17 Nov 2011

CR IP TI ON BS SU

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Girl for Bollywood’s ‘royal family’

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Ronaldo fires Portugal to Euros in Bosnia rout

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Protesters storm Assembly after clashing with police

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conspiracy theories

Walk the walk, talk the talk?

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

T

he Arab Spring is not just an Arab Spring. It has spread everywhere - to Italy, Spain, Greece and many other countries across the globe. Even the big United States was not spared. Now it should be called World Spring. The way governments handle demonstrators does not only happen in Arabia.

Before, I thought it was only limited to us. However, watching the news about the demonstrators in New York changed this perception. Demonstrators from the Occupy Wall Street group have been protesting corporate greed and social inequality. They have been marching against the discrepancy between the haves and the have-nots.

So far, their protest is like in any other country.

People are demonstrating against poverty and unemployment. People do not care what caused the poverty - whether it is a dictatorship that has given the wealth to a handful of relatives and friends or in other countries where giant corporations control everything. The latter is the case in the US. The result for citizens in both cases is the same. He pays higher taxes, he gets less. Then comes the economic crisis and it hits the poor people first. Even the unemployment axe starts with this strata.

Tunisia was ignited by Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Egypt was also ignited by a dictator. So was Libya whose dictator took the wealth for himself. He shared it with the whole world except with his own people. In Greece, people protest against inflation and the euro causing all the financial troubles. Italy is in the same boat. So is Spain. People want jobs and security.

When demonstrations escalate, demonstrators become hard to control and violence erupts, and governments have to react. In all the demonstrations across the Arab world, the US was asking the governments not to use force against their people. The news from the US and the police reactions with batons against the protesters draws a different picture. Where is Ms Hilary Clinton’s advice on the domestic front now? I wonder what happened to the old adage: Walk the walk, talk the talk!

Have a good day!

Gulf boom is spoiling environment WASHINGTON: Manmade islands, booming populations, overfishing and heavy use of fossil fuels have wreaked havoc in the Gulf environment and more should be done to prevent further damage, a Canadian study said yesterday. Eight Gulf countries - Bahrain, Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates - were the focus of the report by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, located outside Toronto. By compiling data from outside researchers and combining that with observations and studies by UNU scientists, the report aimed to outline the scope of the problem and suggest ways to fix it.

“We believe there is a possibility of a positive outcome here,” co-author Peter Sale told AFP in an interview. “There are lots of things that are going wrong. And the reason is that fundamentally there is a relatively weak environmental science capacity in the region,” he added. “These are countries which because of their wealth have been developing so very rapidly that the pace at which things are happening is tending to outstrip the pace at which capacity to regulate is growing.”

For instance, many Gulf nations are engaged in furious coastal development in order to accommodate a fast-growing regional population, which at an annual growth rate of 2.1 percent is about double the world average, it said.

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KUWAIT: Protesters and MPs demonstrate inside the Abdullah Al-Salem Hall at the National Assembly yesterday. (Inset, from left) Jubilant protesters hold a chair aloft; A man smokes as he sits in the prime minister’s chair; MPs Musallam Al-Barrak, Jamaan Al-Harbash and Mubarak Al-Waalan react as they emerge from the Assembly. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

By B Izzak and Agencies

Neighbours warn Syria to stop the bloodshed France recalls envoy • Security HQ attacked RABAT: Syria’s neighbours called yesterday for urgent action to protect civilians from the regime’s brutal crackdown on protesters as the diplomatic vice tightened on President Bashar Al-Assad. After a raid by army defectors on an intelligence base highlighted the scale of the challenge at home to Assad’s 11-year rule, Arab foreign ministers said Damascus would be frozen out of the region unless it halted the bloodshed. And France announced it was recalling its ambassador to Syria after its diplomatic missions there were attacked

by Assad’s supporters.

While the foreign ministers in Rabat did not imme-

diately spell out the consequences for Syria if the killing continued, their meeting was intended to signal that patience had now run out. Syria was suspended by the 22-nation bloc at the weekend and it refused to turn up at the meeting in Morocco, which was also attended by Turkey, its northern neighbour. In a statement issued after the Turkish-Arab cooperation forum, the ministers declared they were “against all foreign intervention” but said it was time for urgent measures.

“The forum declares that it is necessary to stop the bloodshed and to spare Syrian citizens from new acts Continued on Page 13

RABAT: Arab League foreign ministers meet yesterday to formalize their weekend decision to suspend Syria. — AP

KUWAIT: Thousands of Kuwaitis stormed the National Assembly yesterday after police and elite forces beat up protesters marching on the prime minister’s home to demand he resign, an opposition MP said. “Now, we have entered the house of the people,” said Musallam AlBarrak, who led the protest along with several other lawmakers and youth activists also calling for the dissolution of parliament over alleged corruption. The demonstrators broke open the Assembly’s gates and entered the main chamber, where they sang the national anthem and then left after a few minutes.

The police had used batons to prevent protesters from marching to the residence of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. Witnesses said at least ten demonstrators were injured and treated on

See Page 6 the site. Some activists said they will continue to camp outside the Assembly until the premier is sacked.

Chanting “the people want to remove the prime minister,” the protesters started to march to the nearby premier’s residence when police blocked their way.

This was the first political violence in the state since December, when elite forces beat up protesters and MPs at a public rally, though activists have been holding protests since March. Tension has been building in Kuwait over the past three months after it was alleged that about 16 MPs in the 50-member parliament received about KD 100 million in bribes. The opposition has been leading a campaign to oust the premier, whom they accuse of failing to run the wealthy nation and fight corruption, which has become wide-spread.

Earlier yesterday, members of the Opposition Bloc boycotted the Assembly session in what appears to be a new policy for the 20-MP bloc. The opposition on Tuesday attended parts of the session until the government and its supporters decided to start voting on the scrapping of a grilling against the prime minister, which the opposition said was a breach of the constitution.

Nevertheless, Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi opened the session in the presence of a small number of ministers and MPs who began the debate on the Amiri Address which was delivered by the prime minister on the opening day of the Assembly’s new term on Oct 25. Despite the absence of opposition MPs, the session did not lack some fireworks when MP Saadoun Hammad began exposing what he claimed property held by veteran opposition MP Ahmad Al-Saadoun in Qatar.

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Years

LOCAL

‘Green Caravan’ sheds light on pressing environmental issues Wastefulness a major issue in Kuwait

By Lisa Conrad

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received at Bayan Palace yesterday Tirana Municipality governor Lulzim Basha and the accompanying delegation. The meeting was attended by Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah, the head of the accompanying honorary mission, the advisor at the Diwan of HH the Prime Minister, Ismail Al-Shatti, and the advisor at the Amiri Diwan, Mohammad Abul-Hassan.

MoE administrative staff demand more privileges KUWAIT: Employees from the Ministry of Education’s Administrative Department staged a strike on Tuesday demanding more financial privileges, a day after the Parliament passed a bill granting allowances to Kuwaiti teachers.

“The ministry will take all demands into consideration and will coordinate with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to find best solutions for this issue,” said Assistant Undersecretary for Administrative Affairs Aisha Al-Roudhan. She asserted while speaking to reporters that the ministry “treats all employees equally.”

In addition to allowances, the administrative staff demanded that they be granted paid leaves similar to the nearly four-month long summer break that teachers avail of. “ The subject of a allowance cannot be addressed at the moment because the state is currently reassessing the payroll structure of all administrative departments in ministries,” Al-Roudhan said. Next week the ministry will pay certain rewards that have been placed on hold.

According to a MoE insider, work at all of the ministry’s six educational directorates was seriously affected by the strike. The employees reported to work but refrained from carrying out daily tasks. “The employ-

ees won’t stop unless the allowance they’ve been seeking for six years has been enforced,” the source stated.

The protestors are trying to pressure Minister of Education and Higher Education Ahmad Al-Mulaifi by placing him in a confrontational situation with MPs “for failing to fulfill responsibilities by keeping the situation at the ministry under control.”

Separately, legal staff members from state departments who have been on strike for several weeks plan to stage a mass protest Sunday morning in front of the parliament building, according to a statement released by their union, reported Al-Rai. “This measure comes as part of procedures we intend to take in face of the government’s rightful demands,” the union’s statement reads. The protestors demand equality in pay with their peers at the Fatwa and Legislative Department, the General Investigations Department, and the Legal Department a the Kuwait Municipality. They are classified with different job specifications according to which they are entitled to receive higher pay. The protesting legal staff members argue that their work is equal to those of the three departments, and should be entitled to receive similar pay, reported Al- Qabas.

KUWAIT: “If we fail to work together and shift our track by paying more attention to environmental issues and taking action, we’re going to face horrific consequences,” said Sandra Al-Saleh, Co-Director of the Green Caravan Film Festival. The festival, which is organized by Equilibrium, began at the UN House yesterday marking its third endeavor to raise awareness about environmental issues through the medium of film. During the opening, which was hosted by festival partner UNDP Kuwait, snippets from the films were shown and talks were given on the event.

Throughout the week, seven internationally acclaimed films will be shown free of charge across different venues, starting with the short film ‘Sun Come Up’ followed by ‘Colony’ at Cinemagic rooftop cinema in Salmiya today at 7:30 pm.

All of the films concentrate on pressing environmental issues such as climate change and pollution and present them from a new, more accessible angle. This, according to AlSaleh, is a vital point in improving the situation in Kuwait.

“We need to raise awareness across the country; trying to target one sector of society alone would be like one-handed clapping.

The key is to get people passionate about the issue so that they address it at home and apply pressure on the government to address it nationally.”

She continued, “We want people to see the movies and leave with a new perspective and, hopefully, think about reconsidering their actions.”

Al-Saleh added that a major issue in Kuwait is wastefulness. “The level of wastefulness here is very worrying. We’re a Muslim country and it’s against our culture to be this wasteful.

Why are we throwing away food that is still edible, and waste that can be composted?”

She continued, “Even if someone’s not concerned about the health of society and the

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: A 60-year-old citizen sustained a head injury, a 21-year-old suffered multiple bruises in a car accident that took place along King Fahad Road near Bayan Palace. Both were admitted to Mubarak hospital.

A 42-year-old citizen received suffered severe lacerations after being involved in a car accident that took place along the Fourth Ring Road near Qurtuba. He was admitted to Mubarak Hospital.

By Nawara Fattahova

Kuwait grants financial aid for Somalia GENEVA: Kuwait has donated $250,000 to the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for aiding the federation humanitarian projects in Somalia and its relief agencies, said Kuwait’s permanent delegate at the UN in Geneva Ambassador Dharar Abdul-Razzak Razzooqi yesterday.

Razzooqi said that he had personally delivered the donation during a meeting with the federation Secretary General, Bekele Geleta, adding that his talks with

Geleta dealt with conditions in Somalia, a nation suffering from instability as a result of mushrooming rebellions.

The financial support would be invested in financing projects and installations in the health and education sectors, as well as improving loving conditions of the natives.

He indicated that Kuwait planned to donate another quarter a million dollars to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, aimed at giving some support for the Somalis. — KUNA

effects such actions have on the environment, it’s important to keep in mind that the economy can be detrimentally affected by the failure to address the issue properly. Plus, there’s a lot of potential, business-wise, in recycling waste effectively.” What’s more, Al-Saleh revealed that much of Kuwait’s waste (7090%) can be reused.

In addition to wastefulness, much waste in Kuwait is incorrectly disposed of. “Batteries are the major problem: they should only be disposed of in specific bins and never be thrown into household waste.” Interestingly, another problem is the disposal of electronic waste, “Parts from old electronics can be broken down and reused. Or if it’s just a matter of updating your product for a newer version, someone else can use the old product.”

However, it’s well known that personal privacy is carefully safeguarded in Kuwait, which often deters many from allowing their old laptops or phones to be taken by another or bro-

ken down for parts. “It’s easy to remove all of the information from a laptop, permanently.

Erasing the hard drive and magnetizing it will do the job.”

She added, “In Europe, they have special kiosks now that delete all of the information off of the item right before your eyes before whisking the item off and leaving you with a receipt for reimbursement of the value of the item. It’s a great scheme.”

Such initiatives and recycling options, however, rely on the interest of the public in improving Kuwait’s environmental awareness and responsibility.

“There needs to be a nationwide campaign held on the issue. We’re lucky that we have the resources to take action and do something, but it’s just a matter of making something happen. It’s no longer about profit over people, and we have the ability to make a change. If we don’t, it’s going to come back to haunt us.”

Seven injured in car accidents

Eclipse rumor dupes many across Kuwait

GENEVA: Ambassador Dharar Abdul-Razzak Razzooqi presenting the donation to Bekele Geleta yesterday.

KUWAIT: UN officials addressing a press conference at the opening of the Green Caravan Film Festival yesterday. —Photo by Joseph Shagra

KUWAIT: A rumor claiming that a solar eclipse will take place tomorrow was successfully spread yesterday using social messaging services. Despite including false information based on ridiculous claims, the message quickly spread and was believed by many who went as far as changing their plans in order to avoid leaving home tomorrow.

The message claimed that the sun will blacken and that the stars will be visible throughout the day time. It added that seeing the sun in such a state may lead to blindness.

Eisa Ramadan, who is a Meteorologist and an Astrologist, advised people not to believe such nonsense, adding, “There won’t be any eclipse on Friday or this month, and eclipses aren’t dangerous whatsoever. It’s not true that the hours of day and night will be equal, in fact the night will be longer on Friday.” he stated.

Ramadan added that there will be a lunar eclipse next month, “On Moharam 15 (Dec 10, 2011) there will be a partial lunar eclipse.”

Astrologist Adel Al-Sadoun reaffirmed the illegitimacy of the rumor, “In Kuwait no eclipse will be seen. There will be a partial solar eclipse only seen on the South Pole. This will not affect the length of the day or night time.” He added, “Unfortunately, even many educated people are gullible and will believe any rumor even if it’s not logical. People should be more aware of believing information when it’s not from reliable source.”

A 26-year-old citizen suffered a back injury, a 22-year-old suffered breathing difficulties and abdominal pain and a 43-year-old suffered facial injuries in a car accident that took place along King Fahad Road near Julaiah. They were admitted to Adan hospital. A 29-year-old citizen fractured his right leg in a car accident that took place along Seventh Ring Road. He was admitted to Farwaniya hospital.

Hit and run cases A 30-year-old Indian suffered injuries to

the head after a speeding car ran over him in Salwa. He was admitted to Mubarak hospital. I n another case, a 28-year- old Sri Lank an sustained a broken lef t shoulder after a car knocked him down near Farwaniya Fire Center. He was admitted to Farwaniya hospital.

Also, a 27-year-old Filipina fractured her leg after a car ran over her at the crossroads between Shamiya and residential Shuwaikh.

She was admitted to Amiri hospital.

Amir swears in new info, communication ministers KUWAIT: Newly-named ministers of information and communication performed the swearing-in protocol in front of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah at Bayan Palace yetserday. The Amir received, in the presence of HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah, Salem Al-Uthainah as the Minister of Electricity, Water and Minister of Communication and Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah as Minister of Information.

Al-Uthainah was named Minister of Communication in addition to his other posts, and Sheikh Hamad Jaber swore in, in front of HH the Amir.

Sheikh Hamad

Private sector salary study to be completed by January KUWAIT: Kuwait is looking to increase the salaries of citizens working in the private sector by raising the financial support they receive from the government, according to a senior official. The official indicated that a study on the issue will be complete by January.

“A work team consisting of representatives from five locations is currently comparing salaries and job classifications of citizens in the private sector with their peers in the public sector,” said Fawzi AlMajdali, the Assistant Secretary General for Labor Forces Affairs at the Manpower and Government Restructuring Program.

In addition to the MGRP, the work team consists of members from the Civil Ser vice Commission, the Public Institution for Social Security, the Kuwait

University and the Kuwait Institution for Scientific Research.

Moreover, Al-Majdali noted that the study will address the differences in privileges between people working in the same roles in the private and public sectors. “There are jobs in the private sector that pay more for an employee compared to the same position in the public sector,” Al-Majdali said.

He added that privileges such as simpler procedures when applying to take study time or leave make positions in the Government sector more appealing to Kuwaiti job hopefuls.

Al-Majdali also indicated that the number of Kuwaitis in the private sector is increasing by an average of 5000 employees per year. —Al Qabas

CBK donates equipment to special needs school

KUWAIT: Mutlaq Al-Otaibi Chairman of the Arab Union to Fight Malpractices and Amal Hassan Zaki Chairman of the Exporters and Importers Union are seen exchanging vital documents in this photograph.

KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait (CBK) has provided technological educational equipment to the Al-Wafa’a girls’ school for students with special needs in its efforts to support social and educational causes.

“The CBK gives special attention to those with special needs as we aim to help them use the latest technology to overcome their everyday problems,” said Amani Al-Waraa, Assistant General Director for the bank’s Advertisement and Public Relations Department.

Al-Wafaa school’s headmistress, Mariyam Theyab, expressed gratitude for the gesture, commenting that it “reflects the CBK’s ongoing commitment in serving people Amani Al-Waraa with special needs”.

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011

local

KUWAIT: The Head of mission of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Governmental Trade office in Kuwait hosted a reception on Tuesday in celebration of the 28th anniversary of the declaration of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus at Cliffs Complex. It was attended by a number of diplomats and other dignitaries. —Photos by Joseph Shagra

‘My Muse is the Woman’ KUWAIT: Ghadir Gallery is honored to present the art work of Samira Bukhamseen on her first personal Art Exhibition under the title “My Muse is the Woman,” which includes 62 oil paintings.

Bukhamseen said of her artistic background, “I didn’t go to any school of Arts, I’m self taught. I started with just a pencil, then followed by drawing flowers; something about the delicacy of its petals reminded me of how feminine and gentle a woman is. Then from my landscape paintings I learned the alphabets of oil painting. I started exploring World Art, which taught me a lot.”

“I named the exhibition “My Muse is the Woman” because it showcases an honest, sincere statement; that a woman draws the hopes and sorrows of another woman. The women in my work are surrounded with mesmerizing Eastern settings, and are in so many real situations of happiness, hope, despair, loss and breakdown. There is nothing more cruel than to break the wings of a woman who lives by flying in her own colorful sky of creativeness”.

Regarding her educational background in Geology, Samira added “The different colors of earth layers were my gateway and introduction to the shades of nature.

It was a perfect way to start my journey in art”.

Expats, citizens slam plan to build ‘expat hospitals’ Kuwait reputation would be damaged

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: The plan to build separate hospitals for expatriates in Kuwait has drawn flak from both expatriates and citizens. “Are they building a new hospital because the diagnosis of lung cancer is done differently for expats and locals?,” a visibly annoyed female expat snapped. “I don’t see the need for ‘expat hospitals.’ The solution is to build new hospitals to accommodate more patients,” she said. The plan to build three new hospitals for expatriates was initiated by the Ministry of Health (MoH) through the Minister of Health Dr Hilal Al-Sayer with the aim of tackling the issue of overcrowding. When implemented, current public medical facilities would be left for the exclusive use of citizens.

Seething with sarcasm, another expat remarked, “Why don’t they build separate hos-

pitals for Bangladeshis, Filipinos, Americans and Europeans? I think that will be more organized and pragmatic.” A citizen also questioned the move, considering the location at which the three hospitals would be built. “I heard that these will be built in Jahra, Ahmadi and Farwaniya governorates. If the government is really serious about helping expats, the hospitals should be built closer to where the expatriate populations are concentrated.

Most expatriates reside in Hawally and Farwaniya. Why would they want to build hospitals in Jahra and Ahmadi governorates?” he asked.

MoH has stated that the new facilities will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology.

According to an MoH official, when completed, citizens can also avail of the medical insurance policy offered there. Another citizen made the following suggestion: “Instead of

Procedural errors retain deportees in prison KUWAIT: The number of inmates imprisoned in the deportation jail have reduced by half within two months. As it stands today, the jail lodges 400 inmates instead of the previous figure of 800, stated a recent report quoting security officials familiar with Ministry of Interior statistics.

“The jail currently hosts the lowest number of inmates in years, with 300 men and 100 women in its cells,” said a source who preferred anonymity. He further indicated that the situation was resolved during

the past two months by a special committee, formed by I nterior Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Hmoud Al-Sabah, to study the problems that prevent inmates from being deported.

In the meantime, officials admitted that there have been some ‘errors’ causing some inmates to stay in prison temporarily . “The committee discovered the cases of inmates who spent years in the jail despite the fact that their deportation order was issued on the same day as their arrest,” said a source, adding that the

problem was created by miscommunication between depar tments, reported Al-Rai. Officials further explained how problems can occur when they are depor ted directly without being charged as per residency regulations. “The failure to follow up with proper legal procedures places complications in forcing the sponsor to provide the inmate’s passport and pay dues, eventually leaving the inmate to spend prolonged periods of time behind bars,” a source explained.

Convention against doping PARIS: Public Authority for Youth and Sports (PAYS) Chairman Faisal AlJazzaf announced that Kuwait has been voted to represent Arab countries in the “approval committee” formed by the signatories of the UNESCO Convention against doping in sport.

In statements following the participation in the third conference of UNESCO Convention against doping in sport held here, Jazzaf revealed that the member states have approved Ahmad al-Khaza’al, head of the

International Relations Department at PAYS, to represent the Arab region. “ This decision reflects Kuwait’s great interest in and support to international efforts to fight doping in sports,” Jazzaf said, noting that Kuwait contribute $20,000 every year for the UNESCO anti-doping fund.

The UNESCO Convention against doping in sport-introduced to promote the prevention of and the fight against doping-has already been signed by 162 countries, with Belize and Bhutan set to add their signatures

soon.

However, the World Anti-Doping Agency ( WADA) insist this is not enough and urged governments to do their bit by adopting laws to prohibit the traffic of doping products, which can be easily obtained via the internet. National and regional antidoping agencies have been introduced across all five continents and programs have been brought in to individual sporting federations, but WADA called for more effort to fight the sophisticated doping.—KUNA

The Juveniles Care Home building.

Social care staff demand allowance

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: A group of employees working at social care homes plan to stage a labor strike next Sunday unless the government meets their demands. Their demands include

that their pay is made equal with that of Kuwaiti teachers working in public schools, whose general allowance was passed by the parliament this week. The protestors, most of whom work in care homes for people with special needs, said

in a statement that the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Justice and Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Dr Mohammad Al-Afasi, should allocate a special allowance for them “due to the excessive work pressure” they are subjected to.

building separate hospitals for expatriates, I suggest building a hospital for the elderly or special needs individuals. “It can also lessen the number of patients that crowd at public hospitals. Building hospitals for expatriates is a crazy idea. It doesn’t really make sense.”

The Kuwait Doctors Association condemned the move last week and released an official statement. They said, it would damage Kuwait’s reputation in the medical field. “The current formation of the draft law doesn’t go in line with the international human rights agreements that Kuwait has signed, and can hurt Kuwait’s reputation if it is built without medical, financial or humanitarian justification,” the statement read. The medical association also explained that deteriorating medical conditions in Kuwait doesn’t justify the formulation of regulations that promote racism or discrimination in accessing public services.

In a comment published by Al-Rai, MoH Undersecretary Ibrahim Al-Abdulhadi noted that the plan to build three hospitals for expatriates is necessary and is part of the health insurance system that covers expatriates. It reportedly will soon be applicable to citizens as well. A shareholding company will run hospitals ‘to provide basic medical services to expatriates using high-tech equipment and specialized medical staff.’ Public hospitals, according to Abdulhadi, will still be open to expatriate patients during emergency cases. However, there are some expats who favor separate hospitals, “For me it’s okay, at least it will become obvious to everybody.

We’ll not see cases of Kuwaitis trying to break a queue because they are Kuwaitis. In that way, as expats, we’ll be assured that we receive equal treatment in that hospital,” another expat commented.

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Years

LOCAL

Schoolgirls vandalize classroom in Firdous Parents urged to cooperate KUWAIT: The headmistress of a girl’s high school in Firdous pressed charges against a group of students that allegedly damaged the furniture of their classroom.

The headmistress headed directly to the area’s police station after students did not respond when queried about the vandalized items found in their classroom. The students’ parents were summoned and asked to cooperate with the ongoing investigation. They will be forced to bear responsibility for their daughters’ actions if it is proven that the girls caused the incident.

Drunk driver A drunk driver faces multiple charges after being chased down by police between Salmiya and Hawally. Several vehicles were damaged in the process. Patrol vehicles went in pursuit of the suspect after he drove away despite being ordered to pull over in Salmiya. Police intercepted him in Hawally and was eventually arrested while trying to escape. The man was found in a drunken stupor and a liquor bottle was found in his vehicle. Meanwhile, after performing a background check, it was

revealed that he had been sentenced to serve a 15- year jail term.

The suspect also suffers from a history in criminal behavior.

Stolen safe found A search is ongoing for thieves whose fingerprints were found on a safe that was recently found abandoned at a public place. It had been reported stolen by its owner a week before. Police headed to a spot located behind a stable in AlJahra where a citizen allegedly found a broken safe containing documents.

Police identified the safe’s owner as the dossiers bore his name.

After being contacted, the owner confirmed that he had reported it missing upon returning from a foreign trip during the Eid Al-Adha holidays. He added that the safe contained KD 10,000 and jewelry.

Newborn in jail An Asian woman gave birth to a baby boy in a prison cell at Ahmadi police station. She has been imprisoned in connection with an adultery case. The domestic worker’s Kuwaiti employer turned her over to police after she showed pregnancy symptoms. During

interrogations, she admitted to being in an illegal relationship with the family’s driver. The same night, however, the woman entered into labor and delivered the child. The mother and her newborn were admitted to the nearest hospital to receive medical attention.

Scandalous graffiti Ahmadi police are investigating the case where inflammatory remarks were found plastered across the mosque’s wall. Criminal investigators accompanied police officers to the scene where an Imam noticed the writing on the wall of the mosque.

Residency violators At least 137 individuals belonging to Arab and Asian nationalities were arrested in connection with flouting residency regulations. The detainees were referred to proper authorities. Most are expected to be deported.

Infiltrator arrested Saudi Arabian authorities handed over a citizen to their Kuwaiti counterparts after he infiltrated into the country, placing a border security officer’s life at risk. The sus-

pect refused to halt his car at the Nuwaiseeb border checkpoint, and drove past it towards the Saudi checkpoint - while a security officer barely escaped being run over by the car.

The man was arrested at the Saudi checkpoint. Saudi authorities had been immediately alerted about the incident. Investigations revealed that the man faced a travel ban after being convicted in a criminal case. In an interrogation, he denied knowledge about the travel ban.

Thief attacked A man was hospitalized with a stab wound after he attempted to rob a shopper at a co-operative society in Shaab.

A bedoon (stateless) resident had purchased a KD 30 phone credit card from the store. While he was topping up his phone’s credit, an Egyptian man standing behind him copied the number on to his own cell phone. Upon noticing the trick, the robbed shopper lashed out at the thief and attacked him with a sharp object. Police arrested the stabber while the injured man was admitted to Mubarak Hospital.

— Al-Watan, Al-Anba, Al-Qabas

GCC e-govt conference ‘a great success’ KUWAIT: Participants in the second e-government conference of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) concurred that this year’s session was a great success.

In statements following the closing ceremony, Head of the Central Agency for Information Technology Abdul-Latif Al-Sarea said that more than 30 specialized bodies have taken part in

the event and 85 projects were competing on the e-government prize.

Al-Sarea expressed admiration of the constructive discussions and exchange of experience among participants.

He noted that the CAIT will compile and publish a book and CD including the conference working papers due to its importance.

Al-Sarea voiced gratitude for His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah for his patronage of the conference and Acting Minister of Information and Communications Salem Metheeb Al-Uthayna for his attendance in the opening ceremony and visit to the exhibition held on the sidelines of the event. — KUNA

KUWAIT: The Ambassador of Belgium Damien Angelet hosted a reception at his residence this week on the occasion of the King’s Day. High-ranking officials, diplomats and media persons attended the reception. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

Gallery shows works of Abdelhamid Al-Khlaifi KUWAIT: Al-Adwani art galler y in Abdullah Al-Salem area is showcasing a selection of works by Kuwaiti artist Abdelhamid Al-Khlaifi, which is his second, and the exhibition lasts till Nov 21.

The Secretariat of the National Council for Culture, Arts, and Letters (NCCAL) in a statement announcing the opening of the exhibition noted that the arts schools in Kuwait created generations of art enthusiasts and artists who enjoy many forms of creativity.

The artist himself, the statement said, was among the first to graduate from the Higher Institute of Theatrical Arts, Interior Design Department. He has helped in the design of pavilions and

interiors needed for many functions of the International Relations Department of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for 14 years.

Being active on the job did not prevent the artist from satisfying his own craving for creative production, and his most promising works were showcased in art exhibitions such as the Kharafi Art biennial exhibition in 2004, Al-Qurain Cultural Festivals, and exhibitions in 2010. The secretariat added that many Kuwaitis were impressed with Surrealism in their early careers, and that many of the works currently on display belong to this school of art. Other works depict scenes from old Kuwait. — KUNA

Heart checkups, awareness vital KUWAIT: Heart checkups and awareness of heart disease are of high importance, Undersecretary of Civil Service Commission Mohammad Al-Roumi said yesterday. The Kuwaiti Heart Society (KHS) called on all governmental bodies to start conducting such tests, he added.

Al-Roumi added in a speech he presented in a symposium on heart diseases held in the CSC, that regular checkup is the best guarantee for a longer and healthier life.

Workers of CSC will undergo checkups, he said, hoping that the other governmental bodies would follow suit.

Dr Hind Al-Shawmar, a member of the

awareness committee in the KHS, said that there are a number of causes for heart diseases like smoking, poor nutrition, anxiety, tension, high cholesterol and triglycerides. Both young and old are at risk, she said, adding that to prevent heart diseases is a personal choice, like to quit smoking.

She also stressed on the importance of exercising regularly, and reducing intake of sugar and salt, and eating lots of vegetables and fruit.

The KHS is holding an awareness campaign on heart disease since Sept 20, and will last for two months, under the slogan “Your heart, your life”. — KUNA

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Take more precautions as rainy season approaches MoI issues instructions to drivers KUWAIT: The Public Relations Director at the Ministry of Interior Colonel Adel AlHashash expressed condolences to the families of 17 individuals that were killed in road accidents during Eid Holidays. He blamed the accidents on over speeding, lack of attention and the use of mobile phones while driving. He cautioned against running traffic lights, cutting in line and the practice of overtaking vehicles without giving proper signals.

Al-Hashash emphasized on the importance of paying attention while driving as the rainy season approaches and when most roads are slippery. He highlighted that passengers accompanying motorists and pedestrians should be more careful while using the roads.

He went on to say that drivers should pay attention while driving and abide by traffic regulations for their own safety and the safety of others. Vehicles must be in good condition, especially tires, brakes, wipers and so forth.

He warned against going to the beach while it is raining because high-tide is likely to occur. He added maintenance work

Col Adel Al-Hashash should be performed at homes to ensure that water sewage drains function well and close electricity boxes to prevent children from toying with them.

In other news, several youth groups and political activists have been making calls to set up camps at Irada Square to stage a sitin until the Cabinet is dissolved.

It is inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protests, prompting Kuwaiti authorities to take preventive measures.

“Police will not permit tents being set up on the Iradah Square or any other public place, and will cooperate with the Kuwait Municipality and other relevant state depar tments,” said an official from the Ministry of Interior.

He was alluding to the fact that camps need to be licensed by the Municipality before being set up, reported Al-Qabas.

Ever since posts were put up on Twitter and other social networking websites for a Kuwaiti version of ‘occupy’ worldwide movements, the Interior Ministry took prompt measures Tuesday night to secure the Iradah Square - located along the Gulf Road in front of the parliament building.

The Ministry urged citizens to abide by rules and regulations on using public facilities and an official statement was released on the same day.

Kuwait hosts Arab health meeting KUWAIT: The Technical Advisory Committee for health legislation at the Council of Arab Ministers of Health began here yesterday a two-day meeting, focusing on issues related to regulating the medical profession.

Kuwait Health Ministry Undersecretary Dr Ibrahim Abdulhadi said that the meeting touched on issues related to the regulation of the medical profession in the Arab region.

The meeting discussed two important topics on the agenda including a draft law on medical supplies and another regulating media on medicinal herbs and alternative medicine with the participation of legal experts from the ministries of health

Efforts to preserve, develop Gulf musical heritage KUWAIT: Minister of Electricity and Water and Acting Minister of Information and Communication Salem Metheeb Ahmad AlUthayna said the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is exerting strenuous efforts to save and develop traditional Gulf music.

In the opening speech of the Gulf Musical Arts Festival, organized by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) here, Al-Uthayna said that these efforts include training courses, conferences, competitions and academic studies.

KUWAIT: Municipality officials holding inspection campaigns.

‘Municipality should play more proactive role’

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Inspection campaigns are held to preserve the health and safety of consumers, remarked Fahad Al-Otaibi, Director of Ahmadi governorate. He added that the Municipality should play a more proactive role in supermarkets

and food outlets.

He said that several violations were detected at co-operative societies’ warehouses located in Fintas where goods are unsafely stored near the emergency exit, and others in the fire equipment box. He said 19 citations were issued to outlets that stored food materials in poor condi-

tions, failed to comply with safety conditions, failing to obtain health certificates, and failing to provide workers with a uniform. He said that 66 kilograms of food that is unfit for human consumption were destroyed.

Meanwhile, Abdallah Al-Shimmari Director of Inspections and Services

in the Arab countries and specialists in medical herbs.

On his part, Director of Legal Affairs and investigation in the Ministry of Health Dr Mahmoud Al-Abdulhadi said that the meeting would see submission of guidelines bills for ministries of health in the Arab countries through regular meetings.

In regards to the meeting’s agenda, the official said the law of medical supplies would regulate the recruitment and use of medical devices, while the second law would regulate the practice of alternative medicine. The meeting’s outcome will be for warded to the Arab Health Ministers meeting to be held in Cairo in 2012. —KUNA

Follow Up Department said a team from the department held a raid in Mangaf and issued 37 citations for operating the store before obtaining a health license, using unlicensed areas, employing workers without obtaining health certificate and failure to comply with public cleanliness rules.

“We should preserve the musical heritage of the Gulf region through documentation, academic study and improvement of songs” he said.

The minister, who heads NCCAL, went on to say that the social life of people is linked to their cultural contributions. “Song is the best expression of the cultural aspects of life,” he said.

Al-Uthayna pointed out that the festival aims to shed lights on the features and cultural roots of Gulf music. —KUNA

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Chaos in the chamber

KUWAIT: Chaos erupted late yesterday after protesters stormed the National Assembly and demonstrated inside the Abdullah Al-Salem . — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Change Square seeks to be genesis for a new Yemen

Obama insists US does not fear China Page 10

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GANSU: Chinese rescuers look at a body trapped inside a kindergarten minibus after it collided head-on with a truck loaded with coal on a road in Qingyang yesterday. — AP

18 kids die in China school bus crash 62 children packed into van with 9 seats BEIJING: An overloaded school minibus crashed head-on with a truck in rural western China yesterday, killing at least 18 kindergarten children on their way to class, officials said. Sixty-two children and two adults were crowded into the bus, which had just nine seats, officials said. The driver and a teacher died along with the children, aged 5 and 6, said the director of the provincial work safety

emergency office, surnamed Fan. News of the crash ignited public anger across China, with hundreds of thousands of people venting on Twitter-like microblogs, highlighting an underfunded education system that especially shortchanges students in remote areas.

“This accident says a lot about the problems with the government’s role of monitoring school

Arabs and Israel to attend nuke talks VIENNA: Arab states and Israel plan to attend a rare round of talks next week on efforts to free the world of nuclear weapons but Iran has yet to say whether it will take part in the meeting in Vienna, diplomats said yesterday. The Nov 21-22 forum, hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency, is seen as symbolically significant in seeking to bring regional foes together at the same venue and start a dialogue, even though no concrete outcome is expected. If conducted smoothly with toneddown rhetoric on both sides, it could send a positive signal ahead of a planned international conference next year on ridding the Middle East of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. “It is a good opportunity for everybody to sit and talk but I don’t think it is going

to achieve a tangible result,” a Western diplomat said.

Israel is widely believed to harbour the Middle East’s only nuclear arsenal, drawing frequent Arab and Iranian condemnation. Israel and the United States regard Iran as the region’s main proliferation threat, accusing Tehran of seeking to develop a nuclear weapons capability in secret. An IAEA report last week added independent weight to those allegations. Convened by IAEA chief Yukiya Amano, next week’s discussions will focus on the experiences of regions in the world which have set up Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zones (NWFZ), including Africa and Latin America, and their possible relevance for the Middle East. —Reuters

safety,” said Liu Shanying, expert in public administration at the state-run Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. “It involves the education, traffic safety and work safety authorities. They should all be blamed for this. They should all be held responsible.” “The kindergarten van was carrying seven times as many passengers as it should have been, which meant the kindergarten should have bought seven times as many vans,” Liu said.

The collision with the truck in China’s Gansu province left the orange school bus a crumpled and twisted wreckage. Authorities blamed the overloading for the accident, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Gao Shaobo, head of traffic police in Zhengning county, where the kindergarten is located, said that 20 people had died and 44 were still hospitalized - two in critical condition and 12 with serious injuries. The impact of the crash drove the front of the minibus back into the seats, ripped open the top and buckled the sides of the vehicle, while the front of the truck was slightly damaged. Xinhua reported that the truck was loaded with coal, but Gao told state broadcaster CCTV that it was used to transport stones and was empty at the time of the accident.

The bus was on its way to the Little Doctor Kindergarten on the outskirts of Qingyang city after picking up the children when the accident happened, Gao said. “The van was driving on the wrong side of the street. Both the truck and the van were going at high speeds at the time,” he said. The two people in the truck were not

injured, and police detained the driver, he said.

The bus was run by the kindergarten, Xinhua said, citing Li Yuanqing, a government press official with Zhengning county.

Such overcrowding on school buses is common in China, and accidents happen frequently because of poorly maintained vehicles and poor driving habits. State television aired a story in September about a minivan with eight seats that was stopped while carrying 64 preschoolers.

Yesterday’s school bus accident appeared to be one of the worst in China in recent years. In December, 14 children died when their school bus plunged into a creek in heavy fog near the central city of Hengyang. Crashes have become a feature of Chinese life as safety habits have failed to catch up to the rapid growth in road traffic amid the buoyant economy.

Chinese Twitter-like microblogs exploded in rage after yesterday’s accident, registering more than 800,000 posts within hours of the news.

Particular ire was directed at government spending. Many made comparisons to the quality of US school buses, some by attaching a photo purporting to show a Hummer smashed under the rear fender of a hardly dented school bus in Indianapolis. “Look at American school buses. ...

Our school buses are irresponsible when it comes to children’s lives,” ran the heading attached to many posts.

“Won’t this make the government wake up?”

Zhang Zhen, an editor with the popular Dahe Bao newspaper, said on Sina Corp’s Weibo

microblog service. He said the government should divert funds from public money spent on overseas travel, cars and receptions “to give middle, primary and nursery schools in poor areas more strong, decent and spacious school vehicles.” Beijing has made a concerted effort to rebuild and improve a public education system that had withered with the collapse of centrally planned socialism in the 1990s. Central government spending on education has steadily grown in recent years, rising a projected 16 percent this year to 296 billion yuan ($46 billion), about three-quarters of it given to local governments.

The overall figures mask great disparities, with rural areas and small cities like Qingyang chronically short of funds. Some local governments lack funds to pay teachers, who in egregious cases have charged parents extra fees to teach their children the required curriculum.

Little Doctor Kindergarten, however, falls outside the formal school system. Privately run, the school serves mostly children from farming families, according to the education bureau of Zhengning county. Qingyang and its surrounding rural areas have seen fast, chaotic growth in recent years. The area sits amid arid hills along the middle reaches of the Yellow River, where Chinese civilization first flourished but which is now known for its poverty. Rural incomes in the region average about 3,660 yuan ($570) per person, about one-fourth the level of city dwellers.

More than 120,000 rural residents in the area lack access to clean drinking water. — AP

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011

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Kazakhstan prez calls snap legislative polls Nazarbayev wants to see multi-party parliament ALMATY: Kazakhstan’s veteran leader dissolved the lower house of parliament yesterday and called a snap parliamentary election in midJanuary, a move designed to add a veneer of democracy to Central Asia’s largest economy as a new financial crunch looms. The election, to be held on Jan. 15-16, will dilute the ruling party’s monopoly in the oil-producing country and install at least a nominal opposition presence in the one-party chamber. Many analysts expect the second-placed party to be widely sympathetic to the ruling Nur Otan party and pose no direct challenge to the leadership of the former Soviet republic.

A snap parliamentary election had been widely predicted after 71-year-old President Nursultan Nazarbayev won another five years in office in a presidential vote in April. The next parliamentary election had been scheduled for August 2012.

Nazarbayev, who has ruled his vast nation of 16.6 million for more than 20 years with little tolerance of dissent, held consultations on Tuesday after members of the lower house-the Mazhilisasked him last week to dissolve the chamber.

Presidential site www.akorda.kz quoted Nazarbayev as telling the meeting that society needed “a multi-party parliament” and that an election campaign in the middle of next year would only distract authorities from tackling a looming economic crisis. “Events in the European Union affect us directly,” he said. “European states are not only Kazakhstan’s natural and important partners. They are investors and the markets for our goods.”

He said a new parliament, to be elected for five years, would better equip Kazakhstan to modernise its economy, which still depends

heavily on the export of oil and metals.

Nazarbayev announced the election in a presidential decree. The vote from party lists will be held on Jan. 15, and the People’s Assembly of Kazakhstan, a consultative body loyal to the president, will select its nine deputies the following day. The upper house of parliament, the Senate, will assume the lower house’s responsibility until a new Mazhilis is formed. Senate Chairman Kairat Mami is currently the person who would automatically assume the presidential duties in the event of Nazarbayev’s leaving office unexpectedly.

Springboard into politics Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s largest economy and oil producer, has achieved annual economic growth of around 8 percent over the last decade and attracted more than $120 billion in foreign investment since independence. But the country has never held an election judged free and fair

by Western monitors. Nazarbayev’s Nur Otan party, which has 98 of the 107 seats in the Mazhilis, controls every facet of life in Kazakhstan and is widely expected to win an overwhelming election majority. The People’s Assembly chooses the other deputies.

Changes to the electoral law will permit the second-placed party in the next election to enter parliament even if it falls short of the 7 percent threshold that guarantees a presence. Gemma Ferst, analyst with Eurasia Group, said the election might provide a “springboard” for Timur Kulibayev, the president’s son-in-law, to enter the political arena that he has long shunned.

Kulibayev, the billionaire head of the sovereign wealth fund, is viewed by many analysts as the

most likely successor to Nazarbayev, but has always played down political ambitions.

He is seen as close to Ak Zhol, a party representing big business and many of the elite which has risen rapidly to become the second-largest political party in the country by membership. “Of course we’ll be going to the polls. I think we are capable of winning 15 to 20 seats,” Azat Peruashev, chairman of the Ak Zhol party, told Reuters.

Critics barred Another party, Adilet, also has designs on second place. Tolegen Sydykhov, first deputy chairman, said he expected his party-which represents the interests of many lawyers and lawmakers-to score around 15 percent of the vote.

“Here’s hoping that we follow the natural path to a multi-party parliament, and not an artificial one,” Sydykhov said. Mazhilis speaker Ural Mukhamedzhanov, who also heads the Nur Otan parliamentary faction, said he expected up to half of the existing members of parliament to retain their seats.

“This parliament is very professional and the guys have gained a lot of good experience,” Mukhamedzhanov was quoted as saying by news agency Novosti-Kazakhstan. One party which will not be participating is the harshly critical Alga! (“Forward!”), which has repeatedly been denied official registration. Its leader has called the election “window-dressing for the West”.

The Communist Party of Kazakhstan, also fiercely critical of Nazarbayev, was suspended for six months in October. This led it to accuse the authorities at the time of eliminating potential opponents in a snap vote.— Reuters

In east Jerusalem, streets set to finally have names JERUSALEM: Many east Jerusalem residents have for decades lived on anonymous streets where home delivery is almost impossible-but that is about to change thanks to a long-awaited plan to name the roads. The programme should end years of confusion and, crucially, give Palestinians in the annexed eastern sector access to services including home mail delivery, a tall order in the absence of street names or house numbers. “We have been demanding that our streets be named for years,” said Hossam Watad, head of the community centre in Beit Hanina neighbourhood.

“If you need an ambulance or any emergency service, you should be able to tell them exactly where you live.” For residents living in homes without numbers and streets without names, jobs as simple as calling a plumber was a matter of finding local landmarks to direct the technician.

And getting post delivered to a home address was simply impossible, with residents relying on post boxes at the nearest post office to receive letters and bills, which often ended up being paid late because of the difficulties.

Palestinian residents of east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community, often complain of discrimination by the municipality. Though they are not Israeli citizens, they pay the same municipal taxes as the city’s Jewish residents. But they say the city provides fewer services in Arab neighbourhoods, makes it almost impossible to build, and only agreed to allow street names and house numbers after years of requests.

“This is happening after years of petitioning the municipality, the post office, and the ministry of communications,” Watad told AFP. Residents have even petitioned Israel’s high court on the issue of mail delivery, with the court accepting a

communication ministry pledge to work with the municipality and postal authority to find a solution. The Jerusalem municipality has promised that all the unnamed streets in the eastern part of the city will be given names by the end of 2012, with house numbers to follow.

JERUSALEM: A combo of pictures shows newly named streets in east Jerusalem. — AFP Avoid provocative names “Residents can give us names and then a committee will examine them, then another committee headed by a Supreme Court judge will examine them,” a municipality official said on condition of anonymity. “It is the same process in west Jerusalem and all of Israel,” he added. He said the programme was part of a push by Mayor Nir

Abbas to pledge swift action on new govt RAMALLAH: Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas was to pledge yesterday swift efforts with Hamas to form an interim government, in a speech marking seven years since Yasser Arafat’s death. The public address, details of which were explained to AFP by a Palestinian official, was timed to coincide with the 23rd anniversary of the Palestinian declaration of independence, made by Arafat in Algiers on November 15, 1988. Abbas was expected to reiterate a pledge to “speed up” the formation of an interim government, which until now has stymied efforts to implement a unity deal signed by his Fatah movement and its Hamas rivals, who rule the Gaza Strip.

Moves to set up a unity government ahead of new elections will be central to key talks between Abbas and exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal when they meet in Cairo next week to try and advance the reconciliation deal between the rival movements. Senior Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmed said the two factions had reached agreement on “important issues” which would be announced after the leaders meet on November 25.

“The meeting will also address the issue of presidential and legislative elections and there is an agreement between the Fatah and Hamas movements to hold them as scheduled in May,” he told AFP late on Monday.

“They will be preceded by the formation of a national consensus govern-

ment, the restructuring of the Central Election Commission, the formation of an election court, the initiation of national reconciliation and the restructuring of the security services,” he said.

Ahmed said he had “visited Cairo secretly several times” to prepare for the meeting, which would “involve a mutual understanding.” At a meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s Executive Committee late on Tuesday, the Palestinian umbrella group, of which Hamas is not a member, had called for reconciliation efforts to be speeded up. “The PLO executive committee underlines the importance of making real progress to open the way for reconciliation and advancing toward holding... elections,” it said in a statement.

Fatah signed an unexpected reconciliation deal with Hamas in May under which they were to have quickly set up a caretaker government of independent figures to prepare for elections within a year. But the agreement has never been implemented, with both sides bickering over the composition of the interim government and who should head it.

The last time the Palestinians went to the polls was for parliamentary elections in 2006, which Hamas won by a landslide. New parliamentary and presidential elections had been due in January 2010 but the Palestinian Authority abandoned efforts to hold a vote after Hamas refused to organise one in Gaza. — AFP

Barkat to “improve a lot of issues in east Jerusalem,” though he did not say why it had taken the municipality so long to implement the project. “Residents will be able to get mail correctly and call service people-it will help improve all aspects of life,” he said.

Jerusalem city councillor Meir Margalit, who belongs to the left-wing Meretz party, was the main person pushing the programme from inside the municipality. “We will start with Beit Hanina and Shuafat,” he told AFP, referring to neighbourhoods in the northeast of the city. “We asked communities in Sur Baher and Jabal al-Mukabber (southeast) to suggest their names and they sent us a list.”

Margalit said the municipality had asked residents to avoid “provocative names,” though he said he had no personal objection to any name which locals might choose. But the municipal source said none of the names which had been submitted were controversial. Watad said he had worked with local residents to come up with names.

“We presented a list of Arab names for streets in Shuafat and Beit Hanina and we chose acceptable names,” he said. Among the street names suggested were those of Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran and Egyptian writer Taha Hussein, as well as simpler choices such as “Al-Nakheel,” meaning palm tree, and “Al-Sadaqa,” Arabic for friendship. Alaa Bassem, a 24-year-old resident of Beit Hanina, said he was pleased the project was finally under way, but questioned why it had taken so long. “There isn’t any excuse for it. Jerusalem is relatively small, and this project should have been done many years ago,” he said. “It just proves that the Palestinian residents of Jerusalem are on the bottom rung of the ladder in the minds of the municipality.” — AFP

SANAA: A protestor chants slogans as he painted himself with Yemen’s flag on his face and Arabic writing on his chest that reads “Be angry” during a demonstration demanding the prosecution of Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh yesterday. — AP

Change Square seeks to be genesis for a new Yemen SANAA: They marched out of their tent camp in the heart of Yemen’s capital, holding hands and dancing to patriotic songs blaring from loudspeakers. Several walked with canes, others carried plastic flowers.

Some knelt down to offer what could be their last prayer. It wasn’t long before the gunshots rang out. The crowd kept marching toward the rattle of automatic weapons and the wailing of sirens. An ambulance screeched back from the shooting with the first casualty, carried out on a blanket held by the corners. By day’s end, four protesters had been shot to death by regime security forces and nearly 40 were wounded. Still, the marchers were upbeat as they flowed back to their camp, chanting “erhal, erhal,” Arabic for “leave.”

Yemen’s is the longest running of the Arab Spring uprisings around the Middle East, now approaching 10 months. During that time, Egypt’s and Tunisia’s presidents have fallen, Libya’s leader has been killed.

In Syria, where protests began a month after Yemen, the uprising has turned into a constant bloodbath with a crackdown by Bashar Assad’s regime. Throughout, Yemen’s protesters have plugged away.

Despite repeated attacks by security forces, their tent camp centered at a major Sanaa intersection they dubbed “Change Square” has spread over neighboring streets and grown to some 100,000 people - doubling during weekend protests. It has become a virtual town-within-a-city, hooked up with a jury-rigged running water system and big enough for a motorcycle taxi service from one end to another. Outside their tents, some protesters have planted date palm trees, which take years to grow, a symbol of their determination to stick it out as long as it takes.

Their fuel has been a powerful idealism.

The immediate goal is to force President Ali Abdullah Saleh out of power, but running through their tent camp is a feeling that they constitute the core for a “new Yemen” in which the tribal, regional and political rivalries that have long divided the impoverished nation will melt away. But maintaining that idealism is a tough task.

Political parties once allied with Saleh have joined the sit-in at Change Square and even come to dominate it, raising activists’ fears they will hijack the movement and settle for something short of radical change sought by the “revolution.” The protesters are also resisting being drawn under the wing of a senior military commander who abandoned Saleh and joined the opposition but who many activists fear is just seeking power for himself.

“The political parties are dealing with the revolution as a way of political bargaining with the regime,” said Khaled Al-Ansi, a 41-year-old lawyer who is among the top

activists. “We will not leave when Saleh leaves. We want a civil state and we will stay put until one is in place.” Change Square has become a melting pot, drawing a rich diversity from across Yemen and bringing together slices of society that otherwise rarely mingle. Tribesmen from the remote mountains and deserts march alongside urban professionals, and well-off merchants with the unemployed. Shiite rebels from the north and secessionists from the south join in with dissident soldiers who have in the past fought both their movements. Women and men mix with startling freedom for a country where segregation of the sexes is the hard-andfast rule. It’s been a learning experience.

Activist Fouad Shogaa el-Deen recalls the day when a group of tribesmen came to join the square.

Among tribes in Yemen’s mountains, you’re not a real man unless you’re in your traditional robes, a ceremonial dagger jammed in your belt. So the newcomers wearing the maouz, a traditional skirt-like garment - cast a skeptical eye on the effete city youth in their Western clothes. “Some of them came up to us, looked at us and asked us if we really thought we could topple Saleh’s regime while wearing pants,” said Shogaa el-Deen. “They thought that wearing pants took away something from our manhood.”

“Then they saw men in pants walk fearlessly toward gunfire and that changed their mind.” Egypt is a textbook case of how difficult it is to keep up that unified spirit.

Cairo’s Tahrir Square saw the same sort of unity during the 18 days of protests that toppled President Hosni Mubarak. Nine months after his fall, it’s been replaced by pessimism. Activists are divided, the ruling military is acting like the authoritarian Mubarak, and much of the former regime remains in place. Yemen’s activists say they have learned the lesson from Egypt not to surrender the street before broader gains are achieved than just the leader’s ouster.

They fear Yemen’s traditional political parties that have joined their camp will be too willing to do that. Foremost is the Islamist Islah, Yemen’s best organized and wealthiest political group, which calls for the creation of a purist Islamic state.

Islah has come to dominate the organizing committee in Change Square. In the process, it is alienating many activists, including some who belong to Islah. A powerful wing of moderates inside Islah is trying to reshape the party. One chief complaint is that Islah and other parties accepted a US-backed, Gulf-brokered deal, under which Saleh would surrender power to his vice president and a coalition government in return for immunity from prosecution for any crimes. —AP

Did US troops bring democracy?

Iraqis have their own doubts BAGHDAD: Sitting in a barber shop in Baghdad’s Shi’ite Sadr City slum, three friends agreed after a long and hard argument that US forces brought democracy to Iraq. But they found it difficult to utter the words without raging about the flip side of what they saw as the US occupation of their country. “OK, we have democracy. We can talk freely with no fear. We can demonstrate and vote freely. All these are available, and all were not before 2003,” said student Hussain Ali, 20, as he waited for his haircut.

“But why don’t you ask us about the other side of the story of the US presence in Iraq?

Why don’t you ask about their crimes, atrocities, the pain and anguish that we suffered because of their military presence here?” Ali said, his face turning red with anger. On April 9, 2003, US forces toppled a statue of dictator Saddam Hussein in central Baghdad, marking the end of more than 35 years of iron-fisted rule by Saddam’s Baath Party.

Then-US President George W. Bush said Iraq could become a model of democracy in the

JURF AL-SAKHAR: Men accused by the Iraqi authorities of being members of Al-Qaeda in Iraq are seen blindfolded and handcuffed yesterday. Iraqi officials said special operations commandos arrested the nine suspected Al-Qaeda insurgents during recent operations in Jurf Al-Sakhar. — AP

Middle East. But Iraqis who applauded the event and dreamed of a better future were disappointed as their nation descended into vicious sectarian warfare in which tens of thousands died. Recalling those years, many talk about the prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib, and what they call the US misuse of power. Since the invasion, Iraqis have chosen representatives in parliament and provincial councils in a series of elections deemed largely free and fair. Newspapers and news agencies have been established. New television channels are on the air. Non-governmental organisations and new political parties have been formed.

Nearly nine years after the invasion, the US military presence in Iraq is quickly coming to an end. The remaining 24,000 troops are due to leave before Dec 31. But political parties are at odds, sectarian divisions are rife, Sunni insurgents and Shi’ite militias threaten stability with scores of attacks each month and many people are uncertain that Iraq’s brand of democracy is what they need or want. “We got rid of Saddam, but the problem now is that we have many,” said Ali’s friend, Hamza Jabbar, 23, an unemployed security guard sitting in the barber shop. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi are jobless. The unemployment rate is 15 percent, with another 28 percent in part-time jobs. The government says just under a quarter of the estimated 30 million population lives in poverty. In conversations with dozens of Iraqis in Shi’ite Sadr City, all reluctantly conceded that U.S. forces had brought democracy. The teeming slum supports Moqtada al-Sadr, a fiercely anti-American Shi’ite cleric whose followers fought US forces. —AP

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Monti forms new Italy government Berlusconi packs up sword, vase on last day in office

BARCELONA: An electoral banner with an image of presidential candidate of Popular Party Mariano Rajoy with paint stains is seen in a street. —AP

Spain crisis cuts provoke teachers before elections MADRID: At Madrid’s state-funded Jose Luis Sampedro high school, teachers proudly recall pupils who have gone on to success: the maths prodigy, the virtuoso pianist, the NASA employee. It is a record, they fear, that lies in peril because of regional government spending cuts. Ahead of Sunday’s general election, teachers across the Madrid region are taking to the streets in a “Green Tide”, a reference to their green T-shirts that declare: “Public Education of all, for all”.

Class sizes at the Sampedro high school have swelled to up to 38 pupils, and 13 teaching posts have been cut under measures introduced by the regional government, led by the conservative Popular Party.

Madrid teachers have been ordered to give 20 hours of lessons per week, up from 18 previously, to save money on supply staff.

“They are squeezing tightly in every way possible to cut as much as possible,” said Sampedro maths teacher Inigo Echenique, 54.

“What angers us the most is that their aim is to limit the role of public education in the Madrid region,” he said, accusing the regional government of favouring private education.

The central Socialist government has ordered Spain’s 17 regions to cut public deficits to 1.3 percent of their economic output. In many regions, the health sector has been hit hard. But in Madrid, the biggest flashpoint is schools. With market pressure rising on Spain to strengthen its public finances, the cuts are likely to go even deeper after Sunday’s general election, which opinion polls say the Popular Party will win comfortably.

The Socialist government cut public sector salaries by five percent in May 2010. Now the rival Popular Party promises in its manifesto “an austerity plan involving the whole public administration, to eliminate excess spending and provide incentives for efficiency.” The party has given few details, although its leader Mariano Rajoy has said health and education will be spared. Fernando Vallespin, a political scientist at Madrid’s UAM university, said Spain had an unusually large private education sector.

At the time of General Francisco Franco’s death in 1975, “practically the whole education system was in the hands of the church”, and since then state investment in education has been slow to catch up, he said.

The labour ministry says one in two pupils in Madrid goes to a private school and three out of 10 in Spain overall.But according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Spanish pupils’ exam results rank below average in the rich world.

“In a country like this, with unemployment at more than 21 percent, it is a social problem,” says another Sampedro school teacher, technology master Jose Sebastian Trocoli.

The teachers have called a demonstration today and a strike for November 23. They say the movement will grow if the Popular Party takes power and tightens spending further.

“This protest is going to continue one way or another. Maybe in the education sector in Madrid, or maybe the spark will light up another part of the Spanish state or another sector,” said Echenique. “But as long as public services are under attack like this, it will provoke the same response.” —AP

ROME: Economist Mario Monti replaces Silvio Berlusconi as Italy’s new prime minister yesterday, tasked with saving the eurozone heavyweight from a crisis that has set off alarm bells around the world. Financial market pressure eased as the 68-year-old former European Union competition commissioner prepared to formally accept the nomination from President Giorgio Napolitano and unveil his new cabinet later yesterday. Monti will then be sworn in and there will be a handover ceremony with the departing Silvio Berlusconi, the flamboyant tycoon who resigned on Saturday to cheers in the streets of Rome after ruling for 10 of the past 17 years.

A confidence vote in parliament expected as early as today will then launch the new government, which will have to move quickly to reassure the international community that Italy is serious about implementing reforms. As he scrambled to put together his cabinet this week, Monti has sought to build consensus around the idea that Italians will have to make “sacrifices” to stave off bankruptcy and has called for “economic, social and civil growth.” Monti has won endorsements from all of Italy’s main political forces but he faces a major challenge in steering a course through a fractious political world, with particularly intense sniping from Berlusconi’s allies.

“He Can’t Last Long,” read a headline in the Berlusconi-owned Il Giornale daily, while some loyalists from Berlusconi’s People of Freedom party have called for the colourful billionaire to return to head Italy. A scathing editorial in business daily Il Sole 24 Ore said: “Political forces are divorced from reality, busy negotiating on names (of ministerial appointments) with no concern about weakening the incoming government.” Despite

Amnesty slams ‘authoritarian’ Azerbaijan BAKU: Azerbaijan has consolidated authoritarian rule under President Ilham Aliyev by criminalising peaceful dissent and using excessive force against demonstrators, Amnesty International said yesterday. The damning report is a blow to the image of the energy-rich ex-Soviet republic which is hoping to present a glitzy show to the world when it hosts the Eurovision song contest next year for the first time in its history. “In recent years, the government has consolidated its authoritarian rule and control of public life by adopting a wide range of laws and stepping up measures to harass and intimidate those, still a small minority, who dare to voice critical views,” Amnesty International said in the new report.

The report accuses Azerbaijan of outlawing protests, using excessive force against people taking part in unsanctioned demonstrations, curbing media freedoms, harassing human rights defenders and pro-democracy bloggers, and shutting down civil rights groups. “Peaceful protest has effectively been criminalised,” the

report said. However the authorities in the mainly Muslim republic-an important oil supplier to the West and a partner in the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan-insist that Aliyev supports free speech and is building genuine democracy.

Azerbaijan will become the focus of international attention in May next year when it hosts the Eurovision song contest, after its victory in the 2011 edition prompted national rejoicing. Campaign groups are seeking to publicise alleged rights violations ahead of the pop music extravaganza through an online campaign entitled ‘Sing for Democracy’. However the Amnesty report highlights the cases of two opposition activists, Jabbar Savalan and Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, who were jailed for drugs offences and evading military service respectively after using Facebook to call for anti-government protests.

“New routes for exercising the right to freedom of expression, such as the internet and social media, have also come under siege,” the report said. The report focuses on the suppression of small unsanctioned

protests in the capital Baku earlier this year, which were aimed at emulating the Arab Spring uprisings but were broken up by riot police, who made scores of arrests.

Amnesty said that it considered 17 of those convicted in cases connected to the spring demonstrations to be “prisoners of conscience”. The report said the arrests and convictions have “tightened the screws on the fledgling protest movement-and sent out a strong message to those on the sidelines who might have thought of joining it”.

Around 10 more youth activists were detained on Tuesday at a rally demanding freedom of assembly, according to opposition parties. The authorities argue that Azerbaijan’s oil and gas exports have created rising prosperity amid the political stability enforced by the administration led by Aliyev, who succeeded his father Heydar to office at presidential polls in 2003. Ilham Aliyev won a further leadership election by a landslide in 2008, while a referendum the following year removed a two-term presidential limit, offering him the potential to lead the Caspian Sea state for life. —AFP

Somali rebels promise to defeat Kenya MOGADISHU: A wave of grenade attacks killed a child and wounded nine other people in the Somali capital, as Islamists rebels yesterday warned Kenyan forces of “hellfire” if they did not pull out of the country. The warning, from Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, spokesman for Shebab rebels, came a month after Kenyan troops crossed into southern Somalia. “We are telling Kenya that they still have the opportunity to back away from the hellfire it was dragged into and leave our soil, otherwise they will continue suffering,” Rage said. The Al-Qaeda linked fighters said they had fought back Kenyan troops on Tuesday during battles in southern Somalia’s Lower Juba region. “Thanks to God, the mujahideen fighters have blocked the ambitions of the Christian invaders of Kenya, they are weakened and there is no more energy they have to attack us,” Rage told reporters. Kenyan forces last month crossed into southern Somalia in an attempt to seize Shebab strongholds, but after advancing some 120 kilometres (75 miles) inside its borders have struggled to advance further. —AFP

his 10-year stint in Brussels, the technocrat has never held office in Italy but has already shown mettle by insisting that his government has to stay in power until 2013 — the scheduled date for the next general election. As European commissioner, Monti famously fined US technology giant Microsoft nearly 500 million euros ($672 million at current exchange rates) and blocked a massive $42billion merger between General Electric and Honeywell. Speaking during a visit to Australia, US President Barack Obama said he was “deeply concerned” about the

debt crisis but will have to move quick ly. The European Union already gave its firm approval to Monti even before his formal confirmation, but has warned that Italy may need to impose extra budget cuts on top of two austerity plans approved earlier this year.

The EU and the International Monetary Fund this month imposed a humiliating auditing mechanism on the country, the eurozone’s third largest economy and an EU founding member, to ensure it is fulfilling its reform promises. Italy’s high public debt of 1.9 trillion euros

ROME: Newly-appointed Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti speaks to the press to unveil his cabinet yesterday at the Quirinale, the presidential palace. —AP turmoil in the eurozone. He said the problem in Europe was one of “political will”. US Treasur y Secretary Timothy Geithner said European countries were making incremental progress in addressing the debt crisis, but added: “We hope they will make progress more quickly.”

The reserved technocrat Monti, a starkly different figure to his famously larger-than-life predecessor, has said he is “absolutely convinced” Italy can overcome its

($2.6 billion) is relatively stable and its deficit relatively low, but the countr y ’s anaemic growth rate and recent political weakness have pushed up borrowing costs.

The rate on Italian 10-year bonds on Tuesday smashed through a 7.0-percent threshold that analysts warn could trigger cash-flow problems within months. Stocks were also under pressure this week, particularly after aerospace and defence giant Finmeccanica and I taly ’s biggest bank ,

UniCredit, revealed heavy losses.

Italian stocks closed 1.08 percent lower on Tuesday. Yesterday however Italian stocks were up nearly 2.0 percent even as other European stock markets retreated in opening deals.

Meanwhile, Italy’s departing Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has repor tedly packed up two gifts ahead of his last day in office yesterday-a scimitar from Kazakhstan and a Ming dynasty vase from China. The report in La Repubblica daily said the largerthan-life billionaire, who has been in power for 10 of the past 17 years, had chosen the two objects as having particular sentimental value out of hundreds of gifts received. When receiving the vase he shocked diplomats by pretending to drop it and then quipped: “I like the flowers on it, but next time bring one with pictures of the kamasutra”-an erotic art that has nothing to do with China. La Repubblica said he was also packing away three framed photos of himself with former US president George W Bush, Pope Benedict XVI and the late pope John Paul II, as well as returning priceless artwork borrowed from museums.

Berlusconi’s personal cook and butler are also leaving along with spokesman Paolo Bonaiuti and loyal secretar y Marinella Brambilla, as the altogether more sober economics professor Mario Monti takes over the reins of power. “The most delicate clear-up operation-the deleting of all traces on PCs, the copying of data and documents, was completed with dozens of memory cards on Saturday night by cabinet staff” in “a very rapid blitz,” the report said.

The 75-year-old Berlusconi submitted his resignation on Saturday amid scenes of jubilation in a crowd of thousands of people in the streets of Rome. —Agencies

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Woman pleads guilty in US on Pakistan reactor scam WASHINGTON: A San Francisco-area suburbanite pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to ship material for a Pakistani nuclear reactor after initially denying she was behind any scheme contributing to the proliferation threat. Xun Wang, a former managing director of PPG Paints Trading Co of Shanghai, admitted her guilt Tuesday before a federal judge in Washington.

She also reached a $200,000 settlement with the Commerce Department and agreed to cooperate with investigators. PPG Paints Trading also pleaded guilty in December. The company

and its parent, Pittsburgh-based PPG Industries Inc., paid nearly $4 million in fines and restitution. Wang, a Chinese citizen and lawful US permanent resident, was accused of conspiring to send high-performance epoxy coatings to the Chashma II nuclear reactor run by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. She admitted helping send three shipments of the coatings from the United States to Pakistan through a third-party distributor in China without the required license from the Commerce Department.

Some US experts say there is evi-

dence Pakistan is building a plant near Chashma II to turn spent fuel from the reactor into weapons grade plutonium for the country’s expanding nuclear arsenal. The criminal charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Her plea before US District Judge Emmet Sullivan allows her to escape more serious charges she was facing that could have carried up to 65 years in prison. Wang, a 51-year-old from Hillsborough, Calif was arrested at Atlanta’s HartsfieldJackson airport this summer as she and her family were headed to Italy to

celebrate her oldest daughter’s graduation from prep school before starting Princeton.

Her lawyers initially argued that charges against her were “technical,” that she was at worst peripherally involved in the scheme and that the case involved paint, not any threat to American security or nuclear proliferation. Wang, who has a doctorate in physics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and her husband ran their own paint importexport business. The couple, who have two daughters, sold it to PPG

Industries in 2006 for more than $17 million, and the US company hired her to run its wholly-owned Chinese subsidiary.

A short time later, prosecutors say, the US government rejected an application from PPG for a license to sell paint to an unnamed governmentowned Chinese company, for use on the steel lining of the containment area of Chashma II. So PPG officials said the coatings were to be used at a nuclear power plant in China, where exports don’t require a license from the Commerce Department. — AP

Obama stresses US does not fear China China questions US-Australia military cooperation

MEXICO CITY: In this file photo, Mexico’s former presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador waves to the crowd gathered at the Zocalo. — AP

Mexico’s Lopez Obrador to run for president in 2012 MEXICO CITY: Left-wing firebrand Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will run again for the Mexican presidency in 2012, six years after his wafer-thin loss in the last election sparked massive street protests. Lopez Obrador, 58, a champion of the poor in a country where nearly half the population lives below the poverty line, on Tuesday beat Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard in a survey carried out among 6,000 supporters of left-wing parties. “To sum up friends, as free and responsible men and women we all aspire to live in a more just, a more humane and a more equal society,” Lopez Obrador told a news conference.

Ebrard, his more moderate rival, said he would respect the results of the study and throw his support behind Lopez Obrador in order to avoid splitting the left-wing vote. The survey was to see which of the two had more grass-roots support and both men said they would let the results decide. It asked five questions and Lopez Obrador, whose radicalism rattled markets in the last campaign, won three of them. Painted by some opponents as a threat to private business, Lopez Obrador staged huge protests in Mexico City after the 2006 election, saying he had lost because of fraud.

His conservative opponent, President Felipe Calderon, rode out the storm and Lopez Obrador’s popularity slumped after voters tired of the demonstrations

which brought parts of the capital to a halt, including its main thoroughfare.

Having spooked investors during the 2006 presidential race with his fiery leftwing rhetoric, Lopez Obrador has sought this time to present himself as a moderate, courting business leaders and offering programs to boost small enterprises.

It remains doubtful whether he will have a similar impact on next year’s result.

Opinion polls show Lopez Obrador is trailing way behind frontrunner Enrique Pena Nieto of the main opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

“If he had not closed down (Avenue) Reforma years ago he would be a much stronger candidate today; he’s still paying for that mistake,” said office worker Ramon Lopez, 48. A head-to-head survey in daily Excelsior on Oct. 31 showed Pena Nieto winning 55 percent of votes versus 26 percent for hopeful Josefina Vazquez Mota of Calderon’s National Action Party (PAN), and just 19 percent for Lopez Obrador.

Analysts said the choice of Lopez Obrador over Ebrard, who made his name with progressive laws in the country’s capital that legalized abortion and gay marriage, would likely favor Pena Nieto, who has yet to be formally chosen by the PRI. “With Lopez Obrador as candidate, his supporters are celebrating and so is the PRI,” said political scientist Jose Antonio Crespo from graduate school CIDE. — Reuters

Democrats, Republicans far apart on deficit deal WASHINGTON: The top Republican on a special deficit-cutting panel says GOP negotiators have “gone as far as we feel we can go” on tax hikes, a public signal that a debt bargain could be out of reach despite weeks of negotiations.

Texas Rep Jeb Hensarling told CNBC Tuesday that the bipartisan debt supercommittee is “somewhat stymied for the moment” because panel Democrats are insisting on tax increases of up to $1 trillion in exchange for cost curbs on rapidly spiraling benefit programs such as Medicare and Social Security. The top Democrat on the deficit supercommittee, Sen Patty Murray of Washington, countered that it’s up to Republicans to send a “credible offer with real revenue” to jump-start talks that seem to have mostly stalled since a swap of offers last week. The deficit for the just-completed budget year was $1.3 trillion, requiring the government

to borrow 36 cents for every dollar it spends. Even a successful negotiation that produces $1.2 trillion in cuts will still leave a deficit crisis that requires painful choices by policymakers on taxes and benefits programs, budget experts agree.

The backbiting has intensified since the exchange of offers. The Democrats’ most recent plan called for $2.3 trillion in deficit cuts, including a $1 trillion tax increase over the coming decade.

Republicans countered with almost $300 billion in new tax revenues as part of a $1.5 trillion debt plan, an offer that even a top Democrat, Majority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, called a breakthrough. “The Democrats won’t put a plan on the table to solve the problem, and anything they do that even remotely addresses health care, even superficially, they’re insisting on” a $1 trillion tax increase, Hensarling said. — AP

WASHINGTON: Supercommittee member, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen Max Baucus, D-Mont (second from left) holds his hand out as he questions Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Douglas Elmendorf, on Capitol Hill. — AP

CANBERRA: President Barack Obama insisted yesterday that the United States does not fear China, even as he announced a new security agreement with Australia that is widely viewed as a response to China’s growing aggressiveness. China responded swiftly, warning that an expanded US military footprint in Australia may not be appropriate and deserved greater scrutiny.

The agreement, announced during a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, will expand the US military presence in Australia, positioning more US personnel and equipment there, and increasing American access to bases. About 250 US Marines will begin a rotation in northern Australia starting next year, with a full force of 2,500 military personnel staffing up over the next several years.

Obama called the deployment “significant,” and said it would build capacity and cooperation between the US and Australia. US officials were careful to emphasize that the pact was not an attempt to create a permanent American military presence in Australia. “It also allows us to meet the demands of a lot of partners in the region that want to feel that they’re getting the training, they’re getting the exercises, and that we have the presence that’s necessary to maintain the security architecture in the region,” Obama said. The president spoke shortly after arriving in the Australian capital, his second stop on a nine day tour of the Asia-Pacific region. After a 10-hour flight from Honolulu, where he hosted an economic summit, Obama headed straight into meetings with Gillard.

Today, Obama will address the Australian Parliament, then fly to the northern city of Darwin, where some of the Marines deploying to Australia next year will be based. During his news conference with Gillard, the president sidestepped questions about whether the security agreement was aimed at containing China. But he said the US would keep sending a clear message that China needs to accept the responsibilities that come with being a world power. “It’s important for them to play by the rules of the road,” he said. And he insisted that the US is not fearful of China’s rise. “I think the notion that we fear China is mistaken. The notion that we’re looking to exclude China is mistaken,” he said.

China was immediately leery of the prospect of an expanded US military presence in Australia. Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said yesterday that it was worth discussing whether the plan was in line with the common interests of the international community. Obama national security aide Ben Rhodes said the agreement was not only appropriate, but also a response to the demand from nations in the region that have signaled they want the US to be present.

The US and smaller Asian nations have grown increasingly concerned about China claiming dominion over vast areas of the Pacific that the US considers international waters, and reigniting old territorial disputes, including confrontations over the South China Sea. China’s defense spending has increased threefold since the 1990s to about $160 billion last year, and its military has recently tested a new stealth jet fighter and launched its first aircraft carrier. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said that the goal of the new security pact is to signal that the US and Australia will stick together in face of any threats. In addition to the expanded Marine presence in Australia, more US aircrafts will rotate through Australia as part of an agreement between each nation’s air force. Obama and Gillard said the increased air presence would allow the US

CANBERRA: President Barack Obama (center) listens to the national anthem with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard (right) and her partner, Tim Mathieson (left) during a dinner at Parliament House, yesterday. — AP and Australia to more effectively respond to respond to natural disasters and humanitarian crises in the region. Rhodes said the US military boost would amount to a “sustained US presence.” He distinguished that from a permanent presence in the sense that the US forces will use Australian facilities, as opposed to the United States to building its own bases, as it has in such regional places as South Korea. The US has not signaled any interest in that in Australia. The only American base currently in Australia is the secretive joint Australia-US intelligence and communications complex at Pine Gap in central Australia. But there are hundreds of US service personnel in Australia

Ohio executes man who killed 3 sleeping sons LUCASVILLE: Ohio could execute at least seven condemned killers next year now that an unofficial moratorium on capital punishment has ended in the state and numerous inmates exhaust decades old appeals. A federal judge’s examination of the state’s execution procedures and an unrelated decision by Gov. John Kasich to spare two prisoners halted executions for six months beginning in May. Earlier this month, US District Judge Gregory Frost ruled the state had addressed his concerns about problems with Ohio’s execution policies, and in so doing he refused to delay the execution of Reginald Brooks, who shot his three sons as they slept in 1982, shortly after his wife filed for divorce.

Brooks, of East Cleveland, was executed Tuesday at 2:04 p.m. with each of his hands clenched in an obscene gesture.The next execution is Jan. 18, when Charles Lorraine is scheduled to die for stabbing an elderly couple to death in their Trumbull County home in 1986. Brooks declined to make a final statement and remained silent.

Witnesses, which included his former wife and her sisters, had a view of his left hand, its middle finger raised. Prison officials said he was making the same gesture with his right hand.

State and federal courts rejected attorneys’ arguments that Brooks was not mentally competent and that the government hid relevant evidence that

on exchange. Air combat units also use the expansive live bombing ranges in Australia’s sparsely populated north in training rotations of a few months and occasionally naval units train off the coast. But training exercises involving ground forces are unusual. During yesterday’s brief news conference, Obama and Gillard also fielded questions on a range of other issues, from US efforts to address climate change to the debt crisis in Europe. Obama reiterated his call for urgent action by European leaders to back the euro and develop a financial firewall to keep the threat of default facing Greece and Italy from spreading across the Eurozone.

“The problem right now is one of political will, it’s not a technical problem,” Obama said.

“At this point, the larger European community has to stand behind the European project.”

could have affected his case. The execution was delayed by more than three hours as attorneys exhausted Brooks’ appeals. The US Supreme Court refused Tuesday to halt the execution. He is the fourth inmate in Ohio to be put to death using the surgical sedative pentobarbital as a stand-alone execution drug. Beverly Brooks, who found her 11-, 15- and 17year-old sons dead when she returned from work, and her two sisters sat silently, wearing white T-shirts printed with a photo of the boys during the execution.

Beverly Brooks did not comment, but one of her sisters, Monica Stephens, spoke on behalf of the family. “Our nephews are gone, and they’ll never be replaced,” she said.

“The memories we’ll always have. The what-ifs we’ll always have.” Reginald Brooks’ two defense attorneys and two spiritual advisers were his witnesses. At 66, Brooks is the oldest person put to death since Ohio resumed executions in 1999. The defense argued Brooks was a paranoid schizophrenic who suffered from mental illness long before he shot his sons in the head as they slept at their East Cleveland home on a Saturday morning.

Defense attorneys said Brooks believed his co-workers and wife were poisoning him and that he maintained his innocence, offering conspiracy theories about the killings that involved police, his relatives and a look-alike. — AP

Asked whether the US would be able to lower carbon emissions through a cap-and-trade system as Australia is undertaking, Obama conceded the US has been unable to pass such a plan through Congress, but noted US efforts to increase vehicle fuel efficiency and to explore clear energy options.

He said emerging economies such as India and China must also assume responsibility for addressing climate change. For Obama and Australia, the third time’s the charm. He canceled two earlier visits, once to stay in Washington to lobby for passage of his health care bill, and again in the wake of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. — AP

House set to vote on hidden weapons bill WASHINGTON: The House takes up its first pro-gun bill of the year with a measure giving people with concealed weapon permits in one state the right to carry a concealed weapon in other states. The National Rifle Association-backed bill would apply to 49 states that issue some sort of concealed carry permit. Illinois and the District of Columbia prohibit the concealed carrying of weapons. Supporters said it would end the confusion in which some states recognize permits from other states while others do not, or set conditions. Opponents argued that states that set tough standards for getting a permit would have to recognize permits from states that require less training or put fewer restrictions on who is eligible for a concealed weapon permit. The bill, said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, “simply allows Americans who travel to take their Second Amendment rights with them.” The legislation has some 245 sponsors in the House and is expected to pass easily when it comes up for a vote Wednesday. The outcome is less certain in the Democratic-controlled Senate. There currently is no parallel Senate bill, although two years ago Republicans nearly succeeded in attaching similar legislation to a larger spending bill.

There hasn’t been much legislative action on firearms issues this year, although a spending bill the House is expected to vote on this week has provisions barring the Justice Department from consolidating firearms sales records or maintaining information on people who have passed firearms background checks. A Senate Judiciary Committee panel, meanwhile, held a hearing Tuesday at which Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., pressed the Justice Department to step up enforcement of requirements that states turn over records to a federal background check system. — AP

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Karzai lays conditions for US in Afghanistan End night raids before Afghan deal: Karzai KABUL: President Hamid Karzai outlined conditions for a longterm US troop presence in Afghanistan yesterday at a major gathering of elders debating the country’s future after NATO combat forces leave. Karzai told day one of the loya jirga that he wanted Afghan-US relations to be those of “two independent countries” and assured neighbours such as China and Russia that a long-term deal would not affect their ties with Afghanistan. He

ministry said a would-be suicide bomber was also arrested in Kabul, although it did not explicitly link this to the jirga. With the strategic partnership some way from being finalised, the outcome of the jirga non-binding and political opponents staying away, some critics accuse Karzai of mere posturing in calling the event.

“We want our national sovereignty and we want it today,” Karzai told 2,200 delegates who

tions, we will allow them, it is in our benefit, money will come to us and our forces will be trained,” he said. “Do we need their help?

Yes we do, but on condition that Afghanistan should not be trampled.” Washington insists it is not seeking a “permanent” military presence in Afghanistan, saying it is looking to help Afghan security forces with intelligence sharing, air power and logistics beyond 2014. US officials say a deal could involve shared facilities with

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai (top center) leaves after his speech during a four-day long loya jirga, a meeting of over 2,000 Afghan tribal elders and leaders yesterday. —AFP convened the four-day jirga to secure backing for a strategic partnership deal with the United States currently under negotiation which will govern AfghanAmerican relations after NATO combat forces withdraw in 2014.

With the Taleban threatening to disrupt the jirga, a senior security official told AFP on condition of anonymity that two security threats against the event had been thwarted but declined to give further details. The defence

gathered in Kabul. “We want our relationship with America to be one of two independent countries.” Karzai called on the US to stop night raids and disband international bodies-such as combined civilian-military reconstruction teams which play a governmental role-as conditions of the deal. But if Washington meets demands such as these, Karzai said Afghanistan was prepared to host US troops in the long-term.

“If they want military installa-

Afghan forces. Karzai also reassured Afghanistan’s neighbours, many of whom are concerned about a long-term US influence in the region, that any strategic partnership deal would not hamper relations with them.

“Afghanistan sees its national interest in having good relations with neighbours and want our independence to have good relations with neighbours such as China, Russia and others,” he said.

Those attending the jirga faced

multiple security checks with presidential guards posted on the roof of the sturdy tent and police on maximum alert. The Taleban said those supporting a longterm US presence in Afghanistan would be considered “traitors” and “deserving of harsh penalties”.

The militia are not formally represented at the event, but jirga spokeswoman Safia Sediqi said some individual Taleban supporters may be representing local communities. “We welcome everyone,” she added. The USAfghan strategic partnership, which diplomats hoped would be concluded by now, will govern ties between the two countries after 2014. But talks are thought to have snagged on issues including the extent of US suppor t for Afghan security forces, which will take full responsibility for the country’s security in three years, and base rights for American troops. The jirga is also expected to discuss a strategy for peace talks after the assassination of Karzai’s peace envoy Burhanuddin Rabbani in September. The president had said he would announce details of the second wave of places to transition from NATO to Afghan security control in his speech yesterday but eventually made no mention of this. Key figures such as Karzai’s main rival, Abdullah Abdullah, and former ally, Sovietera warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum, are boycotting the jirga as “unconstitutional” amid concerns over how delegates were appointed.

Kate Clark of the Afghanistan Analysts Network said a lack of clarity in advance about the event’s purpose had left many delegates “mystified as to what exactly they will be discussing and why.”

In southern Afghanistan, three NATO soldiers were killed yesterday in two separate explosions. At least 522 foreign troops have died this year alone, 390 of them from the US, according to independent website iCasualties.org. —AFP

Ai Weiwei vows to expose China BEIJING: Artist and dissident Ai Weiwei said yesterday he would use his battle with China’s tax authorities to expose the regime that detained him, as he prepared to challenge charges of massive tax evasion. Ai, who was held in a secret location for 81 days as part of a widespread crackdown on rights activism in China earlier this year, says the charge is politically motivated and has vowed to challenge it. On Tuesday the 54-year-old, facing a bill for 15 million yuan ($2.4 million) in alleged back taxes, handed 8.45 million yuan in donations from his supporters to the Chinese authorities as a bond to clear the way for an appeal. “We can use this as a chance to make the world understand what kind of system they are working with,” Ai said in a telephone interview with AFP as he prepared to challenge the charge, calling it a “real opportunity”. “We just paid 8 million only because I want to have freedom of speech,” he said, adding that the sums involved were unimportant “compared to the kind of social achievement it will have”.

Ai said he had signed a contract with tax authorities on Wednesday agreeing that the $1.3 million in donations from his supporters he and his lawyers handed over on Tuesday would be used as a bond to clear the way for an appeal. The money was raised from supporters who came from far and wide to help him raise cash, some even throwing money over the walls into his courtyard home, including banknotes folded into paper planes.

Total donations had reached 8.69 million yuan ($1.4 million) by Sunday night, when the appeal closed, and Ai said the generosity of the Chinese people had made him realise that he was “not alone” in his struggle. “So far, I am still in very good spirits because all the money has come from donations,” Ai told AFP by telephone as he headed to the tax office to sign an agreement that the money can be used as collateral by the authorities. Chinese media have devoted little coverage to the case, but on Wednesday the state-run Global Times questioned whether there was much domestic support for Ai, comparing him to 1970s democracy activist Wei Jingsheng. Wei now lives in exile in the United States and is all but forgotten in China. In response, Ai said “at least 95 percent” of the money sent to him was from inside China.

Chinese tax authorities have repeatedly refused AFP’s requests for comment on Ai’s case, which is particularly complicated because the company involved in the tax evasion charge is owned by his wife and not him. He has said he will pay back his supporters once the case is over, and was initially reluctant to hand over the money raised to Chinese authorities for fear that it would not be returned to him.

Ai is known for his often irreverent art and for tallying the children killed in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, shining an unflattering light on officials who some accused of covering up the role shoddy housing played in the deaths. The value of his works has shot up since his detention in February catapulted him into the global spotlight, and last month the influential Art Review magazine named him the world’s most powerful figure in the art world. Ai, who last year covered the floor of London’s Tate Modern museum with 100 million porcelain sunflower seeds as part of an exhibition, became only the second artist after Damien Hirst to top the ten-yearold list. A prolific user of Twitter and other social media, he told AFP yesterday he currently had little time for his regular work, but that he considered his fight against the government to be an extension of his artistic endeavours. “I think this is my artwork. My artwork is about communication and expressing my social concern,” he said. —AFP

BANGKOK: A Thai man and his dog leave their flooded neighborhood in a plastic vessel yesterday. —AP

Bangkok warned floods to last until new year BANGKOK: Floodwater in parts of Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, is receding after weeks of inundation but Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and water experts said residents in some western districts could still be suffering into next year. However, Yingluck reassured investors at a news conference with United Nations SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon yesterday that Thailand would get back on track quickly and had a long-term strategy for redesigning its water management system. “We’ll recover soon,” Yingluck said, adding that restoring some infrastructure could be completed within 45-90 days.

She said the east of Bangkok, where two industrial estates are still surrounded by water, should be flood-free before the end of the year but draining water from western districts was more difficult. Thailand’s worst flooding in at least five decades has claimed 564 lives since July, with water flowing slowly down from the north, inundating agricultural and industrial areas in the centre before swamping parts of Bangkok from late October. Anond Snidvongs, executive director of the government’s GeoInformatics and Space Technology Development Agency, said residents living in certain low-lying areas in the west would have to live with water for a while longer.

“In the western area, the capacity of the drainage system was limited from the start,” Anond told Reuters, adding there were also fewer canals than in the east. “What we’re trying to do is add more water pumps and control the opening and closing of sluice gates in line with the high and the low river tides, as much as possible,” added Anond,

who is acting as an adviser to the government. He said some districts in western Bangkok could still escape flooding completely, and it should take only two or three weeks for main roads to dry out. Floodwater has reached part of the low-lying Rama II Road, a main highway through west of Bangkok to the rubber-growing south of Thailand, which has not been affected by the floods.

Getting back to normal Most of Bangkok’s central business district remains dry and the main Suvarnabhumi Airport, which is protected by a dike about 3.5 metres (11.5 feet) high in the east of Bangkok, is functioning normally. In the north of the capital, the old Don Muang airport, used mainly for internal flights, is still closed but areas to its south are starting to dry out. An army of street cleaners was at work on the main Pahonyothin Road, disposing of trash and dead plants and removing thick layers of dirt left behind by the water, a Reuters reporter said.

Streets in office areas that had been deserted only a few days ago were getting back to normal, with outdoor eating areas and market stalls up and running again.

Most of the cars that had been parked for weeks on elevated roads had gone. Top Thai retailer Central Pattana Pcl said it would reopen Ladphrao mall, one of its biggest, on Nov 18. Its flood-hit Pinklao mall reopened on Nov 13. Evacuation orders had been issued in a third of Bangkok’s districts, mostly in the north of the densely populated city of 12 million people. —Reuters

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani children who collect recyclable goods to support their families attend a school run by a local non-governmental organization in a slum yesterday. —AP

Pakistan girls disregard Taleban school bombings SWABI: Seven-year-old Marwa cried and shook uncontrollably at the sight of the rubble and shattered glass remnants of her classroom. The Taleban had bombed yet another girls’ school in Pakistan. “I had to pick her up and hold her close to my chest. My worry is that we will spend our time helping the girls deal with fear instead of teaching them math and science,” said head teacher Razia Begum. “I hope the parents keep sending their children to school.”

Pakistan’s Taleban movement, which is close to Al-Qaeda, has bombed hundreds of schools since launching a campaign to topple the U.S.-backed government in 2007.

Like Taleban militants in neighbouring Afghanistan, the Pakistani Taleban want girls barred from education. But the Taleban have failed to sell their violent philosophy to the vast majority of Pakistanis, and a campaign to terrify people into supporting militancy has had limited success, as the defiance at Government Girls Primary School No 3 illustrates. The students-age 4 to 15 — are undoubtedly scared, and disappointed about the damage to their school in the town of Swabi, 75 km (46 miles) nor thwest of the capital, Islamabad.

The bombs set off in the red and white brick school complex on Sunday were so powerful they stopped wall clocks at the time of impact-nineteen minutes past midnight. Instead of listening to lectures at their old wooden desks, the girls will be forced to sit on the grass in a courtyard until workers clean the rubble and shattered glass from classrooms pulverized by the bombs. Still, they are determined to stay in school, hoping to become doctors or lawyers and leave sleepy Swabi for big Pakistani metropolises, or work abroaddreams that enrage Taleban zealots.

“We are braver than the Taleban,” said Hasina Quraish, 10, who wants to be a college lecturer. “They are brutal people, not good Muslims.” In their ideal world, women are covered from head to toe, only learn how to cook and clean to take care of their husbands, and rarely venture outside the home. Pakistani men would all grow beards, and the government would cut off all ties with the West and impose an austere system of Islamic law at home where those deemed immoral would be executed or whipped in public.

The campaign to bomb girls schools gathered pace several years ago in the former tourist destination of Swat Valley, about a three hour drive from Swabi. The regional faction of the Taleban, led by Maulvi Fazlullah dubbed FM Mullah for his fiery radio broadcasts-was fighting to impose its version of Islam. It was able to do so after reaching a widely criticised

peace deal with the government in 2009 which US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called an abdication to the Taleban. An army offensive in Swat forced Fazlullah to rebase across the border in Afghanistan. Yet he and his fighters have regrouped, started launching cross-border attacks on Pakistani troops, and have vowed to rule Swat again. Sympathisers with Fazlullah and other Taleban leaders, meanwhile, frequently attack girls schools.

That doesn’t keep students like Sana Khan, 8, from walking several kilometres to School No 3. She is well aware of how ruthless the Taleban can be, often overhearing her parents speak of how the Taleban kidnap and behead people. “I want to be a doctor and help people. I want to go outside and see the world,” said Sana. Pakistan needs as many qualified students to enter the work force as possible to help its struggling economy, which is heavily dependent on foreign aid. “Women have to be educated because they have to be part of the economy too,” said teacher Mohammad Arif.

“Pakistan can’t develop if its women do not learn.”

But good learning is hard to come by in Pakistan, which spends less than two percent of its budget on education, while pouring huge sums into the military, which has ruled the South Asian country for more than half of its history. Even hiring more guards for schools seems to be a challenge. Israr Khan works a 24-hour shift at the school complex. His repeated calls to local authorities for reinforcements have been ignored. “The Taleban are powerful and they will keep doing this unless the government does something about it,” he said. The Taleban campaign stretches far beyond the classroom.

Suicide bombings meant to destabilise the government disrupt the rhythm of life in big cities, as well as dusty places like Swabi, where vegetable sellers on donkey carts compete for road space with motorcycles, and women in veils bargain for better prices in the bazaar. In the centre of town, posters of 25 policemen killed by Taleban bombs and shootouts remind residents of their vulnerability. Yet, the importance of education seems to override fear. “These people want to destroy society and the best way of doing that is by destroying education,” said Nur Waheed, holding the hand of his four-year-old granddaughter outside a butcher’s shop.

“She said ‘I don’t want to go to school because I heard a bomb exploded there’.

But we will send her to school,” he said.

Sara Ahmed, 9, doesn’t need encouragement. The bubbly girl with a white scarf has high ambitions in Pakistan’s conservative male-dominated society. “I want to be a fighter pilot,” she said with a wide smile. —Reuters

Thailand oppn angry at Thaksin pardon reports BANGKOK: Thailand’s cabinet has reportedly endorsed a controversial royal pardon that could allow the return of fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, prompting an angry response from the opposition. Thai media reports said a draft decree for an amnesty was approved at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday which Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra missed. Yingluck, who is Thaksin’s younger sister and widely seen as his proxy, has yet to comment, but her deputy who chaired the meeting said it was “secret” as it discussed issues related to the king.

The rumours sparked a torrent of speculation on social media websites and in the Thai press, coming at a politically sensitive time, with Yingluck facing strong criticism for her handling of Thailand’s worst flooding in decades. The decree, which would need to be approved by King Bhumibol Adulyadej, would apply to “convicts who are at least 60 years old and are sentenced to under three years in jail”, the Bangkok Post English daily said yesterday.

Royal pardons are granted each year on the king’s birthday on December 5. Thaksin, who was ousted by the army in a 2006 coup, is 62 years old and lives in self-imposed exile in Dubai to avoid a two-year prison term for corruption. Political novice Yingluck, 44, led the Puea Thai party to election victory in July on the back of her brother’s popularity among Thailand’s rural poor. She was absent from Tuesday’s cabinet meeting because she was

visiting a flood-stricken province, reports said.

The return of Thaksin, a deeply divisive figure in Thailand, would anger his foes in the Bangkok-based elites in the military, palace and bureaucracy and could spark further turmoil after years of violent protests. The reported draft pardon was immediately criticised by the opposition Democrats, whose own decree last year excluded corruption convictions.”It shows that what they have done is intended to help one person,” Democrat deputy party spokesman Sakoltee Phattiyakul told AFP, predicting the move would make for a “tense” political situation in the kingdom. “Because even though the floods are not yet over, the cabinet still approved the decree.” Democrat lawmaker Sirichok Sopha added that such a pardon “would be a very sad day for Thailand and the rule of law” and “split the country even more”.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubumrung told reporters at parliament he had chaired Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, where two topics were discussed. “But because it was a secret meeting, with no final decisions and matters related to the king’s power, the government cannot speak,” he said. “The government will not violate any law. I can’t give details,” he added, when asked about the decree. After his sister’s election win, Thaksin said setting foot back in Thailand was not a priority, but he has previously expressed hopes to be at his daughter’s wedding in December. —AFP

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NEWS

KUWAIT: Police confront protesters during a demonstration outside the National Assembly yesterday. (Inset) A protester holds a bullhorn as others demonstrate inside the Abdullah Al-Salem Hall. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Protesters storm Assembly after clashing...

Continued from Page 1 Hammad however failed to show the documents and he later claimed that he did not reveal them out of respect for Al-Khorafi and that he distributed them to other MPs. Hammad did not fulfill his promise to expose what he claimed illegal financial transactions by Islamist MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei. Al-Tabtabaei later described Hammad a “liar” and said he will sue him for a smear campaign against him. Liberal MP Saleh Al-Mulla strongly protested when Hammad began to speak and the two had some harsh exchanges. AlMulla’s colleague in the National Action Bloc took part in the exchanges and then both of them walked out of the session.

In another duel, MP Salwa AlJassar strongly criticized Education Minister Ahmad Al-Mulaifi for decisions he had taken and warned that

she would grill him. Al-Mulaifi responded strongly by asking AlJassar to grill him if she wants and to stop threatening him and issuing daily statements to the press, and insisted that “he is not the minister who is worried about the chair”.

In another development, MP Rola Dashti challenged MPs of the National Action Bloc for a TV debate over their differences over the failed proposal to examine bank accounts of MPs. The proposal was made by the National Action Bloc on Tuesday but failed to win the necessary support and Dashti strongly criticized it as misleading and will not achieve any purpose. The proposal called for appointing two MPs to examine the suspicious bank accounts through the Central Bank in order to establish whether MPs had in fact accepted millions of dinars in bribes.

MP Aseel Al-Awadhi clashed with Dashti during the debate of the pro-

posal and then challenged her to reveal her bank accounts to the public. Dashti responded by explaining that the proposal would not have served the purpose of exposing those MPs who received bribes and the best way to do this is by asking all MPs to give a power of attorney to two MPs to be nominated by the Assembly allowing them to examine all their bank accounts. Writing on her Twitter account, Awadhi declined Dashti’s challenge but reiterated that Dashti opposed the proposal which would have exposed corrupt MPs. There was no need to have a debate on a clear issue, she said.

Meanwhile, a youth group calling itself the Constitutional Justice called yesterday for supporting the Kuwaiti constitution and for dissolving the Assembly, holding fresh elections and dismissing the government.

Neighbours warn Syria to stop the bloodshed Continued from Page 1 of violence and killing, and demands that urgent measures are taken to ensure the protection of civilians,” a statement said. “Ministers also stressed the importance of Syria’s stability and unity and the need to find a resolution to the crisis without any foreign intervention,” it added.

The Arab ministers were to hold another meeting later to discuss further measures against Syria after its suspension for failing to implement an Arab peace deal.

“Everything must be done to stop the ongoing bloodshed in Syria,” Arab League Secretary General Nabil AlArabi told reporters ahead of the meeting. Arabi said he hoped Arab moves to send observers to Syria would bear fruit within days. But he reiterated that no observers would be sent before a clear agreement is signed between the Arab League and Damascus. The pan-Arab body had agreed to send 500 members of human rights groups, media representatives and military observers to Syria, which said it would welcome them to see the situation on the ground and help implement the peace deal.

As the ministers met in Rabat, pro-Assad protesters pelted the Moroccan embassy in Damascus with eggs and stones. Ambassador Mohammed Khassasi told AFP that between 100 and 150 demonstrators had attacked the building and stripped it of its flag. Assad supporters also threw stones and debris at the embassy of the United Arab Emirates and smeared its walls with graffiti, witnesses said. The embassy is in one of the most secure districts of the capital, near Assad’s home and offices.

Turkey, once a close ally of Syria, has become increasingly outspoken in its criticism of Assad’s regime since the Syrian uprising began. “The cost for the Syrian administration of not fulfilling the promises it made to the Arab League is its isolation in the Arab world as well,” Ahmet Davutoglu told his Arab counterparts. “It is not possible for any administration to win the fight against its own people,” he added.

In Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi criticised the Arab League for “acting in a way that will hurt the security of the region”. He told the official news agency IRNA that Syria, an ally of Iran since 1980, had repeatedly pledged to meet legitimate popular demands and enact reforms. “Unfortunately, some countries believe that they are outside the crisis ... but they are mistaken because if a crisis happens they will

be entangled by its consequences.”

Saudi Arabia, which is eager to loosen the ties between its regional rival Iran and Syria, said the Arab League was acting in Syria’s interest, not interfering in its affairs. “What’s important is not about suspending or not suspending (Syria from the League), it’s stopping the bloodshed, starting the dialogue, and withdrawing troops from Syrian cities,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal told Al Arabiya channel.

The unprecedented movement against Assad’s rule has been spearheaded by peaceful demonstrators but, in recent months, deserters have organised themselves into a Free Syrian Army that has inflicted growing losses on the regular armed forces. The attack on the intelligence base near Damascus was one of its most spectacular attacks to date. “The Free Army struck with rockets and RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) the headquarters of air force intelligence which is located at the entrance of Damascus,” said the Local Coordination Committees, an activist network, adding smoke was rising from the area. There was no immediate word on casualties.

The activists, who illustrated the three-pronged attack in a plan attached to their statement, said prisoners held at the intelligence branch “were well” but the operation failed to secure their release. The Free Syrian Army announced it was forming a temporary military council to spearhead the fight to oust Assad’s regime.

The council aims to “bring down the current regime, protect Syrian civilians from its oppression, protect private and public property and prevent chaos and acts of revenge when it falls,” it said in a statement received in Nicosia. Colonel Riyadh Al-Asaad, who defected from the regular army to form the Syrian Free Army in July, will chair the council.

In Hama, a flashpoint central province, security forces shot dead three army defectors and a civilian in the rural town of Keferzita, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It added that eight troops were killed and dozens other wounded when defectors attacked a military checkpoint in Keferzita. In Homs, another protest city further south, four civilians were killed by gunfire coming from a checkpoint, added the Britain-based watchdog, which also reported the deaths of a missing person and of a civilian who succumbed to wounds. In the southern province of Daraa, cradle of the revolt, security forces killed a civilian at a checkpoint in the town of Hara, the Observatory added. — Agencies

UAE slams Rafale jet bid as ‘unworkable’ DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates, which was said to be in final talks with France to buy 60 Rafale fighter jets, said yesterday the French offer was unworkable and uncompetitive, WAM state news agency reported. “Unfortunately, Dassault does not seem to realise that political will and all diplomatic efforts could not overcome uncompetitive and unworkable commercial terms,” WAM quoted Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahayan, the deputy head of the armed forces, as saying.

The crown prince of Abu Dhabi, who is the strongman of the oil-rich emirate, praised French President Nicholas Sarkozy for the efforts made to secure the deal for Dassault, adding that the relations between the two countries could not have been better. “Thanks to French President Sarkozy, France could not have done more diplomatically or politically to secure the Rafale deal,” he said. “Bilateral relations have never been stronger and his constant personal intervention in this process has kept Dassault at the top of our considerations,” he added.

A government source close to the deal blamed the current impasse on the “arrogance” of Dassault, despite French military officials saying they were confident about securing a deal and hopes of finalising the sale at the Dubai Airshow. “There is a shared frustration in both the UAE and French leaderships at the apparent arrogance of Dassault,” the source said.

“Rather than using the strength of the bilateral relationship to close the deal out they are attempting to use it to hold out on pricing and a deal structure that hasn’t changed in more than a year and that has been significantly bettered by all competitors.”

Last month, French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet said that

Sheikh Mohammed Paris was in the final stages of negotiations with the Gulf state on purchasing Rafale fighter jets, the pride of France’s Dassault Aviation.

Negotiations began in 2008 for the sale of 60 Rafale fighters used by France’s armed forces but yet to be sold abroad. Abu Dhabi has asked for an improved version fitted with a more power ful engine from Snecma of the Safran group with a thrust of nine tonnes, as well as a

higher performing radar system from Thales. Financing of these improvements “is one of the issues under discussion,” a top Dassault Aviation official said in February.

On Sunday, the European consortium behind the Eurofighter Typhoon said it was invited by the UAE to present a counter offer. The consortium said that the UAE had asked Britain, which uses the Eurofighter, to provide it with information about the aircraft capacity and that a briefing took place on Oct 17. “ We have subsequently received a request for proposal for the potential supply of Typhoon,” Eurofighter said of its fighter jet in a statement, adding:”We are now working hard to deliver a response.”

Both the Rafale and the Typhoon were recently involved in combat action over Libya, flown respectively by the French air force and navy and the British Royal Air Force. The models are also in the final stage of a massive contest to meet India’s 126-unit medium multi-role combat aircraft requirement.

Final bids were opened earlier this month, with a decision possible within weeks. Dassault is seeking a first export buyer for its “omnirole” R afale, while the four-nation Eurofighter consortium is hoping to build on a customer base which includes partner nations Germany, I taly and Spain and additional users Austria and Saudi Arabia.

The UAE airforce includes US F-16 and French Mirage 2000-9 fighter jets. — Agencies

Gulf boom is spoiling environment Continued from Page 1 The UAE is building four coastal mega-islands (Palm Jebel Ali, Palm Jumeirah, Palm Deira and The World) which will add 439 km of shoreline and approximately 120 sq km of land. Qatar meanwhile has doubled its coastline in the past decade, from 563 to 1,239 km.

That growth has strained the area’s ability to handle waste, which is “frequently dumped directly into the Gulf or riverbeds and wetlands where it then infiltrates into shallow aquifers and eventually enters coastal waters,” the report said. Providing fresh water is also a problem, because the area relies on desalination plants for 70-90 percent of its water and those plants “deliver toxic brine into the Gulf.” The constant presence of oil tankers moving through the Gulf region, which contains 55 percent of the world’s crude oil reserves and produces 31 percent of the world’s oil supply, also boosts pollution. The region sees “persistently high levels of hydrocarbon pollution throughout the Gulf, predominantly along the Iranian coastline,” said the report.

Climate change also has an impact, particularly in a part of the world where 100 percent of the energy used comes from fossil fuels and carbon emission rates

are three times higher than the world average.

Original reefs are 70 percent gone due to massive dredging operations, and they will disappear altogether in the next decade “unless aggressive steps are taken to ameliorate the impacts of development,” the report added. Poor regulation of the fishing trade, which brought the region 996 million US dollars in 2007 and employed 250,000 people, means “many fishery species are in peril due to overexploitation”.

While the study pointed out that “Gulf countries rank lowest in the world in terms of the innovation and scientific research index,” a simple way to address the environmental problems is to add more spending and attention in this area. Kuwait and Qatar were applauded for having employed design teams that included oceanographers and biologists, thereby helping “limit the negative environmental impacts of certain coastal developments,” the report said. According to Sale, a major shift could come from simply appreciating the value of the natural beauty of the Gulf and its need for protection from human development and pollution.

“Fundamentally there is a need to appreciate - and this is something that is weakly developed in the region that the Gulf ecosystem is a living entity and there are limits to how it can be changed,” he said. — AFP

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011

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Issues

Breaking euro?

Try unscrambling an omelette

By Jeremy Gaunt an you unscramble an omelette? That, in essence, is what euro zone leaders and the global monetary policy elite will have to do if the euro zone is to be reshaped in any semblance of an orderly manner, be it by letting Greece go or creating an inner hard core and an outer soft one. Just how difficult this could be can be gleaned from an unusual quarter. Lord Wolfson, a UK eurosceptic, has offered a £250,000 price for anyone coming up with a plan to unwind the euro zone in a nonchaotic fashion. Not the kind of money you throw around if the answer is obvious.

The potential danger of a breakup, both to euro zone economies and the global financial system, is so great that it is often cited as a reason it will never happen.

Nonetheless, the idea that the euro zone might break up or at least redesign itself - is no longer just the province of critics who thought it was a bad idea in the first place.

Greece’s removal from the currency bloc is the main talking point. Although European Union leaders have rallied around to say publicly it cannot happen, Eurogroup head Jean-Claude Juncker has couched his support by saying that Greece cannot stay in the euro zone at any price.

French President Nicholas Sarkozy, meanwhile, has raised the idea some euro zone countries accelerate and deepen their integration while a wider and expanding group outside the currency bloc stays more loosely connected. This, at one stage, would have bordered on euro zone heresy given the official line that all European Union countries should be members and integrate. It may not be what Sarkozy meant, but it raised the old spectre of a northern and southern euro. The problem is barely anyone believes that any kind of re-configuration can be achieved without destroying public confidence, prompting investor flight and hitting financial institutions as hard or more so than the Lehman Brothers collapse in 2008.

If you knew your euros were about to be switched to, say, new drachmas or an untested currency called the seuro, would you leave them where they were? “I don’t think there is a peaceful solution to their problem,” said Andrew Clare, professor of asset management at Cass Business School in London. “The real problem is the potential runs on banks.” Given European banks’ exposure to the likes of Italy and Greece, confidence in the financial system could easily collapse across the currency bloc and beyond. Bank runs would not be confined to those countries at the centre of the debt crisis.

At the heart of the issue, at least practically, is that no contingency was ever made for either the euro zone to fail or for any country to drop out of it. “It was a taboo to think about it. The whole idea from the beginning was that monetary union is forever,” said one European Union monetary official involved in the euro’s launch during the 1990s. The Germans even had a word for it: Schicksalsgemeinschaft. Literally meaning fate community, it was used to give the idea that creating the euro was something that could not be put asunder.

Over time, little appears to have changed. A 2009 paper drafted by the European Central Bank looked at the legal implications of the withdrawal or expulsion of a country from the euro zone, but did not give any suggestions about how. Which is one reason why many economists and investors still consider a break up - certainly beyond a contained removal of Greece - to be a “tail risk”, something that could happen but is not part of a consensus scenario.

When Europe’s leaders and policymakers are staring right into the abyss, the central assumption is that they will overcome their principled objections and do what is necessary to save the euro. That would almost certainly involve a much more active European Central Bank. UBS said on Tuesday it still believed that when push came to shove Germany would step back from its hard line and allow the ECB free rein to fix the debt problem. “The most likely change will be the ECB, and we all think that eventually the Germans are going to capitulate and allow the ECB licence to print money and expand the balance sheet even further, (and) allow higher inflation in the euro zone,” said George Magnus, the bank’s senior economic adviser.

Although there seems no way that any break up or casting off of members could be done without massive disruption to the financial system, it is possible that some things could be done to mitigate the reaction. “You can minimise the damage, but you have to do it fast and unsuspected,” said Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Germany’s private bank Berenberg. —Reuters

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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.

China climate role could be to corner US

By Barbara Lewis and Nina Chestney hina, the world’s biggest carbon emitter, could nudge the United States into more action on climate change, rescuing the latest round of global talks and improving its international reputation. Expectations remain extremely low that a new global deal can emerge from a summit later this month in Durban, South Africa. But it could lay the foundations for a future deal and desperate negotiators are looking to China to help isolate the United States in its stubborn climate change denial, even if it is only for reasons of enlightened self-interest.

“My sense is that if Durban fails it would be due to the lack of US political will to deliver and if it succeeds it would be due to China’s extra efforts,” said Jennifer Morgan, director of the climate and energy program at environmental thinktank the World Resources Institute. The United States has achieved local shifts on environment policy and developed emissions trading schemes at state and regional level.

However, it has twice delayed plans this year to regulate carbon dioxide from power plants and, under fuel efficiency standards for vehicles, automakers do not have to make improvements until 2018 or 2025.

A more far-reaching climate law failed last

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year to pass the US Congress, where the environment has become a political battleground between Republicans and US President Barack Obama’s Democrats. Obama, for all his personal commitment to the environment, has made clear the world’s second biggest carbon emitter will not commit to a new legally-binding protocol at least until after the next presidential election.

In China, a huge population and a series of devastating floods have underlined the risk of global warming and justified record-breaking investment in new energy technology. Climate negotiators no longer see China as the biggest of the so-called boulder nations - a group that also includes smaller boulders Japan, Canada and Russia, as well as the United States. Within the European Union, which has spearheaded efforts this year to maintain momentum in the Kyoto process, officials say China has been helpful.

“We have great hopes with regard to China, which recently has been very constructive in its attitude towards Durban,” Joanna MackowiakPandera, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of the Environment for Poland, said this week.

Poland is current holder of the EU rotating presidency. Some have gone further to say China can help to isolate the United States. “I don’t exclude the EU and China and other emerging

economies making this strategic partnership for this climate issue and the US being isolated,” said Jo Leinen, chair of the environmental committee in the European Parliament.

After the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997, the United States signed, but never ratified it. China was still regarded as a developing nation and not expected to carry a large share of the cost of cutting carbon emissions, blamed on decades of pollution by the industrialised world.

Since then, China has overtaken many developed nations in economic output and has leapfrogged the United States to become the greatest producer of carbon emissions. But it has also powered ahead in the low-carbon technology race investing $54 billion, compared to the United States’ $34 billion, the US Pew Environment Group said.

In the framework of Kyoto talks, China is still arguing, along with the other members of the BASIC group of nations - Brazil, South Africa and India - it should be counted as developing.

Environmental negotiators think it is time China recognised that being a world power should also mean leadership of the green race - and joining in with environmental diplomacy as well as scrambling for energy and technology.

Within Kyoto, it should be leading the cuts, instead of benefiting from the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism, through which rich

nations invest in clean energy projects in developing countries in return for carbon credits.

China has become the world’s number one country in terms of registered CDM projects since the scheme’s launch in 2005, although the environmental integrity of some projects has been questioned. The European Union has made a leap of faith saying it will sign up to a second phase of Kyoto - but on the condition that other countries give a firm commitment, or in EU-speak, a road map, showing when they would sign up too.

The question is whether China will break the deadlock, said Morgan of the WRI, and “commit to commit”. “My hope would be Europe and China would be working together to build a pathway forward,” she said. The EU, with its mighty debts and dependence on China to help bail it out, has limited bargaining power. Visiting Chinese officials have nevertheless acknowledged the EU, a vital trade partner, has expertise to share. “We need to focus on the green sector, and in this regard, Europe has the talent and the knowledge,” Zhang Yangsheng, director of the Institute of Foreign Economy, National Development and Reform Commission in Beijing, told a high-level EUChina forum in Brussels this month. “We need to focus on energy saving. Europe is ahead of the others.” — Reuters

Populism, low oil may crimp Gulf SWF appetite

By Sitaraman Shankar and Dinesh Nair n uncertain outlook for oil prices and a need to increase domestic spending could make the Gulf’s sovereign wealth funds more selective when they invest abroad, even as Europe’s debt crisis pushes down asset prices in the West. These constraints, lessons learned during the global credit crisis of 20072008, and a lower tolerance of risk are likely to reduce the probability of the funds sailing to the rescue of Western banks as they did in the last crisis, analysts said. “Our central case for the US oil price next year is $85-90 a barrel. But the downside risks are increasing. And if oil goes below $80 there will be very little investable capital for the Gulf funds internationally, particularly in the case of Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” said Rachel Ziemba, director of global macro research at Roubini Global Economics. “The funds are likely to become more selective in their investments.”

The region’s sovereign wealth funds, stateowned bodies which invest countries’ oil wealth, are among the largest in the world. Official figures are not released regularly, but analysts estimate the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) to have assets of $400 billion-$600 billion, Kuwait’s fund around $300 billion, and fastgrowing Qatar in excess of $100 billion. But because the funds are already heavily invested around the world, their ability to make new acquisitions abroad depends to a large degree on fresh allocations of money from their governments - and these allocations could come under pressure.

US crude oil was trading around $98 a barrel yesterday. That is close to its median price this year and above its levels in 2010, but with Europe close to recession and growth shaky in other major economies, a significant drop next year looks possible. At the height of this year’s Arab Spring revolts across the Middle East and North Africa, Gulf nations bought peace from their citizens with increased social spending, most notably Saudi Arabia, which announced a $130 billion package to improve living conditions. Paying for these programs may reduce governments’ allocations of new money to their sovereign wealth funds, while a lower oil price could slow economic growth, adding to pressure for the funds to deploy capital at home. The profile of each fund could determine how much cash it gets from its government, with funds that want to invest abroad receiving less. “Within the context of UAE and Abu Dhabi, developmentoriented funds like Mubadala, IPIC and Aabar are more likely to get a larger share of revenues or

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surplus compared to those with more of an investment focus like ADIA,” said Ziemba.

A substantial portion of Mubadala’s $16.3-billion spending this year is expected to be for a solar energy project, real estate developments and public-private partnerships. That appears to mark a shift in emphasis - in the past, Mubadala bought stakes in big overseas firms such as private equity firm Carlyle and General Electric The

experience of getting burnt during the last downturn is also likely to make for caution. “The sovereign wealth funds have had a steep learning curve since the last financial crisis, when they lost around 25 percent of their wealth,” said Victoria Barbary, who runs independent sovereign fund research firm Dhana Advisory.

Sovereign funds in the region invested in Western banks during the crisis of 2007-08, buy-

Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, is seen during sunset through a forest of street lamps in Dubai Nov14, 2011. – AP

ing stakes in Credit Suisse , Barclays and Merrill Lynch and Citigroup . Many of those investments are still struggling. As the euro zone debt crisis drags on, it promises to create opportunities to buy European companies on the cheap.

This would normally appeal to Gulf investors, who have historically preferred Europe to Asia.

“Many Middle Eastern investors still prefer Europe, and periodically North America, as these regions are more likely to offer opportunities to acquire trophy assets, especially during distressed periods, as well as providing a more transparent pricing environment,” said Khodor Mattar, an energy sector banker at Rothschild.

But with their new, more conservative approach, the funds may hesitate - particularly since the euro zone crisis now threatens the viability of the currency bloc, which was not seriously threatened in 2007-2008. “There’s a lot of uncertainty in the European situation currently so despite valuations looking relatively cheap, you may not see a lot of sovereign funds jump in to make investments in these institutions,” said Waleed El-Amir, investment banking head for the Middle East and North Africa at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch.

Even Qatar’s fund - widely seen as the most aggressive - is staying away from European banks and will probably wait at least until the first round of bank capitalisations in the euro zone is over, a banking source who advises the fund said. Some deals may be done directly by the family of Qatar’s ruler, to avoid piling risk on the books of the sovereign fund. A Qatari investment group looking to take over the Luxembourg-based private banking business of Franco-Belgian group Dexia belongs to members of the al-Thani royal family, who are also buying the private bank of Belgium’s KBC , Luxembourg’s finance minister said last month.

There is talk in financial markets that Gulf sovereign wealth funds are exploring Asian investments, mindful of strong economic growth in the region. But Asia is largely unfamiliar terrain for them and brings them into direct competition with strong local players such as Singaporean and Chinese funds. So as global economic growth slows and domestic factors increasingly constrain the Gulf funds, they are likely to opt for prudence, analysts said. “There seems to be this new realisation that you can’t outsource investment decisionmaking to a spreadsheet. That maybe you have to go and kick the tires of the asset you’re thinking of buying,” said Ashby Monk, co-director of Oxford University’s Sovereign Wealth Fund Project. “That’s pretty significant. And positive.” — Reuters

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sp orts Hiddink contract terminated ISTANBUL: Guus Hiddink’s contract as Turkey coach has been terminated by mutual consent following the team’s failure to reach the Euro 2012 finals, the Turkish Football Federation said yesterday, ending a disappointing spell in charge for the Dutchman.

The decision, announced on the federation’s website (www.tff.org), had been expected after Tuesday’s 0-0 draw in Croatia which completed Turkey’s 3-0 aggregate defeat in their playoff.

Even before the playoffs, the 65-year-old Hiddink had been under fire in the Turkish media for failing to inspire a team which reached the semi-finals of Euro 2008 after defeating Croatia in the quarterfinals. “Following the meeting between the Turkish Football Federation executive committee and Turkey head coach Guus Hiddink, the Dutch coach’s contract has been terminated by mutual consent,” the federation said. “ We would like to thank Guus Hiddink for his services during his working period, and wish him all the best in his future career,” it added, saying it would announce developments regarding a new coach in the coming days. — Reuters

NHL results/standings NHL results and standings on Tuesday.

Boston 4, New Jersey 3; Phoenix 3, Toronto 2 (SO); NY Rangers 4, NY Islanders 2; Minnesota 4, Columbus 2; Pittsburgh 6, Colorado 3; St. Louis 2, Detroit 1; Nashville 3, Washington 1; Florida 6, Dallas 0; Ottawa 3, Calgary 1. (SO denotes shootout victory) Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L OTL GF GA PTS Pittsburgh 11 4 3 57 43 25 NY Rangers 10 3 3 47 34 23 Philadelphia 10 4 3 65 51 23 New Jersey 8 7 1 40 45 17 NY Islanders 4 8 3 31 47 11 Northeast Division Buffalo 11 6 0 52 42 22 Toronto 10 6 2 53 61 22 Ottawa 9 9 1 56 66 19 Boston 9 7 0 56 38 18 Montreal 7 7 3 42 45 17 Southeast Division Washington 10 5 1 56 45 21 Florida 9 5 3 52 42 21 Tampa Bay 8 7 2 48 55 18 Winnipeg 6 9 3 48 60 15 Carolina 6 9 3 46 63 15 Western Conference Central Division Chicago 11 4 3 62 52 25 Nashville 9 5 3 46 43 21 Detroit 9 6 1 43 35 19 St. Louis 9 7 1 42 39 19 Columbus 3 13 1 38 64 7 Northwest Division Minnesota 10 5 3 43 38 23 Edmonton 9 6 2 39 38 20 Vancouver 9 8 1 55 51 19 Colorado 8 9 1 52 60 17 Calgary 7 9 1 36 45 15 Pacific Division Dallas 11 6 0 48 47 22 Phoenix 9 4 3 46 41 21 San Jose 9 5 1 44 39 19 Los Angeles 8 6 3 41 40 19 Anaheim 6 8 3 35 50 15 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L)

Women’s volleyball tourney TOKYO: Italy almost failed to take their first chance to qualify for the Olympics after a 3-2 win over Germany in their ninth straight win at the World Cup women’s volleyball tournament yesterday.

Starting the day with a fivepoint lead over Germany who were in fourth place, the defending champions squeezed through to a narrow 22-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-13, 15-13 victory in the 12team round robin competition.

Italy have now 25 points to lead the field with a 9-0 win-loss record, ahead of the United States on 23 points with 8-1, China on 20 points with 6-3, Germany and Japan on 19 with 6-3 with two more matches remaining each.

The top three teams in the final standings will qualify for the Olympics. A more decisive win

would have given Italy the extra point to seal their qualification for the London Games.

The winning team receive three points from 3-0 and 3-1 wins, two from a 3-2 win, while the losing team receive one point from a 2-3 defeat. “I’m very happy.

We won one of the best matches in this tournament,” Italian coach Giovanni Guidetti said after the match that lasted two hours 58 minutes. Captain Eleonora Lo Bianco said: “It’s always difficult to play against Germany, but I’m very satisfied with our reaction after the first two sets. We started with good blocking and defence. I think it was a very good game.”

Earlier in the day, the United States edged past China 25-21, 31-29, 18-25, 19-25, 15-10 and will play Italy today. — AFP

England manager resigns LONDON: England rugby team manager Martin Johnson has resigned after 3-1/2 years in the job following England’s flat performances and exit in the quarter-finals of the recent rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) scheduled a news conference at their Twickenham headquarters with Johnson and professional rugby director Rob Andrew for 1600GMT and though there was no official RFU comment, sources at the governing body confirmed that his resignation would be confirmed.

Johnson, England’s 2003 World Cup-winning captain, steered England to their first Six Nations title in eight years but his contract was due to expire at the end of next month.

He had made clear in October, after the 19-12 loss to France ended a World Cup campaign characterised by a lack of discipline on and off the pitch, that he was considering his position. Others had also questioned his future. “We were knocked out in the quarter-finals and we played poorly throughout the competition,” former RFU vice-chairman and Lions prop Fran Cotton said last month. — Reuters

Panthers eclipse Stars DALLAS: The Florida Panthers moved into a tie for top spot in the NHL’s Southeast Division with an authoritative 6-0 thrashing of another divisional leader, the Dallas Stars, on Tuesday.

Kris Versteeg and Stephen Weiss each had a goal and two assists, and Scott Clemmensen made 25 saves for the shutout. Defensemen Dmitry Kulikov and Jason Garrison added first-period goals, and Tomas Fleischmann and Evgeny Dadonov also scored.

Weiss skated in his 574th game for the Panthers, moving into second place on the franchise list behind current Dallas Stars forward Radek Dvorak’s 613 games.

digit shots in all three periods.

Matt D’Agostini added a power-play goal for the Blues, who ended the Red Wings’ four-game winning streak. Detroit was 0 for 6 on the power play and is 0 for 16 over the past three games. Justin Abdelkader scored the game’s first goal for the Red Wings.

streak since October 2009 when they also won seven in a row. The Islanders lost for the fifth time in six outings.

Sean Avery and defenseman Steve Eminger also scored for the Rangers. Frans Nielsen and Matt Moulson both netted tying goals, but the Islanders weren’t able to nudge in front.

Penguins 6, Avalanche 3 In Pittsburgh, the hosts came back from a two-goal deficit to overwhelm Colorado. James Neal had a goal and two assists, while Jordan Staal, Evgeni Malkin, Brooks Orpik, Pascal Dupuis and Kris Letang also scored for the Penguins. Neal’s power-play goal, his 12th tally of the season, in the third gave him at least one goal in each of Pittsburgh’s eight home games this season.

Jay McClement, Matt Duchene and David Jones all scored first-period goals for the Avalanche, who lost to an Eastern Conference team for the first time this season.

Coyotes 3, Maple Leafs 2 In Toronto, Patrick O’Sullivan and Radim Vrbata scored shootout goals, as Phoenix overcame Toronto’s furious rally. Shane Doan and Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored in regulation for Phoenix before Mike Komisarek and Phil Kessel replied for the hosts in the third period.

Still, the Maple Leafs suffered their fourth straight home loss. They also have injury concerns after Mikhail Grabovski and Clarke MacArthur both left the game.

Predators 3, Capitals 1 In Nashville, Colin Wilson scored the go-ahead goal with 24.3 seconds remaining as Nashville downed Washington.

In the final minute, Martin Erat carried the puck below the goal line, pulling Washington goalie Tomas Vokoun with him. Erat calmly slid the puck to Wilson, who scored his fourth of the season into an open net.

There was still time for captain Shea Weber to score an empty-netter for the hosts. After two scoreless periods, Washington’s Troy Brouwer had opened the scoring with a wrist shot from the high slot that sailed over Pekka Rinne’s right shoulder with 4:46 left. Just 28 seconds later, Erat tied it with a tap-in from the left post off a cross-crease feed from Weber.

Blues 2, Red Wings 1 In St. Louis, Alex Steen put St. Louis ahead to stay in the second period, and the Blues held Detroit to single-

CALGARY: Mark Giordano No. 5 of the Calgary Flames takes Nick Foligno No. 71 of the Ottawa Senators off the puck in second period NHL action. —AFP Bruins 4, Devils 3 In Boston, Benoit Pouliot scored the tiebreaking goal with 3:01 left in the third period to lift Boston over New Jersey and send the defending Stanley Cup champions to their sixth consecutive win.

Brad Marchand scored for the third straight game, while Chris Kelly and Shawn Thornton also netted for the Bruins, who have climbed out of last place in the Eastern Conference. Nick Palmieri scored twice for the Devils, and David Clarkson added a goal.

Rangers 4, Islanders 2 In Uniondale, New York, Brad Richards’ go-ahead goal with 4:55 remaining snapped a tie and sent the New York Rangers to their seventh straight victory, edging the New York Islanders. Richards broke a 2-2 tie, and Ryan Callahan added an empty-net goal in the final second for the Rangers, who are on their longest winning

Senators 3, Flames 1 In Calgary, Craig Anderson made 38 saves, and Bobby Butler scored his first two goals of the season in Ottawa’s victory over Calgary. Daniel Alfredsson also scored for Ottawa. Tom Kostopoulos scored the lone goal for the Flames, who had won eight of nine against Ottawa, dating to 2004.

Wild 4, Blue Jackets 2 In Columbus, Ohio, Cal Clutterbuck scored in the third period as Minnesota rallied to beat Columbus.

Matt Cullen scored on the power play for his team-leading eighth goal, and Nick Johnson and Devin Setoguchi also scored for Minnesota.

Antoine Vermette broke out of a slump with a shorthanded goal, and Mark Letestu scored on the power play in the first period for Columbus, which has an NHLlow seven points. —AP

WADA president refutes attack

by BOA chairman

LONDON: This is a July 27, 2011 file photo of race horse Frankel ridden by Tom Queally at Goodwood Race Course. —AP

Frankel European Horse of Year LONDON: Unbeaten British colt Frankel was named Cartier Horse of the Year on Tuesday after taking flat-racing by storm in a stellar 2011.

The 3-year-old Frankel extended his flawless record to nine races by claiming five wins this year, including a mesmeric display in the 2,000 Guineas where he romped home by six lengths to capture the British classic.

Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe champion Danedream of Germany, New Zealandbred horse So You Think and French pair Cirrus Des Aigles and Goldikova - the 2010 winner - were also on the shortlist for the coveted award given to the leading Europe-based horse of 2011.

Frankel, who is the world’s top-ranked horse, was also named the best 3-yearold colt at an awards ceremony in London, after votes were cast by a panel of racing journalists and readers of British newspapers Racing Post and The Daily Telegraph. After proving himself

over a mile this year, Frankel - named after legendary American trainer Bobby Frankel - is likely to step up in distance to 10 furlongs for 2012 and could finish the year competing in the Breeders’ Cup. “Frankel has had a great year and is hugely exciting,” trainer Henry Cecil told his own website, before Frankel was named as Horse of the Year. “He really has caught the public eye and it was great that he has given an interest to so many people.

“Hopefully he will go on and I hope, by the time of the Eclipse Stakes (at Sandown in July), he will be ready to tackle a mile and a quarter. He could be an even better horse at that trip. Racing needs champions and let us pray that he can continue where he left off.”

The Peter Schiergen-trained Danedream, who won the Arc at Longchamp last month in record time, had to be content with winning the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly category. —AP

LONDON: The president of the World Anti-Doping Agency defended the organization yesterday following a “misinformed and inaccurate” attack by the head of Britain’s Olympic committee.

WADA President John Fahey said he was disappointed to read the strongly worded comments made by British Olympic Association chairman Colin Moynihan in a speech to international sports federations on Tuesday.

Moynihan accused WADA of failing to catch the world’s biggest drug cheats and dragging the doping fight into a “dark age.” He called for an independent review of the Montreal-based body, which was set up 10 years ago to coordinate the international fight against doping in sports.

In a statement to The Associated Press, Fahey noted that WADA’s mandate comes from its signatories, including national Olympic bodies like the BOA. “Accepting that any signatory must be free to criticize, it is disappointing to read the BOA president’s comments, some of which are misinformed and inaccurate, and many of which have been addressed by WADA stakeholders in the last code review or by WADA in its present activities,” Fahey said. In his speech in Lausanne, Switzerland, Moynihan said only 59 of the world’s 204 national Olympic committees are in compliance with WADA’s anti-doping code, and that law-enforcement agencies - not WADA - were responsible for breaking up major doping rings and prosecuting cases such as the BALCO scandal.

Moynihan’s comments came on the eve of a BOA meeting in London expected to discuss the body’s rule banning British doping violators for life from the Olympics. The BOA has come under pressure to scrap the bylaw after the Court of Arbitration for Sport threw out an IOC rule which bans athletes who have received a doping suspension of more than six months from competing in the next Olympics. CAS ruled last month that the provision is an extra sanction and is not in compliance with the WADA code. — AP

KUWAIT: For the first time in Kuwait and the Middle East, Red Bull Art of Motion kick-started yesterday with the participation of 20 of the best Free-running and Parkours athletes of the world. On their way to Failaka Island, a draw has been conducted to split the athletes into five teams. At five in the morning, the 36 hours countdown was launched. Each team equipped with cameras drove their Minis all the way around Failaka searching for the best shots to film their unique moves.

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Frustrated Kim wipes slate clean for 2012 JOHOR BARU: After attracting headlines for all the wrong reasons, Anthony Kim is working towards the kind of form he hopes will hear his name mentioned again in the same breath as golf’s young stars like Martin Kaymer, Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler.

The 26-year-old American burst onto the PGA Tour in 2007 with five top-10 finishes before capturing the first of three tour victories a year later when he also qualified for the victorious US Ryder Cup team.

However, the golfer born in Los Angeles to Korean parents and promoted as one of the PGA Tour’s rising prospects was gaining a reputation more for partying hard than his skills on the course. Earlier this year, Kim was forced to spend time on the sidelines

recovering from thumb surgery and the player believes the break had made him mentally stronger and he was relishing a return to winning form next season.

“There have been a lot of low points both mentally and physically this past season,” he told Reuters in an interview ahead of this week’s co-sanctioned Johor Open in Malaysia.

“Golf is very important to me and even though I have fun with it, it’s still something I look upon very seriously as I like to play well but unfortunately that was not the case this year.

“It wasn’t just the winning I was missing... it’s just that I wasn’t playing well and that was very frustrating. Kim was unable to pinpoint exactly when he found his new level of maturity but is planning on making the most of his

fresh approach to the sport.

“I had been working hard but had to take a month-and-a-half off and in doing so, that turned my game around. I don’t how it happened but it did and I am looking forward to doing better,” he added.

“I learned a lot about myself and I’ve had time to grow, and mentally I am a lot tougher than I was because I just had to grind so much to make cuts and that’s sometimes a lot harder than trying to win golf tournaments.

“So I have learned how to better manage my game and I feel like I am a better player now than I ever was. “I’ve sort of wiped the slate clean ahead of starting next year but I also am going into 2012 feeling mentally stronger than I have ever been.

“At least in those six weeks off I got to catch up with some old friends who I hadn’t seen for some time while I also enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with my four dogs. “I just managed to get to do the things I can’t do because I am travelling so much.”

Kim’s last victory was at the 2010 Shell Houston Open and while he was a member of Paul Azinger’s winning team in 2008, he failed to qualify for last year’s losing side or make the U.S. Presidents Cup team competing in Australia this week.

Kim contested 26 PGA Tour events this past season but missed the cut in 11, was forced to withdraw from one and disqualified from the Canadian Open.

Until last month, his best finish of the

season was fifth behind Darren Clarke at the British Open but a playoff loss to McIlroy at the Shanghai Masters event in October and a tie for third at last week’s Singapore Open suggests he is getting back on track.

“While it has been a frustrating season for me but it’s never as bad as it seems,” Kim added. “The good thing is that I am starting to find my form and I’m excited to be able to just break 70 again as it didn’t look like I could do that for a while.

“I am really pleased to be back in Asia and competing here in Malaysia. “Of course, I would rather be playing this week at Royal Melbourne in Australia but I’m only 26 so hopefully I will have many more Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup appearance ahead of me.”— Reuters

Woods to face Scott and former caddy Williams

SAN DIEGO: In this Nov. 25, 2009 file photo, the BMW Oracle trimaran sails past the San Diego skyline during testing in San Diego. Dean Barker and Emirates Team New Zealand hold the overall lead as the America’s Cup World Series comes to San Diego. — AP

America’s Cup World Series visits San Diego SAN DIEGO: America’s Cup racing is back in the United States for the first time since Russell Coutts and Team New Zealand lifted the Auld Mug from Dennis Conner off San Diego in 1995. Besides a few familiar faces, little is the same as it was 16 years ago.

Nine teams will race fast 45-foot, wing-sailed catamarans on San Diego Bay in the third stop of the America’s Cup World Series running late yesterday through Sunday. Based on the previous two stops, there most certainly will be spectacular capsizes and maybe even a collision or two. The ACWS features both fleet and match racing. The big difference from the previous incarnation of the America’s Cup is that the racing will be right in front of spectators on the shore, rather than a few miles out at sea.

“Certainly for the people of San Diego, this event is going to be a re -education for them about the America’s Cup,” said Jimmy Spithill, an Australian who skippered San Francisco’s Oracle Racing to victory over Alinghi of Switzerland in the America’s Cup in 2010.

“Because when they think America’s Cup, they think, “Well, we’ll watch the boats tow out and that’s about it.’ But here, they can walk down and see the boats. It’s exciting for me because I’ve got family here and it really is a new event for them.”

The ACWS, being sailed in ports around the world, is a buildup to the 2013 America’s Cup on San Francisco Bay. Prior to winning the silver trophy in 2010, Oracle spent 16 months testing its giant trimaran in San Diego. Most of the sailing was done miles offshore, but there was a time or two when Spithill and his crew would take their massive boat for a spin around the bay.

It was in San Diego that Oracle introduced a radical wing sail that improved the boat’s acceleration and maneuverability. The wing’s success in the match against the Swiss is a big reason why the 45-foot cats and the 72-foot versions that will contest the Cup in 2013 - have wing sails. Bringing the sport closer to spectators is one goal of organizers after the image of the oldest trophy in international sports was badly damaged by a long, bitter court fight between billionaires that preceded Oracle’s victory in 2010.

“The key in San Diego Bay is trying to be consistent,” said Spithill, who has a home in San Diego. “It’s a tricky place to sail. It’s an exciting place to sail because there’s a lot of activity. It’s a beautiful harbor. It’s right on the downtown. It will be a lot of fun and I think it will be a great show for all the people watching.”

Oracle Racing has made a significant lineup change to one of its boats. Coutts, who sailed undefeated through three straight America’s Cup matches for two different countries, is stepping aside as helmsman in favor of Aussie Darren Bundock, a two-time Olympic silver medalist. Spithill continues to steer the other Oracle boat. “Our plan is to use this tour to rotate our sailing team,” Spithill said. “Obviously Russell is involved in the event side as well. We’ve gone out and hired what we think is the best multihull sailor in the world. I’m all about getting the best guy because I love the competition. I think you need to be pushed, and the only way to do that is to get guys that are better than you, around you. It’s been fantastic having Darren in here. He’s pushed me super hard already.”

Said Bundock: “I’m here to give him a hurry-up and keep him honest. I’d love to take his spot.”Skipper Dean Barker and the current Team New Zealand lineup hold the overall lead after the first two stops, in Cascais, Portugal, and Plymouth, England. So far, Barker and crew have shown that they could be the biggest threat to Oracle Racing.

“We’ve been sailing cats now for a year,” Barker said. “We’re pretty happy with the progress we’ve made. Saying that, there’s still a lot more to learn. We still make lots of mistakes. The boat-handling aspect is very, very difficult. There are always things you can do a lot better. It’s a good challenge. We’ve got two years, really, to try to step on it that much further. It’ll be harder to make gains, but there’s still a lot to learn.”— AP

MELBOURNE: Presidents Cup team captains Greg Norman and Fred Couples have ensured Thursday’s opening foursomes matches will have additional spice by pairing Tiger Woods against Australia’s Adam Scott and the American’s former caddy Steve Williams.

Williams, who now carries Scott’s bag after Woods fired him in July ending a partnership that had started in 1999, sparked a global controversy in the leadup to the biennial tournament by making a racist remark about Woods in China earlier this month.

New Zealander Williams later apologised online and to Woods in person and the American said he wanted to move on.

Scott, who rejected calls to sack his caddy and denied Williams was a racist, had said he would be prepared to take on Woods regardless of any tension in the match-up.

Capping off days of speculation, U.S. captain Couples called Hunter Mahan and David Toms for the second-last match against Kim KyungTae and YE Yang, leaving Scott and South Korean team mate KJ Choi to play against Woods and Stricker.

Both he and Internationals captain Norman denied the match-up was premeditated but their comments appeared to contradict the claim.

“Like Greg said, and we were right here, we were writing down cards and it’s just the way it felt, and I think it would be worse if we hid this deal,” he told reporters at Royal Melbourne Golf Club yesterday.

Norman said had not spoken with Couples and his assistants about it but had consulted Scott and Choi. “I think it’s great for the tournament. It needed to be done. It played out the way it played out,” he told reporters.

“I just think that in the situation and the best spirit of the competition for the tournament there’s obviously a lot of speculation and intensity from the people in this room here that it could take place.

“We talked about it as the three of us and say, ‘okay, if we had to diffuse anything and just

MELBOURNE: Tiger Woods of the US team blasts a ball out of a bunker during a practice round prior to the start of the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Melbourne Golf Course. — AP get this thing over and done with, wouldn’t you rather have it sooner than later?’

Woods and Scott dodged questions about the elephant in the room, but Stricker, whose partnership with the American cut the heart out of the Internationals in 2009, welcomed the chance to get the match-up out of the way.

“I think it will be good to just get that part of it out of the way, and Stevie and Tiger have talked, so I think it’s kind of a non-issue,” the 44year-old said. “But like I say, it will be good to get it out of the way.”

As holders, the US team were entitled to the first pick but Couples deferred it to the hosts and Norman duly selected South African triple major champion Ernie Els to partner with Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa.

They will face Bubba Watson and Nick

Watney in the first match-up and Norman said their pairing was intended to allow Els to give the 20-year-old a helping hand around the Royal Melbourne course.

Ishikawa arrived late on Tuesday, well after his team mates and has little time to get to know the challenging lay-out. “Well, I think that had a lot to do with it,” said Norman. “We knew Ryo got in late and only had one practice round. They are out there playing now.

“Ernie shot 60 around this golf course so he knows how to play Royal Melbourne,” he added of the South African, the only player on the team to have tasted victory in the Cup back in 1998.

Norman picked a clutch of Australians in the following three pairings, in part, he said to get the local crowd firing early.

Local Geoff Ogilvy and South Africa’s US Masters champion Charl Schwartzel face captain’s pick Bill Haas and Nick Watney before Australia’s Aaron Baddeley and Jason Day take on Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar.

Four-times major champion Mickelson forms a seasoned pairing with Jim Furyk in a veterans’ match-up against South African double US Open champion Retief Goosen and Australia’s Robert Allenby in the fourth matchup.

“You put an Aussie in one group, (the fans) are going to be going, ‘Oi, Oi, Oi!’ so I don’t have a problem with that,” Norman said with a grin.

The United States are bidding to win their fourth successive Presidents Cup, though Royal Melbourne is the venue of their sole loss in the tournament in 1998. — Reuters

Construction of US GP track halted AUSTIN: Plans for Austin to host Formula One’s US Grand Prix from next year have been cast into doubt after construction of the racetrack was halted and state authorities said Tuesday they would not pay money in advance for the race.

Construction on the track has stopped because of a contract dispute between Formula One, race promoters and developers. And in a separate announcement, state Comptroller Susan Combs said that $25 million in state money would not be provided in advance.

The project had been hailed as a $300 million boost to the Austin economy and a critical breakthrough back into the US market for Formula One, which hasn’t held the US Grand Prix since 2007 in Indianapolis.

Circuit of the Americas officials, including billionaire Red McCombs, say construction won’t resume until they have a contract from Formula One to stage the race in Austin next year. The officials, without releasing details, said only that Formula One had not met a previously agreed timetable to send the contract and construction will not resume until that happens. The track is also scheduled to host MotoGP races for 10 years.

Tavo Hellmund, a former race driver with long family ties to Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone, was granted the right to stage the US Grand Prix.

Although he was a founding partner of the Circuit of the Americas, recent statements by Hellmund and Circuit of the Americas officials suggest a serious rift has developed. Ecclestone said last week the sides have “forgotten to talk to each other.”

The Associated Press left a telephone message seeking comment from Hellmund. A statement from Hellmund’s Full Throttle Productions said: “It is the responsi-

bility of Circuit of the Americas to bring it across the finish line. For the sake of everyone, we are hopeful that they can reach an agreement with Formula 1.”

It was Ecclestone who made the surprise announcement in 2010 that Austin would host the return of the US Grand Prix on the first track built specifically for Formula One. The project had the support of state lawmakers, who voted in 2009 to make the race eligible for $25 million from a special events fund.

The project also had strong backing from Combs.

Correspondence between Combs, Ecclestone and Hellmund obtained by the Austin AmericanStatesman showed the original plan was to pay Formula One a year in advance to cover the cost of the international sanctioning fee. There have been many signs of problems.

The race’s original June 2012 schedule was pushed back to November, and the recent announcement of another Formula One race in New Jersey starting in 2013 raised questions over Formula One’s commitment to the Austin race.

Combs noted the New Jersey race “is a concern” because it may reduce the number of race who would otherwise come to Austin.

That and the dispute between Hellmund and race promotes have prompted questions about “whether the Austin race will even occur,” Combs said.

“We have not paid out any money for the Formula One event,” Combs said. “Ultimately, I am responsible for protecting the interests of Texas taxpayers, first and foremost. I will not allow taxpayer dollars to be placed at risk.”

Bobby Epstein, founding partner of Circuit of the Americas, called the US “vital for the future of Formula One and its teams and sponsors ... We hope that Texas will not be left behind.”—AP

NEW YORK: Surrounded by NBA players, including New York Knicks’ Chauncy Billups (left) and Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook (right) NBA Players Association president Derek Fisher speaks during a news conference after a meeting of the players’ union. — AP

Players launch lawsuit against NBA NEW YORK: The fate of the National Basketball Association (NBA) season remained in limbo on Tuesday after players filed a lawsuit against the governing body and another two weeks of competition were scrapped.

As expected, players filed a class action lawsuit against the NBA, setting the stage for a complicated legal battle to resolve their bitter labor dispute.

The court action came as the NBA formally notified teams that all regular season games through to Dec. 15 had been cancelled, extending the delay to six weeks after the first month of games was already lost. The season was supposed to start on Nov. 1.

The moves came a day after players rejected a contract offer that included plans for a shortened season, saying the terms were unacceptable and they wanted to pursue legal action.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Northern California, was brought on behalf of named plaintiffs, Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Leon Powe.

The suit seeks to represent NBA players and other prospective professionals while the defendants include the league and its 30 member teams.

“Rather than competing for the players’ services,” the lawsuit said, “defendants have combined

and conspired to eliminate such competition among themselves for NBA players through group boycotts, concerted refusals to deal, and agreements on restricting output and fixing prices.”

The lawsuit seeks triple damages as a result of the antitrust violations. The latest collective bargaining agreement that players turned down on Monday, called for a 50-50 split of basketball related income between the owners and players and would have provided for a 72-game season to start on Dec. 15.

The National Basketball Players Association also said it would no longer continue in collective bargaining and would dissolve the union to become a trade association in order to pursue legal action against the NBA. A shift from the negotiating table to the courts sets the stage for a potentially lengthy battle with the entire NBA season hanging in the balance. The NBA, which claims it lost $300 million last season with 22 of its 30 teams in the red, locked out players on July 1.

Players, who received 57 percent of basketball income in the previous contract, also are at odds with the owners over rules governing contracts and free agency. They have been locked out for almost five months. — Reuters

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Verlander unanimously wins Cy Young, is MVP next?

NEW YORK: Justin Verlander was ready to jump into the debate. Shortly after winning the AL Cy Young Award on Tuesday in a unanimous vote, the Detroit Tigers’ ace took on the far more intriguing question: Will he capture the MVP trophy, too?

“Do I think it’s possible? Yes. Would I like to win it? Of course,” he said during a conference call. “It’s kind of a weird scenario.”

No starting pitcher has won the MVP since Roger Clemens in 1986, wit’h Dennis Eckersley the last reliever to get it in 1992.

Many say pitchers shouldn’t win the MVP, period, contending they already have their own award.

“Pitchers are on the ballot,” Verlander said. Bolstering the case for all pitchers, Verlander pointed to the “tremendous effect we have on the day of our game.”

His season - he won the pitching version of the Triple Crown, led Detroit to its first division crown in 24 years and drew every first-place vote in the Cy Young race definitely has ratcheted up the discussion in a crowded MVP field that includes Curtis Granderson, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jose Bautista,

Miguel Cabrera and more. “I’m so different from everybody,” he said.

If he doesn’t win, Verlander said he’d like to see Granderson, his former teammate, get the award. Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers is the favorite to win the NL Cy Young when the results are released today. He won the NL pitching Triple Crown, leading with a 2.28 ERA and 248 strikeouts and tying for wins at 21. The AL and NL Managers of the Year will be announced late yesterday.

Verlander breezed to the Cy Young, much the way he humbled hitters with his 100 mph fastball, sharp curve and wicked slider.

Verlander led the majors in wins by going 24-5 and topped baseball with 250 strikeouts. His 2.40 ERA was the best among AL pitchers who qualified for the title.

The 28-year-old righty was listed on top on all 28 ballots by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and finished with 196 points.

Jered Weaver (18-8, 2.41) of the Los

Angeles Angels was the only other pitcher listed on every ballot and second with 97 points. James Shields of Tampa Bay was third with 66, followed by CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees with 63. Tigers reliever Jose Valverde, who was perfect in 49 save chances, was fifth with 28.

“Since the end of the season, people have been saying that the Cy Young is wrapped up,” said Verlander, who added he waited until the announcement to celebrate.

Verlander pitched his second career nohitter, won 12 straight starts down the stretch and helped the Tigers take the AL Central.

In many games, he was simply unhittable. He pitched a no-hitter on May 7 at Toronto, missing a perfect game just by an eighth-inning walk on a full-count delivery.

In his next start, he held Kansas City hitless for 5 2-3 innings. Johnny Vander Meer is the only pitcher to throw back-to-back no-hitters.

Later in the season, the 6-foot-5 star took a pair of no-hit bids into the eighth

inning - one of those came on July 31 against Weaver and the Angels, a 3-2 win at Detroit. “I felt like it was a statement game,” Verlander said. “A lot of people had eyes on that game.”

Verlander also led the majors with 251 innings, all while issuing a career-low 57 walks. He pitched four complete games, including two shutouts.

This was the ninth time there was a unanimous winner of the AL Cy Young and first since Johan Santana in 2006, when he won the AL pitching Triple Crown.

Verlander said he remembered watching Santana that year. “That’s a big league pitcher,” Verlander recalled telling himself.

“That’s a stud.”

This was the fourth time a Detroit pitcher won it, with Denny McLain earning the award in 1968 and tying for the honor in 1969, and reliever Willie Hernandez winning in 1984. McLain, in 1968, and Hernandez went on to win the AL MVP awards, too.

A four-time All-Star, Verlander became the first former AL Rookie of the Year to

also take the Cy Young. This win included a $500,000 bonus to his $12.75 million salary in 2011.

Verlander said he started his push this year in spring training. He’d gotten off to bad starts in previous seasons and decided to be “results oriented” beginning in exhibition games.

Verlander has started his offseason workout program, and plans to wait until January before throwing again. He went to the New England Patriots-New York Jets game Sunday night with teammate Rick Porcello and said a football was being passed around, but he avoided the temptation to toss it.

The only thing missing from Verlander’s pitching resume is a World Series title. He is 3-3 with a 5.57 ERA in eight career postseason starts, and went 2-1 in the playoffs this year as the Tigers reached the AL championship series before losing to Texas.

He probably wouldn’t mind a hit, either.

He’s 0 for 20 with 13 strikeouts in his big league career. He also tied for the AL lead in errors by a pitcher with five.—AP

India close in on victory Windies still trail by 283 runs

PALEMBANG: Patipol Phandphuong (center) of Thailand competes with Brandon Chong (right) of Singapore in the men’s waterpolo at the 26th Southeast Asian Games (SEA GAMES) in Palembang. —AFP

Vietnam surge ahead, Thai bounce weakens JAKARTA: A flurry of gold catapulted Vietnam into second place in the medals table at the Southeast Asian Games yesterday asThailand’s momentum stalled and hosts Indonesia endured a relatively quiet day.

Buoyed by a near clean sweep of the gymnastics on Tuesday, Vietnam’s athletes had notched 10 golds by yesterday evening taking their tally to 54 and 167 medals overall, edging ahead of the fancied Thai team who had 52 wins.

Vietnam’s victories were scattered across several events, with braces of gold in chess and rowing adding to wins in the shooting and vovinam-a Vietnamese martial art making its Games debut.

The success nudged Vietnam ahead of Thailand, who could only muster three golds, after bouncing back from a disappointing start to the 26th SEA Games with a strong showing in the headline athletics events.

Indonesia, who earlier claimed their 200th medal of the Games, had a slow day after a contagious gold run over the first five days of competition, but still secured nine golds to keep them in top spot in the medals table with 87 first places.

Long distance runner Triyaningsih-who like many Indonesians goes by one nameprovided the highlight of their day, taking the women’s marathon and with it her third gold after the 5,000 and 10,000 metres.

Expectation was also building for the hosts’ free-scoring football team, who have already qualified for the semi-finals of the

PALEMBANG: Andriyan of Indonesia competes in the men’s diving 3 meters final at the 26th Southeast Asian Games.—AFP

under-23 event and take on arch-rivals Malaysia in a hotly anticipated game Thursday in Jakarta.

Although Malaysia are virtually guaranteed a semi-final spot-they will qualify unless they lose to Indonesia and Singapore rout Thailand-the match between the bitter rivals is expected to draw tens of thousands of spectators.

Malaysia’s coach pledged to go for a win, telling state media his players will go all out to upset the unbeaten hosts. “The time has come... we must show what we are made of,” Kim Swee Ong was quoted by Bernama as saying.

Much of the preamble to the game has focused on the success of Indonesia’s Papuan contingent led by Patrich Wanggai, Titus “Tibo” Bonai and Oktavianus Maniani who have starred in the three group games so far.

Wanggai is the competition’s second top scorer with four goals while Bonai and Maniani have been integral to the hosts fast-breaking style which has seen them score 11 goals.

The players have joined Papuan gold medal sprinters Franklin Ramses Burumi and Serafi Anelis Unani as pin-ups for Indonesian unity despite an ongoing government crackdown on pro-independence protests in their home territory.

“This is sport not politics,” Burumi, who took both the 100 and 200 metre sprints, told the Jakarta Post. “I will only say we want peace and security in Papua.

“We have shown what we can achieve, so please never underestimate the Papuan people.” Myanmar took their first gold of the Games, with a win on the archery range for Aung Ngeain. They are targeting a strong finish to the football competition after cruising through to the last fourwhere they could face hosts Indonesia.

Elsewhere a 76-year-old grandmother who bagged two silver medals at bridge competition-the oldest person to make the podium at this year’s Games-said she was eyeing a return at the 2015 edition on home soil in Singapore.

Despite her canny play Lai Chun Ng, who is older than the Games she is taking part in, fell agonisingly short of securing the cash bonus offered by Singapore’s athletics bosses to gold medal winners.

“Look at the other athletes, they are all young ones,” she was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Globe. “I’m very thrilled at my age that I can still do something and win medals for the country,” she added.

Little watched outside the region the biennial SEA Games sees 11 nations compete for bragging rights with hundreds of gold medals up for grabs.—AFP

Medals Table JAKARTA: Medals table at the 26th Southeast Asian Games yesterday: Indonesia Vietnam Thailand Singapore Malaysia

Gold 87 54 52 29 27

Silver 66 55 41 32 24

Bronze 69 59 60 46 44

Total 222 168 153 107 95

Philippines Laos Cambodia Myanmar Brunei East Timor

16 5 3 1 0 0

28 3 9 12 1 0

34 19 11 16 6 1

78 27 23 29 7 1

KOLKATA: India marched steadily towards victory after enforcing the follow-on despite an improved batting performance by West Indies in the second innings of the second test at Eden Gardens yesterday.

At the close on the third day, West Indies were 195 for three wickets, still trailing India by 283 runs, with Darren Bravo (38) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (21) at the crease.

Adrian Barath (62) and Kirk Edwards (60) scored dogged half-centuries in West Indies’ second innings after the visitors collapsed in a heap to be all out for 153 in their first essay.

West Indies lost opener Kraigg Brathwaite (nine) early, but Barath (62) and Edwards added 93 for the second wicket to lead the tourists’ fightback.

Brathwaite edged paceman Umesh Yadav in the fifth over for captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to complete a low catch behind the stumps.

Barath, who hit 10 boundaries, played a wild drive against paceman Ishant Sharma, four deliveries after the tea break, and Vangipurappu Laxman held on to a low chance at slip.

“I think we did not bat as well as we should have in the first innings. Basically we learnt from our mistakes in the first innings and we applied ourselves a bit more,” Barath told reporters.

“It shows that as a team we are capable of playing spin well. I think it was just a matter of application in the first innings.”

The 21-year old Barath was still hopeful that West Indies could avoid the innings defeat by making India bat again. “It is going to be difficult. Shivnarine Chanderpaul is the key player for us tomorrow,” he said.

“He is the one who can bat through tomorrow and make it difficult for the Indian bowlers and take the game into the fifth day and make them bat again.”

The lanky Sharma, who is leading the Indian attack in the absence of Zaheer Khan, also got rid of Edwards when he got him out lbw. Edwards hit six boundaries and a six during his knock.

Earlier, the West Indies batsmen capitulated under the weight of India’s mammoth first innings total of 631 for seven declared and were bundled out in the morning session.

Resuming on the overnight score of 34 for two, the tourists, trailing 1-0 in the three-match series, offered little resistance as India’s bowlers ran riot to scuttle them in 140 minutes on the third day.

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha picked up four wickets while Yadav and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin chipped in with three and two respectively.

The visiting batsmen lasted 48 overs in their first innings with India’s bowlers extracting considerable spin and bounce from the track. “I think right now we are in the driver’s seat and things are going pretty well,” Ojha said. “We are hitting the right areas and we are confident that we can get them out tomorrow as

soon as possible.”

Yadav took the wickets of Bravo (30) and Marlon Samuels (25) the only batsmen to offer some resistance-in the morning, clean-bowling both of them.

Ashwin, who got married a day before the second test started, picked up the prized wicket of Chanderpaul.

West Indies captain Darren Sammy (18) went on the counter-attack and hit two fours and a straight six during his 14-ball knock. However, he edged Ojha to Dhoni behind the stumps immediately after hitting the six. The teams will play the third and final Test in Mumbai from Tuesday.—Reuters

KOLKATA: West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul (right) plays a shot against India during the third day of their second Test cricket match. —AP

SCOREBOARD KOLKATA: Scoreboard at close on the third day of the second test between India and West Indies at Eden Gardens yesterday: India first innings 631-7 dec West Indies first innings (overnight 34-2) A. Barath c Sehwag b Yadav 1 K. Brathwaite c Gambhir b Ashwin 17 K. Edwards lbw b Ojha 16 D. Bravo b Yadav 30 S. Chanderpaul lbw b Ashwin 4 M. Samuels b Yadav 25 C. Baugh lbw b Ojha 13 D. Sammy c Dhoni b Ojha 18 K. Roach run out 2 F. Edwards lbw b Ojha 16 D. Bishoo not out 8 Extras (lb-3) 3 Total (all out; 48 overs) 153 Fall of wickets: 1-3 2-30 3-42 4-46 5-92 6-99 7-120 8-129 9-129

Games boss urges focus on Olympic sports JAKARTA: Future Southeast Asian Games should feature fewer traditional sports and focus on Olympic events if the region’s athletes are to compete at a higher level, Indonesia’s organising body said Tuesday. Rita Subowo, president of the SEA Games organising committee, said sports such as Indonesia’s pencak silat and Vietnam’s vovinam dilute the Games line-up and divert resources from the showpiece Olympic athletic disciplines.

“I have asked for future Games to focus on Olympic sports so we can qualify for the big events,” Subowo, who is also a member of Indonesia’s Olympic committee, told AFP. “But every SEA Games the same thing happens. The hosts always ask for traditional sports-the sport they are very good at-and there’s so much pressure to include it that there’s nothing we can do about it.”

The pressure is exerted by individual sports associations and governments keen to secure regional bragging rights with a big medal haul, she added. A Thai representative from the nation’s Olympic committee has also said the biennial SEA Games risk becoming less competitive as hosts choose niche sports favouring their athletes.

Their comments come as Indonesia streaked ahead in the medals table, harvesting 60 golds and 147 medals overall, to keep them well ahead of nearest rivals Thailand-who have 36 golds so far.

Indonesia have enjoyed a clean sweep in the roller skating races, which debuted at the Games debut this year at their request, while indigenous martial art pencak silat is likely to see another gold glut by the hosts. “We proposed roller sports one-and-half years ago and asked the other Games delegates for their opinion. Nobody complained at the time,” Subowo added. On Tuesday track and field has nine golds up for grabs in Palembang-which is co-hosting the Games, giving the Thais a chance to cut the hosts’ commanding medals lead.

But the men’s team badminton final will likely dominate the day’s competition with the hotly favourite hosts-including former Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat-tackling arch-rivals Malaysia in Jakarta.

“They have the advantage but I think we can give them a good fight,” Malaysian coach Tam Kim Her told the New Straits Times. “It’s a final and anything can happen.”

Thailand, whose gold rush on Monday was off-set by Indonesia’s roller skating and karate exploits, basked in glory after besting the home side in the women’s team badminton final.

But the Thais have their work cut out to eclipse Indonesia, after the home athletes continued their fine run with a sackful of gold as they target finishing with most medals at the Games for the first time since 1997. —AFP

Bowling: Ojha 22-5-64-4, Yadav 7-1-23-3, Ashwin 14-3-49-2, Sharma 5-2-14-0.West Indies second innings (following on) A. Barath c Laxman b Sharma 62 C. Brathwaite c Dhoni b Yadav 9 K. Edwards lbw b Sharma 60 S. Chanderpaul not out 21 D. Bravo not out 38 Extras (b-1, lb-3, w-1) 5 Total (three wickets, 62 overs) 195 To bat: M. Samuels, C. Baugh, D. Sammy, F. Edwards, D. Bishoo, K. Roach Fall of wickets: 1-23 2-116 3-161 Bowling: Yadav 10-1-36-1, Sharma 14-3-41-2, Ojha 11-3-37-0, Ashwin 20-1-51-0, Y. Singh 30-14-0, Sehwag 4-0-12-0 (1w).

Preview

Australia short of options for second Test against S Africa JOHANNESBURG: Australia face a selection dilemma ahead of the second and final Test against South Africa at the Wanderers Stadium starting today, although there are not many options for the touring team.

Australia collapsed to a humiliating 47 all out in their second innings in the first Test in Cape Town last week on the way to an eightwicket defeat, leading to calls from Australia for major changes ahead of the team’s next series, at home against New Zealand.

Critics have called for the heads of former captain Ricky Ponting, wicketkeeper Brad Haddin and left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Johnson, but because of the composition of the touring party, only Johnson seems in danger of losing his place in Johannesburg.

Ponting, 36, has struggled for form over the past year. He made eight and nought in the first Test but both captain Michael Clarke and batting coach Justin Langer have backed him as a key player.

Ponting’s experience could be crucial, and he could now move back to the number three position he filled for most of his career following a back injury that forced Shaun Marsh to return home.

However, captain Michael Clarke said yesterday that Usman Khawaya would bat at number three in a straight swap for Marsh, with Ponting continuing at number four.

Haddin, 34, has also been out of form and was dismissed for five and nought in Cape Town, playing a particularly poor shot to be out in the second innings. But he is the only wicketkeeper in the squad.

Johnson, who shone against South Africa in home and away series in 2008-09, has looked a shadow of the bowler he was then.

He conceded 87 runs in 16 overs in the first

Test and his only wicket was almost in the nature of a consolation when Hashim Amla slashed him to gully when South Africa were only 14 runs short of victory.

Promising teenage fast bowler Pat Cummins looks likely to start at the Wanderers and could replace Johnson, although fellow fast bowler Ryan Harris was a slight doubt after waking up “stiff and sore”, according to Clarke.

Opening batsmen Shane Watson and Phil Hughes both failed twice against South Africa’s potent fast bowling attack.

Watson is a certain choice because of his bowling, which was mainly responsible for South Africa tumbling to 96 all out in Cape Town, but Hughes did not look anything like the player who had an impressive debut series against South Africa three seasons ago.

Australia called up David Warner to replace Marsh and there might be a temptation to give the hard-hitting opening batsman a Test debut. Clarke vowed after the first Test to select the best possible team for the Wanderers.

“If that means no changes, there will be no changes,” he said. “If it means four changes, I want the best 11 to win the Test.”

South Africa are unlikely to change a winning team and will go into the match confident of completing a first home series win against Australia in the post-isolation era.

The last time South Africa won at home against Australia was when a team led by Ali Bacher won all four Test matches in 1969-70.

Groundsman Chris Scott has promised a “good cricket pitch”, saying:“There’ll be pace and there’ll be bounce.” Pace and bounce will suit South Africa’s world-class fast bowling pair of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, with the latter particularly well placed to take advantage of bounce. —AFP

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Somali team carry hopes of war-torn nation ADDIS ABABA: Somalia’s national football team may scrape the barrel of global rankings, but simply by taking to the pitch in a World Cup qualifying round match late yesterday they are defying the odds.

For Abdi Gani Said Arab, Secretary General of the Somalia Football Federation, seeing the national team play symbolises more than the game alone, it also offers a glimmer of hope for the future of his war-torn nation.

“Football is a friendly game, it is very important in terms of every aspect of social life because we have a lot of young people who are fighting for nothing,” he said. “If they (the fighters) got a chance to be footballers they wouldn’t have done stupid things back home.”

Wracked by two decades of civil war, multiple governments have failed to create stability in the Horn of Africa nation, let alone form a competitive football team.

Famine has been declared in several areas of southern Somalia, while last month Kenyan troops moved across the border to battle Islamist rebels there.

Yet anarchic Somalia has surprised many football pundits by entering a team and making an early impression in the World Cup qualifying completion.

Somalia takes on Ethiopia late yesterday in Addis Ababa with after the first leg ended in a goalless draw in Djibouti last Saturday. Arab said the absence of a viable state is just one of many challenges the team

faces. “Our government is very weak and they cannot even understand football. We don’t have any support from them financially, we don’t have any support from them morally,” he said.

Besides this, the country’s football stadiums were devastated by years of fighting, leaving the team with no professional grounds for practice or hosting games.

“We don’t have infrastructure like this,” he said, standing in Ethiopia’s well-maintained national stadium.

“We have only fields, but there is no grass.”

The war-shattered shell of the national football stadium in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu is currently a military base for African Union troops defending the

Western-backed government against Al-Qaeda linked Shebab rebels.

This, coupled with ongoing violence throughout the country, forced the International Football Federation (FIFA) to ban Somalia from hosting matches on its soil.

Instead the team, ranked 193 out of 202 in world standings, has to travel to neighbouring Djibouti or Kenya to compete.

Despite these challenges, team member Khaled Hassan, 21, said he is happy to have reached this stage.

“It is definitely a proud moment for me, especially to be at this stage because Somalia has never really qualified,” he said.

This is only the fourth time the team has reached qualifying rounds

in its 60-year history. There is a bitter history between the two neighbouring nations: Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia in 2006, staying for three years despite bloody guerrilla attacks against its forces.

But for 25-year-old Ciisa Aden, skipper of Somalia’s team the Ocean Stars, Wednesday’s World Cup qualifying match is nothing to do with past history.

“It’s not political, we are not arch enemies,” said Aden. “We are expecting to have a very good game and we are expecting to show our talent.”

Football is followed passionately in Somalia. On Tuesday, one child was killed and four wounded when an attacker lobbed a hand grenade into a private house, where people

had gathered to watch England play Sweden on television.

But although the team is confident they will win the match, not all Somalis in Ethiopia’s capital are feeling so hopeful.

“Our country that has been destroyed for 21 years, and Ethiopia with its strong government, how are we going to play them?” said Abdu Rahman, owner of the Iman sports bar in Addis Ababa’s Somali district.

But team captain Aden says regardless of the results, he has faith that his nation can be restored through football. “ The best thing would be if Somalia can unite now through football,” he said. “Football has brought peace elsewhere, so why not in Somalia?” —AFP

Villa heads Spain to last-gasp draw SAN JOSE: David Villa headed an injury-time equalizer Tuesday to salvage a 2-2 draw for Spain at Costa Rica, avoiding a second straight friendly loss for the world champion.

Goalkeeper Iker Casillas’ Spanish record 127th appearance was marred when he let in first-

Villa then finally beat sturdy Costa Rica goalkeeper Keilor Navas in the second minute of added time for his 51st international goal.

The European champions avoided consecutive losses for the first time in five years although they continued to struggle in friendlies since their World Cup tri-

Saturday’s 1-0 loss at England, labored on a difficult pitch from the start as Joel Campbell troubled the visitors’ defense, with the hosts looking to expose central defenders Sergio Ramos and Carles Puyol on the counteraattack.

Casillas was outdone by coun-

SAN JOSE: Spain’s Sergio Ramos (center) fights for the ball with Costa Rica’s Jose Salvatierra (right) and Randall Brenes during a friendly soccer match. —AP half goals by Randall Brenes and Joel Campbell, with Costa Rica’s counterattack looking dangerous on the patchy grass at San Jose’s National Stadium.

Casillas was replaced by Victor Valdes after halftime and David Silva came on to help Spain’s attack, scoring in the 83rd minute.

umph, winning only three and losing four of its 10 friendlies since.

“The positive part of this was the team’s reaction,” said Andres Iniesta, who set up Silva’s goal. “In the first half we didn’t do anything well, they were much better.”

Spain’s players, coming off the trans-Atlantic flight following

terpart Keilor Navas, who made a number of impressive saves throughout, starting with Xavi Hernandez’s opportunistic effort after seven minutes.

Brenes shot over Casillas twice before finally making the breakthrough when the Spain ‘keeper rushed out to cut off a pass but

Asamoah celebrates Ghana recall with win JOHANNESBURG: Derek Asamoah celebrated his recall by Ghana with the stoppage-time winner in a 2-1 friendly triumph over Gabon in a Parisian suburb Tuesday.

The striker from South Korean club Pohang Steelers scored on 92 minutes in Saint Leu-la-Foret to end a deadlock that had existed since half-time between two of the 16 qualifiers for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu from Italian club Udinese converted a 10thminute penalty for the Black Stars from Ghana and Eric Moloungui equalised just before the break for the Panthers.

Ghana and Ivor y Coast are early favourites for the biennial African flagship football tournament to be staged between January 21 and February 12 in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

A Gabonese side coached by German Gernot Rohr lost 2-0 at home to five-time world champions Brazil last Thursday while Sierra Leone pulled out of a weekend friendly fixture against Ghana.

Nigeria atoned for being held goalless

by Botswana last Saturday on the debut of coach Stephen Keshi when the Uche brothers scored a goal each for a flattering 2-0 win over Zambia in northern city Kaduna.

Switzerland-based Kalu Uche steered the ball into the net from close range on nine minutes after a break and cut-back from Ahmed Musa, who constantly troubled the Chipolopolo (Copper Bullets) with right-flank raids.

Zambia had plenty of second-half possession in the first outing under rehired French coach Herve Renard only

to squander several scoring chances and Ikechukwu Uche delivered the killer blow a minute into stoppage time.

Nigeria were shock casualties of the Cup of Nations elimination process, leading to former national team centreback and captain Keshi replacing Samson Siasia, while Zambia made it to the 2012 tournament by winning another group.

South Africa rested a number of first choices, including captain and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Steven Pieenar, and suffered a 2-1 defeat in neighbouring Zimbabwe after leading at half-time.

Debutant Turkey-based striker Bradley Grobler-the latest experiment by Bafana Bafana (The Boys) coach Pitso Mosimane to try and solve a scoring crisis displayed clinical finishing to score on 28 minutes in Harare.

But Zimbabwe striker Knowledge Musona did even better in the second half by scoring twice to punish opponents he knew well having spent several seasons at Kaizer Chiefs in Johannesburg before joining German club Hoffenheim this year.

Guinea, smarting from a four-goal mauling by Senegal last weekend, snatched a 1-1 draw with fellow Cup of Nations qualifiers Burkina Faso in France through an Ibrahima Conte goal after Yahia Kebe opened the scoring in the first half.

Libya and Belarus drew 1-1 in a fiery Dubai clash that saw the red card flashed three times and Niger came from behind to draw 1-1 against Botswana in Niamey.—AFP

lost his balance and the ball, with the Costa Rica forward waiting a moment before lobbing over the defense into the empty net.

Navas stopped Villa on the first of several occasions right after the opener, before Ruiz curled the ball past Casillas but around the far post after Campbell, the Arsenal striker playing at FC Lorient, played him clear in the 37th.

Campbell soon found space in the middle and unleashed a leftfoot shot that Puyol was unable to block and beat a diving Casillas for 2-0.

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque brought in Sergio Busquets to help the defense at the start of the second half, with Silva and wingers Jesus Navas and Santi Cazorla also in to spread play out wide.

Spain created most of the chances from then onwards with Iniesta scooping high in the 58th before Keilor Navas flew across goal to save Villa’s free-kick in the 65th. Villa shot into the side netting minutes later before getting a quick shot away wide in the 74th while falling, as Spain dominated the game.

Iniesta continued to exploit space along the left as the Barcelona playmaker took Silva’s pass deep before feeding back to the Manchester City forward to score with a well-controlled shot.

Ramos should have equalized but his 87th-minute header went wide. Villa finally beat Keilor Navas as the striker crouched low to guide Cazorla’s free kick into the area into the bottom corner.

“They were able to counterattack and created danger,” Del Bosque said. “ We should not underestimate any national team because any one can do us harm.” —AP

PARIS: Anthony Reveillere of France (right) looks on as Marouane Fellaini of Belgium (left) controls the ball during a friendly soccer match. —AP

France held by Belgium PARIS: France extended their unbeaten run to 17 games but once again failed to impress in a 0-0 draw against Belgium in a dull friendly at the Stade de France on Tuesday. Les Bleus, who beat the United States 1-0 last Friday with an equally mediocre performance, were booed off the pitch by a frustrated crowd. “ When you come to a game you expect goals so when you see a goalless draw with very few chances, you get bored,” France coach Laurent Blanc told a press conference.

“We did not make the good choices against a team who did not really play.

“We are unbeaten in 2011 although we did not play well. It’s not enough but I’m okay with it.” Blanc’s side barely created a clear-cut chance as they looked short on ideas on a frosty Parisian night.

Belgium had the best opportunity 15 minutes from time when the unmarked Kevin Mirallas was denied from close range by a couple of lightning quick Hugo Lloris saves.

France, who qualified last month for the Euro 2012 finals, next play Germany in Bremen next February. France dominated but Belgium had the first clear chance when Daniel van Buyten’s downward header shaved Hugo Lloris’s post

in the 19th minute.

Yohan Cabaye had France’s first shot on target after 20 minutes but his 25metre attempt was easily blocked by Thibaut Courtois.

Newcastle United midfielder Cabaye, with his neat defending and inspired passing, was by far the best French player on the pitch in a team lacking creativity. Holding midfielder Yann Mvila left the pitch on a stretcher with a neck brace after he fell heavily following a challenge by Lille’s Eden Hazard and was replaced by Olympique Lyon’s Maxime Gonalons shortly before halftime.

Gonalons attempted to score with a 22-metre effort early in the second half but the ball sailed just over the bar.

Cabaye tried his luck from outside the box again, only for his attempt to go just wide as the Paris crowd’s boos grew louder. Blanc added fresh blood in his attack ing line by replacing Franck Ribery with Florent Malouda, Karim Benzema with Jeremy Menez and Loic Remy with Olivier Giroud, but to very little effect. Fifteen minutes from time, substitute M irallas found himself unmarked in the box but Lloris blocked his shot from close range to salvage the draw. —Reuters

Preview

PSG coach feels the heat in demanding hot seat PARIS: Paris St Germain, who entertain Nancy on Sunday, may be the Ligue 1 leaders in the wake of a solid start to the season after spending big in the transfer market but coach Antoine Kombouare has no guarantee he will keep his job.

General manager Leonardo has said he met with former AC Milan and Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti, although he did not state that he offered his Italian friend the PSG job.

“When somebody buys a club, it is normal that there are changes. We have to build. And we have to think about the future, not only with Ancelotti,” Leonardo, who joined in the close season after wealthy buyers from Qatar took over, was quoted as saying by sports daily L’Equipe.

“When Marseille lost three games, it was pure madness and there were talks of a coach change. It’s the life of a coach.

It’s not a problem.”

Unemployed Ancelotti has said he would prefer to stay in England. PSG have 30 points from 13 games and are unbeaten in the league since losing to Lorient in their first outing in ear-

Antoine Kombouare ly August.

Fourth-placed Olympique Lyon could welcome back Lisandro Lopez when they host Stade Rennes on Friday after the Argentine striker took part in Monday’s training session following a lengthy injury layoff.

Rennes, who are fifth, are likely to be without midfielder Yann M’Vila after he left the pitch on a

stretcher with a neck brace in France’s 0-0 draw against Belgium on Tuesday.

“It’s a neck problem but it does not seem to serious,” said France coach Laurent Blanc after M’Vila was taken to hospital for checks.

Lille, who travel to Toulouse tomorrow, may be without influential midfielder Florent Balmont

again after being sidelined for a couple of weeks with a thigh injury, coach Rudi Garcia said.

Champions Lille, third on 24 points, will move within three points of PSG if they win, while second-placed Montpellier can join the capital side at the top if they beat improving Olympique Marseille at home on Saturday. —Reuters

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sp orts

England defeat Sweden for first time in 43 years

QUITO: Peru’s Juan Vargas (right) fights for the ball with Ecuador’s Segundo Castillo during a 2014 World Cup qualifying soccer match. —AP

Ecuador trounce Peru QUITO: Halftime substitute Edison Mendez set Ecuador on the way to a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over an uninspired Peru whose trio of German-based strikers all failed to fire on Tuesday.

Former PSV Eindhoven midfielder Mendez opened the scoring midway through the second half at the Atahualpa, 2,800 metres above sea level, before Cristian Benitez’s late goal settled the match.

Ecuador, who qualified for the 2002 and 2006 tournaments but missed out on South Africa, have six points from three games in the nine-team South American qualifying group. Peru, who last qualified in 1982, have three points after two successive away defeats.

Werder Bremen forward Claudio Pizarro, who has never managed to produce his prolific Bundesliga scoring at international level, was substituted shortly before the goal for Peru as was an equally disappointing Jefferson Farfan.

The Schalke 04 player ended a lacklus-

tre performance by limping off injured, although he returned to the pitch at full time to join in a melee between the players, which was quelled by coaching staff.

Hamburg SV’s Paolo Guerrero looked more lively and was twice close to scoring in a scrappy first-half played against to the backdrop of a cacophony of bicycle horns.

Mendez’s appearance brought the hosts to life and the 32-year-old, who scored their first goal at the World Cup finals against Croatia in 2002, quickly produced a dangerous inswinging free kick. With Peru looking to settle for a draw, Benitez made a surging run from the centre circle and found an unmarked Mendez who drilled his shot between Raul Fernandez and the near post in the 70th minute. Ecuador caught the visitors on the break again when Jaime Ayovi burst clear down the right and his low centre was turned in by Mexican-based former Birmingham City for ward Benitez. —Reuters

LatAm zone qualifying standings MONTEVIDEO: 2014 World Cup LatAm zone qualifying standings after Tuesday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, against, points): Uruguay Argentina Venezuela Ecuador Chile Colombia Paraguay Peru Bolivia

3 4 4 3 4 3 4 3 4

2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 0

1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1

0 1 1 1 2 1 2 2 3

9 7 3 5 7 4 3 4 4

3 4 3 2 10 4 6 6 8

7 7 7 6 6 4 4 3 1

Venezuela edge Bolivia SAN CRISTOBAL: Venezuela are picking up points in the South American qualifiers at a rate that will surely see them through to their first World Cup finals in 2014, coach Cesar Farias said on Tuesday.

Venezuela beat Bolivia 1-0 to join Uruguay and Argentina on seven points in the top places of the South American group standings they could previously only dream of reaching.

“If Venezuela can maintain this (points) average, we will surely reach the World Cup,” Farias, who has set his heart on steering his team to the Brazil finals, told reporters. Central defender Oswaldo Vizcarrondo scored the only goal with a header from a corner in the 25th minute and Venezuela, who are showing their fourth place at this year’s Copa America in Argentina was no fluke, then hung on under constant if rather lightweight pressure from Bolivia in a second half downpour.

“We won with some suffering but

these are three very important points,” captain Juan Arango, who plays for SV Hamburg, said.

It was Venezuela’s second successive 1-0 win at home after they upset Argentina last month, their first victory over one of the giants of the South American game.

Venezuela, where baseball is the most popular game, started their campaign with a 2-0 defeat by Ecuador in Quito and last week they picked up their fourth point with a 1-1 draw against neighbours Colombia in Barranquilla and it is their best start to the qualifiers.

Venezuela are the only team in the South American Football Confederation never to have played at the World Cup finals, but their progress in the last four to five years has brought them several milestones including a first Copa America quarter-final when they staged the tournament in 2007 and a first semifinal this year. —Reuters

LONDON: England buried their 43-year jinx against Sweden here Tuesday, with an own goal from defender Daniel Majstorovic handing manager Fabio Capello’s side a 1-0 friendly victory at Wembley.

Majstorovic diverted Gareth Barry’s glancing header into his own net on 22 minutes to hand England their first victory over their fellow Euro 2012 qualifiers since 1968.

A match played in front of a 48,876 crowdthe lowest attendance ever recorded since the rebuilt Wembley opened in 2007 — fell flat as Capello made eight changes from the side which defeated world champions Spain on Saturday.

However Capello was satisfied with a victory which ensured his team had gone through 2011 unbeaten, and singled out youngsters Jack Rodwell and Kyle Walker-both making their first starts-and Phil Jones for praise.

“It’s important to beat Sweden after 43 years,” Capello said. “But for me it was really important to see (Phil) Jones, (Kyle) Walker, and (Jack) Rodwell play against a team with a really good organisation.

“The answer that I received from their performances was important. I thought these players played really well.” Sweden coach Erik Hamren admitted his side had struggled to make an impression against the English defence. “ They are strong players and a strong team,” he said. “They work hard for each other.

It’s difficult to create chances against them.”

England had dug out a 1-0 win over Spain with a gritty defensive display and Capello had been looking for more evidence of his side’s attacking nous against the Swedes. But although England largely dominated possession, the match petered out disappointingly in the second half. England had controlled a one-sided first half and should have led by more than the solitary goal at the break.

The lively Theo Walcott emerged as England’s most consistent attacking threat early on, and a series of one-twos with Bobby Zamora ended with the Fulham striker-making his first start for England-hitting the side netting. The opening goal-the 2,000th scored

by England in internationals-duly arrived in the 22nd minute.

Stewart Downing and Leighton Baines worked an opening down the left flank which enabled Downing to curl a teasing cross into the box which was glanced on by Barry before Majstorovic diverted the ball into his own net.

Sweden’s best attempts of the half came on 33 minutes, when a corner from Rasmus Elm that was curling in was punched to safety

by England keeper Joe Hart.

From the ensuing set piece former Bolton striker Johan Elmander glanced a header into

the side netting.

Everton youngster Rodwell then went close on 37 minutes with a volley that Sebastian Larsson deflected behind.

England should have added to their lead

post with a header from close range with the goal begging.

The chances continued to come for England immediately after the break, with Baines and Downing combining once again

LONDON: England’s Theo Walcott (front) is challenged for the ball by Sweden’s Kim Kallstrom during the international friendly soccer match. —AP shortly before half-time when Manchester United defender Jones, picked again in the midfield holding role was sent racing clear by a flick from Zamora.

The 19-year-old did everything right as he bore down on the advancing Swedish keeper Andreas Isaksson but his deft flick with the outside of his boot just rolled past the foot of the post.

Two minutes from half-time England wasted another golden chance, Rodwell grazing a

for Zamora whose low shot was blocked behind.

Downing was next to threaten the visitors goal, surging forward from midfield and shooting low only for Isaksson to smother the danger.

That was as close as England got in the second half, and were relieved 12 minutes from time when a mishit cross by Larsson floated goalwards forcing Scott Carson, on for Hart, to parry clear. —AFP

US see off Slovenia LJUBLJANA: Three first half goals ensured Jurgen Klinsmann’s United States came away with a 3-2 win in an international friendly against Slovenia here on Tuesday.

Edson Buddle got the visitors off the mark after nine minutes in front of 8,142 spectators at the Stadion Stozice following an error from Slovenian defender Darijan Matic who was punished after losing the ball on 20 metres.

Slovenia’s Zlatan Ljubijankic missed two quickfire chances to level but US goalkeeper Tim Howard held firm before PSV Eindhoven striker Tim Matavz equalised after 26 minutes. But Clint Dempsey put the US in control again after 41 minutes and two minutes later the Americans won a penalty after Marko Suler fouled Dempsey with AZ Alkmaar’s Jozy Altidore stepping up to slot home the third. Slovenia pushed forward after the break, threatening Howard three times in as many minutes before Matavz reduced the deficit with his second goal after 61 minutes.

But despite their best efforts the hosts could not give new coach Slavisa Stojanovic a win in his first game in charge after taking over from Matjaz Kek following the side’s unsuccessful Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.

“I was much more satisfied in the second half, in the first half we were timid and

SLOVENIA: United States’ Michael Bradley (right) is challenged by Slovenia’s Rene Krhin during their international friendly soccer match. —AP lacked structure. In the second half we made some essential repairs, we deserved a goal more,” said Stojanovic. A day before the match Klinsmann was able to renew

acquaintances with old friend and former Stuttgart teammate Srecko Katanec, who coached Slovenia to Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup. —AFP

N Korea cheers ruffle Blue Samurai

SAN CRISTOBAL: Venezuela’s Cesar Gonzalez (left) and Bolivia’s Jose Chavez fight for the ball during a 2014 World Cup qualifying soccer match. —AP

TOKYO: North Korean football fans’ raucous cheers pushed the home side to victory in a highvoltage World Cup qualifier against their former colonial rulers, Japanese press said yesterday.

North Korean supporters basked in glory after the 1-0 victory that left Japan’s press fuming at sometimes aggressive play from the hosts, who amassed yellow cards, including two-and a sending off-for Jong Il Gwam.

“Nightmare in Pyongyang,” said a banner headline in the Nikkan Sports, after the Group C match in which the Blue Samurai failed to shine.

“Repeated mistakes under pressure,” said a headline in a mass circulation Mainichi Shimbun. Tensions were high for the match between the archrivals.

Japan does not have diplomatic relations with North Korea,

which still demands reparations from its former occupier for wartime atrocities.

The communist regime is widely despised in Japan, which still keenly feels the unresolved abductions in the 1970s and 80s of young Japanese citizens who were used to train Pyongyang’s spies in Japanese language and customs.

A capacity crowd of around 50,000 at the Kim Il Sung stadium were a key factor in the game, with only 150 Japanese fans allowed to travel to the match.

Thunderous cheers greeted every forward push from the home side, matched only by the shouts of disapproval against Japanese players.

The booing started before the game, with Japan’s national anthem drowned out by a crowd in no mood to listen, but eager to join in with their own anthem moments later.

Thousands of fans on one stand of the stadium formed a spectacular giant message board by holding up red and yellow cards to show Korean characters displaying messages such as “Win Korea.”

The match was the first defeat of the Blue Samurai in the 17 games played under Italian coach Alberto Zaccheroni, who took command of the team in August 2010.

“I expected all that,” midfielder Kengo Nakamura told Japanese reporters after the game, referring to the crowd’s reaction. “But it was truly great pressure.

Honestly, it was the first time I have experienced something like that.”

The North’s official KCNA reported the result of the match, hailing the home victory, but did not mention the team’s failure to progress through to the next stage of the World Cup.

The match results did not affect the final standing of Group C, in which Japan and Uzbekistan have already advanced to the final qualifying round, with North Korea and Tajikistan leaving the tournament.

“The DPRK team launched unilateral attacks in the first half of the match,” KCNA said, using the abbreviation of the country’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“After the end of the match, Zaccheroni Alberto, senior coach of the Japanese team, told KCNA that the DPRK team is stronger than the Japanese team in spirit and courage,” it reported late Tuesday.

“Yun Jong Su, senior coach of the DPRK team, expressed satisfaction over the results of the match, saying his team could win the match with courage and confidence given by leader Kim Jong Il,” it said. —AFP

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LISBON: Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (center) challenges Bosnia’s Sasa Papac (left) and Emir Spahic during their second leg Euro 2012 playoff soccer match. —AP

Portugal crush Bosnia for Euro spot ‘Group of death’ PARIS: UEFA yesterday confirmed the seedings for the 2012 European Championship, raising the spectre of a ‘group of death’ including Spain, Germany, Portugal and France.

One of the outcomes of the qualifying play-offs that concluded on Tuesday was that France, European champions in 2000, dropped into the bottom pool of seeds.

It did mean, however, that France cannot be drawn alongside the Republic of Ireland, who they beat in controversial circumstances in a 2010 World Cup play-off after an infamous handball by Thierry Henry. Ireland, Croatia, the Czech Republic and Portugal booked their places at Euro 2012 via the play-offs. The top pool of seeds features world and European champions Spain, beaten World Cup finalists the Netherlands and co-hosts Poland and Ukraine. The draw will take place in Kiev on December 2.—Reuters

Euro 2012 seedings PARIS: Seedings for the 2012 European Championship, ahead of the draw in Kiev on December 2, confirmed by UEFA yesterday: Pool 1 Poland (co-hosts) Ukraine (co-hosts) Spain Netherlands Pool 2 Germany Italy England Russia Pool 3 Croatia Greece Portugal Sweden Pool 4 Denmark France Czech Republic Republic of Ireland

LISBON: Cristiano Ronaldo scored two goals and set up another to help Portugal thrash 10man Bosnia 6-2 and reach the Euro 2012 finals after a lively playoff second leg on Tuesday.

Fellow forward Helder Postiga also scored twice and Miguel Veloso got another for the home side in the last 20 minutes to wrap up the victory after a 0-0 draw on a swampy pitch in the first leg in Zenica last Friday had left the tie wide open.

Portugal started strongly and Ronaldo showed his intent in the fifth minute with a shot that visiting goalkeeper Asmir Begovic struggled to block.

They were two goals ahead by the half hour mark thanks to a trademark Ronaldo longrange freekick after eight minutes and a

delightful Nani shot from more than 30 metres in the 24th.

“I think people are now used to me scoring from free kicks and it’s become one of my specialities,” said Ronaldo. The world’s most expensive player was dangerous throughout and had many chances to crown his display with a hattrick.

The Portuguese went on to dominate the match, their solid defence led by the imposing Pepe while their flowing midfield gave little room for the Bosnians to manoeuvre.

The visitors were toothless in attack against a solid defence for the first 40 minutes but they were given a lifeline when Fabio Coentrao handled in the area and playmaker Zvjezdan Misimovic slotted in from the spot to make it 2-

1. Ronaldo sidestepped the keeper to score his second goal after 53 minutes and although the Bosnians had Senad Lulic sent off a minute later, Emir Spahic’s 65th minute goal gave them brief hope before Postiga and Veloso struck.

The Bosnians, also beaten by Portugal in a playoff for the 2010 World Cup, will be disappointed to miss out on qualifying for their first major finals but their key players, like striker Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic, failed to raise their game. “Congratulations to Portugal, they played faster and better, and I want to wish them good luck in the Euros,” said Bosnia coach Safet Susic.

Portugal’s qualification follows a remarkable revival under coach Paulo Bento who took over after their dismal start to the campaign and

Argentina scrape past Colombia in qualifier BARRANQUILLA: Two-time World Cup winners Argentina secured a vital 2-1 victory in their 2014 World Cup qualifier against Colombia here on Tuesday.

Goals by two-time Ballon d’Or Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero saw the Argentinians, who have not won the trophy since 1986, come from behind to join Copa America champions Uruguay at the top of the standings on seven points.

Uruguay-World Cup semi-finalists last year-were not playing and instead beat Italy 1-0 in Rome in a friendly.

Messi, who has thus far had two disappointing World Cup finals campaigns, had called on his team-mates to raise their game after only managing a 1-1 draw with bottom side Bolivia last Friday.

However, the first half did not go the visitors’ way as first experienced defender Nicolas Burdisso was taken off on a stretcher in the 36th minute with what looked like a serious knee injury.

A minute before half-time it got worse as the hosts took the lead through Dorlan Pabon, his free-kick taking a slight deflection on its way into the net.

Messi was at the heart of Argentina’s game and his endeavours paid off on the hour mark as he was quickest to react when Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina failed to fend off a cross and the Barcelona star was on hand to level.

Messi shrugged off being brought down time and again by the physical Colombian defenders and started the move that gave the Argentinians their winning goal.

He fed Gonzalo Higuain, but the striker’s shot was beaten out by Ospina only for Aguero to knock it into the net and give Argentina a much-needed win as they seek to reach the finals hosted by arch-rivals Brazil.

“It was hard,” admitted Messi. “We did not deserve to go a goal behind, as they were not better than us. “We wanted to forget about the draw against Bolivia. That was very hard for us but I think we managed it.

“Sometimes you play better, and other times you have to fight harder. This game was one of those days.”

Unheralded Venezuela drew level on points with Argentina and Uruguay at the group summit by winning 1-0 at home to Bolivia in San Cristobal through a 24th-minute strike by defender Oswaldo Vizcarrondo.—Reuters

guided them to five straight wins before defeat in the final group match with Denmark left them in the playoffs.

Appointed last year to replace Carlos Queiroz, who was sacked for insulting antidoping agents, Bento was under immediate pressure after Portugal had taken just one point from two qualifiers but he bonded with the squad very quickly. “Qualification was always the objective, but in a difficult context after the first two games as we had no room for error,” said Bento, whose knowledge of the players and recent experience as a Portugal international helped to revive their fortunes.

“What leaves me most proud and pleased is that we did so with a strong team spirit,” he added. — Reuters

Chile too hot for Paraguay

COLOMBIA: Argentina’s Clemente Rodriguez (right) looks as Colombia’s Darwin Quintero tries to stop the ball during a 2014 World Cup qualifying match in Barranquilla. — AP

SANTIAGO: Chile recovered from Friday’s 4-0 pounding by Uruguay and the fallout of a case of indiscipline to beat Paraguay 2-0 in their South American World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. Coach Claudio Borghi, pleased to end a tough week on a high note after suspending five players for a late, drunken return from an evening off last week, opened the door for their return to the team.

“We’re very proud (of the result)...It’s been the hardest week as coach, from the human and coaching point of view,” Borghi told the post-match news conference.

“The process to admit the players back who want to return is (for them) to publicly clarify what was said, fundamentally those (statements) which said I did not tell the truth,” he said. The five players-Arturo Vidal, Jorge Valdivia, Jean Beausejour, Carlos Carmona and Gonzalo Jara-admitted they were late and apologised publicly but accused Borghi of lying about being drunk.

Borghi added that he and the players would have to wait for the Chilean Football Federation’s decision as to how they will sanction the five. Chile opened the scoring in the 27th minute when central defender Pablo Contreras leapt above the defence to head home Matias Fernandez’s corner.

Substitute Matias Campos Toro made the result safe four minutes from time when he met Mauricio Isla’s cross with a shot from the edge of the box that was deflected in an arc over goalkeeper Diego Barreto and into the net.

Only a minute earlier, Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo had come out poorly to a cross and Campos Toro cleared Paraguay’s chance off the line.

It is the second time in the qualifiers, which began last month, that Chile have recovered at home from heavy defeats on the road, having also beaten Peru 4-2 last month four days after their opening 4-1 defeat by Argentina in Buenos Aires. The victory put Chile on six points from four matches, one point short of leaders Uruguay, who have a match in hand, and Argentina.

Paraguay, who took 10 points from their first four matches of the qualifiers for the last World Cup in South Africa under former coach Gerardo Martino, have four points.

“The past is past. And we have nothing to do with that,” coach Francisco Arce said. “The reality is that we’re below the points total we’d imagined. There’s no way left to us but to sort it out ourselves.” —Reuters

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DUBAI: A model of the Airbus A350 is seen at the Dubai airshow yesterday. Airbus outpaced US rival Boeing in promoting the new versions of their single-aisle eco-friendly jets, but both walk away from the Dubai Airshow with deals of around $20 billion each. — AFP

Airbus, Boeing tie at Dubai airshow DUBAI: Airbus and Boeing concluded Dubai Airshow yesterday head to head after bagging big orders, while the European producer widened the gap with its US rival in promoting eco-friendly, single-aisle jets. The prestigious show was kicked off with a record order

by Dubai’s Emirates for 50 Boeing long-range 777-300ER jetliners, worth $18 billion. The American manufacturer topped its single largest dollar-value order with the sale of two 777 freighters to Qatar Airways for $560 million. The purchase by the Dubai-owned carrier confirmed Emirates as the largest operator of Boeing’s 777s.

Airbus meanwhile had to endure apparently tough last-minute talks with Qatar Airways for a large order anticipated since June. The Gulf carrier’s chief Akbar Al-Baker cancelled a commercial announcement with the

European company on Tuesday, and went instead to a joint conference with Boeing, lashing out at Airbus by saying the manufacturer was “still learning how to make airplanes.” Few hours later, he turned up all smiles for a joint briefing with Airbus, announcing the long-awaited order which gave a large boost to the recently launched A320neo fuel-efficient jetliner, of which he ordered 50. In addition, he doubled the carrier’s order for the A380 superjumbo to 10. The total deal is valued at $6.4 billion at list price.

Airbus sold 50 other A320neos to the Kuwait-based leasing firm ALAFCO for $4.6 billion and 30 others to US-based lessor Aviation Capital Group for $2.7 billion.

Meanwhile, Florida-based carrier Spirit Airlines signed a preliminary agreement for 45 A320neos, in addition to 30 A320s with

sharklets, in a deal valued at $6.7 billion.

Airbus said yesterday its sales of the recently launched fuel-efficient A320neo single-aisle jetliner have climbed to 1,268 units, including 130 ordered at Dubai Airshow this week. “Our A320neo has again been the star of the show,” Airbus commercial director John Leahy said on the fourth day of the show which concludes today.

Launched in Dec 2010 and scheduled to enter service in Oct 2015, the new version of the A320 family has a list of 21 customers, with AirAsia being the largest single customer after ordering 200 planes. Five customers have also signed memorandums of understanding for 152 aircraft, bringing the total number to 1,420 units, making it the fastest selling aircraft ever, according to its maker.

Airbus says the A320neo airliner will deliver a

15 percent cut in fuel consumption thanks to the latest generation engines and large sharklet wingtip devices.

In August, Airbus’ US rival Boeing, launched its 737 MAX single-aisle aircraft, which builds on its 737 Next-Generation to be more fuel efficient. The 737 MAX promises a 16 percent improvement in fuel use per seat compared to current competitors and is expected in service in 2017. The Seattle-based manufacturer has received orders and commitments for 700 units so far, Boeing deputy marketing director Randy Tineth told AFP. “We have some catching up to do. But we will go back up to a 50 percent (single-aisle) market share, and then push the envelope to see if we can go beyond that,” he said.

Leahy acknowledged that Airbus would not maintain its current large share in the

flydubai hit by high fuel costs DUBAI: Budget carrier flydubai, which does not hedge its fuel costs, is being hit by persistently high oil prices which have left it more exposed to shortterm volatility than rival carriers, its chief executive said. High fuel prices have crimped global airline profits, compounding the impact of slower global growth and waning consumer confidence. Oil hit a two-month high above $116 a barrel in the past week, with year to date gains at 8.4 percent. Fuel accounts for about 40 percent of an airline’s operating cost.

“Fuel has never been so high for so long,” Ghaith Al-Ghaith, the head of the Dubai-based carrier, told Reuters. “We’ve not done any hedging in flydubai because you forget we are not even three years old

yet, so we are still growing.” Ghaith said the carrier, which began commercial flights in 2009, is considering several hedging instruments and would put them in place next year, depending on fuel prices.

“Anything above a $100 for fuel is not healthy for the airline,” he added. “The impact is very strong of course, but we have raised our prices, like everyone.”

During the Dubai Air Show, the carrier secured financing for two Boeing 737 jets and will take delivery of them in early 2012. That will bring its fleet, all made up of the 737s, to 23 with four more scheduled for delivery during 2012. The deliveries are part of flydubai’s 2008 50 Boeing aircraft order.

All the aircraft are expected to be delivered by

2016. Aircraft financiers, especially European lenders, have become more risk averse because of the crisis in the euro zone, pushing giants such as Emirates to look to the more resilient Islamic finance market. But flydubai’s chief executive said the airline received “overwhelming interest” from lenders. Government-owned flydubai competes with regional low-cost carriers such as United Arab Emirates-based Air Arabia and Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways. The unlisted carrier flies to secondary airports within a five-hour radius of Dubai, and has seen resilient demand. “We are almost doubling in size over last year ... margins are very good. We are on plan to make money (profit) by the end of next year,” Ghaith said. — Reuters

Baghdad to act against Exxon over Kurd deal BAGHDAD: Iraq’s government said it would move to end a major contract with Exxon Mobil after the US oil giant signed a deal with semi-autonomous Kurdistan to explore fields there, which Baghdad yesterday called a violation of the law. Exxon’s agreement in Kurdistan and Baghdad’s response have set up a power struggle between the Iraqi central government and multinational oil companies over the potential resources in the northern Kurdish region.

Baghdad and Kurdistan’s regional government are in a long-running political dispute over oil and land rights, and the central government says all foreign oil deals signed with the Kurdistan region are illegal.

“Exxon has violated the ministry directions and instructions concerning the companies working in Kurdistan,” said Abdul-Mahdy Al-Ameedi, director of the oil ministry’s contracts and licensing directorate.

“It’s a violation of the contract and the law. As a consequence the oil ministry will take steps to end the contract. But this operation will need arrangements,” he said without giving further details. It was unclear

what steps the oil ministry may be able to immediately take against Exxon as Baghdad seeks to manage the challenge by the U.S. major to its national oil policies.

Exxon has a multi-billion dollar contract with Iraq’s oil ministry to develop the 8.7 billion barrel West Qurna Phase One oilfield in the south - one of dozens of large contracts Iraq hopes will help rebuild its warbattered crude industry. A spokesman at the US major could not immediately be reached for comment. Exxon has so far not made any statement on the Kurdistan deal. Challenging Exxon will be a tricky balancing act for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s government as it seeks to rebuild the economy and oil production, which is currently around 2.9 million barrels per day. Trying to end the Exxon deal could lead to long legal negotiations that would sour the appetite of other investors. Exxon has gone to international arbitration before, for example, in Venezuela over a nationalization move.

Ameedi said there had been no response from

Exxon to the Iraqi government’s communications with the company regarding the Kurdistan deal.

“Exxon hasn’t answered us yet,” he said. He said the Kurdish government had also been talking to US oil company Chevron and Italian operator Eni. “We know that there is communication between them. There are talks,” he said. Chevron has said it continues to be interested in pursuing opportunities in Iraq but that it will not discuss specifics.

Iraq has signed multi-billion deals with oil majors to develop oil infrastructure and help it achieve output capacity of as much as 12 million barrels per day. Its current output is 2.9 million bpd. Political tensions between Baghdad and Kurdistan are one of the potential flashpoints for trouble as US troops pack up to leave the country more than eight years after the invasion. The central and regional governments remain at odds over the contents of a long-delayed national oil law, which investors see as an essential framework for investments in the country. — Reuters

market for the single-aisle, eco-friendly aircraft, which he put at 70 percent. “We really don’t want to be at the level we are today in terms of market share. We would like to keep our market share in a band of 50 to 60 percent range. I think that is a sustainable situation in a duopoly,” he told reporters.

Meanwhile, the two manufacturers sounded upbeat about prospects for growth in the Middle East market over the next two decades. According to Airbus’s latest Global Market forecast, Middle East carriers will require 1,921 new passenger and freighter planes between 2011 and 2030, valued at $347.4 billion, of which 1,882 would be passenger planes. Boeing was even more upbeat, projecting a Middle East market of $450 billion with demand for 2,520 aircraft by 2030. — AFP

Saudi, Shell JV to assess Kidan KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia: A joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell and Saudi Aramco has won approval from the Saudi government to study the possible development of Kidan area, in Saudi Arabia’s Empty Quarter, the South Rub al-Khali Co (SRAK) venture said yesterday. Kidan is rich in sour gas and is near the 750,000 barrels per day (bpd) Shaybah oilfield, one of the biggest in the world’s top oil exporter. Sour gas has high levels of potentially deadly hydrogen sulphide and therefore is tougher to produce than conventional gas reserves. Officials from Shell and the joint venture have said further studies are needed to understand the economics of the field before deciding whether it can be developed.

SRAK will drill up to three appraisal wells and conduct extensive studies and aims to complete its appraisal by end-2013. It submitted its plan last year to continue exploration in Kidan, an area already discovered by Aramco years ago, after announcing in 2009 gas had flowed from Kidan. “The delineation is very likely to prove significant volumes of additional gas reserves,” said Sadad Al-Husseini, an oil analyst and former top official at the Saudi oil giant Aramco. “The kingdom and the Gulf has important sour gas reserves and these studies will facilitate the development of other similar accumulations,” he said.

SRAK said it completed drilling the first of three exploration wells it plans to drill as part of a second phase of gas exploration.

One factor that could improve the economics of the Kidan exploration area is its proximity to Shaybah, where infrastructure for both oil and associated gas is in place, Michel Faure, the Chief Executive of Shell Saudi Arabia told Reuters in an interview. Saudi Arabia, which has kept its vast oil reserves off-limits to foreigners, needs gas to help cover domestic fuel demand and conserve oil for lucrative export markets. It invited investors in 2003-2004 to find and produce gas in the desert in Saudi Arabia’s southeast, known as Rub Al Khali.

So far the four consortia have failed to find the volume of gas needed to fuel Saudi economic growth or guarantee returns for investors. The former CEO of SRAK Kamal Al-Yahya told Reuters in Oct 2010 he saw a potential for Kidan field and the surrounding area “to provide a significant future gas resources for the kingdom”. — Reuters

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BUSINESS

Saudi okays Shell Kidan gas venture Appraisal to be completed by 2013 KHOBAR: A joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell and Saudi Aramco has won approval from the Saudi government to study the possible development of Kidan area, in Saudi Arabia’s Empty Quarter, the South Rub Al-Khali Co (SRAK ) venture said yesterday.

Kidan is rich in sour gas and is near the 750,000 barrels per day (bpd) Shaybah oilfield, one of the biggest in the world’s top oil exporter. Sour gas has high levels of potentially deadly hydrogen sulphide and therefore is tougher to produce than conventional gas reserves.

Officials from Shell and the joint venture have said further studies

are needed to understand the economics of the field before deciding whether it can be developed. SRAK will drill up to three appraisal wells and conduct extensive studies and aims to complete its appraisal by end-2013. It submitted its plan last year to continue exploration in Kidan, an area already discovered

by Aramco years ago, after announcing in 2009 gas had flowed from Kidan.

“The delineation is very likely to prove significant volumes of additional gas reserves,” said Sadad AlHusseini, an oil analyst and former top official at the Saudi oil giant Aramco. “ The kingdom and the

foreigners, needs gas to help cover domestic fuel demand and conserve oil for lucrative export markets. It invited investors in 2003-2004 to find and produce gas in the desert in Saudi Arabia’s southeast, known as Rub Al-Khali.

So far the four consor tia have failed to find the volume of gas needed to fuel Saudi economic growth or guarantee returns for investors. The former CEO of SRAK Kamal Al-Yahya told Reuters in October 2010 he saw a potential for Kidan field and the surrounding area “to provide a significant future gas resources for the kingdom.” —Reuters

Samsung Note now available with VIVA

Gulf Bank announces Al-Danah winners KUWAIT: Gulf Bank held its 43rd Al-Danah weekly draw on November 13, 2011, 2011, announcing a total number of 10 Al-Danah weekly prize draw winners, each awarded with prizes of KD 1,000. The 43rd, Al Danah Weekly Winners are: Shaker Husain Mohammed Abdullah; Zubaidah Mohammed Ghulum Gharib; Jamal Mohd AbuYounes; Hasan Mahmoud Ali Rasheed; Maryam Kamal Hasan Ali; Mohammed Khaled Rika; Aliaa Sadeq Alhajj Jafar Ismaeel; Khaled Thurwi Hadi Hafedh; Ayman Yousf Nayef Al-Khadraa; and Wafa Sulaiman Farag.

Gulf Bank encourages everyone in Kuwait to open an Al-Danah account and/or increase their deposits to maximize their chances of becoming a winner in the upcoming weekly (KD 1,000 each for 10 winners). Gulf Bank’s Al-Danah allows customers to win cash prizes and encourages them to save money. Chances increase the more money is deposited and the longer it is kept in the account.

Al-Danah also offers a number of unique services including the Al-Danah Deposit Only ATM card which helps account holders deposit their money at their convenience; as well as the Al-Danah calculator to help customers calculate their chances of becoming an Al-Danah winner. To be part of the Al-Danah draws, customers can visit one of Gulf Bank’s 55 branches, transfer on line, or call the Customer Contact Center on 1805805 for assistance and guidance. Customers can also log on to www.e-gulfbank.com, Gulf Bank’s bilingual website, to find all the information regarding AlDanah or any of the bank’s products and services or log on www.e-gulfbank.com/aldanahwinners, to find out more about Al-Danah and who the winners are.

Gulf has impor tant sour gas reserves and these studies will facilitate the development of other similar accumulations,” he said.

SRAK said it completed drilling the first of three exploration wells it plans to drill as part of a second phase of gas exploration. One factor that could improve the economics of the Kidan exploration area is its proximity to Shaybah, where infrastructure for both oil and associated gas is in place, Michel Faure, the Chief Executive of Shell Saudi Arabia told Reuters in an interview.

Saudi Arabia, which has kept its vast oil reserves off-limits to

KUWAIT: In line with its commitment to continuously provide unique and exclusive offers to the Android Lovers Kuwait Telecommunications Company VIVA, is pleased to announce the launch of the new smart device the Samsung Note, with exclusive package deals tailored to fit customer needs. VIVA CEO, Salman Bin Abdulaziz AlBadran stated, “It is part of our responsibility as Telecommunication Company, to continuously seek to provide customers with the latest device and technology innovations at competitive prices,” adding, “VIVA is always looking to assure that our customers’ needs are fulfilled with their communication needs.”

Al-Badran stressed that “Samsung Kuwait chooses their partners wisely as we look to continue in full cooperation in order to provide Kuwait with the latest Samsung devices.” He also added that “VIVA has always been the pioneer in supplying the Kuwaiti market with the latest Samsung Smart Phones that are available in all of VIVA branches and its authorized dealers showrooms”. The Samsung Note device is offered with three unique packages that are available to new customers as well as existing customers, with monthly commitment starting at KD 10, KD 30 or, KD 55 from Nov 17.

The three packages come with local calls, Local SMS Text Messages and Internet

Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Badran data services. Customers can choose the package that best suits their needs and take advantage of the discounted price of the device and the high speed reliable internet service. VIVA’s Android lovers can now enjoy this new and exclusive offer, as well as explore the excellent tools and various applications of the new Samsung Note device. For more information about this offer and other numerous, competitive promotions and services, kindly visit any of branches in Kuwait, or you can visit the website www.viva.com.kw.

France to protect AAA rating PARIS: Finance Minister Francois Baroin said yesterday that France was headed for a slowdown not a recession and that the government was doing everything to preserve its AAA credit rating, though he ruled out further austerity measures.

France came under heavy fire on global debt markets on Tuesday, pushing the premium on its borrowing costs over benchmark German debt to euro era

highs, amid fears that the troubled currency bloc’s second largest economy was being sucked into a debt spiral as its economy slowed.

“We are expecting a slowdown, but not a recession,” Baroin told LCI news channel. “We are doing everything to maintain our credit rating, to borrow more cheaply.” Baroin said a revised 2012 budget unveiled this month would allow

the government to cope with a slowdown next year without resorting to further austerity measures, even if growth came in at 0.5 percent-half the official forecast. “There will not be a third austerity plan,” the minister said. With anxiety mounting in markets, Prime Minister Francois Fillon announced a second austerity drive on Nov. 7 comprising 65 billion euros of tax hikes and budget cuts by

2016, including 18.6 billion this year and next. Two days later a member of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s conservative UMP party said a further, tougher austerity plan would be announced after next April’s presidential election. Baroin blamed Socialist presidential candidate Francois Hollande, the frontrunner for the election, for stoking market fears about France’s creditworthiness. —Reuters

DUBAI: (From left to right) Jost Hellmann, Managing Owner of Hellmann Worldwide Logistics; Steve Giuffrida, General Manager for Ford Middle East Parts Distribution Centre; Salma Ali Saif bin Hareb, CEO Economic Zones World; Frederiek Toney, Corporate VP and president, Global Ford Customer Service Division, Ford Motor Company; Hisham Al-Shirawi, Chairman Economic Zones World; and Hal Feder, Executive Director, Ford Motor Company Export Operations and Global Growth Initiatives are pictured.

Ford demonstrates commitment to ME KUWAIT: Ford Motor Company is demon- needed will be immediately available in the strating its strong commitment to Middle region for vehicle service or repairs. With East customers with a $53 million invest- the new PDC, parts will now be delivered ment in an all-new Middle East Parts to dealers in as few as 2 days. With parts Distribution Centre (PDC). Located in the more readily available, the PDC will Jebel Ali Free Zone of Dubai, the new distri- improve the lead time for special-order bution centre will improve parts availability parts as well, reducing vehicle downtime and significantly reduce the time dealers for customers. Parts from the new facility and customers will need to wait for parts to will be shipped to 11 countries throughout complete vehicle service repairs. The new the Middle East with service expanding to PDC is Ford’s largest single investment in countries throughout Sub-Saharan Africa the region to date, notes Frederiek Toney, vice president, Global Ford Customer Service Division, Ford Motor Company. “ The Middle East Parts Distribution Centre represents our most expansive customer service initiative ever in this region, and demonstrates Ford’s commitment to providing Middle East customers with exceptional customer service and an improved ownership experience.”

Ibrahim Mohamed Al-Janahi, DUBAI: The newly inaugurated $53 million Jafza Deputy CEO and Chief Ford Middle East Parts Distribution Centre Commercial Officer, Economic will serve Ford’s dealer network in 11 counZones World, the parent compa- tries across the region. ny of Jafza, on the occasion said: “Ford’s continued use of Jafza as its region- in 2012. The new Middle East PDC is one of al headquarters and distribution hub Ford’s nearly 60 global distribution centres reflects a committed partnership and confi- and its first in the Middle East region. dence in the free zone and in Dubai. We Ford’s distribution centre in Dubai, curcommend the company on its ambitious rently employing 50 people will be operatendeavour and we are confident that the ed by Rudolph & Hellmann Automotive company’s stellar customer service will be and the distribution to the dealers will be further enhanced by the newly developed done by Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, facility.” one of the world’s leading logistics providers. Hellman has more than ten years Improving parts availability of experience working in the Middle East The 29,500 square-meter facility has the and offers extensive expertise in automocapacity to stock up to 50,000 individual tive parts distribution. “We’re pleased to parts, or 6 million total pieces, with an esti- see this project come to fruition,” said Jost mated $43 million total inventory value. Hellmann, managing owner of Hellmann Ford’s new PDC will significantly reduce the Worldwide Logistics. “Like Ford, Hellmann time customers will have to wait for parts is focused on quality and dedicated to supto arrive at their service locations, as porting dealers and their customers, and approximately 92 percent of the parts we anticipate an enduring partnership.”

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Philippine peso Egyptian pounds

.2725000 .4320000 .3690000 .2970000 .2660000 .2760000 .0040000 .0020000 .0748480 .7292270 .3810000 .0700000 .7148750 .0040000 .0430000

.2790000 .4440000 .3790000 .3140000 .2760000 .2910000 .0072500 .0035000 .0756010 .7365560 .4010000 .0760000 .7220590 .0072000 .0530000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES US Dollar/KD .2757000 .27780000 GB Pound/KD .4356200 .4389380 Euro .3730910 .3759330 Swiss francs .3008680 .3031590 Canadian dollars .2691990 .2712490 Danish Kroner .0501210 .0505030 Swedish Kroner .0408450 .0411560 Australian dlr .2797250 .2818560 Hong Kong dlr .0354230 .0356930 Singapore dlr .2134230 .2150490 Japanese yen .0035820 .0036090 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 .0055060 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 .0025290 Pakistan rupee .0000000 .0032080 Bangladesh taka .0000000 .0036500 UAE dirhams .0750920 .0756640 Bahraini dinars .7315910 .7371630 Jordanian dinar .0000000 .3929280 Saudi Riyal/KD .0735400 .0741000 Omani riyals .7163830 .7218400 Philippine Peso .0000000 .0064380

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

ASIAN COUNTRIES 3.617 5.434 3.188 2.510 3.408 214.190 35.605 3.623 6.366 8.969 0.271 0.273

GCC COUNTRIES 73.923 76.168 720.020 736.280 75.484

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Egyptian Pound - Cash Egyptian Pound - Transfer Yemen Riyal/for 1000 Tunisian Dinar Jordanian Dinar Lebanese Lira/for 1000 Syrian Lier Morocco Dirham

ARAB COUNTRIES 48.750 46.303 1.268 191.100 391.470 186.000 5.984 34.000

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 277.100 Euro 373.950 Sterling Pound 438.100 Canadian dollar 271.670 Turkish lire 153.690 Swiss Franc 302.840 Australian dollar 279.460 US Dollar Buying 275.900

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY 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 283.200 736.560 3.740 273.700 544.000 36.800 51.600 167.800 48.290 377.000 36.350 5.830 0.032 0.224 0.241 3.690 393.050 0.187 90.030 46.000 4.260 216.300 1.795

49.900 719.380 3.370 6.620 76.620 73.950 215.930 36.410 2.616 441.000 42.900 304.900 5.500 9.360 198.263 75.510 277.300 1.210

719.200 3.195 6.370 76.190 73.950 215.530 36.410 2.509 439.000 303.400 5.500 9.190 75.410 276.900

10 Tola

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 439.000 276.900

Sterling Pound US Dollar

SELL DRAFT 281.700 736.580 3.620 272.200

215.900 46.357 378.500 36.200 5.455 0.032

Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro 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

285.02 274.48 306.58 377.48 440.43 3.65 3.629 5.437 2.513 3.406 3.209 75.37 736.54 46.34 393.94 719.64 76.36 73.94

284.00 274.00 305.00 377.00 441.00 3.62 3.740 5.810 2.616 4.250 3.370 75.75 736.56 48.30 393.05 720.00 76.65 73.95

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd 392.450 0.186 90.030 3.420 214.800

Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar

Selling Rate 273.850 277.615 442.140 389.790 317.635 726.070

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

74.535 75.165 72.990 385.475 45.923 2.482 5.619 3.164 3.606 6.425 671.723 3.710 9.070 5.765 3.560 90.965

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co.

GOLD 1,835.180

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

GOLD 325.000 164.000 84.000

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

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 276.900 Pak Rupees 3.190 Indian Rupees 5.445 Sri Lankan Rupees 2.515 Bangladesh Taka 3.630 Philippines Peso 6.410 UAE Dirhams 75.495 Saudi Riyals 73.995 Bahraini Dinars 736.200 Egyptian Pounds 46.340 Pound Sterling 442.100 Indonesian Rupiah 3.190 Yemeni Riyal 1.550 Jordanian Dinars 393.400 Syrian Pounds 5.750 Euro 378.300 Canadian Dollars 275.400 Nepali rupee 3.690

Al Mulla Exchange Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000) US Dollar 276.600 Euro 375.000 Pound Sterling 438.500 Canadian Dollar 271.500 Japanese Yen 3.607 Indian Rupee 5.467 Egyptian Pound 46.313 Sri Lankan Rupee 2.510 Bangladesh Taka 3.617 Philippines Peso 6.380 Pakistan Rupee 3.195 Bahraini Dinar 735.850 UAE Dirham 75.350 Saudi Riyal 73.850 *Rates are subject to change

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business

BMW showcases 7 Series at Dubai Int’l Motor Show DUBAI: The BMW Group stand at the 2011 Dubai International Motor Show features an exclusive ‘BMW Individual’ zone where a bespoke BMW 7 Series composition inspired by ‘Steinway & Sons’ is taking pride of place.

This limited-edition model demonstrates the luxury motor manufacturer’s leadership in individuality. It is inspired by the aesthetics, quality and exclusivity of piano manufacturer Steinway & Sons and embodies the desire of both brands to harmoniously combine aesthetics, comfort and technical perfection.

Based on the 750Li, the BMW 7 Series

‘Steinway & Sons edition’ is presented in a perfectly coordinated colour combination, which features a black exterior and white interior. This is deliberately modelled on the colours of the piano keyboard and its contrast between black and white. The paint finish and upholstery and surface materials are the result of a design and build quality that has been developed specifically for this special edition and is unique worldwide.

To ensure a flawless finish to the body paintwork - reminiscent of the high-gloss finish of piano lacquer - the ‘Steinway & Sons edition’ undergoes a highly complex multi-stage process. Once the basic black

paint layer has been applied to the body, three layers of protective clear coat are applied. Each individual layer is smoothed and polished by hand prior to the next layer being applied to ensure a deep sheen across the vehicle. BMW Individual V-spoke 20-inch light alloy wheels and a goldcoloured coachline running the full length of the vehicle further compliment the exterior design.

In combination with the Piano Finish Black exterior, the interior upholstery, door trim and centre console are finished in Platinum BMW Individual fine-grain Merino leather. Exclusive details as a result of the

Steinway & Sons partnership include the embroidery on the headrests and seat cushions in the piano manufacturer’s trademark golden Lyra. The BMW Individual rear window and rear side window Roller Sunblinds also feature the exclusive Steinway & Sons Lyra.

Naturally, for an exclusive model that is the result of a partnership with a brand so deeply rooted in the world of music, the BMW 7 Series ‘Steinway & Sons edition’ features a bespoke BMW Individual High End Audio System. Developed in conjunction with LEAR, the system compromises 18 high-performance speakers and a digital

10-channel amplified featuring Dirac Live technology. The system’s unique fidelity in music reproduction means that wherever they are seated, passengers enjoy outstandingly realistic sound quality - equivalent to sitting in the best seats in a concert hall.

BMW Individual builds each of the BMW 7 Series ‘Steinway & Sons edition’ models to customer specifications using the normal or long-wheelbase versions of the luxury saloon. Just 100 of this limitededition model BMW Individual 7 Series inspired by ‘Steinway & Sons edition’ have been produced worldwide and all models have been sold.

NBK Capital organizes investor presentation

The Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) officials are pictured with South Africa’s trade officials.

KUWAIT: NBK Capital organized an investor conference this week to present investors with the Commercial Facilities Company S.A.K (CFC ) bond offering. The session was held on Monday November 14th in the JW Marriott, and was attended by leading regional and local investment entities including government organizations, banks, fixed income funds, investment and insurance companies. The details of the bond offering were presented by NBK Capital’s invest-

ment banking executives as well as senior management at CFC. NBK Capital is the Lead Manager for the KD 50,000,000 ($180 million) amortizing bond offering for CFC, the leading specialized consumer finance company in Kuwait. The bond is rated BBB by Capital Intelligence.

The CFC bond is only the second local currency denominated issuance by a Kuwaiti issuer since 2007. The 4-year amor tizing bonds will be

redeemed in quarterly installments starting after the second year. The coupon is priced at the CBK discount rate plus 140 basis points.

CFC ’s Chairman and Managing Director, Abdullah S Al-Humadhi, commented that the bond issuance comes at a critical time where the market is anticipating the revitalization of the local debt capital markets. A successful issuance will reflect the local financial institutions and bond investors’ continued confidence in CFC.

On behalf of NBK Capital, Salah Y Al-Fulaij, Chief Executive Officer, said “ With a market share exceeding 70 percent, and as the largest non-bank consumer lender in Kuwait and a stellar track record of continuously tapping the bond market, CFC ’s offering presents an excellent oppor tunity for investors in the region, and we are very proud to bring this bond offering to the market.

The investor presentation has been a valuable tool in reaching investors.”

UAE, S Africa officials discuss economy Sultan bin Saeed Al-Mansouri, Minister of Economy and Chairman of the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) recently met with South Africa’s Minister of Trade and Industry Dr Rob Davies and Ebrahim Patel, the South African Minister of Economic Development, in the presence of a number of senior officials and economic experts from both the UAE and South Africa. During the meeting, avenues for fostering economic cooperation between the two countries, including supporting relations in the investment field, as well as a number of bilateral issues were discussed with the aim of expanding cooperation to include the establishment of joint ventures in the two countries.

In a statement following the meeting, the Minister of Economy said that talks between the two delegations focused on ways of increasing investment and supporting trade ties and cooperation in industrial projec ts between the two countries, particularly in the automobile, spare parts and food industries. Infrastructure and clean energy projects were also highlighted, with the focus being on exchanging knowledge and experiences in this regard and taking advantage of modern innovations in these fields.

Al-Mansouri stated that the ministry is looking forward to cooperating with South Africa in the field of transferring advanced technology to the UAE industry, adding that South Africa is considered an important economic partner in line with the UAE’s international strategic plan, which aims to diversify economic partners. He said that the agreement signed between the two countries in 2005 aimed to support cooperation in economic, trade and technical areas, and that trade exchange between the two countries, which reached $1.1 billion last year, was expected to again see considerable growth this year.

The minister pointed out that a large number of South African companies are investing in the UAE, and that a number of UAE firms are investing in major projects in South Africa too, and noted that air traffic between the two countries is active, with the UAE’s airlines providing regular flights to main destinations across South Africa. Both parties agreed to form a follow-up committee with the aim of encouraging exports and mutual investments, to work on organizing a forum for businessmen from both countries, as well as to host a roundtable discussion on ways to remove obstacles to economic deals between

the two countries, with suggestions and recommendations to be submitted to decision makers urgently to enable the necessary actions to be taken.

It was also agreed that any facilities that will help attract mutual investment in the areas of financial markets - particularly investment funds and the dual listing of the listed companies in the stock exchange of both countries, based on the solid structure of the UAE markets - would be provided. In addition, it was decided that a memorandum of understanding signed between the Securities and Commodities Authority and its South African counterpart would be activated. During the talks, the South African M inisters praised the economic and trade ties between the two countries and affirmed that, while South Africa represents an important entrance for the UAE to the South African countries, the UAE serves as the main entryway for South African exports to the Middle East. The Ministers noted that South African businessmen are keen to establish joint ventures with their peers in the UAE and invited UAE businessmen to visit South Africa to explore the oppor tunities available across the country’s different economic sectors.

The UAE is the largest trade partner of South Africa in the Middle East and the 6th largest oil exporter to South Africa.

UAE exports to South Africa include petroleum products, precious metals, gold and re-exported goods while South African exports to the UAE include light guide ships, dredgers, floating cranes, iron pipes, iron, steel, etc. The meeting between the two parties formed part of an official visit by the South African President Jacob Zuma, who arrived in the UAE on Sunday. The visit is seen as an important step forward in the development of relations between the two countries, and reflects both countries’ aspirations and eagerness to establish strategic partnerships in all fields.

The meeting was attended by Abdullah Al-Turaifi, CEO of the Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority; Hamid Butti, Assistant Under Secretary for Corporate Affairs at the Ministry of Economy ; Mohammed Shalwah, Assistant Undersecretary of Economic Affairs at the Ministr y of Economy ; Ibrahim Al-Zaabi, Deputy CEO for Legal Affairs, Issuance and Research at the SCA; Mar yam Al-Suwaidi, the SCA’s Deputy CEO for Licensing, Supervision and Enforcement; and Mohammed Khalifa Al-Hadari, the SCA’s Deputy CEO for Organizational and Suppor ting Services Affairs.

August inflation remains at 4.6% NBK ECONOMIC BRIEF KUWAIT: Consumer price inflation remained at 4.6 percent year-on-year (y/y) for August.

The index moved up 0.3 percent month-onmonth (m/m), a notable feat given that prices tend to go up in a more substantial manner during Ramadan (August this year). We still expect the inflation rate to average 4.7percent for 2011, 4.4percent in 2012. Core CPI (excluding food prices) recorded 3.2 percent y/y, indicating that much of the inflationary pressure is due to elevated international food prices, while local components of the CPI remaining largely restrained Increases in food prices were in single-digit for a second month, climbing 9.7 percent y/y. Food prices still exhibit the highest i n c re a s e s i n a l l o f t h e C P I co m p o n e n t s.

However, abating pressure is in line with our outlook that international food price should

come down as the end of the year approaches. Food prices also increased 1.1 percent m/m, an expected uptick given that August coincided with Ramadan.

Pr i ce s i n s o m e fo o d s u b - c a te g o r i e s remained under pressure in August. Price inflation for meat was 14.1 percent y/y while other subcomponents saw increases that were less sharp. Prices for cereals and bread increased by 5.6 percent, while fruits and vegetables prices recorded a 9.3 percent i n c re a s e, t h e s m a l l e s t p r i ce j u m p i n 1 3 months.

Th e p r i ce i n d i ce s fo r c l o t h i n g a n d footwear and other goods and services (such as recreational goods and services) recorded increases of 1.8 percent and 2.4 percent y/y respectively. These two separate components -which together make up 18.8 percent of the

CPI - have both provided some downward pressure for the general index as both have been on a downward trend for a number of months. The transportation and communicat i o n co m p o n e n t , w h i c h h a s a s h a re o f 16.1percent of the index, saw a 2.2 percent y/y price increase. Noticeably, the price of cars, which alone accounts for 6.7 percent of t h e C P I , h a s b e e n s t a b l e fo r t h e p a s t 1 4 months, recording no increase in August after averaging 0.3 percent y/y for 2011.

Generally, this component provided another source of decreased pressure on consumer prices. Consumer Price Inflation has averaged 5.1percent for the first 8 months of 2011. As international prices of food and other commodities experience some relative decline, as we expect, CPI should average 4.7 percent for 2011 and 4.4 percent for 2012.

FATCA to affect all financial institutions: KPMG KUWAIT: All banks and life insurance companies which have US source income or handle US source income on behalf of its customers will be affected since all US source income might be subject to 30 percent US withholding tax if they are not Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) compliant.

To be FATCA compliant Foreign Financial Institutions (FFIs) have to sign an agreement with the US tax authorities (IRS) that they will identify all US tax payers in their customer base and report certain data to the IRS on a regular basis (name, income, value of the account, SSN, ITIN). This agreement has to be prepared between July 1st and December 31st 2013 to be effective from January 2014.

Therefore all affected companies have to review their business model and products to understand how they will be affected. Since the FATCA rules generally impact all

group companies the analysis has to be done on a group level. It might sound that there is still plenty of time until these rules come into effect, but the required steps to analyze the impact on your organization may identify some fundamental changes to the way you operate.

KPMG’s seminar yesterday in the Movenpick Hotel covered the key elements of FATCA and what Financial Institutions, are, and should be doing now. KPMG is strongly recommending their clients to do an impact analysis to have enough time to amend and stream line the business model.

Please note that the definition of a FFI under the FATCA rules is much broader than just banks and insurance companies, the definition includes all entities whose main purpose is to handle cash and cash equivalents on behalf of an individual, company, private

equity funds, hedge funds, trade of par tnership interest etc. This means that any structured investments into the USA have to be reviewed to determine whether they need to be FATCA compliant.

This can also affect your decision to continue certain products or main-

tain certain investments after 2014.

Entities and individuals with existing structured US investments have to determine whether such investments would be effected by FATCA or not. New investments into the USA or via the USA must consider the FATCA rules.

KUWAIT: The KPMG seminar on Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) which was held yesterday is pictured. — Photo by Joseph Shagra

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011

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Bourse closes on mixed note GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) closed on mixed note once again during yesterday’s session while continued to move sideways for the week. Looking to macro picture of corporate disclosure for 9M2011, a total of 139 Kuwaiti companies announced their 9M2011 financial results by the end of the announcing period (excluding 13 non-Kuwaiti companies, and 14 companies which their financial year does not end on December 31). Total Net profit of for the 9M2011 reached KD 953.87 million, down by 2.19 percent YoY, compared to a net profit of KD 978.18 million recorded in the corresponding period of last year. All remaining companies were suspended starting from yesterday as per the bourse regulations.

Market indices Global General Index (GGI) ended the day up by 0.12 percent, at 183.75 point. Market capitalization was up for the day, reaching KD 30.08 billion. On the other hand, KSE Price Index closed at 5,871.3 point, shedding 8.40 points (0.14 percent) to its previous close.

Market breadth During the session, 89 companies were traded. Market breadth was skewed towards decliners as 37 equities advanced versus 23 that declined.

Daily trading activity Trading activity was down yesterday. Total volume traded was down by 34.73 percent with 77.78 million shares changing hands at a total value of KD 11.41 million (44.24 percent lower compared to Tuesday session). Services sector was the volume leader, accounting for 32.43 percent of total shares exchanges. Privatization Holding Company was the ses-

sion’s most traded stock with 7.64 million shares exchanged. The banking sector was the value leader, having 35.24 percent of total traded value.

Top gainers and biggest decliners In terms of top gainers, Gulf Franchising Company was the top gainer for the day, adding 13.16 percent to its share value and closing at KD 0.0215. On the other hand, Kuwait China Investment Company shed 8.93 percent and closed at KD 0.051 making it the biggest decliner in the market.

Sectors wise Sector-wise, 4 out of 8 sector indices went up during the day, with Global Banking Index being the top gainer, adding 0.39 percent to its value.

The index’s gain was backed

by Commercial Bank of Kuwait, which was the only gainer in the

sector during the trading session.

The scrip closed up by 6.67 percent at KD 0.800. Global Services Index was also up, adding 0.19 percent to its value.

Heavyweights Zain and Agility pushed the index higher with their share prices adding 1.09 and 1.27 percent, respectively. On the other side, Global Investment Index was the biggest decliner during the session, shedding 1.01 percent from its value. This was due to Kuwait Projects Company (Holding) decreasing by 3.13 percent to reach KD 0.310. In sector news, National International Company announced that it has signed a contract to sell 1.5 percent of its stake (750,000 shares) in Weinig International Company (Germany) for a total value of EUR5.25 million.

The company will realize a profit of KD 1.95mn (EUR 5.2 million) which will be reflected in the

financial statements for 4Q2011.

The scrip closed flat at KD 0.035.

Global Food Index was the second biggest decliner, shedding 0.83 percent. Heavyweight Kuwait Foodstuff Company (Americana) closed down by 1.33 percent at KD 1.480, knocking the index down.

Oil news Price of Kuwaiti crude oil dropped $0.70pb on Tuesday reaching $111.42pb compared to $111.12pb on Monday, the staterun Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) said yesterday.

Corporate news The Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) approved in November 15, 2011, the request of Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait to sell or repurchase 10 percent maximum of its issued shares for additional six months ending on June 12, 2012.

Sukuk rush may lift costs for borrowers DUBAI: A rush of Islamic bond sales from the Gulf region in coming months could give companies much-needed access to funds, but it is likely to end a period of unusually low borrowing costs in the sukuk market. For perhaps the first time in the modern history of Islamic finance, some debt issuers are finding it cheaper to raise money through sukuk than through conventional bonds.

That is because of strong demand for sukuk from Islamic investors, as a lack of supply so far this year means many portfolio managers and Islamic banks in the Gulf and elsewhere have liquidity to deploy. Their demand has helped to make the secondary market in sukuk more stable than conventional bonds during the global financial turmoil of the last few months. “The reason the sukuk market performed as well as it did in the past, and why sukuk held up in the secondary markets, is because there was an imbalance on the supply and demand side,” said Usman Ahmed, senior portfolio manager at Emirates NBD Asset Management.

Now, that imbalance looks likely to partially correct itself with a spate of sukuk issues from Abu Dhabi and elsewhere in the region, potentially eliminating any pricing advantage of Islamic bonds for issuers. “With the new burst of issuance, you’ll see that imbalance even out a little. We expect the existing sukuk to sell off slightly-it’s already happeningin anticipation of the new issues, which are offering investors more concession,” Ahmed said.

Bahrain Two Gulf issuers may tap Islamic debt markets with a sukuk issue yesterday.

One is Bahrain, hit by political unrest earlier this year, which completed roadshows earlier this week for an eventual bond. Guidance for Bahrain’s seven-year benchmark-sized sukuk was set at 450 basis points over midswaps yesterday.

Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank is eyeing at least $500 million from its debut dollar sukuk; yesterday it set price guidance in a range of 275-287.5 bps over five-year midswaps. The last sukuk from an Abu Dhabi financial institution

was issued in late July, just before the euro zone sovereign debt crisis rattled global markets and dampened issuance of many kinds of debt.

“The reality is that Islamic banks still have a lot of money to put to work and some, anecdotally, have significant liquidity. There is still unutilised demand out there, and so pricing on a sukuk will be tighter than a conventional dealmaybe by 10-20 bps,” said one regional banker, declining to be identified.

“Before, it was all about the big-name London investors but now, the power has been transferred to Middle Eastern investors and much depends on their appetite.”

First Gulf Bank priced a $650 million five-year sukuk at 200 bps over midswaps in July, offering a coupon of 3.797 percent. The bond is currently bid at around 103.00, yielding 3.1 percent; it has narrowed over 40 bps since the end of September. Similarly, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank’s outstanding $750 million five-year sukuk maturing 2015 was trading at 102.1 yesterday, according to Thomson Reuters data; the yield is about 70 bps lower than levels a year ago. By contrast, Abu Dhabi’s Union National Bank tested appetite for a conventional issue earlier this month, raising $400 million in five-year debt. The bond was issued at 287 bps over midswaps, and fell short of raising the intended $500 million minimum due to weak investor response.

ADCB If ADCB can price its sukuk at the tighter end of guidance, it will suggest new sukuk issuers are still avoiding paying any premium to conventional bonds-a sign that heavy underlying demand for sukuk persists. “There might be the need to be a bit more generous to get the wheels in motion, but the money is there to be put to work,” said a London-based banker. However, new sukuk issuance is starting to prompt sales of existing sukuk-a sign that the supply-demand gap in the market is beginning to close, and that future issuers may not be able to impose terms that are quite as cheap. — Reuters

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011

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BUSINESS

UAE luxury car sales in high gear DUBAI: Mother-of pearl dashboards and diamond-encrusted hood ornaments at the Dubai International Motor Show this week underlined how the safe-haven status of the United Arab Emirates is fuelling dramatic growth in sales of luxury cars. The market was hit hard by the 20082009 global financial crisis and recovered only partially last year. But this year’s political unrest in the Arab world boosted sales in the UAE, which was spared such turmoil. Companies and individuals from around the region looked for a safe haven in Dubai, a key Gulf business hub.

“The uprisings...have provided confidence that Dubai is important from a security point of view,” said Michel Ayat, chief executive of AW Rostamani Automotive, which sells Nissan’s luxury Infiniti models. With Brent oil prices above $100 a barrel, promising continued economic growth for the UAE, a debt crisis in Europe and financial stormclouds in the United States have also largely failed to deter wealthy consumers.

The UAE economy is expected by analysts to grow about 3.8 percent this year. “The crisis is everywhere. (But) even if the local has nothing to eat, that’s no problem if he has a luxury car,” joked Emirati businessman Salem Seif, 28, eyeing a new Porsche Cayenne sport utility vehicle at the motor show.

Porsche in Dubai sold 211 new cars in August,

the best-ever performance for any Porsche showroom globally, with the Cayenne remaining the brand’s top seller. Sales for the first eight months of this year are up 46 percent from a year earlier, said Vijay Rao, the showroom’s general manager.

In the UAE, the Gulf’s largest market for luxury cars, total sales are expected to jump 32 percent to 25,010 this year after a 16 percent rise in 2010, consultants IHS Automotive forecast. That would be the fastest growth in the Gulf and exceed volumes seen in the oil-boom years before 2008, when access to credit was easier. Luxury cars account for 9 percent of the country’s car sales.

And many of them are being bought by young customers just getting a taste for such vehicles; some 66 percent of all new car purchases in the UAE, which has the world’s sixth highest per capita income at over $47,000, are made by customers between the ages of 18 and 29, according to Business Monitor International.

A moderate economic slowdown looks likely in the UAE next year if the global outlook worsens, and this could cool the luxury car market.

Dubai’s safe-haven effect may also fade as partial political stability returns to other Arab countries; in the last few months, rapid growth in deposits at UAE banks has slowed, central bank data shows, suggesting there are no longer big inflows of foreign money seeking a refuge from

political turmoil. Ayat estimated the luxury segment of the UAE car market would grow around 15 percent next year, but that is more optimistic than the 8 percent growth forecast by IHS. Gulf car sales data are not available on an aggregate basis, posing a challenge to industry forecasters.

Overall UAE passenger car sales of all types are expected to rise 15 percent to 273,924 this year and climb a further 13 percent in 2012, after a 6 percent increase last year, IHS said. Even if growth in the luxury market does slow, the topend brands such as Rolls-Royce, which sells cars priced above $270,000 mainly to royalty and expatriate entrepreneurs, may see little impact.

“In the third quarter this year, with the problems in the euro zone, the market slowed down a little, but let’s emphasise that we will still continue to see growth in the market compared to 2010,” said James Crichton, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ regional director for the Middle East and Africa. “In the UAE, we are up 78 percent this year, and in Saudi Arabia we are up almost 60 percent,” he said at the motor show, where the automaker displayed its blue and white “Riviera Phantom” with the iconic flying lady figurine, covered in 2,300 diamonds, perched on its brushed stainless steel bonnet.

Home to some 5.4 million people, the UAE is the world’s fourth-largest market for Rolls-Royce.

“There is a crisis and tension around the globe but people who are luxury spenders by nature, they will continue to spend,” said Adham Charanoglu, chief executive of Aston Martin Middle East and North Africa. “This is completely separate from the retail market,” he said at the launch of the $530,000 Aston Martin Zagato in Dubai.

Car sales trends diverged in the Gulf in 2011.

In Bahrain, hit by the worst political unrest since the 1990s, luxury car sales are projected to fall 19 percent this year before rebounding 20 percent next year, IHS said. Oil giant Saudi Arabia, which saw only minor political protests, is forecast to see a 4 percent drop in high-end sales this year before growth takes off strongly - at a 24 percent clip - in 2012. That would far exceed the 8 percent rise predicted for overall Saudi car sales next year.

Dealers see potential for further growth if the kingdom eventually allows women to drive. In September the government decided to let women vote in municipal elections, a step which could presage further social change. “In Saudi Arabia, 20 percent of our customers are women, and the number is increasing,” said Umberto Cini, managing director at Maserati Middle East and Africa. At present, women are driven by relatives or chauffeurs. — Reuters

BoE paves way for more stimulus as economy sags LONDON: The Bank of England paved the way for another cash boost to shore up struggling Britain yesterday, slashing its growth and inflation forecasts as the euro zone crisis threatens to tip an economy that is haemorrhaging jobs into recession. Presenting the latest inflation report, BoE Governor Mervyn King said conditions had deteriorated since August and that Britain’s economy could stagnate until the middle of next year. The central bank blamed zone leaders’ failure to find a fix for the escalating debt crisis for euro the worsening outlook.

While King warned that there were limits to what the central bank could do, economists saw the gloomy predictions as a clear sign that more quantitative easing was on the cards, especially as the government’s hands are tied by its pledge to erase a large budget deficit. The BoE predicted inflation would fall to 1.3 percent by late 2013, well below its 2 percent target, despite the expansion of its asset purchase program by £75 billion ($120 billion) to £275 billion pounds last month.

The bank also halved its near-term growth forecasts, and now sees a strong chance annual growth rates will be below 1 percent throughout most of 2012. “The outlook for growth for the world economy has worsened since August,” King told a news conference.

“That is also true here in the United Kingdom, where activity could be broadly flat until around the middle of next year. ...Why have we revised down our projection this time?

That’s largely news from the euro area.”

King’s comments came after data showed the number of Britons without a job soared to a 17-year high of 2.62 million in September.

Youth unemployment jumped above the politcally sensitive 1-million mark for the first time since records began in 1992, meaning more than one in five 16-24 year-olds is without a job. The governor pressed for an effective solution to the crisis in the euro zone, as the central bank said even its downbeat growth outlook did not account for any worst-case outcome in Europe, which it deemed impossible to quantify.

Despite the worsening economic backdrop, finance minister George Osborne has left little doubt he will resist calls to water down his austerity plan when he gives his autumn policy update later this month, and King supported the general mix of deficit reduction coupled with loose monetary policy. Sterling fell and gilt futures erased losses in the aftermath of the BoE report, which supported economists’ expectations that the central bank will add another £50 billion of stimulus at the time of its next inflation report in February. “The Bank of England unleashed the full force of its dovish feelings,” Nomura analyst Philip Rush said. “Forecasts were revised lower and the gloomy message hammered home by Mervyn King,” he said.

Britons have been suffering from the biggest squeeze on living standards in over 30 years due to prices rising much faster than wages and the jump in unemployment. King said this should ease next year as inflation comes down, supporting consumer spending and encouraging growth. The BoE predicts inflation will fall below the 2 percent goal during 2012. But the central bank warned that slowing global demand, concerns about the solvency of several euro area governments, and strains in banking and in some sovereign funding markets would weigh heavily on UK growth in the near term.

Moreover, even if euro zone policymakers come up with a plan to resolve the debt crisis, growth in Britain’s largest trading partner was set to remain weak. “A failure to meet these challenges would almost certainly have significant implications for the UK economy,” it said. The BoE said its Monetary Policy Committee was divided over the likely strength of the recovery as well as the risks to inflation. It forecast growth would pick up to around 3.1 percent at the end of 2013. King reiterated the Bank’s long-held view that annual inflation, which eased to 5 percent in October, would fall sharply in the next six months and return to around target by the end of 2012 as one-off effects from this year’s VAT rise fall out of the data. — Reuters

NEWCASTLE: A homeless man (right) and his friend are seen waiting outside a Jobcentre plus yesterday. — AP

Aramco sells fuel oil at record price SINGAPORE: Saudi Aramco sold an unusually high volume of three 80,000-tonne cargoes of 180-centistoke (cst) fuel oil for December-lifting out of Jubail in a single tender, traders said yesterday. The lots, for Dec 3-5, Dec 8-10 and Dec 18-20-loading, were all sold to oil major BP at record-high premiums of $20.00-$25.00 a tonne to Singapore spot quotes, on a free-on-board (FOB) basis. The last time the oil giant sold a similarly heavy volume of 180-cst cargoes was for late March to early April loading from Jubail. The parcels were sold to Shell at a much lower premium of $10.00-$11.00 a tonne to Singapore spot quotes, FOB. Supplies offered out of the Jubail loading port are normally of 380-cst grade.

Traders believe that the cargoes are likely to remain in the Middle East though, as

BP has about 200,000 cubic metres of storage facilities in the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah that became operational in October. “It is a surprisingly high price level that they (BP) paid for the cargoes. Sure the market’s tight but cargo premiums have eased to around $12.50 a tonne now. It’s a little hard to see the profit margin at the moment if they bring it over here,” a Singapore-based trader said.

The Asian fuel oil market has been pervasively tight, first plagued by heavy volumes of high-viscosity, high-density and high-water content supplies in October and then by tightening arbitrage inflows.

Western arbitrage volumes for November and December also look set to remain thin, at 3.2-3.3 million tonnes and 2.7-2.8 million tonnes booked so far. — Reuters

MILAN: People look at stock market indices on a monitor outside a bank yesterday. Investors ratcheted up the pressure on Europe yesterday, driving up the interest rates countries pay to borrow money and dumping stocks amid continuing unease over the continentís debt crisis. — AP

France, Germany clash over ECB role in crisis Bond-buying steadies market, but not for long PARIS/ROME: France and Germany, Europe’s two central powers, clashed yesterday over whether the European Central Bank should intervene to halt the euro zone’s accelerating debt crisis as modest bond purchases failed to stop the rout. Facing rising borrowing costs as its AAA credit rating comes under threat, France appeared to plead for stronger ECB action, adding to mounting global pressure spelled out by US President Barack Obama. Bond market contagion is spreading across Europe.

Italian 10-year bond yields have risen above 7 percent, unaffordable in the long term. Yields on bonds issued by France, the Netherlands and Austria - which along with Germany form the core of the euro zone - have also climbed.

“The ECB’s role is to ensure the stability of the euro, but also the financial stability of Europe. We trust that the ECB will take the necessary measures to ensure financial stability in Europe,” government spokeswoman Valerie Pecresse said after a cabinet meeting in Paris.

Pecresse said Paris believed the risk premium investors charge to hold French debt rather than safe haven 10-year German Bunds “is not justified”. That “spread” hit a euro era peak of 195 basis points on Wednesday.

But German Chancellor Angela Merkel made clear Berlin would resist pressure for the central bank to take a bigger role in resolving the debt crisis, saying European Union rules prohibited such action. “The way we see the treaties, the ECB doesn’t have the possibility of solving these problems,” she said after talks with visiting Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny.

The only way to recover markets’ confidence was to implement agreed economic reforms and build a closer European political union by changing the EU treaty, Merkel said.

ECB policymakers continue to reject international calls to intervene decisively as Europe’s lender of last resort, stressing it is up to governments to resolve the debt crisis through austerity measures and reforms. Traders said the central bank bought Spanish and Italian bonds on Wednesday, but the respite was short-lived and there was no sign of a change in the ECB’s policy of limited, stop-go purchases to calm markets temporarily while maintaining pressure on governments.

In Rome, Prime Minister-designate Mario Monti unveiled a government of technocrats, taking the key economy portfolio for himself in a drive to implement long delayed structural economic reforms and austerity measures.

Monti, a former European Commissioner, said

he hoped markets would be reassured by his team, which features several academics and Intesa bank Chief Executive Corrado Passera, but no politicians. He will present his program to the Senate today.

Obama, on a visit to Australia, turned up the heat on Europe to act more boldly to extinguish the spreading bushfire. “Until we put in place a concrete plan and structure that sends a clear signal to the markets that Europe is standing behind the euro and will do what it takes, we are going to continue to see the kinds of market turmoil we saw,” he said.

Obama said that whilst there had been progress in putting together unity governments in Italy and Greece, Europe still faced a “problem of political will”. “We’re going to continue to advise European leaders on what options we think would meet the threshold where markets would settle down. It is going to require some tough decisions on their part,” he said.

Unicredit Chief Executive Federico Ghizzoni said he would ask the ECB to increase access to central bank funds for Italian banks, which have faced growing funding problems since Italy was sucked into the debt crisis in July.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told the European Parliament the euro zone faced a systemic crisis and fragmenting the European Union was no solution. In Greece, technocrat Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, a former ECB vice-president, was set to win a big confidence vote in parliament for his interim government despite the refusal of the main conservative leader to sign up to more austerity.

New Democracy party chief Antonis Samaras gave Papademos only arms-length backing, refusing to bow to EU demands for a written commitment to the bailout programme and calling for elections in three months to restore social peace. With Papademos’ national unity coalition already split, rebuilding Greece’s shattered finances to avert default will be a daunting task as Europe battles to prevent its debt woes from dragging down the world economy. Financial markets are sceptical that unelected technocrats will have the political clout to impose unpopular reforms, the two-year-old debt crisis risks engulfing the entire currency bloc and hurting global growth.

US policymakers have voiced alarm at growing signs of strain in the money market, the plumbing of the international financial system.

Banks in the euro zone face increasing difficulties in obtaining dollar funding, and while the stresses are nowhere near as acute as they were in the 2008 financial crisis, they have continued to mount despite ECB moves to provide unlimited liquidity to banks. “Markets are clearly expecting a circuit breaker to alleviate pressure on periphery bond yields,” said David Scutt, a trader at Arab Bank Australia in Sydney.

“If no announcement is forthcoming in the days ahead, one suspects that the situation could unravel fairly quickly.”

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Europe had a difficult task in boosting the creditworthiness of some of its economies while also boosting growth. With a Brusselsbased think-tank warning that France’s economy should be “ringing alarm bells”, Finance Minister Francois Baroin sought to calm fears about public finances. “We have the necessary room to manoeuvre within the budget to meet our 2012 deficit target even if the economy slows more than expected,” he said in an interview in Wednesday’s edition of Les Echos.

“Even with growth of 0.5 percent we can cope.”

Baroin said the government was not working on a third savings package after announcing a second round of belt-tightening in three months last week in order to keep its deficit targets within reach, despite slowing growth.

Data on Tuesday showed the economy of the 17-nation euro zone barely grew in the third quarter. ECB President Mario Draghi has predicted the currency bloc will be in a mild recession by the end of the year. Many analysts believe the only way to stem the contagion for now is for the central bank to buy large amounts of bonds - effectively the sort of quantitative easing undertaken by the US and British central banks. The ECB has bought Ä187 billion in government bonds since May 2010 but it has so far “sterilised” all purchases by taking the equivalent amount in from the market in deposits. One option would be to stop fully sterilising bond purchases.

This has been anathema in Germany, which fears that printing money could stoke inflation.

But on Tuesday Peter Bofinger, a member of the group of economists that advises the German government, said the ECB should indeed become the euro zone’s lender of last resort if the bloc’s debt woes risked tearing apart the financial system. “If politics can’t do it, then the ECB must do all it can to bring interest rates down to more reasonable levels,” Bofinger said at Euro Finance Week. — Reuters

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011

business

‘Made in Japan’ brand at crossroads TOKYO: The “Made in Japan” brand is at a crossroads as more firms face a tough choice over whether or not to move production overseas to escape the impact of the relentless rise of the yen, say analysts.

According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, some 46 percent of large manufacturers it surveyed in August said they would move production bases abroad if the yen stays around 76 yen against the dollar for half a year. Currently near 77 yen to the greenback, the unit’s strength risks causing the “collapse” of the Japanese auto industry, Toyota executive vice president Satoshi Ozawa said last week.

Toyota’s first half net profit dived 72 percent partially due to the impact of the strong currency. For the maker of the Prius hybrid, every one yen rise against the dollar can wipe tens of billions of yen from annual operating profit. In the year ended March, Toyota made around half of its cars in Japan, more than rival Nissan. The nation’s biggest automaker, along with other Japanese giants such as Sony, Mazda, Honda and Canon all reported recent quarterly earnings that saw profits eroded by the impact of the strong yen and the March disasters.

A strong Japanese currency hurts the nation’s key export sector by making goods made in Japan less competitive abroad and cutting into repatriated overseas earnings. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has spoken of his fear of industrial “hollowing out” as companies threaten to take jobs overseas. Japan’s efforts to intervene in markets to weaken the yen have had little lasting impact. “Industrial hollowing is now more serious than in the past as Japanese firms are forced to move to secure profit,” said Takunori Kobayashi, an economist at Daiwa Institute of Research.

For semiconductor foundry and data storage firm Elpida Memory, the shift of 40 percent of the firm’s production from its home in Japan to Taiwan is an imperative move as a high Japanese unit erodes profits. “Under this currency situation, we have to carry out (the plan) no matter what,” president Yukio Sakamoto said recently when the chip maker announced a net loss of 56.7 billion yen ($735 million) in the first half ending September. Recent supply shocks caused by the March earthquake and tsunami have only helped accelerate the process, say analysts.

Wacom, holding more than 80 percent of the global market for pen-input tablet devices, is setting up a parallel component production base in China after the March earthquake and tsunami triggered power shortages and crippled component supplies at home. “We have to minimise risks of supply,” Wacom President Masahiko Yamada told AFP. “I’m aware of concerns about industrial hollowing, but national borders have already been disappearing,” he said. “Staying here does not always benefit Japan.

Should we put everything within the fence or should we go out and contribute to the country from outside? I will choose the latter.”

Panasonic, which last month forecast its biggest annual loss in a decade because of a stronger yen, is moving its procurement operation to Singapore from Osaka. Yet other firms are reluctant to shift from an industrial system famed for its ability to produce high quality precision instruments and components crucial to everything from cars to screens for smartphones.

“In 10 years, our rivals will change from Japanese to Chinese,” Kazuma Sekiya, president of Disco, a Tokyo-based firm controlling 80 percent of the glob-

al market for machines that grind and cut microchips, told AFP. “Building factories in China means we will give our know-how and personnel resources to our future rivals,” Sekiya said. “I don’t think Japan will completely lose the status of a major manufacturing nation,” said Takahiro Sekido, chief economist at Credit Agricole Securities Asia in Tokyo.

“But to survive, Japanese makers need to further concentrate on what no one but Japan can do.”

An example lies in microprocessor firm Renesas, which has a roughly 40 percent share in the global market for automobile engine and brake system microcontrollers. Production was decimated by the March disasters and a shortage of its processors sent shockwaves through the global auto industry. For many it illustrates that Japan remains a “manufacturing kingdom”. Sekiya believes Japan will survive as a manufacturing nation whose craftsmanship can be traced back centuries when master smitheries created swords famed for the sharpness of their blades.

“In Japan, we have excellent suppliers and diligent workers,” he said. “Even if we built factories overseas, we would have to bring almost all the parts from Japan.” — AFP

Spain admits it will miss growth target Forecast comes before expected poll drubbing MADRID: Spain’s Socialist government admitted for the first time yesterday it will miss its 2011 economic growth target, just four days before an expected election drubbing. The government had refused to budge from its target of 1.3 percent growth this year despite a string of weak data and a eurozone debt crisis that forced steep spending cuts. In a final news conference before general elections Sunday, Deputy Finance Minister Jose Manuel Campa conceded that 2011 growth would come in far below the

official goal.

“We have to expect growth in this quarter similar to what we have had up to now, so average growth for the year will be close to what we have now,” he said. Annual economic growth in the third quarter was 0.8 percent, the National Statistics Institute said. When comparing economic output to the level of the previous three months, growth slumped to zero in the third quarter from 0.2 percent in the second, the institute said. Exports and its hugely important

BARCELONA: A man begs on the street yesterday. — AP

US retailers stretch holiday sales WASHINGTON: US retailers are pushing the envelope on holiday shopping sales that traditionally start the day after the Thanksgiving Day holiday, and some employees are pushing back. A number of major retailers, seeking to lure shoppers into spending more, have advanced the start of sales for “Black Friday,” which this year is on Nov 25. The day after Thanksgiving earned the name “Black Friday” as the day when some retailers see their year’s net earnings move from the red into the black column - profits instead of losses - for the first time during the year.

Retail sales numbers on Tuesday suggested that consumers could be ready to shake off the still-gloomy economy and open their wallets to spread holiday cheer. Retail sales rose 0.5 percent in October from September, the Commerce Department reported, topping market expectations. “Early Black Friday sales may have pushed forward some demand but regardless, it does look like households are out there spending,” said Joel Naroff of Naroff Economic Advisors.

A case in point was Wal-Mart, the world’s biggest retailer, which announced last week it would jump the gun, opening stores at 10:00 pm Thursday. “By sharing our Black Friday specials earlier than ever, we hope to make buying decisions easier for parents working hard to give their families the Christmas they deserve,” said Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising officer for Wal-Mart US. Meanwhile Target, Walmart US’s discount rival, has sparked a furor over its decision to open the doors at midnight on Thanksgiving Thursday, several hours earlier than its prior 5:00 am Friday start.

Target employees will need to arrive for work by 11:00 pm Thursday, cutting short the family-oriented holiday best known for its lavish roast turkey dinners. An online petition created by a Target employee and addressed to Target president and chief executive Greg Steinhafel calls on the company to “save Thanksgiving” by returning to the original Friday opening time. “A full holiday with family is not just for the elite of this nation - all Americans should be able to break bread with loved ones and get a good night’s rest on Thanksgiving!” the petition on change.org says. The petition has gone viral, with more 91,000 signatures collected by late Tuesday.

The backlash came in the context of the outrage expressed by Occupy Wall Street protests over economic inequalities, summed up by the math that one percent of wealthy Americans run the affairs of the remaining 99 percent of the population. “It’s a national holiday not a national shopping day... maybe try giving thanks for your employees that bring you so much money,” wrote Bryce Allison on the petition blog. Other big retailers will man their cash registers early, including electronics giant Best Buy, which is opening its doors at 12:00 am Friday. Toy titan Toys “R” US is opening at 9:00 pm Thursday, before Walmart, Best Buy and Target.—AFP

tourism industry kept Spain’s head above water in the third quarter, according to the official report. “The external sector continues to be the main engine of growth,” the statistics institute said.

Finance Minister Elena Salgado had previously skirted around the 1.3-percent target, saying only that if she “was to redo the forecasts today, they would of course be different to those we did before summer”. But the administration did not revise the forecast ahead of the Nov 20 elections, which the conservative opposition Popular Party is widely expected to win by a landslide. The Bank of Spain had already tipped growth at 0.8 percent for the year. Spain’s economy, dragged down by a 21.5-percent unemployment rate, may now be sliding back into recession barely two years after escaping the last one, analysts say.

Goldman Sachs and the French statistics institute INSEE both predict that the Spanish economy will shrink by 0.2 percent in each of the next two quarters, meeting the broad definition of a recession. French bank Natixis sees declines of 0.2 percent in the final quarter of 2011 and 0.1 percent in the first quarter of 2012.

Spain only emerged from an 18-month recession at the start of 2010 after a property bubble collapse, which destroyed millions of jobs and left banks with mountains of bad loans. A sense of crisis on the markets has hounded the government’s final pre-election days. The risk premium - the extra borrowing rate investors demand for Spain’s 10-year government bonds when compared to Germany’s -hovered at a dangerous level of 4.554 percentage points after breaking euro-era records Tuesday. — AFP

US industrial output rose strongly in Oct WASHINGTON: US industrial production rose in October at the fastest rate in three months.

Factories made more trucks, electronics and business equipment, a sign that manufacturing is recovering after slowing this spring. Output at the nation’s factories, utilities and mines rose 0.7 percent last month, the Federal Reserve said yesterday. Factory output, the largest component of industrial production, rose a solid 0.5 percent, the fourth straight monthly gain.

Production of business equipment rose 1 percent, its sixth straight monthly increase.

Electrical equipment, appliances and transportation equipment all climbed more than 2 percent. Autos and parts surged 3.1 percent.

Industrial production has increased 13.4 percent since its trough in June 2009. It remains 5.3 percent below its pre-recession peak, reached in Sept 2007. Factory activity slowed this spring, largely because the Japan crises disrupted supply chains and also because consumers cut back on big purchases in the face of higher prices for gas and food.

Energy prices have moderated since then. In a separate report, the Labor Department said consumer prices fell for the first time since June. The key reason was cheaper energy costs.

Automakers are also rebounding. In October, car sales were 7 percent higher than the same month last year, the government said

Tuesday. Many US auto plants, which depend upon parts from Japan to produce various models, are seeing supply chains flow more freely. The economy grew at an annual rate of 2.5 percent in the July-September quarter, the best quarterly performance in a year. Many economists project similar growth for the October-December quarter, a view bolstered

by Tuesday’s report that retail sales rose in October for the fifth straight month.

Still, consumers might not be able to sustain their spending growth if unemployment remains high and pay raises scant. And Europe may be on the brink of a recession that could further slow US growth next year. The outlook for hiring remains mixed. In October, employers created just 80,000, the smallest gain in four months. But the government also said employers added more jobs in August and September than it had initially reported and the unemployment rate dipped to 9 percent. Other reports suggest the manufacturing sector is growing at a slow and steady pace. The Institute for Supply Management said its manufacturing index slipped in October to 50.8, down from 51.6 in September. Any reading above 50 indicates expansion. Even with the small decline, the ISM reading marked the 27th consecutive month of growth for the manufacturing sector. — AP

SAN FRANCISCO: In this Oct. 28, 2011 photo, Scott Blahnick, an aircraft mechanic for United Airlines, replaces a floor panel on a United Airlines Boeing 777 plane that is being retrofitted with new seats at San Francisco International Airport. — AP

TIMIKA, Indonesia: This photo taken on Nov 5, 2011 shows striking Freeport workers manning a road blockade where a company pipeline used for gold concentrates has been cut off. — AFP

Indonesia miners fight for bigger slice of pie KUALA KENCANA, Indonesia: After more than a decade of hard work and long hours driving a truck through the mountains of Indonesia’s remote Papua province for US mining giant Freeport McMoRan, Nus Magay refuses to work for anything less than a hefty raise. Since mid-September the 35-year-old has taken part in an angry strike - which last month turned deadly after clashes with police - together with about one-third of Freeport’s 23,000 workers. “I’m angry. I work so hard but I never got a pay increase or a promotion in all these years,” Magay told AFP, while seated on a tattered rug in the otherwise bare living room of his modest wooden house.

Magay and his colleagues, mostly native Papuans, have watched Freeport’s US owners reap the riches of the Grasberg mine, one of the largest retrievable gold and copper reserves in the world. Last year Freeport reported sales revenues of more than $5 billion from Grasberg. Now, the workers are demanding a bigger slice of what they see as their pie. “Aren’t we working for a world-class mining company? Why are we paid so little much less than Freeport workers in other countries?” Magay asked.

The miners claim they are the poorestpaid among Freeport’s employees worldwide, including those in Africa and South America.

Some complain that they do the hardest physical work at Grasberg for a basic salary of around $400 a month. But after regular bonuses, Magay said he receives close to $900 a month. That is well above Indonesia’s monthly per capita income of about $350, but the striking miners complain it is not enough to live on in the remote, pricey mining compound in the Mimika district 4,000 km from the central government in Jakarta.

Because of poor infrastructure in Papua province the prices for goods consumed by a slowly modernising region are often much higher than in other parts of the country, according to executive director of Indonesia’s Human Rights Working Group Rafendi Djamin. “Papuans can still get their traditional staples, like sweet potatoes, very cheaply. But they are starting to consume rice and alcohol like the rest of Indonesia, and that can be very expensive,” Djamin said. “You can live a much better life in Jakarta on a smaller income because you have cheap options.”

The workers say that even though they are paid above the average wage, their jobs in the mines and on narrow roads high in the foggy mountains are dangerous and warrant higher pay. “After paying for food and other household expenses, I have nothing left. I can’t afford to go to the hospital,” Magay said, complaining of gout and rubbing balm on his knees and elbows. “Sitting in a truck all day in the cold only makes the gout worse,” he said, referring to the low temperatures that persist in the mountains year-round.

The workers originally demanded the minimum wage of $1.50 an hour be raised twenty-fold to $30 an hour. Later, they said they would settle for $7.50, and then $4. They rejected Freeport’s most recent offer of a 35 percent increase. “We are only asking Freeport to be fair,” Magay said. The company insists it is being fair. “Our proposal is fair and generous and we and our local management team are committed to maintaining a working environment that is attractive to our employees,” Freeport McMoRan chairman James R Moffat said in a statement.

Striking workers, angered at colleagues who have refused to stop work and at contract workers brought in by Freeport, have been blockading the Grasberg complex for weeks. The protest turned ugly when eight people were killed last month in several car ambushes and clashes with police. The company reported that the work stoppage, coupled with another eight-day strike in July, slashed third-quarter copper and gold production, with losses worth around $400 million on the current market.

Freeport Indonesia called force majeure on Oct 22, announcing it could not fulfil its contractual obligations, triggering a spike in global copper prices. Since making the announcement, the company has lost $19 million a day, Freeport senior administration officer Sinta Sirait said. The company’s losses are also losses for the government, which collected $1.4 billion in taxes and royalties in the first half of the year, and dividends on its 9.36 percent stake in the company. “The amount the government has lost in royalty payments from Freeport has reached $8 million since we called force majeure a couple of weeks ago,” Sirait said.

Much of the money Freeport pays to the government is meant to return to Papua province, where the company says it contributes 68 percent of the provincial budget.

But the workers say the money is not trickling down to the majority of the 3.6 million population. Basic services like public schools and community health centres are few and far between and come with their own bureaucratic problems, they complain. Widespread corruption is another problem across Indonesia, where public funds often end up lining official pockets.

Etinus Tabuni, a Freeport forklift driver who lives with his wife and five children, said he could only afford to send one of his children to school. “I can’t afford the fees. It costs around two million rupiah ($224) to register, and then it’s around 100,000 rupiah a month,” he said. Indonesian public schools should be free, but many illegally impose their own fees and make parents pay for books and uniforms, barring children whose parents do not pay up.

Freepor t has built a school for Indonesian children near the mine, but Tabuni said it had a capacity for only 600 and was now full. Henri Myrttinen from Germany-based NGO Watch Indonesia said it was impossible to track the funds that go from Freeport to Papua via government coffers. “In theory, 80 percent of mining proceeds are supposed to go back to the provincial level,” Myrttinen said. “But there is an immense degree of in transparency there at all levels, starting with the payments from Freeport to various levels of the Indonesian state structure,” he said.

Last month, national police chief Timur Pradopo admitted that officers in the Papua police force received what he called “pocket money” from Freeport. Following the revelation, Freeport’s US headquarters admitted to paying $14 million last year for “governmentprovided security” in Papua. The workers have vowed to stay on strike until at least November 15, and have threatened to extend the action for another month if an agreement is not reached. “If the union says go back to work, I will. If it says we should stay on strike, then I will stay on strike,” said Tabuni, the forklift operator. — AFP

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TECHNOLOGY

EMC inks deal with Generali Hellas DUBAI: At Momentum, the EMC Information Intelligence Group’s global user conference, EMC Corporation yesterday announced that Generali Hellas, a member of the Generali Group the largest European insurance group and second largest global financial insurance company, has significantly enhanced its competitive position and operational efficiencies by deploying EMC Documentum xCP, an integrated platform for building dynamic business solutions and an action engine for Big Data.

Customer benefits: Insurance Application Processing Time Shrunk from Weeks to Days: EMC Documentum xCP combines enterprise content management (ECM), business process management (BPM), intelligent capture, and compliance management, to increase productivity and decision making.

Generali has accelerated insurance

application processing time from weeks to days.

Improved Efficiency and Service Quality: Web-based access, activity monitoring and reporting transforms Generali’s insurance application processing. Processes are streamlined and coordinated across functional boundaries both inside and outside the organization, providing the visibility into business operations to improve decision quality and service levels. Massive Cost Savings via NearPaperless Environment: Last year, the company printed nearly two million pages of paper for its agents to service its customers. They are now largely paperless, massively reducing costs associated with printing, postage, and fulfillment.

Legislative Compliance: Retention management positions Generali for their current and pending compliance with certain laws, such as Solvency II.

Top threats on the Internet in October Out of the box activity

Duqu: The star of the show in October was undoubtedly the Duqu Trojan. Its numerous similarities to the first major cyber weapon, the Stuxnet worm, heightened interest in this newly-discovered malware.

The striking parallels between the two malicious programs suggest they were both written by the same group of people or the Stuxnet source code (which has not been made publically available) was used.

There are, however, significant differences between the two programs.

In particular, Duqu contains no functionality targeting industrial systems as was the case with Stuxnet. As well as the main module, the Duqu files include an additional Trojan-Spy module capable of intercepting data entered via the keyboard, capturing screenshots, gathering information about the system etc. All this suggests industrial espionage is its main aim, rather than industrial sabotage.

Fur ther investigation by the experts at Kaspersky Lab managed to identify new Duqu victims, primarily in Iran, which once again echoes the parallels with Stuxnet. “We also found new and previously unknown Duqu files. This confirms our suspicions that the people behind Duqu are continuing their activity, and their attacks, unlike the mass infections by Stuxnet, target carefully selected victims,” adds Alexander Gostev, Chief Security Exper t at Kaspersky Lab. “A unique set of files is used for every targeted attack. It is also possible that other modules are used, and not just a Trojan-Spy but modules with a range of other functions.”

Attacks on individual users Bundestrojan In Germany five federal states admitted last month that they had used the Backdoor.Win32.R2D2 Trojan during their investigations prompting an outcry. The country’s federal laws only allow the police to intercept suspects’ Skype traffic, but the malware was capable of spying on many other types of programs.

An investigation by Chaos Computer Club, a German hacker community, which later involved exper ts from K aspersky Lab’s German office, revealed that apart from Skype the Trojan intercepted messages in all the most popular browsers, various instant messenger services and VoIP programs: ICQ, MSN Messenger, Low-Rate Voip, paltalk, SimpPro, sipgate X-Lite, VoipBuster and Yahoo! Messenger. It was also found that the backdoor was capable of working on 64-bit versions of Windows.

This case once again raises questions about the existence of socalled governmental Trojan programs and the legal issues associated with their use. It is worth stressing that Kaspersky Lab, like most other antivirus vendors, takes a firm stance on such questions: we detect, and will continue to detect, all malicious programs regardless of who developed them and why.

Android - top of the hit list October was a turning point in the world of mobile threats, with Kaspersky Lab data showing that the total number of malicious programs for Android outstripped that for Java 2 Micro Edition for the first time.

Malware for J2ME had been the most prevalent among mobile threats for over two years. “The fact that the growth in malware for Android has increased so dramatical-

ly indicates that for the time being the virus writers will most probably be concentrating on this operating system,” warns Denis Maslennikov, Senior Malware Analyst at Kaspersky Lab. The most dangerous Trojan for Mac OS X October saw the emergence of Trojan-Downloader.OSX.Flashfake.d, a new version of the Flashfake Trojan for Mac OS X, which masquerades as an Adobe Flash Player installation file. Like its predecessors, its main function is to download files.

However, new functionality has been added that disables Mac’s built-in protection system XProtect, a simple signature scanner that is updated on a daily basis. Once disabled the protection system cannot receive updates from Apple, rendering it useless. The fact the developers failed to include a self-defense mechanism makes it possible to disable XProtect. After TrojanDownloader.OSX.Flashfake.d launches on a computer, it not only protects itself from being deleted but also makes the system vulnerable to other malicious programs that would have been detected by the built-in protection system. As a result, this particular Trojan is much more dangerous than other OS X malware.

Attacks on state and corporate networks When it came to attacks on corporate and state organizations, October was full of incident.

Organizations in the US and Japan were most frequently on the receiving end. First of all, an attack was detected against members of Japan’s lower house of parliament.

As a result, it is highly likely that the hackers gained access to internal documents and the emails of affected parliamentarians.

Malware was also detected on computers in several Japanese embassies around the world. The malicious programs contacted two servers located in China that have already been used in an attack on Google.

More information also emerged about the August attack on Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The investigation conducted by the Tokyo police revealed that about 50 different malicious programs were found on 83 computers targeted in the attack. The infected system was accessed over 300,000 times by the hackers. The search for the source of the attack led to yet another infected computer that belonged to the Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies (SJAC).

The hackers used this computer to send malicious emails to Mitsubishi Heavy and Kawasaki Heavy and covered their tracks by accessing the machine at SJAC from an anonymous proxy server in the US. Nevertheless, Japanese experts continue to advance the theory that the hackers hail from China.

The story of a virus found on the ground control systems of pilotless planes at a US air base may seem less dramatic, but it once again highlights the unacceptably lax levels of security at important installations.

According to an anonymous source at the US Department of Defense, the Trojan was designed to steal user data for a number of online games. It most probably ended up on the air base’s system by accident and was not part of an attack.

Customer challenges: Founded in 1886, Generali Hellas is the oldest insurer in Greece. The company offers a wide range of specialized Life and non-life insurance products, and has shown particularly rapid growth, effectively tripling its portfolio over the past decade.

Generali Hellas’ previous information management infrastructure was impacting its ability to support its business strategy and competitive position. Generali evaluated several ECM, BPM, and capture solution providers, and selected EMC Documentum xCP as the most comprehensive solution to replace its legacy system.

Customer quote: Elias Mandouvalos, Assistant IT Manager, Generali Hellas “EMC Documentum xCP was by far the most complete offering on the market with integrated ECM, BPM and

capture. We conducted an in-depth technical inspection, and Documentum xCP delivered the functionalities we were looking for. It simply does what they said it would do accelerating application processing and empowering our agents to provide industry-leading service to our customers.”

EMC quote: Rohit Ghai, Vice President and General Manager, Content and Case Management Group, EMC Information Intelligence Group.

“Global organizations, such as Generali, deploy EMC Documentum xCP to simplify business operations, make accurate decisions, and increase return on investment. As Generali continues to transform other business processes, it can rely on its existing xCP infrastructure for even faster time-to-market benefits.”

Documentum xCP provides fully

integrated technologies, development and deployment tools emphasizing configuration versus coding. xCP Intelligent Case Management unites business process management, content management, capture, customer communications, collaboration, analytics, and compliance into a single intelligent environment. With xCP, system integrators, independent software vendors and IT organizations can rapidly build intelligent case-based applications substantially faster, at a much lower cost and with fewer resources.

EMC Corporation is the world’s leading developer and provider of information infrastructure technology and solutions that enable organizations of all sizes to transform the way they compete and create value from their information.

Information about EMC’s products and services can be found at www.EMC.com.

Facebook warns of recent wave of spam Spam attack focused on Internet browser vulnerability NEW YORK: Facebook said yesterday that it has stopped most of the spam that has flooded many users’ pages with pictures showing graphic sex and violence. The social-networking company urged its 800 million-plus users to remain vigilant to keep their accounts from being hijacked. Social-networking sites are popular targets for spammers because people are more likely to trust and share content that comes from their “friends.” This makes spam, scams and viruses easier to spread.

Although the way the latest spam messages spread isn’t new, their content - jarring violence and graphic pornography rather than links to get a free iPod shuffle - might have upset users more than usual. In recent days, they have complained on Twitter and their own Facebook pages. Facebook said no

user data or accounts were compromised during the attack. The latest attack tricked users into pasting malicious links into the address bars in their Web browsers. This exploited a browser vulnerability that caused them to unknowingly share the graphic content with their Facebook friends.

The content spreads further when the friends then click on these links, thinking that it was posted by the user on purpose. The company said users should never cut and paste unknown code into a browser’s address bar.

They should always use an up-to-date browser and report any suspicious content on the site. Facebook did not immediately say which browsers were affected. Facebook said it built enforcement mechanisms to quickly

shut down the malicious pages and accounts that attempt to exploit the vulnerability.”Our team responded quickly and we have eliminated most of the spam caused by this attack,” Facebook said in a statement. “We are now working to improve our systems to better defend against similar attacks in the future.”

Facebook already scans links against security databases and blocks those known to lead to spam. But the company says spammers can get around those protections by tricking users into pasting harmful links directly into Web browsers.

The company says fewer than 5 percent of its users experience spam on a given day, and less than 4 percent of content shared on Facebook is spam. —AP

Levinson named Apple chairman, Iger joins board

SAN FRANCISCO: File photo shows a Dell keyboard is posed with Dell packaging. —AP

Dell expects disk drive shortage to hurt revenue SAN FRANCISCO: Dell is likely to be hampered for a couple quarters by an industry- wide shortage of computer storage drives resulting from the recent flooding in Thailand, the computer maker said Tuesday. Dell predicted full-year revenue near the low end of the guidance it issued in August, which called for revenue growth of 1 percent to 5 percent over 2010 and was in turn a reduction from a previous forecast. Dell Inc cited the uncertain economy, as well as the disk drive shortage. The Thai flood waters, which started spreading in August, are now receding, but they closed many of Thailand’s tech-related factories, including a bevy that produce a critical component of personal computers: hard disk drives.

During a conference call with analysts to discuss the company’s third-quarter results and outlook, Dell’s executive leading manufacturing, procurement and the supply chain, as well as PC engineering, design and development, said the “complexity” of the situation makes it hard to determine the scope and length of hard drive shortages. Jeff Clarke said this means the industry must keep an eye on how it’s allocating its resources “at least” throughout the first quarter of next year.

“Our goal is to mitigate any impact to our customers in Dell, and our teams will be working throughout the quarter to do just that,” he said.

The shortages come as the personal computer industry already is dealing with decreased demand. Sales have slowed, particularly in the US and Europe, because debt and unemployment fears and the growing popularity of tablet computers have led many consumers delay replacing PCs. In addition, the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan hurt supplies of memory chips. Hewlett-Packard Co. plans to report Monday on how it fared during the most recent quarter and this should offer more insight into the performance of

computer makers overall.

Dell’s forecast, lowered in August from a previous estimate of 5 percent to 9 percent growth, translates to $62.1 billion to $64.6 billion. Analysts expect $62.6 billion in revenue. Also Tuesday, Dell said that its third-quarter net income rose 9 percent though revenue remained flat from last year as the computer maker continued pruning less profitable parts of its business. For the quarter that ended Oct 28, Dell earned $893 million, or 49 cents per share. This compares with $822 million, or 42 cents per share, in the same quarter in 2010.

Excluding one-time items, the Round Rock, Texas-based company said Tuesday that it earned 54 cents per share. This is 8 cents higher than what analysts polled by FactSet expected. Revenue was flat at $15.4 billion - lower than the $16.2 billion analysts expected. Dell’s revenue from large corporations rose 4 percent to $4.5 billion, while its revenue from consumers fell 6 percent to $2.8 billion. Revenue from the public sector fell 2 percent to $4.4 billion, and revenue from small- and medium-sized businesses inched up 1 percent to $3.7 billion.

Brian Gladden, Dell’s chief financial officer, said several parts of the company, including its consumer and public sector businesses, felt “challenging demand dynamics” during the quarter. But while Dell and other PC makers struggle, Apple Inc., a key player in inventing the PC some 30 years ago, is thriving because the company has pioneered new markets - including the tablet computer market, where its popular iPad was the first broadly successful device.

Aside from demand for Apple’s computers, consumer demand for PCs has cratered in the US and Europe. Although consumers make up less than 20 percent of Dell’s revenue, they remain a powerful force in the digital economy. — AP

SAN FRANCISCO: Genentech chairman Arthur Levinson was named Tuesday to replace the late Steve Jobs as chairman of Apple’s board of directors and Disney chief executive Bob Iger joined the board. The appointments are the first since Apple co-founder Jobs died of cancer on October 5 and were announced by Tim Cook, who replaced Jobs as chief executive of the company behind the Macintosh, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad. “Art has made enormous contributions to Apple since he joined the board in 2000,” Cook said. “He has been our longest serving co-lead director, and his insight and leadership are incredibly valuable to Apple, our employees and our shareholders.”

Cook said Iger, who engineered Disney’s 2006 purchase of the Pixar animation studio from Jobs, “is going to make an extraordinary addition to our already very strong board.” In a statement, Levinson, who will remain as chair of the biotech firm while he is non-executive chairman at Apple, said he was “honored to be named chairman of Apple’s board and welcome Bob to our team. “Apple is always focused on out-innovating itself through the delivery of truly innovative products that simplify and improve our lives, and that is something I am very proud to be a part of,” he said.

Iger said Apple “has achieved unprecedented success by consistently creating high quality, truly innovative products, and I am extremely pleased to join the board of such a wonderful company. “Over the years, I have come to know and admire the management team, now ably led by Tim Cook, and I am confident they have the leadership and vision to ensure Apple’s continued momentum and success,” he said. —AFP

SAN FRANCISCO: File photo shows Genentech Chairman Arthur Levinson shown at the company’s headquarters in San Francisco. —AP

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011

H E A LT H & S C I E NC E

More ‘healthy’ patients die after heart attacks New York: People with the warning signs of heart disease, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, are more likely to survive their hospital stay for a first heart attack than those with a cleaner bill of health, a US study said. The analysis, which covered more than 500,000 people, found that even when taking into account influences such as age and weight, the more heart-related risk factors that patients had, the lower their chances of dying.

“After adjusting for age and other clinical factors, there was an inverse association between the number of coronary heart disease risk factors and hospital mortality adjusted odds,” study leader John Canto wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“The association was consistent among several age strata and impor tant patient subgroups.”

While it may seem counter-intuitive, researchers said one possible explanation for the finding is that people who already had known heart problems might have been on medications, including statins and beta blockers, that helped protect them after a heart attack. Data for the analysis came from a national US registr y of close to 500,000 first-time hear t attacks between 1994 and 2006.

During their hospital stays, doctors noted whether patients had some of the standard risk factors for heart disease, including high blood pressure or cholesterol, diabetes, smoking and a

family history of heart disease.

Among all patients, more than 85 percent had at least one of those risk factors-and people with more of them had their heart attacks younger, on average. Just over 50,000 of the patients died in the hospital. After taking into account the fact that people with no risk factors were often older, and adjusting for weight, race and gender, the study found that non-smokers who did not have diabetes, a family history of heart disease, or high cholesterol and high blood pressure, were still 50 percent more likely to die in the hospital than people with all those signs.

One in seven of those with none of the heart warning signs died after suf-

fering a heart attack, compared to one in 28 patients who had all the risk factors. Canto and his colleagues noted that patients with more risk factors were also more likely to get medications within the first 24 hours of their stay, or to have heart surgery.

“It certainly shows clinicians that if you don’t have risk factors but you’ve had a heart attack, don’t assume that they ’re going to do well,” said Carl Lavie, from the John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute in New Orleans, who was not involved in the study. “On the other hand, it’s not doomsday for the person that has all the bad risk factorsthey can actually end up doing well.”

Those with pre-existing warning signs may have been on heart-protec-

tion medication before the hear t attack, or had more regular contact with their doctors, but there was no way to know that based on the data, Canto said. It is also possible that people without the traditional risk factors may have had other, unmeasured health risks that caused their heart attacks in the first place and raised the chance of death, or that something about their blood flow was different. “ The general population really needs to identify these risk factors so they can potentially be treated, and these treatments will improve your outcome,” Canto said. “As one ages, just because you have no risk fac tors doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be seeing a doctor on a regular basis.”—Reuters

Most boomers don’t have living wills

MALAYSIA: In this undated photo released by TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, a Tokay Gecko is seen in Betong town.—AP

Asian gecko at risk over claims it can cure AIDS KUALA LUMPUR: Claims that a nocturnal Asian lizard could treat the HIV virus that causes AIDS have led to a sharp boom in illegal smuggling, putting the reptile at risk, an conservation group said Tuesday. Demand for the Tokay Gecko has skyrocketed in recent years after online blogs, newspaper articles and wildlife traders extolled the consumption of the lizard’s tongue and internal organs as a miracle cure for HIV, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia said in a report.

TRAFFIC said such claims were unfounded and “indicative of an elaborate hoax.” The Philippines’ government in July also warned that using geckos to treat AIDS and impotence may put patients at risk. “TRAFFIC is alarmed at the massive increase in trade of these geckos. If the trade continues to mushroom, it could take years to repair the damage currently being inflicted on gecko populations,” said Chris R.Shepherd, TRAFFIC’s regional deputy director.

The geckos, popular as pets in Asia, have long been used as traditional medicine for illnesses such as diabetes, asthma, skin disease and cancer, the report said. Their carcasses are dried up and ground into powder for consumption. In

some parts of Asia, Tokay wine or whisky is consumed to boost energy.

The Tokay Gecko, which has distinct orange-spotted, blue-grey skin, can grow up to 15.7 inches (40 centimeters) in length. The reptiles feed on insects and worms, helping to regulate pests and maintain the ecosystem.

TRAFFIC said more than eight and a half tons of dried geckos were legally impor ted into the United States between 1998 and 2002 for use in traditional medicine. Huge numbers are traded within Asia and it said Malaysia has emerged as a key hub to meet demand, especially in China. It said 1,000 geckos believed headed for Malaysia were recently seized in Cambodia, while a couple have been detained for trying to smuggle nearly a $1 million worth of lizards from Thailand to Malaysia.

Customs officers in Indonesia’s Java island also recently foiled a bid to smuggle dried Tokay Geckos bound for Hong Kong and China using expired permits.

Shepherd said the Tokay Gecko remained poorly protected by national legislation and called for the lizard to be protected under CITES, the international convention on endangered species, before it becomes extinct.—AP

Uninsured US hospital patients discharged sooner NEW YORK: Patients in the United States who don’t have insurance tend to be discharged from hospital sooner than those with coverage, regardless of their medical condition, researchers said. The number of uninsured people in the United States stood at 50 million last year, inching up slightly from the year before, and researchers at the University of South Carolina at Charleston said their findings suggested that financial factors may play a role in the length of hospital stays. Looking at records for nearly 850,000 adults discharged from US hospitals between 2003 and 2007, the researchers found that uninsured patients stayed in hospital just under 2.8 days, on average, for potentially preventable hospitalizations-those for worsening of chronic health problems such as asthma or diabetes, for example.

That compared with 2.9 days for patients with insurance and 3.2 days for patients with Medicaid, the government-funded health program for the poor, according to findings published in the Annals of Family Medicine. “Does this represent something? I think it does,” said study leader Arch Mainous, adding that the gap sounded small but was meaningful. The difference in the length of hospital stays was apparent even though the researchers accounted for age, race, sex and the number of medical conditions patients had.

If anything, Mainous said, it would make sense for uninsured patients to

be in worse shape when they arrived at the hospital for a chronic health issue, since they would be less likely to have routine healthcare to manage the problem.

“So why would they have a shorter hospital stay?” he said. In addition, uninsured patients also had shorter stays when they were treated for problems not related to everyday healthcare, such as a traumatic injury. But Mainous noted that it wasn’t possible to tell whether the shorter stays were necessarily bad and that there had been no way to tell how patients fared after their discharges, including whether they faced a greater risk of readmission.

Medicaid patients had the longest stays, so the shorter hospital stays aren’t just connected to patients being poor, he added. One possibility is that uninsured patients are more likely to be discharged from the hospital “prematurely.” Another is that patients with insurance are sometimes kept longer than necessary since their payment is covered. “We can’t really say which it is right now,” Mainous said.

The researchers excluded record from patients who left thehospital against doctors’ advice, which is more common among uninsured people, so that doesn’t explain the difference.But with the numbers of uninsured rising, it will be increasingly important to find out how insurance status affects hospital stays, Mainous said.—Reuters

WASHINGTON: Most people don’t want to think about death, much less plan for it - especially when they feel healthy and young in their middle-age years. And that, some baby boomers say, is one of the big reasons so few of them have end-of-life legal documents such as a living will.

An Associated Press-LifeGoesStrong.com poll found that 64 percent of boomers - those born between 1946 and 1964 - say they don’t have a health care proxy or living will. Those documents would guide medical decisions should a patient be unable to communicate with doctors.

“I’m very healthy for my age,” said Mary McGee, 53, of Archbald, Pa. “So, death and dying isn’t on my mind a lot.” McGee, a computer programmer, exercises five to seven days a week, everything from aerobics to kickboxing, and her parents are alive and healthy. The same goes for 57-year-old Sandy Morgan in Richmond, Va. “You know when they say, ‘Sixty is the new 40,’ I really believe that,” said Morgan, a retired teacher who is working part time for an executive search firm.

Morgan’s parents are still healthy in their early 80s. She says she runs three miles a day twice a week, practices yoga twice a week and takes part in a rigorous fitness boot camp twice a week. End of-life decisions aren’t on her radar. “I just feel like it’s something I’ll probably think about in my late 60s or 70s,” said Morgan.

A living will spells out a patient’s wishes for medical care if he or she is unable to communicate with doctors. The health care proxy, also known as a health care power of attorney, allows an individual to select a person he or she trusts to make decisions about medical care should the patient become incapacitated. Kathy Brandt said living wills and health care proxies are a good idea for ever yone whether they are healthy and young or older and not so healthy.

Brandt, a senior vice president at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, said the two documents can spare families a painful fight and ensure that patients receive - or don’t receive - the medical treatment they wish should they end up in a situation where they can’t speak for themselves.

The living will is not “all or nothing,” said Brandt. A person could say he or she wants everything, something or nothing. For example, one person may want heroic measures taken to prolong life, while another may want to be resuscitated but decide against being dependent on breathing machines long-term. Brandt

pointed to high-profile cases such as the Florida family fight over Terri Schiavo as a smart reason to draft a living will and health care proxy. At 26, Schiavo collapsed at her St. Petersburg home in 1990 with no end-of-life care instructions in writing. Her heart stopped and she suffered what doctors said was irreversible brain damage that left her in a permanent vegetative state. Her husband said his wife would not have wanted to live in a vegetative state; her parents wanted her kept alive.

What ensued was a years-long legal battle that involved dozens of judges in numerous jurisdictions, including the US Supreme Court,

plenty of people - family, friends, colleagues - so a person’s wishes are well-known.

For baby boomer William Walsh in Petersburg, Va, drafting a living will hasn’t crossed his mind. “I just haven’t really thought about it to tell you the truth,” said Walsh, 61. “You always think something is going to happen to the other guy, not you.” Walsh said no one in his family has ever needed one, but also said he might give the idea more thought.

The AP-LifeGoesStrong.com poll was conducted June 3-12 by Knowledge Networks of Palo Alto, Calif, and involved online interviews with 1,416 adults, including 1,078 baby

WASHINGTON : File photo shows Sandy Morgan, 57, working out in a gym.—AP and Congress. Schiavo’s feeding tube was ordered removed in 2005. About two weeks later, she died. Each state has its own forms for proxies and living wills, said Brandt. And while it’s a legal document, she said, you don’t need an attorney to draft one. The forms need to be witnessed, but that’s it. She advises giving copies to

Keen video-gamers’ brains may reward them more LONDON: Teenagers who spend a lot of time on video-games have different structures and activity levels in areas of the brain that are linked to reward, scientists have found, suggesting they get more out of gaming than people who tend to play less. In a study published in the Translational Psychiatry journal on Tuesday, researchers analysed MRI scans of more than 150 14-year-olds who played video-games either moderately or a lot, and found the frequent gamers had a higher volume of grey matter in a key part of their brains.

Previous studies have shown a link between the dopamine-related ventral striatum, a structure of the brain’s reward system, and video-gaming or computer gambling, but this is the first to look at brain structure and volume. “These findings demonstrate that the ventral striatum plays a significant role in excessive video-game playing and contributes to our understanding of behavioral addiction,” Simone Kuehn of Belgium’s Ghent University and Juergen Gallinat of Germany’s Charite University Medicine wrote in their study Video-gaming has become hugely popular in recent years, particularly among teenagers. The average weekly usage in this experiment was around 12 hours a week.

There is an ongoing debate among doctors and researchers about whether excessive video-gaming should be recognized as an addiction and seen as a form of mental disorder. While the German researchers found keen gamers had structural differences in their brains compared to those who played less frequently, they were not able to say whether this was a cause of eagerness to play video-games or a change that had come about as a result of their habit.

Henrietta Bowden-Jones of the neuroscience division at Imperial College London said the findings were highly relevant to clinicians because they “further close the gap” between video-gaming and other addictions, giving specialists a better understanding of possible long-term treatment options. “The exciting next step will be to determine, as with other addictions, whether volumetric differences are a cause or effect of excessive human behavior,” she said in an emailed comment about the study.

Luke Clark of Cambridge University’s department of Experimental Psychology said the findings were “really provocative, because this is a central hub in the brain’s motivational system and dopamine pathway”. “The burning question...is whether the structural difference is a change caused by the frequent game play, or whether individual differences in this system naturally dispose some people to more excessive play,” he said. “For teenagers, parents, and clinicians to make sense of this finding, we need research monitoring brain structure over time.”—Reuters

boomers. The margin of sampling error for results from the boomers is plus or minus 3.3 percentage points. Knowledge Networks used traditional telephone and mail sampling methods to randomly recruit respondents. People selected who had no Internet access were given it for free.—AP

Pioneering liver treatment cures British baby LONDON: British doctors on Tuesday said they had cured a baby boy of a life-threatening liver disease using a pioneering treatment in which cells are injected into the abdomen. The team from London’s King’s College Hospital treated eight-month old Iyaad Syed by injecting him with a group of cells, which acted as a temporary liver while his real organ recovered from damage caused by a virus, BBC reported. “This is the first time this treatment has been used to treat a child with acute liver failure,” said professor Anil Dhawan, a liver specialist at the hospital. “It’s only a few months back when I first saw this child who was so sick requiring support on dialysis and a breathing machine.

“We think we have given him another chance of life and seeing him now six months down the road with nearly normal liver function is remarkable.” Syed would normally have been put on the transplant

waiting list when his liver began to fail, but the hope now is that more cases will be cured using the new technique rather than relying on a scarce supply of donor organs.

Doctors injected liver cells which then processed toxins and produced proteins, fulfilling the role of a temporary liver while his own began to recover two weeks later.

The cells were treated with a chemical to prevent them from being destroyed by the youngster’s immune system.

Iyaad’s father, Jahangeer, called his son “a miracle boy”, adding “it is brilliant and we are very proud of him.” The treatment’s development now depends on an extensive clinical trial. Andrew Langford, Chief Executive of the British Liver Trust, told the BBC: “The principle of this new technique is certainly ground-breaking and we would welcome the results of further clinical trials to see if it could become a standard treatment for both adults and children. —AFP

‘British govt should ban smoking in cars’ LONDON: Britain should introduce a ban on all smoking in cars to protect people from second-hand smoke, a leading doctors’ union said yesterday. The British Medical Association (BMA) urged the government to take a “bold and courageous step” and extend current laws to include a ban on smok ing in private vehicles.

Britain banned smoking in public places such as pubs and restaurants in 2007 but has avoided legislating for private areas.

“The UK made a huge step forward in the fight against tobacco by banning smoking in all enclosed public places, but more can still be done,” said Vivienne Nathanson, the BMA’s director of professional activities.

“We are calling on UK governments to take the bold and courageous step of banning smoking in private vehicles. The evidence for extending the smoke-free legis-

lation is compelling.” Children and elderly people are the worst affected, especially because they are often unable to refuse to take a journey in a smoky car, the BMA said. It cited research as showing that levels of dangerous toxins in cars can be 23 times higher than in a typical smoky bar.

Around 4,000 adults and 23 children die each year as a result of second-hand smoke in Britain, the BMA said.

The British parliament is due on November 25 to debate a bill calling for a smoking ban in private vehicles when children are present. Prime Minister David Cameron, a former smoker, has said he supports the smoking ban in public places but is “nervous about going into what people do inside a vehicle.” British smokers’ lobby group Forest said the evidence that smoking in cars is harmful to other passengers is “weak”.—AFP

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Geron exit a symbolic ding for stem cell research WASHINGTON: Geron Corp is exiting the field it pioneered in a calculated business move that underscores the long, costly path embryonic stem cells face to become real-world products. Late Monday, the company said it would halt its study of a stem cell-based treatment for spinal cord injury, the first embryonic stem cell trial approved in the US Geron’s withdrawal leaves a handful of US companies pursuing medicines using embryonic stem cells, which are capable of morphing into any of the more than 220 cell types in the human body. Scientists hope that one day stem cells might be used to replace or repair damaged tissue from ailments such as heart disease, Parkinson’s and stroke.

The Menlo Park, California, company had long been viewed as the undisputed leader in stem cell therapies, thanks to patents on technology used to grow, manipulate and inject stem cells into the human body. The company helped finance researchers at the University of Wisconsin who first isolated human embryonic stem cells in 1998, allowing the cells to be grown in the laboratory. Experts say Geron’s departure is more a symbolic setback than a real one, since the vast majority of work in the field will continue to be funded by government and academic institutions.

Geron said it still believes in the potential of stem cells, and the company is seeking a partner or buyer for its stem cells division. Despite the promise, the payoff from stem cell research was too far off.

Geron has no products on the market and would have spent $25 million per year to continue its stem cell program. The company acknowledged Monday it could make more money by completing two experimental cancer drugs that are already in mid-stage testing. Geron began testing its stem cell treatment only last year after a decade of research, and it could have been a decade more before federal regulators approved it for general use.

Experts say stem cell companies face particular challenges in the current economic climate, when investors want to see experimental therapies turned quickly into

marketable products. “I think it points out the difficulty of bringing some of these cell therapies through to clinical applications if the main driving force has to be a financially viable product,” said Dr imothy Kamp, director of the stem cell medical program at the University of Wisconsin. Joseph Pantginis, an analyst with Roth Capital Partners, said it would have taken five to 10 years before Geron’s lead stem cell product reached the market. “This is still very much a fledgling space and some people would even consider stem cells to be a science experiment, so there’s still a long way to go,” Pantginis said.

University of Wisconsin professor Alta

Charo said Geron’s move “may suggest that a different business model is needed, one with a longer timeline for return on investment.” Charo is a professor of bioethics and helped draft the National Academies guidelines for stem cell research. Last year Geron launched the first US study of a stem cell treatment in humans: an injection of 2 million stem cells designed to repair spinal cord injury. But late Monday the company said the high costs and commercial uncertainties of stem cell research forced it to close the study and instead focus on the more lucrative, predictable market for cancer therapies.

CEO Dr John Scarlett told investors and

analysts Tuesday that focusing on cancer drugs will allow Geron to make more money in a shorter period of time, particularly when “big pharma and big biotech companies are increasingly hungry for first-inclass cancer programs.” He stressed that the company’s study has not encountered any problems and that Geron hopes another company will acquire and continue its work. “I hope that we’re not letting anybody down. And we genuinely believe that the program itself has a future and we’ll be looking to find a suitable home for it,” Scarlett said.

Analysts say Geron’s stem cell business could be acquired by Alameda, Calif.-based

CALIFORNIA: File photo, shows the exterior of stem cell research leader Geron Corporation, a biotechnology firm, in Melo Park.—AP

BioTime, a company founded by former Geron scientists. Other potential acquirers could include larger pharmaceutical companies like Celgene Corp, Pfizer Inc. and Teva Pharmaceuticals, which have dabbled in stem cells without making major investments. Analysts said the company’s decision reflects the challenges confronting all cash-strapped biotech and drug developers during the economic downturn, when venture capital has all but dried up.

“This was a classic business school calculation: You have two blockbuster programs but only enough money for one, so you choose the one that is further along,” said Steve Brozak, president of WBB Securities.

Geron expects to report mid-stage data from two experimental cancer drugs in 2012 and 2013, whereas its stem cell study was in preliminary safety testing and only included four patients. There are currently no embryonic stem cell-based therapies on the market and, besides Geron, only Marlborough, Mass-based Advanced Cell Technology has FDA approval to test a product. Advanced Cell Technology had just $14 million in cash at the end of the third quarter.

By contrast, Geron completed the period with over $180 million on hand. For now the vast majority of stem cell research will continue to be funded by state and federal governments. In the last fiscal year the National Institutes of Health designated over $164 million in funding for embryonic stem cell research, up from $141 million the year before. Opponents of the research object because the cells were obtained from destroyed human embryos. Though current research is using cells culled long ago, opponents also fear research success would spur destruction of new embryos.

Proponents say the research cells come mostly from extra embryos discarded anyway by fertility clinics. President George W Bush had limited the availability of federal funding to embryonic stem cell groups that were already in existence in 2001, but which in many cases had drawbacks. In 2009 President Barack Obama’s removed that limitation, increasing stem cell funding for dozens of additional stem cell lines.—AP

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W H AT ’ S O N Greetings

Voice kuwait, vanitha vedhi celebrates Onam

St James Mar Thoma Church’s annual Harvest Festival celebration Happy 6th wedding anniversary to G Suresh and G Sushma. Best wishes from Nam Dev, Saku Bai, Sudam Seth, Shakuntala, Raju, Pushpa, Dhanalakshmi, Ram Chandra, Shoba, Ajay, Sarika, Sonia, Akash, and friends from Kuwait and India.

Indian lawyers forum Onam-Eid family get together tomorrow

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he INDIAN LAWYERS’ FORUM, the association of Indian Lawyers and Law graduates in Kuwait celebrate ONAM, the unique, Secular, harvest festival of India today, 18th November, at Indian Central School, Abbassiya. The celebrations will include traditional variety entertainments, with the grand ‘ONASADHYA’. RESPECTED INDIAN AMBASSADOR, SHREE SATISH C. MEHTA WILL BE THE CHIEF GUEST OF THE FUNCTIONS. All Indian Lawyers & Law graduates working here in Kuwait are cordially invited to attend with their families.

Different Committees were constituted under Adv. Vinod Kumar, Adv. Mohammed Basheer, Adv. Anas Puthiottil, Adv. Sumod and Adv. Shivadas to make the Onam celebrations a grand success. The variety entertainments will include Thiruvathira, Orchestra, Dance, and Vanchipattu. For further information please contact, Advocate Thomas Panicker 24346934, 97203939, 66602045. Adv. Suresh Pulikkal 97260159.

St James Mar Thoma Church celebrates annual Harvest Festival

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he St. James Mar Thoma Church, Kuwait, celebrated its annual Harvest Festival on November 7, 2011 in the National Evangelical Church of Kuwait (NECK) compound. HK Mohan, First Secretary (Community Affairs, Culture, Education), Embassy of India, Kuwait, inaugurated the event by lighting the lamp. The function was presided over by Rev AY Varghese, Vicar, St. James Mar Thoma Church. Rev KG Koshy led the prayers during the inaugural function.

The Souvenir of the event was released

by Rev Fr Immanuel Ghareeb, Chairman of the NECK Common Council. The Wall Picture of all 13 Bishops of the Mar Thoma Church was released by Rev Chacko Thomas, Vicar, St. Peters Mar Thoma Church by handing out a copy to the senior most memberMK Pothen and also felicitated by Rev. Genil Abraham, Vicar, St. John’s Mar Thoma Church, Rev.

Binju Varughese Kuruvilla, Vicar St. Peters CSI Church, Rev. Fr. George Varghese , Associate Vicar of the St. Gregoriose Indian Orthodox Maha Edavaka of Kuwait, KP Koshy, Executive administrator of NECK and Pancily Varkey, Country Manager, UAE Exchange, the co-sponsor of the function. Dinu Chandran represented Western Union Money Transfer, the official sponsor of the event, during the inaugural function. Ivan Chacko, Vice- President of the Church extended welcome to the gathering and John Thampan, Secretary of the Church coordinated the programs. The event was attended by a large section of families and friends. Various cultural and musical programs were presented by the various prayer groups and individuals during the event. Several stalls with Kerala’s native style dishes were also served for breakfast and lunch.

Upcoming events Indian Fiesta-2011 The entertainment wing of Creative Indians Association announces their forthcoming event “INDIAN FIESTA-2011” on 28th October, 2011 at the Kuwait Entertainment City Doha from 2 PM till 11 PM. The day will offer tons of free rides, games, discount stalls, mouth watering Indian food stalls, dance performances, music, and a whole lot more of entertainment. The highlight of the carnival will be performances by the gorgeous looking and rocking performer Anushka Manchanda of the Golmaal 3 , Cash - Naughty Naughty , Kites, Mit Jaaye Gham (Dum Maaro Dum) songs Fame and the Handsome versatile singer/ music director Harshit Saxena of the Haal e Dil song from the Film- Murder2 Fame.

The Hot Stepper group invites sponsors to be part of this Grand Indian Fiesta. Call 22455818. For dance performances, email at dance@hot-stepper.com.

Visit and register on our website www.hotstepper.com for timely updates on the event.

KTAA events Dec. 13: Mr. Hindi from Samovar Carpets. Location to be announced. For more info: 23903462 (English)/22432395 (Arabic) Email: wovenpieces@yahoo.com or ktaaworkshop@yahoo.com

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oice kuwait, vanitha VEDHI celebrated Onam on Friday 11th November, at Indian Central School, Abbassiya. The members brought in food items prepared by them at home for the Onam banquet. The event also had several cultural programs.

Kozhikode District NRI Association sports meet

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ozhikode District NRI Association conducted a full day sports meet as a part of Malabar Mahotsavam at Jleeb Touristic Park. The Salmiya area team secured the overall championship.

Among the most enthusiastic games during the morning hours, Abbasiya and Farwaniya took the titles for Cricket and Football. Competitive games were held including races, tug of war, games for kids, musical chairs, fun games, and partner games.

Major prizes and certificates were distributed for the winners during Malabar Mahotsavam. The Sports meet was headed by sports secretary Zaheer Alakkal including Association President Zubair MM, General Secretary Suresh Mathur, Treasurer Santosh Punathil, Advisory Board Members Krishnan Kadalundi and Basheer Batha, Organizing secretary

Rasheed Payanthong, Vice Presidents Azeez Thikkodi, Kalathil Abdurahiman, Asha Premraj, Joint Treasurer RN Soukath, Secretaries Sathyan Varunda, K Ali Koya, Rafi Kallai, Illyas Thottathil, Nasir Thikkodi, Nisar KV, Mohamed Vazhayil, Karunakaran, Area Presidents Premraj Koroth, Ubaid Chakkittakandy, Koya

Mukandy, Ashraf Quilandy, Executive Members Mohanraj, Shamsuddin AM, Raveendran Mukkam, Abdurahiman Naduvannur,Zachariya Kurian, AV Shamsuddin, Hakeem Vilyapalli , Sjijith Kumar and Santosh Purakattiri.

Santhwanam organizes medical awareness seminar

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Free Medical Awareness Seminar was conducted by Santhwanam Kuwait on Friday, the 4th November 2011. The seminar was inaugurated by Indian Ambassador Satish C Mehta at Riggae Al Jawaharath Arabic School Auditorium.

The event was organized in association with Indian Doctors Forum (IDF), Kuwait. Dr Murali Gopal, Dr Yusuf, Dr Thomas Koshy, Dr Noble Zacariah and Dr Unnikrishnan from the Indian Doctors

Forum participated in various talks regarding health issues challenged by Pravasi Indians in Kuwait. The main objective of the seminar was to create awareness for better health and to eradicate negative habits which causes illhealth in the expat society. Apart from health class and multimedia presentation, a special question and answer session between the audience and Doctors had arranged to clarify the queries on health issues was arrange.

Galleries & Art Exhibition

Palestinian Culture Centre

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he Palestinian Culture Center in cooperation with Bayt Lothan invite you to its fall exhibition. The exhibition aims to preserve the Palestinian handicrafts to reaffirm the Palestinian national identity as well as empowering refugee women in the camps. We display classic designs intertwined with modern uses, colors, and motifs to showcase some of the creativity of the Palestinian women. Items on sale include cushions, runners, scarves, shawls, long traditional dresses as well as smaller items. They also have handmade ceramics from Palestine, books, music and movies. On Thursday evening there will be folklore dabble dance, children’s activities and a bake sale of traditional foods. Location: Bayt Lothan, Salmiya next to Marina Mall on Monday November 14th to Thursday November 17 from 10 am to 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm Tel: 25755866 - 25727388 - 99376608

lThe Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah (DAI) is a cultural organization based on a Kuwaiti private art collection. Since its inception in 1983, DAI has grown from a single focus organization created to manage the loan of the prestigious Al-Sabah Collection of art from the Islamic world to the State of Kuwait to become an internationally recognized cultural organization. DarMuseum.org.kw lAl Americani Cultural Centre and Administrative Offices in the Historic Americani Hospital Buildings Tel: (965) 2240 0992 Fax: (965) 2246 7770 Email: info@darmuseum.org.kw lSultan Gallery: As the first venue of its kind in Kuwait, Sultan Gallery believes in the power of art as a medium of meaningful expression. Founders Ghazi Sultan, and the late Najat Sultan, envisioned a gallery that would serve as a platform for Arab artists to showcase their most inspired work.

Empowered by the mission to forge cultural understanding and artistic appreciation in

Kuwait, Sultan Gallery has spent 40 years exhibiting both the most visionary artists and thought provoking themes. Sultan Gallery showcases artists that explore the breadth of creative expression - from the traditional painting to the contemporary audio and visual installation. Sultan Gallery enriches the Kuwaiti cultural scene with its passion for art as a vehicle of cultural understanding through visual language. Email: sultangallery@sadeer.com Location: Sabhan, Sadeer Co, Block B, Street 105, Building 168 lAl-Maidan Cultural Centre: Abdullah alSalem School, Maidan Hawally, near al-Shaab Leisure Park. Opening Hours: Sunday Thursday 9am - 5pm, until 9pm on event nights. Tel: (965) 2563 6561/ 2563 6528 Fax: (965) 2565 3006 Email: friends@darmuseum.org.kw lThe Kuwait National Museum is located on the Arabian Gulf Street between Seif Palace & the National Assembly (Parliament).

Phone: 2245-1195 or 2245-6534

lKuwait Textile Arts Association (KTAA) The Kuwait Textile Arts Association (under the auspices of Sadu House) is a non-profit multinational organization which aims to bring together individuals interested in textiles and the fibre arts including appliquÈ, embroidery, knotting carpets, quilting, silk painting and weaving. Members include a number of talented decorative artists who hold classes throughout the year. Quilt Group: q8quilter@yahoo.com Yarn & Fiber Group: q8yarnandfibregroup@yahoo.com Contact: Joan Fisher Tel: 2390-3462 (English)/22432395 (Arabic) Email: wovenpieces@yahoo.com

Shyma’s Ashkanani

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igurative abstract and translucent acrylic colors form the subject of this exhibition. Opening Reception: November 14, 2011 @ 7 pm. Exhibition Hours: 15 - 24 November 2011 10 am - 2 pm and 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm.

Dar Al-Funoon art exhibition

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ar Al Funoon has the pleasure to invite you to an art exhibition of works from Hamad Al-Saab & Ali Sultan titled: Connect To Disconnect To Connect When: Opening on November 14th & will continue until November 21st Where: Dar Al Funoon (Behbehani Compound, House 28, Kuwait City). Time: 7pm on opening night

Art Exhibition

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ebut exhibition by Samira Bukhamseen. The exhibition will take place on November 14th, and it will run until the 24th. The first day will be for women only. If you’re an art lover or would like to visit, the exhibition will be held in Mishref, Block 6, Street 5, Villa 40. Daily viewing hours are from 10am 1pm & 5pm - 8pm (closed Fridays). I must say the painting above is exquisite! She is truly talented! Best of luck to her on all her future endeavors!

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Embassy

BSK takes part in Remembrance Day Ceremony

Information EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakel St., Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca. Canada offers a registration service for all Canadians travelling or living abroad. This service is provided so that Consular Officials can contact and assist Canadians in an emergency in a foreign country, such as a natural disaster or civil unrest, or inform Canadians of a family emergency at home. The Embassy of Canada encourages all Canadian Citizens to register online through the Government of Canada Travel Website at www.voyage.gc.ca. The Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi provides visa and immigration services to residents of Kuwait. Individuals who are interested in visiting, working or immigrating to Canada are invited to visit the website of the Canadian Embassy to the UAE at www.UAE.gc.ca.

Effective January 15, 2011, the only Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) application form that will be accepted by CIC is the Application for Temporary Resident Visa Made Outside of Canada [IMM 5257] form.

All previous Temporary Resident Visa application forms will no longer be accepted by CIC and instead will be returned to applicants. Should old applications be submitted prior to January 15, 2011 they will continue to be processed.

To ensure that the most recent version of the Temporary Resident Visa application form is being utilized, applicants should refer to the CIC website. As of January 15, 2011, forms are to be filled in electronically. The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday.

Consular Services for Canadian Citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00 on Sunday through Wednesday.

The forms are available on the internet at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/form s/IMM5257E.PDF. A guide explaining the process can be found here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/guides/5256E.PDF.

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emembrance Day - also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day (the event it commemorates) or Veterans Day - is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, but specifically since the First World War, 1914 - 1918. It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918. Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice. It is traditional to sell red poppies in the two weeks approaching November 11, the first official British Legion Poppy Day being held in Britain on 11 November 1921. The poppy’s significance to Remembrance Day is a result of Canadian military physician John McCrae’s poem In Flanders Fields.

The British School of Kuwait held a Remembrance Service with Guest of Honor Colonel John Ensor, Defence AttachÈ at the British Embassy. The service included readings from Year 10 Drama students, a poppy display from Year 6 Design and Technology students and the playing of the Last Post and Reveille by Gary Ruston. The poppy emblem was chosen because of the poppies that blossomed across some of the worst battlefields of the Flanders and Picardy regions of Belgium and Northern France during and after World War I. Their red colour is an appropriate symbol for the bloodshed of trench warfare. The money collected is used to provide help and welfare for people in the Military Services and civilians, past and present and their families who have suffered as a result of military conflict. Students from Year 11 at The British School of Kuwait have been selling the poppies within the school during break times and at other school events over the last two weeks. It is suggested that the poppy is worn on the left lapel, or as near to the heart as possible. Whilst the donations are so important, it is the wearing of the poppy that is most significant, representing the support and empathy that is felt for all those who have made any sacrifice in past or present conflicts in order that future generations might not need to experience the same horrors of war.

BSK’s Remembrance Day Ceremony

Cozmo Bowling Center Marathon

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he Cozmo Bowling Center will be having a “Survivor Bowling Marathon” in which 4000 KD is at stake for all winners. Join the 2011 “Survivor” Bowling tournament today! You never know, you just might end up winning! For further inquiries contact Cozmo at 2574-4975, 24921417, 2291-3605, 2371-1972.

IOC prize distribution today IOC arts festival prize distribution will take place today at 6:30pm at the United Indian School, Abbassiya.

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EMBASSY OF GERMANY

Participants of the NAFO Leadership Program

NAFO leadership training

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day-long ‘Leadership Training Program’ was successfully conducted on 29th October, 2011, at RV Hall, Avanthi Palace Restaurant, Salmiya. 27 children, studying between 8th and 12th classes, participated in the training program. During his inauguration speech, NAFO President BS Pillai, reminded the participants about

efficacy of the program in building a distinct character, developing leadership quality and overall personality development.

Professional speakers, Javis Jerald, N Satish Kumar, Rajiv Pillai and Dr TS Srikumar (NAFO Executive Committee members) delivered academic talks and enriched the participants with a spectrum of topics such as

Learning Techniques, Communication Skills and methods of Public Speaking. Training certificates were distributed to the participants in the auspicious presence of NAFO acting general secretary, Murali Nair, treasurer ON Nandakumar, vice-president ON Sureshkumar, cultural secretary Gopakumar and other NAFO officials.

Announcements

The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kuwait wishes to announce that as of 1 May 2011, the external service provider Al Qabas Assurex is operating a Visa Application Centre in support of the German Embassy. Short-term visa applications for travels to Germany (e.g. for tourism, visits, business) are to be submitted to the service provider Al Qabas who for your convenience will ensure that all relevant documents are included in your application. Your personal appearance at the Application Centre is not required. Address of the Visa Application Centre: Al Qabas Assurex Sanabel Tower (AlBabtain) Mezzanine (M3) opposite Sharq Mall Kuwait 22924444 Fax: 22924442 Further information are available on the following websites: www.kuwait.diplo.de www.qavisa.com nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF KENYA The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya wishes to request all Kenyans resident in or training through Kuwait to register with the Embassy.

We are updating our database. This information is necessary in order to facilitate quick assistance and advise in times of emergency. Kindly visit in person or register through our website www.kenyaembkuwait.com. The Embassy is located in: Surra Area Block 6 - Street 9 - Villa 3 Tel: 25353362 - 25353314; Fax: 25353316. nnnnnnn

November 18 Natyalaya Festival: Nayalaya will celebrate its 12th anniversary on Friday, 18th November from 4pm onwards at Carmel School Auditorium in Khaitan with various cultural activities. In the event, students of Natyalaya will perform “Bharatha Nattyam Arengettaom” and a Musical Drama (Ballet - A theatrical representation of a story that is performed to music by trained dancers) based on India’s Greatest Sanskrit Poet Kalidasa’s Masterpiece “Abhijnana Shakuntalam”. This venture of Natyalaya will showcase the innovative creativity of this prestigious institution and the true dedication of “Director” and “Guru” most fabulous Krishna Prakash and Assistant Director Shajan Kuniyil.

Natyalaya Krishna Prekash and his talented students will perform Kathakali Padam.

November 20 Aware Arabic courses: “The AWARE Management is glad to inform you that Winter 1 Arabic language courses will begin on November 20th, 2011 until January 12th, 2012. AWARE Arabic language courses are designed with the expat in mind. For more information or registration, call 25335260/80 ext 105/104/0 or log onto: www.aware.com.kw.”

November 24 Lebanese cooking classes: Would you like to prepare Lebanese Cuisine for your family and loved ones? Its food will soon adapt to your kitchen with, and its favorite ingredients will tickle your taste buds! Ladies only. From November 24th - December 15th at TIES Center (Shuhada, Block 4, Street 413, Villa 64).

For more information contact 25231015/6 or 9722-8860/9779-344.

November 25 Movie Day: AWARE Centre hosts a movie day on November 25th at 3pm.

Join the AWARE Center once a month as they explore the culture of the Arabs and Muslims through film. This Friday’s film is titled Cairo Time; a 2009 drama Canadian Film.

Cairo Time is a 2009 film by Canadian director Ruba Nadda. It is a romantic drama about a brief, unexpected love affair that catches two people completely off-guard. This movie won the “Best Canadian Feature Film” at the Toronto International Film Festival 2009.

Duration: 90 minutes.

Plot Synopsis Juliette (Patricia Clarkson) is a Canadian magazine editor who arrives in Cairo for a vacation with her long-time husband (Tom McCamus), a UN official working in Gaza. Delayed, her husband asks his

friend-a handsome Egyptian named Tareq (Alexander Siddig)-to watch over Juliette. Juliette finds herself falling in love not only with the city but with Tareq.

For more info: 2533-5260/80 December 9 Christmas Carol concert: The Ahmadi Music Group will be holding a fantastic Christmas Carol Concert on December 9 and 10 at New English School (NES) from 5pm both days with an adult show at 7:30pm on both days, in which Santa will be making an appearance, and the children can get involved with singing, waving jingle bells, etc. Guaranteed Christmas fun for the whole family!

Talent Hunt: Wesal Media Team is organizing a new concept competition for little talents in Kuwait. This competition is for children ages 6-12 years who have excellent talents in singing, dancing, drawing, etc. All interested little talents are welcome to participate. To sign-up, just visit their website and register your child. The final announcements will be published in a short event at Discovery Mall with famous singers and actors in Kuwait. For more information: 9754-7705 St Andrews Ball The Kuwait Calendonians are pleased to invite you to the St Andrews Ball 2011

to be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Thursday, December 1 from 7:30 pm.

Invites will be available after Eid. Youth Chorus competition Youth Chorus is organizing the sixth Christian Malayalam Group Song Competition on Friday, 18th November 2011 at 6:00 p.m. at the United Indian School Auditorium, Abbasiya. The team has to present one Christian Malayalam song within seven minutes.

The minimum number of members in the team should be 7 and the maximum 20, including the orchestra persons.

The first, second and third prize winners will be awarded with rolling trophies and certificates. The following prestigious trophies will be awarded to the winners.

First Prize - Youth Chorus Ever Rolling Trophy Second Prize- Omana Jose memorial Ever Rolling Trophy Third Prize- Youth Chorus Ever Rolling Trophy All the other participating teams will be awarded a Youth Chorus memento.

Please register the name of your team with the conveners on or before 10th November 2011. Tel: 66853100, 6651093 or to our e-mail address youthchorus@gmail.com

EMBASSY OF NIGERIA The Nigerian embassy has its new office in Mishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. For enquires please call 25379541. Fax- 25387719.

Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.com or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF PERU The Embassy of Peru is located at Al-Arablya Tower, Sharq, Ahmed Al-Jaber Street, on the 6th Floor. In the same place, as a part of the Chancellery of the Embassy of Peru in Kuwait, also is located the Showing Room of “PeruExpoTour, Trade & Invest.” nnnnnnn

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.

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

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011

TV PROGRAMS

00:50 Beast Lands 01:45 Animal Cops Houston 02:40 Planet Earth 03:35 Wildest Africa 04:30 Beast Lands 05:25 Dogs 101 06:20 Animal Cops Houston 07:10 Animal Cops Specials 2009 08:00 Monkey Life 08:25 The Really Wild Show 08:50 Growing Up...: Orang-Utan 09:40 Breed All About It 10:10 Dogs 101: Specials 11:05 Dogs 101 12:00 Animal Cops Houston 12:55 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 13:50 SSPCA: On The Wildside 14:45 Animal Cops Houston 15:40 Planet Earth 16:30 Monkey Life 17:00 The Really Wild Show 17:30 Baby Planet 18:25 Dogs 101 19:20 Must Love Cats 20:15 Monkey Life 20:40 Breed All About It 21:10 Dogs 101 22:05 Planet Earth 23:00 Venom Hunter With Donald Schultz 23:55 Untamed & Uncut

00:30 01:00 02:05 02:50 03:40 04:10 04:40 04:50 05:00 05:15 05:20 05:40 06:00 06:10 06:20 06:35 06:40 07:00 07:10 07:30 07:40 07:50 08:05 08:10 08:30 08:40 09:00 09:10 09:20 09:35 09:50 10:10 10:20 10:40 11:10 11:40 12:25 13:15 13:45 14:15 15:10 16:40 17:30 18:15 18:45 19:15 20:10 21:00 21:45 22:15 22:45 23:40

00:00 00:45 01:15 02:05 02:55 03:45 04:10

Gavin & Stacey 2 Point 4 Children The Weakest Link: S10: Set 2 Casualty: Set 3 Doctors: Set 2 2 Point 4 Children 3rd & Bird: set 01 Bobinogs Boogie Beebies: Set 4 The Adventures Of Spot Me Too: Set 1 Fimbles: Set 2 3rd & Bird: set 01 Bobinogs Boogie Beebies: Set 4 The Adventures Of Spot Me Too: Set 1 Charlie & Lola: Set 1 Fimbles: Set 2 3rd & Bird: set 01 Bobinogs Boogie Beebies: Set 4 The Adventures Of Spot Me Too: Set 1 Charlie & Lola: Set 1 Fimbles: Set 2 3rd & Bird: set 01 Bobinogs Boogie Beebies: Set 4 The Adventures Of Spot Me Too: Set 1 Charlie & Lola: Set 1 Fimbles: Set 2 2 Point 4 Children 2 Point 4 Children The Weakest Link: S10: Set 2 Emma (2009) Doctors: Set 2 Eastenders: set 253 Casualty: Set 3 2 Point 4 Children Emma (2009) The Weakest Link: S10: Set 2 Doctors: Set 2 Eastenders: set 253 Casualty: Set 3 Emma (2009) The Weakest Link: S10: Set 2 Doctors: Set 2 Eastenders: set 253 Big Cat Diary Coast

Holmes On Homes The Naked Chef Come Dine With Me What Not To Wear Holmes On Homes The Naked Chef Come Dine With Me

05:00 05:50 06:40 07:05 07:30 08:00 08:40 10:35 11:30 12:15 13:00 13:50 15:50 16:40 17:25 18:15 19:00 19:25 19:50 20:45 21:35 22:25 23:10

What Not To Wear Holmes On Homes The Naked Chef The Naked Chef Daily Cooks Challenge Fantasy Homes In The City Daily Cooks Challenge Antiques Roadshow Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds Bargain Hunt Come Dine With Me Daily Cooks Challenge Antiques Roadshow Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds Bargain Hunt Come Dine With Me Ching’s Kitchen James Martin’s Brittany Eating In The Sun Come Dine With Me Antiques Roadshow Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds Bargain Hunt

00:00 BBC World News America 00:30 Hardtalk 01:00 BBC World News 01:30 World Business Report 01:45 Sport Today 02:00 BBC World News America 02:30 Asia Business Report 02:45 Sport Today 03:00 Newsday 03:30 Asia Business Report 03:45 Sport Today 04:00 Newsday 04:30 Asia Business Report 04:45 Sport Today 05:00 Newsday 05:30 Asia Business Report 05:45 Sport Today 06:00 Newsday 06:30 Asia Business Report 06:45 Sport Today 07:00 Newsday 07:30 Hardtalk 08:00 BBC World News 08:30 World Business Report 08:45 BBC World News 09:30 World Business Report 09:45 BBC World News 10:30 World Business Report 10:45 Sport Today 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 World Business Report 11:45 Sport Today 12:00 BBC World News 12:30 Hardtalk 13:00 BBC World News 13:30 World Business Report 13:45 Sport Today 14:00 BBC World News 14:30 World Business Report 14:45 Sport Today 15:00 GMT With George Alagiah 16:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 17:30 World Business Report 17:45 Sport Today 18:00 BBC World News 18:30 Hardtalk 19:00 BBC World News 19:30 World Business Report 19:45 Sport Today 20:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 21:30 World Business Report 21:45 Sport Today 23:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 23:30 World Business Report 23:45 Sport Today

00:15 Samurai Jack 00:40 Megas XLR 01:05 Robotboy 01:30 Squirrel Boy 01:55 George Of The Jungle 02:20 Cramp Twins 02:45 Chop Socky Chooks 03:10 Best Ed 03:35 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 04:00 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 04:25 Generator Rex 04:50 Adventure Time 05:15 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 05:40 Chowder 05:55 Powerpuff Girls

06:30 Ed, Edd n Eddy 06:55 I Am Weasel 07:20 Squirrel Boy 07:45 Cow & Chicken 08:00 Casper’s Scare School 08:04 Cow & Chicken 08:25 Angelo Rules 08:50 Best Ed 09:15 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 09:40 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 10:05 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 10:30 Courage The Cowardly Dog 10:55 Cow & Chicken 11:20 I Am Weasel 11:35 Adventure Time 12:00 Ben 10 12:25 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 12:50 The Secret Saturdays 13:15 Samurai Jack 13:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 14:05 Codename: Kids Next Door 14:30 Skunk Fu! 14:50 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 15:15 The Amazing World Of Gumball 15:40 Ed, Edd n Eddy 16:05 Camp Lazlo 16:30 Chowder 16:55 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 17:25 Cow & Chicken 17:50 Courage The Cowardly Dog 18:15 I Am Weasel 18:40 George Of The Jungle 19:05 Codename: Kids Next Door 19:30 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 19:55 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 20:20 Generator Rex 20:45 Bakugan: Gundalian Invaders 21:10 Hero 108 21:35 Star Wars: The Clone Wars 22:00 Total Drama Action 22:25 The Amazing World Of Gumball 22:50 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 23:00 Ben 10 23:25 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 23:50 The Secret Saturdays

00:00 Connect The World With Becky Anderson 01:00 Backstory 01:30 World Sport 02:00 The Situation Room 03:00 World Report 04:00 Anderson Cooper 360 05:00 Piers Morgan Tonight 06:00 Quest Means Business 07:00 World Sport 07:30 Talk Asia 08:00 World Report 08:30 Backstory 09:00 World Report 11:00 World Sport 11:30 I Report For CNN 12:00 World Business Today 13:00 American Morning: Wake-Up Call 13:30 Mainsail 14:00 World One 15:00 Piers Morgan Tonight 16:00 News Stream 17:00 World Business Today 18:00 International Desk 19:00 The Brief 19:30 World Sport 20:00 Prism 21:00 International Desk 21:30 Mainsail 22:00 Quest Means Business 23:00 Piers Morgan Tonight CRIME & INVESTIGATION 00:00 Crimes That Shook Britain 01:00 Snapped 02:00 The First 48 03:00 The Enforcers 04:00 Snapped 05:00 Crimes That Shook Britain 06:00 The First 48 07:00 Crime And Punishment 08:00 72 Hour Mystery 09:00 Crime Stories 10:00 Criminal Behaviour 11:00 Crime Town USA 12:00 72 Hour Mystery 12:30 72 Hour Mystery

COACH CARTER ON OSN ACTION HD

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Crime Stories Criminal Behaviour Crime Town USA Crime Stories 72 Hour Mystery Crime Stories Criminal Behaviour Crime Town USA Crime And Punishment The First 48 The FBI Files

00:00 Connect The World With Becky Anderson 01:00 Backstory 01:30 World Sport 02:00 The Situation Room 03:00 World Report 04:00 Anderson Cooper 360 05:00 Piers Morgan Tonight 06:00 Quest Means Business 07:00 World Sport 07:30 Inside Africa 08:00 World Report 08:30 Backstory 09:00 World Report 10:00 World Report 11:30 Road To Durban: A Green City Journey 12:00 World Business Today 13:00 American Morning: Wake-Up Call 13:30 Talk Asia 14:00 World One 15:00 Piers Morgan Tonight 16:00 News Stream 17:00 World Business Today 18:00 International Desk 19:00 The Brief 19:30 World Sport 20:00 Prism 21:00 International Desk 21:30 Road To Durban: A Green City Journey 22:00 Quest Means Business 23:00 Piers Morgan Tonight

00:15 00:40 01:35 02:30 03:25 04:20 05:15 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:25 07:50 08:45 09:10 10:05 10:30 10:55 11:25 12:20 13:15 14:10 15:05 15:30 16:00 16:25 16:55 17:50 18:45 19:10 19:40 20:05 20:35 21:00 21:30 22:25 23:20

Swamp Brothers Dual Survival Overhaulin’ Dirty Jobs Ultimate Survival Mythbusters How It’s Made How Do They Do It? Dirty Jobs Wheeler Dealers Fifth Gear Overhaulin’ How It’s Made Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security Scrappers Dual Survival Ultimate Survival Ultimate Survival Dual Survival Swamp Brothers Cash Cab Us Wheeler Dealers Fifth Gear Overhaulin’ Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security Scrappers How Do They Do It? How It’s Made Cash Cab Us One Man Army Frontline Battle Machines...

Nothing Personal

00:40 The Gadget Show 01:05 The Tech Show 01:35 Mighty Ships 02:25 Green Wheels 02:50 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 03:40 Brainiac 04:35 The Gadget Show 05:25 How Stuff’s Made 05:50 Mighty Ships 06:40 Stuntdawgs 07:10 Powering The Future 08:00 Thunder Races 08:50 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 09:40 The Tech Show 10:10 Weird Connections 10:35 The Gadget Show 11:25 Powering The Future 12:20 Sci-Fi Science 12:45 How Stuff’s Made 13:15 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 14:05 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 14:55 Stuntdawgs 15:20 Green Wheels 15:50 Mighty Ships 16:40 Weird Connections 17:05 Thunder Races 18:00 Brainiac 18:50 Sci-Fi Science 19:15 The Tech Show 19:40 Weird Or What?

20:30 How The Universe Works 21:20 Engineered 22:10 The Gadget Show 23:00 Weird Or What?

23:50 How The Universe Works

00:00 01:15 02:00 02:50 03:35 04:25 05:15 06:00 06:20 Cody 06:45 07:05 07:30 07:55 08:20 08:35 09:00 09:15 09:25 09:35 09:50 10:15 10:30 10:50 11:15 11:35

Kim Possible Stitch Replacements Emperor’s New School Stitch Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Emperor’s New School The Suite Life Of Zack And Cars Toons Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jungle Junction The Hive Handy Manny Imagination Movers Phineas And Ferb Emperor’s New School Good Luck Charlie Phineas And Ferb Suite Life On Deck

12:00 Wizards Of Waverly Place 12:25 Sonny With A Chance 12:45 Good Luck Charlie 13:10 Hannah Montana 13:30 Suite Life On Deck 13:55 Wizards Of Waverly Place 14:20 The Adventures Of Disney Fairies 14:55 Good Luck Charlie 15:20 Phineas And Ferb 15:45 Fish Hooks 16:10 Shake It Up 16:35 The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody 17:00 Wizards Of Waverly Place 17:25 Good Luck Charlie 17:50 Fish Hooks 18:15 Shake It Up 19:35 Good Luck Charlie 20:00 Emperor’s New School 20:25 Fish Hooks 20:50 Hannah Montana 21:15 Sonny With A Chance 21:35 Good Luck Charlie 22:00 Shake It Up 22:25 Suite Life On Deck 22:50 Sonny With A Chance 23:15 Wizards Of Waverly Place 23:35 Wizards Of Waverly Place

00:00 Kim Possible 00:25 Fairly Odd Parents 01:15 Stitch 02:00 Replacements 02:50 Emperor’s New School 03:35 Stitch 04:25 Replacements 05:15 Fairly Odd Parents 06:00 Emperor’s New School 06:20 The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody 06:45 Cars Toons 07:05 Wizards Of Waverly Place 07:30 Suite Life On Deck 07:55 Good Luck Charlie 08:20 Fish Hooks 08:35 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 09:00 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 09:15 Jungle Junction 09:25 The Hive 09:35 Handy Manny 09:50 Imagination Movers 10:15 Phineas And Ferb 10:30 Emperor’s New School 10:50 Good Luck Charlie 11:15 Phineas And Ferb 11:35 Suite Life On Deck 12:00 Wizards Of Waverly Place 12:25 Sonny With A Chance 12:45 Good Luck Charlie 13:10 Hannah Montana 13:30 Suite Life On Deck 13:55 Wizards Of Waverly Place 14:20 The Adventures Of Disney Fairies 14:55 Good Luck Charlie 15:20 Phineas And Ferb 15:45 Fish Hooks 16:10 Shake It Up 16:35 The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody 17:00 Wizards Of Waverly Place 17:25 Good Luck Charlie 17:50 Fish Hooks 18:15 Shake It Up 18:45 Suite Life On Deck 19:35 Good Luck Charlie 20:00 Emperor’s New School 20:25 Fish Hooks 20:50 Hannah Montana 21:15 Sonny With A Chance 21:35 Good Luck Charlie 22:00 Shake It Up 22:25 Suite Life On Deck 22:50 Sonny With A Chance 23:15 Wizards Of Waverly Place

00:40 01:30 02:15 02:40 03:05 03:50 04:40 05:25 05:50 06:15 07:10 08:00 08:50 09:40 10:25 11:10 11:35 11:55 Jones 12:40 13:25 14:15 15:00 15:25 15:50 Jones 16:35 17:20 18:10 19:00 19:45 20:10 20:55 21:20 Jones 22:10 23:00 23:50

Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghost Lab Crime Scene Psychics Crime Scene Psychics I Almost Got Away With It FBI Case Files Dr G: Medical Examiner Crime Scene Psychics Crime Scene Psychics Ghost Lab Mystery ER FBI Files Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Mystery ER Real Emergency Calls Street Patrol True Crime With Aphrodite

00:00 01:00 01:30 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 13:35 14:30 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 19:35 20:30 21:00 22:00 23:00

Best of Treks in a Wild World Destination Extreme Word Travels City Chase Rome City Chase Marrakech Around The World For Free Nomads Best of Treks in a Wild World Destination Extreme Word Travels City Chase Rome City Chase Marrakech Around The World For Free Nomads Best of Treks in a Wild World Bondi Rescue: Bali Bondi Rescue Travel Madness Deadliest Journeys Cruise Ship Diaries Ultimate Traveller Departures Bondi Rescue: Bali Bondi Rescue Travel Madness Deadliest Journeys Cruise Ship Diaries Ultimate Traveller

Disappeared Murder Shift Mystery ER Real Emergency Calls Street Patrol True Crime With Aphrodite Disappeared FBI Files Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Real Emergency Calls Mystery ER Street Patrol True Crime With Aphrodite Disappeared Cuff Me If You Can Forensic Justice

TWO LOVERS ON OSN CINEMA

00:00 Bram Stoker’s Dracula-18 02:15 Kiss Of Death-PG15 04:15 Penny Dreadful-18 06:00 The Lost Future-PG15 08:00 Superman/ Batman: Apocalypse-PG15 10:00 The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course-PG15 11:45 The Manchurian CandidatePG15 14:00 Superman/ Batman: Apocalypse-PG15 15:45 Coach Carter-PG15 18:00 The Manchurian CandidatePG15 20:15 Deadly Impact-18 22:00 Rage: Carrie 2-PG15

00:45 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:15 13:00 15:15 17:00 19:15 21:00 23:15

Two Lovers-18 5 Dollars A Day-PG15 Mee Shee-PG The Last Airbender-PG The Great Debaters-PG15 The Lizzie McGuire Movie-PG Attack On Leningrad-PG15 Private-PG15 Slipstream-PG15 Brotherhood-PG15 Burlesque-PG15 Let Me In-R

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 South Park 02:00 American Dad 02:30 Entourage 03:00 Friends 03:30 Friends 04:00 According To Jim 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Dharma And Greg 06:00 Yes Dear 06:30 Just Shoot Me 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 According To Jim 08:30 Friends 09:00 Dharma And Greg 09:30 The League 10:00 Friends With Benefits 10:30 Just Shoot Me 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 Yes Dear 12:30 According To Jim 13:00 Friends 13:30 Dharma And Greg 14:00 Just Shoot Me 14:30 The League 15:00 Friends With Benefits 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Yes Dear 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Friends 18:30 Friends 19:00 Community 19:30 Wilfred 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:30 Entourage 23:00 South Park 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

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Private Practice House Big Love Grey’s Anatomy Alias Good Morning America Detroit 1-8-7 Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Martha Stewart Show The View Private Practice Grey’s Anatomy Alias Live Good Morning America The Ellen DeGeneres Show Emmerdale Coronation Street Once Upon A Time Terra Nova

21:00 True Blood 22:00 Big Love 23:00 Detroit 1-8-7

00:00 The Closer 01:00 Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior 02:00 Terra Nova 03:00 True Blood 04:00 Once Upon A Time 05:00 The Good Guys 06:00 The Closer 07:00 Outsourced 07:30 Coronation Street 08:00 Bones 09:00 Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior 10:00 Terra Nova 11:00 Once Upon A Time 12:00 Outsourced 12:30 Coronation Street 13:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 14:00 Bones 15:00 The Closer 16:00 The Simpsons 16:30 The Simpsons 17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 18:00 Bones 19:00 Eureka 20:00 The X Factor (US) 22:00 Treme 23:00 No Ordinary Family

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 PG15 21:00 23:30

Killshot-18 Blood And Bone-18 From Within-PG15 Deceit-PG15 Arctic Predator-PG15 Dolan’s Cadillac-PG15 The Next Karate Kid-PG Arctic Predator-PG15 Collateral-PG15 Bodyguard: A New Beginning-

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Double Wedding-PG15 Four Last Songs-PG15 The Addams Family-PG Addams Family Values-PG 13 Going On 30-PG15 Heart And Souls-PG Garfield-PG Chasing Papi-PG Double Wedding-PG15 Mystery Men-PG15 When In Rome-PG15 Dance Flick-18

Inglourious Basterds-18 Luster-18

01:00 Arrivederci Amore, Ciao-18 03:00 Legends Of The Fall-18 05:15 Veronica Guerin-PG15 07:00 The Rookie-PG15 09:15 Flying By-PG15 11:00 A Simple Twist Of Fate-PG15 13:00 Star Trek III: The Search For Spock-PG15 15:00 The Fantastic Water Babes-PG 17:00 Unstrung Heroes-PG15 18:45 I Am Sam-PG15 21:00 Thunderheart-18 23:00 Romeo + Juliet-PG15

01:30 A Guy Thing-PG15 03:30 Napoleon Dynamite-PG 05:00 All About Steve-PG15 07:00 Gasland-PG15 09:00 Cinema Verite-PG15 11:00 The Greatest-PG15 13:00 Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement-FAM 15:00 Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant-PG15 17:00 Cinema Verite-PG15 19:00 Nine-PG15 21:00 Burlesque-PG15 23:00 Moulin Rouge!-PG15

00:00 Turtle Hero: Part II-FAM 02:00 A Venetian Rascal Goes To America-PG15 04:00 In Search Of The Titanic-PG15 06:00 Turtle Hero: Part II-FAM 08:00 Ulysses-PG 10:00 How To Train Your Dragon-PG 12:00 North-PG

14:15 PG15 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

The Little Engine That CouldChristmas In New York-PG How To Train Your Dragon-PG Tooth Fairy-PG Ulysses-PG

00:00 2:37-R 01:45 Phoebe In Wonderland-PG 03:45 Coyote County Loser-PG15 05:30 Another Year-PG15 08:00 School Of Rock-PG15 10:00 Coyote County Loser-PG15 11:45 Nanny Mcphee And The Big Bang-PG 13:45 Legend Of The Guardians-PG 15:45 Our Family Wedding-PG15 17:45 Inside Job-PG15 19:45 Kick-Ass-18 22:00 Jane Eyre-PG15

02:00 UFC 139 Countdown 03:00 Powerboats F1 World Champs 04:00 Trans Word Sport 05:00 Le Mans Cup Review 06:00 WWE Tough Enough 07:00 Powerboats F1 World Champs 08:00 Premier League Snooker 11:30 Trans Word Sport 12:30 Speedway FIM World Championship 13:30 WWE Vintage Collection 14:30 Live PGA European Tour 18:30 Futbol Mundial 19:00 WWE NXT 20:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 21:00 UFC 139 Countdown 22:00 Futbol Mundial 22:30 Live Premier League Snooker

02:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 02:30 Beach Volley Ball 03:00 Asian Tour Golf Show 03:30 The Challenge Series Golf 04:30 European Senior Tour Highlights 05:30 Equestrian World 06:00 Futbol Mundial 06:30 Beach Volley Ball 07:00 Darts 11:00 Total Rugby 11:30 Rugby League 4 Nations 13:30 FIVB Beach Volley Ball 14:00 Futbol Mundial 14:30 Darts 18:30 Trans World Sport 19:30 Total Rugby 20:00 RWC 2011 Tournament Highlights 22:00 Live Darts

00:00 Futbol Mundial 00:30 European Tour Weekly 01:00 Golfing World 02:00 Premier League Snooker 05:30 The Challenge Series Golf 06:30 Asian Tour Golf 07:00 Golfing World 08:00 Live European PGA Tour 12:00 European Senior Tour Highlights 13:00 Golfing World 14:00 European Tour Weekly 14:30 Live European PGA Tour 18:30 Futbol Mundial 19:00 Rugby League 4 Nations 21:00 Total Rugby 21:30 Trans World Sport 22:30 Live Premier League Snooker

00:00 06:00 07:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 15:30 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:15 22:45

Le Mans Cup UFC 139 Countdown WWE SmackDown WWE Bottom Line WWE Vintage Collection V8 Supercars V8 Supercars Powerboats Powerboats Powerboats Highlights Super Formula WWE Vintage Collection WWE NXT UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC Countdown Total Rugby Live European Challenge Cup

Classifieds THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011

I In 1914, Red Fox James, a Blackfeet Indian, rode horseback from state to state, seeking approval for a national day honoring American Indians.

I The first American Indian Day was celebrated in May 1916 in New York.

I In 1990, November was designated National American Indian Heritage Month.

Hundreds of everyday English words have Indian origins. English colonists, encountering unfamiliar plants and animals — among them moose, opossum, chipmunk and skunk — borrowed Indian terms to name them. “Squash” comes from the Narragansett word “askutasquash” and “pecan” comes from the Illinois Indian word “pakani.”

— bcps.org

— census.gov

Black Sea

RUSSIA GEORGIA

Istanbul

Ankara

From Disney FamilyFun magazine

MCT

Med. Sea

ARMENIA

TURKEY Earthquake epicenter near Van

IRAN

IRAQ

Deadly earthquake hits Turkey

TAKE IT FURTHER Identify your leaves with the Arbor Day Foundation’s free online field guide. Visit arborday. org/trees/whattree, and scroll down to the online edition.

Preserve the colors of autumn to brighten your home all winter long.

First, collect colorful fallen leaves. Press them between the pages of a heavy book for a day or two to flatten them. For each leaf, cut two squares of clear contact paper an inch or two wider than your leaf.

Peel the backing off of one piece and lay it sticky-side up. Place the leaf in the center, then peel the backing off the second piece and carefully place it on top.

Punch a hole for hanging. Trim the edges of the contact paper, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Hang the leaves from a tree branch with thread. Place the branch in a heavy vase or suspend it from a curtain rod.

In the Middle Ages, a time not known for good hygiene, people wore pomanders to mask bad odors. Nowadays folks hang pomanders wherever they’d like a spicy scent. Our recipe uses a lemon for a compact, ornament-sized result. Put two wide rubber bands around a lemon; the bands will leave spaces for ribbon later. Use a wooden skewer to pierce the exposed skin of the lemon with holes about 1/4-inch apart, then insert whole cloves into the holes. On a plate, mix together 3 tablespoons each of cinnamon, ground cloves, allspice, nutmeg and ground ginger. Roll the lemon in the mixture to coat it. Keep the lemon and plate inside a paper bag in a dry spot in the house. Roll the pomander in the spices once a day until the lemon is hard and dry; this can take two to six weeks, depending on your climate. Once the pomander is dry, remove the rubber bands and tie fancy ribbon around it. Hang your pomander in a closet, from your tree or from your mantel.

A powerful earthquake shook Turkey on Oct. 23. The 7.2 magnitude quake heavily damaged the city of Ercis, located near the border with Iran. So far, hundreds of people have been reported killed and more than 1,000 injured.

Turkey lies in one of the world’s most active earthquake regions. Idris Naim Sahin, Turkey’s Interior Minister, said that 80 tall buildings have collapsed in Ercis, a city with about 75,000 people.

Abubekir Acar, 42, said that he was drinking tea with friends when a nearby coffee house was destroyed. At first, when buildings began to collapse, he didn’t understand what was happening.

“For a while, we couldn’t see anything — everywhere was covered in dust. Then, we heard screams and pulled out anyone we could reach,” Acar said.

Hundreds of aftershocks have rocked the area in the days since. In addition to the tremors, Survivors and rescuers are having to deal with extremely cold temperatures.

HELPING HANDS

Rescue teams work day and night, searching for survivors. Cranes and other equipment lifted heavy concrete so people could dig for victims.

A B AC A P R E S S / M C T One of the people resA 2-week-old baby is cued used his cell phone pulled alive from the to call the police and derubble. scribe the location where he and four others were trapped. Nearly 48 hours after the earthquake a 2-week-old baby girl was pulled alive from the rubble and, hours later, so were her mother and grandmother, giving hope to rescue workers that others might be found alive.

The Turkish government has set up tents, firstaid areas and kitchens to help the thousands left homeless. Many are too nervous to return to their homes. More than 2,000 teams with a dozen rescue dogs are working on the search-and-rescue effort.

Several countries have offered help to Turkey, including Israel and Greece, who put aside political differences to help aid the country. President Barack Obama said the United States also would — Stephanie Kraus help out in any way possible.

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© 2011 Time Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TIME FOR KIDS and Timeforkids.com are registered trademarks of Time Inc.

P H OTO S B Y ED JUDICE/ DISNEY FA M I LY F U N M AG A Z I N E

Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya near

F E T H U L L A H YA M A N / A B AC A P R E S S / M C T

The Oct. 23 earthquake caused 45 buildings to collaps in the Van province of Turkey.

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Contact: 66857416 13-11-2011

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines JZR KLM JZR JZR ETH THY UAE QTR DHX KAC MSR FDB ETD GFA KAC THY DHX FAH JZR JZR BAW KAC KAC FDB IRA KAC KAC KAC JZR KAC IRA KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR FDB ETD GFA JZR MEA SYR MSR JZR MSC KAC GFA MSR FDB UAL VOS

Arrival Flights on Thursday 17/11/2011 Flt Route 185 DUBAI 447 AMSTERDAM/BAHRAIN 267 BEIRUT 539 CAIRO 620 ADDIS ABABA 772 ISTANBUL 853 DUBAI 138 DOHA 370 BAHRAIN 154 ISTANBUL 612 CAIRO 67 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 211 BAHRAIN 544 CAIRO 770 ISTANBUL 170 BAHRAIN 201 DUBAI 503 LUXOR 555 ALEXANDRIA 157 LONDON 412 MANILA/BANGKOK 206 ISLAMABAD 53 DUBAI 617 AHWAZ 352 COCHIN 382 DELHI 302 MUMBAI 531 ASSIUT 332 TRIVANDRUM 605 ISFAHAN 284 DHAKA 362 COLOMBO 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 55 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 213 BAHRAIN 165 DUBAI 404 BEIRUT 341 DAMASCUS/DEIREZZOR 610 CAIRO 201 DAMASCUS 9621 SOHAG 672 DUBAI 219 BAHRAIN 621 ASSIUT 57 DUBAI 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 93 KANDAHAR/DUBAI

Time 0:20 0:30 0:45 0:50 1:45 2:15 2:35 2:40 2:55 2:55 3:00 3:05 3:10 3:15 4:40 4:50 5:15 5:30 5:55 6:00 6:40 6:45 7:40 7:45 7:50 7:50 7:50 7:55 8:00 8:05 8:15 8:15 8:20 8:30 9:00 9:05 9:20 9:35 9:55 11:20 11:55 12:35 12:55 13:00 13:15 13:20 13:25 13:30 13:55 14:05 14:15

OMA QTR KNE SVA KAC RJA KAC JZR LMU KAC QTR JZR MLR ETD JZR KAC GFA SVA ABY JZR RBG ALK MSC FDB KAC KAC JZR KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC FDB JAI OMA MSR KAC DHX MEA GFA LMU QTR UAE JZR KLM AIC JZR UAL AXB BBC DLH

645 140 745 500 552 640 788 257 407 546 134 535 403 303 357 118 215 510 127 777 3553 227 9623 63 502 542 125 786 618 614 674 104 774 562 61 572 647 618 178 372 402 217 409 136 859 135 445 981 239 981 389 43 636

MUSCAT DOHA JEDDAH JEDDAH DAMASCUS AMMAN JEDDAH BEIRUT ALEXANDRIA ALEXANDRIA DOHA CAIRO COLOMBO/DUBAI ABU DHABI MASHAD NEW YORK BAHRAIN RIYADH SHARJAH JEDDAH ALEXANDRIA COLOMBO/DUBAI SOHAG DUBAI BEIRUT CAIRO BAHRAIN JEDDAH DOHA BAHRAIN DUBAI LONDON RIYADH AMMAN DUBAI MUMBAI MUSCAT ALEXANDRIA GENEVA/FRANKFURT BAHRAIN BEIRUT BAHRAIN ASSIUT DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN AMSTERDAM CHENNAI/HYDERABAD/AHMEDABAD AMMAN BAHRAIN KOZHIKODE/MANGALORE DHAKA FRANKFURT

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

Airlines AXB UAL AIC PIA JZR DLH KLM ETH THY FDB UAE DHX MSR ETD QTR THY JZR GFA JZR FDB KAC KAC BAW IRA KAC JZR KAC JZR IRA KAC KAC UAE ABY FDB QTR ETD GFA JZR KAC KAC ASY JZR MEA KAC SYR KAC MSR MSC GFA MSR KAC

Departure Flights Thursday 17/11/2011 Flt Route 394 COCHIN/KOZHIKODE 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 976 GOA/CHENNAI 216 KARACHI 530 ASSIUT 637 FRANKFURT 447 AMSTERDAM 621 ADDIS ABABA 773 ISTANBUL 68 DUBAI 854 DUBAI 371 BAHRAIN 613 CAIRO 306 ABU DHABI 139 DOHA 771 ISTANBUL 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 200 DAMASCUS 54 DUBAI 545 ALEXANDRIA 545 ALEXANDRIA 156 LONDON 606 MASHAD 671 DUBAI 256 BEIRUT 551 DAMASCUS 534 CAIRO 604 ISFAHAN 787 JEDDAH 101 LONDON/NEW YORK 856 DUBAI 126 SHARJAH 56 DUBAI 133 DOHA 302 ABU DHABI 214 BAHRAIN 356 MASHAD 165 ROME/PARIS 541 CAIRO 165P MANSTON 776 JEDDAH 405 BEIRUT 501 BEIRUT 342 DEIREZZOR/DAMASCUS 785 JEDDAH 611 CAIRO 9622 HURGHADA 220 BAHRAIN 622 ASSIUT 561 AMMAN

Time 0:40 0:45 0:50 1:10 1:15 1:20 1:45 2:45 3:15 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:00 4:00 4:55 5:50 6:55 7:00 7:30 8:25 8:30 8:35 8:40 8:50 9:00 9:00 9:10 9:15 9:15 9:25 9:35 9:40 9:45 10:05 10:10 10:20 10:40 10:50 11:45 12:00 12:00 12:15 12:55 13:00 13:35 13:40 13:55 14:15 14:20 14:30 14:45

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

FDB KAC KNE OMA UAL RJA JZR LMU KAC SVA KAC KAC QTR JZR ETD MLR JZR QTR VOS GFA ABY RBG SVA JZR JZR FDB MSC JZR KAC FDB KAC DHX KAC KAC JAI OMA MSR KAC DHX ALK KAC LMU MEA GFA FAH QTR KAC JZR UAE KAC KLM JZR KAC KAC

58 673 746 646 982 641 124 408 617 505 613 773 141 238 304 404 538 135 82 216 128 3554 511 266 134 64 9624 184 283 62 343 171 331 351 571 648 619 543 373 228 675 410 403 218 102 137 301 554 860 205 445 528 415 411

DUBAI DUBAI JEDDAH MUSCAT BAHRAIN AMMAN BAHRAIN ASSIUT DOHA JEDDAH BAHRAIN RIYADH DOHA AMMAN ABU DHABI DUBAI/COLOMBO CAIRO DOHA BAGHDAD BAHRAIN SHARJAH ALEXANDRIA RIYADH BEIRUT BAHRAIN DUBAI ASSIUT DUBAI DHAKA DUBAI CHENNAI BAHRAIN TRIVANDRUM COCHIN MUMBAI MUSCAT ALEXANDRIA CAIRO BAHRAIN DUBAI/COLOMBO DUBAI ALEXANDRIA BEIRUT BAHRAIN DUBAI DOHA MUMBAI ALEXANDRIA DUBAI ISLAMABAD BAHRAIN/AMSTERDAM ASSIUT KUALA LUMPUR/JAKARTA BANGKOK/MANILA

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

34

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011

stars CROSSWORD 500

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) This morning you may find you are at odds with others regarding matters of convention. If you do not become carried away by other people’s foolish ideas you will be able to insert some positive, commonsense alternatives to projects that may need salvaging today. Connecting with others through an attitude of teamwork will make for profitable results. Your enthusiasm could become popular, particularly if you point out the good points that others have created and how it will fit with the group. This makes you ideal as a teacher or group leader, especially with young people. Know when to pull back and take the back seat, so to speak. You will feel real harmony this afternoon from those around you. Music can be quite a lot of fun this evening—dance.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You have blind courage and sheer guts—a self-starter.

Innovations—new and possibly unconventional approaches to being productive or making money—are in order today. Independence is a very good thing. We are all connected, but we also need to be in control of our own goals and this is something you strongly work to achieve. Listen to your own inner guidance particularly if you have the sense of being pulled into investments or other projects that seem to distract you from your path of success. Your response to life is becoming more original and innovative. You look to home and family for support and encouragement.

Security and having roots is important to your productivity now. Someone close to you wants to see you succeed.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. A humorous anecdote or remark.

4. Thorny shrub or small tree common in central Argentina having small orange or yellow flowers followed by edible berries.

10. Type genus of the family Myacidae.

13. (Irish) The sea personified.

14. Made of calico or resembling calico in being patterned.

15. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

16. A self-funded retirement plan that allows you to contribute a limited yearly sum toward your retirement.

17. 1 species.

18. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

19. Make synchronous and adjust in time or manner.

21. Small genus of bitter-rooted herbs of eastern North America and Asia.

23. A light touch or stroke.

25. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

26. Of or relating to Slavic languages.

29. Prolific Flemish baroque painter.

33. (of a young animal) Abandoned by its mother and raised by hand.

34. A federal agency that supervises carriers that transport goods and people between states.

36. English theoretical physicist who applied relativity theory to quantum mechanics and predicted the existence of antimatter and the positron (1902-1984).

37. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

40. An agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank.

41. English economist noted for his studies of international trade and finance (born in 1907).

46. That which is below standard or expectations as of ethics or decency.

48. An industrial city in the European part of Russia.

50. Of or relating to a dialect of Sotho or the Bantu people who speak it.

55. 100 avos equal 1 pataca.

56. A high-crowned black cap (usually made of felt or sheepskin) worn by men in Turkey and Iran and the Caucasus.

59. An ugly evil-looking old woman.

60. Perennial herb of East India to Polynesia and Australia cultivated for its large edible root yielding Otaheite arrowroot starch.

61. Type genus of the Alaudidae.

62. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

63. A doctor's degree in education.

64. African tree having an exceedingly thick trunk and fruit that resembles a gourd and has an edible pulp called monkey bread.

65. Seed vessel having hooks or prickles.

DOWN 1. Type genus of the Gliridae.

2. Characterized by lightness and insubstantiality.

3. The father of your father or mother.

4. Being one hundred more than two hundred.

5. The (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb.

6. American prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942).

7. A rechargeable battery with a nickel cathode and a cadmium anode.

8. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (trade names Acular and Toradol) that is administered only intramuscularly.

9. The bud of a rose.

10. A flat-bottomed volcanic crater that was formed by an explosion.

11. A sharply directional antenna.

12. A river that rises in northeastern Turkey (near the source of the Euphrates) and flows generally eastward through Armenia to the Caspian Sea. 20. An underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea v 1.

22. A sock with a separation for the big toe.

24. A heavy brittle diamagnetic trivalent metallic element (resembles arsenic and antimony chemically).

27. A cord that is drawn through eyelets or around hooks in order to draw together two edges (as of a shoe or garment).

28. An independent agency of the United States government responsible for collecting and coordinating intelligence and counterintelligence activities abroad in the national interest.

30. A member of an Iroquoian people formerly living on the south shore of Lake Erie in northern Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania and western New York.

31. A quantity of no importance.

32. The act of scanning.

35. Being ten more than one hundred ninety.

38. A tricycle (usually propelled by pedalling).

39. A flat tortilla with various fillings piled on it.

42. In a foreign country.

43. East Indian tree bearing a profusion of intense vermilion velvet-textured blooms and yielding a yellow dye.

44. A bachelor's degree in science.

45. The compass point that is one point west of due north.

47. City in Sudan.

49. Roman poet remembered for his elegiac verses on love (43 BC - AD 17).

51. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

52. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

53. (Babylonian) God of wisdom and agriculture and patron of scribes and schools.

54. Any culture medium that uses agar as the gelling agent.

57. Of or relating to a member of the Buddhist people inhabiting the Mekong river in Laos and Thailand.

58. (British) Tavern consisting of a building with a bar and public rooms.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) This is a great time to be working in group or team situations.

Discovering what you truly believe in—fighting for it, even—is a high personal priority now. Religion, law, politics, travel and higher education are some of the areas where this takes place. This is a time of testing your limits to see how far you can go. Learning what makes people tick is exciting and enlightening psychological information. There is an emphasis on close relationships and a preoccupation with ideas of fairness and harmony that are part and parcel of the mental cycle you have just begun. This afternoon you may decide to shop and prepare for the winter months ahead—perhaps it is time for a new style—hair or clothes. Romance is an outlet for much of your energy this evening.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

This is a period of increased mental activity and sensitive communication with others. Intellectualism, the exchange of ideas and the idea of being smart as a fox are the things that have a special appeal and importance today. You are most persuasive with others and eloquent in speech and communication. You should be able to get your ideas across with ease. The makings for a bright and witty day are at hand. Your communication skills are at a high-water mark. A new understanding of those around you brings about a special time of enjoyment. General good feelings and a sense of support and harmony makes this a happy time. Stress relief this evening may encompass the fun of being entertained by a friend.

Leo (July 23-August 22) You may find that both your personal growth and your career depend on how you can handle the very sensitive psychological material that may be coming up now. You will benefit from analytical insights, getting to the heart of things: penetrating. You are at your most practical when it comes to dealing and working with others. This is a time of much energy and drive, perfect for beginning a new project or taking care of business—very physical too. You may be asked for your advice and counsel regarding some very personal and emotional issues. You will have an opportunity to either be a listener or to lend a helping hand without getting in too deep. An evening out for dining and dance is possible tonight; a little romance.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Things are happening and your career or path depends upon your own ambition and drive. Consider your options and put your good sense to use. If you are very discreet, you can restore a difficult situation at work to a state of harmony. A new professional assignment appeals to you this afternoon.

You may feel that you will be able to make those important strides forward as you take on this new assignment. If you are not as technically skilled as you would like, this is a good time to invest in a class or the equipment you need. Someone you respect will be able to advise you. This evening is a good time for surrounding yourself with friends and young people and for having a good time. You appreciate and enjoy support from those around you.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) New forms of creativity and self-expression seem to open up new avenues for accomplishments today. Increased confidence and a more outgoing manner may be the keys that open many a new door in your career.

This is certainly a time during which your career or life path undergoes a certain amount of change and transformation. You find yourself firmly against sidetracks: the unessential. You can really home in on how to solve problems and get where you want to go. Your support system that consists of family and friends becomes more secure at this time. You are able to dispense with some of the unessential things in your life and develop what is most basic and true in your environment. You encourage better support. Progress is unavoidable.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) There is a project due at work today and you enjoy being able to concentrate on it. There are no interruptions and if you wish, others are ready to lend a helping hand. A number of new goals make a lot of sense to you and you work to create greater success. Feeling successful and prosperous is the first step toward becoming those things. Picture yourself living the life you want to lead and you will be very pleased at the outcome. A family member, perhaps a child, wants to share some quality time with you this afternoon. Later this evening you may meet an old friend for dinner. If you have been overdoing it lately, this evening may be a good time to relax. Poetry, music and the arts interest you, as do psychology and the psyche.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

To

Yesterday’s Solution

Secrets, taboos and mysteries appeal now. Learning the process of problem solving holds your interest. This may mean that some numbers did not add up properly and you are usually able to detect the missing link. Someone may have lost something important or a similar problem has your attention—don’t lose track of your goal for today. Your instinctive orientation at this time is toward getting down to basics and eliminating any misunderstanding or mistake. You uncover answers from the most unsuspecting places. You could receive unexpected help today or support from others. There is a big project due at work this afternoon and you enjoy being able to concentrate on it. This evening is a good evening for music, dinner and romance.

Others will follow your lead today. Obtaining and exchanging information takes on more emotional significance for you now. You could come up with plenty of new ideas for making the work you are doing run as smooth as possible. Your instinctive orientation now is toward getting down to business and accomplishing your goals for the day. The power of organization on a social scale—business, politics and such—seems to take on a larger than life energy, as you enter into a new cycle. It’s as if ambition and authority are answers in themselves, rather than only a means to an ideal objective. This could be a time during which your career undergoes a certain amount of change and transformation. You are focused and attentive to your work.

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) This is a great time to be with others and to work together. A period emphasizing an enhanced sense of personal possibility and potential has just begun. This is a time of tremendous psychological growth, which can lead to personal success if you follow through with it. You might also find that you will put on the pounds if you are not careful. Everything points to your taking the initiative. In the working world you will find yourself coming up with all sorts of productive ideas. This could mean a new advertising strategy or new sales approach. At home or in your own artistic expression it could just be the touch that gains you recognition. You could find that you are appreciated for your ability to follow through and try new ideas.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

You may find yourself having emotional differences with someone. Those around you, or the situation you find yourself in, may not feel right to you—you could be challenged. This is of short duration, however—you are in the mood to seek the right solution for all. Your instinctive thinking at this time is toward becoming focused and completing unfinished business. You have a love affair going with the mind and you value the intelligent use of words, ideas, thoughts and such. This afternoon you may enjoy games of trivia. You love to talk and may find yourself in several good conversations all day long. These stimulating mental adventures are among the most exciting experiences for you. You teach young people the art of generosity tonight.

36

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011

lifest yle F e a t u r e s

EU suppresses its own film on Afghan women prisons ne woman is doing 12 years in prison for being the victim of a rape.

The second is in jail for running from an abusive husband. Both say they want to tell their stories, and yet a film about their plight has been scrapped, sparking controversy about how committed the international community is to fighting for women’s rights in Afghanistan. The documentary, “In-Justice: The Story of Afghan Women in Jail,” was commissioned by the European Union, which has now decided not to release it. The EU says the two women in the film would be in danger if it were shown. But critics say politics is also at work and accuse the EU of abandoning a women’s rights project for fear it could damage its relationship with the Afghan government.

The film tells a disturbing tale. One of the women profiled is a 19-year-old who was raped and impregnated by a cousin.

She was not married and got a 12-year sentence for having sex out of wedlock, a crime in Afghanistan. The judge told her she could get out of prison if she agreed to marry her rapist, who bribed his way out of jail. She refused. She gave birth to her daughter in prison and now expects that she will have to raise her there.

“There’s a huge number of these cases coming into the prisons,” said Heather Barr, a Human Rights Watch researcher working on a report on women in prison in Afghanistan. Some of the most severe restrictions women faced under the Taliban, like a ban on attending schools and have to have a male escort to venture outside the home, were done away with when the radical Islamic movement was driven from power in 2001. But Afghanistan remains a deeply conservative and maledominated society, meaning women are still sold to husbands and rights enshrined in law are often ignored in practice.

About half of the 300-400 women jailed in Afghanistan are imprisoned for so-called

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“moral crimes” such as sex outside marriage, or running away from their husbands, according to reports by the UN and research organizations, even though the latter is not even a crime under Afghan law.

Legal reforms do not appear to have helped, Barr said. “It’s really emblematic of the promises that Afghan women thought were made to them in 2001 and which they’re discovering over recent years either weren’t promises at all, or are broken promises,” Barr said.

The other story in the film reveals the judicial perils for women. The 26-year-old ran away from a husband who regularly beat her. She ran off with a young man whom she says she loves but has never had sex with. Regardless, she was arrested and imprisoned for adultery, also a criminal offense in Afghanistan. Police said she was guilty because she was not a virgin, ignoring the fact that she was already married.

She was sentenced to six years. Her boyfriend is locked up in an adjoining men’s prison. A wall keeps them from seeing each other, but they pass messages through prison guards. The EU commissioned the film in late 2010 as a project to address women’s rights in Afghanistan, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. The filmmakers suggested women imprisoned for so-called “moral crimes” as the subject, and the EU agreed, fronting about 70,000 euros, or $96,000, in production costs, according to someone close to the film who spoke anonymously to disclose confidential conversations. Then in February, the EU changed course, arguing the film would endanger the two women. Negotiations between the production company, Development Pictures, and the EU dragged on for months.

An email sent by an EU official to the filmmakers and a number of EU staffers in March gives two concerns: the security of the subjects and a suggestion that it could

create problems with the Afghan government. “The (EU) delegation also has to consider its relations with the justice institutions in connection with the other work that it is doing in the sector,” according to the email from Zoe Leffler, the EU official overseeing the project, obtained by the AP. In June the EU decided against showing the film. “The EU decided to withdraw the film only because there were very real concerns for the safety of the women it portrayed. Their welfare was and continues to be the paramount consideration in this matter,” the EU said in a statement provided to the AP. EU representatives declined requests for further interviews.

The AP obtained transcripts of the interviews in which the women gave consent to take part if the film were only shown outside the country. The EU maintained there was still a risk the film could end up on the Internet, making it available inside Afghanistan. The filmmakers argue the matter should be left to the women to decide. “Any potential risk to the women must be balanced against their clear and express wish to tell their stories, and we have obtained their informed consent to do so,” said the director, Clementine Malpas. “... Ultimately, it is their decision, and we admire their clear-eyed courage to speak out. It is not for us to veto their voices,” she said. Malpas and others involved in the production declined to comment further because they are contractually bound not to discuss negotiations with the EU. Similar security concerns generated controversy with the movie version of the best-selling novel “The Kite Runner” because of worries a rape scene would offend Afghans. Four Afghan child actors were moved outside the country for their safety before the film’s release in 2007. The 19-year-old rape victim in the EU-funded film told the AP that she had hoped the attention might help her get released. Now she said she is losing hope and considering marrying her rapist

haron Stone is taking on two very different roles: One in the Linda Lovelace biopic, and another online to welcome returning US troops. The 53-year-old actress says she will play Lovelace’s mother in “Inferno: A Linda Lovelace Story.” But before filming starts, the “Basic Instinct” star has another mission: She’s taking her first steps into the world of social media with a Facebook page that welcomes returning military personnel home from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Stone says her page will serve as a community bulletin board where people can not only thank the troops for their service, but offer them jobs, discounts, a helping hand and a warm welcome. “It’s very important that people know that their country is behind them,” Stone said in an interview. “With all of this negative chatter in the governmental races, we need to have our actual country say

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A Christie’s employ poses with ‘Bed Peace’, a placard by late Beatles singer-songerwriter John Lennon, used during the historic Montreal Bed-In for Peace in1969. — AFP

placard reading “Bed Peace”, which was made by former Beatle John Lennon during his peace-in with wife Yoko Ono at a Canadian hotel, fetched almost £100,000 at a London auction on Tuesday. The sign, sold at Christie’s auction house, was bought by an anonymous telephone bidder for £97,250 ($153,835, 113,670 euros).

The iconic singer-songwriter made the placard in 1969 during his second week-long bed-in to protest the Vietnam War. The demonstration took place in Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel and followed an earlier event dur-

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he headboard from Michael Jackson’s deathbed was withdrawn from auction on Tuesday at the request of the singer’s family. But previously unseen footage of the King of Pop’s 1993 concert tour is up for sale in London this month, and auctioneers say it could fetch up to $6 million. The London-based Fame Bureau is selling the concert footage, filmed during Jackson’s “Dangerous” tour in 1993 at a stop in Argentina, on Nov. 26. If the film meets expectations, it would become among the top prices ever paid for any pop culture memorabilia at auction.

It was shot by Jackson’s production crew and meant to be an intimate portrait of Jackson on tour.

But the singer was unhappy with the quality and gave the lone copy to his driver, who is now selling the footage, the auction house said.”It’s a film that’s frighteningly personal and up-close,” said Fame Bureau CEO Ted Owen in an interview posted on YouTube. “It’s like you’re on stage with Michael Jackson”.

A DVD of the “Dangerous” concert tour, filmed in Bucharest, was

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ing the couple’s honeymoon in Amsterdam. Christie’s director Neil Roberts said: “We are thrilled with the results of the Rock and Pop Memorabilia sale which was led by pieces relating to important moments in the development of The Beatles.” Another bidder paid £34,850 for a letter written by fellow Beatle Paul McCartney, offering an audition for the role of drummer in the band. —AFP

released in 2005 and is still available on Amazon.com and other retailers for about $12. Items related to Jackson have skyrocketed in value since his death in 2009. The red and black leather jacket he wore for his 1983 “Thriller” video sold for $1.8 million in Los Angeles in June. But an elaborate antique Louis XV-style headboard from the bed where Jackson died on June 25, 2009 is no longer among potential Jackson collectibles, according to Julien’s Auctions.

It carried an asking price of $35,000 in a December sale of items from the rented Los Angeles mansion where the 50 year-old singer was found lifeless more than two years ago. But auctioneer Darren Julien said the headboard was removed from sale at the request of the Michael Jackson estate and the singer’s family. “We want to maintain a good relationship with the family and we don’t want to do anything upsetting for them,” Julien told Reuters. — Reuters

as a way out.

He is pressuring her to stop giving interviews, she said, explaining why she did not want her name or photo used in this article.

She would not directly answer a question about the possibility of the film showing up on the Internet, but did say she wouldn’t want her brothers to hear the interviews she gave, in which she explained how an uncle allowed her cousin to force himself on her. She said she was afraid her brothers would harm her. Meanwhile, there is a feeling in the human rights community that an opportunity to draw attention to an important issue is being lost. Georgette Gagnon, who directs human rights policy for the United Nations in Afghanistan, said it’s par-

ticularly urgent to raise the issue of women being wrongly imprisoned now, before international resources directed at Afghanistan dwindle as foreign troops draw down. “It’s now or never. We’ve got a couple of years until the money and the leverage and the support are greatly reduced,” Gagnon said. — AP

Afghan women buy goods on a demolished road awaiting asphalting in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday. — AP

what they feel in loving, really vocal terms.”

Stone said that with 38,000 military personnel heading home in the coming weeks, she hopes her We Welcome Home Our Troops page will be a positive place where troops can find support. Stone said she is planning to hold contests for veterans to attend movie premieres and other Hollywood events, “and I’m hoping that other celebrities will do the same.” Up next for the actress? She will be filming “The Mule,” a thriller set on the U.S.Mexico border, before taking on the Lovelace story. — AP

Sharon Stone arrives for a US Postal Service firstday-of-issue dedication ceremony. — AP

ctor Jason Segel is best known for starring on the hit TV show “How I Met Your Mother,” and for comedies like “Bad Teacher” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” Now Segel, 31, stars in a big screen adaptation of “The Muppets,” a family musical that debuts in theaters on Nov 23 in time for the US Thanksgiving Day holiday.

The actor also co-wrote and is executive producer on the film, which follows a couple, Gary and Mary (Segel and Amy Adams, respectively), on a

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visit to Los Angeles with Gary’s brother who happens to be a Muppet fan.

When they discover an oilman plans to raze the Muppet Theater to drill a well, they convince the Muppets to reunite to save the theater. Segel spoke to Reuters about the film, his love of puppets and his desire to channel his inner creep.

Q: Your filmography of raunchy comedies doesn’t exactly scream family friendly films. What gives?

A: “‘The Muppets’ movie is right in my wheelhouse. It was nice to do something that was really pure and sweet and innocent. It’s sort of a trade off. You can’t do the raunchy jokes, but you get to do these totally Muppety jokes that you don’t do in regular films. It was a fair trade off for me.”

Q: What is about Muppets that appeals to you?

A: “I think what separates the Muppets (from other comedies) is that they never get laughs at other people’s expense. Their jokes are kind and honest and pure. Even as an adult when you turn on the Muppets, you’re reminded of the best version of yourself, that sense of wide-eyed wonder that the world beats out of you.”

Q: Did you have a favorite Muppet?

A: “Kermit. I remember watching Kermit and thinking, that’s who I want to be when I grow up. He’s Tom Hanks, or Jimmy Stewart. He’s the moral compass of the Muppets and he’s the every man, the glue that holds it all together.”

Q: And are you?

A: “I strive for it when I do my movies. I try to come across as the every man, but no one does it like Kermit.”

Q: But Kermit didn’t flash his genitalia like you did in ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall!”

A: “Have you ever seen Kermit wearing pants?

Kermit did full frontal way before I did!”

Q: Speaking of “Sarah Marshall,” your character in the film put on a puppet show and you yourself have been into puppetry for years.

Where does that come from?

A: “I came of age during the Apple digital revolution, when they introduced Final Cut Pro and when digital cameras became accessible. All

Muppet Kermit attends the Premiere of Walt Disney Pictures’ ‘The Muppets’ at the El Capitan Theatre. — AFP

of a sudden you could make short films without needing an editing suite or renting equipment. I would write and make these short films but I had no one to participate with me. So I went to the toy store and I bought a bunch of puppets and did my short films with them.”

Q: That hobby must be either very cool or very creepy when it comes to getting the ladies.

A: “Well I’m still single! There’s some satisfaction that I’ve done ‘The Muppets’ because now this is my job, so there’s some context to it.

But there was a period where I was just the weird dude with puppets in his house.”

Q: You first worked with the Henson company when they created the puppets for “Sarah Marshall.” At what point did you feel brazen enough to pitch them a Muppet movie?

A: “I was born without a sense of shame!

(Laughs) What really hit me was that the last Muppet movie was 12 years ago. Kids ages zero to 12 have grown up without a Muppet movie in their lives and that seemed wrong to me. They were such an influence on who I am and who I became that I just put my head down and said, ‘I’m gonna make a new Muppet movie.’ I would not take no for an answer.”

Q: You’re on a hit sitcom, you do R-rated comedies and now family films. What else do you want to play?

A: “I really want to play a villain. I keep walking the line between charming, accessible and creepy and I always fall on the charming and accessible side. For once, I’d like to fall on the creepy side.”—Reuters

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Fashion Festival

‘Twilight’ wedding gown reveal comes tomorrow

Models wear umas during the Islamic Fashion Festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, yesterday. —AP

(From left) Kristen Stewart and Carolina Herrera arrive to the world premiere of ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1’ on Monday. —AP

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any brides keep their wedding dresses a secret until the moment they walk down the aisle, but all of cyberspace isn’t usually speculating about it. The exception is Bella Swan.

The much anticipated bridal gown will make its debut tomorrow as “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1” is released in movie theaters. What’s known about the gown worn by Kristen Stewart’s character as she married Robert Pattinson’s Edward Cullen: It’s designed by Carolina Herrera. It has 100 buttons down the back. It’s made of lace and satin, and it aims to be simultaneously romantic and mysterious.

“Well, the inspiration became a little bit by the book,” said Herrera on the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere Monday night. “And the description of the book, and the magic and the moment that is the wedding and also about her (Bella’s) personality which is very important in a wedding gown.

She is this very innocent girl that is believing in her first true love and there is romance and there is fantasy and mystery. Everything so, I took all that into consideration.” Pattinson approved, saying it was a “beautiful” dress and Stewart did it justice. “She looked incredible,” he said. “I mean, it’s a really sweet scene.” — AP

Models wear creations by Indonesian designer Paul Robb.

Milk does a body good-even when worn W

ear Milk? Anke Domaske says why not. The 28-year-old German is the designer of an award-winning new textile made entirely from milk that’s environmentally friendly as well as soothing to people with skin allergies. Called “Qmilch,” it drapes and folds like silk, but can be washed and dried like cotton. The biochemist and fashion designer has so far only used the fabric to make dresses for her own MCC fashion line. But next year Domaske has plans to begin mass producing and several companies have already expressed interest in using the fabric.

Qmilch - a combination of quality and the German word for milk - won the innovation award of Germany’s Textile Research Association, which recognized it as a new, sustainable fiber that could revolutionize the clothing industry.

Currently, apparel depends heavily on byproducts from oil, or natural resources such as water - used in

the thousands of liters (gallons) to produce just a bolt of cotton. “We know that everything that is based on oil has a limit, that materials like cotton that take up a lot of land, water and chemicals are limited, so we need to think about how we in produce fabrics and textiles in the future,” said Klaus Jansen, who heads the Textile Research Association. “She has showed us how this can work.”

Tatjana Berthold, a seamstress for Domaske’s MCC fashion line has been cutting and sewing the fabric into dresses for the past year. “At first I did not believe that it was made from milk, but when you work with it, you notice that it feels different from normal fabrics,” said Berthold. She cast Domaske a sly sideways glance, then confessed to have privately made a pair of pajamas from a scrap she had been given.

“When you look it, you can’t see such a big difference, but when you wear it, you feel the difference,” Berthold said. Domaske laughed, confessing that she,

German fashion designer Anke Domaske and seamstress Tatjana Berthold, left, work at their studio in Hannover, Germany. — AP

too, had sewn herself sleepwear from a sample of jersey fabric spun over the past year.

The quest for a natural, non-irritating fabric began after watching her stepfather suffer through terrible skin irritations while being treated for cancer. “There are so many people who really suffer just by wearing normal clothing. I wanted to find a way to help them.”

She focused her research on milk protein, or casein. Although textiles made with milk fibers have been around since the 1930s, she said most of them relied heavily on acrylics. “I thought it must be possible to make a fabric that is completely organic,” said Domaske.

After two years of trial and error, working with a research lab, Domaske and her team of six finally landed on a process of reducing milk to a protein powder that is then boiled and pressed into strands that can be woven into a fabric.

The strands, she says, can be spun rougher for a heavier texture, or shiny smooth, to create a soft jersey that drapes and feels like silk. She uses only organic milk that cannot be consumed because it has failed Germany’s strict quality standards.

Domaske concedes that at Ä20 ($28) per kilogram (2 pounds), her fabric costs more to produce than even organic cotton, which goes for about 40 percent less. But she hopes local production will keep down transport costs and reduce the overall price.

She also notes that only 2 liters (a half gallon) of water is needed to produce 1 kilogram (2 pounds) of fabric, or enough to make several standard dresses.

By comparison, the same amount of cotton requires more than 10,000 liters of water.

Lynda Grose, a consultant and associate professor at the California College of the Arts in Oakland, California, who specializes in ecologically responsible design, notes that the fashion industry is dependent on the idea of disposal, of people always wanting new designs.

“There is a tremendous amount of waste in the fashion world,” Grose said in a telephone interview.

She noted that by rethinking how such waste can be used will help make the fashion and textile industry more ecologically friendly. German industry has been impressed by Domaske’s innovation.

The designer, who works from a loft beside the

Model Britta presents a dress designed by German fashion designer Anke Domaske in Hannover, Germany. —AP railway in the central German city of Hannover, has already received queries from automobile makers that see a potential for seat covers, and members of the medical and hospitality industries interested in a hypoallergenic material for hospitals and hotel beds.

“The German textile industry can only survive against the competition if it comes up with innovative, new products,” Jansen said. “Ms Domaske has done this in taking a raw material and processing it to create a new thread that can be sold to other companies to create other products. That is very unique.” — AP

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A trio of zebra marches across the great plains of the Serengeti at Singita Grumeti Reserve.—MCT photos

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he hot African sun was unrelenting, the sky broken only by an occasional wisp of cloud. My guide, Mtambo, and I were alone in the Land Rover for an early morning game drive. As he drove through Selous National Park, gazing at the verdant treetops for an elusive leopard, I glanced at him. Mtambo, of the Ndengereko tribe, was of an indeterminate age. He could have been 40 or 70, but this much is known: He can identify every African critter or bird that crosses his path.

He pointed out an ebony tree, all gray and gnarled and not black as I thought it would be. “It is black inside,” he said in a pure and simple declarative statement before driving on. A few minutes later we stopped in a clearing framed by acacias and baobabs. Mtambo shut the engine, and for long minutes we just listened to the sounds of Africa: the softest of winds whirling around as rhythmic as iambic pentameter, the high pitch of a bazillion insects, and birds. A bazillion of those, too.

For birders, the Selous is quite simply amazing and a photographer’s dream. A grey heron is but one of many birds seen on a boating safari at Selous Safari Camp.

All around us was an avian orchestra of calls, songs, whistles, and tweets. Above the crazy din, a hornbill trumpeted “wah-wah-ned!” I thought it was a baby’s cry. But no leopard, at least not on that day. Leopards don’t come out on cue, and neither does any other African wildlife. But on safari, there are always surprises and elements of danger, plenty enough to satisfy a sense of adventure and curiosity and develop a healthy respect for the natural world.

Tanzania, in East Africa and surrounded by geographical treasures of the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, the Indian Ocean, Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi, is a melding together of Tanganyika and Zanzibar and is preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary of independence from the British on Dec 9. Anniversaries, whether of a nation or your own, are perfect times for safari, and Tanzania, a peaceful, visually stunning nation, beckons like a beautiful siren.

A safari in Tanzania should always begin in the Serengeti. Our journey took us to Singita Grumeti Reserve in the heart of the Serengeti, a Maasai word meaning “open plain.” Only three camps are located in the reserve, which means you practically have 340,000 acres to yourself. OK, you have to share it with the Big Five of lions, leopards, elephant, rhinos and buffalo, as well as cheetah, kudu, ostriches and untold numbers of zebras and wildebeest.

Our ranger’s name was Arnold Swai, of the Chagga tribe from the Kilimanjaro region. On the first day there, near Singita Sabora Tented Camp, Arnold superior tracking skills found the most beautiful pride of lionesses I’ve ever seen.

They moved through the grass gracefully and fluidly, their golden coats catching the late afternoon sun. Just moments after driving away from the pride, the Land Rover hit a thorny acacia. Pop! Ssizzzzz! went a tire. As Arnold quickly changed it, I watched closely for the lions as to not become their entree for the evening.

Sabora Camp borders a windswept plain where you can see forever. Evening brings all sorts of animals close to camp, and all night buffalo snorted, lions roared, and hye-

These lionesses find the shade of a tree in the hot African sun on the Singita Grumeti Reserve in the heart of the Serengeti.

nas barked just steps away. These are merely the sounds of Africa and I am unafraid. On our drive to Faru Faru, the next camp in the Singita reserve, the hunt was on again for leopard but they remained hidden that day, too. “It’s not easy to find them,” Arnold said. “Never is.”

We hunted for cheetah instead, finding a pair of young males resting in the shade of an acacia, their colors blending in easily with the warm notes of Tanzanian earth. I snapped nearly 100 photos in a few moments’ time.

We were greeted at Faru Faru with big glasses of sweet iced tea and a lunch of fried fish. Who knew you could get touches of Georgia it in the heart of the Serengeti? Kate Murray, who manages Faru Faru, a bright, sunny lodge overlooking a watering hole, explained that tourism is a critical part of Singita and that tourism dollars go toward anti-poaching, maintaining roads, developing schools and sustaining agricultural projects. It is an impressive endeavor indeed.

Just a few minutes into our next game drive, Arnold’s radio crackled to life from a call from another ranger. All I picked out was “chui,” Swahili for leopard. Finally! The holy grail of all African wildlife. Arnold punched the gas, driving quickly for about a half-hour. Then there Miss Chui was, slumbering in the top of a tree, nearly completely occluded by gnarled limbs and thick leaves.

“We are lucky,” whispered Arnold. “It is very rare because they are so elusive.” Finding chui was such a thrill, and we sat quietly, watching her stretch and yawn as she awoke.

Arnold was as excited as I was, saying. “Every day is different. I never get tired of it.” Sasakwa, the last of the three Singita lodges we visited, crowns a hilltop overlooking the vastness of the Serengeti. It is stunning.

“Being up here with these views puts the entire Serengeti into perspective and just how far it goes,” said assistant lodge manager Christopher Ford. I pondered getting a job there washing dishes, making beds, mowing the lawn-anything to see that view every day. At breakfast on the morning I would leave Singita and the Serengeti, I looked out over the plains, my heart racing. The great herds of buffalo, impala and zebra hadn’t yet awoken, but I know chui is already on the prowl. With a contented sigh, I took one more look at the Serengeti, climbed into the Land Rover with Arnold, and we drove away.

The Serengeti is a tremendous introduction to Tanzania, but when you return or even extend your first trip, there’s always the “second safari” to lesser-known areas. The untouched wilderness of the Selous Game Reserve is one of those places. Americans have yet to discover the Selous (pronounced “sa-loo”), a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world’s largest game reserve. Only a handful of camps dot the Selous, including the Selous Safari Camp where we stayed. Like the Serengeti, it is home to the Big Five, untold

Vervet mo n climbing th keys inhabit Ruaha N e trees insi de the safa ational Park and o ften are fo ri camps. und

numbers of impala, a lake filled with crocs and hippos, and those bazillions of birds. Everywhere sunbirds, bee-eaters, weavers, rollers, and herons flit from tree to tree in the primary and pastel colors of yellow, green, blue, red, lilac, and pink.

Mtambo also showed me “hippo highways” crisscrossing the Selous where those big boys come out of the lake at night, making tracks savanna grasses for a midnight snack. Riki Tiki Tavi made an appearance, with Mtambo showing us a banded mongoose and explaining, “They kill the big snake.”

During one drive, we came upon the spectacular sight of lions mating, their low growls metamorphosing into insane earth-shaking guttural roars as they, um, well, you know. As we watched, Mtambo said that a few years ago, 26 people from one village were killed by lions. I hoped the frisky felines in front of us weren’t man-eaters. Our next stop was Jongomero Camp in Ruaha National Park, another perfect spot for a second safari.

The very uncrowded Ruaha is characterized by its diversity of open plains mixed in with riverine forests, savannas and acacia woodlands. Parts of it are so lush and thick that you can practically be standing next to an elephant and not see it. So many giraffe are here that a Dutch couple jokingly called it Giraffic Park.

Jongomero, with only eight tents, is quite special. “It’s the most remote and unique camp in all of East Africa, like a diamond in the rough,” said Noelle Herzog, who manages the camp with Andrew “Moli” Molinaro. “It’s for people who are on their second or third safari, the ones who’ve already been to the Serengeti and want something different.”

The camp is not fenced and Maasai warriors-the askariaccompany you everywhere, lest samba (Swahili for lion) might be lurking in the tall grasses. Later that morning I joined three American women named Lois, Joan and Abby for a game drive with Modest, a ranger from the Hehe

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in of bird species and hundreds ds re nd hu p. e m ri Ca e of th om Selous Safa rets are but on The stately eg e best viewed by boat safari fr ar the Selous and

Ngorongoro, once an active volcano a few million years ago, is the world’s largest intact caldera. Nearly 2,000 feet deep, it is a virtual Garden of Eden sheltering one of the most dramatic wildlife havens on Earth.

ed to as jokingly referr rs of es im et m so is The Ruaha s sheer numbe because of it Giraffic Park giraffe.

Bobotie, a traditional African dish made with spices, is a favorite meal at Selous Safari Camp.

tribe. Modest finds for us elephant and giraffe and giraffe and more giraffe.

“When you see this on the National Geographic channel, it goes in one ear and out of the other,” said Lois, who’s from New Jersey. “When you’re in the midst of it, it sticks with you.” That evening a spectacular thunderstorm swept across the Ruaha. A family of mongoose tried to find refuge from the downpour in my tent, but when they spotted me they panicked and ran into the deep vegetation. Poor little guys. I wouldn’t have minded sharing. On leaving Jongomero, Modest had to drive around and around the dirt airstrip to run off a herd of impalas so the plane could land. I laughed, as that’s what makes Africa so special.

Then there’s Ngorongoro, which takes safari to an entirely new level. Ngorongoro, once an active volcano a few million years ago, is the world’s largest intact caldera. Nearly 2,000 feet deep, it is a virtual Garden of Eden, sheltering one of the most dramatic wildlife havens on Earth. More than 30,000 critters graze its pastures at any given time, not including the birdlife and flocks of pink flamingoes that flood the lakes in an explosion of color. For the predators like lion, leopard, cheetah, and hyenas, Ngorongoro is like a big open buffet for tamer creatures like buffalo and zebra.

There are few hiding places in these high open plains, leaving a natural collision course waiting to happen.

Ngorongoro, which means “deep deep” in Swahili, is home to Maasai pastoralists who predominately inhabit the conservation area, tending to their cattle and goats in a peaceful coexistence with the wildlife.

Only five hotels rim the crater, and Extraordinary Journeys, which set up almost our entire itinerary into Tanzania, selected for our group Ngorongoro Crater Lodge. The luxurious lodge, at about 8,000 feet in elevation, stands sentry over the crater and its terraced slopes. The view is simply unreal.

“Contrary to the belief that the animals are ‘trapped’ inside the crater, they move frequently in and out, especially the wildebeest and zebra during the Great Migration,” said lodge manager Innes Pruissen. “It’s a unique, amazing place.” Yes, I think, as is all of Tanzania.

The main tent at Singita Sabora Camp, one of only three lodges in the Singita Grumeti Reserve in the heart of the Serengeti. The remote camp is often visited by wild animals like hyena, lion, and buffalo.

Crocodiles inhabit the lakes and rivers of the Selous, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world’s largest game reserve.

The lilac-breasted roller is perhaps one of the most beautiful and colorful birds that inhabit the Selous.

If you go To get to Dar es Salaam, the capital and gateway to safari, take the northern route through Europe or the southern route through South Africa. I chose South African Airways (SAA), connecting through Johannesburg, because SAA flies all the way into Dar with no change of airline. Visas are required, so take good advice and get one ahead of time. Otherwise, you might find long lines in the un-air conditioned, hot, humid airport.

Because of grueling international airline schedules, plan your first and last night in Dar. Extraordinary Journeys selected for us the gorgeous Kilimanjaro Hyatt. Many Americans, I discovered, choose this hotel for pre- and post-safari. It is inadvisable to rent a car, so Extraordinary Journeys also arranged all ground transportation through Ranger Safaris.

Tiny “bush planes” take you to outer airstrips from Dar and Arusha. Coastal Aviation is the logical choice with the best schedules and reliability. Most camps are in constant radio communication with Coastal’s pilots, so you always know exactly how early or late your plane will be.

Contact the Tanzania Tourist Board at www.TanzaniaTouristBoard.com. Contact Singita Game Reserves at www.Singita.com. For comprehensive bookings, including Coastal Air, Ranger Safaris, Kilimanjaro Hyatt, Selous Safari Camp, Jongomero, and Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, contact Extraordinary Journeys at ejafrica.com or extraordinaryjourneys.net or call (212) 246-7650.

South African Airways flies in partnership with JetBlue. Contact South African Airways at www.FlySAA.com and JetBlue at www.JetBlue.com.—MCT

Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, one of just a handful on the rim of the crater, is known for its profusion of roses.

Tiny ‘bush planes,’ like this one that belongs to Coastal Aviation, take you to outer airstrips from Dar es Salaam or Arusha.

Milk does a body good-even when worn

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Traditional chiefs take on

Ivory Coast’s post-war ills C

ould crowns, sceptres and ritual sacrifices save Ivory Coast? Some of its traditional chiefs are seeking to help in the reconciliation of the long-divided country, but not everybody agrees. Sporting an enormous crown and a multicolored robe, Awoula Amon Tanoe, king of the small Ivorian tribe called the N’Zima Kotoko, is a man who parts the crowds, carried by strong porters to the sound of a sacred tam-tam. “His Majesty” presided this month over the annual Abissa festival of the N’Zima people, which drew thousands of visitors to Bassam, the former colonial capital which is close to Abidjan and renowned for its beaches.

The theme for 2011 was “reconciliation”.

A career diplomat in his 70s, Aman Tanoe was named vice president of the Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CDVR) set up by President Alassane Ouattara at the end of September, after years of conflict in the west African nation. The king represents traditional chiefs who play an important part in this country whose 20 million residents are divided into dozens of ethnic groups, particularly in the countryside, where one’s tribal ties are the key to one’s identity. Amon Tanoe believes “we must draw energy from our traditions to enable us to put the crisis behind us”-a reference to the power struggle that broke out in December last year when former president Laurent Gbagbo refused to recognize defeat at the polls. This eventually led to a war in which 3,000 people died, after a decade of political turmoil including a rebellion.

Catharsis should begin “with a period of grieving, during which we should make all the ritual sacrifices,” the tribal king told AFP in a discreet villa, which is a stark contrast to his flamboyant palace. “Too much blood has been spilt on the soil of Ivory Coast. The population, wherever they come from, cannot feel appeased and live together so long as these rituals have not been accomplished,” he said, calling for the sacrifice of sheep and chickens and the pronouncing of ancestral formulas. The CDVR has been slow to get under way. But former prime minister Charles Konan Banny set the tone when he was invested as its president, saying that “just as one cleans a wound of its dirt before treating it”, Ivory Coast’s communities must carry out their “purification rites”.

For Aman Tanoe, the country must “turn to the chiefdoms”-its 12 kings, about 11,800 village chiefs and 145 tribal leaders-to achieve reconciliation. But will traditional chiefs succeed where the political class has failed? Amoa Urbain, a professor and specialist in Ivorian cultures, is not ready to discount the notion. They could “do a lot during reconciliation if a chief has great renown in his region, if he has the power to back up what he says. “On the other hand, if the chief is a puppet, he will be knocked about,” said Urbain, referring to those used by locally elected power-brokers, who are in it for the money and the votes they can muster during elections-a widespread practice that detracts from the respect given the chiefs.

Others disagree. Gisele Aka, a trader from Bassam at the Abissa festival, said the traditional chiefs cannot serve as arbitrators because “they belong to political parties” and “divided the villages” during the crisis.

“Traditional leaders should steer clear of politics,” agreed Jean Gervais Tchiffie Zie, a minor Bete chief-who comes from Gbagbo’s ethnic groupas he sat on his skin-covered throne in his fine house in Abidjan. The comment was an about-face for Tchiffie who was propelled by the late Libyan “Guide” into the post of secretary general of Moamer Kadhafi’s initiative known as the “Forum of Kings and Sultans of Africa”, a political arena.

Last March, in front of a zealous crowd of Gbagbo supporters in Abidjan, Tchiffie Zie defended his Libyan mentor in the face of the rebellion that would later see him defeated and killed. If he was clad completely in black at the time, Tchiffie Zie, who nonetheless espouses Ouattara’s “reconciliation”, was not mourning Ivorians victims. He was mourning Kadhafi, “the king of all African kings.” —AFP

The king of the N’Zima Kotoko people and first vice president of the Ivorian Commission on Dialog, Truth and Reconciliation, Awoulae Desire Amon Tanoe (c), sits on his throne on November 1, 2011 at the royal palace in the France neighborhood of the seaside resort of Grand-Bassam before a public appearance to mark the annual traditional feast of the N’Zima people. —AFP photos

The king of the N’Zima Kotoko carried by youths.

A man dressed as a woman uses a leaf to look at himself.

Baby girl for Bollywood’s ‘royal family’

‘Sun Drop’ diamond fetches record $10.9 million at auction

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File photo shows Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan and his wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan posing as they attend the Positive Health Awards in Mumbai. —AFP

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ollywood’s golden couple, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her husband Abhishek, became proud parents for the first time yesterday with the birth of a baby girl who joins a celebrated acting dynasty. India’s normally breathless television news channels only made passing reference to the birth, however, keeping to an agreement among broadcasters to restrain their reporting of the family’s private life.

Former Miss World Rai Bachchan, 38, gave birth at the private Seven Hills Hospital in Mumbai, hospital staff told AFP. “IT’S A GIRL!,” Abhishek, 35, wrote on his Twitter account, prompting a wave of congratulations on the micro-blogging site.

Abhishek later thanked well-wishers, adding: “Both Aishwarya and the baby are doing great and taking some much needed rest... and I’m trying my level best to get rid of this caffeine high and get some sleep too.”

Bachchan’s father, Bollywood legend Amitabh, also tweeted his joy at the new arrival. “A dada ji (a grandfather)...Ecstatic!”, he said, calling his new granddaughter “the cutest baby girl”. Amitabh is already a grandfather as his daughter, Shweta Nanda, has two children.

Media coverage of the event was muted even though Rai Bachchan and her husband are top stars and, along with Amitabh and his actress wife Jaya, are considered to be Bollywood’s “royal family”.

Bachchan senior-a compulsive blogger and tweeter-has had a prickly relationship with the media in the past and has criticized outlets that misrepresent him or intrude on his family’s privacy. Last week broadcasters reportedly agreed on an unprecedented series of

measures, including not to trail the event in advance or even run the announcement on “breaking news” captions. News channels, which are normally highly competitive, all appeared to be toeing the line by avoiding rolling coverage of the birth, although it was mentioned in brief. Outside broadcast vans were not sent to Bachchan’s home or the hospital, while astrology shows, which are popular in India to forecast future fortunes, have also reportedly been ruled off-limits.

Instead, it was left to the Internet for fans to wish the Bachchans well. Among fellow celebrities, Bollywood director and family friend Karan Johar wrote on Twitter: “Congratulations!! Baby B had a baby girl!!... am sure she will be the prettiest girl ever!”

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan took the Miss World crown in 1994 and made her debut in Bollywood in the late 1990s. She has since gone on to star in more than 40 Indian films. She was most recently seen in the South Indian film blockbuster “Endhiran” (Robot) with the Tamil-language superstar Rajinikanth, which broke box office records in India.

She has also appeared as a jewel thief in Steve Martin’s “The Pink Panther 2”. Her other English-language films include “Bride and Prejudice” (2004), by “Bend It Like Beckham” director Gurinder Chadha, and “The Last Legion” (2007). Before her pregnancy was announced, she was at this year’s Cannes film festival to promote her latest project “Heroine”. Filming had been due to start this year but in June its producers said the movie had been put on hold because of the pregnancy.—AFP

110-carat yellow jewel called the Sun Drop Diamond, thought the biggest of its kind in the world, sold for a record 10 million Swiss francs ($10.9 million) at auction in Geneva, Sotheby’s announced Tuesday. “Ten million francs (8.06 million euros). Sold!”, Sotheby’s David Bennett said before about 150 people gathered for the sale at a luxurious Geneva hotel. “It’s an absolute record for a yellow diamond,” Bennett told journalists after the sale. “It is a spectacular, unique stone.”

He said the buyer was an “anonymous individual” who made the winning bid over the telephone. The sale price was slightly less than the estimations of experts who had valued the yellow diamond at between 11 and 15 million dollars. Gemologists have certified the pearshaped jewel as “Fancy Vivid Yellow”, the rarest and most desirable color for a yellow diamond, Sotheby’s said. The gem was discovered in South Africa in 2010 and wowed visitors to London’s Natural History Museum where it was displayed earlier this year, and also in Hong Kong. —AFP

A model poses with the Sun-Drop diamond during a press preview of Sotheby’s auction in Geneva. —AFP