15 Dec

IPT IO N SC R SU B

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

7

150 Fils

Arab Spring nations still in turmoil

SAFAR 2, 1433 AH

8

Indonesia nabs a ‘fake prophet’

No: 15658

43

Half-centuries put Australia on top of Sri Lanka

At least 27 killed in US school shooting Gunman goes on shooting rampage

Max 18º Min 09º

CONNECTICUT: Connecticut State police woman lead children from the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, following a shooting there yesterday. — AP

Violence erupts in Egypt CAIRO: Stone-throwing supporters and opponents of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi clashed in the Egyptian city of Alexandria yesterday ahead of a referendum on a new constitution that has divided the Arab world’s most populous nation. Dozens of activists fought with clubs and swords, witnesses said, and a number of cars were set alight on the streets of Egypt’s second biggest city on the eve of a vote that Morsi hopes will bring an end to the country’s worsening political crisis.

Scuffles started near a mosque in Alexandria when opposition members handing out flyers clashed with Morsi supporters. In Cairo, flag-waving pro-Morsi Islamists staged a final rally yesterday before the referendum, but the gathering outside one of the capital’s main mosques was peaceful. Cairo and other cities have seen often violent demonstrations over the past three weeks since Morsi assumed sweeping new powers to push through the constitution, which he sees as a vital element of Egypt’s transition to democracy after the overthrow of autocratic predecessor Hosni Mubarak last year.

Continued on Page 12

US, Germany to deploy Patriots DAMASCUS: Russia backtracked yesterday after a top diplomat acknowledged that rebels might defeat long-time ally Damascus, as Washington and Berlin prepared to deploy Patriot missiles and support troops near Turkey’s border with Syria. A foreign ministry spokesman insisted that Russia’s controversial support for President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime was unchanged and that remarks by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov did not reflect official policy.

But Washington swiftly welcomed Bogdanov’s observations while announcing the deployment of two Patriot missile batteries and 400 support troops to fellow NATO member Turkey. Germany and The Netherlands also have agreed to provide advanced “hit-to-kill” Patriot weapons, which are designed to knock out cruise and ballistic missiles as well as aircraft.

Yesterday, the German parliament approved sending the missiles along with up to 400 soldiers. Last week, the Dutch cabinet also gave a go-ahead for Patriots, along with a maximum 360 soldiers to operate them. Bogdanov’s comments, reported by several Russian news agencies, had appeared to mark a major change in policy by Moscow, which has repeatedly used its veto powers in the UN Security Council to shield its Cold War ally.

Continued on Page 12

NEWTOWN: At least 27 people, including 18 children, were killed yesterday when at least one shooter opened fire at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, CBS News reported, citing unnamed officials. The holiday season tragedy follows a series of shooting rampages in the United States this year that have killed multiple victims, and it was certain to revive a debate about US gun laws.

The principal and school psychologist were among the dead, CNN said. Witnesses reported hearing dozens of shots with some saying as many as 100 were fired. The suspected shooter, 24, was armed with four weapons and wearing a bullet-proof vest, WABC reported. There were unconfirmed reports of a second shooter. Another person was being held in police custody after he was detained in the woods near the school wearing camouflage pants, CBS reported. Sandy Hook Elementary School teaches children from kindergarten through fourth grade - roughly ages 5 to 10.

“It was horrendous,” said parent Brenda Lebinski, who rushed to the school where her daughter is in the third grade.

“Everyone was in hysterics - parents, students. There were kids coming out of the school bloodied. I don’t know if they were shot, but they were bloodied.” Television images showed police and ambulances at the scene, and parents rushing toward the school. Parents were seen reuniting with their children and taking them home. “This is going to be bad,” a state official told Reuters, requesting anonymity because the scope of the tragedy remained uncertain.

President Barack Obama was notified and would receive regular updates throughout the day, White House spokesman Jay Carney said. “We’re still waiting for more information Continued on Page 12

LOCAL SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Dog lands in jail after biting another canine ‘Right of way’ ignites street brawl KUWAIT: Salwa police detained a dog for attacking another canine. The owner of the attacked dog, a US diplomat, said that while walking her dog, a female dog jumped from her neighbor’s house and bit her dog. The owner went to the police station and filed a complaint against her neighbor for negligence. The police requested the owner of the attacker’s dog to go to the police station for further investigation. The neighbor is now negotiating with the diplomat to drop the charges against her.

Ex-convict harasses woman A former convict posed as a detective and harassed a woman forcing her to take his phone number not knowing that her brother is a police officer. A security source said that the woman was shopping in Salmiya when she became the target of harassment by someone claiming to be a detective. The women informed her brother who rushed to the police station and filed a complaint. The source said that when the policemen

that he was driving in the hospital area at the end of the working day when a man was trying to overtake him. After a verbal exchange, the driver came out of his car and beat the doctor before escaping. The doctor gave the police the plate number of the attacker’s car. The street aggressor turned out to be an administrator at Al-Sabah Hospital Area.

The detained dog in Salwa police station. checked the phone number it turned out it was registered in the name of a women who said her brother was using it. Police are conducting an investigation.

Right of way causes street fight A dispute over the right of way ended with a few punches in the face of a doctor. The doctor told the police

Ask for civil ID, get few punches Three persons including a Gulf citizen beat two policemen when asked for their IDs. The three perpetrators escaped right after the abuse on the police. A security source said that the two policemen were patrolling in Jahra when they stopped a car and requested the passengers’ IDs. The driver and the two passengers refused to provide their IDs and became agitated. They came out of the car and beat the policemen. Then the three culprits jumped in the car and fled the scene. Detectives are investigating the incident. — Al-Rai

Governor of Mexican state seeks to boost Kuwait ties MEXICO CITY: Kuwaiti Ambassador to Mexico Sameeh Johar Hayat held talks with Governor of the State of Quertaro, Jose Eduardo Calzada, on means of promoting bilateral ties and mutual cooperation between the two friendly countries.

The governor, during the reception of the ambassador, at his palace on Thursday, expressed readiness to put resources of his state at disposal of Kuwait for investment in infrastructural, business and commercial ventures, in the private and public sectors. Calzada and Hayat, following the meeting, held at the governor palace, located in the heart of the state capital, Monterey, spoke at a news conference, with the veteran Kuwaiti diplomat stating that his views were in harmony with the opinions expressed by his eminent host during the meeting regarding necessity of cementing the relations and cooperation between the two countries in diverse fields.

Hayat, during the conference, covered by journalists and cameramen of several media outlets, called on Mexican entrepreneurs to ponder investment in Kuwait within framework of the national development strategy.

On his part, the governor affirmed desire to bolster the relationship with the State of Kuwait, through reciprocal visits by senior officials of the two countries.

The state, its senior officials, businessmen and investors boast the friendly ties with Kuwait “with which they will remain faithful forever,” said Calzada, who also expressed gratitude to the Kuwaiti ambassador for responding to his invita-

MEXICO CITY: Kuwaiti Ambassador to Mexico Sameeh Johar Hayat during a meeting with Governor of the State of Quertaro, Jose Eduardo Calzada. —KUNA tion to come to the region to exchange ideas on avenues for strengthening these relations.

Hayat, accompanied by Bader AlAdwani, the Third Secretary of the Kuwaiti embassy, held a series of meetings with the state officials, the chairman of the chamber of commerce, the mayor and prominent entrepreneurs, briefing these figures about investment potentials in Kuwait. He also visited several of the city landmarks. The ambassador arrived in the state, on Wednesday, for talks with the local decision makers and influential figures on means of promoting investment and trade cooperation with Kuwait.

Quertaro, located in the heart of Mexico, is a lucrative regional business hub. Substantial inflow of investment capitals have noticeably contributed to rapid and major development of the region. —KUNA

Maj General Ibrahim Al-Tarrah with the boy

Boy found

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Police with the support of many citizens eventually found a four-year-old boy who had gone missing in Mutlaa area. The police used a helicopter during the search and found him safe and sound. Maj General Ibrahim AlTarrah was invited to a lunch party in appreciation of his efforts by the boy’s family.

Kuwait donates $1m for Gaza children WASHINGTON: The American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) said here on Thursday that it is “honored” and “deeply touched” by the donation of $1 million from the government of Kuwait to fund the agency’s work with children in Gaza.

Kuwait’s Ambassador to the US, Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, presented the donation to ANERA Board Chair Edward Gnehm.

This is the third of Kuwait’s continuous contributions for work in Gaza. Earlier, $1 million gifts helped ANERA operate its Milk for Preschoolers program, expand early childhood development projects and renovate more than 40 preschools in Gaza to create a safe learning environment where children can learn and express their creativity.

On this occasion, the Ambassador affirmed that “Kuwait has always been a steadfast supporter of the Palestinian people and at the forefront of humanitarian efforts.” He added “especially at this time

of crisis, Kuwait is most concerned about the welfare of young children in Gaza.”

“My government is touched by all that ANERA is doing in Gaza and wants to continue to support the programs,” he remarked. He noted that he is “happy to be here yet again and every time I come there is another contribution for ANERA,” which reflects Kuwait’s continuous effort and commitment. — KUNA

Kuwait’s Ambassador to the US Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah presents the donation to ANERA Board Chair Edward Gnehm.

Govt denies stoppage of Ghazali bridge work KUWAIT: Undersecretary for Roads Affairs at the Ministry of Public Works Saud Al-Naqi refuted rumors that the work on Al-Ghazali Bridge had stopped and the contractor had been compensated. ‘Such rumors are totally groundless and are not true. The work is still going on,” he said.

Al-Naqi admitted that the diversion due to the work on Ghazali Bridge development

project has caused traffic jam and people are now getting accustomed to the situation and many of them have started choosing the timing with less traffic. He pointed out that the work period for the project is three years and that it had been agreed with the contractor to hold a meeting next week to discuss the possibility of reducing the period from three years to one year.

LOCAL SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Minister urges opposition to respect law Advocate of ‘shadow assembly’ asked to explain concept KUWAIT: State Minister for Cabinet Affairs, Minister of Municipality Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdallah reiterated that any move by the opposition under the law is welcomed. He called for compliance with the constitutional duties most important of which is respecting the law. He said the government is dealing with the one vote decree according to the constitutional text.

Al-Abdallah described the concept of the “shadow assembly” as good but only in countries where it can be implemented. He called upon the person who asked to form a shadow assembly to come forward for a debate so that he “can explain to us how this assembly can be brought to existence in the presence of the Kuwait Constitution.

Al-Abdallah said that the first brick in stamping out corruption that is spread in the municipality was laid by the formation of the National Committee for Fighting Corruption and activating its law. He said many state entities including the municipality have certain flaws and problems.

Empowering youth Meanwhile, Information Minister and State Minister for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem AlHumoud Al-Sabah said it is important to provide Kuwait youth the necessary support in order to benefit from their energy and capacities in the service of

the country. He said this is the responsibility of all departments concerned with youth care, adding that we, at the youth ministry, will follow the instructions of HH the Amir to pay a close attention to this segment. Sheikh Salman thanked HH The Amir for the trust he put in him and asked all workers at the information ministry to work for developing Kuwait’s information department here and abroad.

He announced the appointment of Assistant Undersecretary for TV sector Ali Al-Rayes as Acting Information ministry Undersecretary and Sheikh Fahad Al-Sabah as Assistant Undersecretary for TV. Al-Humoud said the current debate about dismantling the information ministry is premature.

Meanwhile, Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and Justice Minister Shareedah Al-Muosherji said that he asks Almighty Allah to help the government achieve its goals. He said, “I will do my best to make it easier for employees to carry out their work”. He added, “I met officials and told them that our presence is for serving Kuwait and its people.” He said an official is a servant of the people, not their boss.

Infrastructure projects He said the government is serious about speeding up the implementation of the development projects in the country, adding that he instructed offi-

Mishref residents say ‘No’ to demonstration KUWAIT: Despite warnings that they would not allow any demonstration to be held along the jogging tracks and walkways in their area and maintaining that protests should not be allowed in residential areas, Mishref residents led by MP Masoua Al-Mubarak were surprised to see 50 protesters dressed in orange outfits gathered and shouted slogans after a soccer match on Wednesday evening.

A gathering of the residents firmly rejected any marches and tried to prevent the protestors from marching along residential area. They carried banners that read “Mishref Residents Refuse Demonstrations.” Security forces immediately rushed to the scene to stop both the parties from clashing and protesters were peacefully dispersed. —Al-Watan

KAC retires 1,256 staff in first phase KUWAIT: Kuwait Airways has made its first major step towards privatization when it retired 1,256 employees who served the airline for more than 25 years.

Sources said that the retirement program will be completed within three phases. About 400 employees have already completed their retirement formalities Thursday while a similar number will finalize their retirement by next week. The remaining will complete the formalities in the week after.

The sources said that the retired employees have been given special financial allowances including a salary of three years. Some of them have received more than KD 170,000 in addition to five years extra in social insurance. About the retirement of expats working in KAC, the sources said that the minute they complete the file of Kuwaiti employees, the file of expats wishing to retire will be considered. —Al-Anbaa

cials to set the priorities that would benefit the citizens and have tangible results.

He expressed hope that relation with the assembly will be cooperative as the constitution stipulates. He said the government extends its cooperation and we hope that the assembly becomes an aid in fulfilling citizens’ ambitions.

Pressure tactics Meanwhile, the first gathering of the popular movement repeated the demands of the political youth movement, rejecting the one-vote system and dissolving the National Assembly.

Speakers at the gathering said they were unanimous in continuing the popular movement as a means of pressure while the government must maintain the peaceful nature and listen to the majority voices.

MP Jamaan Al-Harbash said Kuwaiti people are under oppression now as a result of security harassments and arrests of former MPs, activists and tweeters.

Al-Harbash said it is an injustice to beat citizens and scare the elderly including Abbas Al-Shaaby and keeping people from going to the court. He found it strange that 3,900 pages were written against those who stormed the assembly within two weeks.

He also spoke about beating the

bedoons and removing the tent where condolence meetings were held. He found it strange the statement made by a high ranking officer who said, “it is not our custom to receive condolences in tents.”

Fear barrier He said, “I am sure that those events will be recorded in history because the government is facing a majority including tribes, Islamic and liberal alliance, political blocs and unprecedented popular movement. He said the people are now used to sacrifice as the fear barrier has collapsed.

Al-Harbash said the movement will continue until the one vote system is scrapped and the assembly is out. Dr Shafiq Al-Ghabra said the educational methods have changed over the past 50 years, but the government’s attitude remains unchanged. “Especially after 1990, the government did not realize that people would change while the government and the assembly did not control. That is the reason why there is a separation of constitution law,” he said.

He said Kuwait is waiting for a political consensus over the 1962 constitution and this includes the evolution of political action mechanisms, such as formation of parties, economy and the opening of political judiciary. This cannot be achieved in one day.

Egyptian ambassador denies voting cards forgery, clashes ‘Shuwaikh printing press story incorrect’ KUWAIT: The Egyptian Ambassador to Kuwait, Abdul Kareem Sulaiman denied reports about discovery of a printing press run by Muslim Brotherhood supporters in Shuwaikh that had allegedly prepared 200,000 voting cards pre-marked ‘Yay’ (Yes) for the referendum on the new constitution. He said the embassy inquired about the story from Kuwaiti security authorities and they denied it.

Significantly, a local newspaper had published a story about the printing press’ suspicious activity in preparation for the referendum that started on Wednesday and will last till 8 pm today.

Further, the ambassador also denied that voters clashed with each other outside the embassy and with embassy staff on the first day because the polling boxes arrived with hundreds of voting cards already in them in the morning. He also urged the press to verify any news story before publishing it and to only report official statements made by the embassy and its media office.

Meanwhile, informed sources confirmed Wednesday’s clashes to Kuwait Times noting that voters sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood kept urging people to vote ‘Yay’ and approve the draft constitution.

“They kept accusing those opposing it as non-believers, disloyal, Felool

(remnants of the previous regime) and saying that they will go to hell for opposing the Morsi regime,” the sources said. This led to many heated arguments and in turn to some fights which left some people injured on Wednesday.

The sources also quoted eyewitnesses reporting that more Brotherhood-affiliated voters were standing outside the embassy on

Thursday with their pockets stuffed with voting cards already marked ‘Yay’ to be distributed among voters they could manage to convince in favor of the new constitution. They added that those ‘distributors’ were shielded by others who would immediately intervene to divert attention and help them flee whenever a ‘Nay’ voter called the Kuwaiti police which was on guard at the site. —Al-Watan

BEIRUT: Prime Minister of Lebanon (left) is seen at the opening of a book fair in Lebanon where he praised Kuwaiti participation. —KUNA

LOCAL

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

NBK receives AUK mass communication students KUWAIT: As part of its corporate social responsibility, National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) arranged a field trip at its Head Office for Mass Communication students at the American University of Kuwait (AUK). The visit aimed to introduce the students to the day-to-day duties of NBK’s Public Relations and advertisement departments.

Zaina Al-Humaidhi, NBK Public Relations officer said: “The purpose of the field trip is to introduce the students to NBK’s different communication depart-

ments and the professional services they provide in order to enrich their academic and theoretical studies.”

“The field work program included a presentation about PR and advertisement functions at NBK and a briefing of the different events, divisions and services NBK’s PR and advertisement departments provides,” Al-Humaidhi added.

Commenting on the conclusion of the visit, the students expressed their sincere thanks to NBK for the

opportunity they have been given to gain a better understanding of the function of the communication departments at the bank.

The tour is part of NBK’s ongoing commitment to its corporate social responsibility program and to promoting the education and development of the country’s youth. Other initiatives include providing summer training programs for students, hiring fresh graduates and offering professional development programs for new hires.

US Ambassador Tueller honors M H Alshaya Commerce Dept award for achievement in trade

KUWAIT: A fish vendor delivers prawns to a customer at the fish market. — File photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Fish prices drop in Kuwait KUWAIT: The manager of Kuwait Fish market, Salem AlFailakawi, announced that the prices of most local fish had dropped relatively and reasonably. Among these were fish like Shoum, Nuwaibi and Subaiti that are abundantly available nowadays, he said. Al-Failakawi said that both Nuwaibi and Subaiti were being sold for KD 1.25 per kilo, down from KD 2. He said at one stage, these had touched a record price of KD 3.5.

Further, Al-Failakawi said that Zubaidi (pomfret) prices were still high and it was being sold for KD 8 to 9 per kilo for medium-sized ones. He also predicted that Zubaidi prices would drop by March during the peak season when the weather becomes warmer.

NCCAL announces winners of state’s honorary awards KUWAIT: The National Council of Culture, Arts, and Letters (NCCAL) announced here yesterday the winners of the state’s honorary and incentive awards. The NCCAL’s secretariat said in a statement that the awards’ higher committee had approved the list of the winners, noting that the awards would be handed to those who contribute to the cultural, artistic, social and humanitarian development of Kuwait.

The list of winners of the honorary award included Lailah Al-Othman, Abdulaziz Al-Suraie, Mohammad Al-Munaie, and Gahnem Al-Deekan, said the statement, adding that the winners of the award, established in 2000, would be presented with a medal and a sum of KD 10,000 for their cultural contributions.

Meanwhile, the winners of the 2012 incentive award, established in 1988, are: Abdullah Al-Jiraan, Ahlam Hassan, Faisal Al-Amiri, Ali Al-Husseini, Ibrahim Al-Khaledi, Saud Al-Sanousi, Dr Mersel Al-Ajmi, Dr Hussein Bu Abbas, Bassem Ibrahim, Zainab Al-Jabr, Dr Abdulhadi Al-Ajmi, and Dr Abdullah Al-Kanderi, said the NCCAL’s statement. The awards will be presented at a ceremony to be held on January 7, 2013. — KUNA

KUWAIT: US Ambassador Matthew H Tueller presented M H Alshaya with the US Commerce Department’s Achievement in Trade award. The award recognizes exceptional organizations that have contributed to the growth of US exports in their home country and for creating business opportunities with US firms.

“This award highlights how USKuwaiti commercial cooperation is contributing to long-term partnerships that promote economic growth in both our countries and throughout the Middle East,” Ambassador Tueller said. “Working together, we have unlimited potential to expand our trade relationship, and we look forward to working with our Kuwaiti partners in developing additional, new trade opportunities,” added Ambassador Tueller. “I would like to congratulate MH Alshaya on its outstanding accomplishments, and its efforts in helping build important trade ties between our countries,” said US Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President David Chavern.

“We are delighted to be recognized for this award which reflects the strong demand for American retail brands in the region”, commented Mohammed Alshaya, Executive Chairman of M H Alshaya Co. “We look forward to strengthening and developing our relationships with further outstanding US companies in the years to come.”

Over the last five years, commercial relations between the United States and Kuwait have expanded at an appreciable pace, with trade volumes growing by more than 75 percent from $6 billion in 2006 to $10.5 billion

KUWAIT: US Ambassador Matthew H Tueller (left) presents M H Alshaya with the US Commerce Department’s Achievement in Trade award. US Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President David Chavern (right) looks on.

in 2011. Over the same period, US exports have grown by 32 percent. In 2011, for the first time, two-way trade exceeded $10.5 billion. According to the latest data in 2012, Kuwait is now America’s third largest trading partner in the Middle East. The United States continues to be Kuwait’s top import partner.

With its network of offices across the US and in nearly 70 countries, the

US Commercial Service utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help match US companies seeking partnerships with international buyers. M H Alshaya, headquartered in Kuwait, is one of the world’s leading international retail franchise operators and currently operates over 70 international retail brands [across the Middle East & North Africa, Russia, Turkey and Europe.

Tweeter and re-tweeter ‘equal in crime’: Lawyer KUWAIT: “The tweeter and re-tweeter are equal in the crime” Anyone who writes a tweet, and who passes it to others are partners in crime, if it is tantamount to violation of law. This is what was confirmed in the court’s news account which is run by lawyer Najeeb Al-Wuqayan on Twitter, as he said “anyone who re-tweets a tweet that is in violation of the law and carries a state security suspicion, then he will be a suspect like the one who writes it.

Al-Wuqayan said the tweeter is dealt with as a columnist, so anyone who re-tweets it, will be included in the punishment like the original author.

The law stipulates that punishments for campaigning against state security and insulting Prophets and their companions may reach a KD 100,000 fine, apart from jail terms. He said that this is applicable for newspapers, magazines, TV and social networks also.

LOCAL SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Regional aviation outlook looks up Global airline industry net margin could hit 1.3% in 2013

KUWAIT: The view of a Kuwait Airways counter at Kuwait International Airport. The image is used for illustrative purpose only. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

GENEVA/KUWAIT: According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Middle East airlines are expected to post a profit of $800 million ($100 million on the October outlook). That is slightly below the $1 billion that Middle East carriers made in 2011. While the region is maintaining strong growth with long-haul connection traffic, its performance has been weakened by the Arab Spring and lingering instability. This week IATA announced, an upward revision to the aviation industry financial outlook globally. “For 2012 airlines are expected to return a profit of $6.7 billion (up from the $4.1 billion forecast in October). This is expected to improve slightly to $8.4 billion in 2013 (marginally better than the $7.5 billion forecast in October). Industry net post-tax margin, however, will remain weak at 1.0 per cent in 2012 and 1.3 percent in 2013,” IATA said in a press release.

IATA said that North American airlines are expected to post a combined net profit of $3.4 billion-the largest absolute profit among the regions, and a $1.0 billion improvement on 2012. The EBIT margin will grow to 3.8 percent (up from 3.4 percent in 2012). The US economy is forecast to be the strongest growing among the developed economies and further benefits are expected from earlier consolidation. On the other hand the European airlines are expected to have a second consecutive year at breakeven. The EBIT margin will also remain unchanged from 2012 at 0.6 percent. The continuing uncertainty in the

European economy, high taxes and inefficient infrastructure continue to plague the industry in Europe.

IATA projects Asia-Pacific airlines to see net profits grow by $200 million to $3.2 billion in 2013. While this is the second highest absolute profit among the regions, EBIT margins for Asia Pacific airlines are expects to grow significantly to 4.7 percent (the strongest among the regions). Economies in this region remain the most dynamic and the deterioration in cargo markets is expected to come to an end in 2013.

According to IATA, improved prospects for 2012 are being driven by strong airline performance in the second and third quarters. Despite high fuel prices and a slowing world economy, airline profits and cash flows held up at levels similar to 2006 when oil prices were about $45/barrel lower and world economic growth was 4.0 per cent.

Historically, when GDP growth has fallen below 2 per cent the airline industry has returned a collective loss. “With GDP growth close to the ‘stall speed’ of 2.0 percent and oil at $109.5/barrel we expected much weaker performance. But airlines have adjusted to this difficult environment through improving efficiency and restructuring. That is protecting cash flows against weak economic growth and high fuel prices,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO. The improved performance is most evident in large airlines for which Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) averaged between

10 percent and 15 percent of revenue in the third quarter of the year. “It’s a diverging picture. Economies of scale are helping larger airlines to cope much better with the difficult environment than small and medium-sized carriers which continue to struggle,” said Tyler.

Overall performance has been positively impacted by strong passenger traffic growth (5.3 percent) and a 3.0 percent improvement in yields. Despite the slowing world economy business travel was supported by more robust international trade in goods and service. This contributed to a positive picture for both passenger volumes and yields. In sharp contrast, cargo markets have contracted by 2.0 per cent and cargo yields are down 2.0 per cent on 2011 levels. Although world trade is still expanding, the pattern of economic growth - concentrated in the emerging markets - has favored ocean over air freight. The slight relief in oil prices (at $109.5/barrel, down from $110/barrel in the October forecast) did not translate into relief on the fuel price. Moving in the opposite direction, because of a widening of refinery margins, jet fuel costs are expected to average $129.5/barrel which is a $1.8/barrel increase on the previous forecast.

2013 expectations “Prospects for 2013 will be largely unchanged from 2012. Net profits are expected to rise to $8.4 billion leaving the industry with a 1.3 per cent net profit mar-

gin. It is good that we are moving in the right direction, but the year ahead is shaping up to be another tough one for the industry,” said Tyler.

IATA forecast drivers are as follows: The largest driver of industry prospects is global economic growth. This is expected to strengthen only slightly to 2.3 percent in 2013. Passenger demand in 2013 is expected to grow by 4.5 percent (below the 5.3 percent forecast for 2012). Yields are expected to deteriorate by 0.2 per cent, largely in response to lower fuel costs.

Cargo demand is expected to increase by 1.4 percent (not enough to make up for the 2.0 percent decline in 2012). The mismatch between growth rates for passenger and cargo demand tends to lead to cargo capacity in excess of demand and yields falling by 1.5 per cent. Oil prices are expected to moderate slightly to $104/barrel (down $5.5/barrel from 2012). The premium paid for jet fuel refining, however, will result in a smaller drop in jet fuel prices to $124.3/barrel (down $5.2 from 2012).

Meanwhile, policy risks also persist. “We need to make sure that cash strapped governments understand aviation is a catalyst for economic growth and ensure that light touch regulation does not become a license for infrastructure providers to let costs get out of control. We will also maintain pressure on governments for important infrastructure improvements-including the Single European Sky so that hard-won cost efficiencies are not lost to battles with congestion,” said Tyler. — IATA.org

LOCAL

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Fall 2012 President’s Exhibition

AUK announces winners of 4th bi-annual competition

President Thompson handing a certificate to one of the art students KUWAIT: The American University of Kuwait announced the winners of the student competition for the Fall 2012 President’s Exhibition. The winning art work was selected from the “best of the best” student class work from the previous semester. All entries were submitted to the competition by the AUK ART and Graphic Design professors. The exhibition includes painting, drawing, sculpture, graphic design, cut paper, and photography work juried for creativity, originality, and technique.

The 26 winners of the competition are: Behnaz Rahimi, Dana Ismael, Shahad AlTerkait, Farah Al-Ajeel, Mariam Abdulrasool, Nada Al-Sharif, Asmaa Al-Arbash, Sarah AlHaddad, Bashayer Al-Zayed, Wafaa AlHusaini, Dana Abdullah, Lamis Al-Nazer, Abrar Sulaiman, Alia Darwish, Manar Abdul Bari Mashal, Moustafa El Khashab, Dana Hani, Abdullaziz Al-Hoqal, Dina Naser, Zahraa Hamadi, Nader Makki, Afnan Abdullah, Jenan Al-Alban, Latifah AlSaad, Farah Madi, and

From (left) Professor Sharon Lawrence, President Winfred Thompson, and Professor Marcella Kulchitsky

Moustafa Elkhashab and his father with Professor Maryam Husseinnia.

Lujain F. Al-Khuzam.

Students who created the winning artwork received a certificate signed by AUK President Dr. Winfred Thompson; they and their parents were honored at a reception inaugurating the exhibition. The current exhibition will be displayed in the president’s Office for six months, on view for the university, as well as dignitaries and other honored visitors to the University.

The AUK President’s Exhibition is an excel-

Nada Al-Sharif and Professor Sharon Lawrence

Nada Al-Sharif, Professor Sharon Lawrence, Lamis AlNazer, Dana Ismael

lent opportunity for students, increasing student pride in execution, rewarding excellent work, and providing a valuable accomplishment on student resumes as they graduate from AUK and go on to graduate school or the workplace.

Professor Sharon Orleans Lawrence, Chair of the Art and Graphic Design Department, is also Chair of AUK’s President’s Exhibition; Professor Marcella Kulchitsky, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design, is co-chair.

Professor Rita Merheb examining a wire sculpture.

Dana Ismael with Professor Marcella Kulchitsky

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Pope calls for new economic model, more ethical markets

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Hamas subdued despite victory claim, Israel says

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Susan Rice withdraws as US secretary of state candidate

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ALEXANDRIA: Injured men take shelter during clashes between supporters and opponents of President Mohammed Morsi in Alexandria yesterday, a day before the referendum on the constitution. — AP

The rise of radical Islamists Arab Spring countries in turmoil two years on

SIDI BOUZID: Tunisians, already troubled by the rise of radical Islamists, are eyeing the political and economic paralysis gripping their country with a dismay shared across much of the region two years after the Arab Spring began. In Sidi Bouzid-the central town where Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire on December 17, 2010, an act of desperation that sparked Tunisia’s uprising and touched off the Arab Spring-celebrations are planned to mark the anniversary. But reflecting the country’s political divisions, part of the celebrations committee resigned in protest on Thursday, complaining of a “stranglehold” over the event by the ruling Islamist party Ennahda. And an anti-government rally is expected on the day, by opposition activists angry at their leaders’ failure to kickstart a recovery and improve living conditions.

Residents of the restive town are almost unanimous that nothing has changed since the ouster of dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011, with unemployment, a driving factor behind the uprising, continuing to plague

the region. “What revolution are you talking about? Nothing has changed here,” laments Ezzedine Nasri, a street vendor like Bouazizi.

Nasri’s wife, a university graduate, has been unable to find work since 2002. Since coming to power in October 2011 after winning Tunisia’s first free elections, the government has struggled to revive the economy and is accused, in particular, of turning a blind eye towards crimes allegedly committed by the Salafist movement.

The Salafists, hardline Islamists, have been implicated in numerous acts of violence this year, including against Sufi shrines and art galleries and an attack in September on the US embassy in Tunis that left four people dead. As recently as Thursday night, presumed Salafists attacked a hotel in the town of Sbeitla and tried to set it on fire after sacking the lobby and destroying bottles of alcohol in the hotel bar, police and witnesses said. Tunisia’s Constituent Assembly has made little progress in drafting a new constitution and electoral law, with the process repeatedly hampered by differences

between Islamists and secularists within the interim parliament. Legislative and presidential elections have been postponed to June and could be pushed back further, contributing to the sense of uncertainty. On Wednesday, Fitch Ratings cut Tunisia’s credit rating by one notch to BB+, putting its debt in the speculative or socalled junk category, saying the country’s “economic and political transition is proving longer and more difficult than anticipated.” In Egypt, President Mohamed Mursi’s decree last month giving him near-absolute powers in a bid to push through a divisive new constitution has sparked weeks of rival protests by his Islamist followers and secular opponents. Under mounting pressure, Mursi rescinded the decree at the weekend but is pushing through with a referendum this weekend on the constitution, which the opposition is urging its supporters to reject, claiming it undermines fundamental human rights and could lead to a strong Islamist influence on future legislation. Fears of violence are running high after clashes in Cairo last week in

which eight people were killed and more than 600 injured. Earlier this week, the IMF put on hold a $4.8-billion loan Egypt has sought to fill budget gaps it will face in the 2013-2014 fiscal year, after the government asked for a delay in the negotiations because of the political situation.

In Libya, the authorities managed to organize general elections in July and have restored oil production levels, but security has proven the biggest challenge facing the government since the ouster of dictator Muammar Gaddafi last year. Eight months of armed conflict left daunting challenges for the transitional authorities, who are struggling to build up state institutions and rein in the militias that were the backbone of the anti-Gaddafi war. Libya’s economy has made a swift recovery. But the country is awash with weapons and extremist groups remain a serious threat, as illustrated by the September 11 assault on the US consulate in Benghazi, in which US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed. — AFP

INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Indonesia nabs a ‘fake prophet’ KUTAI TIMUR: A man who allegedly claimed to be an Islamic prophet and tricked his male followers into allowing him to have sex with their wives and daughters has been arrested, Indonesian police said yesterday.

The 48-year-old was detained on the island of Borneo after several followers reported he had told them to pay him money or organize sexual relations with relatives to purify them of their sins, a police spokesman said.

“According to the followers’ reports, if they can’t afford to pay the money, they have to let their wives or daughters sleep with him as an alternate way to go to heaven,” Kutai Timur district police spokesman Ketut Cakri said. “We believe the man has slept with several of his followers’ wives and

daughters, and has received money as well,” Cakri said, adding that he did not know if the women had consented to sex or if the man had any female followers.

He had spread “deviant” Islamic teachings through his cult for at least five years, Cakri said, and could be jailed for fraud and blasphemy in the world’s biggest Muslimmajority country. “We don’t know the exact number of followers or victims yet, but the police investigation is still ongoing. We are digging for more information from him and his followers,” Cakri said. In 2009 an Indonesian court jailed for blasphemy a cult leader who gave sermons in his underpants and demanded that his acolytes take part in orgies. — AFP

KUTAI TIMUR: A 48-year-old Indonesian man named Bantil (center) is being escorted by a villager and plainclothed police (right) from his residence in Kutai Timur in East Kalimantan. — AFP

Hunger spreads as Syria war intensifies 1 million may go hungry this winter

DARRET EZZA: Syrian boy points towards a crater where he said a Scud missile landed near the military base of Sheikh Suleiman on the outskirts of the northwestern town of Darret Ezza. — AFP

Use of Scud sign of desperate regime BEIRUT: Syria’s use of Scud missiles against rebels, as claimed by Washington and rebel fighters, is a desperate move by a regime that has exhausted its military capacity, analysts say. A US official told AFP on Wednesday that the regime had fired Scuds, and a former Syrian officer who served in a battalion specializing in surface-tosurface missiles also claimed troops had done so.

Damascus denied that it had used the missiles.

Karim Bitar, research director at the Institute for International and Strategic Relations, said: “Scuds are cumbersome, inaccurate and very expensive and there is no military justification for using them. “Their use is therefore clearly part of the regime’s psychological war against the rebels and countries that support them,” he said.

Bitar said using Scuds was an indication that the regime was bracing for a decisive battle in Damascus, which “could change the rules of the game.” Riad Kahwaji, founder of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA), said Scud missiles “are weapons of terror.” “They are used to make up for an inability to control the ground.” Scuds were last used by Libya’s regime in the final days before Muammar Gaddafi was killed, said Kahwaji, referring to the 2011 NATO-backed rebel offensive against the longtime strongman. “Here we are seeing a similar scenario,” said Kahwaji. “It just shows the level of desperation. The regime has exhausted its military capabilities.

“It is like somebody with different size hammers. You use a small hammer first and it doesn’t work, so you use a bigger one till you reach the sledge-hammer.” Kahwaji said he believed the regime had a sizeable store of such weapons in army-controlled locations between Damascus and the Alawite heartland of Latakia on the coast. Former first lieutenant Aaraba Idriss said he was still in contact with officers and members of his former Battalion 57, part of Brigade 155, despite defecting 10 months ago. He said they told him they fired five Scud missiles for the first time on Monday from their location in Nasiriyeh on the highway between Damascus and the central Syrian city of Homs.

Idriss said the “Golan-1” missiles were either Russian-made or Russian modified” and had a range of up to 300 kilometers. The Syrian foreign ministry categorically denied those claims, calling them “biased and conspiratorial rumors.”

“It is known that Scuds are strategic, long-range missiles and are not suited for use against armed terrorist gangs,” the foreign ministry said on Thursday. However, a security source in Damascus told AFP on condition of anonymity on Thursday that the army had used a smaller, Syrian-made version of the Scud. These developments come as the conflict, which has reportedly claimed more than 42,000 lives, enters its 22nd month.—AFP

BEIRUT: Desperation for food is growing in parts of Syria, where fist fights or dashes across the civil war front lines have become part of the daily struggle to secure a loaf of bread. Conditions are especially dire in the northern city of Aleppo, where civilians enduring incessant clashes and air raids in rebel-held districts say hunger is a new threat to survival in the 20-month-old revolt against President Bashar Al-Assad. “I went out yesterday and could not get any bread. If only the problem was just lack of food - there is also a huge shortage of fuel, which the bakeries need to run,” said Ahmed, a resident of the battlescarred Salaheddine district.

“A few days ago, the bakery workers had no fuel so they tried to sell off packets of flour,” he said. “People started getting into fist fights over the flour. Some days, rebels have to fire in the air to stop the fighting.” With rebels closing in on Damascus, and Western and Arab states endorsing a new opposition coalition, Syria appears near a critical point in the conflict. A top diplomat in Russia, one of Assad’s closest allies, acknowledged on Thursday that the Syrian leader’s foes were gaining ground and might win.

But violence is still taking a terrible toll, with daily death tolls usually exceeding 100 and sometimes 200 in recent weeks. More than 40,000 have already died in the struggle. The World Food Program (WFP) says as many as a million people may go hungry this winter, as worsening security conditions make it harder to reach conflict zones. People In Need (PIN), a Czech group working in northern Syria, says the crisis may deepen if no other international aid group can consistently provide relief in the area.

WORRIED FACES PIN estimates that only 1 to 2 million people remain of Aleppo’s original 4 million inhabitants.

Hundreds of thousands may be in need in Aleppo alone, said PIN’s Michal Przedlacki. “It was bad when I started in Aleppo a month ago, but that has been nothing like the past week. I have watched the situation visibly worsen more people look thin, you can see the worry in their faces,” he told Reuters by Skype. With winter’s arrival, the outlook is increasingly bleak in Syria’s war zones, particularly rebel-held areas

where residents say state-subsidized flour and fuel are not coming through. More than 2.5 million people have fled their homes to safer areas within Syria, while more than half a million have registered as refugees abroad.

Many more Syrians are without work and often have to decide between buying heating fuel or food. Some families chop up trees or even furniture for firewood, residents say. Bread queues can wrap around city blocks and last for hours. A week ago, residents in rebel-held parts of Aleppo formed bread lines at 2 am for bakeries that opened eight hours later. This week, Przedlacki said, people were in line by around 10 pm, prepared to wait a full 12 hours for bread.

“People even risk their lives - we’ve seen people run across the front lines just to try to get a nutrition packet from us for their children,” he said.

The WFP says it had to reduce the size of its food rations due to funding constraints. It reckons 2.5 million people need help and says it reached only 1.5 million of them in November.

The UN agency relies on the local Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) to distribute its aid, and activists say they rarely see the group distributing in rebel-held areas. WFP and SARC say violence has constrained their ability to get to those in need. Some locals accuse SARC, which has ties to the government, of limiting aid to rebel-held areas, essentially helping the army enforce collective punishment. But others blame the rebels, who say distrustful fighters sometimes attack the SARC convoys.

ROCK BOTTOM Przedlacki said his aid group could only help about 1,000 to 1,500 families. Relief supplies from the Turkish Red Crescent rarely penetrate deep inside Syria, as border areas swelling with refugees were also suffering, he added. “About 30 percent of families in rebel areas are in dire need of food aid in Aleppo. Another 10 percent hit rock bottom already. They have nothing left to sell for food,” he said. Syrians say prices in some places have soared 300 to 500 percent. In Aleppo, activists said bread made with subsidized flour now sells for 75 lira ($1), up from 15 lira a few weeks ago. Unsubsidized bread, at 120 lira last week, is now over 200. That is a hefty, if not impossible, sum for many.—AFP

international SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Royal prank call presenters receive death threats SYDNEY: Death threats have been made against the Australian radio hosts involved in the royal prank call tragedy, police said yesterday, with station management reportedly moving some staff to safehouses. The revelations came as a London inquest showed the nurse who fielded the hoax call, Jacintha Saldanha, 46, hanged herself. The mother-of-two was found dead last Friday, three days after transferring the call to a colleague who divulged details about Prince William’s pregnant wife Catherine who was recovery from severe morning sickness.

Saldanha was discovered in nurses’ quarters near the private King Edward VII’s Hospital in central London where Kate was being treated. She also had wrist injuries and left three notes.

Australian police have launched an investigation into the death threats after a letter targeting presenter Michael Christian was seized, warning him there were “bullets out there with

your name on it”. The letter was obtained by Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, which said further threats were made involving a shotgun which it said were inappropriate to print.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said staff at 2Day FM’s parent company Southern Cross Austereo have been receiving threats all week.

“Police are conducting an investigation into threats made against two Sydney radio presenters,” a New South Wales police spokesman said. “Detectives seized a letter which contained a number of threats. Detectives are conducting an investigation into the matter and are attempting to identify the source of the letter.”

The Telegraph said about a dozen staff at the broadcaster have been moved to hotels for their safety and up to 10 executives have been assigned bodyguards. Southern Cross Austereo would only say that “the safety of our employees is an absolute priority”. “We

Poor South Africans angry over ANC ‘rot’ SOWETO: Beneath the undying loyalty of poor blacks to the African National Congress, there is a growing resentment towards the movement that delivered South Africa from apartheid 18 years ago. In the famous Soweto township, once home to anti-apartheid heroes Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, residents struggling against high unemployment, crime and pervasive corruption are not afraid to speak frankly about what they call the ANC’s rot. “The ANC is not a bad movement, it is the people who have brought the rot to the party,” said Slavate Marema, who has never had a job since finishing school five years ago.

“Leaders don’t seem to care much about us once they get our votes. All they seem to care about is enriching themselves and driving around in fancy cars, and telling us that government has no money,” said the 22-year-old. After decades of championing the fight against white-minority apartheid rule, the ANC led South Africa peacefully into a “rainbow nation” in 1994 and its leader Mandela was elected the country’s first black president. But the ruling ANC is now accused of abandoning its roots and core constituency. “As far as I am concerned we have no government. They are serving themselves, busy lining their own pockets,” said France Diholo, a retired factory worker.

“The rot that you see today, did not start with Zuma’s, it has been creeping up slowly since Mandela days,” he lamented. Too often, Soweto residents complain, ANC membership has become synonymous with instant wealth and the beneficiaries of lucrative government contracts seem to be politically connected. The ANC government has often come under fire for excessive spending on luxury hotel stays, and providing small armies of round-the-clock security to officials, while the most of the population battle unacceptably high crime rates.

“These days security seems to be reserved for high profile ANC politicians, who travel with groups of armed police in fast cars. When communities need them they are not available,” fumed Tankiso Mmusi. Although the ANC government has built 2.8 million homes since taking power, around 20 percent of South Africans still have no electricity and 10 percent no running water. Protests over service delivery are frequent.

Reports that the government spent $29-million of taxpayers’ money upgrading Zuma’s private home, complete with helipad, underground bunkers and a clinic, are jarring for many.

Despite being the largest economy on the continent and home to a burgeoning black middle class, South Africa remains one of the most unequal societies in the world. The grievances are reaching a crescendo at a difficult time for the ANC, as it prepares for a leadership conference on Sunday, held every five years, which effectively kicks off the campaign for elections in 2014. But like many people who felt angered by the ANC, Diholo said he will continue voting for the party, which still holds a commanding electoral majority. At the 2009 elections the ANC won almost 66 percent of the 17-plus million votes cast. —AFP

have sensible measures in place, as we always do, to ensure our people are safe,” a spokeswoman said. Christian and fellow host Mel Greig, who have been undergoing counseling, remain off air and have not been seen in public since making tearful apologies in a television interview on Monday. It follows the pair posing as Queen Elizabeth II and William’s father Prince Charles in a hoax call to the hospital, which sparked an outpouring of global anger against them.

Senior British police officer James Harman told the inquest there were “no suspicious circumstances” surrounding Saldanha’s death. “Jacintha Saldanha was found by a colleague and a member of security staff. Sadly she was found hanging. There were also injuries to her wrist,” he told Westminster Coroner’s Court. Two notes were found in her room and another was among her possessions, Harman added, without revealing their contents at this pre-

liminary stage. Police are also looking at telephone calls and emails to see if they shed more light on her death, he said, with Scotland Yard expected to contact Australian police about interviewing people there.

Indian-born Saldanha’s husband Benedict Barboza and two teenage children did not attend the short hearing. The radio station has pledged at least Aus$500,000 ($523,600) to help the grieving family, although British lawmaker Keith Vaz, who has been acting as their spokesman, said the broadcaster had not done enough. The royal couple, who are expecting their first child, have said they at no stage complained to the hospital about the hoax call incident. The hospital has also said that it gave Saldanha its full support.

Australia’s media watchdog has opened an investigation into the prank call to determine whether it contravened the Commercial Radio Codes of Practice. —AFP

Pope calls for new economic model, more ethical markets Food insecurity a growing threat VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict yesterday called for a new economic model and ethical regulations for markets, saying the global financial crisis was proof that capitalism does not protect the weakest members of society. In his message for the Roman Catholic Church’s World Day of Peace, which is marked on Jan 1, Benedict also warned that a food insecurity was a threat to peace in some parts of the world.

He also strongly reaffirmed the Church’s opposition to gay marriage, saying heterosexual marriage had an indispensable role in society. The annual message, which traditionally centers on how to promote peace and how to reduce threats to peace, is sent to heads of state, government and institutions such as the United Nations and non-governmental organizations.

In it the pope said economic models that seek maximum profit and consumption and encourage competition at all costs had failed to look after the basic needs of many and could sow social unrest.

“It is alarming to see hotbeds of tension and conflict caused by growing instances of inequality between rich and poor, by the prevalence of a selfish and individualistic mindset which also finds expression in an unregulated financial capitalism,” he said. The pope said people, groups and institutions were needed to foster human creativity, to draw lessons from the crisis and to create a new economic model. The message had echoes of his 2009 encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth), in which he called for a world political authority to manage the global economy and for more government regulation of national economies.

ETHICAL MARKETS “The creation of ethical structures for currency, financial and commercial markets is also fundamental and indispensable,” the pope said in Friday’s message. “These must be stabilized and better coordinated and controlled

There had been insufficient control of food security by governments and the international community and he called for more help for poor rural farmers. In a report in October, the United Nations food agencies said one out of every eight people in

VATICAN: Pope Benedict XVI sending his first twitter message during his weekly general audience at the Paul VI hall at the Vatican. —AFP so as not to prove harmful to the very poor.” He said food insecurity was becoming an ever-increasing threat to peace and social stability, calling the food crisis even greater than the financial crisis. Ensuring people have access to sufficient nutrition should be central to the international political agenda because of inter-related crises, sudden shifts in prices of basic foodstuffs, and unethical practices, he said.

the world is chronically undernourished. In his message, the pope also attacked moves to liberalize abortion and euthanasia, saying they posed a threat to the fundamental right to life and again denounced gay marriage. The Vatican has recently stepped up its attack against moves to make gay marriage legal following gains in the United States, France and Spain. —Reuters

INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Swedish town moves to avoid collapse KIRUNA: Perched on a hill by the iron ore mine it was once built around, the sleepy northerly Swedish town of Kiruna is in the process of reinventing itself. It has to: in four years, it will have moved somewhere else. At the turn of the 19th century the area consisted of a handful of ramshackle buildings and

traditional “lavoo”, the dwellings of the indigenous Sami population that are similar to the teepee used by American Indians.

But with large-scale mining came wealth and the town prospered, climbing further up the slope as new workers arrived and older neighborhoods were abandoned when the

mine began to encroach on them.

The fortunes of the 23,000-strong town are still tied to what is now the largest iron ore mine in the world, extracting enough in a day to build more than six Eiffel Towers, together with neighboring Malmberget. As LKAB’s extraction moves deeper-it’s now at a depth of four kilometers

and closer to the town, cracks have begun to appear underground.

In 2004, state-controlled owner LKAB gave local politicians an ultimatum: move the parts of the city centre that could collapse if the company’s underground expansion plans went ahead, or risk stifling Kiruna’s largest employer. — AFP

Web restrictions across the world DUBAI: Envoys in Dubai signed a new UN telecommunications treaty yesterday that a US-led delegation says endorses greater government control of the Internet. The US and more than 20 other countries refused to ratify the accord by the 193-nation International Telecommunications Union. Here is a look at Internet restrictions and availability at selected countries and regions around the world: NORTH KOREA Internet use is extremely restricted with many of North Korea’s 24 million people unable to get online. Some North Koreans can access an internal Intranet that connects to state media. Members of the elite, resident foreigners and visitors in certain hotels are allowed full access to the Internet.

HEBRON: A Palestinian boy holds a model of a Gaza Strip made M75 rocket as Hamas supporters take part in a rally celebrating the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Islamist movement, yesterday in the West Bank city of Hebron. — AFP

Hamas subdued despite victory claim, Israel says ‘Gazans lost weapons that took years to gather’ JERUSALEM: Israel’s offensive on Gaza has deterred Hamas from new hostilities despite its claims of victory and the front is now at its quietest in 20 years, a senior Israeli military officer said. Vastly lopsided shelling exchanges over eight days killed 170 Palestinians and 6 Israelis before the Nov 21 truce brokered by Egypt. The Islamist militant group Hamas, which for the first time managed to fire rockets towards Tel Aviv and Jerusalem during the conflict, says it won in the absence of an Israeli ground invasion that might have toppled its Gaza administration. The officer said Hamas should be allowed to save face after failing to inflict more pain on the Jewish state.

“Their jubilation was not from victory, it was from their relief at being able to emerge from shelters,” said the officer, who could not be identified by name under military regulations. “They took a major blow and they have to patch up their honor,” he said. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of the Gaza Strip last weekend to welcome the first visit by their previously exiled leader Khaled Meshaal. He declared victory at a rally and vowed to seize all of modern-day Israel one day. The ceasefire brought Palestinians access to border farmland and fishing waters

that Israel had previously kept off-limits and truce talks might lead to a further rolling back of Israel’s blockade of the coastal strip.

There have been scattered confrontations since, with Israeli troops killing two Palestinians who neared the border fence. The officer said such incidents were rare and lacked the backing of Hamas and other armed Palestinian factions, which he said were now “thoroughly daunted”

by Israel and trying to shore up the calm or at least avoid breaching it. “A quiet like we had over the past month hasn’t happened in 20 years,” the officer said. Palestinians won limited selfrule in 1993. Gaza was a hotbed of a Palestinian revolt that erupted in 2000, leading Israel to pull out five years later. Hamas took over the enclave in a Palestinian war in 2007 and has often fought Israel since.

HARSHER NEXT TIME The officer would not be drawn on how long the calm might hold but threatened heavier bombing in any future offensive. Though Israel killed the Hamas military chief, Ahmed AlJaabari, in a Nov 14 air strike, the officer said several other commanders had been spared because non-combatants were nearby. During the fighting, Israeli officials accused militants of sheltering in Gaza’s Shifa hospital

and other civilian sites.

In the next round, the officer, said, “I won’t fire on Shifa. But I won’t be able to keep to sterile strikes like I did in this round. I intend to kill the brigade commanders and battalion commanders wherever they are.”

Gaza hospitals said at least half of the Palestinian dead in the offensive were civilians. Israel put the number of slain combatants at 120, around two-thirds of the toll. Israel says it destroyed almost all of Gaza’s most powerful rockets, whose 75 km ranges put Tel Aviv in reach. The officer said these included Iranian-designed Fajr-5s and Hamas’s homemade Qassam M-75, which, he said, had similar range but carried warheads with only around a tenth of the explosives.

The strikes also destroyed stores of dozens of Kornet anti-tank missiles and pilotless drones, the officer said.

Replacing them would take a long time, the officer said, adding Israel had been reassured as part of the truce that Egypt would clamp down on arms trafficking to Gaza through the Sinai. Hamas denies it lost a significant amount of hardware and celebrated the fact that it managed to fire several rockets at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem - though these all fell wide or were intercepted by the Iron Dome interceptor system. — Reuters

IRAN Most Western social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are blocked in Iran, as well as political opposition and sexually explicit websites. But proxy server sites and other methods are widely used to get around the official restrictions.

Iran has announced plans to create its own domestic Internet with fully monitored content, but international experts question whether such a complete break from the worldwide Net is possible. Earlier this week, Iran accounted it had developed its own YouTube-style video sharing site.

CHINA There are more than 500 million Chinese online but they contend with an extensive Internet filtering and censorship system popularly known as the “Great Fire Wall.” Censors police blogs and domestic social media for content deemed pornographic or politically subversive and delete it. Many foreign websites, including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and the New York Times are blocked. Searches for controversial topics such as corruption scandals or jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo return error messages. Users evade controls using proxy servers.

CUBA Tight control, slow connections and high costs mean only around 5 percent of Cubans have access to the global Internet, with another 23 percent relying instead on a government intranet with very limited content. Web access is mainly via public facilities where people must first register with identification.

GULF ARAB STATES Political sites deemed threats to the state are often blocked.

Since the Arab Spring, authorities across the Gulf have stepped up arrests of bloggers and others for posted considered offensive to rulers or advocating political reforms.

CENTRAL ASIA Internet censorship is prevalent across former Soviet Central Asian republics, but the strongest restrictions have been recorded in Iran’s authoritarian neighbors to the north, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Controls are strictest in Turkmenistan, where social networking sites Facebook and Twitter are out-of-bounds, as is video-sharing site YouTube and numerous news websites. Uzbekistan has taken a less extreme approach, but sites critical of the government are blocked as a matter of course. Tajikistan, which is like those countries also ruled by an unchallenged strong-man ruler, has twice this year barred access to Facebook after web-surfers used the site to post material critical of government officials. — AP

INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

FM Lieberman quits ahead of Israeli vote JERUSALEM: Israel’s controversial Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, a key ally of the premier, resigned yesterday after having been charged with breach of trust, barely five weeks ahead of general elections. “I am not legally bound to submit my resignation... but I have decided to step down from my duties as foreign minister and deputy premier,” the ultra-nationalist leader said in a statement.

But Lieberman, 54, said he would fight the charges and could return to the political scene in time for the January 22 polls. “I have taken this deci-

sion from the conviction that the citizens of Israel will be able to go to the polls after this problem has been resolved,” said the leader of the Yisrael Beitenu party, a member of the ruling coalition. “That means the judiciary must give its verdict before the elections,” said Lieberman, who has long proclaimed his innocence of all charges.

“I will then be able to serve the citizens of Israel and form part of the next strong and unified leadership to face up to the security, political and economic challenges with which Israel is confronted,” he said. “Having been the target of

legal proceedings and (police) listening for the last 16 years, I plan to finish with this business without delay and clear my name once and for all,” he said, adding he lifted his parliamentary immunity. On Thursday, after he was charged with fraud and breach of trust, Lieberman said he would confer with his lawyers before deciding if he should resign. Israel’s attorney general charged him but dropped more serious allegations against Lieberman, whose party is running in alliance with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party.

Thursday’s decision closes an

episode that included explosive allegations of fraud, money-laundering and witness tampering. The alliance between Yisrael Beitenu and the rightwing party of Netanyahu, who takes over the foreign ministry in the interim, had been expected to win at least 38 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, far ahead of the opposition. Legal expert Moshe Negbi, speaking on Israeli radio, said Lieberman had no choice after a precedent was set more than 20 years ago when five supreme court judges ruled that a minister had to resign faced with similar charges. — AFP

Kerry is top pick for US State post Rice fires back after dropping US top diplomat bid WASHINGTON: With UN Ambassador Susan Rice suddenly withdrawing from consideration for US secretary of state to avoid a contentious confirmation fight with emboldened Republicans, Democratic Sen John Kerry has vaulted to the head of President Barack Obama’s short list of candidates. The exit of Rice and elevation of Kerry - who unsuccessfully sought the presidency in 2004 and has pined for the job of top diplomat - shook up Washington on Thursday. It was coupled with the potential for even bolder second-term changes in Obama’s national security team next month. Chuck Hagel, a former Republican senator, emerged as the front-runner to serve as defense secretary.

The possible selection of Kerry and Hagel would put two decorated Vietnam War veterans - one Navy, the other Army - at State and the Pentagon. Official word on replacements for Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is expected to step down soon, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in an Obama Cabinet remake could come as early as next week.

Democrats blamed politics for Rice’s withdrawal. They insinuated that Republicans who failed to get any traction in using the deadly September attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, to derail Obama’s reelection bid instead took her down.

“Their behavior was a disgrace to the Senate’s tradition of bipartisan cooperation on national security issues and beneath the stature of senators with otherwise distinguished records on national security,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said in a blistering statement.

Rice had been widely attacked for a series of interviews five days after the Libya attack that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. Relying on intelligence community talking points, she attributed the cause to widespread protests

throughout the Middle East over an anti-Muslim video rather than a terrorist attack by Al-Qaeda affiliates. Obama was defiant in defending Rice. House Democratic women cast the attacks as sexist and racist - Rice is AfricanAmerican. In a letter to Obama, Rice said that “if nominated, I am now convinced that the confirmation process would be lengthy, disruptive and costly - to you and to our most pressing national and international priorities.

That trade-off is simply not worth it to our country.” Obama bemoaned the relentless Republican criticism in accepting Rice’s decision to step aside.

“While I deeply regret the unfair and misleading attacks on Susan Rice in recent weeks, her decision demonstrates the strength of her character,” the president said. The White House said Rice would remain UN ambassa-

WASHINGTON: This file photo shows US Senator John Kerry, D-MA, as the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction begins a full committee hearing on considering the rules and organizing the committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. — AFP

dor. She could become national security adviser should Tom Donilon move on to another position, though that is not expected imminently.

The security adviser position would not require Senate confirmation. Kerry, a senator for nearly three decades and the current Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman, has won praise from his Senate colleagues and should be confirmed easily, if nominated. He has been Obama’s envoy to hot spots such as Afghanistan and Pakistan, the administration’s point man in 2010 on a nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia and a stand-in for Republican Mitt Romney during Obama’s debate preparation this year.

Hagel was a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee during his years in the Senate. He and Obama became close while they served in the Senate and traveled overseas together.

Hagel has irked some in the Republican Party with his complaints that the party has moved too far to the right and for his endorsements of Democrats.

“He’s a combat vet who was wounded twice and understands that the decisions we make here are carried out by our young men and women” in the military, said Sen Jack Reed, a member of the Armed Services Committee. It would be highly unusual for Hagel’s political moves to sink his nomination, even in bitterly divided Washington.

Kerry is no stranger to the politicization of national security; he was the target of unsubstantiated claims by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth over his Vietnam record. He acknowledged that experience in his statement Thursday praising Rice.

“As someone who has weathered my share of political attacks and understands on a personal level just how difficult politics can be, I’ve felt for her throughout these last difficult weeks, but I also know that she will continue to serve with great passion and distinction,” he said in a statement. — AP

GUANTANAMO BAY: Luis La Rosa (left) and Harry Henry are pictured on the US Naval Station base as they arrive for work. — AP

Era ends at Guantanamo as last 2 Cubans retire GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE: One of the world’s most unusual commutes is coming to an end. For more than a half century, Luis La Rosa and Harry Henry have left their homes before dawn each workday in the communist-run city of Guantanamo, where old American cars rumble past posters of the Castro brothers in a Cold War time warp, climbed into taxis and traveled to the US military base at Guantanamo Bay, where troops shop at a Wal-Mart-like store and eat at McDonald’s and Subway.

The commute takes less than an hour but spans two worlds and a heavily guarded border fence. Now it is coming to an end. La Rosa, a 79-year-old welder who works at the base’s motor pool, and Henry, an 82-year-old office worker, are retiring at the end of the month and will be honored Friday at a retirement ceremony that will celebrate the uniqueness of their situation. The close friends, who have a kind of celebrity status on the base, are the last of what were once hundreds of Cubans commuting daily to work at this isolated US military installation.

For them, it is a bittersweet moment - a severing one of the last real links between Cuba and the US Navy base that has been an unwelcome presence on the island for generations. “I feel a bit sad because I’m leaving, but I’m going to my country,” La Rosa said Thursday after passing through the coils of razor wire and a checkpoint guarded by US Marines that separates the base from the rest of Cuba. Though this spot is best known for the base’s prison for terrorism suspects, there is a substantial Cuban city of Guantanamo, which has a colonial downtown and a population of about 250,000. It lies to the northwest of the base, separated by mountains and marshland. A smaller city called Caimanera along the bay is the closest town to the US installation. There are about 30 other Cubans who live on the post, and the base commander has a monthly meeting with his Cuban counterpart to discuss logistics and administrative issues. — AP

INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

US, Germany to deploy Patriots Continued from Page 1

BAD SUELZE: A soldier of the Air Defense Missile Squadron 2 walks past Patriot missile launchers in the background in Bad Suelze, northern Germany. — AFP

At least 27 killed in US school...

Continued from Page 1 about the incident in Connecticut,” Carney said when asked about the president’s reaction to it. Carney called the event “tragic” and said there would be time later for a discussion of policy implications. Obama remains committed to trying to renew a ban on assault weapons, Carney said. All Newtown schools were placed in lockdown after the shooting, the Newtown Public School District said.

Lebinski said a mother who was at the school during the shooting told her a “masked man” entered the principal’s office and may have shot the principal. Lebinski, who is friends with the mother who was at the school, said the principal was “severely injured.” Lebinski’s daughter’s teacher “immediately locked the door to the classroom and put all the kids in the corner of the room.”

Danbury Hospital, about 11 miles west of the school, had received three patients from the scene, a hospital spokeswoman told NBC Connecticut. The mayor of Danbury, Mark Boughton, told MSNBC: “They are very serious injuries.”

A girl interviewed by NBC Connecticut described hearing seven loud “booms” as she

was in gym class. Other children began crying and teachers moved the students to a nearby office, she said. “A police officer came in and told us to run outside and so we did,” the unidentified girl said on camera. One child was carried from Sandy Hook Elementary School by a police officer, and the child appeared to have been wounded, the town’s weekly newspaper, the Newtown Bee, said on its website.

Connecticut State Police said its officers were at the scene with local police but provided no additional details. The emergency call to police occurred at 9:41 a.m., state police said.

Newtown, with a population about 27,000, is in northern Fairfield County, about 45 miles southwest of Hartford and 80 miles northeast of New York City. Sandy Hook is one of four elementary schools in the district. The United States has experienced a number of mass shooting rampages this year, most recently in Oregon, where a gunman opened fire at a shopping mall on Tuesday, killing two people and then himself. The deadliest attack came in July at a midnight screening of a Batman film in Colorado that killed 12 people and wounded 58. — Reuters

CONNECTICUT: A woman waits to hear about her sister, a teacher, following a shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School yesterday. — AP

But foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich insisted yesterday that there was no such shift. “We have never changed our position and we never will,” he said. At the close of a two-day European Union summit British Prime Minister David Cameron said “inaction and indifference are not options” in Syria. The situation in Syria, with more than 43,000 now dead, is “truly dreadful and getting worse,” he said, adding that there is “no single, simple answer.”

Earlier, French President President Francois Hollande said “the war is now turning against Assad and we should set ourselves this objective-make Assad leave as quickly as possible.”

A joint statement by EU leaders said they were “appalled by the increasingly deteriorating situation in Syria” and looking at “all options” to help the opposition and protect civilians. Panetta issued the missile deployment order shortly before landing at the Incirlik airbase in southeastern Turkey, a country he called a key ally, and said it will now have the defense it may need.

As rebels have seized large swathes of northern Syria along Turkey’s southern flanks, there has been mounting stray fire across the frontier. Some of it has been deadly, drawing strong warnings from Ankara that it will act to defend its territory. Western governments resisted a Turkish call earlier this year for a Libyan-style no-fly zone to create a buffer zone at the border, a position reiterated by NATO yesterday.

“The deployment will be defensive only. It

will not support a no-fly zone or any offensive operation,” said alliance spokeswoman Oana Lungescu. The Patriot, or “Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target,” came into its own during the 1991 Gulf War when it was deployed to protect allies and US forces from Iraqi Scud missiles. The deployments come amid growing fears the Syrian regime may resort to using chemical weapons against rebels and after claims Assad’s army unleashed Scud missiles in recent days, an allegation Damascus denies.

US and European leaders have warned the Assad regime not to use its arsenal of chemical arms, calling it a “red line” that would trigger international military action. The Pentagon chief said his biggest concern was that Assad’s regime might resort to chemical weapons in desperation. “You can’t imagine anyone who would do that to their own people. But history is replete with those leaders who made those kind of decisions, terrible decisions,” he said. “So we have to be ready.”

However, Panetta acknowledged that any attempt to secure or destroy Syria’s chemical weapons would be fraught with danger.

“When you’re dealing with this kind of stuff, you can’t just simply go in there and blow it up,” he said. On the ground, regime forces bombarded southern districts of Damascus a day after two deadly car bombings near the capital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Nationwide at least 32 people were killed yesterday, the Britain-based watchdog reported, bringing the overall to more than 43,000 toll since the start of the uprising in March 2011.— AFP

Violence erupts in Egypt Continued from Page 1 At least eight people have died and hundreds have been injured, and a leading opposition figure warned of more blood on the streets during the voting this today and next on a draft the opposition says is too heavily influenced by Islamists. The referendum, held on two days because there aren’t enough judges willing to monitor all polling stations, asks Egyptians to accept or reject a basic law that must be in place before national elections can be held early next year - an event many hope can steer the country towards stability.

The government said today would be a holiday to enable people to vote. To bolster support for the constitution, Islamists who propelled Morsi to power in June’s presidential election assembled at a mosque near the president’s palace in Cairo. “Islam, Islam,” they chanted. “We’ve come here to say ‘yes’ to the constitution.” The majority of protesters were men with beards, and some had brought their children and veiled wives with them.

Members of the liberal, secular and Christian opposition began to gather outside the presidential palace to protest against the basic law. Mohamed ElBaradei, an opposition leader and Nobel prize winner, issued a statement urging Mursi to cancel the referendum “before it is too late”. Amr Moussa, a former head of the Arab League also prominent in the opposition, called on Egyptians to vote “no”. The measure is nevertheless expected to pass, given the well-organized Muslim Brotherhood’s record of winning elections since the fall of Mubarak. Many Egyptians, tired of turmoil, may simply fall in line.

The first round of voting today will take place in Cairo and other major cities. Official results won’t be announced until after the second round, though it is likely that details will emerge to give a good steer on the first-

day figures, which are expected to show a strong vote in favor. To provide security for the vote, the army has been deployed in force, with state television showing ranks of soldiers receiving their orders to protect polling stations and other government buildings. About 120,000 troops and 6,000 tanks and armored vehicles will be deployed.

While the military backed Mubarak and his predecessors, it has not intervened on either side in the present crisis. The opposition says the constitution does not reflect the aspirations of all 83 million Egyptians because it is too Islamist and tramples on minority rights, including those of the Christian community.

Morsi’s supporters say the constitution is needed if progress is to be made towards democracy.

The charter has been criticized by some overseas bodies. The International Council of Jurists, a Geneva-based human rights group, said it falls short of international standards on the accountability of the armed forces, the independence of the judiciary, and recognition of human rights. United Nations human rights experts said the draft should be reviewed to ensure that Egypt meets its obligations under international law on equality and women’s rights.

While the opposition is telling its supporters to vote “no”, it has also threatened to boycott proceedings if guarantees for a fair vote are not met. But staying away from the process could risk a loss of credibility, political experts say. Many ordinary Egyptians are well aware of how contentious the constitution is, but simply want to get it out of the way so the country can move ahead. “I am so tired of politics,” said Ahmed Shawki, who works in downtown Cairo. “Can’t we have a referendum on stability instead of the constitution and then all Egyptians work together to achieve stability.

A faraway dream.” — Reuters

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

New parties pop up in Japan, confusing voters TOKYO: The buzz over Japan’s parliamentary elections tomorrow has been all about “the third force” - a clear sign of the prevailing disenchantment over both the party that ruled for decades after World War II and the rival party that took over in 2009. But with more than a dozen parties vying for votes - many of them popping up over the past several months- talk in the media and on the streets about a “third” alternative has become a bit of an understatement. The circuslike myriad of parties spans a spectrum of views from the super-patriotic, calling for a more hawkish Japan, to those linked to the grassroots movement demanding an end to nuclear power, a call that has grown following the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant meltdowns last year.

Polls show the conservative, pro-big business Liberal Democrat Party that led Japan for decades is likely to win the most seats, as the rest of the vote gets split among the hodgepodge of parties. Still, voters don’t seem terribly enthused about the LDP or their leader, Shinzo Abe, a nationalistic former prime minister who is the front-runner to get the top job again. The ruling Democratic Party of Japan, which swept to power in 2009 amid high hopes for change, is expected to lose badly. The public is disgusted after the Democrats failed to carry out one promise after another, including government subsidies for children, eradication of wasteful public spending and getting US military bases off Okinawa, the tiny southern island that holds the majority of American troops.

Add to the mix a host of smaller, new parties, and many voters find

Pentagon warns of higher bomb threat WASHINGTON: American and coalition forces in Afghanistan will be more vulnerable to deadly improvised explosive devices as the military draws down troops next year, a senior Pentagon official said Thursday. Lt Gen Michael Barbero described his concerns about what is the top cause of military and civilian deaths in Afghanistan and Pakistan in congressional testimony that also underscored US frustration with Islamabad’s efforts to thwart the production of the devices known as IEDs, most of which are fertilizer-based explosives.

IEDs are responsible for more than 60 percent of US troops killed and wounded in Afghanistan as the war has entered its second decade. Although the number of incidents is down this year, IEDs caused 1,874 American casualties. Barbero told a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee that the drawdown of some 66,000 US troops next year will make American forces more susceptible to IEDs. He said fewer troops will mean travel on Afghan roads becomes more predictable, raising the possibility of more attacks. In addition, fewer troops will mean less awareness of what’s happening in the vicinity.

“IEDs will continue to be the weapon of choice against our forces,” Barbero told the panel. Barbero, the director of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, and Jonathan Carpenter, a senior economic adviser at the State Department, insisted that Pakistan, which has had more than 926 IED attacks and more than 3,700 casualties, needs to do more to stop the devices.

About 70 percent of the homemade explosives are made with ammonium nitrate from calcium ammonium nitrate, known as CAN. The common agricultural fertilizer is produced by two factories in Pakistan. Barbero said the Fatima Group, which owns and operates the two factories, has not been cooperative. Further complicating the situation, the Pakistan government stopped all direct communication between the United States and the company. He said any contact must go through one of the Pakistan ministries.

Carpenter said the US was constrained by the closing of supply lines that didn’t reopen until July of this year. Sen Bob Casey, a Democrat and chairman of the subcommittee, said Pakistan is vital to stopping key components from making their way into Afghanistan. “I see too many casualties at Walter Reed,” Casey said of the Army military hospital. “We need to see action.” The officials pointed out that Treasury has imposed sanctions and the Commerce Department has added 150 names to the list of entities barred from doing business with the United States. — AP

themselves confused. Surveys this week show that nearly half of would-be voters still can’t make up their minds.”I can’t decide. It’s hard to know exactly what we’re voting for,” said Hiroko Takahashi, a 51-year-old part-time worker from Machida, a city west of Tokyo, echoing the sentiments of many. “All the candidates are speaking out ahead of the election, but I’m not so sure they’ll carry out any of their promises. I’m hopeful about the new parties, but I also wonder if I should trust one of the older parties,” she said.

If no single party wins the majority in the 480-seat lower house, the more powerful assembly in parliament, a coalition government would be formed. With so many fledgling parties, a few, no matter how tiny, may end up wielding considerable clout, getting wooed to join a coalition government. “It’s after the election that action is expected, with all the small parties, as though the dice will be rolled all over again,” said Tetsuro Kato, professor of political science at Waseda University in Tokyo.

Kato and other experts say the convoluted state of politics reflects a Japan striving for direction as it comes to terms with the recognition that its go-go growth years are over, its future increasingly overshadowed by China. The new party with the most momentum, and one that could be part of the coalition government, is the Japan Restoration Party, led by Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara and Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, pushing for a more assertive Japan and capable of flexing its military muscle in territorial disputes with China.—AP

TOKYO: Ryokichi Kawashima, a 94-year-old candidate for tomorrow’s general election speaks to voters for his election campaign at Hanyu city yesterday. — AFP

Defiant N Korea stages rally amid nuclear fears Rocket launch shows young leader as gambler PYONGYANG: A triumphant North Korea staged a mass rally of soldiers and civilians yesterday to glorify the country’s young ruler, who took a big gamble this week in sending a satellite into orbit in defiance of international warnings. Wednesday’s rocket launch came just eight months after a similar attempt ended in an embarrassing public failure, and just under a year after Kim Jong Un inherited power following the death of his father.

The surprising success of the launch may have earned Kim global condemnation, but at home, the gamble paid off, at least in the short term. To his people, it made the 20-something Kim appear powerful, capable and determined in the face of foreign adversaries. Workers’ Party Secretary Kim Ki Nam told the crowd, bundled up against a winter chill in the heart of the capital, that “hostile forces” had dubbed the launch a missile test. He denied

the claim and called on North Koreans to stand their ground against the “cunning” critics. In response, the tens of thousands of North Koreans who packed snowy Kim Il Sung Square clenched their fists in a unified show of resolve as a military band tooted horns and pounded on drums. Huge red banners positioned in the square called on North Koreans to defend Kim Jong Un with their lives. They also paid homage to Kim Jong Un’s father, Kim Jong Il, and his grandfather, North Korean founder Kim Il Sung.

Pyongyang says the rocket put a crop and weather monitoring satellite into orbit.

Much of the rest of the world sees it as a thinly disguised test of banned long-range missile technology. It could bring a fresh round of UN sanctions that would increase his country’s international isolation. At the same time, the success of the launch could strengthen North Korea’s military, the only entity that poses a potential threat to Kim’s

PYONGYANG: This picture taken by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) yesterday shows army soldiers celebrating the successful launch of the Unha-3 rocket, carrying the satellite Kwangmyongsong-3, at Kim Il-Sung Square. — AFP

rule. To his people, the launch’s success, 14 years after North Korea’s first attempt, shows more than a little of the gambling spirit in the third Kim to rule North Korea since it became a country in 1948.

“North Korean officials will long be touting Kim Jong Un as a gutsy leader” who commanded the rocket launch despite being new to the job and young, said Kim Byung-ro, a North Korea specialist at Seoul National University in South Korea. The propaganda machinery churned into action early yesterday, with state media detailing how Kim Jong Un issued the order to fire off the rocket just days after scientists fretted over technical issues, ignoring the chorus of warnings from Washington to Moscow against a move likely to invite more sanctions. Top officials followed Kim’s suit in defiantly shrugging off the international condemnation of the launch.

Workers’ Party Secretary Kim Ki Nam told the crowd yesterday that “hostile forces” had dubbed the launch a missile test. He rejected the claim, and rallied North Koreans to stand their ground against the “cunning” critics. North Korea called the satellite a gift to Kim Jong Un’s late father, Kim Jong Il, who is said to have set the lofty goal of getting a satellite into space and then tapped his son to see it into fruition.

The satellite, which North Korean scientists say is designed to send back data about crops and weather, was named Kwangmyongsong, or “Lode Star” - the nickname legendarily given to the elder Kim at birth.

Kim Jong Il died on Dec. 17, 2011, making the successful launch a fitting mourning tribute. State TV have been replaying video of the launch to “Song of Gen. Kim Jong Il.” But it is the son who will bask in the glory of the accomplishment, as well as face the international censure that may follow. —AP

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Italian debt at record high above 2tn euros

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US consumer prices post first drop in six months

Business

China shares power to best day in 3 years

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89 ITU members sign UN telecom treaty

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

BRUSSELS: (lL to R) Cypriot President Demetris Christofias, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso attend a press conference at the EU Headquarters yesterday in Brussels, on the last day of a two-day European Union leaders summit. —AFP

EU delays euro fix after deal on Greece ‘We can look ahead to 2013 with serenity’

BRUSSELS: Europe’s leaders yesterday pushed back radical moves to fix faults in the euro at the final summit of a crisis-hit 2012 that saw muchtrumpeted deals to save Greece and monitor big banks.

At the close of a year that saw Greece near bankruptcy and a eurozone exit, with the crisis spreading to Spain and Italy, leaders were keen to look forward after releasing funds for Athens and agreeing to keep a close eye on big banks.

And on Syria, EU leaders also tasked their foreign ministers to look at “all options to support and help the opposition” while British Prime Minister David Cameron said that “inaction and indifference are not options.” Yet Europe had started the year with many “seriously questioning whether the euro and indeed European integration would survive,” recalled European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. “I think those commentators and those analysts have been shown to be totally wrong,” he insisted.

Barroso hailed what he termed “extremely important” deals on banking supervision and releasing loans to Greece and concluded: “I am

really confident that we are going to overcome the difficulties.” For his part, French President Francois Hollande said that “good work was completed throughout 2012 that enables us to be confident for 2013.” “The euro is out of this period in which there were questions over its future, its fate,” Hollande said. The leaders of two of the countries hardest hit by the crisis, Spain and Italy, also saw a sunnier outlook next year. “We can look ahead to 2013 with serenity,” said Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti.

Spain’s prime minister Mariano Rajoy said: “Decisions have been taken and steps taken that appeared impossible at the beginning of the year.” But the head of Europe’s top economy and effective paymaster, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, was more “cautious.”

“Yes, a few things have been achieved, but there are still difficult times ahead of us,” she told reporters, urging other eurozone countries not to let up in their reform efforts. After a buy-back scheme that wiped tens of billions of euros off Greece’s debt, ministers on Thursday unlocked a much-needed injection of cash that could begin flowing as early as next week.

The accord prompted Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to declare that “Grexit”, the idea that Greece would be forced out of the 17-nation bloc, was “dead”. Leaders also hailed a “breakthrough” in banking supervision after placing the biggest eurozone banks under the aegis of the European Central Bank, paving the way for Europe’s bailout pot to recapitalise struggling lenders directly. But as market pressures have waned, leaders appeared to feel less urgency over proposed moves to plug holes in the construction of the eurozone that the crisis has laid bare.

Ahead of the meeting, Van Rompuy had drawn up ambitious proposals for the euro’s future including the possibility of a eurozone budget and financial support in return for countries that commit in writing to reforms. However, the summit’s final declaration contained few of these ideas, as leaders invited Van Rompuy to pen another report on closer economic coordination in June 2013.

Further steps towards a fully fledged banking union, including guaranteeing deposits on a euro-wide level and a mechanism for winding up insolvent banks should be proposed “in the

course of 2013” and implemented the year after.

“The EU and the eurozone have ended the year with the typical mixture of delivering the bare minimum without overachieving a single tiny bit,” complained Carsten Brzeski, an analyst at ING bank in Brussels. “The famous roadmap towards further integration of the eurozone has been delayed once again,” he noted. Analysts at Barclays Capital were also downbeat. In a research note headlined “EU summit: even more disappointing than we anticipated”, they complained the Van Rompuy proposals were “significantly watered down.”

Hovering in the background at the summit were fears that the reform process in Italy could stall-with dire consequences for the eurozoneafter Monti said he would soon step down.

Leaders closed ranks around Monti, however, with Merkel saying his government had “done a great deal of helpful work for the confidence that Italy is now enjoying again.” Predecessor Silvio Berlusconi meanwhile appeared to row back on a pledge to run for office, telling Belgium television that he still had “so much to do” outside politics. —AFP

business

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Democrat says ‘fiscal cliff’ vote could go into 2013 WASHINGTON: The failure of Democrats and Republicans to break the impasse over the “fiscal cliff” is raising the possibility of Congress going beyond the year-end deadline to complete the work necessary to avert steep tax hikes and budget cuts that experts fear could push the nation into another recession.

A top Democrat in the US House of Representatives said if the two sides agreed in principle on a deal but ran out of time to draft and pass the legislation implementing it, Congress could pass a temporary measure and work out the details in the following weeks.

Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the second-ranking House Democrat, raised the overtime possibility in a Fox News interview Thursday, just before President Barack Obama and House Speaker John

Boehner met at the White House and failed to break the impasse on the key tax issue holding up movement in the talks. “We could pass a bill that says we put everything off for 15 days,” Hoyer said, and then craft the legislation locking a deal in place. The “everything” to which Hoyer referred includes income tax rate cuts and other tax provisions that expire on Dec. 31 as well as across-the-board spending reductions, the so-called “sequestration.”

The tax rates, lowered temporarily during the administration of former President George W Bush and extended in 2010, are the major sticking point. Republicans want them kept in place for all taxpayers while Democrats insist they be raised for high earners.

Asked by Fox’s Neil Cavuto if failure to even agree in principle would pre-

vent a temporary extension, Hoyer said, “If we don’t get an agreement of any type, then, yes, I think you’re going to run into a hard-and-fast deadline of December 31, when a lot of things expire.”

Obama and Boehner met face to face for about 50 minutes at the White House following yet another day of finger-pointing between Republicans and Democrats. Aides on both sides called the meeting “frank” and said the lines of communication remained open. The meeting, also attended by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, was announced after frustration broke out on both sides at a lack of progress and US stocks turned negative due to fears the economy could dip into recession again if politicians fail to break the gridlock in Washington.

At a meeting earlier on Thursday, Obama’s top economic adviser, Gene

Sperling, delivered a downbeat message to Democratic senators about the status of the fiscal cliff talks.

A Democratic aide described the presentation as “bleak,” saying Sperling told the senators that “we don’t have anywhere to go until Republicans move on (income tax) rates.”

Republicans offered similar gloom.

“Based on the White House’s current approach, it looks like we’re in for a protracted conflict until the snow melts,” Illinois Representative Peter Roskam said in an interview.

“They (the White House) are pushing us over the cliff,” said Roskam, a member of Boehner’s leadership team. Little progress in the negotiations was expected yesterday with Boehner set to return to his congressional district in Ohio for the weekend. — Reuters

89 ITU members sign UN telecom treaty DUBAI: A controversial new global treaty on telecom regulations was signed yesterday by two thirds of International Telecommunication Union members despite US objections to potential regulation of the Internet.

“I say to the 89 states that signed today the treaty, thank you,” said Mohamed al-Ghanim, chairman of the World Conference on International Telecommunication (WICT-12), organised by the ITU in Dubai. Fifty-five countries did not sign the treaty, he said.

“I hope that the 55 states that said do not want to sign the treaty, or need to hold consultations, to think again,” about the treaty that becomes effective from January 2015, said Ghanim, who is the chief of the UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.

The treaty that is the first update to the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) agreed in 1988, stirred controversy as Internet operators, activists and countries led by the United States objected to reference to the Internet deemed to be paving the way for government control.

The head of the US delegation, Terry Kramer, walked out of the hall as the signing started. But the ITU chief Hamadoun Toure insisted on Friday that the treaty had nothing to do with the Internet, despite a non-binding resolution calling for action to promote Internet growth.

“This conference was not about the Internet control or Internet governance, and indeed there are no provisions on the Internet,” the ITU secretary general told participants at the signing ceremony. The United States on Thursday slammed the treaty saying that the proposed text opened the door to government regulation of the Internet. The non-binding resolution on the Internet, recognises, among other things, that “all governments should have an equal role

and responsibility for international Internet governance and for ensuring the stability, security and continuity of the existing Internet and its future development and of the future Internet,” according to the text.

“This conference has no effect on the Internet at all,” Toure told reporters earlier, insisting that the treaty gives explicit protection to free speech. “In the preamble, we have a special article,” he said. “Member states affirm their commitment to implement these regulations in a manner that respects and upholds their human rights obligations.” Kramer said on Thursday that he could not sign the treaty as currently drafted because it included some language “seeking to insert governmental control over Internet governance.” “The US has consistently believed and continues to believe that the (UN treaty) should not extend to Internet governance or content,” he added.

US lawmakers had voted unani-

mously to oppose any efforts to give the United Nations new authority to regulate the Internet, and a variety of Internet activists and US firms, led by Google, also warned against new regulations. Internet giant Google, which has been vocal in criticising the conference, said that many governments taking part in the meeting in Dubai proved that they wanted increased censorship, and it supported countries rejecting the treaty. “What is clear from the ITU meeting in Dubai is that many governments want to increase regulation and censorship of the Internet,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement. “We stand with the countries who refuse to sign this treaty and also with the millions of voices who have joined us to support a free and open web,” the spokesperson added. The treaty sets out general principles for ensuring the free flow of information around the world, said an ITU statement in summing up the treaty. — AFP

DUBAI: Hamadoun Toure (C), secretary general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), addresses a joint press conference on the final day of the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12) in the Gulf emirate of Dubai yesterday. — AFP

LILLE: A closeup taken on December 31, 2011 in Lille, shows triple “A” letters (AAA) and euro notes. The Fitch ratings agency said yesterday that it was keeping France’s top AAA credit rating, the only one of the three major ratings agencies to do so, but said outlook remained negative. — AFP

WB chief economist hails India reforms NEW DELHI: World Bank chief economist Kaushik Basu yesterday urged India to keep up its blitz of “promising” reforms, saying they can help the economy return to the nine percent growth needed to combat poverty.

The World Bank expects growth of Asia’s third-largest economy to be 5.5 percent this calendar year, inching up to just short of six percent next year and reaching close to seven percent the following year, Basu said.

If the country stays on its “promising” reform path, he added, “it has enough fundamental strength there is no reason why India can’t get back to the eight to nine percent growth” which it enjoyed in the second half of the last decade. “If we can continue to push on reforms we can make a big difference to India,” Basu, previously chief economic adviser to the Indian prime minister, told an economic forum in New Delhi. Basu’s remarks came as Finance Minister P Chidambaram promised more steps to spur the economy, which has slowed sharply due to high interest rates and the global downturn, on top of a spurt of reform measures recently announced.

Late Thursday, the cabinet cleared changes to a century-old land acquisition law and established a panel to be headed by Premier Manmohan Singh to fast-track projects to overhaul India’s dilapidated ports, roads and other infrastructure. The draft land purchase law-which must now be approved by parliament-seeks to give farmers higher prices for their land and lays down that companies buying property must win assent from 80 percent of landholders. — AFP

BUSINESS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Italian debt at record high above 2tn euros MILAN: Italian public debt has swelled to its highest ever level, reaching euro2.014 trillion ($2.64 trillion) in October, the Bank of Italy said yesterday - highlighting the country’s fragile financial state in spite of the raft of austerity measures and reforms imposed by Prime Minister Mario Monti.

The Italian economy, the third-largest among the 17 European Union countries that use the euro, is in recession as the government has enacted spending cuts and tax hikes to get a handle on its debt.

The latest figures show the debt pile has risen by 3.7 percent since January 2012, when it was euro 1.94 trillion. With debts worth 126 percent of the country’s annual economic output, Italy has the secondhighest debt-to-GDP ratio in the eurozone, behind only Greece. According to consumer group Codacons, Italy’s debt load works out at euro 82,192 per household - up euro 4,400 on the beginning of the year.

“The Monti government would do well to consider that you don’t bring

down debt only with taxes, but through an increase in revenues due to the generation of more wealth,” Codacons said in a statement. The consumer group also criticized Monti for not doing more to cut waste, and specifically for dropping the battle to reduce the number of provinces during his mandate.

Monti was tapped by Italy’s president to lead the country in November 2011 after the then-premier Silvio Berlusconi was forced to step down after international markets lost confidence in his ability to save the country from a Greek-style debt crisis. Monti, a respected economist and former European commissioner, and his government of unelected technocrats won back a degree of international credibility through a series of tax hikes and fiscal reforms that have been unpopularbut largely accepted-at home.

Thanks to a combination of the European Central Bank offering to buy up unlimited quantities of short-term bonds in countries struggling with their debt and Monti’s reforms, Italy’s borrowing

costs have been kept down in recent months. However, markets were shaken this week when Monti announced that he would resign earlier than anticipated - after Parliament passes its 2013 budget, expected by the Christmas break - saying it was impossible to carry on in government after Berlusconi’s political party withdrew its support in two crucial votes last week.

Since then Berlusconi has wavered over whether he would lead his party into the next election, now expected in February. The former premier yesterday said he was awaiting Monti’s decision on whether he will run.

“If I am running my party we can retake all the votes of 2008,” his last election victory,” Berlusconi said on RAI state TV. “The votes of those disillusioned who are still there and haven’t gone to other parties.”

Monti has not yet indicated if he will participate in elections. But the fact that he has announced he is stepping down removes one obstacle to running a politi-

cal campaign: Monti, who formally does not belong to any party, will no longer be bound to an apolitical role since his government will not be asking Parliament to back any measures.

The center-left opposes a Monti campaign, which could cost them centrist votes. Party leader Pier Luigi Bersani, who won the party’s primary, is adamant that politicians return to running Italy.

Monti refused yesterday to discuss his plans during a press conference at the end of an European Union summit in Brussels. “It doesn’t seem possible or opportune for me to discuss this topic,” Monti said. European leaders have been vocally voicing support for a continuation of Monti’s leadership. In response, Italy’s president, Giorgio Napolitano, told diplomats posted to Rome yesterday that there was no cause for alarm due to the political tensions of recent days. “This difficult passage will be overcome,” Napolitano said, adding that the elections will bring “a renewed commitment” to stay the reform course. — AP

Brent rises near $109 US jobless claims drop to near 4-yr low

MADRID: A Bankia bank worker protests outside the bank’s headquarters in Madrid yesterday against the proposal to shed some 6,000 workers. The Spanish government said that the euro 39.5 billion ($51.3 billion) in bailout funds approved by European authorities for the country’s troubled banks has arrived. — AP

Eurozone business activity improves again in Dec BRUSSELS: Eurozone business activity hit a nine-month high in December, continuing to show improvement from recent lows but remaining in negative territory, a key survey showed yesterday. The gains, however, suggested that there could be a return to growth in the first half of next year, as long as there are no unpleasant surprises, it said.

The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) Composite Output Index, a leading indicator compiled by the Markit research firm, came in at an preliminary 47.3 points for December, up from 46.5 in November and edging closer to the 50 points boom-bust line.

For the eurozone services sector alone, the PMI came in at 47.8 points, up sharply from 46.7 points in November while manufacturing gained only slightly, to 46.3 from 46.2. Markit said that while the improvement in December suggests the worst is over, the figures continue to “signal a steep overall rate of decline, with business activity levels having now fallen in 15 of the last 16 months.

“The eurozone downturn showed further signs of easing in December, adding to hopes that the outlook for next year is brightening,” Markit chief economist Chris Williamson said in a statement. “It looks like the downturn reached its fiercest back in October, since when the PMI has turned up steadily (but) by no means spectacularly,” Williamson said. At the same time, the survey pointed to a further overall economic contraction in the fourth quarter, possibly more than the shrinkage of 0.1 percent recorded in the third, he said.

“However, a return to growth is looking like an increasing possibility in the first half of next year, barring any surprises, if the recent improvements in the survey data can be sustained.” —AFP

LONDON: Brent crude rose toward $109 a barrel yesterday on a brighter outlook for China’s economy, the world’s second-largest oil consumer, but worries about the impact of a possible US fiscal crisis capped price gains.

Brent crude is set to eke out its first weekly gain this month. The January contract, which expires later on Friday, rose 94 cents to $108.85 a barrel by 1008 GMT. US crude for January delivery was up 92 cents at $86.81 and on track for its fifth weekly gain in six.

Growth in China’s vast manufacturing sector picked up in December, reinforcing recent indications of a revival in the country’s economic recovery that could boost fuel demand.

“Oil is particularly dominated by Chinese potential demand and any sign of an upturn in China tends to have a positive effect on oil,” said Tony Machacek, a broker at Jefferies Bache in London. The HSBC flash purchasing managers’ index for China rose to 50.9 for December, a 14-month high. Data released earlier this week showed that China’s November crude imports matched the third-highest daily rate on record as new refining units started operations. But a ceiling is expected to stay on oil prices for as long as a stalemate over how to avert the US “fiscal cliff” of steep tax increases and spending cuts that kicks in early next year is not resolved. Frustration mounted over the lack of progress in budget talks as the year-end deadline loomed, overshadowing data that showed a drop in new jobless claims last week to a near four-year low and a rebound in November retail sales.

Also capping gains, a purchasing managers’ index suggested that the euro zone recession has deepened in the current quarter after the bloc’s pri-

vate sector contracted for the 11th straight month in December.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is relaxed about the prospect of rising inventories in the first half of next year, the group’s secretary general said on Thursday, so long as oil prices avoid extreme moves from their current acceptable level.

The OPEC agreed on Wednesday to maintain its oil output target of 30 million barrels per day (bpd), a production level the group exceeded in November by 800,000 bpd. But forecasts for lower demand suggest OPEC may need to cut output at some point next year.

However, Iraq has said it “will never cut production,” adding that other OPEC producers should shoulder the

burden of cuts if a reduction in supply is required.

“Contrary to many news reports suggesting that the market is oversupplied and that production will need to be cut to avoid a massive stockbuild, crude market fundamentals are actually quite strong at present,” said analysts at Vienna-based consultancy JBC Energy in a report. “Both Dubai and Brent intermonth spreads are exhibiting strong backwardation, indicating that prompt demand for crude remains high.”

Oil major BP is close to reaching a deal with Iraq to cut the final production target for the supergiant Rumaila oilfield to between 1.8 million and 2.2 million bpd, down from 2.85 million bpd agreed in 2009. — Reuters

VINA DEL MAR: Chile’s Minister of Finance Felipe Larrain (R) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde (L) are seen upon arrival at the opening of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) summit yesterday in Vina del Mar, Chile. — AFP

BUSINESS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Cuba announces more support for small businesses HAVANA: Cuba’s economy czar said Thursday that the government is planning more measures to support and increase the ranks of independent workers and small business owners, including the authorization of new areas of private employment.

Real estate broker, delivery person, antique dealer and produce vendor will be among the newly legal private professions, Marino Murillo told lawmakers at the second of their twice-annual sessions.

Economists have long said Cuba needs to expand the number of allowable private enterprises, with an emphasis on legalizing more independent white-collar work. Real estate has been a particular concern. Cuba legalized the buying and selling of property 12 months ago, but has yet to allow agents to facilitate transactions. In a country that has long employed nearly the entire workforce and where the state dominates the economy, the selfemployed “are gaining space,” Murillo was quoted as saying by state news agency Prensa Latina. The session was not open to international journalists.

Currently some 400,000 people are working in the private sector in 180 legally approved jobs, Prensa Latina said. That’s up from 156,000 in late 2010, the onset of Castro’s five-year plan to reform the economy with a dash of free-market activity.

Cuba intends to keep control of key sectors, however, and Castro and other top officials insist the country is not abandoning a half-century of socialism for freewheeling capitalism. Murillo also said that in the future, state-run businesses including tourism concerns will be able to pay

independent contractors in the hard, dollar-based currency through bank transactions.

Dressed in military khakis, President Raul Castro presided over the parliamentary session as legislators passed a budget for next year and heard an update on the

HAVANA: A hairdresser sleeps as she waits for clients at a private hair salon in Havana, Cuba, Dec 11, 2012. Cuba formally authorized the creation of the first non-agricultural cooperatives, a measure expected to permit the growth of midsize businesses as part of President Raul Castro’s plan to open the economy to some liberalization. — AP

Obama, Boehner meet in fiscal cliff talks WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama and Republican House Speaker John Boehner held surprise talks Thursday, as time ran short for hopes of a pre-Christmas deal to solve a fiscal crisis that could cause a recession.

The rivals met at the White House, for 50 minutes, for the first time since Sunday, but there was little sign of progress between them on efforts to defuse an end-ofyear time bomb of tax hikes and huge spending cuts.

“The president and speaker had a frank meeting in the Oval Office tonight. There will be no further readout of the meeting, but lines of communication remain open,” said Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck.

White House aides were similarly opaque about the talks, which included Obama’s Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, a key player in efforts to reach a deal, and came as Democrats again demanded tax hikes on the rich and Republicans held out for draconian spending cuts.

“It’s clear that the president is just not serious about cutting spending. But spending is the problem,” Boehner earlier told reporters, insisting that tax increases alone will not resolve the fiscal crisis. “The president wants to pretend that spending isn’t the problem-that’s why we don’t have an agreement.” Boehner used a chart showing bloated government spending if no further cuts are made, and warned “here we are at the 11th hour, and the president still isn’t serious about dealing with this issue right here.” “If the president will step up... I think we can do some real good in the days ahead.” Unless a deal is done by the end of the year, all Americans will see their taxes go up and steep automatic budget cuts will come into force. With such a hit, many analysts believe that the fragile economic recovery could be thrown into reverse and there is alarm abroad at the impact on financial markets if no deal is done.

The White House counters that Obama made serious proposals to cut spending last year, which are still on the table, and accuses Republicans of simply wanting to shield the richest Americans from paying more in taxes.

Obama wants to extend expiring tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans but to let rates rise for the top two percent of earners. Republicans are open to taking in more revenue, but only by closing loopholes and cutting deductions. They also want to make efficiencies to programs like Social Security retirement savings and Medicare health insurance for the elderly, which are dear to the hearts of Democrats. —AFP

economic situation. The government announced recently that GDP rose 3.1 percent this year, below expectations of 3.4 percent. Growth of 3.7 percent is forecast for 2013, low for a small developing economy. Economy Minister Adel Izquierdo said the construction sector is expected to expand 20 percent in the coming year, worker productivity should rise 2.6 percent and the country has a goal of topping 3 million tourist visits for the first time, according to Prensa Latina.

In its first order of business, the assembly unanimously passed a resolution of support for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who earlier this week underwent his fourth cancer-related surgery in the Cuban capital.

“We wish for his quick recovery,” the resolution said, according to footage broadcast by state television. “At the same time ... we ratify our unconditional solidarity and support, under any circumstances, for the sister Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in this new battle.”

Cuban leaders have sometimes used the parliamentary gatherings to make important announcements or policy statements. The unicameral parliament will reconvene in February with a new membership following elections and is then expected to name Castro to another fiveyear term. — AP

US consumer prices post first drop in six months Price index falls 0.3 percent on gasoline WASHINGTON: US consumer prices fell in November for the first time in six months, pointing to muted inflation pressures that should allow the Federal Reserve to stay on its ultra-easy monetary policy path as it nurses the economy back to health.

The Labor Department said yesterday its Consumer Price Index dropped 0.3 percent last month as a sharp decline in gasoline prices offset increases in other areas. It was also the largest drop since May and followed a 0.1 percent gain in October. Economists polled by Reuters had expected consumer prices to fall 0.2 percent. The so-called core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, edged up 0.1 percent after rising 0.2 percent in October. Although food prices rose 0.2 percent in a lagged response to the summer drought, price pressures remain tame.

“The inflation data continues to be benign and there is very little in the way of price pressures in the economy,” said Omer Esiner, chief market analyst at Commonwealth Foreign Exchange in Washington. “That therefore justifies the Federal Reserve’s action to keep a very accommodative monetary policy.” The Fed said on Wednesday it expected to hold interest rates near zero until unemployment falls to at least 6.5 percent and as long as inflation does not threaten to break above 2.5 percent and inflation expectations are contained.

The US central bank also replaced an expiring stimulus program with a fresh round of Treasury debt purchases, to help speed up economic growth in the near term. Labor market slack is a major factor in dampening inflation pressures.

US bond prices extended modest gains after the data, while stock index futures turned negative. In the 12 months to November overall consumer prices increased 1.8 percent, the smallest increase since August. That compared to October’s 2.2 percent rise. Last month, gasoline prices tumbled 7.4 percent, the largest drop since December 2008, after falling 0.6 percent In October. That offset a 0.2 percent gain in food prices.

Gasoline prices at the pump fell 29 cents in November, easing some of the strain on household budgets. The Labor Department said inflation-adjusted average weekly earnings

WASHINGTON: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke gestures as he speaks during a news conference at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, following the Federal Open Market Committee meeting. — AP

rose 0.5 percent last month, reversing October’s 0.5 percent fall.

Away from gasoline and food, the cost of apparel fell 0.6 percent after increasing 0.7 percent in October. New motor vehicle prices rose 0.2 percent after slipping 0.1 percent the prior month. Auto prices could have been lifted by a spike in demand as people replace vehicles destroyed by Superstorm Sandy in late October. Prices for used cars and trucks fell 0.5 percent, declining for a fifth straight month.

Housing costs edged up, with owners’ equivalent rent rising 0.2 percent after climbing by a similar margin in October. Rents have been advancing in recent months, largely driven by a decline in homeownership.

Steady job market gains are also helping to boost demand for accommodation as some people who had moved in with family and friends during the recession seek places of their own.

In the 12 months to November, core CPI increased 1.9 percent after rising 2.0 percent in October. — Reuters

business SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Rosneft to raise $10bn bonds for TNK-BP deal MOSCOW/LONDON: Russia’s Rosneft could raise as much as $10 billion on bond markets to finance its takeover of AngloRussian oil firm TNK-BP, potentially matching loans backed by future oil exports.

Bankers familiar with Rosneft’s plans to finance the $55 billion deal to buy Russia’s No.3 oil firm say the state-controlled oil major was strongly encouraged by high investor demand for a recent $3 billion bond offering. Demand for the twotranche Eurobond deal last month topped $20 billion, but Rosneft decided to limit the size, leaving investors clamouring for more, three financial sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

“They can do a very large transaction in public markets,” said one source acquainted with Rosneft’s financing plans, adding that a multi-tranche deal of up to $10 billion could be launched before the deal’s expected closing in early 2013.

Rosneft declined to comment. Rosneft is paying relatively low interest on its most recent Eurobonds - 3.1 percent on $1 billion in notes due in March 2017 and 4.2 percent for $2 billion in bonds maturing in March 2022.

It is also talking to oil majors and traders including Shell , Total and Glencore to raise up to $10 billion, secured against future oil exports, sources have told Reuters.

The takeover would create the world’s top listed oil firm by output, pumping the equivalent of 4.6 million barrels per day, twinning TNK-BP’s cash-generating prowess with Rosneft’s deep reserves of oil, which are sufficient to last a quarter of a century.

In Russia’s largest-ever acquisition, Rosneft will buy out British oil major BP’s half stake in TNK-BP for $17.1 billion in cash and 12.8 percent of its own shares.

CEO Igor Sechin this week signed a binding deal to buy the other half of TNKBP for $28 billion in cash from a quartet of Soviet-born oligarchs represented via the AAR consortium. Full payment is to be made on closing.

The outright takeover will secure a windfall of TNK-BP dividends that have gone unpaid this year, while the target’s low debt level would give the merged business a better credit standing than Rosneft’s alone.

Even now, Rosneft’s borrowing costs

are already well covered by cash flows, with a net debt to core profit ratio of 0.91 on an annualised basis.

In its recent Eurobond prospectus, Rosneft said it would be able to draw on over $15 billion in existing cash resources at Rosneft and TNK-BP, covering a third of the $45.1 billion cash component of the takeover.

Rosneft also said it had received a commitment from a syndicate of international banks to lend it approximately $30 billion, including up to $7.5 billion in long-term financing.

In addition to the Eurobond programme of up to $10 billion, Rosneft still has the capacity to borrow $2.4 billion from a $3 billion rouble bond issuance programme, the prospectus added. So-called offtake finance is also mentioned: Rosneft has raised significant funds in the past in this way, including a $15 billion loan from China in 2009 as part of a major deal to pump oil via a new Siberian export pipeline.

Sechin, for his part, has highlighted possible non-core asset sales to help fund the TNK-BP, including Rosneft’s minority stake

in the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which ships oil from Kazakhstan to the Black Sea. Bankers say Rosneft could end up raising more cash than necessary to close the TNK-BP deal, which would help it cover the cost of launching new fields in the Arctic and a $25 billion programme to upgrade its oil refineries.

The final size of the syndicated loan could exceed the $30 billion named in the prospectus, with $35-$40 billion potentially on the table from Western banks, and Russian banks also likely to chip in.

“The company did a road show, and it received commitments from bankers that exceed its financing needs,” said a second source familiar with Rosneft’s discussions with bankers. “Bankers are queuing up, there is so much commitment and willingness to participate. I’ve never seen anything like it. They are fully covered from the western banking community.”

Given investor demand for Rosneft exposure, syndicated bridge financing could be quickly refinanced into longerterm arrangements, bankers say. “The syndicated loan won’t be out there for long,” the first source said. —Reuters

Survey: Japan business sentiment darkening Auto manufacturers, sales tumbles to minus 9

DALLAS: Vince Fudzie, sits at this desk Dec 12, 2012, in Texas. Fudzie, CEO of Triune, a general contracting company based in Dallas, says business with the government has been shrinking since 2006, and the cliff presents yet another challenge. —AP

United Tech sees sales rising with Goodrich buy HARTFORD: United Technologies Corp said that the addition of aircraftparts maker Goodrich Corp will help it overcome Europe’s weak economy and reduced US defense spending next year.

At its annual outlook meeting, the parent of jet-engine maker Pratt & Whitney, Otis elevator and other companies said it expects revenue next year to be between $64 billion and $65 billion. That’s short of what Wall Street expects but still more than 10 percent higher than 2012 revenue, which is expected to be $58 billion.

CEO Louis Chenevert credited the Hartford, Conn., company’s $18.4 billion purchase - its biggest ever - of Goodrich for propelling revenue growth. “In 2013, UTC’s reshaped portfolio will be well-positioned for accelerated top-line growth,” he said.

Chenevert repeated the company’s pledge to resume share repurchases in 2013, spending $1 billion after suspending buybacks in September 2011 to focus on the Goodrich deal. But he hinted that could double eventually.

“One could say that we’ve done certainly $2 billion or around $2 billion repeatedly. I would say that that’s probably a proper expectation,” he said. He said he continues to look for companies to buy but doesn’t see “anything big on the horizon.” United Technologies tightened its 2012 profit outlook to $5.32 per share, from a previous range of $5.25 to $5.35, matching Wall Street expectations. It expects to make $5.85 to $6.15 per share next year. Analysts expect $6.15 per share on revenue of $66.13 billion, according to FactSet. Edward Jones analyst Christian Mayes said revenue growth will be driven by rising demand in the commercial-airline industry, which is buying planes and energy-efficient engines, and recovery in United Technologies’ building systems companies, Otis elevator and Carrier heating, ventilating and air conditioning. —AP

TOKYO: Japanese manufacturers are growing increasingly pessimistic, according to a survey released yesterday that added to gloom over the economic outlook ahead of tomorrow’s parliamentary election.

The Bank of Japan’s “tankan” index for the December quarter slumped to minus 12 from minus 3 in the previous quarter, a result that was much worse than expected. A reading below zero means pessimistic views outnumber optimists.

The report largely blamed tensions with China, which have slammed exports to one of Japan’s biggest markets, for the deterioration in sentiment. The survey raises the likelihood of further monetary easing by the central bank at its policy meeting next week.

“It seems there has been some deterioration, especially in manufacturing, and it is expected to continue to decline,” government spokesman Osamu Fujimura said Friday in a regular briefing.

He said the government would continue to push ahead with stimulus measures. The ruling Democratic Party of Japan nonetheless is widely expected to suffer a harsh rebuke from voters in a parliamentary election tomorrow, partly for having failed to instill a sustainable recovery following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disasters.

The front-runner to replace the DPJ’s Yoshihiko Noda as prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has pledged to raise spending on public works to help generate demand and help the economy break out of a deflationary trap of lax demand and falling prices.

At midday yesterday, the Japanese yen was trading at 83.87 to the dollar, its lowest level in nearly 20 months, on expectations Abe will push for policies to further weaken the currency if he replaces Noda.

The US Federal Reserve’s decision earlier

this week to stimulate the slow-growing U.S. economy by spending $85 billion a month to help keep interest rates low also has helped weaken the dollar against other currencies.

The yen’s prolonged strength has made Japanese exports relatively more costly in overseas markets, while eroding any profits repatriated to Japan.

Such factors have helped push Japan’s economy into what economists forecast will be its third quarter of contraction - and its

fifth recession in 15 years.

The protracted European crisis sapped a recovery earlier in the year of its oomph.

Then, a late summer resurgence in tensions with China over disputed islands in the East China Sea compounded the drag on exports.

The Bank of Japan survey showed manufacturers anticipate sentiment will remain negative in coming months, with the index forecast at minus 10. —AP

YOKOHAMA: In this Nov 6, 2012 file photo, visitors inspect sports cars at a gallery inside the Nissan Motor Co headquarters near Tokyo. Japanese manufacturers are increasingly gloomy about their prospects as exports take a hit from antagonisms with China over a territorial dispute, a quarterly survey by Japan’s central bank showed yesterday. —AP

BUSINESS

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

OECD calls on Australia to mull sovereign fund SYDNEY: Australia should look at a sovereign wealth fund to profit from the revenues of its China-fuelled mining boom, the OECD club of rich nations said yesterday, describing the robust economy’s outlook as positive.

The country dodged recession during the financial crisis due to its mining-powered economy, but slowing commodity prices have started to hurt growth while a high Aussie dollar has hit manufacturing and other industries.

The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, in its 2012 survey of Australia, forecast growth decelerating from 3.75 percent this year to 3.03.25 percent in 2013 and 2014. But it praised Australia’s “sound macroeco-

nomic policies” with unemployment expected to remain around 5.5 percent in 2013 and 2014 and inflation hovering at 2.25-2.75 percent. Nonmining sectors have struggled with the currency’s strength, which has been powered up by the Chinese-led demand for Australia’s resources, the OECD noted. “However, fundamentals remain solid with the unemployment rate close to its structural rate and inflation and public debt low,” it said.

Despite growth easing, it said the outlook was “positive” with Australia less vulnerable to overseas risks than many other OECD countries. But with several major miners shelving or delaying projects amid warnings from the central bank and others that the price boom has peaked, it urged policymakers to plan ahead for a less

resources-dominated economy.

“The authorities should consider creating a stabilisation fund to accumulate mining-related revenues when they are unusually high to insulate budget and spending, thereby reducing the risk of pro-cyclical fiscal policy,” it said.

Australia has a “Future Fund”, created in 2006 to ring-fence future pensions payments for state employees. But the government of Prime Minister Julia Gillard, which aims to pull its budget back into surplus, has resisted calls for a Norwegian-style sovereign wealth fund to channel state investments, arguing the Future Fund is enough.

A spokesman for Treasurer Wayne Swan reiterated that position Friday, saying “a sovereign wealth fund is

already in train through another name”, referring to the Future Fund.

The OECD added that Australia’s economic health in years ahead depends on lifting productivity growth, through better standards of education at university level and in vocational training.

And it said the central bank, which this month cut the official interest rate to a record low of 3.0 percent, may have to take further action if the economy weakens dramatically, even at the risk of postponing a return to budget surplus. Swan welcomed the report as showing the Australian economy “stands tall amongst our peers with 21 consecutive years of growth, robust economic fundamentals and a positive outlook in the face of acute global challenges”. — AFP

China shares power to best day in 3 years Hong Kong at 16-month peak

SOLO: In this photograph taken on thursday an employee of the Sritex textile and garment company sews military uniforms at the factory in Solo in Central Java province. Sritex, an Indonesian company and one of the largest textile makers in Southeast Asia, employs more than 15,000 people to manufacture military uniforms for some 27 countries, including Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Australia, Singapore, Brunei and NATO countries. — AFP

Dispute raises doubt for China stocks in US market BEIJING: A mounting dispute between Washington and Beijing over access to records of Chinese companies with US-traded shares might force major corporate names such as oil giant PetroChina and search engine Baidu to withdraw from American stock exchanges.

The dispute highlights the clash between heightened US anti-fraud efforts and official Chinese secrecy despite Beijing’s desire to profit from deeper links with the global economy. This month, the US Securities and Exchange Commission accused the Chinese affiliates of five major accounting firms of impeding fraud investigations of nine companies by failing to hand over documents. Separately, an American panel that oversees accounting wants to inspect Chinese auditors of US-traded companies.

Beijing has resisted expanding access to corporate records as a violation of its sovereignty. Without a compromise, China-based accountants might be stripped of authorization to prepare financial reports required by US regulators, said Paul Gillis, an accounting professor at Peking University’s business school. Eventually, that could make it impossible to trade Chinese shares in the United States. “I think it’s become fairly difficult for a deal to be done,” Gillis said. “The SEC action makes it seem as if the Chinese have to give in. Any concessions will have to come from the Chinese side, which will make them lose face, so they are unlikely to give way on that.” No changes are required immediately. A ruling on the SEC’s Dec. 4 complaint is not due until next year. — AP

HONG KONG: Asian markets were mixed yesterday, with strong Chinese manufacturing figures offset by concern about the US “fiscal cliff” and downbeat Japanese business confidence data. Currency traders continued to sell the yen on the last working day before Japan holds a general election tomorrow, that is expected to see the ruling party ousted.

Tokyo closed flat, dipping 5.17 points to 9,737.56, and Sydney was also virtually unmoved, edging up 0.3 points to 4,583.1.

Seoul eased 0.39 percent, shedding 7.73 points to close at 1,995.04.

Hong Kong markets were lifted to a 16month high, after a manufacturing survey

by HSBC raised hopes for a stronger recovery in the world’s second-largest economy. The Hang Seng Index rose 0.7 percent on the day and 1.9 percent on the week to 22,606 points, its highest close since Aug. 1, 2011. Stiff chart resistance looms at around 22,800, peaks in July and August 2011. Shanghai surged 4.32 percent, or 89.15 points, to 2,150.63 after HSBC said China’s manufacturing activity hit a 14-month high this month, another sign the world’s number two economy is picking up steam. The bank’s preliminary purchasing managers’ index (PMI) hit 50.9, up from a final 50.5 in November when the figure returned to growth after 12 consecutive months of contraction.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion while one below signals contraction.

The December reading is the highest since October last year. Qu Hongbin, a Hong Kong-based economist with HSBC, said the new figure “confirmed that China’s ongoing growth recovery is gaining momentum, mainly driven by domestic demand conditions”.

He added that domestic demand was the main driver of the increase, but warned overseas headwinds remained a worry for the mainly export-dependant economy. Chinese shares were also buoyed by expectations the country’s top leadership will hold a key annual meeting

this weekend that will lay out major economic policies and goals for the next year.

However, markets are nervous that US lawmakers seem to be making slow progress on an agreement to avert the fiscal cliff — $600 billion in spending cuts and tax hikes slated to come into effect on January 1 which could send the economy into recession. President Barack Obama and Republican House Speaker John Boehner held what were described as “frank” talks Thursday. But there was little sign they had found common ground on a more bearable plan to cut the country’s huge deficit.

Wall Street ended in the red with the Dow off 0.56 percent, the S&P 500 retreating 0.63 percent and the Nasdaq dropping 0.72 percent. Adding to the sense of pessimism was the latest quarterly Tankan survey of manufacturers’ sentiment by the Bank of Japan, which showed a steep fall in confidence.

The index came in at minus 12, a big fall from the minus three seen in the third quarter. Economists had expected a reading of minus 10. The figures, which represent the percentage of firms saying business conditions are good minus those saying they are bad, are a key measure used by the BoJ in formulating monetary policy. Japanese shares were given some support however, by the continuing weakness of the yen, which has tumbled since last month when the ruling Democratic Party of Japan announced a general election for December 16. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s party is expected to be easily beaten by the Liberal Democratic Party headed by Shinzo Abe, a former premier who has promised to push for more aggressive monetary easing to jumpstart the economy. In early European trade the dollar bought 83.76 yen compared with 83.64 yen in New York Thursday afternoon, while the euro bought 109.56 yen, from 109.38 yen and $1.3077 from $1.3073. Oil prices were higher. New York’s main contract, light

sweet crude for delivery in January, added 95 cents to $86.84 a barrel and Brent North Sea crude for January fell 58 cents to $107.33.Gold was at $1,696.80 at 1100 GMT compared with $1,695.60 late Thursday.

In other markets: Singapore rose 0.38 percent, or 11.88 points, to 3,168.43. Jardine Cycle and Carriage lost 0.88 percent to Sg$48.38 while Sembcorp Industries gained 0.78 percent to Sg$5.15.

Taipei fell 0.75 percent, or 58.32 points, to 7,698.77. Hon Hai Precision fell 4.69 percent to Tw$91.5, while TSMC was 0.81 percent lower at Tw$98.4. Manila fell 1.40 percent, or 80.84 points, to 5,707.11.

Metropolitan Bank & Trust lost 1.6 percent to end at 101.10 pesos, Ayala Land shed 3.1 percent to 25.05 pesos and Alliance Global Group fell 2.0 percent to 16.36 pesos.Wellington closed 0.11 percent higher, adding 4.45 points to 3,979.17. Telecom rose 0.93 percent at NZ$2.18, Warehouse Group steady on NZ$2.94 and Chorus down 1.46 percent at NZ$2.70.

Kuala Lumpur dipped 0.77 points, or 0.05 percent, to close at 1,651.98. YTL Power lost 1.9 percent to 1.52 ringgit while Petronas Dagangan shed 1.7 percent to end at 22.18. Nestle rose 1.4 percent to 63.98 ringgit.

Jakarta fell 11.33 points, or 0.26 percent, at 4,308.86. Indofood Sukses Makmur dropped 2.42 percent to 6,050 rupiah and Telekomunikasi Indonesia fell 3.28 percent to 8,850 rupiah, while retailer Ramayana Lestari Sentosa climbed 1.56 percent to 1,300 rupiah.

Bangkok gained 0.35 percent or 4.69 points to 1,358.50. Coal producer Banpu lost 0.99 percent to 402.00 baht, while electricity firm EGCO added 1.49 percent to 136.00 baht.

Mumbai was up 0.46 percent, 87.99 points at 19,317.25. Tata Motors rose 1.57 percent, to 291.90 rupees, and Kingfisher Airlines was up 2.66 percent at 17.73 rupees. — AFP

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Holiday gifts for pets follow high-tech trend

www.kuwaittimes.net

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A lighthouse model is pictured near a tree yesterday at a maritime ensemble Weserdeich in Weddewarden, eastern Germany. — AFP

Ravi Shankar’s legacy inspires others: Sitar maker PAGE 25

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

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he ‘X-Files’ actress’ big comeback will see her play a therapist in Bryan Fuller’s serial killer thriller ‘Hannibal’, based on Thomas Harris’ novels about psychiatrist turned flesh-eater Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen). Bryan who is writing and producing the series - commented: “Every therapist needs their own head examined and we are ecstatic that Gillian Anderson has chosen ‘Hannibal’ to mark her return to American television after 10 years to portray Dr Lecter’s personal psychiatrist. “Her intelligence and sophistication, not to mention her pedigree of ground-breaking TV, make her the perfect actress to match wits and psychological manipulations with one of the greatest villains of pop culture. I couldn’t be more excited.” According to Entertainment Weekly, Gillian will star as Bedelia Du Maurier in the gritty new show, playing murderous psychiatrist Dr Hannibal Lecter’s own personal

therapist alongside a cast including Hugh Dancy, Eddie Izzard and Molly Shannon as well as leading man Mads Mikkelsen.

The 44-year-old actress was reportedly in line to play Clarice Starling in ‘Hannibal’, the 2001 sequel to ‘Silence of the Lambs’, after Jodie Foster dropped out - but she was replaced

by Julianne Moore since her ‘X-Files’ contract forbid her to star as another FBI Agent. The series is expected to air in 2013.

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he reality TV star is currently in rehab - her 19th attempt at beating her drug addiction - but will be released tomorrow and will take care of Bob and Max, her children with ex-husband Charlie Sheen. Her assistant, Mallory Knighton, told E! News: “She will be out of treatment tomorrow and she is doing very well.” Bob and Max had been staying with Charlie’s second wife Denise Richards because Brooke had fired her nanny, but are now being looked after by the troubled star’s family. Last Friday (07.12.12), Brooke had a short stay in hospital when the paramedics called to her house couldn’t wake her up, although no illegal drugs were found in her system. Her lawyer then confirmed she was seeking treatment for addiction issues with Adderall. In June, Charlie, 47, urged Brooke to check herself into rehab after he became concerned about her when she reportedly appeared “out of it” during a visit to his home. A source close to Brooke said at the time, she “partied for four days straight ... and ultimately fell off the wagon”. The insider added: “Brooke’s family is hoping that she finally understands the consequences of her actions. That is, she risks losing all of her rights to the children if she doesn’t get clean - once and for all.”

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he 18-year-old pop star is unhappy his album ‘Believe’ didn’t earn him a single nomination and was shocked he didn’t make the cut despite the record’s commercial success. Speaking on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’, he sighed: “I was looking forward to [a possible Grammy nomination], but I know it will happen one day. I’m so young, I’m only 18. I’m just blessed to be able to do what I love every day. And the AMAs was a lot of fun for me so ...

Hopefully, one day.” Justin - who lost out for Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album two years ago - was also quizzed about his casual attire while meeting the Canadian Prime Minister last month, after he was criticised for greeting Stephen Harper’s hand while wearing overalls and a back-to-front baseball cap. The teen idol insisted he would never have worn such a laid-back look had he been at a formal government event, and claims the meeting was so last minute he didn’t have time to change. He said: “I was at my concert. I was doing, like, a meet and greet, meeting all my fans and stuff, and [Stephen] came to the venue where I was performing. I know it wasn’t fair but that was really my event. I really promise, if I would of went to his environment, I would have been all done up.”

he 48-year-old actor split from wife Danielle Spencer with whom he has two children, Charles, eight, and sixyear-old Tennyson - in October but says once he’s finished promoting ‘Les Miserables’ and shooting new film ‘Winter’s Tale he will concentrate on sorting his personal life out. He wrote on Twitter: “As soon as I finish this job and can get home, my priority is to try to bring my family back together.” Russell also hit out at rumours he is casually dating Billy Joel’s ex-wife, Katie Lee, tweeting: “These latest reports are false & cruel.” Russell’s tweet came after estranged wife Danielle took to her Facebook page to thanks fans for their support in the wake of the couple’s break-up. The blonde beauty - who recently finished second in the Australian version of ‘Dancing with the Stars - wrote: “Hi Everyone! I’m sorry I haven’t visited here for a while, things have been keeping me somewhat busy of late. “I just wanted to thank you all for bearing with me and also for your messages of support, it means a lot to me. (sic)” Russell recently spoke of his upset about being away from his sons, who are currently based in Sydney. Two weeks ago he tweeted: “Starting on another film set tomorrow. I need to go home & be with my children.

Cannot believe how weird up my schedule has become this year. (sic)” On Wednesday Russell spent the day shooting ‘Winter’s Tale’ with his co-star Colin Farrell in the Meatpacking District of New York and he admitted the streets caused some problems with the horse riding scenes. He tweeted: “Spent the day with Colin Farrell, shooting on horseback in the meat packing district... cobblestones and horses, fun stuff. (sic)”

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

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he ‘This Is 40’ actress gave birth to her first child, son Noah, in September and she is relishing every moment of being a mother.

Megan said: “I love it. It’s my favourite thing that I’ve ever done so far, so I’m happy with it.” Megan - who married Brian Austin Green, 39, in June 2010 also revealed Noah is currently on the verge of laughing. The 26-year-old actress is sure her heart will “explode” with joy when he lets out his first giggle. She said: “He’s getting to that place where he’s smiling and he’s almost ready to laugh, and I can’t wait for that baby laugh that almost makes you feel like you can fly ... like your heart’s going

to explode.” Megan also revealed she loved working with producer Judd Apatow’s children Maude, 13, and Iris, eight, who also star in the movie with her and their mother Leslie Mann. She added: “Their kids are so well adjusted.

They’re the best kids and they both have really awesome personalities especially Iris. She’s just a hysterical little ball. I think she’s super funny, and then Maude is a genius! They are just good kids, which I think is rare for kids that were raised in this industry, so they did a good job.”

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he 42-year-actor - who raises four daughters, Alexia, 14, Isabella, six, Gia, four, and two-year-old Stella with his wife Luciana - is not very good at romantic gestures and his wife’s thoughtfulness makes him feel bad about it. He said: “I wish I were better because my wife deserves somebody who surprises her with a gift or flowers or some wonderful idea. I’ve never been good at that, and she’s really good at it”.

Matt also admitted his spouse gets annoyed with him because he finds it difficult to say no to their kids. He told Playboy magazine: “Lucy and the girls can definitely bring me to my knees. They just know. My wife gives me a hard time because it’s harder for me to discipline my girls, probably because they’re girls. With boys, I could relate more and it would probably be easier. Growing up, girls are so mysterious to us. Even as a grown man, they remain mysterious.” Matt loves spending time at home with his family and revels in his reputation as a boring guy because there is little public interest in his family life. He added: “The narrative about me kind of goes, ‘He’s a boring married guy,’ which is great, because I don’t get any of that other stuff like Brad Pitt and George Clooney do. People think I’m kind of vanilla and they leave me alone to work, have an actual private life and be a husband and dad.” - Bangshowbiz

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he 23-year-old singer has only recently started dating the 18-year-old One Direction heartthrob but friends say they are completely smitten with each other already. A source told ollywoodLife.com: “From what I’ve seen, Taylor and Harry are totally falling in love.

At first, she just wanted...him because he’s hot. But now they’re being cutesy together. She totally sees a future, not like with her ex John Mayer.” “Taylor totally falls for boys and then doesn’t...let...go.” The relationship is not just one-side, with Harry said to be equally besotted with Taylor. The friend added: “He likes her too.” However, other pals are worried they are getting too serious, too fast. One insider said: “For now she is totally caught up in love. It’s how she is. She doesn’t go at a normal pace in these relationships. It’s zero to 60 in seconds. “Taylor’s a serial dater. She gets too clingy with guys or she gets sick of them. Harry will break her heart but isn’t that the point? It’ll become material for her next album.”

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eith - who received a nod for co-writing the song ‘For You’ - and Nicole, who received two acting nominations for ‘The Paperboy’ and HBO biopic ‘Hemingway & Gelhorn’, are over the moon at being able to share the experience. Keith said: “We’ve both always felt that if we achieve anything, it’s always for us. She’s been nominated in the past and won, and I’ve shared that with her, and I share all my moments with her, too. The difference today is it’s an actually literal ‘us.’” Nicole added: “As an actor you look for roles that are rich, complicated, and that stretch you and this year I was blessed to find two. To have the chance to play them was a gift in itself and to then be

acknowledged this way is icing on the cake. Thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press!” Meanwhile, nominee Bradley Cooper can’t believe he is up for an award for his leading role in ‘The Silver Linings Playbook’. He said: “To actually go there, it’s still something, for me, that kind of blows me away... I like to go and watch all the movie stars. I get star struck and they’re all in the room and I see Clint Eastwood or something and I still get a complete thrill out of it.”

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

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SN, the leading pay-TV network in the Middle East and North Africa, yesterday announced the launch of five new channels that will go live across the region on January 1, 2013.

The new channels re-affirm OSN’s commitment to providing exclusive premium content to its viewers.

Two premium HD Arabic channels - OSN Ya Hala Shabab HD and OSN Ya Hala Arabella HD lead the channel expansion which also includes the addition of leading English language lifestyle, pop-culture and ‘infotainment’ channels Discovery World, Fuel TV and Fine Living that are new to the region.

OSN will also enhance its HD portfolio with Discovery, E! and ITV upgraded to HD bringing the OSN HD line-up to an amazing 36 channels giving viewers the widest cinematic experience of HD in the region. David Butorac, CEO of OSN said: “This is an exciting time for OSN. The new channels mark a key milestone for OSN enabling us to offer more of what our customers love to watch through exclusive, quality and high definition programming. The new channels give viewers more choice, more HD and more premium entertainment that appeals to all segments.

of Programming and Creative Services, said: “A new era of Arabic production emerged with the launch of OSN Ya Hala! HD last year and this is yet another beginning of a whole new world about to come to life through our brand new HD channels.

“Viewers can expect the same level of amazing quality production as OSN Ya Hala! HD with shows catering to youth and female audiences bringing the best of the best in terms of fresh talent and content, including action and reality shows that live up to international standards. We will be introducing more Arabic channels this year bringing more of what our viewers love - movies, series, celebrity shows and new formats.”

Feeding the high demand for quality lifestyle programming in the region and adding to its extensive content, OSN will introduce three new and exclusive English channels.

Discovery World will present the very best factual programming from around the globe showcasing culture, real life stories, investigation and mystery shows including the ever popular Prototype This! and Amazing Medical Stories.

Fuel TV is pure adrenaline heaven offering view-

(From left to right) Oscar Jackman, actress Deborra-Lee Furness, Ava Jackman, and actor Hugh Jackman pose together at Hugh Jackman’s star ceremony at the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. — AP

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Emad Morcos, David Butorac, Asala, and Khulud Abu Homos at the launch of OSN 5’s new channels.

“Arabic content is one of the top ranked reasons people enjoy OSN, and following the tremendous success of OSN Ya Hala! HD launched last year, it was time to further enhance our Arabic offer with fresh, exclusive content. We are incredibly proud of the new channel line-up which promises to bring unparalleled exclusive content to the region,” adds Butorac. OSN’s new Arabic channels will showcase a mix of original content with edgy new programmes slated to fill the airwaves around the region.

OSN Ya Hala Shabab HD is the exclusive home for the best Arabic programming in stunning HD, with content that appeals to Arab youth and those who are young at heart. Viewers can look forward to edgy talk shows with star anchors Bassem Yousef and Ashraf Abdulbaqi discussing today’s issues and Egyptian drama series featuring celebrities such as Khaled Alsawi in AlaKaf Afreet. In addition, a dedicated weekly Friday slot will feature the biggest Arabic movies in full HD within weeks of their theatrical release including mega hit releases from leading stars Tamer Hosny and Mohamed Saad.

The second new channel, OSN Ya Hala Arabella HD, is a telenovella channel featuring the most popular and highly rated Arabic dubbed Mexican series including super hits Kayd Imra’ah and the endearing Asirat Alhob. The new year will also see the launch of OSN Ya Hala! HD +2, time shifted by two hours, giving subscribers more flexibility to view their favorite shows.

Commenting on the expansion of OSN’s Arabic channels, Khulud abu Homos, Senior Vice President

ers the most vibrant and action-packed television entertainment featuring thrill-seeking sports from skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding to BMX and motocross, including live events. Fine Living is the trendsetting style destination for indulgence seekers. World-renown chefs, innovative designers, fashion gurus and lifestyle experts will bring fun, fresh ideas for every corner of your life whether it’s your home, cuisine, travel, style or well-being.

Emad Morcos, Vice President - Business Development, Strategy and Digital at OSN adds: “The three new channels complement our existing line up addressing the high demand for more women oriented and lifestyle programming as well as a dedicated channel for high-octane sporting action. As we continue to grow and analyse customer preferences, we will continue to bring on board fresh content that satisfies all customer segments. We also have digital rights for these channels so OSN subscribers can enjoy our new content anytime, anywhere on a variety of devices through OSN Play. “Our research shows that High Definition is cited as one of the top five features desired by viewers and this is a key driver behind OSN’s decision to upgrade popular channels, Discovery, E! and ITV, to HD enhancing the viewing experience and establishing us as the only broadcaster with the largest HD line-up. We will continue to add to our HD offering through 2013,” added Morcos.

ustralian actor Hugh Jackman got a Hollywood double whammy Thursday as he was nominated for a Golden Globe and got his star on Tinseltown’s famous Walk of Fame on the same day. Jackman, who is being tipped for possible Oscar glory for his role in upcoming musical adaptation “Les Miserables,” said he couldn’t believe the good fortune that his career has given him. “This is quite a ride .. It’s a surreal experience. I’m a kid from the suburb of Barunga, on the northern side of Sydney ...

This is completely surreal,” he said as he unveiled his sidewalk star.

“Apart from Lassie, I’m the only one to get to play the same character in 15 movies,” he quipped, flanked by Les Mis co-star Anne Hathaway, director Tom Hooper, DreamWorks boss Jeffrey Katzenberg and Tonight Show host Jay Leno. Leno, due to interview him later, told Jackman: “I don’t believe wealth and fame change anybody, it exaggerates who you already are. And I think all your wealth and success and fame have just made you a better person.”

“You have a wonderful family, you’re a wonderful role model, besides the obvi-

ous talent, is the fact that you are a regular person.” Jackman thanked his fans, about 200 of whom turned out to see him get his Walk of Fame star on the sidewalk outside Madame Tussaud’s next to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in the tourist center of Tinseltown.

“I have the greatest fans in the world. I don’t take it lightly and or take it for granted and thank you so much for all you do. (...) The Boy from Oz was a hit because of the fans. His wife Deborra-Lee Furness and adopted children Oscar, 12, and Ava, 7, were also there. “None of this would have been possible, and certainly none of this would have been rewarding to me, if not for my family,” said Jackman, nominated for best actor in a musical or comedy at the Golden Globes earlier in the day.

“And kids, you maybe don’t understand it now, but you’re gonna save a fortune in therapy by just coming here and spitting on it, jumping on it... you can come and take it out here,” he said of his star. “Sorry, city of Los Angeles,” he added. — AFP

A Meerkat waits to catch a Christmas treat at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia yesterday. Festively wrapped Christmas stars filled with crickets and meal worms kept the resident family of Meerkats amused during feeding time. — AP

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Indian traditional instrument craftsman Sanjay Sharma plays a sitar at his store Riki Ram’s Music in New Delhi, India. — AP photos

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he walls of Sanjay Sharma’s music shop are lined with gleaming string instruments and old photographs of legendary musicians.

Beatles George Harrison, John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Indian classicial musicians Zakir Hussain, Shiv Kumar Sharma and Vishwamohan Bhatt. And the man who brought these two very different musical worlds together: Ravi Shankar.

Like his grandfather and father before him, Sharma built, tuned and repaired instruments for the sitar virtuoso, who introduced Westerners to Indian classical music, and through his friendship with Harrison became a mainstay of the 1960s counterculture scene.

From his tiny shop tucked into the crowded lanes of central Delhi’s Bhagat Singh market, Sharma traveled the world with Shankar. Late in the maestro’s life, as his health and strength flagged, he even designed a smaller version of the instrument that allowed him to keep playing.

Shankar, who died Tuesday at age 92, was “a saint, an emperor and lord of music,” Sharma says in a tribute posted to the website of his sought-after shop, Rikhi Ram’s Music.

“When I opened my eyes there was him,” says Sharma, 44, surrounded by display cases full of sitars, sarangis (a stringed instrument played with a violin-like bow), guitars, tabla drums and sarods, a deeply resonating instrument played by plucking the strings. Shankar “was music and music was him,” he says. Sharma’s grandfather started the business in 1920 in the northern city of Lahore, now in Pakistan. He met a young Ravi Shankar at a concert there in the 1940s. Following the India-Pakistan partition and the relocation of the shop to New Delhi, the family began making sitars for Shankar in the 1950s.

By then, the musician was already famous in India and beginning to collaborate with some of the greats of Western music, including violinist Yehudi Menuhin and jazz saxophonist John Coltrane. The Beatles visited in 1966 and bought instruments, memorialized in some of the many photographs that line the shop’s walls. Another shows Shankar’s daughter and the heir of his sitar legacy, Anoushka Shankar. But there is no picture of another Shankar daughter, American singer Norah Jones, who was estranged from her father.

Sharma’s own father succeeded his grandfather as the supplier of Shankar’s sitars. And then Sharma himself in the 1980s. The bedroom-sized shop has two counters, one for conducting business and one for working on instruments under the beam of a large work lamp. Wood shavings and dust cover the floor of a workshop at the

back. As he chatted with visiting Associated Press journalists on Thursday, Sharma worked on a sitar, peering through his glasses as he used a mallet to hammer in a new fret. He plucked the strings, and as the sound resonated around the room, he leaned close in to the instrument and listened intently to the vibrations. Satisfied with the results, he moved on to the next fret.

It takes 15 months for a sitar to be ready for use. The actual crafting of the instrument from red cedar and hollowed-out, dried pumpkins takes three months. Then, it is left untouched to go through what is called “Delhi seasoning,” in which the extremes of New Delhi’s climate - blistering summer, followed by a brief monsoon, and a near-freezing, three-month winter - work their magic. In 2005, a serious bout of pneumonia left Shankar with a frozen left shoulder. “He was growing old and he wanted to experiment and change the instrument” so he could continue playing, Sharma says.

Sharma, a large, balding man, created what he calls the “studio sitar,” a smaller version of the instrument. But holding it was still difficult. So Sharma went to a Home Depot near Shankar’s San Diego, California-area home and bought some supplies to build a detachable stand. The musician was thrilled. Sharma says Shankar told him, “Your father was a brilliant sitar maker, but you are a genius.” Shankar was performing in public until a month before his death. Despite ill health, he appeared re-energized by the music, Sharma said.

Now, as Sharma mourns the giant of Indian music, he also worries about the future of the art itself. He sees traditional Indian instruments gradually losing their place in their own country to zippy, electronic Bollywood music. “We are losing the originality and the core of our Indian music,” says Shankar, himself a trained Hindustani classical musician who plays the sitar and tabla, the Indian pair-drums. At the same time, Shankar’s work as a global ambassador of music has borne fruit, Sharma says: “Because music has gone to the West, we’re getting lots of new musical aspirants from the Western countries.” When jazz artist Herbie Hancock was in New Delhi a few years ago, he stopped by Sharma’s shop to buy a sitar. And in one of the shop’s display windows gleams a newly crafted sitar made of teak. “That,” Sharma said, “is for Bill Gates.” — AP

In this Aug 3, 1967 file photo, George Harrison, of the Beatles (left) sits cross-legged with his musical mentor, Ravi Shankar of India, in Los Angeles, as Harrison explains to newsmen that Shankar is teaching him to play the sitar.

An Indian cameraman films a photograph of the Beatles’ George Harrison and legendary Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar on a wall at his music center, in New Delhi, India.

In this Feb 25, 2002 file photo, Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar (left) and his daughter Anoushka Shankar laugh during the shooting of a film endorsing the strengthening of Indian laws against animal cruelty in New Delhi.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Jackie Chan criticism sparks HK fight-back A

ction hero Jackie Chan provoked a furious fight-back from Hong Kongers yesterday after reportedly suggesting in a Chinese magazine interview that protest in his native city should be restricted. The comments from the Hong Kong-born star unleashed a wave of criticism in the southern Chinese city, which prides itself on the upholding of civil liberties including the right to protest.

“Hong Kong has become a city of protest. The whole world used to say it was South Korea. It is now Hong Kong,” the South China Morning Post quoted Chan as saying in an interview with Guangzhou-based Southern People Weekly magazine published Tuesday.

“People scold China’s leaders, or anything else they like, and protest against everything. The authorities should stipulate what issues people can protest over and on what issues it is not allowed.” The Rush Hour star, known for his martial arts skills and daring stunt work, faced a counterattack from Hong Kong politicians and

academics, who said he was ignorant of the value of freedom cherished by the city’s seven million people.

The former British colony, which was returned to Chinese rule in 1997,

maintains a semi-autonomous status with its own legal system and civil liberties not seen on the mainland, including the right to protest and free speech. “This is disastrous,” pro-

This file photo shows Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan posing during a photo call in Hong Kong. —AFP

democracy lawmaker Cyd Ho told AFP, branding the remarks “unacceptable” and noting that Chan had built his success in the movie industry where freedom of expression was essential.

“He made his fame and wealth because Hong Kong is a free city in which he had the opportunity to climb up the social ladder. These opportunities should be available to all,” Ho said.

Political analyst Dixon Sing Ming from the University of Science and Technology told the Post the comments showed Chan was “almost detached from the daily lives of the people of Hong Kong”. Calls by AFP to Chan’s charitable foundation went unanswered yesterday.

Chan was slammed in 2009 after he told a government and business leaders meeting in China that Chinese people “need to be controlled” and the country should be wary of allowing too many freedoms. He reportedly said later that his comment was taken out of context. —AFP

‘Bennifer’ buried as Ben Affleck’s star soars

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t has taken 10 years of hard work and indie movies, but Ben Affleck finally has moved past his “Bennifer” nightmare. Affleck, 40, once a tabloid staple who risked becoming a laughingstock during his romance with Jennifer Lopez and their movie flop “Gigli,” is back on top in Hollywood, winning accolades for his work both in front of and behind the camera.

Fifteen years after Affleck shared an Oscar with Matt Damon for their first screenplay, “Good Will Hunting,” buzz is building over a likely second Academy Award nomination next month. It would be Affleck’s first since 1997.

“Finally, people now are ready to go, ‘Wow! He’s at the very top of the food chain,’” Damon told Reuters. Affleck’s latest film “Argo,” a partthriller, part-comedic tale of the real-life rescue of six American diplomats from Iran in 1980, this week picked up five Golden Globe nominations and a nod from the Screen Actors Guild for its top prize of best ensemble cast. The film, which Affleck directed, produced and stars in, has also delighted critics and brought in some $160 million at the worldwide box office.

In “Argo,” Affleck’s clean-cut looks are hidden under a long, shaggy 1970s hair cut and beard as he plays CIA officer Tony Mendez, who devised a fake film project to spirit six hostages out of Tehran after the Islamic revolution. The kudos Affleck is now receiving follows the embarrassing headlines he attracted over his 2002-2004 romance with Lopez. “It was tough to watch him get kicked in the teeth for all those years because the perception of him was so not who he actually was,” Damon said.

“It was upsetting for a lot of his friends because he’s the smartest, funniest, nicest, kindest, incredibly talented guy. So that was tough.

Now I’m just thrilled. He deserves everything that he’s going to get,” he added. With a huge, pink diamond engagement ring for Lopez and gossip about matching Rolls Royces, the pair dubbed “Bennifer” starred in the 2003 comedy romance “Gigli,” which earned multiple Razzie

awards for the worst comedy of the year.

Selling magazines not movies Damon, by contrast, was seeing his career surge with “The Bourne Identity,” “Syriana” and “The Departed.” But he recalls Affleck’s pain. “He said (to me), ‘I am in the absolute worst place you can be. I sell magazines, not movie tickets.’ I remember our agent called up the editor of Us Weekly, begging her not to put him on the cover any more. Please stop. Just stop,” Damon said. About a year after splitting with Lopez, Affleck married actress Jennifer Garner, had the first of three children with her, and started writing and directing small but admired movies like “Gone Baby Gone” in 2007 and 2010’s gritty crime film “The Town.”

Last month, Affleck was named Entertainment Weekly’s entertainer of the year, largely on the back of “Argo.” The actor-turneddirector said that managing the various tones of the film was his hardest challenge. “I had to synthesize comedic elements and the political stuff and this true-life drama thriller story. It was scary and it was daunting,” Affleck told Reuters, saying he powered through by “overworking it by a multiple of ten.” A trip to the Oscars ceremony in February is now considered a shoo-in by awards pundits, but Affleck is not convinced that success is sweeter the second time around. “It’s harder. On the one hand, coming from obscurity, you have a neutral starting place. Because of the tabloid press and over exposure, I was starting from a deficit,” he said. “It can be very unpleasant to be in the midst of a lot of ugliness. But I just put my head down and decided ... I was going to work as hard as I could, and I never let the possibility enter my mind that I might fail - at least consciously. Subconsciously, I knew I could fail and I was really scared, so it made me work harder.” —Reuters

Indian Bollywood film actress Vidya Balan (right) and her husband Siddharth Roy Kapur pose together during their wedding ceremony in Mumbai yesterday. —AFP

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

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he Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) yesterday announced the winners of its Dubai Film Connection (DFC), a highly successful co-production market held in conjunction with the festival introduces selected film projects by Arab filmmakers to regional and international film professionals.

The awards of over $100,000 represent three prizes from DIFF of USD25,000, as well as other awards from international organisations including: the Film Clinic/DIFF Debut Feature Award of $10,000; EUR6,000 from ARTE to a filmmaker for exceptional originality, writing style and motivation; $10,000 for the Front Row/KNCC Award which is new for 2012; EUR5,000 from the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, presented to a film produced and directed in a Francophone Arab country; and accreditation for the prestigious Producers Network at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013 for 10 Arab producers participating at the DFC. Shivani Pandya, DIFF Managing Director, said: “Beyond the partnerships, mentoring and strategic planning that takes place at the DFC, the awards add additional support for filmmakers as they realize their projects in a highly competitive and at times difficult industry. The sole aim of DFC is to promote film production in the Arab world, and we are proud of our success rate. We wish all of our par-

ticipants a productive and successful 2013.”

The Dubai Film Connection was launched in 2007. Since then, 31 projects have been completed and a further 13 are in various stages of production. Recent successes include Wadjda by Haifaa AlMansour; When I Saw You by Annemarie Jacir; and Fidai by Damien Ounouri.

The 2012 winners are DIFF Awards ($25, 000): Winning Project No. 1: Batata Director: Noura Kevorkian Producer: Paul Scherzer Winning Project No. 2: A Full Moon Night Director: Fares Naanaa Producer: Habib Attia Winning Project No. 3: Me, Myself and Murdoch Director: Yahya Alabdallah Producer: Rula Nasser Film Clinic /DIFF Debut Feature Award (USD10,000) Winning Project: Beirut Solo Director: Sabah Haider

Producer: Pierre Sarraf Arte Award (EUR6,000) Winning Project: You Are Algeria Director: Farid Bentoumi Producer: Pierre-Louis Garnon Winner of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie Prize (EUR5,000) Winning Project: Kilo 56 Director: Mohamed Hammad Producer: Mouwafak Chourbagui Front Row/KNCC Award - $10,000 Project: Ghost Hunting Director: Raed Andoni Producer: Palmyre Badinier In addition the 10 producers chosen to attend the Producers’ Network 2013 are: Pierre Sarraf, Jana Wehbe, Ossama Bawardi, Myriam Sassine, Habib Attia, Mouwafak Chourbagui, Rami Yasin, Fareed Ramadan, Sabine Sidawi and Mohamed Ali Ben Hamra.

Group photo shows the 2012 Dubai film connection award winners.

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ohammed Saeed Harib, the award-winning Emirati creator of the Middle East’s first 3D animated series, FREEJ, has signed with Image Nation Abu Dhabi to direct the company’s next local feature film. The as yet unnamed sports comedy is scheduled to be filmed in the Emirates in spring 2013 and is planned for a fall 2013 release.

The film will be Image Nation’s third local production, following quickly behind the coming of age drama, ‘Sea Shadow’, released last year, and the supernatural thriller, ‘Djinn’, also set for release in 2013.

The family-friendly comedy is set in the UAE, and follows the story of a disgraced former football player seeking redemption and a second chance at life by coaching a rag-tag team of high school students at a public school. Mohammed Al-Mubarak, Chairman of Image Nation, commented on the announcement of the new film: “Image Nation is committed to the development of a prospering film and production industry here in the UAE, and we are thrilled to announce the addition of Mohammed Saeed Harib to lead our latest project.”

“Anyone in the UAE and around the region will be familiar with the FREEJ series and to have someone of Mohammed’s calibre onboard, bringing all of his creativity, humour and talent to the project is indicative of the quality of production we have set out to make,” added Mubarak.

Mohammed Saeed Harib is the creator and producer of FREEJ, the hugely popular animated TV series which follows the lives of four fun old Emirati women living in a secluded neighborhood in modern day Dubai. “I am thrilled to be making the move into feature films,” said Mohammed Saeed Harib.

“I was looking for my next challenge, so when the opportunity to direct Image Nation’s next project arose I jumped at the chance. Image Nation has been doing a lot to develop the foundations of a vibrant and sustainable motion picture indus-

try in the UAE, and I am delighted to be onboard to direct their latest film.”

“I am excited to be involved in a home-grown production and look forward to engaging the local community in this project. I am certain the upcoming production will create many new opportunities for Emirati talents - both on and off camera, whether it is in acting or crew positions,” added Harib.

Mohammed Al-Otaiba, Head of Image Nation Abu Dhabi, commented: “One of Image Nation Abu Dhabi’s goals is to provide opportunities to promote local talent and support all kinds of film genres coming out of the Emirates. We are excited to add a locally developed comedy to our slate, and look forward to kicking off production in the New Year. Filming is scheduled in the UAE in 2013 with a local cast and crew, so we encourage people who are interested in being involved in the project to get in touch.”

The FREEJ series was born while Mohammed studied General Arts and Animation at Northeastern University in Boston between 1995 and 2001. Mohammed also recently directed FREEJ Folklore, the largest Arabic theatrical production in the region, which marks a new era in the entertainment industry through a combination of magnificent art with highly sophisticated technical tools.

FREEJ has also been picked up and is broadcast by Cartoon Network Arabic reaching 35 million homes in the MENA region alone, with plans in place to syndicate the show further abroad to such places as Malaysia and Indonesia, where it will be redubbed in the local languages. The success of FREEJ is owed to multiple factors including its novelty comedic appeal and its intelligent take on social issues that are viewed by most as a positive social commentary on the evolution of Emirati society.

(From left) Mohammed Al-Otaiba, Head of Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Mohammed Saeed Harib, Director and Moderator and Samr Husain Al-Marzooqi are seen at a press conference.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

This photo shows a woman using a BISSELL Total Floors Pet Vacuum that features a crevice tool port to suction pet hair away from walls where it accumulates without reaching or bending.

This photo shows a Sunbeam Holiday Dog Treat Maker, available at PetSmart Inc stores.

— AP photos

Holiday gifts for pets following high-tech trend

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holiday present for Fido or Fluffy used to be an extra table scrap or a new squeeze toy. But as with gifts for their human counterparts, pet presents are becoming increasingly high-tech. Like presents for young children who lack the dexterity to enjoy their new playthings, pet gifts are usually for the human who owns the pet. Allie Robino of Austin, Texas, bought a dog treat maker for her 8-year-old rescue mutt Bentley, but it’ll be her baking the biscuits - not Bentley.

She bought PetSmart’s Sunbeam Holiday Dog Treat Maker, essentially a waffle-maker with dog-bone molds, for Bentley when she took him to see Santa Claus at a Fort Worth pet store. Even though he and her other dog, Shiner, will be the primary beneficiaries of the purchase, it’s mostly a gift for Robino, who admits to having problems making things at home from scratch.

“A lot of these kinds of things end up being more complicated than the company promises, but this was super easy to use and the finished product looked great. Believe me, if it were possible to mess up, I would have messed up. I’m batting zero on Pinterest,” she said, referring to the photo-sharing website beloved by amateur chefs and DIY-crafters.

Robino said it was the only time she has bought a gift for a pet that requires electricity, figuring that would put Bentley in a rarefied group of animals with high-tech presents. But there are actually plenty of gadgets in stores for animals, from the predictable (dog barking control, electronic self-cleaning cat litter boxes) to the surprising (exercise equipment, air conditioners for doghouses, pet air purifiers for human houses).

Technology is having an impact in every area of the pet world, including food, toys and care products, said Bob Vetere, president of the American Pet Products Association. He believes health care advances are moving the fastest.

“There are many advances on the pet rehabilitation side of health care that weren’t even heard of a few years ago. There are also new advances in medication, treatments, and even testing and diagnostic areas. For example, you can send off your pet’s DNA to find out their breed and even give at-home tests to determine if certain diseases are present,” he said.

Rehab equipment for pets, such as a dog-size treadmill, are no longer just for veterinarian clinics. Pet owners can buy the DogPacer’s Minipacer treadmill ($479), which is made for dogs under 55 pounds. The original DogPacer treadmill will accommodate dogs up to 179 pounds and sells for $499 - about the same price as human-size gym equipment.

For owners who exercise with their pets, the Sharper Image Pet-O-Meter Pet Pedometer ($19.99) counts steps, calculates distance and tracks the calorie intake of the human partner.

Meanwhile, the proliferation of apps

This photo shows a Pet-O-Meter Pet Pedometer (Pedometer SIE-401) made for working out with your pet. Shaped like a dog bone, the device has an LCD display that counts steps, calculates distance and tracks calories. for mobile devices offers clutter-free options for urban pet owners with little living space. There are apps that track pets’ whereabouts, like the GPS-based monthly service Tagg Pet Tracker, which can alert owners if a dog leaves a designated area or monitor a pet’s physical activity. For a simpler option, PetHub dog tags and collars make owners’ contact information accessible through a scanning app on a mobile device, and animal shelter and GPS tracking services can be added.

Vetere believes the best high-tech pet product is the microchip, which can be implanted in dogs, cats, birds, horses and other animals and will help reunite owners with lost pets.

“They are also widely used by industry professionals to track vaccinations, test results and other records. With GPS microchips now available as well, your missing pet can not only be tracked back to you, but you can now track them down and prove ownership if need be,” he said.

Vetere predicts hot high-tech gifts this year will be microchip pet doors, which open using a chip implanted in the animal.

He said the most popular products will always be those that make life easier for pet owners - “like automatic feeders and water delivery systems, automatic litter boxes, grooming tools that comb and also vacuum up the pet hair.”

On Vetere’s personal wishlist is “an automatic yard cleaner that would pick up after my dog, but I don’t see

This photo shows a PetHub dog tag. If your dog gets lost, anyone can scan this tag on a cell phone using a QR (quick response) scanning app and immediately get access to the dog owner’s name, address and phone number. how that would work without a robot,” he said. For pets and owners who do volunteer work - yes, there’s an app for that, too. For example, the $149.99 TouchChat alternative communication app lets people who have difficulty speaking play with a dog using voice commands.

Ricochet, a 4-year-old golden retriever from San Diego, works with people who have Down syndrome, who are autistic or who suffered strokes. Patients touch an iPad, prompting a synthesized voice to deliver a command like sit or turn around or down. If the dog performs the command (and Ricochet always does), the patient can throw her a treat. “No cues, inflection or interaction is needed from her handler. They can communicate with Ricochet directly, giving them a sense of independence, self-confidence and empowerment,” said owner Judy Fridono. - AP

This photo provided by Sharper Image shows a Motion Activated Pet Bowl (SIFB 501) with a built-in sensor that detects when a pet is near and automatically slides the doors open so the pet can eat.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

In this image, New Year’s Eve raclette is shown served on a table in Concord, NH.

In this image, brie with balsamic glaze is shown served on a plate in Concord, NH.

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This image shows two-potato pancakes. — AP photos

hen Cowgirl Creamery breaks out the raclette on weekends in San Francisco’s Ferry Building Marketplace, people float into the store almost trancelike. “They smell that aroma coming down the hall in the ferry building and they’re drawn to it like a cartoon,” Sue Conley, co-founder of the San Francisco-based cheese company, says of raclette - the name of a cheese, as well as a dish and the machine used to make it. Which is surprisingly unhelpful. What is raclette? Consider it a more sophisticated answer to fondue.

Raclette - which derives from the French word meaning “to scrape” - involves melting the surface of a wheel of semisoft raclette cheese, then scraping the gooey part onto boiled potatoes and other accompaniments. A tradition of the Swiss Alps, raclette is still little known in the United States. But that may be changing.

The pungent, washed rind cheese has been made in Switzerland for centuries in the canton of Valais. Its most distinctive feature is that it becomes creamy and smooth when melted. The Swiss eat it as a meal, accompanied by boiled potatoes, cornichons and pearl onions, with liberal drafts of white tea. Raclette also makes great street food, served on a slab of bread.

In the United States, it’s hard to find outside high-end cheese shops, supermarkets such as Whole Foods Market and the occasional very, very cool party. Shops like Cowgirl Creamery sell and serve raclette. Murray’s Cheese in New York also is experimenting with it. Raclette should naturally appeal to palates weaned on grilled cheese. But a number of obstacles have slowed its rise. Raclette traditionally has been imported, which can make it both expensive and hard to find. While most raclette still is imported, a number of American cheese makers have begun producing it.

Emmi Roth USA, the American arm of a large Swiss cheese maker, has been making small amounts of raclette for about 20 years. Leelanau Cheese Company in Michigan began crafting handmade raclette in 1995. And last winter,

Spring Brook Farm in Vermont also began offering raclette.

While that means there is more of it is available, getting the word out is another story. “Even the imported Swiss and French raclette aren’t really marketed and there are only a few producers in the US making it,” says Nora Weiser, executive director of the American Cheese Society, based in Denver, Colorado. “It’s a matter of awareness in many cases.

If awareness is raised and more people try it, I think people will get into it.”

Which may already be happening. It’s no longer hard to find a raclette machine. A trip to the mall and retailers like Williams-Sonoma will do. They also are readily available online. Boska, a Dutch company that sells raclette machines, says US sales of professional setups have doubled since last year. Home models have grown as much as 30 percent.

But raclette aficionados say even equipment shouldn’t stand in your way. “You don’t need a fancy oven,” says Rene Weber, master cheese maker and vice president of operations for Emmi Roth USA. “You can just cut a quarter-inch slice, put it in a Teflon pan, and heat it up and when it melts you put it on a plate. That’s how the Swiss eat it at home.”

Leelanau still makes just 30,000 pounds (13,600 kilograms) of their handmade raclette cheese a year, but that figure is four times what it was when they started 17 years ago.

Weber says raclette makes up less than 10 percent of sales for his company, but that the figure is growing.

“Think of the ‘70s when fondue became all the rage.

Raclette is next maybe,” says American Cheese Society’s Weiser. “People are more open to different cheeses. They’re looking for local products and looking for ways to support producers in their region. They’re more open and their palates are more prepared for it.” — AP

TECHNOLOGY

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Google Maps return to iPhone with new app New mapping system boasts major improvement

Candles are displayed in front of a picture of Amanda Todd during a memorial for her in Surrey, British Columbia. In Google’s 12th annual roundup of global trending searches, “Amanda Todd” was ranked eighth. — AP

UN telecoms chief spurns US Internet concerns DUBAI: The head of the UN telecommunications body insisted that a treaty to be put to member states for signature yesterday does not concern the Internet, dismissing US concerns about online freedoms.

“This conference is not about the Internet,” International Telecommunication Union chief Hamadoun Toure told a press conference ahead of a signing ceremony in Dubai that Washington has threatened to boycott. “This conference has no effect on the Internet at all,” Toure insisted, adding that the only text that addresses the Internet is a non-binding resolution on fostering an enabling environment for growth.

Washington warned on Thursday that it would refuse to sign the updated treaty, saying it opened the door to government regulation of the Internet. But Toure insisted that the treaty gave explicit protection to free speech. “In the preamble, we have a special article,” he said.

“Member states affirm their commitment to implement these regulations in a manner that respects and upholds their human rights obligations.” The head of the US delegation Terry Kramer said on Thursday that he could not sign the treaty as currently drafted because it included some language “seeking to insert governmental control over Internet governance.” “The US has consistently believed and continues to believe that the (UN treaty) should not extend to Internet governance or content,” he added. US lawmakers had voted unanimously to oppose any efforts to give the United Nations new authority to regulate the Internet, and a variety of Internet activists and US firms, led by Google, had also warned against new regulations. — AFP

Smartphones can soon be used to ‘e-hail’ NYC taxis NEW YORK: Raising your arm and yelling “taxi!” will soon be the old-fashioned way to nab a New York City cab. Soon, all you’ll need is a smartphone app. On Thursday, New York City’s Taxi & Limousine Commission approved a plan that will allow riders to “e-hail” yellow cabs, starting Feb. 15 on a test basis.

“We should not ignore technology that’s out there. This is not speculative, this is real,” said TLC Commissioner David Yassky after the pilot program was approved. Seven members of a commission panel voted in favor; two abstained. The commission issued a press release after the vote celebrating what it called “appy days ahead.”

The system will be tried out for one year. After the apps start linking customers with drivers in mid-February, the commission will produce quarterly reports on its success, leading to a decision on whether to extend the pilot program. Until now, the city has banned yellow taxis from prearranging rides.

At least a dozen companies are ready to provide the service, including ones now operating in other US cities and overseas. London has a thriving taxi e-hail system. A group of cabbies attended the commission hearing. One later addressed the issue of customers who still want to hail a cab the traditional way - by standing in the street and waving - and who might worry that cabbies will pass them by. “If I accept an e-hail, I won’t stop for a person on the street,” acknowledged driver Mohammad Butt, 35, a Staten Island resident. “But if I have a passenger in the car now, I don’t stop either.” —AP

SAN FRANCISCO: Google Maps has found its way back to the iPhone. The world’s most popular online mapping system returned late Wednesday with the release of the Google Maps iPhone app. The release comes nearly three months after Apple Inc replaced Google Maps as the device’s built-in navigation system and inserted its own map software into the latest version of its mobile operating system.

Apple’s maps application proved to be far inferior to Google’s, turning what was supposed to be a setback for Google into a vindication. The product’s shoddiness prompted Apple CEO Tim Cook to issue a rare public apology and recommend that iPhone owners consider using Google maps through a mobile Web browser or seek other alternatives until his company could fix the problems. Cook also replaced Scott Forstall, the executive in charge of Apple’s mobile operating system, after the company’s maps app became the subject of widespread ridicule.

Among other things, Apple’s maps misplaced landmarks, overlooked towns and sometimes got people horribly lost. In one example brought to light this week, Australian police derided Apple’s maps as “life-threatening” because the system steered people looking for the city of Mildura into a sweltering, remote desert 44 miles from their desired destination.

Google Inc, in contrast, is hailing its new iPhone app as a major improvement from the one evicted by Apple. “We started from scratch,” said Daniel Graf, mobile director of Google Maps. Google engineers started working on the new app before Apple’s Sept 19 ouster, Graf said, though he declined to be more specific.

Digital maps are key battleground in mobile computing because they get used frequently on smartphones and can pinpoint a user’s whereabouts. That information is so prized by advertisers that they’re willing to pay much higher rates for marketing messages aimed at a prospective customer in a particular location, said Greg Sterling, an analyst at Opus Research.

Google’s mapping app for the iPhone doesn’t include ads, but that will likely change, based on the steady stream of marketing flowing through the Google maps app on Android phones.

NEW YORK: The new Google Maps application is demonstrated in New York on Thursday. The world’s most popular online mapping system returned late Wednesday with the release of the Google Maps iPhone app. — AP

The additional tools in the free iPhone app include turn-by-turn directions.

Google’s previous refusal to include that popular feature on the iPhone app -while making it available for smartphones running on its own Android software- is believed to be one of the reasons Apple decided to develop its own technology.

The increasing friction between Google and Apple as they jostle for leadership in the smartphone market also played a role

in the mapping switch. Google’s new iPhone mapping app also offers street-level photography of local neighborhoods, as well as three-dimensional views, public transit directions and listings for more than 80 million businesses around the world.

The app still lacks some of the mapping features available on Android-powered phones, such as directions inside malls and other buildings. —AP

Apple iPhone ‘violated MobileMedia patents’ SAN FRANCISCO: A federal jury on Thursday found Apple guilty of infringing on smartphone call handling and camera patents held by a licensing firm in which rivals Sony and Nokia hold stakes. A verdict form available online showed that a trial held in the state of Delaware resulted in jurors finding that technology built into the iPhone violated three patents held

by MobileMedia Ideas. MobileMedia filed suit against Apple in early 2010, accusing the Cupertino, California-based company of infringing on more than a dozen of its patents but the number was trimmed to three by the time the case went to trial.

A date had yet to be slated for the portion of the proceedings that will be devoted to determining how much Apple should pay in damages. MobileMedia’s website described the company as a “patent portfolio licensor” of inventions by makers of smarpthones and other mobile gadgets.

The company claims to have more than 300 patents in its

portfolio, which is reportedly rife with technology innovations from Nokia and Sony.

Courtrooms around the world have become active battlegrounds for “patent wars” being fought by smartphone titans.

Apple recently negotiated a truce with Taiwan-based HTC, but remains entrenched in legal fighting in several countries with South Korea’s Samsung.

Last week, a US judge mulling whether to trim or overturn Apple’s billion-dollar damages award against Samsung in Silicon Valley called for a ceasefire in the ongoing patent war between the smartphone titans. “I think it’s time for global peace,” US District Court Judge Lucy Koh said after legal teams from Apple and Samsung dueled for hours over post-verdict motions in her courtroom in the Silicon Valley city of San Jose.

“It would be good for consumers; good for the industry and good for the parties.” — AFP

TECHNOLOGY SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

NASA moon-mapping mission to come to a crashing end Pair mapped moon’s gravity, revealing interior features

In this image provided by NASA and taken by the Hubble Space Telescope shows previously unseen early galaxies including the oldest one at 13.3 billion years old.

Launched in 1990, Hubble has peered deep in time to reveal distant and old galaxies. — AP

NY Times jumps into mini digital book market LOS ANGELES: The New York Times is getting into the business of selling bite-sized digital books based on its reporters’ work, giving it entree into a growing market for inexpensive “e-singles” that can be read in a couple of hours. The Times’ first mini book will go on sale Monday. It’s an 18,000-word piece about skiers caught in an avalanche by Times reporter John Branch. The story, called “Snow Fall,” expands on an upcoming piece in Monday’s newspaper.

It will sell for $2.99 in Amazon.com’s Kindle store, Apple’s iBooks, and on Barnes & Noble’s Nook. E-singles fall somewhere between magazine pieces, which can top out at around 10,000 words, and full-length books, which can run around 100,000 words. The product meets the rising demand for content as people buy tablet computers like the iPad and Kindle Fire in increasing numbers. IHS expects global shipments of tablets to hit 120 million this year, just two short years after the iPad jumpstarted the category in April 2010. Tablet shipments are expected to hit 340 million in 2016.

And people aren’t just watching movies and surfing the Web on their mobile devices. The Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism said in October that half of US adults own a tablet or smartphone, and two thirds of them get news on their device. The quick turnaround of digital publishing means non-fiction work remains timely. Gerald Marzorati, the Times’ editor for editorial development, said the company is betting the new format will make long-form journalism easy to read and reach people who don’t visit the Times’ website or read the newspaper.

“We’re going to really experiment in the first year with different sorts of forms - long essays, long narratives,” he said. “We may even try collections. We’re just sort of experimenting with this form and we’ll see if getting something at a very reasonable price in book form is something that appeals to people.” Amazon is considered the pioneer of the short-format digital book. It launched Kindle Singles in January 2011. In September this year, it said it had sold 3.5 million Kindle Singles so far. Others have followed suit. Apple calls the format Quick Reads and Barnes & Noble calls them Nook Snaps.

The Times is partnering with one of the early innovators in the space, a San Francisco startup called Byliner Inc., which has published nearly 50 short-form titles in its 16-month existence.

Among its hits are “Lifeboat No. 8,” a story about the sinking of the Titanic by Elizabeth Kaye and Jon Krakauer’s “Three Cups of Deceit.” Kaye’s book made its way to the top of the New York Times e-book bestseller list. Two of Byliner’s cofounders, John Tayman and Mark Bryant, both worked previously as editors at The New York Times Sports Magazine, making the pair an easy pick as the newspaper’s inaugural partners.

Byliner has published the work of Times reporters before, including Jonathan Mahler, a New York Times Magazine writer who wrote “Death Comes to Happy Valley” about Joe Paterno and the sexual abuse scandal at Penn State. “We’re a company that values great writing and great writers, as does the Times,” said Tayman. “It’s a perfect combination for us both.” —AP

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida: NASA plans to crash a pair of small robotic science probes into the moon next week after a successful year-long mission to learn what lies beneath the lunar surface, officials said on Thursday.

The twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, spacecraft will make suicidal plunges on Monday into a mountain near the moon’s north pole, a site selected to avoid the chance of hitting any of the Apollo or other lunar relics. The impacts, which are not expected to be visible from Earth, will take place about 20 seconds apart at 5:28 pm EST (2228 GMT) on Monday.

“They’re going to be completely blown apart,” GRAIL project manager David Lehman, with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, told reporters on a conference call. Almost out of fuel and currently flying just 7 miles (11 km) above the lunar surface, the probes will make a final steering maneuver on Friday and shut down their science instruments in preparation for Monday’s crash. The two spacecraft, each about the size of a small washing machine, have been flying in close formation around the moon for nearly a year to map the lunar gravity.

Scientists precisely measure the distance between the two, a figure that slightly changes as they fly over denser regions of the moon. The gravitational pull of the additional mass causes first the leading probe and then the following one to speed up, altering the gap between them. Gravity maps from the first part of the mission, collected between March and May 2012 when the spacecraft were about 34 miles (55 km) above the lunar surface, revealed the moon has a shallower and much more fractured crust than expected - the result of asteroid and comet impacts billions of years ago.

This undated artist file rendering provided by NASA shows the twin Grail spacecraft mapping the lunar gravity field. — AP “We know that the moon had been bombarded by impacts but what we found is just how broken up and fractured the crust of the moon is,” said lead scientist Maria Zuber, with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Similar bombardments happened on all the solid bodies of the inner solar system though the evidence on Earth has been erased by erosion, plate tectonics and other phenomena.

“With Mars, there’s a questions about where did the water that we think was on the surface go,” Zuber said. “These fractures provide a pathway deep inside the planet and it’s very easy to envision now how a possible ocean on the surface could have found its way deep into the crust.” Scientists also discovered lava-filled subterranean cracks inside the moon, evidence that the body expanded early in its history. In addition to plan-

etary science, the gravity maps, along with detailed images of the lunar surface, should help engineers pick landing sites for future robotic and human expeditions to the moon, Zuber said.

“In my wildest dreams, I could not have imagined that this mission would have gone any better than it has,” she said, adding that NASA will be getting $8 million or $9 million back from the mission’s $471 million budget.

The spacecraft will hit the surface at about 3,760 miles per hour (6,120 kph).

No pictures are expected because the region will be dark at the time of impact, but a sister spacecraft circling the moon, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, will attempt to survey the crash site.

“These are two small spacecraft with empty fuel tanks, so we’re not expecting a flash that is visible from Earth,” Zuber said. — Reuters

US rejects UN telecom treaty over Internet rift WASHINGTON: The United States is refusing to sign a telecom treaty at a UN gathering in Dubai because it opens the door to governmental regulation of the Internet, the US delegation chief said Thursday. “The United States today announced it cannot sign (the treaty regulations) in their current form,” Terry Kramer, head of the US delegation to the World Conference on International Telecommunications, said in a teleconference from Dubai. “The US has consistently believed and continues to believe that the (UN treaty) should not extend to Internet governance or content,” Kramer added.

Kramer said a formal vote at the Dubai gathering was not expected until Friday but that the proposal on the floor in Dubai, where representatives from 193 nations have been meeting since December 3, was unlikely to change. “The version that’s out there now looks like the near-final one,” he

said. “It looks unlikely it will materially change.” Kramer said the treaty under the auspices of the UN’s International Telecommunications Union included some language “seeking to insert governmental control over Internet governance.”

The conclusion suggests a deep divide between the US and its allies, which seek to keep the Internet open and unregulated, and some authoritarian regimes which seek to impose controls over online use and content.

Russia, China and Saudi Arabia have been among countries seeking such changes. The gathering was set to update global international telecom regulations for the first time since 1988.

The US and its allies had argued that the term “telecom” should not extend to the Internet. At least 10 other countries also announced in Dubai that they would not sign the treaty or would express reservations about some

aspects, Kramer said. An ITU spokeswoman said Canada and Britain also indicated they would not ratify the agreement. “Negotiations are done,” ITU spokeswoman Sarah Parkes said in an email. “US, UK and Canada have announced they will not ratify. Others speaking now, several in praise.”

Kramer said the outcome in Dubai is unlikely to have any immediate impact on how people use the Internet because countries are already able to regulate online activities within their borders. But he said the United States did not want to send a signal that nations would be authorized by a specific treaty to impose new Internet regulations. “Countries have national sovereignty rights, so they can do what they want” internally, he said.

“What we don’t want is a set of global agreements where countries say this treaty gave us the right to impose conditions.” —AFP

TV listings SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

00:50 01:45 02:35 03:25 04:15 05:05 05:55 06:20 06:45 07:35 08:00 08:25 09:15 10:10 11:05 11:30 12:00 12:25 12:55 13:50 14:45 18:25 19:20 20:15 21:10 22:05 23:00 23:55

Animal Cops Philadelphia Buggin’ With Ruud Untamed & Uncut Summer Of The Shark 2 Monster Bug Wars Great Savannah Race Call Of The Wildman Cheetah Kingdom Michaela’s Animal Road Trip Wildlife SOS Talk To The Animals Cats 101 Crocodile Hunter Baby Planet Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild Breed All About It Jeff Corwin Unleashed The Really Wild Show Great Savannah Race Great Ocean Adventures Crocodile Hunter Crocodile Hunter Wildwives Of Savannah Lane Wildwives Of Savannah Lane The Last Lion Of Liuwa Great Savannah Race My Cat From Hell Ned Bruha: Skunk Whisperer

00:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 00:45 Come Dine With Me 01:35 Antiques Roadshow 02:30 Celebrity Fantasy Homes 03:15 Celebrity Fantasy Homes 04:00 Eating With The Enemy 04:45 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 05:30 Saturday Kitchen 06:00 Saturday Kitchen 06:30 Eating With The Enemy 07:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 08:00 Antiques Roadshow 11:30 Antiques Roadshow 12:20 Baking Made Easy 12:50 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard 13:15 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard 13:40 Raymond Blanc’s Kitchen Secrets 14:10 Come Dine With Me 15:00 Bargain Hunt 15:45 Bargain Hunt 16:30 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 17:10 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 17:55 Baking Made Easy 18:25 Antiques Roadshow 21:05 Antiques Roadshow 22:00 Cash In The Attic 22:45 Cash In The Attic 23:30 Bargain Hunt

00:00 Business Edition With Tanya Beckett 00:30 Football Focus 01:00 BBC World News America 01:30 BBC World News America 02:00 BBC World News 02:30 Newsnight 03:00 BBC World News 03:10 Weekend World 03:30 BBC World News 04:10 Nobel Minds 2012 05:00 BBC World News 07:00 BBC World News 07:30 Fast Track 08:00 BBC World News 08:30 Middle East Business Report 09:00 BBC World News 09:30 Click 10:00 BBC World News 10:10 Weekend World 10:30 BBC World News 11:10 Football Focus 11:30 BBC World News 12:00 BBC World News 12:10 Why Poverty?

13:00 BBC World News 13:10 World Features 13:30 Newsnight 14:00 BBC World News 14:10 Weekend World 14:30 Our World 15:00 BBC World News 16:00 BBC World News 16:15 Sport Today 16:30 Fast Track 17:00 BBC World News

00:00 Connect The World With Becky Anderson 01:00 Amanpour 01:30 World Sport 02:00 Piers Morgan Tonight 03:00 World Report 03:30 World Sport 04:00 Anderson Cooper 360 05:00 Piers Morgan Tonight 06:00 Quest Means Business 06:45 CNN Marketplace Africa 07:00 The Situation Room 08:00 World Sport 08:30 Cnngo 09:00 World Report 09:15 CNN Marketplace Africa 09:30 Backstory 10:00 World Report 10:15 CNN Marketplace Middle East 10:30 Business Traveller 11:00 World Sport 11:30 Mainsail 12:00 The Best Of The Situation Room 13:00 Amanpour 13:30 The Brief 14:00 World Report 14:30 Inside Africa 15:00 Talk Asia 15:30 Eco Solutions 16:00 World Report 16:30 Inside The Middle East 17:00 News Special 17:30 Backstory 18:00 International Desk 18:30 African Voices 19:00 CNN Marketplace Europe 19:15 CNN Marketplace Africa 19:30 The Brief 20:00 World Sport 20:30 Living Golf 21:00 International Desk 21:30 Inside Africa 22:00 International Desk 22:30 Cnngo 23:00 Defining Moments 2012

TAXI DRIVER ON OSN ACTION HD 17:30 18:00 18:10 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 22:00 22:15 22:30 23:00 23:10

Dateline London BBC World News Nobel Minds 2012 BBC World News Our World BBC World News Final Score BBC World News Fast Track BBC World News Sport Today Click BBC World News Why Poverty?

00:05 00:30 00:55 01:20 01:45 02:10 02:35 03:00 03:25 03:50 04:00 04:30 04:55 05:20 05:45 06:00 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:20 07:45 08:10 08:35 09:00 09:25 09:40

Taz-Mania Pink Panther And Pals Moomins Tom & Jerry Kids A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Puppy In My Pocket Wacky Races Looney Tunes Duck Dodgers Dastardly And Muttley Dexter’s Laboratory Wacky Races Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Tom & Jerry The Garfield Show Moomins Looney Tunes Tom & Jerry Tales What’s New Scooby Doo? Taz-Mania The Looney Tunes Show Tom & Jerry Tales The Garfield Show Baby Looney Tunes Bananas In Pyjamas Cartoonito Tales

09:55 10:10 10:25 10:50 11:05 11:30 11:55 12:30 12:55 13:20 13:45 14:00 14:50 15:15 15:40 16:30 16:55 17:20 18:10 19:00 19:30 20:15 21:00 21:25 21:50 22:15 22:40 23:05 23:30 23:55

Ha Ha Hairies Jelly Jamm Gerald McBoing Boing Moomins What’s New Scooby Doo? Tom & Jerry Tales Dexter’s Laboratory Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Taz-Mania The Looney Tunes Show Tom & Jerry The Garfield Show Pink Panther And Pals Pink Panther And Pals Tom & Jerry Tales Taz-Mania Taz-Mania Johnny Bravo Dexter’s Laboratory Looney Tunes The New Scooby Doo Movies The New Scooby Doo Movies The Garfield Show Pink Panther And Pals What’s New Scooby Doo? Moomins Puppy In My Pocket The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop The Addams Family Droopy: Master Detective

00:40 Chowder 01:30 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 01:55 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 02:20 Foster’s Home For...

02:45 Foster’s Home For...

03:10 Courage The Cowardly Dog 04:00 The Amazing World Of Gumball 04:25 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 04:50 Adventure Time

05:15 The Powerpuff Girls 05:40 Generator Rex 06:05 Ben 10 06:30 Ben 10 06:55 Angelo Rules 07:00 Ed, Edd n Eddy 07:30 Casper’s Scare School 08:00 The Marvelous Misadventures...

08:25 Redakai: Conquer The Kairu 08:45 Grim Adventures Of...

09:35 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 09:55 Level Up 10:15 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 10:35 Transformers Prime 11:00 Ben 10: Omniverse 11:25 Thundercats 11:50 Regular Show 12:15 Adventure Time 12:40 The Amazing World Of Gumball 13:05 Johnny Test 13:30 Ben 10 14:00 Batman Beyond: Return Of The Joker 15:15 Green Lantern: The Animated Series 15:35 Transformers Prime 16:00 Angelo Rules 16:50 Ben 10: Omniverse 17:15 Generator Rex 17:40 Eliot Kid 18:30 Regular Show 19:20 Adventure Time 19:45 The Amazing World Of Gumball 20:10 Johnny Test 20:35 Ben 10: Alien Force 21:00 Ben 10: Alien Force 21:25 The Powerpuff Girls 22:15 Grim Adventures Of...

23:00 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 23:25 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 23:50 The Powerpuff Girls

00:15 American Chopper 02:05 Wheeler Dealers 03:00 Mythbusters 03:55 Border Security 04:20 Dirty Money 04:50 Auction Hunters 05:15 How Stuff’s Made 05:40 How It’s Made 06:05 River Monsters 07:00 How It’s Made 07:25 Mighty Ships 08:15 Mega Builders 09:10 Extreme Engineering 10:05 X-Machines 10:55 Rattlesnake Republic 11:50 Gold Rush 12:45 American Chopper 14:35 Wheeler Dealers 15:30 Dynamo: Magician Impossible 16:25 Curiosity: Is There A Parallel Universe?

17:20 Flying Wild Alaska 19:10 Masters Of Survival 20:05 Ultimate Survival 21:00 Outback Truckers 21:55 Deadliest Catch 22:50 Gold Divers

00:40 01:05 01:35 02:25 03:15 04:05 04:35 05:25 05:50 06:15 06:40 07:05 08:00 08:50 09:15 09:40 09:43 10:10 10:40 11:30 11:55 12:20 12:45 13:10 13:35 14:00

The Gadget Show The Tech Show Cosmic Collisions The Future Of...

Thunder Races Mean Green Machines Prophets Of Science Fiction How Do They Do It? How Do They Do It? The Gadget Show The Tech Show Cosmic Collisions Bad Universe Junk Men Junk Men Head Rush Stunt Junkies Stunt Junkies Man-Made Marvels Asia Gadget Show - World Tour How Tech Works Gadget Show - World Tour How Tech Works Gadget Show - World Tour How Tech Works Gadget Show - World Tour

14:25 How Tech Works 14:50 Gadget Show - World Tour 15:15 How Tech Works 15:45 Killer Outbreaks 16:35 Things That Move 17:00 Head Rush 17:03 Tech Toys 360 17:30 Tech Toys 360 18:00 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman

00:10 00:20 00:35 01:25 01:50 02:15 03:05 03:55 04:20 04:45 05:35 06:00 06:15 06:40 07:05 07:30 07:55 08:20 08:45 09:10 09:35 10:00 10:25 11:45 12:05 12:30 12:55 13:20 13:45 14:35 15:25 15:50 16:15 17:00 18:25 18:45 20:05 20:25 20:50 21:15 21:40 22:05 22:30 22:45 22:55 Cody 23:20 Cody 23:45

Fish Hooks Fish Hooks Brandy & Mr Whiskers Replacements Replacements Emperor’s New School Brandy & Mr Whiskers Replacements Replacements Emperor’s New School Brandy & Mr Whiskers Doc McStuffins Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck A.N.T. Farm A.N.T. Farm Jessie My Babysitter’s A Vampire Phineas And Ferb Good Luck Charlie Austin And Ally Gravity Falls Gotta Kick It Up Phineas And Ferb Austin And Ally My Babysitter’s A Vampire Gravity Falls Jessie Wizards Of Waverly Place Phineas And Ferb Shake It Up Shake It Up Wizards Of Waverly Place Halloweentown Good Luck Charlie Gotta Kick It Up Austin And Ally My Babysitter’s A Vampire Gravity Falls A.N.T Farm Jessie Jessie Fish Hooks Fish Hooks The Suite Life Of Zack And The Suite Life Of Zack And Stitch

00:55 Style Star 01:25 E!es 02:20 E!es 03:15 Behind The Scenes 03:40 Extreme Close-Up 04:10 THS 05:05 THS 06:00 30 Best & Worst Beach Bodies 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 10:15 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 11:10 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 12:05 E! News 13:05 Scouted 14:05 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 15:00 Married To Jonas 15:55 Opening Act 17:55 E! News 18:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 19:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 20:55 Married To Jonas 21:25 Fashion Police 22:25 E! News 23:25 Chelsea Lately 23:55 Dirty Soap

00:40 01:05 01:30 01:55 02:45 03:35 04:25

Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Guy’s Big Bite The Next Food Network Star Winning Holiday Cookies Food(Ography) Kid In A Candy Store

TV listings SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012 04:50 05:15 05:40 06:30 07:10 07:35 08:00 08:50 09:40 10:05 Basics 10:30 Basics 10:55 11:20 11:45 12:10 12:35 13:00 13:50 14:15 14:40 Basics 15:05 15:30 16:20 16:45 17:35 Basics 18:00 Basics 18:25 18:50 19:15 19:40 20:05 20:30 21:20 22:10 23:00 23:50

Unique Sweets Charly’s Cake Angels Chopped Iron Chef America Special Unwrapped Unwrapped Food Network Challenge Food Network Challenge United Tastes Of America Barefoot Contessa - Back To

00:40 01:30 02:20 03:05 03:55 04:45 05:30 06:20 07:10 08:00 08:50 09:15 09:40 10:05 10:30 11:20 12:10 13:00 13:50 14:15 14:40 15:30 16:20 16:45 17:10 18:00 18:50 19:40 20:05 20:55 21:20 22:10 23:00

Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghost Lab Psychic Witness Police Women Of Memphis I Escaped Death Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghost Lab Psychic Witness Disappeared Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Murder Shift Disappeared Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Street Patrol Forensic Detectives On The Case With Paula Zahn Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

Murder Shift Disappeared Forensic Detectives Street Patrol On The Case With Paula Zahn Who On Earth Did I Marry?

Nightmare Next Door Couples Who Kill The Haunted

00:45 01:40 02:05 02:35 03:30 Planet 03:55 Planet 04:25 Deal 05:20 05:45 06:15 06:40 07:10 07:35 08:05 08:30 09:00 09:25 09:55 10:50 11:45 12:10 12:40 13:05 13:35 Planet

Madagascar Maverick Danger Beach Danger Beach Jerusalem On A Plate Food Lover’s Guide To The

Barefoot Contessa - Back To Cooking For Real Cooking For Real Charly’s Cake Angels Unique Sweets Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Iron Chef America Guy’s Big Bite Cooking For Real Barefoot Contessa - Back To Mexican Made Easy Food Network Challenge United Tastes Of America Chopped Barefoot Contessa - Back To Barefoot Contessa - Back To Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Kid In A Candy Store Unique Sweets Charly’s Cake Angels Chopped Iron Chef America Iron Chef America Special Chopped Giada’s Family Christmas

14:00 Planet 14:30 15:25 Earth 16:20 16:45 18:10 19:05 19:30 20:05 20:30 21:30 22:00 22:25 22:55 23:20 23:50

Food Lover’s Guide To The Amish: Out of Order Race To The Bottom of The Deadliest Journeys Deadliest Journeys Perilous Journeys Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Street Food Around The World Market Values Market Values Weird & Wonderful Hotels Weird & Wonderful Hotels The Best Job In The World The Best Job In The World Bondi Rescue: Bali

00:00 No Man’s Land: The Rise Of Reeker-PG15 02:00 The Resident-18 04:00 Hustle And Flow-18 06:00 Lords Of Dogtown-PG15 08:00 The Green Hornet-PG15 10:00 Transporter 2-PG15 12:00 Hackers-PG15 14:00 The Green Hornet-PG15 16:00 Snake In The Eagle’s ShadowPG15 18:00 Hackers-PG15 20:00 Carriers-PG15 22:00 Taxi Driver-18

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00

Largo Winch 2-PG15 Labor Pains-PG15 Henry’s Crime-PG15 Lord Of The Dance-PG Labor Pains-PG15 Henry’s Crime-PG15 Water For Elephants-PG15 Win Win-PG15 Unmatched-PG15

18:30 John Carter-PG15 21:00 A Little Bit Of Heaven-18 23:00 Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star-18

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 02:00 South Park 02:30 The League 03:00 Raising Hope 03:30 30 Rock 04:00 Hope & Faith 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Hope & Faith 08:30 Raising Hope 10:00 Two And A Half Men 10:30 Community 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:30 Hope & Faith 14:00 30 Rock 14:30 Community 15:00 Two And A Half Men 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Raising Hope 18:30 30 Rock 19:00 Two And A Half Men 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Saturday Night Live 23:00 The League 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

The X Factor U.S. Glee Damages Perception Greek Good Morning America The Practice Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Practice The X Factor U.S. Glee C.S.I. New York Perception Live Good Morning America Emmerdale Coronation Street Burn Notice C.S.I. C.S.I. Miami Breakout Kings Greek

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

The Glades Damages Perception The Tudors The X Factor U.S. Perception The Glades Emmerdale Coronation Street Criminal Minds Glee The X Factor U.S. Damages Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Criminal Minds

The Glades Emmerdale Coronation Street Criminal Minds Burn Notice C.S.I. C.S.I. Miami Breakout Kings The Tudors

01:00 Road To Perdition-18 03:00 The Untouchables-PG15 05:00 Go Fast-PG15 07:00 Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Pt.1-PG15 09:30 True Justice: Street Wars-PG15 11:00 Go Fast-PG15 13:00 Rocky III-PG15 15:00 True Justice: Street Wars-PG15 17:00 Legendary Assassin-PG15 19:00 Unknown-PG15 21:00 Taxi Driver-18 23:00 Deadtime Stories 2-18

00:00 Friday After Next-18 02:00 The Dilemma-PG15 04:00 Cars 2-FAM 06:00 How The Grinch Stole Christmas-PG 08:00 Little Fockers-PG15 10:00 The Search For Santa Paws-PG 12:00 Cars 2-FAM 14:00 Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son-PG15 16:00 The Search For Santa Paws-PG 18:00 Desperately Seeking SantaPG15 20:00 Loser-PG15 22:00 Tamara Drewe-18

00:15 02:15 04:45 07:45 PG15 09:30 11:00 13:30 15:15 17:00 19:15 21:00 23:15

The Conspirator-PG15 Kings And Queen-18 Nixon-18 An Invisible Sign Of My OwnThe 19th Wife-PG15 Seabiscuit-PG15 Skirt Day-PG15 The 19th Wife-PG15 Evita-PG Babies-18 Thelma And Louise-PG15 The Alamo-PG15

00:00 What’s Wrong With VirginiaPG15 02:00 The Adjustment Bureau-PG15 03:45 The Prince And Me 4: The Elephant Adventure-PG15 05:30 Snowflake , The White GorillaPG15 07:15 Once Brothers-PG15 09:00 Johnny English Reborn-PG15 11:00 Judy Moody And The Not Bummer Summer-PG15 12:45 Hop-PG 14:30 Call Of The Wild-PG15 16:00 Johnny English Reborn-PG15 17:45 Captain America: The First Avenger-PG15 20:00 StreetDance 2-PG15 22:00 Hall Pass-18

01:00 Olentzero And The Magic LogFAM 02:45 Maroons-FAM 04:30 The Ugly Duckling In Tales Of Mystery-FAM 06:00 Snowflake , The White GorillaPG15 08:00 The Lucky Dragon-PG 10:00 Puss In Boots-PG 11:30 Cats Don’t Dance-FAM 12:45 Blue Elephant 2-FAM 14:30 Kung Fu Panda 2-PG 16:00 Adventures Of Sharkboy And Lavagirl-PG 18:00 Puss In Boots-PG 20:00 Queen Of The Swallows-FAM 21:45 Adventures Of Sharkboy And Lavagirl-PG 23:15 Blue Elephant 2-FAM

Food Lover’s Guide To The Wedding Crasher: The Real Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Street Food Around The World Market Values Market Values Market Values Deadliest Journeys Deadliest Journeys Deadliest Journeys Deadliest Journeys Perilous Journeys Amish: Out of Order Danger Beach Danger Beach One Man & His Campervan One Man & His Campervan Food Lover’s Guide To The

15:00 16:00 16:30 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

HENRYʼS CRIME ON OSN CINEMA

00:00 MSNBC Martin Bashir 01:00 MSNBC Hardball With Chris Matthews 02:00 MSNBC Politicsnation

03:00 Live NBC Nightly News 03:30 ABC World News With Diane Sawyer 04:00 MSNBC The Ed Show 05:00 MSNBC The Rachel Maddow Show 06:00 MSNBC Politicsnation 07:00 Live NBC Nightly News 07:35 ABC Nightline 08:00 ABC World News With Diane Sawyer 08:30 Live NBC Nightly News 09:00 MSNBC The Rachel Maddow Show 10:00 MSNBC The Ed Show 11:00 MSNBC Morning Joe 14:00 MSNBC Caught On Camera 15:00 Live NBC Saturday Today Show 17:00 MSNBC Up With Chris Hayes Saturday 18:57 Live MSNBC Hardball With Chris Matthews 19:38 Live MSNBC The Ed Show 20:19 Live MSNBC The Rachel Maddow Show 21:00 ABC 20/20 22:00 MSNBC News 23:00 MSNBC News

00:15 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

The Cry Of The Owl-PG15 Love And Mary-PG15 Tower Heist-PG15 Little Secrets-PG The Nanny Express-PG15 The Cry Of The Owl-PG15 Mr. Popper’s Penguins-PG Battle For Terra-PG The Nanny Express-PG15 Jack And Jill-PG15 StreetDance 2-PG15 The Rite-18

01:30 Trans World Sport 10:30 ICC Cricket 360 11:00 Live Twenty20 Big Bash League 14:00 Trans World Sport 15:00 Live World Darts Championship 20:00 ICC Cricket 360 20:30 Twenty20 Big Bash League 23:30 European Challenge Cup

03:00 WWE Bottom Line 04:00 Live Australian PGA Championship 09:00 ICC Cricket 360 09:30 Trans World Sport 10:30 European Challenge Cup 12:30 PGA European Tour Weekly 13:30 Live PGA European Tour 17:30 Futbol Mundial 18:00 WWE SmackDown 20:00 UFC 22:00 Live Darts

00:00 Ladies European Highlights 01:00 Spirit of a Champion 01:30 Spirit of a Champion 02:00 Spirit of a Champion 02:30 Spirit of a Champion 03:00 European Challenge Cup 03:00 Golfing World 05:00 Asian Tour Golf 05:30 Total Rugby 06:00 Golfing World 07:00 PDC World Darts Championship 12:00 Trans World Sport 13:00 Spirit of a Champion 13:30 Spirit of a Champion 14:00 Spirit of a Champion 14:30 Spirit of a Champion 15:00 Cricket Test Match 22:00 PGA European Tour

00:00 01:00 02:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 13:00 14:00 19:00 20:00 22:00 23:00

UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC The Ultimate Fighter Live UFC Live UFC WWE SmackDown WWE Bottom Line WWE Vintage V8 Supercars V8 Supercars UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC The Ultimate Fighter

what’s on

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

IAK honors MP, Norka members SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS

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hat’s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others! 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

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

I

dukki Association, Kuwait (IAK) hosted a meeting on 9th December, 2012 evening at Hi-Dine auditorium to give a warm reception to P T Thomas (member of parliament, Idukki) and to honor the new NORKA welfare board members Varghese Puthukulangara and Sharafudeen Kanneth. The meeting began with the welcome speech by General Seceretary, Jeral Jose Edavakandathil followed by the address

by President Shaju Paul Konnackel.

P T Thomas, MP and the patron of the association, in his speech emphasized the need of a collective effort of all for the betterment of its members in Kuwait and back in the home district.

Both the NORKA director board members, Puthukulangara and Kanneth were honored with “ponnada” by the IAK president. In their reply speeches they offered all their efforts to fulfill the high responsibility bestowed upon them by new position in NORKA. The MP handed over IAK’s memento to Martin Jacob Vattakulam, IAK member who is leaving Kuwait for good. The MP released the draft of the IAK’s calendar 2013 and the first copy was received

by Somu Mathew (former IAK Advisory Committee Chairman) on behalf of Dr T A Remesh, (Country Head Gulfmart Kuwait). IAK Chairman Joy Mundakatt presented a memorandum to the MP. Felicitations are delivered by Titto Joseph-Vice president IAK, Jakson K Chacko-Treasurer IAK,Sunny Manarkattu-Ex-president IAK,Sajan M

George- Ex-General Secretary IAK, Babu Parayani and Benny Perikilathu on the occasion. The Meeting ended with the

vote of thanks of the Joint Secretary Georgie Mathew Manchapillil.

scintillating cultural fiesta at loa

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ndian Learners Own Academy, Kuwait celebrated its Second open day of class 1 on 6th December 2012 with great zeal and Enthusiasm. Mohan George, Manager of Safeena Trading Company, Kuwait was invited as the Chief Guest on this auspicious evening. Open day was filled with music, dance, knowledge and wisdom. It was held at the school auditorium. The auditorium was packed with the parents and well-wishers.

The event began with the recital of Holy Quran and Prayer in English, which invoked the blessings of the Almighty. The guests were greeted with a melodious welcome song by the young masters of class 1, which was followed by ‘Welcome Dance’ by the tiny tots of class 1-H who heartily welcomed everybody. Their White color attire added beauty to the show. The chief guest Mohan George was then invited for lighting the Lamp of Knowledge. The epitome of eminence, renowned educationist Principal of Indian Learners Own Academy Asha Sharma introduced and welcomed the guest with her warm welcome speech and appreciated the work of students and teachers of class 1, as this programme was organized within a very short period of time.

The cultural fiesta started after a short speech from the chief guest who admired the heights scaled by this institution in a short span of

time and its leadership. The elegant ‘Action song’ of colorful Butterflies presented by class 1-A, captivated the audience with their wonderful performance. It was followed by the fascinating ‘Musk Deer Dance’ by class 1-B, which revealed the beauty and the pleasant aroma of the musk deer who wandered through mountains and forest in search of the fragrance, unaware of the fact that it comes from its own body. The soft and tender expres-

sions of the deer were amazing. The next programme was ‘The Sunflower Dance’ presented By class 1-c, which gave the audience the hallucination of a garden full of beautiful sunflowers which speaks about its own glory; this excellent performance bought a smile on each face. Another attractive and foot tapping item ‘True Companionship’ presented by class 1-D revealed the importance of true companions Who can be our par-

ents and our friends, as they will be always loving, caring and thinking good for one another. It kept the audience enthralled till the end of the dance. The dancers were looking stunning in their peacock blue color attire.

The tiny tots of class 1-E presented their function of talents by dancing to the tune of Vande Mataram which filled the environment with a feeling of patriotism. The whole show was a wonderful fusion of

patriotic songs by a harmonious blend of music, rhythm and dance.

Additionally their tri-color attire depicting the Indian flag was marvelous. The French dance song was a unique show where all the cute little ducks quacked beautifully to greet the guests and made the evening more entertaining. It was then followed by a mesmerizing performance of ‘Action Song’ by class 1-F who expressed the greatness of the Almighty God and his beautiful creations through pleasing calm musical dance which was a feeling of relaxation for all.

The visual treat of the day came to an end with the grand finale by class 1-G ‘Everybody Dance together’ where all were invited to dance and enjoy life to its fullest. At the end, vote of thanks on behalf of the management, staff and students was expressed by Anushika of class 1. The programme rose to a final crescendo with the grand finale and ended in a beautiful resonance lingering in the minds of everyone.

Parents of the students who were present in the auditorium were indeed beaming with pride for their children who were part of this programme of this prestigious institution.

what’s on

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 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 ConsulateGeneral 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, AlBanwan 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.vfsau-gcc-com for more information. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas on-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm.

Human rights, tolerance celebration at KNES

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uring assemblies, students from Primary and Secondary Departments at Kuwait National English School have explained the importance and the meaning of being tolerant as well as their understanding about rights and responsibilities. A candle was lit during assemblies as a symbol of Peace.

The school director, Chantal AlGharabally, addressed the students on the occasion of the combined celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Tolerance which serves an annual occasion for education of Tolerance and Human Rights. Chantal recalled at the time of the adoption by the United Nations of the Universal Human Rights Declaration after the second war about the trust and the optimism in the wisdom of human beings that the organization has placed for a better future for the whole of mankind.

Chantal explained also that Tolerance is the necessary condition for human rights, democracy and Peace. She gave a lecture to students about the evolution

ance and respect of other beliefs, culture, race, gender, etc.

The school director of Kuwait National English School placed these

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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, Email: abdbi-im-enquiry@international.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, AlMutawakei 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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of the notion of tolerance over the centuries which through in particular the influence of Locke and the philosophers of the century of enlightment became a positive notion, allowing the freedom of thought and conscience and accept-

celebrations into the framework of school activities, directly related to the school philosophy and the school Mission of Statement.

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, firsttime 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.

Health SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

DNA isn’t all-powerful Personalized cancer care faces challenges

NEW YORK: The cancer cells were not behaving the way the textbooks say they should. Some of the cells in colonies that were started with colorectal tumor cells were propagating like mad; others were hardly multiplying.

Some were dropping dead from chemotherapy and others were no more slowed by the drug than is a tsunami by a tissue. Yet the cells in each “clone” all had identical genomes, supposedly the all-powerful determinant of how cancer cells behave.

That finding, published online Thursday in Science, could explain why almost none of the new generation of “personalized” cancer drugs is a true cure, and suggests that drugs based on genetics alone will never achieve that holy grail. Scientists not involved in the study praised it for correcting what Dr. Charis Eng, an oncologist and geneticist who leads the Genomic Medicine Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, called “the simple-minded” idea that tumor genomes alone explain cancer.

Calling the study “very exciting,” she said the finding underlines that a tumor’s behavior and, most important, its Achilles heel depend on something other than its DNA. Her own work, for instance, has shown that patients with identical mutations can have different cancers.

The core premise of the leading model of cancer therapy is that cells become malignant when they develop mutations that make them proliferate uncontrolled. Find a molecule that targets the “driver” mutation, and a pharmaceutical company will have a winner

and patients will be cancer-free.

That’s the basis for “molecularly targeted” drugs such as Pfizer ‘s Xalkori for some lung cancers and Novartis ‘s Gleevec for chronic myeloid leukemia.

When those drugs stop working, the dogma says, it is because cells have developed new cancer-causing mutations that the drugs don’t target.

In the new study, however, scientists found that despite having identical genetic mutations, colorectal cancer cells behaved as differently as if they were genetic strangers. The findings challenge the prevailing view that genes determine how individual cells in a solid tumor behave, including how they respond to chemotherapy and how actively they propagate.

If DNA is not the sole driver of tumors’ behavior, said molecular geneticist John Dick of the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, who led the study, it suggests that, to vanquish a cancer entirely, drugs will have to target their non-genetic traits too, something few drug-discovery teams are doing.

Genomes are what cutting-edge clinics test for when they try to match a patient’s tumor to the therapy most likely to squelch it.

For their study, Antonija Kreso, Catherine O’Brien and other scientists under Dick’s direction took colorectal cancer cells from 10 patients and transplanted them into mice. They infected the cells with a special virus that let them track each cell, even after it divided and multiplied and was transplanted into another mouse, then another and another, through as many as five

such “passages.”

Only one in 10,000 tumor cells was responsible for keeping the cancer growing, the scientists found - in some cases for 500 days of repeated transplantation from one mouse to the next.

Genetically-identical tumor cells stopped dividing within 100 days even without treatment.

Tumor cells that were not killed by chemotherapy - the scientists used oxaliplatin, a colon-cancer drug sold by Sanofi as Eloxatin - had the same mutations as cells that were. The survivors tended to be dormant, non-proliferating ones that suddenly became activated, causing the tumor to grow again.

Yet the cells - dormant or active, invulnerable to chemo or susceptible - had identical genomes.

“I thought we’d be able to look at the genetics that let some cells propagate, or not be susceptible to chemotherapy, but lo and behold there was no genetic difference,” said Dick.

“That goes against a main dogma of the cancer enterprise: that if a tumor comes back after treatment it’s because some cells acquired mutations that made them resistant.”

That’s true in some cases, he said, “but what our data are saying is, there are other biological properties that matter. Gene sequencing of tumors is definitely not the whole story when it comes to identifying which therapies will work.”

The results were surprising enough, Dick said, that experts reviewing the paper for Science asked him to run additional tests to make sure the cells

that behaved so differently were in fact genetic twins. He did, they were, and Science accepted the paper.

Other experts also praised the work, saying it supported the growing suspicion in the field that personalized cancer therapy is oversimplistic, at least in how it’s sold to the public.

“It’s not as simple as just sequencing mutations to tailor therapies to each tumor,” said surgical oncologist Dr. Steven Libutti of the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care in New York City. “In my mind, the findings are not unexpected. Other things besides genes matter: the environment in which a tumor is growing, for instance, plays an important role in whether therapy will be effective.”

Rather than targeting DNA alone, the Toronto scientists suspect, effective therapies would also take aim at what phase of its cycle a cell is in (dormant, growing or dividing, for example), which of its genes are activated, whether it sits in a region of the tumor that is starved of oxygen, and other non-genetic properties.

Nudging tumor cells out of their dormant phase and into their growth cycles, for instance, could make them more susceptible to chemotherapy, which generally targets rapidly dividing cells.

“Our findings raise questions about the resources put into sequence, sequence, sequence,” said Dick. “That has led to one kind of therapeutic” molecularly-targeted drugs - “but not the cures the public is being promised.”—Reuters

California officials sound alarm over hookah smoking SAN FRANCISCO: California public health officials warned yesterday of a sharp rise in tobacco smoking from hookahs, and a proliferation of cafes and lounges offering the Middle Eastern-style water pipes, which experts say can be at least as harmful as cigarettes. Hookah smoking among Californians jumped more than 40 percent between 2005 and 2008, said Dr. Ron Chapman, the state director of public health, citing a 2011 state tobacco survey published in the American Journal of Public Health. He said the trend was particularly pronounced among college-age adults, with nearly a quarter of men 18 to 24 years old reporting they had used a hookah at least once, according to the same study.

Experts say the growing popularity of hookahs has been fueled in part by a perception that the water pipes are more socially acceptable than cigarettes and the erroneous belief that inhaling tobacco smoke drawn through the water filters out some of its toxins.

But smoke from hookah tobacco-

which comes in such flavors as apple, strawberry, honey and mintretains all the carcinogens of cigarette smoke while adding more carbon monoxide and extra carcinogens from the use of burning coals that are used to keep the nicotine flowing, health officials say.

During a typical hour-long session, a hookah user inhales 100 to 200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“There is a very, very concerning misperception about the use of hookahs among youth, thinking it’s somehow safer. In fact, it puts you at the same risk,” Chapman said. The warning came as Chapman announced an antismoking advertising campaign aimed at those most likely to light up - lowincome, minority youth, especially African-Americans.

While California has in many ways led the nation in discouraging smoking, “tobacco use is still the No. 1 cause of death and disease in California,” he said.

Tobacco kills nearly 34,000 Californians a year and leads to annual healthcare costs of $6.5 billion, or $400 for each state taxpayer, he said.

Although pubs and restaurants in California have banned smoking since 1998, hookah bars and cafes are permitted under exemptions for owneroperated tobacco shops or other businesses where no food or beverages are sold without employees or staff, said Corey Egel, a state public health department spokesman.

The growing popularity of hookahs among young adults in California mirrors a broader trend nationwide. A s tudy in May by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine of 152 universities nationwide found that over 30 percent of students had smoked tobacco from a hookah during the previous month.

Hookah smoking, which originated in Persia and India, has seen a resurgence in Middle Eastern countries and elsewhere, too, with water pipes referred to as narguila in Syria, Lebanon and Turkey and as sheesha in Egypt. —Reuters

SYDNEY: Lance, an Aldabra tortoise eats watermelon at Taronga Zoo in Sydney yesterday. In the lead up to Christmas a selection of the zoo animals were challenged with Christmas-themed environmental enrichment activities. —AFP

Health SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

CLASSIFIEDS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

ACCOMMODATION

Al-Madena

22418714

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22545171

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24810598

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22545171

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24742838

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22434853

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22545051

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24711433

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24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Al-Jahra

25610011

Al-Salmiya

25616368

Hospitals 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

Sharing accommodation in Salmiya behind Mercedes showroom only single Pilipina lady in a master bedroom. Tel: 97751739.

11-12-2012 FOR SALE Toyota Camry model 2011 GLX full option with sun-roof km done 27,000, white metallic color, registration till 11-62014 (installment possible) cash price KD 4750. Tel: 66507741. (C 4244) 11-12-2012

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TUITION MATRIMONIAL 55 years well placed Indian Muslim man seeks a lady for marriage 30 to 35 years age background and faith does not matter. Please email: asgar_kathawala@ymail.com 14-12-2012 32 years Roman Catholic boy 5’7” working as a private nurse invites proposals from God fearing and well educated girls. Email: shijopmathew@hotmail.com (C 4250) 13-12-2012 Pentecostal parents invite proposals for their daughter 26, 5’4”, MSc Biochemistry working in Kuwait, from professionally qualified boys.

AutoCAD tuition available by Highly Qualified Experienced Teacher, Learn professionally AutoCAD 2D&3D with Projects, Flexible Schedule, and individual tutorial. Contact: 99302850 / 22467301. (C 4251) 15-12-2012 CHANGE OF NAME I, JUDE D’COSTA holder of Indian Passport No: F1450021 hereby change my name to JUDE DA COSTA. (C 4247) I, VENKAPA REDDY Indian Passport No: F8461897, embraced Islam, so I change my name to MUSTAFA REDDY. (C 4248) 11-12-2012

24732263

Rawdha

22517733

Adailiya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Khaifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Qadisiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Fajr: Shorook Duhr: Asr: Maghrib: Isha:

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information SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers use seats Airlines JAI KLM THY JZR QTR SAI ETH GFA PIA UAE ETD OMA QTR FDB MSR DHX THY JZR KAC JZR BAW KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR FDB ETD GFA BAB JZR MSC MSR UAE IRM KAC JZR KAC FDB KNE KAC SVA QTR KAC KAC IZG QTR IRC JZR JZR KAC UAE SYR JZR ETD RJA GFA SVA JZR QTR ABY UAL KAC KAC KNE JZR RBG BAB FDB

Arrival Flights on Saturday 15/12/2012 Flt Route 574 MUMBAI 413 AMSTERDAM 772 ISTANBUL 539 CAIRO 148 DOHA 441 LAHORE 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 239 ISLAMABAD 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 643 MUSCAT 138 DOHA 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 170 BAHRAIN 770 ISTANBUL 503 LUXOR 416 JAKARTA 529 ASSIUT 157 LONDON 412 MANILA 206 ISLAMABAD 53 DUBAI 302 MUMBAI 352 COCHIN 344 CHENNAI 855 DUBAI 121 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 55 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 213 BAHRAIN 436 BAHRAIN 165 DUBAI 401 ALEXANDRIA 610 CAIRO 871 DUBAI 1190 MASHAD 382 DELHI 325 NAJAF 1790 MEDINAH 57 DUBAI 472 JEDDAH 672 DUBAI 500 JEDDAH 140 DOHA 788 JEDDAH 284 DHAKA 4161 MASHAD 134 DOHA 6692 MASHAD 787 RIYADH 535 CAIRO 118 NEW YORK 857 DUBAI 341 DAMASCUS 357 MASHAD 303 ABU DHABI 640 AMMAN 215 BAHRAIN 510 RIYADH 777 JEDDAH 144 DOHA 127 SHARJAH 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 538 SOHAG 542 CAIRO 470 JEDDAH 177 DUBAI 3553 ALEXANDRIA 438 BAHRAIN 63 DUBAI

Time 0:30 0:30 0:35 0:50 1:00 1:30 1:45 1:50 2:20 2:35 2:45 2:50 3:01 3:05 3:10 5:15 5:30 5:55 6:25 6:35 6:40 6:45 7:40 7:45 7:55 8:05 8:40 8:40 9:05 9:10 9:15 9:20 9:55 10:05 11:20 12:00 12:45 12:50 12:50 12:55 13:00 13:45 13:50 14:10 14:15 14:30 14:45 14:55 15:10 15:20 15:30 15:50 16:10 16:25 16:35 16:40 16:40 16:45 16:50 16:55 17:15 17:20 17:45 17:50 17:55 17:55 18:00 18:05 18:10 18:15 18:20 18:40 18:45

MSC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC IRA KAC OMA FDB JAI AXB MSR JZR ABY KNE QTR ALK KNE MEA QTR GFA ETD UAE JZR JAI FDB KLM KAC AIC JZR GFA KAC JZR KAC UAL DHX BBC DLH

405 176 618 104 674 774 607 15/1 647 61 572 389 618 189 129 462 146 229 474 402 136 221 307 859 135 576 59 415 786 975 239 217 502 185 614 981 370 43 636

SOHAG GENEVA DOHA LONDON DUBAI RIYADH MASHAD AMMAN MUSCAT DUBAI MUMBAI MANGALORE ALEXANDRIA DUBAI SHARJAH MEDINAH DOHA COLOMBO JEDDAH BEIRUT DOHA BAHRAIN ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN COCHIN DUBAI AMSTERDAM JEDDAH CHENNAI AMMAN BAHRAIN BEIRUT DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DHAKA FRANKFURT

Airlines AIC UAL DLH JAI KLM KAC ETH THY SAI KAC PIA FDB UAE OMA ETD MSR QTR QTR JZR GFA THY FDB KAC BAW JZR KAC JZR KAC ABY KAC KAC UAE FDB

Departure Flights on Saturday 15/12/2012 Flt Route 976 GOA/CHENNAI 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 637 FRANKFURT 573 MUMBAI 413 AMSTERDAM 283 DHAKA 621 ADDIS ABABA 773 ISTANBUL 442 LAHORE 381 DELHI 240 SIALKOT 68 DUBAI 854 DUBAI 644 MUSCAT 306 ABU DHABI 613 CAIRO 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL 54 DUBAI 1789 MADINAH 156 LONDON 534 CAIRO 787 JEDDAH 324 AL NAJAF 671 DUBAI 122 SHARJAH 537 SOHAG 101 LONDON 856 DUBAI 56 DUBAI

19:00 19:15 19:20 19:35 19:35 19:50 19:50 19:55 19:55 20:00 20:10 20:15 20:25 20:30 20:35 20:35 20:45 20:55 21:00 21:20 21:25 21:30 21:35 21:40 21:50 21:55 22:00 22:05 22:25 22:30 22:45 22:50 23:00 23:05 23:15 23:25 23:40 23:45 23:55

Time 0:05 1:10 1:20 1:30 1:45 2:25 2:45 2:55 3:00 3:15 3:35 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:00 4:10 4:50 6:05 6:55 7:00 7:35 8:25 8:30 8:45 9:15 9:25 9:35 9:40 9:45 9:50 9:50 9:55 10:00

ETD QTR GFA JZR BAB KAC KAC JZR JZR MSC MSR JZR UAE IRM FDB KAC KAC KNE KAC SVA JZR QTR IZG KAC IRC KAC KAC JZR ETD SYR JZR QTR UAE RJA GFA JZR KAC SVA ABY JZR QTR RBG JZR UAL KNE FDB BAB MSC KAC FDB IRA OMA KAC JAI ABY KNE MSR KAC KAC KNE DHX ALK ETD MEA QTR GFA KAC FDB JZR UAE JAI KAC KLM QTR GFA KAC

302 133 214 356 437 541 165 776 786 406 611 176 872 1191 58 561 673 473 617 505 188 141 4162 773 6693 785 501 238 304 342 538 135 858 641 216 184 1783 511 128 266 145 3554 134 982 461 64 439 402 613 62 604 648 331 571 120 471 607 351 543 475 171 230 308 403 137 222 301 60 554 860 575 205 415 147 218 411

ABU DHABI DOHA BAHRAIN MASHHAD BAHRAIN CAIRO ROME JEDDAH RIYADH SOHAG CAIRO DUBAI DUBAI MASHHAD DUBAI AMMAN DUBAI JEDDAH DOHA JEDDAH DUBAI DOHA MASHHAD RIYADH MASHHAD JEDDAH BEIRUT AMMAN ABU DHABI DAMASCUS CAIRO DOHA DUBAI AMMAN BAHRAIN DUBAI JEDDAH RIYADH SHARJAH BEIRUT DOHA ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN MADINAH DUBAI BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN DUBAI ISFAHAN MUSCAT TRIVANDRUM MUMBAI SHARJAH JEDDAH LUXOR KOCHI CAIRO JEDDAH BAHRAIN COLOMBO ABU DHABI BEIRUT DOHA BAHRAIN MUMBAI DUBAI ALEXANDRIA DUBAI KOCHI ISLAMABAD DAMMAM DOHA BAHRAIN BANGKOK

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

10:05 10:30 10:40 10:45 10:50 11:30 11:50 12:15 12:55 13:00 13:45 13:50 14:15 14:15 14:30 14:30 15:05 15:10 15:45 16:00 16:05 16:15 16:20 16:25 16:50 16:55 17:05 17:15 17:35 17:40 17:40 17:45 17:50 17:55 18:15 18:30 18:30 18:35 18:40 18:45 18:50 19:00 19:05 19:10 19:10 19:25 19:30 20:00 20:15 20:40 20:50 20:55 20:55 21:10 21:15 21:25 21:25 21:30 21:40 21:50 21:50 21:55 22:20 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:45 22:50 22:55 23:00 23:05 23:10 23:50 23:55

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Word Search

Yesterdayʼs Solution

C R O S S W O R D 3 9

ACROSS 1. Electronic warfare undertaken under direct control of an operational commander to locate sources of radiated electromagnetic energy for the purpose of immediate threat recognition.

4. The Arabic (or decimal) system of numeration.

12. (often followed by `of') A large number or amount or extent.

15. A usually soluble substance for staining or coloring e.g. fabrics or hair.

16. Easily moved to anger.

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

18. Order by virtue of superior authority.

20. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

22. Invertebrate having a soft unsegmented body usually enclosed in a shell.

24. Very spicy sauce made from tabasco peppers.

27. A public promotion of some product or service.

28. (used of count nouns) Every one considered individually.

31. Small genus of evergreen trees of tropical America and western Africa.

34. The act of scanning.

36. Offering little or no hope.

38. A son who has the same first name as his father.

39. An international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members.

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

42. Make anew.

45. (informal usage) A general feeling of boredom and dissatisfaction.

49. An ancient Hebrew unit of dry measure equal to about a bushel.

51. Swift timid long-eared mammal larger than a rabbit having a divided upper lip and long hind legs.

52. A rare heavy polyvalent metallic element that resembles manganese chemically and is used in some alloys.

56. Harsh or corrosive in tone.

59. (Greek mythology) Goddess of the earth and mother of Cronus and the Titans in ancient mythology.

61. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

62. (of tempo) Leisurely n.

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

70. (Judaism) Sacred chest where the ancient Hebrews kept the two tablets containing the Ten Commandments.

71. (Irish) The sea personified.

72. Women's underwear and nightclothes.

73. The cry made by sheep.

74. A condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders.

75. The inner germ layer that develops into the lining of the digestive and respiratory systems.

76. One or some or every or all without specification.

5. A gonadotropic hormone that is secreted by the anterior pituitary.

6. An infant who is sponsored by an adult (the godparent) at baptism.

7. Leaf or strip from a leaf of the talipot palm used in India for writing paper.

8. (informal) `johnny' was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War. 9. Feeling or showing extreme anger.

10. A complete metric system of units of measurement for scientists.

11. One million periods per second.

12. The sediment from fermentation of an alcoholic beverage.

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

14. Edible starchy tuberous root of taro plants.

19. Free from dirt or impurities.

21. (Norse mythology) God of light and peace and noted for his beauty and sweet nature.

23. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

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

26. A stringed instrument of the guitar family that has long neck and circular body.

29. Scarabaeid beetle considered divine by ancient Egyptians.

30. (Old Testament) The wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac.

32. Go into retirement.

33. Small spiny outgrowth on the wings of certain insects.

35. Colony of the United Kingdom located on a limestone promontory at the southern tip of Spain.

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

41. A gonadotropic hormone that is secreted by the anterior pituitary and stimulates growth of Graafian follicles in female mammals, and activates sperm-forming cells in male mammals.

43. The longer of the two telegraphic signals used in Morse code.

44. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples.

46. Australian shrubs and small trees with evergreen usually spiny leaves and dense clusters of showy flowers.

47. Shrubby tree widely distributed along tropical shores.

48. An Indian tree of the family Combretaceae that is a source of timber and gum.

50. An enclosed space.

53. English natural scientist whose `On the Origin of Species' formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection (1809-1882).

54. A small low-powered electrically powered vehicle driven on a special platform where there are many others to be dodged.

55. The hair growing on the lower part of a man's face.

57. Marked by features of the immediate and usually discounted past.

58. (Norse mythology) Race of ancient gods sometimes in conflict with the Aesir.

60. In bed.

63. An amino acid that is found in the central nervous system.

64. A theocratic republic in the Middle East in western Asia.

65. (informal) Being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition.

67. An inflammatory disease of connective tissue with variable features including fever and weakness and fatigability and joint pains and skin lesions on the face or neck or arms.

68. Either extremity of something that has length.

Yesterdayʼs Solution

DOWN 1. Swelling from excessive accumulation of serous fluid in tissue.

2. A council convened to discuss ecclesiastical business.

3. The food served and eaten at one time.

4. Presently existing in fact and not merely potential or possible.

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

SPORTS

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Ogilvy shoots 69 at Australian PGA COOLUM: Daniel Popovic maintained a share of the lead after the second day of the Australian PGA yesterday while Geoff Ogilvy posted another solid round.

Popovic, who nearly gave up golf earlier this year to care for his ill father, followed his opening-round 64 with a 2under 70, including a double-bogey seven on the par-5 15th. Popovic is tied with Zhang Xinjun (67) at 10 under, two shots clear of the field at the Palmer Coolum resort course.

Zhang had a one-stroke lead twice in the closing holes, but bogeys on two of his final three holes dropped him into a tie with Popovic going into the weekend. Ogilvy (69) and Matthew Griffin (67) were tied for third. Fellow Australians Mathew Goggin (66), Steven Bowditch (67) and Brad Kennedy (68) were another stroke back at 7 under. Former British Open champion Darren Clarke shot 69 and was five strokes off the lead.

Ogilvy, the 2006 US Open winner, is aiming to finish in

the top 50 in the year-end world rankings, which would guarantee him a spot in next year’s Masters.

Current projections show Ogilvy would have to finish third or better at Coolum. “I don’t know if it has to be first to get into the top 50, but it probably has to be first two or three,” Ogilvy said. “I don’t study world rankings that much. But that would be a bonus, winning the tournament would be the best part, but if that was a side bonus that would be good. “I feel like I am in a good place. It’s nice I will be in one of the last few groups tomorrow and if I can have a good score, maybe get right up there after tomorrow and give it a crack tomorrow.”

Popovic found out earlier this year that his father, Radi, is suffering from a form of incurable bone cancer.

The Australasian PGA Tour rookie said his father, in the hospital undergoing blood tests, was in tears after his opening round, and expected more of the same on

Friday. He misjudged the wind on 15, leading to the double bogey. “Then we didn’t have the best lie, there was a lot of into the grain, the grass growing into the ball and then I just completely stuffed it up,” he said.

Zhang said through a translator that he’s becoming more confident as he plays the course more. Last year, he watched the PGA at Coolum on television from China. “I felt good today, I am getting used to this layout and to the wind,” Zhang said. Asked how he communicates with his non-Mandarin speaking caddie, Zhang said: “I’ve learned some English, mostly related to golf, like ‘How do you think this breaks?” Bowditch grew up in the area and his family still lives at nearby Peregian Beach. He said he’s taken plenty of confidence from securing his PGA Tour card for next year at the recent qualifying school in California. “Q School is one of the most demanding golf events I have ever had to play,” Bowditch said. — AP

Schumacher saddened by Haug exit from Mercedes LONDON: Norbert Haug’s sudden and unexpected departure from Mercedes will tear “a massive hole” in both the team and Formula One, seventimes world champion Michael Schumacher said yesterday. The 43-year old Schumacher, who retired from the sport last month for the second time and after three years as a Mercedes driver, paid tribute to the Mercedes motorsport chief with a statement on his personal website.

Norbert Haug

“Since I entered professional motorsport, Mercedes and Norbert Haug together were part of it, so this step will mark a big break,” said the German. “We spent a lot of years together, being sporting combatants or allies, and Norbert has always been into this with full enthusiasm and wholeheartedly. He was living motorsports, and him leaving will tear a massive hole in both our sport and our team.” Mercedes announced on Thursday that Haug, 60, would stand down at the end of the month by mutual agreement after more than 20 years in the job.

Austrian triple champion Niki Lauda was named last October as the team’s non-executive chairman and is expected to liaise between the factory and the Stuttgart-based carmaker, a job carried out by Haug until now. Haug, who was instrumental in persuading Schumacher to come out of retirement in 2010, told Germany’s SID news agency that he was leaving because of Mercedes’s lack of results with their Formula One team. “There is always somebody who has to accept overall responsibility,” he said. “Of course we have had our successes in the past three years but not consistently enough so a direction had to be set and a marker laid down.”

Haug said Lauda’s new role did not play a part in his departure. Mercedes bought the championship-winning Brawn GP team at the end of 2009 and have won once with their renamed works outfit - this year’s Chinese Grand Prix with Germany’s Nico Rosberg. Schumacher, winner of a record 91 races with Benetton and Ferrari, has had one podium finish in his three years with the team - a third in Valencia this season. Mercedes have signed McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 world champion, to replace Schumacher on a three-year contract from next year.— Reuters

Rory rules after stellar year PARIS: Rory McIlroy started 2012 as the crown prince of golf. He ended it as the undisputed king. The 23-year-old from Holywood, near Belfast, won four times during the year, including his second major at the USPGA Championship, he became the second youngest ever world No.1, won the Money Lists on both sides of the Atlantic and played a leading role in Europe’s successful defense of the Ryder Cup. McIlroy also impressed with his easy-going manner and integrity coupled with a healthy confidence in his own abilities and a willingness to put in the hard work on the range when

things are not quite right Not since Tiger Woods backed his car into a fire hydrant outside his Florida home in November 2009 unleashing a sex scandal that eventually floored him has golf had a truly dominant golfer at the head of the rankings. And at such a young age, he can realistically expect to be at or near the top for the next two decades well into the 2030s.

It was not all sweetness and light for McIlroy in 2012. He made a strong start to the year, but in his own words “took my eye off the ball” in the late spring and summer, missing four cuts in five outings, one of those coming at the US Open, where he was defending champion. —AFP

NEW YORK: Tom Watson speaks during the 2014 US Ryder Cup Captain’s News Conference held at the Empire State Building in New York City. — AFP

PGA hopes Watson brings winning edge to Ryder Cup NEW YORK: Tom Watson won seven major golf championships in Scotland during his illustrious playing career and the PGA of America hopes that translates into a US Ryder Cup victory.

Watson will not be wielding a club when the US face Europe in 2014 at Gleneagles in Scotland, but the newly-minted, Ryder Cup captain aims to inspire and impart confidence to counter a Europe team that has won seven of the last nine events.

“We’re tired of losing. I always said that early in my career, I learned to win by hating to lose,” Watson, 63, said about a US team that should have earned an advanced degree in winning by now after Europe’s stretch of success. “It’s about time to start winning again for our team.” Watson is a master at crossing the Atlantic to fill his trophy case, with five British Open titles, four of them taken on Scottish courses, and three Senior Opens won in Scotland.

Beating Europe’s best on their home soil is a tall order, but Watson said at a news conference on the 80th floor of the Empire State Building, that his track record brings credibility. “It brings to the table maybe a little bit more of a calm to the team members that I’ve done well over there, that I understand how the game is played on links golf and they can come to me maybe with questions about the golf course,” he said. “It may give them a sense, this guy has been there before and he’s been successful before and we’re going to be a success because he’s there leading us on, or setting the table.” Watson was also the last US captain to win a Ryder Cup match away from

home, leading the 1993 team to victory.

PGA president Ted Bishop said he believed Watson was the best man to try and stop the slide. “We certainly hope that trend can change.

We feel he’s certainly the perfect person to do this, based on his playing record in Scotland,” said Bishop. “We also know about the unique weather challenges that Scotland will probably present and I think we will agree that he is recognized as one of the top players under challenging conditions.” Watson said the captain’s job was to help out the players and that perhaps his practical background could be beneficial. “First of all, simple mundane things, (like) the time change,” noted Watson, who said he resisted any notions of tinkering with his swing until he had allowed several days to pass for his body to adjust.

Watson said he always made a point of going overseas early before an Open championship to adapt to the change and would encourage his players to do the same. He also said the European side had done a masterful job in recent years of gaining an edge through their choice of venues.

“They play at golf courses where they play a yearly tournament on the European Tour. “That gives them an advantage. “They set the pins there and they set the green speeds there,” said Watson.

“The green speeds may be a little slower. Our players overseas have had a hard time getting the ball to the hole.” All that said, there was no secret formula on how to overtake Europe other than to just play better. “The Europeans have outplayed us,” Watson said was the simple answer to the US Ryder Cup woes. — Reuters

SPORTS

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Africans ready to break through, says UCI boss

Big East non-football schools mull departing

AIGLE: African cyclists could be standing on the podium at major races within five or six years, according to the president of the sport’s governing body. Eritrea, Ethiopia and Kenya have the potential to succeed in a sport which is growing in leaps and bounds across the continent, International Cycling Union (UCI) chief Pat McQuaid told Reuters in an interview. “I’ve taken a personal interest in Africa and I’ve seen athletes that will be on the podium of a grand tour within five or six years,” he said. “Africa is a continent we have very successfully developed in the past four or five years. I was at the African championships in Burkina Faso three weeks ago and I saw an Ethiopian there who has a huge amount of talent. “There are Eritreans too, you get 200,000 people at a bike race there. It’s the most popular sport there is,” added McQuaid.

“Interestingly it’s the same countries which produce the (middle-distance) athletes Eritrea, Ethiopia and Kenya.” McQuaid said cycling had taken off in Africa following initiatives to provide equipment that was previously unavailable. “Cycling never developed there because we didn’t have the equipment but now we’ve set up schemes in the UCI ... to deliver it to the national teams,” he said. “We are now getting good equipment and riders are coming through. When I took over in 2005 there were four national tours in Africa in Burkina Faso, Senegal, Egypt and South Africa - now there are around 35.”

ROAD SAFETY McQuaid said the UCI was expanding into other unchartered territories, having already organised two Tour of Beijing races. “We can already see an improvement in one year and I’ve no doubt the next couple of years will see that grow again,” he explained. “The conditions which are laid on for the Tour of Beijing are better than the Tour de France in terms of road security and road safety. It’s incredible.”

McQuaid said India was also on the horizon for the governing body. “We have a sport which is a western European sport, in the case of road cycling, and we feel it has a huge amount to offer globally,” he added. “As an international federation we have to bring our sport into emerging markets. “We have a Tour of Russia coming up in 2014, we have had a lot of discussions and India will be another place. It will take longer because the infrastructure in India for cycling is poor,” said McQuaid.

“Brazil is certainly a market because of the Olympic Games in 2016 and we are paying special attention there in terms of development. “These are huge markets. If we get in with big events it can motivate a focus on the development of the sport.” Other sports including Formula One have also expanded into Asia recently but McQuaid said it would be a slower process with cycling. “We’re not looking to follow the same route because Formula One goes with the same concept to every market, it’s a circuit with different configurations,” said McQuaid.

“We work in the landscape that’s there, we don’t create a landscape. Some places it’s flat, some places it’s hilly so we work within that.

“The vision the UCI has would be one in which you bring in the new markets gradually and, as you do so, you might weed out some races that have less interest with the public than the great races,” said McQuaid. “We wouldn’t be as radical as Formula One. —Reuters

Josh Hamilton

Hamilton grabs $125 million deal LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles Angels grabbed Major League Baseball’s prized free agent for a second consecutive year on Thursday by signing slugger Josh Hamilton to a five-year, $125 million contract. Hamilton, a five-time All-Star who overcame drug and alcohol addictions to become one of Major League Baseball’s most feared hitters, powered the Texas Rangers to consecutive World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011.

He joins a high-powered Angels lineup that includes three-time National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) Albert Pujols, a 32-year-old slugger who signed a 10-year $240 million deal with the team last year. The Rangers had been hopeful of resigning the 2010 American League MVP and admitted they were caught off guard by

Hamilton’s jump to their American League West division rivals.

“Our full expectation was that the phone call was going to be before he signed, certainly not after,” Texas General Manager Jon Daniels said on the team’s website. “Josh had indicated recently, last week, he told us he felt it might be time to move on but that we were still talking ... I’m a little disappointed in how it was handled, but he had a decision to make and he made it.”

The 31-year-old hard-hitting outfielder broke into the major leagues in 2007 with the Cincinnati Reds but was traded to the Rangers the following year.

Hamilton has a career .304 batting average, 553 runs batted in and 161 home runs, including a career-high 43 last season.—Reuters

NEW YORK: The seven Big East schools that don’t play FBS football are considering making a break from the drastically reshaped conference- and how best to go about doing it. In any form, such a breakup would be complicated and could conceivably kill the Big East. Commissioner Mike Aresco conferred by phone with the leaders of those seven schools early Thursday, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because of the sensitivity of the discussions.

The person said the schools hadn’t notified the conference of their decision as of Thursday night. The current Big East football membership includes only four schools - South Florida, Connecticut and Cincinnati, Temple - that are committed to the league beyond 2013. But there are 11 schools with plans to join the Big East in the next three years, including Boise State and San Diego State for football only in 2013.

Because those schools won’t be members until next summer, the non-football schools in the Big East could try to vote to dissolve the conference now. Or they could simply leave the league.

The schools that do not play FBS level football are St John’s, Georgetown, Marquette, DePaul, Seton Hall, Providence and Villanova. Officials at those schools have concerns about the direction of the conference and feel as if they have little power to influence it. If the schools were to break off on their own, they could do so without financial penalty.

The Big East has provisions in its bylaws that allow a group of schools to leave without exit fees. But what they would do remains unclear, as are the legal ramifications of their actions.

There has been speculation those seven basketball schools could merge with the Atlantic 10 or possibly add schools from that league to create a basketball-only conference of smaller Catholic schools.

Who owns the rights to the name Big East could even be up in the air. Most importantly there are of millions dollars that would have to be divvied up, including NCAA tournament money that is paid out every five years based on appearances, about $70 million in exit fees the Big East has collected from the recent departures and future possible exit fees from the latest members to announce they are leaving - Rutgers and Louisville.

What would happen to the current and future football members also is unknown. They could simply stick together and continue on the path they are headed. But if the basketball side of the Big East is weakened it could decrease the value of the conference to television networks. The league is currently trying to negotiate a crucial TV contract, but the instability has made it impossible. The Big East had been hoping to sign a TV deal that could bring in as much as $100 million a year to its members, though some estimates have been a low as $60 million.

If the TV money isn’t up to the Big East’s projections, it could cause some of the future members, especially Boise State and San Diego State, to reconsider joining. The Mountain West and Conference USA have already lined up replacement members for the schools that have pledged to go to the Big East. Boise State and San Diego State would likely be able to slide right back into the Mountain West, but the seven current C-USA schools would have a less clear future.

All of those schools, even though they have not participated in the Big East, could be on the hook for exit fees to the conference if they did change plans. Or not. The Big East’s long-term plan is to form a 12- to 14-team football conference that spans coast to coast, starting next year, while also having a large basketball league with many of its traditional members. But the most recent defections of Louisville and Rutgers, along with the additions of Tulane for all sports and East Carolina for football only in 2014, have left the basketball schools wondering if it’s worth sticking with the plan.

Conference realignment has whittled away the Big East, costing it many of its oldest and most prominent members in the last 16 months. Pittsburgh and Syracuse are going to the Atlantic Coast Conference next year. West Virginia has moved to the Big 12. Louisville is headed to the ACC and Rutgers to the Big Ten, maybe as soon as 2014. Money doesn’t seem to be driving the basketball schools away. The Big East non-football members currently get about $1.6 million from the league’s television deals, and that share goes up to about $3.5 million when NCAA basketball tournament money is included.

The football members make about $6 million currently.—AP

sports

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

franchise-based T20 to start in the Caribbean

HOBART: Sri Lanka’s bowler Chanaka Welegedara (center) reacts as Australia’s batsmen Mike Hussey (left) and Michael Clarke take more runs on the first day of the first cricket Test match in Hobart yesterday. —AFP

Hughes’ half-centuries put Aussies on top of Sri Lanka HOBART: Australia took the upper hand against Sri Lanka following half-centuries by Phil Hughes, David Warner and Michael Clarke on the opening day of first Hobart Test yesterday. The Australians always had the measure of the unthreatening Sri Lankan bowling attack, but Mahela Jayawardene’s team kept a lid on the scoring rate to just above three runs an over with alert ground fielding.

Hughes hit 86 on his Test comeback a year after being sacked for a second time, while Warner ran himself out for 57 just before lunch. At the close, Australia were 299 for four after winning the toss with in-form skipper Clarke unbeaten on 70 and veteran Mike Hussey not out on 37 in an unbroken 101-run stand. Clarke in the process raised 1,400 runs for the calendar year, averaging over 116.

“Overall at four for 299 the ball’s in our court,” Hughes said. “I thought we were outstanding today with Pup (Michael Clarke) and Huss (Mike Hussey) putting on a 100 at the end, so that really gives us momentum going into tomorrow.”

The Australians are coming off a crushing 309-run loss to world number one South Africa in Perth and found the sixth-ranked Sri Lankans-without a win in 10 Tests in Australia-less menacing opposition. Hughes, batting at number three, was out shortly after tea when he was bowled by Chanaka Welegedara, ending the comeback batsman’s bid for a fourth Test century. The compact left hander showed more patience and improved shot selection at his latest and third Test recall, batting for 221 minutes and hitting eight fours and an unorthodox slog-sweep six over deep mid-wicket.

On the way, Hughes had a big let-off on 77 when he was caught behind off a Welegedara no-ball. Shane Watson, batting in Ricky Ponting’s number four spot, made a start before he fell to a spectacular flying catch by Sri Lankan skipper Jayawardene. The Sri Lankans were up against it when the captain latched on to a magnificent one-handed catch to dismiss Watson for 30 nearing tea. Australia had been sailing along before

Scoreboard HOBART: Scoreboard at the close of play on the first day of the first test between Australia and Sri Lanka at Bellerive Oval yesterday: Australia first innings D. Warner run out 57 E. Cowan c Eranga b Welegedera 4 P. Hughes b Welegedera 86 Watson c M. Jayawardene b Welegedera 30 M.Clarke not out 70 M. Hussey not out 37 Extras (b-1, lb-3, w-1, nb-10) 15 Total (for four wickets, 90 overs) 299 Fall of wickets: 1-18 2-97 3-183 4-198 To bat: M. Wade, P. Siddle, B. Hilfenhaus, M.

Starc, N. Lyon.

Bowling: Kulasekara 22-2-51-0 (nb-5, w-1), Welegedera 20-1-99-3 (nb-3), Eranga 16-352-0 (nb-2), Mathews 11-2-35-0, Dilshan 40-11-0, Herath 17-3-47-0.

Sri Lanka: T. Dilshan, D. Karunaratne, K. Sangakkara, M. Jayawardene, T. Samaraweera, A. Mathews, P. Jayawardene, N. Kulasekara, C. Welegedera, S. Eranga, R. Herath.

Jayawardene’s screamer off Welegedara, which left the home side at 183 for three in the 51st over. Watson had shared in an 86-run stand with Hughes as Australia were looking in command.

Warner was run out in the final over before lunch to take some of the gloss off Australia’s solid first morning.

Looking set for a big score, a communication breakdown with Hughes saw him sacrifice his wicket four balls before lunch. Warner, who carried his bat in his first of three Test centuries with an unbeaten 123 in last year’s Hobart loss to New Zealand, played part-time spinner Tillakaratne Dilshan towards short cover and set off for a single. But batting partner Hughes was well down the pitch and Angelo Mathews had time to lob the ball towards the non-striker’s end with Warner well out of his crease.

Ed Cowan was out to a poor shot in the sixth over when he attempted to pull Welegedara, only to hand an easy catch to Eranga at mid-on for four.

Welegedara finished with three wickets for 99 off 20 overs. “I think we did well today. We are very confident that we can put pressure on the Australian batsmen in the future,” Welegedara said.

“Hopefully the bowlers will be fresh in the morning and if we get either Clarke or Hussey out we hope to get the Australians out for an additional 100 runs.” It was the first Test for Australia since Ricky Ponting’s retirement after a record-equalling 168 Tests. The former skipper was given a lap of honor around Bellerive Oval during the lunch interval to give his home Tasmanian crowd an opportunity to pay tribute to his career. —AFP

LONDON: A new franchise-based Twenty20 league will begin play in the Caribbean next year the West Indies Cricket Board said on Thursday, filling the hole left by the collapse of Allen Stanford’s tournament. The Stanford 20/20, held in 2006 and 2008, kick-started Caribbean interest in the shortest form of the game but since the collapse of the Texan’s financial empire, leading to his imprisonment for fraud, there has been a lack of resources for players.

The West Indies were crowned Twenty20 world champions this year and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has run a lower-key regional tournament to keep top players involved in the shortest format. But the new league promises to give Caribbean cricket a much needed financial boost too. The WICB said their agreement with Barbados and New York based merchant bank Verus International would ensure annual funding for new retainer contracts for regional players, above and beyond the 20 main squad members who are contracted.

“This will bring a host of benefits to players and West Indies Cricket in general,” WICB president Julian Hunte said. “A significant number of players at the regional level will benefit through greater financial stability both from playing in the league and from year-round retainer contracts while having an international platform on which to showcase their skills and talent. “Most importantly is that the league will bring a huge financial injection into the Caribbean and create significant job opportunities across the region in a wide cross section of sectors.”

The competition is expected to comprise up to six privately owned city-based teams. No details were immediately available on how those franchises would be created or any potential owners. Ajmal Khan, chairman and CEO of Verus said there was huge potential for the league. “We believe that the recently won World Twenty20 is a testament to the quality and excitement of West Indies cricket,” he said. “We intend to utilize the Twenty20 league to further develop and strengthen West Indies cricket by expanding the global fan base as well as the number of West Indian cricketers under regional retainer contracts”. —Reuters

Wiser Khan knows he needs big a win LOS ANGELES: Britain’s Amir Khan, trying to fight his way back into the world title picture after back-to-back losses, faces a must-win matchup today against unbeaten American Carlos Molina. Khan was stopped in the fourth round last July by America’s Danny Garcia in a showdown for two world titles after a controversial loss to US fighter Lamont Peterson last December in Washington, Peterson’s hometown.

Now Khan, 26-3 with 18 knockouts but winless since stopping Zab Judah in July of last year, will fight another US hometown hero in Molina, 17-0 with one draw and seven knockouts. “It’s always tough but maybe that’s the reason we’ve been working even harder, because we know we have to win even more convincingly when you come to someone’s backyard and that’s what we’re going to do,” Khan said.

Khan says he is a smarter fighter who is less prone to make mistakes now that he is working with new trainer Virgil Hunter rather than his former trainer, Manny Pacquiao cornerman Freddie Roach. “I know what mistakes I made in the previous fights and we’re not going to make them again,” Khan said. “We made mistakes when we usually go in there and it’s like there’s no defense, jumping into a war when we don’t need to have a war and the game plan going out the window and me getting overconfident. “I start to forget the things that got me far in my career and focus more on the power of speed or aggression.

“We’re going to stick to the skills and be smart with everything because that’s what’s got me this far. You have 12 rounds to do it in, so take your time and be smart about everything and think about everything that you do. “It’s all about just making sure that we’re going to do things right and we’re going to stick to a game plan.” Khan, 26, vowed he will show his fans some new moves. “You will see a new Amir Khan come into this fight,” he said. “The training I’ve been doing with Virgil Hunter has been great-work on new techniques and new skills and everything and be a totally different fighter.” —AFP

sports

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Milan thrash Reggina to reach Cup quarters MILAN: AC Milan beat Serie B side Reggina 3-0 Thursday to set up a showdown with Serie A leader Juventus in the Italian Cup quarterfinals. Colombian defender Mario Yepes put Milan ahead in the 51st minute under the snow at the San Siro, 17-year-old French forward M’Baye Niang doubled the lead in the 79th and former Italy international Giampaolo Pazzini added another goal in the 81st. Juventus edged Cagliari 10 Wednesday. Yepes scored with a header following a cross from Urby Emanuelsson, Niang slotted a shot past the goalkeeper to finish off a counterattack for his first goal since transferring from Caen, while replays showed Pazzini’s goal was offside. Milan’s leading scorer Stephen El Shaarawy never left the bench. Milan is seventh in Serie A, 14 points behind Juventus. —AP

Matches on TV (Local Timings) ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE Newcastle v City 15:45 Abu Dhabi Sports Liverpool v Aston Villa 18:00 Abu Dhabi Sports United v Sunderland 18:00 Abu Dhabi Sports Norwich v Wigan 18:00 Abu Dhabi Sports QPR v Fulham 18:00 Abu Dhabi Sports Stoke v Everton 18:00 Abu Dhabi Sports SPANISH LEAGUE Getafe v Osasuna 18:00 Aljazeera Sports +2 Mallorca v Athletic Bilbao 20:00 Aljazeera Sports +2 Granada v Real Sociedad 22:00 Aljazeera Sports +9 Sevilla v Malaga 0:00 Aljazeera Sports +2 ITALIAN LEAGUE Udinese v Palermo 20:00 Aljazeera Sports +1 Lazio v Internazionale 22:45 Aljazeera Sports +1 GERMAN LEAGUE SpVgg Gr Furth v Augsburg 17:30 Fortuna D v Hannover 96 17:30 Bayer 04 v Hamburger 17:30 Dubai Sports 2 Wolfsburg v Eintracht Frankfurt 17:30 Dubai Sports 5 FSV Mainz 05 v VfB Stuttgart 17:30 Dubai Sports 6 Schalke 04 v SC Freiburg 20:30 Dubai Sports 2 FRENCH LEAGUE Toulouse v Marseille Aljazeera Sports +4 Stade Reims v Lille Aljazeera Sports +8 Nicev Evian Thonon Gaillard Aljazeera Sports +5 ES Troyes v AC Ajaccio FC Sochaux v Brest Aljazeera Sports +10 Montpellier v Bastia Aljazeera Sports +4

19:00 22:00 22:00 22:00 22:00 22:00

Zaragoza in command after King’s Cup win

MILAN: AC Milan defender Mario Yepes, of Colombia, celebrates after scoring with his teammates Brazilian forward Robinho (center) and French midfielder Mathieu Flamini (left) during the Italian Cup eight final soccer match between AC Milan and Reggina, at the San Siro stadium in Milan. —AP

Violence mars Brazil’s image RIO DE JANEIRO: As soon as the referee blows the final whistle he is surrounded by riot police on the pitch who stop players, coaches and even reporters from getting close enough to question or criticize his performance. This is a recurring image at Brazilian soccer matches with riot police ever present at stadiums, as is the violence that marred Wednesday night’s Copa Sudamericana final in Sao Paulo, one of the cities that will host the 2014 World Cup finals.

Modest Argentine side Tigre accused police and Sao Paulo security officials of attacking and pulling guns on their players in their dressing room at halftime in the Morumbi where they were 2-0 down to the home side and refused to play the second half.

The first half had ended in a free-forall involving players and officials of both teams as they left the pitch and police also fought with about 60 Sao Paulo fans who invaded the pitch to celebrate when the referee declared their team winners. “Of course we have no jurisdiction over this match but it is not a good image for Brazil and it must change,” Ricardo Trade, CEO of Brazil’s World Cup organizing committee, told reporters on Thursday.

“Those kinds of TV pictures are not good for us, we don’t want them of course,” he said during a tour of World Cup venues. “We also want to change another negative image, of the military police in the stadiums and escorting the referee and officials off at the end. It is not a positive image. “We will not have this at the World Cup. The regular stewards will escort the referee and while the military police will be in the stadium they will not be seen... unless something happens that they need to deal with.” A strong police presence in stadiums was the government’s response to violent hooligan fans on the terraces in the 1980s that only worsened in the 1990s.

Rio de Janeiro authorities, appalled

by mass brawls on the terraces at the giant Maracana stadium during major derbies, created a police unit in 1991 specially trained for soccer matches bearing firearms with mounted patrols outside the grounds that are being reformed for the World Cup. There has been some success in controlling soccer hooligans with fighting occurring some distance from the stadiums on match days but the police presence merely results in fighting, tear gas and arrests at matches.

Another recent incident of police intervention at a match in Brazil involved former Real Madrid and Brazil coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo, now in charge of first division Gremio.

Police escorted Luxemburgo from the field after the referee ordered him off for protesting his decisions during the Porto Alegre derby against Internacional on the last day of the Brazilian championship earlier this month. It is not only police, however, who tarnish the image of Brazil, who will host the World Cup finals for the second time. Dozens of people with some link to the teams follow matches from the edge of the pitch with invasions commonplace to celebrate a goal or protest a refereeing decision leading to police also coming onto the field.

There is also a big media presence pitch-side with television and radio reporters poised to run onto the pitch for a quick interview at any time during a match. Former Brazil goalkeeper and coach Emerson Leao and three players of Goias, the team he was training in 2010, were taken to a police station after attacking a radio reporter who approached them at the end of a game against Vitoria. The World Cup looks like an opportunity for change for Brazil. “We hope that after the World Cup, too, we will not see police surrounding the officials at the end of the game... It sends the wrong image,” said Trade. “We are working on it.” —Reuters

MADRID: Carlos Aranda’s 90th-minute goal gave Real Zaragoza a 1-0 win at Levante in a King’s Cup last 16 first-leg tie on Thursday while Real Betis were held to a 1-1 draw at second division Las Palmas. Aranda’s superb lob from outside the penalty area at the Ciutat de Valencia stadium put Zaragoza in the driving seat as they seek a likely meeting with Sevilla who are virtually assured a quarter-final berth after thrashing Real Mallorca 5-0 on Wednesday. Betis remain on course to meet Atletico Madrid or Getafe in the last eight despite surrendering the lead at the Estadio de Gran Canaria.

Substitute Ruben Castro curled a first-time shot into the top corner in the 67th minute to fire the 2005 winners ahead before Macauley Chrisantus poked the ball over the line to give Las Palmas hope for the return leg in Seville next month.

Most of Spain’s big guns played their ties on Wednesday when Lionel Messi extended his record goal tally for 2012 to 88 with a double for holders Barcelona in a 2-0 win at second division Cordoba. Real Madrid fell two goals behind at La Liga rivals Celta Vigo but Cristiano Ronaldo’s late strike made it 2-1, giving the 2011 winners a good chance of turning the tie around in the second leg at the Bernabeu.

Athletic Bilbao coach Marcelo Bielsa had a wretched night as his side were dumped out by third-tier Basque neighbors Eibar on away goals in a postponed last-32 second leg at the San Mames that ended 1-1 on the night and on aggregate.

Eibar will play Malaga in the last 16 with a quarter-final against Barca or Cordoba the prize for the winners. Atletico have one foot in the last eight after Diego Costa scored twice in a 3-0 win over city rivals Getafe on Wednesday while Dani Parejo and substitute Roberto Soldado struck in Valencia’s 2-0 win at Osasuna on Tuesday. —Reuters

Man City urged to bounce back NEWCASTLE: Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has called for a repeat of last season’s stand-out victory at Newcastle as the ideal response to the damaging Premier League defeat by Manchester United. Roberto Mancini’s reigning champions are keen to bounce back from their dramatic 32 derby loss to Alex Ferguson’s side last weekend, and will draw on the positive memories of their last trip to St James’ Park seven months ago en route to being crowned kings of English football.

Despite facing a Newcastle team fighting to gain a Champions League place back in May, City triumphed 2-0 with two goals from midfielder Yaya Toure, delivering a dominant display that Kompany ranks as one of the best of the campaign.

City, now trailing leaders United by six points, return to Tyneside keen to prove their setback against Ferguson’s team, which ended their unbeaten league record for the season and also shattered a two-year undefeated sequence in the league at the Eastlands, was a blip rather than cause for serious concern.

A City loss at Newcastle would give United the opportunity to stretch their lead at the top of the table to nine points against struggling Sunderland, and Kompany will remind his players of their achievement last time around. “It’s fair to say that game has gone a bit unnoticed, but it was one of the best games we have played as a unit,” Kompany said. “We looked very, very solid, and when we attacked we looked very dangerous every time. “Newcastle also had everything to play for as well and were a very strong side. Maybe we have to keep that memory in mind when we go there on Saturday.”

Kompany admits it is unthinkable for City’s greatest rivals to be given the opportunity to increase their advantage so substantially at this stage of the season.

“We all know the importance of the game, but I don’t do very well thinking about bad scenarios. For me, there are so many positives that can happen if we win the game-I can’t think of the other side of that coin,” he added. “We have done it many times before and we need to get back in that mindset.

If we do that, good things will come for us. “Newcastle away is just as difficult as the game we had on Sunday but nothing comes easy in the Premier League. It’s a difficult game for us but it’s also a tough one for Newcastle as well.” Meanwhile, Newcastle plan to go on the attack as they look to halt a run of five successive defeats against City, who they have not beaten for more than seven years. —AFP

SPORTS

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

SPANISH LEAGUE PREVIEW

Barca face Atletico in crunch clash MADRID: With Real Madrid trailing by 11 points, Barcelona’s closest threat is from Atletico Madrid who they face tomorrow and midfielder Xavi Hernandez feels it is an opportunity to dent their title aspirations. Barca have made a record start to the season with a remarkable 14 wins from 15 games and while the reigning champions and traditional rivals Real Madrid have not been able to live with the pace it has been their neighbors Atletico who have made an impressive start to the campaign and trail the Catalans by seven points.

“It is too early to really say who are going to be the biggest rival and at the moment it looks as though both will be strong rivals,” said Xavi. “Atletico are very strong. People said that they were

going to slip-up but they haven’t very much and now this weekend we have our chance to make them slip-up.

“They are on a good run, they play very well on the counter-attack and they have a striker (Radamel) Falcao who motivates them all. Their trainer (Diego) Simeone has worked very well with the team and they have a strong defensive system.

“At the same time, though, while Atletico are the nearest rivals at the moment Madrid are not out of the running by any stretch of the imagination and they are playing well.” Falcao hit five goals last weekend as Atletico demolished Deportivo La Coruna 6-0 and he now has 16 league goals. “We are now tougher mentally as a group which should help at the Camp Nou.

We have had some difficult moments but we have come through them,” said Falcao. Real Madrid meanwhile continue to stutter with Mesut Ozil coming to the rescue with a brace as they beat Valladolid 3-2 and then in midweek they lost 2-1 away in the first leg of a King’s Cup game with Celta Vigo.

It means they have lost six times so far which is one more than the whole of last season and the same number as in Jose Mourinho’s first campaign at the club. They now take on Espanyol who are joint bottom with Deportivo La Coruna on eleven points and while new coach Javier Aguirre has been working on making them more solid at the back it should be a relatively easy game. Fourth-placed Malaga face a tricky Andalusian derby away to Sevilla

who are languishing in midtable due to a lack of consistency but they are generally tough side to face at home.

Level with Malaga on points are Real Betis who are one of the revelations so far and caused plenty of problems in the second half for Barcelona last weekend although losing 2-1. They take on Celta Vigo. Levante are in the final European place and they have a difficult away game against Zaragoza who are solid at the back and have an exciting young forward line with Victor Rodriguez standing out. At the other end of the table, Deportivo play Valladolid and third from bottom Granada are in action against Real Sociedad. With just a point more than Granada, Mallorca face Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna travel to Getafe. — AFP

ITALIAN LEAGUE PREVIEW

Juventus seek to widen Inter gap

LYON: Lyon’s Bafe Gomis follows the ball during their French League One soccer match against Nancy at Gerland stadium, in Lyon, central France. — AP FRENCH LEAGUE preview

Wounded Lyon enter Parc des Princes den PARIS: Ligue One leaders Lyon take a depleted squad to the capital for tomorrow’s top of the table clash against Paris Saint-Germain having seen their lead slashed to three points following the 1-1 draw against rock bottom Nancy. Coach Remi Garde was left fuming by a refereeing decision that denied them a clear penalty at the Stade Gerland in midweek. To add insult to injury, Anthony Reveillere and Alexandre Lacazette have joined a growing list of walking wounded during a week that began so brightly with a 1-0 win at Saint Etienne. PSG meanwhile were able to sit back in comfort and watch the Lyon juggernaut knocked off track and a return to domestic form for Carlo Ancelotti’s men reached a new high last Tuesday when Zlatan Ibrahimovic helped himself to a hat-trick during the 4-0 rout at a Valenciennes side who were previously unbeaten at home.

The Sweden captain has been the player of the season so far in France and his league-leading goal tally now stands at 17 which is seven clear of Lyon’s French international Bafetimbi Gomis. “We have to recover from our efforts, but we also have to hope to get back some of our injured players so we can have the most competitive team possible for tomorrow,” Gomis said. “We lost two more players (Reveillere

and Lacazette), like we did against Saint-Etienne (Clement Grenier and Yoann Gourcuff).”

Marseille trail PSG only on goal difference after they bounced back from their 3-0 defeat at home to Lorient last Sunday with a 2-1 win at Bastia which was fuelled by goals from French winger Mathieu Valbuena and Ghana international Andre Ayew. Elie Baup’s men have fared better on their travels and have won six from nine away from the Velodrome and a trip to Toulouse should be of no major concern. “Our results away from home speak for themselves. But we can’t keep giving ourselves mountains to climb all season long,” said 57-year-old Baup as he gets set to face one of his former clubs.

Goalkeeper Steve Mandanda extended his contract this week until 2016 and explained that a team meeting following the Lorient setback helped to forge team spirit. “Our meeting on Monday was positive and it was good that a lot of things were said,” said the Zaire-born ‘keeper. Two straight wins for Christian Gourcuff’s Lorient side have lifted the Britanny team up to fourth spot, but an away defense that has leaked 16 goals in eight matches will need to be tighter for tomorrow’s trip to Saint-Etienne. — AFP

MILAN: Juventus host Atalanta in a bid to reinforce their lead in Serie A tomorrow, although one eye will have been firmly fixed on Inter Milan’s visit to Lazio a day earlier. Juventus have opened up a four-point lead on Inter, who leap-frogged Napoli last week, and welcome their visitors from Bergamo a few days after sealing a quarterfinal spot against AC Milan in the Italian Cup. The Turin giants’ 1-0 win over Cup rivals Cagliari left two of their players on the sidelines. Danish international striker Nicklas Bendtner suffered a strain to a left thigh tendon that could keep him out for a few months while Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal suffered bruising on his knee but should soon be on the mend.

However Juve coach Antonio Conte, back on the touchline after serving a four-month ban, said the setbacks will not affect their ambitions this season. “I’m pleased we went through because we want to be challenging on all fronts,” said Conte, who has been left a potential dilemma with Bendtner’s injury. The Dane was signed on loan from Arsenal till the end of the season but has failed to score in the little time he has played for the Old Lady. “I was especially sorry for Bendtner, I would have liked to see him have a longer run-out,” added Conte.

With statistics largely against them - Atalanta have failed to beat Juve in their past 15 games in Turin - the odds are stacked against the Bergamo side, who suffered a 3-0 rout to Rome in the Italian Cup on Tuesday. A win for Juve would likely bring Inter back down from their cloud, especially if they fail to overcome the Biancocelesti on Saturday evening in Rome. Lazio, who sit fourth on 30 points - eight adrift of Juve - are unbeaten at home since a shock 1-0 reverse to Genoa at the end of October and can get in among the top three places with a win. While Inter have won three home games on the trot, the Nerazzurri have failed to win away in all competitions since a 3-1 Europa League defeat of Partizan Belgrade at the start of November.

Defender Juan Jesus made his Inter debut against Lazio last year and said: “The Lazio match will be a tough one. “We claimed a huge win against Napoli (last week) and now we’re closer to Juventus.” Inter coach Andrea Stramaccioni has no major injury worries although observers will be keen to see if he deploys forward Antonio Cassano. Reports in midweek claimed that because of performance-related clauses in his contract, Cassano will pick up a bonus of 200,000 euros should he score or assist a total of 20 goals for the team. Gazzetta dello Sport said Cassano will also be given the same amount if he makes 15 league appearances and he has appeared for Inter in 14 games so far. — AFP

SPORTS

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Lampard hints at Chelsea exit

YOKOHAMA: English Premier League team Chelsea players jog during their training session in Yokohama yesterday. — AFP

Benitez seeks Club World Cup boost YOKOHAMA: Interim Chelsea boss Rafael Benitez goes into the Club World Cup final against Corinthians tomorrow hoping for a win to placate fans who have continued to boo him at the Japan tournament. A 3-1 semifinal win over Mexican side Monterrey Thursday was Chelsea’s third straight victory in all competitions. A total of 12 goals have been scored, with five of those coming from the muchmaligned Fernando Torres.

The good run of form has so far failed to silence the Chelsea faithful, who still harbor a grudge from Benitez’s time as Liverpool manager.

Booing was noticeable when he was shown on the big screen during the match in Yokohama. Torres believes the fans will warm to Benitez eventually, and that could come sooner rather than later if the Champions League holders become the sixth successive team from Europe to lift the intercontinental championship. “Our fans will end up accepting, for sure,” the 50-million-pound striker said. “The LiverpoolChelsea rivalry... may have created an

animosity which is understandable, but in time that will all change,” the Spaniard added.

Despite Chelsea’s comfortable win, which also included an opener from Juan Mata and an own goal, before conceding in injury time, Benitez says he wants more from his players, particularly in terms of concentration.

“When I talk about a winning mentality, always I talk about little details making the difference,” the Spaniard said. “The team has to think about winning, and winning in style and not conceding. “We have to think about the goalkeeper, who wants to keep a clean sheet, so we have to keep our concentration right to the end of the 90 minutes.”

Benitez added that a lapse in concentration such as that which saw Aldo De Nigris score a consolation for Monterrey could cost Chelsea-who are playing at their first Club World Cup-in the final. “The quality of the Brazilians will be totally different,” said Benitez, who won the tournament with Inter Milan in 2010 but was sacked five days

later. “We have to be aware and we have to be ready.” “They are a compact team with good players. They are well organized and work hard.” South American champions Corinthians struggled to a nerve-racking 1-0 victory against Egypt’s Al Ahly in their lastfour match but Chelsea will come up against a settled outfit.

They were the first undefeated winners of the Copa Libertadores since 1978 and supplement flair on the wings with the doggedness of Paulinho and Ralf in the centre of midfield. “We’ve got a settled formation,” central defender Paulo Andre said. “It’s been working well for us and we’ve got the quality to give as good as we get against Chelsea.” Corinthians will be cheered on by at least 20,000 of their fans at Yokohama’s International Stadium, hoping to see their side become the first winners from South America since 2006. Around 1,100 Chelsea fans have made the trip to Japan. Time will tell whether they are booing or cheering come the final whistle. — AFP

Goal-line tech a ‘no-brainer’ YOKOHAMA: Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, whose “goal” against Germany at the 2010 World Cup was missed by officials, believes the introduction of goal-line technology into football is a “no-brainer”. Lampard came on as a substitute in Chelsea’s semi-final win over Monterrey at the Club World Cup Thursday-the first time the English Premier League side had ever played a match where a goal-line system was available to the referee. “I have been in favor for a while now, particularly when it was clear it would be a quick and simple measure, and wouldn’t take much time from the game,” the 34-year-old said ahead of the match in Yokohama, Japan.

“Anything we can do to help referees, who have a very tough time trying to have their eye across everything... we have to try,” he added. “If it doesn’t break the game up, and it could add the excitement factor as it has in cricket, then why not?” It was the England international’s long-range effort, which cannoned off the crossbar and dropped over the line before bouncing back out, in South Africa two years ago that sparked FIFA into investigating the use of goal-line technolo-

gy. The world body are trialling two systems at the Club World Cup in Japan-camera-based Hawk-Eye and GoalRef, a system that uses magnetic fields and a ball with a special chip to determine its trajectory and position. Both inform the referee within a second if a goal has been scored. GoalRef was available to the referee during Chelsea’s semi-final win at the International Stadium but the match passed, like every other so far at the tournament, without the need for technology to judge a contentious incident.

FIFA will analyse the performances of both systems during the Japan showpiece early next year before choosing one for June’s Confederations Cup. The body insists the technology will only ever be used to determine whether or not the ball has crossed the line, something Lampard agrees with. “As long as it’s around specific goal chances, then I think I’ve always been for it, and my one (against Germany) has brought it more to the fore,” he told Chelsea TV. “(If it helps) the middle ground where the human eye can argue about it, it’s a nobrainer.” — AFP

YOKOHAMA: Chelsea’s veteran midfielder Frank Lampard wants to play on for two or three more years but says this campaign could be his last at Stamford Bridge. The 34-year-old England international’s contract comes to an end this season and talks have yet to take place on a new deal. “Nothing has been said,” the Chelsea vice-captain told reporters after Thursday’s 3-1 victory over Mexican side Monterrey in the Club World Cup semi-finals.

“Talks about a one-year extension, a two-year extension, don’t exist. The ball is in Chelsea’s court,” said Lampard. “Whatever happens I’ve had a great time with Chelsea - maybe things don’t last forever. Although I want it to last forever, you have to be big enough to know what the situation is.” Lampard, who has won everything there is to win in English football and also landed the European Champions League trophy in Munich in May, is desperate to prolong his 11-year stay at Chelsea.

“I’m not the kind of player to just see out my time and sit on the bench. I want to be involved,” added Lampard who has just returned to the Chelsea side after a six-week injury layoff. “That’s my character. I will keep trying to do that whatever the circumstances.”

Lampard has been linked by the media with a move to David Beckham’s former club, Los Angeles Galaxy, and to China where ex-Chelsea team mates Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka now play. “I can’t predict anything,” said Chelsea’s third highest scorer on 189 goals. “But I feel like I have two or three years at least in me at the top level. “It’s not for me to decide this one, it’s up to the club. I am determined to play for a few more years and see what pans out in the near future.”

CALF PROBLEM Lampard returned after a calf problem as a substitute in last weekend’s 3-1 win at Sunderland. “I wanted to be here,” he said after coming on to replace David Luiz in the second half against Monterrey. “I just wanted to be with the lads and in the competition. “It’s frustrating watching games for any player who ... wants to play especially when the team are not playing so well,” said Lampard referring to Chelsea’s bad run of form last month.

“You want to contribute. “Myself and (injured captain) John Terry have been sitting in the treatment room desperate to be involved. But with experience we know you have to wait your time. “I was ready to start tonight. It was the manager’s decision,” added Lampard who took the captain’s armband from goalkeeper Petr Cech after his introduction by interim coach Rafael Benitez. “People say when you’re older you shouldn’t play so many games but there is another argument saying if you don’t play so many games then you come in and it’s more difficult. — Reuters

Frank Lampard

SPORTS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Le Clos strikes double a blow Seto in rookie win ISTANBUL: South Africa’s Olympic 100m butterfly champion Chad Le Clos added the world short course crown to his collection on Thursday with a commanding victory in the final. Le Clos won in 48.82sec, ahead of American duo Thomas Shields, in 49.54sec, with Ryan Lochte, who captured gold in the 200m freestyle and 4x100m freestyle relay on Wednesday, taking bronze in 49.59sec. “I was a little nervous before the final.

Lochte was a bit of an unknown.

But I had him and Shields in the lanes next to mine, so it was a good set-up on both sides,” said the 20-year-old Le Clos, whose time was a championship record. Japanese teenager Daiya Seto won his first international title with victory in the 400m medley. The 18year-old’s 3min 59.15sec pushed the great Hungarian Laszlo Cseh, who clocked 4:00.50, into second place.

Cseh, a seven-time European champion, has still to claim a world title. “I did not feel good in the butterfly leg, but I tried to fight. In the backstroke leg I could relax and finish well,” said Seto. “Even though this is short course, these are still world championships and I am very excited.

This victory is going to give me confidence for the long course competitions.” Seto wasn’t the youngest winner on the night. That honor went to 15-year-old Lithuanian Ruta Meilutyte who won the women’s 50m breaststroke, having taken a long spell out of the sport fol-

ISTANBUL: Chad Le Clos (right) of South Africa celebrates after winning the gold medal in the men’s 100m butterfly final of the FINA World Short Course Swimming Championships in Istanbul. — AFP

lowing her 100m gold at the Olympics.

The teenager won in a time of 29.44sec ahead of Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson, in 29.67, and Sarah Katsoulis of Australia in 29.94sec. “I really didn’t expect it,” said Meilutyte. “At the

moment it feels just like I have swum a normal race, but it will start sinking in. It’s crazy.” America’s Olympic 100m backstroke champion Matt Grevers won his first individual world title over the same distance, dethroning favorite Stanislav Donets of Russia.

Grevers touched in 49.89sec with Donets in 49.91sec. “Stanislav is without doubt the king of the short course and I am the king of the long course,” said Grevers. “I considered myself pretty good, but he was as well. I am glad I beat him on this one.” — AFP

Bengals maul slumping Eagles Cincinnati Bengals keep their playoff hopes alive CINCINNATI: The Cincinnati Bengals overcame a lackluster spell in the middle of the game to keep their playoff hopes alive with a 34-13 road win over the slumping Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday. With the victory, the Bengals improved to 8-6 on the season to climb up to second place in the AFC North and, more importantly, into the second wildcard position. Having capitalized on Eagles errors to forge a 10-0 lead within seven minutes, the Bengals lost their focus and intensity as Philadelphia hit back with 13 unanswered points to take a three-point lead into the halftime intermission.

However, the Bengals pounced on a number of Eagles (4-10) turnovers in the second half to compile a 24-point winning run that condemned the hosts to a ninth loss in 10 games. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton shook off six sacks, the most in his two-season career to date, to throw 13-for-27 for 127 yards.

He also rushed for one touchdown and threw to fellow second year player AJ Green for another, continuing the young duo’s impressive chemistry. With games against division rivals Pittsburgh and Baltimore to come, Cincinnati remain in control of their own destiny as they fight to reach the playoffs in backto-back seasons for the first time since 1981.

CHANGING HISTORY “The next two are really important. A lot of people throw the history of the organization out there and talk about the fact we haven’t had back-to-back playoffs in 30 years but we don’t know any different,” Dalton told reporters. “We (Dalton and Green) came in our first year and made the playoffs so that’s what we expect, to make the playoffs every year. “History is history but we weren’t here for that, now it’s time to change that.”

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis was just happy to escape the road trip with the win.

“We know what’s at stake now,” he said.

“We played the last 30 minutes the way we need to play in order to do what we need to do. We overcame ourselves today and got back in this thing.” Running back Benjarvus Green-Ellis admitted the side had taken their foot off the gas after making a quick start. “We came out kind of flat (in the second quarter),” Green-Ellis, who ran for 106 yards and a touchdown, said. “We jumped out to a big lead and got ahead of ourselves.

But we came out in the second half and played ball and our defense put us back in it. “We needed that win and now we have a little bit of time to rest up and get ready for Pittsburgh.” — Reuters

NBA results/standings Cincinnati 34, Philadelphia 13.

American Football Conference AFC East W L T OTL PF PA New England 10 3 0 0 472 274 NY Jets 6 7 0 1 245 306 Buffalo 5 8 0 0 289 352 Miami 5 8 0 2 240 276 AFC North Baltimore 9 4 0 1 331 273 Cincinnati 8 6 0 0 355 293 Pittsburgh 7 6 0 0 278 264 Cleveland 5 8 0 1 259 272 AFC South Houston 11 2 0 0 365 263 Indianapolis 9 4 0 0 292 329 Tennessee 4 9 0 1 271 386 Jacksonville 2 11 0 3 216 359 AFC West Denver 10 3 0 0 375 257 San Diego 5 8 0 1 292 281 Oakland 3 10 0 0 248 402 Kansas City 2 11 0 1 195 352

PCT .769 .462 .385 .385 .692 .571 .538 .385 .846 .692 .308 .154 .769 .385 .231 .154

National Football Conference NFC East NY Giants 8 5 0 0 373 270 Washington 7 6 0 0 343 329 Dallas 7 6 0 0 300 314 Philadelphia 4 10 0 1 253 375 NFC North Green Bay 9 4 0 0 323 279 Chicago 8 5 0 1 308 219 Minnesota 7 6 0 0 283 286 Detroit 4 9 0 2 320 342 NFC South Atlanta 11 2 0 0 337 259 Tampa Bay 6 7 0 0 354 308 New Orleans 5 8 0 1 348 379 Carolina 4 9 0 1 265 312 NFC West San Francisco 9 3 1 1 316 184 Seattle 8 5 0 0 300 202 St. Louis 6 6 1 0 236 279 Arizona 4 9 0 1 186 292

.615 .538 .538 .286 .692 .615 .538 .308 .846 .462 .385 .308 .731 .615 .500 .308

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

Sports

Bengals maul Eagles 34-13

47

ATLANTA: Charlotte Bobcats shooting guard Ben Gordon (8) fights for the ball with Atlanta Hawks power forward Ivan Johnson (44) in the first half of an NBA basketball game on Thursday, Dec 13, 2012. — AP

Anthony’s Knicks overpower Lakers TrailBlazers inflict 2nd straight loss on Spurs NEW YORK: Carmelo Anthony scored 22 of his 30 points in the first quarter, and the New York Knicks held on after he departed with a sprained left ankle to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116107 on Thursday night in coach Mike D’Antoni’s return to Madison Square Garden. Firing in 3pointers and moving the ball to open shooters, things they often struggled to do under D’Antoni, the Knicks won for the eighth time in nine games and improved to 9-0 at home for the first time since the 1992-93 season. Meanwhile, things are starting as poorly for D’Antoni in Los Angeles as they ended in New York. The Lakers, still without Steve Nash and Pau Gasol, were never really in the game while losing their fourth straight and falling to 9-14. Raymond Felton scored 19 points, and Tyson Chandler and JR Smith added 18 apiece for the Knicks. Kobe Bryant had 31 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers. Metta World Peace finished with 23 points and Dwight Howard had 20.

HAWKS 113, BOBCATS 90 Devin Harris scored 20 points, Josh Smith added 18 and the surging Atlanta Hawks handed Charlotte its 10th straight defeat. The Hawks are 12-3 since losing three of their first five games this season. Atlanta has won two straight and five of six. Gerald Henderson had 17 points and Ramon Sessions 16 for the Bobcats. Lou Williams had eight of his nine assists in the first half for Atlanta. Williams, who finished with 13 points, matched his career high in assists, and Ivan Johnson added a season-high 16 points.

TRAIL BLAZERS 98, SPURS 90 Porltand’s rookie guard Damian Lillard had a career-high 29 points as the TrailBlazers handed the San Antonio Spurs a surprise second-straight loss with a 98-90 victory on Thursday. Like the Spurs, another pre-season title fancy, the Los Angeles Lakers also remained in a rut, losing to the New York Knicks, while Atlanta crept up the

standings with a comfortable home win over Charlotte. The Spurs, who have dropped only six games this season but were coming off a loss to Utah on Wednesday, trailed by as many as 12 in the second half but cut the deficit to 89-85. J.J. Hickson answered for the Blazers with a running hook that made it 91-85 with 2:36 left. Danny Green hit a 3-pointer to pull the Spurs closer again, but Portland clung to the lead and Nicolas Batum - who has been bothered by a sore back made a 3 that gave Portland a 96-90 advantage with 1:08 left. Batum hit two free throws with 8 seconds to go for the final margin.

It was Lillard’s 13th game this season with 20 or more points. LaMarcus Aldridge added 22 points for the Blazers. Tony Parker had 21 points for the Spurs. New York’s Carmelo Anthony scored a remarkable 22 points in the first quarter and even though he was later lost to an ankle sprain, the Knicks recorded a 116-107 win over the struggling Lakers. Firing in 3-pointers and

moving the ball to open shooters, things they often struggled to do under former coach and now Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni, the Knicks won for the eighth time in nine games and improved to 9-0 at home for the first time since the 199293 season.

Meanwhile, things are starting as poorly for D’Antoni in Los Angeles as they ended in New York. The Lakers, still without Steve Nash and Pau Gasol, were never really in the game while losing their fourth straight and falling to 9-14.

Raymond Felton scored 19 points for the Knicks while Kobe Bryant led Los Angeles with 31 points and 10 rebounds. Atlanta has quietly snuck up the standings, and moved level with Miami for the Southeast Division lead by beating the Charlotte Bobcats 113-90 Devin Harris scored 20 points and Josh Smith added 18 for Atlanta, which has won five of six. Gerald Henderson had 17 points for the Bobcats, who have lost 10 straight. — Agencies