13th Nov

CR IP TI ON BS SU 150 FILS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

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THUL HIJJAH 28, 1433 AH

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NO: 15626

New Syrian oppn bloc wins Gulf recognition Israel strikes inside Syria, hiking spillover fears conspiracy theories

Don’t miss the golden chance

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

I

am sure that the opposition leaders and organizers, planners and masterminds behind the current protests regret internally between themselves all the chaos they caused. But I am sure they do not have the courage to admit it.

They bargained that nobody will come forward for parliament if they boycott the registrations for the elections. Unfortunately for them, 387 candidates - 15 of them women - have already registered for the elec tion scheduled for December 1. Some names, like Maasouma AlMubarak, Thekra Al-Rashidi and Salwa Al-Jassar are known from the political arena. Others are new faces.

The idea is that the opposition thought they could bring the country to a standstill. They overestimated, I think, their powers. So parliamentarians will be elected. Sessions will convene even without them. It is now too late for them to retreat and admit that they made a mistake by boycotting. The best weapon in politics is not to boycott but to participate and engage each other in debates. Confronting is the best tool. If you shun away, people will see you as a troublemaker and not as a problem-solver. This is what our honorable gentlemen could not comprehend.

I heard that they are bargaining that it will be a “puppet parliament” full of government followers. According to me, the coming parliament would take steps forward in the progress and development of Kuwait. That would be the bargaining chip of the government to convince the nation not to regret not siding by the opposition.

If the coming parliament manages to accomplish a few projects that were already on the agenda of the previous parliament which was ruled by a majority of the opposition, then the nation will feel the change. Instead of moving forward, they put the country backwards.

My humble prediction based on talking to many Kuwaiti youth is that this is a golden chance for the government to challenge the agenda of the opposition by supporting development projects and breaking the stalemate which overshadows the whole country. They say that this will restore the confidence in the Kuwaiti market. So far, people are afraid to start any projects because they are afraid of the outcome.

I am confident that the government will not miss a golden chance like this.

Smoke rises after shells fired by the Syrian army explode in the Syrian village of Bariqa yesterday. The Israeli military said ‘Syrian mobile artillery’ was directly hit after responding to stray mortar fire from its northern neighbor. (Inset) A Syrian man argues with a Turkish soldier in the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar as he tries to cross the border after Syrian aircraft bombed the strategic border town of Ras al-Ain, killing and wounding many people yesterday. — AP/AFP

Max 26º Min 18º High Tide 10:19 & 21:57 Low Tide 04:00 & 15:31

CAIRO: The six Gulf states recognised a newly formed opposition bloc as the Syrian people’s legitimate representative yesterday, as border violence stoked fears of a spillover of the country’s 20-month conflict. The Gulf Cooperation Council move came a year to the day after the Arab League suspended Syria’s membership, and as the National Coalition met Arab foreign ministers in Cairo buoyed by the hard-won unity deal. Deadly fighting flared, meanwhile, on Syria’s border with Turkey and Israel fired across the ceasefire line on the Golan Heights for a second day, scoring direct hits on the source of a mortar round that struck the Israeli-occupied half of the disputed territory.

The GCC members - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates - became the first to recognise the opposition coalition. “The states of the council announce recognising the National Coalition... as the legitimate representative of the brotherly Syrian people,” GCC chief Abdullatif Al-Zayani said. The oil-rich bloc would support the coalition “in order to achieve the aspirations of the Syrian people in hope that this will be a step towards a quick political transfer of power”, Zayani said. He hoped its formation would lead to ending the bloodshed and “a general national congress to pave the way to build a state ruled by law and open to all its citizens.”

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem AlThani, whose government hosted the marathon fourday talks that culminated in Sunday’s unity deal, said earlier that he would seek “full recognition” of the coalition. His minister of state for foreign affairs, Khaled AlAttiya, said recognition would remove any obstacles to Continued on Page 15

Court looks into one-vote decree Islamist activist summoned • Barrak wants travel ban lifted

By B Izzak KUWAIT: The administrative court yesterday started looking into a petition challenging the legality of an Amiri decree that amended the electoral law and which also demands that the Dec 1 polls be suspended until the court has ruled on the case. The petition was filed by lawyer Riyadh Al-Sane, incidentally the brother of Yacoub Al-Sane who is contesting the election, demanding that the court should rule that the decree is unconstitutional. The decree, issued less than three weeks ago, has reduced the number of candidates a voter can choose from a maximum of four to just one, triggering the current showdown between the opposition and the government. Government lawyers insist the court has no jurisdiction over Amiri decrees and demanded that it should issue a verdict carrying this meaning.

The court however decided to postpone the case until Nov 19 to allow lawyers enough time to prepare their defenses and is not expected to reach a verdict on that day. It is however expected to set a date most probably ahead of the Dec 1 election day to announce its verdict. Previously, the court ruled that it was incompetent to rule on such issues. Opposition activists have claimed that the whole case is a plot by Sane to get the decree affirmed by the court, knowing that the administrative court is not authorized to issue a verdict against the decree. The only court capable of ruling on such highly complex legal controversies is the constitutional court, which does not entertain cases from common people and cases to it must come either from the government, the National Assembly or another court.

Continued on Page 15

Questions mount on Petraeus affair probe Second woman indentified WASHINGTON: Pressure for a more detailed accounting of the affair that brought down CIA chief David Petraeus grew yesterday amid reports that senior FBI and Justice Department officials learned of it late last summer. The New York Times, which disclosed the latest twist in the timeline, said it was unclear whether FBI Director Robert Mueller or Attorney General Eric Holder were informed at the time. Key members of Congress demanded a fuller explanation of an affair that could have involved a national security breach, angrily complaining they were left in the dark until just before the scandal broke on Friday.

“It just doesn’t add up,” Peter King, the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, told CNN on Sunday.

Continued on Page 15

(Left) This July 13, 2011, photo shows Gen Davis Petraeus shaking hands with Paula Broadwell, co-author of ‘All In: The Education of General David Petraeus’. (Right) Jill Kelley leaves her home yesterday in Tampa, Florida. — AP

in the

news

‘Bang and flash’ engine trouble hits superjumbo SYDNEY: An engine problem forced an Emirates A380 superjumbo to turn back to Sydney, the airline said yesterday, with passengers hearing a loud bang and seeing a flash of orange. The pilot of the Dubai-bound Airbus plane carrying 380 passengers made the decision to turn back shortly after take-off on Sunday night.

Fairfax journalist Matt Campbell was on the plane and told the Sydney Morning Herald the aircraft was still climbing. “It seemed about half an hour into the flight when I saw a bright orange flash, heard a loud bang and there was a big thump through the cabin,” he said.

“The flight attendants were rushing about through the cabin and then eventually the PA came on and the captain said there was an engine problem with engine number three and that engine had now been shut down.” An Emirates spokesman admitted passengers may have “seen a flash and heard noise”. “There were no flames or smoke,” he added.

Islamists lose appeal over UAE citizenship ABU DHABI: Seven Islamists detained in the United Arab Emirates and accused of being members of the Muslim Brotherhood and threatening the security of the state lost an appeal yesterday against the revocation of their citizenship. The seven are among more than 60 members of the Islamist grouping Al-Islah detained this year and accused of belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned in the UAE. The Federal Appeals Court in Abu Dhabi yesterday upheld a lower court ruling that the withdrawal of citizenship had been an executive action and not subject to administrative court jurisdiction, the state news agency reported. The activists have one more option to appeal to a higher court. In rare political comments, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, a powerful member of Dubai’s ruling family, denied yesterday that the Arab Spring was having any impact on the UAE.

US to overtake Saudis as biggest oil producer

Saudi woman sues interior ministry over driving ban

PARIS: The United States will become the world’s largest oil producer by around 2020, temporarily overtaking Saudi Arabia, as new exploration technologies help find more resources, the International Energy Agency forecast yesterday. In its World Energy Outlook, the energy watchdog also predicted that greater oil and natural gas production - thanks partly to a boom in shale gas output - as well as more efficient use of energy will allow the US, which now imports some 20 percent of its energy needs, to become nearly self-sufficient around 2035. That is “a dramatic reversal of the trend seen in most other energy-importing countries,” the Paris-based IEA said in its report. “Energy developments in the United States are profound and their effect will be felt well beyond North America - and the energy sector.” Rebounding US oil and gas production is “steadily changing the role of North America in global energy trade,” the IEA said. (See Page 22)

RIYADH: A Saudi women’s rights activist said yesterday she has filed a lawsuit against the interior ministr y over a decree banning women from obtaining driving licences in the ultra-conservative kingdom. Nassima Al-Sadah is the third woman to file such a lawsuit this year over the rule which enforces a traditional ban on women driving in the Muslim desert nation. “I filed the lawsuit against the traffic department of the interior ministry at the Dammam court” in Eastern Province, she told AFP. Before her, Manal Al-Sharif, who became a symbol of a campaign to drive after she was arrested last year for defying the ban, and rights activist Samar Badawi also filed similar lawsuits. Sadah said she made a point by trying repeatedly to apply for a driving licence at the traffic department in Eastern Province. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that bans women from driving.

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

LOCAL

Sabre, Gulf Air honor Kuwait travel agents Opportunities, potential ‘phenomenal’

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Sabre Travel Network Middle East (Sabre), a global technology company serving travel suppliers and agencies, has joined hands with Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, to applaud the work done by the airline’s top travel management company (TMC) customers in Kuwait. On this occasion, they organized an awards ceremony for the partner travel agencies that were cooperating with Gulf Air for the past 12 months. This sponsorship underscores the importance of the Kuwaiti travel and tourism market to Sabre’s strategic plans for the GCC. Daniel Naoumovitch,

Underscoring that Sabre has faith in the Kuwaiti market, Naoumovitch said, “We believe that the opportunities and potential are phenomenal and this is one of the reasons why we are investing here so heavily. We opened a brand new office in Kuwait last year. Our team is expanding and training initiatives are continuing on weekly and monthly basis.

Product initiatives are also increasing as we are bringing products from Bahrain to maintain in this key market.”

“We see Kuwait as not only a key market, but a market that we believe is going to continue to grow, and has an excellent potential, and we feel that Sabre with its

and is one of the main areas that we are focusing on,” explained Naoumovitch.

“Our strategy is not to only expand in Kuwait, but to bring the products that we feel are the best for the travel community here. One of the key advantages that Sabre has besides the fact that we are the pioneers of the GBS business worldwide, is the fact that we know the market in Kuwait. We have been here for over 30 years.

We also know the big players of the market itself. We are fine tuning our products to ensure that the travel agent and travel community have the product which will allow them to bring in more revenues, increase customer loyalty and cus-

KUWAIT: Daniel Naoumovitch (left) and Ahmed Al-Matrook awarding one of the travel agencies.

—Photo by Joseph Shagra Sabre’s chief executive in the region, welcomed all the guests at this special event. “Sabre has always supported, engaged with and recognized the work done by TMCs across the region. Kuwait, in particular, is an important growing market for us and we acknowledge the valued travel partners who have supported Gulf Air, and in turn supported Sabre all through the year,” he said.

products, experience, and heritage will make a significant difference in shaping this field of business in this part in the world,” he further said. When Sabre first came into the market in 2005, it had slightly more than 30 employees. “We expanded and grew and by the end of this year, we have reached 200 employees in 23 offices in 11 countries throughout the region.

Kuwait is one of the key markets

tomer service while reducing cost,” he stated.

Sabre is investing more money in Kuwait now than ever before.

“We know that this market is turning around and has a potential. It is an area where our products will make significant difference to the community. Each market delivers the product in different ways and has different things to offer. There is tourism for business reasons, and

others. This part of the world is very rich when it comes to tourism,” noted Naoumovitch.

Gulf Air Country Manager for Kuwait, Ahmed Al Matrook commented, “Joining hands with Sabre to recognize Kuwait’s leading travel agents is important for Gulf Air as we strive to not only reiterate our commitment to trade partners but also celebrate their continued support of our airline. This event is aimed at recognizing travel agents for their loyalty and efforts while giving them an opportunity to spend an afternoon in a relaxing environment with other members of the travel trade.”

Sabre’s history in Kuwait includes signing an exclusive long term agreement with Aishamel Travel and supporting the extensive growth plans as a key technology partner to other major regional players such as Dnata, Kanoo Travel, World Travel Service and Fursan. Earlier last year, Sabre inaugurated their new centrally located office in Kuwait’s prestigious AlQibla district. Fully equipped with modern technology facilities to accommodate the company’s growing workforce, the office provides ample space for Sabre’s workshops and travel agent training. Recently, Sabre has had significant traction in the market with their innovative products, namely the Sabre Red App Centre, the world’s first B2B online application store for the travel industry. The Sabre Red App Centre is the first online marketplace to connect travel buyers, including travel agencies, travel management companies and leisure operators, with application providers from around the world. Sabre Travel Network Middle East provides technology services to the travel industry in the MENA region. It operates the world’s largest travel marketplace, connecting travel buyers and sellers through the Sabre GDS. Its innovative technology connects 350,000 travel agents to more than 400 airlines, 100,000 hotels, 25 car rental brands, 50 rail providers, 13 cruise lines and other global travel suppliers.

Human resources key pillar to Boubyan future growth plans KUWAIT: Adel Al-Majed, Chairman and Managing Director of Boubyan Bank stressed the importance of the role played by the bank’s human resources in achieving its plans and objectives to be among the leading local banks from all aspects.

This was part of the Al-Majed speech delivered at the celebration organized by the bank on the occasion of completion of a large number of its staff of specialized training courses as part of ITQAN Academy’s programs in cooperation with Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST), accredited by University of Missouri at St. Louis (UMSL), with which agreement has been made to act as the “Exclusive Academic Partner” for Boubyan Bank in Kuwait.

The celebration was recently held at GUST in the attendance of the University President Dr. Shuaib AlShuaib, Assistant Secretary-General of Kuwait’s Manpower and Government Restructuring Program (MGRP) for Manpower Affairs Fawzi Al-Majdali, Head of the MGRP’s Training Department Iman Al-Ansari, as well as a group of key GUST figures and an array of Boubyan managers and staff.

Al-Majed said: “As many of you recall, at our Annual Gathering three years ago, which coincided with the beginning of the stage of transformation in our Bank through the implementation of the new 5-year strategy, we stressed then that the strategy relies for its success on the Bank’s

human resources, which would be the key pillar for setting off to wider vistas of success.”

“The biggest proof of the care we give to our staff is the establishment of the first academy of its kind all over the whole region, ITQAN Academy, in cooperation with GUST, to act as the Bank’s arm for training, developing its human resources and enhancing their expertise in a distinguished academic manner in order to always give our staff the edge both on the local and regional levels,” added Al-Majed.

Al-Majed also indicated that: with all distinguished training programs it provides, ITQAN Academy forms a qualitative leap in the world of occupational and administrative training and development, not only among local banks, but also on the regional level, as it shifts training and development concepts from the traditional style to a more advanced one as represented in granting the renowned academic certificates of bachelor’s and master’s degrees in cooperation with the most prestigious American and international universities.

Al-Majed emphasized that since the inauguration of ITQAN Academy, it witnessed a massive turnout from the ambitious Kuwaiti fresh graduates, as expected due to the offered benefits that all may obtain when joining the Bank, chief among which is getting top-notch academic certificates accredited by the most prestigious international institutions.

Increase in air passenger traffic KUWAIT: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced yesterday a massive hike in passenger traffic at Kuwait International Airport, reaching 742,000 passengers in October, 2012, scoring 15 percent increase over the same month last year. The total of arriving passengers hit 358,000 in October, while the departing

passengers reached 384,000, the DGCA stated. The air traffic from and to the Airport totaled 7,000 flights last month, while the arriving and departing commercial flights hit 6,600 flights, it said.

The total of air cargo in the Airport exceeded 15 million kilograms in October, it pointed out. — KUNA

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

LOCAL

Al-Omair irritated by Al-Osaimi’s remarks

By A Saleh KUWAIT: Former MP Ali Al-Omair criticized former lawmaker Meshary Al-Osaimi over remarks in which he hinted that members of the 1981 parliament who voted then in favor of redistribution of constituencies to 25 were dishonorable. “Salafist and tribal MPs voted in favor of the emergenc y decree, so are they dishonorable?”

Al-Omair said. Al-Osaimi had stated that honorable members of the said parliament “such as Meshary Al-Anjari, Ahmad Al-Saadoun and Mohammad Al-Adasani” had voted against the decree. “Sami AlMunais, Ahmad Al-Rab’ei, Abdullah Al-Naibari, Mohammad Al-Saqr, as well as ministers at the time including Saad bin Tiflah and Yousuf Al-Ibrahim were among the politicians who voted in favor of the decree. Does [Al-Osaimi] also question their patriotism and loyalty to the constitution?” Al-Omair added.

Al-Sawaber’s repossession The government’s expropriation committee agreed to repossess 378 residential units at the Sawaber Compound with a total value of KD97,962 million. The decision came during a meeting yesterday chaired by Minister of Finance Dr. Nayef Al-Hajraf. The committee also sought to allocate KD130 million for repossession of 528 more apartments.

Al-Barrak case The Criminal Court yesterday

KAC buys six aircraft

adjourned the case in which former MP Musallam Al-Barrak is accused of undermining the status of HH the Amir. Dec 10 was set as the date for the next hearing, as per the defense’s request.

The hearing also saw the court reject a request made by AlBarrak’s lawyer to lift a travel ban against his client “in order to travel for treatment.”

Al-Barrack faces charges of offending HH the Amir, interfering in HH the Amir’s authority as well as undermining the status of the Amir by making certain remarks during a rally for the opposition at the Iradah Square last month. He faces up to five years in prison if found guilty. According to the investigation report, Al-Barrak had confessed during interrogation that he made the remarks based on which the charges were pressed.

Al-Barrak was detained briefly a few weeks ago before being freed on a KD10,000 bail.

In other news, the Cour t of Appeal received a formal request yesterday from owners of AlWatan T V as well as third constituency candidate Nabil Al-Fadhl, to waive a case about storming of the channel’s premises. The Criminal Court had sentenced nine suspects in the case to two years in prison, and fined two others.

The suspects had pleaded not guilty to the accusations about forcing their way into the channel’s building at a time when AlFadhl was being interviewed live.

The alleged storming was to

New anti-doping activities PARIS: Unesco’s Approval Committee for the Fund for the Elimination of Doping in sport agreed, at the conclusion of meetings here yesterday, the funding of a number of anti-doping activities and programs. The Committee members, during the deliberations, discussed requests by member countries to get financial support for their anti-doping programs, Ahmad Al-Khazal, director of international relations at Kuwait Public Authority for Youth and Sports (PAYS), said after the meeting. Al-Khazal, also member of

the GCC anti-doping organization and representative of the Arab countries to the Committee meetings, said the committee approved seven anti-doping educational programs.

He said the committee’s next meeting would be held next April. Kuwait contributes with $20,000 every year to the Fund for the Elimination of Doping in sport. PAYS Board Chairman and Director General Faisal Al-Jazzaf is due in Paris later tonight to participate in the international conference against doping, which is due to begin tomorrow. —KUNA

protest certain remarks he made which they deemed to be offensive.

Meanwhile, the Cassation Court found the director of the Ministry of Health’s department overseeing the government’s treatment overseas program not guilty of accusations that included committing errors which resulted in massive waste of public funds. The court also acquitted his deputy and four other staff members of the same charges during yesterday’s hearing. The court found there was no evidence to prove wastage of at least KD2.5 million that were allegedly spent to send people abroad for treatment without being adequately covered by the program.

In the meantime, second constituency candidate and former MP Dr. Salwa Al-Jassar released a statement demanding that Minister of Health Dr. Ali Al-Obaidi “be held accountable by the upcoming parliament if reappointed” in the Cabinet for alleged violations in the overseas treatment program.

and Oman. According to sources familiar with the trip, the Yemeni President counts on the “good relations” he believes the three Gulf nations have with leaders of south. “He hopes to make progress as his countr y prepares for a national dialogue conference next month which can only succeed if the southern groups take part,” sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity said.

Kuwait’s help Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Al-Hadi aimed during his visit to Kuwait to seek the Gulf state’s help in convincing leaders of political movements in the south to desist from calling for secession of South Yemen from the Arab republic.

Al-Hadi concluded a tour of the Gulf yesterday which included stops in the United Arab Emirates

KJA turned into syndicate The Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Salem Al-O thaina, approved yesterday a request made by the Kuwait Journalists Association to convert itself into a syndicate. The minister’s decision became effective immediately and transformed the KJA from being a non-governmental organization to a labor union with concomitantly full rights.

New aircraft The United Arab Emirates agreed to drop a request to purchase six new Airbus planes in order to allow Kuwait to strike a similar deal as part of the latter’s plan to improve the national carrier’s fleet.

Airbus had reportedly informed the UAE that they agreed to provide Kuwait Airways with six new aircraft when the former made a new request to buy new aircrafts.

The KAC’s step comes after the carrier was transformed from a stateowned corporation into a company as it seeks to achieve profits and recover from years of losses.

Kuwait and Guangzhou city to implement twinning agreement GUNAGZHOU, China: The State of Kuwait and Guangzhou city are set to put into effect the twinning agreement which was signed in April during the visit by Kuwait’s capital district governor Sheikh Ali Al-Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, said a Kuwaiti diplomat here yesterday.

General Consul to the City of Guangzhou, Abdulwahab Al-Sager said that a delegation from the Kuwaiti Municipal Council would

be visiting the city on November 14-17 in order to activate the agreement.

The Kuwaiti diplomat hoped for continous visits to fur ther develop relations between the two cities. He also assured that he would put additional efforts to develop bilateral relations between Kuwait and the city of Guangzhou, the capital of the Guangdong province. — KUNA

Fire breaks out in Shuaiba metal factory: One killed

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: One person died when a fire broke out in a metal melting facility at a new factory in Shuaiba yesterday before firefighters could bring the blaze under control.

Firefighters from Shuaiba industrial fire center, backed by colleagues from Mubarak Al-Kabeer Center for dangerous goods, rushed to the site after the fire department received information at noon and brought the flames under control.

Apart from the deceased who was iden-

tified as an Asian expat worker at the factory, one more person was affected by the fire. Meanwhile, an Egyptian expat in his fifties was killed when he was stabbed by a burglar or burglars as per preliminary investigations.

Earlier, a citizen reported the death of his Egyptian guard to the Ministr y of Interior. Preliminary investigations revealed that the camp at Kabd area which the deceased guarded had been burgled and the guard stabbed by a sharp metal object.

He died on the spot. Police are still investigating the case.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

LOCAL

Bedoon burns tires to earn daily bread KUWAIT: A bedoon (stateless) resident who gathered tires from landfills and burnt them to extract the copper wire used in them and then sold it to sustain himself was arrested by the Sulaibiya police on Sunday on charges of arson. The 38-year-old had set a number of tires ablaze in Al-Rehaiyya the day before he was caught from the Jahra stables area. He later admitted of burning tires to extract their copper cables and sell them in the black market. He said he had picked up 25 tires from a landfill in the Amghara scrap yard and set them on fire. He said he would often burn tires similarly and wait till they are completely burnt out and then remove the cables and sell them to pay for his daily needs. Police

Rare collection of misbahs stolen

found a pickup truck that the man said he used to carry the tires and the cables, as well as inflammable materials. The man was charged with multiple counts of arson and taken to the Criminal Investigations General Department for further action.

Officer hurt A Kuwaiti driver who apparently failed to notice a checkpoint on the Second Ring Road and could not slow down ran over a traffic police officer, injuring him seriously but then ran away even as another officer barely managed to save himself. The officer had to be hospitalized while the suspect was arrested later in Al-Da’iya where he drove after run-

ning away from the site of the accident. The officer was diagnosed with serious injuries and was admitted to the Amiri Hospital’s intensive care unit. The second officer who had a narrow escape said the suspect apparently did not expect to run into a checkpoint and failed to slow down at the right time. The suspect, currently locked up at the Da’iya police station, was not carrying a driver’s license when he was arrested.

Misbahs stolen Maidan Hawally police are trying to track and arrest a suspect accused of stealing a rare collection of misbahs (praying beads) from a car he broke into in the area. The col-

lection’s owner, a Kuwaiti man in his forties, told officers that the misbahs made of gemstones were worth an estimated KD10,000.

The suspect also stole KD660 in cash that the man had kept in his car parked outside his house.

New car damaged Criminal investigators trying to identify a suspect who damaged the exterior of a brand new vehicle a day after its owner bought it.

The Kuwaiti man went out hours after arriving from the showroom to discover scratches covering his 2013 model car. The suspect had also scratched the word ‘payback’ on the vehicle, prompting the owner to file a charge of

deliberately causing damage to private property though he had no idea about the culprit.

KD566,000 scam Search is on for a male suspect accused of stealing KD566,000 from a local company through a scam. The company’s attorney explained to officers that the 48-year-old Pakistani man failed to import steel for his clients as per a KD566,000 contract signed between the two parties. Detectives are reportedly suspecting that the same conman could be behind a similar incident in which a company had accused a man with similar descriptions of stealing KD240,000.

— Anba, Al-Wai

KUWAIT: The Agailah Beach hosted its ‘Wanasa (joy) Festival’ over the weekend. It featured various entertaining activities and competitions enjoyed by children and adults alike.

Zain Group discusses ways to leverage mobile data boom KUWAIT: Zain Group, a pioneer in mobile telecommunications in 8 markets across the Middle East and North Africa, concluded its Zain Technology Conference in Dubai last week, describing the event as a resounding success.

The conference brought Zain Group and its operating companies together with the Group’s leading technology providers and partners for three days of interactive discussions, presentations, technical solutions demos, and information exchange, helping to align technological outlooks.

Mobile broadband and the huge rise in broadband traffic over telecom networks was a central theme of discussion at the conference. Other pressing topics included the role of OTT players in the telecom ecosystem; the need to further optimize radio and core networks for the dramatic increase in data traffic that is forecast in the coming years; the monetization of data applications; as well as ways in which to draw closer to customers and improve the customer experience further.

Zain used the Zain Technology Conference to highlight its ‘Ghaduna Zain’ (Zain Tomorrow) strategy, which comprises a number of initiatives currently underway in the organization aimed at driving innovation.

The operator has established well-defined partnerships with leading telecom vendors; the aim of which is for them to support Zain in the implementation of its compelling strategic initiatives. At the center of all of Zain’s efforts is for it to continually improve its customer service, and exceed the expectations of customer base at every contact point.

In a panel discussion hosted at the event and titled ‘How can Zain handle the data boom?’, participants acknowledged the profound impact the data revolution has had on traditional telecom services, and various few points on how to manage the surge and benefit from it were discussed.

Zain Group CTO, Hisham Allam said: “The Zain Technology Conference turned out to be everything we wanted it to be and more. With more than 39 of our suppliers and partners present, this was a great show of support from them, and a fantastic opportunity for us to all brainstorm, look ahead, and focus on what needs to be done in order to achieve even greater results in the future.”

Allam continued: “We are well aware that the telecom markets across the region are becoming more competitive, but there remain great opportunities in data as well as voice services for those operators that implement effective strategies. At Zain our aim is to align the choices and developments we are making now with the way in which we believe the industry is evolving, in order to remain relevant and close to our customers.” In a separate panel discussion titled, ‘How to change the name of the game?’ Allam described how sustaining current levels of revenue is proving to be a significant challenge for operators across the region, and how Zain and other competitors need to implement efficient network Opex and Capex strategies in order to remain competitive.

Zain is thus looking to its technological prowess in order to differentiate it from competitors, though at the same time, is not looking to confuse customers with technical aspects of how services are provided.

Allam said: “We are a commercially-oriented company thatutilizes the right technologies to provide services to our customersin an efficientand effective manner. We also look to leverage our competencies wherever we are able to, so that the new areas that we branch into are synergistic to our existing operations.” In closing, Allam saidhe believes there is much to be optimistic about going forward, and that Zain, together with its partners shall continue to be communications forces in the region. Allam concluded: “ The Zain Technology Conference has reinforced many of the initiatives the company has been following, and we are reinvigorated by the discussions we were able to have during the three-day conference.

We look forward to learning more and interacting more in such events in the future.”

The Zain Technology Conference 2012 also hosted an exhibition for Zain partners in which they were able to showcase their latest services and solutions. Among the most prominent partners present at the exhibition were, Ericsson, Huawei, and Nokia Siemens Networks.

Zain is a leading telecommunications operator across the Middle East and North Africa providing mobile voice and data services to over 41.282 million active customers as of Sept 30, 2012. With a commercial presence in 8 countries, Zain operates in the following countries: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and South Sudan. In Lebanon, the company manages ‘touch’ on behalf of the government. In Morocco, Zain has a 15.5% stake in Wana Telecom, now branded ‘INWI’, through a joint venture. Zain is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

LOCAL

New terms, regulations for election media coverage Information minister issues decision KUWAIT: Minister of Information and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammed AlAbdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah issued a decision yesterday setting terms and regulations for media coverage and promotion of forthcoming parliamentary elections. Effective as of its release, the resolution prohibits publishing any call for primary elections, publicizing any declaration or news about such banned polls or breaching system and regulations of the polling.

It also bans direct or indirect injurious language against candidates, whether in the form of words, photos, codes or drawing.

Financial incentives during electoral campaigning are prohibited, thus campaigners must abstain from offering money to citizens to encourage them to vote for certain candidates, or abstain from voting.

The resolution also stipulated that media must abide by certain terms for broadcasting statistics and polls, such as date of conducting the polling, number of the chosen samples and that results of such figures and information must be released by a licensed company.

Moreover, the media must not broadcast statistics and results of the polls during the day of

voting or the day before. Furthermore, results of the elections must not be declared ahead of the relevant authorities.

The resolution also bars broadcasting or rebroadcasting any interview, program or report about any candidate for the parliamentary or municipal elections during the balloting day or the day before.

A special commission of ministry staff and other personnel would take charge of monitoring any breach during the polling process.

Violators will be punished according to law.

Meanwhile, four nominees for parliamentary elections have opted to pull out of the race, bringing the number of candidates who have taken such decision to 24, according to the General-Directorate of Electoral Affairs.

The authority said in a statement yesterday that the nominees who decided to withdraw from the polling process were Ibrahim Al-Gallaf of the second constituency, Najib Al-Awadhi of the third constituency, Abdullah Al-Fajji of the fourth and Saleh Al-Ajmi of the fifth.

It affirmed that nominees could pull out of the contest by Nov 23.

Meanwhile, Adnan Abdulsamad, running for

Dec 1 elections in the first constituency, said yesterday Kuwait was at a crucial turning point which made citizens look at the future with cautious hope. At the launch of his campaign, Abdulsamad said there were attempts aimed at “hijacking the political decision.”

The democracy that was shown by citizens recently “is not the democracy which knew and love, but wrong practices which increase worry and attempts to destroy whatever is beautiful at the expense of the nation,” said the ex-MP. Abdulsamad commended recent statements

by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah which assured the citizens about the future of their country.

He said Sheikh Sabah has taken the right decision when he approved a decree that decreased votes that voters could cast from four to one. “Our cause today is to save Kuwait from political tension and from practices that aim at shattering the social fabric ... ,” he said.

Abdulsamad said the upcoming elections were important for the sake of Kuwait, and restoration of security and stability as well as enforcing the state of law and constitution. — KUNA

Yemeni president’s visit to Kuwait aims to strengthen bilateral ties KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received at Bayan Palace yesterday Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his accompanying delegation on the occasion of their visit to the country, with presence of HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Talks were held between the two sides, with the Kuwaiti side headed by HH the Amir, HH the Crown Prince and HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, while the Yemeni side was headed by President Hadi and top government officials.

Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah AlSabah said that the talks dealt with enhancing brotherly rela-

tions between the two countries, ways to develop relations in all fields, issues of common interest and latest regional and international developments.

The talks also included cooperation and coordination in various fields.

The visit of Yemeni President is of paramount importance in embodying deep-rooted relations between the two countries.

This comes at the time Yemen is drawing features of its new democracy in light of the Gulf initiative and the permanent support of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) of its security and stability.

The two-day visit, the first by President Hadi to Kuwait since he was elected president of the Republic of Yemen, aims to initiate talks with His Highness the

Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah on bilateral relations and the latest regional and international developments, as well as the latest development in terms of Yemen’s implementation of the Gulf initiative.

The GCC efforts to resolve the crisis that has engulfed Yemen last year have been culminated with success through the signing of the Gulf initiative making Yemen witness a new era of justice and democracy.

The GCC states, particularly Kuwait, have also gone an extra mile to support Yemen’s economy along with their political support, in addition to providing aid and assistance to the displaced Yemeni residents who were forced to leave their homes due to the bloody conflict in some areas there. In this context, the

Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) has so far dispatched dozens of trucks carrying food, medicine and various humanitarian aid to the affected areas in Yemen to help flood-stricken people cope with the ordeal.

In parallel to that, Kuwait has also granted Yemen some 32 loans worth KD 103.935 million distributed on the sectors of agriculture, transport, industry, water, sanitation and telecommunications.

Moreover, Kuwait has always been in the forefront to establish schools, educational institutions, healthcare centers and dams, in addition to supporting the establishment of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sanaa, which is one of the largest colleges in the Gulf region. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Organizers of the Kuwait Charity Run addressing a press conference.

Stage set for Kuwait Half Marathon KUWAIT: In partnership with Dasman Institute, Kuwait Red Crescent Society, and Pumps 4 Kids, Kuwait Charity Run is organizing its second Kuwait Half Marathon.

Kuwait Half Marathon 2012 will be held on Saturday, Nov 17, at Marina Crescent, and for the second consecutive year, Gulf Cable and Electrical Industries Co. is one of the two lead sponsors of the event.

AAW and Nike Stores are the second lead sponsors of the event.

Kuwait Half Marathon will start and finish at Marina Crescent on the Gulf Road and participants can join the 21km or the 10km run. The program will start at 7:30am with a brief warm up before starting the run at 8am. While we would like to accept everyone to run Kuwait Half Marathon 2012, we can only accept 1000 participants for this year; this limit is there to ensure the best possible experience for all. The 1000 participants will receive a race bag containing: race bib, timing chip, Nike dryfit T-shirt, a healthy snack from AlRifai nuts, goodies and a medal. Every

participant in Kuwait Half Marathon 2012 is running for a local charitable organization. For this event, Kuwait Charity Run is donating 100% of the registration fees to the ‘Pumps 4 Kids’ campaign, which in partnership with the Red Crescent Society and Dasman Institute, aims to improve the lives of children with type 1 diabetes in Kuwait, by providing them with insulin pumps to replace the need for insulin injections.

We are proud of the effort and generous donation made by each participant and we encourage everybody to come out and cheer our runners all along the Gulf Road from Marina Crescent to Amiri Hospital.

Last year our runners managed to raise KD 57,000 for Bayt Abdullah’s Children Hospice, making Kuwait Half Marathon an important civic and community event that takes place on an annual basis. Register online: www.kuwaitcharityrun.com We wish the best of luck for everybody running Kuwait Half Marathon, and we encourage people to come out and support our runners all along the Gulf Road.

CBK releases 2013 calendar KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait released its 2013 calendar featuring 12 pictures representing glimpses of life in old Kuwait, an annual practice that comes as part of the bank’s policies to revive Kuwait’s heritage.

“As the new year approaches, the CBK takes the opportunity to release its

annual calendar which contains pictures reflecting the values and traditions instilled by our ancestors, and echoing the great morals learnt from the simple patterns of life which helped them deal with their daily hardships,” president of the media and public relations department, Sheikha Nouf Al-Sabah, said in a press

Sheikha Nouf Al-Sabah

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

LOCAL kuwait digest

In my view

Two parallel movements

What the world needs from Obama

By Dr Mohammad Al-Moqatei

By Abdulrahman Al-Zuhayyan

T

N

ominations for the upcoming elections closed this past Friday with 387 candidates registering themselves, signaling the start of two parallel movements in which the opposition would like to get maximum number of voters to boycott the elections while the candidates would want the electorate to participate with gusto, something the government will also seek to achieve. The important question here is: Why do those in the opposition want to keep voting down and the candidates want to enhance participation?

Of course, it is to influence the political legitimacy of the emergency decree that reduced the number of candidates each citizen can vote for from a maximum of four to one. Now, the number of voters who turn out to cast their ballots will decide whether the decree was legitimate or not.

An action that pertains to the general interest of the state can earn political legitimacy by garnering public support. It is like the referendums which are sought to add legitimacy to governmental decisions. On that basis, we can say that the voting percentage in Dec 1 elections will be an important indication of whether the emergency decree has political legitimacy. This is of course different from constitutional legitimacy which the decree already has since it was issued by an authority in exercise of constitutionally granted rights, and after assessing its urgency that can be re-addressed by the judiciary. Lack of political legitimacy would mean that the law failed to garner political and public support, but would still be legal and constitutionally correct. Lack of constitutional legitimacy on the other hand means that the decree would be invalid.

This brings us to ask the question as to what percentage of electorate turning out would translate into the next elections being politically legitimate. The average rate of participation in parliament elections since the issuance of the constitution has been approximately 63 percent. The closest to that figure was reached during the elections held last February, in which 257,500 voters participated, clocking an estimated average of 63 percent. As a result, some might say that half of the average rate, which is 32 percent or 136,000 voters, would be the minimum percentage based on which the next elections would gain political legitimacy. In my personal opinion, I believe that political legitimacy would require a minimum of 40 percent or participation of 165,000 voters.

Therefore, it is important that these considerations are known by both citizens who decide to take part in or boycott the elections as they seek to enhance or reduce the voting percentage, respectively. It is also important that people realize the motives behind these attempts and their political significance. —Al-Qabas

kuwait digest

In my view

National unity law

By Hassan Abbas

L

ocal newspapers recently published news about the official release of the national unity law, and the letter sent in this regard by Attorney General Dherar Al-Asousy to the prosecutors asking them to follow it.

This piece of news, like the law itself, is important.

What I find strange, however, is its timing. Where was such a law in the past fifty years ever since the constitution was issued? Why it was not released during nationalistic emotional charge during the sixties and the seventies? Why it was not introduced during the eighties or the period known as the ‘sectarian decade’? Why did it have to wait for three decades to be released since the time when the Iraq-Iran war was raging in our backyard? What about sectarian and tribal instigations that happened internally in recent years? Were they not enough to call for such a piece of legislation?

I am not trying to undermine the law because I believe it is important and hope that it was released for honest reasons. However, we in Kuwait have three problems when it comes to such kind of regulations.

First of all, official laws mostly end up being just

that - official laws, without the accompanying measures to implement them on the ground. Kuwaitis are used to reading and hearing about new laws and then ignoring them because they know that they would not be properly implemented. Laws are neither respected for their inherent value, nor are they followed out of fear of punishment. Have you ever heard of someone receiving a traffic ticket for talking on the phone while driving, failing to put the seat belt on or smoking in public?

The second problem pertains not to punishment itself, but to how it is executed. The ordeal that Kuwait is going through today could be caused by the government’s duality in enforcing the law when it sometimes ignores violations and at other times enforces the law strictly. How can such a government convince us that they are going to enforce the national unity law equally?

The third problem is summarized in this question: If a researcher crossed prohibited lines for absolutely objective reasons in order to discuss certain ‘taboo’ subjects with the society, would they be affected by the national unity and hate speech law? — Al-Rai

Editors-in-chief of Twitter

In my view

Time ripe for reforms

By Mudaffar Abdullah

L

ike everyone else, I too followed the demonstrations and the resulting color-coded division of the contestants into blue and orange teams.

When it comes to news reporting and information dissemination, we are no longer controlled by those who run newspapers or satellite TV channels. The traditional image of an editor-in-chief directing everything or his editorials appearing on front pages no more inspire as much awe since those who avidly track news know that it travels much faster nowadays, even though at times it may lack accuracy.

Reading the news on your desktop in the morning or watching a news bulletin on TV is more like browsing through archives, no matter how little time passed between the event and its reporting. In most cases, news appears almost instantly on Twitter, blogs or Facebook users’ accounts, thus creating an additional burden for the state apparatus that has to either deny or broadcast a counter piece of information. This means that the state has to use the same tools to cover major events.

Twitter’s vitality was very clear in the recent electoral events where news seemed like merchandise including good and bad items (information), which means that information can be true, unintentionally false, intentionally false or plain old-fashioned rumor.

I also noticed that such a ‘news market’ is quite capable of cleansing itself within minutes through the account owners who keep broadcasting successive pieces of information, superseding and marginalizing any wrong piece of information that may have preceded.

In case of the recent demonstration, a lot of misinformation went around. There was talk of deployment of the army, simultaneous bedoon demonstrations in Taima, the use of Jordanian security forces, a Qatari telecom used to direct demonstrators, international accounts controlling the movement and accusations against the Muslim Brotherhood of controlling the march and the crowds. Regardless of our evaluation of these pieces of information, they spread like wildfire within two hours or less.

However, many of them vanished as quickly through Twitter itself and also because of the official statements that denied some such claims.

The bottom line is that those taking to Twitter or blogging have become editors-in-chief of the news whether they were on the scene or relaxing in bed at their homes. The information they broadcast is affecting and directing events just like what happened when the recent demonstration was re-directed from the Gulf road to Mishref area, which came in for a great deal of public criticism since Misherf is a residential area. Today, we are witnessing the birth of a new type of media where regular ordinary people can contribute to the flow of information much faster and quicker than editors and reporters’ teams working for newspapers or satellite TV channels. This calls for utmost social awareness on the part of citizenry and officials to not only monitor it, but also to interact with the media and have a better understanding of how it functions and affects people, particularly the youth. —Al-Jarida

By Nabil Al-Fadel

T

he successful completion of the nomination period has surprised those calling for a boycott of the elections even as countdown began for the voting day on Dec 1.

Just as those boycotting the elections were shocked by the large number of nominees, we think they will get another shock when it comes to the number of voters, because the general mood is to respond to the call of the country and the Amir. The next assembly will script a fresh chapter in the country’s history that is not smeared with old grudges or skewed by past prejudices or stances. It will be a new start to restore the democratic tradition by fashioning a relationship of cooperation among various authorities as the constitution stipulated.

The aim is development and construction and a race against time to catch up to cover the losses, and thus compete with those countries which began much later but have achieved a lot.

Development and construction can only be achieved in a stable environment and a comfortable atmosphere. I personally find that the most important instruction by HH the Amir was not about the single vote per voter, despite its importance and benefits, but it was his promise to eradicate the culture of wasta.

Wasta is the face of corruption and we glorified it by nicknaming it “wasta” to make acceptable something that was ugly in the first place. The truth is that any wasta that goes against the idea of justice and equality is basically corruption that gnaws at the foundations of the state and destroys people’s morals and loyalty.

In order to end the culture of wasta and suffocate out of existence those who act as middlemen as fast as possible, we need to do two things. First is to get into place a newly elected govern-

ment not contaminated by wasta or one that is not under any obligation to serve the vested interests of the MPs. We need a government that publicly rejects the wasta culture and exposes any MP that practices it. Second, some MPs must adopt the cause of reforms in parliamentary performance.

The MPs must commit to implement the constitutional oath and comply with Article 115 which forbids any MP from going to ministers and officials’ offices.

We spent 50 years violating the constitution, so it is no surprise

The country can no longer bear the cost of continuing on the wrong path. The least expensive solution is to comply with the constitutional text and instructions, be it MPs or ministers.

There must be informed supervision by the people to expose the MPs’ corruption and fight it. that we deviated from the right path and digressed far from the constitutional aims to regulate the life style.

It is time for reforms at any cost because the country can no longer bear the cost of continuing on the wrong path. The least expensive solution is to comply with the constitutional text and instructions, be it MPs or ministers. There must be informed super vision by the people to expose the MPs’ corruption and

fight it. It is essential to expose those who commit corruption in order to deter those liars and hypocrites who swore to respect the constitution and violated its letter and spirit.

Among the necessary and urgent reforms the current government must undertake is to ask the constitutional court to explain the historic Articles 108, 110 and 111.

We must know exactly what is meant by representing the entire nation as in article 108. It is for sure that we will find the explanation for the extent of the freedom of opinion in parliament so that we do not leave the door open for MPs improvising their own understandings when it comes to the text and interpret it as per their immediate interests.

A wrong understanding of Article 110 and its deliberate misinterpretation according to what was convenient at any particular time caused us a lot of problems in the past. It is time to explain this article under the garb of which people were harmed and gates were opened for use of uncivil language. The same goes for Article 111 which speaks about immunity, as MPs in former assemblies manipulated this article and deprived people from taking iniquitous MPs to court because of the ambiguity of immunity limits.

The parliamentary understanding and manipulation of the text of these articles proved catastrophic in harming people, negating their rights and depriving them from going to court. If the current government does not seek the interpretation of the text of those three articles, then it will be laying the foundation for letting the MPs continue with their selective understanding of the texts. In that case, the poor performance of the MPs will continue as well as the use of unparliamentary language in and out of parliament. — Al-Watan

he US election has come to an end. The American people have elected Barack Obama as their president for the next four years. The world was not as much surprised as when he was elected for his first term in office as the first African-American president of the United States. The American people have taught the world a lesson. And the lesson has a lasting message - the way ought to be cleared for the right person to lead, regardless of the socio-economic considerations.

It is believed, however, that the American people have realized the seriousness of their country’s economic and military situation, which has put it at a crossroads.

Consequently, the policy adopted by the US government during the next four years will determine the US’ future as a leading superpower. The US scientific advancement and technological innovations, and above all its human values have contributed significantly to raising the standard of living of people across the world. As a result, people across the world try to emulate the US model for progress and advancement and implement it in their local communities.

Nonetheless, successful progress is guided by a set of positive human values that enable the people to shape their destiny and ultimately that of their country. American people cherish these values and that is how they have contributed to their country’s admirable progress and a respectable position in the world. America has become a symbol of human success.

Ever since my childhood, I remember America occupying a special position among the countries of the world.

I still remember when our community held a welcome-home dinner for the first engineer graduated from the US (a former Aramco executive, may Allah bless his soul). That evening everyone was in overwhelmed. The audience listened to him while he spoke about the US and its people, their manners and scientific advancements they have achieved. He also talked about the qualities of the American people - fairness, honesty, hard work, work ethics, their love for knowledge and respect for law.

He told us that honesty was a distinct character of most American people whether in personal interaction or business transactions. They hardly lie, even if it goes against themselves. He mentioned about a refund check that he unexpectedly found in his mailbox. He discovered that it was a portion of a fee he had paid for a service he didn’t fully avail of. Another refund check he received was for his apartment’s deposit, which he had vacated.

The guest talked about his classmates and how hardworking they were. He said his classmates were doing job and at the same time studying and getting good grades.

He also spoke about US industry and its emphasis on excellence, and how workers were punctual and attentive. They manufactured most of the consumer goods and equipment sold at the local markets, and one could rarely find a foreign product, and if so, it was expensive.

People present at the dinner were overwhelmed by the stories, especially children. Since that evening most of us used to talk about America and its people in classrooms while wishing to study or visit this fabulous country. Few decades passed, and some of us were studying in the US. My first experience was that of a cultural shock when I was taken from John F. Kennedy Airport to the little town where my brother was studying Champaign, Illinois. I was very much impressed by the highways, bridges, houses, university facilities and other structures. Everything seemed to be in perfect order. Many of us were impressed with the planning and the available civic services that made life very easy and comfortable. By a phone call, one could get a service without any bureaucratic hurdles.

We were very impressed by the people. They weren’t much different from what that man had told us during that dinner party. They believed almost everything we told them.

A lady was told that her daughter looked like her, but she replied that she was her adopted daughter and the girl confirmed that without a second thought or any hesitation. We may not have openly admitted so had it been the case of adoption, may be because of cultural differences, but it wasn’t the case with them. They always answered our questions honestly and genuinely offered their assistance when needed.

With time, we have realized that those qualities of honesty and compassion were not due to naivete as some might think rather it was a manifestation of confidence. They have nothing to hide, so they tell the truth.

The aforementioned qualities were exhibited by students pursuing higher education. A student is supposed to attend classes and work for excellence. Work of students are evaluated on the basis of its worth and grades are given on the basis of merit. Hard work is always appreciated and respected.

The values held by Americans are what made their country excel in almost every field of human endeavor, specifically in science and technology, which in turn brought with it economic strength and military power. Overall, it is the people who can make the difference in any society with their values and education. In his speech after the victory, President Obama stressed the importance of these values and education rather than military power that made America the undisputed world power. Indeed, this is the truth.

The world may disagree with some aspects of US foreign policy, but still needs US progressive values to achieve peace and progress. The invention of Internet has changed our lives. The US has changed in many vital aspects, and one just wonders whether Americans would come up with a similar invention with such powerful changing effects on our lives.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

On streets of Athens, racist attacks increase

Chinese Communist party remains a boys’ club Page 12

Page 9

WASHINGTON: This undated US Air Force photo shows an MQ-1 Predator unmanned aircraft as it prepares for takeoff in support of operations in Southwest Asia. Iranian fighter jets fired on an unarmed US drone in the Gulf last week and missed, the Pentagon said warning that the United States stood ready to protect its forces in the region. (Inset) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gestures as he delivers a speech at his mausoleum just outside Tehran, Iran. —AP

Iran launches ‘biggest ever’ air drills Tension escalates after Iran fires on US drone DUBAI: Iran launched military drills across half the country yesterday, warning it would act against aggressors less than a week after Washington accused Iranian warplanes of firing on a US drone. The maneuvers will take place this week across 850,000 square kilometers of Iran’s northeast, east, and southeast regions, Iranian media reported. Some 8,000 elite and regular army troops will participate, backed by bombers and fighter planes, while missile, artillery and surveillance systems will be tested, various media said.

Played out against a backdrop of high tension between the United States and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program, the ‘Velayat-4’

maneuvers will involve the biggest air drills the country has ever held, Iran’s English-language Press TV reported. “These drills convey a message of peace and security to regional countries,” Shahrokh Shahram, the spokesman for the exercises, told the broadcaster yesterday. “At the same time they send out a strong warning to those threatening Iran.”

Last week, the US Pentagon said Iranian planes opened fire on an unarmed US drone over international waters on Nov 1. Iran said it had repelled “an enemy’s unmanned aircraft” violating its airspace. Washington, the EU and other bodies have imposed sanctions on Iran’s oil trade to press it to halt nuclear research the

News

in brief

Deaths from mushrooms SACRAMENTO: The deaths of two residents of a Northern California assisted living facility and the hospitalization of four others come despite warnings from health officials not to eat mushrooms picked in the wild. As far back as October 2009, the California Department of Public Health issued a statement warning that eating wild mushrooms can cause serious illness or death. According to state data, there were more than 1,700 reported cases of mushroom ingestion in California in 2009 and 2010. They included 10 cases of serious poisoning and two deaths, including an 82-year-old Santa Barbara man who died after cooking wild mushrooms with his steak. Most recently, two residents of the Gold Age Villa in Loomis died after eating soup with wild mushrooms that had been prepared by a caregiver.

Bushfire razes homes SYDNEY: Seven homes were destroyed by wildfire in Australia, officials said yesterday, warning of a long and difficult summer ahead for firefighters. The large blaze at Tulka, 12 kilometers south of Port Lincoln in South Australia state, razed the homes as it tore through 2,000 hectares of scrubland late Sunday, the Country Fire Service (CFS) said. Extra crews had been called in to help fight the fire, which was burning within containment lines but was yet to be brought under control. Residents had been evacuated. “We have about 100 firefighters on the ground,” a CFS spokesman said. “Although it’s not posing any immediate threat it still hasn’t been controlled.” It was unclear what sparked the fire but it quickly gathered force due to the hot, squally weather, the spokesman said. Conditions were expected to be milder Monday, favoring fire crews, but South Australia and most other states are anticipating a tough summer with hot and dry weather forecast. “We’ve had a lot of rainfall, a lot of growth, a lot of vegetation and we’re expecting a very busy fire season as a consequence of that,” the CFS spokesman said. Southeastern Australia was last devastated by wildfires in February 2009, when a horrific blaze swept through Victoria state, killing 173 people and destroying more than 2,000 homes.

West fears is aimed at developing the capability to build a nuclear bomb. Iran denies the charge, saying its nuclear work is purely for peaceful purposes. Both the United States and Israel have not ruled out military action against Iran, if diplomacy fails to resolve the row.

FORWARD PLANNING Although the Iranian air drills come just days after the Pentagon’s announcement, the exercises appear to have been planned well in advance.

In September Farzad Esmaili, commander of the army’s air defense force, told the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) that Iran was

planning a large-scale air drill in coming months.

Various radar and other fixed, tactical and airborne surveillance systems would participate, Esmaili told state news agency IRNA on Thursday.

The exercise will also test bombers, refueling planes and unmanned aircraft, Esmaili said.

ISNA said yesterday that F-4, F-5, F-7, and F-14 fighters would participate. Shahram told IRNA on Sunday the drills would also focus on improving coordination between Iran’s military and the elite Is lamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. On Sunday, Revolutionary Guards commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh said Iran believed the US drone was gathering intelligence on oil

UK faces ‘brain drain’ LONDON: Tired of constant rejection emails, an increasing number of graduates are packing their bags and leaving Britain for job opportunities abroad, raising concerns of a “brain drain.” With more than one in three recent university leavers unemployed, many have gone in search for better prospects and pay in the faster-growing economies of Asia and Australasia. Jamie Devonshire, 26, graduated from Manchester University in 2008 and moved to Hong Kong two years ago to work for a small investment fund.

“Been here two years now and love it. Weather, lifestyle and job all going well,” he said via email from Hong Kong.

Devonshire said he was unlikely to return home soon. “Currently I don’t see any incentive to move back to the UK, job market is weak and property ladder is still next to impossible to get on for first time buyers.” His girlfriend also recently moved to join him and managed to find a much better paid teaching job than she had in Britain.

The number of undergraduates from the UK and EU taking jobs overseas after graduating from British universities has increased by 25 percent since the start of the economic crisis in 2008, according to data requested by Reuters from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). When adjusted to look only at British students moving overseas there was a rise of 27 percent between 2008 and 2011. It also showed that more EU students were moving back to continental Europe after their studies, whereas before many would have stayed in Britain.

OXBRIDGE GRADS LEAD THE WAY The number of graduates leaving the UK from Oxford and Cambridge, traditional breeding grounds of Britain’s political and business elite, has risen even faster, jumping by 43 percent in four years, HESA said. Gordon Chesterman, director of the careers service at Cambridge University, said he had not noticed considerable increase in students looking to move abroad but that students were being encouraged to keep their options

open. “We do advocate that students look very carefully at having a plan B and a plan C, and that plan B may well take them into their chosen career in four or five years time”.

There has also been a substantial increase in students taking up foreign language courses alongside their degrees, a possible sign of wanting to move abroad, he said. Asia is the fastest growing location for new graduates, jumping by 51 percent over the period. Australasia, a long-time favorite for Britons because of the ease of getting a working-visa, was up by 49 percent. While the global slowdown has driven up youth unemployment in the EU, with rates in Spain and Greece over 40 percent according to OECD data, countries such as Australia, India and China have maintained more a resilient job market.

SKILLS SHORTAGE The recent rise of British professionals moving abroad has alarmed the Home Office. It said the exodus “may have implications for the availability of skills in the UK” in a separate research report published last week. The vast majority of people leaving the UK did so to take up a new job or look for one, with 89 percent of emigrants from 2008 to 2010 being of working age. Last year, 72 percent of emigrants from the UK, who provided a reason, moved for work-related reasons, the report said.

“Looking around at the London pool of young graduates and the labor market around that, I realized that moving abroad was going to be an absolute necessity”, Isabel Crabtree-Condor said by phone from Uganda, where she is a development consultant.

Crabtree-Condor, 26, graduated in 2009 with a masters in political economy from SOAS university in London and was working two jobs before choosing to move abroad. The last job she was shortlisted for in the UK had over 600 applicants, she said. From her class of about 100 students only “five or six” had managed to find work in Britain. “I’ve benefited hugely (from the move),” she said. —Reuters

tankers off its shores, according to the Mehr news agency.

Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the Guards, said his forces had acted well in repelling the drone. “If such intrusions take place in the future, we will protect our airspace,” Jafari said on Sunday, according to Press TV. Iranian officials have threatened to strike US military bases in the region and target Israel if the country is attacked. Iran has carried out a number of military simulations this year, including the “Great Prophet 7” missile exercises in July. In August, Iran announced that it had tested a short-range missile with a new guidance system capable of striking land and sea targets. —Reuters

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

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

Bumi row threatens Indonesian tycoon’s presidency bid JAKARTA: Once Indonesia’s richest man, Aburizal Bakrie is keen to show his common touch as he eyes presidential polls in 2014, but an explosive row with the powerful Rothschild family could yet derail his bid. On a recent tour of one Jakarta district, he arrived in a $220,000 Lexus but quickly swapped to a colorful, beaten-up hire car as he burnished his “man of the people” image. “I started as a small businessman, selling what they sold, bags and T-shirts,” he said, in a nod to the local artisans working in the area.

“Ever since I was the social welfare minister I was close to them, I was close to the people.”

Dressed simply in a white linen shirt and trousers, the trim 65-year-old received a warm welcome on the visit as he was accompanied by his wife and bodyguard, who was given the task of carrying her Louis Vuitton handbag. It was one of 40 such trips he has made across Indonesia’s main island of Java in recent months as he seeks to get a head start in an election for which he is so far the only declared candidate. His task, however, has been made more difficult by a row between his family and British financier Nathaniel Rothschild over coal venture Bumi Plc. Even though he gave up day-to-day control of the family business when he entered politics in 2004, analysts say the

row could damage him, especially given previous controversies. One notable scandal that still overshadows the family is the claim that one of its companies triggered a “mud volcano” in 2006 on Java that engulfed villages, even though the Supreme Court has cleared the firm of any wrongdoing. “In politics, everything is about association,” survey institute head Kuskridho Ambardi said, adding that people would likely link him to the row and ask “how can he run a country if he can’t run his company?”

Observers say the feud over Bumi, which was founded by Rothschild and the Bakries but has been beset by boardroom squabbles, threatens not only his support base but also his campaign finances. According to the Indonesian Survey Institute, a local pollster, he has the support of between nine and 11 percent of voters. Bakrie would not be drawn into talking about the row when asked about it during his Jakarta tour in late October, in fitting with his attempts to stay out of the family businesses. The visit, part of an early vote-seeking drive well before official campaigning gets under way, was generally greeted with enthusiasm. And although he had a privileged upbringing and inherited a fortune from his father, his attempt to portray himself as down-to-earth seemed to resonate with many in a country where

almost half the population survives on under $2 a day. Neneng Sulastri, a 36year-old hawker, chased Bakrie down the street and declared her intention to vote for him. “A political leader has never visited us before, and I got the impression he is a man of the people,” she said, after he bought a pair of sandals from her for 100,000 rupiah ($10), four times the normal price.

His wife, Tatty Bakrie, also dressed simply in shirt and trousers, was greeted enthusiastically, hugging people who approached her. Bakrie declared his candidacy in July for the presidential race, becoming the first and as yet only person to do so, and will run for the Golkar Party, a partner in the current ruling coalition.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is constitutionally barred from running for a third term and no clear front-runner has yet emerged to replace him. Bakrie has previously served as chief economic minister and social welfare minister-he was appointed to both posts by the president-and is currently Golkar Party chairman. Bumi Resources, Indonesia’s largest coal miner, was founded by his family and is now part-owned by Bumi Plc. Simmering tensions escalated in September when the Bumi Plc board ordered a probe into potential financial irregularities, backed by Rothschild, with a major part of the probe focusing on

Bumi Resources.

The Bakries have now offered to give up their 23.8 percent stake in Bumi Plc, which was founded last year, and pay about $1.2 billion for its mines, with the board due to decide on the offer in the coming weeks. The deal would leave Bumi Plc, which has seen its shares plunge more than 70 percent since they listed, with cash but few assets and prompted Rothschild to quit the board last month. Rothschild has now launched a counter-bid, although the details are unclear. A financial analyst, who declined to be identified, said the controversy would make it harder for the family to get loans, needed to pay their companies’ debts and to finance their offer to split from Bumi.

Bakrie has already seen his fortune shrink from $5.4 billion in 2007, when he was the richest man in Indonesia, to $890 million last year, according to Forbes, as the price of coal slips amid weaker demand from China. Zainal Bintang, a senior Golkar Party official, conceded the situation could impact negatively on Bakrie’s chances of persuading people to vote for him in 2014, however much he tries to polish his common man image.

“Bumi Resources is affecting Aburizal’s financial situation... He is not as free as before to spend cash to boost his popularity.”—AFP

JAKARTA: Chief of Indonesia’s Golkar Party and tycoon, Aburizal Bakrie sits whilst being supported on top of a Javanese traditional “Reog Ponorogo” dancer’s costume during a visit in Jakarta. — AFP

More rockets hit Israel despite truce efforts Israel warns of tough response

DOHA: A picture combo shows the newly elected head of the Syrian Opposition’s new National Coalition, Muslim cleric Ahmed Moaz Al-Khatib (center), female Syrian opposition figure Suhair Al-Atassi (left), and prominent dissident Riad Seif attending meetings during the General Assembly of the Syrian National Council (SNC) in Doha. — AFP

The leaders of Syria newly-united oppn DOHA: Syria’s opposition agreed to unite after marathon talks in Doha, electing a moderate cleric as its leader with a prominent dissident and a female opposition figure named as his deputies. Here are brief profiles of the three top figures of the newly-formed National Coalition: AHMED MOAZ AL-KHATIB Khatib, 52, is a former imam at the Umayyad Mosque in the heart of Damascus, and an independent political dissident who was arrested several times this year for publicly calling for the fall of President Bashar alAssad’s regime. Khatib, who was forbidden by authorities from speaking at mosques, fled Syria for Qatar earlier this year. Though a prominent opponent of Assad’s regime, Khatib is not allied to any political party, and as such has been perceived by many other dissidents as being a consensus candidate.

He comes from a Sufi Muslim background and is unrelated to the Muslim Brotherhood or any other anti-regime Islamist party. Khatib has studied international relations and diplomacy. He has long advocated for peaceful activism against the regime, and despite being a Muslim sheikh, he also has the support of many secular regime critics. Though Khatib’s family is from central Damascus, he played a key role in sparking the uprising in the Eastern Ghouta area, east of the capital, which is now home to some of the fiercest and best-organized rebel groups.

RIAD SEIF Seif, 66, is a former MP and well-known dissident who initiated the Doha talks that led to the uniting of the Syrian opposition, but ruled himself out of the top job over health problems. He was locked up for a total of eight years by the regime for calling for democratic reforms, and is one of the “Damascus Spring” figures suppressed by Assad’s regime, so named for the period of

relative openness following Bashar’s accession to power after his father’s death in 2000.

Seif participated in the Syrian uprising that began in March 2011, was arrested and beaten during two demonstrations, and finally went into exile in June of this year.

Born into a family of modest means in Damascus, he began working in a textiles factory aged 12, before eventually opening up his own workshop that later became a profitable factory of its own. Seif ran as an independent candidate in the 1994 and 1998 parliamentary elections, and is one of the few MPs to have openly criticized the regime and its economic policies. After Hafez al-Assad’s death in June 2000, and spurred on by promises of greater political freedoms by Bashar, he organized debates at his home while pursuing official action in parliament, including demanding an end to the Baath party’s monopoly on power. Shortly thereafter, he was arrested and sentenced to five years in jail for wanting to “illegally change the constitution.” He was also imprisoned from 2008 to 2010 after calling for democratic reforms.

SUHAIR AL-ATASSI Atassi is the co-founder of the General Committee of the Syrian Revolution, a group that monitors army offensives as well as victims of violence, forwarding such information to the media. The organization wants to raise the profile of grassroots activists within the Syrian opposition. An elegant blonde from a prominent secular Sunni family that is opposed to the regime and hails from Homs, the “capital of the revolution” in the centre of Syria, Atassi spent seven months in hiding within Syria, where she received death threats, before moving to France at the end of 2011. A longtime opponent of Assad’s regime, she has said she left for France not because of the danger of being in Syria, but to regain some freedom of movement to carry out her work as an activist.— AFP

Israel shells Syria artillery on Golan JERUSALEM: Israel’s army fired tank shells into Syria yesterday and scored “direct hits” in response to a Syrian mortar shell that struck the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the Israeli military said in a statement. It was the second time in as many days that Israel had fired across the disengagement line drawn at the end of a war in 1973, underscoring international fears that Syria’s civil war could ignite a broader regional conflict.

Israeli military sources said Syrian mobile artillery was directly hit in the incident.

There was no immediate word on whether it had been in the hands of Syrian army forces or the rebels they are battling.

On Sunday the military said it had a fired a guided missile into Syria in a potent “warning shot” after errant mortar fire had fallen on land that Israel seized in a 1967 war.

Yesterday Israel upped the ante and carried through with a threat to target directly anyone firing across the lines. “A short while ago, a mortar shell hit an open area in the vicinity of an (Israeli Defense Forces) post in the central Golan Heights, as part of the internal

conflict inside Syria, causing no damage or injuries,” the military statement said.

“In response, IDF soldiers fired tank shells towards the source of the fire, confirming direct hits. The IDF has filed a complaint with the UN forces operating in the area, stating that fire emanating from Syria into Israel will not be tolerated and shall be responded to with severity.” Syrian rebels fighting to topple President Bashar Al-Assad have been battling his army for months in towns inside and adjacent to the Area of Separation between Israel and Syria, along the disengagement line from the 1973 war.

Technically the countries are still at war, but the Golan, a strategic plateau, has been largely quiet for decades. Earlier yesterday, Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs Moshe Yaalon said he did not believe Assad wanted to wage war with Israel, saying it was the last thing the Syrian leader needed as he struggled to maintain his grip on power. “In my estimation, there is almost no doubt that he has no interest in opening a front,” he told Army Radio. —Reuters

JERUSALEM: Sporadic missile fire from the Gaza Strip hit southern Israel yesterday for a fourth straight day, with Egypt trying to secure a truce and Israel warning it would toughen its response if the violence continued. The Israeli military said Palestinian militants had fired 11 rockets through the morning, ending an overnight lull and adding to more than 110 launched in the preceding 72 hours. One of the missiles hit a house in the southern Israeli town of Netivot, causing damage but no injuries.

Six Palestinians have been killed by Israeli shells fired on Gaza, including four civilians, and 40 wounded. Eight Israelis have also been wounded in the crossborder attacks.

“We have a full box of tools ... that we have not yet used,” Israeli Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon told Army Radio. “We will need to toughen our response until Hamas says ‘enough’ and ends the fire.” The Islamist movement Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist, governs in Gaza. While it took part in weekend missile launches, it did not claim responsibility for the yesterday attacks, suggesting it was looking to step back. A Palestinian official with knowledge of Egypt’s diplomatic efforts said that although there was no formal truce in place, Hamas understood the need for calm. The official said another group, Islamic Jihad, also acknowledged the ceasefire.

“The Islamic Jihad did not fire since last night. This means they have accepted the understanding too,” the official said.

Yesterday ’s launches were claimed by smaller groups, such as the radical Salafi organization,

NETIVOT: An Israeli policeman inspects damages at a house that was hit by a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip in the southern city of Netivot yesterday.— AFP the Shoura Council of the Mujahedeen, and Israeli leaders are likely to come under strong domestic pressure to respond with force if the hits continue.

ELECTION CAMPAIGN Israel went to war against Hamas in the winter of 20082009 but has shown little appetite for a new round that could strain fraught relations with the new Islamist-rooted government in neighboring Egypt, which made peace with Israel in 1979. But conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be reluctant to seem weak ahead of a Jan. 22 general election that opinion polls currently predict he will win. Yaalon admitted there was no “bang and we’re done” solu-

tion and declined to say if Israel would return to a former policy of targeted killings of Gaza leaders. “I am not calling for any one thing specifically,” he said. There have been regular upswings in violence in recent months, with the interluding periods of quiet getting shorter.

Israel said the latest flare-up started on Thursday with a fierce border clash. On Saturday, a Palestinian missile strike wounded four Israeli troops on a jeep patrol along the boundary, triggering army shelling on Gaza in which the four civilians died. In turn dozens of mortars and rockets were launched at Israel and the military carried out a series of air strikes throughout the Gaza Strip. Top selling Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth said the

United States had given a green light for an Israeli operation in Gaza and Netanyahu was due to brief foreign ambassadors on the situation later in the day.

In Gaza, the political adviser of Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said he believed Egypt’s new president provided “a safety net ” for the Palestinians.

“President Mohammed Mursi, the president of the biggest neighboring Arab country, (has) said: We will not allow a new war on Gaza and the Palestinian blood is our blood,” Youssef Rizqa wrote in the daily pro-Hamas Felesteen newspaper. “Such a safety net did not exist before.

What existed was just the opposite,” he said, referring to the policies of Egypt’s ousted president, Hosni Mubarak. — Reuters

Iraq effort to reform ends in controversy BAGHDAD: Armed with a key reform touted by economists but angrily opposed by many voters, Iraq’s government is mired in controversy over its now-withdrawn plans to cancel the countr y ’s biggest social program.

Ministers had decided last week to scrap the ration card program, a food distribution system inaugurated by Saddam Hussein after Iraq was slapped with an embargo, a decision lauded by analysts who have long described it as inefficient and riven with corruption.

Faced with vociferous opposition from clerics, MPs and many of the country’s citizens, however, the government backed down and now says it will now allow Iraqis to choose-they can opt either for a monthly cash payment of 25,000 dinars, about $20, or the regular allocation of a handful of food items. “This is ridiculous,” said Kamal Al-Basri, an economist with the Baghdad-based Iraqi Institute for Economic Reform (IIER). “This is a measure we have been waiting for since 2004.”

“This is a very important economic reform and it should take place.” Basri complained of corruption and leakages in the ration card program noting that the long process of getting food from government warehouses into the hands of citizens was “not straightforward.” “At every step, there are some leaks.” He added that it also “prevents the development of a private sector.” The program was first implemented in 1991 with dozens of critical

food items, serving as a way for Iraqis to survive as the country dealt with the international embargo.

It has since been scaled back, but Iraqis still receive flour, rice, sugar, cooking oil and baby milk at government-appointed shops.

Despite the reduction in the number of items, the program still accounts for seven percent of the country’s budget according to the United Nations, greater than both the health and education budgets. It is this financial burden that troubles many who have advocated its reform. A repor t by the International Monetary Fund in February 2010 described the system as “an inefficient generalized benefit that distorts private sector activity.”

It called for high-earners to be barred from being able to claim the food, and said the number and the volume of goods should be reduced. By comparison, a direct cash transfer into the hands of Iraqis would serve as “a way to empower people,” according to one Western diplomat posted in Baghdad, who spoke on condition of anonymity. But pointing to provincial elections next year and parliamentary polls due in 2014, the diplomat said it would be any major reform of Iraq’s food distribution program was unlikely in the coming years.”No one will have the stomach to tackle this now, unless they want to make a big political issue out of it.” “It is toxic,” the diplomat noted.

This despite some early evidence that indicates poor Iraqis would prefer a cash handout to an allocation of food that is often of low quality. According to an IIER survey of 400 families in the poor Baghdad neighborhoods of Sadr City and Hai Al-Tareq, two-thirds of respondents said they would prefer to receive money rather than food. Regardless, the diplomat noted, in a country where an estimated 23 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, according to figures compiled by the Planning Ministry, cancelling or even transforming a two-decade-old program on which many voters depend has a “political cost”.

For proof, one only needs to visit neighborhoods like Camp Sara, a largely Christian area of east Baghdad, where many residents barely survive-sidewalks are in disrepair, visitors can see young girls digging through garbage, and electrical wires dangle within arm’s reach. Since 1991, residents of Camp Sara have depended on the monthly allocation to at least provide them with the bare essentials, a list that though much less generous than in years past, still helps the poor eke out an existence. So, if given a choice, Amira Ismail said she would cling to the ration card program at all costs. “My husband is a taxi driver,” she said. “How will we make ends meet if the ration card is taken away? This would be a disaster.” “What will he do? Will he become a terrorist to make a living?”—AFP

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

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

BBC chief quits over ‘shoddy journalism’ ‘Reform or die’, Trust Chairman warns

ATHENS: A homeless person sleeps on a metro ventilation grill as commuters enter Syntagma station in Athens yesterday. —AP

On streets of Athens, racist attacks increase ATHENS: The attack came seemingly out of nowhere. As the 28-year-old Bangladeshi man dug around trash bins one recent afternoon for scrap metal, two women and a man set upon him with a knife. He screamed as he fell. Rushed to the hospital, he was treated for a gash to the back of his thigh. Police are investigating the assault as yet another in a rising wave of extremeright rage against foreigners as Greece sinks further into economic misery. The details vary, but the cold brutality of each attack is the same: Dark-skinned migrants confronted by thugs, attacked with knives and broken bottles, wooden bats and iron rods.

Rights groups warn of an explosion in racist violence over the past year, with a notable surge since national elections in May and June that saw dramatic gains by the far-right Golden Dawn party. The severity of the attacks has increased too, they say. What started as simple fist beatings has now escalated to assaults with metal bars, bats and knives. Another new element: ferocious dogs used to terrorize the victims. “Violence is getting wilder and wilder and we still have the same pattern of attacks ... committed by groups of people in quite an organized way,” said Kostis Papaioannou, former head of the Greek National Commission for Human Rights.

As Greece’s financial crisis drags on for a third year, living standards for the average Greek have plummeted. A quarter of the labor force is out of work, with more than 50 percent of young people unemployed.

An increasing number of Greeks can’t afford basic necessities and healthcare.

Robberies and burglaries are never out of the news for long. With Greece a major entry point for hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants seeking a better life in the European Union, foreigners have become a convenient scapegoat.

Some victims turn up at clinics run by charities, recounting experiences of near lynching. Others are afraid to give doctors the details of what happened - and even more afraid of going to the police.The more seriously hurt end up in hospitals, white bandages around their heads or plaster casts around broken limbs. “Every day we see someone who complained of (some form) of racist violence,” said Nikitas Kanakis, president of the Greek section of Doctors of the World, which runs a drop-in clinic and pharmacy in central Athens that treats the uninsured.

Racist attacks are not officially recorded, so statistics are hard to come by. In an effort to plug that gap and sensitize a population numbed by three years of financial crisis, a group of rights groups and charities banded together to document the violence. They registered 87 cases of racist attacks between January and September, but say the true number runs into the hundreds. “Most of the time the victims, they don’t want to talk about this, they don’t feel safe,” Kanakis said. “The fear is present and this is the bigger problem.”

Frances William, who heads the tiny Tanzanian community of about 250 people, knows the feeling well. “People are very, very much afraid,” he said, adding that even going next door to buy bread, “I’m not sure I’ll be safe to come back home.” —AP

LONDON: The head of news at the British Broadcasting Corporation stepped aside yesterday after a program falsely accusing a former senior politician of child abuse sparked one of the worst crises in the publicly-funded broadcaster’s 90-year history. The BBC has been rocked by two news programs, one that falsely accused the politician which was broadcast last week, and another which alleged child sex abuse by a former star presenter, the late Jimmy Savile, but which was not aired.

The affair, which raised questions about ethics, competence and management at the BBC, has claimed the scalp of Director General George Entwistle and prompted its chairman to warn that the world’s biggest broadcaster was doomed unless it reformed. Helen Boaden, director of BBC News, and her deputy Stephen Mitchell, stepped aside pending a review of why editors spiked the report last year on Savile, who has been accused of abusing children on BBC premises. Some BBC staff have cast the 22,000-strong Corporation as a bureaucratic behemoth where journalistic talent is throttled by incompetent managers, and opponents - and even some allies - questioned whether it could survive in its current form.

“Everything is in play and I think this is becoming an existential threat to the BBC, not just in terms of the future of the corporation in its current form but in terms of the concept of public service broadcasting as a whole,” said a source close to the inner workings of the BBC. “They are fast running out of options, they’re half way down the management list already,” said the source, who asked for anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. Entwistle resigned as director general on Saturday, just two months into the job, to take responsibility for the report which wrongly said an unidentified Conservative figure from the era of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had raped boys in social care. But

the man, later identified on the Internet as Lord Alistair McAlpine, vehemently denied the allegation and his lawyer has threatened legal action against Newsnight, the BBC’s flagship current affairs show which broadcast the mistaken allegations. The BBC has apologized for the report, which it said was shoddy journalism and wrong. The abuse victim who was the source of the allegation said it was a case of mistaken identity and has also apologized to McAlpine.

‘BONKERS’ BUREAUCRACY Entwistle’s exit failed to cool the crisis: the government said it was hard to justify his payoff of a year’s salary of 450,000 pounds ($715,900) from an organization funded by a 145.50 pound annual levy on households with a television. “This is a large amount of money, and tough to justify considering the circumstances of Mr Entwistle’s departure and his contractual arrangements,” Culture Minister Maria Miller said. Viewers expressed anger at the size of the payoff. “I’m upset, they’ve messed up. I’ve just paid my licence fee as well and they’ve gone and rewarded this guy with a massive payoff,” said Patrick Daguiar, 49, at London’s Liverpool Street Station.

“If they can’t get their act together then we should just do away with the licence fee and they can survive on advertising like everyone else.” BBC staff say the poor handling of the abuse allegations against Savile, a DJ turned television star who is suspected of sexually abusing dozens of children, and the flawed Newsnight report showed the broadcaster had veered far from its roots. Disturbed by both the commercialism of American radio and the state controls imposed in the Soviet Union, the BBC’s founding father, John Reith, had intended the BBC to educate, inform and entertain when it was founded in 1922. But staff said bureaucracy had bloated

in recent years, including under Entwistle’s predecessor Mark Thompson, who is set to become chief executive of the New York Times Co yesterday.

Thompson served as BBC chief from 2004 to 2012. “It is still over managed and the management still speak gobbledygook (nonsense),” said David Dimbleby, one of the BBC’s most accomplished broadcasters. “Any editor, any head of a department spends their lives filling in forms, answering questions about things that are really not necessary using a language that is so arcane ... It has gone bonkers at that level,” he said. The BBC is already undertaking a plan to cut 2,000 jobs.

BUSTED BEEB? Criticised by both Conservative and Labor governments, the BBC’s last major crisis was in 2004 when a public inquiry over a report alleging government impropriety in the build-up to the war in Iraq led to the resignation of both Director General Greg Dyke and Chairman Gavyn Davies. Commercial rivals, including publications owned by media tycoon Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, called for Chairman of the BBC Trust Chris Patten to resign.

“Patten represents all that is worst about public sector complacency,” the Sun said in its editorial under the headline “Busted Beeb”. “Nothing can ever come right at the BBC while Patten is there.” A senior Conservative lawmaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Patten had been a disaster and that he had no confidence in him. When asked if Cameron still had confidence in the 68-year-old Patten, himself once a senior Conservative politician, the prime minister’s spokesman said: “Yes.” “The important thing is for Chris Patten to lead the BBC out of its present difficulties and that has to be the priority,” the spokesman said. “It’s important that the BBC grip this and that credibility and public trust is restored.”—Reuters

UK churchgoers tweet with vicar’s blessing WESTON-SUPER-MARE: The pews at St Paul’s Church are full of worshippers but they’re not praying; instead they’re all logged onto Twitter and Facebook. “Today is a Twitter Sunday so it’s time to get your Twitter on,” intones Brian Champness, the children’s pastor of the Anglican church in the southwestern English seaside town of Weston-Super-Mare.”If you have a question, tweet it and will see if we can get some questions answered,” he tells the congregation.

Six flatscreen televisions hang from the pillars of the 100-year-old

church showing the tweets of the faithful as Champness delivers his sermon. The church also has a wi-fi network with the password: “Abraham 123.” The project is the brainchild of Andrew Alden, the vicar of the church, who says that he is following in the footsteps of Christians from the past two millennia. The youthful looking 47-year-old introduced Twitter Sundays at the start of the year and they now take place about once a month.

“The Romans had roads and that enabled them to travel and take the

message out; in the medieval period they had printing presses and that enabled them to print and get the message out,” Alden said. “Today we have Twitter and the Internet, YouTube, we have Facebook, these are the tools that God has given us to get the message out.” In most churches, using a smartphone or laptop during the Sunday service would be frowned upon at best. But here, many members of the congregation are logged on. One teenager is updating his Facebook profile, a dad is looking up a recipe. Others, meanwhile, are

using the technology to give their reaction to the Sunday sermon. “Can a feasting on positive words & blessing, & a fast on negativity change our town in 14 days? Lets give it a go!” says @rev2bshaz, a member of the congregation. The tweet appears on the screens for everyone to see. Then come more, like one from parishioner Charlotte Pike: “Is what you think the same as what you say? Can it have the same repercussions ?” “Excellent question!” says Champness, whose iPad lies next to his red-leather covered Bible on his wooden pulpit.— AFP

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

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

Deadly blast devastates Indianapolis neighborhood INDIANAPOLIS: Splintered beams and boards on a piece of charred earth were all that remained Sunday where three Indianapolis homes were leveled in a blast that killed two people and rendered homes for blocks uninhabitable. A backhoe raked through the rubble in the middle-class subdivision as clusters of firefighters and rescue workers weary from a long, chaotic day that began late the night before waited for their next assignment.

The two-story, brick-faced homes on either side of those demolished by the blast were ruins. One home’s roof was gone, a blackened husk left behind. On the other side of the gap, the side of a home was sheared off. Across the street, garage doors had buckled from the heat.

It wasn’t yet clear what caused the blast that shook the neighborhood at 11 p.m.

Saturday. Residents described hearing a loud boom that blew out windows and collapsed ceilings. Some thought a plane had crashed or that it was an earthquake.

Alex Pflanzer, who was asleep when the nearby homes were leveled, said he heard his wife screaming and thought someone was breaking in his house.

Grabbing his gun, he checked the house and saw the front door was standing open. “I walked outside and all the houses were on fire,” he said. Pflanzer, his wife and two dogs were staying in a hotel

room Sunday night. They were, however, without their cat, who refused to budge from the crawl space. Deputy Code Enforcement Director Adam Collins said as many as 31 homes were damaged so badly that they may have to be demolished. The explosion damaged a total of 80 homes, he said. He estimated the damage at $3.6 million.

Some residents were allowed to return to their homes to retrieve a few belongings Sunday under police escort, officials said. Others whose homes weren’t as badly damaged were allowed to go home, but officials said they would have to do without electricity overnight.

Officials did not identify the two people who were killed. Deputy Fire Chief Kenny Bacon told reporters Sunday investigators haven’t eliminated any possible causes for the blast. But US Rep Andre Carson, who represents the area, said he had been told a bomb or meth lab explosion had been ruled out.

Bacon said the crisis could have been much worse. “I know we’re very fortunate that some of the people weren’t home,” he said. Bryan and Trina McClellan were at home with their 23year-old son, Eric, when the shock wave from the blast a block away shook their home. It knocked out the windows along one side of their house, and their first instinct was to check on their grandchildren, two toddlers who were in the base-

ment. One held his ears and said, “Loud noise, loud noise.” Eric McClellan said he ran to the scene of the explosion and saw homes flat or nearly so.

“Somebody was trapped inside one of the houses, and the firefighters were trying to get to him. I don’t know if he survived,” he said, adding that firefighters ordered him to leave the area. Once the flames were out, firefighters went through what was left of the neighborhood, one home at a time, in case people had been left behind, Fire Lt Bonnie Hensley said. They used search lights until dawn as they peered into the ruined buildings. Along with the two people killed, seven people were taken to a hospital with injuries, Bacon said.

Everyone else was accounted for, he said.

Four of the seven who were injured had minor injuries, fire officials said. Dan Considine, a spokesman for Citizens Energy, said the utility had not received any calls from people smelling natural gas in that area.

“Most of the time, when there’s a gas leak, people smell it,” he said. “But not always.” Carson said officials from the National Transportation Safety Board and the federal Department of Transportation, which have oversight over pipelines, were also sending investigators. Dan Able, a 58-year-old state employee who lives across the street from the two homes that exploded, said

INDIANAPOLIS: Emergency personnel work at the site of a home that was destroyed by an explosion in Indianapolis. — AP his first thought was that a plane had hit his house. The blast was “a sound I’ve never heard before, it was so loud,” he said. His windows blew out and a bedroom ceiling collapsed on his wife, Jan. He pulled her out, and they went outside. “Both houses across the street were on fire, basically, just rubble on fire,” he said.

The Ables and about 200 other people evacuated from the neighborhood were taken to a nearby school. Some who had been sleeping arrived in their

pajamas with pets they scooped up as they fled. Others had to leave their animals behind, and police said later in the day that they were trying to round up those wandering through the area and find their owners. Most evacuees eventually left the school to stay with relatives, friends or at hotels. The relief operation was later moved to a church just a few blocks away, where residents could find supplies including blankets, shoes, diapers, canned goods and even a teddy bear.—AP

US Senate leader a big loser on Election Day Republicans fail to defeat Obama or win back Senate

NEW JERSEY: Aerial photo shows the destroyed homes left in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, in Seaside Heights, NJ. — AP

Northeast cleans up as Sandy death toll rises NEW YORK: New Yorkers took to the streets yesterday to reinforce recovery from Superstorm Sandy, volunteering to help clean up devastated neighborhoods and using an annual Veterans Day parade to collect donations for victims still struggling without homes or electricity. Police raised the storm-related fatality toll in New York City to 43, adding the death of a 77-yearold retired custodian who was found paralyzed last week at the bottom of the steps of his apartment building in Rockaway, Queens, with head injuries. He died at a hospital on Saturday, they said.

At least 121 people have perished in the storm, which caused an estimated $50 billion in property damage and economic losses and ranks as one of the most destructive natural disasters to hit the US Northeast. The Rockaways peninsula of the city’s Queens borough was especially hard hit when Sandy barreled into the East Coast on Oct 29, unleashing a record storm surge that flooded low-lying areas and fierce winds that toppled trees and power lines.

Many residents said they felt exhausted.

Priscilla Perez, 30, was climbing up 11 flights of stairs in the dark, carrying clothes, jugs of water supplies and her 1-year-old daughter to an apartment at the Bay Towers in Rockaway Park. Helping carry the load was her 10-year-old son, Elijah, who she said is struggling with the impact of the storm. “He doesn’t want to eat. He’s never been through anything like this,” she

said. “I tell him when we go to get food, ‘Take a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, take a hot dog,’ but he says no.”

Recovery workers, from volunteers to firefighters, National Park Service workers and thousands of National Guard members, helped clean up in Queens and the city’s Staten Island borough, also badly damaged, clearing mounds of garbage, sand and debris. Medical teams went door to door to check on residents in high-rise buildings without power. US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano paid a visit on Sunday to hundreds of federal recovery workers crammed into the mess hall aboard the TS Kennedy, a merchant marine training ship docked on Staten Island to serve as a floating hotel for government employees taking part in the effort. “Thank you, and thank you, and thank you,” she told the workers, adding, “I hope you take some pride in what you’re doing.” Throughout the Eastern seaboard, thousands of homes were destroyed or badly damaged, millions were left without power, and commerce was brought to a virtual standstill in the immediate aftermath of the storm. The misery was compounded by an unseasonably early winter storm, or “Nor’easter” that lashed the region on Wednesday with more heavy winds, along with rain, sleet and snow. As many as 8.6 million utility customers lost electricity at some point in the midst of the back-toback storms.—Reuters

Courts provide Obama a chance to leave his mark WASHINGTON: As US President Barack Obama dives into his second term and looks to build his legacy, his appointments of federal judges, especially to the Supreme Court, appear certain to make a lasting impact. Over the next four years, the Democratic president will have the opportunity to pull a largely conservative federal bench towards the left, with about 100 vacancies to fill and a Supreme Court that could have up to three openings.

“It is typically in the second term that presidents tend to handle the legacy issues,” said Doug Kendall, president of the Constitutional Accountability Center, a Washington-based think tank. “He has to exercise his constitutional right and authority,” Kendall told a recent conference, urging Obama to appoint “moderates” to respond to the “very radical vision of the Constitution” espoused by some ultra-conservative judges. Unlike in individual states where judges are elected by popular vote, the president names judges to the bench in the US federal court system-comprised of 89 trial courts, 13 appellate courts and the Supreme Court.

The US Senate must confirm all judicial nominees. Currently, most of the 179

appeals judges and 678 trial judges were named by Republican presidents over the last three decades, and the highest courts lean towards the right. “President Obama really has to be the commander-in-chief in terms of diversifying” the courts, said Caroline Fredrickson, president of the progressive American Constitution Society for Law and Policy. The US needs “to have a court system that is actually fair and balanced” both politically and socially, she said.

Frederickson hailed Obama for increasing the number of women, homosexuals and minorities on the federal benchincluding the two women he put on the Supreme Cour t. But she said the November 6 election, in which Obama handily defeated Republican rival Mitt Romney, served as a “wake-up call” on women’s and family issues, and a win over “shocking words on rape and abortion” from the right. During the campaign, Republican Senate candidates Todd Akin from Missouri and Richard Mourdock from Indiana sparked national outrage with their comments about rape and abortion.

Both candidates lost their respective races.—AFP

WASHINGTON: US Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell set two top goals for the 2012 election: a Republican takeover of the Senate and the defeat of President Barack Obama. He achieved neither.

Starting in January, he will be up against a president he tried and failed to bring down, with a Senate minority weaker by two. “We all had a bad day,” said Josh Holmes, chief of staff of McConnell’s personal Senate office.

While there is no sign of any immediate threat to his job as minority leader, McConnell is facing intensified criticism from the right, which has seen him for some time as too “establishment.” McConnell blocked much of Obama’s agenda the past two years, including his call to increase taxes on the wealthiest Americans. But some conservatives complained that he was not sufficiently hardline. They were outraged, for example, when he compromised with Obama and agreed to increase the debt limit in 2011 and extend a payroll tax cut.

McConnell is also looking over his shoulder at his own re-election prospects in Kentucky in 2014 and the possibility of a primary challenge from the right, which could limit his flexibility in negotiations over pressing tax and spending issues such as the “fiscal cliff.” To fend off a possible challenge by a candidate backed by the conservative Tea Party movement, McConnell hired Jesse Benton as his campaign manager - a political strategist with Tea Party ties.

“McConnell will be in the middle of a battle for the heart of the party,” said James Thurber of American University’s Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies. “ The Republican Party is shifting to the right under his feet. He may not survive.”

Asked whether he would support McConnell for minority leader this week when Congress returns for its post-election session, conservative Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson said, “I’m going to wait to hear what everyone has to say when we get back on Tuesday.” He added, “I want to see a really well-thought-out strategy about how we are going to be handling the next two years,” both legislatively and politically. Another Tea Party-backed Republican senator,

CALIFORNIA: Veteran Arthur Lute holds his is 5-month-old son Evan in his one-bedroom apartment in Chula Vista, Calif. Lute’s arduous journey from his days as a US Marine to his nights sleeping on the streets illustrates the challenge the Obama administration faces to make good on its audacious promise: End homelessness among veterans by 2015. — AP Mike Lee, rose to McConnell’s defense. “This is not the time for a circular firing squad,” Lee told Reuters in a telephone interview. “We need to come together and move forward.”

“Mitch is a strong conservative.

Those who criticize his leadership must remember he has a tough job,” Lee said. “The positions he takes as leader, which might be of concern to some conservatives, often reflect where the center of gravity is in our conference - and not reflect where he is,” Lee said. President Barack Obama’s decisive victory over Republican challenger Mitt Romney helped Senate Democrats not only keep the chamber, but expand their majority by two, provided that newly elected Maine independent Angus King caucuses with Democrats. Among the newly elected Republican senators are conservatives Ted Cruz of Texas, Deb Fischer of Nebraska and Jeff Flake of Arizona.

Republicans have not controlled the Senate since 2007. They were optimistic about gaining the majority in the 100-member body in part

because they had to defend only 10 seats, compared to 23 for the Democrats. “Look at the numbers,” said Paul Sracic, head of the political science department at Youngstown State University in Ohio. “McConnell is a big loser. But it’s not all his fault.

Republicans had some really bad candidates.” That argument has not stopped some conservatives, such as veteran activist Richard Viguerie, from calling for McConnell’s replacement with someone “more in tune with the grassroots of the conservative base of the Party,” as Viguerie wrote on his website, conservativehq.com.

But the Republican right wing contributed significantly to Republican Senate race losses by backing candidates such as Richard Murdock in Indiana and Todd Akin in Missouri whose comments on rape and abortion helped Democrats win in two states that might otherwise have gone Republican. Back in McConnell’s Senate office, chief of staff Holmes explained that his boss’s role is an important but limited one.

“He (McConnell) is not the presidential nominee’s campaign manager,” Holmes said. “He isn’t a puppeteer controlling the actions of 20 (Senate) campaigns across the country.” “His job is to manage the conference and push for the most conservative solutions possible up here,” Holmes said.

Ethan Siegal of the Washington Exchange, a private firm that tracks Washington for institutional investors, said he expects McConnell to prevail next year. “McConnell is a smart politician with sharp elbows,” Siegal said. “He knows how to cut a deal and he’s smart enough to worry about a challenge from the right until it happens or not.” Jennifer Duffy, who tracks Senate races for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, said McConnell’s move in hiring a Tea Party sympathizer as campaign manager may convince the Tea Party to leave him alone in the 2014 election.

Duffy said some Democrats may try to take on McConnell in Kentucky, but “it is unclear who it will be.

McConnell has already raised a ton of money.”— Reuters

Dems, GOP fight brews over curbing filibusters WASHINGTON: A brewing and potentially bitter fight over Democratic efforts to curb filibusters is threatening to inflame partisan tensions in the Senate, even as President Barack Obama and Republicans explore whether they can compromise on top tier issues such as debt reduction and taxes.

A potential showdown vote to limit Senate filibusters would not come until January. Democrats are threatening to resort to a seldom-used procedure that could let them change the rules without GOP support, all but inviting Republican retaliation.

That fight is looming as the newly re-elected Obama and GOP leaders prepare to use the lameduck session of Congress that starts Tuesday to hunt for compromise on the “fiscal cliff” - the nearly $700 billion worth of tax increases and spending cuts next year that automatically begin in January unless lawmakers head them off. That effort will be contentious enough without added animosity over efforts to weaken the filibuster. Unless a filibuster compromise is reached, the dispute could produce sour partisan feelings that might hinder cooperation on legislation when the new Congress begins work in January. Filibusters are a procedural tactic

that lets the minority party block bills that lack the support of at least 60 senators. Democrats seem likely to command a 55-45 majority in the new Senate, meaning 60 will still be a difficult hurdle.

Frustrated by the GOP’s growing use of filibusters, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is considering a Senate vote in the new year to limit their use. “I think that the rules have been abused and that we’re going to work to change them,” Reid, D-Nev, told reporters this past week. “We’re not going to do away with the filibuster, but we’re going to make the Senate a more meaningful place, we’re going to make it so that we can get things done.”

Democrats say that vote to change the rules would require a simple majority of senators, and they argue that the Constitution lets Senate majorities write new rules for the chamber. That, in effect, would mean Democrats could change the rules over GOP opposition, assuming 51 Democrats go along. Republicans say they filibuster legislation because Reid blocks them from offering amendments. They also note that Senate rules require that the body’s procedures can be changed only by a two-thirds majority. Changing Senate rules by sim-

ple majority, rather than a two-thirds vote, is rarely done and referred to as “the nuclear option” because it is considered an extreme move that can trigger all-out partisan battling.

The Senate’s arcane procedures require the consent of all senators to do almost anything. An embittered minority party can use the chamber’s rules to force repeated votes and delays that can grind work to a virtual halt.

Don Stewart, spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., would not say what Republicans would do should Democrats try changing the rules by simple majority vote. “We hope Democrats will work toward allowing members of both sides to be involved in the legislative process rather than poisoning the well on the very first day of the next Congress,” Stewart said. Republicans also note that in public remarks Reid made on the Senate floor in January 2011 during a discussion with McConnell, Reid agreed to oppose “any effort in this Congress or the next to change the Senate’s rules other than through the regular order.” That was a reference to Senate rules requiring two-thirds majorities for rules changes.—AP

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

I N T E R N AT I O N A L Kandahar governor frets over budget, not bombs KANDAHAR: In four years serving as a governor in southern Afghanistan, Tooryalai Wesa has survived nine assassination attempts, most recently by a visitor who hid a pistol in the sole of his shoe. It is a measure of the changes unfolding in his native Kandahar province -also the bir thplace of the Taleban-that he seems more preoccupied with the size of his budget than the risk that his enemies might kill him. “We don’t have enough resources from the government,” the burly technocrat said in an interview at his compound. “What was promised, even that was not enough for us.” With most foreign combat troops due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014, what happens in Kandahar will help decide whether President Barack Obama’s decision to send another 30,000 US troops-most to the south-in 2010 set Afghanistan on the path to stability, or was a costly waste. US commanders who lobbied for the troop increase saw Kandahar as the make-or-break battleground, believing they needed to rout the Taleban on their home turf to reinvigorate the West’s faltering campaign. With Obama’s “surge” force gone, US and Afghan officials are looking for evidence that Kandahar has reached a tipping point where mutually dependent gains in security and governance are enough to ensure the Taleban cannot rise again.

CASH SHORTFALL Wesa says the US-backed effort to transform Kandahar’s shell of a state into a credible administration is working, but he needs more money from Kabul more quickly to finish projects and provide services so disillusionment doesn’t set in.

“Afghanistan is new, the transition process is new, there are shortcomings, there are problems in each new system,” he said. “Hopefully in the near future it will be on time.” The fact Wesa is even alive might be considered a victory. Wesa, an unassuming professor of agriculture who spent years working in Canada, was appointed by President Hamid Karzai in late 2008. He did not strike US officials as the most likely candidate to navigate the rough-and-tumble world of politics among Pashtuns, Afghanistan’s largest ethnic group.

When the troop surge started, US officials feared mafia-style networks competing for a share of Afghanistan’s rich, illicit heroin trade, as well as huge war contracts, would stifle reconstruction proj-

ects. Wesa says the influence of Kandahar’s notorious warlords has started to wane. “Those people are on the decline here,” he said. “They don’t have the luxuries they used to have here.” In turn, Wesa’s own stature has grown by default. In July 2011, Ahmed Wali Karzai, the president’s half-brother and chairman of Kandahar’s provincial council, was assassinated. Despite the innocuous title, Ahmed Wali Karzai was in reality one of the most powerful men in Kandahar.

CITY FEELS SAFER Slowly, basic administration has begun to develop after US and Afghan troops, who suffered hundreds of casualties, advanced into hamlets, vineyards and orchards where Taleban bombs and snipers lay in wait. Wesa said district governors can now drive to far-flung villages, once an unthinkable proposition.

Complaints are finding their way to his office, a sign of a more meaningful link between rural areas and the city. “The governance was not there. As soon as we got there, people were with us,” said Wesa in his office, where a large photograph of Hamid Karzai looms from behind his desk. “The plan is to go further.” Kandahar city certainly feels safer than it did in 2010, when it was repeatedly rocked by car bombings and tightly choreographed insurgent attacks. A brutally effective campaign of assassinations of officials has also slowed. Wesa himself has not faced another attempt on his life since April’s failed shoe gunman. There are other hopeful signs. Students are clamoring to enroll at Kandahar University and, in farming districts where US forces have started to reduce their footprint, insurgents have yet to stage a meaningful comeback. But the Taleban have not conceded. In August, the Kandahar police chief survived a bomb blast, while three of his men were killed in a bomb attack in Kandahar city last week. Insurgents still harry Afghan and US forces in remote areas and nobody can be sure gains will survive as more foreign troops leave. With Afghanistan’s elite starting to maneuver ahead of a presidential election in April 2014, when Karzai is due to step down, political careers are already in flux. More significant than Wesa’s personal fate will be whether the administration that has started to evolve will endure. “The way things go, I think I am optimistic,” Wesa said. “Do you think we will live in war forever?”— Reuters

Afghan massacre ‘too big’ for lone a shooter Afghan police chief’s account at odds with US govt’s TACOMA: A shooting rampage in March that left 16 Afghans dead in two villages was the work of more than one person, an Afghan police investigator testified on Sunday, contradicting the US government ’s account.

Military prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, accusing him of killing the villagers, mostly women and children, when he ventured out of his remote camp on two revenge-fueled forays over a five-hour period in March.

The government believes Bales was solely responsible for the deaths, and survivors have testified to seeing only a single soldier. But several indirect accounts have suggested that more than one US soldier was involved. “One person did not have the courage to go to the villages in the dark of night,” Major Khudai Dad, the Afghan Uniform Police’s chief of criminal techniques in Kandahar City, told a hearing at a US Army base via video link from Kandahar.

“There’s no way it is one person,” said Dad, speaking through an interpreter. Dad visited three compounds several thousand meters apart in the villages of Alkozai and Najiban around 8 a.m. on March 11, hours after the attacks. “One person cannot do this work,” said Dad, adding that he spent only one hour at the three compounds, fearing Taleban attacks. Dad was the sole witness on the seventh day of testimony before an ‘Article 32’ hearing at Joint Base LewisMcChord in Washington state, which will establish whether Bales will face a court martial and possible death penalty if found guilty. The shootings in Kandahar province marked the worst case of civilian slaughter blamed on an individual US soldier since the Vietnam War and damaged

ALKOZAI: In this file photo, an Afghan Villager cries over the bodies of Afghan civilians, who were allegedly shot by US soldier Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, as they are loaded into the back of a truck in Alkozai village of Panjwayi district, Kandahar province.— AFP already strained US-Afghan relations.

On Saturday, a US investigator told the hearing that the wife of one of the victims told her during questioning in June that she saw more than one soldier on the night in question. Army criminal investigator Leona Mansapit said the wife of Mohamed Dawood, who was killed in the village of Najiban, recalled a gunman entering the couple’s room shouting about the Taliban, while another man, a US soldier, stood at the door. This woman was persuaded by male family members not to testify to the hearing, an Army source, who asked not to be named, said on Sunday. Dad said he took bullet shells from three different compounds,

which were several kilometers apart, and turned them over to the Afghan National Army, who passed them on to US investigators.

“In those three areas, where the incidents were, I was thinking and I’m thinking that is not a thing that one person would do,” he said. A veteran of four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Bales faces 16 counts of premeditated murder and six counts of attempted murder, as well as charges of assault and wrongfully possessing and using steroids and alcohol while deployed.

Prosecutors have already presented physical evidence to tie Bales to the crime scene, with a forensic investigator saying a sample of blood on his clothing

matched a swab taken in one of the compounds where the shooting occurred..

Bales’ lawyers have not set out an alternative theory to the prosecution case, but have pointed out inconsistencies in testimony and highlighted incidents before the shooting in which Bales lost his temper easily, possibly setting up an argument that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Gathering evidence and witness statements was complicated by the speedy burial of victims, the inability of US investigators to access the crime scenes for three weeks after the violence, and the dispersal of possible witnesses after treatment at a Kandahar hospital. — Reuters

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

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

US colleges look to foreign students

By Justin Pope

W

ant to see how quickly the look and business model of American public universities are changing? Visit a place like Indiana University. Five years ago, there were 87 undergraduates from China on its idyllic, All-American campus in Bloomington.

This year: 2,224. New figures out Monday show international enrollment at US colleges and universities grew nearly 6 percent last year, driven by a 23-percent increase from China, even as total enrollment was leveling out. But perhaps more revealing is where much of the growth is concentrated: big, public land-grant colleges, notably in the Midwest.

The numbers offer a snapshot of the transformation of America’s famous heartland public universities in an era of diminished state support. Of the 25 campuses with the most international students, a dozen have increased international enrollment more than 40 percent in just five years, according to data collected by the Institute of International Education. All but one are public, and a striking number come from the Big Ten: Indiana, Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State and the Universities of Minnesota and Illinois. Indiana’s international enrollment now surpasses 6,000, or about 15 percent of the student body, and in Illinois, the flagship Urbana-Champaign campus has nearly 9,000 - second nationally only to the University of Southern California.

To be sure, such ambitious universities value the global vibe and perspectives international students bring to their Midwestern campuses.

But there’s no doubt what else is driving the trend: International students typically pay full out-of-state tuition and aren’t awarded financial aid. Public universities hit hard by state funding cuts “really are starting to realize the tuition from international students makes it possible for them to continue offering scholarships and financial aid to domestic students,” said Peggy Blumenthal, senior counselor at IIE, the private nonprofit that publishes the annual “Open Doors” study.

Nationally, there were 765,000 foreign students on US campuses last

year, with China (158,000) the top source, followed by India, South Korea and Saudi Arabia (the fastest growing thanks to an ambitious scholarship program by the Saudi government). Altogether, the Department of Commerce calculates they contribute $22.7 billion to the economy, and many stay after graduation. For the first time in a dozen years, according to IIE, there were more foreign undergraduates than graduate students. Indiana charges in-state students $10,034 for tuition and non-residents $31,484, so the economic appeal is straightforward. Still, out-of-state recruiting - international or domestic - is always sensitive for public universities, fueling charges that kids of instate taxpayers are denied available slots.

At one level, that’s true: About one-third of Indiana students come from outside the state, and for this year it rejected 4,164 in-state applicants. But while conceivably it could enroll more Indiana residents, without the out-of-staters’ tuition dollars they would likely have to pay more. Indiana and others figure more of their out-of-staters may as well be international, arguing you can’t prepare students for a global economy without exposing them to students from abroad.

David Zaret, Indiana’s vice president for international affairs, says the school’s interest in international students is educational, not “nakedly financial.” He says IU could fill its out-of-state slots domestically, and points out that unlike some schools IU doesn’t charge international students more than domestic non-residents, so there’s no extra financial incentive. He also says there’s been no particular effort to recruit Chinese students; he credits the extraordinary growth to hundreds of IU alumni now in China spreading the word. In fact, he said in a brief phone conversation from Argentina, “I’d like to see more balance,” with more students from places such as South America and Turkey.

While international students bring revenue, there are also costs, obliging universities to expand services like international advising, English instruction, and even targeted mental health services. There is growing concern about the isolation of international students on campus. Expanding numbers may not help, just making it easier to find a

bubble. One recent study found 40 percent of international students reported no close American friends.

Kedao Wang, a Shanghai native and one of about 6,400 overseas students at the University of Michigan, said his experience has been excellent but agrees growing numbers don’t solve the isolation problem.

Virtually all Chinese students struggle at least somewhat to fit in, due to language and cultural barriers. Wang, who goes by Keven, bought football season tickets all four years and loves the games, but rarely sees fellow Chinese students at Michigan Stadium. When he first arrived he tried not to hang out only with Chinese students, but his social life has since moved in that direction.

Still, he says, the shy students who once studied in the United States on Chinese government scholarships have been replaced by better-off Chinese who pay their own way and arrive more familiar and comfortable with Western culture. Wang says Chinese students are under no illusions why they’re recruited: “It’s a market economy. There are people who want this who are willing to pay.”

Still, he’d like to see schools award more financial aid to internationals. Michigan non-resident tuition and fees ($41,870 for upperclassmen) are hugely expensive even for prosperous Chinese families, but are high enough that the international students who come here aren’t socioeconomically diverse (only a handful of US colleges offer international students the same aid as domestic students). “There are so many bright students in China,” he said. “If you can give just a few of them a scholarship, they would come and succeed.”

A US education is still highly desired by Chinese students, but Wang says “10 years ago people only knew the top schools.” Now they’re looking beyond the Ivy League and learning more about the range of options (including, he said, the fact that some US colleges are terrible). “I think that’s important,” Blumenthal said of the trend of international students moving beyond the most famous schools and into state schools, community colleges and liberal arts colleges. “They need to know that America’s as diverse as we know it is.” — AP

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

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Issues

Obama faces bumps with Russia policy

By Desmond Butler S President Barack Obama once assured Russian leaders that he’d have more flexibility to deal with missile defense during a second term in office. But now that he has been re-elected, there’s little expectation of progress on that or other contentious issues that divide the two countries. Tensions between the United States and Russia have been rising. The countries have been at odds over Syria’s civil war, Iran’s nuclear program and Russia’s crackdown on domestic opposition. US officials are uneasy about what they see as a more assertive foreign policy by Vladimir Putin, who returned to the Russian presidency in May. Gone is the talk of a “reset” - Obama’s policy of improving relations with Moscow after they deteriorated during George W. Bush’s presidency. In the few areas where Obama is seeking closer ties, such as trade, he’s running into opposition from a deeply divided Congress. Moscow is undoubtedly pleased that Obama defeated Republican Mitt Romney, who had called Russia the No. 1 foe of the United States. A Russian official said Thursday that its government expected Obama to meet his commitment to be more flexible on missile defense.

But it’s hard to imagine that happening now. “Since Putin’s return to the presidency, things have become more complicated,” said Cliff Kupchan, a Russia analyst with the Eurasia group, who described the current state of relations as functional, but strained. The reset undoubtedly improved cooperation between Washington and Moscow during the early years of the Obama administration and both sides saw dividends, such as the signing of a nuclear arms control treaty and the US agreeing to Russia’s entry into the World Trade Organization.

During that time, tensions over missile defense had receded following Obama’s early move to replace a Bush administration plan for missile defense in eastern Europe.

Moscow, which had angrily charged that the Bush era plan could undermine its ability to use long-range nuclear missiles to deter attacks initially, welcomed the change. But more recently, the Kremlin has ramped up its criticism, arguing that the later stages of the Obama plan could also threaten its missiles. Thus when Obama was overheard in March over an open microphone telling then-President Dmitry Medvedev at an international summit that he would have more flexibility on the issue after the election, it suggested he might be willing to compromise.

But any move by the White House to limit its missile defense plans would provoke cries of appeasement from Republicans, who retained control of the House of Representatives in Tuesday’s election. Indeed, there is skepticism in Russia that Obama has any flexibility at all.

“American presidents - whether they like it or not - cannot possible give up this missile defense system. It’s like a religion in America,” says Fyodor Lukyanov, editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs.

The missile defense issue likely stands in the way of Obama’s goal to negotiate more arms control with Russia, as Moscow has linked the two issues. And missile defense is far from the only problematic issue. Obama faces pressure to provide stronger support to rebels in Syria’s civil war, while Russia backs its current leaders. Moscow is also at odds with Western attempts to impose crippling sanctions on Iran in the confrontation over Tehran’s uranium enrichment.

Even before Obama begins his second term in January, Congress could further aggravate ties. Obama is pushing to lift Cold-War era trade restrictions that are preventing US companies from enjoying the full benefits of Russia’s entry into the WTO. Lawmakers, including many from Obama’s Democratic Party, are tying the removal of restrictions to another bill that would target senior Russian officials implicated in human rights abuses with financial sanctions.

If passed, the new legislation could put a spotlight in Washington on Russia’s crackdown on opposition, which has intensified since Putin returned as president. The Kremlin has said it would retaliate against the sanctions.

That would turn Russia’s WTO accession, one of the bright spots of the reset, into a point of contention. Obama will have to navigate the tensions carefully, because he needs Russian cooperation on some of the stickiest foreign policy issues he is likely to confront. Aside from Syria and Iran, an essential route out of Afghanistan flows through Russia. The United States will rely on Moscow as it moves millions of tons of US equipment ahead of the planned 2014 withdrawal. —AP

U

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The editor reserves the right to edit any submission as necessary.

Dad seeks justice for slain son in Honduras Alberto Arce n a capital so dangerous that only the “walking dead” are said to venture out after dark, nothing could draw an obedient son from the safety of his parents’ suburban home into the deserted night. Nothing, that is, but a girl. Ebed Yanes had friended her on Facebook. They had chatted and the studious 15-year-old was desperate to meet her.

“My parents are still awake,” he wrote her that Saturday night in May. “I’ll shower while they go to bed and I’ll get the keys to the motorcycle.” What do homicide statistics mean to a high school freshman in the grip of a young crush? A murder rate of 91 per 100,000 residents may make Honduras the most violent country in the world, but to Ebed those odds weren’t grim enough to keep him home. He crept downstairs, climbed onto his father’s motorcycle and disappeared into the dark in search of the girl. He never found her. “I don’t know where you are,” he texted. “I’ve been looking for 45 minutes but now I better get back before the soldiers catch me.”

Police are so chronically outgunned by the criminals that the government had declared a state of emergency, allowing the army to patrol the streets. At this late hour, soldiers would have set up a roadblock. Ebed wasn’t carrying the motorcycle registration, and he didn’t want to be stopped, caught sneaking out of the house despite everything his father had taught him.

Honduras is a broken country. The political system is so weak that just three years ago the president was ousted in a coup carried out by the army and endorsed by the Supreme Court. Poverty is second only to Haiti’s in the Western Hemisphere. An estimated three quarters of the cocaine flown from South America to the United States passes through this Central American country, the epicenter of the US government’s war on drug trafficking. The violence, according to the World Health Organization, is “epidemic”.

Ebed knew he lived in a perilous country.

But there was this lovely girl, and he so wanted to meet her. It was just one night. It was spring. He was young. And by 1:30 am, he was dead, slumped over his father’s motorcycle with a bullet to the back of his head. The Yanes family lives in a secure gated community on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa. Every Sunday, before going to church, Ebed’s job was to wash the car for his father, an organic food supplier.

But that Sunday, Wilfredo Yanes, 57, noticed that his car was still dirty. Ebed was not in bed, nor anywhere to be found. The motorcycle was missing. Wilfredo’s boy was playful, fond of girls, easily distracted, but he did not get into trouble. He never left the house alone, had never taken public transportation and didn’t know his way about the city. Even when he went to taekwondo lessons, his older sister waited for him in the car for two hours, studying for her medical school classes. It was hard to imagine what could have happened to him.

Wilfredo called the front gate of the complex. Yes, he was told, Ebed had left near midnight, on the motorcycle. No, he had not come back. “We need to stay calm,” Wilfredo told his wife, Berlin Caceres, 42, a university professor. They would look for him. They went first to the Criminal Investigations Division, where they filed a missing person report. Next they went to the Juvenile Justice Division, then to the Children’s Hospital.

Maybe Ebed had had a motorcycle accident or had stayed overnight at a girl’s house though he’d never done anything like that before. Maybe he would come home, apologizing sheepishly.

He wasn’t in jail or at the hospital. Finally, the Yaneses went to the police homicide division. The officers knew nothing about his son, they told him, but they did find a motorcycle next to the body of an unidentified young man. There had been a party in the neighborhood, they said, and somebody from the party must have killed him. “We have the motorcycle here. Do you want to see it?” The family walked across a parking lot and from a distance Wilfredo recognized his red motorcycle.

I

He knew what it meant. “Is it him?” asked his wife. “Yes, it’s him,” Wilfredo said. She fainted and he barely had time to catch her before she hit the ground.

At the city morgue, Wilfredo told his wife and daughter to wait outside. Beyond the bare reception area the morgue was full, well past its 45-cadaver capacity, and nearly a dozen bodies lay on the floor, each in a white plastic bag. That’s where Wilfredo found his only son, with a broken jaw that hadn’t even seen its first shave, and an exit wound next to his mouth. As shock set in, they handed him a bag of Ebed’s belongings: his BlackBerry, a broken helmet, a set of house keys.

That night, at the wake, Wilfredo stood before the family and friends who’d gathered to pray and made a promise for Ebed, and for his country too. Although deeply religious, he did not believe in leaving this horror in God’s hands. God rewarded you for what you did in this life, and he had to take action. “My son will not be just one more statistic,” he vowed.

Wilfredo kept thinking about what the police had told him. His son was the victim of a street crime? He didn’t believe it. On his way to the funeral, he took a detour to the police station a block away from where his son had been found. Two policemen on duty told him they had heard shots late Saturday, but they hadn’t gone out to investigate. There were only the two of them, after all, and they were afraid.

He didn’t blame the officers. Wilfredo didn’t care for politics or criticize the government. But he was a practical man who knew police were unlikely to investigate, and without a case the government would never deliver justice. If he wanted answers, he’d

cutor’s office. Days later, Wilfredo and his wife took a drive through the hilly outskirts of the capital, past the sleazy love motels and rundown auto shops, looking for a vehicle that fit the description given by the witnesses. On their third trip, around midnight on Saturday, they stumbled upon an army checkpoint near the alley where their son was killed. The vehicle matched. It was a bulky Ford pickup.

Four-door. A rare sight in Tegucigalpa.

Wilfredo’s wife stopped the car, and he quickly snapped a photograph, not thinking about the flash. Soldiers walked over and told him to turn over his camera. Wilfredo was terrified, but thought fast. “It’s my hobby to collect photos of unusual vehicles,” he told them.

They let him go with a warning. It had been a week since his son’s death on May 26, but Wilfredo already had witnesses, two bullet casings and a photo of the vehicle. He had a case. On Monday morning, Wilfredo filed a complaint, sitting down in the office of the head prosecutor, German Enamorado, instead of waiting for a call. He wanted answers. Enamorado was impressed by Wilfredo, and if it was true that soldiers had shot and killed a high school student, well, that was abominable. Enamorado assigned two prosecutors to the case that same day.

The prosecutors, however, did not have a car.

The state prosecutor’s office was a crowded cluster of desks and columns of stacked files.

There were six prosecutors, a staff of investigators, and one car for the lot of them.

Wilfredo offered to drive.

The first stop was at army headquarters to collect the incident report for that night. After several failed attempts, an officer told them they had to file a request in writing. Two days

In this Oct 17, 2012 photo, Wilfredo Yanes, reflected on a mirror of his motorcycle, shows pictures of his late son Ebed Jaasiel Yanes, 15, at the site where he was shot dead by soldiers in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. —AP have to get them himself. He climbed back into his car and drove to the block where Ebed had died. One neighbor, a woman, said she’d heard loud gunshots, three rounds from a large caliber gun, but had been too scared to look outside. A young man who rented an apartment nearby did look, and he told Wilfredo he had seen six to eight masked soldiers in dark uniforms approaching a body.

They poked it with their rifles, then picked up the empty bullet casings and went back to their vehicle parked at the entrance of the alleyway. It was an unusually big pickup truck, a four-by-four, with a double cabin.

After the sun came up, residents said, they went outside and gathered bullet casings that the soldiers had failed to find. They gave them to Wilfredo, who carried them to his son’s funeral, feeling the weight of their significance in his pocket and in his gut: Good God, he thought, his son wasn’t killed by partygoers. He likely was shot by the army. After the funeral, Wilfredo drove to National University, where his wife worked, to see Julieta Castellanos, the president of the university. She had also lost a son, shot by police at a roadblock last year, and had become a fearless critic of police impunity. Her advice: gather evidence and then contact the prose-

later, they got it. The army’s report for the night of May 26 said a man on a motorcycle fired on the soldiers at the checkpoint, but got away when the soldiers pursued him.

Wilfredo’s son was armed only with a cellphone. Next stop: ballistics. They asked for all the weapons from the unit that had been at the roadblock.

And then came the chilling news. The soldiers were in a special forces unit of the army’s 1st Battalion. The Ford was part of a batch donated by the US government. The unit itself, because it used US aid, had been trained by the US and vetted to ensure the soldiers and leadership were not corrupt and complied with human rights laws. In other words, these were Honduras’s finest soldiers.

And it seemed to Wilfredo that they had murdered his son.

The more Wilfredo learned, the angrier he became. The army chief, Rene Osorio, told the press Ebed had failed to stop at an army checkpoint and deserved what he got.

“Everyone who does not stop at a military checkpoint is involved in something,” Osorio said. On June 7, Enamorado called in the soldiers, opening an investigative file that would swell to some 700 pages. None of the soldiers remembered a man on a motorcycle, they

said. Nothing happened that night.

After the interview, though, one of the soldiers called his mother and told her a very different story, according to the investigative file. He had been ordered to lie about the shooting of the boy, he said. His mother called a lawyer, who advised them that it would be better to be a witness than a suspect. The soldier showed up at the prosecutor’s office the next day with three others.

There had been 21 men at the military roadblock. Seven more in the Ford. The two bullets that killed Ebed came from the same weapon.

The boy, he said, did not stop at the checkpoint, but raced through it. They followed him in the Ford pickup, chasing him through the dark alleys for at least five minutes. The boy turned into an alley too narrow for the truck, so the driver stopped. The lieutenant sitting in the front passenger seat ordered the unit to open fire as he jumped out of the truck and started shooting. Two other soldiers got out and fired from 30 m away, with soldier Eleazar Abimael Rodriguez dropping to his knee in the firing position, said the soldier, who is now a protected witness. The motorcyclist was shot.

After that, said the soldier, the unit alerted Col Juan Giron and received instructions. “We were ordered to pick up the shell casings and we returned to the roadblock. He told us what we had to say... that we shouldn’t say what happened,” according to the investigative file. Officers took the weapons the soldiers had used that night and exchanged them, to cover up the shooting, the soldiers said. When Enamorado told Wilfredo what had happened, he was aghast. “They used my son as target practice,” he said. The soldiers had a choice, Enamorado said. It was right to chase Ebed, to try to stop him, even to shoot into the air. But not at a fleeing suspect. What happened next was a miracle of efficiency. Within 17 days of opening the case, three soldiers were arrested. The bullets were traced to Rodriguez, 22, who was charged with murder and imprisoned. The two others, including the officer who ordered the unit to shoot, were suspended from the army and released on bail awaiting trial, charged with covering up a crime and abuse of their office. It was a triumph, of sorts, for Wilfredo. But not enough. The man who killed his son had only been following orders.

There were three officers involved in the alleged cover-up, Enamorado told Wilfredo.

One told the soldiers to lie, another switched the weapons and another claimed he had never been informed of the shooting. The lieutenant colonel who allegedly ordered the weapons exchanged, Reynel Funes, had been vetted by the US government. In 2006, the US paid for Funes to attend the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, where he earned a master’s degree in defense analysis. Earlier he had received training at the then-School of the Americas in Ft Benning, Georgia.

The military has denied any wrongdoing on the part of the officers. “All this about lies and switching the weapons is a novel,” said army spokesman Lt Col Jeremias Arevalo.

“We have given the prosecutor everything he has requested from the first day.”“We are a responsible and serious armed force, and we are against impunity.” Wilfredo doesn’t think so. After months of pushing, he persuaded the prosecutor two weeks ago to investigate the roles of the officers, and to figure out what happened with the guns used to shoot his son. He has petitioned the government to take the army off the streets through a constitutional amendment.

He prays his country will shake off years of corruption and dysfunction, that someday, people won’t be afraid to leave their gated communities at night, and that a boy will be able to test the limits of freedom without fear for his life. He prays he will not be killed for speaking out. “I’m not only reacting to the impotence that my son’s death made me feel,” he said. “I can’t allow for rights to be violated, and even less if it’s my family’s right to life.” —AP

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

NEWS

MAKKAH: An aerial photo taken Oct 27, 2012 shows the Omar mountain development projects (right) next to a slum area in this holy city. — AFP

Makkah slum dwellers live in fear of eviction MAKKAH: Close to Makkah’s Grand Mosque and the glitzy 5-star hotels surrounding it lie slums whose mostly immigrant dwellers fear they will be evicted to make way for new high rises and malls. In one such slum on Jabal (mount) Omar, humans, cats, lizards, and mosquitoes co-exist among piles of garbage, with sewage running openly along the narrow tracks on the rugged hill. Children and old men in rags move about idly among the cracked adobe buildings. The impoverished neighbourhoods are divided by nationality, with the Yemeni quarter at the bottom of the hill, then the Africans and finally, at the ver y top, the Burmese, residents say.

“I first arrived here from Yemen when I was 15 years old,” says 58year-old Abu Ali. “I used to work as a plumber, but now that I’ve grown old and weak I work as a janitor.”

Despite such squalid conditions, “I’m better off here than I would be in Yemen,” said Abu Ali, referring to the kingdom’s poverty-stricken neighbour, from which many try to flee to Saudi Arabia in search of a better life. Further up the hill’s steep incline dotted with piles of trash, 24-year-old Mohammed Saleh sits on a time-worn step joking with a group of friends. Beneath his tough exterior, Saleh reveals a vulnerable young man to whom life has not been so kind. “I couldn’t continue my studies after my father was diagnosed with cancer,” says Saleh, a

sharp-eyed Yemeni who was born and raised on Jabal Omar. “I’m happy here. It’s a great neighbourhood,” he says with a grin.

“Really, as long as I’m on the mountain I’m happy. Killings and thefts are more frequent if you climb further up the mountain, but here we haven’t got such things,” he says. Saleh says many of the people living on Jabal Omar have been there “for 40 and 50 years. They are used to it... They could live nowhere else.” He points at a thick cable running along the ground where a stream of sewage is flowing. “This is the electricity we get,” he says. “As for water, we haven’t had any in about two months.”

The residents of this and other poor neighbourhoods across the holy city fear only one thing: a plan

by Saudi authorities to demolish the whole area to give way to modern developments. “I rent the house I’m living in now for 1,000 riyals ($267),” said Abu Ali. “If it’s gone, I wouldn’t be able to find another apartment for less than 2,000 riyals. That’s my whole salary.”

Makkah Mayor Osama Albar has said the slum development project will cost “around $3 billion” and will take place in phases. It will offer home owners living in these shabby, hilly neighbourhoods a choice of either selling their properties to the government or taking shares in the new projects. People who have rented apartments there, mostly immigrants, will also be offered

assistance in finding flats at prices similar to what they now pay.

Around the Grand Mosque, the government has for years been expanding facilities to accommodate the increasing numbers of pilgrims arriving every year for the major haj pilgrimage. The ancient mud brick buildings have given way to skyscrapers. The Makkah Development Authority’s website says the slums in Makkah, as well as in Jeddah and Taif, where a combined total of nearly one million people live, “create a security, environmental and health challenge”. In Makkah, some 70 slums make up 25 percent of the city’s urban area, it says.

Jabal Omar Development Co says it is developing a 230,000 sq m project, of which 52 percent will be dedicated to residential buildings. The company’s development, which also features towers and shopping areas, lies across the road from the Grand Mosque’s plaza. At the foot of the hill, African women, most of them Nigerians who usually come during the annual haj pilgrimage and stay, spread along the road selling anything they can get their hands on, including food, clothing and carpets. “I come with my mother ’s friends who sell things here,” says 16-year-old Shaza. “We sell everything. We’re fine here, but we’re now worried about having our houses demolished,” she said. If this happens, “we don’t know what we’ll do.

If we can, we’ll stay here. Otherwise we’ll have to return home.” — AFP

Court looks into one-vote decree Continued from Page 1 Meanwhile, the public prosecution has summoned Islamist activist Hakem Al-Mutairi over an article he wrote 10 years ago and deemed to undermine HH the Amir’s status, the writer said yesterday. Mutairi, a former president of the Islamist Ummah Party, said on Twitter that he was called in for interrogation over the article that was first posted in 2003 and then reprinted in the Kuwaiti newspaper Alam Al-Youm in 2007. “The public prosecution has accused the editor of Alam Al-Youm (Abdulhameed Al-Daas) and myself of undermining the status of the Amir,” said Mutairi, who is a professor of Islamic affairs at Kuwait University. “Authorities think that through these oppressive measures, they will stop me from challenging tyranny. This didn’t work before the Arab Spring, how will it work now?” Mutairi said.

The article covered Mutairi’s view that the Arab world needs fundamental change and reform to achieve justice and equality, saying such objectives can be achieved through peaceful protests. The Islamist Ummah Party was founded in Kuwait in 2005 but the government has not recognised it because political parties are not legal in the state though many groups operate freely as de facto parties. The party later established branches in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, with all three very vocal

against monarchies in the energy-rich Gulf states.

Separately, the criminal court yesterday opened the trial of prominent opposition leader and former MP Musallam Al-Barrak on charges that he undermined the authorities of the Amir and made remarks that were deemed critical of HH the Amir. The hearing was procedural as the court acknowledged a request by Barrak’s defense team to postpone the session to allow them to read the case document. The court set the next hearing on Dec 10.

The defense lawyers also demanded the court lift a travel ban on their client to allow him to travel abroad for medical treatment and the court asked for official medical reports on his health conditions. The reports will be submitted within two days and the court’s decision is expected soon afterwards. Barrak was arrested for four days last month and then freed on a KD 10,000 bail. Two days after his arrest, thousands of supporters marched on the central jail and clashed with police for several hours.

The court will start today the trial of three former opposition MPs Falah Al-Sawwagh, Khaled Al-Tahous and Bader Al-Dahoum on charges they undermined the status of the Amir. The three former lawmakers were arrested for five days last month after making remarks at a public rally deemed critical to the Amir.

Questions mount on Petraeus affair probe Continued from Page 1 “I have real questions about this. I think a timeline has to be looked at and analyzed to see what happened.”

Dianne Feinstein, the Democratic chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, also said “absolutely” she would pursue why the FBI failed to notify leaders of the congressional oversight committees. “We received no advanced notice. It was like a lightning bolt,” she said on Fox News Sunday.

Petraeus had been scheduled to testify Thursday at closed door congressional inquiries on the September 11 attacks on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, but he now will be replaced by acting CIA Director Michael Morrell. But Feinstein said the Senate Intelligence Committee could decide to ask Petraeus to testify.

The scandal has shocked and surprised friends and associates of the retired general, a celebrated military leader who played pivotal roles in the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan before assuming the helm of the CIA 14 months ago. He admitted to the extramarital affair in a resignation message to the CIA’s work force on Friday, calling the lapse of judgment “unacceptable” for a husband and leader. He has been married to his wife Holly for 38 years. President Barack Obama learned of it two days after the US elections, according to the White House, and accepted his resignation the following day.

In the US military, adultery can be considered a crime. As CIA director, Petraeus was a civilian but the potential security breach left him open to blackmail.

Steven Boylan, a retired army colonel and former Petraeus spokesman, said his former boss told him over the weekend that the affair with Paula Broadwell began about two months after he became CIA director and ended four months ago. “He is devastated, you could say,

and you could also say that it’s going to take a long time for the family or sometime for the family to get through this, but they will,” Boylan told NBC’s “Today Show”.

It all unraveled when a Tampa woman went to the FBI in the early summer after she began receiving threatening emails accusing her of a flirtation with the general, the Washington Post said. A government official told The New York Post that the emails contained such language as: “I know what you did,” “back off” and “stay away from my guy”. US media identified the other woman as 37year-old Jill Kelley, a “social liaison” to an air force base in Tampa who had a longstanding friendship with Petraeus but no official status in the military.

The FBI traced the emails to Broadwell, a 40-year-old former army major and mother of two who had written a glowing biography of Petraeus, and discovered sexually explicit emails from Petraeus indicating they were having an affair. The Times said that sometime in late summer lower level Justice Departments official notified supervisors that the case had become more complicated. The attorney general’s guidelines require that headquarters be notified whenever they are looking at a “sensitive investigative matter,” including cases involving domestic public officials. That was much earlier than previously known, raising questions about when top administration officials knew about the finding, and, with US elections looming, what they may have done about it.

Kelley said in a statement that her family and the Petraeuses had been friends for five years. Her husband Scott is an oncologist. “We respect his and his family’s privacy and want the same for us and our three children,” she said in the statement sent to ABC News. Broadwell lives in North Carolina with her radiologist husband Scott and their two young sons. — AFP

DAMASCUS: Syrians dance at a nightclub on Sunday. Despite the nearly 20-month long conflict between government troops and the rebels, many Syrians are still going out to local bars and cafes. — AFP

New Syrian oppn bloc wins Gulf recognition Continued from Page 1 the opposition securing arms for rebel fighters. The National Coalition’s newly installed leader, Ahmed Moaz AlKhatib, told Al-Jazeera television it already had promises of weapons, but did not say from whom.

Under Sunday’s deal, the opposition agreed to establish a new supreme military council to take overall command of rebel groups on the ground and address US concerns that weapons have been reaching jihadist groups that are threatening to hijack the uprising. Washington swiftly declared its backing for the new structure. “We look forward to supporting the National Coalition as it charts a course toward the end of Assad’s bloody rule and the start of the peaceful, just, democratic future that all the people of Syria deserve,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.

Traditional Damascus ally Moscow gave a cooler response, saying “such alliances must act based on a platform of peaceful regulation of the conflict by Syrians themselves, without interference.”

Fanning international concerns about the potential a conflict spillover, the Israeli army targeted the source of new mortar fire into the part of the Golan it occupies and reported “direct hits” yesterday. On Sunday, an Israeli warning shot - its first across the UN-monitored ceasefire line since the 1973 Middle East war - left UN chief Ban Ki-moon

“deeply concerned by the potential for escalation,” his spokesman said.

Air strikes and shelling of rebel positions in the town of Ras al-Ain on the Turkish border killed at least 12 people, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. One bomb exploded less than 150 m from the border, with the blast blowing out windows in houses in Ceylanpinar, where there were also injuries, the Turkish town’s mayor told Anatolia news agency. The same blast killed four Syrians and wounded scores of others, around 20 seriously, Anatolia said, later adding that six of the wounded died.

The Observatory said seven rebels and five civilians were killed. Near the town, helicopters strafed rebels who for the past three days have besieged an army post, said the Observatory.

At the far eastern end of Syria’s border with Turkey, Kurdish militia took Malikiya village after troops loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad withdrew. On the Jordanian frontier, shelling and clashes left two Syrian border guards dead. Warplanes also bombed rebel positions on the strategic highway between Damascus and second city Aleppo, while clashes on the southern outskirts of the capital near a Palestinian refugee camp killed seven civilians. At least 52 people were killed nationwide yesterday, said the Observatory, which has given an overall death toll of more than 37,000 since March 2011. — AFP

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

sp orts Schumacher sees future in Race of Champions

‘Only doubles good enough’ MADRID: Not content with merely getting his name on the scoresheet, Barcelona’s insatiable forward Lionel Messi has set the bar even higher for himself in La Liga this season by netting at least twice in each of the seven games he has scored.

The Argentine World Player of the Year grabbed his sixth double of the campaign in Sunday’s 4-2 win at Real Mallorca to take his tally to a league-leading 15, including a hat-trick at Deportivo Coruna last month. The 25-year-old, who recently became a father for the first time and is favourite to claim a fourth consecutive World Player award when the winner is announced in January, has struck 76 times for club and country in 2012. Sixty-four of those were for Barca and 12 for Argentina and he is closing in on the record for a calendar year of 85 set

by German Gerd Mueller in 1972. He bagged 50 goals in La Liga last season, smashing Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 40 from the previous campaign, and was top scorer in the Champions League for an unprecedented fourth straight edition. “Leo is constantly breaking records and his goal-scoring statistics are spectacular,” Barca coach Tito Vilanova, who has known Messi since he was a teenager in the club’s youth academy, told a news conference after the Mallorca match. “There are great players who need seven or eight seasons to score the number of goals he scores in one campaign,” he added. “You also have to remember that some of them are genuine stunners.”—Reuters

Martinez to fight Murray BUENOS AIRES: World Boxing Council champion Sergio Martinez will defend his middleweight crown against unbeaten Briton Martin Murray in Argentina on April 17, according to Argentine media reports. The venue for the bout will be chosen from the Monumental stadium belonging to Martinez’s favorite soccer team River Plate and the Luna Park, both in Buenos Aires, and the Estadio Unico in the provincial capital La Plata, the DyN news agency said.

Argentine Martinez won the title in an unanimous points decision against Mexican Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in Las Vegas in September.

The 37-year-old Martinez, 50-22, is recovering from fractures to his left hand and said last month he would need surgery on his right knee.

Murray, 30, has won 24 fights with 10 knockouts and drawn one. He first meets Venezuelan Jorge Navarro for the interim World Boxing Association title in Manchester on Nov. 24. —Reuters

BANGKOK: Michael Schumacher could keep on competing in the annual Race of Champions, to be held in Bangkok in December, for at least a year after he retires from Formula One this month.

The seven-times world champion has won the Nations Cup event in partnership with Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, currently chasing his third successive world title, for the past five years.

The two Germans will pair up again at the Rajamangala soccer stadium on Dec. 14-16 to try and win the event for the sixth time in a row and Schumacher, now 43, said it would not be his last appearance. “I’m very much looking forward to racing with my old mate Seb for another repeat of our title,” said Schumacher, who has two more F1 races before retirement, on Monday in a preview podcast for the Bangkok event.

“But my lucky number is actually number seven. So we’ve got to do this and then the one after. That would be the ultimate. Obviously this means I’m not retiring from the Race Of Champions yet,” added the Mercedes driver.

“I could have retired from it by the end of this year, but I don’t want to. It’s too much fun. And as long as I’m still a bit competitive in it, why not?”

Vettel, who leads Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso by 10 points in the Formula One championship with two races remaining, including this weekend’s US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, looked forward to continuing his partnership with Schumacher. “I think Michael will stick with me in the future because we’ve got to get at least seven. It’s a lucky number for him, so that’s the big number we have to achieve,” he said.—Reuters

Grizzlies cool Heat MEMPHIS: Reserve Wayne Ellington had career bests with seven 3-pointers and 25 points, leading the Memphis Grizzlies over the Miami Heat 104-86 on Sunday for their fifth straight win and the best start in franchise history.

The Grizzlies (5-1) snapped Miami’s four-game winning streak while topping their 4-1 start in 200001 - the franchise’s last season in Vancouver. They also extended their own team-record home winning streak to 14 dating to last season.

Rudy Gay added 21 points and Zach Randolph had his sixth doubledouble with 18 points and 12 rebounds for Memphis. Mike Conley had 18 points and nine assists, while Marc Gasol added 10 rebounds and six assists.

Chris Bosh scored 22 points and LeBron James had 20 for Miami.

Dwyane Wade came in averaging 20.4 points but was held to eight in his first game back after missing Friday night’s win at Atlanta with a cold. Memphis never trailed and the Heat managed to tie it only twice, the last at 14-all.

Lakers 103, Kings 90 In Los Angeles, Dwight Howard had 23 points and 18 rebounds, Kobe Bryant scored 20 and Los Angeles warmed up for a possible return by Phil Jackson with a win over Sacramento.

Lame-duck interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff called the shots for the second straight game following the

firing of Mike Brown on Friday with the team off to a 1-4 start - their worst in 19 years. They throttled Golden State 101-77 at Staples Center several hours after the change.

Lakers executive vice president Jim Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak remain in negotiations with Jackson, whom they are trying to coax out of retirement. Jimmer Fredette scored 18, and Jason Thompson had 15 points and 10 assists for the Kings.

Thunder 106, Cavaliers 91 In Oklahoma City, Russell Westbrook banked in a half-court shot during a rough-and-tumble 27point outing and Kevin Durant added 26 points to lead Oklahoma City over Cleveland. Kyrie Irving led the Cavs with 20 points, Alonzo Gee had 18 points and Daniel Gibson.

Irving hit back-to-back 3-pointers after Oklahoma City had taken a 6350 lead midway through the third quarter and his driving layups on consecutive possessions got Cleveland within 67-65 with 3:42 to go in the period.

The Thunder never relinquished the lead, though, with Kendrick Perkins scoring inside on a basket interference call before Durant’s two-handed slam. Then Westbrook took over.

Nets 82, Magic 74 In New York, Brook Lopez scored 20 points, Kris Humphries added 14

points and 21 rebounds, and Brooklyn beat Orlando to complete a home-and-home sweep.

Deron Williams finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and a couple key plays down the stretch after what appeared to be another blowout turned into a close game. The Nets beat the Magic 107-68 at Orlando on Friday and jumped out to an early 20point lead in this one.

But after losing a 22-point lead at home against Minnesota on Monday, Brooklyn almost coughed up another huge cushion, letting Orlando get within five in the final 2 minutes. Glen Davis had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic, who have dropped four in a row.

Clippers 89, Hawks 76 In Los Angeles, Blake Griffin scored 16 points, and Chris Paul had 15 points and eight assists to lead Los Angeles to a win over Atlanta.

Jamal Crawford had 11 points after coming in with a team-high 21.8 average - tops among the league’s reserves. Fifth-year center DeAndre Jordan, coming off the first back-to-back 20-point games of his NBA career, finished with eight points. Josh Smith had a team-high 13 points for the Hawks, who shot 41.7 percent from the field in the opener of a four-game road trip. Atlanta also committed 22 turnovers that led to 24 points for the Clippers. —AP

KQMC ready for Kuwait Rally 2013 KUWAIT: Kuwait Quarter Mile Club (KQMC)’s Rally Committee chairman, Sheikh Athbi Nayef Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah said that the second round of Kuwait Rally 2013 would kick off next Friday outside the Safir Hotel in Fintas.

Al-Nayef said that 19 competitors from Kuwait, KSA, Qatar, UAE, Jordan and Lebanon would take part in the race. “This number of competitors indicates the success of the organizing committee in the first round”, he stressed.

Moreover, Al-Nayef underlined that the recent visit of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), Jean Todt to Kuwait had greatly contributed to creating an international support to Kuwait Rally 2013 that represents a leg of the Middle East Rally.

Al-Nayef said that the second round would officially kick off at 7:30 am next Friday to cover around 97 kilometers in the afternoon when an honoring ceremony would be held for the winners at the Safir Hotel. —KUNA

MEMPHIS: Grizzlies’ Wayne Ellington (right) is guarded by Miami Heat’s Ray Allen (left) during the second half of an NBA basketball game. —AP

NBA results/standings Brooklyn 82, Orlando 74; LA Clippers 89, Atlanta 76; Memphis 104, Miami 86; Oklahoma City 106, Cleveland 91; LA Lakers 103, Sacramento 90.

NY Knicks Philadelphia Brooklyn Boston Toronto Chicago Milwaukee Indiana Cleveland Detroit

Sheikh Athbi Al-Nayef

KBC Shooting Championship KUWAIT: Within the activities organized by the Kuwaiti Banks Club (KBC) for bankers and their families, KBC recently concluded its sixth shooting championship that was held at the shooting ranges complex, said KBC’s assistant manager, Abbas Al-Blooshi noting that separate competitions were held for men, women and bankers’ families. Further, a special ceremony was held where Al-Blooshi honored the winners in each category.

Miami Charlotte Atlanta Orlando Washington

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT 4 0 1.000 4 2 .667 3 2 .600 3 3 .500 1 5 .167 Central Division 4 2 .667 3 2 .600 3 4 .429 2 5 .286 0 7 0 Southeast Division 5 2 .714 2 3 .400 2 3 .400 2 4 .333 0 5 0

GB 1 1.5 2 4 0.5 1.5 2.5 4.5 2 2 2.5 4

Western Conference Northwest Division Oklahoma City 5 2 .714 Minnesota 4 2 .667 Denver 4 3 .571 Utah 3 4 .429 Portland 2 4 .333

LA Clippers LA Lakers Golden State Phoenix Sacramento

Pacific Division 5 2 .714 3 4 .429 3 4 .429 3 4 .429 2 5 .286

San Antonio Memphis New Orleans Dallas Houston

Southwest Division 6 1 .857 5 1 .833 3 2 .600 4 3 .571 3 3 .500

0.5 1 2 2.5

2 2 2 3

0.5 2 2 2.5

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

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Carmel School & CCC teams with Kuwait Cricket Officials & Sponsors

Carmel School advances in opener Kuwait Cricket launches school cricket tournament KUWAIT: Kuwait Cricket in its bid to concentrate more and to promote grass root level cricket in Kuwait launched the U-18 School cricket tournament on Saturday, November 10, 2012 at Sulaibiya cricket ground.

The colorful event which was witnessed by a large group of school children, Kuwait’s women cricket team, parents, well wishers and cricket lovers was officially & collectively inaugurated by Jeff De Lange, Chairman, Kuwait Cricket Council, Rita Mahmoud Abdulla & Mahmoud Abdulla, Vice Chairman, Kuwait Cricket council, as the trio cut the cake to launch the Gulf Four sponsored U-18 school cricket tournament.

Many other dignitaries to the likes of Asad Baig, Director General, Kuwait Cricket, Mehaboob Khan, Director, Women’s Cricket, Arjuna Amaratunga, General Manager, Website and statistic, Kuwait Cricket, Murali Kutticode, Director, Junior/Corporate Cricket, Kuwait Cricket coaches Tahir Khan, Tariq Shah, Ghayoor Ahmed, Jude Dsilva, Sandra Almeida were present during the ceremony.

In the first match, Carmel School, riding on a magnificent all-round performance of Mohammed Waseef, chalked up a convincing 10 wicket victory over Cricket Coaching Club.

Batting first, CCC posted a decent total of 101 runs in their allotted 20 overs in which Chris stroked a useful 28 runs. Mohammed Waseef bowled well to capture 3 vital wickets while

Carmel School’s Mohammed Waseef receiving the Player of the Match award from Asad Baig, Director General, Kuwait Cricket Azeem & Heinz bowled well to grab 2 wickets Director General, Kuwait Cricket, presented each. Chasing a moderate total, Aleem & the Player of the match trophy to Waseef batted confidently and the duo Mohammed Waseef.

In the afternoon match, Future Star Cricket paced the innings with some fine batting display. Carmel School notched up the winning Academy comfortably registered a 7 wicket victory over ICSK Gladiators (Indian Central run in the 13th over.

Aleem top scored with 44 unbeaten runs School). Winning the toss, ICSK batted first while Waseef scored 34 runs and rightly and piled up 116 runs in allotted 20 overs. earned the “Player of the match for his bril- Meezan the captain was in terrific form as he liant spell of 3 overs in which he grabbed 3 clouted 3 sixes & 4 fours to score 42 runs in wickets conceding 14 runs. Asad Baig, just 20 balls. Anyway, the introduction of Ali

Cristie clinches Lorena Ochoa Invitational GUADALAJARA: Cristie Kerr won the Lorena Ochoa Invitational on Sunday for her first LPGA Tour victory in more than two years, and Stacy Lewis tied for fourth to wrap up the player of the year award.

Kerr parred the final three holes at Guadalajara Country Club to hold off Angela Stanford and third-round leader Inbee Park by a stroke.

“Coming in those last couple of holes it didn’t feel like I had won before,” Kerr said. “I kind of just squeaked in. I won by a shot. That’s all that it takes. I’ve lost plenty of tournaments by a shot, but winning by a shot feels a lot better.” The 35-year-old American finished at 16-under 272 for her 15th LPGA Tour title and first since the LPGA Championship in June 2010.

She holed a 4-foot par putt on No. 18 for the victory.

“Yeah, I was nervous,” Kerr said. “I haven’t been in this position to win in a while. To even have one putt to win, or two putts to win, I wasn’t nervous for messing up, but it was hard to control the amount of adrenaline that was in my system.

“I just tried to take some breaths and calm myself down and I still can’t believe how hard I hit that first putt. I gave the fans and myself a heart attack, but I stayed in there mentally until the end.”

Stanford shot 68, and Park had a 72.

The second-ranked Lewis, coming off her tour-leading fourth victory of the year last week in Japan, is the first American player of the year since Beth Daniel in 1994.

“After I finally made my last putt there on 18, I think it finally hit me,” Lewis said. “It’s just crazy to think that there have been so many great American players and I am the one after Beth in ‘94. It’s just crazy to even think of.” Lewis closed with a 68 to match Candie Kung at 4 under. Kung also shot 68. “I’m really happy for her,” Stanford said about Lewis. “She’s a great person

GUADALAJARA: Cristie Kerr of the United States kisses the trophy after winning the fifth edition of the LPGA Lorena Ochoa Invitational, at Country Club Guadalajara. —AFP and probably has a bigger heart than she is player. I mean she’s just a great girl and I’m very happy for her. So, I think it’s great.”

Park needed to win the event and the season-ending Titleholders to have a chance to pass Lewis in the player of the year standings.

“I’ll just try to enjoy myself next week because I tried to put too much pressure on myself this week,” Park said.

“Next week will be better.” The South Korean player has two victories this year and leads the money list.

“Everything has improved in my game and I’m really just happy I’m in contention almost every week,” Park said.

“That’s given me a lot of experience and it gives me a lot more to do next year.”

Suzann Pettersen finished with a 69 to tie 12th at 7 under. She won in South Korea and Taiwan in her previous two starts. Michelle Wie tied for 14th at 6 under after a 74.

Ochoa finished with a 71 to tie for 19th at 4 under. The Mexican star won 27 LPGA Tour titles before retiring at age 28 in 2010. Top-ranked Yani Tseng tied for 26th in the 36-player field, closing with a 72 to finish at 1 over. —AP

Jeff De Lange, Chairman, Kuwait Cricket Council, Mahmoud Abdulla, CEO of GULF FOUR the sponsor of the tournament & Mrs. Rita Mahmoud Abdulla cutting the cake to inaugurate the U-18 school cricket tournament Zaheer turned the tables as ICSK were folded crease to rescue the team and the experito a moderate score. Ali Zaheer, spinning the enced lad displayed his batting proves to ball viciously, bags 4 wickets for 13 runs. score a fluent 58 runs to give his team a well Needing to score 117 runs, Future Star deserved victory in the 15th over. Ali Zaheer team were soon in trouble as Meezan bowl- was awarded the Player of the match for his ing with immaculate line & length had both superb all round skills by Asad Baig. the openers back in the pavilion and Saad The matches were officiated by Abdul accounted for another batsmen to leave Qayyum, Naveen D’Souza, Syed Naimatullah Future stars tottering. Ali Zaheer came to the Nadeem & Arjuna Amaratunga.

Rain ruins NZ victory hopes HAMBANTOTA: New Zealand’s hopes of posting a consolation win against Sri Lanka were shattered by rain as the fifth and final one-day international was called off after 28.3 overs in Hambantota yesterday.

Sri Lanka won the five-match series 3-0, with the first and last one-dayers abandoned due to rain.

New Zealand were strongly placed to register their first win of the series as they reduced Sri Lanka to 123-8, with fast bowler Tim Southee taking three wickets to put the hosts under pressure.

Southee, who finished with 3-18 off 5.3 disciplined overs, was brilliantly supported by seamers Andrew Ellis (2-22), Trent Boult (1-23) and Adam Milne (1-17) to give his team a hope of victory.

Opener Upul Tharanga (60) top-scored for Sri Lanka, cracking eight fours before being caught by wicket-keeper Bradley-John Watling off Southee in the 29th over.

He added 47 for the fifth wicket with skipper Mahela Jayawardene (24), the highest stand of the innings, after four wickets had fallen for 44 runs.

Southee did the early damage when he bowled opener Dinesh Chandimal for no score and then had Lahiru Thirimanne caught behind to reduce Sri Lanka to 33-2.

Thirimanne, promoted in the batting order, contributed a 15-ball 17 with three boundaries. Boult dismissed Angelo Mathews before Milne got his maiden one -day wicket when he had Kumar Sangakkara caught behind for five.

Sri Lanka made two changes from the side that played the last match, bringing in paceman Shaminda Eranga and debutant spinner Akila Dananjaya in place of Nuwan Kulasekara and

Rangana Herath. New Zealand retained the same side. Sri Lanka and New Zealand will now play a two-Test series starting in Galle on Saturday. —AFP

SCOREBOARD HAMBANTOTA, Sri Lanka: Scoreboard of the rain-hit fifth and final one-day international between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Hambantota yesterday: Sri Lanka: U. Tharanga c Watling b Southee 60 D. Chandimal b Southee 0 L. Thirimanne c Watling b Southee 17 A. Mathews c Southee b Boult 0 K. Sangakkara c Watling b Milne 5 M. Jayawardene run out 24 J. Mendis c Taylor b Ellis 0 T. Perera c Milne b Ellis 11 S. Eranga not out 0 Extras (lb3, w3) 6 Total (for eight wickets; 28.3 overs) 123 Fall of wickets: 1-3 (Chandimal), 2-33 (Thirimanne), 3-34 (Mathews), 4-44 (Sangakkara), 5-91 (Jayawardene), 6-92 (Mendis), 7-119 (Perera), 8-123 (Tharanga).

Bowling: Boult 5-0-23-1 (w1), Southee 5.3-2-18-3 (w1), Milne 5-0-17-1, N. McCullum 7-0-28-0, Nicol 2-0-12-0, Ellis 4-0-22-2 (w1).

Result: Match abandoned due to rain.

HAMBANTOTA: Sri Lankan cricket captain Mahela Jayawardene poses with the trophy after victory in the One Day International (ODI) Series against New Zealand. —AFP

Beljan wins in Florida FLORIDA: PGA Tour rookie Charlie Beljan claimed the Children’s Miracle Network Classic in impressive fashion on Sunday, winning by two strokes in Florida to secure a PGA Tour card for the next two years just two days after a hospital stay.

Beljan fired a three-under-par 69 to finish at 16-under-par for the seasonending tournament, besting fellow Americans Robert Garrigus (68) and Matt Every (68) who tied for second at 14-under while Brian Gay (70) was a shot further back in fourth.

Suffering heart palpitations and shortness of breath during the second round, the 28-year-old spent Friday night in hospital but still managed to enter the final round with a twostroke lead.

“This is the greatest feeling ever.

I’m speechless. It’s wonderful,” Beljan told reporters after his first PGA Tour win. “My family flew in last night and I have everybody back home rooting for me. I didn’t even think I was going to get to finish my round on Friday.

“Yesterday I showed up just trying

to be able to finish 18 holes and now here I am the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic champion� what a joy.”

Starting the week at 139th on the money list and facing the prospect of losing his tour card for 2013, Beljan traded two bogeys with two birdies over the first five holes, leading many to believe his symptoms would eventually get the better of him. But in a stunning turn of events he rammed home five birdies in a six-hole run between the seventh and 12th holes to put a gap on the field and lead by as many as five. “I did not feel well this morning,” Beljan revealed. “Not the same symptoms but my stomach was hurting, my head was pounding and I thought ‘Here we go again.’

“But you know what, it may have taken a lot of the other nerves off that I may have felt if I was thinking about the golf.”

A nervous double bogey after tree and sand trouble on the 13th was just a temporary stumble as another birdie on the 14th allowed Beljan to

regain control of his round and although he bogeyed the final hole he still did more than enough to claim the win.

LAKE BUENA VISTA: Charlie Beljan holds up the trophy after winning the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals golf tournament. —AP

“I came here just trying to play well with not even the top 125 on my mind but now, golly, what a great deal,” Beljan said. “It’s been a tough year but a great year to top it off like this.” Beljan became the fourth rookie to win on the 2012 PGA Tour, following John Huh (Mayakoba Golf Classic), Ted Potter Jr. (Greenbrier Classic) and Jonas Blixt (Frys.com Open).

Tim Herron was the only other golfer to pull into the top 125 on the PGA Tour’s season-ending money list to secure full playing privileges for next year. His tie for ninth was enough to leap him 12 shots up the list to 124th.

American Jerry Kelly, despite also finishing in a tie for ninth, finished just a spot behind the 125 mark while Australian Rod Pampling and American Billy Mayfair both fell from inside the top 125 to outside after missing the cut on Friday. Other big names to finish without cards include Camilo Villegas, John Daly, Stuart Appleby and twotime heart transplant recipient Erik Compton. —Reuters

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

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Bears still try to get by with half a team CHICAGO: Bears defenders have been running off the field for a half-century now and yelling the same thing at their offensive teammates. “Try and hold ‘em.” One more time, that turned out to be too much to ask.

The Houston Texans arrived in Chicago with the same glittering 7-1 record and ranked in the top 10 in every important offensive category.

They got four turnovers Sunday night, but only did so much with them. They completed 14 passes and managed to muster all of 215 yards against the NFL’s No. 1-ranked scoring defense. But it was more than enough for a 13-6 win against the Bears, who played the second half without quarterback Jay Cutler, concussed after a helmet-to-chin blow delivered by linebacker Tim Dobbins just before intermission.

Still, when backup Jason Campbell entered the game, it seemed he could hardly do worse. Cutler took 40 yards passing, two interceptions and a 16.7 quarterback rating with him to the bench. Campbell, brought in from

Oakland because of his ability to throw deep, wound up more than doubling that production, but never seriously threatened the goal line, either. The closest Chicago came to scoring behind Campbell was a 48yard field-goal attempt early in the fourth quarter by Robbie Gould, whose kick through a driving rainstorm clanked off the left upright.

Houston scored its final points on a 42-yard kick by Shayne Graham just inside the five-minute mark, then dropped its defensive backs into deep coverage and dared Campbell to throw.

He did, taking exactly one shot down the field in Chicago’s final two possessions, settling instead for a succession of short passes that produced drives of minus-1 and 3 yards respectively with the game on the line.

Coach Lovie Smith has worked overtime during his tenure to keep the bickering between the two sides of the ball at a minimum.

It hasn’t been easy, given some of the offensive talent the defense has

NFL results/standings Denver 36, Carolina 14; Tampa Bay 34, San Diego 24; Tennessee 37, Miami 3; New England 37, Buffalo 31; Baltimore 55, Oakland 20; Cincinnati 31, NY Giants 13; New Orleans 31, Atlanta 27; Minnesota 34, Detroit 24; Seattle 28, NY Jets 7; Dallas 38, Philadelphia 23; San Francisco 24, St. Louis 24 (OT); Houston 13, Chicago 6.

American Football Conference AFC EAST W L T OTLPF PA PCT New England 6 3 0 0 299 201 .667 Miami 4 5 0 2 173 186 .444 NY Jets 3 6 0 1 175 228 .333 Buffalo 3 6 0 0 211 285 .333 AFC North Baltimore 7 2 0 0 254 196 .778 Pittsburgh 5 3 0 0 191 164 .625 Cincinnati 4 5 0 0 220 231 .444 Cleveland 2 7 0 0 169 211 .222 AFC South Houston 8 1 0 0 250 143 .889 Indianapolis 6 3 0 0 186 201 .667 Tennessee 4 6 0 1 219 311 .400 Jacksonville 1 8 0 2 127 246 .111 AFC West Denver 6 3 0 0 271 189 .667 San Diego 4 5 0 0 209 191 .444 Oakland 3 6 0 0 191 284 .333 Kansas City 1 7 0 0 133 240 .125

National Football Conference NFC East NY Giants 6 4 0 0 267 216 .600 Dallas 4 5 0 0 188 204 .444 Philadelphia 3 6 0 1 156 221 .333 Washington 3 6 0 0 226 248 .333 NFC North Chicago 7 2 0 0 242 133 .778 Green Bay 6 3 0 0 239 187 .667 Minnesota 6 4 0 0 238 221 .600 Detroit 4 5 0 1 216 222 .444 NFC South Atlanta 8 1 0 0 247 174 .889 Tampa Bay 5 4 0 0 260 209 .556 New Orleans 4 5 0 1 249 256 .444 Carolina 2 7 0 0 163 216 .222 NFC West San Francisco6 2 1 0 213 127 .722 Seattle 6 4 0 0 198 161 .600 Arizona 4 5 0 1 144 173 .444 St. Louis 3 5 1 0 161 210 .389

Armstrong steps down from Livestrong board CHICAGO: Disgraced cycling star Lance Armstrong has stepped down from the board of the cancer-fighting Livestrong charity he founded 15 years ago in the wake of a huge doping scandal.

Armstrong voluntarily resigned from the board on November 4, nearly three weeks after he stepped down as chairman, his replacement said in a statement provided to AFP yesterday.

He did so “to spare the organization any negative effects as a result of controversy surrounding his cycling career,” chairman Jeff Garvey said.

Armstrong has not completely severed ties with the foundation but “his visibility will be reduced,” added communications chief Katherine McLane.

“Although he has no formal leadership role with the organization and the foundation is focusing on elevating the voices and stories of survivors all around the world not just a single individual, he is still the foundation’s creator,” she said in a telephone interview.

“We count on him to remain active in the cancer cause, whether that’s with the foundation or whatever form he chooses his advocacy to take.”

Armstrong was issued a life ban and stripped of seven Tour de France titles in August by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which last month revealed 1,000 pages of evidence against him, including testimony from 11 former

teammates. The International Cycling Union (UCI) backed the USADA decision to effectively erase Armstrong’s cycling record, including the seven Tour de France titles he won from 1999 to 2005, after a lengthy investigation.

Armstrong also faces legal actions which could see him required to return millions in prize money and bonus payments. He could also be stripped of the time-trial bronze medal he won at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

However, the foundation said his legacy of helping cancer patients after surviving a battle with testicular cancer remains intact.

“Lance Armstrong was instrumental in changing the way the world views people affected by cancer,” Garvey said, adding the foundation is “deeply grateful” for Armstrong’s “devotion to serving survivors.” The Armstrong family has donated nearly $7 million to the foundation and helped it raise nearly $500 million over the past 15 years.

“We are proud of Lance’s indelible contributions to the global effort to eradicate cancer and his on-going personal commitment to improving the lives of its survivors,” Garvey said. “ The Foundation will continue to grow its free services for cancer survivors, advocate on their behalf and fulfill the mission Lance created 15 years ago.” —AFP

AUSTIN: Banned US cyclist Lance Armstrong speaks at the beginning of the annual Team Livestrong Challenge in this October 21, 2012 photo. —AFP

been asked to prop up; consider this string of quarterbacks since Smith’s arrival in 2004: Chad Hutchinson, Craig Krenzel, Kyle Orton, Rex Grossman, Todd Collins and Caleb Hanie.

Afterward, safety Chris Conte was asked what it felt like to watch helplessly as another superb defensive effort circled the drain. He rolled his eyes. “That’s not what I get paid to worry about,” Conte said. “That’s what the offensive guys get paid to do.” If so, they’re overpaid.

The Texans’ first score, a 20-yard field goal, was practically gifted them on the Bears’ opening drive. That began hopefully at the Chicago 43, then came to a screeching halt when tight end Kellen Davis caught a short pass and then committed a fumble that Dobbins returned to the Bears 28.

Houston had to earn the game’s only touchdown, marching 66 yards in the second quarter with running back Arian Foster grinding out tough yards on three of the six plays before laying out to catch a 2-yard TD pass.

“We couldn’t stop the run,” Smith

said. “You just can’t let them run the ball the way they did in that first half.

Second half, I thought we played better. ... We tackled better in the second half, which gave us an opportunity.”

Right.

The second half could have spilled over into Tuesday and the Bears might be trying to score a touchdown still.

More than a quarter of their 27 TDs thus far this season came via the defense - seven interceptions returned for touchdowns - and an eighth was provided by the special teams. In nine games, the defense has yielded 11 opposing TDs. Foster finished the game with 29 carries for 102 yards rushing, but only 17 of those came after halftime. “Given the conditions, they knew we were going to try and run the football,” Texans quarterback Matt Schaub said.

“He was still able to churn out yards and get the tough ones. He just played big.” Schaub said the rain made the footing difficult “and left a little bit of a glaze of mud on the ball, which kind of made it tough to grip. It kept you from

wanting to take a chance (throwing) down the field.”

But that’s exactly what the Bears set out to do when they reversed course four years ago and bundled, among other things, Orton and two firstround picks in a deal to pry Cutler away from Denver. Then they doubled down this past offseason to acquire receiver Brandon Marshall, Cutler’s one-time teammate with the Broncos, and provide the deep threat the Bears rarely had.

It turned out to be not much consolation on this night, though Marshall wound up with all but 27 of the Bears’ 134 yards receiving - including a 45yarder from Campbell.

“There was no heads hanged down when Jay was down. There was no complaining,” Marshall said. “ We understand we have a starting quarterback in the backup so we’re fortunate to have him. There will be no drop off in our offense.” Of course, he sees good things ahead. But that’s just because he hasn’t been in town very long. —AP

Saints shoot down Falcons NEW ORLEANS: Jimmy Graham caught seven passes for a career-best 146 yards and two touchdowns, cornerback Jabari Greer made a diving, touchdown-saving pass breakup on a late fourth-down play, and the New Orleans Saints held on to hand the Atlanta Falcons their first loss, 31-27 on Sunday.

Graham and his Atlanta counterpart, veteran tight end Tony Gonzalez, both were superb in a game that showcased all the intensity and drama of one of the NFL’s most passionate and longstanding rivalries. Gonzalez finished with 11 catches for 122 yards and two scores for Atlanta (8-1), and in the process became the first tight end to catch 100 touchdown passes.

Brees threw for 298 yards and three TDs as the Saints (4-5) won for the fourth time in five games, keeping alive hope of getting back into the wild card race after an 0-4 start.

Texans 13, Bears 6 In Chicago, Arian Foster finished with 102 yards rushing and a touchdown catch, and Houston intercepted Jay Cutler twice before knocking him out of the game with a concussion on their way to a soggy win.

In a showdown between two of the NFL’s best teams, the Texans (8-1) beat the Bears (72) at their own game. They came away with four takeaways and Tim Dobbins delivered the biggest blow when he drove his helmet into Cutler late in the second quarter.

Foster was the only reliable offensive weapon on either side, particularly in the first half when he ran for 85 yards and made a sprawling catch for a 2-yard touchdown to put Houston ahead 10-3.

49ers 24, Rams 24 In San Francisco, San Francisco and St. Louis played the NFL’s first tie game in four years as kickers from both teams missed overtime field goals in Sunday’s 24-24 outcome.

Greg Zuerlein kicked a 53-yarder, but the Rams were penalized 5 yards for delay of game.

He tried again from 58 as coach Jeff Fisher played for the win, and missed wide right with 2:42 left in OT. San Francisco’s David Akers missed wide left on a 41-yard attempt that could have sealed it for the 49ers (6-2-1), who lost quarterback Alex Smith to a first-half concussion. And just when it seemed the 49ers and Akers’ typically reliable left leg - would have one more chance to win it, San Francisco linebacker Patrick Willis was flagged for holding Lance Kendricks on third down. That extended St. Louis’ last drive, a costly mistake in a long list of them on an uncharacteristically sloppy day by coach Jim Harbaugh’s team.

Akers booted a tying 33-yarder with 3 seconds left in regulation after Sam Bradford threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Austin Pettis with 1:09 remaining. The Rams are 3-5-1.

Seahawks 28, Jets 7 In Seattle, Russell Wilson threw touchdowns of 38 yards to Golden Tate and 31 yards to Sidney Rice, and Seattle sent the Jets to their worst start since 2007. Wilson was harried for much of the day by the multiple looks from the Jets’ defense. But the Seattle rookie responded with key throws, hitting Tate on the opening drive, then connecting with Rice early in the fourth quarter to give Seattle (6-4) a two-score advantage. Tate added a TD pass on a reverse to Rice later in the fourth quarter.

Mark Sanchez struggled in his reunion with Seattle coach Pete Carroll, his former coach at USC. Sanchez threw a costly interception at the goal line in the first half, then fumbled at the Seattle 32. Muhammad Wilkerson’s fumble return for a TD was the only score for New York (3-6).

Cowboys 38, Eagles 23 In Philadelphia, Tony Romo threw a pair of touchdowns, Dwayne Harris had a 78-yard punt return for a score and Brandon Carr returned an interception 47 yards for a TD. The Cowboys improved to 4-5, and are second in the NFC East, 11/2 games behind the New York Giants. The Eagles (3-6) lost Michael Vick to a concussion after consecutive bruising hits in the second quarter and have lost five straight games under coach Andy Reid for the first time in his 14 seasons. Nick Foles filled in for Vick and briefly rallied the Eagles until the Cowboys started showing some touchdown versatility.

Romo hit Dez Bryant on a 30-yard pass on the

SEATTLE: New York Jetsí Mike DeVito dives and misses Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in the second half of an NFL football game. —AP final play of the third quarter, and Harris and Carr scored their TDs in the fourth quarter.

Broncos 36, Panthers 14 In Charlotte, Peyton Manning made sure John Fox’s return to Carolina was a successful one, throwing for 301 yards and a touchdown.

Manning threw his 420th touchdown pass to move into a tie for second place on the NFL’s all-time list with Dan Marino. He trails only Brett Favre (508). Manning had plenty of help from his teammates.

Von Miller harassed Cam Newton all day and Trindon Holliday returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown as the Broncos (6-3) won for the fifth time in six weeks. The Broncos sacked Newton seven times, including once for a safety, and Miller pressured him into an interception Tony Carter returned 40 yards for a score.

Fox, who coached the Panthers for nine seasons, downplayed his return all week, but celebrated with a few fist pumps Sunday.

Patriots 37, Bills 31 In Foxborough, Tom Brady threw for two touchdowns, Devin McCourty ended Buffalo’s hopes with an interception in the end zone and New England kept Buffalo winless at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots (6-3) let a 17-3 lead slip to 34-31 with 7:47 left on Ryan Fitzpatrick’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Donald Jones. Then the Bills (3-6) held the Patriots to a 27-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski with 2:06 remaining. Buffalo then moved to a second-and-10 at the New England 15 before Fitzpatrick threw the ball right into the hands of McCourty while trying to hit T.J. Graham.

New England is 11-0 against the Bills at Gillette since it opened in 2002 and 20-2 overall in its last 22 games against Buffalo.

Vikings 34, Lions 24 In Minneapolis, Adrian Peterson raced 61 yards for the game-sealing touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, padding his NFL rushing lead with 171 yards on 27 carries for Minnesota. Peterson had 120 yards in the final 15 minutes, 101/2 months after reconstructive surgery on his left knee. Ponder bounced back from a rough game with 221 yards and two touchdowns on 24-for-32 passing for the Vikings (6-4).

Calvin Johnson had 207 yards on 12 catches, including a touchdown that brought the Lions (4-5) a little closer with 1:53 left. But Johnson’s lost fumble near midfield on the previous possession put Vikings rookie Blair Walsh in position for his fourth field goal.

Buccaneers 34, Chargers 24 In Tampa, Josh Freeman threw two touchdown passes and the surging Buccaneers scored on a blocked punt and Leonard Johnson’s 83-yard interception. Freeman has thrown for 13 TDs with one interception in his past five games, helping the Bucs (5-4) win four times to climb back over .500 following a 1-3 start. Rivers threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns for San Diego. He was intercepted twice in the fourth quarter to ruin any chance of the Chargers (4-5) coming from behind.

Bengals 31, Giants 13 In Cincinnati, Andy Dalton threw a careerhigh four touchdown passes - each to a different receiver - and the Cincinnati Bengals ended

their four-game losing streak by beating the New York Giants 31-13 on Sunday.

The Bengals (4-5) took advantage of a fumble and Eli Manning’s two interceptions, which set up third-quarter touchdowns. That helped A.J. Green back up his observation there are holes in New York’s defense. The defending Super Bowl champions have a lot of holes everywhere. The Giants (6-4) head into their bye with back-to-back losses and a lot of issues, especially on offense. Manning had another subpar game, failing to live up his family legacy of beating the Bengals. Older brother Peyton improved to 8-0 against Cincinnati on the same field a week earlier, leading Denver to a 31-23 win. The Giants turned it over four times in the second half.

Ravens 55, Raiders 20 In Baltimore, Joe Flacco threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns, and Baltimore set a

SAN FRANCISCO: 49ers quarterback Alex Smith (11) is tackled by St. Louis Rams linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar (58) on a four-yard gain during the first quarter of an NFL football game. —AP club record for points. The Ravens (7-2) scored on six of their first seven possessions against the struggling Raiders (3-6), who have yielded at least 40 points in two straight games for the first time since 1962. The 55 points tied an Oakland record for points allowed, a mark set in 1961 and matched in 1981. Baltimore led 2710 at halftime. In the third quarter, Flacco threw touchdown passes of 47 and 20 yards to Torrey Smith, and holder Sam Koch scored on a fake field goal in the third quarter to make it 48-17. In the fourth quarter, Jacoby Jones took a kickoff 105 yards for 55-20 lead. Baltimore’s previous record for points in a game was 48, against Detroit in December 2009.

Titans 37, Dolphins 3 In Miami, Colin McCarthy returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown, and four takeaways helped Tennessee rout Miami.

The Titans came into the game on pace to set an NFL record for points allowed in a season, but they stymied Miami by intercepting Ryan Tannehill three times and recovering a Reggie Bush fumble to set up a touchdown.

Tennessee (4-6) rebounded from a 51-20 loss a week ago against the Bears that prompted owner Bud Adams to put the organization on notice. Last week the Titans trailed 28-2 after one quarter; this week they led 21-0 after 16 minutes. For Miami (4-5), the home loss was the most lopsided since 1968. —AP

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

SPORTS

Countdown begins for Africa Cup hopefuls JOHANNESBURG: Title favorites Ivory Coast are among 14 qualifiers for the 2013 Cup of Nations who begin preparations for the tournament by playing friendlies in Africa, Europe and North America this week.

Ghana and Cape Verde Islands get the ball rolling in Lisbon Tuesday followed by 15 fixtures Wednesday from Miami, who host Nigeria and Venezuela, to Johannesburg, where South Africa confront Cup of Nations title holders Zambia.

Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cape Verde, South Africa, Angola, Morocco, Niger, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Tunisia and Togo are qualifiers who will be in action.

That leaves Mali and Ethiopia as the only two of the 16 challengers for the

Cup of Nations in South Africa between January 19 and February 10 who are not playing, according to fixtures released by world football governing body FIFA. Ivory Coast tackle Austria in Linz minus injured Arsenal midfield flier Gervinho and a January warm-up against DR Congo is the only other friendly planned before facing Togo in the opening series of Africa Cup fixtures. The title has eluded the Ivorian ‘golden generation’, led by Didier Drogba and including Kolo Toure, Didier Zokora and Boubacar Barry, since 2006 and South Africa is seen as the last-chance saloon for the ageing stars. With a 53-place advantage in the world rankings, the Ivorians are expected to follow up an August draw in Russia by defeating the modest

Austrians, even if the low night-time temperature will not be to the liking of the west Africans.

Ghana captain and leading scorer Asamoah Gyan misses the trip to the Portuguese capital after the death of his mother in an Accra road accident, and coach Kwesi Appiah plans to test some fringe players.

Among those called up are striker Abdul Warris, who has quit Swedish side Hacken for a five-year contract with Spartak Moscow, and teenage Inter Milan midfielder John Duncan.

Previously anonymous Cape Verde make their Cup of Nations debut next year and the Blue Sharks want to prove that a qualifying victory over four-time African champions Cameroon was not a flash in the pan. Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi could make his debut for

Nigeria at 31 — 10 years after turning down another approach to switch allegiances having played for England at age-limit level.

Good form for Spanish La Liga side Levante has earned striker Obafemi Martins a recall with coach Stephen Keshi scanning a large talent pool as the Super Eagles seek a winning formula ahead of a tournament they last won 18 years ago.

Zambia bring the starting 11 from the 2012 final victory over Ivory Coast to Johannesburg for a clash with Cup of Nations hosts South Africa, a team getting used to life without retired captain and Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar.

Out-of-favour Collins Mbesuma and injured Jacob Mulenga missed the Libreville penalty shootout triumph in the final and the strikers could get a

chance against Bafana Bafana (The Boys) to impress France-born coach Herve Renard.

Egypt miss South Africa having suffered a stunning qualifying loss to the Central African Republic and Georgia are one of many opponents as the Pharaohs prepare for 2014 World Cup eliminators next year. Cameroon are in a similar situation after flopping against Cape Verde and record four-time African Footballer of the Year Samuel Eto’o and Barcelona midfielder Alex Song are among those chosen for a Geneva friendly with Albania.

The pair do not get along with Eto’o from expensively assembled Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala telling reporters he is “one of the best players in the world and Song is not even among the best in Cameroon”.—AFP

Falcao test for Brazil, marathon for Spain

STOCKHOLM: Swedish national soccer player Zlatan Ibrahimovic kicks the ball during a training session at Friends Arena ahead of a friendly match against England.—AP

Capello to test new players in US friendly KRASNODAR: Russia coach Fabio Capello thinks Wednesday’s friendly against the United States in the southern city of Krasnodar will be a good chance to test new players in the national team before a long winter break.

Capello could give international debuts to several newcomers, including Real Madrid’s Denis Cheryshev after including the 21-year-old left winger in his 26-man squad. Cheryshev, whose father Dmitry made 10 appearances for the Russian national team in the mid-1990s, plays for Real’s B team Castilla and has yet to feature for Jose Mourinho’s side.

Capello could also try out Kuban Krasnodar keeper Alexander Belenov, Lokomotiv Moscow midfield duo Maxim Grigoryev and Magomed Ozdoyev as well as promising Anzhi Makhachkala striker Fyodor Smolov. The above quartet, except the 26-year-old Belenov, have been instrumental in leading Russia’s under-21 side into the Euro 2013 finals for the first time since 1998. Belenov will have a second chance to prove his worth at a high level after failing to establish himself at Spartak Moscow following a move from second division Salyut Belgorod in 2010.

Capello, who succeeded Dutchman Dick Advocaat as Russia boss following a poor showing at Euro 2012, has vowed to blood new players into an ageing team after his predecessor was heavily criticised for relying on the old guard too much.

The Italian was quick to follow on his promise by dropping several experienced players, including former Tottenham

Hotspur striker Roman Pavlyuchenko and ex-Chelsea winger Yuri Zhirkov.

Former national team skipper Andrei Arshavin was also left out because the Arsenal forward has seen little action for his London club this season.

Russia have made a flying start in their World Cup qualifying campaign under Capello, winning all four of their group matches to rise this month to ninth - their best position in FIFA’s world rankings in more than three years.

“I didn’t want to use too many new players during important (World Cup qualifiers).

It would be too risky,” the former England manager was quoted as saying by Russian media. “But tomorrow’s game gives us a good opportunity to test several young players in the national team set-up at once.” Krasnodar officials hope the game will also showcase the capital of Russia’s southern region, overlooked as a host city for the 2018 World Cup. US coach Juergen Klinsmann sees the friendly as a good “learning experience against one of the best teams in Europe at the moment” ahead of the final round of the CONCACAF region’s World Cup qualifiers, which start in February.

“The approach was to play in Europe so that all our European players don’t have to fly back again after recently being in the World Cup qualifiers,” the former Germany striker told the U.S. soccer federation’s website (www.ussoccer.com). The match will be the first between the two former Cold War adversaries since a 2000 friendly in Moscow, won by Russia 2-0.—Reuters

BERNE: Neymar and Radamel Falcao, two of the world’s most prolific and sought-after strikers, come face-to-face when Brazil meet Colombia in the most enticing of around 50 friendly internationals being played tomorrow.

Spain and Portugal both face marathon trips with the world and European champions travelling to Panama and their Iberian neighbors lured to oil-rich Gabon where Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence is awaited with feverish excitement.

There are high-profile games between familiar European rivals, such as Netherlands-Germany, Italy-France and SwedenEngland, and more exotic encounters such as the clash between Albania and Cameroon in Geneva.

Steven Gerrard is in line to make his 100th appearance for England while Rene Adler, set to be Germany first-choice goalkeeper at the last World Cup until he was injured shortly before, is back in squad, two years after his last appearance.

Only a few years ago, Cameroon would have been favoured opponents for many of the world’s top sides. But, beset by internal bickering, their fortunes have taken a dramatic turn for the worse which culminated with elimination from the African Nations Cup at the hands of tiny Cape Verde, who themselves face Ghana in Lisbon on Wednesday.

In other games, Franco Di Santo could make his international debut as Argentina, including Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero but missing out-of-favour Carlos Tevez, visit Saudi Arabia while Russia meet the United States for the first time in 12 years.

Brazil’s meeting with Colombia at the Metlife stadium in New Jersey brings two together two sides who have reaping the rewards of a more positive, attacking approach in the last few months.

Brazil’s search for their ideal team and a playing style which better suits their tradition appears to be bearing fruit for

Guadalajara scrapes into q-finals MEXICO CITY: Guadalajara scraped into the Mexican championship quarter-finals despite a 2-0 home defeat by Tijuana conceding the first goal after 12 seconds and another in the third minute on Sunday. The record 11 times champions, being revamped by Dutch consultant Johan Cruyff after years of under-achievement, joined seven other teams in the so-called “little league” knockout phase of the Apertura championship.

Guadalajara finished eighth in the last of the qualifying berths after the 17-match league phase, among four teams on 23 points, going through with Monterrey thanks to their better goal difference while title holders Santos Laguna and Pumas UNAM missed out.

Tijuana went ahead from the kickoff at Guadalajara’s Omnilife stadium with Alfredo Moreno racing though a static Chivas defence to lob goalkeeper Luis Michel.

Before three minutes were up, the Tijuana attack broke through again with Moreno laying on the second goal for Colombian Duvier Riascos. Riascos should have scored again on the hour but, having rounded Michel, he shot over the bar with the net unguarded.

Guadalajara, who will meet top-

Alfredo Moreno of-the-table Toluca in the twolegged quarter-finals, were wide of the mark with several speculative shots from distance.

Tijuana face Concacaf champions Monterrey, the team that knocked them out of the quarter-finals in the

Clausura championship in the second half of last season.

In the other matches of the first knockout round which kicks off tomorrow, 10-times champions America meet Morelia and promoted Leon play Cruz Azul.—Reuters

PARIS: France’s soccer team players (from left) Patrice Evra, Mathieu Valbuena, Franck Ribery and Adil Rami run during a training session. France will face Italy in a friendly soccer match tomorrow.—AP

coach Mano Menezes, who has been greatly helped by the return of Kaka following a two-year absence from international football. They scored 10 goals in two games against Iraq and Japan last month as the Oscar-Kaka combination in midfield and the exuberant skills of Neymar in attack proved irresistible for their opponents. The 2014 World Cup hosts and five-times winners have won their last six games and face by far their sternest test since they lost 4-3 to Argentina in June, their last defeat.

Colombia, a team struggling to find their footballing identity ever since their 1994 World Cup fiasco, have come back to life under the leadership of Argentina’s 2006 World Cup coach Jose Pekerman. They have won six out of seven matches under the former taxi driver including a 4-0 win at home to Uruguay and 3-1 win in Chile, putting them firmly on course for their first World Cup appearance in 1998.

The meeting of Santos forward

Neymar, who has scored 16 goals in 25 internationals, and Atletico Madrid’s Falcao, both on the radars of Europe’s top sides, has added extra spice to the encounter.

“Colombia have had a great qualifying campaign and will be a good test for us to know where we are now,” said Menezes.“They have a touch of Argentina about them. They had a lot of quality before but they now they are showing far greater tactical development.”

Spain, who have made a habit of visiting far-flung ex-colonies recently, follow up trips to Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica with their game in Panama on Wednesday.

It will not be a walkover for Spain against opponents who have reached the final stage of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying competition and whose coach Julio Cesar Dely Valdes spent part of his playing career at Real Oviedo and Malaga.

“The trip to Panama is part of a commitment by our country with

other Spanish-speaking nations and, in sporting terms, allows us to prepare for upcoming matches,” said coach Vicente del Bosque.

Portugal can expect a festive reception in Gabon where President Ali Bongo, a fervent football fan, is almost certain to be among the crowd.

His government has spent lavishly on football projects, allowing the country co-hosted this year’s African Nations Cup and played at home to Brazil one year ago.

Gabon’s Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte, known as the African Mourinho, became famous for his post-match rants during a previous spell with Burkina Faso, usually aimed at his own directors.

The match has created logistical problems for Portugal coach Paulo Bento, who will have only one training session with his players on Tuesday and was unable to select anyone from Benfica who are playing the following Friday.—Reuters

Fluminense win Brazilian title RIO DE JANEIRO: Top scorer Fred struck two minutes from time to hand Fluminense the Brazilian championship title with three matches to spare after a 3-2 away win over relegation candidates Palmeiras on Sunday.

“Flu” opened an unassailable 10-point lead over Gremio, who climbed to second with a 2-1 home win over Sao Paulo in Porto Alegre while Ronaldinho’s Atletico Mineiro were held 1-1 at Vasco da Gama in Rio and dropped to third 11 points off the pace.

Captain Fred led his team to their second title in three years amassing a record points haul of 76 in 35 matches with the potential to add up to nine more.

“It’s a mixture of happiness with emotion. The squad is marvellous, these fans follow us always,” Fred told reporters after being lifted on the shoulders of team mates.

“I thank God, the (club) board, the players, the (coaching) staff, the fans... Only a player’s family knows the effort we all put in.”

Palmeiras held the match at Presidente Prudente in Sao Paulo state far from their city base for fear of trouble from angry fans, who had already staged violent demonstrations as their team totters on the brink of relegation.

Fred opened the scoring on the stroke of halftime stroking the ball home from the rebound after goalkeeper Bruno parried a shot from winger Wellington Nem. Fluminense went two up in the 54th minute with an own goal by Palmeiras defender Mauricio Ramos as he tried clear a Fred cross.

Palmeiras hit back with two goals in four minutes just past the hour, the first from their Argentina striker Hernan Barcos with the equaliser coming from a header

by Patrick Vieira, the namesake of the former Arsenal and France midfielder.

Fred, overlooked by Brazil coach Mano Meneses this year, volleyed the winner from Jean’s right cross two minutes from the final whistle to take his champi-

onship tally to 19.

“A very good team with a poor atmosphere don’t become champions. A good team with an excellent atmosphere is what we managed to build here and that’s how we got to the title,” coach Abel Braga told reporters.

“This is a team with no individual (stars). Even Fred, who is captain and top scorer, is just another player in this squad.”

It was Fluminense’s fourth national title, third in the Brazilian championship first played in 1971, since they also won a tournament in 1970 that has since been recognised by the sport’s governing body CBF as being national in its scope.

Thousands of fans converged on the clubs headquarters in the southern Rio district of Laranjeiras to celebrate, causing a major traffic jam in an area normally quiet on a Sunday night. Two teams have already been relegated, Atletico Goianiense and Figueirense. Four teams will go down.—Reuters

Falcao test for Brazil, marathon for Spain

Saints shoot down Falcons

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

Countdown begins for Africa Cup hopefuls

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BRISBANE: Australian batsman Ed Cowan (right) stretches to make his ground as South African wicketkeeper AB de Villiers (left) takes the bails off, on day four of the first cricket Test.—AFP

Clarke puts Aussies on front foot BRISBANE: Australia captain Michael Clarke scored a brilliant unbeaten double century to give the hosts a remarkable 37-run first innings lead on the fourth day of the first test against South Africa yesterday. Supported first by a maiden century from opener Ed Cowan in a record stand of 259, and then by Mike Hussey’s 86 not out, Clarke’s 218 helped lift Australia from 40 for three when he took to the crease on Sunday to 487 for four at stumps.

It was Clarke’s sixth test century, and his third double hundred, in the 15 tests since he was named captain last year in the wake of the Ashes humiliation and Australia’s quarterfinal exit at the World Cup. Although by no means a chanceless knock, the 31-year-old played with patience when South Africa’s vaunted pacemen got anything out of the Gabba track before punishing anything loose with some fine shot-making.

When he carried his bat back to the pavilion at the end of the day to the raucous cheers of a sparse crowd at the famous Brisbane ground, Clarke had faced 350 balls

over 504 minutes and scored 21 fours. “I’m very happy with that,” Clarke, who accumulated his 1,000th test run of the year during the innings, said in an interview on the boundary.

“We’re in a great position with a 30-odd lead. I’d like another 70 odd runs in the morning and then I want to have a crack with the ball. We’ll see what happens.”

Cowan departed for 136 in heartbreaking fashion just before tea, run out at the nonstriker’s end when Dale Steyn got a finger to a Clarke drive that hit the stumps and the opener was caught out of his crease backing up. His partnership with Clarke was an Australian record for the fourth wicket at the Gabba, beating the 245 Clarke and Mike Hussey made against Sri Lanka in 2007.

Cowan’s wicket was the only wicket to fall on the day and Hussey started pouring on the runs as if determined to get the record back for his own partnership with his captain.

The 37-year-old bucked his poor recent form against South Africa by reaching his half

century off just 68 balls with a drive through long-off, and was closing on a century of his own when play ended.

Hussey’s cut four off Morne Morkel took Australia past South Africa’s first innings tally of 450 and gives the hosts an unlikely chance of winning a test which lost an entire day to rain on Saturday.

“We’re going to need to maximize our time to have a chance of bowling South Africa out,” Clarke added. “We’re going to need a lot of things to go our way as well. It’s worth having a crack at trying to win.”

Clarke’s negotiation of the “nervous nineties” for his century had been fraught and he was nearly run out going for a second run that would have brought him to the hundred mark. There were no such jitters on his approach to the two hundred mark, which he passed by slapping the ball through midon for two runs before giving the badge on his helmet another kiss.

Cowan’s century was a retort to those critics who have consistently questioned his place in the team since he made his debut in

last year’s Melbourne test against India.

The 30-year-old lefthander reached the mark two overs after lunch by pulling a short Vernon Philander delivery for four to the square leg boundary, beginning his joyous celebrations before the ball hit the rope.

South Africa’s number one test ranking is on the line in the series, which continues with matches in Adelaide and Perth after Brisbane.

Bowling coach Allan Donald reflected on a disappointing day after which Steyn, the world’s top-ranked bowler, had figures of 1109 and the attack combined to send down 22 no balls.

“You see Michael Clarke walking down those stairs last night at 40-3 and you start thinking... that it could for 80-5 or 90-5 overnight and to be fair, they played well,” he told reporters.

“There’s no excuses for (the no balls)... it’s not that we have to tell these guys who are professional cricketers and playing at the highest level that they need to get their feet behind the line.”—Reuters

flows his way, whether it be in London, Paris or New York.

“I guess because I’ve been in the game for so long, I do have many people who just enjoy watching me play or feel like it’s a throwback maybe to the back-in-the-day times when they used to play with onehanded backhands, and they like me because of those things.

“I don’t know what it is, but I do get a lot of support and do it appreciate it.” “We have played here twice before, and twice the crowds were amazing, electric, and sometimes even in my favor. So today was somewhat similar again,” he added.

There was plenty for his fans to admire against Murray, who after initially threatening to blow Federer off court with some forceful tennis ended up under the Swiss maestro’s spell. Federer recovered from an early break of serve before playing a superb tiebreak, setting up a set point after winning a 22-stroke rally of breathtaking quality. Once ahead the second set became a masterclass.

A stupendous backhand half-volley from near the baseline flashed past a stunned Murray and the daring nature of Federer’s charges to the net were a reminder of an age when volleying was regarded as an art form.

“Obviously they don’t serve and volley as much anymore,” Federer said. “This allows you to throw in the occasional chip and charge. It’s a great feeling if it works.

“Today it worked out, so I’m happy. Don’t know if I’m going to throw in those kind of plays tomorrow. But Novak is probably going to have a word to say about that.”—Reuters

BRISBANE: Scoreboard at close of play on the fourth day of the first test between Australia and South Africa at the Gabba yesterday: South Africa first innings 450 all out* (J. Kallis 147, H. Amla 104, A. Petersen 64; J. Pattinson 3-93) Australia first innings (overnight 111-3) E. Cowan run out 136 D. Warner c Kallis b Steyn 4 R. Quiney c Steyn b Morkel 9 R. Ponting c Kallis b Morkel 0 M. Clarke not out 218 M. Hussey not out 86 Extras (lb-11, w-1, nb-22) 34 Total (for four wickets, 121 overs) 487 Fall of wickets: 1-13 2-30 3-40 4-299 Still to bat: M. Wade, P. Siddle, B. Hilfenhaus, J. Pattinson, N. Lyon.

Bowling: Steyn 27-3-109-1 (nb-1), Philander 25-2-82-0 (nb8), Morkel 26-6-109-2 (nb-2), Kleinveldt 17-0-81-0 (nb-11, w1), Kallis 12-3-30-0, Smith 9-0-36-0, Amla 2-0-9-0, Petersen 30-20-0.

Keselowski sights Sprint Cup title

Federer charms fans in Murray’s backyard LONDON: Roger Federer’s unique appeal showed no sign of waning on Sunday as he gate-crashed what was supposed to be Andy Murray’s party in the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour Finals.

Up against Britain’s first male grand slam champion for 76 years and an Olympic gold medallist for good measure, the 17,000 crowd at the O2 Arena should by rights have been roaring for Murray as he attempted to reach the final of the prestigious year-ending tournament for the first time.

As it turned out Federer charmed them with the kind of dazzling tennis that has captivated crowds around the globe for the best part of a decade in which he has won 17 grand slams.

Overpowered in the opening games and struggling to stay with the Scot, a repeat of Murray’s easy victory over Federer in the Olympics final looked a possibility.

Federer, lethal indoors, however came up with just about every shot in his vast armoury to claim a 7-6 6-2 victory and will contest the year’s final match for the eighth time in the last 11 years.

World number one Novak Djokovic stands between Federer and a seventh Tour Finals crown.

Popular as the 25-year-old Serb is, seven-times Wimbledon champion Federer is revered in London like a favorite son.

“It’s something definitely that makes playing, well, easier to be quite honest,” the 31-year-old Swiss told reporters when asked if he was ever surprised by the goodwill that

SCOREBOARD

LONDON: Roger Federer of Switzerland celebrates his win against Andy Murray of Britain at the end of their ATP World Tour Finals singles semifinal tennis match at the O2 Arena.—AP

AVONDALE: A chaotic race at Phoenix blew NASCAR’s championship fight wide open Sunday, moving Brad Keselowski to the brink of a first Sprint Cup title for himself and team owner Roger Penske.

Keselowski entered Sunday’s race at Phoenix International Raceway trailing fivetime champion Jimmie Johnson by seven points and had the better car all day. And moments after Keselowski raced his way into the lead, a blown tire caused Johnson to crash and take his battered car to the garage for repairs.

“I wanted to take the points lead by winning a race and not relying on a failure,” Keselowski said. It was just the beginning of the drama in the most chaotic race of the year. One many fans will likely call the best of the season. Perhaps for all the wrong reasons, and that’s what had Keselowski so upset. “I’m more just disappointed in the quality of racing that we saw,” he said. “I thought it was absolutely ridiculous, and I was ashamed to be a part of it.”

Kevin Harvick snapped a 44-race losing streak by beating Kyle Busch on a pair of late restarts, and crossing the finish line ahead of a melee that broke out because NASCAR failed to throw a final caution flag for an oil spill on the track.

It was the final exclamation point in a sequence that included Jeff Gordon slowing his car on the track to wait for Clint Bowyer so he could intentionally wreck him as retaliation for several weeks of on-track contact between the two.

It led to a full brawl inside the garage between the crews for the two drivers, with Bowyer sprinting from his car to join the fracas. He was held back by NASCAR officials from entering Gordon’s hauler.

“It’s pretty embarrassing,” Bowyer said. “For a four-time champion, and what I consider

one of the best this sport’s ever seen to act like this is pretty ridiculous.”

Both drivers and their crew chiefs were called to the NASCAR hauler for a meeting with series officials, and police officers stood outside on guard. Gordon said he’s had problems with Bowyer all season and had reached his limit. “Things just got escalated over the year, and I’d just had it,” he said. “Clint has run into me numerous times, wrecked me, and he got into me on the back straightaway and pretty much ruined our day. I’ve had it, fed up with it and I got him back.”

He said he didn’t know what penalties might be coming from NASCAR. “They’ve got to do what they’ve got to do, and I guess I had to do what,” he said. NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said the situation would be looked at further this week. “That was surely a shame,” he said.

“We’ll continue to try to get everybody back calm down and back to a working situation.”

But Keselowski was livid, questioning the double-standard a week after he was criticized for racing hard on the final restarts against Johnson last week at Texas.

He could have wrecked Johnson for the victory, and three years ago he might have done just that. But Keselowski was only aggressive - yet clean - and even after losing the race was condemned by some of his fellow competitors.

Three-time champion Tony Stewart said Keselowski had “a death wish” and Kyle Busch felt some drivers wouldn’t give Keselowski a break on the track because he raced Johnson too hard on the last restart. “It’s the double standard that I spent a whole week being bashed by a half-dozen drivers about racing hard at Texas and how I’m out of control and have a death wish,” he said. “These guys just tried to kill each other ... they should be ashamed. It’s embarrassing.”—AP

Business

US to overtake Saudi as top oil producer: IEA Page 22

SAS cuts 800 jobs in final call savings plan

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

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Karzai seeks foreign investment on India trip

Eurozone mulls aid for Greece, Merkel to defend austerity

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FRANKFURT: German pilots Peter Heidler (L) and Thomas Moews are pictured in the new Boeing 747-8 flight simulator at the Lufthansa Flight Training Center in Frankfurt, western Germany, yesterday. Lufthansa presented the new simulator for pilots of the Boeing 747-8, Lufthansa’s biggest plane. — AFP

Emirates defies gloom to double profit Airline revenue 35.4bn dirhams, up 17.3% DUBAI: Emirates, Dubai’s flagship carrier, doubled its first-half profit, carried more passengers and surged ahead with its growth plans, leaving its struggling European and Asian rivals trailing. The government-owned airline, along with other state-backed Gulf carriers Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways, has invested in new routes as European airlines, hit by high fuel costs and a global market slowdown, cut costs and shelve growth plans.

Emirates and its home base Dubai are betting that its location - a third of the world’s population is within a 4-hour flight radius - will continue to attract passenger traffic away from other global hubs such as London, New York

and Singapore. “Unlike its European rivals Emirates benefits from the pivotal geographic location of Dubai relative to the world’s growing markets,” said John Strickland, director of UK-based JLS Consulting.

“Its purpose built Dubai hub is also unconstrained compared to those in Europe and this provides Emirates with the critical mass to be able to offer thousands of itinerary choices which result in its high sustained load factors.”

Emirates said net profit was 1.7 billion dirhams ($462.8 million) in the six months to Sept. 30 compared with 836 million in the same period a year ago. International Airlines Group, the owner of British Airways and a competitor

Obama to meet business, labour leaders for talks WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama will meet business, labor and civic leaders this week ahead of negotiations with top lawmakers to avert sharp tax hikes and deep spending cuts that loom at the end of the year, a White House official said late on Sunday.

The president wants to find “a balanced solution to our deficit challenges” and a way to move the economy forward, the official said. Obama, re-elected to a second four-year term on Tuesday, faces the immediate challenge of preventing the so-called “fiscal cliff,” a combination of government spending cuts and tax increases due to be implemented in early 2013 that may cut the federal budget deficit, but also tip the economy back into recession.

Obama has scheduled a meeting with Democratic and Republican leaders of the House of Representatives and the Senate on Friday to begin negotiations. The president will meet with leaders from the labor community and other leaders of the progressive political movement on Tuesday, the official said. Obama will meet with business leaders tomorrow and civic

leaders on Friday, the White House official said. The president and congressional Republicans have sounded conciliatory notes since the election on reaching a deal to avoid the sudden fiscal shock. The two sides are at odds over raising taxes for top earners.

Obama insisted in his re-election campaign that the wealthy should pay more as part of any fiscal deal, and has said his victory at the polls is an endorsement of that view.

Still, on Sunday, two Republican Senators made comments that could be seen as suggesting they may be willing to negotiate. Tennessee Senator Bob Corker said he had some sympathy for the view that there need to be more government revenues as part of any deficit reduction deal.

“There has to be revenues,” he said on Fox News Sunday. “Look, I haven’t met a wealthy Republican or Democrat in Tennessee that’s not willing to contribute more as long as they know we solve the problem,” Corker said.

Separately, Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn said there were ways to eliminate tax loopholes for top earners that could provide additional funds for government coffers. — Reuters

to Emirates, posted a 96 percent drop in its 9month profit on Friday and said it would axe almost a quarter of its Spanish airline Iberia workforce. European rival Deutsche Lufthansa unveiled a cost cutting drive in October while Asian giant Singapore Airlines also saw profits drop in the second quarter. Emirates entered a 10-year alliance with Qantas Airways in September, as it looked to compete with Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways for a share of Australia’s market. It has launched 15 new destination since Sept last year. Emirates has carried 18.7 million passengers since April 1, up 15.4 percent from a year ago. Revenue was 35.4 billion dirhams, up 17 percent on the same period last

year. High fuel costs accounted for 39 percent of expenditure, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the chairman and chief executive of Emirates said in a statement.

Profits for the wider Emirates Group, including airline services arm Dnata, was 2.1 billion dirhams, up from 1.3 billion dirhams a year earlier. Cash assets fell to 15.2 billion dirhams after the airline repaid a 2 billion dirham sukuk, or Islamic bond in June.

The airline said in a separate emailed response that it was investigating the cause of an engine fault which resulted in an A380 Emirates jet bound for Dubai being forced to return to Australia on Sunday night but gave no

further comment. Emirates’ President Tim Clark said last week that Emirates would consider replacing its planned fleet of 175 Boeing 777s with a new version of the plane if it meets all the airline’s needs. Middle Eastern carriers gained market share during the first eight months of the year, with passenger traffic rising 17.1 percent and cargo demand increasing 14 percent from a year ago, IATA said in September. Emirates said yesterday that passenger traffic, measured in revenue passenger kilometres, was up 17.8 percent in the six months to Sept. 30, with passenger seat factor averaging 80 per cent, slightly above last year’s 79 percent. —- Reuters

Stocks slip as worries about fiscal cliff return NEW YORK: US stocks edged toward small losses Monday morning as investors kept fretting about the approaching “fiscal cliff.” The Dow Jones industrial average was down 20 points at 12,795 in late morning trading. It spent most of the morning with the tiniest of gains. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell two points to 1,378. The Nasdaq composite lost five to 2,899. Trading was expected to be light. The federal government and the US bond market were closed for Veterans Day, and there were no economic reports scheduled for release. The fiscal cliff refers to government spending cuts and tax increases that are scheduled to kick in at the beginning of the new year, unless a divided Congress and the White House can work out a compromise before then.

Some traders thought the small moves were nearly inevitable, because there has been no strongly positive or negative news about the economy or the possibility of a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff. “Nothing good is going on,” said Scott Freeze, president of Street One Financial in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania. “Everything forward-looking remains dreary.”

Last week, after voters returned a long-deadlocked divided government to Washington, the Dow dropped 434 points in two days and had one of its worst weeks of the year. Even if lawmakers work out a compromise, as they usually do, the political fight until then is sure keep investors on edge, pitching the stock market back and forth until it’s

resolved. Economists say the cliff could cost the economy $800 billion and 3 million jobs and would plunge the US back into recession.

President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, have spoken of compromise but appear to be taking firm stances on some issues. Obama will meet with labor representatives as well as other progressive groups Tuesday. He’ll hold separate meetings with the business community

Wednesday. The effect on the markets has been widespread. Fiscal cliff worries were blamed for keeping a lid on European markets, which were trading mixed but nearly flat in the morning; and Asian markets, which ended mixed.

In Greece, lawmakers passed a new austerity budget, and the other countries that use the euro issued a “positive” report on the country. Greece is hoping the other euro countries will give it another $40 billion in bailout loans. The

NEW YORK: In this Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012, photo, Gregg Maloney, left, and Ronnie Howard, center, both of Barclays, direct trading on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, in New York. US stocks eked out the tiniest of gains yesterday, small comfort after worries about the fiscal cliff sent the market plunging last week. — AP

budget and the report are crucial steps.

Still, the new bailout isn’t a sure thing: Some of the potential lenders must seek approval from their parliaments. Greece’s main stock market index was down nearly 4 percent. Freeze was among the underwhelmed. “At this point, all the Greek news is just noise,” he said. “None of these bailouts really solve the underlying problem. Now if all of a sudden Spain became incredibly solvent and its unemployment rate went to 5 percent, then you’d see” a reason to buy.

Across Europe, there were other reminders that the debt crisis is far from solved. The Banking Association of Spain, a country where hundreds of thousands of borrowers have fallen behind on their mortgages, said it would curb evictions of some struggling homeowners. In Portugal, demonstrators planned protests against a scheduled visit from German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Germany helped bail out Portugal last year and insisted that the government there cut spending as a condition of getting the money, a sore point for some in Portugal.

Among U.S. stocks making big moves: Leucadia National announced it would buy the investment banking firm Jefferies Group. The Jefferies chief will run the combined company. Leucadia, a holding company with investments in an eclectic set of industries including beef processing and medical products, dropped nearly 4 percent, 96 cents, to $20.84. Jefferies soared 12 percent, $1.78 to $16.05. —AP

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

BUSINESS

Telecom Egypt eyes deal with govt on mobile service CAIRO: Telecom Egypt is in advanced talks with the government on a deal allowing it to offer mobile services in addition to its traditional mainstay fixed-line business, where revenue is under pressure.

Telecom Egypt, which is 80 percent owned by the state, has been relying on its data business to boost revenue. It also has a 45 percent stake in Vodafone Egypt, which in the third quarter accounted for a third of net profit. “The discussions (with the government) are in a very mature phase,” Chief Executive Mohamed El-Nawawy told Reuters. He did not give a timetable for a deal on a universal telecoms licence,

although he said agreement could be imminent.

“We would be a fourth total telecoms provider,” he said. “We are interested in moving forward as soon as possible, as soon as we get a licence, offering a virtual service,” or one based on existing mobile networks. Nawawy’s comments came after the company announced a 3 percent rise in quarterly profit, at the top end of forecasts.

Any agreement on a universal licence for Telecom Egypt would mean changing the licences of Egypt’s three mobile operators - Vodafone Egypt, Mobinil, which is controlled by France Telecom, and Dubai-based Etisalat - to allow them to enter the

same businesses, he said.

The CEO said the company could look to set up its own independent network in future. “In 2014 we may be in a position where would be deciding if we would invest in new radio assets,” the chief executive said. “If we invest in new radio assets, then obviously we have to look carefully at our Vodafone assets.”

Nawawy said Egypt’s population of about 83 million was expanding at a pace that could support a new mobile entrant. Third-quarter net profit was 633 million Egyptian pounds ($104 million), compared with an average forecast of 625 million from

seven analysts polled by Reuters. The firm restated net profit for the same period of 2011 as 615 million pounds.

Revenue rose 6 percent to 2.48 billion pounds, against a forecast for 2.38 billion. Its EBITDA margin of 36.8 percent was below a forecast for 41 percent.

In the results statement, Nawawy said the firm had a healthy balance sheet and strong cash generation profile, ensuring it was well positioned to become a total telecoms operator once the licence was in place. Shares in Telecom Egypt were trading down 1 percent by 0930 GMT. The benchmark index was flat. — Reuters

US to overtake Saudi as top oil producer: IEA Oil demand to increase by 14% PARIS: The global thirst for oil will grow in the next two decades driven by demand from emerging nations and the rise of the United States as the world’s top producer, the International Energy Agency said yesterday.

Oil demand will increase by 14 percent between now and 2035 to reach 99.7 million barrels a day, the OECD-linked energy watchdog said in its annual assessment of the energy markets of tomorrow.

This was 700,000 bpd more than the IEA forecast a year ago and signals that world is still figuring out how to put the global energy system on a more sustainable path, the IEA said. Oil prices will rise too, it said, reaching $125 barrels by 2035 ($215 in nominal terms), from about $107 this year, and instead of the $120 forecast earlier. “Growth in oil consumption in emerging economies, particularly for transport in China, India and the Middle East, more than outweighs reduced demand in the OECD, pushing oil use steadily higher...,” the IEA said.

Transportation “is responsible for almost 40 per-

cent of the increase in global oil demand,” the agency said with oil use for trucks - mainly diesel increasing much faster than that for passenger vehicles.

In its new scenario, the IEA believes the US will become the world’s top oil producer by 2020, overtaking Saudi Arabia until the mid 2020’s. “The recent rebound in US oil and gas production ... is spurring economic activity ... and steadily changing the role of North America in global energy trade,” the agency said.

Up until 2035, “the United States, which currently imports around 20 percent of its total energy needs, becomes all but self-sufficient in net terms - a dramatic reversal of the trend seen in most other energy importing countries.” The US energy market is going through radical upheaval sparked by the development of new technologies, especially the extraction of shale gas through a controversial process called “fracking” that has been limited or banned in other countries.

On the supply side, the IEA sees a decade long decline in the dominance of OPEC on the back of unconventional production from non-cartel countries.

Non-OPEC oil supply should reach 53 million bpd after 2015 (from 49 mbpd in 2011) in a supply rise that should end in 2025 when OPEC production will again dominate. “Output from OPEC countries rises, particularly after 2020, bringing the OPEC share in global production from its current 42 percent up towards 50 percent by 2035,” the IEA said. The key to OPEC output over the coming decades is Iraq, the IEA said, which could make the “largest contribution by far to global oil supply growth.” The IEA believes that if stability is achieved, Iraq becomes “a key supplier to fastgrowing Asian markets, mainly China, and the second-largest global exporter by the 2030s, overtaking Russia.” “Without this supply growth from Iraq, oil markets would be set for difficult times, characterised by prices that are almost $15 higher” than

Private equity investments require longer holding periods: ElEbiary ABU DHABI: Citadel Capital Managing Director Abdalla ElEbiary participated in a key panel discussing the alignment of investment strategies with current market conditions at the annual S&P 500 Leader’s Forum in Abu Dhabi “2013 will be a good vintage year for private equity investments in the post-Arab Spring countries provided you’re willing to consider longer holding periods,” said Citadel Capital Managing Director, Abdalla ElEbiary at the S&P 500 Leaders Forum in Abu Dhabi. ElEbiary who participated in a panel that discussed revisiting business models and the alignment of investment strategies with current market opportunities, told an audience of senior business leaders that fundamentally a good vintage year in private equity is having a fund that closes with lots of cash and lots of well priced opportunities that it can target.

“Asset prices across the region are not skyrocketing at the moment because there is still a waitand-see attitude among many investors.

Considering what we view as compelling regional fundamentals such as population growth, energy deregulation, an unmet demand for energy and governments who are willing to pullback and let the private sector take the lead, then investments made in 2013 will capture outstanding upside potential between investment and exit provided they are well run,” said ElEbiary.

Citadel Capital, the leading private equity firm in Africa and the Middle East controls investments of more than $9.5 billion in key sectors including energy, mining, agriculture and consumer foods, transportation and logistics and cement manufacturing.

The firm has invested $4 billion in Egypt since 25 January 2011, including the arrangement of full financing for ERC, a $3.7 billion petroleum refinery

that will help reduce by 50% Egypt’s present-day diesel imports, generate more than US$ 300 million in annual benefits to the state treasury, and reduce by nearly one-third the country’s present sulfur dioxide emissions.

“We see good opportunities as we look to grow our core investments but longer holding periods are definitely the order of the day. Whether it’s brownfields like RVR (our investment in the African railway sector which includes a five-year turnaround program) or greenfields like Nile Logistics (our river

transport and logistics platform) and ERC, the holding periods in our corner of the woods for large-scale investments are necessarily longer than those traditionally preferred by many Western LPs, which creates a great opportunity for long-term investment companies, said ElEbiary.

The S&P Leaders Forum, now in its third year, is an annual invitation-only gathering that brings together leading members of the business community with senior government and regulatory figures to discuss timely and key economic issues in the Middle East.

TAIPEI: A staff member walks past a poster of the European Chamber of Commerce Taipei which features Taiwan as a chained “Asian Tiger” in its 2013 Position Papers released in Taipei yesterday.

Taiwan needs to further open up offshore Renminbi market in its domestic banking and financial systems if the island is to bolster its competitiveness, an European business group said yesterday. —

MANILA: Protesters wave red flags during a rally at the Philippine Senate against the proposed “sin tax” bill on alcohol and cigarettes being discussed yesterday at the Philippine Senate in Manila, Philippines. The protesters, mostly low-income vendors, in their statement, deemed the sin tax bills as anti-poor and called on the government to instead raise corporate taxes to finance its health programs. — AP

Banks fuel Abu Dhabi rally, Kuwait steady after protest DUBAI: Abu Dhabi’s bourse makes its largest one-day gain in nine months on increased risk appetite, while Kuwait’s market ends flat, witnessing limited pressure from Sunday’s demonstrations against changes to electoral law. Abu Dhabi’s index finishes 1.3 percent higher at 2,706 points, its largest upward daily move since January 31.

Banks help lift the benchmark, which closes at levels last seen in July 2011. National Bank of Abu Dhabi rises 3.4 percent to 9.81 dirhams, extending year-to-date gains to 23.2 percent. Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank rises 1.5 percent, while First Gulf Bank ends flat, having gained 37.4 percent so far in 2012.

“If you look at UAE banks in general, what people are looking for is credit quality and asset expansion - NBAD has the lowest nonperforming loan ratio and FGB is in the top of its class in asset expansion,” says an Abu Dhabi-based trader who asked not to be identified. Banks have posted strong growth in quarterly earnings, with NBAD and FGB beating analysts’ estimates for the three months to September 30.

“NBAD is at a critical area and cooling down a bit is the most likely scenario for now - a retrenchment back to the 9 (dirham) level is something that will happen in the short term,” says Nabil Al Rantisi, managing director at Menacorp in Abu Dhabi, adding that NBAD and FGB have already priced in the bullishness of investors.

“A retrenchment before continuing upwards is the most likely scenario as the general outlook on the UAE equity markets remain bullish,” Al Rantisi adds.

Heavyweight Etisalat rises 2.3 percent.

Small-caps gained in heavy trade with retail investors looking for short-term gains. Eshraq Properties and Green Crescent Insurance Co jump 9.7 and 9.1 percent respectively.

Dubai’s Gulf General Investment Co soars 8.4 percent and bluechips also gain. Emaar Properties gains 0.3 percent and telecom

operator du advances 2.4 percent.

The emirate’s index climbs 0.8 percent to finish at 1,626 points, its highest close since Oct. 24.

Elsewhere, Qatar’s benchmark drops 0.4 percent to finish at 8,494 points, its lowest close since Oct. 14. A lack of catalysts and diminishing risk appetite spurs investors to cut positions. Industries Qatar slips 0.5 percent, Qatar Navigation sheds 2.7 percent and United Development falls 2.2 percent.

In Kuwait, the index ticks up 0.03 percent to close at 5,787 points. Tens of thousands of Kuwaitis packed into a square opposite parliament on Sunday in a peaceful oppositionled rally against new voting rules.

Market impact from the fresh protest was expected to be limited after the emir said last week he would ‘deal with all problems’ related to economic development and political stability.

Saudi Arabia’s bourse slips for a fourth straight session since Wednesday’s six-week high, while weak quarterly earnings drags Oman’s market.

Most sectors in the kingdom are lower with turnover the highest in insurance stocks.

Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) slips 0.6 percent. The world’s largest chemicals producer is considering investments in the United States to capitalise on the shale gas boom there, its chief executive officer told Reuters yesterday.

The insurance sector index falls 0.7 percent. Banks stocks decline with Banque Saudi Fransi down 1.9 percent and Samba Financial Group shedding 0.9 percent. The kingdom’s index slips 0.5 percent to 6,856 points, trimming year-to-date gains to 6.6 percent. “The market’s move does not have much relation right now to what’s happening globally - this is mostly investors adjusting positions and some booking profits,” says Faisal Al-Othman, portfolio manager at Riyadh-based Arab National Bank. —Reuters

EXCHANGE Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Egyptian pounds US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian dollars Danish Kroner Swedish Kroner Australian dlr Hong Kong dlr Singapore dlr Japanese yen Indian Rs/KD Sri Lanka rupee Pakistan rupee Bangladesh taka UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi Riyal/KD Omani riyals Philippine Peso

.2740000 .4460000 .3560000 .2950000 .2800000 .2910000 .0040000 .0020000 .0764330 .7446660 .3870000 .0720000 .7300130 .0430000 CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2815500 .4479460 .3583990 .2969940 .2819020 .0480530 .0417990 .2933750 .0363240 .2302690 .0035430 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0766850 .7471140 .0000000 .0751000 .7315840 .0000000

.2850000 .4590000 .3690000 .3070000 .2910000 .2990000 .0067500 .0035000 .0772010 .7521510 .4070000 .0770000 .7373500 .0510000 .2836500 .4512870 .3610720 .2992090 .2840050 .0484110 .0421110 .2955630 .0365950 .2319870 .0035690 .0052180 .0021760 .0029640 .0034860 .0772570 .7526870 .4012020 .0756600 .7370400 .0069570

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. Currency US Dollar Pak Rupees

Rate per 1000 (Tran) 282.700 2.945

Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Yemeni Riyal Euro Canadian Dollars Nepali rupee

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

5.199 2.170 3.468 6.920 77.075 75.545 751.500 46.205 455.100 2.990 1.550 365.300 288.400 3.345

Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 282.300 362.550 452.050 284.900 3.605 5.146 46.305 2.162 3.457 6.870 2.945 751.900 76.900 75.350

UAE Exchange Centre WLL COUNTRY Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro US Dollar Sterling Pound Japanese Yen

SELL DRAFT 298.65 287.15 302.50 362.29 282.35 452.54 3.63

3.600 5.550 2.320 3.750 3.150 77.350 749.600 48.200 399.000 740.000 77.850 75.750

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

Al Mulla Exchange Currency US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

3.467 5.153 2.167 3.235 2.950 76.94 751.80 46.27 402.25 734.84 77.97 75.50

SELL CASH 297.000 285.000 306.000 370.000 282.350 458.000 3.690

Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

Selling Rate 282.300 284.645 453.370 363.115 300.535 747.385 76.835 77.490 75.245 397.945 46.239 2.163 5.221 2.940 3.454 6.839 692.485 4.505 9.255 4.380 3.360 92.045

Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal

Bahrain Exchange Company

286.600 555.400 46.100 49.200 167.800 48.380 364.300 37.180 5.600 0.032 0.162 0.249 3.660 400.750 0.191 95.310 44.900 4.350 234.400 1.832 50.500 734.580 3.080 7.070 78.220 75.510 232.660 35.130 2.693 454.200 42.900 301.900 4.200 9.570 198.263 77.110 283.200 1.370 GOLD

10 Tola 1,844.320 COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka

SELL CASH 282.200 752.070 3.710

SELL DRAFT 296.700 752.070 3.461

Sterling Pound US Dollar

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 452.200 282.800

285.100

232.700 46.290 362.800 37.030 5.180 0.031

400.720 0.190 95.310 3.250 232.900

734.400 2.961 6.918 77.790 75.510 232.660 35.130 2.165 452.200 300.400 4.200 9.430 77.010 282.800

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

BUSINESS

US fiscal uncertainty keeps lid on markets LONDON: Uncertainty over whether Washington will agree a spending and taxation deal that is crucial to keeping the US economic recovery on track kept a lid on global market gains yesterday. Economists have said the US risks slipping into recession if hundreds of billions of dollars in expiring tax cuts and automatic spending reductions take effect on Jan. 1 - the so called “fiscal cliff.” Congress and the White House must find a compromise to prevent a big hit to the world’s biggest economy.

President Barack Obama, fresh from a re-election victory, and House Speaker John Boehner have spoken of compromise but appear to be taking a firm stances on some issues, including whether to raise taxes for the wealthiest. “Despite comments from the US administration and Congressional leaders of a willingness to compromise, markets remain unconvinced,” said Mitul Kotecha, analyst at Credit Agricole CIB. European stocks lacked momentum in morning trading. Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.2 percent to 5,778.73 while Germany’s DAX edged up by the same

rate to 7,174.53. France’s CAC-40 lost 0.2 percent to 3,417.64. Wall Street was expected to make modest gains on the open - Dow futures were 0.2 percent higher at 12,785 while the S&P 500 was up the same rate at 1,378.60. In Europe, investors will keep their eyes on a meeting of the finance ministers of the 17country eurozone. The officials are expected to discuss Greece’s economy and its bailout program.

Greece is waiting for approval of the next ?31.5 billion ($40 billion) payout of its bailout loan. It faces a bond repayment on Friday it cannot afford.

The finance ministers will only decide on the payout of that money after they receive a report on Greece by international debt inspectors. But Germany’s finance minister has said the report would likely not be delivered in time for Monday’s meeting.

In any event, no decision on giving Greece the new loans will be made Monday because some eurozone parliaments must approve the deal. Greek lawmakers approved the country’s 2013 austerity budget early Monday, essential to unblocking the new pay-

ment. Earlier in Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index fell 0.9 percent to close at 8,676.44. Growth figures showed the economy contracted an annualized 3.5 percent rate for the quarter ending September.

Most economists forecast a further decline in economic activity for the October-December quarter, which would officially put the world’s No. 3 economy in recession, according to the common definition of two consecutive quarters of contraction.

South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.2 percent to 1,900.87 and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.3 percent to 4,448.00. Benchmarks in Singapore, Taiwan and Indonesia fell. The Philippines and New Zealand rose.

Hong Kong and mainland Chinese stock markets rose following comments over the weekend by Chinese Cabinet officials that the country’s economic slowdown has ended, although the economy is not ready to stage a recovery, and that exporters still face tough conditions. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.2 percent to 21,430.30. The Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.5 percent to 2,079.27 and the smaller

Shenzhen Composite Index added 0.5 percent to 832.38. Jackson Wong, vice president at Tanrich Securities in Hong Kong, cautioned against too much optimism regarding China’s economy amid disappointing Chinese loan growth figures.

Lending in October stood at 505.2 billion yuan ($80.3 billion), dropping 81.6 billion yuan from a year earlier, the People’s Bank of China said Monday, according to Xinhua news agency. The figure ecreased from the 623.2 billion yuan of new yuan loans registered in September.

“Expect light trading this week unless major news comes out,” Wong said. Benchmark oil for December delivery was down 16 cents to $85.91 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 98 cents to finish at $86.07 per barrel on the Nymex on Friday.

In currencies, the euro edged down to $1.2708 from $1.2713 late Friday in New York. The dollar weakened against the Japanese yen, to 79.41 yen from 79.45 yen. — AP

Eurozone mulls aid for Greece, Merkel to defend austerity Portuguese trade unions plan to protest

SHANGHAI: A man works in his workshop in China’s financial metropolis of Shanghai yesterday. In his report to the nation at the five-yearly Communist Party congress in Beijing, outgoing President Hu Jintao said GDP would double in a decade and pledged a “transformation of the economic growth model”. — AFP

‘World’s workshop’ aims to reinvent itself BEIJING: China’s Communist leaders are promising to revolutionize the world’s second largest economy and move on from being the world’s workshop, but economists say the monumental task faces major hurdles.

Outgoing President Hu Jintao said GDP would double in a decade and pledged a “transformation of the economic growth model” in his report to the nation at the fiveyearly Communist Party congress under way in Beijing. China’s rulers must maintain growth in the economy to justify their claim to legitimacy-and avoid the spectre of social unrest. But while selling cheap manufactured goods to the West and spending billions on infrastructure has delivered an economic miracle in recent years, the model is seen as unsustainable in the longer term, and growth is already slowing.

“We should speed up the creation of a new growth model and ensure that development is based on improved quality and performance,” Hu said, adding China would seek to become an innovative technology giant as low-cost manufacturing relocates elsewhere.

The country also needs to make domestic consumption a pillar of the economy, a joint report by the government and the World Bank said in February endorsed by Xi Jinping, who is expected to take over as party leader from Hu this week. But the changes could have enormous human costs in terms of job losses, which in turn could fuel unrest-anathema to the ruling party.

And training unqualified workers to compete with Western economies is a gigantic task. A few Chinese manufacturing sectors have been able to compete directly with Western firms, including those in communications and high-speed trains. China is also said to be developing a domestic airliner that could challenge Boeing and Airbus for sales.

But for now the economic boom remains firmly dependent on a cheap workforce, an undervalued currency and artificially low interest rates, Michael Pettis, finance professor at Peking University said.

“To be profitable in China does not require technological innovation. What matters is access to cheap credit and government connections,” Pettis said. Labor-intensive industries, such as textiles and shoes, have already begun to leave for less-developed cheaper nations including Indonesia and Vietnam.

“China will remain a manufacturing powerhouse but much of the lower end will be transferred to lower-wage countries in Asia, but also possibly to Latin America and Africa,” said Jean-Pierre Lehmann, director of the Evian Group, a think tank. China’s new economic goals may mean fewer of the huge investment projects the government priori-

tized in recent years, such as airports, highways and high-speed trains. Fixed-asset investment-from infrastructure to housingaccounted for more than half of gross domestic product last year, though it has been growing at a slower pace. As China places less importance on exports, future growth will also be more dependent on household spending, which made up less than 40 percent of GDP in recent years.

Top economic planning official Zhang Ping said at the weekend that domestic consumption contributed more to GDP growth than investment in the first nine months of the year.

But consumption will have to grow faster to make up for any investment slowdown.

And limited social safety nets in China mean households save around half their incomes in case of crises or to send their children to university-a major brake on consumption spending. Peking University’s Pettis said: “I think we should expect a sharp slowdown in GDP growth over the next decade,” as China tries to realign the economy. With China a key driver of global growth that could have significant negative effects on the rest of the world.

Beijing was saying, “We no longer want to be the Christmas ornament capital of the world, we’re happy for those low skill, low value-added, low wage jobs to go to other countries,” said Andy Rothman, China economist for CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets in Shanghai.

“The biggest impact is going to be felt by people who have been exporting raw materials to China,” he said, citing Australia, Brazil and Indonesia. But there will be winners as well as losers, he added. “This is actually good for more developed economies like Germany or the United States who are shipping more complicated, advanced machineries to Chinese factories.”

Reforms can be “fairly painful” in the early stages and can cause short-term unemployment “even if long-term gains are significant”, said Ben Simpfendorfer, managing director of Hong Kong-based consultancy Silk Road Associates. But he added that imports from the rest of the world should increase. If China can fulfill Hu’s promises, about half of the population-around 700 million people-will join the middle class by 2020 with annual income between $7,000 and $23,000, the Boston Consulting Group said in a report. On a purchasing power parity basis China is expected to overtake the United States as the world’s biggest economy in 2016, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Friday. But even then per capita gross domestic product will still be only a quarter of the US. — AFP

BRUSSELS: Greece’s unrelenting debt drama is to top Eurozone finance ministers’ talks yesterday, due to mull whether Athens has met conditions international creditors demand to release fresh funds to stave off bankruptcy.

No decision is expected from the ministers, who gather from around 1600 GMT, on delivering a much-awaited aid tranche to Greece of 31.5 billion euros ($40 billion), which has been held back since June.

“I expect at best a general agreement recognising what the Greeks did last week,” said an EU diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity.

The talks come after the Greek parliament, despite noisy protests, agreed a tough cost-cutting 2013 budget that further slashes pensions and wages, the latest hurdle cleared by Athens to win foreign aid so it can stay afloat.

Last week lawmakers also adopted a new austerity package that drew 70,000 angry demonstrators into the streets against police. As a Spanish savings bank this weekend halted home-owner evictions after a second customer’s suicide in two weeks, concerns are mounting over the local and global impact of the tough austerity measures being implemented across Europe.

In Portugal, trade unions and opposition parties plan to take to the streets to protest a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the leading proponent of spending cuts as the answer to end the euro debt crisis. “Of course a programme of its kind sparks major debate,” Merkel said of Lisbon austerity moves that sent thousands of soldiers into the streets this weekend. “It is a long and hard process and I know it requires many sacrifices,” she told Portuguese television. The new Greek budget provides for a deepening of the worst recession seen by a European nation in modern history. Debt is likely to rise to 189 percent of GDP next year, almost double the country’s national output, with growth tipped to shrink by 4.5 percent.

“The country is at its limits,” said Evangelos Venizelos, leader of the Socialist Pasok party which is part of the governing coalition. And yesterday, Japan too showed signs of slumping in the face of slowing global demand, with its economy shrinking in the July-September quarter.

OEIRAS: Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, poses with Portugal’s Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho before their meeting at the Sao Juliao da Barra fort in Oeiras, Portugal, yesterday. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was yesterday making another trip to a bailed-out eurozone country where many people blame her government for the harsh austerity measures they are enduring. —AP Before moving to unblock funds for Athens, part of Greece’s second international bailout, the 17nation single currency area awaits a report from the so-called “troika” of creditors-the European Union, European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

It will focus on whether Greece is fulfilling the bailout conditions and dwell on how to cope with the country’s ballooning debt.

“There will be no default, not accidental, not premeditated,” an EU official said of Greece on Friday. Facing a recession which has shrunk the economy by a fifth, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has warned the country cannot take any more austerity and must have growth.

Given what Greece has done to meet demands

from its creditors, there have been discussions on giving Athens a two-year extension to 2016 to meet its targets for reducing its mountain of debt and bring its public deficit under 3.0 percent of GDP. “If the idea appears broadly accepted by the euro zone member states and the troika, the extra time would mean the Eurogroup would have to provide extra financing for Greece” of around 30 billion euros, said economist Alan Lemangnen of Natixis. “This is politically difficult in Germany, the Netherlands and Finland,” he said. Though Samaras had said Athens could run out of money

by November 16 failing the release of the 31 billion euros in aid, the country announced Friday that it would sell short-term bills the same day, seeking to cover maturing debt. — AFP

SAS cuts 800 jobs in final call savings plan COPENHAGEN: Scandinavian airline SAS said yesterday it will lower pensions and salaries and slash 800 jobs in an effort to cut costs by 3 billion kronor ($440 million) annually in what the CEO described as a “final call” for the loss-making carrier.

SAS AB will get 3.5 billion kronor in credit lines from the governments of Sweden, Norway and Denmark, as well as major banks, if it can agree on those savings cuts with labor unions. SAS wants to renegotiate the workers’ employment terms and conditions as well as their pension schemes.

SAS also plans to raise about 3 billion kronor by selling its regional airline Wideroe, ground handling services and other assets “We are demanding a lot but there is no other way. This truly is our final call if there is to be an SAS in the future,” CEO Rickard Gustafson said.

SAS is being hurt by the combination of a drop in demand due to a global economic downturn, high costs and competition from low-cost carriers.

Last week, Norwegian Air Shuttle, one of Europe’s fastest-growing airlines and a big competitor of SAS, announced it will start next May its first longhaul flights to New York and Bangkok from Oslo and Stockholm.

“We haven’t made money in a number of years and we cannot continue to operate if we do not demonstrate that we can earn money and make a profit,” Gustafson said in Stockholm, where the company is headquartered. “Our credit providers have said that we give you this chance to turn the company around.”

STOCKHOLM: This picture taken on May 3, 2012 shows baggage belt truck passing behind the tail of one of SAS’s Boeing 737 aircrafts at Stockholm Arlanda airport. Scandinavian airline SAS revealed a cost-cutting programme yesterday, including wage cuts, job cuts and asset disposals, in a bid to secure financing and convince its owners that the company has a future. — AFP As SAS announced the restructuring details, it also presented its third-quarter results, which showed net profit doubled to 434 million kronor ($64 million) as sales rose 5 percent to 11.1 billion kronor (1.6 billion).

Gustafson said the company’s five-point plan had not yet been presented to employees, who now “would have to digest it and form their own

opinion.” He said he believed the company had “a good dialogue” with the employees.

The restructuring plans, including the sale of Wideroe, will result in the overall number of SAS employees falling from around 15,000 to 9,000.

Bente Sorgenfrey of Denmark’s FTF union that has most of the 2,000 cabin and ground crew employees in Denmark called the plan “violent.” —AP

French firms tap private US lenders as banks run dry PARIS: Listed on the French stock market based in a suburb of Paris, mailroom equipment maker Neopost is an unlikely trailblazer in international debt markets.

But by tapping the US private debt market, it has shown the way for a growing band of small and medium-sized French companies that need dollars to do business in the United States.

France’s own banks are increasingly unwilling or unable to provide such funding and are cutting back lending across the board in austere times. “It’s become more and more difficult to obtain dollars through the traditional banks,” Neopost Chief Financial Officer Jean-Francois Labadie said in an interview.

“As a consequence, many French companies are starting to discover the American private placement, which remains a very compelling source of dollar financing.” Such placements by French companies hit a record $3.1 billion in the first half of the year, up

from $825 million for all of 2011, according to Thomson Reuters data. That is the highest of any European country aside from the UK. Companies with global operations, like Neopost, are looking for places to borrow dollars to fund activities such as leasing. Borrowers ranging from supermarket chain Auchan to industrial gases group Air Liquide also seized the opportunity to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars at low rates from long-term investors: mostly insurers struggling to sqeeze adequate returns from traditional bonds.

“You can spread out the maturities much more significantly than with a classic revolving credit line, which typically has a five-year term,” Labadie said, adding that 7-to-10 year terms were typical.

The private placement rush is in part a reflection of French banks’ own difficulties in securing dollar funding since late last year and is part of a wider trend of

European borrowers cutting their dependence on lending from banks trying to shrink their balance sheets. French demand has been a big chunk of a wider spike in European corporate use of US private placements, which stands at 36 percent of a market valued at $48.2 billion so far this year. “The diversification away from relying too heavily on bank lending has been a driver of issuance in this market,” said Angus Whelchel, managing director in private capital markets at Barclays Capital, adding that some of the deals stem from last autumn, when a crisis of confidence at French banks convinced some borrowers they should look for funding elsewhere.

“After the crisis, issuers were much more conscious of how they reviewed financing plans,” he said. “At that point a lot of issuers realised they can’t be so reliant on their banking group for all debt-related financing needs.” Private placements are also a god-

send for companies that lack the credit ratings generally required to sell bonds, though that formerly stringent requirement has been loosened in some cases as the bond market has heated up in recent months.

French companies borrowing in the first half paid interest rates from 2.65 percent to 5.5 percent. Their thrust into the US private placement market is also a product of the lack of a strong French version of the US 144a market and German Schuldschein equivalent, which allow unregistered securities to be sold to institutional investors. Domestic banks and insurers have made moves to create such a market in recent months - insurer AXA, for example, struck lending joint ventures with banks Societe Generale and Credit Agricole. BNP Paribas also recently announced that it was raising a fund to provide loans to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), but in France such efforts remain embryonic. —Reuters

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Real estate activity sales off slightly in September KUWAIT: Sales during September totaled KD 190 million, a slight yearon-year drop. Residential sales saw a minor decline while investment sales saw a slight uptick. While these small movements in either way do not necessarily reflect any larger weakness for their corresponding segments, softer numbers could possibly indicate some cooling off from the very strong pace of 1Q2012. Meanwhile, commercial sales continued to underperform.

Residential sector sales totaled KD 100.9 million in September, down KD 1.8 million, or 1.7%, y/y. The small slowdown was due to a lower number of transactions, where September of last year saw a spike in sales as it recovered from seasonality (Ramadan) much earlier than this year. Ahmadi governorate saw about half of the transactions for the month, bringing in about 30% of the total value of sales, as is typical in this sector. Overall, residential transactions in September were almost evenly split between purchases of homes and plots of land, whereas plots usually take a bigger share of transactions. ● As for prices in the residential sector, both homes and plots recorded some m/m decreases, while averaging KD 598 and 375 per meter-squared respectively for the last 3 months.

These averages are understandably susceptible to fluctuations based on the sales composition for the month (location of sales, quality of estate being sold, etc).

● The investment sector saw KD 75.2 million in sales during September, a small improvement compared to September of last year. After 3 months

of y/y drops, the investment sector seems to be recovering from some its summer slowdown. At almost KD 99 million, average monthly sales for the first 9 months of the year remain higher compared to the same period in 2011. During September, a little more than half of the transactions were for single apartments, contrary to recent trends, where apartments usually take up only a third of total investment transactions. ● In terms of pricing, the 3-month average (July-September) for single apartments was 599 KD/m2, in line with recent trend but higher than last yearís average of 549 KD/ m2. Of

course, as non-price factors change over the months, this price increase could reflect some underlying trends beside mere hikes in cost.

● The commercial sector recorded KD 13.8 million in sales, a y/y drop of KD 9.6 million. Sales in that sector continue to be volatile but remain on the low side, scoring 4 transactions in September. ● The Savings and Credit Bank (SCB) approved 316 housing loans, totaling about KD 17 million, an 8% y/y increase in value. A little more than half of the loan applications were for new construction, as is typical of the approved loans. Additionally, the SCB disbursed KD 8.7 million in loans, a 1.8% increase y/y, and further indication of consistent demand in the residential sector.

PCA plays crucial role in economic stability THE HAGUE: The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, The Netherlands is the oldest intergovernmental organization dedicated to the resolution of international disputes. Formed following the Hague Conventions for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes of 1899 and 1907, the PCA finds itself at the cross roads of public and private international law after more than a century of dispute resolution. The PCA has significant experience in respect of international arbitrations arising from disputes pertaining to treaties including bilateral and multilateral investment treaties and plays a vital role under United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) rules.

The newly appointed Secretary General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, Hugo Hans Siblesz, who was formerly the Ambassador of The Netherlands to France, spoke recently at his office in the picturesque surroundings of The Peace Palace in The Hague. He outlined the highly specialized services rendered to the international community and his vision for the future, as PCA surges ahead as a distinguished arbitrator of international repute.

Speaking of the specific role of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in dispute resolution, the Secretary General said, “There are quite a few arbitration organizations in London, Paris, Geneva, Stockholm and New York. The PCA is I think an international intergovernmental organization, meaning we are different from arbitral institutions that solely address commercial arbitration. Our objective is to play a role in disputes that involve at least one government or state controlled entity or international organization on one side.

Earlier conflicts between states were quite often resolved in a non peaceful manner and a daring initiative in 1899, co-presided by the Russian Tsar and the Dutch Queen, created the mechanism which is the PCA. The PCA is a mechanism that facilitates arbitrations and supports arbitration tribunals. We support administration of the tribunal, registry, logistical and other substantive issues. The Secretary General has the authority to appoint an arbitrator directly if parties do not arrive at a consensus on an arbitrator. We are a niche player with 65 cases on our docket like boundary disputes, including maritime and terrestrial boundary disputes, use of shared natural resource as in the case of the Indus river dispute between India and Pakistan. The majority of the cases involve a private entity. It is in the context of a bilateral investment protection treaty that today foreign investors can directly start arbitration with the host country of investment in case of a dispute”.

Explaining the activities of the PCA, Siblesz said, “The PCA administers arbitration in instances of disputes involving states, private parties, state entities and intergovernmental organizations. The PCA also provides hearing facilities and ancillary administrative ser vices to various tribunals.

Under the United Nations UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, the PCA Secretary General is empowered to designate appointing authorities as requested for arbitration proceedings.

The Registr y Services of the PCA include provision of administrative services for entities conducting arbitration proceedings under PCA auspices”.

When asked about the number of PCA member states as well as Host Country Agreements (HCA), which the PCA has with some countries and why such agreements are very few when compared to the memberships of the PCA, Siblesz explained, “The PCA has signed Host Country Agreements with three Latin American countries (Argentina, Costa Rica, Chile), two African countries (Mauritius, South Africa), two Asian countries (Singapore, India) and one Middle East country (Lebanon).

We are in touch with many other countries to increase the number of Host Country Agreements.

We have sent a model HCA to the UAE inviting them to conclude a HCA. I was recently at the United Nations and held encouraging discussions with representatives of several countries in this regard. We have a membership of 115 countries while there are 193 countries

at the United Nations. Some countries which became independent during the last couple of decades simply did not realize that it was important to become a member state of the PCA, or were not aware of their need to do so; them not joining the PCA can be attributed to oversight and not to any political decision. Increasing the membership of the PCA is being actively pursued and is an ongoing process. All GCC countries with the exception of Oman have joined the PCA only between 2002 and 2008”.

Highlighting the PCA’s initiatives to increasing membership to the Administrative Council which comprises of 115 member states, he said, “The PCA has taken steps to encourage states to join the PCA. For example, I recently attended the UNGA (Rule of Law Meeting) and met with representatives of a number of non-PCA member countries. We are currently following up with Tunisia, Burundi and South Sudan.

Moreover, through the PCA’s office in the Mauritius, we are trying to establish relationships with Governments in that continent as only 22 of the 54 states of the African Union are PCA members. I have personally travelled and lectured in non member states like Botswana, Burundi, Mozambique and Tanzania (non member states) as well as Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda and United Arab Emirates”. Responding to a question on whether the recently election of the first GCC national Tareq

and other methods of dispute settlement offered by the PCA Highlighting the important role of the PCA in commercial dispute resolution and protection of investor rights, Siblesz said, “Today there are over 3000 investor protector agreements. Resolutions lead to greater economic stability.

I think without this kind of procedural guarantees if things go wrong, the investor is at a loose end. Now an aggrieved party can find a neutral institution to render an award. This makes it possible for investors to have sufficient confidence in investing. It is a major achievement. It is also innovative in the sense that in the past if a foreign investor had a problem he had to rely on his national government to take it up with a foreign government. The national government would make its own decisions based on several factors not necessarily in the sole interest of the aggrieved party. Investors today no longer depend on the goodwill of their own government. That is an important new element in conflict resolution in the economic sphere. The major benefits are economic stability, predictability and guarantees of neutrality. If you depend on the judicial authorities of the country where you have a dispute, the element of neutrality ceases to exist.

Hence the role of the PCA itself is a major achievement of the international community and offers an independent right to seek dispute resolution”.

Speaking of the benefits of

Yousuf Al Shumaimry of the Kuwait Ministry of Justice to the three member Financial Committee of the PCA will bring about closer ties between Kuwait and the PCA, including the possibility of Kuwait concluding a Host Country Agreement with PCA, Hans Hugo Siblesz said, “In view of the expected increase in investment arbitrations in the GCC region, more Host Country Agreements are welcome. We are certainly interested in Kuwait and hope our efforts result in a HCA. Under the provisions of the Host Country Agreement, the PCA and the host country cooperate to ensure that adjudicators, PCA staff, and participants in proceedings (such as counsel, agents, and witnesses) are able to perform their functions under similar conditions to those guaranteed under the PCA’s Headquarters Agreement with the Kingdom of The Netherlands. Importantly, the Host Country Agreement secures the provision by the host country of the facilities and services required for PCA-administered proceedings (such as office and meeting space and secretarial services) and regulates the privileges and immunities that are afforded by the host country to adjudicators and participants in PCA-administered proceedings (such as certain fiscal exemptions and immunity, under certain conditions, from legal process in respect of words spoken or written)”.

The wider benefits of the Host Country Agreement to the host country, neighboring states, and parties in dispute include: Attracting arbitrations to the host country that would otherwise be conducted elsewhere Raising the international profile of the host country as an arbitral forum Increasing the accessibility of PCAadministered dispute resolution Promoting use of existing facilities located in the host country Strengthening cooperation between the PCA and national or regional arbitral institutions and facilitating the exchange of expertise Increasing domestic and regional awareness of arbitration

membership to the PCA he said, “The costs are minimum and the benefits are huge. PCA became very active in the eighties and has resolved several disputes. A very interesting arbitration on Sudan and South Sudan conflict was successfully concluded.

It was a case between a central government and a liberation movement - a first of its kind in the world. In 1935, the PCA successfully resolved the dispute between a private commercial entity and a state involving Radio Corporation of America and China.

A unique aspect of arbitration proceedings of the PCA is that incamera proceedings take place unless otherwise specified by the parties involved. PCA is a very flexible, modest and lean organization with 25 lawyers, the Secretary General and an assistant. We provide training for judges and officials of ministries of commerce, mining, justice and foreign affairs.

We rely on our member states for less than 50% of our budget. The institution has adapted to changing global demands and I am very proud to be the Secretary General at this juncture”.

Outlining his vision for the PCA Hans Hugo Siblesz said, “Resort to arbitration has surged over the last two decades. Judging from the PCAs caseload totaling 65 pending cases to date with 19 new cases in 2012 alone, the PCA will continue to benefit from this trend. The PCA is today a niche player. We will increase the membership through outreach and also increase the number of HCA. The PCA is positioned as an effective neutral arbitrator in dispute resolution.

As the European Union (EU) prepares common investment policy on Foreign Direct Investment and negotiates European investment agreements with third countries involving investor-state dispute settlement clauses, the EU may become a respondent in investor-state disputes. The PCA will meet with relevant European Commission and Member State Officials to discuss PCA’s role in dispute resolution options in future investment treaties.”

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India’s ambitious plan to cut red tape gets tangled in red tape NEW DELHI: India’s boldest attempt in two decades to sweep away the remnants of the “License Raj” permit system that has crippled infrastructure development has fallen victim to the very scourge it was designed to defeat. A proposal for a government panel chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to fast-track major infrastructure projects and boost a flagging economy seems to have stalled amid bickering between the finance and environment ministries over its powers, and an apparent reluctance to proceed without consensus.

The dispute underscores the fears of investors and business leaders that New Delhi’s new-found reformist zeal could be undone by a lack of governance and political will to drive further economic liberalisation.

The brainchild of India’s new finance minister, P. Chidambaram, the proposed National Investment Board (NIB) was expected to win swift passage through the cabinet last month. But it has yet to make it on to the weekly agenda.

Investors and economists say the NIB should be a top priority for the government given the regulatory delays holding up projects worth nearly 2 trillion rupees ($36.8 billion) in the road, power, coal and mining sectors alone. “NIB, NIB, NIB,” Rajiv Lall, managing director of infrastructure financing firm IDFC Ltd told Reuters on the sidelines of a World Economic Forum meeting last week, when asked what reforms the government needed to carry out next. The NIB aims to provide a singlewindow clearance for large projects that today are bounced from one ministry to another for various approvals, a process that can some times take years.

However, the Environment Ministry opposes the NIB, fearing that it will not only undermine its authority but also weaken the system of checks and balances within the government. “This current proposal is completely unacceptable as it will decimate the role of individual ministries in taking responsible decisions,” Environment Minister Jayanthi Natrajan said in a letter to the prime

minister that was leaked to media.

The ministry has blocked several high-profile industrial and infrastructure development projects. Natrajan’s influence comes from her perceived closeness to Sonia Gandhi, the powerful chief of the ruling Congress party, who favours populist policies.

The tussle reflects India’s struggle to balance the need to foster economic growth with a desire to protect the environment. Poor infrastructure is often cited by economists as one of the biggest obstacles to more robust economic growth. A typical infrastructure project requires clearances from 19 federal ministries and on an average 56 permissions on issues ranging from the environment to defence. The whole process takes up to 24 months. Now, the NIB faces a similar set of bureaucratic hurdles. “Any decision to take place which has implications for a very large number of ministries, you need to have inter-ministerial discussions and create a consensus,” said Arvind Mayaram, economic affairs

secretary at the Finance Ministry.

He said a decision could be taken within three weeks. Government officials said the prime minister’s office had asked the Finance Ministry to revise the proposal after failing to broker a compromise between the two ministries. “We are hopeful that it will eventually get resolved. They (the Environment Ministry) seem to have misunderstood the structure,” said a Finance Ministry official, declining to be named. “They should understand that the interests of the country are far more important than the concerns for their turf.”

The Environment Ministry declined to comment. The turf war between two ministries reinforces a frequent criticism of Singh - that he has poor control over his ministers. Such squabbles in the past forced him to defer important decisions related to the economy and national security. “I hope the same fate does not fall to my proposal for a National investment Board,” Chidambaram lamented recently. — Reuters

Karzai seeks foreign investment on India trip India to support Afghanistan in development efforts

TOKYO: Pedestrians pass before Sale signs at a shop in Tokyo yesterday. Japan’s economy contracted between July and September, reversing two previous quarters of growth and underscoring fears that its post-disaster recovery has stalled. — AFP

Japan economy shrinks as China dispute takes toll TOKYO: Japan’s economy contracted in the latest quarter, signaling that like Europe it may already be in recession, further weighing down world growth. On an annualized basis, the world’s No. 3 economy shrank 3.5 percent in the July-September quarter, the government reported yesterday. It was in line with gloomy forecasts after Japan’s territorial dispute with China hammered exports that were already weakened by feeble global demand.

The bad news will temper optimism over recoveries in China and the US, where some economists are predicting growth will top 3 percent in the third quarter. China’s painful slowdown likely bottomed out in the third quarter, with recent indicators such as factory production and auto and retail sales showing improvement. And Europe, though it may have turned a corner on its debt crisis as the financial system stabilizes, is forecast to get worse before it gets better.

Japan’s outlook remains bleak, with most economists forecasting a further decline in economic activity for the October-December quarter, which would officially put it in a recession according to the common definition of two consecutive quarters of contraction. Consumer spending fell 0.5 percent in the third quarter, as subsidies for auto purchases expired, and corporate capital spending fell 3.2 percent.

Spending on reconstruction from the country’s March 2011 tsunami and nuclear disasters has also weakened.

The drop for the current OctoberDecember quarter may not be as severe as that experienced in July-September. “If the economy does recover in any way it will be a minute rebound,” said David Rea, an economist in London with Capital Economics. He said the contraction in gross domestic product in the last quarter of 2012 could be a couple of percentage points. More than two decades after Japan’s asset bubble burst in the early 1990s, its policymakers have yet to devise an effective strategy to help the economy break out of its deflationary funk. Meanwhile, the Japanese yen remains stubbornly high, discouraging its companies from investing at home and undermining its export competitiveness, especially against rivals Germany and South Korea. Strangled by weak consumer spending and public investment, the economy grew at an anemic 0.3 percent annual pace in April-June, according to figures that were revised down from the originally reported 1.4 percent. The robust 5.2 percent pace of growth in the first quarter had raised hopes the recovery had taken hold, and until recently, the government was still forecasting growth at about 2 percent for the year.

It had predicted a turnaround late in the year, but the renewed tensions with China over disputed islands in the East China Sea, coupled with sluggish growth in Europe and other key export markets, have doused hopes for a significant rebound before 2013. A recent slew of dismal data releases offers little encouragement. Squeezed by surging costs for imported fuel and sinking exports, Japan’s current account surplus plunged to 2.72 trillion yen ($34 billion) in April-September, its lowest level since monthly data began in 1985, as the trade deficit surged. Although Japan will likely continue to run current account surpluses for some time to come, its decline is a stark reminder of the country’s reliance on exports to support its energy-intensive standard of living through massive imports of food, fuel and other resources.

Adding to the squeeze on pocketbooks

from hikes in electricity rates, winter bonuses for employees are falling by an average of 4 percent this year. Machinery orders for September fell twice as fast as expected.

Meanwhile, the job market softened, likely hurting prospects for stronger consumer spending to help offset weak exports.

Slower-than-anticipated government spending on reconstruction has further undermined demand.

Japan’s local governments are running short of funds as lawmakers dicker over legislation needed to authorize bonds to pay for deficit financing. Though the government and opposition parties look likely to reach a compromise on financing that would avert Japan’s own version of a “fiscal cliff,” the standoff has done little to inspire confidence in the potential for a strong rebound, says Klaus Baader, a regional economist with Societe Generale Cross Asset Research in Hong Kong.

Signs of a recovery in China’s growth rate offer the tantalizing hope of stronger demand for Japan’s exports - if only territorial tensions are kept in check.

Tokyo’s first policy priority should be to defuse the antagonisms with Beijing that sparked sometimes violent protests in China during September, and are fueling a backlash against Japan and Japanese products, especially cars, Baader said.

“I don’t think this can be done overnight and I don’t think Chinese consumers are going to suddenly rediscover their love of Japanese products,” he said. But eventually, “whether it’s three or six months, people will forget. And Japanese products are of course highly desirable.”

The Japanese yen has remained excruciatingly strong, for its exporters at least, due to the country’s status as a safe haven for investment. Rather than a gradual depreciation that might erode investor confidence, Baader says that what is needed is a sudden intervention that would take the yen to between 85 yen-95 yen per dollar, or perhaps even higher, from its current 79 yen to 80 yen per dollar.

In the longer run, wider reaching, more painful reforms will be required to regain sustainable growth, said Rea of Capital Economics. Despite their generally meager, often declining profitability, Japan’s megabanks, trading houses and other big corporations are sitting on huge cash piles.

Instead of investing at home and hiring Japanese workers, they are using those resources to snap up assets around the world, such as Softbank’s recent acquisition of Nextel. The central bank’s policy of keeping interest rates near zero for many years has done little to change that. “‘They’ve done as much as they can. Monetary conditions are about as easy as they can get. No one wants to borrow. No one wants to invest, because there is no positive outlook for growth,” Rea said. More crucially for world finances, Japan must finally grapple with its national debt, now at an unsustainable level of some 235 percent of the country’s GDP. Dealing with that problem requires spending cuts and even bigger tax hikes than a planned increase in the national sales tax to 10 percent which is due to take effect in 2014. “We don’t see imminent funding stress for Japan, but the longer the debt continues to rise, the greater the risk of some kind of shock,” said Andrew Colquhoun, head of Asia-Pacific Sovereigns at Fitch Ratings in Hong Kong. “Ultimately, stronger economic growth and fiscal consolidation are Japan’s best hope of reducing its public debt ratios.” —AP

NEW DELHI: President Hamid Karzai said yesterday that Afghanistan was confident in its future and ripe for foreign investment as he touted for Indian business despite continuing unrest in his war-torn country.

After holding talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi, Karzai said international companies should seize the chance to invest in his country ten years after the fall of the Taleban regime.

“Investment opportunities in Afghanistan today are better in a country that is more confident in its future and is willing to receive investment from its friends, particularly India,” he told reporters.

“My visit this time to India is focused particularly in talking to and requesting Indian businesses to come to Afghanistan.” India has given $2 billion in aid to Afghanistan since the Taleban were ousted. It is keen to invest more to tackle chronic instability and prevent the return of hardline Islamist rulers after international troops pull out in 2014.

But any Indian activity in Afghanistan triggers sensitivities in neighbouring arch-rival Pakistan, which fears losing influence in Afghanistan and being encircled. In a reference to Pakistan-based militants who fuel the Afghan insurgency, Singh said sustained international cooperation “including in combating terrorism emanating from the neighbourhood” would help Afghanistan.

“India remains committed to supporting Afghanistan in its development efforts,” Singh said. “We have expanded our programmes for capacity-building, institution-building and human resource development in Afghanistan.”

The two leaders signed memorandums of understanding on aid for small development projects, youth affairs and coal mining. In October last year India and Afghanistan began a “strategic partnership” aimed at deepening security and economic links, with Karzai keen

NEW DELHI: Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai, left, and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh attend a ceremony of the signing of agreements between the two countries in New Delhi, India, yesterday. — AP to elevate India’s involvement further. At a weekend meeting with business leaders in Mumbai, he promised a “red carpet” welcome for Indian investment as US-led coalition forces prepare to withdraw. “Indian businesses need not be shy while thinking about Afghanistan,” he said. “Chinese businesses were there long before you came, five or six years ago.”

India has not contributed to the international forces deployed in Afghanistan, but has worked on low-key troop and police training as well as infrastructure development. Last year a consortium of Indian companies won the right to develop Afghanistan’s largest iron ore deposits, underscoring growing ties between the two countries.

The United States was previously wary of

India’s presence in case it led to a “proxy war” with Pakistan on Afghan territory, though US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta recently encouraged India to play a more active role.

Afghanistan is believed to have mineral reserves worth at least $3 trillion which could generate billions of dollars in tax revenue. The Indian Express newspaper on Monday called for Premier Singh to provide more logistical support and training to Afghan security forces to protect India’s own position.

“Short of sending combat troops into Afghanistan, India must offer all the military assistance it can to beef up Kabul’s capacity to defend itself,” it said. “Further hesitation on Delhi’s part can only undermine India’s ability to secure its long-term interests... and its reputation as a credible regional power.” — AFP

Indian industrial output contracts surprise 0.4%

TOKYO: Japan’s troubled optical giant Olympus President Hiroyuki Sasa (L) announces the company’s first half financial results ending September at the Tokyo Stock Exchange yesterday. Olympus said yesterday it had swung to a $100 million first-half profit, reversing a year-earlier loss, as the camera and medical equipment maker moves on from an embarrassing accounting scandal. — AFP

Olympus swings to $100m first-half profit TOKYO: Olympus said yesterday it had swung back into the black in the first half of its fiscal year, a boost for the camera and medical equipment maker as it looks to move on from an embarrassing accounting scandal.

The company said its $100 million halfyear profit was partly due to the sale of subsidiaries unrelated to its core business, while the key medical systems unit posted an operating profit.

But it added that it lost money in its camera business because of the strong yen, which makes Japanese exports less competitive, and the growing popularity of camera-equipped smartphones. Olympus cut its full-year target for digital camera sales to 7.3 million units from 8.2 million.

“Brisk performance in our medical business was the profit driver, offsetting the negative impact of exchange rates,” Olympus President Hiroyuki Sasa told a news briefing. Sasa said “smartphones equipped with cameras have spread globally so that has shrunk the compact camera market”, but he added that there was room for growth in the firm’s higher-end camera business.

Olympus was little affected in the six

months to the end of September by a territorial spat between Tokyo and Beijing over an East China Sea island chain, which has sparked a consumer boycott of Japanese goods including the country’s auto and electronics giants.

“But for the second half we are not certain what will happen,” Sasa said. “In fact there have been instances when we had to withdraw our products from shops (in China),” he told reporters. For the six months to September, Olympus said it booked a net profit of 8.02 billion yen ($100 million), reversing a loss of 32.33 billion yen in the same period last year.

The company upped its full-year profit forecast to 8.0 billion yen from a previous estimate of 7.0 billion yen. However, for the fiscal year to March, Olympus cut its operating profit and full-year revenue outlook to 38 billion yen and 757 billion yen, respectively, down from an earlier forecast of 50 billion yen and 920 billion yen.

The firm’s reputation, and Japan’s corporate governance image, was badly damaged after its British former chief executive blew the whistle last year on an accounting scam that saw $1.7 billion worth of losses moved off its balance sheet. —AFP

NEW DELHI: India’s industrial output shrank by a surprise 0.4 percent in September and the country’s trade deficit hit a record high, data showed yesterday, underscoring the government’s challenge in spurring growth. The September industrial production figures for Asia’s third-largest economy were sharply below market expectations of a 2.8-percent year-on-year rise and a blow to the government which hopes a recent reform drive will boost the economy.

“The figures are testament to the external and structural headwinds India’s economy is still facing,” HSBC India chief economist Leif Eskesen said. India’s production at factories, mines and utilities was in sharp contrast to industrial output in neighbouring China that grew by 9.6 percent in October amid signs of tentative recovery in Asia after recent weakness.

The Indian industrial data coincided with the trade deficit climbing to a record $20.96 billion, sending the country’s currency down to its weakest level in two months of 55.11 rupees to the dollar. Shares also turned negative. October’s exports fell by 1.63 percent from a year earlier to $23.24 billion, hit by weak European and US markets, while imports rose by 7.4 percent as India’s huge reliance on imported oil to feed its economy pushed up purchases.On the industrial scorecard, manufacturing output slipped by 1.5 percent while capital goods-such as factory plant equipment-plunged by 12.2 percent, highlighting weak investment and business confidence.

The figures come as India has been struggling to avoid a downgrade by ratings agencies of its sovereign debt to junk status. “Overall economic momentum is muted,” said Jyoti Narasimhan, economist at IHS Global Insight. The once-booming South Asian economy has been hit by continuing high interest rates in the face of stubbornly strong inflation, sluggish exports at a time of global economic weakness and slow investment. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is keen to revive the economy with general elections due in 2014, announced a string of reforms in September, opening up retail and other sectors to wider foreign investment to drive the economy.

He declared at the weekend that the economic “gloom and doom” hanging over the country had been dispelled after more recently released figures indicated the economy was stabilising. Car sales, for instance, jumped 23 percent in October while a private index suggested manufacturing held steady last month.

Singh said he planned to press ahead with reforms even though the recent reform blitz has already cost the government its parliamentary majority with the exit of a key ally, and analysts doubt his administration’s ability to deliver. —AFP

26

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

business Yusuf A Alghanim & Sons launches unbeatable offer on Chevrolet vehicles KUWAIT: In one of its strongest promotional campaigns, Yusuf A. Alghanim & Sons, the exclusive distributor of Chevrolet in Kuwait, announced the launch of its incomparable promotion during the month of November. The promotion is a great

opportunity for anyone to buy a brand new Chevrolet vehicle on installment and without interest for 30 months or to enjoy cash back up to KD 1,000.

Customers have the freedom to choose whatev-

er car suits their liking before enjoying the instant benefits that come with their purchase from a brand new 2012 Chevrolet vehicle. After selecting the vehicle of their choice, customers can choose to benefit from either of two value-offerings, to get the first 30 months of instalments interest free or to opt for cash back of up to KD 1,000. In both cases, customers will enjoy huge savings upon purchasing their brand new Chevrolet vehicle of their choice.

Chevrolet’s line-up caters for all needs and tastes. The Chevrolet Tahoe comes equipped with a monstrous 5.3L V8 engine with a 6-speed automatic transmission that pumps out 320 hp. The Tahoe is a car for all needs and comes equipped with safety features such as 8 airbags, ABS and Stabilitrak, rear sensors and a remote engine starter.

For those looking for a chic and modern vehicle, the all-new Chevrolet Malibu redefines the midsize vehicle segment with expressive styling, a refined and luxurious interior, outstanding ride and handling and a 5-star safety rating. The Chevrolet Malibu features a lineup of fuel-efficient and pow-

erful four and six cylinder engine and is equipped with ambient lighting, 7” Color Touchscreen, USB & Bluetooth, remote engine starter, smart key and push start, sunroof, chrome trim, 18” alloy wheels and offers the quietest, smoothest ride in its segment.

Speed-loving adrenaline seekers should not look further than the stunning Chevrolet Camaro.

The Camaro is available in two engine variants, a powerful 6.2L V8 automatic transmission that pumps out 426 hp and an impressive 3.6L direct injection V6 engine that sports a 6-speed automatic transmission that pumps out an amazing 312hp.

Yusuf A. Alghanim & Sons Automotive offers high-quality after-sales services through the world’s biggest and most advanced automotive service center and automotive professionals that ensure every customer leaves the showroom and service center completely satisfied. Drop by any of Yusuf A. Alghanim & Sons showrooms today and see what Chevrolet car suits you to benefit from this unbeatable opportunity.

First female driver to race in Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge ME Denmark’s Christina Nielsen set for Bahrain opener BAHRAIN: The Middle East’s most exciting and professional race series, the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East, creates its own chapter in the history of the series by having the first female racing driver ever.

Christina Nielsen, who has made a big impression in Europe, will take her debut position on the grid alongside seasoned professionals and promising regional drivers in the opening rounds of the fourth season at the Bahrain International Circuit on 16th and 17th November 2012.

The 20 year-old, born in Rungsted, Denmark, is no stranger to racing having competed in the German Porsche Carrera Cup and this year ’s VLN Endurance R acing Championship on the Nurburgring. But she will be in new territory once the flag drops to signal the start of the first race, as the first female driver to participate in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East.

Speaking ahead of testing in Bahrain, Nielsen said: “I am thrilled at the thought of racing in the Middle East. The circuits look fantastic and I’ve only heard good things on the quality of racing and the organisation of the series. By getting seating time and be able to compete I’m following my dream. I’m a competitive person, and I wish to grow as a racing driver from this experience.

“With only a few days to testing and the opening rounds in Bahrain I can’t wait to get started. It will be a steep learning curve but one that will help enormously with my development as a driver. I am ready for the

Christina Nielsen challenge.”

“I maybe the only woman to drive in the championship, but for me when I put my helmet on I’m just another one of the drivers. I set my own targets to achieve and focus on my own goals,” Nielsen added.

The Danish racing talent grew up in motor racing. Her father Lars Eric Nielsen raced Porsche’s at Le Mans and has since passed his love of speed and competitive racing to his daughter. She decided on a career as a racing driver at the tender age of 13, when she experienced the “adrena-

line kick of speeding” in go-karting.

Christina began her race career in 2006 with four years of karting, driving for the renowned Zanardi factory team, Chiese Corsa, with whom she qualified and competed in the World Championship. From there it was Formula Ford in 2010 and the Formula ADAC Masters series in 2011.

Walter Lechner, Manager of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East said: “The championship is a breeding ground for new talent independent of gender. We are happy to have made our own piece of race

history by having the first female to compete in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East. Hopefully Christina’s participation will inspire and encourage more females to take up motor racing either as a hobby or a career.”

Lechner continues: “Christina is a brilliant driver with a proven pedigree and has clearly inherited her father’s love for racing.

She recently competed in the Porsche Carrera Cup in Germany where she performed admirably so she will be ready for the challenge. I believe she will prove to be a worthy competitor.”

Nielson, explained she does not feel intimidated by the male-dominated sport and focuses solely on her own performances, hoping her entry into the series will be a platform for more female drivers joining the racing scene.

“More and more women are interested in motorsport, especially in Europe and America, and hopefully it will happen in the Middle East, too. All they need is encouragement and the chance to compete,” she added.

The exclusive one-make series, now entering its fourth season, features leading drivers and promising home-grown talent from the region. Twelve action-packed rounds across six weekends between November 2012 and March 2013, will define an individual champion and a winning team. The Bahrain International Circuit is confirmed as a host for the opening and closing rounds of the prestigious championship.

ABK announces fifth winner ‘Update your Info’ campaign KUWAIT: Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait announced the fifth draw winners of its “Update your Info Campaign”. The lucky winners were Mr. Mohammed Elias Lateef from Head Office Branch who won Samsung Galaxy S lll and Mohammed Laal Khan from Head Office Branch who won iPad 3.

Stewart Lockie, General Manager of the Retail Banking Division said, “ I would like to congratulate our fifth draw winners and would suggest for everyone to update their info at any ABK branch. There are 6 draws left until 23rd December for a weekly chance to win an iPad 3 or Samsung Galaxy S lll and a monthly draw to win cash prizes.

For more information regarding updating your information or to learn about any of ABK’s services, please visit www.eahli.com to talk directly with one of our Account Managers through Al Ahli Chat Service.

Al Mulla International Exchange opens new branch in Farwaniya KUWAIT: Al Mulla Exchange International Exchange Co., KSCC (AMIEC), the premier and an ISO certified money Remittance Company in Kuwait, opened their 42nd branch in the country, and the fourth branch in Farwaniya, on Wednesday, 7 November.

The opening of another remittance outlet in Farwaniya is evidence of the company’s commitment to its customers, and a reflection of increasing demand for AMIEC’s safe and secure remittances services.

The new branch has been designed to highest standard and adapted to meet specific needs of cus-

tomers that seek a comfortable and convenient environment to complete their remittances quickly and safely. The interior of the branch focuses on both operational and aesthetic aspects, delivering more personalized service while ensuring efficient operation of the branch.

As with other branches of AMIEC, the new branch in Farwaniya offers free insurance and loyalty points on every transaction, as well as SMS confirmation on delivery of remittances. Besides making money transfer a quick, safe and relaxed experience for customers. Kuwait’s premier exchange also offers the facility to send money from the comfort of one’s home or office through their online service at www.amxremit.com. In addition AMIEC has taken the remittance services to the very door step of the customers that are placed in distant development sites by having launched the AMX on wheels - a mobile van equipped to undertake all remittance in an efficient and smooth fashion.

Located along Street 104, in Block 6 at Building Number 4, the new branch allows easy access and faster interaction with customers, and is part of AMIEC’s commitment to continuously add more value to the services offered to its customers.

Since its inception in 2001, AMIEC has revolutionized the exchange industry in Kuwait by continuously offering innovative, customer-centric remittance solutions. Today, AMIEC is the leading exchange for customers that look for trust, reliability and speed for their money remittance operations.

Al Muzani plans to open 5 more branches KUWAIT: Kuwait’s leaders in money exchange and remittances have been into business and serving customers for well over 60 years with a wide array of products and services.

Their network of branches span all over Kuwait in major commercial areas, co-ops, Mall like The Avenues / 360 and most importantly 24 Hours branches at the Airport. Already have 52 branches, Al Muzaini plans to open another 5 branches in the coming months.

The Main Branch located at the head office in Mubarikiya has been fully renovated earlier this year.

The interior are plush, it portrays a pleasant ambience and experience for customers.

The main branch earlier closed on Fridays will now be open for customer transactions every Friday effective this month from 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm. considering the popularity of Al Muzaini in Kuwait, the opening of the main branch on Fridays is a welcome move indeed.

Burgan Bank opens registration of 11th Al Mass awards ceremony KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announced yesterday that it has begun the registration process of its Al Mass Awards applications to various organizations across Kuwait that continues to support special needs causes. These entities include government and private organizations, as well as special needs schools. Al Mass Awards are given to individuals who have taken into consideration the requirements set out by Burgan Bank.

Potential candidates, which will be nominated by their respective organizations, need to demonstrate successful projects or activities that clearly present a tangible return on the society.

As part of the Burgan Bank’s Al Mass Awards program, individuals as well as organizations will be commended and awarded for their work towards the development of special needs across the country.

Over the years, the Al Mass Awards has witnessed significant developments. The awards ceremony, which began as a simple idea, is now one of Kuwait’s truly dedicated events that recognize special needs’ accomplishments. Burgan Bank strives towards integrating people with special needs across its workplace through providing suitable job opportunities that reflect their unique skills.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

TECHNOLOGY

Business needs more investment to fight against cyber-threats DUBAI: Cyber-threats are currently regarded as the second most dangerous risk by the majority of businesses. But companies need to invest more money to protect their business from IT threats.

These findings emerged from a recent survey conducted by B2B International for Kaspersky Lab. Research shows that cyber-security threats are becoming more diverse and frequent, and pose greater dangers than ever for businesses worldwide. According to half of those surveyed, cybercrime in its various forms is the second biggest threat to business. Their companies most often face malware, spam and unauthorized attempts to penetrate the system. What’s more important, in

future, business surveyed anticipate concern about these threats growing yet further in significance - over the next two years surpassing even the fear of economic problems, Alexander Erofeev, Chief Marketing Officer of Kaspersky Lab, said: “A typical modern business is based on an infrastructure of thousands of devices; including not just desktops but also employees’ own gadgets, corporate smartphones and laptops. Corporate culture is rapidly changing, with employees becoming increasingly active in social networking and using web resources as a means of exchanging corporate information. This offers enhanced flexibility, but also makes net-

works more vulnerable to cybercrime. We are concentrating on developing effective and easily managed security solutions that meet the requirements of this new age.”

According to the survey results, IT professionals are well aware of the dangers of cybercrime. But only 52% of respondents in the GCC region in 2012 feel that they are more or less prepared for them. According to the survey, the main problem is money-related: 39% of respondents indicated budget constraints and 51% cited a significant degree of misunderstanding of IT security issues among those in charge of the purse strings which is a significantly higher figure in comparison with

the rest of the world. Thus, it turns out that that the main problem for IT professionals is their inability to make their management understand just how important corporate protection against cyber-threats is.

The Global IT Security Risks survey, which was carried out in July 2012, explored the opinions of IT security professionals all over the world about what they considered the major issues in their sphere. As part of the survey, 3,300 senior IT professionals from 22 countries across the globe shared their views. All the respondents are actively involved in their companies’ decision-making processes, including IT security-related topics.

Toyota Motor tests cars that communicate with each other Smart-car technology

TOKYO: A vehicle stops automatically during a demonstration of Toyota Motor Corp.’s Intelligent Clearance Sonar that helps drivers avoid the rear-end collision at its HigashiFuji Technical Center in Susono, southwest of Tokyo, yesterday. — AP

Singles Day: China’s online shopping holiday BEIJING: Lei Shujie, a designer in Shanghai, piled up a wish list for the quirky holiday dubbed “Singles Day” that has grown into China’s - and possibly the world’s - busiest online shopping day. Clothes, a pillow, a cabinet to give a friend - Lei put off buying until Sunday, when retailers promised discounts of up to 70 percent. “The prices are irresistible,” she said.

Singles Day was begun by Chinese college students in the 1990s as a version of Valentine’s Day for people without romantic partners. The timing was based on the date: Nov. 11, or “11.11” - four singles. Unattached young people would treat each other to dinner or give gifts to woo that special someone and end their single status.

That gift-giving helped to turn it into a major shopping event as sellers of everything from jewelry to TVs to cars saw a marketing opportunity and launched Singles Day sales. It is China’s answer to Cyber Monday in the United States - the day after Thanksgiving weekend, when online Christmas shopping begins and merchants have their busiest sales day.

Companies that rushed to cash in on the holiday ranged from Alibaba Group, operator of China’s biggest e-commerce platforms, to rival platforms such as 360buy Ltd., mom-and-pop companies that sell online and delivery services.

“This is very, very big for us,” Steve Wang, vice president of Tmall.com and head of website operations, said in a phone interview before sales started. The 50,000-plus merchants on Alibaba’s consumer-oriented Taobao and Tmall.com platforms, took in a total of 19.1 billion yuan ($3 billion) from midnight Saturday to midnight Sunday, the company announced early yesterday. That would top the total of $1.25 billion that research firm comScore said US online retailers took in last year on Cyber Monday and might make Singles Day the biggest e-commerce sales day on record.

The spending binge will be welcome news for communist leaders who want to shift the basis of growth in the world’s second-largest economy from trade and investment to consumer spending and service industries. Weak global demand for Chinese exports has added to the urgency of ramping up domestic consumption.

China has the world’s biggest population of Internet users, with 538 million people online. Its population of online shoppers also is the biggest at 193 million, versus 170 million for the United States, according to Boston Consulting Group. It trails the US and Japan in online spending but, despite average incomes less than one-tenth the American level, is forecast to rise to first place as early as 2015.

The Communist Party’s latest five-year development plan calls for more than quadrupling annual e-commerce volume from

2010 levels to 18 trillion yuan ($2.9 trillion) by 2015. The party tries to block access to online material deemed subversive or pornographic but promotes Web use for business and education. “The Internet today in China is similar to television in the 1960s and ‘70s in the West - the place where consumers congregate and companies need to locate,” Boston Consulting Group said in an April report.

Alibaba, founded by a former English teacher, Jack Ma, grew into one of the world’s biggest e-commerce players by linking Chinese suppliers with Western manufacturers and retailers. It branched into consumer sales with the 2003 launch of Taobao, which operates Tmall.com. Alibaba also operates China’s biggest online payment system, Alipay.

Tmall.com accounted for 45.1 percent of business-to-consumer online sales in China in the three months ending in September, according to Analysys International, a research firm in Beijing. 360buy was in second place with 17.4 percent. Boston Consulting Group said more products were sold through Taobao in 2010 - about 48,000 per minute - than at China’s top five bricksand-mortar retailers combined.

“Alibaba has so many assets that they can integrate that it’s hard to compete with them,” said Mark Natkin, managing director of Marbridge Consulting, a technology consulting firm in Beijing. Other rivals include clothing retailer Vancl.com, bookseller Dangdang.com, Amazon.com Inc.’s joint venture with a Chinese partner, and traditional retailers such as consumer electronics chain Suning Ltd. that have expanded online. Walmart Stores Inc., which operates 340 outlets in China, boosted its online presence last month by expanding its stake in online retailer Yihaodian to a controlling 51 percent.

In addition to its e-commerce platform used by other merchants, 360buy also is China’s biggest online retailer, selling consumer electronics and other goods directly to customers. The source of Singles Day’s rise as China’s online shopping day is a matter of debate by Chinese commentators and industry analysts.

Some cite demographics and timing: University graduates who adopted the holiday earn more and shop online. Singles Day comes as people receive monthly paychecks and need to buy winter clothes. Unlike other events such as the Lunar New Year, China’s biggest family holiday, it involves few other expenses such as travel or banquets, leaving more money for gifts.

And there is the romantic angle that might prompt shoppers to open their wallets. “This is about giving a gift that will woo that perfect someone,” Natkin said. “If you play your cards right, you only need to make that purchase once.”—AP

WATERLOO: The Research in Motion headquarters in Waterloo, Ontario, is seen in this July 10, 2012 photo on the day of the company’s annual General Meeting. The launch for the new BlackBerry 10 platform will be held January 30, as smartphone maker Research in Motion tries to regain traction against surging rivals. — AFP

SUSONO: Toyota Motor Corp. is testing car safety systems that allow vehicles to communicate with each other and with the roads they are on in a just completed facility in Japan the size of three baseball stadiums.

The cars at the Intelligent Transport System site receive information from sensors and transmitters installed on the streets to minimize the risk of accidents in situations such as missing a red traffic light, cars advancing from blind spots and pedestrians crossing the street. The system also tests cars that transmit such information to each other.

In a test drive for reporters yesterday, the presence of a pedestrian triggered a beeping sound in the car and a picture of a person popped up on a screen in front of the driver. A picture of an arrow popped up to indicate an approaching car at an intersection. An electronic female voice said, “It’s a red light,” if the driver was about to ignore a red light.

The 3.5 hectare test site looks much like the artificial roads at driving schools, except bigger, and is in a corner of the Japanese automaker’s technology center near Mount Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan.

Toyota officials said the smart-car technology it is developing will be tested on some Japanese roads starting in 2014. Similar tests are planned for the US, although details were not decided.

Such technology is expected to be effective because half of car accidents happen at intersections, according to Toyota.

Managing Officer Moritaka Yoshida said Toyota sees preventing collisions, watching out for pedestrians and helping the driving of the elderly as key to ensuring safety in the cars of the future.

“We offer the world’s top-level technology,” he told reporters. All automakers are working on pre-crash safety technology to add value to their cars, especially for developed markets such as the US, Europe and Japan. But the strongest sales growth is coming from emerging markets which are eventually expected to show more interest in safety technology.

Toyota’s Japanese rival Nissan Motor Co.

TOKYO: A human sign and an arrow pop up on a dashboard display to notify the driver of a pedestrian’s presence and an approaching car at the coming intersection during a demonstration of Toyota Motor Corp.’s Intelligent Transport System at its Higashi-Fuji Technical Center in Susono, southwest of Tokyo, yesterday. — AP

recently showed cars that were smart enough to stop on their own, park themselves and swerve away from pedestrians who suddenly jumped into the vehicle’s path. Toyota also showed a new feature that helps the driver brake harder to prevent bumping into the vehicle in front.

Toyota officials said drivers often fail to push hard on their brakes in such situations because they get into a panic.

Toyota said the technology will be available “soon,” without giving a date, and hinted it will be offered for Lexus luxury models. Luxury models already offer similar safety features such as automatic braking. Technology involving precise sensors remains expensive, sometimes costing as much as a cheaper Toyota car.

Toyota has also developed sonar sensors that

help drivers avoid crashing in parking lots. One system even knows when the driver pushes on the gas pedal by mistake instead of the brakes, and will stop automatically.

Rear-end collisions make up 34 percent of car accidents in Japan, comprising the biggest category, followed by head-on collisions at 27 percent. Cars that stop and go on their own, avoiding accidents, are not pure science fiction, experts say.

Alberto Broggi, professor at the University of Parma and an expert on intelligent transportation systems, said the idea of the accident-free cars is “very hot,” and probably within reach on some roads within several years. “I’m sure we will arrive to such a technology even if I don’t know when exactly,” he said. — Reuters

India’s IT industry to grow 11% in fiscal year

NEW DELHI: In this handout photograph released by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Indian President, Pranab Mukherjee (4R) holds the new Aakash Version 2.0 tablet, at the National Education Day 2012 function to commemorate the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad in New Delhi yesterday. — AFP

India unveils new version of ‘world’s cheapest tablet’ NEW DELHI: India has launched a new version of what is dubbed the world’s cheapest computer-on sale to students at the subsidised price of $20 — with a quicker processor and an improved battery.

The Aakash tablet has been developed as a publicprivate partnership aimed at making computing technology available to students in a country where only one in ten uses the Internet. Makers of the tablet, Britain-based Datawind, say the Aakash 2 is powered by a processor that runs three times faster than the original. It also has a bigger touch screen and a battery with a life of three hours.Company CEO Suneet Singh Tuli said glitches in the first version have been removed in the latest model, which runs on Google’s Android operating system.

“This time we have done our homework and all the problems which were found in Aakash-1 have been dealt with,” Tuli told AFP. “We are much more confident about Aakash 2 because the hardware is different and the applications are also new... a change in the (design) team has made all the difference,” the Datawind chief executive said. The first version of the Aakash was launched by the government in October last year but it was marred by problems including a short battery life, initial long waiting lists and difficulties with distribution.

At the upgraded computer’s launch on Sunday, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee stressed the impor-

tance of digital tools for students. “Technology-enabled learning is a very important aspect of education,” Mukherjee said. “This must be adapted to our specific needs and introduced expeditiously in all educational institutions across the country.” The paperback-booksized Aakash 2, developed by Indian engineers at elite public universities operated by the Indian Institute of Technology, has a screen measuring seven inches (18 centimetres). “Unlike the previous version which was a non-starter, this time around there are some functions and features around the Android tablet which make it a decent computing device for that price,” stated pluggd.in, an Indian website that analyses gadgets.

The first 100,000 devices will be sold to students at engineering colleges and universities at a subsidised price of 1,130 rupees (20 dollars). Subsequently Aakash 2 will be distributed to bookstores in Indian universities.

Datawind says the commercial sale price without subsidies for Aakash 2 is 3,500 rupees (64 dollars).

More than 15,000 teachers at 250 colleges have been trained in the use of Aakash for education, according to the human resource development ministry. The country has nearly 115 million Internet users, the world’s third-largest number after China and the United States, data from the Internet and Mobile Association of India shows. But this only represents about 10 percent of the population. — AFP

MUMBAI: Sales by India’s flagship outsourcing industry are likely to grow by 11 percent this fiscal year to at least $75 billion in the face of a challenging business environment, an industry lobby group said yesterday.

The forecast is at the lower end of an 11-to-14 percent projection given by the National Association of Software and Services Companies, or Nasscom, earlier in the year.

Nasscom president Som Mittal told reporters in the financial hub Mumbai that the industry has been able to grow despite the “challenging environment”.

Companies such as TCS, Infosys and Wipro lead India’s IT outsourcing industry that performs a wide range of tasks for Western firms-from answering calls from bank customers and processing insurance claims to software development.

Most Indian IT outsourcing firms say the outlook remains challenging as clients in key US and European markets contend with sluggish growth and slow decision-making, along with political opposition to outsourcing jobs in the face of high domestic unemployment.

India, with its large English-speaking workforce, accounts for at least 50 percent of the global outsourcing market and the industry is a vital exporter for the country.

Nasscom chairman N. Chandrasekaran said business prospects were brightening in the United States despite anti-outsourcing rhetoric during the recent US election campaign.

“The US economy is recovering and will (have to) depend on technology,” he said. “So there is going to be (outsourcing business) growth.” —

28

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

health& science

Possible Earth-like planet could hold water LOS ANGELES: By taking a fresh look at old data, an international team of astronomers has discovered a possible super-Earth planet relatively nearby that could potentially hold liquid water, scientists announced this week.

The research, released recently by the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, used a novel technique to analyze previous measurements of a nearby star.

The paper drew some praise even as other experts in the field expressed caution about the results.

The finding adds three planet candidates around the dwarf star HD 40307 about 42 light-years away. Combined with three others that were discovered in 2008, they bring the total to six. Five are clustered close to the star, nearer

than Mercury’s orbit around the sun.

But one of the three new finds lies far enough away to be in what’s known as the habitable zone, where a planet could support liquid water and perhaps life. That candidate planet, dubbed HD 40307 g, has seven times the mass of Earth, the scientists reported. “It’s likely that it’s sufficient in mass that it does have an atmosphere,” said coauthor Hugh Jones, an astronomer at the University of Hertfordshire in England. “But we don’t know.”

It’s difficult to draw extensive conclusions about such super-Earths because no such mid-range planet exists in our own solar system. But Jones did say that HD 40307 g is far enough way from its star to be able to

rotate freely and possibly have a proper night and day, making it even more likely to have an Earth-like climate. The closer-in planets are gravitationally locked into the star’s motion, just as the moon is locked into Earth’s, which is why we only see one side of it.

Although the planet appears somewhat closer to its star than Earth is to the sun, the dwarf star is also smaller and dimmer than the one at the center of our solar system.

Jones and his collaborators found the new planet by looking through old measurements collected by the 3.6meter telescope at La Silla Observatory in Chile. They used a technique called the radial velocity method, which takes advantage of the Doppler effect. A

planet’s gravity tugs on its star, causing the star to wobble a bit. When the star moves slightly toward us, it squeezes the light, making it bluer; when the star moves away, the wavelengths of light stretch out, making it redder. The scientists measure that distortion in the light and figure out whether a planet is causing it. The wider the wobble, the more massive the planet.

Scientists need to separate that signal from a lot of “noise” caused by the star’s own activity as dark spots grow and shrink on its surface, affecting the light it emits. At such great distances, making that distinction is exceedingly difficult. But the members of Jones’ team had noticed a key fact: Stellar activity seems to register more in the

blue half of the starlight, making it a bit of a mess to read. The red half of a star’s fingerprint, however, is relatively undisturbed. As a result, when the team looked only at the red side of the light, the planetary signals suddenly emerged. “The interesting thing is that if they threw out some of their data, they got more precise measurements,” said Eric Ford, an astronomer at the University of Florida, Gainesville, who was not involved in the discovery. The finding has yet to be confirmed by other analysis or observations. Not everyone is convinced this particular planet exists. Francesco Pepe of the Geneva Observatory said his team already had seen the signals described in the new paper. — MCT

Climate change ‘doomed ancient Maya civilization’ Newstudy bolsters claims

KOREA: World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Margaret Chan (2nd L) and South Korean Prime Minister Kim Hwang-Sik (3rd L) attend a meeting of the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Seoul yesterday. —AFP

Global deal agreed to fight tobacco smuggling SEOUL: Global health officials agreed a deal yesterday to fight smuggling of tobacco products, a trade which robs governments of more than $40 billion in revenue each year and undercuts efforts to reduce smoking. The measures include making it mandatory for member governments to license manufacturers and for tobacco packaging to be marked so the products can be tracked.

The agreement came at a meeting of the 176 member states to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in the South Korean capital Seoul and follows more than five years of negotiations. “The protocol gives the world an orderly, rulesbased instrument for countering and eventually eliminating a very sophisticated international criminal activity,” WHO Director General Margaret Chan told the conference.

“Illicit trade is bad for health because it circumvents measures like taxes and price increases that are known to reduce demand.” Roughly one in 10 cigarettes, or 600 billion, are smuggled each year by

organized gangs, experts say. A study by the independent non-profit International Tax and Investment Center based in Washington said approximately 11 percent of the world cigarette market is illicit, resulting in annual loss in government revenue of more than $40 billion.

“There is evidence that the proceeds of the illicit trade in tobacco products funds both international criminal organizations A network of civil society groups, the Framework Convention Alliance, called to pact a major step in curbing the illegal trade in tobacco products.

“The illicit trade in tobacco feeds the worldwide tobacco epidemic by flooding markets with cheap products and keeping tobacco taxes low,” it said. However, some countries where major tobacco companies are based, notably the United States, will not be subject to the antismuggling agreement because they have not ratified the original pact. Industry giants Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco have previously said they would back a pact with effective measures against illicit trade. —Reuters

British medical journal slams Roche on Tamiflu LONDON: A leading British medical journal is asking the drug maker Roche to release all its data on Tamiflu, claiming there is no evidence the drug can actually stop the flu. The drug has been stockpiled by dozens of governments worldwide in case of a global flu outbreak and was widely used during the 2009 swine flu pandemic. Yesterday, one of the researchers linked to the BMJ called for European governments to sue Roche.

“I suggest we boycott Roche’s products until they publish missing Tamiflu data,” wrote Peter Gotzsche, leader of the Nordic Cochrane Centre in Copenhagen.

He said governments should take legal action against Roche to get the money back that was “needlessly” spent on stockpiling Tamiflu. Last year, Tamiflu was included in a list of “essential medicines” by the World Health Organization, which often prompts governments or donor agencies to buy the drug.

WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said the agency recommended the drug be used to treat unusual influenza viruses like bird flu. “We do have substantive evidence it can stop or hinder progression to severe disease like pneumonia,” he said. In 2009, the BMJ and researchers at

the Nordic Cochrane Centre asked Roche to make all its Tamiflu data available. At the time, Cochrane Centre scientists were commissioned by Britain to evaluate flu drugs. They found no proof that Tamiflu

SWITZERLAND: File photo shows the logo of Swiss pharmaceutics company Roche in Basel. —AP reduced the number of complications in people with influenza. “Despite a public promise to release (internal company reports) for each (Tamiflu) trial...Roche has stonewalled,” BMJ editor Fiona Godlee wrote in an editorial last month.

In a statement, Roche said it had complied with all legal requirements on publishing data and provided Gotzsche and his colleagues with 3,200 pages of information to answer their questions. —AP

SOUTHERN GERMANY: File photo shows packages of the medicine Tamiflu by Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche in Stuttgart. —AP

LOS ANGELES: Argument has raged for decades over what doomed the ancient Maya civilization and spurred its people to abandon their awe-inspiring temples and pyramids in the rainforests of Mexico and Central America.

Warfare, disease, social unrest and over-farming have all been cited as potential factors in the decline of a culture that was scientifically and culturally advanced for 750 years.

A new study bolsters the theory that largescale climate change was responsible for the society’s demise - and also argues that changes in global weather patterns were also responsible for their rapid rise. Using data from a 13,500-year-old stalagmite taken from the floor of a recently discovered cave in Belize, scientists said they were able to assemble a precise record of rainfall for the region going back 2,000 years.

The ancient cave spire was created by rainwater as it leaked from the ceiling of Yok Balum cave and deposited dissolved minerals in a growing mass on its floor, drip by drip. By examining the ratio of atomic isotopes along the length of the stalagmite, researchers said they were able to determine when portions of it formed, and how much rainwater fell during each six-month period.

What they discovered was a period of

abundant rainfall during the early days of the civilization, followed eventually by drought.

The results were published in Friday’s edition of the journal Science. “Unusually high amounts of rainfall favored an increase in food production and an explosion in the population” beginning around 440 AD, said study leader Douglas J. Kennett, an anthropologist at Penn State University. “This led to the proliferation of cities like Tikal, Copan and Caracol across the Maya lowlands.”

By 700 AD, that wet weather gave way to “general drying trend that lasted four centuries and was punctuated by a series of major droughts,” he said. “That triggered a decline in agricultural productivity and contributed to societal fragmentation and political collapse. ...

Maya kings lost their power and influence” Researchers said the severe drought the Maya experienced was akin to the one that devastated Mexico in the 16th century and brought crop failure, famine and death. Kennett said those same circumstances likely visited the Maya during their classic period, which lasted from 250 AD to 1000 AD. While the study adds valuable detail to the ancient climate record, other Maya researchers said it was unlikely to end debate on the issue.

Boston University archaeologist William

Saturno said he remained unconvinced that climate change was the primary driver of the civilization’s collapse. The worst period of drought detailed in the report was in Belize and came 100 to 300 years after the time Maya in that region stopped inscribing major monuments and essentially “went dark” as a culture, Saturno said. He called it a mistake to believe that drought in one region area affected all areas of Maya civilization, which also covered portions of what is now Southern Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Saturno said he believed the growing popularity of the climate change theory was based on worries about modern-day global warming.

“Oftentimes we’re looking at ancient societies as an analogue to our own,” he said. “We want to drive home the point - if we destroy the environment we’ll reach a point where we can’t recover.” The authors of the study wrote that the prolonged drying trend triggered balkanization and fueled brutal warfare. While Saturno said he doubted it led to war, but it could well have undermined the Maya leadership. “If you have a guy who controls the rain, you might agree to build pyramids in his honor,” he said. “But if the rains don’t come, you might start to say, ‘Wait a minute - this guy doesn’t really control the rain.’— MCT

Acetaminophen in infancy again tied to asthma NEW YORK: Babies given acetaminophen for fevers and aches may have a heightened risk of asthma symptoms in their preschool years, according to a Danish study. The findings, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, focused on 411 Danish children and add to a mixed bag of research about whether there’s a link between acetaminophen - better known by the brand name Tylenol - and children’s asthma risk.

Researchers found that the more acetaminophen children were given as infants, the more likely they were to develop asthma-like symptoms in early childhood. That statistical link alone does not prove that acetaminophen causes airway trouble, according to senior researcher Hans Bisgaard, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Copenhagen.

“We think it is too early to conclude a causal relationship,” he told Reuters Health in an email - though he added that the findings should encourage further research into a “plausible biological mechanism” by which acetaminophen could promote asthma. The study included 336 children who were followed from birth to age seven, All had mothers with asthma, which put them at increased risk for the lung disease themselves.

Overall, 19 percent of the children had asthma-like symptoms by the age of three, meaning recurrent bouts of wheezing, breathlessness or coughing.

Bisgaard’s team found the risk generally went up the more often a child was given acetaminophen in the first year of life. For each doubling in the number of days a baby received the drug, there was a 28 percent increase in the risk of asthma symptoms.

The link disappeared, though, by the time the children were seven years old. At that point 14 percent of the children had asthma, and the risk was no greater for those given acetaminophen as babies. Weeding out the specific effects of acetaminophen on asthma risk is tricky. The biggest reason is that children with asthma tend to get more severe respiratory infections.

Compared to other children, their colds may more often turn into bronchitis or pneumonia, so it would make sense that they’d be given the fever-reducing acetaminophen more often than other children would.

Bisgaard said that his team did have information on other factors, including the children’s rates of pneumonia and bronchitis, body weight and parents’ smoking and they did not seem to account for the acetaminophen-asthma connection.

One recent study found that children given other common pain medications, including ibuprofen and naproxen, also had an increased asthma risk. The researchers said that suggested children with asthma symptoms were simply more likely to need the medications. Bisgaard said that few babies in his study were given other painkillers, so it wasn’t possible to see whether those medications were linked to asthma symptoms.

The study also included only children at higherthan-normal risk of asthma. Bisgaard advised parents to only use acetaminophen when needed, like when a child has a fever. “We would like to stress that the use of this drug indeed is beneficial in the appropriate circumstances,” he said. —Reuters

LOS ANGELES: The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured this view of the dwarf galaxy UGC 5497, which looks a bit like salt sprinkled on black velvet in this image. The object is a compact blue dwarf galaxy that is infused with newly formed clusters of stars. —MCT

So many planets, so few telescopes LOS ANGELES: Over the last few weeks, astronomers announced not one but two extraordinary discoveries in the ongoing search for planets orbiting stars beyond the sun. The first was a world about the size of Neptune, 5,000 light-years away, whirling around in a solar system with four stars. It’s something like Luke Skywalker’s home world of Tatooine in the “Star Wars” movies, except that fictional planet sported only two suns.

The second was an Earth-size planet right next door in the Alpha Centauri system - three stars that orbit one another not thousands or hundreds but a mere four light-years from our solar system. That makes it not just the nearest “new” planet ever found but the nearest that could be found. (It isn’t for nothing that so many scifi authors - although not George Lucas have set their tales in the Alpha Centauri system.) With a surface temperature of 2,000 degrees or so, this planet’s surface is probably molten, but its presence implies, tantalizingly, that there could be more.

All of this is exciting and wonderful, but it’s a far cry from the discoveries astronomers thought they would be making by now. Back in the mid-1990s, when the first “exoplanets” (extrasolar planets) were found in distant star systems, NASA talked boldly about the new generation of powerful telescopes it was planning to build, in large part to hunt for alien worlds, especially those in balmy, life-friendly orbits. By the early 2000s, something called the Space Interferometry Mission, or SIM, was going to measure the nearly imper-

ceptible side-to-side wobbles caused by the gravity of Earth-size planets, tugging their stars first one way, then the other as they orbited. By 2007, the original version of the James Webb Space Telescope, designed to be bigger and more powerful than the Webb scope now under construction, was supposed to be taking direct images of giant planets, along with other astronomical duties. And by 2020 or so, the Terrestrial Planet Finder, or TPF, would be imaging true Earth “twins,” scanning their atmospheres for gases that might betray biological activity. As of today, however, SIM has been canceled; the smaller, less powerful Webb will launch by 2018 perhaps; and the TPF has been put on the back burner, maybe permanently. These disappointments have partly to do with NASA’s ever-shrinking science budget, but SIM and TPF were also torpedoed by internal squabbling among scientists who disagreed about the best designs and about whether SIM was vital or unnecessary.

Yet even without the scopes they hoped for, astronomers are finding planets by the carload, using the Kepler space telescope, launched in 2009, and even small, ground-based instruments. Rather than wait for NASA to come through with expensive new toys, innovators like Harvard University’s David Charbonneau; William J. Borucki of the NASA Ames Research Center in the Bay Area; and Michel Mayor at the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland kept pushing existing the science to its limits, and then pushing again. — MCT

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

H E A LT H Dar Al-Shifa Clinic welcomes Dr Ashraf Azzaz to its pediatrics department

KUWAIT: Dar Al-Shifa Clinic recently welcomed Dr Ashraf Azzaz as a joining doctor in its paediatrics department. The new move is in line with Dar Al-Shifa Clinic’s strategy and commitment in attracting the best medical talent, which is also in line with its primary objectives of providing optimum healthcare services to its patients that are of the highest international standards across all practices.

Dr Azzaz is a recipient of Master’s Degree in pediatrics and neonatology from Cairo University. His career includes working a wide range of medical institutions with a particular focus on children’s general health, in which he supervised various pediatric and neonatology departments in Egypt as well as Kuwait. He also took part in extensive research assignments, as well as conferences on a regional and an international level.

Dr Azzaz said: “Dar Al-Shifa Clinic, which

is a part of Dar Al-Shifa Hospital, is amongst Kuwait’s top medical institutions, known for introducing the latest medical technologies. I am optimistic about my new career move to the clinic’s team, especially its Pediatrics department. I hope to add my extensive experience in the field of child healthcare to patients’ benefits.”

Dar Al-Shifa Clinic provides patients with comprehensive medical solutions. The clinic includes an extensive array of departments such as Dar Al-Shifa Dental Care Unit, Dermatology, Diet & Nutrition, Ophthalmology, Pediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, a fully equipped laboratory as well as a solely dedicated pharmacy to accommodate patients’ prescription requirements.

Dar Al-Shifa Clinic’s Pediatric department is located at Dar Al-Shifa Clinic Center in Midan Hawally. For more information, patients are required to call 25666999.

The Ugly truth behind diabetes

By Faten Gharzeddine

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he ugly truth. Kuwait is one of the top ten countries with high obesity prevalence; with an estimate of 36% of men and 48% of women who are obese, while 74 % of men and 77 % of women are overweight. General statistics indicate that obesity rates are higher among women across the region, but they appear to be rising quickly among men. Kuwait is also ranked third on a global level with high diabetes prevalence and ranked number one within the MENA region.

This phenomenon is a result of the radical change in lifestyle among Kuwaiti’s and populations across GCC countries over the last thirty years. This rapid economic development that spurred across the region has made our lives sedentary, resulting in a significant increase in obesity levels. This in turn has triggered an increase in Diabetes. As a result, 22 among every 100,000 children suffer from Diabetes - this figure will continue to increase with time. Not only that, researchers implicate that by the year 2030, one in 10 adults will suffer from Diabetes.

Generally, maintaining a healthy lifestyle may feel like hard work for many people, making them lose interest in following a healthy diet and exercising regularly. This is a result of countless factors such as working hours at various jobs, weather conditions not permitting them from exercising outdoors and having help available at households (cooks, domestic help, drivers, etc).

Another contributing factor is unhealthy eating habits. What you eat and how much you eat of it is the cause of almost 80% of Diabetes cases in Kuwait.

Approximately 21% to 25% of Kuwaiti’s are

already suffering from Type II Diabetes. In addition, patients who are admitted with type II Diabetes in Kuwait are younger compared to Type II patients around the world. These skyrocketing rates can be easily prevented. Easy and simple: modify your lifestyle now.

Lifestyle modification This is where we step in as clinical dietitians; to educate the patients. Diabetes is now a lifelong companion and it’s important to know how to modify your lifestyle and eating habits. While medication is available, people should have a strong awareness of the importance of following a balanced and tailored diet that provides all the nutritional requirements while keeping you healthy and strong.

The role of a proper Diabetic diet is to prevent sudden increases and decreases in blood glucose level, achieve and/or maintain healthy body weight. It should also help maintain normal blood lipid values (total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides) and help prevent serious health problems secondary to diabetes such as cardiovascular, renal, vision, and psychological problems.

The insulin pump One of the latest treatment methods for diabetes is the insulin pump. It allows a continuous flow of rapid-acting insulin to be released into the body. Using a pump offers a number of advantages like greater food variety choices just watch out for overeating, which may eventually lead back to obesity.

In Kuwait, almost 90% of children with diabetes do not have access to use the pump because of its high cost. To lend a helping hand, the Ministry of Health has planned to distribute

Faten Gharzeddine free pumps to Type I diabetic children. In the spirit of this generous initiative, The Diet Center partake part in the Kuwait Charity Run (KCR) to raise funds for the PUMP4Kids Association.

It’s not just the pump that will help us cope with Diabetes; it’s following a healthy and tailored eating program to keep glucose levels in moderation. Start now and live a life style and keep diabetes away!

Faten Gharzeddine is the Head of Dietitians at The Diet Center.

Next-day discharge after C-section may be okay New YORK : Some women who deliver their babies by cesarean section may be able to check out of the hospital the next day without raising their risk of problems, according to a Malaysian study. The study, which appeared in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, looked at 360 women in Malaysia, who were randomly assigned to go home either one or two days after having a C-section. Both groups were equally satisfied with their care, and the women who were discharged sooner seemed to have no more problems with breastfeeding or mental well-being.

“Day 1 discharge compared with day 2 discharge after

a planned cesarean delivery resulted in equivalent outcomes,” wrote lead author Peng Chiong Tan, at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. Those results don’t mean that hospitals should start discharging women the day after a C-section, but they do suggest that a next-day discharge is something women can talk about with their doctors, researchers said.

In the United States, where C-sections are done in about one-third of births, women typically stay in the hospital for three to four days after the procedure. That compares with about two days for women who deliver vaginal-

ly. In the past, there were concerns about insurers pushing mothers to leave the hospital before they’re ready. That led to a 1996 law requiring insurers to pay for a 48-hour hospital stay after a vaginal delivery and a 96-hour stay after a Csection. Still, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says a shorter stay after a C-section is an option if the baby is ready to go home, though the mother should meet certain requirements first such as normal blood pressure, no signs of infection and adequate pain control. At Tan’s hospital in Malaysia, women who have a C-section are routinely told to expect just a two-day

stay, and some providers there have discharged new mothers the day after.

Tan’s team randomly assigned the 360 women having a planned C-section to go home either one or two days after delivering. In the end, 16 percent of the women in the dayafter group were not discharged that early, because either they or their babies were having problems. But when they did go home the day after, there didn’t seem to be a greater risk of difficulties. When the women were interviewed two weeks later, 87 percent were happy with their discharge timing. —Reuters

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

W H AT ’ S O N

SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS

W

hat’s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others!

This summer, let other people see the way you see Kuwait - through your lens. Friday Times will feature snapshots of Kuwait through Instagram feeds. If you want to share your Instagram photos, email us at instagram@kuwaittimes.net

Bayan Bilingual School hosts PEARL model UN conference

Memorial service

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here will be a memorial service on Saturday, 24th Nov 2012, for Oluwafunmilola Foluke Ashebu (1956-2012) who died recently after a brief illness. The memorial service will be held at the Lighthouse Church, NECK compound in Kuwait City by 10.30 am. May her gentle soul rest in peace, amen.

Mind trainer Dr Adhia to hold workshop in Kuwait

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opular mind trainer, motivational speaker and writer Dr Jitendra Adhia will be conducting an exclusive seminar and workshop on the power of subconscious mind in Kuwait for the first time. The event by Dr Adhia’s mind training seminar will be held on 16 and 17 Nov 2012 at Live Theatre, Discovery Mall, Soor Street, Kuwait City. Dr Adhia is a medical doctor, MD in Preventive & Social Medicine from Mumbai University with the experience as a medical doctor for 30 years.

The seminar and workshop focus various topics such as how to use the power of subconscious mind and achieve your goal, how and when can you program your mind for success? How to attract wealth and become rich? How to make all your dreams come true? How to solve all your problems in life? Healing by mind power and remaining healthy for 100 years? Answer all these and much more by listening to the power of subconscious mind and change the way you think.

The seminar will be held on Friday Nov 16, 2012 and the full day workshop on Saturday Nov 17, 2012. Dr Adhia has several books on topics related to the ‘mind’; one of his books: ‘Spring of Inspiration’ is an all-time bestseller. He has also produced many: audio CDs, DVDs, audio books, charts, and posters on the same topics.

KTAA invites all to the KTAA

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he Kuwait Textile Arts Association under the auspices of the Sadu House Invites everyone to the KTAA fall bazaar of handcrafted items, on Saturday November 17, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The exhibition features quilts, bags, table linens, designer jewelry, shawls, greeting cards, crochet, hand embroidery, and lots more.

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l-Bayan Bilingual School was honored to host the twelfth annual PEARL Model United Nations Conference (Pearl MUN) at the school campus from Nov 8-10. Seema and Saima Faruqui, BBS MUN Directors, expressed that MUN is a simulation of the United Nations, wherein students are assigned different countries to represent and are given the opportunity to meet in various commissions to debate resolutions which may improve our troubled world. Three hundred students from different schools and universities took part in this three day event, which was generously sponsored by The Sultan Center and Rawdatain Water.

The theme of the conference this year was “I Was Here” and focused on the need for students to make a difference and leave their mark on this world, both physically (as in person) as well as monetarily. The youth of today are faced with

the challenges of living in an ever changing society and having to find a way to cope with situations that no generation has experienced before. The aftermath of the Arab Spring, the worldwide recession, the widening gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’, pandemics, the plight of refugees, and climate change were just some of the issues that were debated in the different commissions. The students that attended came from BBS, ASK, KES, ACA, AAG, ABS, AUK, and GUST, as well as a few individuals from various other schools.

One of the highlights of the conference was the US political debate between the Democrats and the Republicans, with students representing the two political parties. This debate was a culmination of a series of coordinated events between BBS and the US Embassy, targeted towards familiarizing the youth of Kuwait with the politics of

the US, which greatly impacts the foreign policy of many nations.

Actual Ambassadors and representatives from various embassies including China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Bhutan, Cambodia, Netherlands, US etc as well as economists Dr Abdul Kareem Sadeq, Dr Nada Al-Mutawa and Dr Ali

Mahmood, joined the students for breakfast on Saturday morning and answered their queries on the world political and economic situation.

Pakistani blood donors hold second blood donation drive

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akistani Blood Donors in Kuwait, a social welfare group in collaboration with Kuwait Central Blood Bank, held their second blood donation drive in Kuwait on Friday, Nov 9 at the Central Blood Blank in Jabriya. Held with the support from the Embassy of Islamic Republic of Pakistan to Kuwait, the event was organized with the purpose of expressing solidarity and gratitude to the country while strengthening brotherly relations and credentials as a socially responsible community in Kuwait.

Expressing his views and commenting on behalf of the welfare group, HE Iftekhar Aziz, also a blood donor at the event said, “Blood donation saves lives and promotes community cohesiveness. The Pakistani community in Kuwait believes that the blood donation is a noble gift and the event held today is a mere token of appreciation towards the Kuwaiti society and an opportunity to extend their sincere support while playing a productive role for the social and economic development between the two countries”. The ambassa-

dor was received and greeted by Ali AlMhmeed, Head of Public Relations at the Kuwait Central Blood Bank.

Stressing further on the Pakistani com-

munity is desirous of expanding and strengthening bilateral relations with Kuwait in all domains”.

The event witnessed a large attendance

munity’s role in Kuwait, Aziz said, “Pakistan and Kuwait enjoy bilateral relations based on common faith and culture and the Pakistani community in Kuwait holds leadership of Kuwait in high esteem. The com-

of over 350 attendees and over 185 blood donors, mostly of Pakistani heritage who have been living and working in Kuwait with their families for over a well number of years and have always considered this

country as their second home. Moreover, immense support was shown from prominent Pakistani communities such as Hala Pakistan, Pakistanis in Kuwait, Kuwait Pakistan Friendship Association, Pakistan Employment Forum in Kuwait, Friends Welfare Trust and Society of Pakistani Doctors in Kuwait. The participation also represented a strong and humanitarian message that exemplified a sincere contribution to provide support to needy individuals of the community, especially those in need of rare types of blood.

The community had exceeded the expected turnout and has responded with enthusiasm to the donation drive and expressed their willingness to take part in donating blood. The Pakistani Blood Donors in Kuwait group aspires to inspire other people among the community to donate blood and thus increasing the awareness in the Kuwait society on lives that can be saved with blood donation.

Arabic courses

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WARE will begin Winter 1 Arabic language courses with new textbooks and curricula will begin on December 2, 2012 until January 24, 2013. AWARE Arabic language courses are designed with the expat in mind. The environment is relaxed & courses are designed for those wanting to learn Arabic for travel, cultural understanding, and conducting business or simply to become more involved in the community. For more information or registration, please log-on to our website.

Youth Chorus song competition

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outh Chorus is organizing the Seventh Christian Group Song Competition on Friday, November 16, 2012 at 6:00 pm at the United Indian School Auditorium, Abbasiya. The team has to present one Christian song (Malayalam or Tamil) within seven minutes. The minimum number of members in the team should be 7 and the maximum 20, including the orchestra personnel. The first, second and third prize winners will be awarded with trophies and certificates.

In addition, the first and second prize winning teams will be given the prestigious rolling trophies - Youth Chorus ever rolling trophy for the first and Omana Jose Memorial ever rolling for the second, and Youth Chorus ever rolling trophy for the Third. All the other participating teams will be awarded with Youth Chorus memento.

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

The Badr Al-Saied Rajab Al-Refa’ie School launched its ‘Greening Week’ activities held to mark World Food Day. The first day events saw scenic section staff planting plants with students and their parents, as well as prepare healthy meals.

Indian Lawyers Society receives Justice Joseph

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ndian Lawyers Society Kuwait, known as INLAWS Kuwait, a professional society of Indian lawyers and legal consultants in Kuwait received Honorable Supreme Court of India Justice Syriac Joseph Rtd on Nov 10, 2012 at Hotel Ramada Riggae. Justice Syriac Joseph served as Justice at the Supreme Court of India, Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court and Uttaranchal High Court and Judge of Kerala High Court, Delhi High Court and various other courts. Adv Razak M Payyoli, the president, received and introduced the INLAWS lawyers to Hon Justice and explained the legal system in Kuwait. Adv Anas Puthiyottil Gen Secretary welcomed and Advisory Board Members Adv Deshmukh Bombay, Adv Jacob Varghese and Founder Member Adv Jaya Krishna Alva explained the activities of Indian Lawyers Society.

Shibu Pallickal and Nebu Pallickal, Shashi Shetty were also involved in discussions.

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Embassy Information EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Australian Embassy Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department.

All processing of visas and immigration matters in conducted by The Australian Consulate-General in Dubai. Email: info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VFS) immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office); Tel: +971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (Visa Office); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office). In Kuwait applications can be lodged at the Australian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor, Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem Street, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait. Working hours and days: 09:30 - 17:30; Sunday - Thursday. Or visit their website www.vfs-au-gcc-com for more information. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas on-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm.

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EMBASSY OF CANADA The Canadian Embassy in Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visa and immigration matters including enquiries is conducted by the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, UAE Individuals who are interested in working, studying, visiting or immigrating to Canada should contact the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, website: www.UAE.gc.ca or www.goingtocanada.gc.ca, E-mail: abdbi-im-enquiry@international.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakei St, Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is open from 7:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday. The reception is closed for lunch from 12:30 to 13:00. Consular services for Canadian citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00, Sunday through Wednesday.

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The Avenues Mall’s management organized a celebration to mark the inauguration of the mall’s new extensions, featuring cultural displays for the Kuwait TV band as well as shows presented by the Backstage Group. The activities started in the First Avenue and Second Avenue zones and ended at the restaurant zones in the Grand Avenues zone.

EMBASSY OF CYPRUS In its capacity as EU Local Presidency in the State of Kuwait, the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus, on behalf of the Member States of the EU and associated States participating in the Schengen cooperation, would like to announce that as from 2nd October 2012 all Schengen States’ Consulates in Kuwait will use the Visa Information System (VIS). The VIS is a central database for the exchange of data on short-stay (up to three months) visas between Schengen States. The main objectives of the VIS are to facilitate visa application procedures and checks at external border as well as to enhance security. The VIS will contain all the Schengen visa applications lodged by an applicant over five years and the decisions taken by any Schengen State’s consulate. This will allow applicants to establish more easily the lawful use of previous visas and their bona fide status. For the purpose of the VIS, applicants will be required to provide their biometric data (fingerprints and digital photos) when applying for a Schengen visa. It is a simple and discreet procedure that only takes a few minutes. Biometric data, along with the data provided in the Schengen visa application form, will be recorded in the VIS central database. Therefore, as from 2nd October 2012, first-time applicants will have to appear in person when lodging the application, in order to provide their fingerprints. For subsequent applications within 5 years the fingerprints can be copied from the previous application file in the VIS. The Cypriot Presidency would like to assure the people of Kuwait and all its permanent citizens that the Member States and associated States participating in the Schengen cooperation, have taken all necessary technical measures to facilitate the rapid examination and the efficient processing of visa applications and to ensure a quick and discreet procedure for the implementation of the new VIS. ■■■■■■■

Al-Baghli receives ISO 9001 and ISO 14001

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l-Baghli Sponge Manufacturing Company received the ISO 9001 certificate for quality and the ISO 14001 for environment during a ceremony attended by representative of the SGS company. The event took place recently under the patronage of Minister of Commerce and Industry Anas Al-Saleh. “Al-

Baghli is a leading manufacturing company in Kuwait who already has a testimony of quality through its customers’ trust earned throughout the years”, said Deputy Managing Director for Industrial Imports Development at the Industry Public Authority, Saqr Al-Enizy, in a speech given on behalf of Minister Al-Saleh.

Meanwhile, Al-Baghli’s General Manager, Tawfiq Ahmad Al-Baghli, expressed appreciation for “not only becoming the first company in the Middle East to receive both certificates, but also for becoming a national Kuwaiti manufacturing company classified in global quality standards”.

Kuwait KMCC holds Eid

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n the auspicious occasion of Eid Al-Adha, Kuwait KMCC conducted Eid Gathering at the open premises of Indian Central School, Abbasiya. The event was attended by large crowd. The official function was inaugurated by Indian Ambassador Excellency Satish C Mehta. He underlined the importance of celebrating the special occasions with togetherness and unity, and praised KMCC activities of community welfare.

Sharafudheen Kanneth presided over the function. In his key note address, chief guest Dr. M. K. Muneer minister for social justice and panhcayat - govt. of Kerala underlined the sacrifices by expatriate community and their great contributions to the prosperity of homeland. He stressed IUML and government’s commitment to the people and explained about

various development measures and refuted baseless allegations. The coupon was released by Mr. Abul Azeez , Admin Manager of Shifa

Aljazeera hospital to Dr. Amir Ahmed.

KV Mohammed Kunhi master, Dr. Amir Ahmed , Hidine Thomas made felicitation speeches. John Arts pre-

sented a caricature of Dr. Muneer.

Basheer Batha welcomed the audience and H. Ibrahim Kutty rendered vote of thanks.

After that there was cultural programs presented by Green Track.

Orchestra, Arabic Dance and Oppana were the high lights. Rafi Kallai, Rafi Kozhikkode, Biju Thikkodi, Sameer Vellayil, Kabeer Kallai, Habeebulla Muttichoor, Neelima, Poornima, Abdul Rahiman Naduvannur, Gafoor Koyilandy, Basheer Batha, Shabeer Mandoli, Razak Madayi, Hashim Naser Aluva led the orchestra with their signing talent. “Vattappattu” was led

by Gafoor Pappinisheri and Arabic Dance was led by Fayiz Pottammel.

EMBASSY OF INDIA The Embassy of India will remain closed on the following days during the month of November 2012: Nov 13, 2012 - today - Deepawali Nov 25, 2012 - Sunday - Muharram ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF LEBANAN Due to exceptional circumstances Lebanon is going through currently, a mass celebration that was planned next Wednesday, Nov 14, 2012 at the Lebanese Embassy ’s garden has been called off.

Ambassador of Lebanon to Kuwait Dr Bassam Al-Nu’mani welcomes well wishers on the occasion of Independence Day at his residence on Thursday, Nov 22, 2012 between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.

■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF UKRAINE

The Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait would like to remind that the external polling station No 90046 was created in the Embassy’s premises at the following address: Hawalli, Jabriya, bl.10, str. 6, build. 5. The working hours of the polling station: Sunday from 13.00 to 17.00 pm; Monday from 13.00 to 17.00 pm; Tuesday from 13.00 to 17.00 pm; Wednesday from 13.00 to 17.00 pm; Thursday from 13.00 to 17.00 pm; Friday from 10.00 to 13.00 pm; Saturday from 10.00 to 13.00 pm On October 28, 2012 the working hours of the polling station from 8.00 am to 20.00 pm. Please be advised to refer to the Embassy to check your data in the Electoral Register as well as to pick up your personal invitation from the polling station if you did not receive this document by post.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

TV PROGRAMS 22:35 How Tech Works 23:00 Build It Bigger: Rebuilding Greensburg 23:50 Meteorite Men 00:50 Animal Cops Phoenix 01:45 Human Prey 02:35 I’m Alive 03:25 Baboons With Bill Bailey 03:50 Baboons With Bill Bailey 04:15 Bad Dog 05:05 Wildest India 05:55 Wild Britain With Ray Mears 06:20 Orangutan Island 06:45 Dolphin Days 07:10 Dolphin Days 07:35 Wildlife SOS 08:00 Monkey Life 08:25 Animal Planet’s Most Outrageous 09:15 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 10:10 Must Love Cats 11:05 Wildest India 12:00 New Breed Vets With Steve Irwin 12:55 Clinically Wild: Alaska 13:50 Wildlife SOS 14:15 E-Vets: The Interns 14:45 Animal Cops Phoenix 15:40 Wildest India 16:35 Orangutan Island 17:00 The Really Wild Show 17:30 Bad Dog 18:25 Natural Born Hunters 18:50 Natural Born Hunters 19:20 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 20:15 Monkey Life 20:40 E-Vets: The Interns 21:10 Wild Britain With Ray Mears 21:35 Orangutan Island 22:05 Wildest India 23:00 Gator Boys 23:55 New Breed Vets With Steve Irwin

23:50 Animal Cops Houston 00:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 00:45 Come Dine With Me 01:35 Antiques Roadshow 02:30 Gok’s Fashion Fix 04:05 Living In The Sun 05:00 House Swap 05:40 Saturday Kitchen 2008/09 06:10 Out Of The Frying Pan 07:00 House Swap 07:45 Saturday Kitchen 2008/09 08:10 MasterChef Australia 09:50 Gok’s Fashion Fix 11:30 Bargain Hunt 12:10 Antiques Roadshow 13:00 Baking Made Easy 13:30 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 14:15 Holmes On Homes 15:50 Bargain Hunt 16:35 Antiques Roadshow 17:30 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 18:10 Come Dine With Me 19:00 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard 19:55 Out Of The Frying Pan 20:45 Come Dine With Me 21:35 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 22:20 Antiques Roadshow 23:15 Bargain Hunt EditionEdition 00:15 Around The World In 80 Ways 01:10 Deadliest Catch 02:05 An Idiot Abroad 03:00 Mythbusters 03:55 Border Security 04:20 Scrappers 04:50 Auction Kings 05:15 How Do They Do It? 05:40 How It’s Made 06:05 Robson Green’s Extreme Fishing Challenge 07:00 Street Customs 07:50 Mythbusters 08:45 Ultimate Survival 09:40 Border Security 10:05 Scrappers 10:30 How Do They Do It? 10:55 How It’s Made 11:25 Around The World In 80 Ways 12:20 Deadliest Catch 13:15 River Monsters 14:10 Border Security 14:35 Scrappers 15:05 Auction Kings 15:30 Ultimate Survival 16:25 Street Customs 17:20 Robson Green’s Extreme Fishing Challenge 18:15 Mythbusters 19:10 How Do They Do It? 19:40 How It’s Made 20:05 Border Security 20:35 Scrappers 21:00 Auction Kings 21:30 You Have Been Warned 22:25 Body Invaders 23:20 Ultimate Survival 23:20 Surviving Disaster 00:40 Gadget Show - World Tour 01:05 How Tech Works 01:35 The Colony 02:25 Brave New World 03:15 Mighty Ships 04:05 Weird Connections 04:35 The Colony 05:25 Da Vinci’s Machines 06:15 Gadget Show - World Tour 06:40 How Tech Works 07:05 Meteorite Men 08:00 Brave New World 08:50 How Do They Do It? 09:15 How Do They Do It? 09:40 Head Rush 09:43 Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger 10:10 How Stuff’s Made 10:40 Meteorite Men 11:30 Gadget Show - World Tour 11:55 How Tech Works 12:20 Mighty Ships 13:10 Da Vinci’s Machines 14:00 Brave New World 14:50 Sport Science 15:45 How Do They Do It? 16:10 How Do They Do It? 16:35 Weird Connections 17:00 Head Rush 17:03 Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger 17:30 How Stuff’s Made 18:00 Gadget Show - World Tour 18:25 How Tech Works 18:50 Mighty Ships 19:40 Meteorite Men 20:30 Build It Bigger: Rebuilding Greensburg 21:20 Da Vinci’s Machines 22:10 Gadget Show - World Tour

20:20 Bang Goes The Theory 00:20 Little Einsteins 00:50 Special Agent Oso 01:15 Lazytown 01:40 Jungle Junction 01:55 Jungle Junction 02:10 Handy Manny 02:30 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 02:55 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 03:00 Lazytown 03:25 Special Agent Oso 03:50 Imagination Movers 04:20 Handy Manny 04:40 Special Agent Oso 05:00 Timmy Time 05:10 Lazytown 05:35 Little Einsteins 06:00 Jungle Junction 06:15 Jungle Junction 06:30 Little Einsteins 06:50 Special Agent Oso 07:00 Special Agent Oso 07:15 Jungle Junction 07:30 Jungle Junction 07:45 Handy Manny 08:00 Special Agent Oso 08:15 Little Einsteins 08:45 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 09:10 The Hive 09:20 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 09:35 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 09:50 Handy Manny 10:05 The Hive 10:15 Animated Stories 10:20 Mouk 10:30 Mouk 10:45 The Hive 10:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 11:20 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 11:45 Art Attack 12:10 Imagination Movers 12:35 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 13:00 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 13:10 Handy Manny 13:25 Jungle Junction 13:40 Imagination Movers 14:05 The Hive 14:15 Special Agent Oso 14:30 Lazytown 14:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 15:20 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 15:45 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 16:00 Mouk 16:15 The Hive 16:25 Art Attack 16:50 Doc McStuffins 17:05 Art Attack 17:30 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 17:45 Art Attack 18:10 Mouk 18:25 Mouk 18:40 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 18:55 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 19:10 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 19:35 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 20:00 Animated Stories 20:05 Timmy Time 20:20 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 20:25 Doc McStuffins 20:40 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 20:55 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 21:10 The Hive 21:20 Timmy Time 21:30 Mouk 21:45 Handy Manny 22:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 22:25 The Hive 22:35 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 23:00 Timmy Time 23:10 Animated Stories 23:15 A Poem Is...

23:20 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 23:30 Jungle Junction 23:45 Handy Manny 23:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 23:45 Handy Manny 23:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 00:30 01:25 02:20 03:15 04:10 05:05 06:00 06:55 08:00 08:55 09:50 10:45 11:40 12:35 13:30 14:25 15:20 16:15 16:40 17:10 18:05 19:00 19:55 20:50 21:45 22:40 23:35

M1 Challenge Gotta Grudge Pro Bull Riders 2011 World Combat League Enfusion Monster Jam M1 Challenge Pro Bull Riders 2011 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2009 Tread BMX The Alli Show AMA Motocross 2011 Fantasy Factory Pro Bull Riders 2011 Mantracker I’ll Do Anything World Combat League Fantasy Factory Fantasy Factory Tread BMX The Alli Show Mantracker Pro Bull Riders 2011 I’ll Do Anything World Combat League Monster Jam Enfusion

00:15 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 00:40 Guy’s Big Bite 01:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 01:30 Heat Seekers 01:55 Jenny Morris Cooks Morocco 02:45 Andy Bates Street Feasts 03:35 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 04:00 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 04:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 04:50 Heat Seekers 05:15 Guy’s Big Bite 05:40 Grill It! With Bobby Flay 06:05 Unwrapped 06:30 The Next Iron Chef 07:10 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 08:00 Food Network Challenge 08:50 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 09:40 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 10:05 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 10:30 Kelsey’s Essentials 10:55 Cooking For Real

11:45 12:10 12:35 13:00 13:50 14:15 14:40 Basics 15:30 15:55 16:45 17:35 Basics 18:25 18:50 19:15 19:40 20:30 21:20 22:10 23:00 23:50

Food Crafters Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Heat Seekers Iron Chef America Guy’s Big Bite Cooking For Real Barefoot Contessa - Back To Food Crafters Unique Eats Chopped Barefoot Contessa - Back To Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Heat Seekers Guy’s Big Bite Unique Eats Chopped Iron Chef America Reza, Spice Prince Of India Guy’s Big Bite Aarti Party

00:15 Market Values 00:45 Roam 01:10 Young Global Hotshots 01:40 Dive Detectives 02:35 Hugh’s Three Hungry Boys 03:30 Banged Up Abroad 04:25 Don’t Tell My Mother 05:20 Bondi Rescue 06:15 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 07:10 Street Food Around The World 07:35 Market Values 08:05 Roam 08:30 Young Global Hotshots 09:00 Dive Detectives 09:55 Hugh’s Three Hungry Boys 10:50 Banged Up Abroad 11:45 Don’t Tell My Mother 12:40 Bondi Rescue 13:05 Bondi Rescue 13:35 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 2 14:30 Street Food Around The World 14:55 Market Values 15:25 Roam 15:50 Deadliest Journeys 16:20 Perilous Journeys 17:15 Hugh’s Three Hungry Boys 18:10 Banged Up Abroad 19:05 Don’t Tell My Mother 20:00 Street Food Around The World 20:30 Market Values 21:00 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 2 22:00 Bondi Rescue 22:55 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 23:50 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 23:00 Naked Science 00:00 Animal Autopsy (AKA Inside Nature’s Giants) 01:00 Planet Carnivore 01:55 Nordic Wild 02:50 World’s Wildest Encounters 03:45 Cliffhangers 04:40 Journey Into Amazonia 05:35 Built for the Kill 06:30 Nordic Wild 07:25 World’s Wildest Encounters 08:20 Cliffhangers 09:15 Shark Men 10:10 Python Hunters 11:05 Rescue Ink 12:00 Night Of The Lion 13:00 Wild India (aka Secrets of Wild India) 14:00 World’s Wildest Encounters 15:00 Cliffhangers 16:00 Shark Men 17:00 Python Hunters 18:00 Rescue Ink 19:00 Nordic Wild 20:00 World’s Wildest Encounters 21:00 Cliffhangers 22:00 Shark Men 23:00 Python Hunters Zoo Confidential 23:00 Dangerous Encounters 00:00 Beneath The Darkness-PG15 02:00 Hustle And Flow-18 04:00 The Perfect Host-PG15 06:00 Biker Boyz-PG15 08:00 Vengeance-PG15 10:00 The Green Hornet-PG15 12:00 True Justice: Lethal JusticePG15 14:00 Vengeance-PG15 16:00 Rocky IV-PG15 18:00 True Justice: Lethal JusticePG15 20:00 Death Race 2-18 22:00 The Scorpion King 3: Battle For Redemption-PG15 The Rite-18hting-PG15 22:00 Homecoming-18 00:00 Melissa & Joey 00:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 01:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 01:30 How To Make It In America 02:00 How To Make It In America 02:30 Family Guy 03:00 Happy Endings 03:30 Hot In Cleveland 04:00 Samantha Who? 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Seinfeld 06:00 Seinfeld 06:30 Friends 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Samantha Who? 08:30 Happy Endings 09:00 Seinfeld 09:30 Seinfeld 10:00 Modern Family 10:30 Best Friends Forever 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 Friends 12:30 Samantha Who? 13:00 Seinfeld 13:30 Seinfeld 14:00 Hot In Cleveland 14:30 Best Friends Forever 15:00 Modern Family 15:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 16:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 16:30 Friends 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 How I Met Your Mother 18:30 Last Man Standing 19:00 Modern Family 19:30 Community 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 American Dad

22:30 The Ricky Gervais Show 23:00 Family Guy 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

KUWAIT

ll on 00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Parenthood Boardwalk Empire Justified Justified Bones Revenge Parenthood Emmerdale Coronation Street C.S.I. New York The Ellen DeGeneres Show Revenge Bones Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show C.S.I. New York Parenthood Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show C.S.I. New York Grey’s Anatomy Private Practice Homeland Breaking Bad Downton Abbey Grimm

01:00 The Kingdom-18 03:00 Road To Perdition-18 05:00 Ip Man 2-PG15 07:00 Friday Night Lights-PG15 09:00 Game Of Death-PG15 11:00 Ip Man 2-PG15 13:00 So Close-PG15 15:00 Game Of Death-PG15 17:00 Four Brothers-PG15 19:00 Rollerball-18 21:00 The Scorpion King 3: Battle For Redemption-PG15 23:00 Seventh Moon-18

00:00 Submarine-PG15 02:00 Analyze That-PG15 04:00 Held Up (1999)-PG15 06:00 The Family Stone-PG15 08:00 In Her Shoes-PG15 10:15 The Bad News Bears (1976)PG15 12:00 Rebound-PG 14:00 Melinda And Melinda-PG15 16:00 The Bad News Bears (1976)PG15 18:00 The Banger Sisters-PG15 20:00 The Dilemma-PG15 22:00 The Legend Of Awesomest Maximus-18 22:00 Frenemy-18 01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 10:45 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:15

Sea Of Love-18 The Weather Man-18 Coyote Ugly-PG15 Lies In Plain Sight-PG15 Witch Hunt-PG15 Glorious 39-PG15 Sunny And The Elephant-PG15 Witch Hunt-PG15 Oranges And Sunshine-PG15 Dear John-PG15 Seabiscuit-PG15 Walk The Line-PG15 Square Grouper-18

01:00 The Roommate-PG15 03:00 Adventures Of Sharkboy And Lavagirl-PG 05:00 12 Dates Of Christmas-PG15 07:00 B-Girl-PG15 09:00 Rising Stars-PG15 11:00 Ice Age-FAM 13:00 According To Greta-PG15 15:00 Backwash-PG15 17:00 Rising Stars-PG15 19:00 True Grit-PG15 21:00 Unknown-PG15 23:00 Take Me Home Tonight-18

01:00 The Ugly Duckling In Tales Of Mystery-FAM 02:30 Adventures Of A Teenage Dragonslayer-PG 04:15 Emperor’s Secret-PG 06:00 The Ugly Duckling In Tales Of Mystery-FAM 08:00 Mia And The Migoo-PG 09:45 Chronicles Of Narnia: Voyage Of The Dawn Treader-PG 11:45 Spooky Buddies-PG 13:15 Tommy & Oscar-FAM 14:45 Adventures Of A Teenage Dragonslayer-PG 16:15 The Lucky Dragon-PG 18:00 Chronicles Of Narnia: Voyage Of The Dawn Treader-PG 20:00 Return To Halloweentown-PG 22:00 Mia And The Migoo-PG 23:30 Tommy & Oscar-FAM 22:15 Resident Evil 4: Afterlife-1 02:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 03:00 Live Test Cricket 11:00 Extreme Sailing Series 11:30 Extreme Sailing Series 12:00 ICC Cricket 360 12:30 Anglo Welsh LV Cup 14:30 Challenge Series Golf Highlights 15:00 Test Cricket 22:00 Live Grand Slam of Darts

00:00 Rugby League Autumn Internationals 02:00 Rugby Union International 04:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 05:00 Extreme Sailing Series 05:30 Extreme Sailing Series 06:00 Trans World Sport 07:00 Grand Slam of Darts 11:00 Trans World Sport 12:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 13:00 Extreme Sailing Series 13:30 Extreme Sailing Series 14:00 ICC Cricket 360 14:30 Grand Slam of Darts 18:30 Rugby League Autumn Internationals 20:30 Extreme Sailing Series 21:00 PGA European Tour Highlights

KNCC PROGRAM FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (8/11/2012 TO 14/11/2012) SHARQIA-1 ALEX CROSS (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

SHARQIA-2 MISS MOMMY (DIG) LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 8:15 PM 10:15 PM 12:15 AM

SHARQIA-3 FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:00 PM 4:45 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:30 AM

MUHALAB-1 ALEX CROSS (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

MUHALAB-2 MISS MOMMY (DIG) DAMARUKAM (DIG)(TELUGU) FRI FLIGHT (DIG) THU+SAT+MON FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:00 PM 4:00 PM 4:00 PM 7:15 PM 10:00 PM 12:45 AM

MUHALAB-3 LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) MISS MOMMY (DIG MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:15 PM 2:30 PM 4:45 PM 6:30 PM 8:45 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

FANAR-1 THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:15 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

FANAR-2 WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:30 PM 11:45 PM

FANAR-3 ALEX CROSS (DIG) NO TUE+WED TAKEN2 :2D NO TUE+WED ALEX CROSS (DIG) NO TUE+WED PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) NO TUE+WED ALEX CROSS (DIG) NO TUE+WED ALEX CROSS (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED FANAR-4 LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR MISS MOMMY (DIG) LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:45 PM 4:00 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:30 PM 6:15 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

FANAR-5 FLIGHT FLIGHT FLIGHT FLIGHT FLIGHT NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 4:15 PM 7:00 PM 9:45 PM 12:30 AM

MARINA-1 ALEX CROSS (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) LED ZEPPELIN: CELEBRATION DAY HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

MARINA-2 FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:45 PM 4:30 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM 12:15 AM

MARINA-3 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:00 PM 4:45 PM 7:00 PM 8:45 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

AVENUES-1 THE SWEENEY (DIG) 1:15 PM THE SWEENEY (DIG) 3:45 PM THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 1 (Re-Release) 6:15 PM THE SWEENEY (DIG) 8:45 PM THE SWEENEY (DIG) 11:15 PM AVENUES-2 ALEX CROSS (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED AVENUES-3 FLIGHT (DIG)

FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

4:15 PM 7:00 PM 9:45 PM 12:30 AM

AVENUES-4 HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM 11:45 PM

AVENUES-5 FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 4:15 PM 7:00 PM 9:45 PM 12:30 AM

AVENUES-6 LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR ALEX CROSS (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:15 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

AVENUES-7 TAKEN2 :2D NO TUE+WED TAKEN2 :2D NO TUE+WED PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) NO TUE+WED TAKEN2 :2D NO TUE+WED TAKEN2 :2D NO TUE+WED PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED AVENUES-8 LOOPER (DIG) NO TUE+WED LED ZEPPELIN: CELEBRATION DAY NO TUE+WED LED ZEPPELIN: CELEBRATION DAY NO TUE+WED LED ZEPPELIN: CELEBRATION DAY NO TUE+WED LOOPER (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED AVENUES-9 WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) FLIGHT (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED AVENUES-10 HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) NO TUE+WED HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) NO TUE+WED HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) NO TUE+WED HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) NO TUE+WED HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) NO TUE+WED HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

1:45 PM 4:00 PM 6:45 PM 9:15 PM 11:45 PM

2:00 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 8:45 PM 11:00 PM

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM 11:45 PM

AVENUES-11 MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

360 º- 1 FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 3:15 PM 6:00 PM 8:45 PM 11:30 PM

360 º- 2 ALEX CROSS (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

360 º- 3 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) ALEX CROSS (DIG) 360 º- 4 LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR TAKEN2 :2D TAKEN2 :2D NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:00 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 8:45 PM 11:15 PM 1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

360 º- 5 FLIGHT (DIG) 1:30 PM SAT FLIGHT (DIG) 4:15 PM NO THU THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (Re- Release) 7:00 PM FLIGHT (DIG) 9:45 PM FLIGHT (DIG) 12:30 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED 360º- 6 WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:15 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 9:00 PM 11:30 PM

360 º- 7 TAKEN2 :2D TAKEN2 :2D TAKEN2 :2D TAKEN2 :2D TAKEN2 :2D

1:30 PM

360 º- 8 HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) NO TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:15 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

2:30 PM 4:45 PM 7:00 PM 9:15 PM 11:30 PM 1:45 PM

HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) NO TUE+WED HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) NO TUE+WED HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) NO TUE+WED HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) NO TUE+WED HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

4:00 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:45 PM 1:00 AM

360 º- 9(VIP-1) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:45 PM 4:00 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:45 PM 1:00 AM

360 º-10(VIP-2) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 3:15 PM 6:00 PM 8:45 PM 11:30 PM

360 º- 11 THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:15 PM 4:45 PM 7:15 PM 9:45 PM 12:15 AM

360 º- 12 MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:00 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 8:45 PM 11:00 PM 1:15 AM

360 º- 13 THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN THE DARK KNIGHT RISES RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:15 PM 4:00 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:30 AM

360 º- 14 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) NO TUE+WED PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) NO TUE+WED MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO TUE+WED PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) NO TUE+WED MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO TUE+WED PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED 360 º- 15 LOOPER (DIG) NO TUE+WED LOOPER (DIG) NO TUE+WED LED ZEPPELIN: CELEBRATION NO TUE+WED LED ZEPPELIN: CELEBRATION DAY NO TUE+WED LED ZEPPELIN: CELEBRATION DAY NO TUE+WED LOOPER (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:15 PM 7:45 PM 0:15 PM 12:45 AM

AL-KOUT.1 MISS MOMMY (DIG) LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 8:15 PM 10:15 PM 12:15 AM

AL-KOUT.2 FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 4:15 PM 7:00 PM 9:45 PM 12:30 AM

AL-KOUT.3 THE SWEENEY (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

AL-KOUT.4 HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) TAKEN2 :2D HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) TAKEN2 :2D NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM 12:05 AM

BAIRAQ-1 LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:15 PM 4:15 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

BAIRAQ-2 HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:30 PM 4:45 PM 6:45 PM 9:00 PM 11:00 PM 1:00 AM

BAIRAQ-3 FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 4:15 PM 7:00 PM 9:45 PM 12:30 AM

PLAZA MISS MOMMY (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) NO TUE+WED MISS MOMMY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG)

3:45 PM 5:45 PM 8:45 PM 10:45 PM

Classifieds TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

FOR SALE Toyota Corolla, 2008 model, white color with CD player, rear sensor, folding mirror, low mileage, well maintained. Price KD 2,650.

Contact: 60099305.

(C 4212) Mitsubishi Pajero 2008, model with CD player, alloy wheel rim, well maintained, low mileage. Price KD 3,950.

Contact: 66974049.

(C 4213) 13-1-2012 All furniture / appliances of 1 BHK flat on sale, to be sold all together, for family, expected price KD 850 or best offer.

Contact: 94427060, 66982274.

(C 4207) 12-11-2102 BMW 730 LI model 2008, full option, mileage 45000 km, BMW ser vice maintained, price KD 8300, price negotiable.

Contact: 97227427. (C 4206) 11-11-2012 Daihatsu Sirion 2012, 20 km, automatic, 5 door, KD 2100. Contact: 60976100.

(C 4202) 6-11-2012 CHANGE OF NAME I, Mohammed Hameedudeen, S/o Mohamed Tajudeen, holder of Indian Passport No. G6678181, issued in Kuwait on 18.4.2008 by Embassy of India, hereby would like to change my name as Mohamed Hameedudeen. My present address is: 68/1 Umar Street, P. Kondhagai 609 703, Nagapattinam DT. Attestation no.: KWTKC5432412. 08 Oct 2012.

(C 4208)

I, Yalla Srinivasu (Passport No. G3438979), S/o Yalla Venkateswara Rao, age 36 years, R/o 1-57, Antarvedi Palem, Sakhineti Palli, East Godawari Dist, AP, hereby declare that with my free consent I have embraced Islam on 13-06-2005 at State of Kuwait and I have adopted my name as Abdul Rahman. (C 4215) I, Rage Nagaraja (Passport No. G3636805), S/o Rage Nageswara, age 25 years, R/o Jandlavaram, Mydukuru, Kadapa Dist, AP, India, hereby declare that with my free consent I have embraced Islam on 25-05-2011 at State of Kuwait and I have adopted my name as Abdulla. (C 4214) 13-11-2012 I, Jagadhabi Anand, holder of Indian Passport No. H1819620, Passport issues in Kuwait on 02.03.2009, hereby change my name to Jagadhabi Anad Raju.

(C 4211) 12-11-2012

SITUATION VACANT

flat located in Salmiya.

Working hours and salary are negotiable. Please call 66417504. (C 4209) 12-11-2012 Required Indian or Sri Lankan driver for a Kuwaiti family, light work and good salary. Contact: 99709076.

(C 4204) Required camp keeper, Indian or Sri Lankan, with good salar y. Contact: 99709076. (C 4205) Required English speaking nanny/ maid. Please call 99824597. (C 4201) 6-11-2012

A lady maid is needed to work for a single Arab/American man in a

SITUATION WANTED Western educated “Project Manager” with 2 EngineeringDegrees (Civil/Elec.), 4-Master Degrees (Project Mgmt/ Engineering/ Education & Training/ MBA), plus 17-years experience in Middle East/ Australia, seeking Executive Position. Contact: 65695468 email: rav@engineer.com (C 4195)

Ministry of Interior

MATRIMONIAL

website: www.moi.gov.kw

Keralite, B.D.S Doctor girl, 30 years, born again Baptized, Ornament wearing, seeking marriage proposal. Contact Email: rajangeorge101@gmail.com (C 4216)

112

Prayer timings Fajr:

04:49

Duhr:

11:32

Asr:

14:33

Maghrib:

16:55

Isha:

18:14

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines Flt KLM JAI THY JZR QTR ETH GFA PIA UAE ETD OMA FDB MSR RJA RBG QTR DHX THY JZR KAC BAW KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC UAE KAC ABY QTR FDB ETD IRA GFA JZR MEA UAE SYR MSR GFA KAC FDB KAC SVA KAC QTR

Arrival Flights on Tuesday 13/11/2012 Route

411 574 772 539 148 620 211 239 853 305 643 67 612 642 3553 138 170 770 503 416 157 412 206 53 302 352 332 855 284 121 132 55 301 605 213 165 404 871 341 610 219 514 57 362 500 546 140

AMSTERDAM MUMBAI ISTANBUL CAIRO DOHA ADDIS ABABA BAHRAIN SIALKOT DUBAI ABU DHABI MUSCAT DUBAI CAIRO AMMAN ALEXANDRIA DOHA BAHRAIN ISTANBUL LUXOR JAKARTA LONDON MANILA ISLAMABAD DUBAI MUMBAI COCHIN TRIVANDRUM DUBAI DHAKA SHARJAH DOHA DUBAI ABU DHABI ISFAHAN BAHRAIN DUBAI BEIRUT DUBAI DAMASCUS CAIRO BAHRAIN TEHRAN DUBAI COLOMBO JEDDAH ALEXANDRIA DOHA

Time 00:30 00:30 00:35 00:50 01:00 01:45 01:50 01:55 02:35 02:45 02:50 03:05 03:10 03:15 03:25 03:45 05:15 05:30 05:55 06:25 06:40 06:45 07:40 07:45 07:55 08:05 08:15 08:40 08:45 09:05 09:10 09:15 09:20 09:45 09:55 11:20 11:55 12:50 12:55 13:05 13:35 13:45 13:50 14:20 14:30 14:30 14:35

JZR KAC QTR JZR UAE ETD RJA GFA SVA QTR ABY UAL KAC JZR KAC FDB JZR KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC OMA FDB JAI AXB MSR KAC IRA ABY QTR ALK MEA QTR GFA ETD UAE QTR DHX FDB KLM AIC JZR GFA PIA JZR UAL BBC DLH

561 562 134 325 857 303 640 215 510 144 127 982 542 177 786 63 787 166 618 742 104 674 774 647 61 572 393 618 678 619 129 146 229 402 136 221 307 859 6130 372 59 415 981 239 217 205 185 981 43 636

SOHAG AMMAN DOHA NAJAF DUBAI ABU DHABI AMMAN BAHRAIN RIYADH DOHA SHARJAH WASHINGTON DC DULLES CAIRO DUBAI JEDDAH DUBAI RIYADH PARIS DOHA DAMMAM LONDON DUBAI RIYADH MUSCAT DUBAI MUMBAI KOZHIKODE ALEXANDRIA ABU DHABI LAR SHARJAH DOHA COLOMBO BEIRUT DOHA BAHRAIN ABU DHABI DUBAI DOHA BAHRAIN DUBAI AMSTERDAM CHENNAI AMMAN BAHRAIN LAHORE DUBAI BAHRAIN DHAKA FRANKFURT

14:50 14:55 15:30 16:25 16:40 16:50 16:55 17:15 17:20 17:50 17:55 17:55 18:05 18:15 18:30 18:45 19:05 19:10 19:20 19:30 19:35 19:35 19:50 19:55 20:00 20:10 20:15 20:25 20:30 20:35 20:35 20:45 20:55 21:20 21:25 21:30 21:35 21:40 21:55 22:00 22:00 22:05 22:30 22:45 22:50 23:00 23:05 23:25 23:45 23:55

Airlines AIC AXB BBC UAL DLH JAI KLM ETH THY PIA FDB UAE OMA ETD RBG MSR QTR QTR JZR GFA RJA THY KAC JZR FDB BAW KAC KAC KAC KZU ABY UAE FDB ETD QTR GFA IRA KAC KAC MEA KAC JZR JZR SYR MSR UAE GFA FDB KAC

Depature Flights on Tuesday 13/11/2012 Flt Route 976 GOA 390 MANGALORE 44 DHAKA 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 637 FRANKFURT 573 MUMBAI 411 AMSTERDAM 621 ADDIS ABABA 773 ISTANBUL 240 SIALKOT 68 DUBAI 854 DUBAI 644 MUSCAT 306 ABU DHABI 3554 ALEXANDRIA 613 CAIRO 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 643 AMMAN 771 ISTANBUL 545 ALEXANDRIA 560 SOHAG 54 DUBAI 156 LONDON 101 LONDON 513 TEHRAN 561 AMMAN 796 ISTANBUL 122 SHARJAH 856 DUBAI 56 DUBAI 302 ABU DHABI 133 DOHA 214 BAHRAIN 604 ISFAHAN 541 CAIRO 165 ROME 405 BEIRUT 785 JEDDAH 324 AL NAJAF 176 DUBAI 342 DAMASCUS 611 CAIRO 872 DUBAI 220 BAHRAIN 58 DUBAI 673 DUBAI

Time 00:05 00:15 01:00 01:10 01:20 01:30 01:45 02:45 02:55 03:10 03:45 03:50 03:55 04:00 04:05 04:10 04:50 06:05 06:55 07:00 07:05 07:35 07:45 08:15 08:25 08:45 09:20 09:25 09:30 09:30 09:45 09:55 10:00 10:05 10:10 10:40 10:45 11:30 11:50 12:55 13:00 13:00 13:50 13:55 14:05 14:15 14:20 14:30 15:05

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

KAC SVA JZR KAC QTR KAC KAC JZR ETD JZR QTR UAE RJA GFA JZR SVA ABY JZR QTR UAL FDB KAC FDB OMA JAI KAC AXB ABY KAC MSR IRA DHX ALK MEA ETD QTR GFA KAC KAC FDB JZR UAE DHX KAC KLM QTR QTR GFA JZR KAC

617 501 786 677 141 773 741 238 304 538 135 858 641 216 184 511 128 266 145 982 64 283 62 648 571 351 394 120 343 607 618 171 230 403 308 137 222 301 381 60 554 860 373 205 415 147 6131 218 528 411

DOHA JEDDAH RIYADH ABU DHABI DOHA RIYADH DAMMAM AMMAN ABU DHABI CAIRO DOHA DUBAI AMMAN BAHRAIN DUBAI RIYADH SHARJAH BEIRUT DOHA BAHRAIN DUBAI DHAKA DUBAI MUSCAT MUMBAI KOCHI KOZHIKODE, INDIA” SHARJAH CHENNAI LUXOR LAR BAHRAIN COLOMBO BEIRUT ABU DHABI DOHA BAHRAIN MUMBAI DELHI DUBAI ALEXANDRIA DUBAI BAHRAIN ISLAMABAD DAMMAM DOHA DOHA BAHRAIN ASSIUT BANGKOK

15:45 15:45 15:50 16:00 16:15 16:25 16:30 17:15 17:35 17:40 17:45 17:50 17:55 18:15 18:30 18:35 18:40 18:45 18:50 19:10 19:25 20:30 20:40 20:55 21:10 21:10 21:15 21:15 21:15 21:25 21:30 21:50 21:55 22:20 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:40 22:45 22:50 23:00 23:00 23:05 23:10 23:25 23:50 23:50 23:55

TUES, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

i n f o r m at i o n For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 GOVERNORATE Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

Kaizen center

25716707

Rawda

22517733

Adaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Kaifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salem

22549134

Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Qadsiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Gar

22531908

Shaab

22518752

Qibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Hawally

ST TAT TE OF K KUW WA AIT

Tel.: e 161

DIRECTORA ATE T GEN GENERAL OF CIVIL AVIA V AT TION METEOROLOGICAL DEP PARTMENT A DA AY: Y Monday

Ext.: 26 2627 - 2630

Expected Weeather for the Next 24 Hours BY Y NIGHT:

Unstable with moderate to fresh south easterly changing to north westerly wind, with speed of 20 - 45 km/h causing raising dust with a chance for rain that might be thundery at times

BY Y DA AY:

Partly cloudy to cloudy with moderate to fresh north westerly wind, with speed of 20 - 45 km/h causing raising dust with a chance for rain that might be thundery at times

WARNING A

Unstable

MIN. N. EXP P.

KUW WAIT A CITY

31 °C

22 °C

22451082

KUW WAIT A AIRPOR RT

31 °C

18 °C

Mirqab

22456536

NUW WA AISEEB

32 °C

17 °C

Sharq

22465401

WA AFRA

34 °C

16 °C

Salmiya

25746401

SALMI

34 °C

16 °C

ABDAL LY

34 °C

17 °C

JAL ALIY YA AH

31 °C

17 °C

SFC. CHART

12/11/2012 1200 UTC

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

FAILAKA A

Bayan

25388462

29 °C

19 °C

AHMADI POR RT

28 °C

22 °C

Mishref

25381200

UMM AL-MARADEM

29 °C

23 °C

W Hawally

22630786

WA ARBA A - BUBY YAN A

28 °C

17 °C

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

DA AY

DA AT TE

WEA ATHER T

West Jahra

24772608

Tuesday

13/11

South Jahra

24775066

Weednesday Thursday

North Jahra

24775992

Friday

North Jleeb

24311795

Ardhiya

24884079

Fajr

04:48

MAX. Temp.

35 °C

Firdous

24892674

Sunrise

06:10

MIN. Temp.

21 °C

Zuhr

11:32

MAX. RH

63 %

Omariya

24719048

Asr

14:33

MIN. RH

10 %

N Khaitan

24710044

Sunset

16:54

MAX. Wind

S 36 km/h

Isha

18:14

TOT TA AL L RA AINF FALL A L IN 24 HR.

Fintas

23900322

4 DA AY YS FORECAST Temperatures Wind Speed

Wind Direction

MAX.

MIN.

partly cloudy+thunder rain

26 °C

18 °C

NW

20 - 45 km/h

14/11

clouds to decrease

26 °C

16 °C

NW

10 - 32 km/h

15/11

sunny

27 °C

14 °C

NW

10 - 32 km/h

16/11

sunny

27 °C

12 °C

NW-N

08 - 30 km/h

RECORDED YESTERDA AY AT KUW WAIT A AIRPOR RT

PRA AYER Y TIMES

All times are local time unless otherwise stated.

00 mm

12/11/12 14:25 UTC

V1.00

T1.06

PRIVATE CLINICS

Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Khaled Hamadi

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Salem soso

22618787 General Surgeons

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart Dr. Adnan Ebil

22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada

22666300

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

Al-Shuhada

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Faiha

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Al-Jahra

25610011

Al-Salmiya

25616368

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

19:00

Issue Time

MAX. REC.

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

22418714

Fax: 24348714 WWW.MET.GOV V..KW

12/11/2012

ST TAT TION

Al-Madeena

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 Anil Thomas

3729596/3729581

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

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

Neurologists Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Kaizen center 25716707

Endocrinologist Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

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

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Afghanistan 0093 Albania 00355 Algeria 00213 Andorra 00376 Angola 00244 Anguilla 001264 Antiga 001268 Argentina 0054 Armenia 00374 Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas 001242 Bahrain 00973 Bangladesh 00880 Barbados 001246 Belarus 00375 Belgium 0032 Belize 00501 Benin 00229 Bermuda 001441 Bhutan 00975 Bolivia 00591 Bosnia 00387 Botswana 00267 Brazil 0055 Brunei 00673 Bulgaria 00359 Burkina 00226 Burundi 00257 Cambodia 00855 Cameroon 00237 Canada 001 Cape Verde 00238 Cayman Islands 001345 Central African 00236 Chad 00235 Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros 00269 Congo 00242 Cook Islands 00682 Costa Rica 00506 Croatia 00385 Cuba 0053 Cyprus 00357 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Czech Republic 00420 Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia 00246 Djibouti 00253 Dominica 001767 Dominican Republic 001809 Ecuador 00593 Egypt 0020 El Salvador 00503 England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea 00240 Eritrea 00291 Estonia 00372 Ethiopia 00251 Falkland Islands 00500 Faroe Islands 00298 Fiji 00679 Finland 00358 France 0033 French Guiana 00594 French Polynesia 00689 Gabon 00241 Gambia 00220 Georgia 00995 Germany 0049 Ghana 00233 Gibraltar 00350 Greece 0030 Greenland 00299 Grenada 001473 Guadeloupe 00590 Guam 001671 Guatemala 00502 Guinea 00224 Guyana 00592 Haiti 00509 Holland (Netherlands) 0031 Honduras 00504 Hong Kong 00852 Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland 00354 India 0091 Indian Ocean 00873 Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686 Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland) 0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK) 0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

LIFESTYLE G o s s i p

Usher selling mansion where ex-wife lives

sher is selling the home he allows his exwife to live at. The ‘Numb’ singer has listed his Georgia mansion for $3.2 million which means his former spouse Tameka Foster will be evicted from the property. According to TMZ, Usher’s lawyer informed Tameka of his intention to sell the home - which he bought in 2007 when they were engaged - back in September. The R&B star had allowed her to live at the home with their two sons, Usher Raymond V, four, and Naviyd, three, as part of their 2009 divorce settlement but now Usher has sole custody of the youngsters he wants the money the property is worth and feels he has given his ex-wife enough time to make other living arrangements. The 12,544-squarefoot home boasts seven bathrooms, six bedrooms, a pool, in-home gym and a library. It was revealed last month Tameka has been threatened with eviction from the three retail spaces she rents in Georgia after she failed to pay her landlord the rent. Antelope Valley Plaza (AVP) claims she owes almost $37,000, plus late charges and unpaid taxes - resulting in a total of nearly $50,000. However Tameka, who runs a play area for children in the building, accused AVP of breaching their contract and requested for the case to be dropped.

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Hathaway says ‘Les Mis’

Stewart

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Pattinson used to ‘abuse’ celebrities obert Pattinson used to “abuse” famous people. The 26-year-old actor admits he gets a lot more negative attention from people back in the UK since appearing in the ‘Twilight Saga’ film series, but can understand their responses because he used to behave in the same way.

He said: “I used to be able to be in England and be fine.

No one had any idea who I was. It came later in England. “Now it’s relatively similar [to the US]. But I get a lot more abuse in England.

That’s just a general English attitude. I did the same thing to famous people. It’s just your instinct..” Despite his wealth and fame, Robert - who recently reunited with his co-star Kristen Stewart after a brief split when she admitted cheating on him with married director Rupert Sanders - insists he isn’t extravagant and doesn’t splash out on many luxuries. He told The Sun newspaper: “Fortunately I don’t really have any vices and I don’t have any extravagant fantasies like buying a yacht or something like that. “And I’m such a bad driver that I can’t even contemplate buying a great sports car.”

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cal and emotional.” She felt easily overwhelmed and says Shulman was understanding and supportive. The couple wed in September in Big Sur, California.

Hathaway wore a custom gown by Valentino whom she collaborated with on the design. Working with the designer is a memory she says she will “treasure forever.”

James Franco fell asleep on a date

he ‘Oz, The Great and Powerful’ actor took rumored girlfriend Ashley Benson to a midnight screening of new James Bond movie ‘Skyfall’ but the pair couldn’t keep their eyes open and kept nodding off throughout the film. One fellow moviegoer at Hollywood’s ArcLight Theater told the New York Post newspaper: “They tried to stay incognito catching a late show together. But both James and Ashley fell asleep. They were woken up by theatre staff at the end of the movie.” James was first linked to ‘Pretty Little Liars’ actress Ashley in September and insiders say the pair are smitten with each other. A source said last month: “They have been seeing each other for a little over a month, but things are going well.”

Last year, James - who claims he is single - revealed he had split from his long-term girlfriend Ahna O’Reilly after dating her for five years. He admitted the long-distance had become too much for them as he was studying English at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut, while she stayed in Los Angeles. He said: “That [relationship] lasted about four or five years. We’d been living together in LA then I came to New York to go to school for two years. “Then I signed up for more school at Yale. I think that was it for her.”

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DiCaprio

charity birthday bash

Minogue’s family ‘adores’ Andres ylie Minogue’s family “adore” her boyfriend Andres Velencoso. The 44-year-old singer who has been dating the model since 2008 is very settled with the 34-year-old hunk and admits her close friends and family share her enthusiasm towards the Spaniard. She said: “He’s just a great guy. Across the board, all my friends and family adore him.” While the ‘Spinning Around’ hitmaker is now happy and content with her life with Andres and her style, Kylie admits she tried “everything” to try to impress people with her fashion choices during her younger years. She added to HELLO! magazine: “I guess I tried out everything. I was game, eager to please and wanted the best end result.”

Although she is committed to Andres, Kylie - who split from French actor Olivier Martinez in 2007 after five years together - says she will never get married because she doesn’t want to feel “strangled” in her relationship, preferring to have “freedom”. She explained: “Being pigeon-holed or labeled this and that is something I’ve always felt strangled by. So I’m committed in my relationship, absolutely, and that’s not to say I will never get married but I need to know I can step outside this room. “I won’t, but I do need to know that mentally I have space and freedom. Others would want to know they had those strong foundations but I’m just a different make-up I guess.”

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eonardo DiCaprio celebrated his 38th birthday by hosting a charity bash. The ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ actor - who recently split with supermodel Erin Heatherton - threw a lavish birthday party at New York supper club The Darby, where guests included a host of his A-list pals like Beyonce Knowles and her husband Jay-Z, Robert De Niro and Cameron Diaz. The charitable star used the occasion to raise money for the Red Cross to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy by adding a fee to every bottle sold to be donated for charity.

Leonardo raised a total of $500,000 for American Red Cross, and all other donations went to charities supported by the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.

Guests - who also included Mark Ruffalo, Emma Watson, Chris Rock, and Miranda Kerr - were entertained by live performances from Django Reinhardt, Gary Clark Jr. and Eric Lewis. A notable party-goer was Australian actress Margot Robbie, who Leonardo has been spending time with following his split from Erin. The pair were recently spotted looking cosy at a party in Las Vegas.

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Silverstone struggled with fame licia Silverstone wanted to become ‘unfamous’ as soon as she hit the big time. The 36-year-old actress rose to fame after appearing in blockbuster movies including ‘Clueless’ and ‘Batman and Robin’ in the mid 90s, and found that she was unable to deal with being recognized and wanted to go back to the way she was before. She said: “It is hard to be famous when you are young, particularly if you did not have any plans. I wanted to become unfamous as fast as possible.” However, Alicia admits her fame had benefits, though she does think she pushed herself too hard. She added: “I don’t want to come across as a victim. “Fame brings money and I was able to buy a car at 18, a Ford Bronco, and buy a house a year later, which was a huge advantage. I did six movies back to back without a break which was a stupid thing to do.” Playing rich girl Cher in ‘Clueless’ also left Alicia - who has 17-month-old son Bear Blu with husband Christopher Jarecki - feeling she knew little about life because of how street-wise the character was. She told The Sun newspaper: “I also wish I’d had the strength to say how little I knew about life. ‘Clueless’ gave the impression I knew about fashion and sex - it was ridiculous because I didn’t.”

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Lawrence

risten Stewart has befriended “cool” Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Watson. Kristen has revealed the three actresses have all bonded by sharing their experiences as the stars of three of the biggest ever movie franchises. Jennifer plays ‘The Hunger Games’ protagonist Katniss Everdeen, Emma portrayed Hermione Granger in the eight Harry Potter films and Kristen shot to fame as Bella Swan in the ‘Twilight Saga’. Kristen told MTV News: “We talked about ... stuff. Jennifer is so cool. I was a lot younger than her when I first sort of entered this world of franchise land, and I don’t know, I guess we sort of both went, ‘Wow, this is so weird.’ “We were actually sat in a corner with Emma Watson as well, the three of us. We were like, ‘Wow, this is strange. This is really cool.’” The 22-year-old screen beauty - who recently reconciled with her boyfriend Robert Pattinson following a brief split after she cheated on him with director Rupert Sanders - admits it was “great” to bond with other stars who had been involved with similar experiences to her. She added: “I think people assume that actresses don’t want to [be friends]. It was kind of a great feeling, to be honest. I was like, ‘This is kind of just awesome.’ “

made her feel deprived nne Hathaway credits her new husband Adam Schulman for helping her get through the grueling filming of the screen adaptation of “Les Miserables.” In “Les Mis,” the 30-year-old actress plays Fantine, a struggling, sickly mother forced into prostitution in 1800s Paris. Hathaway lost 25 pounds (11 kilograms) and cut her hair for the role. She tells the December issue of Vogue that the part left her in a “state of deprivation, physi-

talks about

Peaches Geldof pregnant with her second child he 23-year-old socialite - who already has seven-month-old son Astala - is expecting another baby boy with her rocker husband Tom Cohen, but admitted she is nervous about becoming a mother again so soon. Peaches - who is into her fourth month of pregnancy - told Britain’s HELLO! magazine: “Finding out I was pregnant again so soon was quite a shock. Tom was so happy. He loves being a dad so much and is brilliant with Astala, who totally adores him, so he was over the moon. “I, on the other hand, did have a momentary panic and go, ‘Oh my god, we’re going to have a one-year-old and a one-month old! How will we cope?’“ The blonde star - who is the daughter of Bob Geldof and his late ex-wife Paula Yates - is planning to move out of London to raise her sons in Surrey, South East England, and she and Tom are delighted that Astala will have a brother to play with. She explained: “There are massive benefits to having two children so close together. Astala’s such a happy, sociable little boy, I think he will adore having a sibling... As much as I would love to have a daughter one day, I am thrilled Astala will have a brother. They can share clothes and toys and do boy stuff together.” Peaches plans to name her son Phaedra, and she explained: “It’s a name that comes from an ancient Greek play. But it also features in a song Tom and I both love called ‘Some Velvet Morning’ by Lee Hazlewood.” —Agencies

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

LIFESTYLE F e a t u r e s

‘Fashion icon’ Charles a hit with New Zealand crowds

ritain’s Prince Charles joked that he was a “fashion icon” in his New Zealand wool suit yesterday but politely deflected a cheeky suggestion he would look good in a pair of Speedo swimming briefs. The heir to the throne and his wife Camilla braved wet weather to greet hundred of wellwishers in Auckland on the final leg of a Pacific tour to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee. The rain failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd, some of whom had queued for hours to catch a glimpse of the royals. Charles and Camilla also visited the city’s Millennium Institute sports centre, where they met Olympians from the recent London Games and members of the New Zealand Warriors rugby league team.

Local woman Rachael Jones, in

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the centre’s pool for her daily dip, said she was caught unawares when the royals appeared and immediately apologized to Camilla for not being able to curtsey in the water. “I told (Charles) he would look good in a pair of Speedos,” she told reporters. “He said he’d have to hit the treadmill first. He laughed; he thought it was quite funny.” She said Charles and Camilla probably had the impression that “Gosh, these colonials are a little strange”.

After a trip over Auckland harbor on a Coast Guard boat, Charles watched sheep shearers at work at a wool exhibition and spoke at length about his efforts to promote the natural fibre, a major New Zealand export. “According to GQ magazine I am a fashion icon, so I just wanted you to know that I’m wearing some very, very smart gents’ natty New

Zealand wool,” he said, gesturing to his light grey pinstripe suit.

It is the seventh time Charles has visited New Zealand-most recently in 2005 — and a first time for Camilla. The pair, who have also toured Papua New Guinea and Australia on their Southern Hemisphere foray, have a rest day Tuesday before moving to Wellington. While in the capital, they will view props and sets from director Peter Jackson’s locally produced “The Hobbit” movies and Charles will celebrate his 64th birthday. The trip ends Friday in Christchurch, whose residents are still recovering after a catastrophic earthquake last year claimed 185 lives. —AFP

Britain’s Prince Charles attempts a netball shot as his wife Camilla looks on after meeting the New Zealand Silver Ferns netball team at the Millenium Sports Institute, in Auckland yesterday. —AFP

DTFF 2012 unveils extensive roster of fun activities oha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF), the annual cultural celebration of Doha Film Institute (DFI), has unveiled an extensive line-up of family and youth-centered activities for its fourth edition of Family Days, to be held from November 21 to 24, 2012. Featuring Family Day Screenings, Kid’s Red Carpet experiences, DFI Kids Access Programme, stage performances, roaming entertainment and performers, arts and crafts workshops, sports, storytelling, puppetry, games, film-making activities and performances from local schools and community groups among others.

DFI Family Days will showcase films for youth including E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Cinema Paradiso at the DFI Sony Open-Air Cinema ; while Kids’ Red Carpets and Festival Films include Asterix & Obelix: In Britain 3D and Rise of the Guardians 3D at Katara Cultural Village.

Other family-friendly films in the Festival’s slate include Storm Surfers 3D, Children of Heaven, My Neighbor Totoro, and No Entry for Men. Bringing a true celebration of community involvement in Qatar’s cinematic landscape, DFI Kids Access Programme, supported by production assistants from Qatar University, Northwestern University in Qatar and DFI Productions, , will feature a group of enthusiastic children who will cover every aspect of the ageappropriate events during the Festival. , The young reporters will be documenting everything from red carpet premiers and panel discussions to creating their own original content.

Additional activities will include a Sony/51 East Game Lab with Sony Playstation and Playstation Move, Gran Turismo 5 Gaming Pod, and a Hollywood ‘Hot Set’ photo opportunity.

Select audience members will also be welcomed on set to become a news anchor, a camera operator, or a weather reporter with Northwestern University in Qatar’s “Daily Q Live” newsroom on

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A platinum and diamond neck- A diamond and sapphire ring recov- This undated combination image made available by lace recovered from the Titanic ered from the Titanic.

Henry Aldridge and Son Auctioneers shows notes is seen in an image made from made by the captain. video. —AP photos

Recovered Titanic jewels to go on display

ost of the jewelry recovered from the wreckage of the Titanic will go on public display for the first time with a three-city tour. The jewelry is from a single purser’s bag found during a 1987 research and recovery mission. The collection includes diamond and sapphire rings, brooches, necklaces, cuff links and a gold pocket watch.

Although single pieces of the jewelry have been on display at one or more permanent and traveling exhibits sponsored by Premier Exhibitions Inc., their Atlanta debut is the first time the majority of the collection has been available to the public.

In a nondescript industrial office in north Atlanta, Premier Exhibitions Inc. and RMS Titanic Inc. officials previewed the artifacts

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before they go on display Friday in Atlanta.

Exhibition company Premier is the parent of RMS Titanic, which owns the rights to salvage from the luxury liner’s wreck on the bottom of the North Atlantic. Alexandra Klingelhofer, vice president of collections for RMS Titanic Inc., said the purpose of the exhibit is to show the public the wonder of exploration.

“Going down two and a half miles below the ocean, recovering a bag, bringing it back up and opening it and finding ... jewelry,” Klingelhofer said. “We’re able to give them a glimpse of how it must have been to have opened that for the first time and to see, together, the beautiful jewelry of the Edwardian Period.” Conservators and curators have been studying and preserving the jewel-

Ronald Abdala presents his Spring-Summer 2013 Collection - L’heure Bleue onald Abdala is proud to present his Spring/Summer 2013 collection, entitled “L’heureBleue”. The French expression l’heure Bleue(The Blue Hour) is the period of twilight,where day and night converge and the skyline glows with a brilliant array of hues - blues, oranges, pinks, yellows, and whites. It is also an hour where the small creatures of dawn and dusk emerge, (beetles, crickets, fireflies...) creating the familiar melodies of nature at sunrise and sundown.

Fittingly, these aspects of color, harmony, and hidden creatures, feature strongly in Ronald’s Spring/Summer 2013 collection. We find them in his chosen palette of striking fuchsias and oranges,dusk and powder blues, off whites and soft creams, and of course the staple black.

Designs focus on fluidity and draping, with Ronald’s signature structured detailing.

Embellishments are highlighted through a play of discreet and bold firefly and beetle motifs, in laser cut leather. The transparency of silks, tulles, and chiffons is combined with opaque silk cottons, jerseys, crepes, and lames, finished with fabric covered pearl beads along trims and collars.

As a collection, L’HeureBleue conjures romance and glamour, withnostalgia forthe French and/or Lebanese Riviera ofthe 60s. In terms of design and creativity, it is one of Ronald Abdala’s strongest collections to date, and bears his signature trademarks - fromelegant draping and subtle structured cuts, to edgy forms and themes of embellishments.

Ronald is one of Lebanon’s most up-and-coming modern fashion designers, and has received notable international recognition since launching his brand in 2007. This bold creative tends to favor a juxtaposition of structured cuts, origamilike patterns, and creative detailing, crafted with noble, rich fabrics and delicate hand-embroideries. Ronald’s couture designs have also become a fixture in Hollywood’s red carpet events, dressing of late Kim Kardashian, Stana Katic, Jessica Lowndes, and Nikki Reed - to name a few.

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ry to gain a better understanding of individual passengers’ lives aboard the ill-fated voyage.

“Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” opened in Atlanta earlier this year to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912. Klingelhofer said this jewelry mini-exhibit is being added to provide personal insight.

“We are constantly researching the artifacts, learning more about their story, and we thought jewelry is so beautiful and responds well to people,” she said. After a two-month exhibit at Premier’s display gallery at the Atlantic Station development, the jewels will travel to Orlando, Fla., and Las Vegas. —AP

location. Other participating organizations include the Ministry of Social Affairs, Mathaf, and MADA. Over 20 student hosts from numerous local schools including Al Wakra Secondary School and Qatar International School will facilitate the events during Family Day. The hosts will be recruited in collaboration with Qatar Foundation International.

Katara will also come to life with a host of musicians and performers including the Mighty Jokerz breakdance group, Capoeira Martial Arts Demonstrations, Team Spirit Drum Circles, The Marasi Ensemble from the Qatar Music

Asterix & Obelix in Britain Academy, and Doha Jazz, among others, in addition to fire dancers, acrobats, and percussionists, all celebrating the collaboration of film, music, and the arts.

DFI will also host a DTFF Family Panel, “Express Yourself!” inviting young enthusiasts and families to explore how artists express themselves cinematically, through discussion, demonstrations and hands-on participation.

The panel will place emphasis on the use of animation, dance, and music to encourage audiences to discover their creative potential.

Moderated by Mohammed Saeed Harib, the creator of Freej, the panel will also include hiphop artists Arabian Knightz, Malikah, and Omar Hakim of the breakdance group the Mighty Jokerz.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

lifestyle F E E A T U R E S

Bieber, Swift MTV P

US singer Taylor Swift shows off her three prizes during the 2012 MTV European Music Awards show at the Festhalle in Frankfurt, central Germany, and Sunday. — AP photos

Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen performs.

op superstars Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift dominated the 19th annual MTV Europe Music Awards Sunday, but South Korean Internet phenomenon Psy clinched the coveted Best Video prize. Canadian heartthrob Bieber, fresh from breaking up with his girlfriend of two years, Selena Gomez, scooped Best Male Artist for the third year in a row, with millions of fans voting to name the winners. Bieber, 18, who did not attend the ceremony in the western German city of Frankfurt, also bagged Best Pop Act and Best World Stage Performance. Swift of the US claimed the gong for Best Female Artist from presenter Lana Del Rey as the show got underway and went on to pick up honours for Best Live Act and Best Look.

“This is my very first EMA-I’m so excited,” said the 22-year-old blonde, who later dressed up as a circus ringleader to perform her hit “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” in the show’s finale.” This was our first European tour-thank you for giving me one more amazing reason to come back and see you.” Psy, whose single “Gangnam Style” has more than 700 million views on YouTube and spawned countless videos copying his signature horse-riding dance, paid tribute to his wife of six years and loved ones back home when he picked up his award. “I’d like to thank all my family who’s got to live with a selfish job, with a selfish guy,” the 34-year-old quipped.

Han Geng of China beat out Rihanna for Best Worldwide Act, awarded for only the second time. The 24-year-old Barbadian beauty, who had led with six nominations, went home empty-handed, as did flamboyant US trailblazer Lady Gaga, who was up for three awards. Del Ray claimed Best Alternative Act and Nicki Minaj won for Best Hip Hop. The Best Song prize went to Canada’s Carly Rae Jepsen for the catchy “Call Me Maybe”, which she collected from US reality show star Kim Kardashian. “All I can say is I was not expecting this,” she said as she hoisted the statuette, a globe topped with a wobbling MTV logo on a spring.

Jepsen, 26, thanked Bieber, who set her song on its trajectory by promoting it online. German-born supermodel Heidi Klum, 39, hosted the show, and made her entrance at the century-old Festhalle, decorated for a circus tent theme, in a sexy bridal gown and jaunty black top hat. She sat perched on a trapeze as the prize handout began. Kardashian had a minor wardrobe malfunction when she came on stage as a spike heel got caught in the train of her low-cut black Stephane Rolland gown, leading her to stumble.”I’m clumsy,” she later joked backstage. US soul singer Alicia Keys led a tribute to Whitney Houston, as Beyonce lent a voice-over to a video in honour of the late US singer. A further shout-out went to Beastie Boy Adam Yauch, who died of cancer in May. The MTV Europe Awards are held each year in a different European city, with past hosts including Belfast in 2011, Madrid in 2010 and Berlin in 2009.

The show featured a few innovations this time, with “Knight Rider” and “Baywatch” star David “The Hoff” Hasselhoff serving as the show’s “social media correspondent” and offering live commentary on Twitter and joining Psy for a cameo during his live performance. British newcomer Rita Ora opened the show with a spectacular pyrotechnic-studded performance of her hit “R.I.P”, followed by acts including US indie band fun, No Doubt, Jepsen, Keys and Las Vegas rockers The Killers. — AFP

big winners at Europe Music Awards

Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen shows off her both awards.

US singer Taylor Swift performs.

Chinese singer Han Geng presents his award as Best Worldwide Act. Justin Bieber performs.

Canadian singer-songwriter Justin Bieber is seen on the screen during the 2012 MTV European Music Awards.

South Korean singer Psy performs .

US singer-songwriter Alicia Keys performs.

US actor David Hasselhoff poses for photographers at the 2012 MTV European Music Awards (EMA).

US Singer Alicia Keys holds the MTV Global Icon Prize award attributed to late US singer Whitney Houston.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

lifestyle F E E A T U R E S

US singer Taylor Swift performs.

List of winners at theMTV Europe Awards

US rapper Pitbull performs award.

* Best Female Artist: Taylor Swift * Best Male Artist: Justin Bieber * Best Song: Carly Rae Jepsen, ‘Call Me Maybe’ * Best Video: Psy, ‘Gangnam Style’ * Best Worldwide Act: Han Geng (China) * Best Pop Act: Justin Bieber * Best Electronic: David Guetta * Best Rock: Linkin Park * Best New Act: One Direction * Best Alternative: Lana Del Rey * Best Hip Hop: Nicki Minaj * Best Live Act: Taylor Swift * Best World Stage Performance: Justin Bieber * MTV Global Icon Prize: Whitney Houston. — AFP

S Korean Psy presents his award for the best video.

US singer-songwriter Alicia Keys holds an award before presenting it.

British singer-songwriter Rita Ora.

US actor Brett Davern poses.

South Korean Psy performs.

US indie pop band Fun performs.

A costumed performer poses for photographers on the red carpet .

US socialite Kim Kardashian speaks on stage.

German supermodel and show host Heidi Klum hosts the 2012 MTV European Music Awards (EMA).

The 2012 MTV European Music Awards (EMA).

British rock band Muse perform.

US singer-songwriter Alicia Keys performs.

US rock band No Doubt perform.

Bieber, Swift big winners at MTV Europe Music Awards

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2012

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A costumed performer poses for photographers on the red carpet for the 2012 MTV European Music Awards (EMA) at the Festhalle in Frankfurt am Main, central Germany. —AFP

S Korea’s top cultural treasure rises from the ashes ive years ago, as he watched TV images of South Korea’s foremost historical treasure being engulfed in

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In this picture taken on October 9, 2012, a craftsman works on ornamental painting of South Korea’s foremost historical treasure, Namdaemun (South Gate), which was engulfed in flames lit by an arsonist on February 10, 2008. —AFP photos

flames lit by a lone arsonist, Hong Chang-Won remembers having to turn his head away. “It was too heartbreaking to see such beautiful architecture being destroyed like that,” said Hong, a registered master craftsman who specializes in traditional Korean ornamental painting. Seoul’s 600-year-old Namdaemun (South Gate), listed as “National Treasure Number One” and a source of immense cultural pride, was burned pretty much to the ground on February 10, 2008.

The largely wooden structure that had managed to survive the devastation of the 1950-53 Korean War was reduced to ashes by a disgruntled 69-year-old man with some paint thinner and a cigarette lighter. Nearly five years later, following one of the longest, most expensive restoration projects ever undertaken in South Korea that involved scores of highly-skilled artisans like Hong, Namdaemun is ready to return. The restored landmark is set to be unveiled, on schedule, in late December. From the outset of the 25 billion won ($22.7 million) project, the Cultural Heritage Administration had decided that the reconstruction work should be carried out as faithfully to the original as possible. “It has been extremely difficult, but given that it’s Korea’s landmark, we put traditional methods and materials as our highest priority,” said the head of the administration’s restoration team, Cho Kyu-Hyung. “The building holds not only a historical significance, but also a great symbolic meaning for all Koreans,” Cho told AFP during a preview tour.

Building from the past Historians and master craftsmen using traditional construction techniques were invited to review documents dating

back centuries, as well as a blueprint drawn up in 1963 when the government dismantled the gate for repair work. “The only modern ‘tools’ that we used were trucks to deliver the stone and timber.

Otherwise everything was done using original technologies,” Cho said. Molten steel was poured into special moulds to fashion traditional-style nails, while all 22,000 roof tiles were handmade.

Hundreds of pieces of pine timber had all been cut and allowed to dry out naturally-a process that takes several years-and the stonework was cut and crafted with traditional tools. Decorative paints, however, had to be imported from Japan, since the art of making them in the traditional fashion, without chemicals, had been lost among Korean specialists.

Six master craftsmen specializing in stonecraft, woodcraft, roof tiles and ornamental painting were invited onto the project, said Cho, with each craftsman assisted by as many as 40 licensed apprentices. As the expert in charge of the painting, Hong’s team was the last to work on the project and he watched carefully as the apprentices followed his outlines of lotus flowers and leaf patterns drawn on the giant timbers. “We tried hard to restore the colors and styles of the time when it was actually built,” Hong said.

“At first glance, the newer Namdaemun might look less colorful and rather toned down, but it will look much more serene and graceful,” he added.

The dominant colors were of light blue and dark green, with more vivid tones of orange and red used only as highlights.

The patterns were copied from temples built around the same time, as well as pictures taken from the early 1900s. “And

since some pillars remained intact even after the fire, we also took them into account,” Hong said.

Protecting for the future The pagoda-style, two-storey gate located in the centre of downtown Seoul was first constructed in 1398, then rebuilt in 1447 and renovated several times after that. The structure that burned down in 2008 had still contained some 600-yearold timber. The fire took out the entire roof, most of the upper floor and some of the lower floor. Proposals to give the restored version a fire-resistant coat was rejected, Cho said, because it would have caused some discoloration of the paintwork. “We did research and tests and came to conclusion that the best solu-

tion was to take every possible precautionary measure, such as installing thermal sensors around the building,” Cho said.

The destruction of Namdaemun sent shock waves through the country, with sorrowful Seoul residents swarming around the charred ruin, laying flowers and writing grieving messages. The arsonist, Chae Jong-Gi, was eventually jailed for 10 years. A court ruled he had “inflicted unbearable agony on the people and damaged national pride,” noting that the gate had been considered “the treasure among all treasures which had survived all kinds of historic disasters”. —AFP

Craftsmen restore South Korea’s foremost historical treasure, Namdaemun (South Gate).

A gray wall conceals South Korea’s foremost historical treasure, Namdaemun (South Gate).

Craftsmen restore South Korea’s foremost historical treasure.

Ornamental paint is shown under the roofs of South Korea’s foremost historical treasure, Namdaemun.

Craftsmen restore South Korea’s foremost historical treasure, Namdaemun (South Gate).