19th Aug

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

www.kuwaittimes.net

SHAWWAL 1, 1433 AH

‘Shiites army reserve unit’ stockpiling arms Al-Tabtabaei: Shiite army waiting for zero hour

By A Saleh

Kuwait Times Editor-in-Chief Abd Al-Rahman AlAlyan wishes HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Sabah, HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Cabinet members, Heads of States around the world, Kuwaitis, expatriates and our valued readers Eid Mubarak. Kuwait Times will not be published on Monday and Tuesday. Next issue will be published on Wednesday.

GCC, Muslims celebrate Eid KUWAIT: The moon-sighting committees of at least 12 Arab countries: Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced yesterday evening that today will be the first day of the Eid Al-Fitr holiday. In Cairo, Dar Al-Iftaa AlMasriya (the Egyptian house of legal opinion giving) said its moon-sighting panels countrywide did not observe the crescent of Shawwal month of the Arabic lunar Hijri calendar this year; making yesterday the last day of the holy month of Ramadan, and today the first Eid holiday.

In Doha, the Qatari moon-sighting committee said that yesterday completed the month of fasting and today will be the first of the holiday. In Manama, the Bahraini Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs announced that today will be the first of the holiday. In Beirut, the Mufti of Lebanon Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani said in a statement that the crescent of Shawwal wasn’t seen yesterday night in the country so yesterday marked the end of Ramadan. Similar statements were issued by the moon-sighting committees of Libya’s Dar Al-Iftaa, Sudan’s Islamic Fiqh Academy, Palestine, Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Yesterday, Moon-Sighting Committee of Kuwait Ministry of Justice announced that today will be the first day of the holiday. — KUNA

Max 47º Min 30º High Tide 01:02 & 12:27 Low Tide 06:19 & 18:57

SANAA: A Yemeni woman applies traditional henna designs to the arm of a girl ahead of the Muslim festivities of Eid Al-Fitr yesterday. Muslims around the world are preparing to celebrate the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. — AFP

KUWAIT: MP Al-Tabtabaei yesterday received flak over accusations he made recently in which he claimed that “an army reserve unit of Shiites is currently buying weapons from Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh and waiting for the zero hour.” “While I am confident in Al-Tabtabaei’s good intentions, his statement is unfortunate because it would serve as an alarm to the claimed troublemakers if it was true, and is an unjustified instigation if it was not,” said a member of the annulled 2012 parliament Dr Obaid Al-Wasmi.

Meanwhile, former parliamentary elections candidate Safaa Al-Hashim criticized Al-Tabtabaei’s “unexpected accusations against Kuwait’s Shiites without any evidence to support his claims.” “What is stopping him from reporting this allegedly serious information to police?” AlHashim questioned in a statement released yesterday.

Also, a member of the annulled 2012 parliament Nabeel Al-Fadhl mockingly stated that Al-Tabtabaei failed to report the case “because he knows that he will end up being charged with false reports.”

Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabaei has acknowledged that he indeed provided the Interior Ministry with information and pictures of arms sales in Kuwait - particularly to the Undersecretary Lt General Ghazi Al-Omar. Al-Tabtabaei said the wrong interpretation by the authority of the Iranian danger and its gulf extensions is what keeps security authorities from doing their job.

“The government’s over-appeasement of the Iranian regime and its extensions here led to the escalation of the intelligence penetration and the rise of provocative language by Tehran agents,” Al-Tabtabaei said. He added that during the eighties the Kuwaiti security apparatus succeeded in halting the Iranian intelligence penetrations and contained them due to good political decisions. AlTabtabaei said earlier that he has dangerous information that parties linked to the sectarianism are buying arms from a black market in Kabd, Jleeb and Bneid Al-Qar.

Teen killed as Bahrain’s police, protesters clash

CALIFORNIA: This undated photo shows a specimen of a new family of spiders, which scientists are calling Cave Robber for its fearsome claws. — AP

New spider family found in US caves GRANTS PASS: Amateur cave explorers have found a new family of spiders in the Siskiyou Mountains of Southern Oregon, and scientists have dubbed it Trogloraptor - Latin for cave robber for their fearsome front claws. The spelunkers sent specimens to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, which has the West Coast’s largest collection of spiders.

Entomologists there say the spider reddish brown and the size of a half dollar - evolved so distinctly that it requires its own taxonomic family - the first new spider family found in North America since the 1870s.

“It took us a long time to figure out what it wasn’t,” said Charles Griswold, curator of arachnids at the academy.

“Even longer to figure out what it is. We used anatomy. We used DNA to understand its evolutionary place. Then we consulted other experts all over the world about what this was. They all concurred with our opinion that this was something completely new to science.” “It’s a good example of how sci-

ence works - professional and citizen scientists share information,” he added.

The discovery is described in the Friday online edition of the journal ZooKeys. Jonathan Coddington, curator of arachnids at the Smithsonian Institution and associate director for science at the National Museum of Natural History, agreed that the spiders represent a family never seen before.

“This is really a distinct event,” he said.

“To walk out in the woods and find an example of an ancient lineage that no one has ever seen before is special.”

Norman I Platnick, curator emeritus of spiders at the American Museum of Natural History, said the discovery was as exciting to spider scientists as the discovery of a new dinosaur to paleontologists. “Because it belongs to one of the more primitive groups of true spiders, it has the potential to change many of our current ideas about the early evolution of spiders,” he said. “But it is better than a fossil, because we can study the entire organism, along with Continued on Page 13

DUBAI: A 16-year-old protester was killed after what opposition activists in Bahrain said was a “brutal attack” by security forces, but which the Bahrain government described as a defensive response to a petrol bomb attack on police. The opposition says more than 45 people have been killed in protests since June 2011, when the government lifted martial law it had imposed to help quash pro-democracy demonstrations by its Shiite Muslim majority inspired by revolts against repressive dynasties across the Arab world.

However, the Interior Ministry says protesters have injured more than 700 police officers in clashes and that the police, who do not use live fire, have been exercising restraint. The protester’s death - after a demonstration on Friday night - came as the United States, an ally of Manama, expressed concern over Bahrain’s jailing of a prominent opposition activist, Nabeel Rajab, for three years. The government identified the dead youth as 16-year-old Hussam AlHaddad, and said he had been among protesters throwing petrol bombs at police and had died after being taken to hospital.

The opposition Bahrain Centre for Human Rights said witnesses had seen

the security forces fire birdshot at Haddad before men in plainclothes kicked him repeatedly as he lay on the ground while police stood by. The main opposition Wefaq movement said in a statement in Arabic that Haddad had been “martyred after being brutally attacked” and activists posted what they said were pictures of his body, apparently severely bruised and marked by dozens of birdshot wounds.

Reuters was unable to verify the pictures independently. The government said police were acting in self defense.

“Terrorists launched petrol bombs at close range, forcing the police to take the necessary actions to defend themselves and innocent bystanders from the potentially lethal attack,” the Information Affairs Authority said in an emailed statement in English. “Despite warning shots by the police the attack continued; so security personnel dealt with the case according to its legal authority,” it added, citing the police chief of the Muharraq district where the incident took place.

Hundreds of people marched peacefully through the Muharraq district for Haddad’s funeral yesterday, witnesses said. Rights groups have accused the government of firing teargas canisters at Continued on Page 13

KARZAKAN: A Bahraini youth holds a chunk of concrete as word spreads in Karzakan, Bahrain, that riot police are approaching to disperse a protest. — AP

130 die in Syria Damascus denies VP tried to defect

ORDOS: Miss World 2012 winner Yu Wenxia (center) of China, second place contestant Miss Wales Sophie Moulds (left) and third place Miss Australia Jessica Kahawaty pose for photos following the pageant’s final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos yesterday. — AFP (Page 40)

BEIRUT: Syria denied reports yesterday that President Bashar Al-Assad’s deputy had defected and its forces pursued an offensive against rebels, bombarding parts of Aleppo in the north and attacking an insurgent-held town in the oil-producing east. Vice-President Farouq Al-Shara “never thought for a moment about leaving the country,” said a statement from his office broadcast on state television in response to reports that the veteran Baath Party loyalist had tried to defect to Jordan.

Assad, battling a 17-month-old rebellion led by Syria’s Sunni Muslim majority that has escalated into civil war, has suffered a string of defections including by Continued on Page 13

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

local

‘Issues with Kuwait will be finalized before year end’

By A Saleh KUWAIT: Baghdad seeks to end all pending issues with Kuwait before the end of this year in order to restore the bilateral relations to their level during the 1980’s, the Iraqi government said in a recent statement.

“Iraqi will end all pending issues with Kuwait before the start of next year; at which point there will be no obligations,” the statement reads, adding that the troubled relations between Kuwait and Iraq following the 1990 invasion have become “a thing of the past.”

“The bilateral relations will be back to normal if not better because Iraq expressed good intention towards Kuwait, which were highly welcomed by Kuwait in return,” the statement adds.

MP criticized MP Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabaei received flak over “accusations not supported with proof ” he recently made in which he claimed that “an army reserve unit of Shiites is currently buying weapons from Jleeb Al-Shuyouk h and wait for zero hour.”

“While I am confident in Al-Tabtabaei’s good intentions, his statement is unfortunate because it would serve as an alarm to the claimed troublemakers if it was true, and is an unjustified instigation if it was not,” said member of the annulled 2012 parliament Dr Obaid Al-Wasmi.

Meanwhile, former parliamentar y elections candidate Safaa Al-Hashim criticized Al-Tabtabaei’s “unexpected accusations to Kuwait’s Shiites without any evidence to support his claims.” “What is stopping you from repor ting these allegedly serious information to police?”

Al-Hashim questioned in a statement released yesterday. Meanwhile, a member of the annulled 2012 parliament Nabeel Al-Fadhl mock ingly stated that AlTabtabaei failed to repor t the case “because he knows that he will end up being charged with false reports.”

Opposition bloc mulls over Safat Square protest The opposition bloc is thinking about the possibility of staging a public demonstration at the Safat Square in downtown Kuwait City, where the government has banned assembling to avoid disturbing the surrounding commercial area.

This was disclosed by sources, “The bloc plans to meet on Wednesday August 22nd reach an agreement on the date to

hold their first demonstration.”

The bloc is studying the possibility of holding the protest on Monday August 27, in which the oppositionist Nahj group plans to stage their protest as well at the Iradah Square, in order to “ensure a strong first star t to public protests,” sources added.

Cabinet substitutions First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Hmoud AlSabah has been assigned the task of managing duties of Defense Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Khalid Al-Sabah in his absence, and vice versa. This is according to an Amiri decree issued recently to set the ministerial substitutions for deputy prime ministers.

The decree further assigns Minister of Information and State Minister of Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Al-Sabah with duties of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah in his absence.

Asia’s common market Kuwait plans to pitch the idea of establishing a common market for Asian countries during a summit for Asian leaders to be hosted by Kuwait this year.

According to sources, the proposal which Kuwait plans to put as a worksheet during the summit “was studied and prepared by a specialized committee”, and will be discussed along with other economic topics aiming to boost commercial cooperation in Asia.

Mega projects approved The Cabinet’s development committee reportedly approved requests made by the M inistr y of Elec tricity and Water(MEW) and the Ministry of Public Works(MPW ) to “proceed immediately with construction of the Jaber Causeway and Northern Zoor Power Plant projects,” said sources with knowledge of the subject. The committee’s decision comes after reviewing objections made by lawmakers who argued that errors were present in the tenders of both mega projects. “ The committee found out, after conducting investigations, that the ministries’ appeals arguing the necessity of proceeding with the projects immediately are rightful,” said sources.

In other news, the Municipality approved a Cabinet request to change the course of the Eighth Ring Road project as per security conditions laid outby the Kuwait Oil Company.

Sharp increase in air ticket fares in Kuwait Eid travel season

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Eid is also travel season in the Arab world, and Kuwait is no exception. The airline tickets fares usually soar to more than double when compared to the rest of the year. This year, rates have trebled.

The price of an air ticket to Egypt now touches KD 300 in the economy class. “ The main reason for this increase from KD 90 to KD 300 is mainly because there aren’t enough flights, especially after the Wataniya airlines stopped operating. Also some other popular destinations like Lebanon and Syria are no longer visited, so people prefer to travel to Egypt,” Mahmoud from Faiha Travel Agency told the Kuwait Times.

Mohammed from Musaed Travel Agency agreed that the air tickets to Egypt are very expensive although

not many tourists travel. “Most of the passengers to Egypt are the expats living here. Other passengers are the Kuwaiti students studying there.

Only a few tourists are going to Sharm Al-Sheikh, also there are only two flights operating a week,” he said. The most expensive and sought after destination is Turkey. “An air ticket to Turkey now costs KD 350, while it was below KD 100 before this season. Even during Eid last year, the price range was between KD 130 to 140. It is the sought after destination. Also, because all flights were reserved, many people failed to find seats. Athens in Greece is another preferred destination after the launch of a new carried that operates direct flight to Athens. The price of this ticket (about KD 160) was encouraging for people,” added Mohammed.

He feels that the air ticket fares are dependent on fuel prices. “Our business is like the stock exchange, we are affected immediately with the hike in fuel prices. Also this year, the Eid fell during summer and people are travelling before and after Ramadan. In addition, the vacation period is long and people want to return before schools reopen,” he explained.

Mahmoud from Faiha Travel provided the rates of some destinations.

“The ticket to London costs about KD 550, and Europe in general falls between KD 350 to 450, Far East is between KD 250 to 350, and Australia is not in demand. There are some new destinations this year like Bosnia which costs about KD 280 to 300, and Sri Lanka. There is a revival in interest in Bahrain as well,” he pointed out. Rates to some destina-

tions remain unchanged this season when compared to the previous year.

“For instance Dubai is more or less on the same level, as there are many flights operating from different carriers. The price is even lower than last Eid, falling between KD 150 to 200.

Ticket fares to Maldives the whole year is around KD 300, and now there is no demand as it is mostly a honeymoon destination. Also, the cost of flying to Muscat in Oman is about KD 100,” stressed Mahmoud.

The tickets for an Umrah trip in Saudi Arabia have increased after the woes facing Kuwait Airways fleet.

“This has caused more pressure on other airlines, which as a result increased prices. The rate is about KD 150 to 200 during Ramadan the high season for Umrah. During the summer, it is lower costing between KD 90 to 120,” said Mohammed.

Cabinet, opposition bloc negotiate alternative electoral system KUWAIT : The Cabinet and opposition bloc has reportedly agreed on a formula for a new electoral law that divides Kuwait into five constituencies and allows a voter to vote for five candidates without being limited to a certain constituency.

This was reported by Al-Rai yesterday, quoting cabinet insiders as well as sources close to a coalition of oppositionists consisting primarily of lawmakers who dominated majority seats in the annulled 2012 Parliament. Both sides mentioned the aforementioned proposal as being as a replacement for the current electoral system which the Cabinet referred to the Constitutional court to verify constitutionality. “[The proposal] was approved by the Cabinet and the opposition bloc in general, who both have notes on some details that will be discussed during meetings held directly after the Eid Al-Fitr holiday,” said sources.

Sources explained that the Cabinet preferred an adjustment to the distribution of areas within constituencies before an agreement is reached “which can maintain equality in voters’ numbers.” On the other hand, the bloc “according to people associated with it” pitched a number of ideas including a scenario in which a voter belonging to the con-

stituency where their place of residence is listed, but have the freedom to vote. One proposal calls for a voter to have the ability to vote for two candidates within their constituency, and three candidates outside.

The two sides have reportedly “80 percent agreed” on the proposal, with hope that full agreement can be reached during the post-Eid meetings, sources said. “The five constituencies with the five vote proposal helps eliminate tribal and sectarian alliances, and create a type of correlation between candidates and voters while boosting national unity and limits sectarianism,” sources argued.

Meanwhile, Al-Rai reported that the Nahj group which is associated with the opposition still plans to stage their first public demonstration at the Iradah Square on August 27, despite a request from the Bloc to delay it to September 3,reported Al-Rai. In addition to staging public protests, the opposition plans to invite the public to seminars which starts with one held at the diwaniya of MP Khalid Al-Tahous in Al-Egaila on September 3. “Through these two public movements, the Bloc plans to gather as many citizens as possible who reject the Cabinet’s step to contest the electoral law,” said

sources. “Successful protests will leave have a major impact on the political scene.”

On the other hand, pro-government MP Dr Salwa Al-Jassar said that demonstrations have become “political blackmail,” defending the government’s step by indicating that “it is impossible to take part in new elections without making sure of the legality of the current electoral system.”

This comes amid information hinting that “an anti-opposition front” is currently forming and “is expected to stage demonstrations,” according to Al-Qabas.

Secretary General of the Democratic Forum Yousuf Al-Shayji called “all parties of political work” to set down and negotiate an improved electoral system that achieves justice, reiterating in a recent statement, the Forum’s support for the law’s referral “in order to ensure parliamentary stability and protect the Parliament from potential dissolution.”

Also, the Constitutional Unity Bloc said that the political crisis “reached an unbearable level while concerns are mounting about chaos and disturbance,” inviting “all political groups and members of the executive and legislative authorities to a national accord conference on October 8,” during their constituent meeting, reported Al-Qabas.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

local

‘Instruments of peace’ (Message for the end of Ramadan from Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue) Dear Muslim friends,

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he celebration of Eid Al-Fitr, which concludes the month of Ramadan, accords us at the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue the joy of presenting to you warm greetings.

We rejoice with you for this privileged time which gives you the opportunity to deepen obedience to God, by fasting and other pious practices, a value equally dear to us. This is why, this year, it seemed opportune to us to focus our common reflection on the education of young Christians and Muslims for justice and peace, that are inseparable from truth and freedom. Like the task of education is entrusted to the whole of society, as you know, it is first and foremost, and in a particular way, the work of parents and, with them, of families, schools and universities, not forgetting about those responsible for religious, cultural, social, and economic life, and the world of communication.

It is an enterprise which is both beautiful and difficult: to help children and young people to discover and to develop the resources with which the Creator has endowed them with and to build responsible human relationships. Referring to the task of educators, Pope Benedict XVI recently affirmed, “For this reason, today more than ever we need authentic witnesses, and not simply people who parcel out rules and facts. A witness is someone who first lives the life that lie proposes to others.” (“Message for World Day of Peace” 2012) Besides, let us also remember that the young themselves are responsible as well for their own education and for their formation for justice and peace.

Justice is determined first of all by the identity of the human person, considered in his or her entirety; it cannot be reduced to its commutative and distributive dimension. We must not forget that the common good cannot be achieved without solidarity and fraternal love! For believers, genuine justice, lived in the friendship with God,

deepens all other relationships: with oneself, with others and with the whole of creation. Furthermore, they profess that justice has its origin in the fact that all men are created by God and are called to become one, single family. Such a vision of things, with full respect for reason and openness to transcendence, urges all men and women of good will, inviting them to harmonize rights and duties.

In the tormented world of ours, educating the young for peace becomes increasingly urgent. To engage ourselves in an adequate manner, the true nature of peace must be understood: that it is not limited to the mere absence of war, or to a balance between opposing forces, but is at one and the same time a gift from God and a human endeavor to be pursued without ceasing. It is a fruit of justice and an effect of charity. It is important that believers are always active in the communities they belong to: by practicing compassion, solidarity, collaboration and fraternity, they can effectively contribute towards addressing the great challenges of today: harmonious growth, integral development, prevention and resolution of conflicts, to name just a few.

To conclude, we wish to encourage young Muslim and Christian readers of this message to cultivate truth and freedom, in order to be genuine heralds of justice and peace and builders of a culture which respects the dignity and the rights of every citizen. We invite them to have patience and tenacity necessary for realizing these ideals, never resorting to doubtful compromises, deceptive short-cuts or to means which show little respect for the human person. Only men and women sincerely convinced of these exigencies will be able to build societies where justice and peace will become realities.

May God fill with serenity and hope, the hearts, families and communities of those who nurture the desire of being ‘instruments of peace’!

Happy Feast to you all!

Jean Louis Cardinal Tauran (president) and Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata(secretary) in Vatican

British Prime Minister David Cameron’s message for Eid

“E

id is a time for families and friends. A time of joy and happiness. “As families and friends come together in celebration, I want to recognize the immense contribution that British Muslims make to our country.

“And I want to say a particular thank you to those Muslims who have helped to make the London Olympics so successful. From those who volunteered and gave visitors such a warm welcome to our countr y. To members of our

armed forces who have helped to keep us safe. To our medal winners who have won a place in our nation’s heart.”

“Peace and unity are the spirit of Eid, and I am proud of the way Britain has demonstrated these values to the world during the Olympics.

“So to Muslims around the world on this very important day of celebration, I wish you all a very happy and peaceful Eid.” (From British Embassy in Kuwait)

Scores injured in road accidents

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Numerous people were reported injured following a car accident near Shaab park in Maidan Hawally. Among those treated were a 39 year old Kuwaiti woman who became dizzy along with a 49 year old Bangladeshi man. Also, a 32 year old Iranian woman suffered an injury to her right hand and a 49 year old Kuwaiti man was also treated for injuries. A variety of injuries were reported for a 49 year old Kuwaiti man and a 51 year old Jordanian woman. Officials also said a 43 year old Jordanian woman suffered injuries to her legs. Seven ambulances and 14 technicians were called to the scene of the accident. The injured were taken to Mubarak and Amiri hospitals.

A car accident on Fahaheel road opposite the Al Qadesiya club resulted in head injuries to a 32 year old Indian expat and 29 year old Kuwaiti man. A 25 year old Sri Lankan man also suffered an injury to his left hand during the accident. All of the injured were taken to Mubarak hospital for treatment.

A car accident on the 5th Ring Road opposite Bayan Palace resulted in a knee injury to a 41 year old Filipina expat and a 19 year old Kuwaiti man complained of dizziness. Both

were taken to Mubarak hospital.

Another car accident in Waha, towards Al Saleel, resulted in various injuries to a 20 year old Kuwaiti man and a 40 year old Saudi man.

Both men were transported to Jahra hospital.

A car accident on Fahaheel road under the Sabah Al-Salem Bridge caused in a variety of injuries to a 20 year old Kuwaiti man and a broken left foot to a 29 year old Sri Lankan expat.

Both were taken to Adan hospital.

A motorcycle accident on the Sixth Ring Road opposite the Farwaniya hospital bridge was blamed for various injuries to a 34 year old Kuwaiti expat who was taken to Farwaniya hospital.

Fire broke out in one of the houses in the Al Qasr area, resulting in a 23 year old Kuwaiti woman suffering from smoke inhalation. She was treated at the site.

Another fire broke out in an apartment in Farwaniya where a 46 year old Syrian woman complained of having inhaled smoke. She was treated at the site.

Medical emergency personnel dealt with 216 cases during the past 10 days of Ramadan.

Five people were taken to area hospitals, while the remaining people were treated at health clinics next to Jaber Al Ali mosque south of Surra and Al Rashid mosque at Al Oadiliya.

‘Only ‘halal’ medicines sold in Kuwait’ Assurance to consumers

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Recently, an ArabAmerican pharmacist named Wessam Alawiya conducted research on which vitamins are halal, and found that 90 percent of vitamins include substances extracted from pigs, which is prohibited in Islam. It was then that he thought of creating special vitamins for Muslims. Alawiya, the first to introduce the halal concept to the world of medicine, started promoting his new products in the American city of Detroit during the holy month of Ramadan and is planning to expand his campaign in the near future.

With Kuwait being an Islamic countr y, no pork products are allowed to enter the country and all food stuffs and medicines are checked and tested. Because Kuwait does not allow medicines, including substances extracted from pigs, there should not be any need for halal medicine.

Nadya, a pharmacist from Salmiya, denied knowing about any vitamins that include pork extracts. “The Medicine Control Department and inspectors are responsible for protecting the local market from importing any products containing pork extracts. They

are checking all the imported medicines, so the consumers should be confident of the medicine they are consuming,” she told the Kuwait

Times. She also added that they do not have any halal vitamins at the pharmacy and she had not heard about such vitamins.

Another pharmacist named Lina noted that she is not so sure about the monitoring by the Medicine Control authorities. “As far as I know, the Ministry is mainly checking the active substance of the medicine, such as calcium, vitamins or others. What I know for sure is that if the vitamins or other medicines do not include gelatin, they will be free of pig ingredients.

I know, for instance, that the inspectors check for the presence of alcohol in the medicines, because Kuwait only imports alcohol- free products,” she pointed out.

She also said that there is only one kind of vitamin in the pharmacy containing the word halal. “We have the B 12 vitamin which is marked as a vegetarian kind of vitamin, which has the word halal on it. It is made in Texas, USA,” stressed Lina.

Hiba, from a pharmacy in Hawally, said she doubts that vitamins containing gelatin could be from pigs. “I trust the medicine control in Kuwait and I do not think they would let a medicine containing pork enter the country. We do not have halal vitamins in the pharmacy, and I doubt they are available in the local market,” she explained.

CROCS launches 7th store in Kuwait KUWAIT: CROCS successfully opened its seventh store located in Souk Al-Mubarkiya on June 11, 2012, a branch that is of great sentimental value to Ali Abdulwahab Al-Mutawa Commercial Company.

Back in the 1930s, the late Ali Abdulwahab Al-Mutawahad opened his very first trading location, which specialized in food products and textiles in this specific branch at Souk Al-Mubarkiya.

Over 70 years later, the legacy lives on as the store has been transformed to operate the CROCS brand.

Today, the CROCS store is flourishing, reflecting the blend of history with modernity, and bringing a ray of light to Souk Al-Mubarkiya with its vibrant colors and styles. It

is a microcosm of Kuwait today; bridging the gap between development, modernity, and local culture and tradition.

CROCS’ new store blends in with this ambience, balancing the present with the past, as it preserves the souq’s traditional exterior architecture, and portrays contemporary twenty-first century modernity in its interior.

CROCS’ expansion into this strategic location illustrates the bond between the past, present and future, which holds an inordinate significance to Kuwait, and Ali Abdulwahab Al-Mutawa Commercial Company.

To learn more about Crocs visit www.crocs.com.kw , or call Crocs Mubarkiya at 22461823.

Woman raped in hospital shower room KUWAIT: A divorced woman was reported as being hysterical at Shuwaikh police station with her clothes soaking wet, claiming that her boyfriend raped her in a hospital shower room where he was being treated.

According to the woman, she went to visit her boyfriend in Razi hospital, where he asked h er to h elp h im take a s howe r because he could not take it by himself.

She said she agreed because she trusted him, but “he pulled and held me, then raped me.”

She said that she had known him for a month after meeting him in public places and talking to him over the phone. The suspect had been injured previously and had to be hospitalized, and was staying in a private room. She said that each time she called him he asked her to visit him, which she agreed to do at 3 pm on Thursday.

Investigators asked the woman why she did not call for help when the incident took place, and she said she was afraid of being exposed as he pulled her into the shower.

The public prosecutor was informed, and the suspect was charged with rape.

The police source said the divorced woman disclosed the suspect’s first name and his phone numbers. Policemen went to the hospital and took down details about the suspect, who has since disappeared.

Death threat A female citizen called Salam police claiming that her husband was about to kill her. It was later learned that the couple had been arguing about the Suhoor meal, as the woman insisted they eat at a restaurant. A security source said the woman called the police station directly, so policemen went to the house where the husband answered the door very calmly. When they asked about the call, he brought his wife out who claimed he wanted to kill her. The husband denied threatening her, adding that all that happened was that she refused to prepare the Suhoor meal at home and wanted to go to a restaurant.

When he insisted, she told him she would call the police, and that is what happened.

Sources said policemen took the couple to the police station and the woman refused to file a case against her husband. Policemen made her sign an oath not to again disturb authorities.

Parking dispute The arrival of policemen prevented a fight from breaking out between a man and a woman over a parking space in front of a Salmiya mall. A security source said a man and a woman, both citizens, were looking for a place to park their cars, when both noticed a vacant spot. After each tried to claim the

space, a verbal exchange began, and police were called in as the two left their cars to attack the other. Both were taken to the police station for questioning.

Negligence charge A Gulf woman was charged with negligence in caring for her young daughter, after the girl fell into a container of hot water. The woman left the hot water on the kitchen floor while her four-year-old daughter was unattended there. The woman reportedly became distracted with a phone conversation before the girl started screaming. The woman rushed her daughter to Adan hospital.

Salmiya arrest Hawally police sent a man dressed as a woman to criminal detectives after he was arrested in a women’s-only store in Salmiya. A security source said an Egyptian female worker at the women’s store became suspicious of the man because of his deep voice, so she told him to leave. He became very angry and started beating her before leaving to shop at neighboring stores. The woman told police what happened and they pursued the suspect. Upon checking the suspect’s ID they found out that he was a male and not the female he appeared to be. The suspect was placed under arrest.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

LOCAL

Eid Al-Fitr in Kuwait after the end of Ramadan

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here are two Eids during the year and they constitute major holidays in Kuwait.

The celebration of Eid Al-Fitr, which follows Ramadan, usually takes place over three days.

Throughout Eid, the people will dress in their finest clothes and families will exchange visits and entertain children with outings and monetary gifts or other types of gifts that are not monetary.

Eid Al-Adha, which follows the pilgrimage season, is celebrated in similar fashion, for three days families exchange visits, share meals and treat children to gifts, fun and games.

The Meaning of Eid In its purest sense, the Arabic word ‘Eid’ refers to something that returns and is repeated. It is known as the celebrations that follow two of the major acts that characterize a Muslim - the fast of Ramadan and the pilgrimage (Hajj). The Eids are unique festivals when Muslims celebrate their spirituals progress with worship, charity, socialization and festivity.

Eid Al-Fitr Eid Al-Fitr, (Festival of Breaking the Fast,) is the celebration that follows Ramadan. After a month of abstaining from food, drink, smoking and conjugal relations from dawn to sunset, Muslims celebrate with congregational prayer, chari-

ty and joyful social exchanges. Eid begins on the first day of Shawwal, the 10th month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Following the dawn prayer, the Muslim prepares for the Eid prayer which takes place shortly after sunrise.

He showers, wears his best clothes and has a bite to eat to begin celebrating.

All the while, he may hear around him the people repeating the ‘takbeer’ (praises of God), on their way to the Eid prayer. Then he goes to a large open area of congregational prayers followed by a short sermon. He is joined by men, women and children from his neighborhood. There is a great joy in Eid Al-Fitr, and any Muslim would agree that the joy of breaking the month-long fast is secondary to many other feelings such as thankfulness, remembrance, achievement and peace.

Remembrance The celebration of Eid begins with remembering God first and foremost. The congregational Eid prayer is a time to glorify Him, remember His blessings and generosity, and pray for forgiveness for any shortcomings in one’s fast.

Achievement Every Muslim who completed the fast of Ramadan has a tremendous sense of achievements.

When he abstains from satisfying

the most basic needs and powerful urges of life all day, each day for an entire month, both in public and in private, he develops a level of patience and self-discipline that cannot be achieved easily in any other way. After the fast, he feels he can meet any challenge with resolve, patience and faith.

Peace The discipline and spiritually of Ramadan leaves in the Muslim a profound feeling of peace and satisfaction. This comes from the willful submission to God’s law and from the blessing which emanate from that submission.

Courtesy, AWARE Center The AWARE Center, an acronym of Advocates for Western-Arab Relations caters to Western expatriates in Kuwait by providing a variety of services and facilities to familiarize them with the local culture, and to make their stay in Kuwait more interesting and comfortable. These include Arabic classes, local tours and cultural activities. Cultural information is provided through weekly diwaniyas, monthly lectures, periodical cultural nights, a multimedia library, free publications and an on-line cultural magazine (Together.)

For more information, please call 25335260/80 or log onto: www.aware.com.kw

Winners of GOAL! Skills Ramadan Tournament announced

METCO holds annual iftar

The openning statement by METCO’s Chairman Tawfiq Ahmed Bin Sultan

KUWAIT: Middle East Telecommunications Company (METCO) has invited all employees to attend the company’s Annual Iftar during the Holy Month of Ramadan at Hotel Missoni- Kuwait.

The Iftar gathering covered a brief overview of the achievements of the company that also included a tribute to its employees.

The event started with an opening statement from METCO’s Chairman Tawfiq Ahmed Bin Sultan who congratulated the employees on the Holy Month of Ramadan.

Followed by the Marketing Manager - Farah Tawfiq Ahmed Bin Sultan’s speech thanking the employees who have been loyal to the company for more than 20 years.

Moreover, an overview about METCO’s Strategic Wins and Awards were later presented by the Sales Director- Krikor Tutunjian , who certified Khaldoon Abdou and Hani Idris for their efforts. Furthermore, the Marketing Manager - Farah Tawfiq Ahmed Bin Sultan presented the company’s new HR policies, Marketing initiatives and updated the employees on what has been covered as par t of the ISO 9001:2008 certification program.

At the end of the Iftar, the ISO certificates were distributed to all employees who attended “ISO training sessions” and eight certificates to employees who went through a full day of “ISO Auditing session.”

(From right to left) Bassem A. Jalil- Chief Executive Officer, Tawfiq Ahmed Bin Sultan- Chairman, and Krikor Tutunjian- Sales Director

KUWAIT: Goal! Junior in partnership with 6alabat.com held a press conference on Aug 15 at its Discovery Mall recreational center to announce the winners of the GOAL! Skills Ramadan Tournament first edition.

The tournament participants along with their parents and the media were invited to attend the final game and the prize handover ceremony. Khalid Al-Askar, representing 6alabat.com handed over the prizes to all the winners.

The press conference was conducted and headed by Ghazi Al Hajiri, Goal! Managing Partner, AlHajri congratulated the children on their achievements and thanked all who supported this event, with a

special tribute to 6alabat.com, the Gold Sponsor, followed by the Silver Sponsors, Go Sport and Courier and Mais Aighanim.

Moreover, Al-Hajiri added that “GOAL! Skills game is unique in the country, its objective is to develop and sharpen basic football playing skills while encouraging social interaction, good sportsmanship, fitness abilities and friendly competition. It is certainty a fun football gaming experience. The rules of the game are simple; players/participants must hit moving targets within a 45 seconds period to score points and they can opt for five different individual or head-to-head skills games.

I invite you all to try this thrilling game”. Ghassan Assi General

Manager USC/GOAL, explained “One key element that I would mention is that players need to move from side to side in the game booth, both with and without the ball. This is to ensure they have the best possible chance of hitting the target that is active, and as importantly, that they are in the correct position to receive the re-bound, control the ball and then get the next shot as quickly as possible. This is more efficient and reflects how professionals play these games.”

Information will be posted as well on the USC website, (www.almouttahida.com) For more info, please contact us at: info@goaljunior.com or + 965 226 61 939.

KUWAIT: The Public Relations Department at the Commercial Bank of Kuwait(CBK) visited the elderly care home run by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor(MSAL) to convey Eid Al-Fitr greetings to senior citizens.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

local

KUWAIT: The 2012 Distinguished in Ramadan festival was held recently at the Convention Centre and Royal Suites hotel, sponsored by Sheikh Duaij Al-Khalifa Al-Sabah. The event held for the fifth year in a row rewards actors and TV shows broadcast during the holy month, for top performance based on viewers’ voting. —Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

NBK distributes more than 100,000 Iftar meals during Ramadan

Abdulmohsen Al Rushaid

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) concluded its philanthropic Ramadan campaign which comprised a series of activities and events aimed at encouraging community engagement and solidarity and charity in Kuwait during the holy month of Ramadan.

Abdulmohsen Al Rushaid, NBK Public Relations Manager, said that NBK’s Iftar Banquets, which comes within a well-mapped social program that comprises a multitude of philanthropic activities, was

received this year with remarkable participation at NBK’s tent located opposite to the Grand Mosque in Sharq area. Also, more than 100,000 Iftar meals have been distributed to fasters at various mosques and crowded areas in Kuwait via special convoys and under the supervision of many of NBK staff volunteers.

Al Rushaid stressed that NBK’s Ramadan Banquets campaign represented a new concept of the private sector humanitarian and philanthropic involvement and had

become one of the main pillars of NBK’s corporate social responsibility endeavor.

Al Rushaid added that NBK Ramadan Social Program included also daily quizzes with valued prizes through NBK’s official social media channels on Instagram, daily Ramadan tips on Facebook & Twitter, and visits by NBK’s Public Relations personnel and staff volunteers to NBK Children’s Hospital, as well as the distribution of Gerge’an throughout NBK’s branch network.

Wataniya Telecom, Bayt Lothan put smile on face of children KUWAIT: Wataniya Telecom continued taking some respected initiatives during the month of Ramadan, making sure to participate in various activities among the Kuwaiti society during this holy month. The embodiment of the spirituality of this month comes under the umbrella of its pioneering social responsibility towards the society.

On this occasion, Wataniya Telecom shared the joys of Ramadan with the elderly and people with special needs during a “Ghabqa” held recently, in addition Gergaiaan celebration held for orphaned children in collaboration with BaytLothan. These activities were held in the presence of acting chief executive officer at Wataniya Telecom Engineer Abdulaziz Fakhroo and number of the management representatives.

Commenting on the sponsorship of these events, acting chief executive officer at Wataniya Telecom Engineer Abdulaziz Fakhroo said “Every year, and around this time Wataniya Telecom make sure to share the joys of the month and precisely the Gergaiaan celebration with orphaned children, and enjoys the Ghabqa which is designed and organized especially for the elderly and people with special needs. We are very keen to share the blessing of the month by giving and enhancing the bonds with all segments of society. “ Fakhroo added saying “ Wataniya Telecom is deeply involved in giving back to the various segments of society, and strives to launch more initiatives during the month of Ramadan and the rest of the year”.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

LOCAL kuwait digest

kuwait digest

We don’t need five

Praise for food safety efforts

By Hamad Al-Sarie

By Nawaf Al-Bader

I

T

he efforts of the Ministry of Commerce and the Kuwait municipality are very clear and appreciated in controlling rotten meat sold in stores.

Not announcing the names of those involved is acceptable, if we accept that announcing the identity of those persons might expose those offices to legal questioning in case the court proves them innocent, leaving the government vulnerable to punitive action.

Most of the perishable foodstuff items come either through the airport or through refrigerated containers by sea. Those two places have no laboratories for the Kuwait Municipality to test samples, in order to release the shipment after making sure it is suitable for human consumption.

During the past few years, those offices were able to confiscate tons of rotten food items, most of which was meat found inside stores. To be sure, those confiscated materials should be destroyed under the supervisor of those offices. But there are some people who are behind bringing those unusable foods to Kuwait who should be arrested and put on trial. The identity of those people is not difficult to know, if coordination is made with the Ministry of Interior into who stored the foodstuff material, or who imported it and how it entered Kuwait.

As per my humble knowledge, most of the perishable foodstuff items come either through the airport or through refrigerated containers by sea. Those two places have no laboratories for the Kuwait Municipality to test samples, in order to release the shipment after making sure it is suitable for human consumption. Under the current system, a concerned employee takes a sample and then delivers goods to be sold in stores. The sample is then sent to labs for the final result.

Meanwhile, however, the merchant uses the goods and sells them in the market before he knows whether they are tainted or not. By the time the test results come back, (sometimes taking up to 10 days) stating that the food items are rotten and not fit for human consumption, the goods have already been sold in the market and most of it has reached the stomach of the consumers.

There is a piece of information that I wish was not true: Evidently, some municipal employees receive samples from the customs clearance in charge of clearing the goods without, themselves, going to inspect the goods and taking proper samples. That clearance agent might be delivering clean samples, instead of what is actually in the shipment. — Al-Anbaa

kuwait digest

Everyday is Eid for us

By Khalid Toma

E

id Al-Fitr has arrived after the blessed month of Ramadan so that we can rejoice. While expressing joy varies from one person to another, one thing is for certain: Eid is an opportunity for everyone to express their happiness, reject sorrow and revitalize.

Training our minds to accept happiness all the time makes us positive people who enjoy life know that it will eventually end. Training our minds this way teaches us to remain happy despite the troubles we live with. The whole world is going to end one day. Even feelings of happiness and other feelings do not last forever.

Eid is synonymous with happiness and joy, but that does not mean that we feel unhappy on other days as well. When I was a child, I remember feeling sad whenever Eid holidays near an end. My dad would tell me then that ‘every day is Eid.’ Every day is Eid. Repeating this statement makes us feel that we are not bothered by problems that can disturb the peace we feel. Training our minds to accept happiness all the time makes us positive people who enjoy life know that it will eventually end. Training our minds this way teaches us to remain happy despite the troubles we live with. The whole world is going to end one day. Even feelings of happiness and other feelings do not last forever.

That does not mean that we cannot live in happiness until the end.

Likewise, problems and conflicts are not eternal.

During the 1990/91 invasion period, I felt concerned about how we were going to celebrate the Eid AlFitr that year, and whether our country will be liberated by the time it arrives. By God’s will, we were liberated in February, followed by Ramadan in March and after it, it was Eid. Despite the limited capabilities we had at the time, we found a way to be happy and express our joy.

Today, the political situation filled with tension and threats can be a cause of concern. Come Eid time, however, joy must prevail.

We must realize that optimism is needed, coexistence with problems is necessary, and, remember, every day is Eid. — Al-Rai

kuwait digest

What’s next for the opposition?

By Iqbal Al-Ahmad

A

fter pressure was kept up on Sheikh Nasser AlMohammad Al-Sabah to step down from the prime minister ’s post until he eventually resigned, the opposition has begun to make demands for the ousting of current Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah. However, on behalf of all Kuwaitis who are sick of the continuous tension and chaos that has stopped the country’s development for years, I demand that you, Mr. Ahmad Al-Saadoun, leave.

Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad left office as a result of the opposition’s pressure, and was decent enough to avoid making any immoral statement in response to the huge amount of insults that they made against him. He stepped down quietly without even commenting on anything said about him by people who found strength in making accusations against him.

After that, HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak came. At first, the opposition was cautious as they tested the new premier’s approach. But after seemingly feeling that the rug was being pulled from under their feet, they started making threats demanding that he either comply with their demands or step down.

What’s next for the opposition? How long are we going to continue to have nothing to worry about, except for them? How long are their stories, statements and pictures going to make headlines every day?

No, I demand that you leave, Ahmad Al-Saadoun.

Leave the political scene so we can have some peace.

We are sick and tired of living in constant concern. We are sick and tired of conspiracies. We are sick and tired of you. With all due respect to your personality, age, experience, and to your political and social status, I say it loud and clear that we’ve grown sick and tired of the never-ending drama that you stand on top of.

We need political stability, economic recovery and social peace. We want to focus on restoring national unity. We want to turn our country back to being the land of tolerance that it’s been known for since its establishment. We want the spirit of honorable competition to return so that achievements can return, as well. We want schools and hospitals that we can be

We need political stability, economic recovery and social peace.

We want to focus on restoring national unity. We want to turn our country back to being the land of tolerance that it’s been known for since its establishment. We want the spirit of honorable competition to return so that achievements can return, as well.

proud of, just like the good old days. We need to be able to take the next step forward because people like you and the opposition have kept us in the same place for years.

Leave, Mr. Al-Saadoun, because we need peace today more than any time before. I say it in a loud voice that is louder than Musallam Al-Barrak’s, along with thousands of citizens: We are sick and tired of the continuous case of anxiety created by you.

The Kuwaiti people agree with the government’s step to refer the electoral law to the constitutional law, and do you know why? Because this is a legal procedure in which the final say is given to the judiciary to make. If the opposition doesn’t like handling things the right way, they can simply leave and look for somewhere else to achieve their personal goals - as long as that place isn’t Kuwait. — Al-Qabas

kuwait digest

Constitutional emirate

By Ahmad Al-Dayeen

A

fter the last press release issued by the majority group in the 2012 council, which included the call to activate the “constitutional emirate”, media declarations rejecting this call started to appear again, including the declarations of some of the members of this group, themselves. The call for activation of the “constitutional emirate” is shown as if it is a call to revolt against the constitution and the Amiri system, although the opposite might be true.

Kuwait continues to move forward since its first step towards a “constitutional emirate”, after the approval of the 1962 constitution.

Before that, the emirate was a traditional one and at certain times resembled some kind of “Showra” (consulting house). After independence, the constitution was written to begin the foundation for building the modern Kuwaiti state, under an Amiri constitutional system. Through that document, the authorities here have been chosen by constitutional means and limited by its rules. Under the constitution, His Highness the Amir could no longer exercise his authority directly, but instead began implementing his authority through his ministers under a constitutional equation of two parts.

Kuwait is an inherited emirate from the descendants of the late Mubarak Al-Sabah, as per article four of the Constitution. At the

same time, the ruling system in Kuwait is a democratic one which aims to guarantee serenity for the nation, the source of all authority, as per article 6 of the Constitution.

I don’t think that those who refuse the “call for activating the constitutional emirate” based upon their good intentions are aware that by doing that, they also refuse, without any intention, to support the current constitutional state. By rejecting this call, they may unwittingly bring us back to pre-constitution-Kuwait where full authority is entrusted to only one, and, of course, this is not what they want.

The regrettable thing on the other side is that most of those who call for the constitutional emirate adhere to a system that is not even complete yet. As the upper side of it is like the case in the royal constitutional systems, so this is achieved under the democratic Parliamentary system. Therefore, instead of dealing with the constitutional emirate as a political slogan, which is not clear, the required path should be a clear program for the democratic political reform to set the foundation to move our constitutional system from the middle position between the Parliamentary and royal system, to the full Parliamentary system; a system that effectively avoids the simple argument between the callers for the “constitutional emirate” and its detractors.

The move to the full

Parliamentary system is based historically on the important discussions that took place in 1962 among the member of the committee preparing the constitution in the first council. The majority of them were in favor of the Parliamentary system, while Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah, alone, insisted on the royal system, until it was temporarily agreed to reach a settlement under the “minimum constitution”.

Thus, the Parliamentary system is the result of the democratic development for inherited systems in the world kingdoms and emirates, including Jordan and Morocco.

Even still, all this happened following a line of development which has some contradictions and fighting. The more important issue of raising the slogan of “constitutional emirate”, and the dispute about it, is to put forward all efforts to enact a due democratic law to approve political parties. It is not possible to imagine a democratic system of any kind with the absence of political parties.

Hopefully, in conjunction with the next N.A. Council, there could be a consensus to put a just election system in place which is based upon a percentage representation.

Those are democratic demands, tangible and possible to achieve, instead of the useless fighting about a general slogan whose meaning is mixed and misunderstood. — Alam Al-Yaum

t used to be that those calling for an elected popular government, over the past few years, were considered similar to those promoting Christianity in Kuwait! Yet today this has become the demand of some political powers, heavyweight members of parliament, youth movements, as well as many politicians. This is because we are still a long way from having an elected popular government and need to take many large steps to get there.

I personally support this demand, but not now and not soon! This is due to the need for taking smaller doses of democracy and politics until we can reach the stage when we become sure that the leadership will be held by competent politicians who work for all Kuwaitis and don’t consider one group over another.

Among the most important demands on the way to achieving full democracy, or a constitutional emirate and elected government, is holding elections with one constituency, and not the way they are now. We don’t need five, nor ten and certainly not 25 constituencies, because all of the elections that have taken place from our independence until today have achieved social equality and justice. This is one of the pillars of our society and mentioned in article 29 of Kuwait’s constitution. Therefore, there must be one constituency and one vote so that the individual can be totally responsible for his choice and realize that he has one vote with which he builds the future of his homeland and children.

It was sad to hear a friend from the fifth constituency saying that he reserved two votes for MPs with popular political stands (as he sees them) and two votes for transactional MPs! The choice and distribution should be fair and relative so that the results of the elections can also be truly fair. Kuwait should declare one constituency political party; and although some are describing it as being destructive for the country, those promoting this idea are from the “old guard”!

The current situation on the ground is similar to the parties in a different way. We have the constitutional movement, the Salaf Gathering, which includes political Islamic factions (which are parties in a different way), liberals, the popular faction, the Islamic Justice Bloc and some Shiite MPs who belong to certain political ideologies.

The presence of parties organizes activities and steers political factions towards preparing clear and definite political programs and only makes us submit to the state’s supervision, and we should look at the many positive results countries operating with a one party system enjoy. The most important steps towards an elected government are putting in place the one constituency and party, along with a number of laws and amendments promised by the parliamentary majority, as they are, all in all, positive for the country. In a few years we can then hopefully move to an elected government. — Al-Jarida

kuwait digest

Tell us, what’s happening here

By Thaar Al-Rashidi

A

ll over the world, people are looking for the one who can read and predict their future. People by nature are looking for the one who tells them about what the coming days hold for them. They are looking for the one who can predict the shape of the future, even if it is a pack of lies.

We don’t want to know what the state will look like in 2035.

We just want to know what is happening now, in August 2012; and with our hazy reality and our unclear present, we don’t need politicians to write down their theories.

Today in Kuwait, however, people are looking for the one who can tell them what is happening in our current time. We don’t want to know the future for any five or ten year plans. We don’t want to know what the state will look like in 2035. We just want to know what is happening now, in August 2012; and with our hazy reality and our unclear present, we don’t need politicians to write down their theories. All that we need is a fortune teller to tell us what our present is hiding from us!

It seems to me that we are the only people in the whole world who do not know their present. We do not know what is happening, and if we do we don’t know the reason. The threads are mixed up and complicated to the extent that clear vision has become impossible. Honest people are liars, and liars are the ones who tell the truth — this is part of the state of affairs we are in these days. The truth is absent, but it is hidden on purpose, and people are living in a state of reality in which nothing is understood. I am not saying that everyone does not know exactly what is happening, but there are few who do. Some of our mouths are full of water and some of our mouths are full of money.

Therefore, the truth is absent or it has been hidden, as there really is no difference.

The majority are not like those that show a number of devils. They are part of our good political activities, I repeat: the good political activities. Their presence is a healthy sign and to return them to the Parliament is necessary for those who want the state to be on a reform track. Therefore, attacking them comes only from the ones benefiting from corruptions. I don’t want to talk from up high about the majority, but they are the best among the political scene, which is in a state of confusion.

NOTE: The silent people in Kuwait are two kinds: the kind with their mouths full of water and the other with their mouths full of money. — Al-Anbaa

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

Assange diplomatic row spreads before statement Page 10

Ryan wraps up whirlwind first week as VP pick Page 9

SANAA: Yemeni volunteers prepare to bury the bodies of unidentified people who were killed during the clashes between government forces and tribal militants at a mass funeral in Sanaa. — AP

Attack kills 19 Yemen soldiers Militants step up attacks on government targets ADEN: Suspected Al-Qaeda militants killed 19 soldiers in a rocket attack and suicide bombing yesterday that targeted intelligence headquarters in the main southern city of Aden, a security official said. “The death toll has increased to 19 soldiers while nine soldiers and three civilians were wounded,” the official told AFP. A medical source confirmed the toll. The security official had said earlier that three soldiers were killed by a “car bomb driven by (a) suicide bomber into the courtyard of the intelligence building”, while the others were killed in a rocket and gun attack. “The attack is the work of Al-Qaeda elements,” he said, requesting anonymity.

The same official had said that masked gunmen “used machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades” in the attack in the Tawahi coastal neighbourhood of Aden. The militants

attacked in two groups, with one targeting the south side of the complex and the other attacking the west side, next to the state television building. The official said that many of the soldiers were asleep when the militants hurled hand grenades into their room. Nine soldiers were wounded, and three television employees, among them two women, were also hurt, he said. The militants managed to escape. Witnesses said they saw two armoured vehicles on fire at the gate of the television offices. Al-Qaeda militants remain active in southern Yemen, where separatist militants also attack security forces, pressing their demands for renewed independence for the south. South Yemen was a separate state before unification with the north in 1990. The United States has been pouring aid into Yemen to stem the threat of attacks from Al-Qaeda in

the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and to try to prevent any spillover of violence into neighbouring Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter.

Last year, a US-backed offensive drove AlQaeda offshoot Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law) from cities they seized in an uprising against former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. Suspected militants have carried out a series of deadly suicide bombings on high-profile military and security targets since June, attacking a police academy in Sanaa, assassinating the commander of the southern region, and trying to kill the commander of a tribal force allied with the army. Washington has responded by stepping up its drone strikes on AQAP, which was behind several failed attacks on the United States, including an attempt to blow up an airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day in 2009.

Brazil worker survives iron bar piercing skull

RIO DE JANEIRO: This tomography scan shows the skull of 24-yearold construction worker Eduardo Leite pierced by a metal bar. — AP

RIO DE JANEIRO: A 24-year-old construction worker survived after a 6-foot metal bar fell from above and pierced his head, doctors said Friday. Luiz Alexandre Essinger, chief of staff at Rio de Janeiro’s Miguel Couto Hospital, said doctors successfully withdrew the iron bar from Eduardo Leite’s skull during a five-hour surgery. “He was taken to the operating room, his skull was opened, they examined the brain and the surgeon decided to pull the metal bar out from the front in the same direction it entered the brain.” Essinger said. He said Leite was conscious when he arrived at the hospital and told him what had happened. He said Leite was lucid and showed no negative consequences after the operation.

“Today, he continues well, with few complaints for a five-hour-long surgery,” Essinger said. “He says he feels little pain.” The bar fell from the fifth floor of a building under construction, went through Leite’s

hard hat, entered the back of his skull and exited between his eyes, Essinger said, adding: “It really was a miracle” that Leite survived. The accident and surgery took place on Wednesday. “They told me he was lying down (in the ambulance) with the bar pointing upward,” said Leite’s wife, Lilian Regina da Silva Costa. “He was holding it and his face covered in blood. His look was as if nothing had happened. When he arrived he told the doctors he wasn’t feeling anything, no pain, nothing. It’s unbelievable.”

Ruy Monteiro, the hospital’s head of neurosurgery, told the Globo T V network that Leite escaped by just a few centimeters from losing one eye and becoming paralyzed on the left side of his body. He said the bar entered a “non-eloquent” area of the brain, an area that doesn’t have a specific, major known function. Leite is expected to remain hospitalized for at least two weeks. — AP

Jesse Robredo

Plane carrying Philippines interior secretary crashes MANILA: A light plane carrying Philippine Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo crashed into the sea yesterday while attempting an emergency landing. At least one person was rescued but Robredo and the two pilots were missing, officials said.

Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas II told DZBB radio that the Cessna 172 plane took off from central Cebu city and was heading to Robredo’s hometown of Naga city in Camarines Sur province when the pilot informed the Masbate airport that it would make an emergency landing. The plane was unable to reach the airport and crashed into the sea. He said an aide of Robredo was able to jump out and was rescued.

Robredo is one of the members of the Cabinet closest to President Benigno

Aquino III and helped his election campaign in 2010. The interior secretary is in charge of the Philippine National Police and local government units. Interior Undersecretary Rico Puno said he and Robredo attended a gathering of civilian volunteers assisting in police work in Cebu.

After the event, the secretary took the plane for Naga, he said. “Later, we got a call from the aide that their plane had developed engine trouble and they needed help,” Puno said. The coast guard said the plane crashed about 1.8 km from the shore close to Masbate airport. Rescue workers were searching the waters off Masbate city, about 380 km southwest of Manila, for Robredo and the two pilots but had to halt the underwater search because of darkness, Puno said. —AP

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

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

Syria revolt attracts motley foreign jihadi corps ALEPPO: A fighter returns to a Free Syrian Army safe house after a shift on the Aleppo frontline, cranks up the volume of the television, lights a cigarette and looks at himself in a broken mirror. “Anyone got hair gel? I look a mess.” Meet Abu Zeid Al-Tunsi, a Tunisian elite sniper and the group’s official jihadi troubadour. Syria’s rebellion has attracted fighters from dozens of countries but their motivation do not always fit the Al-Qaeda mold, making for a colourful and multilingual crew with some very personal interpretations of jihad, or holy war.

Abu Zeid, who also fought alongside Libya’s rebels last year to help bring an end to Muammar Gaddafi 42-year rule, describes himself as a “freelance” jihadi fighter who does not belong to any group. President “Bashar al-Assad and his people are Shiite and it is my duty to help in restoring true Islam, Sunni Islam,” he explains, gulping down a bottle of ice-cold mandarin crush. “I leave my country when I have to, to wage jihad, then I go home. It’s my personal decision, I don’t need a flag for my struggle and I just hook up with whoever needs my expertise,” Abu Zeid says.

His loose observance of the dawn-to-dusk fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan would likely bar him from joining some of the more radical Islamist groups sheltering many of Syria’s foreign jihadi corps. The Free Syrian Army is an alliance of loosely-connected brigades operating under the theoretical leadership of a Turkey-based group of defecting army officers who have generally condemned the emergence of jihadi groups. But many Syrian FSA rank-and-file argue they need all the help they can get. “Groups such as Ahrar al-Sham, Liwa alTawhid, Fajr al-Islam, Jabat al-Nusra have experienced fighters who are like the revolution’s elite

commando troops,” says Abu Haidar, a Syrian FSA coordinator in Aleppo’s Saif al-Dawla district. “The rest of the world isn’t helping us, they are,” says the chain-smoking fighter during a lull in the shelling.

“They are not all Al-Qaeda, many are just volunteers

ed fighter is rushed in to a makeshift clinic in Saif alDawla. Once the rebel is successfully treated and bandaged, Abu Zeid breaks into song and many of the young Syrians from the neighbourhood join in joyfully. He finishes his song, picks up his black and

ALEPPO: Syrian opposition fighters take part in battles against Syrian government forces in the Karm alTarab neighborhood on Friday. — AFP who want Syria to be freed.” Abu Zeid is best known in the group as the nasheed (Islamic songs) singer.

“When I’m back home, I go on the Internet and find the latest nasheed. I write the lyrics down on a piece of paper and learn the melodies,” he says. A wound-

grey sniper rifle and, a broad smile on his face, skips out the door to return to the frontline, giving a quick bow like an artist between rounds of applause.

“Those little singing sessions are good for our morale,” says Abu Khaled, a young volunteer at the

clinic. Moments later, a young rebel fighter with a slight injury to his hand walks in. Nobody has ever seen him. “Does anyone speak Turkish?” He is from Azerbaijan, speaks no Arabic and lost his way after being separated from the rest of his unit during clashes. “I saw some footage on television of the war and decided to come here to help the Syrians fight Bashar,” he says. “It’s the first time I do this.” Later that day, a fighter from Turkey rolled up demanding treatment for a minor wound and the pair eventually spend the night chatting and resting in the clinic before leaving together the next morning.

Some foreign fighters’ reasons for being on the Syrian frontline are even more obscure. Abu Mohamed, is a Dutch-Iraqi fighter who never talks to anyone and regularly returns from the front to sleep under the clinic’s air conditioner or read the Holy Quran. He left his wife and two children in the Netherlands to join the battle a few weeks earlier. He claims he belongs to no particular group but sometimes links up with the foreign-dominated Jabat alNusra (Support Front). “I like to work alone, that’s it.

But sometimes I get tired so I come here. I don’t want to talk about it,” he says.

Abu Mohamed, a big bear of a man always dressed in a traditional dishdasha robe, picks up his Kalashnikov and ammunition and walks wearily up the stairs from the basement clinic. Ahmad, a young FSA supporter from the district whose role model is tennis player Roger Federer and who sometimes stands guard outside the clinic at night, watches Abu Mohamed walk down the street, all by himself, straight into the shelling zone. “He never wants help but he’s helpful to us. We’re not quite sure what’s going on inside his head but we just let him be,” says Ahmad. — AFP

Fighting deeply scars Aleppo neighborhoods Tens of thousands have fled the city

FORT MYER, Virginia: In this May 26, 2006 file photo, Army Lt Gen William E Kip Ward is administered the oath of four-star general, the Army’s highest rank of general. — AP

Report accuses US general of lavish travel, spending WASHINGTON: The four-star general who headed US Africa Command used military vehicles to shuttle his wife on shopping trips and to a spa and billed the government for a refueling stop overnight in Bermuda, where the couple stayed in a $750 suite, a Defense Department investigation has found. A 99page report alleges excessive unauthorized spending and travel costs for Gen William “Kip” Ward, including lengthy stays at lavish hotels for Ward, his wife and his staff members, and the use of five-vehicle motorcades when he traveled to Washington.

It also said that Ward and his wife, Joyce, accepted dinner and Broadway show tickets from a government contractor during a trip on which he went backstage to meet actor Denzel Washington and they and several staff members spent two nights at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The allegations, coming after a 17-month investigation, deliver an embarrassing blow to the Army and to Ward, who had claimed a place in history as the military’s first commander of US Africa Command.

“We conclude Gen Ward engaged in multiple forms of misconduct related to official and unofficial travel,” the inspector general’s report said. “He conducted official travel for primarily personal reasons and misused” military aircraft. It said he also misused his position and his staff’s time and received reimbursement for travel expenses that far exceeded the approved daily military rate without approval. Ward, who is facing possible demotion for his activities, also could be forced to repay the government. The report said that there is an additional review going on to determine reimbursement for unofficial travel and daily travel costs that exceeded approved levels. It is not clear whether he could face criminal charges.

In comments throughout the report, Ward defended the spending, saying his wife performed official duties on all the trips. But investigators, who pored over emails, calendar entries and other documents, disagreed.

Ward also said he was unaware that the person who gave him dinner and theater tickets in New York was a defense contractor. Ward said the Bermuda layover was necessary as a “crew stop” and blamed his staff for making the decision to stay there rather than flying on to Stuttgart, Germany-based Africa Command. The report by the Defense Department’s inspector general was obtained Friday by AP. A prominent complaint in the report concerned Ward and his wife’s use of staff to run personal errands, traveling in governmentrented cars. One alleged incident involved Joyce Ward asking a staff member to go buy her a bag of “dark chocolate Snickers” bars, saying the general would provide “a couple of dollars” for it. Another time, staff drove her to a spa appointment and on other occasions they were asked to pick up books, gifts, sports tickets and baby items, the report said.

US officials said Ward was warned several times by staff that his activities were wrong, to no avail. Instead, he appeared to reject their concerns and find ways to get around them. In one case, Ward’s request to use mili-

tary aircraft for a personal trip was denied, so he abruptly changed the trip to an official one, adding a quick meeting, and went anyway, the report said. During one 11-day trip to Washington, Ward spent one day visiting wounded soldiers, had a 90-minute meeting on another day and a State Department meeting on a third day but billed the Pentagon more than $129,000 to cover the daily hotel and other costs for him, his wife and 13 civilian and military staff, investigators found. The report concluded he did no other official business during that trip.

Investigators said Ward often extended his overseas trips - particularly those to the US - for personal reasons, resulting in “exponential” increases in costs. Although the report includes responses from Ward to a number of the allegations, investigators often found records and statements that contradicted his explanations. At one point, Ward defended the Bermuda layover, saying that it came up on short notice, which is why his security team had to stay there longer.

The report found records showing that the layover had been planned for at least four days in advance.

A common theme running through the report was Ward’s insistence that his wife travel with him at government cost, even though it was often not authorized and she performed few official duties. It said he also routinely stayed in high-priced suites in luxury hotels rather than in standard rooms or less expensive locales. And his staff - which can include advance and security teams often traveled days prior to his arrival, including on the Bermuda stop, and stayed after he departed, according to the report. The cost of rooms in Bermuda for Ward and his staff came to more than $10,000, not including meals, transportation or other costs.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is expected to make a decision on Ward’s fate before the end of the month. Ward also came under fire for “needless and extravagant” gifts he distributed to others, including farewell tokens, holiday parties and souvenir books.

The report said he gave engraved pewter letter openers to Africa Command staff at a farewell event. Half of the 100 openers were inscribed with: “Presented by Gen William E Ward” on one side and “Improve the Foxhole-Make Your Teammates Better” on the other. The other 50 were inscribed with the Africa Command crest.

He also spent about $34,000 on holiday parties in 2009 and 2010 and spent nearly $6,000 plus airfare to bring a staff member from the US to Stuttgart for nearly a month in order to help plan the party in 2010. And he spent $14,000 to print a book that memorialized his time at Africa Command. Ward told investigators that he was told the spending was appropriate. While the exact amount of alleged misspending was not disclosed, the estimated total evokes comparisons with the $823,000 purportedly spent by dozens of employees of the General Services Administration who were accused of lavish spending during an October 2010 conference at a Las Vegas resort. —AP

ALEPPO: Entire neighborhoods of Syria’s largest city bear battle scars: buildings toppled by government shells, charred tanks blown up by rebels and trash-strewn no-man’s lands where neither side has full control after nearly a month of deadly street battles. Ruin and tragedy can come in an instant. On Friday, a government fighter jet blasted the top three floors of a fivestory apartment building, killing a mother, father and their three boys. Buried in the rubble was a newlywed couple who moved in on their wedding night two months ago.

Rebel fighters crawled through collapsed debris and punched holes in walls while searching the building for Mohammed Ezzo, his wife Ola, and anyone else that might be there. Across the street, the groom’s father gazed at the building and wailed into his hands. “The top floor and the floor below it and the floor below that, they all fell on top of them!” cried Munir Ezzo, 70. The destruction, witnessed by AP during a visit to the city Friday, have transformed Aleppo, a city of around 4 million that for much of Syria’s 17month-old conflict, was considered a bastion of support for the regime of President Bashar Assad. Tens of thousands - as many as 200,000 by one UN estimate - have fled the city.

Assad’s forces are turning to attack helicopters and fighter jets to dislodge rebels who have held out through weeks of fighting and clash daily with government troops. Rebels moved into the city last month after pushing the army from most towns between the city and the Turkish border to the north, “liberating” neighborhoods from the city’s northwest to its southwest corner, many of them largely Sunni Muslim districts that support the uprising.

Rebels now claim to hold more than half of the city. But very few fighters were seen in a number of opposition neighborhoods Friday, indicating that rebel “control” is tenuous at best.

The army still holds much of the city’s core and northwest, and its helicopters and fighter jets control the skies, forcing residents to avoid open areas or stay home. Friday’s fighting centered in the city’s southwest corner and near its airport, some 15 kilometers southeast of the city’s historic center. Syria’s state news agency said that “armed terrorist groups” - regime shorthand for the rebels - had been pushed from both sides of the airport. The report did not specify whether it meant the international airport or the adjacent military airfield.

Several neighborhoods feel empty, even for a weekend day of Friday during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Pickup trucks piled high with mattresses, washing machines and bags of clothing plied a highway north of the city as more families fled, either for safer villages or the Turkish border, 40 km away. In most places, few shops are open. Just one barber shop was open for business on one main street; the rest of the block’s stores had their metal shutters down.

“Those who are still here are those with no

ALEPPO: A Syrian man mourns the death of relatives after they were killed in an air strike during fighting between opposition fighters and Syrian government forces in the Tarik al-Bab neighborhood on Friday. — AFP money to pay their way out and little food to take with them,” said Mahmoud Bakkour, who sat with a dozen other rebels at a plastic table under a highway overpass in the Shaar neighborhood. “They have put their trust in God.” Bakkour boasted that rebel control was solid, putting the fight in the Islamic terms common among Aleppo’s fighters. “We are fighting the world with the words, ‘There is no god but God,’” he said, citing the Muslim declaration of faith. Under his breath, another fighter added, “We have very little ammunition.” Bakkour’s men face few direct challenges on the ground, but can do nothing to protect the area from government air and artillery strikes.

The day before, an artillery shell exploded, spraying crowds of people waiting in line at the Qadi Askar bakery with shrapnel. Some 35 were killed and more than 50 were wounded, medics said. Nevertheless, customers were back Friday, forming lines more than 100 m long at each of the bakery’s windows. Hussein Araj, 34, said he’d been waiting with his two daughters, aged 6 and 9, for more than an hour. Like many others, he’d come from other neighborhoods because his local bakery had closed, lacking supplies.

Many of those killed and wounded in the area end up at Dar al-Shifa, a private clinic now operating as a rebel field hospital. A pickup screeched to the hospital’s door and a fighter rushed in Friday, pressing his palm to his forehead to stop a wound from bleeding. Rebels carried in another man whose groin was soaked red with blood, his clothing torn and hands splayed out on the back of a wooden wagon. The hospi-

tal had received more than 50 dead and 100 wounded the day before - the numbers higher than usual in part because of the bakery blast said Younes, a doctor who gave only his first name, fearing for his safety.

Friday looked like it was going to be a “normal” day, he said, which would mean about eight dead and a few dozen injured. One patient, 50-year-old Jamal Mahmoud, came in after shrapnel from a government shell tore a walnut-sized chunk from his arm. He said he’d always lived in the city and wouldn’t flee. “The regime needs to leave, not us,” he said. On the sidewalk across the street, a man wept over four bodies wrapped in striped blankets. They held the mother and her three boys killed in the same airstrike that killed the newlyweds. Their father’s body would arrive shortly after.

Aleppo carries major symbolic and strategic value. It is the main hub of northern Syria and close to the northern countryside where rebels organize and bring in supplies from Turkey.

Rebels have sought to control the city’s center, which would further undermine government claims that its professional army can easily quash rebel forces. “Those who think that the Syrian Arab army will be defeated are dreaming,” Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem told state TV on Thursday. Along with Aleppo, the regime has been struggling to put down rebels in the capital, Damascus. In July, regime forces crushed a major attempt by rebels to take control of several parts of Damascus. But even after declaring victory, the government has faced frequent clashes there. —AP

In Somalia, presidential election with few voters MOGAIDHU: Somali leaders are on the verge of naming a new parliament that is supposed to elect a president by tomorrow, but it’s hard to find any ordinary Somalis excited by the political changes: They don’t have the right to vote.

Tomorrow marks the end of eight years of rule by a UN-backed leadership structure known as the Transitional Federal Government. Somali leaders this weekend are finalizing the names on a new 275-member parliament, whose members are supposed to vote in a new president. About 24 candidates are running for president. The president will then choose a prime minister.

Many of the candidates for president - including current President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali and the parliament speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden - already serve in a government that has

been hammered by corruption allegations.

Behind-the-scenes political efforts involving bribes and intimidation appear to have marred the selection of the parliament. The UN has warned repeatedly of “spoilers” in the political process. “I don’t think there’ll be a difference because the same people are still here and the election may not be fair,” said Abdinur Yusuf, a Mogadishu resident. “We only care about stability, so we pray peace will prevail and corruption will come to an end.”

Though residents can’t vote, political campaigns are still in high gear, as candidates try to win last-minute political points in hopes of leading this war-scarred Horn of Africa nation.

Election posters hang on buildings and from cars.

Candidates have bought political ads on local TV and radio, and higher-end hotels are hosting

campaign ceremonies. The candidates are pledging good governance and the preservation of women’s rights. “They pledge and break promises when they are elected. That’s normal,” Habiba Yusuf, a 62-year-old refugee and a mother of four, said. “Nothing is beyond lip service for them. May Allah bring us a talented president, because without it we won’t be out of misery and insecurity.”

Augustine Mahiga, the UN envoy to Somalia, said the U.N. continues to receive credible information from Somali and international sources that some Somali leaders are using bribery, intimidation and violence to influence the selection parliament. He expressed “deep concern” that the board known as the Technical Selection Committee, which is helping decide who can be on the parliament, is being targeted by “negative elements”. —AP

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

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

Battle far from over for US immigrants who get deferrals MIAMI/LOS ANGELES: The Obama administration’s new policy to grant temporary legal status to millions of young illegal immigrants will end the immediate threat of deportation but may not give them the same privileges as legal residents. Within hours of the policy’s going into effect on Wednesday, Arizona’s Republican governor, Jan Brewer, issued an executive order denying public benefits such as driver ’s licenses to illegal immigrants who are given temporary legal status. The move

by Arizona, which has already clashed with the federal government over a tough immigration crackdown the state passed in 2010, marks its latest challenge to the federal government on immigration policy, with the potential for other states to follow suit.

Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman, a Republican, issued a statement on Friday saying the state will continue to deny driver’s licenses, welfare benefits and other public benefits to illegal immigrants even if they are granted temporar y legal status. Most states, with California and Texas the notable exceptions, deny in-state tuition rates at public universities to illegal immigrants and that won’t change for those getting deferrals unless states take action on their own. Texas Governor Rick Perry, a Republican, criticized the Obama policy

but appeared to stop short of barring “deferred action” immigrants from obtaining licenses.

Beneficiaries of the new policy should be able to obtain licenses in most states - Arizona and Nebraska being exceptions. The larger-than-expected numbers of youths lining up to claim the two-year “deferred action” are stretching the capacity of immigrant advocacy groups to handle requests for assistance. The Obama administration says the new policy is part of an effort to transform immigration enforcement by focusing resources on the deportation of illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds.

The new rules, dubbed “deferred action for childhood arrivals”, shield illegal immigrants aged 15 to 30 from deportation for at least two years and allow them to obtain work permits. To be eligible, immigrants must have been younger than 16 when they came to the United States, have lived in the country since June 15, 2007, and have not been convicted of a felony. Applicants must also be enrolled in high school or have successfully graduated. The federal policy change has been warmly received by Latino leaders but has been derided by some Republicans as “backdoor amnesty” designed to please Hispanic voters ahead of the November election.

In Florida, Monica Lazaro, 19, recog-

nizes “the perks” that come with being able to live openly in the United States without facing the threat of deportation.

She doesn’t want to sound ungrateful for the work permit, driver’s license and Social Security card she can now obtain in Florida. But that still won’t help her achieve her educational goals. “I’m not going to complain, but I still don’t know how I’m going to finish my education,” said Lazaro, who was 9 when she came to the United States from Honduras.

Lazaro graduated from high school in Miami with college credits, and with the help of an anonymous benefactor enrolled as a biology major in Miami Dade College’s honors program. Without the financial support of her mystery benefactor, she could not afford the fall tuition of $6,300, she said. But she worries what will happen after she completes her two-year associate’s degree next summer. “After that I’m back in the limbo,” she said. “Deferred action is just a small stepping stone in the right direction.” Lazaro’s mother died of cancer in June at age 40 and her father can’t afford to send her to a university at out-of-state rates. Her dream is to go to medical school to study to be a doctor, but only permanent residents can practice medicine. The same applies to practicing law or teaching. Federal law would have to change for Lazaro to be eligible for in-

state tuition in Florida, said Diane McCain, director of external relations for the state’s university system. Under federal law, states are only obliged to provide basic services such as emergency health and K-12 education, said Ann Morse, director of the Immigrant Policy Project at the National Conference of State Legislatures. “If we are not going to support them after K through 12 what do we do with them?” she asked. “This decision by the administration really brings that to the fore.”

While a dozen states have expressed interest in providing support, such as instate college tuition rates, to the children of illegal immigrants, others have rejected the idea. A Maryland law that makes illegal immigrants eligible for in-state tuition has been held up pending a referendum vote in November. “For years we’ve tried to persuade the Florida legislature,” said Cheryl Little, director of the Miami-based Americans for Immigrant Justice. “It’s a huge problem. That’s why the Dream Act is so necessary,” she added, referring to legislation stalled in Congress that would put students who are illegal immigrants on a path to permanent residency.

While immigration advocates welcome the relaxed rules they now find themselves over whelmed by the demand for their services from immi-

grants seeking advice on how to file. “We are stretched to the limit,” said Little, noting some have trouble scraping together the $465 filing fee. At the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), where a crowd of more than 1,000 young illegal immigrants and their parents flooded the offices on Wednesday seeking advice on applying for a deferral, spokesman Jorge-Mario Cabrera said the turnout was five times greater than expected.

“This is historic,” said CHIRLA organizer Antonio Bernabe, adding that his group had not seen so many people seeking advice since a federal amnesty program in 1986. As many as 950,000 people currently qualify for the temporary program, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. That number could rise to 1.7 million when factoring in youths under 15 who could qualify in the future, as well as dropouts who could qualify by re-enrolling in school, the group said.

When the Obama administration announced the new policy in June it estimated that only 800,000 would be eligible. “You just don’t know when you are dealing with people who are undocumented,” said Christopher Bentley, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security. “These are mostly people who have been living in the shadows.” — Reuters

Ryan wraps whirlwind first week as veep pick VP candidate releases two years of tax returns

LASSEN NATIONAL PARK, California: Richard ‘Bo’ Bolton, a timber feller, cuts down trees burned in the Reading Fire along Highway 89 on Friday. The National Park Service is felling trees that burned in the fire to prepare the road for possible reopening this weekend. — AP

US residents go home near fire, still ‘on edge’ SPOKANE, Washington: As hundreds of residents in Washington and California were allowed to return to homes once threatened by major wildfires, some people were told to evacuate as encroaching blazes neared Idaho towns. The towns of Pine and Featherville remained in the path of a 113square-mile wildfire that has been burning for two weeks. Authorities had been asking residents to prepare to leave. “It’s a very active, very dangerous fire,” said fire information officer Steve Till. Crews “were prepared for it but civilians are probably much better not being here.”

Till said Friday that projections show the fire could reach the towns within 24 to 36 hours. The blaze has also stranded the tiny town of Atlanta to the north because the roads leading in and out of it were under threat, he said. Authorities also warned residents to leave ahead of a nearing wildfire in Custer County. The sheriff’s office told some residents that if they did not evacuate by Friday evening, officials could not guarantee their safety. To the west, many residents in Washington state were returning to the south and east sides of a 35-square mile blaze near the town of Cle Elum in the Cascade Range, about 75 miles east of Seattle. That fire burned out of control for

much of the week, destroying burned 48 residential properties and 15 other structures on the east side of the Cascades.

“Some people will find their homes there and others will find homes damaged or even lost,” said Mick Mueller, a spokesman at the fire command center.

About 900 firefighters and eight helicopters were still building a line around the fire, which started Monday at a bridge construction project and exploded through dry grass, brush and trees. More than 400 people fled their homes. “The folks will have to be working among fallers dropping hazardous trees and utility crews working to get the power back on in there,” Mueller said. “And firefighters are still working in there trying to put out hot spots.” Fire danger remained high in the area, with hot, dry weather and a chance for storms and lightning expected yesterday evening. “We’re kind of on edge about that,” Mueller said.

Crews in California made progress on some of the nearly dozen wildfires burning across that state. About 400 residents were allowed to return home in a rural area of San Diego County in the southern part of the state. Flames came within a half-mile of some houses but none burned in the communities of Ranchita and San Felipe. — AP

Rare provision in US bias case aims to heal wounds PHILADELPHIA: A recently settled racial discrimination lawsuit involving dozens of Hispanic and black city children who said they were shunned by a swim club in an overwhelmingly white suburban neighborhood includes an unusual provision that aims to heal the wounds caused by the ordeal. The settlement, which still needs to be approved in US Bankruptcy Court, calls for $65,000 to be set aside to be used on joint activities between parents and children from the Creative Steps day camp in Philadelphia and The Valley Club in Huntington Valley.

The Creative Steps camp had paid $1,950 for 65 mostly black and Hispanic children to swim each Monday afternoon at the gated swim club, set on a leafy hillside straddling two overwhelmingly white townships. But after the group arrived for its first visit on June 29, 2009, several children reported hearing racial comments and seeing some white swim club members pulling their children out of the pool. The club told the children not to return, and the day camp’s payment was refunded.

Parents and children from the camp and swim club are looking forward to planning activities together, attorneys said Friday. “The hopes are that both sides will come together, hold events together,” said Brian Mildenberg, an attorney for Creative Steps. “Swimming, field trips, going places together, maybe day camps, just to be kids together, learn about each other and interact with one another.”

Between 15 and 20 parents have agreed to participate and “want this outreach to work

on healing what happened that day”, he said.

The money will be held by the federal district court in Pennsylvania and, upon application by the group, could be released to pay for events. Such remedies are unusual in lawsuits, but this one came about at the urging of the parties involved, Mildenberg’s co-counsel Gabriel Levin said. “There was a real feeling that something needed to be done more than just sue the pool,” Levin said. “The parents on both sides wanted to right what happened on that day, and it was out of that desire that this idea (came about) and that’s why we’re doing it.”

The rest of the $1.1 million settlement, announced Thursday by the Department of Justice, will be divided among 73 children and camp counselors who were discriminated against. The 2009 incident led to protests and condemnation by USA Swimming executive director Chuck Wielgus and Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones, the country’s highestprofile black swimmer. It also got the attention of actor Tyler Perry, who paid for the day camp children to go to Walt Disney World.

Swim club officials said they didn’t have enough lifeguards for the kids, many of whom couldn’t swim. Then-club president John Duesler inflamed tensions with a statement saying so many children would “change the complexion”, or atmosphere, of the club, but he later acknowledged using a poor choice of words. A Department of Justice investigation concluded that racial hostility prompted club members to turn away the children. —AP

GLEN ALLEN, Virginia: Paul Ryan returned Friday to the state where he was launched into the political stratosphere as Mitt Romney’s running mate, telling Virginia: “It’s not too late to get this right”. Saturday’s anointment of Ryan, the wonkish House Budget Committee chairman, as Romney’s number two lit a spark under the Republican campaign for the White House after attacks on Romney ’s business record began to show bruises. And the Romney campaign said that since the seven-term Wisconsin congressman was unveiled as the Republican vice presidential candidate less than a week ago, it had raised $10 million.

Ryan, 42, has been scampering across the country, spreading the Romney-Ryan message to voters in battleground states from Nor th Carolina to Ohio, from Iowa to Colorado. “We’ve got to get this debt under control. We’ve got to cut spending,” Ryan told about 2,500 people who filled a gymnasium at Deep Run High School in Glen Allen, a Richmond suburb. “We have a big choice to make,” he said about the Nov 6 election in which Romney is aiming to oust President Barack Obama from the White House, “and it’s not too late to get this right”.

Yesterday, Ryan headed to the biggest battleground of all, Florida, where he will be under pressure in a state with older voters worried about their secure retirement to explain his plan to cut costs by overhauling entitlements like Medicare. Ryan’s plan envisions parts of the government healthcare program for seniors converted to a voucher system that allows users to purchase insurance on the private market, where insurers can compete with the existing system. He insists such competition would lower costs, and that the plan would cut billions of dollars in fraud and waste, while Democrats argue the plan would not keep up with rising expenses, leaving millions of

seniors out of pocket. “We want this debate on Medicare,” Ryan told cheering supporters in Springfield, Virginia.

Senior groups have said they will protest Ryan’s event in Florida, scheduled at The Villages private retirement community near Orlando, in one of the most tightly watched regions of the state. Ryan has spent recent days getting acclimated to the media spotlight, amid a relentless focus on the man Romney has chosen to be his number two.

Late Friday, at the tail end of the weekly news cycle, Ryan

more records only raises questions about the candidate’s business and financial history. On Thursday, Romney said he paid a tax rate of at least 13 percent in each of the last 10 years; Obama’s campaign demanded he prove it.

Romney and Ryan, who parted ways to cover more ground at campaign events, will join forces again on Monday, attending a town hall-style meeting in New Hampshire. Ryan visited several states without Romney at his side as they prepare to head to the party’s national convention in late August. “I was surprised that

to “reject ‘Obamanomics.’”

Ryan, a number-crunching congressional insider who has spent nearly half his life in Washington, has positioned himself as a fiscal problem solver who can also turn on his Midwestern charm to connect with everyday voters. He spoke of previous visits to Virginia where he enjoyed “lots of hunting and fishing - that’s what I like to do.”

With 81 days before the election, Ryan will be racing around the 10 or so battleground states where the election will be decid-

SPRINGFIELD, Virginia: Republican vice presidential candidate Rep Paul Ryan speaks during a campaign rally at West Springfield High School on Friday. — AP released his tax returns for the latest two years, showing he and his wife Janna paid a 15.9 percent tax rate in 2010 and a 20 percent rate last year. The policy of releasing two years of tax data dovetails with Romney, whose refusal to divulge pre-2010 returns has dogged his campaign. Democrats say Romney’s refusal to provide

they separated so quickly,” said vice presidency exper t Joel Goldstein, a professor at St Louis University School of Law. In Virginia, Ryan hammered the Obama administration as a bloated bureaucracy and pointed to US unemployment remaining above eight percent for the past 42 months, as he called on voters

ed, eager to introduce himself to voters who may not know much about him or his budget plan.

“He’s a new face on the national scene,” Goldstein said. “The question will be whether he is viewed as an able and attractive national figure or an ideologue associated with attacks on popular programs.” —AFP

Ryan adds youthful flair to ticket GLEN ALLEN, Virginia: Barack Obama rode a wave of youthful support straight into the White House in 2008. Now, Republicans put their hopes in Mitt Romney’s young and energetic running mate Paul Ryan to help oust the president in November. The 42-year-old congressman from Wisconsin, if elected, would be the first of Generation X to win such a high office, and the youngest vice president since Richard Nixon took the job six decades ago at the ripe age of 40. Ryan is of a different generation than the 65-year-old Mitt Romney, who grew up in the aftermath of World War II - in other words, Ryan’s younger than the parents of millions of first-time voters - and many see that as a good thing.

Conservative magazine The Weekly Standard named him and Majority Leader Eric Cantor the “Young Guns” of the House of Representatives for their novel approach to reforming Washington and fixing fiscal problems.

“Because he’s young he gives that extra flair to the campaign that maybe an older candidate wouldn’t have,” 20-year-old college junior Jacob Lowman from nearby Richmond told AFP during a rally with Ryan at Deep Run High School in Glen Allen, Virginia. In between talking up his

controversial budget plan, Ryan aims for an everyman image. He named favorite beers on the campaign trail, and during a Thursday visit to his alma mater, Miami University in Ohio, he recalled how he needed 14 stitches after playing hockey there.

Lowman was born around the time Ryan was graduating college, and those mere 20 years from campus to candidate - not to mention Ryan winning a congressional seat at age 28 - could inspire first-time voters who not only feel disconnected from the political system but are under some of the worst financial strain to hit college students in generations. Two-thirds of all voters under 30 pulled the lever for Obama four years ago. “He definitely appealed to the college-age kids,” Lowman said. “But now, they want to know that they’ll be able to get out of school and get a job.”

That’s not happening for about half of all college graduates today, according to recent studies cited by Republican leaders. Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling said Obama’s “hope and change” mantra has fallen flat, and that young voters have been more adversely impacted by the economy than almost any demographic group. “Ultimately it is the alba-

tross of debt that this president is hanging around their neck that they’re going to have to pay back over the course of their lifetime,” Bolling said. “There is absolutely no justifiable reason for younger voters to trust this president again.” Michael Short, the 26-year-old communications director for the Republican National Committee in Virginia, is counting on Ryan to help drive that message home to young voters.

Ryan’s age “certainly helps,” Short said. “That really does appeal to the youth vote.... and he can speak to them on the various economic and spending issues that are directly affecting them.” Brian Hood, 20, stopped by the rally with his mother on his way back to nearby Virginia Commonwealth University ahead of the new semester. “A lot of people voted for Obama from my age group last election because he was hip, he played basketball, he hung out with Jay Z” the hip-hop artist, Hood said. “I think Ryan could do something similar. He works out, he fishes with his bare hands, he hunts - and how many other candidates drove the Wienermobile in high school?” he added, referring to Ryan’s apparent stint behind the wheel of Oscar Mayer’s famous 23-foot-long fiberglass hot dog. —AFP

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

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S African families still searching for news on mine victims MARIKANA, South Africa: Ntaoleng Thato’s face was tense with worry as she walked to the small caravan outside a miners’ hospital to check the casualties list from Thursday’s police shootings. The barrage of gunfire during a strike at Lonmin’s Marikana platinum mine left 34 people dead and 78 wounded, while 259 have been jailed and many families are unsure which fate has befallen their missing loved ones. Thato hasn’t seen her brother, 65-year-old Thabiso Mosebetsane, since Thursday morning. His four children have been crying since they realised that he hadn’t returned from the site of the mass shooting. The area was quickly declared a crime scene and sealed off, so they couldn’t view the bodies.

Their dread grew as Friday passed without news, and fear and sadness have hung heavily over the shack where they live, on top of one of the world’s richest platinum reserves. “I was crying because his children were cr ying,” said 38-year-old Thato.

Mosebetsane’s wife left early Saturday

for the mortuary. Thato came to the hospital, where other grieving relatives were trickling through. The London-listed mine company, Lonmin, has pledged to help identify and bury the bodies, while promising the victims’ families that their children will be educated through university.

The list of casualties now sits in the caravan outside Lonmin’s Andrew Saffy Hospital. For Thato’s family, losing her brother as breadwinner would be a crushing blow that would ripple through an entire community. As she gathered all her courage to finally take a look at the list, she breathed a sigh of relief. “I didn’t find him. They tell me he’s in jail,” she said. “I was worried but now I feel all right.” For many others, the search continues. “There’s someone I haven’t seen, and I can’t reach him on the phone,” said Ian Buhlungu, 47, whose friend Ngcwangula Lubuzo went to the hill on Thursday to hear news from the mine managers. “He didn’t come back,” said Buhlungu.

They come from Eastern Cape province, at the opposite end of the

country, where Lubuzo’s wife is waiting for news, but Buhlungu doesn’t know where they live or how to contact her. Fearing the worst, he has avoided the hospital list so far. Many

of the 28,000 employees at the Marikana mine have no relatives nearby. In a nation with nearly 25 percent unemployment, people travel huge distances - some from neighbouring

RUSTENBURG, South Africa: Miner Mohlalefi Monamolela from Lesotho relates the events that led to the miners’ clash with police to South Africa President Jacob Zuma as he visits injured mine workers yesterday. — AFP

countries - to look for work in these dusty but mineral-rich hills. Living in squalid shacks of wood and corrugated metal, they don’t have running water and use pit latrines. This life is still better than the poverty they endured in the Eastern Cape, South Africa’s most impoverished region where some schools still teach children under trees.

Migrant labour has built South Africa’s mining industry for more than a century, unearthing riches of gold, platinum and diamonds, often while paying miners meagre wages. The wildcat strike by about 2,000 of the Marikana miners has been in demand of a tripling of their current monthly wage of 4,000 rand ($486) a month. By South African standards, they are fortunate. A report last week said 39 percent of the population lives on less than 432 rand per month. If Buhlungu’s friend is dead, he will be buried in the green rolling hills of their town Libode. “We are going to ask aid from the mine so we can take him home,” he said. — AFP

Assange diplomatic row spreads before statement WikiLeaks founder to face world media

PARIS: People cool off in the Trocadero’s fountains in front of the Eiffel Tower on Friday as the city sweltered under a summer heat wave. — AFP

Leaders mull Madagascar vote without main rivals MAPUTO: Southern African leaders were yesterday mulling presidential elections in Madagascar that would exclude the two main rivals, strongman Andry Rajoelina and ousted Marc Ravalomanana, a mediator said.

Seychelles Foreign Minister Jean-Paul Adams told AFP that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit was discussing the proposal to end a standoff between the two rivals that has stalled elections in the troubled country. “The idea that neither of them present themselves was considered with attention by the summit,” Adam said at the two-day summit that began Friday in the Mozambican capital Maputo.

“While the summit recognises the right of each individual to present themselves to elections, they have taken note ... that if both presidents were not to stand, then that would facilitate the whole process of appeasement leading to peaceful elections,” he said. Neither side has yet reacted to the SADC proposals. The 15-nation bloc suspended Madagascar from its ranks in 2009 after Rajoelina toppled Ravalomanana. The question of Ravolomanana’s return from exile in South Africa has been the main stumbling block to the holding of elections to end the three-year crisis on Africa’s largest island. Rajoelina says Ravalomanana should be prevented, at all costs, from returning home.

Ravalomanana was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment over the killing of 36 protesters by presidential guards during unrest in 2009, and currently faces life in prison with hard labour if he returns. Adam said SADC is working on a plan to ensure peace and security should Ravalomanana go back

home. “ There is agreement that the return of president Ravalomanana will be regulated in such a way that there is no threat to the security of Madagascar and also no threat to himself,” Adam said.

The Seychelles has in recent weeks hosted two failed mediation attempts to get the two leaders to patch up their differences. Mauritius Foreign Minister Arvin Boolell said the peace plan signed by the feuding sides signed in September last year under the auspices of SADC has to be respected. “We have to see compliance with the roadmap,” Boolell said. The summit which ended yesterday was also set to discuss the troubles in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where 250,000 people have fled their homes since April, when a rebel group calling itself M23 took up arms against government troops.

Zimbabwe, where political players are yet to adopt a new constitution to pave the way for elections, was also due to be tabled. A source following the summit said the regional leaders were likely to urge Zimbabwe’s powersharing partners to develop a roadmap with timelines for the adoption of the draft constitution and lay conditions for free and fair elections. But if any “difficulties” arise over the constitution, South African President Jacob Zuma, the SADC mediator on Zimbabwe, would be called upon to help resolve the differences. The party of President Robert Mugabe is unhappy with several provisions of a draft constitution, especially where it would rein in presidential powers while bolstering those of parliament. Mugabe was forced into an uneasy coalition with his archrival Morgan Tsvangirai to avoid a slide into a full-scale conflict after the violence-ridden elections in 2008. — AFP

Gbagbo party HQ attacked ABIDJAN: Former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo’s party headquarters was attacked yesterday by unidentified men armed with machetes and shotguns, who left two people slightly wounded, witnesses said. An AFP photographer at the offices of the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) saw a car in flames outside while the building’s interior was trashed, with documents strewn over the floor.

“There were about 10 of us having a meeting when people we did not know burst in, carrying clubs, machetes and shotguns,” said Jean-Luc Ouallo, a member of the FPI’s youth wing. Another FPI member said the assailants told them, “get out, get out or we’ll burn everything”.

The witnesses said the men were speaking Dioula, a language originating from the north of the country but

widely spoken. It was the latest incident in a series which have affected Abidjan more than a year after the post-electoral crisis of Dec 2010 to April 2011 claimed 3,000 lives. The crisis was sparked after Gbagbo refused to step down despite having lost presidential elections to his rival Alassane Ouattara. On Thursday, armed men attacked an army base, a prison and police stations near Abidjan, prompting Prime Minister Jeannot Kouadio Ahoussou to call on those responsible to disarm and not block the country’s “revival”. Gbagbo was eventually arrested after forces loyal to Ouattara stormed his heavily fortified home with French and UN military backing.

He was extradited in November last year to face trial by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity. — AFP

LONDON: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, holed up in Ecuador’s London embassy for nearly two months, was caught up in a spreading diplomatic row yesterday as the ex-hacker prepared to face the world’s media. As the Organization of American States called a meeting of foreign ministers to discuss the diplomatic standoff sparked by Ecuador granting Assange asylum, the Australian national was Sunday to deliver a first statement since March.

WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson told AFP that he would not be providing any details of how the appearance by Assange, scheduled for 1300 GMT today, would take place amid the possibility that he could be arrested.

“I don’t have any details on how it is going to be carried out,” Hrafnsson said by phone yesterday, adding that the little he knew could not be discussed “for security reasons”. As fewer than ten police officers and a handful of Assange supporters stood outside the embassy Saturday, a police spokesman said officers would act “in an appropriate manner ” if faced with an appearance by Assange. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said that the embassy building’s common areas such as its stairwells were considered British territor y. An appearance by Assange here could therefore lead to his arrest, raising speculation that he would speak from a balcony.

Ecuador on Thursday granted asylum to Assange - whose website enraged the United States by publishing a vast cache of confidential US government files. The 41year-old took refuge at Ecuador’s embassy in London on June 19 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over alleged sexual misconduct.

Despite Ecuador providing a haven for Assange, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Britain was obliged under its own laws to extradite him to Sweden.

Assange’s statement today has therefore sparked questions. WikiLeaks said on Twitter that he would speak in front of the embassy, though it did not specify whether this would involve leaving the premises and, if so, how he would do so without being arrested. Under normal diplomatic procedures, embassies are considered the territory of the countries they represent and cannot be entered without permission.

Britain has angered Ecuador by suggesting

it could invoke the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act of 1987, which it says allows it to revoke the diplomatic immunity of an embassy on British soil and go in to arrest Assange.

The Organization of American States meanwhile on Friday called a meeting of foreign ministers for August 24. Twentythree countries voted for the resolution proposed by Ecuador to convene the meeting at its Washington headquarters to discuss Quito’s standoff with Britain. The vote was taken at emergency talks to discuss the Assange case. The United States, Canada and Trinidad and Tobago voted against, five countries abstained, and three others were absent. The US envoy to the OAS, Carmen Lomellin, said the meeting of foreign ministers “would be unhelpful and harmful to the OAS’ reputation as an institution.”

Elsewhere, Australia on Saturday confirmed that its diplomatic post in Washington had been preparing for

Assange’s possible extradition to the US but played it down as “contingency planning”.

The remarks follow media reports yesterday that Australian diplomats believe Washington is targeting Assange for possible prosecution on charges including espionage and conspiracy relating to his WikiLeaks whistleblowing site.

“There is a dose of fantasy in all this,” said Chris Brown, professor of international relations at the London School of Economics.

“The chances of him being extradited to the US from Sweden are non-existent. If the Americans really want him, they would have asked us (Britain) for him,” he told AFP. In 2010, WikiLeaks published hundreds of thousands of US military documents on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as diplomatic cables that deeply embarrassed Washington. Supporters fear Assange could face the death penalty if he were to be sent to the United States and tried on espionage charges. —AFP

LONDON: A pro-Julian Assange placard is seen outside the Embassy of Ecuador in central London yesterday where the Wikileaks founder is claiming asylum in an effort to avoid extradition to Sweden. — AP

Russia faces international condemnation MOSCOW: Russia yesterday faced a storm of international criticism for sentencing three members of the Pussy Riot punk band to two years in prison for a political protest in an Orthodox cathedral. Speculation mounted that the women, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich, could have their sentences reduced on appeal after the damaging global reaction, with the Russian public also questioning the sentence. Judge Marina Syrova said the three young protesters had shown a “clear disrespect toward society” by staging a “Punk Prayer” calling on the Virgin Mary to drive out Vladimir Putin just weeks ahead of his election in March to a third presidential term.

The United States called the sentences “disproportionate”, while Britain, France and the European Union also said the punishment was excessive and questioned Russia’s rights record. “Putin cronies can jail Pussy Riot but they can’t jail their hear ts & minds. More

proof of Russia tyranny,” wrote British rights activist Peter Tatchell on Twitter. Newspaper owner Alexander Lebedev, who co-owns Russia’s Novaya Gazeta daily and owns Britain’s Independent daily, on called the women “prisoners of conscience” on his Twitter account.

Russian media and politicians raised the possibility of the women’s sentence being reduced. “There is a feeling that the Moscow city court, after the lawyers’ appeal, will cut (the sentence) down to only one year, and after that they will release these foolish women back to their children and loved ones,” Komsomolskaya Pravda daily said yesterday. Leading ruling party member Andrei Isayev on Friday called the sentence “harsh” and noted that Putin had yet to speak his full mind on the matter. Putin had earlier this month said he thought the band members should not be “judged too severely” while stressing that he strongly disagreed with what they did. “He has no right to

impose his views on the court,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitr y Peskov told the PublicPost.ru website.

The Russian foreign ministry made no direct comment on Pussy Riot, issuing only a curt statement yesterday about penalties for offending religious believers in other European countries. Senior Church members have indicated they would prefer a lighter punishment.

“The whole verdict is based on a very shaky foundation: on the assertion that the punk group members feel hatred towards all Or thodox Christians and Or thodoxy as a whole,” reformist priest Andrei Kurayev said yesterday on his blog. A senior Orthodox Church council issued a formal statement Friday calling on the state “to show mercy for the convicted within the framework of the law.”

Ordinary Russians also criticised the verdict. A telephone poll by Moscow Echo liberal radio station yesterday found 77 percent of listeners considered

it “impossible to agree with the verdict”. Moscow police said yesterday that more than 50 protesters detained outside the cour t Friday had all been released and some charged with public order offences, the ITAR-TASS news agency reported. Among those detained was chess champion turned opposition leader Garry Kasparov, who now awaits further questioning, said Alexander Ryklin of the Solidarity political movement led by Kasparov. “So far there is no charge against him,” Ryklin told AFP. “They have called him in for questioning at the police station on Monday.”

Police accused Kasparov of biting an officer on the ear during his detention, Interfax news agency reported Friday, with Kasparov denying the claim and complaining of being beaten. British comedian Stephen Fr y expressed his fur y on Twitter, writing that “Gar y Kasparov, the greatest mental athlete ever, (has been) arrested for protesting at the tyrannical 2 years”. —AFP

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

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

Infiltration or bad blood behind Afghan attacks?

KABUL: The US military trainers handed the new recruit, Mohammad Ismail, his AK-47 to defend his remote Afghan village. He turned around and immediately used it, spraying the Americans with bullets and killing two - the latest of nine US service personnel gunned down in two weeks by their supposed Afghan allies. The shooting in western Farah province was not the only such attack Friday. Hours later a few provinces away in Kandahar, an Afghan soldier wounded two more coalition servicemen.

One turncoat attack per month raised eyebrows last year. One per week caused concern earlier this year.

But when Afghan forces turn their guns on international trainers twice in a day - as they now have two weeks in a row - it’s hard to argue there’s not something going on. The question is, what is it? The US-led alliance says it’s too soon to tell what’s behind the rash of insider attacks. The most likely explanations: Either the Taleban are increasingly infiltrating the Afghan police and army, or relations between Afghan and American forces are turning toxic - or both.

“There’s no positive spin on this,” said Andrew Exum, an analyst with the Washington-based Center for a New American Security who has advised the top US generals in Kabul. He said the number of Afghan insider attacks has risen beyond what can be explained as isolated incidents. That’s bad news for the US exit strategy for Afghanistan, which has seen Washington spend more than $20 billion on training and equipping a nearly 340,000-member Afghan security force on the assumption that it would eventually be strong enough to fight

the Taliban on its own.

The coalition has downplayed the insider attacks as anomalies and mostly a result of personal grievances, even as their numbers soared from 11 last year to 29 so far in 2012. The alliance says only about 10 percent of the attacks were related to infiltration by the Taleban insurgency. But that analysis was done before the latest furious spate of seven attacks in 11 days, a frequency that suggests some type of coordination. “Whether or not these specific events turn out to be insurgent-initiated ... we’re just going to have to do the investigations and figure that out,” said Jamie Graybeal, a spokesman for the US-led coalition.

The problem has become so pronounced in the Afghan war that all US forces there are now being instructed to carry loaded weapons - even on base - as a precaution against insider attacks, a US official said Friday in Washington. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because policy forbids discussing military procedures.

Some historians are hard-pressed to find precedent for this in previous wars. “I have never heard of anything in Vietnam comparable to what we have recently experienced in Afghanistan,” said James McAllister, a political science professor at Williams College in Massachusetts who has written extensively about the Vietnam War. A British military expert on colonial wars, Martin Windrow, said the level of these types of attacks were “almost unheard of ” in any conflict he’d studied.

Exum said the insider attacks have “tremendous strategic impact” beyond the 36 coalition forces killed this year because they damage morale among

international troops and further weaken support for the war in the U.S. and other NATO nations training Afghan soldiers and police to take over security nationwide by 2014. What’s unclear, he added, is how much influence the Taleban actually have in organizing the increasing numbers of attacks. The

commanders say such attacks still remain “sporadic” and not a long-term trend. Friday’s deadly shooting in Farah, at least by the accounts of local Afghan officials, seemed unlikely to be a personal dispute. Mohammad Ismail, a man in his 30s, had joined the Afghan Local Police just five days earli-

KUNAR, Afghanistan: Soldiers of the Afghan National Army stand in line at Camp Joyce base in this province yesterday. — AFP insurgents have been happy to take credit. The Taleban’s supreme leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, boasted Thursday that the insurgents “have cleverly infiltrated into the ranks of the enemy” and were killing a rising number of US-led coalition forces.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told AP in an interview this week that the attacks may reflect the Taliban’s use of unconventional tactics against a coalition force it cannot defeat on the battlefield. He added that US military

er. He opened fire during an inauguration ceremony attended by American and Afghan forces in Kinisk village, Farah provincial police chief Agha Noor Kemtoz said.

“As soon as they gave the weapon to Ismail to begin training, he took the gun and opened fire toward the US soldiers,” Kemtoz said. The police chief added that he had warned US forces organizing and training the community not to move too fast to recruit in the village, which he said is heavily influ-

enced by the Taleban. Afghan military analyst Amrullah Amman has no doubt that Taleban infiltration of Afghan security forces is rising. He said that despite new methods of screening, it’s simple to forge documents and invent references in Afghanistan. “The gate is wide open. The enemy is infiltrating because they see it’s very easy,” Amman said.

But the turncoat attacks may also reflect growing mistrust and resentment among Afghans working with international forces. Afghan soldiers interviewed by the AP earlier this year offered their own explanations: The Afghans feel disrespected, the soldiers said.

They complained of getting inferior equipment and condescending treatment by Americans. In May 2011, a US Army team led by a behavioral scientist compiled a survey that indicated many Afghan security personnel found US troops “extremely arrogant, bullying and unwilling to listen to their advice”. “I think infiltration is easier to address, actually,” Exum said. “I think the worse thing is, if your entire strategy going forward from the next three or four years depends on partnering with Afghan forces, then if relations have already devolved to this degree, you’re really worried.”

The UN Security Council late Friday strongly condemned coordinated terrorist attacks in various parts of the country on Tuesday and Wednesday and reiterated its serious concern “at threats posed by the Taleban, AlQaeda and illegal armed groups to the local population, national security forces, international military and international assistance efforts in Afghanistan.” — AP

US drone kills 6 militants in Pak Third drone attack since start of Ramadan

MUMBAI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gestures towards the audience as he arrives as chief guest at the concluding function of the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Bombay High Court yesterday. The Bombay High Court was established on Aug 14, 1862, under the Indian High Courts Act of1861, enacted by the British Parliament. — AFP

Bomb at Afghan bazaar kills 4 KABUL: A bomb in a busy Afghan market killed four people yesterday in the western province of Herat, an official said, the latest attack targeting civilians in the decade-long war. Hours later, a prison director was assassinated in southern Afghanistan by a bomb planted in his car. The early morning market explosion also wounded 12 people, including three policemen who were on patrol in the bazaar in Shindand district, Herat provincial government spokesman Muhiudin Noori said.

The blast came three days after a bicycle bomb in Herat’s provincial capital wounded 14 people. “Once again the enemy has attacked in Herat ... They have no other target than killing civilians,” Noori said. Earlier this week, at least 50 people died in multiple suicide bombings in western Nimroz province and a market bomb in Kunduz in the north in what was the deadliest day for civilians so far this year. A UN report says 1,145 Afghan civilians have been killed and 1,954 others injured during the first half

of the year, the overwhelming majority of them in militant attacks. Others died caught up in the crossfire, suicide attacks and also coalition airstrikes. While the Taleban leadership have issued orders to avoid harming civilians, many are caught up in the violence as the insurgents target government and international forces with improvised land mines and remotecontrolled bombs.

In southern Afghanistan, the director of a prison in Helmand province’s Grish district, Mohammad Ismail, died when a bomb attached to his car exploded, district governor Mohammad Saleem Rohdi said. Also yesterday, Britain’s defense ministry said a soldier from 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards has been killed in southern Afghanistan. The ministry said the soldier, who has not yet been named, died Friday as a result of enemy action while working in the Nahri Saraj district of Helmand province. Maj. Ian Lawrence, the British militar y spokesman in Afghanistan, said the soldier was killed while on sentry duty.— AP

KABUL: Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai returns from inspecting the guard of honor during the Independence Day celebrations at the Defence Ministry compound yesterday. Afghan Independence Day commemorates the Treaty of Rawalpindi in 1919 which granted complete independence from Britain although Afghanistan was never officially a part of the British Empire.— AFP

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan: A US drone attack yesterday killed at least six militants in a remote Pakistani tribal town near the Afghan border as local people prepared to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, security officials said. The attack was the first since Pakistan’s spymaster, Lieutenant General Zaheer ul-Islam, held talks with his CIA counterpar t in Washington earlier this month in which drone strikes were said to have been discussed. The drone fired two missiles on a compound in Shuwedar village in Shawal district of the troubled North Waziristan region, considered a stronghold of Taleban and Al-Qaeda linked militants. “US drones fired two missiles into a militant compound. Six bodies have been recovered from the compound so far,” a security official told AFP. Residents and local intelligence officials confirmed the attack and the casualties. The missiles also destroyed a car parked at the compound, they said. The attack came as people in the deeply religious region were celebrating the festival of Eid al-Fitr, they said. It was the third drone attack since the start of the fasting month of Ramadan. It was not immediately clear if the missiles targeted any senior militant leader.

Attacks by unmanned American aircraft are deeply unpopular in Pakistan, which says they violate its sovereignty and fan anti-US sentiment, but US officials are said to believe the attacks are too important to give up. The Al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network in Nor th Waziristan, blamed for some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan, is one of the thorniest issues between Islamabad and Washington.

Washington has long demanded that Pakistan take action against the Haqqanis, whom the United States accused of attacking the US embassy in Kabul last September and acting like the “veritable arm” of Pakistani intelligence.

Pakistan has in turn demanded that Afghan and US forces do more to stop Pakistani Taliban crossing the Afghan border to relaunch attacks on its forces.

Many in Pakistan accuse the Americans of demanding a Pakistani offensive to mask their own failings in the 10-year war in Afghanistan. Washington regards Pakistan’s semi-autonomous northwestern tribal belt as the main hub of Taleban and Al-

QUETTA: A Pakistani security official inspects wreckage of a car used in a suicide bomb attack on a check post yesterday. A suicide bomber blew up his explosive-laden car at a check post in southwestern Pakistan overnight killing five people including three soldiers, an official said. — AFP Qaeda militants plotting attacks on the West and in Afghanistan.

The latest attack, which came after a lull of about three weeks, was in the same region where a drone strike on June 4 killed 15 militants, including senior Al-Qaeda figure Abu Yahya AlLibi. There has been a dramatic increase in US drone strikes in Pakistan since May, when a NATO summit in Chicago could not strike a deal to end a six-month

blockade on convoys transporting supplies to coalition forces in Afghanistan. On July 3 however, Islamabad agreed to end the blockade after the United States apologised for the deaths of 24 Pakistani soldiers in botched air strikes last November.

Islam’s trip to Washington this month signalled a thaw in relations beset by crisis since US troops killed Osama bin Laden near Islamabad in May 2011. In

protest at US drone attacks, local Taleban and Pakistani warlord Hafiz Gul Bahadur have banned vaccinations in North and South Waziristan, putting 240,000 children in the region at risk. They have condemned the immunisation campaign as a cover for espionage. In May, a Pakistani doctor was jailed for 33 years after helping the CIA find bin Laden using a hepatitis vaccination program as a cover. — AFP

NEW DELHI: Indian husbands shout slogans during a protest yesterday against the amendments in the Marriage Bill which legally recognises a wife’s right to property acquired by her spouse during their marriage. Hundreds of men demanded that the government to roll back the Marriage Law Bill which proposes to introduce a policy of automatic property annexation from men in the name of No Fault Divorce. — AFP

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

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

Japan’s indigenous people eye political power BIRATORI, Japan: Shiro Kayano was once just like the millions of salarymen who populate Japan’s neon-lit cities. He wore a suit and tie, bought the latest technology and earned a pay cheque in Tokyo’s advertising sector. But a chance visit to a Canadian indigenous household two decades ago set the now 54-year-old on a different path: seeking political power for the Ainu people, a tiny ethnic minority in the nation of 127 million.

Kayano’s ambitious bid to win 10 out of 242 seats in the upper house for the newly created Ainu Party in next year’s national elections - as well as vast land claims for his people - is the latest move aimed at boosting recognition for what was once a hunter-gatherer society in Japan’s northernmost Hokkaido.

Fairer-skinned and more hirsute than most Japanese, the Ainu traditionally observed an animist faith with a belief

BIRATORI, Japan: In this photograph taken on July 11, 2012, Shiro Kayano, son of former Japanese lawmaker Shigeru Kayano, is interviewed in Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. — AFP

that God exists in every creation - trees, hills, lakes, rivers and animals, particularly bears. Ainu men kept full beards while women adorned themselves with facial tattoos which they acquired before they reached the age of marriage. Ainu clothes were robes spun from tree bark and decorated with geometric designs.

But like many indigenous groups around the world, most of Japan’s 24,000 Ainu have lost touch with their traditional lifestyle after decades of forced assimilation policies that officially banned their language and culture, leaving them a disadvantaged minority in modern Japan.

Earlier figures have pegged the number of Ainu at about 70,000 but the real figure is unknown since many have integrated with mainstream society and some have hidden their cultural roots.

“We think what is necessary for modern Ainus is our participation in politics,” said Kayano, who now curates a museum of Ainu heritage in Hokkaido. “Given the current political turmoil, I expect maybe we’ll have a chance.”

The ruling Democratic Party of Japan has fallen under heavy criticism over tax hikes and the restart of two nuclear reactors after last year’s Fukushima atomic crisis, opening a door for political newcomers, Kayano said. “If I’m elected, I’d like to work on introducing Ainu language classes in elementary and middle schools - I believe we will be able to

recover our language.” But Kayano, whose father was the only Ainu lawmaker in Japan’s history, has his sights on more than just reviving his ethnic group’s traditions and all-but-extinct language.

He wants the Ainu to be granted their traditional homeland of Hokkaido island - now a popular spot for skiing and wilderness-seeking tourists - and even some two-thirds of Japan’s territory, mostly national parks. Historically, the Ainu dominated Hokkaido until the 19th century when Japanese were encouraged to settle there, pushing the Ainu off their land and further to the periphery.

Kayano acknowledged that his vast land claims idea was unlikely to succeed, and it was not even part of his new party’s manifesto. “I know it’s a long shot, but nothing will begin without starting to say a word,” Kayano said.

And there have been signs of change after decades of marginalisation. In 2008, Japan for the first time recognised the Ainu as an indigenous people in a landmark parliamentary resolution, which pledged to support a community which has lower-than-average income and education levels. Tokyo has been studying policies that would revive the Ainu language and create venues where traditions such as spiritual ceremonies could be held. However, finding people who can speak Ainu fluently is no simple task.

In the small agricultural community of

Biratori in Hokkaido, 81-year-old language teacher Sachiko Kibata is one of few who could pass along Ainu to the younger generation. Kibata herself only learned the language about 20 years ago from Kayano’s father. “But I do have childhood memories of my grandmother speaking the Ainu language so that also helped me learn,” she said. For Kayano, his push started about 25 years ago after he visited a Canadian community populated by indigenous people, whose traditional lifestyles have also been diluted by historical assimilation policies. “I realised the outrageousness of one ethnicity being deprived of its own language and culture by force,” he said. “I woke up to my identity as an Ainu.”

The newly minted political party was inspired by a trip to a global indigenous people’s conference in Peru last year neighbouring Bolivia, where Evo Morales is the South American nation’s first indigenous president.

Despite his resolve, Kayano knows that he faces an uphill battle, even among some of his own people. “There are some Ainu who say ‘there is no discrimination against us anymore’ while others say, ‘why don’t we instead make the effort to become winners in Japanese society?’” he told AFP. “Those people think that making a claim for Ainu rights is harmful for them. And I can’t force them to share my ideas.” — AFP

China warns Japan before island visit Japanese group sails to disputed archipelago BEIJING: China demanded yesterday that Japan cease actions “harming” its territorial sovereignty amid an escalating row over disputed islands as a Japanese group set sail to the archipelago. The foreign ministry statement was in response to plans by a group of Japanese lawmakers and nationalists to visit the East China Sea islands after Tokyo deported pro-China activists who had sailed there from Hong Kong. “China has made solemn representations to Japan, demanding that it immediately cease actions harming China’s territorial sovereignty,” said the statement, which was in response to a media query on the planned Japanese trip. “China reiterates that any unilateral action taken by Japan

regarding” the islands “are illegal and invalid”, it said, adding that any such actions will not undermine its claim over the territory. It follows another statement late Friday which called on Japan to pursue “dialogue and negotiation” to resolve the dispute.

A flotilla of boats carrying Japanese nationalists, including parliamentarians, set sail yesterday for islands. The 20 vessels left the southwestern Japanese island of Ishigaki at 8:30 pm (1130 GMT), an AFP journalist on board one of the boats reported, despite anger from Beijing.

The fleet, carrying around 150 people, was expected to arrive at the archipelago, known as Senkaku in Japan and as Diaoyu in China,

BEIJING: Anti-Japan protesters shout slogans while marching with Chinese national flags and banners towards the Japanese Embassy yesterday. — AP

around sunrise. “Fortunately, the international community generally recognises that the Senkaku Islands are Japanese, but I think this kind of expedition will help raise awareness around the world,” parliamentarian Keiko Yamatani told AFP. The Japanese government has refused permission for the group to land on the islands. Organisers said ahead of their departure that they would be holding a ceremony aboard boats moored “within touching distance” of the shore.

Japan, which controls the uninhabited islands, on Friday deported 14 activists who had sailed there, moving swiftly to put an end to a potentially damaging row with Beijing. Some of them became the first non-Japanese to set foot on any part of the archipelago since 2004. But Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has come under fire from some conservative lawmakers -including members of the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party and Tokyo’s nationalist governor Shintaro Ishihara - for not allowing the activists to be held for prosecution.

The long-running dispute flares up from time to time and has proven a stumbling block along with issues related to Japan’s military occupation of parts of China during World War II - to smooth relations between Asia’s two biggest economies. Separately, a Japanese ruling party heavyweight said yesterday that the country should should beef up its coast guard to defend the islands. “Coast guard officials are doing their best, and so the government and the ruling parties will discuss how to strengthen our backup to them,” Seiji Maehara, the policy chief of the Democratic Party of Japan told reporters.

The renewed dispute comes as tensions also spiked between Japan and South Korea after President Lee Myung-Bak visited islets controlled by Seoul but claimed by Tokyo. Japan also has a separate territorial dispute with Russia over northern islands seized by the Soviet Union in the waning days of World War II. — AFP

HANOI: Motorists maneuver through a flooded street yesterday. — AFP

Typhoon kills 4, causes flooding in Vietnam HANOI: At least four people died as Typhoon Kai-Tak barrelled across northern Vietnam bringing high winds and floods to several areas including the capital Hanoi, authorities and a report said yesterday. The typhoon, which made landfall late Friday, was downgraded to a tropical depression yesterday but continued to dump water on already flooded parts of the country. A taxi driver was killed when high winds caused a tree to fall on his car in Hanoi, while two others died from electric shock after a cable was felled in northern Son La city, according to an update from the national flood and storm central committee.

In Bac Giang province a 46-year-old woman died after soil from a partially collapsed hill buried her house in the middle of the night, VNExpress news site reported.

Earlier more than 11,000 boats, including several hundred used by tourists at the UNESCO world heritage site Halong Bay, were ordered to stay close to the shore. The Vietnamese army put 20,000 soldiers backed by helicopters, rescue boats and canoes on standby to handle any incidents.

Kai-Tak swept across the Philippines’ main island of Luzon, dumping heavy rain on the Cagayan basin and other areas in the north, killing four people. — AFP

Myanmar opens new probe into violence YANGON: Myanmar has set up a new commission to probe sectarian clashes that saw scores killed and displaced tens of thousands, members told AFP, following intense scrutiny of its handling of the issue. The nation’s authorities have faced heavy criticism from rights groups after deadly unrest between Muslim Rohingya and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists in western Rakhine state. The 27-member commission, which includes religious leaders, artists and former dissidents, will “expose the real cause of the incident” and suggest ways ahead, state mouthpiece New Light of Myanmar said.

The newspaper said its remit is to establish the causes of the June violence, the number of casualties on both sides and recommend measures to ease tensions and find “ways for peaceful coexistence”. “As an independent commission was formed inside the country... it is a right decision which showed that we can create our own fate of

the country,” Aye Maung, the chairman of Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, told AFP. In June, the government established a committee to investigate the sectarian strife. But its findings, originally expected by the end of that month, were never released by President Thein Sein. The regime also invited the Saudi-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the world’s largest Muslim grouping, to visit the country in an effort to diffuse mounting outcry over the treatment of the Muslim Rohingya. Official figures say some 80 people died in the initial spasm of violence, but rights groups say the toll is likely much higher -mainly on the Rohingya side.

The commission is expected to call witnesses and be granted access to the areas rocked by the violence, which saw villages razed and left an estimated 70,000 people - from both communities in government-run camps and shelters. Thein Sein

has overseen a series of reforms since the end of outright military-rule last year, but the Rakhine bloodshed cast a long shadow over those changes. Myanmar’s government has rejected accusations of abuse by security forces in Rakhine, after the United Nations raised fears of a crackdown on Muslims. New York-based Human Rights Watch has accused Myanmar forces of opening fire on Rohingya during the June outbreak of unrest, as well as committing rape and standing by as rival mobs attacked each other. Decades of discrimination have left the Rohingya stateless, and they are viewed by the United Nations as one of the world’s most persecuted minorities. A statement issued on behalf of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations which Myanmar will chair in 2014 - pledged regional support to “humanitarian assistance in Rakhine State”. —AFP

JAKARTA: Indonesian women buy flowers in preparation for Eid al-Fitr at a market yesterday. — AP

Magnitude 6.6 quake strikes Indonesia JAKARTA: A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 35 miles southeast of Palu on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi yesterday rattling crockery as people were breaking the Ramadan fast but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, authorities said. The quake was originally reported by the USGS as a magnitude of 6.5. The depth was reported at 12.5 miles. “The quake was felt strongly for 15 seconds in Palu as people were breaking the fast,” said Sutopo

Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

The quake has no tsunami potential and no damage is repor ted, said Subagiyo, an earthquake center official in the capital Jakarta. The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a destructive tsunami was not generated by the earthquake and that the Japan Meteorological Agency may issue additional information on the quake. — Reuters

Australia ‘preparing’ for Assange extradition to US SYDNEY: Australia confirmed yesterday that its diplomatic post in Washington had been preparing for Julian Assange’s possible extradition to the US but played it down as “contingency planning”. Trade Minister Craig Emerson said the Australian embassy in Washington had been “getting prepared for the possibility of an extradition” but stressed that there was nothing unusual in diplomats bracing for all eventualities. “The embassy is doing its job, just to be in a position to advise the government if it believed that an extradition effort was imminent. There is no evidence of such an extradition effort,” Emerson told ABC television. “All that was happening is that the post in Washington was doing some contingency planning in the event that such an

eventuality arose.”

The remarks follow media reports yesterday that Australian diplomats believe Washington is targeting Assange for possible prosecution on charges including espionage and conspiracy relating to his WikiLeaks whistleblowing site. Citing diplomatic cables from Australian officials obtained under freedom of information laws, The Age newspaper said Canberra’s post in Washington was taking seriously the possible extradition of the WikiLeaks founder to the US. According to The Age the cables showed that Australia had no objection to Assange’s potential extradition and had requested early advice from the US on any decision to indict the former hacker or have him sent to the US.

It claimed that both the prime minister and foreign minister had been briefed on the matter.

Emerson confirmed that the Washington embassy had been exploring the extradition of Assange, an Australian national, as a potential scenario but he stressed that there was no evidence that the US was preparing to do so. “You would want, as an embassy, to be in a position that if this were to arise hypothetically in the future, you wouldn’t be standing flat-footed and unable to provide advice back to the government in Canberra,” he said. “I wouldn’t read too much into it. People can attach their own probabilities or possibilities as to what the United States may or may not do in the future, but the fact is that

there’s no evidence, no evidence that the United States is seeking to extradite Julian Assange.” The trade minister noted that the US could have sought Assange’s extradition from Britain rather than waiting for him to arrive in Sweden and “obviously they haven’t done that”. He wouldn’t comment on the claim that Australia would not oppose Assange’s extradition to the US, saying only that they would abide by “normal processes” and continue providing consular assistance. Emerson also repeated that there was little the Australian government could do for Assange, who is holed up in Ecuador’s embassy in London in a bid to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces questions over sex assault claims.—AFP

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

NEWS

LAHORE: Pakistani Muslims climb onto an overloaded train as they head to their hometowns ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid Al-Fitr in Lahore yesterday. — AFP

Palestinian govt debt hurts private sector RAMALLAH: Palestinian drug importer Ghassan Mustaklem says he can’t afford to work with the West Bank’s Palestinian government anymore. He recently halted supplies to his biggest client, which now owes $12 million in unpaid bills, or more than half his annual turnover. The cutoff by Mustaklem and other suppliers has fueled a shortage of key drugs in Palestinian hospitals, making the health sector the latest victim of a deepening financial crisis for the Palestinian Authority.

The cash crunch, mainly due to a sharp drop in foreign aid since 2011, is threatening to set off a chain reaction of business failures, layoffs and economic downturn that would undermine one of the West’s fundamental strategies toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Some warn that the Palestinian Authority, key to negotiating and implementing any future peace deal with Israel, will not survive without a major infusion of cash. The authority, though strapped for cash in the past, is in what economists describe as the worst crisis in its 18-year existence.

In recent months, it has been struggling to meet its costliest obligation - salaries for 150,000 civil servants and security personnel which devour half the government’s budget of nearly $4 billion. Unlike in previous crises, the authority can no longer borrow to ease the pain: It already owes more than $2 billion to local banks, private companies and the public pension fund, said economist Samir Abdullah. In a further blow, it has received only half the needed for-

eign aid to close a 2012 budget deficit of $1.2 billion, the Finance Ministry says.

The World Bank noted in a recent report that government spending and spending by government employees were important drivers of growth in recent years. “A lack of confidence in the government’s continued ability to spend could have serious consequences for investor confidence and economic growth,” the bank said. “If there is no reversal in the current trend, the Palestinian Authority will not survive this year,” predicted Abdullah, a former government minister. The current finance minister, Nabeel Kassis, hasn’t been as specific about the timing, but warned last month that at some point the debt-ridden government would just become too feeble to continue.

For more than a decade - ever since Israel sharply restricted Palestinian trade and movement following the outbreak of the second uprising in 2000 - the Palestinian Authority has had to rely on foreign aid to close a budget gap. It managed to reduce the shortfall, from half the budget in 2008 to less than one-third last year. But Palestinian officials say major donors have been withholding aid, some as a means of apparent political pressure.

For example, the Palestinians had counted on $200 million from the US in budget support in June, but the money hasn’t come through yet. The payment was held up by Rep Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who is seeking more information about the funds,

according to a congressional source. Lehtinen’s office and the committee declined to comment publicly about the hold. The 2011 payment was delayed by a congressional hold, in part over Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ appeal to the UN to recognize “Palestine” in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in 1967.

The US and Israel say a Palestinian state can only be set up through negotiations, but talks ran aground in 2008. The United Arab Emirates cut aid from $174 million in 2009 to $42.5 million since the beginning of 2011 - according to Palestinian officials in an attempt to pressure Abbas to reinstate a disgraced former aide, Mohammed Dahlan. Qatar, another rich Arab state, has linked aid to elusive reconciliation between Abbas and the Islamic militant Hamas, which seized Gaza from him in a violent takeover in 2007 and has set up a separate government there.

The Palestinian Authority was set up as part of interim agreements that were to lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state by 1999. However, negotiations on statehood faltered and what as envisioned as a temporary arrangement - limited self-rule in 38 percent of the West Bank - has taken on an air of permanence. Palestinian officials, backed by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, say their government can only become selfsufficient if Israel removes a network of restrictions on trade and access to resources that discourage

130 die in Syria Continued from Page 1 his prime minister Riyadh Hijab two weeks ago. Shara, whose cousin - an intelligence officer - announced his own defection on Thursday, is a Sunni Muslim from Deraa province where the revolt began against Assad, a member of the minority Alawite sect that is an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

The 73-year-old former foreign minister kept a low profile as the rebellion mushroomed but appeared in public last month at a state funeral for three of Assad’s top security officials killed in a bomb attack in Damascus. The statement said he had worked since the start of the uprising to find a peaceful, political solution and welcomed the appointment of Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi as a new international mediator for Syria.

Brahimi, who hesitated for days before accepting a job that France’s UN envoy Gerard Araud called an “impossible mission”, will replace former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who is leaving at the end of the month in frustration over jostling among world powers that undermined his peace mandate. Annan’s six-point plan to stop the violence and advance towards political negotiations was based on an April ceasefire agreement which never took hold. The conflict has deepened since then with both sides stepping up attacks.

Assad’s forces have resorted increasingly to air power to hold back lightly armed insurgents in the capital Damascus and Aleppo, a northern commercial hub. More than 18,000 people have died in the bloodshed and about 170,000 have fled the country, according to the United Nations. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the army bombarded neighborhoods in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city. Rebels hold several districts in the country’s northern commercial hub and have tried to push back an army counter-offensive.

State television said soldiers “cleared terrorists and mercenaries” - terms used by authorities to describe Assad’s armed opponents - from the western district of Saif AlDawla, where some of the heaviest fighting has taken place. Internet footage which activists said was filmed in Saif Al-Dawla yesterday showed a plane making a low pass over buildings and dropping two bombs. “They were defeated (in Damascus). They will be defeated very soon in Aleppo,” Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told Sky News in Damascus. Mekdad also denied the “absolutely scandalous” reports of Shara’s defection.

The White House said it had seen reports of Shara’s defection but could not confirm them. “At this point, whether or not those reports are true, we have seen in the last several weeks the increasing isolation of the Assad regime,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said to reporters traveling with US President Barack Obama on Air

investment, drive up costs and limit business opportunities.

An easing of some restrictions in recent years, including a loosening of Israel’s 5-year-old Gaza blockade, led to economic growth, reaching 9.8 percent in both territories in 2010. But international economists say the upturn cannot be sustained unless Israel releases the Palestinian economy from its shackles. Israel hasn’t done so, citing security concerns, and the growth has been tapering off.

However, Israel has also taken some steps to try to alleviate the situation, negotiating a new deal that improves the transfer of tax rebates it collects on behalf of the Palestinians and issuing thousands more work permits for Palestinian laborers, most of whom had been barred from the Jewish state during the uprising.

Israel’s government, while willing to offer less than its predecessors in negotiations, has said it wants to help improve economic conditions in the Palestinian territories. A collapse of the Palestinian Authority would force Israel, as military occupier, to assume responsibility for millions of Palestinians, a costly scenario it hopes to avoid. With Palestinian government debt piling up, the Palestine Monetary Authority is now preventing it from borrowing more from local banks. As a result, civil servants have been paid late or only partially. Sami Musleh, 36, who works for the Civil Affairs Ministry, only received $1,000 of his $1,250 monthly salary in July. Half his income goes to loan payments and one-fifth to pri-

vate school fees.

Education Ministry employees Munir Barghouti and his wife spend more than half their combined income of $1,340 a month paying off loans, and are worried about falling behind. “Both of us take from the same source (the government), and if this source has no money, we can’t eat,” Barghouti, 34, said. The crisis is starting to hurt private businesses. Some sectors have been more robust than others, particularly construction and IT. But the Palestinian Authority owes private companies some $500 million and has no way of paying it back. The Jerusalem District Electricity Co., a private Palestinian distributor, is owed nearly $175 million, both by the Palestinian government and residents of 12 refugee camps who haven’t paid for electricity in more than a decade.

The private company has passed some of the debt to its supplier, Israeli’s Electricity Corp., which is threatening to shut down service to half a million Palestinians starting next week. “Israel won’t inform us which line it will cut,” said Hisham Al-Omari, director general of the Jerusalem company. “It might be the president’s headquarters or hospitals.” The Israeli supplier says it’s considering cutoffs, but has not made a final decision. “It’s a nightmare,” Mahdi AlMasri of the Al Ayyam printing and publishing company said of the possibility of repeated blackouts.

Factories have generators, but power cuts would affect homes and small businesses, setting off a ripple effect, said Al-Masri, former head of the Palestinian Federation of Industries. — AP

New spider family found in US caves Force One. Brahimi had Washington’s support, he added.

The Observatory also said at least 20 armored vehicles moved into the eastern town of Mayadeen in Deir Al-Zor province, where Syria’s 200,000 barrels per day of oil are produced. More than 130 people were killed in Syria yesterday, it said, including 15 in Deir Al-Zor. In the town of Tel, north of Damascus, local activists said the bodies of 40 people killed by bombardment were gathered together for a joint burial. A picture showed what appeared to be several corpses wrapped in colorful blankets on a street.

Brahimi will have a new title, Joint Special Representative for Syria. Diplomats said this was to distance him from Annan, who complained that his peaceful transition plan was crippled by divisions between Western powers - who want Assad out - and Russia, his most important ally - in the UN Security Council. Describing the situation in Syria as “absolutely terrible”, Brahimi told Reuters he urgently needed to clarify what support the United Nations can give him and said it was too soon to say whether Assad should step down - in contrast to Annan who said it was clear the Syrian leader “must leave office”.

“It’s much too early for me to say. I don’t know enough about what is happening,” Brahimi said. He had not yet held any talks with Assad but said he would meet him and the country’s opposition leaders as soon as the time was right.

Syrian opposition figure Haitham Al-Maleh said Brahimi had no more chance of success than Annan’s doomed mission. “The same way the Syrian regime caused the Arab monitors mission, international monitors delegation and Kofi Annan’s initiative to fail, they will cause the failure of Lakhdar Brahimi,” he said at the inauguration of the Cairo headquarters of the Council for the Syrian Revolution. The last UN observers who deployed in Syria four months ago to monitor Annan’s failed ceasefire will leave after midnight on Sunday, when their mandate expires. They will leave a “liaison office” open in Damascus after their departure, though its size and role have not been finalized, a UN spokeswoman said.

The head of the departing UN Supervision Mission in Syria, General Babacar Gaye, criticized both government forces and rebels for failing to meet obligations to protect civilians. “The comfort for me is that the United Nations will stay in the country,” he told reporters in Damascus. “The United Nations is committed to ending violence, committed to triggering dialogue between the parties.”

Humanitarian conditions in Syria have deteriorated as fighting worsens, cutting off civilians from food supplies, health care and other assistance, UN agencies say.

Sewage-contaminated water has led to a diarrhoea outbreak in the countryside around Damascus, with 103 suspected cases. — Reuters

Continued from Page 1 its behavior and physiology, not just those aspects that happen to have been fossilized.”

Coddington said caves tend to keep primitive species from evolving, because they are sheltered from climatic and other changes. “Once you figure out a lifestyle, you can just do it for millions of years,” he said.

The Oregon spider’s species name - marchingtoni - honors Deschutes County sheriff ’s Deputy Neil Marchington, who was on the first Western Cave Conservancy expedition in 2010 to inventory the critters in a cave on private land outside Grants Pass. A year later he led academy scientists to the site to collect live specimens.

“A lot of times, caves are very unique ecosystems, and what we find in there can be very special,” said Marchington from the jail in Bend where he works. “At other times, they can be completely normal.” He said about a dozen of them collected bugs from the walls and ceiling of the cave and put them in vials of preservative, then sent them down to the academy. “We don’t

know exactly how they work yet,” Griswold said of the spiders. “We’ve seen these spiders alive. But we haven’t seen them eat anything yet. They are very shy.

“They make a little web, but hang under this web.

They hang some of their legs out in space. This is all in the dark in a cave. We think the legs are stretched out waiting for something to come by, like a fly, and when it hits the legs, the claws may just snap shut.” Though scientists built a small artificial cave for the spiders in their lab, the spiders would not eat any of the insects, and died.

Griswold said new families of spiders are described around the world every 20 years or so, but the last ones to be found in North America date to the 1870s, when two families of desert spiders were found in Southern California, Arizona and Mexico, and another was found in the Appalachian Mountains. After the spiders were found in the Oregon cave, scientists from San Diego State University went looking in the redwoods of Northern California, and found a spider in the same family, but a new species, living in underground cavities beneath boulders and logs, Griswold said. — AP

Teen killed as Bahrain’s police, protesters clash Continued from Page 1 close range and into confined spaces as a weapon instead of using the gas solely to disperse protests, something the government has denied.

Bahrain’s own inquiry into the overall uprising and subsequent violence said at least five people had died under torture in government custody and recommended quashing verdicts issued against protesters by a military court. On Wednesday, the country’s top appeals court reduced sentences handed down to 11 people accused of attacking a soldier during the turmoil.

Bahrain’s Shiites say they have been marginalized in the tiny island kingdom’s political and economic life, but the Sunni-led government denies this.

The ruling family has rejected the main opposition demand for an elected parliament with full powers to pass laws and form governments, but has enacted reforms to increase parliamentary scrutiny over ministers and has said it will reform the police. On Tuesday, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa said the country’s problems were caused by “foreign plots”, restating the government’s accusation that the uprising was instigated

by Shiite Iran, something that both Tehran and protesters deny.

However, he added that the government was “sparing no effort to solve” its internal problems and that Bahrain had become a country of democracy and human rights.

Wefaq said the speech showed Bahrain’s government was not coming under pressure from Washington to hold talks with the opposition. The US Fifth Fleet is based in Bahrain, on the west of the Gulf, a transshipment route for 40 percent of the world’s seaborne oil exports which is bordered to the north by Iran.

On Friday, the US State Department said it was “deeply concerned” by the jailing of Rajab, a prominent opposition leader, on charges of leading illegal gatherings. “We have repeatedly urged the government of Bahrain to take steps to build confidence across Bahraini society, and to begin a meaningful dialogue with the political opposition and civil society. Excessive punishment for peaceful expression ... will not contribute to those efforts,” it said in a statement. Bahraini Information Minister Samira Rajab said yesterday that the activist had been tried fairly and had enjoyed full access to legal aid. — Reuters

14

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Issues

Egypt: Can football unite Muslims and Christians?

By Mustafa Abdelhalim uring the 2012 Summer Olympics, each country cheered for its athletes’ success. In Egypt, this hope went beyond winning. For a country with many societal divides, sports - particularly football [American soccer] - can strengthen social cohesion and national identity. Egypt’s participation in the Olympics could not be more symbolic of the role of sports as a means to regain national pride and social unity. Egypt’s Olympic football team is coached by Hani Ramzy, the Coptic Christian player who led Egypt to victory in the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations championship.

Despite the divisions between Egyptians, evident in recent sectarian clashes in many parts of the country, there was unanimous support for the Olympic team.

Although Ramzy is the only Copt on the team, Egyptians praise his work and his team, especially after Egypt qualified for the Olympic quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Belarus. Football clubs are spread across Egypt and the sport has the potential to help bridge the gap between Muslims and Copts. However before this unity can be achieved, Egyptians must first acknowledge the social divisions evident in the country’s sporting leagues. Only then can they realize the potential of sports as a means to come together.

Hassan Shehata, a Muslim and the former coach of the Egyptian national football team, once said that he selected his players for the Egypt team on the basis of their “religiosity and piety”. The statement caused a massive furor, and was taken as a pretext for not including a single Coptic player on the national football team. The Coptic Church, on the other hand, has its own football league, open to only members of the Coptic community.

The example of religious diversity provided by the Olympic team should be replicated nationally.

Egyptians should create sporting leagues across the country in which participation is based on skill and not athletes’ religious or sectarian affiliations. By playing, watching and supporting sports together, the two religious communities could share a mutual and healthier national spirit, rather than being divided by group affiliations. We should think of sports as a common language to bring people together. Everyone in the country can use them to communicate, building a relationship based on shared experience.

This is not a revolutionary idea. In June 2012, London’s Wembley Stadium was the site of a “faith and football” day that united students from Muslim, Christian and Jewish schools. This event was planned by a UK-based organization dedicated to building relationships between people of all faiths, the Three Faiths Forum (3FF), and the UK Football Association, which officially oversees the sport in the country. Egyptians could replicate this example by creating nationwide leagues to promote intergroup and interfaith cooperation. These teams could include anyone who wants to participate, which would make Egyptians’ shared interest in sports a tool for a more inclusive society.

Sports lessons that promote intergroup unity in schools should be given priority. Everyone should be given a chance to compete to join the national teams, regardless of whether their name is Mohammad or George. Sadly, there are few examples of interfaith football teams in the country. Though these possibilities may seem ambitious and idealistic in the current context, there are many such examples in Egypt’s history.

In 1998, Hany Ramzy, an Egyptian Copt and the current coach of Egypt’s Olympic team, scored a goal for Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations championship game.

After scoring the goal, he traced a cross on his chest, in a gesture of prayer to thank God. When Hazem Imam, Ramzy’s Muslim teammate, scored a second goal, he knelt down in prostration, also expressing gratitude through prayer. As they celebrated their victory, with Ramzy carrying Imam on his shoulders, not a single member of the team or the audience cared at that moment who was a Muslim or a Copt. Although the Olympics have ended, the spirit of the games should continue. Egyptians need to believe in a future that is inclusive and encompasses all citizens. That’s where sports comes in. - CGNews

D

Mustafa Abdelhalim is award-winning journalist who works for Al-Ahram and the BBC.

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

Israeli crisis-military, political challenges

By George Friedman rises are normally short, sharp and intense affairs.

Israel’s predicament has developed on a different time frame, is more diffuse than most crises and has not reached a decisive and intense moment. But it is still a crisis.

It is not a crisis solely about Iran, although the Israeli government focuses on that issue. Rather, it is over Israel’s strategic reality since 1978, when it signed the Camp David accords with Egypt.

Perhaps the deepest aspect of the crisis is that Israel has no internal consensus on whether it is in fact a crisis, or if so, what the crisis is about. The Israeli government speaks of an existential threat from Iranian nuclear weapons. I would argue that the existential threat is broader and deeper, part of it very new, and part of it embedded in the founding of Israel.

Israel now finds itself in a long-term crisis in which it is struggling to develop a strategy and foreign policy to deal with a new reality. This is causing substantial internal stress, since the domestic consensus on Israeli policy is fragmenting at the same time that the strategic reality is shifting.

Though this happens periodically to nations, Israel sees itself in a weak position in the long run due to its size and population, despite its current military superiority. More precisely, it sees the evolution of events over time potentially undermining that military reality, and it therefore feels pressured to act to preserve it. How to preserve its superiority in the context of the emerging strategic reality is the core of the Israeli crisis.

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Egypt Since 1978, Israel’s strategic reality had been that it faced no threat of a full peripheral war. After Camp David, the buffer of the Sinai Peninsula separated Egypt and Israel, and Egypt had a government that did not want that arrangement to break. Israel still faced a formally hostile Syria. Syria had invaded Lebanon in 1976 to crush the Palestine Liberation Organization based there and reconsolidate its hold over Lebanon, but knew it could not attack Israel by itself. Syria remained content reaching informal understandings with Israel. Meanwhile, relatively weak and isolated Jordan depended on Israel for its national security.

Lebanon alone was unstable. Israel periodically intervened there, not very successfully, but not at very high cost.

The most important of Israel’s neighbors, Egypt, is now moving on an uncertain course. This weekend, new Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi removed five key leaders of the military and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and revoked constitutional amendments introduced by the military. There are two theories on what has happened. In the first, Morsi-who until his election was a senior leader of the country’s mainstream Islamist movement, the Muslim Brotherhood-is actually much more powerful than the military and is acting decisively to transform the Egyptian political system. In the second, this is all part of an agreement between the military and the Muslim Brotherhood that gives Morsi the appearance of greater power while actually leaving power with the military.

On the whole, I tend to think that the second is the case.

Still, it is not clear how this will evolve: The appearance of power can turn into the reality of power. Despite any sub rosa agreements between the military and Morsi, how these might play out in a year or two as the public increasingly perceives Morsi as being in charge-limiting the military’s options and cementing Morsi’s power-is unknown. In the same sense, Morsi has been supportive of security measures taken by the military against militant Islamists, as was seen in the past week’s operations in the Sinai Peninsula.

The Sinai remains a buffer zone against major military forces but not against the paramilitaries linked to radical Islamists who have increased their activities in the peninsula since the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011. Last week, they attacked an Egyptian military post on the Gaza border, killing 16 Egyptian soldiers.

This followed several attacks against Israeli border crossings. Morsi condemned the attack and ordered a large-scale military crackdown in the Sinai. Two problems could arise from this.

First, the Egyptians’ ability to defeat the militant Islamists depends on redefining the Camp David accords, at least informally, to allow Egypt to deploy substantial forces there (though even this might not suffice). These additional military forces might not threaten Israel immediately, but setting a precedent for a greater Egyptian military presence in the Sinai Peninsula could eventually lead to a threat. This would be particularly true if Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood impose their will on the Egyptian military. If we take Morsi at face value as a moderate, the question becomes who will succeed him. The Muslim Brotherhood is clearly ascendant, and the possibility that a secular democracy would emerge from the Egyptian uprising is unlikely.

It is also clear that the Muslim Brotherhood is a movement with many competing factions. And it is clear from

the elections that the Muslim Brotherhood represents the most popular movement in Egypt and that no one can predict how it will evolve or which factions will dominate and what new tendencies will arise. Egypt in the coming years will not resemble Egypt of the past generation, and that means that the Israeli calculus for what will happen on its southern front will need to take Hamas in Gaza into account and perhaps an Islamist Egypt prepared to ally with Hamas.

Syria and Lebanon A similar situation exists in Syria. The secular and militarist regime of the al Assad family is in serious trouble. As mentioned, the Israelis had a working relationship with the Syrians going back to the Syrian invasion of Lebanon against the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1976. It was not a warm relationship, but it was predictable, particularly in the 1990s: Israel allowed Syria a free hand in Lebanon in exchange for Damascus’ limiting Hezbollah’s actions.

Lebanon was not exactly stable, but its instability hewed to a predictable framework. That understanding broke down when the United States seized an opportunity to force Syria to retreat from Lebanon in 2006 following the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq AlHariri. The United States used the Cedar Revolution that rose up in defiance of Damascus to retaliate against Syria for allowing Al-Qaeda to send jihadists into Iraq from Syria.

This didn’t spark the current unrest in Syria, which appears to involve a loose coalition of Sunnis, including elements of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists.

Though Israel far preferred Syrian President Bashar Al Assad to them, al Assad himself was shifting his behavior. The more pressure he came under, the more he became dependent on Iran. Israel began facing the unpleasant prospect of a Sunni Islamist government emerging or a government heavily dependent on Iran. Neither outcome appealed to Israel, and neither outcome was in Israel’s control.

Just as dangerous to Israel would be the Lebanonization of Syria. Syria and Lebanon are linked in many ways, though Lebanon’s political order was completely different and Syria could serve as a stabilizing force for it. There is now a reasonable probability that Syria will become like Lebanon, namely, a highly fragmented country divided along religious and ethnic lines at war with itself. Israel’s best outcome would be for the West to succeed in preserving Syria’s secular military regime without al Assad. But it is unclear how long a Western-backed regime resting on the structure of al Assad’s Syria would survive. Even the best outcome has its own danger. And while Lebanon itself has been reasonably stable in recent years, when Syria catches a cold, Lebanon gets pneumonia. Israel thus faces the prospect of declining security to its north.

US Role, Strategic Lockdown It is important to take into account the American role in this, because ultimately Israel’s national security-particularly if its strategic environment deteriorates-rests on the United States. For the United States, the current situation is a strategic triumph. Iran had been extending its power westward, through Iraq and into Syria. This represented a new force in the region that directly challenged American interests. Where Israel originally had an interest in seeing al Assad survive, the United States did not. Washington’s primary interest lay in blocking Iran and keeping it from posing a threat to the Arabian Peninsula. The United States saw Syria, particularly after the uprising, as an Iranian puppet.

While the United States was delighted to see Iran face a reversal in Syria, Israel was much more ambivalent about that outcome.

The Israelis are always opposed to the rising regional force. When that was Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser, they focused on Nasser. When it was al Qaeda and its sympathizers, they focused on al Qaeda. When it was Iran, they focused on Tehran. But simple opposition to a regional tendency is no longer a sufficient basis for Israeli strategy. As in Syria, Israel must potentially oppose all tendencies, where the United States can back one. That leaves Israeli policy incoherent. Lacking the power to impose a reality on Syria, the best Israel can do is play the balance of power. When its choice is between a pro-Iranian power and a Sunni Islamist power, it can no longer play the balance of power. Since it lacks the power to impose a reality, it winds up in a strategic lockdown.

Israel’s ability to influence events on its borders was never great, but events taking place in bordering countries are now completely beyond its control. While Israeli policy has historically focused on the main threat, using the balance of power to stabilize the situation and ultimately on the decisive use of military force, it is no longer possible to identify the main threat. There are threats in all of its neighbors, including Jordan (where the kingdom’s branch of the Muslim Brotherhood is growing in influence while the Hashemite monarchy is reviving relations with Hamas). This means using the balance of power within these countries to create secure frontiers is no longer an option. It is not clear

there is a faction for Israel to support or a balance that can be achieved. Finally, the problem is political rather than military. The ability to impose a political solution is not available.

Against the backdrop, any serious negotiations with the Palestinians are impossible. First, the Palestinians are divided. Second, they are watching carefully what happens in Egypt and Syria since this might provide new political opportunities. Finally, depending on what happens in neighboring countries, any agreement Israel might reach with the Palestinians could turn into a nightmare.

The occupation therefore continues, with the Palestinians holding the initiative. Unrest begins when they want it to begin and takes the form they want it to have within the limits of their resources. The Israelis are in a responsive mode. They can’t eradicate the Palestinian threat. Extensive combat in Gaza, for example, has both political consequences and military limits. Occupying Gaza is easy; pacifying Gaza is not.

Military, Political Challenges The crisis the Israelis face is that their levers of power, the open and covert relationships they had, and their military force are not up to the task of effectively shaping their immediate environment. They have lost the strategic initiative, and the type of power they possess will not prove decisive in dealing with their strategic issues. They no longer are operating at the extremes of power, but in a complex sphere not amenable to military solutions.

Israel’s strong suit is conventional military force. It can’t fully understand or control the forces at work on its borders, but it can understand the Iranian nuclear threat. This leads it to focus on the sort of conventional conflict it excels at, or at least used to excel at. The 2006 war with Hezbollah was quite conventional, but Israel was not prepared for an infantry war. The Israelis instead chose to deal with Lebanon via an air campaign, but that failed to achieve their political ends.

The Israelis want to redefine the game to something they can win, which is why their attention is drawn to the Iranian nuclear program. Of all their options in the region, a strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities apparently plays to their strengths. Two things make such a move attractive.

The first is that eliminating Iran’s nuclear capability is desirable for Israel. The nuclear threat is so devastating that no matter how realistic the threat is, removing it is desirable.

Second, it would allow Israel to demonstrate the relevance of its power in the region. It has been a while since Israel has had a significant, large-scale military victory. The 1980s invasion of Lebanon didn’t end well; the 2006 war was a stalemate; and while Israel may have achieved its military goals in the 2008 invasion of Gaza, that conflict was a political setback. Israel is still taken seriously in the regional psychology, but the sense of inevitability Israel enjoyed after 1967 is tattered. A victory on the order of destroying Iranian weapons would reinforce Israel’s relevance.

It is, of course, not clear that the Israelis intend to launch such an attack. And it is not clear that such an attack would succeed. It is also not clear that the Iranian counter at the Strait of Hormuz wouldn’t leave Israel in a difficult political situation, and above all it is not clear that Egyptian and Syrian factions would even be impressed by the attacks enough to change their behavior. Israel also has a domestic problem, a crisis of confidence. Many military and intelligence leaders oppose an attack on Iran. Part of their opposition is rooted in calculation. Part of it is rooted in a series of less-than-successful military operations that have shaken their confidence in the military option. They are afraid both of failure and of the irrelevance of the attack on the strategic issues confronting Israel.

Political inertia can be seen among Israeli policymakers.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to form a coalition with the centrist Kadima Party, but that fell apart over the parochial Israeli issue of whether Orthodox Jews should be drafted. Rather than rising to the level of a strategic dialogue, the secularist constituency of Kadima confronted the religious constituencies of the Likud coalition and failed to create a government able to devise a platform for decisive action.

This is Israel’s crisis. It is not a sudden, life-threatening problem but instead is the product of unraveling regional strategies, a lack of confidence earned through failure and a political system incapable of unity on any particular course.

Israel, a small country that always has used military force as its ultimate weapon, now faces a situation where the only possible use of military force-against Iran-is not only risky, it is not clearly linked to any of the main issues Israel faces other than the nuclear issue.

The French Third Republic was marked by a similar sense of self-regard overlaying a deep anxiety. This led to political paralysis and Paris’ inability to understand the precise nature of the threat and to shape its response to it. Rather than deal with the issues at hand in the 1930s, the French relied on past glories to guide them. That didn’t turn out very well. — Stratfor

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

sp orts Laxman retires from cricket

India axe Bhupathi, Bopanna

Bill to fight ‘White Buffalo’

MUMBAI: India batsman VVS Laxman announced his retirement from international cricket yesterday, saying it was “time to move on” despite his selection for the two-test series against New Zealand. The 37-year-old said he would step down with “immediate effect” during a news conference in his home city of Hyderabad, where India host the Kiwis in the opening Test on Thursday. “It’s been 16 years since I made my international debut for India and I feel it’s the right time for me to move on,” Laxman told reporters in a trembling voice. Laxman scored 8781 runs in 134 tests, including 17 hundreds. His recent form, however, has been poor and clamor had grown in the Indian media to replace the side’s ageing batting stalwarts following 4-0 series whitewashes in England and Australia. “I have always kept the country’s success and needs ahead of my personal aspirations and I would have loved to contribute to the team’s success especially against England and Australia later in the season,” Laxman said. “I think it’s the right time to give opportunity to a youngster in home conditions before the tough overseas tours next year.” Former India captain Rahul Dravid was the first of the senior batsmen to retire from the longer format after the team slumped to eight consecutive test defeats away from home. —Reuters

NEW DELHI: India yesterday dropped veteran Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna for next month’s Davis Cup tie against New Zealand following a row over Olympics team selection.

Both Bopanna and Bhupathi had said ahead of the London Games they would not partner with veteran Leander Paes at the Olympics for personal and professional reasons.

The All-India Tennis Association (AITA) said it had instructed the selectors not to pick either player for the Kiwi tie. “In view of the stand taken by Bhupathi and Bopanna regarding selection for the Olympics team, they should not be considered for the selection of the Davis Cup team,” the AITA said in a statement. The selectors named a new-look squad for the Asia/Oceania Group I tie against New Zealand, to be played in Chandigarh from September 14-16, as both regulars Somdev Devvarman and Paes were unavailable.

The AITA said Paes had expressed a desire not to be considered for the Cup tie, while Devvarman was not fit. Yuki Bhambri, Vishnu Vardhan, Saketh Myneni, Divij Sharan, Sanam K. Singh and Sriram Balaji Narayanaswamy were named in the squad, with the final four to be decided on September 2.

JOHANNESBURG: New Zealand rugby star Sonny Bill Williams will fight South African Francois Botha in Durban on November 17, a promoter yesterday.

After months of media speculation about rugby off-load maestro Williams boxing in the republic, promoter Thinus Strydom said arrangements for the bout were concluded this week.

Williams, who played for the All Blacks against Australia on Saturday in the opening match of the new Rugby Championship, is the reigning New Zealand Boxing Association heavyweight champion.

The 27-year-old, who helped Waikato Chiefs win the Super 15 title for the first time this month, is quitting New Zealand soon to play rugby union in Japan and later rugby league in Australia.

Botha, a 43-year-old known as the ‘White Buffalo’, has won 48 fights, drawn three and lost seven and his previous opponents included American Mike Tyson, Briton Lennox Lewis and UKrainian Wladimir Klitschko. Quizzed this year about a possible fight against Williams, Botha told South African newspaper Rapport he would not mind doing it “somewhere during half-time of a rugby match” with “one hand tied behind his back”. — AFP

Yankees down Red Sox NEW YORK: New York’s Derek Jeter hit his 250th career home run and Nick Swisher homered twice as the Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 6-4 in Friday’s clash between the American League rivals.

New York hit four solo homers off Franklin Morales (3-4), and Swisher added another solo shot in the seventh.

Jeter’s homer gave the Yankees 10 players with 10 or more this season, tying the club record set in 1998.

New York starter Phil Hughes (12-10) survived his own throwing error in a rainy third inning that led to four unearned runs and had put the Red Sox ahead 4-3.

Tigers 5, Orioles 3 In Detroit, Prince Fielder hit a pair of two-run homers to lift Detroit to victory over Baltimore. Fielder tied it 3-3 with a homer in the sixth. He then hit a soaring shot in the eighth to put the Tigers in front.

Detroit reliever Joaquin Benoit (2-3) pitched a perfect eighth inning for the win. Darren O’Day (6-1) took the loss.

Rays 12, Angels 3 In Anaheim, B.J. Upton went 4 for 5 with a home run and three RBIs while Ben Zobrist and Jose Molina also homered as Tampa Bay dominated Los Angeles.

The Rays maintained a one-game lead over Detroit and Baltimore in the AL wild-card race.

Angels starter Jered Weaver (15-3) conceded a career-worst nine earned runs. He had his shortest outing of the season, giving up eight hits in three-plus inning. Tampa Bay starter James Shields (11-7) allowed seven hits and no walks in six innings while striking out eight.

Blue Jays 3, Rangers 2 In Toronto, Edwin Encarnacion hit his 31st home run to help Toronto edge Texas. Blue Jays starter JA Happ (2-1) matched a Blue Jays record by striking out six straight batters in the second and

third innings. He finished with eight strikeouts in all, allowing two hits in six innings. Rangers starter Yu Darvish (12-9) struck out 10 in seven innings,and gave up three runs but took the loss. He reached double figures in strikeouts for the seventh time this season, tying Jim Bibby (1973) for the Rangers rookie record. Casey Janssen got three outs for the save.

Royals 4, White Sox 2 In Kansas City, Salvador Perez hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the seventh inning and Kansas City held on to beat Chicago.

Royals starter Luis Mendoza (7-8) pitched seven effective innings, giving up four hits. White Sox ace Chris Sale (144) allowed four runs in 6 2-3 innings.

Athletics 6, Indians 4 In Oakland, Josh Donaldson hit a tiebreaking single with the bases loaded in the eighth inning as Oakland rallied from four runs down to overrun Cleveland.

Cleveland reliever Joe Smith (7-3) issued a leadoff walk and Brandon Moss followed with a single. Josh Reddick then blooped a single before Donaldson’s fourth hit of the night scored pinch-runner Adam Rosales. The A’s pulled within five games of first-place Texas in the AL West and half a game of the second wildcard spot. Jordan Norberto (4-1) pitched 1 2-3 innings for the win.

Mariners 5, Twins 3 In Seattle, John Jaso and Miguel Olivo homered in Seattle’s win over Minnesota.

Mariners starter Hisashi Iwakuma (4-3) did not give up any earned runs and only one walk while striking out six.

Minnesota starter Nick Blackburn (49) struggled again, allowing five runs. He has lost five consecutive decisions.

Seattle had retired 42 consecutive batters over three games - the longest streak in the majors since 1974 - before Justin Morneau double opening the fifth. —AP

ATLANTA: Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shane Victorino (right) drives in a run with a double as Atlanta Braves catcher David Ross (left) looks on in the seventh inning.óAP

Braves edge Dodgers ATLANTA: Atlanta’s Juan Francisco hit a twoout single in the 11th inning to give the Braves a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday in the National League and their fourth straight win.

Backup catcher David Ross and light-hitting Paul Janish kept the inning going with back-to-back singles off Brandon League (01) before Francisco punched s hot to left for the win. Atlanta reliever Jonny Venters (4-3) earned the win.

The Braves rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the eighth on Martin Prado’s run-scoring groundout and Jason Heyward’s two-out single.

Nationals 6, Mets 4 In Washington, Michael Morse hit a grand slam and Bryce Harper also homered as NLleading Washington beat New York.

The Nationals became the latest team to tag struggling Mets ace Johan Santana (6-9) The two-time Cy Young award winner was impressive early, but the hosts strung together four consecutive hits in the fourth, capped

by Morse’s homer. Santana has a dismal 15.63 ERA over his past five starts, allowing at least six runs in each appearance.

NEW YORK: Yankees’ Nick Swisher hits a solo home run off of Boston Red Sox Franklin Morales in the first inning of a baseball game. —AP

Pirates 2, Cardinals 1 In St. Louis, James McDonald halted a string of ineffective starts with six dominant innings, helping Pittsburgh beat St. Louis in the opener of a series between NL Central playoff contenders.

McDonald (11-5) had allowed 20 earned runs over 21 1-3 innings but turned that

Lynx cruise past Mystics MINNEAPOLIS: Minnesota’s Seimone Augustus scored 20 points and Maya Moore and Monica Wright added 17 each as the WNBA-leading Lynx cruised past the Washington Mystics 98-69 on Friday Augustus scored all her points in just 21 minutes, leaving the game for good with 4:45 left in the third quarter after suffering a sprained right ankle. The Lynx led by at least 24 points the rest of the contest and notched their third straight win.

Monique Currie, Lindsay WisdomHylton and Crystal Langhorne each scored 12 points for the Eastern Conference-worst Mystics, who suffered their second-biggest defeat of the season.

Dream 82, Sky 76 In Rosemont, Illinois, Angel McCoughtry scored 25 points to lead Atlanta past Chicago, spoiling Epiphanny Prince’s return to the Sky’s lineup.

Chicago led 72-71 with 4 1/2 minutes to play. However, McCoughtry gave

Atlanta the lead for good with 3:13 remaining. Erika DeSouza had 19 points for Atlanta in her season debut after sitting out to play for Brazil’s national team. Prince scored 16 points in her first game since being sidelined since midJune with a foot injury.

Seimone Augustus

Silver Stars 89, Shock 79 In Tulsa, Sophia Young scored 20 points as San Antonio beat Tulsa for its 10th straight win.

Jia Perkins had 17 points to help San Antonio recover after falling behind by 14 points in the first half. Riquna Williams scored 17 points to lead the league-worst Shock. — AP

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

American League National League Eastern Division Eastern Division Washington 74 45 .622 W L PCT GB Atlanta 70 49 .588 4 NY Yankees 71 48 .597 NY Mets 56 63 .471 18 Tampa Bay 65 54 .546 6 Philadelphia 54 65 .454 20 Baltimore 64 55 .538 7 Miami 54 66 .450 20.5 Boston 58 62 .483 13.5 Central Division Toronto 56 63 .471 15 Cincinnati 72 47 .605 Central Division Pittsburgh 66 53 .555 6 Chicago White Sox 65 53 .551 St. Louis 64 55 .538 8 Detroit 64 55 .538 1.5 Milwaukee 54 64 .458 17.5 Cleveland 54 65 .454 11.5 Chicago Cubs 46 71 .393 25 Kansas City 52 66 .441 13 Houston 39 81 .325 33.5 Minnesota 50 68 .424 15 Western Division Western Division San Francisco 65 54 .546 Texas 68 50 .576 LA Dodgers 65 55 .542 0.5 Oakland 63 55 .534 5 Arizona 60 59 .504 5 LA Angels 62 58 .517 7 San Diego 52 69 .430 14 Seattle 56 64 .467 13 Colorado 45 72 .385 19

around Friday. Andrew McCutchen singled and scored on a passed ball in a two-run fourth for the Pirates, who got their other run on a wild pitch that inning.

Jake Westbrook (12-9) allowed six hits in 7 2-3 innings for the Cardinals, who managed only one run for the second straight game.

Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan worked the ninth for his NL-leading 34th save. Pittsburgh moved two games ahead of St. Louis for the NL’s second wild-card spot.

Brewers 6, Phillies 2 In Milwaukee, Ryan Braun hit his NL-leading 32nd home run as Milwaukee notched a ninth straight home win by downing Philadelphia.

Braun, Gallardo and Nyjer Morgan drove in two runs apiece for the Brewers. Braun has three homers in two games. Before that, he was in a 6-for-42 skid (.142) with no homers in 10 games. Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo (12-8) gave up one earned run in seven innings, striking out nine as he brought up a fourth straight win. Phillies starter Vance Worley (6-8) allowed four earned runs in 4 2-3 innings.

Reds 7, Cubs 3 In Cincinnati, Todd Frazier hit a two-run homer and Ryan Ludwick and Jay Bruce added solo shots, as Cincinnati beat Chicago in the opener of a four-game series.

Reds starter Bronson Arroyo (9-7) overcame a shaky start to improve to 5-1 in his past six outings. He gave up three runs in 6 1-3 innings. The NL Central leaders have won six of seven. They had six extra-base hits in five innings against former teammate Travis Wood (4-9), who has lost his past six decisions.

Giants 10, Padres 1 In San Diego, Matt Cain pitched eight dominant innings as San Francisco beat San Diego and moved into first place in the NL West.

Cain (12-5) allowed one run to improve to 6-0 in nine starts following a Giants loss. He struck out six and did not walk a batter.

Marco Scutaro homered and drove in two runs for the Giants, who scored eight runs in the third inning. Padres star ter Ross Ohlendorf (4-4) gave up a career-worst eight runs in 2 1-3 innings.

D’backs 3, Astros 1 In Houston, Wade Miley pitched six solid innings and drove in a run to lead Arizona past Houston. Miley hit a sacrifice fly and Chris Young doubled in a run in the fifth for the Diamondbacks, who have won seven consecutive games against the Astros. Miley (13-8) walked none in his first win this month.

Astros starter Dallas Keuchel (1-5) gave up two runs in 6 2-3 innings, but remained winless since June. He is 0-5 with a 6.18 ERA in his past eight starts.

Marlins 6, Rockies 5 In Denver, Jose Reyes and Giancarlo Stanton homered in Miami’s victory over Colorado. Reyes hit a three-run homer off starter Jeff Francis in the fifth. Stanton tied it with a homer against Josh Roenicke (4-1) in the sixth inning. Donovan Solano followed with a triple and scored on John Buck’s double to give the Marlins a 6-5 lead.

Miami’s Wade LeBlanc (2-2) allowed nine hits in five innings for his first win as a starter this season. Steve Cishek pitched a perfect ninth for the save. The Rockies had their fourgame winning streak stopped. — AP

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

sp orts

McIlroy’s passion is very special, says Olazabal LONDON: Twice major winner Rory McIlroy is a “very special” talent and will lift many championship trophies if he carries on the way he is going, said European Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal. The 23-year-old Northern Irishman climbed to the top of the world rankings after following up his runaway eight-shot victory at the 2011 US Open by winning last week’s US PGA Championship by the same emphatic margin.

“Rory’s performance at (the PGA on) Kiawah Island was outstanding,” Olazabal told Reuters in an interview. “His focus and passion are very special. It is great to see a young man of his age with two majors under his belt and such a strong mind. “If he continues his work ethic and his love for the game he will achieve

more major victories.” It is just over a month before the European holders take on Davis Love III’s United States team in the Ryder Cup in Illinois.

Olazabal is busy finalising his plans for the biennial team event and declined to confirm whether McIlroy would reprise his successful 2010 pairing with fellow countryman Graeme McDowell at the Medinah Country Club from Sept. 28-30.

“It is too early to say anything about pairings yet,” said the 46-year-old Spaniard.

“When we are all in the team room we will do our pairings and have our conversations.

“One thing’s for sure though and that is Rory’s passion and emotions will be part of the team spirit for sure,” added Olazabal, who is also an ambassador for the Nespresso Trophy UK Challenge finals

for amateurs at Archerfield Links in Scotland from Sept. 26-28.

McIlroy’s victory at Kiawah Island ended a 13-month wait for a European major winner. Since Darren Clarke’s victory at the 2011 British Open, the big four titles had gone to American trio Keegan Bradley (2011 US PGA), Bubba Watson (US Masters) and Webb Simpson (US Open) and to South African Ernie Els at this year’s British Open.

Olazabal, however, is not too worried about the strong recent form shown by the Americans at the majors. “If we were to be concerned that would be the wrong mindset going to Medinah,” said the Spaniard. “I am confident we will have a strong team especially with a number of players finishing among the top 10 on the leaderboard at the British

Open and at the U.S. PGA. “I am not worried about anything... I know how good my players are,” he said referring to the likes of McIlroy, world number two Luke Donald, fourth-ranked Lee Westwood, number seven Justin Rose and 13th-ranked McDowell.

Olazabal, who had a proud Ryder Cup record as a player and formed the most successful partnership in the competition alongside his close friend Seve Ballesteros, said he was particularly pleased at last week’s showing by Rose, Ian Poulter and Peter Hanson.

Poulter, who reeled off five birdies in as many holes at the start of his final round on Sunday, fellow Englishman Rose and Swede Hanson all finished in the top 10 at Medinah.

“It was a great performance coming

down the stretch by those guys,” said Olazabal. “It shows you how good these players are under pressure when it comes to performance at the highest level.” English journeyman David Lynn caused the biggest surprise at the PGA Championship by finishing second in his first tournament appearance in the US. Olazabal will have two wildcard players to select for his 12-man team after the final Ryder Cup points-counting event, next week’s Johnnie Walker Championship in Scotland, but he was reluctant to share too much information on his plans. “David Lynn performed great last week,” said the 1994 and 1999 US Masters champion. “I have a list of players that I watch closely and it is too early to give any (wildcard) indications now.”—Reuters

Walker on top at Wyndham

NORTH PLAINS: Michelle Wie from Honolulu tees off on the second hole during the first day of the LPGA Safeway Classic golf tournament.—AP

Miyazato, Sydnee share lead NORTH PLAINS: Mika Miyazato and Sydnee Michaels overcame hot conditions to shoot 7-under 65 on Friday and share the first-round lead in the LPGA Tour’s Safeway Classic. Miyazato and Michaels each had eight birdies and a bogey on Pumpkin Ridge’s Ghost Creek Course.

Michaels, who won twice last year on the developmental Symetra Tour, had her best round of her rookie season. She’s coming off a career-best 21st-place tie last week in the Toledo Classic.

“It’s been hit or miss,” Michaels said.

“I’ll be in contention and I might have a little shaky Sunday, and wind up top 30 or something like that or I’ll miss the cut by one or two. “Last year, I hit my stride at the end of the season, so I’m hoping I follow that pattern.”

Cristie Kerr, Inbee Park and Pornanong Phatlum were a stroke back. So Yeon Ryu, the Toledo Classic winner last week, was two shots behind at 67 along with

Brittany Lincicome, Alison Walshe and Jee Young Lee. Michelle Wie opened with a 69, topranked Yani Tseng had a 70, defending champion Suzann Pettersen shot 71, and second-ranked Stacy Lewis had a 73.

Miyazato, winless on the LPGA Tour, made four consecutive birdies during the middle of her round and pulled into a tie for the lead with a birdie on the 431-yard, par-4 18th, the toughest hole Friday.

The Japanese player has five top-10 finishes this season. “To begin the season, I was not so very good with my golf game,” Miyazato said. “I start to shoot right in the last couple four, five events.

I’m gaining more confidence.”

Park had a chance to join the leaders after reaching 6 under through 15 holes with two par 5s remaining, but settled for a 66. Pornanong had a roller-coaster round, with nine birdies and three bogeys, and Kerr birdied four of her final six holes.—AP

Martin wins pole at Michigan BROOKLYN: Mark Martin claimed pole position for the NASCAR race in Michigan by clocking the best time on Friday, taking his 55th career Sprint Cup pole, two digits higher than his age.

It was the fourth pole of the year for the 53-year-old Martin, who is making only his 15th Cup start this season. He entered only two of the previous seven races on the circuit but showed no sign of rust.

“I’ve had a few years of practice,” Martin said. “I don’t need a whole bunch of practice, I need a racecar like what I drove today. I need fast racecars.”

Mar tin will star t at the front of Sunday’s race in the No. 55 car fielded

by Michael Waltrip Racing. Carl Edwards qualified second, followed by points leader Jimmie Johnson.

Edwards sounded almost in awe of the pole winner. “He’s living the dream,” Edwards said. “He’s had a successful career. He’s able to come out here and pick and choose which races he’s going to run and to perform well at them. It’s pretty amazing, especially at his age.

He’s an inspiration for me, as to how well you can do for such a long period.”

Martin won his first pole in 1981.

“I had Mark Martin toys when I was a little kid,” Edwards said. “There are generations of people who have all had little Mark Martin toys, and who knows?

My k ids someday might be racing against the guy. And they might be just

as frustrated.”

The track at Michigan International Speedway was repaved in the offseason, and Marcos Ambrose qualified for the June race in a track record time.

Ambrose qualified eighth this time.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who won at MIS in June for his first victory in four years, qualified 22nd.

Martin moved into a tie for seventh with Bill Elliott on the series’ career poles list. It will be his ninth top-10 start this year, and he has five top-10 finishes.

“What keeps him going is his love for the sport,” Johnson said. “That’s what keeps him going, and we all know about his dedication to fitness, nutrition, and that keeps him sharp and on top of his game at 53 years old. And you can’t take out the fact that the guy has a ton of raw talent. That’s why he is Mark Martin.”

After racing a full Cup slate the last three years, Martin has cut back in 2012.

“The best part of not being at the racetrack is being able to put my arms around my wife, see her, and do what I please,” he said. “Instead of meeting a schedule, I just do whatever I feel like doing. It’s a piece of life that I didn’t have.”

Martin has two top-five finishes this season, but he didn’t start from pole either time. This is his first pole in 54 starts at MIS. He did start first in June 1990, when qualifying was canceled due to inclement weather.—AP

WYNDHAM: American Jimmy Walker played some boring golf to grab a oneshot lead over compatriot and defending champion Webb Simpson at the Wyndham Championship following Friday’s weather-affected second round. Walker fired a flawless eightunder 62 at the Sedgefield Country Club in North Carolina, to move to 12under for the tournament ahead of US Open champion Simpson (63), who was also bogey free in the defence of his inaugural PGA Tour win.

“I hit a lot of 5-woods off tees, kind of boring. I’m playing with J.B. (Holmes) and he’s bombing the driver everywhere,” Walker, looking for his first win on tour, told reporters.

“I’m just kind of bunting the 5-wood around and hitting good approach shots, that kind of stuff. It was pretty boring looking golf. Three-times tour winner Simpson was happy with his performance as he was cheered on loudly at his local event.

“I felt good kind of the whole game today,” the 27-year-old told reporters.

“Just one of those days where you really appreciate what you do just because its fun, go out there and play well, hit the ball where you’re looking and start your putts on line and you can do that for a full day, it’s always fun.

“I live an hour and a half away, I grew up an hour and a half way. Went to school 20 minutes from here. Good feeling when you hear people calling your name and rooting for you,” the American added.

While the field is jostling for playoff seeds or positions in the top 125 for the FedEx Cup, Spain’s Sergio Garcia is also fighting for a place in the European Ryder Cup team having been bumped from the automatic qualification zone

by Briton Ian Poulter last week as the selection deadline looms. Garcia

GREENSBORO: Jimmy Walker lines up a putt on the ninth green during the second round of the Wyndham Championship.—AP showed he was not ready to give up on his aspirations of playing in a sixth European team as he fired a 63 to take a share of third place alongside South African Tim Clark (67), American Harris English (64) and overnight leader Carl Pettersson (68) of Sweden a shot further back at 130.

The Spanish world number 29 sunk seven birdies in a bogey-free round to give himself a great chance to move back into the mix.

“Everybody knows how much the Ryder Cup means to me,” Garcia told reporters. “I have a chance this week.

I’m going to give it my best shot.

Hopefully my game will be on the weekend and I can get myself back in it. If not, then I’ll have to hope for a pick.

“I love the Ryder Cup and I would love to be in it. If I’m in it, I’ll give it my best and I’ll try to bring as many things as I can to the European team. If I’m not I’ll be the No. 1 fan watching at home on TV.” American Tim Herron produced a stunning turnaround from his six-over 76 first round, firing an course recordequalling 61 to make the weekend and keep his slim playoff hopes alive. For others, though, the playoff dream is

already over after missing the cut.

Double heart-transplant recipient Erik Compton (144) and former major winners David Duval (143) and John Daly (140) will fall short after failing to make the weekend.

Gary Woodland, starting the week just outside the playoff mark, had a six-foot putt to make the cut and keep his chances alive when the horn blew to stop play. But on his return after a delay of just over an hour, he missed the putt and with it a place at next week ’s Barclay ’s tournament.—Reuters

Panama spoils Uganda’s debut at LLWS with win SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT: Win or lose, the Little League World Series team from Uganda has become a hometown favorite. The first team from Africa to advance to South Williamsport in the 66-year history of the tourney did fall in its debut Friday. Aguadulce, Panama, defeated the boys from Lugazi 9-3.

Uganda’s coaches said they didn’t expect any parents of the players to make the expensive transatlantic trip to Pennsylvania.

But Uganda has still drawn vocal fans who cheered wildly, especially after Daniel Alio’s towering home run to center in the sixth. He showed off a methodical homer trot that would have made David Ortiz proud. “I thought I wouldn’t hit a home run,” the soft-spoken Alio said. “But my coach told me to make contact.” Canada, Texas and Indiana also won Friday Day 2 of the youth baseball marathon.

Alio and his teammates, though, were the biggest stars. Manager Henry

Odong said they’re proud to represent Africa, where baseball is an emerging sport but not nearly as popular as soccer. “The rest of Africa is behind us,” Odong said in recounting his message to players after early struggles at the plate. “People are watching ... just make contact.”

It’s been a special month already for Uganda sports after Stephen Kiprotich won gold in the men’s marathon race at the London Olympics. No record crowds this year, unlike the tens of thousands who showed up each night in 2011 to root on Keystone kids from nearby Clinton County.

But the locals seemed to have taken to the scrappy Uganda team that is also one of the more popular squads at the Little League dorms. Third baseman Ronald Olaa has already developed a reputation as one of the top ping pong players in the rec room.

Friday was all about baseball. They managed just three hits. They commit-

PANAMA: Lugazi, Uganda’s Felix Enzama (right) scores past Aguadulce, Panama’s Juan Crisp after a wild throw on a pickoff attempt to first base in the third inning of a pool play baseball game at the Little League World Series.—AP

ted four errors. But they had their share of highlights, too, like Alio’s homer. Or Alio backpedaling into short right to make a tough catch on a high popup.

Or pitcher Tonny Okello making a lunging catch of a weak popup on the firstbase line while trying to avoid the runner.

Not a bad start at all considering this team is used to playing back home on old soccer fields strewn with pebbles and the occasional anthill.

Uganda’s coaches hope their trip to the series and the experience playing before large crowds helps build more interest in baseball back home, where soccer is the dominant sport. “This is the biggest crowd that we have ever seen,” Odong said. “I told them that no one even cares what we were doing” in rooting for the team.

Panama’s pint-sized players had their own treat Friday when injured Phillies All-Star catcher Carlos Ruiz visited the team from his native country. He encouraged them to have fun but to work hard on the diamond. Looks like they listened.

Ruiz said major leaguers always pay attention to the Little League World Series. Marlins first baseman Carlos Lee, who is from Aguadulce, has been calling the Little League team as well.

Starter Julio Goff struck out seven and allowed just a hit over 2 2-3 innings in drawing the tough starting assignment. “Pitching here against Uganda, with that crowd, it made it very hard,” Goff said through interpreter Antonio Gonzalez, “but thank God that we won.”

Canada 13, Mexico 9 Outfielder Thomas Neal’s lunging catch saved an extra-base hit and helped Vancouver, British Columbia, beat the team from Nuevo Laredo. The teams combined for 27 hits, but several defensive gems by Canada had fans buzzing.

Neal’s catch was the most impressive after Mexico’s Eduardo Abrego smacked a sinking liner to left-center with two outs in the third and a runner on first. Neal dashed to his right before diving for the catch with an outstretched glove just before the ball hit the turf.

“The moment I saw it, I just had this

feeling he was going to catch it,” said pitcher Ataru Yamaguchi. The 13-yearold outfielder let out a roar before being mobbed by teammates on his way back to the dugout.

“I told him he was my best friend now,” the 13-year-old Yamaguchi joked.

“He wasn’t before. He was my fourth (best friend), just to clarify.”

Canada led 8-1 in the top of the second before Mexico rallied with the long ball. Ramon Ballina hit two homers.

Texas 5, New Jersey 2 Jordan Cardenas homered and pitched 2 1-3 innings of hitless relief, and San Antonio took advantage of defensive miscues to beat Parsippany, NJ. Cardenas gave Texas an early lead with his solo shot to right in the bottom of the first. The Southwest champions added three more runs in the second thanks to two outfield errors.

Starting pitcher Tyler Vitt had singled to center in the inning and came around to score on a three-base error.

Playing in a steady rain, New Jersey broke through in the fourth after Anthony Scannelli’s single to make it 41. Cardenas relieved Vitt and walked D.J. Pico with the bases loaded to force in another run before retiring seven in a row.

Texas wasn’t used to the playing conditions after playing its regional tournament in Waco with temperatures often in the triple digits.

Vitt struggled a bit with his command in the hard rain in the fourth.

“The ball got slippery and the mound turned to thick clay,” he said. “It was tough.”

Indiana 4, Oregon 0 New Castle, Ind., broke a scoreless tie with Gresham, Ore., in the bottom of the fifth with the help of a bunt single, two wild pitches and Mason Gillis’ check-swing double that trickled down the right-field line. In short, hustling Indiana played small ball to perfection.

Cory Murphy got the rally started with a single to center. He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt before scoring on two wild pitches.

Starter Greg Mehlhaff struck out seven for Oregon before being lifted after Indiana broke through in the fifth.—AP

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

sp orts

NZ clinch Bledisloe win over Australia

LONDON: South Africa’s Jacques Kallis hits a ball from England’s Graeme Swann during the third day of the third Test match at Lord’s cricket ground.—AP

Amla keeps England at bay LONDON: Hashim Amla’s unbeaten fifty steadied South Africa as England pressed with both bat and ball on the third day of the third Test at Lord’s yesterday.

At stumps, the Proteas were 145 for three in their second innings-a lead of 139 - with Amla 57 not out and nightwatchman Dale Steyn nought not out.

South Africa, 1-0 up in the threematch series, only have to avoid defeat to replace England as the world’s topranked Test side.

Both teams had slumped to 54 for four in their first innings and South Africa were wobbling at 50 for two second time around before Amla, dropped on two, and Jacques Kallis (31) shared a thirdwicket partnership of 81.

South Africa lost their first wicket when captain Graeme Smith, who’d made hundreds in his two previous Lord’s Tests, missed a sweep against offspinner Graeme Swann and was lbw for 23.

Amla was fortunate when he glanced Stuart Broad down the legside and diving wicket-keeper Matt Prior just failed to cling on to the left-handed chance.

But two balls later, Broad had opener Alviro Petersen, playing across the line of a full delivery, lbw for 24. Both Amla and Kallis initially struggled against the short ball before Kallis lofted Broad over gully for four. Amla too found his touch, cutting Swann, who bowled 20 overs unchanged for a return of one for 38, and easing James Anderson off the backfoot.

But a few overs before stumps, Kallis was lbw to fast bowler Steven Finn, with Australian umpire Simon Taufel’s decision upheld on review-much to the batsman’s obvious disappointment.

Amla, however, drove Broad down the ground to complete a 95-ball fifty with his seventh four and, two balls later, elegantly stroked him through extra-cover.

Earlier, Jonathan Bairstow fell just short of a maiden Test hundred as England made 315 in reply to South Africa’s first innings 309.

But the recalled Bairstow had the consolation of posting a Test-best 95 after coming in when England had collapsed to 54 for four.

There was extra pressure on the 22year-old as he’d replaced Kevin Pietersen, dropped despite scoring 149 in the drawn second Test at Headingley.

England axed South Africa-born Pietersen for sending “provocative” texts, believed to include criticisms of captain Andrew Strauss, to Proteas players.

Bairstow only made his Test debut in May, at Lord’s, but was dropped after his first three matches at this level, all against the West Indies, yielded a mere 38 runs in total. But the Yorkshireman resumed yesterday on 72 not out, with England then 208 for five.

Vernon Philander struck with the first delivery with the new ball as Prior, on 27, loosely drove at an outswinger and edged to second slip Kallis.

Bairstow, the son of late England wicket-keeper David Bairstow, guided fast bowler Steyn square through the offside for four and clipped Philander through midwicket to go to 90.

But he spent 15 runless balls, all against Morne Morkel, on 95, as the fast bowler tied him down on a sunny day when the blue skies above Lord’s offered little assistance to the bowlers.

And tall paceman Morkel was rewarded when he bowled Bairstow, aiming across the line, to end an innings of more than five hours duration featuring 13 fours, with the batsman walking off to a standing ovation from a capacity crowd.

Morkel led the attack with four wickets for 80 runs in 28.3 overs, with Steyn taking four for 94 in 29.—AFP

SYDNEY: New Zealand landed an early blow in the battle for the inaugural Rugby Championship when they beat Australia 27-19 yesterday to maintain their iron grip on the Bledisloe Cup. The World Cup holders raced into an 18-3 lead in the opening game of the newly expanded tournament, which now includes Argentina, through tries by Israel Dagg and Cory Jane before veteran lock Nathan Sharpe crossed just before halftime for the Wallabies’ only try.

Berrick Barnes’ kicking hauled Australia to within five points to leave New Zealand facing an uncomfortable final few minutes but Dan Carter’s fifth successful penalty ensured that the All Blacks take pole position ahead of next weekend’s return fixture in Auckland. Defending southern hemisphere champions Australia troubled their trans-Tasman rivals when they had the ball in hand but a raft of missed tackles and a couple of knock-ons at key moments effectively handed the win to the All Blacks.

“You could say its rustiness, who knows,” Barnes said. “We’re going to have to go back to the drawing board and rectify it.

“We’ve got a long way to go.”

Carter kicked 17 points but the biggest difference between the sides in a stop-start match at Sydney’s Olympic Stadium was the speed of the ball won by the New Zealand forwards - and the mistakes made by the Wallabies as the black shirts came at them.

New Zealand coach Steve Hansen blamed the mistakes and 28 penalties in the match on the short turnaround for players following the conclusion of the Super 15.

“It’s probably not the most

perfect game in the world but when you get two sides coming off the breaks we’ve had, playing at the intensity we’re playing, there’s going to be errors,” Hansen said.

The visitors’ solid scrum laid the platform for their first-half tries and only the regular whistling of referee Alain Rolland kept the Wallabies from being even more comprehensively dominated at the set piece. The

score was 3-3 when Sonny Bill Williams ran decoy to let Carter carr y the ball away from the scrum to meet the Australia midfield, slipping a delayed pass to Dagg. The fullback tore past opposite number Kurtley Beale on the left touchline and scored in the corner. The hapless Beale was then culpable for New Zealand’s second try, knocking on a kick under no pressure inside his own 22.

SYDNEY: Australia’s Berrick Barnes (left) jumps up to collect the ball in front of New Zealand All Blacks’ Cory Jane during their Bledisloe Cup rugby match.—AP

South Africa too strong for debutants Argentina CAPE TOWN: There was no fairy tale debut for Argentina in the Rugby Championship yesterday as they fell 27-6 to South Africa at Newlands. An often scrappy

game was won and lost in the first 20 minutes of the second half when the Pumas missed three penalty kicks after trailing 20-6 at half-time before right

wing Bryan Habana snatched an opportunist try. South Africa will be disappointed at failing to secure a bonus-point fourth try from late pressure in what will

SCOREBOARD LONDON: Scoreboard at stumps on the third day of the third Test between England and South Africa at Lord’s yesterday: South Africa 1st Innings 309 (JP Duminy 61, V Philander 61; S Finn 4-75, J Anderson 3-76) England 1st Innings (overnight: 208-5) A. Strauss b Morkel 20 A. Cook c Kallis b Steyn 7 J. Trott lbw b Steyn 8 I. Bell c Petersen b Philander 58 J. Taylor c Smith b Morkel 10 J. Bairstow b Morkel 95 M. Prior c Kallis b Philander 27 S. Broad c Amla b Steyn 16 G. Swann not out 37 J. Anderson c Rudolph b Steyn 12 S. Finn c Duminy b Morkel 10 Extras (lb10, w1, nb4) 15 Total (all out, 107.3 overs, 489 mins) 315 Fall of wickets: 1-29 (Strauss), 2-38 (Trott), 3-39 (Cook), 4-54 (Taylor), 5-178 (Bell), 6-221 (Prior), 7-252 (Broad), 8-264 (Bairstow), 9-283 (Anderson), 10-315 (Finn)

Bowling: Morkel 28.3-6-80-4 (4nb); Philander 24-9-48-2; Steyn 29-4-94-4; Kallis 12-3-29-0 (1w); Tahir 14-3-54-0 South Africa 2nd Innings A. Petersen lbw b Broad 24 G. Smith lbw b Swann 23 H. Amla not out 57 J. Kallis lbw b Finn 31 D. Steyn not out 0 Extras (b4, lb5, nb1) 10 Total (3 wkts, 50 overs, 216 mins) 45 Fall of wickets: 1-46 (Smith), 2-50 (Petersen), 3131 (Kallis) To bat: AB de Villiers, J Rudolph, JP Duminy, V Philander, M Morkel, Imran Tahir Bowling: Anderson 9-2-32-0; Broad 10-1-38-1 (1nb); Swann 20-5-38-1; Finn 11-1-28-1 Match position: South Africa lead England by 139 runs with seven second innings wickets standing.

The All Blacks sprayed the ball left to right from the resulting scrum and Dagg swiftly deposited the ball in Jane’s hands on the right for the winger to score.

“We worked pretty hard but it’s not all about the backs, it’s about the timing of the delivery par ticularly from the scrum,” assistant coach Ian Foster said. “It got us ahead of their defenders and we took advantage of that.”

Australia made a final attack of the half and Digby Ioane powered through only to be hauled down just shor t. Will Genia popped the ball up off the ground for Sharpe to go over for his eighth try from 106 tests.

Barnes pulled the Wallabies to within eight points with the conversion and the gap was just five points within five minutes of the restart after the flyhalf landed another penalty.

Carter and Barnes then traded kicks before the New Zealand flyhalf restored the cushion with his fourth successful penalty.

Dagg was bundled into touch as he raced in for a second try in the right corner following a break

by Liam Messam and Jane spilled just short of the line on the other wing.

The All Blacks looked to be home and dry but Barnes again hauled the Wallabies to within a try and the majority of the 76,877 fans were roaring, only to be silenced as the ball was hacked clear and Carter made the game safe with the final kick of the match.

Having won the last 13 straight matches against Australia at Eden Park, New Zealand will now keep hold of the Bledisloe Cup for a 10th year in a row if they edge out the Wallabies next weekend.—Reuters

CAPE TOWN: South Africa’s Francois Hougaard (center left) kicks the ball clear of Agentina’s Miguel Carizza (center) and Juan Lobbe (right) during the Rugby Championship first round match between Argentina’s Pumas and South Africa’s Springboks.—AFP

probably be the easiest of six fixtures in the former Tri-Nations.

Fly-half Morne Steyn was back to his place-kicking best for the Springboks after a poor mid-year series against England, landing three conversions and two conversions for a perfect record.

Argentina could have done with him as outside centre Marcelo Bosch failed from an early second-half penalty attempt and then fly-half Juan Martin Hernandez fluffed two closerrange kicks at goal.

The Pumas pack recovered from a poor start in which they conceded free kicks at the first two scrums for early engagements to hold their own in the set pieces and won some crucial turn-overs.

But the backs never looked like scoring a try and this will be an area of concern for coach Santiago Phelan ahead of the return match in Mendoza next Saturday.

Full-back Zane Kirchner and flank Marcell Coetzee crossed the tryline in the first half for South Africa with Steyn conver ting both and kicking two penalties.

Hernandez, back in the blue and white of the Pumas after a three -year injuries-induced absence, succeeded with both his first-half penalty attempts for the South Americans.—AFP

Players’ union not interested in work stoppage NEW YORK: With the threat of a National Hockey League (NHL) lockout less than a month away, the head of the players’ union on Friday offered a blunt reminder that his members are not the ones interested in a work stoppage.

The NHL has previously said that if a new labor agreement is not reached before the current one expires on Sept. 15 it is prepared to lock out players rather than operate under the old deal while carrying on negotiations.

“Nobody on the players’ side is talking about stopping the season. Nobody on the players’ side is talking about having negotiations go up to a certain date and then that’s all,” NHL Players Association (NHLPA) head Donald Fehr said during a conference call from Chicago.

“I have been in experiences before in which you play without a contract under the old rules and you continue negotiating and try and find a deal.

“We hope there isn’t (a lockout), we don’t think there is a reason for it. If they choose to do it you should understand it’s something they chose to do.”

A proposal submitted by the NHL last month showed a desire to have players give up a significant amount of salary to help stabilise the industry, but the union, who presented their offer on Tuesday, feel that would be best accomplished if the owners agreed to share greater revenue with struggling teams. So while both sides have reached common ground on smaller issues,

including player safety, there remains a significant gap with regards to the economics of a new labour agreement as many teams feel they cannot survive under the current system.

“The players made a proposal last week which we believed was designed to be both forthcoming and to allow us to bridge such gaps ... and essentially to partner with large income clubs and helping out any teams which may need it,” said Fehr, who was in Chicago for regional player meetings.

“I still remain hopeful that that proposal will remain the basis for discussion as we go forward.”

Formal discussion between the two sides are scheduled to resume on Wednesday in Toronto.

The NHL wants to reduce the players’ share of

hockey-related revenues to 46 percent from 57 percent despite enjoying record-breaking revenue of $3.3. billion last season, up from $2.2 billion before the 2004-05 lockout that wiped out a full season.

In a bid to slow the increase of salaries, the NHL’s offer also calls for the elimination of salary arbitration, 10 years of service before unrestricted free agency kicks in (up from seven in the current deal) and limiting contracts to five years.

But the union wants to see the league commit to a system of revenue sharing that would require the NHL’s wealthiest teams give over $250 million per season to struggling franchises.

The NHL’s 82-game regular season is scheduled to start on Oct. 11.—Reuters

18

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

S P ORT S

Kerber ends Serena’s run MASON: Olympic champion Serena Williams suffered her first loss in nearly three months on Friday as she was knocked out of the Cincinnati Open quarterfinals, falling 6-4 6-4 to Germany’s Angelique Kerber. While older sister Venus Williams continued her

China. Serena, who had not lost since her opening round defeat at the French Open, complained of fatigue after her last 16 match on Thursday but she fell on Friday to an opponent who used a mix of intelligence and technique to make her life difficult.

other two matches but it was a false alarm. “She didn’t do too much that threw me off. Her game is pretty straightforward and you know what to expect.

She’s getting a lot of balls back.

She played really well today and I think she served more up the T

MASON: Petra Kvitova, from the Czech Republic, eyes the ball against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, from Russia, during a quarterfinal at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament. —AP progress and moved through to the semi-finals with a 6-2 6-7 6-4 win over US Open champion Samantha Stosur, Serena struggled against an impressive Kerber en route to just her fourth defeat of the year.

Top seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, struggling with a sore shoulder, was beaten 6-1 6-1 by ninth-seed Li Na of

“It was probably for the best that I didn’t win today, even though I wanted to win. But maybe my body was like telling me not to. I don’t know,” said Williams, whose loss came in her 31st match, including singles and doubles action, since the start of Wimbledon.

“I felt really good going out there today, much better than my

than I expected.”

Kerber, who has reached at least the quarter-finals in 12 of 17 events played this year, doublefaulted on match point but on her third chance used a blistering ace to win the match.

“I had nothing to lose today, I tried to play my best and take it point by point because she has been playing so well recently,”

Kerber, the world number seven, told reporters. The German’s opponent in late yesterday’s semifinal will be Czech fourth seed Petra Kvitova. who beat Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3 7-6.

Venus Williams’s recovery from health problems is finally delivering some results after reaching her first semi-final since pulling out of last year’s US Open with an auto-immune disease that causes fatigue and joint soreness.

“I’d like to think that this is only the beginning for me of more semi-finals. Of course I’m going to stay focused and try to make it to the final as well,” said Williams.

“I’d like to take it a lot further. I haven’t played a lot since 2010, so this is awesome for me already.” Up against her in late yesterday’s semi-final will be Li Na who came through two matches on Friday. First she took care of her third round match, which was postponed due to rain on Thursday, beating Sweden’s Johanna Larsson 6-2 6-2. Then Li beat top seed Radwanska, the runner-up at this year ’s Wimbledon, who looked well below her best in a one-sided affair. The Pole said she had been hampered by a sore shoulder although she does not believe it will stop her playing in New Haven next week, the final tour stop before the US Open.

“It’s been on and off since last year, to be honest. But here it’s almost near the end of the season and I played a lot this year and we have been changing the surface very often and the balls as well, so it’s not always easy,” she said. Li should be a tough opponent for Venus, the Chinese player benefiting from a new coach, Carlos Rodriguez, the former long-term aid of multiple grand slam winner Justine Henin. —Reuters

Djokovic dumps Cilic, Federer wins

MASON: Roger Federer, from Switzerland, hits an overhead against Mardy Fish during a quarterfinal at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament. —AP

MASON: World number two Novak Djokovic has a shot at revenge against Juan Martin del Potro, who ended the Serb’s medal hopes at the London Olympics, when the two clash in the Cincinnati Open semi-finals late yesterday.

World number one Roger Federer, who dealt with American Mardy Fish 6-3 7-6 in some style, will play his Swiss Davis Cup team mate Stanislas Wawrinka in the other semi.

Djokovic, who lost to former U.S. Open winner Del Potro in the Olympic bronze medal match less than two weeks ago, enjoyed a routine 6-3 6-2 victory over 12th seeded Croatian Marin Cilic on Friday to advance.

“It was my best match so far here in this tournament and came in the right moment, really,” Djokovic, who had an easy passage through to the last eight after Russian Nikolay Davydenko retired injured during their match, told reporters.

“I had the biggest challenge today with Cilic who has been playing well the last couple of months and I played a really good match.”

The five-times grand slam winner may have added incentive on Saturday given Serbia’s Davis Cup semi-final loss to Argentina last year in which Djokovic retired against Del Potro.

“All these losses made me stronger and, yes, they are difficult, especially when you’re playing for a country and when you’re in Olympic Games and we’re fighting for bronze medal,” said Djokovic.

“He won that match. It happens. It’s a sport. You lose, you win, but the most

important thing is to try to move on and become even better and even stronger from those experiences and try to win.”

Del Potro overcame the surprise player of the tournament, Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, who entered the draw as a lucky loser and reached the quarter-finals thanks to wins over American Andy Roddick and Olympic champion Andy Murray.

The tall Argentine needed just 76 minutes to make sure Chardy’s run stopped, surrendering only 12 points on serve and breaking Chardy four times in a 6-1 6-3 rout.

Four-times Cincinnati winner Federer broke in the first and final game of the first set, looking in good shape against Fish, a hard court specialist who finished runnerup to the Swiss in the 2010 final. Fish stuck at his task in the second set but the world number one turned it up a notch in the tiebreak which he won to four.

“I’m very pleased that I was able to play at a high level and keep there throughout the match,” said Federer, who now comes up against compatriot and friend Wawrinka.

Wawrinka, ranked 26th in the world, beat big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic 26, 7-6, 6-4. After making the most of his only break point opportunity early in the third set, Wawrinka then saved two at 4-3 before wrapping things up in his next service game.

“I’m playing great tennis after two tough months. I lost in the first round at Wimbledon, Gastaad and the Olympics and it wasn’t easy, but I am glad to be back on the hard court,” he said. —Reuters

Struggling Oudin insists the future is bright WASHINGTON: Melanie Oudin looked down at the floor, clasped her hands together, and tried to explain how her game could spiral downward so quickly.

How could a player whose well-publicized mantra ‘Believe’ propelled her to the quarter-finals of the 2009 U.S. Open as a wide-eyed, can’tbelieve-it’s-happening-to-me 17-year-old suddenly lose her confidence? Slowly, painfully, the words came out.

“I’ve learned so much over the past few years,” Oudin told Reuters in a recent interview. “I’ve already been through the ups and the downs of tennis, the highs and the lows, doing extremely well and extremely badly.

“I’ve been through pretty much everything, which is crazy when I’m only 20. Hopefully, I’ve come out of the biggest slump that I’ll have in my career. It just happened really early.”

Oudin stunned the tennis world three years ago when she bounced four high-profile Russians from the U.S. Open, including two-time grand slam finalist Elena Dementieva and world number two Maria Sharapova. With her bubbly demeanor and endless energy, Oudin was the talk of Flushing Meadows, with fans cramming into Arthur Ashe Stadium just to get a peek at America’s newest darling.

Each time she won, she cried. She fell to the court as the crowd roared its approval. The diminutive, blue-eyed blonde reached number 31 in the world in early 2010 before the losses came in bunches. There were so many setbacks her ranking plummeted to 370.

“I put so much pressure on myself after that

Open,” said the Marietta, Georgia, native. “When I started losing, I was like, ‘I’m supposed to be winning. I just beat all these great players I’m supposed to be doing it every single week.’

“I felt after I had that great run at the U.S. Open the fans were wondering why I wasn’t winning every week. I let that get to me. People would yell at me, ‘C’mon, what are you doing?’ I let it get into my head.”

“Everyone wanted me to do well but they didn’t understand it was hurting me at the same time.

I put too much pressure on myself to do well. I was too tight.”

US Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez said the pressure of being labeled the “American hope of the next generation” was overwhelming.

“Confidence is a tricky thing,” she told Reuters in a telephone interview. “Some people have that innate confidence. Some people have to win a lot of matches to get the confidence.

“You work so hard for it but you can lose it very quickly.” Fernandez said as people began to “figure out her game,” the wins became tougher.

“The second year on tour is always tougher,” said Fernandez, who also coaches the women’s U.S. Olympic tennis team. “Melanie has to work really hard for her points.

“So that makes it a little more difficult and she lost a little confidence when she tried to defend all of her points. Things kind of spiraled away from her.”

After a self-described “horrible” claycourt season in 2011 and a 6-0 6-1 drubbing by Serbian Ana Ivanovic in the first round at that year’s Wimbledon, Oudin took a few weeks off to re-

boot her game.

“I needed a break from tennis badly,” she said. “I thought it couldn’t get any worse than this. I took two weeks off and felt good again. I was ready.

“I figured it can only get better. But it didn’t,” she added with a hearty laugh. “I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m trying so hard.’ I almost lost the belief I had in myself.”

Oudin and her longtime coach Brian de Villiers parted ways and she now works with the staff of former U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe in New York. Slowly, the confidence is starting to return.

Earlier this year the effervescent Oudin won a pre-Wimbledon grasscourt tournament in Birmingham, England, defeating former number one Jelena Jankovic in straight sets the title match.

“She’s on the way back,” insists Fernandez. “She’s working hard to get herself in the best shape possible. She’s also constructing her points well. We’re going to see her do well again.“I think we’re going to see her back to where she was or even higher.”

Oudin’s ranking has crawled back to 106 but that was not good enough to grant her direct entry into the Aug. 27-Sept. 9 US Open. She was granted, however, a wildcard berth into the year’s final grand slam tournament.

Despite her troubles over the last few years, Oudin never considered finding another line of work. She refused to believe the 2009 US Open was going to be the highlight of her singles career.

“I never thought about quitting,” said Oudin, who won the US Open mixed doubles title in 2011 with Jack Sock. “I’ve worked so long and so hard on tennis. —Reuters

STOCKHOLM: Maryam Yusuf Jamal of Bahrain winning 1500m, Mimmi Belete (left) of Bahrain second place and Abeba Aregawi (right) third place at the Stockholm Samsung Diamond League event. —AP

Richards-Ross wins DN Gala race STOCKHOLM: Olympic champion Sanya Richards-Ross was pushed to the limit by Botswana’s Amantle Montsho before coming through to win the women’s 400 meters at the DN Gala Diamond League meeting on Friday.

American Richards-Ross took the lead from Montsho in the closing stage of the race to win in 49.89 seconds. Montsho finished on 50.03, with Britain’s Christine Ohuruogu taking third in 50.77. “I feel good. Coming back for a race like this after the Olympics, you can feel physically and emotionally drained,” Richards-Ross said.

“But it went pretty well. And the atmosphere was fantastic.”

Earlier, American Michael Tinsley beat Olympic champion Felix Sanchez into second place in the 400-meter hurdles, clocking 48.50 seconds. Dominican Sanchez, who had beaten Tinsley to the gold medal at the London Games, finished 0.43 behind while Jamaican Leford Green was third in 48.97.

“I think it’s pretty good to get your legs going after the Olympics,” Tinsley said. “There is a lot of physical and mental stress going into the Olympics, so it’s nice to come out and relax and run.” Sanchez, who only arrived in Stockholm from his home country on Friday, felt he couldn’t have done much better in the circumstances. “My legs are really tired and I didn’t get out well at all,” he said. “My stride pattern was all messed up, so I was happy to come second. I haven’t been in Stockholm for 24 hours.

My body is on auto-pilot right now.”

Olympic triple jump champion Christian Taylor of the United States managed 17.11 meters to win his event. Ukraine’s Sheryf El Sheryf was second with 17.04 and Russian Lyukman Adams took third with 16.93. “It went wonderful today,” Taylor said. “My hopes were high and every time I compete I try to go over that 17-meter barrier... Obviously I’m on a high from the Olympic Games and I am just so

blessed to have a wonderful coach, and winning this has been the icing on the cake.”

Shot put star Valerie Adams, coming off the New Zealander’s second Olympic gold in London, dominated her event, throwing 20.26 meters. Russian Yevgenia Kolodko was second with her 19.08-meter throw, while Germany’s Christina Schwanitz was third with 18.72.

“The goal was to win today, that’s always the goal,” Adams said. “I wanted to throw more but after the drama that’s gone on over the last seven days it’s been pretty hard to get back up. So I’m happy with the win.” Croatia’s Olympic discus champion Sandra Perkovic set a new meeting record, winning her event with a 68.77-meter throw. Russian Darya Pischalnikova was second (66.85) and German Nadine Muller third (65.07).

In the women’s 200 meters, with Olympic champion Allyson Felix not taking part, American Charonda Williams won in 22.82 seconds. Her compatriot Bianca Knight was second in 22.86 and Ukraine’s Mariya Ryemyen took third with 22.94.

In the women’s 3,000 meter steeplechase, Olympic champion Yuliya Zaripova of Russia set the season’s best, outclassing her opponents to win in nine minutes, 5.2 seconds. Tunisian Habiba Ghribi was second (9:10.36) and Ethiopian Etenesh Diro Neda third (9:14.07).

American Ryan Bailey won the men’s 100 meter race in 9.93 seconds. Jamaicans Nesta Carter and Michael Frater finished second and third respectively, but failed to dip below the 10-second mark.

2008 Olympic champion Dawn Harper won the women’s 100 meter hurdles, finishing in 12.65 seconds, ahead of fellow American Kellie Wells (12.76) and Bulgarian Alina Talay (12.79).

In the women’s pole vault, Olympic champion Jennifer Suhr failed miserably, not clearing a single height; the American missed 4.55 on all three attempts. —AP

Diamond League results Results from the Diamond League Meeting Stockholm Men/Women on Friday Men’s 100m 1. Ryan Bailey (US) 2. Nesta Carter (Jamaica) 3. Michael Frater (Jamaica) 4. Darvis Patton (US) 5. Adam Gemili (Britain) 6. Richard Thompson (Trinidad and Tobago) 7. Gerald Phiri (Zambia) 8. Nil De Oliveira (Sweden)

9.93 10.06 10.12 10.15 10.22 10.23 10.24 10.45

Women’s 400m 1. Sanya Richards-Ross (US) 2. Amantle Montsho (Botswana) 3. Christine Ohuruogu (Britain) 4. Antonina Krivoshapka (Russia) 5. Francena McCorory (US) 6. DeeDee Trotter (US) 7. Yulia Gushchina (Russia) 8. Moa Hjelmer (Sweden)

49.89 50.03 50.77 50.93 51.08 51.75 52.53 52.88

Men’s 400m 1. Rabah Yousif (Sudan) 2. Jarrin Solomon (Trinidad and Tobago) 3. Brian Murphy (Ireland) 4. Andrew Steele (Britain) 5. Johan Wissman (Sweden) 6. Nick Ekelund-Arenander (Denmark) 7. Felix Francois (Sweden) 8. Elias Amado (Sweden)

45.73 46.18 46.71 46.90 47.00 47.06 47.80 49.96

Women’s 1500m 1. Maryam Yusuf Jamal (Bahrain) 2. Mimi Belete (Bahrain) 3. Abeba Aregawi (Ethiopia) 4. Shannon Rowbury (US) 5. Jennifer Simpson (US) 6. Natallia Kareiva (Belarus) 7. Hellen Onsando Obiri (Kenya) 8. Laura Weightman (Britain)

4:01.19 4:01.72 4:02.04 4:03.15 4:04.71 4:04.97 4:05.39 4:06.09

Men’s 800m 1. Mohammed Aman (Ethiopia) 2. Taoufik Makhloufi (Algeria) 3. Abraham Rotich (Kenya) 4. Edwin Kiplagat Melly (Kenya) 5. Abubaker Kaki (Sudan) 6. Marcin Lewandowski (Poland) 7. Adam Kszczot (Poland) 8. Duane Solomon (US)

1:43.56 1:43.71 1:44.23 1:44.32 1:44.42 1:44.96 1:45.36 1:46.80

Women’s 100m Hurdles 1. Dawn Harper (US) 2. Kellie Wells (US) 3. Alina Talay (Belarus) 4. Ginnie Crawford (US) 5. Queen Harrison (US) 6. Beate Schrott (Austria) 7. Brigitte Foster-Hylton (Jamaica) 8. Phylicia George (Canada)

Men’s 3000m 1. Isiah Kiplangat Koech (Kenya) 2. Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku (Kenya) 3. John Kipkoech (Kenya) 4. Edwin Cheruiyot Soi (Kenya) 5. Vincent Kiprop Chepkok (Kenya) 6. Evan Jager (US) 7. Arne Gabius (Germany) 8. Collis Birmingham (Australia)

7:30.43 7:30.99 7:34.03 7:34.75 7:35.04 7:35.16 7:35.43 7:35.45

Women’s 3000m Steeplechase 1. Yuliya Zaripova (Russia) 2. Habiba Ghribi (Tunisia) 3. Etenesh Diro Neda (Ethiopia) 4. Lydia Tum Chepkirui (Kenya) 5. Ancuta Bobocel (Romania) 6. Mercy Wanjiku Njoroge (Kenya) 7. Zemzem Ahmed (Ethiopia) 8. Emma Coburn (US)

Men’s 400m Hurdles 1. Michael Tinsley (US) 2. Felix Sanchez (Dominican Republic) 3. Leford Green (Jamaica) 4. Jehue Gordon (Trinidad and Tobago) 5. Georg Fleischhauer (Germany) 6. Rhys Williams (Britain) 7. Michael Bultheel (Belgium) 8. Angelo Taylor (US) Men’s Triple Jump 1. Christian Taylor (US) 2. Sheryf El-Sheryf (Ukraine) 3. Lyukman Adams (Russia) 4. Will Claye (US) 5. Tosin Oke (Nigeria) 6. Samyr Laine (Haiti) 7. Henry Frayne (Australia) 8. Benjamin Compaore (France) NoM

48.50 48.93 48.97 49.00 49.79 49.93 50.02 50.41 17.11 17.04 16.93 16.88 16.76 16.68 16.07

12.65 12.76 12.79 12.83 12.89 12.93 12.96 13.26 9:05.02 9:10.36 9:14.07 9:14.98 9:25.70 9:27.20 9:31.27 9:31.55

Women’s High Jump 1. Anna Chicherova (Russia) 2. Svetlana Shkolina (Russia) 3. Tia Hellebaut (Belgium) 4. Ruth Beitia (Spain) 5. Olena Holosha (Ukraine) 5=. Irina Gordeeva (Russia) 7. Airine Palsyte (Lithuania) 8. Svetlana Radzivil (Uzbekistan)

2.00 1.97 1.94 1.94 1.88 1.88 1.88 1.84

Women’s Long Jump 1. Elena Sokolova (Russia) 2. Nastassia Mironchyk-Ivanova (Belarus) 3. Janay DeLoach (US) 4. Shara Proctor (Britain) 5. Ineta Radevica (Latvia) 6. Olga Kucherenko (Russia) 7. Anna Nazarova (Russia) 8. Lyudmila Kolchanova (Russia)

6.82 6.75 6.69 6.68 6.65 6.63 6.60 6.39

Men’s Shot Put 1. Reese Hoffa (US) 2. Tomasz Majewski (Poland) 3. Ryan Whiting (US) 4. Dylan Armstrong (Canada) 5. Christian Cantwell (US) 6. Maksim Sidorov (Russia) 7. Niklas Arrhenius (Sweden) 8. Leif Arrhenius (Sweden)

21.24 21.01 20.94 20.68 20.58 19.76 18.86 18.36

Women’s Pole Vault 1. Yarisley Silva (Cuba) 2. Silke Spiegelburg (Germany) 3. Fabiana Murer (Brazil) 4. Lisa Ryzih (Germany) 5. Jirina Ptacnikova (Czech Republic) 6. Angelica Bengtsson (Sweden) 7. Holly Bleasdale (Britain) 8. Alana Boyd (Australia)

4.70 4.55 4.55 4.46 4.46 4.46 4.46 4.31

Men’s Javelin Throw 1. Tero Pitkaemaeki (Finland) 2. Vitezslav Vesely (Czech Republic) 3. Oleksandr Pyatnytsya (Ukraine) 4. Antti Ruuskanen (Finland) 5. Vadims Vasilevskis (Latvia) 6. Ivan Zaytsev (Uzbekistan) 7. Gabriel Wallin (Sweden) 8. Kim Amb (Sweden)

86.98 83.74 81.23 79.94 79.34 78.61 77.00 76.06

Women’s Shot Put 1. Valerie Adams (New Zealand) 2. Evgeniia Kolodko (Russia) 3. Christina Schwanitz (Germany) 4. Natallia Mikhnevich (Belarus) 5. Michelle Carter (US) 6. Cleopatra Borel (Trinidad and Tobago) 7. Irina Tarasova (Russia) 8. Ursula Ruiz (Spain)

20.26 19.08 18.72 18.51 18.39 18.11 17.95 17.28

Women’s 200m 1. ChaRonda Williams (US) 2. Bianca Knight (US) 3. Mariya Ryemyen (Ukraine) 4. Anneisha McLaughlin (Jamaica) 5. Jeneba Tarmoh (US) 6. Sherone Simpson (Jamaica) 7. Murielle Ahoure (Cote D’Ivoire) 8. Aleksandra Fedoriva (Russia)

22.82 22.86 22.94 22.96 23.00 23.15 23.21 23.26

Women’s Discus Throw 1. Sandra Perkovic (Croatia) 2. Darya Pishchalnikova (Russia) 3. Nadine Mueller (Germany) 4. Yarelys Barrios (Cuba) 5. Stephanie Brown Trafton (US) 6. Zaneta Glanc (Poland) 7. Zinaida Sendriute (Lithuania) 8. Melina Robert-Michon (France)

68.77 66.85 65.07 64.29 63.34 61.65 60.09 59.95

19

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

sports Preview

Di Matteo wants Chelsea to close gap on rivals WIGAN: Roberto Di Matteo admits Chelsea’s main target this season is to close the gap on title rivals Manchester City and Manchester United as the European champions prepare to kick off their Premier League campaign at Wigan today.

Di Matteo is determined to translate last season’s Champions League and FA Cup double into success in the league. But last season the Blues finished in sixth place, 25 points behind champions City and second placed United, following an erratic league campaign.

Di Matteo, who was installed as permanent manager this summer, believes it will be a tough challenge to gatecrash the title race, particularly for a team in a state of transition.

Yet the Italian knows the demands for success at Stamford Bridge will remain high and he must deliver in the Premier League to keep his job, with former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola believed to waiting in the wings. “This is an ambitious club and we know we have to win trophies to be successful,” Di Matteo said.

“Personally, I still believe that Man City is the favorite because they haven’t lost any key players. But, certainly, Robin Van Persie is a good signing for United.

“We have to try to close the gap, for sure. It’s not that we’re not going to try. “We have to try to challenge ourselves with the other teams, so I wouldn’t say there is no expectation.”

Di Matteo’s squad has undergone a

significant overhaul since that dramatic Champions League final win over Bayern Munich.

Out have gone Didier Drogba, Jose Bosingwa and Salomon Kalou, with Eden Hazard, Oscar and Marko Marin coming into the club.

Di Matteo expects the new look of the squad to be reflected in a changing style of play for a team that relied heavily on Drogba’s power last season. Marin will be missing with a hamstring problem today, but otherwise Di Matteo has a full strength squad to choose from, including Oscar who has just joined up with the club after his Olympic campaign with Brazil.

More arrivals are expected, possibly including Victor Moses who will line up for Wigan on Sunday after several

Chelsea bids for the Nigerian forward were rejected by the Latics.

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez is confident Moses will be ready to face players who could soon become team-mates. “If you don’t meet a valuation, it becomes paper talk and speculation,” he said.

“It happens everywhere, it gives you uncertainty and I don’t think that helps. The players are human beings.

“For Victor it’s been an exciting summer. I told him he should be very proud, as a footballer at 21, to get the interest he has had.

“Victor knows what he did from December to the end of the season was a great level of performance. “He can take it on to the next level and I am very excited to have him at Wigan,

and I hope we can keep him for many years to come.”

Wigan are embarking on an eighth straight season in the top flight after winning their last four home games last term to beat relegation.

And Martinez, who had talks with Liverpool about taking over at Anfield in the summer, is demanding his newlook team continue from where they left off when they face Chelsea.

Striker Arouna Kone is set to start after arriving from Spanish club Levante after scoring 15 goals in La Liga last season.

Ryo Miyaichi could also figure after signing on loan from Arsenal but defender Ivan Ramis, who has joined from Mallorca, is struggling with a hamstring injury.—AFP

Le Fondre rescues Reading Reading 1

Stoke 1

LONDON: Swansea manager Michael Laudrup (center) celebrates their second goal during their English Premier League soccer match against Queens Park Rangers.—AP

Swansea demolish QPR LONDON: Summer QPR 0 signing M i g u e l Michu made his mark for Swansea 5 Swansea with a brace of goals to help the Welsh club notch up a convincing 5-0 victory over QPR in the Premier League yesterday.

The Spanish midfielder, signed on a three-year deal from Rayo Vallecano for £2 million ($3.1 million), scored in the eighth and 53rd minutes, the first goal a speculative 25-yard shot that beat QPR’s new keeper Rob Green.

It was an impressive debut for Michu as he started alongside Chico Flores and Jonathan De Guzman, both also brought in by new Danish manager Michael Laudrup in the off-season.

Nathan Dyer compounded QPR’s woes with a brace for himself in the 63rd and 71st minutes as Swansea dominated possession.

Having never won in 20 previous trips to QPR in all competitions, 17 of them in league competition, Swansea’s wantaway striker Scott Sinclair bagged a fifth goal with nine minutes to play.

QPR fielded summer signings Green, Fabio, Park Ji-Sung and Junior Hoilett, with another, Ryan Nelsen, named on the bench. But the west London club were without Joey Barton, who starts his 12-match suspension for his red card and subsequent conduct on the final day of last season against Manchester City.

The defensive frailities shown by his side will set the alarm bells ringing for QPR manager Mark Hughes, with his side next week facing an away trip to Norwich, who ironically suffered a similar 5-0 loss to Fulham yesterday.—AFP

Fulham thrash Norwich LONDON: Mladen Fulham 5 Petric scored a double on his debut as Fulham got Norwich 0 their Premier League campaign off to a blistering start with a 5-0 thrashing of Norwich at Craven Cottage yesterday.

Republic of Ireland winger Damien Duff opened the scoring and goals in either half from Petric set the Cottagers on their way before Sweden’s Alex Kacaniklic and a Steve Sidwell penalty put the result beyond doubt.

Kacaniklic, who is hoping to feature in the first team this season after being on loan to Watford last term, started up front in the place of wantaway striker Clint Dempsey.

Fulham were also without Kerim Frei, Philippe Senderos and Zdenek Grygera through injury, as new Norwich boss Chris Hughton gave debuts to summer signings Robert Snodgrass and Michael

Turner in his first game in charge of the Canaries.

Duff opened the team’s score sheet for the season after 26 minutes following a cross from John Arne Riise from the edge of the penalty area into the bottom left corner of the goal.

Croation forward Petric, who made his debut along with Sascha Riether, got the second four minutes before the break when he headed in from inside the sixyard box.

Costa Rican midfielder Bryan Ruiz had a chance to give the hosts a third a minute later but his free kick was saved

by John Ruddy in the Norwich goal.

But Petric got his second after 54 minutes with a long range effort into the top left corner of the goal.

Kacaniklic got the fourth after 66 minutes with Sidwell converting a penalty four minutes from time after a foul on Hugo Rodellaga, to ensure Martin Jol’s side kept their record of never having been beaten at home in a Premier League opener.—AFP

Arsenal to sell Song to Barca LONDON: Arsenal midfielder Alex Song is the latest star player to leave the Emirates Stadium after Barcelona agreed a deal to sign the Cameroon star yesterday.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has already lost striker Robin van Persie to Manchester United this week and Arsenal’s hopes of a successful campaign suffered another blow with Barca luring Song to the Camp Nou. The north London club, without a trophy for seven years, confirmed they had accepted Barca’s offer for Song just minutes after Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Sunderland.

“Arsenal Football Club can confirm that terms have been agreed for the transfer of Alex Song to Barcelona,” an Arsenal statement read.

“Song will now travel to the Catalan club to agree personal terms and undergo a medical ahead of the proposed move.”

Barca then revealed they had agreed to pay £15 million (19 million euros) for Song, who will have a release clause of 80 million euros inserted in his contract.

The 24-year-old won’t be able to complete his move in time to feature in Barca’s opening La Liga fixture against Real Sociedad today.

Song, who has made 204 appearances for Arsenal during his seven seasons at the club, scoring 10 goals, was missing from the squad for the Sunderland clash after Barca made their interest known earlier in the week.

If he completes his move to Barca, Song would be following a well-worn path, with Marc Overmars, Emmanuel Petit, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Thierry Henry, Alexander Hleb and Cesc Fabregas having left the Gunners to join Barca during Wenger’s reign.

However, while Wenger described van Persie’s exit as a “bitter pill”, he isn’t so concerned about losing Song and he hinted he could sign a replacement before the transfer window closes on August 31.

“We have (Jack) Wilshere coming back now, we have (Abou) Diaby back, we have (Tomas) Rosicky not far away and we might bring someone in.”—AFP

READING: Reading marked their return to the Premier League after a four-year absence in dramatic fashion as Adam Le Fondre’s late penalty rescued a 1-1 draw against Stoke yesterday.

The Royals looked set to be taught a harsh lesson in the realities of top-flight football after Australian goalkeeper Adam Federici’s howler gifted Michael Kightly a debut goal for Stoke.

But new signing Garath McCleary came off the bench to turn the game, winning the penalty that saw Stoke midfielder Dean Whitehead sent off and allowed striker Le Fondre to stroke home the equaliser.

While Championship winners Reading were relieved to avoid defeat, Royals boss Brian McDermott may be concerned at the way Stoke dominated before McCleary’s intervention.

A succession of niggly Stoke fouls ruined what little flow there was in the first half and referee Kevin Friend’s patience snapped when he booked Whitehead for tripping Reading new boy Danny Guthrie.

LONDON: Reading’s Hal Robson-Kanu (right) is tackled by Stoke’s Andy Wilkinson (left) during their English Premier League soccer match.—AP Kaspars Gorkss should have hit the target for Reading with a free header from Guthrie’s corner, but the hosts gifted Stoke the lead in the 34th minute.

The Royals defence failed to clear a routine straight ball, which fell to Kightly, who was given an age to control and shoot. His strike took a slight nick off Gorkss

but not enough to deceive Federici, who allowed it to trickle through his arms.

When Whitehead escaped a red card for felling Pavel Pogrebnyak in full flight on the edge of the box, it seemed Stoke would cling on. But moments later McCleary was allowed to advance unchallenged into the area and

was upended by Whitehead.

Friend allowed play to continue and fellow substitute Noel Hunt was denied by Begovic but the referee brought play back, awarding the penalty and showing Whitehead a second yellow card. Le Fondre despatched the spot-kick to spark wild celebrations from the home fans.—AFP

Arfa hands Villas-Boas debut defeat NEWCASTLE: Newcastle midNewcastle 2 fielder Hatem Ben Arfa kept his nerve to score the late Tottenham 1 penalty that handed Andre Villas-Boas a 2-1 defeat in his first match as Tottenham manager yesterday.

After a dismal eight-month spell at Chelsea ended with his sacking last season, Villas-Boas is back in the Premier League with a point to prove.

But the young Portuguese coach, a surprise appointment following Harry Redknapp’s dismissal at the end of last season, will need to get more from his players than they delivered in an inconsistent display at St James’ Park.

Senegal striker Demba Ba put Newcastle ahead with a superb goal early in the second half and, although Jermain Defoe grabbed an equaliser, it was France international Ben Arfa who won and then converted the decisive penalty with 10 minutes remaining.

While Villas-Boas returns to north London with plenty of work to do, it was business as usual for Newcastle boss Alan Pardew.

Pardew presided over a remarkable campaign for the Magpies last season as they defied predictions of a relegation battle to challenge for the place in the Champions League.

Newcastle eventually finished fifth and on the evidence of this impressive effort another high finish is well within their grasp.

Villas-Boas’s side had looked sharper in the first half and were desperately unlucky not to take some kind of lead into the halftime break after both Defoe and Gareth Bale clattered shots against the woodwork.

Defoe was sent through by a neat ball from Jake Livermore in the 33rd minute but fired against the base of Tim Krul’s righthand post, and three minutes later Bale headed powerfully against the bar from an Aaron Lennon cross.

While Pardew started with his new signings Vurnon Anita and Romain Amalfitano on the bench, Villas-Boas gave Gylfi Sigurdsson his debut and the ex-Swansea midfielder was at the heart of most of the visitors’ attacking moves.

LONDON: Tottenham Hotspurs’ Aaron Lennon (center) vies for the ball with Newcastle United’s captain Jonas Gutierrez (left) and Davide Santon (right) during their English Premier League soccer match.—AP But the home side snatched the lead in the 54th minute when Danny Simpson’s high ball into the box was only half headed Matches on TV clear by Kyle Walker, and Ba responded (Local Timings) with a curling shot high into the net from the corner of the box.

English Premier League Benoit Assou-Ekotto drilled a long-range Wigan v Chelsea 15:30 effort which was parried by Krul before Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Pardew was sent to the stands on the hour Abu Dhabi Sports HD 5 for over-protesting a touchline incident.

Newcastle made their first change in the Man City v Southampton 18:00 70th minute, new boy Anita replacing Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Yohan Cabaye, and at that point the Magpies were in control.

Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Spurs grabbed their equaliser in the 76th minute when Lennon crossed into a crowdSpanish League ed box and Defoe wriggled free to fire past Mallorca v Espanyol 0:00 Krul at the second attempt after his initial Aljazeera Sport +2 header had been parried by the keeper.

Bilbao v Betis 20:00 However, Spurs were level for only four Aljazeera Sport +5 minutes before Rafael Van der Vaart was Real Madrid v Valencia 20:00 penalised for tripping Ben Arfa in the penalAljazeera Sport +2 ty area and the Frenchman picked himself Barcelona v Sociedad 22:00 up to send Brad Friedel the wrong way from Aljazeera Sport +2 the spot.—AFP

Kerber ends Serena’s run

Amla keeps England at bay

18

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

Di Matteo wants Chelsea to close gap on rivals

Page 19

LONDON: Liverpool’s Fabio Borini (left) is tackled by West Bromwich Albion’s Steven Reid (lower left) during their English Premier League soccer match at the Hawthorns.—AP

Liverpool routed by Albion BIRMINGHAM: B r e n d a n West Brom 3 R o d g e r s endured a disastrous first Premier League Liverpool 0 game as Liverpool manager as his 10 men succumbed to a 3-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion yesterday.

In what was a dream start to life at the Hawthorns for their new head coach Steve Clarke, the Baggies eased to victory courtesy of a Peter Odemwingie penalty sandwiched between goals from Zoltan Gera and Romelu Lukaku.

While Gera’s strike was an early contender for goal of the season, Odemwingie’s spot kick arrived just three minutes after one had been missed by Shane Long — the foul on the Irishman earning Liverpool defender Daniel Agger a red card.

Substitute Lukaku, on loan from Chelsea, added gloss with a goal on his debut as Clarke, assistant to Kenny Dalglish at Anfield last season, gained revenge for his close-season sacking.

It was a humbling start for former Swansea boss Rodgers, who had handed Joe Allen his Reds debut, as the Northern Irishman discovered the full extent of the task awaiting him at Liverpool.

A fairly even first half had seen Luis Suarez twice denied well by Ben Foster in the Baggies goal, while Long threatened with an audacious lob

over the bar after outmuscling Lucas.

Uruguay internation Suarez was guilty of missing a gilt-edged chance on the half-hour mark, though, when he rose unmarked only to head Glen Johnson’s left-wing centre over the crossbar from close range.

Worse was to follow for the Reds when Albion took the lead in stunning fashion just before the interval. Martin Skrtel could only clear James Morrison’s corner from the right into the path of Gera, on the edge of the area, and he demonstrated sublime technique to smash an unstoppable half-volley beyond Jose Reina.

It was a first Premier League goal in 20 months for the Hungary international in what was his first competitive outing since suffering a cruciate knee

ligament injury last November.

Suarez curled a free-kick shortly after half-time and the visitors’ day soon took another turn for the worse. A threaded pass from James Morrison sent Long through and the Ireland international tumbled inside the area following contact from Agger and Dowd responded by pointing to the penalty spot and sending Agger off.

Long’s tame 60th-minute spot kick was comfortably saved by Reina, but the Baggies were handed a reprieve just three minutes later when Skrtel clumsily caught the former Reading player inside the penalty area.

This time, the home side made no mistake as Odemwingie, having wrestled the ball from James Morrison, stepped up and lashed a shot inside the

West Ham off to flying start

Arsenal miss Van Persie in Sunderland stalemate LO N D O N : Arsenal started Arsenal 0 life after Robin van Persie with a dispiriting 0-0 draw against Sunderland 0 Sunderland in their Premier League opener at the Emirates Stadium yesterday.

Lukas Podolski, Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud all made their debuts but none of the new attacking trio could get on the scoresheet as Arsene Wengerís team failed to lift the gloom following van Persieís £24 million move to Manchester United earlier in the week.

Giroud came off the bench and missed Arsenalís best chance of the day when he was sent through on goal, but Germany striker Podolski found chances difficult to come by.

Aside from van Persie, Wenger was also without Cameroon midfielder Alex Song, who has moved to Barcelona. It meant Abou Diaby and Mikel Arteta were protecting a defence missing Laurent Koscielny with a calf problem.

Spanish winger Cazorla was in the starting lineup following his move from Malaga and Podolski also made his first appearance for the club. But it was Sunderland who made the first decent chances of the game.

Stephane Sessegnon was up front on his own but he offered a warning of his threat when he skipped down the right and put in a good cross.

Then he set up James McClean by sliding a pass behind the Arsenal defence and it needed Wojciech Szczesny to use his feet to make a sharp save.

Jack Colback was the next to get a sight of goal.

Sessegnon created the chance again with a well-

weighted pass but Cobackís shot was just too close to Szczesny.

Cazorla was the heart of Arsenalís best early chances, starting with a drive turned over the crossbar by Simon Mignolet. He also shot just wide after an exciting run from Gervinho saw the Ivory Coast winger trick Craig Gardner before cutting the ball back.

Podolski got his first chance midway through the first half when Carl Jenkinsonís cross caused confusion in the Sunderland penalty area, but the visitors scrambled away before the striker could get a shot away. Diaby got closer with Arsenalís next attack, after Podolski fed him the ball 30 yards from goal.

His shot was angled towards the bottom corner and Mignolet was required to tip it around the post.

Before the end of the first half, Craig Gardner pulled off a last-ditch tackle to deny Podolski and Coback hit the side netting at the other end.

In the second half, Kieran Richardson was booked for ending a promising Arsenal attack with a cynical challenge but Podolski fired the free-kick over the crossbar.

Cazorla got closer when he flashed a volley just wide of the post from a similar distance.

Theo Walcott also fired into the side netting as Sunderland clung onto their clean sheet. Wenger decided to send on Giroud for his debut in place of Podolski, while Louis Saha was also brought on for Sessegnon as Sunderland boss Martin OíNeill looked to snatch the win.

Giroud had a sight of goal when Sunderland lost the ball on the edge of the area, but he crossed when he should have shot and the chance was gone.

Before the end, Cazorla sent Giroud through on goal but the France striker fired wide with just Mignolet to beat.—AFP

left corner. Despite his penalty miss, Long was soon replaced to a standing ovation by the Hawthorns crowd with Lukaku brought on for his debut.

Rodgers responded by introducing Joe Cole for Lucas, yet it was Clarke’s side who continued to dominate. They should have had a third when Lukaku squared to Morrison to leave him with just Reina to beat, however he blazed over the crossbar. The third goal soon arrived, though, when Lukaku rose unchallenged at the back post in the 78th minute to head in a Liam Ridgewell cross.

Andy Carroll was introduced immediately, but it was too little too late for the visitors on what proved to be a miserable day for the Reds and Rodgers.—AFP

LONDON: Arsenal’s Abou Diaby (rear) and Sunderland’s Fraizer Campbell vie for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match.—AP

LONDON: Premier League new boys West Ham got their season off to the perfect start West Ham 1 yesterday with a hard-fought and controversial 1-0 win against Aston Villa at Upton Park. Hammers captain Kevin Aston Villa 0 Nolan claimed the winning goal shortly before half-time, but the visitors were incensed after the linesman flagged for offside before changing his mind.

Nolan’s strike was enough to secure an opening day win for Sam Allardyce’s side, promoted via the Championship play-offs last season, while Villa boss Paul Lambert got off to a losing start following his close-season switch from Norwich.

Both managers fielded four new signings, but it was Lambert’s players who started the brighter with Australia winger Brett Holman threatening early on his debut with a long-range shot. However, the match settled into a pedestrian pace with the blazing sunshine in east London appearing to sap the energy of both teams.

Nolan did his best to bring the game to life, firing a free-kick narrowly wide of the near post after 30 minutes. The deadlock was eventually broken five minutes before half-time in controversial circumstances.

West Ham’s Portuguese forward Ricardo Vaz Te received the ball in yards of space from Mark Noble’s free-kick before squaring the ball for Nolan to tap in from close range.

The Villa players immediately surrounded referee Mike Dean claiming that Vaz Te was offside, but replays suggested that the ball came to him off defender Ciaran Clark’s head.

Stephen Ireland was the first Villa player to threaten West Ham debutant Jussi Jaaskelainen, but the veteran goalkeeper comfortably held the midfielder’s low drive. It was the home team who felt aggrieved five minutes into the second half when Carlton Cole appeared to be clattered from behind by Dutchman Ron Vlaar. Dean once again waved away the protests, but West Ham had done enough to take the points.—AFP

Business

Enhance employee engagement Page 22 Libor case shows Barclays flawed: UK Page 23

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

Small states squabble over euro-zone’s future

Page 23

Iconic MINI brand turns 53 Page 25

SAO PAULO: Visitors walk by a plane during the annual Latin American Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (LABACE) at Congonhas Airport. (Inset) Brazilian firm Embraer aircraft models are seen on display. — AFP

Brazil’s aviation sector soars high Three-day air show draws 100 manufacturers SAO PAULO: A major air show in Sao Paulo this week turned the spotlight on the robust health of Brazil’s general aviation market, which is thriving despite the global economic slowdown. General aviation, which makes up the majority of the world’s air traffic, refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline passenger and cargo flights. The category, made up mostly of small planes, covers corporate travel, private flying, flight training, air ambulance, police aviation, aerial firefighting, air charter, and bush flying. At Sao Paulo’s Congonhas airport, 70 planes were on display as part of the ninth edition of the Latin American Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (LABACE), which organizers say is the second largest general aviation show in the world after the Oshkosh air show in the US state of Wisconsin.

“The general aviation market has expanded considerably in Brazil unlike in other countries,” said Eduardo

Marson, president of the Brazilian Civil Aviation Association (ABAG). The sector soared 6.4 percent from 2010 to 2011 and should grow 4.5 to 5 percent from 2011 to 2012, he added. “But we are not immune from the world (economic) crisis,” he said. The three-day air show, which closed Friday, drew around 100 manufacturers including Canada’s Bombardier, Gulfstream and Hawker Beechcraft from the United States, Europe’s Airbus, and Brazil’s Embraer, as well as airplane service, insurance and maintenance providers.

Last year, the show featured 60 aircraft, drew 15,000 visitors over three days, and closed with contracts worth a total of $400 million. There is growth in all general aviation categories in Brazil, “but especially business aviation,” said Dorieldo Luis dos Prazeres, an air control expert at the Brazilian Civil Aviation Agency. “The economy is booming, the companies, the number of rich people and this means higher sales of aircraft,” dos Prazeres said.

Brazil, the world’s sixth largest economy and home to 191 million people, is a promising market for airplane manufacturers even though the government has revised downward its GDP forecast for this year to under three percent.

Commercial aviation regularly serves 130 destinations across this country that is larger than the continental United States, while general aviation serves 3,500, or 75 percent of the national territory, according to ABAG. “For our business aircraft division, Brazil is a very promising market where our client base is growing,” said Annie Cossette, a spokeswoman for Bombardier. Leading domestic plane maker Embraer had several models on display at the show, including the $4 million Phenom 100, which sits six to 8 passengers, and the $53 million, 19-seat Lineage 1000, which looks like a small jet airliner. Embraer, the world’s third largest commercial plane manufacturer, delivered its first business plane in 2002 and has sold 540 to

Greece will not leave euro-zone, says Juncker VIENNA: Greece will not leave the euro-zone, Eurogroup chief Jean-Claude Juncker was quoted as saying yesterday ahead of his talks in Athens, which reportedly may seek more time to implement austerity cuts. Speaking ahead of a week that will also see Greece’s prime minister meet with the leaders of Germany and France, the head of the euro-zone finance ministers group also called current Spanish and Italian bond yields “totally off the mark.”

“No, I don’t think it will happen,” Juncker, who is also Luxembourg’s prime minister, told the Tiroler Tageszeitung Austrian daily when asked whether Greece might leave the troubled currency bloc. “It won’t happen. ... If Greece refused budget consolidation and structural reforms outright then we would have to consider this question (of a Greek exit).

“But because I believe that Greece will try to redouble its efforts to meet its targets there is no reason to expect this exit scenario will become relevant,” he told the local paper in an interview. Juncker is due to meet Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras in the Greek capital

on Wednesday amid reports that Athens will seek more time to implement the austerity cuts promised in return for two huge bailouts.

Samaras is then due to hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday in Berlin before he travels to Paris to meet French President Francois Hollande the following day.

Merkel and Hollande will meet in Berlin on Thursday. Greece, having already implemented deep and unpopular spending cuts, needs to find another 11.5 billion euros ($14 billion) in savings over 2013-14 as a prerequisite to receiving the next tranche of outside funding needed to keep the economy functioning.

Greek daily Ta Nea on Thursday quoted government sources as saying that Samaras intends to discuss spreading out the cuts but would not make an official request. The Financial Times said he wanted the cuts spread out over four years. Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said in Berlin on Wednesday that for the German government “the agreed memorandum of understanding which states what the Greek obligations are remains the

basis of all aid decisions.” “A Greek euro-zone exit is not part of my working hypothesis,” Juncker said. “I have said that an exit would be manageable, by which I meant that it would be technically manageable but that it would be politically impracticable.” “The risks are incalculable. It makes no sense to fantasise in public about exit scenarios,” he said, dismissing as “unnecessary” any contingency planning for Greece becoming the first state to leave the 17-nation euro-zone.

A much bigger worry for the euro-zone however is whether painfully high current borrowing rates on financial markets for Italy and Spain, the bloc’s third- and fourth-biggest economies, will force Rome and Madrid also to seek bailouts. “There is no reason to doubt the readiness of Italy and also of Spain to make savings. Both countries have embarked on major cuts, but they are being treated by financial markets as if they were doing nothing,” Juncker said. “Bond yields of more than seven percent are totally off the mark. They do not do justice to the actual situation.”— AFP

date, including 112 in Brazil. More than half of the company’s sales have taken place over the past two years.

Embraer is also seeking to increase its general aviation sales in the United States, Europe and China. “We are newcomers in this sector but business is good,” said Embraer spokesman Marco Tulio Pellegrini. “These aircraft are no longer viewed as luxury in Brazil but as a tool which makes it possible to generate more business in less time.” The growth of business aviation is closely linked to Brazil’s economic activity, he said, noting that the country will host the 2014 soccer World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Brazil boasts the world’s second largest general aviation fleet behind the United States: as of 2011 it had 13,094 planes, according to ABAG figures. Of those, 25 percent are based in the economic powerhouse state of Sao Paulo. The country has 1,650 corporate jets, used by those who can afford to escape the urban traffic chaos. — AFP

More Chinese cities record new home price increases BEIJING: New home prices in more Chinese cities rose in July than in the previous month, the government said yesterday, amid cautious optimism the country’s property market may be bottoming out. Prices in 50 out of the 70 Chinese cities tracked by the government increased in July from June, the National Bureau of Statistics said in a statement. That represented a doubling from 25 in June. China has been taking steps to tighten its housing market for more than two years. Measures have included prohibitions on buying second homes, raising minimum downpayments and imposing property taxes in certain areas.

The government, however, has also recently taken steps to boost the country’s slowing economy by cutting interest rates twice in quick succession and encouraging lending by reducing reserve requirements at banks. Cutting interest rates reduces the cost of taking out a mortgage and can stimulate buying.

Prices of new homes in another 11 cities were unchanged in July compared with 24 in June, statistics bureau said. Prices in a total of nine cities fell on a monthly basis, down from 21 in June. Government officials have attributed the slowdown of the world’s second-largest economy, which grew 7.6 percent on year from April to June, to the weakening of the property market as well as sluggish foreign demand for China’s exports.

“Over the past few months, there have been signs that the slowdown in China’s residential property market may be ending, with a number of cities beginning to report consistent increases in property prices,” Mark Budden of built asset consultancy EC Harris said in a statement. He added, however, that it was “a little premature” to call an end to the property slowdown. “If the market does begin to heat up again, central government is likely to step in to curb speculation,” Budden said. — AFP

22

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

BUSINESS

Deutsche Bank in US laundering probe NEW YORK: US regulators are investigating claims Deutsche Bank and other global banks funnelled billions of dollars for Iran, Sudan and other sanctioned nations, The New York Times reported yesterday. The probe is still in its very early stages, law enforcement officials told the Times, adding that Deutsche Bank was not believed to have moved funds on behalf of

Iranian clients through its US operations after 2008. In 2007, the bank decided that it would “not engage in new business with counterparties in countries such as Iran, Syria, Sudan and North Korea and to exit existing business to the extent legally possible,” a spokesman told the newspaper.

The investigation of Deutsche Bank is among a series of cases against

global financial firms since 2009 suggesting that financial firms often transferred money for Iranian banks and companies under a loophole in US policy that ended in 2008, the Times noted.

It said US prosecutors were concerned that a $340 million settlement between a New York banking watchdog and the London-based Standard

Chartered bank would suggest that US authorities are divided or uncoordinated, dissuading foreign banks from cooperating.

But prosecutors have yet to find any money transfers that went to designated terrorists, drug cartels or individuals and companies owned or operated by countries under sanctions during their probe of Standard

Chartered, which is still under investigation. Over the past decade, the United States and allies have ramped up sanctions against Iranian banks, institutions and individuals in a bid to stop Iran’s nuclear enrichment programs over concerns the Islamic republic is trying to develop a military nuclear capability under the guise of a civilian program. —AFP

Bayt.com survey

enhance employee engagement ayt.com’s regular employee loyalty, motivation and teams and friendly company cafeterias that offer wholeengagement polls and research reports have shown some, healthy foods. Meetings, communication flow, comrepeatedly that opportunities for long-term career pany activities, office and communal area layouts should progression are even more important than short term all be designed to promote a sense of inclusion and wellcompensation levels as a factor incentivizing employees being and to maximize employees’ level of satisfaction to stay on for longer with a company. Organizations that and encourage their active participation. offer their employees opportunities for growth and 4. Maintain open channels of communication: Smooth advancement are well on the way to winning and unhampered flow of information and comtheir employees’ loyalty and support. Often munications across layers is vital for an organiexisting employees when asked have the interzation. Make sure you are encouraging est, skills and capacity to take up many tasks employees at all times to articulate their ideas, that would otherwise be outsourced, and aspirations and concerns; and also keep them involving them in this way may be optimal up to date, through regular communications, from a career management perspective as well with regards to the company’s direction, vision, as from the company’s cost and resource manmission, objectives, performance and new iniagement perspective. tiatives. Conducting regular employee The career experts at Bayt.com the Middle appraisals is a must as is allowing for 360 East’s leading job site, have these strategies to degree feedback (where employees are also recommend: permitted to voice their concerns and expectaLama 1. Invest in training and development: As an tions of the organisation and their immediate employer, you are expected to increasingly recognize the management). Ask employees routinely during these importance of fostering an environment of growth and appraisals - and in other forums - what extra responsibililearning to bring out the best in everyone. You can devel- ties they would like to assume. Discuss their goals, aspiraop in-house training departments, ally your company with tions and short and long-term objectives and factor them special training houses and universities, send employees into the unit’s planning activities. Successful employee to relevant external training programs identified by them- engagement also requires honest and constructive feedselves or their supervisors, offer internal rotational pro- back on a routine basis. grams and commit to your employees’ learning and devel5. Create an environment of diversity and inclusion: opment in a multitude of other creative and meaningful Employees who feel valued, respected and included are ways. Besides the company’s training activities, career more likely to contribute positively to your company’s plans and professional development opportunities ought bottom line and display loyalty and commitment to the to be routinely discussed and formalized. company. Many companies have taken concrete steps to 2. Respect employees’ needs for work/life balance: foster an atmosphere where employees of every rank are More and more employees have made it clear that achiev- included in the decision-making process and their input ing work/life balance is an overriding priority for them. As on all matters big and small is valued and appreciated a top employer today, don’t cut corners in ensuring you why not follow their steps and look into diversity pronurture and retain top talent by taking a more holistic grams, cross-cultural hiring practices and culture commitapproach to your employees’ welfare. Work arrangements tees which promote emotional well-being across the increasingly available at leading corporations - and which organization. you should aim to implement - include flexible hours, 6. Formalize reward and recognition programs: As a part-time schedules, job-sharing, telecommuting in addi- top employer, you must make sure formal mechanisms for tions to sabbaticals for long-serving personnel or those evaluating and rewarding employees are in place. Do recpursuing special outside interests and extended leave ognize outstanding performance and reward it on a periperiods for new parents. In fact more and more compa- odic basis. Do set regular special initiatives that identify, nies are offering on-site day care, vital family support hot- celebrate, motivate and incentivize your star employees lines and more comprehensive family benefits. and promote their loyalty and retention. A meritocratic 3. Create favorable work conditions: A vital responsibil- environment is one that will be most successful in retainity in being the top employer that you are today consists ing key personnel over the long-term. of increasingly employing creative measures to invest in 7. Participate in community outreach programs: your employees’ well-being and this extends to providing Corporate philanthropy has shown to increase employee workplaces and work conditions that are pleasant and loyalty. Why not adopt CSR programs- not just as a means conducive to innovation, hard work, creativity and pro- to give back and to participate in your larger communities ductivity. Besides generous vacation schemes and fre- but also as a measure to win the support and respect of quent ‘offside company retreats’ to get away from the your employees? Employees feel a greater sense of pride grind, wellbeing during office hours could also be nur- and purpose working with an employer that is publicly tured with an onsite recreation area, gyms, office sports committed to altruism.

B

Saudi govt stimulus leads to rapid growth NBK GCC BRIEF strong oil sector and large government stimulus have generated impressive growth figures - a trend that is likely to continue. Real GDP is expected to grow by 5.7 percent in 2012. Provisional data show the non-oil sector grew by 7.5 percent in 2011. If accurate, this is one of the stand-out performances of post-financial crisis MENA. Although growth may decelerate somewhat in 2012 as the exceptional stimulus measures of 2011 wear off, various gauges of private sector activity - from surveys to credit growth - suggest that the economy has considerable momentum. Sustained growth at a super-strong pace, however, is unlikely without deeper structural reforms.

Crude oil production reached 9.9 million barrels per day (mbpd) in May - its highest of the modern age and up 7 percent on its average for last year. Barring a major fall in oil prices, the kingdom is likely to keep production levels high as it seeks to replenish global inventories and support the global economy. Oil GDP should register a solid 5 percent or so increase this year and remain flat

A

ment’s aggressive house building program could start to ease pressures in the rental market. On the other hand, inflation in other ‘core’ sectors such as clothing, furniture and transport could rise.

Despite the upside risks to inflation from a buoyant economy, we see the authorities leaning towards growth - rather than antiinflation - policies over the next two years.

After jumping by an estimated 23 percent in 2011, government spending growth could slow sharply in 2012 and 2013, to an average of 5 percent per year.

Nonetheless, fiscal policy will continue to provide key support for the economy. The budget surplus will also remain very solid, at 8-15 percent of GDP so long as oil prices remain close to $100 per barrel. Higher production has helped lower the oil price needed to balance the budget from $75 in 2011 to $72 in 2012.

Strong oil revenues will also help generate current account surpluses of 15-25 percent of GDP in 2012 and 2013. This will help the kingdom add to its huge stock of reserve assets, which stood at $541 billion at the end of 2011.

in 2013. Saudi Arabia’s remaining cushion of spare production capacity now stands at around 22.5 mbpd, close to the amount that the authorities like to maintain for contingencies. This limits the scope for further large increases in oil sector GDP. Non-oil GDP growth in 2012 is revised up slightly from 5.0 percent to 6.0 percent, in light of the economy’s apparent momentum.

ATM and point-of-sale figures show that the consumer sector remains buoyant following the boost to incomes in 2011 and improved bank lending conditions. Meanwhile, the government is only halfway through its massive $386 billion investment program running 2010-2014.

Non-oil fixed investment stood at 31 percent of non-oil GDP in 2011, well above its historic average. These domestic components should hold up well amidst further turbulence in the global economy.

Inflation is expected to remain close to 5 percent this year and next. Within this total, however, sectors will diverge. Food price inflation should remain contained or may dip, while the govern-

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Egyptian pounds

.2740000 .4390000 .3450000 .2870000 .2820000 .2940000 .0040000 .0020000 .0763950 .7442710 .3860000 .0720000 .7296250 .0430000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES US Dollar/KD .2812500 GB Pound/KD .4415060 Euro .3474840 Swiss francs .2893520 Canadian dollars .2835180 Danish Kroner .0466900 Swedish Kroner .0421540 Australian dlr .2960020 Hong Kong dlr .0362590 Singapore dlr .2258310 Japanese yen .0035800 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 Pakistan rupee .0000000 Bangladesh taka .0000000 UAE dirhams .0766040 Bahraini dinars .7463180 Jordanian dinar .0000000 Saudi Riyal/KD .0750200 Omani riyals .7308040 Philippine Peso .0000000

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. ASIAN COUNTRIES

Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Malaysian Ringgit

3.553 5.072 3.053 2.141 3.173 220.090 36.173 3.425 6.439 8.876 89.338

.2855000 .4340000 .3620000 .2960000 .2920000 .3030000 .0065000 .00350000 .0771600 .7517510 .4060000 .0780000 .7369580 .0510000 .2833500 .4448030 .3500790 .2915120 .2856350 .0470390 .0424690 .2982120 .0365290 .2275170 .0036070 .0051170 .0021330 .0030110 .0034900 .0771750 .7518910 .4007780 .0755800 .7362610 .0068040

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

GCC COUNTRIES 74.883 77.158 729.380 745.850 76.464

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 48.250 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 46.466 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.309 Tunisian Dinar 176.65 Jordanian Dinar 396.190 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.884 Syrian Lier 4.899 Morocco Dirham 32.64 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 280.700 Euro 354.52 Sterling Pound 441.820 Canadian dollar 274.79 Turkish lire 152.400 Swiss Franc 295.01 US Dollar Buying 279.500 GOLD 293.000 148.000 75.250

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal

48.900 734.190 3.080 6.980 78.180 75.470 228.450 36.490 2.692 447.600 43.300 294.000 4.400 9.280 198.263 77.060 283.000 1.380

10 Tola

GOLD 1,698.560

Sterling Pound US Dollar

734.010 2.993 6.740 77.750 75.470 228.450 36.490 2.137 445.600 292.500 4.400 9.180 76.960 282.600

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 445.600 282.600

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY

SELL CASH

SELL DRAFT

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

300.800 751.680 3.720 287.900 555.100 46.000 47.900 167.800 46.870 353.500 37.140 5.320 0.032 0.161 0.237 3.710 400.540 0.191 93.290 44.600 4.340 232.400 1.831

299.300 751.680 3.451 286.400

228.500 46.552 352.000 36.990 5.070 0.031

SELL DRAFT

Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro US Dollar Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

301.27 289.20 296.64 350.43 282.25 446.18 3.65 3.463 5.072 2.143 3.181 2.996 76.91 751.53 46.49 402.11 734.58 77.94 75.48

SELL CASH

311.000 290.000 298.000 355.000 284.000 450.000 3.630 3.580 5.300 2.350 3.650 3.150 77.450 750.000 47.700 399.00 736.000 78.000 75.800

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd 400.510 0.190 93.290 3.200 230.900

Rate for Transfer

US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro

Selling Rate

282.600 288.830 443.975 348.970

290.575 748.180 76.920 77.570 75.325 398.365 46.498 2.138 5.081 3.002 3.454 6.702 693.220 4.580 9.060 4.385 3.285 90.285

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co.

UAE Exchange Centre WLL COUNTRY

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

Currency

Rate per 1000 (Tran)

US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Yemeni Riyal Euro Canadian Dollars Nepali rupee

282.600 2.994 5.098 2.145 3.464 6.750 77.045 75.515 751.300 46.565 448.900 2.990 1.550 355.200 290.600 3.200

Al Mulla Exchange Currency

Transfer Rate (Per 1000)

US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

282.600 351.000 445.300 286.700 3.600 5.085 46.503 2.142 3.460 6.718 3.005 751.800 76.970 75.480

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

BUSINESS

Small states squabble over euro-zone’s future Austrian minister says weak states should be kicked out

Chinese exports to Kuwait accelerate KCIC WEEKLY ANALYSIS Slowing global demand, exacerbated by an underperforming US economy and a lingering debt crisis in the euro-zone, has considerably dampened trade around the world, including China. Chinese exports grew a mere 1 percent year-on-year in July, down from 11.3 percent YoY the previous month. Exports to the G2 economies (US and euro-zone) have faltered the most, contracting by 8.5 percent YoY in July, down from 11.3 percent YoY growth in June. Due to a highlyinterlinked supply chain in Asia, and givenslowing demand from the G2, trade between Asian countries has softened as well. Chinese exports to Asian countries have eased from 16.1 percent YoY in May to 13.5 percent YoY in June. However, the deceleration has not been as severe as that of the developed economies due to the robust domestic sector in Asia.

Alternatively, the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) has maintained its strong demand for Chinese goods. Chinese exports to the GCC were growing at 30.5 percent YoY in June, slightly softening from May figures of 32.5 percent YoY. Among the GCC countries, Chinese exports to Qatar decelerated most, from 44.7 percent YoYin May to 12.7 percent YoY in June, while Chinese exports to Kuwait have accelerated in June to 20.5 percent YoY, from 12.9 percent YoY in the previous month. Thus, China is still benefiting from the strong demand coming from the GCC. In times of global economic distress, asset prices generally fall with economic activity. For instance, in the last financial crisis in 2008, real estate prices in the US lost substantial value and crude oil Brent prices fell from above $140 to less than $40. In such cases, economies that depend on their oil revenues, such as OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) and GCC members, dip as well.

However, oil prices have been steadily high during the current economic backdrop; initially due to the Arab Spring, and more recently due to increasing expectations of a coordinated stimulus from central banks and governments around the world. The high oil prices have benefited oil exporters, namely Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. And while the Chinese export industry

did weaken, increasing investments and infrastructure schemes haverequired large amountsof oil, maintaining a stable market for GCC oil exports. Consequently, Kuwait and other GCC nations continue to enjoy an ongoing buoyant source of income, keeping their economies afloat. This subsequently increases domestic demand, partly through government incentives, which translates into stronger demand for external goods, among them Chinese exports.

Ties between Kuwait and China have been robust; for instance, 10 percent of Kuwait’s imports come from China and about 5 percent of China’s petroleum imports come from Kuwait alone, benefiting both parties despite the current economic slowdown. On one hand, China gains by exporting goods to Kuwait at a time when other trade partners, such as the US and the euro-zone, are witnessing an economic slowdown. On the other hand, Kuwait enjoys a stable source of demand from China for its oil. The GCC members have been resilient against the global economic slowdown, with Kuwait increasing its demand for Chinese products in June, as the graph shows. The country’s main imports are vehicles, machinery and raw materials used for construction; and increasing imports from China suggest Kuwait’s domestic activity picked up.

As long as oil prices remain above $80 this year, Kuwait and other Chinese oil-exporting partners will continue to enjoy solid growth.

High oil exports and improving domestic demand in Kuwait are expected to maintain a firm level of growth. Money supply accelerated and credit growth picked up to 5 percent YoY in June, the highest in more than two years, propelling domestic consumption.There are concerns that the issues in developed nations will remain unresolved beyond this year, which would lead to countries such as China and the GCC memberslosing key economic partners in the West, such as the US and the euro-zone, in the short term. However,Kuwait and China’s domestic sectorsare well positioned for any downturn,as their focus graduallyshifts toinfrastructure investments.

VIENNA/HELSINKI: Smaller euro-zone countries that have retained top credit ratings through the region’s crisis squabbled on Friday over whether struggling nations like Greece that threaten the currency union’s stability should be kicked out. Top Austrian and Finnish politicians insisted they were committed to keeping the union intact after ministers from junior coalition parties said they were preparing for a break-up of the bloc, or called for countries that broke promises to be thrown out. The mixed messages contrasted with a show of solidarity late on Thursday from western Europe’s most powerful politician, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, which raised investor hopes that the bloc might finally be getting a grip on its problems.

Speaking in Ottawa, she said declarations from European Central Bank President Mario Draghi, who last month pledged to do whatever it took to save the euro, were “completely in line” with the approach taken by European leaders. In Vienna, Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann said he would not want to see any country ejected from the euro-zone. “The negative consequences of a break-up of the euro-zone would far outweigh any advantages for individual countries,” Faymann said, after his vice chancellor called for a mechanism for throwing out nations that reneged on financial promises.

In Helsinki, European Affairs Minister Alexander Stubb said Finland was “100 percent committed” to the euro, after its foreign minister told Britain’s Daily Telegraph that officials had prepared for the possible collapse of the single currency. Euro-zone states are considering a package to shore up the currency union if Greece leaves the bloc, Germany’s Sueddeutsche newspaper said in an advance copy of an article due to be published on Saturday without citing its sources.

They are discussing the possibility of stepping up Ireland and Portugal’s aid programs to cushion these states against financial market shocks and suggest Spain and Italy could, at the same time, apply for precautionary loans from the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) which would trigger the European Central Bank to buy their bonds, the Munich-based daily said. Eurozone states would also have to announce that they are taking further concrete steps towards joint supervision and restructuring of banks as well as coordination and supervision of budget policy, the paper said, adding that Greece would also be given help via the EU balance of payments.

The Netherlands, which has in the past called for the EU to have powers to kick countries out of the euro, said on Friday its focus was on keeping the currency zone intact. “We never speculate about an exit from, or the break-up of the euro-zone,” Finance Minister Jan Kees de Jager told reporters. But “in order to remain in the euro-zone (states)... have to establish of course (their) credit to (do so).”

Austria, Finland and the Netherlands - along with Germany - are among a handful of eurozone states with top-ranking AAA ratings from two or more of the major credit agencies. All four countries’ populations are becoming increasingly frustrated with what they see as unfair bailouts of weaker states. In the three smaller states, this has led to a rise in popularity

tion over the issue. Merkel’s own Christian Democrats (CDU) are against kicking member states out, but agreed last year that countries should be able to choose to leave the currency bloc if they cannot, or do not want to, keep their fiscal houses in order.

The CDU’s Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), however agreed last year with Spindelegger’s view that it should be possible to throw countries out of the currency bloc.

Spindelegger is also Austria’s foreign minister and leader of the conservative People’s Party, which governs in a sometimes uneasy coalition with bigger partner the Social Democrats, to which Faymann belongs.

The People’s Party is under pressure in opinion polls over a corruption scandal that forced a

HELSINKI: Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja is seen at a press conference. — AP of far-right, euro-sceptic parties that promise to stop potentially unlimited handouts.

Divisions in Germany too Austrian Vice Chancellor Michael Spindelegger said in a newspaper interview that other economically strong countries like Germany, Luxembourg, Finland and the Netherlands would support a mechanism for ejecting countries from the euro. “I am absolutely convinced it could be got through,” he told Austria’s Kurier, adding that he had already started discussions with some of his European counterparts. The German government declined to comment. There is known to be disagreement within Merkel’scentre-right coali-

regional party leader to quit last month, and now faces a fresh threat in the form of a new political party founded by car parts magnate Frank Stronach that wants to return to the Austrian schilling. In Finland, Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Alexander Stubb is a close ally of Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen and both belong to the country’s strongest party, the National Coalition, which is strongly pro-euro and stands for conservative economic policies. Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja’s Social Democratic Party is the second biggest in government and has led demands for stricter conditions on European bailouts. — Reuters

Waiting for technical signals

Libor case shows Barclays flawed: UK LONDON: Company culture at Barclays was “deeply flawed” and the Bank of England’s hand in removing its chief executive Bob Diamond was hard to justify, a UK parliamentary report into the “disgraceful” rigging of Libor interest rates said yesterday. Few emerge unscathed from the Treasury Select Committee’s 300-page report and annexes, based on a string of highprofile hearings after Barclays was fined a record $453 million on June 27 for manipulating the London Interbank Offered Rate or Libor.

“Such behaviour would only be possible if the management of the bank turned a blind eye to the culture of the trading floor,” the report said. “The standards and culture of Barclays, and banking more widely, are in a poor state,” it said, adding it was unlikely the bank acted alone. Barclays is the first of several banks expected to be fined for rigging a rate which forms a reference point for home loans, credit cards and other financial transactions worth over $350 trillion globally.

The report slammed the UK’s Financial Services Authority (FSA) watchdog for being behind the curve, giving ammunition to London’s critics by starting its own formal probe into Libor setting two years after US authorities had kicked off theirs. It said the delay contributed to the perceived weakness of London in regulating financial markets and recommended many reforms, several of which are already being looked at elsewhere, such as criminal penalties and direct oversight.

The FSA responded that its managing director Martin Wheatley will consider the report’s findings in his government-commissioned review of Libor due to be published in September. The government also welcomed the report and would consider any necessary legislative changes called for by Wheatley.

Barclays said it does not expect to agree with all the report but “we recognise that change is required, not least to restore stakeholder trust”.

Fait accompli The FSA and US authorities are still probing HSBC , Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds and several non-UK banks in connection with possible manipulation. Diamond, Barclays’ Chairman Marcus Agius and Chief Operating Officer Jerry del Missier all quit in July. Bank of England Governor Mervyn King and FSA Chairman Adair Turner told lawmakers they did not demand that Diamond step down, but the report concluded that their intervention meant it was a “fait accompli”. King and Turner stepped in following public outrage over Barclays after the rigging was disclosed in June. “The Governor’s involvement is difficult to justify,” the report said, dismissing King’s defence the

Bank would be regulating lenders anyway from 2013 when the FSA is scrapped. The central bank must be made accountable to avoid such potential abuses of power, the report said.

The Bank of England said in a statement it did not have any regulatory responsibility for Libor at the time and that King’s meeting with Agius on the day he resigned was “fully justified” The report criticised Barclays’ board for several failings and Diamond himself, saying his testimony to parliament was unforthcoming and selective in parts, and fell well short of the candour and frankness expected. Diamond said in a statement he had responded to questions from lawmakers “truthfully, candidly and based on information available to me. I categorically refute any suggestion to the contrary.”

A focus of the hearings was a conversation between Diamond and Bank of England Deputy Governor Paul Tucker in Oct. 2008 when markets were in meltdown after the collapse of US bank Lehman Brothers the previous month.

Low ball They agreed that the conversation did not amount to directing Barclays to “low ball” its Libor rate submission in a bid to show it had no problem borrowing from other banks. The heavy public emphasis by Barclays on this conversation may have been a “smokescreen” to distract from more serious failings at the lender and made no fundamental difference to the bank’s behaviour, the report said. “Barclays did not need a nod, a wink or any signal from the Bank of England to lower artificially their Libor submissions. The bank was already well practised in doing this,” it said.

Tucker told the lawmakers that possible clues to dishonesty did not ring alarm bells at the time, suggesting “naivety” on the part of the BoE, the report added. Tucker has long been seen as a leading candidate to replace BoE Governor Mervyn King, who stands down next year, and while his grilling in the hearings was seen as setting back his chances, he escapes the trenchant criticism levied at other players. Turner, another candidate for the deputy governorship, also escapes uniformly bad criticism, the report saying the FSA was on the case in questioning Barclays’ culture of risk taking. But the FSA’s probe left unanswered whether senior figures from Whitehall, a reference to government, instructed Tucker to ask Barclays to low ball its Libor submissions.

Evidence received by lawmakers suggested Whitehall simply wanted to know if government efforts to prop up the financial system were working and Barclays was safe, the report said.—Reuters

WALL ST WEEK AHEAD

At 34, Autumn Ames is in her fifth year as executive director of the Arts & Cultural Alliance of Central Florida, which serves more than 360 arts and cultural organizations in Central Florida counties. — MCT

Young, restless and firmly in charge ORLANDO: Bank president at 33 and now CEO at 36, John Burden has grown accustomed to being approached at banking conferences by people who misconstrue his boyish grin and easy manner.

“They’ll say, ‘Are you the credit analyst?’ I love that,” Burden laughed. “Because I’m pretty good at it.” As top man at Old Florida National Bank, Burden does less credit analysis than he used to. Now he’s the one who hires the credit analysts and carries ultimate responsibility for the fate of $625 million in assets, 9,000 customers and 146 employees.

If Burden’s collegiate mien seems out of sync with the conventional image of bank presidents as old and stodgy, that’s because convention is changing - inside and outside banking. He’s one example of a generational shift in leadership adding fire to an organization. Some changing of the guard has been high-profile, such as the Orlando Magic basketball team hiring 30-year-old general manager Rob Hennigan or Florida Gov Rick Scott appointing John Martinez, 31, son of former US Sen Mel Martinez, to fill the seat on the Orange County Commission vacated by Mildred Fernandez. But most passing of the torch happens outside the glare of klieg lights in the myriad institutions and businesses that form the heart of a community, such as Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando and the Arts & Cultural Alliance of Central Florida.

At 34, Autumn Ames is in her fifth year as executive director of the alliance, which serves over 360 arts and cultural organizations in seven Florida counties. She and a staff of five assist artists and administrators with marketing, sales, organizing community events, growing audiences - and above all, “making sure the arts are part of every conversation about the quality of life in the community.”

Jenna Tosh, 28, is in her fourth month as president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando, succeeding Sue Idtensohn, 66, who left the post after 14 years. Tosh directs an organization that provides vital services to 16,000 men and women in the region each year - cancer screenings, breast health, wellness exams, contraceptive services and sexually transmitted infection prevention, as well as abortion/pregnancy counseling. Baby boomers, exit to the rear. Generation Y is quietly rearranging the furniture for the future.

What do the young movers - Burden, Martinez, Ames, Tosh - have in common aside from a daunting degree of responsibility at an early age? Formidable confidence and intelligence, reservoirs of energy and an optimism not jaded by time and experience, for starters. “As the expression goes, ‘They don’t know what they don’t know,’ “ said Linnda Durre, an Orlando psychotherapist and business consultant.

Martinez is the youngest member of a county commission whose average age is around 45. At board of director meetings, Tosh and Ames are like the youngest members at a multigenerational family reunion. And Burden’s world of banking retains vestiges of its musty, button-down past. How does a young leader navigate these tricky generational waters and succeed?

“You have to love what you do and feel like you’re making a positive contribution to the planet, and treat people and employees and colleagues with respect,” Durre said. This seems to describe the entire quartet of Orlando young guns. All began raising their hands early for leadership positions in student government, school bands and community organizations. All were endowed with ambition and passion, wedded to fierce work ethics.

Tosh has a 3-year-old son and is working on a Ph.D. in public affairs. She’s former president of the Orlando Chapter of the National Organization for Women, and was a state social worker and education director at Planned Parenthood before being named CEO after a nationwide search - all before 30.

Tosh has earned a good measure of self-confidence.

The Long Island, NY, transplant readily admits that “I’m younger than a lot of people expect” a CEO to be, but notes that her age is a plus for this job.

“Over two-thirds of our patient base is my age or younger.” Ames, an aspiring band director, ended up in arts administration and says, “I was kind of scared, in a healthy way” when named executive director of the Alliance at 30. “I didn’t let it scare me. I let my passion for what I do carry me though. My job is my fun time.” She spent her Wonder Years in Daytona Beach, Fla, playing flute in the high-school marching band and making road trips with friends to Orlando to explore the wider array of arts and culture, high and low, in the “big city.” Little did she know one day she would be helping shape that world. — MCT

NEW YORK: The S&P 500 tortoise continues to beat the skeptics. In the absence of data or policy catalysts and with the S&P 500 near four-year highs, market participants are hoping technical indicators hold the clues on whether stocks will sell off into September following a slow-speed rally. The S&P 500 is a scant 0.06 percent away from closing at highs last seen in the pre-crisis days of June 2008, even as an unimpressive earnings season draws to a close. The looming US presidential election adds to the uncertainty, and inconclusive economic data makes any bet on further economic stimulus from the Federal Reserve a risky gamble.

“I’m not laying out any new shorting strategies on fear the Fed could come in,” said Brian Amidei, a managing director at HighTower Advisors based in Palm Desert, California. True to form, market volumes have dried up in August. To some, the lack of volume is a clear signal of the relative weakness of the recent rally. Wall Street this week posted its two lowest volume days of the year, not counting halfdays.

What has some other strategists nervous is what they see as relative complacency among investors. Volatility levels as implied by the CBOE Volatility index, or VIX, are at their lowest since June 2007. “We implore you to raise cash into strength ahead of a sharp and swift late summer squall,” Richard Ross, global technical strategist at Auerbach Grayson in New York, said in his latest note. “With both volume and volatility absent from the advance ... conditions are ripe for a rapid risk reversion to the mean.”

The VIX closed Friday at its lowest level in more than five years, a time when the S&P 500 was hovering near 1,500 - a level it has failed to approach since the 2007-2009 selloff. The S&P 500 chart is slightly more bullish than the VIX. After a steep rise to break through 1,400, the index seesawed around that level for about seven sessions in a pattern known as a flag formation. (Why? It kind of looks like a flag.)

Thursday’s advance to four-month highs and Friday’s confirmation of the new highs indicate 1,400 could become technical support. Frank Cappelleri, US market technician at Instinet in New York, said the sideways move after the 1,400 breakup indicated consolidation and the low volume was typical of such a move in late August.

The minutes of the latest Federal Reserve policy committee meeting, due Wednesday, could be the week’s highlight in terms of calendar events as bets on intervention in support of the economy are partly to blame for the recent melt-up. But with the Fed’s annual economic symposium starting the following week at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the Fed minutes could prove to be an insufficient market driver.—Reuters

business

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

Market’s weak liquidity result of global risks ALSHALL WEEKLY ECONOMIC REPORT KUWAIT: By the end of Wednesday last week, the legal period for the listed companies’ announcement of their second quarter financial results ended. Although most of the 199 listed companies after excluding the deleted and suspended ones provided their results, the officially available number includes 136 (68.3 percent ) of listed companies. Results of that large sample indicate a seemingly substantive drop in profitability level vis-a-vis the first half of 2011. However the drop becomes slight after excluding the extraordinary profits of Wataniya Telecommunications Company for the

first half of 2011. Net declared profits of the 136 companies scored KD 585.8 million (KD 883.1 million net profits for the first half of 2011); however, the latter profits include KD 278 million non-repeated or extraordinary profits for Wataniya Telecommunications Company. By excluding these profits, which is the sound procedure, the net profit of the same (136) companies drops to KD 605.1 million.

Consequently, the drop percentage in profits volume drops from 33.7 percent prior to excluding extraordinary profits to 3.2 percent only after their

exclusion, which is endurable if we take into accounts the global and regional economic variables and the incompetent domestic administration. Sample results indicate a drop in profit levels for 6 out of 12 sectors after excluding the unrepeated profits of the Wataniya Telecommunications Company. The highest percentage decrease in profits went to the oil and gas sector (72.5 percent), then the industrial sector (-22.8 percent) but the highest absolute drop was achieved by the banking sector (KD 35.4 million) as in the attached tables below. As for profits, the technology sector achieved the highest growth in profits by 580.3 percent and then the insurance sector by 71.6 percent growth. The highest absolute growth in profits was achieved by the communication sector by adding about KD 33 million to the first half profits, but after excluding the unrepeated profits of the Wataniya Telecommunications Company.

As for the sample companies, 100 companies achieved profits, 36 achieved losses, and 60 achieved higher profits while 40 other companies sustained drops in their profits. Among the losing companies, 17 of them reduced their loss level and 19 increased their loss amount. Kuwait Real Estate Company achieved the highest relative rise in its profits by 13,304 percent rise, then UPAK by 1420.5 percent rise. Zain achieved the highest absolute profits by KD 155.3 million, then NBK by KD 120.8 million. On the other hand, Injazzat Company achieved the highest drop percentage in its profits by 2619.9 percent, then Aref Energy Company by a drop of 1344.1 percent. Global achieved the highest loss by about KD 20 million then Al-Safwan Group by absolute loss by KD 18.3 million.

The market’s continuation in achieving weak liquidity, which is the more important index, is partially attributed to a state of increased risks on global and regional levels. The Kuwaiti market came in the middle in terms of its losses from the beginning of the year until the end of July, or seventh among the seven regional markets. Another factor is an unjustified delay in avoiding the unnecessary costs as in the example of continued phantom trading which weakens confidence in the market and mixes good companies with bad ones.

Trading Features at Kuwait Stock Exchange Kuwait Clearing Company (KCC) issued its report titled ‘Trading Volume According to Nationality and Categor y ’ for the period from 01/01/2012 to 31/07/2012 as published on KSE website. The report stated that individual investors still form the largest trading group at KSE and captured about 55.2 percent of the total value of sold shares (46.5 percent for the same period 2011) and 53 percent of the total value of purchased shares (42.2 percent for the same period 2011). Individual investors sold shares worth KD 2.512 billion and purchased shares worth KD 2.411 billion, with a net trading value -more selling- of about KD 100.791 million. Increased individuals’ contribution upwards means increase in the feature of individual transactions and a relative drop in corporate contribution in trading, which is a negative development.

Clients’ accounts sector (portfolios) captured 20.05 percent of the total value of sold shares (22.7 percent for the same period 2011) and 19.9 percent of the total value of purchased shares (21.7 percent for the same period 2011). This sector sold shares worth KD 912.247 million and purchased shares worth KD 904.360 million, with a net trading •selling- balance by KD 7.887 million.

The third contributor to the market’s liquidity is the corporations and companies sector which captured 19.95 percent of the total value of purchased shares (25.4 percent in the same period 2011) and 16.9 percent of the total value of sold shares (19.9 percent in the same period 2011). The sector purchased shares worth KD 907.799 million and sold shares worth KD 769.456 million, with a net trading balance -the only sector purchasing- by KD 138.343 million. The last contributor to liquidity is the investment funds which captured 7.85 percent of the total value of sold shares (10.8 percent in the same period 2011) and 7.2 percent of the total value of purchased shares (10.8 percent in the same period 2011). The sector sold shares worth KD 357.030 million and purchased shares worth KD 327.365 million, with a net trading balance -sellingby about KD 29.665 million.

KSE continues to be local with Kuwaiti investors forming the major group; they purchased shares worth KD 4.146 billion, forming 91.1 percent of the total value of purchased shares (91.7 percent in the same period 2011) and sold shares worth KD 4.126 billion, making 90.7 percent of the total value sold shares, (89.9 percent in the same period 2011) scoring net trading balance buying- of about KD 20.415 million. Share of other investors, out of the total value of sold shares, scored about 6.25 percent (6.7 percent in the same period 2011) and is worth KD 284.584 million vis-a-vis KD 279.820 million, about 6.15 percent of the total value of purchased shares (5.7 percent in the same period 2011) with a net trading value -selling- by about KD 4.764 million. Out of the total value of sold shares, GCC investors’ share formed about 3.1 percent (3.5 percent in the same period 2011) worth KD 140.005 million vis-a-vis 2.7 percent (2.6 percent in the same period 2011) worth KD 124.354 million for purchased shares, with a net trading value -more selling- of about KD 15.651 million.

Comparing trading characteristics during the seven months (January until July 2012), relative distribution among nationalities vis-à-vis last year remained unchanged as follows: 90.9 percent for Kuwaitis, 6.2 percent for other nationalities, and 2.9 percent for GCC traders versus 90.8 percent for Kuwaitis, 6.2 percent for other nationality traders, and 3 percent London 2012 Olympics London City provided an excellent example for the organization and benefiting the Olympics 2012 which represented a success story from all its aspects. Great Britain has become more united than at any other time and came third in the number of gold medals – 29. The Olympics cost about US$ 17 billion 75 percent of which went to the construction and reconstruction of infrastructure that can be used for a long time in the future because it is not related to the Olympics only.

The selection of the Olympics events site was in East London which received a basic development operation and created permanent job opportunities. East London is London’s poorest area and witnessed violence last year due to high unemployment rates there-

in and low income levels. Despite the major event, the occasion went on without any notable security events and despite the fear from for GCC traders. In other words, KSE remained local with more investors from outside the GCC region than from within GCC and with individuals’ trading prevailing over that of corporations. This characteristic is on the increase.

Active accounts number rose by 27.9 percent between December 2011 and July 2012 compared with a noticeable drop by 27.5 percent between December 2010 and July 2011. Number of active accounts settled in the end of July 2012 at 17,707 accounts, or 7.3 percent of total accounts, similar to their level in the end of June 2012. Congestion, the transportation system managed to deal with an increase by 35 percent over the normal level without any reportable congestions.

The largest global economy led the results of the gold medals -46- followed by the second largest global economy, i.e. China by 38 gold medals hinting at a relationship between the economic and spor ts progress. Britain came third though it is 7th in global economy (after Brazil surpassed it in 2011) perhaps because it is the host countr y. Rio De Janeiro’s Olympics budget (Brazil) in 2016 is estimated at $14 billion. Though Brazil is one of the forthcoming strong global economies and despite the dismissal of the new president of 6 cabinet members on corruption charges, the challenge is great and costs will greatly exceed the estimates. Rio de Janeiro’s need for reform exceeds that of East London. Rio situation has great similarity to East London. Besides the war against corruption, there are the security challenge, the organized crime and the amateurs’ crimes, in addition to underdeveloped infrastructure.

However, Brazil started to develop its infrastructure to host the football World Cup in 2014, and in a striking development, the Brazilian left-wing president invited the private sector to invest about $66 billion in infrastructure development Brazil’s modern experience is closer to Asian tigers, the Chinese and the Turkish. It is trying to oust France from its fifth position by economy size as did China with Japan (the second position). If Brazil employs that ambition and economic success in the Olympics preparation project, it may not achieve the success achieved by London in celebrations, organization, security and expenses control Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait - June 30, 2012 The Al-Ahli Kuwait Bank announced results of its operations for the first six months of 2012 which showed that the bank’s net profits, after deducting share for Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences, the national labor support tax, Zakat and tax provision on foreign branches, scored about KD 21.2 million, which is less by KD 7.3 million (25.5 percent ) than its counterpart value in the amount of KD 28.4 million on 30/06/2011. The reason for the drop in the bank’s profits is It however may surpass London in the economic return or the long-term return which is measured by an essential improvement in investment climate in Rio and the number of permanent jobs it creates. And lower its infrastructure congestion’ etc.

In London Olympics, what the Arabs achieved does not match their total to the world population (4.5 percent) nor with its economy (about 3.5 percent ) which is slightly higher than the British economy (3.4 percent ). They obtained only two gold medals and other 12 silver and bronze medals. It seems they will not fare any better in 2016 in Rio. Excellence is part of a whole.

The compound thinking, like transforming a temporary event to a permanent benefit as London did, is not among their options. Hence, the provisional fails in suit with the failure of the permanent. They as we repeatedly stated provide the worst economic development models due to the increase in provisions by 96.3 percent or KD 10.2 million to KD 20.8 million (KD 10.6 million for the same period 2011).

Total operational revenues scored KD 80.7 million up by KD 2.9 million, 3.8 percent due to the rise in interests’ income by KD 3.2 million and the rise in profits from sale of investment securities by KD 1.5 million.

On the other hand, net income from fees and financial commissions dropped by KD 1.6 million and profits distributions revenues by KD 855,000. Operations expenses increased by KD 437,000 1.2 percent, and scored KD 36.9 million (KD 36.5 million for the same period last year).

The bank’s total assets scored KD 3,016.7 million, with a 2 percent drop (KD 3,079.8 million in the end of 2011), but they went up by 5.2 percent if compared with the total assets in the first half of 2011 when they scored KD 2,868.9 million. Clients’ loans and advances portfolio, which forms the largest component in the bank’s assets, declined by about KD 41.5 million, or 2 percent , making its total at about KD 2,024.8 million (67.1 percent of total assets) versus KD 2,066.4 million (67 percent of the bank’s total assets) in the end of 12/2011. However, the total value of this portfolio rose

by KD 32.9 million, or 1.6 percent compared with the same period of 2011 when it scored about KD 1,991.9 million (69.4 percent of total assets).

Government assets rose by 11 percent to KD 484.9 million (16.1 percent of total assets) versus KD 436.9 million (14.2 percent of total assets) in the end of 2011.

They increased by KD 69.9 million (16.8 percent) from their value in the end of 06/2011 when they scored KD 415 million (14.5 percent of total assets). Results of our analysis of the bank’s financial statements indicate that all the bank’s indexes declined. Return on equities index (ROE) dropped from 14.3 percent in the end of 6/2011 to about 8.6 percent in the end of 06/2012 and the return on the bank’s capital (ROC) index went down to 28 percent (39.5 percent in the end of 06/2011). The return on the bank’s assets average index (ROA) scored 1.4 percent (1.9 percent in the same period 2011). The bank’s per share earning (EPS) dropped to 14 fils (down from 19 fils in the same period 2011). Price multiplier /profit per share (P/E) scored 24.6 times and Price multiplier/ book value (P/B) scored 2.1 times.

The weekly performance of Kuwait Stock Exchange The performance of Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) for the last week was more active compared to the previous one, where all the major indices showed an increase including the general index. AlShall Index (value weighted) closed at 413.9 points at the closing of last Thursday, showing an increase of 3.7 points or about 0.9 percent compared to previous week’s closing, and a decrease of 36.3 points or about 8.1 percent compared to the end of 2011.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

BUSINESS

Newspaper owner proposes $13.2 billion Canada refinery CALGARY: A British Columbia newspaper publisher is proposing a C$13 billion ($13.2 billion) refinery on Canada’s West Coast to process all of the oilsands-derived crude that would flow through Enbridge Inc’s contentious Northern Gateway pipeline from Alberta. Enbridge, however, had little to say about the ambitious pitch by David Black, owner of Black Press Ltd, as the pipeline company prepared for the start of the formal part of the Northern Gateway regulatory hearings next month.

Black said on Friday that the huge plant would process up to 550,000 barrels a day of crude at a site near Kitimat, British Columbia, the terminus of the proposed C$6 billion Northern Gateway. That would make it the biggest refinery in the country. It would allow British Columbia to share more of the economic benefits of Northern Gateway by creating 3,000 full-time jobs and 6,000 construction jobs, said Black, who acknowledged he is no refin-

ing expert but has mulled such a proposal for seven years.

Black Press runs 150 newspapers in Canada and the United States, including the Beacon Journal in Akron, Ohio; the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and the Advocate in Red Deer, Alberta. British Columbia Premier Christy Clark caused a stir last month by saying her government will not support the pipeline that would cross the mountainous province unless British Columbians can get more money to compensate for the environmental risk.

Besides offering economic benefits, Black said a refinery targeting Asian markets would remove any threat of a heavy crude spill on Canada’s West Coast, a major worry among environmentalists and native groups opposed to Northern Gateway.

Enbridge declined to comment other than to say it remains committed to the regulatory process for reviewing Northern Gateway, which would move

525,000 barrels a day over the 1,177-km (731-mile) route.

Black’s plan is the latest twist in the Northern Gateway saga that has pit governments against each other, riled many aboriginal communities in British Columbia and dominated headlines in Canada. Under current plans, tankers would take the diluted bitumen from an oil port at Kitimat and ship it to California and across the Pacific.

The oil industry and governments of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Alberta Premier Alison Redford see opening Asia to tar-sandsderived oil as key to diversifying markets and boosting economic returns, which are held back by a glut of supplies in traditional U.S. Midwest destinations for the crude. Black’s new company, Kitimat Clean Ltd, has briefed governments on the plan and will submit an environmental assessment application, he said.

The plant would produce 240,000 barrels a day of diesel, 100,000 of gasoline and 50,000 of kerosene or aviation fuel. Construction would start in 2014 and take six years. He said he has analyzed his proposal with investment bankers and concluded that projected revenues and profit would be large enough to enable equity and debt financing.

The petroleum products would be marketed throughout the Pacific Rim, with China being a main target, Black said in remarks posted on the company’s website. The company would offer investment opportunities to Chinese buyers. “If China is not interested there will be other buyers. A Kitimat refinery will be a compelling opportunity for any country that has to import oil,” he said. “It will offer a guaranteed long-term refined fuel supply at a competitive price from a new diversified source.” The last refinery built in Canada was Royal Dutch Shell’s Scotford plant in Alberta in 1984. — Reuters

Iconic MINI brand turns 53 MINI grows as premium brand in Middle East It is a British icon, a business phenomenon and arguably one of the most loved and unique car marques in the history of motoring. This month, MINI, the legendary small car with a big attitude, celebrates its 53rd birthday. Since its introduction in 1959, MINI has become an object and subject of obsession for so many people across the world. In fact, it was the first small car to achieve genuine global success.

A small car in size but big on space, design and personality, MINI is cosmopolitan, ageless and cheeky. Owned and loved by the rich and famous (The Beatles, John Lennon and Clint Eastwood to name a few) and considered the small car icon of the 1960s, the MINI concept is as trend-setting today as it was 53 years ago. So how did MINI mania begin? Sir Alec Issigonis, one of the most original car designers of the modern era, was set a task by the then British Motor Corporation (BMC) to build a car

that was spacious inside and minimum dimensions outside, seats for four passengers, impeccable driving characteristics, superior fuel economy, all at a very affordable price - and he did just that. The Morris Mini Minor was born on the 26th August, 1959, measuring just 3.05 metres in length - it was simply perfect for small parking spaces and low budgets.

It was in 1961, when a very special variant of the classic appeared and consolidated the legend of the classic Mini. The response to this Mini Cooper was quite simply euphoric. With its uniqueness, performance, mass market appeal and celebrity pull factor, the Mini soon became the perfect fashion accessory.

Numerous versions of the classic Mini with all kinds of highlights - from sporty to trendy, distinguished to fresh - encompassed the classic Mini line-up. It even went on to win three Monte Carlo races by 1967 and became a film star within its own right.

By 2000, more than 5.3 million units had left the production plants in the UK, making it the world’s most successful compact car. But even after 41 years, there was still a long way to go. After a break of not quite one year, a new chapter in the history of this British legend began when in 2001 the BMW Group re-launched the classic Mini.

The new MINI was to create a unique premium brand, combining modern requirements in terms of interior space with unmistakable charisma and excellent product qualities in the compact segment - respecting its history but at the same time meeting the needs of present day customers. The BMW Group successfully re-launched the brand thanks to consistent positioning as a premium global brand and a clear focus on its new target customers. Communications gave the brand a unique MINI feeling: MINI was not just an A-to-B car but an expression

of outgoing and spontaneous lifestyle.

Today, MINI continues to lead as the fastest growing premium brand in the world as well as in the Middle East. During the first half of 2012, it grew 48 percent across nine different Middle Eastern markets. To date over 2.6 million MINI vehicles have sold worldwide since the “New MINI” was launched by the BMW Group in 2001. The brand’s characteristic combination of driving fun, individualistic style and premium quality has led to continued growth across the 80 countries in which MINI is on sale.

Today’s MINI line-up includes six models: the MINI Hatch, MINI Cabrio, MINI Clubman, MINI Countryman, MINI Coupe and most recently the MINI Roadster, the first open top twoseater MINI. All are available in various engine variants. Happy 53rd birthday MINI!

Engineering sector works to gain female students

DETROIT: Ruby Richardson, 77, of Detroit (left) waits for her paperwork to be processed for her new 2013 Ford Taurus from Bob Maxey Ford dealership. — MCT

Auto dealers have best year since crisis Thriving after surviving DETROIT: Boosted by the strongest new-vehicle market since 2007 and with 3,000 fewer competitors, most auto dealers are having their most profitable year since the financial crisis, according to a Detroit-based consulting firm’s annual state of the industry report. Sales per dealership are expected to reach 805 this year, according to Urban Science, the retail consultant that has tracked auto retailing since 1990. That would be a 12 percent increase from 2011. “I’m probably going to double that average number here,” said Jody Lee, new-car sales manager at Taylor Chevrolet. “We’ve grown the last four years.”

Dealers that survived General Motors’ and Chrysler’s bankruptcies and Ford’s close-out of its Mercury brand are thriving. “It’s very encouraging,” said Cheryl Staples, sales manager at Bob Maxey Ford in Detroit. “Financing is getting a lot stronger, the banks are stepping up, the customers are coming in with a lot more knowledge of the products. The economy is becoming a lot more stable, and it’s driving customers into the stores.”

To be sure, there has been a painful shakeout. The US had 17,770 dealerships at the end of June, unchanged from the end of 2011, but down 15 percent from 20,985 in 2007.

Chrysler and President Barack Obama’s auto task force stripped nearly one-quarter of the automaker’s dealers of their franchises in 2009. GM severed ties with a smaller number, while Ford bought out more than 100 Lincoln dealers in its ongoing reinvention of the luxury brand.

Saab, a former GM brand, has closed 59 stand-alone dealerships this year. That included four in Michigan, which lost 10 dealerships overall during the first six months of the year.

John Frith, Urban Science vice president, said the market seems to be “settling in” at about 17,770 dealerships after an average annual decline of 2.5 percent since 1990.

Dealers say customers are buying because they’re more confident in their job stability, while others need to replace an old vehicle and have heard that new vehicles are greatly improved. “They’re built better, they’re going to last and they’re going to get better fuel economy and get better features,” said Bill Golling, president of Golling Chrysler-DodgeJeep-Ram in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

New-vehicle sales are expected to come in between 14.1 million and 14.4 million for 2012. The industry sold 8.4 million vehicles in the first seven months of the year, up 12 percent from the same period in 2011, according to Autodata Corp. Meanwhile, dealers are extracting more profit from each sale.

TrueCar.com reported that incentives - that is, the amount automakers spend on rebates, special financing or lease subsidies - represented 8.2 percent of the average transaction in July, down from 8.6 percent a year earlier.

In the world’s largest car market, China, the retail picture is not as bright. Urban Science warned that auto dealers there have too much inventory, a sign of slowing economic growth in a market that has experienced meteoric expansion in the last decade.

“It’s a big challenge for the dealers right now,” said Hamilton Gayden, Urban Science’s managing director in China. “Their profit margins are eroding very quickly.” That’s particularly notable for GM, which sells more cars in China than it does in the US. In China, newvehicle sales are expected to hit about 19.5 million for 2012. — MCT

KANSAS CITY: Thirty years after the first wave of women began pursuing engineering careers, it’s still mostly a man’s world - despite an earnest effort to encourage girls to pursue a profession with good opportunities. Take Taya Upkes, who graduated summa cum laude in May with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She had nine job offers before receiving her diploma and accepted an offer from Cummins to work at its plant in suburban Minneapolis.

Her starting salary? Somewhere in the “mid-60s.”

And Cummins also is paying her graduate school tuition. She helps design generator sets for yachts, she said, and she’s the only woman working in a department of 15 or 20. “I actually enjoy it,” she said. “It was intimidating at first, but I got used to it. It’s not in the back of my mind to think about it anymore.”

Engineering schools around the region report Upkes isn’t alone.

“The demand for engineers in general is high,” said Gary Mirka, an associate dean at Iowa State University.

“Ninety-five percent of our students have jobs within six months, and recruiters are keen on women.”

Despite those opportunities, the enrollment at Iowa State reflects a nationwide pattern. The share of women in its undergraduate engineering program peaked at 16.5 percent in 1995. This year, 15.2 percent of the engineering students are female.

Nationally, 17.9 percent of undergraduate engineering students were women in 2009, according the most recent data from the National Science Foundation. Ten years before, 19.8 percent of engineering students were female. And even when a woman obtains a degree in engineering, it’s no guarantee she’ll enter or stay in the profession. The foundation reported that 12.9 percent of the almost 1.6 million engineers in the nation were women in 2008, significantly lower than the graduation rate.

Betty Shanahan, the executive director and CEO of the Society of Women Engineers, said a study last year called “Stemming the Tide: Why Women Leave Engineering” found one-third of female engineering graduates didn’t enter the profession because they thought the workplace culture was inflexible and not supportive of women.

The report also found nearly half of the female engineers who left the profession did so because of poor working conditions, too much travel and lack of advancement or low salary. One-third said they didn’t like the workplace, their boss or the culture. “When women leave a company, they leave the profession,” Shanahan said. “When men leave a company, it’s generally to go to another company.”

As for the continuing low number of women going to engineering school, Shanahan and others said one of the bigger reasons why capable girls didn’t choose the profession was their impression that engineers generally were loners working on abstract projects that didn’t directly help people. Many choose health care fields instead. “Girls don’t see the opportunities in engineering as opposed to other fields where you can see how you make a contribution,” Shanahan said.

“The stereotype is you work alone and the social relevance isn’t understood. Girls don’t see the opportunities in engineering.”

The subtle messages sometimes conveyed by teachers and parents that engineering is a man’s world also helps continue that pattern, she added. “It is a male-dominated field, and those implicit biases are often carried over,” Shanahan said. Upkes, who graduated from high school in Sioux Falls, SD, and attended UM-Kansas City on a softball scholarship, remembers the reaction she often got when people learned about her degree.

“Every time someone said you were an engineer and people said, ‘OK, that’s weird,’ it got ingrained in my mind,” she said. In all her mechanical engineering classes, there was only one other female. “Everybody noticed it, but after a while, when they knew you could do the work, people could accept it.”

Bette Grauer, an assistant dean at the Kansas State University engineering school, said about 15 percent of the undergraduates there are women. That low figure comes despite an active Society of Women Engineers chapter that offers after-school programs for middle school students and outreach efforts to high schools around the state. “I can’t explain it,” she said. “I’ve been a high school science teacher and physics teacher. Fifty percent were girls and they do really well. I’m not sure why we don’t attract them.”

Cecilia Elmore, director of student diversity, outreach and women’s programs at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, said her

school has had a Women in Engineering chapter since 1975. It’s an outreach program sponsored by the Society of Women Engineers. “The group from the ‘70s was the first baby boom wave to apply to college to study engineering,” she said. “Our enrollment went from a zero to 5 percent kind of thing from the later ‘70s into the early ‘80s.”

Things have progressed to the point that last April, the Rolla campus hired its first female chancellor, Cheryl B. Schrader, who has her Ph.D. in engineering.

When she graduated with her doctorate in 1991, there were two women engineers who were deans in the country. Now, there are 33, she said.”There’s more and more visibility for women in the engineering profession. ... It helps make a connection for others, ‘if she can do it, so can I.’“The sky is the limit for women graduates. There is such a demand for engineers in this country and there’s a clarion call for more students regardless of gender.” But before a woman gets to the point of meeting someone like Schrader, there’s a girl who needs to become interested in engineering.

Laura Loyacono, director of the KC STEM Alliance, a Kansas City program that encourages students, both boys and girls, to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and medicine, said the perception that engineering is for boys only remains a big deterrent. Her organization has been working to change that attitude since it started a year ago. “One of the things we’re finding is exposure earlier, when students are younger and offered an introduction in a nonthreatening fashion,” Loyacono said. —MCT

KANSAS CITY: Destnee Walton, 12 (from left) Martayllia Copes, 10, and Jordan Miller, 11, all of Kansas City, assemble a robot, July 20, at Science City in Kansas City’s Union Station. — MCT

26

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

BUSINESS

It is time to buy growth stocks again

By Hayder Tawfik efore talking about why investors should start investing in growth stocks, I would like to remind them that cheap stocks have reasons why they are so cheap. Some of these reasons might be: they are losing market share or lost it completely. They are no longer making money. Their sales or revenue either not growing or actually falling and they are experiencing decline in profits. Finally, they are seeing margins fall.

The bottom line is that they are cheap for very good reasons. However, if investors have the patience and the nerve then they can hold on to them for a long while. Now, let’s get back to the real excitement of investing in growth stocks.

B

In the financial markets two indicators never lie: Price and volume. In the last few months growth stocks have been rising and some of them have hit record highs. Smart investors have been accumulating higher quality growth stocks and have been avoiding or actually selling cheaper value stocks. Since the start of this year growth stocks all around the world have outperformed value stocks and outstripped the main markets. Smart investors have been dismissing the gloom and doom outlook on the back of the European financial crisis and the possible slowdown in the US economy and have been buying growth stocks which can generate much better quality earnings and have very strong balance sheet. I have been talking about these in my previous articles and con-

tinue to emphasise the importance of focussing on growth stocks. I have to admit some of the big capitalisation growth stocks are expensive but I strongly believe they will get more expensive going forward. Investors should never buck the trend!

We at Dimah Capital have been focussing on growth stocks throughout the year and in specific two sectors with high growth potentials. Technology and retailers. Within those two sectors, we like companies that are dominant in terms of index weighting and market shares. Companies such as IBM, Oracle, EBay, Apple, MMM, Gap and TJX have very good fundamentals such as being cash rich, increasing market share, very high and sustainable profit margins.

Apple share price is up 60 percent this year and EBay is up 50 percent and con-

tinue to go up as its market share has been on the rise. The excellent performance applies to some of those retailers too such as GAP, which we believe is a very good turnaround story and we will see more outperformance in this share price. We have recently added some food and beverage stocks such as PepsiCo, and Unilever.

There is very much likelihood that this outperformance will continue throughout the summer and into the New Year. Actually, we don’t see any inventors’ complacency in buying growth stocks. What is for sure is that these investors looking beyond the backdrop of uncertainty ranging from the slowing global economy to the European financial crisis and convinced that there will be more quantative easing in US, UK and even see the

European Central bank taking aggressive measures to stimulate growth in the euro-zone. The monetary background of near zero in short term interest rates and around 1 percent to 1.5 percent long term rates also help a lot in making growth stocks have much higher expanded multiples. We at Dimah Capital have been looking beyond next year and see how further measures can help other sectors or what kind other measures apart from quantitative easing these governments can do. We have noticed last week that Brazil announced a $65 billion spending on infrastructure and transport schemes. This is a welcome sign and we are sure that politicians will do their best to come up with measures which will receive good response from the markets and voters.

Markaz posts KD 1.2m net profit in H1 2012 Total equity grows by 23 percent KUWAIT: Kuwait Financial Centre ‘Markaz’ announced the results of the first half of 2012.

Markaz posted a net profit of KD 1.2 million and a 2 fils EPS in H1 2012, compared to a profit of KD 750,000 and a 2 fils EPS during the same period of 2011. Total equity grew by 23 percent compared to the same period of 2011 and accounted to KD 155.39 million.

Diraar Alghanim, Chairman & Managing Director of Markaz said: “Despite the ongoing global financial crisis, which commenced in 2008, Markaz successfully honored all of its financial commitments without any delays, resulting from the prudent and conservative financial management approach Markaz implements. Markaz manDiraar Y agement continues to Alghanim strive for excellence in good governance and responsible management practice, benchmarking those of the best global companies. Our financial management approach coupled with our effective corporate governance has enabled Markaz to maintain a “BBB” credit rating from Capital Intelligence Ltd.” Alghanim also added, “Markaz follows a dynamic investment strategy which enables the firm to identify eligible investment opportunities. Of these opportunities, advising local companies on restructuring and recapitalization, as well as the increased demand for Kuwaiti distressed debt by regional and international investors, have been on the rise. Markaz is constantly on the pursuit of new investment opportunities - which are made after thorough due diligence and risk assessment - spanning across different sectors and industries.”

Manaf Alhajeri, Chief Executive Officer of Markaz said: “Local and regional markets are continuously becoming unstable and highly volatile. As a result of the instability and volatility, the current situation requires market participants to be highly flexible and quick to react towards changes. Therefore, it is essential for companies to provide up-to-date investment solutions, to keep up with the developments in the market place, as well as maneuver between different asset classes meeting the investors’ requirements.”

Alhajeri also added: “Liquidity management will enable Markaz to benefit from investment opportunities in various fields with good returns and low risk. Lately the interest for income generating investments has increased in Kuwait and the GCC. Therefore, Markaz intends to expand on this class of investment in addition to the Company’s current promising investments.”

MENA equities Trading activity in local Kuwait market remained weak. Possible factors are the increas-

ing volatility on the political front slowing down the Economic development and also affecting the investor confidence. Kuwait’s banking sector continues to remain vulnerable resulting from its exposure to investment companies and also lack of lending opportunities which has kept growth in credit to private sector sluggish. The department’s AUM as of June stood close to $2.1 billion of which 44 percent was of discretionary managed Funds & Portfolios.

International investments After a robust start to the year in the first quarter, markets performed otherwise in the second quarter as fears of another euro-zone recession, sent international indices down for the quarter. Markets were unnerved by the political crisis in Greece and Spain fearing a systemic risk. After long-lasting debates, European Union leaders reached agreements that they hope will restore market confidence in the debt of euro-zone members.

Private equity Markaz Private Equity Portfolio realized a year-to-date return of 4.65 percent.

Corporate finance advisory We continue to witness a growing interest in distressed debt of Kuwaiti issuers by regional and international investors; and we have executed several trades in this space, allowing Markaz to become a market maker for such debt. Consistent with the market environment, we continue to build strong capabilities in distressed debt transactions, restructuring advisory services (either representing creditors or corporations), liquidating non-core assets for our clients, and raising fresh capital [debt and/or equity] for local corporations. We currently have five assignments in the various activities described above and are actively working on creating value for our clients.

Fixed income Markaz Fixed Income Fund (MFIF), recorded a YTD return of 1.34 percent for the Q2 2012 and an absolute return of 3.30 percent since the fund was launched last year. Markaz acted as a Joint Lead Manager for the KD 26.5 million bonds issued by Al-Argan International Real Estate Company K.S.C.C. with Burgan Bank and KAMCO. Structured finance Markaz has been the sole options market maker in the Middle East since 2005. The company continues to develop and stimulate options market as it has many benefits to traders in the Kuwaiti market, especially the derivatives market.

Markaz Real Estate Opportunities Fund is managing its investments in Lebanon, KSA, Jordan, Syria and Abu Dhabi. Jordan residential development has been completed and final

exit process is underway; the fund exited in June its investment in KSA with a 32 percent ROI. Markaz Real Estate Fund reached its maximum capital allowed of KD 50 million (par value) in March 2012 at that point we were able to secure CMA approval to increase the maximum capital of the fund to KD 100 million (at par value). In addition, the fund received the approval from over 75 percent its investors and the CMA to extend its term for a new 10 years starting from June 2012. MREF received additional subscriptions totaling KD 15.9 million in H1 2012 and deployed KD 9.5 million in acquisition of new properties. On the financial side, the fund continued to make steady monthly cash distributions to investors generating a return of 4.82 percent for the period inclusive of improvement in property valuations.

Aradi development investment: We are focusing our efforts towards the exit of the second of the two investments (Al-Bandariah) in KSA Eastern province after completion and exit of the first investment (Al-Nimr) during 2010.

KSA residential investment: Markaz is proceeding with the development of 54 residential villas in Al-Khobar KSA. Markaz team initiated the marketing and sales campaign in time with the completion of the mock-up and first four units in November 2011. Up to end of H1 2012 we have sold 10 villas and expect to complete the sale of the developed villas by the end of 2012. The development targets local Saudi midlevel employees who constitute the segment of population with the largest pent-up demand and aims to generate gross returns in the tune of 20 percent.

Kuwait development: Markaz acquired, as a proprietary investment, two adjacent old buildings in Salmiya Kuwait and is in the process of vacating, demolishing and redeveloping the merged property into a residential complex for renting residential apartments to expatriates.

International real estate In order to capitalize on the prevalent distress in the real estate debt markets, we continue to grow our US distressed debt activity, seeking to invest in non-performing and sub-performing commercial mortgages in the US. During the second quarter we resolved one of our distressed debt investments with the borrower and we also sold one of the properties that we had previously foreclosed on; the average return on investment multiple is 1.14 times for the two assets.

Oil and gas The Oil & Gas Department manages the Markaz Energy Fund (MEF) which invests in a diversified portfolio within the oil and gas sector. Oil prices and lower demand for petrochemicals has adversely impacted our investments in the sector, and was offset by the improvement in performance of our direct investments.

Ford, Arabian Motors open Quick Parts outlet KUWAIT: Ford M iddle East and Arabian Motors Group (AMG), the Ford and Lincoln importer-dealer in Kuwait, recently opened the first Quick Parts outlet in Shuwaikh as par t of their ongoing effor ts to expand the presence and availability of Ford and MotorCraft parts, while bringing a new and affordable option for multi-vehicle parts supplies to Kuwaiti motorists.

A new initiative for Ford Motor Company ’s Expor t and Growth Operations, Quick Parts are designed to improve customer ser vice by increasing parts availability. While the stores carr y Ford- and Motorcraft-branded parts and Fordbranded accessories and merchandise, competitive -make parts are available if no Motorcraft application exists.

Chris Noel, Ford M iddle East ’s Customer Service director, said: “We commend AMG for their continued efforts and investments in raising the bar on the after-sales experience in Kuwait. The new Quick Parts center

will not only provide genuine and high quality par ts for Kuwaiti motorists, but it further emphasizes AMG’s commitment to making Ford parts available, faster.”

Hamad Al-Wazzan, AMG’s chairman and managing director, said: “Arabian Motors Group has yet again set the standards in after-sales support in Kuwait. We are proud to offer our customers the perfect combination of quality and reliable parts in a more convenient and accessible way.”

The Quick Parts outlet will carry a vast array of parts and accessories in its new facility, offering a wide range of products for all makes that will enhance the customer’s parts shopping experience and make this a one stop shop. The Quick Parts outlet will hold items such as: oil and filters, all essential maintenance items, brake par ts, batteries, air-conditioning parts, belts and hoses, wiper blades, lamps and bulbs, alternators and electrical components, suspension and steering parts plus cooling system parts.

Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive James Hogan (right) with the Premier of Queensland, Campbell Newman (left), celebrates with Etihad Airways Brand Ambassador Dannii Minogue at the announcement of daily flights between Brisbane and Abu Dhabi via Singapore.

Etihad Airways boosts Brisbane flights SINGAPORE: Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has announced plans to increase flights between Brisbane and Abu Dhabi from three times a week to a daily service from February 1, 2013. This will bring to 28 the total number of flights Etihad Airways operates between Australia and Abu Dhabi, together with partner airline Virgin Australia. The additional four services will continue to operate via Singapore in both directions and provide a new daily link between the city pairs.

James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said the increase in frequency was a gamechanging move for the airline on the Abu Dhabi-Singapore-Australia route. “Going daily to Brisbane and Singapore puts Etihad Airways in a stronger competitive position and will increase the airline’s brand footprint exponentially in these markets.

“We are now able to offer corporate and leisure travellers a more appealing proposition: more flights, more convenience, improved connections and a wider choice of destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Gulf Cooperation Countries, and on the Virgin Australia domestic network. “These extra flights to Brisbane and Singapore underscore the strategic importance of Australia and the Asia Pacific region and the contribution each makes to the airline’s goal of sustainable profitability.

“We look forward to working with our partners in government and industry to increase business and leisure tourism and to cement the route’s enduring success.” Queensland Premier Campbell Newman said Etihad’s plan to increase the number of flights was a boost to Queensland’s economy and the tourism industry.

“This will see thousands of extra peo-

ple a year coming into Queensland, injecting millions of dollars into our economy and resulting in more jobs being created,” said Newman. “More flights into the state opens up opportunities for international travellers to see some of the many wonderful tourist attractions Queensland has to offer.”

Etihad Airways commenced thrice weekly flights to Brisbane and Singapore on September 28, 2007. The Queensland capital was the airline’s second destination in Australia and the 43rd in its global network. It operates an Airbus A330-200 aircraft on the Abu Dhabi-SingaporeBrisbane route. The aircraft is configured in two classes with 22 seats in Pearl Business Class and 240 seats in Coral Economy Class.

The Abu Dhabi-headquartered airline has strong ties with the Queensland government and its agency, Tourism Queensland. It has supported major marketing initiatives such as the Million Dollar Memo, and in 2011 donated $1 million to the Queensland Flood Appeal.

Its shareholder, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, also donated $30 million to the Government of Queensland to build five category five cyclone shelters for use as multi-purpose centres year round.

Etihad Airways has access to a total of 42 flights per week to Australia, 35 to direct gateways and seven via or on to regional hub. It currently employs more than 100 staff in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne and maintains seven premises, including two dedicated aircraft maintenance facilities at Sydney and Melbourne airports. The airline employs a total of 56 Singaporean nationals across its global network. This number includes seven pilots and 27 cabin crew.

New Brisbane-Singapore-Abu Dhabi frequency is effective from February 1, 2013.

ABK holds third draw KUWAIT: Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait carried out Skywards Miles in prizes. To enter the draws the third draw for its “Win a Million Miles with you have to spend at least KD 100 using your ABK” summer campaign. The draw was held ABK Emirates credit cards during the specion August 15, at the main branch, under the fied months of the promotion. The more pursupervision of the Ministry of Commerce and chases you make the more chances you have Industry. “Win a Million Miles with of winning these valuable miles.

ABK” enabled ABK Emirates credit The timing of the offer coincides cardholders the opportunity of with the travel season, so clients winning valuable prizes in the can benefit and double their form of Skywards Miles. chances of winning. In addition to Cardholders who used their cards the prizes clients received up to 7 locally and overseas for KD 100 or Skywards Miles for every KD 1 above, between July 1-31 were spent using their ABK Emirates entitled to enter the draw. credit cards” The first place prize of 125,000 Lockie added, “The promotion Skywards Miles was won by Fatma continues till August 31, 2012, Habeeb from the University Stewart Lockie with three lucky winners to be branch, second prize winner drawn every month and a Grand 75,000 miles Hussain Saeedi from Jahra draw winner to be announced at the end of branch and lastly Jessica Al-Absi from the summer. To those who were not lucky I Salmiyah branch was the third winner with say, keep spending as you still have a lot of 50,000 Skywards Miles. Stewart Lockie, GM, time, and many chances in the coming Retail Banking stated, “We launched the sum- draws. Several opportunities remain to win mer campaign for cardholders to have an those fabulous Skywards Miles, and get a opportunity to enter draws to win 1 Million chance to travel the world for free.”

TECHNOLOGY

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

Left-handers and the pitfalls of technology BERLIN: When the iPhone 4 hit shops in 2010, some customers could not use the new Apple device to either call or surf the Internet. The reason was that holding the device in the left hand could in some cases cover the phone’s antennae, thereby cutting off reception.

Apparently, the designers, technicians and testers at Apple did not think about the needs of left-handers or just ignored them.

And that is nothing new, according to Agnes Maria Forsthofer, a member of an association for left-handed people in Germany. “There are essentially no devices fitted for left-handers.”

Even standard devices like a mouse or keyboard have some pitfalls for left-handed users. The number pad for example is difficult to use with your left hand. “There are only a few keyboards where the number pad is on the left side,” said Barbara Sattler, who heads an information centre for left-handers in Germany. But such solutions are only practical in places where the left-hander works alone. Sharing a computer that has such special devices with right-handers is difficult.

Sattler suggests left-handers should rather get a separate number pad with a USB connection, like those available for laptops.

The mouse can cause issues for left-handers. Most of the time they are located on the right side of the keyboard. A wireless mouse solves most of the problems and the system settings in Windows allows for the keys to be changed. There is no standard for the extreme left-hander, said Stefan Gutwinski, neuroscientist of the university psychiatric ward of the Charite at St. Hedwig Hospital in Berlin. “Extreme handedness is rather seldom - right-handers do some things with their left hand and left-handers do some things with their right hand,” he said. And they differ from case to case. Some, for example, have no problem typing a text message on their phone with their right hand - others absolutely need their left hand.

But there are some devices with which nearly every left-hander has problems, including for example an ergonomic mouse.

Their asymmetric shape supposedly gives them a better fit in the user’s hand - but only in the right hand. “But the symmetric shape has prevailed,” said Sattler. There are other examples of the technology world being unfriendly to left-handers, for example in the case of camcorders. “They are completely equipped to be controlled with the right hand,” said Sattler. Even photography cameras often have the controls on the right side.

Sattler said there are no real solutions in such cases. “The demand for special left-handed products is not high enough,” she said.

Separate production for left-handers is not profitable for manufacturers. The only choice often for lefties is to get used to it.

Neuroscientist Gutwinski said it’s often not that difficult. “Left-handers often have a pronounced tendency for ambidexterity because they are already used to doing things with their right hands from childhood.”

Nevertheless, it has been shown that the older the user, the more difficulty left-handers have in getting accustomed to new devices which have to be operated with the right hand.

In the case of smartphones it would seem initially that it doesn’t matter which hand is used on a touchscreen. But since many devices have the on-off or volume buttons on the right side, operating the device with just your left hand is not easy. Sattler urges left-handers to take the device in their hand before buying it and really give it a good test. — dpa

Wikipedia looking for more volunteers SAN FRANCISCO: Wikipedia is an indispensable source of knowledge for many internet users - but very few actually take part in building the interactive lexicon.

It has been 11 years since the project was started, but commitment is needed more than ever as the number of active authors is sinking. The Wikimedia Foundation said in its recent annual report that its “most important strategic task is to reverse this trend” and the non-profit organisation is planning to invest heavily in this goal.

Wikipedia is a unique project - an encyclopedia to which everyone can contribute.

Set up by internet entrepreneur Jimmy Wales, today it is practically the global reference work. The facts about this improbable success are impressive. In May alone, 492 million users called up 18.1 billion pages of the various Wikimedia projects.

But a major factor in the project’s success is fading away. Wikipedia is losing volunteers. The number of authors writing at least five times a month dropped to about 85,000 worldwide. And they have a huge task. Some 22.3 million articles in the various Wikipedia versions must be updated, expanded, have pictures added and be protected from vandals - not to mention new articles having to be written. The goal of having 200,000 volunteers by 2015 seems far off.

The Wikipedia Foundation recognizes the problem and has begun numerous projects to help stop the drop in volunteers. But implementation will likely take a while.

Problem number 1: The technology.

Whoever wants to add or edit an article cannot just click on a button and type away. The texts are written in a syntax that doesn’t need a computer science degree but can scare away many users. That ’s why Wikimedia Foundation is working on a socalled Visual Editor that makes text editing easier. The principle is what you see is what you get. But Wikimedia are behind schedule.

The foundation recently introduced a prototype, but it could still take months before it can be widely used.—dpa

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

health & science

Research: Addiction to heroin can be blocked SYDNEY: Addiction to morphine and heroin can be blocked, according to research released yesterday which could prove a major breakthrough in treating addicts and in pain relief treatments. Researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia worked with colleagues at the University of Colorado in the United States to pinpoint a key mechanism in the body’s immune system that amplifies addiction to opioid drugs.

“Our studies have shown conclu-

sively that we can block addiction via the immune system of the brain, without targeting the brain’s wiring,” said Mark Hutchinson from Adelaide’s School of Medical Sciences. “Both the central nervous system and the immune system play important roles in creating addiction, but our studies have shown we only need to block the immune response in the brain to prevent cravings for opioid drugs.”

The results, to be published Thursday in the Journal of

Neuroscience, reveal that laboratory studies showed that the drug known as plus-naloxone, which is not yet in clinical use, will selectively block the immune-addiction response.

The researchers said that opioid drugs such as morphine and heroin bind to immune receptors in the brain known as TLR4 which then act as amplifiers for addiction, ramping up the “reward” effect of drugs of abuse to a high degree.

The new drug automatically shuts

this effect down, Hutchinson said. “It really reduces the reward level down to the equivalent of food, sex, and hugs,” he said.

Professor Linda Watkins, from the Center for Neuroscience at the University of Colorado, said the work fundamentally changed understanding about opioids, reward and addiction. “We’ve suspected for some years that TLR4 may be the key to blocking opioid addiction, but now we have the proof,” she said in a statement. The

researchers believe the discovery could prove useful if plus-naloxone could become a co-formulated drug with morphine, to allow patients who need pain relief to take the drug without fear of addiction.

But it could have a second application. “It can be used by itself potentially in addicted people to help their addic tion,” Hutchinson said. The research team says clinical trials could be under way within 18 months. —AFP

Rooftop farms flourish in space-starved Hong Kong ‘I am happier eating what I grow than food I buy from supermarkets’ HONG KONG: On the rooftop of a tower block above the hustle and bustle of teeming Hong Kong, dedicated growers tend to their organic crops in a vegetable garden. Against a backdrop of skyscrapers and jungle-clad hills, earth-filled boxes are spread out on the roof of the 14-storey building, where a wide variety of produce including cucumbers and potatoes are cultivated. It is one of several such sites that have sprung up in Hong Kong’s concrete jungle, as the appetite for organic produce grows and people seek ways to escape one of the most densely populated places on earth.

“I am happier eating what I grow rather than food I buy from supermarkets,” said Melanie Lam, a 28-year-old nurse, who comes to the “City Farm” in the Quarry Bay district of Hong Kong’s main island about twice a week.

“Compared to vegetables from the supermarket, vegetables that I plant are sweeter and fresher. It gives me a greater sense of satisfaction.” With most of the southern Chinese territory’s seven million people living in tower blocks and land prices sky-high, unused roofs are some of the few places

so happy-It’s like a tranquillizer, it’s a way out,” added Lam.

HONG KONG: This picture taken on July 31, 2012 shows a man and a woman looking at growing vegetables at City Farm, an organic farm set up on the rooftop of a tower block building in Hong Kong. —AFP photos in the most heavily populated ing. “I think urban farming is areas for budding vegetable gar- becoming more popular... we have deners. grown bigger in a short time,” said The money-obsessed city has Osbert Lam, the founder of “City been late to latch on to rooftop Farm”, which has about 100 regufarming, which has been popular lar gardeners two years after in cities such as London and New opening. There are 400 growing York for years. While there are no boxes on the 10,000-square-foot official figures for the number of (930-square-metre) rooftop availsites, as no license is needed to able to rent for between HK$150set one up, anecdotal evidence 200 ($20-25) a month each. suggests their popularity is grow- “People who come to the farm are

‘One pot at a time’ In To Kwa Wan in the east of the Kowloon peninsula, one of the founders of another rooftop farm says the project has given a boost to the neglected neighborhood, which has poor transport links and a predominantly elderly population. Chu Pui-Kwan and two friends came up with the idea of setting up a vegetable garden on the unused rooftop of a 12-storey building.

Using old planks and other materials salvaged from construction sites, they assembled growing boxes, and then decided to get the local community involved before the farm opened in November. “We invited the older people from around this area to come up, we gave them paints and had they paint the different boxes,” she said. “They had so much fun.” Now the brightly decorated boxes are filled with a huge variety of vegetables and herbs, including spinach, peas, lemongrass, mint and rosemary, providing a splash of color to the drab neighborhood. — AFP

To fight West Nile, Dallas plans an aerial defense

Benefits of Cumin seeds eople all over the world have different philosophies on how to use Cumin seeds. Cumin is a type of grass plant with dark green leaves and is bitter in taste. It has started spreading from East India to the East Mediterranean as it has been known to be as one of the extinguished spices. In the past, the Iranians for example considered this spice to improve the flavor of the food and also treated children that suffered from colic problems.

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High nutrient value Medical researchers discovered a lot of health benefits and important nutrients needed for the body from consuming this type of spice. It is known that every 100 grams of cumin seeds is equivalent to 370 calories (1small teaspoon = 22 calories) and 44.5 grams of carbohydrates. It is also known that it contains 10.5 grams of fiber and a good amount of good fats which prevents cardiovascular diseases.

stream and helps ease digestion.

4 Zinc and phosphorus helps activate the sexual organs for males.

5 Calcium helps increasing bone density.

6 Iron is essential in transporting oxygen to the blood and helps to produce hemoglobin.

7 Potassium and Vitamin E helps in reducing hypertension.

8 Vitamins are essential for the nervous system and helps relieve stress.

Benefits for pregnant and breastfeeding women Cumin seeds are used for the treatment of anemia in which pregnant and breastfeeding women suffer mostly from because of its high source of iron. In addition, it helps to ease nausea and prevents influenza, diarrhea and fever. Finally, cumin seeds contain a high amount of Thiamin which prevents blood clots therefore it is not recommended to be consumed during the menstrual cycle.

Vitamins and minerals In addition, cumin seeds also contain 17 different vitamins and minerals which is required for a person’s daily basic needs according to Nutritionists.

Therefore, every 100 grams of cumin seeds provide the daily needs of iron, phosperous, calcium, manganese, vitamins (B1, B6, E, C, A,K), zinc and folic acid.

Health benefits of Cumin seeds Scientific researchers discovered alot of health benefits from consuming cumin seeds and it summarizes as follows: 1 It provides high quantities of unsaturated fats (good fats), fibers, vitamins and minerals.

2 Unsaturated fats (good fats) assist in controlling cholesterol levels especially ‘bad cholesterol’ and prevents heart diseases and strokes.

3 Fiber prevents fast absorption of glucose from the food to the blood-

KUWAIT: Alaa Hamdi Al-Safaei, a dietitian at the Lofat Lifestyle Diet Center.

Nahar Alajmi and Aloush Alajmi

Great Ormond Street Hospital: Puts a smile on Kuwaiti children’s faces KUWAIT: Befitting the spirit of togetherness and harmony that marks Eid celebrations, Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), one of the world’s leading centres for treating sick children in London recently hosted its annual Eid party for children, sharing the joys of this auspicious occasion.

Commenting on the Eid party, Trevor Clarke, Director International Division, at GOSH said: “Being in a hospital can be a stressful time and we know how important birthdays and religious festivals such as Eid are to children who are sometimes very far from home.

Here at GOSH we take pride in bringing joy to our patients - including Kuwaiti children and their families who are currently receiving treatment at the hospital - by celebrating these special occasions. We hold an Eid party every year to mark the end of Ramadan and celebrate Eid Al-Fitr and it gives us a real opportunity for patients, their families and GOSH staff to come together to celebrate.”

The hospital prepared a fun-filled party for more than 60 children, including 20 young Kuwaiti patients and their families, making them feel at home and making their Eid celebrations memorable. The ward was filled with embellishments and decorations, the children celebrated together with hospital staff and enjoyed getting their faces painted, played a number of games and were entertained by magic performances.

Special catering was provided for the celebrations, along with sweets and cards given to all the families staying at the hospital. By the end of the party, children received their gifts presented

by Harrods in London, and took their photographs with their loved ones.

DALLAS: The last time Dallas used aerial spraying to curb the mosquito population, Texas’ Lyndon Johnson was in the White House, Mission Control in Houston was launching Gemini missions and encephalitis was blamed for more than a dozen deaths.

But for the first time in more than 45 years, the city and county planned Thursday to resume dropping insecticide from the air to combat the nation’s worst outbreak of West Nile virus, which has killed 10 people and caused at least 200 others to fall ill.

“I cannot have any more deaths on my conscience because we did not take action,” Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said. Although commonplace in other major cities, the efforts are provoking a debate in the Dallas area between health officials trying to quell disease risk and people concerned about insecticidal mist drifting down from above.

Nearly half of all West Nile cases in the United States so far this year are in Texas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If the trend continues, 2012 will be the worst West Nile year in state history.

The hot, dry weather across the nation’s midsection has created ideal conditions for some species of mosquito. The heat speeds up their life cycle, which accelerates the virus replication process. And during a drought, standing water can quickly turn stagnant when it’s not flushed away by rain or runoff.

In a coincidence Thursday, a Texas jury further south in DeWitt County awarded nearly $1 million to a Union Pacific employee who says he contracted West Nile virus while on the job after Hurricane Ike in 2008. Attorney Michael Sheppard said railroad worker Billy Nami, 62, lost more than half his cognitive function after being infected.

Both the mayor and Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins have declared a state of emergency and voiced their support for an aerial defense. Yet even with the threat of infection, the spraying has sparked widespread opposition from people who fear the chemicals could be harmful. “It’s something new there that has not been used in quite a number of years,” said Dr Roger Nasci of the CDC, explaining the public’s worries. “Anything novel comes with that unknown factor.”

Because of the severity of the outbreak, the Texas Health Department is stepping in to oversee the effort and to pay for it. “This year is totally different from the experience Texas has had in the past,” state Health Commissioner Dr David Lakey said. “If it’s nuisance mosquitoes, we ask the city or county to pay part of that.

But in the midst of this disease outbreak, it’s easier for us to go ahead and do it.” A national spraying company called Clarke was set to deploy two to five Beech craft King Air twin-engine planes late Thursday night for three hours of spraying.

One county-wide application costs about

$1 million. A second application is possible if the first attempt does not kill enough mosquitoes.

Critics have also questioned whether the approach is scientifically proven to reduce West Nile cases. But at least one study in California concluded that the odds of infection are about six times lower in treated areas than those that are untreated. Still, some residents fear the chemicals could harm their children, pets and useful insects such as honeybees and ladybugs. The chemical released from the planes, synthetic pyrethroid, mimics a naturally occurring substance found in chr ysanthemums. The Environmental Protection Agency has said that pyrethroids do not pose a significant risk to wildlife or the environment, though no pesticide is 100 percent safe.

About eight-tenths of an ounce of chemical is applied per acre, said Laura McGowan, a Clarke spokeswoman. The insecticide’s common name is Duet Dual-Action Adulticide. The label says it’s toxic to fish and other types of aquatic life, and it contains distilled petroleum.

In states like California and Florida, aerial spraying is a “run-of-the-mill” response to West Nile, McGowan said. When the mosquito population gets to be a certain level, “they automatically go up,” she said. “They do it as a matter of course.” Kelly Nash, who lives in Dallas and works for an environmental consulting firm, questions whether the county is advocating for a controlled oil spill.

“One ounce an acre doesn’t sound like much, but we will spray at least 2,000 gallons all over the city,” Nash said. “A 2,000-gallon oil spill would be significant. I’m concerned that

DALLAS: Mosquitoes are sorted at the Dallas County mosquito lab on Thursday. —AP we’re breeding resistant mosquitoes that next time will have Dengue fever or something worse.”

Harris County, which includes humid, mosquito-filled Houston, has used aerial spraying once a year since 2002, the year the virus was first detected in Texas. The county uses ground spraying first and moves to aerial spraying as the virus spreads. “We can’t be everywhere at all times,” Mosquito Control Director Dr Rudy Bueno said. “Aerial treatment is a way to supplement what we do on the ground.” — AP

H E A LT H & S C I E NC E

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

Medical debate: Should autism block a man from getting a heart transplant?

PHILADELPHIA: Twenty-three-year-old Paul Corby has a bad heart and a flawed mind. The question before doctors now is whether his mental problems-he has a form of autism-are severe enough to make him a bad candidate for a heart transplant.

Doctors at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania have said they are, according

to Paul’s mother, Karen. She disagrees and is using an online petition and the support of a network of autism advocates to make her case. Karen Corby says she was “stunned” by Penn’s decision, then inspired by another family’s successful fight with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia over a similar decision.

PENNSYLVANIA: Paul Corby, front left, and his mother Karen Corby, front right, posing with members of Paul’s extended family, was evaluated for a heart transplant at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and turned down because of psychiatric issues and autism.—MCT

“I guess they thought we would accept it and just wait for the inevitable,” said Corby, of Pottsville, Pa She said she has not been told how long her son, who has a heart condition called left ventricular no compaction, might live without a transplant. Paul Corby initially took the decision well, but has since grown so depressed that his mother worries about how he’d react to another rejection.

“At first he was OK with it because he thought, ‘At least I don’t have to go through that surgery,’” his mother said, “and then he thought, ‘Why not? Why don’t they like me?’” Paul Corby’s situation is a window into the complex decisions that patients and doctors face when vital organs begin to fail. Organ transplantation is one of the few areas of modern medicine with overt and unavoidable rationing.

There simply are not enough donated organs to go around, so doctors must make life-and-death choices. Nationally, 331 people died while waiting for heart transplants last year.

Karen Corby released a letter she received from Penn cardiologist Susan Brozena in June 2011. In it, Brozena said that she recommended against Paul Corby’s getting a transplant “given his psychiatric issues, autism, the complexity of the process, multiple procedures and the unknown and unpredictable effect of steroids on behavior.”

Corby said her son-who is diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified-is high functioning and spends his days playing video games and writing the sequel to his preteen, self-published novel, Isaac the Runner. He carried his ever-present Princess Peach doll with him to his transplant evaluation. He takes medicine for an unspecified mood disorder, his mother said. He has shouted loudly enough that police have been called “three or four times” to the family’s home.

Citing privacy rules, the Penn health

system said it could not comment on Paul Corby’s case. It released a written statement that said the transplant program reviews “all aspects” of a patient’s condition, including his health status and posttransplant prognosis, and other health problems that could affect transplant success along with the interaction of drugs he takes and those he’ll need after the transplant.

“Our criteria for listing an individual for transplant are regularly reviewed in comparison with national standards, but we always encourage patients to seek another opinion.” After Karen Corby said she was willing to give permission for Penn to discuss her son’s case, health system spokeswoman Susan Phillips said that “the physicians involved believe that any discussion of the specifics of his case would be most unkind to him and therefore will not comment.” Phillips said Penn’s transplant team has performed at least one other heart transplant in an individual with autism.

Thirty-eight percent of patients evaluated for heart transplants during the last two years there were told no, mostly because of other medical conditions that would affect their survival or quality of life after a transplant, Phillips said.

Karen Corby decided to start a petition on the website change.org after reading in January about 3-year-old Amelia Rivera, who was denied a kidney transplant at Children’s because she was “mentally retarded.” Her family’s petition led to an outpouring of support. The hospital apologized and Rivera’s family now says she has been cleared for transplant.

Corby’s petition drew only about 4,000 signatures until Joslyn Gray, a freelance writer from Drexel Hill who has two children with Asperger’s disorder, also part of the autism spectrum, wrote about Paul on the Babble.com website last week. The count had climbed to about 10,700 Monday. Gray sees an issue that can only get bigger as more children with autism

get older. While autism was just one of the reasons listed for denying Paul Corby a transplant, Gray said she was “extremely disturbed that autism in and of itself was listed as an exclusionary factor.” With help from other parents, Karen Corby has now contacted the Mayo Clinic and two hospitals in Pittsburgh about putting Paul on their lists.

Transplant patients often face a difficult recovery and are on a complex drug regimen for the rest of their lives. The experience of being rescued from death by someone else’s death is challenging emotionally even for people who go into the experience with superior social skills.

Robert Weinrieb, a psychiatrist who specializes in working with transplant patients at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, said patients were rarely turned down for psychosocial reasons.

People who are actively addicted to drugs or alcohol are excluded. In cases of serious psychiatric or cognitive problems, doctors want to know that patients have enough support from family members to manage their medications. Doctors don’t want to have to sedate patients to perform minor procedures. To make the best use of organs, patients must be willing participants in rehabilitation.

Weinrieb, who has not met Paul Corby, said the social skills deficiencies common in autism can be a problem if patients need a long hospitalization. Steroids, which are given in high doses after transplants, greatly magnify emotions. Weinrieb likened it to drinking 20 to 30 cups of coffee. Someone who already has trouble with anger or impulsiveness is “virtually guaranteed” to get worse on the drug, he said.

Daniel L. Coury, professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at Ohio State University and medical director for the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network, said it’s hard to predict who will have a hard time with steroids. —MCT

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

WHAT’S ON Greetings

Adil is celebrating his 2nd birthday today.

May Almighty Allah shower all His blessings upon him always. Best wishes from Parents, Friends and relatives.

SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS hat’s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others! This summer, let other people see the way you see Kuwait - through your lens. Friday Times will feature snapshots of Kuwait through Instagram feeds. If you want to share your Instagram photos, email us at instagram@kuwaittimes.net

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IKFS distributes ‘Eid Dress Kits’ for 41 Kerala families ndo-Kuwait Friendship Society, a nonprofit socio cultural friendship association in Kuwait has distributed Eid Dress Kits for 41 families along with Iftar Kits in Kannur, Kerala. Also it celebrated India’s 66th Independence day by giving lectures and speeches related to Indian People’s Patriotism and Indian Muslims contributions towards the freedom and fight against the British Rule.

The event was convened in Kerala on 17th August 2012 at Al Mashoor Auditorium. The program was inaugurated by Engineer Suhdevan, Senior Public Works Engineer Kannur District who said in his speech, that he is very

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much happy to see IKFS appreciated the humanitarian works done for the less privileged people in the community as well as celebration of Indian National Day. Attorney Sayid Mohamed Nizar Thangal, Vice President of IKFS presided over the function on behalf of President Dr Ghalib Al-Mashoor.

The program was opened with the recitation of Holy Quran by Amani Ghalib. Prominent Leaders and regional friends of IKFS also attended. Haji Hassan, the President of Hidayathul Islam Madrasa, Anayiduck Committee, Kannur District also felicitated the audience and requested IKFS committee to increase

the number of families in the coming years. Jayaraj Dennis, Mechanical Engineer from Nigeria graced the function.

Dr Ghalib Al-Mashoor who had specially arrived from Kuwait to attend this event delivered a very informative speech about the necessity of Indian Patriotism and the activities of IKFS since its inception while thanking 21 member Patrons of IKFS such as Dr Kiran Bedi, IPS, Attorney R B Sree Kumar, IPS, Dr Biswaroop Choudury, Muzammil Malik (Industrialist and Philanthropist and the nominee of Padma Sri award), Thumbay Moideen, Sayid Munawar Ali Shihab

Thangal, Dr M K Muneer, Minister of Kerala Govt for their support.

Senior Executive Member Sayed Zoheb coordinated the function and selection of the names of more than 41 families who are eligible for the Eid Dress Gifts. This is the 1st time IKFS committee is hosting this noble plan for the needy people in India since its establishment in 2010. For more events and press releases can be browsed thru www.indo-kuwaitfriendshipsociety.com said in a press release.

Indian Embassy Announcements Indian Embassy passport and visa Passports and Visa applications can be deposited at the two outsourced centers of M/S BLS Ltd at Sharq and Fahaheel. Details are available at www.bls-international.com and www.indembkwt.org .

Consular Open House Consular Wing is providing daily service of Open House to Indian citizens on all workings days from 1000 hrs to 1100 hrs and from 1430 hrs to 1530 hrs by the Consular Officer in the Meeting Room of the Consular Hall at the Embassy. For any unaddressed issues, Second Secretary (Consular) can be contacted. Furthermore, the head of the Consular Wing is also available to redress grievances.

Indian workers helpline/helpdesk Indian workers helpline is accessible by toll free telephone number 25674163 from all over Kuwait. It provides information and advice to Indian workers as regards their grievances, immigration and other matters. The help desk at the Embassy (Open from 9AM to 1PM and 2PM to 4:30PM, Sunday to Thursday) provides guidance to Indian nationals on routine immigration, employment, legal and other issues. It also provides workers assistance in filling up labour complaint forms. For any unaddressed issues, the concerned attachÈ in the Labour section and the head of the Labour Wing can be contacted.

IKEA marks Eid in style n lieu of the upcoming Eid Al Fitr celebrations, IKEA Kuwait is hosting its festivities at the store for two days. The activities will take place on the 2nd and 3rd day of Eid from 5 - 8 pm. IKEA Kuwait is inviting families to participate in this joyous occasion where a range of fun filled activities can be enjoyed by the children such as face painting, clown balloon magic, cartoon characters and arts & crafts IKEA Kuwait continues to reinforce its support and wishes everyone in Kuwait a blessed Eid and prosperous season ahead.

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Legal Advice Clinic Free legal advice is provided on matters pertaining to labour disputes, terms of contracts with employers, death/accident compensation, withholding of dues by employers, etc. by lawyers on our panel, to Indian nationals on all working days between 1500hrs to 1600hrs.

Register and Win promotion at Q8India.com

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Attention Kids!

EF VBS 12 starting from Aug 24, 2012. Six Exciting days of singing, games & bible stories for children of all ages. HURRY Limited Seats. Register Online www.cefkuwait.org.

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

he AWARE Management is glad to inform you that Summer 3 Arabic language courses will begin on August 12, 2012 until September 26, 2012. AWARE Arabic language courses are designed with the expat in mind.

The environment is relaxed & courses are designed for those wanting to learn Arabic for travel, cultural understanding, and conducting business or simply to become more involved in the community. We cater to teachers, travelers & those working in the private business sector.

Arabic classes at the AWARE Center are unique because students are provided with the chance to practice their Arabic through various social activities that aim at bringing Arabs and Westerners together.

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AWARE Arabic courses highlights * Introductory to Level 4 Arabic language basics * Better prepare you for speaking, reading and writing Arabic * Combine language learning with cultural insights * Taught in multi-nationality group settings * Provide opportunities to interact with Western expatriates and native Kuwaitis/Arabs.

For more information log onto:

Ambassador’s Open House The Open House for Indian citizens by the Ambassador is being held on all Wednesdays at the Embassy for redressal of grievances. In case Wednesday is an Embassy holiday, the meeting will be held on the next working day.

ity Centre, Kuwait’s premier mega-market, in association with Q8India.com, a leading online Indian community portal, is holding a month-long ‘Register and Win’ promotion campaign. Any resident in Kuwait can participate in the promotion by visiting www.Q8India.com and registering their name, email and phone number. A winner will be picked each day (except Friday), from the list of names registered on the previous day, and receive a free shopping voucher worth KD10 from City Centre.

Aware Centre

IKEA Kuwait kicks off Back to School Campaign KEA Kuwait recently launched its Back to School Campaign to provide every student the opportunity to study in the perfect set up before the school year starts. Customers receive a chair for free on the purchase of any of the two exclusive tables.

As every child eagerly awaits to resume the next academic year after their summer vacation, IKEA Kuwait adds to this anticipation by offering the ideal study space. IKEA believes that education is a commitment that requires continuing dedication and this can be achieved, by replicating the school environment at home through its specially designed furniture.

This upcoming school season, IKEA Kuwait has created a beneficial promotion that offers a Lasse Bookcase and white Micke Desk for KD 25 and KD 29 respectively while shoppers can also look forward to receiving a chair each for free, the Snille swivel silver colored -shell pink seated chair and the snille swivel silver colored -white seated chair worth KD 8 each. The campaign ends September 30th,2012.

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Burgan Bank celebrates Girgian with the special care complex urgan Bank recently celebrated Girgian at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor’s special care complex. The bank’s famous “BuBa” Kids Account character welcomed children, orphans as well as the elderly with a range of Girgi’an boxes, as well as other forms of entertainment that highlighted the importance and true spirit of the holy month of Ramadan. Burgan Bank continues to support the different segments across the Kuwaiti society. The bank’s corporate social responsibility portfolio continues to grow with a wide array of initiatives that demonstrate its leadership as a financial institution that is socially dedicated.

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‘Leniency of Islam’ An unprecedented initiative of KTV2 (English channel) is the new program by the name ‘Leniency of Islam’ presented by Shaikh Musaad Alsane and directed by Hamid Al-Turkait. The program is mainly meant to address the expatriates living in Kuwait. Religious questions are received through the program email qislam@tv.gov.kw and sms can be sent to- 97822021 and answered by the lecturer and Imam in Awqaf Ministry Shaikh Musaad Alsane - a Master Degree holder in Sharia and fiqih from Kuwait University. So don’t forget to watch the program every Friday at 1:00 pm.

Patriotic songs Competitions

Winter 2012 AMIE examination

ndo-Kuwait Friendship Society, Kuwait (www.indo-kuwaitfriendshipsociety.com) is planning to conduct competitions in Indian and Kuwaiti Patriotic songs. This is the first time in Kuwait, an Indian Association is organizing contests in “Patriotic Songs” for both Indian and Kuwaiti School students. The first 3 places will be declared separately by Judges who are experts in Indian and Kuwaiti Patriotic songs.

Several prizes and awards will be handed over for the winning schools. Pradeep Rajkumar and A K S Abdul Nazar said that IKFS wants let our children learn what they mean as a “Patriotic” to their home country. 4 pages of spot Essay competition related to “Patriotism” also will be held in the same day as a spot registration. 1 Girl and 1 Boy student from each School can participate in the ESSAY contest. Dr. Mohamed Tareq, Chairman of the First Indian Model School in Kuwait “ Salmiya Indian Model School (SIMS) already confirmed as a Co-Sponsor of the Program.

Conditions apply 1) The competitions are meant for all the Schools located in Kuwait and should be nominated by school authority.

2) Each school can select group of 7 students for the “PATRIOTIC SONGS (Indian and Kuwaiti)” and nominate separately.

3) Children of above 12 years till 17 years (VII classes to XII classes) are eligible for the contest. But if School is permitted 4) Musical instruments or KARAOKE mixer should be accompanied by the participating students/Children and the school team should operate and select the mixers.

5) Time frame: 7 minutes - Names will be called as “First come” in the Registration.

The Event will be held at the auditorium of “Salmiya Indian Model School” on Saturday, 27th October 2012 from 09:30 am onwards. It will be a full day program with fun and full of entertainments. Food-stalls of different Kuwaiti and Indian tastes will installed.

The AMIE Winter 2012 examinations will be held between Dec 01-07, 2012 as follows: Section A (Diploma) - December 1-4, 2012 Section A (Non-Diploma) December 1-7, 2012 Section B - December 1-7, 2012 The last date for submission of examination application forms are given hereunder: Candidates not appeared at Summer 2012 Exam: Aug 21 - Sept 21, 2012 Candidates appeared at Summer 2012 Exam: Sept 21 - Oct 19, 2012 Candidates intend to appear for the Winter 2012 examination must apply directly to Kolkata by filling the prescribed application form along with requisite amount of demand draft in favour of The Institution of Engineers (India), payable at Kolkata. The details of the examination is available at the website www.ieindia.org.

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31

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

WHAT’S ON

Embassy Information TEMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Australian Embassy Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visas and immigration matters in conducted by The Australian ConsulateGeneral in Dubai. Email: info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VFS) immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office); Tel: +971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (Visa Office); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office). In Kuwait applications can be lodged at the Australian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor, AlBanwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem Street, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait. Working hours and days: 09:30 - 17:30; Sunday - Thursday. Or visit their website www.vfs-au-gcc-com for more information. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas online at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm On the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr, the Australian Embassy wishes to advise that it will be closed on the following days, in addition to the normal weekend closures. 19th August 2012 (Sunday) 20th August 2012 (Monday) The Embassy will reopen on Tuesday 21 August 2012.

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EMBASSY OF ARGENTINE

The Embassy of Argentina requests all Argentinean citizens in Kuwait to proceed to our official email ekuwa@mrecic.gov.ar in order to register or update contact information.

The embassy encourages all citizens to do so, including the ones who have already registered in person at the embassy. The registration process helps the Argentinean Government to contact and assist Argentineans living abroad in case of any emergency.

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MP Saad Al-Khanfour Al-Azmi hosted a reception at his diwaniya on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan. Parliament speaker Jassem Al-Kharafi attended the event. —Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

EMBASSY OF BRITAIN Consular section at the British Embassy will be starting an online appointment booking system for our consular customers from Sunday, 01 July 2012. All information including how to make an appointment is now available on the embassy website. In addition, there is also a “Consular Appointment System” option under Quick links on the right hand side on the homepage, which should take you to the “Consular online booking appointment system” main page.

Please be aware that from 01 July 2012, we will no longer accept walk-in customers for legalisation, notarial services and certificates (birth, death and marriages). If you have problems accessing the system or need to make an appointment for non-notarial consular issues or have a consular emergency, please call 2259 4355/7/8 or email us on consularenquirieskuwait@fco.gov.uk. If you require consular assistance out of office hours (working hours: 0730-l430 hrs), please contact the Embassy on 2259 4320.

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EMBASSY OF 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. The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday. The reception is closed from 12:30 to 01:00 pm for lunch break.

Consular Services for Canadian Citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00 on Sunday through Wednesday. The Canadian Embassy will be closed on Sunday and Monday 19 and 20 August 2012 on the occasion of Aid Al Fitr. The Embassy will resume its duties on Tuesday 21 August 2012. 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.

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EMBASSY OF INDIA During the holy month of Ramadan, the office timings of the Indian Passport and Visa Service Centres of BLS International Visa Services Co, Kuwait, situated at (i) Emad Commercial Centre, Basement Floor, Ahmed Al Jaber Street, Sharq, Kuwait, and (ii) Mujamma Unood, 4th floor, Office No. 25-26 Makka Street, Fahaheel, Kuwait, will be from 8.00 am - 3.00 pm from Saturday to Thursday (i.e. six days a week). Tokens for submission of applications will NOT be issued after 2.00 pm. Delivery of passports and visas will be from 11.00 am onwards. Embassy of India, Kuwait, will maintain its usual working hours.

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Exclusive Eid packages by Marriott ith Eid Al Fitr approaching, Kuwait Marriott Hotels have organized exciting tailor-made packages for the festive holidays. The special promotions run until August 31st at both the JW Marriott and Courtyard by Marriott hotels. To attract local residents and visitors from the region during this holiday season, the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel Kuwait and the JW Marriott Kuwait Hotel are also offering generous family vacation deals and delectable food choices that are guaranteed to reflect a memorable family experience.

Guests can look forward to incredible dining and room rates that range from KD 45 per room/ per night, which includes a deluxe room accommodation for 2 adults and 2 children under 12

W

years. The promotion further presents another attractive alternative option of KD 52 per room/per night with complimentary buffet breakfast for two adults including children under 6 years.

Guests can also take advantage of the 20% discount on all restaurants.

Children between 6 - 12 years receive 50% discount on all meals. A wide range of other benefits as well accompany the rooms, such as free high speed internet access, free access to the health club and rooftop swimming pool along with a generous 50% discount on laundry services .For those seeking a truly exceptional experience, guests need only to pay KD 117 per night to enjoy the JW Marriott Hotel’s luxurious Sweet Suite special with inclusive breakfast.

For a memorable Eid lunch or dinner

with family and friends, guests can looking forward to relaxing in the signature ambience of the renowned La Brasserie restaurant at JW Marriott which will offer an upgraded international buffet throughout the festival .The Terrace Grill restaurant, known to be one of the best steakhouses in Kuwait, is also available for guests who prefer an extensive menu of the finest seafood and certified US angus meat cuts. Other interesting cuisines include the Japanese Kei restaurant offering sushi and Teppanyaki with live cooking stations at the JW Marriott as well as the much-celebrated Indian contemporary restaurant Soul and Spice in Courtyard by Marriott that is known for its Indian cuisine with a unique fusion twist.

Courtyard by Marriott hotel’s Atrium

Restaurant (set in the center of the hotel’s lobby surrounded by 8 stories of panoramic glass windows) will include an upgraded buffet and live cooking stations for grilled meats and popular Arabic delicacies during lunch and dinner on all 3 days of Eid. “Eid, being a time of joy and togetherness, brings us great pleasure in gifting these exclusive offers to our customers whilst sharing in their celebrations. On behalf of the team at the Kuwait Marriott hotels, I would like to wish everyone a wonderful and blessed Eid,” said George Aoun, General Manager of Kuwait Marriott Hotels.

EMBASSY OF MEXICO The Embassy of Mexico is pleased to inform that it is located in CLIFFS Complex, Villa 6, Salmiya, block 9, Baghdad street, Jadda Lane 7. The working hours for consular issues are from 9:00 to 12:00 Sunday through Thursday. The reception is closed from 14:00 to 15:00 hours for lunch break. The Embassy of Mexico kindly requests all Mexicans citizens in Kuwait to proceed to the e-mail: embkuwait@sre.gob.mx in order to register or update contact information. Other consultations or/and appointments could be done by telephone or fax: (+965) 2573 1952 ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF MYANMAR Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar would like to inform the general public that the Embassy has moved its office to new location at Villa 35, Road 203, Block 2, AlSalaam Area in South Surra. The Embassy wishes to advice Myanmar citizens and travellers to Myanmar to contact Myanmar Embassy at its new location. Tel. 25240736, 25240290, Fax: 25240749, e-mail:myankuwait11@gmai1.com ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF SRI LANKA The Embassy of Sri Lanka will be closed from 19 August to 21 August, 2012 in lieu of Eid Al-Fitr.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

TV PROGRAMS

00:45 How Not To Become Shark Bait 01:40 Animal Cops Houston 02:35 Bad Dog 03:30 Dogs 101: Specials 04:25 Wild France 05:20 Dolphin Days 05:45 Dolphin Days 06:10 Dogs 101: Specials 07:00 Ned Bruha: Skunk Whisperer 07:25 Meerkat Manor 07:50 Bondi Vet 08:15 Weird Creatures With Nick Baker 09:10 Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild 09:35 Breed All About It 10:05 Crocodile Hunter 11:00 Dogs 101: Specials 11:55 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 12:50 Wildest Latin America 13:45 Galapagos 14:40 Rescue Vet 15:05 RSPCA: Have You Got What It Takes?

15:35 Wild Animal Orphans 16:00 Wild Animal Orphans 16:30 Cats 101 17:25 Animal Planet’s Most Outrageous 18:20 Weird Creatures With Nick Baker 19:15 Venom Hunter With Donald Schultz 20:10 Dolphin Days 20:35 Dolphin Days 21:05 Wild France 22:00 Monster Bug Wars 22:55 Wildest Latin America 23:50 Untamed & Uncut

00:05 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 00:50 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 01:35 Cash In The Attic 02:20 Cash In The Attic 03:05 Bargain Hunt 03:55 Bargain Hunt 04:40 Come Dine With Me 05:30 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 06:15 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 07:00 MasterChef Australia 07:45 MasterChef Australia 08:35 MasterChef Australia 09:20 MasterChef Australia 09:50 MasterChef Australia 10:35 MasterChef Australia 11:05 MasterChef Australia 11:50 MasterChef Australia 12:40 MasterChef Australia 13:25 10 Years Younger 14:15 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 15:40 DIY SOS 16:05 DIY SOS 16:35 Holmes On Homes 17:25 Baby Borrowers USA 18:05 Baby Borrowers USA 18:50 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 20:10 Out Of The Frying Pan 21:00 Masterchef: The Professionals 21:55 Masterchef: The Professionals 22:25 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 23:45 Gok’s Fashion Fix

00:00 00:10 00:30 01:00 01:30 02:00 02:10 02:30 03:00 03:10 03:30 04:00 04:30

BBC World News World Features Mixed Britannia BBC World News The Culture Show BBC World News World Features Middle East Business Report BBC World News World Features Equestrian World BBC World News Dateline London

05:00 05:10 05:30 06:00 06:30 07:00 07:30 08:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:10 10:30 11:00 11:10 11:30 12:00 12:10 13:00 13:10 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:10 15:30 16:00 16:15 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:10 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:15 21:30 22:00 22:30 23:00 23:10 23:30

BBC World News World Features Mixed Britannia BBC World News Click BBC World News Newsnight BBC World News India Business Report BBC World News Fast Track BBC World News World Features Equestrian World BBC World News World Features Dateline London BBC World News BBC World News BBC World News World Features The Culture Show BBC World News Newsnight BBC World News World Features BBC World News BBC World News Sport Today Click BBC World News Mishal Husain Meets BBC World News World Features Mixed Britannia BBC World News India Business Report BBC World News Our World BBC World News Sport Today BBC World News BBC World News Equestrian World BBC World News World Features Mishal Husain Meets

00:10 00:35 01:00 01:25 01:50 02:15 02:40 03:00 03:25 03:50 04:15 04:40 05:00 05:25 05:50 06:00 06:15 06:35 07:00 07:25 07:50 08:15 08:40 08:55 09:15 09:40 10:05 10:30 10:55 11:20 11:30 Cats 13:10 13:35 14:00 14:15 14:40 15:30 16:20 16:45 17:00 17:25 17:50 18:05 18:30 18:55 19:20 19:45 20:00 20:10 20:30

Puppy In My Pocket Tom & Jerry Kids Scooby Doo Where Are You! The Flintstones Pink Panther And Pals Looney Tunes Popeye Classics Dexter’s Laboratory Tom & Jerry Looney Tunes The Scooby Doo Show Johnny Bravo The Flintstones The Jetsons Wacky Races Johnny Bravo Dexter’s Laboratory A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Bananas In Pyjamas Jelly Jamm Baby Looney Tunes Gerald McBoing Boing Ha Ha Hairies Pink Panther And Pals The Garfield Show Tom & Jerry Tales Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries What’s New Scooby-Doo? The Looney Tunes Show Dexter’s Laboratory Top Cat And The Beverly Hills Dastardly And Muttley The Scooby Doo Show Dexters Laboratory Dexter’s Laboratory The Garfield Show Looney Tunes Tom & Jerry Tom & Jerry Pink Panther And Pals Pink Panther And Pals Johnny Bravo Johnny Bravo The Jetsons The Flintstones Dastardly And Muttley Popeye Dexter’s Laboratory The Looney Tunes Show Tom & Jerry Tales

21:00 21:25 21:50 22:15 22:40 Doo 23:05 23:20 23:45

Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries The Garfield Show What’s New Scooby-Doo? Droopy & Dripple Scooby-Doo And ScrappyPopeye The Jetsons Duck Dodgers

00:30 Bakugan: New Vestroia 00:55 Bakugan: New Vestroia 01:20 Powerpuff Girls 02:10 Courage The Cowardly Dog 03:00 The Amazing World Of Gumball 03:25 Ben 10 03:50 Adventure Time 04:15 Powerpuff Girls 04:40 Generator Rex 05:05 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 05:30 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 05:55 Angelo Rules 06:00 Ed, Edd n Eddy 06:25 Casper’s Scare School 07:00 The Powerpuff Girls 07:15 Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi 07:40 Total Drama: Revenge Of The Island 08:05 The Amazing World Of Gumball 08:30 Adventure Time 08:55 Regular Show 09:20 Batman Brave And The Bold 09:45 Green Lantern: The Animated Series 10:10 Thundercats 10:35 Hero 108 11:00 Adventure Time 11:25 Grim Adventures Of...

12:15 Courage The Cowardly Dog 13:05 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 13:30 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 13:55 Powerpuff Girls 14:45 Thundercats 15:10 Generator Rex 15:35 Ben 10 16:00 Ed, Edd n Eddy 16:50 The Amazing World Of Gumball 17:15 Adventure Time 17:40 Regular Show 18:05 Total Drama: Revenge Of The Island 18:30 Powerpuff Girls 18:55 Courage The Cowardly Dog 19:45 Johnny Test 20:00 Ben 10 20:25 Ben 10 20:50 Ben 10 21:25 Redakai: Conquer The Kairu 21:50 Grim Adventures Of...

22:00 Codename: Kids Next Door 22:50 Ben 10 23:15 Ben 10 23:40 Chowder

00:00 00:30 01:00 01:30 02:00 02:30 03:00 03:15 03:30 04:00 05:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 07:30 07:45 08:00 08:15 08:30 09:00 09:15 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30

Aiming For Gold World Sport World Report Talk Asia World Report Amanpour CNN Marketplace Europe CNN Marketplace Africa The Brief CNN Presents CNN Newsroom I Report For CNN Inside Africa World Sport Leading Women Future Cities World Report CNN Marketplace Middle East Talk Asia World Report CNN Marketplace Europe The CNN Freedom Project World Sport Open Court African Voices The Brief World Report News Special

13:00 14:00 14:30 15:00 16:00 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:15 18:30 18:45 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 21:45 22:00 23:00 23:30

CNN Presents World Report Road To Rio Fareed Zakaria GPS State Of The Union International Desk Inside Africa Global Exchange CNN Marketplace Africa Global Exchange CNN Marketplace Middle East World Sport Aiming For Gold International Desk African Voices International Desk Leading Women Future Cities Fareed Zakaria GPS World Report News Special

00:40 First Week In 01:35 Surviving Disaster 02:30 How Do They Do It? 03:00 How It’s Made 03:25 How Do They Do It? 03:55 How It’s Made 04:20 How Do They Do It? 04:50 How It’s Made 05:15 How Do They Do It? 05:40 How It’s Made 06:05 How Do They Do It? 06:35 How It’s Made 07:00 How It’s Made 07:25 How Do They Do It? 07:50 X-Machines 08:45 Crash Course 09:10 Fifth Gear 09:40 How Do They Do It? Turbo Specials 10:30 Hillbilly Handfishin’ 11:25 River Monsters 12:20 How It’s Made 12:45 How It’s Made 13:15 How It’s Made 13:40 How It’s Made 14:10 How It’s Made 14:35 Auction Kings 15:05 Dirty Money 15:30 Dirty Money 16:00 Dirty Money 16:25 Dirty Money 16:55 Border Security 17:20 Border Security 17:50 Border Security 18:15 Border Security 18:45 Border Security 19:10 Mythbusters 20:05 Mythbusters 21:00 Stan Lee’s Superhumans 21:55 Mud Lovin’ Rednecks 22:50 Extreme Fishing 23:45 Extreme Fishing

00:35 Prank Science 01:00 Prank Science 01:25 Weird Or What?

02:15 Game Changers 02:45 Sport Science 03:35 Sport Science 04:25 Sport Science 05:15 Sport Science 06:05 Sport Science 07:00 Curiosity: Is There A Parallel Universe?

07:50 Mighty Ships 08:40 Head Rush 08:43 Stunt Junkies 09:10 Stunt Junkies 09:40 Nextworld 10:30 Game Changers 10:55 Game Changers 11:20 Junk Men 11:45 Junk Men 12:10 Curiosity: Is There A Parallel Universe?

13:00 Sci-Fi Science 13:25 Sci-Fi Science 13:50 Human Nature 14:45 Weird Or What?

15:35 Eco-Tech 16:25 Head Rush 16:28 The Tech Show 16:55 The Tech Show 17:25 Super Comet: After The Impact 18:15 Game Changers 18:40 Sci-Fi Science 19:05 Sci-Fi Science 19:30 Human Nature 20:20 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 21:10 Curiosity: Is There A Parallel Universe?

22:00 Human Nature 22:50 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 23:40 Junk Men

00:25 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 00:55 Style Star 01:25 E!es 02:20 E! Investigates 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Then And Now 05:30 Then And Now 06:00 THS 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Extreme Close-Up 09:45 Extreme Close-Up 10:15 THS 11:10 Ice Loves Coco 11:35 Ice Loves Coco 12:05 E! News 13:05 Style Star 13:35 Style Star 14:05 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 16:55 Behind The Scenes 17:25 Behind The Scenes 17:55 E! News 18:55 Khloe And Lamar 19:25 Giuliana & Bill 20:25 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 21:25 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 22:25 Mrs. Eastwood And Company 22:55 Mrs. Eastwood And Company 23:25 Chelsea Lately 23:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians

THE UNTOUCHABLES ON OSN ACTION HD

00:30 01:20 02:05 02:55 03:45 04:30

A Haunting The Haunted Ghost Lab A Haunting A Haunting On The Case With Paula Zahn

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

Mystery Diagnosis Disappeared FBI Files Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared FBI Files Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared FBI Files Murder Shift Real Emergency Calls Mystery Diagnosis Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Australian Families Of Crime American Greed Scorned: Crimes Of Passion

00:00 Making Tracks 00:30 Making Tracks 01:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 01:30 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 02:00 Kimchi Chronicles 02:30 Kimchi Chronicles 03:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 04:00 Bondi Rescue 04:30 Bondi Rescue 05:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 05:30 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 06:00 Kimchi Chronicles 06:30 Kimchi Chronicles 07:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 08:00 Bondi Rescue 08:30 Bondi Rescue 09:00 Long Way Down 10:00 On Surfari 10:30 On Surfari 11:00 Treks In A Wild World 12:00 Bondi Rescue: Bali 12:30 Bondi Rescue: Bali 13:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 13:30 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 14:00 Kimchi Chronicles 14:30 Kimchi Chronicles 15:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 16:00 Bondi Rescue 16:30 Bondi Rescue 17:00 City Chase Rome 18:00 Making Tracks 18:30 The Best Job In The World 19:00 City Chase Rome 20:00 Departures 21:00 Travel Oz 21:30 Travel Oz 22:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 23:00 Gone to save the planet 23:30 Gone to save the planet

00:00 Making Tracks 00:30 Making Tracks 01:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 01:30 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 02:00 Kimchi Chronicles 02:30 Kimchi Chronicles 03:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 04:00 Bondi Rescue 04:30 Bondi Rescue 05:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 05:30 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 06:00 Kimchi Chronicles 06:30 Kimchi Chronicles 07:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 08:00 Bondi Rescue 08:30 Bondi Rescue 09:00 Long Way Down 10:00 On Surfari 10:30 On Surfari 11:00 Treks In A Wild World 12:00 Bondi Rescue: Bali 12:30 Bondi Rescue: Bali 13:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 13:30 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 14:00 Kimchi Chronicles 14:30 Kimchi Chronicles 15:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 16:00 Bondi Rescue 16:30 Bondi Rescue 17:00 City Chase Rome 18:00 Making Tracks 18:30 The Best Job In The World 19:00 City Chase Rome 20:00 Departures 21:00 Travel Oz 21:30 Travel Oz 22:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 23:00 Gone to save the planet 23:30 Gone to save the planet

00:00 Salvage Code Red 01:00 Britain’s Underworld 02:00 Megacities 03:00 Blowdown 04:00 Lion Army 05:00 Alaska State Troopers 06:00 Sea Patrol 07:00 One Ocean 08:00 Salvage Code Red 09:00 Britain’s Underworld 10:00 Megacities 11:00 Blowdown 12:00 Lions Behaving Badly 13:00 Alaska State Troopers 14:00 Sea Patrol 15:00 One Ocean 16:00 Salvage Code Red 17:00 Britain’s Underworld 18:00 World’s Toughest Fixes 19:00 Megacities 20:00 Engineering Connections 21:00 Dangerous Encounters With Brady Barr 22:00 Pirate Patrol 23:00 Naked Science

THE GREEN HORNET ON OSN CINEMA

00:00 01:00 01:55 02:50 03:45 04:40 05:35 06:00 06:30 07:25 08:20 09:15 10:10 11:05 11:30 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Super Pride My Life Is A Zoo World’s Wildest Encounters Swamp Men Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy Caught In The Act Wild Chronicles Wild Chronicles Outback Wrangler Outback Wrangler Python Hunters Prehistoric Hunters Inside Nature’s Giants Animals Of Brazil Animals Of Brazil The Living Edens Deadly Summer The Lion Ranger The Lion Ranger Ultimate Predators GPU Caught In The Act Built For The Kill Monster Fish Ultimate Predators GPU Caught In The Act Built For The Kill The Living Edens

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 07:45 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:15 18:00 20:00 22:00

The Daisy Chain-PG15 Carriers-PG15 Boiler Room-PG15 Men In Black II-PG Spider-Man-PG Largo Winch 2-PG15 Behind Enemy Lines-PG15 Spider-Man-PG Blank Slate-PG15 Behind Enemy Lines-PG15 Cross-18 The Untouchables-PG15

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Black Forest-PG15 Ways To Live Forever-PG15 Sounds Like Teen Spirit-PG15 Coyote County Loser-PG15 Black Forest-PG15 The Green Hornet-PG15 Oceans-PG15 Goodbye Solo-PG15 Happy Ever Afters-PG15 Water For Elephants-PG15 Horrible Bosses-18 33 Postcards-PG15

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 Friends 02:00 Friends 02:30 Seinfeld 03:30 Perfect Couples 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Weird Science 06:00 Friends 06:30 Samantha Who? 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 09:00 Weird Science 09:30 Mr. Sunshine 10:00 Mr. Sunshine 10:30 Samantha Who? 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 Friends 12:30 Friends 13:00 Weird Science 13:30 Samantha Who? 14:00 Perfect Couples 14:30 Mr. Sunshine 15:00 Mr. Sunshine 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Friends 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Whitney 18:30 Last Man Standing 19:00 Two And A Half Men 19:30 The Office 20:00 Best Friends Forever 20:30 Breaking In 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Saturday Night Live 23:00 Seinfeld 23:30 Best Friends Forever

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

C.S.I. C.S.I. New York C.S.I. Miami Drop Dead Diva Desperate Housewives The View Good Morning America The Practice Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Desperate Housewives The View C.S.I. Drop Dead Diva C.S.I. Live Good Morning America The Practice The Ellen DeGeneres Show Emmerdale Coronation Street Drop Dead Diva Switched At Birth Burn Notice Top Gear (US) Desperate Housewives

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

Criminal Minds C.S.I. Miami Grey’s Anatomy C.S.I. New York Drop Dead Diva Grey’s Anatomy Criminal Minds Emmerdale Coronation Street Necessary Roughness C.S.I. C.S.I. Miami Drop Dead Diva Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Necessary Roughness Criminal Minds Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Necessary Roughness Drop Dead Diva Switched At Birth Burn Notice Top Gear (US) Grey’s Anatomy

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 PG15 11:00 13:00 15:00 PG15 16:30 PG15 19:00 21:00 23:00

Secret Window-PG15 Boiler Room-PG15 Aeon Flux-PG15 The Warlords-PG15 Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost-

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 PG15 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:15 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:15 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 PG15 19:00 21:00

Aeon Flux-PG15 Vengeance-PG15 Jesse Stone: Innocents LostMaster And CommanderThe Transporter-PG15 The Alphabet Killer-18 Sleep Dealer-18

Griff The Invisible-PG15 Hitch-PG15 Vice Versa-PG Inspector Gadget (1999)Paper Man-PG15 That Old Feeling-PG15 The Parent Trap-PG The Dukes-PG15 That Old Feeling-PG15 Made In Dagenham-PG15 Lottery Ticket-PG15 The Extra Man-PG15

Veronica Guerin-PG15 Partir-18 Up Close And Personal-PG Alabama Moon-PG15 The 19th Wife-PG15 Unanswered Prayers-PG15 Pina-PG15 The 19th Wife-PG15 Oscar And The Lady In PinkThe Gray Man-PG15 Anna And The King-PG15

00:00 Attack The Block-PG15 02:00 Charlie St. Cloud-PG15 04:00 The 16th Man-PG15 05:00 Diary Of A Wimpy Kid-PG 07:00 Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules-PG 09:00 Call Of The Wild-PG15 11:00 Charlie St. Cloud-PG15 13:00 Strength And Honour-PG15 15:00 My Sassy Girl-PG15 17:00 Call Of The Wild-PG15 19:00 Dinner For Schmucks-PG15 21:00 Horrible Bosses-18 23:00 33 Postcards-PG15

00:00 Christopher Columbus-PG 02:00 Last Of The Mohicans-PG 04:00 Mars Needs Moms-PG 06:00 Emperor’s Secret-PG 08:00 The Prince Of Dinosaurs-PG 10:00 Despicable Me-FAM 12:00 Mars Needs Moms-PG 14:00 Tommy & Oscar-FAM 16:00 Columbus III: The New WorldPG 18:00 Despicable Me-FAM 20:00 The Adventures Of Don Quixote-FAM 22:00 Tommy & Oscar-FAM

00:00 The 16th Man-PG15 01:00 127 Hours-PG15 03:00 The Hairy Tooth Fairy 2-PG 04:30 Every Jack Has A Jill-PG15 06:00 Bubble Boy-PG15 08:00 The Marc Pease ExperiencePG15 10:00 Kung Fu Magoo-FAM 12:00 Every Jack Has A Jill-PG15 14:00 Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story-PG 16:00 The Marc Pease ExperiencePG15 18:00 Jane Eyre-PG15 20:00 The Men Who Stare At Goats18 22:00 The Romantics-PG15

00:00 07:00 09:00 09:30 12:30 13:00 21:00

Cricket Test Match Live NRL Premiership Futbol Mundial Live AFL Premiership European Tour Weekly Live Test Cricket Olympic Highlights

01:30 NRL Premiership 03:30 UFC 150 07:00 Trans World Sport 08:00 Super Rugby Highlights 09:00 Darts World Match Play 11:00 NRL Premiership 13:00 Trans World Sport 14:00 Challenge Series Golf Highlights 14:30 PGA European Tour Weekly 15:00 The PGA Championship 19:30 Super Rugby Highlights 20:30 Trans World Sport 21:30 Live Premier League Snooker

00:00 Rugby Match Day 00:30 The Rugby Championship 02:30 Rugby Match Day 03:00 AFL Premiership 05:30 Trans World Sport 06:30 PGA European Tour Weekly 07:00 Senior European Tour Highlights 08:00 Live NRL Premiership 10:00 NRL Premiership 12:00 The Rugby Championship 16:00 WWE SmackDown 18:00 WWE Bottom Line 19:00 NRL Premiership 23:00 Trans World Sport

01:00 05:00 07:00 11:00 14:30 16:30 18:30 21:00

Rugby Union Currie Cup NRL Premiership The Rugby Championship Premier League Snooker Super League NRL Premiership AFL Premiership The Rugby Championship

Classifieds SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines QTR JZR AEE ETH UAE RJA KAC GFA UAE ETD THY JZR FDB MSR RBG QTR KAC THY JZR CLX KAC DHX JZR JZR KAC BAW KAC KAC IRA FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR FDB IRA ETD GFA IRC UAE MEA JZR MSR MSC JZR JZR KAC MSR SYR GFA KAC FDB KAC JZR KAC QTR SVA FDB RJA JZR KAC QTR JZR ETD KAC JZR UAE UAL GFA SVA JZR JZR ABY KAC KAC QTR KAC KAC FDB MSR MSC JZR KAC KAC JAI KAC KAC AXB FDB OMA MEA KAC QTR GFA ALK MPH KAC KLM JZR UAE ETD KAC ABY QTR LMU JZR AIC FDB GFA UAL JZR DLH MSR THY JAI PIA

Arrival Flights on Sunday 19/8/2012 Flt Route 148 DOHA 267 BEIRUT 998 ATHENS 620 ADDIS ABABA 3871 DUBAI 642 AMMAN 108 GENEVA 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 768 ISTANBUL 189 DUBAI 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 3553 ALEXANDRIA 138 DOHA 544 CAIRO 770 ISTANBUL 1541 CAIRO 792 LUXEMBOURG 154 ISTANBUL 170 BAHRAIN 505 LUXOR 555 ALEXANDRIA 412 MANILA 157 LONDON 206 ISLAMABAD 382 DELHI 615 SHAHRE KORD 53 DUBAI 284 DHAKA 302 MUMBAI 332 TRIVANDRUM 352 COCHIN 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 55 DUBAI 603 SHIRAZ 301 ABU DHABI 213 BAHRAIN 6801 AHWAZ 871 DUBAI 404 BEIRUT 165 DUBAI 618 ALEXANDRIA 401 ALEXANDRIA 561 SOHAG 201 DAMASCUS 742 DAMMAM 610 CAIRO 341 DAMASCUS 219 BAHRAIN 672 DUBAI 57 DUBAI 774 RIYADH 535 CAIRO 538 SOHAG 140 DOHA 500 JEDDAH 8055 DUBAI 640 AMMAN 257 BEIRUT 788 JEDDAH 134 DOHA 173 DUBAI 303 ABU DHABI 1536 SHARM EL SHEIKH 481 SABIHA 857 DUBAI 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 215 BAHRAIN 510 RIYADH 177 DUBAI 777 JEDDAH 127 SHARJAH 502 BEIRUT 542 CAIRO 144 DOHA 166 PARIS 786 JEDDAH 63 DUBAI 624 SOHAG 405 SOHAG 787 RIYADH 618 DOHA 674 DUBAI 572 MUMBAI 102 NEW YORK 562 AMMAN 389 KOZHIKODE 61 DUBAI 647 MUSCAT 402 BEIRUT 1672 DUBAI 146 DOHA 221 BAHRAIN 229 COLOMBO 79 AMSTERDAM 514 TEHRAN 417 AMSTERDAM 135 BAHRAIN 859 DUBAI 307 ABU DHABI 172 FRANKFURT 129 SHARJAH 136 DOHA 1109 ALEXANDRIA 539 CAIRO 981 CHENNAI 59 DUBAI 217 BAHRAIN 981 BAHRAIN 239 AMMAN 636 FRANKFURT 614 CAIRO 772 ISTANBUL 574 MUMBAI 205 LAHORE

Time 0:20 0:50 1:30 1:45 1:55 2:10 2:15 2:20 2:25 2:30 2:50 3:00 3:10 3:20 3:20 3:25 4:10 4:35 4:55 4:55 4:55 5:00 5:55 6:00 6:15 6:30 7:15 7:30 7:35 7:45 7:45 7:50 7:55 8:05 8:25 8:30 9:00 9:20 9:25 9:30 10:00 10:15 10:45 10:55 11:05 11:25 12:00 12:25 12:30 13:25 13:30 13:35 13:40 13:40 13:45 13:45 14:20 14:20 14:25 14:30 14:40 14:55 15:00 15:00 15:15 15:30 16:35 16:45 16:50 16:55 17:10 17:20 17:20 17:30 17:40 17:45 18:00 18:15 18:20 18:40 18:40 18:45 18:55 19:00 19:10 19:20 19:25 19:35 19:35 19:50 19:55 20:00 20:10 20:15 20:20 20:25 20:35 20:55 20:55 20:55 21:05 21:15 21:15 21:20 21:25 21:30 21:35 22:00 22:10 22:25 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:55 23:10 23:35 23:40 23:50 23:55

Airlines AIC FDB UAL DLH MSR DHX JAI THY AEE ETH UAE THY UAE FDB RBG ETD MSR QTR QTR JZR RJA JZR JZR GFA THY JZR KAC CLX BAW FDB IRA KAC JZR ABY KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR FDB ETD IRA KAC KAC GFA KAC IRC JZR KAC MEA KAC JZR UAE MSR KAC MSC KAC JZR JZR GFA FDB MSR SYR KAC KAC JZR FDB KAC SVA RJA JZR KAC QTR KAC ETD JZR QTR UAE GFA JZR ABY UAL SVA JZR QTR FDB MSR MSC JZR KAC JAI FDB KAC KAC OMA MEA KAC GFA JZR DHX ALK KLM JZR ABY ETD UAE MPH KAC QTR KAC KAC JZR LMU QTR AXB FDB GFA KAC KAC

Depature Flights on Sunday 19/8/2012 Flt Route 976 GOA 52 DUBAI 981 WASHINGTON 637 FRANKFURT 615 CAIRO 373 BAHRAIN 573 MUMBAI 773 ISTANBUL 999 ATHENS 621 ADDIS ABABA 3872 DUBAI 769 ISTANBUL 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 3554 ALEXANDRIA 306 ABU DHABI 613 CAIRO 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 560 SOHAG 643 AMMAN 164 DUBAI 200 DAMASCUS 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL 534 CAIRO 537 SOHAG 792 GIALAM 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 614 SHAHRE-KORD 171 FRANKFURT 256 BEIRUT 126 SHARJAH 117 NEW YORK 671 DUBAI 787 JEDDAH 856 DUBAI 133 DOHA 56 DUBAI 302 ABU DHABI 602 SHIRAZ 741 DAMMAM 773 RIYADH 214 BAHRAIN 1535 SHARM EL SHEIKH 6802 AHWAZ 172 DUBAI 541 CAIRO 405 BEIRUT 501 BEIRUT 776 JEDDAH 872 DUBAI 623 SOHAG 103 LONDON 406 SOHAG 785 JEDDAH 480 ISTANBUL 176 DUBAI 220 BAHRAIN 58 DUBAI 611 CAIRO 342 ALEPPO 561 AMMAN 673 DUBAI 538 CAIRO 8056 DUBAI 617 DOHA 503 MADINAH 641 AMMAN 786 RIYADH 1671 DUBAI 135 DOHA 513 TEHRAN 304 ABU DHABI 238 AMMAN 141 DOHA 858 DUBAI 216 BAHRAIN 134 BAHRAIN 128 SHARJAH 982 BAHRAIN 511 RIYADH 266 BEIRUT 145 DOHA 64 DUBAI 621 ALEXANDRIA 402 ALEXANDRIA 184 DUBAI 361 COLOMBO 571 MUMBAI 62 DUBAI 283 DHAKA 351 KOCHI 648 MUSCAT 403 BEIRUT 543 CAIRO 222 BAHRAIN 502 LUXOR 171 BAHRAIN 230 COLOMBO 417 DAMMAM 1540 CAIRO 120 SHARJAH 308 ABU DHABI 860 DUBAI 79 SHARJAH 343 CHENNAI 137 DOHA 301 MUMBAI 205 ISLAMABAD 554 ALEXANDRIA 1110 ALEXANDRIA 147 DOHA 390 MANGALORE 60 DUBAI 218 BAHRAIN 411 BANGKOK 415 KUALA LUMPUR

Time 0:05 0:10 0:25 0:30 0:35 0:40 0:50 2:15 2:30 2:45 3:25 3:40 3:45 3:50 4:00 4:05 4:20 4:50 5:40 6:00 6:50 6:55 7:00 7:05 7:10 7:30 8:05 8:15 8:25 8:25 8:35 8:55 9:00 9:05 9:05 9:20 9:35 9:40 10:00 10:05 10:15 10:25 10:25 10:25 10:45 11:00 11:15 11:20 11:30 11:55 12:00 12:15 12:20 12:25 12:30 13:00 13:10 13:15 13:20 14:25 14:25 14:30 14:35 14:40 15:05 15:10 15:20 15:45 15:45 15:50 15:50 16:00 16:15 16:25 17:20 17:30 17:45 18:05 18:20 18:20 18:25 18:30 18:35 18:50 19:20 19:25 19:55 20:00 20:05 20:20 20:35 20:40 20:45 21:05 21:10 21:15 21:30 21:35 21:45 21:50 21:55 22:05 22:05 22:10 22:20 22:25 22:25 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:45 23:00 23:05 23:10 23:10 23:15 23:30 23:40 23:50

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

112 Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw

ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation available for non-smoking Keralites in Mahboula.

Contact: 66725394.

(C4107) 18-8-2012 Sharing accommodation available for decent bachelor non smoking, one big room, Amman street, opposite to Al Rashid hospital. Contact: 66232356.

(C 4106) 15-8-2012

SITUATION VACANT A Kuwaiti family looks to hire a driver with a Kuwaiti license, transferable visa and good knowledge of Kuwait areas. Contact: 99401126. (C 4103) 16-8-2012

For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 Prayer timings Fajr: Duhr: Asr: Maghrib: Isha:

03:54 11:52 15:27 18:25 19:46

No: 15544

Sharing accommodation available for a bachelor, with an Indian family at Salmiya near Edee store.

Contact: 97947562.

(C 4104) One room available for sharing separate bath and sharing kitchen available at Abbassiya near Indian Learners School from Sept 1, preferably ladies with a Keralite family. Mob: 99821508. (C 4105) 14-8-2012 Sharing accommodation available for single Indian bachelor in two bedroom flat in Khaitan near Kuwait Finance House. Contact: 66141908. (C 4102)

GOVERNMENT WEB SITES Kuwait Parliament www.majlesalommah.net

The Public Institution for Social Security www.pifss.gov.kw

Ministry of Interior www.moi.gov.kw

Public Authority of Industry www.pai.gov.kw

Public Authority for Civil Information www.paci.gov.kw

Prisoners of War Committee www.pows.org.kw

Kuwait News Agency www.kuna.net.kw

Ministry of Foreign Affairs www.mofa.gov.kw

Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affair www.islam.gov.kw

Kuwait Municipality www.municipality.gov.kw

Ministry of Energy (Oil) www.moo.gov.kw

Kuwait Electronic Government www.e.gov.kw

Ministry of Energy (Electricity and Water) www.energy.govt.kw

Ministry of Finance www.mof.gov.kw

Public Authority for Housing Welfare www.housing.gov.kw

Ministry of Commerce and Industry www.moci.gov.kw

Ministry of Justice www.moj.gov.kw

Ministry of Education www.moe.edu.kw

Ministry of Communications www.moc.kw

Ministry of Information www.moinfo.gov.kw

Supreme Council for Planning and Development www.scpd.gov.kw

Kuwait Awqaf Public Foundation www.awqaf.org

34

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

stars CROSSWORD 772

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) You may be planning to make fundamental changes in your lifestyle at this time. You have a greater self-confidence now as well as a determination to succeed. As you embark on new beginnings, you will end old conditions. Look at your passions and attachments in order that you may leave behind unnecessary baggage as you move ahead. Your home environment, friends and surroundings are accented. Your communication skills are good and visiting with others is satisfying. You could gain from young people—of course, just being with all that youthful vitality is electrifying. Guiding, advising and just having a plain old good time is in order this afternoon. Music can be a big part of your evening—enjoy!

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You may develop an interest in spiritual studies and selfimprovement. You feel optimistic, tolerant and secure. You may find travel to be rejuvenating, bringing renewal to your sense of optimism and spiritual growth. You can release outmoded beliefs and discover hidden truths and wisdom. A get-together with friends can prove rewarding this evening. You work with real imagination and understanding in areas of the mind that are the most personal or private—depth psychology. You are like a midwife of the spirit, assisting at the birth of each individual going through a spiritual or rebirth process. You accept the natural process of birth, spiritual and physical. You dedicate yourself to helping this process along.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. Thin fibrous bark of the paper mulberry and Pipturus albidus.

5. English theoretical physicist who applied relativity theory to quantum mechanics and predicted the existence of antimatter and the positron (1902-1984).

10. Headdress that protects the head from bad weather.

13. South American armadillo with three bands of bony plates.

14. An ancient city in northern Portugal.

15. A rapid bustling commotion.

16. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

17. Having had the bones removed.

19. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.

22. Perennial plants resembling yucca.

23. Made agreeably cold (especially by ice).

24. A doctor's degree in dental medicine.

25. The content of cognition.

28. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

32. 10 grams.

34. Essential oil or perfume obtained from flowers.

36. An agency of the United Nations responsible for programs to aid education and the health of children and mothers in developing countries.

39. A pilgrim who journeys to Mecca.

40. An independent agency of the United States government responsible for aviation and spaceflight.

42. Mild yellow Dutch cheese made in balls.

43. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples.

46. A gradual decline (in size or strength or power or number).

48. 1 species.

51. (Spanish) Saffron-flavored dish made of rice with shellfish and chicken.

55. An independent ruler or chieftain (especially in Africa or Arabia).

58. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

59. An adult male person (as opposed to a woman).

60. The branch of physics that studies the physical properties of light.

62. Being one hundred more than two hundred.

63. An American doctorate usually based on at least 3 years graduate study and a dissertation.

64. One of the most important fungi cultivated in Japan.

65. Large brownish-green New Zealand parrot.

DOWN 1. The basic unit of money in Bangladesh.

2. Someone who copies the words or behavior of another.

3. A metabolic acid found in yeast and liver cells.

4. A peninsula between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

5. A logarithmic unit of sound intensity.

6. A heavy brittle metallic element of the platinum group.

7. A unit of absorbed ionizing radiation equal to 100 ergs per gram of irradiated material.

8. A temporally organized plan for matters to be attended to.

9. Alternatively, a member of the family Nymphaeaceae.

10. A Loloish language.

11. Chief port of Yemen.

12. A member of a pastoral people living in the Nilgiri hills of southern India.

18. (used especially of persons) Having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age.

20. A light strong brittle gray toxic bivalent metallic element.

21. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

26. (Irish) Mother of the Tuatha De Danann.

27. Armor plate that protects the chest.

29. Of or relating to or characteristic of the Republic of Chad or its people or language.

30. A Hindu prince or king in India.

31. Affectedly dainty or refined.

33. A brittle gray crystalline element that is a semiconducting metalloid (resembling silicon) used in transistors.

35. 100 thebe equal 1 pula.

37. A telegram sent abroad.

38. Pick consisting of a steel rod with a sharp point.

41. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite.

44. American professional baseball player who hit more home runs than Babe Ruth (born in 1934).

45. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

47. An adult male singer with the lowest voice.

49. A woman hired to suckle a child of someone else.

50. A circular segment of a curve.

52. The state of needing something that is absent or unavailable.

53. A cord that is drawn through eyelets or around hooks in order to draw together two edges (as of a shoe or garment).

54. Type genus of the family Arcidae.

56. A unit of pressure.

57. Dish baked in pastry-lined pan often with a pastry top.

58. An official prosecutor for a judicial district.

61. An informal term for a father.

Yesterday’s Solution

Gemini (May 21-June 20) You have increased self-confidence to try new things that are daring, unusual and inventive. You pursue your goals for greater independence. There is change coming through stimulating friends and new acquaintances. This can be a progressive period of the unexpected and favorable, bringing you a greater choice of independent activities. Your intuitive and inventive energies are steady and the time is favorable for most technological and humanitarian enterprises. You tend to be cautious and responsible in your self-expression and relationships. However, friends, colleagues and partners give you added support. You can develop new skills and opportunities to advance yourself. Your intuitive senses are on target with whatever you want to achieve.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) You have a confident, optimistic outlook that marks a turning point in your life. Your interest increases in philosophical, ethical, professional or religious views. You may reassess your values and search for a new identity. Sales and legal matters are favored. Purchases tend to be expensive, but secure in the long term. You may feel pressure to expand into a more affluent lifestyle, but this may suffer due to your own vision. Learn to look at your progress as though you were your own best friend. Learn to pace yourself and keep the timing of your goals in realistic proportions. Getting to know a distant cousin or half-sister or brother may bring a great deal of joy your way. This is a great time to be with others in an atmosphere of work or play.

NON SEQUITUR

Leo (July 23-August 22) You may desire to change your domestic conditions soon.

Redecorating your living surroundings is considered. At the same time, there are emotions stirring that bring about constructive efforts for moral selfimprovement—you seek the trust and confidence of others. An acquaintance and you may begin a morning run or walk to bring about better health. Sorting through cookbooks and purchasing new ones may help you create a new diet as well. You are ready for a new you and by the afternoon your frame of mind is more positive than usual. Working with others, especially on community or humanitarian efforts, is perfect for you. This is what you may find yourself involved with later today: humanitarian efforts. The big picture is easy for you to grasp.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) A sense of rebuilding or revival gives you motivation for leadership and improved recognition for your creative efforts. That creative project you have been working on will get a big boost today. This is a good time to develop your personal resourcefulness. You get the green light for any new projects you might want to attempt. You are highly motivated to reach your goals—do not let trivialities trip you. Sharpening your creative skills may help you to develop your psychic insights. An influential person can be significant to you at this time. You could take risks and dare to be a little unconventional just now. You will find prosperity through new insights, inventions and an independent point of view. Take in a good movie with a friend tonight.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

Your physical vitality is strong and easily directed towards creative and constructive activities. Self-confidence is increased and so is your capacity for leadership. Today is favorable for leading others. Old situations are fading away and new opportunities present themselves. With selfrespect and realism, you can be supportive of others and begin to achieve concrete results in whatever you set your mind to accomplish. You will find a great deal of support for your ideas or decisions. Others value you for your ability to make practical decisions concerning group or family issues. You have a natural sense of what people want versus their needs. Writing, music and cooking can be a part of much creative satisfaction—and income.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You combine passion and courage with ambition and self-control to meet your goals today. You can accomplish much through careful, hard work. If you are working today, you will find that people are more grateful than usual. You are careful to demonstrate the safest way to clean and store the products you sell. These customers will return for more purchases. You will make progress in managerial and administrative areas. This is a good day to solve problems and make important decisions. There are very few questions as you seem to make instructions clear. You will find a way around almost any obstacle and are in control and able to guide yourself with ease. Family, home and security seem ideal to you. You can enjoy a musical, a play or some other form of entertainment with a loved one this evening.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You can expand your experience and personal growth at this time. Your faith, optimism and self-respecting honesty help you gain the goodwill and favor of others. Business, professional, financial, legal and educational endeavors are favorable. Travel at this time can be adventurous and culturally rewarding. You have a lot of enthusiasm for improving your surroundings or life situations. You are very motivated to improve or widen your scope of education and experience. You are a very sensitive person who can depend on feelings and intuition to get around in life. Possessing good common sense, you are very down-to-earth—nurturing and protective to all. Others appreciate you more than you realize.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Your vitality and sense of optimism are strong and you can take constructive action to expand your financial, professional or educational endeavors. You may swing a good deal on an important purchase today. This is a favorable time for adventurous travel, sports, the out-of-doors and contact with foreigners. There are favorable aspects for cultural and legal matters as well. You have a knack for finding assistance in whatever career moves you make. In fact, your ability to rally support makes a public career of one kind or another quite probable. At home, you are interested in building permanent relationships or providing for a home and family. Entertainment tonight may involve your talents or the talents of someone you love.

To

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) If you are working today, this is a secure period where you can make steady progress toward your career and social goals. You can develop the confidence, honesty, maturity and self-respect that can make you better able to handle authority and responsibility. This is a favorable time for learning new duties, putting a polish on old talents and perhaps, travel related to your work. Your community spirit may come into play. There is a feeling of being a part of the bigger picture that encourages you to move forward with political issues. You are very communicative, not just a little curious—conversations come easily. Family is important to you and you may find yourself enjoying an out-of-doors get-together this evening with the family and even a few friends.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

Seek constructive outlets for physical energies in exercise, games, cleaning and repairs around the house. You can tend to be careless, overindulgent or take unnecessary risks today—careful. Avoid buying on impulse. Use moderation in business, legal, cultural or religious activities. This may be a good time to reorganize a closet. You are apt to take more pride in your home and in your roots or heritage at this time. You take a nurturing and supportive role toward others, especially children, who bring a great deal of emotional contentment and happiness your way. This evening, neighbors, or brothers and sisters, will likely bring all kinds of experiences your way. There is a chance to have a special time with someone you love this evening.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

i n f o r m at i o n For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 GOVERNORATE Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

Kaizen center

25716707

Roudha

22517733

Adhaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Keifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Hawally

ST TAT TE OF K KUW WAIT A

Tel.: e 161

DIRECTORA ATE T GENERAL GENE OF CIVIL AVIA V ATION T METEOROLOGICAL DEP PARTMENT A

2627 - 2630 Ext.: 262

WWW.MET.GOV V.KW .

Hot with light variable wind changing to light to moderate north westerly wind, with speed of 06 - 26 km/h

BY Y NIGHT:

Relatively hot with light variable wind, with speed of 06 - 22 km/h

No Current Warnings arnin a

WARNING A

22459381

47 °C

34 °C

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

KUW WA AIT AIRPOR RT

46 °C

28 °C

Al-Mirqab

22456536

NUW WA AISEEB

44 °C

31 °C

WAFRA A

ST TATION T

47 °C

28 °C

SALMI

45 °C

29 °C

ABDAL LY

47 °C

28 °C

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

JAL ALIY YAH A

46 °C

28 °C

Maidan Hawally

25623444

FAILAKA A

45 °C

29 °C

Bayan

25388462

AHMADI POR RT

45 °C

35 °C

Mishref

25381200

UMM AL-MARADEM

39 °C

34 °C

W.Hawally

22630786

WARBA A A - BUBY YAN A

47 °C

26 °C

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

SFC. CHART

18/08/2012 0000 UTC

4 DA AY YS FORECAST Temperatures DA AY

DA ATE T

WEA ATHER T

MAX.

MIN.

Wind Direction

Wind Speed

New Jahra

24575755 Sunday

19/08

hot

47 °C

28 °C

N-NW

08 - 30 km/h

West Jahra

24772608

Monday

20/08

hot + raising dust

47 °C

30 °C

NW

15 - 40 km/h

South Jahra

24775066

Tuesday

21/08

hot + raising dust

47 °C

32 °C

NW

20 - 45 km/h

North Jahra

24775992

Weednesday

22/08

hot + raising dust

46 °C

33 °C

NW

25 - 45 km/h

North Jleeb

24311795

24892674

Al-Omariya

24719048

N.Kheitan

24710044

Fintas

RECORDED YESTERDA AY AT KUW WAIT A AIRPORT

PRA RA AY YER TIMES Fajr

03:54

MAX. Temp.

46 °C

Sunrise

05:18

MIN. Temp.

27 °C

Zuhr

11:52

MAX. RH

18 %

Asr

15:27

MIN. RH

05 %

Sunset

18:26

MAX. Wind i

N 46 km/h

Isha

19:48

TOT TAL AL RAIINF FALL A L IN 24 HR.

00 mm

All times are local time unless otherwise stated.

23900322

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36

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

LIFESTYLE G o s s i p

Kate wasn’t interested in William at first he Duchess of Cambridge wasn’t interested in Prince William at first, according to friends.

Although they later found love and married last year, Duchess Catherine - then known as Kate Middleton - wasn’t bowled over by the handsome young prince when she found out they were to attend the same university, St Andrews, in Scotland. A friend, who studied with the Duchess in Florence in 2000, before she went to study, told OK! Magazine: “The only time I even remember talking about William was when we found out he was coming to study in Florence, we would speculate about hanging out with him, but to be honest she never showed any interest in him or talked about him that much.” The friend added the Duchess was more interested in another boy at the time, and that she had only enrolled in the same university as the Prince by coincidence. The source added: “She certainly wasn’t going to St. Andrews with the intention to snare him or anything like that. In fact she was more hung up on a guy called Harry, but things didn’t work out.” The friend also told how Duchess Catherine was very popular when she was in Italy, and frequently chased by barmen and waiters. They added: “Italian men can be quite persuasive, but Catherine would never overreact to compliments. She definitely was not a giggly sort of girl batting her eyelashes.”

T

Rossdale says ‘nobody cared’ about his solo album

Gibb refused cancer scans obin Gibb refused to have scans which could have detected his cancer to go on tour. The Bee Gees singer lost his battle against liver and colon cancer in May, and his wife, Dwina says he went against doctors’ advice to have his cancerous cells properly checked. The cells were initially spotted after the ‘How Deep is your Love’ singer had an operation to remove an intestinal blockage in October 2010, but he ignored it to continue writing and performing. Dwina told the Daily Mail newspaper: “He didn’t want to stop and I said, ‘Please just have the scan.’

Despite all his wonderful ways, Robin could be very stubborn and he never liked bad news - he just didn’t want to know. “He went to do a show in New Zealand as they’d just experienced an earthquake. “Maybe it was very important for him to do that show, but it was still important for him to have his scans.” Robin toured for over two weeks in November 2010 and Dwina says when he finally did have a check up, the cancer had developed to a secondary stage, when the tumor starts to spread to nearby blood vessels.

Since Robin’s death many stars and friends have paid tribute, and his brother Barry - the only remaining member of the Bee Gees - has vowed to go on a solo tour in honor of him, his twin brother and band mate Maurice, who passed away in 2003, and younger sibling Andy, who died in 1988.

Barry said: “I will live on the music. And no matter what stage I’m standing on, my three brothers will be standing there with me.”

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avin Rossdale says “nobody cared” about his solo career. The Bush frontman formed new band Institute after the group originally split in 2002, and after that failed made a solo album, 2008’s ‘Wanderlust’, but now admits it was a mistake.

Referring to Bush’s breakup, Gavin told Classic Rock magazine: “There were no fireworks. It was almost like the air being sucked out of a building. “There was a side-project [Institute], and then a solo career, by default - that was almost a douche-bag route; who cares about singers making solo records? I needed to be in Bush again.” Bush had big hits in the US with their albums ‘Sixteen Stone’, ‘Razorblade Suitcase’ and ‘The Science of Things’ but split after guitarist Nigel Pulsford left and sales declined. Nigel and original bass player Dave Parsons both declined to return when the band reformed in 2010, and released new album ‘The Sea of Memories’ the following year. Gavin said he’s not upset the founding member of the group hasn’t returned, saying: “I haven’t even missed Nigel not being in the band. It couldn’t be more normal. Nigel just doesn’t want to work anymore, he’s never coming back.”

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to get his ‘ass kicked’

he One Direction singer is dating girl band Little Mix star Perrie Edwards, and despite their busy schedules keeping them both apart for long periods of time, he goes to great lengths to display his love for her. She said: “As long as we can talk as much as possible, we cope fine with being apart.

The girls always say he’s so good to me. I like to be treated like a princess and I love thoughtful gifts. When I was on holiday I got him a painting and filmed the artist making it. He loved it.” When they do spend time together the couple is happiest just to stay in at Zayn’s new £2.2million house in north London, where they watch videos and do normal things together. Perrie added: “We just chill out on the sofa. I’ll wear the purple one Zayn bought me - he’s got one too! I get quite homesick, so slobbing out watching a Disney movie reminds me of home.” But the blonde beauty is not about to set her bandmate, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, up with either of the two single members of One Direction, Niall Horan or Harry Styles, though, as she’s not sure they could handle her. Leigh-Anne added: “I definitely wouldn’t be up for that. I think I’d be too much for them to handle, I’m a bit too mad.”

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Brandon Flowers

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ean-Claude Van Damme was “honored” to get his “ass kicked” in ‘The Expendables 2’. The 51-year-old star - who has played a number of action stars throughout his career in movies such as ‘Bloodsport’ and ‘Universal Soldier’ - was delighted to be asked to appear in the latest installment of the star-studded franchise after taking a break from making films. Speaking about being asked to play a bad guy again, he said: “It was an honor. It was an honor to get my ass kicked.” Jean-Claude - who stars alongside Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris and Jet Li in the ‘Expendables 2’ - admits reigniting his acting career after taking a break has been like a “change of reality” and he has now set his sights on directing films in the future. He added to the Daily Record: “I’d had enough of making movies to be honest with you. I have lived in Hong Kong for six years now, and you know when you come out of there and come back it’s just like a change of reality. “I directed a movie I started three years ago. The whole process took four years. It will either be called ‘Full Love’ or ‘Soldiers’.

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Malik treats girlfriend ‘like a princess’

Secret spy randon Flowers spies on people’s conversations for inspiration. The Killers singer admits to being nosey and listening in to other people’s conversations in order to get material for his songs, and is always being told off by his wife for doing so. He said: “I try to look around. I’m an eavesdropper. I’ve always been that way.

My wife gets mad at me when she sees me do it. I love to listen and to watch other people.” From his observations, Brandon who says he’s spent longer writing the lyrics for new album ‘Battle Born’ than on anything else in his career warns people not to forget where they come from and urges them to get back to nature. He added to NME magazine: “I would say this is one observation of my generation right now: we don’t seem to have it together as much as a lot of other generations. Like technology, it’s amazing, but we don’t wanna forget where we’re from.

You do forget. In the past few years I started going on hikes and going camping a bit more. You feel different. It feels familiar. Familiar to our soul I think. “Whenever we were on tour, I got into the habit, on days off, of catching the bus up into the nearest national park and just walking around. It connects you with something.”

Van Damme was ‘honored’

Eva doesn’t believe in one soul mate Schwarzenegger enjoyed making ‘Expendables 2’ rnold Schwarzenegger says ‘The Expendables 2’ gave him a welcome break from politics. The 65-year-old actor - who was Governor of California from 2003 to 2011 - was delighted to be asked back to star in the sequel to the 2010 action movie because it gave him chance to rest from sorting out educational issues by having a “shoot out” with Sylvester Stallone and their co-stars while filming the movie. He told BANG Showbiz: “I was happy that I was asked to get in the bag. “For me it was really interesting because one day you are making policy and you’re stimulated in how you fix the budget problem of the state and about the maze of educational issues and all those things. Then the next day you are on the set having a shoot out from with Sly and all those guys.” As well as the full blown action scenes in the movie, Arnold - who also stars alongside Chuck Norris, Bruce Willis, Liam Hemsworth and Dolph Lundgren - was surprised with how many “funny scenes” there are in the motion picture.

Speaking at a press conference in London, he added: “I think this movie is going to really blow everyone away because there is so much great action and there are funny scenes. I mean the movie made me laugh a lot. “It has a lot of terrific and funny scenes in there and they are as important for the actual movie because they provide relief. I thought that everyone’s performance was great and of course I thought that the first one was almost impossible to top but when you see this one you will see that this one is even bigger and better than the first one and I think it’s going to be very successful.”

—Bang Showbiz

A

va Longoria doesn’t believe in having just one soul mate. The former ‘Desperate Housewives’ actress - who split from ex-husband Tony Parker in November 2010 doesn’t think a soul mate is limited to just one person and says it doesn’t always have to be romantic. She said: “I think you have many soul mates over a lifetime. And they’re not all necessarily romantic. I think that your friends are your soul mates, too, and family members. You can have a lot of special connections with a lot of people.” Eva, 37, also says she would like to become a mother in the future as it’s something she’s always wanted to do. She said: “You know I would love to have a family whenever the time comes to have one. I would love that.” Despite her glamorous lifestyle, the brunette beauty says she’s at her happiest when she’s at her home in Texas. She said: “I’m most happy in Texas when I am home. I have a ranch there. We have a lot of cows and pigs and cats.”

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37

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

LIFESTYLE F e a t u r e s

‘Hit and Run’ brings back the car-chase comedy n ancient times, before the phrases “global warming” and “peak oil” ruined our fun, Hollywood used to make car-chase comedies, automotive epics that were more about burnt rubber than good acting. An aspiring director like Ron Howard could launch his career with “Eat My Dust” and “Grand Theft Auto.” Burt Reynolds could slip on a hat and slip behind the wheel of a Trans Am and fans would follow “Smokey and the Bandit” any-

I

Charlie’s love for community college “conflict resolution” teacher Annie (Bell). “If you want, I’ll spend every moment with you for the rest of my life,” he coos to her in bed. She swoons.

That is tested when Annie has a shot at a job with a college in LA Charlie can kiss her goodbye and stay out of the city where his life is in danger. Or he can risk it all for love. His accident-prone witness protection

Kristen Bell, right, and Dax Shepard hit the road in the romantic action comedy “Hit and Run.” Shepard also wrote and co-directed the film. —MCT where.

That’s the tradition “Hit and Run” fits into. Hollywood gearhead Dax Shepard, of “Baby Mama” and TV’s “Parenthood,” rounded up his fiancee and “When in Rome” co-star, Kristen Bell, and a bunch of their friends, piled into a collection of cars-classic and new-and tore up some California backroads in a movie about, well, tearing up rural California backroads.

Shepard plays “Charlie Bronson.”

No, that’s not his real name. He’s in the witness protection program, far from Los Angeles. One thing that is real is

marshal (Tom Arnold) is against it.

Annie’s ex (Michael Rosenbaum) is hell bent on stopping them.

And waiting in LA is the psychopathic, dreadlocked killer (Bradley Cooper, in fine form) just waiting for this guy not-really-named-Charles Bronson to make an appearance so they can settle old scores. Charlie figures Annie’s worth the risk. He pulls his entirely-too-distinctive suicidedoors hot rod Lincoln out of mothballs and dashes south, pursued by the hapless Randy (Arnold) in his minivan and the lunatic Gil (Rosenbaum)

in his Pontiac Solstice roadster.

It’s a movie of random, comical cameos (Kristin Chenoweth, David Koechner) and raunchy riffs on senior citizen “swinger” clubs, prison sex and curing oneself of casual homophobic slurs. Annie tries to anger-manage everybody, to no avail. Charlie tries to outrun everybody, with no better result.

It doesn’t really hold together and stand up to much scrutiny. But the car stuff is fun, some bits are laugh-outloud funny and Bell and Shepard make an adorable couple. When you see that yes, that’s really Shepard doing his own stunts and Bell is in the car with him, it adds to the movie’s retro sense of automotive anarchy.

Film production insurance? What’s that? “Hit and Run” only aims to be a B-movie-its plot is nonsensical and its pace is sluggish in between the chases. You can criticize it for a lack of ambition, lack of budget to do a really epic chase and for mocking gay “hook up” cliches, for wanting to call something the F-for-gay word, and apologize for it, too. But you have to hand the wheel off to Shepard & Co. They’re onto something the cinema has missed since the days when the gears were grinding in your local grind house. Somebody find this man a Trans Am. Hit and run 2.5 stars (Grade: C-plus) Cast: Dax Shepard, Kristen Bell, Bradley Cooper, Tom Arnold, Kristin Chenoweth Directed by David Palmer and Dax Shepard, written by Dax Shepard. An Open Road release.

Running time: 1:40 MPAA rating: R for pervasive language including sexual references, graphic nudity, some violence and drug content —MCT

Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of rock ‘n’ roll icon Elvis Presley, mingles with fans and signs autographs outside her father’s Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, a day after the 35th anniversary of his death. —AFP

Talent thrives among Elvis’ grandkids: Lisa Marie lvis Presley’s grandchildren all have show business in their blood, but their mother Lisa Marie Presley said Friday she hoped they would succeed at whatever they chose to pursue. Presley, 44, discussed her iconic rock ‘n’ roll father, who died 35 years ago this week, alongside her mother Priscilla during a half-hour talk before Elvis fans at the family’s Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee.

It was the first time the singersongwriter, whose latest album “Storm and Grace” came out in May, had participated in an open panel discussion at the annual Elvis Week festivities.

E

“Really, I just want them to be really good at whatever they want to do,” she said when asked about her children Riley Keough, 23, Benjamin Keough, 19, and three-year-old twins Harper and Finley Lockwood.

Riley, who appears in director Steven Soderbergh’s male stripper film “Magic Mike,” is doing “incredibly well” in her acting career, while music-loving Benjamin is “swinging back and forth” between bass and guitar, said Presley. Of “the little ones,” she said Finley “is definitely going to sing... that child loves music,” while potential thespian Harper can recreate any movie she sees “scene by scene, line by

Robert Pattinson finds himself in a ‘can’t win’ situation on Stewart tried to bait him with Ben & Jerry’s Karamel Sutra. “Good Morning America” host George Stephanopoulos offered him Cinnamon Toast Crunch. But maybe French fries would have been a better ploy to get Robert Pattinson to spill some juicy personal details about his breakup with costar Kristen Stewart. “Media culture is a monstrous thing,” Pattinson lamented Wednesday afternoon, jamming fries into his mouth between puffs on his electronic cigarette.

“You can’t win. The annoying thing is that you can’t attack them, but you can’t defend yourself. The best thing you could possibly do is punch paparazzi and give them their big payday.”

The 26-year-old actor has run a gantlet of publicity this week that was nominally about promoting his new film, “Cosmopolis.” But the promotional blitz, which also included a New York premiere and other stops, seemed to be as much about proving his emotional resilience in the wake of the tabloid bonanza that exploded after photos surfaced of Stewart in compromising positions with 41-yearold Rupert Sanders, who directed her in “Snow White and the Huntsman.”

Sitting alongside Pattinson at the Mandarin Oriental hotel on Columbus Circle for moral support was “Cosmopolis” director David Cronenberg.

The Canadian filmmaker, whose challenging arthouse films almost never garner such wide attention, was there as a sort of buffer but also appeared to be quietly amused by the media circus. The actor’s manager would not allow Pattinson to sit alone for an interview with the Los Angeles Times, and even suggested that reporters not ask him about his personal life, or “Twilight.”

But “Twilight,” of course, is how Pattinson has become perhaps the most widely recognized young actor of his generation. In the movie franchise, based on Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling young adult novels, he plays a brooding vampire who falls in love with a human girl (Stewart). The film series has grossed over $2.5 billion worldwide since launching in 2008 and will conclude in November with a fifth installment, “Breaking Dawn-Part 2.” Pattinson’s off-screen romance with Stewart only stoked the popularity of the vampire movies.

When the Stewart-Sanders affair burst onto the cover of Us Weekly in July, it initially seemed like there was little upside for Pattinson. But Stewart’s public apology generated not only sympathy for the man wronged but also a fresh wave of interest for “Cosmopolis,” which had premiered to mixed response at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

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That could help Pattinson as he strives to craft a post-”Twilight” career. While both of his “Twilight” costars, Stewart and Taylor Lautner, have each taken center stage in studio pictures, Pattinson has mostly stayed in the indie world. His biggest non-”Twilight” film to date was last year’s “Water for Elephants,” a modestly budgeted period romance with Reese Witherspoon that took in a respectable $117 million worldwide. Pattinson’s less-commercial projects, however, have tanked at the box office-the Sept 11 drama “Remember Me” only collected $8 million domestically in 2010, and the 19th century-set drama “Bel Ami” flopped in

views with Pattinson on YouTube to get a better sense of his personality.

“The strength of the ‘Twilight’ movies is not the acting,” acknowledged Cronenberg. “But it’s not understood that doing ‘Twilight’ requires presence and professionalism. Are you saying this is an Academy Award performance, or Alec Guinness?

That’s a whole other discussion. But you throw somebody on a grueling set like that-a normal person would be dead in an hour.”

Warming to his own defense, Pattinson interjected: “With this movie people keep saying, ‘Is this gonna be the movie where he can prove he can

Director David Cronenberg, left, and actor Robert Pattinson attend the Cosmopolis Germany premiere at Cinema International, in Berlin, Germany on May 31, 2012. —MCT June, never expanding beyond 15 theaters.

In “Cosmopolis,” Pattinson plays a young billionaire on the verge of financial ruin who selfdestructs over the course of one day, and he has earned some of the best reviews of his career for his performance as the detached whiz-kid.

(Cronenberg, who adapted “Cosmopolis” from Don DeLillo’s book of the same name, said he felt Pattinson was right for the part largely because of his good-looking face, which appears in nearly every frame of the movie. Before casting him, the director watched all of the films the London native has appeared in, and viewed a number of inter-

act?’ It’s like, ‘What do you think I have been doing?’”“By the way,” Cronenberg added, “he’s a British guy doing an American accent. People don’t realize that there are a lot of very good actors who cannot do accents, and they don’t give Rob credit for that.”“Oh, give me anything!” Pattinson said with a laugh and taking a drag on his cigarette, which glowed an electronic red with each inhale. Still, it’s clear Pattinson sometimes questions his acting ability.

Before production began on “Cosmopolis,” he said he was so unsure of his ability to pull off the role that he sat “trembling, absolutely terrified”

during the first screen test. The nerves are somewhat surprising, considering Pattinson’s part in “Cosmopolis” doesn’t seem all that distant from his own life. Like his character in the film-who remains isolated in a limousine for hours as he slowly traverses Manhattan to get a haircut-Pattinson said that since “Twilight” opened, he has “had four years of gradually being put more and more into smaller and smaller boxes, and you have a desire to break out.” He’s also a part of the 1 percent-according to Forbes, he earned $12.5 million for the last two “Twilight” pictures-a number he says is “completely not true.”

“Weirdly, I went to the bar the other day and there were a bunch of people protesting some 1 percent thing,” he recalled. “I drive this kind of (junky)-looking truck sometimes because I started surfing-it’s this 2001 Silverado I bought off of Craigslist for, like, $2,000 or something. So I was hiding in the back of the truck when I saw the protest, thinking, ‘I don’t want to get involved in this.’” The demonstrators, Pattinson said, didn’t recognize him and a friend. “When the protesters saw us, they were like, ‘we’re not even shouting at you.

You’re driving this piece of ... You’re not part of the 1 percent.’”

Pattinson insists he’s terrible with his finances: “The only thing I’m good at with money is blowing it. I don’t even understand (what I spend it on). I have the exact same lifestyle as when I was 15.”

“Look at the way he dresses,” chimed in Cronenberg, alluding to Pattinson’s informal, almost frat-boy get-up of a polo shirt, jeans and backward cap.

The actor said he feels a pressure to appear “unbearably conservative” because he senses his every move is being scrutinized. He says he’d like for bankers to be hunted by paparazzi and TMZ instead, but knows that’s unrealistic.

“The tabloid industry does terrible, terrible things for the world. It makes people stupid,” he said, his cheeks flushing. “People say (tabloids) are about escapism, and people have got to get away from the misery of the world. It’s like, ‘No, people are lazy, and they don’t want to try.’... Every time I’ve looked at a magazine like that, I’ve regretted it.

I gain absolutely nothing from it. And neither does anyone else.” —MCT

line, exactly as she saw it.”

Asked what the twins make of their iconic grandpop, Presley said: “They are very, very, very proud. ‘That’s my grandfather! I want to see my grandfather!’ They have such a sense of pride.

It’s really cute.” Presley had her older children with her first husband, musician Danny Keough, and the youngest ones with her current spouse, music producer Michael Lockwood. She was also married to the late Michael Jackson and actor Nicolas Cage. —AFP

Rediscovered Da Vinci painting may find home in Dallas recently rediscovered Leonardo Da Vinci painting valued at $192 million may find a new home at the Dallas Museum of Art, a spokesperson for the museum said on Friday. The “Salvator Mundi” (“Savior of the World”) is currently at the Dallas Museum of Art and the museum has been “actively exploring the possibility of acquiring it,” communications officer Jill Bernstein told Reuters The painting, an image of Christ giving his blessing to the world with his right hand and holding a crystal orb in the left, was among the highlights of the “Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan” exhibition at the National Gallery in London last year. The Dallas Museum’s interest was first reported by Art in America magazine, which said the museum’s new director Maxwell Anderson may be looking for “a destination painting” to attract crowds.

Da Vinci’s painting, dated around the early 1500s,measures 26 by 18.5 inches. Commissioned by Louis XII of France in 1506, it was once documented as part of England’s King Charles I’s art collection in 1649, then auctioned off and forgotten. The oil-on-wood panel, with the image distorted over time by over painting and layers of dirt and varnish, was sold in 1958 for as little as 45 pounds ($70) when it was considered to be the work of one of Da Vinci’s students called Giovanni Boltraffio.

In 2005, it was taken to New York art historian Robert Simon, and eventually an extensive restoration was performed. Experts then noticed some of Da Vinci’s hallmarks in the work - especially the colors and the reflection of light from the orb - and the piece was declared a genuine work by the Italian Renaissance artist. —Reuters

A

US museum discovers glass Picasso piece n Indiana museum plans to sell a work of glass art by Pablo Picasso that sat unnoticed in storage for nearly 50 years. The Evansville Museum says the piece titled “Seated Woman with Red Hat” was donated to the museum in 1963. Museum officials say it was cataloged as art inspired by a design for a Picasso painting but credited to an artist named Gemmaux. That name turned out to be plural for “gemmail,” which is the type of glass used in the work.

President Steven Krohn told the Evansville Courier & Press (http://bit.ly/N2w5Ec) that trustees decided to have New York auction house Guernsey’s sell the piece because of the costs to display, secure, preserve and insure it. Krohn says it’s not yet known how much the piece is worth. —AP

A

‘Avengers’ sequel planned for May 2015 he Avengers” are returning for a superhero sequel three years from now. Disney and its Marvel Studios unit announced Thursday that the follow-up to this year’s biggest hit will arrive in theaters on May 1, 2015. The studio announced last week that Joss Whedon will be back to write and direct the as-yet-untitled sequel.

Released in May, “The Avengers” gathered such Marvel comic-book heroes as Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth). The film has taken in nearly $1.5 billion worldwide.

There will be plenty of Marvel action building up to “The Avengers” follow-up. Downey’s “Iron Man 3” is due out next May, followed by Hemsworth’s “Thor” sequel in November 2013 and Evans’ “Captain America” sequel in April 2014. —AP

“T

In this file photo released by Disney, Samuel L. Jackson portrays Nick Fury in a scene from Marvel’s “The Avengers.” —AP

Marilyn Manson, center, attends the Sunset Strip Music Festival VIP party. —AP

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

lifestyle F E A T U R E S

Hotel puts luxury twist on mushroom-hunting trips M

ushroom hunting has never been as easy - or comfortable - as this.

For $200 a person, the Four Seasons Resort Vail is sending out guided expeditions in luxury SUVs to look for mushrooms. The Mushrooms & Mercedes program includes a lunchtime break with cheese and prosciutto, and ends with a three-course mushroom-themed meal back at the hotel. “We have gorgeous forests and mountains. We want the guests

Montana mycology professor prone to wearing his white hair in two skinny braids, and examined the multitude of mushroom shapes he had collected a day earlier.

After Evans gave a short, lively presentation on what they might find, the group set out in two Mercedes SUVs for Shrine Pass off Interstate 70. Each hunter was sent out with a basket holding a mushroomcutting knife, energy bar, apple, water and whistle to blow for help. The SUV drivers

Photo shows dozens of mushrooms gathered by foragers on an outing organized by Four Seasons Resort Vail.

Photo shows various mushrooms gathered in Vail.

File photo shows guide Larry Evans discussing a mushroom found during a mountain excursion organized by Four Seasons Resort Vail in Vail, Colo. —AP photos

Photo shows various mushrooms gathered in Vail.

to get out there and experience the best in Colorado,” said Angelica Palladino, director of food and beverage at Four Seasons Resort Vail.

The resort offered 40 spots on its mushroom expeditions this year, with remaining hunts Aug 19 and Aug 24. Nearly every spot has sold - and not always to hotel guests. The season’s first session drew seven people, all of whom are second-home owners or renters in town. The hotel plans to offer the program again next summer.

At the first session, participants gathered at 10 am in the back of the hotel’s Flame restaurant for complementary coffee and pastries. They chatted up guide Larry Evans, a tall, tan former University of

brought sunscreen and umbrellas for shade.

Evans advised foragers to check near trees and dips in the soil, where squirrels might have smelled truffles, and to grab anything resembling a mushroom. The group scattered into the lodge pole pines in 58-degree temperatures, some eager, some anxious. “Some people, you can tell.

It’s like, ‘Let’s go have an Easter egg hunt,’” Evans said.

Within minutes, legal recruiter Morgan Warren, 36, of Houston had cut a mushroom the size of a portobello. An hour later, while snacking and sitting in camp chairs the Four Season staff brought, the group reconvened to examine the dozens

Grapevines cover a large arbor over a 17-foot dining table made from a single plank of rough-hewn redwood.

Photo shows Four Seasons Resort Vail Executive Chef Jason Harrison, left, looking on as mushroom guide Larry Evans, shows off specimens collected during a foraging trip organized by Four Seasons Resort Vail. of mushrooms they had collected. There were round puffballs, a scaly hawkwing, and some lactarius mushrooms that are milky when cut. Evans pointed out one that he suspected was from the Amanita family, with warts on its cap, an edge like a pleated skirt, and gills underneath the cap that didn’t touch the stem. It was poison-

ous. Then it was back to the SUVs, which dropped everyone off at an aspen grove to stomp through a thicket of prickly plants and fallen logs to find more species. Later in the hotel’s kitchen, Executive Chef Jason Harrison’s staff demonstrated how to clean mushrooms. They cooked two types that Evans deemed edible from the foragers’ collection. One white mushroom that grows in clumps tasted like asparagus. A large, brown cap of another had an earthier taste, the group decided.

Before the Flame restaurant opened for dinner, Harrison seated the adventurers for a mushroom and arugula salad and chicken chasseur (also known as hunter’s chicken, with a mushroom-based sauce) atop sweet corn. Harrison switched the menu from last year ’s mushroom risotto, so repeat foragers wouldn’t be bored. A dessert of chocolate and macaroons followed.

Evans noted not much of the group’s har vest had made it to their plates, whether because it was toxic or not high enough quality to eat. “That was the takeaway for me - how bad I was at mushroom picking,” quipped Warren’s husband, David Warren. “I picked 99 pounds of mushrooms, none of which I can eat.” Morgan Warren said she still had fun foraging with an expert. “I wouldn’t do that on my own,” she said. — AP

John Poswall walks through the Oriental Garden on the property owned by him and his wife Peg. —MCT photos

California couple add new Chinese garden to 50-acre collection M

ost travelers bring home souvenirs. In their globe-trotting, John and Peg Poswall collect ideas, and then transplant them to their home and gardens. “We see something we like and we think, ‘We could do that,’” said John Poswall, as he surveyed the view from his turret. “And we do.” That’s why their home-nicknamed “Toad Hall”-looks like a castle complete with a 40-foot circular stone tower. Inside the tower is a circular library, packed with thousands of books.

With a nod to Poswall’s native England, the house

Peg Tomlinson’s kitchen is set up with restaurant quality appliances and design. has its own Stonehenge, overlooking a well-stocked 5acre pond. Nearby are massive Chinese gates, the entrance to his newest creation. “When I bought this property, I wanted a view and a pond,” he said. “I got both.” Their view now includes bits of Europe, Mexico and Asia, woven together with whimsy on 50 oak-studded acres in the hills outside Lincoln, Calif. Poswall calls his creations the “Gardens of Springhill.” So far, he has 18 gardens, all pulled from farflung inspirations.

“They’re not meant to be faithful reproductions or replicas, but were inspired by these other places,” he

said. Most of the work Poswall did himself, often starting without a plan on paper, but just an idea. The gardens fit together in a colorful and surprising patchwork.

“In the evening, Peg and I sit out here on the deck and say, ‘Can you believe we have this?’” Poswall said.

Among Sacramento’s best-known attorneys as well as a novelist, Poswall created his own retreat full of fun and memories. Peg Tomlinson Poswall is a renowned food expert, writer and former restaurateur. Together, they love to entertain. “We like putting people around a table, talking and having a good time,” said Peg, while stirring a large pan of tomatillo sauce for a taco party.

Her well-equipped professional kitchen could host a cooking show. The fourth Sunday of each month, she and John get together with fellow foodies for a themed dinner, she explained.

“You’d think it would be nice and relaxed, but we’re all serious foodies,” Peg said. “It’s a throw down.” The couple’s energy is legendary and contagious. “Peg and John constitute an impact couple,” said friend Mike Dunne, The Sacramento Bee’s former food editor. “They get an idea, develop a vision, and then see it through to completion, whether it be a book, garden, restaurant, dinner party or whatever. “I’m not sure where all their gumption comes from, but I’ve been struck by their persistently upbeat attitude,” Dunne added. “They like to laugh.”

Besides traveling and working on myriad projects, the Poswalls both are active fundraisers for local charities. “(They’re) the Central Valley’s true Renaissance couple,” said author John Lescroart, another longtime friend. “John and Peg continually push the envelope in what constitutes the good life and how to live it graciously and meaningfully. “Their home and gardens somehow manage to be as welcoming as they are inspiring,” Lescroart added. “The circular turret library alone is worth the visit.

“And the garden is simply stunning-a tribute to the couple’s vision and imagination,” he said. “It is perhaps

the most impressive private garden planted anywhere in California in the past decade-or more.” While Peg keeps cooking, John is finishing his third novel and, of course, gardening.

The son of an Indian father and British mother, he moved from England to Marysville when he was 10 years old. Growing up, he picked fruit along with his parents. A graduate of California State University, Sacramento, and Cal’s Boalt Hall law school, Poswall found success beyond his dreams. “My first job was in the fields, picking peaches, picking grapes in Lodi,” he said. “It was the typical immigrant experience. One generation later, I live here.”

Poswall bought the property about 20 years ago after he was diagnosed with leukemia. His cancer remains in remission. His gardens are a return to nature.

“I’ve always gone out and played with the landscape,” he said. “I love ponds. I like driving the bulldozer. I’ve got the room to do that here.” The latest addition to their wonderland is a spectacular cross-cultural Asian blend named “Yu Shan Hua Yuan,” the Garden of Mountain Happiness. More than 300 friends and fellow garden lovers recently celebrated its dedication.

“It was two years in the making,” Poswall said. “But of course, it’s not done.” That garden started with a gift from friend Darrell Corti-a 1772 first edition of “Dissertation on Oriental Gardening” by English architect Sir William Chambers. That prompted Poswall’s imagination and travel plans. He and Peg traveled to Beijing, Shanghai and Suzhou, China’s city of gardens.

They found just the right glazed roof tile for the garden’s structures and plenty of other ideas.

“When we started, there was no plan,” Poswall said.

“It really started with that book-and a boulder.”

Estimated at 50 tons, that massive stone serves as a focal point inside equally massive gates, modeled after the entrance door to the back garden of the Imperial City. A natural stream winds through the garden, connecting bridges, groves and a hidden garden.

China is just one stop on the Poswalls’ world tour. An Italian garden-complete with bocce court-traces its roots to a vacation in Tuscany. Grapevines cover a large arbor over a 17-foot dining table made from a single plank of rough-hewn redwood. A trip to Palermo inspired the Sicilian garden that traverses a 400-foot walkway, lined with cypress, fountains and statuary.

“Tequila Hill” is covered with 800 agaves, grown from a single plant. Nearby, Mexican fan palms shade succulents and cactus in homage to the Southwest.

On the pond, a rowboat lazily floats among the water lilies in a scene straight out of a French impressionist painting. Below the tower, more than 100 tons of boulders form the terraces of an elegant English rose garden. Each garden has its own personality. Most are dedicated to family or friends. (Hence, the “Crazy Uncle Rob Garden”-named for Poswall’s son-full of kidnapped gnomes.) Poswall planted timber bamboo and other fast-growing hedges to separate the gardens. “I don’t want it to look like Disneyland,” he said. “I want each garden to be distinct.” With time, the gardens will mature and add to their distinction. And Poswall keeps adding more. Said Poswall, “As the Chinese says, a garden is never finished.” — MCT

Tile, imported from Beijing, China is featured in the Oriental Garden of John Poswall and Peg Tomlinson.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

lifestyle T R A V E L

Visit Stebbins Gulch in Northeast Ohio for dramatic cliffs

M

y winter hike into Stebbins Gulch never took place. Big January blizzard. No way to get to the Holden Arboretum east of Cleveland in Lake County. The hike was pushed back to May. It became a spring hike. Stebbins Gulch sounds like a place you’d find in the slickrock country of southern Utah or perhaps in West Texas. It is actually a picturesque and rugged ravine that houses Stebbins Run, a coldwater creek that tumbles into the East Branch of the Chagrin River. It lies east of the arboretum in northwest Geauga County, Ohio.

It features rocky outcroppings and waterfalls.

Stebbins Run is a noisy little stream that gurgles and splashes with gin-clear water. It is lined by trees and, in some places, cliffs. Stebbins Gulch is the crown jewel of the Holden Arboretum’s natural areas and one of the most unspoiled in Northeast Ohio. It is also one of the best day hikes in Ohio, with a remoteness that is surprising.

The gorge is up to 200 feet deep and up to 500 feet wide. It has six waterfalls, two of which are about 20 feet tall. The stream drops 100 feet in the Holden-owned section that covers 825 acres on both sides of the ravine. The gorge features five geological layers, mostly shales and sandstones. The rocks vary in color from tans and buffs to dark grays and blacks with bits of crystalline and white quartz pebbles.

The bedrock ravine system traps cool air in the summer and keeps out colder air in the winter. It has its own unique microclimate that is more like Ontario than Northeast Ohio, rarely climbing above 75 degrees. Once you are in the gorge, there is no trail. You are hiking in and along the rocky stream. The fern-lined canyon narrows and the walls rise as you hike up the rock-filled streambed. The features you find depend on the rock type involved.

The cliffs, up to 75 feet high, are most dramatic where the harder sandstone overhangs the gorge. The softer shale below has been washed away by Stebbins Run. It was designated a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service and the US Department of the Interior in 1968.

The only way to see Stebbins Gulch is to sign up in advance for guided monthly 2.5-mile hikes that are offered by the arboretum. I was among the 30 people who met on a Saturday afternoon

at the arboretum’s main building off Sperry Road. We met our guides, Tony and Fred, got a brief introduction to what was in store and then we carpooled to an unmarked grassy parking area about two miles away off Mitchell Mills Road.

We set off into the woods and slowly made our way into Stebbins Gulch. We stopped along an exposed bank to learn about the shale and sandstone. The rocks in the gulch are up to 370 million years old and are the remnants of an ancient mountain range that predated the Appalachians. The deposits were at the bottom of ancient oceans.

The harder Berea sandstone that forms the waterfalls and most striking cliffs are similar to the rock found in Bedford, Chagrin Falls, Berea and North Olmsted. Around the corner, we walked in the stream to the edge of a waterfall

Hikers climb around Big Falls, a 20-foot tall waterfall in Stebbins Gulch.

There is no trail along Stebbins Run so hikers must often walk in the water. that dropped about 18 feet. The water seemed to slip-slide over the gray shales at what’s called Winter Wren Falls, unofficially nicknamed for the rare wrens that nest in the nearby hemlocks.

We then backtracked and headed upstream.

Walking wasn’t always easy. We slogged slowly, climbing waterfalls, scrambling over logjams, fallen boulders and landslides, carefully stepping from rock to rock in midstream and bushwhacking 1.5 miles upstream without a trail. We were advised by the guides to seek out the lowest spot possible to place our feet. There are several small waterfalls, 3 to 4 feet tall. You aren’t walking in the stream all the time; you cut from bank

Sandstone cliffs dominate the upper stretches of Stebbins Gulch near Kirtland, Ohio. —AP photos to bank. Our guides pointed out fossils of giant ferns and squid-like creatures captured in the rocky layers.

About eight hikers took spills, because walking on wet rocks covered with green algae was a lot like ice skating. The water at its deepest was about knee high in some pools. But the stream can rise 4 to 5 feet in minutes after heavy rains,

capable of washing house-sized boulders downstream. The guides helped everyone up what was called the Big Falls, a 20-foot climb. With nearby cliffs, it was one of the most impressive spots along the hike.

Above the falls, the canyon narrows. There is a flat streambed and vertical walls. There is also a climb up a steep, wet rocky slope to the exit trail.

Stebbins Run has, in places, cut beneath the groundwater table so that water trickles from cliffs and seeps into the stream. Footwear was strange. Many in our party wore tennis shoes. I opted for hiking boots for traction and was willing to let them get wet. So did others.

Some of the Stebbins Gulch veterans opted for knee-high rubber boots. That may be the best footwear on winter hikes but they really weren’t necessary on our late-spring hike with low water levels. The only other thing you need is a sturdy stick or a hiking staff. It was my second hike in the Stebbins Gulch. I had done a winter hike in 2000. In the cold, Stebbins Gulch becomes a winter wonderland decorated with giant icicles hanging from cliffs and snow clinging to the hemlocks.

The sandstone lets the water flow through the rock. Springs in the cliffs add to the ice formations and the flow of the stream. Walking in the stream on a frosty hike surely doesn’t appeal to everyone. The gorge has frequent slumps, landslides and large rockfalls. It also has distinct flora and fauna, due to its unique geology. There are some old-growth trees because the gorge was not logged or grazed because of its rugged topography.

The south side of the ravine includes a beechmaple forest owned by Holden Arboretum.

Admission on a Stebbins Gulch hike is $5 for members and $10 for others. Advance reservations are required. Children under 12 are not permitted. It is a rigorous hike and participants are expected to be able to handle it. The area around Stebbins Gulch was first settled in 1813. Hosea Stebbins farmed the land and raised a family of nine children.

The arboretum acquired Stebbins Gulch in 1957 when S. Livingston Mather donated 300 acres to Holden. Another 125 acres was later acquired. Stebbins Gulch is one of Holden’s two National Natural Landmarks. The other is Bole Woods, a 70-acre tract of big trees.

One of its most popular natural areas is Little Mountain, a one-time fashionable vacation spot with hotels in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Lshaped hill with three knobs, the highest at 1,266 feet, sits on the border between Lake and Geauga counties and includes cliffs and crevasses of Sharon conglomerate.

A new attraction at Holden Arboretum this year is Buckeye Bud’s Adventure Woods for youngsters. The playground is geared for youngsters 3 to 10 years old. There is a mini-zipline, a woodland obstacle course, an oversized loom, bird-feeding stations, an outdoor theater, a log cabin and an observation tower for nature watching. It will be open through mid-October.

The arboretum covers more than 3,600 acres and has more than 120,000 plants. It was established in 1931 with 100 acres. Today the arboretum with 20 miles of trails and walkways gets about 85,000 visitors a year. It is known for its collections of woody and herbaceous plants.

It is hosting an outdoor traveling exhibit through Oct. 28, “Vanishing Acts: Trees Under Threat.” —MCT

Visitors come to Mount Airy looking for Mayberry I

n the town of Mayberry from “The Andy Griffith Show,” a small-town sheriff and his trusty deputy always outwitted big-city crooks, and problems never got much bigger than a trigger-happy kid with a slingshot. But while Mayberry was fiction, it was inspired by a real place: Mount Airy, NC, the late Andy Griffith’s hometown. And more than a halfcentury after the series first aired, fans are still coming to Mount Airy, looking for a glimpse of small-town life and the simpler times portrayed on the show.

Here visitors can eat at the Snappy Lunch, which Griffith’s character, Sheriff Andy Taylor, once recommended as a nice place to take a date. They can satisfy a sweet tooth at Opie’s Candy Store, named for the sheriff’s son, or get air in their tires at Wally’s Service Station.

Cast members from “The Andy Griffith Show,” from left, Don Knotts as Deputy Barney Fife, Ron Howard as Opie Taylor and Andy Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor.

A bouquet of flowers at the foot of a statue of Andy Griffith at Pullen Park.

Businesses with Mayberry in the name are too numerous to count, but they include the Mayberry Motor Inn and Mayberry Trading Post. There’s also an Andy Griffith Museum and a bed-and-breakfast created from the actor’s childhood home.

Recent visitors to the museum included Kimberly Lambert of DeRidder, La, and her family. “If I make a statement that doesn’t quite fit in with the thinking of 2012 and the liberalism of things, I’ll usually say that they may sound a little bit Mayberry to someone else, but that’s what we believe,” said Lambert. “It’s a way of life. I’ve always perceived the Mayberry show as a way of life.”

People come to Mount Airy “to walk where he walked,” said Tanya Jones, executive director of the Surry Arts Council. “This is Andy Griffith’s hometown. You go to Salzburg in Europe because Mozart was born there.

This town influenced his creation of the fictional town. I don’t think in any way that Mayberry is Mount Airy. But I definitely, absolutely, unequivocally think Mount Airy influenced his creation.”

Tourism in Mount Airy is up since Griffith died, with about 10,400 people visiting the Andy Griffith Museum in July, almost double the 5,300 who visited in July 2011. More than 2,500 showed up at the museum in the three days after Griffith’s death July 3, and so many came for autographs from actress Betty Lynnwho played Thelma Lou, the deputy’s girlfriend - that fans had to be turned away after the first 500.

“People cry when they meet me,” said Lynn, 85. “It’s the nostalgia ... I don’t know. But it’s very touching.” She still watches “The Andy Griffith Show” on a local channel at 5:30 pm each weekday, sometimes skipping the dinner that’s served at the same time in her residential community. The show still makes her laugh, she said, recounting the episode where the sheriff and his steady girl Helen Crump get stuck in a cave.

Griffith’s recent passing may also attract more visitors to the 52nd annual Mayberry Days, scheduled for Sept 27-30. The event

typically attracts 25,000 to 30,000 people.

This year, the Surry Arts Council, which sponsors the event, plans tributes to both Griffith and George Lindsey, the actor who played Goober and who died in May. Tourism, with an estimated economic impact of more than $100 million, is the sec-

People gathering around a statue of Andy and Opie Taylor, characters from “The Andy Griffith Show.”

Visitors looking at exhibits in the Andy Griffith Museum. ond-most important industry in Mount Airy’s home of Surry County, behind agriculture. Its growth has helped to staunch the loss of 10,000 jobs in the past decade with the demise of textiles and furniture.

“Andy saved the town,” says Emmett Forrest, Griffith’s friend since childhood and proprietor of the museum. Forrest points out shopping centers with big box stores on each side of Mount Airy, a scenario that “usually dries up Main Street. But because of Andy and our tourism, we’ve got a Main Street with no empty stores.”

But sustaining tourism and the mythology Griffith built around his hometown sometimes means keeping the real world at bay, just as the show did. The show aired

This December 2009 photo supplied by the Surry Arts Council shows an exhibit at the Andy Griffith Museum in Mount Airy, NC, of keys to the jail from “The Andy Griffith Show.”— AP photos

during a tumultuous era - 1960 to 1968 but its scripts studiously avoided references to current events, serving instead as a refuge from headlines about the Vietnam War, civil rights clashes and the assassination of President Kennedy. You won’t learn about Griffith’s politics at the museum named for him (though he suppor ted President Obama’s health care plan), and political and advocacy groups are prohibited from taking part in Mayberry Days, where guests are asked to avoid politics in their speeches.

“On that weekend, we’re celebrating the anniversary of ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ and Andy Griffith’s legacy and life,” said Jones.

“And we’re celebrating the whole atmosphere of Mayberry, the simpler time.”

And that’s what visitors want. “It’s been a dream of ours to come up here for a long time,” said Clint McHan, of Ackerman, Miss, who visited the museum with his wife, Jamie, and their son, Paxton. “I just wanted to be on the street, knowing that he walked on that street.” On the show, he said, “you don’t have to worry about anything.” —AP

Talent thrives among Elvis’ grandkids: Lisa Marie

37

SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012

Pakistani worshippers offer prayers on the last Friday of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, in a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan. —AP

Sarajevo’s

Ramadan gunner keeps tradition alive

I

n Bosnia, one of a handful of European countries with a Muslim majority population, Smail “Smajo” Krivic keeps a oncebanned tradition alive during the holy month of Ramadan. “He’s here!” children cry, crowding around the 59-year-old as he arrives in Sarajevo’s old town where he is the official Ramadan gunner who fires a cannon to signal the end of the daily dawn-to-dusk fast.

“You have to move from there, I cannot do anything if you stay camped out in that spot,” Smajo jovially chides the small crowd gathered on the plateau of the Ottoman fortress that overlooks the Bosnian capital. Izet Merzic, 56, sits at a small camping table with friends, ready and waiting as Nermina Fadzan, 50, starts unpacking food and plates. On the menu tonight: the usual sweet dates to break the fast then veal with vegetables, a spicy beef stew, soup and several deserts including Bosnia’s famed “tufahija”, or walnut-stuffed, stewed apples.

“Here we cannot miss the moment. We will be sure we start eating at exactly the right minute,” Merzic said. As the sun sets, Smajo looks out over Sarajevo’s old town and the imposing national library-still undergoing reconstruction after it was destroyed in Bosnia’s 1992-95 inter-ethnic war. “It’s a great responsibility,” he told AFP. “Every year before

form of Islam introduced by the Ottomans in the Balkans in the 15th century AD. While Sarajevo was known for its ethnic mix before the war, inhabitants are now around 80 percent Muslim, according to estimates. The crowd at Zuta Tabija watches attentively as Smajo adjusts the orange pipe of the cannonmore like a rocket launcher than old-fashioned

Bosnian Muslim, Smail “Smajo” Krivic, 59, sets his mortar cannon before firing a firework on August 17, 2012 in Sarajevo. — AFP photos the Ramadan I go to see a watchmaker to make sure my watch is in good order. “To eat before the right time is a sin, but you should not be too late either. I do not want to carry a sin for the entire city on my shoulders,” he said.

Even though many of the faithful can see the sun set themselves they prefer to wait for the cannon blast from the Zuta Tabija (Yellow Fortress) and the lights that come on in the town’s many minarets. In Bosnia, divided since

the war into the Muslim Croat Federation and a Bosnian Serb entity, Muslims make up a narrow majority of 40 percent of the population of 3.8 million. Orthodox Christian Bosnian Serbs account for 31 percent while the traditionally Roman Catholic Croats represent 10 percent.

‘I bring joy’ The overwhelming majorities of Bosnia’s Muslims are Sunnites and follow moderate

Miss China crowned

C

hina’s Yu Wenxia has been crowned the 2012 Miss World. This is the second time Miss China has been awarded the title.

The last time was in 2007 when Zhang Zilin took the honor. The first runner-up is Sophie Elizabeth Moulds of Wales and the second runner-up is Jessica Michelle Kahawaty of Australia. The 23-year-old Yu is a music student

Smail “Smajo” Krivic, loads a charge into his mortar cannon before firing a firework.

artillery, inserts the charge then attaches an electric wire. He moves several meters (yards) away and squats down, remote control in hand. “Cover your ears,” a worried mother shouts at her daughter, jumping around with excitement as the cannon blasts at precisely two minutes before 8 pm. Suddenly, minarets light up one after another and the muezzins start chanting. “The tradition goes back to the end of the Ottoman era in the 19th century.

The Austro-Hungarian empire, which ruled Bosnia from 1878 to 1914, then the Kingdom of Yugoslavia from 1918 to 1941 allowed it, but the rulers of the communist federation of Yugoslavia (1945-91) banned it,” Smajo said. During the war when Sarajevo was under siege by Bosnian Serb troops for 44 months, “we really did not need another explosion for Ramadan,” he said.

So “we started again in 1997, two years after the war,” said Smajo, who has been the old town’s official Ramadan gunner ever since. “I know I bring joy to thousands of households. I could never give that up,” he said, before heading home break the fast with his family. Alen Voloder, 38, like many, savors the tradition.

“During Ramadan, everything becomes so valued, a drop of water, a coffee but also just this peace,” he said. “Let’s not forget that we could not do this 20 years ago.” —AFP

Miss World 2012 Miss World contestant, Nicaragua’s Lauren Gabrielle Lawson Guerrero.

The 2012 Miss World Yu Wenxia.

Yu Wenxia of China waves to the audience after being crowned the winner of Miss World 2012 during the pageant’s final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos yesterday. —AFP Miss World contestant Panama’s Maricely Pomares.

Miss World contestant, Kazakhstan’s Evgeniya Klishina, waits backstage prior to a rehearsal for the final ceremony at the Ordos Stadium Arena in the inner Mongolian city of Ordos. —AFP photos

who says she wants to become a music teacher. This is the first time for the Inner Mongolian city of Ordos to host the international beauty pageant.

The city is one of the richest regions in China thanks to its abundant natural resources. It hopes the world event will raise

its profile for economic development and tourism. Sanya, another Chinese city, has hosted the contest several times.

While the popularity of the contest, first held in 1951, has waned in the West, continued interest in Asian countries ensures that the final rakes in a huge global television audience. Sweden’s Kiki Hakansson was the first Miss World, while Oscar-winning US actress

Halle Berr y was a finalist in 1986 and Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai took the crown in 1994.

Venezuela has produced the most Miss Worlds, with six winners, while India and Britain claim five titles each. China has already hosted the competition five times, most recently in 2010 on the tropical southern island of Hainan. — AFP

Miss World contestant, Fiji’s Koini Vakaloloma.