Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place

00:00 Programmes Start At 7:00am KSA 07:00 Kid vs Kat 07:10 Phineas And Ferb 08:00 Suite Life On Deck 08:20 Have A Laugh 08:25 Suite Life On Deck 09:15 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 10:55 Suite Life On Deck 11:45 I’M In The Band 12:10 American Dragon 12:35 Kid vs Kat 13:00 Motocrossed 14:35 Zeke & Luther 15:00 Kick Buttowski 15:25 I’M In The Band 15:50 Suite Life On Deck 16:10 Have A Laugh 16:15 Zeke & Luther 17:05 Suite Life On Deck 18:20 Pair Of Kings 18:45 Escape From Scorpion Island 19:10 Rekkit Rabbit 19:35 Spiderman 19:55 Have A Laugh 20:00 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 20:25 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 20:50 Kid vs Kat 21:15 Zeke & Luther 21:40 The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody 22:05 Phineas And Ferb 22:30 American Dragon 22:55 I’M In The Band

PUBLIC ENEMIES ON OSN ACTION HD

00:15 07:00 07:25 07:50 08:45 09:10 10:05 10:30 10:55 11:25 12:20 13:15 14:10 15:05 15:30 16:00 16:25 16:55 17:50 18:45 19:10 19:40 20:05 20:35 21:00 21:30 22:25 23:20

00:40 01:05 01:30 02:20 06:40 07:10 08:00 08:50 09:40 10:10 10:35 11:00 11:25 12:20 12:45 13:15 14:05 14:55 15:20 15:50 16:40 17:05 18:00 18:50 19:15 19:40 20:30 21:20 22:10 22:35 23:00 23:50

Sons Of Guns Wheeler Dealers Fifth Gear Overhaulin’ How Stuff’S Made Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security Auction Kings Coal Deadliest Catch Ultimate Survival Dual Survival Danger Coast Cash Cab Us Wheeler Dealers Fifth Gear Overhaulin’ Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security Auction Kings How It’S Made How Stuff’S Made Cash Cab Us Coal Deadliest Catch Gold Rush: Alaska

Bang Goes The Theory The Tech Show Stephen Hawking’s Universe Sci-Trek The Tech Show Science Of The Movies Scrapheap Challenge How The Universe Works The Tech Show Weird Connections The Gadget Show The Gadget Show Brainiac Sci-Fi Science Cool Stuff & How It Works Futurecar How The Universe Works One Step Beyond Stunt Junkies Kings Of Construction Weird Connections Scrapheap Challenge How The Universe Works Sci-Fi Science The Tech Show Mega World Mighty Ships Moon Machines The Gadget Show The Gadget Show Mega World Mighty Ships

00:40 Kid In A Candy Store 01:05 Unique Sweets 01:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 01:55 Unwrapped 02:45 Lidia’s Italy 03:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 04:25 World Cafe Middle East 05:15 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 05:40 Unwrapped 06:05 Chef vs Britain 06:30 Paula’s Best Dishes 06:50 Food Network Challenge 07:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 08:00 Chopped 08:50 Guy’s Big Bite 09:15 Everyday Italian 09:40 Barefoot Contessa 10:05 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 10:30 Paula’s Best Dishes 10:55 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 11:20 Kid In A Candy Store 11:45 Gourmet Farmer 12:10 Unwrapped 12:35 Paula’s Party 13:25 Everyday Italian 13:50 Paula’s Best Dishes 14:15 Last Cake Standing 15:05 Barefoot Contessa 15:30 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 15:55 Unwrapped 16:20 Good Eats - Special 16:45 Chopped 17:35 Guy’s Big Bite 18:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 18:25 Kid In A Candy Store 18:50 Unique Sweets 19:15 Gourmet Farmer

00:20 Special Agent Oso 00:50 Jungle Junction 01:15 Little Einsteins 01:40 Higglytown Heroes 02:10 Jo Jo’S Circus 02:30 Special Agent Oso 03:00 Jungle Junction 03:25 Little Einsteins 03:50 Higglytown Heroes 04:20 Jo Jo’S Circus 04:40 Special Agent Oso 04:55 Special Agent Oso 05:10 Jungle Junction 05:35 Little Einsteins 06:00 Higglytown Heroes 06:30 Jo Jo’S Circus 06:50 Jungle Junction 07:15 Higglytown Heroes 07:45 Handy Manny 08:00 Special Agent Oso 08:15 Jungle Junction 08:45 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 09:10 The Hive 09:20 Handy Manny 09:35 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 10:05 The Hive 10:15 Mini Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 10:25 Timon And Pumbaa 10:45 The Hive 11:00 Art Attack 11:25 The Little Mermaid 11:50 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 12:10 Imagination Movers 12:30 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 12:45 Lazytown 13:10 Handy Manny 13:25 Jungle Junction 13:40 Imagination Movers 14:05 The Hive 14:15 Special Agent Oso 14:25 Imagination Movers

14:50 15:15 15:40 16:05 16:30 16:40 16:55 17:20 17:45 18:10 18:20 18:30 18:55 19:25 19:50 20:05 20:25 20:40 20:50 21:20 21:30 21:55 22:20 22:35 22:50 23:15 23:25 23:40

Imagination Movers Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates Handy Manny The Hive Jake & The Neverland Pirates Imagination Movers Lazytown Art Attack The Hive Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates The Little Mermaid Special Agent Oso Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jungle Junction The Hive Jake & The Neverland Pirates The Hive Imagination Movers Little Einsteins Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jungle Junction Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Timmy Time Handy Manny Jungle Junction

00:25 Style Star 01:25 15 Most Shocking Political Sex Scandals 03:15 E! Investigates 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Reality Hell 05:30 Wildest TV Show Moments 06:00 THS 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 10:15 THS 12:05 Style Star 12:35 Fashion Police 13:05 Dirty Soap 14:05 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 14:35 Giuliana & Bill 15:30 E!es 16:25 Behind The Scenes 16:55 Bridalplasty 17:55 Ice Loves Coco 18:55 THS 19:55 Kendra 20:55 Chelsea Lately 21:25 Dirty Soap 22:25 The Soup

00:00 Cowboy U 00:50 Wrestling With Reality 02:30 Ed’s Up 03:20 Glutton For Punishment 05:50 Lucas Oil AMA Motocross Championships...

07:30 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2009 09:00 Tread BMX 09:25 Kenny Belaey’s Big Time South Africa 10:15 Kenny Belaey’s Big Time 11:30 Slovaki: A True Movie About...

11:55 Fantasy Factory 12:45 Man’s Work 13:35 Untracked 14:25 Mantracker 15:15 World Combat League 16:05 Fantasy Factory 16:55 Man’s Work 17:45 Tread BMX 18:10 Kenny Belaey’s Big Time South Africa 19:00 Kenny Belaey’s Big Time 20:15 Slovaki: A True Movie About...

20:40 Mantracker 21:30 Untracked

00:40 01:30 02:15 03:05 03:50 04:40 05:25 06:15 07:10 08:00 08:50 09:40 10:25 11:10 11:35 11:55 12:40 13:25 14:15 15:00 15:25 15:50 16:35 17:20 18:10 19:00 19:45 20:10 20:55 21:20 22:10 23:00

Couples Who Kill True CSI Nightmare Next Door I Almost Got Away With It Couples Who Kill True CSI On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Mystery Diagnosis FBI Files Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Street Patrol On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Street Patrol On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared FBI Files Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Real Emergency Calls Mystery Diagnosis Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Nightmare Next Door

00:00 Travel Madness 00:30 Latin America On A Motorcycle 01:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 02:00 Exploring The Vine 03:00 Word of Mouth 03:30 Banged Up Abroad 05:30 Weird & Wonderful Hotels 06:00 Travel Madness 06:30 Latin America On A Motorcycle 07:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 08:00 Exploring The Vine 09:00 Word of Mouth 09:30 Banged Up Abroad 11:30 Weird & Wonderful Hotels 12:00 Travel Madness 12:30 Latin America On A Motorcycle 13:00 Banged Up Abroad 15:00 Eccentric Uk 15:30 Deadliest Journeys 16:00 Ultimate Traveller 17:00 Long Way Down 18:00 City Chase: Argentina 19:00 Banged Up Abroad 21:00 Eccentric Uk 21:30 Deadliest Journeys 22:00 Ultimate Traveller

THE GREEN HORNET ON OSN CINEMA 20:00 Spud-PG15 22:00 PJ Gallagher: Just Jokes-18 00:00 01:30 04:00 06:00 08:15 10:30 12:00 14:00 16:15 18:00 20:00 22:00

Nine Dead-PG15 Public Enemies-18 Deadtime Stories 2-PG15 The Hunt For Red October Coach Carter-PG15 Stonehenge Apocalypse-PG15 Against The Ropes-PG15 Coach Carter-PG15 Last Breath-PG15 Against The Ropes-PG15 The Heavy-18 The A-Team-PG15

01:00 03:15 05:15 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:15

Mother And Child-18 Dean Spanley-PG Easy A-PG15 The Flyboys-PG15 Dean Spanley-PG Planet 51-PG Easy A-PG15 Freestyle (2010)-PG15 Flipped-PG Freakonomics-PG15 Agora-18 The Green Hornet-PG15

00:00 The Ricky Gervais Show 00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 Saturday Night Live 02:30 South Park 03:00 Friends 03:30 Friends 04:00 According To Jim 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Seinfeld 06:00 Two And A Half Men 06:30 Just Shoot Me 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 According To Jim 08:30 Friends 09:00 Seinfeld 09:30 How I Met Your Mother 10:00 State Of Georgia 10:30 Just Shoot Me 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 Two And A Half Men 12:30 Will And Grace 13:00 Friends 13:30 Seinfeld 14:00 Just Shoot Me 14:30 State Of Georgia 15:00 How I Met Your Mother 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Outsourced 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Friends 19:00 How I Met Your Mother 19:30 Traffic Light 20:00 Mad Love 20:30 The Ricky Gervais Show 21:00 The Daily Show Global Edition 21:30 The Colbert Report Global Edition

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 PG15 19:00 21:00 23:00

Dead Snow-PG15 Deadtime Stories 2-PG15 4.3.2.1.-18 The Three Musketeers-PG15 The Karate Kid III-PG Rocky III-PG15 Ballistica-PG15 The Karate Kid III-PG Bodyguard: A New BeginningDeadly Impact-18 The A-Team-PG15 Assassination Tango-18

00:00 Valentine’s Day-PG15 02:00 Away We Go-PG15 04:00 Leave It To Beaver-PG 06:00 One Hot Summer-PG15 08:00 A Film With Me In It-PG15 10:00 Rat-PG 12:00 Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star-PG15 14:00 Nativity!-PG 16:00 Valentine’s Day-PG15 18:00 Captain Ron-PG15

01:00 American History X-18 03:00 Red Rock West-18 05:00 Ishtar-PG15 07:00 Astro Boy-FAM 09:00 Flying By-PG15 11:00 Star Trek III: The Search For Spock-PG15 13:15 Me And Orson Welles-PG 15:30 Adam-PG15 17:30 The Young Black StallionPG15 18:45 Antwone Fisher-PG15 21:00 Le Syndrome Du Titanic-PG15 23:00 Moonlight And ValentinoPG15

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Last Of The Mohicans-PG Ulysses-PG Barney’s Great Adventure Babe-FAM In Search Of The Titanic-PG15 Last Of The Mohicans-PG The Spy Next Door-PG Barney’s Great Adventure Marmaduke-PG The Spy Next Door-PG Groove Squad-FAM In Search Of The Titanic-PG15

02:00 02:30 09:30 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 20:00

Powerboats UIM Live Test Cricket Le Mans Series Magazine Powerboats F1 Volvo Ocean Race Highlights Volvo Ocean Race Highlights Powerboats Nations Cup Test Cricket PGA European Tour

02:30 Live Test Cricket 09:30 Volvo Ocean Race 10:00 World Cup of Pool 11:00 World Cup of Pool 12:00 US Bass Fishing 13:00 Cricket Test Match 20:00 European PGA Tour Highlights 21:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 21:30 Darts Players Championship

03:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 13:30 15:30 20:30

European Challenge Cup Scottish Premier League Golfing World European PGA Tour European Challenge Cup Pool Mosconi Cup Snooker UK Championship

02:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 15:30 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 22:00 23:00

UFC 140 UFC Unleashed UFC Unleashed WWE Bottom Line WWE Vintage Collection Speedway Intercontinental Le Mans Cup Power Boats F1 Power Boats F1 WWE NXT WWE Bottom Line Aquabike World Power Boats Nations Cup V8 Supercars Championship V8 Supercars Championship Speedway UFC 140 UFC Unleashed Prizefighter

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 03:30 04:00 05:00 06:00

Warriors American Pickers American Pickers Pawn Stars American Restoration Chasing Mummies Battles B.C. Warriors

07:00 08:00 09:00 09:30 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 15:30 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

American Pickers American Pickers Pawn Stars American Restoration Chasing Mummies Battles B.C. Warriors American Pickers American Pickers Pawn Stars American Restoration Chasing Mummies Battles B.C. How The Earth Was Made American Pickers Decoding The Past Ice Road Truckers Ice Road Truckers Ax Men

00:05 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 01:00 Open House 01:30 Open House 02:00 Videofashion Daily 02:55 Videofashion News 03:25 How Do I Look?

04:20 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

05:15 Married Away 06:10 Homes With Style 06:35 Area 07:05 Clean House 08:00 Videofashion News 08:30 Videofashion News 09:00 Videofashion Daily 10:00 Open House 10:25 Open House 10:55 How Do I Look?

11:50 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

12:50 Clean House: Search For The Messiest...

13:50 Clean House 14:45 Videofashion Daily 15:45 How Do I Look?

16:40 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 17:35 Jerseylicious 18:30 How Do I Look?

19:25 Tia And Tamera 20:25 Open House 20:50 Open House 21:20 Clean House: New York 22:15 Elements Of Style 22:40 Elements Of Style 23:10 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane

00:00 Globe Trekker 01:00 Wild Camping 02:00 Travel Today 02:30 Essential 03:00 Luxury Train Journeys Of India 04:00 Great Scenic Railways-New Zealand 04:30 Life’s A Trip 05:00 Globe Trekker 09:00 Intrepid Journeys 10:00 Think Green 11:00 Floyd On Africa 11:30 Glutton For Punishment 12:00 Inside Luxury Travel-Varun Sharma 13:00 Globe Trekker 14:00 Planet Food 15:00 Wild Camping 16:00 Think Green 17:00 Globe Trekker 18:00 Inside Luxury Travel-Varun Sharma 19:00 Planet Food 20:00 Globe Trekker 22:00 The Blue Continent 23:00 Going South

01:00 The Ranch 02:30 Lord Of The Flies-PG 04:00 Contamination .7 05:35 Extremities 07:05 The Resurrected 08:50 How To Beat The High Cost Of Living-PG 10:35 Ice Blues-PG 12:15 Yellowbeard-PG 13:50 Sibling Rivalry-PG 15:15 They Call Me Mister Tibbs!-PG 17:00 Inherit The Wind (1999)-PG 18:50 Charlie Chan & The Curse Of The Dragon Queen-PG 20:25 Army Of Darkness

Classifieds MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

ACCOMMODATION G If you received all of the gifts listed in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” song, you would receive 364 presents.

Of the 364 total items, 184 of them are birds!

G The popular Christmas song, “Jingle Bells” was actually written for Thanksgiving!

“I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way (s)he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage and tangled Christmas tree lights.”

— Maya Angelou, on www.goodreads.com

— www.carols.org.uk

Hanukkah is almost here!

This year, Jews begin celebrating Hanukkah at sunset on Dec. 20. The holiday lasts eight days and nights. In Hebrew, the word “Hanukkah” means “dedication.” Hanukkah honors a struggle that dates back to 165 B.C., when Jews defeated an invading army and regained the Temple at Jerusalem. According to legend, Jews found a lamp inside the temple with just enough oil to light their holy lamps for one night. By some miracle, the legend goes, it burned for eight nights. Today, Jews celebrate Hanukkah by lighting a candle in a special holder, called a menorah, for each of the eight nights.

MATERIALS G air-dry clay G objects with textures G waxed paper G cookie cutters G straw G shimmery paint G ribbon 1. Gather household objects with interesting shapes or textures, such as buttons, shells, toy wheel, blocks, kitchen items, etc.

2. Flatten clay between two sheets of waxed paper, and cut shapes from the clay with cookie cutters. Then press the objects into the clay to make designs.

3. Poke a hole in the top with a straw and let the clay dry.

4. Brush on shimmery paint.

Let dry. Then loop a ribbon through the hole to hang the ornament on the tree.

A sweater gets a second life as this colorful decoration.

MATERIALS G wool sweater G mitten template (draw it yourself or find one at http:// familyfun.go.com/assets/cms/pdf/ crafts/FF0111ORN_Mittens.pdf) G large-eye needle G ribbon 1. Wash a wool sweater in hot water with cold-water rinse, then dry it on high heat.

2. Repeat, if necessary, until the sweater has shrunk, and the weave is tight enough to be cut without fraying.

3. Pin on a mitten template, cut out the shape and repeat to make the second mitten.

4. Attach the pair with a large-eye needle and ribbon.

No scissors needed here!

Even the littlest elves can make these sparkly treasures, from paper pulp spooned into cookie cutters and dried.

MATERIALS G 3 (9- by 12-inch) sheets of construction paper G blender G very hot water G folded cloth towel G plate G 3-inch star-shaped cookie cutter G sieve G glitter G rag G baking sheet G ribbon loops 1. Tear 3 (9- by 12-inch) sheets of construction paper into small pieces, about the size of a domino, and place them in a blender. Pour in about 11/2 cups of very hot water and let it sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile put a folded cloth towel on a plate, add a paper towel and top with a 3-inch star-shaped cookie cutter.

2. Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Pulse the blender until the mix is pulpy, about 30 seconds. In a sieve set over the sink, drain the pulp, then spoon some into the cookie cutter to the top, taking care to fill the points. Sprinkle with glitter.

Use a rag to press the pulp down into the cookie cutter until most of the water is gone, then gently push the star out onto a baking sheet. Repeat to make two more stars.

3. Bake them for 2 hours or until the moisture has evaporated (they should be firm and lightweight). Let the stars cool, then glue ribbon loops to the backs for hanging.

Makes 3 stars.

P H OTO B Y A N D R E W G R E TO / D I S N E Y FA M I LY F U N M AG A Z I N E

Sharing accommodation at Hawally opposite of Pakistani school at the back for single person, rent KD 80. Tel: 66489207.

Sharing accommodation available from 1st Jan, 1 or 2 decent bachelors to share with another, only KD 25 each in 2 bedroom flat new building, separate bathroom, kitchen and Sat facility, W&E free, opp Apollo hospital, Naser Al-Bather St, near Shara Aman St. Call 99761807 or 66209879. (C 3767) 10-12-2011

FOR SALE

P H OTO S C O U RT E S Y O F Y E S H I VA U N I V E R S I T Y

A group of Yeshiva University students spin dreidels before attempting to break the record for the most dreidels spun simultaneously, on Nov. 30, 2010.

DREIDEL, DREIDEL, DREIDEL!

On Nov. 30, 2010, two students at Yeshiva University in New York City set a new world record for dreidel spinning in the Guinness Book of World Records. The two students, along with 616 others, set a new record of 618 people spinning the four-sided tops at the same time.

One of the best known symbols of Hanukkah, the dreidel is a four-sided spinning top used to play a game of chance. Each side has a Hebrew letter, Nun, Gimmel, Hey and Shin, which stand for “A Great Miracle Happened There.” © 2011 Time Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TIME FOR KIDS and Timeforkids.com are registered trademarks of Time Inc.

THERE ARE AT LEAST 10 DIFFERENCES IN THESE PHOTOS. HOW MANY CAN YOU FIND?

Toyota Corolla 2009, silver color, excellent condition, well maintained, low mileage, wanted price KD 3,250/-. Contact: 60951195.

(C 3775) 12-12-2011 Two General A/C window units and Sony TV 21” excellent condition. Contact: 66625253. (C 3772) 11-12-2011 2004 model Ford Mondeo car, red color, run 1,17,000 km, very good condition, insurance up to Oct 2012. Price KD 1050, negotiable. Call 66463727 after 7 pm. (C 3769) 10-12-2011

I, Santhana Rego holder of Indian Passport No: A9871318 hereby change my name to Santana Rego. (C 3773) 11-12-2011 I, Habibulla Ismail Mithu, holder of Indian Passport No. Z 026492, hereby changed my name to Mitha Habibullah Ismail. At. Lunawada (pms) 389230. (C 3764) 10-12-2011 I, Luis De Almeida, have changed my mother’s name from Francisquina Marques to Carmina Marques and father’s name from Antonio Xavier Almeida to Antonio Xavier de Almeida for the purpose of my Passport No. J3505800.

(C 3765) I, Luis De Almedia, r/o H.No. 539, Dona Paula, IIhas, Goa, change my name from Luis Almeida to Luis De Almeida for the purpose of my Passport No. J3505800. (C 3766) 8-12-2011

MATRIMONIAL Orthodox parents invite proposals for their son 27/180, fair.

B.Tech, employed with a reput-

ed company in Kuwait, from parents of suitable girls working in Kuwait. Contact email: rcengannoor@yahoo.com (C 3770) Proposals are invited for an RCSC girl 30, 165, working in Kuwait as accountant. Email: anson7714@yahoo.com (C 3774) 11-12-2011

SITUATION VACANT A Kuwaiti family is looking to hire a full-time Asian driver. Tel: 99774658. (C 3771) 11-12-2011 Looking for immediate employment Pakistani/ Indian/Bangladeshi cook who is ready to work on part time or full time basis and can cook for a small Pakistani

family. Contact: 24828124.

(C 3763) 6-12-2011 English speaking female lady Indian / Sri Lankan full time live-in housemaid is required in Salmiya for an Indian family. Contact: 25635450 / 99838117.

(C 3760) 5-12-2011

No: 15296

Samsung automatic washing machine 6.5 kilo, plus dr yer whirlpool KD 70/both of them. Contact: 90029751.

6-12-2011 32” Sony LCD TV in excellent condition KD 90/-.

Contact: 99598324.

(C 3757) Furniture for sale, Shaab Sea side, Spectacular direct sea view, very close to the Canadian Embassy - 3 bedrooms flat. Wood flooring and wall paper in the living room. Contact: 60027061 / 97310272. (C 3761)

KYLE KEENER/MCT

Make a great impression on holiday visitors with these shiny medallions.

One separate room in 3 bedroom spacious flat, fully furnished is available for single/bachelor in Ashbiliya opposite Farwaniya. Contact 99714430. (C 3768)

CHANGE OF NAME

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines JZR PIA KLM JZR JZR ETH ETH THY UAE QTR DHX FDB ETD GFA DHX FCX JZR BAW KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR ETD FDB GFA KAC JZR RKM MEA IRC MSR MSR GFA SYR FDB UAL OMA

Arrival Flights on Monday 12/12/2011 Flt Route 185 DUBAI 205 LAHORE 447 AMSTERDAM/BAHRAIN 267 BEIRUT 539 CAIRO 2620 ADDIS ABABA 620 ADDIS ABABA 772 ISTANBUL 853 DUBAI 138 DOHA 370 BAHRAIN 67 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 211 BAHRAIN 170 BAHRAIN 201 DUBAI 503 LUXOR 157 LONDON 412 MANILA/BANGKOK 206 ISLAMABAD 53 DUBAI 352 COCHIN 302 MUMBAI 362 COLOMBO 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 301 ABU DHABI 55 DUBAI 213 BAHRAIN 344 CHENNAI 165 DUBAI 310 RAS ALKHAIMAH 404 BEIRUT 6521 LAMERD 623 SOHAG 610 CAIRO 219 BAHRAIN 341 DAMASCUS 57 DUBAI 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 645 MUSCAT

Time 0:20 0:25 0:30 0:45 0:50 1:15 1:45 2:15 2:35 2:40 2:55 3:05 3:10 3:15 5:15 5:30 5:55 6:40 6:45 7:40 7:45 7:50 7:55 8:20 8:30 9:00 9:05 9:15 9:20 9:55 10:35 11:20 11:45 11:55 12:00 12:30 12:55 13:25 13:45 13:50 14:05 14:15

QTR KNE SVA RJA KAC JZR KAC KAC JZR ETD KAC UAE GFA SVA ABY RBG ALK JZR FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC AIC KAC KAC FDB KAC JAI MSR DHX VOS MEA GFA QTR UAE JZR KLM TAR UAL BBC DLH PIA

140 745 500 640 284 257 550 546 535 303 118 857 215 510 127 3561 227 177 63 542 786 618 674 744 975 104 774 61 552 572 618 372 81 402 217 136 859 135 445 327 981 43 636 239

DOHA JEDDAH JEDDAH AMMAN DHAKA BEIRUT SOHAG ALEXANDRIA CAIRO ABU DHABI NEW YORK DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH SHARJAH ALEXANDRIA COLOMBO/DUBAI DUBAI DUBAI CAIRO JEDDAH DOHA DUBAI DAMMAM CHENNAI/GOA LONDON RIYADH DUBAI DAMASCUS MUMBAI ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN BAGHDAD BEIRUT BAHRAIN DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN AMSTERDAM TUNIS BAHRAIN DHAKA FRANKFURT SIALKOT

14:20 14:25 14:30 14:40 15:00 15:00 15:15 15:20 16:25 16:50 16:55 16:55 17:15 17:20 17:40 17:50 18:10 18:15 18:40 18:50 19:10 19:15 19:25 19:25 19:30 19:35 19:40 20:00 20:05 20:10 20:45 21:00 21:15 21:20 21:25 21:35 21:40 21:55 22:05 22:35 23:00 23:45 23:50 23:55

Airlines JZR PIA KLM JZR JZR ETH ETH THY UAE QTR DHX FDB ETD GFA DHX FCX JZR BAW KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR ETD FDB GFA KAC JZR RKM MEA IRC MSR MSR GFA SYR FDB UAL OMA

Departure Flights on Monday 12/12/2011 Flt Route 185 DUBAI 205 LAHORE 447 AMSTERDAM/BAHRAIN 267 BEIRUT 539 CAIRO 2620 ADDIS ABABA 620 ADDIS ABABA 772 ISTANBUL 853 DUBAI 138 DOHA 370 BAHRAIN 67 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 211 BAHRAIN 170 BAHRAIN 201 DUBAI 503 LUXOR 157 LONDON 412 MANILA/BANGKOK 206 ISLAMABAD 53 DUBAI 352 COCHIN 302 MUMBAI 362 COLOMBO 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 301 ABU DHABI 55 DUBAI 213 BAHRAIN 344 CHENNAI 165 DUBAI 310 RAS ALKHAIMAH 404 BEIRUT 6521 LAMERD 623 SOHAG 610 CAIRO 219 BAHRAIN 341 DAMASCUS 57 DUBAI 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 645 MUSCAT

Time 0:20 0:25 0:30 0:45 0:50 1:15 1:45 2:15 2:35 2:40 2:55 3:05 3:10 3:15 5:15 5:30 5:55 6:40 6:45 7:40 7:45 7:50 7:55 8:20 8:30 9:00 9:05 9:15 9:20 9:55 10:35 11:20 11:45 11:55 12:00 12:30 12:55 13:25 13:45 13:50 14:05 14:15

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

QTR KNE SVA RJA KAC JZR KAC KAC JZR ETD KAC UAE GFA SVA ABY RBG ALK JZR FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC AIC KAC KAC FDB KAC JAI MSR DHX VOS MEA GFA QTR UAE JZR KLM TAR UAL BBC DLH PIA

140 745 500 640 284 257 550 546 535 303 118 857 215 510 127 3561 227 177 63 542 786 618 674 744 975 104 774 61 552 572 618 372 81 402 217 136 859 135 445 327 981 43 636 239

DOHA JEDDAH JEDDAH AMMAN DHAKA BEIRUT SOHAG ALEXANDRIA CAIRO ABU DHABI NEW YORK DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH SHARJAH ALEXANDRIA COLOMBO/DUBAI DUBAI DUBAI CAIRO JEDDAH DOHA DUBAI DAMMAM CHENNAI/GOA LONDON RIYADH DUBAI DAMASCUS MUMBAI ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN BAGHDAD BEIRUT BAHRAIN DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN AMSTERDAM TUNIS BAHRAIN DHAKA FRANKFURT SIALKOT

14:20 14:25 14:30 14:40 15:00 15:00 15:15 15:20 16:25 16:50 16:55 16:55 17:15 17:20 17:40 17:50 18:10 18:15 18:40 18:50 19:10 19:15 19:25 19:25 19:30 19:35 19:40 20:00 20:05 20:10 20:45 21:00 21:15 21:20 21:25 21:35 21:40 21:55 22:05 22:35 23:00 23:45 23:50 23:55

34

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

stars CROSSWORD 525

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) You enjoy taking care of others as much as you enjoy having someone care for you. Any form of nurturing to take care of your needs or another person’s needs is a very important element in your life at this time.

Perhaps you will be able to treat yourself and your loved one to a professional massage. You are esteemed for your ability to make commonsense decisions that concern others. You just somehow know what the community wants and needs. A family meeting this afternoon, however, may call for stepping back to let someone else take charge. When you speak, it is important that other people understand exactly what you mean. Your timing should be perfect for taking pictures, coming up with the right change or making a special phone call.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You will benefit from taking a more inward direction today.

Accepting a compliment from someone is almost always a nice experience and now will be no exception. Someone will flatter you on your preferences or possessions. You may find it very easy to enjoy and value your own life circumstances. This may be a good time to think and study, for you have a real knowledge for ideas and thoughts. You may find yourself engrossed in a long conversation, writing a letter, or making a special phone call. Your personal popularity is on the upswing. Whatever you are doing, keep it going! Avoid making large purchases at this time. In everything you do, create a balance and make sure your energies match the things you strive to accomplish.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. Standard temperature and pressure.

4. Any seed plant yielding balsam.

10. Noisy talk.

13. A tool with a flat blade attached at right angles to a long handle.

14. Wear away through erosion or vaporization.

15. The compass point midway between northeast and east.

16. A condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders.

17. Gibberish resembling the sounds of a baby.

18. A nucleotide derived from adenosine that occurs in muscle tissue.

19. A member of a seafaring group of North American Indians who lived on the Pacific coast of British Columbia and southwestern Alaska.

21. Mechanical device consisting of a toothed wheel or rack engaged with a pawl that permits it to move in only one direction.

23. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light.

25. The largest continent with 60% of the earth's population.

26. The sport of gliding on skates.

30. A group of southern Bantu languages.

34. A clique that seeks power usually through intrigue.

35. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

37. A seaport in northwestern Italy.

38. Before noon.

39. Resinlike substance secreted by certain lac insects.

41. Not widely known.

42. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

45. In bed.

47. A benevolent aspect of Devi.

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

50. Tree bearing large brown nuts containing e.g. caffeine.

52. A large mass of ice floating at sea.

54. Large brownish-green New Zealand parrot.

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

60. The ninth month of the Moslem calendar.

64. Fiddler crabs.

65. On a ship, train, plane or other vehicle.

67. A Turkish unit of weight equal to about 2.75 pounds.

68. Psychoactive substance present in marijuana.

69. Ground snakes.

70. Having leadership guidance.

71. A light strong brittle gray toxic bivalent metallic element.

DOWN 1. Title for the former hereditary monarch of Iran.

2. A member of a pastoral people living in the Nilgiri hills of southern India.

3. A tricycle (usually propelled by pedalling).

4. A small cake leavened with yeast.

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

6. A three-year law degree.

7. A native-born Israeli.

8. (Greek mythology) A Titan who was forced by Zeus to bear the sky on his shoulders.

9. A formally arranged gathering.

10. Not only so, but.

11. (prefix) In front of or before in space.

12. (especially of promises or contracts) Not violated or disregarded.

20. A collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn.

22. An athlete who plays basketball.

24. Half the width of an em.

27. God of love and erotic desire.

28. A kind of person.

29. Offering fun and gaiety.

31. Relatively small fast-moving sloth.

32. A standard or model or pattern regarded as typical.

33. The United Nations agency concerned with atomic energy.

36. A coffee cake flavored with orange rind and raisins and almonds.

40. The corporate executive responsible for the operations of the firm.

43. Covered with paving material.

44. Primitive chlorophyll-containing mainly aquatic eukaryotic organisms lacking true stems and roots and leaves.

46. A metric unit of volume equal to one tenth of a liter.

49. Jordan's port.

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

53. (used of count nouns) Every one considered individually.

55. An organic compound that contains a hydroxyl group bonded to a carbon atom which in turn is doubly bonded to another carbon atom.

56. An intensely radioactive metallic element that occurs in minute amounts in uranium ores.

57. A correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government (either accused persons awaiting trial or convicted persons serving a sentence).

58. A long walk usually for exercise or pleasure.

59. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

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

62. A unit of surface area equal to 100 square meters.

63. A federal agency established to regulate the release of new foods and health-related products.

66. A public promotion of some product or service.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) You may find it a bit hard to organize or persist today. Some chaos may be present this morning, but your patience will see things through to a positive end. You may feel like talking a bit more than usual, exploring new ideas or getting lost in a conversation. There will be an urge to communicate. Also, perhaps a short trip or a special phone call is in order. Priorities call your attention to family matters this afternoon. You may find you have missed those special times with family. You now have an opportunity to join in on some joint project or game activity. Tonight there is much harmony and you will find others in a good mood. You are interested in future group get-togethers. There is talk of making your own movie; you have good ideas.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

Think of things that make you laugh and share those feelings with others. Perhaps when you saw the antics of small children was when you laughed the hardest. Perhaps a charity or a volunteer position is where you place the importance of your time. If you could take your friends or family members with you, they could see what you do and perhaps want to help. Teaching is something that can be done through watching others and you have friends and family members that set their behavior patterns after you. Later today you will want to catch up on some photograph albums or update a private phone directory. Choose an activity that you think of as fun and go out and have fun with your loved one this evening. Consider a drive to see the holiday lights.

Leo (July 23-August 22) This is a great day with lots of energy and ambition. New projects are upbeat and interesting and old projects have a way of ending successfully. You may enjoy a sense of creating your own opportunities. Someone older or in authority may be a motivating force. An instinctive urge to get really serious about taking better care of you on many levels is a focus later today. You know that diet, exercise and work are important factors in feeling good and in staying healthy and mentally sharp. You put forth a great deal of effort to maintain your life in healthy ways. A sense of belonging to something bigger than the merely personal becomes a greater focus in your life. You also know the importance of friendships and taking part in group activities.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You will flourish by pursuing your ideals and most deepseated dreams of how life could be. Don’t be afraid to project your image and make those dreams real. Ideas of group cooperation and communion could further your career. Consider volunteering next week to help in group projects. You could be feeling the need to care for others or to have them care for you—possibly on a public level, as in politics. You have requirements and you sense the needs of others. Being able to incorporate the two together is what will make everything work well. Being out and about this time of year and keeping up to date with styles, news, trends, etc., makes you feel in touch. This evening a new adventure magazine has your attention.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) A friend or associate may come to you for help in working through some issues that are very private and personal. You have a way of understanding your friends and honoring their privacy. This is very commendable—you set examples for others to follow. Your friendship is always valued. Your inborn talent for knowing just what the public wants and needs puts you in a good situation to organize a charity bazaar. You might even consider this talent as a way to make money. Go into business for yourself as an advisor or coordinator of events or work for a party shop as a party coordinator. Those around you may appreciate your very humorous and kind of eccentric side this evening. Your independent spirit and unique qualities are enjoyed by friends.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Emotional security, a feeling of belonging to someone and being nurturing are issues that you feel instinctively now. You may not fancy the easy way or clear-cut option and may choose instead a more difficult path. A need to be respected could have you developing a system for organizing things and people, as a feeling of ambition and practicality takes hold. Work, achievement and ambition are all things that mean a great deal to you. Today you aim for a better life style. This afternoon you enjoy dressing up to attend some special celebration party. Perhaps this is a wedding shower, baby shower, or winning a sports game or initiating a new member or neighbor into your community. All is in fun and this afternoon brings lots of smiles and photo times.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

To

Yesterday’s Solution

Family, home and the other roots in your life give you a sense of mission. There is growth and gain through these things.

Generally, this is a fruitful period for real estate investments, if you do not bite off more than you can chew. Knowledge and communicating take care of an instinctive need. You may find that someone you are close to will be there to support you in your rather eccentric behavior just now. You should benefit appreciably from allowing more unique and unusual qualities to evolve. Some new solutions to problems that may have confounded you for some time may be possible. Or, you could find that some very inventive things come forth. Dare to dream your dreams—from these dreams come big realities.

Fondness and appreciation for the past and for your roots in life take on greater meaning and importance now. Making your home situation pleasant and attractive plays a part in this and the sale or purchase of real estate could bring you much gain. You may yearn for family harmony. You may find it easy to enjoy or value your own life situation, or you could find yourself feeling especially kindhearted towards a friend or loved one.

Someone could be away from you today; an out-of-town trip or perhaps, vacationing—and you miss them. They might appreciate a card from you. One of your friends pays you a nice compliment. You are admired or valued for your feelings or your ability to take action and get things done.

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) A fresh, invigorating quality blows into your life this morning.

This would be an ideal time for surrounding yourself with friends and young people and for having a good time. You are comfortable with your particular situation and enjoy support from those around you. It should be a great time to look at your circumstances and understand just how you feel about your present goals. Your emotions and the feelings of those around you are crystal clear. This is a wonderful time. Things seem to be pointing to your taking the first step in anything that needs to be started. Either the support that you feel from others or some circumstance could dictate your taking action. You should be feeling very healthy and up to most any task this day.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

You may find the need to take the bull by the horns, so to speak, and tackle tasks that require real discipline and organization. You find yourself in a most businesslike mood—working with, instead of against, yourself. You may have some serious or contemplative moments as you make special plans to complete an important goal. Everything seems to be working in your favor and collaborates to show you off at your very best, particularly in social situations. You should have no problem in getting the attention of others—you will have knowledge of abstract and spiritual things and will not mind sharing what you know with those around you. You feel fulfilled in being able to offer your services or what you know to other people.

A

y

e niv rsar n

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

Years

i n f o r m at i o n FIRE BRIGADE

112

Al-Madena

22418714

Al-Shohada’a

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

24812000

Al-Jahra

25610011

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Al-Salmiya

25616368

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

Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128

Hospitals Sabah Hospital

POLICE STATION Al-Madena Police Station Al-Murqab Police Station Al-Daiya Police Station Al-Fayha’a Police Station Al-Qadissiya Police Station Al-Nugra Police Station Al-Salmiya Police Station Al-Dasma Police Station

Clinics Rabiya

4732263

Roudha

22517733

Adhaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Keifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

Al-Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W.Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Al-Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Al-Omariya

24719048

N.Kheitan

24710044

Fintas

3900322

22434064 22435865 22544200 22547133 22515277 22616662 25714406 22530801

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ON 24 HRS DUTY GOVERNORATE

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Ahmadi

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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

Hawally

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

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171 177 22924455 22414400 22423888 22425747 22434940 22420002/9 22418064/5/6 22433388 22425635 22430224 22921555 22438184 22424444 22421578 22421516 22426306 22423073 22422493 22421044 22414427 22416474 22452977/8 22417901/ 2433141 22456700 22958787 22453820/1 22404838/9

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

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

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

General Surgeons Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart Dr. Adnan Ebil Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

22666300 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

Neurologists

22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

3729596/3729581

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

Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, Ph.D. 2290-1677 Susannah-Joy Schuilenberg, M.A. 2290-1677

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

Dr. Salem soso

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

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

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0093 00355 00213 00376 00244 001264 001268 0054 00374 0061 0043 001242 00973 00880 001246 00375 0032 00501 00229 001441 00975 00591 00387 00267 0055 00673 00359 00226 00257 00855 00237 001 00238 001345

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00236 00235 0056 0086 0057 00269 00242 00682 00506 00385 0053 00357 0090392 00420 0045 00246 00253 001767 001809 00593 0020 00503 0044 00240 00291 00372 00251 00500 00298 00679 00358 0033 00594 00689

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Years

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

lifestyle

Biel

G O S S I P

loves romantic movies

he 29-year-old actress - who is in a relationship with singer-and-actor Justin Timberlake - says appearing in new movie ‘New Year’s Eve’ appealed to her because she loves light and hopeful stories. She said: “I’m very romantic, even though I’m shy about that side of myself. “I enjoy these kinds of stories and there’s something sweet and wonderful about films that have this enchanting kind of lightness and hopefulness to

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them.” Jessica used to be a Pilates champion and says her previous training has come in handy during some of her more physical roles. She said: “Pilates was part of proving myself and enjoying the sense of accomplishment. “I never did it as a way of getting into acting but I like being fit and the energy that comes from working out. It also helps when you’re doing the physical scenes like I did in ‘The A Team’.”

Range and Berry call off their engagement eidi Range and Dave Berry have called off their engagement. The couple - who were due to marry in early 2012 - called time on their eightyear relationship in the autumn, but both the Sugababes singer and the TV presenter insist the split is “amicable”. Writing on her twitter page, Heidi said: “Very sadly, after eight years together, myself and Dave decided to separate a few months ago. I wish him nothing but the best in life. (sic)” A spokesperson for Dave added: “Dave Berry announced today that his engagement to partner Heidi Range has been broken

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off. Mr Berry announced the news today although the couple agreed to separate in the autumn. “The split is amicable and no third parties are involved and he will make no further statement on the issue.” The pair got engaged during a holiday to India in 2009 and were hoping to tie the knot this winter, with Heidi recently admitting to already having found her “perfect dress”.

She said: “We want to do it in the winter next year. I want to make sure everything’s perfect! “I’ve already found the dress, so I just need to find the venue and then everything else will fall into place.”

Parker takes DiCaprio pet dog stinks over at home arah Jessica Parker admits she should “let” her husband do more in their home.

The ‘New Year’s Eve’ actress insists Matthew Broderick - with who she has son James Wilkie, nine, and two-year-old twins Marion and Tabitha - is very involved with family life but sometimes she can’t help but take over their domestic tasks. She said: “He helps a lot. There are things I could let him do more, but I just don’t because it’s my nature. But if I ask for help or he sees the need, he has his own instinct.” The 46-year-old actress also admitted she is sometimes a “disaster” when it comes to juggling work and family life. She said: “I’m like many women - some days I’m victorious and some days it’s a disaster. “There’s an enormous difference between what happens in my life and most working women. I can decide not to work when I want to and millions of women don’t have that liberty.”

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eonardo DiCaprio’s friends hate travelling on his private jet because his pet dog stinks. The ‘Great Gatsby’ actor’s beloved pooch - a seven-year-old French bulldog named Django - travels everywhere with him but friends including Armie Hammer and Carey Mulligan are not impressed with the canine’s chronic gas problems. A source said: “I don’t know what Leo feeds it, but Django absolutely reeks and doesn’t let up. He will continually eat and pass gas for the entire duration of the flight.

It’s kind of funny the first time you get a whiff because everyone’s looking around to see who did it. But after an hour or so it gets nauseating. By the end of the flight, the cramped toilets are the only place to get some fresh air!”

However, Leonardo’s friends don’t blame the dog and say the actor is to blame because he is so used to the odor he doesn’t even smell it anymore. The source added to National Enquirer magazine: “I don’t think it’s really the dog’s fault. Most likely, it gets gas from all the rich food Leo feeds it. French bulldogs have notoriously delicate digestive systems. “The funny thing is that Leo can’t understand what the problem is, probably because he’s so used to the odor. Either that or he has no sense of smell.

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Morello wouldn’t expect rage success now om Morello doesn’t think Rage Against the Machine would get signed if they started today. The ‘Killing in the Name of’ guitarist believes modern record companies are only interested in making money, and so wouldn’t in interested in controversial groups like his if they were just beginning their career now. He said: “We’d never get signed if we’d formed today. The grim remains of what is left in the music industry is much more interested in selling ringtones than signing bands like Rage these days.”

Tom - who is joined in the band rapper Zack De la Rocha, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk - is lending support to the Occupy anti-capitalist movements in various cities around the world with his Nightwatchman solo project and thinks it is important to support these causes as they provide an alternative type of music to the mainstream. He told NME magazine: “The soundtrack to Occupy is happening out there right now. It’s the folk bands around the campfires in London and Bristol. It’s reflective of a peaceful uprising. “You step outside the door and you change things yourself. That’s exactly what people are doing around the world right now.” — Bang Showbiz

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N-Dubz to rest old songs

-Dubz are putting their old songs “to sleep”. The group recently released their greatest hits album and producer Fazer said they did so in order to begin a new phase in their career. He said: “We see it as a golden jubilee on N-Dubz’s career. We’ve done three great albums but we’re bored of performing these old songs now. “We want new material, so we’re putting the old ones to sleep. Everything from 2012 on is a new

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chapter.” Fazer also admitted he is a “freak” because he hates taking time off, but he is happy to work hard now so he can relax more when he is older. He added in an interview with Now magazine: “I’m a freak. I go on holiday for two weeks and in the first three days, I’m bored and I want to go home. “I work hard and play harder. If I work now when I’m young, I can rest when I’m older relax, go on holiday, spend time with the kids.”

Rapace can’t be vain when acting

oomi Rapace “deletes her vanity” when she takes on a new part. The Swedish beauty does not mind when she has to take on a party which makes her look less than her best as she has prepared herself to always do whatever it takes to play a character. She said: “Me, Noomi, and I love shoes and clothes and dressing up. But I made a decision a long time ago that every time I step into a character, I need to delete my vanity. I need to free myself from what I think is cool or beautiful or sexy.” However, the ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’ star does continue to struggle with nudity in films. She told Britain’s Vogue magazine: “I hate being naked in movies but I’ve been naked so many times. “I give myself a talking to, ‘It doesn’t matter, the body is never perfection, perfection is not interesting. I’m not a model.’ I’m not here because of beauty.”

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Welch wanted simple childhood lorence Welch longed for a “puritanical lifestyle” as a child. The Florence and the Machine singer’s parents divorced when she was young and she believed the trouble between them made her long for a more simple life. She said: “I was longing for a puritanical lifestyle as a kid. “I must have sensed some kind of ruction between my parents, because I was really longing to live in a log cabin, read the bible and drink fresh milk.” Florence believes she is now attempting to relive childhood because she was “scared” of so many things growing up. She explained to Britain’s Vogue magazine: “For a lot of performers, you’re looking to get to that sense of childhood freedom and imagination. “But I was really a scared kid. I think in a sense, I’m having a renaissance of childhood. I’m embracing the world, instead of being followed by nightmares all the time.”

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

LIFESTYLE M u s i c

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(Second left) Angelina Jolie, writer and director of the film “In the Land of Blood and Honey” poses with cast members, left to right, Rade Serbedzija, Vanesa Glodjo, Zana Marjanovic and Goran Kostic at the premiere in Los Angeles, Thursday. —AP

M o v i e s

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, writer and director of the film “In the Land of Blood and Honey” pose at the premiere.

Angelina Jolie hailed for Balkan war film debut scar-winning actress Angelina Jolie has won praise for her directing debut-a powerful story of love amid the atrocities of the Bosnian war-from both film critics and victims’ relatives. The Hollywood “A” lister is used to being feted for her performances in films ranging from “Girl, Interrupted”-which won her the best supporting actress Academy Award in 2000 — to the “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” movies. But she has also been an ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees since 2001, and has drawn on that experience in the making of “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” due out in the United States later this month.

The movie tells the story of a Serb soldier who re-meets a former lover, a

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Lohan says has learned from mistakes

Bosnian woman now held captive in the camp he oversees during the dark days of the 1992-95 Bosnian war. “It’s very difficult to make me sit and see this for two hours, it’s so hard to watch, so you can imagine living it for years, as many of our cast did,” she told reporters at a press screening in Hollywood on Thursday. “We want people to feel what it is like to live in war, and we also want to people who watch this movie to pray that ... something will stop this,” she added.

The film’s cast are all local actors who lived through the conflict as the former Yugoslavia was ripped apart, and the movie was made in Bosnia and Budapest, in two languages: English and Serbo-Croatian. British journalist Christiane Amanpour, who

covered the Balkan wars including the siege of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo for the CNN television news network, calls the movie “really brave, very tough and courageous.” In an interview with Amanpour on ABC television last week, Jolie said the Bosnian conflict was “our generation’s war.”

“This was, you know, the worst genocide since World War II in Europe,” she said, adding: “What were we all doing? And did we do enough? And why do we not speak about this enough?” “And so I wanted to learn. I felt a responsibility to learn,” added Jolie, who lives with actor Brad Pitt and is the mother of six children, three of them adopted.

Talking to Newsweek-whose interviewer marveled at Jolie’s attention to

authentic detail despite being only 17 when the war erupted-the actress said her UN ambassador role helped her develop the habit of learning in depth.

“When I go somewhere, I am always willing to learn about it. I get briefings, I read books, I talk to people,” the 36year-old told the US magazine. “But mainly I try to go somewhere to bring awareness, to come home and pick up the phone and call someone and try to get something done,” she added.

The film has also won praise from Bosnian war victims’ groups. “This movie is deeply moving for the victims who experienced all of these things,” Murat Tahirovic, who heads an association of prisoners of war, told AFP after a special screening in Sarajevo on Friday. “It is completely objective and it

really tells the facts of what happened during the war.” Hatidza Mehmedovic, head of an association of mothers of Srebrenica massacre victims-the 8,000 Muslim men and boys killed by Bosnian Serb forces in July 1995 — also paid tribute to the US actress.

“It will never be possible to make a movie that would show everything that went on in Bosnia during the war,” she said. “But this movie is objective and sincere,” she said, adding that she wanted to “thank Angelina for her intellectual and financial investment in making this movie that will tell the world the truth about Bosnia’s war.”

Weeks ahead of the film’s US release, a Croatian journalist, James Braddock, filed a lawsuit in Illinois on December 2 claiming copyright infringement

over his book “The Soul Shattering,” published in 2007. Jolie dismisses the claim. “It’s par for the course. It happens on almost every film. There are many books and documentaries that I did pull from. It’s a combination of many people’s stories,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “But that particular book I’ve never seen.”

“In the Land of Blood and Honey” is due to be released in a limited number of theaters in the United States on December 23, and in the Netherlands, Turkey, Belgium and France in February. —AFP

Morocco Film Festival

ctress Lindsay Lohan, in her first interview since being sent to jail last month for a probation violation, tells Playboy that she has learned to be accountable for her mistakes. The “Mean Girls” star told the magazine in an interview accompanying her 10-page nude pictorial that during the past five years she’s come to understand “that ultimately we are responsible for ourselves and our own actions.” Magazine founder Hugh Hefner has said he advanced the street date of the highly-anticipated issue-in which a blonde Lohan channels her idol Marilyn Monroe’s famed 1953 Playboy photo spread-in part because photos were leaked online. The Lohan issue hit Playboy’s website on Saturday and the magazine lands on newsstands Dec. 16, one day after Lohan’s scheduled interview on Ellen Degeneres’ daytime TV talk show. Excerpts of the Playboy interview were released on Saturday. The former child star whose career has suffered in recent years following arrests

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US actress and jury member Jessica Chastain, Serbian director and jury president Emir Kusturica, center, and Indian director and actress Aparna Sen, right, arrive at the closing ceremony of the 11th Marrakech International Film Festival in Marrakech, Morocco, Saturday. —AP

for drunken driving, drug possession and theft, told Playboy she would have done things differently in her recent years of trouble. “Looking back, I probably would have listened to and taken more advice from the people whom I admire and would have followed through with it more,” Lohan said.

“My stubbornness at 18 and 19-years-old got in the way,” she said. “During the past five years, I’ve learned that time flies faster than you think, and because you only live once you have to learn from your mistakes, live your dreams and be accountable.” In November, Lohan was sentenced to 30 days in jail for violating her probation on recent criminal charges, but served less than a day behind bars due to overcrowding. In an excerpt that apparently references her decision to pose nude for the magazine, Lohan said: “Sex and sexuality are a part of nature and I go along with nature. I think Marilyn Monroe once said that.” And the actress, who first gained fame playing twin sisters in 1998 Disney film “The Parent Trap,” said she doesn’t understand why her life has become tabloid fodder. “I have no idea why there is this fascination with everything I do,” she said. “I suppose it is all part of this trend of people wanting to know every single detail of a celebrity’s life. “I mean, once we get to the point where magazines are doing pictorials on my wardrobe to court, that’s just so unimportant,” Lohan said. —Reuters

(From left) Screenwriter Daniel Dencik, Danish director Frederikke Aspock and actress Stephanie Leon pose after winning the Golden Star award for the film “Out of Bounds”.

Australian actor Daniel Henshall poses after receiving his “Best Actor” award for the film “Snowtown” from Spain’s actress Paz Vega.

Australian director Justin Kurzel poses with his award after winning the “Jury Prize” for the film “Snowtown”.

Twin Italian brothers Gianluca and Massimiliano De Serio pose after winning the Jury Award for Best Director for the film “Seven Acts Of Mercy” (“Sette opere di misericordia”).

US Actress Joslyn Jensen poses with her “best actress” award for the film “Without”.

US actress Sigourney Weaver, left, poses after she presented an award to Mohamed Aouad, right, for his film “L’Arroseur,” the winner of the Short Film competition.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

lifestyle T R A V E L

The path through the fantasy Toyland leads to Santa at Santaland inside Macy’s Herald Square.

— MCT photos

NYC: It’s the most wonderfulthistown time of year A Norway spruce towers over ice skaters at Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan.

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or a day or a weekend sparkling with the season’s spirit, there’s no topping the Big Apple, with a twinkling Norway spruce towering over the ice-skating rink at Rockefeller Center, story-telling department store windows and the breathtaking Santaland. With the aroma of roasting chestnuts, the sight of choreographed light shows and the spectacle of Gaga’s Workshop, you can’t help but get swept up in the excitement of the season-and you might get your Christmas shopping done, too.

You’ll have money to spend, because other than about $30 for parking, most of the sights are free. Yes, you can splurge and see the Rockettes in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, but there’s a way to save a few bucks on those tickets. So, slip into comfortable walking shoes and take a walking tour of the city’s Christmas spectacles.

Start at Macy’s Herald Square at 34th Street and Broadway, the setting for the classic movie, “Miracle on 34th Street.” The story is told each year in scenes depicting Kris Kringle winning over 6year-old Susan Walker, and his lawyer proving in court that there is a Santa Claus. This year, the display has been moved from windows along two sides of the landmark department store to the eighth floor, near Santaland.

In the windows along 34th Street, you can hear and read the story, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,” a newspaper’s response to an 8-year-old girl’s letter. And new this year is Make-A-Wish, a series of window displays that take you on a magical and whimsical journey to experience the season’s wishes and dreams.

Next, head inside to visit Santaland. Ride the wooden escalators, which date to 1902, instead of waiting for the more modern elevators to reach the eighth floor. Perky elves direct you to a seat on the Macyland Express and along a path through the Enchanted Forest, surrounded by decorated Christmas trees, model trains, ice-skating polar bears, bags of toys, and child-sized lollipops and candy canes. The trail ends at the North Pole, where the elves will take your picture with Santa.

“Mrs Claus likes to see everyone who’s visiting him,” they explain. You can buy their photo, but they’ll also capture the moment with your camera for free. And you’ll get a little gift-sorry, I don’t want to spoil the surprise. One floor up, browse the decorations for sale in the Christmas Shop.

Back on the street, grab a hot dog with sauerkraut from one of the many vendors. Walk east to Fifth Avenue, then north to 38th Street, where Lord &Taylor has been decorating its windows with holiday displays since 1938.

This year’s display-”What is Christmas Made Of?”-is inspired by thousands of drawings by children in Women in Need Shelters and local schools.

Each of the five windows along Fifth Avenue has

about 20 drawings, with mechanized figures acting out the traditional holiday activity: picking out a Christmas tree, trimming the tree, ice skating in Central Park, building a snowman, and waiting for Santa. Keep strolling north along Fifth Avenue for some window shopping and people watching. If you have young girls in the family, head into the American Girl Place at 49th Street to shop for a doll and everything that comes with them.

Across 49th Street, Saks Fifth Avenue has attracted crowds since 1949. This year, vignettes in 12 windows tell the story, “Who Makes the Snow,” in which a young girl looks for the source of bubbles and snowflakes. The displays also include one-of-a-kind fashions by 10 designers. The story comes to life on the store’s facade each night with The Snowflake and the Bubble light show, which runs two minutes and can be seen every 15 minutes from 5 pm to 10 pm.

A block north, step into St Patrick’s Cathedral.

The Gothic church is worth visiting in any season, for its dramatic sanctuary, side altars, statues and stained-glass windows. If you’re in town the evening of Dec 15, stop in for the 32nd annual A City Singing at Christmas, featuring the cathedral’s choir and organs, the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, the Connecticut Chamber Choir and the New York Symphonic Brass. Across Fifth Avenue, you can easily spend a day at Rockefeller Center.

The main attraction is the 74-foot Christmas tree, which is from Mifflinville, Pa, this year, topped by a Swarovski crystal star. The tree’s 30,000 lights will be lit for the first time on Wednesday (Nov 30). Watch the ice skaters, or rent skates for $10 and circle the rink for 90 minutes for $12.50 (children under 11 and seniors) to $21 (adults).

If you’d rather be entertained, make your way to Sixth Avenue and West 51st Street for the show at Radio City Music Hall, featuring the traditional “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” and a new 3-D video game adventure. Tickets cost $45 to $165 (more if you want your picture taken with Santa or a Rockette), but look for discount coupons handed out around Rockefeller Center.

You also can find discount tickets for the Top of the Rock observation deck (full price is $16 to $38), where you can get a bird’s-eye view of the city from 70 stories up.

For an update on the events of the day, read the news ticker on the front of the NBC building.

You can buy tickets to tour the studios (you might have to plan that in advance), and gifts for fans of “The Office,” “30 Rock,” “Psyche” and other NBC and USA Network shows. By now, you’re probably hungry and running out of gas, but there’s still a cluster of seasonal sights near Central Park that are worth the eight-block walk. So, reward yourself

A dozen 14-foot stars hanging from the ceiling of the Great Room are lit up from 5 p.m. to midnight, choreographed to holiday songs.

stars hanging from the ceiling of the Great Room are lit up from 5 p.m. to midnight, choreographed to holiday songs by Wynton Marsalis and members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

Make your way back to Fifth Avenue, walking along 59th Street past horse-drawn carriages ready to take you for a ride in Central Park. At 58th Street, doormen dressed as Toy Soldiers welcome the children in all of us to FAO Schwarz. Three floors are packed with toys for children of all ages and interests. Giraffes, bears and other stuffed animals are as big as an adult; a Lego section has a life-sized Lego Santa; and dolls called Brownstone Buddies represent children around the world. You can even hop on the floor piano like Tom Hanks did in the movie “Big.” Check out the gourmet cupcakes at the cafe, then head back to Fifth Avenue to see the high fantasy windows at Bergdorf Goodman.

The five main displays are in the women’s store on the west side of the street, but there are a total of 35 windows in that store and the men’s store across Fifth Avenue. Don’t miss the bank of windows in the women’s store along 57th Street-many tourists never notice them.

This year’s theme is Carnival of the Animals, and each of the five main windows feature a different material, says David Hoey, Bergdorf’s director of visual presentation. “One has antique animals made of wood; another, blackand-white paper animals. There’s an aquarium with Italian mosaic tiles, a window with brass and metal animals, mostly birds,” and another filled with plush animals.

The windows also show mannequins modeling fashion designers’ outfits tied into the theme, Hoey says. Now, it’s decision time. The windows at Barneys and Bloomingdales are always a treat, but they’ll take you farther from your car. If your feet are up to it, keep goingyou can always take a cab downtown. —MCT

The two-minute Snowflake and the Bubble light show plays out on the facade of Saks Fifth Avenue every 15 minutes from 5 pm to 10 pm. with a late lunch or early dinner at the Stage Deli of New York or Carnegie Deli, both on 7th Avenue between 53rd and 55th streets.

The Carnegie has been around for 74 years, the Stage Deli for 70, and both are known for their triple-decker sandwiches heaped with pastrami, corned beef, turkey and other deli delights. You might want to share, because you don’t want to walk around with a doggie bag, and you do want

to leave room for their renowned cheesecake.

Wash it all down with an egg cream. Know that the Carnegie does not accept credit cards, but there’s an ATM machine out front. Now you’re ready to walk off all those calories.

If you’ve got the time and the energy, walk one block west to Eighth Avenue, then north a few streets to Columbus Circle to see Time Warner Center’s Holiday Under the Stars. A dozen 14-foot

A Christian woman lights a candle at the Church of the Nativity, believed to be the site of Jesus Christ’s birth, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. Tourists from all over the world are expected to flock to Jesus’ traditional birthplace to celebrate Christmas eve on 24 December. (Right) Runners, dressed as Santa Claus take part to the traditional ‘Christmas Corrida Race’ in the streets of Issy Les Moulineaux, on the western outskirts of Paris, yesterday.— AP/AFP

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MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

LIFESTYLE T r a v e l

A journey through the Indonesian archipelago A traditional Indonesian house in Taman Mini theme park, Jakarta.

An artist works on a handicraft piece.

Tourists climb the hill to the Borobudur Buddha shrine, the largest Buddha monument in the world. —Photos by Sajeev K Peter

By Sajeev K Peter JAKARTA: A journey from Yogyakarta to Jakarta is a travel through the heart of the Indonesian archipelago. With over 17,000 tropical and often deserted islands straddling the equator, and with the Indian Ocean to the east and Pacific Ocean to the west, Indonesia boasts the longest coastline of any country in the world. Its astonishing cultural diversity and breath-taking natural beauty make it one of the beautiful countries on earth.

Yogyakarta, my first destination on Java Island, is a bustling city of around 500,000 people. To me, the city of Yogyakarta still lives in the Dutch colonial legacy. The modernity has well penetrated into many parts of the metropolis, yet the burly manifestations of its historic past pronounce Yogyakarta’s distinct identity. Two world famous heritage centers — Borobudur and Prambanan temples - are located close to Yogyakarta.

This tourist haven boasts many heritage sites and museums like Tugu Monument which is a popular landmark of the city. My guide Nana told me the monument was built by Sultan Hamengkubuwono VI. The Dutch Fort Benteng Vredeburg is a wonderful evidence of Dutch colonial architecture.

Nana said the sprawling Sultan’s palace premises or Kraton host several other attractions like Kraton Yogyakarta, Sultan’s Carriage Museum, Taman Sari, Siti Hinggil Selatan, Alun-alun and Masjid Gede Kauman.

Prambanan Temple A world heritage site, Prambanan temple is a magnificent structure constructed in the tenth century during the reigns of two kings namely Rakai Pikatan and Rakai Balitung. Soaring up to 47 meters (5 meters higher than Borobudur temple), the foundation of this temple has fulfilled the desire of the founder to show Hindu triumph in Java Island.

The temple is located 17 kilometers from the city center in a huge area that now functions as a lovely park.

Prambanan temple has three main temples namely Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva in its primary precincts. These three temples are symbols of Trimurti in Hindu faith. All of them face to the east.

Candi Borobudur Nana informed me that we had to start off in the early morning to visit Borobudur Temple before the site became very crowed. Since Borobudur is the largest Buddhist monument in the world, thousands of tourists from all parts of the world visit the site every day. In Indonesia, ancient temples are known as Candi; thus ‘Borobudur Temple’ is locally known as Candi Borobudur, he told me.

Located 41 kilometers (25 miles) away from Yogyakarta on top of a small hill near the larger town of Magelang, Candi Borobudur serves as Indonesia’s most visited site.

On way up the hill, I could see mounts of volcanic soil on both sides of the road spewed by Mount Merapi when it erupted in October 2010. Nana informed me that the Merapi volcano claimed the lives of 353 people last year.

The volcano quieted down after rumbling off and on for nearly two months.

According to experts, another minor eruption of Merapi may take place in two or three years and a major eruption in 10 to 15 years.

Borobudur, a 9th-century Mahayana

Buddhist monument, comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside a perforated stupa. The monument, a UNESCO world heritage site, not only serves as a shrine to the Lord Buddha, but also a place for Buddhist pilgrimage.

On returning from Borobudur Temple, I visited some of the popular haunts for Javanese handicraft on Malioboro Street, Beringhardo market and the popular bird market. Nana told me a two-day stay in the city would not suffice to cover the numerous destinations in Yogya.

Off to Jakarta It took me hardly one hour to land at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International airport by a Garuda Indonesia flight from Yogyakarta airport. As I checked out, my guide in Jakarta Vahed

the most populous city in Indonesia and in Southeast Asia and is the tenthlargest city in the world.

You may take an hour to reach downtown Jakarta from SoekarnoHatta International airport if the traffic is not very hectic. Remember, like any other Asian metropolis, traffic congestion continues to be a curse for this sprawling city.

For me, the city presented the intriguing contrasts between modern and the old. Taman Mini Indonesia, my first destination in Jakarta, is touted as Indonesia’s answer to every visitor to see and experience the magnificent archipelago in just a day. I had to rush to catch a glimpse of the extensive theme park set in over 100 acres of land in an hour’s time. The park showcases Indonesia’s 33 provinces and their unique characteristics in the exact regional architecture of the province.

Cultural shows, events, and even local delicacies from the provinces are prepared regularly, especially during week-

Candi Prambanan Temple, Yogyakarta

A girl getting tattooed in a market in Batavia, Old Jakarta.

Kenarang was waiting for me. He told me he would straightaway take me to Taman Mini Indonesia which is ‘Beautiful Indonesia in Miniature.’ Since I had just a day in Jakarata, the tour operator had to be quite selective about the places I had to visit.

As we travelled in a car towards downtown Jakarta, the sprawling metropolis unfolded before me in all its splendor. The symmetrically built expressways, towering condominiums and well-designed green boulevards created a good impression on me.

Vahed gave me a running commentary on Jakarta as we headed to the city.

Jakarta, the main gateway to the Indonesian archipelago, is full of surprises. This is not just because it is the capital city of the country. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java. Spread over an area of 661 square kilometers with a population of 9,580,000, Jakarta is the country’s economic, cultural and political center. It is

ends and holidays showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Indonesia.

In the afternoon, I visited Jakarta’s illustrious landmark Monas. I was fortunate to go up the 132-meter high monument and visit the museums. From that height, one can view the Great Jakarta in all its splendor.

The National Monument (Monas) is a 433 ft (132 metre) tower in the center of Merdeka Square, Central Jakarta, symbolizing the fight for Indonesia’s independence. Construction began in 1961 under the direction of President Soekarno and the monument was opened to the public in 1975. Made in white marble, it is topped by a flame covered with gold foil.

After the Indonesian government returned to Jakarta from Yogyakarta in 1950 following the Dutch recognition of Indonesia’s independence, President Soekarno began to contemplate the construction of a national monument similar to the Eiffel Tower on the square in front of the Presidential Palace.

Masjid Istiqlal If you look from the Monas Tower, you will see Southeast Asia’s largest mosque Masjid Istiqlal. The mosque with its huge domes and minarets looks quite majestic from the Monas. It has four levels of balconies that can accommodate 40,000 worshippers. Though this impressive white mosque was constructed between 1961 and 1967, the building opened only after 1978. The building was designed by a Christian architect and was completely made of white marble taken from the East of the island of Java.

The big dome has a diameter of 45 meters and the minaret is 90 meters high. The men’s section of the main prayer room can host 20,000 worshippers while women section can accommodate 10,000 worshippers. My guide told me the mosque can even host 120,000 worshippers on festival days like Eid-Al-Fitr or Eid Al-Adha. There are also spaces for bazaars, conferences, education and other social purposes.

I became curious when he told me that a non-Muslim also could visit the mosque. But he quickly added that time was not on our side. Istiqlal means Independence as the mosque was built to commemorate the independence of Indonesia.

Interestingly, one can also visit Gereja Kathedral (Cathedral Church) that is located close to the main entrance of the masjid. Indonesians say this proximity symbolizes the unity of the country in its rich diversity.

The city is home to the state palace, Central Bank of Indonesia’s HQ and Jakarta Stock Exchange. It has various tourist and recreational sites such as Sunda Kelapa Harbor, Gajah museum, Fatahillah Museum, Ragunan Zoo, Keong Emas Imax Theatre, Fantasy World Amusement Park, Thousand Islands and many more.

Culture, Ethnicity People living in Jakarta include those from the Javanese, Sundanes, Minang, Batak and Bugis ethnic groups.

Besides receiving influences from other regions in the archipelago, Jakarta has been absorbing the Arabic, Chinese, Indian and Portuguese cultures.

Jakarta is full of glittering multi-level shopping centers filled with designer boutiques and dizzy display of products that tempt shoppers of all tastes and pockets. But for me, the traditional and ethnic markets found in the old city called Batavia region appeared more fascinating. The old city looks as if it still endures the Dutch colonial past.

In Old Batavia, Glodok is the oldest China Town with characteristics of open markets and shops in typical old Chinese architecture and tiny alleys make this area a photographers’ hangout.

Sunda Kelapa Harbour, the city’s old harbor is located in the head of Batavia.

En route is located the old drawbridge from 17th century. This harbor was the first used by Portuguese in 1555 and Dutch in 1600 when they arrived in Indonesia. Here you meet people who lead their traditional lifestyles in the midst of modernity. But to know and get acquainted with their culture and tradition, a day is too short. As the sun set over the horizon of Old Batavia, I realized that it was time for me to say goodbye to Jakarta. My guide was ready to take me back to SoekarnoHatta International Airport from where I would catch an Emirates flight to Dubai and back to Kuwait.

With street band in Batavia (Old Jakarta).

Istiqlal Masjid, Central Jakarta, Southeast Asia’s largest mosque.

Tourism thrives on new bold initiative

By Sajeev K Peter KUWAIT: Indonesia has taken several new bold initiatives in the last few years to boost the tourism industry in the country leading to a quantum jump in tourist arrivals, Tifaful Sembiring, Chairperson of the Steering Committee of 19th ASEAN summit and

Minister Tifaful Sembiring Related Summits and the Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Indonesia told the Kuwait Times in an interview held in Nusa Dua Bali.

“The vast diversity is our big advantage.

You know there are 17,000 islands in Indonesia. But each of our major islands like Sumatra, Borneo, Jawa, Bali and Papua etc represent a distinct cultural identity, offering tourists a wide variety of attractions,” he told on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit.

Indonesia is the world’s most expansive archipelago, stretching east to west almost 5,000 kilometers from Sumatra to Irian Jaya, and north to south almost 1,800 km from the Sabah - Kalimantan border to Roti Island off Timor.

There are officially 17,508 islands of which 6,000 are inhabited. Most of the country’s islands are mountainous, some so high as to be snowcapped, with volcanoes running like a backbone through the country. It’s this volcanic ash that gives the Indonesian soil its rich fertility, spawning such an amazing diversity of flora and fauna including the world’s biggest flower the Rafflesia and the mighty Komodo dragon.

“We also have been able to offer attractive and competitive packages to tourists who arrive from all parts of the world. Since ours is the largest Muslim-majority democracy in the world, we have a lot of tourists arriving from the Gulf region as well,” he added.

Islam is the predominant religion, though religious tolerance is vigorously pursued by

the authorities. Christianity is strong in Sulawesi and some eastern areas such as Flores, Hinduism in Bali and Animism remains in Sumba and Irian Jaya.

The 202 million people that live here make Indonesia the fourth most populous nation on earth, 128 million on Java alone. The archipelago is home to 483 ethnic groups speaking 583 different languages and dialects. But the national language Bahasa Indonesia is spoken throughout the archipelago.

Connectivity Indonesia has refurbished all its infrastructure and transport networks with the building of state-of-the-art road, air and rail connectivity that covers every part of the country.

“If you fly from the West of the country to the East, you will spend nine hours to cover around 5,400 kilometers. And this stretch of 5,400 kilometers will unfold before you the rich cultural diversities of our country. And in all the 33 provinces, people speak different regional dialects, follow diverse traditions and religious rituals. Most importantly, the country also offers a rich variety of cuisines that cater to every palate across the world,”

Marie Elka Pangestu, the Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy.

Sembiring added.

Marie Elka Pangestu, Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy told a press briefing during the summit that the foreign tourist arrivals to Indonesia have reached 7.7 million in 2011 while domestic tourist numbers touched 123 million this year.

“We predict that the number of foreign tourist arrivals will hit 8 million by the end of 2012,” she said. The industry has witnessed a rise in tourist arrivals from Australia, China, Japan, India, Korea and the Gulf countries in the last few years, she added.

From Yogyakarta to Jakarta

39

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011

More than 6000 people from more than 30 countries from five different continents take part in the Freedom Faithnet Global (FFG)’s movement event ‘Annual Freedom Celebration’ to try simultaneously break the largest torchlit image and Parade world Guinness records early yesterday at Istora Senayan stadium in Jakarta.— AFP

events in Indonesia break records T

housands of people set two new world records as they lit up about 3,700 flaming torches in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, organizers said yesterday. A total of 3,777 people from 36 countries took part in the

“largest torchlit image formed by people” and 3,690 people formed the “largest torchlit parade” at Jakarta stadium on Saturday, organizers said.

“It was awesome. There was slight rain but

people still turned up. We sang, we celebrated love in the world, and we broke two world records. We were certified last night,” Yamal Hasmanan, spokesman for web-based “community group” Freedom Faithnet Global (FFG)

which organised the events, told AFP. The first challenge required participants to light torches one by one and keep them lit for 10 minutes, while the second required them to carry their torches in a street procession lasting

45 to 50 minutes, Hasmanan said. “During the parade, some torches went out, so the number got smaller. But it’s okay... we still managed to break the record,” he said, adding that they were certified by Guinness World Records.—AFP

Dancing Santa lifts mood in Philippine traffic jams

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A Chinese couple look at a 12-meter-tall Christmas tree made of 320 bicycles on display at a shopping mall in Shenyang in northeast China’s Liaoning province, yesterday. — AP

housands of traffic enforcers struggle grimly to keep the Philippine capital’s notoriously gridlocked roads moving every day, but Ramiro Hinojas does it with a smile and a little help from Michael Jackson. Rain or shine, seven days a week, the diminutive 55-year-old stands in the middle of one of Manila’s major intersections, and to the cacophony of roaring engines, puts on an elaborate dance show as he deftly guides traffic flow.

The struts and footwork may have been copied from the King of Pop, Hinojas’ deceased American idol, but the flare and passion by which he mixes them with hand signals to direct amused motorists are uniquely his own.

His sleek moves, which appear on Youtube, have made him a minor celebrity and a champion for the country’s lowly paid traffic force that is faced with the impossible task of trying to keep roads flowing freely. “It gives me joy to see people happy while they’re stuck in traffic, because I know how the rush hour can make anyone crazy,” Hinojas told AFP in between breaks at the main junction in Manila’s Macapagal Boulevard.

The father of three has been adding even more spice to his routine this month, dressing up in a Santa Claus outfit to help motorists cruise into the Christmas season.

One of 16 children from an impoverished family in the central Philippines, Hinojas came to live in the chaotic slums of Manila as a boy.

He found his calling as a traffic enforcer about a decade ago when he was laid off from his previous job as a security guard.

Hinojas said he decided to introduce the dance routines in an effort to get motorists to take notice and follow his instructions.

“So I picked up the dance moves of Michael Jackson, and adapted them for my routine,” he said.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the agency that over-

sees traffic management in the megacity of 12 million, said it employed about 2,000 full-time enforcers.

The number, however, could run into the many thousands, because various districts where the MMDA does not operate also deputize their own traffic volunteers.

Hinojas is one of those deputies, and easily the most flamboyant. With their blue or green uniforms, the enforcers crowd small and big intersections even when there are perfectly working traffic lights, ready to pounce on erring speedsters who ignore the signals.

They are supposed to help out when traffic lights fail, or when perennial floods render areas impassable. But because some roads are so densely packed and slow moving, vehicles often get caught by the red light in the middle of the junction, meaning the enforcers have to take over the chaotic road management.

MMDA spokeswoman Alu Dorotan said that apart from being exposed to terrible pollution, traffic enforcers sometimes fall victim to “road rage” partly because they have the power to issue motorists’ fines for traffic violations.

At least two have been wounded in gun attacks by drivers since September, according to the MMDA. The assailants in both instances have been caught and charged in court, but in a country where unlicensed firearms proliferate and where rights groups complain of a culture of impunity, Dorotan said more attacks were likely.

“Other constables have been punched and verbally abused in scenarios that could have turned worse,” Dorotan said. Hinojas said his dance routines were precisely meant to relieve those kinds of tensions.

And entertained commuters often show their appreciation by honking their horns, as he wriggles his bottom and pirouettes to pull in oncoming traffic.

Others take the time to stop at a nearby mall to buy him food and offer cash donations that augment his measly take-home pay that equates to less than three dollars a day. “He is very nice, and dances for us while we’re stuck in traffic,” said a smiling Reynaldo Nieto, a bus driver who passes by the busy intersection several times a day, and a self-proclaimed Hinojas fan.

“We always follow his traffic commands.”

There are some, however, who ignore the law, hurl insults, and challenge his authority. Hinojas said he remembered one instance when teenagers gave him a lunch pack, only for him to find out it consisted of leftover chicken bones.

But despite the insults and other hardships, he genuinely appears to love his job.

“Sometimes I get sick from being under the sun too long, or if I get wet from the rain, but I always tell my family that in my own small way, I am doing my share to improve the country by putting things in order.” — AP

Philippine traffic enforcer Ramiro Hinojas, wearing Santa Claus costume, directs traffic along a major road in Manila on December 6, 2011. —AFP photos