16th Jul

CR IP TI ON BS SU

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

‘Repatriation of body cheaper than sending patient alive’

Syria denies Treimsa ‘massacre’ as UN probes

150 FILS NO: 15510 40 PAGES

Debate brewing over Sri Lanka plans for tea blending

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www.kuwaittimes.net

SHAABAN 26, 1433 AH

Garcia shocks Khan; Haye KOs Chisora in grudge fight

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Kuwaiti languishing in Guantanamo sues govt Kandari claims state officials working against him

Max 49º Min 37º High Tide 08:38 & 23:31 Low Tide 01:47 & 16:22

By Shakir Reshamwala conspiracy theories

Mockery of a perfect nation

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

A

comedy show by Funoon TV has been criticized as insulting to migrant expats in Kuwait. I watched the part of the show that was claimed to be insulting to migrant workers, an excerpt I managed to find on YouTube where the actor was trying to imitate an Indian or Sri Lankan maid. The actor said he broke a bowl at home and ran away from his employer. I find such kind of stereotyping wrong and pathetic. We watch sickening scenes of imitating cooks from India, Nepal, Philippines or Timbuktu all the time. I do not know who makes these serials and comedies and why do they think they are funny?

There are many other things we can joke about besides insulting the culture of other nations. I understand that all countries make fun and mock at other nationalities but they do it with utmost care because there is a thin line between mockery, comedy and sarcasm. Especially in the West, you can be sued for defamation. It does not exist in our vocabulary, culture and social system. It is not the first time in Kuwait we use mockery in our comedy shows, be it in theatre, TV series or animation. We often run down and brand nations as if we are the perfect nation chosen by God. Last year a TV serial mocked Moroccan women as being easy, cheap and using black magic. I wrote about this ridiculous accusation at that time.

Don’t think that I do not like to joke or watch comedy.

I love comedy shows but they have to be well-written and skillfully done where you do not hurt the feelings of others and you don’t run down nations, religions or sects. Actually, it has become a habit to mock expats, maids, cooks or drivers, something which is un-educational for our kids. Also, it goes against the teachings of Islam. We are putting in the head of our children that discrimination is ‘adi’ (normal). No it is not normal. I will be upset if I go to another country and they mock Kuwaitis and brand them as being lazy or anything else. In exactly the same way we feel upset and we feel that our dignity is hurt, so are other people from other nations and strata.

To my amazement, some of the editors heard me talking about the topic and said, “Adi. It is just a comedy.” Do you get my drift? This is exactly the effect of such TV series on all of us and our children. The more you watch them, the more you stop respecting nations. And who are we to judge others? Are we better than anybody else? Why don’t we laugh at ourselves and leave others alone. With Ramadan coming, I hope that we do not see any of these silly TV series on air and we abide by the teachings of our beautiful religion Islam.

If all of you comedy directors are short of ideas I will give you some - I would like to see a comedy show about our parliamentarians and how for many years they did not do anything for the country. I would like to see a show on the development plan and Kuwait Airways, about water shortages and the education system. I think this will cover you for a couple of years to come. I am sure that such comedy shows will be hilarious and much funnier than the one about a runaway maid.

ADDIS ABABA: HH the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on the sidelines of the African Union summit yesterday. The meeting focused on means to strengthen friendship bonds and bolster cooperation between the two nations. The Amir also congratulated Morsi on winning the Egyptian people’s confidence, wished him success in his tenure and stability and prosperity for Egypt. This is the first meeting between the two leaders since the inauguration of Egypt’s first democratically-elected president on June 30. — KUNA

Amir reaffirms Kuwait’s commitment to Africa ADDIS ABABA: HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah yesterday hailed the African peoples’ aspirations filled with hope for a future dominated by stability, prosperity and wellbeing, in a speech at the African Union’s biannual summit yesterday. “I am pleased to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude and to express my happiness and pride to all of you for inviting us to attend this important summit, which is being held in Africa, a continent which has an integral and effective role on global level,” he said.

The Amir thanked the government and people of Ethiopia for their hospitality. “We meet here today in

this ancient capital, recalling with appreciation and gratitude the stance of African countries in supporting the right of Kuwait during the Iraqi invasion, a stance which is consistent with the historical struggle of our brothers in the African continent against injustice and tyranny. Your countries reflected through these magnificent stances the depth of ties connecting us, the unity of the principles and norms that bind us. We must work on all the issues that might enhance our relations and our partnership to the desired level that is appropriate for handling such situations,” he said.

Continued on Page 13

KUWAIT: Fayez Al-Kandari, one of two Kuwaitis still detained at the US detention center in Guantanamo Bay on allegations of being a member of a terrorist organization, is suing the Kuwaiti government and high-ranking officials over his continued incarceration. A statement issued by his lawyer Adel Abdul Hadi yesterday said Kandari instructed him to file two cases - one holding the Kuwait government responsible for harm caused to him following a visit to Guantanamo by a Kuwaiti security delegation and another for wasting public funds in the guise of working to secure his release. “It is Al-Kandari’s intention to pursue legal actions against the prime minister, minister of interior, minister of foreign affairs, minister of defense, minister of justice, minister of finance, the director of Kuwait’s state security and the Kuwaiti ambassador to the United States of America,” the statement said.

Abdul Hadi said Kandari is holding the government responsible for physical and psychological harm inflicted upon him following the visit of the Kuwait security delegation, whose members he claimed interrogated him and were privy to the mistreatment and torture of detainees by US security and intelligence services. He added the Kuwaiti government failed to demand from the US government an undertaking that the detainees would not be tortured and would be treated in accordance with international principles on human rights Continued on Page 13

KAC jet suffers midair bird hit KUWAIT: A Kuwait Airways flight to New York was forced to make an emergency landing in Frankfurt yesterday after a bird struck an engine of the plane midair. The Boeing 777 had to undergo a baroscopic inspection at the airport as a precaution to ensure the soundness of the engine, Kuwait Airways said in a statement. The 203 passengers on board flight KU 117 were booked in a local hotel while the jet was being repaired, it added. In a separate incident, a KU 501 noon flight to Beirut was delayed for an hour and later cancelled due to a technical fault, reported the Al-Aan online news bulletin. — Agencies

UAE opens pipeline bypassing Hormuz DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates yesterday inaugurated a much-anticipated overland oil pipeline that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz, giving the OPEC member insurance against Iranian threats to block the strategic waterway. The 380-km Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline snakes across western desert dunes and over the craggy Hajar mountains to the city of Fujairah on the UAE’s Indian Ocean coast, south of the strait. Until now, all Emirati exports were loaded in the Gulf and then sailed out through Hormuz. Once it is running at full capacity, the pipeline could allow the country, OPEC’s third biggest exporter, to ship as much as two-thirds of its peak production through the eastern port city. It is designed to carry at least 1.5 million barrels a day of crude, though capacity is expected to eventually rise to 1.8 million barrels daily.

Efforts to bring the long-awaited export route online have gained increased

urgency in recent months because of repeated threats by Iranian officials to close Hormuz if the country’s own exports are blocked. The narrow strait is patrolled

by Iranian warships as well as by the US Navy and its allies. It is the export route for about 17 million barrels of oil a day, or a fifth of the world’s oil supply.

The chairman of Iran’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday that Tehran has a contingency plan to close the key route, though any decision to shut it rests with the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Gen Hasan Firouzabadi’s comments come two weeks after the European Union enforced a total oil embargo against Iran. The move is part of a series of sanctions meant to force Tehran to halt its uranium enrichment program. The West suspects Iran is aiming to build nuclear weapons. Iran denies the charge.

Continued on Page 13

Lifter blazes trail for Gulf women DUBAI: Najwan El-Zawawi didn’t have the Olympics in mind when she arrived to set up a weightlifting program in the United Arab Emirates four years ago. Her main aim was just to recruit a handful of girls whose families allowed them to participate, no small task considering no Gulf nation had ever established a women’s team. Many Emiratis in this conservative Muslim country confuse the sport with body building and some fear that allowing their girls to participate would lead to injuries or a masculine physique which could, in turn, erode marriage prospects.

The number of school girls venturing to the team’s training gym in Dubai has grown into double figures and this year Zawawi, a former Egyptian Olympic lifter, was rewarded for her perseverance. The UAE team did well enough at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in South Korea to earn a spot at the London Olympics - a first for a Gulf country.

“Four years ago, I thought it would be impossible to reach the Olympics,” said Zawawi, who competed in the 69-kilogram category at the 2000 Sydney Games. “But then we went to South Korea and planned how as a team we could get one spot in the Olympics. The plan was better than other countries.

Continued on Page 13

CAIRO: Egypt’s Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi shakes hands with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton upon her arrival for a meeting yesterday. — AFP

Clinton talks democracy with head of Egypt army Tantawi raises stakes with Islamists

DUBAI: Weightlifter Khadija Mohammed practices at the Al Shabab stadium. — AP

CAIRO: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met yesterday with Egypt’s top military leaders, urging them to support a transition to civilian rule as a political struggle triggers fears that rights could be eroded. On the second and final day of her visit to Egypt, the top US diplomat also met with representatives of the country’s 10 millionstrong Christian community, saying afterwards Washington was “committed to protecting and advancing the rights of all Egyptians: men and women, Muslim and Christian”.

Clinton’s trip to Egypt comes at a

time when a complex power struggle is being played out between the newly-elected Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi, and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).

After meeting Morsi soon after arriving in Cairo on Saturday, Clinton yesterday spent more than an hour in talks with Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi - the country’s interim military ruler after president Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year. “They discussed the political transition and the SCAF’s ongoing dialogue with President Continued on Page 13

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

LOCAL

New cabinet likely within few days Opposition expected to adopt new reforms today

By B Izzak

HH the Amir seen in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa during the signing ceremony of loan agreement between Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) with Senegalese government.

KUWAIT: The new cabinet will likely be announced within the next few days, possibly at the mid-week, to signal the start of the constitutional process to redissolve the 2009 national assembly and call for fresh elections.

The cabinet under Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah resigned on June 25 and Sheikh Jaber was reappointed by the Amir to form the new Cabinet about 10 days later.

The new Cabinet is highly expected to retain almost the same ministers with a few additions because the government will be temporary to manage the forthcoming parliamentary elections, as under Kuwaiti law the Cabinet must resign after each parliamentary polls.

Based on previous statements, as soon as the new Cabinet is sworn in by the Amir, the 2009 assembly, which was reinstated by a constitutional court ruling, last month, will be called to hold regular meetings.

But the assembly is not expected to meet because a majority of its members have publicly said they will not attend because they know that the government will recommend dissolving it after just one session.

Assembly speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi said that if MPs do not attend the session, he will invite them again and if they don’t attend he will refer the issue to the Amir who is expected to dissolve the house. But the timing of the next election is not yet fixed. Most scenarios indicate that the election will be held by the beginning of October, while few others said it might be held in early November. The timing of the new elections depends on when the 2009 assembly is going to be dissolved as under the Kuwaiti constitution, new election must be held within 60 days of dissolving the assembly.

The opposition majority bloc meanwhile has reiterated its warnings to the government against any attempt to change the electoral districts or the voting system both of which need new legislation to change.

The bloc is also scheduled to hold the second of its “Monday diwaniya” public gatherings and is expected to announced the bloc’s reform programme which includes calling for a constitutional monarchy, an elected government, a single electoral district and a host of other democratic reforms.

The meeting was moved from Jahra to the diwaniya of opposition leader

and former speaker Ahmad AlSaadoun, an indication of the importance the opposition attaches to the declaration.

The reform program was discussed after a number of youth activist groups warned the opposition that it will not back them during the election if they did not fully commit to the wide-ranging reforms.

Saadoun and several opposition MPs met with about 60 youth activists on Saturday night to approve the reforms that will offered to the rest of the opposition candidates to approve. The opposition efforts to come up with a reform program was slightly undermined by an announcement by a section of the Islamist Salaf group that they do not approve of the constitutional monarchy, an elected government and a single constituency. The announcement forced a number of prominent Salaf figures, like MP Khaled Al-Sultan, to reiterate their commitment to the reforms, thus creating a rift in the Salafists ranks.

A large number of opposition members of the scrapped 2012 assembly have reiterated their firm commitments to the reforms proposed by the youth groups.

11 bedoons released on bail to face trial

HH the Amir with President of the Republic of Somalia Sharif Sheikh Ahmad.

By A Saleh

KUWAIT: The public prosecutor’s office has released 11 bedoons who were arrested for demonstrating in Taima after they posted bails of KD 500 to KD 1000.

The bedoons remained in detention for 10 days on the prosecutor’s orders for questioning over accusations of confronting and fighting with security men, in addition to participating in an illegal gathering.

The prosecution will send the bedoons to criminal court within days to face trial.

Meanwhile, the “29” continued its sit-in, which started five days ago in front of the registration department at Kuwait University. The group is demanding the admission to KU colleges of those outstanding bedoon students who graduated from high school. Several student groups participated in the sit-in, as students sought admission for the bedoons, especially since there are no more than 140 students with grades over 90%.

HH the Amir with Tunisian President Dr Moncef Marzouki.

Amir attends signing of loan agreements KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah attended yesterday in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa the signing ceremony of loan agreement between Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) with Senegalese government.

The $17.5 million loan will be used to finance Dakar Northern Slip Road (Section 3) to help ease traffic problem in the Senegalese capital of Dakar.

The 23 km-road will link northern Dakar neighborhoods to the downtown. The loan maturity is 25 years, including a grace period of five years.

It would be repaid over 50 semi-annual installments, with annual interest of 2.5 percent. Since its inception, the KFAED granted Senegal 27 loans totaling about $ 282.8 million to finance different development projects. The KFAED offered Senegal three grants at a value of $2.32 million to finance feasibility and technical studies for several economic and development projects.

Meanwhile His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also attended here the signing ceremony of a number of bilateral agreements between the State of Kuwait and the Federal Republic of Ethiopia. The signing ceremony was attended by Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia Healy Mariam.

On the sidelines of the XIX annual conference of the African Union and in the presence of His

Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, a loan agreement was signed here today between the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Agreement (KFAED) and Ethiopia whereby KFAED shall grant a loan of eight million Kuwaiti dinars (equivalent to about USD 27 million) to contribute to financing a road project in Ethiopia.

The agreement was signed on behalf of Ethiopia by Sufian Ahmed, Minister of Finance and Economic Development and on behalf of the KFAED by Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad AlSabah, Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, Chairman of KFAED. The project aims to support economic and social development, food security program, fighting poverty in the northern and southern provinces, improving their linkage with local and national roads networks, facilitate access of populations to markets and social services in all weather conditions while reducing the costs of transporting goods and passengers.

The project also aims to improve the security level of roads and reduce the environmental pollution caused by dust. The term of the loan is 24 years including a grace period of four years and will be repaid on 40 semi-annual installments.

This will be Ethiopia’s sixth loans to be granted

by KFAED. — KUNA

Meanwhile, Kuwait Gulf Link Company (AL-RABITA) announced that one of its subsidiaries, KGL Transport, of which it owns 100% of the shares, won a contract with the American defence logistics agency at a value of $1,167,904, which may be increased or decreased at the customer’s request.

The contract duration is seven months, starting August 2012, and is renewable for one year. KGL Company was one of the subjects former Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shamali was grilled about, as MPs Abdelrahman Al-Anjari, Musallam AlBarrak and Khalid Al-Tahous insisted that it cooperates with Iran and breaks the international embargo on Iran. The MPs also said the US is investigating the company to enforce the law against it. This was later found to be untrue.

Meanwhile, the Stock Market Authority approved the request by Dula Investment Company (Al-Oula) to purchase and sell no more than 10% of its shares for the one year that ends January 10, 2013.

Further, the authority insisted that the purchase amount does not exceed the available financing sources, according to law 7/2010.

Also, the Heavy Industries and Ship Building Company (SOFON) signed a contract with the Ministry of Electricity and Water to carry out the annual servicing of mechanical equipment at its Shuaiba Power Generating Station. The contract value is KD 7.968 million over five years.

KUWAIT: Student groups seen participating in the sit-in. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: Fawzia Sultan Rehabilitation Institute (FSRI) held a Kids Rehab Charity Day, which took place on Saturday. Parents and other officials attended the charity day.

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

LOCAL

ADDIS ABABA: Kuwait Ambassador in Addis Ababa Rashed Faleh Al-Hajri held a dinner banquet Saturday in honor of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and an official delegation accompanying him on the occasion of their visit to Ethiopia. — KUNA

‘Let her die in hospital’ Repatriation of dead body cheaper

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: “Let her die! A dead body is cheaper to be repatriated than a bedridden sick person,” said a Kuwaiti employer, quoting the response of an embassy official when contacted for assistance. The employer of Loida Lai Dang-aoen (Dang-Awen), who is from the Philippines, contacted the Philippine Embassy to request help in sending her bedridden employee back to her family in the Philippines.

Loidai’s employer said that an officer from the Philippine Embassy told her that the repatriation of a dead body costs a little more than KD 500 compared to around KD 3,330 for repatriating her alive.

However, yesterday the embassy denied that any employee would make such a statement. Daligdig Tanandato, Head Assistant to the National Unit, denied that the embassy was not involved with the repatriation. “An officer of the embassy will never say such a thing.

It’s not in our training as public servants. If there is one person who could utter such unkind words to the OFWs, it is very regrettable. Maybe they were in a bad mood to utter that,” Tanandato mentioned.

Tanandato said a request for assistance had already been sent to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs and they were awaiting a positive response.

Loida has been a patient at Ibn Sina Hospital since January 25th, 2012, though the hospital has since requested that she be discharged.

“Haram, I didn’t like the tune of that Filipino official and I was very disappointed when I heard it,” she said while talking to the Kuwait Times over

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Public Works (MPW) plans to float tenders to design and build the new Maternity Hospital, the Jahra security department headquarters and conduct operation works for Ministry of Electricity and Water’s new building at a total cost of KD 194,637,085.

Sources added that the MPW has finally received the approval of the Central Tenders Committee (CTC) to change the budget needed to build the new Maternity Hospital, at a total value of KD 180 million.

Sources highlighted that the new

hospital will have a bed capacity of 600 beds and it will be constructed over an area covering 970,000 square meters.

They added that in view of the growing number of hospitals and medical centers at the Al-Sabah health zone, the MPW has started developing the highway grid surrounding the zone to cater to the growing number of users once construction is completed by 2017.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry’s (MoH) Financial Department has reduced the daily allowance given to patients sent for overseas treatment, namely to the Czech Republic, to KD 35.

The usual amount allocated is €150 to any European country.

Sources added that by taking this step, the Ministry is now placing the Czech republic at par with Arab countries. Dr Mubarak Al-Ajmi, Department Manager will discuss the matter with MoH’s financial department to reach a settlement keeping patients interests in view. Furthermore, the department has also decided to stop paying for the expenses of patients’ companions, which sources described as ‘an unstudied, judgmental one.’

— Al-Rai, Al-Qabas

E-gate collects KD 4,986 in first half of 2012

KUWAIT: Loida Dang-Aoen at her hospital bed. —Photo by Ben Garcia

the phone. Loida was admitted to AlAmiri Hospital on January 25, 2012 after suffering a stroke and lapsing into unconsciousness. She was eventually shifted to Ibn Sina Hospital for an emergency decompressive craniotomy and was operated on for the second time the following day for ‘evacuation of the left intracerebral hematoma’.

Loida has recovered now, though half of her body remains paralyzed.

She can communicate with her eyes and using hand movements, but could not talk when visited by the Kuwait Times last Thursday. The hospital advised that she be discharged, but since repatriation costs to the

Philippines are too high, her employer decided to seek assistance from the embassy. “Maybe they couldn’t help. I was surprised they told me that it was better for Loida to die and to leave her in the hospital. Haram, she has a family back in the Philippines and I will help with whatever I can, though the amount is too much for me to bear,” the Kuwaiti employer said. She added that she was doing her best to help Loida reunite with her family as soon as possible. “I want Loida to be with her family. I will do my best for her to be delivered to her home, even as I beg for my friends to help her. Nobody wants to be in her shoes,” she said.

Hawally municipality raids car showrooms KUWAIT: The Hawally Municipality recently raided car showrooms and impounded 17 cars placed for sale in the area. Also, 18 warning labels were fixed on other vehicles, in addition to obtaining six undertakings with respect to cafes that flouted laws.

At least 15 chairs and 12 tables were removed, so were four television sets and air conditioning units and 20

New Maternity Hospital to cost KD 180m

wooden stands. The campaign was spearheaded by Abdulaziz Al-Yahya, Director of Cleaning Administration at Hawally Municipality.

The aim of this campaign is to protect state property from being used by others without considering any laws. These violations pose an obstacle to working in streets. He added that efforts will continue to put an

end to all violations and that laws will be enforced on everyone.

Al-Yahya said that exhibiting cars for sale in public yards harm the public and could lead to accidents and crowd the streets. Public Relations Department at Kuwait Municipality urged all cafe owners and car showrooms in all governorates to avoid breaking the law.

KUWAIT: An estimate of 87,000 transactions were carried out through the stateowned electronic payment system (Tasdeed) in the first half of 2012, bringing the amount collected to KD 4,986 million, Director of e-government gate at the Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT) Dr Ittihad Al-Bahar said yesterday.

Al-Bahar said that the state’s official egate saw 1,483 visitors in the first half of 2012, compared to 896 visitors of the same period last year; an increase of 65%. The number of hits came from 158 different countries around the globe, he

noted, adding that 1.2 million hits came from inside Kuwait or 81.3 percent.

The number of pages browsed for the first half of 2012 amounted to 3.671 million; a 2.47 page per visitor. There were 613,000 new visitors recorded as of June 2012; an increase of 41% compared to the same period of last year where 414,000 new visitors hit the e-gate website. The most e-services used on the official website are Individuals Traffic Violations, Travel Ban Inquiry, Violations Payment (Traffic and Immigration), in addition to lawsuits filed against citizens or expatriates respectively.

Vehicle Traffic Violations Inquiry, Civil ID Renewal, arrest warrants were also used frequently as well. Tasdeed, the electronic prepaid government system was introduced to facilitate citizens and residents to pay power and water bills, traffic, immigration, phone bills, legal fees, civil identification cards. The e-gate also provides information on Kuwait’s culture, tourist attractions, and health services at all medical centers and hospitals in the country. It also offers reports on weather conditions, reports on main news, aviation information in addition to currency exchange rates. — KUNA

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MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

LOCAL kuwait digest

Local Spotlight

Syria, Russia need change to stop the killings

Hire Kuwaiti journalists not expats as media experts

By Thaar Al-Rashidi he ministry of information has about 8,000 employees, while there are thousands of journalists registered with the Kuwait Journalist Association (KJA) as per its subscriptions lists, and there are 5 large public relations companies and about 25 public relation offices specializing in publishing and promoting news about MPs, and every minister has 2 to 3 information consultants in his office, and every ministry, including the Ministry of Information, has a public relation administration. Even some ministries have public relations department in every administration, and I have not forgotten that there is the big news agency called “KUNA”, plus we have 14 daily newspapers registered at the ministry of information and tens of magazines as well as 2 professional news sites. Yet, in spite of all the above, the Kuwait embassy in Cairo put an ad in the largest Egyptian dailies expressing the need for a media expert to work at the Ministry of Interior.

Really, I don’t know how to answer you or how to explain to you your mistake, when you ask that

T

Really, I don’t know how to answer you or how to explain to you your mistake, when you ask that his experience should be not less than 18 years in the security media, so that he will be an expert in drawing up plans and media security strategies, as well as in trafficking media. his experience should be not less than 18 years in the security media, so that he will be an expert in drawing up plans and media security strategies, as well as in trafficking media.

My question is: Why did you not advertise your needs in the local Kuwaiti media? And what is the opinion of the civil service commission about your requirement? And how legal is it?

I leave the answers to you and to the concerned authorities, but that advertisement is a confession from you that a Kuwaiti is no good and does not understand, and is useless, and the ad might be proof that you do not trust the Kuwaiti media.

In both cases you are making a very big mistake. Can we hear a logical justification from you, especially that the required conditions for the media experts, as per your ad, is applicable to more than 20 journalists and 20 specialized media experts, and all of them are Kuwaitis, while there are a similar number of Kuwaiti journalists who are working in the Kuwaiti media.

Then why did you jump to another country and lose thousands of KD in advertising looking for a media expert, when the experts are in front of your eyes?

Note: The talk about reducing the number of voters from 4 to 2 is almost ready for implementation for the coming elections. —Al-Anbaa

Muna Al-Fuzai

muna@kuwaittimes.net o far, the Syrian ruling system remains in power, while still calling the rebels terrorists and still defending the pillars of its system that will eventually fall with or without Russian approval! The Syrian president still doesn’t want to let go of power over the country, even when all nearby leaders have gone to their graves or been jailed! The question here is how strong is this ruling system and why doesn’t it fall?

Is it the ego of the Russians or that the ruler is so popular and is wanted by the people and those rebels are truly terrorists? The scene in Syrian now goes beyond any suspense movie.

No one can be sure whether the ruling system will end, as it did for their sisters in Egypt and Libya, or for how long it will continue to struggle? So far, the wind of the Arab spring has not flowed easily past any of the old brotherhoods in the Arab countries. And while it cleared away less aggressive powers such as the Egyptians’ system led by Hosni Mubarak, yet the Syrian rulers still holds on to power as if the re-evaluation they confront is just a storm that will soon fade away!

There are people dying everywhere there, so allegations made by the Syrian rulers to justify that blood is not enough and will not be! Who backs up the Syrian president? Is it the Christians who fear the Islamists will reach power or because Russia can’t let go of the only system in the region that fuels its sense of power and its old youth? I believe it is the latter.

Russia can’t let go of Syria, for its own good, of course! They may be forced to do so, but will not do that freely. That, I believe, is the truth which many deny. The Russians can’t abandon their last spot of power over the west, specifically over the US and France and other open countries!

The problem of Russia these days is that no one wants to listen to their old age calls or to trust them. So trust is a key here because the west, led by the US, has proven to be more flexible and able to accommodate itself with any ruling system, Islamists or not, while the Russians have not!

The fact that Russia had a military base or maintains its weapons business with Syria is not the only reason for it fights for Syria. It is the fact that if Russia lost Syria now, it will mean goodbye to its sense of power in this region. But, what about those who die every day because they don’t want the Syrian ruling system? Should they keep dying just because of what others think or fear?

Syria needs change, needs new blood ... good or bad. The ruling system can’t keep up this daily killing and Russia needs to know that for a fact.

Instead of supporting the killing policy there, the Russians need to start wondering why they are not popular and not wanted anymore! Maybe their ancient calls are out of date. Maybe because the world has changed, or maybe the west has things to offer which they can’t afford.

Syrian is under threat to kill or be killed. That is not a choice for life and I think the coming days will bring the end to the chaos and may begin a civil war. But, at some point this endless killing must stop.

S kuwait digest

Eternal thoughts about friends and Palestine

By Thaar Al-Rashidi don’t know why this picture came to my mind they are there, and they are closer to the heart while I was remembering my friends. Friends than one can imagine. Childhood friends alone are the olive trees of life. Their memories do not remains in your memories and when you try to die, even if they were occupied by forgotten remember them after all those years, you must armies. Don’t you see that Palestine was occupied clear away time’s dust, which has fallen on your for more than 60 years, and the Zionist armies soul, and you will find them at the end as chiltried to change the demography of the land and dren’s pictures with wide smiles, and who do not ejected the original inhabitants by force and tried know what kind of “tomorrow” is waiting for them. to change the identity of the land, and yet olive The origin of friendship in Arabic comes from trees were hard to get for honesty and not interests. them to remind us that we Other wise, the name have a land called Palestine, would be something else which one day will come The origin of friendship in related to interest. Your Arabic comes from honesty and friend is the one with back to us?

When singer “Fairuz” says not interests. Otherwise, the whom you break all panels, “one day we shall return” we name would be something else and turn your back with feel that time has stopped confidence and are secure, related to interest. Your friend is and that is why I don’t have for a moment of optimism and that the stolen land the one with whom you break all a single friend involved in shall be returned to its panels, and turn your back with political work. owners and it will be confidence and are secure, and Talking about politics, I returned. As Palestine was that is why I don’t have a single don’t know, but the new occupied during the life of government seems to be friend involved in political work. similar to a wedding party some of the Arab elders, who remember the details for a person who was marof what happened, I am ried at a police station, with sure it will return in the life no singing or dancing or of persons living among us now. While it might anyone who cares. No wonder, it is a government not be during the time of those who are in my that will marry today, only to be divorced tomorage, I am absolutely sure that it will be returned row!! during the life of my children.

When you have a friend with the size of the My first friends have been with me for many heart of the media man MADHI ALKHAMIS, then years, and maybe I am not good or have short falls you should be all right. Because regardless of the in communicating with them due to our daily wrong appointments you make, his heart will be lives’ work, which occupies our lives and prevents with you. Whoever has a friend like “Madhi” us from communicating. But I know very well that should not fear tomorrow. —Al-Anbaa

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kuwait digest

Syria getting out of the crisis!

By Mubarak Fahad Al-Duwailah ny h u m a n b e i n g w i t h t h e l e a s t amount of compassion will surely sympathize with the crisis the Syrian people are undergoing. One agonizes over the terrible scenes and the massacres committed against them. The problem is that the Arab people are helpless and can only pray and donate to them!

Everybody knows that there is no way out except by militar y ac tion, be it local or imposed from outside Syria, which became impossible in view of the Russian’s stubbornness. Therefore, the Syrian people have every right to defend themselves. They must be provided with weapons to restrain the movements of Bashar’s military and air force, which is not feasible except through Turkey and Jordan because Iraq and Lebanon are governed by sectarian Iran, which is already supporting Al-Asad’s regime in killing its own people, who are being so awfully killed and mutilated that one would find it hard to believe that the killers are not Syrians; they must be a bunch of mercenaries who came from outside Syria.

So, let ’s ac t and star t suppor ting the S y r i a n p e o p l e b y p ro v i d i n g e n o u g h weapons to help them defend themselves.

Le t ’s s t o p w a s t i n g t i m e b e g g i n g fo r Western assistance because, in Syria, the West does not yet have the same interests they had in liberating Kuwait or toppling Gaddafi. —Al-Qabas

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letters to Badrya Dear Badrya, I hope and pray that you are doing well. I have been reading your articles that have been appearing in Kuwait Times for quite some time now.

The most recent ‘Ask Emirates’ is exceptional.

In just a few words, you covered the entire national carrier Kuwait Airways’ issues in a precise manner. I hope concerned authorities will accord issues related to KAC as top priority, allowing the ‘Blue bird’ to fly high once again.

Best Regards Junaid K Dear Badrya, I t h a n k yo u fo r u s i n g s o f t wo rd s fo r expats’ sake!

May God bless your work !

Mary Dixen Hi Badrya, I regularly read Kuwait Times especially your column. You had once published photos of our leaders in every corner, and it really drew my attention to your story selection. Anyway, I just wanted to say it is really good to read such columns in order to improve our way of thinking beyond the limits set by us.

God bless you Regards Ratna Geddam

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MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

LOCAL

Hotels take steps to guarantee safety of guests in Ramadan tents

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah received at Seif Palace yesterday Deputy Chief of Kuwait National Guards (KNG) Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. — KUNA

Burgan Bank announces daily lucky winners KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announced the names of the five lucky winners of its Yawmi account draw, each taking home a prize of KD 5,000. Winnerís names will also be announced through Marina FM on a daily basis during their prime shows.

The lucky winners for the five daily draws took home a cash-prize of KD 5,000 each. The winners are: 1. Maryam Abdulla Ali Al-Qattan 2. Kagan Aykas 3. Farouq Ahmed Manthour Hussein 4. Maatouq Awad Maatouq Ahmad 5. Asghar Mohd Basher The newly re-launched Yawmi Account is better, easier and faster than any day before. With its new and enhanced features, the Yawmi Account has become more convenient, easier, and faster for customers to benefit from. Now, customers will be eligible to enter the draw after 48 hours only from opening the account. Customers are also required to deposit KD 100 or equivalent only to enter the daily draw,

and the coupon value to enter the draw stands at KD 10.

The newly designed Yawmi account has been launched to provide a highly innovative offering along with a higher frequency and incentive of winning for everyone. Today, the Yawmi account is a well understood product, where its popularity can be seen from the number of increasing account holders.

Burgan Bank encourages everyone to open a Yawmi account and/or increase their deposit to maximize their chances to becoming a daily winner.

The more customers deposit, the higher the chances they receive of winning the draw. Opening a Yawmi account is simple, customers are urged to visit their nearest Burgan Bank branch and receive all the details, or simply call the bankís Call Center at 1804080 where customer service representatives will be delighted to assist with any questions on the Yawmi account or any of the bankís products and services, or log on to Burgan Bankís www.burgan.com for further information.

KUWAIT: For many years different hotels have erected Ramadan tents, both inside and outside their hotels. These tents usually provide a special atmosphere during the holy month of Ramadan. Within the tents they also serve water pipes (sheesha), which are in high demand during Ramadan.

Some people, however, may have concerns that a fire could spread through a tent, especially after the huge accident in which many women died in a wedding tent fire in Jahra two years ago. After that sad event, the fire department banned tents and stopped issuing licenses. Then the hotels established strict safety measures to meet the new requirements of the fire department.

This year, Convention Center and Royal Suites, and the Movenpick Free Trade Zone, are welcoming Ramadan with a huge tent outside the hotel and smaller tents inside the Hall of the Convention Center.

Official Mohammed Al-Shahadat ensured that the Convention Center put in place necessary safety measures. “The tent has more than one exit. Inspectors from the Fire Department come to check the safety. Furthermore, the hotel is providing training and briefing for the staff of the hotel. We have many fire extinguishers in the tent. In addition, the tent and the area around it are equipped with fire detectors and we monitor the area with cameras, so we can see if anybody is smoking. We care about the carpets and other flammable material, so we have taken precautions,” he told the Kuwaiti Times. He recalls only one small incident. “Once, a small fire took place in a wedding tent which was caused by the Bukhoor (essence) burning on an electric warmer. We will be serving Shesha in the tent, so we secured it by placing a large tray under it, in case that coals fall down,” added Al-Shahadat.

Safir International Hotel is also providing a Ramadan tent for the fourth year in a row. “The tent can accommodate about 700 people. The tent has six exits and has fire extinguishers placed throughout the entire tent, otherwise we would not have received a license from the fire department. Also, our tent is a special European design, and not a normal tent. In addition, we are using insulating material, even inside the tent. The fire inspectors always come regularly and check electricity and extinguishers,” said Joseph Sa’ada, Food and Beverage Manager.

Also in this hotel, sheesha will be served in the Ramadan tent. “Basically, during the regular days in Ramadan we serve sheesha and put a tray under it. However, if the tent is fully occu-

2 million work permit applications filed KUWAIT: The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor explained that the issue of new work permits has been halted despite severe shortage in local labor market because the estimated number of work permit applications filed at various labor departments totals to two million. If permits are issued, there will be an influx of expatriate workers to Kuwait.

Insiders added that the transfer of commercial visit visas into work permits will be allowed to help solve the dearth in workers as well as avoid the possible

repercussions of allowing 2 million more expatriate workers into the country.

New hospitals at Al-Sabah The first phase in the execution of new hospitals at Sabah health zone has begun. A preliminary meeting was held and the bed capacity of new Ibn Sina hospital was discussed, decided at 240 beds initially. Sources explained that the bed capacity of another new hospital has been decided at 1,000 beds. —Al-Anbaa

Kuwaiti infant swallows kerosene, hospitalized

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: A one-year-old Kuwaiti infant was admitted to Mubarak in hospital after suffering from a case of poisoning from kerosene that he swallowed accidentally.

Citizens arrested for drugs Two citizens were arrested with hashish and mind altering drugs following tips received by drugs fighting authorities.

Necessary investigations were made, then a warrant was obtained to arrest and search him. The sus-

pect was arrested following resistance. A large piece of hashish was found in a cupboard along with a bag full of tablets and a packet of cigarettes full of hashish joints.

He said that he gets the drugs from a friend who was arrested at his work. Hashish and opium was found on him along with marijuana, and Ice joints on him. Both suspects confessed and were charged accordingly.

Hit and run case A 42-year-old Asian was run over by a speeding car in Mahboula near Shiryn Pharmacy while trying to cross the street. He suffered multiple injuries and was admitted to Adan Hospital.

Men injured in street fights A 28-year-old Egyptian expatriate suffered injuries to his head and face after being involved in a fight with some men in Jleeb Al-Shouykh, Al Mukhtar Street. He was admitted to Farwaniya hospital.

A 51-year-old Indian expatriate was injured in his left eye after being punched by another man in Al Mirqab. He was admitted to Amiri hospital.

A 26-year-old Egyptian expatriate suffered from several injuries in a fight held that took place in Hawally, Sharhabeel Street. He was admitted to Mubarak Hospital.

Car accidents A car accident took place on Fahaheel road near Mishref. A nine-year-old Kuwaiti boy suffered injuries to his head and suffered a case of cardiac arrest. He was admitted to Mubarak Hospital and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

A car accident took place at new Wafra, near Umm Safaq road. A 45-year-old Egyptian fractured his right shoulder and suffered a head injury. A 31- year- old expatriate suffered extensive injuries too. Both were admitted to Adan Hospital.

Corpse found The body of a 28-year-old Indian was found off the coast of Bnaid Al-Gar, near KFC restaurant. The body was removed for an autopsy.

Tents usually provide a special atmosphere during the holy month of Ramadan. pied or reserved for a private event, we do not offer sheesha,” he pointed out.

Ahmad Sami, Executive of the Hall at the The Palms Beach Hotel and Spa, noted that the hotel is hosting the tent in the ballroom for the third year. “In the previous years we had the tent near the pool, but this year it’s very hot so we decided to place it inside the ballroom. It’s basically not a classical tent, but rather a decorative tent to provide the Ramadan atmosphere. We also have frequent checks by fire inspectors. The safety rules are the same as last year, and we have many fire extinguishers in the tent, which can cater to about 350 to 400 people.

Movenpick Hotel and Resort Al Bida’a have set up a very large divided tent on the beach, which can accommodate about 350 people and has three exits facing the beach and the

hotel. “This is the fifth year we have had the tent and no incidents have occurred. The special thing is that we have divided the tent for smokers and non-smokers. So the fire extinguishers are placed in one area of the tent, which is for smokers and where sheesha is only served. We also have foam and water extinguishers, depending on the type of fire,” noted Sunil from the Sales and Marketing Department.

Amani Shokor, Assistant and PR Manager from the Sheraton Hotel, stated that this year they moved the Ramadan tent from the Coral ballroom to other ballrooms: the Dana and the Crystal. “Before, there was no carpet in the Coral Ballroom, but now there is carpeting in both ballrooms, yet we guarantee that we respect and apply all safety measures demanded by the fire department,” she pointed out.

Govt weighs distributing food supplies during Ramadan KUWAIT: Government sources revealed that a study is to be submitted to the council of ministers concerning providing citizens with free food supplies during the month of Ramadan to improve the public’s standard of living, which is the main concern of His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al Mubarak’s government.

Sources said that the cost of the free food program for one year is about KD 400 million, or some KD 33 million per month, noting that there are studies being made by the government to determine annual or monthly costs, or providing food supplies only during the

month of Ramadan each year.

Sources added that the government could put in place such a popular program and also work to improve the standard of living for many citizens and provide opportunities for youths to find work. Other programs of interest to the public include reducing unemployment and quickly providing residential assistance, without the need to wait for long periods as in the past. It was noted that studies are now underway by committees and waiting to be finalized, in accordance with a timetable for studies to be approved and implemented.

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MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

LOCAL

Inspection campaigns held over the weekend Drug dealers assault police KUWAIT: Traffic police held several inspection campaigns over the weekend. At least 8,221 citations were issued and 424 vehicles were detained. According to statistics, 1,647 traffic tickets were issued and 29 vehicles were detained in the Capital. Also, 1,050 traffic tickets were issued and 45 vehicles were detained in Farwaniya. At least, 2,652 traffic tickets and 170 vehicles were detained in Hawally. A total of 1,189 traffic tickets and four vehicles were detained in Ahmadi. Also, 252 traffic tickets were issued in Mubarak Al-Kabeer and 692 traffic tickets were issued, in addition to 42 vehicles that were impounded in Jahra.

Drug dealers assault police Members of a Special Forces squad were assaulted by four unidentified individuals in an attempt to free their friend, a drug dealer who was arrested with the possession of two kilograms of hashish and two packets of heroin. The assailants succeeded in releasing their friend, leaving the confiscated drugs and the suspect’s identity card with the force. A search is ongoing to arrest the five suspects. Case details show that a police patrol cast suspicions on a vehicle in Jleeb and upon stopping it, they found that the driver, who was in a drug-induced stupor, was a bedoon with a criminal record. Upon searching the vehicle, policemen found the drugs but they were attacked by four of the suspect’s friends who arrived in two vehicles, assaulted the policemen and freed their friend.

Motorist mugged A young man filed a complaint with police stating that an unidentified individual, to whom he offered a lift in Jabriya, assaulted and robbed him. The young man explained that upon sight-

ing the man who was waiting for a lift, he offered to take him to his destination. However, ungrateful passenger assaulted him and stole his mobile.

A case was filed.

Girl elopes with lover A citizen filed a complaint with police stating that her daughter was ‘missing.’ She suspected that she was living with her boyfriend in Hawally. However, the girl’s sister, who knew about her whereabouts, warned her and the girl escaped. The police arrested the boyfriend and also summoned the girl. “We were just chatting with each other,” said the girl. A case was filed and the lover was referred to higher authorities.

Illicit liquor found An Asian man was arrested with the possession of 91 bottles and 50 plastic bags containing liquor. A highway patrol found a car that was parked suspiciously near Mina Abdullah.

The driver was in an inebriated condition. A case was filed and the suspect was referred to relevant authorities. In another case, two Asians were arrested with the possession of illicit liquor that was packed in bottles and plastic bags ready for sale.

Street fight Two Jordanians were stabbed in a fight that took place between two rival gangs in Farwaniya. Two young men were arrested. The injured men were hospitalized while the rest fled the scene. A case was filed and further investigations are in progress.

Apartment burgled A newly-wed citizen filed a complaint with police stating that thieves broke into his apart-

ment in Egaila and stole furniture, electrical appliances and jewelry. The man stated that after his wife left on a vacation abroad with her family, he had been occasionally checking on the apartment. Apparently, the thieves had been monitoring his moves and were aware that the place was empty. A case was filed and further investigations are in progress.

Housemaid steals cash, valuables A citizen filed a complaint with police stating that his Nepalese maid had fled the house after stealing KD 50, a laptop and a digital camera from her sponsor’s bedroom. The family had noticed that some money occasionally disappeared from the home and they suspected the maid. She was eventually caught. Moved by her pleas to not to deport her, the sponsor allowed her to stay. However, this time she disappeared with more booties. A case was filed and a search is on for the maid.

Suicide attempt An Ethiopian domestic worker who was arrested for not being in possession of an identification card, tried to end her life at the police station’s toilet. Policemen heard noises from detention room and upon checking it, they found the maid with the toilet flush rope flung around her neck. She was immediately rescued and rushed to Jahra hospital.

Corpse found The corpse of a Bangladeshi was found floating off Daeyia shore. Swimmers noticed the corpse and informed police. Coastguard forces removed the body. Preliminary investigations reveal that a case of homicide might be involved.

Questions arise following abuse of news employee KUWAIT: An Arab expat working as a typist in the editorial administration, news and political programs sector at a TV station, was confronted by much shouting and insults by one of the TV announcers because he was late in typing the editorial pages to be used in a program.

Sources said that the Arab expat, who was busy typing the local news, could not bear the shouting and abuse last Tuesday evening, which was heard by every one on the floor, and was very embarrassed, so he went to officials on the same floor to complain.

Explaining to the official that being shouted at was not a proper way to work, the Arab expat was shocked to hear the response of the official, who told him to “shut up and get out of here”. He repeated his complaint to the official, but did not receive satisfaction when the official told him “for the second time, I am telling you to shut up, and don’t speak to me and get out of here.”

Sources said what made the expat angry was the behavior of that official when he went to the TV announcer and asked him to forget

about it. Sources added that the official went to one of the editors in the newsroom and told her, “I am very happy because the TV announcer shouted at the typist and I kicked him out, because he is a spy for you.”

The question is: “ Who runs the news and political programs sector? Is it the current assistant under secretary for news, Faisal Al Mutalaqem, or is it the official who is trying to seek revenge on whoever worked with the exassistant undersecretary for news Yousuf Mustafa?”, reported Al-Anbaa.

Amghara factory catches fire

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

Nabila Al-Anjeri

Christophe de Bruyn

Leaders Group signs MoU with Spanish consultancy firm

KUWAIT: A factory situated in Amghara caught fire. Chemicals and timber were stored at its premises. Fire engines from five fire stations reached the site and tackled the flames.

This incident is the latest in a series of fires that have broken out in the country, particularly in Amghara.

One firefighter suffered injuries and was administered first aid treatment. MP

Ali Al-Diqbasi thanked firefighters for their hard work, adding that they deserve to be granted health insurance and an early retirement system.

Meanwhile Fire broke out in the Sulfur line of Ahmadi Refinery. KFSD’s e n gi n e s r u s h e d f ro m A h m a d i a n d i n d u s t r i a l S h u a i b a ce n te r s a n d brought the fire under control before it spread. Sources said the fire may have resulted from a leak. No casualties were reported.

KUWAIT: The Leaders Group for Consulting and Development recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Spanish company, Tourism and Leisure Advisory Services (T&L) that specializes in providing advice and consultations on the establishment and development of touristic projects, real estate and commercial complexes, resorts and marketing facilities. The MoU was signed by Nabila AlAnjeri, Leaders Group General Manager and Christophe de Bruyn, T&L’s Asia and Middle East Manager.

The agreement states that both sides cooperate on touristic projects, especially since T&L has more than ten years experience in the Gulf region. It has taken part in many superb projects such as the ‘Mouj’ project in Oman, the expansion of Jumeirah City by building 10 hotels in Dubai, building six hotels at Dubai’s Water Park, developing a series of 12 hotels in Saudi Arabia, Al-Aqeer touristic project in Saudi Arabia, conducting studies on recreational complexes in Qatar.

Speaking after signing the agreement, Al-Anjeri said that it would include cooperation on touristic and recreational projects for both the public and private sectors in Kuwait and other parts of the Middle East. She added that the agreement also states that whenever more help needed, will be sought from T&L’s mother group, EuroPraxis that is well-known in the field of administration and projects and has over 400 specialized experts operating in Barcelona, Madrid, Dubai.

URC completes final repayment of $100m KUWAIT: United Real Estate Company (URC), one of the region’s leading real estate companies, has announced that on July 9th, it received a confirmation from Citi, its delegate agent, confirming that URC has made the final repayment to complete its US$100 million sukuk obligations in full and that Citi no longer has any holdings for the issued securities.

The sukuk was issued on 13 June 2007 with a return of LIBOR +1.5 percent, repayable in five annual installments, each of which URC repaid on time, in line with the original agreement. The money has been used to assist URC in the financing of projects at the time, and for the refinancing of obligations and liabilities with improved terms and conditions.

KUWAIT: Dasman Diabetes Institute held an Open Day awareness program for people suffering from diabetes on how to cope during the holy month of Ramadan.

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

Sudan university cuts classes after demos Page 10

Obama goes negative with Romney attack ad Page 11

NAWALPARASI: Nepalese people stand around the bodies of Hindu pilgrims after a bus fell into an irrigation canal near the pilgrimage site of Triveni, Nawalparasi some 100 kms southwest of Kathmandu yesterday. At least 38 pilgrims were killed yesterday when an overcrowded bus carrying them from India to a Hindu festival in southern Nepal swerved off a highway and plunged into a deep river. —AFP

Nepal bus crash kills 38 pilgrims 35 pilgrims from Indian state of Uttar Pradesh

News

in brief

Palestinian ex-officer dies after ‘fall’ in police custody RAMALLAH: A retired Palestinian security officer died yesterday of injuries sustained af ter falling from a window while in Palestinian custody, security sources told AFP. The unidentified 49-year-old man was pronounced dead at a Ramallah hospital, where he was transported suffering serious injuries, with one source saying it was unclear if he had fallen or was pushed to his death. “This citizen is a retired security officer who was being held by the intelligence services in Ramallah on suspicion of corruption involving the sale of land,” a security source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“He fell from a building and died, but we do not k now if he fell or was pushed,” the source added. The details were confirmed by a second security source, who said the man was being investigated on suspicion of having “manipulated land records and sold land to Israel.” Medical sources said the man’s body was taken to the Institute for Forensic M edicine in Abu Dis, near Jerusalem, for an autopsy.

Saudi activists urge visits to jailed cleric DUBAI: A Saudi Arabian activist group is urging international rights organizations to seek fact-finding visits with a jailed Shiite cleric. His arrest on anti-state charges has sharply escalated tensions in Saudi Arabia’s restive eastern region. Yesterday’s statement by the Al-Sharaq Human Rights Center expresses concern for Sheik Nimr al-Nimr, claiming he has not been allowed to see lawyers or relatives since his arrest earlier this month. Saudi officials had no immediate comment. Authorities say al-Nimr was arrested after a gunbattle in Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich eastern province, where security forces have clashed with minority Shiite protesters demanding greater rights from the country’s Sunni monarchy. On Friday, the Interior Ministry said a militant gunman was killed during an attack on a police station in the region.

KATHMANDU: At least 38 pilgrims were killed yesterday when an overcrowded bus carrying them from India to a Hindu festival in southern Nepal swerved off a highway and plunged into a deep river.

The bus was taking the devotees — 35 of whom were from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh-to a temple in Nawalparasi district, 150 kilometres (90 miles) west of Kathmandu, police inspector Deepak Raya told AFP from the crash site.

“We have discovered 38 dead bodies.

Five persons who jumped off from the bus before it plunged into the river are undergoing treatment at local hospitals,” he said. “Among them, there is one small

girl, 10 women and the rest are men. We have not seen the bus-it is still inside the water.” He said the survivors had told police there were around 75 people on board before the vehicle fell into the Gandak river, on Nepal’s border with India. Three of the dead are Nepalis, he added.

“We are yet to find out the cause of the accident. The water level in the river was high as it is monsoon time so the bus on its way to Triveni sank... after skidding away from the road,” Raya told AFP. “Many of those who died are from Maharajganj district of Uttar Pradesh.

They were here to attend the annual reli-

gious festival at Triveni and worship Lord Shiva, the Hindu god, on Monday morning.” More than 100 police officers and soldiers have been deployed to scour the Gandak and its banks for survivors.

July marks the beginning of the monsoon season in Nepal, when rivers which have become parched in the first half of the year begin to swell up again, posing a greater threat to vehicles which lose control. Accidents are relatively common on the impoverished Himalayan country’s highways because of poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reck less driving. A speeding bus plunged off a mountain road in western

Nepal last month into a deep ravine, killing 10 people.

A bus crash on a remote stretch of mountain road in the east of the country that killed 41 people in October last year was described as the most deadly for several years. The bus, carrying around 60 people, plunged 300 metres (1,000 feet) onto a river bank after losing control and swerving off a narrow section of highway. Nepal’s road network has seen a four-fold expansion over the last 25 years, but that has been accompanied by a rising death rate. Official figures showed 1,734 fatalities in 2010, up from 879 in 2001-2.—AFP

THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2012

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

Protester self-immolation ‘tragedy,’ says Israel PM JERUSALEM: Israel’s premier and president yesterday offered a protester who set himself alight their wishes for a speedy recovery, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling the incident a “personal tragedy.” Moshe Silman, who set himself ablaze at a social justice demonstration in the city of Tel Aviv on Saturday night, was said yesterday to be fighting for his life after suffering extensive burns.

“I wish Moshe Silman a full recovery, this is a huge personal tragedy,” Netanyahu said in remarks

published on his Facebook page. In a letter he read out before setting himself on fire, Silman blamed Netanyahu and the Israeli establishment for “stealing” from him, saying they had “left him with nothing.” Netanyahu’s comments yesterday made no reference to the accusations.

“I accuse the state of Israel, Netanyahu and (Finance Minister) Yuval Steinitz, the bastards, for the humiliation that the weakened citizens of Israel endure on a daily basis,” the letter said. “They take from the poor to give to the rich.” Local media

reported that Silman, 58, had been living for the past year in the northern city Haifa and was the owner of a trucking business that was sold off due to debts. According to his letter, he recently suffered a stroke that left him incapable of working, but housing ministry committees did not find him eligible for public housing benefits.

President Shimon Peres said that “along with all the people of Israel, I am praying for Moshe Silman’s recovery.” In a statement yesterday morning Peres noted that Silman’s condition was

“extremely serious.” Silman was being treated in the burns unit at Tel Hashomer hospital near Tel Aviv. The Saturday night demonstrations, which drew approximately 8,000 people in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem, were to mark the first anniversary of mass protests against the spiralling cost of living. The protest movement began last summer, with activists seeking reforms that would make food, housing and education more affordable. But many feel that government promises to enact economic reforms have not been kept. — AFP

Iraq PM calls for US to speed up arms transfers

ALEXANDRIA: Egyptians gather to inspect the site where a building collapsed in the coastal city of Alexandria yesterday. Egypt’s health ministry said that rescue services had retrieved several bodies from under the rubble of an 11-storey building that collapsed a day earlier in Alexandria. Three neighbouring homes were also destroyed. —AFP

10 killed in high-rise collapse in Egypt ALEXANDRIA: Egypt’s Health Ministry says 10 people have been killed when an apartment tower under construction collapsed on adjacent buildings in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. The ministry said yesterday that five other people were injured and that search teams are searching for survivors buried under rubble.

The 11-storey building in the poor Alexandria neighborhood of Al-Gomrouk collapsed late Saturday onto three adjacent

buildings, reducing much of the structures to rubble. All the dead and injured lived in the three smaller buildings. Building collapses are not uncommon in Egypt, where shoddy construction is widespread in shantytowns, poor city neighborhoods and rural areas. With real estate at a premium in big cities like Alexandria and Cairo, developers seeking bigger profits frequently violate planning permits and exceed the number of stories allowed. — AP

BAGHDAD: Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki called yesterday for the US to speed up the transfer of weapons to Iraq, which lacks the ability to defend its airspace or borders, six months after American troops withdrew. The Iraqi premier also pointedly said during a meeting with General James Mattis, the visiting head of US Central Command, that only the central government would decide which arms purchases would be made, in an apparent swipe at Kurdish complaints over the acquisition of F-16 warplanes.

“His excellency called for the acceleration of equipping the army, in a way that makes it able to defend Iraq, and its sovereignty and independence,” a statement issued by the premier’s office said. It quoted Maliki as saying that Iraq did “not want to transgress upon anyone, and we reject anyone transgressing upon us or infringing on our sovereignty.” Maliki added that “the policy of equipping should be federal and in accordance with what the federal government specifies is a priority and a need.” Iraq has agreed to acquire American military equipment worth more than $10 billion, including 36 F-16 warplanes which are not expected to be delivered for years, but also tanks, artillery, helicopters and patrol boats.

While the army is regarded as able to maintain internal security, Iraqi and American officials acknowledge it cannot protect Iraq’s airspace, borders or territorial waters. Until last year, when US forces withdrew from Iraq, American troops had helped Baghdad carry out those tasks. The F-16 purchase has raised alarm bells in the northern

KIRKUK: Dozens of Iraqi families hold pictures of their missing loved ones during a protest demanding the government to intervene to clarify the fate of their relatives who disappeared in the past few years, in the northern city of Kirkuk yesterday. —AFP

Kurdistan region, with Kurdish president Massud Barzani saying earlier this year he was opposed to the sale of the warplanes while Maliki was prime minister, as he fears they would be used against Kurdistan.

He later softened those remarks, but

regional prime minister Nechirvan Barzani, the president’s nephew, warned in May of the continued desire for “ethnic cleansing” from Iraqi politicians, though he did not specifically point fingers at any in particular.— AFP

Syria denies ‘massacre’ as UN pursues probe

MAINE: In this Wednesday, July 11, 2012 photo, Zahra, left, of Pakistan, and Marwa, of Afghanistan, work together to traverse a high ropes course at the Seeds of Peace summer camp in Otisfield, Maine. The camp is celebrating its 20th anniversary of bringing together kids from countries at conflict. —AP

Arab Spring on campers’ minds in Maine OTISFIELD: The Arab Spring uprisings have brought a new sense of optimism to young people from troubled nations as they spend time at a special camp nestled in the hills of western Maine where they confront and resolve their differences.

“It gives me the feeling that everything is possible and nothing is impossible,” said 17year-old Lina, who witnessed the regime change in her home country of Egypt, on a sunny afternoon at the lakeside Seeds of Peace camp. “We believe that with change, peace is possible. We believe we are the leaders of the future.” Seeds of Peace is now in its 20th year of bringing together children from countries in conflict. The more than 200 campers this summer - the most in the camp’s two decades - include Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians, Egyptians, Indians, Pakistanis and Afghans.

The 3 1/2-week session also comes as a regime change in Egypt concludes, invigorating the optimism that young campers like Lina can carry their message into the world.

Out of security concerns, the camp has a policy against campers revealing their full names.

“The media and politicians make it seem impossible for ‘enemies’ to want to live together,” said Hatem, 16, also from Cairo. “Camp doesn’t end when you leave. It begins when you leave.”

The pine-shaded camp features outdoor activities such as soccer, volleyball, cricket and swimming, interspersed with dialogue sessions, the core of the program. Campers, working with facilitators, are encouraged to voice their views that reflect conflicts and seek to resolve their differences. “We’re not here to shy away from the conflict. We’re here to confront it,” said Eric Kapenga, communications director for the nonprofit camp. The camp was founded by John Wallach, a foreign news correspondent and co-author of two books about the Middle East; Wallach died in 2002.

Since its founding, more than 5,000 campers and educators from 27 countries have attended Seeds of Peace.

Other states and countries also have children’s camps and programs based on similar culture-sharing themes. The Manhasset, N.Y.based nonprofit Tuesday’s Children, for example, creates programs that bring together children and families whose lives have been dramatically altered by terrorism. The Maine camp’s activities are designed to build trust.

Youngsters from different countries and varied backgrounds are paired up on the camp’s ropes course, where teammate trust can be crucial in keeping safety-harnessed participants 30 feet aloft.

The New York-based peace program has also branched out to a new venue - the sea to promote its goals. A 125-foot schooner this summer made a Portland, Maine-New YorkBoston voyage with 18 camp graduates, or “seeds,” working cooperatively as crew members. It’s the second year of the Seas of Peace program, said Leslie Lewin, the organization’s executive director. The Seeds program is committed to keeping connections active with campers after they graduate, through a variety of seminars and other gatherings all over the world. More than 65 Seeds graduates are currently meeting in Ireland for a program on conflict resolution.

“Given what’s going on in the world today, our work is probably more important than it’s ever been,” Lewin said. Conflicts remain to be resolved in a number of regions. With the Arab Spring, “we’ve seen real results from young people who want to make a difference in the world, and that gives us more motivation to support these talented and committed young people.” Among the graduates are a filmmaker whose video went viral and became an anthem for the Egyptian revolution, a Palestinian who is working through the United Nations for Mideast peace and a news anchor on Israeli TV, Kapenga said.

Majib, a 24-year-old Seeds counselor who first came to the Maine camp in 2002 and is a news correspondent in his country, said the program opened his eyes for the first time in his life to “a huge spectrum of views.” —AP

DAMASCUS: Syria denied its armed forces carried out a massacre in Treimsa but said 37 gunmen and two civilians were killed in clashes there with rebels, as UN monitors returned to the village yesterday. Rights activists say more than 150 people were massacred in Treimsa, which if confirmed would make it one of the bloodiest episodes of Syria’s 16-month uprising. Even so, it has already galvanised diplomatic efforts.

Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon head for Russia and China today to press the two UN Security Council doubters to back tougher action against President Bashar al-Assad to halt the slaughter in Syria. The visits by the UN-Arab League envoy and the UN leader come at a crucial new stage in the conflict. The Security Council has until Friday to renew the UN mission in Syria but is divided over Western calls to add sanctions. “So divided that maybe Annan and Ban now have the most influence over Russia and China to get anything done,” said one senior UN council diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.

On the ground, troops bombarded rebel areas in several parts of Syria as violence killed at least 55 people yesterday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Among the dead was a girl who died along with three other people when the army rained shells on the town of Rastan, a rebel stronghold in the central province of Homs, the Britain-based monitoring group said. Speaking at a news conference in Damascus, foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said Syrian government forces did not use helicopters and tanks in Thursday’s assault on Treimsa.

“What happened was not an attack by the army on innocent civilians,” said Makdissi. “The aim of this news conference is to tell people that what happened was not a massacre... It was a clash between regular forces and armed groups who do not believe in a peaceful solution. This is the reality, politically and militarily.”

Makdissi staunchly denied reports suggesting the army had used aircraft in the assault. “This is absolutely not true. Only troop carriers and lights weapons were used, the most powerful of weapons being RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades),” he said. UN observers entered Treimsa to continue their investigations, after they saw blood and evidence of the use of heavy weapons as well as burned out homes during a trip to the village on Saturday. They did not give a casualty toll.

“On the basis of this preliminary mission, UNSMIS can confirm that an attack, using a variety of weapons, took place in Treimsa on July 12,” said Sausan Ghosheh, spokeswoman for the UN Supervision Mission in Syria. “The attack on Treimsa appeared targeted at specific groups and houses, mainly of army defectors and activists. There were pools of blood and blood spatters in rooms of several homes together with bullet cases,” she said.

“The UN team also observed a burned school and damaged houses with signs of internal burning in five of them,” Ghosheh said, adding that a “wide range of weapons were used, including artillery, mortars and small arms.”

‘Only five buildings targeted’- Makdissi said “only five buildings where there were very sophisticated weapons were targeted.” The Syrian Observatory said more than 150 people were killed in the assault which it alleged was a massacre carried out by the army backed by pro-regime shabiha

HOMS: In this citizen journalism image provided by Shaam News Network SNN, taken on Saturday, Syrians pray during the funeral procession of a man killed, in Homs, Syria. —AP militiamen. But Makdissi, citing an unidentified source who claimed to have buried them, said that “37 armed men were killed and two civilians only.”

The Observatory’s Rami Abdel Rahman had previously told AFP it “might be the biggest massacre committed in Syria since the start of the revolution” in March 2011. Treimsa is a majority Sunni village situated near Alawite hamlets. President Assad belongs to the Alawite community-an offshoot of Shiite Islam although most Syrians are Sunni. The international community has reacted with outrage to the latest killings, which have added urgency to deadlocked UN Security Council negotiations on a Syria resolution.

A draft statement which said the Syria government is in “violation” of its international commitments was circulated among the 15 council nations

on Friday, diplomats said. Russia’s envoys said they could not agree without approval from Moscow.

Russia has led the resistance and Annan is to meet President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during two days of talks in Moscow, said his spokesman Ahmad Fawzi. China has supported Russia’s rejections and Ban heads for Beijing on Monday, officially for a China-Africa summit. But Syria will top his talks agenda when he meets President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and other leaders, said a UN official. Ban has said that international inaction on Syria would be giving “a license for further massacres.” He already urged China to use its “influence” to back Annan’s peace plan when he spoke with Yang by telephone on Saturday, said UN spokesman Martin Nesirky.— AFP

UAE nuclear plant gets environmental OK DUBAI: Abu Dhabi’s environment agency has approved plans for the United Arab Emirates’ first nuclear power plant, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) said yesterday, adding that it is still awaiting a construction licence. The no objection certificate from the environmental regulator is one of several approvals needed for construction to begin on the two reactors at the Barakah nuclear power plant.

“Nuclear energy is one of the ways in which Abu Dhabi is demonstrating its commitment to the environment, as nuclear energy plants emit almost zero carbon emissions during operations,” ENEC chief executive officer Mohamed Al Hammadi said. “ With four nuclear energy plants delivering electricity to the grid by 2020, we will be delivering 5,600 megawatts of low carbon electricity to the

national grid,” he said, adding the plants should avoid emitting about 12 million tonnes of carbon each year.

The UAE, one of the world’s highest per capita emitters of the climate-warming gas, in December 2009 awarded a South Korean consortium led by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) a contract to build four nuclear reactors to meet rapidly rising demand for electricity. Last year’s Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, caused by a huge earthquake and tsunami, has prompted some countries to reconsider their atomic ambitions. The UAE wants to reduce its dependence on imported natural gas but after applying for permission in December 2010, ENEC still does not have a construction licence from the Federal Authority of Nuclear Regulation (FANR). — Reuters

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

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

Nigeria army plans raids after weekend carnage LAGOS: The Nigerian army said yesterday it plans to raid suspected militant hideouts in several central villages after attacks last weekend claimed by the Islamist Boko Haram sect that killed over 100 people. “We will conduct operation sweep and search this week in some villages in Plateau state we suspect are hideouts of miscreants and assailants,” army spokesman Captain Salihu Mustapha told AFP, adding that residents had been warned to leave to

avoid getting caught up in any violence.

Boko Haram claimed attacks in central Plateau state last weekend that killed more than 100 people, but police insisted that Muslim herdsmen from the Fulani tribe were responsible. At least 22 people, including two senior politicians, were killed last Sunday in an attack on a funeral for vic tims of violence on Saturday, when gunmen stormed mainly Christian villages and killed more

than 80 people. Troops from the military’s Special Task Force have already been deployed to several villages in Plateau state, Mustapha said. “We are telling (residents) to evacuate the areas to avoid being caught in a crossfire when the operation begins. ”Ethnic Fulani herdsmen are a majority Muslim group with long-standing land rights grievances against the state’s mainly Christian leaders. In March 2010 they launched a wave of attacks on Birom Christian villages,

slaughtering more than 500 people, according to local officials.

Plateau state is in Nigeria’s socalled “Middle Belt,” where the mainly Christian south meets the majority Muslim north, and has been the site of sectarian violence in recent years.

Fulani pastoralists of Hausa-Muslim ethnicity are seen as “settlers” by the Christian ethnic groups that dominate power in Plateau state, even though the Fulani have been there for decades.

The state capital Jos and its environs have suffered a wave of sectarian and communal clashes in recent years that has left thousands of people dead. The area has also been hit by gun and bomb attacks blamed on Boko Haram which have killed more than 1,000 people since mid-2009 in Africa’s most populous nation and top oil producer. Boko Haram has targeted Jos in the past, but there is no apparent link between the Fulani and the radical Islamist sect.— AFP

Sudan university cuts classes after demos University closed until end of Ramadan

MOSCOW: This file picture taken on July 16, 2009, shows people holding portraits of slain Russian human rights activist Natalya Estemirova, during a rally in Moscow.—AFP

Friends see sabotage in activist murder probe MOSCOW: World activists accused the Russian state of sabotaging a probe into the abduction and murder three years ago yesterday of an award-winning campaigner for those struggling in the crisis-torn Caucasus. Natalya Estemirova was bundled into a car moments after stepping out of her home in the Chechen capital Grozny on the morning of July 15. Her blood-stained body was dumped near a highway in nextdoor Ingushetia only a few hours later.

The 50-year-old Memorial rights group worker had been looking into the alleged public execution of a man by Chechen police at the time of her killing and was a public opponent of strongman Ramzan Kadyrov’s Kremlin-backed rule. “We have seen absolutely no progress in the search for the real culprits,” Memorial chief Oleg Orlov told Moscow Echo radio. “The investigation team is coming under two forms of sabotage,” he noted.

“There is sabotage from the heads of the Committee. And then there is sabotage from (Chechen officials) on the ground who are supposed to be helping the investigation.” Amnesty International for its part said it had been forced to conclude that the Russian authorities never actually intended to find those responsible for the murder.

The absence of any progress “can only be explained by a lack of political will to end impunity for such crimes,” the global rights group’s regional director John Dalhuisen said in a statement. “We have to conclude that the Russian authorities gave hollow promises that they never meant to fulfil,” the Amnesty International representative said. Estemirova’s death and 2006 Moscow shooting of Chechen campaigners and Novaya Gazeta newspaper report Anna Politkoskaya have embodied fears about links between the Chechen authorities and violent organised crime. Both shootingsraised repeatedly during foreign state visits

by President Vladimir Putin and his predecessor Dmitry Medvedev-appear to have been well-planned and involved victims who were regarded as public enemies by Kadyrov.

The authoritarian ruler of the once-separatist and war-devastated republic denies any link to either attack. A Kremlin rights panel submitted a report to Medvedev on the death’s second anniversary last year accusing the powerful Federal Security Service-once headed by ex-KGB agent Putin-of itself torpedoing the investigation.

Medvedev never responded to the 2011 report and in May ceded his Kremlin seat to Putin in favour of the prime minister’s post.

Rights groups blamed the state’s inaction for sustaining a sense of impunity among corrupt and criminal local officials that has led to the disappearance or murder of at least four other campaigners in the past three years. “With Estemirova’s murder, the situation for human rights workers in Chechnya and other parts of the North Caucasus deteriorated sharply,” said Tatyana Lokshina of Human Rights Watch in Moscow. Lokshina said those still missing included a local staffer of the Danish Refugee Council who vanished in Grozny in October 2009. Putin, since his return to the Kremlin for a third term, has been waging a new crackdown on non-governmental organisations such as Memorial that includes a bill branding them “foreign agents” for accepting US and European funding. The campaign extends a history of acrimonious relations with rights movements that carries over to periodic diplomatic tensions with the West. Many at Memorial particularly remember Putin for dismissing the work of Navaya Gazeta reporter Politkovskaya as “extremely insignificant” shortly after her death-comments apparently aimed at proving the state’s innocence in her case.— AFP

KHARTOUM: Administrators at Sudan’s main university have partially shut down the campus, sources at the institution said yesterday, after several Arab Springstyle student protests sparked by high inflation. “Now there is no teaching from today up to the end of Ramadan,” one University of Khartoum source told AFP. He said the decision came after intensified demonstrations at the institution near the Blue Nile River in central Khartoum.

“Even people from outside the university started to participate,” he said, asking not to be identified because of the sensitive situation.

“So they decided the only solution is to close the university.” The decision affects most colleges on the main campus but satellite facilities elsewhere in Khartoum are still in session, another campus source said. “It is not a closure but they just made the program (finish) quicker... instead of allowing some disturbance,” a second source said, adding that students have been told to return after the holy month of Ramadan to sit for examinations. Ramadan begins on Friday. The decision to cancel many classes came after students on the main campus last Wednesday staged perhaps their biggest protest since unrest began on June 16. A witness said security forces fired tear gas at the students-estimated at more than 100 — who were shouting and throwing stones. That followed a demonstration on July 8 which was also met with tear gas.

There have been other periodic protests on campus since students first voiced their opposition to high food prices one month ago.

Two pickup trucks carrying riot police were seen driving through

ADDIS ABABA: Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir (center L) meets his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir (center R) in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, on Saturday.—AFP the campus area yesterday, an AFP reporter said. After President Omar al-Bashir announced austerity measures, including tax hikes and an end to cheap fuel, the scattered protests spread to include a cross-section of people around the capital and in other parts of Sudan.

During their rallies the activists have repeated a call made by crowds at Arab Spring protests around the region: “The people want the fall of the regime.”

Students are also upset at the detention of a large number of their colleagues whose academic year could be at risk, another uni-

versity source has said. Public protests have in recent weeks focused on Fridays at a mosque linked to the opposition Umma Party in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman. More than 30 people were arrested there on July 13 when police fired tear gas and beat people, a senior opposition figure said.

Although lasting for an unprecedented month the demonstrations have not attracted the mass following, in which students played a key role, which toppled military regimes in 1964 and 1985. Sudanese proudly point to this history which occurred

Radical Islamists in Mali enlist new militia

Ruling party has majority in Congo Republic poll BRAZZAVILLE: Voters in the tiny oilexporting Central African state of Congo Republic headed to the polls to elect a new parliament in yesterday, with the ruling party of President Denis Sassou Nguesso and its allies seen holding the majority.

Opposition parties have complained about a lack of access to state media during campaigning and early voter turnout was thin, a Reuters reporter in the capital Brazzaville said. The ruling Congolese Workers’ Party (PCT) and a cluster of allied parties control all but a dozen of the nearly 140 seats in the lower house after the opposition boycotted the last poll in 2007, accusing the government of vote rigging.

Nguesso came to power in a 1997 coup and has won two elections since then,

including a 2009 presidential vote marked by accusations of fraud. A constitutional limit on presidential terms mean he must step down in 2016, although some opposition groups believe the PCT and allies will seek to change that.

Under Nguesso’s rule, Congo Republic has enjoyed a degree of stability since 1997. However in March around 200 people were killed in a blast sparked by a fire at an arms dump in Brazzaville filled with munitions left over from the civil war. The former French colony is expecting oil production at around 288,000 barrels per day this year, worth $5 billion in revenue. The International Monetary Fund sees economic growth rising from 3.1 percent this year to over 5 percent in 2013.—Reuters

German doctors seek urgent action on circumcision row BERLIN: German doctors are seeking an urgent clarification from the government over religious circumcision after a court ruling calling it a criminal act prompted an international outcry. The German government had on Friday pledged quick action to protect the right of Jews and Muslims to circumcise baby boys on religious grounds, and voiced concern about the June ruling by the court in the city of Cologne.

The court said the removal of the foreskin for religious reasons amounted to assault and battery and was therefore illegal. German Medical Association president Frank Ulrich Montgomer y told the Tagesspiegel newspaper yesterday that the decision “created considerable legal

uncertainty ”. “From the beginning we warned that his culturally sensitive ruling was erroneous,” he said.

The College of Physicians called on the government to act to prevent clandestine circumcisions and to ensure that “children do not fall into the hands of any butcher or any old health worker”. The Cologne ruling concerned a case brought against a doctor who had circumcised a four-year-old Muslim boy in line with his parents’ wishes.

When the boy later suffered heavy bleeding, prosecutors charged the doctor.

Although the doctor was acquitted, the court judged that “the right of a child to keep his physical integrity trumps the rights of parents” to observe their religion, potentially setting a legal precedent.— AFP

long before the Arab Spring revolts began in December 2010 against authoritarian rulers in North Africa and the Middle East.

Bashir has played down the demonstrations as small-scale and not comparable to the Arab Spring. He has suggested that someone was behind the protests against his National Congress Party (NCP) government. Classes had already been suspended at the University of Khar toum for more than two months early this year following a student sit-in and exam boycott after a clash with police on campus in December.—AFP

NICOSIA: Cypriot people stand by the graves of Cypriot soldiers and police officers killed July 15, 1974, during a coup which was intended to overthrow Archbishop Makarios, at the Ayios Constantinos and Elenis cemetery in the capital of Nicosia, Cyprus yesterday. Cyprus was split into Greek Cypriot south and Turkish Cypriot north in 1974 when Turkey invaded in response to a coup by supporters of unification with Greece. —AP

Cyprus: Foreign tip-off led to suspect’s arrest NICOSIA: Information provided by foreign security services led to the arrest of a foreign national in Cyprus on the suspicion he was helping to plot a possible terrorist attack, the island’s justice minister said yesterday. Loucas Louca said “cooperation and information” from foreign agencies had resulted in last week’s arrest. He declined to identify the agencies involved. “Let’s leave the case to run its course, allow investigators to finish their job and we’ll see where we’ll conclude,” he told reporters.

Police said the 24-year-old man remains in custody after his arrest in the coastal town of Limassol, and is being investigated on charges relating to national security and terrorism. State CyBC radio has reported the suspect is a Swedish passport holder of Lebanese origin, and that documents and photographs were found in his possession detailing movements of Israelis on the island. Police have not identified the sus-

pect, his role in the possible attack, or the intended target. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday blamed Iran for the alleged plot, but offered no proof to support his allegations. “After Iran sent its people to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador on US soil at the Saudi Embassy, and carr y out attacks in Azerbaijan, Tbilisi, New Delhi and Africa, now it has been exposed that it intended to commit a terror attack on Cyprus soil,” he said in a statement.

“The international community must fight against the biggest exporter of terror in the world.” Israeli officials could not be reached for comment. Israel and Iran are bitter enemies. Israel considers Iran a threat to its existence because of its nuclear and missile development programs, frequent reference to Israel’s destruction by Iranian leaders and Iran’s support of violent groups in Lebanon and Gaza.— AP

BAMAKO: Al-Qaeda-linked radical Islamists in northern Mali have enlisted new fighters from a tribal militia to strengthen their grip on the region, according to a witness and the group. A resident of Douentza town told The Associated Press yesterday that some 400 combatants of the governmentbacked Gandakoy militia appear to have broken ranks and joined the Islamists, bolstering the radicals’ edge over ethnic Tuareg rebels in the area. The witness, reached by phone from Bamako, declined to be named for fear of reprisals by the Islamists of the Ansar Dine group.

One of the group’s Timbuktu-based fighters, Oumar Ould Hamaha, confirmed the resident’s observation, saying the Gandakoy militants in Douentza are “100 percent with Ansar Dine.” After a coup that ousted Mali’s democratic government in March, ethnic Tuareg rebels seeking secession took control of the country’s north - an area larger than France - but were driven out in June by the Islamists vowing to introduce an ultra-strict interpretation of Islamic law, the Shariah. They are estimated to number about 700 fighters, but exact figures are not available.

Douentza, some 250 kilometers (150 miles) south of Timbuktu, is considered to lie on the front line between Mali’s army and the separatist Tuareg rebels of the National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad. Ansar Dine’s spokesman, Sanda Abou Mohamed, also confirmed that the Gandakoy “who respect our principles” arrived in Douentza. “I can’t tell you the exact number of Gandakoy fighters in Douentza,” he said, adding that they are there to control one of the important roads linking the country’s south and north.

In Goundam town, some 100 kilometers west of Timbuktu, the Islamists briefly detained some 90 protesters and whipped them in an apparent attempt to intimidate the locals following a demonstration against them on Friday, according to residents. In a sign that eerily reminded the international community of the Taliban’s destruction of famous ancient Buddha statues in Afghanistan in the 1990s, the Islamists have also started to destroy Muslim shrines and historical sites, including some in Timbuktu which are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.—AP

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

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

China frigate heads home, averts South Sea standoff MANILA/BEIJING: Chinese frigate grounded in disputed waters close to the Philippines was refloated yesterday and headed back home, averting a possible standoff with the Philippines navy amid rising tensions in the strategically key South China Sea. The South China Sea has become Asia’s biggest potential military flashpoint as Beijing’s sovereignty claim over the huge area has set it against Vietnam and the Philippines as the three countries race to tap possibly huge oil reserves.

In all, six parties have rival claims to the waters, which were a central issue at an acrimonious ASEAN regional summit last week that ended with its members failing to agree on a concluding statement for the first time in 45 years. On Friday, the Chinese navy

said one of its vessels had run aground on Half Moon Shoal, about 90 nautical miles (170 km) off the western Philippine island of Palawan, prompting Manila to send two of its vessels and reconnaissance aircraft to the area.

Beijing said its vessel had been on a routine patrol. “At about 5 am on July 15, the frigate which had run aground in waters near Half Moon Shoal successfully extricated itself with the help of a rescue team,” China’s defence ministry said in a statement. “The bow has sustained light damage and everybody on board is safe. Its return to port is being organised. The incident caused no maritime pollution,” the statement added, without providing further details.

The Philippines defence ministry

News

in brief

Japan recalls Beijing envoy amid territorial row TOKYO: Japan recalled its ambassador to China for consultations yesterday amid a simmering row between the Asian powers over disputed territory in the East China Sea, reports said. Uichiro Niwa had returned to Tokyo for talks with Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba on the latest developments in the dispute, they said. “I will report and have consultations” with Gemba, Niwa told reporters as he arrived at the foreign ministry in Tokyo, according to Jiji Press. Niwa said it had yet to be decided when he would return to Beijing. “But I think I will have to return after finishing the talks,” he was quoted by Kyodo News as saying. Gemba has denied the government was recalling Niwa in protest against China, insisting that his return home was for consultations, Japanese media reported. Japan last week lodged two separate complaints with Beijing after Chinese vessels entered resource-rich waters claimed by both Tokyo and Beijing near a group of islands known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese. It also summoned the Chinese ambassador after the first incident. China, meanwhile, expressed its strong opposition to a Japanese plan to buy the islands from the family that Tokyo recognises as the legitimate owner. Despite the importance of the two nations’ trading ties, relations between Japan and China are frequently tense, particularly over the territorial dispute and Japan’s war-time aggression in Asia. China has pressed its claim to waters far from its coast more energetically over the last few years as it has increased in both economic and military might.

Three swept to death by rampaging Philippine river MANILA: Officials say a pregnant woman and two girls have been swept to their deaths by a rainswollen river in the southern Philippines. Office of Civil Defense Administrator Benito Ramos says the three were washing clothes along the bank of the Safali river in Tiboli town in South Cotabato province on Saturday when the water rapidly rose and the current swept them away. He says their bodies were found downstream. Ramos said yesterday that pounding rains poured down a nearby mountain and swamped the river, catching the three by surprise. At least 20 storms are expected to lash the Philippines during the current rainy season.

Taiwan mulls extending runway in Spratlys TAIPEI: Taiwan is considering extending the runway on the contested Spratly island in a move that could provoke fresh tensions in the heavily disputed South China Sea, media reported yesterday. If approved, the project would extend by 500 metres (1,640 feet) the runway on Taiping Island, the largest in the disputed waters and some 860 miles (1,376 kilometres) from Taiwan, the Liberty Times said. “The national security authorities lately convened a meeting to evaluate the proposal as the situation in the South China Sea has been getting ever complicated,” it cited an unnamed national security source as saying.

Tensions in the South China Sea have risen recently, with China and the Philippines locked in a maritime dispute over the Scarborough Shoal, a reef off the Philippine coast. The runway, currently 1,150 metres (3,773 feet), was built in 2006 despite protests from other countries with claims in the potentially oil-rich area, including Vietnam, Brunei, China, Malaysia and the Philippines. Calls for an increase of Taiwan’s defence capability on the disputed area have been on the rise as the claimants have deployed more troops and added military facilities there. In May Taiwan’s coastguards said that the number of intruding Vietnamese boats surged to 106 last year, up from 42 the previous year. —Agencies

confirmed the grounded vessel and about six other Chinese ships spotted in the area had left. Manila says Half Moon Shoal falls well within its 200nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, as recognised by international law. “The incident in Hasa-Hasa shoal makes us nervous,” Rommel Banlaoii, executive director of Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, told Reuters, referring to Half Moon shoal in the Spratlys.

“I think what happened there was an accident, but we don’t want such accident happening again because it could trigger something that all claimant states do not want to happen there.”

Philippine defence and military officials say they are worried by China’s “creeping” in disputed areas in the

South China Sea, a violation of an informal code of conduct adopted in Cambodia in 2002. The two countries have faced-off on a number of occasions in the disputed waters, and earlier in the year they were involved in a month-long standoff at Scarborough Shoal, about 500 km north of Half Moon Shoal.

Last year, the Philippines scrambled aircraft and ships to the Reed Bank area after Chinese navy ships threatened to ram a Philippine survey ship.

Beijing said last month it had begun “combat-ready” patrols in waters it said were under its control in the South China Sea, after saying it “vehemently opposed” a Vietnamese law asserting sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly islands. The stakes have risen in the area as the US military shifts its

Japan troops fly supplies to thousands cut off by floods 3,500 remained cut off by landslides

FUKUOKA: A road along a river is partially collapsed in Yame, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan yesterday. Heavy rain triggered flash floods and mudslides in southern Japan last week, killing over two dozens of people. —AP

TOKYO: Troops yesterday airlifted supplies to thousands of people cut off by landslides and torrential downpours that have killed at least 24 in southwest Japan as meteorologists warned of further heavy rain. Television footage showed soldiers loading food, water and medical supplies onto military helicopters to send them to mountainous areas in Yame, Fukuoka prefecture on Kyushu island.

Local authorities were separately dispatching rescue helicopters to take patients and elderly villagers to hospital from the isolated area, where at least one person was killed, officials said.

Some 2,000 people regained access but 3,500 others remained cut off since Saturday as landslides and fallen trees have blocked roads and water supplies in the region which has been hit by unprecedented rainfall since Wednesday.

“It is still uncertain when we can remove rubble from the roads so that the remaining people can secure access,” said Machiko Koga, a spokeswoman for Yame City government. Rescue operations continued in other affected areas of Kyushu, where at least eight people were still missing after a total of 24 people were confirmed dead in landslides or floods, officials said. Public broadcaster NHK showed rescuers using heavy machinery to remove uprooted trees, boulders and debris, while residents scooped mud out of their houses with shovels. Some 3,600 people remained ordered or advised to leave their homes

as at least 2,800 houses were flooded, NHK said, after local authorities lifted similar advice to some 400,000 others by yesterday morning. The weather eased somewhat yesterday bringing temporary relief, but the Japan Meteorological Agency warned of more heavy rain, landslides and floods on the main southern island of Kyushu.

“A peak of heavy rain in northern Kyushu has passed, but there is fear that driving rain with thunder may hit northern Kyushu as warm and humid air is flowing to the rain front,” the agency said. “Please be vigilant of damage from landslides and floods as part of the ground has already softened and water is still overflowing from rivers because of record rainfalls,” it said. Rainfall of up to 81.7 centimetres (32.2 inches) has been recorded in hardest-hit Aso, situated at the foot of a volcano, where at least 18 people were killed and four others were still missing.

Television footage showed torrents of muddy, debris-strewn water and flooded houses following what officials described as “unprecedented” downpours from a seasonal rain front. Heavy rainfall was also monitored in Kyoto, some 500 kilometres (310 miles) east of the affected areas in Kyush yesterday, flooding more than 20 houses, news reports said. About 20 people were temporarily trapped in the city as stream broke a river bank following rainfall of nine centimetres per hour, but they were later rescued safely, the reports added. —AFP

Mystery lady again seen with North Korea’s Kim SEOUL: A smartly dressed woman seen with Kim Jong-Un at recent public events was yesterday again shown on state television accompanying the North Korean leader, increasing speculation that she could be his wife. The short-haired brunette was first shown with Kim earlier this month, but official media has not said who she is and so little is known of the young leader that it is not even clear if he is married. The latest photos aired by state television show what seems to be the same woman, who is apparently in her 20s or 30s and is wearing a yellow polka-dot dress and chic white jacket.

She is standing close to Kim during a visit to a kindergarten, while other officials stay a few steps behind the pair. It is not clear when the visit took place and it is only the third time she has been shown to the outside world. The woman was seen grinning while standing immediately behind or next to Kim as he hugged and talked to children in Kyongsang Kindergarten. There have been suggestions that she might be Kim’s younger sister, but South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said-quoting a Seoul

government official who declined to be named-it was “highly likely” the lady was Kim’s wife.

“From the protocol point of view, such as this woman’s place and table settings, it is highly likely that she’s his wife and... (he) must actually be married,” said the official quoted by Yonhap. The woman has been prominent in all photos released by the state, and the latest ones showed top party cadres-including Kim’s powerful uncle Jang Song-Thaek-largely standing behind the couple. Believed to be in his late 20s, Kim took over from his late father and longtime ruler Kim Jong-Il after his death last December.

There have been mixed views from analysts as to the identity of the woman. Some have suggested there is little chance she is the leader’s wife because North Korea’s first ladies are hardly ever pictured. But Cheong Seong-Chang, of the South’s Sejong Institute, said he was “certain” it was Kim’s wife. “By stressing that Kim Jong-Un was a married man with a wife...the North was trying to create the image of him as a stable leader,” he said in a recent report. —AFP

Afghan minister survives assassination attempt KUNDUZ: An Afghan government minister survived a bomb attack on his motorcade in northern Afghanistan yesterday, the second assault on a high-profile politician in two days, but two of his bodyguards were wounded, provincial officials said. Higher Education Minister Obaidullah Obaid was travelling from Baghlan to Kunduz province when one of the cars in his convoy hit a roadside bomb, Munshi Majid, the provincial governor of Baghlan who was in the same motorcade, told Reuters.

“The minister is safe,” Munshi said. ‘Two policemen were wounded in the bomb attack,’ he said, adding that the bomb exploded on a highway outside Baghlan city.

Sunday’s attack came a day after a suicide bomber blew himself up at a wedding reception in Samangan province, also inthe north, killing a top Afghan official and 22 others.

On Friday, a car bomb killed a regional head of women’s affairs in the east of the country. Insurgents have spread their reach from their traditional strongholds in southern and eastern areas of Afghanistan to northern parts of the country once considered relatively safe. — Reuters

attention and resources back to Asia, emboldening its long-time ally the Philippines and former foe Vietnam to take a bolder stance against Beijing.

The United States has stressed it is neutral in the long-running maritime dispute, despite offering to help boost the Philippines’ decrepit military forces. It says freedom of navigation is its main concern about a waterway that carries $5 trillion in trade-half the world’s shipping tonnage.

At last week ’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) m e e t i ng, Ca m b od i a s i d e d w i t h China and prevented the 10-nation bloc from issuing a customary concluding statement that covers achievements and concerns-this year, that primarily involved the South China Sea. — Reuters

NEW DELHI: Members of the Sikh community burn a coffin representing the Pakistan government during a protest in New Delhi yesterday. Sikh protesters demanded the immediate release of Indian national Sarabjit Singh who is currently held in a Pakistani prison. Sarabjit Singh is a high-profile prisoner who has spent two decades in solitary confinement on death row in Lahore after being convicted for his role in a string of bombings. —AFP

Stray mortar bomb kills four in Pakistan

PYONGYANG: This undated picture released from North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) yesterday shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un talking to two children as what seems to be the same woman (back L) who has recently been pictured accompanying Kim smiles during a visit to Kyongsang kindergarten in Pyongyang. —AFP

PESHAWAR: A stray mortar bomb smashed through a house in a village in northwestern Pakistan early yesterday, killing three children and their mother and injuring their father, police said. The pre -dawn incident took place in Shaikhan village, a suburb of Peshawar close to the Khyber tribal district, where the military is fighting against local warlord Mangal Bagh and his Lashkar-eIslam faction.

“The victims were asleep. A mother and her three children died on the spot,” Shafiullah Khan, a senior police officer told AFP. The two sisters and their brother were aged between two and nine years, Khan said. The officer said it was not yet clear who fired the mortar bomb but Pakistani troops and Mangal Bagh’s

fighters exchange fire on a daily basis.

More than 250,000 people have fled the fighting in Khyber since January, according to Pakistani officials. Khyber is part of Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal belt on the Afghan border, considered to be the world’s premier Al-Qaeda hub despite the killing of Osama bin Laden

by United States troops last year.

Separately, Taleban militants yesterday bombed a government-run high school for boys in the outskirts of Peshawar, partly destroying the building.

The remote-controlled bomb was planted on the outer wall of the school.

Islamist militants oppose girls education and have destroyed hundreds of schools, mostly for girls, in northwest Pakistan in recent years. — AFP

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

NEWS

People try to extinguish the fire after a man set himself alight in Tel Aviv late on Saturday during a rally marking the anniversary of a wave of demonstrations that swept the country to protest the high cost of living and other social issues. He was rushed to a hospital where he is being treated for serious burns, police said. — AP

Clinton talks democracy with head of...

Continued from Page 1 Morsi,” a state department official told reporters at the end of the talks. The two also discussed an economic package proposed by Clinton and “Tantawi stressed that this is what Egyptians need most now, help getting the economy back on track,” the official said.

Tantawi later raised the stakes in the military’s political standoff with the Muslim Brotherhood, saying the armed forces will not allow a “certain group” to dominate the country. Tantawi did not specify the Brotherhood, but his reference that the military would not allow the group to hold sway was clear. “Egypt will never fall. It belongs to all Egyptians and not to a certain group - the armed forces will not allow it,” Tantawi told reporters after a handover ceremony for the transfer of command of the armed forces’ 2nd Army in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia.

“The armed forces will not allow anyone, especially those pushed from outside, to distract it from its role as the protector of Egypt,” he said. “The army will never commit treason and will continue to perform its duties until Egypt reaches the shores of safety.” Tantawi has made similar comments at least once in the past, but it was the first time he made the statement since Morsi’s inauguration. It was an authoritative signal that the military has no intention of giving the Brotherhood a free rein.

Clinton has repeatedly called on the military to respect the outcome of the elections and told a news conference on Saturday that her talks with Tantawi would focus on “working to support the military’s return to a purely national security role”. Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, is locked in a standoff with the military after he ordered parliament to reconvene, defying an army decision to disband the house.

But a declaration issued by the SCAF before Morsi was sworn in - which acts as a temporary constitution -

granted the military sweeping powers, including legislative control, even though they handed over to Morsi on June 30. While Morsi’s decree was applauded by supporters, it set off a firestorm of criticism from opponents who accused him of overstepping his authority.

Choosing her words carefully in the politicallycharged atmosphere, Clinton said “it is very clear that Egyptians are in the midst of complex negotiations about the transition including the make-up of parliament, a new constitution and the full powers of the president”. “Democracy is hard,” she said. “It requires dialogue and compromise and real politics. We are encouraged and we want to be helpful. But we know that it is not for the United States to decide, it is for the Egyptian people to decide.”

Hundreds of protesters had gathered outside the US embassy and later Clinton’s hotel to denounce what they said was “US interference in domestic affairs”, the official MENA news agency reported. The US and Egyptian militaries have had a 30-year close alliance, and at the chaotic news conference one Egyptian reporter repeatedly tried to ask Clinton why the US had resumed its $1.3 billion in annual military aid. A senior state department official said Clinton would “encourage Tantawi... to engage in dialogue and to avoid the kind of confrontation that could potentially lead to the transition veering off track”.

Clinton’s meeting with Christian leaders comes after women and religious minorities expressed fears their rights could be rolled back following the post-revolution rise of the Islamists. “I came to Cairo, in part, to send a very clear message that the United States supports the rights, the universal rights of all people,” Clinton said. “We are going to look to any elected government to support inclusivity, to make sure that the talents of every Egyptian can be put to work in building a new future for this ancient and incredibly important country,” she said. — Agencies

UAE opens pipeline bypassing Hormuz Continued from Page 1 Emirati officials quietly began filling the new pipeline with oil on June 30, according to the UAE embassy in Washington. A statement from the embassy said the project underscores the US ally’s “commitment to ensuring the reliable and safe delivery of crude oil ... to global markets”. Officials including the Emirates’ energy minister gathered in Fujairah for the formal inauguration of the pipeline, said Mohammed Saif Al-Afkham, the director general of Fujairah municipality. The International Petroleum Investment Co (IPIC), the state-run company behind the project, confirmed that the pipeline became operational with the first commercial shipment being loaded onto a tanker for export.

“This is a very strategic project, it gives the options to our clients to transport larger quantities (of oil),” UAE’s oil minister Mohammed bin Dhaen Al-Hamli said. “I consider this project to be complementary, so we have an alternative...to give us choice to have more than one trade route.” “It will make other projects viable in this area, and will also avoid more insurance and also will give access to

the open sea,” Abdulla Nasser Al-Suwaidi, the head of state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) said after the opening ceremony. “By the end of the year this 1.5 m bpd pipeline will be fully operational, which is almost 70 pct of the UAE’s crude,” IPIC’s managing director Khadem Abdulla Al-Qubaisi said. IPIC is also planning to build a $3 billion refinery in Fujiarah with a capacity of 200,000 bpd, due to be completed in mid-2016. Qubaisi said the project was at its front end engineering design (FEED) and construction was yet to start.

The US ambassador to the UAE attended the inauguration, underscoring the project’s strategic significance.

Ambassador Michael H Corbin called the launch “a historic step in establishing multiple routes for the vital flow of oil from the Arabian Peninsula”. Although several Gulf Arab oil and gas producers fear a shutdown of the strait could block exports, only the UAE and Oman have coastlines on the Indian Ocean side of the strait. Saudi Arabia also can avoid Hormuz by shipping its Gulf fields’ oil output through ports on the Red Sea, but it would have to significantly improve its transport infrastructure to get its full production out. — Agencies

Kuwaiti languishing in Guantanamo sues...

Continued from Page 1 enshrined in international treaties and conventions.

“Their willful omission amounts to complicity, since the delegation was well aware of the use of torture on these Kuwaitis but chose to turn a blind eye,” the statement said.

Kandari, who has been in US custody since 2002 - also slammed the unreasonable and inexcusable waste of public funds on the pretext that these monies were spent for the purpose of securing his release from Guantanamo. The statement by his lawyer said many governments - including Kuwait - appointed civilian lawyers to represent their citizens detained at Guantanamo. “While the civilian lawyers appointed by these other governments worked pro bono, those appointed by the Kuwait government were paid huge sums of money,” it said, adding suspicions exist on the

manner in which public funds were disbursed to cover the fees and expenses of government-appointed law firms and alleged proper legal channels of disbursement were not followed.

The Pentagon last month dropped war crimes charges against Kandari, but Kuwait’s ambassador to Washington Sheikh Salem Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah had then said the measure would not lead to his release because it was “a technical procedure”. The comment led to a war of words between the envoy and an infuriated Abdul Hadi, who earlier this month slammed Sheikh Salem for not visiting the two Kuwaiti detainees in Guantanamo and accused him of “negligence and laxity” in dealing with the issue. “I am confident that one day, justice will prevail and AlKandari will once again walk our streets a free man,” Abdul Hadi said in yesterday’s statement. Fawzi Al-Odah, the other Kuwaiti inmate, has not been charged with any crime but remains in detention.

Weightlifter blazes a trail for Gulf women Continued from Page 1 We knew we could do better at qualifying at heavyweight and superheavyweight division.”

Four girls returned to the UAE to compete for the one spot and Khadija Mohammed, a frizzy-haired, 17-year-old student with a disarming smile, was chosen. She has only been lifting for two years but now has the chance to make history in the 75-kilogram category. “I am so happy and I will challenge myself and I will work hard to win a medal,” said Mohammed, speaking above the clang of weights and laughter of her teammates mastering the clean and jerk and snatch. “I will be so happy to represent the UAE and accomplish something for the country.”

Mohammed will not only make history as the first female lifter from the Gulf at the Olympics but the first female Emirati to qualify outright for the Olympics. The UAE sent its first two women the Olympics in 2008 - among them Sheikha Maitha bint Mohamed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the daughter of the Dubai ruler - but they both received wildcard invitations from the International Olympic Committee.

Mohammed also will be the first woman weightlifter to wear a hijab or Muslim headscarf at the Olympics as well as a newly-approved unitard that covers most of her body. She is not expected to challenge for a medal because she is less experienced than the favorites in her weight category, which includes Nadezda Evstyukhina of Russia, Svetlana Podobedova of Kazakhstan and Lidia Valentin of Spain. She only finished seventh in qualifying.

But taking the stage in the UAE colors will go a long way to establishing the sport for women in the region. “It will be a shocking thing for people to know that a girl (from the UAE) is participating,” Mohammed said, dismissing those who have criticized the female weightlifters on social networking sites as not being true Emiratis and being an embarrassment to the country. “In the UAE, it is a girls’ sport as the girls qualified, not the boys.”

Her teammate and friend Alanood Abdulla Faraj said Mohammed’s participation in London will be a boon to

women. “I’ve been told this is not for women and this will ruin my body and that we should just go shopping,” Faraj said. “Women can do more. There are women who are ministers, presidents of countries who are women. So the status of women will only go higher by playing this sport.”

There are already supporters for the women.

Mohammed’s family encouraged her to make the switch from football and the Emirates Weightlifting Federation has been quick to embrace her success. “Of course, we are really proud of this big achievement,” said Faisal Yousif Hammadi, the federation’s secretary general who attended a promotional event aimed at introducing Mohammed to the public. “It is maybe a hard sport. In the Gulf, they are keeping their culture,” he said. “But after they saw our achievements, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar have started to think about building a team, hiring a women’s coach.”

The International Weightlifting Federation also has welcomed the UAE’s progress and expects more Muslim countries to follow the nation’s path after it changed its policies last year to allow a one-piece uniform covering the full body. It always allowed a hijab. “This success is a great achievement for weightlifting and reinforces its ideals of inclusion and openness,” IWF President Tamas Ajan said in an email. “The participation of Ms Mohammed is a driving force to encourage more women to start practicing weightlifting not only within the Gulf Countries, but all around the world.”

But the team’s success has yet to bring rewards at home.

The federation operates out of a villa and has struggled just to find space for the men’s and women’s teams to train. They were renting a rundown weight room in a Dubai sports club but have been told that lease will be cancelled later this year.

The teams also lack funding to set up adequate training camps outside the country or attend more than a handful of competitions each year. “I hope the government and federation takes more interest and provide more support for the girls,” El Zawawi said. “I feel bad because we don’t get any support. I have dreams in the future of four or five girls going to the Olympics. But I need support.” — AP

Amir reaffirms Kuwait’s commitment to Africa Continued from Page 1 Sheikh Sabah stressed that this summit convened to present to the whole world a shining evidence of the vitality of this union. He said that the summit’s interaction with the developments and events in the contemporary world and its effective contribution in the development of concepts and steps to counteract challenges reflected the importance of the AU. He noted that through the past years, the African Union has realized several achievements in its path toward sustainable development through shared visions and consensus, particularly in building manpower capabilities in order to have the lead in the exploitation of natural resources that abound in the continent, adding that there was no doubt that the promotion of intra-African trade represents a major economic force that imposed a change in the way the world deals with Africa.

Sheikh Sabah said that “in this context I would like to point out that Kuwait has realized the importance of development and cooperation for the benefit of the people and for that reason we established Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), which has spread its activities to 48 states out of 50 member countries of the African Union.” KFAED contributed to financing projects in different sectors including agriculture, transport, energy, water, sanitation, health, education, and others with the total spending on these activities exceeded $6.4 billion, in addition to Kuwait’s aid and grants to the member countries of the Union, which is estimated at about $120 million to build their infrastructure.

In 1996, the Fund participated in the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) initiative to ease the debt burden on states, and was able to reduce the debts for 24 countries of the Union. The Amir said that Kuwait also

launched the “decent life initiative” by establishing a fund with a capital of $100 million to help countries meet the basic requirements in view of the difficulties resulting from the global food crisis that erupted in 2007 and 2008, followed by the financial crisis in late 2008. Kuwait also contributed to several funds that were established in Africa to fight hunger and poverty in amounts exceeding $300 million, and committed to an amount of $500 million at a donors conference for east Sudan.

On regional happenings, Sheikh Sabah stated that “we followed with great interest the presidential elections in Egypt, where people exercised their democratic rights in a civilized manner, reflecting the rich culture and civilization of the Egyptian society.

We congratulate President Mohamed Morsi for winning the trust of his people.”

Kuwait also followed, with contentment, the positive developments achieved in both Tunisia and Libya, wishing all the success to the leaderships in their endeavors towards achieving the aspirations of their peoples.

On Somalia, the Amir called for the necessity of collective work and unified effort to bring security and stability to Somalia to return this country as an active member in the Arab and regional arenas.

On the Middle East peace process, Sheikh Sabah indicated that peace shall not be achieved unless Israel was pressured into ceasing settlement activity, and the resolutions of international legitimacy are implemented to enable the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, on the principle of land for peace and the Arab Peace Initiative.

As for the situation in Syria, he said “it’s imperative for the regime to meet the demands of its people, and implement the six-point initiative of the Joint Envoy of the United Nations and the Arab League, Kofi Annan, to stop the bloodshed, and to preserve Syria from sliding into civil war.” The

Amir also addressed the Kuwaiti quest for membership as an observer at the African Union and said that “thanks to Allah and your support, it’s an affirmation of the awareness of Kuwait of the political, economic and cultural importance of Africa”.

“We eagerly look forward to meet you in Kuwait next year in a new round of our Arab-African joint work represented at the Arab-African Summit. Preparation for that summit has already commenced out of the awareness of the importance of joint work between our countries. We understand the magnitude of responsibility entrusted to us, and we strive to ensure the achievement of the anticipated results,” he said.

“I have followed with admiration the progress of the construction of the new headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa completed in the beginning of this year, which is an architectural work of art.

As a contribution from Kuwait in the process of this edifice to be ready for operation, I announce that Kuwait will donate the cost of equipping the headquarters of the General Commission of the African Union with all requirements. In conclusion, we wish your summit the best to achieve your anticipated hopes and aspirations,” Sheikh Sabah added.

AU Commission chairman Jean Ping told African leaders at the opening of the two-day summit that the AU was “prepared to contribute to the establishment of a regional force to put an end to the activities of armed groups” in DR Congo.

No further details about the potential force were given at the meeting, attended by both DR Congo President Joseph Kabila and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame, who rejects accusations by UN experts and Kinshasa he supports the mutiny by Congolese troops. “The violence must end immediately, countries of the region ought to respect principle of non-interference,” said UN deputy secretary general Jan Eliasson. — Agencies

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MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

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Issues

Observers refuse to draw parallels from Libya vote

By Taylor Luck bservers have warned against misreading the surprise victory by liberals in last week’s Libyan elections as an end to the rise of Islamists in the Arab world - claiming that the unique legacies of the Muammar Gaddafi regime, and not ideology, led to their poor showing. Analysts say the impact of four decades of iron-rule and a lack of organization placed Islamists at a “natural disadvantage” in the country’s first elections since the toppling of the Gaddafi regime, paving the way for the upset victory by a coalition of parties and independent politicians led by the former interim-prime minister Mahmoud Jibril.

According to some observers, one of the major factors behind the Islamists’ less-than-stellar showing was a positive legacy of the Gaddafi regime that set Libya apart from its Arab Spring neighbours: a more egalitarian society. At a time when Egypt, Tunisia and much of the Arab world suffered from rising unemployment and widening wealth gaps, Libya was largely free of the abject poverty that observers say usually serve as “breeding grounds” for Islamist movements. Sami Zaptia, managing editor of the Tripoli-based Libya Herald, said: “In Libya, we just do not have the slave-like poverty you find in Egypt and other parts of North Africa. Instead of services or employment, Libyans are looking for policy solutions and a vision, which is what the Islamists lacked.”

Analysts say the failure of Islamist groups - most notably the Muslim Brotherhood’s Justice and Construction Party to extend the regional wave of victories to Libya stems from another leftover of the Gaddafi era - a decimated civil society. While Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia allowed Islamists to operate charitable societies, religious schools and even run for parliament for decades, Gaddafi tortured potential dissidents and dismantled any non-state organizations depriving Islamists the opportunity to establish a foothold in Libya. “For almost half a century, there have not been Islamist movements in Libya - they are just a complete unknown,” Zaptia said. “In this sense, unlike Egypt, everyone had an even playing ground in this election.”

Libya remains a uniquely homogenous, religiously and socially conservative society that is largely in line with the social platforms of Islamist movement and lacks the ideological divisions that have propelled Islamists to power in other Arab states. “One of the key drivers of Islamists’ success across the region has been debates over national identity,” said Hassan Abu Huniyya, an Amman-based expert in Islamist movements. “With most Libyans in agreement on their Islamic identity and the lack of a real or imaginary threat of a leftist coming to power and removing religion from people’s lives, there was very little to mobilize voters.”

Libyan Islamist groups had to overcome a hurdle that their peers in Egypt and Tunisia did not have to face: a strong challenger with revolutionary credentials. Jibril’s early defection, involvement on the international stage and reputation as a reformer in the waning years of the Gaddafi regime earned him revolutionary credits that other regional regime holdovers - such as Egyptian presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq - lacked. “In Jibril, you had the combination of experience and respect for helping lead the revolution,” Zaptia said. “For any political movement, that is a formidable opponent.”

In addition, Jibril’s alliance, although seen as liberal, had announced before the elections that it favours Islamic sharia as the basis of the law - another appeal for a conservative society. With most Libyan voters turning to a smooth transition period and Jibril’s established track-record, Islamist groups faced an uphill battle “from day one”, said Rehil Gharabieh, head of the Jordan Muslim Brotherhood’s politburo. “These elections were much more about choosing an experienced leader than a referendum on political Islam,” said Gharaibeh, also a columnist at the Jordanian Arab Al-Yawm daily.

Despite its poor showing, observers say the elections marked the beginning, not the end of Islamists’ influence in Libya. Their experience in the polls left behind a party infrastructure, fundraising channels and seasoned candidates able to handle the rigorous demands of campaigning - luxuries Gharaibeh says the Muslim Brotherhood in other Arab states takes for granted. With the National Congress facing a one-year lifespan, experts say Islamist groups have ample time to boost their visibility and create a more solid agenda ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for next year and sow the seeds for a delayed Libyan Islamist spring.

“When it comes to the rise of the Islamists in the Arab world, these elections proved to be the exception and not the rule,” said Abu Haniyaa. “But even in Libya, the rule will eventually apply.” — dpa

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

IAEA ‘hostage’ to big powers on Iran

By Fredrik Dahl ffering immunity or an easing of the sanctions pressure may be the only way - if there is one at all - to coax Iran to end years of stonewalling a UN watchdog investigation into suspected nuclear weapons research in the Islamic state. Any such initiative would likely need to come from world powers as part of a broader diplomatic thrust to defuse the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program, leaving the investigation by the UN atomic agency dependent on how those talks develop. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has failed in a series of high-profile rounds of discussions in the last six months to persuade Tehran to give it access to sites, officials and documents it says it needs for the long-stalled inquiry. The roller-coaster negotiations have underlined the IAEA’s limited power to make Iran cooperate with it, suggesting Tehran will do so only if it gets something in return elsewhere and fuelling Western suspicions that it is playing for time. “It looks to me now that the IAEA-Iran track isn’t going to go anywhere unless there is progress made in the talks between Iran and the powers,” senior researcher Shannon Kile of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said. Iran seems to be using its discussions with the IAEA - at times raising hopes for a deal, then dashing them - to gain leverage in its separate meetings with the powers that have made little headway since they resumed in April after a 15month gap. The six powers - the United States, France, Russia, Germany, Britain and China - also want Iran’s full cooperation with the U.N. watchdog. But their more immediate demand is that Iran stop atomic activity that takes it closer to potential bomb material.

Tehran may also require assurances that, if it eventually does agree to give U.N. inspectors greater freedom to carry out their work, any incriminating evidence they unearth will not be used against it. Iran denies Western allegations it is seeking to develop the capability to make atom bombs. To help break the deadlock, Iran should be given “a grace period with no adverse consequences in case their full transparency with IAEA inspectors reveal past wrongdoing,” said former chief UN nuclear inspector Pierre Goldschmidt.

Goldschmidt, now at the Carnegie Endowment for

O

International Peace, said this should be offered and guaranteed by the powers.

“Personally I see no problem with immunity for the past,” said a senior Western diplomat, who follows the nuclear issue closely but is not involved in negotiations with Tehran.

“But it has to be verifiable. The models are South Africa and Libya. I fear Iran will not accept such true transparency,” the envoy said, referring to decisions years ago by those two countries to abandon their nuclear weapons ambitions. Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group think-tank said the relationship between Iran and the IAEA had become “hostage to the nuclear brinkmanship” of Tehran and the world powers.

The six states demand that Iran scale back its uranium enrichment program and shut down an underground nuclear facility where it is carrying out higher-grade atomic work. Iran seeks recognition of what it says is its legal right to refine uranium and a lifting of increasingly harsh economic sanctions now targeting its economically vital oil exports.

A bullet-point presentation of Tehran’s negotiating position published by Iranian media indicated that it expects an easing of sanctions for “transparently” working with the UN agency. “We are in a chicken and egg conundrum, where Iran’s nuclear crisis cannot be resolved without the IAEA giving Iran a clean slate, but that will not happen until the crisis is resolved,” Vaez said.

SIPRI’s Kile said he believed Iran needed “something positive and tangible in return” for cooperating with the IAEA, perhaps in the area of sanctions. The United States and its allies have ruled out offering any sanctions relief before Iran takes concrete action to ease their concerns. They have demanded that Iran halt higher-grade enrichment and close down the underground Fordow site, but without promising any significant easing of sanctions in return. “There is another school of thought which is: Iran is simply stalling for time ... and this is basically a way of keeping the discussions going, forestalling military action and allowing their nuclear program to advance,” Kile said.

As Iran stonewalls the IAEA inquiry, Western diplomats say, satellite images show what appears to be a clean-up of a military site, Parchin, where UN inspectors believe Iran has carried out experiments relevant for developing nuclear

weapons. “Iran’s ongoing activities at the Parchin site continue to raise concerns about efforts to destroy evidence of possible nuclear weapons-related work,” a US think-tank, the Institute for Science and International Security, said.

Iran has dismissed the allegations aired about Parchin, a vast military complex southeast of Tehran, as “childish” and “ridiculous”, just as it rejects Western suspicions that it is seeking the capability to build nuclear bombs. “I totally refute such accusations ... nobody can clean any nuclear contamination,” Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi told Reuters when asked about the clean-up allegations. But Iran’s refusal to curb nuclear work which can have both civilian and military purposes and its lack of openness with U.N. inspectors have drawn four rounds of UN Security Council sanctions resolutions since 2006 and separate Western measures. The West stepped up the pressure after an IAEA report last year that revealed a trove of intelligence pointing to research activities in Iran of use in developing the technologies needed to assemble nuclear weapons, should it decide to do so. The UN agency wants Iran to address questions raised by the report, such as the past alleged experiments at Parchin, and began a determined effort this year to secure Tehran’s cooperation - including three visits to Tehran since January. But when the IAEA last month hoped to finalise an accord on how to conduct the probe, Iran instead proposed amendments that would have restricted the investigation, diplomats said. “It is back to square one,” one Western envoy said. Iran has taken the IAEA “for a ride,” an ambassador said, referring to a high-profile and ultimately failed trip by IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano to Tehran in May, after which he voiced optimism about signing a deal with the country soon. Iran’s insistence that the IAEA not reopen lines of inquiry once they have been concluded was an important sticking point, diplomats said. Iran also wants access to intelligence documents forming the basis for the agency’s investigation. IAEA officials “went through such a disappointing and frustrating process last time that they would be loath to repeat that”, another diplomat said about the prospects for more talks. But Iran insists there will be more meetings with the IAEA. Salehi said the drive to find an agreement was on track: “It may have stalled a little bit but it will speed up.” — Reuters

US govs make risky bet on healthcare funds

By David Morgan epublican governors bent on rejecting the healthcare law’s expanded insurance coverage for millions of low-income Americans may see their gambit backfire if their par ty fails to sweep the November elections. Five governors have vowed to opt out of the Medicaid expansion for low-income people since the Supreme Court’s June 28 landmark healthcare ruling let states decide whether to participate in the program. Several others, saying the program will be a huge financial burden on states, are leaning toward the same ac tion.

Others hope the Nov 6 ballot will give Republicans the power to repeal President Barack Obama’s signature law altogether, if the party, which currently controls the House of Representatives, gains control of the White House and the Senate as well.

But analysts say if the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act survives to take full effect in 2014 - a major election year for governors - the hard-liners could come under fire for denying their own residents health benefits that are also worth billions of dollars to healthcare providers and insurers. The results could be dramatic. “It could change the political dynamics so that the ideologues are no longer running the show,” said John Holahan, director of the nonpartisan Urban Institute’s Health Policy Center.

A big enough backlash could also raise hurdles for governors with presidential aspirations in 2016. Gubernatorial rebels on Medicaid include Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Nik k i Haley of South Carolina, young Republican stars viewed

R

as potential vice presidential material.

Taking a hardline stance in the short term may help attrac t the attention of Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, who has vowed to repeal the healthcare law, and appeal to large numbers of voters who dislike the law.

Texas Governor and former presidential candidate Rick Perr y on Monday joined the chorus that also includes Rick Scott of Florida and Phil Br yant of Mississippi. “I will not be party to socializing healthcare and bankrupting my state in direct contradiction to our Constitution and our founding principles of limited government,” Perry said. Medicaid is currently a national healthcare program for the poor that is jointly funded by federal and state governments, with Washington covering about 57 percent of the cost. In many states, benefits are available to work ing-age parents and pregnant women with incomes well below a federal poverty level of $22,300 a year for a family of four. The Affordable Care Act would expand coverage to families with incomes of up to about $30,000, aiming to provide health insurance to an additional 16 million people nationwide. The federal government will pay 100 percent of the cost of benefits through 2016, declining to 90 percent by the end of the decade. In Texas, that could cover as many as 2 million uninsured residents, according to the Austin-based Center for Public Policy Priorities. “Democratic candidates will undoubtedly use this against Republican incumbents who won’t take the federal money,” said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.

Just three Republican-held governor seats are up for election this year. But in

2014, Republicans will try to hold on to governor’s seats in more than 20 states including Texas, Florida, South Carolina, Nebraska and Iowa - nearly a year after states that embrace the law reap federal money for healthcare benefits in earnest.

The prospect of losing billions of dollars in Medicaid payments could also anger healthcare and business interests in those states and lead them to campaign against the “rejectionists”. Large commercial insurer WellPoint Inc last week said it would buy Medicaid specialist Amerigroup for $4.5 billion, the latest sign of private sector interest in reaping profits from running government health plans.

Amerigroup’s top Medicaid markets include Florida and Texas.

Some analysts also point out that governors would turn down benefits funded by taxpayers from other states, while leaving their own residents to pay federal taxes that fund reform elsewhere. Regional income disparities also mean the new Medicaid benefits would be available to more of the population in southern states that are now at the forefront of opposition. In nine states that have decided to opt out of the Medicaid expansion or are considering the idea, about 29 percent of the population below retirement age have incomes that would qualify for new benefits, according to the Urban Institute.

Florida is a case in point. One in five Floridians is uninsured. Meanwhile, 30 percent of state residents earn annual incomes that would qualify for a Medicaid expansion that would bring an estimated $4.4 billion per year in new federal money to the state, the Urban Institute says.

Numbers like that could spell trouble for the state’s governor, Rick Scott, whose job

approval rating stands at 39 percent in a recent Quinnipiac University poll. “He’s going to be very vulnerable in 2014. At a minimum, Democrats will see the healthcare issue as a big plus for them,” said Susan MacManus, political science professor at the University of South Florida.

But Scott, a political maverick who has already rejected $2.4 billion in federal funds for rapid rail development, could survive by appealing to the state’s legion of elderly voters worried about the federal budget deficit.

“There are countervailing arguments including that it would further burden constituents by having to raise taxes, etc., because there would be new costs,” said Edmund Haislmaier of the conservative Heritage Foundation.

Jonathan Oberlander at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine agrees: “It depends on how the issue is framed. If they look like they are being fiscally conservative, a rejectionist governor could win.” And hard-line stance may not be about ideology or fiscal discipline.

Instead, it could be a bargaining tactic.

Governors may be hedging against an Obama re-election - rejecting Medicaid expansion now to gain a stronger position for future negotiations with the administration in which they could seek to reduce the size, scope and cost of the expansion. “The political maneuvering and negotiating between the federal government and the states is really just beginning,” said Michael Sparer, a health policy expert at Columbia University. “And a state puts itself in a very good negotiating position if it says to the federal government that we’re not adopting the expansion at this point.”— Reuters

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

sp orts Bopara replaces Bairstow

Hamilton eyes night race

PSG sign Brazil’s Thiago

LONDON: Batsman Ravi Bopara has replaced Jonny Bairstow in the England squad for the first Test against South Africa starting on Thursday.

Inexperienced Bairstow struggled at number six in the three-test home series victory against West Indies in May and June with the short ball especially causing him problems.

Bopara, who can also bowl medium pace, has rarely looked convincing during his 12 test appearances but shone with the bat in the recent limited overs matches against West Indies and Australia. The rest of the squad for the Oval test in London is as expected with fast bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad recalled having been rested for the final rain-hit test against West Indies.

“Ravi Bopara has worked hard to regain his place in the test squad following some injury concerns earlier in the season and is the only player included who is yet to play a test match this summer,” England selector Geoff Miller said in a statement yesterday. — Reuters

MOSCOW: Britain’s 2008 Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton said yesterday he dreamt of participating once in the night race on the streets of Russia’s capital Moscow.

“I like street races very much,” Hamilton told a news conference during the fifth annual Moscow Street Racing weekend. “It’s terrific to see the city’s architecture and people during the race, it’s just an unforgettable feeling. “It would be great to race in the night in Moscow like we did in Singapore. Many Formula One pilots like that race most of all.” Charles Pic, the French driver of the Russian Formula One team Marussia, said he was happy to take part in the event adding it was really important for him personally and his team to race in front of the Russian Formula One lovers.

“It’s my first ever visit to Moscow and I really love everything here,” Pic said. “I’m the pilot of the first Russian Formula One team and I believe it’s very important for all of us to come closer to our Russian supporters.

“I think that it’ll be really great if Russian engineers will work in our team at the first Russian Grand Prix in Sochi in 2014.”

Meanwhile, Mikhail Kapirulin, the head of the company which is building the Formula One race track in Sochi, said the construction works were going according to plan. “We solved all the problems in projecting the track,” he said. —AFP

PARIS: Brazil centre back Thiago Silva has signed a five-year deal with Paris St Germain after leaving AC Milan, the Ligue 1 club said on Saturday. The 27-year-old, regarded as one of the best defenders in the world, joined Milan from Fluminense in 2008. “”The Brazilian international Thiago Silva is joining Paris St Germain for five years,” PSG said in a statement on their website (www.psg.fr).

The club did not give any financial details of the deal but local media estimated the transfer fee at 40 to 45 million euros ($48.98 to $55.10 million). Thiago Silva is PSG’s second signing of the close season after the club from the French capital signed Argentina forward Ezequiel Lavezzi from Napoli earlier this month.

Qatar-backed PSG have also been widely reported by local media to be in talks with Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s agent to buy the Sweden for ward from Milan. Last season, they strengthened their squad by signing Argentina playmaker Javier Pastore, Brazil defender Alex and Italy’s Brazilian-born central midfielder Thiago Motta. —Reuters

MLB results/standings NY Yankees 5, LA Angels 3; Chicago Cubs 4, Arizona 1; Toronto 11, Cleveland 9; Atlanta 8, NY Mets 7; Baltimore 8, Detroit 6 (13 innings); Cincinnati 3, St. Louis 2 (10 innings); Tampa Bay 5, Boston 3; Miami 2, Washington 1; Kansas City 6, Chicago White Sox 3; Oakland 9, Minnesota 3; Pittsburgh 6, Milwaukee 4; Philadelphia 8, Colorado 5; San Francisco 3, Houston 2 (12 innings); San Diego 7, LA Dodgers 6; Seattle 7, Texas 0.

American League Eastern Division W L PCT GB NY Yankees 54 33 .621 Baltimore 46 41 .529 8 Tampa Bay 46 42 .523 8.5 Boston 44 44 .500 10.5 Toronto 44 44 .500 10.5 Central Division White Sox 48 39 .552 45 42 .517 3 Cleveland Detroit 45 43 .511 3.5 Kansas City 38 48 .442 9.5 Minnesota 36 51 .414 12 Western Division Texas 53 35 .602 48 40 .545 5 LA Angels Oakland 45 43 .511 8 Seattle 37 52 .416 16.5

national league eastern division Washington 50 35 .588 Atlanta 48 39 .552 3 NY Mets 46 42 .523 5.5 Miami 42 45 .483 9 Philadelphia 38 51 .427 14 Central Division Cincinnati 49 38 .563 Pittsburgh 49 38 .563 St. Louis 46 42 .523 3.5 Milwaukee 41 46 .471 8 Chicago Cubs 35 52 .402 14 Houston 33 55 .375 16.5 Western Division San Francisco 48 40 .545 LA Dodgers 48 41 .539 0.5 Arizona 42 45 .483 5.5 San Diego 35 54 .393 13.5 Colorado 34 53 .391 13.5

Rangers fall to Mariners SEATTLE: Felix Hernandez struck out 12 in a three-hitter as the Seattle Mariners beat Yu Darvish and the Texas Rangers 70 in the American League on Saturday.

Hernandez (7-5) limited the powerful Rangers lineup to three singles while improving to 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA in his last six starts. John Jaso homered for Seattle, which scored four times in the first inning. Darvish (10-6) got off to a rough start and never recovered. He issued a leadoff walk to Dustin Ackley in the first and Ichiro Suzuki followed with a single to right. Suzuki moved to second on a wild pitch before Darvish hit Casper Wells to load the bases.

Jaso then walked on four pitches to force home a run. Suzuki scored when first baseman Michael Young mishandled Saunders’ hard grounder, and Seager added a two-run single.

Darvish allowed seven runs and eight hits in 6 1-3 innings. The Japanese star is 1-2 against the Mariners this season with a 9.00 ERA. Orioles 8, Tigers 6 In Baltimore, Taylor Teagarden hit a two-run homer in the 13th inning in his first game of the season to seal an 8-6 victory over Detroit.

In a back-and-forth duel that lasted 4 hours, 43 minutes, Baltimore scored three runs in the 13th to secure its 10th straight extra-inning win and end Detroit’s sixgame winning streak.

In the bottom half of the 13th, J.J. Hardy ended an 0-for-28 slide with a solo homer off Joaquin Benoit (1-2). After Adam Jones was hit by a pitch with two outs, Teagarden homered over the rightfield wall. He had been out since the beginning of the season with a strained back. Kevin Gregg (3-2) got the last out in the 13th for the win.

Yankees 5, Angels 3 At New York, Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson each hit two-run homers to lead the Yankees past Los Angeles. Freddy Garcia and three relievers kept Angels outfielder Mark Trumbo in the ballpark, denying him a homer in a record sixth straight game against the Yankees. Cano’s 21st homer made it 2-2 in the first inning and extended his 17game hitting streak. Granderson connected for his 24th home run with one out in

the third after Chris Stewart singled leading off. Garcia (4-2) labored through five innings, while the Angels’ Jerome Williams (6-6) took the loss.

Blue Jays 11, Indians 9 At Toronto, Edwin Encarnacion hit two home runs and Yunel Escobar also went deep as the Blue Jays used an eight-run third inning to beat Cleveland.

Encarnacion and Escobar both hit tworun shots in Toronto’s highest-scoring inning of the season.

Shelley Duncan, Michael Brantley and Casey Kotchman homered for the Indians. Down 10-2 early, Cleveland made it close with a five-run eighth.

The home runs were the 24th and 25th of the season for Encarnacion, who signed a three-year, $29 million contract extension over the All-Star break. It was his first multi-homer game of the season and the eighth of his career.

Rays 5, Red Sox 3 In St. Petersburg, Florida, David Price outpitched Clay Buchholz and Tampa Bay scored twice in the seventh inning without getting a hit to rally past Boston. Price (12-4) allowed three runs and six hits in 7 1-3 innings to become the first 12-game winner in the American League.

Buchholz (8-3) took a 3-2 lead into the seventh before walking the first batter of the inning and hitting the next. Hideki Matsui was walked intentionally to load the bases with one out, and the Rays pulled even when pinch-hitter Jose Lobaton drew a walk from Matt Albers.

Elliot Johnson’s sacrifice fly gave Tampa Bay a 4-3 lead, and B.J. Upton’s solo homer provided a two-run cushion in the eighth.

Royals 6, White Sox 3 At Kansas City, Missouri, Alcides Escobar hit a pair of homers off Jake Peavy as the Royals topped Chicago.

Escobar had just two homers all season and 11 in his career before he connected for a two-run shot off Chicago’s All-Star right-hander in the third inning.

Chicago’s Adam Dunn homered and Dayan Viciedo hit an RBI triple in the sixth to make it 3-all, but Escobar connected again against Peavy (7-6) in the seventh to put the Royals ahead for good. Greg Holland (3-2) won in relief. — AP

SEATTLE: Texas Rangers’ Elvis Andrus shatters his bat as he grounds out in the ninth inning against the Seattle Mariners to end a baseball game. —AP

Cabrera sparks Padres victory LOS ANGELES: Pinch-runner Everth Cabrera stole home to tie the game with two outs in the ninth inning and Will Venable scored the winning run when closer Kenley Jansen threw the ball past catcher AJ Ellis, leading the San Diego Padres to a 7-6 victor y over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League on Saturday.

Alex Hinshaw (1-1) recorded two outs to get the victory, ending the Padres’ 10-game losing streak at Dodger Stadium. Huston Street worked a perfect ninth for his 14th save in 14 attempts.

Jansen (4-3) ended up with his fourth blown save opportunity in 20 chances. Yonder Alonso and Venable sparked the winning rally with consecutive singles, putting runners on the corners with none out. Jansen then struck out Cameron Maybin at the end of a grueling 11-pitch at-bat and retired pinch-hitter Mark Kotsay on a popup after Venable stole second.

After Alexi Amarista worked the count to 2-2, Cabrera dashed for home and a stunned Jansen threw the ball all the way to the screen, allowing the go-ahead run to score.

Phillies 8, Rockies 5 In Denver, Carlos Ruiz hit a three-run homer as Philadelphia hung on to beat Colorado and end a five-game losing streak.

With one out in the eighth, reliever Jake Diekman hit Tyler Colvin with a pitch and walked Jordan Pacheco. Brian Sanchez relieved and Wilin Rosario hit a three-run homer, pulling the Rockies to within 6-5. But All-Star closer Jonathan Papelbon ended the rally by getting five outs for his 19th save in 21 chances.

Vance Worley (5-5) allowed two runs on eight hits in 6 2-3 innings. The Phillies jolted Jeremy Guthrie (3-9) with a four-run first.

He allowed four runs on seven

hits in 4 2-3 innings.

Giants 3, Astros 2 At San Francisco, Hector Sanchez singled in Pablo Sandoval in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Giants a win over Houston.

Sanchez, whose throwing error in the top of the ninth helped Houston score the tying run and force extra innings, hit a sharp grounder off Houston closer Brett Myers that bounced off the glove of Astros second baseman Jose Altuve and went into

Bobby Parnell (2-2) gave up RBI singles with two outs in the eighth to Michael Bourn, Martin Prado and Heyward. Mets manager Terry Collins was ejected while disputing a call in Atlanta’s two-run fifth. Anthony Varvaro (10) pitched the eighth to get the win and Craig Kimbrel finished for his 27th save in 28 chances.

Reds 3, Cardinals 2 At Cincinnati, Ryan Ludwick homered in the 10th inning to lead the Reds to their fifth consecutive victory and back into a

33-inning scoreless streak as he pitched six solid frames to lead Chicago past Arizona.

Dempster matched the club shutout streak set by Ken Holtzman in 1969. Dempster (5-3) allowed four hits and set a career best by winning his fifth straight start. He leads the majors with a 1.86 ERA. Cubs manager Dale Sveum limited Dempster to 89 pitches in his second start since coming off the disabled list with tightness in his pitching shoulder.

Marlins 2, Nationals 1 At Miami, Mark Buehrle pitched seven innings to help the Marlins end a three-game slide.

Carlos Lee and John Buck each drove in a run for Miami.

Buehrle (9-8) allowed one run and six hits, struck out seven and walked two while improving to 40 with a sparkling 0.94 ERA in his last four starts. Steve Cishek pitched 1 2-3 innings to earn his second save. All-Star Gio Gonzalez (12-4) struck out nine in six innings for Washington. He gave up two runs and five hits.

LOS ANGELES: Plate umpire Greg Gibson at first calls ‘out’ on the San Diego Padres’ Everth Cabrera (center) stealing home, not realizing the ball has gotten away from Los Angeles Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis on the ninth-inning play. —AP right field. Sandoval, who opened the inning with an infield single, easily beat the throw home from Matt Downs. Jeremy Affeldt (1-1) got the last out in the top of the 12th.

Braves 8, Mets 7 In Atlanta, Jason Heyward hit an RBI single to cap a three-run rally in the eighth inning as the Braves beat New York for their sixth straight win. The Braves’ comeback prevented a shaky R.A. Dickey from getting his 11th win in a row.

first-place tie with the Pirates in the NL Central division.

Ludwick, a former Cardinal, got two strikes to start his at-bat against Victor Marte (2-2) and then fouled off three pitches before connecting on his 13th homer of the season. Sam LeCure (3-2) pitched a per fect 10th inning to get the win. Yadier Molina homered for St. Louis, which stranded 11 runners.

Cubs 4, D’backs 1 In Chicago, Ryan Dempster matched the Cubs’ record with a

Pirates 6, Brewers 4 In Milwaukee, Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run shot for his fourth homer in the last three games, leading Pittsburgh to the victory. Casey McGehee also went deep and Kevin Correia pitched six effective innings as the Pirates remained level with the Cincinnati Reds for the NL Central lead. Correia (6-6) allowed four runs, two earned, and four hits while improving to 4-0 with a 3.81 ERA in his last five starts.

McCutchen hit his 20th homer in the third and also made a nice sliding catch on a sinking line drive by Martin Maldonaldo with two runners on to end the eighth. Milwaukee starter Marco Estrada struck out 11 in 5 2-3 innings. Kameron Loe (4-3) got the loss. —AP

Pressure evident in Super Rugby as playoffs loom WELLINGTON: Two of the Super Rugby title favourites revealed the pressure of the looming playoffs by lurching to victories over lower-ranked sides they should have destroyed in the final round of matches on Saturday.

The Stormers and Canterbury Crusaders struggled to keep their feet on the throats of the Melbourne Rebels and Western Force.

Both were forced to withstand second-half fightbacks before finally achieving their wins.

The Stormers’ victory and Waikato Chiefs loss to the Wellington Hurricanes ensured they topped the table, and while they failed to excite the crowds-managing just two bonus points all season-they showed how to win games by taking their opportunities and stifling their opposition.

“In playoffs it’s about winning and playing the percentages and for the entire season it has always been about winning for us,” Stormers coach Allister Coetzee said. “We are comfortable with the way we play and wont make changes now.

“You don’t need bonus points in the semifinals.” The Stormers and Chiefs both have a bye in the first round of playoffs next week, with the New Zealand side suffering a case of the yips in their final two weeks. They lost a match of test intensity to the Crusaders in the penultimate round before succumbingto the Hurricanes on Friday.

Chiefs coach Dave Rennie managed to at least crack a smile at the post-match media conference in Wellington, but he was frustrated at the way his side had finished after leading the competition for much of the season.

The Chiefs would need to work on their option-taking in attack after blowing “six or seven” potential tries against the Hurricanes and try to be less predictable when they did have the ball, Rennie said. “We have got to be sharp in that area and (we) have a couple of weeks to work it out. We’re not going to throw

CAPE TOWN: South African Stormers player Juan de Jongh scores a try against the Australian Rebels during a Super Rugby game. —AP everything out, but we could have been a lot better and didn’t quite have the edge. “We have got a couple of weeks to sort something out.”

The champion Queensland Reds, on the outer before the final games began after a stuttering start to their season, did exactly what they needed by securing a bonus-point win over the New South Wales Waratahs after the Auckland Blues had done them a huge favour with a 30-16 win over the AC T Brumbies. “Since round four of the competition we’ve been fighting to stay in finals contention so I’m really proud,” coach Ewen McKenzie said. “ We’re in the finals now (and)...it’s a different scenario. We’ll go week to week and get that right.”

The Reds, who won the Australian confer-

ence, now host the Sharks, with coach John Plumtree happy to have missed facing the Crusaders for the second successive year.

“We went there (to the Crusaders) last year, so I was hoping for another destination,” Plumtree said in a reference to their 36-8 loss last year.

“Wherever we go at this stage of the competition, there’ll be a lot of pressure on the home team as well. Everyone says you can’t win on the road, but we’re going to prove everyone wrong.”

Seven-time champions Crusaders host the three -times winner Bulls, with the Christchurch-based side needing to hammer home their advantage after they fell off in the second half against the Force when they had run up a 32-3 lead. — Reuters

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

sp orts

Much work to do before London is Olympic ready LONDON: With the opening ceremony less than two weeks away, there’s a mad dash to the finish line at the Olympics and it has nothing to do with sprinters.

Hundreds of construction workers are toiling away inside the Olympic Park, laying cables, installing seats and adding the last layers of sparkle and polish to the venues. There’s plenty to do.

“It’s looking a bit industrial isn’t

on,” James Bulley, director of venues for organizing committee LOCOG, told The Associated Press.

“The athletes aren’t ready to start competing yet, either. We want all our venues to look absolutely spectacular and pristine.

“The venues are ready. We’re now just doing the final setup for the games. We’re in a good place.

We’re on track. There’s nothing I’m worried about.”

weekend, between yet another bout of rain showers, showed the scale of what remains to be done: a small army of workers, a sea of white tents, cranes, bulldozers, upturned tables and chairs, humming generators, television cables and rigging, a maze of fences.

Paul Gauger, who works for the tourism agency Visit Britain, surveyed a sad-looking wild flower patch near the aquatics center but

LONDON: A picture shows the London Eye, as Britain prepares to celebrate the beginning of the Olympic Games. The London 2012 Olympic Games will begin on July 27. —AFP it?” said Chris Allen, a Londoner who came to the edge of the park to have a look. “I am not seeing England’s green fields. I do hope it’s going to look better.”

Shades of Athens, where chronic delays pushed workers to the brink to complete preparations in time for the games to start in 2004?

Hardly, say London organizers who have prided themselves on finishing their massive construction project ahead of time and on budget.

Things may look a bit messy now, they say, but all will be fine by the time the curtain goes up, on July 27, when the torch is lit.

“We’re not at the stage yet where we’re ready to flick the TV

The last few weeks and days are all about putting up signs, fitting in the remaining seats and completing the landscaping. “We will be mowing lawns right up to the opening ceremony,” LOCOG chairman Sebastian Coe told AP. The last thing organizers need at this point is a crisis over readiness of the venues. At the moment, they’re coping with the fallout from a bungled contract by private security group G4S that forced the government to call in about 3,500 additional troops - many just returned from tours of duty in Afghanistan to fill the shortfall.

A walk through the 560-acre Olympic Park in east London this

took it in stride. “This is all cosmetic stuff,” he said. “Look! There are some flowers growing over there!”

Bulley said the venues, after the construction and fit-out phases, are now in their final “bump-in” period.

Television networks from around the world are moving in and cabling the venues for their cameras. LOCOG’s “look’” teams are completing the signage and color schemes. Sports equipment is being shipped in.

“We’re still putting in seats at probably 10 or so venues,” Bulley said. “We’re putting in 1,000 seats a day.” The “live site” in the Olympic Park - a grassy area where spectators can watch the events on a

giant screen and listen to musical entertainment - is also unfinished.

“The bump-in looks quite messy, but you leave this to the last stages,” Bulley said. “It’s always the last thing you do in getting events ready. We want to work these venues right up to when the athletes are coming in so they look as good as possible.” Olympic Park isn’t the only place getting dolled up.

So is Horse Guards Parade, the ceremonial parade ground a stone’s throw from the Prime Minister’s Downing Street residence in central London, and site of beach volleyball. It’s a temporary venue which requires stands and 5,000 tons of sand brought in from a quarry south of London. Imagine a giant sandbox. Work started only late last month after the Trooping of the Color ceremony marking Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday.

Another key venue requiring special attention is ExCel. The conference and exhibition center in the Docklands area is being turned into multiple arenas hosting boxing, judo, table tennis, wrestling, fencing, taekwondo and weightlifting.

“We’re well advanced,” Bulley said. “We’ll be ready to hand those arenas over as of early next week.

We took the venues later than many of the others. We’ve always known the period we’ve had to deliver these venues. We track them very closely. We’re in super shape.”

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said it’s normal for host cities to face a flurry of last-ditch issues.

“It’s not peculiar for London,” he said. “We’ve always had difficulties in the days leading up to the games in the previous games and the games were of an impeccable nature. This is something that does not worry us. We’re confident that everything will be fine by the opening ceremony day.”

Even Andrew Boff, a member of the London Assembly and vocal critic of the Olympic project, has no doubts. “It’s the nature of any games,” he said. “They look unfinished before you get there. But the venues are ready. They’ve been tested. You can do a lot in 12 days.

If it weren’t ready, Seb Coe would have his Lordship or knighthood taken away.” —AP

Athletes to bring in tonnes of bags LONDON: Kenneth Andreasen, the head coach for the US Olympic sailing team, is not a man who travels lightly. He’s already sent 10 shipping containers full of sailboats, motor boats, masts, sails, trailers and other marine equipment to the Olympic sailing center at Weymouth.

Andreasen and his team of 16 sailors and assorted coaches are arriving today morning at Heathrow Airport with what can only be

The very topic of luggage can send regular airline passengers into apoplectic fits. How much more anxiety, then, for Olympic athletes who are sending everything from horses to bikes to vaulting poles to an island nation to pursue their lifelong dreams?

Officials at Heathrow are well aware that losing or breaking the bags of high-profile athletes could be a public relations disaster, and they have

LONDON: In this May 23, 2012 file photo released by British Airports Authority, over 2,400 pieces of baggage are seen lined-up in Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport during a baggage handling exercise to prepare staff at London’s main airport for the forthcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games. —AP described as gobs more luggage. He will have plenty of company - today is crunch time for Olympic arrivals at Europe’s busiest airport because that’s the day the Athletes Village opens at London’s Olympic Park.

“We go through a lot of sails. We bring them on the plane,” Andreasen told The Associated Press by telephone from Portsmouth, Rhode Island. “Windsurfers can be checked in as baggage, too.”

geared up to ensure that doesn’t happen.

“We are expecting a lot of teams and a lot of bags,” acknowledged Nick Cole, who heads the Olympic project for Heathrow. “We are going to be on show today.”

The airport usually handles 100,000 to 110,000 arrivals a day, but that will swell to 120,000 today, many of them Olympic VIPs. Another big arrival day will be July 25, two days before the games’ opening ceremony.

In response, Heathrow has recruited 1,000 Olympic volunteers clad in bright pink to help and created special teams to deal with oversize items such as javelins and bikes. Hundreds of immigration agents will be on the job to ease the long queues that have plagued the airport of late.

Rows of Olympic VIP buses will be waiting to whisk teams and coaches to the Athletes Village.

At least, that’s the plan. Cole promises it will also be the reality. “We’ve got into our battle rhythm,” he said. Peter Nicholas, 59, from Camberley, south of London, is one of those Heathrow volunteers, happily working shifts that can start as early as 4:30 a.m. He already has helped the head of the Swedish Olympic committee. “It’s a once-in-the-lifetime experience,” he said. “We’re helping to make the games work.”

Luggage is a constant worry for top athletes flying around the world.

“Most of our sailors have two to three boats that we ship around the world for competitions.

Sometimes it takes a couple of months,” Andreasen said. He estimated the US sailing team has brought “50-60 boats, I’m not quite sure” to Britain, including about 10 motorized coaching boats. But his team still needs to take enormous amounts of sailing gear on the plane. They are athletes who get soaked for hours each day and need specialized clothing to protect them from the chill of the ocean and the constant abrasions that come with highstakes racing.

In all, the sailors face up to 26 days of sodden clothing, beginning when they reach Weymouth, in southwest England, tomorrow through daily practices on the water and then battling for medals in races from July 29 until Aug. 11, the day before the London Olympics end.

The American sailors already have spent weeks practicing in the waters off Weymouth, where Andreasen says they got to experience Britain’s soggy spring - the wettest June on record - for themselves. “Everyone said “It never rains this much!’” he laughed. “Maybe all this bad weather will go away and it will be blue sky for the whole Olympics.” Maybe, but he’s not counting on it.

“Weymouth is going to be a good venue for us,” Andreasen predicted. “We are ready for anything, not taking for granted that it (the weather) will be one way or the other.” —AP

SAO PAULO: In this picture taken July 10, 2012, Chinese born table tennis player Gui Lin practices as she prepares for the London Olympic Games. —AP

Move to Brazil pays off for Gui SAO PAULO: Gui Lin’s parents thought she would start eating better if she played a sport in school, so she picked table tennis. She was 7 years old when she made her choice. And it changed her life.

At 9, she left home to practice full time with a state team in interior China. At 12, she moved to Brazil to play the sport. A few months ago, at 18, she earned Brazilian citizenship and made the country’s national team. A few weeks from now, she will be fulfilling her dream of participating in the Olympics.

Nearly every big decision in Gui’s life has been related to the sport she fell in love with as a kid, the sport she began playing because her parents wanted her to become healthier.

“I didn’t eat well when I was younger. I was weak and always got sick,” Gui told The Associated Press. “I had low resistance and kept having to go to the hospital. My parents thought that if I played a sport I would get tired and would start wanting to eat more.”

Gui chose table tennis because it was something she used to play with her friends from time to time. It didn’t take long before she realized she really liked it. And was really good at it, too.

She enjoyed the sport so much that she felt good about making some lifechanging decisions because of it.

Seven years after leaving her family behind in China, she says there is no doubt her choices are paying off - both in sports and in life. In addition to going to London for her first Olympics, she found a new place to call home.

“After coming to Brazil as a kid I started to get to know the country better,” she said. “People always treated me well and eventually I got this passion for Brazil which made me want to compete for the country and to try to help the sport here.”

Gui came to Brazil after a Chinese coach who lived in the country saw her playing during one of his trips back to China. He talked to her parents and invited her to come to Brazil as part of an exchange program to help develop table tennis. She was expected to stay only about a year but adapted so well that her parents allowed her to stay longer.

“I liked it here from the start,” Gui said. “Right away I knew I would want to stay longer. I kept playing and traveling with the Brazilians and thought it was a good idea to try to play for Brazil, so I accepted their offer to help the sport here.” Brazilian table tennis officials were thrilled she wanted to stay.

Gui brought along her Chinese background in table tennis, something which has been key in helping the sport develop in the South American nation which has never won anything

significant internationally with the exception of Pan American Games medals.

Having learned some of the techniques that make the Chinese the greatest players in the world, Gui is giving Brazil hope of a possible Olympic medal in the future. Success is not likely to come in 2012, but the goal is for the country to be competing for medals in 2016 and beyond, with either Gui or some of the other Brazilian players she is helping develop.

“She has been a great help to Brazil’s table tennis,” said Gui’s coach, Hugo Hoyama, a Brazilian who will be in London participating in his sixth Olympics. “She learned the basics in China and that’s important. She has great technique, great moves. But the most important thing is that she likes to help the others, and that’s great for the sport in Brazil.”

Hoyama, a 10-time gold medalist in the Pan American Games and Brazil’s most successful table tennis player, said the experience Gui will earn in London will be invaluable for her own development and the future of Brazil’s table tennis.

Gui admits that it would have been much harder for her to fulfill her dream of being at the Olympics if she had stayed in China, where the number of good players is incredibly higher.

China’s dominance in the sport is indisputable. The country won 20 of 24 gold medals since the sport was introduced into the Olympics in 1988.

With so many good players in the country, it’s common for other nations without tradition in the sport to seek Chinese competitors to play in international competition. The European championships, for example, are usually dominated by Chinese-born players.

Gui, who is from the southern city of Nanning, wants to make it clear that it’s different in her case.

“I’m against these players who go to the Olympics to play for a country that they’ve never even visited. Sometimes then don’t even know anything about the country. This is just wrong,” she said, speaking nearly perfect Portuguese.

Hoyama said most Chinese players are older when they earn a new citizenship and usually only travel to their new country during competitions, which is not what happened to Gui, who has returned to China only a few times but still talks to her parents almost daily on the Internet.

“It wasn’t easy to leave home as a kid, it wasn’t easy to change countries,” Gui said. “But it was all worth it, definitely. The most important thing is that I’m doing something that I like, playing the sport that I like here in Brazil and going to my first Olympic Games.” —AP

Rwandan makes dad and nation proud KIGALI: When 15-year-old Alphonsine Agahozo swims at the London Olympics next month, she will be the pride of her father and landlocked African nation.

Dad Alphonse Twagirimana, a swimming instructor for 30 years but now unemployed, began teaching her to swim when she was three and will now watch to see how years of hard work pay off in her 50m freestyle heats on Aug. 3. “I realised she would go far as a swimmer when she was just six years old,” he told Reuters, his face beaming with pride.

Agahozo, who secured her place through one of two guaranteed places given to each national Olympic committee in swimming, knows she has a lot of work to

do since her personal best of 30.2 seconds is far below the world record of 23.73 seconds.

“I am competing against all the world... but I have experience competing in different events so I think I will be OK,” she told Reuters at the national Amahoro stadium in Kigali.

Agahozo trained for years in a small outdoor pool at her local sports centre before winning a scholarship to study and train in France last year. She is broad shouldered and strong but otherwise looks like any other girl of her age.

“It’s not Rwanda’s first time to be represented at the Olympics in swimming but what makes us so proud is that we are rep-

resented by such a talented young woman,” said Samuel Kinimba Ufitimana, president of the Rwandan Swimming Federation.

“We call Rwanda the ‘land of 1,000 hills’ and because of that we also have lots of lakes. Those small lakes can help us in teaching swimming.” The swimmer’s big break came when she competed in the Rwandan national swimming championships in Butare in 2009 aged 12 and won her race, Ufitimana said.

Agahozo has three years left of her scholarship in France. After that she hopes to go to university to study medicine, while still working on her swimming. —Reuters

Alphonsine Agahozo

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

sp orts

Felix targets elusive 200m gold

Neda Shahsavari, Iran’s first woman to compete in table tennis at the Olympics.—AFP

Iran trailblazer dreams of table tennis medal TEHRAN: Iran’s first woman to compete in table tennis at the Olympics, Neda Shahsavari, says she is “thrilled” to be going to the London Games, and dreams of winning a medal for the Islamic republic.

Petite and agile, the 25-year-old physical education student from the western city of Kermanshah made history for Iran when she beat Kazakhstan’s Yelena Shagarova at the Middle Asia Olympic qualifying tournament in Tehran in January.

“I was thrilled when I made it, beating Shagarova, since she had beat me two months before. It was an indescribable feeling,” she told AFP after a training session for the London Games, which begin on July 27.

“I have made it but I hope I won’t be the last Iranian woman making it to the Olympics in table tennis,” said Shahsavari, who joins seven other women representing the Islamic republic at the Olympics.

In order to get as far as possible in the tournament, she hopes not to meet one of the sport’s strongest competitors from East Asia in the heats.

“Expectations are high. It is very difficult, but I will do my best,” said Shahsavari, who is ranked 490 in the International Table Tennis Federation rankings.

Table tennis is popular in Iran, and ping pong tables are widespread in the country’s public parks. Shahsavari said she was drawn to the sport by hearing the whack of the ball as a child.

“I was drawn to ping pong when I was 11. I loved the sound the ball made hitting the table and the racket. I started hitting the ball onto the wall and ground and then eventually my parents got me a ping pong table,” she said.

Mandatory Islamic dress code in Iran

requires all women to cover their bodies from head to toe, and women athletes must adhere to these rules if they are to compete nationally and internationally.

Wearing a loose-fitting, long-sleeved jersey over a pair of tracksuit bottoms, with the Islamic headscarf, Shahsavari says she is comfortable with the outfit.

“I’ve been competing dressed like this for more than a decade here at home and in international games. I am accustomed to it,” said the young women, who has been in Iran’s national table tennis team for 10 years.

State -run television rarely shows women’s sports events, though many Iranian women are avid sports enthusiasts and practitioners.

Several women have won medals in international tournaments that have allowed them to compete while wearing Islamic dress, notably Sara KhoshjamalFekri, then 21 years old.

She became a national celebrity as Iran’s first female taekwondo Olympic qualifier and was listed by Time magazine as one of the “100 Olympic Athletes to Watch” at the Beijing 2008 Games, where she made it to the quarter finals before being knocked out.

Iran is sending 54 athletes to the London Games, including eight women competing in table tennis, hammer throwing, kayaking, rowing, archery, taekwondo and the women’s 10m air rifle.

Iran first took part in the Olympics in 1948 in London, but it boycotted the 1980 Moscow and 1984 Los Angeles Games for political reasons. In its 14 appearances, it has won 11 gold, 15 silver and 22 bronze medals.—AFP

Quintavalle looking to find judo serenity ROME: Four years ago in Beijing she was a virtual unknown, even in judo circles, yet Giulia Quintavalle shocked the world as she beat veteran Deborah Gravenstijn to claim Olympic gold.

The pretty Roman’s beaming smile left a lasting memory from that exploit, so much so that it is emblazoned across the wall of the Olympic training hall by the beach in Ostia, just outside Rome, where she trains.

Quintavalle went to China as a total outsider but left not only with a gold medal but also the renewed attention of the favorites in the under-57kg division.

So much so that since then she has

Giulia Quintavalle struggled to reproduce anything like her Olympic form.

In fact, other than her Olympic gold medal, Quintavalle has never climbed the podium at either world or European level.

And the 29-year-old admits that after winning in Beijing, she struggled to come to terms with her success. “After Beijing it was very hard for me. I felt the weight of being Olympic champion on my shoulders because I wanted to show that I was the champion whereas before I felt maybe more detached,” she told AFP in an exclusive interview.

“I wasn’t among the favorites at the Olympics even though I’d always been amongst the top five in the world but maybe no-one thought I could win a medal.

“So after winning it was tough taking part in other competitions. After a year or two I got used to it but it was still tough.”

It is one of the great mysteries of toplevel judo that while some great champions, notably Japan’s Shinichi Shinohara, Belgium’s Gella Vandecaveye or Neil Adams of Great Britain never won the Olympics, despite dominating their categories for years, Quintavalle saved her greatest performance for the most prestigious stage of all. Italy’s head coach Felice Mariani thinks this is a common occurrence in sport.

“This is a problem that unfortunately happens to almost all Olympic champions, even in other sports,” he said. “Some athletes, after winning the Olympics, for the next year or two they’re not at their top level. I’ve studied this phenomenon a lot, it’s in part due to their expectations.

“An athlete fights at their true level and wins the Olympics but then after that doesn’t manage to reproduce the same level because they want to prove to their coach, partner, father and mother that they’re an Olympic champion.

“We have an Olympic wrestling champion Andrea Minguzzi who unfortunately has failed to qualify (for London) after losing to weaker athletes.

“I can give you other names such as (Aldo) Montano in fencing and (Igor) Cassina (gymnastics) who won gold in Athens and then we didn’t see them again.

“There is huge pressure on these athletes and the problem is that when they go to the Games feeling calm and without having to prove anything to anyone, they have more of a chance to win and Giulia Quintavalle is confirmation of that.”

Quintavalle, currently ranked world number 10, despite her lack of a major medal since Beijing, is making no excuses, admitting that she is the one who hasn’t stepped up to the plate when it mattered.

“Every time I’ve got to a semi-final maybe I’ve had a bit of fear of returning to an important podium,” she said.

“Whether it’s been due to something stupid or a mistake, I’ve always lost and I also ask myself why I’ve never managed a world or European medal.

“Maybe it’s also because of the changes in rules at first but most of all it’s my fault because I haven’t managed to be convincing in these important moments.”—AFP

LONDON: Allyson Felix ran the sixthfastest women’s 200 meters ever clocked, the fastest in the world for 14 years, and promptly put the impressive achievement into sobering perspective.

“It’s extremely special,” she said. “But the job is not done. It’s all about London.” For the 26-year-old American sprint star, the Olympics represent a chance to finally claim an elusive individual gold medal after taking 200m silver at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.

“It’s all about the 200 and whatever puts me in the best position to go for a gold medal in the 200,” Felix said. Reigning 200 world champion Veronica CampbellBrown of Jamaica won the 2004 and 2008 Olympic 200m titles, but runner-up efforts have not left Felix bitter.

“I still love the Olympics,” she said. “The way it has worked out I’ve just been flat outrun at the Olympics. It still excites me.

It’s still my dream to get it done and I think it’s very possible.”

Felix surged to victory in the 200 final at the US Olympic track and field trials in 21.69 seconds, leaving a world-class field racing for second as she set a personal best with a flying start and a fantastic finish.

“It’s very rare for me to come off the corner in the lead,” Felix said. “I just dug deep and tried to keep going. I was thrilled with my race. Everything came together at the right time.”

Only doping-disgraced Marion Jones, Jamaican legend Merlene Ottey and the

late world record-holder Florence GriffthJoyner have ever run faster than Felix in the event. It was the fastest time clocked in the event since Jones went 21.62 in 1998 in South Africa.

And it also came while Felix and training partner Jeneba Tarmoh were locked in a dispute over a dead heat for third place, and the final Olympic ber th, in the women’s 100, a controversy that lasted 10 days before being settled.

In the end, Tarmoh pulled out of a planned run-off for the berth hours before it was to be contested, leaving Felix a chance at a 100-200 double but one tainted but the dispute that hung like a dark cloud over the trials.

“The situation has been difficult for everyone involved,” Felix said at the time. “I wanted to earn my spot on this team and not have it conceded to me, so I share in everyone’s disappointment that this runoff will not happen.

“All I can do now is turn my focus to London.” While Felix’s 200m time is half a second ahead of the year’s second-best run, by US teammate Sanya Richards-Ross in a Diamond League victory last month in New York, Felix ranks only fifth on the 100 list with a season-best 10.92.

“The 100 would be icing on the cake,” Felix said. “It’s all about me being prepared for the 200, whatever is best for me there.

“The 100 keeps my sprinting where it needs to be for the 200 so it works out very well. It warms my legs up, gets my legs moving in the right way.”—AFP

Allyson Felix

Genetically Modified Olympians?

PARIS: As athletes get ready to smash Olympic records in London, scientists are in a highstakes race of their own to develop a test that will unmask anyone altering their genes in a desperate quest for gold.

Observers said science will not prevail in time for the games that start on July 27. While noone is sure whether “gene doping” is actually happening yet, the theoretical possibility of people fiddling with their DNA to boost power and endurance is one that scares sport officials.

“Today, no, it cannot be tested. If a genetically modified athlete wins the 100m sprint at the London 2012 Games, we won’t know-at least not immediately,” bioethicist Andy Miah told AFP. “In some years, a test may show that gene doping took place and (we) will have to confront the possibility of retracting medals.”

In theory, gene doping could see athletes injecting lab-fabricated DNA into their bodies through a carrier, like a virus, to stimulate the production of muscle-growing hormones or red blood cells that shuttle oxygen to the muscles.

A virus works by forcing its own DNA into human cells, which then replicate the DNA containing biological instructions.

“You could take a full-fledged, developed athlete and you could

fiddle around with their genes to make them stronger and better,” said Don Catlin, a medical doctor who helped set up the first drug testing lab in the United States.

But is it happening?

“Not that I know of, but then again, nobody will call me up and tell me. We are concerned about it because it is a theoretical possibility. We know people will try it and probably are trying it,” said Catlin.

In 2006, the sporting world was forced to sit up and take notice when a German athletics coach was accused of seeking to obtain an experimental gene therapy called Repoxygen ahead of the Winter Olympics.

Considered a possible treatment for anaemia, Repoxygen contained a synthetic virus that carries a gene for erythropoietin (EPO) — a hormone that tells the body to make more red blood cells.

EPO is a favorite doping agent of c yclists and runners. The World Anti-Doping Agenc y (WADA) added gene doping to its list of prohibited substances and methods in 2003, and has spent millions of dollars on developing a test. “ We’ve engaged the gene therapy specialists in the world and we’ve been working with them since 2002,” WADA director general David Howman told AFP, adding there was “no evidence” of athletes using gene manipula-

tion. Yet. “Nobody has examples of this, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening,” said Miah, who has published several papers on Olympic doping. “ That is the problem with doping generally.

It isn’t very well known what athletes are doing.”

Observers like Miah, Catlin and sport genomics expert Alun Williams say there will be no accurate gene doping test in place for the Olympics, a topic WADA would not be drawn on.

A growth-booster gene injected directly into the muscle would be near impossible to trace in the blood or urine, said Williams of the Manchester Metropolitan University.

“If you were to take a muscle biopsy from an athlete, you’d have a much better chance of (finding it), but that is a much more invasive procedure ... and you’d have to do it in every muscle”-a technique that is unlikely to ever be approved.

Using existing techniques, the odds of finding foreign DNA in an athlete are “probably similar to finding a needle in a haystack ”, said Williams, but added it should be possible “within a few years”.

Under the new rules, an Olympic athlete’s blood and urine samples can be kept for up to eight years, meaning it can be retrospectively tested for gene doping once an accurate test is in place.

More than 6,000 blood and urine samples are to be taken at the London Olympics. The experts warn that gene therapy, even in tests for treating diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s and diabetes, is still in its infancy and risky.

“In several studies, patients have experienced serious adverse effects and several have died,” Theodore Friedman, director of the University of California’s gene therapy programme and head of WADA’s gene doping panel, told AFP. Added Catlin: “One crude way to learn about it is if athletes started to drop dead.” But while gene doping may still be in the starting blocks, this is unlikely to stop determined cheaters.

“The technique works in clinical settings. It is not perfect, it is not without risk... but athletes will try lots of things that are risky,” said Williams.

“Even if there is a very high risk, if there is a chance to improve their per formance, some will take that risk.” As cheaters run out of drugs that the authorities don’t have a method to detect, gene doping is the next frontier.

“It is make or break for the world of sport,” said Miah. “If they find a way to catch gene doping, it will most likely solve the doping problem forever. If they don’t, then it is unlikely ever to be solved.”—AP

Isinbayeva takes flight again MOSCOW: Russia’s pole vault world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva is confident of soaring to new heights at the Olympics after suffering a series of setbacks in the last three seasons.

Isinbayeva heads to London boosted by gold in the 2012 World Indoor Championships and happy she has regained her fighting spirit after the 2009-2011 seasons were blighted by the rare but bitter taste of defeat.

Reunited with her childhood coach Yevgeny Trofimov-a man who she affectionately calls her second father-Isinbayeva believes she has recovered the form that made her unbeatable up to 2008. “I can say that I’ve regained that joyful feeling being in flight over the bar,” the double Olympic champion said.

“Now I just love everything that I’m doing and I really appreciate every minute which I spend in training and competition.”

Accustomed to being the unchallenged queen of her event, Isinbayeva failed to record a height in a tear-stained 2009 World Championships in Berlin, came fourth in the 2010 world indoors and just sixth in the 2011 Worlds in Daegu, South Korea.

But Isinbayeva said that she was not afraid of the competition at the Olympics, saying if she comes into the Games in top form nobody can stop her.

“If I manage to keep my form and avoid injuries there’ll be no rival for me in London except myself,” she said. The 30-year-old Volgograd-born pole vaulter added that the recent winter athletics season confirmed that she and coach Trofimov have chosen the right way to prepare for the Olympics.

“I managed to earn a perfect record this winter winning all five tournaments where I competed and set a new indoor world record. It’s a very good result for the winter season,” she said.

“I believe it’s a clear sign that together with my coach we’ve chosen the right direction and I’m really happy that our joint work paid off.”

Isinbayeva started her sporting career as gymnast in Volgograd but she had to change sports at the age of 15 because she was considered too tall to be competitive in gymnastics.

Isinbayeva, who holds both the world outdoor record of 5.06m and indoor mark of 5.01m, also said that she almost restored her technique of the 2005-06 period which she and her coach

considered to be the best in her career.

“I’m really close to it. Now my technique is completely different and much closer to perfection than what I was showing in those five years,” she said.

“Now I’m not just jumping over the bar but flying over it again. And I hope I’ll be able to fly really high.” Isinbayeva, who parted her ways with her first coach Trofimov in 2005 to join Vitaly Petrov, the coach of legendary Sergei Bubka, said that the move was a mistake as it ended a complete fiasco at consecutive major events. She added that the decision to reunite with Trofimov in 2011 was the key to her comeback. “I made a mistake when I parted with Yevgeny. But luckily I corrected that mistake and it was the best ever decision in my life as he is my coach, my friend and maybe even my second father.”

“I believe now I can see my previous achievements in proper perspective and every new victory makes me much more happy than it was in the previous years.”

Isinbayeva, who has set 28 world records during her career so far, added that she was still dreaming of beating Bubka’s achievement of 35 world records before her retirement.

“It was my main target since the very beginning of my career to make it 36 records. It’s still in my mind and I believe I can achieve it.”

Meanwhile, she confirmed her firm intention to retire after the 2013 athletics world championships in Moscow. “I will quit after the Moscow worlds. It’s the right time to quit when you’re 31,” she said. “Besides, I decided to retire at my peak.

For the moment every competition is a great occasion for me but it becomes more and more hard to train day-in, day-out.”—AFP

Russia’s gold medal winner Yelena Isinbayeva

18

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

sp orts

Singh storms Castle Stuart to clinch Scottish Open

ILLIONIS: Troy Matteson hits his second shot on the 18th hole during the third round of the John Deere Classic golf tournament at TPC Deere Run. —AP

Matteson leads in Illinois, Stricker mounts charge ILLINOIS: Troy Matteson carded a fiveunder 66 to take a three-shot lead after the third round of the John Deere Classic on Saturday but will be looking over his shoulder for charging three-time defending champion Steve Stricker.

Matteson, who has sat atop the leaderboard since the opening round, began the day with a one shot cushion but increased his advantage with another steady effort at the TPC Deere Run layout in Silvis, Illinois by mixing seven birdies with two bogeys.

The American was in position to grab a four-shot lead over Stricker heading into yesterday’s final round but closed out with a bogey at the last to leave him on 18-under 195.

Stricker, looking to become only the fifth man to win the same tournament in four consecutive years, put himself in contention for another victory by closing with four straight birdies from the 14th.

But, like Matteson, Stricker also bogeyed the 18th to sign off with a 66. “I don’t know, I have a good time here, obviously a lot of good vibes going around here having won the last three years,” said Stricker. “Things start to happen for me here, I make some putts, pull

out some shots here and there, a lot of good things happen but I don’t know what it is.

“I just have to keep plugging, I have one more day and hopefully make another run at it tomorrow.” Young Tom Morris, Walter Hagan, Gene Sarazen and Tiger Woods sit in the exclusive club of men who have won a tournament in four consecutive years.

Lurking four off the lead at the John Deere Classic are 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson and PGA Tour rookie Brian Harman.

Johnson, winner of the Colonial Invitational and a runner-up at the Heritage and Players Championship this season, moved into contention for his second win of the campaign by also carding a 66 while Harman labored to a two-under 69 to sit on 199.

“I expect Steve to play well here. Who wouldn’t?” said Johnson. “We’ve both played well here so I don’t think it’ll be surprising if we both play well again four straight days.”

Australian John Senden (67) and Americans J.J. Henr y (69) and Billy Hurley III (64) are five off the pace at 13under. —Reuters

ST KITTS: In this image released by DigicelCricket.com, West Indies’ bowler Tino Best celebrates after bowling out New Zealand’s Jacob Oram (right) during their fourth One-Day International cricket match. —AP

West Indies clinch one-day series against New Zealand WARNER PARK: Kieron Pollard struck 56 from 70 deliveries to propel West Indies to a 24-run win over New Zealand in the fourth one -day international which clinched the five-match series 3-1.

West Indies recovered from a toporder batting slump to finish with an impressive 264 all out at Warner Park while New Zealand were bowled out in the last over for 240, despite a defiant 110 off 115 deliveries from captain Ross Taylor.

“You have got to give credit to West Indies, they were under pressure” Taylor said. “We would have liked to put the foot down on the throat, but we didn’t

execute well.” After losing three wickets in the first seven overs, West Indies were in trouble before Marlon Samuels steadied the innings with a patient 46.

New Zealand were back on top when Samuels departed in the 27th over and the home side fell to 105-5 but Pollard quickly turned the innings around with the help of Devon Thomas (37), Darren Sammy (26) and Andre Russell (29).

The visitors made a flying start to their innings, reaching 50-1 in the eighth over but soon lost their way with Taylor, whose innings featured six boundaries and five sixes, playing a virtual lone hand. —Reuters

SCOREBOARD

INVERNESS: Jeev Milkha Singh of India birdied the first hole of his playoff with Francesco Molinari to win the Scottish Open after a final-round meltdown by local hope Marc Warren yesterday.

Singh, the son of an Olympic 400-meter runner, holed from 10 feet on No. 18 to claim his fourth victory on the European Tour and earn himself a spot in next week’s British Open in the process.

Both players had finished with 17-under totals of 271, with Singh shooting a 5-under 67 - the joint-lowest round of the day - and overnight leader Molinari returning a 72 as he attempted a wire-to-wire victory after a dominant week in the Scottish Highlands.

Warren had been three shots ahead with six holes remaining, but dropped four strokes in the final four holes to tie for third with Alexander Noren of Sweden (70) on 16 under after a fourth round played in the toughest conditions of the week.

By winning his first title in in four years and 37 days, Singh not only will climb back into the top 100 but will play at the British Open - staged at Royal Lytham & St. Annes starting Thursday - for the only the second time in his 19-year professional career.

He also won a first prize of 416,660 pounds ($645,000). Singh came into the final round five shots off the lead but didn’t drop a shot, despite a fierce westerly wind that proved too much for top-ranked Luke Donald (73) and Phil Mickelson (74), who both finished tied for 16th on 12 under.

However, it was Warren who will leave Inverness with most regrets. Watched by Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, Warren appeared on the brink of becoming the first home winner of the tournament since Colin Montgomerie in 1999 when he forged the biggest lead of the day by making birdies on the first three holes of the back nine.

Then it all went wrong. He double bogeyed No. 15 after missing his approach shot to the green and three-putting, before

dropping further shots on Nos. 16 and 17. He was consoled off the last green by playing partner Soren Kjeldsen, and looked absolutely distraught.

Warren was also looking to snatch that final British Open qualifying berth, which was available for the highest non-exempt player finishing in the top five.

Noren wasted a chance to make the playoff when he missed a putt on the last from two feet but Molinari, who teed off with a one-stroke lead, drained a par-saving putt on No. 18 to set up a shootout with Singh. His approach to the same hole in the playoff landed at the back of the green and his long putt came up well short, leaving Singh an opportunity he didn’t pass up.

His father, Milkha, placed fourth in the final of the 400 at the 1960 Olympics in Rome and the younger Singh said after his round that his dream is to play in the golf tournament at the Rio Games in 2016, when the sport returns to the Olympic program.

Singh went 95 events between his third and fourth victories, having previously won the Austria Open in June 2008. After three opening rounds of very low scoring, Castle Stuart finally bared its teeth with only six players of the remaining 77 breaking 70.

Gusting winds off the Moray Firth played havoc, with two extra clubs needed on many shots, chips falling way short and the thick rough beside the big fairways coming more into play. —AP

INVERNESS: India’s Jeev Milkha Singh kisses the trophy after winning the Scottish Open at the Castle Stuart Golf Links. —AP

Langer ahead at US Senior Open LAKE ORION: Fred Couples joked that someone will have to close with a 60 to catch Bernhard Langer at the US Senior Open.

That might not be low enough.

Langer shot a 6-under 64 on Saturday to move to 10 under for the tournament, putting him ahead of a big-name field by four strokes. “That’s not a huge lead,” he insisted. “That can disappear in no time. I’m going to have to get out there and shoot under par. That’s my goal.

“If I go 2 under or 3 under, it will be ver y difficult for anyone to catch me. And if they do, they deser ve to win.” The two-time Masters champion opened with three straight birdies and eight in 12 holes at Indianwood, a course with tight and unforgiving fairways and undulating greens. “He didn’t win two Masters by luck,” said Corey Pavin, who was in a five-way tie for second place. “He’s an exceptionally good player, very methodical.”

Langer didn’t miss a green in regulation during the third round until the par-3 No. 13, where a double bogey cut his cushion to three

shots. He bounced back with a birdie at 15 before giving that stroke back with a bogey at 18.

Pavin, Tom Lehman, Roger Chapman, John Huston and Tom Pernice Jr. were at 6-under 204.

Couples surged up the leaderboard with a 65 after starting the day tied for 25th place. He was part of a pack - along with Fred Funk and Jay Haas - that was five shots back in a tie for seventh at the Champion Tour’s fourth of five majors.

What did Couples think it would take to get into contention with Langer in the final round? “Sixty,” he said. “How does that sound?

Does that sound pretty good? Not really realistic.

“He’s not going to come back.

Corey and whoever is going to have to play a remarkable round to win. I’m at least inching closer.”

While Langer was in his sensational stretch Saturday, first-round leader Tom Kite and second-round leader Lance Ten Broeck were struggling in the final group.

Kite finished with a 74 to drop into a tie for 17th, nine shots back.

Since opening with a U.S. Senior

Open nine-hole record 28, Kite is 6 over.

Ten Broeck, a full-time caddie for Tim Herron and occasional player, shot a 72 with three birdies and five bogeys. He is alone in 11th place, six shots back, after starting the round with a one-shot lead over Kite and a two-stroke edge on a group that included Langer.

Pavin was tied with Langer coming in and finished the third round four shots back, insisting he only thought about a two-stroke penalty from Thursday when a repor ter asked about it. After pulling into a first-round tie for the lead, Pavin was docked two shots for hitting a ball that moved a fraction of an inch when he grounded his club to prepare for a chip.

Couples, who said that his chronic back problems have kept him from ever practicing for a Champions Tour event, got into contention by driving the green at the 360-yard, par-4 No. 9 and posting an eagle from 105 yards on the next hole that created a buzz on the course.

“You know it’s going to be close

when they start to ooh and aah,” he said. “As it went closer, they threw their hands up. Yeah, it’s a great feeling. You don’t make many eagles, especially from the fairway.” Langer scored with his flat stick, making a pair of 20-foot-plus putts for birdies on the first two holes while building confidence on a course set up to be a tough test for the best 50-and-older golfers in the world.

The 54-year-old German has nine top-10 finishes in his 11 previous Champion Tour events this season, including three runner-up showings, and is shooting for his first win since needing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb last year. Langer sounds as if he’s back to being the golfer that led the senior circuit money list from 2008-2010 - each of his first three seasons on the Champion Tour - before slipping to 25 last year because of a surgery-stunted season. “Without being big headed, I think I’m one of the better players out here the last three or four years,” he said. “I’ve won the Schwab Cup. If you do that, you’ve got to play well. — AP

AUB sponsors Kuwait National Cricket team at GCC Tournament KUWAIT: Under the patronage and sponsorship of Ahli United Bank (AUB), the leading bank in promoting spor ts among Kuwaiti youth, Kuwait National Cricket Team participated in the 3rd round final of the Gulf Cup tournament which was organized under the super vision of Sharjah Cricket Council and conducted at the Sharjah Sports Club between competing teams of UAE, Kuwait, Oman and KSA. The Kuwait National Cricket Team was led by the veteran cricketer Taher Bastaki and coached by Mahmoud Bastaki, both are among the most prominent and

renowned cricketers in Kuwait.

The Kuwait National Cricket Team is basically comprised of new and talented players and this international tournament provided them with a good opportunity to prove their skills and further enhance their experience. Despite the short span of time during which the matches of the tournament were held, Kuwait National Cricket Team succeeded in demonstrating excellent skills that surprised the best competing teams.

In a press statement issued on the occasion, AUB stressed that in line with its cor-

porate social responsibility it spares no effort in supporting sports, encouraging athletes and assist them to further develop their skills so that they will be capable to compete and project Kuwait image and name at the various international events.

Being fully aware of the important role spor ts play in honing and enhancing youth’s physical, psychological and mental skills, AUB boasts having excellent sports teams comprised of distinguished youth who are so enthusiastic to successfully compete for first places and champion positions.

Scoreboard from the fourth one-day international between West Indies and New Zealand at Warner Park in St Kitts yesterday.

West Indies innings J.Charles c Williamson b Bracewell 1 C.Gayle lbw b Southee 16 D.Smith c Taylor b Southee 0 M.Samuels lbw b N.McCullum 46 D.Bravo c Boult b Oram 18 K.Pollard c B.McCullum b Oram 56 D.Thomas c Taylor b Nicol 37 D.Sammy c Guptill b Boult 26 A.Russell c Guptill b Oram 29 S.Narine not out 6 T.Best b Southee 3 Extras (lb-5 w-20 nb-1) 26 Total (all out, 49.5 overs) 264 Fall of wickets: 1-17 2-19 3-20 4-59 5-105 6-190 7-202 8-234 9-258 10-264 Bowling: D.Bracewell 10-2-58-1 (w-1), T.Boult 10-2-47-1 (w-5), T.Southee 9.5-1-53-3 (nb-1 w-1), J.Oram 10-1-42-3 (w-3), N.McCullum 40-34-1 (w-6), R.Nicol 6-1-25-1 (w-1)

New Zealand innings R.Nicol b Bravo b Sammy 35 M.Guptill lbw b Best 0 B.McCullum c Sammy b Russell 10 R.Taylor c Sammy b Best 110 K.Williamson lbw b Narine 3 T.Latham c Thomas b Samuels 32 N.McCullum c Sammy b Best 11 J.Oram b Best 6 D.Bracewell c Pollard b Narine 5 T.Southee run out 3 T.Boult not out 1 Extras (b-5 lb-10 w-8 nb-1) 24 Total (all out, 49.3 overs) 240 Fall of wickets: 1-8 2-50 3-63 4-75 5-146 6170 7-219 8-234 9-237 10-240 Bowling: T.Best 10-1-46-4 (w-4), A.Russell 6-0-49-1 (w-1), D.Sammy 10-1-41-1 (nb-1), S.Narine 10-1-20-2 (w-1), M.Samuels 10-050-1, D.Bravo 3.3-0-19-0 (w-1) Result: West Indies won by 24 runs to lead five match series 3-1 Man of the match: Sunil Narine (West Indies).

Kuwait National Cricket team participating in the tournament under the patronage of Ahli United Bank.

19

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

SPORTS

National centre gives England grounds for hope BURTON: An idea first discussed in 1975 and which has overcome a series of planning delays finally becomes reality next month when England’s 100-million-pound ($155.47-million) national soccer centre opens in the centre of the country.

Nearly 50 years after Italy opened its national soccer base at Coverciano near Florence, a quarter of a century after France built its base at Clairefontaine outside Paris, and years after the Ciudad del Futbol centre started near Madrid, England has St George’s Park, its own state-of-the art training centre. The aims are threefold: to improve the standard of coaching in the English game, to increased the number of coaches at all levels to ensure that England never again needs a foreign coach and to produce English players capable of winning a major title.

While Wembley is the spiritual home of English soccer, David Sheepshanks, the chairman of St George’s Park wants the new complex to become the nerve centre.

“It’s a nerve centre, it’s a think tank, I would say a Mecca for the England

game. Of the values we have created around this place, one of them is to be accessible because we want it to be aspirational. The other part is that it is a meeting place for ideas.”

The complex is set in the heart of the Staffordshire countryside close to the town of Burton-on-Trent. No expense has been spared on the centre which includes 12 training pitches, including a full-size indoor one and one which has the special turf used at Wembley.

There are two luxury hotels where the England team and staff will stay in private areas before matches, but which are also open to the public.

The sporting facilities are among the best in the country with anti-gravity running machines, altitude chambers, hydrotherapy pools with underwater treadmills and an athletics track with built-in pressure pads.

There is a multi-purpose indoor sports hall plus five gymnasiums, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a sixlane 30-degree running hill and jogging routes on the 330-acre site - and some of the best technical equipment money can buy. Banqueting suites,

medical facilities and a conference centre are also on the complex, built in the last 17 months.

Sheepshanks says the current group of elite players will benefit from the place but, the real success or otherwise of St George’s Park will not be judged for at least 10 years.

“France opened Clairefontaine in 1988 and won the World Cup 10 years later, Italy benefited from Coverciano years later and Spain from their school in due course, and so we are not asking to be judged on immediate results.

“We have identified a number of desired outcomes. They include increasing the number of qualified coaches in this country, increasing the standard of qualified coaches and increasing the number of homegrown managers in charge of Premier League teams we would have available to coach our national teams. “So if we get this right, by definition, we should never need to appoint another coach from overseas.”

The Football Association (FA) are expected to appoint the technical director to run St George’s Park and

work closely with England manager Roy Hodgson soon.

“He or she will appoint the coach education staff and we have some very good educators,” Sheepshanks said, adding that not all the educators needed to be English. “We have seven million players in this country and 103,000 qualified coaches, a ratio of one to 69.

“If we do it right and hit our target by 2018 we want a quarter of a million qualified coaches so the ratio will be one to 25. The teacher has the defining influence.

“We are coming up to the Olympics and there won’t be one Olympic champion who hasn’t got a worldclass coach behind them.”

Other sports and teams will be able to hire the facilities at St George’s Park, but mainly it is for players and coaches of the 24 national representative sides under the FA’s umbrella, including juniors, women’s teams and the disabled.

Sheepshanks also hopes the centre will help to create a new kind of English player for the future - one who can take responsibility for them-

selves on and off the pitch. “The football side will be down to the technical director,” he said.

“We have all seen how the Euros played out and how the superior techniques of the Spanish helped them retain the title.

“Trevor Brooking (the FA’s director of football development) is always saying that we need to develop more technically adept players but also more responsible players, thinking players.

“So the ethos of St George’s Park will be to focus on those aims, to encourage a sense of personal ownership and a responsibility for the player’s career development.”

The opening of the complex is a milestone, coming nearly 40 years after it was first proposed. The first team to use it will be England’s under-17s next month with the senior squad using it for the first time before their opening World Cup qualifiers in September. “The English FA have made a statement of intent here,” said Sheepshank, “We are now starting the hard work to achieve the success we crave.”—Reuters

Serena struggles with serve but too strong for Cirstea

BASTAD: Spain’s David Ferrer holds the trophy after winning the men’s single final against compatriot Nicolas Almagro during the Swedish Open tennis tournament.—AFP

Ferrer takes fifth ATP title of season BASTAD: In-form Spaniard and top seed David Ferrer won his fifth ATP title of the year here yesterday beating compatriot Nicolas Almagro 6-2, 6-2.

Ferrer, 30 and winning his 16th career title in what was his 31st final, eased to the title against his 26-year-old opponent, who has yet to beat him in 10 meetings.

Ferrer, who was winning here for the second time having beaten Almagro in the 2007 final and was runner-up last year, took the first set by breaking his opponent, a two-time winner this season, for the second time.

Ferrer then rattled off the first three games of the second set before Almagro won his first game of the set — but the victor sealed the win after just 68 minutes when he broke Almagro again.

Ferrer is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career and this was his 51st win of a season that has seen him reach the French Open semi-finals and push Andy Murray hard in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. It saw him add this title to those he has already accrued in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, on grass, on the hard court of Auckland, and his favored clay surface like here as well as Buenos Aires and Acapulco.—AFP

Sheikh Salman hails Amir’s initiative Kuwait to compete under own flag at Olympics KUWAIT: President of Kuwait and Asian Shooting Federations and ISSF Vice-president thanked and appreciated the initiative of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, as he sent a representative to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to lift the suspension on Kuwait and allow it to participate under Kuwait flag at the London Olympics.

The IOC responded positively to HH the Amir request and allowed Kuwait to participate in the London 2012 Olympics under the Kuwaiti flag, and Kuwait’s National Anthem.

Sheikh Salman said the IOC’s acceptance of HH the Amir indicates his continued care of athletes. Sheikh Salman thanked HH the Crown Prince

Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah, HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamoud Al-Sabah, Communications and Acting SAL Minister Eng Salem Al-Athaina as well as chairman of Kuwait Olympic Committee Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad.

Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah said the shooting community is honored to have four shooters participating in the Olympics: Fuhaid Al-Daihani (D. Trap), Abdallah Al-Rashidi (Skeet), Talal AlRashid (Trap) and Mariam Erzouqi (10m air rifle, ladies). Kuwait Shooting Sport Club won the first Olympic medal for Kuwait during the Sydney Olympics 2000, through shooter Fuhaid Al-Daihani, and it is the only Olympic medal in Kuwait’s history.

STANFORD: Wimbledon champion Serena Williams advanced to the Stanford Classic final after she crushed Sorana Cirstea 6-1 62 on Saturday and will meet fellow American Coco Vandeweghe who made her first WTA final after she overpowered Yanina Wickmayer 6-2 3-6 6-2.

Williams, who had a superb service game during Wimbledon, struggled against Cirstea but easily controlled the tempo of the match against the Romanian, who had trouble keeping the ball in court and committed 32 unforced errors.

Williams broke Cirstea four times in the match and only faced one break point, which she easily fought off. She was the steadier and more creative player, wowing the crowd with a couple of sweet lob winners over Cirstea’s head. “”I really wasn’t happy today but I did what I had to do to win and that’s important,” said Williams, who was so dissatisfied with her first serve, making just 38 percent, she went out and practiced on it straight after the match. “”I’m just trying to get something, and I feel like I haven’t served well all week and 38 percent is outrageous,” Williams said while adding she was looking forward to meeting her young compatriot in the final.

“She’s done well and will go out tomorrow and go for the glory,” Williams said. “I don’t blame her because I’ll do the same thing.”

A lucky loser, the 20-year-old Vandeweghe used her massive serve and big ground strokes to

upset the fifth seed Wickmayer, nailing 12 aces of her 32 winners overall.

“I’m really excited to be in the final of a WTA event,” Vandeweghe said. “Hopefully this is good omen for me for the rest of the summer going into the US Open.”

The 6-foot-1 (1.85m) tall Vandeweghe, the daughter of a former Olympic swimmer, came out firing and immediately broke the Belgian with a backhand winner, then broke her again to take a 5-2 lead before she closed out the set with three service winners and a forehand down the line.

Wickmayer rallied in the second set, breaking Vandeweghe to 2-0 when the American erred on a forehand, and then successfully sat on the lead with precise ground strokes.

But Vandeweghe regained her edge in the third set, grabbing a break to 3-1 when Wickmayer double-faulted. The Belgian held four break points in the next game, but Vandeweghe used her booming serve to get out of trouble, taking care of two of the break points with aces.

“I’ve worked hard on my serve and it’s a big weapon for me,” Vandeweghe said. “There are a lot of matches where my serve is going to come through in the clutch. “Plus the way I’m playing off the ground it puts pressure on my opponent to make her return of serve that much better.” Wickmayer said the American’s serve was the key to her win. “Even when I was there I couldn’t do a lot,” Wickmayer

STANFORD: Sorana Cirstea of Romania, returns to Serena Williams of the United States during a semifinal of the Bank of the West tennis tournament.—AP said. “She hits pretty hard. Even with it. “When I had chances on her second serve bounces high he r s e r v e , s he j us t a c e d i t and it’s hard to do anything away.”—Reuters

In sinking economy, Made in Portugal kayaks float on

LONDON: Members of the Armed Forces are shown around the site of the London 2012 Olympics in east London. —AFP

Olympics safe despite security blunder: Coe LONDON: The chairman of the London 2012 Organizing Committee Sebastian Coe said yesterday that a recruitment shortfall by private security firm G4S would not jeopardise the safety of the Olympic games. G4S chief executive Nick Buckles on Saturday said he was “very sorry” that 3,500 troops had to be drafted in just two weeks before the Games, after the firm admitted it could not provide the total 10,000 guards it had pledged.

“G4S expected people to materialise and when they didn’t... we moved very quickly to fill that gap,” Coe told BBC Radio 5 live. “This is not about numbers, this is about the mix. “I’m in the Olympic Park every day, we’ve got 4,000 trained G4S personnel in the park and they’ve been there for some years and they’ve been doing a spectacularly good job,” he added. The former Olympic gold medalist promised a “prudent and judicious plan” was in place.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the government had the contingency plan

drawn up “for many months”. “We are just very lucky to have fantastic armed services who can come when we need them and they will do a brilliant job,” he told BBC. Speaking publicly for the first time since details of the fiasco emerged Wednesday, Buckles confirmed that G4S, one of the world’s largest security firms, faces losses of up to £50 million ($78 million, 64 million euros) over the blunder.

“We accept that we underestimated the task of supplying staff for the Olympics. We deeply regret that,” he told BBC radio. “It’s only when you get closer and closer to the Games that you realise that the number isn’t as high as you expect,” he said.

Buckles apologised directly to the troops involved, some of whom were due to go on leave after tours in Afghanistan.

G4S was originally contracted to provide the Games with 2,000 personnel for £86 million, but this was increased in December to 10,400 while the value of the contract more than trebled.—AFP

PORTUGAL: The “Made in Portugal” label will dominate the waters at the London Olympics, with the country’s kayak-canoe industry prospering despite a floundering economy.

Of the 200 crafts at the Games that begin July 27, threequarters were built by Portugal’s Nelo, the Olympics’ official supplier since the 2004 Athens edition and a rare success story out of an economy in deep water.

As Portugal grapples with a recession dating back to late 2010, its economy buoyed by international funds since 2011, and tens of thousands of residents stream out in search of jobs, Nelo is alive and well. Sales are expected to grow by a quarter this year for this company from the northern town of Vila do Conde founded by a Portuguese kayaker in 1978 in a moment of pluck.

“Foreign boats were too expensive, so I began making my own,” said founder Manuel Ramos, 53, Portugal’s first national kayak champion. “I later started selling them to the Portugal clubs, then I went global in the early ‘90s,” added Ramos, who started the company when Portugal still had few canoers, a decade before its 1988 debut at the Olympics. Nelo, named after Ramos’ moniker, now exports the majority of its canoes and kayaks to a roster of 100 countries, with this year’s production slated to reach a personal record of 3,000 watercrafts.

The company expects 5 million euros ($6.28 million) in sales in 2012, or an uptick of between 25 and 30 percent from 2011. According to Nelo CEO Andre Santos, the Olympic-year sales are no fluke.

“The Olympics are a particular challenge and a source of pride for us to see our boats represented at the top of the podium, but our sales go up every year with or without the games,” the 35-year-old Santos said. As London gears up for the Olympics, Nelo’s 80-plus employees are tirelessly putting the finishing touches on last orders for the games.

In a spacious factory smelling of paint and carbon fiber, employees tweak watercraft, including the kayak of German champion Ronald Rauhe and the canoe of France’s Mathieu Goubel. At the last Olympics in Beijing in 2008, 20 athletes paddling Nelo’s watercrafts walked away with medals. This year, Ramos is hoping for more. “It’s a hard number to beat, but we’ll try,” he said. —AFP

Singh storms Castle Stuart to clinch Scottish Open

Iran trailblazer dreams of table tennis medal

18

17

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

Olympics safe despite security blunder: Coe

Page 19

LAS VEGAS: Amir Khan (left) of England, takes a punch from Danny Garcia, of the United States, during their WBC and WBA junior welterweight title boxing match. (Inset) Britain’s David Haye (right) hits compatriot Dereck Chisora during their international heavyweight boxing match.—AP

Khan knocked out by Garcia Haye defeats Chisora in grudge match LAS VEGAS: American Danny Garcia knocked out Britain’s Amir Khan in the fourth round to add the WBA light-welterweight crown to his WBC superlightweight title in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Khan, 26-3 (18 KOs), looked the superior fighter early on, showing vastly superior hand speed as he landed right hands behind a long jab and opened up a cut on Garcia’s eye with a left hook.

Garcia’s defense remained tight and effective, however, and in the third round began throwing thudding shots to Khan’s body and near the end of the round he landed a powerful counter left hook that dropped Khan hard on to his back. The Briton struggled to his feet, but was on shaky legs as the

bell rang. Garcia dropped Khan again at the start of the fourth with a right hand and as he retreated, Garcia gave chase, launching huge punches as he did so. A left hand put Khan down once more, and although he beat the count, referee Kenny Bayless stopped the fight though the Briton thought the stoppage may have been premature.

“I was a little surprised the ref stopped it,” he said. “I thought he was going to let us continue. My mind was clear, and I thought my legs were okay. “(But) it wasn’t my night. I respect Danny. He was countering very well against me. I got a little complacent and he took advantage and he caught me.” Garcia said he had felt the Briton had underes-

timated him. “We knew Khan was going to come out fast because he thought I had no power,” said Garcia who improved to 24-0 (15 KOs). “But I waited and stepped up and used the speed and power I have. And it worked.” The loss was Khan’s second successive defeat after he lost his WBA and IBF titles on a split decision to Lamont Peterson last December. Peterson subsequently tested positive for synthetic testosterone, which he admitted he took before the Khan fight, and the WBA reinstated Khan as champion on Thursday.

Meanwhile, former world heavyweight champion David Haye knocked fellow Briton Dereck Chisora to the canvas twice in the fifth round to win

their grudge match in pouring rain at Upton Park in east London on Saturday.

The pair were involved in an ugly brawl at a news conference in Munich last February following Chisora’s defeat by WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko. Haye had flown to Germany in pursuit of a bout with Klitschko after losing to his brother Vladimir last year and subsequently announcing his retirement. Saturday’s fight at the home of English Premier League soccer club West Ham United for the WBO and WBA international heavyweight titles had been sanctioned by the Luxembourg Boxing Federation. The British Boxing Board of Control would not sanction the fight

Nail-throwers take aim at Tour peloton FRANCE: Spaniard Luis Leon Sanchez handed his stricken Rabobank team a welcome boost by soloing to victory on a Tour de France stage yesterday marked by mass punctures after spectators threw nails on the road.

The end of the 191 km 14th stage race was brought to life in equally dramatic style by a rash of punctures suffered in the peloton after nail-throwing spectators decided to liven up the final climb of the day. Yellow jersey holder Bradley Wiggins survived potential disaster to retain his overnight lead of 2:05 on Sky teammate Chris Froome with Italian Vincenzo Nibali of Liquigas still in third at 2:23. For a while, it looked as though Wiggins would take more time off challenger and defending champion Cadel Evans after the Australian lost over two minutes when he suffered the first of three punctures at the summit.

Amid farcical scenes, he lost time waiting for a spare wheel and then his team manager Jim Ochowicz slipped into a ditch while helping the Australian a second time.

Wiggins’ Sky team, however, did the sporting thing by instructing the peloton to sit up and ride at a pace that, eventually, allowed Evans to rejoin the bunch. “Sometimes you’ve just got one or two guys, but when you get 16 guys puncturing at once it becomes appar-

ent that something’s happened,” said Wiggins. It later transpired that “one or two” spectators, according to race director Jean-Francois Pescheux, had thrown small nails on to the road. Even Wiggins had to change bike, the Englishman signalling to his team car to stop as he got a quick replacement.

It left Evans in a desperate chase with his BMC team to catch Wiggins’ leading group, although he admitted he had no idea what had gone on ahead of him. “I couldn’t see two minutes in front of me so I don’t know what went on in front,” said Evans, who said he has already virtually boycotted racing in Spain because of two similar incidents in the past. “For that reason I don’t race in Spain very often. It’s cost me a Vuelta (Tour of Spain), it’s cost me other races.”

Pescheux later explained: “One or two spectators had thrown nails on to the road, we don’t know why, but there were around 30 punctures altogether.

“The nails were mainly thrown on the ground around 200 metres from the summit of the Peguere climb. “At the end, some riders ended up with two or three nails in their tyres.”

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme was quick to condemn the incident. “The punctures started at the end of the Mur de Peguere climb, and then on the descent, and it could have

because neither boxer held a British licence.

The pair traded blows in a lively opening four rounds with Haye shading Chisora on points after landing a ferocious uppercut in the fourth.

In the fifth round, the former world cruiserweight champion unleashed a devastating leftright combination in the space of 10 seconds to win by a knockout.

Haye told talkSPORT radio he had been surprised by Chisora’s durability. “At the back of my mind I knew he was tough, I knew he was durable. I really trained hard,” he said. “I knew my conditioning was great and I knew the further this fight went on the more I would relax.”—Reuters

Lorenzo bags Italian GP

FRANCE: A combo picture shows (from top, left to right) Belgium’s Philippe Gilbert riding in a breakaway with Spain’s Gorka Izaguirre Insausti and stage winner, Spain’s Luis-Leon Sanchez, Slovakia’s Peter Sagan speeding, Overall leader’s yellow jersey, British Bradley Wiggins (center) riding with his teammate, Great Britain’s Christopher Froome (left) and Sanchez celebrating on the finish line at the end of the 191 km and fourteenth stage of the 2012 Tour de France. —AFP had tragic circumstances,” said Prudhomme. “It’s very rare, but particularly dangerous. I can only condemn it as a stupid act.” On the first of an eventual three days in the Pyrenees, Spaniard Sanchez and his fellow escapees were left untouched by the nail-throwers. He had been part of an 11-man break which built a 16-minute lead on the peloton and after counter-attacking Frenchman Sandy Casar on the descent Sanchez made a decisive move with just

over 11 km to race. One of only four of Rabobank’s nine starters to have survived the race so far, he went on unchallenged to finish 47sec ahead of Slovakian Peter Sagan (Liquigas), who grabbed some precious points for his green jersey bid. Wiggins’s group came over the finish 18 minutes in arrears. “I started the day with victory in mind but given the company I was in I knew I’d have to attack from far out to have any chance,” said Sanchez.—AFP

MUGELLO: Spain’s 2010 world champion Jorge Lorenzo won the Italian MotoGP here yesterday to extend his lead in the overall standings.

The 25-year-old Yamaha rider - who ended a two race winless run having last won the British MotoGP on June 17 - came home clear of compatriot Dani Pedrosa on a Honda while Italian Andrea Dovizioso was third on another Yamaha.

It was Lorenzo’s 43rd career success and sees him extend his lead to 19 points over Pedrosa, who won last weekend’s German race.

However, Pedrosa’s Honda team-mate and defending world champion Casey Stoner saw his chances of bowing out in his final year on the circuit with the title fade further as he trailed in in eighth spot.

“This black mamba helmet has brought me the luck I was missing at Assen (a fortnight ago when he crashed and was then second in Germany),” said Lorenzo, who was recording his fifth win of the season. “We made no mistakes all weekend. The start was tough but little by little I gained confidence and then when I opened a little gap I was able to relax and I cruised after that.” Pedrosa too was delighted. “We did a good job in the race but it was very difficult with Jorge going at that pace,” said the 26-yearold. “It was so difficult and I couldn’t catch him.

Overall, though, it is a good moment and lets try and keep it like this and push hard.”

Dovizioso was ecstatic at recording his fourth podium finish in five races which has seen him being linked with higher profile rides next season.

“I’m really happy to get a podium finish in

this race which every rider dreams of doing,” said the 26-year-old. “I thought I could stay with Lorenzo but it proved impossible.”

Lorenzo had seized the lead on the second corner, coming up the inside of Pedrosa while Dovizioso stormed from seventh into third.

A lead group of five settled early on with Lorenzo leading Dovizioso with Pedrosa in third and German rookie Stefan Bradl in fourth with Nicky Hayden in fifth. Stoner tried to make a move in passing Hector Barbera with just over 21 laps to go.

Pedrosa was desperately trying to pass Dovizioso to stop Lorenzo opening too much of a gap up front and managed to with 18 laps remaining but trailed his compatriot by over a second. Valentino Rossi was charging a bit having started in a lowly 10th spot and passed 22year-old Barbera as did Cal Crutchlow with 17 laps remaining as they zeroed in on trying to catch Stoner. Lorenzo’s dominance was in stark contrast to his American team-mater Ben Spies, who was retreating down the field and the former world superbike champion was 12th with 16 laps remaining, not doing his chances of retaining his place at the stable much good.

He was to eventually finish 11th. Stoner moved into fifth, past Hayden, with 14 laps to the finish and in pursuit of fourth spot which was occupied by Dovizioso as he had been overtaken by the impressive Bradl.

Stoner’s rough past couple of races continued as he exited the track a lap later and onto the gravel but was able to regain the race, but having fallen five spots into 10th.—AFP

UAE to require banks to hold 10% liquid assets Page 22

Hungary gears for tough credit talks with IMF-EU Page 24

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

Gulf markets drop on global turmoil Page 25

Japan Inc’s foreign forays recall bubble economy Page 23

ATHENS: People walk at second hand goods flea market in central Athens yesterday. Greece is suffering a fifth year of recession and depends on financial aid from the EU and the IMF, which have imposed budget cuts that have caused a wave of corporate closures and triggered job losses. —AP

Saudi-Kuwait bank Sidra plans mortgage firm Kingdom’s new law permits home mortgages RIYADH: Saudi Arabian investment bank Sidra Capital plans to set up a housing mortgage firm with 1 billion riyals ($267 million) of capital to tap growth expected after the kingdom passed a law covering mortgages, a senior executive said.

Sidra, which is 20 percent owned by Kuwait’s Aayan Leasing and Investment Co, said the firm would be jointly owned with many shareholders and that the Saudi government’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) would have a sizeable stake in it. “This was an initiative in 2009 that was postponed until passing the (mortgage) law. Now we already called for a meeting for the founding shareholders and our technical partner will be one of the big banks in Canada,” Hani Baothman, Sidra’s managing director and chief executive, told Reuters in a phone interview. He declined to name the Canadian bank.

“The capital will be 1 billion riyals. We are currently waiting for the regulations.

PIF will hold a sizeable stake in the firm.

Sidra’s stake will be sizeable in relation to the size of equity - it will not be 3 to 5 percent but above.”

After over a decade of study, the government approved at the start of this month the country’s first law permitting home mortgages. Finance minister Ibrahim Alassaf said the law would be implemented within 90 days, after the central bank completed designing its own rules for the sector.

“The law is a very good step in the right direction, but there are still many challenges to tackle. The first benefit is that Saudi households will have the ability to borrow funds at a longer term of 15-20 years,” Baothman said.

“The only problem is the extremely high prices. Banks do not lend at an APR (annual percentage rate) but at one flat rate that does not decline, so you end up with an astronomical figure.”

Baothman added that the law would encourage the formation of several companies to compete with banks in mortgage financing, but this could not happen without an active sukuk market to provide such companies with the liquidity necessary for lending. “Banks use medium- to short-term deposits to finance mortgage opportuni-

ties while companies should have this done through the sukuk market. The Saudi investment market has suffered from excess liquidity - by introducing the sukuk market, the excess liquidity will be utilized as demand is there and it is strong.”

Baothman said the first impact of the law would be seen on the real estate development side, not on the financing side, as companies would target the middle-class segment of the market where demand was concentrated. He said companies would develop affordable units that matched the size of loan which these consumers could obtain; he said this would be around 1 million to 1.5 million riyals.

“Developers will make sure to target this mainstream so they won’t buy land at any price. All developers now have a kind of target to deliver and land prices will be corrected by the rise of demand. It was speculative, but now people will start calculating on paper.”

Sidra is also looking to expand its investment in Britain’s real estate sector through an Islamic sharia-compliant fund. The firm has launched its Sterling United Kingdom

Real Estate Fund (SURF) in cooperation with Gatehouse, a British-based shariacompliant bank specialising in British real estate.

“It is a five-year fund with 100 million pounds ($65 million) of target capital. So far we have secured 40 percent of the fund’s size; subscribers included Saudi companies and family firms,” said Baothman. The fund, whose second and final closing is planned for Nov. 30, invests in assets that are leased long-term to blue chip companies in attractive locations.

Baothman said the plan was to keep these buildings in the fund’s leasing portfolio for three to five years, then sell them at a higher price. Sidra has already acquired two buildings in Cambridge and Scotland at a total cost of 46 million pounds and is in talks to acquire a third building valued at 35 million pounds, he said.

The fund aims for an annual distribution of 6.5 percent, to be distributed on a quarterly basis. It seeks a diverse real estate portfolio covering office, retail, logistics, student accommodation and light industrial sectors. — Reuters

UK panel to grill regulator, Barclays executive today LONDON: Britain’s top bank regulator and a former executive in the middle of an interest rate scandal at Barclays face a grilling by British lawmakers today over what they knew about an affair that has drawn in banks, regulators and politicians on both sides of the Atlantic.

The House of Commons Treasur y Select Committee will question Jerry del Missier two weeks after he quit as chief operating officer of Barclays, the British bank hit by an interest rate manipulation scandal that has blown up into a political storm. He w as the trusted investment banking lieutenant of Bob Diamond, the Barclays chief executive who quit the same day.

Del Missier is said by Barclays to have misinterpreted a message from Diamond and told the bank’s staff that the Bank of England had sanctioned them submitting lower rates to mass a g e d ow n t h e Lo n d o n I nte r b a n k Offered Rate, or Libor, the rate that underpins global transaction worth trillions of dollars. Del Missier has yet to comment publicly on the matter and his evidence could shine a light on who knew what at Barclays after testimony from Diamond which some committee members have characterised as misleading, a charge Diamond has rejected.

Ad a i r Tu r n e r, c h a i r m a n o f t h e Financial Services Authority (FSA), will follow del Missier before the commit-

tee. He will face questions on the regulator’s involvement and whether it was tough enough when rate rigging occurred between 2005 and 2009.

Barclays was fined a record $450 mill i on l a s t m o n t h by US a n d B ri t i s h authorities for manipulating the Libor interest rate. Barclays will pull out of the rate -setting panel for interbank lending in the United Arab Emirates because of its involvement in the Libor scandal in Britain, industry sources told Reuters yesterday.

Libor is compiled from estimates by big banks of how much they believe they have to pay to borrow from each other. It is used for $550 trillion of interest rate derivatives contracts and influences rates on mor tgages, student loans and credit cards. An understated estimate could allow a bank to present a better picture of its financial health.

Questions have arisen over whether supervision of the benchmark rate was too lax. The Bank of England confirmed on Friday it had received US recommendations to overhaul Libor, and had passed them on to the banking trade group responsible for the rate.

It also emerged that Barclays alerted US regulators as far back as 2007 to co n ce r n s t h a t b a n k s we re r i g gi n g benchmark interest rates, and policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic did not appear to take decisive action.

The British parliamentary committee

has questioned Diamond, Barclays’ C h a i r m a n M a rc u s Agi u s a n d Pa u l Tucker, deputy governor of the Bank of England, in its efforts to uncover what happened at Barclays. Diamond and del Missier quit on July 3 and Agius said, during testimony to the committee last Tuesday, that BoE Governor Mer vyn King effectively forced Diamond to go because he had lost the confidence of regulators.

Turner, one of the favorites to take over from King as BoE governor next year, is likely to be asked how involved he was in forcing Diamond out.

He could also be challenged on why the FSA didn’t react more to warnings about Libor, and what was clearly a strained relationship with Barclays.

The FSA chief sent a scathing letter to Barclays in April telling the bank that i t s “a g gre s s i ve” c u l t u re n e ed ed to improve. Barclays is the only bank so far to giving false information as part of the process of setting Libor.

A co nve r s a t i o n i n O c to b e r 2 0 0 8 between Diamond and Tucker is at the centre of confusion about whether Barclays was told by the central bank it could submit lower Libor rates.

In an internal memo written after that conversation, Diamond said Tucker told him “it did not always need to be the case that we appeared as high as we have recently”.

Diamond has since said he did not

take that as an instruction to submit lower rates, but said del Missier mistakenly understood the memo as a green light to do so. Del Missier declined to comment, a spokesman for Barclays said. When Tucker appeared before the committee he said the memo misrepresented the conversation. The purpose of the call was to share his concerns about Barclays’ funding costs rather than discuss interest rates, Tucker said.

Turner, 56, has been head of the FSA since 2008, when he warned of a more intrusive and direct style of supervision after the painful lessons from the financial crisis.

He will be joined in front of lawmakers by Andrew Bailey, the FSA’s head of b ank ing su p er visio n, and Tracey McDermott, the FSA’s acting director of enforcement. They are due to appear at 1545 GMT, after del Missier at 1500 GMT. M ore than a dozen banks are expected to be drawn into the Libor sc and al, w hic h is b eing p ro b ed by authorities in North America, Europe and Japan.

Agius and senior Barclays executives told staff the bank’s problems would be “put in perspective” by fines imposed on rivals, according to a memo sent out on Friday.

Libor rates submitted by banks are compiled by Thomson Reuters, parent company of Reuters, on behalf of the British Bankers’ Association. — Reuters

Saudi, Egypt stocks fall MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS DUBAI/CAIRO: Saudi Arabian petrochemical firms dragged down the bourse yesterdaty after Saudi Kayan , a unit of Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) , reported a widening quarterly loss.

Saudi Kayan dropped 6.4 percent to close at its lowest since July 2009. Its net loss for the second quarter surged to 328.3 million riyals ($87.5 million), according to a statement to the Saudi bourse. This compares with a loss of 16 million riyals in the year-earlier period.

“Higher losses resulted from a decline in product prices combined with more expensive surplus inventory,” Riyad Capital said in a note. “Kayan missed our net profit estimate of 69 million riyals as well as the 101 million riyals consensus.” Investors fear Kayan’s losses are a weak indication for SABIC’s earnings. Chemicals giant SABIC shares fell 1.7 percent to their lowest close since March 2011. Analysts polled by Reuters on average expect the chemicals giant to post an 18.8 percent drop in quarterly profit.

Saudi Arabian Fertilizers Company (Safco), also a SABIC unit, ended flat, a day after it reported belowforecast second-quarter earnings. “The market is weighed down by Safco and Kayan’s numbers, which ultimately means SABIC is not going to be good when they announce,” said Asim Bukhtiar, head of research at Riyad Capital. “There could be a relief rally if SABIC matches estimates, but it looks like sentiment is turning bearish on the sector.”

The kingdom’s main index lost 0.6 percent, trimming year-to-date gains to 3.8 percent.

Developer Dar Al Arkan slipped 1.1 percent, accounting for almost a third of all shares traded as investors lock in gains from Saturday’s 9.2 percent jump. It surged after the builder said it transferred $1 billion to repay its Islamic bond, or sukuk. The stock has been trading heavy volumes recently. The bourse website announced yesterday that Mercury Securities is a new major shareholder in the developer, with a 5.3 percent stake. In Egypt, the index dropped 2 percent.

Investors fretted that newly-elected President Mohamed Mursi’s delay in appointing a new government and the country’s other problems may hinder progress toward fixing the economy.

“Investors don’t see any clarity. There is a delay in appointing a prime minister and there are challenges to the constitutional committee in the courts,” said Hisham Halaldeen of Naeem Brokerage.

More than three weeks after having been declared winner of Egypt’s presidential election, Mursi has yet to name his prime minister or a government.

Real estate companies declined, with Palm Hills dropping 4.5 percent, Talaat Moustafa 3.3 percent and Amer Group 4.4 percent.Emaar Properties ended at a 10-week high, up 1.6 percent, as investors bought ahead of its second-quarter earnings, helping lift Dubai’s bourse.

Three analysts polled by Reuters expect the developer to post an average profit of 516.3 million dirhams ($140.57 million), which would be a 106 percent increase on the year-earlier period. Dubai’s index climbed 0.8 percent. The benchmark has traded within a 75-point range over the past two months and is unlikely to break out of this pattern during a summer lull, with many investors on vacation. — Reuters

22

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

BUSINESS

Dar Al-Arkan to repay all sukuk by end-2015 RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s largest listed real estate developer Dar Al-Arkan aims for over 10 percent growth in profits next year and is comfortable financially after repaying most of its $2.25 billion of Islamic debt, its top executive told Reuters.

Dar Al-Arkan has issued three international sukuk and one domestic sukuk over the past five years, raising a total of 8.4 billion riyals ($2.25 billion). On Saturday it announced it had transferred $1 billion to Deutsche Bank, the principal paying agent, to redeem a sukuk coming due this month. “So far we have paid back 6 billion riyals. What remains is 2.4 billion riyals to be paid over the next three years,” chairman Youssef Al-

Shelash said in an interview.

The firm tapped into its cash reserves and used proceeds from land sales to cover this month’s redemption, and it will use the same method for its remaining maturities: 750 million riyals in 2014 and 1.7 billion riyals in 2015, he added. “We had a cash position of 3.2 billion riyals by the end of the second quarter. After the sukuk repayment we have remaining cash of almost 100 million riyals. We also have receivables of almost 1 billion riyals for this year - almost half of it will be in the third quarter,” Shelash said.

He also said Dar Al-Arkan had no plan to issue a new sukuk this year. “I don’t think so, we don’t need it, thanks be to God...we are okay,” he said when

asked whether there were any plans to issue debt soon. Last October the government’s Public Investment Fund approved a 4 billion riyal facility to finance one of Dar Al-Arkan’s biggest projects, the Qasr Khozam development in Jeddah, which is estimated to cost 12 billion riyals.

Shelash said he expected profit growth for the remaining two quarters of this year to be at least 10 percent, and that earnings would rise further next year as the pressure of repaying debt subsided. “The firm was under a lot of pressure to accumulate liquidity to pay back its debt and liquidity over the past 20 months was not reinvested...Now that we are done with the pressures to repay our debt, I hope we

will achieve over 10 percent annual growth next year,” he said.

Earlier this month, Dar Al-Arkan said its second-quarter net profit rose 11 percent from a year earlier to 331 million riyals. Dar Al-Arkan has just under 35 million square meters (8,640 acres) of land plots in Saudi Arabia.

This provides it with a huge asset base but analysts say that because of the lack of a liquid, transparent real estate market in the country, properties are hard to value.

At the start of this month, Saudi Arabia passed a long-awaited mortgage law that is expected to encourage an expansion of home financing; with most of its population under the age of 30, the country faces a housing

shortage. But high land prices and legal uncertainties mean there is unlikely to be any quick surge in home buying, analysts say.

“It will not affect this quarter or even this year - the implementation will take longer than this,” Shelash said, adding that he hoped that the mortgage law might have an impact on next year’s profits.

However, he said Dar Al-Arkan saw opportunities in regulatory changes.

“We’ll continue in the same business, same market, but we’ll develop some other tools based on the new regulations, mortgage law, leasing law. So the new laws will require us to change part of our business model.” — Reuters

UAE to require banks to hold 10% liquid assets

Federal Reserve comes to the rescue again!

By Hayder Tawfik

New rule in compliance with Basel III standards

n the last couple of weeks we saw some good actions taken by the world central bankers and policy makers. The Chinese decided to reduce interest rates again, followed by the European Central bank and Brazil. Some others have limited space to further cutting interest rates so they opted for further Quantative Easing, such as Bank of England. All these action did little to excite the financial markets apart some rally for European stocks lead by Germany.

The big move came last Friday when the Federal Reserves released the minutes of their latest governors meeting. In the minutes, the governors decided that the US economy may need furtherQuantative Easing (QE). The release of the minutes was enough to ignite the world stock markets. Big rallies in US and Europe to be followed later in the rest of the world.

This shows how much the Federal Reserve plays big part in directing the US economy hence the world as a whole.

Investors are well aware that the world financial markets cannot rely on politicians to run their economies. They need independent central bankers with clear mandates to make sure that economies keep growing and inflation is kept under control. I expect that with the US 2nd quarter corporate results starting now, investors will spend less time on scrutinizing the actual results and look for more announcements from policy makers. We should remember that most US corporate CEO’s have warned investors back in May and June about the high earnings expectations, so some disappointments may not be big surprise. However, US stocks have indeed corrected in the last few weeks ahead of earning announcements. The good news is that commodities and oil prices have come down in the last few weeks and this should give some breathing space for consumers on their spending pattern and for corporate on their costs base.

We are at Dimah still think that the world economy will grow at very slow pace in the coming years and will not go back to past trend growth unless the austerity measures are relaxed or even taxes are cut. One bright spot is the US economy which has grown 1.5% in the first quarter of this year and we expect to grow around the 2.5% this year. This should be good news for US companies not only the domestically orientated ones but also the multinationals too. * Hayder Tawfik is Executive Vice President of Asset Management, at Dimah Capital

I

DUBAI: Banks in the United Arab Emirates will have to hold high-quality liquid assets equal to 10 percent of their liabilities from Jan. 1 next year, under a rule introduced by the UAE central bank as it prepares the sector to comply with Basel III global standards. In a notice on its website (http://www.centralbank.ae/en/index .php), the central bank said physical cash, reserve requirements, central bank instruments and UAE federal government bonds would qualify as such assets.

Banks may also be able to count their holdings of publicly traded debt securities issued by local UAE governments and state entities, as long as securities with a credit rating of A or

below do not contribute over 2 percentage points to the ratio.

The rule will extend until the end of 2014, after which it will be replaced by the Basel III Liquidity Coverage Ratio, which will require banks to hold enough liquid instruments to cover a month of severe cash outflows.

The UAE’s new liquidity requirement for 2013 and 2014 appears to cover the main vulnerability that UAE banks will face as Basel III standards are phased in around the world over the next several years.

In some ways, the banks are expected to cope easily. They are comfortably capitalized; their combined Tier 1 capital was 16.7 percent

Treasuries,” Suweidi said. One solution to the problem might be for the UAE federal government to issue bonds which local banks could hold to meet liquidity requirements. The UAE’s top advisory council passed a public debt bill in December 2010 to pave the way for such issues.

However, the bill is still awaiting cabinet approval and the presidential signature which it needs to become law.

Obaid Humaid Al-Tayer, Minister of State for Financial Affairs, told Reuters last month that discussions on the bill were likely to resume after this summer, but that “we are not under pressure to issue any bonds.” — Reuters

of risk-weighted assets in March, higher than banks in many other areas of the world. Partly because deposit growth has been outpacing lending growth this year, Basel III leverage ratios may not pose a major problem to UAE banks.

But some banks may struggle to meet liquidity rules. UAE central bank Governor Sultan Nasser al-Suweidi said late last year that the liquidity issue would be a challenge for banks in the Gulf, partly because of the limited choice of liquid instruments available to banks locally.

“We don’t have the same instruments as other advanced economies.

So we have to build them in types and quantity, such as sukuk, bonds,

Libor scandal forces Barclays from UAE rate panel ABU DHABI/DUBAI: British bank Barclays plans to pull out of the rate-setting panel for interbank lending in the United Arab Emirates because of its involvement in the Libor scandal in Britain, three industry sources told Reuters yesterday.

Barclays belongs to a panel of 12 banks that quote indicative interbank lending rates in UAE dirhams. The quotes are averaged to arrive at a daily range of Emirates Interbank Offered Rates (Eibor), which are used to price financial instruments in the Gulf’s top financial centre.

“Barclays has indicated to the UAE central bank that it wants to quit the panel, and the central bank has called for a meeting on Tuesday to discuss who will replace Barclays,” a source familiar with the matter said, declining to be named

AMRITSAR: An Indian vendor sells raw mangoes which are used for pickles at the roadside in Amritsar yesterday. Although India is the world’s largest producer of mangoes, it accounts for less than one percent of the international mango trade, consuming most of its own output. —AFP

because a public announcement has not yet been made.

A Barclays spokesman was not immediately available to comment. UAE central bank treasury officials declined to comment. Late last month, Barclays agreed with US and British regulators to pay $453 million in fines for attempting to manipulate the London Interbank Offered Rate through its submissions to the Libor panel. There has been no suggestion that it tried to manipulate Eibor.

Barclays has a wide range of operations including corporate and personal banking in the oil-rich UAE, which is the second-biggest Arab economy. Dubai, one of the UAE’s seven emirates, provides financial services to much of the Gulf because of its open markets and broad international links. — Reuters

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Egyptian pounds

.2740000 .4340000 .3420000 .2840000 .2750000 .2850000 .0040000 .0020000 .0761890 .7422910 .3850000 .0720000 .7276840 .0430000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES US Dollar/KD .2806500 GB Pound/KD .4370420 Euro .3438380 Swiss francs .2862020 Canadian dollars .2766800 Danish Kroner .0461990 Swedish Kroner .0399310 Australian dlr .2871050 Hong Kong dlr .0361780 Singapore dlr .2218230 Japanese yen .0035430 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 Pakistan rupee .0000000 Bangladesh taka .0000000 UAE dirhams .0764400 Bahraini dinars .7447260 Jordanian dinar .0000000 Saudi Riyal/KD .0748600 Omani riyals .7292450 Philippine Peso .0000000

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. ASIAN COUNTRIES

Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Malaysian Ringgit

3.553 5.072 3.053 2.141 3.173 220.090 36.173 3.425 6.439 8.876 89.338

.2840000 .4460000 .3540000 .2980000 .2850000 .2950000 .0070000 .0035000 .0769550 .7497510 .4060000 .0780000 .7349980 .0510000 .2827500 .4403120 .3464110 .2883440 .2787500 .0465450 .0402300 .2892520 .0364490 .2234820 .0035690 .0051560 .0021210 .0030100 .0034690 .0770120 .7502990 .3999290 .0754200 .7347020 .0067900

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

GCC COUNTRIES 74.883 77.158 729.380 745.850 76.464

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 48.250 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 46.466 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.309 Tunisian Dinar 176.65 Jordanian Dinar 396.190 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.884 Syrian Lier 4.899 Morocco Dirham 32.64 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 280.700 Euro 354.52 Sterling Pound 441.820 Canadian dollar 274.79 Turkish lire 152.400 Swiss Franc 295.01 US Dollar Buying 279.500 GOLD 293.000 148.000 75.250

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria

SELL CASH

291.700 749.950 3.680 281.800 553.800 45.900 47.400 167.800 48.600 349.500 37.050 5.290 0.032 0.161 0.237 3.660 399.630 0.191 91.630 43.800 4.330 227.800 1.827

47.300 732.500 3.100 6.970 78.000 75.290 224.430 36.410 2.686 443.300 41.000 291.300 4.400 9.260 198.263 76.890 282.400 1.360

10 Tola

GOLD 1,691.500

Sterling Pound US Dollar

732.320 2.999 6.735 77.570 75.290 224.430 36.410 2.104 441.300 289.800 4.400 9.110 76.790 282.000

COUNTRY

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 441.300 282.000

SELL DRAFT

290.200 749.950 3.444 280.300

224.200 46.502 348.000 36.900 5.105 0.032

SELL DRAFT

Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro US Dollar Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

290.45 280.12 291.34 347.66 281.55 439.17 3.63 3.444 5.062 2.109 3.171 3.004 76.72 749.67 46.52 401.12 732.76 77.75 75.29

SELL CASH

288.00 279.00 299.00 357.00 281.25 442.00 3.65 3.550 5.950 2.260 3.650 3.200 77.000 745.150 48.200 397.500 732.00 78.00 75.150

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd 399.590 0.190 91.630 3.200 226.300

Rate for Transfer

US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro

Selling Rate

281.900 280.390 437.955 345.715

Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

287.825 746.325 76.730 77.380 75.135 397.380 46.494 2.104 5.077 2.995 3.445 6.711 691.500 4.545 8.955 4.395 3.265 88.720

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co.

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY

Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal

Currency

Rate per 1000 (Tran)

US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Nepali rupee Yemeni Riyal Euro Canadian Dollars

281.900 2.987 5.075 2.110 3.448 6.765 76.855 75.330 749.400 46.510 442.400 2.990 3.200 1.550 350.900 282.200

Al Mulla Exchange Currency

Transfer Rate (Per 1000)

US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

282.050 347.800 441.050 280.050 3.600 5.088 46.530 2.109 3.445 6.715 2.992 749.750 76.700 75.200

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

BUSINESS

Euro hits a 2-year low amid volatility KUWAIT: Last week was relatively quiet compared with the previous week’s numerous risk events and several central banks meetings. Most events revolved around inflation, trade, industrial figures, and second-quarter earnings reports, which started coming out later toward the end of the week. The euro-zone finance ministers also agreed on Tuesday to offer Spain 30 billion euros this month to bail out its troubled banking sector as they raced to stay ahead of markets skepticism and give distressed banks a little room to breathe.

Most of the major currencies weakened against the greenback as shown by the performance of the Dollar Index, which strengthened from an opening level of 83.16 to a high of 83.66 on Thursday.

The euro continued to be the major loser last week against the US dollar, and other major currencies as well. The euro started the week at a high of 1.2309 and had a downtrend for the entire week, reaching a two-year low of 1.2162, and ending sessions at 1.2250. The sterling pound had a somewhat similar performance during the week, opening at 1.5512 on Monday to a high of 1.5531 on Wednesday, and a low of 1.5421, before closing the week rallying at 1.5570. The Japanese Yen had a positive performance gaining some strength last week and seen trading as a safe haven, opening as weak as 79.66, to a high of 79.70, before

closing at 79.18.

Consistent with most of last week’s performances, gold performed under pressure as Fed meeting minutes failed to inject markets with further monetary stimulus hints. The metal started the week on a negative tone, weakening from an opening level of $1,580 to a low of $1,554, but managed to turn the momentum around and reported some strengths to a closing level of $1,588.

On the other hand, oil surged after the US announced more sanctions on Iran. The commodity was seen trading downward earlier during the week as Euro slipped and the International Energy Agency forecasted slow growth in oil demand in 2013. It started the week trading at $86.00 per barrel and weakened to a low of $83.90, before erasing these losses with a upward movement starting on Tuesday closing the week at $87.13 level.

Trade deficit narrows US trade deficit narrowed during the month of May as falling crude oil prices and weakening demand for consumer goods reduced the import figures. The gap shrank by 3.8% to -$48.7 billion from -$50.6 billion in April.

Purchases from outside the US diminished to the lowest level in three months, while exports climbed to the second highest level on record. However, slowing global growth, which led central banks from Europe to China last week to cut interest rates and

NBK WEEKLY MONEY MARKETS REPORT announce more stimulus, slowed down purchases of US goods. At the same time, a lack of US hiring that led the Federal Reserve to ease monetary policy last month may reduce household spending and the demand for foreign imports.

Jobless claims plunge Fewer American than expected filed for first-time unemployment insurance payments last week. Jobless applications dropped by 26,000 claims from 376,000, previously, to 350,000 last week, the fewest since March 2008. This decrease was mainly due to fewer auto plants shut down as major automakers in the US are keeping more plants than they would normal do functioning during this time of the year to meet their demands.

Euro-zone backing up Euro-zone finance ministers met in Brussels last Monday to discuss the outcomes of the EU summit last month. They agreed to offer Spain 30 billion Euros, $37 billion, this month to help Spanish distressed banks and give their banking system a little room to breathe over passing their government. A move hoping to keep the momentum going, ministers also agreed to extend the deadline for Spain by one year to cut its public deficit to the euro-zone by 3% in line with the bloc’s rules because of

the difficult economic conditions Spain is facing. However, they also stressed that Spain should implement different measures needed to bring its public finances in line with the zone norms. In another key point, Germany’s Klaus Regling, head of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) bailout fund, was named to run the European Stability Mechanism (ESM).

During the summit last month, policy makers agreed that the ESM would be able to inject funds directly into needy banks.

The EFSF was set up in 2010 after a first Greek bailout but it became clear after Ireland and Portugal also had to be bailed out that a more power ful backstop was needed. That is where the ESM came into the scene with funds worth of 500 billion Euros and was supposed to be operational from this month but it has been delayed. On Friday, Moody ’s Investors Service downgraded Italy’s government bond rating by two notches from A3 to Baa2, and warned it could execute more cuts down the road if the country loses access to debt markets.

French output drops French industrial production shrank in May, a sign that the euro-zone’s second largest economy is heading for its first quarterly contraction in three years.

Output slipped from 1.4% in April

to -1.9% in May. The decrease underlines both France’s slowing economic growth and a decadelong loss in its share of export markets that is leading major companies to cut jobs.

Euro-zone production The region’s industrial output rebounded unexpectedly in May as led by growth in Germany, Europe’s largest economy, offsetting a decline in France’s industrial figure. Output from the 17nation euro area increased 0.6% in May, versus a negative 1.1% during the previous month.

However, the European economy is slipping toward its second recession in three years as budget cuts across the region weaken exports and consumer demand.

The percentage of the total work force that is unemployed and actively seeking employment during June remains unchanged during last month. The forecast was expecting a higher jobless rate in the economy, but managed to hold the previous rate of 2.9%.

The nation’s manufacturing unexpectedly rose the most in a year during the month of May, boosted by an additional working day after the government moved a public holiday to June. The output was last seen at 1.2%, an increase from -0.8% previously in April.

The UK house price balance, collected by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, slipped last month to the lowest level

since October 2011 as demand for real estate plunged. The index came out at -22% last month, weaker than a -17%, previously. A reading below zero means more surveyors indicated prices drops than gains last month.

Asia Pacific The Chinese consumer price index (CPI) dropped to a 29month low in June reaching 2.2%, a drop from a previous rate of 3.0%. Similarly, the producer price index (PPI) also eased from -1.4% in May, to -2.1% in June, giving policy makers more room to relax economic policies after the second interest rate cut in a month.

The nation’s imports surged less-than-expected in June, pushing the trade surplus to a threeyear high and adding pressure on the government to support demand as the global economy continues to slow down. The Bank of Japan announced after their recent meeting last week that it would keep its key interest rate flat at low level between 0.0% and 0.10%. In addition, the central bank tweaked its asset purchase program but reducing the amount of fixed-rate loans by 5 trillion Japanese Yen, and on the other hand increasing purchases of Treasury-discount bills by the same amount.

Kuwait Kuwaiti Dinar at 0.28120 The USDKWD opened at 0.28120 yesterday morning.

Rates - 15 July 2012

Dubai shareholder opts out of Bank Muscat rights sale Bank eyes $251m from discounted rights sale

TOKYO:The headquarters of Japan’s top advertising agency Dentsu which on

July 12 announced a plan to buy British-based media group Aegis for 3.16 billion pounds ($4.89 billion), in Tokyo. A high yen, long seen as debilitating Japan’s exporters, has pushed Japan Inc to buy up foreign firms and mines at a record pace as businesses look to overseas markets for growth potential. —AFP

Japan Inc’s foreign forays recall bubble economy TOKYO: The $5 billion buyout of a British media group last week was the latest in a line of huge foreign acquisitions by Japanese firms reminiscent of their heady overseas adventures during the bubble economy. The announcement Thursday by the countr y ’s top adver tising agency Dentsu that it would pay 3.16 billion pounds for Aegis came after figures showed Japan Inc signed a record 262 overseas deals in the first six months of the year.

The buying spree, worth 3.49 trillion yen ($44 billion), topped the previous firsthalf record of 247 deals worth 1.16 trillion yen in 1990, in the final dizzying phase of Japan’s intoxicating asset bubble, according to Tokyo-based advisory company Recof.

But, say analysts, this time it is different.

Then, Japanese manufacturers faced a stock market near all-time highs at home and were looking for something-anythingto put their money into, rushing headlong over a cliff when the bubble popped and the Nikkei plunged.

Now the Tokyo stock exchange is a chastened place-the index stands at little over a fifth of its historical peak. But firms right across a more diversified economy are selectively looking for growth in foreign markets, in a bid to escape Japan’s financial doldrums where weak demand, falling prices, and high labor costs are sapping profits.

They are also wallowing in cash, with the yen worth around 50 percent more than it was five years ago. “For non-manufacturers, this is an excellent time to expand into foreign markets by taking advantage of a high yen,” said Shinichiro Kobayashi, senior economist at Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting.

“For manufacturers, it gives great opportunities to take their production bases overseas,” he said. “You have to assume the yen’s strength is here to stay.”

The safe haven Japanese unit, now hovering around 79 to the dollar, has benefited from global economic uncertainty in the last few years, as investors have dumped the euro and the greenback. It stood at 88 to the dollar two years ago and 122 five years back, but is now sharply higher.

Exporters, the main engine of growth for Japan, have been badly squeezed by the rocketing currency, with overseas consumers baulking at rising price tags.

But imports-and by extension the com-

panies that make those products-are now cheap by Japanese standards. Food, chemicals and ser vices companies have marched abroad in step with automakers and machinery firms on the lookout for investments that will generate returns.

The biggest acquisition in the first half was Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group’s $7.3 billion purchase of the Royal Bank of Scotland’s aircraft leasing arm. That followed a deal unveiled by Takeda Pharmaceutical in May 2011 to buy Swiss drugmaker Nycomed for 9.6 billion euros (then $13.6 billion).

Canon chairman Fujio Mitarai also said in a media interview last year that the camera maker was setting aside one trillion yen for use by 2015 on mergers and acquisitions. Japanese authorities have encouraged direct private-sector foreign investments and reiterated the mantra of “harnessing the growth of Asia and emerging markets” to boost the economy at home.

“Many years ago, it was machinery companies or automakers leading Japan’s direct foreign investments,” said Naonori Yamada, deputy director of international economic research for the governmentbacked Japan External Trade Organization.

“Now it’s (consumer products or services) companies trying to firm up their access to emerging markets,” as the Japanese market remains sluggish, he said.

Trading houses in the resource-poor country have also intensified their search for foreign energy and mining deals. Earlier this year Marubeni Corp agreed to buy US grain giant Gavilon LLC for about $3.6 billion, while trader Mitsubishi Corp bought a 40 percent stake in Encana Corp’s Canadian shale gas assets for about $2.9 billion. “These (natural resources) deals bring together Japanese firms that have no place at home to put their money and foreign resources firms with investment needs,” said Mitsubishi UFJ’s Kobayashi.

Meanwhile Japanese manufacturers, such as carmakers, are rushing to boost production in Asia, Latin America and Russia to cut costs and to make products for regional customers.

“Manufacturing jobs will leave Japan, regardless of forex rates,” said Kobayashi. “If you are making the same products, you are sure to lose against China and South Korea. “It is not a case of Japanese firms abandoning Japan. They are going to places where there is demand, as they must.” —AFP

DUBAI: Dubai Group, the investment vehicle owned by the emirate’s ruler and secondlargest shareholder in Bank Muscat, has sold its rights to buy into a share offering by the Omani lender at a significant discount, two sources said yesterday.

Bank Muscat, Oman’s largest lender, offered new shares to existing holders at a 25percent discount to raise about $251 million to fund its credit growth and venture into Islamic finance.

Dubai Group, in the midst of a $10-billion debt restructuring, had the rights to buy an additional 33.387 million shares, valued at about 0.06 rials ($0.16). The investment firm sold most of those rights at almost a 50-percent discount in two separate over-thecounter deals for between 0.03 rials and 0.035 rials each on Thursday, the sources said speaking on condition of anonymity.

“The rights sale is at a significant discount to the current value,” said one market source.

“It goes to show that the group has very little interest to commit additional capital in the bank and is trying to cash whatever value it

can.” Dubai Group declined to comment.

Bank Muscat did not respond to requests for comment.

Oman allows rights to be traded during the subscription period, enabling existing shareholders to pass on their rights to willing buyers. Yesterday, Bank Muscat shares were up 3.2 percent at 0.516 rials. The rights price stood at 0.073 rials. Pricing on the rights is normally calculated as the difference between the rights issue price - 0.427 rials in Bank Muscat’s offering - and the current market price. The bank’s stock closed at 0.500 rials on Thursday.

Dubai Group bought its 14.7 percent stake in Bank Muscat for $619 million in 2007 through a private placement, making it the second-largest shareholder in the bank after Oman’s Royal Court Affairs which represents the Omani ruler’s personal interests.

The company has seen the value of that stake fall to around $400 million at current market prices. Dubai Group, part of Dubai Holding, the personal investment firm of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, was hard hit by the global financial crisis and

seen the value of most of its holdings deteriorate. Like most other state-linked entities in the emirate, it embarked on negotiations with creditors to restructure debt and extend maturities. Dubai Group is relying on asset sales to repay its obligations and wants time for values to recover before selling.

Its financial assets include stakes in Egypt’s EFG Hermes , knocked by Middle Eastern turmoil, and Cyprus Popular Bank, formerly Marfin, whose recapitalization forced Cyprus to seek an international bailout. Dubai Group also has a stake in Borse Dubai, which owns 20.6 percent of the London Stock Exchange.

In the latest blow to the firm’s restructuring talks, Royal Bank of Scotland and two other international banks abandoned talks and threatened to bring legal action against the investment vehicle, sources close to the matter told Reuters last week.

Bank Muscat’s shares have dropped 10 percent since the rights sale kicked off on July 2, compared with a four-percent drop for the broader index over the same time. The shares are down 23 percent year-to-date. — Reuters

Economic hardship ahead, warns Wen BEIJING: Premier Wen Jiabao warned yesterday that China’s economic rebound was not stable and the world’s second largest economy faced hardship ahead, state media reported.

During an inspection tour of the southwest province of Sichuan, Wen called for greater efforts to strengthen the vitality and dynamism of economic growth, Xinhua news agency said.

“The economic growth rate is still within the government target range set early this year, and stabilisation policies are working,” Xinhua quoted Wen as saying.

But China’s “economic rebound is not yet stable and economic hardship may continue for a period of time”, he said. China’s economy expanded during the second quarter at its slowest pace in more than three years as dire problems overseas started to hit home, according to official data released on Friday.

The economy grew 7.6 percent in the second quarter year-on-year, the weakest since 6.6 percent during the depths of the global financial

crisis at the start of 2009. The weak second-quarter expansion dragged down growth to 7.8 percent for the first half of the year, a period when the debt crisis in Europe has deepened and the US economy has continued to struggle.

Wen’s comments came at an economic planning meeting in the Sichuan capital Chengdu that included officials from several interior provinces where economic growth has lagged behind the coastal regions.

“As we face the problems, difficulties and risks, especially the pressures brought on by a slowing economy, we must also recognize that the basis for economic growth is good ... and there is still a lot of dynamism and momentum for economic growth,” Wen said.

Easing inflationary pressures, rising salaries and improvements in livelihood, as well as investment in infrastructure, science and technology and education all boded well for future growth, he said. Wen further pledged to focus on creating jobs, especially for college gradu-

BEIJING: Furniture traders nap while waiting for customers during a consumer products exhibition in Beijing. China’s economic growth slowed to a new three-year low in the latest quarter as exports and consumer spending weakened. —AP

ates, as well as migrant rural workers who are descending on China’s cities in search of jobs.

China earlier in July took the rare step of slashing interest rates for the second time in a month. That came after three cuts since December in banks’ reserve requirements, or the amount of money they must keep on hand. Such cuts are meant to free up funds for lending and thus boost the economy. Chinese leaders have vowed to take further measures. Wen last week called stabilizing economic growth the government’s “top priority”.

Slowing growth in China is also casting a further cloud over the broader global economy, which is still suffering the effects of the 20082009 financial crisis. —AFP

Iraq says Premier Oil to join Bashneft in oil block BAGHDAD: Britain’s Premier Oil PLC is teaming up with Russia’s Bashneft to develop Iraq’s oil block 12, an Iraqi oil official said yesterday.

Last month Iraq awarded Bashneft rights to develop the field. Bashneft has now chosen Premier Oil as a partner, Abdul-Mahdy Al-Ameedi, head of the oil ministry’s contracts and licensing directorate, told reporters. Bashneft will hold 70 percent and Premier Oil 30 percent in the project, he said.

“If another partner entered, we would not object and we would welcome this on the condition that the partner is one of the qualified companies,” he added.

OPEC member Iraq holds the world’s fourth largest oil reserves and is expected to be a major source of future oil supplies.

In May, a group comprising Premier Oil, Bashneft and Petro Vietnam initially rejected a government offer to develop the block in Iraq’s fourth energy bidding round.

Baghdad has signed a series of contracts with foreign oil companies that target total oil production capacity of 12 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2017, up from about 3 million bpd. Most analysts see 6 million to 7 million bpd as a more realistic goal. —Reuters

24

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

business Tough summer ahead for markets, analysts forecast PARIS: Despite making progress, the euro-zone debt crisis remains unsolved and, in a repeat of last summer, could still bring nasty surprises to global stock markets in July and August, analysts said. In measuring up the coming summer weeks, “market sentiment is extremely negative,” said Alexandre Hezez, a trader at asset management firm Convictions AM. With many investors on holiday, trading volumes plummet in July and August which makes for even bigger swings up and down, analysts warned. The Paris stock exchange plummeted 18 percent between July 1 and September 1, 2011.

Since then, eight summits, a budgetary pact, a new rescue fund and more than one trillion euros ($1.22 trillion) injected by the ECB into the struggling financial sector have failed to end the euro-zone debt crisis.

Last summer Greece sparked panic, but concerns for Athens have receded to the background after parties wanting the country to remain in the euro-zone won an election in June. Now Spain and Italy are riling traders, with sovereign borrowing rates for both countries spiking to unsustainable levels on the secondary bond market. “The end of July and the month of August could be very intense,” warned Jean-Francois Robin, an investment strategist at Natixis. “If the Spanish 10-year bond yields spike to above 7.5 percent, Madrid will undoubtedly be forced to call for direct international aid from the new EU rescue fund that is a long way from being ready”, Robin said.

“This possibility could freeze up the markets even more.” Hezez said: “We have made great advances, but the risk to banks, which triggered the run on the markets last summer, will not be erased in the next few months.” The mechanisms to lend money to Spain’s troubled lenders are still the subject of tense negotiations between euro-zone nations. Finland is engaged in bilateral talks with Madrid to impose its own conditions.

Worse yet, the European Stability Mechanism is yet to be set up, with its practical future hanging on a decision on the fund’s constitutionality by Germany’s highest court that could be delayed to the autumn.—AFP

Hungary gears for tough credit talks with IMF-EU Delegation to arrive in Budapest tomorrow BUDAPEST: Hungary and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will take a new stab at a 15-billion-euro credit line deal, starting tomorrow, following months of delay due to controversial central bank reforms.

A delegation of representatives from the IMF and European Union (EU) is due to arrive in Budapest tomorrow for negotiations until July 25. An earlier effort had ended in late December, when EU and IMF experts had walked out on credit talks with Budapest, citing reforms that they feared would limit the central bank’s independence.

The Hungarian government has sincereluctantly-revised its legislation, which received the European Central Bank ’s approval in June. However, conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban has already warned the IMF-EU talks could go on for some time, predicting the core issues will only be discussed at the end of the summer.

“Those who are expecting quick negotiations will be disappointed,” he told Hir TV television last week.

Budapest hopes a 15-billion-euro ($18.2 billion) credit line from the IMF and EU will allow it to borrow on the bond market at better rates than the current ones-on July 13, the yield on 10-year sovereign bonds reached 7.85 percent. Investors’ confidence in the country dipped as a result of the government’s unorthodox economic policies, including the nationalization of pension funds and crisis taxes on specific sectors,

like telecommunications and bank ing.

Hungary also saw its debt downgraded to “junk” status by all three major credit-rating agencies, prompting bond rates to jump, while the national currency, the forint, grew weaker.

Still, Viktor Orban has been reluctant to comply with EU demands, sowing doubts as to his intentions. Economy Minister Gyorgy Matolcsy even chose to go on holiday at the exact same time the IMF will be in town.

“The government seems to try to keep the IMF away from Hungary,” the economic research institute GKI observed in a recent analysis.

Having to call on the IMF has been an embarrassment for Orban. Upon coming to power in 2010, the prime minister had loudly claimed that Hungary no longer needed any help from the institution, which had narrowly saved it from bankruptcy two years earlier.

For now, the state has sufficient reservesabout 10 billion euros, or 10 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) — to keep it going until the end of 2013, according to Gergely Tardos, chief economist at Hungary’s OTP bank.

“That is why it is not in a hurry to strike a deal with the IMF... We believe the govern-

BUDAPEST: A Hungarian woman sells vegetables at a market in Budapest.

ment is just trying to negotiate better terms in the deal,” he told AFP. “But should the international environment worsen, the market could force it to reach a deal very soon,” Tardos warned.

In that case, Budapest would have to “quickly accept the IMF’s conditions,” Adam Keszeg of Raiffeisen Bank added. Analysts predict the IMF will demand the abolition of crisis taxes, which have hit mostly foreignowned companies in the banking, retail, telecom and energy sectors.

It could also call for an end to the 16-percent flat income tax, which has created a two-billion-euro hole in Hungary’s budget.

These measures were hotly debated, even prompting threats of court action by the European Commission, which deemed they did not conform with EU rules.

Ever-defiant, Orban said Wednesday that he would only accept from the IMF “conditions that will make Hungary a better country.” But this may be just hot air, according to economist Gergely Tardos: “The financing costs coming from the IMF-EU are a lot less (compared to the markets), so it ’s in Hungary’s interest to come to a deal,” he said. In any case, observers predict no deal will be made before December. Exportdependent Hungary was hit hard by the global economic downturn, with GDP falling by 1.3 percent in the first quarter of this year from the last three months of 2011 — in the 27-member EU, only Greece and Portugal did worse. — AFP

JPMorgan Chase launches a stock market rally NEW YORK: JPMorgan Chase blew away a cloud of concern hanging over the banking industry Friday and set off a rally in stocks. Relieved investors drove up bank stocks, ended a six-day losing streak for the market and sent the Dow Jones industrial average up 204 points, the best day this month.

JPMorgan jumped 6 percent, the biggest gain in the Dow by far. The country’s largest bank earned $5 billion in the most recent quarter, easily beating Wall Street’s forecasts, even as it took a deeper loss from a complex trade that went wrong. The results brightened the outlook for other major banks. If JPMorgan could sustain such a hard hit and still post stronger earnings, the think ing went, maybe others could, too. “ Today is all about bank uncertainty getting resolved,” said Doug Cote, chief market strategist at ING Investment Management.

“To me, that’s what is really driving the market.” JPMorgan revealed that the loss from a derivative trade it first disclosed in May had grown to $5.8 billion, nearly triple the original estimate. Its stock shot up $2.03 to $36.07.

The bank’s underwriting business also fared better than many expected. That rubbed off on the investment banks Goldman

Sachs and Morgan Stanley, driving both up more than 3 percent.

Goldman jumped $3.41 to $97.43. Morgan Stanley rose 50 cents to $14.05.

The Dow gained 203.82 points to close at 12,777.09. Wells Fargo, the other major bank reporting results Friday, said a strong pickup in lending lif ted its net income 18 percent. Wells Fargo has managed to avoid problems plaguing other big banks and is now the country’s largest mortgage lender.

The bank’s stock gained 3 percent, or $1.06, to $33.91. Todd Salamone, director of research at Schaeffer’s Investment Research, said the rally in bank stocks shows that investors had expected the worst. When they’re too gloomy on an industr y, the slightest bit of good news can jolt their stocks up. “The bar for earnings is set extremely low, and a lot of people have been betting against banks” he said.

“The lower the bar, the easier it is for positive surprises.”

The rally swept across the stock market. Five stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange, and all 10 industry groups within the S&P 500 rose, led by financial firms.

The surge erased the week’s losses for the main indexes. The Dow would up flat for the week, and the S&P eked out a 0.2 percent gain. The technology-heavy

Nasdaq, which is more sensitive to swings in the economy, slumped 1 percent. The stock market took a beating this week as the US corporate earnings season got off to a weak start and Europe stumbled along in its latest attempts to resolve the region’s debt crisis.

In other trading, the Standard & Poor ’s 500 index rose 22.02 points to 1,356.78 and the Nasdaq composite gained 42.28 points to 2,908.47. Among other stocks mak ing big moves: Procter & Gamble rose 2 percent after reports emerged that board members of the consumer products giant are considering the removal of Chief Executive O fficer Rober t McDonald. On Thursday the Federal Trade Commission cleared ac tivist investor William Ackman’s hedge fund to make an investment in the company, whose many products include Tide, Bounce and Duracell. P&G rose $1.39 to $65.09 and gained 6 percent for the week. Lexmark International plunged 16 percent. The printer maker warned late Thursday that it fared worse during the second quarter than expected, a result of slowing business spending. Its stock fell $3.95 to $20.36. Phillips 66 jumped 6 percent, following news that Warren Buffett said Berkshire Hathaway has invested in the refining company. The stock rose $1.93 to $34.94. — AP

NEW YORK: Pedestrians pass as members of the media wait outside the JPMorgan Chase headquarters in New York. JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in the United States, said Friday that its loss from a highly publicized trading blunder had grown to $4.4 billion in the most recent quarter, more than double the bank’s original estimate of $2 billion. — AP

25

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

business

Gulf markets drop on global turmoil KUWAIT: The second quarter of 2012 has seen deterioration in confidence and low risk appetite across the GCC equity markets, mainly driven by the global economic deceleration, the recurring European financial stress, the soft landing of the Chinese economy, lower oil prices and stagnant growth in the US along with the regional political uprising. This resulted in a negative sentiment in the regional equity markets with the 7 GCC equity markets recording sharp losses in their combined market capitalization of $79bn during Q2-12 after rising by $89bn in Q1-12. GCC equity markets eroded most of the gain reported in Q1-12 and ended June at $733bn, up $10bn from December-2011. Saudi TADAWUL continues to weigh down on market cap losing around $11bn in June, $29bn in May and $15.5bn in April (a total loss of $55.5bn accounting for 70 percent of GCC equity markets losses in Q1-12); Qatar Exchange and Kuwait Stock Exchange lost $1.5bn and $627 million of their market capitalization during June; while Dubai Financial Market, Muscat Securities Market and Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange witnessed gains in their market capitalization of $693 million, $596 million and $321 million, respectively.

Despite encouraging economic indicators and the favorable outlook for the Qatari economy (forecasted by IMF to grow at 6 percent per annum over the next six years) along with robust growth in corporate profitability and contained inflation and comfortable government’s fiscal accounts, the QE 20 Index lost 7.5 percent of its value during the first half of 2012 and hence shedding around $3bn of the Qatar Exchange market capitalization.

This drop was mainly due to the lower than expected dividends announced for FY-2011, failure of QE to be upgraded by MSCI to the emerging markets status and the negative sentiment dominating the regional and international capital markets resulted from the Euro-zone financial stress, global growth deceleration along with the political instability in the region.

With the exception of ADX General Index, all the GCC equity markets’ benchmarks closed on the downside during June-2012; this drop was mainly associated with weak liquidity in the markets as the aggregate value traded in the 7 GCC bourses slumped 25 percent during June to reach $37.6bn following a sharp drop of 37 percent during the previous month. The Saudi bourse led the list of losers with a monthly loss in TASI of 3.8 percent followed by QE 20 index which shed 3.49 percent. Profit booking along with fears of a further drop in oil prices shaped the Saudi market performance during June. In Kuwait, the bourse is in a transitional phase with the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) putting back

KAMCO GCC EQUITY MARKETS OVERVIEW the market on the right track; new bylaws and regulations have been issued by the CMA to regulate the market and protect investors, a new trading system was introduced in May while listed companies are adjusting to comply with CMA laws and regulations. This transitional phase will be the backbone of the Kuwait Stock Exchange and will help to restore its position among regional markets and enhance liquidity levels and boost stock prices which have bottomed.

Saudi Arabia Following a healthy gain in its benchmark of 22 percent during Q12012, the Saudi Stock Market (TADAWUL) failed to build-up on this gain and witnessed a sharp correction during Q2-2012 of 14.4 percent to reduce its 1H-2012 gains to 4.6 percent. The year 2012 started with robust growth in oil prices and healthy corporate results along with the Saudi authorities’ strong commitment to develop the country and utilize a significant portion of oil revenues in improving the standard of living for Saudi people which was mainly reflected in a positive economic outlook and favorable economic conditions. Furthermore, pressures from OPEC on Saudi Arabia negatively affected heavyweight petrochemical sector and as a result, the TASI fell for the third consecutive month and ended June in the red, losing 3.8 percent, to close at 6,709.91 points and end as the worst performing market in the GCC region. In June, TADAWUL market capitalization lost 2.96 percent of its value to SAR 1.34 trillion ($357bn) as compared to SAR 1.38 trillion ($367bn) recorded at the end of May-12, as all sectors in the market fell with the exception of Multi Investment, Transport and Hotel & Tourism sectors.

Market heavyweight Petrochemical Industries shed 3.09 percent of its market cap to reach SAR 445 bn ($118.7bn) while the Banks and Financial sector fell 2.37 percent to SAR 322.4 bn ($86 bn). Trading indicators slumped during the month with volume and value traded falling 20 percent and 21 percent, respectively.

During June, total traded volume reached 6.7 bn shares distributed over 3.4 mn transactions while value traded dropped to SAR 129 bn, down from SAR 163 bn in May-2012.

Kuwait A weak outlook for the global economy coupled with domestic political tensions and continuing weak investor sentiment extended last month’s downtrend. The Kuwaiti market ended on a negative note for the second consecutive month breaking the psychological 6,000 mark. Instability in the

country resulted in a major selling spree dragging the market to fresh 5 month lows. Furthermore, the bourse is in a transitional phase as investors become accustomed to the Capital Markets Authority’s (CMA) laws which are now in effect. As a result of these factors liquidity in the market has

been low and was further impacted by the seasonal drop in liquidity due to the holiday season. In addition, the new trading system launched last May is still relatively new to investors and is contributing to light liquidity seen in the market as market participants acquaint themselves with the system.

Abu Dhabi The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange broke a three month negative trend posting a marginal 0.27 percent gain to 2,447.62. Despite the global economic slowdown stoked by high eurozone debt, slowing global growth and geopolitical tensions and oil prices falling more than 23 percent since April, the bourse maintained its value moving mostly sideways during the month. Investors have been optimistic on the real estate sector as it continues to recover this year bolstered by government support. The sector was also boosted with the news that negotiations for a merger between Al Dar and Sorouh are in advanced stages.

Furthermore, market heavyweight Etisalat also helped keep the market at current levels gaining 4.67 percent on news that the bourse may amend a law that governs the telecom operator to allow foreign and institutional investors to own shares in the company. Overall, the market was weak with trading indicators slumping 33 percent and 38 percent, respectively, to a volume of 800mn shares worth AED 1.24bn spread over 16,473 trades.

Trading was heavily concentrated in the real estate sector which captured 58 percent of all volume and 38 percent of value as investors’ confidence in the sector returns. Total market cap-

italization for the month increased by 0.43 percent to AED 273.3bn as compared to AED 272.1bn in May-12.

Dubai The DFM General Index continued its negative trend for the fourth consecutive month to shed 1.33 percent

to 1,451.87 with the index having shed a total of 16.91 percent since March12. Investor sentiment has been driven by a global economic deceleration, continuing central bank intervention and heightened financial market volatility stemming from the ongoing European debt crisis. During the month, Spain joined the list of countries bailed out by the various European rescue funds with $125bn for its banking sector indicating that the euro-zone crisis has entered a new phase of uncertainty; the news was followed up by a downgrade of 18 Spanish banks by Fitch. The global downturn in the global economy and investor sentiment has negatively impacted oil prices with the OPEC basket price closing the month at $90.92 p/b to plunge 23 percent since monthend April; the slump had a significant effect on the confidence of local investors as the budgets of GCC states have become more reliant on elevated oil prices, with the UAE having the a break-even point estimated by IMF at $80 /b. Over the same two-month period, aggregate market capitalization for the GCC equity markets dropped 7 percent to $733bn from $788 bn.

Qatar The QE Index continued its downward trend for the third consecutive month dropping by 3.49 percent to 8,123.02 points, a monthly decrease of 293.81 points. The recent global economic deceleration, along with the Greek and Egyptian elections, the upcoming European Union Summit, and a generally low investor confidence on the global economic outlook

Middle-class family bears the brunt of Spain’s crisis 1.7 million households without any employed FUENLABRADA, Spain: Before the Spanish economic crisis hit, Mercedes Gonzalez and her family lived comfortably, she working in a shoe shop and her husband and second son in construction.

But one by one, over five years each of them lost their jobs. Now, like millions of other middle-class casualties of the recession, the family of five scrapes by on welfare benefits, cash-in-hand cleaning work and the diminished salary of their eldest son, Juan Pedro.

“We didn’t earn a huge amount but we weren’t badly off. We had a normal standard of life,” says Mercedes, 52, in the sitting room crammed with photos and trinkets in their apartment in Fuenlabrada, south of Madrid.

As the collapse of Spain’s speculation-driven building boom started to ripple through the economy, the shoe shop where Mercedes worked shut down in 2007, leaving her suddenly jobless.

“At first I said never mind, my family was still working. I wasn’t too worried,” she saiduntil a year later her husband Juan Jose, 55, and second son David, 29, lost their jobs, like millions of others in the building trade. “They came home one night and it was over, they were left with nothing, no pay,” she said. The two parents’ monthly income dropped at that time from some 2,500 euros to 850 euros-the sum of their current unemployment benefits.

Household bills such as gas and electricity total 500 euros a month and Mercedes feels anxious every time she opens one. “We used to be able to do certain things like going out for dinner once in a while, sometimes a holiday. Nothing over the top. Suddenly it all ended,” she says.

“You have to use less light, less gas. You start cutting out things that you don’t really need so that you can eat. Leisure activities are totally finished.” The crisis has brought low the middle class which emerged in the 1980s after decades of dictatorship and flourished during the construction boom of the 1990s.

Official figures show there are 1.7 million

have adversely affected the QE Index performance. Nonetheless, the slide has slowed down compared to the previous month’s 3.3 percent fall, as the government increasing its investment expenditures and neighboring tensions such as the Egyptian elections are settling down. Liquidity slumped 47.9 percent and 48.8 percent for volume and value, respectively to 161.9 mn shares and QAR 4 bn.

Aggregate market capitalization decreased 1.19 percent to QAR 446 bn compared to QAR 451.4 bn the previous month.

Bahrain The Bahrain Bourse fell for the second consecutive month in June-12, as it followed its GCC peers into the red zone. The Bahrain All Share Index slipped 1.13 percent during the month, losing 12.87 points to close at 1,126.71 points; it extended its YTD12losses to 1.48 percent. Trading indicators increased as the number of shares exchanging hands totalled 175.17mn shares, an increase of 171.31 percent from the previous month. During the month, most of the trading was focused on the market heavyweight Ahli United Bank, which witnessed a trading value of BHD 35.45mn, approximately 88 percent of the total value of shares, traded on the Bourse, to close at 0.590 USD, a 1.67 percent decrease from previous month. However, the share price of another market heavyweight, Aluminium Bahrain, rose by 0.92 percent and closed at BHD 0.550, pushing the industrial up 1.01 percent on M-oM basis.

Oman The lack of local market catalysts coupled with strong negative cues from the global economy continued to take its toll on the Omani Bourse.

Despite Greece’s vote restoring confidence and minimizing fear, the MSM 30 Index fell 1.13 percent to close the month of June at 5,689.83 points with volatility easing to 5.7 percent after reaching the highest level since August-11 to 12.9 percent during May12. The MSM 30 Index reversed its YTD-12 gains to a marginal 0.09 percent loss. Corresponding to the fall witnessed, trading indicators slumped with volume decreasing 32.3 percent during the month to 163 mn shares compared to 241 mn in May-12, while value traded was down 25 percent to OMR 51 mn versus OMR 67 mn in the previous month. Market heavyweight banking & investment sector and services & Insurance sector added 8.15 percent and 1.01 percent to reach OMR 3.2 bn and OMR 2.4 bn, respectively. The Industrial sector was the sole loser in June-12 as it shed 1.36 percent of its market cap reaching OMR 1.2 bn.

Iraq signs gas contract with Pakistan Petroleum BAGHDAD: Iraq signed an initial gas exploration contract with Pakistan Petroleum yesterday as part of its push to attract more foreign investment to develop its energy sector following years of war and sanctions.

The contract gives the Pakistani company the right to explore gas block 8 in Diyala and Wasit provinces in eastern Iraq, as reported by Reuters last month.

Iraq will also sign an initial contract with a consortium led by Kuwait Energy for oil block 9 today and a deal to explore oil block 10 will be signed with a group led by Russia’s Lukoil tomorrow. The OPEC member state is expected to be the world’s biggest source of new oil supplies over the next few years. It plans

to open up more rounds for oil and gas blocks for auction.

Pakistan Petroleum, Kuwait Energy and Lukoil won their bids in May at Iraq’s fourth energy auction, which had a poor showing because of tough contract terms drawn up by Baghdad.

Iraq has offered foreign companies less attractive service agreements where they are paid a fee - rather than production-sharing deals that allow them to profit jointly from the output.

The country is slowly rebuilding nine years after the US-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. Officials say it needs foreign investment in virtually every sector to improve its infrastructure. — Reuters

Italy eyeing public asset sale to slash debt MADRID: A demonstrator shows to police officers a banner reading “Cuts? Stop to rob!” during a protest against the recent austerity measures announced by the Spanish government, in front of the Popular Party in Madrid. — AP households in which no member is employed.

The unemployment rate is at nearly 25 percent overall and more than 50 percent among the under-25s.

In the latest measures to lower Spain’s deficit, conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Wednesday announced 65 billion euros’ ($80 billion) worth of savings measures.

These included cuts to benefits for the newly unemployed and a rise in value-added sales tax that economists warned would hurt low-income consumers in the short term.

People like Mercedes make ends meet thanks to the two main emergency resources of Spanish society: black-market work and family solidarity.

She makes 600 euros a month from cleaning work to bolster the income for the home she and Juan Jose share with their three sons.

“It gives us a bit of breathing space. You can’t live on 850 euros,” she says. “The bills cost 500 euros. What’s left is for food.”

Juan Pedro, 32, contributes from his pay, which has has been cut by more than a quarter in four years to 900 euros a month. This enables him to help his parents but not to move out on his own.

Their youngest son, Daniel, 18, is looking for work having recently finished training as a computer technician and is learning to drive, the lessons paid for by the family. Meanwhile Mercedes’ parents give her and her family food and offer them money. “Family solidarity is what helps us survive. They have always been there for us. Always,” she says. “But my sons’ future looks very dark to me. My parents and parents-in-law over the years were able to save a bit of money. — AFP

ROME: Italy’s new finance minister said the government could raise up to 20 billion euros a year in public asset sales, and accused the markets of failing to recognize Rome’s efforts to bring its finances in order. Vittorio Grilli, who was appointed just last week, also lashed out at rating agencies, in comments to the Corriere della Sera published yesterday in the wake of the decision by Moody’s to downgrade Italian debt.

“The government wants to secure, through a multi-year program, the sale of public assets for between 15 and 20 billion euros ($18 billion to $25 billion) a year, or one percent of gross domestic product,” he said. He said such a program could reduce Italy’s debt, which is currently approaching two trillion euros or 123 percent of GDP, by 20 percent in five years.

“I would be happy to reduce it to 100%, it would be wonderful. Unfortunately... there are no longer as many saleable assets belonging to the state and public enterprises as there were 20 years ago.”

Grilli also said that relations with credit rating agencies had “become difficult”, in

the wake of the decision by Moody’s last week to downgrade Italian debt from A3 to Baa2 — just two notches above junkbond status. “Before the subprime crisis, they gave the top triple A rating to entities (that posed) that real public danger, such as special purpose vehicles,” he said, referring to complex financial instruments that packaged toxic debt.

“Since the bubble burst, the rating agencies-private companies that have a potential conflict of interest with their clients with an exposure to an exclusively American culture-are always late.

“They amplify the effects of events rather than anticipate them,” he said.

Turning to financial markets he said they “do do not yet recognize the quality of our country’s efforts to put the accounts in order. A balanced budget is at hand, structural reforms are being undertaken.” “No other country has done so much in so little time,” he said. He also said the government was reaping the rewards of its fight against tax evasion, that would bring an extra two billion euros into the treasury coffers. — AFP

26

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

BUSINESS

Samsung offers Premium Suite software upgrade for Galaxy Note users KUWAIT: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd yesterday announced the availability of the Premium Suite upgrade for Galaxy Note users in the UAE. The upgrade will include extra multimedia features and a range of new S Pen optimized applications in addition to an OS upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Premium Suite offers new features and applications exclusive to Galaxy Note and its innovative S Pen, which includes S Note, a unique tool that lets you combine your notes or sketches with other digital content, giving you a new way to create your own stories. S Note comes in various ready-to-use templates for a range of tasks including meeting minutes, diary among others.

Aimed at increasing your on-thego efficiency and productivity, S Note also includes the innovative Shape Match and Formula Match applications that help correct and digitize

geometric shapes and even solve numeric formulas hand-drawn with the S Pen. You can draw tables and grids which are instantly digitized, saving time and effort. Moreover, by

using the S Note’s integrated knowledge search engines, users can quickly search, and obtain information.

In order to add a touch of selfexpression, the Premium Suite also includes My Story, another S Pen optimized application that allows you to create personalized digital cards for friends or family using any type of content including notes, videos, photos, text or voice.

“The introduction of the Premium Suite upgrade for the Samsung Galaxy Note will enable our GCC based customers to get the most out of their device. The Premium Suite upgrade brings a host of exciting features and innovative S Pen applications which further enhances the overall experience of the Galaxy

X-cite by Alghanim Electronics join hands with eNet for easy payments First dedicated payment solution specialist KUWAIT: X-cite by Alghanim Electronics have signed a cooperation agreement with Automated Services Network Company (eNet). This is a significant partnership towards making the payment of instalments

This cooperation with (eNet) expresses the commitment of X-cite to create, develop and launch the best credit solutions and automated payment procedures for its ever growing customer base. This effortless, secure and

easier for all the X-cite customers via a wide network of (eNet) machines covering all areas of Kuwait, or via online payment at www.xcite.com.

peace of mind method of paying the instalments either online at or at any of the self service automated KIOSKS are available at a network of 300 points in Kuwait. This service

can also be obtained by downloading the (Enetpay) application for free on Android or iPhone smartphones.

Automated Services Network Co (eNet) is Kuwait’s first dedicated payment solution specialist, providing revenue collection system and consolidating payments for public and private sector organizations, ensuring easy payment of bills. The services of (eNet) include telecommunication companies (Zain, Wataniya, Viva) where customers can recharge their prepaid lines, pay installments to Al Manar Financing Company, Commercial Facilities Company, and now make credit payments at X-cite by Alghanim electronics.

Charity payments can be paid here to Awqaf, as well as buying entertainment tickets and purchase of internet subscriptions, renewing satellite subscriptions, among many other services. The Company’s machines cover about 90% of Kuwait residential and industrial areas.

Note,” said Ashraf Fawakherji, General Manager of Telecommunications Group at Samsung Gulf Electronics. “ We are committed to providing extraordinary experiences for consumers, and we will continue to provide new features and upgrades to enrich our offering.”

The Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade brings an entirely new look and feel to Android on GALAXY Note, with a more intuitive user inter face that includes a redesigned App menu for easier multi-tasking. The upgrade also introduces innovations such as Face Unlock, Snapshot, Android Beam and many more.

For multimedia content and more detailed information, please visit http://www.samsung.com/galaxynote

More surprises from Viva in ‘Win A Car Every Week’ campaign KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s newest and most advanced mobile telecommunications service provider, announced the winner in its hugely successful “Win a Car Every Week” campaign. Abdullah Ahmad Obaid and Makardeej Barbaryan were each lucky winners of a new Chevrolet Camaro V6 2012 in the campaign.

The winners expressed their happiness for being the lucky winners of the new Chevrolet Camaro V6 car as it is a dream come true and it has been made possible by Viva.

Viva congratulated the winners and invited customers to participate in the ongoing campaign in order to be one of the many winners in the upcoming weekly draws. Viva also reiterated its commitment to continuously provide unique and tailor made offers designed to better serve and reward its customers.

The offer is only applicable to prepaid customers where they can enter the draw through two options. the first option is to subscribe with 500 fils per day which gives them infinite minutes and SMS within VIVA network. For every 500 fils spent, the customer is entitled 1 chance to enter the draw. The second option for prepaid customers includes

subscribing to BlackBerry KD7 which gives them full and unlimited BlackBerry Services, where customers will gain 15 points automatically. For customers who purchase a new prepaid line will enter the draw automatically.

Customers are able to subscribe to both options in order to enter the draw to win a luxurious car, where their points will be accumulated and carried on to the next draw if they did not win.

To increase their chances to win a new car every week, prepaid customers can subscribe to the ‘Flavor of the Week’ which will be a ‘special service’ for that week allowing more opportunities to win every week. This week’s ‘Flavor of the Week’, started on 12 July and will last until 18 July 2012, and will give prepaid customers 1 chance to win the Chevrolet Camaro V6 upon using Sur f-On for 500fils by sending “On500” to 255 or “3” to 535 as well as earning 500MB data valid for 24 hours.

Prepaid customers interested in the full, unlimited, local KD7 BlackBerry offer, can send an SMS with the number ‘2’ to ‘535’. For the full menu of the prepaid offers, send an SMS with the word “GO”, to number ‘535’.

‘Seeing is Believing’ hits halfway point of $100m fundraising target

Boubyan Bank, GUST in deal to qualify branch managers to obtain MBA degrees KUWAIT: Boubyan Bank took a new step in the area of developing its staff by signing a new agreement with GUST accredited by Missouri at St Louis (UMSL) with which a previous agreement has been made to act as the “Exclusive Academic Partner” for Boubyan Bank in Kuwait. The new Agreement has been signed at the ITQAN Academy headquarters.

This Agreement is meant to develop the personal capabilities and increase the experience of the Bank’s branch managers by offering them the opportunity to obtain the MBA at GUST. This forms part of the Bank’s endeavors to increase investment in human resources being the key pillar to success and realization of achievements.

The Agreement was signed by Adel AlHammad, GM- Human Resources Group at Boubyan Bank and Dr Osama Al-Hares and Director - Centre of Alumni & Corporate Relations (CACR) at GUST in the presence of Prof Essam Al-Maghrabi, Director - MBA Program at GUST, Feras Al-Darmi, Executive Manager - Human Resources Group at Boubyan Bank and Aws Al Hares, Senior Manager- Human Resources Group at Boubyan Bank.

After signing the Agreement, Adel AlHammad, GM - Human Resources Group at Boubyan Bank said: “ This Agreement is deemed as the key pillar through which the Bank strives to develop current staff as the main objective of the program is to develop branch managers’ skills considering that branches are the basic line in dealing with the public and customers and thus reflect the real image of the Bank. These course aim at upgrading their skills in a way that is positively reflected on customer service quality, which is among the priorities of the Bank’s plans, and therefore, Boubyan becomes a pioneering institution that creates banking cadres with high qualifications and expertise who contribute to developing the Bank and putting it ahead of its competitors in the region”.

Al-Hammad pointed out that IQTAN Academy represents a qualitative leap in the area of administrative and professional training and development and that this Agreement stipulates organizing a training program for Boubyan Bank’s branch managers with high level contents including many required technical skills, whether financial or technological, in addition to specialized courses in management, team leadership and team work under the supervision of a professional training team accredited by international agencies.

“It was used to in all known training courses and workshops that participants obtain a course attendance or passing certificate, which is added to their professional record.

However, in IQTAN Academy, the methodology is different, as the attendance of its courses will give Boubyan staff the opportunity to obtain an academic degree “MBA” after passing the pre-determined curriculum of training courses and programs.”, he added.

Commenting on the Agreement, AlHammad said: “Once again we stress our care to develop our human resources through cooperation with a prestigious partner like GUST, which is one of the most important scientific and academic institutions in Kuwait and the whole region.”

On his part, Dr. Osama Al-Hares and Director - Centre of Alumni & Corporate Relations (CACR) at GUST praised the strong relations linking GUST and Boubyan Bank adding that the pioneering idea of the Bank’s IQTAN Academy is an example to be followed in adopting advanced strategies and mechanisms for training and developing national cadres in the private sector. Al-Hares stressed GUST’s care to do its best towards the success of IQTAN Academy’s programs and objectives.

He also said that the Agreement comes as commitment with a leading Kuwaiti bank in terms of developing human capabilities and that developing and enhancing training with MBA program and advanced media like e-

learning which ITQAN Academy strives to include in its programs is something we really appreciate for Boubyan Bank’s management which realizes the importance of qualifying the promising future generations of this nation.

This program is part of the programs of ITQAN Academy, which was launched by Boubyan Bank last month to provide the Bank’s staff with such programs and grants them academic credits enabling them to obtain academic certificates from prestigious universities. This is the second agreement signed by the Bank with GUST after the first one singed last June for establishment of the Bank’s ITQAN Academy to serve as a centre for developing its human resources in an academic manner by providing the most advanced specialized programs and administrative sciences and courses accredited by international agencies which are all in compliance with the Bank’s work environment and Sharia.

This step is part of the Bank’s plan for developing its human resources as its gives special attention to training of national labor through the academic qualification its provides to them in accordance with international standards that contribute to realizing outputs which suit the Bank’s objectives and aspirations and are in compliance with Sharia.

The Academy provides the Bank’s staff with training opportunities throughout a whole year in many fields comprising specialized training programs in financial management, financial statements analysis, business administration, communication skills, human resources development, as well as advanced, distinguished programs in customer service and professional sales of banking products.

Moreover, ITQAN Academy programs are based on the “Blended Learning Approach” which includes training courses, on-job training, rotation among departments, guidance and instruction, e-learning and assessment centers.

LONDON: Seeing is Believing, Standard Chartered’s global charitable initiative to tackle avoidable blindness, has reached the halfway point in its efforts to raise $100 million to provide eye care to communities across the developing world.

Since its launch in 2003, $50 million has been raised for Seeing is Believing, which has been used to tackle avoidable blindness in disadvantaged communities across Standard Chartered’s markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

The $50 million milestone follows the commitment made by Standard Chartered at the Clinton Global Initiative in September 2011 to raise $100 million by 2020 to help eliminate avoidable blindness - reinforcing the Bank’s ‘Here for good’ brand promise. The Bank not only promotes and coordinates fundraising for Seeing is Believing, but also matches every dollar raised. The $50 million milestone equates to $25 million in raised funds and $25 million in matched funds.

Richard Meddings, Group Finance Director at Standard Chartered and Chairman of Seeing is Believing, said: “When we launched Seeing is Believing in 2003, I could hardly have imagined that come mid-2012, we’d have raised $50 million. Support for the cause has been fantastic, both from within Standard Chartered and outside the Bank.

Every dollar raised is matched by Standard Chartered and these funds have helped us reach over 28 million people in communities where eye care was once unaffordable or inaccessible. In millions of cases, the lives of adults and children have been transformed, through simple treatments and affordable surgeries. I’ve seen the results first-hand, and they are nothing short of remarkable. We

are now focused on raising the next $50 million, thereby reaching our goal of raising $100 million by 2020.”

The $50 million raised for Seeing is Believing has helped fund more than 2.8 million eye operations, 4.9 million eyecare screenings and has enabled over 168,000 pairs of eye glasses to be distributed across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Through Seeing is Believing, NGOs have helped move eye care up the public healthcare agenda in countries such as China, Ghana, Indonesia and South Africa.

The funds raised for Seeing is Believing have already been used to run eye-care projects in 24 countries. These projects include: ● The establishment of 40 vision centres across India, which provide a financially sustainable model to ensure consistent and long-term eye care for people in communities such as rural areas and slums who have not traditionally had this access; ● The training of over 200 mid-level ophthalmic staff in Nigeria, to increase the rate of cataract operations in Kano, Oyo and surrounding states by 50 per cent in order to help tackle a backlog of people needing surgery, resulting in 46,850 people receiving operations over three years; ● The integration of eye care into health screening in Pakistan’s schools and the development of a standard approach for such eye screenings.

Staff engagement is and continues to be an essential part of Seeing is Believing. A large number of Standard Chartered’s 87,000 employees use their paid volunteering leave to raise funds or to support eye-care NGOs by raising awareness of eye-care issues in their local communities.

ARABAL 2012 in Doha from Nov 20 to 22 Qatalum - the organizer of 2012 installment of the Arab International Aluminium Conference (ARABAL 2012) - have announced that the conference will be held from 20 to 22 November, with the official opening of the conference taking place on Wednesday, November 21.

The originally proposed dates have changed in line with the recommendations of the ARABAL Steering Committee as Qatar will be witnessing a number of significant events over the same period as the conference.

The 16th Arab International Aluminium Conference (ARABAL 2012) will be held at the Grand Hyatt Doha, under the patronage of H.E. Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry.

ARABAL is the premier trade event for the Middle East’s aluminium industry and the only conference in the world attended by every single primary aluminium manufacturer in the region. Therefore, it is the conference of choice for anyone interested in the Middle East aluminium industry.

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

technology

Blackberry maker loses patent suit over software NEW YORK: A federal jur y in San Francisco has found beleaguered Blackberry maker Research in Motion Ltd. liable for $147.2 million in damages for infringing on patents held by Mformation Technologies Inc. Amar Thakur, a lawyer for Mformation, said Saturday that the verdict late Friday followed a three-week trial and a week of deliberations by an eight-person jury. Mformation, of Edison, N J, sued Research in Motion in October 2008, alleging that Canada based RIM infringed on its 1999 invention for remotely managing wireless devices.

Mformation’s software allows companies to remotely access employee cell phones to do software upgrades, change passwords or to wipe data from phones that have been stolen.

Officials at RIM, which has been struggling with plummeting sales, a declining stock and other problems, did not provide a comment Saturday.

Thakur said the jur y ruled that Research in Motion should pay his client $8 for each of the 18.4 million Blackberrys

that were connected to the Blackberry Enterprise Server, from the day the lawsuit was filed until the time of the trial.

That’s a total of $147.2 million.

He said the software at issue is the heart of the business of Mformation, a privately held company with several hundred employees. “We believe it’s been fundamental to the success of Research in Motion,” Thakur told The Associated Press.

The patent at issue was filed in 2001 and issued in 2005, he said.

RIM, of Waterloo, Ontario, has previously denied it did anything wrong. RIM has seen its business crumble as it increasingly loses market share. Today’s consumers want smartphones that go far beyond handling e-mail and phone calls, with built-in cameras and other cool functions.

Particularly telling is the plunge in the Blackberry’s US market share. It’s dropped from 41 percent in 2007, the year the first iPhone came out, to below 4 percent in the first three months of this year, according to research firm IDC.

Meanwhile, RIM will miss a chance to bounce back because of repeated delays on its BlackBerry 10 operating software, which is intended to help Blackberrys catch up to rivals such as the iPhone and smartphones running Google’s Android software. Not only will devices with the new Blackberry software miss the crucial holiday shopping season, they’ll have even more competition when they do go on sale, including a new iPhone expected from Apple this fall. Last month, RIM reported weaker than expected results. For the quarter that ended on June 2, it lost $518 million, or 99 cents a share. Even after excluding impairment charges, the loss was 37 cents per share. Analysts polled by FactSet were expecting a 3-cent per share loss. Revenue fell 43 percent to $2.8 billion, and RIM said it will be cutting 5,000 jobs, or 30 percent of its workforce.

The company’s stock, which traded for more than $30 less than a year ago, has recently dropped below $8, near a nineyear low. On Friday, the stock dropped another 2.4 percent to close at $7.24. —AP

The brave new world of tomorrow’s tablets Major breakthrough seen in artificial intelligence

After Facebook freeze, IPO market starts to thaw NEW YORK: With new public stock offerings for guitar maker Fender and travel booking website Kayak on deck next week, there are signs demand is starting to grow for IPOs after a fiveweek freeze triggered by a steep decline in financial markets and exacerbated by Facebook’s rocky May 18 debut.

Five companies are scheduled to go public this week alone, including Fender, Kayak and Palo Alto Networks, a maker of computer network security products.

After Facebook, just four deals made it to market by the end of June, marking the longest stretch without an initial public offering of stock since AugustOctober 2011. Stocks sank then in the wake of the US debt limit showdown and a deepening European financial crisis.

The resurgence now is a welcome indication that dealmakers are regaining confidence about raising money through IPOs. But the situation is far from rosy.

There are 68 companies expected to raise $14.4 billion through IPOs later this year, according to research firm Dealogic, Last year at this time there were almost double that amount of companies - 135, looking to raise $23.6 billion.

“If the market stays healthy - the overall market - I think we will see a lot of IPO activity in the second half,” said Nick Einhorn, an analyst with Renaissance Capital. But another plunge in stock markets could make it difficult for companies to raise money by selling shares.

The types of companies that try to raise money will also affect the IPO market. Mutual funds and the other big investors who tend to buy IPO shares are less likely now to be attracted to technology companies like social networks and games maker Zynga Inc. They’ve shifted to business technology companies such as Palo Alto Networks, which they consider more stable. Stocks of several of these kinds of companies have per formed well since their IPOs. ServiceNow Inc, a provider of so-called “cloud” technology services to companies, went public in late June, pricing at $18, above its expected range of $15 to $17. The stock has risen 34 percent from its debut. Jive Software Inc., which makes internal social networks for corporations, started trading in December and has climbed 56 percent from its IPO price. Well-known consumer brands also help drum up excitement for IPOs among retail investors, the “regular” people who buy and sell stocks. There are high hopes for Fender Musical Instruments Corp., the company behind the famous Fender Stratocaster electric

guitars. It’s looking to raise up to $160.5 million in its IPO next week.

Several other consumer-oriented deals could ignite excitement later this year, said Morningstar analyst James Krapfel, citing Bloomin’ Brands Inc, the owner of Outback Steakhouse; English professional soccer club Manchester United; and Coty Inc., maker of OPI nail polish and Jennifer Lopez per fume.

Krapfel doesn’t expect much demand for deals in industries sensitive to economic concerns and weak commodity prices such as industrial and energy companies.

But even companies in industries considered appealing will have a hard time if the broader markets don’t cooperate. Fears about the faltering global economy stalled the IPO market in May, when economic worries drove the Standard & Poor’s 500 index down 6.3 percent. In June, the index rallied 4 percent, but the IPO market tends to lag the broader market and reacts to the prior month’s decline.

That’s one reason experts like Einhorn remain wary. The S&P 500 is down 2 percent in July and a sluggish U.S. economy, signs of slowing growth in China and financial crises in Europe may douse enthusiasm. Also, summer is traditionally a slow time for making deals since many bank executives take vacation in July and August.

And then there’s the memor y of Facebook’s disappointing debut. The stock was expected to take off and ignite investor demand for other IPOs. Instead, it closed up just 23 cents from its IPO price of $38 on its first day of trading.

The stock has fallen about 19 percent since then and now trades around $31.

Facebook’s decline after its longawaited, highly anticipated IPO of the social network was “no question” a big negative for the IPO market, so the more time passes, the better, said Sam Hamadeh, the CEO of PrivCo, a research firm that follows privately held companies. On the plus side, investors may take heart from a spurt of IPO activity at the end of last quarter. The stocks of all four companies that went public in the last week of June are trading at or above their IPO price.

This week’s scheduled IPOs include Fender, the travel website Kayak Software Corp., which expects to raise as much as $87.5 million; network security company Palo Alto Networks Inc., hoping to fetch as much as $229.4 million; Five Below Inc., a discount teen retailer, seeking to raise up to $134.4 million, and biotech company Durata Therapeutics Inc., which could raise up to $81.9 million.—AP

SAN FRANCISCO: Tablets with paper-thin screens that can be folded and tucked into your back pocket, artificial intelligence and augmented reality-the stuff of science fiction may be coming to a store near you. It’s been two years since Apple Inc launched the iPad and spawned rival tablets from the likes of Samsung Electronics Co, Amazon.com Inc, Sony Corp, and now Google Inc and Microsoft Corp.

Much of the competition so far has centered on making smartphone and tablets lighter, slimmer, faster and longer-running than their predecessors, and the trend shows no signs of slowing. The increasingly crowded marketplace is also galvanizing hardware designers and software engineers to explore new technologies that may revolutionize the look and feel of mobile devices in coming years.

“We should think beyond just the touch-screen device,” said Lin Zhong, a professor at Rice University who does research on mobile systems. “Why do we have to hold tablets, carry many displays? We should think about wearable computers.”

Some researchers are experimenting with wearable devices, such as Google Glass, a stamp-sized electronic screen mounted on eyeglass frames to record video, access email and surf the Web. Others, like Microsoft, are investigating the use of 3-D cameras to create images that pop up when a person calls.

Samsung has a concept video that shows a bendable, transparent 3-D smartphone-hybrid tablet that can also be used as a real-time interpreter. Few of these new technologies will hit store shelves any time soon - companies and researchers are more actively working on touchscreen innovations in the near term.

In particular, organic-light-emitting diodes, or OLED, is widely touted as the successor to liquid crystal displays. OLED displays, such as in Samsung’s Galaxy Note smartphone, are lighter, thinner and tougher than current displays. The main attraction of OLED at first are their ruggedness, but the technology could one day allow tablets to be folded or rolled up like a newspaper. Reaching that point poses challenges like making the delicate chips and components inside them more flexible and resistant to damage.

“Flexible and foldable displays will first be implemented on smaller sizes like smartphones,” said Rhoda Alexander, IHS iSuppli’s tablet analyst. “Tablets may follow in a later progression, once manufacturing costs and yields have been tested.”

An unfolding NewSSlate concept developed by Innovation+Bermer Labs shows a foldable tablet that one can use to read news and watch videos. These are not expected to be ready for prime time for another few years.

Apart from experimenting with various materials in their own labs, manufacturers are partnering with premier academic institutions in their quest for the most interactive screens. Samsung is working with Stanford University’s chemical engineering department, and Microsoft is working with Rice University.

Professor Zhenan Bao’s team at Stanford has developed stretchable, super-sensitive and solarpowered “electronic skin,” or sensors that can feel a touch as light as that of a fly. One of its obvious applications is in touchscreens, and Bao said the research has generated a lot of inquiries from companies.

“Right now there is a lot of interest in having sensors in the screen that can have pressure input for the touchscreen,” Bao said. “Companies are also basically looking for replacement material for the current silicon that is cheaper and compatible with plastic substrate but has the same performance level.”

Specialty glass company Corning Inc, famous for its “gorilla glass” used in Apple devices, has an ultra-slim flexible glass called “willow glass” that has the potential to enable displays to be wrapped around a device. Corning said it is currently shipping samples of willow glass, which is compatible with OLED displays, to companies.

Each new generation of tablets boasts big improvements in pixel density and image quality, making photos, games and movies more life-like. Manufacturers and software designers have made less progress finding ways to let computers give physical, tactile feedback-but they’re working on it.

The stakes are high as tablets become more and more integrated with smartphones and other devices at home. Betting on the right technology and features is imperative, since the still-new category has already claimed many victims, including Hewlett Packard’s Touchpad tablet that was killed last year after only a few months on the market.

With many companies entering the fray, vying to take share away from Apple’s iPad, those who get it right may end up influencing the way people communicate and consume all media.

For now, size and price is where most manufacturers are competing as they try to break the dominance of Apple in the tablet market. Six out of 10 tablets sold are iPads.

“The big open area that is left to tackle is truly great input,” said Tony Fadell, co-founder and chief executive officer of Nest Thermostat, who previously led the team at Apple that created 18 generations of iPods and three generations of the iPhone.

“There is tactile input as well as voice input. Those are the two inputs that still need to be addressed in tablets,” Fadell said. In a recent patent application related to tactile, or haptic, technology, Apple in May outlined how features

could be added to a screen that would make it possible to alter the feel of its surface.

Manufacturers are also working to improve gesture recognition, augmented reality and voice controls like Apple’s Siri. IBM Fellow Bernie Meyerson expects major breakthroughs in artificial intelligence in the next several years. He envisions people having real, spoken conversations with their devices, which will boast technology much more advanced than IBM’s Watson computer that defeated two champions on the Jeopardy gameshow last year.

“You hand it to your grandmother and it just works. It will adapt, tune itself to your voice,” Meyerson said. “You’ll have something that you carry around in your pocket and it listens to you when you want it to.”

Laser projection keyboard devices that connect to mobile devices by Bluetooth are already available, although some say the technology is still buggy. In June, Microsoft unveiled its Sur face tablet, with a 10.6 inch display and a protective cover that doubles as a keyboard.

Other new and upcoming improvements in tablet hardware are seen as attractive but less important differentiators. At an industry event in Madrid earlier this year, manufacturers dunked tablets and smartphones in aquariums to show off new waterproof coatings. Intel Corp recently showed off “ultrabook” laptops with screens that swivel from their keyboards or detach completely to act as tablets. — Reuters

Customers choose EMC as No 1 storage ABU DHABI: EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) yesterday announced it is ranked by customers across the globe as the #1 storage choice for mission critical environments, according to the latest end-user study from IDC. The survey ranks storage vendors based on customer deployment patterns within the most widely-used enterprise applications. According to the IDC study, more customers choose EMC storage than any other vendor ’s for their Oracle, Microsoft Exchange and SharePoint, SAP, Business Intelligence and Analytics, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure and Home Directory environments.

The results of the IDC study are based on the survey of 1,000 respondents representing 15 countries and across 19 indus-

tries with company size ranging from 50 employees to over 10,000 employees, which was completed in Fall 2011. The survey focused primarily on applications, enabling IDC to ascertain end-user sentiment regarding their preference toward certain brands based on specific applications.

Natalya Yezhkova, Research Director, IDC’s Worldwide Storage Systems Research and Lead Analyst, Storage Users Demand Study (SUDS) said, “IDC initiated its biannual worldwide survey of storage administrators that analyzes how storage capacity is consumed by the major data use cases from the most widely-used business applications to IT infrastructure support.

The data suggests that EMC, which

accounted for nearly a quarter of external terabytes shipped worldwide in the first half of 2011, shipped more storage than any other enterprise storage systems supplier to run eight out of nine major data use cases we surveyed.”

Jeremy Burton, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, EMC, said “Whether in traditional, next-generation virtualized cloud, Big Data or Hybrid Cloud, customers are choosing EMC as their #1 choice for the most mission critical application environments. Our product and technology innovation centered on helping customers handle the data deluge driven by the two hottest trends in IT-the transition to cloud computing and the management of Big Data.”

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

H E A LT H & S C I E NC E

Farmers struggle in Malawi’s poor economic climate LILONGWE: For farmer Gerevanzio Suluma, the 2011-12 growing season has been disastrous. He is one of thousands of Malawian farmers who once cultivated maize but switched to cotton - an idea that has proven very costly.

“Last year the prices of cotton were very good. Our friends who grew cotton made a lot of money,” Sulama recalls. He felt at the time that he was wasting time by growing maize. “We joined the fray of cotton growers hoping we would make money. But look at the (low) prices we are being offered on the market! Worse still, we did not grow enough maize and we are already starving,” laments Suluma, who lives in the southern district of Balaka.

Global prices for cotton have plummeted from record highs a year ago, halving in value and returning to historical averages. The global economic malaise has also played its par t.

Farmers in Malawi, an agriculturalbased economy and one of the poorest countries in the world, are very susceptible to global price shocks. The landlocked southern African nation, where a majority of the population lives in poverty, recently took hits when other cash crops lost value - although tobacco, a major export, is seeing its price rebound.

Suluma says he must feed a family of six and the supplies in his granary are dwindling. “There was plenty of grain last year and the prices kept falling. We expected the price of maize to fall further this year,” he says, blaming traders for playing with the market. “ The traders hiked the price almost three times and there is speculation that, by the end of the year, a bag of maize will cost a fortune,” Suluma says.

Another farmer in the district - an area prone to poor cyclical rainfalls -

says he did not join the bandwagon of those who excitedly thought they would rake in huge profits from cotton.

“I remained a maize farmer but the rains did not help matters. All I got in the end was a wilted maize field,” says Duncan Chikuse. “I have to buy extra maize to feed my family, all year round,” he says. The irony of buying exactly the same product he grows is not lost on him. Chikuse hopes the government will intervene to help the many families like his who have become food insecure. According to a recent governmental assessment, some 1.63 million people, or about 11 per cent of Malawi’s population, will require food aid this year. In 2011, about 200,000 people needed such support. Malawi was once touted by the government as a shining example of how farm subsidies can transform a country from a food beggar to leading regional bread basket. Late

president Bingu wa Mutharika introduced a subsidy program in 2005 to lift the productivity of smallholder farmers after several years of drought and poor harvests.

His move was widely unpopular with institutions like the International Monetary Fund, which said the fertilizer subsidy program was too expensive and undermined private sector activity.

Initially, the plan worked, and output dramatically increased. But over time, the system was not sustainable.

Moreover, as Mutharika became more authoritarian and less fiscally responsible, he argued with donors, causing vital international aid flows to dry up.

By mid-2011 the country was in a period of economic rot.

In April, Mutharika died and, after a two-day political battle, was replaced by his vice president Joyce Banda, who has revived donor suppor t for the

country and garnered praise from the United States and other key donors. The government depends on foreign help for about 40 per cent of its budget. One of Banda’s key reforms was to devalue the local currency, the kwacha, to close the gap between black market prices and the official rate. While seen as the only option for the economy, the move - along with the relaxation of other financial rules - is likely to test inflation limits and might make things harder for the weakest.

The IMF, in a recent report, stressed there was a “need to strengthen social safety nets to help mitigate the impact of adjustment policies on the poor”.

Banda’s government will now have to find some way to help those immediately at risk of hunger, while also sparing resources to invest in more productive future harvests, so the country can begin to get back on its feet. —dpa

Banana genome sequencing gives boost to pest-plagued fruit LOS ANGELES: Breeding a stronger, better banana is not for the weak-willed. The plants are so sterile that scientists must mush up several acres’ worth of fruit to get just a couple of hundred seeds to work with - and those seeds are so feeble they must be coaxed in the laboratory to form baby banana plants. That’s why tropical-fruit researchers were breaking out the banana daiquiris Wednesday to celebrate the sequencing of the banana genome by scientists in France. If ever a plant needed biotechnology to help it, it’s the banana, these scientists said.

The DNA data - of a key banana species called Musa acuminata - will help researchers in their efforts to protect the fruit, which is under attack from all sides by a raft of noxious pests. The biological blueprint published by the journal Nature will help conventional breeders and genetic engineers alike create varieties that are better-suited to fighting disease and tolerating drought, not to mention being more nutritious. More is at stake than the future of the Western fruit bowl. The $6 billion annual banana export market represents just 15 percent of banana production worldwide. The other 85 percent is food that hundreds of millions of people grow and eat to survive. In the developing world, bananas are the fourth most important crop after rice, wheat and maize.

“The people of the world - small farmers and multinationals alike - are growing varieties made by Mother Nature thousands of years ago,” said Rony Swennen, a banana researcher since 1978 and head of the Laboratory of Tropical Crop Improvement at KU Leuven in Belgium, where the world’s collection of 1,400 banana varieties is housed.

“There’s no improved plants available for any of those growers.”

The problem stems from the fact that banana plants - domesticated maybe 7,000 years ago and propagated since then through growth of new shoots - were selected precisely because they are sterile. Nobody wants to peel a banana and find a mess of seeds. In edible bananas, seeds never mature. All we see of them are those little black dots. This produces a head-scratcher for those scientists who want to make the banana better. “You need sterility to produce fruits that can be eaten, but you need fertility to improve the cultivar,” said Angelique D’Hont, lead author of the Nature paper and a genome scientist at CIRAD, a research center in Montpellier, France.

Improvements are sorely needed. The stacks of plump yellow fruit on supermarket shelves belie the mortal threat bananas of all types are facing. Fungal spores borne by the wind blight the plants with black leaf streak disease, causing 50 percent crop losses if plantations aren’t sprayed weekly with fungicides. Making matters worse, Fusarium mold in the soil is drying plants to death from the inside in a scourge known as Panama disease.

There is no treatment. A new strain of Panama disease - Race 4 - is poised to wipe out the Cavendish dessert banana we know so well, just as Panama Race 1 deep-sixed its commercial predecessor, Gros Michel, in the 1950s and 1960s.

Around the world, worms are nibbling at the banana’s roots and bacteria are withering its greenery. Banana bunchy top virus and weevils and other pests also feast on the plant. Varieties resistant to some of these diseases do exist.

But they generally lack other qualities people desire in a food they eat raw, steamed,

boiled and fried, or drink as juice or beer. And the export market is hyper-finicky. Every logistical detail - down to the shape of boxes used for shipping and the precise point at which green bananas are gassed with ethylene so they’ll turn ripe in time for the supermarket - has been standardized just for the Cavendish. In the 1990s, researchers in Honduras unveiled a new banana christened “Goldfinger” that was resistant to black leaf streak disease and Panama Race 4. Their 24year breeding effort involved analysis of 10,000 hybrids planted in the field.

But Goldfinger doesn’t withstand shipping as easily as Cavendish and does not taste as sweet. As breeding efforts continue, scientists are working on other ways to get the qualities they want into bananas. Over the centuries, spontaneous mutations in some banana lines have created variants with altered characteristics, such as the Cavendish banana’s resistance to Panama Race 1.

Perhaps, some have noted, the process could be sped up. Labs round the world, including ones at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Austria, have bombarded banana cells in test tubes with radioactive gamma rays. That has produced bananas with earlier flowering times, larger bunches, bigger fingers and some that appear more resistant to black leaf streak disease and Fusariuminduced wilt.

Some scientists, like Swennen, believe genetic engineering is the way ahead for the banana. “I know there are a lot of arguments” about genetically modified foods, Swennen said from a banana meeting in Indonesia. “But if you are dealing with sterile plants and perennials, then GM is the way to go.” At KU Leuven where he works, scientists have perfected the art of inserting genes into bananas and have a toolbox of DNA pieces that can dictate whether those genes are activated in leaves or roots. His team has engineered bananas with a disease-resistant gene from rice that, in field tests in Uganda, showed some limited ability to withstand black leaf streak disease. Ugandan scientists are working on refining the technology.

In another effort, genes from sweet peppers were spliced into bananas by a research team headed by Leena Tripathi of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Nigeria. The team found 12 lines that were totally resistant to wilt caused by a bacterium called Xanthomonas, and they’re being evaluated in Uganda field trials now, Tripathi said.

Better nutrition and disease-resistance are the goals of James Dale of Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. His team has engineered bananas that produce up to 25 times more beta carotene, a vitamin A precursor, than regular bananas. They’re being tested in Uganda, he said. Another of Dale’s goals: bananas with more iron, which could be especially useful for people in India, whose vegetarian diets leave them prone to iron-deficiency. Having the banana genome in hand will make all this work much easier, banana researchers say.

The Pahang wild species chosen for sequencing - which is resistant to Panama Race 4 and black leaf streak disease - is not good to eat.

But it will serve as a guide to track down useful genes and improve the ones that are.

Already, scientists have detected certain genes among the 36,542 in the genome that leap into action when this variety is subjected to attack by black leaf streak disease, suggesting that they may be key to fighting off the fungus. — MCT

BAIKONUR: The Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft blasts off from the Baikonur cosmodrome yesterday. (Inset) Astronauts Yuri Malenchenko (center) of Russia, Sunita Williams (right) of the US and Akihiko Hoshide of Japan walk for reporting to members of the State Committee before the launch yesterday.— AFP

Russian rocket launches new crew to space station BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan: A Soyuz rocket blasted off with an international crew of three toward the International Space Station yesterday in a mission testing the reliability of Russia’s crisis-prone space program. NASA’s Sunita Williams and Japan’s Akihiko Hoshide and Yury Malenchenko of Russia started their journey on top of the Soyuz-FG under the open skies of the Kazakh steppe on schedule and without a hitch. The trio gave big thumbs up after the needle-shaped craft pierced a thin layering of white clouds and safely reached orbit about nine minutes later. “Goodbye Planet Earth for now! Woo Hoo!” Williams tweeted a few hours before the 305-tonne craft shook the ground with a violent orange explosion of booster rocket flames.

Russia’s Roscosmos space program chief Vladimir Popovkin told reporters that he spoke briefly to the crew members a few minutes into their journey and “They feel fine. I have no doubts that everything will go well.” Live footage from inside the Soyuz TMA-05M capsule that will dock to the ISS after a two-day journey showed a small doll in a red dress hanging before the three space travellers as a good luck charm as the rocket gathered pace. The astronauts read calmly through

thick printouts of their crew procedures while mission commander Malenchenko picked at some of the more distant controls on the panel with a black stick in his hand. “That is one of the more low-tech aspects of the Soyuz spacecraft,” the NASA flight commentator said in a live video feed.

“Some of those buttons are a little bit far away from the crewmembers so that stick makes it a little easier for him to access the controls.”

The workhorse of Russian spaceflight - briefly grounded last year amid a spate of launch accidents affecting cargo craft and satellites - today represents the world’s last human link to the international science lab. The final launch of a US satellite in July 2011 left nations dependent on the reliability of Russia’s Soviet-era space achievements while governments and private companies scramble for new ways to launch humans to the station and beyond.

The US company SpaceX blazed a new path for private spaceflight by sending a cargo vessel called Dragon to the ISS in May. But the reliability of such spacecraft is still too untested to entrust them with humans even as other companies join the private space race. Russia’s underfunded Roscosmos agency meanwhile has been hit by

turmoil that saw several changes in leadership and bickering with other segments of the space program - particularly those responsible for updating the Soyuz. Roscosmos had earlier this year released a somewhat vague mission statement through 2030 that emphasised new voyages to the Moon and the further scientific exploration of Mars while downplaying human spaceflight. It also placed a short-term emphasis on purchasing foreign technology that could help bring Russia up to par with the United States. The team speeding toward the ISS will join Russians Gennady Padalka and Sergei Revin as well as NASA astronaut Joseph Acaba - a crew that lifted off from the Moscow-leased launch centre in Kazakhstan on May 15. Both Williams and Akihiko have experience on board the space station but had never before travelled on the Soyuz. Akihiko particularly expressed thanks to those preparing the Russian craft for the journey and tweeted that “everybody is working with pride”. Williams - a naval aviator who was once deployed to Iraq - for her part told reporters that she will be excited to watch the London Summer Olympic Games from the station and put a much more global perspective on the event.— AFP

Debate brewing over Lanka tea blending plans COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s tea industry is deeply divided over plans to boost earnings by importing cheaper leaves for blending and re-export, over fears the changes could water down the “Pure Ceylon” brand. Pure Ceylon using the country’s colonial-era name - is to tea what single malt is to whisky, according to some aficionados, with single-origin Sri Lankan tea costing as much as twice that of a multi-origin tea. The country has long been a leading exporter of the commodity, but now the Tea Exporters Association (TEA) wants to import leaves from countries like Kenya, Vietnam and Indonesia, and blend them with higher quality local produce. TEA members, who make up more than 80 percent of Sri Lanka’s tea exports, say the island should harness its local blending expertise and reclaim its role as a tea hub, a position being eroded by competition from Gulf nations. They argue that the high quality and the correspondingly high prices have placed “Pure Ceylon Tea” beyond the reach of the lucrative mass market, even if the industry enjoys an enviable brand reputation.

“We lose out because our tea is too expensive,” says Niraj de Mel, head of TEA. “We don’t have a (cheaper) tea that can compete in the mass market.”

De Mel argues that Sri Lanka could almost double its exports of 300 million kilos annually by taking a “realis-

tic” view of the world market and blending its tea with cheaper imports.

Sri Lanka does not currently allow tea imports for blending, but in May the official Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB) said a panel was investigating options. The announcement sparked an intense debate with “purists” and “realists” fighting it out in the press and on social media.

SLTB chief Janaki Kuruppu told AFP that no final decision had been taken and that a balance needed to be stuck. “We are carefully studying the proposals and the objective is to

increase overall revenue while protecting our brand image,” he said.

Purists, such as leading Sri Lanka tea maker Herman Gunaratne, fear blending with cheap teas will undermine the industry in the long term and say the island must focus on the luxury end of the market. “We are known for our top quality tea,” says Gunaratne.

“Why should we dilute our image?”

At a tea plantation in the southern village of Ahangama, Gunaratne makes an exotic range of tea that can fetch up to $2,000 a kilogram, some of which ends up on the shelves of

AHANGAMA, Sri Lanka: In this picture taken on June 26, 2012, Sri Lankan master tea maker Herman Gunaratne smells some virgin white tea leaves at his factory shop some 140 km south of Colombo. — AFP

the top-end Mariage Freres tea emporium in Paris. “The way forward is not blending, but manufacture. We must make more expensive tea,” he says.

Gunaratne worries that blending with East Asian teas could damage a reputation built up over 150 years.

Tea is not indigenous to Sri Lanka, but after a Scotsman named James Taylor planted the first tea bush - the Camellia Sinensis in 1849 - tea became a primary export and the nation’s main foreign exchange earner. Sri Lanka conducts the world’s largest weekly tea auction where five to six million kilos change hands, but turning the high-quality tea into humble and affordable tea bags is mostly done abroad by foreign companies. Sri Lanka’s stance prompted Unilever to drop plans in the late 1990s for a factory in Sri Lanka and it instead set up its Lipton tea bagging plant in Dubai where they blend teas from East Africa and Asia - including Sri Lanka. The factory currently produces 1.1 million bags of tea an hour and is set to be the world’s biggest plant by 2015.

Sri Lanka’s export lobby argues that the country’s refusal to import leaves is only helping to further establish Dubai as a tea hub. Sri Lankan tea brand Dilmah, which competes head-on with Lipton and other multinationals, is one of those fiercely resisting any moves to relax government policy. — AFP

H E A LT H & S C I E NC E

Hopes high as AIDS meet returns to US WASHINGTON: A cure for AIDS remains a distant prospect but a host of drug treatments and other advances have fueled fresh hope that new human immunodeficiency virus infections may someday be halted for good.

Strategies for ending the 30-year AIDS epidemic through advances in treatment, testing and prevention are high on the agenda of a major meeting of experts in HIV/AIDS when it returns to the United States next week after two decades. “What we know is absolutely possible is that we can end the pandemic even without having a cure,” said Anthony Fauci, a leading AIDS expert and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Held every two years, the International AIDS Conference has convened elsewhere around the world but not in the US since 1990, due to a travel ban on HIV-positive individuals. The ban was overturned by US lawmakers under president George W Bush in 2008 and signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2009. The conference’s return to the United States was expected to draw a star-studded crowd of 25,000 more than the usual 20,000 - including celebrities, politicians, AIDS activists and scientists, organizers said.

Among the key speakers are singer Elton John, former US president Bill Clinton and philanthropist Bill Gates. Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar will address the conference by videolink. A pre-conference bash staged by amfaR, the American Foundation for AIDS Research, on July 21 will feature actors Sean Penn, Sharon Stone and prominent CNN newsman Anderson Cooper, who recently came out publicly as gay. A series of pre-conference talks and announcements will also set the stage for the six-day meeting in the US capital, themed “Turning the Tide Together,” which formally starts on July 22.

On July 19, French Nobel laureate Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, the co-discoverer of HIV, will announce the release of a new global strategy toward a cure that aims to tackle the reservoirs where HIV holes up after it has been attacked by antiretroviral drugs. “The strategy aims to build a global consensus on the state of research in the HIV reservoirs field and define a roadmap of scientific priorities that must be addressed by future research to

tackle HIV persistence in patients on antiretroviral therapy,” said a statement by the International AIDS Society.

Another key point is the use of antiretroviral drugs as both treatment and prevention, building on a series of studies that have shown promise in giving the drugs to infected people early and even prescribing them to uninfected partners at risk.

“We see this as probably being a central conversation at the conference - the appropriate initiation for treatment and also how to best take advantage of antiretrovirals for prevention more broadly speaking,” said the World Health Organization’s HIV/AIDS chief Gottfried Hirnschall.

The WHO will be releasing new guidelines for using HIV drugs as prevention, a strategy known as pre-exposure prophylaxis that has shown some success but also some failures in recent studies. Funding gaps remain a big concern among experts, with the United Nations funding target set for $22-24 billion globally and the available cash for responding to HIV at just $15 billion in 2010. Experts will also appeal for a jumpstart to current prevention strategies, which Fauci says have to accelerate in order to end the pandemic that has killed some 25 million people to date.

“If the current slow rate of decline in infections globally - on average just 1.5 percent per year over the past decade - were to continue indefinitely, controlling HIV/AIDS would remain a distant goal,” he wrote in Health Affairs magazine in July. Fauci and co-author Gregory Folkers, his chief of staff, called for optimal use of the prevention “toolkit” that researchers now have at hand. In addition to antiretrovirals for treatment and prevention, those tools include microbicides that show some effectiveness against HIV when applied to the vagina or rectum, showing up to 54 percent fewer infections in women who used them at least 80 percent of the time.

Voluntary male circumcision has shown some success in Africa toward reducing HIV infection rates by 50 to 60 percent in heterosexuals compared to uncircumcised males.

And researchers are gleaning more clues from a 2009 vaccine trial in Thailand that showed a modest 31 percent reduction in HIV infection, and hope to improve on those results in future trials. — AFP

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

Drugs ‘arsenal’ could help end AIDS: WHO WASHINGTON: Thirty years into the AIDS epidemic, a cure remains elusive but a growing arsenal of drugs could someday help end new infections, the World Health Organization’s HIV/AIDS chief says. The key is figuring out how to best manage the latest advances, Gottfried Hirnschall said in an interview with AFP during a visit to Washington this week ahead of the International AIDS Conference that begins here July 22. Antiretroviral drugs may reduce the risk of infected people passing on the virus, and may prevent healthy people from becoming infected through sex with HIV-positive partners, but the new possibilities have also stirred controversy.

Still, these medications saved about 700,000 lives worldwide in 2010 alone, which experts have described as an extraordinary accomplishment.

Research breakthroughs and progress in some countries “demonstrate that it is possible to really advance significantly in scaling up the response and even start to think about eliminating new infections,” Hirnschall said. The world now has 26 antiretroviral (ARV) drugs on the market and more in the pipeline for treating people with human immunodeficiency virus, which has infected 60 million people and killed 25 million since the epidemic first emerged.

“We have a fairly large arsenal of drugs available,” Hirnschall said, noting that the drugs are better now than they used to be - less toxic, more robust, less likely to trigger resistance and more tolerable - but are still not perfect. Side effects remain a concern, and officials are carefully monitoring the emergence of resistance, with the WHO set to release its first global report on drug resistance in low and middle income countries on July 17.

Recent studies have shown the potential benefits of starting treatment early, before the viral load gets too high, as a way to protect an infected person’s health and lower the risk of passing the disease to a partner.

Research on using ARVs as a way to prevent HIV in healthy people - also known as pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP - has shown conflicting results, with some promise seen in studies on heterosexual couples and gay men who took the pills faithfully.

However, one major study of African women failed to show any protection from ARVs compared to a placebo and had to be stopped early. “We see this as probably being a central conversation at the conference - the appropriate initiation for treatment and

also how to best take advantage of antiretrovirals for prevention more broadly speaking,” Hirnschall said.

A US advisory panel has urged the Food and Drug Administration to approve the first-ever HIV prevention pill, Truvada by Gilead Sciences, for use in some high-risk populations. A decision is expected by mid-September.

Truvada is already on the market as a treatment for people with HIV. But some healthcare workers fear that the availability of a pill that could reduce the risk of getting HIV may encourage people to stop using condoms and spark a rise in risky sex behaviors. Others are concerned about the ethics of providing HIV drugs to healthy people, when vast numbers of infected people across the world still do not have access to life-saving treatments.

And some high-risk groups remain difficult to reach, such as sex workers and injecting drug users who are often shut out from treatment due to restrictive laws. “In many countries where they (drug users) constitute the major risk group, they have lower access to treatment,” Hirnschall said.

“We also know that in many places, men who have sex with men cannot access services in general, or

sex workers by the same token because they are stigmatized, they are criminalized in many countries and it is not easy for them to come forward to be tested and then to access services.”

The WHO is also working up a set of guidelines for administering antiretrovirals as prevention to healthy people that should be available in time for the conference. PrEP “is a promising approach. We believe it is one that is probably becoming a niche intervention for certain individuals where other preventions may not be accessible or may be difficult to implement,” Hirnschall said. “There are very few magic pills. But it might be one additional intervention that we could add to the arsenal of interventions that we have.”

Hirnschall said he was “very optimistic about the conference,” the first to be held in the United States since 1990 and made possible due to the lifting of travel restrictions on HIV positive people

by Washington a few years ago. “We will hear from countries what is happening on the ground,” Hirnschall said. “The challenge is not just to set brave policies but really to have the capacity and resources that it takes to implement those.” —AFP

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MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

WHAT’S ON Greetings

any, many happy returns of the day to Pabbala Sasi Kala Yadav. Best wishes from husband Pabbala Lakshmi Kumar Yadav, son Pabbala Vardhan Yadav and daughter Pabbala Jyoshnavi Yadav. Best wishes from Subbarayudu Yadav, Narayana Yadav, Venkatamma, Kanthamma, Siva Prasad Yadav, Maheshwari, Sudhakar Yadav, Lakshmi, Nagaraj Yadav, Saavitri, Santamma, Narayana Yadav, Jayamma Eragana Boyana, and Lakshmi Narayan Yadav. Blessings also come from near and dear ones in Kuwait and

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Najia launches new cooking book ooking expert, Salwa Najia recently launched her new book, “Plates and Palates” (Atbaq Wa Athwaq) with very special recipes and dishes. The book is available at various book stores, coops, The Sultan Center, Geant and Carrefour.

The book includes special chapters for appetizers, pies, salads, Kebbeh, pasta, soups and rice that all have a big variety of 300 recipes on each from various parts of the world. Notably, this is Najia’s second book after the success her first book, “The Taste” (AlMathaq) achieved.

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Announcements Indian Embassy passport and visa Passports and Visa applications can be deposited at the two outsourced centers of M/S BLS Ltd at Sharq and Fahaheel. Details are available at www.bls-international.com and www.indembkwt.org .

Consular Open House Consular Wing is providing daily service of Open House to Indian citizens on all workings days from 1000 hrs to 1100 hrs and from 1430 hrs to 1530 hrs by the Consular Officer in the Meeting Room of the Consular Hall at the Embassy. For any unaddressed issues, Second Secretary (Consular) can be contacted.

Furthermore, the head of the Consular Wing is also available to redress grievances.

Indian workers helpline/helpdesk Indian workers helpline is accessible by toll free telephone number 25674163 from all over Kuwait. It provides information and advice to Indian workers as regards their grievances, immigration and other matters. The help desk at the Embassy (Open from 9AM to 1PM and 2PM to 4:30PM, Sunday to Thursday) provides guidance to Indian nationals on routine immigration, employment, legal and other issues. It also provides workers assistance in filling up labour complaint forms. For any unaddressed issues, the concerned attachÈ in the Labour section and the head of the Labour Wing can be contacted.

Legal Advice Clinic Free legal advice is provided on matters pertaining to labour disputes, terms of contracts with employers, death/accident compensation, withholding of dues by employers, etc. by lawyers on our panel, to Indian nationals on all working days between 1500hrs to 1600hrs.

Ambassador’s Open House The Open House for Indian citizens by the Ambassador is being held on all Wednesdays at the Embassy for redressal of grievances. In case Wednesday is an Embassy holiday, the meeting will be held on the next working day.

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

Aqua Park celebrates 17th anniversary he Aqua Park recently celebrated its 17th anniversary in a big ceremony attended by both citizens and expatriates who commended the park’s outstanding programs over the past years. The ceremony, which was covered by KTV, included folkloric bands, concerts, fireworks, cartoon figures, competitions and lots of gifts for winners and visitors.

Commenting on the event, the Aqua Park’s PR and

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marketing manager, Abdullatif Al-Shemmari said that the this year’s celebration involved two main events: the 17th anniversary and the inauguration of the stage on which the concerts and the programs were held. AlShemmari also thanked TEC for its support.

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MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

WHAT’S ON

Embassy Information

GE joins hands with Kuwait Blood Bank for blood donation drive E employees in Kuwait participated in a blood drive, held in collaboration with the Kuwait Blood Bank. Over 30 staff members from GE’s offices in the Free Trade Zone, Sulaibiya, and Sabiya, donated blood as part of the company’s mandate of giving back to community, under the campaign ‘GE Saves a Life.’

George Bou Mitri, General Manager for Middle East, Africa & Turkey, GE Lighting, said: “The ‘GE Saves a Life’ campaign underlines our commitment to partner with community initiatives that will make a difference to

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the society we serve in. We are thankful to the Kuwait Blood Bank for their support in managing the blood donation campaign.” Voluntary blood donation plays a crucial role in meeting the requirements of public and private hospitals, emergency rooms, and research institutes.

GE coordinates volunteer efforts company-wide by keeping a close eye on societal needs and inviting all employees to build stronger communities where the company serves in. GE’s employees volunteer over one million hours of community service every year. Apart

from its partnership on the world’s largest wastewater plant in Sulaibiya, GE has established long-term partnerships in the healthcare, aviation, energy and oil and gas sectors in Kuwait for nearly eight decades. The company is also focused on driving the competencies of the Kuwaiti professionals through dedicated training programs and knowledge transfer programs.

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, Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem Street, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait. Working hours and days: 09:30 - 17:30; Sunday - Thursday. Or visit their website www.vfs-au-gcc-com for more information. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas on-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF BRAZIL The Embassy of Brazil requests all Brazilian citizens in Kuwait to proceed to the website www.brazil.org.kw (Contact Us Form / Fale Conosco) in order to register or update contact information. The Embassy encourages all citizens to do so, including the ones who have already registered in person at the Embassy. The registration process helps the Brazilian Government to contact and assist Brazilians living abroad in case of any emergency.

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EMBASSY OF BRITAIN Consular section at the British Embassy will be starting an online appointment booking system for our consular customers from Sunday, 01 July 2012. All information including how to make an appointment is now available on the embassy website. In addition, there is also a “Consular Appointment System” option under Quick links on the right hand side on the homepage, which should take you to the “Consular online booking appointment system” main page.

Please be aware that from 01 July 2012, we will no longer accept walk-in customers for legalisation, notarial services and certificates (birth, death and marriages). If you have problems accessing the system or need to make an appointment for non-notarial consular issues or have a consular emergency, please call 2259 4355/7/8 or email us on consularenquirieskuwait@fco.gov.uk. If you require consular assistance out of office hours (working hours: 0730-l430 hrs), please contact the Embassy on 2259 4320.

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EMBASSY OF KOREA The Embassy of the Republic of Korea wishes to inform that it has moved to Mishref. New Address: Embassy of the Republic of Korea Mishref, Block 7A, Diplomatic Area 2, Plot 6 The Embassy also wishes to inform that it will be opened to the public on the following office hours: Saturday to Thursday Morning: 8:00 am to 12:30 pm Lunch Break: 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm Afternoon: 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm ■■■■■■■

Professor honoured n the presence of the Dean, Professor Abdul Raheem Theyab, his consultant, Dr. Abdullah Al-Romaidhi and the staff, The Students Affairs Deanery at Kuwait University yesterday organized a special ceremony to honor Assistant Professor Ali Saif Al-Nami on the occasion of concluding his four year tenure. Speaking on the occasion, Al-Nami expressed gratitude and appreciation for the ceremony and the organizers highlighting the importance of the deanís work in taking care of students and supporting the educational process at KU.

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EMBASSY OF KENYA The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya wishes to inform Kenyan residents throughout Kuwait and the general public that with effect from June 1, 2012 the Embassy has moved from its current location to a new location in Surra Block 1, Street 8, Villa 303.

Please note that the new telephone and fax numbers will be communicated as soon as possible. For enquiries you can contact Consular Section on mobile 90935162 or 97527306.

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EMBASSY OF MEXICO The Embassy of Mexico is pleased to inform that it is located in CLIFFS Complex, Villa 6, Salmiya, block 9, Baghdad street, Jadda Lane 7. The working hours for consular issues are from 9:00 to 12:00 Sunday through Thursday. The reception is closed from 14:00 to 15:00 hours for lunch break. The Embassy of Mexico kindly requests all Mexicans citizens in Kuwait to proceed to the e-mail: embkuwait@sre.gob.mx in order to register or update contact information. Other consultations or/and appointments could be done by telephone or fax: (+965) 2573 1952 ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF MYANMAR Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar would like to inform the general public that the Embassy has moved its office to new location at Villa 35, Road 203, Block 2, AlSalaam Area in South Surra. The Embassy wishes to advice Myanmar citizens and travellers to Myanmar to contact Myanmar Embassy at its new location.

Tel. 25240736, 25240290, Fax: 25240749, email:myankuwait11@gmai1.com ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF NIGERIA The Nigerian embassy has its new office in Mishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. For enquires please call 25379541. Fax25387719. Emailnigeriakuwait@yahoo.com or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk ■■■■■■■

SPG to launch Ramadan contest for once-in-a-lifetime F1 experience tarwood Preferred Guest (SPG), the world renowned and award-winning loyalty program from Starwood Hotels & Resorts, will be celebrating the holy month of Ramadan with its members across a number of properties in the Middle East, Africa and Indian Ocean.

During Ramadan, SPG members will receive a 20 percent discount on iftars at 37 participating Starwood hotels in the Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Gambia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, Qatar, Tunisia, UAE and Uganda. Iftar guests at participating hotels will also have the opportunity to sign up for SPG on the spot, allowing them to benefit immediately from the discount.

Celebrating the heritage of selflessness during the Holy Month, SPG is also launching its Ramadan Giving contest, in which members will have the opportunity to nominate a friend or family member to share a VIP package to the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November. The Formula One package will include full-day VIP passes, exclusive Formula One hospi-

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tality and access to the pit lane during the pit lane walk. The winners will also have an exclusive meet-and-greet with one of the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS drivers along with merchandise from the team. To top it off, the winners will be hosted at the luxurious The St. Regis Abu Dhabi, which will open later this year.

To take part in the Ramadan Giving contest, during their dining experience, members will be asked to nominate a close one and explain why they think they would be worthy of winning. The nominee and the SPG member would then get the chance to win the Formula One VIP experience. Each participating property in the Middle East will submit their best nomination for the grand prize, which will then be announced in the first week of September.

All runner-ups will receive a complimentary dining experience for two at the hotel restaurant where they registered.

“The holy month of Ramadan is a great opportunity for us to offer our SPG members more meaningful benefits and give them the chance to enjoy quality time

with their family and friends,” said Steven Taylor, Vice President Marketing, Starwood Hotels & Resorts. “We are excited about adding the Formula One VIP experience to our Ramadan campaign this year. This region has a large number of motoring enthusiasts, many of which are valued SPG members who would appreciate the chance to share this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with a family member or friend.”

SPG: Starwood’s Award-Winning Loyalty Program Launched in 1999, SPG is known today as the industry’s leading loyalty programme, offering travellers the opportunity to earn and redeem points in over 1,000 hotels in more than 100 countries. SPG is designed as the simplest, most flexible and rewarding programme in the industry.

With some of the world’s best known, best loved and most luxurious hotel brands to choose from including St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Westin, Le MÈridien, Sheraton, Four Points by

Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft and Element, SPG gives members more of what they deserve, for less.

In 2007, the programme launched the groundbreaking SPG Moments, which offers a series of auctions for exclusive and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Since then thousands of members have transformed their Starpoints into extraordinary lifestyle events such insider access to red carpet movie premieres, live concerts by top artists, championship sporting events, private dinners with world-renowned chefs, and more. Moments in the Middle East have included an exclusive meet-andgreet with legendary singer Tom Jones during his concert in Abu Dhabi, VVIP access to Dubai’s first annual ‘dXb Beach Festival’, Meet-and-greet with comedian Russel Peters and more recently, VIP access to the Madonna’s concert in Abu Dhabi.

EMBASSY OF PAKISTAN During the holy month of Ramadan the general working hours at the Embassy of Islamic Republic of Pakistan will be from 8 am till 2 pm.

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EMBASSY OF THAILAND The Royal Thai Embassy in Kuwait, wishes to invite the Kuwaiti companies that deal business with Thai companies or those agencies of Thai commercial companies to visit the Embassy’s Commercial Office to register their relevant information to be part of the embassy’s business and trade database.

The Royal Thai Embassy is located in Jabriya, Block 6, Street 8, Villa No. 1, Telephone No. 25317530 -25317531, Ext: 14.

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EMBASSY OF UKRAINE We’d like to inform you that in response to the increasing number of our citizens who work in the state and the need for 24-hour operational telephone in case of emergency the Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait has opened “hotline telephone number” - (+ 965) 972-79-206.

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

TV PROGRAMS

00:45 01:40 02:35 03:30 04:25 05:20 06:10 07:00 07:25 08:15 08:40 09:10 10:05 11:00 11:25 11:55 12:50 Irwin 13:45 14:40 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:25 18:20 19:15 19:40 20:10 20:35 21:05 22:00 22:55 23:50

Shark Attack File 3 Animal Cops Specials 2009 Speed Of Life Monster Bug Wars Wildest Africa Great Ocean Adventures Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 Karina: Wild On Safari Austin Stevens Adventures Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild Breed All About It Jeff Corwin Unleashed Wild France Wildlife SOS Going Ape Animal Cops Specials 2009 New Breed Vets With Steve Animal Precinct Wild France Karina: Wild On Safari Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild Baby Planet Your Very First Puppy Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 Wildlife SOS Going Ape Stranger Among Bears In Too Deep Wild France Great Animal Escapes Must Love Cats Animal Cops Houston

00:05 00:35 01:20 02:10 02:45 03:35 04:05 04:25 04:35 04:45 05:00 05:25 05:40 05:50 06:10 06:20 06:30 06:45 07:10 07:25 07:35 08:05 08:35 09:20 09:50 10:20 11:20 11:50 12:40 13:10 13:55 14:25 14:55 15:25 16:15 17:00 17:30 18:00 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:50 21:20 21:50 22:40 23:10 23:55

Walk On The Wild Side Doctor Who London Hospital Blackadder The Third Spooks Walk On The Wild Side Fimbles Tellytales Little Prairie Dogs Nina And The Neurons Show Me Show Me Boogie Beebies Charlie And Lola Fimbles Tellytales Little Prairie Dogs Nina And The Neurons Show Me Show Me Boogie Beebies Charlie And Lola Allo ‘allo!

The Royle Family The Weakest Link Walk On The Wild Side Doctors Coast The Impressions Show New Tricks The Royle Family The Weakest Link Walk On The Wild Side Doctors The Royle Family New Tricks The Weakest Link Eastenders Doctors Coast One Foot In The Grave Rev. Spooks Dinnerladies As Time Goes By London Hospital Gavin & Stacey The Weakest Link Coast

00:10 00:35 01:00 01:25 01:50 02:15 02:40 03:00 03:25 03:50 04:15 04:40 05:00 05:25 05:50

Puppy In My Pocket Tom & Jerry Kids Scooby Doo Where Are You! The Flintstones Pink Panther And Pals Looney Tunes Popeye Classics Dexter’s Laboratory Tom & Jerry Looney Tunes The Scooby Doo Show Johnny Bravo The Flintstones The Jetsons Wacky Races

06:00 The Garfield Show 06:15 Tom & Jerry Kids 06:30 Bananas In Pyjamas 06:55 Baby Looney Tunes 07:20 Gerald McBoing Boing 07:45 Ha Ha Hairies 08:00 A Pup Named Scooby-Doo 08:25 The Garfield Show 08:50 Johnny Bravo 09:15 Dexter’s Laboratory 09:40 Pink Panther And Pals 10:05 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries 10:30 Duck Dodgers 10:55 Looney Tunes 11:15 The Flintstones 11:40 Wacky Races 12:00 Jelly Jamm 12:15 Baby Looney Tunes 12:40 Ha Ha Hairies 12:55 Gerald McBoing Boing 13:20 Bananas In Pyjamas 13:35 Looney Tunes 14:00 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries 14:25 Duck Dodgers 15:15Scooby-Doo And Scrappy-Doo 15:40 Dastardly And Muttley 16:00 Johnny Bravo 16:40 Pink Panther And Pals 17:30 The Garfield Show 18:10 Dexter’s Laboratory 19:00 Jelly Jamm 19:15 Baby Looney Tunes 19:40 Ha Ha Hairies 19:55 Gerald McBoing Boing 20:20 Bananas In Pyjamas 20:35 Dexter’s Laboratory 21:00 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries

00:30 Bakugan: New Vestroia 01:20 Powerpuff Girls 02:10 Courage The Cowardly Dog 03:00 The Amazing World Of Gumball 03:25 Ben 10 03:50 Adventure Time 04:15 Powerpuff Girls 04:40 Generator Rex 05:05 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 05:55 Angelo Rules 06:00 The Marvelous Misadventures...

06:25 Casper’s Scare School 07:00 The Amazing World Of Gumball 07:15 Adventure Time 07:40 Johnny Test 08:05 Grim Adventures Of...

08:55 Courage The Cowardly Dog 09:45 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 10:10 Redakai: Conquer The Kairu 10:35 Powerpuff Girls 11:25 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 12:15 Ed, Edd n Eddy 13:05 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 13:30 Sym-Bionic Titan 13:55 Foster’s Home For...

14:45 Angelo Rules 15:35 Powerpuff Girls 16:25 The Amazing World Of Gumball 16:40 Johnny Test 17:05 Adventure Time 17:30 Regular Show 17:55 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 18:20 Batman Brave And The Bold 18:45 Young Justice 19:10 Hero 108 19:35 Ben 10 20:25 Courage The Cowardly Dog 21:15 Grim Adventures Of...

22:00 Codename: Kids Next Door 22:50 Ben 10 23:40 Chowder

00:00 00:30 01:00 03:00 03:30 04:00 05:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 07:30 08:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00

Living Golf World Sport World Report Backstory Talk Asia Fareed Zakaria Gps CNN Newsroom Eco Solutions Going Green World Sport Inside Africa World Report World Sport Going Green World Business Today Backstory

12:30 African Voices 13:00 World One 14:00 Fareed Zakaria Gps 15:00 News Stream 16:00 World Business Today 17:00 International Desk 18:00 Global Exchange 19:00 World Sport 19:30 African Voices 20:00 International Desk 21:00 Quest Means Business 22:00 Amanpour 22:30 CNN Newscenter 23:00 Connect The World With Becky Anderson

00:40 Dynamo: Magician Impossible 07:00 American Chopper 07:50 Mythbusters 08:45 Ultimate Survival 09:40 Border Security 10:05 Auction Kings 10:30 How Do They Do It? 10:55 How It’s Made 11:25 Hillbilly Handfishin’ 12:20 Extreme Fishing 13:15 River Monsters: Lair Of Giants 14:10 Border Security 14:35 Auction Kings 15:05 Ultimate Survival 16:00 American Chopper 16:55 Fifth Gear 17:20 Swamp Loggers 18:15 Mythbusters 19:10 How Do They Do It? 19:40 How It’s Made 20:05 Border Security 20:35 Auction Kings 21:00 The Gadget Show 21:30 Hillbilly Handfishin’ 22:25 Extreme Fishing 23:20 Robson Green’s Extreme Fishing Challenge

00:35 01:25 02:15 02:45 03:35 04:25 05:15 06:05 07:00 07:50 07:53 08:20 08:50 09:40 10:30 15:35 16:00 16:03 16:30 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:30 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40

The Future Of...

Mega World Game Changers Scrapheap Challenge Mega World Junk Men Prank Science Game Changers Prophets Of Science Fiction Head Rush Bang Goes The Theory Sci-Fi Science Sport Science Da Vinci’s Machines Superships The Gadget Show Head Rush Bang Goes The Theory Sci-Fi Science Science Of The Movies Sport Science Moon Machines Mighty Ships Mega World The Gadget Show Mighty Ships Mega World Sport Science

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

Replacements Fairly Odd Parents A Kind Of Magic Stitch Replacements Fairly Odd Parents A Kind Of Magic Fish Hooks Recess So Random Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up Phineas And Ferb Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates Handy Manny The Hive Mouk Recess So Random Hannah Montana Fish Hooks Jake & Blake Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place

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

00:25 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 00:55 Style Star 01:25 E!es 02:20 E! Investigates 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Then And Now 06:00 THS 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 10:15 E!es 12:35 Mrs. Eastwood And Company 13:05 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 14:05 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 15:00 Style Star 15:30 E!es 16:25 Behind The Scenes 16:55 Giuliana & Bill 17:55 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 18:55 THS 19:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 20:55 Ice Loves Coco 22:25 E!es 23:25 Chelsea Lately 23:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians

00:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:30 Outrageous Food 00:55 Unwrapped 01:45 Grill It! With Bobby Flay 02:35 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 03:25 Meat & Potatoes 03:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 04:15 Outrageous Food 04:40 Unwrapped 05:05 Unique Eats 05:30 Chopped 06:10 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 06:35 World Cafe Asia 07:00 Food Network Challenge 07:50 Unique Sweets 08:15 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 08:40 Paula’s Best Dishes 09:05 World Cafe Asia 09:30 Easy Chinese: San Francisco 09:55 Extra Virgin 10:20 Everyday Italian 10:45 Unwrapped 11:10 Unique Eats 11:35 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 12:00 Food Network Challenge 12:50 Grill It! With Bobby Flay 13:15 Cooking For Real 13:40 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 14:05 Mexican Made Easy 14:30 Unique Sweets 14:55 Paula’s Best Dishes 15:20 Extra Virgin 15:45 Chopped 16:35 Cooking For Real 17:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 17:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 17:50 Unique Eats 18:15 Unwrapped 18:40 Reza, Spice Prince Of India 19:05 Unique Sweets 19:30 Food Network Challenge 20:20 Chopped 21:10 Jenny Morris Cooks Morocco 22:00 Andy Bates Street Feasts 22:25 Andy Bates Street Feasts 22:50 World Cafe Middle East 23:40 Grill It! With Bobby Flay

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

THE WARLORDS ON OSN ACTION HD

Phineas And Ferb Timon And Pumbaa Jessie A.N.T. Farm Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up A.N.T. Farm Cheetah Girls Wizards Of Waverly Place Jessie A.N.T. Farm Good Luck Charlie So Random Suite Life On Deck Jonas Shake It Up Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Kim Possible

Stalked: Someone’s Watching I Was Murdered American Greed Scorned: Crimes Of Passion Stalked: Someone’s Watching I Was Murdered On The Case With Paula Zahn Mystery ER Disappeared Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

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

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared FBI Files Murder Shift Real Emergency Calls Mystery Diagnosis Who On Earth Did I Marry?

True Crime With Aphrodite Disappeared Deadly Sins Scorned: Crimes Of Passion Dr G: Medical Examiner

00:00 Keeping Up With The Joneses 01:00 Chasing Che: Latin America On A Motorcycle 01:30 Chasing Che: Latin America On A Motorcycle 02:00 Departures 03:00 Banged Up Abroad 04:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 05:00 Into The Drink 06:00 Keeping Up With The Joneses 07:00 Chasing Che: Latin America On A Motorcycle 07:30 Chasing Che: Latin America On A Motorcycle 08:00 Departures 09:00 Banged Up Abroad 10:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 11:00 Into The Drink 12:00 Keeping Up With The Joneses

12:30 Keeping Up With The Joneses 13:00 Chasing Che: Latin America On A Motorcycle 13:30 Chasing Che: Latin America On A Motorcycle 14:00 Departures 15:00 Banged Up Abroad 16:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 17:00 Into The Drink 17:30 Gone to save the planet 18:00 Keeping Up With The Joneses 18:30 Keeping Up With The Joneses 19:00 Destination Extreme 19:30 Destination Extreme 20:00 Extreme Tourist Afghanistan 21:00 Chasing Time 21:30 Chasing Time 22:00 Treks In A Wild World 23:00 Meet The Natives

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

Chicago Overcoat-18 Death Race 2-18 The Resident-18 Hidalgo-PG15 Rocky III-PG15 The Warlords-PG15 Legendary-PG15 Rocky III-PG15 Kull The Conqueror-PG15 Legendary-PG15 Blood Out-18 AVP: Alien vs Predator-PG15

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Bangkok Adrenaline-PG15 Waiting For Superman-PG15 Coming & Going-PG15 Africa United-PG15 Bangkok Adrenaline-PG15 Just Wright-PG15 Sounds Like Teen Spirit-PG15 The Making Of Plus One-PG15 According To Greta-PG15 Red-PG15 Bad Teacher-18 Super 8-PG15

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 03:00 2 Broke Girls 03:30 Last Man Standing 04:00 Til Death 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 The Simpsons 06:00 Seinfeld 06:30 Mad Love 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Til Death 08:30 2 Broke Girls 09:00 The Simpsons 09:30 Two And A Half Men 10:00 Happy Endings 10:30 Mad Love 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 Seinfeld 12:30 Til Death 13:00 The Simpsons 13:30 Mad Love 14:00 Last Man Standing 14:30 Happy Endings 15:00 Two And A Half Men 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:30 Seinfeld 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 2 Broke Girls 18:30 Raising Hope 19:30 Happy Endings 20:30 King Of The Hill 21:00 The Daily Show Global Edition 22:00 Louie 22:30 American Dad 23:00 American Dad

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 06:00 07:00 08:30 10:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 16:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Bones Burn Notice Burn Notice Covert Affairs The Killing Good Morning America The Glades Coronation Street The Martha Stewart Show Bones Covert Affairs Live Good Morning America The Glades Suits Justified Missing Luck The Killing

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

Cold Case Top Gear (US) Burn Notice Bones Covert Affairs Cold Case Emmerdale Coronation Street Body Of Proof Bones Burn Notice Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Body Of Proof Cold Case Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Body Of Proof Suits Justified Missing Luck The River

01:00 Jason X-18 03:00 Thick As Thieves-18 05:00 The Warrior’s Way-PG15 07:00 Ballistica-PG15 09:00 Largo Winch 2-PG15 11:00 The Warrior’s Way-PG15 12:45 Time Machine: Rise Of The Morlocks-PG15 14:15 Largo Winch 2-PG15 16:15 The Postman-PG15 19:15 Kiss Of Death-18 21:00 AVP: Alien vs Predator-PG15 23:00 The Echo-PG15

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00

Lottery Ticket-PG15 The Chaperone-PG15 Finding Lenny-PG15 Indian Summer-PG15 The Chaperone-PG15 Bubble Boy-PG15

MY NAME IS KHAN ON OSN MOVIES HD 12:00 The Open Road-PG15 14:00 Miami Rhapsody-PG15 16:00 Bubble Boy-PG15 18:00 I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry-PG15 20:00 Held Up-18 22:00 Saint John Of Las Vegas-18

01:15 Calvin Marshall-PG15 03:00 Elle: A Modern Cinderella Tale-PG15 04:45 My Name Is Khan-PG15 07:45 Unmatched-PG15 09:00 Sundays At Tiffany’s-PG15 11:00 My Sassy Girl-PG15 13:00 Good Hair-PG15 15:00 Rango-FAM 17:00 Sundays At Tiffany’s-PG15 19:00 Jonah Hex-PG15 21:00 My Afternoons With Margueritte-PG15 23:00 Super 8-PG15

00:00 Cher Ami-PG 02:00 Mia And The Migoo-PG 04:00 The Three Musketeers (2008)FAM 06:00 Cher Ami-PG 08:00 Columbus III: The New WorldPG 10:00 The Adventures Of Don Quixote-FAM 12:00 Mia And The Migoo-PG 14:00 Emperor’s Secret-PG 16:00 Zorro’s Secrets-PG 18:00 The Adventures Of Don Quixote-FAM 20:00 Diary Of A Wimpy Kid-PG 22:00 Emperor’s Secret-PG

02:30 NRL Premiership 04:30 Rugby League Challenge Cup 06:30 Futbol Mundial 07:00 NRL Premiership 09:00 NRL Premiership 11:00 Trans World Sport 12:00 Live NRL Premiership 14:00 Darts 18:00 The Open Championship Official Film 19:00 Super Rugby Highlights 20:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 21:00 NRL Premiership 23:00 Futbol Mundial 23:30 Rugby League Challenge Cup

01:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 12:30 13:30 16:00 18:00 18:30 20:30 22:30 23:30

Volvo Ocean Race Highlights Super Rugby Super Rugby Trans World Sport Volvo Ocean Race Highlights PGA European Tour Trans World Sport AFL Premiership NRL Premiership Futbol Mundial WWE SmackDown Super Rugby UFC Countdown Super Rugby Highlights

00:00 Rugby League Challenge Cup 02:00 AFL Premiership 04:30 Total Rugby 05:00 Trans World Sport 06:00 World Pool Masters 07:00 Golfing World 08:00 AFL Premiership 10:30 World Match Racing Tour Highlights 11:30 World Cup of Pool 12:30 World Cup of Pool 13:30 City Centre Races 14:00 Golfing World 15:00 Rugby League Challenge Cup 17:00 Trans World Sport 19:00 AFL Highlights 20:00 Sailing World Match Racing Tour 22:00 AFL Premiership

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00

V8 Supercars Highlights V8 Supercars Highlights WWE Experience WWE Bottom Line UFC Unleashed UFC The Ultimate Fighter

06:00 06:30 07:30 09:30 13:30 15:30 17:30 20:30

UFC Unleashed WWE Experience NHL V8 Supercars WWE SmackDown UFC Unleashed UFC UFC 149 Countdown

00:00 Lancaster At War 01:00 History Of The World In Two Hours 03:00 Lancaster At War 04:00 The Universe 05:00 Ancient Aliens 06:00 Decoded 07:00 Pawn Stars 08:00 The Universe 09:00 Patton 360 10:00 Pawn Stars 11:00 Ax Men 12:00 History Of The World In Two Hours 14:00 Patton 360 15:00 The Universe 16:00 History Of The World In Two Hours 18:00 Patton 360 19:00 The Universe 20:00 Pawn Stars 21:00 Ax Men 22:00 IRT: Deadliest Roads 23:00 Pawn Stars 23:30 American Restoration

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

Jerseylicious Wicked Fit Videofashion Daily Videofashion News How Do I Look?

Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

Married Away Clean House Videofashion News Videofashion Daily Open House Fashion Classics How Do I Look?

Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

Clean House Videofashion News Mel B: It’s A Scary World The Amandas How Do I Look?

Big Rich Texas The Amandas Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane The Amandas Fashion Police

06:00 Kid vs Kat 06:20 Pokemon: Black And White 06:45 Rated A For Awesome 07:10 Kickin It 07:35 Phineas And Ferb 08:25 Pair Of Kings 08:50 Kick Buttowski 09:15 Zeke & Luther 09:40 I’m In The Band 10:05 Phineas And Ferb 10:30 Kid vs Kat 10:55 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 11:20 Aaron Stone 11:45 Rekkit Rabbit 12:10 American Dragon 12:35 Kick Buttowski 13:00 Phineas And Ferb 13:25 I’m In The Band 13:45 Kid vs Kat 14:10 Pair Of Kings 14:35 Zeke & Luther 15:00 Fort Boyard - Ultimate Challenge 15:25 Iron Man Armored Adventures 15:50 Rated A For Awesome 16:15 Kickin It 16:40 Lab Rats 17:30 Scaredy Squirrel 18:00 Kickin It 18:25 Phineas And Ferb 19:15 My Babysitter’s A Vampire 19:40 Pair Of Kings 20:05 Zeke & Luther 20:55 Mr. Young 21:20 Aaron Stone 21:45 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 22:10 Phineas And Ferb 22:35 Kid vs Kat 23:00 Programmes Start At 6:00am KSA

DISNEY JUNIOR 00:15 Little Einsteins 00:40 Jungle Junction 00:55 Jungle Junction 01:10 Little Einsteins 01:30 Special Agent Oso 01:45 Special Agent Oso 02:00 Lazytown 02:25 Little Einsteins 02:50 Jungle Junction 03:05 Jungle Junction 03:20 Little Einsteins 03:40 Special Agent Oso 03:55 Special Agent Oso 04:10 Lazytown 04:35 Little Einsteins 05:00 Jungle Junction 05:15 Jungle Junction 05:30 Little Einsteins 05:50 Special Agent Oso 06:00 Special Agent Oso 06:15 Jungle Junction 06:30 Jungle Junction 06:45 Handy Manny 07:00 Special Agent Oso 07:15 Lazytown 07:45 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 08:10 The Hive 08:20 Handy Manny 08:35 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 08:50 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 09:05 The Hive 09:15 Mini Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 09:20 Mouk 09:35 Mouk 09:45 Minnie’s Bow Toons 09:50 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 10:15 Minnie’s Bow Toons 10:20 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 10:45 Art Attack 11:10 Imagination Movers 11:35 Lazytown 12:00 The Hive 12:10 Handy Manny 12:25 Jungle Junction 12:40 Imagination Movers 13:05 The Hive 13:15 Special Agent Oso 13:30 Minnie’s Bow Toons 13:35 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 14:00 Minnie’s Bow Toons 14:05 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 14:30 Handy Manny 14:45 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 15:00 Mouk 15:15 The Hive 15:25 Handy Manny 15:40 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 15:55 Imagination Movers 16:20 Lazytown 16:45 Art Attack 17:10 Handy Manny 17:25 Handy Manny 17:40 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 17:55 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 18:10 Little Einsteins 18:35 The Adventures Of Disney Fairies 19:00 Minnie’s Bow Toons 19:05 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 19:30 Minnie’s Bow Toons 19:35 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 20:00 Mini Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 20:05 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 20:20 The Hive 20:30 Mini Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 20:35 Minnie’s Bow Toons 20:40 Animated Stories 20:45 Mouk 21:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 21:25 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 21:40 Special Agent Oso 21:55 Little Einsteins 22:20 Timmy Time 22:30 Jungle Junction 22:45 Handy Manny 22:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 23:20 Special Agent Oso

01:20 03:10 05:00 07:00 08:50 10:40 12:15 13:55 15:30 17:20 19:00 20:35 22:00

Sunday In New York-FAM The Wheeler Dealers-FAM The Twenty-Fifth Hour-PG Beau Brummell-PG Men Of Boys Town-PG The Sisters-FAM The Unfinished Dance-FAM Torpedo Run-FAM Young Cassidy-PG The Trouble With Girls-FAM Soylent Green-PG Bad Day At Black Rock-PG The Wheeler Dealers-FAM

Classifieds MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines JZR QTR JZR ETH RJA GFA UAE ETD THY FDB MSR QTR JZR KAC THY JZR DHX JZR KAC BAW JZR KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY KAC QTR FDB ETD BAB KAC GFA IRC MEA JZR MSR MSC JZR JZR MSR GFA KAC FDB OMA KNE JZR QTR SVA ALK RJA KAC JZR KAC QTR FDB SYR KAC KAC ETD UAE UAL SVA GFA JZR JZR ABY IRA KAC QTR BAB KAC FDB KAC MSC MSR KAC KAC KAC JAI KAC FDB MEA QTR GFA FDB ALK UAE JZR ETD JZR BBC ABY QTR BAB JZR UAE AIC GFA UAL TAR JZR DLH MSR THY KLM PIA

Arrival Flights on Monday 16/7/2012 Flt Route 185 DUBAI 148 DOHA 267 BEIRUT 620 ADDIS ABABA 642 AMMAN 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 768 ISTANBUL 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 138 DOHA 503 LUXOR 544 CAIRO 770 ISTANBUL 1541 CAIRO 170 BAHRAIN 555 ALEXANDRIA 412 MANILA 157 LONDON 529 ASSIUT 206 ISLAMABAD 53 DUBAI 301 MUMBAI 352 COCHIN 362 COLOMBO 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 284 DHAKA 132 DOHA 55 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 436 BAHRAIN 344 CHENNAI 213 BAHRAIN 6521 LAMERD 404 BEIRUT 165 DUBAI 618 ALEXANDRIA 401 ALEXANDRIA 561 SOHAG 201 DAMASCUS 610 CAIRO 219 BAHRAIN 672 DUBAI 57 DUBAI 645 MUSCAT 472 JEDDAH 535 CAIRO 140 DOHA 500 JEDDAH 549 COLOMBO 640 AMMAN 788 JEDDAH 257 BEIRUT 546 ALEXANDRIA 134 DOHA 8053 DUBAI 341 DAMASCUS 118 NEW YORK 538 SHARM EL SHEIKH 303 ABU DHABI 857 DUBAI 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 510 RIYADH 215 BAHRAIN 177 DUBAI 777 JEDDAH 127 SHARJAH 3407 MASHAD 542 CAIRO 144 DOHA 438 BAHRAIN 786 JEDDAH 63 DUBAI 104 LONDON 405 SOHAG 620 ASSIUT 618 DOHA 674 DUBAI 742 DAMMAM 572 MUMBAI 774 RIYADH 61 DUBAI 402 BEIRUT 146 DOHA 221 BAHRAIN 59 DUBAI 229 COLOMBO 859 DUBAI 135 BAHRAIN 307 ABU DHABI 241 AMMAN 43 DHAKA 129 SHARJAH 136 DOHA 4440 BAHRAIN 539 CAIRO 3855 DUBAI 975 CHENNAI 217 BAHRAIN 981 BAHRAIN 327 TUNIS 239 AMMAN 636 FRANKFURT 614 CAIRO 772 ISTANBUL 411 AMSTERDAM 239 SIALKOT

Time 0:15 0:20 0:50 1:45 2:10 2:20 2:25 2:30 2:50 3:10 3:20 3:25 3:55 4:10 4:35 4:55 5:00 6:00 6:15 6:30 6:40 7:15 7:45 7:50 8:05 8:20 8:25 8:30 8:45 9:00 9:20 9:30 9:35 9:45 10:00 10:15 10:55 11:05 11:25 12:00 12:25 12:30 13:30 13:40 13:40 13:45 14:00 14:15 14:20 14:25 14:30 14:45 14:55 15:00 15:00 15:05 15:15 15:55 15:55 16:00 16:10 16:35 16:55 17:10 17:20 17:20 17:30 17:40 17:45 18:10 18:15 18:20 18:40 18:40 18:45 18:45 19:00 19:10 19:20 19:25 19:30 19:35 19:40 20:00 20:15 20:25 20:35 20:45 20:55 21:15 21:15 21:20 21:20 21:25 21:30 21:35 22:00 22:10 22:15 22:25 22:35 22:40 22:55 22:55 23:10 23:35 23:40 23:40 23:45

Airlines AIC UAL DLH MSR JAI PIA THY ETH THY UAE FDB ETD MSR QTR QTR JZR RJA JZR JZR GFA THY JZR KAC KAC BAW FDB JZR ABY KAC KAC UAE QTR FDB ETD BAB GFA IRC KAC KAC MEA JZR MSR KAC MSC KAC JZR GFA FDB MSR OMA KAC JZR KNE ALK SVA KAC RJA JZR QTR KAC KAC FDB SYR ETD JZR QTR UAE GFA JZR ABY UAL SVA IRA QTR FDB BAB MSC JZR MSR KAC JAI FDB KAC KAC MEA FDB KAC GFA JZR DHX ALK KAC JZR ABY ETD UAE QTR KAC KAC BAB JZR BBC QTR GFA KAC UAE TAR JZR

Depature Flights on Monday 16/7/2012 Flt Route 982 AHMEDABAD 981 WASHINGTON 637 FRANKFURT 615 CAIRO 573 MUMBAI 206 PESHAWAR 773 ISTANBUL 621 ADDIS ABABA 769 ISTANBUL 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 306 ABU DHABI 613 CAIRO 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 560 SOHAG 643 AMMAN 164 DUBAI 200 DAMASCUS 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL 534 CAIRO 545 ALEXANDRIA 537 SHARM EL SHEIKH 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 256 BEIRUT 126 SHARJAH 671 DUBAI 787 JEDDAH 856 DUBAI 133 DOHA 56 DUBAI 302 ABU DHABI 437 BAHRAIN 214 BAHRAIN 6522 LAMERD 541 CAIRO 165 ROME 405 BEIRUT 776 JEDDAH 619 ASSIUT 103 LONDON 406 SOHAG 785 JEDDAH 176 DUBAI 220 BAHRAIN 58 DUBAI 611 CAIRO 646 MUSCAT 673 DUBAI 538 CAIRO 473 JEDDAH 550 ZURICH 501 JEDDAH 617 DOHA 641 AMMAN 240 AMMAN 135 DOHA 773 RIYADH 741 DAMMAM 8054 DUBAI 342 DAMASCUS 304 ABU DHABI 238 AMMAN 141 DOHA 858 DUBAI 216 BAHRAIN 134 BAHRAIN 128 SHARJAH 982 BAHRAIN 511 RIYADH 3406 TEHRAN 145 DOHA 64 DUBAI 439 BAHRAIN 402 ALEXANDRIA 184 DUBAI 621 ALEXANDRIA 283 DHAKA 571 MUMBAI 62 DUBAI 331 TRIVANDRUM 351 KOCHI 403 BEIRUT 60 DUBAI 543 CAIRO 222 BAHRAIN 502 LUXOR 171 BAHRAIN 230 COLOMBO 153 ISTANBUL 1540 CAIRO 120 SHARJAH 308 ABU DHABI 860 DUBAI 137 DOHA 301 MUMBAI 205 ISLAMABAD 4441 BAHRAIN 554 ALEXANDRIA 44 DHAKA 147 DOHA 218 BAHRAIN 411 BANGKOK 3856 DUBAI 328 DUBAI 528 ASSIUT

Time 0:05 0:25 0:30 0:35 0:50 1:10 2:15 2:45 3:40 3:45 3:50 4:05 4:20 4:50 5:40 6:00 6:50 6:55 7:00 7:05 7:10 7:30 8:10 8:20 8:25 8:25 9:00 9:05 9:20 9:35 9:40 10:00 10:05 10:15 10:25 10:45 11:15 11:30 11:45 11:55 12:15 12:25 12:30 13:00 13:10 13:20 14:25 14:25 14:30 15:00 15:05 15:10 15:15 15:30 15:45 15:45 15:50 15:55 16:15 16:25 16:30 16:35 16:55 17:20 17:30 17:45 18:05 18:20 18:20 18:25 18:30 18:35 19:10 19:20 19:25 19:30 20:00 20:05 20:10 20:15 20:35 20:40 20:50 21:05 21:15 21:25 21:30 21:35 21:45 21:50 21:55 21:55 22:05 22:10 22:20 22:25 22:35 22:40 22:45 22:50 23:00 23:05 23:10 23:30 23:40 23:45 23:45 23:50

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

ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation available for decent bachelor non smoking, Amman street, one room, opposite to Al Rashid hospital.

Contact: 66232356.

(C 4080) 16-7-2012 Fully furnished sharing accommodation available for an executive bachelor or couples with kitchen facilities and utilities. This flat is a 2 bed, with 2 bathrooms (1-single Indian type) front big hall as drawing and dining.

Contact: 66639625/ 24340491 after 4:30 pm.

(C 4076) 12-7-2012

CHANGE OF NAME “I, VALLATH KOZHIPILLIL NARAYANANKUTTY also known as NANDAN MENON, holding Indian Passport No: Z1120130 of SREEBHADRA, Chandrathil Road, Edappally PO, Cochin - 682024 hereby change my name as VALLATH KOZHIPILLIL NARAYANANKUTTY NANDAN MENON”. (C 4077) 14-7-2012

MATRIMONIAL Proposals are invited for a highly qualified, well settled Male, 28 year old Latin Catholic boy from Cochin working at a Semi Government firm in Kuwait, from parents of catholic girls. Interested may please email to edamana28@gmail.com (C 4078)

SITUATION VACANT Urgently needed a cook with knowledge of local and international dishes for Kuwaiti family.

Tel: 94088822. (C 4079) 16-7-2012 Full time live out maid/nanny for three months, starting mid July. Must have own residency. Work from 7am to 7pm, Saturday - Thursday in Salwa. Call 97687172 for interview.

12-7-2012

FOR SALE Mitsubishi Lancer Ex-2008, green color (new body) 62000km, price KD 1,950/-.

Contact: 50699345.

(C 4075) 10-7-2012

No: 15510

THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is 1889988

Prayer timings Fajr: Duhr: Asr: Maghrib: Isha:

03:26 11:54 15:29 18:50 20:19

34

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

stars CROSSWORD 738

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) Finally, a day you can use to your own benefit. A bit of research and study will be helpful in a class or subject that has had your attention lately. Later today you venture out to enjoy the company of a friend or perhaps a bit of exercise around your neighborhood. Because others have given you that needed little boost or the extra support and recognition we all need from time to time, you are looking for an opportunity to show your appreciation. Perhaps you can plan an outdoor barbecue, homemade ice cream contest or a watermelon party get-together soon; your treat. This evening you may agree to take in a movie with a loved one. Dinner at the movie may be a surprise but a welcomed one. No need to cook tonight!

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Today puts a magnifying glass on relationships. You owe someone a visit or an invitation to visit you—today is a good day to put forth the effort in building a good friendship. Positive aspects will bring comfort.

You will learn a lot about your feelings and your relationship with a good friend.

Relationships are never simple but you will do what it takes to ensure the bond that keeps relationships strong. This afternoon may be a good time for a short trip or fun shopping expedition. Get out and make some new discoveries for yourself. Material things and the whole concept of value take on more importance for you now.

Financial security is beginning to mean a lot to you so you may want to stay away from the stores . . . unless you have a list.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. The part of the nervous system of vertebrates that controls involuntary actions of the smooth muscles and heart and glands.

4. Eurasian perennial bulbous herbs.

10. An honorary degree in science.

13. Resinlike substance secreted by certain lac insects.

14. Someone who lends money at excessive rates of interest.

15. The 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet.

16. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

17. A nation in northern North America.

18. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

19. A region of Malaysia in northeastern Borneo.

21. Black tropical American cuckoo.

23. An independent ruler or chieftain (especially in Africa or Arabia).

25. A high-crowned black cap (usually made of felt or sheepskin) worn by men in Turkey and Iran and the Caucasus.

27. Scarabaeid beetle considered divine by ancient Egyptians.

30. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

31. A legal document giving official permission to do something.

33. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

37. The act of using.

38. A doctor's degree in education.

41. A very light brown.

43. A coenzyme derived from the B vitamin nicotinic acid.

44. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

45. A chronic progressive nervous disorder involving loss of myelin sheath around certain nerve fibers.

46. An agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank.

49. A deep bow.

57. (Irish) Mother of the ancient Irish gods.

58. A small Asian country high in the Himalayas between India and Tibet.

61. Black birds having a raucous call.

62. A spacecraft that carries astronauts from the command module to the surface of the moon and back.

63. (Old Testament) The second patriarch.

64. Make reference to.

65. A group of African language in the Niger-Congo group spoken from the Ivory Coast east to Nigeria.

66. East Indian tart yellow berrylike fruit.

67. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

DOWN 1. By bad luck.

2. Kamarupan languages spoken in northeastern India and western Burma.

3. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

4. United States historian (1912-1989).

5. North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

6. Of or relating to or associated with the moon.

7. A theocratic republic in the Middle East in western Asia.

8. A tricycle (usually propelled by pedalling).

9. A constellation in the southern hemisphere near Telescopium and Norma.

10. The skin that covers the top of the head.

11. A Bantu language spoken by the Chaga people in northern Tanzania.

12. English theoretical physicist who applied relativity theory to quantum mechanics and predicted the existence of antimatter and the positron (1902-1984).

20. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

22. The mission in San Antonio where in 1836 Mexican forces under Santa Anna besieged and massacred American rebels who were fighting to make Texas independent of Mexico.

24. Realistic Norwegian author who wrote plays on social and political themes (1828-1906).

26. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

28. (computer science) A kind of computer architecture that has a large number of instructions hard coded into the cpu chip.

29. Type genus of the Aceraceae.

32. Mild yellow Dutch cheese made in balls.

34. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

35. Extremely pleasing.

36. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

39. A doctor's degree in dental surgery.

40. A federally sponsored corporation that insures accounts in national banks and other qualified institutions.

42. Fiddler crabs.

47. The capital and largest city of Bangladesh.

48. Strong and sharp.

49. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

50. Again but in a new or different way.

51. A Tibetan or Mongolian priest of Lamaism.

52. A blue dye obtained from plants or made synthetically.

53. Flat tableland with steep edges.

54. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely the razorbill.

55. A tiny or scarcely detectable amount.

56. Inspired by a feeling of fearful wonderment or reverence.

59. Cooking utensil consisting of a wide metal vessel.

60. An associate degree in applied science.

61. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits.

Yesterday’s Solution

Gemini (May 21-June 20) You and your friends talk a great deal about dreams. Your dreams lately may have you feeling more intuitive and psychic than you ever thought was possible. You may sense and feel things that others do not. It is not a time when you are at your most practical. Self-discipline and a sense of selfworth become important issues in your life. You can demonstrate a great deal of understanding and sensitivity to the needs of others just now and are in a good position to communicate and help others. You may enjoy teaching a young person some new creative activity—perhaps a summer school project this evening. Be careful that you do not do the whole project yourself. Tonight is a good time to begin some dream therapy—keep a dream journal.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) You are in a planning mood today and are very clearheaded.

Go ahead and make those decisions—your choices are good.

You can see the road ahead and will make all the right choices. This is a great time, when good fortune and plain old luck surrounds you. It is easy for you to make correct decisions, find the right path and move forward. Life’s problems seem manageable and easy to solve, even a particular family problem that seemed out of control yesterday can be handled today. Your mind is quite clear and ideas come easily. Your sense of the unity behind things spiritual and psychological is clear and felt by those around you. You are, no doubt, a romantic, at home in the world of dreams and images. A great day!

NON SEQUITUR

Leo (July 23-August 22) You concentrate on the important things today, such as insurance, property upkeep, reorganizing your prized possessions, record keeping, etc. You may be preparing for a trip and want to store or just protect the things you have while you are gone. You also may find that someone close to you understands and is willing to help you. You will enjoy music, psychology or some form of poetry later today. You draw emotional sustenance and a sense of security from ideals, friends and social involvement. You have a feeling that anything is possible if you set your sights high enough. There is optimism, faith and a tendency to take chances at the deepest emotional levels. This is a time when there is a kind of restlessness for new experience.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You go about your day with care and consideration for others—setting good examples. However, your self-control and choice of action is high on the list of adequate behaviors. Diving into a hobby, volunteering to help someone, visiting a museum or library brings about a most positive time. You offer your assistance to those who need you. You are willing to compromise in family matters, but settling for less than you deserve is just not on your list. Keep in mind that energy follows thought. The thoughts you have now can influence future events for the positive or the negative and you help others to understand this universal law as well. Listen to your inner voice. Some powerful messages are trying to push through to your consciousness—peace.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

You may find yourself being put to good use by your friends, or it could be that circumstances force you to reorganize and be more conservative. All of this day should go rather smoothly, however. You may find yourself with your friends by the end of the day—enjoying each other’s company and just hanging around. You are the life of a party—able to loosen up even the most sober.

You are great at bringing out the best of others and discovering their hidden talents.

You might make a good talent scout or manager for talented people. There are new and innovative ideas regarding the social scene. You are spontaneous and on the move. Music, books and new technology is what you look for when you look for reading material.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You appear most charming this morning; most likely, there are a few special things that are just awaiting your attention. You will have a grasp for abstract and spiritual ideas and the ability to present or communicate these to others. Now could be the right time to make yourself known. This is also a good time for clear deliberation and problem solving. You are able to find solutions to problems that have been difficult to deal with recently. Your sense of direction is focused. How you manage difficulties, find that diplomatic solution or come up with the right approach are all built around this talent. Although this is a day away from work you may look forward to the upcoming workweek. There are opportunities to relax this evening

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Difficulties and blocks could present some problems this morning, but if you bide your time, things will work out favorably. Push and you could regret your actions. This is a good time to reflect and understand your own situation, just how you feel about your accomplishments.

Today brings with it opportunities for self-expression and lends itself to your particular ideas. A healing could occur today through favorable conversations with those you love. Religious issues are topics of conversation this afternoon. You value the essential unity behind all religions. You could bring imagination and religious understanding to physical and scientific studies. Polite, but not too close, you enjoy being with friends and family.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Interactions with friends today play an important part of your day. Friends are our only true riches and the satisfaction that comes from accomplishing things in cooperation with our friends is something no one can take away from you. An old friend may want to bring a new person to your gathering this afternoon. You are gracious and open to new additions to your group of friends and you may find that this new person has a lot to offer. There are fun stories and jokes and suggestions for recipes as everyone shares. There is time later today to prepare for the week ahead. Meditation may have been a subject encountered today and before you retire for the evening you may try your hand at meditating. Suggestion: meditate this week on balance.

To

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You may find yourself more than eager to acquire things. Your current appreciation for almost everything you see—perhaps at a garage sale, flee market or country fair—may lead you to indulge too much; careful.

You may be working on a drive for contributions to your favorite charity—you can be the perfect socialite. You will receive any help you may need toward this charity endeavor. Always welcome in a group—you are a connoisseur of all things bright and kind. You may need to help a young person to understand a period we all go through regarding peer pressure. You are supportive and can also give much comfort. Wisdom is your tool and is most important and helpful. You will successfully make a positive difference for many.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

Others value you for your ability to make practical decisions.

You could be working to organize people at a fun gathering. This could mean a church social or a work picnic outing or any number of other fun gettogethers with friends, family or co-workers. Even when using your time to help others, you and your help mates have fun at what you do. You have a natural sense of what people want and need at this time. There may be a need to develop a more outgoing, impulsiveness—the pioneer spirit. You may be wondering if missionary work might be for you; however, you seem to be able to find plenty of the missionary service close to your very own home. You have an opportunity to do what you love best today . . . meet new people.

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

i n f o r m at i o n For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 GOVERNORATE Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

Kaizen center

25716707

Roudha

22517733

Adhaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Keifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

Al-Mirqab

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Hawally

ST TAT TE OF K KUW WA AIT

Tel.: e 161

DIRECTORA ATE T GEN GENERAL OF CIVIL AV VIA AT TION METEOROLOGICAL DEP PARTMENT A

WWW.MET.GOV V.KW .

Relatively hot with moderate to fresh north westerly wind, with speed of 22 - 42 km/h

BY Y DA AY:

Veery hot with moderate becoming light gradually north westerly wind, with speed of 12 - 35 km/h

WA ARNING

No Current Waarnings arnin

KUW WAIT A CITY

48 °C

37 °C

KUW WAIT A AIRPOR RT

50 °C

37 °C

22456536

NUW WA AISEEB

51 °C

35 °C

Sharq

22465401

WAFRA A

50 °C

36 °C

Salmiya

25746401

SALMI

47 °C

33 °C

Jabriya

25316254

ABDAL LY

50 °C

33 °C

Maidan Hawally

25623444

JAL ALIY YA AH

49 °C

34 °C

FA AILAKA Bayan

25388462

48 °C

32 °C

AHMADI POR RT

48 °C

38 °C

Mishref

25381200

UMM AL-MARADEM

43 °C

35 °C

W.Hawally

22630786

WARBA A A - BUBY YAN A

51 °C

29 °C

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

DA AY

DA AT TE

WEA ATHER T

West Jahra

24772608

Monday

16/07

very hot

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Al-Ardhiya

24884079

24719048

N.Kheitan

24710044

Fintas

23900322

SFC. CHART

15/07/2012 1200 UTC

4 DA AYS Y FORECAST Temperatures Wind Speed

Wind Direction

MAX.

MIN.

49 °C

37 °C

NW

12 - 35 km/h

Tuesday

17/07

Hot + R.humid over costal area

46 °C

36 °C

SE-S

15 - 38 km/h

Weednesday

18/07

Hot + R.humid over costal area

45 °C

34 °C

SE

12 - 35 km/h

Thursday

19/07

very hot

48 °C

34 °C

SE

08 - 30 km/h

PRA AYER Y TIMES

RECORDED YESTERDA AY AT KUW WAIT A AIRPOR RT

Fajr

03:26

MAX. Temp.

50 °C

Sunrise

04:59

MIN. Temp.

37 °C

Zuhr

11:54

MAX. RH

11 %

Asr

15:29

MIN. RH

04 %

Sunset

18:49

MAX. Wind

N 64 km/h

Isha

20:19

TOT TA AL L RA AINF FALL A L IN 24 HR.

00 mm

All times are local time unless otherwise stated.

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Khaled Hamadi

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist

25665898 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535

Dentists

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

22618787

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

General Surgeons Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart Dr. Adnan Ebil Dr. Mousa Khadada Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

22666300 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

3729596/3729581

Neurologists

22639939

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Kaizen center 25716707

25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888 Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

22666288

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

Dr Anil Thomas

Dr. Salem soso

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Fayhaa

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Al-Jahra

25610011

Al-Salmiya

25616368

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

BY Y NIGHT:

MIN. N. EXP P.

Al-Omariya

Al-Shohada’a

Fax: 24348714

MAX. REC.

24892674

22418714

2627 - 2630 Ext.: 26

Expected Weeather for the Next 24 Hours

ST TAT TION

Firdous

PHONE

Al-Madena

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Afghanistan 0093 Albania 00355 Algeria 00213 Andorra 00376 Angola 00244 Anguilla 001264 Antiga 001268 Argentina 0054 Armenia 00374 Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas 001242 Bahrain 00973 Bangladesh 00880 Barbados 001246 Belarus 00375 Belgium 0032 Belize 00501 Benin 00229 Bermuda 001441 Bhutan 00975 Bolivia 00591 Bosnia 00387 Botswana 00267 Brazil 0055 Brunei 00673 Bulgaria 00359 Burkina 00226 Burundi 00257 Cambodia 00855 Cameroon 00237 Canada 001 Cape Verde 00238 Cayman Islands 001345 Central African 00236 Chad 00235 Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros 00269 Congo 00242 Cook Islands 00682 Costa Rica 00506 Croatia 00385 Cuba 0053 Cyprus 00357 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Czech Republic 00420 Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia 00246 Djibouti 00253 Dominica 001767 Dominican Republic 001809 Ecuador 00593 Egypt 0020 El Salvador 00503 England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea 00240 Eritrea 00291 Estonia 00372 Ethiopia 00251 Falkland Islands 00500 Faroe Islands 00298 Fiji 00679 Finland 00358 France 0033 French Guiana 00594 French Polynesia 00689 Gabon 00241 Gambia 00220 Georgia 00995 Germany 0049 Ghana 00233 Gibraltar 00350 Greece 0030 Greenland 00299 Grenada 001473 Guadeloupe 00590 Guam 001671 Guatemala 00502 Guinea 00224 Guyana 00592 Haiti 00509 Holland (Netherlands) 0031 Honduras 00504 Hong Kong 00852 Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland 00354 India 0091 Indian Ocean 00873 Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686 Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland) 0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK) 0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677

36

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

LIFESTYLE G o s s i p

Adele’s father is desperate to make peace dele’s father is “begging” her to forgive him. Mark Evans is desperate to make peace with his 24-year-old daughter - who is expecting her first child with boyfriend Simon Konecki - after he left her and mother Penny when she was just three years old, because he fears he won’t ever get to see his grandchild. He said: “Mum rang and said, ‘Mark, I’ve got some important news for you. Adele is expecting a child’. “My first reaction was a surge of happiness for her. But as we chatted about how Adele had told her in person, it dawned on me that my daughter hadn’t wanted to tell me herself. “My happiness for her turned to gloom because I realized I really was out of the picture as far as she is concerned. “I would have loved so much to have been able to hold her in my arms and tell her how happy I was for her. “I want more than anything to be part of her life again and to be a big part in my little grandson or granddaughter’s life. I’m having to face up to the fact that I may never get to know my grandchildren and it is breaking my heart.” “Sure, I’ve done

A

wrong and I should have been there for her throughout her childhood but I am desperate to make amends now. “I am begging her to give me another chance.” While he is pleased for the ‘Rolling in the Deep’ hit maker, Mark wishes her and Simon had been together longer before expecting their first child, but he admits the brunette singing sensation has “always wanted four kids”. He added to the Sunday Mirror newspaper: “Despite the rift between us, I am genuinely happy for her because she’s told mum she’s head over heels in love with Simon. “She told mum she’s hoping for a boy first to keep an eye on the other three kids she wants after that. “I wish Adele and Simon had been together longer. I was the same when I was, coincidentally, pretty much the same age as her. No one could tell me anything because I thought I knew it all. “We’re from the same mould, Adele and me.

“I just wish that I could be a bigger part of Adele’s life - and my grandchild’s.”

Stallone planned to marry girlfriend ylvester Stallone’s son planned to marry his girlfriend “as early as next weekend” prior to his death.

Sage Stallone, 36, was found unresponsive at his home in Studio City, Los Angeles on Friday, and his attorney and longtime friend George Braunstein revealed the actor was “very full of life” and he wanted to tie the knot in Las Vegas in the near future. He told E!: “He was very creative, energetic and very full of life. We were just joking about how he was going to get married and have a fun marriage. There was nothing dark or depressing, no problems, certainly no financial problems.” Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said prescription bottles were recovered in the investigation, but he did not say what they contained, although George claims Sage didn’t drink alcohol or take drugs. He added: “I never knew him to drink alcohol. I never saw him take drugs. I never knew of anything like that at all.” Law enforcement sources told TMZ that Sage may have been dead for a minimum of three or four days, possibly as long as a week, before his body was discovered by his housekeeper. But George has dismissed such claims after photos were posted on Sage’s Facebook account just 17 hours before he was found dead. He explained: “Sage was a really young, very sensitive, and very talented kid. There has been no indication that there was anything wrong in his life.” Sage was Sylvester’s son from his first marriage to Sasha Czack, and the pair are said to be “devastated” by the news. George said: “His mother is devastated. They’re trying to sort everything out and plan a funeral. [Sylvester] called, he’s upset too. They may be celebs, but they’re regular parents. It’s tragic.”

S

Hathaway rumored to be pregnant nne Hathaway is pregnant, it has been claimed. The ‘Dark Knight Rises’ actress and her fiance Adam Shulman reportedly went for dinner with their family and some close friends on Thursday night and the couple arranged the occasion to announce the happy news.

The loved-up pair’s news was met with a joyous reaction and the party celebrated late into the evening. A source told RadarOnline.com: “Not only did both Anne and Adam have their parents at dinner with them, which is unusual, but the amount of enthusiasm and excitement made it clear that they were celebrating some major news, and while everyone else sipped on wine at dinner, Anne didn’t drink any alcohol, which is an indication that she could

A

be pregnant.” The ecstatic party went for dinner at the Picholine restaurant on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and Anne was reported to have a visible bump. The source said: “It looked like there was a bump on her belly. “Anne and Adam are already engaged, so the only other good news could be a baby on the way!” The 29year-old actress and her actor beau have been together since 2008 and have been engaged since last November. The couple is yet to set a date for their wedding.

J Lo dieting secrets ennifer Lopez eats four small meals a day to maintain her stunning figure. The ‘American Idol’ judge is famed for her curvy-yet-toned body and insiders say she’s careful with her diet as she wants to be in the best possible shape. A source close to the mother-of-two said: “Jen drinks ice-cold water to speed up her metabolism, bans carbs after 4pm and sticks to four small meals a day, which are packed with protein.” As well as being sensible with her diet, Jennifer, 42, also works out regularly and trains with her 25-year-old dancer boyfriend Casper Smart. The source added to Closer magazine: “Jen is up at 6am every morning for an hour’s exercise. She hates doing the same workout twice and likes to switch it up with core-strengthening routines, yoga or runs or the beach. “She takes a skipping rope with her when she travels and, when she gets a spare moment, will drop to the floor to do around four minutes of sit-ups. Jen likes to work out with Casper as they really egg each other on.”

J

Cole can see people from the inside heryl Cole thinks she can “see people from the inside.” The ‘Call My Name’ singer doesn’t get excited when she tops polls for being beautiful or sexy, as she isn’t interested in people’s looks, and feels she has a special sense for what people are really like inside. Saying she finds the idea of being voted sexy “cringey,” she added: “I just don’t see myself like that. You know those ‘FHM [magazine’s] Sexy Women’ or whatever. I don’t jump out of bed and frame them. “I view people differently anyway. It’s almost as if I can see people from the inside and that’s far more special to me.” The former ‘X Factor’ judge - who turned 29 last month - is rumored to be writing her autobiography, but is unsure as to whether she is ready to tell her story. She added to more! magazine: “I’m torn, the past 10 years have been incredible - the whole of my twenties. That would be amazing to put into words, and go into my 30s with a clean slate.”

—Bang Showbiz

C

Michael completes music video with Moss eorge Michael has completed his new music video with Kate Moss.

The singer stars alongside the supermodel in the promo for his song ‘White Light’ and he has posted a 20-second clip on YouTube which shows Kate on a busy dance floor before she saves his life. The video will officially be released on Tuesday July 17. The ‘Amazing’ singer took to twitter to reveal his excitement at the finished project. He said: “Video is completely finished today. I have to thank everybody that appeared in it or worked on it xx.

“Including Kate of course, but most importantly, RYAN HOPE, the video’s director.

Lovely bloke and a genius. :) “I think it’s fantastic! It will go online next Tuesday, can’t wait to see what u all think of it :)) (sic)” Kate is no stranger to appearing in music videos having previously starred in ones for Primal Scream and The White Stripes. She has previously admitted she was disappointed to have missed out on a part in Michael’s ‘Freedom’ video in 1990. Earlier this month, the 49-year-old musician took to his twitter page to speak of his joy of the stunning supermodel agreeing to star in the clip. He tweeted: “The video you are waiting for is choc full of serious eye candy, and believe it or not, I’m not talking about me. “Oh and by the way, in the video, a certain supermodel (our Kate) saves my life.

We shot two endings, one with the

G

Heimlich maneuver ... and one where she gives me full on CPR. Mouth to mouth. Not really :) (sic)” The former Wham! frontman began working on new material after his life threatening battle with pneumonia late last year, and it has been rumored he wants to collaborate with Adele.

Stanley: Simmons not boss of KISS Hasselhoff to play in new Baywatch avid Hasselhoff is set to play himself in the new ‘Baywatch’ film. The 59-year-old actor says he won’t be reprising his role as lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the big-screen version of the hit TV show and will instead appear as himself. He said: “I’ve just met the guy writing the film. I’m going to play myself.” The former ‘America’s Got Talent’ judge is the only cast member certain to star in movie but it is rumored Justin Timberlake and Justin Bieber could also appear. David who was one of the star performers at the White Nights of St. Petersburg festival last weekend - added to BANG Showbiz: “There will be certain people in the movie for the original parts and we’re trying to make it a very cool, updated version.”

Pamela Anderson - who played long-running character CJ Lewis in the 90s series - is yet to be confirmed, although bosses are hoping the blonde babe will sign up. David said: “I don’t know. All I know is that they’ve had the script for four years now.” The White Nights of St. Petersburg festival took place in St. Petersburg, Russia from July 6 to July 8 and as well as star performers such as David, Anastacia, Natalie Imbruglia, Tony Hadley and Michael Bolton, there was an international singing contest which was judged by Paula Abdul and won by American Tyler Conti.

D

ISS singer Paul Stanley says fans think Gene Simmons’ role in the band is “far greater than what it actually is.” Bass player Gene is often the most visible member of the ‘Crazy Crazy Nights’ group through his outrageous comments and starring in his own reality show, ‘Gene Simmons Family Jewels’, but Paul says he has equal input within their group. When asked if any of the band - which also includes Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer were jealous of Gene, he exclusively told BANG Showbiz: “Well, he gets attention for reasons that have nothing to do with what I do. It’s not a slight, but I’m busy living my life, not creating a life for television. “There is no such thing as reality television, there’s reality and there’s television.

I find it interesting though, when, because of those activities, some people have a sense of Gene’s role in the band being far greater than what it actually is. “There’s a

K

transference because he somehow gets given a certain cache which is a little distorted. But so be it. My life is full and spectacular.” Paul also admitted he and Gene have had their arguments and fallouts, but they are getting currently getting on better than ever. He said: “How can you be together with somebody for 43 years, and not fall out? But it’s always well intentioned. If we’ve ever had a big disagreement, it wasn’t for petty stuff, it was because of conviction. But I can’t remember a time we’ve gotten along better than now, and I’m not talking about this week, but years. Paul was speaking at a preview of the new KISS Monster Book, a huge three foot by two foot tome which features full color photos from the band’s 40 year history, and is limited to 1,000 copies worldwide. For more information, visit KissMonsterBook.com

37

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

LIFESTYLE M u s i c

&

M o v i e s

Comic-Con fans journey to Middle Earth with ‘Hobbit’ irector Peter Jackson took loyal fans at Comic-Con on a journey back to Middle Earth on Saturday with footage of his upcoming film fantasy “The Hobbit,” calling the new epic “made by fans, for fans.”

Many die-hard loyalists from Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” series waited overnight at the giant pop culture showcase in San Diego to attend a panel where Jackson was joined by actors Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, script writer Philippa Boyens and surprise guest Elijah Wood. The panel opened with a 15-minute behindthe-scenes video featuring interviews with the cast and crew as well as footage from scenes featuring explosions and fights, which the audience welcomed with deafening screams.

McKellen, who plays wizard Gandalf, earned a standing ovation as he came on stage for the panel. Another 12-minute clip showed scenes from the film, including how hobbit Bilbo Baggins joined 13 dwarves on a quest to rescue a lost dwarf kingdom from the clutches of evil dragon Smaug, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, Director Peter Jackson, from the and Bilbo’s lifefilm “The Hobbit: An Unexpected changing Journey”, poses for a portrait durmeeting with Serkis’ Gollum, ing Comic-Con, Saturday. —AP whose “precious” ring was the subject of the “Rings” trilogy.

“Rings” characters Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) and Legolas (Orlando Bloom) also return, and the clips introduced a new female character, Tauriel played by Evangeline Lilly, who was not part of the books, but Boyens assured fans she stayed true to Tolkien’s characters. Wood, who shot to fame as Frodo Baggins in the “Rings” trilogy had yet to see any footage of the film and joined the audience in their enthusiasm. Th e trilogy “The Fellowship of the Ring,”“The Two Towers” and “Return of the King” - earned $2.9 billion at the worldwide box office and won 17 Academy awards. “I was blown away, extraordinary, the footage was incredible but it has these emotional moments, and that’s at the heart of what Peter does,” said Wood. “It’s beautiful. I was made to feel emotional watching that footage.”

D

Lebanese singer Marcel Khalife performs at the Carthage international Festival at the Roman theatre in Carthage on July 15, 2012 in Tunis. —AFP

Scientology reels from Cruise divorce PR blow T

he Church of Scientology has remained tight-lipped about Tom Cruise’s shock divorce, grappling with a PR blow which has revived questions about the controversial celebrity-friendly religion. The Church has made barely a single comment since Katie Holmes dropped her June 28 bombshell on the Hollywood A-lister, probably the most high-profile member of the nearly six-decade old organization. Cruise’s representatives have been more forthcoming-and lashed out this week at the tabloid National Enquirer over a story describing the “Mission Impossible” actor as a “monster.”

But the publicity blitz around the story has also shed an unfavorable light on the Church, which has long battled with a controversial image, fueled by criticism including from former members. “It’s a terrible public relations situation for the Church,” said Karen Pressley, former “commanding officer” of the Scientology Celebrity Centre-the very name of which raises eyebrows to LA newcomersbased in Hollywood. “This is now his third marriage as Scientologist and my observation is what does it says about Tom Cruise’s ability to succeed in relationships?” she asked rhetorically, in an interview with AFP. She added: “He goes to the media and speaks to people like (talk show hosts) Oprah (Winfrey) and Matt Lauer and say ‘We are the only ones that can help when people has troubles, we have the answers of everything.’

“And what does it say about his ability to apply Scientology to relationships? To marriage and to raising a family?” said Pressley, who has lived in Atlanta since “escaping” in 1997 after 16 years in the Church. Cruise is probably the biggest Scientologist celebrity, but not the only one: John Travolta is also a member, as are the musician Beck and actresses Juliette Lewis and Mimi RogersCruise’s first wife.

The star was reportedly taken totally by surprise when Holmes announced she was filing for divorce to end their five-year marriage, which began in fairytale fashion after he proposed under the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Speculation immediately focused on reports

that the actress was concerned that Cruise wanted to draw their 6-year-old daughter Suri further into the Church. In a rare comment on the story a lawyer for the Scientologists, Gary Soter, denied reports that the Church had organized for Holmes to be tailed with her daughter in New York.

“There is no truth whatsoever to the TMZ.com report (or any other report) that the Church of Scientology has sent anyone to follow or surveil Katie Holmes,” he said in an emailed statement. Church spokespeople

matter,” he added. While the church has remained low-key, Cruise’s lawyers have threatened to sue the National Enquirer over a story which ran under the front-page headline “Inside Tom’s House of Horrors.”

“Mr. Cruise is certainly not a ‘monster.’ He is a caring father, a hardworking actor and, above all, an honest, decent man,” wrote Cruise lawyer Bert Fields, in a letter cited by the Hollywood Reporter. The actor, filming in Iceland when the story broke, has kept a low profile since, reportedly returning to Los

File photo shows pedestrians walking past the Church of Scientology along Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. —AFP have not responded to repeated requests for comment on the divorce, and Soter justified that policy in a new email Friday-and blasted ex-Scientologists including Pressley for criticizing the organization.

“The Church is not giving any interviews or making any statements about the divorce, as it would be inappropriate to do so,” he said.

“The Church declines to respond to the selfpromoting opinions of this anti-Scientologist who has no personal knowledge of the facts and who is seeking to exploit a private family

Angeles to celebrate his 50th birthday this week, while Holmes, 33, has already launched a new life in New York. The ex-couple’s lawyers meanwhile managed to negotiate a divorce settlement in less than two weeks-a stunningly short time frame which, observers say, partly reflects a desire to minimize bad publicity for the Church.

But that hasn’t stopped a stream of ex Church members from coming forward to denounce it-including Jenna Miscavige, embarrassingly a niece of the Church’s chief

David Miscavige, who took over after founder L Ron Hubbard died in 1986. Miscavige, who left the Church in 2005, published a statement online supporting Holmes. “As a mother myself, I offer my support to Katie and wish for her all the strength she will need to do what is best for her and her daughter,” she wrote on a website for ex scientologists, www.exscientologykids.com.

“My experience in growing up in Scientology is that it is both mentally and at times physically abusive ... I was allowed to see my parents only once a week at bestsometimes not for years. Founded in 1954 by US science fiction writer Hubbard, the Church of Scientology is recognized as a religion in the United States. It claims a worldwide membership of 12 million. But it has long been controversial, notably in Europe. In France it was convicted of fraud in 2009 and fined hundreds of thousands of Euros for fleecing vulnerable followers. The conviction was upheld this year.

Scientology offers spiritual rehabilitation for its followers through a form of counseling called “auditing.” In Hollywood, tourists are offered free tests to introduce them, including at an imposing blue Church on Sunset Boulevard. Once they have joined, members can pay tens of thousands of dollars to attain higher levels of enlightenment, including a state of “Clear,” on the way to personal salvation.

The first stage cost only about 100 dollars, Pressley explained, but to reach the highest level the average cost is at least 300,000 dollars. “If you move into the spiritual path of Scientology towards a state of Clear, you’re spending thousands of dollars and tens of thousands of dollars within your first couple of years,” she said. Those without enough money can work for the Church, she said, but added: “People like Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, they are private paying customers (so) they live independently in their homes and raise their families.” —AP

First of two-part prequel British actor Freeman, who plays the reluctant hobbit hero Bilbo Baggins, said the director and old “Rings” cast welcomed him warmly to the new film, relieving any worries he may have had about playing such a well-known literary character. “I honestly didn’t feel a huge amount of pressure,” said Freeman. “I had to find my way into it. I didn’t just fall into the character of Bilbo. Peter and I had to develop that together ... but I wasn’t intimidated.” Serkis, who returned to play Gollum in “The Hobbit,” was also brought on as a second-unit director for the film, an experience which he said was “a dream to behold.” “It was a remarkable and extraordinary experience - one for working with Martin, it was great to work opposite him, and then I began a process of jumping into the director’s chair. ... It was a huge film education for me, enabled by the greatest mentor possible. Peter’s been an immense part of my life for the last 12 years,” Serkis said.

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” is the first of a two-part prequel adapted by director Jackson from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” the prelude to his epic fantasy trilogy “Lord Of The Rings.” The film is due in theaters on December 14. The story begins with hobbit Bilbo Baggins, who embarks on a quest through the treacherous Middle Earth, forming relationships with characters like Gandalf, warrior Thorin Oakenshield (Armitage) and Gollum.

Veteran actor McKellen, who also played Gandalf in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, told reporters ahead of the panel that he was happy to reprise his character. “It was lovely to be back in New Zealand with the people who make the films, many of whom were on Lord of The Rings 13 years ago, so it’s been a little bit like going home,” McKellen said. —Reuters

Filipino actress Zsa Zsa Padilla, right, bids farewell to her long time partner Rodolfo Vera Quizon Sr., locally known as “Dolphy” the country’s “King of Comedy” during his funeral rites at a cemetery in Taguig, south of Manila, Philippines yesterday. —AP

US singer Madonna performs on stage at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, a Paris suburb, on July 14, 2012, during her MDNA world tour. —AFP

France’s National Front to sue Madonna over swastika video rance’s far-right National Front said yesterday it plans to sue Madonna over a video at a concert in France showing the party leader Marine Le Pen with a swastika on her forehead. “We cannot accept such an odious comparison,” National Front vicepresident Florian Philippot said, adding that the legal action against Madonna would be filed this week. The video, which served as a backdrop for Madonna’s performance of the song “Nobody Knows Me”, flashed a picture of Le Pen’s forehead bearing a swastika, fol-

F

lowed by an image resembling Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

There was an audible gasp from the audience at the concert in the Stade de France in a Paris suburb on Saturday when the video appeared as part of Madonna’s stage show.

Le Pen, who was a candidate in the French presidential election in May, had already warned the US superstar she was mulling legal action after the video was shown at Tel Aviv gig in May when Madonna kicked off her world tour. “This is just another provoca-

tion in Madonna’s world tour so that people will talk about her,” Philippot charged, claiming that the stadium was “far from full” for Madonna’s gig and that the tour was a “fiasco”.

“Marine Le Pen will defend not only her own honor but her supporters and the millions of National Front voters,” he added. The “Material Girl” will next appear in France in Nice on August 21 as part of her “MDNA” tour which covers about 30 countries in the Middle East, Europe and the Americas and

will wrap up in Australia in 2013. Le Pen, the daughter of National Front founder JeanMarie Le Pen, lost her bid to win a seat in elections last month although the anti-immigrant and anti-EU party returned to parliament for the first time since 1998.—AFP

Philippines mourns as popular comedian is buried iewers across the Philippines have watched the funeral of the country’s “King of Comedy” live on nationwide TV. Rodolfo Vera Quizon Sr. was a popular actor fondly called Dolphy by generations of Filipinos. The 83-year-old died Tuesday of multiple organ failure, kidney ailments and complications from pneumonia. He was buried yesterday.

Quizon starred in more than 200 films in his 66-year career. Once a poor peanut vendor in movie houses, he shot to fame slapstick characters. He became so famous that presidential candidates courted his support in elections. He had 18 children with six women. President Benigno Aquino III declared Friday a national day of remembrance to honor the movie icon. Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in the capital, Manila. —AP

V

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

lifestyle T R A V E L

Hudson River Park

Manhattan

waterside destination

In this Thursday, July 5, 2012 photo, kayakers paddle in the Hudson river at the Hudson River park in New York. —AP

murky as the tidal flow stirs up silt. “It’s not crystal clear and you can’t see that deep into it, but it’s not pollution,” Brous said.

“People are very surprised when they learn about the water quality. Just by the birds you can tell it’s clean - they’re out there and they’re catching fish.”

Hudson River Park is also home to historic vessels that can be toured; public art like the AIDS memorial at 11th Street; yoga and other fitness programs; concerts, walks and talks, including a Sunday morning nature tour where participants learn about the park’s 85 species of birds. Little wonder the park has started turning up in travel guides to New York City as an

I

n the last decade, the decrepit piers and industrial zones along five miles of the Hudson River on Manhattan’s West Side have been utterly transformed.

Hudson River Park is now a destination that gets 17 million visits annually, with a bike path, green spaces, playgrounds and recreation ranging from mini-golf and skateboarding to kayaking and even stand-up paddleboarding.

Melissa Lopez rented a bike a few weeks ago from Bike and Roll at Pier 84, near 44th Street and 12th Avenue, and was amazed at what she saw as she rode downtown through the park. “It was gorgeous, like a little nature haven, beautiful flowers, trees, and only when you looked over to your left (at the buildings), did you realize you were in between a concrete jungle and this beautiful river,” said Lopez, 29, who came in from her home in suburban Westchester for the day. “Everyone was doing something active - sunbathing, rollerblading, bike riding. There was one pier with a volleyball court with sand. I kept telling my boyfriend, ‘Are we really in New York City?’”

Lopez’s reaction is proof of just how much things have changed along the river. For much of New York City’s history, “the waterfront was where the industrial areas were,” said Madelyn Wils, president and CEO of the Hudson River Park Trust.

“Then in the 1960s, the port business went away and the waterfront areas became so derelict they were an embarrassment. If you saw pictures of what this looked like even 10 years ago, you’d say, ‘How could anyone let that happen?’”

Looking at the ribbon of spotless walkways, plantings and creative play areas along the river today between Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan and 59th Street, it’s hard to imagine what Wils is describing. But when she and other New Yorkers began working to create the park in the late 1990s, one of her goals as a mother of three living in Lower Manhattan was simply to make more places where kids could play. In 1998, the city and state provided land for the park, and construction began in 2001. Last year’s opening of Pier 25 in Tribeca, now one of the park’s

most popular areas with mini-golf and volleyball, was a crowning achievement.

There are still small sections along the water awaiting redevelopment - a pound for towed cars, a facility for Sanitation Department trucks - but the walkways and bike path are uninterrupted. (Wils says the park has “more bikes on the bike paths than anywhere else in the country - 6 million a year.”) Between playgrounds, lawns, sports facilities, boating options and other amenities, the park’s attractions number in the dozens.

“There are so many different boating opportunities in the park now,” said Nancy Brous, metropolitan region director for the Hudson River Watertrail. Many of the programs are run by volunteers to educate New Yorkers who may never have been in a kayak or out on the river before, Brous said, but the walk-up kayaking programs also get “a lot of out-of-town visitors. This is something that’s really going to be driving the tourist trade as time goes on and more people seek it out.”

Another aspect of the recreational boating programs is teaching the public about the river. It’s a tidal estuary, so the currents are strong, and the water can be

option for visitors looking for something to do besides shopping, theater and museums.

The park is also near several of New York’s biggest attractions: the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, at 46th Street, where the NASA space shuttle Enterprise will go on view July 19, and the High Line, the stunning urban park built atop an old elevated freight rail line between Gansevoort Street and 30th Street, slightly east of the river along 10th and 11th avenues.

Another busy spot within the park is Chelsea Piers, a sports and recreation center with a bowling alley, indoor skating rink, golf driving range and other things to do between 17th and 23rd streets. The Frying Pan is a bustling bar and restaurant on a salvaged boat docked at Pier 66, 26th Street.

Lopez later raved about her day of biking in the park on her blog, called FunFitChic, as the “best day ever,” and she’s now recommending the experience to out-of-towners. “We have a cousin here from Puerto Rico, and I said, ‘Let’s get on a bike and go there.’ It’s definitely the way to go.” — AP

Visitors to the Hudson River Park in New York relax on Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s sculpture ‘Guidepost to the New Space’ on the lawn at Pier 45.

Joshua Castro, 30, of the Queens borough of New York skates at the pier 62 skatepark at the Hudson River park.

A water taxi is seen from the Hudson River Park.

A couple looks over Lower Manhattan at an outdoor snack shop at the Hudson River Park.

Michigan’s mountains

A great reason to head for the hills

By Josh Noel

L

et’s be clear. The Porcupine Mountains are not mountains. Mountains are vast and jagged, snow-capped and forbidding. They’re way up there, by the angels and clouds, where the air is thin and views dizzying. Have you seen the Matterhorn? The Grand Tetons? Mount Rainier? Now those are

A deer walks along the edge of Lake Superior at the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. —MCT photos

(From left) Hannah Lindquist and her sister, Rebecca both of Plymouth, Minn., enjoy a dinner of rice, beans, and textured vegetable protein while camping at the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness.

mountains. But we are the Midwest, and while that means many wonderful things (you’ve never heard of “Philadelphia nice” for a reason), it also saddles us with one inarguable drawback: all that flat land. Sure, we have natural beauty, but it’s rarely the grand postcard variety.

Hence when the northwest corner of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula boasts something called Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, it’s worth a double take. Mountains?

Midwest? Well, sort of. Colorado boasts more than 50 peaks reaching 14,000 feet. Porcupine Mountain state park tops out at slightly less than 2,000 feet.

But in the Midwest, we take our mountains where we can get them. And over three warm summer days, William the Photographer and I were called. All that pristine land. All that Lake Superior shoreline. All that ... mountainous terrain? Maybe not. But whatever their form, these Michigan mountains are ours.

The 60,000-acre park (a cozy 3 percent of Yellowstone’s grandeur) offers close to 20 electricity- and water-free cabins for rent.

Though showing wear from decades of use, they’re solid, wooden and fill up with reservations months in advance.

William and I managed to stitch together a small itinerary, renting one on the shore of Lake Superior for the first night-a five- or sixmile hike from our car-then one toward the middle of the park for the second night that would necessitate a 10-mile trek on Day 2.

Then we would have a short walk back to our car.

Packs loaded at 25 to 30 pounds-an appalling amount for two nights, but you know how good beer tastes after work? It tastes even better after hiking to the shore of Lake Superior-we were set.

William and I had all the food we would need in the form of bags requiring hot water, along with various incarnations of nuts and fruit. We also carried sundry essentials: sunblock, hats and clothes for all types of weather, matches, flashlights and a water filter

Big Carp River snakes its way through the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. (streams and Lake Superior would sustain us).

We traded the wallets and cellphones usually in our pockets for more basic needs: compasses and bug spray.

Boots laced tight, we hauled those packs to our backs one weekday afternoon and began walking into a world of trees and mosquitoes. William had never done this kind of thing; I told him to be thankful that the Porkies’ notorious biting flies were on hiatus until later in the summer.

For the next several hours, we put one foot in front of the other through thick green and countless trees. Despite the park’s name, the route was mostly flat and the inclines gradual.

The dirt trails were well marked and maintained, often with worn wooden footbridges leading us through the thickest patches. We passed several rushing streams that made us think in the first moment, “How can we get across this?” In the second moment, we just figured it out.

Over time we would come across a father and son in the midst of a four-day trip who had shooed a bat from their cabin the previ-

ous night, a yellow and black garter snake that fluttered its little tongue at us, and sisters from Minnesota who were supposed to be backpacking in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. Bad weather out West had redirected them to this Midwestern option.

“This isn’t as strenuous, but it’s nice to have,” said Rebecca Lindquist, 22. “It’s a good alternative for a last-minute change of plans.”

A couple of hours before sunset, William and I arrived at a dark brown cabin that seemed more appropriate for 12-year-olds at summer camp. But it was tidy and freshly swept, and a deck of playing cards, two rolls of toilet paper and old newspaper had been left behind, along with ample firewood from the previous guests. An ax leaned in the corner against the wall.

“Get this stuff off of me,” William said, shedding his backpack. I traded my hiking boots for sandals, covered my feet with bug spray and headed 100 yards from our door through thick greenery to a rocky beach along the shore of chilly Lake Superior. We dropped our beers in the water and let nature’s refrigerator

go to work. Twenty minutes later, we pressed those cans to our lips and stared out at the curved horizon. A family of ducks floated by.

We dragged our second beers back to the cabin and chopped and sawed wood. Before long, smoke rose from the old metal stove to our chimney, allowing us to make freezedried meals that could never taste so decadent close to a cellphone signal. As we took turns tending to the stove, I flipped through the cabin journal full of the chronicles of people who had slept in those beds and cooked on that stove.

“We had a great getaway here,” one recent entry read. “We bathed in the lake, made love on the beach and enjoyed the campfires. Plus enjoyed the cooler temperatures away from our home state of Arkansas!” It was signed “Two happily retired 60-year-olds.” Others immortalized their stays more simply. “Go Packers,” one young hand wrote. “My birthday!” wrote another. “I’m twelve!” Another carried this warning: “The mice will take advantage of anything left out.”

William and I returned to the beach to watch the sky turn dark and darker still, threaded with orange. A foraging deer emerged from the trees, looked briefly at us, then continued along the rocks. The orange burned along the horizon-dimmer, dimmer and dimmer-until sometime past 11 p.m. The air was chilly and clean.

William and I headed to our bunk beds and soon found out about the mice for ourselves when a scampering and rustling of plastic prodded us awake. Blinking in the darkness, my mind went to the worst-an ornery raccoon, perhaps-but I faced my fear long enough to grab a flashlight.

As my beam fell across the cabin, the rustling stopped, and I crossed the wood floor to find a tiny hole chewed into a sea of nuts and raisins. I threw the poor, hapless bag of trail mix into a pot, closed the lid and went back to sleep. The next morning, as we lit another fire for breakfast and instant coffee, I flipped through the journal again. —MCT

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

lifestyle F E A T U R E S

Clock ticks for

Yangon’s colonial treasures

People walk in front of rows of lit lanterns during the Mitama Matsuri festival at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo yesterday.

Some 30,000 lanterns were illuminated in the precinct in memory of victims of war. — AFP

Reading Shakespeare from cell to cell on Robben Island N

elson Mandela’s handwritten memoirs were smuggled off South Africa’s Robben Island to become an international bestseller after his release from 27 years in apartheid jail. The manuscript’s risky passage is just one of the extraordinary journeys of the island’s books and the lengths taken to obtain, protect and share them in cells where learning and reading were celebrated. “ We weren’t allowed any reading material and I applied for permission to go to the library. They refused and eventually they agreed for me to have one book,” recalled Sonny Venkatrathnam who was jailed in the 1970s.

“It’s a problem to have one book and the only thing I could think of that would keep me going was ‘Shakespeare, Complete Works’ so I got that.” The book was confiscated within weeks. But a quick-thinking Venkatrathnam managed to get it back after convincing a warder it was “the Bible by William Shakespeare” and needed for church before disguising it as a religious text with pictures of gods from Diwali cards.

“My parents sent me greeting cards with Indian religious pictures on them so we cut them up and pasted (them) on the spine and on the outside. So that’s how it survived.

I still have it like that,” the 78-year-old told AFP. The Shakespeare book will go on display at the British Museum on July 19, decades after it was passed from cell to cell with signatures dotting the texts that resonated most, such as Mandela’s sign-off next to Julius Caesar. Reading was a lifeline inside the four walls and the thirst for books saw authors like Emile Zola and Jack London devoured alongside textbooks as

libraries and teaching systems were set up among the political prisoners.

Apartheid’s idiosyncrasies meant that a version of Karl Marx’s “Das Kapital” made it past authorities, while a popular Indian cook book and the 19th century children’s classic “Black Beauty” were banned.

Nobody left Robben Island illiterate “They had a number of books that came in because the warders didn’t know who they were so everybody took advantage of it but we were also studying,” said Ahmed Kathrada, 82, who was the librarian in a section with Mandela. “We were having people who were completely illiterate and they had to be taught ABC upwards, and eventually we can boast that nobody left Robben Island illiterate. They learned from one another.” Sedick Isaacs was the librarian in his section when “Capital”, the English version of ‘Das Kapital’, arrived in a donation of old books.

The classic Marxism text made it through inspection-at a time when the apartheid regime had banned the local communist party-but an anatomy textbook was barred.

“It was a huge amount of amusement for me,” said Isaacs of being told: “‘Capital’, oh it’s about money, you can have it.” Isaacs, who went on to be head of biomedical informatics at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, wrote his first textbook on toilet paper in solitary confinement. The mathematical concepts were penned out for a friend in the next cell in the tiny handwriting forced by shortages of writing materials.

“I left it in the toilet, he picked it up and took it in, studied it, did exercises. That’s how I wrote my first

Sonny Venkatrathnam, a former Robben Island Prisoner, walks around the old prison grounds which were turned into a museum, on RobbenIsand, off Cape Town, on the day of the launch of the book “Reading Revolution, Shakespeare on Robben Island” by Ashwin Desai. — AFP book: on toilet paper in small script.”

He even helped a warder with his studies. The unique literary insight into the anti-apartheid fight is captured in academic Ashwin Desai’s “Reading Revolution, Shakespeare on Robben Island” which was inspired by Venkatrathnam’s volume.

The book was circulated in an exercise that initially set out to collect signatures as a memento as the book circulated.

“I realized that this wasn’t just signing a book. These people thought about Shakespeare, they read Shakespeare, they were imbued with the sense of Shakespeare as they read it back onto local struggles,” said Desai. The beauty and quest for a better life among the barbarism and lack of civility of the apartheid jailers was also a strong motivation. “The real juxtaposition

about this reading and literacy and the desire for knowledge was they were incarcerated because of apartheid, because they were simply inferior beings,” said Desai.

“Yet they thought and dreamed such big things and really improved their lives and had a constant quest for knowledge, and the warders who were white and supposedly of a superior race couldn’t be bothered.

That drive to read-and to learn with prisoners copying out textbooks in longhand-is a far cry from democratic South Africa which lacks a culture of reading in an education system that is sorely underperforming. “It wasn’t just boredom,” said Marcus Solomons, who was jailed as a qualified teacher and bemoans current levels of literacy. “Learning was always seen as an important aspect of freedom.”— AFP

Weather stops tandem lawn chair balloon flight

A

n Oregon gas station owner and an Iraqi adventurer trying to fly from Central Oregon to Montana in tandem lawn chairs suspended from party balloons made a hard landing Saturday after having to abort their flight due to thunderstorms - but their craft kept flying. Kent Couch and Fareed Lafta were about seven hours into their flight when they were forced to descend, coming down near a reservoir about 30 miles east of their starting point. But after they scrambled out of the contraption, it floated up again, flight organizer Mark Knowles said.

“They came down hard,” Knowles said by cellphone. “The craft went back up. It’s sitting up in the sky right above us.”

Earlier Saturday, about 90 volunteers and several hundred onlookers counted down and then cheered as the pair lifted off from Couch’s Shell gas station in Bend. Volunteers had filled 350 5-foot diameter red, white, blue and black balloons with helium and tied them to Couch’s homemade tandem lawn chair rig. The balloons were arranged in bunches to represent the colors of the US and Iraqi flags. An American flag flew from the bottom of the framework supporting the chairs. The duo safely cleared a two-story motel, a coffee stand and a light post, then floated about 30

Iraqi adventurer Fareed Lafta, right, and Bend, Ore., gas station owner Kent Couch lift off.

Oregon gas station owner Kent Couch and Iraqi adventurer Fareed Lafta lift off Saturday from Couch’s gas station in Bend, Ore, as they attempt to fly some 360 miles to Montana. — AP photos miles north. Winds pushed them back to the south before sending them to the east, the direction they wanted to go.

But thunderstorms gathering in the region forced them to abort the flight, descending from an altitude of about 10,000 feet, Knowles said. Before the flight, Couch said landing was the scariest part of his several lawn chair balloon

flights. “The landings are very tough,” Couch said. “I don’t think about the landings until I have to land. That’s how I do it.” The two men had hoped to fly through the night across the mountains of Idaho and touch down yesterday morning somewhere in southwestern Montana. Expecting to float at 15,00018,000 feet, where temperatures drop to near zero, they packed sleeping bags to stay warm.

Their rig included 800 pounds of ballast - red Kool-Aid in 40-gallon barrels.

Besides a GPS, navigation gear, satellite phone, oxygen, two-way radios, eight cameras, and parachutes, they were carrying two Red Ryder BB rifles and a pair of blowguns to shoot out enough balloons to come to earth when the time is

right. Electronic gear was powered by a solar panel. A flare gun was tied onto the framework for emergencies. They also carried the ashes of a family friend to spread over the high desert. Lance Schliep, an appliance repairman, helped Couch with the latest design, made entirely from items bought at local hardware stores and junk from Couch’s garage. “It’s about as redneck as you can get,” Couch said. Lafta, a mountain climber and sky diver, said he had shared Couch’s childhood dream of floating like a cloud. He sent Couch an email two winters ago after reading accounts of Couch’s earlier flights. The flight was a warm-up for plans to fly a tandem lawn chair balloon rig in Baghdad sometime in the future. —AP

This picture taken on June 7, 2012 shows a man riding a bicycle in front of the 1927-built Law Court building in downtown Yangon. — AFP

F

rom a teak clubhouse where British officers once sipped gin to an old English department store dubbed “Harrods of the East” the race is on to save Myanmar’s colonial jewels from the wrecking ball. Six decades after the country also known as Burma won its independence, the grandeur of the British Raj lives on in the elegant but crumbling 19th and early 20th century buildings that dot the former capital Yangon. But as the nation emerges from decades of military rule and investors flock to what they hope will be the region’s next hottest economy, experts fear that Myanmar’s largest city could soon lose its architectural treasures. Hundreds of colonial buildings have already been torn down in what was once one of Asia’s top trading hubs, many falling prey to a building boom and a wave of property speculation, as high-rise buildings mushroom around the city.

“Unfortunately I would say half of the residential buildings that are 50 years or older in downtown Yangon have been knocked down over the past 10 years,” said historian and writer Thant Myint Oo, founder of the Yangon Heritage Trust which is spearheading a preservation campaign. “We have enough left that Yangon can still be a very special and unique city,” he told AFP. “But the fear is also that in five years’ time it could look like any other Asian city with skyscrapers and traffic jams and not much else to distinguish it,” he added. The trust’s goal is to have a statutory list of protected buildings as well as official regulations on standards of renovation. An existing heritage list, compiled by the city authorities, includes about 180 buildings but offers no legal protection.

Slowly rotting They include the former Reserve Bank of India, the colonial rulers’ central bank; the Secretariat, the one-time seat of the colonial-era government where independence hero General Aung San was assassinated in 1947; and the former headquarters of the mighty Irrawaddy Flotilla Company.

Hundreds of other residential buildings are not listed, while a number of landmark properties once filled by government ministries now stand empty after the regime moved the administrative capital to Naypyidaw in 2005. Others, such as the former Rowe & Co. Department Storelater the office of the Immigration Department-have been snapped up by local tycoons who grew rich thanks to their ties to the generals who ruled for decades.

Jade mining and construction magnate Zaw Zaw plans to turn the dilapidated Rowe & Co. building in downtown Yangon into a luxury hotel to rival the nearby Strand, considered one of Yangon’s finest restored colonial buildings. In its heyday, the storied emporium attracted hordes of wealthy Europeans and wellheeled Asians, including a Shan Princess who described it as a “veritable Harrods of the East” in her memoirs, according to a new book from the Association of Myanmar Architects titled “30 Heritage Buildings of Yangon.”

The Strand Hotel, a colonnaded landmark on Yangon’s waterfront

built in 1901, played host to guests including George Orwell, Somerset Maugham, and Noel Coward, while Rudyard Kipling spent an evening at the Pegu Club across town. The former Gentlemen’s Club-where British government officials and army officers played billiards and shared tales of battle-is a shadow of its former glory, slowly rotting and falling down. But an example of the potential it holds can be seen in the Governor’s Residence, a 1920s teak mansion that is now a luxury Yangon hotel. The monsoon rains and cyclones that pound the city have taken their toll on many of the colonial-era gems which are in need of urgent renovations.

Preserving past, embracing future “I have no illusions on the challenges we face,” Yangon Mayor Hla Myint told a recent conference organized by the Yangon Heritage Trust to look at ways to preserve the city’s architectural treasures. “There are technical challenges. Many of these buildings have not been repaired or renovated properly in a long time. There are financial challenges. There are challenges related to regulation and the redrafting of laws. But I believe what we are setting out to do is doable,” he added. The project appears to have the support of Myanmar’s new reformist government, which sees foreign investment and tourism as crucial to the future of the impoverished country. “We all need to protect the nation’s heritage,” Industry Minister Soe Thein told the same forum.

The challenge is how to preserve and restore the colonial jewels while also meeting growing demand for office space and modern accommodation and without leaving the people who call the ageing properties home left out on the street. Inevitably, perhaps, restoration means the city also risks losing the faded grandeur that for main people is its main charm. “What I really love about Yangon is how it’s been preserved very unartificially,” said Yangon-based architect Amelie Chai, whose company Spine Architects has helped to renovate a number of colonialera properties. “All those communities are living, working in these buildings without any government interference and nobody telling them you has to maintain this color or whatever,” she said. “Some people think that’s terrible because some of the buildings are falling into disrepair, but on the other hand to me that’s the most special part of it.” —AFP

Comic-Con fans journey to Middle Earth with ‘Hobbit’

37

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

Quality

key as Bulgaria snatches France’s lavender crown

Workers gather lavender.

T

he thick scent of lavender fills the sultry air in Bulgaria’s central Rose Valley where the flowering rows lose their purple hue under the nimble hands of the lavender pickers. It’s the busiest time of year for local distillers, who industry experts say have dethroned France as the world’s top lavender oil producer. France itself now purchases between 80 and 90 percent of Bulgaria’s lavender oil, with buyers including cosmetics firms as well as many distilleries who need it to make up for their own shortage, distiller Filip Lissicharov told AFP at the start of the picking season this week.

“What bigger recognition can we have for the top quality of our oil,” he said. France and Bulgaria together make up almost three-quarters of the world’s lavender oil output, but France lost 50 percent of its crops between 2005 and 2010 due to noxious bacteria, according to Crieppam, the French interprofessional centre for experimentation in fragrant, aromatic and medicinal plants. Having won the lavender crown, Bulgarian producers “must now turn the focus to preserving this high quality, which will be key for keeping a hold on the market in the long run,” said Lissicharov. His family company, Enio Bonchev Production, is among the biggest lavender producers in Bulgaria, growing 100 hectares (247 acres) of certified organic lavender around the town of Kazanlak, at the foot of the Balkan mountains.

Plamen Stankovski of Bulattars, another major distiller in the same valley, also highlights the need to keep the traditional physical and chemical composition of Bulgarian lavender oil unchanged.

“Quality has started to suffer from a recent drive to achieve higher yields,” he said, slamming the planting of non-traditional lavender types by some producers or the use of uncertified plant material. “Still, we are doing great and can be proud, as the label ‘Bulgarian lavender oil’ has started to appear on cosmetics packaging as a quality standard.”

Prices are ‘dangerously high’ In the fields, Lissicharov’s 180 seasonal workers brave scorching midday heat to pluck the delicate blossoms when their concentration of oil is at its highest. A good worker can pick some 200-300 kilograms (440-660 pounds) per day. The lavender is then pressed by foot and distilled in the company’s installations in the nearby village of Tarnichane, using approximately the same methods for producing Bulgaria’s emblematic rose oil, also made here.

But unlike rose oil, which is used by high-end perfume makers and is 50-60 times more expensive, lavender oil is used in common cosmetics and can easily be lifted out of recipes if prices rise too high, distillers warn.

“Lavender oil is not a boutique product. It is used as an ingredient in soaps and shampoos and its price should be more reasonable, 50-60 euros ($6174),” said Lissicharov. Prices now are already “dangerously high”, at 90-100 euros per kilogram last year, up 15-30 euros from 10 years ago, he noted. “We even had buyers offering as much as 105-110 Euros per kilo,” said Nikolay Nenkov of the Galen-N distillery, another large establishment in the region.

Some buyers have already started using cheaper lavandin oil-a hybrid type of lavender with a larger yield but poorer quality-and synthetic substitutes, according to apprehensive distillers. Last year, France distilled about 25-30 tons of lavender oil, while Bulgaria’s output was 45 tons, according to a market report by French group Elixens, a supplier of aromatic raw materials to the cosmetics industry.

Bulgarian distillers, however, put their production at 55-60 tons in 2011, double that of 2010. The country’s booming production is still a far cry from the communist-era years when it was a major supplier of all kinds of essential oils to the huge Soviet market, said Dimitar Kunov from the state essential oil testing laboratory. Apart from France, the country now ships its lavender oil only to a handful of other countries: Germany, the United States, Switzerland, Australia and Japan. — AFP

A woman shows a bunch of lavender during harvest in a field near the village of Tarnichane. — AFP photos

Andean couture hits the catwalk in Bolivia

Indigenous Bolivian Aymara women take part in a fashion show in La Paz. Aymara women presented typical attires on the catwalk in an effort to promote Andean fashion. — AFP photos

B

owler hats, billowing skirts and scarves in vibrant hues: Andean couture hit the catwalk in Bolivia’s capital this week with a fashion show dedicated to local styles from this majorityindigenous country high in the Andes.” We’ve come to showcase our identity,” 25-year-old Edith Sillerico, one of the models, told AFP of this week’s show, in many ways a fancier celebration of the tra-

ditional clothing of mountain farm folk, including trademark textiles. The show in the exclusive neighborhood of Calacoto marked the anniversary of 1809 native revolts against Spanish colonialism and drew a lot of keen interest from the city’s diplomatic corps.

Bolivia is the only nation in South

America with a mostly indigenous population; ethnic Aymara are the biggest group among its native peoples whose traditional life is largely rural and can involve potato and quinoa farming and llama or guinea-pig raising. Their women tend to lead quite traditional lives, but there is something new in the air now in their celebration of self. Celebrating their attractiveness is perhaps especially important in a country where a white minority held political and economic sway for centuries and in many ways imposed European beauty standards, looking down on indigenous culture.

The models, all indigenous Aymara women, smiled flirtatiously as they strutted their stuff under bright lights, at times twirling oversize scarves with flowing fringes to reveal flower patterns in bold stitching in bright colors. One, sporting a copper bowler hat over her long dark braid, even lifted her skirt to reveal a lacy black petticoat. Also not to be missed were her shimmering flats. Bolivia is South America’s poorest nation, and is currently

led by its first democratically elected indigenous president, Evo Morales. More than 60 percent of the country’s citizens are estimated to be indigenous, with the Aymara group being one of approximately three dozen native groups.

The creations, which also included gold and silver rings, brooches, earring and bracelets, were made by local artisans and designers. The garments came in a glowing palette of colors, including reds, blues and greens, with even bright green, orange and violet mixed in. Clothing items were priced between $1,000 and $2,000 while the jewelry-which included 20-karat gold and amethysts-went for $5,000 to $10,000. Before facing the glare of the bright lights, the models twisted their long hair into braids, meticulously applied makeup and painted their nails.

“We’re nervous,” admitted 18-year-old Maribel Mamani, who is in her last year of school. But once on the catwalk, all the preparation paid off. The bursts of applause said it all — AFP