15th Nov

CR IP TI ON BS SU 150 FILS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

MOHARRAM 1, 1434 AH

www.kuwaittimes.net

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NO: 15628

Israel kills top Hamas chief in Gaza offensive Israel proposes ‘toppling’ Abbas over UN bid

Politics, oil poison economy KUWAIT: To gauge the impact of Kuwait’s political deadlock on its economy, access the Internet with a fixed-line broadband connection. The line is slow, very slow - half the speed of a connection in other wealthy Gulf Arab states, according to a senior telecommunications executive. The Ministry of Communications owns and operates the country’s fixed-line infrastructure, with the four major Internet service providers paying the government to use it. But the largely copper-based network cannot carry enough bandwidth to satisfy consumer demand, according to Essa Al-Kooheji, general manager at Qualitynet, which has an estimated 45 percent market share for fixed-line Internet.

Only about 15 percent of fixed-line broadband connections in the country use faster fibre optic lines, which are relatively common elsewhere in the Gulf, Kooheji said. “We receive lots of calls from customers who want to upgrade and take the maximum speed for the price available, but they cannot do so,” he told Reuters in September. “The government should put more effort into improving the telecom infrastructure rather than cutting prices.”

For many businessmen, Kuwait is a frustrating contradiction: A fabulously rich country which is Continued on Page 15

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Dubai nabs man with $1m heroin in stomach DUBAI: Customs officials at Dubai airport have arrested an Asian man attempting to smuggle 1.58 kg of heroin worth $1.2 million in his stomach, local media reported yesterday. “The contraband was stuffed in 133 capsules concealed in the guts of an Asian passenger” who arrived at Dubai International Airport, local daily Khaleej Times reported. The man was subjected to a body scan and under questioning said he was planning to deliver the drugs to someone living in Dubai in return for a cash payment, the report said, without identifying the suspect or his nationality. It said that in a series of busts in May and October, Dubai customs foiled seven attempts to smuggle a total of 6.6 kg of heroin through the UAE’s borders worth around $2.7 million. Trafficking in drugs is punishable by death in the United Arab Emirates though sentences are often reduced to life imprisonment.

GREEN ISL AND, Australia: A total solar eclipse is observed in Queensland state yesterday. —AP (See Page 28)

10 killed as Iran rescue chopper crashes in fog TEHRAN: Ten people were killed yesterday when a rescue helicopter ferrying wounded people from a vehicle accident to hospital hit power lines and crashed to the ground in northeastern Iran, media reported. Those who died included four members of the helicopter crew, five people who had been wounded in the minibus crash and a medic from the emergency services. “Eight people were killed on the spot and two people wounded in the crash died later in hospital,” local emergency medical services official Reza Vafaeenejad told the ISNA news agency. The report quoted an emergency services official in Mashhad as saying the rescue chopper was taking people wounded in a vehicle accident to hospital in the city when it hit high voltage power lines in thick fog. The “helicopter belonged to the air force and was on lease to the emergency services”, the official said.

GAZA CITY: Palestinian men carry the body of a baby to the Shifa Hospital following an Israeli air strike yesterday. An Israeli strike also killed Hamas’ top commander in Gaza Ahmed Al-Jaabari (inset). — AFP

Max 27º Min 14º High Tide 13:13 Low Tide 06:36 & 18:02

GAZA: Israel launched a major offensive against Palestinian militants in Gaza yesterday, killing the top military commander of Hamas in an air strike and threatening an invasion of the enclave that the Islamist group vowed would “open the gates of hell”. The onslaught shattered hopes that a truce mediated on Tuesday by Egypt could pull the two sides back from the brink of war after five days of escalating Palestinian rocket attacks and Israeli strikes at militant targets.

Operation “Pillar of Defence” began with a surgical strike on a car carrying the commander of the military wing of Hamas, the Islamist movement which controls Gaza and dominates a score of smaller armed groups.

Within minutes of the death of Ahmed Al-Jaabari, big explosions were rocking Gaza, as the Israeli air force struck at selected targets just before sundown, blasting plumes of smoke and debris high above the crowded city. Panicking civilians ran for cover and the death toll mounted quickly. Seven people including two girls under the age of five were killed, the health ministry said. A second Gaza war has loomed on the horizon for months as waves of Palestinian rocket attacks and Israeli strikes grew increasingly more intense and frequent.

Hamas said Jaabari, who ran the organisation’s armed wing, Izz el-Deen Al-Qassam, died along with an unnamed associate when their car was blown apart by an Israeli missile. The charred and mangled wreckage of a car could be seen belching flames, as emergency crews picked up what appeared to be body parts. The strike prompted an outpouring of grief and anger, with armed men firing weapons into the air outside Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, and mosques throughout the city calling prayers to mourn the commander’s death.

Israel confirmed it had carried out the attack and announced there was more to come.

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Oppn steps up boycott campaign Chief blasts Awazem candidates • Six young tweeters arrested

By B Izzak KUWAIT: The opposition decided yesterday to launch a campaign in all the five constituencies to boycott the Dec 1 general elections after it said that its boycott of candidate registration had been very successful. Speaking after a meeting of former opposition MPs and youth activists, former MP Jamaan Al-Harbash said that it has been decided that former lawmakers will coordinate in each constituency with youth activists to call on people to boycott the ballots.

The opposition had already formed a popular committee for boycotting the election and the committee created sub-committees in various constituencies to coordinate the boycott campaign which the opposition hopes would be large in order to politically delegitimize the next National Assembly. Harbash said that the opposition is pleased with the fact that none of its members has registered to run for seats in the upcoming elections and said he is confident the Kuwaiti people will also boycott the ballot boxes.

The former lawmaker also said the opposition is pleased with the huge attendance of last Sunday’s rally at the Irada Square opposite the Assembly, saying that it was the largest gathering ever at the square, even larger than the one in November last year that led to the resignation of the former prime minister. Harbash did not say if the opposition plans to organize new demonstrations like the previous two on Oct 21 and Nov 4.

In a related development, the chief of Awazem tribe, Falah bin Jame yesterday strongly criticized members of his tribe who registered as candidates in the election, saying that he will never receive them at his diwaniya if they do not pull out. Jame insisted that the Awazem, the largest Bedouin tribe in Kuwait, will boycott voting in the December election because of the one-vote system, saying that he strongly backs the boycott but is against rallies and demonstrations.

Authorities meanwhile have summoned six young tweeters for investigation over accusations that they undermined the status of HH the Amir on the Twitter. The tweeters, who include a woman, were interrogated at the detectives department and then referred to the public prosecution, which will officially interrogate them over the same charge. The prosecution may release them on bail pending further interrogation or remand them in custody for 10 days.

Al-Sayer releases the world’s luxury icon

Election row swelling into bigger debate KUWAIT: What started as a dispute over voting rules in Kuwait has mushroomed into a debate about the balance of power between HH the Amir and parliament, with implications for other Gulf dynasties facing reform pressure since the Arab Spring. Thousands of Kuwaitis have regularly taken to the streets since late October to protest at Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlSabah’s decision to amend the electoral law before a parliamentary election on Dec 1. While public demonstrations about local issues are common in a state that allows the most dissent in the Gulf, Kuwait - a major oil producer and US ally in a precarious region facing US arch-foe Iran - has avoided Arab Spring-style mass unrest that toppled three veteran Arab dictators last year.

But in a conscious echo of slogans used in other parts of the Arab world, some demonstrators at an opposition-led rally on Nov 11 chanted “The people want to bring down the decree!” and a slogan addressed to the Amir: “We won’t allow you!” The Amir, described as “immune and inviolable” in the constitution, has said his emergency decree to reduce the number of votes per citizen to one from four will streamline the electoral system and help preserve national unity. Opposition groups say the changes will skew the vote in favour of candidates close to the government, which is run by a prime minister appointed

by Sheikh Sabah and whose top posts are filled by members of the ruling family.

“We are seeing the emergence of a very vibrant, assertive and dynamic civil society that is seeking a transformation in the power relations and structure of the state,” said Shafeeq Ghabra, professor of political science at Kuwait University. “It is going as far as (demanding) a constitutional, parliamentary monarchy.

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KUWAIT: Minister of Public Works Fadel Safar signs a deal to build the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Causeway yesterday. — KUNA

$2.6bn bridge contract inked with Hyundai KUWAIT: Kuwait yesterday signed a contract for the longdelayed KD 738 million ($2.6 billion) causeway project with a consortium led by South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co, the local partner said. Combined Group Contracting Co announced on the Kuwait bourse website that the contract for the main bridge of the causeway was signed with the ministry of public works. It said CGCC’s share in the 37.5-km causeway project is 21.5 percent, while Hyundai owns the rest.

The causeway, to be named after late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, will be built over Kuwait Bay and link the capital Kuwait City with the northern Subbiya area, which is to become home to the Silk City project. The $77 billion Silk City aims to revive the ancient Silk Road trade route by becoming a major free trade zone linking central Asia with Europe. The city, on the northern tip of Kuwait on the Iraqi border, will include what could be the tallest tower in the world. When complete in 2030, it will be home to around 700,000 people and is projected to create 450,000 jobs. Subbiya is also a few kilometers away from a huge multi-billion-dollar container harbour being built on Bubiyan Island.

Minister of Public Works Fadel Safar, speaking during the signing ceremony, described the project as one of the largest development ventures in the country, and that its execution coincided with implementation of the government’s development scheme. — Agencies

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Jawad Bukhamseen (fifth from left), Becky Wilson, Spence Wilson, Emad Bukhamseen in a group photo with Kuwait Crowne Plaza Management and the Bukhamssen group.—Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Crowne Plaza Kuwait celebrates 30 years of success KUWAIT: Crowne Plaza Kuwait, one of the country’s most popular hotels, celebrated its 30th anniversary yesterday. The hotel, which opened its doors in 1982, began life as Holiday Inn Kuwait - one of the first Holiday Inn hotels in the Middle East. A testament to Jawad Bukhamseen’s pioneering spirit, the signing of the contract in 1977 with Kemmons Wilson, Founder of Holiday Inn, helped to kick-start the growth of the brand in the region.

At a press conference yesterday joining Bukhamseen to commemorate this milestone was Spence Wilson, son of Kemmons Wilson, and his wife Becky in addition to management from Crowne Plaza Kuwait and the Bukhamseen group.

The celebrations at the hotel are part of a tour the Wilson family are undertaking across the Middle East and India, to commemorate the Holiday Inn brands 60th anniversary. Launched in Memphis, Tennessee in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson, the brand has become one of the most recognizable hotel brands in the world. Marking the occasion, Jawad Bukhamseen, founder and owner of the hotel and Chairman of Bukhamseen Group Holding Company, said “Thirty years is a significant’ milestone for any hotel. I’m very proud of how far we’ve come and how successful the hotel has been since it was opened in 1982. Through the years we’ve continued to expand, grow and develop, always with our guests’ inter-

ests at heart. We have kept our loyal guests and attracted new ones, and built an enviable reputation.”

Bukhamseen added, “It’s an honor to have Spence Wilson and his wife Becky here to share this milestone with us. When I signed the contract with Spence’s father, the family values of the brand were a key part of my decision to put the Holiday Inn name above the hotel door. I welcome them back here today as members of our family.”

Wilson commented “We’re very proud to be part of this hotel’s heritage. Holiday Inn has made its mark in the Middle East, and this hotel played a key role ever since it opened in Kuwait in 1982. We’d like to thank Bukhamseen and his family for their continued support and the integral part they have played in helping to move the brand forward in the Middle East. I wish him and the hotel continued success.” In the past 30 years, the hotel has expanded substantially, remaining relevant and current for both local and international guests. Today Crowne Plaza Kuwait, which rebranded in 1997, boasts more than 300 rooms, 3500m2 of event facilities, four popular ballrooms and seven distinctive restaurants. Its leisure facilities are second-to-none in the city, with a 3500m2 spa and a state-of-the-art health club. The hotel has won numerous accolades in recognition of its continued success including ‘Best Business Hotel’ by Business Traveller Middle East in 2011.

Jawad Bukhamseen shaking hands with Spence Wilson.

Emad Bukhamseen, Spence Wilson and Jawad Bukhamseen.

Spence Wilson and Hani Kafafi.

Spence Wilson with Kuwait Times’ Adnan Saad.

Obama re-election to help end Kuwait-Iraq issues Baghdad pins hopes on PM’s visit

By A. Saleh KUWAIT: The re-election of the United States President Barack Obama raises the chances for Kuwait and Iraq to end pending issues between them and reinforce their bilateral relations, a senior Iraqi official said yesterday. “US President Barack Obama’s win for a second term increases the chances for improving the Kuwait-Iraq relations since he adopts an approach that is based on mediation and convergence between conflicting countries in the region,” said official spokesman of the Iraqi Government Ali Al-Dabagh, adding that the re-election will help “promote efforts to end pending issues between the two countries as they move forward to remove UN Chapter VII sanctions from Iraq.”

Al-Dabagh further indicated that his government is “looking forward to the visit of Kuwait’s Prime Minister HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak” to Baghdad.

He said he hoped that the talks during the visit would lead towards resolution of issues such as “the compensations and prisoners of war”.

“The Iraq-Kuwait relations should be put on the right track because tensions must not continue,” he added.

Jaber causeway A Municipal Council member announced plans to file a complaint with the Public Prosecution regarding a multimillion contract signed by the Ministry of Public Works to establish a new oversea causeway, a project she described as ‘the biggest theft of all times’. Minister of Public Works Dr. Fadhel Safar yesterday signed the KD738 million contract to build the Jaber causeway. “How can a bridge that cuts just 28 minutes cost KD738 million?” Municipal Council member Ashwaq Al-Mudhaf said yesterday, adding that the purpose for which the project was being built no longer existed after the Jahra Road was established. Al-Mudhaf further indicated that the project was in the past rejected by the State Audit Bureau and Environment Public Authority. “The tender was only awarded after its cost was reduced by KD80 million,” she further indicated.

Highway billboards The supreme national committee for elections yesterday decided to suspend an order by the Kuwait Municipality allowing candidates’ advertisements on hoardings near highways and town squares. The deci-

sion, passed by the committee’s president Ahmad Al-Ujail, was made on the basis of a regulation that existed before the municipality’s order was made this year as per which billboards can only be put up near election camps. The decision was taken to achieve transparency and provide a level playing ground among all candidates, said the committee in a statement yesterday.

Opposition’s motives The opposition failed to address Um Al-Haiman’s pollution crisis despite having a majority in the parliament elected last February, which proved that a grilling motion they filed in the 2009 parliament in this regard was aimed only at targeting the then prime minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah personally, fifth constituency candidate Khalid Al-Adwah said yesterday. Al-Adwah further indicated in a statement that the opposition’s decision to boycott the elections was made for ‘pragmatic reasons’ and not ideological. “They realized that they were going to lose the election, which is why they refused to contest,” he said, arguing at the same time that at least 65 percent of the Kuwaiti people support the Amiri decree which entitles each citizen to a single vote instead of four.

Drug smuggler, peddlers nabbed

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Abdaly customs arrested a Pakistani trailer driver on charges of trying to smuggle half a kilogram of “shabow” drugs. The driver was coming from Iraq. After he arrived at the border, customs officers inspecting the trailer found the drugs that were hidden in the driver’s cabin.

Separately, drugs enforcement agents yesterday arrested two Asian expats for possessing 250 gm of heroin. Earlier, information was received about one of them trading in drugs, and after taking necessary legal permission, the first suspect was caught with five grams after selling it to the agents. He provided information on the second suspect, and after searching his house, they found 250 gm of heroin. Both confessed and were sent to concerned authorities.

‘Distillery’ busted Meanwhile, Hawally security men raided a “distillery” where local liquor was being brewed in Salmiya, where they found 1,574 bottles of liquor, 54 drums containing liquor and a number of gas cylinders and tools used in producing the moonshine.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

LOCAL

Quran contest becomes ‘a religious and social event’ Amir attends awards ceremony KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah graced with his presence the awards ceremony of the 16th grand Quran recitation and memorization Contest at Bayan Palace early yesterday. HH the Amir was received at the venue of the ceremony by Minister of Oil and Acting Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Hani Abudulaziz Hussein, Secretary General of Awqaf General Secretariat Abdulmohsen AlKharafi and members of the Quran contest standing committee.

HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, fromer House Speaker Jassem Al-Kharafi, HH Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak

Al-Hamad Al-Sabah were also at the ceremony. The event also saw the presence of First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah and a host of state officials.

Minister Hussein, in a speech, said that the contest has become a “religious and social event” throughout the years. He praised the role of the Ministry of Awqaf in being part of the country’s comprehensive development plan.

Hussein noted that the Ministry has always been in support of the needy, both locally and internationally. It (the ministry) also paid utmost attention to use the latest technolo-

gies to develop its charity projects, he pointed out. Hussein said that this year’s contest saw the participation of 2,141 contestants in comparison to that of last year, where it only saw 747 participants. Winners of this year amounted to 154.

On his part, Al-Kharafi addressed the event by saying that charity is considered one of the solidarity and generosity aspects enjoyed by the Kuwaiti people, who never hesitate to aid the underprivileged.

He called on diversifying charity work and taking them out of their traditional forms of building mosques to keep up with the modernity of this advanced age. At the end of the event, HH the Amir presented awards to the winners. —KUNA

Hepatitis A outbreak ‘a fact’ KUWAIT: Rumors about an outbreak of Hepatitis A virus in Kuwait are in fact accurate, a local newspaper reported yesterday quoting Ministry of Health sources who disagree with the ‘reticence policy’ reportedly adopted by the ministry in handling the issue.

Several top officials including Director of the Infectious Diseases Hospital Dr. Jamaal Al-Duaij denied the rumors earlier, but the sources who

RIYADH: GCC interior ministers’ meeting in progress.

High-level security coordination among GCC member states RIYADH: Kuwait First Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah said Tuesday there was a high-level security coordination among the GCC countries for facing future challenges.

Sheikh Ahmad was speaking to KUNA shortly before leaving Riyadh following his participation in the GCC interior ministers’ meeting.

The final statement of the one -day meeting included resolutions and recom-

mendations that would activate common security strategies and plans, he said.

Sheikh Ahmad said the meeting resulted in “very important” decisions aimed at addressing present, urgent and future challenges.

Sheik h Ahmad, meanwhile, sent a ca bl e to th e Saudi inter i o r m inister Prince Mohammad bin Nayef to thank him for organizing the meeting and hospitality.—kuna

—Photo by Josrph Shagra

Autism experts narrate experience

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: The Kuwait Center for Autism held a seminar titled ‘Autism Around the World’ at its premises on Tuesday. The Center welcomed a delegation of the World Autism Organization (WAO) which held its meeting yesterday to discuss the preparations for the 4th International Autism Congress that will be held in Kuwait. This seminar was held under the auspices of Dr. Khalid Al-Sahlawi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health.

International experts from around the world participated in this seminar, narrating their experience of working in different countries in the field of healthcare for autistic persons. They also highlighted the modern scientific innovations in this field. The experts included Dr. Paul Shattock from the United Kingdom, Jill Stacey from South Africa, Rogelio Garza from Mexico, Isabel Bayonas from Spain, Natalia Blanco from Spain, and Dr. Samira Al-Saad from Kuwait.

Dr. Khalid Al-Sahlawi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health highlighted the efforts of the Ministry of Health in providing technical and moral support and catering to the medical needs of all categories of disabled people in general.

“At the Ministry, we provide doctors and support special studies for people with autism. The increasing number of autistic cases is a result of the medical awareness in the community. Teachers have also played a role in early detection of some cases of autism during the first stages of the patient’s age,” he noted. Dr. Samira Al-Saad, Vice President of the WAO, and the Founder and Director of Kuwait Center for Autism noted

that struggle with autism is the same all over the world, including the developed countries. “Autistic patients need special care and education. They need to learn and to stay happy. The most important need for the autistic children is to have loving teachers with big hearts,” she pointed out. On her part, Jill Stacey, National Director of Autism in South Africa made a presentation about the general situation and educational status of autistic kids in South Africa. “Out of the 135,000 children presumed to be afflicted with autism, only 650 are receiving education at seven state subsidized schools. In South Africa, there are two centers for adults with autism, and just 0.03 percent of autistic persons are receiving proper care,” she said, painting a grim picture. She also said that society was rife with some religious and cultural beliefs that the autistic children are run by demons. Often, such children are tied to a tree or a bed. “In addition, we lack in human resources to work with the autistic persons.

Furthermore, we live in a multicultural community that speaks 11 languages and have different cultures, and then we have to deal with all this,” added Stacey. Rogelio Garza, Secretary of the Latin-American Federation of Autism (FELAC), spoke about the early detection programs, family support, need to increase social awareness, developing legislation and social policies to protect people with autism and their families’ rights. “We did not have centers for children in the past, and even now we have only a few that have been founded by the families of the autistic children. There are 400 centers in whole of Latin America, and we hope to have a center in Mexico just like the one in Kuwait,” he stated.

spoke to Al-Qabas on the condition of anonymity indicated that staff at the hospital were instructed to avoid making statements or providing information about cases infected with Hepatitis A that arrived at the medical facility without prior permission of the management. While Al-Qabas recognized that secrecy was aimed at “avoiding panic as long as the situation was under control,” the sources

believed that full transparency was important in such a situation in order to encourage people to take precautionary measures.

In the meantime, Minister of Health Dr. Ali Al-Obaidi spoke with Al-Rai and indicated that the number of Hepatitis A patients at the Infectious Diseases Hospital was “within the accepted norms,” denying rumors about an outbreak of the disease.

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Three in police custody for credit cards forgery Man held for father’s death KUWAIT: Three people were arrested for forgery on Tuesday after Hawally detectives recovered from their possession jewelry bought with forged credit cards. The three Malaysian men reportedly arrived in Kuwait recently on tourist visas, and managed to smuggle 70 forged credit cards. The information reached the Director of the Hawally Investigations Department, Colonel Abdurrahman Al-Suhail, who ordered an investigation. The Salwa detectives were able to arrest the suspects from a Salhiya mall. The three then led officers to their hotel rooms where police found 70 credit cards. The accused confessed to using these cards to buy jewelry and avail bank loans worth an estimated total of KD700,000. They were referred to the proper authorities for legal action.

Manslaughter case A man was charged with manslaughter when his father was accidentally crushed underneath heavy stones that he was lifting at a Salwa house recently. The Egyptian man was pronounced dead on the scene by paramedics who had responded along with the police to a call about a worker getting buried

under large stones. Investigations revealed that the stones fell upon the victim when these were being lifted from the ground floor to the first floor by a coworker, who happened to be his son.

Murder suspects The Ahmadi detectives have reportedly identified four male suspects accused of killing an Egyptian keeper at a camp in Kabad recently. Investigations in a case of homicide filed last Monday revealed that four Bedoon (stateless) men had arrived at the camp in an SUV with the intention of committing a burglary. They clashed with the camp’s 50-yearold keeper, assaulted him physically, stabbed him and then left him to bleed to death before escaping with a power generator.

Detectives were able to trace the license plate number of the suspects’ car and found that the vehicle was reported stolen. Search is now on for the suspects who face multiple charges that include murder and theft.

Man cheated of KD80,000 A Kuwaiti man complained to the Hawally police that two Jordonian men cheated him

NBK launches YouTube competition KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) launched a YouTube competition celebrating the 60th anniversary since NBK first opened its doors to the public on Nov 15, 1952.

The competition will award six winners with a valuable cash prize. The participants will have to answer a daily question related to NBK’s history. The winners will be chosen randomly through an automated service. The participants must be subscribers of NBK’s Official channel on Abdulmohsen YouTube “NBKMedia” Al-Rushaid to take part in the competition. The competition will be concluded on Nov 20, 2012.

“Today NBK celebrates its 60th anniversary. We are keen to share this historical

milestone with our customers who were and will always be the key to our success,” said Abdulmohsen Al Rushaid, NBK Public Relations Manager.

“We greatly value social media as a mean of communication with customers.

NBK is among the first banks to establish a strong social media presence. NBK enjoys the largest coverage of social media networks in Kuwait including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Foursquare and Google+,” Al- Rushaid added.

NBK is keen to support customers through all channels and views social media networks as important aspects for supporting the lifestyle and banking habits of NBK clients. For more information regarding banking transactions, events and competitions check out National Bank of Kuwait official facebook page NBK Official Page or follow NBK on Twitter @NBKPage, Instagram @NBKPage, or on YouTube “NBKMedia”.

in what seemed to be a scam. He told detectives that he had paid KD80,000 to the duo as per an agreement under which they were supposed to bring products from China to sell in Kuwait. The two later claimed that the investment had failed and money was lost in the process, prompting the man to suspect that he was set up. The police did not elicit any response when they tried to summon the two suspects over the phone. Search is now on for both the suspects.

Illegal profit A Syrian man was arrested in connection with multiple scam cases through which he collected a total of KD22,000 by conning compatriots into believing that he can deliver their money to relatives back home. At least 20 Syrian residents reported that they trusted the man with their money after coming to know him through a newspaper ad, only to lose touch with him later. The man failed to answer their calls after collecting the cash. The Farwaniya detectives later tracked down and arrested the suspect who was then taken to the Public Prosecution to face charges.

Arab contributions to civilization highlighted MANAMA: Arab ministers of culture agreed the scale up cooperation among their countries to meet the aspirations of the Arab nation and contribute to civilization.

Wrapping up their meeting here Tuesday evening, the ministers said in a final communique that the Arab countries enjoy rich cultural heritage thanks to their common linguistic and religious backgrounds and shared future.

The Arab countries were able to make impressive contributions to the flourishing of humanities and civilization, the statement underlined.

The ministers called for adapting the Arab cultural discourse to those of other countries based on the principles of opening up to the outside world and cultural diversity.

They reaffirmed rejection of attitudes based on exclusion, discrimination, extremism and xenophobia, the statement pointed out.

They urged promoting the freedom of thought and expression, respecting the human rights and democracy and modernizing the ways of teaching the Arabic language.

They also called for creating the conditions conducive to the stronger national unity as a means for boosting intellectual creativity, scientific innovations and comprehensive human development. —KUNA

Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah with Zaid Al-Refaie.

Kuwaiti mountaineer hailed KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Minister of Information and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah said the sons of Kuwait made outstanding achievements in all domains and hoisted up the national flag in all regional and international forums.

“Zaid Al-Refaie is one of the distinguished sons of Kuwait,” the minister said.

He made the remarks at a ceremony held Tuesday night at the Scientific Center Kuwait - to commemorate the unveiling of book titled “Majd Al-Qimam” (glory of summits).

The book explores the biography of Al-

Refa’ie, the first Arab mountaineer who was able to climb Mount Everest and the world’s seven summits.

“Al-Refaie’s achievements entitled him to be one of the torchbearers of the London 2012 Olympics,” Sheikh Mohammad added.

Meanwhile, Al-Refaie said he dreamed over the last two decades to climb Everest and set an example for the next generations.

He voiced joy for unveiling the book in synchronization with the celebrations to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the constitution. —KUNA

AMMAN: Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) distributed aid parcels consisting of food items and clothing to 500 Syrian families in Jordan, KRCS officials said, yesterday. Head of the KRCS team in Jordan Saleeh Al-Saeed said this comes to help the families prepare for the winter season fast approaching, as they are unable to return to their country as violence still spirals and the humanitarian situation worsens.

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

Local

Voters’ participation important to achieve security, stability Hopefuls stress law, development, citizenship

KUWAIT: Wataniya Telecom marked the World Diabetes Day with various activities held at the company headquarters, including free medical tests, sugar level tests and medical advice for staff members. The events were organized in cooperation with the Dasman Diabetes Institute.

Kuwaiti nationals ‘safe and sound’ after Jordan protests AMMAN: Kuwaiti Ambassador to Jordan Dr Hamad Al-Duaij reassured that Kuwaiti nationals in the Arab country are all safe and sound after a surge of demonstrations and strikes in various parts of the country over the Jordanian Government decision to raise gas and fuel prices.

Kuwait’s Embassy is keeping up to date with the latest local developments and coordinating with the Jordanian authoriies and is in contact with its citizens, the envoy noted. He added that the Embassy is also ready to deal with any emergencies that might take place in order to ensure

the safety of our nationals.

Al-Duaij meanwhile urged Kuwaitis in Jordan to limit their daily outings and avoid locations of demonstrations. He also advised them to keep in contact with the embassy and keep a close watch on the local situation.

The Kuwaiti diplomat also ordered Kuwaiti students to take the day off from their universities and schools after it was approved by the Ministry of Higher Education.

The Kuwaiti Embassy can be reached by phone on +962 265675130. —KUNA

KUWAIT: The Touristic Enterprises Company organized a comprehensive program on advanced secretary featuring 14 staff members who underwent courses on using the cutting edge technologies in archiving and data saving. The program was hosted at the TEC’s head office in cooperation with the Pitman Institute for Training.

KUWAIT: A candidate of the Third Constituency for National Assembly Election 2012 underlined yesterday the importance of beefing up the rule of law with a view to ensuring full judicial independence and integrity. Addressing his supporters, Yaqoub Al-Sanea said the security issue should be given more attention in order to achieve public order, national security and public safety and to establish social stability.

He also called for ensuring social justice, equality among all individuals and focusing on human development by means of intensifying education and training and creating fresh economic openings.

Ahmad Lari, running for Dec 1 parliamentary elections, said participation of voters in polls was important to achieve security and stability in Kuwait.

Such participation is “a support for democracy and constitution,” Lari said as he launched his campaign in the 2nd constituency.

He said an Amiri decree to reduce number of votes from four to one would have positive results that would materialize in the next parliament.

Lari said a change of any law should take place through constitutional and legal channels and inside the parliament.

He called on the government to address many pressing issues like housing, health,

education and unemployment.

First constituency candidate Khaled AlShatti said yesterday the recent speech by His Highness the Amir over the strict implementation of law was important.

Al-Shatti, launching his campaign for the December 1 election, said implementation of law would restore supremacy of state, safeguard rights of people and achieve comprehensive development.

The implemenation of law, he added, should be coupled with independence of the judiciary.

Al-Shatti called for using the financial surplus in development projects in sectors of health, housing, education, transport and infrastructure.

He commended the Amiri decree that reduces the number of votes that the voter could cast from four to one.

Bassel Al-Jasser, a candidate of the Third Constituency for National Assembly Election 2012, elaborated his platform by saying he prioritizes the promotion of planning and development and the transfer of Kuwait into a regional and international financial hub.

Opening his electoral headquarters tonight, he vowed, if he wins, to answer the needs of the Ministry of Planning and Development so as to enable it to fulfill Kuwait’s present and future requirements and

to work out development in all fields.

But, Al-Jasser called for allowing the private sector to get involved in national development by enacting investment-stimulating laws that ensure transparency, justice and equality among national companies.

He also stressed the necessity of developing the oil sector in Kuwait, promising he will do his best to overcome all obstacles and problems haunting this vital sector, and to boost investment in oil derivatives.

For his part, Hisham Al-Baghli of the Third Constituency, said his electoral plank is centered on maintaining national fabric, reinforcing citizenship and improving Kuwaiti families’ living conditions.

Addressing his supporters, he said it is imperative to revamp medical services in Kuwait by means of supporting national cadres, and building new hospitals and clinics in all governorates.

It is also important to solve the housing problem in line with modern criteria and standards, and to overhaul the educational process through the building of distinguished educational institutions and universities with world standards, he urged.

The hopeful voiced hope Kuwait would see impressive economic and touristic renaissance so that it could become an investmentspurring hub. —KUNA

Social issues can’t afford any more delay: Al-Fuzai KUWAIT: Third constituency candidate Muna AlFuzai decided to run for parliament in order to address certain social issues dear to her, which she believes have been ignored for years.

In a statement made yesterday, she sought to answer all those who “criticized” her decision to run for parliament. The regular Kuwait Times columnist explained that issues pertaining to family, childhood and women can afford no more delay. “As an activist in human rights and protection of freedom and opinion, I have always demanded focus on the regulations pertaining to women, family and childhood, which should be subjects of common interest regardless of political struggles,” she said.

Al-Fuzaie believes that the absence of

women’s presentation in the parliament would result in these files continuing to be ignored.

“With the absence of women [in parliament], these issues would not be resolved and instead can become worse, especially those pertaining to young citizens and social security - issues that are important to me as a woman and a mother,” she argued.

Addressing these issues is a pressing requirement that cannot wait till the controversy about the number of votes is settled, according to AlFuzai.

“There is no doubt that Kuwait’s political scene is going through a critical time in which members of the same community are in disagreement with each other, which could be normal in a society where individuals are entitled to their freedoms,” she said. She, however, expressed optimism that “love for Kuwait and commitment to the future of our children can unite us.”

Riyadh hosts GCC military panel meeting RIYADH: Kuwait’s Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Sheikh Khaled AlJarrah Al-Sabah participated in the 10th meeting of the GCC Countries Supreme Military Committee, which was held here, yesterday.

The meeting of the GCC chiefs of staff is held to review all military and security issues affecting the GCC countries, prepare for the defense ministers’ meetings, and discuss joint agreements.

Lt Gen Al-Jarrah and his accompanying delegation arrived in Riyadh Tuesday evening, and were received upon arrival by Saudi Chief of Staff Gen. Hussain Al-Qubail, Saudi Deputy Chief of the General Staff Lieut-Gen. Abdulaziz Al-Hussain, Kuwaiti military attache Brig. Musaed Al-Mutairi, and Saudi armed forces officials. —KUNA

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

LOCAL in my view

in my view

Unfinished revolution

America and the Mideast

By Dr Mohammed Hasanen GUST, Kuwait n February 10th, after 18 days of demonstrations, the Egyptians spent the entire night at the Tahrir Square, celebrating the fall of the Mubarak regime.

Everyone was happy, shouting and seemingly very optimistic about the future. They felt that the era of tyranny had ended for good and the time has come for all to be free from fear, to express their opinions, and reclaim their lost dignity. They were looking forward to build a new democratic system and achieve the objectives of their revolution. Unfortunately, over the next eighteen months, the dreams of the Egyptians vanished. Optimism turned into frustration, and depression replaced happiness. In the eyes of the Egyptians, the present became shaky and the future seemed blurred with uncertainty. There is no clear economic or political vision or any plan to guide the actions of the current government. Local and foreign investments are declining. Income from tourism has dropped sharply. Rate of unemployment is increasing and living expenses are skyrocketing. Since February 11th, 2011, Egyptians have noticed that nothing has changed. Probably the only difference that has happened was that Egypt moved from the dictatorship of the regime to the dictatorship of the groups representing political Islam. Instead of fraudulent elections, in which the government fabricated the election results, Egyptians witnessed a new type of election fraud which employed a “carrot and stick” approach. Islamists offered political bribery and/or utilized mosques as forums to intimidate voters and manipulate their will. Opposing these groups was fraught with risk since opponents would face defamatory campaigns. Questioning their religious beliefs and morals led to loss of job. Actresses, journalists, civil society organizations, and even Constitutional Court judges, have been attacked harshly. Courts at all levels witnessed unprecedented number of cases. Political groups’ members have been suing each other.

Recently, the battle over writing the new constitution is reflecting the struggle for power among political parties in Egypt. Most political parties and factions are paranoid that the Islamists are trying to manipulate the political system to reflect their own ideology. Mistrust among all sides will lead eventually to a constitution that will be very rigid, loose and verbose. Any political science student knows that a rigid and too detailed constitution will not able to deal with the future changes and needs of Egypt. Those whose hands are shaking and souls are worried cannot write a constitution.

This situation brought back the key question from prerevolution era: Where is Egypt heading? In addition, many other questions need to be addressed such as: Who is responsible for the killing of protestors in the Egyptian squares during and/or after the revolution? Who opened the prisons and released the political prisoners and even the criminals? Who attacked the police stations and the Ministries of Defense and Interior without any reason except to smear the reputation of the police and the army?

Who attacked and destroyed the gas pipe in Sinai? And who killed the young soldiers in Sinai lately? If the Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was unable to answer these questions before being elected, then there is no excuse for him now since he has reached the presidential palace. As a chief executive, he has access to all the required information. If he does not know the facts or hides them, it would be a problem. If he knows the facts but cannot share them with his people, it would be a catastrophe.

Finally, the silent segments of the Egyptian community continue to be marginalized and are struggling to secure their basic needs. They are looking for freedom, dignity and social justice. In a nutshell, they are willing to see the goals of their unfinished 2011 revolution materialize.

By Amir Taheri

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kuwait digest

Are we going to wake up?

kuwait digest

Crime of 2006 parliament

By Abdullatif Al-Duaij hey issued threats and warning and carried out protests in order to force the state to hike their salaries and allowances that a majority of public sector employees do not deserve in the first place.

When the government wanted to increase the loan rates, they objected on the grounds that it would lead to inflation.

During the early years of the state, or in the fifties to be specific, when various publications burst on to the scene, Kuwait had a publication law which regulated the business based on methods more attuned to the ideologies of the past century. The law should have been amended or scrapped after the constitution was issued, particularly because it guarantees under articles 36 and 37 the freedom of opinion, scientific research, publication and press. The fact that the law is in conflict with the guarantees that the democratic system provides to ensure the freedom of opinion and expression also warrants for its scrapping. Such an action is further supported by article 180 of the constitution which automatically cancels laws followed prior to the issuance of the constitution issuance if they are found to be in conflict with the statute.

On the contrary, not only has the government ignored the clear contradiction between the archaic law and constitutional freedoms, but also used its parliamentary majority to enforce more restrictions.

It did so by adding new articles that further restricted the freedom of opinion and increased the government’s control over publications. They went as far as allowing suspension of newspapers via ‘administrative decisions’ made as per article 35 of the press law.

This led to protests from the national opposition in the first parliament followed by resignations prompted by failure to defend freedoms in the 1963 parliament.

Article 35 of the press law was overruled by the 1971 parliament during the early seventies, the only golden era that Kuwait experienced. This allowed Kuwait to experience myriad freedoms including the freedom of expression in particular, until the same article was revived by an emergency decree after the dissolution of the 1975 parliament. Since then, the article was repeatedly scrapped and revived to a

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By Aziza Al-Mufarej he law does not protect those who choose to be ignorant of the reality. If we accept and believe the Hadasis or the Muslim brotherhood in Kuwait who are projecting themselves like a “lofty mountain” that cares little about trivial things, then we will be doing a disservice to Kuwait. If we start believing that they have no links to their mother party in Egypt or with the international organization of the Muslim Brotherhood, we will not be doing a good turn to Kuwait. If we ignore what stand they took in 1990 or want to forget how they tried to take benefit of the situation to make money, as was explained in detail by the late Sheikh Saud Al-Sabah, and if it does not matter to us how they cheated us by posing as heroes of the Takaful Committees during the Invasion, then we will be harming Kuwait. If we lapped up the version that they guarded our country in word and deed, and gulped all that they say about themselves, then we will be driving a nail into Kuwait’s coffin.

The law does not protect those who deliberately remain ignorant. When Egyptian former Presidential candidate, Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, who is a leading candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood Group in Egypt, wants to open a branch of his Strong Egypt (Masr al-Qaweya) party and meets the youth from the Muslim Brotherhood who are working in Kuwait but our government remains silent, we do disservice to Kuwait. When the government acts as if it is not worried about the presence of expatriate members of the Brotherhood, who may be there in large numbers, and is unable to challenge them, then that only means another nail in the coffin of Kuwait.

The law does not protect those who choose to remain ignorant. When all the enthusiastic demonstrations and sitins go on against the regime, and a well known member of the Brotherhood, Tariq Suwaidan, talks about the impending fall of the so-called corrupt regime in a few days or weeks, and a recorded tape of his lectures is circulated in which he instigates the Kuwaiti and gulf youth to overthrow corrupt regimes, our government looks the other way. These are the same people who carry the banner of the demand for reforms but there is no reaction from the government. Tariq Suwaidan’s words are not analyzed and are considered just some non-sense uttered by a dreamer.

Such an attitude amounts to driving a nail in the coffin of Kuwait. The law does not protect those remaining ignorant of their own volition. When the Brotherhood’s leadership chooses to congratulate their members on Eid by saying that “your Eid will only be when your countries are librated, and your Quran rules. On the occasion of Eid, remember your glorious past,” and even then such provocative words do not move the government or wake it up, then it only means another nail in the coffin of Kuwait.—Al-Watan

s expected, President Barack Obama has won a second mandate. What he might do with regard to US policy in the Middle East is anyone’s guess. During the election campaign, Obama tried to remind voters at every opportunity of his main “foreign policy” success: the killing of Osama bin Laden.

The truth, however, is that after four years of Obama the US finds itself without a coherent world view let alone a credible foreign policy.

Nowhere is this lacuna more evident than in the Middle East. For almost a century the region has been one of the fault-lines that threaten international stability. With the debris of empires strewn around it, this theatre of big power rivalries has produced many convulsions since World War II. The United States developed an interest there in the 1940s as President Roosevelt began thinking about the post-war international order. Under President Truman, the US asserted its influence by preventing Stalin from annexing parts of Iran to the Soviet Union. The Truman Doctrine morphed into the containment policy designed to rein-in the USSR. Over the decades, under American leadership, a political architecture was shaped guaranteeing the region’s stability.

The US exercised leadership in the aftermath of the Suez Crisis with the Eisenhower Doctrine as the backbone of American policy throughout the Cold war.

Despite military coups, civil wars, reversal of alliances, revolutions, and full-scale wars, it held because everyone knew that its guarantor, the United States, would prevent the crossing of certain red lines. In that context the US intervened, both militarily and politically, to contain and/or end conflicts in Oman, Yemen, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq not to mention Arab-Israeli wars. With the exception of Jimmy Carter, all US presidents sanctioned the use of force when necessary. However, even Carter did not sanction the retreat that Obama has organized. The Carter Doctrine was a reaffirmation of American determination to defend its interests in the region.

For six decades, under administrations from both parties, American power acted as the pole that kept the tent up. Over the past four years, Obama has pulled that pole away, allowing the tent to sag and, in parts, fold.

American abdication has led to transition from a problematic status quo to an uncertain future. It has created a vacuum that various opportunist powers are trying to fill.

Under Obama, Russia has gained a veto over aspects of American foreign policy, ranging from the building of a missile shield in Central Europe to halting Iran’s nuclear program, to intervention in Syria.

After two-decades of virtual absence from the Middle East, Russia is trying to revive the influence that the Soviet Empire once enjoyed.

Moscow’s new activism is partly caused by fears that the American retreat might pave the way for a neo-Islamist domination of the Middle East.

Russia is concerned about the emergence of a “green Islamic belt” containing it to the south while its horizons are also blocked by the European Union to its west and China to its east. A neo-Islamist bloc stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Caspian Basin could send wrong signals to Russia’s restive Muslim regions.

For its part, Turkey’s neo-Ottoman elite, is trying to cast itself as the leader of a new Middle East dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood behind a political facade. Four years ago, Turkey was the region’s only nation that had no problems with its neighbors.

Today, this is no longer the case.

Meanwhile, Iran is gripped by unprecedented fear and hubris - fear that it might be the next target for regime change and hubris about exporting its antiWest ideology of hate to the region. With its currency in free fall and its economy heading for the precipice, Iran might not be able to bankroll President al-Assad for long. Syria is beginning to look like an expensive mistress that is getting uglier by the day. That could force the mullahs to seek a game-changer by provoking another proxy war with Israel via the Lebanese branch of Hezbollah.

As in Russia’s case, Iran is both encouraged and frightened by the American retreat. It is encouraged because it sees new opportunities to project power in Afghanistan, the Gulf and Iraq. But it is also frightened because it might end up facing a new bloc of Arab powers determined to push it back into its Shiite box.

Some Machiavellians suggest that the best option is to let the Syrian conflict run on, increasing the cost for a weakened Iran while wrecking Russia’s standing in the Arab world, even if that means tragedy for the Syrians. Obama’s world view was shaped by two factors.

The first was his desire to be the opposite of what he thought George W Bush had been. He saw his predecessor as a “my way or the highway” cowboy who had dictated to others.

In 2009 when Iranians rose against the regime, Obama refused to back them because that would have looked like endorsing Bush’s Freedom Agenda.

Hatred for Bush also led Obama into backing the rulers of “Arab Spring” countries until their positions became untenable. Even then, Obama preferred alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood rather than secular groups that Bush had tried to promote, albeit with little success. Not-being Bush was also the key motive in Obama’s decision to downgrade ties with Iraq, thus pushing it towards Iran.

Having established that he was not Bush, Obama still had to show who he was. The answer was the second factor in his policy: an exaggerated belief in the potency of his own political charm.

Obama thought that things would happen simply by wanting them. He promised to create a Palestinian state in one year and appointed Senator George Mitchell as special emissary. But then he forgot about Mitchell who found out that he had been duped and resigned. Wishful thinking also shaped Obama’s policy, or simulacrum of policy, vis-a-vis Iran. He stretched his “hand of friendship” to Ahmadinejad and was roundly rebuffed. Next, Obama started an epistolary bombardment of the Iranian “Supreme Guide” Ali Khamenei, again earning only derision.

For all that Obama II might prove to be different.

No longer concerned about re-election, he may find time to cast a fresh glance at a region that still contains negative energies capable of affecting international peace and stability.

point where it became difficult to say whether it was still effective or not.

The unconstitutional press law and the amendments therein were still not enough for the government and religious groups in the parliaments that followed. After the emergence of live TV and internet, the government and religious alliance kept pace with the technological advancement by coming up with a new law addressing audiovisual material. This led to the release of the current press law, through which the government used the license for publication as a lure to limit any potential objections by any MP who could have defended the right to freedom of expression since everyone was eager to get a license for a newspaper or TV channel. The government started giving distorted licenses for publication in exchange of freedom of opinion and limiting freedom of expression. All fifty members of the 2006 parliament voted in favor of the draft law since a majority of them were eager to publish a newspaper or start a TV channel.

The law was presented by then Minister of Finance Anas Al-Rasheed as “an achievement in civilization which liberated freedom of opinion and expression from their limitations,” when in reality, it only led to more restrictions, prohibitions and penalties.

Now, the current opposition criticizes the government for prosecuting religious activist Hakim AlMutairi over an article published in 2003 and republished recently, ignoring at the same time the fact that they pushed and are still pushing the government to restrict freedoms. They launched a fierce war against what they refer to as ‘corrupt media’, and filed numerous grilling motions against ministers for alleged failure to prosecute ‘corrupt’ individuals. The result was an audiovisual law as if the press law was not enough to restrict the freedoms. And they did not stop there, but insisted that a law was issued to protect national unity and reject hate speech. The government eventually complied and released a law that might introduce even more restrictions on freedom of opinion and expression. After all that, the current opposition and liberals who currently support them are still calling themselves ‘defenders of freedom’ and ‘hungry for dignity’. — Al-Qabas

kuwait digest

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What is going on in Kuwait?

By Dr Shamlan Y. Al-Essa here is an increased interest in the fast moving events in the Gulf region following the Arab Spring revolutions. No wonder, the events in Kuwait are attracting significant coverage by Arab and Gulf columnists. Mushari Al-Zaidi wrote in his column in the Middle East newspaper on October 23 under the title “Fire in the Middle of a Garden”: “Everyone wants to move the Arab revolutions like situation to the Gulf countries, and we are seeing how some people are trying very hard for that to happen, be it in the UAE, or Bahrain, or Saudi Arabia and now in Kuwait. Yes, Kuwait which has a real Parliament that is half-a-century old, and a free press. All of it could not make those leave out Kuwait as they want make it one of the Arab spring cases.”

Columnist Adel Al-Tareefi wrote in the Middle East under the heading ‘Problems of the opposition in the Gulf ’: “In Kuwait, where there is an outstanding Parliamentary experience since the sixties, there are those who try to use the street to impose their interpretation of the constitution, and that is a cause for worry because a state that has Parliamentary elections can carry out a political dialogue to resolve the crisis within the framework of constitutional rules and can legislate in the interest of its citizens. Making them face the policemen in the street, or provoking them against the authorities to storm government buildings is a prescription for chaos and social division. The most notable evidence of the danger of what is going on lies in the statements that one side is supporting one activist or blessing one movement and the other is supporting or blessing a different one. This is a dangerous indication.”

Abdelrahman Al-Rashid said in his column “Kuwait and half democracy crises”: “There is still in Kuwait, as in many other Arab countries, a situation that tribalism is stronger than ideology, and ideology is stronger than patriotism. So, democratic competition becomes a struggle among tribes and sects which nullifies the value of democracy.”

Dr. Yahya Al-Jamal concluded his “Kuwait is boiling”

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column by saying: “The possibility of constitutional defections is there if troubles escalate and the Muslim Brotherhood and tribes become a threat to the state’s entity. We ask Allah that this does not happen. It seems that Kuwaitis are going over board because of the luxury they are living in, and it is being said that this action will end the state of luxury.”

Dr. Mohammad Al-Rumaihi said in his column “Finger biting continues”: “There is not a society, as far as I know, except Kuwait that asks the authorities to apply the law equally to all, and then gets violated itself because some people have their own political and influential interests.”

What our Arab and Gulf brothers said is true, because we are living through socially regressive times in Kuwait and this was reflected in our democratic performance.

We are witnessing these days a new “painful labor” that we hope will end in the delivery of new principles to end the chaos and indecisiveness of the state, constitution and law. There is no room for leaning towards the leaders of the tribes, clergy men, heads of sects and wishes of certain families. We want civilized decisiveness to differentiate between the civil and religious state.

What is required is a serious revision of the lame democracy march, because Arab world’s experience with democracy produced zealous parties as well as religious, tribal and sectarian powers. We hear today, for the first time, that the government will apply the law equally to all without hesitation. Is it realistic for a religious political movement to lead the opposition in Kuwait with the government’s acceptance and blessings? This happens only in Kuwait.

Finally, what about the future? Political escalation by the opposition will continue in the hope of convincing more citizens to boycott the December elections. There are no easy solutions for the government other than adhering to the law and constitution. Already, there has been enough toying around with the country’s destiny in the name of democracy once and in the name of religion another time. —Al-Watan

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

Iraq bombings kill 19 on eve of Muslim New Year

Hu clears way for Xi to take party helm Page 12

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RAS AL-AIN: Syrian opposition fighters celebrate on the strategic Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain, yesterday. Rebel fighters killed at least 18 soldiers as they overran a military post near Syria’s northeastern border with Turkey yesterday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The clashes — which also left an unknown number of soldiers wounded — took place near Ras al-Ain, a border town that the opposition fighters seized on Friday, said the Britain-based watchdog. — AFP

US stops short of recognising Syrian opposition France leads diplomatic charge on Syria BEIRUT: The United States declined to follow France in fully recognising a fledgling Syrian opposition coalition yesterday, saying the body must prove its worth, after its predecessor was dogged by feuding and accusations of Islamist domination.

Syria decried the new grouping, which it said had closed the door to a negotiated solution with President Bashar alAssad. “The whole world, and Syria too, says the problem in Syria should be solved in a peaceful framework and through a national dialogue, (but) the first decision taken after forming the coalition in Doha was to reject dialogue and to continue the war,” Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said.

“They want to destroy Syria,” he told Russia Today in an interview that was also carried on Syria’s state news agency.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the formation of the coalition, which supersedes the widely discredited Syrian National Council as the face of the Syrian opposition, was an important step, but did not offer it full recognition or arms.

“We have long called for this kind of organisation. We want to see that momentum maintained,” Clinton told reporters in the Australian city of Perth. “As the Syrian opposition takes these steps and demonstrates its effectiveness in advancing the cause of a unified, democratic, pluralistic Syria, we will be prepared to work with them to deliver assistance to the Syrian people.”

The new body brings the Syrian National Council, the hapless former main opposition group seen as under the sway of Islamists and out of touch with rebels on the ground, into a

broader bloc with factions inside and outside Syria including rebel fighters, veteran dissidents and ethnic and religious minorities.

On Tuesday France hailed the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces “as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people and as future government of a democratic Syria” - the first Western power to go that far.

Six Gulf Arab states had taken that step the day before, but the Arab League and most European countries hung back.

President Francois Hollande’s decisive posture on Syria recalled that of his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy on Libya last year, when France led calls for NATO action to protect civilians that effectively helped Libyan rebels topple Muammar Gaddafi.

The European Union bans weapons sales to Syria, but Hollande said the question of arming rebels would be examined once the coalition formed a transitional government.

Paris had previously ruled this out, fearing arms could reach Islamist militants.

Suhair al-Atassi, a vice president of the new coalition, said that once it had proved it represents “revolutionary forces” on the ground, there would be no pretext for Western powers not to provide some form of military backing.

“The ball now is in the international community’s court,” she told Reuters in an interview in Doha, blaming Western reticence to arm the rebels for the rise of extremism in Syria.

“There is no more excuse to say we are waiting to see how efficient this new body is. They used to put the opposition to

the test. Now we put them to the test,” she declared.

Syrian insurgents have few weapons against Assad’s air force and artillery, which can pound rebel-held territory at will.

A Syrian warplane bombed the town of Ras al-Ain near the Turkish border again yesterday, rocking buildings on the frontier and sending up huge plumes of smoke, in the latest of several air strikes since rebels captured the town last week.

Air force jets also attacked rebel enclaves in Damascus, an opposition activist in the Syrian capital said. “The planes are firing rockets at the neighbourhoods of Qaboun and Jobar.

They are flying high and you can hear the impact of the rockets,” Yasmine al-Shami said by phone.

Israel, which twice shot back this week after stray Syrian fire hit the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, said rebels held most of the villages on the ridge’s eastern slopes.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said on a trip to the Golan that Assad’s grip was undergoing “painful disintegration” and his military was becoming less efficient.

“Almost all of the villages at the foot of this ridge, and on upward, are already in rebel hands,” Barak said on the Golan, captured from Syria during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

The conflict in Syria has already cost more than 38,000 lives in the past 20 months. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict via a network of contacts, reported 210 deaths on Tuesday alone.

Assad’s foes have been divided throughout the struggle, but a more inclusive opposition coalition, led by Damascus preacher Mouaz Alkhatib, emerged on Sunday after days of

EU leaders decline Nobel peace invite OSLO: Only a third of European leaders have so far accepted an invitation to attend next month’s Oslo ceremony to award the Nobel Peace Prize to the EU, this year’s controversial winner, the Nobel Institute said yesterday.

“Between eight and 10 have said they would come and and somewhat fewer have responded in the negative,” the director of the institute, Geir Lundestad, told AFP, with the remainder undecided. After the unexpected awarding of the peace prize to a crisisstricken EU on October 12, the bloc’s President Herman Van Rompuy invited all the leaders of the 27 member states to attend the ceremony, which is traditionally held on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.

Some leaders have publicly confirmed they plan to travel to Norway, a country which, ironically, has twice rejected membership in the EU. The Nobel Institute refused to reveal the names of those who have accepted and declined the invitations, saying the list changed “from day to day”. The award, which consists of a diploma, a gold medal and a cheque for 8.0 million kronor (927,000 or $1.18 million) will be formally handed over to Van Rompuy together with the presidents of the

European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, and of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz.

Other European leaders will be seated in the audience. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo and Romanian President Traian Basescu have all said they intend to go to Oslo. But British Prime Minister David Cameron, facing pressure from

the eurosceptic wing of his Conservative Party, wryly noted that “there will be enough people to collect the prize”.

Cameron’s decision not to travel to Oslo has been widely interpreted as a demonstration of his lack of enthusiasm for the EU. France numbers among the countries that have yet to respond to the invite, according to the Nobel Institute. President Francois Hollande

BUDAPEST: Picture taken on March 31, 2011 shows people performing a live picture of the EU flag in front of the St. Stephan Basilica in Budapest during festivities to celebrate the ‘Year of of Families’, organized by Hungary’s Catholic Church. Only a third of European leaders have so far accepted an invitation to attend next month’s Oslo ceremony to award the Nobel Peace Prize to the EU, this year’s controversial winner, the Nobel Institute said yesterday. — AFP

said last month he would also be in Oslo if all the other heads of state and government were to attend.

The Netherlands and Finland both said Wednesday they had not yet taken a decision, while media reports in Copenhagen said the Danish prime minister had not yet decided either.

“It would have been unrealistic to expect everyone to come,” Lundestad said when asked about the lack of a unified response to the invitation.

The October announcement to award the prize to the EU sparked controversy. The bloc is currently experiencing one of its deepest crises with its solidarity being put to the test, pitting wealthy northern European nations against heavily-indebted southern European countries urged to undergo severe austerity reforms. The EU announced yesterday it would donate the prize money to children affected by war and conflicts. And the European Commission said four European youths aged eight to 24 would be invited to attend the Oslo ceremony. The quartet would be chosen in a contest, where the youngest would be invited to send a drawing and the older youths a text of 120 characters, explaining what peace means to them. — AFP

talks in Qatar. Alkhatib will fly to London on Thursday and meet Britain’s foreign minister and senior French and Qatari officials the next day, according to Syrian coalition officials.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the Syrian leader had also been invited to Paris.

Clinton announced an extra $30 million in aid to those affected by the war in Syria, to be delivered via the United Nations’ World Food Programme, which is supplying food to more than a million people in Syria and to 408,000 Syrian refugees.

The United States says it is sending only humanitarian aid and non-lethal assistance to Assad’s opponents, but acknowledges that some of its allies are arming the rebels - something which Russia says shows Western powers want to decide Syria’s future.

Russia and China have blocked any U.N. Security Council action on Syria, prompting Washington and its allies to say they could move beyond U.N. structures for their next steps.

So far, concerted action on Syria has been thwarted by divisions within the opposition, as well as by big power rivalries and a regional divide between Sunni Muslim foes of Assad and his Shi’ite Muslim allies in Iran and Lebanon.

An Iranian Revolutionary Guards general blamed Western, Turkish and Arab meddling for the bloodshed in Syria. “They must leave the government and people of Syria alone so they can take the necessary decision about the kind of government in Syria,” Brigadier-General Massoud Jazayeri was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency. — Reuters

Filipino needs $1mn to escape Saudi beheading MANILA: A Philippine worker condemned to death in Saudi Arabia for murder has won a four-month reprieve to raise four million riyals ($1.066 million) and avoid execution by beheading, officials said yesterday.

Saudi authorities approved the stay after formal appeals by President Benigno Aquino and Vice President Jejomar Binay to stop the scheduled November 14 judicial execution of the condemned construction worker Joselito Zapanta.

The Philippine government is now trying to help the family raise the “blood money” that must be paid to the Sudanese victim’s relatives so the death sentence is commuted, foreign department spokesman Raul Hernandez said.

“The family has been given four months to raise four million riyals,” Hernandez told reporters. Binay, who also oversees the millions of Filipinos working overseas, said the government and Zapanta’s family had so far raised 400,000 riyals. “I appeal to all our countrymen, especially the private sector, let us help in whatever way we can.

Miracles can happen. Maybe we will find a way or maybe they will lower the amount

(demanded),” Binay said.

Zapanta was convicted in 2010 of murdering his Sudanese landlord in 2009 over a rental dispute and was given until November 14 to raise the money for indemnity. Saudi law allows a person to escape the death penalty if the victim’s family accepts payment of “blood money”.

Saudi Arabia is a major employer of Filipinos, with 1.2 million working in the kingdom as manual labourers, technicians, saleswomen and maids. They are part of an estimated nine million Filipinos who work overseas and account for some 10 percent of the population. Their remittances are a mainstay of the economy.

The welfare of overseas workers has become a major political issue in the Philippines amid complaints of abuse and exploitation of some of them. Meanwhile, Saudi authorities beheaded a murderer yesterday after he was convicted of shooting dead another citizen, the interior ministry announced.

Ahmed al-Huwaiti, a Saudi, was found guilty of shooting dead Mohammed alSahari, the ministry said in a statement carried by official SPA news agency.—AFP

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

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

War-weary children turn to sport, music in Syria DAMASCUS: Abdel Razaq Ayubi, 11, has turned to basketball and table tennis to escape the recent memory of fleeing to Damascus from the surrounding countryside when his town became another battleground in Syria’s 20-month conflict.

“Very often, the bus wouldn’t come to pick us up, and school was frequently closed because of shootings.

My parents decided two months ago to leave Mleiha and move to Rokn Eddin in Damascus,” the boy says shyly.

Bassem al-Hajj runs the school of Sett Shams, named after historic figure Salaheddin, and as the conflict has raged on he has set up daily two-hour de-stress sessions for its children.

“A total of 750 children come to our school, 200 of them from suburban areas that have suffered violence,” says the 30-year-old. “At their age, these are very difficult experiences. For this rea-

son, I proposed that the children do sport, play music and practise gardening.” Officially, there are 994 schools in the Syrian capital attended by about half a million children. Fourteen of the schools currently host refugee families. Twice a week, sports teacher Maamun al-Ali gives classes in badminton, basketball, football and pingpong.

The children all enjoy the games, but they freeze the second they hear the roar of a fighter jet flying overhead. Looking skywards, they curl their fingers over their eyes in the shape of make-believe binoculars.

When the warplanes disappear, they go back to the games. “You can’t imagine how much good sport does them,” says Ali. “These children have never seen war. Suddenly, they hear gunshots, bombing and the sound of fighter jets. They were very nervous at

the start. They’re doing better now.”

Violence has ravaged Syria since an anti-regime uprising broke out in March 2011.

President Bashar al-Assad’s forces responded with brutal repression that led to a bloody insurgency, and more than 37,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the ensuing conflict. While battles rage across large swathes of Syria, other parts of the country are calm but tense. In one classroom, portraits of the president and his late father Hafez al-Assad hang on the wall. An English teacher stands before a group of 60 children, instructing them on verbs.

One of the students, 11-year-old Lilas Madalli, came to Damascus with her parents, fleeing the intense violence in the town of Harasta east of the capital. “I take piano classes to forget the sound of shelling,” says Lilas. “I

was so frightened. I am so much better off here.”

Some students are also taught how to play the violin and oud, the traditional Arabic lute. Others have chosen to take up gardening to get their minds off the war.

But for many students, the experience of the conflict has already left deep scars. “Schools were informed that many of the students have gone through hell,” says Nazeq Issa, a ministry of information spokeswoman.

Of some 22,000 schools across Syria, more than 2,000 have been damaged or destroyed. Over 800 have been turned into makeshift shelters for refugee families, according to UNICEF. The 2012-13 school year kicked off with a troubled start, though officials said more than five million children joined classes this year. In rebel-held towns besieged and

bombed for months, small, informal classes were set up in alleyways to avoid children having to walk very far, says Hussein, an opposition activist in Qusayr, in the central province of Homs. Compounding their difficulties, some displaced children are teased in Damascus by their peers because of their accents, says child psychologist Azza Nasser.

“Some children, especially those who came from Homs, are mocked by children in Damascus,” says Nasser.

“They need to play together in order to reduce tension.”

But in fact the most troubled are the parents. “Some parents call me every day to find out whether the neighbourhood is calm,” says Nasser.

“They even make me promise I’ll warn them if anything happens. They are more anxious than the children,” she adds. — AFP

Iraq bombings kill 19 on eve of Muslim New Year 13 bombings, shootings strike Baghdad and nine cities

KHARTOUM: Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir (C) is greeted by supporters upon arrival at Khartoum airport yesterday. Bashir returned home from Saudi Arabia after undergoing vocal cord surgery in the kingdom, an AFP reporter said. — AFP

Sudan’s Bashir returns home after surgery KHARTOUM: Sudan’s President Omar alBashir returned home from Saudi Arabia yesterday after undergoing vocal cord surgery in the kingdom, an AFP reporter said. Thousands of people lined streets around the airport in central Khartoum to greet him after the presidential plane landed at about 4:15 pm (1315 GMT).

Bashir, 68, “underwent a successful surgical operation in the vocal cords,” the official SUNA news agency reported. The president arrived on the eve of a fouryearly conference by an Islamist social movement at the heart of his ruling National Congress Party.

Reformers in the movement say corruption and other problems have left Sudan’s Islamist government Islamic in name only, and question how much longer Bashir should remain in power.

The recent surgery had reinforced questions over the future of Bashir, who left the airport standing and smiling in the back of an open-roofed car. He raised a traditional wooden stick to greet the crowds shouting “Allahu akbar” (God is greater). Some held flags or welcome signs.

Bashir gave no speech at the airport.

He had been recovering in the Saudi

kingdom after leaving hospital there on November 7, following his second minor surgery in less than four months, official media reported.

Known for his sharp-tongued public speeches, Bashir had been relatively quiet in recent weeks, making his fewer orations more restrained. But last Thursday a tired but healthy looking president appeared on television and spoke for about 15 minutes in a return to his typical fiery rhetoric.

Government-owned Blue Nile TV said the broadcast was recorded that day at Sudan’s embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In late October, Bashir’s press secretary denied rumours the president was sick and said he underwent minor surgery during the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which was observed from mid-July to mid-August.

Bashir seized power in a 1989 military coup which overthrew a democratically elected government and established an Islamist regime. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed in Sudan’s far-western Darfur region where a rebellion began in 2003. — AFP

Libya swears in new govt despite security challenges TRIPOLI: Libya’s first elected government was sworn in under tight security yesterday, inheriting the daunting task of establishing democracy in a country plagued by rival militias who helped overthrow Muammar Gaddafi last year.

In a national congress hall built by Gaddafi shortly before his fall, new cabinet ministers swore an oath to protect the North African state, a major oil producer. “I swear to God that I will fulfil my duties with all dedication to be loyal to the goals of the 17th of February Revolution, and to respect the constitution and its rules and its articles and to completely care for the needs of Libyans and to protect the Libya and the unity of its lands,” each minister intoned from a podium.

In a continued sign of disarray, eight of the 27 ministers nominated by Prime Minister Ali Zeidan did not show up after some members of the elected congress queried their credentials.

Ministers in charge of electricity, higher education, relations with congress and interior were rejected by the North African state’s integrity commission because of questionable backgrounds, including alleged ties with the Gaddafi regime. Rulings on four other cabinet nominees - foreign affairs, agriculture, social affairs, and religious affairs - were pending. “ The country cannot suffer delays any more so we needed to swear in this government and hand it power,” said congress member Mohamed alHudeiri. “Pending a decision by the commission, these portfolios will be handled by the deputy ministers until we find replacements for them.”

Libya’s national assembly approved Zeidan’s proposed government on Oct.

31 after rejecting his predecessor’s lineup. But the list of members sparked violent protests outside the congress, forcing it to adjourn early. Former rebel militias gathered with weapons outside the building, shooting in the air and at one point tried to storm into the congress’ building, demanding the removal of those members they accused of being old Gaddafi loyalists.

To avoid similar violent outbursts on Wednesday, Libyan national army forces cordoned off the congress headquarters, standing guard with pick-up trucks mounted with anti-aircraft weapons.

Sniffer dogs were also deployed.

Aware of Libya’s sharp regional tensions, Zeidan had said he had tried to strike a geographic balance among his 27 ministers. He nominated Ali Aujali, Libya’s ambassador to the United States, as foreign minister; Mohammed alBarghathi, who served in the Libyan air force, as defence minister; and Abdelbari al-Arusi, from the western town Zawiyah, as oil minister.

A former diplomat who defected in the 1980s to become an outspoken Gaddafi critic, Zeidan will govern the country while the congress, elected in July, passes laws and helps draft a new constitution to be put to a national referendum next year.

Congress elected Zeidan prime minister this month after his predecessor, Mustafa Abushagur, lost a confidence vote over his choice of ministers.

Fighting in Tripoli earlier this month between competing militias underlined the challenges Libya’s first freely elected government faces in overcoming clan, regional and sectarian divisions standing in the way of modernisation. — Reuters

KIRKUK: A spate of apparently coordinated attacks across Iraq on the eve of a festival marking the Islamic New Year killed 19 people and wounded more than 150 others yesterday, officials said.

The 13 bombings and shootings struck in Baghdad and nine other cities, the security and medical officials said, and will likely raise tensions in a country mired in political deadlock and which suffered a brutal sectarian war.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the violence, but Al-Qaeda’s front group in Iraq frequently carries out coordinated bombings and attempts mass-casualty attacks in a bid to destabilise the government through bloodshed.

Yesterday’s deadliest blasts struck in Kirkuk, a disputed ethnically mixed oil-rich province in north Iraq frequently targeted by militants seeking to sow communal violence, where at least nine people were killed and 39 wounded.

Two car bombs and a roadside blast in Kirkuk’s eponymous capital killed five people and wounded 34 others, while another explosives-packed vehicle targeting an army patrol in the town of Hawijah, also in Kirkuk province, left four dead and five others wounded, officials said.

“My child was killed! His friends were killed!” Shukriyah Rauf screamed in Kurdish at the site of the worst of the Kirkuk city attacks, where a car bomb and a roadside explosion in a majorityKurdish neighbourhood killed five.

“There is no security here, our homes were destroyed!” The attack that killed Rauf ’s child struck near offices of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Iraq’s

BAGHDAD: People inspect the scene of a car bomb attack in Kirkuk, 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Iraq, yesterday. Iraqi insurgents unleashed a new wave of bombings across the country early yesterday targeting security forces and civilians, killing and wounding scores of people, police said. — AP South of Baghdad near the or filming the scene. most powerful Kurdish political Four more bombings and two party which is led by Massud city of Hilla, meanwhile, a car Barzani, president of the bomb in a parking lot near a shootings in the restive provinces crowded marketplace killed five of Diyala and Salaheddin, both autonomous Kurdistan region.

Nearby buildings and vehicles people and wounded 77 others, north of Baghdad, wounded 22 others. The attacks come a day were badly damaged, with shrap- officials said.

Also south of the capital, in the before Muharram, which marks nel, garbage and bloodstains on the street. Another attack in the town of Hafriyah, another car the Islamic New Year on the lunar city wounded seven street clean- bomb left four dead and 15 calendar. They were condemned ers. “The car bomb targeted our wounded, while a car bomb near by London-based human rights friends-they are not police, sol- Baghdad’s Firdos Square, the site group Amnesty International as diers or politicians,” wailed Jassim famous for Iraqis pulling down a showing “utter contempt for al-Obeidi, a cleaner who escaped statue of Saddam Hussein shortly humanity.”

Violence in Iraq is dramatically unscathed. “They just wanted to after the 2003 US-led invasion, killed one person and wounded lower than its peak in 2006 and make a little money.”

2007 when the country was in Kirkuk province lies at the cen- six others.

The latter blast, which struck the throes of a brutal sectarian tre of a tract of territory claimed by both the central government close to two of Baghdad’s biggest war, but Sunni militants still carry and the Kurdish region, and the hotels, shattered nearby shop out attacks, typically in a bid to unresolved row is cited by diplo- windows and damaged build- target the Shiite-led government, mats and officials as the biggest ings. Security forces barred jour- its institutions, supporters and long-term threat to Iraq’s stability. nalists from taking photographs pilgrims.— AFP

Palestinian UN bid could threaten accords: Israel JERUSALEM: Israeli diplomats have put foreign leaders on notice that their country will consider its historic peace accords with the Palestinians null and void if they ask the United Nations for a state, according to a document obtained yesterday by The Associated Press.

The list of Foreign Ministry talking points also instructs diplomats to tell world leaders that Israel will retaliate against the move, without specifying details.

The Palestinians, frustrated with a four-year impasse in peace efforts, say they will ask the UN General Assembly on Nov 29 to give them

upgraded observer status. A draft resolution floated by the Palestinians seeks international recognition of their state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel and the US strongly oppose the effort, saying all matters must be resolved through negotiations. Yesterday, a US envoy was set to meet the Palestinian president in Switzerland in a last-ditch bid to halt the bid. The document says UN General Assembly approval of the Palestinian request would violate 1990s agreements between the two sides and “give Israel the right to

NEVA: Israelis soldiers run to a rocket shelter as a siren sounds signaling an attack coming from the nearby Gaza Strip in Neva settlement, near the Israel-Egypt border, yesterday. — AP

reconsider and nullify” them in whole or in part. “Adoption of the resolution by the General Assembly will have grave consequences, and set in motion unilateral Israeli responses,” the ministry communique said, cautioning that it would also complicate future diplomatic progress.

Vice Premier Moshe Yaalon, speaking in a similar vein, told Army Radio yesterday that his country would “have to take steps to make it clear that there will be a heavy price” if the statehood petition goes ahead.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also warned previously that a statehood appeal would push peace further away and lead to instability.

Late Tuesday, UN chief Ban Kimoon warned that the planned Palestinian move would undermine negotiations. “None of us should act in any way that would place a return to talks at risk. There can be no substitute for meaningful negotiations,” he said in a speech at Yale University.

Palestinians, exasperated after 44 years of Israeli occupation, insist they have no choice but to sidestep talks that have foundered for nearly two decades amid a toxic mix of intransigence, violence and failure of will.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas insists he hasn’t closed the door on negotiations, but only on condition Israel stop building settlements on lands the Palestinians claim for a future state. Israel refuses

to do that, saying the future of settlements will be settled once an agreement is reached on the final borders of Jewish and Palestinian states.

General Assembly recognition would not change the situation on the ground. But the Palestinians hope to use their upgraded status on the world stage to press their claims for a homeland. They also hope it will be a springboard for admission to other UN bodies, including the International Criminal Court, where they hope to prosecute Israel on war crimes charges.

Vice Premier Yaalon said an appeal to the UN would be a “flagrant” breach of the Oslo accords of the early 1990s, which require disputes to be settled through dialogue.

He stopped short of saying they would be rendered void.

“Let’s wait,” he said. “But we can’t let it go by and must take steps to make it clear there will be a heavy price,” he said. He didn’t specify what measures Israel might take. An end to the accords could stop cooperation with the Palestinians in a wide range of areas. Among other things, it could withhold the transfer of millions of dollars in taxes and customs it collects on behalf of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ West Bank government and block the import of equipment for Palestinian security forces, an Israeli official explained.— AP

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

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

Puerto Rico unlikely to be 51st US state despite vote MIAMI: One week after Puerto Ricans approved a measure to become the 51st US state, doubts have begun to emerge over the meaning of the vote and their chances of joining the union.

Residents of the Caribbean island, seized from Spain in 1898, are US citizens, serve in the US military and have US passports, but cannot vote in US presidential elections.

The self-governing US territory’s sole representative in Congress is a non-voting delegate in the House of Representatives. However, island residents do not pay federal income taxes.

On November 6 Puerto Ricans were asked two questions in a non-binding vote that critics say was confusing.

First: “Do you agree that Puerto Rico should continue to have its present form of territorial status?” Fifty-two percent of voters answered no, according to official results.

Voters were then given three options: a) Join the United States as a state, b) Become an independent country, or c) Become a “sovereign associated free state,” with the terms agreed between the two countries “as sovereign nations.” Voters approved

the statehood option by 61 percent-a move supporters saw as vindication after referenda for statehood failed in 1967, 1993 and 1998. Not so fast, analysts say. The main statehood supporter was Governor Luis Fortuno from the New Progressive Party, who lost his reelection bid. Puerto Rico’s governorelect is Alejandro Garcia Padilla, from the pro-status quo Popular Democratic Party. And if the 33 percent of voters who supported option c) and the five percent who supported independence are added to the 472,000-plus blank votes, “the percentage of people that

support statehood drops to 46 percent,” said Javier Colon Morera, a political scientist at the University of Puerto Rico. Ultimately, it’s up to the US Congress to decide which territories are allowed into the union. Confusion over the referendum’s wording, along with Fortuno’s departure, “will be the most obvious factors” for Congress to ignore the vote, Colon Morera said.

Other obstacles include the Puerto Rican government’s deep fiscal debt and the use of Spanish as the official language. The new state would get two senators, like every other state,

and given its population of 3.7 million, it would get five seats in the House of Representatives.

Sparsely populated states like Montana, Wyoming and Alaska all have only one House member, while states like Idaho, New Mexico and West Virginia have three or less.

In Washington, Republican and Democratic staffers told The Hill newspaper that Puerto Rico statehood is unlikely to come up when the next Congress meets in January. One House aide described the referendum vote to The Hill as a “statistical fiction.” —AFP

Obama to address Petraeus scandal Lawmakers probe widening general’s scandal

RIO DE JANEIRO: A social worker (R) looks at a crack addict during an operation to take addicts out from the streets, in the surroundings of Parque Uniao slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, yesterday. — AFP

Mexico Congress OKs biggest labor shake-up in decades MEXICO CITY: Mexico’s Senate on Tuesday approved a wide-reaching but watered down labor reform bill in the biggest shake-up of the country’s job market in more than four decades.

The bill’s approval came after a protracted tussle between outgoing President Felipe Calderon’s National Action Party (PAN) and pro-union hardliners within the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) of president-elect Enrique Pena Nieto. The PRI has traditionally relied on union support.

“We shouldn’t underestimate what we have,” said PAN senator Javier Lozano. “It is a very good labor reform economically speaking which will really stimulate competitiveness and productivity, and will modernize labor relations.” Nonetheless, the bill, approved by 99 votes to 28, has been criticized by some left-wing politicians who accused the government of trampling on the rights of Mexico’s workers. Protesters gathered outside the Senate and local television reports showed small scuffles breaking out.

“What we’re doing here is annulling worker’s rights,” said Alejandra Barrales, a senator from the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD).

The bill, which the government said will create up to 400,000 jobs a year, contains a raft of measures, including changes that would make it easier for firms to hire and fire workers and shorten labor disputes.

However, parts of the bill that sought to make unions more transparent were cut back. Pena Nieto sent a tweet congratulating Congress on the passage of the bill, which he said would “improve the productivity and competitiveness” of Mexico.

Under the new measures, work contracts will be more flexible, enshrining trial periods and initial training contracts in labor laws. Regulations will also be tightened on outsourcing of personnel, while the minimum wage will rise from an hourly to a daily rate. The reform also strengthens the rights of working women, including outlawing gender-based discrimination and helping mothers plan their work schedules.

Unions will have to publish their regulatory statutes on the Ministry of Labor’s website, but many of the tougher measures

- including rules to force them to show how they manage members’ fees - were dropped. Pena Nieto faces an uphill battle to create jobs once he takes office. Last week, Calderon said 2.1 million new jobs were created during his six-year term, but that figure is well short of his promise of 1 million a year. Between 2006 and 2011, the number of Mexicans old enough to work grew by some 6.5 million, according to data from the national statistics office.

If the bill succeeds in creating new jobs, it will help stem the flow of workers heading into the informal economy, which some estimate employs more than 10 percent of the population and costs Mexico up to $15 billion in lost taxes each year.

“There is a possibility that more people will be hired, but not under the right labor conditions,” said Javier Oliva, a political scientist at Mexico’s UNAM university.

Labor reform, along with an effort to widen the tax base and allow more private investment in state oil giant Pemex have been the three main items on Pena Nieto’s economic agenda. His capture of the presidency returns the PRI to power after a 12year hiatus. The centrist party governed Mexico from 1929 to 2000, a rule frequently dogged by allegations of vote-rigging, authoritarianism and corruption.

Reformers have been trying for years to bring Mexico’s antiquated labor laws up to date and received a boost in September when Calderon tried to fast-track the legislation through Congress. But before the bill left the lower house, where the PRI can muster a slim majority with the help of allies including the union-backed New Alliance Party, Pena Nieto’s party stripped out some of the less union-friendly measures. Nonetheless, the PRI lacks a majority in the Senate where the PAN, alongside allies from other parties, was able to push its reform through after it ping-ponged between the houses. Analysts said the reform, which relied on cross-party support between the PAN and the PRI, could herald a new era of bilateral cooperation, but that politicians missed an opportunity to push through a more wide-ranging bill.

“It should have been stronger,” said Oliva. “In Mexico we’re prone to making half-hearted decisions.” — Reuters

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama is set to address the sex scandal that brought down CIA chief David Petraeus and snared a top US general when he gives his first post-election press conference. The widening probe into Petraeus’s extramarital affair has raised questions about the US commander in Afghanistan, distracting from talks over a looming budget crisis and effor ts to fill high-level positions in Obama’s second term.

The White House on Tuesday expressed confidence in John Allen after the four-star general was linked to the scandal, which saw Petraeus resign in disgrace after a sterling career just three days after Obama’s re-election.

Allen was placed under investigation after FBI agents probing email threats sent by Petraeus’ mistress stumbled upon a vast trove of messages Allen sent to another married woman at the heart of the scandal. According to a senior Pentagon official, the married general denies any sexual liaison with 37-year-old Tampa socialite Jill Kelley, but the “sheer volume” of correspondence could amount to “conduct unbecoming an officer.”

Due to face lawmakers this week for a hearing to confirm his promotion to the post of NATO’s supreme commander in Europe, Allen will now return to Kabul and remain in charge of allied forces in Afghanistan until the probe is over.

“The president thinks very highly of General Allen and of his service to his country, as well as the job he has done in Afghanistan,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters. “He has faith in General Allen,” Carney said, adding that the White House had known about the Allen strand to the investigation since Friday.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, currently on an official visit to Australia, yesterday urged against jumping to any conclusions about Allen and said the general has his “continued confidence.”

Petraeus resigned last week when it became clear that his affair with 40-year-old military reservist Paula Broadwell, who wrote a

fawning biography of him, would become public.

FBI agents stumbled on the liaison after a complaint from Kelley-a close friend of both Petraeus and Allen-who told a federal agent that she had received threatening emails, which investigators later traced to Broadwell.

The threatening emails she had sent to Kelley-who told investigators she did not know Broadwellsuggest the biographer was jealous of the socialite’s rapport with the generals at US Central Command in Florida. The Wall Street Journal cited an official as saying Broadwell had sent a series of critical emails about Kelley to senior generals under the pseudonym KelleyPatrol, including one to Allen in which she called Kelley a “seductress.”

The Pentagon is meanwhile investigating Allen after FBI agents found 20,000 to 30,000 pages of his correspondence, including hundreds of emails to Kelley.

A Pentagon official said some of the emails were seen as “flirtatious” but that only an investigation could determine if Allen, who is married, had broken the law or violated military regulations.

Petraeus and Broadwell were interviewed by investigators and both admitted to the affair, which the retired four-star general told friends he ended about four months ago.

Petraeus had been due to testify to Congress this week on the September 11 assault in Benghazi, Libya that killed four Americans, including US ambassador Chris Stevens and two former Navy SEALs working for the CIA. Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein told CNN she expected Petraeus would still agree to testify at a later date, adding that she had seen nothing to link the sex scandal to Benghazi. Petraeus took command of the CIA 14 months ago, retiring from the military after a storied career in which he commanded troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The general, who presided over the 2007 troop “surge” in Iraq, is widely credited with turning the tide of the US war

Myanmar’s president which has seen Suu Kyi, who had been under house arrest for years, become a member of parliament.

Clinton said Obama’s visit was a sign of how far long-isolated Myanmar, formerly know as Burma, had come and reflected an “action-for-action” approach to positive changes there.

“The reforms have a long way to go, the future is not certain, but we are making progress and we want to see that progress continue,” Clinton told reporters.

Washington restored diplomatic relations with Myanmar and ended sanctions on investment in July.

But the United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay last week warned that the conflict in Rakhine could stall the country’s reform-drive and called on Myanmar to allow the Rohingya to become citizens.

The group’s statelessness is at the heart of two deadly outbreaks of unrest between Buddhist and Muslim communities since June. Rakhine’s 800,000 Rohingya are considered by the UN to be one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.

Obama is also expected to make a speech to civil society groups and may make a stop at a cultural site in Yangon during his visit. — AFP

there, though his efforts have been less successful in Afghanistan.

Broadwell has hired renowned Washington power attorney Robert Muse to represent her. No criminal charges have been filed, but FBI agents searched her North Carolina home earlier this week and seized several boxes and pictures. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has also come under scrutiny. The Wall Street Journal reported that the FBI agent Kelley contacted about the threatening emails, a personal acquaintance of hers, brought the

matter to the attention of Republican lawmakers. The agent apparently believed the bureau was not moving aggressively enough with the investigation, suspecting that his superiors were keen to protect the Democratic president from the fallout. FBI supervisors had earlier thrown the agent off the case after he became “obsessed” with the matter, the Journal said. It quoted one official as saying the agent had sent shirtless photos to Kelley and was currently under internal investigation. — AFP

Three die in plane crash in Mississippi

Obama to discuss Rohingya violence on Myanmar visit PERTH: President Barack Obama will discuss the deadly sectarian violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state during his historic visit to the country, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said yesterday. She will accompany Obama next week when he makes the first visit to Myanmar by a sitting US president, during which he will meet both President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Clinton said unrest between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists in the western state of Rakhine would “of course” feature in Obama’s talks. The clashes in that region have so far claimed 180 lives and forced more than 110,000, mainly Rohingya, into makeshift camps.

“We’ve condemned that violence, we’ve called for calm and a meaningful dialogue to address the legitimate needs that are at the base of these underlying issues,” said Clinton.

“And certainly we expect the Burmese authorities to ensure the security and safety of all of the people in the area and to act expeditiously both to stop violence and investigate it, and bring those responsible to justice.”

During the visit Obama will deepen his support for the reform process launched by

FLORIDA: This November 14, 2012 combination of file photos shows clockwise from upper left: CIA Director Gen. David H. Petraeus, his biographer Paula Broadwell, General John Allen and socialite Jill Kelley. Petraeus resigned last week when it became clear that his affair with 40-year-old military reservist Paula Broadwell, who wrote a fawning biography of him, would become public. — AFP

JACKSON: Unidentified friends of the pilot of a small plane that authorities say crashed into a west Jackson, Miss., home shortly after 5 pm Tuesday evening, hug each other as they await information as to the pilot and passengers. The home’s resident is believed to have escaped but authorities have not released names of plane’s passengers. — AP

JACKSON: The three pilots had just taken off from the Hawkins Field Airport when the single-engine plane they were flying to a Federal Aviation Administration safety conference less than 30 miles (48 kilometers) away began to falter.

A Jackson police officer looked up in the sky and saw the Piper PA-32 “spitting and sputtering” like it was out of fuel, he would later tell the plane’s owner - a budding pilot whose own life was spared when he decided to go deer hunting instead of flying Tuesday afternoon.

One of the aviators asked for permission to return to the airport, but just minutes later the plane went down. It crashed through trees before slamming into a house that quickly caught fire, sending long flames and black smoke through the neighborhood of modest single-family homes surrounded by magnolia and oak trees.

A deputy fire chief told WJTV-TV that one person escaped the burning home with minor injuries, but it was not immediately clear if anyone else was inside. One patient from the scene was in good condition at University of Mississippi Medical Center, spokesman Jack Mazurak said late Tuesday. He wouldn’t give the person’s name or gender or the extent of the injuries, citing privacy laws.

The plane was owned by Roger and Michele Latham, from Superior Pallet Company in Flowood, Mississippi, both of whom showed up at the crash site, along with their grown daughter, Emily Latham.

Emily Latham noted that her father was supposed to have been on board but changed his plans. “He went hunting,” she said. “Thank God.” Michele Latham said all three men on board were pilots. Roger

Latham, who is 15 hours short of getting his pilot’s license, identified one of the victims as John Edward Tilton Jr., his flight instructor. “He was one of the finest Christian men I knew,” Latham said. “We had three great men who lost their lives,” he added. “I just want to wake up in a while and say, ‘This didn’t happen.’”

Hinds County Coroner Sharon GrishamStewart confirmed three people died in the crash. She said dental records or DNA would be needed to confirm their identities. The plane took off at 5:10 p.m. and shortly after, the pilot asked for permission to return to the airport, according to a news release issued by the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority. It never made it. The plane had departed Hawkins Field Airport headed for Raymond, Mississippi, for an FAA safety conference close by.

Latham said his plane had been parked in a hangar for a month and they wanted to take it out for a short flight before he flew it to Gulf Shores, Alaska, for Thanksgiving.

Latham said he had owned the plane for 2 1/2 years and described it as being in mint condition.

Latham said a Jackson police officer who was about a block away when the plane was coming down told him “it was spitting and sputtering and ... starving for fuel.” It hit trees on the way down, Latham said, adding, “I’m sure John was doing everything he possibly could to save the lives on board.”

Vivian Payne, who lives about six blocks from the crash site, said she heard a loud bang that sounded different from an electrical transformer blowing.

“It shook the walls of my house,” Payne said. The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating. —AP

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

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

Merkel to meet Putin in Kremlin for ‘critical dialogue’ MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin tomorrow hosts German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the first time in his third Kremlin term as Berlin adopts an increasingly critical stance over Russia’s shady rights record. Merkel must tread a fine line between expressing rights concerns and the need to protect Berlin’s economic interests as a top client of state gas giant Gazprom as well as a leading investor in an overhaul of Russian infrastructure.

Moscow has been particularly needled by the public comments of Andreas Schockenhoff, the German government’s coordinator for GermanRussian relations, who has shown no fear in taking issue with the Russian rights record.

“There is a dearth of warmth in relations between Putin and Merkel, now it will be altogether gone,” Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of Russia in Global Affairs magazine, told AFP. Germany and other EU states have expressed concern over a crackdown on civil society since Putin returned to the Kremlin in May which has seen activists arrested, the Pussy Riot rock band jailed and draconian new laws passed. Foreign Minister Guido

Westerwelle ahead of the visit stressed the need for a “critical dialogue” with Russia, warning that “partnership does not mean doing away with criticism.”

A week before the talks, German lawmakers passed a resolution coauthored by Schockenhoff urging the government to push for more democracy and warning of a “confrontational course towards government critics” in Russia. Stefan Meister, a Russia expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations, said “disillusionment” had clouded Berlin’s relationship with Russia since Putin’s return and the end of his predecessor Dmitry Medvedev’s stabs at reform.

“Germany is striving for more rule of law-Russia’s elite would like to prevent exactly that,” he wrote in a recent commentary for German newspaper Die Zeit’s online edition.

Schockenhoff, who criticised the Russia government for its stance on Syria and the handling of critics, has been accused by the Russian foreign ministry of lacking competence for his job.

‘Yet analysts also doubt Germany is prepared to risk its relationship with Russia despite the new tensions given the economic interests at stake.

“Merkel and Schockenhoff will make tough remarks-and it will end at that,” said Vladislav Belov, head of the Centre for German Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Europe. “This will be her curtsey to German society and the European Union.” Lukyanov added: “It’s extremely important for German business to confirm its status as a priority economic partner.” “Germans are our partners in machine-building, they expect to take part in privatisation and on the whole participate in Russia’s technical overhaul.” A fluent German speaker who spent five years as a KGB agent in Dresden, Putin has long prided himself on building a solid working relationship with Merkel, even though it has lacked the camaraderie he cultivated in his ties with her predecessor Gerhard Schroeder.

He conspicuously made Berlin his first European destination after his inauguration in May. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told AFP energy and the euro zone crisis will be among top issues, noting that Russia holds a large chunk of its foreign reserves in euros.

The European Union’s ongoing probe into Gazprom over concerns it

SOCHI: In this Sunday, Jan 21, 2007 file photo German Chancellor Angela Merkel shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, after a press conference in Putin’s residence in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi. Germany is Russia’s largest trade partner, and Merkel, who will hold talks with Putin tomorrow, has faced pressure at home and abroad to paying more attention to Russia’s worsening human rights situation. — AP was hindering competition in Europe strongman. Addressing the criticism of Kremlin’s rights record, Peskov said: is expected to be addressed, too.

Human Rights Watch has urged “Unfortunately some politicians are Merkel to tell Putin to end the crack- still in the captivity of stereotypes,” and down on civil society, saying her visit added that Moscow also had queswas a “unique opportunity” to make it tions for Berlin over Germany’s rights clear the EU’s concerns to the Russian record. — AFP

Controversial treason law takes effect in Russia Critics fear crackdown

LONDON: In this file picture taken on November 12, 2012 BBC employees arrive for work at the organisation’s New Broadcasting House in central London. The BBC marked the 90th anniversary of its first ever transmission yesterday beset by doubts about its future after scandals surrounding its reporting of child sex abuse allegations. — AFP

BBC marks unhappy 90th anniversary LONDON: The BBC marked the 90th anniversary of its first ever transmission yesterday, beset by doubts about its future after a series of scandals surrounding the way it has reported child sex abuse allegations. A composition by Damon Albarn, frontman of the pop group Blur, will be played simultaneously on all the British Broadcasting Corporation’s domestic radio stations and parts of the World Service to celebrate the milestone.

What was then known as the British Broadcasting Company crackled into life on November 14, 1922, with a radio news bulletin featuring stories about a train robbery, a “rowdy meeting” involving Winston Churchill, and billiards scores.

But 90 years later the BBC, now the world’s largest broadcasting organisation, faces one of the most serious crises in its history as it seeks to defend its reputation and the public funding that sustains it.

The BBC was first hit by scandal last month over a decision by its flagship current affairs programme, Newsnight, to shelve an investigation into claims of paedophilia surrounding its late television star Jimmy Savile. Savile died in 2011 and police now believe he abused hundreds of children.

Weeks later Newsnight was forced to retract false allegations that a senior Conservative politician from the era of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher abused children at a care home in Wales in the 1970s.

The BBC’s director-general George Entwistle resigned on Saturday after 54 days in the job and the corporation has launched a series of investigations into both of the scandals, while it searches for a new leader. The corporation faces further

pressure over Entwistle’s £450,000 (565,000-euro, $715,000) payoff-the equivalent of a year’s salary.

The magnitude of the scandal reflects the extent to which the BBC-nicknamed “the Beeb” or “Auntie” in Britain-has become part of the fabric of British national life over the past 90 years.

The BBC is also part of British families’ budgets, with all households with a television obliged to pay an annual “licence fee” of £145.50, the equivalent of just under 40p per day.

The first BBC broadcast, at 6:00 pm on November 14, 1922, was by its then director of programmes Arthur Burrows, who was one of only four staff of a company set up a few weeks earlier by early radio manufacturers.

His groundbreaking news bulletin, which also covered one of the “peasouper” fogs that used to afflict London, was read out twice-once quickly and once slowlyand he asked listeners to say which they preferred.

Albarn’s composition is named “2LO Calling”, after the original 2LO transmitter used for the 1922 broadcast, which was installed on the roof of London’s Selfridges department store.

It will feature on a live broadcast from London’s Science Museum, according to the BBC, at 1733 GMT. The three-minute piece features commentary from an election in Cameroon, the chimes of parliament’s Big Ben clock, the famed BBC time signal known as the “pips” and birdsong.

It will be broadcast on more than 55 radio stations. “I don’t know what the various audiences will make of it, but I tried to get at least a flavour of all the stuff I was trying to give them,” Albarn said.—AFP

UN troops ‘shoot dead’ protester in disputed Abyei KHARTOUM: Ethiopian UN troops in the Abyei region contested by Sudan and South Sudan shot and killed one of the mission’s own employees who had joined a tribal dispute, an Abyei resident familiar with the situation said yesterday.

UN officials confirmed that a member of the Dinka tribe who worked for the UN’s Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) died after clashes with the peacekeepers.

The incident is the most serious in the flashpoint region since Sudanese troops withdrew in May to end a year-long occupation that forced more than 100,000 people to flee Abyei towards South Sudan.

The dead man was among a group of Dinka youths who harassed leaders of the rival Misseriya tribe who went to Abyei town to meet the UNISFA commander, the Abyei resident told AFP. Because the town is still deserted and devoid of facilities, the group of about 20 Misseriya had spent the night at the local mosque, which the Dinka began stoning around dawn on Tuesday, said

the resident, who asked for anonymity.

“A group of Ethiopian militar y was pushing these people, trying to stop them from stoning,” but the peacekeepers also got hit by rocks, leaving one injured, the resident said. Two of the Dinka then directly confronted the troops, trying to seize their weapons, the source added.

Peacekeepers fired warning shots into the air but one man who continued trying to seize a weapon was shot and killed. He worked in administration for UNISFA, the source said, adding that a UNISFA labourer was shot and wounded.

Damian Rance, a public information officer with the UN’s humanitarian agency in Khartoum, confirmed that a UNISFA employee from the Dinka tribe, “was shot and killed”. In New York, the spokesman for UN chief Ban Ki-moon said late Tuesday that “one national staff member succumbed to his injuries and another sustained an injury as a result of clashes in Abyei between UNISFA and Ngok Dinka demonstrators.—‚AFP

MOSCOW: A new law expanding Russia’s definition of treason took effect yesterday despite President Vladimir Putin’s promise to review it - and critics say it’s so vague the government can now brand any dissenter a traitor.

Under it, anyone possessing information deemed secret - whether a politician, a journalist, an environmentalist or a union leader could potentially be jailed for up to 20 years for espionage.

Human rights advocates say the law is part of a widening crackdown on the opposition after Putin began his third presidential term in May. While the previous law describes high treason as espionage or other assistance to a foreign state damaging Russia’s external security, the new legislation expands the definition by dropping the word “external.” Activities that fall under it include getting financial help or advice from a foreign state or giving information to an international or foreign organization.

The law, which was drafted by the Federal Security Service, the main KGB successor agency known under its Russian acronym of FSB, also introduced a punishment for up to eight years for simply getting hold of state secrets illegally even if they aren’t passed to foreign hands.

The FSB explained in a statement run by the ITAR-Tass news agency that the new clause better protects confidential information.

It said the previous law, which dated back to the 1960s, failed to provide an efficient deterrence against foreign spies.

“Tactics and methods of foreign special services have changed, becoming more subtle and disguised as legitimate actions,” the spy agency said. “Claims about a possible twist of spy mania in connection with the law’s passage are ungrounded and based exclusively on emotions.”

Tamara Morshchakova, a former Constitutional Court judge, told a presidential rights council meeting Monday that the new law is so broad the FSB no longer needs to provide proof that a suspect inflicted actual damage to the nation’s security.

MOSCOW: Russia’s President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting in his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, yesterday. Putin signed yesterday into law the bill broadening the definition of high treason, which human rights activists say can be used against any dissenter as it can target individuals deemed to have harmed Russian security by passing information to a foreign organisation. — AFP “Their goal was simple: We have few traitors, it’s difficult to prove their guilt, so it’s necessary to expand it,” Morshchakova said.

“Now they don’t have to prove it any more. An opinion of law enforcement agencies would suffice.”

Putin, who chaired the meeting, promised to take another look at the treason bill to prevent it from being excessively broad, but it became law despite his pledge.

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday, in comments carried by Russian news agencies, that Putin’s statement indicated his readiness to review the treason law if its implementation reveals “some problems or aspects restricting rights and freedoms.”

The revised treason bill first came up in 2008, under then-President Dmitry Medvedev, who quickly shelved the bill after an outburst of public criticism.

Putin, a KGB veteran, has clamped down on

his critics following a series of major street protests against his re-election, which he said were staged by Washington in order to weaken Russia. The Kremlin-controlled parliament quickly stamped a series of repressive bills and opposition activists have faced numerous searches and arrests.

One of the laws passed this summer required non-governmental organizations in Russia that receive foreign funding and engage in political activity to register as “foreign agents,” which aims to destroy their credibility among Russians. One such group is Golos, Russia’s only independent vote monitor, which collected evidence of massive violations in recent elections.

And in October, Moscow ended the US Agency for International Development’s two decades of work in Russia, saying the agency was using its money to influence Russian elections - a claim the US denied. — AP

5 charged over Kenya police killings, hunt intensifies NAIROBI: Kenya yesterday charged five regional officials with the murder of 32 Kenyan police officers killed by armed cattle raiders in an ambush at the weekend, described as the worst attack on the country’s police.

The junior officials, who oversee a cluster of villages in the nor thwestern region, pleaded not guilty after they were arrested early yesterday.

Police and troops, backed by military helicopters, launched an offensive against the raiders suspected to be from the ethnic Turkana community who had stolen cattle from the Samburu tribe.

Clashes over cattle, land and water are common among Kenya’s fringe tribes, but many in the east African countr y were shocked by extent of the violence and the kind of weapons used.

The raiders used machine guns and rocket propelled grenades to kill the officers in

a military-style ambush in the remote northwestern territory. Some unconfirmed media reports said up to 42 bodies had been recovered in the rugged Suguta valley.

Osman War fa, provincial commissioner of the vast Rift Valley province, said the five junior regional officials planned the attack. The five were also charged with livestock theft and were being held in custody to assist with investigations. “ We obtained credible information after investigating that implicated the five,” War fa told Reuters. “ They planned the raid, kept the stolen animals and instructed the raiders to kill the officers.”

The attack has highlighted how ill- equipped Kenya’s police force is, at a time when they are facing new challenges.

There is pressure to improve the force ahead of elections next March - the

first since a disputed election in 2007 fuelled ethnic slaughter that killed more than 1,200 people and forced about 300,000 from their homes.

Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere has called for armoured vehicles for his forces and a tactical rethink in the wake of the massacre.

Kenya shares porous borders with South Sudan, Ethiopia’s Somali region and Somalia territories awash with weapons and arms smugglers after decades of conflict.

M ilitar y helicopters swooped low over the site of the ambush at Suguta Valley in north west Kenya, tracking a convoy of trucks ferrying police officers and paramilitar y units, residents at the nearby town of Baragoi said.

Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki had on Tuesday night ordered military troops to join in a crackdown on the attackers. “Baragoi is like Kismayu or Somalia today,” said Raphael

Lekulkulai, a shopkeeper from the Samburu tribe in Baragoi said, referring to a city in Somalia that African peacekeepers recently entered to drive out al Qaeda-linked militants.

“Our town is like a military camp, helicopters are flying, taking-off, landing. The number of police (and) paramilitar y in militar y jungle uniforms is almost more or equal to the local population,” he said.

Thousands of people, mostly Turkana, started fleeing Suguta Valley on Tuesday fearing reprisals after security forces blamed members of the ethnic group for the killings.

“We are all afraid, tension is high. Almost all Turkanas who have stayed here for decades have left. I am planning to leave this place as soon as possible,” James Lo c h e, a Tu r k a n a e l d e r i n Baragoi said. — Reuters

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

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

Sri Lankan Parliament to investigate chief justice COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s Parliament appointed 11 lawmakers, seven of them in the ruling party’s coalition, yesterday to investigate an impeachment motion that accuses the country’s chief justice of misusing power and having unexplained wealth.

Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake denies wrongdoing, and opposition parties and independent analysts say the impeachment attempt is aimed at stifling judiciary independence and concentrating power with Sri Lanka’s president.

Coalition lawmakers submitted the motion two weeks ago, calling for a Parliament Select Committee to investigate 14 charges and remove Bandaranayake. It alleged her actions had “plunged the Supreme Court and the office of chief justice into disrepute.”

Parliamentary Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa announced that the committee - which includes seven government lawmakers and four from opposition par-

ties - would investigate the charges published in Parliament’s official agenda last week. The committee is headed by government minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, who is also a lawyer.

Bandaranayake has said she “can easily refute” the allegations. She also has said she will continue to discharge her duties “without fear or favor” and “independently, impartially and fearlessly in accordance with the law.” The complaint alleges that Bandaranayake did not disclose how she obtained 19 million rupees ($146,000) to pay for a house purchased under power of attorney for another person. It also alleges that she took control of several cases filed against the company that sold the property after removing the judges who originally heard them.

The motion also accuses Bandaranayake of not declaring the contents of 20 bank accounts, including four foreign currency accounts containing the equiva-

lent of 34 million rupees ($260,000), and alleges that she misused her position to harass other judges.

If the committee determines that the complaint has merit, an impeachment motion will be voted on and forwarded to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the speaker’s brother, for further action. With the ruling coalition controlling more than two-thirds of Parliament’s seats, the motion is expected to be carried easily.

The impeachment attempt follows months of conflict between Parliament and the judiciary.The secretary of the Judicial Services Commission, Manjula Thilakaratne, was assaulted last month after he said that powerful people were trying to interfere with its work and with judges, and that their families were under threat.

Opposition parties accused the government of involvement in the attack, but the government denied responsibility. Bandaranayake came under strong gov-

ernment criticism after she ruled that a government bill violated the constitution. The bill seeks to give wider powers to minister of economic development Basil Rajapaksa, another brother of the president.

The Center for Policy Alternatives, a local public policy group, expressed concerned about the procedures in Parliament and said the “impeachment proceedings are incompatible with the principles of natural justice.”

The group said in a statement emailed Tuesday that the rules in Parliament “open a wide door for partisan decision making, which fundamentally undermines the rule against bias.”

“We are deeply concerned, therefore, that in the prevailing climate of threat to the independence of the judiciary and sweeping executive control over Parliament, the lack of due process rights renders the impeachment process little more than a modern inquisition,” it added. — AP

Pakistan agrees to free several Afghan Taleban ‘Peace process is gaining urgency’

NEW DELHI: Chairperson of The National League for Democracy of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi (L), and Chairperson of the Congress-led UPA government Sonia Gandhi pose with books authored by Suu Kyi during her Nehru Memorial Lecture in New Delhi yesterday. — AFP

PM Singh lauds Suu Kyi on landmark India visit NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hailed Aung San Suu Kyi’s “indomitable courage” yesterday as he sought to repair frayed relations with the visiting Myanmar opposition leader. Suu Kyi, who in the 1960s was a student in Delhi where her mother served as an ambassador, is paying her first visit to neighbouring India in 25 years-most of which were spent under military house arrest.

Singh’s government is keen to rebuild ties with Suu Kyi, who was finally freed by the junta in 2010 and led her party to a landslide victory in parliamentary by-elections in April. New Delhi was once one of her staunchest supporters, but changed tack and sought engagement with the junta in the mid-1990s-a move that the Nobel peace prize winner has acknowledged “saddened” her.

“Our good wishes are with you as indeed with your struggle for democracy. We admire you for the indomitable courage you have shown,” Singh said in comments reported by the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency after talks with Suu Kyi. Singh had invited Suu Kyi to New Delhi when he visited Myanmar in May to try to boost trade and counter the influence of regional rival China.

India shares a 1,640 kilometre (1,020 mile) border with its northeastern neighbour Myanmar, and the two former British colonies have a long shared history. Suu Kyi’s father General Aung San-regarded as Myanmar’s independence hero-was a personal friend of India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Suu Kyi laid a wreath at Nehru’s memorial in Delhi yesterday morning and will deliver an annual lecture in his honour later in the day. Her release, last year’s end to mili-

tary rule and the prospect of nationwide elections in 2015 have enabled Myanmar to shed its pariah status in the West and US President Barack Obama is due to visit next week.

Myanmar’s military-backed President Thein Sein has vowed to put the economy at the centre of a new wave of reforms following the dramatic political changes.

But in an interview with The Hindu newspaper on Tuesday, Suu Kyi cautioned India against getting carried away about the changes across its border. “It’s (got) to be able to take a good hard look at what is really happening,” she told the Indian daily.

“Not to be over-optimistic, at the same time to be encouraging of what needs to be encouraged; because I think too much optimism doesn’t help because then you ignore what is going wrong.”

Suu Kyi acknowledged that businesses were keen to tap the opportunities across India’s eastern border in competition with Chinese counterparts but added that “investment has to be done in the right way”. During the four-day trip, Suu Kyi is also due to visit parliament and inspect rural development projects.

Tomorrow she will visit the Lady Shri Ram college in New Delhi, where she graduated with a degree in politics. Suu Kyi last visited India in 1987 when she travelled to Simla to join her husband Michael Aris, who was studying in the picturesque hill station.

Suu Kyi was unable to see Aris before his death from cancer in Britain in 1999, and missed seeing her sons grow up.

The then-ruling junta refused Aris a visa to visit her and Suu Kyi did not attempt to leave Myanmar during her few periods of freedom because of concerns that she would never be allowed to return. — AFP

S Korean president’s son to face tax probe SEOUL: South Korean prosecutors said yesterday they would refer President Lee Myung-Bak’s only son to the tax authorities as they handed down indictments over a land deal for Lee’s retirement home.

Although Lee Si-Hyung was not among the three people indicted, prosecutors said his tax records would be checked for possible evasion of gift tax on financial help he received from family members to help buy a plot for the home.

“Lee Si-Hyung has been cleared of suspicion of violating real estate laws,” special prosecutor Lee Kwang-Bum told reporters.

“But we’ve decided to pass on documents to the National Tax Service due to suspicions of gift tax evasion.”

Those indicted on various breach-oftrust charges relating to the land deal included the former head of the presidential security service, Kim In-Jong. The indictments followed a one-month investigation by special prosecutors into alleged irregularities in the purchase of the land on the southern edge of Seoul.

It was to be used to build a retirement home for Lee, who will leave office in February after serving the single five-year presidential term allowed under the constitution. The lot was jointly purchased by the president’s son Lee Si-Hyung and the presidential security service, which would have had to house its agents on the site to protect the former leader.

But prosecutors said the cost was not split evenly, with the security service paying too high a price from public funds for

its share while Lee’s son got a below-market rate for the residential plot.

In the course of their probe, the prosecutors grilled the president’s brother Lee Sang-Eun, who had given his nephew 600 million won ($542,000) to secure the land deal. First Lady Kim Yoon-Ok was also questioned-although only in writing-after providing security for a similar-sized loan for her son.

The presidential Blue House has vigorously denied opposition claims of financial chicanery. But in the face of mounting criticism, the president scrapped the whole project and decided to move into his existing private house in southern Seoul after leaving office.

The Blue House yesterday voiced “regret” at some of the prosecutors findings’, arguing that they were based on an insufficient grasp of a complex procedure.

“The purchase of the president’s retirement home... due to the special nature of the office and security requirements... is bound to be a far more complicated process than ordinary property purchases,” it said in a statement.

It also branded as “unacceptable” the assumption that the collateral provided by the first lady amounted to a monetary gift to her son. “As for the charges brought against officials of the personal security team, we will actively explain our stance in court,” the statement added. President Lee on Monday turned down a request by the prosecutors for a 15-day extension to their special investigation. — AFP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has agreed to free some Afghan Taleban prisoners who could be useful in reconciliation efforts, officials from both countries said yesterday, the clearest sign that Islamabad will put its weight behind the troubled Afghan peace process.

Afghan officials, hopeful that direct contacts with top Taleban commanders could give them leverage in any peace talks, have long urged Pakistan for access to prisoners.

The task of energizing the Afghan peace process is gaining urgency as NATO combat troops prepare to withdraw by the end of 2014.

Some Afghans fear the country could face civil war or another Taleban takeover if insurgents are not lured into a serious peace process before then. “Pakistan has sent us a very strong message and Pakistan has agreed in principle to start releasing prisoners from today,” Abdul Hamid Mubarez, a member of Afghanistan’s High Peace Council, which is visiting Islamabad, told Reuters.

He did not say how many prisoners would be released but predicted the action would help advance the peace process. Pakistan, with its historical ties to Afghan militant groups, is seen as critical to US efforts to pacify Afghanistan, perhaps President Barack Obama’s biggest foreign policy challenge as he starts a second term.

It is not clear why Pakistan made the gesture at this time but it has come under mounting pressure to support US efforts to stabilise Afghanistan as the endgame nears. A senior Pakistani army official said it had not yet been decided if the former Afghan Taleban second in command, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, would be released.

Afghan officials have identified him as a figure who may still command enough respect to persuade the Taleban to pursue peace after more than a decade of fighting US-led NATO and Afghan forces. The Pakistani army official declined to give any information about who was going to be released saying details had yet to be worked out. The decision to release the prisoners was a major achievement for the Afghan High Peace Council, which has been struggling to ease mistrust between the Taleban and the Kabul government.

Afghan officials have suspected that

ISLAMABAD: In this photo released by Press Information Department, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik, right, meets with Salahuddin Rabbani, head of Afghanistan High Peace Council in Islamabad, Pakistan, yesterday. Pakistan freed at least seven Taleban prisoners yesterday at the request of the Afghan government, in a move meant to help jumpstart a shaky peace process with the militant group in neighbouring Afghanistan, officials said. — AP

Pakistan has been holding Afghan Taleban members in jail to retain some control over peace efforts and have a say in any settlement. Those in detention include former Justice Minister Mullah Nooruddin Toorabi and Mullah Jahangirwal, former secretary of Taleban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar and Allahdat Tayab, an ex-deputy minister, Afghan High Peace Council officials say. “We have asked Pakistan to release them because they were the policy makers of the Taleban and close aides to Mullah Omar,” Habibullah Fawzi, a senior member of the Afghan peace team, told Reuters.

Their release could encourage a number of Taleban commanders and fighters to join peace efforts, he said. Afghan embassy officials in Islamabad said the names of about 10 Afghan Taleban militants had been floated.

Afghanistan’s government has failed to secure direct talks with the Taleban and no significant progress is expected before 2014, when most NATO combat troops withdraw, a senior Afghan official closely involved with

reconciliation efforts told Reuters last week.

There has also been little progress on other fronts. The Taleban said in March they were suspending nascent peace talks with the United States held in Qatar, blaming “erratic and vague” US statements. Even if the release of the Afghan Taleban prisoners does not produce breakthroughs, it could improve Pakistan’s image and bolster its argument that it is committed to stabilising Afghanistan.

Afghan officials have often seen Pakistan as a reluctant partner in attempts to broker talks.

Afghan and US officials accuse Pakistan of using insurgent groups, including the highly lethal Haqqani network, as proxies in Afghanistan to counter the influence of rival India. Pakistan rejects that.

Afghanistan has been known to want access to Taleban leaders belonging to the socalled Quetta Shura, or council, named after the Pakistani city where they are believed to be based. Pakistan has consistently denied giving sanctuary to insurgents and says no Taleban leaders are in Quetta. — Reuters

Leaked UN report says it failed S Lanka war victims COLOMBO: The United Nations failed to protect civilians and halt rights abuses during the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war, according to an internal review that triggered an angry response yesterday from the government.

The leaked report said the UN, under intense pressure from Sri Lankan authorities, did not make public that “a large majority” of deaths in the closing months of war in 2009 were caused by government shelling.

It also said that the Sri Lankan government’s “stratagem of intimidation” including control of visas for critical UN staff-prevented the UN from protecting civilians in the conflict zone. Sri Lanka has faced severe international censure since its military campaign that crushed the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009, ending decades of bloody ethnic warfare on the island.

Rights groups say up to 40,000 civilians were killed by government forces in the last few months of fighting, and the Tigers have also been accused of using civilians as a human shield. “There was no intimidation,” Plantations Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe told reporters in Colombo. “No such thing.

How can you intimidate them? They don’t get intimidated by anyone.” Samarasinghe, who is also the country’s human rights envoy to the UN Human Rights Council, said he did not want to comment directly on the report but added that Colombo was willing to address any shortcomings it raised. Samarasinghe said Colombo had a good rapport with humanitarian agencies, including UN workers and that they had held regular meetings during the war. “I chaired those meetings at the defence ministry and we address many issues and found answers,” Samarasinghe said. “We worked closely with the UN and others.” The report said the UN withdrew from the island’s north in September 2008 after Colombo warned it could not guarantee the safety of

NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (2R) speaks upon receiving a report from Charles Petrie (L), the head of an internal review panel on UN action in Sri Lanka, at the United Nations headquarters in New York yesterday. The internal United Nations report has strongly criticised its own officials for failing to protect civilians during the last days of the decadeslong civil war in Sri Lanka, saying it could have done much more to save lives. — AFP

aid workers, allowing the military to carry out aerial bombardments that also hit civilians.

“I have not heard anyone say that we asked them to go out (of the conflict zone),” Samarasinghe said. Shortly after the government declared victory over the Tamil rebels, UNICEF spokesman in Sri Lanka James Elder was expelled over comments about the “unimaginable hell” suffered by children caught up in the fighting. The report, which was leaked to the BBC, also criticises senior UN staff in Colombo who “did not perceive the prevention of killing of civilians as their responsibility”.

“Events in Sri Lanka mark a grave failure of

the UN,” the draft report said, adding that the world body should “be able to meet a much higher standard in fulfilling its protection and humanitarian responsibilities”.

UN officials in Colombo declined comment on the internal review, but said it would be made public after Secretary General Ban Kimoon received it later this week. “When he does receive it and had read it, it will be made public,” the UN office in Colombo said. Ban visited Sri Lanka shortly after the end of the fighting and extracted assurances from Colombo to probe war crimes. Colombo, however, has rejected any international investigation. — AFP

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

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

Singapore rejects calls to abolish death penalty SINGAPORE: Singapore yesterday rejected calls to abolish executions, saying the death penalty is still necessary to deter serious crimes despite legal reforms designed to lessen its use. Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is also minister for home affairs, said abolishing hanging would send the wrong signal to potential criminals.

Singapore has unveiled legal amendments that will enable judges to impose life imprisonment on low-level drug couriers and people who commit

murder with “no outright intention to kill”.

Mandatory execution will be reserved for hardcore murderers and traffickers. “ The mandatory death penalty strengthens this deterrent message,” Teo said during a debate in parliament on a bill amending the antidrugs law to allow judges some discretion under exceptional circumstances.

If Singapore abolished capital punishment as some legislators have advocated, “we would be sending the wrong signal that the risks of drug traf-

ficking into Singapore have now been lowered, that the society is now more accepting of drugs”, Teo said.

“They (abolition advocates) have looked at this from the point of view of the drug trafficker who has been apprehended. We also have to look at abolition from the point of view of society and the victims of drugs.”

International campaign groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have also called on Singapore to abolish the death penalty. Judges currently have no choice but

to impose the death penalty on anyone convicted of murder or trafficking in illegal drugs above specific volumes.

Teo said care must be taken so the reforms will “not open the doors wide” to mitigating factors which would undermine the country’s “strict penalty regime and its deterrent value”.

Pointing to the death penalty’s deterrent effect, he said kidnapping and firearms offences fell sharply after capital punishment was introduced for these crimes. For drugs, “we know that the mandatory death penalty has a

deterrent effect because drug traffickers deliberately try to keep the amounts they carry to below the capital punishment threshold”, he said.

Officials have said there are currently about 35 inmates on death row in Singapore, although executions have been suspended since July 2011 as part of a review that led to the proposed new legislation.

From 2004 to 2010, a total of 26 Singaporeans and 12 foreigners were executed, according to government figures. — AFP

Hu clears way for Xi to take party helm Older leaders replaced with younger ones

PERTH: Australian Minister of Defense Stephen Smith, left, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, second from left, and US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, center, arrive to tour the Curtin Family Home, where former Australian Prime Minister John Curtin had lived, following meetings on the AustraliaUnited States Ministerial Consultations in Perth, Australia, yesterday. — AP

US, Australia bolster defence ties with new space radar PERTH: The United States military will station a powerful radar and a space telescope in Australia as part of its strategic shift towards Asia, the two countries announced yesterday. US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta described the deal as a “major leap forward in bilateral space cooperation and an important new frontier in the United States’ rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region”.

The transfer of the C-band radar “will add considerably to surveillance of space debris in our part of the world”, Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith told a news conference. The plan, unveiled at annual strategic talks between the two nations, calls for the first deployment of a US Air Force C-band radar in the Southern Hemisphere, allowing the Americans to better track space debris well as Chinese space launches, senior US defence officials said. “It will give us visibility into things that are leaving the atmosphere, entering the atmosphere, really all throughout Asia,” including China’s rocket and missile tests, a US defence official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

At the meeting of foreign and defence ministers in the western Australian city of Perth, the two governments also launched discussions on granting the Americans future access to air bases in northern Australia as well as naval ports, including one in nearby Stirling, Smith said.

Smith welcomed the deployment of US Marines this year in Australia’s north, where 250-strong contingents spend six-month tours. He said the two sides would soon increase the number of Marines on the ground to 1,100 by 2014, with the goal of 2,500 Marines in place by about 2016-17.

A joint communique signalled “increased rotations of US aircraft through northern Australia” but also struck a cautious note, saying any enhanced US military presence “would require substantial further study and additional decisions by both capitals”.

Anxious over China’s growing military might and territorial tensions with its neighbours, US officials are pushing for a more visible military role across the region.

This includes expanding military exercises and deploying more advanced ships and hardware, particularly in Southeast Asia.

Smith said holding the talks in the western coastal city underlined the growing importance of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, home to vital shipping lanes and growing economies. “Here you see the world moving to the Asia-Pacific, the world moving to the Indo-Pacific, not just with security implications but with enormous economic investment and prosperity,” he said.

Before yesterday’s meeting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vowed that the US was fully committed to its pivot to Asia over the long term, despite crises in the Middle East and budget pressures at home.

Speaking Tuesday at the University of Western Australia, she underlined America’s “expanding engagement” in the region. “It’s important that we make absolutely clear we are here to stay,” she said, adding that it was important to see India become more involved in the region and that the US would welcome Australia-India joint naval exercises.

Although US and Australian officials privately worry about Beijing’s assertive stance in the South China Sea and elsewhere, Clinton insisted the United States supported the peaceful rise of China.

The US-Australia talks are taking place as China’s Communist Party undergoes a once-in-a-decade leadership transition. The discussions in Perth also covered political reforms in Myanmar, concern over Iran’s nuclear programme, the raging civil war in Syria and the NATO-led war effort in Afghanistan, officials said.

The ministers renewed their support for the planned withdrawal of foreign combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. But the two governments discussed the possibility of Australian special forces taking part in a smaller force with the United States after 2014. “I believe that is worth considering,” Panetta said, adding the Australian elite special forces could play a role in a counter-terrorism mission aimed at Al-Qaeda. —AFP

Japan to hold general election on Dec 16 TOKYO: Japan will hold a general election on December 16, a senior governing party official confirmed yesterday, putting an end to months of speculation over the date of polls. Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ ) deputy party secretary general Jun Azumi told broadcaster NHK that the country would be going to the polls next month.

“We will quickly draft our campaign platform, as the official campaign will start on December 4,” Azumi said, referring to the start of a 12-day period that will come ahead of polling day. Azumi’s confirmation came after a showdown in parliament between Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and opposition leader Shinzo Abe in which the premier said he would dissolve the house on November 16 if he got pledges on electoral reform.

Abe, a former prime minister and recently re-elected leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) stalled during the debate, but said later in the day: “I will fully cooperate in Prime Minister Noda’s proposal.” LDP secretary general Shigeru Ishiba told reporters that senior party officials “had decided to cooperate, taking seriously the prime minister’s comment”, Jiji Press said. A promise on electoral reform was

one of the conditions Noda has publicly set in order to call an election. The passage of legislation that will allow the government to borrow more money and pay bills that fall due this financial year was another.

Agreement on that issue was reached Tuesday. Azumi told NHK that Noda had put country before party in working out the timing of the ballot. “It is not a schedule that benefits our party. But the prime minister made his decision, thinking of the national interest first,” he said.

“There was tense opposition in our party against parliamentary dissolution. “We must be strong. Unless we stay strong, changes of the government cannot happen in the future.”

Opinion polls in recent months have made dismal reading for Noda, with public support leeching away from his fragmenting party. The DPJ came to power in 2009 on a wave of optimism, sweeping the longruling LDP aside, but has suffered in office from policy flip-flops and weak leadership.

The party is thought likely to come off badly in an election, with voters angry about Noda’s pet legislative achievement: the doubling of sales tax over the next few years.—AFP

BEIJING: China’s ruling Communist Party closed a pivotal congress yesterday that put Vice President Xi Jinping a step closer to taking power for the next decade in a landmark transition.

The week-long Communist Party gathering in the cavernous Great Hall of the People ended after its 2,200 delegates from around the country selected a new leadership committee of roughly 200 party members.

Xi was renamed to the Central Committee, a widely expected development that was singled out by state media, suggesting he was firmly positioned to be announced as the party’s top leader today.

The week-long forum ended with a show of unity by the delegates in the red-draped hall, who stood and sang the “Internationale,” the socialist anthem.

The last word went to President Hu Jintao, who had opened the meeting with an address warning the party faces “collapse” if it cannot halt the rampant corruption that has undermined its legitimacy.

“I now announce that the 18th Chinese Communist Party Congress has come to a victorious onclusion,” said Hu, the outgoing party leader. “The congress has elected a new central committee of the party and replaced older leaders with younger ones.”

The main business of the congress, which is held every five years, was to select a new circle of leaders at a time when China faces major economic challenges and growing scrutiny from its citizens. The party did not immediately release the full Central Committee list but state news agency Xinhua reported the appointments of a number of officials from each of the two main factions believed jockeying for power.

They included several tipped for further promotion to the powerful Politburo Standing Committee, China’s highest decision-making body which currently has nine members but could be slimmed to

BEIJING: Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang, center, Propaganda chief Li Changchun, left, and a head of Political and Legislative Affairs Committee Zhou Yongkang raise their hands to show approval for a work report during the closing ceremony for the 18th Communist Party Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, yesterday. — AP seven.

The elite committee is expected to be headed by Xi, with second place going to Vice Premier Li Keqiang who is slated to become premier in March. However, analysts said only the make-up and pecking order of the standing committee -which will be revealed today when members walk out before the media-will provide certainty on the factional outcome.

In one corner is octogenarian former president Jiang Zemin, who is seen as a kingmaker after making a surprise political comeback, while the other faction comprises Hu’s allies. Xi is seen as a consensus figure who leans toward Jiang, while Li is considered to be in Hu’s faction.

Analysts say that despite rivalries between the camps which are largely divided on patronage lines, they broadly agree China must reform its economy away from a dependence on exports, while maintaining a firm hand on dissent.

Xi’s ascension has been expected since 2007, when he was given a

position on the standing committee. That indicated his status as heir apparent to Hu, who officially relinquishes party control this week.

Commentary on the congress on China’s popular social networking sites was tightly controlled, with many entries blocked, but some managed to circumvent controls to post cynical comments.

“Hurry up and close, I want Google back,” one user wrote, referring to reports of recurring problems accessing the search giant during the congress which has been widely blamed on censors.

Leading dissident Hu Jia, who said he was forced to leave Beijing during the congress after authorities made threats against his family, posted an online letter criticising the party. “The Chinese Communist Party is not the ruling party,” the letter said. “ The ruling party must go through a democratic election to govern legitimately.” Xi will take over at a time when China’s powerhouse economy is suffering a rare slowdown, threatening the party’s

key claim to legitimacy-continually improving the livelihoods of the country’s 1.3 billion people.

Leaders also face localised unrest across China, typically sparked by public rage at corruption, government abuses or the myriad manifestations of anger from the millions left out of the country’s newfound prosperity.

Anti-Chinese unrest in ethnic Tibetan areas has also flared with a spate of self-immolation protests over the past week. The congress unanimously approved an amendment stressing it would take a hard line against corruption in the party and another in support of ecological protection.

Authorities have ramped up security in Beijing and on rambunctious media sites to prevent any criticism during the gathering. The run-up to this year’s congress was unsettled by the scandal surrounding Bo Xilai, a one-time political star whose ambitions were torpedoed when his wife was given a suspended death sentence for the murder of a British businessman.— AFP

Washington sends more ships to Philippines, Marines to Australia SUBIC BAY: From his office window, Roberto Garcia watches workers repair the USS Emory S. Land, a submarine support vessel that is part of a US military buildup as Washington turns its attention to fast-growing Asia and a newly assertive China.

The Philippines, Australia and other parts of the region have seen a resurgence of US warships, planes and personnel since President Barack Obama announced a “pivot” in foreign, economic and security policy towards Asia late last year.

Washington insists the shift is not about containing China or a permanent return to military bases of the past. But it is sometimes tough to tell the difference at Subic Bay, a deepwater port near vital sea lanes and border disputes in the South China Sea that have raised tensions between China and Southeast Asian nations.

“Every month we have ships

coming. A few weeks ago, we had the submarines, we’ve had the aircraft carriers,” said Garcia, chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, which oversees an economic zone built on the former US base. “They cannot find this kind of facility anywhere else in Asia.”

The territorial tensions and the US shift towards the region will be high on the agenda when Obama visits Southeast Asia in coming days.

The Pentagon says the United States has “no intention ofre-establishing bases in the Philippines.”

But activity in Subic, a breezy coastal city about 80 km (50 miles) north of Manila that has the feel of a tidy American suburb with shopping malls, fast-food outlets and well-lit streets, resembles a buildup.

As of October, 70 US Navy ships had passed through Subic, more than the 55 in 2011 and the 51 in 2010. The Pentagon says more than

MANILA: Protesters march towards the US Embassy for a rally against the alleged dumping of hazardous and toxic wastes within the Philippine waters by a private contractor servicing US Navy ships yesterday in Manila. — AP

100 U.S. planes stop over each month at Clark, another former US base located between Manila and Subic.

“It’s like leasing a car as opposed to buying it - all the advantages of ownership with a reduced risk,” said James Hardy, Asia-Pacific editor of IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly. “If you look at Subic, the US will be leveraging Philippine bases and assets, privately owned assets, and all at a fraction of the monetary and political price of taking back ownership of the base. It gives the U.S. the same strategic reach that basing would have done but without all the hassle.” U.S. forces were evicted from Subic and Clark, the last and largest of their bases in the Philippines, in 1992. They revived close ties from 2000 with war games, frequent visits and by helping against communist and Muslim insurgents.

Emphasising Subic’s renewed role , South Korea’s Hanjin Heavy Industries, which has invested $2 billion in the port’s shipyards, signed an agreement this spring with AMSEC, a unit of Pentagon contractor Huntington Ingalls Industries, to set up a maintenance and logistics hub to serve U.S. warships.

As a Pacific power, the United States has an interest in freedom of navigation, stability, respect for international law and unimpeded, lawful commerce across sea lanes, said Major Catherine Wilkinson, a Pentagon spokeswoman.

“Our military presence in the region helps to maintain peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific,” she told Reuters.

Obama’s trip for the East Asia summit in Cambodia, along with

visits to Thailand and Myanmar, comes just two weeks after his reelection. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta - together and separately are visiting Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia this week.

“There is a very clear determination to underscore that this is a significant feature of American foreign policy,” a senior State Department official said on Clinton’s plane. “We want to work with China. We recognise that the Asia-Pacific region is big enough for the both of us.”

Wary of Washington’s intentions, China is building up its own military and pushing its sovereignty claims in the region. China, in the midst of a once-a-decade leadership change, views the U.S. pivot as emboldening Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan and others in territorial disputes. “Unsurprisingly, the hawks in the Chinese military have the full attention of the leadership and have received a funding boost,” Lanxin Xiang, a history and politics professor at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, wrote in the latest issue of Survival: Global Politics and Strategy.

By 2020, the Pentagon expects to have 60 percent of its naval assets in Asia, up from about 50 percent now. Analysts say they have no details yet of troop numbers but there will be some realignment from bases in Japan and from the war in Afghanistan.

As part of the shift, the U.S. military is now rotating the first of up to 2,500 Marines through northern Australia for training and will have up to four Littoral Combat Ships calling in and out of Singapore from next year.—Reuters

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

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

US general’s affair and the role of biographers NEW YORK: The affair between retired US Army Gen David Petraeus and author Paula Broadwell is but an extreme example of the love/hate history between biographers and their subjects. Even before their outing led to Petraeus’ resignation as CIA director, Broadwell had been criticized for the rosy tone of “All In”, which AP described in 2011 as “part hagiography and part defense” of his strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan. But as long as biographies are written by and about human beings, scientific precision will remain an ideal. The stories of famous women and men often are colored by rapture and disenchantment, confusion and bias.

“As with psychiatrists, same with biographers, you shouldn’t sleep with your subject,” Blake Bailey, the prize-winning biographer of authors John Cheever and Richard Yates, said with a laugh. “The ideal case is to have no assumptions. ... But it is possible to write a great book and have strong opinions. (‘Eminent Victorians’ author) Lytton Strachey, the father of all modern biographers, had a very distinctive voice and a very distinctive perspective - a person looking down from the world at a great distance, quite disparagingly, but with vast humor that informs every word.”

Broadwell conducted extensive interviews with both critics and supporters of Petraeus, but the finished story was overwhelmingly positive. She is far from alone in

allowing personal or professional regard to shape a biography, especially when the subject cooperates.

Flattering books come out all the time, whether a biography of Dick Cheney by Weekly Standard writer Stephen Hayes or Chris Matthews’“Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero.”

Years spent together, as Broadwell had with Petraeus in Afghanistan, can make the biographer’s experience intensely personal, whether sexual or not. Walter Isaacson did not avoid the unpleasant side of Steve Jobs, but he acknowledged he had bonded strongly with the dying Apple CEO. Doris Kearns Goodwin was an aide to Lyndon Johnson who sometimes took notes while the ex-president lay in her bed, a relationship that she called platonic and described in her book, “Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream”.

Some relationships end in court. Jimmy McDonough spent years working on an authorized biography of Neil Young, only to have Young withdraw support and attempt to stop publication, leading to mutual lawsuits and delay in the release of “Shakey”, which came out in 2002. Some biographers seem energized by perceived sins, like the late Albert Goldman and his takedowns of Elvis Presley and John Lennon. Others use scholarship to build up or pick apart a figure from the distant past. Jon Meacham’s new biography of Thomas Jefferson praises

him as a subtle and effective politician, while a competing book, Henry Wiencek’s “Master of the Mountain,” faults Jefferson as a calculating slave holder who tolerated brutality.

David McCullough has likened the biographer’s choice to picking a roommate, one you must live with for years. McCullough himself abandoned a Picasso book out of distaste for the painter’s private life and chose men he related to for his two Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential biographies, Harry Truman and John Adams. Former JFK aide Arthur M Schlesinger Jr won a Pulitzer for “A Thousand Days”, his book on the Kennedy administration. But his reverence for the late president led Gore Vidal to dismiss “A Thousand Days” as a “political novel”.

Biography often is the art of reconciling opposites.

Robert Caro, the prize-winning biographer of New York municipal builder Robert Moses and Lyndon Johnson, has taken on men who have both inspired and dismayed him. A former investigative journalist, Caro sees his job as collecting as much information as possible and only then forming opinions. There is no such thing as “objective truth,” he says, but there are enough “objective facts” to bring you close.

For his Moses and Johnson books, Caro has relied upon countless documents and interviews. He has

labeled his Johnson series, begun soon after the president’s death and still going, as a narrative of darkness and light, of the basest cruelty and the noblest achievement. His Moses book, “The Power Broker,” was another epic of greatness and destruction and even more complicated to write because he actually interviewed Moses.

“You were awed by seeing the scope of his vision as he talked about it to you and explained it to you. You see him standing in front of this map, with a yellow pencil and sharp point, just gesturing toward this tri-state area that he sees as one entity and has a vision for it,” says Caro, whose book was harshly criticized by Moses but won the Pulitzer in 1975 and is now standard reading.

“But I was simultaneously talking to the people he had displaced, hounded them out of their homes. You have to show both of these things, his genius and its effect on people.”

Authors have followed paths they never imagined before starting a book or encountering the subject.

Edmund Morris was a prize-winning biographer of Theodore Roosevelt, but the chance to write about a living president led him to take unusual license. Granted years of access to Ronald Reagan, Morris was left so mystified that he inserted a fictionalized version of himself into the book, “Dutch,” as a way of making sense out of the president. — AP

14

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

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Issues

China turns to machines as farmers seek fresh fields

By David Stanway and Niu Shuping hina needs to replace millions of workers who have quit farms for cities, but even its vast state power might not be able to transform the countryside into a network of big industrial farms capable of feeding its growing economy.

Pulling together small plots of land to make larger operations and introducing modern mechanical techniques would help boost productivity, vital if China’s agricultural sector is to meet soaring domestic food demand. But efforts to modernise the sector are struggling to gain traction because many farmers are suspicious about giving up their land, and even for some mechanised farms, there are too few workers.

Guaranteeing food security is a major tenet of the ruling Communist Party. The country is self-sufficient in rice and wheat, but is struggling to meet corn demand and has long given up trying to satisfy soy demand. It is the world’s biggest importer of soybeans, and a major buyer of corn. It has increased grains output for nine straight years and aims to add 50 million tonnes per year by 2020 to the record 571.21 million tonnes of grain harvested in 2011. “It now needs the government to come out and manage the land of those who give consent, and improve economies of scale,” said Fu Xuejun, a manager at the Baoquanling farm, owned by the Beidahuang Group, a huge state-owned farming conglomerate in Heilongjiang in northeast China.

Some say China should give up its fixation with self-sufficiency and take advantage of growing grains trade internationally. “China used to emphasise self-sufficiency because the international environment was not favourable,” said Li Guoxiang, researcher with the Rural Development Institute of the China Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). “Food security should have two aims - one is domestic production and the other is the ability to buy overseas.”

The challenge of reviving the farming sector is daunting at a time when both the rural population and available agricultural land are shrinking. The number of rural workers has been falling for years because of a low birth rate, an ageing population and most importantly the lure of China’s fast-growing cities. Between 1982 and 2010, when China’s overall population rose by a third, the number of registered rural residents fell to around 710 million from 790 million, Reuters calculations based on census data show.

The real rural population is likely to be lower though, because many of 260 million migrants working in cities are registered in their home villages. Millions of hectares per year of farming land are being lost to urban and industrial development. China’s 2011-2015 plan for the farm sector allocates at least 104 million hectares for crops, an area the size of Egypt, compared with 120 million hectares in the previous plan. The main problem is persuading farmers not to abandon their plots. Some land is simply lying fallow, as farmers find better pay elsewhere but still prefer not to give up their land. “There is a lot of talk about urbanisation and urban expansion encroaching on agricultural land but I often argue that nonfarm wages are more relevant to whether land gets kept in production,” said Bryan Lohmar, an agricultural economist and China director of the U.S. Grains Council. “A lot of land is left fallow because nobody wants to farm it.”

Reflecting those wage gaps, 69-year old corn grower Li Huamin said he could earn as much from leasing out his land as from planting. His 36-year-old son plans to abandon the plot near the state-owned farm of Suibin, a few miles from the Russian border, and open a restaurant. “Young people aren’t willing to be farmers anymore and leave to work or study in the cities - more than half have gone already,” he said.

More than half of China’s ploughing, planting and harvesting is carried out by machines, compared with a third a decade ago, but the biggest challenge lies in aggregating farms to develop economies of scale. Li of CASS said studies have shown only 13-15 percent of small farmers have agreed to aggregate their land or transfer it to commercial farmers.

“The government simply can’t go too fast and transfer land too quickly because of the impact on rural social stability,” Li said. Often, if a group of farmers sell, local governments use the land for more profitable industrial uses, and some farmers are reluctant to give up their land. “Many think that if they transfer their land they won’t be allowed to go back, so there are plots that are just empty because the farmers have gone to the cities but don’t dare to lease out their land,” said Li. Heilongjiang became the country’s largest grain producer in 2011 when yields rose 11 percent from 2010 as farmers deployed bigger and better machinery for threshing and ploughing.

Beijing wants to lift that to 65-70 percent by 2020, but the increased use of machines in most farms was a reaction to rising labour costs, not a drive to meet government targets. “The core issue is, who will plant for us and ensure food security in future following urbanisation and industrialisation?” said Zong Jinyao, an official in charge of mechanisation of the Ministry of Agriculture. —Reuters

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Are Iranians in the mood for baby boom?

By Yeganeh Torbati efore Somayeh can have the second child she and her husband have been talking about, they must first consider the expense.

“Baby food, clothes, doctors, the hospital - it all costs a lot of money. Which we can’t afford at the moment,” she said, speaking to Reuters by phone from inside Iran. Like many countries, Iran is concerned that its low population growth rate, estimated at 1 percent by the United Nations in 2011, will foster an ageing population with potentially disastrous consequences for its workforce, public health infrastructure and social security network. The government is trying to reverse the trend. But it faces unique headwinds.

In addition to worries about money and employment they share with millions of young people around the world in an economic downturn, Iranians must contend with high inflation, a plummeting currency and the possibility of war if Israel follows through on threats to strike Iran’s nuclear sites. Changing ideas about the role of women and the family also play an important part. Convincing people like Somayeh, 32, will be key. Somayeh’s husband was eager to have a child soon after they married five years ago, but she insisted they wait until they could move out of their rundown flat, with intermittent electricity and leaky ceilings, in a dangerous part of Tehran.

“I was terrified of raising a child in that neighbourhood,” she said, asking that her last name not be used.

After she got a job cleaning a beauty parlour and her husband secured a loan to buy a taxi and work as a driver, they were able to move to a better one-bedroom home in Karaj, outside Tehran.

They now have a two-year-old son. “I have been thinking about having my second child but with the high prices, we won’t be able to manage it,” she said.

Firoozeh, 32, is also burdened by financial worries. She estimated the cost of giving birth, including doctor and hospital fees, at about 100 million rials, or about $3,000 at current open market exchange rates. That is a hefty burden in a country with a per capita gross domestic product of about $6,400, according to International Monetary Fund estimates. “The costs of having a child are so high that I’m ready to use any

B

method in order to not have children right now,” Firoozeh said, adding: “My husband and I love children and are working as hard as we can to improve our situation so we can have them.”

Firoozeh cited another factor - greater independence and choices for young women. Around 60 percent of Iranian college students are women, and experts say rising career and educational aspirations for women in the last three decades have contributed to the sharp fall in fertility. Unlike previous generations, “I worked and had complete freedom” as a single woman, said Firoozeh, who waited until she turned 31 to get married. “I think the previous generation got married because of the limitations put on them by their families (when they were single).”

Advocates of the new population growth policies say the aim is to return to traditionally large Iranian families while ensuring a robust workforce in the next half-century. Without setting out a specific timeframe, officials have said Iran should eventually have 150 million people, double the current population. At current fertility rates, Iran’s median age is expected to increase from 27 in 2010 to 40 by 2030, according to the United Nations. The World Bank estimated the rate at 1.7 births per woman in 2010, against a global figure of 2.5.

“They need young people to marry and have children, and certainly the current economic environment they live in does not encourage it,” said Farzaneh Roudi, program director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Population Reference Bureau, a non-profit organisation based in Washington that provides data on world population trends. Gerhard Heilig, a population trends expert at the United Nations, said reversing a low fertility rate was a huge task. “The decline in fertility, when it’s so low, has really nothing to do with official policies usually,” he said. “This is a lifestyle choice and once people have made this lifestyle choice it’s very difficult to reverse it.”

The current campaign is just the latest in a series of family planning initiatives launched with great fanfare as Iran’s authorities lurched from one extreme to the other over the decades.

Although Iran was a pioneer in establishing a formal family planning program in 1967, its fertility rate remained high, at 6.5 births per woman in

1970, according to UN figures. The Islamic government that came to power in the 1979 revolution at first advocated population growth and suspended the family planning program.

During the war with Iraq in the 1980s, Iran encouraged large families to contribute to manpower and strategic advantage over the enemy, offering economic incentives to do so. The founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, spoke at the time of creating an army of 20 million. The campaign worked: Iran’s population jumped to nearly 50 million in 1986 from 34 million a decade earlier, with an average growth rate of 3.9 percent a year, one of the world’s highest, according to the Washington-based PRB. But in the late 1980s, worried that the fast growth would hobble the economy and tax public resources, the government reversed course with a campaign of subsidised contraceptives and mass education. Slogans like “Fewer children, a better life” and “One child is good, two are enough” publicised the government effort. A fatwa, or religious edict, from Khomeini sanctioning contraceptive use served as an Islamic stamp of approval on the practice for conservative Iranians. “People who were working in the family planning field really felt that they were helping those women avoid pregnancies that they did not want,” said Roudi, who has visited health clinics in Tehran, Mashhad, Shiraz and Isfahan for her research.

Officials now say staying with the policies of the late 1980s and early 1990s for so long was a mistake. “One of the mistakes that we made, and I share in this mistake, is the issue of population control,” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a rare apology in a speech in October. “The population control policy was necessary at first, but it should have been stopped by the mid1990s ... may God and history forgive us.”

The new government line recalls the wartime rhetoric of the early 1980s, even if Iran is not actually at war - at least not yet. “Countries, when they are in conflict or war, they always think that a larger population makes them stronger,” Roudi said. “Practically, Iran is in war with the US.” Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, believed by the United States and its allies to be aimed at developing a weapons capability, has deepened its

diplomatic and economic isolation in the last two years. Although Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, the West and world powers continue to tighten economic sanctions against its oil and banking sectors, taking a huge economic toll that has contributed to higher consumer prices and unemployment. Israel has threatened to bomb Iran’s nuclear sites if sanctions and diplomacy fail, heightening the country’s sense of being under siege. The government’s current strategy is comprised of stopping the population control programs and increasing financial incentives to get married and have children. “The budget for the population control program was completely eliminated and currently there is no such program in the health ministry,” Health Minister Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi was quoted as saying by Iranian media in August.

Parliament is looking at amending the 1993 family planning law, which limited public benefits for larger families and called for education about family planning in schools. A parliamentary committee is also considering measures such as free medical treatment for pregnant women and increasing maternity leave, Iranian legislator Mostafa Afzalifard told the Iranian Students’ News Agency in November. Iran’s Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, a powerful conservative body, announced in October that loans, gold coins and cheap housing could be considered for families who have more children.

Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, an economist at Virginia Tech University in the United States, said the new policies may make a difference for poorer families, for whom the cost of birth control is a more significant part of their budget or for whom financial incentives might be more important. “The poorer children are now going to be coming from larger families,” he said, with possibly unexpected societal effects: “They’re going to have a harder time competing with the educated children of wealthier families.” He predicted the measures were not likely to work with the wider population, however, citing the failure of initiatives like the promise of payment in 2010 for each newborn of one million tomans, at the time worth about $1,000. “A million tomans is nothing for a family to change their behaviour,” he said. —Reuters

US pivot to Asia: When bases are not bases

By John O’Callaghan and Manuel Mogato rom his office window, Roberto Garcia watches workers repair the USS Emory S Land, a submarine support vessel that is part of a US military buildup as Washington turns its attention to fast-growing Asia and a newly assertive China. The Philippines, Australia and other parts of the region have seen a resurgence of US warships, planes and personnel since President Barack Obama announced a “pivot” in foreign, economic and security policy towards Asia late last year. Washington insists the shift is not about containing China or a permanent return to military bases of the past. But it is sometimes tough to tell the difference at Subic Bay, a deepwater port near vital sea lanes and border disputes in the South China Sea that have raised tensions between China and Southeast Asian nations. “Every month we have ships coming. A few weeks ago, we had the submarines, we’ve had the aircraft carriers,” said Garcia, chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, which oversees an economic zone built on the former US base. “They cannot find this kind of facility anywhere else in Asia.”

The territorial tensions and the US shift towards the region will be high on the agenda when Obama visits Southeast Asia in coming days. The Pentagon says the United States has “no intention of re-establishing bases in the Philippines”.

But activity in Subic, a breezy coastal city about 80 km north of Manila that has the feel of a tidy American suburb with shopping malls, fast-food outlets and well-lit streets, resembles a buildup. As of October, 70 US Navy ships had passed through Subic, more than the 55 in 2011 and the 51 in 2010.

The Pentagon says more than 100 US planes stop over each month at Clark, another former US base

F

located between Manila and Subic.

“It’s like leasing a car as opposed to buying it - all the advantages of ownership with a reduced risk,” said James Hardy, Asia-Pacific editor of IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly. “If you look at Subic, the US will be leveraging Philippine bases and assets, privately owned assets, and all at a fraction of the monetary and political price of taking back ownership of the base. It gives the US the same strategic reach that basing would have done but without all the hassle.”

US forces were evicted from Subic and Clark, the last and largest of their bases in the Philippines, in 1992. They revived close ties from 2000 with war games, frequent visits and by helping against communist and Muslim insurgents. Emphasising Subic’s renewed role , South Korea’s Hanjin Heavy Industries, which has invested $2 billion in the port’s shipyards, signed an agreement this spring with AMSEC, a unit of Pentagon contractor Huntington Ingalls Industries, to set up a maintenance and logistics hub to serve US warships. As a Pacific power, the United States has an interest in freedom of navigation, stability, respect for international law and unimpeded, lawful commerce across sea lanes, said Major Catherine Wilkinson, a Pentagon spokeswoman. “Our military presence in the region helps to maintain peace and prosperity in the AsiaPacific,” she told Reuters. Obama’s trip for the East Asia summit in Cambodia, along with visits to Thailand and Myanmar, comes just two weeks after his re-election. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta - together and separately - are visiting Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia this week. “There is a very clear determination to underscore that this is a significant feature of American foreign policy,” a senior State Department official said on Clinton’s plane.

“We want to work with China. We recognise that the Asia-Pacific region is big enough for the both of us.”

Wary of Washington’s intentions, China is building up its own military and pushing its sovereignty claims in the region. China, in the midst of a once-adecade leadership change, views the US pivot as emboldening Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan and others in territorial disputes.

“Unsurprisingly, the hawks in the Chinese military have the full attention of the leadership and have received a funding boost,” Lanxin Xiang, a history and politics professor at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, wrote in the latest issue of Survival: Global Politics and Strategy. By 2020, the Pentagon expects to have 60 percent of its naval assets in Asia, up from about 50 percent now. Analysts say they have no details yet of troop numbers but there will be some realignment from bases in Japan and from the war in Afghanistan. As part of the shift, the US military is now rotating the first of up to 2,500 Marines through northern Australia for training and will have up to four Littoral Combat Ships calling in and out of Singapore from next year. “There is no basing. Let’s underline that,” Australia’s Foreign Minister Bob Carr said this month. “The Americans don’t seek it and we wouldn’t agree to it.”

The United States already has strategic joint operations in Australia, built and funded by Washington, that include signals intelligence and satellite communications facilities. US ships and planes visit Australian bases on the western and northern coasts to resupply. The Pentagon also has its eye on Vietnam’s Cam Ranh Bay, an important deepwater port for French, Japanese, American and Soviet forces during the last century. In June, Panetta became the first US defence secretary to

visit Cam Ranh since the end of the Vietnam War and said access for US ships was “a key component” of relations with Hanoi.

Despite being at odds with China over the South China Sea, Vietnam shows little sign of going further than the maintenance and cargo operations it now allows US ships at the facility. “Vietnam does not cooperate with foreign countries to use Cam Ranh port for military purposes,” Luong Thanh Nghi, the foreign ministry spokesman, told Reuters.

Hardy said there was no real need for the United States to have conventional forces in Europe now, so it made sense to look to the Asia-Pacific region as a major area of operations, along with the Middle East. “The US is rebalancing for very clear reasons the 21st century is going to be the Asian century and it has a lot to gain from being engaged and more to lose by not being engaged,” he said.

“Chinese missteps in the past two years have opened the door for the US.” For the Philippines, the greater US presence gives its woefully equipped air force and navy implied cover as tensions simmer with China and other rivals in the South China Sea, along with time for the military to modernise maritime capabilities and coastal radar systems - with US help. It is also good for the economy. More visits by US sailors and pilots mean more jobs and money for shops, restaurants, bars, suppliers and contractors around Clark and Subic. “It’s a very welcome thing,” said Vic Vizcocho, publisher of the Subic Bay News. “If there’s going to be opposition, it will be very small and more from outside the area.” The last three US ships to visit brought in $5 million in business, said Garcia, whose office and desk were used by the US admiral who ran the 7th Fleet when it was based at Subic. —Reuters

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

NEWS

People look at a wreckage of the car in which the head of the Hamas military wing Ahmed Jaabari was killed in Gaza City yesterday. — AP

Israel kills top Hamas chief in Gaza offensive Politics, oil poison economy Continued from Page 1 Reuters witnesses saw Hamas security compounds and police stations blasted apart. “This is an operation against terror targets of different organisations in Gaza,” Israeli army spokeswoman Colonel Avital Leibovitch told reporters. Jaabari had “a lot of blood on his hands”, she said. Other militant groups including Islamic Jihad were on the target list. Immediate calls for revenge were broadcast over Hamas radio. “The occupation has opened the gates of hell,” Hamas’ armed wing said.

And Fawzi Barhum, a spokesman for the political wing of the ruling Islamist movement said it was tantamount to a “declaration of war”. “The occupation committed a dangerous crime and crossed all the red lines, which is considered a declaration of war,” he said in a statement. “The occupation will pay dearly for this and we will make it regret the moment they thought about it.” Smaller groups also vowed to strike back. “Israel has declared war on Gaza and they will bear the responsibility for the consequences,” Islamic Jihad said.

Mordechai said Israel was both responding to a surge in Palestinian rocket salvoes earlier this week and trying to prevent Hamas and other Palestinian factions from building up their arsenals further. Among the targets of yesterday’s air strikes were underground caches of longer-range Hamas rockets, he said. Asked if Israel might send in ground forces, Mordechai said: “There are preparations, and if we are required to, the option of an entry by ground is available.”

Israel’s intelligence agency Shin Bet said Jaabari was responsible for Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, when the militant Islamist group ousted fighters of the Fatah movement of its great rival, the Western-

backed Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. It said Jaabari instigated the attack that led to the capture of Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit in a kidnap raid from Gaza in 2006. Jaabari was also the man who handed Shalit over to Israel in a prisoner exchange five years after his capture. Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr condemned the Israeli air strikes and called for an “immediate stop” to attacks on the Palestinian territory, warning against “escalation and its possible negative effects on regional stability.”

Separately, Israel’s foreign ministry has proposed in a policy paper “toppling” Abbas if a Palestinian bid for state observer status at the United Nations is approved later this month. “Toppling Abu Mazen’s (Abbas’) regime would be the only option in this case,” the position paper obtained by AFP says. “Any other option... would mean waving a white flag and admitting the failure of the Israeli leadership to deal with the challenge.”

The position paper is a draft document that is expected to be endorsed by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who would then present it to the Israeli officials charged with formulating Israel’s response to the Palestinian bid. Lieberman has already reportedly expressed his view that Abbas’ Palestinian Authority should be dismantled if the UN bid succeeds. The Palestinians are scheduled to present their bid for state observer status at the General Assembly on Nov 29, where they are expected to easily win approval, despite opposition from the United States and Israel.

The bid comes slightly more than a year after the Palestinians sought full UN membership at the Security Council, a request that stalled there because of opposition from the United States, a permanent member and veto-holder. — Agencies

Election row swelling into bigger debate Continued from Page 1 It is not a revolutionary movement, it is a grassroots civil reform movement.”

General public dissatisfaction over corruption and lagging, uneven development has been coupled with a more assertive opposition bloc, made up of Islamist, tribal and liberal politicians, keen to protect their own interests, said Mohammed Al-Mokatea, a constitutional expert at Kuwait University. “They are perhaps getting the feeling that they are going to be isolated from political life,” he said, referring to the period after the elections, which the opposition is boycotting.

Kuwait, with a population of 3.7 million, boasts the most open political system in the Gulf. Parliament has legislative powers and the right to summon ministers for questioning. However, the Amir has the final say in state affairs, can veto laws and dissolve parliament.

While protests have swelled to tens of thousands of people, with some broken up by police using tear gas, they are generally smaller than some of the largest demonstrations over corruption late in 2011 which led to the resignation of the Cabinet.

Last year the opposition and protest groups were able to unify around the corruption theme, putting real pressure on the government and ousting the prime minister, a nephew of the Amir. This time around, an increasingly organised youth wing has reemerged in the opposition movement, voicing frustration at the focus on the electoral law and saying there are broader problems to tackle. “You have a problem with the distribution of wealth,” Ahmed, 26, said. “There are people with certain interests, you need to know the right person and use ‘wasta’,” he said, using an Arabic word for nepotism or influence. “It is not just the government, the MPs use their power to their advantage here too.”

The Amir’s recent meetings with opposition figures

suggest he may be looking at ways to offer a compromise after the elections, analysts said. Protesters restricted their last rally to a square near parliament, reducing tension with the police. Some demands include allowing a proportion of cabinet posts to be held by the opposition, or the chance to question ministers without the threat of dissolution of parliament.

The authorities need to make changes to address the root causes of the unrest but also to be seen doing this on their own terms, said Sam Wilkins, an analyst at Control Risks in Dubai. “They can’t be seen to have their hands forced by street protesters because that would set a very dangerous precedent, not just for Kuwait but for the Gulf more broadly.” Other conservative, USaligned Gulf monarchies such as the United Arab Emirates are watching developments in Kuwait closely, according to Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a professor of political science at Emirates University. “The general concern is not necessarily about democracy and freedom and protest, the general concern is Kuwait heading down a road that might be similar to what happened in Bahrain where there is violence, confrontation,” he said. “They don’t want one of them, a ruling family, going through all that trouble.”

Some say the street clashes in Kuwait could have damaged moderate calls for democratic reform, Abdulla said.

The violence could also be seized on as an example by those in the UAE who resist such change, by citing Kuwait’s democratic model - however limited - as a recipe for instability. The United States has pressed Bahrain to engage opposition demands for reform to restore calm in a country where US naval forces are based as a bulwark against Iranian power. There has also been some unrest in Saudi Arabia, involving minority Shiites complaining of discrimination, and in Oman where the ruling sultan has struggled to defuse discontent by creating tens of thousands of public sector jobs. — Reuters

Continued from Page 1 economically backward. And the gap between its wealth and its level of development appears to be widening. As the country’s political tensions have worsened in the last several months, prompting authorities to dissolve parliament and call snap elections for Dec 1, businessmen have increasingly worried that the political system has become unable to address the economic problems.

A chorus of executives has publicly criticised the government’s economic management, a rare phenomenon in a region where the business community prefers to lobby authorities discretely behind the scenes. Kuwait’s oil wealth gives the country of about 3.7 million people, including 1.2 million Kuwaiti citizens, a per capita gross national income of about $50,000, among the ten highest in the world and the second highest in the Gulf after Qatar. But its creaking infrastructure, unfriendly business climate and near-total dependence on oil put Kuwait at a much lower level in terms of the sophistication and dynamism of its economy - especially compared to its Gulf neighbours, which are working harder to upgrade their infrastructure and diversify their economies through private sector investment.

“Kuwait’s economy needs upgrading and investment, from the upstream wells to the refineries, from basic infrastructure to healthcare,” said Farouk Soussa, Middle East chief economist at Citigroup in Dubai. Unfinished buildings dot the skyline, with piles of rubble and trash left uncleared in residential areas for months on end, sometimes because of disputes over land ownership.

Bureaucracy for licences and other official paperwork is painfully slow and can usually only be done in person or by fax, which remains a popular method of communication between institutions, rather than the Internet.

“Kuwait has one of the highest GDPs in the world but the roads have potholes, there are traffic jams and the airport is in an unacceptable state, with the arriving passengers mingling with those departing,” said a diplomat in Kuwait, declining to be named because of the political sensitivity of his remarks. Much of Kuwait’s economic backwardness stems from its politics. In the last several years tensions have risen between the Cabinet, which is led by a prime minister appointed by HH the Amir, and a parliament which is the freest and most assertive among Gulf Arab states.

Constant conflict between the two camps has disrupted parliamentary business, caused eight changes of government in six years, and embroiled economic policymaking in accusations of incompetence and corruption.

This has stalled approval and implementation of major parts of a KD 30 billion ($107 billion) economic development scheme announced in late 2010, including plans to build a new refinery, airport and hospitals. In 2004, capital expenditure by Kuwait’s government was about 4 percent of gross domestic product, just above Saudi Arabia’s level, according to credit rating agency Fitch.

Since 2004, other Gulf governments have started pouring tens of billions of additional dollars into transport systems, new industries and high technology; Saudi Arabia’s capital expenditure has shot up to around 13 percent of GDP. Kuwait’s has edged up only slightly, to a little above 5 percent, according to Fitch, which warned last month that Kuwait could lose its AA rating because of its political problems.

Ibrahim Dabdoub, chief executive of National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), the country’s top bank, publicly blamed the government’s failure to go ahead with infrastructure plans for a surprise 42 percent drop in the bank’s second-quarter profit. “Domestically, a negative outlook is inevitable where government spending remains dormant, tendering of new projects significantly lags and asset values continue contracting as the local stock market considerably underperforms,” he said in July.

Kuwait’s malaise runs deeper than politics, however; its heavy dependence on oil seems to have crippled other parts of the economy. Oil accounts for over 90 percent of state budget revenues, a high level even by Gulf standards. Countries such as Saudi Arabia, which must find jobs for a sizeable population of over 18 million citizens, and the United Arab Emirates, which contains the freewheeling trade hub of Dubai, have strong incentives to create vibrant private sectors by improving business regulation and cutting red tape.

But Kuwait’s oil wealth is so big that it has prospered while ignoring the private sector. This limits the immediate pressure for it to develop a business-friendly environment. Kuwait comes 82nd on the World Bank’s ranking of countries for doing business, by far the lowest level among the wealthy Gulf Arab oil exporters. It is easier to do deals in much poorer countries such as Botswana and Belarus, according to the study. The country drew just $399 million in foreign direct investment in 2011, or 1.5 percent of the total in the sixnation Gulf Cooperation Council total, data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development show. Kuwait is home to about 6.2 percent of the GCC’s inhabitants.

In a rare open letter to the prime minister in September, the Al-Qabas newspaper, one of Kuwait’s main papers, described the country as a fallen role model for the Gulf which had “failed to keep up with the latest advancements” and was “in a state of complete paralysis”. Soussa at Citigroup said a huge amount of pent-up demand for investment had built up in Kuwait and that “some sort of political breakthrough” was required to unleash it. There is little evidence to suggest a breakthrough is imminent, however.

The December elections may well produce another parliament determined to confront the cabinet; if controversial voting rule changes announced last month create a more malleable parliament, street protests and legislative boycotts by the opposition may still make governing difficult. While oil prices stay high, Kuwait can limp along. According to forecasts by Fitch, its economy will grow just 2.3 percent next year, the slowest rate among the rich Gulf Arab oil exporters - but because of oil, it will enjoy the highest state budget and current account trade surpluses, at 22.9 percent and 37.0 percent of gross domestic product.

The country’s oil reserves are among the cheapest in the world to exploit, so global oil prices would have to be much lower to put state finances in any danger.

Kuwait could have balanced its budget with an oil price of just $44 per barrel last fiscal year, the International Monetary Fund estimated. Even if it started posting budget deficits, the country could live on its savings for many years. Its sovereign wealth fund, Kuwait Investment Authority, is believed to hold well over $300 billion of assets around the world; government spending this fiscal year is officially projected at $76 billion.

But Kuwait may fall further behind its Gulf neighbours in terms of attracting investment and developing its private sector, as foreign businessmen stay away and local firms focus on opportunities overseas. NBK, for example, said it aimed to earn 50 percent of its profits from overseas branches by 2020, up from 29 percent now. And if oil prices fall over the long term, Kuwait will eventually become vulnerable if it does not have a solid private sector economy to fall back on - especially if political tensions pressure the government into continuing to increase public sector wages and social welfare in coming years. “The country is now at a crossroads as regards conserving wealth for its future generations,” the IMF warned in a June report, urging Kuwait to spend more on infrastructure and reform business regulation to create more jobs. — Reuters

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

sp orts

Wales captain on bench LONDON: Six Nations champions Wales have reacted to their home defeat to Argentina on Saturday by dropping captain Sam Warburton to the bench among wholesale changes to their team to face Samoa on Friday.

The flanker, who led Wales to the semi-finals of the 2011 World Cup and the Six Nations grand slam earlier this year, is replaced by Justin Tipuric - one of eight changes to the side that started the 26-12 loss to the Pumas at the Millennium Stadium.

Interim coach Rob Howley said the side needed freshening up after they suffered their fourth successive defeat.

“With a short, six-day turnaround it was important for us to freshen things up and also make use of the competition for places we have within this squad, something which has been a key ingredient for the success of the squad over the last 18 months,” Howley said in a Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) statement.

Former skipper Ryan Jones will take over the armband for a record 29th time, surpassing Ieuan Evans. Jones comes in for the injured Josh Turnbull at blindside and lock Bradley Davies replaces Alun Wyn Jones. Turnbull, who suffered medial ligament damage to his knee, and Wyn Jones (shoulder) will take no further part in the November internationals.

Eastern Europe reforms are too slow, union says HOOFDDORP: Reforms intended to end the maltreatment of professional footballers in Eastern Europe are moving at a snail’s pace despite an agreement signed in April, the international players’ union FIFPro said.

“To take the decision is one thing but to respect it is another thing,” FIFPro secretary general Theo van Seggelen told Reuters in an interview. “We have a three-year contract, we have half a year gone so it might not be a bad idea to actually get started.”

FIFPro, which represents 60,000 players worldwide through its national affiliates, produced a so-called Black Book earlier this year detailing the abuse of players in the region, which includes 2018 World Cup hosts Russia.

The Dutch-based organisation has frequently complained that players are subjected to threats, violence, arbitrary termination of contracts and non-payment of salaries, as well as receiving invitations to take payments under the table. —Reuters

Murray back for Scotland EDINBURGH: Tighthead prop Euan Murray is back for Scotland in one of two changes for the test with South Africa at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Murray missed the 51-22 home defeat from New Zealand last weekend because he doesn’t play on Sundays for religious reasons. Geoff Cross drops to the reserves.

The only other change was David Denton staying at No. 8 where he finished against the All Blacks, after substituting for Ross Rennie, who dislocated his shoulder and was out for a month. Captain Kelly Brown shifted to the openside flank.

Included for the first time was Glasgow wing and fullback Peter Murchie, who played for England Under-18s but was brought into the squad last month after qualifying on residency. He’s in the reserves ahead of Max Evans.

Also there were hooker Dougie Hall, who hasn’t appeared since the World Cup more than a year ago, and veteran flanker John Barclay.

“I was pleased with Euan’s contribution both at scrummage and in open play during the summer tour, while David Denton’s aggressive carrying is something that really gets the crowd going,” coach Andy Robinson said on Wednesday. —AP

Race to breach Chinese market heats up for US SINGAPORE: China lies at the heart of global expansion plans for many of the world’s biggest sports organizations. But whether it’s the search for a new superstar or selling caps to 1.3 billion people, most find cracking the Chinese market a whole new ball game.

Among the heavy hitters of North American sport, only the National Basketball Association seems to be a slam-dunk with Chinese fans so far, thanks in no small part to Shanghaiborn Yao Ming’s success with the Houston Rockets.

After getting off to a slow start in China, the NFL has been ramping up its efforts to match those of the NBA and Major League Baseball, though unlike the other leagues it has no plans to stage a game there anytime soon. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), with its highoctane China debut in the glittering gambling Mecca of Macau on Saturday, is the latest sports organization from the United States to look East for future growth.

The world’s biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion is keen to muscle in on the action in China and while other leagues take it one step at a time, the UFC can afford to adopt a more aggressive approach, its Asia chief Mark Fischer told Reuters.

“We are moving faster than the other leagues simply because we can,” said Fischer, who was one of the key figures in the NBA’s drive into China before moving to the UFC. “Fighting is universal. It doesn’t require a full team, it doesn’t take a ton of explanation about the rules, you watch it and you understand it.”

The UFC has worked to distance itself from an early incarnation as a blood-spattered spectacle to a highly professional combat sport blending striking and grappling martial arts such as boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, wrestling and judo.

The UFC’s popularity with the male 18-34 demographic in the United States helped bring a seven-year deal with FOX Sports Media Group, reported to be worth around $100 million per year.

In much the same way as Yao boosted the NBA brand in China, Fischer said one of the keys to success was unearthing future Chinese champions to help fans identify with the sport. Zhang Tiequan is the first Chinese fighter to compete in the UFC. Video clips of his debut win last year garnered 100 million hits on the Internet in China, said Fischer.

“The UFC has tremendous potential in China. For many people, China was the birthplace of martial arts so when one of their own won in such exciting fashion it was watched over and over by millions of people,” he added. “That’s the power of our sport.

It generates that kind of excitement and gets that reaction from people very quickly.”

While the long-term target was to stage events on the mainland, Fischer said the UFC had chosen Macau to test Chinese waters because it was within a three-hour flight of 2 billion people and offered top-class venues and logistics.

“We have more than doubled the awareness of the UFC brand in China’s top 19 cities, going from about a 25 percent awareness level to 50 percent,” he said. “But we really want to grow that fan base until there’s a major demand before we stage a bigger event on the mainland.” The former Portuguese colony of Macau, which reverted to Chinese sovereignty in 1999 and is the only place in China where gambling is legal, is a “bridgehead” to the mainland, he added.

While the UFC can bring its top fighters to any location around the world, other leagues lack that flexibility. “That’s why it’s harder for those sports to gain momentum in China in a short space of time,” said Fischer.

“For those other major sports that are bound by a season and have lots

of teams to consider, it’s a major effort to find time in the schedule and they would probably only bring exhibition or preseason games over, which don’t mean anything.

“We can bring over our best guys and have titles on the line, and that absolutely means something.” NFL China Managing Director Richard Young agreed that staging a game on the mainland presented challenges, but that after a slow start the NFL was now busy building links with communities and growing the game at grassroots level.

Rated by Forbes as the world’s richest professional sports league, with more than $9 billion in annual revenues, the NFL overshadows rivals such as the NBA and Major League Baseball on home soil, but is playing catch-up in China.

An exhibition game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks in 2007 was called off as China was not ready for the sport and the league’s international expansion was instead routed through London.

“Until our fan base is at a level where it can truly support itself, and there is additional demand for more, I’m not supportive of holding a game here,” the Shanghai-based Young told Reuters by telephone. “Wembley sells out in three hours - that’s the NFL. Having empty seats and saying, ‘Oh we still have tickets left’ - that’s not the NFL.” While some question whether a relatively complex team sport such as American football can be successful in China, Young said the NFL had a bright future there and the issue was a structural problem, not a cultural one.

NFL figures show encouraging growth, particularly in social media and online streaming, with more than 1 million people in China watching the Super Bowl online last season.

Cumulative television viewership jumped from 48 million to 80 million across China, while Nike is set to begin selling NFL apparel in its stores.

“A lot of people try to make very homogenous maxims about China all the time, but we don’t believe there’s a cultural reason as to why American football is more popular in the United States than it is overseas.”

Jim Small, Asia vice president of Major League Baseball, told Reuters that the decision to build up a presence in China had come only after years of studying conditions there.

“We saw a lot of companies going into China with a ‘ready - fire - aim’ approach,” he said. Instead of going blindly into China, MLB had spent four or five years learning the market.“What we learned was that baseball could be successful in China, that the sports culture was ready for baseball and that baseball’s culture was a good fit for China.

“We also learned that in order to be successful in China, we needed to be in partnership with the government.”

While pitchers from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have been flying the flag for Asia in Major League Baseball, there are few players for Chinese fans to connect with.

The International Olympic Committee’s decision to drop baseball (and softball) from the programme has also not helped MLB’s cause in China. However, Small said MLB had helped build a strong Chinese national team and that they were working with the IOC and the International Baseball Federation to get the sport back into the Olympics.

MLB had also built a strong relationship with the ministries of sports and education, bringing baseball to elementary and middle schools and setting up development centers to nurture players that might one day pull on a Yankees or Red Sox or Giants jersey in the United States.

“The Chinese want to be world class in everything, including sports,” said Small. “They look at baseball as a global sport, but more importantly as an Asian sport, and they want to be the best they can be.” — Reuters

Sebastian Vettel in action in this file photo

Formula One hoping for happy US return AUSTIN: The eyes of the motor racing world will be riveted on Texas this weekend as Formula One makes its return to the United States but it is unclear if Americans will be watching, even with a driver’s championship on the line.

The stage has been set for a Sunday of highdrama worthy of a Hollywood Western as clinical German Sebastian Vettel and fiery Spaniard Fernando Alonso engage in their own version of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral at the new $400 million Circuit of the Americas.

The penultimate race in a title chase that has taken the glamour series to the four corners of the globe could well be decided in the distinctly unglamorous scrublands of south Texas, as Formula One tries again to establish a presence in the US following a five-year absence.

Vettel, who will be making his 100th career start in Austin, will have an opportunity to complete a hat-trick of titles at the US Grand Prix and join Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio and Germany’s Michael Schumacher as the only drivers to win three titles in a row.

“I think we were not always fast enough this year but for the last couple of races we were, so looking forward to the next two races,” said Vettel, cautiously assessing his position following a third-place finish in Abu Dhabi earlier this month.

“The fans got the best Formula One for a long time. I personally would have loved it to be a little bit more boring at some stages.

“The tyres keep results up in the air until the very last metres of the race. When you are in the hunt you still can turn it around - and when you are in the lead you can still lose it.”

A 27th career win in his Red Bull would move Vettel into a tie with Jackie Stewart on the alltime wins list but it still may not be enough to clinch a championship.

Vettel, who tops the standings with 255 points to Alonso’s 245, must finish Sunday’s race with 15 more points than his Spanish rival, which can be produced by many combinations of results.

A sixth victory of the season would give Vettel the title if Alonso places outside the top four.

Should Alonso fail to score a point, Vettel must still finish at least third.

One thing that is certain - the Spaniard will not go down without a fight. Ferrari’s Alonso has stood on the top step of the podium three times this year and will be determined to take the championship down to the final race in Brazil.

“I am confident, we will fight until the end,” said Alonso, who would move into a tie for fourth on the all-time win list alongside formerchampion Nigel Mansell by notching his 31st

career victory on Sunday. “We are not fast enough, this is true and we are honest with ourselves, we know this. We need to accept this.

“We have some strong points which we will try to use.” They like big things in Texas and there is nothing bigger in motor racing than the crowning of a new F1 champion but for many Americans, Vettel and Alonso could just as easily be field goal kickers in the NFL as the world’s leading drivers.

There is a good reason their names are not familiar. There has not been an F1 race in the U.S. since 2007 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and there will be no Americans on the starting grid. While Sunday’s race could be the pinnacle of the F1 season, Americans motor sports fans do not view the US Grand Prix with as much anticipation.

In Texas, NASCAR is king and it is likely more eyeballs and television remotes will be focused on Homestead, Florida where the Chase championship will also be decided on Sunday.

This is also football country, where Friday night high school games can attract crowds that some English Premier League teams would envy.

Saturday’s belong to college gridiron and the Texas Longhorns, while Sundays are dominated by the NFL with Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys taking the local spotlight. — Reuters

Kuwaiti racing rookie Zaid set to make Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge ME debut BAHRAIN: Kuwait teenager Zaid Ashkanani will realise his long held dream of competing in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East, the region’s most exciting and professional race series, when he takes his place on the grid in Bahrain. The 18-year-old, who will race for Team Buzaid GT, will be in a record- line-up of drivers from across the globe when the season kicks-off at the Bahrain International Circuit on the 16th and 17th November. Zaid, who is an experience go-karting racer, is looking forward to his graduation to full motor racing. He is aware it will take time to adapt to the rarefied atmosphere on the FIA accredited circuit in Bahrain, but he cannot wait to get started on the Formula One Circuit.

Zaid said: “It’s absolutely amazing to be making my racing debut, a real dream come true. I cannot wait to arrive in Bahrain and start testing in my 911 GT3 Cup. “Motor racing is my biggest passion and I have always been fascinated by speed. This series is very tough to race in, with an exceptional line-up of drivers competing against one another. I will try to learn as much as possible from the other competitors, especially those who have been racing all three seasons.,” added Zaid. The young Kuwaiti, who will be the youngest driver on the grid, will be experiencing how it is to race in an international field headed by reigning champion, Saudi Arabia’s Abdulaziz AlFaisal. The Saudi champion of last season is looking to take another step towards an unprecedented third series title.

The driver line-up includes Austrian Clemens Schmid, the returning Saudi, Faisal Binladen, and the first female driver in the history of Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East, Denmark’s Christina Nielsen. Walter Lechner, Manager of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East, said: “It is fantastic news that Zaid will be making his debut and representing Kuwait. Even though it will be his first racing experience in our series, we have heard glowing reviews about his potential and we will help him to nurture his talents to compete on the biggest stage.”

Zaid added: “Porsche and Lechner Racing have created a very professional environment and I would like to thank them, along with my family, for the opportunity they have given me

to participate in this fantastic championship.”

Created to inspire a new generation of Arab racing drivers and offer a platform into the world of international GT and sports car racing, the

one-make series has already proved popular amongst local drivers and fans alike who regard the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East as the purest form of racing.

Frankel gallops away with award SINGAPORE: Unbeaten Frankel has romped home with the Cartier Racehorse of the Year award for the second successive year. The four-year-old, owned and bred by Khalid Abdulla and trained by Henry Cecil, was retired unbeaten last month after winning 14 races.

Frankel, who accumulated almost 3 million pounds ($4.77 million) in earnings, becomes only the second horse to win the award twice, after Ouija Board’s 2004 and 2006 triumphs.

“Frankel, with his brilliance, has captured the hearts of so many people, some of whom have never been racing in their lives,” said trainer Cecil. The colt capped his career with victory in the Champion Stakes at Ascot last month.

The Cartier awards are determined through a combination of points earned by horses in top-class races, the opinions of a panel of racing journalists, and votes from readers of a racing newspaper and British broadsheet.

Earlier this month Frankel moved to his new home at Banstead Manor Stud near Newmarket in southern England, where he will be the most sought-after stallion in Britain when the covering season begins in midFebruary.

Prince Khalid will send a significant number of his own mares to be covered by Frankel, but the horse will also be available to service mares owned by other breeders, at a fee expected to approach 100,000 pounds ($158,900), reports say. — Reuters

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

S P ORT S

Steward hailed by Queen of Soul and boxing royalty

Rory McIlroy

McIlroy vows no let-up in HK HONG KONG: Rory McIlroy begins the defence of his UBS Hong Kong Open crown today fresh from topping the European money list, vowing there will be no let-up as he seeks to end his season with a flourish.

The 23-year-old sealed the Race to Dubai at the weekend, courtesy of third place at the Singapore Open, becoming only the second man after Englishman Luke Donald to win both the European Tour and PGA Tour money titles in the same year.

During a fine season the Northern Irishman also won his second Major at the PGA Championship in August and just weeks later was part of the European Ryder Cup team that snatched a dramatic victory at Medinah. “Hong Kong has always been a place I’ve enjoyed coming to,” said the world number one. “It’s always got a great buzz, a great atmosphere, and there is just something about Fanling and the Hong Kong Golf Club that I really enjoy.

“This week will be extra special after wrapping up The Race to Dubai last week in Singapore, and I can’t wait to tee up as the defending champion this week.”

No player has retained the Hong Kong Open title since Taiwan’s Hsieh Yung-yo in 1964, but McIlroy has an enviable record at the event, finishing runner-up in 2008 and 2009, and tied for sixth in 2010. “I’ve come close (to winning) a couple of times and last year I was lucky enough to finally get my first win here,” said McIlroy, adding that he did not feel he had played his best golf in recent tournaments. “Obviously I want to finish the year off as strongly as possible. It would be great to defend here and have a big conclusion in Dubai next week also.” Threats to McIlroy come from a trio of Major championsPadraig Harrington, Paul Lawrie and YE Yang-as well as four-time PGA Tour winner Matt Kuchar and Matteo Manassero, fresh from winning the Singapore Open on Sunday.

Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez and victorious Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal are also in the field for the tournament, co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the European Tour. Nineteenyear-old Manassero admitted his Singapore winthanks to a third play-off hole-had taken its toll.

“I was feeling a little tired today,” he said yesterday. “I had all Monday to rest, which was important. Yesterday I took a good look at the front nine. “Today I was tired but in the afternoon I was not doing much. To win a tournament takes a lot of energy out of you, but especially a week like that. It was extremely tiring.”

Scotland’s Lawrie, winner of the 1999 British Open, is eager to cling onto his top-10 spot in the Race to Dubai with the season-ending World Tour Championship in Dubai coming immediately after the $2 million Hong Kong event. “I’m obviously 10th at the moment and just hanging on by my fingertips,” the 43-year-old said. “To finish in the top 10 would be pretty special.”

Three-time Major champion Harrington, who won the Hong Kong Open in 2003 and was runner-up the following year, said the golf course was popular among players.

“Hong Kong is one of the best venues of the year. It stands out as a great golf course for me but I think everybody here this week loves the course,” the Irishman said. “Sometimes you go to a place and half the field might like the course, whereas for the other half, it might not suit them. But this week everybody loves the course.”India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar, who has two Asian Tour titles this season, is chasing a strong finish in his bid to top the Order of Merit. He is currently fourth in the continent’s money list.

“Subconsciously, winning the Order of Merit title is at the back of my mind and it would be really great if I can take a step closer to winning it this week,” said Bhullar.“The way that I’ve been striking the ball and putting will definitely allow me to get some good scores this week.” — AFP

Poulter hopes to channel Ryder Cup form in Australia MELBOURNE: Ian Poulter converted his sparkling Ryder Cup form into his second World Golf Championship victory in Shenzhen earlier this month and will hope to maintain his strong finish to the year by defending his Australian Masters title.

Poulter will battle former major winner Graeme McDowell and a determined local contingent spearheaded by world number five Adam Scott at Kingston Heath in Melbourne’s famed sandbelt.

The 36-year-old Englishman suggested his strongest opponent this week might well be himself, however, and admitted to struggling to take his Ryder Cup intensity to stroke play events.

“You don’t get the intensity at a major like you do at the Ryder Cup,” the world number 16 told reporters at Kingston Heath yesterday. “You can’t recreate what it means in a Ryder Cup into a stroke play event.

“But to give you an example, I probably had five percent adrenaline going through my body - compared to the 100 percent that I had at the Ryder Cup - two weeks ago at the WGC event.”

While the Masters’s modest A$180,000 ($188,000) winner’s cheque might do little to stoke Poulter’s competitive fires, Kingston Heath’s tricky layout, which places a premium on tactics while rewarding risktakers, offers a mouthwatering challenge.

Poulter showed himself up for any challenge at last year’s tournament, where he upstaged a strong field boasting thenworld number one Luke Donald at nearby Royal Victoria Golf Club.

After recovering from a bout of food poisoning, Poulter battled through gale-force winds on the final day to win by three strokes and earn the tournament’s ‘Golden

Jacket’, a nod to the more salubrious green one handed to US Masters winners.

In contrast to Poulter, McDowell would hope to leave his Ryder Cup form back in Illinois, where he posted a disappointing a 1-3-0 record and was benched on the second day. The 2010 US Open champion’s troubles continued in China where he badly bruised his hand after accidentally banging it into a hotel room door at the WGC Champions tournament in Shenzhen.

Northern Irishman McDowell gritted his teeth, modified his grip and played out the tournament to finish joint 42nd. “Kind of one of those freak clumsy, kind of don’t want to talk about incidents that you just scratch your head and think, ‘How the hell did I do that’,” he told reporters at Kingston Heath. “It’s fine, I’m great and nearly back to 100 percent; probably 95 percent. “So thankfully, touch wood, I’ll be keeping my hands away from doors here for the foreseeable future.”

McDowell has enjoyed a consistent year with strong performances at the majors but has been frustrated with his winless season, a sentiment Australian Scott shares.

The 32-year-old Scott said he was desperate to return to the winner’s circle after a season of near-misses which included his heartbreaking runner up finish at the British Open where his game unravelled in the final holes.

“In some ways it’s been a really good year, I’ve played a lot of good golf and I’m very happy with that,” he said. “I’ve been very consistent week in and week out performing at a pretty high level, but I haven’t managed to put four days together at the right time and therefore haven’t won an event this year which bothers me a little bit.” —Reuters

DETROIT: Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward was celebrated by boxing royalty and the Queen of Soul at a star-studded memorial service Tuesday in the Motor City.

Steward, the man who made the Kronk Gym famous, died of colon cancer last month at the age of 68. His family took its time to plan a memorial befitting a beloved public figure - and it was a hit.

Champions he trained - including Thomas Hearns, Lennox Lewis, Wladimir Klitschko and Evander Holyfield - one he worked out only briefly Sugar Ray Leonard - and another he didn’t train at all - Roy Jones Jr. - all paid their respects.

“What a spectacular turnout of support,” HBO Sports commentator Jim Lampley said. “Over here, you have a section that I would call the Hall of Fame section. You would have to go to Canastota (N.Y.) in midsummer to the Hall of Fame to see anything even remotely approaching this group.

“There are five legitimate heavyweight champions sitting in the first two rows and the No. 1 poundfor-pound fighter in the world.”

And if that wasn’t impressive enough, Aretha Franklin sang a stirring rendition of “I’ll Fly Away” in front of a few thousand witnesses at Greater Grace Temple. Franklin, a friend of Steward’s in Detroit for decades, said she wouldn’t have missed the memorial for anything.

“He had a million-dollar smile you couldn’t deny,” Franklin told The Associated Press from her front-row seat. “I’m so glad he made the Kronk Gym what it was, helping countless young boys become men and many amateurs become champions.” A private dinner and party in Detroit followed the service. The city closed the original Kronk Recreation Center - a hot, sweaty basement gym after vandals stole its copper piping in 2006. It was allowed to remain open, but it put Steward in a difficult financial situation and he later rented space at a gym in Dearborn so his young fighters could train. Now, there isn’t a Kronk Gym anywhere - and his family is hoping to change that. “We closed it after he passed, but we’re going to restructure it and we want it done correctly,” Sylvia StewardWilliams told The AP, sitting in her father’s secondfloor office at his brick home on Detroit’s west side.

“We want to get a good foundation, like it was in the beginning, and build it back up.”

Steward, who was born in West Virginia in 1944 and moved 11 years later to the Motor City, trained boxers born and raised in Detroit such as Hearns.

He was hired by boxers from all over the globe.

Lewis was trained by Steward from 1994 to 2004, a period that included victories over Holyfield and Mike Tyson. “I’ve been interviewed by a lot of TV stations around the world, they have put Emanuel Steward a league of great trainers,” Lewis said. “And I say, he is the greatest trainer that ever lived.” Steward was an accomplished amateur boxer who chose to become a coach in the ring, starting in 1971 with a part-time position at Kronk for $35 per week. Hearns put the gym - and the trainer affectionately called Manny - on the map. Hearns was the first man to win titles in four divisions and he won five overall. The boxer known as Hitman lost some of his most famous bouts. Hearns was knocked out in the 14th round by Leonard in 1981 in what Steward later said that was the most painful experience of his life and was on the short end of a three-round fight with Marvin Hagler in 1985 that is considered one of the best bouts in history.

On an emotional day, which started in the

DETROIT: A poster honoring boxing trainer Emanuel Steward and the boxers he trained is seen in the trainerís office in Detroit. A funeral service for the late boxing trainer was held Tuesday in Detroit.—AP morning with family, close friends and former fighters gathering at two homes Steward owned, Hearns was so overcome with emotion when he stepped up to the pulpit that he had to step back, wipe tears off his cheeks and gather himself.

“If it wasn’t for Emanuel Steward, it would be very difficult to be where I am today,” Hearns said.

“He wasn’t just a trainer to me, he was like a dad.”

Jones was trained by his father, and he told the AP he wished his mother hadn’t talked him out of hiring Steward to be his trainer when he turned pro. When Jones got behind the microphone at the memorial, he compared Steward to Michael Jordan and Barry Sanders - one-of-a-kind talents that can’t be replaced - and said he has always carried a redand-yellow Kronk Gym bag to every fight. “There was no other gym on the planet that produced that much talent,” he said. “I may not be a Kronk fighter by contact, but by heart I am.” Steward suffered cardiac arrest while he was hospitalized near

Chicago last month, and it proved too much to overcome as he also fought cancer. Just three days after retaining his three heavyweight titles in Germany, Klitschko traveled to Detroit with fresh bruises and cuts on his face to honor Steward, his trainer and friend.

“Emanuel Steward lives in the hearts of each of us,” he said. “Not just the people present in this room - the people around the world.” Klitschko’s new trainer is fellow heavyweight Johnathon Banks, a Detroit native who was trained by Steward. When Banks arrived at Steward’s house on Tuesday, Sylvia Steward-Williams hugged him and shared four words that left him in awe. “It’s your time now,” the trainer’s eldest daughter whispered in his ear. “I never expected that to come out of her mouth, especially to me,” he said softly. “But those are shoes that will never be filled. There’s no replacement for Emanuel. I’m just pouring water on the seed he already planted.” — AP

Scott seeks to cap frustrating year with victory Down Under MELBOURNE: A winless season marked by one of the most spectacular major tournament meltdowns in the modern era has left Adam Scott desperate for success at this week’s Australian Masters, where home crowds have rueful memories of famous nearmisses. Since turning professional 12 years ago, Scott has long been touted as Australia’s heir apparent to former world number one Greg Norman and appeared set to break the country’s British Open drought dating back to the ‘Great White Shark’s’ win in 1993.

Scott’s final round implosion at the Open Championship at Lytham in July, gave rise to far less flattering comparisons with Norman, whose own Augusta collapse at the 1996 US Masters remains a bitter recollection for many Australians. Where Scott blew a four-stroke lead over his last four holes to gift Ernie Els the Claret Jug, Norman squandered a six-stroke lead to hand Nick Faldo the Green Jacket at Augusta, and never added another major trophy to his two British Open titles.

With pundits lining up to consign Scott to a lifetime of disappointment and a spell on the psychiatrist’s couch, the 32-year-old has toiled on through a barren season, while insisting the British Open ghosts no longer haunt him.

“I enjoyed the whole (British Open) experience thoroughly and, looking back, I just take so many positives from what I did right that week,” Scott told reporters at Kingston Heath Golf Club yesterday.

“Obviously the result was not what I was

expecting with an hour or so to play, but there’s always going to be a lesson to be learned from that. “I don’t think it’s harmed me at all. I think it was a great experience and all I can say, it’s more of a motivator than anything for me to get back and have another shot at it.” Scott finished tied for fifth at the co-

Adam Scott

sanctioned Singapore Open last week, adding to a season of consistency tempered with frustration, with six top-10 finishes on the U.S. PGA Tour. Along the way, the Australian’s putting demons have reared their head again, despite his use of the ‘broomstick’ putter, which some of his rivals want banned for its supposed advantage. Scott switched to his long putter last year and enjoyed immediate success with a joint runner-up finish at the US Masters in April last year and his eighth U.S. Tour title at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational four months later. But his putting statistics have slumped across the board in 2012, barring distances of 20-25 feet from the hole, in which he ranked an impressive fourth on the PGA Tour.

With three of the last four majors won by players using long putters, golf’s governing bodies have been under pressure from highprofile players including Tiger Woods to cap their length, with a decision expected before the end of the year. “There’s no actual evidence that putting with an anchored putter is better, easier,” Scott said. “Or, if it is, I would assume everyone would be doing it.

“It’s not just about the professional game either, it’s about the game in general, and we don’t want to be turning people away from the game of golf because of the way they putt.” Scott shares top billing with Europe’s Ryder Cup hero Ian Poulter and former major winner Graeme McDowell at the Kingston Heath course in Melbourne’s famed sandbelt. — Reuters

Soccer/golf fusion sport growing in Latin America BUENOS AIRES: The innovative fusion sport of soccer-golf is helping Argentine courses stay afloat in testing economic times when golfing revenue alone is often not enough to cover costly maintenance fees. The game was played in Argentina for the first time two years ago and it is beginning to make waves right across Latin America.

Jose Luis Chilavert, who played in goal for Paraguay at the 1998 World Cup and was renowned for scoring penalties and free kicks, and former Boca Juniors forward Walter Pico are two high-profile footballers to have tried their hand at the fusion sport.

Argentine Football Golf Association

president Javier Ancizar told Reuters in an interview the new pastime was not a rival to traditional golf.

“We want to add something positive, not to compete (with golf),” said Ancizar who schedules tournaments in midweek when fewer golfers play.

“We’re aware that we are on golf grounds but at the same time there are many courses in Argentina that may not be able to do all the necessary maintenance with just golf revenue alone. “I see this as a good way for golf courses to supplement their earnings and help with course upkeep,” added Ancizar. While the origins of the fusion sport are unclear, the International

Football Golf Association was founded in 2009 by Dutch footballer Michael Jansen. Jansen’s home country hosted a soccer-golf championship in September of that year and it sparked interest around the globe. The inaugural World Cup was held this year and featured 80 players from eight different countries. The game’s objective, like golf, is to get the regulation size-five football in the targeted hole in as few kicks as possible. Although competitors use traditional golf courses they do not walk on the putting surfaces, instead the wider holes are dug out around three metres from the greens and are filled in with sand and covered with a

tuft of grass after tournaments.

Tees and fairways are set up to one side in order that the grass on the golf courses is not damaged. “You don’t have to be a good soccer or golf player, you just need to know how to kick the ball and know how to think — to analyse the course so as to not take unnecessary risks,” said Ancizar.

He believes the day when golfers and soccer-golfers can share the course is a long way off. “We haven’t had a time when we were playing simultaneously. When we do these kinds of events they close off the grounds for our use only,” said Ancizar.

“In reality it’s strange that they co-

exist. If a golfer gets hit by a football it wouldn’t bother him too much but if a soccer-golfer gets hit by a golf ball problems could arise.”

Since the only necessary piece of equipment is a football, it is a widely accessible pastime. “Anyone can kick a football. It’s a sport for everybody, kids, older people, girls,” said Ancizar.

Soccer-golf appeals to former footballers as it puts a new twist on traditional skills while at the same time cutting down on the risk of injury.

“There are a lot of ex-footballers who see this as a good way to broaden their range of athletic activities,” said Ancizar. — Reuters

18

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

S P ORT S

Goodell an honest broker on concussions NEW YORK: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is scheduled to deliver the Dean’s distinguished lecture today at the Harvard School of Public Health.

The title is “Leadership on the Road to a Safer Game.”

After the weekend his league just experienced - seven concussions at a minimum, including two quarterbacks who went back into their games for seven and 12 more plays, respectively it seems fair to ask whether his hosts at the prestigious program considered finding another speaker.

To be fair, some very smart football people considered that total a sign of progress. Not the concussions, of course, but the fact that they were diagnosed and the players sidelined before any further damage was done.

Not surprising, either, was the league’s pronouncement that in all three cases it looked into - quarterbacks Jay Cutler of the Bears, Alex Smith of the 49ers and Michael Vick of the Eagles - it was

satisfied that the proper protocol was followed.

Considering where the NFL finds itself at the moment, as the defendant in more than 100 lawsuits from thousands of former players alleging negligence, fraud and concealment, it also seems fair to ask whether Goodell can be an honest broker.

To his credit, Goodell was on the hot seat less than a year when he pushed the league, which was slow to react to anecdotal reports, to begin making up for lost time. Shamed by the emerging science on concussions, and threatened by mounting threats of legal liability, the NFL organized its first conference on the subject in 2007, bringing in experts from outside the league, instituting mandatory brain baseline testing, standardizing concussion reporting and preventive measures, even announcing a “whistle-blower” hotline so players could anonymously report if they felt pressured to return to

the field. Since then, rules have been changed to reduce collisions on kickoffs and outlaw blows to the head, neck and shoulders.

The problem with too many of those solutions is that while they’ve had a beneficial effect, the responsibility remained largely with the player. Job security is so tenuous that plenty of them still refuse to report symptoms and a few even let on later that they sabotaged their initial baseline test, setting the bar low enough to give them some leeway when tested in the midst of a game after a head-rattling hit.

And even when procedures are followed to the letter, there are no guarantees. Before he re-entered Sunday’s game against the Rams, Smith was evaluated on the sideline between the first and second quarters. It was only after he threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree that Smith left the game, complaining of blurred vision. Small wonder the NFL Players

Association made noise Monday about asking the NFL to put independent concussion specialists, paid for by the league instead of the teams, to determine whether players should be pulled from games.

Goodell can’t legislate cooperation from his players; his only power in those matters is coercion. But he also can’t claim the mantle of leadership when he’s crammed the games closer together, moving one to Thursday night each week to bolster the NFL Network’s profitability, since it also shortens the players’ recovery time. He’s also pushed for an 18-game season, as if the upward or 20,000 or so collisions most NFL players have sustained by the time they reach the pros weren’t enough. Almost as troubling is the leadership role Goodell has embraced at the head of an increasingly disingenuous PR campaign aimed not at the players, but squarely at the fans.

Last month, shortly before reports

began circulating about a Pop Warner game in Massachusetts that produced five concussions on a team of 10- to 12year-olds, Goodell turned up at a youth football program in Virginia to promote the NFL’s “Heads Up Football” initiative, which purports to teach kids and their coaches tackling skills that would minimize potential head and neck injuries.

In a video resulting from a partnership with USA Football - the sport’s youth governing body - Goodell says, “You have to have the right fundamentals.

You have to learn how to tackle safely and how to play the game safely.”

The improving science on concussions has already proven that can’t be done, especially the way the game is played in the NFL. One former player watched the video, and reviewed it this way on Slate.com: “As a former head-basher in NCAA football, I can say that this is a technique that I’ve seen precisely no one, ever, use on the field.” —AP

Chanderpaul hits double ton Windies declare on 527-4 DHAKA: West Indies’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul hit his second ever double centur y and Denesh Ramdin struck an unbeaten 126 as the tourists took command of the first test against Bangladesh yesterday.

West Indies declared their first

innings at 527 for four just before tea on the second day after Chanderpaul reached 203 to equal his career best innings.

The hosts responded in typically aggressive manner and lost three wickets to leave them on 164-3 at the close. Tamim Iqbal,

who led the Bangladesh attack, was the last man out, caught by Sunil Narine at mid-on off Darren Sammy for 72 from 71 balls.

Earlier, West Indies’ Ravi Rampaul took the wickets of opener Zunaed Siddique (seven) and Shahriar Nafees, who made a quick-fire 31 off 27 balls, but Tamim was unperturbed.

The left-hander brought up his 12th test 50 off only 38 balls when he charged off-spinner Narine down the track for a six and struck an almost identical six three balls later to help Bangladesh past the 100-run mark in 13.4 overs.

The hosts, who still need 164 runs to avoid the follow on, slowed down after Tamim’s dismissal as Naeem Islam, unbeaten on 27, survived alongside Shakib Al Hasan (16 not out).

West Indies dominated the first two sessions and added 166 runs to their overnight 361-4 without losing another wicket.

Chanderpaul, resuming on 123, sur vived a few anxious moments as a catch fell short of the slip cordon and a short ball from paceman Shahadat Hossain rubbed his shoulder before reaching the slips.

He reached his double century with two runs off a delivery from off-spinner Sohag Gazi and West Indies waited only one more over to declare.

Chanderpaul, who joined West Indies’ Garry Sobers on 26 test centuries, faced 372 balls and struck 22 fours during his more than 7-1/2 hours at the crease.

“If you noticed I didn’t score too many test 200s. I only had one before this game, so it is always pleasing to get past that landmark,” Chanderpaul told reporters. “(But) Sir Garry is Sir Garry.

Being level on centuries with Sir Garry is always good but I cannot be Sir Garry,’ he added. “I have played a lot more games than Sir Garry but it’s a great honor to be with Sir Gary.”

He added 296 runs for the fifth wicket with Ramdin, a record par tnership for West Indies in Bangladesh, with the wicketkeeper having earlier completed his third test century after resuming on 52. The pair built on the foundation provided by opener Kieran Powell, who was out for 117 on the opening day. —Reuters

Scoreboard

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s Shahriar Nafees bats during the second day of the first cricket Test match against West Indies in Dhaka. —AP

DHAKA: Scoreboard at close on the second day of the first test between Bangladesh and West Indies at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on yesterday: 0, Nasir Hossain 1-0-8-0, Tamim Iqbal 1West Indies first innings (overnight 361-4) 0-10-0 (w-1).

C. Gayle c Mahmudullah b Gazi 24 Bangladesh first innings K. Powell b Gazi 117 T. Iqbal c Narine b Sammy 72 D. Bravo c Rubel b Gazi 14 Z. Siddique c Bravo b Rampaul 7 M. Samuels c Gazi b Shahadat 16 S. Nafees c Ramdin b Rampaul 31 S. Chanderpaul not out 203 N. Islam not out 27 D. Ramdin not out 126 Shakib Al Hasan not out 16 Extras (b-5 lb-12 w-2 nb-8) 27 Extras (b-4 lb-4 w-1 nb-2) 11 Total (four wickets; 144 overs) 527 Total (three wickets; 36 overs) 164 declared To bat: M. Rahim, Mahmudullah, N. Did not bat: D. Sammy, S. Narine, V. Hossain, S. Hossain, S. Gazi, R. Hossain Permaul, T. Best, R. Rampaul.

Fall of wickets: 1-25 2-88 3-119 Fall of wickets: 1-32 2-74 3-106 4-231.

Bowling: Sohag Gazi 47-7-145-3, Bowling: Ravi Rampaul 8-0-49-2 (nb-1), Tino Best 7-1-31-0(w-1), Darren Sammy Shahadat Hossain 21-3-85-1 (nb-7), 5-0-21-1, Sunil Narine 10-3-40-0 (nb-1), Rubel Hossain 18-0-89-0(w-1 nb-1), Veerasammy Permaul 3-2-1-0, Chris Mahmudullah 14-0-45-0, Shakib Al Gayle 3-0-14-0.

Hasan 34-4-104-0, Naeem Islam 8-1-24-

Australia cannot afford another slow start — Arthur BRISBANE: Australia move on to the second Test against South Africa charged with renewed belief they can win the threematch series but coach Mickey Arthur has warned his team they cannot afford another slow start.

The Gabba test may have ended in a draw on Tuesday but Australia will take great confidence from the fact that, after a poor start, they outscored South Africa with the bat and twice removed their top order on a flat Brisbane wicket.

They will certainly view the number one ranked team in Test cricket through different eyes after dominating them for two days but Arthur, once the Proteas coach, said his former charges would rebound. “ There’s no doubting their ability, no doubting the quality of that South African side, they’re going to be on song come Adelaide, no doubt about it,” he told reporters after the test.

“Against a really good side like South Africa, you’ve got to be on the money from the very first ball.

We probably weren’t and that’s something we’ll address going into Adelaide.”

Australia might even be able to bolster their inexperienced top order with the return of all rounder Shane Watson from injury, even if he was unable to bowl.

“Watto has had two nets, he had a bit of a run today and he came through that well, he’s having a bowl on Friday. We’ll see early next week how that’s going,” said Arthur.

“We’ll have to sit down and consider what we think is the best eleven going into that Adelaide test and Shane would come into a huge amount of consideration for that,” said Arthur.

“He’s a quality player, he’s an international brand is Shane Watson. If Shane Watson was fit, we’d have to definitely consider (playing him as a specialist batsman).”

Australia disappointed with the ball on the first day at the Gabba and Ben Hilfenhaus’s place in the attack might be under threat from left-armer Mitchell

Starc for the Adelaide test that starts on Nov. 22.

While James Pattinson led the Australian charge and Peter Siddle looked dangerous at times, Hilfenhaus only claimed the wickets of two tailenders despite taking the new ball in both innings.

“I was happy with the work that all our bowlers did,” Arthur said.

“After day one I was definitely happy. I thought our speed was up, I thought our lines were better, I thought we built up a lot of pressure. I’m content.

“Mitchell’s playing a (Sheffield) Shield game at the moment, let’s see how he goes in that one and it might give us another option come Adelaide.”

Spinner Nathan Lyon had an expensive match taking 4-177 in 50 overs but Arthur was impressed with how he responded after being pummelled at one stage on Tuesday.

“I thought he stuck to his guns, I thought he varied his pace well and built some pressure,” he said of the off spinner, who two years ago was a groundsman at the

Adelaide Oval.

“So I’m happy where Nathan is, and he goes back to his home pitch so I’m comfortable that he’s in a good enough place for us.”

The one area where there is no concern at all is the form of captain Michael Clarke, who hit an unbeaten 259 that only added to his imperious 2012.

Clarke has now notched a triple century and two double centuries in seven tests this year, accumulating 1041 runs at an average of 115.66.

“Words can’t describe how good he’s been since he’s been captain. In the last year, he’s been outstanding,” said Arthur. “I think the key is not the runs he’s getting because he’s a class batsman and he was always going to get the runs. “The key is the way he prepares, the meticulous preparation he goes through.

“He doesn’t leave anything to chance, he puts the work in and because of that, he’s a great example to the dressing room and also getting a reward through performance.” —Reuters

AHMADABAD: England’s captain Alastair Cook (left) and his Indian counterpart Mahendra Singh Dhoni, unveil the trophy ahead of their Test cricket series. India and England are scheduled to play four cricket tests with the first Test beginning today. —AP

Ashwin has enough variations to fox batsmen, says Dhoni AHMEDABAD: India do not boast a mystery spinner like Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal but offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin’s variations make him quite a handful, team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said yesterday. The onus will be on India’s slow bowlers to exploit England’s weakness against spin on bouncing and turning wickets at home in the fourtest series starting today.

Ajmal was the leading wicket-taker with 24 scalps from three tests when Pakistan blanked England 3-0 in the United Arab Emirates at the beginning of the year.

Ashwin has replaced veteran Harbhajan Singh as India’s spin spearhead and has been the man of the series in their last two series at home against West Indies and New Zealand.

“I feel they are different bowlers. It’s a bit unfair to compare two individuals,” Dhoni said on the eve of the first test in Ahmedabad.

“Ajmal has got a brilliant doosra and generates a lot of pace when it comes to the ball that goes away from a right-handed batsman. He’s quite special.

“But Ashwin also has got variations, he has got different deliveries. He can almost bowl each and every delivery that anyone can bowl. He’s got the flipper, he bowls leg spin, off-spin, the carom ball.

“The majority of his deliveries are still offspin. I think it’s important for him to concentrate on his stock delivery and use the variations as variations.”

Ashwin, 26, has forged a strong partnership with left-arm spinner Ojha, the duo sharing 73 wickets in the five tests they have played together, and England’s chances in the four-test series will depend on how they handle the duo.

“They understand each other really well, something that’s very important,” Dhoni said.

“If it’s not turning then Ojha is someone who can keep it tight. Ashwin will always be the more aggressive bowler.

“The best part is if there is something for them (in the wicket) they make sure they come into the game.” The Indian captain confirmed that paceman Ishant Sharma had not recovered fully from viral fever which has ruled him out of today’s first test.

The hosts have called up uncapped Ashok Dinda to their squad as cover for Sharma though Zaheer Khan and Umesh Yadav are expected to be the preferred choices from

the pace department.

Meanwhile, England paceman Steven Finn has failed to recover from a thigh injury and will miss the first test against India, his captain Alastair Cook said yesterday. The 23year-old limped off the field with a right thigh strain in England’s first warm-up match at the end of October and is not fit enough to be considered for the opener of the four-match series starting in Ahmedabad.

“Steven won’t be available for tomorrow’s test match. He has made some fantastic progress with the injury, has come home better than we thought, but unfortunately he is not going to make it,” Cook told reporters.

“It’s too big a risk to go into a game in any test match, especially in these conditions, with a guy who is not 100 percent and hasn’t bowled.”

The Middlesex paceman is considered key to England’s chances of enjoying a successful tour after impressing during a limited-overs series in India last year.

Vice-captain Stuart Broad, who suffered a bruised left heel during the second practice game, should be available for selection after bowling at full pace on Tuesday.

Cook, who turns 28 next month, will lead England for the first time in tests on Thursday and he felt the tourists have had plenty of time to prepare for Indian conditions. “Looking at this tour, we have said that we wanted to have as much practice as we could to get used to the conditions,” said the left-handed opener, who took over as skipper following Andrew Strauss’ retirement after the South Africa series. “For the first time since I’ve been (coming) to the sub-continent, we’ve had three warm-up games. “It’s given us a chance not just to play the XI that we think is going to play in the first game, but it has given everyone a chance to get used to conditions. On that front, we have been really well prepared.

“Clearly we’d have liked to face more quality spinners in the middle but we can’t control that. What we have had available, we’ve had some excellent bowlers bowling at us in the nets.”

Flamboyant batsman Kevin Pietersen, who was dropped for the third and final test against South Africa at Lord’s in August over a text message row, will make his return in English whites on Thursday. —Reuters

Media coverage threat NEW DELHI: Major international news agencies are likely to suspend coverage of the India v England series after the Indian cricket board barred photo agencies from covering the series starting in Ahmedabad today.

The News Media Coalition (NMC), which champions freedom of the media, has urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to lift the restrictions on the local and international picture agencies.

“In our view, the BCCI’s move will hit fans and cricket sponsors alike. The BCCI has offered to make its own photographs available but this is no substitute for independent and objective press photography,” NMC executive

director Andrew Moger said in a statement.

NMC members include Thomson Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, the international photo agency Getty Images and Britain’s Press Association.

Most of them have announced they would suspend text and photo coverage if the restrictions are not lifted. “Despite numerous opportunities, the BCCI has yet to explain why it is discriminating against photographic agencies or indeed whether other news sectors will be targeted next.” Moger said. “We deplore this move and insult to organisations which have supported cricket worldwide.” —Reuters

19

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

SPORTS

World Cup host Brazil struggles to fill stadiums SAO PAULO: Brazilians like to say theirs is the country of soccer and it certainly has a strong claim for the titles of the world’s greatest player, greatest team and even the greatest stadium.

In the nation that will host the 2014 World Cup, however, fewer people go to see professional soccer matches than in China or the United States.

With attendances falling further this year, Brazilian clubs are using different strategies to try to fill their grounds but they are hampered by antiquated stadiums, a lack of respect for fans, television stations that show every game live and insufficient policing and security.

In the home of Pele, the legendary team that won the 1970 World Cup and Rio de Janeiro’s giant Maracana stadium, just about everyone has a team and an opinion. But few actually go to support their side. “Lots of people confuse the phenomenon of the World Cup in Brazil with a true love of the game,” said Juca Kfouri, one of Brazil’s best-known sports writers. “Brazil is not a country where people love football. It is a country where people love to party around the World Cup.” That assertion got factual

backing from two recent reports on attendances. One, by the Stochos consultancy, showed the average crowd at Brazilian first division matches has fallen eight percent this season to less than 13,000. While big clubs such as Sao Paulo and Corinthians regularly pull in crowds of more than 30,000 people, the average attendance is below 10,000 at more than half of Brazil’s first division clubs.

Santos, home to top striker Neymar, has an average home gate of 7,788 this season. The average at Portuguesa, another Sao Paulo club, is 4,162. Just 449 people watched Atletico-GO play Sport last month. A second study put Brazil 13th on a world table of attendances for 2011. An average of 14,987 fans attended first division matches, according to the study by Pluri, a Brazilian sports consultancy, which used a slightly different methodology to Stochos.

Germany’s Bundesliga led the table with 45,083 fans, followed by England, Spain and Mexico. Brazil lagged behind all the big European nations, as well as the United States, which was in sixth place. It also came in behind China in

10th and Japan, which was one place above it. Average crowds at Brazilian Serie A matches are lower even than those in the German and English second divisions. Brazilian clubs are trying creative solutions to remedy the situation.

In Recife, fans of the city’s three big teams get tickets in return for requesting invoices for purchases in stores. The initiative is designed to raise tax revenues by ensuring businesses record transactions. Under the programme, first division teams Sport and Nautico get 8,000 tickets for each home game paid for by the state government. The 20,000 tickets given to third division Santa Cruz have helped it to become one of the best-supported clubs in the country.

“It helps you guarantee a critical mass of people in the stadium,” said Sport’s president Gustavo Dubeux. “Without it our crowds would be 25 percent less than they are. It’s very important to us.”

Although season tickets are still little known in Brazil, most clubs now have membership schemes that offer priority booking and discounted tickets for home games. With more than 110,000 fans signed up, Internacional’s scheme

has more members than Real Madrid, and Corinthians have almost as many.

Other clubs have selectively reduced entry fees. Ticket prices have increased exponentially over the last decade, pricing out many fans.

The average ticket price in the first division this season was 24 reais ($12), according to Stochos. Top clubs such as Corinthians charge 180 reais ($90) for the best tickets. Ten years ago, fans could still go to a local derby at Maracana stadium for little more than a dollar. The campaigns have had an effect, suggesting fans are put off by the high cost of entry. When Sao Paulo reduced tickets for one part of the stands from 60 to 20 reais, crowds in the sector went to around 7,000 from 300.

Another major factor is security and comfort. Although tens of millions of Brazilians have entered the middle class in the past decade, many of them still cannot afford upwards of 100 reais a week to take a family to the stadium.

They also are reluctant to attend matches in run-down arenas and occasional violence among rival fans, especially at big matches, is a big concern.

That has been a boon for the pay-perview (PPV) sector. A monthly PPV package costs 60 reais and sales had increased 70 percent in two years, said Alessandro Maluf, product manager with NET, the cable firm that sells packages.

“Many people are scared to take their family to stadiums and they see pay-perview as a safer way to see their team,” Maluf said. “It is not pay-per-view that stops Brazil being number one on that table, that has more to do with security, how you are treated, infrastructure.”

Experts believe the construction of new arenas for the World Cup will encourage people to turn out for games both during and after the tournament. Some 14 new arenas are scheduled to be opened by 2014 and with them will come a new level of security and comfort. But until then, Brazilian teams will struggle to make football as appealing as a trip to the cinema, the beach or the shopping mall, said Cesar Gualdani, director of Stochos.

“Brazil is the country of football because football is impregnated in our culture and history,” Gualdani said. “But when it comes to fans, that’s a title it is fighting for with lots of other countries.”—Reuters

Russia extends unbeaten run under coach Capello

HWASEONG: South Korea’s Lee Dong-gook (center) fights for the ball against Australia’s James Holland (left) during their friendly soccer match.—AP

Aussies edge S Korea HWASEONG: Late call-up Robert Cornthwaite was the unlikely hero with an 87th-minute winner yesterday as Australia enjoyed a confidence-boosting 2-1 friendly win over South Korea.

Defender Cornthwaite, who plays for KLeague side Chunnam Dragons and was only brought into the squad after a series of injuries, pounced on a loose ball in the box to complete a come-from-behind victory in Hwaseong.

Australia have had just one win in four games in the final round of World Cup qualifying, but they will enjoy their success which came through Nikita Rukavytsya, who cancelled out Lee Dong-Gook’s early strike, and Cornthwaite’s late winner.

“We played well until we gave up Australia’s first goal,” said South Korean coach Choi Kang-Hee. “I made a lot of substitutes since this was a friendly, and I think it may have led to a lapse of concentration among players.”

South Korea had climbed to the top of their qualifying group, and they looked on course to see off one of their biggest regional rivals after Lee Dong-Gook volleyed Lee Seung-Gi’s cross past the diving Mark Schwarzer on 11 minutes.

But Australia levelled just before half-

time, as Rukavytsya converted a Tommy Oar pass from the right side of the box.

Both sides began the second half slowly before the game opened up in the final 20 minutes. In the 70th, Hwang Jin-Sung’s diving header bounced right at Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.

Two minutes later, visiting captain Lucas Neill nearly put his side ahead, but Kim Young-Kwang in the South Korean goal kept out his close-range header. At the other end, Schwarzer was equal to another volley from Lee Dong-Gook.

When Australian substitute Tom Rogic’s hard, left-foot strike in the 84th went right at Kim in goal, the teams appeared to be headed for a draw.

But in the 87th minute, Cornthwaite capitalised on a mad scramble deep in the South Korean penalty area, when Eli Babalj’s shot after a free kick hit the right post and bounced off goalkeeper Kim. As the ball rolled along the goal line toward the opposite post, the unmarked Cornthwaite stepped in and calmly put it in the back of the net.

Australia’s next World Cup qualifier is at home against Oman on March 26, while South Korea will host Qatar on the same date.—AFP

MOSCOW: Fabio Capello extended his unbeaten run as Russia coach yesterday, as his side drew 2-2 with the United States in a friendly in Krasnodar. Anzhi Makhachkala forward Fedor Smolov and Zenit St Petersburg midfielder Roman Shirokov both scored for the home side, while midfielders Michael Bradley and Mikkel Diskerud were on target for the visitors.

“I’m pleased with what my team showed at the pitch today,” Capello said. “Of course we’re all slightly upset with this injury-time goal but we created plenty of scoring chances and looked very solid tonight. “I gave our young players chances to show themselves in a match of the national squad. It was very important for all of them to get the experience of playing at the top international level.”

“I received a positive impression from this match.” The hosts started in a lively fashion pinning back the Americans, who were weakened with the absence of Tottenham Hotspur’s Klint Dempsey and Langdon Donovan of LA Galaxy, from the kick-off.

Smolov put Russia 1-0 up in the ninth minute, giving US goalkeeper Tim Howard of English Premier League side Everton no chance from close range after a mix-up in defence. Bradley, of Serie A outfit Roma, however, levelled in the 76th minute with a volley from outside the box, which struck the left-hand post and ricocheted into the net, after being fed with a header by team-mate Josmer Altidore.

Russia poured forward for the winning goal and in the 84th minute Shirokov scored from the spot after Spartak Moscow forward Artem Dzyuba was fouled in the box. But they failed to keep their lead through as Norwegian side

KRASNODAR: Goalkeeper Tim Howard, of the United States (left) blocks Russia’s Artyom Dzyuba as they struggle for the ball during the friendly soccer match.—AP Rosenborg halfback Diskerud saved the day, levelling the score in the second minute of added time-again with a volley from outside the box.

Russia drew 1-1 with Ivory Coast in Capello’s first

match in charge on August 15. The draw was followed by four consecutive wins against Northern Ireland, Israel, Portugal and Azerbaijan in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.—AFP

Ukraine win over Bulgaria SOFIA: Defender Olexander Kucher scored his second international goal to earn Ukraine a 1-0 win against Bulgaria in a lacklustre friendly in Sofia yesterday.

Bulgaria started reasonably brightly but failed to produce a clear-cut chance with the two teams lacking creativity and looking toothless for large periods on a cold night at the Vasil Levski national stadium. The visitors gradually took control and came close to scoring when Bulgaria keeper Stoyan Kolev, deputising for injured Nikolay Mihaylov,

blocked Evhen Seleznyov’s effort from close range with his legs midway through the first half.

Ukraine, missing several key players due to injuries, were rewarded in the 33rd minute when tall defender Kucher met Ruslan Rotan’s corner with a firm header.

Valeri Bojinov almost levelled the score three minutes after the interval but keeper Andriy Pyatov produced a brilliant save to help Ukraine remain unbeaten in five matches against Bulgaria.

Striker Ivan Tsvetkov, who obtained a Bulgarian

passport just before the game, made his international debut at the age of 33 while Brazilian-born midfielder Marquinhos played for the Balkan country first time after a 14-month absence.

Unbeaten Bulgaria have made a solid start to their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign and are second in Group B with six points from four matches, four behind leaders Italy. Ukraine are second from bottom in Group H with two points from three games, six behind leaders England who have played one more match.—Reuters

Indian athlete declared male after rape claim

INDIA: In this July 11, 2012 photograph, Indian sprinter Pinki Pramanik smiles in North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal state, India. Indian authorities investigating a rape case say Pramanik who won a women’s relay gold medal at the 2006 Asian Games is actually a man.—AP

KOLKATA: Indian authorities investigating a rape case say a sprinter who won a women’s relay gold medal at the 2006 Asian Games is actually a man.

Police charged Pinki Pramanik on Monday with raping and assaulting a woman she was living with in the eastern state of West Bengal. The woman alleged Pramanik was a man who had reneged on a promise to marry her.

Indian authorities said an eight-member medical board submitted a gender test along with the charge sheet that concluded Pramanik was genetically male.

Pramanik has denied the charges, calling them a “huge conspiracy,” and said that contrary to the police claims, the medical report concluded that she was incapable of committing rape, New Delhi Television reported. Pramanik said that the medical board told her that she had “symptoms of excess male hormones as after-effect of some of the drugs I had taken during my sports career.”

Pramanik also said that she hadn’t been given a copy of the medical report.

The athlete was arrested on June 14 after her partner’s complaint. She was freed on bail in July after spending more than 20 days in jail.

Another Indian medalist at the 2006 Asian Games, Santhi Soundarajan, was stripped of the women’s 800 meters silver medal after failing a gender test shortly after the Games.—AP

KUWAIT: John Thomas, Chairman of MACE presenting Man of the match award to Remon.

KUWAIT: Ramakrishnan presenting Man of the Match award to Sachin.

AECK and TKM enter semi-finals KUWAIT: AECK and TKM (from Pool A) joined TEC and KEA in the semi finals after the second day’s play of the 15th Prof. Ramachandran Memorial Cricket Tournament (RMC) conducted

by College of Engineering Trivandrum Alumini Association (CETAA) and sponsored by GTE Olayan Co which is being played at the NCC grounds at Mina Abdullah Industrial area.

In the first match, MACE scored a fighting 85 for 8 in 12 overs against AECK mainly due to the liberal AECK attack which conceded 36 extras. A late order flourish by Sandeep (14) and a patient innings by Radha (13) also helped the cause of MACE. Remon (3 for 7 - man of the match) and Sibi (2 for 11) aided AECK to restrict MACE. In reply the strong AECK batting line up floundered initially but an unbroken 5th wicket partnership of 48 between Shabeer (32 n.o) and Mahesh (25 n.o) managed to get AECK home with 3 balls to spare amidst mounting excitement. In the 2nd match, NIT were skittled out for just 31 by TKM with Varun (4 for 6 - man of the match) being

the wrecker-in-chief. TKM easily hit off the required runs in 3.1 overs (Ganga 18 n.o.) to win by 8 wickets. Jacob took both the wickets to fall for NIT. In the 3rd match, NSS made an imposing 128 for 2 wickets off their 12 overs against host CET mainly due to the batting excellence of Sachin (95 n.o. - man of the match) who carried his bat through the innings. In reply, CET couldn’t keep up with the required run rate and made only 76 for 9 off their 12 overs with Daniel (15) alone reaching double figures leaving NSS worthy winners by 52 runs. The 4th match (to decide the winners of group B) saw TEC score a challenging 128 for 5 wickets in 12 overs with Suresh (32), Girish (31) and Dinto (31) being the stars for TEC. For KEA, Joseph was the leading wicket taker with 2 for 13. In reply, KEA were always behind the asking rate. A late order flourish by Jim (18 n.o.) and Tossy (14 n.o.) couldn’t save KEA and TEC ran out comfortable winners by 38 runs. Opener Tibish (26) was the top scorer for KEA while Girish (2 for 13 - man of the match)

was outstanding for TEC. In the 5th match, (to decide the winners of Pool A), a brilliant batting display by Rafi (69 man of the match) ably supported by Sajeeb (37) saw AECK score a mammoth 128 for 3 wickets off their 10 overs (match reduced due to late start). Ziyad took 2 wickets for TKM but couldn’t check the flow of runs. In reply TKM scored 67 for 6 in their 10 overs leaving AECK comfortable winners by 61 runs. Nizam (18) was the lone batsman to reach double figures while Smithosh took 2 wickets for AECK. In the last match, NIT again folded up for a small score (42 all out in 11.3 overs) against MACE with Sandeep (4 for 5) and Biju (2 for 10) leading for way for MACE. In reply MACE easily hit off the required runs in 6 overs with 9 wickets to spare. Manu and Jose (13 each) remained not out for MACE. The final day’s schedule (23rd Nov) is as follows:- AECK vs KEA and TKM vs TEC at 7 am (semi-finals) and the winners to meet in the final at 10 am.

Ashwin has enough variations to fox batsmen, says Dhoni

18

Indian athlete declared male after rape claim

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

19

Russia extends unbeaten run under coach Capello

Page 19

DOHA: Qatar’s Fabio Cesar (right) challenges Lebanon’s Hassan Maatuk during their 2014 World Cup Asian zone Group A qualifying football match in Doha.—AFP

Qatar keeps World Cup hopes alive Japan takes big leap towards Brazil DOHA: Qatar kept alive their slim hopes of making the 2014 World Cup finals with a 1-0 win over Lebanon in their Group A qualifier here yesterday.

A brilliant 75th minute strike from their Uruguayan-born striker Sebastian Soria gave Qatar three points which took the 2022 World Cup hosts’ tally to seven in the five-team group which also includes South Korea, Iran and Uzbekistan.

Lebanon are the only team Qatar have beaten in the final phase of qualifying, yesterday’s win being their second over Theo Bucker’s side following their 1-0 victory in June where Soria had also scored. Soria’s goal here was a terrific solo effort that began outside the Qatar penalty area saw him advance with the ball a considerable distance before his cracking 40-yarder slammed into the net stunning the Lebanon defence.

An ecstatic Soria ran up to the stands for an extended celebration with his family members.

Qatar could have doubled the margin a few moments later but the Ghana-born Lawrence Quaye found his shot, from a Soria pass, blocked by the Lebanon goalkeeper Abbas Hassan.

Qatar, however, survived a close shave later

when veteran midfielder Roda Antar’s powerful drive brought out a splendid save from goalkeeper Qassim Burhan, his diving effort saving a sure-shot goal. Qatar had another chance to increase their lead in stoppage time in the second-half but Quaye’s shot from outside the penalty area went wide. “This was a much needed win for us and thanks to Sebastian we are now alive in the qualifiers,” said Qatar coach Paulo Autuori.

“We should have played much better but a win is a win,” the Brazilian added. Lebanon coach Bucker was in awe of Qatar’s facilities, complaining before the match that his team only had one natural grass ground to train on back home.

But yesterday he offered no excuses, praising Soria’s strike, which proved the difference between the two teams. “The match could have gone anyway but Soria’s goal proved decisive. You cannot do anything in such a situation.”

In Singapore, Shinji Okazaki’s late winner against Oman took Japan tantalisingly close to the 2014 World Cup yesterday, as Iraq also struck in the dying minutes to breathe life into their campaign.

Japan went ahead early in Muscat through

Hiroshi Kiyotake but they were rocked by Ahmed Mubarak’s free kick on 77 minutes. However, Okazaki bundled in the decisive goal on 89 minutes to extend Japan’s lead in Group B. The Asian champions went provisionally eight points clear with only three games left, making progression to their fifth consecutive World Cup, in Brazil, an apparent formality.

“I’m pleased I was able to score because I didn’t do much else for the whole of the match,” said the modest Okazaki. “We kept chipping away and found a way to win in the end. We weren’t in control today so I hope we can dominate to beat Jordan next time.” Japan’s Italian coach Alberto Zaccheroni said the Middle Eastern country’s intense heat had hampered his players, but he was proud of their refusal to accept a draw.

“We had set ourselves the target of three points here, and I’m happy we accomplished that goal,” Zaccheroni said. “The heat meant we couldn’t play the way we’re capable of playing. Oman showed a lot of heart but I’m proud of the way my team refused to give in.” In Doha, Iraq’s Hammadi Ahmed also left it late against Jordan before he arrowed a

left-footed strike home four minutes from time.

The game’s only goal was enough to lift the 2007 Asian Cup champions off the foot of an increasingly tight Group B with their first win in five games. The result brought relief to Iraq coach Zico who had dropped veterans Younus Mahmoud and Nashat Akram from the squad, a decision that surprised many because some of the other regulars like defenders Basem Abbas and Muthana Khalid and strikers Ala Abdulzehra and Salam Shaker were already unavailable because of injuries. Jordan’s Iraqi coach Adnan Hamad was also handicapped by the suspension of Anas Bani Yaseen but the return of goalkeeper Amer Shafi and defender Basem Fathi from injuries gave the team some solidity. In Muscat, Oman looked dangerous on the break and should have taken the lead against Japan after 10 minutes, but Fawzi Bashir blazed over from a promising position.

Stuttgart’s Okazaki, who missed Japan’s recent friendlies against France and Brazil, saw a couple of half-chances saved by Oman’s Wigan Athletic goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi at the other end, before Kiyotake broke the deadlock.

Knicks hold off Magic

LOS ANGELES: San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan (left) shoots over Los Angeles Lakers’ Pau Gasol, of Spain, in the second half of an NBA basketball game.—AP

ORLANDO: Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points while JR Smith and Raymond Felton added 21 each as the New York Knicks held off the Orlando Magic 99-89 Tuesday night to remain the NBA’s only unbeaten team.

JJ Redick led Orlando with 18 points, with Arron Afflalo scoring 13 for a Magic team that was stunted by 20 turnovers that led to 24 New York points.

The Magic dropped their fifth consecutive game and continue to struggle without starters Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu. New York has won its first five matches for the first time since opening the 1993-94 season with seven victories.

Elsewhere Tuesday, the Bobcats had a 92-76 win over the Wizards, the Raptors edged the Pacers 74-72 and the Nets beat the Cavaliers 114-101.

In the late games, The Spurs edges the Lakers 84-82 and the Trail Blazers had a 103-86 win over the Kings.

Danny Green hit the go-ahead 3pointer with 9.3 seconds left and Tony Parker scored 19 points for San Antonio to help ensure the Lakers’ lost for the first time since firing coach Mike Brown.

After Pau Gasol missed a 3-pointer, Tiago Splitter’s hustle prevented the Lakers from controlling the rebound before the buzzer sounded on Los Angeles’ first game since hiring Mike D’Antoni late Sunday night.

Interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff ran the team for the third straight game.

Tim Duncan had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs, who improved the Western Conference’s best record to 7-1. Kobe Bryant had 28 points and eight rebounds for the Lakers, who dropped to a win-loss record of 3-5 after committing 17 turnovers on a poor shooting night.

Dwight Howard had 13 points and 15 rebounds.

At Charlotte, Ramon Sessions scored 21 points as the Bobcats beat winless Washington to get back-toback victories for the first time since last December.

Rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist chipped in with 15 points and eight rebounds before leaving in the four th quar ter with a sore back.

Trevor Ariza scored 19 points for the Wizards, who fell to 0-6.

At Indianapolis, DeMar DeRozan scored 15 points and Jose Calderon had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for Toronto. Toronto led 69-58 heading into the fourth and hit only one field goal the rest of the way, a club low.

George Hill scored 18 points and Paul George had 12 points and nine rebounds to lead the Pacers, who have lost four of the last five.

Brooklyn posted its third consecutive win with Deron Williams contributing 26 points and 10 assists and Joe Johnson scoring 25 points

against travel-weary Cleveland.

Brook Lopez added 23 points for the Nets, who opened a 20-point lead at home for the third straight game, but this time barely let up and beat the Cavaliers for the sixth time in eight meetings after losing nine in a row, mostly during the LeBron James era.

Anderson Varejao scored a careerhigh 35 points and grabbed 18 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who were wrapping up a six-game, coast-tocoast trip and played much of the game with the urgency of a team that wanted to be home.

At Sacramento, Damian Lillard had 22 points and nine assists to help Portland stop a four-game losing streak. Portland used a strong third quarter to build its lead to 16 points and pushed the cushion to 22 early in the fourth. The Trail Blazers out-rebounded the Kings and connected on 14 of 27 attempts from 3point range.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 19 points for Por tland and Wesley Matthews had 18. James Johnson scored 16 for the Kings, who dropped their third straight. They played their second consecutive game without leading scorer and rebounder DeMarcus Cousins, suspended following a verbal altercation last week with San Antonio Spurs television announcer Sean Elliott.—AP

Oman failed to properly deal with Yuto Nagatomo’s cross from the left and Nuremburg midfielder Kiyotake seized on the loose ball to slot home from close range.

The goal settled nerves but Oman were unlucky not to be on level terms in the 36th minute, as Al Ajmi headed against the post. Oman came out with renewed purpose after the break and Mubarak nearly levelled it from long range.

Kiyotake and Sakai both had chances to extend Japan’s lead as the pace slowed, but with 13 minutes remaining, Mubarak squeezed in a low free kick which sent the home fans into a frenzy.

However as Oman pressed for the winner, substitute Gotoku Sakai raced free on the left flank and his cross was flicked on at the near post by Yasuhito Endo, leaving the arriving Okazaki with the simplest of finishes. “We played against one of the best teams in the world at the moment and we had a great performance so we are very disappointed with the result, the manner in which we lost,” said Oman’s French coach, Paul Le Guen. “There still three games to play and we are still in the running to qualify.”—AFP

NBA results/standings Charlotte 92, Washington 76; NY Knicks 99, Orlando 89; Toronto 74, Indiana 72; Brooklyn 114 Cleveland 101; Portland 103, Sacramento 86; San Antonio 84, LA Lakers 82.

NY Knicks Brooklyn Philadelphia Boston Toronto Milwaukee Chicago Indiana Cleveland Detroit Miami Charlotte Atlanta Orlando Washington Oklahoma City Minnesota Utah Denver Portland LA Clippers Phoenix Golden State LA Lakers Sacramento San Antonio Memphis New Orleans Dallas Houston

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L 5 0 4 2 4 3 4 3 2 6 Central Division 4 2 4 3 3 5 2 6 0 8 Southeast Division 6 2 3 3 3 3 2 5 0 6 Western Conference Northwest Division 6 2 5 2 4 4 4 4 3 5 Pacific Division 5 2 4 4 3 4 3 5 2 6 Southwest Division 7 1 5 1 3 2 4 4 3 4

PCT 1.000 .667 .571 .571 .250

GB 1.5 2 2 4.5

.667 .571 .375 .250 0

0.5 2 3 5

.750 .500 .500 .286 0

2 2 3.5 5

.750 .714 .500 .500 .375

0.5 2 2 3

.714 .500 .429 .375 .250

1.5 2 2.5 3.5

.875 .833 .600 .500 .429

1 2.5 3 3.5

Business

Greece debt crisis bares strains between IMF, EU Page 22 Iraq investment concerns remain as trade fair ends

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

Panasonic prepares for ‘garage sale’, to axe 10,000 jobs

Page 25 Stocks lack impetus as US fiscal cliff clouds outlook

Page 26

Page 24

ATHENS: Greek puppets are raised in the air during an anti-austerity protest outside the parliament in Athens yesterday.— AFP

Anti-austerity strikes sweep Europe European workers reject ‘suicidal fiscal policies’ MADRID: Millions of workers joined strikes across southern Europe yesterday to protest against spending cuts and tax hikes that trade unions say have brought misery and deepened the region’s economic crisis. Spanish and Portuguese workers were holding their first coordinated general strike and unions in Greece, Italy and France, Belgium also planned work stoppages or demonstrations as part of a “European Day of Action and Solidarity”.

Spanish police arrested 32 people in the early hours of the morning as scuffles broke out at picket lines. Power consumption dropped 11 percent as factories shut down production lines.

Portugal’s trains were barely running and the metro was shut.

“We’re on strike to stop these suicidal policies,” said Candido Mendez, head of Spain’s second-biggest labor federation, the General Workers’ Union, or UGT. International lenders and some economists say the programs of tax hikes and spending cuts are necessary for putting public finances back on a healthy track after years of overspending.

While several southern European countries have seen bursts of violence, a coordinated and effective regional protest to the aus-

terity has yet to gain traction and governments have so far largely stuck to their policies. Spain, where the crisis has sent unemployment to 25 percent, has seen some of the biggest protests and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is trying to put off asking for European aid that could require even more budget cuts.

Passion was inflamed when a Spanish woman jumped to her death last week as bailiffs tried to evict her from her home.

Spaniards are furious at banks being rescued with public cash while ordinary people suffer. In Portugal, which accepted an EU bailout last year, the streets have been quieter but public and political opposition to austerity is mounting, threatening to derail new measures sought by Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho. His centre-right government was forced by protests to abandon a planned increase in employee payroll charges, but replaced it by higher taxes.

Passos Coelho’s policies were held up this week as a model by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is despised in much of southern Europe for insisting on austerity as a condition of her support for EU aid. “I’m on strike because those who work are basically being blackmailed into sacrificing more and more in the

name of debt reduction, which is a big lie,” said Daniel Santos de Jesus, 43, who teaches architecture at the Lisbon Technical University. Some 5 million people, or 22 percent of the workforce, are union members in Spain. In Portugal about a quarter of the 5.5 million strong workforce is unionized. Unions have planned rallies and marches in cities throughout both countries, with a major demonstration beginning at 6:30 p.m. (1730 GMT) in Madrid.

FLIGHTS, FERRIES CANCELLED Just 20 percent of Spain’s long-distance trains and a third of its commuter trains were expected to run. Lisbon’s Metro was completely shut yesterday and only 10 percent of all trains will run under a court-ordered minimum service. In Barcelona, Spain’s second-biggest city, hundreds of trash containers were taken off the streets to prevent them being burnt. More than 600 flights were cancelled in Spain, mainly by Iberia and budget carrier Vueling.

Portugal’s flag carrier TAP cancelled roughly 45 percent of flights.

Italy’s biggest union, CGIL, also called for a work stoppage of several hours across the country. The transport ministry expected trains and ferries to stop for four hours. Students and teachers

Protests erupt in Jordan after fuel prices increase Govt says subsidy cuts needed to ease budget woes AMMAN: Protests erupted in Jordan’s capital Amman and provincial towns after the government cut fuel subsidies in a move to secure a $2-billion IMF loan but which sent fuel prices soaring. More than 1,000 people spilled into the streets in the capital Amman late on Tuesday and smaller protests erupted in several provincial towns after Islamist and tribal opposition groups said they would demonstrate. Hundreds of protesters chanted against King Abdullah and the powerful intelligence forces in slogans that personally target the monarch and were unheard of before the wave of Arab Spring-inspired protests hit the kingdom early last year. “Freedom, freedom, down with Abdullah,” young men chanted at the main Dakhiliyah square in the heart of Amman as angry crowds denounced the widely expected price hikes. Authorities bolstered security across the country that is a crossroads in the Middle East, bordering Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, the West Bank and Israel. Street protests against autocracy, corruption and mismanagement of funds have led to the overthrow of several long-serving Arab leaders, including those of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen.

But unlike pro-democracy Arab Springinspired demonstrations in neighboring countries that have turned violent, Jordan has not recorded a single death in nearly two years of peaceful protests. Elsewhere in the country, scattered protests went off peacefully but a petrol station was burnt by angry youths in the country’s second largest northern city of Irbid.

The move announced by the cabinet and which takes effect after midnight is the first major rise in petrol prices since street protests

early last year, inspired by the wave of Arab unrest, pushed Jordanian authorities to expand social spending and freeze major fuel price hikes. The price rises range from more than 50 percent for bottled gas used for cooking, 33 percent for diesel and kerosene for transport and heating and 14 percent on lower grade petrol. The government, mindful of public fury that exploded into street clashes in the depressed south of the country after price hikes in 1989 and 1996, had been reluctant to raise fuel prices.

OPPOSITION WARNED Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour warned the mainstream Islamist opposition, the Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s largest political party, against exploiting the price rises to agitate. He also said that the price hikes were unavoidable. “If the move was delayed we would have faced a catastrophe and insolvency,” he said in an interview with state television.

Most of the tribal and Islamist opposition has demanded faster reforms but does not seek the toppling of King Abdullah. He is seen

AMMAN: A Jordanian man holds up a piece of bread during a demonstration in Amman following an announcement that Jordan would raise fuel prices, including a 53 percent hike on cooking gas. — AP

as an arbiter among competing tribes and a unifying force in a population divided between native Jordanians and a majority of citizens of Palestinian origin. The budget deficit is forecast to rise to $3.5 billion this year, Ensour added, without saying how much would be saved by cutting the subsidies.

Jordan had been spending $2.3 billion annually on subsidies, almost a quarter of its annual budget. “The fiscal situation of the kingdom had been heavily impacted by the Arab Spring,” Ensour said. The bombing of a pipeline bringing Egyptian gas has forced Jordan to switch to costlier fuels for power generation and Saudi Arabia declined this year to repeat its payment of a $1.4 billion cash injection to stop the economy heading to the brink of collapse. Jordan hopes the subsidy cuts will show its commitment to fiscal consolidation and win support from the International Monetary Fund, Western and Arab aid, and help it to tap capital markets in a Eurobond issue.

Economists have said Jordan’s ability to maintain a costly subsidy system and a bloated state bureaucracy, whose salaries consume the bulk of state expenditure, was increasingly untenable in the absence of large foreign capital inflows or infusions of foreign aid. The government has been forced to rely heavily on domestic borrowing from banks. Public debt has increased 19 percent since last year to $22 billion and is now 72 percent of GDP. Foreign reserves also fell sharply by 34 percent to $6.85 billion since the end of last year. Ensour said direct cash transfers will be disbursed to Jordan’s poorest households within a week to mitigate the price impact. He also promised

were expected to march.

In Greece, which saw a big two-day strike last week while parliament voted on new cuts, the main public and private sector labor unions called for a three-hour work stoppage although Athens police only expect 10,000 demonstrators. Spain’s economy, the euro zone’s fourth biggest, will shrink by some 1.5 percent this year, four years after the crash of a decade-long building boom left airports, highways and high-rise buildings disused across the country. Portugal’s economy is expected to contract by 3 percent.

Spanish unions have never held two general strikes in one year before. The previous one in March brought factories and ports to a standstill and ignited flashes of street violence. Every week seems to bring fresh job cuts. Spain’s flagship airline Iberia, owned by UK-based International Airlines Group , said last week it will cut 4,500 jobs. The prestigious El Pais newspaper just laid off almost a quarter of its staff. “We have to leave something better for our children,” said Rocio Blanco, 47, a railway worker on the picket line at Madrid’s main rail station, Atocha. She has had to take a 15 percent pay cut. — Reuters

News

in brief

Agility posts 20% profit rise in Q3 KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Agility, one of the largest logistics companies in the Gulf region, reported a 20.4 percent rise in third-quarter net profit yesterday. The logistics firm, which is facing US fraud charges, said its net profit was 9.75 million dinars ($34.54 million) in the three months to Sept 30, compared to 8.1 million in the same period a year ago.

Earnings per share were 9.81 fils compared to 8.04 fils a year earlier, it said. Agility’s chairman said in September the company was gearing up for expansion in emerging markets, much of it in countries that experienced Arab Spring upheaval as new governments spend more on their oil industries and infrastructure.

World’s oldest bank reports loss $60.3m MILAN: Italy’s Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena yesterday reported a loss of 47.4 million euros ($60.3 million) in the third quarter and of 1.664 billion euros for the first nine months of the year. Analysts polled by Dow Jones had forecast a profit of 75.9 million euros and the bank posted a profit of 42.2 million euros in the third quarter last year.

The world’s oldest surviving lender, the Tuscany-based bank has been critically exposed to the euro-zone debt crisis and was forced to accept a government bailout in June to pay off debt and shore up its capital. Moody’s credit rating agency last month downgraded the bank to “junk” status on worries that recapitalization plans will prove insufficient.

BHP sells diamond assets for $500m SYDNEY: The world’s largest miner BHP Billiton yesterday said it was exiting the diamond industry, selling its Canadian assets to retailer Harry Winston Diamond Corp for US$500 million. BHP had an 80 percent stake in the remote EKATI diamond mine, some 200 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle which produces more than three million carats of rough diamonds a year. The company said it was offloading the assets as part of its strategy to only invest in large, long-life, expandable projects. “We are very proud of EKATI’s track record and the substantial value it has created for the region and our shareholders,” said BHP Billiton Diamonds president Tim Cutt. “Harry Winston has long experience in the Canadian diamond industry and their commitment to study further development at EKATI could help extend the mine’s contribution to northern Canada for many years to come.”

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

BUSINESS

Airbus looks past supplier woes Airlines flock to buy revamped jets ZHUHAI: Airbus has begun studying the feasibility of increasing production later this decade to keep up with anticipated demand, even as it keeps a check on short-term output plans due to worries over its suppliers, a senior company executive said. The European planemaker is in the midst of lifting production of its best-selling A320 single-aisle airplanes to a record 42 a month, as the aerospace industry adjusts to demands for fuel savings by revamping its most popular models.

Earlier this year it was forced to postpone plans to aim for 44 a month amid growing concerns over the health of its supply chain. Airbus said last week it was also increasing buffer stocks of components to head off any supply disruption.

Higher output is crucial to clearing a backlog of up to seven years of production for the world’s largest jetliner maker and its US rival, Boeing, following bumper sales of new fuel-efficient models such as the A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX. “The first available delivery slots in reasonable quantities are in 2019, but none of this is set in stone,” Laurence Barron, president of Airbus China, told Reuters. “We have talked a lot about

increasing production rates to 42 (a month). I don’t think we will go further than that for the short term because the supply chain is under pressure, but in the longer term we are thinking about what, at the end of the decade, is an appropriate production rate.”

Although the date may seem far off, the prospect of eventual increases in supply can have a bearing much sooner on sales battles between Airbus, Boeing and new entrants like Canada and China because jets are usually sold several years ahead. Any decision to change output would need to be taken 18 months before deliveries because of industrial lead times. The rush of demand for upgraded versions of the backbone of many airline fleets has stretched industry order backlogs to unprecedented levels, providing a stable production outlook but raising fears that customers may grow impatient or pick rivals. “We are studying the ideal rate and then the supply chain: whether it can keep going to the same quality and standards,” Barron said in an interview at the China Airshow on Tuesday. “I don’t have an answer to that but if, by the end of the decade, we can envisage high-

years, in a process supported by the World Bank. Standard and Poor’s upgraded Nigeria’s credit rating last week but said a failure to push through reforms to areas like power could put its more positive view at risk.

Manitoba was supposed to start work at the beginning of September but transmission is still in control of the government.

Sources within the privatization process said the ministry of power was unhappy handing over to Manitoba. “We had a clear contract and we were meant to be given delegation of authority ... but that didn’t happen,” Don Priestman, the head of the Manitoba-run Transmission Company of Nigeria, told Reuters by phone. “There are forces working against reform,” he added, saying a similar contract Manitoba has in Kenya was working well.

The power ministry did not respond to calls for comment. Nigeria is in the middle of privatizing the bulk of its power plants and distributing networks, in a reform process supposed to give foreign investors the confidence to provide the estimated $10 billion-a-year the electricity sector needs. Transmission is the key link between power plants and sub-stations feeding end users, and its poor management in the past has made investments in producing or distributing power unprofitable, industry experts say. Nigeria’s lack of power helps perpetuate social inequality in a country where the majority survive on $2 a day or

Sainsbury outshines Tesco with profit rise LONDON: J Sainsbury, Britain’s No 3 supermarket, beat forecasts with a 5.4 percent rise in first-half profit, helped by the development of its online and convenience stores business, the two fastest growing grocery channels in the UK. The group, which has enjoyed 31 consecutive quarters of underlying sales growth, is continuing to outshine industry leader Tesco, which last month posted a 12.4 percent fall in first half UK trading profit. No 2 player Asda is due to update on its third quarter today.

Sainsbury said yesterday it made profit before tax and one-off items of 373 million pounds ($593 million) in the 28 weeks to Sept 29. That compares with analysts’ consensus forecast of 371 million pounds, according to a company poll, and 354 million pounds made in the same period last year. First half sales rose 4 percent to 13.37 billion pounds as Sainsbury’s outperformed the market,

increasing its share to 16.7 percent, the highest for nearly a decade.

Last month the firm posted better-thanexpected second quarter underlying sales growth. Sainsbury’s said online sales grew at over 20 percent and it opened 49 convenience stores during the period. “Certainly if you compare our performance with all our major competitors we’re doing the best both in sales and profit,” Chief Executive Justin King told Sky News. Industry data has shown Sainsbury sustaining market share gains from rivals into the second half as it also benefits from the success of its “Brand Match” pricing initiative, higher penetration of own-label food ranges and increased sales of non-food products. The group has also enjoyed a boost to its profile from its sponsorship of the London Paralympic Games. “Whilst the wider economic situation remains challenging, we are well positioned,” said King. —Reuters

PLANNING CYCLES So far, Chinese airlines have been relatively cautious in joining a buying spree, led by other Asian airlines, worth hundreds of billions of dollars for the new models. Analysts say helping China’s airlines jump on the industry bandwagon poses particular difficulties because of its adherence to a system of 5-year plans, a timespan that is increasingly seen as mismatched with the aerospace industry’s long cycles. China’s 12th fiveyear plan runs until 2015.

Leasing companies, which tend to bag early delivery slots for new models, may be needed to step into the breach to provide aircraft for rental to meet China’s short-term needs. The dilemma was highlight-

ed when, since it was launched in December 2010, orders for the A320neo family topped the 1,500 mark, with a 40-plane purchase from Mexico on Tuesday.

Boeing has sold more than 900 competing 737 MAX aircraft. Only a fraction of those sales have gone to China, which faces the prospect of relying on an older generation of jets as it overtakes the United States to become the world’s busiest domestic aviation market in the next two decades. Besides its main European assembly plants in France and Germany, EADS subsidiary Airbus has assembled A320-family aircraft in Tianjin, northern China, since 2009. Airbus delivered its 100th plane from the Chinese assembly line last month. A contract for a total of 284 aircraft runs until the end of the first quarter of 2016. Production there is due to peak at four aircraft a month from the end of this year or early next year, Barron said. Asked whether the Tianjin line would continue at the same pace under a new production agreement, Barron said this had yet to be decided and negotiators aimed for agreement by mid-2013. Airbus and China signed a broad framework deal in September.—Reuters

Greece debt crisis bares strains between IMF, EU

Privatization setback - Nigeria scraps Canada power contract ABUJA: Nigeria has terminated a $24 million electricity contract with Canada’s stateowned Manitoba Hydro, the presidency said yesterday, in a setback for plans to privatize a moribund power sector that is holding back economic growth. The hiring of Manitoba to manage the national power transmission network had been seen by industry experts as a major step forward for the reform process. The presidency gave no reason for President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to annul the deal, which could add to fears about political interference that analysts say are holding back badly needed foreign investment into power.

Africa’s most populous nation of more than 160 million holds the world’s ninthlargest gas reserves but is blighted by power cuts which last several hours a day, forcing businesses and individuals who can afford them to rely on diesel generators.

Economists say a successful power privatization could push growth in Africa’s second largest economy into double digits, from around 6.5 percent now. Yet critics question the integrity of the process, which looks set to leave much of the sector in the hands of powerful local oligarchs with scant experience. “Mr President has cancelled the Manitoba power contract with immediate effect,” Presidency Spokesman Reuben Abati said, without giving a reason, adding that the power ministry would make a statement later in the day. Choosing a firm to manage transmission took more than five

er production rates then that will alleviate the fact that at the moment we have sold a lot.” “With a higher rate you can burn off the backlog more quickly and supply the market more quickly. It is something I know is being studied quite carefully,” he said. Boeing has also expressed concerns that its undelivered order backlog of 737s needs to be whittled down more quickly.

Greek economy shrinks yearly 7.2% in Q3 WASHINGTON: The Greek debt crisis has revealed new strains between the International Monetary Fund and European officials, with the two sides at odds over how to head off a looming default by Athens. In a rare public disagreement, Eurogroup President Jean-Claude Juncker and IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde clashed openly Monday on a key debt target in Greece’s bailout program.

Speaking after a euro-zone finance ministers meeting, Juncker said the country’s debt target of 120 percent of gross domestic product should be put back two years to 2022. The current level is an untenable 170 percent.

Lagarde, at the same press conference, said she believed the target should remain at 2020, the original date in Greece’s second bailout agreed earlier this year. “It is critical that the Greek debt be sustainable,” Lagarde said, admitting that “we have differences; we are working, trying to resolve them.” Differences on how to get Greece on the path to fiscal stability, ignite economic growth and prevent a rupture of the euro-zone have been evident among the “troika” rescue lenders-the EU, IMF and European Central Bank-since the crisis began.

The tensions have burst into the open, however, as the troika has worked to finalize a key report on Greece’s progress and decide what Athens needs to do to get a new aid release.

If Greece cannot get the 31.2 billion euro ($39.6 billion) disbursement expected, it could be forced to default on its debt. “This not a new disagreement,” said Jacob Kierkegaard of the Peterson Institute in Washington. “It has been brewing for quite a while, and quite clearly it is at the heart of why the troika report has taken so long to be published.” The IMF, which has already committed to Greece its largest loan ever - 28 billion euros or $35.5 billion-has officially shown no willingness to move Athens’ debt ratio target. The target was a key benchmark set for the IMF’s participation in Greece’s rescue, a level “sustainable” and acceptable to the fund’s 188 member states.

The global emergency lender feels that the Europeans must take it upon themselves, one way or another, to reduce the debt service burden on Athens. Paulo Nogueira Batista, who represents Brazil and 10 other countries on the IMF executive board, which signs off on loans, said the Europeans needed to give Athens breathing room. “I believe that some form of additional relief or support from the official sector of the euro area is probably needed,” Nogueira said. “This may be additional

KUALA LUMPUR: International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde (right) smile after a joint press conference with Malaysian Central Bank Governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Lagarde is in Malaysia to hold talks with the country’s leadership on regional and global economic issues. — AFP finance; this might be some relief,” he said, stressing he was not speaking on behalf of the Fund.

Arvind Virmani, until this month India’s executive director, said last week that Greece’s debt cannot be made sustainable “without a drastic debt write-off ... no matter what policy reforms the Greek government undertakes.” Options could include writing off the face value of the debt, cutting the interest rate on the bonds, or the Greek government buying back its own debt at reduced prices. Whatever the case, the pressure is mounting, specifically on European institutions, to take the hit. Private sector creditors already took a massive write-off of their holdings of Greek debt in the deal struck early this year.

Nogueira said the IMF, which holds preferred status among lenders, should not be the one to do so. “What I don’t accept is the idea that the preferred IMF status could be challenged. That would be highly problematic, deeply problematic, because this status implies that any additional debt relief, debt restructuring, would have to involve other creditors than the IMF.” “The Fund has already lent an enormous amount of money to

Greece. It has overextended itself in financing Greece. So I will not support any call for additional resources from the IMF to Greece,” he said.

GREEK ECONOMY Meanwhile, the Greek economy shrank a yearly 7.2 percent in the third quarter of 2012, the Greek statistics authority said yesterday in its first estimate for the period. The authority said Greece, in its fifth year of recession, contracted further than the 6.3 percent 12-month recession posted for the second quarter of 2012. The country has accumulated a recession of 22% since 2008 and a budget for next year passed on Sunday forecasts another contraction of 4.5 percent in 2013 after a 6.5 percent slowdown estimated for this year. In 2011, Greece shrank by 7.1 percent. The government and the European Commission are forecasting a return to growth in 2014, when the economy should grow by 0.2 percent. The coalition government of conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has made achieving growth its top priority as the nation struggles to meet its commitments to international creditors. — Agencies

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 .4440000 .3550000 .2940000 .2800000 .2910000 .0040000 .0020000 .0764600 .7449300 .3870000 .0720000 .7302720 .0430000 CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2816500 .4467530 .3571040 .2964420 .2816080 .0478830 .0415540 .2930570 .0363400 .2302000 .0035510 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0767130 .7473800 .0000000 .0751270 .7318440 .0000000

.2850000 .4590000 .3690000 .3070000 .2910000 .2990000 .0067500 .0035000 .0772290 .7524170 .4070000 .0770000 .7376110 .0510000 .2837500 .4500840 .3597670 .2986530 .2837070 .0482400 .0418640 .2952420 .0366110 .2319170 .0035780 .0051870 .0021810 .0029700 .0034870 .0772840 .7529520 .4013440 .0756870 .7373000 .0069520

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. Currency US Dollar Pak Rupees

Rate per 1000 (Tran) 282.700 2.946

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

5.160 2.175 3.463 6.150 77.075 75.545 751.500 46.337 454.500 2.990 1.550 365.400 288.200 3.345

Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 282.300 362.250 451.250 284.450 3.575 5.154 46.305 2.165 3.459 6.868 2.947 751.800 76.850 75.350

UAE Exchange Centre WLL COUNTRY Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro US Dollar Sterling Pound Japanese Yen

SELL DRAFT 298.79 287.03 302.50 361.97 282.45 452.05 3.64

3.600 5.550 2.320 3.750 3.150 77.350 749.600 48.200 399.000 740.000 77.850

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

3.468 5.155 2.168 3.235 2.951 76.97 752.07 46.38 402.39 735.10 78.00

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 282.650 283.295 449.840 360.745 299.225 748.310 76.930 77.585 75.335 398.440 46.353 2.164 5.154 2.942 3.458 6.869 693.245 4.550 9.295 4.385 3.310 92.235

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

286.100 555.300 46.100 50.100 167.800 48.160 363.900 37.170 5.610 0.032 0.162 0.248 3.660 400.680 0.191 95.410 44.900 4.350 234.600 1.831 50.300 734.450 3.080 7.060 78.210 75.490 232.810 34.940 2.693 453.400 42.600 302.100 4.200 9.570 198.263 77.090 283.100 1.360 GOLD

10 Tola 1,838.710 COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka

SELL CASH 298.800 751.940 3.710

SELL DRAFT 296.300 751.940 3.458

Sterling Pound US Dollar

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 451.400 282.700

284.600

232.800 46.358 362.400 37.020 5.155 0.031

400.650 0.190 95.410 3.240 233.100

734.270 2.960 6.906 77.780 75.490 232.810 34.940 2.168 451.400 300.600 4.200 9.410 76.990 282.700

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

BUSINESS

Job cuts, regulation push bankers toward hedge funds Regulatory, shareholder pressures force banks to cut teams LONDON: The hedge fund industry is expected to see a wave of new launches in the next year by traders who have lost their jobs at investment banks or who have left in search of better pay. The start-ups are expected despite the unimpressive performance of other new ventures and questions about where they will find new capital to finance them. New rules banning US banks or those with US subsidiaries from risky but potentially profitable proprietary trading are also encouraging some traders to make the move. Mitt Romney’s US presidential election defeat means little chance of the wider regulatory bill being repealed, as he had promised.

“If you consider what’s going on for (banks) at the moment from a compensation point of view, plus the increase in regulation and impediments to expressing risk...then working at a hedge fund looks like a compelling option at the moment,” said David Barenborg, a portfolio manager at BlackRock Alternative Advisors.

Among the most prominent names who have tried to launch this year are JP Morgan’s Mike Stewart and Deepak Gulati, Citi’s former head of proprietary trad-

ing Sutesh Sharma, and Nomura’s Borut Miklavcic, who gained approval from Britain’s Financial Services Authority for his LindenGrove Capital this month.

Other traders away from the proprietary businesses, such as so-called “flow” traders, who engage in market-making transactions for clients, are also leaving banks. Antoine Cornut, a former head of flow-credit trading for Deutsche Bank, is setting up his own credit-focused hedge fund Camares Capital, two people familiar with the launch said. Investment banks across the globe have slashed hundreds of thousands of jobs since a market peak in 2007, as tougher regulations and weak dealmaking force them to cut costs. UBS said last month it was winding down its fixed income business and cut 10,000 jobs. Banks are also under pressure to cut bonuses and benefits, reducing the incentive to stay on at a bank with the promise of a more lucrative job elsewhere.

PROP DESKS SHUTTING Proprietary trading, or trading with the banks own money, can closely resemble trading in the hedge

fund business and has turned out big profits before the financial crisis. But the US Dodd-Frank bill, introduced under President Barack Obama, includes a ban, known as the Volcker rule, on proprietary trading because it is risky. Under that rule, US banks or banks with US subsidiaries or branches - most major European and Asian lenders - were banned from betting with their own capital from July this year, but given until 2014 to comply. Many banks were quick to dismantle their “prop” desks ahead of the rule, but others have taken a wait-and-see approach and may now have to make big cuts. This will likely mean several new launch attempts in the first quarter of next year.

“We will definitely see some new spin-outs over the coming year as most banks continue to plan ahead,” said Daniel Caplan, European Head of Global Prime Finance at Deutsche Bank , which has worked with several of the major launches to come out of banks since the 2008 financial crisis. He expects the next year will herald more start-ups in credit - one of the top performing and most popular sectors in 2012

- because many of the big ones so far have focused on trading equities. The average credit hedge fund is up almost 9 percent this year, beating the average hedge fund’s 4.3 percent, data from industry tracker Hedge Fund Research shows.

CAPITAL QUESTION There is no guarantee traders will be able to raise sufficient capital to launch their own funds, however.

The bulk of the money flowing into the industry since the financial crisis has gone straight to the biggest names, leaving start-ups struggling. Bank traders have instead found themselves snapped up by the big, established hedge funds - an offer some who fail to get planned launches off the ground will likely take. Moreover, many of the biggest new ventures have failed to make their backers money. Edoma Partners, set up by a former senior proprietary trader at Goldman Sachs and one of the most hyped launches since the financial crisis, said earlier this month it was shutting down after just two years, hit by poor returns and investor exits. — Reuters

Rivals dig in as ‘fiscal cliff’ drama debuts White House firm on raising tax rates for wealthy

LIMASSOL: A billboard promoting real estate for Russians hangs on an empty plot in the southern Cypriot port of Limassol. — AFP

Bailout or not, Russia cash in Cyprus to stay LIMASSOL: Property advertisements in Cyrillic letters, Russian radio and newspapers and even schools in the coastal resort of Limassol spell out the identity of Cyprus’s top foreign investors. The allegedly dubious sources of Russian deposits in Cypriot banks, which total $26 billion, well over Cyprus’s GDP of $17 billion, are pipped as a potential cause for economic difficulty for the small Mediterranean island.

A German intelligence report cited by Der Spiegel magazine last week alleged an EU bailout for Cyprus would prop up illegal Russian mafia money, presenting a dilemma for European finance ministers. Russian buyers maintain a significant presence on the strong luxury property market and individual investors, millionaires or not, are firmly rooted on the sunny holiday island.

“Demand at prime developments is entirely driven by international buyers.

In the 500,000 to 2 million euro ($635,000 to $2.54 million) price bracket, the market is made up mainly of Russian and other European buyers,” Peter Christofi of Antonis Loizou estate agents said. “The very top end-over 2 million euros-attracts buyers from Russia and other CIS countries” of the former Soviet Union, he added.

Many Russians are here for the long term, taking Cypriot citizenship and settling down, and are providing important economic activity for the island, even those not in the millionaire bracket. “I really fell in love with the place,” said Karina Luneva, who moved to Cyprus to work and study, and bought a property seven years ago.

She was full of praise for the island’s “beautiful climate, friendly people, nice environment... and low crime rate,” and said she would not return to settle in Russia. Christofi cited safety, education and medical treatment as popular reasons for buying property. “A notable number of buyers plan to move abroad for permanent residence,” he added. An estimated 50,000 Russians reside in the Greek Cypriot-run

Republic of Cyprus, making up five percent of the population of more than 800,000. A smaller community lives in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north of the island.

“Russian women marrying (Cypriots)... and rich Russians” are the ones taking Cyprus nationality, Luneva said. Anyone who spends more than 300,000 euros on a property in Cyprus becomes eligible for permanent residency.

Andreas Theophanous, an economist at Nicosia University, said he was not concerned about the impact of the Spiegel report. “We have all the regulations and legal framework” needed to ensure Russia’s Cyprus investments are sound-regulations whose efficacity is disputed in EU circles.

CULTURAL RELATIONSHIP Theophanous emphasized the “cultural relationship” between Russia and Cyprus as a reason other than the low corporate tax rate of 10 percent that the foreign funds would remain. The Greek Cypriots and Russians share the Orthodox Church, and several Cypriot politicians, including President Demetris Christofias, are Moscow-educated. Moscow signed a 2.5 billion euro loan with Nicosia last year.

Although it has been relatively mute on a further 5 billion euros requested in June, Spiegel pointed out, a Cyprus financial collapse is not in its interest, and Russia wants to support the island to protect its investments.

Russian direct investments in Cyprus have steadily grown, reaching almost 1.5 billion euros ($2 billion) in 2011, according to figures given to AFP by the Central Bank.

Cypriot investment in Russia was over 600 million euros ($760 million). And there is more Russian money on the horizon. A report in Cyprus newspaper Alithia said the country was in talks to obtain a loan worth 1 billion euros from Russian banks for offshore oil and gas exploration, months ahead of an energy conference designed to draw investors to explore off the island’s

Carphone says could buy out European JV partner Group pretax profit up 30 percent LONDON: British mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse would consider buying out Best Buy from the two firms’ European joint venture if a bid for the US group succeeds, it said yesterday. Carphone, Europe’s biggest independent mobile phone retailer, would be entitled to buy Best Buy’s 50 percent stake in CPW Europe if Best Buy founder Richard Schulze succeeds with a bid for the US firm expected in December.

“Our shareholders would expect us to explore that, so we would,” chief executive Roger Taylor said. Under the joint venture deal a change in ownership at Best Buy would allow Carphone to buy the US firm’s 50 percent stake of CPW Europe - the British group’s core business - at a 10 percent discount to a “fair value” that would have to be agreed. “I am pretty confident we could finance most sensible values in terms of where we are at the moment,” Taylor added.

A bid by Schulze for the world’s largest consumer electronics chain could come in under his initially proposed $8 billion range, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters this month. Carphone Warehouse yesterday posted a 1.6 percent rise in first-half underly-

ing sales at the European business, ahead of a company-compiled consensus forecast for a 2 percent decline, as smartphone demand and UK postpay promotions boosted trade.

Shares in the firm, up nearly 30 percent over the last six months, rose 4.6 percent to 183.5 pence by 1010 GMT, valuing the business at around 872 million pounds ($1.4 billion). Carphone’s low-priced “Smart Deals” attracted more UK shoppers onto postpay deals, while a rise in higher-end smartphone deals also helped underlying sales grow 5 percent in its second quarter, following a 2 percent first-quarter decline. “We have substantially increased our market share of UK postpay volumes and, while the prepay market remains weak, we hope for an improvement in the second half as the product pipeline continues to broaden,” the firm said. Group pretax profit grew 30 percent to 8.6 million pounds, ahead of a company compiled consensus forecast of 4.9 million. First-half revenue rose 9.2 percent at Virgin Mobile France, where the firm said tough market conditions would see it close 80 stores as part of a restructuring that will deliver annualised pretax savings of 20-25 million pounds. —Reuters

WASHINGTON: Both sides in the US ‘fiscal cliff’ debate stood their ground on Tuesday as they gathered in Washington for the first time since the elections, with a fundamental tax dispute preventing a broader compromise on deficit reduction. The White House made clear it was ready to negotiate with Republicans on taxes and spending, but a spokesman for Democratic President Barack Obama said he will not budge on insisting that tax rates for the wealthy must rise in 2013.

Obama wants to extend the individual income tax rates for 98 percent of Americans, but he will not agree to extend them for the top 2 percent of earners, White House spokesman Jay Carney told a briefing. He said the president would demand that a deficit-cutting agreement include $1.6 trillion in new tax revenues. Obama is scheduled to hold a news conference on Wednesday, during which he will be questioned about negotiations. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said his party was open to discussing new government revenues, but not raising tax rates. “We’re ... not about to further weaken the economy by raising tax rates and hurting jobs,” he said.

The defiant remarks came as Congress returned from a post-election break with seven weeks left to deal with the “fiscal cliff,” a convergence of urgent tax and spending issues that, if mishandled, could plunge the economy into another recession according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. Obama foreshadowed the difficult talks during a call on Tuesday evening to thank thousands of campaign volunteers, whom he encouraged to stay involved.

“We’re going to have some triumphs and some successes, but there are going to be some tough days, starting with some of these negotiations around the fiscal cliff,” he said. “We’re going to need you guys to stay active.”

While the big fight is over tax rates, the dispute has held up other consequential tax measures on which there is less disagreement. Among them is a fix to the alternative minimum tax, which is designed to protect Americans who are not wealthy from being taxed as if they were. In a new letter to lawmakers on Tuesday, the US tax commissioner reiterated that more than 60 million taxpayers - half of all individual filers - could be adversely affected by Congress’ failure to resolve these lower-profile issues. The letter said millions would not even be able to file their returns or receive a refund until late March, while the IRS belatedly adjusts its systems.

Generally weak since the elections, US stock markets were flat on Tuesday, with nervous investors eyeing Washington amid skepticism about lawmakers’ ability to make fiscal decisions.

About half of Americans doubt that Obama and congressional Republicans will be able to reach an agreement to resolve the “fiscal cliff,” accord-

NEW YORK: James Dresch of MND Partners Inc works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York. Wall Street also appeared headed for gains yesterdayas renewed efforts got under way in Washington to resolve the impending ‘fiscal cliff.’ — AP ing to a poll released by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. A regular survey of small business sentiment showed hopes of a pick-up in sales, but widespread uncertainty among owners about business conditions in the next six months. The National Federation of Independent Business said its optimism index rose 0.3 point to 93.1 in October.

‘PHOTO-OP WEEK’ “We’re three weeks away from serious negotiations on the ‘fiscal cliff’,” said Greg Valliere, chief political strategist at Potomac Research Group in Washington. “This is a photo-op week, next week is Thanksgiving, then lawmakers will straggle back to Washington to examine what staffers have come up with. The dominant theme in these three weeks will be trial balloons,” he said.

At the end of 2012, low, “temporary” tax rates enacted a decade ago under former President George W Bush are set to expire. If Congress does nothing, individual income tax rates will rise sharply. That is a key facet of the “fiscal cliff.”

Another element is deep, across-the-board cuts in federal programs that will take effect in January if Congress takes no action. Lawmakers fear the cuts, known as the “sequester,” could devastate the economy and many are working to prevent them. Obama - fresh from a re-election triumph over Republican challenger Mitt

Romney - hosted liberal and labor groups at the White House. Attendees said Obama made his stance clear on tax cuts, but did not ring-fence government social programs dear to Democrats, such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

“There was absolute consensus in the room that ... tax cuts for the top 2 percent” must not be extended, said Dennis van Roekel, head of the National Education Association teachers’ union.

In a glimpse of one possible compromise, a key Senate Democrat suggested flexibility in raising taxes on the wealthy. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus agreed that while the rates paid by the richest Americans must be increased rise to reach a deal, they might not have to go up as much as Obama is insisting, to 39.6 percent.

At an investor conference in New York, Bank of America Corp Chief Executive Brian Moynihan said fiscal brinkmanship in Washington is already affecting the US economy as worried businesses invest less in equipment. Corporate chiefs were slated to visit the White House on Wednesday to talk with Obama. The US Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s largest business lobbying group, backed mostly Republicans in the elections and has not been invited. Chamber President Thomas Donohue brushed off the exclusion. “The president has a lot of meetings,” he said at a roundtable with reporters. — Reuters

US retail sales drop 0.3% WASHINGTON: Americans cut back on spending at retail businesses in October, an indication that some remain cautious about the economic outlook. Superstorm Sandy also depressed car sales and slowed business in the Northeast at the end of the month. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that sales dropped 0.3 percent after three months of gains. Auto sales fell 1.5 percent, the most in more than a year. Excluding the volatile categories of autos, gas and building materials, sales fell 0.1 percent. That followed a 0.9 percent gain in September for that category.

Online and catalog purchases fell 1.8 percent, the most in a year. Electronics and clothing stores also posted lower sales.

The government said Sandy “had both positive and negative effects” on sales. Some stores and restaurants closed and lost business. Others reported sales increases ahead of the storm as people bought supplies. Most economists said they thought the storm overall held back sales. Still, they noted that consumers showed signs of cutting back on spending before the weather disrupted business. “Looking past (Sandy’s) impact, US consumers appeared to dial it back a notch,” said Robert Kavcic, an economist at BMO Capital Markets. “There was relatively broad-based weakness in this report.”

Paul Dales, senior US economist at Capital

Economics, said November will be a crucial test of the consumer. He noted that many could be starting to worry about tax cuts that will expire at the end of the year if Congress and the White House fail to reach a budget deal before then.

“A bounce-back would point to a temporary Sandy-induced softening, while another soft month would suggest that the threat of a sharp fall in after-tax incomes in the new year is worrying households,” Dales said. In September, retail sales jumped 1.3 percent.

Spending rose in nearly all categories. The buying spree helped lift economic growth in the July-September quarter and reflected growing consumer confidence. Consumer spending drives nearly 70 percent of economic activity.

The October decline in retail sales may be temporary, economists said. Kavic noted that auto sales may pick up in November as Americans replace cars damaged by the hurricane. Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast on Oct. 29 and disrupted businesses from North Carolina to Maine. The storm also lowered auto sales last month by about 30,000, according to TrueCar.com. Overall, car sales dipped to an annual pace of 14.3 million in October, down from a 14.9 million pace in September.

The storm cut retail spending in the

Northeast by about 20 percent last week, according to MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse, a retail data service. That figure excludes auto sales. The Northeast accounts for about 24 percent of retail sales nationwide, the MasterCard Advisors’ report said. It typically generates $18.7 billion in sales for the week ended Saturday. But sales that week fell to about $15 billion. The storm also cut power to roughly 8 million homes and businesses. Some are still without power.

That may have had an impact on online sales.

Retail sales are likely to rebound this month, analysts said, because Americans are spending more on repairs and making up for lost shopping trips.

The Commerce Department’s retail sales report is closely watched because it is the government’s first look at consumer spending each month. Hiring has picked up in recent months, which has boosted consumer confidence. Employers added 171,000 jobs in October and job gains in August and September were higher than first estimated.

The unemployment rose to 7.9 percent from 7.8 percent as more of those out of work began searching for jobs. A survey by the University of Michigan last week found that consumer sentiment improved for the fourth straight month to its highest level in five years.— AP

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

BUSINESS

Stocks lack impetus as US fiscal cliff clouds outlook European indexes seen down 0.3-0.4% SINGAPORE: Asian stocks edged up yesterday but global equities lacked the impetus for a decisive rebound, with European shares set to fall as investors continue to fret over the United States’ looming “fiscal cliff” and the eurozone’s intractable crisis. The euro steadied, having spent much of November in retreat, while worries about the US economy, together with the prospect of weaker demand from a slowing China, weighed on industrial commodities such as oil and copper.

Since the re-election of US President Barack Obama, markets have been focusing attention on how a divided Washington will tackle the series of mandated tax hikes and spending cuts that start to take effect next year and could pitch the world’s largest economy back into recession. “The United States cannot afford not to resolve it, so there might be an 11th hour agreement,” said Ben Le Brun, a market analyst at OptionsXpress. “Till then, there will be a lot of uncertainty and that will weigh on markets.”

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.4 percent after falling to a seven-week low in the previous session, and Tokyo’s Nikkei closed a few points higher after seven straight days in the red. Major European markets were seen losing ground after closing

flat or slightly higher on Tuesday. Financial spreadbetters called London’s FTSE 100, Frankfurt’s DAX and Paris’s CAC-40 to open down 0.3-0.4 percent.

US stock index futures gained 0.4 percent after a decline in Wall Street shares in Tuesday’s session, led by a slide of more than 3 percent for Microsoft following the surprise departure of a key executive. After the US closing bell, Cisco Systems shares rose 6.8 percent to $18 after it reported quarterly revenue and earnings that beat analysts’ estimates.

GREEK BAILOUT DEAL Weak German business confidence data on Tuesday offered more evidence that the pain from the euro-zone debt crisis is spreading even to the bloc’s strongest economies, knocking the euro down to its lowest level in more than two months. The euro rose 0.1 percent to around $1.2717 yesterday and climbed around 0.3 percent against the yen. The single currency has fallen nearly 2 percent against the dollar and more than 1.5 percent against the yen in November as concerns about Greece and Spain have pushed investors towards the safe-haven US and Japanese currencies.

Greece’s international lenders on Monday gave the

country more time to fix its budget, though they did not disburse the aid Greece had hoped to use to refinance 5 billion euros of its debt by Friday. The International Monetary Fund and euro-zone policymakers remain at odds over a long-term target to bring Greece’s debt down and the IMF’s push for the euro-zone to take further losses on Greek debt. “For the moment, the market’s focus is on whether they can decide on a deal for Greece next week,” said Teppei Ino, currency analyst at the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ. Both sides in the US “fiscal cliff” debate stood their ground on Tuesday as they gathered in Washington for the first time since the election, with a fundamental tax dispute preventing a broader compromise on deficit reduction. Uncertainty since the election about the outcome of the negotiations has stoked demand for the safety of US Treasuries, with the benchmark 10-year yield trading around 1.60 percent yesterday, close to a two-month low. “I expect they will reach a stop-gap measure at the very last minute, as they did at the time of negotiation on the debt ceiling,” said a fund manager at a US asset management firm. “At the moment, the market is becoming risk-off but I think the concerns will fade and the Treasury yield could test a high of 1.80 percent.” —Reuters

HONG KONG: A picture of China’s Mao Zedong hangs inside a money exchange in Hong Kong yesterday. The heirs of Mao Zedong have convened this week to anoint China’s next leaders, as the Communist Party maintains an iron grip on the economic powerhouse despite mounting calls for change in the Internet era. — AFP

Oil bounces as dollar weakens LONDON: Oil gained yesterday after two days in retreat, supported by a retreat in the dollar. Brent crude gained 54 cents to $108.80 a barrel by 0957 GMT, after ending 81 cents lower on Tuesday. US oil gained 34 cents to $85.72. The dollar fell against the euro and yen, making oil, priced in the US currency, more affordable to holders of other currencies.

The euro was supported on signs Greece would secure funding from international lenders for the rest of 2012, while Italy’s borrowing costs fell to a two year low. “The dollar’s down, a lot of the bad data is priced in, and there is still supply disruption in the North Sea,” said Christopher Bellew, analyst at Jefferies Bache. Geopolitical tensions also supported prices, with fears that the Syrian conflict could spread to its neighbors. Turkish fighter jets could be heard near the Syrian border yesterday on the third day of a Syrian air assault on the rebel-held frontier town of Ras Al-Ain, Reuters reporters said.

Oil fell on Tuesday after the International Energy Agency cut estimates for global oil demand for the fourth quarter by around 300,000 bpd from last month’s report in the wake of Hurricane Sandy and as Iran’s production increased. Global demand is now forecast to grow by 670,000 bpd this year and by 830,000 in 2013 to 90.4 million bpd 100,000 bpd lower than last month.

Iranian oil output rose by around 70,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 2.7 million bpd in October, and exports recovered as China and South Korea bought more oil from the Islamic Republic, the IEA said. Oil and broader financial markets have remained under pressure due to a US fiscal policy standoff and uncertainty over the euro zone’s debt problems.

US lawmakers gathered in Washington on Tuesday to start talks on a deal to tackle the country’s finances while Greece’s international lenders gave the country more time to fix its budget, though they did not disburse the aid it had hoped to refinance its debt. Investors were awaiting inventory data to give further insight on the demand/supply balance. Crude oil inventories rose last week as big East Coast refineries were yet to resume normal operations after disruptions caused

by Hurricane Sandy, a Reuters poll of analysts showed. Crude inventories were seen up 1.9 million barrels in the weekly data from the federal Energy Information Administration, delayed by a day due to the Veterans Day holiday. — Reuters

Britain’s rebate safe in EU budget compromise plan BRUSSELS: The European Union would maintain Britain’s rebate and make further cuts in overall spending in its next seven-year EU budget, according to the latest draft compromise seen by Reuters yesterday. The proposals, made by European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, could help appease Britain and other austerity-minded governments keen to limit their contributions, as the bloc tries to reach a deal ahead of a summit on Nov 22-23.

But further cuts - proposed by Britain, Sweden and others - to farm subsidies and development funds for poorer countries are likely to face opposition from France and former communist Eastern European states. “The existing correction mechanism for the United Kingdom will continue to apply,” said a draft proposal sent to capitals late on Tuesday. Linked rebates for Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden would also remain, but Austria would lose its refund.

The draft outlines further cuts of about 27 billion euros from a proposal drafted by the Cypriot EU presidency at the end of last month.

The Cypriot plan already reduced the roughly 1 trillion euro ($1.3 trillion) budget proposed for 2014-2020 by more than 50 billion euros, meaning the overall reduction from the European Commission’s original plan now lies at about 80 billion euros. That is unlikely to be deep enough to satisfy countries like Britain, Sweden, and the Netherlands, who are pushing for cuts of between 100-200 billion euros to the Commission blueprint.

The deepest cuts in the latest proposal fall on EU cohesion funds used for building motorways, bridges and other infrastructure projects in less developed regions, which have been reduced by about 17 billion euros. Farm spending, which had been left largely untouched in the Cypriot compromise, is reduced by nearly 15 billion euros in the Van Rompuy proposal, including a cut of 8 billion euros in direct subsidies. France has long threatened to oppose any plan that reduces payments to farmers, which currently account for about 40 percent of all EU spending.

But Britain, Sweden and others would like the EU to reduce spending on farm subsidies to free up funds for research, energy projects and other measures to boost economic growth. “The revised proposal means some small steps in the right direction but it’s not enough,” Sweden’s EU Minister Birgitta Ohlsson said in a statement on the proposals. “We need a clear model for reducing agriculture subsidies.” The proposal from Van Rompuy also suggests that two-thirds of receipts from a new financial transaction tax planned by about a dozen EU countries should be paid directly to the bloc’s budget, in return for an equivalent cut in those countries’ national contributions. But the idea is unlikely to win the support of the countries involved. — Reuters

BoE boss faces grilling on inflation, stimulus LONDON: Bank of England Governor Mervyn King will face tough questions on surging inflation, the bank’s stimulus policy and even its independence when he presents its latest economic forecasts yesterday. Economists surveyed by Reuters expect the BoE to leave its medium-term forecast largely unchanged, showing annual growth of 2.0 percent and inflation at 1.8 percent at the end of 2014 below its 2 percent target - giving it leeway for more action. King will probably reiterate during the media conference starting at 1030 GMT that the central bank stands ready to restart its bond buying stimulus program, which it stopped last week, should the recovery falter again.

However, an unexpected jump in inflation to a five-month high of 2.7 percent in October may force the central bank to raise its near-term inflation prediction again, making any fresh stimulus for the economy a harder sell. “It raises the hurdle for more asset purchases in the near term. Inflation ... is probably heading up to 3 percent in the new year,” said Rob Wood, an economist at Berenberg who previously worked as a forecaster at the BoE. BoE observers are also keen to hear King’s view on the success of the Funding for Lending scheme, which provides cheap funding to banks if they keep lending to businesses, as well as whether there is scope for other measures.

Other BoE policymakers have said gilt purchases may be losing their effectiveness, and top regulator Adair Turner - who has applied to succeed King at the helm of the BoE next year - has recently fuelled the debate, suggesting more cooperation across policy areas might be needed to ward off deflation.

King may also face a grilling over the bank’s independence after agreeing last week to hand back 35 billion pounds in interest paid to the BoE by the government over the last three years on its 375 billion pound holdings of government bonds. It bought the bonds as part of its quantitative easing policy of injecting cash into the economy.

Economists have warned that the move further blurs the line between fiscal and monetary policy, putting the bank’s cherished independence at risk, and also carries future risks. The government’s budget watchdog warned the step would entail longer-term costs once interest rates start to rise.

King has always stressed that the BoE could only venture into more unconventional policies as an agent for the government because such policies ultimately put taxpayers’ money at risk. As his 10 years as governor are drawing to a close, he may also be pressed on longer-term issues, in particular after three reviews into the BoE’s operations and forecasting record showed flaws in its governance and structure. — Reuters

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

BUSINESS

Iraq investment concerns remain as trade fair ends BAGHDAD: Nuri Al-Maliki may have trumpeted Iraq last week as the top destination for investment in the region, but experts warn that myriad problems keep it from being a good choice for all but the most adventurous. Excessive red tape, rampant corruption, an unreliable judicial system and stillinadequate security, as well as a poorly trained workforce and a state-dominated economy all continue to plague Iraq, which completed its biggest trade fair in 20 years last week to much domestic acclaim.

The various difficulties of doing business in Iraq cast doubt on efforts to raise $1 trillion (788 billion euros) in investment income over the coming decade that officials say is needed to rebuild its battered economy. “If you want to attract capital, if you want to attract firms, you’ve got to make it positive,” complained one Western diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “You’ve got to provide the incentives to invest here, and there are already so many disincentives.”

A recent World Bank report listed a litany of problems: a tiny private sector, limited access to loans, an exodus of educated Iraqis, decades of isolation from global trade, destroyed infrastructure, unsteady power and water supplies and a poor transport network. “In addition to securing and stabilizing the country, these key challenges must be addressed in order for Iraq to truly fulfill its economic potential,” it noted.

A survey of firms conducted by the bank, which ranks Iraq as the 165th worst country in the world to do business, listed the three biggest obstacles as poor electricity supply, political instability and corruption. Overall, Iraqi firms lose around 22 percent of their sales to what the World Bank classes as “investment climate weakness,” a greater figure than losses suffered by companies in Yemen, Lebanon, Libya, Egypt, Jordan or Morocco. Iraqi officials say they are in the early stages of reforming the economy into more of a market-driven system, but counsel patience with a country that only recently

emerged from a decade of conflict and isolation.

“People are impatient; they want you to almost create miracles... and I fully sympathize with them,” said Sami al-Araji, head of Iraq’s National Investment Commission. Araji insisted that reforms to Iraq’s bloated state-owned enterprises, antiquated banking sector and Byzantine legal system were all in the works, but acknowledged that the country’s bureaucracy was averse to wide-scale changes. He said he hoped mooted reforms would remove “all these different chains that have handcuffed” Iraq. It is widely agreed that the country has vast potential rewards for firms that manage to negotiate the various difficulties.

A swathe of industries are seen to represent good prospects, including electricity, transportation, construction, housing, agriculture, healthcare and defense, as well as energy. “You’re talking about 30 million people, with an infrastructure that needs to be almost re-done,” Araji said. “Not very many countries have that potential.” But while the

government’s increasing spending power as a result of rising oil revenues ostensibly offers an opportunity for profits, many worry that such a factor is a double-edged sword. Those same revenues, coupled with upcoming elections and an alleged lack of appreciation of investors’ concerns, have sparked concerns that Iraqi leaders do not have the stomach for the reforms required.

A recent effort to revamp its biggest social welfare program, a government system of distributing food to the poor that the United Nations and International Monetary Fund have said is inefficient and vulnerable to corruption, provides an indication. After announcing they were abandoning the scheme in favor of direct cash transfers, ministers quickly pulled back following public outcry. “As long as oil continues to flow and the money keeps coming into the budget, there is no incentive whatsoever for anything to happen,” said one diplomat. “Everything they need to do requires political will. That’s a problem.”— AFP

Gold inches up Platinum hits 3-week high

NEW DELHI: Artists from Belarus look at photographs on their cameras at the India International Trade Fair in New Delhi yesterday. The trade fair, an annual popular event, opened to the public yesterday. — AP

Indian inflation eases NEW DELHI: Indian inflation eased marginally in October to 7.45 percent year-on-year, data showed on Wednesday, raising hopes of a possible interest rate cut by the country’s central bank. The bank will meet on December 18 to consider its rate policy as it faces calls from businesses and the government to announce another reduction to spur economic growth that has slowed dramatically. The latest reading in the Wholesale Price Index-India’s most widely watched inflation measure-was a little shy of market forecasts of 7.90 percent, according to a Dow Jones Newswires survey.

The figures suggest inflation is slowing slightly, after registering a 10-month high of 7.81 percent in September on the back of a record hike in diesel prices. Inflation came in at 7.55 percent in August. India’s economic growth has slowed sharply to around 5.5 percent on an annual basis. On Monday, data showed industrial production had contracted 0.4 percent in September and the trade deficit had hit a record high, the latest signs of economic distress in Asia’s third-biggest economy. Economic growth figures for the July-September quarter, which are expected to be extremely weak, are due on November 30.

The diesel fuel price hike in September was part of a slew of market-opening measures introduced by the government in an effort to revive the once-booming economy after years of policy paralysis. Developing countries such as China, South Korea and Brazil have all cut interest rates in a bid to protect their economies from the effects of the eurozone debt crunch. But India’s central bank remains concerned by inflation, which has remained stubbornly above its “comfort” level of five percent for the past three years.

The bank last cut rates in April after raising them 13 times.

Meanwhile, India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is

set to sign deals for infrastructure projects worth $15 billion on a visit to Japan this week, a report said yesterday.

The trip, which starts today, will see the Indian premier hold talks with his Japanese counterpart Yoshihiko Noda and lunch with Japanese business leaders, said officials at the foreign ministry and industry lobby Keidanren (Japan Business Federation). A total of 19 infrastructure projects worth 1.2 trillion yen will benefit from the deals, which will involve Japanese manufacturers and trading houses, the Nikkei business daily reported.

The agreements will be signed at summit talks between Singh and Noda on Friday, the paper said. Japan has been trying to expand diplomatic and economic ties with India in recent years against a backdrop of India’s burgeoning economy and growing unease over China’s rising clout. A bitter territorial row over islands in the East China Sea is the latest episode to add weight to calls for Japan to form stronger partnerships with India as a counterbalance to Beijing’s might.

Last month, Japan and India held talks between foreign and defense vice ministers “on wide-ranging issues such as Japan-India bilateral relations as well as global and regional issues”, foreign ministry officials have said. Tokyo and New Delhi last week launched the Japan-India Cyber Dialogue framework to discuss counter-terrorism, with senior officials of both countries exchanging “views on such areas as national security issues, cybercrime, information security and system protection,” they said. The infrastructure projects to be announced Friday will include seawater desalination, effluent processing and power generation in western India, where major Japanese companies such as Hitachi and Mitsubishi Corp will participate, the Nikkei said. — Agencies

SINGAPORE: Gold edged up yesterday as the euro steadied against the US dollar, while platinum extended gains to its highest in three weeks on expectations that demand could exceed supply this year due to falling output in South Africa. Concerns about a potential US fiscal crisis could lift gold’s safe-haven appeal, but worries about the impact on global demand from delays in aid for debt-burdened Greece will keep prices in check. Gold had risen $3.25 to $1,728.14 an ounce by 0658 GMT but was still below a 3-week peak around $1,738 struck on Friday.

Bullion hit a record of about $1,920 in 2011, when investors turned to the metal as a safe haven as Europe’s debt crisis gathered steam.

“The next important factor for the market is going to be Obama’s address. The market wants a sense of how the US is going to proceed in terms of the fiscal cliff,” said Nick Trevethan, senior metals strategist at ANZ in Singapore.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to hold a news conference yesterday when he will be questioned about negotiations on the “fiscal cliff” - a convergence of urgent tax and spending issues that could plunge the economy into another recession, if mishandled. US gold futures for December added $3.80 an ounce to $1,728.60.

PLATINUM DEFICIT EXPECTED Platinum climbed to $1,597.50, its strongest since Oct 23, and was at $1,590.30 an ounce by 0658 GMT. Sister metal palladium marked its strongest since Oct 18 at $647.22. Supply

outages in South Africa are set to push the platinum market into deficit this year as shipments from the world’s main producer of the metal fall by the equivalent of more than a month’s demand, refiner Johnson Matthey said on Tuesday.

“That assessment is in line with our own modeling in which we expect a deficit of around 1.95 million ounces this year, most of which will need to be met by increased scrap supply given the winding down of Russian stockpile sales,” said ANZ’s Trevethan. The bulk of the world’s platinum is used by automakers in autocatalyst systems that scrub exhaust fumes of dangerous and environmentally damaging chemicals. In other markets, shares inched up and the euro steadied yesterday, but investors were still worried about the United States’ looming “fiscal cliff” and the euro-zone’s intractable crisis.

A weaker dollar makes commodities priced in the greenback more appealing to holders of other currencies.

The physical market lacked activity, with premiums unchanged in Tokyo at 25 cents below the spot price in London to on par. “There’s limited selling by the general public, while on the other hand, sale volumes are also small,” said a dealer in Tokyo, adding that investors could be waiting for gold prices to slip back to $1,700 before returning to the market. Participants in an annual gathering of the London Bullion Metal Association on Tuesday expected gold to reach $1,843 an ounce by the time of the next conference in September 2013, and forecast silver to reach $38.40. — Reuters

Abu Dhabi’s TAQA to cut North America spending ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi National Energy Co (TAQA) will cut spending in North America by 30 percent in 2013 to weather a downturn in commodity prices, its chief executive said after reporting a thirdquarter loss. TAQA, which is 75-percent owned by the Abu Dhabi government, will cut 2013 capital expenditure in Canada and the United States to $500 million from the planned $750 million, Carl Sheldon said in a conference call yesterday.

While oil prices continued to soften, natural gas prices were 40 percent lower in third quarter compared with the same period last year, the company said. Though its North American spend will be cut, overall capital expenditure will remain unchanged at about $2.2 billion to $2.3 billion, Sheldon added. The company swung to a third-quarter net loss of 288 million dirhams ($78.4 million), against a profit of 537 million dirhams a year ago, largely because of 2.73 billion dirhams in construction costs related to the Jorf Lasfar power plant in Morocco and a 272 million dirham charge to account for tax increases in the UK. “Our financial performance over the past quarter has been impacted by a series of one-off items - both cash

and non-cash,” Chief Financial Officer Stephen Kersley said in a statement. Revenue rose 43 percent to 8.83 billion dirhams during the quarter, from 6.2 billion dirhams a year ago. Oil and gas revenue fell to 2.56 billion dirhams from 2.74 billion dirhams, while fuel revenue dropped to 952 million dirhams from 1.15 billion dirhams.

TAQA said that it will either sell non-core acreage or increase production in core areas in North America to counter the downturn in oil and gas prices. The company, which also runs power plants in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Ghana and India, added that it plans to start oil and gas operations in northern Africa. On Monday TAQA mandated five banks for a dollar-denominated bond that could be issued before the end of the year. TAQA last tapped global debt markets in December last year with a $1.5 billion two-tranche bond to refinance debt. Separately, sources told Reuters on Monday that TAQA is in advanced talks to buy a stake in an oil block in Iraqi Kurdistan by taking a majority interest in General Exploration Partners. TAQA shares were trading flat on the Abu Dhabi bourse at 0900 GMT but are up about 9 percent this year. —Reuters

Jazeera Airways reports operational performance

X-cite launches ‘Call of Duty - Black Ops 2’ KUWAIT: X-cite by Alghanim Electronics in collaboration with RED Entertainment & Activision, held an action packed launch event for the exclusive release of the much awaited PS3 game ‘Call of Duty - Black Ops 2’. Activision, the largest software publisher in the interactive entertainment software industry released the highly anticipated Call of Duty Black Ops II which is known to be the biggest game of the year by the gaming community.

Reaching out to all gaming enthusiasts in Kuwait, X-cite invited its customers for the exclusive launch of the game that took place at the Avenues on November 12th 2012, from 9.30 pm - 12 midnight. The new Black Ops is the first Call of Duty game with ‘branching’ storylines - ie where the player can change how the game ends. X-cite created the ambience of the game with a unique instore set up that included barri-

cades, barrels, sand bags, as well as a jeep wrangler which gave the actual feel of the game.

During the event, X-cite held random competitions such as paint ball competition depicting actual characters from the game, which gave customers an exhilarating gaming experience.

Adding to the excitement a flashmob was done

by Q8cosplayers who were present at the event showcasing a variety of different costumes. A costume competition was held as well where the best costume went to a character from the popular Japanese animation Naruto. Customers could also play the actual Call of Duty game and the first iteration of the PC Call of Duty game in the game zone to bring back memories from the first of its series. Promoters dressed up in army suits interacted and engaged with the crowd and helped to promote the game.

Due to the games widespread popularity it

even broke the record for the highest preorders. X-cite had launched a preorder campaign a month before the release where a customer was eligible to win a Jeep Wrangler, Turtlebeach headsets and loads of other exclusive prizes on ordering their game. Customers flocked in numbers to participate at the launch event and were very enthusiastic throughout all the competitions.

A prize ceremony was held towards the end where the X-cite team handed out various prizes to the winners and giveaways to the participants. X-cite received an overwhelming response from hundreds of gaming enthusiasts and were thankful for their tremendous support to make launch of Call of Duty - Black Ops 2 a great success. The game is now available in stores as well as can be ordered online through X-cite’s web portal www.xcite.com

KUWAIT: Award-winning Jazeera Airways yesterday issued its September 2012 Operational Performance Report which showed that the airline has grabbed increasing market shares to popular destinations of Beirut, Cairo, Istanbul and Sharm El Sheikh. The report, which presents market share figures based on official statistics from Kuwait’s Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA), also showed that the airline continued to have market share lead on key routes, and a continued lead in on-time performance (OTP) against all other airlines in the Middle East as ranked by the independent US-based OTP tracker FlightStats.

The airline’s OTP for the month was 96%, making Jazeera Airways the most punctual airline in the Middle East for the 21st month in-arow according to FlightStats. The report also showed that Jazeera Airways grabbed a 38% market share on the Kuwait-Beirut route, up 6% from September 2011, and 4% from August 2012. Jazeera Airways was once again the leading Kuwaiti airline on the route. The airline grabbed a 29% market share on the Kuwait-Cairo route, a 3% increase in market share from September 2011, and a 2% increase from the previous month.

The airline also saw a 18% increase in number of passengers on the route, compared to September 2011. As the summer season came to an end, Jazeera Airways saw a 66% increase in number of passengers on the KuwaitIstanbul route compared to September 2011, and a 96% increase on the Kuwait-Sharm El Sheikh route. The airline was the leading airline between Kuwait and Sharm El Sheikh with a 67% market share.

Other report highlights include that the airline was the leading Kuwaiti airline to the highdemand summer destinations of Amman, Dubai and Bahrain in addition to capturing leading market share figures on another four of the six Egyptian destinations it serves.

Jazeera Airways had a 32% market share on the Kuwait-Alexandria route, a 52% market share on the Kuwait-Assiut route, a 46% market share on the Kuwait-Sohag route, and a 79% market share on the Kuwait-Luxor route.

The report also showed that Jazeera Airways was the leading Kuwaiti airline between Kuwait and Amman with a 39% market share, Kuwait and Bahrain with an 9% market share, and Kuwait and Dubai with a 14% market share.

26

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

business

Panasonic prepares for ‘garage sale’, to axe 10,000 jobs KADOMA: About a fifth of Panasonic Corp’s 88 business units are losing money and only half so far meet a target for at least 5 percent operating margin, the Japanese electronics group’s finance chief said in an interview yesterday.

Hideaki Kawai said the country’s biggest commercial employer will axe another 10,000 jobs by end-March as it pares its costs and looks to return to profit. Panasonic shed 36,000 jobs last business year, some through the sale of businesses.

“Our new boss has said businesses must achieve at least a 5 percent operating profit target within three years,” Kawai said, referring to Kazuhiro Tsuga, who took over as company president in June. “But we won’t wait that long to tackle units that need to be dealt with.” Sell-offs and business closures will start as early as next year, he told Reuters at Panasonic’s headquarters in Kadoma, near Osaka in

western Japan. Kawai said Panasonic aims to earn group operating profit of at least 200 billion yen ($2.52 billion) in the year to end-March 2014 - in line with forecasts by analysts polled by Thomson Reuters StarMine.

Panasonic warned last month it will lose close to $10 billion in the year to March as it writes off billions of yen in tax-deferred assets and goodwill related to its mobile phone, solar panel and small lithium battery businesses. It also put aside money to cover the lay-offs and other restructuring measures. Panasonic plans to offload assets worth 110 billion yen before the end of March, mainly land and buildings in Japan, Kawai said. More assets sales will follow from next business year if needed to bolster cash flow.

Panasonic’s ‘garage sale’ comes ahead of a turnaround plan that Tsuga has promised to unveil by end-March, which will be the start-line to offload

underperforming businesses. As financial chief overseeing hundreds of accountants spread across a sprawling conglomerate, Kawai plays a key role in helping Tsuga identify which businesses to close, sell or merge. Selling businesses and offloading other assets should boost Panasonic’s cashflow and help pay for the latest restructuring at a company that began in 1918 making electrical socket extensions and bicycle lamps, and now employs 300,000 workers. Panasonic shares, already trading near multidecade lows, slumped by almost a fifth on Nov 1 on the loss forecast, and Standard & Poor’s has cut its credit rating to close to junk.

The stock closed up 0.8 percent on Wednesday, ending a four-session losing streak. Ahead of its earnings revision, Panasonic won $7.6 billion in loan commitments in October from banks including Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Mitsubishi UFJ

Financial Group, a funding backstop it says will help it avoid having to seek capital from credit markets.

“Panasonic’s debt holders are concerned and it is critical for us to improve our finances,” Kawai said.

Panasonic this year aims to cut net debt to 770 billion yen from 1.08 trillion yen and will look for another 200 billion yen improvement next business year.

Japan’s big banks have also provided TV rival Sharp Corp with $4.6 billion in emergency loans, though the maker of Aquos TVs warned this month it may not survive alone as it expects a $5.6 billion net loss this business year.

Japan’s other ailing consumer electronics brand Sony Corp , inventor of the personal music player, lowered its target for its handheld PSP and Vita games consoles, TVs and digital cameras, but did maintain its annual forecast, helped by the sale of a chemicals business. — Reuters

Mexican Congress OKs biggest labor shake-up Government says bill will create 400,000 jobs a year

flydubai to the Maldives KUWAIT: flydubai, Dubai’s innovative lowcost airline, has announced flights to Male, the capital of the Republic of Maldives (the Maldives). Commencing on 19 January 2013, flights will operate five times a week between Dubai’s Terminal 2 and the Maldives’ Ibrahim Nasir International Airport on the island of Male. Bringing flydubai’s presence in the Indian Subcontinent to nine points across six countries, the new route will allow travelers from across the region to enjoy affordable fares to one of the world’s most renowned leisure destinations. “We are very excited about adding Male to our destination network,” said flydubai’s CEO, Ghaith Al Ghaith.

“As the first low-cost carrier from the UAE to fly to the Maldives, we are making this island paradise even more accessible to travelers across our network. flydubai offers a low-cost model with innovation and excellent service. This proposition has proved very popular with our passengers and will undoubtedly be a draw for those looking to experience one of the world’s top holiday spots at an affordable price.”

Voted the number one island destination in the Indian Ocean by CondÈ Nast Traveler readers, the Maldives has advanced its tourism credentials by promoting its rich culture, vast array of luxury resort experiences, exotic culinary experiences and adventure sports ranging from paragliding to diving. The country has also remained committed to protecting its diverse ecology and champions environmentally-friendly activities. The result has been a consistent growth in visitor numbers over the years, with the Maldives welcoming almost a million tourists in 2011 - a

leap of 17.6 per cent over 20101.

The country has proved particularly popular amongst travelers from Russia, CIS and GCC, with figures revealing a 15.7% increase in tourist arrivals in the first quarter of this year compared to January to March 2011. The report also highlighted a 77.8%2 increase in passengers from the Middle East over the same period with the growth linked to the opening of a number of Middle East-based hotel chains, such as Jumeirah Group’s Vittaveli Maldives which opened in December 2011. flydubai flies to 16 points in the CIS and CEE, and more than 20 points in the Middle East.

“We anticipate a strong demand for flights from the GCC, in particular Kuwait, as well as markets such as Russia, CIS and Central & Eastern Europe. Thanks to our strong presence in both these regions, passengers will be able to fly to the Maldives via our Dubai hub,” said Ghaith Al Ghaith.

“This will be our first launch in 2013 and we look forward to welcoming passengers from across our network to this wonderful country.”

The Maldives is widely regarded as one of the world’s top holiday spots. It comprises of 1,190 coral islands, formed around 26 natural ring-like atolls and spread over 90,000 square kilometers. With a maximum natural ground level of only 2.4 meters, it is also the lowest country in the world, making it a water-lover’s paradise. The Maldives will be the latest addition to flydubai’s growing network of more than 50 destinations in 32 countries, spanning the GCC, Middle East, North Africa, Indian Subcontinent, Asia and Central & Eastern Europe.

Drake & Scull International signs off loan financing deal DUBAI: Drake & Scull International PJSC (DSI), a regional market leader in integrated design, engineering and construction disciplines of Civil Contracting, Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP), Water and Power, Oil and Gas and Rail has signed a $120 million USD equivalent loan financing split across an AED and USD tranche.

The Company raised a 5-year term loan with a syndicate of banks. Goldman Sachs International (“GSI”) acted as Coordinator for the transaction. Emirates NBD Bank PJSC, First Gulf Bank PJSC and HSBC Bank Middle East Limited joined GSI as CoBookrunners and Mandated Lead Arrangers and Mashreqbank PSC as a Lead Arranger. On this occasion Osama Hamdan,

CFO of Drake & Scull International PJSC, commented “The loan will help the company in pursuing its growth plans in North Africa, Asia and other growth markets and will provide the liquidity to capitalize on various PPP (Private Public Partnership) projects which usually require participation from contractors in terms of investment, especially in the infrastructure sector. This transaction will allow us to strategically grow the operations, coverage and team of DSI by supporting key new areas of business such as our Oil & Gas, Rail and Asian operations. We will also focus on existing areas that continue to grow in importance globally such as Infrastructure and Water and Power.”

Free safe deposit boxes for ABK cardholders KUWAIT: Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait’s World MasterCard and Prestige cardholders can now avail a free safe deposit box available at numerous ABK branches. Stewart Lockie, GM, Retail Banking at ABK, explained about this service “At ABK we strive to provide premium services to our customers, some related to banking and others related to lifestyle, in order to cater to a diverse segment. Our services like free safe deposit box for a year comes as an added value to the wide range of services and benefits already in the reach of World MasterCard and Prestige cardholders.” Lockie added “Free safe deposit boxes allow customers to keep their valuables in a secure place, especially while travelling. Since boxes are offered in various branches around Kuwait, it gives customers the much required flexibility.

Branches with safe deposit boxes are

MEXICO CITY: Mexico’s Senate has approved a wide-reaching but watered-down labor reform bill in the biggest shake-up of the country ’s job market in more than four decades. The bill’s approval came after a protracted tussle between outgoing President Felipe Calderon’s National Action Party (PAN) and pro-union hardliners within the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) of president-elect Enrique Pena Nieto. The PRI has traditionally relied on union support. “ We shouldn’t underestimate what we have,” said PAN senator Javier Lozano. “It is a very good labor reform economically speaking which will really stimulate competitiveness and productivity, and will modernize labor relations.”

Nonetheless, the bill, approved by 99 votes to 28, has been criticized by some left-wing politicians who accused the government of trampling on the rights of Mexico’s workers.

Protesters gathered outside the Senate and local television reports showed small scuffles breaking out. “What we’re doing here is annulling worker’s rights,” said Alejandra Barrales, a senator from the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). The bill, which the government said will create up to 400,000 jobs a year, contains a raft of measures, including changes that would make it easier for firms to hire and fire workers and shorten labor disputes. However, parts of the bill that sought to make unions more transparent were cut back.

Pena Nieto sent a tweet congratulating Congress on the passage of the bill, which he

said would “improve the productivity and competitiveness” of Mexico. Under the new measures, work contracts will be more flexible, enshrining trial periods and initial training contracts in labor laws. Regulations will also be tightened on outsourcing of personnel, while the minimum wage will rise from an hourly to a daily rate. The reform also strengthens the rights of working women, including outlawing gender-based discrimination and helping mothers plan their work schedules.

UNIONS LESS AFFECTED Unions will have to publish their regulatory statutes on the Ministry of Labor’s website, but many of the tougher measures - including rules to force them to show how they manage members’ fees - were dropped. Pena Nieto faces an uphill battle to create jobs once he takes office. Last week, Calderon said 2.1 million new jobs were created during his six-year term, but that figure is well short of his promise of 1 million a year. Between 2006 and 2011, the number of Mexicans old enough to work grew by some 6.5 million, according to data from the national statistics office. If the bill succeeds in creating new jobs, it will help stem the flow of workers heading into the informal economy, which some estimate employs more than 10 percent of the population and costs Mexico up to $15 billion in lost taxes each year.

“There is a possibility that more people will be hired, but not under the right labor condi-

tions,” said Javier Oliva, a political scientist at Mexico’s UNAM university. Labor reform, along with an effort to widen the tax base and allow more private investment in state oil giant Pemex have been the three main items on Pena Nieto’s economic agenda. His capture of the presidency returns the PRI to power after a 12-year hiatus. The centrist party governed Mexico from 1929 to 2000, a rule frequently dogged by allegations of vote-rigging, authoritarianism and corruption.

HARD-WON REFORM Reformers have been trying for years to bring Mexico’s antiquated labor laws up to date and received a boost in September when Calderon tried to fast-track the legislation through Congress. But before the bill left the lower house, where the PRI can muster a slim majority with the help of allies including the union-backed New Alliance Party, Pena Nieto’s party stripped out some of the less unionfriendly measures.

Nonetheless, the PRI lacks a majority in the Senate where the PAN, alongside allies from other parties, was able to push its reform through after it ping-ponged between the houses. Analysts said the reform, which relied on cross-party support between the PAN and the PRI, could herald a new era of bilateral cooperation, but that politicians missed an opportunity to push through a more wideranging bill. “It should have been stronger,” said Oliva. “In Mexico we’re prone to making half-hearted decisions.” — Reuters

Gulf region ‘has potential to produce additional 30 bcf/d’ KUWAIT: Addressing fellow members of the World Economic Forum Council on Energy Security, as part of the ongoing Summit on the Global Agenda in Dubai, the Managing Director of the Crescent Group and President of Crescent Petroleum said that the Gulf region has the potential to produce up to an additional 30 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) of natural gas - nearly doubling current production levels.

Badr Jafar, who is also Chairman of Pearl Petroleum, a joint venture with OMV of Austria and MOL of Hungary, which is Iraq’s largest private-sector natural gas producer, highlighted the current mismatch between the level of proven regional gas reserves and total production, and said that national oil companies (NOCs) and private-sector companies must form stronger alliances to address this imbalance and support the Gulf’s sustained economic growth.

Today, the Gulf is home to 20% of the world’s total proven gas reserves, but accounts for only 11% of global gas output.

Consequently, the region has the longest gas reserve life in the world, able to produce at current levels for at least 120 years, almost double that of the global average of 64 years.

If the region were to produce in proportion to its reserves, Jafar said, average global output would rise by approximately 30 bcf/d. “NOCs and the private sector can work together far more closely - in an environment that encourages competition and best practices,” said Jafar, who has been appointed for the second year as a member of the Council on Energy

Security, which is holding discussions this week in Dubai that will help set the agenda for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in January 2013 in Davos, Switzerland.

Current gas production levels in the Gulf are constrained by the unintended consequences of regional energy policy, he said, emphasizing the need for prices to reflect market dynamics. The region currently deincentivises the development of new fields, Jafar said, pointing out that today the cost of production is roughly US$4 per thousand cubic feet (mcf ), but is sold at an average of just US$1 per mcf, reflecting the existing pricing regime. According to Jafar, reform of this pricing is essential to generating the massive investments required to develop the region’s undeveloped gas reserves.

“The region must realize its full exploration and production resource potential to secure the next phase of its sustained economic growth,” he said. “While energy security is a strategic priority for every nation, and the state will always play a central role in the sector, this does not preclude greater private-sector support in the delivery of these goals. On the contrary, by operating through public-private partnerships and towards governmentset objectives, the sector can drive innovation and maximize efficiency.”

Described as the world’s largest brainstorming session, the Summit on the Global Agenda is currently being held in the UAE for the fifth consecutive year. Over the course of this three-day event, which concludes on November 14, 2012, over 1,000 internationally

Badr Jafar, Managing Director of the Crescent Group and President of Crescent Petroleum leading thinkers - from government, business, academia and civil society - will come together to debate and generate transformational ideas that will shape a greener and more inclusive future.

Gulftainer wins Tripoli bid

Stewart Lockie Ahmadi, Fahaheel, Farwaniya, Hadiyah, Jabriya, Jleeb, Salmiya, Sharq, Shuwaikh, Al Qurain, Zahra, Al Andalus and Sabah Hospital and of course the Main Branch at Head Office.”

TRIPOLI: Sharjah based Port Operators, Gulftainer, have been awarded the concession to develop and operate a new container terminal at the Port of Tripoli in Northern Lebanon. The concession will last for 25 years and start with a much needed initial investment of over $60 million in new equipment and machinery, including three Shipto-shore Gantry Cranes, nine Yard Cranes and the latest technology in other container handlers and yard management systems.

This particular contract is part of a full infrastructure investment project for the surrounding area that will see many millions of dollars invested from both private and government sources. Once complete, the new Gulftainer Terminal will be able to accommo-

date some of the largest container vessels operating in the Eastern Mediterranean, alleviating congestion at the Port of Beirut and providing an alternative to the beleaguered ports of Tartous and Latakia in Syria.

Not only will the terminal offer a new gateway for traffic into Lebanon, but Gulftainer, through its in-house Logistics Company, Momentum, can now link Tripoli to its facilities in Umm Qasr Port, Iraq. This represents the shortest distance across the Arabian Peninsula connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Gulf avoiding the common choke points of the Suez Canal and Straits of Hormuz. It addition to the road network, it only requires 31km of track to be developed before the two ports can be

linked by rail. When complete, the Gulftainer Terminal in Tripoli will provide over 300 new jobs as well as stimulating economic growth in the area.

Gulftainer’s Managing director, Peter Richards said, “We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded the concession to manage the port of Tripoli and are now anxious to begin developing a strong partnership with the Port Authority. Gulftainer will be investing substantial resources and efforts into establishing what is required to improve performance levels and bring new business to the region. Gulftainer will take the lead with a partnership approach with our global customers, in an effort to improve efficiencies in the supply chain.”

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

TECHNOLOGY

JOHANNESBURG: A man uses a tablet.

Google offers free Internet to S African mobile users

JOHANNESBURG: A man uses a tablet yesterday in Johannesburg.

Africa’s largest information and communication technology conference and exhibition known as AfricaCom focusing on telecoms, media, broadband and data services opens today in Cape Town. —AFP photos

JOHANNESBURG: Google said yesterday it has entered into a deal with South Africa’s giant telecoms operator Telkom to offer free Internet access to mobile phone subscribers that cannot afford data costs. Under the deal dubbed “Free Zone,” subscribers to Telkom’s 8ta mobile phone service can access the web and versions of Gmail and Google+ without paying for data charges, as long as they have data-enabled handsets. “Around 80 percent of South Africans have a cell phone, and much of this mobile resource is untapped due to data charges that many cannot afford,” Google South Africa manager Luke Mckend told AFP. Many mobile phone users find data charges for email, web browsing and social applications, to be too expensive. “Our goal is to make more of the mobile web affordable for everyone, in order to enrich their lives with information at their fingertips,” said Mckend. Google launched

a similar deal with a mobile phone provider in the Philippines earlier this month. Amith Maharaj, senior managing executive at 8ta, said the idea is to help South Africa, the wealthiest country on the continent, keep pace with the rest of the developed world.

“Breaking down the barriers to Internet adoption is critical for South Africa to keep up with the rest of the world in terms of socio-economic development,” he said, citing World Bank studies that a 10 percent rise in Internet use could result in one percent increase in GDP. “Now 8ta subscribers can enjoy a free value added service to explore the Internet, check emails and connect with friends, ultimately boosting internet adoption in South Africa.” The deal is on trial until the end of May next year. 8ta is the mobile phone brand for the Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed Telkom, South Africa’s largest fixed line phone company but struggling.

JOHANNESBURG: A woman uses a cell phone.

Wind power growth to slow, pick up after 2020 LONDON: The growth of wind power generation is likely to slow over the next few years, hit by cutbacks in the budget subsidies in the United States and Europe that have driven 15 years of construction, a report published yesterday showed. Held back by a struggling world economy and the failure to create commercial conditions which stimulate more green investment, the report by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and Greenpeace International expected growth of wind power would not accelerate again until after 2020. Global installed wind capacity reached 240 GW at the end of 2011, it said, but 2013 looks like a difficult year for the sector amid a rocky environment for global financing.

“Absent a new means for putting a global price on carbon, new demand growth in the OECD borne on a strong economic recovery, or some other unforeseen develop-

ment, the industry’s rate of growth will slow substantially in the coming few years,” the report said. However, cumulative installed capacity could still reach 759 GW by 2020 supplying up to 12 percent of global electricity -and continue to increase during the 2020s to reach 1,600 GW by 2030, the report said. If current market uncertainties are overcome in the near future, capacity could even top 1,150 GW by 2020 and 2,500 GW by 2030.

China growth to slow China, the world’s largest wind market, had total installed capacity of over 62 GW last year. Growth will likely slow until after 2015, though it will still be the market leader. “The phenomenal growth in the Chinese wind energy market has outstripped the ability of the grid and system operators to manage it,” the report said, adding that over 10 billion kilowatt hours of wind power were lost

last year because the grid had no capacity to absorb it.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has estimated that the Chinese market will see a decline in its rate of annual installations, resulting in total capacity of 179 GW by 2020.

GWEC said this was rather pessimistic given the Chinese government’s commitment to developing wind power. Total installed capacity could instead reach 125 GW by 2015, growing to 214 GW by 2020 and 400 GW by 2030, but infrastructure and transmission lines will need to improve to accommodate more wind power on the grid. Although new markets in Latin America, Africa and Asia are emerging, potential for growth in the medium to long term will not be huge, the report said. The US market grew by more than 30 percent last year, with a total installed capacity of 47 GW. By 2020, new installa-

tions in North America could grow by 14 GW per year to 2030.

This compares to IEA estimates of 8 GW a year to 2015, slowing to 6.7 GW by 2020, and to 5.9 GW from 2022-2029.

“All things point towards exceptional growth in 2012, although this is clouded by dim prospects for the 2013 market, depending on the fate of the production tax credit,” the report said, referring to a federal tax credit for renewable energy which helped create more than $15 billion a year investment in US wind farms since 2005. The credit is due to expire at the end of this year but there is pressure on the US Congress to extend it. Meanwhile, Europe’s total installed capacity stood at 94.3 GW in 2011 which should grow to 138 GW by 2015 and then at a healthier rate to reach 211 GW by 2020 and 372 GW by 2030. — Reuters

Microsoft’s Windows chief leaves in power struggle SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer isn’t going to let anyone get in his way. Not even his presumed heir apparent, who runs the software maker’s Windows empire, can stop Ballmer as he pushes the company in a new direction.

That was the underlying message of a power struggle that led to the abrupt departure of Steven Sinofsky, who oversaw the Windows operating system that has been the foundation of Microsoft’s success.

The fissure announced late Monday came less than three weeks after Sinofsky and Ballmer appeared on a stage in New York to hail the long-awaited release of Windows 8, a radical overhaul of the operating system. The Redmond, Wash.based company designed it to make its products more relevant in an age when more daily computing tasks are shifting from desktop and laptop machines to smartphones and tablet computers.

Microsoft Corp didn’t elaborate on the reasons behind the end of Sinofsky’s 23year career at the company. But all signs point to tensions boiling over as Ballmer tries to weave Microsoft’s products more closely together so the technology is easily accessible whenever and wherever people want to work, play and communicate.

That’s a goal Microsoft rivals Apple Inc. and Google Inc. have been pursuing for the past few years, giving them a head start in a battle that’s immersing technology even deeper into people’s lives. To achieve his objectives, Ballmer is trying to dismantle fiefdoms within Microsoft that

date back to the 1990s when co-founder Bill Gates ran the company. According to industry analysts, Gates divided the company into different engineering silos devoted to each of Microsoft’s key franchises - Windows, the Office suite of software, online services and corporate servers. When Ballmer became CEO nearly 13 years ago, he inherited the structure and even expanded it to include new divisions to house new products such as the Xbox 360 gaming console.

Now that Ballmer is trying to tie Microsoft’s operations more closely together, he is likely facing resistance from company veterans such as Sinofsky, said long-time technology analyst Rob Enderle. “Sinofsky is an empire builder who is not going to look kindly at someone coming in and telling him he has got to start sharing,” Enderle said. “But Ballmer needs everyone to do the Kumbaya thing and come together. They were likely increasingly bumping heads in terms of the future of the company.”

As part of Ballmer’s strategy, Microsoft is expanding beyond software into device-making. The company’s first tablet computer, the Surface, went on sale with the release of Windows 8 and now there is speculation that Microsoft may also make a smartphone, too. By selling hardware, Microsoft risks alienating the device manufacturers who license Windows 8.

Ballmer, 56, isn’t the only to CEO facing friction within the ranks. Last month, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced he was replacing Scott Forstall, a long-time company executive in charge of the software

NEW YORK: In this Thursday, Oct 25, 2012, file photo, Steven Sinofsky, then-president of the Microsoft Windows group, delivers his presentation at the launch of Microsoft Windows 8. — AP

that runs the iPhone and iPad. Like Sinofsky at Microsoft, Forstall was considered to be a leading candidate to become Apple’s next CEO. Sinofsky’s departure will likely increase the pressure on Ballmer as he tries to restore some of the luster Microsoft has lost during his tenure as CEO. The company’s stock price has been depressed for years, largely because investors aren’t convinced Microsoft will make the technological leap needed to accelerate its revenue growth once again. “Steve Ballmer sees these very remarkable changes that Microsoft helped build and now he wants to make sure that Microsoft is as successful in this new environment as it had been in the past,” Forrester Research analyst Charles Golvin said. “That’s his greatest challenge. If he didn’t think he had the right people in leadership positions to make it happen, he had to make a change.”

The shakeup didn’t go over well on Wall Street. Microsoft’s stock price fell 90 cents, or more than 3 percent, to close Tuesday at $27.09. The sell-off may reflect worries that Sinofsky’s departure could be tied to some perceived shortcomings in Windows 8. But analysts say it’s far too early to draw any conclusions about how Windows 8 will fare in the market, making it unlikely Sinofsky’s exit has anything to do with the new operating system.

Sinofsky, 47, had been widely seen as Ballmer’s likely successor. After joining the company as a software engineer in 1989, Sinofsky eventually became a technical adviser to Gates and later oversaw the Office package that includes word processing, spreadsheet and email programs. He took charge of Windows in 2006 and helped the company recover from the buggy Vista version of the operating system with the release of Windows 7 in 2009. More than 670 million licenses of Windows 7 have been sold since then.

Sinofsky “is a good manager and a guy known for getting things done, but if you are looking for someone who plays well with others, he is not your guy.” Enderle said. Ballmer praised Sinofsky in an upbeat email sent to company employees Monday. “What we have accomplished over the past few years is nothing short of amazing, and I know we have more amazing in us,” Ballmer wrote. “I am excited about our people, I am energized by our ability to change and grow, and I look forward to the success which lies ahead.” — AP

TEL AVIV: Developers, Eran Lumbroso and Israel Alva from the Bio Explorers Company show mice, that are used to detect explosives through their sense of smell, in the company’s new Biosensor based explosives detection system, during the homeland security exhibition. — AFP

Israeli mice sniff out bombs and vice TEL AVIV: An Israeli company is aiming to revolutionize the way explosives, narcotics and even money are detected at airports, docks and border crossings with the help of specially trained covert agents. These agents, however, aren’t just any regular agents. They are mice, which are being used as sniffer animals for the first time.

The system, developed by the Herzliya-based BioExplorers, is simple: A traveller stands inside a small booth and is hit by a gentle blast of air that is then sucked into an small opaque chamber, where a group of eight mice are on duty. After eight seconds, assuming the subject is all clear, a green light appears and the barrier opens. But if the air smells of a suspicious a material the mice have been trained to detect, they gather in the so-called reporting compartment, which raises an alarm. “The idea began in 2000-2001, when there were many suicide bombings on (Israeli) buses,” said BioExplorers founder and chief technology officer Eran Lumbroso at the Israel Homeland Security exhibition in Tel Aviv, where he displayed his mechanism for the first time. “I was in the army at the time, and the idea emerged to use small animals instead of dogs in detecting suicide bombers.” After leaving the army in 2004, Lumbroso continued work on the project, running tests with different types of animals, portals and training methods. Mice were eventually chosen because of their keen noses and diminutive size. “They can be trained to sniff out drugs, money, even remainders of pesticides on agricultural produce,” explains Lumbroso, who is a biologist.

“They have a very developed sense of smell, more than that of dogs,” he said, pointing out that sniffer dogs can also be intrusive and some-

times intimidating to their subjects. “The mice can also be easily trained, and thanks to their small size, you can use a small group of them and have multiple sensors,” says Lumbroso. The booths contain three sections, or cartridges, roughly the size of a small microwave oven, stacked one on top of the other, which are each home to eight mice. Each group of rodents works a four-hour shift, before the flow of air is automatically diverted to the next cartridge in line.

The cartridges contain food and water which are renewed every 14 days when they are removed for cleaning and servicing. BioExplorers says the mice enjoy much better conditions than those of standard lab mice. They are trained over two months, with each mouse able to work for an 18-month period. In December 2010, a BioExplorers booth was placed at the entrance to a Tel Aviv shopping mall and more than a thousand people passed through it, among them 20 test subjects carrying suspect material. “Over 1,200 people passed through. There was one false alarm, and all of the initiated targets were detected,” Lumbroso said.

While mice would not be efficient in detecting metals, which do not have a powerful odor, they can be trained to react to different kinds of narcotics, and dozens of kinds of explosives emanating from roughly 15 different “families” of materials, said Lumbroso. They can even detect the particular smell of money. Full body scanners now being used in many international airports only alert examiners to suspicious shapes, while the mice efficiently zero in on suspicious odors they have been trained to identify, Lumbroso said.—AFP

28

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

health & science

Row flares over global fight against fake medicine LONDON: A group of experts calling for a global treaty to stop the lethal trade in fake medicines has been barred from attending a World Health Organisation meeting, highlighting deep divisions that are blocking progress on the subject. Leading academics and health professionals hoped to provoke debate on the need for a new international law to prevent falsified and substandard drugs reaching the market with a paper published in the British Medical Journal yesterday.

Their article, which sets out a clear case for a fake drugs treaty similar to existing ones on money laundering and human trafficking, comes a week before 100 states hold the first meeting of its kind to discuss the problem in Buenos Aires. But lead author Amir Attaran of the University of Ottawa said he was told on Monday by the World Health Organisation ( WHO)

that he and other non-governmental representatives could not attend, following an objection by India.

A WHO spokeswoman declined to comment on the details of particular invitations but said it was up to member states to determine who was permitted to attend. Indian officials, whose government is wary of multinational drug firms using the issue to curb competition, were not immediately available for comment. Attaran called it a “scandal” that only government officials would be at the meeting in Argentina to discuss strategy.

The clash exposes distrust among governments, the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare campaigners about how to tackle fake and dangerous medicines, which are a growing problem in both poor countries and rich. Risks include ineffective material packaged as medication and real drugs made in poor conditions. In

developing countries, the WHO estimates that more than 10 percent of medicine may be fake or substandard, with bogus malaria drugs a particular threat in parts of Asia and Africa.

But the danger is real in the rich world, too. Earlier this year, fake vials of Roche’s cancer drug Avastin were found in the United States, while a recent US meningitis outbreak, due to contaminated steroid injections, shows the country is not immune to quality problems. In the European Union, medicines are now the top illicit product seized at the border and authorities have found fake versions of drugs purporting to come from companies including Sanofi, Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca.

The need for action seems clear enough - but advancing the debate involves navigating some big divides.

India, whose large drugs industry produces cheap generic versions, is con-

cerned that Western governments backed by Big Pharma are using the fight against fakes as a cover to restrict trade in unpatented medicines much needed by the world’s poor. Some health activists support New Delhi’s charge that worries about counterfeit drugs are being hijacked by “Big Pharma” global pharmaceutical companies to protect their profits and patented products against legitimate generic competitors.

In east Africa, for example, international drug companies have taken advantage of anti-counterfeiting laws that are sometimes poorly drafted to curb sales of otherwise legitimate generics, threatening the availability of essential drugs. India is particularly resistant to any role for pharmaceutical firms in setting the agenda, and Brazil has expressed similar concerns in the past. Given the distrust, the authors of the paper in the BMJ - who

include leaders of nursing, pharmacy and public health bodies - argue there is a need to find neutral ground to address what appears to be a gaping hole in international law.

They point out that thanks to a new convention on tobacco control, international law is now tougher on counterfeit cigarettes than it is on fake medicines. “We hope that this will form the basis for getting some consensus on a definition of counterfeit drugs, which would then be transferable into a legal instrument,” said another of the paper’s authors, Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The lack of a treaty means there is no agreement on which medicines are illegal and criminals can do business in countries where laws or enforcement are lax. There is also no requirement for police and prosecutors to co-operate across borders. —Reuters

Australian sky-gazers in awe of rare total eclipse Eerie silence as moon overtakes the sun PALM COVE, Australia: Tens of thousands of sky-gazers flocked to Australia’s tropical north Wednesday to watch the moon block out the sun in one of nature’s greatest phenomena - a total solar eclipse. All eyes and cameras turned to the heavens as the clouds parted over

“Wow, insects and birds gone quiet,” one tourist, Geoff Scott, tweeted. Another, Stuart Clark, said: “This is it. Totality now. Utterly beautiful.” The path of the eclipse got under way shortly after daybreak when the moon’s shadow, or umbra, fell in the Garig Gunak Barlu

Tuesday), with eclipse watchers donning special glasses to protect their eyes. When it happened the early chatter of birds and animals was replaced by an eerie silence as the moon overtook the sun, casting a shadow that plunged the land into darkness, with tempera-

PALM COVE, Australia: The diamond ring effect is shown following totality of the solar eclipse in Australia’s tropical North Queensland yesterday. —AFP the state of Queensland and the moon slowly moved between the Earth and the sun, creating a missing “bite” that gradually increased in size. Clouds had threatened to spoil the party and huge cheers erupted when they cleared to give awestruck eclipse hunters a perfect view of totality - when the moon completely covers the sun and a faint halo or corona appears.

National Park in the Northern Territory, about 250 km east of Darwin. The umbra then moved eastward before hitting north Queensland - one of the few places it could be viewed by humans and where tourists and scientists gathered to witness the region’s first total solar eclipse in 1,300 years.

Totality lasted just over two minutes from 6.38 am (2038 GMT

tures dropping. “Day into night, unbelievable, goose bumps, speechless, amazing,” said Palm Cove eclipse watcher Simon Crerar.

The rare spectacle drew crowds of tourists, with the Queensland state government estimating that 50,000-60,000 people made the trip. They included three charter flights with 1,200 scientists from Japan while six cruise ships were

moored off the coast and hot air balloons dotted the skies. While certain cultures see eclipses as somehow magical, Fred Espenak, an American astrophysicist and world authority on eclipses, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that they can be predicted with pinpoint accuracy.

“Certainly within 100 to 200 years we can predict when an eclipse will occur to within a second,” he said. “But the pattern of occurrence is a complicated one.

They don’t repeat on a time schedule like the seasons of the year.” He explained that when a total eclipse occurred “the darkest part of the moon’s shadow sweeps across the earth’s surface”. “Total solar eclipses occur once every one to two years but are only visible from less than half a percent of the earth’s surface,” he said.

Scientists were studying the effects of the eclipse on the marine life of the Great Barrier Reef and Queensland’s rainforest birds and animals while psychologists were monitoring the impact on humans.

Eclipses have deep spiritual meaning for Aborigines, with the moon often seen as a man and the sun as a woman. “Some believe the sun is in love with the man but he does not reciprocate these feelings so the sun chases him around the sky,” said Duane Hamacher, an expert on Aboriginal astronomy who watched the spectacle from Cairns.

“On rare occasions, she manages to grab him and in a jealous rage tries to kill him but he convinces the spirits that hold up the sky to save him, which they do.” The last total eclipse was on July 11, 2010, again over the South Pacific. The next will take place on March 20, 2015, occurring over Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Norway’s far northern Svalbard archipelago, according to Espenak. —AFP

Grasshoppers pump up the bass PARIS: For city grasshoppers, noise just isn’t cricket. Loud traffic drowns out the song the male grasshopper makes, rubbing a toothed file on his hind legs against a protruding vein on his front wings, to lure a mate. But, German biologists have discovered, the clever insect has found a way to get his offer of romance through the din. Grasshoppers change the song so that it boosts lower-frequency notes, making it audible over the rumble from the road. Ulrike Lampe and colleagues from the University of Bielefeld captured 188 male bow-winged grasshoppers

(Chorthippus biguttulus), half from quiet locations and half from beside busy roads.

The team made nearly 1,000 lab recordings of each grasshopper, placing a cute female grasshopper nearby to encourage a serenade. “Bow-winged grasshoppers produce songs that include low- and high-frequency components,” said Lampe. “We found that grasshoppers from noisy habitats boost the volume of the lower-frequency part of their song, which makes sense since road noise can mask signals in this part of the frequency spectrum.”

The findings add insects to the list of animals, including species of birds, whales and frogs, that have been found to alter their sounds in order to cope with man-made noise. The paper appears in Functional Ecology, published by the British Ecological Society (BES). Bow-winged grasshoppers are a common species in central Europe. The male’s courtship song consists of up to half a dozen phrases, each about two or three seconds long. The phrase starts with a ticking sound, becomes louder and ends in a buzz. —AFP

Genome sequencing used to halt superbug outbreak LONDON: Researchers have used DNA sequencing for the first time to identify, analyse and put a halt to an infectious disease outbreak in a hospital. The success of the technique, which used fast genome sequencing technology to control an outbreak of the MRSA superbug on a baby ward, suggests it could be used to control hospital bugs, salmonella and E.coli infections and diseases like tuberculosis, scientists said. “What we have glimpsed through this pioneering study is a future in which new sequencing methods will help us to identify, manage and stop hospital outbreaks,” said Nick Brown, an infection control doctor at Addenbrooke’s Hospital Cambridge, who co-led the study and presented the findings at a briefing.

MRSA, or methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, is a drug-resistant bacterial infection, or superbug, and a serious public health problem. When outbreaks occur in hospitals it can lead to the closure of whole

wards with many people infected. The bug kills an estimated 19,000 people in the United States per year. Although rates of MRSA infection have come down significantly in Britain in recent years, it still presents a major threat with several hundred deaths a year and high hospital costs involved in managing infected patients.

Julian Parkhill from Britain’s Sanger Institute, who also worked on the study, said there is a “real health and cost burden from hospital outbreaks” which could be significantly reduced or eliminated if they were contained swiftly. In the study, staff at Addenbrooke’s hospital using routine screening over a six month period found 12 patients carrying MRSA. Because they were only using standard tests, which provide limited information, the infection control team was not able to tell if the 12 were part of an outbreak, or were unconnected cases that did not present a threat. —Reuters

TEL AVIV: A newborn gorilla, named Amelia hangs on the back of her mother Anya at the Ramat Gan Safari, an open-air zoo, yesterday.

The baby gorilla, which was born two weeks ago, weighs approximately two kilograms. —AFP

MEDAN, Indonesia: Three four-week-old Sumatran tiger cubs sit inside a cage at a zoo in North Sumatra yesterday. —AFP

Three rare tiger cubs born at Indonesia zoo MEDAN, Indonesia: A critically endangered Sumatran tiger has given birth to three cubs at an Indonesian zoo, a veterinarian at the facility said yesterday.

“She gave bir th naturally, without human intervention. The three cubs are all healthy. Two are male, while we haven’t been able to get close to the other to identify it,” Suci Terawan, a vet at Medan Zoo in northern Sumatra, told AFP. The 13-year-old Sumatran tiger named Manis, or Sweetie in English, gave birth to the cubs on October 18, just over a year after she successfully

bore three male cubs, Terawan said. “ This is our latest contribution in conserving the critically endangered species,” he said, adding that the zoo now has six cubs, and two male and one female adult. Earlier this year a Sumatran tiger at a zoo on the island’s Jambi province gave bir th to three cubs, but only two sur vived. Fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers are left in the wild, conservationists say, with several dying each year as a result of traps, poaching and other human intervention. —AFP

When babies eat fish key in link to asthma NEW YORK: Babies who first ate fish between the ages of six months and one year had a lower risk of developing asthma-like symptoms later on than babies who ate fish before six months or after their first birthdays, according to a Dutch study. The results, based on more than 7,000 children in the Netherlands, support one theory that early exposure to certain fatty acids in fish protects against the development of asthma, said lead author Jessica Kiefte-de Jong, at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam.

“Introduction of fish between 6 and 12 months but not fish consumption afterward is associated with a lower prevalence of wheezing,” she and her colleagues wrote in Pediatrics. “A window of exposure between the age of 6 and 12 months might exist in which fish might be associated with a reduced risk of asthma.” Concern over seafood allergies prompts some parents and doctors to delay introducing fish into babies’ diets. However, some research has found that a mother’s fish consumption during pregnancy, or the baby’s consumption of it early on, may lower the risk of asthma.

Using health and diet information from a group of 7,210 children born between 2002 and 2006 in Rotterdam, the researchers found that 1,281 children ate fish in their first six months of life, 5,498 first ate fish in the next six months, and 431 did not eat fish until after age one. The researchers then looked at health records for when the children were about four years old, and how many parents reported that their children were wheezing or short

of breath. Between 40 percent and 45 percent of parents of children who did not eat fish until after their first birthdays said their children wheezed, compared to 30 percent of children who first ate fish when they were between six and 12 months old.

That, the researchers said, works out to about a 36 percent decreased risk of wheezing for the children who first had fish between the ages of six months and one year. Children who first had fish before six months of age were at similar risk to those who were introduced to it after their first birthdays. “They found it was only protective between six and 12 months,” said T. Bernard Kinane, chief of the pediatric pulmonary unit for MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston, who was not involved in the study. “That would make reasonable sense because that’s when the immune system is getting educated.”

He added that he was relieved the researchers also found no association between the amount of fish children ate and their risk for asthma, which means that even a small amount of fish seems to be helpful. But he noted that there is mixed evidence about how helpful introducing a seafood diet actually was, and that while it may be helpful to introduce children to fish between six and 12 months of age, there could be other factors at work. For instance, families who feed their children fish earlier and more often may be different in a variety of ways from those who do not. “I think (the study) needs to be validated again,” he said. —Reuters

29

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

health & science

Head injury, pesticide linked to Parkinson’s

BARRINGTON TOPS, Australia: This photo taken on April 27, 2012 shows two 14-month-old Tasmanian devils exploring their enclosure at Devil Ark in New South Wales state. —AFP

Devils to get fresh start on new island SYDNEY: A group of Tasmanian devils will be transferred to a small Australian island to start what is hoped will be a self-sustaining population, free from the facial tumour that has devastated their species. Tasmania’s Environment Minister Brian Wightman said 14 of the marsupials, carefully selected from captive breeding programs across Australia, would be released today on Maria Island, a nature sanctuary off the state’s east coast.

He said it was a “major step forward” in the race against extinction of the devil due to an extremely contagious facial tumour that has decimated the once-rampant rat-like marsupial. Their plight is so dire authorities have started breeding a so-called “insurance population” in captivity to ensure they do not die out.

“The Maria Island translocation is designed to establish a self-sustaining population of healthy wild devils in a safe haven where they are protected from interaction with the deadly facial tumour disease,” Wightman said. “It will strengthen the insurance population of disease-free Tasmanian devils, help preserve wild traits in the insurance population and provide genetic stock for future reintroductions.”

Tasmania is the only place where the devil is found in the wild and since the facial tumour was first discovered in 1996 numbers have plunged by 91 percent to the low tens of thousands. There are few diseasefree pockets remaining on the island state.

The cancer, which typically causes death within three to six months, is spread during fighting over food and territory, when a healthy devil will bite an infected devil’s face and pick up cancer cells.

Maria Island, a rugged national park that can only be reached by boat or plane and is vehicle and shop-free, has never before been a devil habitat so Wightman said there was “no known risk of the facial tumour disease”. National Environment Minister Tony Burke said the transfer was a method of “last resort and it has to be done carefully with good scientific oversight”, with all animals to be carefully screened before release. Experts had deemed the devils unlikely to impact other native species on the island and the ecosystem would be monitored carefully, he added. If successful authorities plan to increase the overall population on Maria Island over the next two years to about 50 animals. —AFP

NEW YORK: The combination of a past serious head injury and pesticide exposure may be linked to an extra-high risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, according to a US study.

The findings, which appeared in the journal Neurology, don’t prove that being knocked unconscious or exposed to certain chemicals particularly an herbicide called paraquat directly causes Parkinson’s, a chronic movement and coordination disorder. But they are in line with previous studies, which have linked head trauma and certain toxins, along with family history and other environmental exposures, to the disease.

“While traumatic brain injury and paraquat exposure each increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease moderately, exposure to both factors almost tripled Parkinson’s disease risk,” wrote lead researcher Pei-Chen Lee, at the University of California at Los Angeles, and colleagues.

“These environmental factors seem to act together to increase Parkinson’s disease risk in a more than additive manner.”

For the study, the researchers compared 357 people with a recent Parkinson’s diagnosis to a representative sample of 754 people

without the disease. All lived in central California, a major agricultural region. The study team asked all of them to report any past traumatic head injuries, in which people had been unconscious for at least five minutes, and used their home and work addresses to determine their proximity to pesticide sprayings since 1974. Those surveys showed that close to 12 percent of people with Parkinson’s had been knocked unconscious, and 47 percent had been exposed to paraquat near both their home and workplace.

That’s in comparison to almost seven percent of control-group participants with a history of head injury and 39 percent with pesticide exposure. On their own, traumatic brain injury as well as living and working near pesticide sprayings were each tied to a moderately increased risk of Parkinson’s - but combined, they were linked to a tripling of that risk, the researchers said. That was after taking into account people’s baseline risk based on their age, gender, race, education, smoking history and family history of Parkinson’s.

Lee’s team didn’t know which came first in

people who’d had both head trauma and paraquat exposure, but they said it made sense that a head injury would increase inflammation in the brain and disrupt the barrier that separates circulating blood and brain fluid. Those changes could then make neurons in the brain more vulnerable to the effects of pesticides, ultimately increasing the risk of Parkinson’s - although this is just a theory. “I think all of us are beginning to realize that there’s not one smoking gun that causes Parkinson’s disease,” said James Bower, a neurologist from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who wasn’t involved in the research.

For example, he said, some people who are genetically predisposed might need just one “environmental insult” - such as a blow to the head - to set them up for Parkinson’s. Others who aren’t naturally susceptible could still develop it after multiple exposures. The study “is more evidence that traumatic injury to the brain can lead to later problems that are usually neurodegenerative,” he added. “We need to be increasingly careful about preventing these traumatic brain injuries.” —Reuters

US, health groups sound alarm on antibiotics CHICAGO: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a coalition of 25 healthcare organizations are joining forces to fight the overuse of antibiotics in people and livestock in a bid to curb the rise of drug-resistant “super bugs”. Without action, patients could soon face a time when antibiotics are powerless to treat many of the most common infections, said CDC experts and the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy, a public health research group. “How we use and protect these precious drugs must fundamentally

change,” Dr. Arjun Srinivasan, associate director for healthcareassociated infection prevention programs at the CDC, said in a conference call with reporters on Tuesday.

Dr David Relman, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, which is part of the effort, said doctors are already seeing patients with bacterial infections resistant to “every antibiotic we have left”. “It will take all of us - consumers, health care providers, researchers, policymakers, industry, and others - to tackle this problem,” he said. A statement

signed by organizations ranging from the American Academy of Pediatrics to Consumer’s Union, an advocacy group, stressed the need for policies that conserve and protect antibiotics, ensuring that patients get the right antibiotics at the right time, and for the right amount of time.

They also called for curbs on the use of antibiotics in food animals, recommending their use by veterinarians only when they are needed to ensure the animal’s health. Food producers do not have to consult veterinarians because common antibiotics

have long been available to farmers without a prescription. The position on antibiotic use in food animals echoes efforts by US regulators urging food producers to stop using antibiotics in livestock for non-medical uses. The US Food and Drug Administration in April said antibiotics should only be used under the supervision of a veterinarian to prevent or treat illnesses in animals, and has asked companies to start phasing out their use for purposes such as promoting growth, a process that could take three years. —Reuters

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

WHAT’S ON

SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS hat’s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others! This summer, let other people see the way you see Kuwait - through your lens. Friday Times will feature snapshots of Kuwait through Instagram feeds. If you want to share your Instagram photos, email us at instagram@kuwaittimes.net

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Announcement Donate blood, save lifes ll it costs a little love and make a difference in others life. Share blood and give life. tomorrow from 1-7 pm at Kuwait Central Bank, Jabriya (Behind Mubarak Al Kabeer Hospital).

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Harvest Festival uwait St James Mar Thoma Church will hold the Harvest Festival -2012 today from 7:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the National Evangelical Church of Kuwait (NECK) compound with a wide array of entertainment programs. Along with the Vicar, Rev. A. Y. Varghese, the occasion will be blessed by the presence of the vicars of the other Mar Thoma Parishes, vicars of other sister parishes and many other prominent dignitaries. Government of Kerala Chief Whip P.C. George will be the Chief Guest of the function.

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NAFO family picnic n the happy occasion of Hijra the New Year, today, NAFO Kuwait is scheduled to conduct a family picnic for its members, their families, relatives and friends in a chalet at Wafra farm house, according to officials. The entire group will move from Salmiya in the morning, most probably in bus/busses, for this day long fun-filled picnic. Games and entertainment for all age groups have also been arranged to make the outing furthermore enjoyable. Lunch and snacks will be served during the day.

Beidoun Trading Company inaugurates new addition to the family of Beidoun

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Basketball Academy he new Premier Basketball Academy offers coaching and games every Friday and Saturday from 10 am onwards for 6 to 18 year olds, boys and girls. Located in Bayan Block 7, Masjed Al-Aqsa Street by Abdullah Al-Rujaib High School. Free Basketball and Tee Shirts for all participants, with certificates and special awards on completion of each 6 week course. Qualified and experienced British and American Coaches, Everyone Welcome.

n a grand elegant ceremony at Al Hamra luxury center, Beidoun Trading Company inaugurated its new addition to the family of Beidoun stores. In line with Beidoun Trading Company’s customer service focus it has launched its first new contemporary design at

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Arpan Swaralaya today rpan, is going hold “Swaralaya”- a blend of classic music and dance which are sure would be of first in Kuwait. This program will be held today at ICSK (Indian Community School- Salmiya) auditorium at 5.30 pm. Arpan, known for conducting unique programs, has planned to bring Srikanth & Aswathy for a stage programme.

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Prathibha anthology rathibha Kuwait, an association of Malayalam writers in Kuwait, is releasing its second book ‘The Moonlit Nights of Abdaly’ (Abdaliyile Nilaaraavukal) which is a collection of poems penned by 21 poets working in Kuwait, tomorrow, at Royal Indian Mughalai Restaurant auditorium at 9:30 am.

The book will be released by famous doctor and writer Prof. Dr Nandakumar Moorkath. This is first of its kind in Kuwait expatriates literature for arranging more than 20 writers in a single book. Prathibha Kuwait earlier published story collection “Afaina Pookkunnu”. John Mathew will inaugurate the program. Sajeev Peter, Prof John Mathew, PC Harish, Vibheesh Thikkodi, Bergman Thomas, Sathar Kunnil, Bessy Kadavil, Shobha Chandran, IV Dineshan, Babuji Batheri will attend the function. Recitation and review of the book will be also be held.

international standard; to become the flagship store of Beidoun.

Since its conception in 1961, Beidoun Trading Company had evolved and has continuously raised the bar in the retail sector portraying its leadership in the sales of Beauty & Luxury.

At the opening event Jamil Beidoun CEO of Beidoun Trading Company thanked all the invitees and members of the press that came in abundance, saying “it is our greatest pleasure to inaugurate our first Beidoun flagship store in Al Hamra luxury center especially that this

location has a very special place in my heart, it was where I grew up and have many fond childhood memories of this area. Moreover, this was a necessary step forward and a strategic location for Beidoun to be present in”

Hotel Missoni Kuwait offers Gulf Bank’s customers 15% discount on room rates ulf Bank recently announced a tie up with Hotel Missoni Kuwait, one of the most unique luxurious hotels in the country, presenting its Priority customers with a 15% discount on rooms and suites and 25% discount on all hotel restaurants. - including the award winning “Cucina” Italian Restaurant and the elegant Luna Restaurant on the 18th floor.

This offer is valid from 1 October 2012 to the 31 October 2013 when using a Gulf Bank Priority Banking ATM card, Visa Infinite, MasterCard Platinum or Visa Platinum card.

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Aly Shalaby, Gulf Bank’s General Manager, Consumer Banking Group said: “We strive to offer our Priority Banking

customers a range of benefits and impressive promotions to fulfill our promise of offering the highest standard of products services that appeal to our clients. We also align our offers from various merchants,

such as Missoni, with our clients’ lifestyle.

We are sure that this partnership with Missoni Kuwait will appeal to our clients and we will continue to increase our offers and promotions, ensuring that our Priority consumers will get the optimum.”

Alfio Bernardini, General Manager, Hotel Missoni Kuwait said: “Designed to give guests a true taste of the Missoni way of life, Hotel Missoni quickly established itself as one of the unique life style hotels in Kuwait. Hotel Missoni Kuwait offers 169 rooms and suites, all of which have stunning views of the Arabian Gulf. The

accommodation has been carefully designed to meet the needs of today’s modern traveler. All employees at the hotel are looking forward to welcoming Gulf Bank’s Priority Banking customers along with all the other guests.”

Priority Banking is a premium banking service that extends personalized and preferential service coupled with a suite of banking products and services that meet the clients’ financial needs.

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Arabic courses 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.

Almass - Kuwait to welcome Prof Sunny Thomas tomorrow

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Youth Chorus song competition 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.

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Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

Suhaani Shaam fter hosting ‘Bappi Lahiri Live Concert’ Indian Cultural Society brings you live excitement & entertainment with renowned young Ghazal Maestro Jaswinder Singh for romantic geet & ghazal.

An evening accompanied by laughter machine & Hindi poet sardar Manjit Singh. Special guest of honor & attraction from Bollywood will be famous film actress Raveena Tandon. Join us on 30th Nov at 7 pm at Dr. Kamil Al Rays Auditorium AIS - near police station Maidan Hawally, Kuwait.

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lumni association of St Stephen’s college Uzhavoor (Almass, Kuwait) general body meeting will be held tomorrow at 4 pm in Al-Jawhart Arabic School Auditorium, Near Ramada Hotel, Reggae.

In the meeting we will be wel-

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coming our chief guest Prof. Sunny Thomas, National Icon of Shooting and Ex. HOD English, St. Stephen’s College, Uzhavoor & during the meeting representatives from various other Alumni Association in Kuwait will be facilitated., organizers said in a press meet. Almass

Kuwait Adhoc committee convener Siby Chavarattu, Joint conveners Philip Simon, Jose Tom, Committee member Jose Monippally and Media coordinator Clintis George were present during the press meet.

Indian Embassy Announcements Indian Embassy passport and visa Passports and visa applications can be deposited at the two outsourced centers of M/S BLS Ltd at Sharq and Fahaheel. Details are available at www.blsinternational.com and www.indembkwt.org.

1pm and 2pm to 4:30PM, Sunday to Thursday) provides guidance to Indian nationals on routine immigration, employment, legal and other issues. It also provides workers assistance in filling up labour complaint forms.

For any unaddressed issues, the concerned attachÈ in the Labour section and the head of the Labour Wing can be contacted.

Consular Open House Consular Wing is providing daily service of Open House to Indian citizens on all workings days from 1000 hrs to 1100 hrs and from 1430 hrs to 1530 hrs by the Consular Officer in the Meeting Room of the Consular Hall at the Embassy. For any unaddressed issues, Second Secretary (Consular) can be contacted. Furthermore, the head of the Consular Wing is also available to redress grievances.

Legal Advice Clinic Free legal advice is provided on matters pertaining to labour disputes, terms of contracts with employers, death/accident compensation, withholding of dues by employers, etc. by lawyers on our panel, to Indian nationals on all working days between 1500hrs to 1600hrs.

Indian workers helpline/helpdesk Indian workers helpline is accessible by toll free telephone number 25674163 from all over Kuwait. It provides information and advice to Indian workers as regards their grievances, immigration and other matters. The help desk at the Embassy (Open from 9am to

Ambassador’s Open House The Open House for Indian citizens by the Ambassador is being held on all Wednesdays at the Embassy for redressal of grievances. In case Wednesday is an Embassy holiday, the meeting will be held on the next working day.

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WHAT’S ON

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Australian Embassy Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department.

All processing of visas and immigration matters in conducted by The Australian Consulate-General in Dubai. Email: info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VFS) immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office); Tel: +971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (Visa Office); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office).

In Kuwait applications can be lodged at the Australian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor, Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem Street, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait. Working hours and days: 09:30 - 17:30; Sunday - Thursday. Or visit their website www.vfs-au-gcc-com for more information. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas on-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm.

GM & Thai Prime Minister

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Wassim Tarabay with Miss Thailand

EMBASSY OF BANGLADESH

Thailand Prime Minister at Hotel Missoni Kuwait otel Missoni Kuwait had the honor to welcome Yingluck Shinawatra, the Prime Minister of Thailand during her last visit to Kuwait to participate in the First Asian Cooperation Dialogue Summit.

Ms Shinawatra and the Thai delegation had a cordial reception at Missoni Ballroom and on return the invitees had a fantastic opportunity to meet Miss Thailand and to enjoy a traditional and inspiring Thai dance which was a remarkable chance for real cultural exchange and show case of Thailand at a live show.

Alfio Bernardini, General Manager said “the stay of the Thai group at Hotel Missoni Kuwait was an excellent opportunity for us to extend a true Kuwaiti hospitality for the guests of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad and to present Hotel Missoni being the only life style hotel in the city.”

Hotel Missoni Kuwait is combining the unique style of the iconic Italian fashion & interiors house. Designed to give guests a true taste of the

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The Embassy of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Kuwait will remain closed on Thursday, 15 November 2012 on the occasion of the Islamic New year 1434 Hijri.

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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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Thai dancers Missoni way of life, Hotel Missoni quickly established itself as one of Kuwait’s leading hotels. The Hotel is

located in Salmiya, Arabian Gulf Road and is part of the Symphony Complex, an adjacent luxury bou-

tique shopping mall.

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. ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF INDIA The Embassy of India will remain closed on Nov 25, 2012 - Sunday on account of Muharram.

KNES — A picnic in Rawda Park he Reception Pupils of Kuwait National English School took advantage of the end of summer weather by taking a Picnic in Rawda Park. Building on the theme of developing a strong student by supporting Physical Development, Early Years children are encouraged to strengthen their muscle and coordination through physical activity. And let’s face it...a picnic is always fun! Thanks to the Parks Department for providing these oasis in the city.

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Crowne Plaza Kuwait celebrates 30 years of success rowne Plaza Kuwait, one of the country’s most popular hotels, celebrated its 30th anniversary yesterday. The hotel, which opened its doors in 1982, began life as Holiday Inn Kuwait - one of the first Holiday Inn hotels in the Middle East. A testament to Jawad Bukhamseen’s pioneering spirit, the signing of the contract in 1977 with Kemmons Wilson, Founder of Holiday Inn, helped to kick-start the growth of the brand in the region.

At a press conference yesterday joining Bukhamseen to commemorate this milestone was Spence Wilson, son of Kemmons Wilson, and his wife Becky in addition to management from Crowne Plaza Kuwait and the Bukhamseen group.

The celebrations at the hotel are

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part of a tour the Wilson family are undertaking across the Middle East and India, to commemorate the Holiday Inn brands 60th anniversary.

Launched in Memphis, Tennessee in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson, the brand has become one of the most recognizable hotel brands in the world.

Marking the occasion, Jawad Bukhamseen, founder and owner of the hotel and Chairman of Bukhamseen Group Holding Company, said “Thirty years is a significant’ milestone for any hotel. I’m very proud of how far we’ve come and how successful the hotel has been since it was opened in 1982. Through the years we’ve continued to expand, grow and develop, always with our guests’ interests at heart. We have kept our loyal guests and attracted

new ones, and built an enviable reputation.”

Bukhamseen added, “It’s an honor to have Spence Wilson and his wife Becky here to share this milestone with us. When I signed the contract with Spence’s father, the family values of the brand were a key part of my decision to put the Holiday Inn name above the hotel door. I welcome them back here today as members of our family.”

Wilson commented “We’re very proud to be part of this hotel’s heritage. Holiday Inn has made its mark in the Middle East, and this hotel played a key role ever since it opened in Kuwait in 1982. We’d like to thank Bukhamseen and his family for their continued support and the integral part they have played in helping to

move the brand forward in the Middle East. I wish him and the hotel continued success.”

In the past 30 years, the hotel has expanded substantially, remaining relevant and current for both local and international guests. Today Crowne Plaza Kuwait, which rebranded in 1997, boasts more than 300 rooms, 3500m2 of event facilities, four popular ballrooms and seven distinctive restaurants. Its leisure facilities are second-to-none in the city, with a 3500m2 spa and a state-of-the-art health club. The hotel has won numerous accolades in recognition of its continued success including ‘Best Business Hotel’ by Business Traveller Middle East in 2011.

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EMBASSY OF LEBANON Due to exceptional circumstances Lebanon is going through currently, a mass celebration that was planned on 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.

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EMBASSY OF SRILANKA Holiday Notice: 15.11.2012 - Thursday Beginning of Hijra year ■■■■■■■

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.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

TV PROGRAMS

00:50 01:45 02:35 03:25 04:15 05:05 05:55 06:20 06:45 07:10 07:35 08:00 08:25 09:15 10:10 11:05 12:00 Irwin 12:55 13:50 14:15 14:45 15:40 16:35 17:00 17:30 18:25 18:50 19:20 20:15 20:40 21:10 21:35 22:05 23:00 23:25 23:55

Animal Cops Phoenix Bite Of The Living Dead I’m Alive The Magic Of The Big Blue Mutant Planet Wildest Latin America Wild Britain With Ray Mears Orangutan Island Vet On The Loose RSPCA: On The Frontline Wildlife SOS Monkey Life The Jeff Corwin Experience Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 America’s Cutest...

Wildest Latin America New Breed Vets With Steve Gator Boys Wildlife SOS E-Vets: The Interns Animal Cops Phoenix Wildest Latin America Orangutan Island The Really Wild Show Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 Chris Humfrey’s Wildlife Bondi Vet Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 Monkey Life E-Vets: The Interns Wild Britain With Ray Mears Orangutan Island Wildest Latin America Wild Animal Orphans Wild Animal Orphans Max’s Big Tracks

23:50 Animal Cops Houston 00:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 00:45 Come Dine With Me 01:35 Antiques Roadshow 02:30 Baby Borrowers USA 03:15 Baby Borrowers USA 04:00 Out Of The Frying Pan 04:50 House Swap 05:40 Saturday Kitchen 2008/09 06:05 Out Of The Frying Pan 07:00 House Swap 07:45 Saturday Kitchen 2008/09 08:10 MasterChef Australia 09:00 MasterChef Australia 09:25 Baby Borrowers USA 10:10 Baby Borrowers USA 10:55 Bargain Hunt 11:40 Antiques Roadshow 12:30 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 13:15 Come Dine With Me 14:05 Baking Made Easy 14:35 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard 15:00 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard 15:25 The Hairy Bakers 15:50 Bargain Hunt 16:35 Antiques Roadshow 17:30 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 18:10 Come Dine With Me 19:00 Glamour Puds 19:30 Glamour Puds 19:55 Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey 20:50 Come Dine With Me 21:40 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 22:20 Antiques Roadshow 23:15 Bargain Hunt EditionEdition 00:15 Dynamo: Magician Impossible 01:10 Mythbusters Dirty Dozen 02:05 Mythbusters 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 Dynamo: Magician Impossible 12:20 Mythbusters Dirty Dozen 13:15 Mythbusters 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 American Guns 22:25 Behind Bars 23:20 Chris Ryan’s Elite Police 23:20 Surviving Disaster 00:40 Gadget Show - World Tour 01:05 How Tech Works 01:35 The Colony 02:25 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 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 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 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 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 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 Things That Move 17:30 How Stuff’s Made 18:00 Gadget Show - World Tour 18:25 How Tech Works 18:50 Mighty Ships 19:40 How The Universe Works 20:30 Weird Or What?

21:20 22:10 22:35 23:00 23:50

Da Vinci’s Machines Gadget Show - World Tour How Tech Works Weird Or What?

How The Universe Works

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 ecial Agent Oso 23:50 Lazytown 00:30 01:25 01:50 02:20 03:15 04:10 05:05 06:00 06:55 08:00 08:25 08:55 09:20 09:50 10:15 10:45 11:40 12:05 12:35 13:30 14:25 15:20 16:15 16:40 17:10 17:35 18:05 18:30 19:00 19:55 20:50 21:45 22:40 23:35

00:15 00:40 01:05 01:30 01:55 02:20 02:45 03:10 03:35 04:00 04:25 04:50 05:15 05:40 06:05 06:30 07:10 Basics 07:35 Basics 08:00 08:50

M1 Challenge Gotta Grudge Gotta Grudge Pro Bull Riders 2011 World Combat League Enfusion Monster Jam M1 Challenge Pro Bull Riders 2011 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2009 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2009 Tread BMX Tread BMX The Alli Show The Alli Show AMA Motocross 2011 Fantasy Factory Fantasy Factory Pro Bull Riders 2011 Mantracker I’ll Do Anything World Combat League Fantasy Factory Fantasy Factory Tread BMX Tread BMX The Alli Show The Alli Show Mantracker Pro Bull Riders 2011 I’ll Do Anything World Combat League Monster Jam Enfusion

Have Cake, Will Travel Guy’s Big Bite Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Heat Seekers Charly’s Cake Angels Charly’s Cake Angels Unique Sweets Unique Sweets Have Cake, Will Travel Have Cake, Will Travel Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Heat Seekers Guy’s Big Bite Grill It! With Bobby Flay Unwrapped Iron Chef America Barefoot Contessa - Back To Barefoot Contessa - Back To Food Network Challenge Barefoot Contessa - Back To

Basics 09:15 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 11:20 Cooking For Real 11:45 Food Crafters 12:10 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 12:35 Heat Seekers 13:00 Iron Chef America 13:50 Guy’s Big Bite 14:15 Cooking For Real 14:40 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 15:05 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 15:30 Food Crafters 15:55 Unique Eats 16:20 Unique Eats 16:45 Chopped 17:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 18:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 18:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 18:50 Heat Seekers 19:15 Guy’s Big Bite 19:40 Unique Eats 20:05 Unique Eats 20:30 Chopped 21:20 Iron Chef America 22:10 Food Crafters 22:35 Food Crafters 23:00 Unique Eats 23:25 Unique Eats 23:50 Unwrapped

00:15 00:45 01:40 02:05 02:35 03:00 03:30 03:55 04:25 05:20 05:45 06:15 06:40 07:10 07:35 08:05 09:00 09:25 09:55 10:20 10:50 11:15 11:45 12:40 13:05 13:35 14:00 14:30 14:55 15:25 16:20 16:45 17:15 17:40 18:10 18:35 19:05 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 22:00 22:25 22:55 23:20 23:50

Pressure Cook Long Way Down Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Danger Beach Into The Drink Perilous Journeys Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 Pressure Cook Pressure Cook Long Way Down Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Danger Beach Into The Drink Perilous Journeys Danger Beach Danger Beach David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 2 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 2 Pressure Cook Pressure Cook Long Way Down Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Danger Beach Into The Drink Perilous Journeys Pressure Cook Pressure Cook David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 2 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 2 Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 David Rocco‚Äôs Dolce Vita 3

23:00 Naked Science 00:00 01:00 01:55 02:50 03:45 04:40 05:35 06:30 07:25 08:20 09:15 10:10 11:05 12:00 13:00 India) 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Hunter Hunted American Eagle Nordic Wild Unlikely Animal Friends Freaks & Creeps Sahara Built for the Kill Nordic Wild Unlikely Animal Friends Freaks & Creeps Dangerous Encounters Fish Warrior Ultimate Predators GPU Big Cat Odyssey Wild India (aka Secrets of Wild Unlikely Animal Friends Freaks & Creeps Dangerous Encounters Fish Warrior Ultimate Predators GPU Nordic Wild Unlikely Animal Friends Freaks & Creeps Dangerous Encounters Fish Warrior

Zoo Confidential 23:00 Dangerous Encounters 00:15 02:00 03:45 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 21:30

Army Of Darkness-18 Faster-PG15 13 Assassins-18 Reign Of Fire-PG15 Men In Black II-PG The Transporter-PG15 Cross-18 Men In Black II-PG The Recruit-PG15 Cross-18 Carriers-PG15 The Godfather-18

22:00 13 Assassins-1822:00 Homecoming-18 00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 Bored To Death 02:00 Entourage 02:30 Family Guy 03:00 How I Met Your Mother 03:30 Last Man Standing 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 How I Met Your Mother 09:00 Seinfeld 09:30 Seinfeld 10:00 Modern Family 10:30 The Office 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 Friends 12:30 Samantha Who? 13:00 Seinfeld

13:30 Seinfeld 14:00 Last Man Standing 14:30 The Office 15:00 Modern Family 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Friends 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 How I Met Your Mother 18:30 Baby Daddy 19:00 Whitney 19:30 The Office 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Bored To Death 22:30 Entourage 23:00 Family Guy 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Fall 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 22:00 23:00

Parenthood Combat Hospital Smash Justified Bunheads Warehouse 13 Parenthood Emmerdale Coronation Street C.S.I. New York Smash Combat Hospital Bunheads 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 Necessary Roughness The X Factor U.S. Smash Downton Abbey

01:00 The Untouchables-PG15 03:00 Kalifornia-18 05:00 Taxi-PG15 07:00 The Fourth Kind-PG15 09:00 True Justice: Street Wars-PG15 11:00 Taxi-PG15 13:00 Odysseus: Voyage To The Underworld-PG15 15:00 True Justice: Street Wars-PG15 17:00 Legendary Assassin-PG15 19:00 Blood Out-18 21:00 Survival Of The Dead-18 23:00 The Thaw-PG15

00:00 The Banger Sisters-PG15 02:00 The Dilemma-PG15 04:00 The Bad News Bears (1976)PG15 06:00 Rebound-PG 08:00 Melinda And Melinda-PG15 10:00 Open Season 3-FAM 12:00 Desperately Seeking SantaPG15 14:00 Wayne’s World-PG15 16:00 Open Season 3-FAM 18:00 The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou-PG15 20:00 The Decoy Bride-PG15 22:00 Extract-PG15 22:00 Frenemy-18 00:00 The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou-PG15 02:00 The Decoy Bride-PG15 04:00 Open Season 3-FAM 06:00 Desperately Seeking SantaPG15 08:00 Wayne’s World-PG15 10:00 How The Grinch Stole Christmas-PG 12:00 Little Shop Of Horrors-PG15 14:00 The Ladykillers-PG15 16:00 How The Grinch Stole Christmas-PG 18:00 Tank Girl-PG15 20:00 The Royal Tenenbaums-18 22:00 Barry Munday-18 Square Grouper-18 01:15 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 PG15 21:00 23:00

Ondine-PG15 Battle For Terra-PG Call Of The Wild-PG15 Glee: The Concert Movie-PG15 Hop-PG Thor-PG15 Love The Beast-PG Pina-PG15 Hop-PG Rise Of The Planet Of The ApesThe Lincoln Lawyer-PG15 The Change Up-18

01:00 Spy Kids: All The Time In The World-PG 02:45 Marco Macaco-FAM 04:30 Rh+ The Vampire Of Seville-PG 06:00 The Muppets Take ManhattanPG 08:00 Turtle Hero: Part I-FAM 10:00 Princess Sydney: The Three Gold Coins-FAM 11:30 Kung Fu Panda 2-PG 13:00 The Three Bears: Dreadful Dangers-FAM 14:30 Spy Kids: All The Time In The World-PG 16:00 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2-PG 18:00 Princess Sydney: The Three Gold Coins-FAM 19:30 Gulliver’s Travels-PG 21:30 Turtle Hero: Part I-FAM 23:30 The Three Bears: Dreadful Dangers-FAM 22:15 Resident Evil 4: Afterlife-18 02:00 03:00 03:30 05:30 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 12:00 14:00 14:30 18:30 22:00

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KUWAIT

KNCC PROGRAM FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (15/11/2012 TO 21/11/2012) SHARQIA-1 SINISTER (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED SHARQIA-2 THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED SHARQIA-3 FLIGHT (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED MUHALAB-1 HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:45 PM 10:15 PM 12:45 AM

1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:15 PM 9:45 PM 12:15 AM

2:00 PM 4:45 PM 6:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:30 AM

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

MUHALAB-2 MISS MOMMY (DIG) 2:00 PM JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) 4:00 PM NO FRI (16.11.2012) Special Show “JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI)” for Western Union 4:00 PM FRI (16.11.2012) FLIGHT (DIG) 7:30 PM MISS MOMMY (DIG) 10:00 PM FLIGHT (DIG) 12:05 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED MUHALAB-3 WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED FANAR-1 MISS MOMMY (DIG) SON OF SARDAR (DIG) (HINDI) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) SON OF SARDAR (DIG) (HINDI) THE SWEENEY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED FANAR-2 SINISTER (DIG) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) SINISTER (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:15 PM 5:45 PM 7:45 PM 10:15 PM 12:45 AM

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 9:30 PM 12:30 AM

1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:45 AM

FANAR-3 JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) 12:45 PM JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) 4:15 PM NO FRI (16.11.2012) Special Show “JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI)” for Western Union 4:15 PM FRI (16.11.2012) JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) 7:45 PM JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) 11:00 PM NO SUN+TUE+WED TAKEN2 :2D 11:00 PM SUN+TUE+WED FANAR-4 LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED FANAR-5 FLIGHT FLIGHT FLIGHT FLIGHT FLIGHT NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:45 PM 2:45 PM

AVENUES-4 JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:15 PM 4:45 PM 8:15 PM 11:45 PM

AVENUES-5 THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG)

1:30 PM 4:00 PM 6:15 PM 8:15 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 10:00 PM

3:30 PM 6:00 PM 8:30 PM 11:00 PM 2:00 PM 4:30 PM 7:00 PM 9:30 PM 12:05 AM

AVENUES-7 ALEX CROSS (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) TAKEN2 :2D ALEX CROSS (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

AVENUES-8 TAKEN2 :2D SON OF SARDAR (DIG) (HINDI) SON OF SARDAR (DIG) (HINDI) SON OF SARDAR (DIG) (HINDI) TAKEN2 :2D NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 6:00 PM 9:00 PM 12:05 AM

AVENUES-9 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) 1:30 PM LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR (DIG-3D) 3 : 3 0 PM WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) 5:45 PM HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) 8:00 PM THE SWEENEY (DIG) 10:15 PM THE SWEENEY (DIG) 12:30 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED AVENUES-10 JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) 12:30 PM JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) 4:00 PM NO FRI (16.11.2012) Special Show “JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI)” for Western Union 4:00 PM FRI (16.11.2012) JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) 7:30 PM JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) 11:00 PM NO SUN+TUE+WED AVENUES-11 THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

360 º- 3 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) TAKEN2 :2D JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) NO SUN+TUE+WED TAKEN2 :2D SUN+TUE+WED 360 º- 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 360 º- 5 WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) THU+FRI+SAT THE SWEENEY (DIG) THU+FRI+SAT WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 3:00 PM 5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:30 PM 1:00 AM

1:15 PM 3:45 PM 6:15 PM 8:45 PM 11:15 PM

2:30 PM 4:45 PM 7:00 PM 9:30 PM 1:00 AM

2:00 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 8:45 PM 11:00 PM 11:00 PM

1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

1:45 PM

1:00 PM 3:15 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM

360 º- 7 MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:15 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 9:00 PM 11:15 PM 1:15 AM

360 º- 8 JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) 1:30 PM JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) 5:00 PM NO FRI (16.11.2012) Special Show “JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI)” for Western Union 5:00 PM FRI (16.11.2012) JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) 8:30 PM JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) 12:05 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED 360 º- 9(VIP-1) JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 4:00 PM 7:30 PM 11:00 PM

360 º-10(VIP-2) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) NO THU (15.11.2012) Special Show “THE TWILIGHT SAGA : BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG)” THU (15.11.2012) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED 360 º- 11 SINISTER (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) 360 º- 12 THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED 360 º- 13 THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (IMAX) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (IMAX) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (IMAX) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (IMAX) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (IMAX) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (IMAX) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:00 PM 4:30 PM 7:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:30 PM 12:05 AM

1:00 PM 3:30 PM 6:00 PM 8:30 PM 11:00 PM

1:30 PM 4:00 PM 6:30 PM 9:00 PM 11:30 PM

12:30 PM 3:00 PM 5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:30 PM 1:00 AM

360 º- 14 MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:15 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:15 PM 12:15 AM

360 º- 15 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) SON OF SARDAR (DIG) (HINDI) SON OF SARDAR (DIG) (HINDI) SON OF SARDAR (DIG) (HINDI) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:45 PM 4:00 PM 7:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:45 AM

AL-KOUT.1 THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:15 PM 12:45 AM

AL-KOUT.2 MISS MOMMY (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:30 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

AL-KOUT.3 ALEX CROSS (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:45 PM 12:15 AM

AL-KOUT.4 HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) TAKEN2 :2D THE SWEENEY (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 4:45 PM 7:00 PM 9:30 PM 11:45 PM

4:00 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:45 PM 1:00 AM

12:30 AM 360 º- 6 LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR SINISTER (DIG) SINISTER (DIG)

NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:00 PM

AVENUES-6 SINISTER (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:15 PM 4:45 PM 7:15 PM 9:45 PM 12:15 AM

MARINA-2 FLIGHT (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:15 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 9:00 PM 11:15 PM 2:30 PM 5:00 PM 7:30 PM 10:00 PM 12:30 AM

360 º- 2 ALEX CROSS (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) JAB TAK HAI JAAN (DIG) (HINDI) ALEX CROSS (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

9:30 PM

10:00 PM 12:15 AM

AVENUES-3 FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:05 AM

7:00 PM

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:15 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM 12:05 AM

AVENUES-1 MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG)

AVENUES-2 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)

360 º- 1 FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) FLIGHT (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

4:30 PM

MARINA-1 HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) ALEX CROSS (DIG) HERE COMES THE BOOM (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) SINISTER (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

MARINA-3 WRECK-IT RALPH (DIG-3D) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

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 12:15 AM

BAIRAQ-1 THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) 12:30 PM LEGENDS OF VALHALLA: THOR (DIG-3D) 3 : 0 0 PM THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) 5:00 PM THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) 7:30 PM THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) 10:00 PM THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 (DIG) 12:30 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED

Classifieds THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines PIA KLM JAI THY JZR JZR QTR ETH GFA BBC UAE ETD FDB MSR RJA QTR KAC DHX THY JZR KAC JZR BAW KAC KAC FDB KAC UAE KAC GFA KAC ABY QTR FDB ETD GFA IRA TMA JZR MEA IYE UAE MSR GFA FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC QTR MPH QTR JZR JZR QTR OMA JZR UAE ETD RJA GFA SVA QTR ABY UAL KAC JZR FDB JZR KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC OMA FDB JAI KAC MSR ABY SVA QTR ALK MEA GFA ETD UAE DHX JZR BBC FDB DHX AIC JZR GFA JZR UAL DLH

Arrival Flights on Thursday 15/11/2012 Flt Route 205 LAHORE 411 AMSTERDAM / DAMMAM 574 MUMBAI 772 ISTANBUL 267 BEIRUT 539 CAIRO 148 DOHA 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 5021 DHAKA 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 642 AMMAN 138 DOHA 544 CAIRO 370 BAHRAIN 770 ISTANBUL 555 ALEXANDRIA 416 JAKARTA / KUALA LUMPUR 529 ASSIUT 157 LONDON 352 COCHIN 206 ISLAMABAD 53 DUBAI 332 TRIVANDRUM 855 DUBAI 344 CHENNAI 223 BAHRAIN 284 DHAKA 121 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 55 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 213 BAHRAIN 619 LAR 213 BEIRUT 165 DUBAI 404 BEIRUT 825 SANAA 871 DUBAI 610 CAIRO 219 BAHRAIN 57 DUBAI 678 ABU DHABI 672 DUBAI 362 COLOMBO / MUSCAT 546 ALEXANDRIA 140 DOHA 97 AMSTERDAM 6130 DOHA 561 SOHAG 257 BEIRUT 134 DOHA 645 MUSCAT 535 CAIRO 857 DUBAI 303 ABU DHABI 640 AMMAN 215 BAHRAIN 510 RIYADH 144 DOHA 127 SHARJAH 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 542 CAIRO 177 DUBAI 63 DUBAI 787 RIYADH 166 PARIS / ROME 618 DOHA 742 DAMMAM 674 DUBAI 102 NEW YORK / LONDON 774 RIYADH 647 MUSCAT 61 DUBAI 572 MUMBAI 786 JEDDAH 618 ALEXANDRIA 129 SHARJAH 506 JEDDAH 146 DOHA 229 COLOMBO 402 BEIRUT 221 BAHRAIN 307 ABU DHABI 859 DUBAI 172 BAHRAIN 135 BAHRAIN 43 DHAKA 59 DUBAI 372 BAHRAIN 975 CHENNAI / GOA 239 AMMAN 217 BAHRAIN 185 DUBAI 981 BAHRAIN 636 FRANKFURT

Time 0:25 0:30 0:30 0:35 0:45 0:50 1:00 1:45 1:50 2:10 2:35 2:45 3:05 3:10 3:15 3:45 4:20 5:15 5:30 6:00 6:25 6:35 6:40 7:35 7:40 7:45 8:15 8:40 8:40 8:45 8:45 9:05 9:10 9:15 9:20 9:55 10:35 11:00 11:20 11:55 12:05 12:50 13:05 13:35 13:50 14:00 14:15 14:20 14:30 14:35 14:50 14:50 14:50 15:05 15:30 15:40 16:25 16:40 16:50 16:55 17:15 17:20 17:50 17:55 17:55 18:05 18:15 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 20:35 20:35 20:45 20:55 21:20 21:30 21:35 21:40 21:40 21:50 21:55 22:00 22:00 22:30 22:45 22:50 23:05 23:25 23:55

Airlines AIC AXB UAL DLH JAI SAI ETH THY FDB UAE ETD MSR QTR QTR JZR GFA KAC THY FDB BAW IRA IRA JZR JZR KAC GFA KAC ABY UAE FDB ETD QTR IZG GFA BAB KAC KAC KAC JZR MSC MEA KAC JZR SYR MSR UAE GFA FDB KAC KAC KAC SVA JZR QTR KAC OMA JZR ETD JZR QTR UAE RJA GFA JZR SVA ABY JZR QTR RBG JZR UAL FDB BAB TAR MSC KAC FDB KAC KAC OMA KAC JAI AXB ABY KAC AXB ABY MSC MSR KAC DHX ALK MEA ETD QTR QTR GFA FDB KAC JZR UAE JAI KAC DHX QTR GFA JZR KAC KAC

Depature Flights on Thursday 15/11/2012 Flt Route 976 GOA / CHENNAI 390 MANGALORE 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 637 FRANKFURT 573 MUMBAI 442 LAHORE 621 ADDIS ABABA 773 ISTANBUL 68 DUBAI 854 DUBAI 306 ABU DHABI 613 CAIRO 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 545 ALEXANDRIA 771 ISTANBUL 54 DUBAI 156 LONDON 606 MASHAD 616 AHWAZ 256 BEIRUT 534 CAIRO 101 LONDON / NEW YORK 224 BAHRAIN 671 DUBAI 122 SHARJAH 856 DUBAI 56 DUBAI 302 ABU DHABI 133 DOHA 4162 MASHAD 214 BAHRAIN 437 BAHRAIN 541 CAIRO 501 BEIRUT 165 ROME / PARIS 776 JEDDAH 406 SOHAG 405 BEIRUT 785 JEDDAH 176 DUBAI 342 DAMASCUS 611 CAIRO 872 DUBAI 220 BAHRAIN 58 DUBAI 673 DUBAI 561 AMMAN 617 DOHA 505 JEDDAH 188 DUBAI 141 DOHA 773 RIYADH 646 MUSCAT 238 AMMAN 304 ABU DHABI 538 CAIRO 135 DOHA 858 DUBAI 641 AMMAN 216 BAHRAIN 184 DUBAI 511 RIYADH 128 SHARJAH 266 BEIRUT 145 DOHA 3554 ALEXANDRIA 134 BAHRAIN 982 BAHRAIN 64 DUBAI 439 BAHRAIN 328 TUNIS 404 ASSIUT 283 DHAKA 62 DUBAI 351 COCHIN 331 TRIVANDRUM 648 MUSCAT 331 TRIVANDRUM 571 MUMBAI 394 KOZHIKODE 120 SHARJAH 343 CHENNAI 394 KOZHIKODE 120 SHARJAH 402 ALEXANDRIA 619 ALEXANDRIA 543 CAIRO 171 BAHRAIN 230 COLOMBO 403 BEIRUT 308 ABU DHABI 137 DOHA 137 DOHA 222 BAHRAIN 60 DUBAI 361 MUSCAT / COLOMBO 554 ALEXANDRIA 860 DUBAI 575 COCHIN 205 ISLAMABAD 373 BAHRAIN 147 DOHA 218 BAHRAIN 528 ASSIUT 415 KUALA LUMPUR / JAKARTA 411 BANGKOK / MANILA

Time 0:05 0:15 1:10 1:20 1:30 2:30 2:45 2:55 3:45 3:50 4:00 4:10 4:50 6:05 6:55 7:00 7:30 7:35 8:25 8:45 8:50 8:55 9:05 9:15 9:20 9:30 9:40 9:45 9:55 10:00 10:05 10:10 10:15 10:40 10:50 11:30 11:45 11:50 12:15 12:35 12:55 13:00 13:50 13:55 14:05 14:15 14:20 14:30 15:05 15:40 15:45 16:00 16:05 16:15 16:25 16:40 17:15 17:35 17:40 17:45 17:50 17:55 18:15 18:30 18:35 18:40 18:45 18:50 19:00 19:05 19:10 19:25 19:30 19:45 20:00 20:30 20:40 20:45 20:55 20:55 20:55 21:10 21:15 21:15 21:15 21:15 21:15 21:20 21:25 21:40 21:50 21:55 22:20 22:20 22:25 22:25 22:30 22:40 22:40 22:45 22:50 22:55 23:00 23:00 23:10 23:50 23:50 23:55 23:55

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

FOR SALE Mitsubishi Galant, 2006 model, silver color, beige interior, 1,25,000 km, serviced by dealership, owned

by American lady, price KD 1,500/-. Contact: 99405067.

(C 4218) 15-11-2012 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

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)

SITUATION VACANT A lady maid is needed to work for a single Arab/American man in a 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)

MATRIMONIAL Seeking proposal for daughter age 26, Msc., 5.6 heights, fair, slim, born & brought up in Kuwait, Pakistani Muslim family, current Kuwait resident.

14-11-2012 I, Mohammed Hameedudeen, S/o Mohamed Tajudeen, holder

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) 11-11-2012

Keralite, B.D.S Doctor girl, 30 years, born again Baptized, Ornament wearing, seeking marriage proposal. Contact Email: rajangeorge101@gmail.com (C 4216)

112

CHANGE OF NAME I, Madhavan, holder of Indian Passport No. H5961296, son of Muthukrishanan, converted to Islam and do now hereafter be known by my new name MOHAMED SHARIF. (C 4217)

Contact: pkproposal22@gmail.com (C 4219) 15-11-2012

Prayer timings Fajr:

04:49

Duhr:

11:32

Asr:

14:33

Maghrib:

16:55

Isha:

18:14

GOVERNMENT WEB SITES Kuwait Parliament www.majlesalommah.net

The Public Institution for Social Security www.pifss.gov.kw

Ministry of Interior www.moi.gov.kw

Public Authority of Industry www.pai.gov.kw

Public Authority for Civil Information www.paci.gov.kw

Prisoners of War Committee www.pows.org.kw

Kuwait News Agency www.kuna.net.kw

Ministry of Foreign Affairs www.mofa.gov.kw

Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affair www.islam.gov.kw

Kuwait Municipality www.municipality.gov.kw

Ministry of Energy (Oil) www.moo.gov.kw

Kuwait Electronic Government www.e.gov.kw

Ministry of Energy (Electricity and Water) www.energy.govt.kw

Ministry of Finance www.mof.gov.kw

Public Authority for Housing Welfare www.housing.gov.kw

Ministry of Commerce and Industry www.moci.gov.kw

Ministry of Justice www.moj.gov.kw

Ministry of Education www.moe.edu.kw

Ministry of Communications www.moc.kw

Ministry of Information www.moinfo.gov.kw

Supreme Council for Planning and Development www.scpd.gov.kw

Kuwait Awqaf Public Foundation www.awqaf.org

34

s ta rs Word Search

CROSSWORD 9

ACROSS 4. The capital and largest city of Nepal.

12. Your general store of remembered information.

15. A rapid bustling commotion.

16. Limbless scaly elongate reptile.

17. An associate degree in applied science.

18. German mathematician (1804-1851).

20. Spiritual leader of a Jewish congregation.

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

22. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

23. The act of catching an object with the hands.

25. (chemistry) Being or containing an acid.

27. Type genus of the Soleidae.

29. (Old Testament) The eldest son of Isaac who would have inherited the Covenant that God made with Abraham and that Abraham passed on to Isaac.

30. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.

31. An outburst resembling the discharge of firearms or the release of bombs.

32. A villainous Jew in Charles Dickens' novel "Oliver Twist".

36. Typical geese.

39. The mission in San Antonio where in 1836 Mexican forces under Santa Anna besieged and massacred American rebels who were fighting to make Texas independent of Mexico.

43. North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

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

45. A doctor's degree in education.

47. Outstanding United States athlete (1914-1956).

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

52. A region of Malaysia in northeastern Borneo.

54. Type genus of the Sittidae.

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

57. (botany) Of or relating to the axil.

59. A roughly cylindrical that is vessel open at the top.

60. A wooden hand tool with a pointed end.

62. Traveling on horseback.

64. A person who seeds clouds.

67. Port city of Denmark in eastern Jutland.

68. (Greek mythology) A mythical monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man.

70. In or of the month preceding the present one.

74. One of the most common of the five major classes of immunoglobulins.

75. Constituting the undiminished entirety.

78. United States sculptor (born in 1924).

79. A serve that strikes the net before falling into the receiver's court.

80. A headlong rush of people on a common impulse.

82. A statement that deviates from or perverts the truth.

83. The compass point midway between northeast and east.

84. A great raja.

85. A benevolent aspect of Devi.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

Yesterday’s Solution

DOWN 1. Sole genus of the family Naiadaceae.

2. A state in the Rocky Mountains.

3. Relating to or applicable to or concerned with the administration of a city or town or district rather than a larger area.

4. An orange-brown antelope of southeast Africa.

5. Type genus of the Apidae.

6. The fifth day of the week.

7. Annual sunflower grown for silage and for its seeds which are a source of oil.

8. (Babylonian) A demigod or first man.

9. Horny projecting mouth of a bird.

10. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

11. An agency of the United Nations responsible for programs to aid education and the health of children and mothers in developing countries.

12. Relating to or characteristic of or occurring on land.

13. A sock with a separation for the big toe.

14. One thousandth of a second.

19. Excessively fat.

24. A state in the western United States.

26. A plant hormone promoting elongation of stems and roots.

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

33. A stringed instrument usually having six strings.

34. Old World genus of annual to perennial herbs.

35. Speak in a nasal voice.

37. The back side of the neck.

38. A detailed description of design criteria for a piece of work.

40. Any of numerous ornamental shrubs grown for their showy flowers of various colors.

41. A member of the Siouan people formerly living in the Missouri river valley in NE Nebraska.

42. A midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region.

46. An honorary degree in science.

48. A very poisonous metallic element that has three allotropic forms.

49. A quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one).

51. A group of Plains Indians formerly living in what is now North and South Dakota and Nebraska and Kansas and Arkansas and Louisiana and Oklahoma and Texas.

53. Elder brother of Krishna.

56. 17th and 18th-century movement in the German Lutheran Church stressing personal piety and devotion.

58. A demon who swallows the sun causing eclipses.

61. Wild geese.

63. Small genus of erect balsam-scented herbs.

65. German chemist who did research on highspeed chemical reactions (born in 1927).

66. Related on the mother's side.

69. A state in the western United States.

71. An Eskimo hut.

72. Injure or wound seriously and leave permanent disfiguration or mutilation.

73. Evergreen trees and shrubs having oily one-seeded fruits.

76. An emergency procedure consisting of external cardiac massage and artificial respiration.

77. A beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water.

81. A person who announces and plays popular recorded music.

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19)

Frustrating conversations and the feeling that you are coming across in a less than positive way are possible now. You may feel that others are not as receptive to you as normal today. If that’s the case then plan as quiet a day as possible and get things done with as little interaction with others till this passes. If you are waiting for that fantasy to walk through the door and become a reality, well it could happen, but not if you’re sitting at home watching the television. If you want it you are just going to have to make an effort to go out and find it! So make some plans to be places and meet people today that could get you noticed.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

There could be a bit of friction occurring within the home environment, but nothing that a bit of TLC or a strong talking-to won’t fix. You can create some extra excitement in your life by spending time with the more eccentric or iconoclastic individuals in your life. A new workout regime could be what the doctor ordered. Feelings and internal visions can get a bit mixed up right now. Emotional miscommunication, either unintended or on purpose, may get in the way of how you really feel. Misunderstandings can snowball, so be ready to cut loose and try again later. Avoid long term commitments if possible, try to keep things open for negotiation at a later time.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) There comes a time when you just have to put your foot down concerning a certain issue, and today could include that time. If you have really made it clear to someone that you aren’t interested, there shouldn’t be a problem.

However, you may have just given out double messages. Socializing and having a good time with others is the energy you may feel now. You may meet people of that will have importance or influence in your domestic life.

So if you get invited to socialize, party or just spend some quiet time with someone then you might make the effort to find the time and say yes.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Others may find you especially witty and eccentric just now. You may have insights or breakthroughs in regard to your living situation or life circumstances. Others value you for your independence and unique qualities. It’s nice to be appreciated isn’t it. Memories and old feelings surface at this time, things you may have forgotten or wanted to forget. You may wish to visit, email, or make a telephone call to someone from your past. Any closure you can get at this time from past issues will benefit you in all your other relationships both now and in the future.

Libra (September 23-October 22) Working energetically with a clear objective in mind, advancing your own professional goals and enlisting others’ support for your projects by acting as a leader, are key issues now. Your superiors and others in authority respond favorably to your confidence and your willingness to take a risk or attack a problem in a new way. This is an excellent time to discuss your feelings and clear the air on any grievances you may be holding on to from the past. It is easy for you to talk about your feelings now, and also to listen sensitively to not only what others are saying but also what they are feeling.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

Stability and permanence satisfy a deep emotional need. Music is likely to play a more important role for you than usual, and a period of material acquisition can satisfy a deep yearning to be free from want. Envision what you need and it will appear for you right on time. Have faith, and you will have had reason to. This is a time for discovering others or for finding yourself able to respond to friends and lovers. Also a time to enter into relationships with a renewed sense of love and compassion. Real breakthroughs, a willingness to try new and different approaches to relationships are going to get you farther than doing nothing at all.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You may be able to enjoy and value your own life situation today or feel especially kind towards a friend or loved one. Someone may compliment you on your tastes or belongings. Compliment them back and start up the conversation, you may have more in common than you thought. Your feelings for friends and loved ones, and your emotional responses to life in general are deeper and more intense. The need to share, to give and receive love, and to be accepted and wanted is very strong. You have an opportunity now to see what keeps you from being really close to others and to rid yourself of it by bringing it out in the open or simply letting it go.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Things may not have appeared too rosy regarding a recent career or financial issue, but today shows the possibility of something shifting in this area.

Difficulties with in-laws or wayward kids may require some outside help.

Plans to take a journey are put into action before somebody changes his/her mind. Moods swing erratically and otherwise stable situations may suddenly fall apart when you least expect it, so whatever you are doing make sure you have a couple of backup plans just in case. Don’t return harshness with the same, as it is only passing and now is not the time to make or take offense.

Yesterday’s Solution

Leo (July 23-August 22)

Quiet, low-profile support carries you along. It’s a good time to get together with close friends or acquaintances and just socialize. Communication comes easy, and you can get yourself across without having to work at it. By joining in the general company, you enjoy the benefits of all. People are feeling insecure, so avoid encouraging any negativity you encounter. Some people may try to take advantage of you at this time. Some may even attempt to treat you like the proverbial doormat. Although your desire to please may be very strong, don’t allow yourself to be taken advantage of, or you may find yourself being taken for granted in the future.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

Feelings and desires may tug and roil around you, and trying to cut an even balance may be a challenge. Today’s beginnings may mature into tomorrow’s turmoil, so don’t fly off the handle and don’t jump into something you’re not sure of. Let the waters settle until tomorrow, then decide on it.

This is a good time to spoil yourself and also to spend time with the people who love and appreciate you the most. The craving for sweetness and comfort in the form of loving affection is strong now. Also, you may be feeling rather tender and softhearted, and may do or say something on impulse.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

You could be most persuasive with others, and eloquent in speech and communication. The situation is a natural for self-expression and lends itself to your particular ideas and thoughts. You could be seen by others as just the person to be put in charge of some project requiring a conservative mind.

Relationships run smoothly for you today, so it’s a good time to show your partner how much you really appreciate them for the little things. If you have a solid emotional base in your life, you will receive the benefits of that.

If not, this is a good time to network with people so you can broaden your social circle and find someone that you can form a lasting relationships with.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) Confusion and the poorly structured plans of others may slow your progress down today. Don’t adopt the fragile schemes of others and make them your own. Think logically and you will easily cut a path through the uncertainty around you. Progress can be made if you move forward using a plan of your own device. An intuitive sense of just how to handle your emotions in your close relationships are more than likely for you today. Knowing in your deepest self just where you are going without having to explain things can let you advance farther along with less energy wasted. Don’t push so hard that you do more damage than good, allow that the power of mutual attraction will get you exactly where you want to go.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 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 Mirqab

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Hawally

ST TATE T OF K KUW WAIT A

Tel.: e 161

DIRECTORA ATE T GEN GENERAL OF CIVIL AV VIA AT TION METEOROLOGICAL DEP PARTMENT A DA AY: Y Weednesday

Ext.: 2627 26 - 2630

Issue Time

BY Y NIGHT:

Cool with light to moderate north westerly wind, with speed of 08 - 30 km/h

BY Y DA AY:

Fair with light to moderate north westerly wind, with speed of 12 - 35 km/h

WA ARNING

No Current Warnings arnin a

MAX. REC.

MIN. N. EXP P.

KUW WA AIT CITY

27 °C

16 °C

22451082

KUW WA AIT AIRPOR RT

27 °C

14 °C

22456536

NUW WAISEEB A

24 °C

15 °C

Sharq

22465401

WA AFRA

24 °C

14 °C

Salmiya

25746401

SALMI

25 °C

13 °C

ABDAL LY

27 °C

14 °C

JAL ALIY YAH A

26 °C

13 °C

FAILAKA A

26 °C

19 °C

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

AHMADI POR RT

25 °C

18 °C

Mishref

25381200

UMM AL-MARADEM

25 °C

20 °C

W Hawally

22630786

WA ARBA A - BUBY YA AN

26 °C

17 °C

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Ardhiya

24884079

SFC. CHART

14/11/2012 1200 UTC

4 DA AY YS FORECAST

Firdous

24892674

Omariya

24719048

N Khaitan

24710044

Fintas

23900322

Temperatures DA AT TE

WEA ATHER T

Thursday

15/11

Friday Saturday Sunday

Wind Speed

Wind Direction

MAX.

MIN.

fair

27 °C

14 °C

16/11

fair + high clouds

25 °C

17/11

clouds to increase

26 °C

18/11

partly cloudy

28 °C

NW

12 - 35 km/h

12 °C

NW

15 - 35 km/h

12 °C

NW-N

08 - 30 km/h

13 °C

VRB-SE

06 - 26 km/h

RECORDED YESTERDA AY AT KUW WA AIT AIRPOR RT

PRA AYER Y TIMES Fajr

04:49

MAX. Temp.

Sunrise

06:11

MIN. Temp.

26 °C 20 °C

Zuhr

11:33

MAX. RH

74 %

Asr

14:32

MIN. RH

42 %

Sunset

16:53

MAX. Wind

N 60 km/h

Isha

18:13

TOT TA AL L RA AINF FALL A L IN 24 HR.

All times are local time unless otherwise stated.

.9 mm

14/11/12 14:06 UTC

V1.00

T1.06

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Khaled Hamadi

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist

25665898 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535

Dentists

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

22618787

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

lifestyle F e a t u r e s

huge, internally flawless diamond from India’s fabled Golconda mines was sold at auction in Geneva on Tuesday night for a record 20.355 million Swiss francs ($21.48 million), Christie’s said. The rare, colorless stone weighing 76.02 carats, and roughly the size of a large strawberry, once belonged to Archduke Joseph August of Austria (1872-1962), a prince of the Hungarian line of the Habsburgs.

Its pre-sale estimate was 15-to-25 million Swiss francs and it fetched more than double the price paid for it at auction almost two decades ago. “It is a world record for a Golconda diamond and a world record price per carat for a colorless diamond,” Francois Curiel, director of the international jewellery department at Christie’s, told reporters.

The previous record was held by the “Beau Sancy”, a pearshaped diamond of 34.98 carats, sold by rival Sotheby’s for 9 million Swiss francs last May. “The market is not on the best form at the moment. The sale tonight was almost flabbergasting,” Curiel said.

He added that the buyer, who bid by telephone, wished to remain anonymous, but said the last bidder to drop out of the sale was Fred Mouawad, an international dealer with offices in Dubai, the Middle East and Geneva. The seller was Black, Starr & Frost, an American jeweller founded in 1810 and based in California.

“My understanding is that this stone is going to a museum and it will probably be the centrepiece,” Black, Starr & Frost’s chairman Alfredo Molina told Reuters in the Geneva saleroom.

Diamonds and gemstones are a safe refuge for investors in difficult economic times, he said. “There is a crisis and people don’t trust governments and banks. Paper money is a depreciating asset,” he added. The diamond was the star lot at Christie’s semi-annual jewellery sale in Geneva, which fetched 76.6 million francs, with 290 of 348 lots sold.

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seminal work by abstract artist Mark Rothko fetched a huge $75.1 million at Sotheby’s Tuesday, while a new record was set for a Jackson Pollock drip painting as the big spenders came out in force. “No. 1 (Royal Red and Blue)” is seen by critics as one of the finest examples of Rothko’s characteristic style-a seemingly simple, but arresting juxtaposition of blocks of color. The winning bid, reached after a prolonged bidding battle in New York, was short of the record $86.9 million paid for Rothko’s “Orange, Red, Yellow” at Christie’s in May. But it was far over the pre-sale $35-50 million estimate and highlighted a contemporary art auction full of big prizes.

The work described by Sotheby’s as Rothko’s “seminal, large-scale masterpiece” was selected by the artist for his landmark 1954 solo show at the Art Institute of Chicago and had been in the same collection for 30 years before coming to market. The heated auction also saw Jackson Pollock’s “Number 4, 1951,” estimated at $25-35 million, sell for $40.4 million, easily breaking the previous $23 million record for works by the abstract expressionist. Francis Bacon brought it home with his dark “Pope” fetching $29.8 million, well past the $18-25 million estimate. The Irish-born British painter’s “Study for Head of Isabel Rawsthorne” got $9.3 million, inside the low end of the estimate.

In other action, Gerhard Richter’s “Abstraktes Bild” sold for $17.4 million, and Willem de Kooning’s “Abstraction” sold for $19.7 million, compared to the pre-sale estimates of $15-20 million. The always bankable Andy Warhol had a strong showing with “Green Disaster (Green Disaster Twice),” selling for $15.2 million, and $9.3 million for the Pop king’s “The Kiss (Bela Lugosi).” Warhol’s “Suicide,” estimated to sell for between $6-8 million, ended up at $16.3 million.

It was even an auction for some of the supposedly smaller fry to shine. “Ohne Titel (Silverbild),” a stormy looking canvas done in silver, silver nitrate, silver oxide and resin by German artist Sigmar Polke, was estimated to go for between $800,000 and $1.2 million. Final price? A whopping $4.1 million. The roaring sale of contemporary art was in stark contrast to quiet sales of impressionist works at auctions in New York last week. Yesterday, Christie’s New York held its contemporary sale.

On Monday, Christie’s held a separate, $17 million sale of Warhols as part of a planned sell-off of the Andy Warhol Foundation’s entire collection. The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts announced in September that it was dispersing of its collection to bolster its grant-making capabilities, with Christie’s the long-term partner. Some of the works will be donated to museums. — AFP

Heated bidding Nineteen lots went for more than $1 million each, the auction house said in a statement. They included a brooch with a Ceylon sapphire weighing 60.44 carats, surrounded by diamonds, that went for 1.7 million francs, more than three times its estimate. The bidding for the Archduke Joseph diamond opened at 8 million Swiss francs but the price swiftly rose amid heated telephone bidding.

Historical diamonds originating in the Golconda mines, virtually exhausted by the 18th century, include the Koh-i-Noor, now in the British crown jewels, and the blue Hope Diamond, part of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. “The Archduke Joseph Diamond is the finest and largest perfect Golconda diamond ever to appear at auction. It is comparable in its noble lineage and superb quality to the legendary Koh-i-Noor,” Rahul Kadakia, head of Christie’s jewellery for the Americas and Switzerland, said in a statement. In 1933, records show the Archduke deposited the stone in the vault of the Hungarian General Credit Bank.

“Three years later it was sold to a European banker, and kept in France, locked away in a safe deposit box, where fortunately it remained undiscovered during World War Two,” the auction house said. Decades later it surfaced at auction in 1961 and again at Christie’s in November 1993, netting 9.7 million Swiss francs, equivalent to $6.5 million at the time, the auction house said. The stone was subsequently “slightly recut”. Christie’s is privately held by French billionaire Francois Pinault. — Reuters

A model holds the ‘Archduke Joseph’ historial diamond during a Christie’s auction preview in Geneva. — AFP

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Chinese artist, Yue Minjun poses in front of one of his paintings displayed in an exhibition devoted to his work and entitled ‘L’ombre d’un fou rire’ (The shadow of a laugh) at the Fondation Cartier building in Paris. — AFP photos he painted grins are stretched so wide they seem to hurt. And that is pretty much what Yue Minjun intended, the Chinese artist explained at the Paris opening of his first major show in Europe. A former electrician turned contemporary artist, Yue shot to international attention in 1999 when his signature laughing-man self-portraits made a much-noted eruption at the Art Biennale in Venice. “If I paint laughter it is because I feel pain towards human life,” the 50-year-old, one of China’s most bankable art figures, told AFP through an interpreter. “I found a comical way to express something tragic.”

Where does this sense of tragedy come from? “It’s first and foremost a perception of human life. But it’s also a feeling towards the world we live in,” he offered. Clothed in black, his head smooth, Yue confessed to feeling “a little anxious and shy” at the sight of the four dozen paintings and 100-odd sketches that went on show yesterday at the Fondation Cartier, where they will remain to March 17. “It’s the first time I’ve seen so many of my works displayed at the same time,” he told AFP. “It’s also the first time I get to examine myself.”

“I spotted quite a few clumsy touches in my paintings,” he quipped. “I said to myself I must be one of those painters who does not know how to hide. I say things in a direct and simple way.” Yue’s cartoon-like characters are cast in contorted poses, or scenes that reference the cultural revolution, like the 2000 “Memory 4”, where a crowd of people inside a man’s skull tout what looks

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olfe Releasing has acquired US and Canadian rights to writer-director Matthew Mishory’s “A Portrait of James Dean: Joshua Tree, 1951” (“AKA Joshua Tree: 1951, A Portrait of James Dean”), the company announced on Tuesday. The film stars James Preston (“The Gates”), Dan Glenn (TV’s “Pushing Daisies”), newcomer Dalilah Rain, Edward Singletary, Jr, Robert Gant and Erin Daniels in an intimate portrait of Dean as he is on the cusp of achieving fame as both an actor and an icon.

Following its theatrical run through June 2013, the film will be released by Wolfe on VOD and DVD in 2013. “I was blown away when I first saw this gorgeous period piece about James Dean,” Wolfe President Maria Lynn said in a statement. “Generations of audiences have been fascinated by the leg-

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Rothko’s No 1 helped Sotheby’s achieve their best ever auction result.

Yue Minjun poses in front of two of his paintings.

like Mao Zedong’s Little Red Book.

“Sunrise”, painted in 1998, features a crowd of laughing faces lifted towards the rising sun. “A lot of visual memories stem from my childhood,” he explained. “It was the socialist experience. When I was a child, a great many works used to depict happy people,

one of his most political works, “The Execution” fetched 3.74 million euros ($4.76 million) at auction at Sotheby’s in London in 2007. But the artist does not like to be described as “political”. His critique is about culture, he says, namely the way that “in traditional Chinese civilisation the individual is

full of confidence, living an ideal life.”

‘I want to help people find strength’ Other works reference the European art canon, such as the 1995 “The Execution”, inspired by Goya and Manet, in which both the half-naked victims and gunmen are bent with laughter in front of what look like the walls of Beijing’s Forbidden City. Seen as

not important”.

Born in Daqing in northeastern China, Yue grew up under the cultural revolution, working first as an oil field electrician before enrolling to study art in 1985 in Hebei province. In 1991, he joined an artist community in a village near Beijing. Still reeling from the fallout of the Tiananmen Square

massacre two years earlier, he and other artists founded a current known as “cynical realism”, now one of the most influential contemporary art movements in China.

The Fondation Cartier’s director Herve Chandes said mounting the show was a challenge, since Yue’s works are spread out across Asia, Europe and the United Statesand the artist kept little trace of their whereabouts. For the Paris show, Yue loaned around 100 preparatory sketches, which had never before been shown outside the studio he shares with a handful of assistants near Beijing. The exhibit also features snaps of Yue, taken by his brother, which he used to paint his emblematic alter-egos. A slideshow reveals the artist dressed only in underpants, laughing and pulling faces as he lunges out at the camera lens.

Today Yue is still painting laughing menbut is also exploring new avenues, for instance in a series of portraits obtained by rubbing one canvas up against another.

“Usually paintings are passive. Here I want to make them active, I want them to do something.” But whatever he does, Yue is not out to comfort the viewer. “There are artists who paint calm things to bring you tranquility. I try to stimulate people with my paintings to help them find strength.” — AFP

endary actor, and Matthew Mishory and his talented cast bring the star vividly to life. We know our audience will whole-heartedly embrace this stunning film.”

The film was shot on 35mm in black and white and is punctuated by bursts of color. It blends biographical and fictionalized elements to present pivotal moments in Dean’s life. The film was an official selection of the Seattle International Film Festival, the Transylvania International Film Festival, the Rio International Film Festival, Outfest: The Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, and the Frameline Film Festival. — Reuters A journalist takes notes of art work at a press preview of a major exhibition from France’s Musee d’Orsay from the 19th century at the new modern art museum in Shanghai yesterday. Musee d’Orsay will open the exhibition tomorrow with many of the 87 paintings by artists in the French Naturalism movement, including works by Gustave Courbet and Jean-Francois Millet being shown in China for the first time. — AFP

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

lifestyle F A S H I O N

Vogue shows Raf Simons at head of Dior table fter almost two years of ups, downs and more than a little bit of drama, could it be one big happy family at Christian Dior now, with Raf Simons sitting at the head of the table? If it is, credit probably goes to his happy roots in Belgium, where the 44-year-old, an only child, was surrounded by a large extended family. He gave his first big interview since joining Dior to Vogue, and it appears in the December issue, on newsstands later this week.

Simons said his childhood encouraged a sense of community and he wanted to replicate that in his new surroundings.

“I am super proud of my parents - my mother was a cleaning

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Actress Liv Tyler attends The Ninth Annual CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards at 548 West 22nd Street yesterday in New York City. — AFP pho-

lady, and my father was a night watchman in the army,” said Simons. “And now I stand in this world, and yeah, it’s a bourgeois environment, in a house that’s seen in France as the most important position in fashion, along with Chanel. But I don’t care about that. What I find amazing is that it’s a beautiful house where I can make clothes to make women happy. I was raised in a very happy nest by very happy people, and I like to think that those are enough ingredients to make me succeed at Dior.”

It certainly seems a different mindset than Simons’ predecessor, John Galliano, had when he was fired after a video surfaced of him making anti-Semitic remarks. The interview process for the top designer spot at Christian Dior wasn’t perfunctory, not even with Simons’ impeccable reputation, coming from Jil Sander. He had to meet every single employee before parent company LVMH Moet Hennessey Louis Vuitton went public with his appointment last spring.

Many of the longtime workers saw hints of Christian Dior himself in Simons, but the designer told Vogue he wanted to honor the traditions and style that made the house so famous but also to give purpose to the future. He wanted to help pull the Dior woman from the crowd, he said. “They weren’t used to a personality like mine,” Simons told Vogue, “to someone who was so direct and communicative. “It’s my nature to go to a place and make it comfortable for everyone, to create a sense of togetherness. I wanted to make clear to everybody, and not just in the company, that ... not in an aggressive way, but in a very sweet way ... I had taken control of the situation.” — AP

Actor Tobey Maguire and Jennifer Meyer

Actress Christina Ricci

British television presenter Louise Roe

Chelsea Clinton and husband Marc Mezvinsky

Designer Peter Som and actress Allison Williams

Burgundy skirt by S5A, $99.99. Necklace by S5A, $49.99. Polka dot blouse by S5A, $89.99.

Bracelet, $24.99. Sparkle pumps by Jerome C Rousseau, $495. — MCT photos

Burgundy lace dress by Diane von Furstenberg, $199.99. Necklace by S5A, $49.99. Leopard heels by 5/48, $149.99. Belt by Betsey Johnson, $32.00. Earrings, not included.

Shop your closet for holiday inspiration nvites will be arriving soon, and the rush to find the perfect holiday party outfit will be on. But party attire doesn’t have to be a one-hit wonder. This year, try saving your pennies for presents instead of a fancy party frock, says stylist Molly Bingaman, owner of Ladybird Styling in Kansas City, Mo. “You don’t have to go buy a cocktail dress,”

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Bingaman says. “Sometimes they look goofy in winter, anyway.” Bingaman recommends shopping your closet for party wear. She often pairs bold accessories and shoes with everyday attire to give it a little sparkle. Shine, texture and sleeves are non-negotiable for Bingaman when putting together a party ensemble. Her favorite holiday colors for 2012 are burgundy and the beloved standby, black. — MCT Designer Rachel Roy

Actress Dakota Fanning and designer Jason Wu

Miranda Kerr

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

lifestyle M U S I C

&

M O V I E S

Zayn Malik

Louis Tomlinson from the British band One Direction performing on the ‘Today’.

Harry Styles from the British band One Direction performing on the ‘Today’ shows in New York.— AP photos

One Direction taps Morgan Spurlock for 3D documentary ritish boy band One Direction will make a behindthe-scenes 3D documentary film with “Super Size Me” director Morgan Spurlock at the helm, Sony Pictures said on Tuesday. The announcement came on the day the quintet released their second album, “Take

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Me Home,” which is expected to top the US charts next week.

“This is an incredible opportunity and an amazing moment in time for the band,” Spurlock said in a statement. “To capture this journey and share it with audi-

ences around the world will be an epic undertaking that I am proud to be a part of.” The film, to be released in August 2013, follows similar behind-the-scenes documentaries by pop stars Justin Bieber and Katy Perry.

Bieber’s “Never Say Never” (2011) grossed some $73

million at North American box offices. One Direction rose to fame on the British version of Simon Cowell’s talent show “The X Factor” in 2010 and have gone on to be one of the biggest pop sensations worldwide in recent years. —Reuters

A gorgeous but distant

‘Anna Karenina’ Review ll the world’s a stage, very literally, in Joe Wright’s wildly theatrical adaptation of “Anna Karenina.” If you thought the director’s five-and-a-halfminute tracking shot in “Atonement” was show-offy, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Wright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard (“Shakespeare in Love”) have taken Leo Tolstoy’s literary behemoth about love, betrayal and death among the elite in imperial Russia and boldly set it almost entirely within a decaying theater.

The inspiration comes from the notion that the members of high society conducted themselves as if they were performing on stage. The result is technically dazzling, a marvel of timing and choreography.

“Anna Karenina” is at once cleverly contained and breathtakingly fluid; it’s crammed with rich, intimate detail yet moves with a boundless energy that suggests anything is possible. A character walks across the floor and people dress him as he goes. Sets slide into an empty space at the precise moment to create a cozy surrounding. And the sense of movement is just memorable from a sound design perspective: the rapid flapping of a fan seamlessly transforms into the thundering of horse hooves, for example.

But wondrous as all this artifice is, it’s also a huge distraction. The self-consciousness of the structure keeps us at arm’s length emotionally. Snow globes and Faberge eggs are just as tidy and ornate but more capable of eliciting a response from the viewer. Rather than feeling the suffering of the adulterous Anna (Keira Knightley), we’re more likely to notice how beautiful the suffering looks - the flattering lighting, her wild mane of dark curls spread meticulously across her pillow case. And eventually the trickery actually becomes a bit predictable. When Anna’s cuckolded husband Karenin (Jude Law) tears up a desperate letter from his wife and tosses the pieces in the air, you just know they’re going to come down as snowflakes. And they do.

Still, it’s impossible not to have huge admiration for this ambitious, complicated risk. “Anna Karenina” has been brought to the screen many times over the past century but never like this. A refresher for anyone

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who may have forgotten the book since high school. The year is 1874. Anna is a prominent member of St. Petersburg society, the wife of a respected government official and the mother of an adorable little boy. (Knightley, in her third collaboration with Wright following “Pride & Prejudice” and “Atonement,” looks steely and radiant in an array of elaborate, luxurious gowns and furs, once again the work of Oscarnominated costume designer Jacqueline Durran.) Things seem pretty comfortable until she takes a trip to Moscow to visit her philandering brother, Oblonsky (Matthew Macfadyen), to help him restore his marriage. Upon arrival at the train station, she experiences an instant spark with Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson in an ill-advised blonde dye job), a handsome, flirtatious cavalry officer. Soon her virtue goes out the window as she launches into a brazen, fullblown affair with this younger, single man.

She is, for the first time in her sheltered life, passionately in love.

Given the time and place, divorce was not exactly a process that was easy or forgiving of women. But Anna sooner finds herself consumed from within as jealousy, paranoia and neediness eat away at her seemingly unshakable confidence. This “Anna Karenina” depicts the tragic heroine as a victim of her own doing rather than society’s; it also elevates the more optimistically romantic subplot involving the sensitive landowner Levin (Domhnall Gleeson) who pines for the young, pretty Kitty (Alicia Vikander), providing some beautiful and inspired opportunities to open up the scenery to the outside world.

The sense of excess that pervades “Anna Karenina” extends to strong supporting cast, including Olivia Williams as Vronsky’s meddlesome countess mother, Kelly Macdonald as Oblonsky’s loyal wife and Shirley Henderson in one late, key scene as a viciously judgmental opera patron. They’re all working as hard as their surroundings - if only all that effort resulted in an emotional payoff. “Anna Karenina,” a Focus Features release, is rated R for some sexuality and violence.

Running time: 130 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four. — AP

South Korean Psy performs during the 2012 MTV European Music Awards show at the Festhalle in Frankfurt, central Germany, Sunday.— AP

‘ Gangnam Style’ star joins Madonna onstage at MSG M adonna has gone “Gangnam Style.”

Korean pop star PSY joined the pop icon Tuesday night during her second show this week at Madison Square Garden.

They danced to his pop culture anthem “Gangnam Style” and to her jam “Music” in

front of nearly 20,000 people. Madonna said PSY flew “all the way from Frankfurt, Germany this morning.”

She also said she was a big fan of the rapper and loved his suit, which was bright red. He added that he’s had a lot of experiences in the

last few months, and that performing at MSG with Madonna topped his list. Madonna also collected money for those affected by Superstorm Sandy. Fans threw money onstage while she sang “Like a Virgin.” She said she collected $3,000 at Monday’s show. — AP

Bradley Cooper mines Philly childhood in ‘Silver Linings’ radley Cooper may be best known for his role in the hugely successful comedy franchise “The Hangover,” but the American actor is gaining positive reviews for his role as a bipolar former teacher in “Silver Linings Playbook.” In the film, which will be released on Friday and won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, Cooper plays Pat Solitano, who has just been released from a mental institution and is trying to put his life back together. Directed by David O. Russell and based on the novel by Matthew Quick, “Silver Linings” sees Cooper’s character move back home with his parents, played by Robert DeNiro and Jacki Weaver, with hopes of reconciling with his ex-wife. Things get complicated when an abrasive widow, actress Jennifer Lawrence, enters the picture.

Cooper, who is shooting a third installment of the “Hangover” films, spoke to Reuters about his role, why it is unlike anything he has done and what he thinks of all the Oscar talk.

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Q: You were born and raised in Philadelphia. Did you use your childhood experiences growing up there to create the character?

A: I upped the Philadelphia accent a little bit.

Everything about it is where I come from. So yeah, I was able to mine what I’d grown up with. For example, Lenny Roberts was a guy in high school that dressed like the way we decided Pat would dress like. And my grandfather had an art deco face of Christ on a necklace, which we made Pat wear.

Q: Is this the first time you’ve played a character from

A: To play a character that’s telling the your home state?

A: It’s funny because when I was doing viewer the story - right there that’s an the role I thought, I don’t know how honor to be able to take on that responI’m going to be able to pull this off. sibility. Secondly, to play a character We were shooting one day and my who is emotionally colorful and dynammother was (visiting the set). We had ic. Pat Solitano has no filter, for example.

To get under that skin, to play somejust shot a really demented scene and she said, “Oh my God, Bradley, body who has a trigger and can create it’s like you’re not even acting!” I an emotional response outside the box, thought, “What do you mean, that that’s very gratifying. Because you get to explore a lot of things in yourself with Pat Solitano is me?”

Q: The film deals with mental illness, yet your imagination that you never get that I don’t normally get to do. there are a lot of laugh-out-loud Q: Do you feel typecast by Hollywood as moments. Was it a fine line strada particular type of actor that only does dling the two?

Bradley Cooper certain genres?

A: Well, any traumatic event that’s happened in my life was riddled with comedic circum- A: I don’t feel that. I do theater so I’ve always felt fulfilled in the acting jobs I’ve gotten. But perhaps I stances, from my father’s death (in 2011) and was naive to the fact that maybe people did think I everything. Any great tragedy has a lot of humor in just do one thing. Since doing this movie, people it. So it wasn’t that hard, really. If you play it real, are like, “Oh, he actually is an actor,” and not just comedy will come, especially if you’re playing think I show up to the “Hangover” set and that it’s extreme situations with an extreme character, but not a character.” playing it real.

Q: You’re primarily known for your work in comedies Q: Your performance certainly is making people stand up and take notice, and there has been some early like “The Hangover” franchise and action films like Oscar buzz. Are you feeling that excitement around “Limitless.” Is this role unlike anything you’ve poryou? trayed before?

A: On film, for sure. No question about it. This character A: I don’t. What I feel is excitement and hope that people go out and see this film and love it. I really hope has to go from A to Z in the emotional landscape, the movie lives. That’s all I think about. In terms of which is heaven for an actor. I’ve never been able all that Oscar stuff, honestly that would be to do these kinds of things on film, so it was a huge absolutely insane. I very much doubt that it would opportunity. happen. But it would be insane. — Reuters Q: What kinds of things are you referring to?

Archduke Joseph diamond fetches $21.5 million at auction

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012

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A picture taken on November 10, 2012 shows a nomadic camp in Míhamid El Ghizlane near the Moroccan city of Zagora. ousing desert rhythms brought to life the oasis of M’Hamid, last stop in Morocco before the vast empty wastes of the Sahara, as musicians from across the region descended on the dunes. The Taragalte music festival kicked off in earnest at the weekend under a spectacular star-lit sky, with a list of women’s groups, from Morocco, Mauritania and Mali topping the bill. Camel racing, poetry and traditional dance featured among the palm trees and rolling sand dunes of M’Hamid, with the festival celebratingand seeking to preserve-a desert culture undermined by modernity, according to its organizers. Mauritanian group Noura Mint Seymali captivated the crowd with a powerful delivery from the vocalist, Noura, accompanied by a virtuoso performance from Ayniyana, her accomplice on the ardine, a 20-string harp similar to the kora.

Next up was the Malian group Tartit, 10 Tuareg women from the northern region of Timbuktu, whose traditional music, a hypnotic blend of chanting, clapping and drumming, added poignancy to the Moroccan event. Unrest forced the group to flee Mali in February, just two weeks after they played at Timbuktu’s famed desert festival, with Islamist militants later occupying the entire northern region, banning music, destroying ancient shrines and forcing women to wear the veil. A sign placed below the stage read: “Taragalte pays homage to Timbuktu, heritage of humanity.”

Oum, the budding Moroccan star who headlined the opening night at Taragalte with her five-piece soul band, said the festival sent a message of solidarity to the musicians and the women of Mali. “It’s a chance to say that we support them, and the freedom of the arts, and the freedom just to be,” she told AFP. “It’s a message that is even stronger because it comes through the voices of women.” Taragalte, now in its fourth year, has forged strong links with its Malian counterpart, which the organisers have attended yearly, inviting musicians to M’Hamid from the festival in Timbuktu-just a 50-day camel ride away, locals quip. Malian guitarist Samba Toure, a protege of Mali music legend Ali Farka Toure, made an appearance at M’Hamid, while renowned Tuareg group Tinariwen played at the inaugural event in 2009.

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Members of Mnet Azawan perform.

Saharians prepare Moroccan tea.

Rich desert culture Osman Toure, bass player for the Mauritanian group Noura Mint Seymali, which was also invited to play at M’Hamid during the Timbuktu festival in January, praised the Moroccan initiative, following the events in Mali. “I find that the desert, the tents... Of course they are different cultures. But it’s the same spirit. There is a great similarity between the two festivals,” Toure said. “It was a moment of tragedy that took place (in Mali) with respect to the music... Many of the musicians fled to Mauritania, as well as Senegal and Burkina Faso. But despite that, many of them ended up here.”

M’Hamid El Ghizlane lies deep in the desert, on the edge of the arid Draa valley, some 250 kilometres (150 miles) southeast of Ouarzazate, the so-called gateway

Moroccan singer Oum and Malian singer Fadimata Walett Oumar perform (above and below) during the Taragalte music festival.

Moroccan singer Oum performs.

A group of musicians sing in the desert during the Taragalte music festival in Míhamid El Ghizlane near Zagora. — AFP photos to the Moroccan Sahara, and 40 kilometres from the Algerian border. Centuries ago, it was used by the camel caravans plying the old trade route between Morocco and Timbuktu, but the closure of the Algerian border in 1994 means any overland trip, however hazardous, is no longer possible.

Halim Sbai, one of Taragalte’s main organizers, speaks passionately of the need to preserve “the natural and cultural patrimony of the desert,” including by allowing local people to participate, displaying their traditions and music at the festival. The construction of a hydro-electric dam at Ouarzazate in 1972, to provide for the city’s growing population and tourist trade, with its five-star hotels and golf courses, took a heavy toll on water supplies to M’Hamid, Sbai explained.

“The dam deprived the region of water that, before it was built, flowed from the High Atlas mountains all the way here.” “We are in an oasis that needs to be preserved. It’s a very fragile environment. And we try to get tourists to help us with that, so we can leave it for future generations,” Sbai said. — AFP

A Member of the Mauritanian group Noura Mint Seymali performs.

A nomad rides a camel during the Taragalte music festival.

A Saharian dancer performs.

Malian singer Fadimata Walett Oumar performs with her group.