17th Oct

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011

Kuwait’s biggest science fair competition begins

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Gaddafi diehards hold up troops

Municipality beefs up drive against spoilt food

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THULQADA 19, 1432 AH

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Van Persie double subdues Sunderland

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Arab League to mull suspension of Syria Crisis session to ramp up heat on Damascus conspiracy theories

Why not KAC?

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

I

was amazed that one of our MPs threatened to grill the Minister of Interior the other day. In the beginning when I saw the words threat, grilling and Minister of Interior, I thought God help us, I’m sure there was a serious crime committed somewhere and the Minister was unaware of it. Guess what guys, the honorable gentleman is worried about why the Ministry of Interior is deporting people and flying them out of Kuwait on Jazeera Airways and not Kuwait Airways (KAC).

In all honesty, I would imagine that this MP does not live in Kuwait. I expect him to question why the Kuwait Airways case is still pending. Our national airline, let me tell you, used to be one of the best carriers in the Middle East twenty years ago. All of a sudden, the airline started deteriorating in all aspects.

From services to maintenance to timings, just to name a few.

Many stories spread about Kuwait Airways - that there was a conspiracy to bring the airline down, ruin its reputation so it could be privatized. Even after 15 years of rumors and delays, discussions in the Parliament on the problem is still pending. I don’t know why the people in Kuwait are not bothered about our national airline’s situation. The honorable gentleman does not know the story of KAC, he doesn’t see how all the neighboring countries’ airlines are booming; doesn’t he or his colleagues have any national pride?

Do they not see how Emirates Airlines is doing?

No envy is meant, I’m writing in good will. Don’t they see Qatar Airways and the reputation it is building being the world’s five star airline? Don’t they see even the most recent airlines, Fly Dubai, a budget airline, that is efficient and also booming? Their own terminal in Dubai is almost as large as the whole of Kuwait International Airport.

And after all this, the gentleman wanted to question the Minister over the issue of repatriating deported people on Jazeera Airways. I will answer you on his behalf, though I’m sure the Minister does not need my defense. My dear friend, Jazeera Airways is much cheaper and if I am flying alleged criminals or illegal residents out of here, I would also opt for the cheapest ticket I can get my hands on.

And secondly, Jazeera Airways is on time and more efficient.

Can I ask the gentleman if he flies Kuwait Airways when he travels with his family?

CAIRO: Arab League Secretary General Nabil Al-Arabi (left) talks to Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani yesterday during an Arab Foreign Ministers meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo to discuss the possibility of suspending Syria’s membership of the League. — AP

CAIRO: Arab foreign ministers yesterday started an emergency meeting in Cairo on the crisis in Syria where the UN says more than 3,000 people have been killed in a crackdown on anti-government protests. “We cannot remain silent on the violence,” Arab League chief Nabil Al-Arabi said in an opening address.

The emergency meeting may also discuss whether to suspend Syria from the Arab League, officials said, ramping up the pressure on Damascus to end its bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters. Suspension is unlikely to have a direct, tangible impact on Syria, but it would still constitute a major blow to President Bashar Assad’s embattled regime by stripping Damascus of its Arab support and further deepening its isolation.

Syria’s delegate to the Cairo-based organization, Yussef Ahmad, however, insisted the situation was returning to “calm and stability” and raised questions over the timing of the meeting.

“The timing is strange and suspect,” Ahmad said, linking the talks to US and European attempts to pass a UN Security Council resolution against the Syrian leadership.

Qatar Premier, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani, the chair of the meeting, insisted it was not convened “under any agenda but to show concern for Syria and the Syrian people. Your brothers want to help.” Gulf states requested the meeting to discuss “the situation in Syria, which has deteriorated sharply, particularly in its Continued on Page 13

mudslinging over Graft scandal Hammad, Barrak exchange accusations

By B Izzak KUWAIT: The battle over the alleged graft scandal has entered a phase of mudslinging between pro-government and opposition MPs as MP Saadoun Hammad, reportedly implicated in the scandal, yesterday made unprecedented accusations against veteran opposition MP Ahmad Al-Saadoun, but without naming him.

Hammad, whose bank account is reportedly being investigated by the public prosecution on suspicion of receiving illegal deposits, charged that the “Godfather” of the Popular Action Bloc has received KD100 million from a Gulf country.

Although he did not name the MP, Saadoun is the leading figure of the Popular Bloc, the main opposition group in the National Assembly.

Hammad said that he has the evidence for the KD 100 million payment and that he will reveal that at the assembly’s first session in the new term on October 25. He said that the lawmaker who received the huge payment has been a member of the assembly since 1975 and was an ordinary employee and

now “he has a fortune of around KD1 billion”. The only MP who fulfills these conditions is MP Saadoun.

Hammad also said that the ongoing crisis over corruption has been sparked because of a struggle over the post of the assembly speakership, which has been raging between Saadoun, a threetime former speaker and current speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi.

Hammad said that the intensity of the struggle over the speaker post increased because of the belief that Khorafi is not running in the next parliamentary elections, but “we will convince him to run.”

The lawmaker, who is a staunch supporter of the government, said the Gulf country that paid Saadoun has a famous satellite TV channel that has been abusive to Kuwait, a clear indication of Qatar.

He also said that another opposition lawmaker has been campaigning against corruption although he had admitted receiving a KD 50,000 cheque from the prime minister, a clear indication to Islamist MP Waleed Al-Tabtabai who acknowledged having received the payment in favor of a charity organization he helps run.

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Kuwait among 10 most polluted nations: WHO KUWAIT: The World Health Organization (WHO), in a new report, has classified Kuwait as being one of the ten most polluted countries in the world. Announcing the details of the new WHO report yesterday, Kuwait’s Green Line Environmental Group (GLEG) asserted that this categorically disproves the Environmental Public Authority’s claims that the country is doing well environmentally.

The WHO report revealed that Kuwait has the tenth highest air pollution levels worldwide, coming ahead of several nations that lack its technical and financial means, said the environmental group’s statement. The GLEG stressed that Kuwait’s critical environmental status could see it losing any claim to credibility in environmental protection internationally as it already has locally.

The Kuwaiti authorities must take urgent measures to protect society from the dangerous effects of air pollution, the

who responded by firing tear gas and water cannon jets.

Of 135 injured, 105 were police officers and two protesters injured by exploding smoke bombs had fingers amputated. Police arrested 12 people.

There were also clashes in New York where the “Occupy Wall Street” movement has gained pace. Police made 88 arrests there. Early yesterday, Chicago police arrested 175 protesters as they cleared a protest camp in the city’s Grant Park. “The Indignados movement rises again with global force,” Spain’s El Pais daily said.

“This is the first time a grassroots initiative organizes so many rallies in so many different and distant places in a coordinated way,” it said. In Italy, La Stampa said: “The world takes to the streets: united, peaceful and colorful.”

And Repubblica columnist Eugenio Scalfari wrote: “The fact is there is now clearly an international movement. Its preface was the ‘Arab Spring’.

Continued on Page 13

statement warned, adding that, as the WHO has pointed out, fine particles of the polluting chemicals found in Kuwait, which are invisible to the naked eye, can be breathed in or absorbed by the skin and cause heart disease and lung cancer, as well as other diseases.

The group said that for its latest report, the WHO had monitored air quality in cities around the world for seven years between 2003 and 2010.

The GLEG also slammed the EPA over its failure to provide any comprehensive records mapping air pollution levels in the Gulf state, despite its officials’ claims to have all the data and figures on these.

The environmental group suggested that this raises severe doubts about the EPA officials’ claims, especially since none of the data they claim to have in their possession has been published and nobody outside the EPA has been given any access to these records.

Saudi takes Iran to UN

Anti-crisis anger turns into global movement LONDON: Hundreds camped out in London, Frankfurt and Amsterdam yesterday, after clashes in New York and Rome, during protests some see as the start of a new global movement against corporate greed and budget cuts.

Organizers said 250 people spent the night outside St Paul’s Cathedral in London’s financial district where a camp of 70 tents had sprung up. Some 200 people also camped in front of the European Central Bank building in Frankfurt, while in Amsterdam 50 tents were put up outside the stock exchange.

There were rallies in 951 cities in 80 countries around the globe on Saturday, building on a campaign launched on May 15 with a rally in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square by a group calling itself “Indignados” (“Indignants”). The rallies passed off mostly peacefully but in Rome a few hundred among tens of thousands of protesters set cars alight, smashed up banks and hurled rocks at riot police,

Max 35º Min 18º Low Tide 07:48 & 19:46 High Tide 00:35 & 14:23

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani boy receives free food from a food distribution point at Bari Imam shrine on the World Food Day in Islamabad yesterday. — AP

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia has taken a first step to have Iran reported to the United Nations Security Council, a move that could lead to new sanctions, over an alleged plot to assassinate its ambassador in Washington, Saudi-owned newspapers reported yesterday.

“Saudi Arabia’s permanent mission to the United Nations... formally requested the United Nations Secretary General notify the Security Council of the heinous conspiracy,” the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported, citing a statement from the kingdom’s UN mission.

Meanwhile, Iran’s supreme leader warned the United States yesterday that any measures taken against Tehran over an alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington would elicit a “resolute” response.

Two men, including a member of the Iranian special foreign actions unit known as the Quds Force, have been charged in New York federal court with conspiring to kill the Saudi diplomat, Adel Al-Jubeir. US officials have said no one was ever in any immediate danger from the plot.

One of the men, who had allegedly paid a US undercover agent posing as a Mexican drug cartel hitman to carry out the assassination, has been arrested while the other is in Iran, the United States said.

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Years

MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011

local

Wages, subsidies rise by 540% in a decade KUWAIT: Public sector workers’ wages and subsidies paid to Kuwaiti citizens have risen by a massive 540 percent in the past ten years, according to a new report.

According to an article in yesterday’s AlQabas daily, the report, indicates that the bill for public sector wages in 2011-12 comes to KD 7 billion, with a further KD 4.5 billion set aside for subsidies.

The report states that the total cost of KD 11.5 billion uses $50 from the profits for every barrel of oil that Kuwait produces.

This cost is also seven times larger than the amount invested in development projects, which are moving at a snail’s pace despite the enforcement of a development plan.

Spending on projects and maintenance works is barely 14 percent of the that on salaries and subsidies, according to the report, which also notes that the cost of subsidies alone is equal to 10 percent of citizens’ average salary.

Meanwhile, the report warns that public

sector wage bill for 2011-12 may record a further 38.4 percent budget increase if the Cabinet approves the demands of protesting employees at different state departments.

Commenting on these figures, several members of the public suggested that the salaries and subsidies paid to Kuwaitis had increased significantly in the past three years due to the increase in oil prices that prompted public sector workers and politicians to support what is widely perceived as a fair distribution of the country’s revenue to its people.

Those questioned voiced hope that these measures would help fulfill the irrational demands resulting from the ongoing struggle between legislative and executive authorities. They attributed increases in subsidies for certain goods to rising commodity prices worldwide, as well as the lack of long-term strategic planning by the country’s authorities.

KTS to campaign for teachers’ allowances KUWAIT: The Kuwait Teachers Society (KTS) will hold a seminar today at its headquarters in Dasma, as part of a series of campaigns to support proposed allowances. MPs should vote for it during the first session.

In a statement released yesterday, the KTS has urged teachers to take part in an event that will be attended by a number of MPs, educators and former KTS presidents.

“Teachers should attend so as to reinforce our efforts and send a clear message about teachers’ commitment to enforce general allowances,” said Saud Al-Azmi, KTS

board member and a member of the teachers’ allowance committee.

While the draft law requires 33 votes to be passed, at least 40 MPs are reportedly prepared to vote in favor of the allowance on Oct 25. “We call for teachers’ equality to ensure educational stability by placing incentives for Kuwaiti teachers to join the country,” Al-Azmi said. He further urged the Cabinet including His Highness Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad AlSabah as well as the Minister of Education and Higher Education Ahmad Al-Mulaifi to pass the resolution.

KUWAIT: The Kuwait private satellite TV channel Scope’s presenter Soud Al-Wera was rushed to hospital yesterday after sustaining injuries. He was attacked by an assailant in Surrah. According to an eyewitnes account, Al-Wera was spotted with a bleeding nose and bruised head with blood spattered all over his dishdasha. An investigations into the case has been launched to identify the suspect.

—Photo by Hanan Al-Saadoun

MPs gear up for Wednesday’s rally KUWAIT: MPs that back the motion of filing an interpellation motion against His Highness Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser AlMohammad Al-Sabah are gearing up for a public rally scheduled for Wednesday, a day before the motion is to be officially submitted to the Parliament. While the demonstration was initially termed a ‘silent sit-in,’ officials close to the opposition insist that political and youth groups as well as activists have been invited to what now appears to be a ‘highly outspoken rally.’

MP Dr Faisal Al-Mislem, whose Development and Reform Bloc (DRB) copresented a grilling motion with Popular Action Bloc (PAB) against the premier over the suspicious multimillion-dinar deposits case, announced on Saturday that the coalition of oppositionists and anti-government activists known as Nahaj (Arabic for approach - referring to the coalition’s demand for a new Cabinet and premier with a radically new approach) held meetings over the weekend to prepare for the meeting on Wednesday. They have sent out invitations to youth and labor unions, as well as veteran political activists.

In the meantime, Al-Mislem responded to MP Dr Aseel Al-Awadhi who said in a recent televised interview that her National Action Bloc (NAB) will take an official stance on the proposed vote of confidence that may be filed against the prime minister, although the grilling motion has not even

been debated. “I’d like to ask Dr Al-Awadhi directly - who asked you to do that?” AlMislem said.

Al-Awadhi was quick to respond to AlMislem’s question after she explained that she wasn’t referring to the co-presenters’ earlier statements, rather to some people in the public.

In other developments, diplomatic officials in unnamed Gulf Cooperation Council countries are quoted by Al-Rai as indicating that news about a major money-laundering scandal involving two MPs and a former minister are reportedly accused of receiving funds from Iran, garnering regional and international attention.

The sources who spoke on condition of anonymity drew parallel between the beginning of investigations in Kuwait, and the alleged assassination plot against the Saudi Ambassador to Washington Adel AlJubeir which the United States accuses Tehran of scheming. “Concern has been raised to detect whether or not people involved in the money-laundering case were trying to violate the international embargo placed on Iran, in addition to any potential role played by Iran’s nuclear program,” one official said. Officials expressed concern that the Iranian government could be involved in the case, given the amounts of money involved ($300 million) and the manner in which the funds were transferred, reported Al-Rai.

KUWAIT: The organizers and sponsors pose for a group photograph before the press conference yesterday at the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry.—Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Kuwait’s biggest science fair competition begins Prizes include university scholarships, cash

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: Kuwait’s most prestigious annual science fair competition, organized by Exxon Mobil and the Kuwait Energy Company (KEC), is back. The launch of the Fourth Annual Kuwait Science Fair competition was announced at a press conference held yesterday at the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), which was attended by senior executives of several of the leading companies sponsoring the event.

The competition, which provides the largest and most encouraging platform for young, aspiring scientist in Kuwait is open to pupils at all local schools. Participants must be in the grades eight to 12 only from private and public schools. The competition can be viewed as an opportunity for students to explore, innovate and excel in the field of science and mathematics, the organizers explained.

Several prominent individuals and private sector companies are sponsoring this’ year’s event including Kuwait’s Minister of Oil Dr. Mohammed AlBusairi.

In a statement relayed by Exxon’s media relations officer, Dr. Al-Busairi, who is also Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs and the chairman of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, said, “The Kuwait Science Fair continues to inspire Kuwait’s youth to pursue careers in scientific fields, and this is what Kuwait needs today. Scientific fields are necessary for the development and sustainability of many areas such as energy, healthcare and infrastructure.

Today, the Kuwait Science Fair is a platform for the development of the scientists and innovators of tomorrow.”

This year’s competition also sees the participation of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) which earned the distinguished scientific body the title of honorary founder.

Speaking at the press conference, Faycel Bensaid, the President of ExxonMobil’s Exploration & Production Kuwait Limited, said that since its inception, the Kuwait Science Fair had grown to become the largest science competition in Kuwait and the most exciting educational experience for students. “We are proud of the students’ achievements over the last three years, and look forward to this year’s innovative projects,” he said, adding, “The science project surely stimulate students innovation.”

Bensaid also thanked the other companies supporting this year’s competition. “We are committed to Kuwait Science Fair and providing students with the right venue and opportunities that awaken those students’ hidden talents, imaginations and abilities and we shall continue to support them,” he stated. Another speaker at yesterday’s event, KEC’s Chief Executive Officer Sara Akbar, explained that the company’s goal in participating in the prestigious competition is to attract high school students to the fields of science and

youthful ideas through the medium of the science competition. “Kuwait is home to many talents that need support to excel, and this competition provides just that for our youth,” he said.

On behalf of Chicago’s illustrious Northwestern University, which is offering the first place prize winner or winning group with places and a four-year undergraduate tuition scholarship in the discipline of their choice, Dr. Indrani Mukharji, the Executive Director of the university’s International Research Partnerships division, also expressed

Aseel Al-Turkait

Faycel Benzaid

Jassem Bishara

Dr Indrani Mukharji

mathematics and provide them with a fun, exciting, and competitive environment. “As the competition begins its fourth year, I cannot believe how far it has progressed in reach and significance, and more importantly how it’s engaged students from different academic backgrounds to share their passion for the sciences,” said Akbar, adding, “We look forward to continuing to inspire students and enabling them to become some of the leading scientists in Kuwait and the world.”

Another speaker, Dr. Jassem AlBishara, the director of KFAS’ Scientific Culture Directorate, expressed the foundation’s desire to play a greater role in this year’s competition said in his address at the press conference that he wants to see students express their

her happiness on the university’s behalf at its participation as the first global partner in the Kuwait Science Fair. “I am very happy to educate Kuwait’s most ambitious young scientists where they would have the opportunity to study at our leading faculty on our beautiful campus where they will be empowered with the latest technology and knowledge to keep fueling their creativity and innovation,” she said.

Dr. Mukharji explained that Northwestern University is rated amongst the top 12 US universities, as well as being included among the top seven for chemistry and medical studies, and the top 20 for engineering studies. As well as its main campus in Chicago, Northwestern University also has a campus in Qatar.

For the second year running, meanwhile, second place competition winners or members of the winning group will be granted undergraduate scholarships at the American University of Kuwait (AUK). Speaking at yesterday’s event, AUK President, Dr. Winfred Thompson said, “We were very impressed last year by the students’ experiments, and even more so by the first place winner, who will be joining AUK upon graduating from high school.” He continued, “We’ve seen that KSF participants are unique in their determination and ambition, and we are lucky to have them continue their path to excellence in our halls as part of our student population, and under the guidance of AUK professors.”

Other sponsors of the major competition include Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), Kuwait United Facilities Management Company (KUFM), the Scientific Center of Kuwait (TSCK), and global oilfield services leader Schlumberger.

As well as scholarship grants, the first and second place prize winners will also receive internship opportunities at Schlumberger, with the first place winner also getting an opportunity to choose from over 50 locations around the world at which to complete the internship program.

The Environment Preservation Industrial Company (EPIC) is also joining this year’s roster of distinguished sponsors, as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting innovative ideas in waste management and sustained environmental protection. EPIC will award cash prizes totaling more than KD4,000 to the top three winners and the category winners of the Science and Environment Excellence Award. Asked about the whereabouts and achievements to date of previous three years’ competition winners, Aseel Al-Turkait, the Managing Director of the Kuwait Science Fair, noted: “Many are still pursuing their higher education, from medical schools to engineering and scientific research. The competition has inspired many and they’ll be the future leaders, scientists and engineers or doctors when they graduate or complete their school studies,” she said. The fair lasts for a five-month period and is held in two cycles. More details can be found at the competition website, www.best100.org, which includes information about the competition, and how those wishing to take part can register.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011

Years

LOCAL kuwait digest

In my view

Change is in our hands

A nation on hold

By Dr Wael Al-Hasawi

T

he levels of tension currently plaguing Kuwaiti politics leave one hard-pressed to argue that the change is not necessary. Kuwaiti citizens’ outrage reflects their commitment to and desire to see change and reform over the coming months, following developments that have led to widespread disillusionment.

Would we be able to stop electing MPs who, once elected, do nothing to improve our state of affairs?

Have we reached a point where we realize that pursuing sectarianism and tribalism can only bring destruction to our country, as opposed to solidarity and unity?

Were I in charge I would have implemented changes instead of waiting to see how events unfold. Not only would this course of action restore people’s faith in their leadership but it would also help absorb society’s current frustrations.

I must concede, however, that Kuwaiti citizens themselves share the blame for our current problems, as we are the ones who have, in the past, elected MPs due to tribal and sectarian loyalties or to benefits obtained unlawfully through ‘wasta’ (illegal mediation), which certain candidates can provide.

We could not foresee candidates’ future actions when we voted for them in good faith, but the same MPs were reelected time and again despite suspicious conduct while in office. What happened after the multimillion-dinar deposits scandal surfaced?

Local blogs and websites were filled with rumors spread by people who rushed to support suspect MPs, leading the loss of confidence by others in reform as it quickly became impossible to tell the suspect MPs from the virtuous ones.

His Highness the Amir has always actively sought to meet the Kuwaiti people’s demands and hopes.

But let us say that he eventually chooses to dissolve Parliament. Would we be able to stop electing MPs who, once elected, do nothing to improve our state of affairs? Have we reached a point where we realize that pursuing sectarianism and tribalism can only bring destruction to our country, as opposed to solidarity and unity?

The solution to our problems is not as easy as it seems. We require a comprehensive approach in which the concepts of unity and patriotism are instilled in our citizens, especially in the young generations in whom our hopes for a better future lie. — Al-Rai

By Fouad Al-Obaid

fouad@kuwaittimes.net Twitter: @Fouadalobaid

T

he ongoing strikes in various governmental ministries, not the least, at the customs department has a negative impact on a country that is vying to play a pivotal role in the Middle East region. The effect of the strikes on our country, which happen to coincide a week after the milliondinar deposit scandal, is troubling. Kuwait does not generate much global attention, and it is a shame that when we do it, it is often for the wrong reasons!

kuwait digest

How the development plan left out Kuwaitis

By Ahmad Al-Rujaib

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e’ve heard a great deal about development plans and projects, such as the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port, the railway and other initiatives related to fields as diverse as infrastructure, the health sector and the national power network, amongst others.

It’s notable, however, that we haven’t heard or read of any special projects related to the development of the country’s human resources, whether through education, training or rehabilitation.

I think the evidence is clear that those responsible for formulating or implementing Kuwait’s development plan have failed to appreciate that any economic development can only be achieved in tandem with similar development of the abilities and skills of the country ’s human resources, who should be qualified and enabled to run the development plan projects well and efficiently.

I have a feeling that those who formulated the development plan for Kuwait simply assumed that highly sk illed expatriate exper ts would be brought in to run these projects;

if my suspicion is right, this is a serious problem which further complicates any efforts to bring real advancement and development.

Worse than this, it even makes Kuwaitis a minority in their own country. In addition, it comes at a high cost to Kuwaiti society, the most significant aspect of which is an increase in the number of unemployed Kuwaitis and the related security risks.

Nobody has really considered the dangers of this approach.

This is the reality when those who have a controlling interest in the development projects believe that it is wiser to bring in foreign experts to run them as they’re cheaper than the locals, which ser ves the interests of those profiting from these projects.

Whilst there is no doubt that the ultimate aim of the development plan is to attain a suitably prestigious international status for Kuwait and to secure a luxurious lifestyle for Kuwaitis, those involved in implementing it must rethink their current policy if there is to be any real hope of a better future for Kuwait and its

kuwait digest

End justifies means

young people. In my humble opinion, no real development can be achieved while young Kuwaitis are suffering from unemployment, both real and disguised.

The development plan includes a number of major projects and it is dangerous to hand over administration of these to expatriates and foreign firms for any reason. Those in charge must consider the introduction of a strategic plan to develop Kuwait ’s human resources, reviewing Kuwait University’s curriculum and the philosophy behind offering Kuwaiti students overseas scholarships to ensure that the local university offers scientific and professional studies.

Those in power must be made aware of the dangers of the current approach in order to formulate a new policy in which there will be no room for unqualified and non-specialist expatriates in the country. It is vital that young Kuwaitis be enabled to control and administer the development of their country and the projects comprised therein from now on. — Al-Anba

kuwait digest

Exclamations at the Arab Spring!

By Abdullatif Al-Duaij

By Ahmed Bodastor

T

he end justifies means. This is a concept taken as an excuse by many politicians who turn into opportunists when the means are out of the ordinary or even flouts the law; which is almost always the case these days. Even then, the means are generally accepted when the repercussions of adopting them can be avoided or limited.

Today there are ‘politicians’ from different backgrounds whose goals are unified with the main hope of ousting Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad AlSabah from his position. It is their top priority. This is why they are willing to do anything to reach that end. Considering the problems and issues dominating the country today, it is hard to blame those politicians that do not show compassion upon reaching their goal. There is no doubt that the situation in the country is spiraling downwards with crises emerging like multimillion-dinar deposits scandal and before it, the diesel smuggling case. But either way, these politicians are willing to put everything at stake to reach the end of ousting the prime minister.

But the question here is, is it okay to sacrifice general principles and rules to reach that end?

Can replacing the prime minister and all ministers be the true solution for all our problems and development woes? In advanced and stable communities, it is easier, or let’s say less risky, to circumvent the law partially to achieve an end. That’s because getting back on track would be a lot easier in more stable societies where people are already experienced. On the other hand, the situation is different in Kuwait where we still fight to achieve stability in our systems and principles.

This is especially the case when laws and the Constitution are barely implemented. Any simple derivation from our principles can create chaos and, more dangerously, can support the dominance of individual visions.

MPs who are calling for the ouster of Sheikh Nasser are acting on the basis of a piece of news read in the paper about suspicious deposits made to lawmakers’ bank accounts. They are already determined who the people involved are, and the punishment they should receive. They continue calling for support to the cause as they question anyone who can’t agree with their approach, even if that person is acting on the basis of principles.

While charges in the graft scandal are yet to be pressed, MPs calling for Sheikh Nasser’s ouster are already sacrificing principles as well as legal and constitutional rights to reach their goal. — Al-Qabas

The state can simply not afford to hand out higher salaries for jobs that are not needed!

The government though, is keen on hiring people as part of a wealth sharing scheme.

T

he famous late Egyptian poet, Salah Shaheen, described exclamations of truth as ripples on water that quickly disappear, while the late Egyptian silver screen’s Cinderella, Soud Hosni, once sang, ‘It’s Spring, so let’s forget every other thing!’

This sentiment might apply to the song, but it doesn’t to the Arab Spring, which has so far exposed so many things and yet a long time is still needed to unfold so many mysteries.

A few years ago, the then-US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice launched the term ‘ The New Middle East,’ predicting many regional changes and the fall of numerous regimes like that of Saddam Hussein. She argued that the Iraqi example was the best one to be followed across the Arab world to spread democrac y, human rights, respect minority rights, as well as respecting diversity and the devolution of power.

The difference between the Iraqi experience and the Arab revolutions is that the former was imposed through direct foreign interference while the latter evolved from within, with various forms of foreign funding and encouragement because the Iraqi approach was proved a failure by time. It was substituted with the Turkish experience.

On Oct 10, the chairman of the Egyptian Tajammo’ Party, Dr Ref ’at Al-Saeed told Al-Watan that over $400 million in total has been paid under various guises by the US government to groups and individuals operating in Egypt, and that the government k nows about these payments yet can do nothing.

Such a statement only shows

how the reports on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter show only the tip of the iceberg while its covered parts are still unseen.

There is an even more dangerous fact, that billions are being sent to the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi groups

by GCC states, which is also the case in Libya and Tunisia. This reveals the suspicious relationship between the Arab Spring and the Political-Islamic groups on the one hand and foreign intelligence services on the other.

It also highlights the Turkish role in these revolutions that has led them all to promote the Turk ish experience in the region, even though it’s quite obvious how closely linked Turkey is with the US and the EU countries, as well as Israel.

We all know that the recent Turkish-Israeli conflict was only a pretext aiming at promoting the Turks in the Arab world.

There is yet a further aim which is drying up the funding to the so-called sources of terrorism, improving the US’ image in the Arab World and normalizing Arab-Israeli relations.

The recent clashes between Christian Egyptians and the Egyptian security forces which claimed 25 lives and resulted in over 300 people being injured also sends some very alarming signals. This is extremely similar to what happened in Southern Sudan before the separation and indicates that the Arab Spring will give Christians a greater role to play in protecting Western interests and bridging the gap between East and West.

Awarding Yemeni political

activist Tawakol Kormani the Nobel Peace Prize is definitely a victory for Arab women, yet it is also evidence of how significant foreigners are in influencing the Arab Spring in Yemen, where the CIA’s involvement in the attempted assassination of President Saleh is extremely clear with the aim of making way for a takeover by a tribalreligious alliance, very clearly controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood and Al- Qaeda.

While Saleh’s days in power are almost over, however, the worst is yet to come and Yemen may well turn into another Somalia.

Things are no better in Syria where it’s evident that a deal had been made between US and I ran to regionally swap roles and influence. It’s clear that Iran now has greater control in Iraq, about which the US maintains a steady silence in return for Iran’s abandonment of its support for Syria to help topple the Baath regime and pave the way for a Syrian Arab Spring led by the Muslim Brotherhood. In return for controlling Iraq, Iran gives up the ‘Axis of Evil,’ including Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas, thus giving greater control to the Christians in Lebanon and easing the pressure on Israel and the political Islam groups.

Only time will reveal that whilst the Arab Spring looked so promising, the worst has yet to come. The New Middle East will have no room for tyrants, true, but the ‘people power’ will be led by Islamic parties following the Turkish model and mentored by a US-Iranian alliance aiming at sharing regional influence and safeguarding Israel. — Al-Watan

With regards to the strikes, I don’t deny that unions should have the right to strike when work conditions deteriorate. However, to have people demand higher pay for little if not any work is scandalous. What makes matters worse is the lack of a studied government response, which in itself is troubling. What is clear is that the situation is not beneficial to the state or state interest in the long run. It is a major cause of concern amidst regional chaos.

The state can simply not afford to hand out higher salaries for jobs that are not needed! The government though, is keen on hiring people as part of a wealth sharing scheme. This strategy is an exasperating oil curse that is rendering the entire country cozy to free short-term money at the expense of sound long-term planning and industry. Free money is nice, but in the long run, free money leads to laziness, and such seems to be the case today.

What needs to be done, the government should be serious about privatization. While oil money is still available in abundance, the state should push forth with economic diversification plans pushing as many people as possible out of ministries and into industries of various sorts.

At an initial phase, the state could sponsor the creation of companies that create viable industries and become in the long-term, the source of national employment. Job creation is no easy task in a world constantly moving towards high-tech product development and sales. We need to develop new means and industries in fields not necessarily related to the oil industry. We should start pioneering new industries, and develop companies able to compete at the international level.

We need to look towards consolidating our historical role at the northern tip of the Arabian Gulf; we should work towards creating regional partnerships and invite companies to establish a regional headquarters in Kuwait. We should further push forth diplomatically and try to host multi-lateral organization regional offices.

The time is ripe for major change; we should not let the occasion pass. What we do today will affect the generations to come. Let us be the generation that propels Kuwait and secures its future via both infrastructural changes, and real economic diversification coupled with diplomatic leadership. Bold visions, bring forth bold challenges. Let us dare dream of a new vision for Kuwait, one that will set Kuwait firmly on the global map, and this time, let it be for the right reasons.

kuwait digest

If the Constitution could speak

By Sami Al-Nisf

I

f the Constitution had the ability to speak, it would have said that it could convey different meanings. It would have cried aloud against those killing it, under the pretext of safeguarding it.

It would have objected to the fact that differences crop up because of it.

It will be ashamed that some of the MPs fill their pockets with corrupt money collected through political maneuvers. It will curse those that use interpellation motion as means to amass wealth.

It will curse those who ‘grill’ the government to fulfill personal motives and not to advance a social cause.

The Constitution would have denounced those who took to the streets (ostensibly after losing the elections) spreading confusion by staging a pseudo ‘Kuwaiti Spring.’ We would like them to ask the Constitution how it has evolved over the years when Kuwait was once a pioneer in culture, science, art, politics, sports, health, media and education in the Gulf region - to a fallen state that has become a butt of jokes.

If the Constitution could speak, it would have condemned all the parliamentary laws that destroyed Kuwait, and stunted development plans, and the privatization of Kuwait Airways which destroyed KAC. I am sure it would have asked to be buried before being made use to encourage corruption by granting MPs immunity. — Al-Anbaa

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Culture limits lifesaving organ donor numbers

By Lisa Conrad

KUWAIT: German ambassador to Kuwait, Frank Marcus Mann, stands with counselor Dr Armin Koessler at the ambassador’s residence in Mishref yesterday.

KUWAIT: The German ambassador and Sanjay Kaul, Assistant Marketing Manager for Mercedes-Benz with one of the winners of the test drive.

German week wraps up, prizes handed out

By Sawsan Kazak KUWAIT: The German ambassador to Kuwait, Frank Marcus Mann held a press conference at his residence in Mishref to hand out prizes to the winners of the German Week raffle draw yesterday.

The German Week, which took place from Oct 9 to 12 intended to showcase Germany as a leading player in technology, innovation, science and research to the Kuwaiti academic sector, the business community and the Kuwaiti public in general.

The German Embassy in Kuwait and Kuwait University presented the week-long event which also highlighted the successful bilateral cooperation shared between Kuwait and Germany. The event featured key speeches, presentations, panel discussions as well as exhibitions. The week focused on the economic and science sectors, but also highlighted recent regional aspects of political and social sciences.

Names of the winners from the German Week raffle are: Air ticket sponsored by Lufthansa: Amal Jassem, Mohamed Khan Abdul Rahman Bader, Jadaan AlSaeed, Hanaa Tareq Al-Jasser; Dinner for two persons in Movenpick Hotel: Mohamad Zakariya, Mohammad Morad; One night at Movenpick Hotel: Doha Adnan Mohammad Salmeen; Dinner for four persons in Holiday Inn Hotel: Bashaeer Zaid, Fahad Al-Samhan; Test Drive- Mercedes: Dana Yousel Khalfan; Training Course REDO: Fawaz Abdullatif Salman Al-Essa

CB inspectors scrutinize local banks’ records KUWAIT: Teams of inspectors from the Central Bank (CB) of Kuwait visited numerous banks in the country over the past few days, focusing on those which submitted reports showing that their records showed no cases of any massive or suspicious payments being made into clients’ accounts. “Banks were first asked verbally to provide detailed reports about any accounts which could have seen suspicious transactions”, one banking insider told local daily Al-Qabas. Speaking on condition of anonymity due to the unofficial nature of the CB’s activities, the insider indicated that the field inspection teams would have “a different and longer mission” this time compared to previous operations.

These procedures are part of the central bank’s investigations into allegations of multimillion dinar payments being made into some MPs’ bank accounts, which sparked a public outcry and political controversy, culminating in a new grilling motion against the Prime Minister, His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed AlSabah. The media coverage of the case and of the investigation and of the related legal action had displeased the CB Governor Sheikh Salem Al-Sabah, who said on Saturday that breaches of banking confidentiality are not permissible in any circumstances, warning that this could lead to economic instability.

“Disclosure and transparency should not give an excuse to violate the confidentiality of work in the banking sector in a way that affects [Kuwait’s] financial stability,” the central bank head told local daily Al-Rai. The paper also revealed that the senior management figures even at those banks which have been credited of approaching the Public Prosecution Service with information on suspicious transactions in certain accounts are upset that information about clients’ accounts has been leaked. —Al-Qabas, Al-Rai

KUWAIT: “Why bury perfectly good tissue and organs when they could be used to save someone’s life instead?” asked Dr Mustafa Al-Mousawi, the head of the Ministry of Health’s (MoH) Organ Procurement Unit.

Speaking to the Kuwait Times yesterday, the senior MoH official explained that whilst Kuwait has relatively high rates of organ donation when compared with other Middle Eastern countries, it’s still well behind the US and Europe in this area. “We have a slightly higher rate [in Kuwait] because we’ve been organizing ourselves since 1996,” Dr. Al-Mousawi revealed. “We started a course, with the help of Eurotransplant, which made a great deal of difference, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.

“Around 25 percent of the families of deceased individuals in Kuwait give their consent when contacted to donate their loved ones’ organs to save others’ lives.

While this is a higher-than-average figure for the Middle East, however, it’s still some way behind the same figure in Europe, which currently stands at 75%, so there’s still progress to be made in this area,“ explained Dr. Al-Mousawi.

The senior MoH official attributed the differing attitudes towards organ donation between the Middle East and Europe to culture, “Many from Islamic backgrounds feel that it is wrong to alter the body of the deceased. However, we asked religious leaders about this issue specifically and they said that because you are saving people’s lives as a result, it is permissible.”

The doctor also noted, “There is a verse in the Quran that says that saving one person’s life is like saving a whole nation.”

The distinguished medic indicated that the question of the acceptability of altering or performing any form of surgery on a deceased person’s body is an age-old one: “Religious leaders, many centuries ago, asked this same question. For example they asked if it would be permissible to remove a valuable jewel from the stomach of the deceased. They decided that it would be acceptable if the jewel was the property of another.”

He also referred to the example of removing a living baby from its mother’s stomach if the mother has passed away before giving birth, asking, “Would it not be acceptable to operate on the body of the deceased, in order to save the life of another person?”

Culture appeared to greatly influence how interviewees decided whether or not they would consent to a family member’s organs being donated to save another person’s life: “It is not right. We should leave like we came,” said Ayesha, a 56-year-old mother of four. She added, however, “If one of my sons was in need of an

organ I would hope that he would receive one from someone who had been a donor. Maybe it’s something we judge from afar without thinking about the further consequences.”

Sara, a 22-year-old Kuwaiti student, insisted, however, that it’s not culture which prevents people from donating or approving the donation of deceased family members’ organs, but something far more basic and self-centered: “Many just don’t like the idea of it,” she said. “It bothers them, and they don’t want to consider why it’s important and what a difference it would make. I think it’s spoilt and selfish, to refuse. Saving a

KUWAIT: The Kuwait Transplant Society’s donor card. life is one of the best things we can do as humans, even if it is something we do in death.”

Organ donation would certainly reduce waiting lists for organs, but would also eradicate many disturbing practices that some people awaiting transplants resort to out of desperation. According to Dr Al Mousawi, many people from the Middle East travel to poorer countries, such as India, Pakistan, the Philippines and Egypt in search of organs for sale, despite the legal and ethical questions such behavior raises.

In the past, there have also been numerous instances in Kuwait of unrelated donors suddenly offering a kidney to a “friend” awaiting a transplant. Upon further investigation, however, the donor was often discovered to be selling the organ in question to the other individual and to have no other relationship to them. Dr Al Mousawi added, however, that this problem was successfully combated with further regulation and mandatory scrutiny of any case in which an unrelated donor comes forward to announce a wish to donate.

The rate of organ donation and consent rises and falls in line with how active transplant coordinators are, explained the doctor, adding that this was one of the

driving reasons behind the foundation of the Kuwait Organ Procurement Unit, which was established to ensure that coordinators could be more proactive in helping to save the lives of those awaiting transplants.

The coordinators are doctors at local hospitals, with every local hospital having at least one doctor working with the unit.

This is a particularly efficient system because in any case in which brain death is confirmed in a patient, the doctor is immediately able to inform the unit and liaise with families to request consent. Dr. Al-Mousawi added, however, that speaking with family members about this issue at such a sensitive and emotionally traumatic time for them can be difficult, more especially if they’re abroad when the deceased passes away.

Dr. Al-Mousawi suggested that the current reliance on the consent of family members and the additional time taken by this could be eradicated if individuals chose to opt in to an organ donation system whilst alive. There is the option to do this in Kuwait already, the doctor added, but the take-up rate is extremely low, with only 6,000 people in total in the country offering to donate their organs once they pass away. In order to increase the number of donors, the Kuwait Transplant Society has now made it possible for people to register online and carry a donor card with them.

Dr. Al-Mousawi further insisted that it’s vital that expatriates awaiting lifesaving organ transplants receive more equality, both in treatment and on the organ donor waiting lists, more especially if they have offered to be donors themselves previously: “We can’t ask expatriates to opt in as donors when they are not treated equally on waiting lists,” he asserted. “There must be equality if we want to encourage people in Kuwait, expatriates and citizens alike, to become donors. For example, an expatriate donor should be eligible for free dialysis should they have kidney failure, to further acknowledge what they have done.”

Dr. Al-Mousawi suggested that the ideal situation and the one which would help save most lives amongst those awaiting transplants would be if donor status were printed on driving licenses.

To improve the current situation in Kuwait, said the senior MoH official, there must be continuous support from the government. However, culture, regulation and legislation must all be addressed in order to effectively remedy this situation in the long term. The result, he concluded would certainly be worthwhile: “People on transplant waiting lists die unnecessarily,” he said. “If everyone donated their organs, then the problem would be eradicated.”

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‘Bedoon issue should be resolved soon’ Seminar held on Kuwait’s naturalization issues

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: The mother of KD25,000 weekly draw prize winner Fatemah Al Zahra Yaqot receives the prize on her daughter’s behalf from AUB area manager Tariq Al-Sheward.

AUB holds weekly draw KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Ahli United Bank (AUB) yesterday announced the winners of its latest AlHassad Islamic investment savings account weekly draw, which is open to all holders of Al-Hassad Islamic investment savings accounts.

The lucky winners of the October 5 draw, who each won prizes worth KD25,000, were named as Khalid Ibrahim, Qambar Baqer, Fatima Al-Zahra Yaqot, and Saad Musaed Sami Al-Seedi, whilst another 25 lucky account-holders won cash prizes of KD1,000 each.

With 28 weekly prizes worth over KD100,000 in total, as well as a massive monthly KD250,000 ‘Salary for Life’ prize, AUB’s Al-Hassad Islamic account holders have a lot to look forward to and an opportunity to win prizes worth far more than those offered by other banks’ draws, said a statement issued by the bank yesterday.

The most attractive feature of the initiative recently introduced by the AUB is the chance to win bigger prizes more often, with three lucky Al-Hassad Islamic account-holders winning KD25,000 each every week, whilst another 25 win KD1,000 each. The chance of winning any of these great prizes or the magnificent monthly ‘Salary for Life’ KD250,000 draw is open to both existing Al-Hassad account-holders and new customers opening Al-Hassad accounts as soon as they open their accounts, with numerous chances to win as the draws are set to continue for another 250 months or over 20 years.

Although the weekly and monthly draws

were announced only in recent months, the AUB has already made a lot of Al-Hassad Islamic account-holders very happy indeed, paying over KD10 million worth of prizes, with the ‘Salary for Life’ prize truly changing the prizewinners’ lives, enabling them to afford better homes, improved education for their children and an enhanced quality of life.

The fully Sharia-compliant Al-Hassad Islamic account, introduced earlier this year, is geared towards meeting the needs of busy working people and comes with a range of state-of-the-art banking benefits, as well as access to AUB’s unique range of Islamic finance products, including credit cards and investment-related products.

In addition to having a chance to win fantastic prizes in the weekly and monthly draws, Al-Hassad Islamic account-holders with large account balances are also eligible for other attractive banking features, such as an excellent investment savings plan, a cheque facility linked to their investment savings accounts and, of course, the bank’s standard state-of-the-art e-banking facilities and 24-7 contact center support.

Every Al-Hassad Islamic account draw is conducted under the supervision of officials from both the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the prestigious independent auditing firm Ernst & Young.

Anyone wanting to find out more about the Al-Hassad Islamic investment savings account, the prize entry rules and eligibility criteria is welcome to visit any AUB branch in Kuwait.

KUWAIT: Focusing on the long-standing political diatribe on bedoons, the Human Rights Committee(HRC) of the Kuwait Bar Association held a symposium entitled ‘Citizenship Caught Between Sovereignty and Court Control’ on Saturday evening at its premises. It was held in cooperation with the Kuwaiti Bedoons Committee.

Dr Obaid Al-Wasmi, Professor of Criminal Law at the Faculty of Law , Kuwait University began his speech by accusing the government of not taking a serious approach to tackle the issue.

“The bedoons are a strategic human resource, which the government makes use of when need arises. Not all bedoons deserve Kuwaiti citizenship. The government has the right to confer citizenship in accordance with suitability. If it is not organized, thousands of people will apply for it due to the benefits that citizens receive,” he said.

“On the other hand, bedoons deserve basic rights that include their right to file cases. The Kuwaiti law forbids certain issues to be reviewed by the court like the one on citizenship. It’s considered an issue related to a country’s sovereignty. Kuwait has signed international treaties that guarantees the rights of people including, the right of education, health, judiciary and others.

So, to disallow bedoons from approaching the court is a violation of basic rights. They have the complete right to bring this conflict to court,” added Al-Wasmi.

Al-Wasmi also believes that the government’s claim about the issue of citizenship being a sovereignty issue is incorrect, “ The criteria to acquire citizenship has become deeply personal.

The administration has the right to naturalize whoever it wants. An example of this is the naturalization of a woman who never lived in Kuwait. At least, even if they are not naturalized they should be given fundamental rights like expatriates. The government should take swift action before the situations gets worse. I also hope that Article 1 of the paragraph 5 of law number 20/1981 that bans reviewing conflicts

(Left) Dr. Obaid Al-Wasmi and (Right) Mohammed Al-Matrook — Photos by Joseph Shagra of nationality and administrative deportation by the court is enforced,” he concluded.

The next speaker was Dr Thiqal Al-Ajmi, Professor of International Law and Human Rights at the Faculty of Law, Kuwait University.

He reviewed the history of human rights outlined in international treaties since 1945. “Kuwait adopted the theory of sovereignty from the Egyptian verdict 63/1994 and the Kuwait verdict 63/2004. The definition of sovereignty is the same as it is in Egypt. So how the issues of sovereignty are allowed to be reviewed by the court there and in Kuwait cannot be compared,” he noted. He also criticized the practice of deporting bedoons, “According to prevailing laws, no individual should be arrested and detained at the deportation jail for more than one month.

There are some bedoons who have been languishing in deportation jails for years. It’s illegal

to deport them because they are stateless.

Furthermore referring to bedoons as ‘Residing Illegally in Kuwait’ by the department responsible for managing their affairs conflicts with the law of citizenship.”

Mohammed Al-Matrook, Head of the Human Rights Committee at the Kuwait Bar Association analyzed the humanitarian aspects of the issue.

He also explained the differences and classification -the bedoons who have a proven criminal record and those without. “Those belonging to the former category have no access to education, health care, marriage and birth certificates and other basic rights. They also are not able to sign a contract with the companies they work for, resulting in the loss of many rights. On the other hand, we cannot deny that the government has accorded them with many privileges.” he concluded.

Gender equality vital for social, political growth KUWAIT: Steps to implement gender equality should start from the early stages of an individual’s life, said Rima Nashashibi, an internationally-renowned Arab-American political and community leader, during an interview yesterday. Such efforts will ensure that women and men get an equal voice in matters of society and politics, she added.

Nashashibi, continued, “There have been some good steps but I think we have long ways to go. [...] It has to start from the schools where you have gender equity classes. We have a great culture but we need to empower the women as much as the men because we have a great religion Islam which gives you same equal rights.”

Kuwait and Arab societies in general should use the great principles set by Islam to promote gender equality and social justice, she said, adding that implementing such principles would result in Muslims being “great ambassadors for this great religion.”

Regarding the improvement of women’s rights in Kuwait, Nashashibi indicated that women in Kuwait are “very smart” and are cognizant to requisite improvements but that due to the changing status of the political game, Kuwaiti women need to network together to improve their position in society.

Women need to let their opinions be heard and they could achieve this through cooperation, said Nashashibi, who added that following such efforts women could take such cooperation and apply it on the social level. On the issue of involving youth partici-

pation in politics, Nashashibi stated that “we want to indicate to them that you can run for office” and pursue an equally-important career.

She affirmed that it is vital for the youth to be politically aware, as the younger generation in Kuwait and Arab states are the futures of their respective nations.

Nashashibi pointed out that her visit to Kuwait would focus mainly on sharing her experiences within the political scene and meeting the youth at Kuwait University (KU) and other private academic institutions to discuss their aspirations.

Asked about the Arab Spring, Nashashibi stressed that women were part of the revolution yet explained that in certain contexts where revolutions succeeded, Arab women celebrated such developments by asking for rights and were met with puzzlement by society and even rejection. “If we’re celebrating their role in the revolution [...] we need to also give them their rights,” stated Nashashibi.

Rima Nashashibi is dedicated to educating voters and providing younger generations access to political jobs in order to help them achieve their dreams in addition to providing training in the USA and internationally on how to run political campaigns. She has held various positions such as president of the National Women Political Caucus and vice chair for the Democratic Party of Orange County, California. She also sits on the boards of various local and national US non-profit organizations. — KUNA

Mexico City Mayor on official visit to Kuwait MEXICO CITY: Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard departed Mexico City on Saturday evening for a four-day visit to Kuwait, the agenda of which includes strengthening bilateral relations. Ebrard is due to sign a twinning agreement between Mexico City and Kuwait City, a move that will boost economic, investment and commercial cooperation between Mexico and Kuwait. It will be the first such agreement Mexico has signed with an Arab state, which

underscores the strength of the bilateral ties and the two states’ mutual interest in furthering relations. Ebrard will be one of the most senior Mexican official to visit Kuwait in 36 years, after the 1975 visit by Mexican President Luis Echeverr’a Alvarez. Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa visited as a presidential representative in February to attend Kuwait’s national celebrations and Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Lourdes Aranda visited in May. — KUNA

KUWAIT: The training center at the Medical Contingency Department held a course on first aid for employees of the Environment Public Authority (EPA) in which 14 individuals participated. The course was supervised by Sadiq Karam and trainer Saed Abu Dames. The course covered administering CPR, treating fractures, burns, and asphyxiation.

KUWAIT: Municipality officials conducting raids yesterday.

Municipality intensifies campaign against spoilt food

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: The Municipality has been conducting round the clock raids to detect spoilt food materials, in line with the direct orders issued by Dr Fadhel Safar, Minister of Municipality Affairs. Director Ahmad AlSubaih has been taking follow up action to nab all violators and safeguard consumers health. Meanwhile, Director of Ahmadi Municipality Fahad Al-Otaibi said that citations will be issued against firms that flout laws. To protect the health and safety of consumers, it is essential that the Municipality play an active role in places that sell food. He said several violations were detected in co-operative societies’ warehouses. It was noted that edible items were stored improperly. He added that during the latest campaign, 25 citations were issued to food stuff outlets that failed to meet quality standards, failure to comply with health conditions, failing to provide workers with uniforms. Also, eight kilograms of food were destroyed Drugs seized An Egyptian national who arrived on board a Kuwait Airways flight from Cairo was arrested in connection with possession of hashish. Also, 500 tablets of restricted drug Tramadol was seized from his posses-

sion. Customs Director Ibrahim Al-Ghanim praised inspectors for playing a crucial role in protecting the country.

Fishing boats seized A coast guard patrol arrested five Kuwaiti fishing boats that trawled illegally along Ras Al-Qaid. They added that two Iraqi fishing boats were also caught. Officials said that coordination with Iraq naval forces was under way to hand over the two boats. In another development, Major General Sheikh Mohammad Al-Yousuf, Interior Ministry Assistant Undersecretary for Borders Security inspected the countryís northern border areas on Saturday.

Motor accidents In a car accident that took place near the Oyoun Naseem traffic light, a 44-year-old female citizen suffered from internal bleeding. A 13-year-old boy suffered a cut to the eye and a 38-year-old Bangladeshi suffered multiple injuries. They were admitted to Jahra Hospital. In another case, a 36-year-old Indian was fatally wounded in a motorcycle accident that took place near Sulaibiya co-operative society. He was admitted to Farwaniya Hospital. Also, a 41-year-old Egyptian fractured his left leg in a car accident that took place along Canada Dry Street. They were admitted to Sabah Hospital.

KUWAIT: The man who was arrested for drug smuggling yesterday.

residents outraged by public bodybuilding show KUWAIT: A male bodybuilders’ contest staged at a mall in Jahra on Friday sparked a large number of complaints from local residents, with several MPs condemning the choice of location for the event, especially since it was held in a place where families often gather at the weekend. News of the bodybuilders’ contest, staged by a local gym at the mall in Jahra on Friday evening, quickly spread, with the area’s traditionally conservative residents outraged at reports of scantily clad competitors parading there. Police quickly arrived at the mall after receiving a number of calls from members of the public, but were unable to stop the event from proceeding since the organizers provided documents proving that they had

obtained all the necessary licenses and permission to stage the show. A number of local people expressed anger at the police’s inability to stop the event, particularly women who found the show highly disrespectful.

“What happened is a disgrace, both concerning the [bodybuilding show’s] location and its timing”, said parliamentarian Musallam Al-Barrak who was among the first MPs to comment on the incident. The outspoken opposition lawmaker blamed the “lack of monitoring by state services” for the incident, while sarcastically accusing the cabinet of working on corrupting the public, in reference to both the show and to the corruption allegations against cer tain MPs who are accused of receiving bribes from the govern-

ment. “What’s disgraceful about the show is that it was held in a public place and featured immoral acts with disregard to the feelings of families nearby,” said Al-Barrak, condemning the Ministry of Interior for “falling under the pressure to avoid stopping the show.”

Fellow Islamist MP, Dr Walid AlTabtabaei described the incident as “an intolerable violation” for which the show’s organizers must be held accountable. “There were families who chose that spot to spend a good time with their children during the weekend, but who were disrespected by bodybuilders in immoral attire,” he said.

Another lawmaker, Husain Mizyed, criticized the “lack of police super vision which allowed this

chaos to take place”, whilst MP Mubarak Al-Waalan slammed the MoI for “failing to take measures against those responsible for this immoral event.”

MP Mohammad Hayef, meanwhile, vowed that he would be asking questions in parliament about the show, whilst a sixth parliamentarian, Falah Al-Sawagh, joined his colleagues in condemning the event and demanding that action be taken against the organizers.

Municipal Council members Abdullah Al-Enizy, Faraz Al-Mutairi and Jassar Al-Jassar also issued statements condemning the bodybuilding competition, demanding that action be taken against those who approved the license for the event to be held in public.— Al-Rai

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Police officer saved from reckless drivers KUWAIT: Police have arrested six individuals after they physically threatened a police officer. Several police patrols converged on Wafra recently following reports of reckless driving by young men. One officer, trailing in his vehicle, found himself surrounded by cars carrying some 30 individuals, who used their cars to batter the patrol vehicle, which was forced to stop after it reportedly malfunctioned. The officer alleges that he only escaped an attack by the group because a fellow officer arrived on the scene and fired warning shots, dispersing the crowd. Patrol officers pursued and arrested six of the suspects, who will face attempted murder and state property damage charges. Investigations into further suspects are ongoing.

Fatal bus accident One man was killed and eleven injured after a bus carrying Asian laborers overturned on King Fahad Highway. Nine ambulances accompanied by police offi-

cers arrived on the scene, where paramedics pronounced one passenger dead and referred his body to investigators for forensic examination. The injured were taken to Adan and Mubarak Hospitals for treatment and an investigation has been started to establish the cause of the accident.

Restaurant assaults A Bangladeshi cleaner suffered multiple injuries and was left unconscious following an assault by a customer at a Salmiya restaurant on Arabian Gulf Street. The 30year-old victim was attacked after he accidentally stained a watch left on a table he was cleaning by a Kuwaiti customer.

Despite receiving multiple apologies the Kuwaiti assaulted the cleaner, and was subsequently arrested. The victim was taken to Mubarak Hospital for treatment.

Elsewhere, a 30-year-old Egyptian waiter was stabbed in the hand by a Saudi customer when a verbal assault turned physi-

Farouk Al-Zanki

KPC pins high hopes on China refinery BEIJING: Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) attaches most importance to excellent experience and unique technology in petrochemical when choosing potential international partners for a $9 billion joint project with China, in consideration of its highly profitable petrochemicals part, KPC Chief Executive Officer Farouk Al-Zanki said.

“The selection process of the third investors for the refinery and petrochemical plant will be finalized soon,” AlZanki said during his just-concluded Asian trip.

“This project is one of the pillars of our expansion strategy for 2030 and expectation for success is very high,” he said. The project with Asia’s top refiner Sinopec, potentially to be the largest Sino-foreign joint venture in China, involves a 300,000 barrel-per-day refinery, a 1 million-tona-year ethylene plant and a network of retail stations in the southern Guangdong Province. With an eye to starting operations at the end of 2014, the construction has already begun.

State-owned KPC and Sinopec will each hold an equal 50 percent stake in the joint venture. “We at KPC still plan to give around 20 percent of our share to potential international investors, but a final decision will be made after ample studies of pivotal issues, such as number of petrol stations we can obtain,” Al-Zanki said. Teaming up with international oil majors enables KPC to reduce its financial risks while utilizing their know-how and worldwide experience. Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI), KPC’s international refining and market unit, has been representing Kuwait in lengthy negotiations with the Chinese side since 2005. Kuwait has pledged to supply all the crude feedstock for the world-class integrated complex, to be located in the southern coastal city of Zhanjiang.

“We have achieved a substantial progress so far, and now discussions with Sinopec on retail sites are underway,” Al-Zanki said, noting that KPC seeks larger share of the retail rights, particularly ownership of petrol stations, in order to secure satisfactory economic returns from the project. “In our last meeting, Sinopec promised to seriously consider our requests.” With a population of some 100 million, Guangdong is China’s largest oil consuming province that creates a huge energy market.

In addition to seeking greater retail rights, the Kuwaiti side also stresses the need for simultaneous startup of both refinery and ethylene plant, Al-Zanki said. “The petrochemicals facility should be commissioned without delay, and this profit-earning part is inseparable from the refinery part.” The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China’s top economic planner, regulates fuel prices at 20-30 percent below world market levels to curb inflation and Chinese refineries often lose money on their refining operations when crude oil prices are soaring.

KPC commits to the whole project as approved by the NDRC in March, which includes both refinery and petrochemicals. —KUNA

cal. The customer, reportedly indignant upon being served the wrong order at the Mubarakiya Market restaurant, began to verbally abuse the waiter, which resulted in the waiter spilling a drink on the customer.

It was then that the customer became violent, stabbing the waiter in the hand. The waiter was subsequently rushed to Amiri Hopital and legal proceedings against the customer are underway.

Fraud suspect caught Mubarak Al-Kabeer police investigators have apprehended a suspect wanted for bank fraud. Police officers opened an investigation after an individual filed a fraud repor t at Mubarak Al-K abeer Po l i c e S t a t i o n a n d p ro v i d e d a CC T V image of the suspect using the victim’s card to withdraw money from the victim’s account. Police arrested the suspect shortly after he was identified and upon further investigation discovered t h a t h e w a s w a n te d fo r o u t s t a n d i n g

charges filed in Subahiya and Fahaheel.

Failaka Island accident A Kuwaiti was airlifted to Adan Hospital from Failaka Island after his all-terrain-vehicle flipped over as he drove it. On-board paramedics reported that the individual had suffered a broken shoulder and left leg.

Car compensation dispute A Kuwaiti is insisting on KD 5,000 compensation for his car after it was heavily damaged in a fire that erupted in the garage where he had taken the car for repairs. The garage mechanic has offered to pay KD 1,500, which he states is the market value for the car. The car owner has persisted with his demands and investigations are continuing in the run up to the trial.

Lamb meat row A butcher is facing attempted murder and scam charges pressed by a customer who believes he was cheated in a recent

transaction. In his statement at Salmiya Police Station, the customer explained that, having bought an amount of Arab lamb meat from the butcher and returned home, his wife reportedly discovered that the meat was in fact impor ted from Australia, whose meat is cheaper. When he returned and challenge the butcher, the customer alleges that he was threatened with an axe and challenged to prove he was cheated. The butcher maintains that the meat sold was Arab and investigations are ongoing.

Drunk driver detained Police have arrested a Kuwaiti in his thirties after he was caught driving under the influence of alcohol in Salmiya. Police officers ordered the suspect to pull over after he was witnessed driving erratically and was arrested when officers discovered his inebriated state. The individual has been referred to the relevant authorities to face charges.— Al-Rai, Al-Watan, Al-Anba

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Israel names prisoners to go free in Shalit deal

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Gaddafi diehards hold up troops Libya’s new rulers tied elections to fall of Sirte

SIRTE: Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) fighters fire their weapons during fighting against forces loyal to former strongman Moamer Gaddafi in the town of Sirte yesterday, as fighting around the last pockets of resistance in Gaddafi’s hometown abated sharply with some besieging troops saying they were deliberately holding fire after an exodus of civilians. — AFP SIRTE: Libyan government fighters battled yesterday to subdue pockets of resistance by pro-Gaddafi fighters, whose refusal to abandon the ousted leader’s hometown of Sirte is delaying Libya’s move to democracy.

Ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) forces kept up their bombardment of a small area in the centre of Sirte but there was no push under way from ground troops. NTC militia have besieged Sirte for weeks, slowly boxing Gaddafi die-hards into an area about two square kilometres (a square mile). Green flags, the symbol of Gaddafi’s rule, still fly over the area.

Some fighters expressed irritation with their commanders for failing to order and advance and poor communication between brigades. “There are no orders coming in even though we have the power to push them out,” Hesham al-Dafani, an NTC fighter, told Reuters. “We don’t know what’s hap-

pening.”

The failure to seize Sirte-and the other remaining Gaddafi holdout, Bani Walid-has delayed Libya’s democratic transition. The country’s new rulers say the process will only begin once Sirte is captured.

Fighting also continued in Bani Walid yesterday, Reuters reporters said, with sniper fire hindering an NTC advance into the city just as it has in Sirte. Some fighters in Sirte said they suspected that the failure to order an advance was a result of NTC leaders not yet being ready to set out a roadmap for national elections.

Other fighters blamed the delay on a lack of communication between different NTC militias in Sirte. “We are civilians, we not militar y people,” NTC field commander, Mohammed al Sabty, said. “We don’t have a certain plan.” NTC fighters continued to fire on an area known as Neighbourhood Two

and said they believed one of Gaddafi’s sons, Mo’tassim, could be holed up there.

“We know that Gaddafi’s Mo’tassim is inside, that’s why they are fighting to the last drop of blood,” commander Omar Abu Lifa said. “We’re surrounding that area. We are taking it slowly because we want to catch him alive.” Some NTC sources told Reuters last week M o’tassim, a former national security advisor, had been captured as he tried to escape Sirte. But the ruling NTC has yet to officially confirm, or deny, the reports.

NTC officers say Gaddafi loyalists continue to hold out because they fear reprisals if they surrender. Some captured fighters have been abused, rights groups say. A doctor for the medical aid charit y M edecins Sans Frontieres in Sirte has estimated 10,000 people remain trapped in the city of 75,000 residents. Many are women and children, some

are sick or injured.

Some political analysts say the long sieges of Sirte and Bani Walid risk undermining the NTC which and frustrate its effort to control the whole country. The often chaotic struggle for Sirte has killed scores of people, left thousands homeless and laid waste to much of what was once a showpiece Mediterranean city where Gaddafi enjoyed entertaining foreign leaders.

The dangers posed by the failure to capture Gaddafi were highlighted on Friday when fighting erupted in Tripoli between NTC forces and Gaddafi-loyalists for the first time since he fled the city in August.

Government forces set up more roadblocks across the city over the weekend, but especially in and around Abu Salim, an area of run-down apartment blocks where the clashes took place. The area remained calm on Sunday amid the heavy security but,

Three Omani activists claim seats in election MUSCAT: Three activists who participated in protests in Oman earlier this year were elected to the Gulf Arab country’s 84-member consultative Shura Council, raising hopes that calls for reform will be heeded by a more empowered council.

Sultan Qaboos bin Said, an absolute ruler who deposed his father in 1970, responded to the unrest in February with promises of reform and handouts, and gave the council some legislative and regulatory powers for the first time.

The election of former protesters such as Salim al-Mashani, who had been detained during demonstrations in the southern port city of Salalah in February, were praised by activists.

“That means the people were fully behind the protests and they want their voices heard democratically,” Saif al-Muharbi, another former protester in Muscat, told Reuters. Voter turnout was higher than expected, with 76 percent of the nearly 520,000 registered voters casting ballots on Saturday. Few had expected a voting rate higher than the 28 percent seen in 2007, given low

turnouts in recent elections in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

Five people were killed in February’s protests, which erupted in the industrial town of Sohar after uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. Mainly young protesters demanded higher salaries and an end to graft in Oman. After the unrest, Sultan Qaboos, a US ally, promised a $2.6 billion spending package and 50,000 public sector jobs. He also reshuffled his cabinet three times to sideline powerful but unpopular figures.

One woman, Nu’amah bint Jamayel al-Busaidi, was also elected to the council, which the government said was a disappointing result. “It is very unfortunate that only one woman was elected but we must respect the results because voters had their say yesterday,” the Interior Ministr y Undersecretary Mohammed bin Sultan al-Busaidi, who also heads the electoral committee, told reporters.

Women were given the right to vote in 2003, when two female candidates were elected to the Shura Council. Not all Omanis saw the election in a positive

MUSCAT: Electoral commission chief Mohammed bin Sultan al-Bussaidi addresses a press conference in Muscat yesterday, during which he said turnout in the previous day’s election reached 76.6 percent, with 397,000 out of 518,000 eligible voters taking part. —AFP light, saying that the rest of the results reflected a society that at its core remains fundamentally tribal.

Some complained that tribal favoritism made citizens vote for candidates due to family links.

“It is all about tribalism, and

once again, people voted for the members of their tribe,” Faisal al Shari, one of the election observers,said. — Reuters

nearby, a group of armed men with two bulldozers began demolishing the walls around Gaddafi’s former home.

As the bulldozers set about the Bab alAzizyah compound, a heavily fortified construc tion spread over six sq-k m (2.3 sq miles) that symbolised his repressive rule, men chanted, “God is greatest. This is for the blood of the martyrs.” Some fired machineguns into the air.

“We are destroying it because we want to demolish anything that belongs to Gaddafi,” one gunman, Essam Sarag, told Reuters.

People driving past stopped their cars and joined a crowd waving new Libyan flags.

“We will continue until we destroy everything that belongs to Gaddafi,” said Etman Lelktah, who said he was in charge of the fighters at the scene. “We ask that a peace organisation be built instead of Gaddafi’s place.” —Reuters

Austrian kidnap victim opens Sri Lanka kids ward VIENNA: Austrian kidnap victim Natascha Kampusch has opened a children’s hospital in Sri Lanka with donations she received after escaping an eight-year captivity in a cellar in 2006, reports said yesterday.

The hospital, in the small village of Bulathsinhala in southern Sri Lanka, will cater to a region of some 1,5 million inhabitants, treating mostly tsunami victims, orphans and children who have been sexually abused, the daily Kronen Zeitung said.

“There are currently 25 beds and 50,000 children will be treated as outpatients. Previously, they were treated in a shack,” Kampusch, 23, told the newspaper in an interview. “I’m a little embarrassed at what many people in this world do to their kids. My wish is to make something right, to repair what others have done,” she said, after inaugurating the new hospital last week. The project “gives me meaning,” she added.

The 50,000-euro ($69,000) ward was financed by donations that Kampusch received after she escaped her kidnapper in August 2006, as well as proceeds from her autobiography published last year and entitled “3,096 Days,” after the amount of time she was held captive. Kampusch was often criticised for doing nothing with the donations, which had been made with the expectation that they would serve an aid foundation she planned to set up. The young woman was kidnapped off a Vienna street on her way to school in 1998, aged 10, and kept locked up in a basement cell for eight and a half years before she managed to escaped five years ago. — AFP

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Israel names prisoners to go free in Shalit deal Israelis say swap is surrender to blackmail

BAGHDAD: Iraqi Kurds carry the Kurdish region’s flags in Khanaqin, 90 miles (140 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, yesterday. — AP

Hundreds protest flag ruling in disputed Iraq town KHANAQIN: Hundreds rallied in the disputed Iraqi town of Khanaqin yesterday to demand the reversal of a central government ruling barring the flag of the autonomous Kurdish region in official buildings.

The town, which has refused to follow the directive, lies within territory claimed by both the central government and authorities in the autonomous Kurdish capital of Arbil. US officials persistently cite unresolved territorial rows between the two authorities as one of the biggest threats to Iraq’s long-term stability.

Around 700 demonstrators marched from the centre of the town, 150 kilometres (90 miles) northeast of Baghdad and near the Iranian border, to local government buildings a kilometre away, an AFP journalist at the scene said. They carried flags of the Kurdish region, demanding that government buildings in Khanaqin be allowed to hoist both it and the national flag of Iraq. They also called for an apology from Prime Minister Nuri alMaliki.

The protesters shouted “Long live Kurdistan!” and “Khanaqin is Kurdish!” during their rally. The demonstration came a day after Kamal Kirkuki, speaker of the Kurdish regional parliament, told reporters at a news conference that “violating the sanctity of Kurdistan’s flag is unacceptable.”

Khanaqin mayor Mohammed alMullah Hamed said the town received the ruling on Tuesday. Kurdish authorities want to incorporate Khanaqin and a swathe of territory running from Iraq’s border with Iran to its frontier with Syria into their three-province autonomous region, a claim fiercely opposed by Baghdad.

Tensions remain over the zone. They rose markedly in late February when, amid nationwide protests, Kurdish peshmerga fighters shifted southwest towards Kirkuk, the oil-rich ethnicallymixed city at the centre of the dispute, in what they said was a move to protect it.

The peshmerga eventually pulled back in late March. — AFP

JERUSALEM: For hundreds of Israelis whose daughters, sons, fathers and mothers were killed in Palestinian attacks, last week will bring an ordeal of renewed grief that nothing can alleviate, not even the national celebration of a lost soldier’s homecoming.

The imminent release from prison of hundreds of Palestinian militants in exchange for a lone Israeli captive, Gilad Shalit, expected tomorrow, reopens deep emotional wounds, stirring bitterness with anger. Some Israelis believe their government is giving in to terrorism and opening the door to further blackmail by swapping 1,027 Palestinians convicted of violence against Jews for the liberty of one man.

“I am angry. It should not have ended this way,” said Yitzhak Maoz, whose daughter was one of 15 Israelis killed in a Palestinian suicide bomb attack on a central Jerusalem pizzeria in 2001. One of those convicted will soon be free.

Ahlam Tamimi, now 32, is among the Palestinians to be liberated in the swap for Shalit, who has been held by Palestinian Islamist militants of the Hamas movement for five years, somewhere in the Gaza Strip. A reporter with local television before joining the armed wing of Hamas, Tamimi was convicted of helping to choose targets for suicide attacks and driving the bomber to the pizzeria. She was sentenced to serve 16 life terms.

“I am very happy that Gilad Shalit is being released ... because five years is far too long,” said Maoz. But the swap is immoral and a danger, releasing murderers from just punishment who may try to kill more Jews, he said.

“I don’t know if there is anything I can do against this deal. I lost a daughter. It is a whole world. It is part of my life.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who agreed to the terms of the swap last week after three years of negotiations with Hamas over who would and who would not be set free, says approving the final list was “a difficult decision”.

Many Israelis sympathise. “Nobody envies Benjamin Netanyahu today,” wrote Jerusalembased columnist Uri Dromi. “The decision he made is contrary to everything he believed in.

In the books he published and in the speeches he made, he has always been closer to the American position: Zero tolerance to terror, no negotiations with the terrorists.”

Netanyahu knew he would be accused of seeking popularity by giving in to a tireless campaign by family and supporters for the release of Shalit, who was 19 when he was

ElBaradei calls for ‘roadmap’ to new Egypt CAIRO: Potential presidential candidate Mohamed ElBaradei called yesterday for a “clear roadmap” to civilian rule in Egypt, accusing all sides of having fallen short so far in the postHosni Mubarak era. “What I ask of (the ruling military) Council is that it announce a clear roadmap, to have a clear vision for citizens and for investors,” the former UN nuclear watchdog chief told a news conference in Cairo.

“I believe everybody has failed to manage it, whether it be the Council, the government or the revolutionaries,” said ElBaradei, referring to the transition since Mubarak’s ouster in February in the face of mass protests.

Egypt has since been ruled by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which has named a caretaker government in the runup to legislative elections starting on Mohamed ElBaradei November 28.

The military has said it will stand aside for a handover to civilian rule after a presidential poll, for which a date has yet to be set. “We need a government of national salvation ... or that the current government have powers,” said ElBaradei, while deploring the splintering of the anti-Mubarak camp.

“The revolutionaries are divided. There are 50 parties and many coalitions,” he said. ElBaradei also called for an independent probe of the October 9 clashes in Cairo between security forces and mainly Coptic Christian demonstrators that left 25 dead. The probe should examine the role of state television which had also “incited” the violence, he said. — AFP

Egypt mulls swapping Israel spy for prisoners CAIRO: Egypt is mulling its own prisoner exchange with Israel, swapping a US-Israeli joint national suspected of spying for Israel for 81 Egyptians detained in the Jewish sate, the stateowned daily Al-Ahram said yesterday. Ilan Grapel, who has been in custody since June 12, has been accused of being an agent of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency and of sowing sectarian strife and chaos in Egypt during the uprising which ousted president Hosni Mubarak in February.

Israel has strongly denied the claims, insisting the whole thing was a mistake and accusing Egyptian authorities of “bizarre behaviour.”

Egypt mediated between Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas to secure a deal under which more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners are to be freed in exchange for soldier Gilad Shalit, captured in 2006. “All reports suggest that the Shalit deal will not be the only one concluded between Arabs and Israel in the coming days,” Al-Ahram said. It should “soon be followed by another deal, between Egypt and Israel, in which the spy Ilan Grapel... will be released in return for all Egyptians held in Israeli prisons,” the daily said. —AFP

JERUSALEM: Palestinian prisoners set to be released as part of the first stage of prisoner exchange arrive at Ketzion jail yesterday. Some 477 prisoners in 16 Israeli jails will be transferred throughout the day to the Ketziot Prison in south Israel and the Hasharon Prison in central Israel. — AFP

abducted near the Gaza border to be held by Hamas for a future prisoner exchange.

Since the deal was announced, Gaza militants have made it even harder for Netanyahu, claiming a triumph over Zionists and making loud and public threats to capture more Jewish hostages, until all Palestinians are freed from Israel’s prisons.

Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza also await the prisoner release with mixed emotions, having seen many thousands of their own imprisoned over the years in the cause of ending Israeli occupation in lands the Jewish state took in a 1967 war.

Some Israelis see the swap as an abject capitulation. One man whose parents were killed in the Jerusalem pizzeria bombing was arrested on Friday on suspicion of defacing a Tel Aviv memorial to the late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, a war hero assassinated by a Jewish extremist in 1995 for trying to make peace with the Palestinians.

Graffiti called for Rabin’s killer to be freed and included the slogan “Price Tag”, the calling card of hardline Jewish settlers in the West Bank who have attacked Palestinian mosques.

Many Israelis are torn.

One Jerusalem merchant, aged 40, said he almost cried when he saw Shalit’s mother “smiling at last” when news of her son’s nego-

tiated release was announced last week. “But I have experienced a terrorist attack, and I can hardly accept that such people are set free.”

Much has been made of the thousand-toone imbalance of the prisoner trade. But it reflects the reality. Shalit was the only Israeli in Palestinian hands, while 6,000 Palestinians are imprisoned by Israel, mostly for violence they say is justified as resistance to military occupation by a far stronger adversary of which the young soldier was a living symbol.

Some 1,400 Palestinians were killed in Gaza in a three-week war in 2008-09 in which 13 Israeli lives were lost. Israel was widely condemned for using disproportionate force.

At bottom, the debate over the exchange is less about disproportionate concessions than about the morality and political expedience of negotiation and amnesty, dividing those who see hope of peace and eventual reconciliation with Palestinians from those who believe only superior force can secure Israel’s future.

“Hamas may be strengthened, and murderers will be left to roam free to carry out more vicious schemes,” Dromi wrote. “In my heart, however, and in the heart of every Israeli today, there is a renewed feeling of solidarity.

We are still willing to sacrifice a lot in order to bring one of our boys home.” — Reuters

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US to abandon plans to keep troops in Iraq BAGHDAD: The US is abandoning plans to keep US troops in Iraq past a year-end withdrawal deadline, The Associated Press has learned. The decision to pull out fully by January will effectively end more than eight years of US involvement in the Iraq war, despite ongoing concerns about its security forces and the potential for instability.

The decision ends months of handwringing by US officials over whether to stick to a Dec 31 withdrawal deadline that was set in 2008 or negotiate a new security agreement to ensure that gains made and more than 4,400 American military lives lost since March 2003 do not go to waste.

In recent months, Washington has been discussing with Iraqi leaders the possibility of several thousand American troops remaining to continue training Iraqi security forces. A Pentagon spokesman said Saturday that no final decision has been reached about the US training relationship with the Iraqi government.

But a senior Obama administration official in Washington confirmed Saturday that all American troops will leave Iraq except for about 160 activeduty soldiers attached to the US

Embassy. A senior US military official confirmed the departure and said the withdrawal could allow future but limited US military training missions in Iraq if requested.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. Throughout the discussions, Iraqi leaders have adamantly refused to give US troops immunity from prosecution in Iraqi courts, and the Americans have refused to stay without it. Iraq’s leadership has been split on whether it wanted American forces to stay. Some argued the further training and US help was vital, particularly to protect Iraq’s airspace and gather security intelligence. But others have deeply opposed any American troop presence, including Shiite militiamen who have threatened attacks on any American forces who remain.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has told US military officials that he does not have the votes in parliament to provide immunity to the American trainers, the US military official said. A western diplomatic official in Iraq said al-Maliki told international diplomats he will not bring the immunity issue to parliament because lawmakers will not approve it. A White House spokesman,

Tommy Vietor, said discussions with Iraq about the security relationship between the two countries next year were ongoing. Pentagon press secretary George Little said the US remains “committed to keeping our agreement with the Iraqi government to remove all of our troops by the end of this year.”

“At the same time we’re building a comprehensive partnership with Iraq under the Strategic Framework Agreement including a robust security relationship, and discussions with the Iraqis about the nature of that relationship are ongoing,” Little said. The Strategic Framework Agreement allows for other forms of military cooperation besides US troops on the ground.

Signed at the same time as the security accord mandating the departure deadlines, it provides outlines for the USIraqi relationship in such areas as economic, cultural and security cooperation.

Iraqi lawmakers excel at last-minute agreements. But with little wiggle room on the immunity issue and the US military needing to move equipment out as soon as possible, a lastminute change between now and December 31 seems almost out of the question. Regardless of whether US

troops are here or not, there will be a massive American diplomatic presence. The US Embassy in Baghdad is the largest in the world, and the State Department will have offices in Basra, Irbil and Kirkuk as well as other locations around the country where contractors will train Iraqi forces on US military equipment they’re purchasing.

About 5,000 security contractors and personnel will be tasked with helping protect American diplomats and facilities around the country, the State Department has said. The US Embassy will still have a handful of US Marines for protection and 157 US military personnel in charge of facilitating weapons sales to Iraq. Those are standard functions at most American embassies around the world and would be considered part of the regular embassy staff.

When the 2008 agreement requiring all US forces leave Iraq was passed, many US officials assumed it would inevitably be renegotiated so that American forces could stay longer. The US said repeatedly this year it would entertain an offer from the Iraqis to have a small force stay behind, and the Iraqis said they would like American military help. But as the year wore on

and the number of American troops that Washington was suggesting could stay behind dropped, it became increasingly clear that a US troop presence was not a sure thing.

The issue of legal protection for the Americans was the deal-breaker. Iraqis are still angry over incidents such as the Abu Ghraib prison scandal or Haditha, when US troops killed Iraqi civilians in Anbar province, and want American troops subject to Iraqi law.

American commanders don’t want to risk having their forces end up in an Iraqi courtroom if they’re forced to defend themselves in a still-hostile environment.

It is highly unlikely that Iraqi lawmakers would have the time to approve a US troop deal even if they wanted to. The parliament is in recess on its Hajj break until Nov. 20, leaving just a few weeks for legislative action before the end of year deadline. Going down to zero by the end of this year would allow both al-Maliki and President Barack Obama to claim victory. Obama will have fulfilled a key campaign promise to end the war and alMaliki will have ended the American presence in Iraq and restored Iraqi sovereignty. — AP

Berlusconi allies blame left-wing for Rome riots Oppn wants interior minister to address parliament

WASHINGTON: The Joint Service Color Guard present the colors as Nova Nelson sings the National Anthem at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial dedication yesterday in a ceremony hosted by the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation in West Potomac Park. — AP

Thousands attend King memorial dedication WASHINGTON: Thousands of people gathered yesterday to give the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial a proper dedication on the National Mall after its opening in August. Aretha Franklin, poet Nikki Giovanni and President Barack Obama will be among those honoring the legacy of the nation’s foremost civil rights leader during a ceremony scheduled to run more than four hours.

Cherr y Hawkins traveled from Houston with her cousins and arrived at 6 am to be part of the dedication. They postponed earlier plans to attend the August dedication, which was postponed because of Hurricane Irene.

“I wanted to do this for my kids and grandkids,” Hawkins said. She expects the memorial will be in their history books someday. “They can say, ‘Oh, my granny did that.’” Hawkins, her cousin DeAndrea Cooper and Cooper’s daughter Brittani Jones, 23, visited the King Memorial on Saturday after joining a march with the Rev. Al Sharpton, a prominent civil rights leader, to urge Congress to pass a jobs bill. “You see his face in the memorial, and it’s kind of an emotional moment,” Cooper said. “It’s beautiful. They did a wonderful job.” A stage for speakers and thousands of folding chairs were set up on a field near the memorial along with large TV screens.

Some attendees started lining up at 5 am and even earlier yesterday morning.

Organizers anticipate as many as 50,000 people will attend. By 9 am, thousands of seats were filled, and attendees were greeted with bright sunlight. The August ceremony had been expected to draw 250,000.

Even with the smaller crowd, King Memorial foundation president Harry Johnson called yesterday “a day of fulfillment.” About 1.5 million people are estimated to have visited the 30-foot (10meter)-tall statue of King and the granite walls where 14 of his quotations are carved in stone. The memorial is the first on the National Mall honoring a black leader.

As pastor of an Alabama church, King led the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955-56 that led to a US Supreme Court decision that declared unconstitutional laws requiring segregation on buses.

King then was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference which provided leadership to the growing civil rights movement and drew inspiration from the non-violent tactics used by Mahatma Gandhi.

King led the massive civil rights protest in Birmingham, Alabama, and wrote the inspirational “Lettere from a Birmingham Jail.” In 1963, he directed a peaceful civil rights march by 250,000 people in Washington where he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech

with its vision of a color-blind society.

The following year, Congress passed the landmark Civil Rights Act and at age 35 he became the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. He was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was supporting a strike by sanitation workers.

The sculpture of King with his arms crossed appears to emerge from a stone extracted from a mountain. It was carved

by Chinese artist Lei Yixin. The design was inspired by a line from the famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963: “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.”

King’s “Dream” speech during the March on Washington galvanized the civil rights movement. King’s older sister, Christine King Farris, said she witnessed a baby become “a great hero to humanity.”

She said the memorial will ensure her brother’s legacy will provide a source of inspiration worldwide for generations.

“He was my little brother, and I watched him grow and develop into a man who was destined for a special kind of greatness,” she said. To young people in the crowd, she said King’s message is that “Great dreams can come true and America is the place where you can make it happen.”

King’s daughter, the Rev. Bernice King, said her family is proud to witness the memorial’s dedication. She said it was a long time coming and had been a priority for her mother, Coretta Scott King, who died in 2006. Bernice King and her brother Martin Luther King III said their father’s dream is not yet realized.

Martin Luther King III said the nation has “lost its soul” when it tolerates vast economic disparities, teen bullying, and having more people of color in prison than in college. He said the memorial should serve as a catalyst to renew his father’s fight for social and economic justice. “The problem is the American dream of 50 years ago ... has turned into a nightmare for millions of people” who have lost their jobs and homes, King said. The choir from King’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta was scheduled to sing.

The nation’s first black president, who was just 6 years old when King was assassinated in April 1968 in Memphis, Tenn., will speak about the man he has said “gave his life ser ving others.”

Giovanni planned to read her poem “In the Spirit of Martin,” and Franklin was to sing. Early in the ceremony, during a rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the crowd cheered when images on screen showed Obama on the night he won the 2008 presidential election. Organizers announced a concert will follow the dedication, featuring Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Sheryl Crow and others. — AP

ROME: Allies of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi were swift to blame left-wing sympathisers yesterday for riots in Rome in which police fired teargas at masked protesters, in an apparent attempt to exploit the lawlessness to bolster their fragile coalition.

Tens of thousands of peaceful protesters were joining a global “day of rage” against the elites blamed for economic downturn on Saturday when the rampaging violence, some of the worst seen in the Italian capital for years, erupted.

Ignazio La Russa, defence minister in Berlusconi’s centre-right government, suggested the violence was at least in part attributable to a polemical political tone he said was employed by the left and whereby “everything is justifiable as long as we get rid of Berlusconi, the ‘evil of Italy’”.

La Russa, an unflagging supporter of Berlusconi, said those who use violence “take advantage of these kinds of positions”.

Another senior member of Berlusconi’s coalition, Senator Maurizio Gasparri, spoke of “dangerous proximity of some sectors of the left with the protagonists of the violence in Rome”. Centre-left politicians have dismissed this and they too condemned the violence.

Berlusconi survived a vote of confidence he was forced to call on Friday after his divided and undisciplined coalition failed to pass a routine budget provision but he was left

weakened. “I think there will be a lot on innuendo against the left after what happened.

We have already seen some and we will see much more,” said James Walston, political science professor at the American University of Rome.

Discontent is smouldering in Italy over high unemployment, political paralysis and 60 billion euros ($83 billion) of austerity measures that have raised taxes and the cost of health care. Berlusconi said those responsible must be identified and punished, and, in an apparent reference to the left, said: “They must be condemned by everyone without reservation.”

Meanwhile, as the clean up began yesterday, Romans asked why their city was the only one among the many global demonstrations that turned violent. “Yesterday we once again showed the world the anomaly of Italy and today we once again have to feel shame,” La Stampa newspaper said in a front-page editorial. “Why did it happen only here?”

Workmen swept up broken glass, sandblasted graffiti off church walls, repaired broken statues, replaced shattered bank windows and ATM machines and towed away the burnt-out shells of cars. Apart from the material damage, estimated by merchants’ groups at more than 1 million euros, Mayor Gianni Alemanno said the capital would long suffer from the “moral damage” and shock caused by

Cain: My 9-9-9 plan will raise taxes on some in US WASHINGTON: Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain acknowledged yesterday his “9-9-9” tax reform plan would raise taxes on some Americans but denied criticism it would help the rich while hurting the poor.

“Some people will pay more. But most people will pay less,” Cain, a former chief executive of Godfather’s Pizza who has never held elected office, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” program. The acknowledgment of higher taxes could give ammunition to a growing number of Cain critics, including anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist, who oppose his plan.

Cain entered the presidential race as a long shot but has recently shown signs of front-runner status with backing from fiscally conservative Tea Party activists who believe his plan would lead to lower federal taxes. The 9-9-9 plan would replace the complex U.S. tax code with a 9 percent income tax, a 9 percent corporate tax and a new 9 percent national sales tax. “Who would pay more? The people who spend more money on new goods. The sales tax only applies to people who buy new goods, not used goods.

That’s a big difference,” Cain told NBC. Cain placed first in an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll among Republican candidates and second in a Reuters Ipsos poll but his fundraising totals in the third quarter were far behind the leading contenders-former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Texas Governor Rick Perry. President Barack Obama, a Democrat, faces a rough fight for re-election in November 2012 but his Republican rivals must convince voters they have a better plan to create jobs and get the economy moving again.

Despite its popularity in some quarters, Cain’s 9-9-9 plan is under fire from across the political spectrum and independent analysts who say it would raise taxes on the poor and middle class.

Norquist said in a recent interview with Reuters Insider he worries that all three taxes in Cain’s plan could be raised in future. The Wall Street Journal warned a national sales tax-a fixture of many western economies-could raise taxes on goods in some areas to 17 percent or more when combined with state and local levies. — Reuters

WASHINGTON: Republican presidential candidate, businessman Herman Cain, speaks with the media after an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press at their studio in Washington yesterday. — AP

the rampage and the bad publicity around the world. Many asked why police did not intervene earlier to stop the hard core protesters, who call themselves “Black Bloc”, from arriving in Rome, moving around freely and infiltrating the demonstration in the first place. The “Black Bloc” members approached the demonstration already wearing masks, hoods or motorcycle helmets and brandishing sticks, pipes and other objects.

Massimo Donadi, a legislator of the opposition Italy of Values party, called on the interior minister to address parliament and explain why the situation got out of hand and why more preventive action had not been taken.

“These professionals of violence ... did not arrive from Mars,” Donadi said. “We want the interior minister to tell us how it happened.”

Mayor Alemanno called for police to “strike out at the violent factions before they can deploy”. Many Italians also asked why police managed to arrest only 12 of the hundreds of violent demonstrators who used sticks, rock, bottles and even fire extinguishers in running battles with police in wide open piazzas as well as narrow streets.

Yesterday a small group of peaceful protesters re-deployed to a square in front of a church near where some of the violence took place to continue a sit-in. “We are the real indignant ones,” one said. “They stole our day”. — Reuters

Kansas City diocese charged for failure to report abuse MISSOURI: The first indictment of a US bishop for failing to report child pornography would have been groundbreaking in itself but legal experts say a second chargeagainst the diocese-is almost as rare. Bishop Robert Finn of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph appeared in court on Friday on one count of failure to report child abuse. Prosecutors in Jackson County, Missouri, alleged Finn knew in December 2010 about hundreds of photos of children on Reverend Shawn Ratigan’s laptop but did not notify authorities for five months. Finn pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Prosecutors leveled a second charge against the diocese itself, which also pleaded not guilty. “You don’t want to tarnish the name of the Catholic Church, which can do many good things,” said Brian Klopfenstein, a former prosecutor in Missouri. “But maybe they felt they had to do something profound to get people’s attention.”

Prosecutors are often wary about charging entities, as opposed to individuals. In one famous case, the US government was criticized after it indicted accounting giant Arthur Andersen in 2002, which led to the loss of several thousand jobs.

Corporations commonly hire former prosecutors to internally investigate wrongdoing and then turn their findings over to the authorities as a show of cooperation.

The Kansas City diocese also hired a former federal prosecutor to investigate itself and his report concluded that diocese leaders “failed to follow their own policies and procedures” in Ratigan’s case.

Ratigan was charged with taking sexually explicit photographs of at least five young girls, ages 2 to 12, between 2005 and his arrest in spring 2011. Finn stressed his cooperation with law enforcement on Friday.

“Diocesan staff and I have given hours of testimony before grand juries, delivered documents and answered questions fully,” Finn said. Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said the charges against Finn and the diocese “had nothing to do with the Catholic faith.”

A spokesman for the government did not respond to follow-up questions on Saturday about the decision to indict the diocese. Criminal cases against a diocese are not unprecedented. The archdiocese in Cincinnati pleaded guilty in 2003 for failing to report abuse and was fined $10,000, according to published reports. The diocese in Manchester, New Hampshire, cut a deal with prosecutors the previous year that helped it avoid charges. The Kansas City diocese had paid $10 million in 2008 to settle a civil lawsuit over priest abuse and agreed to several reforms.

“The facts of this case are just so outrageous that [prosecutors] couldn’t help but do this,” said Patrick Noaker, an attorney for abuse victims who is petitioning a court to enforce the 2008 Kansas City settlement. — Reuters

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011

i n t e r n at i o n a l

French left votes for presidential champion ‘The bigger the turnout, the clearer our victory’

MARSEILLE: A woman casts a ballot for the French socialist party (PS) primary vote for France’s 2012 presidential election second round yesterday in Marseille, southern France. —AFP

UK police to investigate ex-minister Fox’s friend LONDON: British police said yesterday they would consider a fraud investigation against the man at the centre of a political furore that forced the defence secretary to resign last week. Liam Fox, who oversaw Britain’s military operations in Libya and Afghanistan, quit the government on Friday amid growing pressure about his friendship with Adam Werritty, a businessman friend who had posed as his adviser.

Werritty, Fox’s former flatmate and best man at his 2005 wedding, had met the ex-minister numerous times at the defence ministry and on official trips abroad and issued business cards on which he falsely described himself as Fox’s adviser.

The City of London Police said it would look into allegations by an opposition lawmaker that Werritty had committed fraud by his actions. “Officers from the forces economic crime directorate will consider the matter and establish whether or not it is appropriate to launch an investigation,” a police spokesman said.

Fox said he had allowed his personal and professional interests to become blurred, but has denied any impropriety.

Results of an inquiry by the government’s top civil servant into whether Fox had broken ministerial rules by allowing Werritty to benefit financially from their friendship or access to confidential information is due in the next

few days.

British newspapers yesterday were awash with further revelations about Werritty and his alleged links to people in the defence industry. The Sunday Telegraph reported that some donors to a company set up by Werritty to promote Fox’s interests in foreign policy had been misled about how their money would be spent.

The Independent on Sunday reported that he had been conducting talks with Iranian exiles to discuss the overthrow of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

O ther newspapers questioned Werritty’s role with Atlantic Bridge, a right-wing lobby organisation set up to promote links between US-British politicians and industry groups. “One adviser or non-adviser, whatever he may have been, is not able to run a totally different policy from the rest of government,” Foreign Secretary William Hague told BBC TV. However, Hague said the Fox investigation could pave the way for tighter rules on political lobbying, something that Prime Minister David Cameron promised on coming to power in May last year but has yet to address. “We will have to look at that,” Hague said. “If there’s action that has to be taken, the prime minister will want to take it. There are very legitimate questions about all these things.” —Reuters

Most Britons want immigration reduced LONDON: Most Britons want to see immigration reduced, but think the Government should focus on cutting the number of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers instead of foreign students and skilled workers, a survey showed yesterday.

Half of those who want to see immigration reduced said most or even all of the cuts should come from among illegal immigrants, research by Oxford University’s Migration Observatory found.

And of the three in 10 people who do not want to see immigration cut, three fifths still want to cut the number of migrants in the UK illegally, with two-fifths feeling strongly about this.

Prime Minister David Cameron appealed for the public to “shop” (inform about) illegal immigrants last Monday as he pledged to reclaim Britain’s borders, urging Britons to help tackle the issue by reporting suspicious individuals.

The Government has pledged to cut net migration from the current 242,000 to the “tens of thousands” last seen in the 1990s, with crackdowns on forced and sham marriages, bogus students and an annual cap on immigrants coming from outside the EU. But the Migration Observatory reports showed foreign students, which make up almost two fifths of all immigrants to the UK, appear to be of little concern to Britons with just a third wanting cuts to come from this area.

Meanwhile, more than half want to see a fall in the number of asylum seekers coming to the UK, despite the fact they make up the smallest proportion of immi-

grants, just 4 percent in 2009.

And while almost two-thirds backed reducing immigration among low-skilled workers, which come mostly from the EU, only a third wanted to see fewer skilled migrants. But international conventions and EU membership constrain the Government from reducing the numbers of asylum seekers or EU migrants in the UK, the report said.

Dr Scott Blinder, its lead author, said the survey exposed the difficulties the Government faces in meeting public demand. “The Government is stuck between a rock and a hard place,” he said.

“A clear majority of people in Britain would like immigration reduced, but they want the cuts to come from specific groups of immigrants, and these are often groups over whom the Government has limited direct control, and sometimes groups that are comparatively small in number.”

He added “Blunt questions about whether the British public supports or opposes immigration in general do not capture the complexities of many people’s real views, and are not nearly fine-grained enough to give policy-makers a real understanding of what a majority of the public wants.”

But Immigration Minister Damian Green said: “We have made sweeping changes to get a grip on immigration in this country, closing down routes that were subject to abuse and taking action against those with no right to be here.

“This is clearly in line with what the public want us to be doing. There is much more to be done and we will stick to our course.” —KUNA

Demarcation between Serbia, Kosovo needed BELGRADE: The borders between Serbia and Kosovo need to be redrawn if the Belgrade-Pristina dispute is to be solved peacefully, Serbia’s deputy prime minister said in an interview published yesterday.

“A new demarcation is necessary as it would... respect Serbian national interests in Kosovo, since now we are in a situation in which we could lose everything,” Ivica Dacic, also the interior minister, told the Belgrade daily Politika.

Serbia has fiercely opposed majority ethnic Albanian Kosovo’s unilateral proclamation of independence on

February 2008 and officially still considers the territory its southern province.

However more than 80 countries, including the United States and 22 out of 27 European Union members, have recognised Kosovo as an independent state.

Dacic already caused a stir when he recently said that the only way to solve the dispute over the status of Kosovo was to divide up the former Serbian province. Dacic suggested holding an international conference for Kosovo, like the one held in US town Dayton in 1995 which effectively ended more than three years of war in Bosnia. —AFP

PARIS: Left-leaning French voters headed back to the polls yesterday to decide whether Francois Hollande or Martine Aubry should take on Nicolas Sarkozy in next year’s presidential election. Whichever of the pair wins the Socialist Party nomination will immediately become the frontrunner in the race, as polls show the centre-right incumbent trailing either in April and May’s two-round contest.

The vote is also France’s first USstyle open primary-any elector who says he or she supports the ideals of the left can vote-and a big turnout could serve as a springboard for the campaign proper.

Last Sunday, a bigger than

expected 2.66 million voters turned out for the first round, which was won by 57-year-old lawmaker and former party leader Hollande, with only a narrow nine-point lead over Aubry. Voting in the southwestern town Tulle, in his rural constituency, Hollande predicted an even bigger turnout, dubbing this a “good sign”.

“We have already seen signs in the votes that took place for the French living abroad and in the overseas territories. We have confirmation that there will be a bigger turnout,” he said. “The bigger the turnout, the clearer our victory will be and the greater our candidate’s chance of winning in 2012. It is an important moment, a serious one, even if it’s

not the final moment. That will be May 6, 2012.”

Early turnout figures supported his prediction, with 870,000 people having voted after six hours, up from 800,000 in the first round.

Hollande won the backing of the four defeated first round candidates, and entered the run-off as favourite, but Aubry mounted a tough fightback last week, branding him a soft centrist without the steel to defeat Sarkozy. Voting in Lille, where she is mayor, Aubry declared: “I urge all the French to vote for their convictions and with their hearts for real change.”

Aubry, 61, the former labour minister who gave France its 35-hour working week, has also attacked

Hollande’s lack of executive experience. Hollande has tried to turn the attacks to his advantage, accusing Aubry of undermining party unity and suggesting that his lack of a track record makes it easier for him to run as a candidate of change.

Sarkozy’s camp was wrong-footed by the primary. Some of his supporters grudgingly admit it served as a good shop window for the Socialists, but the president himself dismissed it as alien to French political tradition.

Leaders of the ruling UMP have mocked the policies on display in the left’s primary, portraying them as a throw-back to the 1980s, but all four televised debates between the candidates drew large audiences. —AFP

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Japan’s ageing air force plans major overhaul HYAKURI AIR BASE: Warplanes bearing the bright red Rising Sun logo roared overhead yesterday as Japan held a once-every-three-years display to showcase one of the best air forces in Asia. The only problem - most of its fighters were grounded.

Underscoring Japan’s uphill battle in an increasingly heated race to control the skies over Asia, the air review came just a week after the country’s entire F-15 fleet was ordered into its hangers for safety checks following a midair accident, the second such order in three months. But in an effort to counterbalance big strides by China and Russia toward deploying new stealthy aircraft, Japan’s Air SelfDefense Forces are about to get a multibillion dollar overhaul.

For yesterday’s review, the F-15s the workhorse of Japan’s air defenses were relegated to ground displays, either parked on the runway or allowed to taxi but not take off. Last weekend, an empty fuel tank burst and detached from a F-15 on a training flight, causing the grounding order. In July, an F-15 flying out of Okinawa crashed into the ocean. The pilot is listed as missing and presumed dead.

The accidents reinforced what military planners already knew: Japan’s aging air force has seen better days.

But after years of delays and budget battles, Japan is expected to announce by the end of December a new fighter deal that will likely shape Asian air security for decades to come. “ The JASDF is on the edge of becoming a major tool of power projection,” said Michael Auslin, a Japan

security expert with the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. “With its fighter selection process, it will signal whether it intends to be qualitatively competitive with leading air forces around the region over the next gen-

OMITAMA: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda (2nd L-standing) inspects troops during a review ceremony at the Japanese Self-Defense Force’s Hyakuri air base at Omitama in Ibaraki prefecture yesterday. The ceremony, which is held every three years and not open to the public, comes one week after a fuel tank and other parts dropped from a Japanese F-15 fighter jet landing close to a residential area. — AFP eration.”

Japan - with 362 fighter jets, mostly F-15s, F-4s and F-2s - is already one of the top air powers in the region. But planners have long been concerned by the increasing age and expense of

Afghan troops kill 3 suicide bombers KHOST: Afghan troops shot dead three would-be suicide bombers who attempted to enter an office in an eastern city yesterday to launch attacks on government targets, officials said. The heavily armed insurgents had explosives strapped to their chests and were killed in a 10-minute gunfight with Afghan troops outside the mayor’s office in Gardez, Paktia province, said Rohullah Samon, a spokesman for the provincial governor.

The insurgents arrived in a car laden with explosives, which were detonated during the gunbattle, without causing injury, Samon said, adding that one state employee was killed in the crossfire.

They had planned to use the office as a stage post to launch attacks on the governor’s compound and other key buildings in the city from an elevated position, he said.

Insurgents fighting Afghan and foreign forces have previously used halfbuilt high rises or poorly guarded buildings to stage big attacks on government targets. The most notable was the Sept. 13 attack on Kabul’s diplo-

matic enclave, when five suicide fighters took over an abandoned building and showered the US embassy and the headquarters of NATO-led forces with rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire for 20 hours.

Suicide and roadside bombings and high-profile, coordinated attacks are being used more frequently by the Taliban, with high numbers of casualties among Afghan security forces and civilians.

Foreign forces say such attacks are attempts to grab media attention and avoid heavy losses sustained on the battlefield. The attack in Gardez came a day after four suicide bombers targeted a compound housing an Afghan and US military/civilian reconstruction team inside Afghanistan’s fiercely antiTaleban Panjshir valley, killing two civilians.

Violence is at its worst since USbacked Afghan forces toppled the Taleban government in late 2001, with attacks spreading from militants strongholds in east and south to normally peaceful areas in north. —Reuters

US drone strike kills 3 Egyptians in Pakistan DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A recent US missile strike in Pakistan’s tribal region killed three Egyptians linked to the Haqqani network, including one who played a key role in handling the militant group’s finances, Pakistani intelligence officials said yesterday.

The three men were killed Friday when a drone fired missiles at a car near Miran Shah, the main town in North Waziristan, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

A fourth person was also killed but has not been identified.

US intelligence believes the Haqqanis are the top threat to security in Afghanistan and that they enjoy the support of the Pakistani army. It wants the army to sever its ties and attack the group, something that Islamabad refuses to do. The issue is a main cause of tension between the two countries, and Pakistan’s reluctance to cooperate has

maintaining the fleet - along with this country’s ability to match the improving air capabilities of neighboring Russia and China. Japan has been using the F-15 as its centerpiece fighter since the early 1980s, though they have been updated over the years.

prompted the US to step up missile strikes against the Haqqani network in the group’s safe haven in North Waziristan.

The US does not acknowledge the CIA-run drone program in Pakistan, but officials have said privately that the attacks have killed senior militant commanders from the Haqqani network, the Taleban and al-Qaeda. One of the Egyptians killed Friday was a 28-year-old man named Abdullah who helped handle the Haqqani network’s finances in Pakistan and Afghanistan, said the intelligence officials. He was known locally as Nadeem.

On Thursday, a missile attack close to Miran Shah killed Janbaz Zadran, who US officials said was a top commander in the network who helped orchestrate attacks in Kabul and southeastern Afghanistan.

They said he was the most senior Haqqani leader in Pakistan to be taken off the battlefield. — AP

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai, second right, talks with German President Christian Wulff following a joint press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, yesterday. — AP

Japan flies about 200 of the planes.

Tokyo’s first choice was the United States’ stealthy F-22 Raptor, which can cruise at supersonic speeds and is hailed by many aviation experts as the most advanced fighter in the skies.

Japan is the only country where the F22 is regularly deployed overseas, having done several rotations to the US Kadena Air Base on the southern island of Okinawa.

Acquiring the F-22 would have been a quantum leap for Japan.

Because of its sensitive technology, the US Congress has opposed selling the F-22 abroad. Budget restraints in the United States have further forced Washington to drastically reduce its own orders for the pricey plane, whose future is now cloudy. With the F-22 out of the picture, Japan has set its sights on three jets as its next mainstay fighter - the Lockheed F-35, Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet and the Eurofighter Typhoon. The hotly contested deal for more than 40 “F-X,” or next generation, planes is wor th upwards of $8 billion. The first planes are expected to begin arriving in 2016.

Japan is likely to go with one of the American options. Washington is Tokyo’s main ally. Roughly 50,000 US troops are stationed in Japan under a security pact. Japan’s air forces must work closely with their American counterparts, and using the same or similar equipment makes that easier.

Japan’s main concerns are China and Russia - with whom it has longstanding territorial disputes - along with the threat of North Korean ballistic missiles.

China, whose military has been growing more capable and assertive in the region, recently rolled out its next-generation stealth fighter, the much-touted Chengdu J-20. Though that fighter may be years away from

actual operations, it is seen as a rival to the F-22 and far superior to what Japan now has.

Russia, which is also making advances in its stealth capabilities, sent two strategic bombers on a mission to circumnavigate the Japanese islands last month - a move seen as a test of the new government of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, which had just been launched six days before.

“With the provocative actions of North Korea, and the rapid growth of China’s militar y, along with its increased activity in nearby waters, the security situation around our country is becoming murkier,” Noda said in a speech at the air review. “We must ask you to tighten the strings on your samurai helmets.”

The growing militar y activity around Japan has been reflected in a sharp increase in emergency “scrambles” by Japanese fighters to respond to airspace violations. Scramble orders were issued 386 times last year - up nearly 25 percent, according to the Defense Ministry. Virtually all were Chinese or Russian incursions.

Such challenges have given the overhaul plan a boost, despite Japan’s steadily declining defense budget over the past decade - a sharp contrast to China’s double-digit growth.

They have also pushed Tokyo closer to Washington. Last year, Japan agreed to allow tankers acquired in 2008 to conduct midair refueling of US warplanes. The pact only provides for refueling during exercises, but experts say it a step toward bolstering the capability of both countries to jointly respond to regional threats. —AP

Bangkok’s barriers hold but floods still menace Worst floods in decades BANGKOK: Flood defences protecting the Thai capital held up yesterday, but the advancing waters that have swamped inland regions still threaten to engulf Bangkok and escalate a disaster that has claimed 300 lives.

Thailand’s worst floods in decades have inundated huge swathes of the kingdom, swallowing homes and businesses, shutting down industry, and forcing tens of thousands of people to seek refuge in shelters.

Authorities are battling to protect the capital which is ringed by defensive walls that have so far largely prevented major flooding.

But their efforts have left areas outside the city to bear the brunt of the rising waters.

“The Thai government will do everything it can to help reduce the suffering of people from the floods and I hope everyone will join together so that we can get through this difficult time,” said Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. A large volume of water is bearing down on Bangkok, and a seasonal high tide is expected to worsen the situation for the next few days by making it harder for the flood waters to flow out to sea.

From the edge of the capital a vast flood plain stretches north for some 200 kilometres (124 miles), with the ancient city of Ayutthaya and surrounding areas critically waterlogged. An AFP photographer travelling in a Thai army relief helicopter said the only land visible in some areas are overpasses packed with vehicles and people desperate to reach higher ground.

“It was a sea, with only tree tops and the roofs of houses visible above the water,” he said.

People have swapped their cars for boats and improvised rafts and locals in one isolated village

BANGKOK: Flood victims take shelter at the gymnasium of Thammasart University on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand yesterday. The government expressed confidence that Bangkok will escape Thailand’s worst flooding in decades. — AP swam from their homes to collect air-dropped rations.

In an attempt to speed the flow through waterways towards the Gulf of Thailand, authorities organised around a thousand boats to line up with engines running on the Chao Phraya, Bang Pa Kong and Tha Chin rivers.

Yingluck, speaking from the banks of the Chao Phraya in Nonthaburi province, north of Bangkok, said the boats’ propellers would move only a relatively small amount of water but that the measure was still “worthwhile and efficient”.

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) official Yossak Kongmak said floods would only hit the capital if flooding from the north, high tides and heavy rains acted together.

Thunderstorms and heavy monsoon rains caused minor flooding on roads in the centre of the capital over the weekend, but officials remain confident that the main city will be spared serious flooding. Sandbags have been piled alongside waterways and authorities have been dredging and draining canals to allow more water to flow through. Conditions in Bangkok remain mostly normal and Suvarnabhumi Airport-the capital’s main air hub which has floodwalls several metres highwas operating as usual.

Homes and businesses in inner Bangkok have been fortified with sandbags in preparation for possible inundation, and many residents have stocked up on food, water and flashlights. The floods, several metres deep in places, are

currently affecting about one third of Thailand’s provinces and have left at least 297 people dead.

The United States sent a military transport aircraft from Japan carrying thousands of sandbags and 10 US Marines to assess the situation, the US embassy said.

The floods have dealt a heavy blow to Thailand’s economy, disrupting production of cars, electronics and other goods.

Japanese automakers including Toyota have suspended production in the kingdom due to water damage to facilities or a shortage of components. A fourth major industrial estate has been inundated in Ayutthaya after the floodwalls were breached, prompting an evacuation of employees. —AP

Singapore man arrested for conducting exit poll SINGAPORE: Singapore has arrested a man linked to a popular socio-political website for conducting an exit poll ahead of the general election in May, the island’s leading Sunday newspaper said. Joseph Ong Chor Teck was arrested for offences under the Parliamentary Elections Act and has since been released on bail pending further investigations, a police spokesman said, confirming a stor y in The Sunday Times.

The police did not provide more details.

It is an offence to carry out private polls around an election in Singapore. The newspaper said that Ong was linked to Temasek

Review a popular website for political commentary that is mostly critical of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP). The site went offline about a month ago.

Ong was arrested on Sept 3 for conducting an exit poll during the general election on May 7, said the Sunday Times, part of the Straits Times group, which usually reflects government views. Singapore’s long-ruling PAP swept back to power in May in the most hotly contested general e l e c t i o n s i n ce i n d e p e n d e n ce, b u t t h e opposition also made historic gains.

PAP’s share of the vote fell to a record low 60 percent in the election against 67

percent in 2006, due to discontent over income gaps and immigration policy seen as too lax. Singapore, the Asian base for many banks and multinational companies, gets top rankings as an investment destination and for ease of doing business in international surveys.

But critics say the city-state has few of the outlets for grievances normally found in a democratic society. Amnesty International criticises the government for penalising activists for exercising their right to free speech, while Reporters without Borders ranks Singapore 136th in terms of press freedom, below the likes of Iraq and Zimbabwe. —Reuters

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NEWS

Yemen troops gun down protesters

WASHINGTON: A woman records US President Barack Obama’s address during Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Dedication ceremony in Washington, DC yesterday. The long awaited dedication of the US national memorial to slain civil rights icon Martin Luther King had been rescheduled from the 48th anniversary date of King’s “I Have A Dream” speech due to Hurricane Irene. — AFP

Obama: King ‘stirred our conscience’ WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama saluted Dr Martin Luther King Jr. yesterday as a man who “stirred our conscience” and made the Union “more perfect,” rejoicing in the dedication of a monument memorializing the slain civil rights leader’s life and work.

“I know we will overcome,” Obama proclaimed, standing by the 30-foot granite monument to King on the National Mall. “I know this,” the president said, “because of the man towering over us.” Obama and his wife, Michelle, and Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, joined a host of civil rights figures for the dedication on the sun-splashed Mall.

Designed as what King described as a stone of hope hewn from a mountain of despair, the memorial is the first to a black man on the National Mall and its parks.

“He had faith in us,” said Obama, who was 6 when King was assassinated in 1968. Obama told the crowd,

“And that is why he belongs on this Mall: Because he saw what we might become.”

The dedication has special meaning for the Obamas. The president credits King with paving his way to the White House. Before his remarks, he left signed copies of his inaugural speech and 2008 convention address in a time capsule at the monument site. The first couple and daughters Malia and Sasha made a more private visit to the site on Friday night, before the crowds and the cameras arrived.

In his talk, he focused on King’s broad themes - equality, justice and peaceful resistance - as the nation confronts, 48 years later, some of the same issues of war, an economic crisis and a lingering distrust of government in some quarters. Referring to citizen protests against the wealthy and powerful that have spread from Wall Street and Washington, even abroad, Obama said: “Dr. King would

want us to challenge the excesses of Wall Street without demonizing those who work there.”

The monument, situated between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials in what the designers call a “line of leadership,” was 15 years in the making. Several speakers noted that its designers could not have predicted then that the monument would be dedicated by the nation’s first black president.

Obama urged Americans to harness the energy of the civil rights movement for today’s challenges and to remain committed to King’s philosophy of peaceful resistance.

“Let us draw strength from those earlier struggles,” Obama said.

“Change has never been simple or without controversy.” King didn’t say in the famous 1963 speech that he thought there could be a black president, but he did indicate his belief in interviews that it would happen one day. —AP

SANAA: Yemeni troops shot dead six people in the capital yesterday as they attempted to block a new bid by activists to bring 10 months of protests against veteran President Ali Abdullah Saleh to a head. Medical officials stationed at a makeshift field hospital near Change Square, the epicentre of protests, said four demonstrators and two dissident soldiers were killed, and at least 59 others wounded.

The defiant march by tens of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators in Sanaa came despite the deaths of at least 12 people in a similar protest in the capital on Saturday. The fresh violence erupted when protesters neared Al-Zubeiri Street, which marks the dividing line between parts of the capital held by troops loyal to Saleh and those held by dissident units led by General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who rallied to the opposition in March.

An AFP correspondent on the scene said snipers positioned on rooftops overlooking the street opened fire on the protesters, who were being led by dissident troops from Ahmar’s First Armoured Division. Ahmar’s troops returned fire and fierce clashes ensued as unarmed protesters frantically dispersed. The latest violence followed a similarly bloody day on Saturday when troops loyal to Saleh shot dead 12 protesters from a crowd of hundreds of thousands who marched on Al-Zubeiri Street.

Seventeen other people, at least five of them civilians, were killed in clashes which erupted between Saleh loyalists on one side and pro-opposition tribesmen led by Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar and army units on the other.

The pro-democracy activists, who have been demonstrating since January to bring an end to Saleh’s 33-year rule, voiced defiance ahead of yesterday’s march. “We will continue with our protests... even if thousands of our youth are killed,” said Walid Al-Ammari, a spokesman for the protesters. “This is the only way to ensure the fall of the regime,” he told AFP. In a separate protest in the flashpoint city of Taez, south of the capital, one woman was killed when government troops opened fire on demonstrators also calling for Saleh’s resignation, according to medical officials. Aziza Uthman Ghaleb, 21, was killed by sniper fire, making her the first female to die while marching in an anti-government

protest since January.

Saleh yesterday charged the protests of being militarized and part of a coup led by Islamists. “ This is a militar y coup d’etat (by) the Muslim Brotherhood, in coordination with Al-Qaeda, which was born out of the Muslim Brotherhood and both fall in the same category,” he said in a meeting with the military top brass. He was apparently referring to the opposition Islah (reform) Party, which is known as the Muslim Brothers of Yemen.

“How could this be a peaceful demonstration when it is backed by a dissident military force which has become inherent part of the protest,” he added, according to Saba state news agency.

He said the opposition, dissidents and Ahmar tribal chiefs are adamant to reach power “even if would cause a river of blood.” Earlier yesterday, General Ahmar released a statement calling on the international community to take immediate action to stop the bloodshed and force Saleh to step down. “We are calling for an urgent intervention by the international community to bring an immediate stop to the massacres by this ignorant murderer,” the dissident commander said.

He said it was time for the international community to “force” Saleh to sign a deal brokered by impoverished Yemen’s wealthy Gulf neighbors under which the president would transfer power to his deputy in return for a promise of immunity from prosecution.

Despite mounting pressure from Western governments as well as the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Saleh has for months refused to sign the deal, even though he has repeatedly promised that he would. Ahmar also called on all armed groups in the capital, including loyalist troops, armed tribesmen and his own dissident units, to withdraw to at least 200 kilometres (125 miles) from Sanaa.

But rival militiamen remained heavily deployed on the streets of the capital. After prolonged medical treatment in Saudi Arabia for blast wounds he sustained in a June bomb attack on his compound, Saleh has overseen an intensified crackdown since his surprise return in September. — AFP

Anti-crisis anger turns into global movement Continued from Page 1 “It expresses the anger of a generation with no future and no faith in traditional politics but above all financial institutions seen as responsible for the crisis and profiteers of the damage to the common good,” he said. Tens of thousands turned out at the biggest rallies in Lisbon, Madrid and Rome. There were thousands too in Washington and New York.

“I think it is very moving that the movement that was born here has extended throughout the world,” 24year-old Carmen Martin said as she marched in Madrid.

“It was about time people rise up,” she added. In London, scuffles broke out after a few thousand people gathered in the financial district near St Paul’s Cathedral, raising banners saying: “Strike back!”, “No cuts!” and “Goldman Sachs is the work of the devil!”

The founder of the Wikileaks whistleblower website Julian Assange told protesters from the steps of St Paul’s he supported them “because the banking system in London is the recipient of corrupt money”. And in Washington, the son of slain civil rights icon Martin Luther

King, Jr addressed a crowd on the National Mall.

“I believe that if my father was alive, he would be right here with all of us involved in this demonstration today,” Martin Luther King III said.

Major protests also took place at European Union institutions in Brussels and Frankfurt, as well as in Athens, where painful budget cuts imposed by international lenders in return for a bailout have sparked widespread anger.

In Rome, which saw the worst violence of the day, the march quickly degenerated into street battles between groups of hooded protesters and riot police, sending peaceful demonstrators fleeing. The city’s mayor, Gianni Alemanno, said the rioting had caused damage of one million euros ($1.4 million) to public property. The Vatican condemned damage to a city centre church.

But in Canada more than 10,000 people blew bubbles, strummed guitars and chanted anti-corporate slogans during peaceful protests in cities across the country. “I believe a revolution is happening,” said 30year-old Annabell Chapa, who had brought her one-year-old son Jaydn along in a stroller to a rally in Toronto.

Italian central bank governor Mario

Draghi, a former executive at Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs set to take over as president of the European Central Bank next month, expressed some sympathy with the protests.

“They’re angry against the world of finance. I understand them,” Draghi said at a meeting of G20 financial powers in Paris on Saturday, expressing regret however at the reports of violence. In the Portuguese capital, where some 50,000 rallied, Mathieu Rego, 25, said: “We are victims of financial speculation and this austerity program is going to ruin us. We have to change this rotten system.”

There were smaller mostly peaceful protests also in Amsterdam, Geneva, Miami, Montenegro, Paris, Sarajevo, Serbia, Vienna and Zurich, with protesters chanting anti-capitalist slogans and wearing satirical masks. In Mexico, Peru and Chile, thousands also marched to protest what they said was an unfair financial system and stagnant unemployment.

As the day began, hundreds rallied in Hong Kong and Tokyo where demonstrators voiced their fury at the Fukushima nuclear accident. Hundreds also set up camp outside Australia’s central bank in Sydney. — AFP

Arab League to mull suspension of Syria Continued from Page 1 humanitarian dimensions, and steps that could help end the bloodshed and halt the machine of violence.” Before the opening of the talks at the Cairo-based League, several ministers met informally at a hotel with Arabi. One diplomat who took part said the participants were divided on the means to halt the bloodshed since anti-regime protests broke out in mid-March.

Syria’s possible suspension and the recognition of an opposition Syrian National Council were raised “but the majority believed it necessary to give a chance” for Arabi to encourage the implementation of rapid reforms, he said.

Despite the growing international chorus for an end to the crisis, Assad has shown no sign of backing down or easing his campaign to crush the seven-month-old uprising. Security forces opened fire on a funeral for a slain activist in the east, while security forces arrested at least 44 people in the capital’s suburbs in house-to-house raids yesterday and more than 900 people in the central city of Homs over the past week.

Arab League officials said the meeting yesterday in Cairo was called at the behest of several Gulf countries and aims to pressure Assad to halt the crackdown, which the UN says has killed more than 3,000 people since the uprising began in mid-March.

“Syrian security forces in Deir Ezzor fired live bullets at a funeral procession for Ziad Al-Obeidi,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in reference to one of its associates on the ground. “Some 7,000 people took part in the funeral which turned into a demonstration calling for the fall of the regime,” the Britain-based watchdog said.

Many Gulf states, including heavyweight Saudi Arabia, already have withdrawn their ambassadors from Syria to protest the regime’s bloody response to the protests. Other Arab countries, however, have remained silent or reluctant in their criticism of the Syrian crackdown. Syria is a geographical and political keystone in the heart of the Middle East, bordering five countries with which it shares religious and ethnic

minorities. Its web of allegiances extends to Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah movement and Iran’s Shiite theocracy, and there is real concern shared by many Arab countries that Assad’s ouster would spread chaos around the region.

One official said the Arab League will consider other measures if suspension fails to compel the Syria to stop the bloodshed. He declined to elaborate. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

The 22-member Arab League suspended Libya’s membership earlier this year after Muammar Gaddafi launched a violence crackdown on protesters there. The League has since reinstated Libya under the country’s new leadership.

Meanwhile, around 7,000 people took to the streets yesterday in the eastern Syrian city of Deir Ezzor for the funeral of an activist, Ziad al-Obeidi, who was killed a day earlier. Al-Obeidi worked for the British-based Observatory for Human Rights in Syria, and had been in hiding since troops stormed the city two months ago. Observatory director Rami Abdul-Rahman said security forces fired live ammunition to disperse the mourners yesterday, but there was no immediate word on casualties.

Abdul-Rahman and other activists said security forces also stormed areas near Damascus and were carrying out houseto-house arrests in pursuit of fugitives as part of efforts to suppress the resilient anti-government uprising. He said at least 19 people were arrested in Dumeir yesterday and 25 people in the suburb of Zabadani. The Local Coordination Committees activist network said security forces and soldiers were setting up barricades in Zabadani and Madaya and raiding houses.

In the flashpoint city of Homs, both groups reported widespread arrests yesterday. The Observatory said 923 people from Homs have been arrested in the past week, most of them from the districts of Bab Sbaa, Khaldieh, Bayada and Deir Baalbaa. The uprising against Assad’s regime began in mid-March amid the wave of anti-government protests in the Arab world that have toppled autocrats in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. — Agencies

CHICAGO: Chicago police carry away a protester at the Global Day of Occupation-Chicago March to Michigan and Congress, early yesterday in Chicago. — AP

Saudi takes Iran to UN Continued from Page 1 Tehran has denied the charges.

The Saudi step follows remarks by US President Barack Obama that he would press for “the toughest possible sanctions” against Iran over the alleged plot and vowed not to take any options off the table - a phrase commonly used to mean the possibility of using force. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said on Wednesday in Vienna that Iran “was responsible” for the alleged plot and insisted the kingdom would adopt a “measured response”.

Tensions between Shiite Muslim Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia have risen in recent months as Arab uprisings have altered the balance of power in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia earlier this month appeared to blame Iran, without naming it, for instigating clashes between members of the kingdom’s Shiite minority and security forces on Oct 3 in which 14 people were injured.

“If US officials have some delu-

sions, (they must) know that any unsuitable act, whether political or security, will meet a resolute response from the Iranian nation,” state TV quoted Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying.

Khamenei’s comments may reflect Iranian concerns that Washington would use the Al-Jubeir case to ratchet up sanctions and recruit international allies to try to further isolate Tehran.

US Secretar y of State Hillar y Rodham Clinton has been blunt in saying the United States would use the allegations as leverage with other countries that have been reluctant to apply harsh sanctions or penalties against Iran.

President Barack Obama said Thursday that the US will be able to support all of its allegations that Iran was directly involved in the alleged plot.

But Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters in Iran, said that the US accused Iran of terror in order to divert attention from its

economic woes and from the Occupy Wall Street protest movement.

“By attributing an absurd and meaningless accusation to a few Iranians, they tried ... to show that Iran is a supporter of terrorism. ...

This conspiracy didn’t work and won’t work,” he said.

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, for his part, dismissed the US accusations as a fabricated “scenario.”“Iran is a civilized nation and doesn’t need to resort to assassination,” Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying yesterday by the official IRNA news agency. “The culture of terror belongs to you,” he said, addressing the United States.

Iranian officials have consistently denied the allegations since they first emerged last week. An earlier statement by Khamenei on Saturday, and Ahmadinejad’s remarks yesterday, were the first comments made by the country’s two highest leaders. — Agencies

mudslinging over Graft scandal Continued from Page 1 The battery of charges made by Hammad is not the first by an MP reportedly involved in the bank deposits scandal but the strongest so far and could signal a major counterattack by MPs under investigation.

The new attack also comes as the opposition gears up for its third popular rally opposite the National Assembly building on Wednesday, as outspoken opposition MP Mussallam Al-Barrak vowed to make unprecedented exposures regarding alleged huge money transfers.

At the opposition’s previous rally on October 5, Barrak vowed he would reveal with supporting documents huge money transfers allegedly made by the central bank through the foreign ministry to Kuwaiti embassies abroad in favor of unknown people. Barrak had implicated the prime minister in the transfers.

Barrak had sent a question to the foreign minister demanding details of the transfers and has given an ultimatum until 2.00 pm on Wednesday for the foreign minister to send the answers otherwise, he will release the classified documents. Liberal MP Saleh Al-Mulla said he

will attend the rally on Wednesday but he will not speak to allow youth activist leaders time to talk.

Opposition MPs meanwhile are still waiting for a final word from the five liberal MPs who are members of the National Action Bloc on whether they will support the grilling until the end.

The National Bloc MPs have said that they support the grilling against the prime minister “in principle” but will only decide whether to support an expected noncooperation motion only after hearing the debate of the grilling.

The opposition has said it will file the grilling against the prime minster on Thursday the day the constitutional court is scheduled to issue a key ruling on another grilling filed against the prime minister filed by MPs Saadoun and Abdulrahman Al-Anjari.

The court was scheduled to issue the ruling yesterday but decided to delay the verdict until Thursday. In the meantime, the legal and legislative committee decided to continue debating a draft law on combating corruption until tomorrow after reviewing the bill with government representatives.

14

MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011

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Issues

Summer of change in Southeast Asia

By Raju Gopalakrishnan yanmar’s cautious relaxation of strict government control has grabbed the spotlight in recent weeks, but it’s only the latest act in a summer of political change in Southeast Asia. It’s not a replay of the Arab Spring.

Although part of a trend toward more political openness in the region, the changes have been driven mostly by governments or through elections.

Singapore’s long-ruling People’s Action Party returned to power in May elections but anger over surging prices and immigration, and a feeling that the government was not responsive, sank its share of the vote to a record low. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the election was a watershed and had altered the political landscape.

In Malaysia, Prime Minister Najib Razak has repealed two sweeping security laws and lifted curbs on the media. The moves came after sharp criticism of police action against a huge rally in the capital Kuala Lumpur in July for better governance And in Thailand, the party of deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra ousted the ruling party in parliamentary elections, a victory for his red-shirted supporters involved in bloody clashes with the military last year. “In a simplistic way, it is a movement towards democracy, towards political liberalization, just at different paces with gains but also with setbacks,” says Jaime Davidson, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.

“This tussle, this back and forth between conservative elites in the region, whether they be policy elites, economic elites or military elites, trying to rein in moves towards this process-that’s what links it all together. “Davidson said despite the overall trend, there was little evidence that the events were inter-dependent. “It (the process) has been over years. So it’s not coincidental, but it’s certainly not dominorelated in the short-term.”

M

AIR ASIA EFFECT Just a generation ago, much of Southeast Asia was ruled by autocrats or generals. The 1986 ouster of strongman Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines and President Suharto in Indonesia in 1998 has brought in change which has spread, in fits and starts, across the region. Controlled democracies in Singapore and Malaysia are now more liberal, military-backed regimes have given way to elected governments in Thailand and Indonesia is now seen as the most pluralistic state in the region.

Brunei remains a tightly-run kingdom while Vietnam and the smaller Indochina states have a long way to go, but still, there is a perceptible trend, analyst say.

“Watchers of Southeast Asian politics have been seeing these trends for many years,” says Jim Della-Giacoma, Southeast Asia Project Director for the International Crisis Group. “It’s more coincidence than anything else,” he said of the events this summer. “But perhaps now there is a greater spotlight globally on political change and thematic political change.” Della-Giacoma ascribed the interplay between the events in Southeast Asia to what he called “the Air Asia effect”, or how travel was allowing people to increasingly put different political systems under the spotlight. “There is an increasing amount of travel throughout the region,” he said. “With budget travel, people are moving around, seeing how different countries work. There are different contexts but there is some kind of interaction in the neighborhood.”

OUTLIER The outlier in this Southeast Asian summer has been Myanmar. After the junta was dissolved in April and an army-backed but civilian government took power, the regime has freed hundreds of political prisoners, made overtures to Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, called for dialogue with ethnic rebels and postponed construction of a controversial Chinese dam that was opposed by many in the reclusive nation.

But the changes appear to have been driven by the government, rather than any popular sentiment, as could be said about Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, says Simon Tay, chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. “Ground up policies do matter, democracies which we called autocratic or elite before are having to recognize the ground elements much more,” he said. “The question is whether people outside those elites can use those sentiments against the established elites in all three countries.”

And although Myanmar was at one time seen as ripe for a revolution against the junta, there is no sense that what happened in the Middle East is in any way a trigger for the current reforms. —Reuters

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A winter of discontent on the way?

By Peter Apps ith the “Occupy Wall Street” movement going global and Middle East unrest stirring again, an autumn and winter of discontent looks increasingly likely. In the corridors of Whitehall, Washington, think tanks and even investment banks, there are dark murmurs that the events of the year so far may only be the beginning.

Some fear the world faces a systemic rise in anger, protest and political volatility that could last years or even decades. In many countries, a young social media-connected generation is losing faith in traditional structures of government and business, arguing it has been betrayed and denied opportunity. In the developed world, the wider middle class fears its prosperity has evaporated, demanding someone be held accountable and the global elite find a way of delivering growth once more. “This could be with us for a long time,” said Jack Goldstone, professor of public policy at George Mason University in Washington D.C. and an expert in demographics.

“You have a generation who are fed up being told what to do by rich western countries or rich western people. In Egypt, they took down one government but they may not like what replaces it and they may take that down too. It’s going to be a difficult period.” In the Western world, the crisis initially produced rather less physical protest than many expected. But it now seems on the rise. Greece, Spain, Italy and Britain have all seen some of their worst unrest in decades. On Saturday, the U.S. protests against the global financial system that began in a New York Park in mid-September spilled overseas to dozens of countries as sometimes hundreds, sometimes tens of thousands took to the streets.

Many were peaceful, but in Rome cars were torched and police fought running battles with “black bloc” activists. In London and several other cities, protesters in tents stayed on.

W

NUMBERS TO SWELL? “Even a small number of protesters to start with can inspire many more to come along and join in,” said Tim Hardy, founder of left-wing blog “Beyond Clicktivism” and a regular attender at London protests. “If they manage to establish a base camp, I expect numbers will swell.”

On Friday the Milan office of US bank Goldman Sachs was attacked by an angry mob. Most protest has been peaceful, but is likely ramp up political pressure on the financial industry. Already, policymakers talk of tighter regulation and targeted tax rises and media attention is increasingly turning to the activities of tax havens and secretive banks.

“One word: accountability,” said Hayat Alvi, a professor teaching Middle Eastern and national security studies at the United States Naval War College. “This is the season of

demanding accountability and the application of the rule of law, especially targeting the ruling political elites and the economic elites as well.”

Britain’s August riots showed post-crisis unrest might not always be overtly political, with tough inner-city youths using social media platforms to co-ordinate looting and arson. With so much of the world in flux, some expect that kind of nihilistic violence to also rise. As the summer heat eases in the Middle East, the region seems braced for more trouble.

Egyptian protesters who ousted Hosni Mubarak in February increasingly complain the military still rules, is effectively rigging coming elections and that little has genuinely changed.

Last week saw the worst clashes since Mubarak’s fall, primarily between the military and Coptic Christians. Many in Tunisia, the first state to oust its leader, make similar complaints.

Conflict and confrontation in Syria look to be worsening, with sporadic reports of defecting troops and others taking up arms against Bashar Al-Assad. In Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and other countries, analysts see a risk of new protests in coming months.

DEMOGRAPHIC STRAINS A host of other dissident movements are showing increas-

ing confidence. In Israel, India, Chile, China and elsewhere, online or street protesters have often managed to win concessions. Some believe the current anger against autocrats, bankers and elites is a symptom of fundamental shifts in the structure of global populations.

In the Middle East and North Africa, one of the key drivers has been a large bulge in the youthful population struggling to find work. An educated, westernized group using social media tools to coordinate got protests started, quickly joined by broader masses angry at rising food prices.

In western states, there are strains caused by an ageing population that is driving up government costs, reducing growth and blocking jobs from younger people. At worst, some experts warn that could produce an economic malaise that lasts for decades.

“It is these demographic issues that are driving much of what we are seeing at the moment,” said George Mason University’s Goldstone. “It makes politics very unpredictable.

You can get paralysis, but you can also see dramatic shifts in policy to left or right.

You can see the rise of ideologues as we saw in the 1930s.

We are very much at the beginning of this.” — Reuters

Iraq US troop deal drifts over immunity

By Patrick Markey ust weeks before US troops plan to leave Iraq, the country’s political elite and Washington are at odds over whether American soldiers stay as trainers: Baghdad rejects any legal immunity for US soldiers and Washington says that means no deal.

Without a shift in Iraq’s position, any accord will likely now fall somewhere in between as Iraq’s political stalemate, US domestic opposition to the war and a lack of time force a deal that leaves a just few hundred American soldiers in Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki last week said US troops could stay on as part of the small NATO mission or as part of an already existing US embassy military training program which would give American troops legal protections.

The country’s political leadership gave Maliki the green light to negotiate, but without immunity-a sensitive matter that would have required tricky horse-trading within his fragile cross-sectarian government and possible defeat in parliament.

But Washington sounds skittish on the options, insisting US troops would need full protections or at least assurances that whatever Iraq offers would bring the same legal cover.

“I can’t see the United States agreeing to blanket Iraqi

J

jurisdiction,” said Stephen Biddle at the Council on Foreign Relations. “If it is more than just brinkmanship and if they are going to insist on this, then I think the United States will decline to stay at all.” More than eight years after the US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein, around 41,000 troops are in Iraq mostly advising Iraqi forces since ending combat operations last year.

While violence has fallen since the sectarian slaughter in 2006-2007, Iraq still suffers daily attacks from a stubborn insurgency allied with al Qaeda and from Shiite militia.

In private some Iraqi leaders acknowledge they would like a US troop presence as a guarantee in a country where sectarian tensions still simmer and Iraqi Arabs and Kurds are in dispute over who controls oil-rich areas in the north of Iraq.

Only anti-US Shiite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr openly opposes a continued US presence. His militia once battled US troops, but he is now a key political ally for Maliki. His opposition to US troops complicates the Iraqi leader’s position. Maliki says Iraq needs fewer than the 3,400 troops US officials requested. But his alternatives leave little room for Washington. The embassy’s Office of Security CooperationIraq or OSC-I already has trainers covered by diplomatic immunity as part of the State Department. —Reuters

Panjshir attack shows all Afghanistan ‘unsafe’

By Emal Haidary and Aymeric Vincenot

suicide bombing in the heart of a province renowned for its hostility to the Taliban demonstrates the reach of the Afghan insurgency and belies government claims to be providing security, analysts say.

As part of the Taleban’s strategy to show that it can strike anywhere, four attackers detonated suicide vests on Saturday at the gates of Panjshir ’s Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), a civil-military NATO outfit.

In the first suicide attack in Panjshir since the war began in late 2001, Taleban bombers targeted the only foreign military presence in the province, killing two drivers and wounding two guards.

Panjshir, a predominantly ethnic Tajik area handed from NATO control to Afghan forces in July, was a hotbed of resistance against the Soviets and then the Taleban-the Islamists failed to control the valley during their 1996-2001 rule over Afghanistan.

“We did not think that the Taliban could gain access to the Panjshir,” said Haroun Mir, an Afghan analyst who was a close associate of the region’s legendary commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, known as the “Lion of Panjshir”.

The region holds no strategic assets, and Saturday’s attack resulted in limited damage, despite Taleban claims to the contrary. “The Taleban could have used

A

these means in Kabul against higher targets,” said Mir. But he added: “This attack is an indication that the Taliban can strike anywhere.”

The symbolism of four suicide bombers gaining access to a relatively peaceful valley where most residents are fiercely opposed to Taleban rule is signifi-

cant.

“Security in the Panjshir in the past has falsely led the government to believe that the Taleban are not able to destabilize the province because people are hostile to them,” according to writer and analyst Waheed Mujda. “But with this attack they wanted to prove they can

KABUL: An Afghan burqa-clad woman walks past a shoe cobbler at a market in Kabul yesterday. Despite massive injections of foreign aid since the fall of the Taleban in 2001, Afghanistan remains desperately poor with the lowest standards in the world. — AFP

reach all parts of the country anytime.”

Claiming the attack on their website, the Taliban said it showed that NATO “is no longer safe anywhere in the country”.

The target was made more symbolic by the fact that in July Panjshir became one of the first seven areas of the country where NATO forces transferred responsibility for security to Afghans.

“The Taleban want to show the world that Afghans are unable to take responsibility for their own safety,” said another analyst, Saeed Ahmad.

The Panjshir attack is the latest in a series by the Taleban in recent months against targets that are sensitive or of high symbolic value, to strike fear into ordinary Afghans’ minds and discredit the government that is meant to assume control of safety throughout the country by the end of 2014.

It also follows a trend since 2007 of the Taliban expanding their operations from their traditional ethnic Pashtun strongholds in the south and east of Afghanistan into the non-Pashtun north.

The Taleban claimed in their statement that the suicide bombers in the attack were from Panjshir themselves, implying they have gained a foothold in a province that has been traditionally overwhelmingly hostile to their presence.

But provincial police chief Qasim Jangalbagh said there was no information to suggest that the bombers were locals — AFP

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011

Years

sp orts Martin smashes record FRANCE: Germany’s world time trial champion Tony Martin, of HTCHighroad, powered to victory in the 30th edition of the Chrono des Nations time trial yesterday.

American Amber Neben won the women’s event. Martin, who upstaged Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland on his way to a maiden world time trial title in Copenhagen last month, was the first world champion to compete in the end-of-season race against the clock since Australian Michael Rogers in 2005, And the German showed that his worlds form is still brimming over by clocking 56min 20.84sec for the 48.5 km course, smashing the previous record of 58:53.27 set by Britain’s David Millar in 2010. Sweden’s Gustav Larsson was second in 58:23, with Briton Alex Dowsett third in 59:10. Millar had to settle for fifth place in 1hr 00min 11sec.

Neben, a former world champion, beat compatriot Kristin Armstrong, the reigning Olympic and also a former world champion, to victory in the women’s event. —Agencies

South African minister says threats will not stop inquiry JOHANNESBURG: South Africa’s sports minister Fikile Mbalula said yesterday he had received threatening phone calls telling him not to investigate bonus payments made to Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive Gerald Majola.

Mbalula told a news conference he would not be deterred by the threats and was appointing a retired judge to investigate the matter. “I got calls last night telling me to get out of this cricket thing, to leave it alone because it would be very dangerous for me,” Mbalula said.

“But I will not be threatened because we must be decisive in acting against corruption, otherwise what will we say to the next federation that gobbles money? If

I’m going to turn a blind eye then we will become a banana republic.” Auditors KPMG were appointed to look at bonuses paid to Majola and other CSA staff in connection with the staging of the Indian Premier League and ICC Champions Trophy tournaments in 2009.

The sports minister said he would name the retired judge and his terms of reference before the end of next week in a bid to bring conclusion to a matter that has plagued CSA since August 2010.

“We have a responsibility to protect the taxpayers’ and sponsors’ money that is pumped into cricket and also to ensure that the Proteas badge and South African flag the national team wear is respected,” said Mbalula.—Reuters

Evra’s racism allegations LONDON: Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has hit back at Patrice Evra’s allegations that he racially abused the Manchester United star during Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Anfield. The English Football Association have pledged to investigate Evra’s claims in the French media that Suarez directed racist insults at him throughout the match. Referee Andre Marriner was seen talking to both players after a clash at a second-half corner and France left-back Evra was later booked for dissent. The official has included Evra’s allegations in his official match report, but Uruguay international Suarez maintains his innocence.

Writing on his official Facebook page, Suarez said: “I’m upset by the acusations (sic) of racism. I can only say that I have always respected and respect everybody. We are all the same. “I go to the field with the maximum illusion of a little child who enjoys what he does, not to create conflicts.”

Evra was determined to draw attention to Suarez’s alleged comments and he told French TV channel Canal Plus: “I was very upset. In 2011 you can’t say things like this. He knows what he said, the ref knows it, it will come out. — Reuters

Texas right back in World Series with second AL title

KUALA LUMPUR: Na Yeon Choi of South Korea reacts as she poses with her trophy after winning the LPGA Malaysia golf tournament. —AP

Choi wins LPGA Malaysia KUALA LUMPUR: South Korea’s Na Yeon Choi won the LPGA Malaysia yesterday for her first LPGA Tour victory of the season and fifth in three year, closing with a 3-under 68 to beat topranked Yani Tseng by a stroke.

Choi finished at 15-under 269 at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club and earned $285,000. She birdied the par-3 17th to pull ahead and parred the par-4 18th to hold off Tseng a week after finishing second behind the Taiwanese star in South Korea.

“I took something from last week,” Choi said. “I had a great experience from last week. ... I did my best last week. ... So, I learned something. And then this week, I had a great feeling about my game. I played so well this week.” Choi became only the second South Korean winner on the LPGA Tour this year, joining U.S. Women’s Open champion So Yeon Ryu. The victory also was the 100th LPGA Tour win by players of Korean descent.

“I won my fifth tournament and a hundred times for all of the Korean players,” Choi said. “So it’s very nice.

Icing on the cake.” Tseng, a six-time LPGA Tour winner this season, parred the final two holes for a 65. She earned $176,791 to push her tour-leading total to $2,563,629. “Na Yeon played great and she made a couple birdies on the back nine,” said Tseng, set to play next

week in the inaugural LPGA Taiwan Championship. “I finished second this week, that means I still have space to improve next week.

“I think after these last two weeks I’m ready for next week. I’m excited for it and looking forward to do my best.

Looking forward to try to win next week.” Tseng, four strokes behing Choi entering the round, pulled even at 14 under with birdies on the par-3 15th and par-5 16th.

“Today, before I’m going to play, I tell myself, ‘Just shoot 6 under and finish 14 under,’” Tseng said. “So, this is my goal today, and I achieved my goal and didn’t win. That’s all that happened. I do my best and then I played my best today.

After Tseng missed a birdie opportunity on No. 17, Choi hit her tee shot to about 5 feet to set up the deciding birdie. “I wasn’t nervous when I started today, but started getting nervous on 15 when I hear that Yani got birdie, birdie,” Choi said. “So I was nervous, like from 15, 16, 17, 18 I was so nervous, but I had a great result.

So it feels amazing.” Spain’s Azahara Munoz closed with a 69 to finish third at 12 under, South Korea’s Se Ri Pak (69) followed at 10 under, and Americans Stacy Lewis (70) and Brittany Lang (73) were 9 under. Michelle Wie had a 75 to tie for 18th at 2 under. —AP

Thompson leads in Georgia GEORGIA: PGA Tour rookie Michael Thompson moved one shot clear after Saturday’s third round of the McGladrey Classic at St Simons Island in Georgia while fellow American Webb Simpson stayed in the hunt for his third victory of the year.

Thompson fired a three-under-par 67 on another breezy day at the Sea Island Resort to overhaul second-round pacesetter Billy Horschel and post a 13-under total of 197. American Horschel, a stroke in front of Thompson with three holes to play, doubled-bogeyed the 16th after dumping his tee shot into water on the way to a 70 as he ended the day in second place at 12 under.

Simpson, who has won twice in his last five starts and has a chance to beat world number one Luke Donald of Britain to the PGA Tour money-list title, was a further stroke back after carding a 69. “My caddie and I had a tough time reading the greens,” Simpson told reporters after mixing three birdies with two bogeys. “I gave myself plenty of opportunities but the greens, as we get late into the week, are getting tough to putt. “The goal for today was just to give

ourselves a chance to win tomorrow. We hung in there and stayed in the golf tournament. That’s all you can ask.”

Simpson trails money-list leader Donald by $68,971 and both are scheduled to compete in next week’s seasonending Disney Classic at Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Thompson, who has recorded just one top-10 finish on the PGA Tour after 23 starts this season, was delighted to be in position to claim a breakthrough victory.

“I’ve just got to try to hit solid golf shots tomorrow,” said the 26-year-old who lipped out with a nine-foot birdie putt at the last that would have given him a two-stroke lead. “I was kind of struggling coming down the stretch there but tomorrow is a new day and I’m going to enjoy it.” Former US Masters champion Trevor Immelman equalled the course record with a sizzling 62 to finish level with Simpson at 11 under. “That’s always going to help your round,” South African Immelman said after covering his last five holes in six under. “I played real well today, drove the ball well, hit some nice iron shots and made some putts. It really was a fun day.” —Reuters

ARLINGTON: After waiting until their 50th season to reach their first World Series, the Texas Rangers are going right back.

Nelson Cruz had one more big blast, Michael Young caught the final out long after hitting a pair of doubles in one of the highest-scoring postseason innings ever and the Rangers became the American League’s first repeat champion in a decade.

The team that lost Cliff Lee in free agency and held onto Young after his offseason trade request finished off the Detroit Tigers with a 15-5 romp Saturday night to win the AL championship series in six games.

“This is a great trophy, we’re real proud of it,” said Young, who walked off the field with the AL championship trophy in his hands. “But we’re looking forward to the one with all the flags on it. ... Happy, but not satisfied.”

Cruz was selected ALCS MVP after his postseason-record sixth home run of the series, and he also had a record 13 RBIs. Young hit a pair of tworun doubles in a nine-run third inning that sent the Rangers on their way to becoming the AL’s first consecutive pennant winner since the New York Yankees won four in a row from 1998-01.

“We wanted to get to the World Series. But the bottom line is getting to the World Series and winning it. We feel pretty confident about ourselves,” manager Ron Washington said. “More than anything else, the commitment they made in November after San Francisco sent us home, they held true to it.”

Texas will open the World Series on Wednesday night at St. Louis or Milwaukee, seeking the first title in the history of a franchise that started play in 1961. The World Series returns deep in the heart of Texas with Game 3 next Saturday night.

Young, who also homered and had five RBIs in the finale, caught Brandon Inge’s game-ending popout in short right field and pumped a right hand into the air signaling “No. 1” while fireworks and confetti filled the sky, then ran toward the middle of the field to celebrate with his teammates.

Cruz threw both hands in the air and briefly knelt to a knee in the outfield before running to the infield for the ginger ale-spraying celebration, and a banner was unfurled high over center field declaring the Rangers 2011 AL champions.

The postgame celebration included Cruz getting the AL MVP trophy.

“It was fun to watch,” last year’s AL MVP Josh Hamilton said of Cruz. “It’s one thing to be in the stands. But when you’re down here on the field with him, you can see the intensity, see the focus.

To watch him do that was incredible.”

Ginger ale on the field has become a part of all Rangers celebrations in deference to Hamilton’s well-documented substance-abuse problems. The slugger doesn’t participate in the clubhouse frenzy filled with champagne and beer. Nearly every player inside wore goggles as booze was sprayed everywhere. Those same bottles and cans had been packed and brought home from Detroit after the Rangers failed to end the series there.

With former President George W. Bush seated

in the front row alongside Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, part of the ownership group that took over the team last year, Washington was at the edge of the dugout wildly waving his arms and shouting encouragement as the big inning unfolded.

All Tigers manager Jim Leyland could do was take off his cap and scratch his head as the Rangers kept reaching base off starter Max Scherzer and three relievers.

“He was out of whack for the most part all the way. His control was not good from the get go, really. And he had a tough time. And we just couldn’t stop the bleeding,” Leyland said. “As the

Also among the sellout crowd of 51,508 was Dirk Nowitzki, MVP of the NBA finals won by the Dallas Mavericks in June. Now the Rangers get another chance to bring another championship to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

In his 11th season in Texas, Young had played in 1,508 regular-season games before finally getting into the playoffs last year. He added a huge exclamation point to his already big night when he led off the seventh with a 416-foot homer to straightaway center.

His five RBIs matched the Rangers postseason record, set by Cruz in Game 2 when he had the first game-ending grand slam ever in the play-

ARLINGTON: Detroit Tigers’ Jhonny Peralta hits a solo home run during the second inning of Game 6 of baseball’s American League championship series against the Texas Rangers. —AP game went on, obviously, it really wasn’t fair.” A franchise that began as the expansion Washington Senators and moved to Texas in 1972 had failed to reach the World Series before last year, when Texas lost to the Giants in five games. The Rangers had never even won a postseason series before last season. “As soon as the season began, we were hungry, we were hungry to get back,” shortstop Elvis Andrus said. Texas overcame a 2-0 deficit by sending 14 batters to the plate against Scherzer (0-1) and three relievers in the highest-scoring postseason inning since 2002. Alexi Ogando (2-0) pitched two scoreless innings for his second win in the series.

While Young became only the fourth player in postseason history with two extra-base hits in the same inning - first a tying double into the left-field corner and then one down the right field line for a 9-2 lead - every batter in the Texas lineup reached base at least once in the third. By the time all the fireworks was over, the Rangers scored the most runs ever in a postseason game against the Tigers.

A series that started with a 3-2 Rangers victory, included two 11-inning wins by Texas and was extended by a Detroit rally sparked by a likely double-play grounder ricocheting off third base, ended with the highest-scoring playoff game since the Yankees routed Boston 19-8 in Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS.

offs. Last winter, Young had requested a trade after the Rangers signed Adrian Beltre and acquired Mike Napoli, moves that led to Young becoming primarily a designated hitter and first baseman, a position he had never played. He had already been a starting second baseman and an All-Star at shortstop and third base. The Texas third was the highest-scoring inning in a postseason game since the Angels matched a playoff record with 10 runs in the seventh of Game 5 during the 2002 ALCS against Minnesota.

Scherzer was gone after Cruz fought back from an 0-2 count to load the bases. By time the third Detroit reliever finally induced Beltre into an inning-ending flyout with the Rangers up 9-2, fans roared in anticipation while wildly waving white rally towels - and one fan behind the home dugout swayed a Texas state flag back and forth in the air.

Detroit had already avoided elimination twice this postseason, winning Game 5 of the AL division series at Yankee Stadium and then extending the ALCS with a 7-5 win at home Thursday.

The Tigers, seeking their first Series title since 1984, quickly jumped ahead in Game 6 when Derek Holland allowed solo homers to Miguel Cabrera in the first and Jhonny Peralta in the second. “I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of a team than I am of this team,” Leyland said. “They gave everything they had.”—AP

Stoner bags second MotoGP title PHILLIP ISLAND: Birthday boy Casey Stoner breathed a sigh of relief yesterday after surviving a drama-filled day to seal his second MotoGP championship with his fifth successive Australian Grand Prix victory.

Stoner started the day feeling queasy at the news of rival Jorge Lorenzo’s severely injured finger and finished it under immense pressure as driving wind and rain sent riders scattering like ninepins in the latter stages of the race.

With Lorenzo ruled out of the race and in hospital for plastic surger y, the Australian was a shoo-in to seal the title with two races to spare but had to survive the odd hair-raising wobble in the final laps.

“Phillip Island doesn’t let you go home without a wet session and we got it during the race unfortunately,” the 26-year-old told repor ters after late rain showers turned the corners into something of a lottery.

“I’ve gone into that last turn and as soon as I’ve cracked that

throttle again, the rear came around and my heart was up in my throat.”

Stoner, an intensely-driven rider not given to major displays of emotion, beamed on the podium as he sprayed champagne over a cheering crowd and rated the title-sealing race as one of the best of his career.

But he would be happy to never celebrate have another birthday at Phillip Island, he said, despite passing them with success on the race weekend.

“It’d be nice to have a birthday at home one day,” said Stoner, who talked of a post-retirement future taking over his father’s farm and is looking forward to

MELBOURNE: MotoGP drivers Casey Stoner of Australia (center) poses with second-placed Marco Simoncelli of Italy (left) and third-placed Andrea Dovizioso of Italy after winning the Australia Motorcycle Grand Prix. —AP

the birth of his first child in a few months.

Stoner, whose first experience on a motorbike was as a threeyear-old tearing around his family property, notched his ninth win from 16 starts in a supremely dominant season, and extended his MotoGP record total to 11 poles at Phillip Island.

The title was much sweeter this time around in his first year with Honda’s stable of stars, he said, than with Ducati in 2007 where he was the main show but battled illness and mechanical frustration in his last seasons.

“This championship definitely felt the best,” he said. “In 2007, we were criticised for all kinds of things ... This year no-one’s got excuses. There’s three other riders on the same bike.”

Stoners, relishing the re-introduction of 1000cc engines next year, said: “I’ve always preferred 1000s when I’ve got on them.

With more power I feel more comfortable. “With a lot of circuits it’s going to be a lot more fun.” —Reuters

MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011

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CONCORD: Jeff Gordon (24), David Ragan (6) and Kasey Kahne get sideways in Turn 2 during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. —AP

Kenseth grabs win at Charlotte CONCORD: Matt Kenseth won his only Cup title in 2003 and NASCAR immediately changed the championship rules.

He always resisted the urge to take it personally despite the overwhelming evidence that his methodical but nondescript season forced NASCAR to pump some life into the system by creating the current Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Now, eight years later, he’s finally back in the title hunt.

Kenseth won Saturday night’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, passing Kyle Busch on a restart with 25 laps remaining, to grab his first victory of this Chase.

It moved him two spots in the standings to third, and he’s only seven points behind leader Carl Edwards at the halfway point of the Chase.

“It doesn’t really matter to me that much what everybody thinks,” Kenseth said. “We’re in it or out of it or whatever. What’s important to me is trying to win races and trying to be competitive and go do the best job we can do every week.

“If somebody wants to say I’m boring or whatever - I was hired to try to go win races and try to run good and that’s what I try to do every week.” But the path to the championship may have become just a little clearer Saturday night.

Five-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson was in a hard accident that sent him spiraling in the standings.

He was running seventh with 17 laps remaining when contact with Ryan Newman sent him headfirst into the wall. The hit was so hard, his back tires briefly lifted off the track.

He finished 34th and dropped to eighth in the standings. “That one stung for sure. Pretty big impact,” Johnson said.

Johnson, winner of last week’s race at Kansas, had started the race ranked third in points and only four points behind Edwards.

He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week, and had dismissed the idea of falling prey to the so-called cover jinx.

After notching his lowest Chase-race finish since he was 38th at Texas in 2009, he may now be wondering if the curse is credible.

“This is not going to help us win a sixth championship,” he admitted. Because it can change so quickly, Kenseth was more evenkeeled than normal in his celebration. It’s hard

to look too far ahead with such a tight field and Talladega looming next week.

“What happened to Jimmie Johnson is a sobering lesson for everyone,” winning car owner Jack Roush said. That’s probably what Kyle Busch thought, too, after dominating the race only to come up short in his bid for his first win in a Chase race.

Busch had to change his engine before the race and started last in the 43-car field.

Although he was initially frustrated with his car, he rallied to lead a race-high 111 laps and finish second, his best showing so far in the Chase.

“We drove up through the field and we got in position to win the race ... just got out drove there by Kenseth there on the restart,” Busch said. “He just flat out drove right past me like I was standing still. The frustration is, again, we did not finish where we wanted to, which could have been a real win, a real highlight.

“The next frustration is we have yet to win a Chase race, and I’m sure I’ll be hearing about that for the next four years if I continue that.”

Edwards finished third, but leaned into Busch’s car after the race to discuss what Edwards felt was aggressive driving in the closing laps.

“We should definitely be racing each other hard. It’s just that there’s a difference between racing hard and then cutting across the guy’s nose,” Edwards said. “I just let him know that next time that happens, I’ll just stay where I’m at and he can drive across my hood and wreck himself.” But there was no chance in this one turning into a feud as Busch quickly diffused the situation.

“There was no malicious intent involved to cause anything or to hurt his chances at finishing second or anything,” Busch said. “It was just a product of what we had at the end going for everything we could, and trying to come home second.”

Edwards seemed to buy the explanation and the two shared the dais in the post-race news conference without incident. “He told me that he didn’t mean to do it, and so I got to believe that,” Edwards said.

Kasey Kahne and Marcos Ambrose, two drivers not competing for the championship, finished fourth and fifth. It was the third straight top-10 finish for Ambrose, the first time in his career he’s pulled that off. —AP

Red Bull racing on top of the world!

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round the time newly crowned 2011 Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel was establishing his own world record at Suzuka, Japan, the Red Bull Racing team was scaling new heights in India too.

The reigning World Champions defied odds of every kind by ‘taking the high road’, literally. Red Bull Racing driver Neel Jani drove the Red Bull Racing Formula One Show car on the World’s Highest Motorable Road at the Khardung-La pass in the Leh region of India at a dizzying height of 18,380 feet.

This makes Red Bull Racing the first Formula One team to have ever managed to transport, fire-up and drive an F1 car on what is arguably the most challenging driving terrain in the world.

Barely a week after Red Bull Racing driver Daniel Ricciardo dazzled New Delhi with his driving skills, it was Neel Jani’s turn to go down in history. A Swiss driver of Indian origin, Jani expertly drove the Red Bull Racing Formula One car through the various roads of the Leh region in India’s extreme north. During the journey, Jani and the Red Bull Racing F1 car passed the famous Thiksey Monastery, stopped by the Shanti Stupa and encountered the famous rolling roads of South Pullu.

Neel was also greeted along the way by the Honourable Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, Omar Abdullah. He flagged off a part of the historic journey, which represents an impressive engineering and logistical achievement.

Anthony Ward, Head of Brand for Red Bull Racing said, “It is a testament to the engineering crew of Red Bull Racing that we have been able to get a Formula One car running from 11,000 feet, all the way up to the 18,380 feet mark.

Logistically too, this project demonstrates Red Bull Racing’s commitment to continually pushing boundaries.”

For 27 year old Neel Jani, veteran of drives like Red Bull Racing’s journey to Table Mountain in South Africa, this was an experience he’s unlikely to forget in a hurry. “Of all the places I’ve driven around the world, Khardung La has got to be the most humbling. The Himalayas are as imposing as anything in the world and to become a part of history here will be a cherished memory,” said Jani.

The Red Bull Speed Street Leh project marks another milestone for Red Bull Racing; it joins the team’s other impressive runs, including the Formula Santo Domingo Beach Run and the Canadian Red Bull Frozen One on ice.

CHICAGO: Tyler Seguin scored the only goal in a shootout to give the Boston Bruins a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday in the only NHL regular-season matchup between the past two Stanley Cup champions.

Chris Kelly and Nathan Horton scored in regulation for Boston, which gave coach Claude Julien his 300th NHL win. Horton’s tying goal at 7:56 of the third sent the game to overtime.

Boston goalie Tim Thomas denied three Blackhawks in the shootout. Patrick Kane and Bryan Bickell scored in regulation for Chicago.

Kings 3, Flyers 2 In Philadelphia, Mike Richards had a triumphant return to Philadelphia, assisting on Jack Johnson’s overtime goal to lift Los Angeles to victory.

Richards returned to Philadelphia for the first time since his shock trade in June. He was the Flyers’ captain and led them to the Stanley Cup finals in 2010.

Justin Williams scored twice for the Kings and Johnson’s power play goal came 1:39 into overtime. Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk was whistled for tripping in the final moments of regulation, leading to the power play. Matt Carle and Daniel Briere scored for Philadelphia.

Sabres 3, Penguins 2 In Pittsburgh, Nathan Gerbe and Luke Adam each had a goal and an assist as Buffalo beat Pittsburgh for the first time in almost two years.

Drew Stafford also scored for the Sabres, who had won in regulation only once in their past 10 trips to Pittsburgh. The Penguins lost in regulation for the first time in six games this season.

Pittsburgh’s James Neal scored for the third consecutive game, extending his NHL-leading goal total to five. Jordan Staal added a thirdperiod goal. Still without Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh played this one Evgeni Malkin (knee), too.

Capitals 2, Senators 1 In Washington, Marcus Johansson and Nicklas Backstrom scored to lead Washington past Ottawa. Mike Knuble assisted on both goals for Washington, which has won its first four games of the season. This was the Capitals’ first win in regulation.

Peter Regin scored his first goal of the season for Ottawa, which has lost all three of its road games to open the season.

Islanders 4, Rangers 2 In Uniondale, New York, John Tavares had three goals, including the tiebreaking tally in the third period, and added an assist as the Islanders downed the Rangers in the all-New York clash.

The Islanders have won three straight following an opening-night loss and they have Tavares to thank for the past two. He had a pair of goahead, power-play goals and his second straight four-point game.

Linemate Matt Moulson also scored for the Islanders. Tavares finished his hat trick by scoring into an empty net with 1:03 remaining. Marian Gaborik and Brandon Prust each scored a tying goal in the second for the Rangers.

Islanders goalie Evgeni Nabokov earned his first regular-season NHL win since the 2009-10 season when with San Jose.

Coyotes 4, Jets 1 In Glendale, Arizona, Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored twice as Phoenix won its home opener against winless Winnipeg.

The Swedish defenseman, Phoenix’s top draft pick and the sixth selection overall in 2009, has three goals in the team’s first four games.

Daymond Langkow got his first goal of the season 34 seconds in. Ray Whitney had a goal and an assist for the Coyotes. Andrew Ladd scored for Winnipeg.

Maple Leafs 3, Flames 2 In Toronto, Phil Kessel had two goals and an assist as Toronto overcame an early two-goal deficit, beating Calgary to extend its seasonopening winning streak to three games.

Kessel set up Joffrey Lupul’s goal early in the second, then tied it 2-2 late in the period. He added his fifth goal of the season in the first minute of the third. Curtis Glencross and Scott Hannan scored in the first period for Calgary.

Avalanche 6, Canadiens 5 In Montreal, Milan Hejduk and Matt Duchene scored on Colorado’s first two shootout attempts as the Avalanche extended their winning streak to four by beating Montreal.

David Jones had two goals and an assist and Semyon Varlamov made 38 saves for Colorado, which blew three one-goal leads before Kyle Quincey scored with 4:03 left in regulation to send the game to overtime. Quincey and Paul Stastny each had a goal and an assist and Chuck Kobasew scored his first Avalanche goal.

Brian Gionta, who also had two assists, and David Desharnais scored goals 20 seconds apart in the third to give Montreal a 5-4 lead at 13:17.

Max Pacioretty, Tomas Plekanec and Travis Moen also scored for the Canadiens.

EDMONTON: Oilers ’Corey Potter (left) and Vancouver Canucks’ Christopher Higgins race for the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game. —AP Panthers 3, Lightning 2 In Sunrise, Florida, Marcel Goc scored the lone goal in a shootout and Jose Theodore stopped all three shots he faced during the tiebreaker to lift Florida over Tampa Bay. MarcAndre Bergeron scored a pair of tying goals in the third period for the Lightning.

Ed Jovanovski got his first goal for Florida in nearly 13 years to open the scoring, and Kris Versteeg’s power-play tally with 2:55 left in regulation gave the Panthers a short-lived 2-1 lead before Bergeron tied it again 39 seconds later.

Red Wings 3, Wild 2 In St. Paul, Minnesota, Johan Franzen scored a power-play goal with 48.5 seconds left in overtime, rallying Detroit to a victor y over Minnesota. Ian White and Jiri Hudler also scored for the Red Wings, who trailed 2-0 in the second period.

Franzen’s goal, upheld by video review, was Detroit’s first power-play tally in 19 chances this season. The Red Wings are off to their first 4-0 start since 1997-98, when they won the Stanley Cup. Greg Zanon and Cal Clutterbuck scored for Minnesota, which was outshot 41-14.

Stars 4, Blue Jackets 2 In Dallas, Sheldon Souray and Michael Ryder scored third-period goals to help Dallas defeat Columbus. Mike Ribeiro added three assists for the Stars, who improved to 4-0 at home.

Brenden Morrow and Loui Eriksson also had goals for Dallas.

Vinny Prospal got the first power-play goal of the season for the Blue Jackets. Alexandre

Giroux also scored for Columbus, still looking for its first win this season. The Blue Jackets were outshot 33-15.

Devils 3, Predators 2 In Nashville, Tennessee, Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise each scored in a shootout to lead New Jersey over Nashville.

Kovalchuk also had a power-play goal and David Clarkson added a goal for the Devils in their second straight shootout win. New Jersey goalie Johan Hedberg stopped a penatly shot in the first period. Colin Wilson and Jerred Smithson scored for Nashville.

Blues 4, Sharks 2 In San Jose, Kent Huskins and Alexander Steen scored in the third period to lift St. Louis over San Jose. Matt D’Agostini and David Backes also scored for the Blues, who won their first game at San Jose in nearly two years. Brent Burns and Michal Handzus scored for the Sharks.

Canucks 4, Oilers 3 In Edmonton, Sami Salo scored twice and Vancouver overcame a hat trick by rookie sensation Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to beat Edmonton.

Henrik Sedin and Alexandre Burrows each added a goal for the Canucks, last year’s Stanley Cup finalists.

With the score tied 3-3, Salo capitalized on a turnover in the Oilers zone midway through the third period and ripped a wrist shot from the high slot under the arm of goalie Devan Dubnyk.

The victory spoiled a breakout performance

by Nugent-Hopkins, the No. 1 pick in last summer’s entry draft. —AP

NHL results/standings NHL results and standings on Saturday.

Toronto 3, Calgary 2; Colorado 6, Montreal 5 (So); NY Islanders 4, NY Rangers 2; Los Angeles 3, Philadelphia 2 (OT); Buffalo 3, Pittsburgh 2; Washington 2, Ottawa 1; Phoenix 4, Winnipeg 1; Florida 3, Tampa Bay 2 (SO); New Jersey 3, Nashville 2 (SO); Detroit 3, Minnesota 2 (OT); Dallas 4, Columbus 2; Boston 3, Chicago 2 (SO); Vancouver 4, Edmonton 3; St. Louis 4, San Jose 2.

Eastern Conference Western Conference Central Division Atlantic Division Detroit 4 0 0 13 5 8 W L OTL GF GA PTS 2 1 1 12 10 5 Chicago Pittsburgh 3 1 2 18 16 8 Nashville 2 1 1 11 12 5 3 0 1 12 8 7 Philadelphia St. Louis 2 2 0 13 11 4 NY Islanders 3 1 0 11 6 6 Columbus 0 4 1 10 17 1 New Jersey 3 1 0 9 8 6 Northwest Division NY Rangers 0 1 2 5 9 2 Colorado 4 1 0 17 11 8 Northeast Division 2 1 2 12 12 6 Minnesota Toronto 3 0 0 11 7 6 Vancouver 2 2 1 14 16 5 Edmonton 1 1 1 6 7 3 3 1 0 14 9 6 Buffalo Calgary 1 3 0 11 14 2 Boston 2 3 0 10 9 4 Pacific Division Montreal 1 2 1 11 13 3 Dallas 4 1 0 13 11 8 Ottawa 1 4 0 14 23 2 2 1 1 13 11 5 Phoenix Southeast Division Los Angeles 2 1 1 9 10 5 Washington 4 0 0 15 11 8 Anaheim 2 1 0 4 5 4 2 2 1 13 18 5 Carolina San Jose 1 2 0 8 8 2 Florida 2 1 0 7 6 4 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in Tampa Bay 1 2 2 14 19 4 the loss column (L).

Winnipeg 0 3 0 5 13 0

Leyva wins parallel bars gold TOKYO: Danell Leyva won the parallel bars title yesterday to give the American men their first gold medal at the world gymnastics championships in eight years.

Leyva’s score of 15.633 put him one-tenth ahead of Vasileios Tsolakidis of Greece. There were still four gymnasts left to go, however, including all-around champion Kohei Uchimura of Japan. But none could catch Leyva.

“It feels amazing to do a routine like I did and get a gold medal,” Leyva said. “It’s pretty amazing, to be honest. I’ve always wanted to win but I didn’t think I was going to.”

It is the first US men’s gold at a worlds since Paul Hamm won the all-around and floor exercise titles in 2003, and the first medal on parallel bars since Sean Townsend won gold in 2001. It also gives Leyva two medals at worlds — the US men won the bronze in the team competition — most by a US man at a world championships since Hamm won three in 2003.

Jordyn Wieber (balance beam) and Aly Raisman (floor) added bronzes yesterday, giving the Americans seven medals at worlds, four of them gold. China also won four gold medals after Zou Kai won the high bar title and Sui Lu took the balance beam crown. Sui also won a silver on floor exercise behind Kseniia Afanaseva of Russia.

“If I got the two gold medals at one competition, it’s not interesting, right?” Sui said through an interpreter. “I will try to get more from now on.”

Also yesterday, Yang Hak-seon of South Korea won the men’s vault title with the hardest vault ever attempted, and Kohei Uchimura won a bronze on high bar to give him four medals at these

worlds — and complete his set. Yang’s handspring front triple twist — twisting three times while doing a somersault in a stretched-out position — has a start value of 7.4, two-tenths of a point higher than any other vault done, and four-tenths higher than the vault most of the top men do. He needed only a small step to steady himself. —AP

TOKYO: Sui Lu of China performs on her way to winning the silver medal in the final of the women’s floor exercise at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. — AP

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Rampant All Blacks set up final with France

SHANGHAI: Andy Murray of Britain shows off his trophy during an award ceremony after defeating David Ferrer of Spain in their singles final of the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament. —AP

AUCKLAND: Hosts New Zealand overwhelmed Australia 20-6 in a dazzling display of pace, power and possession at Eden Park yesterday to set up a rugby World Cup final against France next weekend.

The All Blacks threatened to engulf the Tri-Nations champions after Quade Cooper, the man New Zealanders love to hate, had lobbed the kickoff into touch on the full. Expatriate New Zealander Cooper made a series of unforced errors early in the match after a relentless wave of attacks on both flanks.

However, the All Blacks’ only reward, and the sole try of match, came when Ma’a Nonu drove over the line after the outstanding Israel Dagg had sliced through the defence and flung the ball infield before sliding into touch.

Despite the All Blacks’ dominance, based on a rock-solid scrum which frequently forced the Wallabies backwards, Australia were still in contention when the teams turned around with New Zealand leading 14-6.

But, although Piri Weepu failed to replicate the place-kicking accuracy with the boot he had showed against Argentina in the quarterfinals, it became clear that the longer the match went on, the less likely the Wallabies were to snap a losing sequence at Eden Park stretching back to 1986.

The outcome was the worst defeat Australia have endured at a tournament which they have won twice and also twice disposed of New Zealand in the semi-finals.

It also ensured a repeat of the inaugural 1987 final at Eden Park, the only other time New Zealand have hosted the tournament, and the one time they lifted the Webb

AUCKLAND: Australia’s Digby Ioane is tackled by New Zealand All Blacks Jerome Kaino during their Rugby World Cup semifinal at Eden Park. —AP Ellis trophy.

France were comfortably beaten in 1987 but they have subsequently become New Zealand’s bogey team in the World Cup with their upset semi-final win in 1999 and their quarter-final victory in Cardiff four years ago.

“The job hasn’t been done yet. I think it’s really important that we understand that and that we get our feet back on the ground over the next two days and build again for this test,” said New Zealand coach Graham Henry.

“It’s a huge game of rugby.

We’ve got a lot of histor y with France in the rugby World Cup and we respect them.”

France advanced to their third final after defeating Wales 9-8 on Saturday. Wales were forced to play for 60 minutes after their captain Sam Warburton was shown a red card for a dangerous tackle.

Warburton was suspended for three weeks on Sunday and will miss Friday’s third place playoff against Australia.

France, the only team to reach a

World Cup final after losing two pool matches, will start their preparations for Sunday’s final with a verbal onslaught from their coach ringing in their ears.

Marc Lievremont called his team “spoiled brats” yesterday after they had disobeyed his instructions and went out to celebrate a distinctly poor display on the previous evening. “I told them they are a bunch of spoiled brats,” he said.

“Undisciplined, disobedient, sometimes selfish, always complaining, always whingeing.”—Reuters

Murray wins Kvitova lifts Generali Ladies crown Shanghai Masters SHANGHAI: Defending champion Andy Murray defeated David Ferrer 7-5, 6-4 to win the Shanghai Masters yesterday, ensuring he’ll vault past Roger Federer to No. 3 in the ATP rankings.

The Scot, currently ranked fourth, has made finishing the season at No. 3 one of his main goals for the end of the year.

It will be the first time Federer has fallen out of the top three since June 2003 just before he won his first Wimbledon title.

Murray has been unbeatable during the autumn Asian swing of the ATP tour, capturing consecutive titles in Bangkok, Tokyo - where he beat Rafael Nadal in the final - and Shanghai.

He has also won 25 of 26 matches since mid-August, the only loss coming to Nadal in the semifinals of the US Open. After accepting the trophy on court, Murray said a few words to the crowd in Chinese. “Da shi, shi bu ke dang,” which roughly translates to “Masters are unstoppable.”

Murray’s reached a career-high ranking of No. 2 in 2009 but has never finished the year higher than No. 4. Federer reached the final in Shanghai last year but skipped this year’s tournament, costing him valuable points.

The 30-year-old Federer, who will finish a season without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2002, is expected to return for the Swiss Indoors in Basel but still has to defend a number of points to defend after winning the ATP World Tour Finals in London last year.

“I’m still not guaranteed to finish at No. 3. I’m still going to have to win some more matches,” Murray said. “But if you finish in front of Federer in a year, then there’s not many people the last five, six, seven years that have been able to say that.”

Murray believes the gap between him and the top two players - Novak Djokovic and Nadal - is closing. “I don’t feel like I’m that far away,” the Scot said.

“I just have to play better. There’s nothing else to say. I can win against Rafa. I can win against Novak. I just have to play better against them in the five setters.”

The fifth-ranked Ferrer had rallied in his last three matches after losing the

first set - saving three match points against Juan Carlos Ferrero in the third round - but he couldn’t manage it against Murray, whom he has never beaten on hard courts.

Murray got an early boost by breaking Ferrer’s serve in the first game of the match, but the Scot gave the advantage right back by making a string of unforced errors to drop serve in the next game.

Both players then began to find their strokes, engaging in lengthy rallies from behind the baseline with sharply angled forehands and slice backhands - a style of play more suited to Ferrer, the claycourt specialist.

But serving at 5-5, Ferrer hit two shots into the net and then double-faulted missing the second serve by more than a foot - to give Murray the break. The Scot hit two aces in the next game to close out the set.

Ferrer dropped his serve immediately to star t the second set, but again, Murray squandered the break, doublefaulting twice to drop serve himself, slamming a ball off the court in anger afterward.

The Spaniard’s momentum was halted in the third game, however, when he missed an easy overhead into the net to give Murray another break. He only won five more points on Murray’s serve the rest of the way.

“I was really happy with the way I stayed focused,” Murray said. “It’s hard to explain. It’s almost you’d think the more matches you win, the less pressure you feel. I was hitting the ball well, but there’s still a little bit of tension because you want to try and keep the run going.”

Murray and Ferrer are separated by just one place in the rankings, but the Scot was the heavy favorite coming into the match. He had won all four of his previous matches against the Spaniard on hard courts, including two this year in the semifinals of the Japan Open last week and in the semifinals of the Australian Open.

Murray won his eighth Masters-level tournament overall and his second of the year after Cincinnati. Ferrer was attempting to win his first Masters tournament.—AP

LINZ: Top-seeded Petra Kvitova won the Generali Ladies with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Dominika Cibulkova for the Czech player’s first title since winning Wimbledon in June.

The fourth-ranked Kvitova has struggled since winning her first major at the All England Club, but found her form Sunday to deny the seventh-seeded Slovak a maiden women’s title.

Kvitova broke Cibulkova’s serve on six occasions to win her fifth title of the season - and sixth overall - in just under 90 minutes. “ This was a great preparation for (the W TA Championships in) Istanbul,” said Kvitova, who had made a last-minute decision to play in Linz.

Only top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki’s six wins this season tops Kvitova, who improved to 4-0 against Cibulkova. “Dominika has played really this week and many games were close today,” said Kvitova. “I am not thinking about my ranking. I am just working on my tennis to get better and better.”

Kvitova broke Cibulkova in the opening game and though she found it hard to convert her break opportunities after that, she dominated her own service games and did not face a break point until 4-3.

But she seemed to lose concentration then after her serve was ruled to have touched the top of the net at 40-30. Cibulkova took advantage to break back and level at 4-4, but the Slovak player could not hold her own serve and was broken to trail.

Kvitova eased through the second set to become the first Czech winner since Jana Novotna in 1998, who also won Wimbledon that same year.

Cibulkova was appearing in her first final since Montreal in 2008 and dropped to 0-3 with silverware on the line.

“It was a great week for me. It feels good that I finally got into a final again,” said Cibulkova, who along with 16th-ranked Peng Shuai remains the only player in the current top 30 without a WTA title.—AP

LINZ: Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova shows the trophy after winning the final against Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia at the Generali Ladies WTA tennis tournament. —AP

Americans rule the pool GUADALAJARA: Claire Donahue in the 100 metres butterfly and the 4x100 metres relay team both broke Pan American Games records twice as the United States dominated in the pool on Saturday.

They did not have it entirely their way, though, with Games record holder Thiago Perreira of Brazil retaining his 400 medley title ahead of Americans Connor Dwyer and Robert Margalis.

Donahue broke the games record in the morning heats and again in the final in a time of 58.73 seconds. The world record of 56.06 was set by Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom in July 2009.

The relay team of Madison Kennedy, Elizabeth Pelton, Amanda Kendall and Erika Erndl won gold in three minutes 40.66 seconds, some nine seconds outside the world record held by the Netherlands since 2009. Brazil were second and Canada third.

Julia Elizabeth Smit won the women’s 400 metres medley and Gipson Houching the men’s 400 metres freestyle for two more US gold medals on day one. Outdoor competition began in warm sunny weather after several days of rain that had threatened but finally did not spoil a magnificent opening ceremony on Friday night in the Omnilife

Bartoli clinches Japan Open OSAKA: French second seed Marion Bartoli enjoyed two match wins in one day, including a straight-sets defeat of US Open champion Samantha Stosur, to take the Japan Open title yesterday.

After rain had forced organisers to hold the semi-finals and final on the same day, Bartoli beat German third seed Angelique Kerber 6-1 7-6 before flattening Australian Stosur 6-3 6-1 in the final.

Bartoli’s seventh career title, and second of the year, kept alive her hopes of taking the last remaining spot in the season-ending W TA Championships in Istanbul. “I’m very happy with the way I

played this week,” said Bartoli, who won in Eastbourne in June.

“It has been a good season; I felt my level dropped in August, especially at the US Open, but now I’m back playing well again. Obviously to win a title is great.

Now I have two titles this year so I’m really happy.”

Stosur, who is already sure of her place in Istanbul, was taken to three sets in her semi-final before beating 28-yearold Zheng Jie of China 7-6 3-6 6-3. The WTA championships will feature the world’s top eight players and run from Oct. 25 to 30.—Reuters

MEXICO: Guatemala’s Gisela Maria Morales pushes through the water during a preliminary heat of the women’s 100m backstroke at the Pan American Games. —AP

stadium packed with 50,000 spectators.

Police helicopters fly over the venues periodically as part of a huge security operation involving 11,000 officers in a city trying to fend off the drugsrelated violence that has gripped cities mainly in the north of Mexico. Security was increased at the athletes’ village on Saturday, with organisers saying it was for the competitors’ peace of mind.

The first gold medal of the games went to American Heather Irmiger in mountain biking cross country at Tapalpa, a two hour drive into hills outside this western city.

Her compatriot Jeremiah Bishop was unable to make it a double though, finishing third in the men’s cross country behind Colombian winner Hector Paez. “I’m very excited to be here, I feel proud and happy. It is great to have won the first gold medal for USA,” Irmiger told reporters.

Puerto Rican Kelvin Gonzalez was missing from the men’s event having been withdrawn from the games by his team management for doping. He was positive for the blood booster EPO (Erythropoietin) in recent in-house tests.

There was an upset in the women’s modern pentathlon. Defending champion Brazilian Yane Marques was dominant in the early disciplines but American Margaux Isaksen took charge in the combined event that closed the competition to win with 5,356 points to 5,260 and book her place in the London Olympic Games next year. “(Marques) is a great competitor and good friend. I was used to coming after her, but I was lucky to make a comeback in the combined event to win,” Isaksen said.

Ivette Gonda won Canada’s first gold medal in the 46-49 kilo Taekwondo category, beating Peru’s Lizbeth Canseco in the final. —Reuters

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SPORTS

Badgers thrash Hoosiers MADISON: Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson threw for 166 yards and a touchdown, and added a rare touchdown pass reception, to lead the No.4ranked Badgers to a 59-7 thrashing of Indiana in college football on Saturday.

Montee Ball rushed for 142 yards and three touchdowns while also delivering the 25-yard pass to Wilson. James White added 87 yards rushing and a touchdown, with Wilson also making 42 yards on the ground for Wisconsin, which improved its record to 6-0.

Wisconsin was playing without top wide receiver Nick Toon, who sat out with a left foot

Moore threw for 338 yards and four touchdowns on 26-of30 passing, Martin ran 20 times for 200 yards and three scores, while Shoemaker caught nine passes for 180 yards and two TDs and added a 36-yard run on a fake punt that led to another score for the Broncos.

Oklahoma State 38, Texas 26 In Austin, Texas, Jeremy Smith ran for 140 yards and scored on two long touchdown runs as Oklahoma State won for the second straight season at Texas.

Smith went 30 and 74 yards for scores and Justin Gilbert returned the third quarter kick-

one interception.

Clemson 56, Maryland 45 In College Park, Maryland, Tajh Boyd threw four touchdown passes to help Clemson rally from an 18-point deficit to beat Maryland.

The Tigers trailed 28-10 late in the first half and 35-17 in the third quarter before storming back behind Boyd, who went 26 for 38 for 270 yards.

Sammy Watkins scored three touchdowns. He scored on an 89-yard kickoff return that put Clemson up 49-45 with 7:24 left.

Watkins returned an earlier kickoff 70 yards, and his 345 all-purpose yards set a school record.

ground as the Cavaliers beat Georgia Tech at its own game.

The Cavaliers sealed the victory by holding onto the ball for the final 6 minutes, making five first downs to get inside the Yellow Jackets’ 5-yard line.

Georgia Tech, off to its best start since 1966, came in with one of the nation’s top offenses but was held to just two pass completions and a season-low 296 yards.

South Carolina 14, Mississippi State 12 In Starkville, Mississippi, Alshon Jeffrey caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Connor Shaw with 3:50 left in the fourth quarter for the Gamecocks.

In his third career start, Shaw otherwise struggled for South Carolina, completing 21 of 31 passes for 160 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

Ohio State 17, Illinois 7 In Champaign, Illinois, Daniel Herron, who hadn’t played since the Sugar Bowl in Januar y because of suspensions, ran for 114 yards and a touchdown in his return to Ohio State.

With youngster Braxton Miller at quarterback, the struggling offense of Ohio State counted on Herron against Illinois. The Buckeyes didn’t complete a pass until Miller hit Jake Stoneburner for a fourthquarter touchdown and a 17-0 lead.

COLLEGE PARK: Clemson safety Rashard Hall (31) tries to stop Maryland running back Davin Meggett in the second half of an NCAA college football game. —AP injury. Stephen Houston had a 67-yard touchdown run for the struggling Hoosiers.

Louisiana State 38, Tennessee 7 In Knoxville, Tennessee, Jarrett Lee threw two touchdown passes as Louisiana State crushed another Southeast Conference rival.

Spencer Ware caught one and ran for another score as LSU notched its seventh-straight double-digit win to open the season.

LSU again benefitted from being up against a backup quarterback, with Matt Simms standing in for injured Volunteers starter Tyler Bray. Simms was 6 of 20 for 128 yards and two interceptions.

off 100 yards for a touchdown.

Gilbert tied the Oklahoma State school record for career kickoff TD returns with four.

Fozzy Whittaker had a 100yard touchdown return on the ensuing kickoff for Texas, but the Longhorns never led and lost for the sixth time in their past 10 home games.

Stanford 44, Washington State 14 In Pullman, Washington, Andrew Luck threw four touch-

Oregon 41, No. 18 Arizona State 27 In Eugene, Oregon, Darron Thomas threw for 187 yards and two touchdowns before he left with left leg injury and Oregon survived his absence.

It was the second straight game that the Ducks have lost a key player to injury. Running back LaMichael James dislocated his elbow in Oregon’s last outing, a 43-15 win over California.

Kenjon Barner, who started in

Boise State 63, Colorado State 13 In For t Collins, Colorado, Boise State routed Colorado State in their Mountain West Conference debut behind huge games from Kellen Moore, Doug Martin and Tyler Shoemaker.

Virginia Tech 38, Wake Forest 17 In Winston-Salem, Nor th Carolina, Logan Thomas rushed for two touchdowns and passed for two more to lead Virginia Tech over Wake Forest.

Thomas finished 17 of 32 for 280 yards with scoring passes of 20 yards to Jarrett Boykin and 30 yards to Marcus Davis, and added scoring runs of 1 and 3 yards for the Hokies.

They shook off an early 10point deficit and took command by reeling off four touchdowns in an 11-minute, 7-second span.

Texas A&M 55, Baylor 28 In College Station, Texas, Ryan Tannehill threw for 415 yards and a career-high six touchdown passes to lead Texas A&M past Baylor. Ryan Swope caught four scores for the Aggies.

Baylor lost despite Robert Griffin III throwing for a schoolrecord 430 yards and three touchdowns. Griffin is the third quarterback this season to set a school record against the Aggies’ worst-in-the-nation pass defense.

Alabama 52, Mississippi 7 In Oxford, Mississippi, Trent Richardson rushed for 183 yards and a career-high four touchdowns as the Crimson Tide notched its highest scoring SEC game since 1990.

Richardson put the Rebels away with an electric 76-yard run midway through the third quar ter and now leads the nation with six straight 100-yard games. He’s scored 16 touchdowns this season.

Oklahoma 47, Kansas 17 In Lawrence, Kansas, Ryan Broyles became the college football’s career receptions leader on a record-setting night for Oklahoma’s All-America receiver.

Broyles finished with 13 catches for a school-record 217 yards, including a 57-yard touchdown grab midway through the second quarter. The catch broke former Purdue receiver Taylor Stubblefield’s record of 316 receptions - Broyles finished the game with 326 in his career.

Kansas State 41, Texas Tech 34 In Lubbock, Texas, Collin Klein ran for three touchdowns and threw for another as Kansas State came from behind to edge Texas Tech and stay unbeaten.

Klein ran for 110 yards on 23 carries, scoring on three short runs and hitting Chris Harper for a 3-yard TD pass on the Wildcats first drive of the third quarter.

Tyler Lockett returned a kickoff 100 yards early in the second quarter for the Wildcats, who are undefeated after six games for the first time since 2000.

Michigan State 28, Michigan 14 In East Lancing, Michigan, Keshawn Martin scored twice in the third quar ter on similar lunges to the end zone, and Michigan State beat Michigan for the fourth straight year.

The Spartans equaled their longest winning streak over their in-state rivals. The Wolverines lost for the first time under coach Brady Hoke.

FORT COLLINS: Colorado State running back Raymond Carter (20) is gang tackled by the Boise State defense during the first half of an NCAA college football game. —AP down passes, all in the second half, as Stanford extended the nation’s longest winning streak to a school-record 14 games.

Stanford struggled against the Cougars defense before blowing the game open in the second half. Luck completed 23 of 36 passes for 336 yards with

place of James, ran for 171 yards and a touchdown, while De’Anthony Thomas ran for 73 yards and two scores for Oregon.

Virginia 24, Georgia Tech 21 In Charlottesville, Virginia, Perr y Jones ran for 149 of Virginia’s 272 yards on the

Auburn 17, Florida 6 In Auburn, Alabama, Onterio McCalebb opened the fourth quarter with a 14-yard touchdown run and Auburn held on beat Florida in a game that featured seven quarterbacks.

Two teams that have combined to win three of the last five national titles with creative offenses, turned to backup QBs in the second half in search of some offensive life. —AP

YEONGAM: Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany (center) and team members celebrate after Vettel won the Korean Formula One Grand Prix. —AP

Red Bull retain F1 constructors’ crown YEONGAM: Sebastian Vettel won the Korean Grand Prix yesterday to secure Red Bull’s second successive Formula One constructors’ championship with his 10th victory of the season.

The 24-year-old German, who clinched back-to-back drivers’ title in Japan last weekend, took the lead from McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap and never looked back despite a safety car period bunching up the field.

With three races remaining, and a maximum 129 points to be won, Red Bull have an insurmountable 140-point lead over McLaren.

Vettel’s 20th Formula One victory left him three off seven times champion and compatriot Michael Schumacher’s 2004 record of 13 wins in a single season with Ferrari.

“Yes, yes, yes. Ten wins my friends,” whooped Vettel over the radio after taking the chequered flag and giving his trademark finger-in-the-air salute.

“I was very happy with how the race went today, I had the feeling we got everything out of the car,” he grinned. “After last weekend with the drivers’ championship and this week the constructors’ it’s fantastic,” said the German, who added a final touch to the celebrations with the fastest race lap right at the end. Hamilton finished runner-up, 12 seconds behind the sport’s youngest double champion, with Australian Mark Webber third for Red Bull and just 0.4 adrift.

The Briton, who had started on pole position for the first time since Canada in June last year, had appeared almost downcast on Saturday but allowed himself a smile on his first podium appearance for six races.

“It was a good weekend for me compared

to what has happened in the past so I’m happy,” declared Hamilton, who has been a regular in front of the stewards and in the headlines this season for driving controversies.

Jenson Button, the 2009 champion who won in Japan for McLaren, finished fourth after dropping from third to sixth at the start with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa fifth and sixth respectively.

After predictions of a flurry of pitstops and heavy tyre degradation, the leaders made just two trips to the pits on an afternoon short on thrills at the little-used circuit 320km south of Seoul.

Mercedes’s Schumacher retired on lap 17 after his car was speared in the rear by Vitaly Petrov’s Renault into turn three. The Russian nursed his car back to the garage and called it a day. The collision brought out the safety car for three laps while marshals collected the debris from a collision that Alonso narrowly avoided.

Hamilton and Webber then provided the main excitement with a closely fought duel that saw the pair fighting and trading positions repeatedly before and after the second pitstop.

Toro Rosso had Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastian Buemi finish seventh and ninth with Mercedes’ German Nico Rosberg eighth. Britain’s Paul Di Resta took the final point for Force India.

“A second title is testimony to the dedication and commitment of the whole team,” said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, who joined in the podium celebrations.

“We’re going to enjoy this moment. It’s been a phenomenal period for the team, and I’m tremendously proud of all of them.” —Reuters

LOS ANGELES: Bernard Hopkins (left) is pushed out of the ring by Chad Dawson in the second round of a light heavyweight boxing match. —AP

Dawson stops Hopkins LOS ANGELES: Chad Dawson spent most of the past half-decade angling for a fight with Bernard Hopkins, believing he could define his boxing career by knocking out an ageless champion who had never been stopped.

Dawson got his TKO on Saturday night. But his dream looked nothing like this debacle.

Hopkins was stopped for the first time in his career in bizarre fashion when Dawson lifted him and tossed him to the canvas late in the second round, leaving the 46-year-old champion with a dislocated joint in his shoulder.

Dawson (31-1, 18 KOs) claimed the WBC light heavyweight title from Hopkins (52-6-2), but both fighters were left furious and screaming when referee Pat Russell ruled Dawson hadn’t fouled Hopkins, whose promoter immediately said he’ll protest the result.

“They want me out of boxing, and this is one way to do it,” said Hopkins, whose spokesman said he dislocated the joint connecting his collarbone and shoulder blade.

“Chad Dawson came in the ring tonight, and he just wanted to rough me up with dirty tactics. He wanted to get me out of there, and that was the only way he could.”

After five unmemorable minutes, everything happened in an instant: Hopkins leaned over the crouching Dawson after throwing an overhand right, and Dawson lifted Hopkins off his feet by standing up, shrugging him onto the canvas.

Hopkins landed roughly on his back and left shoulder, his head poking underneath the bottom rope, and might have glanced off the ringside table. Hopkins immediately clutched his shoulder and grimaced in pain, apparently unable to continue.

“He jumped on me and was pulling me

down, so I pushed him off with the shoulder,” Dawson said. “B-Hop disappointed a lot of fans.

I was looking forward to a good fight. I trained eight weeks for this. ... Yes, he was faking. This is a fight I wanted for three years, and Bernard obviously didn’t want the fight.”

Hopkins said he told Russell he would continue fighting “with one arm,” but Russell waved off the fight and declared a TKO. Just like that, a long-awaited showdown between the ageless light heavyweight champion and his top young rival was over, enraging the lively Staples Center crowd. “It was not a foul,” Russell said. “It’s a TKO. He could not continue because of an injury. No foul.”

After waiting several years and training relentlessly for the fight, Dawson was apoplectic when Hopkins stayed down on the ground, taunting him and climbing on the ropes. When Russell called it off, Dawson went over to Hopkins and motioned at him to get off his stool, repeatedly cursing at him.

“I knew he didn’t want the fight,” Dawson said. “He keeps talking about Philly and being a gangster. He’s no gangster. Gangsters don’t quit. He’s weak. He’s weak physically- and mentally-minded person. He has no power.”

Golden Boy President Richard Schaefer, Hopkins’ promoter, said he’ll protest to the California State Athletic Commission. Hopkins was released from the California Hospital Medical Center two hours after the fight after his dislocation was diagnosed.

“That was not a boxing-like move,” Schaefer said. “If you’re allowed to lift somebody up and slam them to the floor, you can’t win your belts like that.”

Even California officials acknowledged the first TKO on Hopkins’ record could soon be up for debate in a boardroom. —AP

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011

sp orts

Humble Levante split mighty Barca and Real

ITALY: Juventus’ forward Alessandro Del Piero (center) takes a header during the Serie A match against Chievo. —AP

Goal-shy Italians draw series of blanks ROME: Only one of 12 teams managed to find the net on an incredible day of turgid Serie A football in Italy that was notable only for a lack of goals, action and interest.

Bologna were the only side to score ahead of the evening Rome derby between Lazio and Roma, with five other matches ending in goalless stalemates that ensured no-one is yet to take the title race by the scruff of the neck.

No team has won more than half of their six matches so far, leaving Juventus ahead of Udinese on goals scored at the top. Juve were held at Chievo while Udinese finished with 10 men as they failed to overcome Atalanta.

The only positive result came at Novara where Bologna earned their first win of the season with a 2-0 victory to move off the bottom.

Gaston Ramirez opened the scoring four minutes into first half injury time with a fine strike and Robert Acquafresca added the second on the counter-attack midway through the second period.

However, that wasn’t enough to drag Bologna out of the bottom three as they remain behind Inter Milan on goal difference.

Juve had a lucky escape in the first half when Cyril Thereau robbed Andrea Pirlo, who flopped to the ground, on the halfway line and galloped towards goal, only for the referee to halt his progress by blowing for a foul that television replays did not support.

In the second half substitute Alessandro Del Piero rose unmarked to head against the Chievo post.

He was also in the thick of the action at the other end when he hacked clear an effort from Sergio Pellissier that was trickling towards the line. Juve coach Antonio Conte was nonetheless satisfied with his team.

“I’m bitter about the result but I can say nothing to my team as they were the ones driving the match,” he said. “They played with the right approach and a good attitude from everyone.

“We had a lot of players come back from international duty and some of them were feeling the effects. “I’m still happy with our efforts. Chievo are an excellent team as they’re showing in the standings, they’re very physical and cover the pitch well.

“And we weren’t at risk of anything. We needed to open the scoring, which didn’t happen and in these situations it’s not unusual to concede.”

Cagliari moved up to third after their draw with Lecce while Cesena went bottom following their stalemate against Fiorentina.

On Saturday Inter’s crisis deepened as they lost for the fourth time in their six league games this season in a 2-1 reverse at Catania.

It was also their sixth defeat in nine matches in all competitions, including August’s Italian Supercup. They also have the worst defence in the league having conceded 13 goals, more than two a game.

Esteban Cambiasso gave them an early lead but Catania hit back in the second period through Sergio Almiron and a Francesco Lodi penalty. AC Milan, however, got back to winning ways as they thumped Palermo 3-0 at the San Siro. Antonio Nocerino opened the scoring with his first goal for the club before Robinho and Antonio Cassano added second half efforts. Napoli failed to keep pace at the top as they fell to a shock 2-1 defeat at home to Parma, dropping them to fourth. Goals from Massimo Gobbi and Francesco Modesto either side of Giuseppe Mascara’s effort for the hosts gave Parma their surprise win.—AFP

Italian League results/standings Cesena 0 Fiorentina 0; Atalanta 0 Udinese 0; Cagliari 0 Siena 0; Chievo 0 Juventus 0; Genoa

0 Lecce 0; Novara 0 Bologna 2 (Ramirez 45, Acquafresca 64).

Italian Serie A table ahead of yesterday’s late match (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Juventus Udinese Cagliari Napoli Palermo Chievo Catania Parma Roma Fiorentina Genoa

6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 6 6

3 3 3 3 3 2 2 3 2 2 2

3 3 2 1 1 3 3 0 2 2 2

0 0 1 2 2 1 1 3 1 2 2

9 7 8 10 9 6 7 8 6 6 9

3 1 5 5 9 5 8 11 4 4 8

12 12 11 10 10 9 9 9 8 8 8

Lazio 5 2 2 1 7 6 8 AC Milan 6 2 2 2 8 8 8 Siena 6 1 3 2 4 4 6 Novara 6 1 2 3 10 12 5 Atalanta 6 3 2 1 8 7 5 Inter Milan 6 1 1 4 8 13 4 Bologna 6 1 1 4 4 10 4 Lecce 6 1 1 4 3 9 4 Cesena 6 0 2 4 2 7 2 Note: Atalanta deducted six points at start of season for match-fixing

MADRID: Unfancied Levante defeated 10-man Malaga 3-0 yesterday to sit level with Spanish and European champions Barcelona at the top of La Liga and nip ahead of Real Madrid.

The Valencia-based club have 17 points and are in second spot only on goal difference behind Barcelona who cruised to a 3-0 win over Racing Santander on Saturday while Real Madrid are a point further back despite a 4-1 mauling of Real Betis. Levante, who escaped relegation by just two points last season, were quickly ahead from a Jose Barkero shot on 14 minutes that took a deflection off Malaga midfielder Enzo Maresca.

Disaster struck for Malaga when goalkeeper Willy Caballero received a red card on 28 minutes for handling outside of his area.

From Barkero’s resulting free-kick Juanlu Gomez was quickest to react to the parried save of substitute goalkeeper Ruben Martinez to get the second.

Malaga’s goalkeeping problems continued in the 40th minute when Ruben failed to come for a routine long ball allowing Arouna Kone to nip in for the home team’s third goal.

Levante could have added more in the second half but will be content with the three points over a Malaga side who sat in fourth place before the weekend’s games.

At Camp Nou on Saturday Lionel Messi’s brace and a rare header for captain Xavi Hernandez were enough to seal the points for Barcelona.

The result was never in doubt and Barca were able to take their foot off the pedal towards the end with one eye on Wednesday’s Champions League match at home to Czech side Viktoria Plzen.

However, they will be without defender Gerard Pique who limped off with a right thigh injury and will be out for at least two weeks.

For Barca’s first goal on eight minutes Andres Iniesta turned cleverly in the area to find Messi who skipped around Santander goalkeeper Antonio Rodriguez ‘Tono’ to push the ball into an open net.

Barcelona’s second came 19 minutes later from the head of Xavi after good work and a fine cross from Pedro Rodriguez on the left wing.

On 67 minutes, Iniesta received a pass from Messi on the left hand side of the area and beat off two defenders with a magical feint before striking the post only for Messi to pounce to convert the rebound.

Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain hit his second hat-trick in eight days as Real eased past Betis on the day that Cristiano Ronaldo played his 100th match for the club.

All the goals came in the second half with Madrid ahead within 30 seconds of the restart.

Marcelo’s long, raking pass found Ronaldo’s attacking run down the left and one touch was all he needed to present Higuain with an open goal.

Kaka then placed a curling right-footed shot into the bottom right corner in the 59th minute.

Jorge Molina pulled a goal back for Betis from close range on 69 minutes, but any hope Betis had of taking anything from the game lasted less than a minute.

Angel Di Maria found Higuain, who hit three goals for Argentina against Chile last weekend, with a beautifully weighted pass from the right wing that left the Argentine to neatly take the ball round Betis keeper Casto Espinosa and finish into an open net.

On 73 minutes Higuain completed the rout when his compatriot Di Maria again found him with a defence-splitting pass that he chipped over the oncoming Casto. Valencia missed out on joining Madrid on 16 points after drawing 1-1 at Mallorca.

A Tomer Hemed penalty for Mallorca in added time levelled after French international defender Adil Rami had scored from close range on 38 minutes for Valencia.—AFP

SPAIN: Malaga’s Argentinian goalkeeper Willy Caballero reacts after being expelled by the referee during the Spanish league football match against Levante. —AP

Spanish League results/standings Rayo Vallecano 0 Espanyol 1 (Romaric 56); Real Zaragoza 2 (Helder Postiga 11, 49) Real Sociedad 0; Levante 3 (Barkero 14, Juanlu G.

31, Kone 41) Malaga 0.

Playing today Athletic Bilbao v Osasuna

Spanish League table after yesterday’s third match (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Barcelona Levante Real Madrid Valencia Malaga Sevilla Real Betis Atletico Real Zaragoza Espanyol

7 7 7 7 7 6 7 7 7 7

5 5 5 4 4 3 4 2 2 3

2 2 1 2 1 3 0 3 3 0

0 0 1 1 2 0 3 2 2 4

26 11 24 10 10 6 10 8 9 6

4 3 6 7 7 3 11 6 13 11

17 17 16 14 13 12 12 9 9 9

Real Mallorca Real Sociedad Villarreal Osasuna Vallecano Athletic Bilbao Getafe Grenada Santander Sporting Gijon

7 7 7 6 7 6 7 7 7 6

2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0

2 1 4 4 3 2 2 2 4 1

3 4 2 1 3 3 4 4 3 5

6 7 7 5 6 7 6 2 4 2

8 10 11 12 11 9 10 8 12 10

8 7 7 7 6 5 5 5 4 1

Hamburg boost Fink’s hope BERLIN: Struggling Hamburg gave new manager-in-waiting Thorsten Fink a timely boost by claiming a welcome 2-1 away win at Freiburg yesterday.

Bayern Munich continued their early season charge for the Bundesliga title with a 4-0 rout of Hertha Berlin on Saturday that gave them a five-point lead at the top.

However Hamburg were arguably just as satisfied as the Bavarian giants after only their second win of the campaign boosted their hopes of moving off the bottom of the table.

After a string of defeats Hamburg sacked their coach Michael Oenning last month, prompting the club’s sporting director Frank Arnesen to take the helm in the interim.

Former Basel coach Fink, a 43year-old former Bayern midfielder is expected to bring fresh ideas and ambition to the club once he puts

pen to paper Monday on a contract which will expire in 2014.

Korean Heung Min Son opened the scoring for Hamburg in the 12th minute, only for Senegalese striker Papiss Cisse to level for the hosts in the 47th minute.

Hamburg restored their lead in the 74th minute thanks to Croat international Ivo Ilicevic and held on for a welcome three points when Cisse missed from the penalty spot nine minutes from time.

Despite the win Hamburg remain at the bottom of the table due to goals conceded, with league new boys FC Augsburg second from bottom. At the other end, life couldn’t be sweeter for Bayern.

The Bavarians finished a massive 10 points behind champions Borussia Dortmund last season but once again displayed their credentials as one of the form teams in Europe this season.

Goals from Mario Gomez, Franck

Ribery and Bastian Schweinsteiger gave Berlin a 3-0 lead within 13 minutes, with Gomez adding a fourth from a spot-kick in the 69th minute to seal a comprehensive win for Jupp Heynckes’ seemingly unstoppable side. “The team has come out of the international break and immediately hit the ground running with total focus on the Bundesliga. We were outstanding, especially in the first half,” said Heynckes.

“We let the ball do the work, our passing was brilliant and we scored three early goals. It was a superb start to the match. We showed all our authority in the second half, retained possession and still created a few chances.”

The result was a major disappointment for Hertha coach Markus Babbel, a former Bayern star.

“Especially in the first half, it was obvious we approached the whole thing with far too much respect,”

said Babbel. “My team failed to show what they would normally do.

We were lucky to be only three down at half-time. Bayern deserved their margin of victory. We need to learn our lessons from the match.”

Borussia Monchengladbach moved up one place to second after a 2-2 draw at home to Bayer Leverkusen, for whom Andre Schuerrle fired home an 87th minute equaliser, to sit five points off the pace. Dortmund sit in third place, following a 2-0 away win on Friday that ended Werder Bremen’s undefeated spell at home, a further point back.

Stuttgart are also on 16 points, sitting in fourth place following a precious 2-0 home win against Hoffenheim, just ahead of Werder, also on 16. In Sunday’s late kick-off, Germany forward Lukas Podolski scored goals in either half in Cologne’s 2-0 home win over Hanover.—AFP

Kuwait on target to host Asian Air Gun Championship

By Abdellatif Sharaa

The victorious Al-Ghaannam cricket team

Al-Ghannam defeat Mirage in thriller KUWAIT: The newly formed Al-Ghannam Tires cricket team scored a nail biting two runs victory over Mirage in the ongoing Family Care tournament in the Kuwait veteran’s cricket committee trophy organized by Bastaki Cricket Committee.

Electing to bat first, Al-Ghannam Tires openers Andrew Pinho and Zahid Butt gave a solid 45 runs opening partnership and as they were set to post a huge partnership Chandra uprooted Zahid’s off stump with a quicker leg cutter.

Andrew at the other end played a cameo 21 runs and was declared LBW. Mohammed Naeem and Rizwan added 26 runs for the fourth wicket. Naeem top scored with a fluent 24 runs. At the end of the 20th over, AlGhannam scored 118 runs. Chandra was the most successful bowler for Mirage as he picked up 3 wickets for 22 runs while Ramesh and Sasi Nair picked two wickets each.

Chasing a moderate total, Mirage soon

lost their prolific scorer Chandra who was well caught at long off by Rizwan. Old warhorse Andrew Pinho bowled a superb spell as he accounted for both the Mirage openers.

Ganesh who found a perfect partner in Chauhan slowly started building the Mirage total as they added 34 runs for the fifth wicket.

Shyam who was brought from the north end immediately lured Chauhan out of the crease & keeper Dawood did the rest. Ganesh fought a lone battle until he was run out for a strokeful 43 runs. Al-Ghannam spinners, Naeem, Shyam & Zahid Butt captured two wickets each.

Al-Ghannam Tires: 118 all out. Andrew 21, Zahid Butt 18, Naeem 24, Rizwan 14, Shyam 16, Murali 13 not out. Chandra 3-22, Sasi Nair 2-20, Ramesh Babu 2-26 Mirage: 116 all out Ganesh 43, Chauhan 17. Jayakumar 11 not out. Andrew Pinho 2-15, Shyam 2-20, Zahid Butt 1-15, Naveed 1-17, Naeem 1-23.

KUWAIT: The Technical Committee of the 4th Asian Air Gun Championship made its final preparations, before the start of tournament tomorrow at the Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex, with 33 countries participating.

The 10m Air Gun range, which will witness all the competitions was subjected to intensive tests and inspections, as referees have been assigned under the sanction of Asian Shooting Confederation (ASC).

Deputy tournament Director for Technical Affairs Salem Al-Dahish said the range is ready for this impor tant Asian event, which will bring in an elite group of Asian Shooters, at the International level.

He said the Higher Organizing Committee, led by Sheikh Salman Al-Humoud AlSabah, made it a point that all technical and organizational aspects be completed early, and make sure that the com-

plex is at its best to host the championship.

Al-Dahish added that all equipment tests are done

Shooting in organizing and hold championships at this level. Al-Dahish said there will be 33 international Kuwaiti refer-

Essa Bu Taiban through the ASC as the case with all championships, stressing that the Organization Committee is on preserving Kuwait’s good image of Kuwait

ees who will officiate the competitions, with 13 Asian referees including some Arabs.

Meanwhile, delegations began arriving to Kuwait as

UAE, Malaysia, Iraq and Pak istan are already in the country. The organization committee also received the championships Technical Delegate who joined the supervisors of the ASC. Meanwhile KSSF Treasurer Essa Bu Taiban said officials put all club’s facilities at the disposal of the championship to guarantee it success, adding that all concerned government bodies are participating in presenting all what the club needs for its preparations. He thanked the Ministry of Public Works, for its efforts in maintaining and refurbishing the club. He also thanked the I nterior M inistr y and Customs department for the cooperation and ensuring the delegates comfort in the State of Kuwait. Bu Taiban acknowledged the keen interest of HH The Amir Sheik h Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber and HH The Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad in supporting athletes in general and shooters in particular.

Badgers thrash Hoosiers

Rampant All Blacks set up final with France

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Humble Levante split mighty Barca and Real

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Van Persie double subdues Sunderland Arsenal 2

Sunderland 1

LONDON: Arsenal’s Wojciech Szczesny (left) keeps the ball away from Sunderland’s John O’Shea during their English Premier League soccer match. —AP

Albion escape from drop zone West Brom 2

Wolves 0

BIRMINGHAM: West Bromwich Albion climbed out of the Premier League relegation zone after defeating bitter rivals Wolves 2-0 in the Black Country derby at the Hawthorns yesterday. Roy Hodgson’s side started the day third bottom of the table with just one win in their seven league games this season, but goals from Chris Brunt and Peter Odemwingie ended that dismal run and earned the bragging rights over their hated neighbours.

Brunt opened the scoring early in the first half and Nigerian striker Odemwingie came off the bench in the closing stages to clinch Albion’s first top-flight win against Wolves since 1982. While Albion are finally on the up, Wolves

have slipped below their rivals after five successive league defeats - their worst sequence at the top level since 1984.

Wolves, without injured striker Steven Fletcher, had the first sight of goal when Adam Hammill drove in a low cross-shot that Albion keeper Ben Foster had to palm away. But Albion opened the scoring with their first serious attack in the eighth minute.

Youssouf Mulumbu picked out Billy Jones and he cut the ball back across the area to Brunt, who hammered a rising shot past Wayne Hennessey from 12 yards.

Wolves were stung into action by that setback and Mick McCarthy’s team were close to equalising just five minutes later.

Foster blocked a powerful effort from Nenad Milijas but the rebound fell into the path of Kevin Doyle inside the six yard box, only for Albion defender Jonas Olsson to make a superb last-ditch tackle to avert the danger. It took a fine save from Foster, tipping over a deflected effort from Christophe Berra, to ensure Albion went in ahead at half-time.—AFP

LONDON: Robin van Persie reinforced his importance to Arsenal’s prospects this season with the two goals that secured a 2-1 victory over Sunderland at the Emirates Stadium yesterday.

Van Persie has emerged as the Gunners’ most influential figure in the wake of the departures of former skipper Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.

The Holland international has been one of the few Arsenal players to impress during a depressing start to the campaign and was once again the stand-out figure, opening the scoring after 31 seconds and securing the win with a late free kick after Sebastian Larsson had levelled in the 31st minute.

Arsenal’s display was hardly convinc-

ing but after a difficult two months, it was the result that mattered to boss Arsene Wenger and his players.

For Sunderland there was only more disappointment. Steve Bruce’s side have also struggled, leading to growing scrutiny about the manager’s future and they are above the relegation zone on goal difference. The international break had given Arsenal plenty of time to stew on the defeat to Tottenham in the north London derby last time out.

That result prompted Wenger to concede that his team could not be regarded as title challengers until they made a significant impression on the 12-point gap that had opened up between themselves and the early leaders.

Initially there were few signs that Wenger’s players were weighed down by their early season plight and they could not have wished for a better start. Tomas Rosicky released Gervinho down the left and when the Ivorian squared for Van Persie the Arsenal captain produced an emphatic finish from the edge of the box to put the home side ahead before many

supporters had even taken their seats.

Van Persie had rejected claims his commitment to Arsenal was wavering in his match-day programme notes and his performance during the opening 25 minutes eloquently supported his case. He came within inches of claiming a second after a sublime turn and chip that struck the inside of the post. Gervinho also had a good opportunity to add a second but having withstood early home pressure without conceding a second goal, Sunderland began to force their way into the game, helped in no small part by a succession of Arsenal errors.

Gunners keeper Wojciech Szczesny was guilty of providing the visitors with timely lift when he raced out of his area only to arrive late, allowing Stephane Sessegnon to round him before the danger was eventually snuffed out by hastily backtracking defenders.

Moments later a free kick, clumsily conceded by Mikel Arteta, granted Bruce’s side a route back into the game with Larsson lifting the ball over the defensive wall and into the far corner for

Ameobi rescues Newcastle Newcastle 2

Tottenham 2

NEWCASTLE: Shola Ameobi came off the bench to rescue Newcastle’s unbeaten record as the Magpies twice came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw against Tottenham at St James’ Park yesterday. Ameobi’s powerful angled drive with four minutes left ensured a share of the spoils for Alan Pardew’s side, who strengthened their grip on fourth place in the Premier League with another gutsy display.

Tottenham took the lead through a hotly-disputed first-half penalty from Rafael van der Vaart. But Demba Ba equalised in the second half and, although Jermain Defoe restored Spurs’ lead, it was Ameobi who had the final word. Newcastle

enjoyed the territorial advantage, but had failed to create any meaningful chances when Tottenham took the lead five minutes before the interval.

Emmanuel Adebayor tangled with Newcastle defender Steven Taylor in the area after midfielder Yohan Cabaye had lost possession, but the visitors’ penalty appeals seemed to have been ignored by Lee Probert.

However, after consultation with his assistant, the referee, who awarded four penalties against Tottenham last season, all at White Hart Lane, pointed to the spot, to howls of protest from the majority of fans in a 46,000 crowd.

Van der Vaart ignored the protests, calmly sending Tim Krul the wrong way with a confident leftfoot finish into the corner of the net for his fourth goal of the season. Republic of Ireland forward Leon Best was inches from connecting with an inswinging Ryan Taylor free-kick with the goal at his mercy from close range, while Ba headed over from Cabaye’s corner as Newcastle’s best openings bookended the first-half.—AFP

the equaliser. Suddenly Arsenal’s earlier swagger disappeared and Wenger’s side looked anxious and gripped by nerves.

Carl Jenkinson caught in possession by Larsson and it took a superb point-blank save by Szczesny to deny Lee Cattermole’s header.

Then, on the stroke of half-time, Sessegnon was allowed to cross from the right and Jack Colback should have done better when he connected with Larsson’s nod down with a left foot volley. The introduction of Andrey Arshavin for Gervinho midway through the second period provided the home side with more drive in the final third and the Russia international came close when he stabbed a shot wide after slaloming his way past three defenders. Yet inevitably it was left to van Persie to ensure Arsenal avoided dropping yet more points.

With eight minutes remaining the Dutchman took charge of a free kick having seen several of his team-mates squander similar opportunities and produced a strike every bit as impressive as Larsson’s earlier effort.—AFP

EPL results/standings Arsenal 2 (Van Persie 1, 82) Sunderland 1 (Larsson 31); Newcastle 2 (Ba 48, Ameobi 86) Tottenham 2 (Van der Vaart 40-pen, Defoe 68); West Brom 2 (Brunt 8, Odemwingie 75) Wolves 0.

English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Man City 8 7 1 0 27 6 22 Man Utd 8 6 2 0 25 6 20 Chelsea 8 6 1 1 20 9 19 Newcastle 8 4 4 0 11 6 16 Liverpool 8 4 2 2 11 9 14 Tottenham 7 4 1 2 13 12 13 Stoke 8 3 3 2 6 8 12 Aston Villa 8 2 5 1 10 9 11 Norwich 8 3 2 3 10 11 11 Arsenal 8 3 1 4 12 17 10 QPR 8 2 3 3 6 14 9 West Brom 8 2 2 4 7 10 8 Swansea 8 2 2 4 7 12 8 Fulham 8 1 4 3 10 9 7 Everton 7 2 1 4 7 11 7 Wolves 8 2 1 5 6 12 7 Sunderland 8 1 3 4 10 10 6 Bolton 8 2 0 6 12 22 6 Wigan 8 1 2 5 6 14 5 Blackburn 8 1 2 5 9 18 5

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Thai floods claim more factories

Emerging markets brace for worldwide slowdown Page 26

Page 25 FRANKFURT: Masked protesters warm themselves at a fire after setting up camp in front of the European Central Bank (ECB) yesterday. The protests called by the Attac movement and inspired by similar actions in New York against Wall Street bankers are taking place throughout Germany and many countries around the world. —AFP

Gulf bourses disappointed by G20 Riyad Bank down despite strong Q3 profit DUBAI: Gulf bourses were mixed yesterday with the UAE’s two markets hitting new multimonth lows as traders said the weekend’s Group of 20 meeting in Paris had failed to reduce uncertainty over the euro zone debt crisis and the outlook for the global economy.

Dubai’s benchmark fell 0.7 percent to its lowest close since March 7, when regional markets were tumbling in the early stages of the Arab Spring political turmoil. In Abu Dhabi, the benchmark slipped 0.3 percent to a 22month low. In their meeting on Saturday, G20 finance ministers and central bankers pressed Europe to act decisively on the debt crisis at an October 23 EU summit.

European officials said they were making progress towards such a plan, which would include recapitalizing banks, but in the absence of a detailed, comprehensive

announcement of measures, many Gulf investors were in no mood to return to stock markets. Turnover remained extremely low. “If (Europe’s) plans don’t come up to scratch, you may see markets decline again,” said Mohammed Yasin, Dubai-based CAPM Investment’s chief investment officer.

Some traders said sentiment in Gulf markets was also dampened by the demonstrations against financial speculation and economic inequality in Europe and the United States at the weekend, although it was unclear whether the protests would have any lasting economic or political impact. “There are a few distressed sellers, trying to get ahead of a potential decline in case the protests get more fiery,” said Jad Naja, equity trader at Rasmala Investment Bank. “Volumes are very weak and a big reason for that is the uncertainty.

Foreigners are more reluctant than ever to enter the market.”

Egypt The bright spot in the Middle East was Egypt, where the benchmark index gained 1.5 percent to 4,214 points, continuing a rally which traders believe is due to ultra-cheap valuations and the index’s approach last week to strong chart support at a multi-year low of 3,380 points. The index has risen for the past four days but is still down 41 percent on the year. A smooth start to candidate registrations for the country’s legislative elections also encouraged investors, easing fears of political turmoil somewhat, traders said.

“The elections are going through smoothly, improving the political scene,” said Osama Mourad, CEO of Arab Finance Brokerage. He

added that the government appeared to be preparing to challenge some court decisions reversing privatizations in the wake of Egypt’s revolution, which would be another positive signal to investors. Egypt’s third biggest listed property developer, SODIC , jumped 7.6 percent after announcing it registered almost 570 million Egyptian pounds ($95.6 million) worth of sales this year to the end of September.

Saudi Arabia In Saudi Arabia, petrochemical and banking stocks weighed on the index , which fell 0.5 percent as quarterly earnings announcements failed to excite investors. Riyad Bank dropped 1.7 percent despite posting a 30 percent rise in its third-quarter net profit, beating forecasts.

Investors were concerned about quarter-onquarter growth, which was hit by provisioning,

Dubai’s Nakheel approaches banks for $200m financing

Dubai gasoline company questions cut-rate fuel DUBAI: When its gasoline pumps started going dry in the United Arab Emirates’ poorer northern states earlier this year, Dubai’s oil company blamed mysterious service upgrades. Few believed that at the time, and now the company is dropping its subtlety, triggering an uncharacteristically public spat over fuel pricing policies. By letting its farther-flung stations run empty, the Emirates National Oil Co, or ENOC, was telegraphing a message: The Dubai government-owned firm was tired of driving itself deeper into the red by shouldering money-losing state fuel subsidies that keep pump prices artificially low. In an unusually strongly worded statement over the weekend, the company said that continuing to cover subsidies mandated by the UAE’s federal government “is clearly not sustainable or viable for the company.”

It was a rare public display of power politics in a country where grievances - particularly ones involving the many businesses controlled by the Emirates’ ruling sheikhs - are typically resolved behind closed doors. The rift highlights Dubai’s determination to maintain its independence within the UAE federation despite a daunting debt bill, and it throws into question the generous subsidies the country uses to help buy political stability. Regular gasoline sells for just 1.72 dirhams a liter in the UAE, or $1.77 a gallon. That’s a little more than half of what drivers pay in the US, where gas now averages $3.46 a gallon, and a fraction of what it costs Europeans to

fill up. “Providing cheap fuel to its population is what makes Dubai attractive as a trade hub,” said Christopher Davidson, a lecturer at Britain’s Durham University and an expert on the UAE. “We’re reaching a point where Dubai can no longer manage to do that itself.” The UAE as a whole is OPEC’s third-biggest oil producer, sitting atop 97.8 billion barrels of crude. Like other Arab monarchies and sheikdoms lining the Persian Gulf, it has long lavished its oil wealth on government handouts, including cradle-to-grave health care, cheap utilities and generous housing assistance.

Those transfers of wealth have helped keep a lid on dissent and shield the UAE from the popular protests roiling much of the Arab world.

Cut-rate gasoline is just one of those perks, making it cheap to fill up the Porsches, Ferraris and hulking Toyota Land Cruisers that race down Emirati highways. The problem for ENOC, which also runs stations under its EPPCO subsidiary, is that Dubai has few of the UAE’s oil reserves. Those are mainly controlled

by Abu Dhabi, the federal capital and the richest of the federation’s seven semiautonomous emirates. Because Abu Dhabi and Dubai don’t share their energy resources, ENOC has to buy its fuel on the open market at international prices - a situation it says no longer works. “ENOC makes money on everything else they do, whether it’s selling ... car washes or Mars bars,” said Thaddeus Malesa, an independent energy analyst in Dubai. “The

analysts said. “Banks are starting to realize maybe they need to take more provisions. This doesn’t give a lot of confidence going into Q4,” said Asim Bukhtiar, head of research at Riyad Capital. In Kuwait, bargain hunters picked up battered stocks and the index rose 0.5 percent, but is still down 15 percent for the year.

Elsewhere, Industries Qatar rose 0.8 percent. It reported a 48 percent jump in quarterly net profit on Wednesday, and has been climbing since then. Qatari banks also gained with Commercial Bank of Qatar up 1.4 percent, Masraf Al-Rayan rising 0.7 percent and Qatar National Bank up 0.5 percent. Oman’s heavyweight Bank Muscat gained 1.5 percent, climbing for a second session since reporting a 16 percent increase in third-quarter profit, beating forecasts. Muscat’s index rose 0.4 percent, trimming 2011 losses to 18 percent.— Reuters

SHARJAH: An ENOC gas station which has been closed for a few months in Sharjah is seen yesterday. —AP only place where they are losing money is on company’s outlets in June after it failed to respond to demands to replenish fuel supgasoline sales.”

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Co, which is plies, further lengthening lines at stations in backed by that emirate’s government, also Dubai. What the company hopes to gain with loses money on gasoline sales at home, but it its latest brinkmanship is unclear. It said in its can more than make up for it by selling crude statement that it “looks forward to the supinternationally, Malesa said. ENOC says it port of the concerned authorities in addressexpects to lose 2.7 billion dirhams ($736 mil- ing the concern,” but didn’t provide details. lion) this year. As a result, it is struggling to The company’s head of communications expand its network to keep up with demand. couldn’t be reached for comment yesterday.

Dubai gas stations remain stocked but are A public relations company employed by often packed with long lines during rush ENOC said it was not responding to queshours. Meanwhile, ENOC and EPPCO stations tions. Most likely, ENOC is hoping the central remain shuttered in Sharjah, a teeming city government will step in to cover the shortfall next to Dubai that is home to many lower- between the subsidized price and the compaincome workers. Authorities there closed the ny’s costs, analysts said. — AP

DUBAI: Dubai’s Nakheel , has approached banks for a $200 million financing, in its first attempt to tap capital markets in over two years, and about a month after it completed a complex restructuring of its massive debt pile. “Nakheel is approaching banks and discussions with them are progressing well,” a Nakheel spokesman said yesterday. The indebted developer is now whollyowned by the Dubai government as part of its former parent Dubai World’s debt restructuring.

The developer, which overstretched itself building islands in the shape of palms and other ambitious projects, will use the funds for new projects that include the expansion of the Dragon Mart mall, one of its retail assets. This is the first time that the developer would seek to raise fresh financing since 2009, when a property market collapse forced Nakheel to restructure its $16 billion debt. Dubai has already given as much as $8.71 billion to the developer. The company announced in August that it completed the restructuring and would soon deliver pending projects and pay investors.

Dubai’s property boom ended in 2008, with home prices plunging by about 60 percent forcing many developers to abandon projects. Some of Nakheel’s ambitious projects like Palm Jebel Ali, another palmshaped island stretching into the sea, is yet to be complete. Nakheel’s Chairman Ali Rashid Lootah said its full year profit should be in-line with its 2010 results, bolstered by its leasing and retail businesses. The indebted developer issued $1.03 billion under the first tranche of the $1.31 billion sukuk earlier this year to trade creditors. — Reuters

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business

Kuwait, Saudi, Qatar markets show resilience KUWAIT: Most GCC equity markets tracked the international markets and went through another volatile month this September as investors continue to respond negatively to the deepening in the euro-zone debt crisis and the global economic softness that resulted in sharp adjustments in the international capital markets. Stock markets in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar showed some resilience on the back of strong economic fundamentals and government finance along with fiscal spending programs that are expected to spur economic growth in the medium and long term.

GCC Bourses finished September on a mixed note with Saudi Tadawul ending the month as the region’s best performer with a gain of 2.2 percent followed by the Kuwaiti bourse and Qatar Exchange that advanced 1.6 percent and 0.5 percent, respectively. Bahrain Bourse was the worst performer with a monthly decline of 7.4 percent followed by Dubai Financial Market and Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange with losses of 4.1 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively. Muscat Securities Market also dropped by 2.9 percent.

The correction and profit taking activity in international equity markets has led to an escalation of risk aversion in the GCC region that in turn impacted the performance of equity securities with sell-off activities dominating the markets. It is clear that the massive and unjustified losses incurred by all the GCC bourses over the first 9 months of 2011, have positively impacted valuation multiples to reach attractive levels given the solid financial standing and performance of the blue-chip stocks namely, banking, petrochemical, telecom and food stocks.

Battered by a sharp slump in trading activities, weak general sentiment, ongoing global economic uncertainty, high volatility in international markets, eroding sovereign credit worthiness along with the Arab spring effect, stock markets in the GCC region together lost around $41 billion of their market cap during Q3-11 to reach $708 billion by end of September. Saudi Tadawul, the largest Arab stock market, lost $25 billion in its market cap during Q3-11, accounting for 60 percent of the combined losses incurred by GCC bourses while the Kuwaiti Bourse lost around $7 billion over the same quarter.

The scenario of global economic softness is materializing amidst heightened capital markets volatility associated with

sovereign credit distress in advanced economies. More importantly, concerns for the health of European banking system have risen as a result of the continued deterioration of the weaker European economies of Greece, Spain and Italy.

Threats that the European debt crisis

oil prices and increase in global oil demand boosted sentiments and shaped the performance of the market during September. The market heavyweight Petrochemical Industries sector witnessed its market cap gain 3.1 percent to SAR 457.5 billion ($122 billion) amid

clears the responsibilities between the two entities. In addition, increased tension over the case of disqualifying three of the five members of the CMA board of commissioners has kept investors on the sidelines as they are waiting for this issue to be cleared by the Cabinet.

KAMCO MARKET RESEARCH

might pose to the GCC states’ economies and markets would range from continuous high volatility in international capital and forex markets that affect the value of local currencies and investment portfolios abroad to the weakening manufacturing and global economic recession that might drag down oil prices and hence slowdown the fiscal stimulus pace in the region.

According to the IMF latest World Economic Outlook report, instability in the MENA region along with high unemployment and rising food prices will hinder the region’s economic growth. The IMF stressed the need of oil exporter countries such as Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to capitalize on the current high oil prices and move toward sustainable and more diversified economies.

Saudi Stock Exchange (TADAWUL): The Tadawul All Share Index (TASI) bucked its previous three month negative trend to gain 2.2 percent ending as the best performing market amongst its peers in the GCC region. Positive economic indicators coupled with investor’s optimism that the Saudi economy is expected to strengthen further in 2011 and 2012, fuelled by a robust increase in non-oil GDP, supported by massive capital spending by the government, strong

investor optimism that increased investments in the petrochemical industry coupled with a rise in oil prices, as compared to its 2010 and 2009 levels, along with increased demand and improving prices for petrochemical products would in turn have a positive impact on the sector’s profitability. Gains recorded during the month led the TASI to minimize its YTD11 losses to 7.7 percent.

Kuwait Stock Exchange: Despite the transitional regulations phase in the Kuwaiti bourse following the implementation of the CMA bylaws and regulations that became effective on 12 September 2011 along with further deterioration in international markets on fears from the escalating impact of European debt crisis on the global growth and the financial standing of the banking system in Europe, the Kuwaiti bourse ended the month on a positive note with the KSE Weighted and KAMCO TRW Indices reversing its consecutive four months losing trend to register gains of 1.56 percent and 1 percent, respectively. Nevertheless, local investment companies are still wary of issues that might arise from the transfer of oversight responsibility from the Central Bank of Kuwait to the Capital Market Authority (CMA) after an agreement was signed during September that

Dubai Financial Market: The DFM General Index declined again to its lowest level since March as global financial markets slumped amid renewed concerns over the escalation in European debt crisis. Fears of global financial turmoil due to the erosion in Europe’s creditworthiness have kept Dubai investors on the sidelines during September. The DFM General Index witnessed continuous declines over the month due to fears from a slower global economic growth and after the US Federal Reserve signaled “significant downside risks” to the US economy pushing international and regional markets further down. Positive economic indicators about local economic growth and an increase in non-oil trade failed to boost investors’ sentiment and pushed the DFM benchmark to decline by another 4.1 percent dragged down by the weak performance of the heavyweight banking sector which lost 4.3 percent of its market cap.

Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange: Negative sentiment dominated trading sessions during September due to the lack of confidence regarding solving the European debt crisis immediately that might drag the global economy into a recession, which pulled the ADX General Index lower for the third consecutive month losing 3.2 percent of its value and

Sudan plans to cut security budget

Gulf Bank names winners of Al-Danah Draw KUWAIT: Gulf Bank held its 39th Al-Danah weekly draw on October 9, 2011, announcing a total number of 10 Al-Danah weekly prize draw winners, each awarded with prizes of KD 1,000. The 39th Al-Danah weekly winners are: Namshan Mekhlaf Al-Jenfawi; Najat Jassem Mohammed Shamsah; Fahed Bayan Yaacoub Al-Khalfan; Sadhana Narang; Ali Ayesh Ammash Al-Azmi; Ali Hussain Aboud Hantoush; Jean Heislitz; Fahad Salem Abdullah Al-Ajmi; Atiyah Mohammad Abdullah Keshk; and Saleh Moeed Hamil Mihde Gulf Bank encourages everyone in Kuwait to open an AlDanah 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), and the annual draw (1 million dinars). 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 Al-Danah 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.

adding to its YTD-11 losses to 6.86 percent. Global and regional sentiment remained negative as markets lacked any catalysts to spur buying. The heavyweight banking sector suffered a 6 percent downturn in its market cap during September to reach AED 110.8 billion.

Trading indicators are still at very low levels as investors are hesitant to return to the market in the face of uncertainty in the regional and international equity markets.

Qatar Exchange: Despite the global economic deceleration scenario that is materializing and heightened financial markets volatility and debt crisis, the QE 20 Index continues to prove resilient to the market forces erasing value in its peers as it managed to rise 0.5 percent to record 8,393.92. Qatar’s enviable fiscal health has helped the economy minimize the effects of the negative market forces destroying wealth in global equities as its economy powers ahead with development plans aided by ample liquidity. The market moved sideways during the month with no clear trend in either direction as the bourse alternated between fears of a worsening global economic situation and optimism of the sound fundamentals and economic growth story in Qatar. Bahrain Bourse: The Bahrain All Share Index closed the month with a sharp drop of 7.4 percent - the largest one month decline since May-10 - to a new record low of 1,165.75. The slump marked the eighth consecutive month of losses to bring the bourse’s YTD-11 losses to a staggering 18.61 percent. The worsening global economic condition coupled with the domestic and regional unrest are the main drivers of the hammering experienced by the Bahrain Bourse this year.

Losses for the month can be explained almost exclusively by the 39 percent plunge, to close at BHD 0.545, in heavyweight Aluminum Bahrain’s (Alba) stock, the bourse’s second largest company by market cap representing 12.2 percent of the entire market. Muscat Securities Market: Poor 1H-11 corporate earnings coupled with negative global investor sentiment following the deadlock witnessed in the US regarding its debt ceiling, pressured the MSM 30 Index to the downside to reverse the uptrend witnessed earlier during the month. As a result, the benchmark ended the month at 5,808.03 points, marking the lowest close since July-09, and extended its YTD-11 losses to 14 percent to become the worst performing market amongst its GCC peers.

KUWAIT: (From right to left) Mohammed Al-Otaibi, Assistant Manager, Marketing Department at Gulf Bank, congratulates an Al-Danah weekly winner, Jean Heislitz.

KHARTOUM: Sudan, struggling with a severe economic crisis, will cut its security and secret services budget from next year as part of efforts to save money, a state-linked news website said. Analysts said the move signaled that the government was serious about cutting expenditures, as the countryís large budget for security forces and secret services has in the past been largely protected from cuts. The African country has been hit by an economic crisis after losing most of its oil productionóthe main source of state income-when South Sudan became independent in July.

The Sudanese pound has fallen since then alongside a decline in foreign currency inflows as a result of lower oil revenues. — Reuters

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Philippine peso Egyptian pounds

.2730000 .4290000 .3750000 .3020000 .2660000 .2740000 .0040000 .0020000 .0746860 .7276430 .3810000 .0700000 .7133220 .0040000 .0430000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES US Dollar/KD .2751000 GB Pound/KD .4312330 Euro .3778640 Swiss francs .3049550 Canadian dollars .2686520 Danish Kroner .0507640 Swedish Kroner .0414290 Australian dlr .2763380 Hong Kong dlr .0353530 Singapore dlr .2148880 Japanese yen .0035910 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 Pakistan rupee .0000000 Bangladesh taka .0000000 UAE dirhams .0749290 Bahraini dinars .7299990 Jordanian dinar .0000000 Saudi Riyal/KD .0733800 Omani riyals .7148240 Philippine Peso .0000000

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. ASIAN COUNTRIES

Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

3.623 5.618 3.163 2.505 3.511 215.640 35.540 3.641 6.341 8.924 0.271 0.273

.2800000 .4400000 .3840000 .3140000 .2750000 .2810000 .0072500 .0035000 .0754370 .7349560 .4010000 .0760000 .7204910 .0072000 .0530000 .2772000 .4345250 .3807480 .3072830 .2707030 .0511520 .0417450 .2784470 .0356220 .2165290 .0036180 .0056800 .0025250 .0031900 .0036910 .0755000 .7355710 .3920790 .0739400 .7202810 .0064320

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

GCC COUNTRIES 73.763 76.003 718.460 734.690 75.320

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

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 49.500 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 46.307 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.266 Tunisian Dinar 194.860 Jordanian Dinar 390.620 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 185.600 Syrian Lier 5.971 Morocco Dirham 34.136 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 276.500 Euro 378.530 Sterling Pound 432.170 Canadian dollar 270.340 Turkish lire 150.140 Swiss Franc 305.360 Australian dollar 274.730 US Dollar Buying 275.300 GOLD 307.000 155.000 80.000

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

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 Norwegian krone Omani Riyal

SELL CASH

288.500 732.450 3.860 276.400 541.000 36.600 51.900 167.800 48.160 386.300 36.090 5.840 0.032 0.237 0.240 3.680 390.860 0.186 89.810 46.100 4.240 225.300 1.785 50.100 715.350

SELL DRAFT

287.000 732.450 3.630 274.900

217.900 46.174 384.800 35.940 5.625 0.031

10 Tola

74.990 275.400

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Selling Rate

US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

275.300 274.390 436.375 384.425 309.175 729.915 74.930 75.565 73.375 387.515 46.166 2.494 5.623 3.190 3.633 6.337 675.285 3.660 9.030 5.795 3.605 91.445

Currency

Transfer Rate (Per 1000)

289.12 276.98 313.68 385.49

Rate per 1000 (Tran)

US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Yemeni Riyal Jordanian Dinars Syrian Pounds Euro Canadian Dollars Nepali rupee

276.300 3.165 5.600 2.525 3.655 6.385 75.330 73.835 734.600 46.305 435.700 3.190 1.550 392.500 5.750 381.900 274.200 3.690

Al Mulla Exchange

UAE Exchange Center WLL Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro

438.83 3.62 3.645 5.617 2.499 3.517 3.156 74.95 732.42 46.17 391.74 715.61 75.93 73.52

440.00 3.62 3.705 5.930 2.600 4.200 3.210 75.20 734.00 48.50 392.00 718.00 76.25 73.60

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co.

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 437.600 275.400

Sterling Pound US Dollar

Currency

715.170

311.200 5.600 9.140

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

Currency

390.260 0.185 89.810 3.530 223.800

3.190 6.355 75.700 73.530 217.920 37.740 2.495 437.600

GOLD 1,734.310

Rate for Transfer

Bahrain Exchange Company

3.210 6.520 76.190 73.530 217.920 37.740 2.602 439.600 42.500 312.700 5.600 9.270 198.263 75.090 275.800 1.200

288.80 276.70 313.00 386.70

US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

Transfer Rate (Per 1000)

275.250 382.800 436.300 272.600 3.590 5.615 46.175 2.498 3.625 6.345 3.185 733.000 75.000 73.525

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business NBK WEEKLY MONEY MARKET REPORT

Better risk appetite across the board EU officials fighting for a solution KUWAIT: Global markets’ focus remains on the debt crisis in peripheral Europe, and the potential implications on the region’s banks and governments. However, risk sentiment was positive last week amid all the European Union efforts put down to alleviate the crisis. The dollar weakened across the board due to the decreased demand for its safe-haven status, and the Dollar Index dropped from its opening rate of 78.75 to a low of 76.50 on Friday. The euro was one of the top performers last week, boosted by the Slovakian agreement on the EFSF and several hopeful statements by EU officials. After opening at 1.3375 on Monday, the single currency kept pushing higher against the greenback and other major counterparts, reaching a high of 1.3895 against the dollar on Friday, before closing at 1.3880. The pound had a somewhat similar performance. The pound started the week at 1.5560, touched a high of 1.5855 on Friday, and ended sessions at 1.5820. The yen witnessed major swings last week. The USD/JPY started at a level of 76.75, reached a low of 76.30 on Wednesday, but recouped its losses and was able to trade at a high of 77.50. The yen ended the week at 77.20. The franc followed suit with the euro last week, and strengthened against the greenback from a level of 0.9270 at the beginning of the week, to a high of 0.8905 on Friday, before ending at 0.8915.

Gold also took advantage of the dollar’s weakness, and increased from its opening level of $1,638 to close the week at $1,681.

FOMC meeting minutes highlights The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) released the minutes from their September meeting, which showed that the Committee has decided to announce further measures to help support the economic recovery. The FOMC proposed mainly two alternatives: first, the increase in the average maturity of the securities in the Fed’s portfolio (the so-called “Operation Twist”) and second, the reinvestment of principal payments on maturing securities into agency mortgagebacked securities rather than Treasuries as had been the case previously. In addition to these measures, the FOMC discussed other possible tools such as a reduction in the interest rate-on-reserves (IOR) paid by the Fed, or the further expansion of the Fed’s balance sheet through

large-scale asset purchases (a so-called QE3). A number of participants judged that a reduction in the IOR would “result in at least marginally lower money market rates and could help stimulate bank lending”.

However, it was generally agreed that more information was needed on the likely effects of reducing the IOR in order to judge its usefulness as a policy tool in the current economic environment. With respect to the QE3, many participants saw further asset purchases as a potentially more potent tool that should be retained as an option if further policy action is warranted. Moreover, given that some members judged that undertaking QE3 would be more likely to raise inflation and inflation expectations rather than stimulate economic activity, it should be reserved for circumstances in which the risk of deflation was elevated.

In general, participants expressed their view that there was relatively little risk of deflation.

Trade balance almost steady Th e U S t r a d e d e f i c i t w a s l i t t l e c h a n g e d i n August, falling from an earlier level of $44.8 in July to $45.6 billion, as exports held close to an all-time high. This gap is at its lowest for the last four months, and the smaller trade bill recorded in the first two months of the third quarter may help add to the country’s economic growth. Some companies in the US are seeing sustained demand from emerging markets such as China, at a time when American consumers and companies lack the confidence to increase spending.

Consumer confidence dropping Confidence among US consumers unexpectedly dropped in October as Americans’ outlook for the economy and their finances slumped to the lowest level since 1980. The University of Michigan index of consumer confidence decreased this month from 59.4 to 57.5, against an expected rise to 60.2. Consumer may be questioning the recovery’s durability as incomes stagnate, home prices fall, and policymakers debate ways to strengthen the recovery. Faster job growth may hold the key to bigger gains in consumer spending that accounts for about 70% of the economy.

Europe Standard & Poor’s Rating Services has downgraded Spain’s credit rating, citing worries over the sluggish growth and highlighting the vulnerability of the Euro zone’s bigger economies, as the region tries to tackle its sovereign debt crisis. The rating agency lowered Spain’s debt rating from AA to AA-, three steps below the top AAA rating, and assigned it a negative outlook. The move comes a week after Fitch downgraded Spain as well. S&P stated that Spain faces an uncertain growth outlook caused by the private sector’s need to access fresh external financing in order to roll over high levels of external debt. That has been made even more difficult amid rising funding costs and a tough external environment. S&P also sees the quality of assets held in Spain’s financial institutions deteriorating after a separate review of its banking system found it posed additional challenges to the broader economy, and expects the country’s economy to grow at about 1% in real terms next year, down from the 1.5 percent it had forecasted in February.

Slovakia completes EFSF ratification Slovakia became the last of the 17 Euro zone members to ratify new powers for the 440 billion European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) in a move that will deliver Euro zone leaders as much as 3 trillion firepower against the escalating debt crisis. From its current role of selling bonds to finance loans to stressed members, the EFSF’s new powers will allow it to offer credit lines to troubled governments, shore up stricken banks, and increase its emergency funds by up to Ä3 trillion. President Herman Van Rompuy and President Jose Manuel Barroso welcomed the result in a joint statement: “The EFSF provides us with a stronger, more flexible tool to defend the financial stability of the euro area.”

Fitch targets European banks Fitch credit ratings agency downgraded its outlook for several major banks on concerns that governments are less likely to come to the rescue of financial institutions. The agency placed Credit Suisse on ratings watch, Morgan Stanley on negative watch, and downgraded UBS from A+ to A after the Swiss bank has sustained a $2

billion loss from unauthorized trading at its investment bank.

Rising inflationary pressures Inflation in the Euro zone unexpectedly accelerated to the fastest pace in almost three years in September, complicating the European Central Bank’s task as it fights the region’s worsening sovereign-debt crisis. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) jumped to 3.0 percent from an earlier 2.5 percent in August, recording the biggest annual increase in prices since October 2008. The higher inflation increases pressure on an economy already hurt by tougher austerity measures and waning investor confidence, as governments struggle to contain the fiscal crisis. Excluding volatile items, the socalled Core CPI also increased from 1.2 percent to 1.6 percent.

United Kingdom Signs that the UK government has become less likely to support lenders led to another credit rating downgrade for Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland last week.

The ratings agency Fitch lowered its credit score for both banks from AA- to A, reflecting its view that “support dynamics are changing in the UK”. Fitch also put Barclays on negative watch, increasing the probability of a downgrade in the future. This came amid an environment of concerns that new European stress tests could leave the sector in need of billions of Pounds of extra capital, and followed similar action by rival agency Moody’s the week before.

Higher unemployment UK unemployment rose to the highest level in 15 years in the three months through August, adding pressure on the government to loosen its fiscal squeeze, as the economy struggles to avoid recession. The jobless rate increased from 7.9 percent to 8.1 percent as shown by official figures, with the number of unemployed increasing to 2.57 million, the highest since 1994.

Kuwait Dinar at 0.27470 The USDKWD opened at 0.27470 yesterday morning.

Ford, Bug Labs develop in-car connectivity Air Arabia completes Ukraine hat trick SHARJAH: Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa completed its Ukraine hat trick this week with the launch of its flights to Kharkiv, third city the carrier serves from Sharjah. Last week, Air Arabia flights to Donestks took off following its existing flights to Kiev that the carrier has been serving since October 2008. Flights to Kharkiv commences every Wednesday, depar ting from Sharjah International Airpor t at 10:00 am and arriving at Kharkiv International Airport at 14:10 pm.

Return flights will depart from Kharkiv on the same day at 15:10 pm and arrive in

Sharjah at 21:00 pm.

“With the completion of our services to Kiev, Donestks and Kharkiv, customers can now benefit from Air Arabia’s affordable fares and growing network from and into Uk raine” said A K Nizar, Head of Commercial at Air Arabia.

“Air Arabia’s ever growing destination network carries one promise, value for money fares and unique product.” Air Arabia now offers eight flights per week between its primary hub in Sharjah, UAE, and three destinations Ukraine, offering its customers unmatched ser vice between the UAE and Ukraine.

VIVA opens a new branch in Kuwait Stock Exchange KUWAIT: Kuwait Telecommunication Company VIVA is glad to announce the opening of its new branch in Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) building in Kuwait City, after the opening of four other new branches in other locations this year, to be part of the VIVA customer service network that is widely spread in the country. This comes as an implementation for the company’s continuous development plan to provide the utmost services for its subscribers near their workplaces.

In his comment about this new branch, VIVA CEO, Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Badran said that the numerous ongoing achievements of VIVA confirm that this escalating, gradual and fast growth, since the company was established in 2008, proves the company’s determination to compete in the local communication market, in order to spread in all Kuwait regions.

Al-Badran also confirmed that this new branch at KSE was established to meet the costumer’s needs, demands, and to be close to them in their workplaces, keeping in mind that KSE is one of the most important economic establishments in Kuwait where many investors and businessmen meet. He then pointed out that VIVA will continue its plan in spreading throughout

Kuwait, promising at the same time the subscribers and the people interested in VIVA’s surprises with more within the next few days.

For more information about this offer and the numerous competitive promotions, products and packages visit any of the twelve VIVA branches or visit our website at www.viva.com.kw

Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Badran

DUBAI: With Ford SYNC successfully giving millions of customers the incar connectivity they crave, Ford and Bug Labs are together exploring the next frontier in how to make connectivity more available, affordable and personalized for the hundreds of millions of consumers expected to buy a vehicle across the globe by 2020.

Ford and Bug Labs announced a joint development agreement to collaborate on a new in-car research platform named OpenXC at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco. Bug Labs is an opensource hardware and software provider that offers the tools and support needed to prototype, pilot and produce innovative networked devices.

Based on Bug Labs’ groundbreaking Bug System, OpenXC transforms the car into a plug-and-play platform where interchangeable open-source hardware and software modules can be quickly and easily customized to perform tasks deemed previously unimaginable by developers. With OpenXC, consumers can truly create a personalized driving experience through the addition of countless add-ons. Innovations such as new visual and audio feedback interfaces, environmental sensors and safety devices can be implemented quickly by snapping Bug Labs’ hardware modules directly into Ford vehicles.

“OpenXC is about creating a platform that is totally accessible to the developer community and quickly incorporates local market needs to offer innovative solutions at an affordable price point,” said K. Venkatesh Prasad, senior technical leader, Infotronics, Ford Research and Innovation. “ The platform is designed to help us answer the question of how Ford can accelerate the car connectivity experience around the globe, at a value proposition, for both mature and emerging markets.” eter Semmelhack, founder and CEO of Bug Labs, agrees that an open-source platform approach such as OpenXC offers up limitless possibilities for customizing the in-car experience to meet the different market needs around the globe “Combining open, modular hardware and software innovation with the next generation of vehicles reinforces Ford’s position as the world’s automotive technology leader,” said Semmelhack. “We are thrilled by the opportunity to collaborate with Ford

on such a pioneering project.”

Ford is the first automotive OEM to collaborate with Bug Labs, a company that Semmelhack founded in 2006 as a way for individuals and companies to break traditional barriers associated with new hardware development.

Ford researchers hope that lessons learned through the OpenXC research project will help prepare the company for such unique market conditions around the globe as diverse local languages and dialects, fast-changing content preferences, and the need for affordable “buy as you can” or even rental app solu-

tions. For Bug Labs, involvement in OpenXC signifies a paradigm shift in the way that automotive companies are exploring new ways to meet consumer demands. The opportunity for automotive connectivity is tremendous. According to IHS Automotive, potential future global vehicle sales could reach nearly 110 million units per year by 2020, a nearly 30-million jump from where global sales stand today.

Personalized, local content The vision for OpenXC is simple: the car becomes a docking station for Bug Labs interchangeable plugand-play hardware and software modules programmed with only the connectivity features and services the driver wants. Functions change with the addition or deletion of modules, giving owners the freedom to

continually customize their experience without breaking the bank, and at the same time, adding value to their vehicles as new technologies are introduced, purchased and “plugged” in.

The idea was spawned during a trip Prasad took to India where he noticed that while most people couldn’t yet afford a car, they did have affordable feature phones with significant functionality. “Virtually everyone carried phones rich in locally relevant features such as an LED flashlight and applications such as an astrological almanac - all for a cost of about $40,” Prasad said. “So,

the challenge became how can we deliver similarly relevant and affordable connectivity inside the car.”

“Imagine you live in India, own a Ford Figo and love the game of cricket,” explained Prasad. “Now imagine that you could purchase a $30 community cricket module from your local Ford dealer that was designed by a local developer and approved

by Ford. This module plugs into a master control board in your car and your Figo would then play a community radio channel dedicated to cricket for the season. After the season is over, you could remove the module and replace it with something else.”

Innovation sandbox OpenXC platform is designed to give Ford researchers and independent developers the ultimate sandbox to play in with minimal investment,

where any and all ideas, concepts and theories for in-car connectivity can be shared, tested and verified.

“Open innovation platforms give communities globally the power to customize and personalize their products. As an added benefit, it also frees manufacturers, like Ford, from investing in, building and deploying low-volume highly customized vehicles for specific markets - while opening up opportunities for other manufacturers to create value-added products and services for Ford vehicles,” said Bug Labs’ Semmelhack.

While the OpenXC platform shows much potential for Ford in emerging markets where a low-cost value connectivity solution is vital, the concept is also giving Ford the freedom to explore other business models as well.

Showcasing possibilities Ford and Bug Labs demonstrated the OpenXC research platform at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco on September 12. Using a Ford Fiesta as a demonstration vehicle, the two companies showcased a prototype Fuel Economy Challenge application that uses Bug Labs’ Bug System and newly announced, cloud-based, data aggregation and application development platform, BUGswarm.

The socially-networked fuel economy app includes a Bluetoothenabled LED fuel efficiency display module in the vehicle’s cockpit.

When powered, the app illuminates the windshield with a small digital display indicating how fuel efficiently someone is driving. BUGswarm provides drivers, and other remote viewers, with real-time access to valuable performance information on others involved in the Challenge, providing instant feedback on who is driving most efficiently.

“We have given connectivity to millions of drivers with SYNC, but we know that one size does not fit all and that limiting ourselves to one connectivity model is not going to sustain us going forward,” said Prasad. “OpenXC gives us the ultimate sandbox to play in, where we can collaborate with technology innovators such as Bug Labs, share ideas with the crowd, and then test out our theories together so as those billions of drivers around the world start demanding more connectivity in the car, Ford will be best positioned to deliver it to them.”

Al-Tijari names winners of Najma Daily Draw KUWAIT: Commercial Bank of Kuwait held the Al-Najma Account draw on October 16, 2011. The draw was held under the supervision of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry represented

by Abdulaziz Ashkanani. The winners of KD 7,000 are: Fatema Alaa Adnan Jebreel; Halah Abdulreda Farahat;

Hussain Ali Ibrahim Al-Jadi; Aseel Ghanim Mubarek Al-Adwani; and Laila Abdullah Ghloom Khajah.

The Commercial Bank of Kuwait announces the biggest daily draw in Kuwait with the launch of the new Najma account.

Customers of the bank can now

enjoy a KD 7,000 daily prize which is the highest in the country and another four mega prizes during the year worth KD 100,000 each on different occasions: The National Day, Eid AlFitr, Eid Al-Adha and on June 19 which is the date of the bank’s establishment.

With a minimum balance of KD 500, customers will be eligible for the daily draw provided that the money is in the account one week prior to the daily draw or two months prior to the mega draw.

In addition, for each KD 25 a customer can get one chance for win-

ning instead of KD 50. Commercial Bank of Kuwait takes this opportunity to congratulate all lucky winners and also ex tends appreciation to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for their effective supervision of the draws which were conducted in an orderly and organized manner.

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KSE gains on upbeat investor sentiment KUWAIT DAILY MARKET REPORT KUWAIT: Kuwait’s stocks ended yesterday’s session on a higher note, on the back of a smart rally staged by investment stocks late into trading.

The advance was broad-based with five out of eight sectors managing healthy gains. Investor sentiments were cheered up by talks regarding healthy 9M2011 corporate earnings results.

Market indices Global General Index (GGI) ended the day up by 0.43 percent, at 182.70 point. Market Capitalization was also up for the day, reaching KD 29.86 billion. On the other hand, KSE Price Index closed at 5,898.6 point, adding 31.1 points (0.53 percent) to its previous close.

Market breadth During the session, 110 companies were traded. Market breadth was skewed towards advancers as 45 equities advanced versus 21 that declined.

Daily trading activity Total volume traded was up by 1.45 percent with 195.03 million shares changing hands at a total value of KD 34.61 million (5.80 percent lower compared to Thursday’s session). Services sector was the volume leader, accounting for 28.46 percent of total shares exchanges.

National Industries Company was the session’s most traded stock with 16.80 million shares exchanged. The banking sector was the value leader, having 24.55 percent of total traded value.

Top gainers and biggest decliners In terms of top gainers, National Industries Company was the top gainer for the day, adding 14.81 percent to its share value and closing at KD 0.310. On the other hand,

Abu Dhabi may see 11,000 homes in Q4 DUBAI: Abu Dhabi’s real estate market may see further pressure in the fourth-quarter with an additional 11,000 homes scheduled to be handed over during the period, a report by property consultants Jones Lang LaSalle said yesterday. About 2,800 residential units were already delivered in the United Arab Emirates’ capital in the third quarter, the report said. “Handovers will increase significantly in Q4,” said the JLL report.

“Up to 11,000 units are scheduled for completion, but some of these projec ts may experience fur ther delays in the final stages of permitting.” The majority of the units delivered in the third quarter were from phase one of Al-Zeina on R aha Beach, Yas villas and the Capital Plaza residential towers. These completions took the total current residential stock to approximately 193,000 units. Future supply is mainly com-

prised of units at Marina Square, Etihad Towers, and Al Reef villas and apartments.

Most Abu Dhabi developers have been focusing on completion and delivery of existing projects after suffering big losses during the global financial crisis, which put an end to a six-year construction boom. Abu Dhabi’s supply of residential homes could reach 246,000 units by the end of 2013, the repor t said, despite many of the projects announced prior to 2008 were delayed or cancelled.

Average home prices in Abu Dhabi also dropped by seven percent while rents fell by four percent in the third quarter. Prices fell to 11,000 dirhams per square meter from 11,800 dirhams per square meter.

Neighboring emirate Dubai will see its house prices plummet by 10 percent due to oversupply, Reuters poll showed in July. — Reuters

Saudi Maaden gets $911.5m financing Independent Petroleum Group shed 5.26 percent and closed at KD 0.360, making it the biggest decliner in the market.

Sectors-wise On the sectors front, Global Investment Index was the prominent gainer with an increase of 2.06 percent as On the sectors front, Global Investment Index was the prominent gainer with an increase of 2.06 percent as many stocks in this sector witnessed gains, such as Kuwait Projects Company (Holding) and KIPCO Asset Management (KAMCO) who added the most, ending the day up by 7.94 percent and 7.84 percent, respectively. First Investment Company reported net losses of KD 3.86 million for the 6months ended June 30, 2011, over the KD 3.08 million loss posted dur-

ing the comparable period in 2010.

However, Investors did not pay attention to the losses. The scrip closed up by 5.32 percent , compared to its previous close on August 14, at KD 0.099.

Global Industrial Index was the second biggest gainer, registering an increase of 1.20 percent. National Industries Group (Holding) continued to register gains for the second session in a row. The scrip closed up by 1.92 percent at KD 265. National Industries Company was the top gainer for the day, adding 14.81 percent to its share value and closing at KD 0.310. On another hand, the gains registered in 3 banks within the banking sector contributed to the increase of Global Banking Index, which rose by 0.70 percent.

Commercial Bank of Kuwait, Burgan Bank and National Bank of Kuwait

(NBK) closed up by 2.44 percent, 2.15 percent and 1.85 percent, respectively. Global Services Index was the major loser for the day, as it lost 0.54 percent from its value.

Corporate news Combined Group Contracting Company (CGC) has submitted the lowest bid for tender No KS/T/262, issued by Ministry of Public Works (MOPW). Under the KD 3 million worth of deal, the company will carry out general maintenance for highways in Kuwait over two years.

Oil news The price of OPEC basket of twelve crudes stood at $107.04pb on Thursday, compared with $107.68pb the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabian Mining Co (Maaden) said yesterday it signed with 13 local and international banks a 3.7 billion riyal ($991.5 million) facility for the second phase of its aluminum project.

The financing, signed by Maaden’s subsidiary Maaden Bauxite and Alumina Company, is for the construction of the second phase of Maaden and Alcoa Inc ‘s $10.8 billion integrated smelter and rolling mill complex, the firm said in a bourse statement. “The loans will be paid in 21 semiannual installments... and will be for the period of 16 years. Financing agreements for the remaining 4.35 billion riyals will be completed later with Public Investment Fund and Saudi Industrial Development Fund,” the statement said.

The total cost of the second phase of the Aluminum project is estimated to be

13.4 billion riyals, of which 5.4 billion riyals will be financed by the project partners on a pro-rata basis, it added.

The lending banks include National Commercial Bank, Samba Financial Group, Alinma Bank, Arab National Bank, SABB Bank, Bank Aljazira and Saudi Hollandi Bank, as well as Saudi Investment Bank, Emirates Bank and Export Development Canada, Maaden said in an emailed statement. In addition to the smelter and rolling mill, the second phase of the joint venture will include a bauxite mine with an initial capacity of 4 million metric tons per year and an alumina refinery with an initial capacity of 1.8 million metric tons per year. Maaden Bauxite and Alumina Company is 74.9 percent owned by Maaden and 25.1 percent owned by Alcoa. — Reuters

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BUSINESS

GCC Aviation: Redefining the global game KUWAIT: Kuwait Financial Centre “Markaz” recently published the executive summary of an updated version of their GCC infrastructure series covering: Power, Airports, Seaports, Roads & Railways, ICT and Water. In this installment, Markaz tackles GCC airports in terms of capacity, challenges, projects, and future expectations. The GCC aviation industry was abuzz with activity during the last several years because of very high oil prices and the ambitious strategies of its new airlines. With massive support from their home countries, these airlines have quickly become global players and contribute immensely to economic growth.

High oil prices and sustained government support have turned a few GCC airlines like Emirates Airways, Qatar Airways, and Etihad into global airlines. Some Middle East governments have successfully set up a global aviation hub model, which is the transit point of millions of passengers on their way to their final destinations. Passenger traffic in the GCC has grown at a CAGR of 10 percent between 2002 and 2010-significantly higher than the global traffic growth in the same period which was between 1 percent and 3 percent.

The explosive passenger traffic has necessitated the large-scale expansion of existing facilities to cope with the demand. UAE, in particular, has aggressively pursued this model over the last decade and consequently rapidly climbed up in international rankings; with 48 million passengers in 2010, Dubai is now the world’s fifth largest airport.

However, Abu Dhabi and Qatar also aim to attain a hub status for the region.

However, the story is not just one of global aspirations, but the catering to existing demand satisfactorily. Current capacity utilization in the GCC (passengers/capacity) stands at over 115 percent; Bahrain has the most severe case of under-capacity, moving double its capacity in 2010. The UAE, which has seen massive airport expansions in recent years, is the only GCC country, operating with some reserve. Capacity utilization is at 84 percent due to the completion of Dubai Airport expansions, which expanded capacity from 22 million passengers a year to 60 million with an expectation of further increase to 90 million by 2020.

Consequently, GCC governments have ratcheted up investment in the upgradation and expansion of airports to satisfy existing demand and achieve future strategic goals.

These investments are in the neighborhood of $104 billion over the coming few years, concentrated primarily in the UAE; the majority of which is for the Al Maktoum Airport with an estimated cost of $50 billion, due to be completed by 2020.

This high growth is being aided by several factors including aircraft orders, tourism, government spending, low-cost airlines, deregulation, and so on. Massive expansion programs were initiated for both airport infrastructure and fleet expansion. Airbus predicts that, by 2028, the Middle East fleet will treble in size. Boeing forecasts that the Middle Eastern airlines will require 2,340 aircraft by 2029-a total value of US$390 billion. Boeing also estimates that the regional aviation industry will grow upward at an average of 7.1 percent a year for the next 20 years. About 43 percent of the expected aircraft deliveries will be wide-bodies, thus confirming the trend that the Middle East will play an increasing role in global aviation (long haul). Dubai, Kuwait, and Qatar have at least one airport project on the anvil. Oman has two major airport expansions in Muscat and Salalah, and Saudi Arabia has started to expand the airports of Madinah and Jeddah. Bahrain has begun the expansion of its existing terminal but has cancelled a project for two new terminals. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has downgraded expected profits in 2011 for Middle East airlines from $800 million to $100 million.

This is mainly due to unrest in countries such as Bahrain in the GCC as well as Yemen, Egypt, Jordan, and elsewhere.

However, this probably excludes major airlines such as Qatar Airways and Etihad since these non-listed airlines do not publish their results.

Currently, there are 37 main civil airports in the GCC region. Of these, more than 30 are in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Saudi Arabia has four international airports and 22 domestic airports; its international airports account for 85 percent of passenger traffic. The challenges faced by airports are that they are heavily dependent on airlines and their home country. Passengers do not choose airports; they choose destinations. However, this apparent weakness is attenuated in the GCC since the major regional airlines are mostly hub airlines carrying the so-called sixth freedom passengers. They merely transit through the airport and change aircraft (but usually not airlines) at the hub. Therefore, the services, conveniences, and efficient processes of the hub airport also become key factors for the passenger in choosing the airline.

It is therefore no surprise that the most advanced countries in the GCC are building mega airports that will dwarf European airports and support both their airlines and country’s economic development. Additionally, these travelers can be persuaded to stay one or two nights in the GCC, thus contributing to the local economy. A flexible tourism package created by the tourism authority, immigration authorities, and the airline working hand-in-hand is the critical enabler in this regard. The hub business model is also spectacularly successful, not least due to economies of scale. For example, 20 flights to different destinations in Asia can be “fed” from one flight from the West (US, Europe)-and vice versa with the hub acting as the exchange point.

By 2020, Emirates, Qatar, and Etihad will have the capacity to carry nearly 200 million passengers: four times their current capacity. By 2015, the Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi airports will reach an annual capacity of 190 million passengers. Dubai’s new, five-runway airport will be able to handle 70 million passengers. This is gigantic considering that the population consists of only a few million, including guest workers. The target market is clearly the global citizen. Dubai Airport has doubled in size every few years. Abu Dhabi and Qatar are following suit.

In countries, where there are less gigantic projects, airports (and therefore airlines and passengers) presently face congestion. There are different types of airport congestion.

Runway congestion is not much of an issue in the GCC; it is mostly terminal space (Kuwait) or both terminal space and aircraft parking space (Bahrain). Of course, a very busy airport such as Dubai, where all airport resources, including runways, are optimized, is extremely stretched. Hence, just like busy European airports, landing slots are scarce at peak times.

GCC Pax and cargo growth of 10 percent-11 percent (CAGR) is very impressive especially for a decade which experienced two major crises (Twin Tower attacks and the financial crisis of 2008/2009). Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar have done even better. Oman has also had high passenger growth, no doubt reaping the benefits of its tourism strategy. Saudi Arabia shows the lowest growth by far, albeit from a significantly higher base. Passenger traffic at Dubai has now overtaken Saudi Arabia, despite the acute financial crisis in Dubai. This shows that the business of air travel in Dubai is both successful and very resilient. Cargo volume at Dubai is now in a league of its own. Dubai handled double the cargo volume of any other GCC airport in 2002. At present, the cargo volume has increased fivefold. In 2010, Dubai alone handled more cargo than all the other GCC airports combined.

KSE mired in dire straits ARAB INVESTMENT COMPANY ECONOMIC REPORT KUWAIT: Kuwait bourse witnessed a sharp decline in the July-September period extending the loss to the fourth consecutive quarter. KSE index slumped 6.08 percent quarter-on-quarter amid bearish sentiments. The market was largely devoid of strong positive cues and financial results which came out during the quarter hardly enthused the investors.

An adverse ruling by a US court against Agility weighed on the stock and Global Investment House’s bid to renegotiate its debt with the creditors also reflected on the trading floor. Meanwhile, the investment sector stocks got a boost following the Capital Markets Authority’s decision to extend the compliance deadline on an investment funds by-law till March 2012.

The volume had been largely anemic during the quarter and plunged to a multi-year of 36.41 million on August 24 before clawing back in September on post-Id trading. The benchmark closed lower in 32 of the 62 sessions and tumbled 370.07 points from close of June to September end.

Getting back into stride The economy is expected to grow 5.7 percent in 2011 buoyed by the multi-billion four-year National Development Plan.

The unemployment rate is seen to clock 1.6 percent during the year, while inflation is forecast to average 6.1 percent. The budget surplus in the first three months of 2011/12 fiscal year reached KD 5.6 billion helped by more-than-expected oil revenue and lower spending. It compares with KD 3.2 billion in the same period a year ago, and with KD 4.2 billion in the first two months of current fiscal. Revenue stood at KD 7.1 billion in the April-June period, while spending totaled KD 1.5 billion. Oil revenue stood at KD 6.8 billion accounting for 96 percent of total revenue.

Meanwhile, Kuwait produced more than 2.8 million barrels a day of oil throughout August.

Kuwait is producing between 2.6 and 2.7 million barrels a day, well in excess of its OPEC quota of 2.2m bpd, according to oil ministry. The price of oil, which makes up more than 93 percent of the country’s revenues, is assumed at $43 per barrel in the current budget. Higher oil revenue is expected to boost the GDP by five percent, according to IMF. Standard & Poor’s in its latest move has raised country’s local and foreign currency sovereign credit ratings from AA- to AA, with stable outlook. Meanwhile Fitch Ratings has affirmed Kuwait’s Long-term foreign and local currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDR) at ‘AA’. The Outlook on the Long-term ratings is Stable.

Meanwhile, Moody’s Investors Service has changed the outlook on the Kuwaiti banking system to stable from negative.

The agency has cited optimism that the sector’s fundamentals will continue to improve spurred by country’s ongoing economic recovery, supported by increasing government spending and high international oil prices. The banking sector’s asset quality is expected to gradually improve and net profits are seen to be higher in 2011 due to receding credit charges for loan losses.

Gaining traction The bloc is seen to expand 7.8 percent in 2011 buoyed by high oil prices. The GDP is expected to reach $1.402 trillion during the year, while current account surplus is forecast to hit $304 billion. The consumer price inflation is projected to climb to 5.3 percent. Saudi Arabia’s economy is expected to grow 6.5 percent in 2011 on the back of strong oil prices and high public spending. The kingdom has announced a record high budget of SR580 billion for 2011 with a deficit of SR40 billion.

Meanwhile, foreign assets are forecast to reach a new high of SR1.9 trillion by the end of 2011.

Qatar is seen to lead the GCC with an 18.7 percent growth rate in 2011 and shrink sharply to 6.0 percent in 2012.

Meanwhile, the state has replaced Luxembourg as the world’s richest nation, according to IMF. The per capita income

stood at $81,466 in 2010 and is expected to reach $111,963 in 2016. Meanwhile Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has affirmed its ‘AA/A-1+’ sovereign credit ratings on the State of Qatar. The outlook on the ratings is stable. The transfer and convertibility assessment is placed at ‘AA+’.

Over the past decade, Qatar has accumulated considerable foreign assets. The country’s net assets are expected to reach 72 percent of GDP by end of 2011.

UAE is seen to expand 3.3 percent in 2011. Meanwhile, Fitch Rating has affirmed Abu Dhabi’s Long-term foreign and local currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) at AA with a stable outlook. The Short-term foreign currency IDR is placed at F1+. Bahrain’s GDP shrank by 1.4 percent in the first three months of 2011 from the previous quarter and decelerated to 0.8 percent in the April-June period. The state has approved an additional budget spending of 388.5 million dinars over two years to cover wage increases for government employees, Oman’s economy rose 4.1 per cent during first quarter. Budget deficit soared to 253.4 million rials in the first three months of the year as rising oil revenue failed to offset increasing state spending.

The world scene The US economy is projected to expand 1.6 percent in 2011 and 1.8 percent in 2012, according to latest IMF projection. It grew at an annual rate of 0.7

percent in the first half of 2011, while in the second quarter it is expected to have expanded by up to 1 percent.

Standard & Poor’s Rating Service has lowered US long-term sovereign credit rating to ‘AA+’ from ‘AAA’. This is the first time in history that the US has lost triple-A status. On the other hand Fitch Ratings has affirmed the country’s top-notch credit rating at AAA. The outlook for the rating is stable. The federal government’s budget deficit in the current fiscal year surpassed $1.23 trillion in August. It is predicted to reach $1.28 trillion in 2011 fiscal year which ends in September, and will mark the third consecutive year that the federal government’s red ink exceeds 1-trilliondollar mark.

Federal Reserve has maintained its interest between zero and 0.25 percent since December 2008 in an effort to stimulate economic growth. The Federal Reserve has initiated new stimulus meas-

ure named “Operation twist” to kick start economic recovery. Under the plan, Fed intends to purchase, by the end of June 2012, $400 billion of Treasury securities with remaining maturities of 6 years to 30 years and to sell an equal amount of Treasury securities with remaining maturities of 3 years or less.

The 17-nation bloc is forecast to grow 1.6 percent in 2011 and weaken to 1.1 percent in the following year. It expanded 0.2 percent in the second quarter after clocking 2.4 percent growth in the first three months of 2011. Inflation has been staying above the European Central Bank’s target of close to 2 percent since December 2010 and the bank has raised its key interest rates twice this year, taking the refinance rate to 1.5 percent. The bloc is expected to post an annual deficit of 4.5 percent of GDP this year.

The German economy saw an anemic 0.1 percent quarter-on-quarter growth in the July-September period, while the French economy stagnated. Spanish growth slowed to 0.2 percent, whereas Italy expanded by 0.3 percent. Italy’s public debt rose to 1.911 trillion Euros in July after crossing the 1.9-trillion-euro mark for the first time in the previous month. At about 120 percent to GDP, Italy’s debt level is double the Eurozone limit of 60 percent.

Greece’s fiscal deficit is forecast to reach 8.0 percent of GDP for 2011, and fall to 6.9 percent next year. Leading rating agencies

have assigned junk status for Greek sovereign ratings. The International Monetary Fund has approved a 3 billion euros rescue package for Greece whose debt is currently estimated at 350 billion Euros.

UK - Charting a tepid growth: The GDP growth is pegged at 1.1 percent in 2011 and is forecast to expand 1.6 percent in the following year. Growth is expected to remain sluggish in the near term amid continued squeeze on household incomes Meanwhile, the government is planning to cut public spending by more than 80 billion pounds over the next four years, and plans to lay off 300,000 public sector staff over the next four years, as a part of its austerity measures.

Japan - Emerging from the trough: The economy is projected to shrink 0.5 per cent this year and rebound 2.3 per cent in 2012. The government is mulling on a fourth extra budget for the current fiscal year amounting to an estimated 1 to 2 trillion yens to fund additional economic measure without issuing new bonds.

Moody’s has cut Japan’s government bond rating to Aa3 from Aa2, citing large budget deficits and the build-up in government debt. In January, Standard & Poor’s, lowered the country’s grade by one notch to AA. Russia - Propped by commodities: The country’s GDP is forecast to grow 4.3 percent in 2011 and slacken slightly to 4.1 percent in the following year. Russia’s capital outflow is expected to hit $30-40 billion in 2011, hit zero level in 2012 and rebound moderately to $10-20 billion in the following year. Meanwhile, foreign investments in Russia almost tripled to $87.698 billion in the first six months of 2011 from about $30.4 billion in the same period last year.

China - Heading for a soft landing: The world’s second largest economy is seen to grow 9.5 percent in 2011 and slowdown to 9 percent next year. In a bid to contain the soaring inflation, the central bank had raised the benchmark interest rates three times this year, while the reserve requirement ratio was hiked six times. Country’s banks were ordered to keep a record high of 21.5 percent of their deposits in reserves to rein in excess lending. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in August rose 11 percent from a year earlier. The government has approved the establishment of 18,006 foreign-invested companies in the first eight months of 2011, up 7.68 percent year-onyear.

India - Struggling to stay course: The economy is seen to moderate to 7.5 - 7.75 percent in the current fiscal, on account of slow investments and weak global recovery. The GDP slowed to 7.7 percent in the April-June period from 7.8 percent in the previous quarter. Inflation continues to pose a major challenge to the economy, despite a series of rate hikes by the central bank.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its latest move has raised its key interest rates by a quarter-point despite heightened risks to growth outlook. Total value of M&A deals involving Indian firms more than halved to $7.7 billion in the June quarter. The AprilJune period witnessed 212 M&A deals down 6 percent in number of deals from the previous quarter.

Thai floods claim more factories Focus on threatened industrial park BANGKOK: Floods swamped another industrial estate in central Thailand yesterday and threatened a bigger one just outside the capital, Bangkok, which has so far escaped the worst despite heavy monsoon rain and water streaming towards it from the north. Floods have killed 297 people since late July and caused $3 billion in damage. A third of the country is under water but officials believe lowlying inner Bangkok will be spared after the strengthening of its system of defensive dikes and canals. “ The government’s operations are proceeding well ... As for the current water level, it is satisfactory and it’s quite certain that water will not flood Bangkok,” said Police General Pongsapat Pongcharoen, a spokesman at a crisis centre set up at the city’s old Don Muang airport. Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and Nakhon Sawan provinces north of Bangkok have been devastated. Floods have swallowed up homes and forced a series of huge industrial parks to close, including the Bang Pa-In estate in Ayutthaya on Saturday.

Another estate, Factory Land in Ayutthaya, which has 93 factories employing 8,500 employees, flooded in the early hours yesterday. “ The water broke in at around midnight. Operators there were aware of it and evacuated people from the estate ...

Up to now, five industrial estates have been flooded,” Prayoon

Tingthong, in charge of industrial affairs for the province, told Reuters.

Most of the factories there make car parts and electronic components, so this will add to the problems of the big international companies that use

put, and says it will stay closed until Oct 21. The authorities are increasingly worried about another industrial park, Nava Nakorn in Pathum Thani province north of Bangkok, which is standing in the way of the flow of water towards the

were working around the clock to strengthen its walls and divert water. Nation TV reported that water was just 10 cm (4 inches) below the top of the estate’s 4.5 meters high wall. The north, northeast and centre of Thailand have been worst hit by the flood-

AYUTTHAYA: This file aerial picture shows cars submerged in floodswaters at a Honda car factory outside the ancient Thai capital, north of Bangkok. —AFP Thailand as a regional production hub. Japanese car maker Honda Motor Co Ltd has shut its Ayutthaya plant, which accounts for 4.7 percent of its global out-

capital.

Thai media reported that some 600 soldiers and workers from the estate, Thailand’s oldest with more than 200 factories,

ing and Bangkok-much of it only two meters (6.5 ft) above sea level-is at risk as water overflows from reservoirs in the north, swelling the Chao Phraya river

that winds through the densely populated and low-lying city.

The river was reported to be at a record high level of 2.15 meters (seven feet) at one point on Saturday but the embankment wall running along it in inner Bangkok is at least 2.5 meters high and has been raised along vulnerable stretches. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has sought to reassure residents they should be safe but people have still stocked up on bottled water, instant noodles, rice and canned goods, emptying shelves in some major markets.

Many have parked their cars in elevated garages and piled sandbags in front of shop-houses and homes. Water from the north approached Bangkok over the weekend, coinciding with high estuary tides that hamper the flow of water into the sea. “We will protect strategic areas and the heart of the economy such as industrial zones, the central part of all provinces and the Thai capital as well as Suvarnabhumi Airport, industrial estates and evacuation centres,” Yingluck said on Saturday, referring to Bangkok’s main international airport. Despite these efforts, the economy will suffer. Both the central bank and government have put the cost at about 100 billion baht ($3.2 billion) already, more than 1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). The Finance Ministry has cut its GDP growth forecast for this year to 3.7 percent from 4.0 percent. —Reuters

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business

Back on bus: Obama hits the jobs trail WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama clambers back aboard his campaign bus on Monday, to clock up more miles on his crusade to force Congress to pass his jobs plan and to ease his own perilous political plight.

His sleek, armored bus will spend three days cruising Virginia and North Carolina-traditionally, southern, conservative territory, but states which he nudged into the Democratic column in his 2008 White House triumph.

Obama’s bus tour, a fabled ritual of American politics, will be his first since Republicans and several moderate Democrats blocked the passage of his $447 billion jobs plan in the Senate.

“We’re going to give them another chance. We’re going to give them another chance to spend more time worrying about your jobs than keeping theirs,” said Obama in his weekly

radio and Internet address Saturday.

“We can’t afford this lack of action and there is no reason for it. Independent economists say that this jobs bill would give the economy a jumpstart and lead to nearly two million new jobs.” Top White House officials believe Obama is liberated when he swaps Washington’s poisoned atmosphere for the road, especially on a bus tour that can reach rural areas off limits to the presidential entourage on Air Force One. In a previous bus trip in August through Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois, Obama roadtested political messages he will use as he seeks a second White House term at a time of deep economic gloom and high unemployment next year.

“It is a very positive thing for the president-and I would argue any president-to get out of Washington and to

talk to Americans around the country,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said.”He felt that was the case on his first bus trip, and he looks forward to the one we’re taking next week.”

White House officials and Democratic leaders in Congress are now seeking to break the jobs bill, a mix of infrastructure spending and tax breaks, into pieces to try to thrust at least some of the legislation into law.

“We want votes on all the component parts, and that includes putting up to 280,000 laid-off teachers back to work,” Carney said.

“It includes putting idle construction workers to work rebuilding our bridges and highways and schoolsrenovating our schools. “It includes extending and expanding the payroll tax cut to everybody-every American who gets a paycheck .” The White

House hopes to force Republicans, who oppose what they see as another failed round of stimulus spending, to take tough votes on issues like raising taxes for millionaires and funding to keep cops and firefighters at work. Obama will begin his tour on Monday in Asheville, North Carolina-a town of 800,000 people at the foot of the Appalachian mountains, and a town where he has vacationed with his family.

Tomorrow, making stops along the way, he will travel to Jamestown, North Carolina, and Emporia, Virginia.

On Wednesday, he will be joined by his wife Michelle in Langley, Virginia and make further rural stops. Although Obama won Virginia in 2008, and narrowly squeezed by Republican nominee John McCain in North Carolina, recent polls show that his prospects

are uncertain in 2012. A Quinnipiac poll last week showed him losing Virginia, which four years ago he became the first Democratic candidate to win since 1964, to possible Republican nominee Mitt Romney by a single point.

In North Carolina, where Democrats will convene their presidential nominating convention next year, Obama led Romney by a single point in a PPP poll last week. In both states, Obama will seek to reconfigure his 2008 coalition of young voters, educated middle class voters, minorities and African Americans. But his standing among white middle class voters and independents, also important voting blocs in each state, has fallen since 2008, especially as national unemployment has stayed stubbornly stuck at 9.1 percent. — AFP

Emerging markets brace for global slowdown Indonesia’s central bank cuts interest rates

LONDON: The Managing Director of the agency Live-in-Guardians, Arthur Duke, poses on at a commercial property. — AFP

Churches, office blocks ease Britons’ rental woes LONDON: Andrew Fairclough pushes open the door to the compact 19th century church, but he is not here to worship. This is his home, under an innovative leasing scheme taking hold as rents soar. The 41-year-old musician has lived in the surprisingly warm deconsecrated building since January, and has set up his records, keyboards, bed, sofa and even a ping-pong table under the vaulted ceiling and stained-glass windows.

Fairclough pays just £270 (308 euros, $425) a month to stay in the church in Bushey, just north of London, and keeps it free of squatters-a bargain for a home on the edge one of Europe’s most expensive cities.

“Financially, it’s a fantastic thing-you get to live in such an amazing space for such a small amount of money. When you first hear about it, you almost think it’s too good to be true,” he told AFP. Fairclough is part of growing number of people priced out of the rental market who have found common cause with landlords seeking someone to look after their properties while they await redevelopment or sale. These link-ups have become increasingly popular as rising inflation and a lacklustre house market put pressure on rents, causing them to rise by more than 10 percent in London in the past year.

“We put the guardians in some empty buildings to provide effectively cheap security,” explains Doug Edwards from Ad Hoc, one of a number of agencies who introduce the “guardians” and property owners. Although the owners pay the

agencies up to £300 a week, this represents a saving of up to 80 percent on hiring a security firm. “In return, the guardians get very cheap living,” on average less than half the market rent for the area, Edwards told AFP. There are some fabulous properties available in London, including a 300 square-meter (3,225 square feet) apartment overlooking Green Park, a short walk from Buckingham Palace, rented out at £200 a week for two people.

Another is in upmarket Chelsea, where “we had a place on the King’s Road a couple years ago, where the guardian was living next door to two Chelsea footballers and paid £260 pounds a month!”

Edwards said. But tenants who cherish stability should beware. Leases can be as short as two months and occupants may be given just two weeks notice to leave.

Daniel, a writer and refuse collector, had to move four times in one year, but he has got used to it.

“I have a flavor of different areas, I got to live in Hampstead Heath for a while, and I now get to live in Warren Street (in central London). Those are both areas that are very nice places to experience,” the 26-year-old said. His room is huge, but it also has glaring neon strip lights, a remnant of its former life as an office. He has to share a tiny kitchen with another guardian, while 12 of them share just two showers in the whole building. “But I pay £60 a week, so that totally softens the blow,” he said. Guardians must have a regular salary, no pets or children and agree not to hold parties. —AFP

Mongolia embraces tourism GOBI DESERT: The carcass of a freshly slaughtered goat lies under the bed in a nomadic family’s ger in Mongolia as the sleeping bags of visitors are rolled out on the floor next to its remains. Its head, with fur and horns intact, lolls in a corner by the door. The temperature is near freezing, but the felt-lined, wood-lattice structure provides shelter from the blustery winds of the Gobi Desert. The thick portable tent of the typical nomadic home traps both heat and the gamey smells of mutton boiling on the stove and strips of meat hung from the ceiling. Milk in a large cloth sack is left to strain into a metal bucket nearby.

While the Mongolian government relies on the country’s resources such as gold, copper, coal and other minerals to attract foreign investment, some of its nomadic population are offering homestays to supplement their rural incomes, capitalizing on the opening up of their country. “We are happy to let visitors stay in our ger. In Mongolia, we can drop in on friends and people can visit us without any notice,” said Tovshinto Vaanchig, a 51-year-old horse herder who also owns sheep and goats.

But getting to the homestays, often in the herders’ own one-room gers, remains tough. Visitors must endure hours in fourwheel drives on bumpy terrain across sweeping steppes. The landlocked country remains in a time warp, with many of its people living side-by-side with animals and retaining old traditions. The Gobi Desert, which spans northwestern China and southern Mongolia, is notable in history as part of the great Mongol Empire and the Silk Road. More recently, the desert has been a treasure trove for anthropologists and miners.

Tour guide Oyunbolor Demberel and

her father Demberel Otgon rely on tourists who want to see the unspoilt natural wonder of the Gobi’s sand dunes, mountains and steppes for work during a few months each year from May to September. “I am happy to be on the road several months of the year when I have the chance to meet foreigners and take them around the Gobi,” said the 72-year-old Otgon, who used to be a government accountant but now freelances with tour agencies.

Camel country, wild horses After a few hours of driving around a region of the desert inhabited by horse herders, Otgon finds a family who have suitably calm, wild horses for tourists.

Mongolian children learn to race these small horses when they are about six years old and many are expert riders who use no saddle. Apart from horses, cows, goats and sheep, Mongolia’s herding economy depends on the hardy, two-humped Bactrian camel which is indigenous to Central Asia. Enktuya Borokhin, 52, is the matriarch of a camel-herding family. She moved six weeks ago to find pasture for 400 animals and will relocate again in a month in search of better shelter for winter.

The Gobi has extreme temperatures, from minus 40 degrees Celsius in winter to more than 40 degrees in summer. Borokhin’s tourist ger is spartan but the walls are decorated with colourful cotton cloth from China. The family moves their only stove into the ger for guests and end up cooking all their hot meals with their visitors. The daily staple is meat, such as mutton and goat, although Mongolians also seat camel, horse and beef. Milk tea is commonly served with curd and fried biscuits. They cook a stew by candlelight. — Reuters

WASHINGTON: From Asia to Latin America, emerging economies are preparing for a global slowdown, indicating deep concern about the developed world as well as new-found room for maneuver at home. Those who can, do. While central banks in the United States, Europe and Japan are forced to look for ever more arcane ways to prop up their ailing economies, emerging markets are doing it the old-fashioned way.

On Tuesday Indonesia’s central bank became the latest country to unexpectedly cut interest rates in order to stimulate growth, following a similar move by Brazil. Mexico is expected to follow with a similar rate cut-an option not open to many developed economies which already have interest rates near zero. “Whether we like it or not, the global economic slowdown is affecting developing countries,” Bank Indonesia Governor Darmin Nasution said announcing the move.

Behind his comment, and others like it, is a candid acknowledgement of the enduring role US, European and Japanese demand plays in Asia and Latin America, and a new-

found freedom from fears of inflation.

Three years ago when panic swept across the United States and Europe, many emerging markets appeared cautious but confident that decades of crises-by-osmosis would not be repeated. Many emerging economies, the argument went, were now healthy enough to avoid catching a cold when the United State or Europe sneezed. But last month the International Monetary Fund sought to scotch this view as irrational exuberance.

The Washington-based lender warned that emerging economies needed to steel themselves from the risks of economic failure in advanced countries. “Many emerging economies need to make faster progress in strengthening fiscal fundamentals before cyclical factors or spillovers from advanced economies... turn against them,” the IMF said in a regular report.”Should downside risks materialize, those emerging economies with low debt and deficits could slow the pace of consolidation to support domestic consumption.”

That message has been taken onboard according to experts despite any previous hubris. “It

is clear that there is concern about the impact of events in the global business cycle,” said John Williamson, a former World Bank, IMF and British Treasury economist now with the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

According to Williamson “the decoupling is dead crowd” never had much of a case and measured moves to cut interest rates are modest so long as inflation is kept in check. Yet risking even modest rises in inflation is something that many emerging nations would have been reluctant to do just a few years ago. “They have a greater degree of freedom than they did in those days. I don’t think they had the freedom to do it then,” said Williamson. For Mark Weisbrot of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, there has also been a shift in policy orthodoxy, particularly in Brazil. “There has been a gradual change in macroeconomic policy in Brazil since 2004-2005, when they have moved to loosen both fiscal and monetary policy.” “You are seeing a change in attitude, more pro-growth than financially focused.” “It is more than justified, they are capable of much higher growth.” — AFP

Call centers set to replace coffee culture in Colombia

PLEASANT HILL: Celina Lopez, 27, of El Sobrante, studies inside the Diablo Valley College library in Pleasant Hill, California. — MCT

Young people hit hard as US poverty rate rises PAL ALTO: Joblessness pushed another 2.6 million people into poverty last year as 15.1 percent of Americans and 16.3 percent of Californians were living under the poverty line - the highest rate since 1993, according to 2010 US census statistics released Tuesday. “I never thought it was going to be this bad,” said Celina Lopez, a single mother of two young children who has moved in with her grandmother in El Sobrante. “My situation is pretty scary, in terms of housing, kids and being able to provide for them. I didn’t think it would be this hard to find a job.” The national poverty rate rose from 14.3 percent in 2009, and it increased most dramatically for children and the youngest working-age adults, those between 18 and 24.

The number of people who did not work at all last year was “the single most important factor” causing the poverty spike, said Trudi Renwick, chief of the Census Bureau’s poverty statistics branch. “It’s just a wretched time to be starting out in your career,” said Kristen Lewis, co-director of the nonprofit American Human Development Project. “Unfortunately, it’s been tremendously difficult for people trying to get their first job.”

About 46.2 million people were in poverty in 2010, the highest number since the government began tracking poverty in 1959. For a family of four with two children, poverty means making less than $22,113 a year. The US poverty threshold is $11,344 for a single adult younger than 65, Advertisement and advocates have long pointed out that an income at that level amounts to even less for residents of the Bay Area, with its high cost of living.

The grim statistics come as President Barack Obama battles Republicans over the effectiveness of attempts to stimulate the economy and a new jobs bill he proposed last week. Real median income dropped by 2.3 percent to $49,445. The largest income decline was for households with young people between the ages of 15 and 24, while the second highest decline was for households with people in the 45-to-54 age group.

Lopez, 27, is one of many working-age adults who found refuge in an elder relative’s home after struggling to find a job. — MCT

MANIZALES: In Manizales, in the heart of Colombia’s prime coffee production zone, officials have found the solution to volatile commodity prices and raging unemployment: call centers. The city of 380,000 people-nestled in the Andes mountains in the central department of Caldas, about 175 kilometers (110 miles) northwest of the capital Bogota-is attracting multinational firms and putting residents back to work. Authorities in Manizales did everything to keep the coffee trade afloat. “We tried to increase production, the number of hectares used. We also tried to specialize in a quality niche coffee, but nothing seemed to work. Meanwhile, Brazil solidified its position as the world’s top coffee producer,” city mayor Juan Llano told AFP. In 2005, the unemployment rate in Manizales had hit 20 percent, giving the city the dubious distinction of being among the top three cities in Colombia in terms of the number of jobless. Llano then opted to follow an unusual modelthat of India, a world leader in the global business outsourcing market. He dreamed up “People Contact”-a government-run structure attached to city hall that offers call center services.

Multinationals were drawn by the nearly neutral accent of Colombians in Spanish, and their good grammar.

“We offer tax breaks, we rent out fullyoutfitted offices, and we also offer young workers, some of them bilingual,” explained Juan Cardona, the director of People Contact, which employs some 30 people to run about a dozen call centers.

The municipal government in Manizaleswhich has 11 universities-trained about 15,000 young workers in the tricks of the telemarketing trade, offering foreign

firms a valuable pool of skilled labor.

They took the bait.

Spanish firms Digitex and Emergia have 4,000 and 2,100 employees in the city, respectively. They offer services in Spanish to about 40 clients in Europe, the United States and Latin America, including AT&T and Movistar. According to official city data, 9,800 jobs have been created in the sector in a four-year period. Seventy percent of those jobs have gone to women, many of whom have husbands who were laid off from the coffee plantations.

Local laws allow a 48-hour work week, at a monthly salary of $300. “People here want to work. They really make an effort and our margins are excellent,” said Emergia director Benjamin Castro. The city’s unemployment rate has dropped from 20 percent to 12 percent. Llano now is looking ahead to his next challengebuilding up a bilingual workforce to attract new business. He says Spanish after-sales services represent just four percent of the total market. The rest is in English.

The local government is now paying for five hours of English lessons a week for 20,000 elementary and high school students attending public schools.

Manizales is not the only city in Colombia to catch the call center bug.

Other companies have set up centers in Medellin, including France’s Teleper formance, which bought Colombian firm Teledatos. In 2010, the sector generated $680 million in sales, against just $54 million in 2001. Over the course of that decade, the industry may have created as many as 73,400 jobs, according to the local call center industry body. — AFP

MANIZALES: Young telemarketers work in a call center in Caldas Department, Colombia. — AFP

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TECHNOLOGY

Google to kill Buzz, focus social efforts on Plus SAN JOSE, California: Google is getting ready to press the mute button on Buzz, an online social networking service that turned into a massive faux pas.

Buzz will be shut down within the next few weeks, according to a Friday post on Google Inc’s blog. The 20-monthold service probably won’t be missed. If anything, Buzz is destined to be remembered as Google’s botched attempt to build a social network to rival Facebook’s online hangout.

Google now is focusing its social networking efforts on Plus, a 3 1/2 month-old service that has been catching on quickly. Plus already has more

than 40 million users, and Google CEO Larry Page seems confident that it will become an effective weapon for fighting the threat posed by Facebook and its audience of 800 million users. In a conference call Thursday to discuss Google’s third-quarter earnings, Page promised the company will be weaving more of the company’s products into Plus to ensure that users get an “automagical” experience. Many of Buzz’s early adopters felt betrayed.

Buzz got into trouble because of the way Google tied it to its email service.

After it was activated, Buzz automatically created social circles that exposed

users’ most frequent Gmail contacts for everyone to see. That kind of transparency didn’t go over well with people whose contact lists included secret lovers, ex-spouses, doctors and prospective employers. Google overhauled Buzz to give people more control over their information, but the changes came too late to placate outrage users and privacy watchdogs.

The uproar triggered an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission, which reprimanded Google for violating its own privacy policies. Google apologized for its lapse and entered into a settlement requiring Google to

submit its privacy program to independent audits every other year for the next two decades. The company, which is based in Mountain View, Calif., also agreed to give $8.5 million to Internet privacy and policy organizations to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by Gmail users.

“Changing the world takes focus on the future, and honesty about the past,” Bradley Horowitz, a Google vice president, wrote in Friday’s blog post.

“We learned a lot from products like Buzz, and are putting that learning to work every day in our vision for products like Google Plus.” Buzz will join

more than 20 other products and services that Page has closed since he replaced Eric Schmidt as CEO in April.

Page says he wants to “put more wood behind fewer arrows” as Google tries to maintain its dominance of Internet search and advertising while it duels with Apple Inc for supremacy in the increasingly important smartphone market. The strategy seems to be paying off so far. Google third-quarter earnings rose 26 percent to $2.7 billion to blow past analyst estimates. The performance lifted Google’s stock price by $32.69, or nearly 6 percent, to close Friday at $591.68. —AP

Toys blend with videogames even more with Activision’s Skylanders

LONDON: Fehmeeda Bakhshi from Reading, England holds up her purchase of two iPhone 4S’s outside the Apple Store in Covent Garden, as the new iPhone 4S, which went on sale. —AP

iPhones to come to 22 countries by the end of the month NEW YORK: It wasn’t just the latest iPhone that drew people to Apple stores Friday. Many consumers waited in lines for hours - sometimes enduring chilly temperatures and overnight thunderstorms - to remember Steve Jobs, Apple’s visionary who died last week. The company’s first iPhone release since Jobs’ death turned into another tribute. Some customers even joked that the new model 4S stood “for Steve.” Tony Medina, a student from Manhattan, stood outside Apple’s flagship store on New York’s Fifth Avenue for nine hours, waiting through rain. He had originally planned to order the phone online but decided to join a crowd of about 200 people to honor Jobs.

CALIFORNIA: Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak holds up his new Apple iPhone 4S at the Apple store . —AP “For loyalty, I felt I had to do the line,” he said. “I had to say thank you.” The new phone, which went on sale Friday in seven countries, is faster than the previous model and comes with better software and an improved camera. Yet the unveiling comes at a time when Apple is finding it difficult to maintain the excitement of previous iPhone introductions. For starters, the phone is more widely available than in the past. In addition to Apple stores, it’s also sold by three wireless carriers: AT&T Inc, Sprint Nextel Corp and Verizon Wireless. Some Best Buy, Target and Walmart stores also carry the phones, as do authorized resellers.

Buyers were also able to preorder the phone on Apple’s website and have it shipped to their homes or offices. Many die-hard Apple fans and investors were disappointed that Apple did not launch a more radically redesigned new model an iPhone 5. It’s been more than a year since Apple’s previous model was released. That also may have contributed to smaller gatherings at some Apple locations. “People are not as excited about this version as they might have been” if an iPhone 5 came out,” said Charles Prosser, a retired teacher and computer technician from Tuscaloosa, Ala. Even so, hundreds of buyers camped

out in front of stores for hours to be among the first to get an iPhone 4S. Steve Wozniak, who created Apple with Jobs in a Silicon Valley garage in 1976, was first in line at a store in Los Gatos, Calif, having arrived on his Segway the afternoon before. Wozniak, who typically waits in line for new Apple products, said he barely slept Thursday night as he was busy chatting with Apple fans, taking photos and giving autographs.

Wozniak pre-ordered two new iPhones.

He bought two more Friday. “I just want to be part of an important event, so I feel it more deeply,” he said.

Many said the event resembled a remembrance to Jobs, who died a day after Apple Inc announced the new phone. Emily Smith, a Web designer, checked in to the line in New York on the location-centric social network Foursquare. She got a virtual Steve Jobs badge that read: “Here’s to the crazy ones. ThankYouSteve.” In Chicago, Nicole Pacheco dragged her brother and a friend out to buy Apple’s latest gadget. “I wanted to see how it was, to come out here for once,” she said as she looked at the line that stretched past her. “We’re kind of a memory for Steve Jobs. It’s one of his last inventions. It kind of motivated me to get the next one.”

Apple and phone companies started taking orders for the iPhone 4S last Friday. Apple said last Monday that more than 1 million orders came in, breaking the record set by last year’s model, which was available in fewer countries and on fewer carriers. And a representative for AT&T said Friday that as of 4:30 EDT, it had activated a record number of iPhones and was on track to double its previous single-day record for activations. Jobs’ death could be helping sales.

Marketing experts say products designed by widely admired figures such as Jobs usually see an upsurge in sales after their death.

The base model of the iPhone 4S costs $199 in the US with a two-year contract.

It comes with 16 gigabytes of storage.

Customers can get 32 gigabytes for $299 and 64 gigabytes for $399. The phones come in white or black. The phones also debuted Friday in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Britain. They are coming to 22 more countries by the end of the month. Besides a better processor and camera, the new phone has a new operating system that allows users to sync content without needing a computer. It also includes a futuristic, voice-activated service that responds to spoken commands and questions such as “Do I need an umbrella today?”

The new features appealed to Dina Nguyen, who came to the Apple store in Palo Alto, Calif, the same location where Jobs was known to show up on sale days.

She and her brother, Kennedy, picked up four iPhones for their family. — AP

LONDON: A customer jumps into the arms of an Apple employee outside the Apple Store in Covent Garden, to celebrate his purchase of the new iPhone 4S.—AP

NEW YORK: Activision is preparing to launch a new videogame in two weeks that blends virtual worlds with physical toys. On sale yesterday, the game, called Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure, represents a major deviation from the company’s hugely successful war-based Call of Duty. The game melds physical toys with videogames by using a “portal,” which is plugged into the console. Once an official Skylanders toy is placed on the portal, the characters transport into the game and come to life on the screen.

The game is similar to an announcement made recently

by Disney, which was built using miniature toy cars and an iPad. In this case, kids place the physical toy on the iPad’s screen to interact with the game, which is based on the movie “Cars 2.” Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, told me in a phone interview that Skylanders has “got a couple real innovative stories to tell.”

Not only does the game enable physical toys to come to life inside of a vir tual world, Hirshberg said, it also can be played cross-platform. “The toys travel from console to console and to the Web, and they remember everything that happens to them,” he said.

That means a child’s chosen character will remember what level it has attained and transfer that information from the player’s Nintendo Wii to an Xbox or Sony PlayStation at a friend’s house. Players will also be able to pick up where they left off on Android, iOS, Nintendo’s 3DS and online.

“If you play on your Wii and level up to 10 and then go to the Xbox, those all go with you,” Hirshberg said. “And then, on a road trip, you can log in to the iPhone version and the same thing happens.”

Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure will have more than 30 different characters. The plot is about a mysterious world which has been taken over by a sinister Portal Master known as Kaos, who has frozen the Skylanders as toys and banished them to Earth.

The players are charged with helping to return these heroes back to their world. In a release yesterday, Activision said the games would be on display in Toys”R”Us as soon as this weekend, to get the buzz star ted ahead of the holidays.

Toys”R”Us Chairman and CEO Jerry Storch said, “We believe

that the product line will be one of this holiday’s hottest gifts, and we can’t wait to offer customers a one-of-a-kind way to discover Skylanders at our stores.” A $70 starter pack includes a copy of the game (on PlayStation 3, Xbox or Nintendo Wii), three Skylanders characters, the portal of power, a character poster,

The 15 toys on the Toys R Us list are: l Air Hogs Hyper Actives by Spin Master, $49.99: Radio controlled miniature racing cars. l Air Swimmers Extreme by Animal Planet, $49.99: Inflatable fish and shark balloons that are radio controlled and seem to swim through the air. Helium

Battle by Lego Systems Inc., $79.99: A 645-piece construction set offered exclusively at Toys R Us with characters from Lego’s popular Ninjago line. l Poppin’ Park Elefun Busy Ball Popper by Hasbro’s Playskool, $29.99: A colorful elephant that can launch plastic balls and plays music. l Power Wheels Dune Racer by

NEWYORK: This product image provided by Activision Publishing, shows a scene from the video “Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure.” —AP trading cards, stickers, Web codes and batteries.

Flying fish, monsters on Toys R Us ‘Hot Toy’ list Every year, toy makers and sellers hope there will be a runaway hit toy to help spur excitement around the holidays and boost sales. Toys R Us is betting that 15 toys ranging from a flying, inflatable remote-control fish to tiny collectible monsters will be big hits this season.

Making the right picks early is crucial for toy sellers so they have the right mixture of toys at the right prices to lure shoppers.

The holiday season can account for about 40 percent of a toy seller’s annual profit. In 2010, US toy sales rose 2 percent to $21.87 billion, according to the NPD Group.

K aren Dodge, senior vice president and chief merchandising officer of Toys R Us in the US said “there’s lots of really interesting and different and unique toys on the list.”

tank sold separately. l Lalaloopsy Silly Hair dolls by MGA Entertainment, $34.99: Rag dolls with button eyes and bendable hair. They come with an accompanying pet with a bendable tail. l LeapPad Explorer by Leapfrog, $99.99: A tablet-like device which children can use to read books, play educational games and take pictures. l Monster High Fearleading 3Pack by Mattel, $42.99: Three dolls which are offspring of famous monsters, dressed in “Fear Squad” cheerleading outfits. l Moshi Monsters Moshling Mini-Figures 3-pack by Spin Master, $5.99: Tiny collectible monsters related to a hit online game. l My Keepon by Wow! Stuff, $39.99: A bright yellow blob-like robot that dances to music. lNerf Vortex Vigilon by Hasbro, $24.99: A foam dart gun that launches foam discs up to 50 feet. l Ninjago Lightning Dragon

Mattel’s Fisher-Price: $279.99. A child-size dune buggy that can ride over grass, gravel and mud. l Radica Fijit Friends by Mattel, $49.99: Robotic toys that dance and respond to squeezes and spoken words. l Sesame Street Let’s Rock!

Elmo by Hasbro, $69.99: An Elmo doll that sings and comes with a drum, tambourine and microphone. l “Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure,” by Activision, $69.99: A video game that includes action figures that can be placed in a portal and then appear in the game. lThe Trash Pack Garbage Truck

by Moose Toys, $19.99: A garbage truck that can hold 10 collectible Trashies, which are tiny collectible characters. It comes with two special edition Trashies and is a Toys R Us exclusive. Toys R Us Inc, based in Wayne, NJ, is the largest US specialty toy retailer. —AP

iPhone 4S big hit in Hong Kong’s grey market HONG KONG: Apple’s iPhone 4S was on sale on Hong Kong’s grey market at the weekend, attracting hundreds of fans paying up to six times official prices to get their hands on the latest model. The smartphone, released in seven countries on Friday, was not yet officially for sale in the southern Chinese city but dealers had imported them, mainly from Australia and Japan, for resale to local customers. The phones are retailing for between HK$10,000 and HK$12,000 ($1,300-$1,500) on the grey market. Depending on their memory capacity they are priced between $199 and $399 in the United States with a two-year contract.

“I have sold about 100 iPhone 4S since yesterday,” dealer Ma Hui of Chu Lok Telecom in the bustling shopping district of Mongkok said yesterday. “Several customers bought 10 of them to resell to others,” he told AFP, as he brought the new phones into his shop before opening for business. But Ma said the demand for the 4S was less than the frenzy that accompanied the launch of the iPhone 4.

The latest Apple product will be released for sale in another 22 countries on October 28 but dealers in Hong Kong, which has many enthusiastic Apple followers, only expect it to be launched their towards the end of the year.

The Chinese-language Apple Daily News reported yesterday that one mainland Chinese customer had spent HK$861,000 for 82 new phones. —AFP

HONG KONG: A placard advertises an Apple iPhone 4S for sale at an electronics market in yesterday. —AFP

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H E A LT H & S C I E NC E

Consider ADHD starting at age 4: Doctor group NEW YORK: The American Academy of Pediatrics this past weekend expanded its guidelines for diagnosing and treating kids with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, recommending that doctors evaluate all patients aged four to 18 who show signs of the condition.

The new guidelines update decadeold recommendations that focused on diagnosing and managing ADHD in kids aged six to 12. But behavior problems, over-activity and trouble paying attention can show up earlier, researchers said, and ADHD often persists into adolescence or even adulthood.

Pediatricians should also look out for learning disabilities, anxiety and other issues that can go hand-in-hand with ADHD. And, they should tailor treatment with behavior therapy and medication based on kids’ age and severity of symptoms, says a statement published in Pediatrics. (http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/recent) According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between six and nine percent of kids

and teens have ADHD, with rates higher in adolescents than younger kids.

“I’m glad to see the guidelines now recognize ADHD can occur both in younger children and older adolescents as well,” said Aude Henin, from Massachusetts General Hospital’s Child Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Program.

“I think those are things that have been ignored in the past.”

Drafted by a 14-member committee, the new recommendations say pediatricians should consult with parents, teachers and other adults in the community about kids’ behavior or schoolrelated problems to help them make an accurate diagnosis-because affected children may not always show symptoms in the doctor’s office.

If kids are diagnosed with ADHD, those adults will also play an important role in treatment strategies, especially in young kids.

MANAGE BEHAVIOR To treat four- and five-year olds, the authors recommend that parents are

trained in techniques to help manage behavior, including positive reinforcement and ignoring or punishing certain behaviors when necessary.

Only when that doesn’t work, and moderate or severe ADHD persists, should young kids be put on medication. J Russell Ramsay, who studies ADHD at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, said that many young children are overactive or have trouble focusing at times, but that for ADHD to be diagnosed, that behavior must “cause life impairments” in multiple environments-at home, at school and in relationships with peers.

“The diagnosis is a process,” he told Reuters Health. “There may be symptoms that are screened for in the preschool population, but (ADHD) should be tracked over time and reassessed to see if it is persisting.”

In school-aged kids, teachers or parents can give behavior therapy using similar strategies as in preschoolers.

Some may need special education

plans, including less homework if it takes them a long time to complete, Ramsay said. Stimulant medications such as Vyvanse, Ritalin and Concerta have also been shown to be effective alone or alongside therapy in this age group.

Those drugs may have side effects, the report notes, including appetite loss, sleep problems and stomach pain.

Youngsters with some signs of ADHD, but not a full diagnosis, shouldn’t be medicated, the report says.

Some of the guideline authors disclose consulting relationships with companies that sell ADHD medications in the paper’s conflict of interest section.

“Medication certainly has a stronger effect on the core behavior symptoms of ADHD, but it’s a matter of what the family’s preference is (and) what services are available for them,” said Dr. Mark Wolraich of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, the guidelines’ lead author.

“Where at all possible for schoolaged kids and adolescents, trying to

implement both (medication and therapy) is probably going to be most effective.” Medication and individual behavior therapy are recommended for teens with ADHD. The authors emphasize that doctors need to keep their eyes open for any signs of drug or alcohol abuse in this group-and if those problems exist, they should be a treatment priority.

Ramsay, who was not part of the guidelines committee, added that car accidents, unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections are all more common in teens with ADHD than without. “It’s something else that needs to be factored into the dialogue,” he said. Finally, because ADHD can persist for so long, the guidelines point out that communication between families, schools and doctors over the long run will be necessary to help manage the condition.

Doctors “need to have an ongoing relationship with the family,” Wolraich told Reuters Health. “The demands and the needs are going to change over time.” — Reuters

Huge stakes riding on maiden Soyuz launch Russia gains precious income from Kourou launch

MANILA: A Filipino street child holds a white rose as he participates in the observance of International Day of Overcoming Extreme Poverty at the Rizal Park in Manila yesterday. The annual event also observed in other countries seeks to find ways of effectively easing poverty, which afflicts nearly a third of the Philippines’ 94 million people. — AP

Diarrhoea kills seven children in Zimbabwe HARARE: At least seven children have died from a suspected diarrhoea outbreak which has affected over 6,000 children in two towns in Zimbabwe over the past week, a state newspaper said yesterday.

“Seven children died in Masvingo and Kadoma last week following a diarrhoea outbreak which has seen a total of 6,472 cases being recorded in the two towns,” The Sunday Mail reported.

“The main problem has always been unclean water and poor sanitation,” the newspaper quoted Portia Manangazira, director for disease control in the health ministry, as saying. “Our main concern is that in most instances 60 percent of these cases are children under the age of five years.” She called on municipalities to

ensure constant supplies of clean water and proper disposal of garbage. Diarrhoea thrives in areas that do not have proper sanitation. Proper sewage systems and clean water can prevent its outbreak.

Municipalities in Zimbabwe are battling to supply residents with water with some suburbs going for weeks without running water. Over 85,000 cases of cholera were diagnosed in West and central Africa this year, leading to 2,466 deaths, as the region faces the worst cholera epidemics in its history, UNICEF said this week. Three years ago over 4,000 people died of cholera in Zimbabwe in an outbreak which affected nearly 100,000 people. According to UNICEF, diarrhoea is responsible for 7.7 percent of deaths in Africa. — AFP

PARIS: Prestige and a multi-billiondollar gamble in satellite navigation will be riding on a Soyuz rocket next Thursday when the Soviet-era workhorse launches from Europe’s space base in South America.

It will be the first time that the legendary rocket, which traces its lineage to Sputnik and Gagarin, has been deployed outside Russia’s bases. And its payload will be the first two operational satellites in Galileo, Europe’s 5.4-billion-euro ($7.2-billion) rival to the US Global Positioning System (GPS).

Soyuz is the world’s most successful rocket, with a whopping 1,776 launches under its belt if the count includes forerunners dating back to 1957. There have been only 99 failures, yielding a success rate of 94.4 percent.

Until now, Soyuz has been launched from Plesetsk, in northern Russia, or from Baikonur, in Kazakhstan. Under a 2003 deal, Russia agreed to launch it from ESA’s base in Kourou, French Guiana.

By launching its treasured child abroad, Russia gained precious income for its beleaguered space industry. In exchange, Arianespace, which markets ESA’s rockets for satellite launches, got a mediumrange vehicle to go alongside the heavy Ariane 5, and a future lightweight rocket, the Vega.

“I have been pursuing this project for more than a decade. Now we really are in the home stretch,” Arianespace boss Jean-Yves Le Gall told AFP on Friday. Ultimately, “Arianespace will be the only operator in the world that will be able to launch any satellite, from the smallest to the biggest, and place it any orbit,” he said. A site has been specially built for Soyuz 12 kilometers (eight miles) from the Ariane launchpad. As a symbol of this unprecedented cooperation, it

incorporates a rock brought from the Baikonur pad from where Yuri Gagarin made the first human spaceflight in 1961. The infrastructure includes a 45-metre (146-feet) -high gantr y to enable Soyuz

launches. The site can be adapted for human spaceflight if need be, a noteworthy addition after the US shuttle’s phaseout earlier this year.

The “Kourou” Soyuz has been given the designation Soyuz STK.

A Proton-M rocket, carrying a Briz-M upper stage and US ViaSat-1 satellite is placed on a launch pad at the Russian leased Kazakhstan’s Baikonur cosmodrome early yesterday.

The launch of the Russian carrier rocket with ViaSat-1 satellite aboard is planned on October 19. — AFP

A spinoff of the Soyuz 2, it will use the Fregat upper stage and the ST nose cone, along with several minor modifications to make it compatible with ESA equipment.

Thursday’s payload is as prestigious as it is valuable. The European Union (EU) says Galileo will be far more accurate than the GPS and offer better coverage in cities, where sat-nav signals can be masked by buildings.

Above all, it means the world’s biggest trade bloc will not have to depend on a foreign power for what is now an essential economic tool. “Galileo springs from a European desire to be independent in geo-location with respect to America’s GPS and Russia’s Glonass” systems, said Claude Audouy of France’s National Centre of Space Studies (CNES).

The “Soyuz STK” is different from the Soyuz U, which failed on August 24 while carrying a robot freighter to the International Space Station (ISS), Arianespace says.

That problem has been pinned to a failure on the Soyuz U’s upper stage, which is different from the STK’s Fregat. From Kourou, Soyuz will be able to hoist 2.8 tons into geostationary transfer orbit, compared with 1.7 tons from Baikonur.

The big difference in payload is explained by the extra push given

by Earth’s rotation at the Equator.

The Ariane 5 can place up to 9.5 tons in low Earth orbit. Vega, with a launch capacity of 1.5 tons to low Earth orbit, was due for its maiden flight in 2011 but this has been postponed to January 2012.

The first two Galileo satellites have been named Natalia and Thijs, after a nine-year-old Bulgarian girl and an 11-year-old Belgian boy, who won a drawing competition among European youngsters.

Liftoff is set for 7:34 a.m. (1034 GMT) on Thursday.—AFP

Lobbyists circle US drug makers

This NASA Image obtained yesterday shows the Carina Nebula, a starforming region in the Sagittarius-Carina arm of the Milky Way that is 7,500 light years from Earth in which the Chandra X-Ray Observatory has detected more than 14,000 stars in the region. Chandra’s X-ray vision provides strong evidence that massive stars have self-destructed in this nearby star-forming region. Firstly, there is an observed deficit of bright X-ray sources in the area known as Trumpler 15, suggesting that some of the massive stars in this cluster were already destroyed in supernova explosions. Trumpler 15 is located in the northern part of the image and is one of ten star clusters in the Carina complex. The detection of six possible neutron stars, the dense cores often left behind after stars explode in supernovas, provides additional evidence that supernova activity is increasing up in Carina. Previous observations had only detected one neutron star in Carina. —AFP

NASA books 1st flight from New Mexico spaceport ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico: NASA has booked a charter suborbital flight from Virgin Galactic’s spaceport operations in southern New Mexico. Virgin Galactic announced Thursday that the agreement calls for NASA to charter a full flight from the company, and it includes options for two additional flights. If all options are exercised, the contract is worth $4.5 million.

Virgin Galactic says each mission allows for

up to 1,300 pounds of scientific experiments.

Earlier this week, Virgin Galactic announced it hired former NASA executive Michael Moses as vice president of operations. Virgin Galactic is owned by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Aabar Investments PJS. It’s on track to be the world’s first commercial spaceline and hopes to launch its first flight within the next year from Spaceport America, about 50 miles north of Las Cruces.—AP

WASHINGTON: With pressure mounting for a deficitreduction deal in Congress, the $300 billion US pharmaceutical industry is looking a little like a ship at sea with danger in the water below. Drug makers have begun to emerge as a favorite target for cost-cutting proposals from others in the healthcare sphere who hope to avoid the fiscal knife themselves, lobbyists and analysts say.

The six Democrats and six Republicans who make up the congressional “super committee” tasked with finding at least $1.2 trillion in deficit savings over 10 years are less than six weeks away from their Nov. 23 deadline to designate cuts. Analysts say any deal could include $300 billion to $500 billion in reductions from Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health programs-a prospect that has thousands of healthcare lobbyists frantic to find ways to minimize damage for drug makers, insurers, hospitals, doctors, state governments, the elderly, the poor and the disabled.

“It’s really sort of a shark tank,” said Matt Salo, executive director of the National Association of State Medicaid Directors. “You’ve got advocates for providers, advocates for beneficiaries, advocates for states-all looking for ways to minimize harm or get something they want.”

What some healthcare lobbyists want are ways to help super committee members find large savings that don’t affect their own revenues or the benefits available to an estimated 100 million Americans who depend on Medicare and Medicaid. “Many of the players are pointing a finger at pharmaceuticals,” said Ethan Siegal of the Washington Exchange, a research firm that analyzes public policy for institutional investors and businesses. Among initiatives aimed at the pharmaceutical industry is a proposal backed by President Barack Obama, Democratic lawmakers and health consumer advocates that would impose drug rebates on Medicare Part D, the program’s prescription drug benefit plan.

The White House estimates that such a move would save $135 billion over 10 years, or about 42 percent of the $320 billion healthcare deficit savings

that Obama has proposed to the super committee. “If you can knock off $100 billion-plus in one fell swoop, it’s a very enticing thing and it’s smart for other groups to point that out,” Siegal said. Some healthcare providers, including hospitals, also want the super panel to lower Medicare costs by speeding the arrival of cheaper generic drugs on the market. State governments, hoping to avoid potential cuts in federal spending on Medicaid, are promoting ideas that would restrict the use of prescription drugs in the $420-billion-a-year program.

The powerful Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) trade group vehemently rejects the rebate idea as a failed price control. It also defends Medicare Part D as a program with declining costs and points to U.S. government estimates that predict average premiums for the program’s drug benefits will be 44 percent lower than expected in 2012.

Otherwise, industry officials dismiss efforts to shift the cost-cutting burden onto its shoulders.

“We’ve certainly had our share of quivers pointed at us, that’s true. It’s not a new phenomenon,” said PhRMA Senior Vice President Matt Bennett.

Lobbyists say the non-pharmaceutical sector of the healthcare industry may be targeting drug makers because of a 2009 deal brokered in part by Democratic Senator Max Baucus that many say limited the pharmaceutical industry’s exposure to the costs of healthcare reform.

Baucus is now a member of the super committee, a fact that lobbyists say could help deflect some of the deficit-cutting onus away from pharmaceuticals.

On Capitol Hill, healthcare lobbyists outnumber members of Congress by more than 5 to 1, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan research group.

Data compiled by the center also shows healthcare industry sources have donated more than $1 billion to the campaign coffers of US politicians over the decades and nearly $19 million to members of the super committee.

Lobbyists say the pharmaceutical industry’s rela-

tive isolation contrasts with a tenuous alliance of interests between doctors, hospitals and other providers that appears to have muted infighting within their ranks, at least for now. Representatives from other segments of the healthcare industry are also arguing for a united front in making their case to Congress. “We all need to work together,” said Alissa Fox, vice president of the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Association. “We’re all concerned about costs and we’ve got to move fast.” Key to the shared interests among some segments of the healthcare industry is the nexus of income streams that bind many healthcare providers and insurance companies. “As the industry integrates, it’s hard to find places where cuts don’t come back to haunt you,” said a healthcare lobbyist who represents providers. “Hospitals only hurt themselves by punishing doctors because now many of the doctors work for them, and no one wants to cut insurers because they’re a major income source.”

Providers, including physicians, are especially sensitive to the potential knock-on effects of funding cuts to other areas of the healthcare system after rounds of cuts in Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements. “You can stone us back to the Stone Age. But I don’t know that anybody’s going to like what’s left in the dust,” said Cindy Moran, a government relations specialist at the American College of Radiology.

Healthcare lobbyists across the spectrum agree that their best outcome would be for the super committee to deadlock. That would trigger automatic spending cuts but would spare Medicaid and amount to relatively moderate reductions in Medicare. But the current balance of alliances could shift if the panel showed signs of striking a deal. The super committee discussed healthcare issues late last month, surveying proposals from several outside sources, according to lobbyists with contacts on the committee staff. “You’ll see civil war breaking out between industry sectors as things evolve,” said John Howard of the Washington lobby firm Wexler & Walker. “So far, the debate hasn’t crystallized enough for people to know what cuts the super committee is talking about.” —Reuters

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H E A LT H

Multiplying crises create 43 million refugees

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f recent comments by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees are to be taken as they are, then we can assume that the world is slipping into a bottomless well of need and despair.

Of the world’s population of nearly 7 billion, Antonio Guterres said that some 43 million are considered refugees-displaced internally within countries or just plain stateless-and that things aren’t getting better.

While speaking in Geneva earlier this month in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, Guterres warned that “an increasingly complex international environment” is making it more difficult to deal with those approximate 43 million around the world.

He highlighted that “unpre dictability has become the name of the game”.

“Crises are multiplying. Conflicts are becoming more complex. And solutions are proving to be more and more elusive,” he said. In fact, looking at three of the larger issues of the year — the UN-declared famine in Horn of Africa, the uprising in Syria and fighting in Libya-it’s clear to see that humanitarian organizations are facing unique, multi-level challenges in each individual crisis.

Regional conflicts and the potential for violence have complicated aid efforts aimed at the nearly 12 million affected by the drought in Africa. The unrest rose to such a level that people were crossing over from Libya to Tunisia, from which people were also fleeing to France and Italy due to mass unrest.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as of September 30, more than 700,000 people have left Libya, with the bulk of that migration, 304,127, heading to Tunisia.

And in Syria, where entire towns

and neighborhoods are blockaded by security forces, it remains unclear whether residents even have the luxury to be internally displaced. In communities under siege, they may simply be trapped in their homes for the duration.

However, there are also 120,000 UNHCR-registered foreign refugees (many of them Iraqi and Palestinian) on the move in Syria, especially around Damascus, where a UNHCR staff member said movement is unrestrained. An October 10 report from the UN’s Integrated Regional Information Network indicates that much of the internal displacement is for short periods of time. A UN humanitarian coordinator in Syria is quoted in the report as saying that those on the move “don’t settle in camps or open areas where you can see, count and support them”.

Additionally, it seems that only those crossing into Turkey are being officially recognised as refugees by states-Jordan sees Syrians crossing into its borders as “guests” and the situation of those seeking security in Lebanon is highly tenuous, not in the least due to Lebanon’s close relationship with Syria: On Friday, Syrian forces shot and killed a Syrian man inside Lebanon.

Livio Zilli, the international secretariat of Amnesty International’s Refugees’ and Migrants’ Rights Team, points out that many of the people leaving Libya aren’t Libyan nationals, but likely were already among transient populations who were forcibly displaced due to security or economic issues. These people are refugees twice over. “ They can’t go back to their home countries either, for reasons of persecution or because of indiscriminate violence ... they can’t go back to Libya-Libya is not a place of refuge in any meaningful way,” said Zilli.

“And so they’re stuck in Tunisia and Egypt, because ultimately nei-

ther Tunisia nor Egypt can offer long-term solutions to refugees.”

This, said Zilli, makes the current situation: “A refugee crisis on the doorsteps of Europe.”

And Europe might not want to deal with it, he said.

Political solutions a must When it comes to conflict, human rights groups don’t tend to have any

Humanitarian agencies such as UNHCR, as well as human rights organizations, try to keep in contact with all parties on the ground, but as they obviously do not receive advance notice of military activityfor example, of the NATO-led operations in Libya-and are left responding to whatever the consequences of warfare are, only after the crisis occurs.

situation” persisted in Libya, which “required humanitarian agencies to work from Tunisia with, at least in the case of the UN, limited and sporadic access to Libya itself”.

Regardless of limitations, an outfit such as UNHCR is mandated to operate impartially in any territorydoing otherwise would compromise its ability to operate. “We do everything we can to make sure govern-

Refugees appear at the refugee camp in Dadaab, Kenya. The camp is home to almost 400,000 refugees, mostly from neighboring Somalia. There is no end to the drought and food crisis plaguing the Horn of Africa. — MCT hope in places such as Syria (where organizations such as Human Rights Watch are seen as the enemy by the Syrian state) and humanitarian groups have to walk a fine line if they want to be allowed to operate within such a country.

Even neutrality doesn’t guarantee full access to those who might require international protection-for instance, in Libya, the UNHCR endof-mission report [dated July 16] indicates that, even months after the conflict had started, a “peculiar

ments and other authorities keep the borders open and that they guarantee protection to the refugees that seek protection in these territories. And when that is refused we are supposed to be the guardians of those who are violat-

ed,” Guterres told Al Jazeera.

But the reality is that the question of welcoming refugees is often used as a divisive issue by rightwing political groups, currently enjoying some popularity in several European countries. This leaves organizations such as UNHCR in a rather delicate situation.

“States,” said Guterres, “have a right to define their own migration policies, but that under international law, they are also obligated to give access to their territories to those seek asylum or are in need of international protection (according to the 1951 convention) and to treat the claims of those refugees fairly.”

These basic responsibilities are “nonnegotiable,” he added.

Still, with climate change negotiations ending in either deadlocked or without actual green solutions and the UN Security Council often left to manage conflicts rather than prevent them, how can political solutions that might prevent humanitarian crises be found via apolitical means? Guterres takes a deep breath and pauses before answering.

“Well, I mean, obviously there is no humanitarian solution to this problem. The solution is always political,” replied the high commissioner.

“And what is essential is for the world to have governance systems that allow for these problems to be faced and these problems to be addressed.”

The basics help the most If prevention of natural disasters and conflict seems like too lofty a goal to reach at this moment, then it is important to realize that responding to the needs of refugees can be done.

As Guterres said, help takes planning and political will, but is doableeven if a foreseeable crisis isn’t headed off at the pass. —MCT

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W H AT ’ S O N

Greetings

Albert Fadi, first prize winner

Congratulations to Yaser Al Abdulla on his engagement. May you two be blessed from day A to Z and beyond!

With loving greetings from colleagues!

Mazen Mohammed, third prize winner

Adnan Saad, Marketing Director and Sherif Ismail Lay-out Editor of Kuwait Times award the winners.

Most beautiful Egyptian child award goes to Pero

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he most beautiful baby contest which was organized by Egyptian residents in Kuwait and sponsored by the Kuwait Times daily is over. Albert Fadi won the first prize and second place was awarded to Jana Hussein. Mazen Mohammed came third. The competition lasted for ten days and saw the participation of 124 contestants. Good luck next time for those who have missed the chance this time.

Ibrahim, Omar, Yousif and Aya Hussein happy birthday, from uncle Sherif Ismail and Mohammed Dahroug

Future Eye Theatre to hold seminar

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uture Eye Theatre, Kuwait will hold an interactive seminar on ‘Theatre and Poetry’ at 6.30 pm on Saturday, October 22 at the Successlines auditorium, Abbassia. Visiting theatre personalities from Kerala Madhu Sankaramangalam and M K Gopalakrishnan (Vidheyan fame) will lead the seminar outlining the emerging trends in Malayalam theatre based on visual representation of poetry. Theatre actors will reinforce their presentations by dramatic performances of poetry. All theater lovers are welcome. For details contact, Tel: 97277151, 97106957 or 90025785.

UPKAR Diwali Celebration

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Announcements Art competition The eleventh Onam celebrations of Pathanamthitta District Association will be held on Friday, October 28.

The association is holding an art competition in poetry and short story writings and the association is inviting poems and short stories from talented individuals among Malayalees in Kuwait. Persons interested in participating may send their writings with photograph to the following address before October 20. Email: pta@ptadistrict.org, pdakuwait@gmail.com for more information, contact 97863052 or 66501482.

Indian Lawyers’ Forum Onam Indian Lawyers’ Forum will celebrate Onam, the unique, secular, harvest festival of Kerala on 18th November, 2011 Friday 10.30 am at Hi-Dine Restaurant Auditorium, Abbassia. Celebrations will include traditional variety entertainments, with the grand ‘ONASADHYA’. All Indian Lawyers & Law graduates working here in Kuwait are invited with their families.

For details contact Panicker 97203939, Pulikkal 97260159. Email: advpanicker@gmail.com Kala painting competition Kala (Art) Kuwait will conduct Children’s Day by marking the birth day of the first prime minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, under the auspices of Kala (Art) Kuwait on Friday, 4th November 2011 at the Indian Community School, Khaitan Branch, at 2 pm. For details: 99489078, 97449419.

BEC T10 Cricket tournament The BEC T10 Tennis Ball Cricket Tournament will be organized & played from 7th October to 11th November, 2011. The Tournament being organized

by RED N BLACK CRICKET CLUB and sponsored by BEC EXCHANGE will be played out in Abu Halifa cricket grounds. For registration and other queries please mail at mail@rednblack.org or call 66820148/ 66130940/ 66841653.

Tulukoota talent hunt Tulukoota Kuwait will hold a “Talent Hunt 2011” a chance to prove an inborn trait in you that confirms your individuality, uniqueness. For more information and registration form kindly log on to our Website: www.tulukootakuwait.org or visit our facebook page - Tulukoota Kuwait Talent Hunt 2011. You could also email your form request to: secretary@tulukootakuwait.org or contact our area coordinators mentioned below. Mangaf, Fahaheel, Abuhalifa : Ronald Dsouza- 60035824, Shalini Alva23726164, Suma Bhatt- 97834578 Salmiya & Hawally: Swarna Shetty- 99006934, Kripa Gatty66044194 Kuwait City, Jahra, Sharq: Rekha Sachu65044521,97862115 Farwaniya, Abbassiya, Shuwaikh & Khaitan: Sathyanarayana- 66585077 Sanath Shetty- 67712409.

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ommercial Bank of Kuwait sponsored football tournament championship for union of shipping companies and shipping agencies in Kuwait in which several teams have participated in all groups, men, women and children. The bank policy is to support the different social activities of organizations in Kuwait which in turn serve the society.

Kuwait Bilingual School elects students council

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he Student Council election was held at Kuwait Bilingual School on September 29, 2011. Candidates not only made posters promoting why they would best fit on Student Council, but also prepared and delivered speeches before students.

Student Council members elected are: President: HAJAR LAFI AL DAFIRI, Vice President: ALI ADEL, Secretary: ABDULAZIZ YOUSEF, Treasurer: ABDULWAHAB MUBARAK, Public Information Officers: ABDULLAH MUBARAK, ANAS KHALID AL-ALADAWANI The Student Council is a representative structure through which students can become involved in the affairs of the school, working in partnership with school management, staff and parents for the benefit of the school and its students.

Students have a valuable contribution to make to the effectiveness of the school and their involvement

in the operation of the school is itself a valuable par t of the education process for the students.

The establishment of a Student Council gives students an opportunity to acquire the sort of communica-

tion, planning and organizational skills which will be of benefit to them in their future lives. It enables students to take responsibility for projects, and to demonstrate that they can manage and bring such projects to successful conclusion.

The main role of a Student Council is “to promote the interests of the

school and the involvement of students in the affairs of the school, in co-operation with the board, parents and teachers”.

The Student Council will set its own objectives, which will var y based on school needs. Some general objectives could include: l To enhance communication between students, manage ment, staff and parents. lTo promote an environment conducive to educational and personal development. l To promote friendship and respect among pupils. l To support the management and staff in the development of the school. lTo represent the views of the students on matters of general concern to them.

This year ’s Student Council Organization will be under the supervision of Jason de Roma.

PKAR is a non-profit organization of North Indians here in Kuwait. UPKAR (Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal Kalatmak Rangmanch) is going to celebrate “The Festival of Lights” Diwali and AGM on 21st October 2011 in Rezayat Villa Ras Salmiya.

Diwali marks the triumph of the good over the evil. This event will be from 7 to 10.30 pm followed by dinner.

In order to live up to the spirit of the festival, UPKAR requested all its members to dress up in Indian attire, the best dressed family will be awarded. The event will also comprise of felicitation of UPKAR children for scoring 90% and above in X and XII, attractive games for kids and on the spot prizes for the adults.

The event will be followed by the lucky dip draw and prize distribution.

UPKAR membership is open .Interested Indians can contact UPKAR Executive members at upkarpost@yahoo.com.

Youth Chorus competition

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outh 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

CH memorial open football tournament starts

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nder the auspices of Kuwait KMCC , CH Memorial open Football tournament had a flying start on Friday at Alnasar Stadium.

The tournament was inaugurated by H K Mohan first secretary (COMMERCIAL, CULTURAL & COMMUNITY AFFAIRS WING ) Indian Embassy, Kuwait .

KKMCC Chairman Sayed Naser Mashhoor Thangal, Shifa Al-Jazeera Hospital Farwaniya Administration Manager Abdul Azeez, UAE exchange country head Pancily Varkey , Siddeeque Valiyakath made felicita-

tion speeches. KKMCC President Sharfuddeen Kanneth presided over the function. Gen Secretary Basheer Batha rendered welcome speech and Treasurer Nazeer Khan extended vote of thanks. Later the team members and managers were introduced to H K Mohan and other guests.

The tournament began with the first match between Winners International V/s. Fahaheel Brothers.

Winners International won the game with a solitary goal. In other matches Kerala Raising Stars won the game

against KDNA (6-1). FC Kikkas won against KKS Surrah( 3-2) and Gulf Cable won the game against Big Boys.

(6-2) The spectators and team supporters have added glittering to the atmosphere with their vociferous encouragement. The tournament is professionally controlled by referees accredited to IFRA . The next matches will be played at the same stadium in the morning. Ten teams are competing for the coveted CH Mohammed Koya memorial rolling trophy.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011

W H AT ’ S O N

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF ARGENTINA The Embassy of the Argentine Republic to Kuwait will hold Argentinean National Elections on October 23. Argentinean citizens already registered in the Embassy electoral register can vote at the Argentina Embassy, located in Mishref, Block 6, St. 42, Villa 57, from 08:00 am until 18:00 pm. Citizens visiting Kuwait or not registered in the embassy Electoral Register can also justify their “No Vote” at the same day and time at the Argentinean Embassy. For further information, contact us on phone no. 25379211, Email: ekuwa@mrecic.gov.ar nnnnnnn

The American University of Kuwait held a celebration recently at the Aqua Park, marking Egypt’s October War anniversary celebrations. The event featured various activities while presents were distributed to children. —Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

EMBASSY OF BRITAIN The Visa Application Centre (VAC) will be closed on the same dates above. The opening hours of the Visa Application Centre are 0930 - 1630 Application forms remain available online from the UKBAs’ website: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk or from the Visa Application Centre’s website: www.vfs-ukkw.com. And also, from the UK Visa Application Centre located at: 4B, First Floor, Al Banwan Building (Burgan Bank Branch Office Building), Al Qibla area, opposite Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City. For any further inquiries, please contact the Visa Application Centre: Website: www.vfs-uk-kw.com E-mail:info@vfs-uk-kw.com Telephone:22971170. The Consular Section will also be closed on the same dates. For information on the British Embassy services, visit the British Embassy website: www.ukinkuwait.fco.gov.uk nnnnnnn

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. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF GERMANY 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 (Al-Babtain) 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 INDIA The Embassy of India will remain closed on October 26, 2011 (Wednesday) Diwali. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF NIGERIA The Nigerian embassy has its new office in Mishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. For enquires please call 25379541. Fax25387719. Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.com or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk 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

EMBASSY OF US The Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Leadership for Democracy Fellows Program is now accepting applications - deadline Nov 1, 2011. The MEPI Leaders for Democracy Fellowship (LDF) Program is an exciting, selective 3-month program in the United States for 20-25 young civic leaders from the Middle East and North Africa. The program begins with 6 weeks of academic coursework, where fellows focus on the concepts of leadership, democracy, communication, and conflict resolution among other issues. After completing the academic portion of the program, participants engage in a 6-week professional assignment with a political, non-governmental, or public policy organization in Washington, DC. For more information about the program, please email: kuwaitmepi@state.gov Visit us @ USEmbassyQ8 http://www.facebook.com/USEmbassyQ8

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Years

TV PROGRAMS

00:45 01:40 02:35 03:30 04:25 05:20 06:10 07:00 07:25 07:50 08:40 09:10 10:05 11:00 11:55 12:50 13:45 14:40 Baker 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 17:25 18:20 19:15 Baker 20:10 21:05 22:00 22:55 23:50

Dogs 101 Beast Lands Wildest Africa Whale Wars Untamed & Uncut Dogs 101 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip Monkey Life The Really Wild Show Penguin Safari Breed All About It My Cat From Hell Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 Animal Cops Specials 2009 Pit Bulls And Parolees Animal ER Mutant Planet Weird Creatures With Nick Chris Humfrey’s Wildlife The Really Wild Show Natural Born Hunters Jeff Corwin Unleashed Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 Breed All About It Weird Creatures With Nick Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 Planet Earth My Cat From Hell Untamed & Uncut Maneaters

00:15 00:45 01:35 02:25 03:10 04:00 04:30 04:50 05:05 05:25 05:35 05:45 06:05 06:20 06:40 06:55 07:05 07:25 07:40 08:00 08:10 08:20 08:40 08:55 09:15 09:25 09:40 10:40 11:30 12:20 12:50 13:20 14:25 15:25 16:15 17:05 17:35 18:05 19:10 20:00 20:45 21:15 21:45 22:40

As Time Goes By The Weakest Link The Fixer The Weakest Link Lark Rise To Candleford Keeping Up Appearances Balamory Gigglebiz Me Too Charlie And Lola Buzz & Tell Balamory Gigglebiz Me Too Charlie And Lola Buzz & Tell Balamory Gigglebiz Me Too Charlie And Lola Buzz & Tell Balamory Gigglebiz Me Too Charlie And Lola Buzz & Tell Keeping Up Appearances The Weakest Link North And South Doctors As Time Goes By Coast Keeping Up Appearances North And South The Weakest Link Doctors As Time Goes By Coast North And South The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Holby City Five Daughters

00:00 00:10 00:30 01:00 01:30 01:45 02:00 02:10 02:30 03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30

BBC World News World Features Horizons BBC World News Asia Business Report Sport Today BBC World News The Health Show Our World Newsday India Business Report Newsday Asia Business Report

04:45 Sport Today 05:00 Newsday 05:30 Asia Business Report 05:45 Sport Today 06:00 Newsday 06:30 Hardtalk 07:00 BBC World News 07:30 World Business Report 07:45 BBC World News 08:30 World Business Report 08:45 BBC World News 09:30 World Business Report 09:45 Sport Today 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 World Business Report 10:45 Sport Today 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 Hardtalk 12:00 BBC World News 12:30 World Business Report 12:45 Sport Today 13:00 BBC World News 13:30 World Business Report 13:45 Sport Today 14:00 GMT With George Alagiah 15:00 BBC World News 15:30 World Business Report 15:45 Sport Today 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 The Hub With Nik Gowing 20:30 World Business Report 20:45 Sport Today 21:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 22:30 World Business Report 22:45 Sport Today 23:00 BBC World News America

00:05 Robotboy - Elements 00:30 Squirrel Boy 00:55 George Of The Jungle 01:20 Cramp Twins 01:45 Chop Socky Chooks 02:10 Best Ed 02:35 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 03:00 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 03:25 Generator Rex 03:50 Adventure Time 04:15 Flapjack 04:40 Chowder 05:05 Powerpuff Girls 05:30 Ed, Edd n Eddy 05:55 I Am Weasel 06:20 Squirrel Boy 06:45 Cow & Chicken 07:00 Eliot Kid 07:04 Cow & Chicken 07:12 Eliot Kid 07:25 Angelo Rules 07:50 Best Ed 08:15 Flapjack 08:40 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 09:05 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 09:30 Courage The Cowardly Dog 09:55 Cow & Chicken 10:20 I Am Weasel 10:35 Adventure Time 11:00 Ben 10 11:25 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 11:50 The Secret Saturdays 12:15 Samurai Jack 12:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 13:05 Codename Kids 13:30 Skunk Fu! 13:50 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 14:15 Flapjack 14:40 Ed, Edd n Eddy 15:05 Camp Lazlo 15:30 Chowder 15:55 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 16:25 Cow & Chicken 16:50 Courage The Cowardly Dog 17:15 I Am Weasel 17:40 George Of The Jungle 18:05 Casper’s Scare School 18:30 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 18:55 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 19:20 Generator Rex 19:45 Star Wars: The Clone Wars 20:10 Hero 108 20:35 Bakugan: New Vestroia

21:00 21:25 21:50 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15 23:40

Total Drama Action Adventure Time Billy And Mandy Ben 10 Bakugan Battle Brawlers The Secret Saturdays Samurai Jack Megas XLR

00:20 01:10 02:00 02:45 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 09:20 09:30 09:40 10:05 Cody 10:30 10:50 11:15 11:35 12:00 12:25 12:45 13:10 13:30 13:55 14:55 15:20 15:45 16:10 16:35 Cody 17:00 17:25 17:50 18:15 18:45 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:15 21:35 22:00 22:25 Cody 22:50 23:15 23:35

Replacements Fairly Odd Parents A Kind Of Magic Stitch Kim Possible Emperor’s New School Stitch Emperor’s New School The Suite Life Of Zack And Phineas And Ferb Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates The Hive Handy Manny Imagination Movers The Suite Life Of Zack And Phineas And Ferb Good Luck Charlie Phineas And Ferb Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Sonny With A Chance Good Luck Charlie Hannah Montana Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Phineas And Ferb Fish Hooks Shake It Up The Suite Life Of Zack And Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Shake It Up Suite Life On Deck Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Jake & Blake Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up The Suite Life Of Zack And Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Jonas

00:00 It’s a Woman’s World 01:00 Planet Sports 02:00 Inside Luxury Travel-Varun Sharma 03:00 Essential Specials 04:00 Globe Trekker 05:00 Globe Trekker 06:00 Globe Trekker 07:00 Globe Trekker 08:00 People of the Sea 09:00 Planet Sports 10:00 Planet Food 11:00 Distant Shores 11:30 Cruise Today 12:00 Globe Trekker 13:00 Opening Soon 13:30 Hollywood and Vines 14:00 Temples In The Clouds 15:00 Planet Food 16:00 Globe Trekker 17:00 Four Men and a Lady 17:30 Travel Today 18:00 Opening Soon 18:30 Hollywood and Vines 19:00 Globe Trekker 20:00 Flavours of Greece 20:30 Essential 21:00 It’s a Woman’s World 22:00 Tall Ship Explorers 23:00 Globe Trekker

ECHELON CONSPIRACY ON OSN MOVIES ACTION

00:40 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 17:20 17:50 18:45 19:10 19:40 20:05 20:35 21:00 21:30 22:25 23:20

Taking On Tyson Wheeler Dealers Fifth Gear The Future Of...

How It’s Made Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security Auction Kings Ultimate Survival Deadliest Catch Ultimate Survival Extreme Fishing Swamp Brothers Cash Cab Us Wheeler Dealers Fifth Gear Stunt Junkies Time Warp Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security Auction Kings How Stuff’s Made How It’s Made Cash Cab Us Ultimate Survival Deadliest Catch Dual Survival

00:05 Green Wheels 00:30 Race to Mars 01:20 Engineered 05:40 Green Wheels 06:10 Human Body: Ultimate Machine 07:00 Scrapheap Challenge 07:55 Space Pioneer 08:50 The Tech Show 09:15 Weird Connections 09:40 The Gadget Show 10:05 The Gadget Show 10:35 The Future of...

11:30 Sci-Fi Science 11:55 How Does That Work?

12:25 Future Weapons 13:15 Space Pioneer 14:05 One Step Beyond 14:30 Stunt Junkies 14:55 Mega Builders 15:45 Weird Connections 16:10 Scrapheap Challenge 17:00 Brainiac 17:50 Sci-Fi Science 18:15 The Tech Show 18:40 Monster Moves 19:30 Bad Universe 20:20 Nextworld 21:10 The Gadget Show 21:35 The Gadget Show 22:00 Monster Moves 22:50 Bad Universe 23:40 The Gadget Show

00:05 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:55 Unwrapped 01:45 Lidia’s Italy 02:35 Barefoot Contessa 03:25 World Cafe Middle East 04:15 Chef vs Britain 04:40 Unwrapped 05:05 Ten Dollar Dinners 05:30 Paula’s Best Dishes 05:50 Paula’s Party 06:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 07:00 Chopped 07:50 Guy’s Big Bite 08:15 Everyday Italian 08:40 Chef vs Britain 09:05 Ten Dollar Dinners 09:30 Paula’s Best Dishes 09:55 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 10:20 Aarti Party 10:45 Lidia’s Italy 11:10 Unwrapped 11:35 Paula’s Party 12:25 Everyday Italian 12:50 Paula’s Best Dishes 13:15 Chef vs Britain 13:40 World Cafe Asia 14:05 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 14:30 Lidia’s Italy 14:55 Unwrapped 15:20 Grill It! With Bobby Flay 15:45 Chopped 16:35 Guy’s Big Bite 17:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 17:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 17:50 Aarti Party 18:15 World Cafe Asia 18:40 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 19:05 Chef vs Britain 19:30 Food Network Challenge 20:20 Paula’s Party 21:10 Chef vs Britain 22:00 From Spain With Love 22:50 Boy Meets Grill 23:40 World Cafe Asia

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

Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Higglytown Heroes Jo Jo’s Circus Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Higglytown Heroes Jo Jo’s Circus Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Higglytown Heroes Jo Jo’s Circus Jungle Junction Higglytown Heroes Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Jake & The Neverland Pirates Handy Manny The Hive Timon And Pumbaa The Hive Mickey Mouse Clubhouse The Little Mermaid Handy Manny Imagination Movers Jungle Junction Lazytown Handy Manny Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jungle Junction Special Agent Oso Little Einsteins Imagination Movers

14:15 15:05 15:30 15:40 15:55 16:20 16:45 17:00 17:20 17:30 17:55 18:10 18:25 18:50 19:03 19:05 19:25 19:50 20:10 20:20 20:30 20:55 21:20 21:35 21:50 22:15 22:25 22:40 22:55 23:20 23:50

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny The Hive Jake & The Neverland Pirates Imagination Movers Lazytown Jungle Junction The Hive Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jake & The Neverland Pirates The Little Mermaid Special Agent Oso Animated Stories Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 101 Dalmatians Jake & The Neverland Pirates The Hive Timmy Time Imagination Movers Little Einsteins Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jungle Junction Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Timmy Time Handy Manny Jungle Junction Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction

00:25 Style Star 01:25 Young, Beautiful & Vanished 03:15 E! Investigates 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Reality Hell 05:30 Wildest TV Show Moments 06:00 THS 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 10:15 THS 12:05 Extreme Close-Up 12:35 Fashion Police 13:05 Khloe And Lamar 14:05 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 14:35 Giuliana & Bill 15:30 THS 16:25 Behind The Scenes 16:55 Bridalplasty 17:55 Ice Loves Coco 18:55 THS 19:55 The Dance Scene 20:55 Chelsea Lately 21:25 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 22:25 Style Star 22:55 Fashion Police 23:25 Chelsea Lately 23:55 Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami

00:15 Wrestling With Reality 01:30 Final Fu 02:20 Glutton For Punishment 04:50 BMX Megatour 06:30 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2009 08:00 Cape Epic 08:25 Ticket To Ride 2009/2010 08:50 Ticket To Ride 2010/11 10:55 Fantasy Factory 11:45 Final Fu 12:35 Extreme Sports Channel 2011 13:00 Pinks: Lose The Race, Lose Your Ride 13:25 Fight Girls 14:15 World Combat League 15:05 Fantasy Factory 15:55 Final Fu 16:45 Cape Epic 17:10 Ticket To Ride 2009/2010 17:35 Ticket To Ride 2010/11 19:40 Fight Girls 20:30 Extreme Sports Channel 2011 20:55 Pinks: Lose The Race, Lose Your Ride 21:20 Glutton For Punishment 22:10 World Combat League 23:00 Man’s Work 23:25 Aiya TV

00:30 Cuff Me If You Can 01:15 Nightmare Next Door 02:05 I Almost Got Away With It 02:50 Couples Who Kill 03:40 Cuff Me If You Can 04:25 True Crime With Aphrodite Jones 05:15 Disappeared 06:10 Mystery ER 07:00 Murder Shift 07:45 Forensic Detectives 08:35 Mystery Diagnosis 09:20 Real Emergency Calls 09:45 Street Patrol 10:05 The Will: Family Secrets Revealed 10:50 FBI Files 11:40 Murder Shift 12:25 On The Case With Paula Zahn 13:15 Disappeared 14:00 Mystery Diagnosis 14:50 Street Patrol 15:15 Real Emergency Calls 15:35 The Will: Family Secrets Revealed 16:20 FBI Files 17:10 Forensic Detectives 18:00 Murder Shift 18:45 Real Emergency Calls 19:10 Mystery Diagnosis 19:55 Street Patrol 20:20 On The Case With Paula Zahn 21:10 Disappeared

00:00 Travel Madness 00:30 Madventures 01:00 Food School 02:00 Market Values 02:30 Market Values 03:00 Word of Mouth 03:30 Banged Up Abroad 05:30 Weird & Wonderful Hotels 06:00 Travel Madness 06:30 Madventures 07:00 Food School 08:00 Market Values 08:30 Market Values 09:00 Word of Mouth 09:30 Banged Up Abroad 11:30 Weird & Wonderful Hotels 12:00 Travel Madness 12:30 Madventures 13:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 14:00 Extreme Tourist Afghanistan 15:00 Cycling Home From Siberia With Rob Lilwall 15:30 Finding Genghis

A PERFECT GETAWAY ON OSN ACTION HD 16:00 Which Way To 17:00 Endurance Traveller 18:00 Ultimate Traveller 19:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 20:00 Extreme Tourist Afghanistan 21:00 Cycling Home From Siberia With Rob Lilwall 21:30 Finding Genghis 22:00 Which Way To 23:00 Endurance Traveller

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

Halloween 2-18 30 Days Of Night: Dark Days-18 A Perfect Getaway-18 Tracker-PG15 Phone Booth-PG15 Courage Under Fire-PG15 I, Robot-PG15 Phone Booth-PG15 The Bannen Way-PG15 I, Robot-PG15 8 Mile-PG15 Rocky III-PG

01:00 02:45 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 12:45 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Perrier’s Bounty-18 The Last Airbender-PG Dean Spanley-PG The Flyboys-PG15 Hurricane Season-PG15 Citizen Jane-PG The Last Airbender-PG The Front-PG15 My Bollywood Bride-PG15 Hachiko: A Dog’s Story-PG15 From Paris With Love-PG15 I Am Number Four-PG15

00:00 Curb Your Enthusiasm 00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 Party Down 02:00 Happy Endings 02:30 Curb Your Enthusiasm 03:00 Friends 03:30 Friends 04:00 Two And A Half Men 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Malcolm In The Middle 06:00 Coach 06:30 Weird Science 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Two And A Half Men 08:30 Friends 09:00 Malcolm In The Middle 09:30 State Of Georgia 10:00 8 Simple Rules ...

10:30 Coach 11:00 Weird Science 11:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:30 Two And A Half Men 13:00 Friends 13:30 Malcolm In The Middle 14:00 Coach 14:30 State Of Georgia 15:00 8 Simple Rules ...

15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Weird Science 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Friends 18:30 Friends 19:00 8 Simple Rules ...

20:00 Seinfeld 20:30 Seinfeld 21:00 The Daily Show Global Edition 21:30 The Colbert Report Global Edition

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:45 15:15 17:15 19:00 21:00 23:00

Midnight Meat Train-18 The Alphabet Killer-PG15 The Forsaken-18 Bangkok Adrenaline-PG15 Shanghai Knights-PG15 2012-PG15 Armored-18 Shanghai Knights-PG15 Echelon Conspiracy-PG15 Menace II Society-18 Rocky III-PG The Descent 2-18v

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

When In Rome-PG15 Finding Lenny-PG15 A Pyromaniac’s Love Story School Of Rock-PG15 The Out Of Towners-PG15 Someone Like You-PG15 Captain Ron-PG15 Heart And Souls-PG When In Rome-PG15 Return To Sleepaway Camp Frank Mcklusky, C.I.-PG15 The Slammin’ Salmon-18

01:00 The Dry Land-18 03:00 Just Married-PG15 05:00 Celine: Through The Eyes Of The World-PG15 07:00 Shrek Forever After-FAM 09:00 StreetDance-PG15 11:00 Coco Before Chanel-PG15 13:00 It’s A Wonderful Afterlife 15:00 9-PG 17:00 StreetDance-PG15 19:00 Inception-PG15 21:30 Youth In Revolt-18

00:00 Time Kid-FAM 02:00 Pocahontas & The Spider Woman-PG 04:00 Christmas In New York-PG 06:00 Time Kid-FAM 08:00 Zorro’s Secrets-PG 10:00 Babe-FAM 12:00 Cats & Dogs-PG 14:00 A Venetian Rascal Goes To America-PG15 16:00 The Karate Kid-PG 18:30 Babe-FAM 20:15 Last Of The Mohicans-PG

00:00 01:00 03:15 07:00 11:30 12:30 14:30 15:30 16:30 21:00 22:00

The Ultimate Fighter Rugby World Cup Premier League Snooker Rugby World Cup Trans World Sport WWE SmackDown WWE Tough Enough Speedway FIM World Rugby World Cup RWC Weekly Highlights WWE Smackdown

01:00 RWC Matchday 01:30 European Challenge Cup 03:30 Trans World Sport 04:30 Darts Grand Prix 06:30 ICC Cricket World 07:00 Scottish Premier League 09:00 European Challenge Cup 11:00 RWC Matchday 11:30 RWC Highlights 12:30 Premier League Snooker 16:00 World Hockey 16:30 Golfing World 17:30 RWC Matchday 18:00 ICC Cricket World 18:30 Futbol Mundial 19:00 Trans World Sport 20:00 Spirit of Yachting 20:30 World Hockey 21:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 21:30 Scottish Premier League 23:30 Futbol Mundial

02:00 Scottish Premier League 06:00 Beach Volley Ball 06:30 World Hockey 07:00 Golfing World 08:00 European PGA Tour 12:30 Scottish Premier League 14:30 RWC Weekly Highlights 15:30 Trans World Sport 16:30 European Challenge Cup 18:30 Spirit of Yachting 19:00 Golfing World 20:00 European PGA Tour Highlights 21:00 ICC Cricket World 21:30 Futbol Mundial 22:00 RWC Weekly Highlights

00:30 01:30 02:30 03:00 05:30 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 12:30 13:30 14:30 15:30 18:00 19:00 20:00 23:00

WWE Tough Enough UFC The Ultimate Fighter V8 Supercars Extra Super Formula Power Boats F1 Highlights UFC Unleashed WWE Bottom Line WWE Tough Enough Speedway FIM World Super Formula Le Mans Series Highlights Power Boats F1 Power Boats F1 Super Formula WWE Tough Enough UFC 136 UFC The Ultimate Fighter Speedway FIM World

00:00 Pawn Stars 01:00 American Pickers 02:00 Pawn Stars 03:00 Amazon Adventures 05:00 Decoding the Past 06:00 Pawn Stars 07:00 American Pickers 07:30 American Pickers 08:00 Pawn Stars 08:30 Pawn Stars 09:00 Amazon Adventures 11:00 Decoding the Past 12:00 Pawn Stars 12:30 Pawn Stars 13:00 American Pickers 13:30 American Pickers 14:00 Pawn Stars 14:30 Pawn Stars 15:00 Amazon Adventures 17:00 Decoding the Past 18:00 Pawn Stars 18:30 Pawn Stars 19:00 Ice Road Truckers 20:00 Engineering Disasters 21:00 Lock N’ Load with R. Lee Ermey 22:00 IRT: Deadliest Roads 23:00 Ax Men

00:00 Top 10 01:00 Videofashion Daily 01:55 Videofashion News 02:25 How Do I Look?

03:20 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

04:15 Married Away 05:10 Homes With Style 05:35 Area 06:05 Clean House 07:00 Videofashion News 08:00 Videofashion Daily 09:00 Open House 09:55 How Do I Look?

10:50 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

11:50 Clean House: Search For The Messiest...

12:50 Clean House 13:45 Videofashion Daily 14:45 How Do I Look?

15:40 Ruby 16:35 Jerseylicious 17:30 How Do I Look?

19:25 Open House 20:20 Clean House 21:15 Top 10 21:40 Top 10 22:10 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 23:05 How Do I Look?

01:25 It’s Always Fair Weather-FAM 03:05 The Hill-PG 05:10 Dark Passage-FAM 07:00 Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo-PG 09:15 The Bad And The Beautiful-PG 11:10 Bhowani Junction-PG 13:00 Casablanca-FAM 14:40 The Charge Of The Light Brigade-FAM 16:35 The Yellow Rolls-Royce-PG 18:35 Lust For Life-FAM 20:35 Viva Las Vegas-FAM 22:00 Two Weeks In Another TownPG 23:45 The Carey Treatment

Classifieds MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011

ACCOMMODATION Accommodation available for family near Kuwait City, Darwaza Abdul Razzak, Rabiya Building. Contact: 97560488 / 22440534.

(C 3682) Single room accommodation available for one or two bachelors or a small family in a two-bedroom flat in Abbassiya near Paradise Restaurant from 1st November 2011.

Contact: 97669236 / 24315927. (C 3701) 17-10-2011 Fully furnished sharing accommodation available for Indian couple or bachelors with an Indian family, central A/C flat having Internet and satellite. Rent KD 80, Hawally near Sultan Center. Contact: 97919485.

(C 3693) 15-10-2011 Sharing accommodation available for Indian / Sri Lankan couple or ladies in Salmiya near Indian Public School. Contact: 99467432.

(C 3690) 13-10-2011

FOR SALE Nissan Altima model 2008, full option, color white pearl, four cylinder, good condition, price KD 3,400/only. Contact: 99419677.

(C 3700) Toyota Corolla model 2006 GLi White color, 1.8 engine full option, sun roof, alloy rim, CD, fog lamp, wooden interior, 78,000 km done, excellent condition, price KD 2,650/-. Contact: 99105286. (C 3702) 17-10-2011 Toyota Corolla, model 1999, Xli, white (box), 1.8cc, automatic gear, well maintained, passing till May 2012, price negotiable.

Only serious buyer contact: 99223481. (C 3697) Hyundai Galloper 2000 model automatic car in good condition, with metallic green color, new tires and battery, and registration up to August 2012.

Serious buyers contact 66782239 / 25616795.

(C 3698) 16-10-2011

matic gear, accident free, sun roof, ABS, airbag, cruise control, 6 disc CD player, passing till June 2012.

Asking price: KD 3,100/only serious buyer contact: 65561277. (C 3680) 11-10-2011 CHANGE OF NAME I, Yasmine Abbasi, holder of Indian Passport No. Q693373 hereby change my name to Tasneem Abbasi with the new Passport No. E8590562.

(C 3691) I, Nallam Narasimhulu Indian Hindu holder of Indian Passport No. J 3971485 converted in to Islam religion and changed my name as Shaik Abdullah Al Haji from 16.01.1993.

(C 3692) I, Abdul Manaf Badarudeen, holder of Indian Passport No: E1020382, now residence in Kuwait would like to change my name to Manu Manaf Badarudeen.

(C 3688) 15-10-2011

MATRIMONIAL Galant-2008 model for sale, well maintained, semi super deluxe model, color: silver grey, engine: 2400 cc, auto-

Looking for bride, good educated, preferably R/C or Christian, age (37-41),

groom age 46, single R/C Tamil speaking, working here in oil refinery in Kuwait as a technical professional.

Send details through email:

experience in Kuwait, speak, read write English, 20-30 years old. Contact: 99997550. (C 3685)

diamondforever1963@gmail.com

Driver vacancy is available, valid Kuwaiti driver’s license and transferable residency required.

Contact: 99018760 / 99390585.

(C 3686)

(C 3696) Inviting marriage proposal for Hindu Ezhava boy, 30 years old, star Ravathy from Kottayam district, Kerala, working as an operator for Ministry of Electricity and Water Kuwait (MEW, direct) seeking alliance from parents of girls working in Kuwait/abroad. Email: varsh_m2003@yahoo.co.in (C 3695) 15-10-2011

SITUATION VACANT Housemaid: Transferable residency, clean, honest, reliable likes cats and dogs, salary depending on residency and experience.

Contact: 99042702.

(C 3703) Houseboy: Transferable residency, clean, honest, reliable for all house duties.

No time -wasters please.

Contact: 99042702.

(C 3704) 17-10-2011 Wanted driver for small Kuwaiti family, 3-5 years

A Kuwaiti family is looking to hire an Indian cook familiar with the traditional Kuwaiti cuisine.

Transferable residency required.

Contact: 99018760 / 99390585.

(C 3687)

LOST Passport No: E 3974347, name: Gollamandala Radha-Surendra Raja Kumari, has been lost, any finder may contact: 65668829. (C 3694) 15-10-2011

No: 15242

Need British / American host family to host 16 year old boy from respectable Kuwaiti family for conversational English daily 2 hours.

Ref on request. Contact: 97524681 (C 3689) 13-10-2011

SITUATION WANTED Mechanical Engineering graduate, with immaculate English language skills, looking for a job in Kuwait, Transferable residency.

Contact: 67078742.

(C 3663) 12-10-2011

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines BBC THY ETH UAE ETD DHX FDB GFA QTR JZR FCX KAC JZR BAW KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR ABY ETD GFA MEA IRC MSR JZR KAC VOS MSR SYR UAL RJA FDB OMA QTR SVA KAC JZR

Flt 45 772 622 853 305 370 67 211 138 503 201 412 531 157 206 302 53 352 284 362 344 855 132 125 301 213 404 6521 623 201 618 83 610 341 982 640 57 645 140 500 788 257

Arrival Flights on Monday 17/10/2011 Route DHAKA/BAHRAIN ISTANBUL ADDIS ABABA DUBAI ABU DHABI BAHRAIN DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA LUXOR DUBAI MANILA/BANGKOK ASSIUT LONDON ISLAMABAD MUMBAI DUBAI COCHIN DHAKA COLOMBO CHENNAI DUBAI DOHA SHARJAH ABU DHABI BAHRAIN BEIRUT LAMERD SOHAG DAMASCUS DOHA BAGHDAD CAIRO DAMASCUS WASHINGTON DC DULLES AMMAN DUBAI MUSCAT DOHA JEDDAH JEDDAH BEIRUT

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

QTR KNE KAC KAC KAC MLR ETD UAE GFA SVA JZR JZR ABY RBG FDB ALK KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC AIC JAI FDB JZR OMA JZR VOS MEA KAC KLM UAE GFA QTR UAL JZR TAR JZR MSR DLH JZR PIA

134 745 546 550 118 403 303 857 215 510 777 239 127 3553 63 227 104 542 786 744 614 674 774 975 572 61 179 647 179 81 402 552 445 859 217 136 981 135 327 185 612 636 539 239

DOHA JEDDAH ALEXANDRIA SOHAG NEW YORK COLOMBO/DUBAI ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH JEDDAH AMMAN SHARJAH ALEXANDRIA DUBAI COLOMBO/DUBAI LONDON CAIRO JEDDAH DAMMAM BAHRAIN DUBAI RIYADH CHENNAI/GOA MUMBAI DUBAI DUBAI MUSCAT DUBAI BAGHDAD BEIRUT DAMASCUS AMSTERDAM DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN TUNIS DUBAI CAIRO FRANKFURT CAIRO SIALKOT

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

Airlines AXB DLH KLM AIC PIA AFG BBC THY ETH UAE FDB DHX ETD QTR GFA JZR BAW KAC FDB JZR KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR VOS ETD GFA KAC MEA JZR KAC JZR KAC IRC MSR KAC MSR SYR RJA FDB

Departure Flights on Monday 17/10/2011 Flt Route 390 MANGALORE/KOZHIKODE 637 FRANKFURT 447 AMSTERDAM 982 AHMEDABAD/CHENNAI 206 PESHAWER/LAHORE 406 DUBAI 46 DHAKA 773 ISTANBUL 622 BAHRAIN/ADDIS ABABA 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 371 BAHRAIN 306 ABU DHABI 139 DOHA 212 BAHRAIN 200 DAMASCUS 156 LONDON 545 ALEXANDRIA 54 DUBAI 256 BEIRUT 787 JEDDAH 549 SOHAG 617 DOHA 856 DUBAI 126 SHARJAH 133 DOHA 84 BAGHDAD 302 ABU DHABI 214 BAHRAIN 165 ROME/PARIS 405 BEIRUT 776 JEDDAH 541 CAIRO 238 AMMAN 103 LONDON 6522 LAMERD 624 SOHAG 785 JEDDAH 611 CAIRO 342 DAMASCUS 641 AMMAN 58 DUBAI

Time 0:25 0:40 0:55 1:05 1:10 2:00 2:10 2:15 2:30 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:05 5:00 7:10 7:15 8:25 8:35 8:40 9:10 9:15 9:20 9:35 9:40 9:50 10:00 10:00 10:15 10:20 11:45 11:55 12:00 12:00 12:10 12:30 13:00 13:10 13:30 14:20 14:25 14:30 14:35

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

UAL OMA KAC KAC SVA JZR KAC KNE QTR KAC KAC JZR VOS ETD MLR QTR UAE GFA ABY JZR JZR RBG SVA FDB ALK JZR KAC JAI FDB JZR KAC KAC OMA MEA KAC DHX KLM UAE GFA FCX QTR KAC KAC TAR JZR JZR UAL MSR

982 646 673 551 501 178 773 746 141 613 743 538 82 304 404 135 858 216 128 184 266 3554 511 64 228 134 283 571 62 528 331 351 648 403 543 373 445 860 218 102 137 301 205 327 554 504 981 613

BAHRAIN MUSCAT DUBAI DAMASCUS JEDDAH DUBAI RIYADH JEDDAH DOHA BAHRAIN DAMMAM CAIRO BAGHDAD ABU DHABI DUBAI/COLOMBO DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN SHARJAH DUBAI BEIRUT ALEXANDRIA RIYADH DUBAI DUBAI/COLOMBO BAHRAIN DHAKA MUMBAI DUBAI ASSIUT TRIVANDRUM COCHIN MUSCAT BEIRUT CAIRO BAHRAIN BAHRAIN/AMSTERDAM DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DOHA MUMBAI ISLAMABAD DUBAI/TUNIS ALEXANDRIA LUXOR WASHINGTON DC DULLES CAIRO

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

34

MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011

stars CROSSWORD 471

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) You are favored today. Good luck and positive actions are in the forecast now. Overall, this is a good day. Romance and other things that tug at the heartstrings come your way. This is a great time to deepen or seal a love relationship. This is also a creative period—take a chance—you are appreciated and admired. You will be very idealistic during this time, able to see the unity that binds the world. Your happiest times are now—days, like this day, when you can spend some time with friends or loved ones. Spiritual practices and some charity work may be involved in making this a rewarding time. Vacation time is recommended soon but planning can begin now. If you enjoy being outside, consider this a good camp time.

Certainly a cozy fire would be nice.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Money matters come up today, but all is positive. Perhaps a friend or family member will repay a loan to you. Sometime today you could be composing music or creating poetry—you enjoy whistling a creative tune. You have real vision and insight into the unity that ties this world together. Your brilliant imagination and enchanting manner transport all who meet you beyond the mundane and into the extraordinary regions where you spend a lot of your time. You are a seer, in the true sense of the word. You possess a waking experience of that part of us that is mystical and dreamlike. You find new ways to bring people together, to unify situations. You enjoy unusual music. Exercise this creative side—you will find everyday problems less complex.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. Syndrome resulting from a serious acute (sometimes fatal) infection associated with the presence of staphylococcus.

4. An edict of the Russian tsar.

9. A long thin piece of cloth or paper as used for binding or fastening.

13. The compass point midway between east and southeast.

14. Of or in or relating to the nose.

15. In bed.

16. A painful injury to a joint caused by a sudden wrenching of its ligaments.

19. (trademark) A material used to coat cooking utensils and in industrial applications where sticking is to be avoided.

20. (Old Testament) In Judeo-Christian mythology.

22. Before noon.

23. Remote city of Kazakhstan that (ostensibly for security reasons) was made the capital in 1998.

25. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

28. No longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life.

29. Open-heart surgery in which the rib cage is opened and a section of a blood vessel is grafted from the aorta to the coronary artery to bypass the blocked section of the coronary artery and improve the blood supply to the heart.

33. A tricycle (usually propelled by pedalling).

35. The cry made by sheep.

36. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

37. A particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography).

39. Top part of an apron.

40. Measuring instrument in which the echo of a pulse of microwave radiation is used to detect and locate distant objects.

42. The 7th letter of the Greek alphabet.

43. Used in combination to denote the middle.

46. English theoretical physicist who applied relativity theory to quantum mechanics and predicted the existence of antimatter and the positron (1902-1984).

50. A port city in southwestern Turkey on the Gulf of Antalya.

54. A state in the western United States.

57. Made from residue of grapes or apples after pressing.

58. One millionth of a gram.

60. (Islam) The man who leads prayers in a mosque.

61. The 21st letter of the Greek alphabet.

62. Father of the storm gods Marut.

63. A body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land.

DOWN 1. Of the nature of or undergoing an experiment.

2. A rare chronic progressive encephalitis caused by the measles virus and occurring primarily in children and young adults.

3. (medieval Europe) A person who is bound to the land and owned by the feudal lord.

4. Type genus of the family Unionidae.

5. A Dravidian language spoken in southern India.

6. A very poisonous metallic element that has three allotropic forms.

7. A mountain peak in the Andes in Bolivia (21,391 feet high).

8. Angular distance above the horizon (especially of a celestial object).

9. Covered with paving material.

10. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

11. Having nine hinged bands of bony plates.

12. Mild yellow Dutch cheese made in balls.

17. (law) A defense by an accused person purporting to show that he or she could not have committed the crime in question.

18. A metric unit of volume or capacity equal to 10 liters.

21. An elaborate or deceitful scheme contrived to deceive or evade.

24. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

26. Goddess of the dead and queen of the underworld.

27. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

30. A French abbot.

31. Anything that serves as an enticement.

32. An amino acid that is found in the central nervous system.

34. Of or relating to or containing cerium especially with valence 4.

38. Harsh or corrosive in tone.

41. A woman hired to suckle a child of someone else.

44. A coffee cake flavored with orange rind and raisins and almonds.

45. Of or relating to a speaker of the Tamil language or the language itself.

47. A contagious skin infection caused by the itch mite.

48. East Indian cereal grass whose seed yield a somewhat bitter flour, a staple in the Orient.

49. A vehicle mounted on runners and pulled by horses or dogs.

51. A Tibetan or Mongolian priest of Lamaism.

52. A republic in the Middle East in western Asia.

53. The highest level or degree attainable.

55. An acute febrile highly contagious viral disease.

56. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

59. A nonmetallic largely pentavalent heavy volatile corrosive dark brown liquid element belonging to the halogens.

60. An official prosecutor for a judicial district.

Yesterday’s Solution

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Improvement in relationships is most satisfying. A person with whom you are interested in continuing a relationship seems to want the same as you; go slow. Harmony and beauty are deeply satisfying and you gain a great deal of joy by watching nature, attending religious ceremonies, watching others, viewing art, etc. Today you may decide to do many of these things. Close personal ties to other people are a central point for your feelings. Travel and mental development at high levels are major themes in your life plan. Take steps that will help to broaden your horizons both intellectually and spiritually. You can now reflect on your own situation, just how you feel about yourself. Emotions of others are clear.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

Today is the best time to begin a new habit—perhaps a diet.

Radical changes in self-care are available. Cutting through the unessential and superficial and getting to the core in matters of food and health are most important at this time. All of your energies are working in a favorable and positive direction. This is a period when the new, different and unusual will have big influences on you—both psychological and physical . . . a kind of personal revolution.

Friendships are in a state of transformation. Old friendships are either revitalized or they come to an end; new ones are formed. Fate seems to bring you to your friends, or you to them. Your relationship with these friends may change or deepen. You will join in a celebration tonight.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Visiting a nearby tourist attraction may be where your energies are best enjoyed this day. Lovers, children and other people or things dear to your heart are emphasized at this time. Economize on this adventure— you will still have lots of fun. This is a great time to get outdoors and enjoy the fresh air.

If you are unattached, you may very well meet the right person today. An existing relationship, however, could become more satisfying. You may feel that something new, different and unique will help to grab your attention and help you relax from your past schedule. You may be able to enjoy and value your own life situation today.

Someone visiting in your home this evening may compliment you on your tastes or belongings.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You are likely to feel the push or urge to increase your family or to pop the marriage question at this time. There is a greater than usual emphasis on emotional security where you are likely to want to put down roots somehow. Home and family matters are most important to you just now. Relatives take on greater importance than ever before. Real estate becomes just as important but do not get the cart before the horse, so to speak. It can be a big mistake to foresee what you think another person would like for a home. Take little steps and before you know it, a more secure life plan can be yours. You might first start with a study of the family tree. This will help you to see patterns and strengths in your family—a new understanding.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

You can acquire a deeper spiritual understanding if you look at religious practices of other lands. This is a marvelous time for writing.

Put your ideas or your story on paper. This period gives you the opportunity to work on a plan. You also gain a better understanding of a difficult situation or people around you. Your inner resources and emotions are accented today. Expect a sense of support and goodwill from those around you. You appreciate your life situation at this time. There is a chance to understand those around you and to have a special time with someone you love. General good feelings and a sense of support and harmony makes this a happy time. Later, this evening, you will have some time to enjoy a good movie or book.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Faith, optimism and a yearning to explore new horizons are some of the focal points in your life at this time. A plan is in order and the subjects of travel and education come to mind. These are great ways to stretch your horizons and open new doors of opportunity. Religious, philosophical and cultural matters are likely to have a special appeal for you as well; transmitting ideas on a broad scale brings gain. Your current crop of dreams and ideals may not feel right to you or may seem to go against all that normally motivates you. It is possible to be misled or misguided and find yourself pouring your efforts into directions that will bring no return. Again, a plan is in order and you can create such a plan by writing out your goals and marking your priorities.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Your outward seriousness and no-nonsense approach to things is obvious to all. This deliberate sense of responsibility comes across and is central to your personality. Everything is run through your checkpoint to see if it holds up and can pass the test. You can be a stickler with details—careful, this can slow your progress. Now through the middle of November is a good time to change your residence. All the energies are working in your favor to pull this off with little trouble. Expect a sense of support and goodwill from those around you. There is good fortune—things open up in a very natural way for you. Situations are almost made to order and it is easy to see which path is the one you want to take. Relax with a loved one tonight.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

To

Family, home and the other roots in your life give you a sense of mission now. There is growth and gain through these things. This is a fruitful period for real estate investments, particularly if you do not take on too much at one time. Unconventional hobbies and other forms of self-expression that break from the norm play a big part in your life now. A child or lover may be rebellious—or perhaps simply ahead of his or her time. Romance and recreation take on an unusual character, out-of-step with ordinary expectations. High-tech gambles could pay off big. People value you for your warmth and dynamic qualities as much as your insight.

You may however, find it easier to respond with your animal warmth than to develop your mind just now.

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Making peace with the past is essential and it’s the only way you can get the future you want. People who cannot help themselves play a big role in your life now—a neighbor needs a cup of sugar, a friend gives birth, etc. Although there is much activity with others today, there will still be some solitude where you can think and recuperate your own energies. Time with friends or neighbors in their time of need is time well spent. This afternoon you may rush around to get a few of your own chores completed as well as a repair job or two. Good eyehand coordination and an unrelenting effort make almost any task run well. Even if you work into the evening, your stamina is good. Reward yourself for a successful day and enjoy something relaxing tonight.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

Endurance and muscle tone exercises will keep you feeling good physically and mentally. Consider a routine day that includes exercise. Perhaps a friend would like to join you in this process. There is a bout of philosophy or even a little religion now that could have an enormous effect on your future. Lasting values, whatever you find to be true and lasting, can guide you now.

You will find yourself opening up avenues of yourself that have remained blocked—a new understanding. You may enjoy some sort of group involvement in an entertainment activity—perhaps a concert or movie this afternoon. Many people value your independence and may look to you for advice today. The young people in your family find you especially witty.

A

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011

Years

i n f o r m at i o n FIRE BRIGADE

112

Al-Madena

22418714

Al-Shohada’a

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Fayhaa

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

24812000

Al-Jahra

25610011

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Al-Salmiya

25616368

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128

Hospitals Sabah Hospital

POLICE STATION Al-Madena Police Station Al-Murqab Police Station Al-Daiya Police Station Al-Fayha’a Police Station Al-Qadissiya Police Station Al-Nugra Police Station Al-Salmiya Police Station Al-Dasma Police Station

Clinics Rabiya

4732263

Roudha

22517733

Adhaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Keifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

Al-Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W.Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Al-Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Al-Omariya

24719048

N.Kheitan

24710044

Fintas

3900322

22434064 22435865 22544200 22547133 22515277 22616662 25714406 22530801

THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is 1889988

PHARMACIES

AIRLINES

ON 24 HRS DUTY GOVERNORATE

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Hawally

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Kuwait Airways Jazeera Airways Jet Airways FlyDubai Qatar Airways KLM Air Slovakia Olympic Airways Royal Jordanian Reservation British Airways Air France Emirates Air India Sri Lanka Airlines Egypt Air Swiss Air Saudia Middle East Airlines Lufthansa PIA Alitalia Balkan Airlines Bangladesh Airlines Czech Airlines Indian Airlines Oman Air Turkish Airlines Aeroflot

22433377 177 22924455 22414400 22423888 22425747 22434940 22420002/9 22418064/5/6 22433388 22425635 22430224 22425566 22438184 22424444 22421578 22421516 22426306 22423073 22422493 22421044 22414427 22416474 22452977/8 22417901/ 2433141 22456700 22958787 22453820/1 22404838/9

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist 25340300

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

Dr Anil Thomas

3729596/3729581 22641071/2

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Salem soso

22618787

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

Neurologists

Dr. Adnan Ebil

22639939

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Mousa Khadada

22666300

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists

25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291 22666288

Rheumatologists:

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

Dentists

Internists, Chest & Heart

25339330

25655535

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

General Surgeons

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, Ph.D. 2290-1677 Susannah-Joy Schuilenberg, M.A. 2290-1677

Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antiga Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands

0093 00355 00213 00376 00244 001264 001268 0054 00374 0061 0043 001242 00973 00880 001246 00375 0032 00501 00229 001441 00975 00591 00387 00267 0055 00673 00359 00226 00257 00855 00237 001 00238 001345

Central African Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Cyprus (Northern) Czech Republic Denmark Diego Garcia Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador England (UK) Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia

00236 00235 0056 0086 0057 00269 00242 00682 00506 00385 0053 00357 0090392 00420 0045 00246 00253 001767 001809 00593 0020 00503 0044 00240 00291 00372 00251 00500 00298 00679 00358 0033 00594 00689

A

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e niv rsar n

Years

36

MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011

LIFESTYLE M u s i c

&

M o v i e s

Pee Wee, Potter, Vader honored at SCREAM AWARDS eroes and villains from the worlds of horror, fantasy and sci- fi shared the stage at Spike TVs annual Scream Awards. More television event than traditional awards ceremony, the Scream Awards were presented in an amphitheater built on the Universal Studios backlot just for the occasion. The Saturday night show was as much about how the awards were presented as who got them, but for starters, the top honorees were Harry Potter, Darth Vader, Nicolas Cage, Pee Wee Herman and Robert Downey, Jr Resembling a psychedelic circus, one side of the stage was a life-sized dollhouse populated by costumed characters, the other a staircase topped by a giant keyhole, and in the middle was a lake that lit up with fire. Fans picked the night’s winners and also filled the makeshift theater for the 2 1/2 -hour presentation, which is set to air Tuesday as a two-hour special on Spike TV and VH1.

The show literally began with a scream, opening with a giant crane carrying a woman across the sky, then dropping her into the fiery lake. Blasts of fire and various stunts continued throughout the program.

Potter took the night’s top prize. The eight-part film franchise was named the Ultimate Scream, which awards presenter Chloe Grace Moretz described as “the most awesome, most rocking thing that the universe has ever seen.” Audience members were given glow sticks before the winner was announced, and when “Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe accepted the prize by video from New York, fans there were waving the same lights. Co-star Ralph Fiennes, who played Lord Voldemort, also appeared by video to accept an award for favorite villain. Vader, though, won the Ultimate Villain award. “Star Wars” creator George Lucas presented the Sith Lord with his prize. Vader, who accepted the award personally, said he’s found it difficult to concentrate on his work recently because he’s constantly “living in fear of how George Lucas is going to digitally enhance you for the next DVD.” Meanwhile, Lucas announced that the first “Star Wars” film converted to 3-D will open in February. He also offered a peek at his latest project, “Red Tails,” about the Tuskegee airmen. Herman, also known as actor-comedian Paul Reubens, rode his shiny red bicycle across the lake (on floaties) to accept the Visionary award. He thanked his fans and “the academy of Spike TV.” When Cage received the Maverick award from Quentin Tarantino, a motorcycle appeared on stage and the lake blasted with fire. Before Downey accepted the Hero award, audience members were given placards emblazoned with his image and the word “hero” and told to raise the signs when the actor made his entrance. They practiced a few times before the big moment. Colin Farrell introduced the “Iron Man” star by saying, “No one plays the hero with more swagger than this man.” Up went the placards. Fireworks shot from the stage. “Thank you. It’s a great honor,” Downey said. “As your hero, I want you to know I would never, ever, consider using this moment to crassly promote an upcoming movie.... Will you please enjoy this very special world premiere of the new trailer for Sherlock Holmes?” Downey wasn’t the only winner who unveiled his latest trailer. Cage showed “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance,” Radcliffe introduced “The Woman In Black.” Trailers were also shown for “Piranha 3DD” and “Paranormal 3.”

The show was punctuated with circus-worthy acts such as aerialists, fire dancers and contortionists who performed inside floating plastic balls. There were

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Paul Reubens, center, arrives onstage to receive the Visionary Award at the 2011 Scream Awards, Saturday in Los Angeles. —AP photos

(From left) Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway and Gary Oldman, cast members in the upcoming film “The Dark Knight Rises,” accept the Most Anticipated award.

Nicolas Cage addresses the audience after receiving the Maverick Award.

Actors John Cho and Kal Penn flank voice artist June Foray as she accepts the Comic-Con Icon award.

Actor Robert Downey Jr accepts the Hero Award from presenter Colin Farrell.

Bradley Cooper star of the film “Limitless,” accepts the Best Thriller award.

“Super 8” director J.J. Abrams accepts the Best Sci-Fi Movie award from presenter Zoe Saldana. also plenty of stars and special effects. The most anticipated movie was “The Dark Knight Rises,” and stars Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt took the stage to thank fans for the honor. Bradley Cooper accepted an award for “Limitless” and J.J. Abrams was on hand to take a sci-fi prize for “Super 8.” When Darren Aronofsky accepted the best director award, a massive black swan floated by in the lake behind him. Peter Dinklage is in Croatia shooting “Game of Thrones,” but he somehow managed to accept the supporting actor award from underwater. —AP

“Game of Thrones” cast members Sean Bean and Lena Headey accept the Best TV Show award.

Jackson’s dermatologist says Murray fallout hurts

r Arnold Klein hovers over a 50year-old woman, a syringe filled with the promise of youth in hand and a look of concentration on his face. At this moment he appears a contented man. “Put me next to a patient, give me a needle and I’m really happy,” he says. But all is not perfection for the dermatologist to the stars.

Klein and Conrad Murray were Michael Jackson’s key physicians during the pop star’s final weeks in June 2009.

Murray is on trial for involuntary manslaughter in Jackson’s drug-related death, while Klein, who treated Jackson for more than 25 years and called him “my best friend,” was cleared of any wrongdoing by authorities.

Murray’s defense team, however, is making Klein a part of the trial, claiming he fostered the singer’s addiction to a medication, Demerol, and that it played a part in his death. No Demerol was found in Jackson’s body. The allegations, denied by Klein’s attorney, reverberate painfully for the 66-yearold doctor whose patient list has boasted Elizabeth Taylor, Dolly Parton, Carrie Fisher and many more celebrities. “I see stuff on the Internet and it hurts, because I don’t like to be called a bad doctor,” Klein said, referring to online news and chatter about the trial that enters its fourth week Monday. “All I’m trying to do is be the best doctor I can,” added the intense Klein, whose words spill out hurriedly and who often ends sentences with the entreaties “You understand?” or “You have to understand that.”

Murray, who has pleaded innocent, is accused of failing to monitor Jackson as the singer received a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol (Diprivan is the drug’s commercial name) combined with a variety of other drugs including diazepam (Valium) and lorazepam (Ativan). Jackson, on the brink of a comeback at age 50, had complained repeatedly of insomnia and his need for drugs to help him sleep as he got ready for a strenuous London concert schedule. Despite Klein’s anxiety over damage to his reputation, he says the fallout has been minimal. Media that sometimes camp outside his office have kept away certain high-profile patients, including “royal families from around the world, political dignitaries, people who don’t want to deal with

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Matt Smith, a cast member in “Dr Who,” accepts the Best Sci-Fi Actor award.

the paparazzi,” Klein said.

But Hollywood’s crowned heads, the actors and others who helped Klein build his practice and his fame, aren’t so faint-hearted. Whether patients or friends, they are speaking up for him.

Carrie Fisher is both. The actress (“Star Wars”) and writer (“Wishful Drinking,” “Postcards From the Edge”), replied with a firm “no” when asked if she was uneasy hearing Klein’s name invoked in the Murray case. “Michael and Arnie had a really good relationship. ... It was a shame there was any focus brought (in the trial), because that became what everyone knew about” Klein, she said. David Geffen, the prominent music and film executive who has long worked with Klein in the fight against AIDS, weighed in with a letter addressed “Dear Arnie” and written to be shared.

“In light of all that is being said about you in the press I was compelled to add my truths. I have never known a doctor who tries to know and learn everything as completely as you do, a doctor who has always been there for me,” Geffen wrote. Fisher contends that her own past prescription drug abuse, about which she has spoken and written, prove Klein’s ethics. He never supplied her and, to the contrary, encouraged her to kick her habit, she said. “If anyone would know, it would have been me,” Fisher said with a rueful laugh. “He’s not one of the doctors you would hit up for (drugs).” Garo Ghazarian, Klein’s lawyer, has called the defense claim that Klein contributed to Jackson’s death “preposterous” and denied that Jackson was addicted to the Demerol used for pain relief “during medical procedures.” (He did not detail them, and Klein declined to discuss issues directly related to the trial or whether it was affecting his private life.)

But Murray’s lead defense attorney Ed Chernoff invoked Klein’s name seven times during his opening statement and has referred to the dermatologist repeatedly throughout the trial. The defense, which is expected to begin presenting its side next week, sought to call Klein as a witness but was blocked by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor, who ruled Klein’s testimony was not relevant to the case.

Klein’s medical specialty is the use of

injectable drugs such as Botox and Restylane to ease wrinkles and sagging skin. It is a skill he pioneered and one that has made him a favorite in Hollywood, where youth and beauty are the currency of the land.

Fisher credits Klein with smoothing her face and restoring her confidence after weight loss took a toll. “He cares about what he does and he loves making people look better,” she said. “It’s like he’s a painter, but the brush is the needle.” He doesn’t limit his practice to the well-heeled or well-known. The middle-aged patient who was at the end of his needle recently was a woman who wanted, and got, a younger look for dating and business.

Klein has an international reputation, with patients from the Middle East and Europe trekking to California

adventures among the stars.

Although he’s long balanced the roles of medical heavyweight and prominent physician-about-town, he’s now in difficult - but not unprecedented - territory. In 2004, he was sued by a Hollywood socialite who blamed Botox injections for disabling headaches. A jury found for him and the drug manufacturer. Earlier this year, Klein sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and alleged in court papers that he had lost at least $10 million to theft and fraud, blaming a former employee and others. A countersuit from the ex-employee denied the allegations and claimed, among other issues, that he had endured difficult working conditions.

Klein minimized the impact of the stated financial losses, saying the bankruptcy filing was based on “bad advice”

This image provided by Dr Arnold Klein shows Michael Jackson, Dr Arnold Klein and Carrie Fisher, right, posing on Christmas Eve in 2008 at Jackson’s Bel Air, Calif, rental home. —AP to see him. In a 2008 issue of Italian men’s Vogue, L’uomo Vogue, an article on design leaders featured a dapper, ascot-wearing Klein as an architect of the face, alongside more traditional architecture masters including Frank Gehry. Often dressed in black, Klein is fond of such eye-catching jewelry as his Rolex watch decorated with diamond-and-ruby lips, a gift he received from Cher. He looks ready to be cast in a movie about a flamboyant doctor’s

and that he expects resolution soon. It appears to be the Murray trial, above all, that aggrieves him. During the 2009 investigation into Jackson’s death, federal drug agents checked into who was prescribing medications to the singer and examined the entertainer’s interactions with at least seven doctors, including Klein. Federal drug agents raided a pharmacy in the Beverly Hills building where Klein previously practiced before clearing him in Jackson’s

death.

Klein clearly is in far different circumstances than Murray, who could end up behind bars and lose his medical license if convicted. By contrast, Klein just moved into new offices around the corner from Rodeo Drive and above a posh restaurant, Villa Blanca, which is a haunt for “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” reality TV circle. His professional credentials remain intact. He is a professor of medicine and dermatology at the University of California, Los Angeles, which is home to the Arnold Klein chair in dermatology endowed by supporters in 2004. And he’s a charity stalwart.

Klein teamed with other physicians, Taylor and Geffen to form the respected American Foundation for AIDS Research, AmFAR, and he has supported other fundraising efforts targeting breast cancer and eye disease.

Dazzling mementoes and gifts are scattered around his hilltop Beverly Hills home, set in an exclusive neighborhood protected by gates and guards. There’s a photo of Klein with Taylor and Jackson; Jackson-signed lithographs of five of the singer’s album covers; and sculptures given to Klein by the King of Pop and his children. A copy of the book “Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair With Jewelry” is inscribed with a mash note from the late actress: “My beloved Arnie, I love you more than I can tell. I feel you have saved my fading life. I love and thank you forever. Yours, Elizabeth.” The connection between Klein and Jackson went especially deep. Their friendship developed when Klein treated the singer for ailments including vitiligo - a patchy loss of skin pigmentation, which Klein said forced Jackson to lighten his complexion overall - and facial gauntness caused by weight loss, which can be filled out with Restalyne and other so-called injectables.

Debbie Rowe, who worked as Klein’s nurse, married Jackson and bore two of his three offspring, Prince and Paris, before the couple divorced.

Media reports alleging Klein to be the children’s father through a sperm donation have been dismissed by the doctor, although sometimes coyly.

Jackson lived in one of Klein’s homes for a time, and the pair partied with the likes of Taylor. Jackson’s last Christmas,

in 2008, was spent with his children, Klein, Fisher and a few others, Klein recalls. The doctor is writing a book about the King of Pop. What Klein says he came to know about him: Jackson wasn’t a drug addict but indulged in wine (he called it “Jesus juice”); was a prude and an innocent who wanted to live his childhood forever; and “wasn’t adult enough to be sexual,” contrary to the child molestation allegations Jackson faced.

Klein said he’s been hurt both by the defense’s portrayal of Jackson as a frail addict who contributed to his own death and by the allegation that Klein himself shares blame. “Once you’re famous or popular at any level, they’ll attack you,” he said. It’s unsurprising that Klein finds himself caught on the jagged edge of celebrity, a risk with prominent patients, observers said.

“You become part of that celebrity’s tragedy or gossip. Their dirty laundry is aired and you’re part of it, directly or indirectly,” said Dr Rahul K Parikh, a San Francisco-area physician and writer who, in a 2009 Salon.com piece, criticized Klein for publicly discussing the late Jackson’s medical history with then-CNN host Larry King. .

Mixing fame and medicine also is counterproductive, contends Dr Mark Goulston, a psychiatrist and author (“Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone”). “The seduction of fame to a doctor can be tough to resist,” said Goulston. “I also think it distracts the doctor from what he should be doing, which is to focus totally on the wellbeing of the patient.” But Klein said his patients and the quest for perfection, nothing else, are his obsession. “I do this because of my level of doing it, you understand? The monetary thing is nice but it’s really secondary to what I do,” he said. Could he have done something to save Jackson, his friend and patient? “I don’t know. How do you save a person?” Klein mused. “This tragedy is an example of how the rich and famous can get terrible medical care. It repeats itself and repeats itself.

When people get famous, they get all the ‘yes people’ around them.” —AP

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LIFESTYLE M u s i c

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Lady Gaga attends a news conference in Taipei.

Juanes performs at the Clinton Foundation’s “Decade of Difference” concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood.

Musicians Bono and K’naan perform together at the “A Decade of Difference” concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, Saturday. —AP photos ady Gaga enjoyed her “first real Marilyn moment” with former President Bill Clinton. “I always wanted to have one, and I was hoping that it didn’t involve pills and a strand of pearls,” she joked. The envelopepushing pop superstar was one of several musicians who performed Saturday night at the Hollywood Bowl during a concert celebrating the 10th anniversary of Clinton’s foundation, which has sought to improve global health, strengthen economies worldwide, promote healthier childhoods and protect the environment for the past decade.

Emerging from atop an all-white treehouse, Lady Gaga sported a wavy blond hairdo and red lips like Marilyn Monroe, who famously crooned “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to President John F. Kennedy in 1962.

Lady Gaga similarly serenaded Clinton and changed several of her lyrics to reference him, including swapping the title of “Bad Romance” for “Bill Romance.” “I thought, ‘My God. I get Lady Gaga, and I will have a heart attack celebrating my 65th birthday,” Clinton later said. Clinton, who turned 65 on Aug. 19 but celebrated his birthday at a posh Hollywood party Friday night, sat between wife Hillary

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Actor Jason Segel speaks at the “A Decade of Difference” concert.

Musician Usher performs.

and daughter Chelsea in the front row throughout Saturday’s event at the outdoor venue set against the Hollywood Hills. Other famous attendees included Maria Bello, Ashton Kutcher, Jason Segel, Ellen DeGeneres, Colin Farrell and Chevy Chase.

“I am the only person in history who got to be President and then had

a post-presidential birthday party attended by both Lady Gaga and the Secretary of State,” Clinton joked on stage. “I want to thank Hillary because we met 40 years ago this year. When I met her, she was already doing the kind of work you see here long before it was cool.” Ticket prices for “A Decade of Difference: A Concert Celebrating

Veteran British soap actress dies B

etty Driver, a much-loved actress who starred for 42 years in Britain’s longest-running television soap opera “Coronation Street”, died Saturday at the age of 91. Driver, who played Betty Turpin, a barmaid at the Rovers Return Inn, appeared in more than 2,800 episodes of the serial made in Manchester and set in a fictional neighborhood in the northwest English city. The actress, who had been in hospital for six weeks, first began performing professionally aged eight and had vowed never to retire. “It is humbling to think that the 42 years she spent on ‘Coronation Street’ was just half of her extraordinary career,” said the show’s executive producer Kieran Roberts.

“For more than four decades she delighted many millions of ‘Coronation Street’ fans with her fantastic performance in countless great stories, both dramatic and comic.” Driver was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1999. Her Coronation Street character was perhaps best known for making an excellent Lancashire hotpot-but Driver never actually tasted it because she was a vegetarian.—AFP

Betty Driver

Actress Maria Bello speaks.

Actor Ashton Kutcher speaks.

Actress Ellen DeGeneres speaks at the “A Decade of Difference” concert.

10 Years of the William J Clinton Foundation,” which was streamed live on Yahoo.com, ranged from $50 to $550. Other performers included Motown legend Stevie Wonder, country star Kenny Chesney, Somali rapper K’Naan, Colombian crooner Juanes and R&B singer Usher.

Usher kicked off his performance with a take on Joe Cocker’s rendition of the Beatles classic “With a Little Help From My Friends” before launching into his hits “Yeah” and “OMG.” The R&B singer accidently split his pant legs while dancing to reveal his bare

left leg. The wardrobe malfunction didn’t stop Usher, who continued with his routine, telling the crowd: “I work hard.” Bono and The Edge of U2 closed the concert with a mostly acoustic set that included such tunes as “Desire,” “One” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” which Bono sang directly to Clinton.

The duo - who were accompanied by a string quartet and Edge’s laptop closed with “Miss Sarajevo.”

Bono tackled the operatic part of the tune originally sung by the late Luciano Pavarotti. Clinton himself is no stranger to performing. The saxo-

phone-playing politician memorably belted out “Heartbreak Hotel” when he visited Arsenio Hall’s show during his 1992 presidential campaign.

Clinton didn’t pick up the instrument Saturday night, despite a plea from Lady Gaga, who informed him: “I wish you were playing sax with me tonight, baby.” —AP

Comic George Lopez says he will return to TV omedian George Lopez said he is creating a new family-orientated sitcom where he will play a father and husband, vowing to return to television less than two months after TBS cancelled his late-night show “Lopez Tonight.” Lopez told The Associated Press his now untitled show “will be the opposite” of “George Lopez,” the syndicated television sitcom that aired on ABC from 2002 and 2007 and made him a household name.

He also plans to star in his third live HBO standup special next year, his first since 2009. Viewership for his late-night show on TBS declined heavily in its second year He says the show suffered after he lost his 11 pm ET time slot to Conan O’Brien. He said TBS’ plan was for Lopez to go on after O’Brien at midnight and win over O’Brien’s young viewers. Instead, Lopez’s total viewership dropped 40 percent in its second year, from an average of 910,000 nightly viewers to 543,000. By August, the audience had dropped to 391,000. The comedian said it is unfortunate his show was cancelled because there are few minority hosts on late-night television.

“I was heartbroken. Late-night talk show needs diversity,” actress Eva Longoria told the AP of the cancellation.

She attended a charity gala with Lopez in Las Vegas Saturday night. Lopez, who often lampoons his Mexican heritage and upbringing, said there will not be a grandmother figure on his new show. On “George Lopez,” Lopez often verbally sparred with an actress who played his mother. He promised he would tease all of his co-workers if the show is picked up for TV next fall. “Whoever is my relative, I will not be nice to them,” he said.—AP

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File photo shows comedian George Lopez poses on the set of the George Lopez Show at Warner Bros. —AP

MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011

lifestyle F A S H I O N

Miss Venezuela

2011 Press taking photos of the five finalist of the Miss Venezuela 2011.

Irene Esser (second left) won the competition in Caracas, on October 15, 2011.

—AFP photos

The new Miss Venezuela 2011, Irene Esser, reacts after being selected.

The new Miss Venezuela 2011, Irene Esser, in the evening gown competition of the Miss Venezuela beauty pageant.

Military supplier Massif prepares a line for civilians

The Massif Collection line is poised to hit stores with fall clothes in late July 2012. —MCT photos Massif’s most high-profile piece is a flame-resistant shirt called the ACS (short for Army Combat Shirt) which, according to company Executive Vice President Chris Wasgatt has been the only combat shirt authorized to be worn by troops “outside the wire” (anywhere off-base in the combat theater) for the last 3{ years.

A year ago, to help the label move from barracks to boutiques, the company enlisted Scott Branscum to serve as vice president and general merchandising manager of Massif’s consumer brands. A menswear veteran

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enlace

whose resume includes stints at Perry Ellis, Eddie Bauer and Cutter & Buck, Branscum is wiry and enthusiastic, coming across like a slightly smaller, more compact version of menswear designer John Varvatos-a resemblance made unintentionally humorous since Branscum often uses the Varvatos label as a point of reference.

“There are some elements of Hugo Boss, to (Massif Collection), some elements of Victorinox and RLX Ralph Lauren, but looking at everything-how it relates, the taste level of the consumer, the price point and everything the closest thing would be Varvatos,” Branscum said. “It’s classic, it’s got beautiful style and beautiful fabrics.” Indeed, many of the 40 styles in the inaugural collection have the same crisp, tailored, military-meets-minimalist aesthetic of Varvatos’ oeuvre, especially pieces like the five-button wool blazer that could have marched right off the end of a European runway.

But a closer look reveals a Swiss Army knife’s worth of functionality lurking beneath the luxe. The super-soft blazer is crafted from a four-way stretch wool and is designed with articulated sleeves and diamond-shaped gussets under the arms _ characteristics that afford comfort and a greater range of motion. It also boasts anti-microbial and moisture management properties (to control odor and speed drying respectively), four inner zip pockets and a fifth, barely noticeable, zippered stealth pocket built into the blazer’s left forearm. (But unlike its military counterparts, the civilian wear is not flame-resistant.)

These kinds of performance details run through the entire collection, which includes lightweight jackets (most at a suggested retail price of $250 to $350 with one leather jacket priced at $850), blazers ($350 to $550), sweaters ($350 to $450), button-front shirts ($100 to $200) and trousers ($120 to $220).

To date, prototype pieces have been shown to only a handful of industry insiders, but the full fall-winter 2012 Massif Collection is scheduled to make its debut before the fashion press and retail buyers at the Pitti Immagine Uomo menswear trade show in Florence, Italy, in midJanuary. —MCT

ensual. Elegant. ck enlace. The intersecting design of this feminine watch evokes grace and sophistication. Audacious in every way, it reflects the craftsmanship and creativity of ck Calvin Klein watches. The intertwined bangle, available in polished stainless steel or PVD gold, is perfect for the stylish and confident woman. ck enlace is offered in both small and medium size, each beautifully closed with a jewelr y buckle.

Polished hour and minute hands smoothly rotate around a black, silver, or PVD gold dial, crowned with a ck Calvin Klein logo at 12 o’clock.

Water resistant up to 3bar.

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he look and feel of the modern man’s closet owes much to the military. Standard-issue pieces including the trench coat, the khaki trouser and aviatorstyle sunglasses have come to the wardrobe via the warrior. Over the years, a handful of clothing makers now considered “heritage” brands have also benefited from military connections. Supplying the troops gave these companies the boost into the public consciousness (not to mention the revenue stream) that a shout-out on “Oprah” might have in more recent times. Outer-wear manufacturer Woolrich, for example, made its name supplying woolen blankets to troops during the Civil War. And contracts to supply military uniforms through both world wars transformed tiny Chicago-based retailer Hart Schaffner & Marx into one of the biggest domestic makers of men’s suits. It was the label that President Obama wore to his inauguration.

Now a West Coast company that few people outside of the military know exists is preparing to leverage a decade of dressing troops on the battlefield into a line of designer clothes for civilians that will meld high tech with high style. The garments will look like John Varvatos or Hugo Boss, but they’ll also be designed to follow the articulations of the human body, prevent body odor, wick moisture, offer a greater range of motion and be studded with stealth pockets. Called Massif Collection, the line is poised to hit stores with fall clothes in late July 2012.

It’s the first foray into fashion for Ashland, Ore.-based Massif, a company that began in 1999 when its two founders-veteran search-and-rescue mountaineers Jeff Roberts and Randy Benham-became frustrated with the dearth of options available when it came to flame-resistant cold-weather garments. A dozen years later, the company (acquired by military footwear supplier Tactical Holdings and private equity partner Golden Gate Capital in 2009) boasts $100 million in annual sales. It provides a wide range of high-performance apparel to smoke jumpers, SWAT teams, military snipers, the CIA and elite US fighting forces of every stripe, and it has sold some 3 million of its technical garments to the US government.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011

lifestyle F A S H I O N

Fashion world takes note of

curvy-clothing

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or Santa Cruz, Calif, fashion designer Jill Alexander, 2011 is shaping up to be a good year. She showed off her styles for women size 12 and up in New York in June, generating orders from around the world. She participated in the Santa Cruz FashionArt runway show in September and got her fashions into a boutique downtown. She created fashion from recycled textiles for the High Point Furniture Market, the world’s largest furnishings trade show.

She was the only American designer invited to participate in London’s first fashion show for curvy women in November. Dresses, pants and skirts accentuating female curves and selling for less than $100 are being shipped to boutiques in Canada and Mexico City as well as Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Maryland and Massachusetts. “We were so well received,” Alexander said of her experience at the Full Figured Fashion Show in New York. “We made so many contacts.”

She met with the director of the High Point trade show, who had the idea to reuse and recycle the sample furniture textiles. “It was his vision to create an event to showcase what a broad range of designs from the fashion world could produce with these fabrics,” she said. She’s one of nine designers in the show, part of an event that brings 85,000 people to High Point, NC, twice a year.

Using swatches from companies such as Tommy Bahama and Waverly Fabric, she designed full skirts and vests with a retro ‘50s style. They’ll be shipped today for the “Upcycle Textile Artistry Show” on Oct 24. These styles are all size 6. “What I liked about this challenge, it was not about size, it was about repurposing fabric,” said Alexander. “It was so Santa Cruz.” After the New York show, she heard from Angel Sinclair, who founded “Models of Diversity,” a nonprofit in London advocating for models of different sizes and shapes. Alexander was not familiar with Sinclair’s modeling career but appreciated her concept for a show featuring models sizes 14 to 18.

“The work she’s doing is really important so I wanted to support her project,” Alexander said. She will show off her spring 2012 line, featuring colorful silk prints she created herself. Influenced by Latin America, she is featuring dresses and jumpsuits in chartreuse, red, turquoise, and lemon yellow and three flamenco-inspired gowns. The Curves in Couture show is supported by the British Fashion Council, organizers of London Fashion Week, considered one of the “Big Four” events along with others in Paris, Milan and New York. “It will be great exposure,” said Alexander, noting the show will be aired live Nov 17 on Dish Network, reaching 16 million homes n North America. “I love the fact that she’s here,” said Moda Bellissima owner Jo Minola, who carries them at her shop on 107 Locust St in Santa Cruz. “If I need a size, I can call her up.” She has an idea for Alexander’s next project: A piece sold exclusively at Moda Bellissima.

—MCT

Models wearing Jill Alexander’s designs strut their stuff on the runway at Fashion Art Santa Cruz last month at the Civic Auditorium.

— MCT photos (Left) Jill Alexander creates stylish fashion statements out of recycled furniture swatches in her Sash Mill design studio .

(Right) Jill Alexander, foreground, is taking her clothing to the next level with the help of her staff, from left, Alison Steele, Laura Edens, Cece Piercy and Brooke Edge.

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W e e k

A model displays a creation by Ukrainian designer Nadya Dzyaka.

Models present creations by Georgian designer Nino Kacharava.

—AFP photos

A model displays an outfit by Ukrainian designer Andre Tan.

Models present creations by Georgian designer Aka Nanitashvili during Georgian Fashion Week show in Tbilisi. — AFP

Pee Wee, Potter, Vader honored at Scream Awards

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2011

Photo shows Blombos Cave entrance from Indian ocean coast. — AP

Ancient art supplies found in R

South African cave

esearchers in South Africa have discovered what may have been the world’s earliest artist’s studio. A 100,000-year-old workshop used to mix and store the reddish pigment ochre has been discovered in Blombos Cave on the rugged southern coast near Cape Town. At the same site, scientists have found some of the earliest sharp stone tools, as well as evidence of fishing. The latest find is reported in Friday’s edition of the journal Science. It includes pieces of ochre, grinding bowls, shells for storage

and bone and charcoal to mix with the pigment.

Lead researcher Christopher Henshilwood of the University of Bergen, Norway, said the find represents an important benchmark in the evolution of complex human mental processes. The ochre could have been used for painting, decoration and skin protection, according to the researchers. The discovery shows that even at that time “humans had the conceptual ability to source, combine and store substances that were then possibly used to enhance

their social practices.”

Two separate tool kits for working ochre were found at the site, the researchers said. Henshilwood, who is also affiliated with the South Africa’s University of Witwatersrand, said in a statement that researchers believe that pieces of ochre were rubbed on rock to make a fine red powder, and that was mixed with crushed bone, charcoal, stone chips and a liquid. The mixture was put into abalone shells and stirred with a bone. —AP

Photo shows an Abalone shell, Tk1-S1, in laboratory after removal of the quartzite grinder cobble and some of the ochre rich deposit.

Sniffer dogs join fight to protect S Korea’s heritage

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Photo shows the bullet that killed President Abraham Lincoln.

Army museum’s morbid oddities resettled T

he bullet that killed President Abraham Lincoln is mounted under glass, like a diamond in a snow globe, in its new home at the National Museum of Health and Medicine. The lead ball and several skull fragments from the 16th president are in a tall, antique case overlooking a Civil War exhibit in a museum gallery in Silver Spring, just off the Capital Beltway. The military museum, known for its collection of morbid oddities, moved in September from the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. At

This undated handout photo provided by the National Museum of Health and Medicine shows the shattered right leg bones of US Army Maj Gen Daniel Sickles. — AP photos Walter Reed, visitors had to pass through a security gate and find the museum on the campus, where parking could be a problem.

The new building stands outside the gates of Fort Detrick’s Forest Glen Annex.

Visitors can just drive up, walk in and come face-to-face with a perpetually grinning skeleton directing them to an exhibit on the human body. There, one can see a hairball from the stomach of a 12-year-old girl and the amputated leg of a man with elephantiasis - a disease that causes limbs to become

bloated. The leg floats upright in a glass jar like an enormous, pickled sausage. The museum’s collection of 25 million objects includes plenty to inspire fascination or disgust or both. But it’s also a treasure trove for researchers like Candice Millard, author of the new book “Destiny of the Republic,” about the assassination of President James Garfield. She wrote in her acknowledgements that she held in her gloved hands at the museum the section of Garfield’s spine pierced by a .44caliber bullet from Charles Guiteau’s gun.

Guiteau’s brain and partial skeleton are also in the museum’s collection. Deputy Director Tim Clarke Jr said the museum will close in January and reopen by May 21 with its largest-ever display of objects to mark its 150th anniversary. The scope of the exhibits is still being decided, he said.

“We are sure, though, that we are programming and planning an exhibit that will astound our visitors,” Clarke said. The $12 million relocation established a permanent home for an institution that has had 10 addresses since 1862. That’s when Surgeon General William Hammond directed medical officers in the field to collect “specimens of morbid anatomy” for study at the newly founded museum along with projectiles and foreign bodies. A photograph nearly covering one wall of the museum’s new Civil War exhibit shows amputated legs stacked like firewood.

The exhibit also includes the shattered bones of US Army Maj Gen Daniel Sickles’ lower right leg, mounted for display beside a 12-pound (5.4-kilogram) cannonball like the one that hit him during the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg.

Most of the museum’s objects, including 2,000 microscopes and hundreds of thousands of human brain specimens, are in an off-site warehouse. They will be moved by next spring to a renovated warehouse across the street from the new museum. —AP

obae, go!” The trainer snaps her fingers and the English springer spaniel dashes off to sniff the lofty wooden pillars at Gyeongbokgung palace, one of South Korea’s most important cultural heritage sites. Suddenly Bobae stops sniffing and sits and stares at a spot on one of the pillars. She has found what she was searching for-two tiny termites. Back in England’s West Midlands, Bobae and her canine companions, Woori and Boram, were trained to sniff out drugs or explosives. Now they search out destructive termites threatening South Korea’s historic palaces and temples, which are built mainly of wood.

Termite detection dogs and their handlers roam the grounds of Kyeongbok palace.

The dogs are trained not to scratch or bite the wood when they detect termites, to avoid damaging it. Instead, they sit rigid to indicate the spot. The dogs are supplied by the Samsung Detector Dog Centre, which bought them from a police dog training school in the West Midlands. In a training process similar to that used for explosives or drug detection, trainers let the spaniels smell termites, hide the insects and let the dogs practice searching until they get it right.

‘Termites may well rise’ The Cultural Heritage Administration sets annual work schedules for the dogs after its researchers assess the possibility of termites in various buildings. The aim is to stop the bugs chewing up the woodwork from the inside before it’s too late. “If termites can be seen with the human eye, it means there’s nothing left inside the pillars. Dogs are able to smell the termites, so that we can work on it before it’s too late,” said Jang. —AFP

In a picture taken on September 28, 2011 termite detection dogs sit in the grounds of Kyeongbok palace in Seoul. —AFP photos “It’s much more efficient (than other methods) and their detection is very accurate,” said Jang Young-Ki, a specialist at the Cultural Heritage Administration. “The dogs’ job is to scan and filter the area to narrow down places which researchers at the administration should be looking for.” Using two of the spaniels and their trainers, it takes only two to three hours to sweep the whole of Gyeongbokgung. The search for termites could otherwise take many more hours, or even days. Gyeongbokgung, the grandest of Seoul’s five main historic places, has 13 main buildings spread over 34 hectares (84 acres) in the heart of the city.

Termite detection dogs sniff wooden columns at Kyeongbok palace.