13 Jan

CR IP TI ON BS SU

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

Zionist left wing sees end of Israel

Obama, Karzai agree it’s time to wind down Afghan war

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7 40 PAGES

RABI ALAWAL 1, 1434 AH

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Iraq virtuoso to return to troubled homeland

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www.kuwaittimes.net

Chelsea stroll at Stoke after Walters nightmare

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French hostage ‘killed’ in botched Somalia raid 17 Somalis and 1 French soldier dead, 1 missing

KUWAIT: The sun sets in a blaze of orange along the Fifth Ring Road yesterday amid biting cold. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Kuwait shivers in cold snap KUWAIT: Temperatures dropped to below zero in several regions of the country at dawn yesterday, according to national meteorological centers. In Salmi, west of Kuwait Cit y, the temperature dropped to -1 degree Celcius, the lowest that has

been reported in the country since it was gripped by a cold wave recently. Record fall to zero was repor ted in various regions such as Ubroq AlHabari, Jal Al-Liah, Abdali and Matrabah. The main meteorological station at the airport reported that

the temperature in Jahra fell to 3 degrees Celcius.

The wave of biting cold is forecast to continue in Kuwait in the coming days, with temperatures expected to rise to 12 degrees Celcius in the airport region at midday. — KUNA

Max 14º Min 03º High Tide 13:42 Low Tide 07:20 & 19:08

PARIS/MOGADISHU: France sent special forces into Somalia to rescue a secret agent but insurgents apparently killed their hostage during the raid along with a commando, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said yesterday. The intelligence agency team flew into southern Somalia by helicopter under cover of darkness to try to free the agent, with the alias of Denis Allex, held since 2009, by Al-Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab, on the same day France launched air strikes against Islamist militants in Mali. “Commandos broke into where Allex was being detained last night and immediately faced strong resistance,” Le Drian told a news conference. “Intense combat took place, during which - and now I speak with caution everything leads us to believe that Denis Allex was unfortunately killed by his captors.”

Sowing confusion, Shabaab said in a statement that Allex was still alive. Paris has been concerned that various French hostages held in Africa would be at risk if it intervened militarily against the al Qaeda-allied fighters in Mali, but Le Drian said the Somalia raid was “totally unconnected” to the Mali operation. The deaths in Somalia coincided with the killing of a pilot in air strikes in Mali, however, striking a double blow to the start of a campaign that represents President Denis Allex Francois Hollande’s biggest foreign policy test since his May election.

A French commando died from wounds sustained in the Somali raid and a second was missing, Le Drian said. The defence ministry said earlier that 17 Somali fighters were killed in a mission prompted by “the intransigence of the terrorists, who refused to negotiate for three and half years”.

Shabaab said in a statement that Allex was alive and being held at a location far from the base where French military helicopters attacked overnight. “The injured French soldier is now in the custody of the mujahideen and Allex still remains safe and far from the location of the battle,” it said. “Several French soldiers were killed in the battle and many more were injured before they fled from the scene of battle, leaving behind some military paraphernalia and even one of their comrades on the ground.”

When asked about whether the missing commando was now in the hands of Al Shabaab, French Army chief Admiral Edouard Guillaud said: “If he is alive then he could be, but he could also be hiding.” France has eight nationals in Islamist hands in the Sahel area after a string of kidnappings, and has cited concern over their safety as a reason for its initial reluctance to spearhead any military action against the Islamist rebels in Mali.

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Fire kills 13 in Bahrain worker housing block MANAMA: A fire in a three-storey block housing Asian workers in the Bahraini capital killed at least 13 people, the state BNA news agency reported late on Friday. One firefighter was also injured when the building’s roof collapsed during a rescue attempt, the news agency added.

An investigation was under way to determine the cause of the fire, which broke out on Friday afternoon in the building in the Makharka district of central Manama.

LONDON: Veiled Muslim women hold up signs as they join a protest in response to French military action in Mali outside the French embassy in central London yesterday. — AFP

Foreigners make up 54 percent of the 1.234-million population of tiny but strategic Bahrain, according to a 2010 census. At 562,040, Asian nationals made up 84.3 percent of foreign residents and 45.5 percent of the total population of the Gulf kingdom. The living and working conditions of the huge migrant workforce in the Gulf have been the subject of repeated criticism by human rights watchdogs.— AFP

‘Blues’ power into semis

French gunships stop Mali Islamist advance African states ready troops BAMAKO: Mali’s army reclaimed a key town from Islamists yesterday after France sent in its air force, opening a dramatic new phase in the conflict with a battle that left dozens of dead rebels strewn across the area. After France launched air raids to support Malian ground troops fighting to wrest back the town of Konna, Burkina Faso and Niger both announced they were sending 500 troops to join a regional force tasked with ousting the Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists, who have occupied the vast desert north since March last year and had threatened to advance on the capital.

The Malian army said it was in full control of Konna after the battle, which witnesses and the military said had killed dozens of Islamist fighters - making it one of the worst clashes since the start of the crisis and the most significant setback inflicted on the Islamists.

France’s Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said “Operation Serval” had already suffered its first French casualty when a pilot carrying out air raids was killed Friday. US officials said Washington might

support France’s sudden military intervention, while Nigeria also said it had dispatched personnel on the ground.

Russia’s Africa envoy, Mikhail Margelov, lashed out at the French move, saying: “African residents aside, no one else can or should solve the continent’s problems. “I understand the current situation in Mali, but I think however that any operation in Africa can and should only be done under the aegis of the UN and the African Union,” he said. But Malian residents thanked France for its support. “The French really saved us,” said thirty-something Moussa Toure in the capital, Bamako - a remark echoed by others, including Mali’s interim president.

France also said it had deployed troops in Bamako to protect its 6,000-strong expatriate community. The capital has remained under government control throughout the crisis, which erupted in the wake of a March 22 coup that ousted democratically elected president Amadou Toumani Toure.

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MANAMA: Yousef Al-Sulaiman (center) of Kuwait dives to hit the ball near Saudi Arabia’s defenders during their Gulf Cup football match yesterday. Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia 1-0 to qualify for the semifinals. — AFP (See Page 20)

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

LOCAL

UAE ban list led to confession of Brotherhood support Politicians, former MPs included

By A Saleh KUWAIT: Kuwait conceded that some of its nationals were financing a Muslim Brotherhood network caught by authorities in the United Arab Emirates after the UAE authorities provided their Kuwaiti counterparts with a list of people banned from entering the Kingdom. The list included the names of Kuwaiti citizens, according to sources familiar with the case.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the sources indicated that the list “which was forwarded in early 2013” included names of “Kuwaiti politicians and former parliament members.”

The UAE authorities gave details to their Kuwaiti counterparts about interrogations of Egyptian Islamists “who admitted receiving funds from Muslim Brotherhood members in Kuwait,” said the sources.

They added to the ongoing speculation about a potential relationship between the pan-Arab group’s active office in Kuwait and its mother group by hinting that the UAE’s travel ban list included “members of the Islamic Constitutional Movement,” widely considered the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood in Kuwait.

Kuwait - Iraq agreements The remaining agreements between Kuwait and Iraq which were expected to be signed during a planned visit of Kuwait’s Prime Minister HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah to Baghdad later this month were postponed to March due to the uncertainty surrounding the visit, sources privy to the developments said.

Currently, demonstrations were on against the Iraqi government which forced Kuwait to reconsider the planned visit in which Sheikh Al-Sabah was scheduled to meet his Iraqi counterpart Nouri Al-Maliki.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the sources indicated that agreements which were planned for the meeting “were pushed for the upcoming meeting of the Kuwaiti Iraqi Higher Committee which is to take place next March in Kuwait.”

Meanwhile, the sources noted that a joint team between the two countries plans to work on the border markers as per the UN Resolutions next February. $500 million donation Kuwait plans to announce an estimated $500 million donation during the inauguration of the Donors’ Conference for Syrian Refugees which Kuwait is set to host on Januar y 30, 2013. This was revealed by sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity, and indicated that the step was “aimed to attract better financial support for the Syrian people through the conference.”

Parliamentarian criticizes US MP Khalid Al-Adwa criticized the US State Department for the recent remarks of official spokeswoman Victoria Nuland in which she urged the Kuwaiti government to avoid sending Twitter users to jail for their posts on the micro-blogging website.

“Kuwait was, still is, and will always be a lawfully run state and has a constitution under which its people enjoy freedom, stability and security as per the human rights regulations,” Al-Adwa said yesterday.

Pointing out that “Kuwait has no political prisoners or prisoners of conscience,” the head of the parliament’s human rights committee further insisted on “the separation of authorities in Kuwait which means that no authority can arrest a citizen or resident in Kuwait without a court order.”

He further refused “any intervention in [Kuwait’s] internal affairs” as he reiterated “the independence of Kuwait’s decision making.”

Meanwhile, Al-Adwa announced that the human rights committee is set to meet the First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Hmoud Al-Sabah this week in order to discuss several issues “including the Bedoon (stateless) residents’ issue.” He added that a team from the committee plans to visit the Central Jail this week “to evaluate the conditions in which prisoners stay” after receiving complaints about alleged abuses that inmates were being subjected to.

In other news, parliamentary insiders revealed that a number of lawmakers made a request to minister Al-Hmoud to provide them with a report detailing the procedures carried out by the Interior Ministry to verify the files of 90,000 citizens suspected of having a Saudi nationality in addition to their Kuwaiti one, which was in violation of the state’s citizenship laws.

Other parliamentary insiders revealed that MP Faisal Al-Duwaisan was recently approached by MPs who asked him to put on hold his plans to file a grilling against the Interior Minister “in order to give the ministry a good chance to execute the recommendations” announced following last Thursday’s session which was allocated to discuss the security situation in the country.

Public sector hiring A number of state departments have reportedly received notice from the Civil Service Commission about recruitment of expatriate laborers for positions that made them eligible to obtain allowances from the government.

According to sources with knowledge of the case, the notice was sent after the unnamed departments refused to hire a number of Kuwaiti candidates on the pretext of not having any vacancies while the CSC later discovered that expatriate workers were actually hired for the same slots.

Interior owed KD48 million in traffic fines KUWAIT: Several state departments were targeted in a fresh criticism by the State Audit Bureau (SAB) which, as per recent reports published recently by a local newspaper, said violators owed the Interior Ministry a whopping KD48 million in traffic fines only.

The report which was made available to Al-Qabas newspaper contained a subtle criticism of the ministry when it indicated that some of the uncollected fines pertain to violations that go back to the year 2000.

In a stinging piece of criticism, the SAB accused the ministry of sending citizens on paid trips for treatment “despite (the cases) failing to meet the necessary conditions,” in addition to “wasting public funds” and “failure to execute planned projects.”

The report mentioned examples such as “spending at least KD1.5 million on unnecessary food meals,” as well as “inaccuracy in assessing the cost for projects pertaining to security departments.” Meanwhile, the SAB also accused the Kuwait Municipality of

failing to take effective measures in order to collect its debts “which reached KD47 million,” as well as costing the public fund “KD9 million added to the actual cost for public cleaning tenders.”

The report also showed that the parliament still owed the government KD25,000 “in fees that have not been collected in years,” while accusing the Capital Markets Authority of “violating its own law” and “failure to sort things out at the Kuwait Stock Exchange.”

KUWAIT: Ahmadi Municipality carried out cleaning campaigns this past weekend in Mangaf during which they collected 42 truckloads of debris and waste left in open locations around the area. The campaign comes as part of a comprehensive plan for the Kuwait Municipality to clean areas from pollutions and elements harmful to the environment and public health.

Dashti calls for supporting Arab development plans KUWAIT: Supporting Arab development plans is vital for the welfare of Arab citizens, said Minister of State for Planning and Development Affairs and Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs Dr. Rola Dashti here yesterday. In the opening speech of the Arab Planning Institution’s (API) Board of Trustees meeting, Dashti, who is also the chairperson of this board, called for aiding API in its quest for better planning and development in the Arab region.

She also commended during her speech the role of API in human resources training, noting that the institute’s contributions could be felt all over the Arab world.

The Board of Trustees began its meeting with the participation of 14 representatives of

the 16 member states.

The meeting would discuss training, research, consultancy, and scientific activities carried out by the API in the previous years.

In 1966, Kuwait, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), established the Kuwait Institute for Economic and Social Planning in the Middle East as an independent Kuwaiti Institute.

In 1972, the Institute was converted into an independent Arab Institution called the Arab Planning Institute (API), a non-profit regional entity whose primary mission is to advance the cause of economic and social development in Arab countries through training, research, consultancy, expert-group meetings, and publication. — KUNA

Information campaign on fire hazards

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: The General Director of Fire Department, Major Gen Yousuf AlAnsari, and a number of fire department officers called upon Sheikha Fareeha Al-Ahmad, Chairperson of the Kuwaiti Society for the Ideal Family, to coordinate with her about an informative campaign planned to educate the people about fire hazards and how to avoid accidents.

A campaign titled “We want it in every house” will be organized under the patronage of Sheikha Fareeha AlAhmad which will concentrates on educating the citizens and the expats about the importance of fire detection equipment, fire extinguishers and safety measures in the house.

The campaign “ We want it in every house” will be unleashed in two stages this year, the first from April to May and the second from June to July. The campaign calls upon the citizens to install fire extinguishers, smoke detection equipment, other accessories and safety

KUWAIT: Major Gen Yousuf Al-Ansari after holding talks with Sheikha Fareeha Al-Ahmad. equipment in every house. It will also extinguisher and where to keep it in work for providing such items the house so that it is accessible in through the cooperative societies at case of an emergency.

Al-Ansari thanked Sheikh Fareeha nominal prices so that every family can buy these. Booklets will also be Al-Ahmad for her support to the firedistributed to show how to use a fire men in their humane work.

Youth stabbed at Avenues

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: A young man was stabbed when a scuffle broke out among a number of youth on Friday evening at the Avenues Commercial Complex. The fight which came less than a month after the much talked about murder of a 26-year-old Lebanese doctor, again underlined the poor state of law and order.

Former MP and lawyer Osama Al-Shaheen said crimes like drugs usage, fighting involving knives and a deteriorating value system was a real challenge which must not be ignored. He said security personnel should concentrate on such crimes instead of tracking youth activists.

Suicide case Security sources revealed that operations department personnel at the Ministry of Interior received a call from an unknown person claiming that his father committed suicide inside the Grand Mosque but gave no further details. Security men rushed immediately to the Mosque accompanied by an ambulance but found the man, a 67-year-

old Lebanese expat already dead inside the toilet where he had hanged himself with a robe. His body was referred to the medical examiner.

Unclaimed bag Customs officers at Abdally found an unclaimed bag containing half a kilogram of pure Heroin lying in the customs yard. Neither the owner of the bag could be known nor did it become clear as to how the bag reached there. It was handed to drug enforcement agents.

Sources said the border outlet did not have any technical facilities to check drug trafficking nor any surveillance cameras were affixed in the area to help customs officers do their work properly.

The lack of facilities was all the more pertinent since Al-Abdally is a border point used most frequently by the smugglers to sneak in contraband as they benefit from the lack of modern technical gadgetry.

Municipal raid Four shops were ordered to shut down and large quantities of subsidized food items were confiscated when an inspection team from the

Ministry of Commerce in coordination with the Ministry of Interior carried out surprise checks in the Hawally governorate.

The campaigns were carried at the instruction of the Minister of Commerce, Anas Al-Saleh, and the Undersecretar y, Abdul Aziz AlKhaldi, to check any violations in dealings involving subsidized food items which must not be sold in the market and were meant only for those who were eligible for these as per the law. Sources said that the shops which were ordered to shut down were found exporting the subsidized food items to a neighboring country. The ministry has taken all legal action against violators and closed the shops. Sources pointed out that the government spends millions of KDs on subsidized food items and the law prohibits their resale. An inspection team comprising personnel from the Ministr y of Commerce was formed for the purpose of checking any leakages in the system and will survey all Kuwait areas to find any violations. The Ministry will take legal action against all violators and such campaigns will continue in all Kuwait areas.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

LOCAL

Parliamentary panel to reject KAC-Iraq Airways agreement? $500 million settlement money ‘too little’ KUWAIT: While the parliament’s foreign affairs committee seems inclined to reject an emergency decree approving a settlement pact between the Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) and its Iraqi counterpart, rapporteur MP Tahir Al-Failakawi made a statement confirming the possibility when he suggested that “the subject requires further studying” as it figured in the list of subjects to be discussed in today’s meeting.

Parliamentary insiders who spoke to Al-Rai on the condition of anonymit y indicated that a majority of bloc members believed that the $500 million settlement money agreed upon by the KAC to drop charges against the Iraqi Airways over the 1990/91 Iraqi Invasion period “is too little” and “not comparable with the value of loss the KAC suffered as a result of destruction to its fleet.”

The agreement called for the Iraqi Airways to pay $300 million of the settlement in cash, while the remaining $200 million was to be invested in joint projects between the two countries. The agreement needs to be passed by the Kuwaiti parliament before it becomes effective.

Separately, the parliament’s financial committee is set to host government representatives at its meeting today to discuss the citizens’ loans issue, largely involving a proposal calling on local banks and investment companies to reschedule existing payments and find more organized repayment methods in the future.

Spring camping ‘one of the best traditions’ KUWAIT: Spring camping, the tradition of spending a happy vacation away from the humdrum of the routine life in the desert, was one of the best Kuwaiti traditions, a number of campers told KUNA. They said they await this vacation eagerly every year as it means a lot to them since it gives them an opportunity to bond together away from daily life’s work and nearer to the nature.

Abdul Rahman Al-Bassam, who is a head of his family, said camping was one of the best old Kuwaiti traditions. “It is a chance for all the family members to come together and communicate with the loved ones away from traffic jam and the worries,” he said, adding that the desert breaks the monotony of the daily routine. It is altogether different from the busy life of the city, the crowded malls, the commercial centers and the traffic jams.

“During normal days, we cannot even sit together as a family or relatives or friends.

Everyone is busy with his or her own work but the spring vacation brings us all together,” he said.

He said certain people exploit this opportunity to hike the prices starting from that of water tanker which could cost KD 10. The prices of equipment and materials used in camping, cooking material and timber have almost doubled, he added.

His wife Umm Dhuha, a teacher at the Ministry of Education, said that desert trips are unique even if these are just day long or all through the season. However, she said, planning such a trip requires a huge budget, particularly because some merchants increase their prices.

She said the desert provides an opportunity to experience a sense of calm and relax in the lap of nature. One can walk on the sand and spend the entire day talking with family members. Children also like playing in the sand. She added that there were a number of recreational facilities available in the camps, and family members do enjoy as per his hobbies. She said camping renews the relationships and strengthens it. Adel Al-Hamly, a university student, said that camping provides a chance to rejuvenate, relax and enjoy some family time by playing cards and cooking.

He added that desert was one of the best places for young people to meet and make new friends or unite with friends one could not see for a long time. The young people wait for the camping season with impatience since it takes them away from school books, he said.

“We play football and table tennis or ride buggies and prepare food especially by setting up a barbecue at night. Usually we go for camping, starting from Thursday

and lasting through Friday till Saturday,” he said, adding that this season there was a lot of rain which made the atmosphere even more attractive as there were flowers all around in the desert. Othman Al-Khamees, an employee at the Ministr y of Communication, said the government should ensure proper supply of drinking water besides ensuring availability of ambulances and air ambulance (plane) fully equipped to deal with any emergency.

As many accidents can happen in the desert, he said the security authorities must stop the youth who disturb the families in their camps by indulging in loud partying.

He also said the municipality should clean up after the campers.

Another camping aficionado, Buthaina Al-Shamali, said spring camping was the only way for the Kuwaitis to relax and breathe some fresh air away from the noise of the city and pollution.

It is a great way to wake up at the crack of the dawn and sit next to a fire, enjoying the quiet, she said, adding, “Every year, we prepare for this season and make collective arrangements as a family to gather together the camping requirements.”

She said the camp is fully equipped with all necessary requirements for life in the desert. Some of the camp owners make use

of the season and increase the camp’s rent.

Hashem Dashti complained that camp owners refuse to book the camps without a down payment. “Once you are there, you find the camp is not as per the advertised specifications. Prices of camps depend on the facilities and the level of luxury equipment in it,” he said, stressing the importance of security to guard against the possibility of thefts at the camp.

Salem Al-Owdeh, one of the older campers, said camping these days has become different from what it was in the 1950s and 60s.

“In the days of yore, going to the desert for camping was very much like traveling. A car leaving the town early in the morning would take two to three hours as roads were not paved like today,” he said.

Recalling his own times, he said, “We used to go to Al-Mutlaa, Al-Mangaf, AlFintas and Fraitees. These seemed far from city due to lack of paved roads. Some of the rich families who owned camps used to spend the night there. There were fewer cars in those days and people used to hire a car for such a trip. Once the families agreed on the camping place, a breakfast meal used to be prepared and then everyone, be these men, women or children, used to leave for the agreed place and enjoy all they could.”—KUNA

Moves to promote women football AMMAN: Chair woman of the Kuwaiti Spor ts Federation Sheikha Naeema Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah has praised resolutions, taken by the “conference for improving women soccer,” affirming the decisions would contribute in enhancing the game in West Asia.

In a statement to KUNA at conclusion of the conference, titled “Women’s football in West Asia: Moving for ward,” which began here on Thursday, Sheik ha Naeemma Al-Ahmad said the recommendations, approved last night (late on Friday), would contribute to spreadingawarness of the necessit y of the women sports movemenet.

The conferees, including Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, the Chairman of the West Asian Football Federation, endorsed a set of rec-

ommendations, partly calling for organization of championships for female athletes, aged under 19 and below 16 in West Asia, for sake of encouraging the game for all age groups and holding the women tournament on rotation basis among member states of the West Asia federation.

Participants in the meetings, Sheik ha Naeema added in the remarks to the Kuwaiti news agency, affirmed necessity of rallying support and securing sponsorship for the women soccer, and women sports in general, in addition to backing schools’ tournaments.

M oroever, they called for involving the female players to promote women soccer, encouraging sponsoring companies provide sports facilities in local communities in the region, which

62% Kuwaitization at Finance House KUWAIT: Proportion of Kuwaiti citizens employed at Kuwait Finance House (Baitak) has remained at the level of 62 percent of the overall number of staff, the bank announced yesterday.

Employment program that was first implemented by Baitak, in coordination with the state labor restructuring program eight years ago, contributed to training 1,075 male and female employees, including 165 ones last year, thus maintaining the proportion of national labor in the Islamic banking foundation at 62 percent, said Mohammad Al-Jalal, the director of human resources and services at Baitak, in a statement. He affirmed Baktaik’s keenness on luring national personnel, training them and furnishing the nationals with job opportunities. Up to 25 of Baitak’s staff are females, and 90 percent of them are nationals. — KUNA

could be transformed into fields or stadiums for women football.

Furthermore, they also asserted role of the media in this regard.

FIFA Vice-President HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein chaired the conference which was attended by AFC Vice-President and Chairman of the AFC Women’s Committee Moya Dodd and representatives from UEFA, The FA and West Asian football associations.

The conference aimed to identify the obstacles facing women’s football in West Asia and to make recommendations to develop their game.

In previous remarks to KUNA, Sheikha Naeema said supporting the Kuwaiti women football sector is ver y impor tant to help develop skills of female athlete.

Zain telecom co-sponsored the conference. —KUNA

Kuwait to participate actively in League ministerial meetings CAIRO: Kuwait’s Permanent Delegate to the Arab League Jamal Mohammad Al-Ghunaim said yesterday his country would send highlevel delegations to the meetings of Arab foreign ministers and information ministers, due here next week.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah will lead Kuwait delegation to the emergency Arab League Council meeting, slated for Sunday, Ambassador Al-Ghunaim said in a statement.

“The ministerial meeting will discuss the plight of the Syrian refugees in the neighboring countries. Sheikh Sabah will set forth Kuwait’s vision for addressing the humanitarian disaster of the brotherly people of Syria,” he noted.

“The minister is scheduled to apprise the meeting on the noble initiative of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah for hosting an international donor conference on Syria late this month,” AlGhunaim pointed out. The gathering aims to

step up the relief effort for the Syrian refugees in neighboring countries, notably Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, he added. The meeting is also expected to discuss the latest developments of the Palestine question and how to manipulate the momentum brought about by Palestine’s winning of non-member status at the United Nations.

Dealing with the Arab information ministers meeting, due on Tuesday, Ambassador AlGhunaim said Kuwait’s delegation to it will be led by Minister of Information Sheikh Salman Humoud Al-Sabah.

“The session has a particular significance since it follows a two-year hiatus forced by the Arab Spring events,” he noted.

Through active participation in the meetings, the State of Kuwait aims to revitalize the Arab joint action and promote the process of cooperation and integration among the Arab countries which constitute the basics of Kuwait’s foreign policy, Ambassador AlGhunaim added. —KUNA

Three companies M e a nw h i l e, s o u rce s re ve a l e d t h a t Ku w a i t Investment Authority is waiting the approval of the council of ministers for setting up three companies this year. The specialized committees at Kuwait Investment Authority have already given final touches to plans for these three companies.

All regulations concerning the foundation license for each of these three firms were followed and a feasibility study was done. The legal structure of these companies has been planned in the light of the guidelines received from the council of ministers.

Of these three companies, one will be specializing in recruiting expats, the second in domestic laborers and a third will provide medical insurance. A capital investment of more than KD 500 million, as per the preliminary estimations for each company, would be involved.

Sources said that the three companies are being set up by special government wings as per the country’s needs and to fulfill social and financial requirements.

Money laundering I n another development, the M inistr y of Commerce and Industry has issued a circular to all concerned companies and organizations asking them to follow all laws to check money laundering and terror financing which could harm the national economy. All commercial entities and owners were instructed to abide by the rules and regulations. In particular, the owners of investment companies, insurance companies, money changers, jewellery shops and other financial companies were asked to be aware about the laws in this regard. They were requested to provide an annual account statement showing all financial details and keep necessary audit books for all financial transactions. They were also instructed not to transfer money outside directly or indirectly before taking necessary approvals from the concerned authorities.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

LOCAL

Two-member gang robs Iranian of KD 6,000 Reckless driver in custody KUWAIT: A passenger who avoided hailing a taxi at the airport after arriving in Kuwait to scrimp on six dinars ended up with thieves who robbed him of KD 6,000 and left him in a lurch and the middle of a road. The incident took place recently when the Iranian man came out of the Kuwait International Airport looking for a ride to the Kuwait City after learning that the airport taxi would cost KD6. Eventually, he went with two young men in their vehicle after they agreed to drop him at his destination for only KD2. The duo, however, stopped shortly after driving on to the Sabhan Road, snatched KD3,000 from him at knifepoint, and then kicked him out of the vehicle, taking along his luggage which also contained as much money. The man headed to the Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh police station afterwards and reported the case.

Driver arrested Police arrested a male driver who damaged two vehicles while driving a truck with a missing license plate at the King Fahad Highway recently. Patrol officers went in pursuit of the suspect after he ignored orders to pull over, and intercepted him near the Um Al-Haiman. The suspect, a Syrian national, had clashed with two people who tried to block his path before calling the police. He was taken to the proper authorities to face charges

including damaging private property since he hit two vehicles during his escape bid.

Attempted murder A man who called his bedoon (stateless) friend to a place in Al-Qasr to ‘settle an old dispute’ ended up hitting him with a metal object and then ran away. The injured man’s friends rushed him to the Jahra Hospital where he was admitted to the intensive care unit with serious head injury. The suspect now faces attempted murder charges. A case was filed at the area’s police station.

Suicide attempt A domestic worker was hospitalized after she consumed an overdose of certain pills in a bid to end her life. The Sri Lankan woman was brought to the Adan Hospital by her employer where the diagnoses revealed she had suffered complications due to an overdose of unknown pills. Police were called since it was a case of attempted suicide.

Bad luck fugitive A fugitive who thought he would be able to hoodwink the patrol officers and avoid arrest by faking his identity turned out to be most unlucky when the name he had randomly assumed turned out to belong to a person also wanted by

authorities. The incident took place recently in Sabah Al-Salem where a young man failed to produce his ID after being pulled over, and instead gave a fake name. As a check revealed that a suspect wanted for failing to pay KD8,000 owed to the state bore the same name, the man was arrested and brought to the area’s police station where his true identity was later revealed. The man was actually wanted for defaulting on a KD25,000 payment.

He remains in custody pending further action.

Sports fight A fight between two people watching a football match at a Hawally coffee shop took a turn for the worse when one of them let out his frustration on the other’s car. People had to step in to separate the two sports fanatics when they started exchanging punches while watching a match. When everyone thought that the melee was over after one of the quarreling men went out, things escalated again when after the other noticed that his car had been vandalized. The man headed to the nearest police station and pressed charges against the other based on testimonies of an eyewitness who told him that he saw the same man who clashed with him damaging his car’s exterior with a key.

Four planes transport football fans to Bahrain KUWAIT: Under the directives of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Ahmad Al-Khaled AlSabah ordered to allocate four transportation planes to transport fans of

Kuwaiti football team to Bahrain prior to their match later in Bahrain against Saudi Arabia amid the third round of the 21st Gulf Cup of Nations.

In a statement, Sheikh Ahmad AlKhaled expressed thanks and appreciation to His Highness the Amir for his support to sport and athletes in the country and praised the premier for

following up on the directives which would ensure implementation and provide ease to the fans during their travel.

Recently, two planes from the Kuwaiti Air Force were allocated to transfer Kuwaiti fans to Bahrain to attend previous matches of the same tournament. — KUNA

VIVA platinum sponsor of Jobs Forum Exhibition KUWAIT: Kuwait’s fastest-growing telecom operator, VIVA, announced its Platinum sponsorship of the 8th Jobs Forum Exhibition. This sponsorship comes in line with VIVA’s commitment to providing employment opportunities to Kuwaiti youth. The Job Forum is held under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and attended by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah AlMubarak Al-Sabah, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Minister of State for Municipality Affairs, and will be held at Arraya Ballroom between Jan 13 and 16 from 9am until 1pm and from 5pm until 9pm.

VIVA’s Chief Executive Officer, Salman Bin Abdul Aziz AlBadran said: “We are very pleased to take part in the Kuwait Jobs Forum for the second consecutive year. VIVA has invested heavily in the professional development of Kuwaiti talent and in offering young Kuwaitis opportunities to build their careers and contribute to our country’s economic advancement. At VIVA, we believe that it is part of our social responsibility to help provide youth with suitable career development opportunities, and by participating in the Kuwait Jobs Forum we are demonstrating our commitment to this important cause.

It is noteworthy to mention that in 2012, VIVA had signed a memorandum of agreement with the Manpower and Government Restructuring Program (MGRP) which committed the company to supporting MGRP’s ongoing efforts to provide job opportunities for Kuwaiti nationals in the private sector through the support of small businesses and training programs. VIVA is the newest, most advanced mobile telecommunications service provider in Kuwait.

Launched in December 2008, VIVA makes things Possible for our customers by transforming communication, information and entertainment experiences. The company has rapidly established an unrivalled position in the market through our customer and employee centric approach.

VIVA’s quest is to be the mobile brand of choice for Kuwait

by being transparent, engaging, energetic and fulfilling.

VIVA continues to take a considerable share of the market by offering an innovative range of best value products, services and content propositions; a state of the art, nationwide network and world-class service. VIVA offers Internet speed up to 42.2Mbps due to the implementation of the most advanced third generation (3G and HSDPA) network in Kuwait resulting in superior coverage, performance and reliability.

‘End red tape faced by SMEs’ KUWAIT: Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Minister of State For Municipal Affairs Mohammad Abdullah Al-Sabah said yesterday that obstacles facing small projects must be eradicated to help build and develop the national economy. The minister made his remarks during participation in the 2nd Kuwaiti Investment Forum hosted here. Participants in the forum made similar calls, in the opening of the second session, noting that all obstacles facing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) must be eliminated to attract Kuwaiti creative youths and to contribute into country’s national economy.

Sheikh Mohammad added that returns from taxing in advanced countries comes from small projects, noting that legislations needs to be examined to achieve ambitions and needs of the youths in the long run. For his part, Director of Information and Development in Kuwait Municipality Ahmad Al-Menfohi said that a number of obstacles faced the youth during establishment of small to medium projects. — KUNA

High registration of contestants in Popular Heritage Festival KUWAIT: Registration for contests in the Third Popular Heritage Festival, due to kick-start on the 15th of this month, was unprecedentedly high, said the steering committee of the forthcoming event on Saturday.

Sheikh Dhari Fahad Al-Ahmad AlSabah said number of those who registered for various competitions of the event reached more than 4,500, indicating that the contenders would get involved in race and beauty contests for camels, horses, goats, sheep, falcons and fish.

Top winners will be granted KD

740,000 in cash, said Sheikh Dhari, indicating that the organizers would also award winners with up to 107 cars, also noting that the awards would be given to up to 600 winners in all the categories.

He praised participation of GCC citizens and HH the Amir’s sponsorship of the activities.

For his part, Sheikh Sabah Fahad Al-Nasser Al-Sabah, the head of the steering committee of the festival and the chief of the judging panel, said most of the preparations for the popular event had been completed.

HH the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, ordered, three years ago, organization of the festival to revive the national heritage and relive customs and activities of the ancestors.

New contests will be organized for the first time-namely contests for female horse riders.

Steering committee, headed by Sheikh Dhari Fahad Al-Ahmad AlSabah, is installing headquarters of the festival, located on Al-Salmi road, where the animals’ contests would be held. — KUNA

GIC signs MOU with Korea Finance Corporation KUWAIT: Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC) announced yesterday the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Korea Finance Corporation (KoFC) which took place in Dubai. The MOU signals the interest in KoFC to partner with GIC as its preferred partner for investments into the GCC region. Such investment should also greatly complement the important work conducted by Korean industrial groups into the GCC region since the 1970s.

The Korea Finance Corporation (KoFC) is a Korean government owned agency whose mandate is to support the growth of the Korean economy through financing sectors of significant contribution to the overall economy. On the international front KoFC provides financing to projects undertaken by Korean firms to aid in their international growth. This is an area where GIC can play a key role in helping to bridge the transfer of Korean technology, know-how and funding into the GCC region. When this is combined with GIC’s proven project management record and access to an ever expanding pipeline of attractive projects in the GCC this becomes a very logical and natural partnership.

Representing GIC was Dr. Russell Read the Chief Investment Officer and Malek Al-Ajeel the Head of Business Development and Strategic Planning.

Commenting on signing the landmark agreement, Dr Russell Read, said: “The GCC has enjoyed the partnership of Korean industrial companies for major project work in our region since the

1970s. Today, GIC is delighted to partner with KoFC to launch the era of Korean investment into the GCC and between our two regions.”

Dong Choon Lee, Chief Investment Officer of KoFC, also emphasized the strong interest his company has in making investments in the GCC. He was accompanied by National Assembly members Jung Hoon Kim, who is the chairman of the National Assembly National Policy Committee and YoungJoo Kim, Vice Chairman of the National Policy Committee.

Established in 1983, GIC is a regional

financial institution owned entirely and equally by the six GCC states. GIC strives to provide a comprehensive range of financial services that support the development of private enterprise and economic growth in the Gulf region. GIC managed to achieve a number of major projects throughout GCC Countries all with diversified activities covering different sectors via, financial, petrochemical, steel, power, communications and others. GIC successfully maintained its distinguished presence as a financially powerful establishment with rewarding returns and enhanced capital base.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

LOCAL

Sheikh Ahmad accuses former Cabinet of ‘betrayal’ ‘Politically-motivated’ interpellation KUWAIT: Former minister Sheikh Ahmad AlFahad Al-Sabah accused the former cabinet, of which he was a part, of “betraying” him when he faced a grilling motion that eventually led to his resignation nearly two years ago. He said he was targeted by “a politically-motivated” interpellation. Sheikh Ahmad, who is currently the head of the Olympic Council of Asia, had stepped down from his position as Deputy Prime Minister and State Minister for Planning and Development before a parliamentary session in mid 2011 which was to feature a debate on a grilling motion filed against him by then MPs Adel AlSarawi and Marzouq Al-Ghanim.

The former minister broke his silence during a live interview on Thursday night and indicated that his decision was “a tactic” to foil a conspiracy hatched by the cabinet and a number of MPs to oust him.

“The Cabinet had agreed with a number of MPs to oust me through the grilling motion whose result was premeditated,” Sheikh Ahmad said during the ‘Al-Fareeq Al-Tase’a’ (the ninth team) program on Abu Dhabi Sports.

The former minister explained that he received certain information on the eve of the discussion in the grilling motion which he said

he was able to confirm the next morning “that the former Cabinet and a group of MPs plotted to eliminate me in order to appease a certain group.” The accusations mentioned in Al-Sabah’s grilling motion, including allegations of corruption, were referred to the parliament’s legislative committee for investigations following the former minister’s resignation.

“There was betrayal on the part of the cabinet and a group (of MPs),” Sheikh Al-Sabah adamantly indicated, before expressing gratitude about the later developments which ended in the former Prime Minister HH Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah resigning, followed by a dissolution of the parliament. Sheikh Al-Sabah also took a dig at the lawmakers who filed the grilling motion against him when he applauded the Kuwaiti people for “eliminating three of them while reducing the winning margin of the remaining two who won by less than fifty percent of their previous vote average.”

While he did not name the group, the former minister was clearly referring to the National Action Bloc whose members Aseel Al-Awadhi and Saleh Al-Mulla lost in last February’s elections, while Marzouq Al-Ghanim and Abdullah Al-Roumi won despite earning fewer votes com-

pared to what they received in the 2009 elections. Bloc member Adel Al-Saraawi did not contest the February 2012 elections.

But Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad rejected the notion that he had a role in the public movements which eventually led to the former premier’s resignation. “The movement was politically motivated and carried out by youth activists,” he said, and added that “15 out of 17 MPs who were against me have failed [in the February 2012 elections].” The former minister also urged the parties which accused him of corruption to “take legal action,” and expressed willingness to face them in a televised debate.

Two former lawmakers were quick to respond to Sheikh Al-Sabah’s remarks, including AlAwadhi who sarcastically stated that “manliness is not expressed when the other party is injured,” and urged the former minister to “explain the nature of the betrayal you claim to have been subjected to now that you have suddenly have the courage to speak out.”

Meanwhile, former MP Al-Mulla said that he was ready to face off against the former minister “at the time and place of his choosing,” hoping at the same time that “he does not try to find a way out like he did the last time.”

IOM regional symposium in Kuwait ‘big success’ GENEVA: The UN International Orgamnisation of Migration (IOM) said yesterday that the three-day regional symposium on the role of corporation in promoting social responsibility towards labour in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries ended on 9 January at the UN House in Mishref, Kuwait, was successful.

This event, the first of its kind in the Middle East, was organized by IOM in cooperation with the Kuwait Awqaf Public Foundation (KAPF) and the support of the Embassy of the Netherlands. It took place under the auspices of Thikra Al-Rashidi, Minister of Social Affairs and Labour of Kuwait, said the IOM in a press release from its headquarteres in Geneva.

The conference provided a platform for companies, NGOs, charitable organizations as well as government agencies in Kuwait and the GCC countries to network and share their approaches and activities relating to the protection of employees, their communities, the environment and society at

large. “It is through the development of public private partnerships in humanitarian and social economic developments projects that we all succeed,” said Minister Al-Rashidi.

Dutch Ambassador Nicholas Beets encouraged companies to adopt Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies.

“I believe that the better labour regulations, CSR policies and their implementation by the more successful states will enable continued economic growth and social progress in the years ahead.”

IOM’s Chief of Mission in Kuwait Iman Ereiqat highlighted role of the United Nations Global Compact initiative urging companies to adopt a number of values and principles regarding human rights, labour standards, the environment and combating corruption.

IOM noted that as the importance of migration in the global economy continues to grow, international political and media interest in issues such as ethical recruitment and the need to enhance the

AMMAN: Kuwaiti volunteers disibuting aid to Syrian refugees in Jordan.

Kuwait donates $300,000 to Syrian refugees AMMAN: A Kuwaiti women’s charitable society donated a sum of USD 300,000 to Syrian refugees in Jordan, said an official here yesterday.

The International Islamic Charity Organization (IICO) official Waleed Al-Said said that the donation would help fund the purchase of necessities for the refugees as

well as covering medical expenses.

Through the IICO, Kuwait has donated a sum of USD 30 million to help distribute necessities for Syrians.

Since March 2011, over 280,000 refugees have fled the violence in their country to neighboring states such as Jordan. —KUNA

impact of migration on development was bound to increase. With an estimated foreign worker population of around 20 million, the importance and the potential of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in GCC countries is considerable and offers a unique opportunity for the private sector to play a leadership role and achieve international recognition by addressing the challenges in the recruitment process through a series of measures.

Those include integrity clauses within recruitment contracts, careful selection and audits of recruitment partners, and surveys of employees on their recruitment experiences. Awareness campaigns can play a particularly important role in addressing the concerns of foreign workers.

In addition, private companies can enhance the contribution of labour mobility to development by reducing transaction costs and facilitating access to remittances, by reducing transaction fees for employees and by providing financial literacy training for foreign workers and their families.—KUNA

KUWAIT: Minister of Education Nayef Al-Hajraf attending the Kuwaiti Investment Forum yesterday.

Developing education ‘crucial part of economic plan’ KUWAIT: Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education Nayef Al-Hajraf said on Saturday that the government would not hesitate in supporting and developing the education sector through making it a crucial par t of the economic and social development plan of the country.

Al-Hajraf made his remarks on the sidelines of his participation in the 2nd Kuwaiti Investment Forum hosted here, adding “part of the modern day requirements compel us to qualify youths in various education stages, including higher education to com-

plete the c ycle of comprehensive development.”

Al-Hajraf said that the education budget in Kuwait this year is KD 1.6 billion, due to several vital projects currently being carried out in cooperation with international entities like the International Bank and Singapore Education System - now being implemented virtually on the ground.

The minister noted that a couple of memos of understanding are set to be signed with various investment companies and with the Banks Union to boost the education sector in certain areas. —KUNA

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

LOCAL letters to Badrya

Local Spotlight

High hopes for new year Hello, am a regular reader of your articles in Kuwait Times.

They are really good and I would like to thank you for sharing your wonderful ideas with us.

As you mentioned in your article, we have high hopes for 2013.

About your question regarding the number 13 being unlucky, I would like to share some information with you.

In Zoroastrianism, the number 13 was considered sinister and wicked in ancient Iranian civilization. In keeping with the Nourooz tradition, the 13th day of each new Iranian year is called Sizdah Be-dar. This tradition is still alive among the Iranian people, both in modern day Iran and even abroad. Since Sizdah Be-dar is the 13th day of the year, it is considered a day when evil’s power may cause difficulties for people. This day is an official holiday all over Iran. (Source Wikipedia) There are different stories in different regions.

But as you said, “Goodbye 2012 with all your miseries! Welcome 2013!”

One more thing. The article “How racist we are”, a re-published piece from Al-Anbaa depicts expats in Kuwait as being largely window washers and waiters.

Do not fool yourself. The fact is that expats are everywhere in Kuwait. They are CEOs, COOs, CIOs, GMs etc. They run banks, investment firms, manufacturing firms, hospitals etc. Even KOC, KNPC etc are run by expat engineers and managers. The one establishment with a majority of Kuwaitis in the top management is Kuwait Airways Co. Need I say more about the state of affairs in that company? Is it not just like the state of Kuwait?

In many forms, Kuwaitis hold the top jobs, but 99% of them are just nominal “authorised signatories.” All they do all day is drink “qaw’wah” and sign a bunch of papers. The real work is done by their army of expat professionals. How many Kuwaitis have distinguished qualifications like MBAs from top universities or CA/CFA etc? Perhaps only a handful. But the expat population with such qualifications runs into thousands. We expats are here to benefit from that situation. The “less” smart Kuwaiti population needs us to run their own country since they cannot do it on their own. That is why they are ready to pay us so much money. We will take it, make some money over a couple of years and then get out of this place and wish we never have to come back - that is the expat attitude around here which is so different from what happens in countries like UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman etc.

Happy New Year. Keep writing.

Thanks and regards, Vimalesh Vijayan

Kuwait facing big challenge

I

Hi Badrya, How are you doing? I would like to say you are really doing a great job. I used to live in Kuwait but am now based in the UK. However, I keep reading online the news about Kuwait and the crimes occurring there.

If I can be of any help, please let me know. I would like to support with help.

Thanks

In my view

Crime spree in Kuwait

By Muna Al-Fuzai

muna@kuwaittimes.net

E

kuwait digest

Force govt to scrap loans

By Thaar Al Rashidi

I

wish with all my heart that our honorable government pays heed to the plight of the Kuwaiti people after having distributed about $15 billion in aid to other countries, some of them for purposes that will shock you.

There is no rationale that can explain how the government can give away billions to people in other countries even as the honorable finance minister, Mustafa AlShamali, says sufficient funds were not available to write off the interest accrued on the Kuwaitis’ loans.

We would back him on the issue if only our government explains to us why it was more important to build a power station in the South Pacific Islands which no Kuwaiti has ever set a foot on while people are being buried under debts.

I pose this query to our MPs and urge them to act in the interest of their brothers in Kuwait. It is time to stop any political shenanigans about making suggestions and proposing draft laws to waive off the loans, buy them back or write off the interest. Every MP is coming up with some idea or draft law to this effect just because he wants to be able to later claim that he too made a suggestion. It is time, if they are serious, to immediately make collective efforts and propose a clearly defined law and then follow it up in coordination with each other.

They should act in a concerted fashion to force the government to either scrap the loans or buy the interest.

But if all they want is to show off, we do not need their suggestions. May be you do not know where, how and to

what purpose were those billions of dollars paid, but I am going to tell you.. Our state has paid off loans worth 15.5 billion dollars but nothing will come out of such magnanimity.

Jihad Al-Khazen wrote so extensively about Kuwaiti affairs that I thought he will be in the running for grant of Kuwaiti nationality for the good work this year. I say to him, “Dear sir, please leave us alone and worry about your own affairs as we know our Kuwait much better.”

The problem is that just because he writes so frequently about Kuwait, the readers imagine that Al-Khazen was perhaps born in Al-Jahra, grew up in Al-Adailiya and spent his youth in Salmiya or Ahmadi and graduated from PAAET colleges in Shuwaikh. The truth is that if he were to be stuck in a traffic jam on the Jamal Abdul Nasser Street, he would not be able to reach home.

The employee about whom I wrote a few weeks back and how he stole half a million Kuwaiti dinars, and in whose case all that the state-owned organization did was to deduct four days worth of his salary as a punitive measure, applied last week for retirement. This is fantastic. An employee steals half a million, suffers a punishment of deduction of half a day’s salary and then applies for retirement. If this is not corruption, then what is? Billions are being spent outside while thieves are stealing inside. Those who steal millions are not jailed while politicians remind you about paying your loans.

What a nice bunch of people we have in Kuwait. We are being bashed but remain silent. — Al-Anbaa

kuwait digest

kuwait digest

No smoke without fire

By Abdallah Bwair

Constitution amendment

By Ibrahim Al-Awadhi

local@kuwaittimes.net

A

fter the ghastly murder of a recently graduated dentist at the Avenues Mall, Kuwait witnessed a spate of violent crimes. The Avenues Mall murder elicited widespread reactions from people who mostly held the Interior Ministry responsible for failing to provide sufficient security in shopping malls and other crowded spots.

Shortly after that murder, a stateless resident was brutally attacked by a group of knife-wielding young men at a gas station even as many watched as mute spectators.

This was followed by an incident in which a Kuwaiti man was stabbed right in front of his house. In yet another incident, bikers attacked the son of the Ministry of Awqaf’s undersecretary after he confronted them for riding along the walkway on the Gulf Road.

In another case, two Kuwaitis narrowly escaped death after they were stabbed by their desert camp’s Ethiopian keeper.

An Egyptian man was shot dead inside his office in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh. Meanwhile, several areas around Kuwait often see groups of armed men engaging in scuffles. In one such brawl, an Egyptian man was recently stabbed and injured.

What is the reason behind this phenomenon? Some people believe that the root causes of such a crime wave are social, while others say the reasons have to do with flaws in educational, political, economic and even media sectors.

In my opinion, all of these factors have contributed to the spread of crime, apart from the lack of proper law enforcement. Once a person knows that he can avoid punishment, it is quite possible that he would resort to using weapons to settle differences.

Will this culture of violence in Kuwait ever end? For how long will the citizens and residents of Kuwait continue to face the risk that they could become the target of an armed assault just because someone wants to settle any disputes in this fashion? Should we blame the family, the school, the media, or the Interior Ministry whose duty it is to maintain public safety and security?

Or should we blame them all?

I believe that we need to inculcate the values about respect for law among the young people in Kuwait. I also believe that wasta, the culture of unlawful mediation to help culprits avoid accountability, must be effectively combated. In addition, I believe criminals convicted of murder must be sentenced to death in order to set an example.

K

uwait ranked 66th in the 2012 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (CPI) which estimates corruption levels in 176 countries based on how it widespread the menace is in state departments and how effective are the governmental procedures to combat it. For the third year in a row, Kuwait continued to plunge in the rankings, after figuring at 54 in the 2011 CPI and 44 in 2004. The lower ranking hardly surprised anyone, given the political turmoil the country has gone through including allegations of corruption, bribery, and the controversial K-Dow deal.

It is interesting to note that the latest CPI rankings showed Kuwait tied with Saudi Arabia at the bottom among the six Gulf Cooperation Council states, but unlike its sister GCC nations, Kuwait enjoys a legislative and monitoring system. Its state departments work in a well-defined administrative structure that is ostensibly far more advanced than other GCC states. Moreover, Kuwait’s parliament enjoys vast powers to combat governmental corruption, significantly enabling it address any cases of suspected corruption compared to the other Gulf states.

However, that scenario is only on the paper. The reality on the ground is different. After fifty years practicing democracy, the much talked about and anticipated anticorruption public authority is still to be set up in Kuwait.

Such political mismanagement continues to negatively impact the state’s economy since it leads to a failure to create a proper economic environment that would attract foreign investors.

Everyone in Kuwait calls for law enforcement, combating corruption and protecting public funds. In the meantime, everyone knows that corruption has become deeply embedded in state departments to an extent where we have stopped complaining about it. Still, we have never heard of a state official being held accountable for any malpractice. Doesn’t corruption happen because of people who are corrupt? After all, there is no smoke without fire.

The true definition of corruption is now lost in Kuwait since it is no longer associated with theft of public funds, sudden rise in bank balances under suspicious circumstances, use of public office to accumulate ill-begotten wealth, rewarding tenders worth millions illegally, forcing the country to miss on investment opportunities due to vested interests, or being involved in crimes such as human trafficking or selling food items unsuitable for human consumption.

This reminds me of Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Thekra Al-Rashidi’s recent statements about referring human traffickers to the Public Prosecution. It seems that the minister is living on another planet because promises alone are not going to change the reality on the ground. Only time will tell if anything concrete happens. — Al-Rai

very day, the people of Kuwait follow the social networking website Twitter and the daily posts published on it by different people, some of them Kuwaitis. The non-Kuwaitis who mostly write about our country on the Twitter are either bedoons, Saudis or Bahrainis. Twitter users from these three different categories of citizens were arrested because they made improper remarks on the social media website about His Highness the Amir of Kuwait, the ruling system and the National Assembly.

While I can understand the attitude of Kuwaiti citizens, I find it difficult to accept non-Kuwaitis attacking my country. If they don’t love Kuwait and hate it so much, why don’t they just leave and never come back?

Now, two Kuwaiti have been arrested and are currently under custody for violating media laws. I do not want to focus on what they wrote and why were they writing such offensive stuff but do want to understand why were they full of so much rage against a ruling system that has provided its people with not only the means to live but so many privileges. We are living in a welfare state. At least financially, we are insured and covered from birth to death. There is not a single beggar in Kuwait. Who are the role models for such angry Kuwaitis? What makes conservative groups like Muslim Brotherhood or Salafis seem like a choice in this part of the world? What do they have to offer that others do not? I also fail to understand why would a highly educated woman support groups who neither believe nor show any inclination to empower the women. Being a Muslim does not mean one must join such groups. I believe these are purely political groups and I refuse to be used as a fodder for any of them.

In our Arab world, the majority of people are still under the influence of old customs and traditions. That is why conservative movements spread quickly through educational institutes and media. They adversely affect people’s choices, trends and ideas, besides their political stance and thought process. The political groups know this all too well and have thrived in Kuwait for years. This kind of thinking remains dominant among many sections.

The education domain must take the blame for the spread of such conservative thinking, and although Kuwait is a rich country, it has failed to improve its educational infrastructure. The societal demand for improvement in this field was never taken seriously. Half of the Kuwaiti population comprises youth and yet nothing was done to involve them in how future was to be shaped.

Many youth found in politics an opportunity to fill their free time. It was not a healthy thing to happen, and in fact spelt doom as political groups preyed on the vulnerable generation.

We will be facing a serious danger if we fail to understand what needs to be done at a time when youth in Kuwait are joining weekly demonstrations and clashes against the security forces.

Kuwait is facing a challenge now about how to overcome the dilemma in which they some youth are calling for a change but are unaware about who should lead them towards this change? Unfortunately, the youth has been used as a fuel in nearly all rebellions in Arabic countries and never benefitted or succeeded in making their countries better.

No one knows for sure what would happen in the coming few days and that is why all of us are simply observing.

By Abdullatif Al-Duaij

I

strongly suppor t the recent statements of Parliament Speaker Ali Al-Rashid that it not a conducive time to carry out any amendment in the constitution. Not only is the timing of the constitutional amendments being talked about “unsuitable”, I also believe that any minor or comprehensive amendments to the constitution or changes in the political system at this time would be an impracticable idea, considering the circumstances that Kuwait is passing through today.

It is possible that such speculative talk is part of the motivated efforts of those who want to discredit the government and make it look as if the government is trying to change the political system.

Some people may be ‘convincing’ the government that now is the best time to effect a change in the political system or pass any amendments since it would be easy and the steps may not necessarily have to be democratic.

The plain fact is that the time is not ready for any such venture since a large number of citizens, whether they comprised a majority or not, are currently not represented on the political scene.

Regardless of how we view their position vis-‡-vis ours, these citizens remain an important and active part of society and have a certain view about the potential changes in the political system. Their view deserves attention if we want to serve the general interest.

It is always better and more advisable to carry out any constitutional amendment when there is unanimity. Besides, it should happen in circumstances when the country can claim political stability and its citizens should be satisfied about the result of political changes.

The current circumstances with the inherent tensions and skepticism are definitely not suitable to undertake such decisions. Meanwhile, any parliament which wants to pass fundamental amendments to the constitution should be elected by citizens fully aware of the effect of such amendments.

That means that people should be well aware at the time of balloting that the next parliament is going to amend the constitution. Also, voting needs to be based on constitutional positions and vision of candidates instead of the usual ‘economic or social programs’ hinting at financial benefits that candidates promise.

If bonafide intentions are inspiring these constitutional amendments, then these need to be put on hold until the next parliament so that voters can elect candidates on the basis of their position about the proposed amendments. — Al-Qabas

In my view

What’s the difference?

By Dr Hassan Abbas

W

hen any Kuwaiti looks back at his history, all the way back to 1962, I am sure he will end up asking himself this question: is the problem with him or with the regulations?

It looks like as if it is Kuwait’s destiny to be always busy talking about various opinions and recommendations about how to eliminate sectarianism and discrimination, while politicians engage in heated debates about whether to divide the country into five constituencies or ten or how many candidates a citizen can vote for.

Debates and recommendations continue, but our chronic problems remain.

Currently, we have an assembly dubbed ‘the parliament of achievements,’ the successor of what we called ‘the parliament of tensions.’ But in reality, what is the difference between the two? Both of them started their work with a list of draft laws on their agendas, including proposals to write-off citizens’ loans and find ways to distribute public funds to the public.

And while the current parliament is still relatively young, lawmakers have already followed in their predecessors’ footsteps by beginning to fan sectarian agendas.

Two lawmakers engaged in a heated verbal exchange featuring use of foul language last Tuesday. It was not a slanging match between any two MPs, but between a Shiite and a Salafist one.

The current parliament is supposed to have replaced one which was against the values of democracy and transparency. Or did it? It seems that our incumbent lawmakers also continue to be arbitrary and stubborn as were their predecessors. How else can we explain an action that mirrors the mindset of their predecessors like refusing a request by the Public Prosecution to lift the immunity of one of their colleagues and debate the possibility of holding sessions behind closed doors?

In the meantime, we wait for a miracle to happen or a solution to reveal itself. What we refuse to admit is the fact that the root cause of our problem is none other than, sorry to say, us. We seek change but refuse to change ourselves. No matter what the shape of constituencies that we have or how many votes we would be entitled to, it will all be of no use because people need to reprogram themselves. — Al-Rai

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

Malaysia oppn rally draws huge crowds

Russia rejects Assad exit as precondition for deal Page 8

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GAZA CITY: Palestinian mourners carry the body of Anwar Mohammed Al-Mamluk during his funeral yesterday. Israeli soldiers shot dead Mamluk and wounded another near the border fence with Gaza on Friday, a spokesman for the territory’s emergency services said. The military said that he was part of a group that rushed the fence to try to damage it. — AFP

Left wing sees end of Israel Zionists fear Arabs could outnumber Jews and take over TEL AVIV: An apocalyptic tone has crept into Israel’s hitherto muted election season, with opposition leaders and others sounding increasingly desperate warnings that a few more years of rule by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s heavily favored right wing might well destroy the Jewish state. The idea is that by holding onto the lands Palestinians want for their state - and continuing to settle them with Jews - the Israeli right is marching blindly toward a future in which Arabs could outnumber Jews in the country and ultimately take over.

Perhaps the most strident proponent of this message is former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who four years ago led peace talks with the Palestinians and recently founded a new party whose primary message is that the Zionist project is in danger. “Netanyahu is leading us toward the end of the Jewish state,” she said in a statement Friday. “Israelis must choose between extremism and Zionism. Israel is in great danger and everyone must wake up now.”

Outgoing opposition leader Shaul Mofaz, a former military chief and defense minister, warns at campaign appearances that Arabs will soon outnumber Jews in the Holy Land and the main strategic priority must be to partition the land to prevent the emergence of a “binational state”. Leaders of the main center-left Labor Party say much the same. Netanyahu’s majority depends on his Likud party in coalition with other nationalist and religious groups known as the “right.” Despite all its bewildering complications, the political spectrum ultimately resembles something of a two-party system.

The prime minister and his supporters have argued that Israel must not act in haste and many on the right stridently oppose any territorial concessions on the lands Israel captured in 1967 - the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, where the Palestinians want to set up their state. The author Amos Oz, who has long been viewed as an oracle of sorts in Israel, called the governing coalition “the most anti-Zionist in the history of Israel” for ignoring the demographic issue. “If there will not be two states here, neither will it (even) be a binational state - it will be an Arab state,” he was quoted by Haaretz as saying on Friday. “They believe Jews can rule an Arab majority (but) no apartheid nation in the world survived without collapsing in a few years.”

Netanyahu himself has at times conceded the logic of the argument: Israel proper has 6 million Jews living alongside almost 2 million Arab citizens; with the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza thrown into the mix, the populations divide about evenly and the Arab birthrate is higher. Hence, if Israel insists on ruling the entire Holy Land, Jews will be in the minority. Even as the tipping point approaches, Israel continues to add to the Jewish settler population in the West Bank, which together with the Israelis who live in adjacent east

Jerusalem now number a half million. Israelis on the left fret that too many settlers will make a partition impossible in a few years. Under this narrative, partition is not an Israeli “concession,” which must await Palestinian promises of peace - but rather a life-saving surgery for the Zionist enterprise.

The demographic message resonates with many Jewish Israelis who - like the founding fathers of Zionism a century ago - view themselves as an ethnic group and consider Israel its nation-state. And it seems widely supported among the country’s secular elites - in academia, the business world, major media organizations and even in the senior echelons of the security establishment.

Israel’s security chiefs must generally clam up while in office, but outbursts by the recently retired have been striking: Yuval Diskin, who headed the Shin Bet security police, excoriated Netanyahu for missing a chance to pursue peace with the moderate Palestinian leadership of Mahmoud Abbas; Meir Dagan, who headed the Mossad spy agency, has portrayed the premier as a dangerous adventurer who might drag Israel into war with Iran; and former military chief Gabi Ashkenazi was so widely touted as a leader-in-waiting for the left that a law was passed freezing security officials out of politics for just long enough to keep him out of the current election season.

In an interview with the Yediot Ahronot newspaper, Diskin warned that the current lull in Palestinian violence was in danger because it depends on the Palestinian Authority’s security cooperation with Israel and Palestinian leaders “will not be able to be seen over time as the protectors of the Israeli interests while Israel, from their perspective, every day steals more lands, builds more (Jewish) settlements, and pushes away their dream of a state, chopping up the territory into parts that it will be very difficult to connect.” “I don’t know whether it is possible to achieve peace, but with these moves we are certainly diminishing even the small chance that is left,” Diskin said.

Yaron Ezrahi, a political science professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said it was “not surprising that in Israel the officers are more moderate ... as men of war who lost (friends) they become pragmatists because they all sense very clearly the limitations of power.” But he warned that the broad support of a country’s elites for a given political argument would not necessarily translate into a persuasion of the masses.

Indeed, most polls show the rightwing bloc led by Likud as likely to win perhaps 65 of the 120 seats, enough to keep Netanyahu in power - even though studies suggest most Israelis would support a formal two-state solution if one were offered. There are several reasons that account for this contradiction and compel so many Israelis to put the demographic issue aside.

First, Israel pulled out of the tiny but crowded Gaza Strip in 2005, removing all settlers and soldiers and cutting off its almost 2 million people from Israel with a fence.

Thus many Israelis feel they won some “demographic time” and dumped the troublesome territory - yet the Palestinians see Gaza as linked to the West Bank and they consider it still occupied because Israel controls air and sea access to it.

Second, the vast majority of West Bank Palestinians live in autonomous zones set up in negotiations during the 1990s. There the Palestinian Authority enjoys a measure of self-rule, with its own services to citizens, its own police and various trappings of quasi-statehood enabling Israelis to view this population as not exactly under occupation and already somewhat separated from Israel. They note that Israel has not formally annexed the West Bank, the implication being that even though the territory has Jewish settlers who can vote in Israeli elections - it is not Israel.

But the reality is messy: dozens of islands of autonomy surrounded on all sides by the 60 percent of the West Bank still fully controlled by Israel, with Jewish settlements dotting the territory and Israel controlling Palestinians’ movements between the zones and into and out of the West Bank. With the settlements in place, a reasonable-looking map is already difficult to envision. Perhaps most damaging for the left, Israelis appear to have lost faith that the lands can be traded for peace, because even when their leaders proposed what they considered far-reaching offers no deal was reached.

That happened under Prime Minister Ehud Barak in 2001, and again when the government of Ehud Olmert proposed a state on almost all the Palestinian territories in 2008. One poll conducted several weeks ago showed 60 percent of Israeli Jews support a two-state peace agreement with the Palestinians - but 67 percent believe that “no matter which parties prevail, the peace process with the Palestinians will remain at a standstill for reasons not connected to Israel.” The poll of 601 people had a 4.5 percent margin of error.

Some - like columnist Elia Leibowitz - argue for a unilateral pullout from at least part of the territory, if a deal is unattainable. “The fateful question now facing Israel is Hamlet’s: To be or not to be,” Leibowitz wrote in Haaretz.

“The option of Israel ‘being’ exists only if it withdraws from all the occupied territories.” But the unilateral model has been discredited in the eyes of many by the example of Gaza where the Israeli handover was followed by a takeover by the Islamic militant group Hamas and years of cross-border rocket barrages.

“As opposed to the voices that I have heard recently urging me to run forward, make concessions (and) withdraw, I think that the diplomatic process must be managed responsibly and sagaciously and not in undue haste,” Netanyahu said last week. He notes that he has

offered peace talks but the Palestinians insist on a settlement freeze, which is politically difficult for a rightwing government.

The sense that they have run out of options - and yet that something has to give - has some on the left predicting the world will step in. “Maybe we need to hit rock bottom, to be on the verge of international sanctions or a (foreign) military intervention before change can happen,” said Liora Norwich, a 30-year-old in a Tel Aviv cafe, concluding that in this sense a Netanyahu victory could be for the best.

And critically, the demographic argument alienates the Israeli Arabs who are crucial to any hopes of assembling a majority in the electorate against the right.

Unlike the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza, they are citizens of Israel who can vote. But about half don’t bother - a much lower participation level than that of the Jews - greatly diminishing the chances of the left to prevail. Among that group as well, the idea that a separation is no longer possible is increasingly heard. “Every day that passes, with the expansion of settlements ... closes the window of opportunity and sends people thinking about another option: the one-state solution,” prominent Arab legislator Ahmed Tibi said.

Contemplating such as Arab-majority state, Tibi added: “That’s probably the only option in which I will be prime minister.” — AP

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

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

Doubts plague Tunisia two years after Ben Ali TUNIS: Tunisians tomorrow mark two years since the overthrow of ex-president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali amid a highly uncertain future beset by social and security tensions, a sluggish economy, and deadlock over a new constitution. The hopes that accompanied the victorious first Arab Spring uprising have given way for many of its supporters to frustration at persistent poverty and hardship, despite Ben Ali fleeing to Saudi Arabia after 23 years in power. “Contrary to what the government claims, the rate of unemployment has risen since the revolution and graduates represent more than a third of around one million job seekers,” said Salem Ayari of the union for jobless graduates.

“Political tensions, nepotism and corruption have exacerbated an already critical economic situation.”

A Western diplomat described the government, led by the moderate Islamist party Ennahda that triumphed in the 2011 parliamentary elections, as “running around in circles”. Popular frustration was starkly illustrated on Dec 17, when protesters heckled

President Moncef Marzouki and pelted him with stones in Sidi Bouzid, the poor central town where the revolution erupted exactly two years earlier.

Strikes and protests have multiplied in the past year, often degenerating into violence, as in late November when around 300 people were hurt in running clashes between police and protesters in Siliana, a town southwest of Tunis. This week, the southern border town of Ben Guerdane was rocked by violence, with protesters demanding investment and jobs torching a police station and customs office, and ransacking the premises of the ruling party. On Friday, Ennahda chief Rached Ghannouchi issued a stark warning. “We do not want Tunisia to become like Somalia, where revolution turned into chaos,” he told supporters.

The government remains determined to forge ahead with the anniversary festivities, however, hoisting flags along the capital’s streets and erecting tents to host cultural activities. Representatives of both Libya and Egypt, two other Arab Spring states, will also

attend today’s ceremony. A “social pact” is also due to be signed on the day by trade unions, business leaders and the authorities.

Defending its record, the government points to the revolution’s achievements such as freedom of expression and political pluralism, and a return to economic growth which went from negative in 2011 to 3.5 percent last year. But beyond the generic social discontent and frequent confrontations between supporters of the government and its critics, the authorities are facing a separate, and more sinister threat, from the minority jihadist movement. Last September, suspected Islamists attacked the US embassy in Tunis and a neighbouring American school in violence that left four people dead and dozens wounded.

Last month, security forces arrested 16 men suspected of belonging to a group linked to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in western Tunisia, after a deadly attack, and recovered weapons thought to have originated from Libya. Security has been boosted ahead of

the anniversary, with a security source saying there were concerns about possible attacks by a militant group whose members have been arrested in recent weeks. “This group has weapons and represents a real danger for Tunisia” where a state of emergency has been in force since January 2011, the source said.

Politically, the situation is no less uncertain.

Ennahda has failed to reach a compromise with secularists in the interim parliament on the new constitution, which the Islamists had promised to have drafted by the end of October.

Legislative and presidential elections have been postponed to June and could be pushed back further, while negotiations on a possible cabinet reshuffle have dragged on since July, and absenteeism is hampering the work of lawmakers. “We must agree to a serious and credible (electoral) calendar so that investors, for example, can know what to do,” said Amira Yahyaoui, who heads an NGO that lobbies for transparency in parliament. — AFP

Russia rejects Assad exit as precondition for deal Syrian intelligence official defects

BAGHDAD: Shiite demonstrators chant pro-government slogans and wave national flags to show support for Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki (photo on banner) yesterday. — AP

Hundreds back Maliki amid calls for his head BAGHDAD: Hundreds of demonstrators rallied in central Baghdad yesterday to back Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, as the latest in weeks of anti-government rallies in Sunni areas of Iraq called for him to quit.

The demonstrations have worsened a political crisis that pits Maliki against his erstwhile government partners, with the premier facing accusations of authoritarianism and sectarianism ahead of key provincial polls. At Tahrir Square in the heart of the capital, demonstrators held up posters of the prime minister alongside banners that read, “I am Iraqi, I love Maliki,” and “We strongly support Nuri Al-Maliki.” Many shouted in unison: “All the people support Nuri Al-Maliki”.

In a sign of increasing sectarian rhetoric at the rallies, many demonstrators held up banners describing themselves as “followers of Hussein”, a revered figure in Shiite Islam. A speaker led the crowd in chants of “Labeika Ya Hussein”, or “We will follow you, Hussein”. Banners also blamed parliament speaker Osama Al-Nujaifi, a Sunni Arab opponent of Maliki, for militant attacks.

Demonstrators said the premier should resist demands for a wide-ranging prisoner amnesty and reform of anti-terror laws, both of which are key demands of antigovernment protesters. “In the names of all the martyrs, the victims, the widows, we call on the government not to cancel Article 4,” said one protester, a 67-year-old who gave his name as Abu Hussam, referring to a widely cited article of Iraq’s antiterror law. Abu Hussam said his son was killed by gunfire in Baghdad in 2006. “He was 20, I was about to get him married. For six years, I have not slept, I hope one night I can sleep.” Dozens of people also took part

in a pro-government rally in the southern port city of Basra, an AFP journalist said.

Meanwhile, anti-government rallies blocked a key highway linking Baghdad to Jordan and Syria for a third week. Protests were also held in Samarra, Tikrit, Baiji and Mosul, all Sunni-majority areas north of the capital. The demonstrations have decried alleged misuse of anti-terror laws to wrongfully hold members of their community, and claim they are being targeted by the Shiite-led authorities. In the longest-running of the protests, in western Anbar province, tribal leaders called for Maliki to resign. “We want Maliki to fall, because he has insulted our dignity many times,” said Ali Al-Hatem, a leader of the powerful Dulaim tribe. “We will not leave until you find a replacement for Maliki. Then we can negotiate.”

In Samarra, imam Abdulrahman alSamarraie told AFP: “Maliki should leave.

We gave him many chances but he did not do anything. He made many promises... but he did not fulfil those promises. He should leave.” The premier has threatened to direct security forces to intervene in the protests, which were sparked by the Dec 20 arrest of at least nine guards of Sunni Finance Minister Rafa Al-Essawi. Essawi is a leading member of the secular Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc that, while a member of Maliki’s unity government, has called for him to quit. Powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr, whose movement counts 40 MPs and five ministers among its ranks, has also publicly opposed Maliki. Yesterday’s protests come with barely three months to go before provincial elections in April, a key barometer of support for Maliki and his opponents ahead of national polls next year. — AFP

Turkey demands France clarify Paris slayings ISTANBUL: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan yesterday demanded French President Francois Hollande explain why he had met one of three Kurdish militants shot dead in Paris this week. The execution-style killings at an institute in central Paris on Thursday cast a shadow on a new initiative

by Erdogan’s government to launch a peace process to end a 28-year-old insurgency by the Kurdistan Workers Party’s (PKK) that has claimed more than 40,000 lives. Hollande told reporters he and other politicians knew one of the three women, who all had ties to the PKK. “How can you routinely meet with members of an organisation labelled a terrorist group by the European Union and being sought by Interpol? What kind of politics is this?” Erdogan said in a speech to a business group broadcast live by CNN Turk. “The French president should immediately dis-

ISTANBUL: Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses a meeting in Istanbul yesterday. — AP

close to the public why he met with members of this terrorist organisation, what was discussed, to what end he was in communication with these terrorists,” Erdogan said, adding that Turkey would pursue unspecified legal measures on the matter.

Among the murdered was Sakine Cansiz, a founding member of the PKK well-known to Kurdish nationalists and who was believed to be a key financier in Europe for the group, mainly based in northern Iraq.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Hollande said one of the women “was known to me and to many politicians because she came to meet us regularly.”

Erdogan said the killings may be the result of PKK infighting or an attempt to derail Turkey’s efforts to end the Kurdish conflict, which has implications for Syria, Iran and Iraq with their ethnic Kurdish minorities.

“The killings in Paris may have been an attempt aimed at sabotaging this initiative.

It may also be score-settling within the ranks of the separatist terrorist group,” he said. He rejected allegations by Kurdish rebels and activists that elements from the Turkish state were behind the killings and demanded French authorities apprehend those behind the attack and shed light on the incident at once. French investigators gave no immediate indication as to who might be responsible. Erdogan pledged to continue efforts to end the conflict. Since his party came to power in 2002, it has expanded political and cultural rights for Turkey’s estimated 15 million Kurds to create a basis for ending a war that has held back the country’s economic and democratic progress. —Reuters

MOSCOW/BEIRUT: Russia voiced support yesterday for international peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi but insisted Syrian President Bashar AlAssad’s exit cannot be a precondition for a deal to end the country’s conflict. Some 60,000 Syrians have been killed during the 21-monthold revolt and world powers are divided over how to stop the escalating bloodshed.

Meanwhile, a man identifying himself as a senior foreign intelligence official has announced his defection from the ranks of the Syrian regime of Assad in a video statement posted on the Internet. “I, Jumaa Farraj Jassem, head of Section 30 of the foreign ser vice of the General Intelligence Directorate, announce my defection from this criminal regime, as I join the ranks of this blessed revolution,” said the man.

Government aircraft bombed outer districts of Damascus yesterday after being grounded for a week by stormy weather, opposition activists in the capital said. A Russian Foreign Ministry statement following talks on Friday with the United States and Brahimi reiterated calls for an end to violence in Syria, but there was no sign of a breakthrough. Brahimi said the issue of Assad, whom the United States, European powers and Gulf-led Arab states insist must step down to end the civil war, appeared to be a sticking point at the meeting in Geneva. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said: “As before, we firmly uphold the thesis that questions about Syria’s future must be decided by the Syrians themselves, without interference from outside or the imposition of prepared recipes for development.”

Russia has been Assad’s most powerful international backer, joining with China to block three Western- and Arab-backed UN Security Council resolutions aimed to pressure him or push him from power. Assad can also rely on regional powerhouse Iran. In Geneva, Russia called for “a political transition process” based on an agreement by foreign powers last June.

Brahimi, who is trying to build on the agreement reached in Geneva on June 30, has met three times with senior Russian and US diplomats since early December and met Assad in Damascus. Russia and the United States disagreed over what the June agreement meant for Assad, with Washington saying it sent a clear signal he must go and Russia contending it did not.

Moscow has been reluctant to endorse the “Arab Spring” popular revolts of the last two years, saying they have increased instability in

ALEPPO: Syrian government troops take position in a heavily damaged area in the old city of Aleppo yesterday. — AFP the Middle East and created a risk of radical Islamists seizing power. Although Russia sells arms to Syria and rents one of its naval bases, the economic benefit of its support for Assad is minimal. Analysts say President Vladimir Putin wants to prevent the United States from using military force or support from the UN Security Council to bring down governments it opposes.

However, as rebels gain ground in the war, Russia has given indications it is preparing for Assad’s possible exit, while continuing to insist he must not be forced out by foreign powers.

Opposition activists say a military escalation and the hardship of winter have accelerated the death toll. Rebel forces have acquired more powerful anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons during attacks on Assad’s militar y bases.

President Assad’s forces have employed increasing amounts of military hardware including Scud-type ballistic missiles in the past two months. New York-based Human Rights Watch said they had also used incendiary cluster bombs that are banned by most nations.

The week-long respite from aerial strikes has been marred by snow and thunderstorms that affected millions displaced by the conflict, which

has now reached ever y region of Syria.

Yesterday, the skies were clear and jets and helicopters fired missiles and dropped bombs on a line of towns to the east of Damascus where rebels have pushed out Assad’s ground forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The British-based group, which is linked to the opposition, said it had no immediate information on casualties from the strikes on districts including Maleiha and farmland areas.

Rebels control large swathes of rural land around Syria but are stuck in a stalemate with Assad’s forces in cities, where the army has reinforced positions.

State TV said government forces had repelled an attack by terrorists - a term it uses for the armed opposition - on Aleppo’s international airport, now used as a helicopter base. Reuters cannot independently confirm reports due to severe reporting restrictions imposed by the Syrian authorities and security constraints. On Friday, rebels seized control of one of Syria’s largest helicopter bases, Taftanaz in Idlib province, their first capture of a military airfield. Eight-six people were killed on Friday, including 30 civilians, the Observatory said.

Palestinians ordered to quit protest camp ZAIM: More than 200 Palestinian activists were yesterday evening refusing to leave a protest camp they set up in part of the occupied West Bank where Israel wants to build new settler homes, despite a threat to evict them. “Members of the Israeli Civil (military) Administration told us this morning that we have one hour to evacuate the site,” one of the organisers, Abir Copty, told AFP. “We have no intention of leaving of our own accord,” she said, adding that the Israeli authorities had declared the area a “closed military zone” and told the activists to leave, but had made no demand for the tents to be taken down.

The military set up roadblocks around the hilltop site, AFP journalists at the scene reported. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said soldiers prevented him from joining the protest and told him to turn back to the West Bank city of Ramallah, just down the hill from the camp. The Palestinians erected the 20-tent “outpost” on Friday in the sensitive E1 West Bank corridor east of Jerusalem where Palestinians say Israeli settlement construction would destroy the prospects of territorial contiguity for their promised state.

They modelled their action on the wildcat outposts set up by Jewish settler activists on Palestinian land in a bid to force the government’s hand into authorising settlement activity. Israeli authorities quickly issued eviction expulsion orders against the activists, but late on Friday their lawyers successfully petitioned the Israeli supreme court for a stay of execution. “The injunction freezes any eviction for six days from the setting up of the camp on Friday,” activist Irene Nasser told AFP. But “the Israeli... administration in the West Bank considers that this injunction applies only to the tents, not the people. This is why they tried to make us leave this morning,” she added.

The protest outpost, named Bab al-Shams (Gate of the Sun in Arabic), lies between Israeli-annexed Arab east Jerusalem and the

Jewish settlement of Maale Adumim. An AFP journalist said that protesters on the freezing hilltop were in good spirits as they sought to heat tea and coffee, waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Palestine is free!” and “Down with the occupation!” “It’s nice to build a village here without Israeli permission. We are here to stay,” an activist from Ramallah told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A hundred Palestinians, with blankets, food and water arrived in the early afternoon by bus from Ramallah, an AFP journalist said.

Other activists from Ramallah and Hebron

were set to join later, activists tweeted. “We Palestinians are still pessimistic but this initiative gives us reason to be optimistic,” Omar Ghassan, 27, from Ramallah told AFP. “This is a new type of resistance, different to armed resistance or stone-throwing,” he said, adding that he had spent the day in the camp. The international community regards all Jewish settlements on occupied Palestinian land as illegal. The Israeli government makes a distinction between those which it has authorised and those it has not, and sometimes clears the latter. — AFP

WEST BANK: People wave Palestinian flags and shout slogans during a gathering of Palestinians along with Israeli and foreign activists at an ‘outpost’ named Bab al-Shams (‘Gate of the Sun’) set up between Jerusalem and the Jewish settlement of Maale Adumim in the Israeli-occupied West Bank yesterday. — AFP

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

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

Californians brace for nights of freezing temps SAN DIEGO: Californians are bundling up with sweaters and gloves and stocking up on firewood as they brace for several nights of very unseasonable freezing temperatures. The National Weather Service is forecasting morning frost on San Diego beaches. Big Sur, on the central coast, prepared for daytime highs almost 20 degrees below Boston’s. Even the snowbird haven of Palm Springs faced the possibility of freezing temperatures at night.

In addition, San Diego zookeepers turned up the heat for chimpanzees, tourists cov-

Colombia govt, rebels to resume peace talks BOGOTA: Colombia’s government and leftist FARC rebels resume peace talks in Cuba tomorrow after a three-week break, under pressure to show results in the coming months to finally end their half-century-old conflict. The longtime rivals launched the negotiations in October, their fourth attempt in three decades to close a battle that has left 600,000 people dead, 15,000 missing and four million displaced since 1964.

After taking a holiday break on December 22, the two sides face a crucial year as President Juan Manuel Santos has warned that the negotiations must conclude by November. Though the guerrilla group has declared a unilateral ceasefire until January 20, the government has continued its offensive against the rebels, accusing them of failing to respect their own truce by planting landmines and attacking civilians and soldiers.

“The Colombian public forces will continue to tirelessly pursue criminals, as the constitution and all the Colombian people demand,” Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon said Friday. “It does not matter whether they are FARC terrorists” or criminal gangs, he said. The Marxist rebels said Wednesday that they would not extend their ceasefire unless the government declares one too. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) took up arms in 1964 to protest against the concentration of land ownership in the country, but a string of military defeats has cut its ranks to 9,000 - half of what it was in the late 1990s.

The key issue in the dispute, rural development, will be on the agenda when talks resume on Monday. The government representatives, headed by former vice president Humberto de la Calle, are expected to travel to Havana today. The guerrilla delegation is already in the communist island’s capital. “There is hope that the negotiation continues to move forward in good terms. I think we could see some results in the middle of the year,” Ariel Avila, an analyst at the CNAI think tank, which studies the Colombian conflict. “The challenge will be ... the acceptance of any agreement by part of the population,” he said.

Christian Voelkel, an expert on Colombia at the independent International Crisis Group, said it was difficult to predict when the first preliminary agreements will be announced since the talks are behind closed doors. “But, without a doubt, pressure will increase in 2013 for the negotiation to show results due to the deadline given by President Juan Manuel Santos and the country’s expectations,” Voelkel said. — AFP

ered their hands on Hollywood walking tours, and some farmers broke out wind machines and took other steps to protect crops from freezing.

Freeze warnings were in effect in San Diego County valleys and deserts yesterday morning with lows in the 20s and 30s, the weather service said. In Sonoma County, homeless shelters started handing out extra warm clothes on Friday to protect people from freezing overnight temperatures. Morning temps fell into the 20s and 30s in many areas, and much low-

er in the mountains. A low of 12 degrees was recorded in the Big Bear mountain resort east of Los Angeles.

Some customers drove more than an hour to buy firewood. “It’s crazy busy here,” said Renea Teasdale, office manager at The Woodshed in Orange, south of Los Angeles. Still, it was business as usual as much of the state contended with temperatures in the high 40s and low 50s. “It’s still sunny Southern California, and I’m going to work on my legs all year long,” said Linda Zweig, a spokeswoman for the

Expanded background checks for gun buyers tops list WASHINGTON: Vice President Joe Biden wrapped up a series of White House meetings on Friday and prepared recommendations to curb US gun violence that will call for expanded background checks on gun buyers and set up a heated, likely uphill battle in Congress to revive a ban on militarystyle assault weapons. Biden, who heads a task force due to give President Barack Obama recommendations next week, met with representatives of the video game industry, whose products often enable players to carry out shootings in graphically violent games.

The vice president has said he will recommend “universal” background checks for all gun buyers - endorsed as a top priority on Friday by the prominent gun-control group the Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence and new limits on the capacity of ammunition magazines. Obama formed the Biden task force following last month’s massacre in Newtown, Connecticut in which a gunman shot dead 20 children and six adults at an elementary school. The White House reiterated on Friday that it also will try to revive the US ban on assault weapons that expired in 2004 after being in effect for a decade.

The Obama administration rejected suggestions it was trying to lower expectations for getting a broad ban on assault weapons approved by Congress. “ The president has been clear that Congress should reinstate the assault weapons ban and that avoiding this issue just because it’s been politically difficult in the past is not an option,” White House spokesman Matt Lehrich said. Biden’s recommendations are likely to put the White House on a collision course with the influential National Rifle Association gun rights lob-

and a baby found in the park since midDecember died of loss of blood due to bites from multiple dogs. But those findings have been met with widespread skepticism in a country where drug gangs frequently dump bodies of their victims in public spaces, and prosecutors seldom thoroughly investigate such crimes. The idea has taken hold among many that killers dumped the bodies in the park, hoping that packs of stray dogs would destroy the evidence. “ This was a crime committed by humans, for a settling of accounts or who knows what,” said De Esparza, using the Spanish word “ajuste” frequently employed to describe drug gang killings. Tests on the dogs have so far been inconclusive. The city prosecutor’s office said initial tests on the first 25 strays gave no indication they ate human flesh.

MEXICO CITY: Patricia Ruiz plays with dogs at her sanctuary for abused and abandoned dogs, ‘Milagros Caninos’ in Mexico City. About 128 abused dogs are sheltered at the Milagros Caninos sanctuary. — AP

bying group and spark the biggest gun-control fight in Congress in nearly a decade. The NRA criticized the White House effort after meeting with Biden on Thursday.

Any gun control proposals face a difficult fight in Congress, both in the Republican-led House of Representatives and in the Democratic-led Senate, where many Democrats represent conservative states with broad public support for gun rights.

Gun control advocates have renewed hope that a package of gun restrictions could clear Congress, while acknowledging the assault weapons ban likely will face the toughest path.

“Among the things that are under consideration, banning assault weapons is probably the hardest lift for Congress. Bans are always the toughest fight,” said Jim Kessler, senior vice president of policy at the centrist think tank Third Way. NRA President David Keene predicted that any proposal to ban assault weapons would not survive in Congress. He said his group has a “profound disagreement” with Obama on the right approach to preventing incidents such as the one in Newtown. The NRA has proposed putting armed security guards in US schools.

‘NO BAN ON ASSAULT WEAPONS’ “I do not think that there’s going to be a ban on so-called assault weapons in Congress,” Keene said on NBC’s “Today” show, adding that many of Biden’s likely recommendations would be “basically feelgood proposals.” Keene said the political muscle and financial clout of the NRA, which says it has 4 million members and spends heavily on political races, was not the stumbling block for the effort to restrict guns. “It’s not the power of the NRA,” Keene said. “It is

An employee of the city prosecutors’ office, who was not authorized to be quoted by name, said almost no food of any kind was found in the dogs’ stomachs, much less human flesh. But he said officials were still awaiting results from tests on the dogs’ fur and paws to see if any human DNA was present. Jose Luis Carranza, of the Citizens Front for Animal Rights, criticized city authorities for ordering round-ups of strays in the aftermath of the killings. Carranza said protesters want the raids stopped because only animal control officers are allowed to seize dogs in Mexico City, and only on specific complaints involving individual animals. “If the authorities really want to crack down on the overpopulation of dogs, then they should go after the clandestine puppy sellers,” Carranza said. “Every day there are people selling dogs on the streets, and the police don’t do anything.” The 57 mutts rounded up at the Cerro de la Estrella park, where the attacks occurred, include a few about the size of a Labrador, but many are small or midsize dogs, including beagle and border collie mixes. Twenty-three are puppies or very young dogs.

Many look like the discarded pets they are. Residents near the 353-acre (143-hectare) park in the poor Iztapalapa neighborhood say people regularly drop off unwanted pets there, but say the dogs have never caused problems before. Moises Heiblum, professor of animal behavior at the school of veterinary medicine at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said feral dogs as individuals “probably could not carry out a ferocious attack of this type” and normally avoid human contact. —AP

Canada PM agrees to pay heed to native demands OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper agreed in a meeting with native leaders on Friday to pay more attention to their demands, trying to mollify an aboriginal protest movement that has threatened to blockade roads and railways across the country. Faced with a seemingly intractable situation that has confronted successive governments, Harper agreed to a high-level dialogue with the natives and to have his office take increased responsibility for their issues, Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan said. “Working together remains the best way to achieve our shared objective of healthier, more prosperous and self-sufficient First Nations,” he told a news conference, using the formal name for most of Canada’s aboriginal groups.

grove by up to 4 degrees, said Paul Story, director of grower service at California Citrus Mutual. Existing moisture, sporadic rain and cloud cover can also help keep in heat. Snow shut a 40-mile stretch of a major highway north of Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon, forcing hundreds of truckers to spend the cold night in their rigs and severing a key link between the Central Valley and Los Angeles. The California Highway Patrol reopened the Grapevine segment of Interstate 5 some 17 hours later. — AP

Biden gun proposals likely to spark fight in Congress

Mexicans protest detention of dogs MEXICO CITY: Dozens of protesters chanting “Free the dogs, arrest the criminals!” demonstrated outside Mexico City police headquarters Friday, demanding the release of 57 stray dogs seized over five suspected mauling deaths in recent weeks. The protesters said the dogs are innocent, and many claimed the victims were probably killed by humans. They acknowledged the famished dogs that live in a hilltop park in an east-side slum where the bodies were found may have bitten the corpses after they were already dead.

“Dog friends, the people are with you!” the protesters chanted, as well as, “The dogs aren’t criminals, the police are inept!” “We are completely certain ... the dogs are innocent,” said Nominis de Esparza, an animal activist who has adopted 30 cats. Autopsies determined that the three women, a teenage boy

Del Mar Fairgrounds, which is hosting a 5kilometer run north of San Diego on Sunday. The lifelong San Diego-area resident is prone to wearing two sweatshirts when the temperature drops but refuses to give up on shorts.

In the San Joaquin Valley, the heart of California’s citrus production, growers prepared for another round of freezing temperatures late Friday after seeing little crop damage Thursday night. They run wind machines and water to protect their fruit, which can raise the temperature in a

Hundreds of aboriginal protesters had blocked the main entrance to a downtown building where Harper was preparing to meet about 20 native leaders on Friday, demonstrating their frustration, but also highlighting a deep divide within the country’s First Nations on how to push Ottawa to heed their demands. The noisy blockade, which lasted about an hour, ended just before the meeting, even as other leaders chose to boycott the session with Harper.

Chiefs have warned that the “Idle No More” aboriginal protest movement is prepared to damage the economy unless Ottawa addresses the poor living conditions and high jobless rates facing many of Canada’s 1.2 million natives.

Native groups complain that Canada has ignored treaties signed with British set-

tlers and explorers that they say granted them significant rights over their territory. Ottawa spends about C$11 billion ($11.1 billion) a year on its aboriginal population, but living conditions for many are poor and some reserves have high rates of poverty, addiction, joblessness and suicide. The meeting was hastily arranged under pressure from an Ontario chief who says she has been subsiding only on fish broth f o r a month. It took place in a building across from Parliament where Harper and his staff work. Outside in the freezing rain, demonstrators in traditional feathered headgear shouted, waved burning tapers, banged drums and brandished banners with slogans such as “Treaty rights not greedy whites” and “The natives are restless.” — Reuters

MANASSAS: A membership card for the National Rifle Association (NRA) along with a Walther PK.380 and ammo are seen in Manassas, Virginia. — AFP the strength of belief among millions of Americans in their right under the Constitution to privately own firearms.” A Senate Democratic aide said it is too early to predict the prospects for an assault weapons ban. Obama promised to put gun control at the top of his agenda for his second term, but it will compete with a crush of other legislative priorities and a looming budget confrontation with Republicans.

Kessler, a former official for the gun-control advocacy group Americans for Gun Safety, said passage of a law expanding background checks would be a significant achievement on its own. “There are going to be 11,000 funerals this year for people murdered by a gun, and almost none of them will be murdered by an assault weapon.

They are going to die from a handgun,” he said. “If we can do something that requires background checks for all sales, including those at gun shows, that’s a huge accomplishment. We shouldn’t look at that as a policy-making around the edges. It will do more to reduce crime and protect people than an assault weapons ban,” he said.

NO ‘SILVER BULLET’ On Friday, Biden said there was no “silver bullet” for the complex problem of gun violence. One day after meeting with the movie industry, Biden met with representatives of the video game business, whose violent games played by millions of teenagers and adults have faced new criticism since the Newtown shootings. — Reuters

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

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

Hamas flagship university grooms Hebrew teachers GAZA CITY: Hamas’ flagship university in Gaza has a new diploma on offer Hebrew, the official language of its archfoe Israel. Gaza’s Hamas rulers say they want to produce qualified teachers as the government gradually introduces Hebrew studies in its high schools. The aim is simple: It wants Palestinians in Gaza to learn their enemy’s language.

“As Jews are occupying our lands, we have to understand their language,” said Education Ministry official Somayia Nakhala. There are 19 students enrolled in the first one-year Hebrew diploma course offered at the Islamic University in Gaza City, a stronghold of Hamas, the Islamic militant group that has ruled Gaza since 2007. Hamas does not recognize Israel, is officially pledged to its destruction and has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings, rocket strikes and other attacks. Officials hope graduates will become Hebrew teachers.

Hamas has already begun offering Hebrew studies as an elective to ninth

graders in 16 schools, and plans to expand the program to dozens of other schools in the coming months.

Israel occupied Gaza for 38 years after capturing it, along with the West Bank and east Jerusalem, in the 1967 Mideast war. Since withdrawing its settlers and troops from Gaza in 2005, Israel has fought two wars against Hamas and restricts access to the territory by air, land and sea. The coastal strip still relies on Israeli-run crossings for most consumer goods, and Gaza patients must receive special permits to reach medical care in Israel or the West Bank. Students need to “understand what’s going on, like wars, medical treatment in Israel, in the West Bank,” said the Education Ministry’s Nakhala.

There is no shortage of Hebrew speakers in Gaza, at least among older residents. For years, Gaza Palestinians entered Israel to work in restaurants, construction and other menial jobs.

Thousands of others learned the lan-

guage while held in Israeli prisons. In quieter times, many Israelis would come to Gaza to fix their cars, bargain hunt or eat at local restaurants. But after the outbreak of the first Palestinian uprising in the late 1980s, Israelis stopped coming.

After a second uprising erupted in 2000, Israel sharply restricted the entry of Gazans. Since Israel’s pullout and the subsequent Hamas takeover, direct contact between the sides is virtually nonexistent. This tortured relationship with Israel was on display during Hebrew class last week at the Islamic University.

Two women, their faces veiled in line with conservative Muslim beliefs, practiced Hebrew in a doctor-patient dialogue. When the conversation turned to the chilly weather, another student described being cold while held in an Israeli prison because he wasn’t given a blanket. “Saval maspik,” he said in broken Hebrew. “Suffered enough.”

Discussing medical terms, lecturer Kamal Hamdan and a student created a

dialogue between Palestinian paramedics and Israeli officials, asking how many people were wounded in an Israeli military incursion into Gaza. Hamdan noted the similarities between Arabic and Hebrew, which are both Semitic tongues. He pointed at parts of his body, calling out the words. “Rosh. Ras,” he said, speaking in Hebrew, then Arabic as he pointed at his head. “Af, anf,” he said, gesturing toward his nose, “Re-ot, Ri-a,” he said, speaking the words for lungs.

“The head is ‘rosh’?” a student asked.

“Ah!” he exclaimed as it clicked. “Even if there’s a difference in politics, culture, even if there is an occupation and oppression, the languages resemble each other,” Hamdan told the students.

The conversation even delved gingerly into Zionism, Israeli life and history. In discussing the Israeli health care provider, “Maccabi,” Hamdan told the students the word referred to ancient Jewish rebels. That led to a discussion of the early Zionist hero Joseph

Trumpeldor, who helped bring Jewish immigrants to Palestine and was killed in 1920 while defending a Jewish settlement. Hamdan repeated a phrase attributed to the fighter as he died: “It is good to die for our country.”

Some students said they were studying Hebrew to understand Israeli TV and radio broadcasts, which are easily accessible in Gaza. Ghada Najjar, 26, described her frustration at not understanding Israeli news broadcasts during the last major round of Israel-Hamas fighting in November. At the time, Israel pounded Gaza from air and sea, while Palestinian militants fired rockets toward cities deep in Israeli territory. “It’s a weapon, even if it’s not very powerful, to understand,” said the mother of two. Jihad Abu Salim, 24, said he began studying Hebrew after participating in a four-month coexistence program at New York University. “I felt it was my duty to learn more about their history, politics and culture,” he said.—AP

US-born Taleban fighter wins jail prayer lawsuit Convict to pray with other Muslim inmates

CARRICKFERGUS: Police in armored vehicles secure the area near burning debris in Carrickfergus, near Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland after a Loyalist demonstration as part of an ongoing campaign opposing Belfast City Council’s decision to restrict the days on which the British Union Flag will fly over the City Hall. — AFP

Bus torched, plastic bullets fired in fresh N Ireland riots CARRICKFERGUS: Police in Northern Ireland fired plastic bullets and water cannon as pro-British loyalists furious over restrictions on flying the British flag torched a bus and hurled petrol bombs at officers yesterday. Violence also flared in towns outside the capital Belfast as loyalists-the Protestant community’s workingclass hardcore-blocked roads around the province to express their anger. Northern Ireland has been swept with a wave of sometimes violent protests since December 3, when Belfast City Council voted to restrict the number of days the British flag is flown at City Hall to 18 per year.

Most of Friday’s province-wide protests were peaceful, with demonstrators taking the flag onto the streets, but serious disorder broke out in the towns of Newtownabbey and Carrickfergus, just north of Belfast. Police fired water cannon and five plastic bullets at rioters after they were attacked with a total of 33 petrol bombs, as well as fireworks and masonry.

Four officers were injured, with one requiring hospital treatment, police said, bringing the total number of officers injured since December to around 70. Two early arrests were made.

Loyalists have taken to the streets most nights since the Belfast City Hall ruling.

They see the council’s decision to restrict the flying of the flag as an attack on their identity and an unacceptable concession to republicans seeking a united Ireland. In the seaside town of Carrickfergus on Friday, dozens of armored police vehicles drove in to restore order after around 100 protesters

threw bricks, bottles and fireworks and torched plastic trash bins. In the shadow of Carrickfergus Castle, rubble littered the junction of Irish Gate and West Street.

Groups of youths in tracksuits lingered as police in riot gear with plastic shields stood by.

One Carrickfergus man who did not want to be identified blamed the disorder on youths from Belfast who had travelled north on the train. “I could see them from my house coming out of the station, young guys aged 15 or 16,” he said. Some youths kept warm standing by burning debris.

Queen Elizabeth II gave her grandson Prince William the subsidiary title Baron Carrickfergus when he married Kate Middleton in 2011.

In nearby Newtownabbey, a double-decker bus was set alight on the Rathcoole housing estate, sending clouds of black smoke into the rainy skies.

Masked youths later threw petrol bombs and missiles when police entered the estate. The Westlink, which joins Northern Ireland’s M1, M2 and M3 motorways in Belfast, was closed for three hours following a bomb scare. Army technical officers found a “small, viable pipe bombtype device” which was removed for further examination, a police spokesman said. A car was also torched in Belfast city centre. A 1998 peace agreement brought an end to the three decades of sectarian violence between Protestants and Catholics known as the Troubles, but sporadic bomb threats and murders by dissident republicans continue.—AFP

In Venezuela, humor not stymied by Chavez’s crisis CARACAS: The monthlong absence of ailing President Hugo Chavez has elicited prayers, an emotional street rally and heated political debate. Amid the tense wait for news from Chavez’s hospital in Cuba, Venezuelans are also turning to one of their most prized national attributes: a biting, irreverent sense of humor. A flurry of jokes and political cartoons have taken aim at the government’s postponement of Chavez’s inauguration.

When the president’s followers took to the streets to symbolically take the oath in Chavez’s place, some critics said the outlandishness hit a new, surreal high. “What’s happening is so absurd that people don’t know whether to laugh or cry,” said Claudio Nazoa, a Venezuelan comedian. One cartoon

by Rayma Suprani in the newspaper El Universal turned its gallows humor to the Supreme Court, which approved putting off Chavez’s swearing-in. It showed a woman who appeared to be a judge using a guillotine to slice up the constitution.

The popular satirical website “El Chiguire Bipolar,” named after a giant rodent that is common on the plains of Venezuela, took aim at the government’s slogan “We’re all Chavez,” with a particularly caustic spoof article. The site alluded to Venezuela’s high murder rate, saying in the headline: “21,000 Chavezes who died at the hands of criminals can’t attend the inauguration.” “Jokes play a role of social catharsis, and that’s why there is acid wit and irony,” said Tulio Hernandez, a sociology pro-

fessor at Central University of Venezuela. “It’s a way of letting off steam.” Dark humor about Chavez’s condition and Venezuela’s unsettled situation has popped up in various parts of Latin America.

One cartoon by Brazilian political cartoonist Sinfronio de Sousa Lima Neto circulated widely online. It depicted the grim reaper entering a hospital room where Fidel Castro was with Chavez. The grim reaper asks “Who is Fidel?” and Fidel points to Chavez saying: “He’s the one right here.” Another Brazilian humorist, Jose Simao, cracked jokes on Twitter and in his newspaper column. “I think Chavez isn’t on the island of Cuba. He’s on the island of Lost,” Simao said on Twitter, referring to the popular television series. While political cartoons in some other countries toyed with the concept of Chavez possibly being at death’s door, in Venezuela the cartoonists mainly seemed to steer clear of Chavez’s condition.

Hernandez said Venezuelans may be avoiding jokes that directly focus on Chavez or his cancer due to fears of retribution from the government or Chavez’s supporters. He noted that the government has slapped fines and other penalties on some critical broadcasters. Last weekend, intelligence agents also raided a home in Carabobo state in a case that Venezuelan media reported was part of an investigation into messages on Twitter about Chavez’s health. In the past, many Venezuelan humorists have targeted the socialist president. —AP

INDIANAPOLIS: An American convicted of fighting alongside the Taleban must be allowed to pray daily in a group with other Muslim inmates at his high-security prison in Indiana, a federal judge ruled Friday. Barring John Walker Lindh and his fellow Muslims from engaging in daily group ritual prayer violates a 1993 law that bans the government from curtailing religious speech without showing a compelling interest, US District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson ruled. The judge blocked the prison from enforcing its ban on daily group prayer, but she noted that her ruling does not prohibit the prison from taking less restrictive security measures. US Attorney Joe Hogsett, whose office represented the prison, said Friday that prosecutors were considering their next step, including a possible appeal.

“This case deals with critically important issues that have significance both inside and outside the walls of our federal prison facilities,” Hogsett said. “Our concern continues to be the safety and security of both our federal prison system and the United States of America.” Ken Falk, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, which represented Lindh, noted Friday that witnesses testified

prisoners were allowed for many years to pray daily outside their cells, “and it never caused any problem.” “I think the court correctly noted that security is a primary concern, but that it’s not sufficient for the government to claim a security concern without having evidence of it,” Falk said. Group prayers had been allowed once a week and on high holy days such as Ramadan or Christmas in the prison unit where Lindh was housed, the Communications Management Unit in Terre Haute, Ind. But at other times, inmates had to pray alone in their cells. Lindh said that didn’t meet the Quran’s requirements, and that the Hanbali school of Islam to which he adheres requires him to pray daily with other Muslims. But prison officials said the same restrictions applied to all inmates, and that meeting Lindh’s demands would be dangerous, unaffordable and unfair. Government witnesses testified that Muslims, who make up the majority of inmates in the unit, have operated like a gang under the guise of religious activity.

During trial, the ACLU noted that games and some other group activities were not restricted.

Lindh is serving a 20-year sentence for aiding the Taleban during the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan. He was captured by US troops

that year, and in 2002 pleaded guilty to supplying services and carrying explosives for the now-defunct Taleban government. He is eligible for release in 2019. Raised Catholic, the California native was 12 when he saw the movie “Malcolm X” and became interested in Islam. He converted at age 16. Walker told Newsweek after his capture that he had entered Afghanistan to help the Taleban build a “pure Islamic state.”

Lindh joined the prayer lawsuit in 2010, three years after being sent to the Indiana prison. The suit was originally filed in 2009 by two Muslim inmates in the unit, but it got far more attention when Lindh joined the case.

The other plaintiffs later dropped out as they were released or transferred from the prison. “I think he was ready to just abide by the outcome, but I think in John’s mind he felt he had an obligation to stand up for the right to pray,” Lindh’s father, Frank Lindh, during a phone interview from his office in San Francisco.

“We’re proud to live in a country where even someone in John’s position, an inmate in a prison, could get heard in court on the right to pray,” he said. “ Today I feel proud to be an American.”—AP

Czechs vote for president in break with eurosceptic past PRAGUE: Czechs voted yesterday on the second day of their first-ever direct presidential election, choosing among mostly Europe-friendly candidates including an artist with tattoos from head to toe, vying to end a decade under eurosceptic Vaclav Klaus. While former Prime Ministers Milos Zeman and Jan Fischer, both ex-communists, are tipped as favorites, media pundits said Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg could capitalize on a last-minute charm offensive to enter round two. None of the nine contenders is likely to clinch a victory in the first round ending at 1300 GMT yesterday, so a runoff between the top two contenders is expected on January 25-26. “Milos Zeman is the clear favorite for president. He can easily beat Schwarzenberg or Fischer in round two,” the Lidove Noviny broadsheet daily noted yesterday. Despite Zeman’s leftist and proEuropean stance, right-winger Klaus-who wastes no opportunity to slam the EU - suggested Friday that even he would vote for Zeman as a politician “whose experience we can all see.”

With the powers of the Czech president being relatively limited, issues related to the republic’s role within the European Union and corruption woes are key in the election.

Both the straight-talking veteran left-winger Zeman and the mild-mannered centre-right statistician Fischer have a far more friendly approach toward the 27-nation bloc than Klaus. Their line echoes the attitude of Klaus’s predecessor, the late Velvet Revolution icon Vaclav Havel. “The Czech Republic should take steps towards more solid EU structures including a single European economic policy,” Zeman said in a recent interview, endorsing what Klaus has long described as a nightmare. As prime minister in 1998-2002, he was responsible for negotiating the 2004 EU entry of his 10.5 million-strong ex-communist country.

The centre-right Fischer, who served as pre-

mier in 2009-10, has meanwhile insisted that the Czech Republic should be “active in the debate on the EU’s future.” Friday turnout was high, estimated at about 40 percent. All candidates cast their ballots on day one. “I guess you wouldn’t expect me to vote for someone else,” Fischer said after casting his ballot. “He’s a serious man who’s in the know, he’s no fool,” pensioner Udo Cerny told AFP after voting for Fischer in Cernosice, a small town near Prague. Pipe-smoking 75-yearold Karel Schwarzenberg, an aristocrat bearing the full name of Karl Johannes Nepomuk Josef Norbert Friedrich Antonius Wratislaw Mena Furst zu Schwarzenberg, has also been wooing voters.

Many of them perceive him as experienced, and honest.

“He is the least corrupt and the most experienced when it comes to diplomacy and international contacts,” said Alena Poulova, a young IT expert voting in Cernosice, referring to the chronic levels of corruption in Czech politics. The most colorful candidate-in all senses-is Vladimir Franz, a 53-year-old drama teacher, classical composer and visual artist with tattoos over his entire body. “I think a bit of pure heart would do no harm in politics,” Franz said ahead of the vote.

A self-described citizens’ candidate with no political experience, he named education, tolerance and culture as his priorities.

Three women and two senators are also in the running. Havel and Klaus were elected by lawmakers who in February 2012 approved a switch to popular universal suffrage used in many EU countries to boost the legitimacy of the office. Complicating matters ahead of the round two of the presidential election, the centre-right government of Prime Minister Petr Necas faces a no-confidence vote January 17, which it is expected to survive relying on the support of non-aligned lawmakers.

It was launched by the left-wing opposition

PRAGUE: Presidential candidate Vladimir Franz casts his ballot at a polling station in Prague. — AFP against Necas after he endorsed a wide-ranging prisoner amnesty granted by Klaus that freed close to 7,000 of the republic’s 23,000 prisoners, including some jailed or on trial in major fraud cases. The Czech Republic, a NATO and EU member yet to join the euro-zone, has been mired in recession for a year, with its central bank predicting moderate 0.2 percent economic growth in 2013. Joblessness stood at 9.4 percent in December.— AFP

Italy island commemorates cruise disaster anniversary GIGLIO ISLAND: An Italian island famed for its sandy beaches and marine wildlife yesterday prepared to mark the anniversary of the Costa Concordia cruise disaster in which 32 people lost their lives. Survivors and victims’ relatives began to arrive on Giglio for a commemoration todayone year from the night when the liner crashed and keeled over on the first day of a Mediterranean cruise.

“It’s not easy to return,” said Kevin Rebello, whose brother was a waiter on the Costa Concordia and is still officially reported as missing.

“I was looking at the ship when I was coming in on the ferry. It brought back memories of those days.... I have still not found peace,” he said. Salvage

workers meanwhile labored around the clock to stabilize the wreck as part of an unprecedented operation to refloat it and tow it away. The removal has been hit by delays but the ship’s owners and the salvage companiesTitan and Micoperi-say they hope it can happen by July. “Unless we have a particularly harsh winter, the ship should be refloated by July,” said Nick Sloane, senior salvage master for US company Titan.

“The most difficult part lies ahead.

Refloating the boat should only take six hours, but the weight of the shifting water inside the ship as we right it must be extremely carefully controlled,” he said. “Nothing on this scale has ever been done before-especially

with a passenger ship,” he added. Ship owner Costa Crociere, Europe’s largest cruise operator, was expected to provide an update on the timetable for the removal later. Marquees to host the more than 100 survivors expected at the ceremony have sprung up along the Tuscan island’s port, just a few hundred yards from where the ship capsized with 4,229 people from 70 countries on board.

Mayor Sergio Ortelli said islanders were keen to welcome back those who lived through that night. Many of them had sought shelter in local homes and a church in the port after being pulled shivering from the freezing sea. “The idea is to exorcise a horrible episode, and to share the pain

and drama of those who lost a loved one,” Ortelli said. “Many survivors and relatives of victims have returned to thank us, and share their memories with us. Some, a year on, still send us emails,” he said.

The commemorations today will include replacing where it once stood the rock that the ship crashed into and tore away. There will be a mass in the church that served as a refuge for survivors in the hours after the crash.

Father Lorenzo Pasquotti said he would display objects that survivors left behind-life jackets, emergency blankets, even discarded rolls of bread-next to the altar, underneath a Madonna statue salvaged from the ship’s chapel. —AFP

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

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

Obama, Karzai speed up end of US combat role US winds down in Afghanistan

QUETTA: Pakistani Shiite Muslims demonstrate as they sit between the coffins of bombing victims yesterday. — AFP

Angry Pakistan Shiites refusing to bury dead QUETTA, Pakistan: Shiite families refusing to bury their dead after twin bombings in Pakistan’s troubled southwestern city of Quetta vowed to continue their sit-in protest Saturday until the army takes over security.

Hundreds of protesters have gathered on the main road near the snooker hall that was the scene of Thursday’s twin suicide attacks, alongside more than 60 coffins carrying the victims’ shrouded bodies, senior administration official Hashim Ghilzai said. The refusal to bury the bodies is an extreme position in Islamic society where the dead are normally buried the same or next day, but families say they will not leave until authorities agree to put the security and administration of the city under army control.

“The government machinery has failed, there is no protection for people in Quetta,” local Shiite party official Hashim Mausawi said. “We will not end our protest until we get an assurance that the Pakistan army will take over security and administrative control in Quetta.” Sunni militant group Lashkar-eJhangvi claimed responsibility for the bombings, which took place in an area dominated

by Shiite Muslims from the Hazara ethnic minority and killed 92 people, with 121 wounded. It was the worst ever sectarian attack on Shiites, who account for around 20 percent of Pakistan’s 180 million population.

“We are trying to convince them to end the protest. We cannot offer them something which is not in our control,” Ghilzai told AFP after the bodies had remained on the road for about 30 hours, saying it was up to the government to decide whether to call in troops.

In a separate protest, more than 500 workers and supporters of the Shiite Hazara Democratic Party gathered outside the office of the provincial police chief in the city as its leader Abdul Khaliq went on a three-day hunger strike against lack of security. “We

want an immediate takeover of Quetta by the army,” Abdul Khaliq said. “The protest sit-in by hundreds of our supporters will continue for three days after which we will decide our future course of action.”

The government in Baluchistan province, where security forces are also fighting a separatist insurgency, announced three days of morning after the bombings. It was the deadliest attack in Pakistan since suicide bombers killed 98 people outside a police training centre in the northwest in 2011 - an assault claimed by the Pakistani Taleban. Earlier Thursday, a bomb had been detonated under a security force vehicle in a crowded part of Quetta, killing 11 people and wounding dozens. Another bomb at a religious gathering in the northwestern Swat valley killed 22 people and wounded more than 80, the deadliest incident in the district since the army in 2009 fought off a two-year Taliban insurgency.

In total 126 people were killed in bombings in what was one of Pakistan’s deadliest days for years, raising concerns about rising violence in the nuclear-armed country ahead of general elections. The United States condemned the “senseless and inhumane attacks”, with State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland saying Friday: “We remain concerned about extremist violence of any kind in Pakistan and remain committed to working with the government of Pakistan to combat terror.”

The attacks, coupled with violence in the northwest, revived warnings from analysts that Islamist militancy could threaten national elections, expected sometime in May. Polls would mark the first time an elected civilian government in Pakistan, for decades ruled by the military, completes a term in office and is replaced by another democratically elected government. —AFP

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai agreed on Friday to speed up the handover of combat operations in Afghanistan to Afghan forces, raising the prospect of an accelerated US withdrawal from the country and underscoring Obama’s determination to wind down a long, unpopular war. Signaling a narrowing of differences, Karzai appeared to give ground in talks at the White House on US demands for immunity from prosecution for any American troops who stay in Afghanistan beyond 2014, a concession that could allow Obama to keep at least a small residual force there.

Both leaders also threw their support behind tentative Afghan reconciliation efforts with Taliban insurgents, endorsing the establishment of a Taleban political office in Qatar in hopes of bringing insurgents to inter-Afghan talks. Outwardly, at least, the meeting appeared to be something of a success for both men, who need to show their vastly different publics they are making progress in their goals for Afghanistan. There were no signs of the friction that has frequently marked Obama’s relations with Karzai.

Karzai’s visit came amid stepped-up deliberations in Washington over the size and scope of the US military role in Afghanistan once the NATO-led combat mission concludes at the end of 2014. “By the end of next year, 2014, the transition will be complete,” Obama said at a news conference with Karzai standing at his side. “Afghans will have full responsibility for their security, and this war will come to a responsible end.” The Obama administration has been considering a residual force of between 3,000 and 9,000 troops - far fewer than some US commanders propose - to conduct counterterrorism operations and to train and assist Afghan forces.

A top Obama aide said this week that the administration does not rule out a complete withdrawal after 2014, a move that some experts say would be disastrous for the weak Afghan central government and its fledgling security apparatus.

Obama on Friday left open the possibility of that so-called “zero option” when he several times used the word “if” to suggest that a post-2014 US presence was far from guaranteed. Insisting that Afghan forces were “stepping up” faster than expected, Obama said Afghan troops would take over the lead in combat missions across the country this spring, rather than waiting until the summer as originally planned. NATO troops will then assume a “support role,” he said. “It will be a historic moment and another step toward full Afghan sovereignty,” Obama said.

Obama said final decisions on this year’s troop cuts and the post-2014 US military role were still months away, but his comments suggested he favors a stepped-up withdrawal timetable. There

Delhi rape accused lived on margins of India’s boom BADAUN/NEW DELHI: In a village in India’s Uttar Pradesh state, a woman sits hunched on the ground in a green shawl, visibly weak and shivering in the January cold. She says she has not eaten for days, and neither have her five young children. She has never heard of Manmohan Singh, India’s prime minister, having never ventured further from her village than a nearby market town, and ekes out a living working in potato fields on other people’s land. Her eldest son left home when he was 11. He never returned, and the woman thought he was dead. The first news she got of him was when police from New Delhi turned up at her brick hut to say he had been arrested for the gang rape and death of a student, a crime whose brutality stunned India.

In an interview with Reuters, the mother of the juvenile, the youngest of six members of the gang accused of the attack, recalled the son who left home five or six years ago for the bright lights, and seemed stunned by the accusation against him. “ Today, the infamy he earned is eating me up,” his mother said as villagers stood and stared. “I can’t even sit with two other people in the village because of the shame that my son has brought to the family.”

A 23-year-old physiotherapy student was beaten and raped on a moving bus in the Indian capital on Dec 16. She was left bleeding on a highway and died two weeks later from internal injuries. The five men who have been charged with rape and murder are all expected to plead not guilty. One says police tortured him. The sixth member of the gang, the woman’s son, is being processed as a juvenile and has not been charged. He will be tried separately.

Police have said they are conducting bone tests to determine his age as they suspect he may be over 18 years old.

Reuters is withholding his name for this story. The trial of the five men is due to start within weeks.

It is from a life of rural penury that the youth sought to escape, one of about two million Indians who migrate to cities every year, chasing an economic boom that has propelled India for the past two decades but has trickled down slowly to its poor. Conversations with relatives, neighbours and police show the extent to which the accused lived on the margins of the city’s emerging prosperity, holding menial jobs and living in a slum.

Their lives stand in contrast with that of the victim. She was also from a humble background but funded her studies by taking a job in one of the call centres that are a hallmark of modern India’s economy and have helped build an aspirational new middle class. According to his mother, the youth joined a group of other vil-

lage boys travelling to New Delhi, found work in a roadside eatery and - for the first year - used to send 600 rupees ($11) a month back to his family. After he stopped sending money, his mother never heard from him again. At first she thought he might have been forced into bonded labour. Later, she presumed he was dead. A couple of months before the rape, she consulted a Hindu holy man about her son, whom she remembered as a good boy.

“The holy man told me that someone has practiced some black magic on him, but that he would come back,” she said.

Living on the breadline and with a husband who is mentally ill, the mother works in fields with her daughters to feed her family. Halfway through the conversation with Reuters, she fainted, apparently from hunger, and had to be carried to bed. About half of her village

to Singh’s house to claim 8,000 rupees ($150) but Singh invited him to stay for food instead, according to a police report. After the attack, police say they found the juvenile’s blood-stained clothes on Singh’s roof.

In an interview with Reuters, the friend of the victim who had accompanied her on the bus, and who was also beaten, said the juvenile had beckoned the pair to board. “There was a young boy who was standing at the door of the bus and calling passengers in,” the friend said by telephone. “He had a light moustache, very sharp eyes and a very sweet demeanour. He was thin and was calling out to people saying ‘come sister, please sit’.” When they started assaulting the victim’s friend, the juvenile “was one of the first to attack me”, he said.

Singh and three of the other accused lived in a poor pocket in the otherwise

BANGALORE: Men dressed in skirts take part in a demonstration against the rape and sexual abuse of women yesterday. Activists who met on the social networking site Facebook for a common cause have named their movement ‘New Socialist Alternative’ and are holding protests simultaneously in various parts of India. — AFP are landless labourers, and about a quarter of all men migrate to cities in search of work, according to farmer Vijay Pal. The details of the boy’s life after he left his village are patchy. Even his fellow accused did not know his real name and called him by an assumed name, a senior police officer told Reuters.

Police described him as a “freelancer” at a Delhi bus station, cleaning buses and running errands for drivers. “He was a helper on buses who would solicit customers by calling out to them in a singsong tone,” the officer said. He was popular with the contractors who ran the bus services and frequently changed jobs. It was during this time that he met Ram Singh, the main accused in the case, whom he had gone to meet on the day of the attack in the hope of getting back money that Singh had borrowed from him, police said. The juvenile went

largely middle-class Delhi neighbourhood of RK Puram, whose wide streets and tree-lined boulevards contrast with the dark lanes, communal taps and open sewers where Singh lived.

Many of the people who live there are migrants, working as electricians, auto-rickshaw drivers, day labourers, bus drivers, mechanics and street vendors.

Singh was a bus driver, despite an accident in 2009 that fractured his right arm so badly that doctors had to insert a rod to support it. He appeared on a reality television show in a compensation dispute with a bus owner, who in turn accused Singh of “drunken, negligent and rash driving”. Singh’s neighbours describe him as a heavy drinker with a temper.

One young woman said he used to get embroiled in violent rows and a relative recalls a physical altercation with her husband. —Reuters

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama shakes hands with his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai after a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House yesterday. — AFP are some 66,000 US troops currently in Afghanistan. Washington’s NATO allies have been steadily reducing their troop numbers as well despite doubts about the ability of Afghan forces to shoulder full responsibility for security.

Karzai voiced satisfaction over Obama’s agreement to turn over control of detention centers to Afghan authorities, a source of dispute between their countries, although the White House released no details of the accord on that subject. Obama once called Afghanistan a “war of necessity.” But he is heading into a second term looking for an orderly way out of the conflict, which was sparked by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States by an Al-Qaeda network harbored by Afghanistan’s Taleban rulers. He faces the challenge of pressing ahead with his re-election pledge to continue winding down the war while preparing the Afghan government to prevent a slide into chaos and a Taleban resurgence once most NATO forces are gone. Former Senator Chuck Hagel, Obama’s nominee to become defense secretary, is likely to favor a sizable troop reduction. Karzai, meanwhile, is eager to show he is working to ensure Afghans regain full control of their territory after a foreign military presence of more than 11 years. Asked whether the cost of the war in lives and money was worth it, Obama said: “We achieved our central goal ... or have come very close to achieving our central goal,

which is to de-capacitate al Qaeda, to dismantle them, to make sure that they can’t attack us again.”

He added: “Have we achieved everything that some might have imagined us achieving in the best of scenarios? Probably not. This is a human enterprise, and you fall short of the ideal.”

Obama made clear that unless the Afghan government agrees to legal immunity for US troops, he would withdraw them all after 2014 - as happened in Iraq at the end of 2011. Karzai, who criticized NATO over civilian deaths, said that with Obama’s agreement to transfer detention centers and the planned withdrawal of US forces from Afghan villages, “I can go to the Afghan people and argue for immunity” in a bilateral security pact being negotiated. Addressing students at Georgetown University later in the day, the Afghan leader predicted with certainty that the United States would keep a limited number of troops in Afghanistan after 2014, in part to battle Al-Qaeda and its affiliates. “One of the reasons the United States will continue a limited presence in Afghanistan after 2014 in certain facilities in Afghanistan is because we have decided together to continue to fight against Al-Qaeda,” Karzai said. “So there will be no respite in that.” Many of Obama’s Republican opponents have criticized him for setting a withdrawal timetable and accuse him of undercutting the US mission by reducing troop numbers too quickly. —Reuters

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

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

19 kids among 46 dead in China landslide BEIJING: A desperate search for three people missing in a landslide in southwestern China ended yesterday when their bodies were pulled from the mud, taking the final death toll to 46 - many of them children. Authorities in Yunnan province said that the last three bodies were recovered yesterday morning after a night of frantic efforts by more than 1,000 rescue workers to locate the final missing residents of the remote village of Gaopo. Xinhua said those buried included 27 adults and 19 children.

Authorities said families will receive 20,000 yuan ($3,200) in compensation for each victim.

Two other people were hospitalised after the landslide struck on Friday morning, engulfing 16 homes, bringing a thunderous crash and throwing up thick clouds of dust, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Rescuers toiled into the night, braving bitter wind and freezing temperatures, using lamps and specialised detection devices in the hope of locating the missing, Xinhua said. Soldiers, police, firefighters and mine rescue workers joined the search operation, using 20 excavators and trucks, it added.

Li Yongju, 50, said she heard the crash of the landslide while cleaning her yard and rushed with other villagers to the disaster site with shovels and hoes. “We pulled out several people, one of whom was breathing weakly. But after a while, he died,” Xinhua quoted Li as saying. Zhou Benju, wept as she recounted hearing the rumble of the landslide.

“Several relatives of my parents - my grandma, brother, uncle and my aunt’s family members, died,” she told the agency. The landslide was caused by 10 days of heavy rain and snow, steep slopes, unstable soil, and earthquakes that jolted the area in

September, according to local geological experts, Xinhua reported.

The area may also have been weakened by the presence of a nearby coalmine, the daily Chongqing Chenbao said, although this was denied by a local official at a press conference broadcast on national

television. The area has experienced unusually low temperatures in recent weeks during what authorities have called China’s coldest winter in 28 years.

The landslide spread over an area 120 m long, 110 m wide and 16 m deep, according to authorities.

Hundreds of thousands of messages of support

GAOPO, China: Residents gather to mourn the dead after the rescue mission is finished in the disaster-hit area in this village in southwest China’s Yunnan province yesterday. — AFP

have been posted on microblogging site Sina Weibo. “Pray for those who remain missing in the debris. Life is too fragile. We only wish miracles can happen!” read one post. “It is a tragedy, a real tragedy!” wrote another on Sohu.com. Photos on Yunnan Web, run by the Yunnan provincial government, showed rescuers in orange uniforms digging into wide swathes of mud against a backdrop of snow-covered, terraced hills.

A video posted on a Chinese social networking site appeared to show a group of villagers digging through thick mud and debris to uncover a body, which was carried away on a stretcher. The Communist Party’s top leaders Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang, along with Premier Wen Jiabao, ordered “all-out efforts to rescue victims”, Xinhua said.

Yunnan province, which borders Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, is a relatively poor part of China where rural houses are often cheaply constructed.

Gaopo is in Zhenxiong county, in the northeast of Yunnan, a temperate province known for its tobacco industry and for being the home of Pu’er tea. But its mountainous areas are prone to landslides and earthquakes. Two quakes in September one of magnitude 5.7 - left 81 dead and hundreds injured. A neighbouring county was hit by a landslide in October that killed 18 children, after one that killed 216 people in 1991, according to the United States Geological Survey. An earthquake in neighbouring Sichuan province in 2008 claimed around 70,000 lives - the worst natural disaster to hit China in three decades, with shoddy buildings blamed for the high toll. — AFP

Malaysia oppn rally draws huge crowds Anwar urges voters to oust govt

NORZAGARAY, Philippines: Glen Elaine Ella kisses the coffin of her daughter Stephanie Nicole, 7, who was hit with a stray bullet as their family watch the fireworks to welcome the New Year, during her burial yesterday in Bulacan province. — AP

Philippine prez keeps gun despite outcry MANILA: Philippine President Benigno Aquino may continue to carry a gun despite an impending ban on bearing firearms in the run-up to polls, an election official said yesterday. Gun ownership is a sensitive topic in the Philippines, where calls are growing for tighter controls or an outright ban in the aftermath of a series of shootings starting on New Year’s Eve that have left 23 people dead. The ruling by the official Commission on Elections exempted Aquino, a gun enthusiast and competitive shooter, on the basis that he is constitutionally the head of the military.

“We have exempted the members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and since the president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, then by necessary implication, (the exemption) covers the president,” said Emil Maranon, an official in the commission. Presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte hailed the ruling, saying, “we welcome the (commission) statement that as commander-in-chief, President Aquino is exempted”.

The ban, which takes effect today and will be in place for six months, is intended to minimise violence ahead of local and congressional elections in May. It is not

unusual for local officials to seek exemption from gun bans, which are routinely imposed before elections, but Maranon said this was the first time he could recall a president applying. Speaking before an anti-crime group yesterday, Aquino said the government was studying whether the problem was lack of gun control laws or just poor enforcement. “Is the problem about licensed gun owners, or lawless elements? Will a total gun ban really deter kidnappers, murderers, and robbers.... Is it a question of passing new legislation or more strictly implementing existing laws?” he said.

On Wednesday, Aquino dismissed calls for a total ban on civilians carrying guns after a series of deadly shootings, saying it was a “knee-jerk reaction” to the issue. Two children died from bullet wounds caused by gunfire from New Year revellers. A few days later a drugs-crazed gunman shot dead seven people during a 30-minute rampage on the outskirts of Manila, before police killed him. Security forces shot another 13 people dead last Sunday in a case that has embarrassed the government and highlighted major corruption problems in the police and military.— AFP

BEIJING: A woman wearing a mask walks on a street during severe pollution yesterday. — AFP

Beijing choked by pollution BEIJING: Dense smog shrouded Beijing yesterday, with pollution at hazardous levels for a second day and residents advised to stay indoors, state media said. The municipal environment warning centre issued an alert advising the elderly, children, and those suffering respiratory or cardiovascular illness to avoid going out or doing strenuous exercise, Xinhua reported.

Those who did venture out wore facemasks for protection, with visibility low, the skyline shrouded, and the sun hidden in the smog. Air quality in Beijing showed airborne particles with a diameter small enough to deeply penetrate the lungs at a reading of 456 micrograms per cubic metre, the warning centre said. The quality is considered good when the figure stands at less than 100.

But a reading shown on the United States embassy website in Beijing was

above 800. Beijing only measures up to a maximum value of 500, with the US embassy tweeting that their own readings were “beyond index”. Last year Beijing said it was illegal for foreign embassies to issue their own air quality readings, but the US said its diplomatic missions in China would not stop tweeting levels, which were useful to its citizens living abroad.

The heavy pollution is expected to last another three days, with weather conditions preventing pollutants from dispersing, the warning centre said, according to Xinhua. Fog also covered vast swathes of east and central China also closed numerous highways and delayed flights in several provinces, it added. China’s air quality is among the worst in the world, international organisations say, citing massive coal consumption and car-choked city streets in the world’s biggest auto market. — AFP

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim urged voters to oust the country’s long-ruling government as tens of thousands of supporters gathered yesterday in a show of force ahead of coming elections. At least 50,000 people crowded into an iconic stadium in the capital Kuala Lumpur where independence was declared in 1957 and tens of thousands more thronged surrounding areas as the opposition effectively kicked off its campaign. “We plead for you to give us a chance so that the people’s voices will become the voices of the leaders of this nation,” Anwar told the crowds as he denounced what he called the government’s misrule and corruption. “The time has come to bury the unfairness of this government,” he declared.

The Barisan Nasional coalition has controlled Malaysia since independence from Britain and was never seriously threatened until Anwar’s opposition alliance handed the ruling bloc its worst election showing ever in 2008.

Premier Najib Razak must face elections no later than June in a contest that is shaping up as the nation’s most intriguing yet, with the opposition seeking to harness the winds of change that powered the “Arab Spring” in the Middle East.

There was no hint yesterday of the violence that marred the country’s last major anti-government rally in April.

That rally, for reform of an election system that the opposition and other critics say is skewed in the government’s favour, drew tens of thousands to the streets but degenerated into clashes between demonstrators and police.

Authorities were criticised for a response widely seen as heavy-handed. Critics say the electoral system is rife with voter-roll fraud and other progovernment bias, and complain the government has not followed through on a pledge to address alleged unfairness in time for the polls. The government denies the system is biased. “If you cheat in this election, the people will rise to

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim speaks to thousands of protestors during a grand gathering at the historical Medeka Stadium during a rally for electoral reforms yesterday. — AFP overthrow you,” Anwar warned in comments directed at the country’s Election Commission, which is widely seen as pro-government.

Anwar was deputy premier until his sensational ouster in 1998 amid a row with strongman ruler Mahathir Mohamad, and was convicted on sodomy and corruption charges widely viewed as a political fix-up. His casting out has invigorated a once-ineffectual opposition. He now heads a tripartite alliance of his own multi-ethnic party, an influential Islamic party, and a third party dominated by ethnic Chinese. Muslim Malays make up more 60 percent of Malaysia’s 28 million people.

The government derides the opposition as a marriage of convenience incapable of governing, saying Malaysia needs Barisan Nasional’s

steady hand. It also touts efforts by Najib to spark the economy and reform oppressive laws.

Under Barisan Nasional, Malaysia became one of Southeast Asia’s economic success stories and enjoyed decades of political stability, while facing recurring allegations of corruption and rights abuses.

The opposition accuses the scandal-prone government of massive graft, thuggish rule, and racial fear-mongering in the multi-ethnic nation in order to stay in power. It also says the economy is also losing its competitive edge against regional rivals. “Our government is so corrupt.

The government should listen to us. They need to reform,” said rally participant Azlan Abu Bakar, 29, who travelled from the eastern state of Terengganu for the gathering. — AFP

As Australia bushfires rage, warning of more heatwaves SYDNEY: Firefighters were battling scores of wildfires raging in Australia yesterday, as a government commission warned that climate change had raised the risk of scorching heatwaves becoming more frequent. In the eastern state of New South Wales, some 1,000 firefighters were attempting to douse about 94 wildfires, about dozen uncontained, while fires were also burning in neighbouring Victoria and Queensland states. And in the southern island state of Tasmania, known for its cooler temperatures, residents were returning to the burnt-out homes they fled a week ago when flames raced through villages on the Tasman peninsula.

No deaths have been reported from the bushfires, which have flared during extreme summer temperatures, but the unprecedented heatwave has prompted the government’s Climate Commission to issue a new report on the weather event. It says that climate change has contributed to making the extreme heat conditions - in which record-breaking temperatures in parts of the country have topped 45 degrees Celsius - and bushfires worse.

“The length, extent and severity of the current heatwave are unprecedented in the measurement record,” the report “Off the Charts: Extreme Australian summer heat” notes.

“Although Australia has always had heatwaves, hot days and bushfires, climate change is increasing the risk of more frequent and longer heatwaves and more extreme hot days, as well as exacerbating bushfire conditions.”

It says while many factors influence the potential for bushfires, so called “fire weather” is highly sensitive to changes in climatic conditions. And hotter temperatures, longer heatwaves, high winds and drier soils and grasses can all dramatically exacerbate fire conditions.

“Thus when fire occurs in more extreme weather conditions, there is the potential for the fire to

This photo taken on Jan 10, 2013 shows bushfires burning near Burrinjuck Dam in Australia’s state of New South Wales taken by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield from the International Space Station high above Australia. — AFP be far more intense and difficult to control,” the frequency of hot extremes, more hot days, more report said. One of the report’s authors David heat waves and more extreme bush fire days Karoly said there was clear evidence of an during Australian summers in the future. “We still increasing trend in hot extremes in Australia, will have natural climate variability, so some where the current heatwave has affected more years will be cooler and a little bit wetter,” he said. “But, yes, we will expect to see more frethan 70 percent of the vast continent nation.

Karoly said the current heatwave, which quent heatwaves that are lasting longer and began in December, saw the average maximum covering more of the country and getting more daily temperature across the whole of Australia and more intense as time goes on.”

There was some relief from the heat in sight hit a 40.3 degrees Celsius on January 7, breaking a record of 40.17 C which had stood since 1972. Saturday, with cooler temperatures expected to “That’s an amazing temperature,” he told AFP. help firefighters battling blazes in southern New “No cool areas offsetting the record heat. What South Wales and Victoria. But in northern inland we’ve been experiencing this week... people New South Wales, the temperature soared past 40 C and fires, hit by increased winds, were still have been calling it a ‘dome’ of hot air.”

Karoly said there was likely to be an increased burning strongly. —AFP

NEWS

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

French hostage ‘killed’ in botched Somalia raid

French gunships stop Mali...

Continued from Page 1

Continued from Page 1

A spokesman for Malian insurgents Ansar Dine said France’s intervention in the country will put French citizens at risk. “There are consequences, not only for French hostages, but also for all French citizens wherever they find themselves in the Muslim world,” Sanda Ould Boumama told Reuters.

A French military analyst, Jean-Dominique Merchet, said he doubted the raid had been mounted in coordination with the Mali operation and it appeared to be a case of unfortunate timing. “The Mali intervention was not planned, it was launched in two days, whereas the other raid had been in the works for a week or two. There is no reason for them to have been coordinated,” he said.

Allex was one of two officers from the DGSE intelligence agency kidnapped by Shabaab in Mogadishu in July 2009. His colleague, Marc Aubriere, escaped a month later but Allex had been held ever since in what Paris called “inhumane conditions”. The ministry said he was kidnapped while carrying out an aid mission with the Somali government.

France has previously said the two men were in the Somali capital to train local forces.

A video of Allex pleading with Hollande to negotiate his release and save his life appeared on a website in October used by Islamist militant groups around the world. Reuters could not verify its authenticity.

Hollande said at the time the government was seeking to start talks with

any party able to facilitate Allex’s release. After his abduction, Shabaab issued a series of demands, which included an end to French support for the Somali government and the withdrawal of African Union peacekeepers, whose 17,600-strong troops are helping battle the rebels.

Under pressure from the peacekeeping troops and Somali government forces, Shabaab has lost many of its major urban strongholds in south-central Somalia since it launched a rebellion against the Western-backed government in 2007. The rebels, who want to impose their strict interpretation of sharia across the Horn of Africa state, withdrew from the capital Mogadishu in August last year and lost their last major bastion of Kismayu six weeks ago.

A Somali official in Bula Mareer, about 120 km south of Mogadishu, said French helicopters attacked overnight. “Helicopters attacked al Shabaab at 2.00 am this morning. Two civilians died in the crossfire,” Ahmed Omar Mohamed, deputy chairman for lower Shabelle region, told Reuters. A Shabaab official who asked not to be named said they exchanged fire with French commandos. “Three helicopters dropped French commandos. We exchanged fire,” the official told Reuters. France has a recent history of botched operations, including a failed joint raid with Niger forces in 2011 that left both hostages dead, another in Mali that led to the hostage’s execution. In 2009, French commandos launched a raid to free a French family whose yacht had been hijacked by Somali pirates. They retook the boat but accidentally shot the father.— Agencies

A senior Malian officer told AFP the army was now fully in control of Konna, after spending the best part of Saturday flushing out the last pockets of resistance. “We control the town, all of it,” said Lieutenant Ousmane Fane. “We have claimed dozens of casualties, even around 100 among Islamist ranks in Konna,” he said.

Witnesses reached by AFP spoke of dozens of bodies strewn across the area, with one resident counting 46 dead Islamists. The town, which had fallen into insurgents’ hands on Thursday, is some 700 km from Bamako but was seen as one of the last ramparts against an Islamist advance. Mali’s armed forces had been in disarray since the March coup and seemed powerless against a rebellion of seasoned fighters, but France’s shock intervention tipped the power balance. “The helicopters struck the insurgents’ vehicles, which dispersed. The army is mopping up the city,” a Malian military source said.

Groups with ties to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) overpowered a secular ethnic-

Tuareg rebellion in March 2012 and seized control of the north, a territory the size of France.

They have since destroyed centuries-old Muslim mausoleums which they see as a heresy and imposed an extreme form of Islamic law in the main towns, flogging, amputating and sometimes executing accused transgressors. The collapse of a nation formerly seen as a democratic success story in the region also sparked Western fears that northern Mali could become a major launchpad for global terrorist attacks.

The United States, France - which has eight hostages in the Sahel - and the rest of the European Union had looked set to let regional nations take the lead on any military intervention, which appeared at least several months away. The UN Security Council had approved a military mission organised by west African bloc ECOWAS, but Mali’s interim administration later warned it could not afford to wait months for a game-changer. “Our choice is peace... but they have forced war on us. We will carry out a crushing and massive retaliation against our enemies,” Mali’s interim president, Dioncounda Traore, said in an address to the nation on Friday. — AFP

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

ANALYSIS

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Issues

US eyes better Venezuela ties post-Chavez

By Nicolas Revise

T

he Obama administration is looking towards a post-Chavez era hoping to improve relations with Venezuela, but analysts say it remains unclear if any successor to the fiercely anti-American leader will embrace new ties. Even though the exact state of President Hugo Chavez’s health is unknown as he languishes out of sight in a Cuba hospital, it is clear US officials believe he may never return to power in Caracas.

Even before Chavez headed back to Havana on December 10 for his fourth cancer operation, American officials were maneuvering to extend an olive branch to top Venezuelan cabinet officials.

Assistant Secretary for Latin America Roberta Jacobson seized the initiative in late November when she telephoned Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro, whom Chavez designated his political heir. “The prospect of the transition from Chavez to another leader opened up the possibility of resetting the relationship and putting it not necessarily on a friendly course, but on a correct course,” expert Cynthia Arnson told AFP. The first essential step would be to reinstate their ambassadors, said Arnson, director of the Latin American program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Caracas and Washington have been operating embassies in each country without an ambassador since a diplomatic spat in 2010. Jacobson took the opportunity to discuss issues of joint concern such as combating drug-trafficking, counter-terrorism and energy cooperation.

Venezuela is sitting on major oil reserves and accounts for some 10 percent of US oil imports. “We have for some time made clear that we were willing and open to trying to improve our ties with Venezuela,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters this week. Washington had already proposed some ideas on how to improve ties step-by-step, she added, refusing to go into specifics. “If the Venezuelan people want to move forward with us, we think there is a path that’s possible. It’s just going to take two to tango,” she said.

But Chavez, who since assuming power in 1999 has long worked to forge an anti-US alliance among leftist leaders in Latin America, “was not really interested” in boosting ties, Arnson said. Fellow expert Eric Farnsworth, vice-president of the Council of Americas think tank, agreed, and also blamed Chavez’s intransigence over the years. “Washington does not want and has never wanted a bad relationship with Venezuela and Washington has been frustrated by the persistence of the poor relationship with Venezuela,” he told AFP. “It has been looking for some times for ways to improve.”

And he cautioned that whoever succeeds Chavez whether it be Maduro or national assembly speaker Diosdado Cabello recently re-elected in a closing of the ranks by the ruling United Socialist Party - there is no guarantee ties will take a turn for the better. Any new leader would have to show he is steeped in the socialist revolution, and the policies so directly associated with Chavez. A new president would have to “show to the Venezuelan people that they are true to the Chavez legacy, they will have to show that they are truly ‘Chavista’ and that is how they will gain political legitimacy,” Farnsworth said.

Last week after revealing the phone call with Jacobson, Maduro underlined their divergences, stressing the two countries “have absolutely opposed historical and political points of view (and) huge ideological differences”. And conservatives are anxiously watching the US government’s moves. “If Washington and Caracas were to restore ambassadors at this crucial time, it would crush the hopes of the democratic opposition,” said Roger Noriega, who was Jacobson’s predecessor under former president George W Bush. He argued such a move would “legitimize Maduro and the Chavista succession, and interfere with ongoing US law enforcement investigations against the Venezuelan narcostate”.

How the political crisis will play out in Venezuela remains unclear as Maduro prepared to fly back to Cuba on Friday for another Chavez bedside visit. Chavez’s symbolic inauguration went ahead Thursday in the absence of the 58-year-old president after the Supreme Court ruled he could postpone his swearing-in indefinitely. —AFP

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The editor reserves the right to edit any submission as necessary.

End to China media row dims reform hopes

By Carol Huang

T

he way China’s leaders contained a rights row that saw rare protests against censorship shows there is no consensus for rapid change, analysts say, despite rising calls for press freedom and other reforms. Since China’s president-inwaiting, Xi Jinping, was installed as the new Communist chief in November, authorities have proclaimed themes of better serving the people, respecting rights and clamping down on corruption. But the government’s handling of the rare public dispute - a tangible early test for Xi suggested radical change is some way off. The row flared after the liberal Southern Weekly newspaper had an editorial urging greater protection for liberties replaced with one praising the ruling party.

Angered by what they saw as heavy-handed censorship, demonstrators took to the streets with others speaking out in China’s increasingly vocal online community. A deal

between staff and officials, reportedly on the basis that there would be no direct interference in content before publication, saw the paper come out on Thursday as scheduled, as police removed demonstrators from the scene.

Reports said Hu Chunhua, a rising star in the Communist Party and its top official in Guangdong province, where the paper is based, had stepped in to mediate. David Goodman, a professor of Chinese politics at the University of Sydney, saw the accommodation of protests and the quiet defusing of the situation as signs that leaders themselves were divided over how much leeway to allow. “People don’t normally go around protesting in China like that without some level of high-level support,” he said. “Both camps will have instructed their people who were at the front line in the situation to back off,” he said. “There are people who don’t want change and people who do want change.”

Such challenges to the govern-

ment were likely to continue, said Willy Lam, a politics expert at Chinese University of Hong Kong. “I think people are not so naive to believe that Xi Jinping is really serious about abiding by the constitution and so forth because that would mean freedom of expression,” he said. “But I think they want this to be a challenge to Xi Jinping because he has in a high-profile manner committed himself to respecting and abiding by the constitution.”

During the row China’s major web portals reprinted a hard-line official editorial critical of the Southern Weekly but distanced themselves from the content, while the publisher of the Beijing News reportedly threatened to quit. Lam said the display of press solidarity, buttressed by a show of force on China’s Twitter-like weibos, indicated such challenges would arise again.

“First of all there is a nationwide community of journalists who are willing and brave enough to offer support to each other. “And second-

ly there is this potent weapon of Weibo which enables public intellectuals (and) legal scholars to beat the censorship,” Lam said.

But some prominent weibo users who supported of the paper were reportedly later “invited to tea”, a euphemism for being cautioned by authorities. Social media are subject to strict controls in China, with critical posts rapidly deleted and controversial search terms often blocked, although recently official media have also praised them for exposing wrongdoing, particularly regarding corruption. Vague promises of reforms have also been repeatedly sounded in the past few weeks, and a few days ago reports said China would stop using its widely criticised “re-education” labour camps.

They were quickly deleted but state media said there would be unspecified reforms to the system, along with the residency permits that leave around 250 million people living as second-class citizens, and other issues. The state news

agency Xinhua described them as “exactly the ones over which Chinese people have expressed most concern” - in an acknowledgement of popular discontent.

Doug Young, a journalism professor at Fudan University in Shanghai, saw the official response to the Southern Weekly dispute, with its promise of less interference, as promising. The authorities had defused the crisis in a more savvy manner, avoiding a backlash and signalling a more pragmatic approach, he said.

This “goes hand in hand with the fact that Xi and this new generation generally want to see more openness in the media”, Young said. “They want to see the media become more of a social-type watchdog and not just a propaganda tool for the Communist Party.” But Lam said the way the dispute ended “shows that (Xi) is only interested in economic reform, but regarding political reform including policy towards the media, he is no different from (predecessors) Hu Jintao or Jiang Zemin”. —AFP

US Treasury choice untested outside budget

By Rachelle Younglai and Sarah N Lynch

US

President Barack Obama broke the mold on Thursday by choosing a budget wonk to serve as US Treasury secretary, leaving gaps on the international and financial side that could make for a rocky transition. Jack Lew, Obama’s chief of staff, was chosen to lead the Treasury Department as the White House heads into another round of difficult talks with Congress on how to put the nation on a sound fiscal path. By tapping a twotime White House budget director, Obama signaled the importance he places on the ongoing budget battles.

If the Senate confirms Lew, as widely expected, the budget expert’s most pressing task will be to ensure that Congress raises the nation’s debt ceiling in time for the United States to avoid a damaging default and credit-rating downgrades. In selecting a Washington insider, Obama has potentially left the Treasury Department with holes in crucial areas: financial markets, regulation and international economics. Obama’s outgoing Treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner, was previously president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, where part of his job was to liaise with Wall Street and regulate big banks. He also had held top positions in President Bill Clinton’s Treasury Department and at the International Monetary Fund.

Geithner’s immediate predecessor, former Goldman Sachs CEO Hank Paulson, was also deeply steeped in the ways of Wall Street, as was Geithner’s boss during the Clinton administration, then-Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin. “Jack Lew is by all accounts highly qualified to be secretary of the Treasury,” said Dennis Kelleher, the chief executive of the left-leaning group Better Markets, which supports tougher financial regulation. “The one area of concern is whether or not he is sufficiently committed to quickly and thoroughly implementing financial reform and re-regulating Wall Street.”

Bankers and other financial services executives privately expressed concern that Lew lacked financial markets experience, even though he worked on Wall Street for two years.

Sheila Bair, a former bank regulator, told CNBC television on Wednesday that “someone with a little broader perspective would be good.” Lew, who is known as a strong administrator, admitted his financial experience was scant when he was vetted by the Senate to serve as a State Department deputy secretary and then as

Obama’s budget chief.

At a Senate Budget Committee hearing in Sept 2010, he was pressed by Senator Bernie Sanders for his views on whether deregulation contributed significantly to the 2007-2009 financial crisis. “I don’t consider myself an expert in some of these aspects of the financial industry,” Lew responded. “My experience with the financial industry has been as a manager, not as an investment adviser. I don’t personally know the extent to which deregulation drove it, but I don’t believe that deregulation was the, you know, proximate cause,” he added.

Those comments upset Sanders, a political independent who supports tougher regulation.

Sanders voted against Lew’s selection as budget chief, and on Thursday said he was prepared to vote against him again. While Lew is expected to win confirmation, he could face a fair amount of opposition from a combination of left-leaning, pro-regulation lawmakers like Sanders and Republicans who have clashed with the nominee in past budget talks. During his time on Wall Street, Lew was the chief operating officer of Citigroup’s global wealth management division.

He later became COO for Citi Alternative Investments, a largely administrative role that was apart from investment decisions that port-

folio managers would have made.

“I found that things he was responsible for doing worked better after he joined,” said Todd Thomson, who headed Citigroup’s wealth management unit in 2006 and hired Lew. “He’s very good at working across an organization, and bringing people together to resolve issues.” Lew joined Citi on the recommendation of former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, who was then chairman of Citigroup’s executive committee.

Rubin knew Lew from their time together in the Clinton administration.

Outside of Washington policy circles, Lew is little known. A number of financial officials in Asia and Europe drew a blank when asked by Reuters for their appraisal. “People in the know should know a person who has served as OMB (Office of Management and Budget) chief. To me he is a total stranger,” said one official of a Group of 20 nation. As Treasury secretary, Lew will not only have to represent the United States on the global stage, but he will have to deal with a host of tricky international economic problems from the challenges presented by China’s growing economic clout to Europe’s debt crisis.

One euro zone official involved in fighting the region’s debt problems said he was encouraged

by Obama’s pick. “The sign it sends is that (the

White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew speaks as US President Barack Obama looks on after Obama nominated Lew as the next treasury secretary in the East Room of the White House on Jan 10, 2013 in Washington. —AFP

United States) will be serious about the deficit and fiscal policy since (Lew) is an experienced fiscal policy specialist,” the official said. If confirmed, Lew would come to the Treasury Department at a critical time for regulation. The Treasury secretary is essentially a regulator-in-chief who chairs the relatively new Financial Stability Oversight Council, a panel comprised of the country’s top banking and market regulators.

As chairman, he would have the authority to veto any FSOC initiative, even if all of the other members disagree. The council is currently receiving comments on a controversial framework that proposes stringent new regulations on money market funds. It is also close to imposing additional rules on a handful of large, complex financial institutions meant to ensure they never threaten the stability of the financial system. Both initiatives could be put on hold as Lew gets up to speed, or a top deputy could be required to play a bigger role.

The 57-year old Lew is considered a quick study. He was a rising star when he served as a top policy adviser to then-House of Representatives Speaker Tip O’Neill in the 1980s, a Democrat who worked with Republican President Ronald Reagan to reform the tax code and put the Social Security retirement program on more solid footing. Former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Arthur Levitt said Lew could handle any issue and that his lack of regulatory experience was not a problem.

Levitt said Lew was a strong defender of the SEC when Republicans once threatened to cut the agency’s budget over rules Levitt pushed to reduce auditor conflicts of interest. “I would say Jack Lew is probably a better person from an investor’s point of view than anyone I could think of,” he said.

The Chamber of Commerce, the country’s biggest business lobby, and other influential trade and lobby groups also said Lew has the skills for the top US economic post. Lew’s selection could put pressure on the Obama administration to find a deputy with business and financial experience to help round out Lew’s deep knowledge of Congress and the budget. Current Treasury No. 2 Neal Wolin is expected to depart once he assures a smooth transition is in place.

“It’s important (Lew) has people around him who understand the markets,” said Tom Quaadman, a vice president with the Chamber.

“So I think it will be more telling, to a degree, who he brings with him into the department itself.” —Reuters

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

S P ORT S Starc out of second ODI

Tennis time-violation rule

Bryant, wife call off divorce

SYDNEY: Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc has been ruled out of today’s second one-day international against Sri Lanka due to calf soreness, the country’s cricket board said yesterday.

Starc was the latest addition to a long list of injured pacemen during the summer which has forced Cricket Australia (CA) to adopt a rotation policy to reduce players’ workload. Pacemen James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus and all-rounder Shane Watson have all suffered injuries in the last year forcing them to miss matches for Australia.

CA said Starc’s injury was not a serious one and the selectors have called up uncapped fast bowler Kane Richardson as Starc’s cover for Adelaide. “Mitchell Starc had some mild right calf soreness after the match at the MCG last night,” CA physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said in a statement.

“Whilst we are not majorly concerned about it, we have withdrawn him from the game today as a precaution.

“He will be reassessed over the next few days and is a possibility to play next weekend’s ... matches against Sri Lank a if his symptoms resolve.”

Australia lead the five-ODI series 1-0 after a thumping 107-run win in the opening match in Melbourne. —Reuters

MELBOURNE: Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) chief Brad Drewett will meet with players late yesterday and address a new rule aimed at speeding up the game that has drawn criticism from professionals on the men’s tour. This year, the ATP are enforcing a regulation that gives players 25 seconds to serve the ball or face a warning and then the loss of a point for a second violation. The new rule has sparked complaints from players who have fallen foul of the law.

Grand slams have had a time limit of 20 seconds for a number of years but the rule is rarely enforced and top players like Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic regularly flout it with drawn-out preparations to serves.

The new rule was endorsed by the ATP player’s council last month but stricter enforcement at warm-up tournaments ahead of next week’s Australian Open has raised concerns from players about a crackdown at the year’s first grand slam where five-set matches in extreme heat often feature. Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley on Friday indicated players would be afforded some leeway at Melbourne Park, where officials would use “good sense, good judgement” in enforcing the 20second rule. “The Australian Open as a grand slam will not be doing anything different to what we’ve done in the past, we will still enforce the 20-second rule,” he told reporters. Last year’s final between winner Djokovic and Nadal took five hours and 53 minutes, a record in grand slam finals, with both players taking breaks of up to 30 seconds between points. —Reuters

LOS ANGELES: Kobe and Vanessa Bryant are staying together. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar and his wife both announced they’ve called off their divorce Friday on social media. Shortly after Vanessa posted the news on Instagram, Kobe confirmed it on Facebook less than an hour before the Lakers hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“I am happy to say that Vanessa and I are moving on with our lives together as a family,” Bryant wrote. “When the show ends and the music stops, the journey is made beautiful by having that someone to share it with. Thank you all for your support and prayers!”

Vanessa Bryant filed for divorce in December 2011, seeking to end a marriage that began in April 2001 and survived a sexual assault accusation against the five-time NBA champion guard. The Bryants have two daughters, Natalia and Gianna. But Kobe and Vanessa haven’t acted much like a divorcing couple in the past year. Vanessa and the Bryant daughters have attended many Lakers home games, waiting for Bryant to emerge from the Lakers’ locker room and leaving Staples Center together. “We are pleased to announce that we have reconciled,” Vanessa posted on Instagram. “Our divorce action will be dismissed. We are looking forward to our future together.” Vanessa Bryant stood by her husband when he was charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman in Colorado in 2003, saying Kobe Bryant was only guilty of “the mistake of adultery.” A year after the accusation, prosecutors dropped the charges because the woman did not want to go ahead with a trial. —AP

Fenerbahce falter in Euroleague BELGRADE: Maccabi Tel Aviv playmaker Moran Roth emerged from obscurity on Friday to help the winners of four Euroleague titles to a 91-73 victory over Fenerbahce Istanbul to rekindle their hopes of reaching the playoffs.

Spaniards Caja Laboral, who were on the brink of an early exit in the preliminary group stage, continued their impressive comeback with a 77-51 rout of Besiktas Istanbul which kept them in the driving seat to advance to the knockout phase.

Barcelona beat holders Olympiakos Piraeus 76-68 in a heavyweight clash to avenge last season’s semi-final defeat to the Greeks, CSKA Moscow overpowered Bamberg 90-83 and Real Madrid achieved a thrilling 7574 victory over Zalgiris Kaunas.

Roth, who joined Maccabi this season after playing for a myriad of less-fancied Israeli teams, averaged 0.9 points and less than five minutes on the court until his moment of glory at home to Fenerbahce.

The 30-year-old journeyman scored eight points, including two three-pointers, and dished out six assists in 15 productive minutes to earn a standing ovation from the jampacked Nokia Arena.

“I’ve been dreaming about this since I was five because nothing compares to the lights of this arena,” a delighted Roth told the competition’s official website (www.euroleague.net). “I am really happy I could help the team get this very important win. It’s our first in the top 16 and now we have to ride the momentum.”

Maccabi coach David Blatt, who guided Russia to the 2007 European Championship, said: “We didn’t expect Moran to put on such a good show although we knew he was capable of this. Winning by such a big margin is a big bonus for us.”

Shooting guard Ricky Hickman picked up 24 points and fellow American centre Shawn James grabbed 22 for Maccabi who have a 12 win-loss record while Fenerbahce are rooted to the bottom of their section with three defeats. The second group stage comprises 16 teams divided into two pools of eight. The top four in each section advance to the bestof-five quarter-final series from where the winners progress to the May 10-12 Final Four in London.

Written off after losing six of their opening seven games, Caja squeezed into the top 16 with three wins in a row and now look

unstoppable after registering another three on the trot to go first in their section.

They took an early 21-2 lead against Besiktas and never looked back as shooting guard Brad Oleson recorded 13 points and three other players chipped in with 12 each, providing the kind of team chemistry the Basque outfit were so bereft of earlier in the season. “We have improved a lot in the last few games,” said the 29-year-old Oleson who once plied his trade for lower league Dodge City Legend in the United States after completing his college career at Alaska Fairbanks.

“Nobody on this team stepped back when we were in a difficult situation in the last games of the regular season. The guys took two steps forward and now we need to stay top and not relax.”

CSKA made it three wins out of three in the second group stage but not before they were pushed to the limit by Bamberg for the third time this season, the Russians having edged out the plucky Germans in similar fashion in their last two meetings.

Forward Viktor Khryapa led CSKA with 19 points while Serbia playmaker Milos Teodosic and guard Dionte Christmas added 17 each to cancel out a valiant solo effort by Bamberg’s Slovenian forward Bostjan Nachbar who amassed 35 including six threepointers from seven attempts.

“It was a high-quality game and a nice one to watch as both teams played well,” said the 31-year-old Nachbar who played for several NBA teams before moving back to Europe in 2008.

Croatian centre Ante Tomic cheered Barcelona with 15 points against Olympiakos in an ill-tempered game littered with technical fouls. Montenegrin-born forward Nikola Mirotic bagged 17 in a dramatic victory for Real Madrid marred by a post-game scuffle between rival players.

Zalgiris appeared set to stun the winners of a record eight European titles before Sergio Rodriguez buried a three-pointer with three seconds left and a brief altercation followed after Marko Popovic narrowly missed a three-point shot on the buzzer at the other end. Elsewhere, league top scorer Bobby Brown collected a game-high 20 points in Montepaschi Siena’s 82-76 home win over Khimki Moscow and former Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar notched 15 in Anadolu Efes Istanbul’s 71-62 defeat of Alba Berlin. — Reuters

Matt Schaub

Texans’ Schaub facing big test against Patriots NEW YORK: Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub starts his first road playoff game, at the New England Patriots on Sunday, with the pressure on. The Patriots, corning in from a bye week, loom as favorites in the American Football Conference (AFC) divisional round clash as they look to go one better than last season when they lost to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.

New England crushed Houston 42-14 in week 14, a result which knocked the Texans off their perch and started a slump which also affected Schaub. Although the Texans beat the Indianapolis Colts in week 15, they ended the regular season with successive losses and then were far from convincing in the 19-13 wild-card round win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Schaub has thrown just one touchdown in those four games and has made three interceptions and given up 10 sacks. The intense atmosphere of a road game in the playoffs will test all of the 31-year-old’s character. “I think he will be ready,” said Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson. “He’s working his butt off like he’s done every week. I think just getting his first (playoff ) win probably got a monkey off his back

because that is something people talked about,” he said.

Schaub missed out on the playoffs last year due to injury but his opposite number Tom Brady has no shortage of post-season experience. Brady has won 16 playoff games, a league record that he shares, for the moment, with Joe Montana.

He has also played in five Super Bowls, winning three of them, but he believes track records go out of the window when it comes to the playoffs. “I played games early in my career when I had no experience and I did pretty well,” he told reporters. “I think it always comes down to who is executing the best and not so much the experience.”

The Texans must hope that their outstanding defensive end J.J. Watt can get to Brady and make life painfully uncomfortable. “He’s a force on every play, no matter what play you have called, he can run it,” said Patriots head coach Bill Belch of Watt.

“He makes a lot of plays on the backside, disrupts the ball, strip-sacks, causes fumbles, batted balls. He’s an excellent pass rusher, quick and powerful. “He is a tough match-up with good technique, well coached and he plays hard. He’s a factor on every play.” — Reuters

LOS ANGELES: Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant moves past Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant during the first half of their NBA basketball game. —AP

Thunder strike down Lakers LOS ANGELES: Kevin Durant scored 42 points, Russell Westbrook had 27 points and 10 assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder easily sent the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers to their sixth straight loss, 116-101 Friday night.

Kevin Martin scored 15 points and hit three 3pointers for the Thunder, who romped to a 27point lead in the second half of their seventh win in nine games. Oklahoma City (28-8) matched the Clippers for the NBA’s best record with a virtuoso game from Durant, who had 38 points midway through the third quarter.

Kobe Bryant scored 28 for the Lakers, on their first six-game skid since March 2007. Antawn Jamison added 19 points as Los Angeles looked lost and overmatched in its third straight game without starting big men Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol.

Bulls 108, Knicks 101 In New York, Luol Deng scored a season-high 33 points in the Chicago Bulls’ third victory over New York this season, handing the Knicks to their season-high third straight loss.

Topping the 29 points he scored here last month, Deng shot 13 of 18 from the field and also led the defensive effort that contained Carmelo Anthony in the decisive first half of his return from a one-game suspension.

Carlos Boozer added 17 points for the Bulls, whose offense won’t be at full strength until Derrick Rose is back from knee surgery, yet they still shot 57 percent. Anthony ended up with 39 points for the Knicks, who were roughed up again a night after losing in Indiana.

Hawks 103, Jazz 95 In Atlanta, Devin Harris scored a season-high 24 points and Atlanta rallied from 15 points down in the second half. Randy Foye had 25 points to lead Utah, which had won four of five but was denied its first back-to-back road wins of the season. Al Jefferson had 23 points and 10 rebounds and Paul Milsap had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Jazz.

The Hawks, who trailed 75-60 in the third quarter, played from behind before taking their first lead of the second half on consecutive baskets by Al Hor ford. The second basket by Horford, set up by Josh Smith’s pass, gave Atlanta a 94-92 lead with 2:44 remaining.

Jefferson answered with a tying basket before Ivan Johnson scored on a fast break to give the lead back to Atlanta. Utah’s Jamaal Tinsley made one of two free throws to leave the Hawks’ lead at 96-95. Josh Smith’s short jumper and Lou Williams’ 3-pointer padded the lead.

Hornets 104, Timberwolves 92 In New Orleans, Greivis Vasquez had 18 points and 13 assists to lead New Orleans to its fourth straight win. Eric Gordon added 16 points, Ryan Anderson had 15, Jason Smith 14, Al-Farouz Aminu 12 and Roger Mason 10 for the Hornets, who have won five out of six with Gordon in the starting lineup.

Luke Ridnour scored 20 points to lead a balanced Timberwolves offense. Nikola Pekovic added 18 points, Andrei Kirilenko 17, Dante Cunningham 12 and Alexey Shved 11. New Orleans trailed 29-14 after the first quarter but outscored Minnesota 56-32 over the next two periods to take a 70-61 lead. The Hornets hit the century mark for the first time since 113-102 loss to Minnesota on Dec. 14.

Celtics 103, Rockets 91 In Boston, Paul Pierce scored 16 of his 23 points in the second half and Kevin Garnett added 17 points and four blocks as Boston nearly blew a 17-point lead before pulling away late.

The Celtics extended their season-high win-

ning streak to five games, but only after surviving a 12-0 run that pulled the Rockets within two points midway through the fourth quarter.

Rajon Rondo finished with 12 points and eight assists for the Celtics. Courtney Lee and Jared Sullinger scored 14 apiece and Sullinger also had 11 rebounds for his second straight double -double. James Harden scored 24 and Chandler Parsons added 18 for Houston, which fell to 0-2 during a three-game road trip that concludes Saturday in Philadelphia.

back when Monroe scored on a hook shot, layup and dunk and Knight added a 3 as the lead grew to 83-62 with 9:57 to play.

Rodney Stuckey’s 3 gave the Pistons another 21-point lead with 2:48 to go and the Bucks didn’t get closer than 14 again. Brandon Jennings and Beno Udrih had 15 points for Milwaukee. Boylan, who took over for the fired Scott Skiles earlier this week, had won his first two games - against Phoenix on Tuesday and Chicago on Wednesday.

Nets 99, Suns 79 In New York, Joe Johnson scored 19 points and MarShon Brooks added 17 points off the bench as Brooklyn won its fifth straight. The Nets have won three straight games by 20 or more points for the first time in the team’s NBA history.

Deron Williams added 14 points and Andray Blatche chipped in 15 points and eight rebounds as the Nets ended a five game home losing streak against Phoenix. Jared Dudley led the Suns with 18 points and Shannon Brown had 15 off the bench as Phoenix lost its fifth straight and for the 11th time in 12 games.

Grizzlies 101, Spurs 98 In Memphis, Rudy Gay hit a pullup jumper from 14 feet with 27.8 seconds left, and Memphis held off San Antonio in overtime for its fourth straight victory and the first over its Southwest Division rival since the 2011 playoffs.

Gay led Memphis with 23 points, and Mike Conley had 21 points and five assists San Antonio had won five straight in the series since the Grizzlies upset the then-No. 1 seed in the opening round in 2011.

The Spurs also had a 21/2-game divisional lead on Memphis coming into this game - with the Grizzlies having played five fewer games and the teams played at postseason intensity despite the calendar. Tony Parker, who finished with 30 points for the Spurs, forced overtime, beating the buzzer with a 27-footer tying it at 95. He also opened the extra period with a 3 that turned out to be the Spurs’ only bucket as San Antonio went 1 of 10 from the floor. Manu Ginobili missed a long 3 just before the buzzer.

Raptors 99, Bobcats 78 In Toronto, Alan Anderson scored 16 points against his former team, Jose Calderon had 15 and Toronto won for the 10th time in 13 games.

Amir Johnson had 13 points and eight rebounds while Ed Davis had 12 points and eight boards for the Raptors, who led by as many as 24. Anderson had four of Toronto’s 12 3-pointers, while Calderon and Kyle Lowry each made three.

Starting for the second straight game, Toronto’s Landry Fields matched his season high with 11 rebounds. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kemba Walker and Ben Gordon each scored 12 points as Charlotte’s modest streak of two straight road victories came to an end.

Pistons 103, Bucks 87 In Milwaukee, Greg Monroe had 26 points and 11 rebounds, Brandon Knight scored 20 points, and Detroit handed Milwaukee interim coach Jim Boylan his first loss.

Detroit led 74-60 going into the fourth quarter and squashed any hope of a Bucks come-

Nuggets 98, Cavaliers 91 In Denver, Danilo Gallinari scored 23 points, hitting a crucial 3-pointer in the waning seconds, and Denver rallied for the win after trailing for the most of the game.

Kosta Koufos added a career-high 21 points and Kenneth Faried had 17 points and 11 rebounds to help the Nuggets withstand 22 turnovers, which matched a season high and led to 24 Cleveland points. It was the fourth win in a row for the Nuggets, who beat Cleveland for the 10th time in the last 13 meetings in Denver. Kyrie Irving, playing despite an illness, scored 28 points to lead the Cavaliers.

Dion Waiters had 18 points and Tristan Thompson 16. — AP

NBA results/standings Toronto 99, Charlotte 78; Boston 103, Houston 91; Brooklyn 99, Phoenix 79; Atlanta 103, Utah 95; Chicago 108, NY Knicks 101; Memphis 101, San Antonio 98 (OT); New Orleans 104, Minnesota 92; Detroit 103, Milwaukee 87; Denver 98, Cleveland 91; Oklahoma City 116, LA Lakers 101; Golden State 103, Portland 97.

Eastern Conference Western Conference Atlantic Division Northwest Division W L PCT GB Oklahoma City 28 8 .778 NY Knicks 23 13 .639 Denver 22 16 .579 7 Brooklyn 21 15 .583 2 Portland 20 16 .556 8 Boston 19 17 .528 4 Utah 19 19 .500 10 Philadelphia 15 22 .405 8.5 Minnesota 16 17 .485 10.5 Toronto 14 22 .389 9 Pacific Division Central Division LA Clippers 28 8 .778 Indiana 22 14 .611 Golden State 23 12 .657 4.5 Chicago 20 14 .588 1 LA Lakers 15 21 .417 13 Milwaukee 18 17 .514 3.5 Sacramento 13 23 .361 15 Detroit 14 23 .378 8.5 Phoenix 12 26 .316 17 Cleveland 9 29 .237 14 Southwest Division Southeast Division San Antonio 28 11 .718 Miami 23 11 .676 Memphis 24 10 .706 1.5 Atlanta 21 14 .600 2.5 Houston 21 16 .568 6 Orlando 12 23 .343 11.5 Dallas 14 23 .378 13 Charlotte 9 26 .257 14.5 New Orleans 11 25 .306 15.5 Washington 5 28 .152 17.5

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

S P ORT S

Tomic wins ATP title

AUCKLAND: Spain’s David Ferrer kisses the trophy after defeating Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber in the singles final at the Heineken Open menís tennis tournament. —AP

Ferrer bags Auckland title AUCKLAND: Top-seed David Ferrer warmed up for the Australian open with a fourth ATP Auckland crown when he recovered from two early service breaks to beat Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight sets yesterday.

It was a confidence-boosting finish for Ferrer ahead of the opening Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne as he fought back to win 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 after Kohlschreiber held set point at 4-5 on serve in the first set.

Despite dropping his second and fifth service games, it took Ferrer just 78 minutes to dispose of Kohlschreiber with most of the time spent on the first set which lasted 52 minutes before the Spaniard won the tie break 7-5.

However, while it showed he was tapering nicely for the Australian Open, Ferrer put thoughts of Melbourne aside as he celebrated equalling the record of former 12-time Grand Slam winner Roy Emerson as the only players to win four times in Auckland.

“It was amazing for me to win here for the fourth time. Now I can say this is my favorite tournament,” he said. “But every tournament is different and now I want to enjoy this moment because it is very

special for me and tomorrow (Sunday) I will go to Melbourne and practise again.”

Once he settled into the game, crucially finding his rhythm when facing set point, Ferrer took full control as he darted around the court retrieving the seemingly impossible.

As his confidence rose, Kohlschreiber’s game fell apart and he was unable to compete with the Spaniard physically or mentally.

After Ferrer broke Kohlschreiber in the 10th game of the first set, he broke him again three times in the second set which included taking the match on a double fault as the German’s usually lethal serve deserted him.

“I had a very good start but it’s very hard to play against David, he never gives up, he gives you all the time onemore shot,” said Kohlschreiber who conceded he needed to take the first set to have any chance of winning.

“I didn’t take the first set and he raised his level and that’s why I think the second set went too fast.” Ferrer is seeded fourth in Melbourne and will play Belgian Olivier Rochus in the first round while Kohlschreiber, seeded 17th, opens against Belgian Steve Darcis. —AFP

MELBOURNE: Serena Williams of the US answers a question during a press conference ahead of the Australian Open tennis championship. — AP

Serena plans to keep it simple MELBOURNE: Serena Williams has a simple plan as she enters the twilight of her career.

One tournament at a time. Oh, and have some fun. The 31-year-old American, who is bidding for her sixth Australian Open title, enters the season-opening grand slam one of the raging hot favorites for the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy arguably in the form of her life.

Williams compiled a 31-1 run from Wimbledon until the season-ending WTA Championships in Istanbul, winning the grass court grand slam, the Olympic gold medal and the US Open as well as the Championships titles.

She continued that run by sealing the Brisbane title in her first tournament of 2013 and if successful at Melbourne Park, she will be just the French Open title away from completing her second ‘Serena-slam’-where she holds all four grand slam titles at the same time.

Despite her phenomenal run of form, and her superior match record against world number one Victoria Azarenka and number two Maria Sharapova, the powerful American was unsure if she would be able to complete a calendar grand slam.

“That’s an incredible goal. It hasn’t been done since the ‘80s,” she said in reference to Steffi Graf’s 1988 grand slam-winning season.

“I don’t know if I can do it. Maybe someone else can. We’ll see.” Few would bet against the enigmatic Williams from achieving the result,

given how well she was playing over the second half of 2012. The real issue at Melbourne Park, however, is that she has from time to time run hot and cold. Impressively destructive when the mood takes her, demolishing class opponents like the 6-0 6-1 thumping of Sharapova in the Olympics final and then, there are times when she is just not in the match. Days when she loses to people she should ordinarily blast off court within an hour and then sit down to relax by watching television shows and movies on her computer. Days like last year’s 6-2 6-3 fourth round loss at Melbourne Park to then world number 56 Ekaterina Makarova.

As such, she has adapted a ‘take it as comes’ attitude. “My goal is just to do the best I can,” she added. “Like I love playing. I want to be out there on centre court hopefully doing the best I can (and) I set my goals per tournament, go with it from there.”

Williams, who has never been short in expressing opinions on her own abilities and is a raging hot favourite for her 16th grand slam singles title, tried to dampen down expectations before her first round clash with Romania’s Edina Gallovits-Hall. “I don’t think like that,” she replied when asked if she was a hot favourite for the title. “I feel like I have to win seven matches. Everyone in this draw has to win seven matches. They have the same opportunity to do it as I do. —Reuters

SYDNEY: Rising Australian star Bernard Tomic clinched his first ATP Tour title with a fighting win over South African Kevin Anderson in the final of the Sydney International yesterday.

Tomic claimed his eighth straight win of the year in downing the 36th-ranked Anderson 63, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3 in one hour and 55 minutes, setting himself up for the Australian Open, which begins tomorrow, and saying he felt “unstoppable”.

Tomic is the first Australian winner of the Sydney tournament since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005 and the first 20-year-old event winner since Roger Federer in 2002. “I couldn’t ask for anything more. It’s an amazing feeling,” Tomic said.

“Now that I know what it feels like to win a tournament, and it’s the best feeling in the world. “I’m so happy I won. I can’t stop here now. Now I’ve got to look to the next tournament and keep playing the tennis I’ve been playing.”

He will head the Australian Open in Melbourne with his ranking down to 43 and with a chance of facing the 17-time Grand Slam champion and second seed Federer in the third round. Tomic begins with a match against Argentina’s Leonardo Mayer on Tuesday. “I’ve got a good opponent in the first round and I’m playing great tennis. I feel unstoppable. I feel like I’m playing great tennis,” he said. “When you know that no one can beat you, not even the No.1, you’ve got a good feeling. “It’s amazing stepping on court. You’re so confident. That’s going to be taken down to Melbourne and I’m going to use that for every match I play there.” Tomic began confidently, breaking Anderson’s opening service game and holding a break point in the sixth game before wrapping up the set in 28 minutes.

But he encountered stiffer opposition from Anderson in the second set, fighting off a break point on serve in the eighth game before taking it to a tiebreaker, which the South African dominated to make it one set all.

Tomic had the Anderson serve under pressure in the third set, breaking in the eighth game on his fourth break point when Anderson double-faulted. Tomic confidently served out for the match for his first career senior title. It was his second victory over Anderson.

The confident youngster has begun 2013 in blazing style starting with three wins in the mixed teams Hopman Cup, including a triumph in Perth over world number one Novak Djokovic.”I’m really fit and that’s why I feel fine,” Tomic said.

“It’s just amazing what I’ve done the last few months and got my body to where it is and my tennis is improving each day. “To get all these matches under my belt is a big confidence and this is what you need in this sport.” Anderson, 26, was the first South African to reach the final of the Sydney International.— AFP

SYDNEY: The winner Bernard Tomic of Australia (left) and runner-up Kevin Anderson of South Africa hold their trophies after their final of the Sydney International tennis tournament. —AP

Hewitt demolishes Del Potro MELBOURNE: Lleyton Hewitt showed vintage form as he humbled Juan Martin Del Potro 6-1, 6-4 yesterday to win the Kooyong Classic, giving him a major boost ahead of his first match at the Australian Open.

The former number one and two-time Grand Slam winner a decade ago completed victories over three top-15 opponents at the eight-man special event at the Kooyong Stadium-the former home of the Open.

Hewitt’s current game belies his 82nd place ranking, with the 31-year-old veteran hopeful of doing major damage as he begins play on Monday against Serb eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic at Melbourne Park.

“Janko is a tough first round-but there are not too many easy first rounds out there,” said Hewitt. “He’s a quality player who has improved a lot in the past two years. “It’s nice to know I’ve done all the right preparation, I can just go out there and play,” said the battler who a year ago had the foot surgery that finally cured a lingering problem that had forced him to play in pain.

Hewitt earned his comprehensive win over number seven Argentine Del Potro in 66 minutes to duplicate his Kooyong title from 2011.

The Australian raced through the opening set in 27 minutes, reaching a 3-1 lead after just 16 minutes. He finished off the set on a first set point as Del Potro fired a forehand long.

Del Potro made a stab at a rally in the second set, breaking Hewitt for 3-4 at one point and levelling at 4-all soon after. But Hewitt stayed in control, moving to 5-4 and finishing a game later on a second match point, a stinging forehand return winner.

Tomas Berdych lifted his game to claim third place through a 6-3, 6-2 win over Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, winning in just under an hour. The performance was a vast improvement for the sixth-ranked Czech after losing in straight sets to Hewitt earlier in the week.

Hewitt said that he will pick and choose his tennis shots on the ATP this season, with his 32nd birthday coming next month. “I don’t know how much I’ll play this year, I have the family to look after as well. My priorities are the Davis Cup, I’ll choose my events around the ties,” he said. “The Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open are where I have my best chances to go deep in the draw. The rankings are not important to me.” Hewitt said the tournament had provided a major boost. “I felt like in every match this week, I got better and better and gained more confidence. Every ball today felt like it was coming off the middle of the racquet,” he said. “I felt sharp, moved well. It was a good start out there. I’m not surprised at how well I’m playing. I’ve been training and hitting well and I’m playing as cleanly as I have in a long time.” — AFP

Rested Federer aims to go deep in Melbourne MELBOURNE: With a trophy cabinet straining at the hinges and a 53rd consecutive grand slam appearance looming, Roger Federer might be excused for feeling a little jaded ahead of his bid for a fifth Australian Open crown.

Not a bit of it, the 31-year-old Swiss maestro said on Saturday, having passed his motivation test during punishing practice sessions in the offseason. Federer eschewed all warm-up tournaments for the year’s first grand slam, dropping off the radar altogether in favour of a hermit-like training regime and time with his family.

The break, coming off a disappointing U.S. Open and loss of his ATP Tour Finals crown to Novak Djokovic, was seized upon as evidence his competitive fires were beginning to flicker out.

Federer admitted to some trepidation before returning to the practice courts.

“I think it’s always a bit of a test for me going into the practice season,” the 17-times grand slam champion told reporters at Melbourne Park.

“Am I hungry and motivated to wake up, go on the practice courts for hours?” he told reporters at Melbourne Park, before affirming it was all systems go. “There was not one problem. For me, that was good news. I was eager to improve my game, change it up a bit from all the tournaments I played this last few years. “ To go on the practice court and try to improve my game there. I also go into the gym and get stronger again. I enjoyed it. As long as that’s the case, that means I love (the game) very much.” Federer has had to compartmentalise his job and family duties since becoming a father to twin girls in 2009. “Today things for me make sense,” said the Wimbledon champion. “I know why I’m doing them. I know they’re necessary.

Sometimes it’s not the thing you want to do every day of the year.

“But I know it’s only a handful of weeks, then obviously you give everything you have.” Like his masterful technique, Federer has exhibited a similar gift for managing his fitness levels and now trails only South Africa’s Wayne Ferreira (56) and Swede Stefan Edberg (54) for the most consecutive grand slam appearances.

Rafa Nadal’s absence has taken care of one major impediment to Federer’s hopes of extending his record to an 18th grand slam singles title.

However, he faces a tough draw and may need to overcome third seed Andy Murray in the semifinals, continuing a rivalry that had Britain buzzing last summer.

Federer beat Murray in the Wimbledon final, but the Briton exacted revenge in the gold medal decider at the London Olympics and brings a new self-belief to Melbourne after ending his long wait for a maiden grand slam title in New York.

Federer faces unseeded Frenchman Benoit Paire in the first round but the prospect of an unenviable fourth-round clash with big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic lurks.

His lack of competition in the lead-up to Melbourne was calculated but Federer conceded it might put him under extra pressure. “I purpose-

ly didn’t play a lead-up tournament so that I’d be fresh for the beginning, hopefully going deep into the tournament,” he said.

“That’s the goal obviously. “But of course maybe somewhere you do feel more pressure going into the first round. Of course nerves play a role. “Playing well at the right moments only comes with playing enough matches. Not like I haven’t played for six months. I’m ready to go and eager. That to me right now dominates.”

World number one Djokovic is favorite to win

a third title in a row at Melbourne, an unprecedented feat in the professional era. Most believe the trophy will end up with either Federer or Murray if the Serb slips up, but the Swiss said Nadal’s absence had opened the door for all sorts of surprises.

“Obviously with Rafa not in the draw, that might mean for some of the players they only have to beat one of us, of the top three, maybe none,” he said. “Who knows what the draw is going to do to us. But there could be some guys

MELBOURNE: Russia’s Maria Sharapova makes a forehand return to Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova during their exhibition match ahead of the Australian Open tennis championship. —AP

Sharapova shakes rust by roughing up local boys MELBOURNE: Short of tournament sharpness in the build-up to the Australian Open because of injury, Maria Sharapova has found a novel way of playing herself into form — roughing up the local boys.

The Russian world number two has been getting into the groove by beating up on Australia’s top young players, having pulled out of Brisbane with a neck injury last week. Sharapova has found some willing opponents in a couple of Australians, including Luke Saville, last year’s junior champion at Melbourne Park.

“I played a couple of the junior boys here - actually a good couple of Australian kids,” Sharapova told reporters yesterday. “I think one of them got a wild card in the main draw.” That was Saville, who gave French Open champion Sharapova a real run for her money as she looked to blow away the cobwebs in time for her run at a second Australian Open title. “We didn’t actually finish,” the four-time grand slam champion said. “The set took too long.”

The other hitting partner was 16-year-old Thanasi Kokkinakis, a player tipped as having a bright future and who impressed when stepping in for the injured John Isner at the Hopman Cup last week.

Unfortunately for Kokkinakis, Sharapova’s fiercely competitive streak ensured that she would not allow him the pleasure of a victory.

“One of them was really on top of me and then I got really mad,” said the 25-year-old, who tried to protect his identity. “I think he had eight set points and I ended up winning the set.

“I’m not going to tell who it is,” she laughed. “Too embarrassed. I don’t think he slept well after that one! “It was just nice to be able to have different types of game styles as well.” Sharapova woke up with pain in her neck and collarbone area on Dec. 23 and immediately pulled out of a planned exhibition in South Korea.

Having spent almost a year off the women’s tour in 2008-09 after surgery on a career-threatening shoulder injury, Sharapova admitted she was wary of any pain in that part of her body.

But the 2008 Australian Open champion said she hoped her experience would see her through if her game hits full throttle in time. “You maybe give yourself that extra slack in case you do make a few more errors (or) you don’t concentrate maybe as well as you would if you were in that match groove,” said Sharpova.

“But just because you’re rusty doesn’t mean you’re not going to play well,” she added. You might maybe go for a little bit more in certain situations.”

Sharapova takes on fellow Russian Olga Puchkova in the first round tomorrow. — Reuters

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

S P ORT S

Hapless Kiwis collapse against S Africa pace

ST. ANTON: Alice McKennis, from the United States, competes on her way to win an alpine ski, women’s World Cup downhill. — AP

Alice eclipses Vonn ST ANTON: Alice McKennis underlined the depth of American alpine skiing as she eclipsed her more celebrated compatriot Lyndsey Vonn to claim her maiden World Cup downhill victory in St Anton yesterday.

While all eyes were on Vonn who was making her comeback following a threeweek break, McKennis stole the show in one minute and 14.62 seconds. The Colorado skier, 23, was the fourth American downhill specialist on a women’s World Cup podium this season after Vonn, Stacey Cook and Leanne Smith while youngster Mikaela Shiffrin emerged as the new slalom sensation this winter.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet. I cannot really understand what’s happening. It’s a total surprise. I never thought I could win such a difficult downhill, I was aiming at a top 10 finish,” a jubilant McKennis told reporters.

McKennis made the best of the peculiar conditions - the start was brought down to the Super-G start after fresh snow fell overnight, forcing organisers to work hard on the piste for the race to go ahead.

The American’s previous best World Cup result had been seventh in Schladming last season. “The key was probably the early start number and the smooth course. Still this is totally beyond my imagination,” she added. In the finish area, she was cheered on by Vonn, back from taking time off to deal with health and personal problems.

The four-times World Cup champion, who made official her divorce from Thomas Vonn this week, had to be content with sixth place, 0.34 seconds behind her compatriot.

“The break did me a lot of good. It had been 11 years since I hadn’t spent New Years eve at home. This was just a return race. I’m going to improve with each race,” she said.

“I’m really happy for Alice as she has had lots of injuries in the past. I think everybody in the team has been on the podium this season which is great.” Italy ’s Daniela Merighetti was second, 0.07 seconds adrift while Austria’s Anna Fenninger, fresh from a giant slalom victory in Semmering, was 0.16 off the pace and finished third.

World Cup leader Tina Maze of Slovenia was a solid fourth, 0.30 behind, and took her overall lead to 488 points over Germany’s Maria Hoefl-Riesch. “It’s a shame not to be on the podium but it’s also good to know I can do well in a downhill. I left the incident of straddling a gate in Zagreb behind me and I’m sticking to my plan to rake each race as it comes and see where we are in March,” she said.

Today ’s Super-G on the same Karll Schranz course will be another important goal for the Slovenian, as it is the only discipline in which she has yet to win a World Cup race. — Reuters

Ligety wins at Adelboden ADELBODEN: A last gasp mistake by archrival Marcel Hirscher handed Ted Ligety his first victory in the classic giant slalom yesterday. The American clinched his 15th top spot in the discipline in a combined time of two minutes and 28.67 seconds.

It was the world champion’s fourth win of the winter and he can thank World Cup holder Hirscher for it. The Austrian, who had been on the podium of the last nine giant slaloms he entered, was leading Ligety by more than a second when he missed a gate close to the finish line and had to settle for 16th place.

Ligety beat Germans Fritz Dopfer, 1.15 seconds adrift, and in-form Felix

Neureuther, who finished 0.09 behind his team mate. With 15 giant slalom wins, Ligety became the third most successful skier in the discipline, level with Italy’s Alberto Tomba and behind Swede Ingemar Stenmark and Swiss Michael von Gruenigen.

“Marcel should have won this but the same thing happened to me here a couple of years ago when I lost after a silly mistake close to the finish. “It’s a shame but that’s skiing. I’m really proud of this for it was the only classic I had yet to win,” he said.

Hirscher, who won both races last season in the Swiss resort, will be out for revenge in Sunday’s slalom. — Reuters

PORT ELIZABETH: Dale Steyn and Rory Kleinveldt ripped out New Zealand’s top order batsmen as South Africa took control on the second day of the second and final Test at St George’s Park yesterday.

New Zealand were reeling at 47 for six at the close, a massive 478 behind South Africa’s first innings total of 525 for eight declared, needing another 279 to avoid the follow on.

There were three centurions in the South African innings, with Faf du Plessis (137) and Dean Elgar (103 not out) joining first day hero Hashim Amla, who added only four to his overnight score before being dismissed for 110. Steyn, bowling his fastest spell of the summer, had Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson caught in the slips in his first three overs.Then the strongly-built Kleinveldt, who replaced the injured Vernon Philander, produced a snorter of a delivery to have Dean Brownlie caught behind off his gloves. Kleinveldt followed up with a full ball which trapped Daniel Flynn leg before wicket.

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum survived the pace bowling onslaught, only to succumb to the second ball of spin. He played a loose drive against left-arm spinner Robin Peterson to be caught at slip for 13, eked out over 98 minutes and 61 balls. New Zealand’s woes continued when debutant Colin Munro was out first ball, caught at short leg off Peterson.

New Zealand were 39 for six and in danger of being dismissed for fewer than the disastrous 45 all out which doomed them to an innings defeat in the first Test in Cape Town. But that humiliation was avoided when BJ Watling cut Steyn for four in the last over of the day.

South Africa were made to struggle for runs early, adding only 65 runs in 29 overs before lunch.

The first 11 overs produced only 11 runs for the loss of Amla’s wicket as Trent Boult and Doug Bracewell bowled accurately in overcast conditions.

Du Plessis and Elgar played through the difficult period and lifted the tempo during the afternoon.

The pair shared a sixth wicket stand of 131, a record for South Africa against New Zealand as the home side added 105 runs between lunch and tea.Du Plessis, stuck on 99 at lunch, reached his century when he hit the first ball he received after the interval, from off-spinner Jeetan Patel, for six.

The left-handed Elgar, struggling to establish himself in a strong South African batting line-up, played some fine attacking shots, particularly against off-spinner Jeetan Patel, and hit left-arm pace bowler Neil Wagner for a soaring six over long-on as he attempted to reach his maiden century before tea. He was on 91 at tea and the declaration was delayed until he reached his hundred in the sixth over after the break. — AFP

PORT ELIZABETH: South Africa’s batsman Robin Peterson takes evasive action against a bouncer off New Zealand’s Colin Munro (unseen) on day two of their second cricket Test match. — AP

SCOREBOARD PORT ELIZABETH: Scores at stumps on the second day of the second and final Test between South Africa and New Zealand at St George’s Park yesterday: South Africa, first innings (overnight 325-4) A. Petersen c Patel b Bracewell 21 G. Smith c Watling b Wagner 54 H. Amla c Watling b Boult 110 J. Kallis c Watling b Bracewell 8 A. de Villiers c Williamson b Patel 51 F. du Plessis c McCullum b Munro 137 D. Elgar not out 103 R. Peterson c Patel b Munro 8 D. Steyn c Patel b Bracewell 5 R. Kleinveldt not out 7 Extras (b6, lb8, nb3, w4) 21 Total (8 wkts dec, 153.5 overs) 525 Fall of wickets: 1-29 (Petersen), 2-121 (Smith), 3-137 (Kallis), 4-223 (De Villiers), 5-336 (Amla), 6-467 (Du Plessis), 7-481 (Peterson), 8-508 (Steyn) Bowling: Boult 32-5-108-1 (2w), Bracewell 34-6-94-3 (1w), Wagner 33-4-135-1 (3nb, 1w), Patel 36.5-2-134-1, Munro 18-4-40-2.

Did not bat: M Morkel

New Zealand, first innings M. Guptill c Petersen b Steyn 1 B. McCullum c Kallis b Peterson 13 K. Williamson c Smith b Steyn 4 D. Brownlie c De Villiers b Kleinveldt 10 D. Flynn lbw b Kleinveldt 0 B. Watling not out 15 C. Munro c Elgar b Peterson 0 D. Bracewell not out 3 Extras (lb1) 1 Total (6 wkts, 24 overs) 47 Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Guptill), 2-8 (Williamson), 3-27 (Brownlie), 4-27 (Flynn), 5-39 (McCullum), 6-39 (Munro) Bowling: Steyn 8-2-14-2, Morkel 8-4-12-0, Kleinveldt 6-1-18-2, Peterson 2-1-2-2 To bat: N. Wagner, T. Boult, J Patel Match situation: New Zealand trail by 478 runs with four wickets remaining in the first innings.

Rookies rule in Honolulu

ADELBODEN: Ted Ligety from United States competes during the first run of an alpine ski, men’s World Cup giant slalom.— AP

Jamieson poised for Durban double DURBAN: Scott Jamieson is poised to win two European Tour events in this Indian Ocean city within two months after taking a five-shot lead yesterday three rounds into the Volvo Golf Champions.

Jamieson fired a four-under-par 68 for a total of 201 at Durban Country Club to move clear of Thai Thongchai Jaidee, Julien Quesne of France and South African Louis Oosthuizen.

The Scot won the first event of the 2013 European Tour-the inaugural Nelson Mandela Championship-last month at another Durban course after the tournament was cut to two rounds by torrential rain.

He is alone among the 33 competitors in having shot three sub-70 rounds over the 6,111-metre track, opening with a 69 and shooting a second-round 64 to be one stroke behind Oosthuizen at the halfway stage.

Jamieson began the third round erratically with a birdie and two bogeys within four holes before an eagle three at eight enabled him to turn one under par.

The 29-year-old made a much better start to the inward half with three birdies on the trot from 11 only to bogey 17 before closing with another birdie and an advantage that offers hope of a second

European Tour success. Oosthuizen flopped amid much South African anticipation that he would stretch his lead in the penultimate round, and most of the damage was inflicted on the first nine where he bogeyed four holes.

Former paratrooper Thongchai, who set the pace Thursday with an opening 65, continued his slide with a one-over 73 despite making a good start by birdieing two of the first three holes.

But he dropped shots at eight, 16 and 18 and parred the rest to leave him needing a low final round and several slips by Jamieson to have a chance of claiming his sixth European Tour victory.

Quesne had only six pars in a fiveunder round of 67 highlighted by an eagle three at the third and which also included seven birdies and four bogeys.

It was his second consecutive 67 after a 72 in a first round hampered by wind and rain. Defending champion Branden Grace of South Africa, winner of five European Tour titles last season, trails Jamieson by 10 strokes after a 69, with the low point a double-bogey five at the second.

The Volvo Golf Champions is restricted to 2012 European Tour winners and those with more than 10 career titles on the circuit, and there was no halfway cut because of the small field. — AFP

HONOLULU: Two days into his PGA Tour career, Russell Henley was in the record book. Henley putted for birdie on every hole Friday on his way to a second straight round of a 7-under 63, giving him a two-shot lead over fellow rookie Scott Langley and Scott Piercy in the Sony Open.

He was at 14-under 126, breaking the 36-hole tournament scoring record by two shots. “It’s pretty surreal,” Henley said. In the first full-field event of the season, the rookies were leading the way. All they did on another windy, warm day along the shores of Oahu was trade places atop the leaderboard.

Langley opened with a 62 and followed that with a 66. That typically would be enough to stay in the lead.

Langley said he tried to stay aggressive, and then he felt he had no choice.

He birdied his last three holes to reach 128. Piercy looked as though he had a chance to catch Henley in the afternoon, even as a gentle wind turned into nothing more than a breeze, but he spent most of his time grinding over pars. A birdie on the par-5 ninth, his last hole, gave him another 64. That means Henley and Langley will be paired together for the third straight day, this time in the last group going into the weekend.

The college graduates have been good friends for the past few years, each helping when the other was going through a bad spell. They have been linked together since they shared low amateur honors at Pebble Beach in the 2010 U.S. Open.

“It’s never easy to back up a really good round, I kind of got off to a little slower start,” Langley said. “But it was certainly nice to finish the way I did and kind of get back in it with Russ. He played so well, and I was just trying to keep pace as much as I can. To finish that way was really good.” The previous 36-hole record at the Sony Open was 128 by five players, most recently John Cook in 2002.

Matt Kuchar made eagle on the 18th hole to finish off a 63. He was

three shots behind. That the scores were low - six players had a 63 or better on Friday - was no surprise. Oahu hasn’t received much rain over the last several months, and in tropical sunshine, the fairways were running fast and the greens were pure. And for those coming over from a windy week on Maui, it truly felt like paradise.

“Coming from last week, it feels really easy out there,” Kuchar said. “This course, as simple as it seems, it’s one of the tougher courses on tour. If you’re not playing well, you’re going to make some bogeys. ... I understand the wind is supposed to really die down over the weekend, so I certainly expect low scor-

ing. The course is in great shape, greens are beautiful, so there’s going to be a lot more birdies and foot has definitely got to be down on the pedal.”

Dustin Johnson won’t get a chance to match Ernie Els as the only players to sweep the two Hawaii events. Johnson, who won last week at Kapalua, withdrew after playing nine holes because of the flu. “I feel like I’m coming down with whatever my caddie’s got,” said Johnson, who was 3 over at the turn.

“Just not feeling well. Stomach hurts, headache, tired.” Chris Kirk made a pair of tap-in eagles - a 5-iron into the wind to 3 feet on the ninth, a 7-iron with the wind to 2 feet on the 18th - for a 62 that

HONOLULU: Scott Piercy reacts to his putt on the eighth green during the second round of the Sony Open golf tournament. — AP

put him at 10-under 130 along with Tim Clark (66) and Charles Howell III (64).

Pat Perez, working on his new attitude of seeing silver linings instead of black clouds, ran off three straight birdies early in his round for a 63 and was another shot back.

The last rookie to win his PGA Tour debut was Garrett Wilson when he captured the Tucson Open in 2001, the same week as the winners-only Mercedes Championships at Kapalua.

The Sony Open is only at the halfway point, which made the debut of the rookies no less impressive.

Henley took over the lead for the first time with a shot into 8 feet to a front pin on No. 2, his 11th hole of the day. With birdies on the fifth and sixth holes, it looked as though he might pull away when he stretched his lead to four shots. Langley came to life with a 7-iron and a 20-foot birdie putt on the seventh, then a sand wedge into the par-4 eighth and more work than he wanted on the par-5 ninth, when he got upand-down for birdie from near the hospitality tent to the right of the green.

“This feels like a Monday qualifier,” Langley said of the low scores, not to mention the company he has been keeping. Langley and Henley were born two weeks apart.

They became friends after Pebble Beach when they flew together to Royal Portrush for the Palmer Cup, and they helped each other on the practice range when their games were in need of repair. The difference was their road to the PGA Tour.

Henley won a Nationwide Tour event while still at Georgia, and then he won twice on that tour last year to easily finish among the top 25 on the money list. Langley, a former NCAA champion from Illinois, went through a bad patch last year when he finished last in the second stage of Q-school and had no status. He kicked around the smaller tours, tried a few Monday qualifiers, and then made his way through Qschool and earned his card with two shots to spare. —AP

18

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

SPORTS Soccer results/standings Aston Villa 0, Southampton 1 (Lambert 34pen); Everton 0, Swansea 0; Fulham 1, (Karagounis 22) Wigan 1 (Di Santo 71); Norwich 0, Newcastle 0; QPR 0, Tottenham 0; Reading 3 (Kebe 82, Le Fondre 88-pen, Pogrebnyak 90) West Brom 2 (Lukaku 19, 69); Stoke 0, Chelsea 4 (Walters 45-og, 62og, Lampard 65-pen, Hazard 73); Sunderland 3 (Larsson 12, Johnson 47, McClean 74) West Ham 0.

English Football League results Championship Barnsley 2, Leeds 0; Bolton 1, Millwall 1; Brighton 2, Derby 1; Bristol City 0, Leicester 4; Burnley 1, Crystal Palace 0; Cardiff 0, Ipswich 0; Charlton 2, Blackpool 1; Huddersfield 1, Birmingham 1; Middlesbrough 1, Watford 2; Nottingham Forest 2, Peterborough 1.

Playing later Hull v Sheffield Wednesday

Accrington 0; Bradford 1, Oxford 2; Burton 2, Torquay 1; Cheltenham 1, York 1; Chesterfield 3, Northampton 0; Dagenham and Redbridge 2, Rochdale 1; Exeter 3, Southend 0; Fleetwood Town 0, Bristol Rovers 3; Gillingham 1, Port Vale 2; Plymouth 2, Morecambe 1; Rotherham 0, Barnet 2.

French league results Troyes 1 (Nivet 38) Lyon 2 (Gonalon 11, Umtiti 75) Playing later: Evian v Brest, Montpellier v Lorient, Nancy v Lille, Nancy v Lille, Rennes v Bordeaux.

Played Friday: Saint-Etienne 2 (L. Perrin 26, Mollo 62) Toulouse 2 (Didot 27, Aurier 43) Paris Saint-Germain 0, Ajaccio 0.

Scottish League results First Division Dumbarton 2, Partick 0; Dunfermline 1, Airdrie 3; Falkirk 0, Morton 1; Hamilton 2, Cowdenbeath 1; Livingston 2, Raith 1.

Played Friday Wolves 1, Blackburn 1.

Division One Bournemouth 1, Swindon 1; Colchester Scunthorpe 2; Leyton Orient 1, Crewe Milton Keynes Dons 1, Bury 1; Oldham Brentford 2; Sheffield United 0, Yeovil Shrewsbury 1, Hartlepool 1; Stevenage Doncaster 2; Tranmere 2, Crawley 0.

1, 1; 0, 2; 1,

Second Division Albion 0, Queen Of The South 3; East Fife 2, Brechin 2; Forfar 2, Ayr 1; Stenhousemuir 0, Stranraer 0.

Postponed (waterlogged pitch) Arbroath v Alloa

Postponed (waterlogged pitch) Portsmouth v Notts County Division Two AFC Wimbledon 2, Wycombe 2; Aldershot 2,

Third Division Annan Athletic 2, Montrose 1; Clyde 2, Stirling 1; Elgin City 3, East Stirling 4; Queen’s Park 0, Peterhead 0; Rangers 4, Berwick 2.

English Premier League table English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Man Utd Man City Chelsea Tottenham Everton Arsenal West Brom Liverpool Swansea Stoke West Ham Norwich Fulham Sunderland Southampton Newcastle Wigan Aston Villa Reading QPR

21 21 21 22 22 20 22 21 22 22 21 22 22 22 21 22 22 22 22 22

17 1 3 54 28 52 13 6 2 41 19 45 12 5 4 43 19 41 12 4 6 39 27 40 9 10 3 35 26 37 9 7 4 40 22 34 10 3 9 31 30 33 8 7 6 34 26 31 7 9 6 31 26 30 6 11 5 21 24 29 7 5 9 24 27 26 6 8 8 24 34 26 6 7 9 33 38 25 6 7 9 24 29 25 5 6 10 28 38 21 5 6 11 27 39 21 5 4 13 23 40 19 4 7 11 17 42 19 3 7 12 26 42 16 2 8 12 17 36 14

English Football League tables Championship Cardiff 27 18 3 6 48 29 Hull 26 15 4 7 37 27 Leicester 27 14 5 8 48 23 Crystal Palace 27 13 8 6 50 35 Middlesbrough 27 15 2 10 47 38 Watford 26 13 4 9 49 37 Millwall 27 11 8 8 40 36 Brighton 26 10 10 6 37 27 Not Forest 27 10 10 7 38 36 Burnley 27 11 6 10 41 40 Leeds 27 11 5 11 38 44 Derby 27 10 7 10 41 40 Blackburn 26 9 9 8 36 34 Charlton 27 9 9 9 36 37 Blackpool 27 8 10 9 44 40 Bolton 27 8 9 10 40 41 Huddersfield 27 8 9 10 32 44 Wolves 27 9 5 13 33 39 Ipswich 27 8 7 12 27 48 Birmingham 27 7 9 11 34 43 Peterborough 27 8 1 18 38 51 Sheffield Wednesday267 4 15 28 42 Barnsley 27 6 6 15 28 43 Bristol City 26 6 4 16 38 54

57 49 47 47 47 43 41 40 40 39 38 37 36 36 34 33 33 32 31 30 25 25 24 22

Division One Tranmere Doncaster Brentford Sheffield Utd Swindon Milton Keynes Bournemouth Yeovil Crawley Town Crewe Stevenage Coventry Notts County Leyton Orient Walsall Preston Shrewsbury Carlisle Oldham Scunthorpe Colchester Bury Portsmouth Hartlepool

27 27 26 27 26 26 26 27 27 27 26 26 24 25 27 26 28 26 27 27 27 27 26 26

15 16 13 12 13 12 11 13 12 11 11 10 9 11 9 8 6 8 7 6 6 4 5 2

4 6 3 4 6 7 5 11 10 9 8 9 6 12 10 8 10 13 14 14 16 13 15 17

4 4 3 3 4 3 4 4 3 3 3 4 3 2 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 1

424 125 823 825 719 826 434 338 639 434 436 434 626 831 441 431 135 349 738 847 544 742 944 947

53 53 49 47 46 43 43 42 41 40 40 37 36 35 35 34 30 29 27 25 23 22 21 13

Division Two Port Vale Gillingham Exeter Rotherham Cheltenham Burton Albion Southend Fleetwood Town Bradford Northampton Chesterfield Oxford Utd Dagenham Rochdale York Torquay Wycombe Morecambe Accrington Barnet Aldershot Plymouth AFC Wimbledon Bristol Rovers

27 26 27 26 26 27 27 27 27 26 28 26 28 28 27 25 27 27 28 28 26 28 26 26

15 7 5 15 6 5 13 5 9 13 4 9 12 7 7 12 6 9 11 7 9 10 10 7 11 7 9 11 6 9 10 9 9 11 5 10 10 7 11 10 6 12 8 11 8 8 9 8 9 6 12 8 8 11 8 6 14 7 8 13 7 7 12 6 9 13 7 5 14 6 7 13

5 4 4 4 3 3 4 3 3 4 3 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 3 3 3

630 523 238 237 734 938 129 428 833 336 731 039 241 647 537 332 240 336 045 941 538 141 048 149

52 51 44 43 43 42 40 40 40 39 39 38 37 36 35 33 33 32 30 29 28 27 26 25

8 5 10 11 7 7 10 3 5 7 7 7 9 2 8 10 12 5 6 7 5 10 6 7

Scottish Football League tables First Division Morton 20 11 6 3 41 27 Dunfermline 20 11 3 6 40 24 Partick 18 10 4 4 38 18 Livingston 17 7 6 4 27 24 Raith 19 6 7 6 28 26 Falkirk 19 6 6 7 26 25 Hamilton 17 5 5 7 20 23 Cowdenbeath 19 3 8 8 24 31

Airdrie Utd Dumbarton

20 17

4 4

5 11 22 44 17 2 11 20 44 14

Second Division Queen of South Alloa Brechin Forfar Arbroath East Fife Stenhousemuir Ayr Stranraer Albion

20 17 19 11 19 10 20 9 19 7 20 7 20 5 19 6 20 5 20 4

2 3 2 2 5 3 8 3 4 2

1 5 7 9 7 10 7 10 11 14

53 34 38 36 30 31 31 25 22 25

12 20 31 42 39 29 37 34 39 42

53 36 32 29 26 24 23 21 19 14

Third Division Rangers Queen’s Park Peterhead Montrose Elgin Annan Athletic Berwick Clyde East Stirling Stirling

20 15 18 8 20 8 20 8 20 7 20 7 19 7 19 7 19 5 19 4

4 6 5 5 7 5 4 1 3 2

1 4 7 7 6 8 8 11 11 13

56 29 22 36 39 35 32 23 27 30

17 20 18 38 39 40 33 34 46 44

49 30 29 29 28 26 25 22 18 14

French league table Lyon 20 12 5 3 35 18 41 Paris SG 20 11 6 3 36 12 39 Marseille 19 12 2 5 24 20 38 Rennes 19 10 2 7 29 24 32 Lorient 19 8 7 4 32 29 31 Valenciennes 19 8 5 6 31 24 29 Bordeaux 19 6 11 2 21 14 29 Lille 19 7 8 4 24 18 29 Nice 19 7 8 4 26 26 29 Saint-Etienne 20 7 7 6 26 16 28 Toulouse 20 7 6 7 27 22 27 Montpellier 19 7 5 7 29 24 26 Bastia 19 6 4 9 26 41 22 Brest 19 6 3 10 20 28 21 Ajaccio 20 5 7 8 21 29 20 Reims 19 4 7 8 16 20 19 Evian/Thonon 19 5 4 10 22 32 19 Sochaux 19 4 4 11 17 29 16 Troyes 20 2 7 11 21 39 13 Nancy 19 1 8 10 15 33 11 Note: Ajaccio deducted two points (plus one suspended) because of incidents following league match with Lyon on May 13 last season.

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

English Premier League Man United v Liverpool...........16:30 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 5 Arsenal v Man City ...................19:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 4 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 5

Spanish League Betis v Levante ......................... 14:00 Aljazeera Sport +2 Sociedad v Coruna ................... 19:00 Aljazeera Sport +5 Atletico v Zaragoza .................. 21:00 Aljazeera Sport +3 Malaga v Barcelona .................. 23:00 Aljazeera Sport +2

Italian League Torino v Siena ........................... 14:30 Aljazeera Sport +1 Catania v Roma .......................... 17:00 Aljazeera Sport +1 Cagliari v Genoa ........................ 17:00 Aljazeera Sport +7 Parma v Juventus .......................17:00 Aljazeera Sport +1 Udinese v Fiorentina ................. 17:00 Aljazeera Sport +8 Napoli v Palermo ........................17:00 Aljazeera Sport +6 Sampdoria v Milan ..................... 22:45 Aljazeera Sport +1

French League 39 36 34 27 25 24 20 17

Reims v Bastia ............................ 16:00 Aljazeera Sport +4 Nice v Valenciennes ................... 19:00 Aljazeera Sport +4 Sochaux v Marseille ................... 23:00 Aljazeera Sport +4

Van Persie demands focus for clash with Liverpool MANCHESTER: Robin van Persie has urged his Manchester United team-mates not to get carried away by their seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League ahead of today’s clash with Liverpool.

United face their old enemies at Old Trafford and victory will put them 10 points clear of second-place Manchester City, who do not play at Arsenal until later in the day. The Dutchman, who has netted 16 league goals this term after a £24 million ($38.7 million, 29.1 million euros) close-season move from Arsenal, wants his side to maintain focus.

“It is only seven points, you have to look at it game by game. We still have to go through the entire second half of the league and almost play everyone one more time,” said van Persie.

“Nothing is decided. It will be tough and it will be hard. This weekend we have Liverpool and it’s a massive game for us.” Van Persie has also warned against complacency when United meet Brendan Rodgers’ side, who trail the leaders by 21 points after coming through a difficult start to their campaign.

“We have to look at the three points and it’s a bit like a derby, the teams being so close to each other,” said van Persie, who netted in injury time to earn United a 2-2 draw at West Ham United in the FA Cup last weekend.

“There is so much history between them and there have been some great games over the years, going back a long way. They are a great team and, on their day, they can make it a really hard game for us.”

United defender Rio Ferdinand is also relishing the clash with United’s arch rivals. “I would say it is the fixture we look forward to first,” he said. “The rivalry runs deep. Liverpool have not been up there fighting for the championship, but the fans and the players are well versed in what this means to us as a club.

“I always enjoy playing against Liverpool, either at Anfield or Old Trafford. Hopefully this is another good, exciting and winning occasion for us. “It is special. Whilst I have been here, there have been loads of great moments. You just want to add your name and be a part of a team that adds to that long list of events that have gone on.”

Alex Ferguson has revealed Nani and Anderson will return to United’s squad for Sunday’s game, but the United manager says Wayne Rooney will not be ready despite returning to training on Friday.

Liverpool manager Rodgers is hoping his side can take advantage of United’s leaky defence on Sunday as the Reds look to claim just their second win at Old Trafford in seven years.

United have conceded 28 goals so far in the Premier League-the most out of the top 10 teams in the division-but have the best goal difference thanks to their prolific strike-force. “They will probably be disappointed with the number of goals they have conceded this season and as we create a lot of opportunities, we are hoping we can go and take a result,” said Rodgers.

Since losing 3-1 at Stoke City on December 26, Liverpool have won three consecutive games, culminating in last weekend’s 2-1 win at fifth-tier minnows Mansfield Town in the FA Cup. With a hostile atmosphere sure to await Liverpool at Old Trafford, Rodgers has urged his players not to let themselves down.

“It’s a very proud club. This is a group of proud players,” he said. “You’re defending more than just the club in this game-this is a city that is very passionate. “It’s a football game and we are high in confidence and we go into the game in a good moment, having won seven of our last nine games. We have good confidence and belief.” — AFP

Robin van Persie

Mancini wants City to end Arsenal jinx LONDON: Roberto Mancini has challenged his Manchester City stars to end the club’s woeful run at Arsenal as the Premier League champions fight to hold onto their title. Mancini’s side head to north London knowing they will be 10 points behind leaders Manchester United by the time they kick-off at the Emirates Stadium today if their bitter rivals defeat Liverpool in the day’s early match.

That would be an almost insurmountable gap even for a team of City’s class but, if history is anything to go by, there is every chance Mancini’s men will be in exactly that position by full-time. City have not won at Arsenal in the league for 37 years and were beaten 1-0 there in their last visit in April.

Roberto Mancini But Mancini is convinced City, who have looked some way short of their best for much of the season, can rewrite the history books with a rare victory on Arsenal turf. “To play against Arsenal in London is very difficult because they play very, very well,” Mancini said.

“There have been a lot of years we didn’t win there. But we changed many things last year and it is a time now to change this situation.” City’s spluttering performances this term have raised questions about Mancini’s future and the Italian is certain to face more criticism if his team flop this weekend. There has undoubtedly been a lack of killer instinct from City, who have failed to win any of their meetings with United, Arsenal and Chelsea this season. Yet Mancini retains faith

that his expensively assembled squad has enough quality and spirit to overhaul United.

“Seven points is too much for me in this moment because I don’t think we deserve to be seven points behind,” Mancini said. “But the season is long and very difficult. We have another 17 games. I think we can recover these points.”

City will have to end their Arsenal jinx with less backing than usual from their supporters after the club took up only two thirds of their allocation for the match. Seats priced at £62 each did not sell well and City returned 912 tickets to Arsenal, sparking complaints about the cost of watching Premier League action.

“We are disappointed for this because we need our fans away,” Mancini added. “We have fantastic fans and we have fantastic support from them. We are sorry for this.”

While City have little margin for error on Sunday, Arsenal are also desperate for three points as they look to improve their prospects of finishing in the top four.

Another frustrating campaign for Gunners boss Arsene Wenger will be salvaged as long as the team meet his principal aim of qualifying for the Champions League. To do that they will have to make up a four-point gap to fourth placed Chelsea, who they face in a crucial clash at Stamford Bridge next weekend.

With an FA Cup replay against Swansea before that, and league games against West Ham and Liverpool to come this month, Wenger admits January could define his side’s season.

“We know it is a vital period for us,” he said.

“We are on a positive run, but we still lack a bit of confidence in some situations. I feel our team will be very dangerous if we have full confidence.

“We are not far from it, but we need another positive result in a big game to be completely confident and believe in our ability to come back.

“To win the big home games will have a big impact on where we finish, we know that.”

Mancini will have to do without Argentine striker Sergio Aguero as the Argentine recovers from a hamstring injury, while former Gunners midfielder Samir Nasri is suspended and Yaya and Kolo Toure are on Africa Cup of Nations duty with the Ivory Coast. — AFP

New striker Ibrahim boosts Ethiopia JOHANNESBURG: Fuad Ibrahim hit his first international goal for Ethiopia in a 2-1 weekend victory over Tanzania as the countdown to the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations continued. Making only his third appearance for the Walias Antelopes, the striker from United States second-tier club Minnesota Stars struck after 13 minutes at the national stadium in Addis Ababa.

Shabana Nditi levelled soon after half-time only for midfielder Shemelese Bekele to score the winner midway through the second and maintain an unbeaten record in warm-up games. Ethiopia defeated fellow qualifiers Niger 1-0 in Addis Ababa and drew 1-1 with former champions Tunisia in Doha in other preparatory matches ahead of a return to the Cup of Nations after a 31-year absence.

The Antelopes-named after an endangered breed unique to the east African country that roams northern-region mountains-face Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Zambia at the African tournament. Defending champions Zambia and twice winners Nigeria are considered near certainties to fill the top two mini-league places and qualify for the quarter-finals. But veteran coach Sewnet Bishaw has dismissed the ‘whipping boys’ tag attached to his team and repeatedly warned that stars like striker Saladin Said could trouble the Chipolopolo (Copper Bullets) and the Super Eagles.

Nigeria goalkeeper Austin Ejide faces a race against the clock to be fit for the first round match against the Burkinabe after tearing a thigh muscle during a midweek draw with Cape Verde Islands in Portugal.

Coach Stephen Keshi said the problem should heal in about eight days and further time would be needed to ensure the Israelbased shot-stopper was ready for the rigours of a potential six fixtures within 22 days.

Atter goalless draws against Catalonia in Spain and Cape Verde, Nigeria play Dutch club FC Rotterdam behind closed doors this weekend in a final warm-up before travelling to the north-eastern South African city Nelspruit.

Meanwhile, Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah has dispelled fears that midfielder Anthony Annan could miss the Africa Cup after retiring injured in a 3-0 win against Egypt in Abu Dhabi.

Appiah, who has lost midfielder Andre Ayew and striker Yahaya Mohamed to injuries, said the injury was not a “big deal” and Annan should be fit to face Tunisia if chosen. — AFP

Manucho stands out for Angola JOHANNESBURG: Manucho will stand head and shoulders above the rest of the Angola team in every sense when the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off. The 29-year-old striker from Spanish La Liga outfit Real Valladolid is 1.87 metres tall and is also the star of a team composed mainly of footballers virtually unknown on the international circuit. He sprang to prominence in 2008 when Manchester United signed him after manager Alex Ferguson was impressed by the Angolan answer to ex-England striker Peter Crouch. But visa problems meant Manucho-full name Mateus Alberto Contreiras Goncalves-was lent to Panathinaikos in Greece and Hull City in England before making only a couple of substitute apperances for the Red Devils.

Dreams of becoming an Old Trafford star over, the gangling goal poacher was transferred to Valladolid and then came more loan deals, this time to Turkish outfits Bucaspor and Manisaspor. Back in Spain this season, Manucho has been impressive, and on the broad shoulders of the dreadlocked star lie the hopes of Angola getting beyond the first round. The Black Antelopes are in Group A with hosts South Africa, former champions Morocco and the Cape Verde Islands and all four countries confidently believe they can survive the mini-league

phase. Manucho has fond memories of the Africa Cup, a biennial event being staged in consecutive years because the tournament is switching to uneven years to avoid every second edition being held six months before a World Cup. At the 2008 tournament in Ghana, he opened the scoring in a draw with South Africa, bagged a brace in a win over Senegal, and was on target again in a gallant 2-1 quarter-final loss to eventual champions Egypt.

A couple of years later it was the turn of Angola to host the tournament and Manucho converted a penalty in the most amazing Cup of Nations opening match.

The home led Mali by four goals with 12 minutes left before a sell-out crowd at a new national stadium in Luanda only to finish the game defending desperately to hold out for a 4-4 draw.

After reaching the 2008 and 2010 quarter-finals, the Cup of Nations in Gabon/Equatorial Guinea last January was a bitter disappointment for the Antelopes as they made a first round exit.

There was some consolation for Manucho, though, as he scored in a victory over Burkina Faso and netted twice in a draw with Sudan to finish joint leading scorer in the competition despite some rivals playing three games more. —AFP

Manucho

19

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

SPORTS

Norwich keeps Newcastle in danger Norwich 0

Newcastle 0

BIRMINGHAM: Aston Villa’s French midfielder Charles N’Zogbia (right) vies with Southampton’s English defender Nathaniel Clyne (left) during the English Premier League football match.—AFP

Lambert penalty sends Villa into bottom three Aston Villa 0

Southampton 1

BIRMINGHAM: A contentious Rickie Lambert penalty gave Southampton a 10 win at Aston Villa yesterday that saw the Birmingham club slip into the Premier League relegation zone.

Lambert converted his 29th successful penalty in a row in the 34th minute after Enda Stevens was penalised for a challenge on Jay Rodriguez, and the goal was enough to send Nigel Adkins’ men up to 15th place.

Beaten 3-1 by fourth-tier Bradford City in the first leg of their League Cup semifinal in mid-week, Paul Lambert’s young Villa side have now gone five games without victory in the league and find themselves in real danger of relegation.

Perhaps eager to atone for their setback at Bradford, the hosts started positively at Villa Park and Christian Benteke saw a shot curl narrowly wide of the far post in the sixth minute.

The visitors were quick to react, however, and they soon began to create openings. Rodriguez was unable to capitalise on a smart flick from Lambert and the former Burnley man then headed

wide from Jason Puncheon’s cross.

Highly rated 17-year-old left-back Luke Shaw drilled a low shot across goal and wide from 25 yards, before Southampton took the lead in controversial fashion.

Rodriguez hit the deck as Stevens attempted a challenge and although the Villa defender did not appear to make contact, referee Mark Halsey awarded a penalty and Lambert calmly planted the spot-kick into the bottom-right corner.

Shaw threatened again before halftime after wriggling into the box from the left, but Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan blocked his effort at the near post. Villa stepped things up after the interval and visiting goalkeeper Artur Boruc had to produce two excellent saves to thwart Andreas Weimann and then Stevens, with Benteke hoisting the rebound from Stevens’ effort over the top.

The hosts’ eagerness to equalise left gaps at the back, however, and after Rodriguez tested Guzan, Puncheon drifted in-field from the right before rolling a low shot against the foot of the righthand post.

Gradually, Villa got a grip on the game and Southampton spent the closing stages defending desperately. Boruc saved from Benteke and defender Nathan Baker headed against the bar from a Barry Bannan corner, before substitute Gabriel Agbonlahor was thwarted

by Boruc and Benteke failed to convert the rebound.—AFP

Pogrebnyak crowns Reading fightback Reading 3

West Brom 2

LONDON: A last-gasp goal from Russian Pavel Pogrebnyak crowned a scintillating comeback from Premier League strugglers Reading yesterday, giving the hosts a 3-2 win over West Bromwich Albion, who saw their hopes of breaking into the top four frustrated.

Under former Chelsea assistant coach Steve Clarke, West Brom have proved a surprise package in the English Premier League this season. Victory would have moved them above sixth-placed Arsenal and it seemed three points were in the bag for the Baggies after a Romelu Lukaku double strike to make it nine

goals since he began his loan move from Chelsea last summer.

James Morrison created the opener in the 20th minute as he zipped to the byline and fed Lukaku, who fired home.

And after a quiet period for the visitors, Lukaku then made it 2-0 midway through the second half with a fine 25yard strike after drifting in from the right flank.

But Reading then turned the match upside down to claim only their third win of the campaign with three goals inside a crazy final eight minutes. First, Jimmy Kebe headed in a Garath McCleary cross.

With two minutes remaining, the hosts earned a penalty after Jonas Olsson brought down Kebe and Adam Le Fondre netted the spotkick to level the contest. And in a pulsating finish, Pogrebnyak bundled in from close range to poach an unlikely win which kept Reading two points clear of bottom side Queens Park Rangers and just three from safety.—AFP

NORWICH: Newcastle United remain just two points above the Premier League relegation zone after being held to a 0-0 draw in an uneventful game at mid-table Norwich City yesterday.

Norwich manager Chris Hughton, up against the club that sacked him in Decemver 2010, saw his side muster only two efforts at goal, with Russell Martin clipping the woodwork and Grant Holt failing to score from a late header.

Newcastle at least brought an end to a run of four consecutive defeats in all competitions, but they enjoyed even less success in attacking areas, with Mark Bunn largely untroubled in the home goal. Magpies manager Alan Pardew reportedly received a transfer request from key centreback Fabricio Coloccini this week, but the Argentine produced a strong performance at Carrow Road.

The same could not be said of Newcastle debutant Mathieu Debuchy, in the first 10 minutes at least, as Anthony Pilkington and Wes Hoolahan gave the France international plenty to think about on the Norwich left.

However, with Holt starting on

LONDON: Newcastle United’s Gabriel Obertan (left) and Norwich City’s Sebastien Bassong battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match at Carrow Road. —AP the bench, the hosts lacked a physical presence and Debuchy’s early struggles did not prove costly. Bunn only had one save to make in the first half, parrying a smart shot from Gabriel Obertan after the Frenchman was teed up

by Vurnon Anita.

Norwich played with more

Fulham 1

Wigan 1

LONDON: Franco di Santo’s second-half goal earned Wigan a deserved draw away at fellow Premier League strugglers Fulham yesterday as an entertaining game ended 1-1.

Di Santo’s 71st minute strike - which made up for a terrible miss at the end of the first-half - was enough to see Wigan move out of the bottom three thanks to a better goal difference than Aston Villa.

Fulham, with just two wins in their last 14 Premier League games, remain mired in the relegation battle, just six points ahead of Villa.

Anthony Pilkington, with Bradley Johnson putting the rebound well over. Newcastle mounted a rare attack with 10 minutes to play, but it culminated with Coloccini volleying wide. Holt could have won it at the death, but he could only put his header over the bar.—AFP

Sunderland ease relegation fears Sunderland 3

West Ham 0

SUNDERLAND: Sunderland eased their relegation worries as Sebastian Larsson’s stunning strike inspired a 3-0 win over West Ham at the Stadium of Light yesterday.

Martin O’Neill’s side moved six points clear of the bottom three after Larsson’s superb long-range effort in the first half was followed by further goals from Adam Johnson and James McClean after the interval.

The victory was Sunderland’s first in four matches in all competitions and lifted the lingering gloom on Wearside after an inconsistent first half of the season for the Black Cats.

West Ham are now just one point ahead of Sunderland after their fourth defeat in their last six league games.

Sunderland started in determined fashion and it took a good block by full-back Dan Potts to keep out Johnson’s third-minute volley with David Vaughan steering the rebound wide.

But the hosts were ahead in the 12th minute when Johnson’s right-wing cross was headed out by Alou Diarra to Larsson and the Swedish midfielder smashed an unstoppable left-foot shot high past Jussi Jaaskelainen from 25 yards.

Sunderland might have increased their lead with 26 minutes gone when Stephane Sessegnon carved his way through the Hammers’ defence, but he stabbed his effort

LONDON: West Ham United’s captain Kevin Nolan (left) vies for the ball with Sunderlandís Sebastian Larsson (right) during their English Premier League soccer match at the Stadium of Light.—AP wide. West ham boss Sam Allardyce attempted to spark his team into life by introducing Ricardo Vaz Te in place of Jack Collison at halftime, but his plan was torn apart within two minutes of the restart.

Sessegnon broke from his own half down the right before picking out the unmarked McClean on the opposite flank. Jaaskelainen pulled off a fine one-handed save to deny the Republic of Ireland winger, but as Potts

attempted to chest the ball back to his keeper, Steven Fletcher intervened to poke it towards Johnson, who dispatched it via the post into the unguarded net.

Sunderland kept pressing for the killer third goal and it arrived in the 74th minute when Sessegnon skipped into the box and scuffed a shot to the far post, where McClean slammed the ball home from a tight angle.—AFP

Everton waste chance to boost top-four bid Everton 0

Swansea 0

LIVERPOOL: Everton wasted a chance to boost their challenge for a top-four finish in the Premier

League as Swansea held on for a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park yesterday.

David Moyes’ fifth-placed side would have moved within one point of fourth-placed Tottenham with a victory, but the visitors delivered a composed display to frustrate the Toffees in front of Spain coach Vicente del Bosque, who was in England to check on the form of influential Swansea forward Michu.

Del Bosque stated before Christmas that Michu will be hand-

Fulham, Wigan share point Wigan had to make do without their most effective striker Arouna Kone, who is away for the Africa Cup of Nations with the Ivory Coast, but created the first effort only for James McArthur’s fine long range shot to creep over the bar.

However, it was the hosts who struck the first blow as veteran Greek midfielder Giorgos Karagounis unleashed a fierce effort from outside the penalty area which beat Ali al-Habsi.

It was the second successive match that Karagounis, 35 and the record caps holder for Greece with 122, had scored a similarly spectacular goal, having scored against Blackpool in the FA Cup last weekend.

McArthur had a terrific chance to level five mintues before the break but with lots of time to pick his spot he produced a soft effort that experienced Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer had no trouble in saving.—AFP

purpose after the change of ends but Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul still had little to do. Hughton introduced Holt from the bench and almost saw his side break the tedium through right-back Martin, whose fine volley flicked off the post.

Krul then had to save from

LONDON: Everton’s English defender Phil Neville (right) is challenged by Swansea City’s South Korean midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng during the English Premier League football match.—AFP

ed a place in his squad for the friendly clash with Uruguay at the start of February, recognition for the outstanding first half of the season enjoyed by the 26-year-old.

The former Real Madrid boss will have left Merseyside equally impressed by Spanish centre-back Chico Flores and the other Swansea defenders as they kept Everton at bay. Playing almost exclusively on the counter attack, the visitors came closest to breaking the first half deadlock when Nathan Dyer intelligently played Michu clear, threading a pass between two Everton defenders after 35 minutes.

Michu instantly attempted an audacious chip, from 20 yards, which the Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard did well to push onto his crossbar via a fingertip save.

That opening aside, the game was one of almost exclusive Everton domination, although Swansea defended the chances with relative comfort. Steven Pienaar sent over an accurate ninth minute cross which the lively Nikica Jelavic placed just the wrong side of the left-hand post, then Leighton Baines’ corner was met by a twisting header from Jelavic, with full-back Dwight Tiendalli required to clear off the Swansea line.

Just before the half hour, Ashley Williams made another goal-line clearance for the visitors, this one from Victor Anichebe’s effort after

Marouane Fellaini had nodded down a Phil Jagielka through-ball.

The second half opened in similar fashion with Everton midfielder Phil Neville making a rare foray close to the opposition goal and winning a corner after Michel Vorm saved his effort at the foot of his near post.

Anichebe also threatened, rising powerfully to meet a left-flank Baines corner and heading just over the Swansea goal.

Pienaar almost managed to play Jelavic clean through, at the end of a neat passing move by Everton, but Swansea’s defensive organisation was first-class and the Welsh side looked well capable of ending the home side’s run of having scored in 18 consecutive Premier League games. The home crowd’s growing frustration saw them join Jelavic in appealing loudly for a penalty after the forward went down following contact with Williams, an appeal which referee Phil Dowd rejected.

Seamus Coleman’s deep cross from the right was headed goalwards by Jelavic and controlled by Fellaini on his chest, just two yards from the line. But the Belgian international was unable to turn and more solid defending cleared the threat.

Del Bosque had seen enough, leaving his seat in the Goodison directors’ box after 77 minutes, and it proved the right call as the match petered out.—AFP

Hapless Kiwis collapse against S Africa pace

Tomic wins ATP title

17

16

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

Van Persie demands focus for clash with Liverpool

Page 18

Kuwait knocks Saudi Arabia out of Gulf Cup RIFA: Kuwait knocked Saudi Arabia out of the Gulf Cup yesterday, beating coach Frank Rijkaard’s side 1-0 to secure a place in the semifinals in the region’s premier tournament.

The loss comes almost a year after the once-powerful Saudi side failed to advance in 2014 World Cup qualifying.

The latest setback is likely to increase calls for Rijkaard’s dismissal, since he has done little to revive a side that was

once among the best teams in the Middle East. The former Barcelona coach was given a three-year deal in June 2011 worth nearly $16 million.

Yousef Al-Sulaiman’s strike in the 13th minute was enough for Kuwait which only needed a draw to advance.

Al-Sulaiman shrugged off a defender and slotted home the winner. Iraq, which already qualified in Group B, beat Yemen 2-0.—AP

MANAMA: Fahed Al-Ebrahim (left) of Kuwait vies with Nasser Al-Shamrani of Saudi Arabia during their Gulf Cup football match. Kuwait won 1-0 and qualified for the semi-final.—AFP

Walters heads twice past own keeper Redknapp thwarts Spurs to keep QPR on track

Stoke 0

Chelsea 4

QPR 0

STOKE: Chelsea ended Stoke City’s unbeaten home record with a 4-0 win thanks to two Jon Walters own goals, a Frank Lampard penalty and a sensational strike from Eden Hazard yesterday. Stoke forward Walters headed past his own goalkeeper either side of the break before Lampard fired in a penalty to become Chelsea’s secondhighest all-time goal-scorer with 194 goals.

The goal of the game rightly capped off the result as Hazard belted an effort home from 25 yards to give Chelsea interim coach Rafael Benitez a much-needed three points despite enduring more boos from the Blues support.

Stoke had not lost at the Britannia Stadium in the Premier League since February-a run of 17 games-but they were up against a fired-up Chelsea side. It was almost two years to the day since Stoke turned down the chance to sign Demba Ba over concerns about his medical.

And the striker replaced Fernando Torres up front to make his first Premier League start for Chelsea as one of four changes to the team that started their 2-0 home defeat by Swansea City in the League Cup in mid-week.

After two home defeats on the trot and with the Chelsea fans again turning their anger on Benitez, the Spaniard would have been relieved to get away from Stamford Bridge and back on the road.

The Blues exerted the early pressure but it was the hosts who had the first real chance. Andy Wilkinson’s deflected shot fell into the path of Kenwyne Jones in the seventh minute

Tottenham 0

LONDON: Stoke City’s Irish forward Jon Walters (second left) scores his second own goal during the English Premier League football match between Stoke City and Chelsea at the Britannia Stadium. —AFP

but he slid the ball wide from inside the area. In the 23rd minute, Chelsea turned on the style amid a chorus of whistles from the home fans, who seemed annoyed as the visitors retained possession with slick passing play. The whistles turned to gasps when Hazard played a short ball to Ba, who stretched to turn it into the path of Lampard, but the Chelsea midfielder’s low strike was blocked by the foot of goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.

Lampard showed his passing ability after the half-hour with a ball over the top that Ba got on the end of, but again Begovic was equal to the shot and Wilkinson made a last-ditch tackle to block Ramires’ follow-up effort.

Begovic was beaten right on the stroke of half-time but by one of his own players as Cesar Azpilicueta crossed and Walters put a diving header into his own goal. At the other end, Petr Cech was kept warm at the start of the second half by a powerful strike from Stoke midfielder Steven Nzonzi before Robert Huth headed wide from the resulting corner.

Stoke then thought they had won

a penalty just before the hour when referee Andre Marriner pointed to the spot after Azpilicueta brought down Matthew Etherington, but assistant referee Sian Massey had her flag up for offside.

Then, another calamity in the area from a Mata corner resulted in Walters heading past his goalkeeper again in the 62nd minute. And the game was put to bed three minutes later as Marriner handed Chelsea a penalty when Mata went down under a challenge from Huth and Lampard struck the spot-kick high into the net before running to celebrate with the Chelsea fans. In the 73rd minute, Hazard let fly from long range to give Begovic no chance and seal a win that moved Chelsea back up to third in the Premier League table.

Chelsea captain John Terry made his return from injury as a second-half substitute but he gave away a late penalty when he brought down Walters in the area. However, the Irish international’s horror day was made worse as he fired the spot-kick off the bar and over.—AFP

LONDON: Harry Redknapp’s Queens Park Rangers gained a valuable point in their battle against relegation by holding Tottenham Hotspur, the manager’s former club, to a scoreless draw at Loftus Road yesterday.

QPR goalkeeper Julio Cesar produced a number of outstanding saves to deny Tottenham the chance to move to within three points of second-place Manchester City, while a point allowed Redknapp’s side to move off the bottom of the table ahead of Reading’s clash with West Bromwich Albion. The buildup to the match had focused on Redknapp’s meeting with the club who dismissed him last season despite steering Spurs to a fourth-place finish.

Redknapp had insisted he bore no illfeeling towards his former club nor his successor, Andre Villas-Boas, and the two managers greeted each other warmly before kick-off and again at the final whistle. Redknapp had attempted to strengthen his squad ahead of this clash, flying out to France in a bid to convince Marseille’s Loic Remy to join QPR’s survival battle, only to be rebuffed by the forward. At least he was able to call on Ryan Nelsen, who has been installed as Toronto FC manager but has stayed to help with the relegation battle at Loftus Road. Villas-Boas, meanwhile, restored his senior players after rotating his squad for the FA Cup last weekend, with Hugo Lloris returning in goal and Aaron Lennon back in the starting line-up.

Emmanuel Adebayor was also making his final appearance before heading to the Africa Cup of Nations with Togo.

Nelsen and QPR’s defenders were under pressure in the early stages as Spurs created the first openings and Julio Cesar kept the hosts level.

Jermain Defoe’s 20-yard drive was tipped against the post by the Brazilian and Julio Cesar also saved superbly when Adebayor latched onto the rebound. Shaun Wright-Phillips had QPR’s first effort, cutting in from the left and finding room in the penalty area, before his effort was deflected by Michael Dawson for a corner.

The winger also went wide just before the break after an exciting run.

Spurs were forced into a change after 25 minutes when Sandro landed awkwardly and injured his left knee, with Adebayor helping him off the pitch.

With England manager Roy Hodgson watching from the stands, Scott Parker

came on to replace Sandro as he eases his way back to action following his Achilles operation in the summer.

QPR were successful in keeping the visitors quiet in the first half, with Spurs’ frustration illustrated by Mousa Dembele picking up a yellow card for a foul on Jamie Mackie.

Tottenham responded to a drab first half by stepping up the tempo after the restart and again forcing Julio Cesar into action. The keeper stood his ground to repel a Gareth Bale free-kick before producing a more eye-catching save with his legs from Defoe after the striker had rounded Nedum Onuoha before firing in a low drive. Kyle Walker then assumed free-kick responsibilities for the visitors, firing narrowly over the bar after Nelsen had brought down Lennon on the edge of the area, but Spurs were unable to build on that period of sustained pressure and the game again lost momentum.—AFP

LONDON: Queens Park Rangers’ Shaun Derry (left) tussles with Tottenham Hotspur’s Moussa Dembele for the ball during their English Premier League soccer match.—AP

Business

Turkmenistan to keep control of oil and gas Page 22 Greek House approves tax change under rescue terms Page 23

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

Gulf economies grow at 7%, markets upbeat

Obama: Lew will continue rebuilding Page 25 the economy Page 24

HONG KONG: People are reflected in a mirror as they pass through a shopping mall in Hong Kong yesterday. — AFP

Americans feel the austerity pinch Payroll tax hike could suck $125bn from households WASHINGTON: Americans are beginning to feel the pinch from Washington’s decision to embrace austerity measures aimed at bringing down the nation’s budget deficit.

Paychecks across the country have shrunk over the last week due to higher federal tax rates, and workers are already cutting back on spending, which will drag on the economy this year.

In Warren, Rhode Island, Ben DeCastro got his first paycheck on Friday in which taxes on his wages rose by 2 percentage points. That works out to about $30 a week.

“You sit back and do the calculation, and that’s $30 I’m not going to spend at a restaurant,” said DeCastro. He said he worries that people hit by higher taxes will spend less at the chain of furniture stores where he works as a marketing manager.

Politicians in Washington made much hubbub last week about a bipartisan deal to soften or postpone some $600 billion in scheduled tax hikes and government spending cuts.

President Barack Obama said the deal would shield 98 percent of Americans from a middle-

class tax hike.

Nevertheless, for most workers, rich and poor alike, taxes went up on Dec. 31 as a temporary payroll tax cut expired. That cut - a 2 percentage point reduction in a levy that funds Social Security - was put in place two years ago to help the economy, which was still smarting from the 2007-09 recession.

About 160 million workers pay this tax, and the increase will cost the average worker about $700 a year, according to the Tax Policy Center, a Washington think tank.

“It stinks,” said Beverly Renfroe, an accountant for a realty firm in Jackson, Mississippi. “I definitely noticed a decrease.”

The pain will trickle through the economy over the next few weeks. Already, the new rate of 6.2 percent has trimmed paychecks for about half of the 200,000 employees whose paychecks are processed by Advantage Payroll Services, a payroll firm based in Auburn, Maine. Economists estimate the payroll tax hike will reduce household incomes by a collective $125 billion this year. Some households could reduce contributions to retirement

accounts or other savings, but most are also expected to cut back on spending.

That alone could reduce economic growth this year by about 0.6 percentage point, said Michael Feroli, an economist at JPMorgan in New York City. “ The headwind to growth should be noticeable,” he said. Most mainstream economists say the government should still be trying to stimulate the economy by lowering taxes or raising spending to help bring down the 7.8 percent jobless rate.

Even Federal Reser ve Chairman Ban Bernanke has said Congress could consider short-term stimulus measures if they can be coupled with a plan to tame the deficit over the long run.

But a consensus has emerged between Congress and the White House that the federal government should step up the pace at which it cuts the deficit, which ballooned during the recession.

That decision is having repercussions across the country. In Bergenfield, New Jersey, Evelyn Weiss Francisco has put off plans to

upgrade her cell phone and thinks she might go to fewer music concerts. A director at a public relations firm, she thinks the higher payroll taxes will cost her about $1,000 this year. Some Americans will also pay higher income taxes this year. Congress and Obama let income tax rates rise for households making more than $450,000 a year, a partial repeal of tax cuts put in place under President George W Bush. The wealthy will also pay a new tax to help fund a health insurance reform passed in 2010.

These will have a smaller impact on the wider economy because they affect fewer people. But taken together, this year’s tax hikes could subtract a full percentage point from growth, Feroli said.

Most economists see economic growth of roughly 2 percent this year, a lackluster pace held back by the government’s austerity measures that is likely to do little to reduce unemployment.

Failure to postpone government spending cuts due to begin around March would slow growth more, further frustrating the economic

Two airlines suspend Iran flights as economy sinks

Why attend car shows when photos are a swipe away?

DETROIT: Why go to a crowded auto show when you can glimpse dozens of new models on the internet? Because you can’t catch a whiff of that new car smell through your iPhone.

Photos can’t re-create the smell of leather seats or the smooth feel of a hood. At this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which opens to the public Jan. 19, visitors can see 500 cars and trucks spread over 18 carpeted acres. At least 800,000 people are expected to take in all the shiny models, amid the bright lights and thumping mood music.

The biggest draw will be the first new Corvette in nine years. Technology lovers can see an experimental concept from electric carmaker Tesla and a diesel version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Young buyers can check out a small SUV concept from Honda.

Big spenders - and big dreamers - can take a gander at the new Bentley convertible. But for all the gleaming metal, most models won’t be new to fans. Corvette lovers have been salivating over drawings posted on the Web. Spy cameras snapped an Acura MDX last fall, months before its official debut in Detroit. Mercedes has already released photos of its E-Class coupe and convertible.

But even with all those spoilers, visitors keep flocking to Detroit and other auto shows. They want to touch the cars, check out the trunk space or just hop in.

“You can’t do enough on a screen. You

can’t crawl inside and get a feel for it,” says Rod Alberts, a 23-year veteran of the Detroit show who is now its executive director.

Detroit is one of 65 shows that will be held in the US this year, from a tiny one in Toledo to New York and Chicago gatherings that attract more than 1 million visitors each year.

Detroit has been holding an auto show almost continuously since the early 1900s, when local dealers lined up a handful of cars alongside fishing and hunting gear.

More than half of visitors at the Detroit show are shopping for a new car, according to informal polls. And with car sales stronger than they’ve been in five years, attendance at NAIAS and other shows could be higher in 2013, after slipping during the recession. Car sales rose 13 percent to 14.5 million last year and could reach 15 million in 2013.

The auto show is the ideal venue for shoppers because they can browse without being pestered by salespeople, says Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst with car buying site Edmunds.com.

“It’s like the circus. It’s the only place you can see it under one roof,” she says. It’s also a circus for car companies. Literally. Infiniti will use performers from Cirque du Soleil to introduce its new small car in Detroit. “Auto shows are one of the rare moments that the brand can meet the customer, shake their hand, look them in the eye and say, ‘This is who we are,’” says Jim Farley, Ford’s global marketing director. Car companies had to cut

recovery. The blow to the economy from the tax hikes will hurt the most during the first half of the year as people adapt to their smaller paychecks.Consumer spending, which drives more than two thirds of the economy, will likely grow at a mere 1 percent annual rate in the first quarter, and 1.5 percent in the second, said Sven Jari Stehn, an economist at Goldman Sachs in New York.

Nicki Hagen, who received her first reduced paycheck on Jan. 4 and then another on Friday, estimates the higher taxes will shrink her paychecks by about $10 a week.

She has already started holding back from coffee-and-bagel runs made by coworkers at the home improvement company where she works as an office administrator in New York City. She expects a much bigger hit to her family’s income when her husband gets his first paycheck for 2013 on Tuesday. The two will then sit down and figure out how to budget their money. They might cut cable channels, or take vacation days when their daughter is out of school to save on babysitter expenses. “This is going to affect our lives,” she said. —Reuters

DETROIT: Chrysler Group President and CEO Dieter Zetsche is surrounded by media as he sits on a Dodge Tomahawk concept motorcycle unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Hundreds of thousands of buyers and car fans are expected to crowd Detroit’s North American International Auto Show from Jan 14-27, 2013. — AP back on their displays during the downturn.

Most are no longer doing the kinds of expensive stunts they did at the Detroit show before the sobering recession, which forced them to close plants and lay off thousands of workers. In 1992, then-Chrysler chief Bob Lutz drove the new Jeep Grand Cherokee through a plate glass window. This year, Lutz will be talking to a holographic image of

Thomas Edison at the display of electric-truck maker Via Motors.

And the element of surprise is gone. Icons like the Ford Mustang and Dodge Viper were seen for the first time when sheets were pulled off of them in Detroit. As recently as 2000, there were audible gasps when General Motors revealed the ungainly Pontiac Aztek.—AP

LONDON: Two European airlines said yesterday they were halting services to Iran, a sign of the crumbling purchasing power of Iranians as their economy buckles under the weight of Western sanctions. Air France-KLM will suspend its AmsterdamTehran service starting April 2013, a spokesman for the carrier said. It currently flies to Iran four times a week.

Austrian Airlines, a unit of Germany’s Deutsche Lufthansa , is cancelling its services to Iran due to a lack of demand, a spokesman said. The carrier’s last flight from Vienna to Tehran will be on Jan 13. It used to fly to Tehran four times a week, but reduced that to three in November.

The Iranian rial has lost about two thirds of its value against the US dollar in the last year, following US sanctions on its central bank and a European Union embargo of Iranian oil, levied over Iran’s disputed nuclear program.

That depreciation has made imported goods and foreign plane tickets far more expensive for Iranians. A spokesman for Lufthansa said the German carrier was continuing to fly to Tehran five times a week. Italian airline Alitalia also flies to Iran, according to its website.

The US and its European allies fear Iran is trying to build a bomb under the cover of a civilian nuclear program. Iran says its program is purely peaceful. The sanctions against Iran’s energy and banking sectors have made it more difficult for the Iranian government to earn foreign currency, raising concern that the central bank will not be able to defend the rial and depressing its value. Airlines already had to think twice over whether to maintain services to the country since Iran said in 2011 it had stopped providing fuel to European aircraft in retaliation for their refusal to fuel Iranian planes.

Austrian Airlines suspended its service to Tehran for more than two months last summer because it could not be sure of getting its planes refuelled there. — Reuters

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

BUSINESS

Turkmenistan to keep control of oil and gas

Bayt.com weekly report

Self-assessment to become a better manager

Gas exports propel fast growth as reforms timid ASHGABAT: Reclusive Turkmenistan will launch a privatization of state-held assets in its tightly regulated economy in coming months but looks set to keep control of the vital oil and gas industry, officials said yesterday. “I have just signed an order to approve Turkmenistan’s privatization program for 2013-16,” state media quoted President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov as telling an enlarged government meeting on Friday.

“Sell-offs of some state companies will start already at the beginning of this year,” he said without giving a time frame. The president, who wields virtually unlimited powers in the Central Asian nation of 5.5 million, made no mention of the oil and gas sector in a country which sits on the world’s fourth-largest natural gas reserves.

A government official told Reuters yesterday, requesting anonymity, that the sector would remain under state control. The government has compiled a list of other “strategic companies of national significance” which will not be privatized, the official said.

He said sell-offs would primarily target transport, communications and construction assets.

“Our privatization program is just in line with our plans of gradual transition to a market economy,” said Berdymukhamedov, whose word is final in a nation seen by human rights bodies as one of the most repressive in the world.

In his speech, Berdymukhamedov, a qualified dentist widely titled “Arkadag” (The Patron), also did not say whether foreign investors would be allowed to take part in privatization. Ruling since the death of his autoctratic predecessor Saparmurat Niyazov in December 2006, Berdymukhamedov has eased his grip on small-scale entrepreneurs and stamped out the black market in the manat currency.

The country now plans to introduce international accounting standards next year and to launch a stock market in 2016. But two decades after the Soviet Union’s demise, Turkmenistan is still lagging far behind its oilrich post-Soviet neighbor Kazakhstan in terms of eco-

nomic reforms. Turkmen private businesses have so far been allowed to invest mainly in services, public catering and small-scale construction projects.

The Turkmen economy has grown rapidly on the back of high world oil prices. Berdymukhamedov said gross domestic product had expanded by 11.1 percent last year and would grow by no les than 11 percent in 2013. Growth in 2011 was 14.7 percent.

The International Monetary Fund is slightly less optimistic; in November it forecast growth of 8.0 percent in 2012 and 7.7 percent in 2013. Hopes for future prosperity depend on laying alternative gas export routes to the European Union and India to ease dependence on the country’s former imperial master Russia.

Besides Russia, Turkmenistan sells gas to China and Iran. The desert nation plans to more than triple its annual gas production capacity to 250 billion cubic metres by 2030. While state media do not disclose the size of gas output, energy major BP estimated Turkmen gas production at 59.5 bcm in 2011. — Reuters

Yemen resumes oil flow in main export pipeline SANAA: Yemen resumed pumping crude through its main oil export pipeline yesterday, two days after armed tribesmen blew it up in the latest attack on the country’s energy infrastructure, government officials and oil industry sources said.

Yemen’s oil and gas pipelines have repeatedly been sabotaged by insurgents or angry tribesmen since antigovernment protests in 2011 created a power vacuum in the Arabian Peninsula country, causing fuel shortages and slashing export earnings for the impoverished state.

Oil Ministry officials said that pumping resumed yesterday morning after engineers, backed by Yemeni government forces, repaired the rupture in the pipeline caused by Thursday’s attack in the Serwah region in the central Maarib province.

“The assailants opened fire on the engineers to stop them from repairing the pipeline, but the force accompanying the engineers responded to the fire and chased the assailants away,” the ministry said in a statement on its website. Yemen’s stability is a priority for the United States and its Gulf Arab allies because of its strategic position next to top oil exporter Saudi Arabia and shipping lanes, and because it is home to one of the most active wings of al Qaeda.

Yemen resumed oil pumping on Dec. 31 at a rate of around 70,000 barrels per day (bpd) after a previous round of repairs to a pipeline which had carried around 110,000 bpd of Marib light crude to an export terminal on the Red Sea before a spate of attacks began in 2011. — Reuters

Saudi Safco Q4 net profit drops 10% JEDDAH: Saudi Arabian Fertilizers Co (SAFCO) posted a 10.3 percent decline in fourth-quarter net profits, missing analyst forecasts, due to lower Urea prices, the firm said in a bourse statement yesterday.

Safco, the affiliate of the world’s biggest petrochemical company by market value, Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC) , made 1.146 billion riyals in the three months ending on Dec. 31 compared with 1.277 billion riyals in the same period a year earlier, it said.

Nine analysts polled by Reuters expected the firm to post on average a 3.4 percent rise in its fourth-quarter net profit. “The decrease in the fourth quarter, 2012 compared to the same quarter last year is due to lower Urea prices,” Safco said.

Operating profit for the fourth quarter fell by 7 percent to 1 billion riyals from 1.1 billion in the same period a year earlier. — Reuters

MADRID: A man walks along with a loaf of bread in Madrid yesterday. Spain’s Treasury says it plans to borrow 230 billion euro ($300 billion)this year, down from 250 billion euro last year, and is expecting to pay lower interest rates than those that battered the country in 2012. — AP

French unions, employers strike deal on reform PARIS: France’s employer groups and main unions agreed on a deal yesterday to overhaul rigid labor rules, paving the way for new legislation early in 2013 and bolstering President Francois Hollande’s credibility as a reformer.

The agreement is well-timed for Hollande, who has been struggling with low approval ratings linked to perceptions that he is powerless to reverse a rising trend in unemployment, now close to a 15-year high.

It will form the basis for legislation to reform the labor market early in 2013 that should help firms adjust to downturns in demand and limit costs in the event of layoffs, while offering more job security to workers on short-term contracts. “Tonight social partners have placed France at the top of European standards in terms of labor market and social relations.

The deal they have struck is anything but short-sighted,” the Medef employers union said in a state-

in a research note before the deal was struck.

Hollande, who announced earlier on Friday he was launching a military operation in Mali to help the government there stem an uprising by Islamist rebels, hailed the accord as a breakthrough for all sections of the workforce. “I have asked the government to prepare, without delay, a draft law in order to transcribe accurately the legal changes foreseen in the accord,” he said in a statement. With his approval ratings mired at about 37 percent and jobless claims at a 15year high, the deal boosts the Socialist president’s economic reputation as he leads a broad effort to improve competitiveness. Reforms will help address concerns often cited by credit ratings agencies that France’s labour market is split in two, with “insiders” on long-term CDI job contracts enjoying too much job security while “outsiders” have too little. — Reuters

ment. Three of the five major unions represented at the talks said they would recommend signing the deal. Two hardline unions, the CGT and FO, denounced the draft as a step backward for workers’ rights and said they would not sign.

In order for an accord to be considered valid nationally, a majority of the five unions must sign it. A formal accord is to be signed next week by the groups’ executive boards.

However, economists commenting on previous drafts of the deal said its impact would be less profound than the Hartz 4 reforms launched by former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, and it was unlikely to bring about a swift reversal in the unemployment trend. “Will this be sufficient to ensure a turnaround in the unemployment trend by end-2013 as promised by President Hollande?

We think not,” Societe Generale economist Michel Martinez wrote

By Lama Ataya

M

anaging a team has never been an easy task.

While some micro-manage and others macro-manage, some other are caught in the middle and not quite sure which technique to opt for. Exper ts at Bayt.com, the Middle East’s leading job site, believe that there are basics that set apart successful managers from the rest; and the basics start with self-assessment.

Below are the top five elements provided by Bayt.com, the Middle East #1 job site, an executive should keep an eye on to effectively monitor their performance and become a better manager. ● Vision, mission and values: In order to evaluate yourself, you should first be clear on your vision, mission and values.

Make sure your personal vision-mission-values are in-line with the company’s and that they are very well communicated to your team. Also for new joiners in your company, it helps to incorporate a presentation on the vision, mission and values of the organization during the initiation training to familiarize them with the corporate culture. ● Your goals: Measure your success by setting daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly/yearly goals to you and your team.

Breaking larger long-term goals into short-term specific goals will help you stay motivated and focused. Make sure you share these deadlines with your team so that they are all working towards the same objectives and monitor the progress achieved based on the pre-set deadline. This will help you know how effective your personal work and that of your team is. ● Time management: Do you always feel buried in tasks?

Do you continuously work overtime? Do you or does you team miss deadlines frequently? Or do you feel that you always have everything under control? According to Bayt.com’s “Employee Motivation in the MENA” (January 2013) survey, 30% of MENA professionals feel either ‘under stress’ (16%), or ‘under severe stress’ (17%) on an average working day.

Additionally, 23% of MENA employees always work overtime or take work home with them. Of these, 44% do so because it is part of their job requirement; 36% do it in order to get ahead and finish their projects early, while 30% claim that it is the only way to meet deadlines.

Remember that time management is key to your own success and that of your team. Make sure you split tasks among team members reasonably and do a proper followup to help them manage their time effectively and to make sure everything is right on track. ● Regular appraisals: Do not wait for formal end-of-year appraisals. Perform them on a regular basis; assess your team and do not shy away from asking for their feedback on your own management techniques. Open channels of communication and honesty are key for your team’s success and your own. In Bayt.com’s recent Employee Motivation survey (January 2013) only 44% of regional professionals said their manager regularly communicates what is going on in the organization to them.

In a separate December 2012 poll by Bayt.com on MENA Professionals’ New Year’s Resolutions, 73.6% of professionals said they have a year-end appraisal system, 5.8% said they have appraisals every month and 5.6% said they have a system of informal discussions with their manager every now and then, while 15% of regional professionals said they have no appraisal system in their company. ● Leading under pressure: Leading under pressure is one of the main traits of a successful manager. How do you deal with pressure yourself? It is essential to stay calm under all circumstances. You lead a team that looks up to you; inspire them and guide them especially through difficult times.

Working under pressure is not easy but you should be able to get your team and project to safe shore. Are you capable of that?

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 US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian dollars Danish Kroner Swedish Kroner Australian dlr Hong Kong dlr Singapore dlr Japanese yen Indian Rs/KD Sri Lanka rupee Pakistan rupee Bangladesh taka UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi Riyal/KD Omani riyals Philippine Peso

.2750000 .4490000 .3650000 .3020000 .2830000 .2950000 .0040000 .0020000 .0764740 .7450620 .3880000 .0720000 .7301010 .0430000 CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2817000 .4510020 .3675060 .3039650 .2854250 .0492530 .0428620 .2971510 .0363410 .2296030 .0031960 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0767260 .7475120 .0000000 .0751400 .7319730 .0000000

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka

ASIAN COUNTRIES 3.235 5.141 2.902 2.235 3.222 231.000 36.499 3.537

.2845000 .4620000 .3770000 .3140000 .2920000 .3030000 .0067500 .0035000 .0772420 .7525500 .4060000 .0770000 .7377420 .0510000 .2838000 .4543640 .3702450 .3062310 .2875530 .0496200 .0431810 .2993660 .0366120 .2313150 .0032200 .0052180 .0022610 .0029290 .0035740 .0772980 .7530850 .4014140 .0757000 .7374300 .0070210

Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - transfer Irani Riyal - cash

UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

6.931 9.296 0.271 0.273 GCC COUNTRIES 75.470 77.763 735.090 751.690 77.063

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 282.900 Euro 371.590 Sterling Pound 455.190 Canadian dollar 287.500 Turkish lire 159.130 Swiss Franc 306.830 Australian dollar 297.890 US Dollar Buying 281.700 GOLD 311.000 157.000 81.500

SELL DRAFT 303.12 292.09 313.38 378.64 282.50 458.77 3.25 3.561 5.171 2.240 3.248 2.906

Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar terling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

Selling Rate 282.650 286.870 454.355 370.475 306.160 748.310 76.930 77.585 75.335 398.440 43.553 2.212 5.144 2.900 3.506 6.913 693.345 4.230 9.375 3.975 3.305 92.855

Bahrain Exchange Company

UAE Exchange Centre WLL COUNTRY Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro US Dollar Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee

77.500 750.000 46.750 400.000 734.000 78.500 75.750

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 46.200 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 43.552 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.320 Tunisian Dinar 181.170 Jordanian Dinar 399.270 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.899 Syrian Lier 3.075 Morocco Dirham 33.880

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

76.98 752.20 43.19 402.47 735.23 78.01 75.54

SELL CASH 310.000 290.000 310.000 371.500 283.500 456.000 3.750 3.700 5.450 2.500 3.550 2.990

COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar

SELL CASH 301.400 752.470 3.850 289.900 555.700 46.100 51.500 167.800 46.220 381.500 37.200 5.490 0.032 0.162 0.243

SELLDRAFT 299.900 752.470 3.544 289.400

232.400 43.200 380.000 37.050 5.185 0.031

Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria 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

3.270 400.970 0.191 96.860 46.000 4.350 240.400 1.833 52.400 734.970 3.040 7.310 78.260 75.550 232.410 35.150 2.695 460.500 44.700 313.500 3.400 9.670 198.263 77.150 283.300 1.370

3.260 238.900

734.790 2.912 6.971 77.830 75.550 232.410 35.150 2.240 458.500 312.000 3.400 9.540 77.050 282.900

GOLD 1,771.240

10 Tola

Sterling Pound US Dollar

400.930 0.190 96.860

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 458.500 282.900

Al Mulla Exchange Currency US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 282.450 372.500 455.700 288.500 3.250 5.175 43.165 2.242 3.548 6.928 2.908 752.200 76.850 75.450

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

BUSINESS

Kuwait spending gains momentum in Nov NBK ECONOMIC REPORT KUWAIT: Latest public finance data show a significant boost in government spending in November. This may be linked to a correction of under-reporting issues, which likely underestimated actual spending in previous months.

Nevertheless, the headline rate of spending remains low relative to previous years. The rise in reported spending has capped large monthly increases in the budget surplus, despite soaring oil revenues.

Increases in the budget surplus have slowed significantly as a result of the recent acceleration in spending. The surplus for the first 8 months to November stood at KD 14.7 billion before allocations to the Reserve Fund for Future Generations (RFFG), little changed from the previous month. This surplus is equivalent to 30% of annual 2012 GDP. With reported spending likely to accelerate even further in the remaining 4 months, we expect the final budget surplus for FY 2012/13 to close at around KD 12.0 billion.

Total revenues for the first 8 months of the fiscal year (April-November) reached KD 21.6 billion, on the back of soaring oil revenues. The 15% y/y rise in oil receipts, however, is stronger than expected given a 1% decline in Kuwait Export Crude prices and a 10% increase

in oil production over the same period.

(Chart 2). Non-oil revenues were also up by some 18% y/y to around KD 1.1 billion.

Government spending climbed to KD 6.9 billion in the 8 months to November, equivalent to one-third of the amount budgeted for the entire year. Total spending surged by KD 2.7 billion from October, with the year-on-year decline in spending slowing considerably to 3% compared to 31% at the end of the previous month.

Nevertheless, a large part of the increase in spending during the month likely reflects the pick-up in reporting, rather than a fundamental acceleration in the rate of spending.

The rise in spending came almost entirely from current expenditures, which are now down only slightly yearon-year. Current spending leapt to KD 6.3 billion in November from KD 3.8 billion at the end of the previous month.

The biggest driver was the ‘wages & salaries’ component which, after appearing weak in previous months, is now up by some 25% y/y - largely on the back of a rising Ministry of Education wage bill.

Meanwhile, capital spending continued to disappoint, reaching just under KD 0.6 billion in the 8 months to November, KD 0.1 billion lower than a

year ago. Almost three-quarters of this decline was the result of reduced investment spending by the Ministr y of Electricity and Water. On a brighter note, the rate of capital spending has gathered pace, reaching 22% of the full-year budget, up from 16% a month earlier. Yet this is still low in comparison to the 5year historic average of 31% over a simi-

lar 8-month period.

Our estimate of demand-impacting spending climbed to KD 5.0 billion in November, a rise of 17% y/y. This spending excludes some transfers and other items that have minimal effect on economic activity. The strong rise indicates that fiscal policy is providing some much-needed support for the economy.

In summary, the data shows that reported government spending is at last gaining momentum - albeit mostly on the current spending side. With reported and actual spending likely to rise further in following months, any additional increases in the budget surplus are likely to be smaller than in the early months of the year.

Greek House approves tax change under rescue terms Serious blow to middle class incomes

This image released by the National Transportation Safety Board and released Jan 11, 2013, NTSB Investigator Mike Bauer works inside the Boeing 787 “Dreamliner” airplane under investigation at Boston’s Logan Airport in Boston. — AP

Why Dreamliner is under review NEW YORK: Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner had a nightmare of a week, capped off Friday by the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision to review everything about the new airplane, including its entire design and manufacturing process. Government officials were quick to say that the jet is safe - nearly 50 of them are in the skies. However, a fire Monday and a subsequent spate of technical problems stirred serious concerns. None of the eight airlines using the plane plans to stop flying it during the government’s inquiry, and passengers flying the 787 don’t appear to be worried about their safety. But the extensive review raised a host of questions: Q: Why is the FAA reviewing the 787?

A: The battery pack on a Japan Airlines 787 ignited Monday shortly after the flight landed at Boston’s Logan International Airport.

Passengers had already left the plane, but it took firefighters 40 minutes to put out the blaze. There were separate issues on other planes this week - fuel and oil leaks, a cracked cockpit window and a computer glitch that erroneously indicated a brake problem. Also, Boeing had earlier problems with the aircraft’s electronics, both during test flights and after customers started flying the plane.

Q: Should the flying public be worried?

A: Safety regulators say no, even though they’re concerned about the recent incidents. “I would have absolutely no reservations about boarding one of these planes and taking a flight,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Friday.

Q: How big of a decision is the FAA review?

A: Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the Teal Group, called it “pretty remarkable.”

“There does appear to be a systematic problem either with the manufacturing process or with some of the technologies,” he said.

“This is needed to reassure the public.”

Q: How long will the review take?

A: FAA Administrator Michael Huerta didn’t put a timeframe on the investigation, but said it was “a very high priority.”

Q: If major changes are required, will the FAA ground the planes that are already flying?

A: Theoretically, the FAA could ground the 50 787s that are in service, but no one has suggested it is considering such a drastic move. Right now, the cause of Monday’s battery fire is unknown, so there’s no way to know what a potential fix - if indeed a fix is needed - might involve.

Q: How important is the 787 to Boeing’s future?

A: At the moment, the 787 is a moneyloser. Boeing doesn’t expect to begin making a profit on the jet until 2015. But it’s a prestige airplane, intended to offer more comfort for passengers and much better fuel efficiency for airlines in a state-of-theart design. And considering that some Boeing models have been built for 40 years (e.g. the 737 and 747), the company still hopes to make money on the 787 over time.

Q: What’s the big deal about the 787?

A: Boeing hopes the plane will revolutionize air travel. Half of the 787 is made

from carbon- fiber composites, which are lighter and stronger than the aluminum used in traditional planes. That means the jet burns less fuel, a big selling point because fuel is an airline’s biggest expense.

The extra strength allows for larger windows and a more comfortable cabin pressure. Composites don’t rust like aluminum, so the humidity in the cabin can be up to 16 percent, double that of a typical aircraft.

That means fewer dry throats and stuffy noses.

Q: Is there anything quirky about this plane?

A: There are no window shades. Boeing replaced them with an electronic tinting feature. Click a button below the window, and it slowly starts to darken. The wings curve up at different degrees during flight. ANA has even outfitted its bathrooms with a window and bidet.

Q: What else is different about the plane?

A: More than any other modern airliner, the 787 relies on electrical signals to help power nearly everything. It’s the first Boeing plane to use rechargeable lithium-ion batteries to start its auxiliary power unit, which acts as a generator to provide power on the ground or if the main engines quit. The batteries, which are each about twice the size of a car battery, allowed Boeing to get rid of a heavier system common on other planes that use hot air from the outside to start the APU. Q: Do the lithium-ion batteries pose an added danger?

A: Lithium-ion batteries are potentially more susceptible to fire because, unlike other aircraft batteries, the liquid inside of them is flammable. The potential for fire increases if the battery is depleted too much or overcharged. Boeing has built in special circuitry and other safeguards designed to prevent that situation. In September 2010, a UPS Boeing 747-400 crashed in Dubai after a large number of the batteries it was carrying as cargo caught fire.

Q: How much fuel does it save?

A: Boeing designed the 787 to use 20 percent less fuel than comparable aircraft.

The Boeing 767-300ER consumes 1,600 gallons of fuel for each hour in flight. With jet fuel currently costing $2.91 a gallon, airlines could save $13,000 during the 14-hour flight between Boston and Tokyo. There is no public data yet on whether the 787 meets Boeing’s fuel savings promises.

Q: Does any other plane use composites?

A: Composites are used in smaller amounts on most modern planes. Rival plane maker Airbus is designing its own lightweight composite jet, the A350, but that jet is still several years away from flying.

Q: Didn’t it take Boeing a long time to get the 787 airborne?

A: Boeing applied to the FAA to make the 787 in 2003. The first plane flew in December 2009, and six test planes ran up some 4,645 flight hours. The first paying passengers took flight in October 2011, more than three years behind schedule. — AP

ATHENS: Greece’s parliament early yesterday approved a new tax bill, part of the latest batch of fiscal reforms tied to the country’s next slice of EU loans.

The legislation, criticized by the opposition as another serious blow to middle-class incomes in the midst of a recession, was supported by 162 deputies from the governing three-party coalition in a vote held after midnight in the 300strong parliament.

The latest reform, the first part of a larger overhaul expected in April, broadens the tax base in the hope of increasing state revenue by about 2.5 billion euros ($3.3 billion) this year. It

introduces new annual income thresholds for salaried taxpayers and scraps tax breaks for the self-employed, a class blamed for a large part of the tax evasion that has plagued state finances for decades.

The conservative-led coalition government has been hit with several defections in the past few weeks in opposition to the continued austerity wave. It lost another deputy on Thursday.

Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras had said the bill had to be voted on this week ahead of a meeting by European finance ministers that will determine the disbursement of Greece’s next loan instalment. European Union leaders last

month agreed to hand out 49.1 billion euros in aid in return for more austerity measures.

Athens has already received 34.3 billion euros of this package and is poised to get another 9.2 billion euros at the end of this month if key fiscal reforms are carried out, followed by two more slices of 2.8 billion euros in February and March. The meeting by European finance ministers is expected on Januar y 21. The International Monetary Fund, which is participating in Greece’s rescue, is also expected to decide this month whether to release its next share of the bailout, worth an additional 3.4 billion euros. — AFP

No clear path for Obama to act on debt cap NEW YORK/WASHINGTON: The White House would be taking a risk if it tries to make a constitutional end-run around Congress’ authority to raise the debt ceiling, legal experts said.

The “public debt” clause of the 14th Amendment is being cited by a number of lawmakers as giving President Barack Obama a legal way to issue debt and pay bills, working around the debt ceiling and avoiding default. The 14th Amendment is best known for extending civil rights protections in the wake of the Civil War. The amendment’s fourth section was designed to guarantee Union debt incurred during the war, including compensation due to Union soldiers and their widows.

The clause states: “The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned.”

On Friday, Senate Democratic leaders told Obama to be ready to take “any lawful” steps to ensure that the United States did not trigger a global economic crisis.

Obama has said he would not negotiate with Republicans in Congress on the debt ceiling, increasing the prospect that they may try to block an increase in the borrowing limit. Democrats hope to avoid a replay of the 2011 debt ceiling deadlock that pushed the country to the brink of default.

One congressional aide said using the provision was the only potential option available to Obama if Congress balks.

But some legal scholars say the provision does not give the president the authority to raise or ignore the $16.4 trillion debt cap. “I don’t think the language of the 14th Amendment authorizes it,” said Erwin Chereminsky, professor at University of California Ir vine School of Law. “The debt ceiling is set by statute, and the president

can’t change statutes unilaterally.”

Eric Posner, a University of Chicago law professor, said the provision is vague and “does not implicitly give the president authority to do anything.” “It’s not a very strong legal argument,” Posner said. The public debt section’s only Supreme Court test, in 1935, had nothing to do with the debt ceiling. “Nobody really knows what would violate that section (the 14th Amendment) since it’s so far removed from what the original idea was,” said Gerard Magliocca, a professor at Indiana University School of Law. “There’s not much law on it, so it’s really hard to come up with any firm conclusions.” On Dec. 31, the Treasury reached the limit on how much it is legally allowed to borrow and is now using emergency maneuvers to continue paying government bills such as interest on US bonds and military salaries. Those measures, which

include tapping certain government pension funds, are due to run their course around mid-February, giving Congress around five weeks to raise the ceiling.

The debt limit only allows the Treasury to borrow funds to pay for existing obligations that Congress and the president have already agreed upon. Although Congress has routinely increased the limit since it was established in 1917, it has become more contentious since annual federal budget deficits have been topping $1 trillion, with conservatives in Congress using it as leverage to demand spending cuts.

With fears that Congress will not act in time, the 14th Amendment provision has surfaced as a backup plan along with another offbeat proposal to mint a trillion dollar platinum coin. Although the White House has said it does not believe that there is a constitutional workaround for the debt ceiling,

Obama has repeatedly said he will not negotiate with Republican lawmakers who want to win concessions on federal spending before agreeing to a debt limit increase.

That has raised speculation that the Democratic president will eventually be forced to rely on the Constitution to avoid a debt default and ensuing havoc on global financial markets.

Even if Obama tried to move forward without congressional approval, the action could come too late to shore up investor confidence if it is already shattered.

Bonds could be challenged as unconstitutional. “The Treasury market is viewed as the largest, most liquid and from a credit stand point, the least risky market in world,” said Ward McCarthy, chief financial economist at Jefferies & Co. McCarthy said if the credibility of the United States were to take a hit, that market would lose all of those attributes. — Reuters

Honda Civic and Honda CRVs are seen outside of a Honda car dealership in Des Plaines, Illinois. The US auto industry ended 2012 on a high note, with December sales the strongest they have been since before the recession. — AP

US markets end slightly higher NEW YORK: Financial markets took a breather this week after enduring weeks of intense haggling throughout the debate on the fiscal cliff.

The major indices closed the week out higher, but only modestly so, as investors seemed to be searching for direction with a lull in Washington in between debates on big-ticket fiscal issues. In the coming week, the market is expected to turn to corporate earnings, with several large companies reporting. Still those earnings reports and some important US economic indicators due next week fall against the backdrop of an uncertain policy environment in Washington.

“The market has started to shift its focus to earnings,” said Hugh Johnson of Hugh Johnson

Advisers, an investment firm. “There is no question that after the initial surge of euphoria (after the fiscal cliff deal), the market has become more cautious, because the big issues lie ahead” in Washington, including the potential spending cuts that could hit growth.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.4 percent on the week to end at 13,488.43. The broad-based S&P 500 rose by 0.4 percent to conclude the week at 1,472.05. The Nasdaq rose 0.8 percent to finish the week at 3,125.63. There were few major releases last week on the US economy, save for Friday’s release on international trade.

The US trade results showed a surprising

jump in the November trade deficit. While the results suggested lower GDP growth, they also pointed to surging domestic spending.

Fresh data also pointed to a mixed picture in China. On the positive side, Thursday’s release of trade data showed a large increase in China’s trade surplus. But data Friday pointed to a notable uptick in inflation, stoking concerns that the economy could overheat. Thursday’s news that the European Central Bank opted against cutting interests was expected. But markets were impressed with comments from Chairman Mario Draghi that suggested no rate cut anytime soon. Those remarks helped send the euro higher against the dollar. — AFP

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

BUSINESS

Kuwait bourse remains buoyant BAYAN WEEKLY MARKET REPORT KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended last week in the green zone. The price index ended last week with an increase amounted to 1.06%, and the weighted index advanced by 0.92% compared to the closings of the week before. In addition KSX-15 index increased by 0.89%.

Furthermore, last week’s average daily turnover increased by 23.84%, compared to the preceding week, reaching KD 27.92 million, whereas trading volume average was 327.05 million shares, recording increase of 51.89%.

The stock market continued its New Year positive performance, as the three indices were able to realize good gains by the end of the last week, among a strong purchasing trend focused on many listed stocks, with special attention to the leading and operational stocks in banking sector. In addition, the positive speculative operations during the week continued its market support, as it concentrated on the small-cap stocks, and positively reflected on the Price Index in particular, realizing the highest gain among the three market indices, to close at its highest since last June.

Moreover, the stock market is witnessing a purchasing activity concentrating on the leading and large-cap stocks, where many traders prefer to handle due to its expected positive annual results and good dividends, especially the banking and other operational stocks. As a result, the market liquidity was improved and gains were recorded in one of the last week’s trading sessions. On the contrary, the sale for profit operations were present to influence the market performance during last week, and caused the indices to fluctuate, within limited margins however, but lightened its weekly gains.

By the end of the week, the price index closed at 6,067.83 points, up by 1.06% from the week before closing, whereas the weighted index registered a 0.92% weekly gain after closing at 426.57 points. Moreover, the KSX-15 index closed at 1,033.33 points, increasing with 0.89%.

tor came in third as its index achieved 2.40% growth, ending the week at 933.38 points. The Consumer Services sector was the least growing as its index closed at 941.13 points with a 0.10% increase.

On the other hand, the Technology sector headed the losers list as its index declined by 1.50% to end the week’s activity at 825.46 points. The Basic Materials sector was second on the losers’ list, which index declined by 0.06%, closing at 981.86 points.

shares. On the other hand, the Financial Services sector’s stocks were the highest traded in terms of value; with a turnover of KD 42.88 million or 30.72% of last week’s total market trading value. The Banks sector took the second

place as the sector’s last week turnover of KD 33.74 million represented 24.17% of the total market trading value. Prepared by the Studies & Research Department Bayan Investment Co.

Sectors’ Activity The Financial Services sector dominated total trade volume during last week with 746.42 million shares changing hands, representing 45.65% of the total market trading volume. The Real Estate sector was second in terms of trading volume as the sector’s traded shares were 31.74% of last week’s total trading volume, with a total of 519.04 million

Sectors’ Indices All of KSE’s sectors ended last week in the green zone, while the other two recorded declines. Last week’s highest gainer was the Oil & Gas sector, achieving 3.81% growth rate as its index closed at 970 points. Whereas, in the second place, the Consumer Goods sector’s index closed at 944.32 points recording 2.45% increase. The Insurance sec-

Obama: Lew will continue rebuilding the economy NEW YORK: President Obama said that Treasury Secretary-designate Jack Lew will maintain the task of rebuilding the economy more than four years after the near collapse of 2008.

“A lot of work remains, especially to build a strong middle class,” Obama said in unveiling the Lew nomination during a White House ceremony. Lew, the current White House Chief and former budget director for Obama, said in a brief statement he looks forward to “the challenges ahead.” Obama formally nominated Lew to replace Timothy Geithner, whom the president said would go down in history as “one of our finest secretaries of the Treasury.”

Geithner returned the praise, saying Obama inherited “the worst crisis in generations” when he took office in 2009, and “saved the global economy.”

The Treasury Secretary and the rest of Obama’s economic team face three big budget battles in next three months with congressional Republicans: The parties are still trying to negotiate a debt reduction deal to head off a series of automatic budget cuts set to take effect in March. The so-called “sequester”-including popular defense and domestic programs-was delayed two months as part of the fiscal cliff agreement on New Year’s Day. That agreement dealt with taxes.

The government’s authority to borrow money to pay its bills-the “debt ceiling”-is expected to expire in two months or so.

Some Republicans said they won’t support an increase in the debt ceiling without corresponding budget cuts.

The continuing resolution to fund the government expires May 27. The parties must negotiate an extension or face the prospect of another government shutdown.

While Lew is considered a good bet for confirmation, Sen Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, said he would try to block the nomination. Sessions cited Lew’s

US manufacturers group predicts modest growth Exports, backlog orders remain weak

Treasury Secretary-designate Jack Lew congressional testimony in 2011 that Obama’s plans would not add to a federal debt that now tops $16 trillion. “His testimony before the Senate Budget Committee less than two years ago was so outrageous and false that it alone disqualifies,” Sessions said.

The Lew nomination is the latest move in a Cabinet shuffle that precedes the start of Obama’s second term on Jan 20. Others who are departing the Obama administration: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson.

Obama has nominated Sen John Kerry to replace Clinton at State, and former senator Chuck Hagel, to replace Panetta at the Pentagon. The president has also tapped counter-terrorism aide John Brennan for CIA director to replace David Petraeus, who resigned in November over an extramarital affair.

Attorney General Eric Holder, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki will remain at their posts, officials said. Obama has not yet made new selections for the Labor Department and the EPA. And, with the promotion of Lew, he will need a new chief of staff as well. —MCT

WASHINGTON: The sharp slowdown in US manufacturing that began last spring appears to be over, setting the stage for moderate expansion in the factory sector in coming months — with a little boost from companies bringing overseas production back to America.

Although exports and backlog orders continued to weaken in December, manufacturers reported increasing shipments and US investment heading into the new year, according to a quarterly survey by the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation, a trade group.

The group’s latest survey, released, is broadly in line with other industry measures. The government’s jobs report for December showed manufacturing payrolls bounced higher at the end of the year, and the Institute for Supply Management manufacturing index also rose last month above the threshold 50-point mark.

The Manufacturers Alliance report found that 17 percent of companies with manufacturing operations abroad had brought some of that work back to the US in the last two years.

Such reshoring — or insourcing, as some people call the return of manufacturing from overseas — has been reported in isolated cases in the past few years, but there’s been little in the way of comprehensive data about this phenomenon. The Manufacturers Alliance’s survey sample was small — 42 large companies with operations abroad — but its findings nonetheless reveal what looks to be a continuing trend.

The survey showed that the seven companies, none of which were identified, that brought back some operations returned it to existing plants rather than new ones. All of them said the work that was reshored was relatively small or moderate in terms of investment and jobs to the US. As expected, America’s gain came at the expense mainly of China, where those operations had been outsourced.

China’s labor costs have been escalating in recent years, while hourly earnings at US factories have barely kept pace with inflation. US manufacturers paid an average of $35.53 an hour in wages, benefits and labor-related taxes

in 2011, versus $47.38 in Germany, $36.56 in Canada and $35.71 in Japan, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Comparable data for China and India aren’t calculated.

Apart from labor rates, US companies moving production back also cited increasing shipping costs and, most notably, “a desire to reduce supply chain uncertainty,” according to the Manufacturers Alliance study.

Concerns about supply chain stability grew after Japan’s massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 knocked out vital parts makers in auto, semiconductor and other electronics industries. Lower US natural gas prices and other energy costs weren’t mentioned in the reshoring. Only six firms, including four that already reshored in the past two years, said they would bring back some operations in 2013.

The main reason most others said they have

no such plans: “Our activity abroad is geared toward foreign markets, and we need a production platform in these markets.”

The bottom line: Don’t count on reshoring to create a whole lot of domestic jobs or investment any time soon. “You’re not talking about huge operations coming back; it’s chipping away at the edges,” said Don Norman, the manufacturing group’s senior economist.

Still, any little bit will help. American manufacturing employment has been trending down for decades amid productivity gains and growing foreign competition.

The country has added 530,000 factory jobs since early 2010, but employment largely flattened last year after the first quarter. As of December, manufacturing payrolls were down 1.75 million from five years earlier and nearly 3 million from the end of 2002. — MCT

BOSTON: Worker Khan Simom, of Boston, glues cushions to unfinished shoes during the assembly process at the New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc factory in Boston. — AP

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

BUSINESS

Gulf economies grow at 7%, markets upbeat Gulf Investment Corporation Monthly Report KUWAIT: Global economic growth has been forecast at 2.7-3.0% for 2013, much slower than the historical rates of 4-5% which the world economy realized prior to the global financial crisis. The IMF argues that the probability of global growth falling below 2% in 2013 has risen to 17% in Sep 2012 from just 4% in Apr 2012. It is noteworthy, that a 2% growth rate is consistent with recession in Advanced economies and a serious slowdown in Emerging economies.

The IIF has forecast growth in Advanced economies to decelerate to 1.0% in 2013, with those for the US, euro-area and Japan pegged at 1.9%, -0.1%, and 0.4% respectively.

Emerging economies are also expected to see a slowdown in growth, with a forecast aggregate of 5.4% for 2013, though the Asia-Pacific region is expected to do better with an average growth rate of 7.1%, led by China, Philippines, India, and Indonesia. Latin American and Emerging European economies are forecast to grow at 3.7% and 2.5% respectively in 2013.

As witnessed in recent history, policy uncertainty is harmful to economic growth and hence the growth outlook hinges on political consensus and policy credibility, especially in the US and the euro-area. In the US, bi-partisan agreement resulted in tax increases on high income earners but left the spending cuts and debt ceiling un-resolved until well into the first quarter of 2013.

Policy measures in the Euro-area and by the ECB have helped to maintain unity and preserve the common currency. However, social tensions have continued to build up, as austerity measures alone are seen counterproductive from the perspective of economic growth and employment.

In 2013, core inflation will likely remain subdued at around 1.7% for Advanced economies, while rising to 5% in Emerging and Developing economies. Large economic slack in many Advanced economies and less pressures on capacity utilization in Emerging economies remain conducive to declining inflation as both oil and non fuel commodity prices are projected to decline.

Downside risks to global inflation reside in escalating food prices and a sharp spike in oil prices largely due to geopolitical tensions.

Also, the aggressive global monetary easing, thru central banks’ balance sheets expansion, is an inflation threat as it leads eventually to a significant rise of the money supply, thus igniting inflation.

GCC macro During 2012, the OPEC Crude basket averaged around $111 per barrel, and is expected to average around $102-105 per barrel during 2013, offering a comfortable buffer over most budget forecasts in the region. Risks to the outlook stem from the fragile global economic growth and increase in oil production

by OPEC members, notably Iraq and Libya.

The import trend in the US, which is increas-

ingly becoming self-sufficient in its energy needs, also poses a medium-term risk to Oil prices.

It is anticipated that the GCC economies would have realized a cumulative growth of close to 7% during 2012. Recent announcement from the Saudi Central Department of Statistics that pegged Saudi Arabia’s GDP growth in 2012 at 6.8%, validates the assumption. This figure is gratifying since it is quite comparable to GIC’s internal estimates during 4Q 2012, that forecast the Saudi GDP growth for 2012 at 6.6%.

Recently two GCC economies have

announced budget estimates for 2013. Oman announced the 2013 budget plan based on an assumed oil price of $85/barrel, and estimated production of 930,000 bpd. Public Expenditure is set to rise by nearly 29% over 2012 forecasts to $33.5bn, while revenues are forecast at $29.12bn, resulting in a deficit of $4.4bn, translating to 15% of revenues and 5% of the GDP. In Saudi Arabia, the 2013 budget projects an 18% y- o -y increase in Revenue to $221.1bn, and a 19% rise in Expenditure to $218.7bn, with a forecast surplus of $2.4bn.

In contrast, actual realizations for 2012 indicate that revenues reached an all-time high of $330.4bn, representing an increase of 76% over the budgeted figure. Actual expenditure touched $227.5bn, 23.6% higher than the budgeted figure for 2012.

GCC equity markets During December, news emanating from the US, Europe and Asia continued to cast a shadow over regional markets. The uncertainty over the US “fiscal cliff”, alongside other global concerns such including the ongoing fiscal problems in the euro-area, that cast its shadow over global markets, had an adverse effect on GCC markets as well.

The S&P GCC Composite Index added +2.21% for the month, extending its gains for the year to +7.14%, amidst mixed performance from the individual markets. While Saudi Arabia and Oman were the largest gainers, Abu Dhabi emerged as the worst performer for the month.

Oil prices witnessed some momentum, as Brent and WTI Crude notched up net gains of +0.78% and +2.60%, on the back of improved sentiment and the seasonal demand for heating oil in the US and Europe.

Despite the sentiment in global markets, the Saudi markets appears to have garnered some strength from firm Oil prices during the latter half of the month, causing the Tadawul

index to add +4.10%. The large-cap PetChem and Industrials sector were key drivers, while the Investment sector also scored big. Oman’s MSM 30 index added a similar +4.10%, with the Banking sector emerging as the biggest gainer.

Bahrain’s BSE index managed to end the year on a good note with a net gain of +1.60% for the month that helped to trim its YTD losses, as the Banking sector emerged the best-performing for the month. Dubai’s DFM index capped a good year with a modest gain of +0.91% for the month, as the Telecom and Insurance sectors dragged gains elsewhere.

Abu Dhabi’s ADSM index shed -1.63% to close as the least-performing market for the month, dragged by the Telecom and Insurance sectors. Kuwait’s KWSE Weighted Index edged moved down by -1.47%, with the Telecom and Real Estate sectors being the least-performing. Qatar’s QE index rounded up the laggards with a net loss of -0.50% for the month.

In terms of relative performance for the year, It is notewor thy that the S&P GCC under-performed the MSCI World and EM indices, with a net gain of +7.14% compared to +13.18% and +15.15% respectively.

Dubai’s DFM index clocked the largest gains of 2012 with +19.89%, with the ADSM index in neighboring Abu Dhabi closing a distant second with +9.52%. While the Saudi Tadawul added +5.98% for the year, Kuwait’s KWSE ( Weighted) index managed +2.97% and Oman’s MSM 30 added a +1.15% for the year. Bahrain’s BSE index remained the biggest laggard for 2012, with a net loss of 6.83%, while Qatar’s QE index shed a net 4.79% for the year. It is understood that global economic status remains a large influence on the GCC markets, and a key factor in determining its direction. To that end, GCC equities are primarily driven by perceptions as opposed to fundamentals.

During 2011, corporate earnings in the GCC grew by around 20% while economic growth was north of 4%, but this was not translated into the markets, as all of them, with the exception of Qatar, closed in negative territory.

Economic developments in the US and Euro-area, including ongoing discussions on the budget and debt levels, will remain key influences on international markets in the short run, with GCC markets taking their cue from these developments.

In the long run, however, there are a myriad of factors that are likely to drive the GCC markets forward, including the recent disclosure of the Saudi budget for 2013 which promises continued expenditure on infrastructure, educational and health programs.

GCC credit markets Global financial markets took a deep sigh of relief as Washington avoided debilitating tax hikes and spending cuts. Nevertheless, markets are fully cognizant that much more needs to be done if the US’ fiscal position is to be stabilized. Of critical importance is the adoption of a credible strategy to curb US government outlays over time. Meanwhile, US reported a better than expected 3Q GDP growth of 3.1% Q-o-Q and a strong US consumer spending numbers. Elsewhere, China reported an unchanged PMI of 50.6.

GCC markets continued their upward march, managing to close at highs. Spreads tightened during the month. The HSBC Nasdaq-Dubai GCC USD Sukuk/Bond TR Index (GCCB) rose m-o-m, to close at 158.21 from 156.83 and spreads tightened by 22bps, yielding 3.21%.

The HSBC Nasdaq-Dubai USD Sukuk TR Index (SKBI) increased marginally m-o-m from 145.94 to 146.50, while the HSBC Nasdaq-Dubai GCC Conventional USD Bond TR Index (GCBI) traded in a range of 160-162.

The HSBC Nasdaq-Dubai GCC Conventional USD Bond TR Index (+0.99%) outper formed the JPM EM Bond Index (+0.93%). In the CDS Sovereign space, tightening of spreads was witnessed across the space. Investment grade outperformed the High volatility names led by Saudi 7bps (8.9%), Qatar 6bps (-7.2%) and Abu Dhabi 5bps (-6.8%). Dubai tightened by 3bps (-

1.5%). Primary market was pretty active with slew of issuances. Taqa was first to tap the market with dual tranche $2bn issuance. The 5Y trance of $750mn was priced at T+200bps, while 10Y $1.25bn got priced at T+210bps.

Other big issue was $1bn 10Y by Q-Tel issued at a margin of T+1.75%.

There were also benchmark issuances by banks namely Gulf International Bank (GIB) and Union National Bank (“UNB”) which got priced at tighter end of the guidance. Burgan bank also tapped the market with a record KD100mn bond sale. It was issued in fixed and floating rate tranches. In the first five years, the fixed-rate bond pays 5.65% annually while the floating pays 3.90% over the CBK discount rate, capped at 6.65%. The issue was 4x oversubscribed.

The market is looking bit stretched with rich valuations post the sharp run up in 2012.

However, resolution of US fiscal cliff, greater allocation to EM debt, lack of supply in primary market and search for yield will aid the market. We recommend a very cautious approach with defensive positioning and advise against chasing the market. Overall, in ST, we expect the market to consolidate.

In the Mid-Long term, the GCC market is expected to perform well given the supportive macro-fundamentals and positive news flow from international space primarily return

to growth trajectory and continued monetary expansionary policies by major economies.

GCC credit still continues to trade cheap when compared to its rating class. It also benefits from a very supportive investor base.

However, the upside seems to be capped, given narrow spreads and low yield.

We recommend Investment Grade and defensive credit primarily out of Qatar, Saudi and Abu Dhabi over High Volatility, till the global uncertainty recedes. We also like Quasi Sovereign names especially in Abu Dhabi, given the attractive spread pick up over sovereign. Given the run up in the far end of the curve, global uncertainty and volatility in UST, we suggest underweighting duration.

Spread curves for some of the Investment grade names are trading flat, providing an opportunity for possible curve steepening.

We also advise to selectively look at High Volatility space especially Dubai. Dubai economy has surprised on the upside and technical remains strong. With most of the credits in Dubai being rated BBB, the spreads are still at levels of B+/BB credits.

The Mid CDS spread between Dubai and Abu Dhabi at present is c.135bps from 340bps at beginning of the year. We expect it to tighten further in ST-MT. We remain neutral financials given the tight spreads, expected supply and sharp run up.

DETROIT: Visitors at the North American International Auto Show walk the floor at Cobo Hall in Detroit. Hundreds of thousands of buyers and car fans are expected to crowd Detroit’s North American International Auto Show from Jan 14-27, 2013. Some 800,000 visitors are expected to descend on the city’s 18-acre Cobo Center, where more than 500 cars and trucks will be on display. —AP

US storm turns airport into vast used-car purgatory CALVERTON, New York: Mother nature in all her fury tossed them about like toys. Now they fill two airport runways-parked, obedient and damaged-as they await nibbles from buyers.

Cars-thousands upon thousands of them, of every size, color, make and modelroughed up to one extent or another by Superstorm Sandy in October are crammed into a New York-area airport on Long Island.

The spectacle gives new meaning to the concept of used car lot. Seen from a plane, the mass of motorized detritus is draw-dropping. The vehicles were purchased by Insurance Auto Auctions, a link in the US economic food chain that feeds on this kind of disaster-born mess.

Sandy and its hurricane force winds roared up the US east coast for several days in late October and finally crashed ashore with devastating force, killing more than 110 people, flooding the New York City subway system and knocking out electricity for hundreds of thousands of people.

The floods and wind destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of homes and left coastal communities gutted. Congress has just now approved nearly $10 billion in emergency aid, the first installment of $60 billion requested by President Barack Obama. The Sandy-hit cars here sprawl over two runways that stretch 2 and 3 kilometers (1.5 and 2 miles), respectively. They sit in end-to-end rows of two or three vehicles each, packed tight together like batteries.

The runways form a letter L. It is not clear how many cars ended up in this vast, paved purgatory. The first area rented by IAA covers 54 acres (22 hectares) but the company later contracted for morethe stretches where planes taxi. “ They started to fill it at the end of November. It has to be clean for April,” said the pilot of a small plane taking an AFP crew for a ride to view the ocean of cars. He asked that his name not be used.

Some cars look like they came through the storm relatively unscathed. Others are pretty smashed up. Big trucks come and go with a constant hiss of brakes and roar of engines, bringing in fresh unwanted cars and taking others away. IAA is able to rent the runways because the airport opens only in summer. The airport is owned by the town hall of nearby Riverhead. It will take in more than a million dollars from IAA under an initial 6-month rental agreement.

Security guards will not let rubberneckers into the airport for a gape. IAA is getting rid of the vehicles at bargain prices, such as $2,025 for what was once a nice 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Many need lots of costly repair work. IAA is auctioning the cars here in Calverton, elsewhere in New York and New Jersey and on-line. Buyers have two days to get them off the airport runways.

The rental agreement signed by the company and Riverhead town hall says more than 200,000 cars in nine New York counties were flooded by Sandy. — AFP

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

BUSINESS

Domestic, Chinese demand to boost Korean industry KCIC WEEKLY ASIA ANALYSIS

By Camille Accad KUWAIT: South Korea, a victim of the global slowdown, has been recovering domestically but its external sector continues to be weak. The fourth largest Asian economy’s exports have performed rather poorly in 2012, with a 1.2% decline, which is the main

reason behind weak Korean growth in the past few quarters.

Exports is the largest component of Korea’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product), making up 55% of the total. However, there are two encouraging signs to watch for in the quarters ahead. First, private consumption, which is about half of total GDP, is in recovery. Retail

sales and vehicle sales have been accelerating since August. Second, Chinese investments plan for 2013 means more demand for Korean goods, especially as Sino-Japanese bilateral trade relations have deteriorated lately.

As a consequence of the weak external drive, the nation’s industrial sector has been rather weak

in 2012. Coming down from an average growth rate of 7% yearon-year (YoY) in 2011, industrial production index (IP) grew by a mere 1.7% YoY until November 2012. This index is a very accurate gauge of the industrial sector which makes up about 40% of total GDP. Going into 2013, the pickup in domestic consumption will help sustain industrial production. Additionally, assuming that Chinese authorities extend their commitment to boost investment into 2013, the external sector will not collapse in South Korea: China is the country’s largest export destination, with more than 20% of the total.

Real GDP is a measure of the economic output or of the size of the economy - adjusted for inflation or deflation. It is the sum of the values of all final goods and services produced by that country or region over a given time period.

The values depend on the quantities (volume) of the goods produced and their prices. Real GDP is a measure that holds prices constant by using a given year’s value (the base date) for all items and services. Then these values are used to calculate GDP for years prior to the base year and subsequent years. GDP can be meas-

ured in several ways, and the Bank of Korea (BoK), the body responsible for national accounts data, publishes GDP by expenditure and sector output. On one hand, there is the expenditure breakdown of GDP, which consists of private consumption, government expenditure, fixed capital investments, exports and imports.

Exports and private consumption are strong drivers of growth in South Korea. On the other hand, GDP broken down by sector consists of agriculture, industry and services. Services is the largest sector, making up about half of GDP, while the industrial sector is slightly smaller, making up more than 40% of GDP. GDP grew 1.5% YoY in the third quarter, its slowest pace since 2009. This is mainly because of the significant slowdown in industry (mainly in manufacturing), which has been ongoing for eight straight quarters. Exports are one reason the sector is hurt, but domestic consumption has been weak and investments declined. In order for the economy to bounce back into expansion, the industrial sector needs to trend upward.

Increased exports to China will have to more than offset lower expected exports to the US and

weak demand from the EU. Domestic consumption needs to continue recovering at its current pace, and capital expenditures need to rise in order to meet higher consumer demand, both internally and externally.

A pick-up in GDP growth is expected in the fourth quarter of 2012. This recovery will continue in 2013 only if, in addition to the two factor mentioned before, Korean authorities support the economy with easing policies. With BoK’s inflation target range at 2.5-3.5% and December’s inflation figure at 1.4%, there is room for stimulus.

Exports have been suffering on the back of a strong currency, so it’s highly probable that the central bank will cut the policy rate this quarter. The monetary loosening will probably be modest, and accompanied with a fiscal stimulus.

Already, the incoming President Park has announced her plans to allocate 72% of the annual budget spending in the first half of the year.

The third quarter of 2012 could be the trough of Korea’s GDP growth, and 2013 could be a year of sustainable recovery. But that will depend on China’s recovery. - Camille Accad is economist at KCIC, an investment firm specializing in emerging Asia investments.

Burgan Bank announces winner of its card spending campaign

Sony unveils stylish and intuitive Xperia Tablet S Series in Kuwait Features splash proof design, built-in universal remote KUWAIT: Sony, the leading consumer electronics and entertainment brand, has unveiled the Xperia Tablet S. Thinner and lighter than the original Sony Tablet S, Xperia Tablet S is crafted with premium materials, which gracefully lend good looks and enable comfortable handling around the home or on the move.

The Xperia brand delivers mobility in addition to design, cross-device connectivity and network services to enhance user experience. Through introducing a Tablet device under the Xperia series, Sony lets consumers seamlessly enjoy the immediate convenience of an Xperia smartphone and immersive entertainment of an Xperia Tablet.

The splash-proof aluminium casing of the Xperia Tablet S is designed for real-life use around the home and outdoors, doing away with the worry of casual water spillages. Running a speedy NVIDIA(r) Tegra(r) 3 quad-core processor and Android 4.0.3 operating system, the device comes with the power needed to enjoy the latest

media, apps and games.

The Xperia Tablet S incorporates several of Sony’s signal processing technologies such as ClearAudio+ mode, which delivers distinctive audio quality that is a trademark of the brand. With one simple operation, users can experience sound with ultimate

KIB honors 12 Tunisians after training program KUWAIT: As part of its induction activities to share its remarkable experience in leading the Islamic finance industry, KIB, represented by its Chairman Sheikh Mohamed Al-Jarrah AlSabah has honored the Tunisian Association for Islamic Finance delegation in the presence of Chief Executive Officer, Loai Maqamis at the closure of the training.

During the Honoring ceremony, Sheikh Mohammed Al Jarrah Al Sabah said: “On behalf of myself, the Board of Directors and staff of Kuwait International Bank and by the end of your scientific journey at KIB, I am delighted to congratulate you for passing the workshop which has introduced you to the Islamic banking and its investment products, as well as the positive results of KIB’s leading experience in converting from a real estate conventional bank into an Islamic bank operating in compliance with Islamic Sharia law. KIB wishes all the graduates continued success in their remaining scientific journey.” AlJarrah added: “KIB has had the pleasure to provide all tools that would assist in progressing the Islamic economy and its contemporary directions.” He pointed out that hosting the Tunisian delegation from the Islamic finance Association came in line with KIB’s initiative to strengthen the relationship with scientific and financial institutions which are interested in the Islamic economy.

Worth mentioning that Kuwait International Bank has hosted a delegation from the Tunisian Islamic Finance Association at a training program which had lasted for a week at the headquarters. They have observed the positive results of the leading transformation experiment of Kuwait International Bank. The delegation members have attended lectures from various departments at the bank and had an insight on their experiences, the nature of their work and the innovative products and services compatible with the Islamic Sharia.

clarity across a wide spectrum of tones from deep lows to crisp highs.

Owners can let the Xperia Tablet command their entire entertainment set-up while they enjoy from the comfort of a favorite couch. The infra-red universal remote control is enhanced with a new

Macro function that stores a time-saving sequence of commands for instant recall.

The Xperia Tablet S can be programmed to switch on the TV, cable box and home entertainment system, select inputs, adjust volume and more. Commands are executed at a single touch, and up to six macros can be named and stored.

The new Xperia Tablet S is made for sharing around the home. ‘Guest mode’ enables owners to create individual profiles for family members and visitors.

Wallpapers, icons and apps access make the experience truly personal for everyone in the family.

The ‘WALKMAN’ application automatically detects and compiles song lists, sourced from the user’s social media feeds.

The ‘Album’ application helps users view, sort and share pictures and videos captured with their Xperia Tablet across an intuitive user interface.

The new Sony Xperia Tablet S will be available across Supplying Store Co & Reseller stores in Kuwait from today.

Spending on business travel predicted to rise WASHINGTON: US companies are expected to spend more on business trips this year, a sign that they may be feeling more optimistic about the economy, a new business travel forecast finds.

A pent-up need to sit face to face with clients, coupled with increased spending on international trips and off-site meetings, is projected to boost overall business travel spending in the US by 4.6 percent this year, to $266.7 billion, according to a report from the Global Business Travel Association, a group of business-travel and meetings managers.

“At the end of the day, companies need to find ways to grow ... revenues and see their performance increase year over year, and quarter over quarter,” said Mike McCormick, executive director of the GBTA. “So there’ll be this pressure to make investments and spend on business travel.”

The GBTA estimates that for every $1 spent on corporate travel, companies on average have seen $20 in additional profits. But he says the growth, expected to make its greatest surge in the last half of the year, largely hinges on the outcome of ongoing debates about the federal deficit, corporate tax rates and other economic issues.

“If we don’t see those resolutions happen, we don’t continue to build corporate confidence,” McCormick said, and “we may revert back to the ... anemic growth rate.”

While spending is predicted to be up, the number of business trips is projected to be down 1.1 percent from last year, reflecting the desire by many companies to make the most of their staffers’ time on the road. “Companies, and generally the travelers themselves, are trying to find ways to be more efficient about use of time so that means adding more into a trip,” he said. It’s “maybe doing multiple stops, to multiple cities in the same itinerary.”

GBTA’s forecast dovetails with the latest findings of a new sur-

NEW YORK: Overall business travel spending in the US is expected to rise by 4.6 percent this year to $266.7 billion, according to a report from the Global Business Travel Association. vey by the Travel Leaders Group, a corporate travel management company.

Its survey finds that almost 80 percent of the groups’ agents who deal primarily with business trips predicted their clients will be on the road as much or more than they were in 2012.

Being economical while on a corporate trip was also the No. 1 priority, according to the survey. In it, 42.1 percent of agents say cost savings was most important to their business travel customers, and 33.7 percent say the most critical issue was cost control. The survey, taken between Nov 19 and Dec 16, polled 335 US agency owners, managers and industry experts who handle a significant amount of business travel. —MCT

KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announced yesterday the name of the winner of the bank cardholder’s monthly draw on it cards spending campaign to win an iPad3 and Samsung Galaxy SIII. The lucky winner of the iPad3 was Riyadh Al-Saleh, and the winner of the Samsung Galaxy S3 was Fawaz AlMarzouq.

The winners’ announcement comes as part of Burgan Bank’s cards promotion that was launched earlier, in which every 10 KD spent in Kuwait online or in stores using Burgan Bank’s cards; cardholders will be granted 1 chance to enter the draw.

Customers using their cards outside Kuwait, will double their chances to entering the monthly draws.

Burgan Bank’s latest promotion is in-line with its overall commitment to provide its customers with exclusive benefits that go beyond their banking needs. To find out more about Burgan Bank’s services as well as its latest promotions, customers are required to visit their nearest Burgan Bank branch or contact the call center on 1804080.

Established in 1977, Burgan Bank is the youngest commercial Bank based in Kuwait, with a significant focus on the corporate and financial institutions sectors, as well as having a growing retail and private bank customer base.

Burgan Bank has four majority owned subsidiaries: Gulf Bank Algeria - AGB (Algeria), Bank of Baghdad - BOB (Iraq), Jordan Kuwait Bank - JKB (Jordan) and Tunis International Bank - TIB (Tunisia), (collectively known as the “Burgan Bank Group”).

The Bank has continuously improved its performance over the years through an expanded revenue structure, diversified funding sources, and a strong capital base. The adoption of state-of-theart services and technology has positioned it as a trendsetter in the domestic market and within the MENA region. Burgan Bank’s brand has been created on a foundation of real values - of trust, commitment, excellence and progression, to remind us of the high standards to which we aspire. ‘People come first’ is the foundation on which its products and services are developed. Earlier this year, ‘Brand Finance’ - the international brand valuation company- rated Burgan Bank brand as AA with positive outlook. The rating places Burgan Bank Brand at 2nd amongst the most valuable banking brands in Kuwait.

Excellence is one of the Bank’s four key values and Burgan Bank continually strives to maintain the highest standards in the industry. The Bank was re-certified in 2010 with the ISO 9001:2008 certification in all its banking businesses, making it the first bank in the GCC, and the only bank in Kuwait to receive such accreditation. The Bank also has to its credit the distinction of being the only Bank in Kuwait to have won the JP Morgan Chase Quality Recognition Award for twelve consecutive years.

Burgan Bank won the prestigious “Banking Web Awards” prize in the commercial and corporate Category for Kuwait. In 2010 Burgan Bank was awarded with the “Best Internet Banking Service award” from Banker Middle East Awards. Burgan Bank was recognized in 2011 as Kuwait’s “Best Private Bank”, by World Finance. The bank also won, in 2011, the coveted “International Platinum Star for Quality” award from Business Initiative Directions, and “The Best Technical Award” from Banking Web Awards. In 2012, Global Banking and Finance Review online magazine recognized Burgan Bank as the “Best Banking Group in the MENA” as well as the “Best Corporate Bank in Kuwait”. The bank also won the coveted “Best Bank Branding” award by the Banker Middle East. For the second consecutive year in 2012, Burgan Bank also won World Finance’s “Best Private Bank” award, as well as the “Best Private Bank in Kuwait 2012” award from Capital Finance International. The bank recently won the “Best Bank in Kuwait” award from EMEA Finance.

Burgan Bank, a subsidiary of KIPCO (Kuwait Projects Company), is a strongly positioned regional Bank in the MENA region.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

technology

Smartphone touted as ‘remote for your life’ Thousands of ‘apps’ showcased

LAS VEGAS: Justin Bredeau, of Las Vegas, tries out a Sony 3-D personal viewer at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The viewer simulates watching a 150-inch screen from 12 feet away. —AP

High fashion, high tech intersect at CES confab LAS VEGAS: The folks who brought you laptop trackpads, voice-activated smartphones and touch-screen tablets are dreaming up new ways for users to interact with technology through wearable, fashionable gadgets.

The high-tech industry used the International Consumer Electronics Show to display things like high-tech fingernails, handbags, clothing and accessories for the iPhone generation.

The “nanonail,” for example, from a startup called Tech Tips, looks like a fingernail extension but is designed to work on smartphones and help avoid “fat finger” mistakes. “The nail had to look nice, I didn’t want women to have to compromise,” said dermatologist Sri Vellanki, founder of the Montana-based company and inventor of the concept, who said she hopes to sell the product in a few months.

SunnyBag, a firm based in Austria, was showing its handbag equipped with flexible solar panels. The leather bag uses solar energy to charge a battery inside which can be used with a USB cord to recharge a smartphone. “Our aim was to combine fashion with function,” said product manager Kerstin Kurre. “Every woman and a lot of men carry a bag, and everyone has battery problems.” The surge in the use of smartphones which can be used as music players has stimulated the creation of headphones which double as fashion accessories. Some on display at CES are integrated into caps or scarves.

Some headphones were being marketed as fashion items including one from iHip promoted by permatanned reality show star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi with splashes of

glittery faux-diamond plastic and leopard print. Italian-based hi-Fun appeared to want to take a page from James Bond with high-tech gloves which can be used to speak on a smartphone.

The user can answer a call by activation a button inside the gloves and placing the thumb in the ear and index finger in front of the mouth to speak. The “hi-Call” devices look like ordinary knit gloves, but are equipped with wireless connectivity.

“Bluetooth is an easy technology, and works with most devices,” said Rick Sadofsky, a US distributor for the product.

CES also saw a spate of new wristwatch products, some powered by Android, which can access apps from a smartphone, some with emergency calling capacity.

The crowdfunded Pebble Technology watch can tell users when their bus is arriving, monitor one’s sleep and send data back through their smartphones to the Internet. Italian-based i’m SpA, which last year debuted what it called the world’s first smart watch, unveiled a new version along with i’m Here, a GPS tracker that help mark out missing children, adventurers or adults with dementia.

Another wearable device came from USbased Vuzix, which offered a rival to Google Glasses with a device fitting around the forehead with a screen which connects to a smartphone. But Vuzix’s David Lock said another device in the works is a real pair of glasses which also allows users to visualize what is on a smartphone or other mobile device. “We see that as the holy grail,” Lock said. CES also featured its own high-tech fashion show, with LED and illuminated dresses and corsets and accessories. — AFP

LAS VEGAS: Convention attendees test out Intel’s Creative Interactive Gesture Camera development kit at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas yesterday. —AP

LAS VEGAS: It can talk to your car, your refrigerator, water your plants and help you stay fit and healthy: the smartphone is become the consumer’s remote control for life. That was the message delivered by dozens of firms at the International Consumer Electronics Show, where terms like “appification” were tossed around freely.

The hundreds of thousands of “apps” developed for mobile platforms such as Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android and Microsoft’s Windows Phone and showcased at the Las Vegas tech gathering are quickly taking a lot of functions that people or different devices used to do.

Nowhere was this more evident in the “connected home” zone of the world’s biggest technology show.

Samsung, the South Korean tech giant, showed a connected refrigerator which can stream music from a smartphone, while US appliance maker Dacor unveiled what it called the “first Android oven,” with a panel to check emails and the Web. US appliance maker Whirlpool showed its lineup of smart appliances which can send a user a text message when the laundry is done.

Whirlpool’s refrigerator can also stream music through an app, enabling a host to set a playlist for each course of a dinner party, for example.

“You don’t need to be friend on Facebook with your fridge, but it makes its use easier,” quipped Warwick Stirling, Whirlpool’s senior director of energy and sustainability.

South Korea’s LG offered an integrated solution: one smartphone app which can remotely turn on a robotic vacuum or washing machine, or monitor something cooking in the oven.

An LG refrigerator, equipped with a touchscreen panel, can deliver a shopping list to your smartphone wirelessly, provided that the database is created in the appliance.

“You can control your life with a smartphone,” said LG’s Lisa Hutchenson.

French-based firm Parrot and Korea’s Moneual each showed off an app to allow smartphone users to keep their home plants watered, using a sensor which transmits information on temperature, light and humidity and alerts people when the plants are thirsty. The home ther-

LAS VEGAS: Convention attendees stop to watch several Samsung large screen televisions at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas yesterday. — AP mostat, locks and lighting can be controlled with an app developed by Ingersoll Rand.

“The phone can be your remote control for your house,” said Matt McGovren, marketing manager for the maker of home equipment.

“Everything will be connected, even things not generally associated with smartphones, like locks.” In the car, drivers can mimic their key fob functions to control their car, track, locate and monitor their vehicles with an app from Delphi Automotive, shown at CES. And Ford and General Motors announced at CES that they will be launching efforts to help app developers create programs which be used in vehicles, some of which already can play streaming movies or music from mobile devices.

“Up to now, radio was the only entertainment in the car,” said Thomas Sonnenrein, of the German equipment maker Bosch.

“Today we have a system shared with the Internet, the smartphone and the car” which “creates a lot of value.” The health segment is

exploding with apps which can monitor heart rate, blood sugar, distance traveled by runners and many other things seen in the CES fitness tech zone.

The integration of the television and smartphone was a major focus at CES, with numerous smart TVs sharing with mobile phones and tablets. Not to mention the simple use of the device as a remote TV control.

Shawn DuBravac, chief economist at the Consumer Electronics Association, told the CES opening session that 65 percent of time spend on smartphones now is “non communication activities” such as apps for health, entertainment or other activities.

“We have moved away not only from telephony but from communications being the primary part of these devices,” he said.

“So it is not just a communications devices, it is a hardware hub around which people build services... the smartphone is becoming the viewfinder for your digital life.” — AFP

‘Gorilla Glass’ maker looks beyond smartphones LAS VEGAS: Corning, which played a key role in the smartphone revolution with its robust “Gorilla Glass,” is looking beyond the small screen with an upgraded version which promises to be even tougher. The company, which rose to prominence in the consumer tech world with the display panels for the first iPhones in 2007, unveiled its thinner, stronger, Gorilla Glass 3 at the International CES this week.

“We changed it at the atomic level to give it more resistance,” said Corning’s Jon Pesansky, between demonstrations of the new product at the giant Las Vegas tech fair.

While component makers generally garner little attention, the once-sleepy New York state firm which started as a cookware maker, has risen to prominence as a sought-after maker of smartphone screens. Pesansky said Gorilla Glass has been used one over one billion products worldwide since its launch. The company gained notoriety when Apple’s late chief Steve

Jobs persuaded Corning to set up a new manufacturing facility to ensure enough capacity for the iPhone launch in 2007.

Corning now supplies most of the smartphone makers including Samsung, Nokia and HTC, and is also featured on many tablets including the iPad. But the third generation of the glass, which is 20 percent thinner and 40 percent more scratch resistant according to Corning, is suited to larger displays including touchscreen computers and interactive TVs. “Windows 8 opens up a lot more possibilities,” Pesansky said, pointing to a Dell convertible laptop and a 55-inch T V using the glass “We’re proud of a product which has this survivability and more toughness in display.”

For large screens, Gorilla Glass won’t hinder the high pixel density of today’s most innovative, highperformance displays,” said David Loeber, who heads the division for large cover glass at Corning.

“Furthermore, Corning Gorilla

LAS VEGAS: A convention attendee examines a display of Sony 65inch Ultra HD LED televisions at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas yesterday. —AP Glass enables a remarkably thin design so our customers benefit from a lighter device, leading to transportation, mounting, and installation costs savings.”

The company, which shed its CorningWare cooking operations

years ago, is also developing a flexible glass product called Willow Glass for electronics firms. But that is a different animal. “It’s not for the same type of displays,” Pesansky said, “It’s more for underlying levels of glass or LED televisions.” — AFP

Top 10 remarkable inventions of the 20th Century CHICAGO: There can be no doubt that the twentieth century is one of the most remarkable in human history for its previously unparalleled rate of technological advances and scientific discoveries, a rate that continues to this day. In fact, there were so many new gadgets invented and discoveries made in the last century that it’s difficult to pare the list down to just the ten (which is why there will be a number of glaring omissions from this list). However, these are the ten innovations or technologies that have had the greatest influence on humanity-both positively and the negatively. And so, without further ado and in no particular order, here are the nominees for the ten greatest inventions/discoveries of the twentieth century: Nuclear Power: Nuclear power was to the twentieth century what steam power had been to the nineteenth: a game changer. Suddenly humanity had a power source that didn’t pollute, was efficient and practically unlimited, and so had the potential to change the planet overnight. Unfortunately, it was a two-edged sword in that this same energy source could be used to create the most destructive weapons in history, threatening human survival with its very presence.

Additionally, while nuclear power plants didn’t spew pollutants into the air, in the hands of the truly incompetent they had the capacity to render whole regions radioactive and, as such, uninhabitable for generations (as was demonstrated at Chernobyl in 1986).

However, it is hard to deny the overall positive impact nuclear power has had. The fear of mutually assured destruction probably prevented the world from experiencing a third world war and, when operated safely, nuclear power plants truly are a superb and cost-efficient energy source that has the capacity to power entire cities. The only question is whether we’re mature enough to handle that power into the next century.

The Personal Computer: It’s difficult to imagine our world today without computers. Of course, they have been around since World War Two, but they were clunky, massively expensive things that had all the calculating power of a brick. When Steve Wozniak and Stephen Jobs introduced the Apple in 1976, however, it changed everything and the rest is, as they say, history. Today, of course, they are everywhere and we have become so dependent upon them that many people almost feel naked without one. For some, they even provide the very means of maintaining a livelihood: we use them to keep track of our finances, write books, design logos and sell real estate.

Plus, they are rapidly replacing the stereo and television in their ability to entertain us with music, movies, and games. Makes it hard to understand how our ancestors did so well without them, doesn’t it? (Image: the Apple 1, 1976.)

The Airplane: Just as the locomotive made the world a smaller place in the nineteenth century, the airplane did the same for us in the twentieth century, shrinking our planet to the point that a person could fly anywhere in the world in a matter of hours. Not only have they made travel quick and safe, but aircraft provide many other services as well: from crop dusting and fighting forest fires to overnight delivery of packages and chasing hurricanes. They have also revolutionized warfare, turning battle into a long-range affair fought at arm’s length by machines of such sophistication that the way wars are fought has completely changed. Of course, they’ve also been responsible for leveling whole cities and bringing war to the civilian population-who had rarely been directly affected by war until the twentieth century-but then no invention is perfect.

The Automobile: Though under development in Europe during the nineteenth century, the automobile didn’t really become a practical and reliable source of transportation until the twentieth century. Once it did, it changed everything; overnight the horse and buggy became quaint anachronisms while much of the country was paved over to make room for endless ribbons of asphalt. It also brought about a revolution in the market place, suddenly making it possible to truck in goods that otherwise would be impossible to acquire. Most of all, Henry Ford’s assembly-line production style made the automobile affordable and accessible to the average person (before Ford’s Model T was introduced in 1908, only the fabulously wealthy could afford a car). The automobile gave everyone a degree of mobility and personal freedom our forefathers could only dream of, and turned entire generations of teenagers into raging revheads.

Rocketry: While the rocket was first invented and used by the Chinese over three thousand years ago-and used occasionally by the Greeks and Romans since -it wasn’t until the twentieth century that it came into its own and became more than just a dazzling amusement or a largely harmless but still effective “terror weapon” for ancient armies. In the twentieth century, rockets became bigger and more powerful. Most importantly, they became controllable, which suddenly made them useful both as weapons of war and, even more vitally, as our means of accessing outer space. Without the rocket, it is safe to say we would not only have never gone to the moon or visited every planet in our solar system. Rockets also place satellites into orbit around our planet, so without them we also wouldn’t be able to use GPS, predict the weather, make international calls or, for the most part, even use our cell phones much of the time.

The Submarine: Though submersible vessels had been used in the past (the CSS Hunley during the Civil War) and the first true submarine was invented in the 1880’s, it wasn’t until the twentieth century that the modern submarine came into its own. What started as an irritating, but still deadly, weapon in World War One grew into a monstrosity in World War Two- sinking more than any other type of weapon used. Today, with the advent of nuclear power-which gave the submarine nearly unlimited range and endurance-it has become the capital warship in every first-class Navy in the world and as such has effectively rendered naval warfare of the past obsolete. How effective is the modern submarine? Ask anyone who has ever served on one. They’ll tell you there’s only two types of ships in the world: submarines and targets. ‘Nuff said.

Antibiotics: Until Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, almost any little bug that someone picked up was potentially fatal. Once penicillin-and later a whole range of other antibiotics-came on the scene, however, death due to bacterial infection became rare, resulting in a greatly reduced mor-

tality rate and much longer life-span. It also rendered many scourges of the past-from small pox and typhoid to gonorrhea and syphilis-obsolete or, at least in the case of venereal disease, something easily treatable.

Television: Yes, it destroys brain cells and renders people emotionally and psychologically damaged, but really, where would we be without the boob tube? It is society’s baby-sitter, news source, teacher, entertainer, and story-teller. When in competent hands, television can even be useful at times.

Mostly, though, it fills our days with vapidity and all manner of inane and obnoxious commercials, and is the single greatest reason that families no longer eat in the kitchen or dining room anymore, but instead huddle in the living room around their television eating microwavable food and spilling soft drinks on the sofa. Still, even while we pretend we hate it, we can’t help but seeing what’s on tonight. Worse, most of us would have no idea what to do with our time without it, which is probably the saddest commentary of all.

The Internet: The computer rendered the typewriter obsolete and made writing in long-hand a thing of the past, but it took the internet to truly turn the computer into the monster it is today. While the airplane shrank our planet to the point that one could fly from New York to London in six hours, the internet made it possible to be there in a few seconds. It allows truth to make it into and out of repressive countries, it foments revolutions, and spreads lies at the speed of light. It also gives anyone the ability to buy and sell almost anything imaginable, find and torment old school mates, watch the latest you-tube videos, and even find their perfect life partner, all for a few bucks a month. Oh, and you can also get useful information off it if you don’t mind scrolling through 15,000 hits to find out just how long snails really live. Where would we be without it?

Radio: Few people today can appreciate the impact the advent of radio had on the twentieth century. Not only did it suddenly make it possible for a person to be heard from hundreds or even thousands of miles away without the use of a wire (quite an accomplishment in the first years of the century) but it was the center of family life through the end of the Second World War and into the doldrums of the fifties, when it was gradually replaced by that new-fangled contraption, the television. Today, it seems to only be useful in the car as a means of keeping the driver from falling asleep behind the wheel or as a tool of talk radio designed to rile the masses. In its day, however, it was every bit as vital to existence as the television, the computer, the microwave, and the cell phone are to us today.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

FDA requires lower doses for sleep medications WASHINGTON : The Food and Drug Administration is requiring makers of Ambien and similar sleeping pills to lower the dosage of their drugs, based on studies suggesting patients face a higher risk of injury due to morning drowsiness.

The agency said Thursday that new research shows that the drugs remain in the bloodstream at levels high enough to interfere with alertness and coordination, which increases the risk of car accidents.

Regulators are ordering drug manufacturers to cut the dose of the medications in half for women, who process the drug more slowly. Doses will be lowered from 10 milligrams to 5 milligrams for regular products, and 12.5 milligrams to 6.25 milligrams for extended-release for-

mulations. The FDA is recommending that manufacturers apply these lower doses to men as well, though it is not making them a requirement.

The new doses apply to all insomnia treatments containing the drug zolpidem, which is sold under brands including Ambien, Edluar, Zolpimist and in generic forms. It is the most widely prescribed sleeping aid prescribed in the U.S. The changes don’t affect other popular sleeping medicines like Lunesta and Sonata, which use different drugs.

FDA officials pointed out that all sleeping drugs carry warnings about drowsiness. “All sleep drugs have the potential to cause this, so health professionals should prescribe - and patients should take - the

information about when the accident happened or how much time had lapsed since taking the drug.”

The agency decided to take action after recent driving simulation studies showed that, in some patients, drug levels remained high enough to cause difficulty driving. The data came from company studies of Intermezzo, a new form of zolpidem which was approved in 2011 for people who wake late at night and can’t get back to sleep.

The data showed that 33 percent of women and 25 percent of men taking extended-release zolpidem had enough of the drug in their blood to interfere with driving as much as eight hours later.

When the dose was cut in half only 15

lowest dose that is capable of preventing insomnia,” said Dr. Ellis Unger, a director in FDA’s Office of Drug Evaluation, on a teleconference with reporters. Unger added that the FDA will begin requiring developers of sleep drugs to conduct driving simulation studies going forward.

Ambien has been blamed for several recent high-profile driving accidents in the past year, including Tom Brokaw in September and Kerry Kennedy in July.

The FDA has received more than 700 reports of driving-related problems connected to zolpidem over the years.

“But in most cases it was very difficult to determine if the driving impairment was actually related to zolpidem,” Unger said. “Usually the reports did not contain

percent of women and 5 percent of men had those same drug levels.

FDA analysis was unable to determine why women metabolize zolpidem so much more slowly than men. According to FDA staff, the difference cannot be accounted for by usual factors like size and weight.

For now, patients should continue taking their currently prescribed dose until they can talk to their doctor about the best way to proceed. “We really don’t want people to change the dose they’re on. We want them to talk to their health care provider,” Unger said.

Ambien is marketed by Sanofi, Intermezzo by Purdue Pharma LP and Zolpimist by NovaDel Pharma Inc. — AP

Global warming changing facets of US daily life New report by scientists

SRINAGAR: A Kashmiri woman walks in the snow in Srinagar yesterday. Traffic on the 300km long Jammu-Srinagar national highway was suspended due to heavy snowfall, according to news reports. —AP

Dr Al-Enezi joins Dar Al-Shifa Clinic KUWAIT: Dar Al-Shifa Clinic announced yesterday that it has appointed Dr. Saleh Al Enezi - Consultant Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine, to join its medical team.

Dr Al-Enezi specializes in treating and diagnosing relux disease, chronic abdominal pain disease, irritable bored disease, advernal fiver enzyme, along with chronic Hepatitis B-C, while being an expert in the diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy and colonoscopy procedures.

In addition to that, he is well experienced in procedures of 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), and esophageal manometry. Dr Al-Enezi is also skilled in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), chronic hepatitis, and knows how to handle ulcer management, inflammatory management, and abdominal pain management.

A gold medal graduate from Kuwait University in 1989, Dr Al-Enezi took role in top healthcare organizations that made him experienced in the field of gastroenterology. In 1997, he was a member of the Royal College of Physicians in the United Kingdom, and later in 1998, he became a member of the American college of Gastroenterology. Dr Al-Enezi was also a member of the Gastroenterology fellowship program in Canada in 2000. Through his professional career, Dr Al-Enezi was the Chairman of the medical department in the hospital from 2006-2008.

During that time he also established and lead the gastroenterology unit in Farwaniya hospital while also managing the medical unit. He has also issued 14 medical publications around several topics, most of which are about the outcome and treatment of Hepatitis C in World Health Organization (WHO) Middle East

WASHINGTON: Global warming is already changing America from sea to rising sea and is affecting how Americans live, a massive new federally commissioned report says. A special panel of scientists convened by the government issued Friday a 1,146-page draft report that details in dozens of ways how climate change is already disrupting the health, homes and other facets of daily American life. It warns that those disruptions will increase in the future.

“Climate change affects everything that you do,” said report co-author Susan Cutter, director of the Hazards and Vulnerability Research Institute at the University of South Carolina. “It affects where you live, where you work and where you play and the infrastructure that you need to do all these things. It’s more than just the polar bears.” The blunt report takes a global environmental issue and explains what it means for different US regions, for various sectors of the economy and for future generations.

The National Climate Assessment doesn’t say what should be done about global warming.

White House science adviser John Holdren writes that it will help leaders, regulators, city planners and even farmers figure out what to do to cope with coming changes.

And climate change is more than hotter temperatures, the report said.

“Human-induced climate change means much more than just hotter weather,” the report says, listing rising-seas, downpours, melting glaciers and permafrost, and worsening storms.

“These changes and other climatic changes have

affected and will continue to affect human health, water supply, agriculture, transportation, energy, and many other aspects of society.”

The report uses the word “threat” or variations of it 198 times and versions of the word “disrupt” another 120 times.

If someone were to list every aspect of life changed or likely to be altered from global warming, it would easily be more than 100, said two of the report’s authors.

The report, written by team of 240 scientists, is required every four years by law. The first report was written in 2000. No report was issued while George W. Bush was president. The next one came out in 2009. This report, paid for by the federal government, is still a draft and not officially a government report yet. Officials are seeking public comments for the next three months. “There is so much that is already happening today,” said study co-author Katharine Hayhoe, director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University. “This is no longer a future issue. It’s an issue that is staring us in the face today” This version of the report is far more blunt and confident in its assessments than previous ones, Hayhoe said: “The bluntness reflects the increasing confidence we have” in the science and day-to-day realities of climate change.

The report emphasizes that man-made global warming is doing more than just altering the environment we live in, it’s a threat to our bodies, homes, offices, roads, airports, power plants, water systems and farms. “Climate change threatens human health and well-being in many

ways, including impacts from increased extreme weather events, wildfire, decreased air quality, diseases transmitted by insects, food and water, and threats to mental health,” the report said.

“Climate change and its impacts threaten the well-being of urban residents in all 13 regions of the US,” the report said. “Essential local and regional infrastructure systems such as water, energy supply, and transportation will increasingly be compromised by interrelated climate change impacts.”

For example, the report details 13 airports that have runways that could be inundated by rising sea level. It mentions that thawing Alaskan ground means 50 percent less time to drill for oil. And overall it says up to $6.1 billion in repairs need to be made to Alaskan roads, pipelines, sewer systems, buildings and airports to keep up with global warming. Sewer systems across America may overflow more, causing damages and fouling lakes and waterways because of climate change, the report said. The sewer overflows into Lake Michigan alone will more than double by the year 2100, the report said.

While warmer weather may help some crops, others will be hurt because of “weeds, diseases, insect pests and other climate change-induced stresses,” the report said. It said weeds like kudzu do better with warmer weather and are far more likely to spread north. “Several populations including children, the elderly, the sick, the poor, tribes and other indigenous people - are especially vulnerable to one or more aspects of climate change,” the report said. —AP

Death toll rises as flu epidemic grips US

Dr. Saleh Al Enezi journal, along with other topics concerning endoscopic nodular gastritis, Helicobacter pylori infection, and the incidence of colonic polyps and histological types.

Commenting on his appointment, Dr Al-Enezi said: “It is a pleasure to work in a reputable medical institution like Dar Al Shifa, with its up to date team and latest medical technologies. For that, I hope I could add more to it and to the medical procedures in the field of gastroenterology, especially through my broad experience in Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography techniques and other interventional endoscopic procedures.”

Dar Al Shifa’s Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine unit is located at Dar AlShifa Clinic in Midan Hawally. For more information, patients are required to call 25666999 or 1802555.

CHICAGO: The death toll from a flu outbreak gripping the United States has reached epidemic levels and it will be at least several weeks before the outbreak abates, health officials said Friday.

Flu or pneumonia were responsible for 7.3 percent of the deaths reported in 122 cities monitored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the week ending January 5. That’s just above the epidemic threshold of 7.2 percent.

“Most of the country is seeing or has seen a lot of flu,” CDC director Tom Frieden said in a conference call. “Only time will tell us how long our season will last or how moderate or severe it will be.”

Frieden urged people to get protect themselves against the flu with a vaccine, which this year appears to be about 62 percent effective.

“You may have to check in several places to find the vaccine, because most of the more than 130 million doses that were produced by vaccine manufacturers this year have already been given,” he cautioned. There are some indications that the outbreak may have peaked in some areas, but 47 states are still reporting widespread flu activity, Frieden said.

The number of states reporting a high level of flu fell to 24 from 29

states and the number of states reporting moderate levels rose to 16 from nine.

Flu strikes every year across the United States, bringing chills, fever, coughing and achy misery to mil-

lions. The number of annual deaths has ranged from a low of 3,000 to a high of 49,000 since 1976, according to the CDC. M ost of those deaths are among people aged 65 and older.

Some 20 children have died so far this season, up from 18 in the CDC’s previous weekly report. It does not collect data on the number of adult flu deaths in real time. — AFP

NEW YORK: Sonia Despiar, LPN, right, a nurse with Gouverneur Healthcare Services, injects Imelda Silva with flu vaccine yesterday during a doctor’s visit in New York. ‘I have stuffiness,’ said the Silva. “I want to make sure I don’t get sick.” At least 10 elderly people and two children in New York have died from the flu and hospitalizations are climbing as the illness hits every county in the state. — AP

Call for transgender health coverage SALEM: Regulators in Oregon and California have quietly directed some health insurance companies to stop denying coverage for transgender patients because of their gender identity.

The states aren’t requiring coverage of specific medical treatments. But they told some private insurance companies they must pay for a transgender person’s hormone therapy, breast reduction, cancer screening or any other procedure deemed medically necessary if they cover it for patients who aren’t transgender.

The changes apply to companies insuring about a third of Oregonians and about 7 percent of Californians, but not to people on Medicare and Medicaid or to the majority of Californians who are insured through a health management organization, or HMO. Advocacy groups said the action is a major step forward in their long battle to win better health care coverage for transgender Americans.

“It’s just a matter of fairness,” said Ray Crider, a 28-year-old transgender man from Portland.

“I just never felt that I was like anybody else. I see everybody else being taken care of without having to fight the system.”

Officials in both states said the new regula-

tions aren’t new policies but merely a clarification of anti-discrimination laws passed in California in 2005 and in Oregon two years later.

Many health insurance policies broadly exclude coverage of gender identity disorder or classify it as a pre-existing condition.

Transgender patients are often denied coverage for medical procedures unrelated to a gender transition, advocacy groups said, because insurance companies deem the condition to be related to their sex reassignment.

Some transgender patients also have trouble getting access to gender-specific care. A person who identifies as a man might be denied coverage for ovarian cancer screening or a hysterectomy. A transgender woman might be denied a prostate screening.

The state insurance regulators said those procedures, if covered for anybody, must be covered for all patients regardless of their gender. Masen Davis, director of the Transgender Law Center in San Francisco, said he’s unaware of insurance regulators in any other state taking similar action.

The California regulations took effect in September and apply only to insurance products regulated by the California Department of

Insurance. The agency primarily regulates preferred provider plans, or PPOs, that covered about 7 percent of the population in 2010, according to data from the California Health Care Foundation.

The agency that regulates California HMOs has discussed transgender care with consumer groups and health plans, “but no regulations have yet been proposed or adopted,” said Marta Bortner Green, a spokeswoman for the Department of Managed Health Care.

The Oregon Insurance Division issued its guidance last month in the form of a bulletin to insurers. It applies to commercial insurance companies that cover about a third of the state’s population; the rest are uninsured, on Medicare or Medicaid, or work for a large employer that’s self-insured.

“This is a very historic bulletin, and it really indicates that the tide is turning on this issue,” said Tash Shatz, transgender justice program manager at Basic Rights Oregon, an advocacy group.

Transgender advocates say gender reassignment, through hormone treatment or surgery, is medically necessary, and they’ve long fought insurance companies that argue the procedures are cosmetic. They hope the new

state regulations will mean fewer procedures are refused and make it easier to appeal a denial.

The transgender community has picked up significant momentum securing health coverage in recent years. San Francisco in 2001 became the first U.S. city to cover sex reassignment surgeries for government employees.

Seattle, Portland, Ore. and Berkeley Calif., have followed suit.

Large employers are increasingly offering coverage for a broad spectrum of care, including gender reassignment surgeries.

State regulators don’t have authority to force insurance companies to cover specific procedures, like hormone therapy or genital reconstruction.

But they’ve told insurers that if they provide breast reduction for patients with back pain, they can’t deny it for a gender reassignment that’s been deemed medically necessary.

Insurers could unilaterally exclude coverage of, say, breast implants, but it would have to apply to all policyholders equally, including breastcancer patients.

“We’ve received the Oregon Insurance Division’s directive to implement this new mandate, and we are working to ensure that

our members’ future coverage aligns,” Scott Burton, a spokesman for Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, said in a statement.

“We’re still assessing the impact of the ruling, and will continue to monitor state and federal guidance on this topic,” said Kathy Born, a spokeswoman for LifeWise, another large insurer in Oregon.

When Ray Crider heard the news, he danced around his apartment with his wife. A 28-yearold transgender man living in Portland, Crider fought a long battle to convince a previous employer to include transgender services in his policy.

Although he was insured, Crider paid thousands of dollars out of his pocket for testosterone treatment and mental health care before winning his fight for coverage of gender identity.

He finally got a double mastectomy, covered by insurance, a year ago, he said, but not before the binder he used to flatten his chest required several emergency room trips ecause it constricted his breathing. “This was one of the most incredible things that could ever happen,” Crider said, “to know that there’s a state full of people who won’t have to go through what I went through.” — AP

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

Big asteroid no longer threat to Earth WASHINGTON: Upon further review, a big scarysounding asteroid is no longer even a remote threat to smash into Earth in about 20 years, NASA says. Astronomers got a much better look at the asteroid when it whizzed by Earth on Wednesday from a relative safe 9 million miles away.

They recalculated the space rock’s trajectory and determined it wasn’t on a path to hit Earth on April 13, 2036 as once feared possible. At more than 1,060 feet wide, the rock called Apophis could do significant damage to a local area if it hit and perhaps even cause a tsunami. But it was not large enough to trigger worldwide extinctions.

One prominent theory that explains the extinctions of dinosaurs and other species 65 million years ago says a six-mile-wide meteorite hit Earth and spewed vast amounts of dust into the air, cooling and darkening the planet. About nine years ago, when astronomers first saw Apophis (uh-PAH’-fihs), they thought there was a 2.7 percent chance that it would smack into our planet.

Later, they lowered the chances to an even more unlikely 1 in 250,000.

“Certainly 2036 is ruled out,” said Donald Yeomans, manager of NASA’s Near Earth Object Program. “It’s why we track them so we can be assured that they won’t get dangerously close.”

Yeomans said now the asteroid, named after an evil Egyptian mythical serpent, won’t get closer than 19,400 miles. That’s still the closest approach asteroid watchers have seen for a rock this large.

And when astronomers got a closer look they noticed it was about 180 feet larger than they thought, but not a threat.

Asteroids circle the sun as leftovers of failed attempts to form planets billions of years ago.

When asteroids enter Earth’s atmosphere, they become meteors and when they hit the ground they are meteorites. This is the second time in as many months the asteroid watchers have had good news for Earth. Last month, astronomers got a closer look at a smaller asteroid that they had previously calculated had a 1 in 500 chance of hitting Earth, this time in 2040. And they decided the 460-foot asteroid was no longer a threat.

If you still want to see a space rock come cosmically close to Earth, there’s always next month.

On Feb. 15, a small asteroid, only 130-feet wide, will come close to Earth, about 17,000 miles above the equator. That’s so close it will come between our planet and some of the more distant satellites

that circle the globe. But it will miss Earth. “This will be the closest passage of an object this size,” Yeomans said. That asteroid, called 2012 DA14,

should be visible with smaller telescopes and binoculars, but mostly in Eastern Europe, Asia and Australia, he said. — AP

WASHINGTON: An artist’s impression of an asteroid hitting Earth.

Astronomers discover largest known structure in universe LONDON: Astronomers have discovered the largest known structure in the universe - a group of quasars so large it would take 4 billion years to cross it while traveling at speed of light.

The immense scale also challenges Albert Einstein’s Cosmological Principle, the assumption that the universe looks the same from every point of view, researchers said.

The findings by academics from Britain’s University of Central Lancashire were published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society and reported on the society’s website on Friday.

Quasars are believed to be the brightest objects in the universe, with light emanating from the nuclei of galaxies from the early days of the universe and visible billions of light-years away. “Since 1982 it has been known that

quasars tend to group together in clumps or ‘structures’ of surprisingly large sizes, forming large quasar groups or LQGs,” the society said.

This newly discovered large quasar group has a dimension of 500 megaparsecs, each megaparsec measuring 3.3 million light-years.

Because the LQG is elongated, its longest dimension is 1,200 megaparsecs, or 4 billion lightyears, the society said. That size is 1,600 times larger than the distance from Earth’s Milky Way to the nearest galaxy, the Andromeda. “While it is difficult to fathom the scale of this LQG, we can say quite definitely it is the largest structure ever seen in the entire universe,” Roger Clowes, leader of the research team, said in a statement. “This is hugely exciting - not least because it runs counter to our current understanding of the scale of the universe.” — Reuters

Putting death out to pasture BOSTON: We could be on the verge of advances that extend the human life span by decades. In 2010, for example, a Stanford team increased the life span of worms by up to 30 percent by blocking the expression of certain proteins. That same year, researchers at Boston University identified 150 places on the human genome that are responsible for long life, and Harvard researchers rejuvenated mice by manipulating the animals’ telomeres, the portion of DNA that caps chromosomes.

It might seem as if a magic pill isn’t so far off. But before we get too cheery about the prospects for these discoveries, it’s useful to be reminded of the many longevity “breakthroughs” that have come and gone in the past. One such potential advance was hailed in the November 1929 issue of Technology Review, in an essay called “Forestalling Death: The Cow ’s Contribution to Human Longevity,” by James A. Tobey.

None of the explorers in the realm of eternal life, none of the necromancers or alchemists of old, none of the gazers at crystals or the readers of the stars, have been successful in their quest for the fountain of youth. Modern science has done better.

In the previous 125 years, Tobey observed, average life span had risen from the low 30s to the upper 50s. This was primarily due to reductions in infectious disease and in the infant death rate-in 1929, he noted, there were a mere 64 deaths per 1,000 infants (today’s rate in the United States is six deaths per 1,000). The primary causes of death were changing as well.

Tuberculosis, long the captain of the men of death, and frequently the despoiler of young manhood, has dropped to fifth place. Ahead of it are heart disease, cancer, nephritis, and cerebral hemorrhage, in that order ...

Typhoid fever, for instance, now causes a mortality only one-fifth as great as a quarter of a century ago.

This was good, but Tobey-author of more than a dozen books on public health, including Cancer: What Everyone Should Know About It (1932) and Your Diet for Longer Life (1948)felt we could

do better. It wasn’t enough to simply reduce a threat such as infectious disease-it was imperative that we find something we could add to our lives, or maybe simply increase our intake of something we were already consuming.

He felt recent research might have uncovered just such a substance.

It is a well recognized fact ... that those races which have been nourished on foods containing a preponderance of dairy products have always been the most vigorous and long-lived, as well as the most important historically. The conquerors have been users of cows.

He pointed to recent experiments at Columbia University, wherein one set of rats had been given an “adequate diet” of one-sixth dried whole milk and fivesixths whole wheat. An “optimal diet” group, meanwhile, received double the milk and less wheat.

The average duration of life was almost exactly ten percent greater in those subjects receiving the optimal diet ... Is it possible that we have had the fountain of youth within our grasp throughout the ages that man has been seeking this liquid phantasm? Milk has always been recognized as the one most nearly perfect food ... but apparently it possesses hitherto undreamed of virtues.

Those virtues appear to have dimmed 25 years later, when Tobey revisited the subject in a May 1954 TR piece called “Is There a Limit to Human Life?” He didn’t mention dairy once in that lengthy article, and his tone in general was less upbeat, even though the average U.S. life expectancy had risen to 68 years (it is now 78).

Centenarians are, of course, always asked as to what they attribute their great ages, but invariably their answers are a bit weird, often absurd, and completely lacking in uniformity.

In the olden days the few favored persons who attained to great old age undoubtedly did so through the operation of the law of the survival of the fit, but in our modern sanitary civilization the achievement of unusual old age is probably largely a matter of heredity and-luck. — MCT

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

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hat’s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others! Let other people see the way you see Kuwait - through your lens. Friday Times will feature snapshots of Kuwait through Instagram feeds. If you want to share your Instagram photos, email us at instagram@kuwaittimes.net

Greetings

AUK improves campus technology, saves energy A year of laughter, love and fun.

Our little princess Shiana Aliya De Leon turns 2!

Happy Birthday Baby LOVE Daddy, mommy, Cia, relatives and friends.

Announcements

Shirva feast

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hirva Welfare Association Kuwait (SWAK) will be celebrating their Shirva Parish feast-2013 here in Kuwait. On this occasion there will be a mass offered at 9.15 am on February 8, 2013 at the Holy Family Cathedral. Kuwait and the celebration / gettogether with a of variety entertainment programme will he held from 4:30 pm - 9 pm on the same day at the Indian Community School, Salmiya. SWAK members or their children who would like to participate in the variety entertainment programme and show their talent are requested to contact any of the SWAK committee members listed below to avail the opportunity before January 10, 2013. Likewise if any of members children have excelled in academics or any other extra curricular activities in the past 1 year will be appreciated and hence are requested to inform any of the SWAK committee members listed below before the 10th of January.

Last date for enrollment in the talent show is January 15, 2013.

Arabic courses

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WARE will begin Winter 1 Arabic language courses with new textbooks and curricula on from December 2, 2012 until January 24, 2013. 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. For more information or registration, please log-on to our website.

Goan Culinary Club

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he Goan Culinary Club - Goa encourages you to log on to their website where you can find a video of Odette and Joe Mascarenhas sharing their thoughts on Goan cuisine. These videos were recorded at the launch of the Goan Culinary Club in Goa on March 3, 2012. Thanks to support from all at the Goan Culinary Club, we have made great progress in six months.

Basketball Academy

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he new Premier Basketball Academy offers coaching and games every Friday and Saturday from 10 am onwards for 6 to 18 year olds, boys and girls. Located in Bayan Block 7, Masjed Al-Aqsa Street by Abdullah Al-Rujaib High School. Free Basketball and Tee Shirts for all participants, with certificates and special awards on completion of each 6 week course. Qualified and experienced British and American Coaches, Everyone Welcome.

Kuwait Ernakulam Residents Association (KERA) conducted a sports meet where 350 members took part

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

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hroughout 2012, the American University of Kuwait has significantly expanded its support for academic and student services with several IT and technology infrastructure projects. The University has adopted a video collaboration and meetings platform that facilitates a visual connection between professors and staff who are globally dispersed.

Advances in learning support were achieved by optimizing projector, video, and internet connectivity into all classrooms so that more than 100 faculty members on AUK’s campus can connect with approximately 2200 stu-

dents to share resources to make the most of the learning experience.

Using the same space, AUK increased the computer count from 108 to 156 in four computer labs, a 44% optimization. AUK’s annual energy cost for the 108 computers was 1,660,954 kW a year. The new 156 computers use 204,984 kW a year. AUK’s going green resulted in a 1,455,970 kW decrease (87%) in energy costs.

The University has successfully deployed “mobile applications” through the Ellucian Mobile Connection framework providing smart phone and mobile devices access

to useful student services. The performance reporting and analytics platform has been upgraded to the current versions in support of a push to open operational reporting to a wider range of end-users and a critical push to enhance the value of institutional research and planning.

In addition to this outstanding year of activities the IT department initiated a knowledge and cultural exchange via IT internship for a student from Dartmouth, AUK’s international partner institution. AUK hopes to continue improving on its integration of technology into our campus and our efforts to save energy.

In a kind gesture to animals, girl collects fund for PAWS

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aina Parasher meeting Natalia Mcintosh who works for PAWS in Kuwait. Naina Parasher a student of 8th standard studying at FAIPS (DPS) Ahmadi Kuwait read in Kuwait Times news paper that PAWS is going through a difficult time. The animal shelter they run does not have sufficient funds to take care of animals and organize a new shelter as the owners of present accommodation have asked them to vacate.

Being very passionate about the condition of stray cats and dogs in Kuwait and an admirer of the work being done

by PAWS in rescuing them and providing food, healthcare and shelter Naina was emotionally moved on the appeal made

by PAWS in the newspaper.

She on her own accord started a small

campaign in her class with a few friends first. She later asked permission from her teacher and the school principal. She collected in small amounts (250 fils and 500fils ) KD125 and some dog food which was willingly handed over by so many students of her school. This gesture evoked compassion and sense of social responsibility among students.

She was specially happy as the response to her efforts yielded some results.

The money was handed over to the PAWS representative. While accepting Natalia Macintosh appreciated the help and handed over a certificate of appreciation for Naina`s efforts which is signed by the chairperson M Tague. Volunteers don’t necessarily have the time, they just have the heart.

Nritta Dhyana dance school to celebrate silver jubilee

By Sajeev K Peter

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ritta Dhyana, a well-known school for Indian classical dance in Kuwait, celebrates its silver jubilee on January 18 with a spectacular evening of Indian classical dances by its students.

For Sujatha Rajendran, the founder and artistic director of Nritta Dhyana, it truly has been an invigorating journey spanning over two decades of imparting knowledge of classical dances to the Indian community in Kuwait. Her love and interest for the Indian classical dance forms culminated in the initiation of ‘Nritta Dhyana’ in 1987 with the goal of sharing the rich legacy of the traditions passed on to her by her eminent gurus.

“It’s been 25 years, but it feels like just yesterday when I started teaching classical dance. When I first came to Kuwait soon after my marriage, little did I know that I would be starting something so positive and amazing,” Sujatha told the Kuwait Times on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of Nritta Dhyana.

Asked what prompted her to open a

classical dance school, she said, “Initially, I was a bit hesitant on teaching, but with the encouragement of my family and friends, I started with just one student. With time, word spread around and I was approached by more and more parents to teach their children.”

An acclaimed exponent of haratnatyam, Kathakali and Mohiniattam, Sujatha is however an ardent follower of classical dance

who would not like to dilute the classical purity. “While there were times when parents would request me to teach their kids western or cinematic dance. But I stood by Nritta Dhyana’s core principles and tried to make them recognize the beauty and richness of our Indian classical dances,” she explained.

“While a few may have been disappointed at this, but today I can proudly state that I am glad I stood by my principles and that Nritta Dhyana will continue to teach pure classical dance and instill Indian traditions in my students,” she explained.

Her passion for the art has inspired her students to cherish this valuable legacy.

While her uncompromising stand on authenticity gives them a solid base, her ventures into original and unique choreography exposes them to creativity.

Sujatha began her initial training in Bharatnatyam and Kathakali under the legendary gurus, Kalamandalam Thankamani Kutty and late Kalamandalam Govindan Kutty of Kolkata. Later in Madras, she continued her training under the guidance of the legendary maestros Dhananjayans and

Venkatachelapathy, and perfected her training in the Kalakshetra style. She received her Mohiniattam training under Vijaya Mukundan and had her arangetram at Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu at the age of nine.

“It is an exciting feeling to mould young children’s way of thinking and impart knowledge to them about Indian culture and art; getting them to accept Indian values and culture when there is so much of western influence everywhere,” she said.

Over the years, hundreds of children have learned Indian classical dance under Sujatha. “I am proud of the fact that many of my disciples have gone on to study the art under eminent gurus and higher learning institutions in India and have become accomplished dancers and individuals.

Today, the promising next generation of dancers of Nritta Dhyana will showcase their talents and I promise you, it will be a feast for the eyes,” she concluded.

The silver jubilee celebration will take place on (Jan 18) Friday from 5.30 pm onwards at the Marina Hall, Jleeb AlShoyoukh.

KDNA celebrates Christmas, New Year

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ozhikode District NRI Association (KDNA) celebrated Christmas New Year at Indian Community School Auditorium, Khaitan on 31st December 2012.

Association president Zubair MM presided over the function and Afzal Khan inaugurated the celebration.

Academic Secretary Nisar KV spoke on the horrifying incident of Delhi rape and paid homage to the victim. KDNA charity relief funds were distributed to

its needy members by Nixon George, S A Labba, Siddik Valiyakath and Sathar Kunnil during the ceremony.

Sharafuddin Kanneth, the newlyelected Kerala Pravasi Welfare Board Director was honored on the occasion. Malabar Mahotsavam 2012 DVD was released by Abid and the first copy was received by Mustafa Hamza Payyanoor. The program convener Sathian Varoonda welcomed the audience and General Secretary Suresh

Mathur narrated the activities that were carried out in 2012. The first session of the program ended with a vote of thanks proposed by the treasurer Santosh Punathil with an opening of the cultural program under the guidance of Association Arts & Cultural Secretary Rafi Kallai and Joint secretary Abdurahiman Naduvannur.

Advisory Board member Krishnan Kadalundi, Basheer Batha, Vice president Azeez Thikkodi, Rasheed Payanthong made felicitation speeches and Vice president Asha Premraj, Kalathil Abdurahiman, K Ali Koya, Nasir Thikkodi, Nisar KV were present on the dais. Asha premraj honored Rexija Shameem, active member of KDNA by presenting a memento on their resettlement to UAE. Variety of cultural programs included music, dance, traditional oppana, Arabic dance and skit were performed by association members and their children. RN Shoukath, Ubaid Chakittakandy, Raveendran Mukkam, Ilyas thottathil, Premraj Koroth, Shamsudin AM, Mohanraj Areekad, Ashraf Quilandy, Mohammed Vazhayil, Karunakaran Perambra, Hakeem Vilyapally, ShijithChirakkal, ShameerVellayi and Suhesh Kumar controlled the programs.

Marina FM introduces 3D

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ince 2005, Marina FM has been the leader in introducing new shows and broadcast technology, the most recent of which is 3D sound - the latest form of radio broadcast today. The new technique gives the listener the feeling of having been transported into the studio thanks to the improved three dimensional sound quality.

This is just one of many scheduled hi-tech projects for 2013 which have been underway for some time.

Marina FM recently released their latest version of the Smart App which provides many services, allowing listeners to participate in shows through recorded voice messages from wherever they happen to be around the world, which has proven to be very popular with Marina FM’s listeners during this holiday season. Smart App users can also view the live multi camera video feed from the studio, among other features.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

W H AT ’ S O N

ASSE holds ‘GCC HSE Excellence Award 2013’ launch program

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Australian Embassy Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department.

All processing of visas and immigration matters in conducted by The Australian Consulate-General in Dubai. Email: info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VFS) immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office); Tel: +971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (Visa Office); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office). In Kuwait applications can be lodged at the Australian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor, Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem Street, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait. Working hours and days: 09:30 - 17:30; Sunday - Thursday. Or visit their website www.vfs-au-gcc-com for more information. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas on-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm. � � � ��� � �

EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassyof Canada in Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visa and immigration matters including enquiries is conducted by the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. Individuals who are interested in working, studying, visiting or immigrating to Canada†should contact the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, website: www.UAE.gc.ca†or www.goingtocanada.gc.ca, E-mail: abdbi-imenquiry@international.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakei 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 open from 07:30 to 12:30. Consular services for Canadian citizens are provided from 09:00†until 12:00, Sunday through Wednesday.

Release of GCC HSE Excellence Award Brochure & Application

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merican Society of Safety Engineers - Kuwait Chapter (ASSE) organized a launch program of ASSE GCC HSE Excellence Award 2013 on 8th January 2013 at Crown Plaza from 7 pm to 8pm.

The program started with opening remarks by Secretary Samapath Reddy and requested Bardan, technical proceedings team member, to present a ‘Safety Moment’ related to camping safety on barbecue, poisonous insects and electricity.

Vasudevan, President welcomed all

the participants and briefed on the introduction of this program. Chairman Fadel Al Ali in his opening remarks highlighted the importance of this program and various categories of awards .

He thanked KPC Managing Director Research and Development and HSE, Bader Al-Khasti for patronizing the program which has enhanced the image of it by recognizing the HSE performance of various private sector companies.

He also thanked Sami Al-Yakout, OH & S Manager, KPC, Fadhel Al-Dihani,

HSE Manager, KNPC, Ahmad A Abbas, HSE Manager, KOC for being the advisory panel. He gave special thanks to Sami Al-Yakout, OH & S Manager, KPC, Salem Al-Azmi, HSE Manager, PIC for being in the prestigious award programs launch ceremony.

Subsequently, Amarnath B, Head of the GCC HSE Excellence Award committee, has given a presentation on the program detailing the objectives, type of awards, eligibility criteria etc and requested Sami Al-Yakout OH & S Manager, KPC, to give feedback and

suggestions. Salem Al-Azmi, HSE Manager, PIC in his address has appreciated the initiative and advised to enhance the interaction with business partners to succeed in these kinds of HSE programs. He has also provided valuable suggestions to this program and President of the chapter has sincerely thanked him and assured to take up these valuable suggestions for implementation . G S Reddy thanked KPC for the patronage, and all the HSE managers of various private sector companies for their participation.

EMBASSY OF CYPRUS In its capacity as EU Local Presidency in the State of Kuwait, the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus, on behalf of the Member States of the EU and associated States participating in the Schengen cooperation, would like to announce that as from 2nd October 2012 all Schengen States’ Consulates in Kuwait will use the Visa Information System (VIS). The VIS is a central database for the exchange of data on short-stay (up to three months) visas between Schengen States. The main objectives of the VIS are to facilitate visa application procedures and checks at external border as well as to enhance security. The VIS will contain all the Schengen visa applications lodged by an applicant over five years and the decisions taken by any Schengen State’s consulate. This will allow applicants to establish more easily the lawful use of previous visas and their bona fide status. For the purpose of the VIS, applicants will be required to provide their biometric data (fingerprints and digital photos) when applying for a Schengen visa. It is a simple and discreet procedure that only takes a few minutes. Biometric data, along with the data provided in the Schengen visa application form, will be recorded in the VIS central database. Therefore, as from 2nd October 2012, first-time applicants will have to appear in person when lodging the application, in order to provide their fingerprints. For subsequent applications within 5 years the fingerprints can be copied from the previous application file in the VIS. The Cypriot Presidency would like to assure the people of Kuwait and all its permanent citizens that the Member States and associated States participating in the Schengen cooperation, have taken all necessary technical measures to facilitate the rapid examination and the efficient processing of visa applications and to ensure a quick and discreet procedure for the implementation of the new VIS. � � � ��� � �

EMBASSY OF KENYA The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya wishes to inform the Kenyan community residents throughout Kuwait and the general public that the Embassy has acquired new office telephone numbers as follows: 25353982, 25353985 - Consular’s enquiries 25353987 - Fax Our Email address: info@kenyaembkuwait.com. � � � ��� � �

Kuwait KMCC conducts honoring function

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nder the auspices of Kuwait KMCC a public function was held to honor its president Sharafudheen Kanneth on his nomination by Kerala Government as director of Non-Resident Keralites Welfare Board. The function was inaugurated

by Professor Qader Moideen Saheb, IUML National General Secretary.

Chairman Sayed Naser Mashhoor Thangal presided over the function.

In the packed auditorium with many people from all over Kuwait, the Memento was presented to Sharafudheen Kanneth by Abdussamad Samadani MLA, IUML National Secretary. A token of appreciation by IT wing of Kuwait KMCC presented to him by Adv. P.M.A. Salam .

Area and districts presidents of Kuwait KMCC and other organization representatives garlanded Sharafudheen. A token of appreciation on behalf of Gulf Mart was presented by its representatives Shanavas and Abdul

Majeed. In Inaugural address Prof Qadar Moideen praised the philanthropic activities of Kuwait KMCC. The policies and attitude of IUML is reflected in KMCC activities. Helping the people back home to have a shelter and to fulfill their basic needs is exemplary. The MP from Tamil Nadu (Vellore constituency) Abdul Rahiman saheb stated that Kerala is a role model for its social balance, development, political empowerment and treatment to the expatriates. The dedicated Welfare Board for non-residents itself is testimony to its commitment to the expatriate community.

Adv. PMA Salam explained the plan of the Board as its Chairman. He underlined the importance of enrolling in it to make use of its pension and other schemes. He praised Kuwait KMCC for touching the hearts of umpteen numbers of needy people.

Farwaniya Governorate Brigadier General Abdul Fathah Al-Ali comment-

ed about the age old Indo -Kuwait relation and bond between both its people. The mutual interaction and understanding is appreciated. These kind of meetings will help will build more on that. He congratulated Kuwait KMCC and Sharfudheen Kanneth for the achievement.

Abdussamad Samadani MLA with his scintillating speech enthralled the audience. He touched up on the epoch making trade and warmly relation with Arab world especially Kuwait. He portrayed through examples the influence of the Arabic language in Urudu, Hindi, Malayalam etc.

The depth of the bond is visible in history long transactions. He also touched upon the need of to be a good human being and to understand the real meaning of religions. By serving the fellow human beings only you can serve the God Almighty. He touched upon the constructive contributions of expatriates to the Indian

economy. He stated that it is government’s duty to reciprocate to them by taking care of their needs.

AP Unnikrishan - Dalith league gen secretary stated and praised the secular nature of IUML and its positive attitude towards the other minorities.

Safeer P Haris, J. Saji, Raju Sakariya, Malayil Moosakoya made felicitations speeches. The magazine of Kuwait KMCC “Darshanam” was released by I Black GM Hussein. The “welfare scheme” form was released by Abdul Azeez - Shifa Al Jazeera, Farwaniya Admin Manager giving it to veteran member Aboobacker Haji.

Gen Secretary Basheer Batha welcomed the audience and H. Ibrahim Kutty rendered vote of thanks.

Secretariat members Azeez Thikkodi, K.T.P. Abdul Rahiman, Siddeeque Valiyakath, Iqbal Maviladam, Habeeb Muttichoor, Saleem Kottayil, Hussain Pattambi , Farouq Hamadani & T.T. Saleem were present.

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, Al-Salaam Area in South Surra. The Embassy wishes to advice Myanmar citizens and travellers to Myanmar to contact Myanmar Embassy at its new location. Tel. 25240736, 25240290, Fax: 25240749, email:myankuwait11@gmai1.com. � � � ��� � �

EMBASSY OF NIGERIA The Nigerian embassy has its new office in Mishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. For enquires please call 25379541. Fax25387719. Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.com or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk. � � � ��� � �

EMBASSY OF PERU The Embassy of Peru is located in Sharq, Ahmed Al Jaber Street, Al Arabiya Tower, 6th Floor. Working days / hours: SundayThursday /9 am - 4 pm. Residents in Kuwait interested in getting a visa to travel to Peru and companies attracted to invest in Peru are invited to visit the permanent exposition room located in the Embassy. For more information, please contact: (+965) 22267250/1.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

TV PROGRAMS

00:20 Karina: Wild On Safari 00:50 Untamed & Uncut 01:45 Killer Whales 02:35 Animal Cops Philadelphia 03:25 Wildest Africa 04:15 Bad Dog 05:05 Karina: Wild On Safari 05:55 Animal Cops Philadelphia 06:45 Wildest Africa 07:35 Wildlife SOS 08:00 Meerkat Manor 08:25 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 09:15 Crocodile Hunter 10:10 Weird Creatures With Nick Baker 11:05 Monkey Life 11:30 Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild 12:00 Natural Born Hunters 12:25 The Really Wild Show 12:55 Wildest Africa 13:50 Speed Of Life 14:45 Speed Of Life 15:40 Shamwari: A Wild Life 16:35 Wildlife SOS 17:30 Too Cute!

18:25 My Cat From Hell 19:20 Call Of The Wildman 20:15 Gator Boys 21:10 Killer Jellyfish 22:05 Wildest Africa 23:00 Untamed China With Nigel Marven 23:55 Wildest Islands

01:10 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Specials 02:30 Come Dine With Me: South Africa 03:25 Antiques Roadshow 07:40 Eating In The Sun 08:15 Trish’s Mediterranean Kitchen 08:40 Antiques Roadshow 09:30 Trish’s Mediterranean Kitchen 10:00 Rhodes Across The Caribbean 10:45 Rick Stein’s Mediterranean Escapes 11:35 Eating In The Sun 12:30 The Hairy Bikers Ride Again 12:55 10 Years Younger 13:45 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Specials 15:05 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Specials 16:25 DIY SOS 16:50 DIY SOS 17:20 Bargain Hunt 18:05 Bargain Hunt 20:20 Come Dine With Me 21:10 Come Dine With Me 22:00 Vacation Vacation Vacation 22:25 Vacation Vacation Vacation 22:50 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Specials

00:00 BBC World News 00:30 Dateline London 01:00 BBC World News 01:10 The Art Of Spain 02:00 BBC World News 02:10 World Features 02:30 Middle East Business Report 03:00 BBC World News 03:10 World Features 03:30 Working Lives 04:00 BBC World News 04:30 Dateline London 05:00 BBC World News 06:30 Newsnight 07:00 BBC World News 07:30 Click 08:00 BBC World News 08:30 India Business Report 09:00 BBC World News 09:30 Fast Track 10:00 BBC World News 10:10 World Features 10:30 Working Lives 11:00 BBC World News 11:10 World Features 11:30 Dateline London 12:00 BBC World News 12:10 Have You Heard From Johannesburg?

13:00 BBC World News 13:10 The Art Of Spain 14:00 BBC World News 14:10 World Features 14:30 Newsnight 15:00 BBC World News 16:15 Sport Today 16:30 Click 17:00 BBC World News 17:30 Horizons 18:00 BBC World News 19:30 India Business Report 20:00 BBC World News 20:10 The Art Of Spain 21:00 BBC World News 21:30 The Ideas Exchange 22:00 BBC World News 22:15 Sport Today 22:30 Working Lives 23:00 BBC World News 23:10 Have You Heard From Johannesburg?

00:20 00:45 01:10 01:35 02:00 02:25 02:50 03:15 03:40 04:00 04:20 04:45 05:10 05:35 06:00 06:25 07:00 07:20 07:45 08:10 08:35 09:00 09:25 09:40 09:55 10:10 10:25 10:50 11:05 11:30 11:55 12:30 12:55 13:20 13:45 14:00 14:50 15:15 15:40 16:30 16:55 17:20 18:10 19:00 19:30 19:55 20:20 20:45 21:00 21:25 21:50 22:15 22:40 23:05 23:30 23:55

Yogi’s Treasure Hunt Duck Dodgers Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Dastardly And Muttley Popeye Wacky Races Scooby Doo Where Are You! The Flintstones The Jetsons What’s New Scooby Doo? Taz-Mania The Looney Tunes Show Tom & Jerry Tales Johnny Bravo Moomins Dexter’s Laboratory What’s New Scooby Doo? Taz-Mania Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Tom & Jerry Tales The Garfield Show Baby Looney Tunes Bananas In Pyjamas Cartoonito Tales Ha Ha Hairies Jelly Jamm Gerald McBoing Boing Pink Panther & Pals Moomins Tom & Jerry Tales Dexter’s Laboratory Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Taz-Mania The Looney Tunes Show Tom & Jerry The Garfield Show Pink Panther And Pals Pink Panther And Pals Tom & Jerry Tales Taz-Mania Taz-Mania Johnny Bravo Dexter’s Laboratory Looney Tunes Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Taz-Mania The Looney Tunes Show Tom & Jerry The Garfield Show Pink Panther And Pals What’s New Scooby-Doo? Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Puppy In My Pocket The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop The Addams Family Droopy: Master Detective

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

03:10 Courage The Cowardly Dog 04:00 The Amazing World Of Gumball 04:25 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 04:50 Adventure Time 05:15 The Powerpuff Girls 05:40 Generator Rex 06:05 Ben 10 06:55 Angelo Rules 07:00 Casper’s Scare School 08:00 Grim Adventures Of...

08:45 Total Drama Island 09:10 Total Drama Island

09:35 Transformers Prime 09:55 Level Up 10:15 Ben 10: Ultimate Challenge 10:35 Ben 10: Omniverse 11:00 Thundercats 11:25 Mucha Lucha 11:50 Regular Show 12:40 The Amazing World Of Gumball 13:05 Adventure Time 13:30 Johnny Test 14:20 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 14:45 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 15:10 Total Drama Island 16:00 Level Up 16:25 Level Up 16:50 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 17:15 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 17:40 Young Justice 18:05 Young Justice 18:30 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 18:55 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 19:20 Ben 10: Ultimate Challenge 19:45 The Amazing World Of Gumball 20:10 Adventure Time 20:35 Regular Show 21:00 Mucha Lucha 21:25 Total Drama Island 22:15 Grim Adventures Of...

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

00:15 02:05 02:30 03:00 03:25 03:55 04:20 04:50 05:15 05:40 06:05 06:35 07:00 07:50 08:45 09:40 10:30 11:25 12:20 16:55 17:20 19:10 20:05 21:00 21:30 21:55 22:50 23:45

Auction Kings Property Wars How Stuff’s Made How It’s Made How Stuff’s Made How It’s Made How Stuff’s Made How It’s Made How Stuff’s Made How It’s Made How Stuff’s Made How It’s Made Fast N’ Loud One Car Too Far Wheeler Dealers Gold Rush Deadliest Catch Gold Divers How It’s Made Border Security Border Security Mythbusters Mythbusters Magic Of Science Time Warp Curiosity Hell Roads Outback Truckers

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

Stitch A Kind Of Magic A Kind Of Magic Replacements Replacements Emperor’s New School A Kind Of Magic Replacements Replacements Emperor’s New School A Kind Of Magic Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Suite Life On Deck A.N.T. Farm Wizards Of Waverly Place Phineas And Ferb Prankstars Prankstars Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up Jessie Austin And Ally A.N.T Farm Phineas And Ferb Halloweentown Phineas And Ferb Gravity Falls Jessie

13:45 14:10 14:35 15:00 15:25 15:50 16:15 16:40 17:00 18:20 18:30 18:45 20:14

Phineas And Ferb Wizards Of Waverly Place Phineas And Ferb Prankstars Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Shake It Up A.N.T Farm Halloweentown 2 Prankstars Prankstars Halloweentown Phineas And Ferb

00:20 Little Einsteins 00:50 Special Agent Oso 01:15 Lazytown 01:40 Jungle Junction 02:10 Handy Manny 02:30 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 02:55 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 03:00 Lazytown 03:25 Special Agent Oso 03:50 Imagination Movers 04:15 Handy Manny 04:40 Special Agent Oso 05:00 Timmy Time 05:10 Lazytown 05:35 Little Einsteins 06:00 Jungle Junction 06:30 Little Einsteins 07:00 Special Agent Oso 07:15 Jungle Junction 07:45 Handy Manny 08:00 Special Agent Oso 08:15 Jungle Junction 08:30 Little Einsteins 08:55 Lazytown 09:20 Imagination Movers 09:45 Timmy Time 09:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 10:20 The Hive 10:30 Doc McStuffins 10:45 Zou 11:00 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 11:15 Animated Stories 11:20 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 11:45 Art Attack 12:10 The Adventures Of Disney Fairies 12:35 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 13:00 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 13:10 Timmy Time 13:20 The Hive 13:30 Doc McStuffins 13:45 Doc McStuffins 14:00 Zou 14:15 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 14:30 Mouk 14:45 Jungle Junction 15:00 Handy Manny 15:15 Animated Stories 15:20 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 15:40 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 16:05 The Hive 16:20 Mouk 16:35 Zou 16:50 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 17:20 Doc McStuffins 17:45 Art Attack 18:10 Lazytown 18:40 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 19:05 Doc McStuffins 21:05 Animated Stories 21:10 Zou 21:25 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 21:30 Mouk 21:45 Handy Manny 22:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 22:25 The Hive 22:35 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 23:00 Timmy Time 23:10 Animated Stories 23:15 A Poem Is...

23:20 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 23:30 Jungle Junction 23:45 Handy Manny 23:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

00:00 Programmes Start At 7:00am 07:00 Pokemon: BW Rival Destinies 07:25 Rated A For Awesome 07:45 Phineas And Ferb 07:55 Phineas And Ferb 08:10 Almost Naked Animals 08:35 Lab Rats 09:00 Ultimate Spider-Man 09:30 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 09:55 Kickin It 10:20 Phineas And Ferb 10:30 Phineas And Ferb 10:45 Pair Of Kings 11:10 Mr. Young 11:35 Scaredy Squirrel 12:00 Slugterra 12:30 Zeke & Luther 13:00 Mom’s Got A Date With A Vampire 14:20 Cars Toons 14:35 Phineas And Ferb 15:00 Kickin It 15:25 Scaredy Squirrel 15:50 Lab Rats 16:15 Slugterra 16:40 Mr. Young 17:05 Almost Naked Animals 17:30 Kickin It 17:55 Pair Of Kings 18:20 Phineas And Ferb 20:00 I’m In The Band 20:25 Zeke & Luther 20:50 Mr. Young 21:15 Phineas And Ferb 21:40 Iron Man Armored Adventures 22:05 Pokemon: BW Rival Destinies 22:30 Rekkit Rabbit

CEDAR RAPIDS ON OSN CINEMA

00:00 00:55 01:25 03:15 04:10 05:05 06:00 07:50 08:20 09:15 10:15 11:10 12:05 13:05 13:35

Dirty Soap Style Star THS E! Investigates E!es Extreme Close-Up THS Behind The Scenes E! News Extreme Close-Up E!es Opening Act E! News Married To Jonas Married To Jonas

14:05 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 15:00 THS 16:00 Fashion Police 17:00 Behind The Scenes 18:00 E! News 19:00 A-List Listings 19:30 Giuliana & Bill 21:30 Ice Loves Coco 22:30 Opening Act 23:30 Opening Act

00:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:40 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 01:30 Heat Seekers 01:55 Iron Chef America 02:45 Chopped 03:35 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 04:00 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 04:20 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 04:50 United Tastes Of America 05:15 Unique Eats 05:40 Chopped 06:30 Iron Chef America 07:10 Unwrapped 07:35 Unwrapped 08:00 Iron Chef America 08:50 Kid In A Candy Store 09:15 Unwrapped 09:40 United Tastes Of America 10:05 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 10:30 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 10:55 Cooking For Real 11:20 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 12:10 United Tastes Of America 12:35 Unwrapped 13:00 Iron Chef America 13:50 Tyler’s Ultimate 14:15 Andy Bates American Street Feasts 14:40 Everyday Italian 15:05 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 15:30 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 16:20 United Tastes Of America 16:45 Chopped 17:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 18:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 18:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 18:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 19:15 Andy Bates American Street Feasts 19:40 Tyler’s Ultimate 20:05 Guy’s Big Bite 20:30 Chopped 21:20 Iron Chef America 22:10 Food Network Challenge 23:00 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 23:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 23:50 Unwrapped

00:15 I Married A Mobster 00:40 Evil, I 01:30 Ghost Lab 02:20 Dr. G: Medical Examiner 03:05 Blood Relatives 03:55 I Married A Mobster 04:20 I Married A Mobster 04:45 Evil, I 05:30 Ghost Lab 06:20 Dr. G: Medical Examiner 07:10 Disappeared 08:00 Life Or Death: Medical Mysteries 08:50 Street Patrol 09:15 Street Patrol 09:40 Real Emergency Calls 10:05 Who On Earth Did I Marry?

10:30 On The Case With Paula Zahn 11:20 Undercover 12:10 Disappeared 13:00 Life Or Death: Medical Mysteries 13:50 Street Patrol 14:15 Street Patrol 14:40 Forensic Detectives 15:30 On The Case With Paula Zahn 16:20 Real Emergency Calls 16:45 Who On Earth Did I Marry?

17:10 Undercover 18:00 Disappeared 18:50 Forensic Detectives 19:40 Street Patrol 20:05 On The Case With Paula Zahn 20:55 Stalked: Someone’s Watching

00:15 Deadliest Journeys 00:45 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 01:40 On Hannibal Trail 02:05 Finding Genghis 02:35 Ultimate Traveller 03:30 Exploring The Vine 04:25 Street Food Around The World 04:50 Market Values 05:20 Amish: Out of Order 06:15 On Surfari 06:40 On Surfari 07:10 Don’t Tell My Mother 08:05 Don’t Tell My Mother 09:00 Deadliest Journeys 09:25 Deadliest Journeys 09:55 Deadliest Journeys 10:20 Deadliest Journeys 10:50 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 11:45 On Hannibal Trail 12:10 Finding Genghis 12:40 Ultimate Traveller 13:35 Exploring The Vine 14:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 14:30 Street Food Around The World 14:55 Market Values 15:25 Cruise Ship Diaries 16:20 Don’t Tell My Mother 17:15 Deadliest Journeys 17:40 Deadliest Journeys 18:10 Deadliest Journeys 19:05 Amish: Out of Order 20:00 On Surfari 20:30 On Surfari 21:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 22:00 Nomads 22:55 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 23:20 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 23:50 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1

00:00 Animal Intervention 01:00 Ultimate Animal Countdown 01:55 The Living Edens

REIGN OF FIRE ON OSN ACTION HD 02:50 Ultimate Animal Countdown 03:45 Planet Carnivore 04:40 Animal Intervention 05:35 The Incredible Dr. Pol 06:30 Dangerous Encounters With Brady Barr 07:25 Animal Fugitives 08:20 Wild Case Files 09:15 Snake Wranglers 09:40 Snake Wranglers 10:10 Fish Tank Kings 11:05 Kingdom of The Oceans 12:00 Monster Fish 13:00 The Living Edens 14:00 Ultimate Animal Countdown 15:00 Planet Carnivore 16:00 Hunter Hunted 17:00 Lion Army 18:00 Wild Case Files 19:00 Monster Fish 20:00 The Living Edens 21:00 Ultimate Animal Countdown 22:00 Planet Carnivore

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

The Running Man-18 The Perfect Host-PG15 Reign Of Fire-PG15 Barricade-PG15 Goal!-PG15 Unknown-PG15 Hackers-PG15 Goal!-PG15 Metro-PG15 Hackers-PG15 Resident Evil 4: Afterlife-18 Paranormal Activity 2-18

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Stolen Lives-PG15 The Warlords-PG15 The Hole-PG15 Fighting-PG15 Stolen Lives-PG15 Soapdish-PG Blank Slate-PG15 Uncorked-PG15 The Tourist-PG15 On The Inside-PG15 Cedar Rapids-18 Shark Night-PG15

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 Saturday Night Live 02:30 Weeds 03:00 Last Man Standing 03:30 30 Rock 04:00 Brothers 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Til Death 06:00 Samantha Who? 06:30 Seinfeld 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Brothers 08:30 Last Man Standing 09:00 Til Death 09:30 Samantha Who? 10:00 How I Met Your Mother 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 Seinfeld 12:30 Brothers 13:00 Til Death 13:30 Samantha Who? 14:00 30 Rock 15:00 How I Met Your Mother 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Seinfeld 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Last Man Standing 18:30 The Simpsons 19:00 Two And A Half Men 20:00 Don’t Trust The B In Apartment 23 20:30 Breaking In 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Community 22:30 American Dad 23:00 Weeds 23:30 Don’t Trust The B In Apartment 23

22:00 The Wild Thornberrys MoviePG 23:30 The Happy Cricket-FAM 00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00

Criminal Minds C.S.I. Miami Strike Back Burn Notice Breaking Bad Good Morning America Covert Affairs Emmerdale Coronation Street Smallville Covert Affairs Criminal Minds Burn Notice Smallville C.S.I. Miami Live Good Morning America Emmerdale Coronation Street Burn Notice Eureka

00:00 03:00 04:00 07:00 07:30 11:00 12:00 12:30 15:00 16:00 16:30 18:00 19:00 21:00

Grimm Six Feet Under Burn Notice Emmerdale Coronation Street Burn Notice Emmerdale Coronation Street Parenthood Emmerdale Coronation Street C.S.I. Burn Notice The Closer

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

Eurotrip-18 The Trotsky-PG15 Wayne’s World-PG15 Wayne’s World 2-PG15 Little Fockers-PG15 Good Boy!-PG Wayne’s World 2-PG15 The Perfect Catch-PG15 Good Boy!-PG Envy-PG15 Stuck On You-PG15 Nothing To Lose-PG15

01:00 25th Hour-18 03:15 The Roommate-PG15 05:00 Sunshine State-PG15 07:30 Soldier Love Story-PG15 09:00 Certified Copy-PG15 11:00 Roger And Me-PG15 13:00 I’ve Loved You So Long-PG15 15:15 Certified Copy-PG15 17:15 Dear John-PG15 19:15 Babies-18 21:00 Biutiful-18 23:30 Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind-18

00:00 The Inbetweeners-18 02:00 The Art Of Getting By-PG15 04:00 The 16th Man-PG15 05:00 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2-PG 07:00 Glee: The Concert MoviePG15 09:00 Win Win-PG15 11:00 Love And Mary-PG15 13:00 Treasure Buddies-PG 15:00 Rio-FAM 17:00 Win Win-PG15 19:00 Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules-PG

01:15 Tom Tom & Nana-FAM 02:45 Barbie: A Perfect ChristmasPG 04:30 The Ugly Duckling Goes On Holiday-FAM 06:00 Tom Tom & Nana-FAM 08:00 D’fenders-PG 10:00 Cher Ami-PG 11:30 Snow Day-PG 13:00 The Wild Thornberrys Movie 14:30 Barbie: A Perfect Christmas 16:00 The Happy Cricket-FAM 18:00 Cher Ami-PG 20:00 Cheaper By The Dozen-PG

00:30 01:00 02:30 05:30 06:15 14:30 15:00 16:00 21:00 22:00

Futbol Mundial Volvo Ocean Race Highlights Cricket Twenty20 ICC Cricket 360 Live ODI Cricket ICC Cricket 360 Trans World Sport Live Snooker Masters Trans World Sport Live Snooker Masters

01:00 02:00 03:00 06:30 07:00 11:00 14:00 18:00

WWE Bottom Line Trans World Sport Live PGA Tour Inside the PGA PGA European Tour Cricket T20 Live PGA European Tour Cricket One Day Internationa

00:30 Rugby Union European Challenge Cup 02:30 Dubai World Cup Carnival 07:00 Trans World Sport 08:00 Futbol Mundial 08:30 Rugby Union European Challenge Cup 10:30 Inside the PGA Tour 11:00 PGA Tour 15:00 Cricket T20 18:00 Trans World Sport 19:00 Futbol Mundial 19:30 PGA European Tour Weekly 20:00 PGA European Tour

00:00 01:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 13:00 16:00 19:00 21:00 22:00 22:30 23:30

UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC UFC Unleashed NHL WWE Bottom Line WWE NXT WWE Experience WWE This Week Mobil 1 The Grid NHL Prizefighter UFC Prelims UFC WWE Experience WWE This Week WWE Vintage Collection Mobil 1 The Grid

00:55 Mutiny On The Bounty 03:50 Hearts Of The West-PG 05:30 The Comedians-PG 08:00 The Sandpiper-PG 09:55 Hearts Of The West-PG 11:35 Hotel Paradiso-PG 13:15 The Comedians-PG 15:45 The Adventures Of Huckleberry...-FAM 17:30 Mrs. Soffel-PG 19:20 Two Weeks In Another Town 21:05 The V.I.P.S-FAM 23:00 Get Carter-18

00:00 00:30 01:00 02:00 02:30 03:00 03:30 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 17:30 18:00

Pawn Stars Cajun Pawn Stars Soviet Storm: WWII In The East Storage Wars Storage Wars Pawn Stars Cajun Pawn Stars American Pickers American Pickers American Pickers Soviet Storm: WWII In The East Ancient Aliens Soviet Storm: WWII In The East Soviet Storm: WWII In The East Pawn Stars American Pickers UFO Hunters WWII: Europe’s Secret Army Storage Wars Storage Wars Pawn Stars

Classifieds SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

ACCOMMODATION Accommodation available with a single lady for couples / ladies, near Canary Restaurant, Abbasiya.

Contact: 24346602/ 99254284. (C 4279) 8-1-2013

FOR SALE Toyota Camry GLX full option model 2011 white metallic color, sunroof, alloy rim, rear sensor, cruise control, CD wooden interior etc. (installation possible) 28,000 km, cash price KD 4,450/-. Contact: 66507741.

(C 4278) 7-1-2013 Ford Mondeo, maroon color, model 2003, very good condition, price KD 800, kilometer 200,124. Phone: 99839184. (C 4276) 3-1-2012

TUITION Learn Holy Quran in perfect way, private tuition available for elders and children by Hafiz-E-Quran.

Contact: 66725950.

(C 4262) Tuition available for Web Designing & Professional Graphic Designing. Learn to create your own website just in 3 months. Flexible schedule, join us to build your career as Web Designer. Call 60078629, 22403408.

(C 4264) 7-1-2013 AutoCAD tuition available by Highly Qualified Experienced Teacher, Learn professionally AutoCAD 2D&3D with Projects, Flexible Schedule, and individual tutorial. Contact: 99302850 / 22467301. (C 4251)

SITUATION VACANT Required cook for house, good knowledge of cooking all kinds of food, good salary, good facilities, full time or part time. Phone: 23901053, 66519719.

(C 4273) Looking for a part time cleaning lady, 1-5pm 6 days/week.

Contact: 96942874. (C 4274) Looking for a part time nanny to help care for 2 young children. (4 1/2 + 1 1/2) 1pm - 6pm, Filipino preferred.

Contact: 96942874. (C 4275) 1-1-2013

SITUATION WANTED M.A in English Literature having two years job experience, looking for a suitable job in HR & Admin.

Please contact: 66342097.

(C 4270) 6-1-2013

MATRIMONIAL Christian, Marthomite parents settled in South Africa, invite proposals from parents of professionally qualified youngsters aged between 29 and 32 years, well to do and respected Christian family background, for our daughter 28 years, Commerce graduate, working in South Africa.

Contact: Email: madhubina@gmail.com (C 4280) 9-1-2012

Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is 1889988 Prayer timings Fajr:

05:20

Shorook

06:44

Duhr:

11:57

Asr:

14:51

Maghrib:

17:10

Isha:

18:31

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines JAI THY JZR JZR QTR ETH GFA UAE ETD QTR FDB MSR RJA KAC DHX THY JZR BAW KAC CLX KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR FDB ETD GFA IRA IRC JZR MEA MSR UAE KAC KAC KAC FDB KNE KAC SVA QTR MPH JZR KAC

Arrival Flights on Sunday 13/1/2013 Flt Route 574 MUMBAI 772 ISTANBUL 267 BEIRUT 539 CAIRO 148 DOHA 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 138 DOHA 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 642 AMMAN 544 CAIRO 170 BAHRAIN 770 ISTANBUL 555 ALEXANDRIA 157 LONDON 412 MANILA 792 LUXEMBOURG 206 ISLAMABAD 53 DUBAI 302 MUMBAI 332 TRIVANDRUM 352 COCHIN 855 DUBAI 121 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 55 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 213 BAHRAIN 603 SHIRAZ 6666 AHWAZ 165 DUBAI 404 BEIRUT 610 CAIRO 871 DUBAI 382 DELHI 742 DAMMAM 774 RIYADH 57 DUBAI 472 JEDDAH 672 DUBAI 500 JEDDAH 140 DOHA 97 AMSTERDAM 561 SOHAG 284 DHAKA

Time 0:30 0:35 0:45 0:50 1:00 1:45 1:50 2:35 2:45 3:01 3:05 3:10 3:15 4:20 5:15 5:30 6:00 6:40 6:45 7:15 7:40 7:45 7:55 8:15 8:25 8:40 9:05 9:10 9:15 9:20 9:55 10:40 11:10 11:20 11:55 12:45 12:50 12:55 12:55 13:30 13:50 14:10 14:10 14:30 14:45 14:50 14:50 15:10

QTR JZR UAE ETD RJA GFA SVA JZR QTR ABY UAL KAC JZR RBG KAC BAB FDB AFG KAC KAC KAC KAC OMA KAC FDB JAI AXB MSR ABY QTR ALK MEA QTR GFA ETD UAE KAC JZR JAI DHX FDB KAC KLM AIC JZR GFA KAC JZR UAL DLH

134 787 857 303 640 215 510 777 144 127 982 542 177 3553 786 438 63 415 166 618 102 674 647 562 61 572 393 606 129 146 229 402 136 221 307 859 172 135 576 372 59 514 417 981 239 217 502 185 981 636

DOHA RIYADH DUBAI ABU DHABI AMMAN BAHRAIN RIYADH JEDDAH DOHA SHARJAH WASHINGTON DC DULLES CAIRO DUBAI ALEXANDRIA JEDDAH BAHRAIN DUBAI KABUL PARIS DOHA NEW YORK DUBAI MUSCAT AMMAN DUBAI MUMBAI KOZHIKODE LUXOR SHARJAH DOHA COLOMBO BEIRUT DOHA BAHRAIN ABU DHABI DUBAI FRANKFURT BAHRAIN COCHIN BAHRAIN DUBAI TEHRAN AMSTERDAM CHENNAI AMMAN BAHRAIN BEIRUT DUBAI BAHRAIN FRANKFURT

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

Airlines AIC AXB BBC UAL DLH JAI KAC ETH THY KAC FDB UAE ETD MSR QTR QTR JZR GFA RJA THY JZR FDB BAW CLX KAC KAC ABY UAE KAC FDB KAC ETD KAC QTR GFA KAC IRA IRC JZR KAC MEA JZR KAC MSR JZR UAE FDB KAC KAC

Departure Flights on Sunday 13/1/2013 Flt Route 976 GOA/CHENNAI 390 MANGALORE 44 CHITTAGONG 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 637 FRANKFURT 573 MUMBAI 283 DHAKA 621 ADDIS ABABA 773 ISTANBUL 381 DELHI 68 DUBAI 854 DUBAI 306 ABU DHABI 613 CAIRO 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 643 AMMAN 771 ISTANBUL 560 SOHAG 54 DUBAI 156 LONDON 792 GIALAM 171 FRANKFURT 671 DUBAI 122 SHARJAH 856 DUBAI 741 DAMMAM 56 DUBAI 117 NEW YORK 302 ABU DHABI 773 RIYADH 133 DOHA 214 BAHRAIN 541 CAIRO 602 SHIRAZ 6667 AHWAZ 776 JEDDAH 103 LONDON 405 BEIRUT 786 RIYADH 785 JEDDAH 611 CAIRO 176 DUBAI 872 DUBAI 58 DUBAI 561 AMMAN 673 DUBAI

Time 0:05 0:15 1:00 1:10 1:20 1:30 2:25 2:45 2:55 3:15 3:45 3:50 4:00 4:10 4:50 6:05 6:55 7:00 7:05 7:35 8:15 8:25 8:45 8:45 9:10 9:35 9:45 9:55 9:55 10:00 10:00 10:05 10:05 10:30 10:40 11:30 11:40 12:10 12:15 12:20 12:55 12:55 13:00 13:45 13:50 14:15 14:30 14:30 15:05

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

KNE SVA KAC QTR MPH KAC JZR ETD KAC JZR QTR UAE RJA GFA JZR SVA ABY JZR QTR RBG JZR UAL FDB BAB AFG FDB OMA JAI AXB ABY MSR DHX ALK MEA ETD QTR GFA KAC FDB UAE JAI KAC DHX KAC KLM QTR KAC JZR GFA KAC KAC

473 503 617 141 97 501 238 304 513 538 135 858 641 216 184 511 128 266 145 3554 134 982 64 439 415 62 648 571 394 120 619 171 230 403 308 137 222 301 60 860 575 351 373 205 417 147 343 502 218 411 415

JEDDAH MADINAH DOHA DOHA SHARJAH BEIRUT AMMAN ABU DHABI IMAM KHOMEINI CAIRO DOHA DUBAI AMMAN BAHRAIN DUBAI RIYADH SHARJAH BEIRUT DOHA ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DUBAI BAHRAIN JEDDAH DUBAI MUSCAT MUMBAI KOZHIKODE SHARJAH ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN COLOMBO BEIRUT ABU DHABI DOHA BAHRAIN MUMBAI DUBAI DUBAI KOCHI KOCHI BAHRAIN ISLAMABAD DAMMAM DOHA CHENNAI LUXOR BAHRAIN BANGKOK KUALA LUMPUR

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

34

s ta rs CROSSWORD 68

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) ARIES Everything points to your taking the initiative today. You may feel that your opinion is not what someone needs to hear and you could decide to take a listening attitude for now. This may mean that young people need a bit of guidance through example. You could feel great support from those around you. You will find this time is favorable for you to take the initiative in social matters. There is a desire to break with outmoded patterns from the past. A trip to the country or an opportunity to use your new sports equipment is just what you have been looking forward to this weekend. You may even want to change or update your personal appearance for an evening away from home, dancing perhaps. You draw a sense of security from social involvement now.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You may find yourself reflecting on your own youth or some event from the past. Perhaps a friend from your past is visiting this weekend. You put the young people to work around your place with some fun activities. You may have some ideas about ways in which they could make some extra spending money. This could mean they will be painting houses or helping to clean up the neighborhood and neighbors may be willing to pay for this service. Young people may come up with some constructive ideas themselves. Of course, if you are in a cold part of the country a bit of shoveling would probably have the best appeal for making extra money. This evening is a good time for surrounding yourself with friends and young people and for having a good time.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

ACROSS 1. A castrated tomcat.

4. Taken before a meal as an appetizer.

12. A white linen liturgical vestment with sleeves.

15. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

16. (botany) Having stalked flowers along an elongated stem that continue to open in succession from below as the stem continues to grow.

17. An ancient Hebrew unit of capacity equal to 10 baths or 10 ephahs.

18. The United Nations agency concerned with international maritime activities.

19. A drug (trade name Antabuse) used in the treatment of alcoholism.

20. Large brownish-green New Zealand parrot.

21. Little known Kamarupan languages.

23. A republic in western South America.

25. English clergyman who (with John Henry Newman and Edward Pusey) founded the Oxford Movement (1792-1866).

28. United States industrialist who manufactured plows suitable for working the prairie soil (1804-1886).

30. Lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike.

32. Tree (as opposed to shrub).

36. A radioactive transuranic element produced by bombarding plutonium with neutrons.

37. United States painter noted for brilliant colors and bold brushwork (1859-1935).

40. 100 avos equal 1 pataca.

41. Brick that is laid sideways at the top of a wall.

43. A master's degree in theology.

45. A religious belief of African origin involving witchcraft and sorcery.

47. Belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler.

48. The 13th letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

49. Rhizomatous herb of India having aromatic seeds used as seasoning.

52. The universal time coordinated time when a transmission is sent from Earth to a spacecraft or other celestial body.

53. An intricate traditional dance in India performed by professional dancing girls.

58. A family of Amerindian languages spoken in California.

60. A peninsula between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

63. Youthful appearance in an old person.

67. English theoretical physicist who applied relativity theory to quantum mechanics and predicted the existence of antimatter and the positron (1902-1984).

70. The person who delivers personal property (goods or money) in trust to the bailee in a bailment.

71. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

72. Pertaining to or containing or similar to ammonia.

75. Goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment.

76. A light touch or stroke.

77. A river in northeastern Brazil that flows generally northward to the Atlantic Ocean.

78. The state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by.

DOWN 1. (Greek mythology) Goddess of the earth and mother of Cronus and the Titans in ancient

mythology.

2. A metrical unit with unstressed-stressed syllables.

3. American literary critic and historian (18861963).

4. A constellation in the southern hemisphere near Telescopium and Norma.

5. A member of a panel.

6. The administration of a strong electric current that passes through the brain to induce convulsions and coma.

7. Gather, as of as crops.

8. To fix or set securely or deeply.

9. Someone who travels for pleasure.

10. An important question that is in dispute and must be settled.

11. A fixed charge for a privilege or for professional services.

12. A town and port in northwestern Israel in the eastern Mediterranean.

13. United States physiologist (born in Germany) who did research on parthenogenesis (1859-1924).

14. (informal) Exceptionally good.

22. Someone who has red hair.

24. An emotional response that has been acquired by conditioning.

26. The cry made by sheep.

27. Cover as if with a shroud.

29. A Hindu prince or king in India.

31. An isogram connecting points having equal barometric pressure at a given time.

33. An orderly assigned to serve a British military officer.

34. A city in northwestern Spain near the Cantabrian Mountains.

35. Someone who leads a wandering unsettled life.

38. A cylindrical spikelike inflorescence.

39. Surrealist Spanish painter (1904-1989).

42. A city in the European part of Russia.

44. (astronomy) The angular distance of a celestial point measured westward along the celestial equator from the zenith crossing.

46. The condition of being unable to perform as a consequence of physical or mental unfitness.

50. A member of the Siouan people formerly living in the Missouri river valley in NE Nebraska.

51. An island of central Hawaii.

54. Crested screamers.

55. A person regarded as greedy and pig-like.

56. A percussion instrument consisting of a pair of hollow pieces of wood or bone (usually held between the thumb and fingers) that are made to click together (as by Spanish dancers) in rhythm with the dance.

57. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

59. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

61. Port city that is the capital and largest city of Latvia.

62. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.

64. The scum formed by oxidation at the surface of molten metals.

65. A tiny or scarcely detectable amount.

66. (Greek mythology) Greek god of war.

68. The rate at which heat is produced by an individual in a resting state.

69. A United States unit of weight equivalent to 2000 pounds.

73. Informal terms for a mother.

74. Being one more than one.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

This morning is an excellent time to sit down alone and get many things accomplished. A friend may join you in your exercise program. The ways in which you involve yourself with community concerns may depend on how much power you have. You may be held back from some of the things you want to see accomplished.

Remember to continue to express your desire to help others; trust and getting to know you will be the turning point. You truly desire some fun times and should not hesitate to get to know new people and form new acquaintances. Also, love is in full bloom and it is a good time to fully demonstrate the depth of affection to a loved one. Today marks a time in which you greatly enjoy social and romantic activities.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) A few emotional questions come to the front of your mind this morning, but you may do well to keep them to yourself. With a few hours behind you, you will have the answers you need. You are appreciated for your compassion, intelligence, sharp business mind and willingness to create a positive change. This afternoon finds you responding to the needs of many. This could include neighbors; it could be that someone would like to go with you to the grocery store, church or whatever errands you may need to run. Your frame of mind is positive and you encourage others. The power of attraction and desire for love is great, but you should exercise caution before entering a new relationship, which may come about during this time.

Leo (July 23-August 22) A love for the unusual may have you thinking about your normal routine this morning. Unconventional romantic and social connections are likely now. You could be thinking about reaching beyond your normal routine. You may enjoy doing some different activities for a change: camping, exploring, fishing, etc. Whatever you decide to do, it will be a refreshing change from your usual Saturday adventures. Any activity out-of-doors is tempting, depending on the weather. Fresh air and country roads bring opportunities to stretch and enjoy nature. This afternoon neighbors or friends may be having a get-together and you are invited. This is a wonderful time to be with the people whom you enjoy and who enjoy you.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You may decide to make some changes in your appearance today. Perhaps you have decided to grow a mustache or get a tattoo—real or not. Whatever you decide to do, you will have fun with these new beginnings. Eccentricities and a different manner of presenting yourself may be fun through using tools such as a wig or new hair color or a glue-on mustache. A friend may decide this all looks like fun and join you in this little escapade. By the time the day is over, you will have a firm idea of the changes you want to put into effect.

Someone you encounter today may behave in a frustrated way. This person may see you as a sounding board. Listening and encouraging calmness is a good thing; this frustration will pass. Listening is good therapy.

Word Search

Libra (September 23-October 22) Even though it is a Saturday, teamwork is the active word today. You may find yourself involved in some sort of group work. This could be anything from clearing away snow from elderly neighbor’s door, preparing the ground for a spring garden with the neighbors or attending a planning committee of some sort. Today you encourage others to expand their education, read a book or take a class. You are productive but at times you can overdo when it comes to helping people. Take some time later this afternoon to put your feet up and relax with some favorite music. You enjoy making others feel at ease but this evening a loved one may treat you as specially as you treat them. Stay flexible and give yourself time to enjoy the evening.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) There is a new person in your life today and you may become a bit analytical, perhaps psychoanalyzing a particular situation. You could be very helpful, but be wise and stop while you are ahead. What you perceive in others, you are strengthening in yourself. You may even attract people that are head strong and confident. Celebrate fun things with friends today. Marriage and partnerships should be lucky this year. Problems seem to have a short burn time. With forethought, money problems can also be handled. Even when exercising, look forward, not backward—this attitude will bring you many accomplishments. You will be getting some helpful information this afternoon that will help you with health matters.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) This morning is a good time to write and communicate—you have real originality. If you are writing to earn an income, the writing will be most productive.

You might whistle while you carry out your chores today. There is a feeling that your load has been lightened, basically because your outlook is happy. A request or additional chore may be added to your day, but listen to your own inner guide—have faith in what you can accomplish. A community activity tonight has your interest and you may find it beneficial to attend this function. Friends or loved ones are happy to tag along wherever you wish to go. Quick answers, great wit and a surplus of insights and solutions are at the ready this evening as you and others enjoy a new entertainment.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) The way things have been done in the past may not be working now. This may mean a budget is not working or the training of an animal or some other technique is not appropriate at this time. Take some time off today from trying to make sense out of anything meaningful—tomorrow is another day. Cleaning chores, errands and other busy work should go well. You are inventive, original and high tech. You may have some great ideas for improving or updating the home front. Perhaps it would be good to write these ideas down for a discussion soon. You could be entertaining a few friends this evening. Relax and forget technicalities for a while. Enjoy this opportunity to relax and be with friends. It is a time to talk about fun interests.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Your psychic awareness is particularly strong. If you keep a logbook or notebook of your visions you may be surprised at the insight you will gain from them. New energies surrounding a love relationship may bring much happiness and will take on an emotional depth. Feeling cared for and needed is comfortable; the lack of these things can cause an unconscious feeling of uneasiness. Young children enjoy learning under your patient tutelage—you give them much encouragement. Through teaching others, you may become more creative yourself. You are able to enjoy and value your own life situation at this time. A friend whom you have not seen in some time may come to visit you in your home this evening. There are compliments all around.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) You have insight into your emotions and drive and you can talk about your feelings with great insight. You may be pleased at the new people entering your life this year. This could be a new work group, religious group or hobby group. You will soon find yourself inviting people into your home and receiving invitations to other people’s homes. You are most creative and will have an opportunity to express that creativeness in many ways. Becoming bored easily, you will probably have several crafts or projects developing this year. You may have an important announcement to make this evening. Perhaps you or someone close to you is looking forward to a wedding or the birth of a child or you have scheduled a cruise—it’s a good time to travel.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

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

Rawda

22517733

Adaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Kaifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salem

22549134

Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Qadsiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Gar

22531908

Shaab

22518752

Qibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla

22451082

Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya Jabriya

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 TATE T OF KUW K WAIT A

Te el.: 161

DIRECTORA AT TE GENERAL GENE OF CIVIL AV VIA AT TION METEOROLOGICAL DEP PARTMENT A DA AY Y: Saturday

Ext.: 2627 262 - 2630

Issue Time

Cold with light to moderate freshening at times on the sea north westerly wind, with speed of 15 - 40 km/h

BY Y NIGHT:

Veery cold co with moderate wind in general north westerly wind, with speed of 20 - 38 km/h

No Current Warnings arnin a

WA ARNING MAX. EXP P.

MIN. REC.

KUW WA AIT CITY

13 °C

07 °C

KUW WA AIT AIRPOR RT

12 °C

05 °C

NUW WA AISEEB

15 °C

04 °C

WAFRA A

14 °C

03 °C

SALMI

10 °C

-1 °C

25746401

ABDAL LY

13 °C

01 °C

25316254

JAL ALIY YA AH

12 °C

04 °C

Maidan Hawally

25623444

FAILAKA A

12 °C

06 °C

Bayan

25388462

AHMADI POR RT

12 °C

08 °C

Mishref

25381200

UMM AL-MARADEM

12 °C

10 °C

W Hawally

22630786

WARBA A A - BUBY YAN A

13 °C

03 °C

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

SFC. CHART

12/01/2013 0000 UTC

4 DA AY YS FORECAST Temperatures WEA ATHER T

MAX.

MIN.

Wind Direction

Wind Speed

New Jahra

24575755

Sunday

13/01

cold

14 °C

04 °C

NW

20 - 40 km/h

West Jahra

24772608

Monday

14/01

cold + raising dust

15 °C

6 °C

NW

20 - 45 km/h

South Jahra

24775066

Tuesday

15/01

cold + blowing dust

15 °C

6 °C

NW

20 - 40 km/h

Wednesday e

16/01

cold

16 °C

4 °C

NW

12 - 32 km/h

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

PRA RA AY YER TIMES

RECORDED YESTERDA AY AT KUW WA AIT AIRPORT

Fajr

05:20

MAX. Temp.

13 °C

06:44

MIN. Temp.

06 °C 61 %

Ardhiya

24884079

Sunrise

Firdous

24892674

Zuhr

11:56

MAX. RH

Asr

14:50

MIN. RH

19 % N 46 km/h

Omariya

24719048

Sunset

17:09

MAX. Wind

N Khaitan

24710044

Isha

18:30

TOT TAL AL RAIINF FA ALL L IN 24 HR.

Fintas

23900322

All times are local time unless otherwise stated.

00 mm

12/01/13 03:13 UTC

V1.00

T1.06

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Khaled Hamadi

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist

25665898 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535

Dentists

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

22618787

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

General Surgeons Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart Dr. Adnan Ebil Dr. Mousa Khadada Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

22666300 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

3729596/3729581

Neurologists

22639939

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Kaizen center 25716707

25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888 Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

22666288

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

Dr Anil Thomas

Dr. Salem soso

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Faiha

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Al-Jahra

25610011

Al-Salmiya

25616368

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

07:00

BY Y DA AY:

DA ATE T

Al-Shuhada

WWW.MET.GOV V..KW

Expected Weeather for the Next 24 Hours

DA AY

22418714

Fax: 24348714

12/01/2013

ST TAT TION

Al-Madeena

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Afghanistan 0093 Albania 00355 Algeria 00213 Andorra 00376 Angola 00244 Anguilla 001264 Antiga 001268 Argentina 0054 Armenia 00374 Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas 001242 Bahrain 00973 Bangladesh 00880 Barbados 001246 Belarus 00375 Belgium 0032 Belize 00501 Benin 00229 Bermuda 001441 Bhutan 00975 Bolivia 00591 Bosnia 00387 Botswana 00267 Brazil 0055 Brunei 00673 Bulgaria 00359 Burkina 00226 Burundi 00257 Cambodia 00855 Cameroon 00237 Canada 001 Cape Verde 00238 Cayman Islands 001345 Central African 00236 Chad 00235 Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros 00269 Congo 00242 Cook Islands 00682 Costa Rica 00506 Croatia 00385 Cuba 0053 Cyprus 00357 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Czech Republic 00420 Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia 00246 Djibouti 00253 Dominica 001767 Dominican Republic 001809 Ecuador 00593 Egypt 0020 El Salvador 00503 England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea 00240 Eritrea 00291 Estonia 00372 Ethiopia 00251 Falkland Islands 00500 Faroe Islands 00298 Fiji 00679 Finland 00358 France 0033 French Guiana 00594 French Polynesia 00689 Gabon 00241 Gambia 00220 Georgia 00995 Germany 0049 Ghana 00233 Gibraltar 00350 Greece 0030 Greenland 00299 Grenada 001473 Guadeloupe 00590 Guam 001671 Guatemala 00502 Guinea 00224 Guyana 00592 Haiti 00509 Holland (Netherlands) 0031 Honduras 00504 Hong Kong 00852 Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland 00354 India 0091 Indian Ocean 00873 Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686 Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland) 0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK) 0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677

36

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

LIFESTYLE G o s s i p

Kardashians sued for $10 million R

eality TV stars Kim, Kourtney and Khloe could face a mammoth legal bill following make-up artist Lee Tillett’s claim they stole the name of their new cosmetics range, Khroma Beauty, from her. Lee is also asking for damages from Boldface Group Inc, the company that markets their line, after a cease and desist letter sent last July imploring them to stop using the name failed to work. She told the Orlando Sentinel: “I developed the Kroma line myself, built my business through my own hard work, and took the legal steps necessary to protect it. “And yet I have now been forced into legal battle with the Kardashians simply because they have decided to take something that doesn’t belong to them.” Boldface petitioned a Florida court to rule Lee’s brand name “conceptually weak”, because it “consists solely of a descriptive term and lacks any inherent distinctive meaning to the relevant consuming public.” The make-up artist - who set up her line in 2004 - responded by claiming the confusion over the names is affecting her business as customers assume it is connected with the infamous sisters’ recently-launched products.

Taylor Swift writes 5 new songs about Harry Styles D espite the ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ hitmaker only splitting from the One Direction stud last week, the singer has already channeled her anger into brand new songs about her short-lived romance with the 18-year-old womanizer. A source told The Sun newspaper: “Taylor writes music in the same way that other women chat to their friends on the phone. It’s been how she deals with her emotions for most of her life. “Harry and Taylor only dated for a short time but there were very strong feelings, so it’s been a tough comedown.” The 23-year-old country starlet is famously open about her string of A-list exes - who include

John Mayer, Taylor Lautner and Jake Gyllenhaal - in her lyrics, but refuses to reveal which of her former flames each song is about, with the exception of her candid hit ‘Dear John’. She is said to be worried any new song she releases will be obviously linked to Harry, so has been careful to keep the tune more cryptic this time. The insider added: “Lyrics have been written, but Taylor hasn’t come close to deciding whether she’ll ever release them. A song about it will surface at some point but it won’t be anything like the way she had a dig at her other ex John Mayer in one of her other tracks.”

Angelina Jolie paying ailing assistant’s bills T

he ‘Maleficent’ actress was quick to reassure a long-term helper that she would have nothing to worry about financially after she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and has even promised the woman work when she finishes treatment. According to reports, Angelina promised to cover all the wardrobe assistant’s living expenses and guaranteed she would get her job back when she finished treatment - and if the actress wasn’t working at the time, she would find her work on another project. A source told National Enquirer magazine: “The woman was so touched by Angie’s kindness, she told pals she just wishes everyone could know what a good person she is.” Angelina - who raises six children with partner Brad Pitt -is known for her charitable efforts and marked World Refugee Day last June with a $100,000 donation to the UN Refugee Agency today.

The brunette beauty - who is a special envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) - said at the time: “In the past year 4.3 million people have become displaced.

Joan Rivers blasts Lady Gaga T

Anne Hathaway sheds tears of joy

he 30-year-old actress received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for playing Fantine in ‘Les Miserables’ and she and Adam Shulman couldn’t contain their joy when they heard the news. She told E! News: “I was just in bed and I was watching TV and they said my name. “He was screaming louder than me!

I think we might have scared the dog. “I cried a lot and he hugged me and we kissed. It was really sweet.” Anne - who married Adam in September after four years of dating - previously claimed she knew that if their first date went well, she would marry him. She said: “I’m married to a nice guy, he’s a producer. We met through friends. “It was pretty instant, as soon as I met him I was like what is the deal with that guy, but someone told me had a girlfriend so I backed off. Then six weeks later I found out that he didn’t have a girlfriend so I asked him to come to New Orleans with me. I had a spare ticket. “I said if it goes badly we’ll probably never see each other again, and if it goes well we’ll probably get married.”

T

he TV personality has responded to Gaga’s claims that E! show ‘Fashion Police’ - in which she and Kelly Osbourne co-star - “breeds negativity” and says the ‘Born This Way’ singer is merely trying to get attention. She told the New York Post’s Page Six: “Anyone that would wear a pastrami dress or sit in an egg should know about humor.

“She knows exactly what’s she’s doing. She’s not selling. We haven’t been talking about her until now. “It’s time to start laughing. We’ve been doing this for fifty years. Tell Lady Gaga to worry about the maggots in her brain from the meat dress! But I told Kelly that it’s all good because it means Lady Gaga watches ‘Fashion Police’!” The drama stems from Kelly’s comments last October when she said, “Lady Gaga’s fans are the worst” and accused them of encouraging her to commit suicide, she also claimed the pop superstar had a duty to step in and stop their comments. In response, Gaga penned a lengthy open letter on her fan-based social networking site, LittleMonsters.com, addressed to the ‘Fashion Police’ star, noting that while she felt empathetic towards Kelly and discourages her fans “from any negativity and violence”, she feels the E! show promotes bullying.

37

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

LIFESTYLE G o s s i p

Kimberly Wyatt happy to have ‘bagged British boy’

T

he former Pussycat Dolls singer became so enamored with the UK since becoming a judge on British reality show ‘Got to Dance’ in 2010 that she moved to London last year and has unexpectedly found love with male model Max Rogers. Speaking to OK! magazine, she gushed: “Oh, he’s amazing!

We met just over a year ago at the Clothes Show Live. I was a special guest on the fashion show and he was the main model and we ended up walking the runway together. “We didn’t get to know each other much then but when I came back to London shortly after we couldn’t stop talking to each other and we haven’t stopped since. I have bagged myself a British boy!” The 30-year-old beauty is hoping to go on double dates with Max and her former Pussycat Dolls bandmate Ashley Roberts, who found fame on UK reality TV show ‘I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!’ last year. She said: “I’m going to do everything I can to convince her to stay here with me. I miss her when she’s in LA.”

Muse thinks young people are ‘born into bondage’

Kerry Katona thinks her children speak like Kate T

he reality TV star - who has daughters Lilly-Sue, nine, and 11-year-old Molly with Brian McFadden and four-year-old Max and Heidi, five, with Mark Croft - insists on sending them to private school to prevent them from being “teased” by other kids.

However, Kerry, 32, is thrilled at the results of their education - comparing their manners to that of the duchess, who was known as Kate Middleton before her marriage to Prince William. She explained: “My celebrity status can be a downside for the kids and I don’t want other kids to tease them. In private school, no one bats an eyelid at what I do. I “I’m common as hell, but my kids come home and talk like Kate Middleton. You wouldn’t even think they’re my children, judging by their manners. They’re just ordinary children getting a great education, which is the best gift I can give them.” Although Kate already has four children from her two previous marriages she is still keen to have more in the future to ensure her family can “rely” on one another - and to make sure her son Max has another male in the family.

T

he conspiracy theory-loving rockers feel younger generations are oppressed by subtle means, and hope their music finds its way to an audience who willing to question society’s norms.

Frontman Matt Bellamy said: “The structures keeping people in place these days are days are far more covert and coercive: Advertising, the media, the way corporations and governments function and so on. “A lot of young people are born into bondage and don’t necessarily know it. I’d like to think our songs have some influence on people who feel they don’t want to fall in with everything.” The ‘Uprising’ rocker feels his group are keeping up a “tradition” among bands of making young people think and question what’s around them. He added to Classic Rock magazine: “I do feel we are keeping up that tradition, that it’s the job of bands, musicians, artists in general to at least shed light on things people might not be aware of. “I wouldn’t pretend we’re the starting point, but in combination with other artists out there, I think we collectively influence other people to come up with new ways of thinking. And they’re the ones who will form policies in the future.”

Cory Monteith hates sunbathing

Jennie Garth dating drummer Salken

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he ‘Glee’ actor recently took a romantic vacation with his girlfriend Lea Michele but admitted he is too pale to lie out in the sun. He told E! News: “I’m like an SPF 70 million kind of guy. I think [Lea] wants me to get a little color to be honest, because I’m transparent almost, I’m so pale.”

Cory also revealed he was shocked that the paparazzi managed to find the couple on their romantic getaway. He explained: “Those paparazzi! We went to one of the most remote locations in the United States. This valley we went to, they followed us there, I was shocked.” “[I had] no idea that they were there.

We went for this beautiful hike, valley and everything, and bam, they showed up. It was like, ‘I can’t believe you guys followed us all the way here.’ And then I was like, ‘Take our picture because you worked so hard for it you deserve it.’

“I’m just the guy from ‘Glee’ from Canada. I’m just on vacation. Don’t you want to take pictures of Jack Black or something?”

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Drew Barrymore will fight like lion for family

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he ‘Never Been Kissed’ actress married Will Kopelman last June and gave birth to the couple’s first child, daughter Olive, three months ago and Drew says her family is her top priority. She told the February issue of Good Housekeeping: “I will literally fight like a lion to keep my family happy and intact. “Maybe I wouldn’t feel that way if I had had a great family growing up.” Drew loves motherhood because she feels it has made her a better person. She explained: “The best thing about being a mom is just what a better person it makes you on a daily basis. “Every morning when I wake her up, the endgame is, ‘Can I get her to smile?’ And that puts me in a good mood. It’s definitely a different way to live - and a much better one.” The 37-year-old actress also revealed how she took a break from the spotlight during her pregnancy and barely left her house during it.

he ‘Beverly Hills 90210’ actress is reportedly smitten with the Big Gigantic musician and recently attended one of his concerts where she couldn’t contain her excitement once he took to the stage.

A source told the National Enquirer: “They were all over each other. When Jeremy’s band Big Gigantic took the stage, Jennie was as excited as a teenybopper, clapping and jumping up and down with the music.

No question they’re a couple - and it looks really serious. “Jennie told me, ‘I never thought I’d fall in love again, but it’s happening, and I couldn’t be more excited!’”

Jennie, 40, was devastated when she split with husband Peter Facinelli last year but admitted the breakdown of her marriage was a wake-up call that she needed to start looking after her physical health and she subsequently dropped 30 pounds. She said: “Now I feel stronger and more confident in my body. “I take my kids to school in my workout clothes. I’ll think, ‘I’m already in my clothes now, so I may as well work out!’

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

lifestyle

Italian menswear shows open in gloom

How newsweek made first moving cover art

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ewsweek’s provocative print covers of yesteryear may be gone from newsstands, but the now all-digital magazine is tinkering with ways to attract potential subscribers. The newsweekly released its first moving-image cover art - an eight-second video of a submersible descending into Hawaii’s sapphire waters - which it tweeted Friday morning as a .gif.

“This is something that we can do now without the boundaries of print,” Andrew Kirk, a spokesman for Newsweek and the Daily Beast, told TheWrap. Newsweek hired photographer Hugh Gentry to shoot images of Pisces IV, one of the world’s deepest-diving submarines, as reporter Tony Dokoupil dove down with marine explorer Sylvia Earle. His cover story documents how, in the age of unmanned robotic subs, funds for human oceanic expeditions have begun to dry up. “Took it at 125 feet,” Kirk said, adding that the photographer used a Canon 5D Mark II camera.

“He went down to do the piece, which is about reduced government funding for oceanic exploration.”

He said design director Sean Noyce used photographs to create a still-image cover, brandished with the headline: “Have We Hit Bottom?”

Modeled after the octogenarian publication’s defunct print design, the cover fades onto an iPad screen just as the video reel of the sub ends.

Newsweek suffered a round of layoffs last month as the magazine downsized after terminating its print edition. The final issue, emblazoned with the hashtag #LastPrintIssue, hit newsstands on Dec 24. Still, Kirk said the newsweekly’s trimmed down staff is getting along with its reduced budget. “We have a great in-house team that are able to work with the resources that we have,” he said. “We’re putting together a very interesting portfolio issue every week with a nimble team.”— Reuters

Models display creations as part of Costume National Homme Fall-Winter 2013-2014 Menswear collection yesterday during the Men’s fashion week in Milan. —AFP photos

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ilan’s menswear fashion week started today amid concerns over the economy and also the fate of Vittorio Missoni, one of Italy’s best-known clothes executives, whose plane disappeared off Venezuela a week ago. Italy’s luxury goods industry is set to continue to outperform other sectors this year, according to analysts, helped by the appetite of Asian shoppers for the country’s tailored suits and leather shoes.

But prospects for the economy remain as gloomy as the cloudy skies under which hundreds of fashion critics and buyers rushed on Saturday to watch the menswear proposals for next winter. Orders for the Italian menswear collections that will arrive in stores around the world this summer have fallen 8 percent, Italy’s textile and fashion body Sistema Moda Italia (SMI) said. Over half of domestic menswear manufacturers polled by SMI said they saw no sign of improvement this year, while the remaining 44 percent said they were preparing for deterioration. The fashion world is also awaiting news about Missoni, eldest son of one of Italy’s most famous fashion families.

A small twin-engine aircraft carrying Missoni, 58, his wife Maurizia Castiglioni, another couple and two Venezuelan crew went missing on Jan 4 after taking off from the Caribbean island resort of Los Roques.

The Missoni fashion house, known for its exuberantly colored knits featuring bold stripes and zigzags, said it had decided to go ahead with its show in Milan, although the family is unlikely to attend. Media reported on Saturday that the location where the plane disappeared may have been found, but it was not possible to get an immediate comment from Italy’s foreign ministry. The Italian fashion chamber called reporters to retweet family members’ requests to find Missoni and the others aboard.

CHEAP AND CHIC Designers showing in Milan will need all their imagination to attract male customers flocking to ecommerce websites and outlets for quality bargains.

Domestic sales of Italian tailored clothes, silk ties and leather shoes fell 4.7 percent in 2012 for a fifth consecutive year, according to Italian textile and fashion body Sistema Moda Italia (SMI). Only outlets and online sales bucked the trend, with a jump of 41 per-

cent in sales to final customers during the 2011/12 winter season, according to SMI. Big luxury names such as Zegna, Prada and Salvatore Ferragamo have boosted their digital ranges to entice younger customers who shop from smartphones.

“You have to ask yourself: ‘Are our products suitable for selling on line?’” Hugo Boss Chief Financial Officer Mark Langer told Reuters in an interview on Friday. “Amazingly, we’ve sold a lot more suits than we thought we would online,” Langer said. Exports helped global sales of Italian menswear grow by 2 percent to 8.6 billion euros ($11.4 billion) in 2012 despite a sharp decline in domestic stores, SMI said.

Europe is still the biggest market for Italian menswear but sales fell 2.7 percent in France and up to 7 percent in Spain in the first nine months of 2012, SMI said. The Milan show opens with menswear champion Ermenegildo Zegna, followed by Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry and Versace. —Reuters

People arrive for the opening of the Gucci Museum at Palazzo della Mercanzia in Piazza della Signoria in Florence. —AFP

Modern art light shines at Gucci museum in Florence

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Kuwait fashion designer Al-Ajeel shines in UAE

By Nawara Fattahova

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uwait fashion designer Montaha Al-Ajeel represented Kuwait at a fashion show for the disabled that was held in Dubai recently.

This traditional fashion show was held under the auspices of Sheikha Shamsa Al-Maktoom and was part of the United Arab Emirates’ national celebrations. It was attended by notable VIPs and media.

During the fashion show, one of the disabled girls presented a traditional dress designed by Montaha Al-Ajeel with a slogan ‘We Keep Caring For You’. AlAjeel also presented a short speech appreciating all initiatives in favor of the disabled and wishing them all success, before being awarded by the organizers.

he new Gucci Museum in Florence opened its latest show this month-a selection of US artist Cindy Sherman’s early works-in a setting where mediaeval architecture meets fashion history. “For visitors to Florence, it’s nice to react with something that is contemporary and alive,” said Francesca Amfitheatrof, curator at the Gucci Museum and a celebrated Londonbased jewelry designer in her own right.

The temporary exhibit “Cindy Sherman: Early Works”, which runs until June 9, is the latest loan from the vast collection of Francois Pinault, the French luxury goods tycoon whose holding company PPR took over Gucci in 2004.

Pinault’s contribution to the contemporary art scene in Italy in recent years has included the Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana museums in Venice. “Murder Mystery People” (1976) featuring Sherman in a variety of costumes greets visitors in a former chapel that also once served as a Gucci fitting room, which overlooks the city’s breathtaking Piazza della Signoria.

The exhibit continues in a room decorated with a mediaeval fresco of the Virgin Mary, which contains the series “Bus Riders” (1976) with Sherman posing as different bus passengers in Buffalo, New York where the she studied art. “These works show her fascination with dressing up, identity and gender,” Amfitheatrof said. A close-up of the artist’s hand in the short film “Doll Clothes” (1975) represents “a society that puts women back in their boxes.” Previous exhibitors at the Florentine museum have included US video artist Bill Viola and edgy British sculptor Paul Fryer whose representation of a dead Jesus Christ on an electric chair in “Pieta” caused something of a stir.

The mix of art and business is particularly fitting for a museum housed in Palazzo della Mercanzia, where Florence’s trade guilds met to commission famous artists to decorate the city, including Michelangelo and his David statue.

‘SURPRISINGLY UN-BLINGY’ “The history of turmoil, passion and creativity in this place is amazing,” said Amfitheatrof, in charge since the museum opened in 2011, who explained that half the proceeds from ticket sales go towards renovating local art works. Most of the

museum is devoted to Gucci products through the ages starting with suitcases from the beginning of the 1920s when founder Guccio Gucci opened his first store inspired by his time as a bellboy at the Savoy Hotel in London.

The diamond pattern and the red-andgreen stripes that are still used on Gucci products today are already discernible in the early works, which have inspired some of the latest collections by creative director Frida Giannini. One spotlit room is dedicated to Gucci dresses worn for film awards like the shimmering gold dress made for “Gossip Girl” star Blake Lively and some feather and chiffon numbers for Cameron Diaz, Salma Hayek and Jessica Chastain.

The museum guards the Gucci archives in a basement which is strictly off-limits for visitors, and has special agreements with auction houses and antique dealers around the world to purchase historic Gucci products. The collection is displayed in glass cases and is accompanied by explanatory videos and mood music, with collections treated as true works of art. It has become a major draw for international fashion students, as well as Florentines curious about a local brand that has become a global fashion icon. In its first year of operation last year, it had 60,000 visitors. There is a strong emphasis on the evolution of Gucci themes, like the stirrup patterns and horseshoe buttons on women’s caftans from the 1970s.

The use of bamboo wood for handbag handles and the mix of leather and textile for suitcases were due to leather shortages during World War II. Even the use of floral patterns was fortuitous-the product of a request for a silk neckscarf by Grace Kelly at a time when Gucci was not producing any. Aside from a Gucci-themed Cadillac dominating one room, the collection is perhaps surprisingly un-blingy and contains a bewildering array of Gucci products from sledges to backgammon sets, from drinking horns to surf boards. Amfitheatrof said: “Even though Gucci’s become a massive machine, when you go back to the roots, it’s exactly the same. It’s the DNA of Gucci.” —AFP

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

lifestyle

Britney Spears and fiance end yearlong engagement

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ritney Spears announced Friday that she has ended her yearlong engagement, capping a week of changes that included her leaving “The X Factor” and promising fans she was returning her focus to music. Within hours of confirming her departure from the Fox reality series, Spears also announced that her relationship with talent agent Jason Trawick had ended. “Jason and I have decided to call off our engagement,” Spears said in the statement.

“I’ll always adore him and we will remain great friends.” Spears’ publicist Jeff Raymond said the breakup was a difficult decision made by “two mature adults.” “I love and cherish her and her boys, and we will be close forever,” Trawick said in a joint statement that was first reported by People magazine. Trawick also resigned his role Friday as a Spears’ co-conservator, with Superior Court Judge Reva Goetz approving his departure from the case.

Spears and Trawick got engaged in December 2011 and he was added as her co-conservator in April. Spears, 31, has been under a court-supervised conserva-

Howie Mandel begins another Reality Show

Elvis Presley’s Wilkinson dies

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hythm guitar player John Wilkinson, who performed with Elvis Presley more than a thousand times, has died at his home in southwest Missouri. He was 67.

Wilkinson passed away Friday at his home in Springfield after a fight with cancer, according to a family spokesman and the Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home. Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley offered their “deepest sympathy” to his family, saying in a statement that “John and the beautiful music he made with Elvis will live forever in our hearts.” Wilkinson first met Elvis Presley when he was 10 years old after sneaking into his dressing room before a show at the Shrine Mosque in Springfield. He amused Presley when he told him, “You can’t play guitar worth a damn.”

Family friend and spokesman Gary Ellison said a Springfield history museum recalled the pair’s meeting in an exhibit that ran until about three weeks ago. “John loved to tell that story,” Ellison, a fellow musician, said Friday.

After the chance meeting, Wilkinson developed a name for himself as a singer and guitarist, performing with such groups as The New Christy Minstrels. He was 23 when Presley saw him perform on a television show in Los Angeles in 1968, and asked him to join the TCB Band - not knowing he was the youngster who insulted his playing a decade earlier, Ellison recalled.

Wilkinson went on to play 1,200 shows as Presley’s rhythm guitar player until the legendary singer’s death in 1977. “John considered Elvis more as a friend than as a boss,” Ellison said. Even after suffering a stroke in 1989 that left him unable to play the guitar, Wilkinson continued singing with fellow musicians, including the old TCB Band (the acronym stood for Taking Care of Business), and also made a living in retail and airline services management.

“He was honestly one of the best acoustic guitar players I’d ever heard,” Ellison recalled, adding that Wilkinson kept in touch with many of the performers from the folk music era in the late 1960s and early ‘70s.

A statement from the family, released through Ellison, said Wilkinson also was proud of the fact that he never turned down a request for an autograph. “It didn’t matter if he was meeting adoring fans, joking with Chuck Berry about keeping his B-string in tune, or if he was talking to a neighbor about her dog, people were people to him,” the statement said. “Folks were folks. John would look you square in the eye and accept you, just as you were. There was nothing phony about him.” He is survived by his wife, Terry. A private graveside service is planned. —AP

‘No’ Oscar nomination boosts Chile’s film industry

torship since February 2008, with her father and another co-conservator, Andrew Wallet, having control over numerous aspects of her personal life. The case was opened after several incidents of erratic behavior by the pop singer and a pair of hospitalizations, but Spears has recovered and she appeared weekly on “X Factor.” She said in a statement that judging young talent made her miss performing. “I can’t wait to get back out there and do what I love most,” she said in a statement.

Her father Jamie Spears met with Goetz for about an hour on Friday but left before a hearing where Trawick’s resignation was announced. Trawick has served as Spears’ agent and the pair started dating in 2009.

Trawick did not have authority over Spears’ finances, which have rebounded since her public meltdown. Goetz recently reviewed and approved of an accounting that showed Spears ended 2010 with more than $27.5 million in assets, including nearly $15 million in cash. Attorneys handling the case are expected to file updated financial statements in the coming months.—AP

Howie Mandel

eady to see even more Howie Mandel on the small screen? Yeah, we didn’t think so, but it’s coming your way, thanks to TBS. The cable network said Friday that it has greenlit a new series, tentatively titled “Deal With It,” which will be executive-produced by Mandel. The network doesn’t say whether Mandel will appear on camera; if so, it will follow on the heels of three other Mandelhosted series, “Deal or No Deal,” “Take It All” and “Mobbed.” (Not to mention “America’s Got Talent.”) TBS has also given the go-ahead for a new show from reality TV kingpin Mark Burnett, which bears the working title, “Trust Me, I’m a Game Show Host.”

“Deal With It,” which has received a sixepisode order, is a hidden-camera affair in which unsuspecting people are secretly dared to pull a prank on their companions with no time to prepare. Receiving their instructions through an earpiece, they are given the opportunity to prank their way to cash and prizes. Mandel’s Alevy Productions is producing, along with Roy Bank’s Banca Studio and Keshet Broadcasting - which created the format for the show - in association with Lionsgate Television. In addition to Mandel, Mike Marks - an executive producer on two of Mandel’s other shows, “Take it All” and “Mobbed” - is also executive-producing, along with Bank.

“Trust Me, I’m a Game Show Host,” meanwhile, is billed as “a comedic game show” in which two hosts present a contestant with two different answers - one correct, one incorrect - to a single question, leaving the contestant to choose the right answer. The show, which has received a 10-episode order, is being produced by One Three Media, Burnett’s joint venture with Hearst Media, as well as London-based production company Monkey. Burnett will executive-produce, along with Monkey’s Will MacDonald and David Granger.—Reuters

Hollywood steps out for pre-Oscars Golden Globes awards H ollywood hits the red carpet today for the Golden Globes, Tinseltown’s biggest pre-Oscars awards show, with Steven Spielberg, Ben Affleck and Quentin Tarantino among those eyeing major prizes. Days after topping nominations for the Academy Awards, Spielberg’s political drama “Lincoln” is the frontrunner for Globes glory, with seven nods, ahead of Affleck’s Iran drama “Argo” and Tarantino’s “Django Unchained,” both with five nominations.

US TV comedy favorites Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will co-host the Globes, after three years of edgy British comic Ricky Gervais taking barbed near-the-knuckle shots at the assembled A-listers. “It’s our job to keep things moving and also try to get the movie stars more liquored-up so that hopefully someone’s boob will fall out of a dress,” quipped “30 Rock” star Fey, famous for impersonating former US vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. The awards are voted on by the less than 100member Hollywood Foreign Press

Association (HFPA), seen as more celebrity-driven than the esteemed Academy of Motion and Picture Arts and Sciences, whose Oscars show is next month.

On Thursday, the Academy unveiled its nominations, chosen by some 6,000 industry members, shortlisting most of the same films which are up for Globes at the Beverly Hilton hotel Sunday night. Other drama films tipped include Tom Hooper’s musical adaptation “Les Miserables,” dark rom-com “Silver Linings Playbook” and Osama bin Laden hunt movie “Zero Dark Thirty,” which tied for third place with four Globes nods. Reflecting the perhaps less high-brow taste of the HFPA, TaiwaneseAmerican director Ang Lee’s visually stunning 3D adventure “Life of Pi,” which picked up 11 Oscar nominations, is running in only three Globes categories.

Favorite for best actor is “Lincoln” star Daniel Day-Lewis, against Denzel Washington for piloting “Flight” while drunk, Richard Gere for “Arbitrage,” John Hawkes for “The Sessions” and Joaquin

Phoenix for “The Master.” Best actress is slightly more open: Jessica Chastain is widely tipped for her role as a CIA agent relentlessly tracking bin Laden in “Zero Dark Thirty,” while France’s Marion Cotillard has drawn praise for for “Rust and Bone.” But Britain’s Helen Mirren is also a strong contender for her role as a cinema legend’s wife in “Hitchcock.” Also in the running are Naomi Watts for Indian Ocean tsunami drama “The Impossible” and Rachel Weisz for “The Deep Blue Sea.” On the comedy and musical front, best film nominees are Indian-themed “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” “Les Miserables,” “Moonrise Kingdom,” and “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen,” starring Ewan McGregor. Best comedy/music actor nods went to Jack Black for “Bernie,” “Hangover” star Bradley Cooper for “Silver Linings,” Australian Hugh Jackman for “Les Mis,” McGregor for “Salmon Fishing” and Bill Murray for “Hyde Park on Hudson.” Three British actresses are shortlisted for best comedy or musical

turns: Emily Blunt for “Salmon Fishing,” Judi Dench for “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and fellow veteran Maggie Smith for “Quartet.”

On the small screen, multiple awardwinning British period drama “Downton Abbey” was nominated for best drama, against “Breaking Bad,” “Boardwalk Empire,” spy thriller series “Homeland” and “The Newsroom.” Fey signaled that she and co-host Poehler will perhaps be less aggressive than Gervais. “Our job is to keep the evening going and make it fun.

Not necessarily to break comedic ground or take people down a peg,” she said. The three-hour Globes telecast, beamed live around the world, starts at 5:00 pm Sunday (0100 GMT Monday), preceded by a couple of hours of Hollywood’s finest strutting their stuff on the first big red carpet of the season. —AFP

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hile is getting its first shot at an Oscar for best foreign-language film, along with global attention and a boost to its thriving film industry with the nomination of “No.” News of the film’s nomination Thursday was widely celebrated by Chileans, but also had been expected by many since the movie became a surprise hit at Cannes. “No” revisits a publicity campaign that helped oust Gen Augusto Pinochet from power after 16 years as a dictator. Gael Garcia Bernal plays Rene Saavedra, a formerly exiled advertising hot shot drawn into a 1988 referendum TV campaign who tries to persuade people to vote “No” to eight more years of Pinochet. Selling the idea that positive change could end the regime, his character uses ads that feature catchy jingles, a rainbow graphic and dancing Chileans in a variety of guises - from cowboys and housemaids to cooks and miners.

“I had a great time doing this,” Garcia Bernal said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where he’s filming a short with his close friend and fellow actor, Diego Luna, in collaboration with Chivas Regal whisky. “The fact that I played an exiled man is something very common in Chile because the dictatorship provoked this type of returns,” he added.

The ad campaign worked in real life. Pinochet, who once compared himself to the best Roman emperors, was ousted when 55 percent of people voted “no” to continuing his rule. His removal paved the way for Chile’s return to democracy and more than two decades of economic prosperity.

“Dictators are not usually ousted through democratic elections, and this is a profoundly human story, which was resolved through things that have to do more with beauty than with horror,” director Pablo Larrain said. Larrain said he’s excited about the nomination because it will entice more people to see the story of one of Chile’s most memorable moments. “The movie shows how society organized and changed the destiny of a whole country, how a dictatorship was defeated through peaceful means, positive ideas,” Larrain said. The film’s July premiere in Santiago unsettled many audiences because Chile remains deeply divided over Pinochet’s rule.

Even the mention of his name makes many Chileans cringe with memories of the dictator shutting down Congress, outlawing political parties and sending thousands of dissidents into exile, while his police killed an estimated 3,095. But to his loyalists, Pinochet remains a fatherly figure who oversaw Chile’s growth into economic prosperity and kept it from becoming a socialist state.

“The movie shows how Chile through the referendum negotiated with Pinochet because we kept his model to the point where we’ve abused a model imposed by Pinochet,” Larrain said. “We negotiated with him because we were never able to judge him, and Pinochet died a free man and a millionaire.”—AP

Actor Eddie Redmayne (left) presents actress Anne Hathaway the Best Supporting Actress Award for “Les Miserables” onstage at the 18th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards held at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. —AFP

Actor Daniel Day-Lewis celebrates winning Best Actor for “Lincoln” in the press room during the 18th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards in Santa Monica in California. —AFP

Britney Spears and fiance end engagement

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 2013

Ko Oo Swe, editor of Myanmar’s first sex education magazine holds his magazine “Hnyo” during an interview at his house in Yangon. With its photos of scantily clad women and advice on bedroom secrets, Myanmar’s first sex education magazine has proven a step too far for the country’s censors who have banned it from publication. —AFP

Myanmar gets steamed up by

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ith its glossy pages of pouting models and racy romance tips, Myanmar’s first sex education magazine has got the usually demure nation hot under the collar as it explores new-found cultural freedom. “Hnyo” has sparked fevered debate since hitting Myanmar’s bookstores in November, becoming a must-read among the young and curious, just a few months after the end of direct censorship in the former junta-ruled nation.

But the magazine proved a step too far for the country’s censors, who this week banned it after just one issue, making it the first publication to have its license revoked since the end of military rule. Perhaps tame by western standards, Hnyo’s photo spreads of semi-clad women and columns espousing “bedroom secrets” and “the benefits of cuddling”-to the more cryptic “modern lies before marriage”have raised eyebrows in conservative Myanmar, earning it an adult-rating.

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Its editor brushes off accusations that the monthly publication is too risque for the country, or in any way as salacious as “Playboy” magazine as critics have claimed on Facebook. “This magazine is a combination of sex education and entertainment,” Ko Oo Swe told AFP in a recent interview, saying the red label on the front page warning it is for over 18s has stirred the unfavourable comparisons.

“Issues about sex remain hidden in Myanmar.

Our society is becoming more open but I think sex education is still weak,” he added.

After the ban was announced, Ko Oo Swe said he plans to appeal it. He hopes to boost his magazine’s social content with a greater focus on issues such as HIV prevention, prostitution and tackling violence against women.

“I am now trying to apply for a new licence as a health magazine,” he said. Hnyo-which translates as “enchant” or “hypnotise”-was the first magazine of its kind and proved very popular despite the relatively-expensive $3

cover price at bookstores and street stalls. Its debut followed the abolition in August of Myanmar’s stringent pre-publication censorship which had seen officials scrupulously flag photos or articles deemed distasteful to public morality, as well as stifling dissent.

But since censorship was scrapped, fashion and lifestyle magazines have started to push the boundaries with their content. Hnyo raised the stakes, so much so that some bookshops refused to stock the magazine, saying its aim is to titillate rather than educate. The Ministry of Information also sent a letter to the interim press council registering its unhappiness with the “unethical” lifestyle magazine. The ministry accused Hnyo of breaching its licence as a fashion publication by printing “sex-related articles and photos that are not appropriate for Myanmar’s culture”.

Hnyo’s young readers had hoped it could play a major role in raising awareness of sexu-

ally transmitted diseases and, in the longer term, shifting rigid social mores as Myanmar edges out of decades of isolation. “For those who are quite old-fashioned it (sex education) is a very shameful thing,” said Yoon Lae Khin, a 20-year-old student, who is also a volunteer for the Myanmar Medical Association (MMA).

“My mother understands there are things we need to know, but it is difficult to talk about sex in front of my father and siblings. So we need to get this awareness from magazines.”

Medical professionals have joined Hnyo’s corner, saying it is high time the country talked about sex. “Young people do not have enough knowledge so problems such as underage pregnancy, pregnancy before marriage and infection with HIV/AIDS and venereal disease occur,” said Khine Soe Win, a project officer for a youth development program with the MMA. “Old-fashioned people turn their noses up in disapproval” of sex education, he added, criticizing them for judging

the issue by the yardstick of “a culture they don’t understand”.

His comments were echoed by Ne Win, a doctor working for the United Nations Population Fund in Myanmar, who believes a modern, progressive media can fill the void left by the nation’s reluctance to promote sex education. “Our activities are not as strong as media coverage which can reach hundreds of readers in a short time,” Ne Win said. But the launch sparked a battle with those who see it as a threat to decency in hitherto modest Myanmar. Mg Mg Lwin, manager of Innwa Book Store-one of Yangon’s leading bookshops-refused to stock Hnyo despite fielding a barrage of enquiries, mainly from women, about its availability. “Even if someone gives me those magazines to sell at my shop, I will not accept them,” he said.—AFP

Iraq virtuoso to return to troubled homeland

former Iraqi soldier and prisoner who brought one of the world’s oldest stringed instruments back into the spotlight is set to end his exile and take his haunting songs back home. Naseer Shamma is something of a global ambassador for the oud-a pear-shaped, six-stringed wood instrument hailing from ancient Mesopotamia-but has not reaped the fruits of fame in his turmoil-hit homeland. Ten years since the fall of Saddam, however, Shamma has decided to return and end an exile borne out of oppression.

“We need to help, to do something important for Iraqi people and Iraqi culture,” the 49-year-old native of Kut said while on a visit to the Philippines for a concert.

Shamma first became entranced with the lute-like instrument when he was a child, later studying with oud master Munir Bashir and at the Baghdad Academy of Music in the late 1980s. He went on to gain fame across the Arab world as both musician and composer, shocking purists by daring to go beyond tradition to make the instrumentthe oldest recorded depiction of which is 5,000 years old-more contemporary, combining it with classical or jazz influences.

Ouds from Baghdad were once renowned for their quality and were exported all over the region, but war and unrest have taken their toll on both musicians and oud-makers. Conscripted into the army under Saddam’s regime, Shamma served as a soldier during the first US-led war on Iraq in 1991, after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

“There was no real fighting. You just saw missiles coming in and you could not do

anything. We never saw an enemy soldier,” he recalled. Shamma also was jailed for several months in 1993 over “politics,” he said, declining to elaborate.

He left Iraq and moved to Tunisia for five years where he taught music, and then to Egypt, establishing schools called the Arab Oud House to teach people how to play what he calls the “grandfather” of stringed instruments. His expertise extended to fol-

Iraqi musician Naseer Shamma gestures during an interview with AFP in Manila. —AFP lowing an ancient manuscript to build his own version of a 9th century eight-stringed oud. He also devised a one-handed method of playing the instrument, inspired by soldiers who lost limbs during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. “At first, it was impossible. But after three or four months of working, it finally happened,” he said. “If you have an

open mind, you can do what you want.”

OUT OF EXILE Even after the fall of Saddam in 2003, the Iraqi musician refused to go home and did not return to his native land until last year when he performed three concerts. “Life has changed completely, the people have changed too.” He said he feared cultural values were being eroded. “There is a new kind of people. They have power, they have money and life is confused,” he said. “I felt this is not my country, this is not my people.”

Almost since the moment the last US troops withdrew in December 2011, the country has been locked in a wave of disputes between political, ethnic and religious factions, with no significant laws passed since polls in March 2010.

Though levels of violence are down from their peak from 2005 to 2008, attacks remain common, particularly with Sunni militants targeting officials, security forces and Shiite Muslims in a bid to destabilize the government and push the country back towards sectarian war. But Shamma said he aimed to counter such emerging extremism with culture and art, spurred on by the fact that the Arab League has designated Baghdad as the “Arab Capital of Culture” in 2013. “There are thousands (of potential students) in Iraq. They contact me by Facebook and on the Internet. They ask me when I will be in Baghdad because they need to learn.

“At my last concert in Baghdad, I had very nice feeling with the audience,” he said.

“Now, I can say... there are good moments coming.”—AFP

Indian pilgrims carry dry wood on their heads to prepare food on the banks of the river Ganga in the Kumbh mela area in Allahabad. The Kumbh Mela, which is scheduled to take place in the northern Indian city in January and February 2013, is the world’s largest gathering of people for a religious purpose and millions of people gather for this auspicious occasion. —AFP

Millions head to Ganges for Kumbh Mela festival

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procession of around 100 million devotees, from naked sprinting gurus to worshippers completing simple rituals, will stream into the river Ganges next week for the world’s biggest festival. The Kumbh Mela in northern India, starting Monday and stretching over 55 days, attracts ash-covered holy men who run into the frigid waters, a smattering of international celebrities, as well as millions upon millions of ordinary Indians. Its name translates as the “Pitcher Festival” and every three years it provides a unique spectacle of color, noise and Hindu religious devotion, particularly on what are deemed to be the most auspicious bathing days.

Worshippers, who believe a dip in the holy waters cleanses them of their sins, have

already begun arriving in the host town of Allahabad and millions more are on their way, heading for makeshift accommodation and campsites.

“The biggest challenge for us is to ensure that we are able to provide an opportunity to each and every person to bathe on the auspicious days without any stampede,” Devesh Chaturvedi, a top Allahabad administrator said. The scale of the organization required for a festival that was marred by 45 deaths in a crush in 2003, when it was held in the western Indian town of Nasik, is staggering.

Allahabad, at the confluence of the rivers Yamuna and Ganges in northern Uttar Pradesh state, last hosted the festival in 2001 when an estimated 110 million pil-

grims passed through without incident.

Organizers are preparing to receive just as many people this time, with an average influx of around two million a day. A total of 12,000 police officers will be deployed, while organizers have set up 35,000 toilets, 14 medical centers, 22,000 street lights, 150 kilometers of temporary roads, 18 bridges, and new sewage facilities. “This is also the first time that we are using technology in our security operations,” added Chaturvedi.

“We have installed closed circuit cameras at strategic locations.” Nearly 7,000 buses and 750 trains are expected to ferry people to and from the main bathing area, where three giant “ghats” have been built enabling visitors to walk down steps into the sacred but heavily polluted water. —AFP