21 Aug 2013

CR IP TI ON BS SU

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

Archaeologists race to save Gaza ancient ruins

Wozniacki and Stephens cruise in New Haven

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SHAWWAL 14, 1434 AH

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‘No visit visas’ for Egyptians: Kuwait Egypt arrests Brotherhood’s spiritual leader

CAIRO: Vehicles drive on Tahrir Square after it has been partially reopened to traffic as tents of opponents to Egyptian deposed president Mohammed Morsi remain on the center island. (Inset) Photo shows Mohamed Badie the supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, following his arrest yesterday. — AFP

GCC blasts Hezbollah Jordan’s king warns of sectarian ‘destruction’ RIYADH: The Gulf Cooperation Council has criticized Lebanon’s Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah for threatening to send more fighters to neighboring Syria after a car bomb hit his Shiite party’s stronghold.

“At the same time that he calls for self restraint, he threatens the Syrians that his party will be more involved in fighting them,” GCC secretary general Abdullatif AlZayani said in a statement released late Monday.

“This is a flagrant meddling in their (Syrians’) internal affairs and an obvious violation of the Syrian sovereignty,” he said, describing Nasrallah’s speech of being “irresponsible”. “Nasrallah continues to boast about the participation of his militia in slaughtering children, women DAMASCUS: A handout image shows heavily damaged buildings Continued on Page 13 in Zamalka, a suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus. — AFP

Saudis beheaded RIYADH: Saudi Arabia yesterday beheaded by the sword two nationals convicted of murdering a Syrian and of armed robbery, the interior ministry said.

Ibrahim Al-Qanbar and Ahmed Al-Musalam were found guilty of attacking a labor camp and opening fire at residents, killing Mohammed Al-Shuja and wounding another person, the ministry said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency.

Qanbar was also charged with several acts of armed robbery, it said. The beheadings in the Qatif district, in Eastern Province, brings to 60 the number of people executed in Saudi Arabia this year, according to an AFP count. In 2012, the Gulf country executed 76 people, according to a tally based on official figures. Human Rights Watch has put the number at 69. Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under Saudi Arabia’s strict version of sharia, or Islamic law.

In another development, Saudi border guards killed a Yemeni man and wounded another yesterday when they opened fire on a group of Yemeni tribesmen who attacked construction workers building Saudi Arabia’s security fence on the border with Yemen, a tribal chief said. Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry, which is responsible for border security, denied that any clash had taken place on the border with Yemen.

Continued on Page 13

Max 48º Min 31º High Tide 00:07 & 11:29 Low Tide 05:42 & 18:37

KUWAIT: Interior Ministry sources said a decision to stop family and business visas for Egyptians has been finalized. Sources said the decision is due to the current situation in Egypt, in addition to the sit-ins that took place in front of the American Embassy in Bayan, and the Egyptian consulate in Rawdha. The sources added that the Ministry of Interior (MoI) did not set a date for resuming the issuance of visas for Egyptians, but it is expected as soon as the situation improves.

Meanwhile, Egypt’s army-backed authorities detained the Muslim Brotherhood’s leader yesterday, signaling their determination to crush the group and silence protests against the ousting of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi. The arrest of Mohamed Badie, 70, the Brotherhood’s general guide, followed the bloody suppression of rallies demanding the reinstatement of Egypt’s first freely elected president, who was toppled by the military last month. Egypt is enduring the worst internal strife in its modern history, with about 900 people killed, including 100 police and soldiers, after security forces broke up protest camps by Morsi’s supporters in the capital on Aug 14.

A spokesman for a pro-Brotherhood alliance put the death toll amongst its followers at about 1,400. The turmoil has alarmed the United States and the European Union, but Israel and some Gulf Arab states led by Saudi Arabia have pressed the West not to punish Cairo’s new rulers. Qatar, the only Gulf state seen as sympathetic to Morsi, sent another tanker of liquefied natural gas to energy-strapped Egypt this week despite the army takeover.

Badie was charged in July with incitement to murder in connection with protests before Morsi’s ouster and is due to stand trial on Aug 25 along with his two deputies. Footage shown on local media showed the bearded leader sitting grim-faced in a grey robe near a man with a rifle following his detention in Cairo in the early hours. The release of the images seemed designed to humiliate the Brotherhood chief, whose arrest means the group’s top echelon is now behind bars, with other leaders dropping out of sight.

Continued on Page 13

Israel behind Morsi ouster: Turkey PM ANKARA: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel yesterday of being behind the military-backed ouster of Egypt’s Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last month. “What do they say about Egypt: democracy is not the ballot box. Who is behind this? It’s Israel,” Erdogan, an outspoken critic of the Jewish state, told a meeting of his Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP). “We have the evidence,” he said, citing what he said were comments by an Israeli justice minister to a 2011 forum in France in which he allegedly said Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood would not be able to remain in power even if it won elections.

Musharraf charged with Benazir Bhutto’s murder

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But Erdogan’s accusation was furiously rejected by Egypt, which said it had “no basis in fact”. The claims also drew criticism from the US, with the White House describing the comments as “offensive and unsubstantiated and wrong”. Morsi was sworn in as Egypt’s first democratically elected leader in June 2012 but was overthrown by the military last month with popular backing.

Erdogan’s AKP, which had developed friendly ties with Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, has described his ousting as a “coup”. Turkey’s stance has infuriated Egypt’s military-backed interim government which last month voiced “strong resentment” at Erdogan’s pro-Morsi comments.

Yesterday, the office of Egypt’s new Prime Minister Hazem Al-Beblawi said Erdogan’s latest words “have no basis in fact and are not accepted by any sane or fair person”.

It said Erdogan’s comments were intended to “target Egyptian national unity” and warned that Cairo’s “patience was reaching breaking point”. Turkey has hardened its tone towards Egypt’s new rulers after last week’s bloody crackdown on Morsi supporters, recalling its ambassador to Cairo, prompting a tit-for-tat move

by Egypt. Daily demonstrations in support of Morsi have since taken place in Turkey and the two countries have cancelled joint naval exercises planned for October. — AFP

India anti-superstition campaigner shot dead

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Cornered Hamas looks back at Iran Palestinian group suffering cash shortage GAZA: Stunned by turmoil in neighboring Egypt and starved of funds, the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas is looking to repair damaged ties with its traditional Middle East allies, Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah party. An off-shoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas celebrated when the Sunni movement’s Mohamed Morsi was elected president of Egypt in 2012, believing the vote would boost its own international standing and its grip on the isolated Gaza Strip.

In the meantime, outraged by the bloody civil war in Syria, the Palestinian group quit its headquarters in Damascus, snapping the Iran-led “axis of resistance” that challenged Israel and the West across the turbulent region. Shiite Muslim Iran, which had for years supplied Hamas with cash and arms, was infuriated by what it saw as a betrayal of its close friend, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, and drastically scaled back its support.

Tehran’s Shiite partner, Hezbollah, also voiced its fierce disapproval.

But following the ousting of Morsi, removed by the Egyptian military on July 3, political sources said Hamas had had direct and indirect contacts with both Iran and Hezbollah-anxious to revitalize old alliances and restore its battered funding. “Some meetings have taken place ... to clear the air. There is no boycott (of Hamas) but at the same time, things have not yet got back to normal,” said a Palestinian official, with knowledge of discussions, who declined to be named.

Moussa Abu Marzouk, former deputy head of Hamas’s political office, saw Hezbollah and Iranian officials in Lebanon last month, with other meetings taking place subsequently. “It is in the interest of Hamas today to revise its rapport with Iran and Hezbollah for many reasons,” said Hani Habib, a political analyst based in the Gaza Strip. “At the end of the day, all the parties have an interest in this partnership.”

Locked in conflict with arch foe and neighbor Israel, which it refuses to recognize, Hamas has governed the

small, densely populated Gaza Strip since 2007 after a brief civil war against its secular rivals. With the Muslim Brotherhood in control of Egypt, Hamas felt it did not have to worry so much about its ties with Iran. Hamas’s leader in exile, Khaled Meshaal abandoned his longtime base in Damascus last year because of the civil war that pitted President Assad’s forces, backed by reinforcements sent by both Iran and Hezbollah, against mainly Sunni rebels.

Shiite and Sunni are the main streams of Islam. There are differences in their interpretations of the Koran and some traditions. The majority of the world’s Muslims are Sunni. One of the veteran leaders of Hamas, Mahmoud Al-Zahar, said there had never been a suspension of relations with Tehran and Hezbollah, suggesting that contacts may have slowed only because of the recent presidential election in Iran. “We do not yet know the nature of Iran’s new policy, but the information we have Continued on Page 13

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

LOCAL

Seven Saudi boats caught fishing in Kuwait waters

By A Saleh KUWAIT: Coastguards recently arrested fishermen from seven Saudi boats fishing shrimps in local waters. The fishermen and the boats were referred to relevant authorities. Notably, the coastguards have earlier caught Iranian fishermen in local waters for the same reasons.

Money laundering Ministr y of Commerce and Industr y recently authorized 16 of its employees to track and fight money laundering and financing terrorism. The employees are expected to undergo special training courses on methods of tracking illegal money, the correspondence of precious minerals, real estate, shareholding and insurance companies in addition to money exchangers and brokers to verify the identities of all clients.

Railway, metro routes Minister of Communications Issa AlKandari recently ordered the formation of a special committee to study the routes of the railway and metro project. The committee is headed by Me’jeb Al-Dousary, Ministry’s Assistant Undersecretary for Transportation Sector Affairs and will be entrusted with the job of reviewing suggested routes to ensure there are no obstacles.

PACI open The Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) announced that, in addition to its official morning working hours, its main offices would be open during evenings from 4:30 till 7:30 pm. PACI’s Assistant Director, Musaed AlAsoussi said that this step was taken to help facilitate more transactions. He added that many new IDs were left uncollected and were

blocking the machines. Al-Asoussi also urged citizens to utilize PACI services available in various citizen service centers all over Kuwait and that check the location of these centers on PACI’s official website: www.paci.gov.kw.

Marine exploration Yemen recently announced that after competing with 18 foreign petroleum companies, Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC) won 20 franchises to explore oil in Yemen. Yemeni Oil Minister, Ahmed Abdullah Deras said that 45 international firms had applied for the tender and that only 18 of them, including KUFPEC, HUNT(US), DNO (Norway), Circle Oil (Ireland), Pakistan Oil Fields and Dana Gas (UAE), had qualified for the tender.

Haifi appointment Sheikh Mohammed Al-Abdullah, Health Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, cancelled the decision made by his predecessor on appointing heads of pharmaceutical sections which had angered lawmakers then. The minister’s decision followed filing complaints by over 40 pharmacists. The minister also ordered the formation of a specialized committee to investigate the matter and recommend nominees who deserved the posts.

Bedoon teachers MP Askar Al-Enezi said that bedoon teachers should be treated the same way as Kuwaitis or expats in terms of summer vacations, wages, end-of-service bonus and various kinds of leaves, including maternity for female teachers.

Consumer protection Anas Al-Saleh, Minister of Commerce

and Industry, recently approved reshuffling the heads of commercial control and consumer protections departments all over Kuwait. Al-Saleh justified his decision by saying that it wa s n e c e s s a r y t o f i g h t bureaucracy and develop these departments’ performance.

Unified GCC Tourist Visa Khalil Bin Abdullah Al-Khanji, Chairman of GCC Chambers Union, said that a recommendation had been made regarding the approval of a unified GCC tourist visa

by GCC leaders on their summit. He added that this step was very vital towards unifying passpor t measures, custom inspection, transit services, handling, loading and unloading. “These measures can help achieve economic unity in GCC among member states”, he underlined.

Bedoon military MP Sultan Alleghaisam Al-Shemmari, member of the Parliamentary Interior and Defense Affairs Committee, said that he would file a proposal demanding granting citizenship to bedoon military personnel who had taken part and those who were martyred in various wars.

Legislative committee The parliamentary legislative committee is due to hold its second meeting next Sunday to discuss priorities before officially submitting them to the parliament.

Multi-floor parking Kuwait municipality recently signed a co n t r a c t w i t h A l - E n m a a R e a l E s t a te Co to design, build and maintain a multi-floor parking behind the Dasman complex wor th KD 5 million.

DESERT VIEW: In this file photo, the ‘ship of the desert’ and Kuwaiti folk are seen chilling away from the hustle and bustle of the city life. —Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Financial committee agrees on priorities KUWAIT: The parliament’s financial and economic committee agreed on a list of 10 topics to be promoted as priorities based on request of Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim who instructed panels to prepare topics required to be given priority during discussions when sessions resume on Oct 29.

MP Faisal Al-Kandari said following the committee’s meeting Monday that the list includes proposed amendments on the state properties law, the public tenders law and the law to privatize Kuwait Airways.

Meanwhile, MP Mubarak Al-Hurais, President of Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee announced that the panel is set to hold a meeting next Sunday in order to agree on a list of priorities which according to him are expected to include amendments to the law to establish an anti-corruption authority.

In the meantime, MP Khalil Al-Saleh

urged the government to “create a suitable environment for privatizing KAC” by releasing the executive list for the carrier’s privatization law which was passed by the scrapped parliament.

“What is most perplexing about the issue is that the government seems to put laws aside right after approving them”, AlSaleh told Al-Rai daily. “If the government is not convinced with [KAC’s] privatization, then they should announce that publically and mention the reasons that only they can provide”, he added.

Separately, MP Dr Abdullah Al-Turaiji hinted that MPs plan to take a “firm stance” against Social Affairs and Labor Minister Thekra Al-Rashidi over allegations of ‘forcing’ ministry employees to retire after reaching the retirement age despite the fact that retiring from a government post after 30 years of service is optional.

New steps for smooth traffic flow KUWAIT: The traffic department at the Ministry of Interior is quite ready to handle the onset of major traffic tie-ups due to the start of the new school year, said Maj Gen Abdulfatah Al-Ali, Assistant Undersecretary for traffic affairs at the Ministry, at a press conference yesterday.

He stressed that the department has made allowances to marshal the traffic with great capability at school sights which usually every school year present the largest challenge to department resources.

Regarding car accidents over the period from last April through July, he said they numbered about 30,000, causing 111 deaths, adding that upwards of 428,000

KUWAIT: A campaign lead by Brig Ghuloum Habib, Director of Hawally Security, along with assistant Col Abdallh Al-Ajmi and Salmiya police station Chief Col Fuad Al-Ghareeb resulted in the arrest of 120 law violators, including several iqama and vice-related offenses.

Kuwait explores viability of extracting shale gas KUWAIT: Kuwait has announced it is conducting studies into the viability of extracting shale gas from recently identified reserves, although any commercial operation will likely be many years off. Despite its extensive natural gas reserves estimated to be around 1.8trn cu metres Kuwait is a net importer of the hydrocarbon. This is due in part to growing demand for electricity, which rises by about 6-8% each year, according to the Ministry of Electricity and Water. Planned industrial expansion, including in the gas-hungry downstream petrochemicals sector, will add to the draw upon resources, Global Arab Network reports according to OBG. A report prepared by online sectoral publisher Oilprice.com in mid-April said Kuwait’s shale gas potential had only recently come into focus, due to the past concentration on conventional oil reserves. Although the report noted that data on the extent of the shale gas reserves were limited at best, it cited geologists as saying initial studies indicated substantial resources both onand off-shore.

In March 2013, Sami Al Rushaid, chairman and managing director of the state-owned Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), announced that the firm had identified a commercially viable shale gas deposit. KOC will soon be moving to develop the resource, Al Rushaid told a conference in Bahrain on March 10, but he did not give details as to the extent of the field, or when development work would begin.

Al Rushaid’s comments were further reinforced by remarks made by a senior Kuwaiti oil

official in April to news agency Reuters. The official indicated that proposals to extract shale gas from fields in the north of the country were being reviewed. The extraction process will likely be difficult due to the complexity of the reservoir, but the use of advanced technology could allow daily production of 4.25m-5.6m cu metres of gas.

If the production level referred to in the Reuters article can be achieved, it could eliminate the need to import gas to feed Kuwait’s electricity sector. By converting more of its power plants to gas, and using domestically sourced product, the country could free up much of the 300,000 barrels of oil per day it uses to fire its power plants. This could, in turn, generate around $11bn in new revenue at current prices, as well as potentially prolonging the life of the oilfields.

To unlock this potential, and the reserves of shale gas, Kuwait would likely have to partner with foreign operators. The country does not have the experience or the technology to develop its shale gas fields, independent energy analyst Kamil Al Harami told Bloomberg news agency in March. Kuwait will also have to set a time table for its unconventional gas programme and keep to it if it wants to benefit from its resources, Al Harami said.

“If the Kuwaitis don’t specify a deadline for the project and don’t seek help from international companies, then their plans to develop the shale and sour gas deposits are just daydreams,” he said.

‘Labor’ inspections to continue

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

While the plans to develop Kuwait’s shale gas deposits hold promise for the economy, there is also a potential downside, as there are concerns over the technology required to tap these reserves. Most shale gas is extracted by hydraulic fracking, which involves pumping large amounts of water, combined with sand and at times explosives, underground at high pressure. Although effective, the process can damage underground aquifers, putting domestic water supplies at risk, a very real concern for country with limited water resources, such as Kuwait. If salt water were used in the process, the potential for contamination of aquifers would be high, while using fresh water, possibly generated from desalination plants, could make extraction financially unviable.

Newer technology, such as using gelled propane instead of water, or nitrogen foam mixed with the fracking fluid, is being tested and could reduce the amount of water required for the process, but it will likely be some time before such options are available, if proven successful and environmentally safe.

Kuwait has time to weigh its options, and many of its conventional gas fields have yet to be fully developed. In the meantime, Kuwait can afford to wait until shale gas extraction and processing technology becomes cheaper, as economies of scale bring down the price. This will also allow time for the country to more accurately assess reserves and plan how best to use the new resource.

—Oxford Business Group

traffic infractions were registered during the period in question.

Cars cited for bad safety records, he said, numbered about 6000, noting that the department of traffic was vehemently in pursuit of drivers who drive unsafe old cars that should be taken off the road.

He said the department has so far impounded about 11,000 cars and trucks, whose owners need to pay fines on and in the chance they do not, their vehicles will be publicly auctioned off. He behooved all drivers to abide by traffic laws, noting that the department currently detains 2,127 traffic violators with substantial violations against them. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Social Affairs and Labor Ministry Assistant Undersecretary for Labor Affairs Jamal Al-Dousary said the joint committee will continue its inspections to make sure that labor registered with companies actually work for them.

He said the committee inspected several companies in Jahra where they discovered domestic help working for others and roaming workers and arrested more than 30 of them.

The workers were sent to the immigration department to take legal action against them. Some “closed” companies were still found functioning.

Al-Dousary asked private residence owners to close grocery stores and shops to avoid legal hassles. He said the ministry will take strict measures with regard to any absconding reports, including enough time to make sure the report is correct, and the reporting company must display a copy of the report in an accessible place after which the papers will be sent to CID.

KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait announced presenting financial contributions to the Kuwait Society for the Blind, which is a compilation of donations given out for each ATM transaction during the holy month of Ramadan. The picture shows Acting Chairman of the Kuwait Society for the Blind, Saleh Al-Quraini (second from right) receiving a check from CBK Banking Services Manager Paul Dawood. Kuwait Society for the Blind Board Member Adel Al-Khalifa and CBK Assistant Manager Public Relations and Advertisement Department Amani Al-Wara’a are also pictured.

India bans duty-free import of TVs from Gulf

KUWAIT: This is where the most heated political debates take place - at the diwaniya setting. —Photo by Joseph Shagra

KUWAIT: The plunge in the Indian rupee was, so far, good news for expat Indians, but it has now started taking its toll.

Non-resident Indians (NRIs) and those on a holiday to the Gulf or anywhere else in the world will no longer be able to carry a duty-free flat panel TV with them back home from next week, with the Indian government imposing a punishing 35 per cent duty on such imports besides other charges.

The sagging rupee has plunged to a fresh lifetime low, under the Rs17-level against the UAE dirham and below the Rs63-mark against the US. Using the declining rupee as a pretext, Indian government yesterday gave in to the long-standing demand of local TV retailers and banned duty-free import of flat-screen televi-

sion sets by air travellers.

According to Indian government estimates, more than 1 million TV sets were brought into the country last year, with Dubai, Bangkok and Singapore as the primary sources. Earlier, NRIs and other airline passengers could carry one piece of flat TV (plasma/LED/LCD) for personal use, worth up to Rs35,000 as part of their baggage allowance, without incurring any customs duty on the same.

However, from next Monday, that will no longer be the case as India has issued a moratorium on the scheme, citing the declining Indian rupee. As per the new rules announced yesterday, passengers will have to pay a 35 per cent duty and other charges, officials said.

As Emirates24|7 reported in June this year, electronics retailers in India have long been

complaining about duty-free TV imports from the UAE and other countries as such imports offer major price discounts compared to retail prices in India.

According to reports in the Indian media, Samsung India had been one of the most vocal critics of the free TV allowance policy, with R Zutshi, past president of industr y body Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA) and deputy managing director, Samsung India, estimating that parallel imports of flat panel TVs accounted for between 10 and 15 per cent of the market in India.

According to him, the flat-panel TV market was as big as 3.7 million units in 2012, and is estimated to grow to over 5 million units in 2013.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

LOCAL

KUWAIT: Scenes from one of the slaughterhouses in Kuwait. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

Popularity of halal meat increasing world-wide Blood flow prevents bacteria

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: In Kuwait and most Arab countries, we find all the meat available in the market is slaughtered according to Islamic sharia laws.

Studies have shown that halal slaughter protects consumers from many diseases which are not possible with the conventional methods used in other countries. This has increased the popularity of the product even among non-Muslims and its consumers have grown rapidly on an annual basis.

‘Dhabiha’ meat or what is commonly called halal meat, is the meat derived after slaughtering the animal in accordance with Islam. But halal and dhabiha can also be two different things. For instance, if a pig is slaughtered the dhabiha way, it is still not

considered halal but a halal animal can be dhabiha or non-dhabiha. So, the meat has to be a halal animal and preferably dhabiha, unless there’s no choice.

In dhabiha, the animal’s main arteries in the neck are cut swiftly with a sharp knife, without cutting the spinal cord and the animal is left to die while its heart pumps out almost all the blood from the body. Muslims are very particular about halal meat and if they cannot find halal meat, they usually eat eggs or fish for protein but don’t eat nondhabiha meat.

Strangely enough, even Muslims who do not respect Islamic restrictions regarding prohibition of alcohol hardly ever opt for non-dhabiha meat. Muslims also take the name of God while cutting the animal, which

More Egyptians to be deported?

KUWAIT: The Interior Ministry summoned more Egyptian nationals for questioning for demonstrating at recent protests in front of the Egyptian Consulate and American Embassy buildings. They face deportation if they are convicted.

Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khalid AlSabah gave orders earlier this week to deport nine Egyptians after evidence indicated that they took part in two demonstrations last week. Meanwhile, security sources revealed that similar evidence was also found against seven other Egyptian nationals “whose names will be referred to the Interior Minister to take necessary action”.

Speaking to Al-Rai, sources said that nearly a hundred people have been sum-

moned since the demonstrations were organized, adding that many have been released over lack of evidence or after they explained that they were present at the location either accidentally or on other work. “Deportation is only handed to those with evidence proving that they took part in the demonstrations, in addition to personal statements that they participated in illegal rallies”, the sources explained.

Foreigners in Kuwait are banned from organizing or taking part in demonstrations, and violators are automatically deported and blacklisted on the basis of threatening national security. The source explained that a violator is usually given a week’s notice to leave the country with his family.

in fact, they do before they do anything.

Dr Iyad Al-Shara at Sabah Hospital explained the advantage of halal slaughter.

“When an animal has its veins in the neck cut, it will lose consciousness immediately. If someone was strangled, he would suffer extreme dizziness and lack of concentration because it is difficult for the blood to reach the brain, and if the duration of strangling was longer, he will lose sensation and faint.

So cutting the veins in the front part of the neck and letting the blood flow outside its body leads to unconsciousness and the animal does not feel any pain immediately after having its neck cut,” he told the Kuwait Times.

Halal slaughtering lets the blood flow out of the body. “Blood is one of the most fertile

environments where germs grow and it also carries substances which are harmful to humans. So if the blood remained in the meat directly after the death of the animal, it will be a fertile environment for germs, in addition to the harmful substances that are present in it,” he further said.

He compared the other ways of slaughtering animals with halal slaughtering. “For instance, in many European countries, the animal is struck on the head to make it faint.

When it is slaughtered soon after, it can have dangerous ramifications on humans. This is because the animal dies slowly when it is hit and this causes the membrane that lines the large intestines to lose its ability to retain the bacteria which is present there. The bacteria penetrates the body of the animal, finds the

blood and swims in it while interacting with it until it spreads throughout the entire body of the animal. The safest way of eating meat which is free of blood and bacteria is by getting rid of the blood by letting it flow out,” explained Dr Al-Shara.

Red meat is harmful to health for many reasons. “For this reason fish and chicken have become more popular these days. Halal meat is always of a light color since it allows for the draining of most of the blood, even from the tiny veins present inside the meat contributing to the red pigmentation. This makes halal meat safe to eat than the meat of the same animal killed by Captive Bolt Stunning (CBS) which includes electrical stunning, gas stunning and percussive stunning, widely used today,” he said.

Awqaf ministry suspends controversial cleric KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti cleric was suspended from preaching in local mosques over accusations of instigating hatred and promoting Al-Qaedalinked rebels, a week after the state television canceled a show hosted by him.

According to a Ministr y of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs official who was quoted anonymously by Al-Qabas yesterday, the decision to suspend Dr Shafi Al-Ajmi was a result of his “comments on the situations in several Arab nations posted on social networks”, and as part of the ministry’s efforts to “protect worship places from being used to instigate sectarianism”.

Al-Ajmi took on Twitter following the ministry’s decision to argue that his suspension gives him an opportunity to ‘sharpen [his] tools’. Al-Ajmi’s name became well-known

after he reportedly promoted jihad during a rally held in Kuwait to support Syrian rebels, and encouraged killing on sectarian basis. He later fueled more controversy when he described a multi-billion grant that Kuwait and other Gulf nations gave Egypt following the ouster of former president Mohammed Morsi, as being an “aid to oppression” and “directed towards shedding Muslims’ blood”.

Al-Rai reported meanwhile that Al-Ajmi was summoned by the State Security Service for investigation before the decision was made to suspend him till further notice. The report does not mention however whether Al-Ajmi faces charges for the time being or whether legal action will be taken in the future.

Last week, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Adel Al-Falah

announced that the ministry “will not allow imams to use mosques illegally or in a way that threatens national security”, referring to regulations that completely ban political and sectarian discussion inside worship places in Kuwait.

Information Minister Sheikh Salman AlHmoud Al-Sabah had announced last Tuesday that a TV show for Shafi Al-Ajmi which premiered a day earlier on Kuwait TV had been cancelled, and that an investigation was on to determine who was responsible for putting the controversial cleric on air.

An Associated Press report last week linked Al-Ajmi to “raising funds for Syrian rebel groups including Al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat AlNusra, which is fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad”.

Parliament keen on improvements, many wheels in motion KUWAIT: Many initiatives are currently in progress at the parliament’s information, development, and training sector and many changes have been introduced and more are expected to better serve the institution as it seeks to serve and meet citizens’ needs, Assistant Secretary General for the sector Sulaiman Ahmad Al-Subaiei said yesterday.

The official said that current initiatives include a recently announced poll on citizens’ interest to address them through the priorities parliament sets for its sessions.

Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim had recently said, the poll “will be the first in parliamentary life in Kuwait and we will organize it at the beginning of every term.”

The technical aspects are being worked out and the proposals would be forwarded to Speaker Al-Ghanim, following which the details would be announced, Al-Subaiei said.

Another initiative was the revamp of the parliament website and its content. The biggest change was the addition of the national archive with all documents and information on parliament activities and issues. The new website was launched by Secretary General Allam Al-Kanderi last month.

“This latest addition involved the conversion of paper documents to digital formats, a project supervised by the documentation and information department director Khalid Al-Mutairi since 2008...

“Access to all parliament documents is now possible, and there is the option of seeking help in this regard through designated extension (4000),” he said. The official stressed there is no legal constraint in this regard, adding right of access is established in all civilized nations along the lines of transparency. “We at the sector continue to work to provide best service to all members and officials at the secretariat,” he pointed out.

Moving on to another improvement, Al-Subaiei pointed out Abdullah Al-Salem hall was re-furbished with new devices and applications to help them during sessions and debates. Individual monitors were also changed for new interactive ones, he said.

Expressing pride, the official noted the majority of these changes were made through the effort of parliament’s own staff, and more is still to come, including smartphone applications, for example. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Dr Nayef Al-Hajraf, Minister of Education and Higher Education, yesterday toured and inspected a number of public schools within the capital educational zone jurisdiction to check preparations for the upcoming school year. The minister was escorted by top MoE officials.

25,000 sick leaves after Eid, 96,000 taken in Ramadan KUWAIT: More than 25,000 sick leaves were taken by public sector employees during the four days that followed the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, a local daily reported yesterday. Another report yesterday revealed that more than 96,000 sick leaves were issued during Ramadan.

Al-Watan daily quoted Civil Service Commission statistics yesterday that 25,048 sick leaves were issued between August 12-15, taken by 12,372 employees which cost the state KD 500,960 in total. The statics further

show that 18,188 leave days were taken by 8,918 female employees compared to 6,860 taken by 3,454 male employees. On Monday, Al-Qabas daily reported quoting similar statistics that 96,116 sick leaves were issued to 42,231 public sector employees (13,538 male and 28,693 female) between July 7 and August 5, 2013, with a total of 131,673 days, costing the state a total of KD 2,633,460. The government has tried in recent years to control the issuance of sick leaves in

the public sector where more than 435,000 people work.

The efforts include connecting the CSC with state departments and medical facilities through a database that tracks an employee’s sick leave record for easy reference.

Despite assurances that the system has been able to control the issue, allegations continue about sick leaves taken illegally, especially since the system cannot identify when an employee might get a sick leave form signed

unscrupulously by a doctor.

According to the most recent statistics, the Health Ministr y saw the largest number of sick leaves issued during Ramadan with 17,438 (22,762 days worth KD 455,240), followed by the Interior Ministr y with 12,875 (18,750 days worth KD 374,100), and the Education Ministry with 11,067 (15,809 days wor th KD 316,180).

Incidentally, the Public Authority for Housing Welfare and Public Authority of Civil Information each recorded the

lowest sick leaves with just two.

Meanwhile, statistics show that the Health Ministr y also recorded the largest number of sick leaves after the Eid holiday with 4,334 days (worth KD 86,680), followed as well by the Interior Ministr y with 4,011 days (worth KD 80,220) and the Education Ministry also with 3,076 days (worth KD 61,520). Public Authority for Housing Welfare and Public Authority of Civil Information each recorded the lowest sick leaves with just a day off.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

LOCAL kuwait digest

kuwait digest

Islamic mathematics?

Egypt needs more Arab world support

By Waleed Al-Rujaib

W

e remember that during the reign of the late King Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomed the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood groups who were being harassed in Egypt, and were handed the responsibility of education in the Kingdom. They, taught Saudi students the teachings and ideology of Sayyed Qutb, then they proposed the establishment of ‘religious institutes’ across the Kingdom. To encourage people to enroll their children in those institutions, money was paid to each parent for each son he sent as an incentive to register as many of their children as possible, and because many of Najd region and other areas did not have fixed incomes, other than what they pro-

All these memories came flooding back to me when I read a news item which was published on Aug 17 that reported that the Education Ministry intends to include Quranic verses and hadiths in mathematics curricula for elementary classes! I did not believe what I read. I mean, what do you mean mathematics? That abstract and developing science?

I attempted to find a scientific or educational justification behind this move, but I only found the phrase “in order to strengthen the Islamic teachings and values and instill them in students.” duced in their farms (and there were no pensions), many of the Saudi children went to those institutes where they studied the extremist ideology.

I remember in the sixties, we were taught religion by teachers from Azhar, and in fact, some of them taught Islamic education and Arabic and we studied the principles of Sharia, learnt Quranic verses by heart, studied the Sunna and I will not forget a smiling teacher who made us really like Islam. I remember that I once argued with him about a saying of the Prophet (PBUH).

He took me to the teachers’ room and called the fatwa department in Awqaf Ministry and asked about the ‘hadith’, and he clarified my misgivings. I still owe this teacher for correcting my qualms and we remained friends long after I left school as he opened my mind towards Islam’s forgiveness, shariah, and fiqh which calls for open-minded arguments.

All these memories came flooding back to me when I read a news item which was published on Aug 17 that reported that the Education Ministry intends to include Quranic verses and hadiths in mathematics curricula for elementary classes! I did not believe what I read. I mean, what do you mean mathematics? That abstract and developing science? I attempted to find a scientific or educational justification behind this move, but I only found the phrase “in order to strengthen the Islamic teachings and values and instill them in students.” During our study in the past, some Arabic grammar books included some verses of the Quran, because the holy Quran is the main source of classic Arabic, and without it, Arabic would have changed a lot like other living languages.

I find it strange to hear them say that Islamic groups do not have any influence on education curricula, as all subjects include Quranic verses and hadiths, and only science and physical education is left. Now mathematics will include holy Quran verses and hadiths, and we also wonder how physical education can include some Quranic verses and hadiths if it was approved.

We, in Kuwait, have historically followed a centrist and forgiving Islam which is open and we are proud of this. We proudly remember Kuwaiti scholars who taught us the correct religious principles, and when these teachings are taken out of context, we produce extreme youth who do not believe in dialogue and do not recognize others opinions. —Al-Rai

kuwait digest

Syriana, a movie worth watching

By Dajed Al-Abdali

S

yriana is a movie that neither brings anything new nor reveals any secrets, but watching it is worth it to remind the audience that things happening are not arbitrary because ‘everything is co-related’.

Syriana, an old movie starring George Clooney and Matt Damon was directed by Stephen Gaghan. I had watched this movie years ago and recently chanced upon it by accident, which reminded me of its plot which is still fresh in my memory as if it was narrating what we are going through nowadays. The film shows nothing new but it seems to be piecing the reality of our life, in case we have forgotten!

The movie is about political incidents in the Middle East where an oil-rich GCC Emirate witnesses a conflict between two sons of a very old prince; one of the sons is well-educated and holds a PhD. He wishes to carry out some political and economical reforms and grants more freedom to his people. On the other hand, the other son leads a luxurious life, enjoys his wealth, various pleasures and corruption. However, keeping their own interests in mind, American oil companies strongly support the second son and bring him to power. Though it’s nothing new, the movie’s screenplay was brilliantly built on several parallel storylines, simultaneously developing throughout the movie, revolving around the main theme of the two brothers’ conflict over power. One of the storylines focuses on violating the human rights of labor working in the Emirate, which forced some of them into extremism, developing hatred for the regime and for American oil companies.

Another storyline focuses on CIA’s plot to assassinate the reformist son of the Amir by one of its Middle East agents (George Clooney), who is exposed and arrested and tortured in Beirut and CIA denies his existence and removes all related documents to deny involvement. A third storyline revolves around the economic analyst (Matt Damon) appointed as advisor for the reformist son and his amazement over how the Emirate’s government spends crazily and lavishly using up its oil reserves without planning for the future. He eventually discovers that it is happening because the Emirate’s government does not realize this and gigantic oil companies are the ones encouraging this approach. The three storylines brilliantly meet at the climax to emphasize the motto “Everything co-relates” which the movie producers used in their publicity and promotion campaign, which makes the movie worth watching. —Al-Jarida

By Dr Shamlan Al-Essa

W

From Al-Sahid

kuwait digest

A man of true Islamic values

By Dr Hamad Al-Asidan

I

t is never easy for anyone to leave a life of luxuries behind and leap into struggles that threaten their very existence, unless they are motivated by a great goal to take such a risky step.

In Kuwait, there was a man who enjoyed a life which gave him many opportunities. He traveled to study in Europe and the United States, and returned as a doctor with high qualifications. But instead of opening a clinic and reaping the rewards of his struggles during his time abroad, the man took his knowledge and religious values learned in his Islamic, conservative society and went seeking further struggle by practicing a form of jihad (struggle) that is not well-known in this world; a jihad in the name of God without carrying a single weapon.

He understood the true message of humans in this life, and embarked on a mission to focus his activities on helping fellow human beings in need. He went to Africa which is affected by poverty and illness, and used his knowledge and experience to help people facing the most extreme humanitarian conditions.

His efforts impressed Muslims and non-Muslims around the world, and made him an ideal Muslim role model. Many countries could not parallel this one man’s contributions and his personality reflected noble goals and messages that struggle in the name of God (jihad).

This man is a Kuwaiti doctor and philanthropist, Abdurrahman Al-Sumait, who passed away last Thursday at 66 years of age; half of which he spent struggling in African jungles, carrying food and medicine to people who were left

behind by modern civilization. His humaneness motivated him to dedicate his knowledge and wealth to support men, women and children in Africa, until he achieved in 29 years more than what Muslim nations combined accomplished through humanitarian work and Dawa (Islamic preaching) during the same period.

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said in a hadith ‘Guiding a human being to God’s path (Islam) is worth more to God than great wealth’. Not only did Al-Sumait do this, but he was also the reason behind more than 11 million Africans embracing Islam, more than 4,500 mosques across the continent, and 200 centers to teach and train imams. Before that, he established charitable committees specialized in Africa including the ‘Muslims of Africa Committee’ which is credited for saving more than 320,000 Muslims from famine and death in Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, Kenya and Mozambique.

All the risks of working in the African jungles - including multiple assassination attempts by gangs whose crimes were affected by his humanitarian work - did not stop Al-Sumait from continuing his noble mission. And since it takes books to list all of his accolades, I conclude by pointing out that before he departed our world, Al-Sumait left behind a legacy that no other man, regardless of his qualities and capabilities can easily match. It is only fitting that he gets to meet his Creator with a record filled with charity and good work, after people of different beliefs and ideologies come together to pay him a rich tribute. —Al-Rai

hat does the Muslim Brotherhood want by resorting to violence and destruction after the attempt to remove innocent people from public squares? The Brotherhood declared openly that they seek the return of President Mohammad Morsi and cancel all the measures that were taken by the interim authorities.

The storming of the squares was expected because the Brotherhood failed all peaceful attempts to resolve the disputes starting with the call for early elections. They also rejected domestic mediations led by Al-Azhar Shaikh and turned down all Arab and international mediation calling for peaceful solutions. Egyptians were patient and did not interfere from the beginning, but the Brotherhood went too far and attempted to create an atmosphere of chaos by bringing in women and children and peaceful people to the squares. Can the authorities avoid resorting to force to put an end to the Brotherhood’s sit-in and force them to reach political solutions accepted by all?

The Muslim Brotherhood was counting on having the Interior Ministry and military killing the largest number of women and children during the storming so that chaos engulfs Egypt, but officials were aware of the Brotherhood’s plans and the squares and roads were evacuated quickly. But still the Brotherhood and its partisan members created chaos in various areas, burned churches, and terrorized peaceful Christians.

It is too early to comment on what the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt means because events are moving too fast after the declaration of emergency and resignation of VicePresident Al-Baradei. The fall of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt will be the issue of the hour in the Arab world for several months and perhaps more.

The fall of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt means the start of the fall of political Islam powers in the Arab World. Events in Egypt will definitely influence Syria, Lebanon, Tunis, Libya, and the Gulf. It will affect the Turkish influence for sure, as it was counting on the increased influence of the Muslim Brotherhood.

One thing for sure is that the existence of an extreme partisan Islamic government in a large country with various cultures and religions like Egypt makes it impossible to accept an extreme religious rule because it is an exclusive Islamic party.

When the Egyptian people revolted on January 25, they demanded a civil, democratic and plural government, but the Muslim Brotherhood’s monopoly of the revolution, their single hold on the government, distancing others, rejecting compromises and attempting to interfere in the judiciary confirmed what we always said that Islamic parties are not qualified to rule in any country. Injecting religion in politics alienates people and creates strife in the society and the evidence of that is the burning of churches and terrorizing Christians in Egypt by the Brotherhood.

What we want to stress is that Egypt must return as a strong civil country that concentrates on economic advancement and cares for Egyptians’ interests - and this cannot be achieved without political stability and more job opportunities for the Egyptian youth. The Muslim Brotherhood dealt tourism a blow with their closed policy. All Arabs are asked to support their brothers in Egypt so that Egypt and the Arab world stabilize as there will not be stability in the Arab world without a civil and constitutional state in Egypt. —Al-Watan

letters to Muna

Victims of a great injustice Dear Muna Alfuzai, I am an avid reader and follower of your articles in the Kuwait Times. Your article about US supporting Muslim Brotherhood surprised me because you completely neglected to mention that Morsi was elected by the people.

The world cannot simply ignore the fact he was chosen by the people. I have a dear friend, an Egyptian lawyer, who told me the actions of the army in removing Morsi were justified because the people did not realize what they were doing when they elected Morsi. His comment was shocking to me. In other words the elite should tell the common person what is best. What is this world coming to?

An American reader Dear Ms Alfuzai, You are a woman concerned with justice in Kuwait and in the world, and you have a medium for your voice to be heard. We are the victims of a great injustice, and you are in a unique position to help us. Please use your voice to help our voice be heard. Twenty years ago, four of my children with my former Kuwaiti husband were recorded as nonKuwaiti by a clerk at the Ministry of Interior when their Kuwaiti father applied for their Civil IDs. The children (whose American birth certificates were authenticated with the Ministry of Interior before they were issued Civil IDs) were entered into their father’s social and employment file, allowing him to collect a social allowance on them, but they were (wrongly and illegally) listed as “non-Kuwaiti.” Their father continued to collect the allowance while they were college students, while being recorded as “non-Kuwaiti “which left them unable to access free education at Kuwait University and ineligible to apply for Ministry of Education scholarships. They were denied their rights while their father took his. For their entire lives, my children have paid for this mistake by the Ministry of Interior and their father’s lack of interest in correcting it. We just read that 4,000 more bedoons have been granted citizenship, but my children are still shut out. This isn’t right or fair. My son Faisal has been homeless in Kuwait for many months while he struggles to deal with lawyers and committees. It is time to correct this injustice - two decades is far too long for an administrative mistake to go uncorrected. They have all the necessary paperwork, including DNA tests, but still, nothing changes. Everybody says “this is wrong, they are Kuwaitis,” but nobody does anything to help. Nobody really cares.

Please use your voice to help their voice be heard in their own country. My son has been unable to work because he has no iqama and no jensiyya. We have all suffered greatly because of this problem. We have been trying for two decades to correct it but we lack power and influence. We have zero wasta, and that hurts us.

We can provide you with the necessary documents to prove that the Embassy of Kuwait in Washington issued them Kuwaiti travel documents and supported the family during the Gulf War, just like they did to all Kuwaiti families in exile, but once we got to Kuwait, progress on jensiyya stopped because their father refused to help. He wanted to keep all of the rights and benefits of Kuwait citizenship for himself. Please, help us be heard.

Sincerely, Christine Salaam Muna, This is with regard to the current shootings of 30 dogs in Kuwait. I heard that these shootings will continue

throughout Kuwait and they are gathering a team of people to help them shoot other dogs in residential areas. As a mum and dog owner, I do not feel safe having my child or dog outdoors now as there are men shooting innocent dogs and may also shoot others.

I don’t think that God has taught us to kill innocent animals; we should instead have a system in place to help safely remove homeless dogs out of the streets and into a safe haven such as PAWS or K’s PATH, all very well-reputed shelters in Kuwait, and not resort to shooting or poisoning.

As a Kuwaiti and a Muslim, I know that in Islam, mistreating an animal is considered a sin. The Quran and guidance from the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), as recorded in hadith, give many examples and directives about how Muslims should treat animals.

The Quran describes that animals form communities, just as humans do: “There is not an animal that lives on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but they form communities like you. Nothing have we omitted from the Book, and they all shall be gathered to their Lord in the end” (Quran 6:38).

The Quran further describes animals, and all living things, as Muslim - in the sense that they live in the way that Allah the Almighty created them to live, and obey Allah the Almighty’s laws in the natural world. Although animals do not have free will, they follow their natural, God-given instincts - and in that sense they “submit to God’s will,” which is Islam. “Seest thou not that it is Allah the Almighty Whose praise all beings in the heavens and on earth do celebrate, and the birds (of the air) with wings outspread? Each one knows its own (mode of ) prayer and praise, and Allah the Almighty knows well all that they do.”

(Quran 24:41) These verses remind us that animals are living creatures with feelings and connections to the larger spiritual and physical world. We must consider their lives as worthwhile and cherished. “And the earth, He has assigned it to all living creatures” (Quran 55:10).

It is forbidden in Islam to treat an animal cruelly, or to kill it except as needed for food. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) often chastised His companions who mistreated animals, and spoke to them about the need for mercy and kindness. Here are several examples of hadith which instruct Muslims on how to treat animals.

Reward for mercy: It is related from Abu Umama that the Messenger of Allah the Almighty, may Allah the Almighty bless him and grant him peace, said, “Whoever is merciful even to a sparrow, Allah the Almighty will be merciful to him on the Day of Judgment.”

Animals are like humans: “A good deed done to an animal is like a good deed done to a human being, while an act of cruelty to an animal is as bad as cruelty to a human being.”

Animals cannot speak up for themselves: It is related from Sahl ibn Al-Handhaliyya that the Messenger of Allah the Almighty, may Allah the Almighty bless him and grant him peace, once passed by a camel that was so emaciated that its back had almost reached its stomach. He said, “Fear Allah the Almighty in these beasts who cannot speak.” (Abu Dawud) Mental cruelty is also forbidden: It is related from Abdul Rahman bin Abdullah that a group of companions were once on a journey with the Prophet (PBUH), may Allah the Almighty bless him and grant him peace, and he left them for a while. During His absence, they saw a bird with its two

young, and they took the young ones from the nest. The mother bird was circling above in the air, beating its wings in grief, when the Prophet (PBUH) came back. He said, “Who has hurt the feelings of this bird by taking its young?

Return them to her.”

Forgiveness of sins: It is related from Abu Hurayra, from the Prophet (PBUH), may Allah the Almighty bless him and grant him peace, that a prostitute once saw a dog on a very hot day going round and round a well, lolling its tongue because of its thirst. She drew some water for it using her shoe, and for this action all her sins were forgiven. (Muslim) Mistreatment is a sin: It is related from Jabir that the Messenger of Allah the Almighty, once saw a donkey which had been branded on its face and he said, “May Allah the Almighty curse the one who branded it.” (Muslim) In Islam, hunting for sport is prohibited. Muslims may only hunt as is needed to meet their requirements for food.

This was common during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and he condemned it at every opportunity: it is narrated from Ibn Umar that the Prophet (PBUH), may Allah the Almighty bless Him and grant Him peace, cursed those who used any living thing as a target.

(Muslim) I hope some immediate action can be take for this issue and have it stopped, or at least brought to light as I have written to several newspapers with no response. As the safety of our people and innocent animals are at stake. I hope to hear from you soon.

Regards, Mona Dear all, Remember we had the stray dogs poisoned by the government entity of Kuwait? Now there is a group of professional shooters (members of Kuwait shooting federation sports), are going around and shooting stray dogs in Kuwait.

Nasser Al-Dihani - Skeet shooter formed a team of shooters last week and is heading out to the streets of Kuwait and has been shooting, stabbing and beheading and mutilating stray dogs in Kuwait. The team was formed after a 4-year-old Kuwaiti girl called Aisha Al-Mulla was attacked by six stray dogs in the neighborhood of Kheiran, a famous weekend destination in Kuwait that has chalets and people spend a mini vacation there.

They shot 30 dogs on the first day, and continue to shoot between 40-70 dogs every days. The shooter is proud of his achievements so far and is promising to ‘solve’ Kuwait’s problem of approximately 20,000 stray dogs as he estimated. Meanwhile the Kuwait Shooting Federation has not commented on the ‘campaign’. You can find photos of the killed dogs on these Instagram accounts: @santanimals and @qabazard.

I hope you can shed some light on the tragedy of the stray dogs in Kuwait.

What do I want from you? Please spread the word. As always, we are tied and absolutely nothing is being done to help the poor stray dogs even the ones who are minding their own business. Please talk about this nonsense to media outlets if you have contacts in your respective countries, these dogs need all the attention they can get, even after their death.

Thank you Dog lover

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

LOCAL World Humanitarian Day honours Kuwaiti charity KUWAIT: International Islamic Charity Organization (IICO) chief Abdullah Al-Matouq said Kuwait aimed to “honour and remember the sacrifices of people who lost their lives in the name of humanity,” in its celebration of World Humanitarian Day. The Aug 19 event will also increase the effectiveness of the humanitarian role of the organization he leads amid the international community, he added in a speech delivered at a ceremony hosted by OCHA, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in Kuwait.

“These people, who have carried out their role in saving the lives and lifting the suffering off millions of people with no fear of the dangers they may suffer, deserve our appreciation and support,” said the head of the Kuwait-based charity.

He paid homage to the millions of people around the world in need of urgent humanitarian assistance due to natural disasters and/or armed conflict, and hailed the role of workers and volunteers operating in the humanitarian field, who put their lives at stake on a daily basis, as “honorable.”

In turn, he called on the Kuwaiti public to take part in remembering the international annual event, expressing appreciation and gratitude for the role assumed by HH the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in his staunch support of international humanitarian work.

The annual day marks the day that 22 humanitarians were killed - including the High Commissioner for Human Rights (at the time) Sergio Vieira de Mello - and another 100 injured as a result of a bombing targeting them in Iraq 10 years ago, said OCHA representative Zainab Qambar.

Celebrations on this day mark awareness campaigns, whereby UN agencies work side-by-side with governments and privately-owned companies to deliver the message of humanitarian work, she added.

The Kuwaiti public has contributed to the event by airing flashes across TV stations and distributing posters on the global need for further humanitarian assistance, said Qambar. — KUNA

Pearl diving trip concludes tomorrow KUWAIT: Divers participating in the 25th Pearl Diving Trip will set sail tomorrow morning from Khairan to the Kuwait Sea Sports Club beach in Salmiya as part of the ‘Qufal’ (closure) ceremony that signals the end of the annual journey which is organized by the KSSC under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

The ceremony officially starts at 4:30 pm in the presence of Minister of Information and Minister of Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Al-Hmoud Al-Sabah as representative of HH the Amir. Af ter dock ing, the divers will advance to display their ‘catch’ for oysters before they start opening oyster shells to look for pearl in a ceremony that also fea-

tures participation of the KSSC’s ‘sea culture’ band.

Meanwhile, KSSC Assistant Secretar y General Mohammed Al-Farisi said in a statement that this year ’s trip can so far be described as a ‘huge success’ in terms of participation of divers from Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.

Mohammed Al-Farisi

Jordanian-Kuwaiti relations extolled AMMAN: Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour asserted here yesterday depth of the brotherly relations between the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Kuwait.

In a meeting with Kuwaiti Ambassador to Jordan Dr. Hamad Saleh Al-Duaij and a delegation representing Kuwait Citigroup at the headquarters of the prime minister, Ensour extolled the support provided by the State of Kuwait to Jordan, stressing the importance of the role of the leaderships of the two countries to deepen relations that have become a model for relations between states.

For his part, the Kuwaiti Ambassador stressed in a statement to Kuwait News Agency after the meeting that there are open horizons of cooperation between the two countries and praised the investment climate of Jordan describing it as “luring” of capitals.

He said that Jordan has one of the most recognizable investment climates and the ability to attract capital and indigenization. He also hailed the safety and security enjoyed by Jordan despite the events experienced by the region and said that the advantages enjoyed by the Jordanian investment climate reinforced the conviction of Kuwaiti investor to invest in Jordan, making the Kuwaiti investments at the top of the list of Arab and foreign investments in the Kingdom. — KUNA

Indian expats cash in on fall of rupee DUBAI: Indian expatriates in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have started taking personal loans in a bid to take advantage of a record fall in the value of Indian rupee against local currencies, a report said.

Money exchangers and bankers in Muscat said that nonresident Indians or NRIs have started resorting to personal loans as rupee touched an all-time low of 62.03 against the US dollar on Friday, a newspaper from the region reported. The Indian rupee of Monday continued to bleed as it touched a fresh low of 63.22 on Monday.

Exchange houses in Oman were offered Rs. 160 for an Omani riyal on Friday. The rate continued for three days as foreign exchange market is closed on Saturday and Sunday.

“Indian expatriates started taking personal loan for remitting money back home,” said Rajeev V G, general manager of Global Money Exchange, which is managed by the State Bank of Travancore. “We have witnessed a substantial increase in remittance and high-volume transactions, which is a clear indication that expatriates are taking loan for arranging funds for remitting money,” another exchange official said, adding that there has been a 10-15 per cent growth in remittance on Friday over the previous day.

Since rupee’s value crossed the Rs. 154-155 level against the riyal, NRIs in Oman started remitting their savings.

The Central Bank of Oman or CBO has also started taking measures to find out the sources of funds for foreign remittance. Those who remit above 2,000 Omani riyals will have to produce proof showing that the money was withdrawn from their own bank account. Earlier, this was required only for amounts above 5,000 riyals.

The country has recently made it mandatory to credit employee salary only through a bank so that there is a check on sources of income.

Money exchanges in Oman also submit a report with details of different ranges of remittance transactions to various countries on a monthly basis to the CBO.

Maritime convention comes into force GENEVA: The International Labour Organisation (ILO) said yesterday that Maritime Labour Convention, known as “MLC 2006,” comes into force today , effectively becoming binding in international law.

The Convention will establish minimum working and living standards for all seafarers on ships. It will be an essential step toward ensuring fair competition and a level-playing field for quality owners of ships flying the flags of ratifying countries, said the ILO in a press release from its Headquarteres in Geneva.

Global support for ILO’s Maritime Labour Convention continues to increase. Currently, the ILO has registered ratifications of the Convention by more than 40 ILO member States responsible for regulating conditions for seafarers on more than 75 per cent of the world’s gross tonnage of ships. —KUNA

Kuwait builds 150,000-ton silos to boost food reserves Flour Mills plays active role KUWAIT: Construction of 150,000-ton silos has been finalized, said a ranking official yesterday, affirming that the step would serve the national food security strategy. This vital project is part of Kuwait Flour Mills and Bakeries Company’s plan to increase reserves of basic products to cover local consumption for a period of nine months to one year, said the company executive manager, Metleg Al-Zayed, in an interview.

The company has started taking all necessary measures to ensure stability of food supplies, with direct government support and according to guidelines of the supreme leadership, he said, noting that it had mapped out a contingency plan in 2008, when the global food crisis broke out. “ We have increased the strategic reserves of basic food materials to bolster Kuwait’s capacity of coping with

food crises and instability of international prices of these products,” he explained.

Elaborating, he said the company has succeeded in stabilizing prices of the main products, rates of other commodities “and stemming high prices that almost became a lasting fact at start of the international food crisis that hit the world in 2008.”

On some problems facing the company, Al-Zayed indicated at lack of sufficient support in the market. “Our market is open thus producers from Arab and foreign states take advantage of this situation to swamp our market with their products,” he noted, alluding to the fierce competition facing the national products. As to how face such competition, he called on relevant authorities to enforce legal penalties against those who seek “to flood” the local market, fol-

lowing suit of other nations bent on protecting the national products.

Al-Zayed further called for greater cooperation with the cooperative societies and government authorities to deal with the Kuwaiti industrial companies on preferential basis. He also urged the government to allocate more plots of land “to increase our production and storage capacities in tandem with the population and consumption growth.”

He praised the government approval of specializing some lands to establish automatic bakeries in Regga, Saad AlAbdullah and Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh, indicating that the company was awaiting approval of some architectural specifications to press ahead with execution of the venture.

As to his predictions of food prices in the second of the current year and early next year, Al-Zayed said the global mar-

ket has witnessed abundant supplies of cereals after the weather improvement in producing nations, thus prices of some of the basic items have dropped.

Current prices reflect forecast global production of the grains and other basic items this year after dropping last year due to wide-spread drought that hit the United States and the dry weather that gripped other major producing nations, he noted further, expecting prices’ stability in the coming months, provided the favorable weather and climatic conditions persist.

On financial status of the national company, he said the results during the past months were better than those posted in the same period of the past year. The company profits last year reached KD 26 million. Its basic assets amounted to KD 47.7 million and sales exceeded KD 308 million. — KUNA

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

LOCAL

Four-member drug gang arrested

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Narcotics department arrested a four-member gang in possession of illicit drugs, fire arms and ammunition.

The department learned that the gang uses dogs for protection which makes it harder to arrest them. A warrant was obtained and a team from the local narcotics department arrested the first suspect at his home along with the second suspect. When the house was searched, 10 grams of Ice were found along with a stick of hashish, a pistol and some bullets. The dogs which were found at home were taken under control. The suspects revealed that they get the drugs from the third suspect who was arrested with 70 grams of heroin and 50 grams of Ice. He told police about the

fourth suspect who had 20 grams of Ice with him.

Child molested A Filipino expat told Maidan Hawally police that his seven-year-old daughter was molested by a Bangladeshi who works as a haris. The child confirmed her father’s statement.

Police impersonators An Asian expat told South Surra police that three men stopped him when he was delivering a meal claiming they were police and took KD 123 and the meal he was delivering. The trio threw his documents in his car before leaving. When the victim gave police the license plate number, they discovered that it was a car reported to be stolen.

KUWAIT: (From left) The chief rehabilitation doctor, professor, Volodymyr Koziafkin, the Chairman of the General Agency for Running Ukraine National Projects and Investments, Vladislav Kaskiv, Ukraine Charge d’affaires, Alexander Melshinto, Ukrainian deputy minister of health, Alexander Tolstanov and Vladimir Martyniuk from the Ukrainian embassy in Kuwait are pictured during the press conference in the Ukrainian embassy in Kuwait yesterday. —Photo by Joseph Shagra

KFAED to fund a pediatrics hospital in Ukraine Officials discuss bilateral relations KUWAIT: The Chairman of the General Agency for Running Ukraine National Projects and Investments, Vladislav Kaskiv said that a delegation from his country had discussed receiving a grant from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development to fund building a pediatrics hospital at the Black Sea coast.

Speaking during a press conference held at the Ukraine embassy in Kuwait yesterday, Kaskiv said that the negotiations from both sides have almost completed. He also noted that this was

his second visit to Kuwait and that on his last visit in 2011, he came with over 15 project proposals for Kuwaiti investors.

Speaking at the press conference, the Ukrainian deputy minister of health, Alexander Tolstanov said that both countries were expected to sign an agreement in the healthcare field very soon. The delegation also included the chief rehabilitation doctor, professor, Volodymyr Koziafkin who said that patients with over 60 nationalities were being treated in his hospital

including 200 Kuwaiti children who had been treated for cerebral palsy by stem cells. He added that former Kuwaiti health minister, Dr. Hilal AlSayer had visited the hospital in 2011 and expressed Kuwait’s readiness to cooperate in this field. On his part, the Ukraine Charge d’ affaires, Alexander Melshinto said that both countries are celebrating the 20th anniversary of bilateral relations between them this year. During this year the trade exchange between the countries has reached 20 million in 2011. —KUNA

Bedoon youth in custody for injuring senior officer Homicide probe in infant’s death

KUWAIT: Farwaniya firemen responded to a vehicle on fire between the areas of Ishbelia and Rehab yesterday. No injuries were reported.

— Photos by Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Police arrested a driver on Monday, a day after he left Col Adel Al-Hashash injured during a car chase. Detectives were able to identify the suspect, a stateless resident (bedoon) in his thirties, based on information that Col Adel Al-Hashash, Public Relations and Security Media Department Director, provided while speaking to officers at the hospital. The man escaped at a traffic light after he first trapped Col Al-Hashash’s hand by rolling up his car’s window when the official reached inside it, and then dragged him a few meters before the senior official was able to free his hand.

Police reported to the suspect’s workplace in Kuwait City after obtaining his information from a car rental office where he rented the car described by Col Al-Hashash during investigations.

Police waited for the man outside his workplace, but when he came out, he ran towards his car and drove away, which triggered a car chase. The man was eventually caught an hour later, and police found out that he was under the influence of psychoactive drugs, and he was also inebriated during his confrontation with Col Al-Hashash a day earlier.

The man was referred to the proper authorities to face charges.

Fatal crash A man was killed and another was seriously injured in an accident reported Monday at the Nuwaiseeb Road. Paramedics arrived with Ahmadi police to the scene shortly after the accident was reported, and soon pronounced

Bedoon held for robberies

By A Saleh KUWAIT: Criminal detectives arrested a bedoon for robbing women and girls after threatening to kill them.

A security source said the suspect committed more than 12 robberies and

he was arrested after a thorough probe was conducted. He confessed to robbing the women when they were in nearempty parking lots. The source said two girls were robbed near 360 Mall and in Yarmouk area and they identified the suspect in a lineup.

KUWAIT: Everyone tries to beat the heat in a different way by taking shelter under thick trees, carrying umbrellas or donning caps.

— Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

the Kuwaiti man dead. Another citizen was rushed to the Adan Hospital after being rescued from the car wreck. The body was taken to the forensic department and a case was opened to determine the circumstances behind the accident.

Infant’s death Investigations are ongoing to reveal the myster y behind the death of a newborn whose body was found Sunday night in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh. The infant’s body was recovered from a trash can where a person reportedly fou nd it and made a n emerg enc y ca ll.

Preliminary forensic examination results indicate that the baby was five-months-old at the time of death, and was likely killed before his body was disposed. A homicide investigation was opened and preliminary investigations indicate that the infant was likely born in a brothel in the area.

Officer attacked A man was charged with assaulting a police officer on duty after he attacked the officer-in-command inside a Jahra police station on Monday. The man was detained for reckless driving, and he engaged in a heated verbal exchange with the high-rank ing policeman du ring inves tig a tions. The exchange was followed by an altercation which saw the suspec t grab the officer ’s baton and beat him before policemen managed to control him. He is behind bars pending legal procedures.

Maid arrested A domestic worker faces charges after her employer accused her of stealing KD 18,000.

The Kuwaiti man rushed to the Faiha police station Monday and reported the theft which happened at his house. He pressed charges against his housemaid who was put under arrest and placed behind bars pending investigations.

Harasser trapped A harasser received the beating of a lifetime after he voluntarily drove towards a trap set up for him in front of a house in Agailah. The man reportedly went in pursuit of three girls and their mother after they finished visiting someone in Hadiya. He kept following the women until they reached their Agailah house and saw him waiting outside after going in. The girls then called their brother who was outside at that time. He instructed them to use their vehicles to block the suspect’s way out, and wait till he arrived. He soon showed up but the suspect locked himself up inside his car after realizing he was in trouble. The suspect tried to escape after the girls’ brother used a brick to smash his car’s window. He stopped outside a nearby house, left his car and went inside seeking a place to hide. The girls’ brother simply informed the house owner who found the suspect hiding inside his driver’s room and kicked him out. The suspect found the girls’ brother waiting for him and he received a severe beating that left him heavily bruised. Ahmadi police soon arrived and escorted the two to the area’s police station for questioning.

Apache helicopter battalion transfers authority in Kuwait CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait: A ceremony was held Saturday to commemorate the transfer of authority from the 4th Battalion, 501st Attack-Reconnaissance Battalion to the 4th Battalion, 227th ARB. The traditional event, which was held at the remote base just 15 miles from the Iraq border, is a visual symbol of the transfer from one command to another as one unit’s guidon is cased for the trip home and another is unfurled for the mission ahead.

The 4-501st, of the 1st Armored Division from Fort Bliss, Texas and nicknamed the “Pistoleros,” is headed home after a tremendously successful 9-month deployment.

The incoming battalion is from the 1st Cavalry Division out of Fort Hood and will ser ve as the Attack-Reconnaissance Battalion for the 36th Combat Aviation Brigade of the Texas Army National Guard.

The 36th CAB is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

Lt Col Chris Barnwell, commander of the outgoing 4-501st, said, “Today is an auspicious day for the Pistoleros as we relinquish our partnership and regional security responsibilities to the 4-227th, bid a fond farewell to Kuwait, and execute the final phase of our mission: redeployment.”

Among many other accomplishments, the 4-501st worked with seven countries in the region and partnered with the Kuwaiti air force on a regular basis. Joint operations with the US Navy and Air Force were also a

highlight of their tour, including working off of the USS Stennis, USS Ponce, USS Rushmore and the USS Green Bay. Col Rick Adams, commander of the 36th CAB, addressed the unit that will be heading home to their families soon, “You’re going home with dignity and a job well done here in Kuwait, and up and down the Arabian Peninsula.

“You blazed new trails,” Adams said. “You built this mission. You really started this from scratch and got it to where it is now.”

The 4-227th has deployed to the Middle East with their AH-64D Apache helicopters to conduct security cooperation, joint exercises, and training. Partnership events scheduled with nearby countries also promote security, stability and mutual interests in the region.

In closing, Lt Col Hank Perry, commander of the incoming 4-227th ARB, said, “Sir, Guns Attack is ready to take the mission.

We will tirelessly posture for contingencies, partner with the Kuwaiti air force Apache squadrons, and maximize every enabler we can to train and sustain our individual and collective skills.”

Perry, who is stationed at Fort Hood is from Vista, Calif. With the transfer of authority complete, there was one more thing left to do. In keeping with tradition, the 4227th’s leadership cut a large cake with a cavalry saber, marking the official beginning of their deployment.

KUWAIT: Lt Col Henry Perry, commander of the 4th Battalion, 227th Attack-Reconnaissance Battalion, and Command Sgt Maj Zach H. Hurst uncase the battalion’s colors during a transfer of authority ceremony at Camp Buehring in Kuwait.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

Britain rejects talks; Gibraltar row rages

India’s anti-superstition campaigner shot dead Page 11

Page 9

GARHI KHUDA BUKASH: A youth walks outside the tomb of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in Garhi Khuda Bukash near Larkana yesterday. A Pakistani court has charged former military ruler Pervez Musharraf (inset) with the 2007 murder of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, an unprecedented move against an ex-army chief. — AFP

Musharraf charged with Bhutto’s murder Court challenges beliefs ‘military immunity’ RAWALPINDI: A Pakistani court yesterday charged former military ruler Pervez Musharraf with the 2007 murder of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, an unprecedented move against an ex-army chief. It is the first time a head of Pakistan’s army has been charged with a crime, challenging beliefs that the military is immune from prosecution and threatening to fan tensions with civilian institutions.

While murder will be difficult to prove, it may embolden efforts to try Musharraf for treason for seizing power in 1999 and for violating the constitution by sacking judges and imposing emergency rule in 2007. Treason can carry the death penalty. Musharraf, once the most powerful man in the nuclear-armed state, appeared in court yesterday to deny the charges against him. “He was charged with murder, criminal conspiracy for murder and facilitation for murder,” public prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar told AFP at the antiterrorism court in Rawalpindi hearing the case. The 70-yearold retired general’s brief appearance was accompanied by massive security. He was protected by scores of officers and roads leading to the court were shut down. Officials had said threats against his life were too severe for him to be charged on August 6 as initially scheduled, although he had appeared in person at an earlier hearing on July 30. The case was adjourned until August 27 although no date has been set for any trial.

Raza Bokhari, a spokesman for Musharraf, dismissed the indictment as “false, fabricated and fictitious” and “an undignified attempt to smear the honor and integrity of the former president”. “We are not afraid of the proceedings. We will follow legal procedures in the court,” his defense lawyer Syeda Afshan Adil said. Bhutto, twice elected prime minister of Pakistan and the first woman premier of a Muslim country, was killed in a gun and suicide attack in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007.

Musharraf’s government blamed the assassination on Pakistani Taleban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. He was killed in a US drone attack in 2009. In 2010, a UN report accused Musharraf’s government of failing to give Bhutto adequate protection and said her death could have been prevented. Under Bhutto’s widower, President Asif Ali Zardari, the previous Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government initiated proceedings against Musharraf.

In November 2011, the same court also indicted two police officers and five alleged Taleban militants over Bhutto’s death, but none of them has yet been brought to trial. “There is a long way to go and it will be very, very difficult to prove that he engineered the murder conspiracy or that he was the mastermind,” political analyst Imtiaz Gul said. “All we have seen is a politically motivated indictment, which may be of no real significance in the long run.”

Nor has the indictment silenced speculation about the possibility of a behind-the-scenes deal that could allow Musharraf to leave Pakistan without going to jail. For politicians, being hauled before the courts is par for the course in Pakistan. Current Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was sen-

tenced to life in prison after being deposed by Musharraf in 1999, but was shortly afterwards allowed to go into exile in Saudi Arabia. Sharif returned to win elections in May, taking over from a PPP government in Pakistan’s first handover of civilian power after several spells of military rule down the years.

Zardari himself, who spent 11 years in jail for alleged corruption, was also indicted in 2003 over the murder of a steel mill chairman, but became president in 2008. Musharraf, on

the other hand, has enjoyed the comparative luxury of house arrest at his villa on the edge of Islamabad since April after returning from self-imposed exile. He has been formally granted bail in two of three cases against him. Analyst Hasan Askari said the indictment will stoke tensions between the military and civilian institutions of the judiciary and government, but that the army would play a quiet game.

“They will quietly monitor the situation as to how this case proceeds and to what extent it reflects negatively on

the military,” he said. “They are not on the back foot but... they will be concerned about implications of this case for the military.” Musharraf, who was barred from running in the May elections, is also wanted over the death of Baluchistan rebel leader Nawab Akbar Bugti during a military operation in 2006. The new government headed by Sharif is investigating the evidence against him for treason, after saying he should stand trial for subverting the constitution. — AFP

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

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

Somalia gang rape victim accuses AU force NAIROBI: Abducted, drugged and gang raped in Somalia: a young mother details the most brutal of allegations against African Union troops and Somali soldiers in a case causing widespread anger. “The soldiers raped me... I tried to defend myself but they beat me badly and I passed out,” she said, speaking to the Somali Channel television about the attack earlier this month.

She alleged she was stopped on the streets of Mogadishu by three soldiers from the national army, blindfolded and forced into a car, before being handed over to African Union troops, where she says she was repeatedly raped. She has needle marks on her arms from where she says drugs were injected during the several hours long assault in the Maslah compound, a Ugandan troop base on the outskirts of Mogadishu. “There were other women in the room... one of the them badly bleeding,” she added, speaking from a hospital bed.

The woman, in her late 20s with a young baby, was unconscious during the attack and says she does not know how many men raped her. She was later thrown back onto the streets. AMISOM, the 17,700-strong United Nations-mandated force that supports the government in its fight against Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab insurgents, said it has launched

an investigation together with the Somali army. “Appropriate action will be taken once the facts of the case have been established,” AMISOM said in a statement.

Somalia’s Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon said in a statement that the government was “deeply troubled by the alleged rape... involving a number of personnel from AMISOM.” AMISOM, fighting since 2007 in Somalia and funded by the UN and European Union, insists it “strongly condemns ... sexual abuse or exploitation”. The force is mainly made up of troops from Uganda, Burundi and Kenya, with smaller numbers from Djibouti and Sierra Leone.

The case threatens to badly dent the reputation of the force, and play into the hands of the Shebab. Shebab fighters are themselves accused of horrific attacks and rape, but the extremists’ spokesman Ali Mohamed Rage gloated at the rape reports. “Somali soldiers first abduct the girls and rape them, they also share them with AMISOM troops,” Rage said. “The Somali troops are the remnants of the former warlords, they are killing their people and raping our daughters and mothers... the African Union troops are brutal.” Rape is pervasive in Mogadishu, but the extreme nature of the woman’s allegations and

the accusations of AMISOM involvement have shocked many.

In the first six months of 2012, some 800 cases of sexual violence were reported in Mogadishu alone, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which refers to the rapists as “unknown armed men and men wearing military uniform” Many more cases are believed to have gone unreported.

“Sexual violence in Somalia is one of the most serious and urgent human rights challenges facing the government and people of Somalia,” said Nicholas Kay, UN special representative for the country.

Kay, who expressed his “grave concern” at the rape allegations, has demanded investigations be “rigorous and prompt”. “If there is a case to answer, any perpetrator should be prosecuted,” Kay said in a statement. But Maryan Qasim, Somalia’s minister for human development, insisted there was “major exaggeration and inflation of the number of attacks”. She also said alleged victims who speak out in the media should be “shot”. Somalia’s army, an often ragtag force incorporating militia fighters, has repeatedly been accused by rights groups of a string of abuses against women, including rape.

In March, Human Rights Watch (HRW)

AFGOYE: A file photo shows Somali women and children sitting in a room at a Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders, MSF) clinic in Afgoye. —AFP detailed the “enormous problem” of the rape and sexual abuse of women and girls in Mogadishu, including by government soldiers and militia fighters. But HRW said that many of those attacked are too frightened of reprisals to tell the authorities. Even reporting on rape in

Mogadishu carries its own risks: a Somali journalist and a rape victim he interviewed were both sentenced to a year in prison in Februar y, but they were released after two months in jail after the case sparked widespread international criticism. — AFP

Iraqi Kurdistan sets quota for refugees Syrian Kurds fear attacks by Al-Nusra

CAIRO: Journalists film as Egyptian military attack helicopter flies over the Presidential palace, in Cairo, Egypt. —AP

Egypt’s media line up behind government against Islamists CAIRO: Egypt’s media, both public and private, have lined up behind the government in portraying its fight against the Muslim Brotherhood as a “war on terror” and vilifying foreign journalists. As police and troops chase down members of the Islamist group, from which ousted president Mohamed Morsi hails, the media have fanned the flames against the organization.

And the foreign media have been accused of taking sides for covering the Islamists as well as the government, earning harsh criticism from the state and local press. Egyptian media have taken part in a “campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist currents”, political commentator Hisham Kassem said.

“In one year of Morsi’s presidency, more journalists were prosecuted than in the 185 years of the Egyptian press before,” he said.

“Now, the media are exploiting the situation the Brotherhood is in to pay them back.” For days, Egypt’s three state television channels have broadcast under a banner in English reading “Egypt fighting terrorism”. They report around the clock on the latest clashes between Morsi supporters and security forces that have claimed nearly 900 lives since Wednesday.

But while they show footage of wounded and killed security forces, they offer no pictures of the hundreds of protesters killed in the violence. Between broadcasts, patriotic songs play over footage of the armed forces carrying out military exercises and showing kindness to civilians. A piece entitled “ The Black History of the Brotherhood Organization” purports to show the group’s violent history. It includes archive footage of Brotherhood members, as well as the attempted murder of president Gamal Abdul Nasser and the assassination of president Anwar Sadat by Islamists. It ends with clips from recent clashes, showing gunmen purportedly belonging to the group, and buildings set ablaze. The country’s newspapers have been equally uniform in their criticism of

the group and in rallying behind the government and the army chief who installed it, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. Government daily Al-Ahram on Monday devoted its entire front page-and nine separate headlines-to a speech by Sisi a day earlier. Abdel Halim Qandil, editor-in-chief of the independent Sawt Al-Ummah daily, sees the media’s united front as a normal response to the country’s “national battle”. A fierce critic of Islamists, he accuses the Western media of swinging between two extremes: hatred for Islam and love of the Brotherhood. “This is what has created serious anger and suspicion on the part of Egyptians” towards foreign media, he said. Since Morsi’s July 3 ouster by the military after mass demonstrations, the foreign media have come under attack from the government and the population, particularly in Cairo.

Al-Jazeera has been a particular target, accused of overtly pro-Brotherhood coverage, and facing a government review of the operating licence of one of its local stations. The channel said a correspondent for Al-Jazeera Arabic, Abdullah Al-Shami, had been arrested during the dispersal of a proMorsi protest camp on August 14.

Authorities accuse Western journalists of ignoring the victims of violence committed

by Morsi’s supporters, such as police and soldiers. Simply walking in the street with a camera has become increasingly dangerous, said one Western photographer on condition of anonymity.

“I’m afraid to go into the street with my cameras since the government authorized security forces to open fire” on demonstrators targeting government buildings, he said. “Today, I managed to take a few pictures from the car. I got out for 45 seconds to take some others,” added the photographer, who has been in Egypt for 18 months.

“The government is inciting public hatred against us,” he said, adding that two photographer friends had recently been beaten up by a mob that accused them of being “spies.” — AFP

Jordan to build nuclear reactor AMMAN: Jordan’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission has given the go-ahead for a first nuclear research reactor as the desert kingdom, which lacks any oil, seeks to meet its energy needs. The five-megawatt reactor will be built at the Jordan University for Sciences and Technology near the northern city of Irbid, commission chief Majad Hawwari said. “The approval of the project came after two years of studies and examination,” Hawwari said in a statement.

The Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute and Daewoo Engineering and Construction Co will construct the reactor, which is scheduled to become operational in 2016, he added. “The reactor will help the commission build expertise and capabilities to prepare for constructing nuclear power plants in the future,” Hawwari said.

Jordanian officials have said the reactor will

cost $130 million and that South Korea has loaned $70 million. Amman is currently weighing rival bids to build the reactor by Russia’s Atomstroyexport and a consortium led by French nuclear giant Areva and Japan’s Mitsubishi.

With desert covering 92 percent of its territory, the kingdom is one of the world’s 10 driest countries and wants to use atomic energy to fire desalination plants to overcome its crippling water shortage.

Importing 98 percent of its power needs, Jordan also wants to develop nuclear technology to meet its growing energy requirements. But the technology remains deeply sensitive in a region where Israel has an undeclared monopoly on nuclear weapons and Western governments have strong suspicions that Iran has an ambition to rival it.— AFP

GENEVA: The government of Iraqi Kurdistan has put in place an entry quota of 3,000 refugees a day to cope with an influx of Kurds fleeing the civil war in Syria, aid agencies said yesterday. About 30,000 refugees, believed to be mainly Syrian Kurds, have poured into Iraq since Thursday, and up to 3,000 were lined up to cross yesterday, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said.

Fleeing bombardments and sectarian tensions in par ts of northern Syria including Aleppo and Efrin, they arrive exhausted, with many children dehydrated from walk ing in the scorching heat. “The Kurdistan regional government authorities have put a daily quota for those refugees who will be allowed in,” Jumbe Omari Jumbe of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) told reporters in Geneva. “Today they will allow 3,000 persons in, but yesterday a similar quota of 3,000 was set but, at the end of the day, 5,000 refugees were allowed to cross.”

A Western diplomat in Geneva said it was not clear how many more refugees might be on their way, adding: “ We are not sure whether there is an actual quota policy or whether it is a practical ability to absorb them.” The IOM is providing food and water upon arrival, and transport for refugees to three transit facilities. It plans to deploy an ambulance to ferry the sick from the border to camps.

Jumbe said the Kurds feared attacks by various armed rebel groups including Al-Nusra, an Islamist militia linked to Al Qaeda.

Both al Nusra and Al-Qaeda’s Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant have in recent months been fighting for control of parts of northern and northeastern Syria against Kurdish groups who have taken advantage of the anti-Assad rebellion to assert their control over

ARBIL: An Iraqi-Kurdish man delivers mattresses as the Iraqi Red Crescent Society gathers aid supplies for Syrian refugees in the city of Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq. —AFP majority-Kurdish areas. The influx began last Thursday when the Kurdistan regional government authorities in nor thern Iraq opened access across the newly built Peshk habour pontoon bridge, UNHCR said.

The bridge has now been reserved for commercial traffic and refugees have been directed to use the Sahela crossing to the south, it added. “This new exodus from Syria is among the largest we have seen in the conflict,” UNHCR spokesman Dan McNorton told reporters. “Those people crossing

this morning ... are drained, they are hot and thirsty, they are walking on a long dirt road as we speak in a long line,” McNorton said.

More than 1.9 million Syrians have fled to neighboring countries and North Africa since the uprising began in March 2011 and Syria descended into civil war. Nearly half the estimated 4,800 people who crossed on M o n d ay a re c h i l d re n , t h e U N Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said. It has identified at least 80 unaccompanied teenage boys sent across the border by their fami-

lies for safety or to find work.

“Many are below 12 years old, and the younger ones were particularly dehydrated and exhausted after the four or five hour walk across the border in the scorching heat,” UNICEF spokeswoman Marixie Mercado said. The World Food Program ( WFP) will begin distributing food to refugee families from its stocks in Erbil and Al Qaim in Iraq and will send rations to feed 185,000 people for one month from the port of Mersin in Turkey, spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs said.—Reuters

Detained Brotherhood leader embraced group’s new power CAIRO: Mohammed Badie, the supreme guide of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, who was arrested yesterday, was once an advocate of a low profile for the group who eventually embraced it seeking political power. For years, he argued that the group should focus on social issues and ideological outreach more than political life, but the 2011 uprising that ousted long-time president Hosni Mubarak appeared to change his mind.

Badie was elected to head the Islamist group in January 2010 after a bitter dispute between conservatives, who favored an ideological focus, and reformists advocating a more active public role. After his nomination, he insisted that the group would seek “incremental reform.” “That takes place in a peaceful and constitutional way,” he said. “We reject violence and denounce it in all its forms.” At the time, analysts saw his appointment as a sign the Brotherhood would shift away from politics.

But the uprising changed the calculus, and Badie embraced the importance of parliament and its role after the Brotherhood won nearly half its seats in elections held in early 2012. “The elected parliament has the right to take to account all state institutions, including the military institution,” he warned. He had

initially said the group would not field a candidate or support “any candidate who has an Islamic reference” in the country’s first postuprising presidential election.

But he subsequently endorsed the fielding of a candidate from the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party-first Khairat alShater, and then Mohamed Morsi, after Shater was disqualified. A veterinary professor, Badie was for years responsible for ideological education for the Brotherhood. He was appointed for a six-year term, and became the group’s eighth leader since its foundation in 1928.

Born in 1943 in the Nile Delta town of Mahalla el-Kubra, he was jailed for nine years in the 1960s after being accused of belonging to a Brotherhood paramilitary cell that allegedly planned to overthrow the government. Thousands of Islamists were also imprisoned at the time and influential radical Islamist thinker Sayyid Qutb was executed.

Badie was arrested again in 1999 and sentenced to another nine years by a military tribunal, but served only four. Diaa Rashwan, an expert on political Islam, said Badie was sympathetic towards Qutb, as were many in the conservative camp’s leadership. “But he was not one of the most extremist elements,” he said. “Badie is one of the sons of the 1965

Organization. They were introduced to what was a military organization that preached revolution,” said Abdel Moneim Mahmud, a journalist associated with the group’s reformist wing. “To be realistic, the organization never actually did anything. But at the end of the day it was the door through which they entered the Brotherhood and they believed in it,” he said. Badie replaced Mahdi Akef, who resigned before the end of his term after conservative members opposed the promotion of Essam Erian, who is associated with the group’s reformist wing. After Morsi’s election, Badie continued to offer his public support for his presidency, applauding the adoption of a controversial constitution backed by Islamists.

And after Morsi’s ouster by the military on July 3, following massive demonstrations against him, Badie attended rallies calling for the president to be reinstated. “Millions will remain in the squares until we carry our elected president, Mohamed Morsi, on our shoulders,” he told a cheering crowd. Badie had been in hiding since July 10, when the public prosecutor ordered his arrest on allegations of inciting violence that killed protesters outside the Brotherhood’s headquarters in late June.

On Friday, his son Ammar was shot dead during protests in Cairo’s Ramses Square.—AFP

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

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

UK rejects Spanish request for Gibraltar talks New artificial reef reopens sovereignty row LONDON: Britain rejected a Spanish proposal to hold one-on-one talks over the sovereignty of the contested British overseas territory of Gibraltar yesterday after Spain issued an appeal for such negotiations to be held “as soon as possible”. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo made the appeal in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, but a spokeswoman from British Prime Minister David Cameron’s office said London would not

rocky Mediterranean outpost erupted in July after it built an artificial reef in contested waters using concrete blocks. Spain said the reef restricted access for its fishermen. Spain lays claim to the territory, which has a population of just 30,000, but which it ceded to Britain by treaty 300 years ago.

“Since the beginning of the current legislature, the Spanish government has urged the UK to resume bilateral negotiations as soon as

GIBRALTAR: Photo shows British Royal Fleet Auxiliary Lyme Bay arriving in Gibraltar. — AFP enter into any talks on the subject.

“Sovereignty is clear in our minds,” said the spokeswoman, saying the only talks Britain could envisage would be between Spain and Gibraltar over fishing practices, but not over the enclave’s sovereignty or control of its fishing waters. A diplomatic war of words over the

possible on issues of Gibraltar’s sovereignty, which have been on hold for too long,” wrote Garcia-Margallo. Spain tightened border controls in retaliation for the reef and threatened to take further action, including a 50 euro ($67) border levy. The European Commission said on Monday it would send a fact-finding

News

in brief

Outrage in France PARIS: French prosecutors have launched an investigation after a video showing a police officer beating a black woman with a baton and spraying tear gas directly into her face sparked outrage. Interior Minister Manuel Valls said yesterday that prosecutors in the central city of Tours had ordered the IGPN police internal affairs branch to investigate after the video, called “Shame on the French police”, was posted on the Internet on Sunday. “An investigation has been opened. The matter has been referred to the IGPN,” Valls said. “We need the whole truth and full transparency... The police must be irreproachable, the vast majority of police officers carry out difficult and remarkable work.” The eight-minute video, which had been viewed nearly 660,000 times on YouTube as of midday yesterday, was filmed from the upper storey of a building and shows two police officers trying to subdue a woman in the street.

3 killed in bus stabbings BEIJING: A knife-wielding man killed three people and wounded 12 aboard a bus in the country’s latest rampage attack, police said yesterday. A suspect was in custody and police were seeking to confirm he was the assailant in Monday’s attack, said a government spokeswoman in the central city of Anyang who declined to give her name as is common with Chinese bureaucrats. There was no immediate word on a motive. Those killed were an infant and two boys, although it wasn’t known whether the assailant had deliberately targeted young people, the Anyang police said in a statement on their website. Attackers in some previous incidents have targeted children, either out of revenge or blind rage.

Observers have blamed attacks on chronic weaknesses in a mental health system that fails to diagnose and treat those who might be a threat. Recent attacks include the stabbing of six government family planning workers last month, two of whom died.

Obamas welcome ‘Sunny’ WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama and his family welcomed a playful new addition to the White House on Monday-a dog called Sunny. The black Portuguese Water Dog joins the first family’s other four-legged friend of the same breed, Bo. “Sunny is the perfect little sister for Bo-full of energy and very affectionate-and the First Family picked her name because it fit her cheerful personality,” said a post on the White House blog. Bo joined the Obamas shortly after they moved into the White House in 2009, in keeping with a promise the president had made to his daughters the night he was elected in November 2008. But Bo, a male, was a tad lonely, according to the post penned by Michelle Obama’s spokeswoman Hannah August. “So now, in addition to helping with those official duties, Bo takes on the important role of big brother!” said the blog. The White House announcement was accompanied by photos and even a video-set to music-of the roughly one-year-old canine frolicking on the South Lawn of the White House with her new furry companion.

China floods kill 130 BEIJING: The death toll from devastating floods at opposite ends of China following torrential rains and the aftermath of a typhoon has risen to more than 130, the government and media said yesterday.

Flooding in the northeast, which has been described as the worst there in decades, has killed 85 people and left 102 missing in recent days, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Another 49 people, meanwhile, have perished in Hunan, central China, and in the southern provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi, the ministry of civil affairs announced.

The flooding has destroyed homes and sent rivers of mud flowing into city streets. Desperate residents scrambled to escape the rising waters, using makeshift rafts and any implements they could findincluding inflatable paddling pools to flee. Many had to climb trees to avoid being swept away, pictures showed. President Xi Jinping “has demanded all-out efforts in putting people’s lives first”, Xinhua reported Monday.

mission to Gibraltar to examine the legitimacy of those controls.

Opposition parties in Spain and Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo have accused Spain’s ruling centre-right government of using the conflict as a smokescreen for a corruption scandal involving senior politicians.

Garcia-Margallo reiterated Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s demand for Britain to remove the blocks used for the reef. He said Spain was also open to hosting meetings on the topic between other authorities, like the Gibraltarian government and the local government of neighboring Spanish region Andalusia. “ The dialogue must be bilateral and respect international, European and national laws,” he said. But the British spokesperson made it clear any talks would be limited in scope. “There needs to be some dialogue on fishing,” the spokeswoman said. “But that would not be about who’s responsible for the waters as that ’s clear.” Another British spokesman said on Monday that Spain had built similar reefs along its own coastline.

Long queues have formed at the border in recent weeks as the rift over the reef has escalated. Gibraltar is not par t of the Schengen open border agreement between some EU member states, meaning Spain is entitled to carry out proportionate checks.

Garcia-Margallo highlighted Spain’s concerns about the British territor y, including Gibraltar’s opaque tax regime and said Spain had initiated proceedings to denounce bunkering, or refueling ships at sea. The minister said smuggling was also a worry as European Union excise duties do not apply on the rocky outcrop. Spain has threatened to take its claim on Gibraltar to the United Nations.— Reuters

US wants to speed up 9/11 hearings FORT MEADE: The US government has pushed for an acceleration of preliminary hearings in the case of five alleged 9/11 plotters as the proceedings resumed in Guantanamo Bay. Lead prosecutor Brigadier General Mark Martins told the court he hoped to see progress “this week” after prosecutors filed a motion calling for a September 2014 trial date. Self-declared 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed-wearing camouflage garb and his beard tinted with henna-appeared in the military court at the US prison in Cuba with his four co-defendants.

All face the death penalty if convicted of plotting the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, which left nearly 3,000 people dead. Preliminary hearings in the case began in May 2012. “The current practice of being in court for five days approximately every six weeks is inefficient and will result in litigation that is unnecessarily prolonged, and does not serve the interests of justice,” the prosecutors’ motion said. Defense lawyers countered, however, that their efforts had been hindered by a variety of factors. The hearings have been delayed due to storms and problems in retransmitting the proceedings from the US prison in Cuba to the Fort Meade military base outside Washington.

David Nevin, who represents Mohammed, said Internet problems were slowing down defense efforts. “We can’t handle discovery correctly,” he said. Cheryl Bormann, lawyer for

Walid bin Attash, called for the hearing to be suspended, saying her client was unwell.

Walter Ruiz, who represents Saudi national Mustapha Al-Hawsawi, cited his client’s “neck condition.” “Please hear the difficulties we have... the situation has deteriorated,” Bormann told the court, asking Judge James Pohl to look into the problems in attorneyclient communications. “When is it going to end?” Pohl asked.

In their scheduling motion, prosecutors have called for the trial to begin on September 22, 2014. “Lots of work has been done,” Martins said, urging the court to stick to the timetable set out by prosecutors. “The government has provided approximately 185,000 pages of unclassified discovery to defense counsel for each accused, so that the accused may meaningfully confront the charges against them,” Martins said late Sunday in a statement.

Defense lawyers countered that nearly 80 percent of the documents provided by the government were about the 9/11 attacks themselves and not about the conditions under which the accused have been detained.

“There is no justification for artificial deadlines and restrictions,” wrote attorney James Connell, who represents Mohammed’s nephew Abd Al-Aziz Ali, also known as Ammar Al-Baluchi. The five defendants were held incommunicado in secret CIA prisons from 2002 to 2006, before they were transferred to Guantanamo.—AFP

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

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

Mandela, the ‘social change’ network JOHANNESBURG: Nelson Mandela has countless streets named after him, his own foundation, his own fan page and now his own social network. The website mandela.is allows users, called “citizens”, to connect, share inspirational thoughts, photos and articles in an effort to emulate the apartheid icon’s positive impact on the world. The site is the brain-child of two Mandela grandsons and it was set up by the company behind British pop icon Lady Gaga’s online social community littlemonsters.com.

“It’s a social network around the inspiration my grandfather gave to the world,” said Ndaba Mandela, 30. “People can share what Mandela inspired them to do, to give back to their communities.” Few people today command the same global adoration as Mandela, 95, who for many embodies peace and forgiveness. He walked free after 27 years in jail for opposing apartheid and united a deeply divided South Africa as its first black president in 1994.

Four years ago the UN declared his birthday on July 18 Mandela Day-calling on people around the world to spend 67 minutes doing good for others to mark the number of years he spent as an activist. But four hospitalisations in a year are a

reminder of Mandela’s old age and mortality. He has spent over two months in hospital for a critical lung infection and is on life support machines. “We only celebrate our icons, our leaders when they have passed away,” Ndaba said. “We came together as a family and said ‘guys, let’s not wait until he is dead, let us start the celebration now (while) he is still moving, talking, communicating,’” said Ndaba.

NOT ABOUT THE MONEY Entrepreneur Ndaba developed the idea with his cousin Kweku, 28, who has a background in entertainment and marketing.

The cousins’ parents Makgatho and Makaziwe are Mandela’s children with his first wife Evelyn Mase, whom he divorced in 1958. Mandela.is quietly launched in March this year. Still in the beta phase, it has around 1,000 members, some of them already vocal.

Kukogho Samson, a 28-year-old Nigerian journalist, often posts his poems: “Seek the honor in doing good: A word to sweeten sour mood, A loaf for mouths that lack, A cloth to cover naked back.” Kathleen Ndongmo, a 34-year-old entrepreneur from Cameroon, is outspoken about justice in Africa, lashing out at child marriage in

Nigeria and corruption in Guinea.

The platform combines features from Facebook and Twitter into one site where users post information, pictures and multimedia. Posts are tagged with key words like “inspire”, “everyday heroes”, and “random act of kindness”, which facilitates searches by other members. “Rather than focus on Nelson Mandela’s singular achievements, our goal is to engage a global community in dialogue about the inspiring acts of those all around us,” the site states. The project is a joint venture with Backplane, the Silicon Valley-based firm behind Lady Gaga’s virtual community Little Monsters.

Instead of a regular fan page, Gaga opted to create a social network for her fans.

Almost one million people subscribe to littlemonsters.com to buy concert tickets and Gaga-merchandise, share pictures of gigs and find out the latest info about their icon.

Her manager Troy Carter founded Backplane to unite people with similar interests in “single-brand social networks”.

“We believe that consumers and brands want more meaningful ways to connect and engage with each other online,” the firm explains on its website. The Mandela cousins hope Mandela.is will do the same to channel energy for a bigger impact.—AFP

CAPE TOWN: In this Sunday, Feb. 11, 1990 file photo, Nelson Mandela and wife Winnie, walk hand-in hand with their raised clenched fists upon Mandela’s release from Victor Verster prison, near Cape Town South Africa.

Mandela never met with Martin Luther King Jr but the two fought for the same issues at the same time on two different continents. — AP

Guardian says Britain made it destroy Snowden material UK faces furor over Snowden-linked detention

DACHAU: The main gate is pictured at the former concentration camp in Dachau, southern Germany. — AFP

Merkel hits controversy before Nazi camp visit BERLIN: Angela Merkel will become the first German chancellor to visit the former Nazi concentration camp Dachau yesterday as she steps up warnings about the farright threat while campaigning for a third term. Ahead of an evening election rally in Dachau, northwest of Munich, Merkel will arrive at the memorial at 1645 GMT and, after making a short speech, lay a wreath of flowers and tour the remnants of the camp.

But while Holocaust survivors hailed a long overdue gesture, the opposition blasted a “tasteless” combination of electioneering and historical atonement. Merkel, 59, will be joined by the president of the Dachau camp committee, Max Mannheimer, and other former prisoners.

Only part of the visit will be open to reporters. The 93-year-old Mannheimer had long lobbied for Merkel to go to Dachau and said he saw her decision as “historic” and a “signal of respect for the former detainees”.

The Nazis opened Dachau as a concentration camp for political prisoners in March 1933, just weeks after Adolf Hitler took power. It was the first such site in Germany and served as a model for all the camps to follow. More than 200,000 Jews, gays, Roma, political opponents, the disabled and prisoners of war were imprisoned in Dachau during World War II. Over 41,000 people were killed, starved or died of disease before US troops liberated the

camp in April 1945.

The memorial now attracts some 800,000 visitors each year. Although it will be the first visit by a German chancellor to Dachau, Merkel has gone to other former Nazi concentration camps including Buchenwald with US President Barack Obama in April 2010. And former president Horst Koehler, whose office is largely ceremonial, attended commemorations of the 65th anniversary of the Dachau liberation three years ago. In her latest weekly podcast, Merkel warned that Europeans must remain vigilant against Holocaust deniers and right-wing extremists. “We must never allow such ideas to have a place in our democratic Europe,” Merkel said, adding that she would travel to Dachau with “feelings of shame and dismay”.

After her visit, Merkel will hold a campaign rally ahead of a Bavarian state poll and the German general election next month. A leader of the opposition Greens party, Renate Kuenast, slammed Merkel’s program as a “tasteless and outrageous combination”. “If you’re serious about commemoration at such a place of horrors, then you don’t pay such a visit during an election campaign,” she told the daily Leipziger Volkszeitung. Munich newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung noted that German leaders commonly paid tribute to the Nazis’ victims abroad but rarely at the camps in Germany itself.—AFP

Eritrea’s minerals: Blessing or curse?

BISHA: In a vast pit of red earth, white stone and green ponds, excavators unearth precious copper in Eritrea’s first large scale commercial mine. In its third year of production, Bisha mine-endowed with gold, copper and zinc-is Eritrea’s first major international investment, and one that promises enormous profit for the impoverished Red Sea state. Despite criticism by rights groups-who say large scale mining props up a hardline regime accused of a raft of abuses-authorities hope the mine will draw investment in other industries to help boost Eritrea’s otherwise struggling economy.

“The miners are the first people to take big risks with big money,” said Alasdair Smith, a geologist and exploration expert in Eritrea.

“There will be a honeymoon period for the mining industry when they will lead the way and they will have a significant contribution to GDP, and then that will quickly get overtaken by other industries,” added Smith, from New Zealand. Bisha mine is 60 percent owned by Canada’s Nevsun Resources and 40 percent owned by the Eritrean government, which took a loan from China to finance its initial investment.

The project has attracted major interest from foreign mining companies, with three companies-from Australia, Canada and Chinaplanning on establishing operations for gold and potash in the next two years. There are also 17 other exploration companies in the country, searching for gold, copper, zinc and potash. Eritrea’s government insists it is committed to using mining profits to develop other nascent sectors-namely agriculture, fisheries and tourism-in order to avoid the

resource curse that plagues other mineral-rich resources in Africa. It needs it: with a gross national income of $430, Eritrea is one of the world’s poorest nations, according to the World Bank.

“This is going to be a major sector in the Eritrean economy, but from our policy point of view, we would like to make sure that Eritrea does not become a one-sector economy,” said Woldai Futur, Eritrea’s Minister for Investment.

Nevsun reported revenues of $71.1 million in the first quarter of 2013, with Bisha’s general manager Kevin Moxham shrugging off World Bank reports ranking Eritrea as the third worst country out of 185 nations to do business in.

“If you look at Africa and the risk of doing work, the country risk (in Eritrea) in my opinion is much less than anywhere else,” Moxham said, sitting at his office at the mine, 150 kilometers west of Asmara. “The government is really involved because they want to make it work...they put their money where their mouth is,” he said, adding that he is confident the growth of the sector will boost spin-off industries and provide much-needed employment.

Still, infrastructure is limited, foreign exchange reserve are minimal, and United Nations-imposed sanctions imposed for Eritrea’s alleged backing of regional rebels make it difficult to import much-needed equipment. Bisha mine could spur fresh investment-But is not without its critics. Last January, Human Rights Watch accused Nevsun of using forced labor drafted in from a decades-long conscription program run by Eritrea, claims rejected by Asmara.—AFP

LONDON: The British authorities forced the Guardian newspaper to destroy material leaked

by Edward Snowden, its editor has revealed, calling it a “pointless” move that would not prevent further reporting on US and British surveillance programs. In a column yesterday, Alan Rusbridger said he had received a call from a government official a month ago who told him: “You’ve had your fun. Now we want the stuff back.” The paper had been threatened with legal action if it did not comply.

Later, two “security experts” from the secretive Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) had visited the paper’s London offices and watched as computer hard drives containing Snowden material were reduced to mangled bits of metal. Rusbridger said the “bizarre” episode and the detention at London’s Heathrow airport on Sunday of the partner of Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald showed press freedom was under threat in Britain.

The nine-hour detention under an anti-terrorism law of David Miranda, Greenwald’s Brazilian partner, has caused a furor with Brazil, British opposition politicians, human rights lawyers and press freedom watchdogs among those denouncing it. Greenwald was the first journalist to publish US and British intelligence secrets leaked by Snowden, the former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor who is wanted in the United States and has found temporary asylum in Russia.

Under mounting pressure to explain itself, Britain’s Home Office, or interior ministr y, defended Miranda’s detention. “If the police believe that an individual is in possession of highly sensitive stolen information that would help terrorism, then they should act and the law provides them with a framework to do that,” it said in a statement. London’s Metropolitan Police said Miranda’s detention had been “legally and procedurally sound”.

Miranda, who was in transit on his way from Berlin to Rio de Janeiro where he lives with Greenwald, was questioned for nine hours before being released without charge minus his laptop, mobile phone and memory sticks. He had been ferrying materials obtained from Snowden between Greenwald and Laura Poitras, an independent film-maker based in Berlin who has also published reports based on

Snowden material.

“This law shouldn’t be given to police officers. They use it to get access to documents or people that they cannot get the legal way through courts or judges. It’s a total abuse of power,” Miranda told the Guardian after returning home. The White House said on Monday Washington was given a “heads up” ahead of Miranda’s detention but had not requested it.

Britain’s opposition Labor party said yesterday that meant senior British ministers must have been involved.

Government ministers “need to explain who authorized the use of terrorism legislation in this case and what the justification was,” said lawmaker Yvette Cooper, the Labor spokeswoman on interior affairs. Staff at the prime minister’s office said they would not comment

reporting on security issues in the Guardian ... the whole situation sends a worrying message to any member of the media transiting through the UK,” she wrote. Britain also came under attack from press freedom group Index on Censorship, which denounced the forced destruction of computers revealed by Rusbridger in his column.

“Using the threat of legal action to force a newspaper into destroying material is a direct attack on press freedom in the UK,” the group’s Chief Executive Kirsty Hughes said. “It is clear that the Snowden and NSA story is strongly in the public interest ... It seems that the UK government is using, and quite literally misusing, laws to intimidate journalists and silence its critics.”

Rusbridger said the destruction of the com-

LONDON: A woman walks past the offices of the Guardian newspaper in central London yesterday. — AFP on the Guardian allegations because it was an “operational matter”. GCHQ also declined to comment. Dunja Mijatovic, media freedoms chief at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a 57-nation human rights and security watchdog, said she had written to the British authorities to express concerns about Miranda’s detention.

“The detention can be interpreted as putting pressure on Glenn Greenwald after his recent

puter material would not stop the Guardian from pursuing Snowden stories. “It felt like a particularly pointless piece of symbolism that understood nothing about the digital age,” the Guardian editor said. “We will continue to do patient, painstaking reporting on the Snowden documents. We just won’t do it in London. The seizure of Miranda’s laptop, phones, hard drives and camera will similarly have no effect on Greenwald’s work.”— Reuters

FBI works to train police on mass killing response SALISBURY: Two hostages stand haplessly at the classroom entrance and another lies seriously wounded beside a wall outside. “Don’t come down here, I’m telling you - I’ll kill ‘em,” a man inside the classroom shouts to officers snaking down the corridor with guns drawn. Negotiations fizzle, the officers yell to the hostages to get down, and the gunman is taken out in a swift gunfight.

The drill is part of a training program the FBI is helping run for local law enforcement agents nationwide.

Acting on a White House directive after last December’s Connecticut school massacre, and partnering with a Texas-based training center, the FBI has been teaching best practices for responding to mass shootings.

The goal is to promote a standardized strategy as local police departments - invariably the first officers to arrive - respond to such shootings.

Besides the tactical drills, conferences run by FBI field offices are intended to prepare local agencies for the challenges of an active shooter emergency and to let them know federal help, including extra manpower to interview witnesses and collect evidence, is available to them.

“It’s not capability - it’s capacity,” said Katherine Schweit, an FBI official involved in organizing the training program. “Every police department, sheriff’s department has the ability to

do interviews and to do evidence collection ... But we can bring capacity.

We can bring 100 agents to a scene in a day and do hundreds of interviews, and have done that time and time again.”

Localized training programs have proliferated in recent years amid high-profile mass shootings in places such as Tucson, Ariz, where then-US Rep Gabrielle Giffords was wounded by a lone gunman in 2011 while meeting with constituents, and in Aurora, Colo, where a man killed 12 in a movie theater. After the Newtown, Conn, school shooting, President Barack Obama directed the FBI to train local law enforcement to develop a more consistent response and signed legislation formalizing the agency’s authority to assist in mass killing investigations. The FBI then partnered with an active-shooter training program - ALERRT, or Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Team - which was created in Texas after the 1999 Columbine High School shootings and receives Justice Department funding. The bureau sent about 100 tactical instructors to Texas for training and returned them into the field to run exercises, alongside ALERRT trainers, for local officers. Officials say the partnership helps spread ALERRT’s teachings to more officers than the program could cover on its

own. It also lends the program what Schweit calls “the imprimatur of national support and standards.”

Officials hope the partnership lasts for as long as funding remains available. The two-day, 16-hour tactical session - like the one held on a college campus in Maryland last week - opens with classroom instruction and ends with role-playing drills.

Officers and instructors are divided into gunmen, responders, hostages and victims and are given real-life scenarios that test their ability to enter a building and confront a shooter.

The officers, in blue protective helmets, fired non-lethal projectiles from lookalike handguns - enough to make a loud “pop” and sting on impact. An instructor filmed the drill so participants could study their mistakes later. “In that kind of event, you can never get to the point where it’s real life. Always in back of the officer’s head, they know, ‘I’m not actually going to die. No one’s being killed,’” said J Pete Blair, the ALERRT program’s research director and an associate professor at Texas State University-San Marcos.

But, he added, “It’s as close as we can get to the real thing without people getting hurt.” The drills reinforce the now-standard protocol of engaging the shooter directly instead of waiting for specialized

SWAT teams, even if the officer’s weapon is less powerful than the gunman’s and even if studies show a solo officer will himself be shot onethird of the time, said Chris Combs, who runs the FBI’s Strategic Information and Operations Center, the headquarters command post for major emergencies.

Many of the shootings end before police arrive or stop once the gunman hears an officer approaching.

“You don’t need negotiators, you don’t have time for SWAT teams, you need to get in there as fast as possible and stop the killing,” Combs, also involved in organizing the partnership, said in an interview. The willingness to go in alone is a “horrible personal decision,” but must be weighed against the potential carnage inside a building, he added. That’s a reversal from past training that focused on containing the scene, controlling the perimeter and calling for SWAT help.

That strategy, though widely accepted at the time, was criticized as too slow and painstaking after the Columbine shootings. “Now because of those lessons learned, because of the willingness to be introspective of what took place, tactics have evolved, and they’re continuing to evolve,” said Arvada, Colo, police Sgt AJ DeAndrea, who was among the first responders at the Columbine shootings.—AP

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

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

In Bosnia, adrenaline junkies take the plunge KONJIC: “Even the tiniest mistake can be fatal,” warns Said Karalic, a veteran of a daring cliff diving competition that draws the Balkan’s most intrepid divers to this Bosnian swimming hole ever y August. The site is a steep grey cliff that stands over the river Neretva right in front of the public beach in Konjic, a small town 60 kilometers southwest of capital Sarajevo.

The river runs shallow here except for one “hole” - a pool only two meters in diameter and two meters deep surrounded by jagged rocks, a potential death trap under the striking green water. It is known as the “Kazan” or “pot,” where young Konjic men have proved their courage for decades. Word spread, however, and in the last 16 years it has become an annual “must” for the best divers in the Balkans. Konjic’s 18-meter (59 feet) cliff is far from the tallest in high diving, a discipline only admitted into official competition for the first time this July at the World Aquatic Championships in Barcelona.

But here, there is no room for error as the high diver aims for the small “hole” in otherwise kneedeep waters. “The flight takes one to two seconds.

A man is not a bird, and if we make a mistake we

have no time to correct it,” says Karalic. The greying 55-year-old with short-cropped hair knows better than most. A tattoo on his chest of a man plunging head-first in a “swallow”, or “swan” dive commemorates his first successful “leap of death” in 2001, a distinction few can claim.

‘MORE THE MIND, THAN MUSCLES’ While Konjic’s classic high dive is made from 18 meters, those attempting the “leap of death” must climb 25 meters up the cliff before plunging into the “hole”. And there are not too many divers who dare. The Konjic competition has no international standing and the jumpers’ only reward is a medal for bravery.

And despite the danger, no one has ever died.

Locals remember only one accident years ago and even that was not serious, they say, because “only the best divers” come to Konjic. At this year’s event, Karalic, nowadays a referee, took his place alongside six other judges on a beach platform facing the cliff. Sixteen divers from Bosnia, neighboring Serbia and Montenegro, competed in two series of jumps, including 25-year old local diver Danko

Horror of North Korea prison camps exposed Defectors give graphic accounts of brutality SEOUL: Public executions and torture are daily occurrences in North Korea’s prisons, according to dramatic testimony from former inmates at a UN Commission of Inquiry that opened in South Korea’s capital yesterday. This is the first time that the North’s human rights record has been examined by an expert panel, although the North, now ruled by a third generation of the founding Kim family, denies that it abuses human rights.

It refuses to recognize the commission and has denied access to investigators. Harrowing accounts from defectors now living in South Korea related how guards chopped off a man’s finger, forced inmates to eat frogs and a mother to kill her own baby. “I had no idea at all ... I thought my whole hand was going to be cut off at the wrist, so I felt thankful and grateful that only my finger was cut off,” said Shin Dong-hyuk, punished for dropping a sewing machine.

Born in a prison called Camp 14 and forced to watch the execution of his mother and brother whom he turned in for his own survival, Shin is North Korea’s best-known defector and camp survivor. He said he believed the UN panel was the only way to improve human rights in the isolated and impoverished state. “Because the North Korean people cannot stand up with guns like Libya and Syria ... I personally think this is the first and last hope left,” Shin said. “There is a lot for them to cover up, even though they don’t admit to anything.” There are a 150,000-200,000 people in North Korean prison camps, according to independent estimates, and defectors say many inmates are malnourished or worked to death.

After more than a year and a half ruling North Korea, Kim Jong Un, 30, has

shown few signs of changing the rigid rule of his father, Kim Jong Il, and grandfather, state founder Kim Il Sung.

Neither have there been signs of a thaw or loss of control inside the tightly controlled state. Jee Heon-a, 34, told the Commission that from the first day of her incarceration in 1999, she discovered that salted frogs were one of the few things to eat. “Everyone’s eyes were sunken. They all looked like animals.

Frogs were hung from the buttons of their clothes, put in a plastic bag and their skins peeled off,” she said. “They ate salted frogs and so did I.” Speaking softly, she took a deep breath when describing in detail how a mother was forced to kill her own baby.

“It was the first time I had seen a newborn baby and I felt happy. But suddenly there were footsteps and a security guard came in and told the mother to turn the baby upside down into a bowl of water,” she said. “The mother begged the guard to spare her, but he kept beating her. So the mother, her hands shaking, put the baby face down in the water. The crying stopped and a bubble rose up as it died. A grandmother who had delivered the baby quietly took it out.”

TOUGH NUT Few experts expect the commission to have an immediate impact on the rights situation, although it will serve to publicize a campaign that has little visibility globally. “The UN has tried various ways to pressure North Korea over the years in the field of human rights, and this is a way to raise the pressure a bit,” said Bill Schabas, professor of international law at Middlesex University in Britain. “But it’s obvious that North Korea is a tough nut to crack and the UN’s means are limited. There would

need to be profound political changes in North Korea to make headway in the field of human rights.”

But there appeared to be little interest in the issue in Seoul. Only a few dozen people, including journalists, attended the public hearing at a city centre university. Defectors are largely shunned or ignored in South Korea and eke out an existence in menial jobs, if they have them at all, according to official data. Kim Jong Un stepped up the nuclear weapons and rocket programs launched by his father with a third nuclear test and two rocket launches and emphasizes the military in his speeches.

This year, he threatened the United States, South Korea and Japan with nuclear attack and although the country’s bellicose moves were dismissed as empty rhetoric, Kim succeeded in driving tension on the divided Korean peninsula sharply higher. The hope of many activists would be for the Kim dynasty to fall and for leaders in Pyongyang to be put on trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, although the UN commission says this is not possible for the moment.

On its website, the Commission said it was “not appropriate” to comment on any ICC jurisdiction over potential crimes against humanity as North Korea had not signed the statutes that would enable the court to prosecute. But activists said word of the commission would seep into the North via unofficial contacts maintained by families. “People living their daily lives here don’t realize how important this is. It will have a tremendously powerful impact across North Korea,” said Kim Sang-hun, chairman of Database Center for North Korean Human Rights, a South Korean group.—Reuters

Asylum-seeker boat sinks off Australia Five people were feared dead JAKARTA: Five people were feared dead but scores were saved when an asylumseeker boat foundered off Australia yesterday, casting a shadow over international talks on people-smuggling. The boatpeople issue is a battleground ahead of September 7 polls in Australia, where public anger is growing over the failure to stop an influx of thousands of asylum-seekers who board boats in Indonesia.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd unveiled a new hardline policy last month that will see boatpeople arriving in Australia sent to Papua New Guinea for processing and resettlement, and his party claims the policy is already working. But the boats are still arriving-and as Australian Immigration Minister Tony Burke told delegates at the Jakarta talks that Canberra was “serious” about its new policy, a boat heading for Australia was going down.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) received a request for

help early in the day from the stricken vessel 120 nautical miles from the Australian territory of Christmas Island, where most asylum seekers arrive. An alert was sent out and a navy ship and a customs and border protection aircraft responded, along with a merchant ship.

Rescuers plucked 106 people to safety from the sinking boat, averting a major catastrophe just weeks before Australians go to the polls.

But AMSA added that up to five people remained unaccounted for. “After an extensive search of the area for further survivors or bodies, none have been sighted,” it said in a statement. “It is therefore believed any people unaccounted for have gone down with part of the vessel.” There were no details of the nationalities of those missing, nor whether they were men, women or children. The search was suspended as darkness approached and the navy vessel headed for Christmas Island with the survivors.

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa (left) welcomes his counterpart from Papua New Guinea, Rimbink Pato, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jakarta yesterday. — AFP

Hundreds of asylum-seekers have drowned en route to Australia. Last month, in the most recent incident, a boat capsized off Indonesia, leaving at least 15 dead-including six children. The latest incident came as Burke and Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr took part in the talks aimed at finding a regional solution to the boatpeople issue. Discussions included ministers and senior officials from major countries of origin, such as Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. As well as the boat sinking, the talks were marred by Iran’s decision to snub the conference, a major blow as it is the biggest single source of asylumseekers heading to Australia.

After the talks, the 13 countries present said in a communique that they “recognized the need for common responses involving countries of origin, transit as well as destination”. Rudd’s new boatpeople plan, the so-called Papua New Guinea Solution, is an effort to win back ground from the conservative, Tony Abbott-led opposition. The tiny pacific island of Nauru has also agreed to join the initiative. Rudd’s party claims the plan has already succeeded in slowing the flow of asylum-seeker boats-but it has provoked howls of outrage from rights groups and cracks are already starting to appear.

In a weekend interview with Fairfax newspapers, Rudd’s PNG counterpart Peter O’Neill indicated that the agreement was not open-ended-as had previously been suggested-and there was a limit to the number of boatpeople it could settle. However, PNG’s Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato insisted at yesterday’s conference that there was no limit.

“We will take any number of refugees,” he said. Abbott has pledged his own crackdown that would see all refugees put on three-year temporary visas and forced into a work-for-welfare program without family reunion, appeal or permanent residency rights.— AFP

Dangbic, the Konjic champion for the last three years.

Hundreds of spectators applauded and shouted but when Dangbic reached the diving point, all went silent. He raised his left hand to signal he was ready, focused on the “pot” below, spread his arms then dived. Seconds later, his head bobbed out of the cold water looking straight at the judges. Yes, his dive was perfect. “It’s more the mind then the muscles,” he says. “It’s the dive that requires concentration and perfect fitness, one cannot afford any mistakes” His advice to future divers: “Determination and courage are crucial.” “Even the best possible physical fitness cannot help the jump if you are not brave,” he says. Dino Bajric, 24, this year’s secondplace winner sports a shiny silver medal around his neck and readily admits that it is the adrenaline rush that draws him to high diving. “It is the challenge, the height, the freedom we feel in the air.

These few seconds are indescribable. “I feel as free as a bird. The space belongs to you during the flight, even if this feeling lasts only briefly, until you hit the water,” he says. “Then it really hurts.”— AFP

SARAJEVO: A Bosnian man dives into the river Neretva during the “Jump in the pot,”- a cliff diving competition. — AFP

India anti-superstition campaigner shot dead MUMBAI: A leading Indian rationalist thinker, who campaigned for a law to eradicate superstition in a country noted for its mystics and gurus, was shot dead yesterday.

Two gunmen on motorbikes fired at Narendra Dabholkar, a medical doctor who had faced accusations of being anti-religion, as he was taking his morning walk in the western city of Pune in Maharashtra state, its police chief said. “He was shot dead this morning, our investigations are on,” Pune police commissioner Gulabrao Pol said. Pol said detectives were trying to establish the motive behind the killing and had no immediate suspects. “ There has been no breakthrough so far, but we are working on all angles,” he said. Dabholkar more than two decades ago founded the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti-the Committee for the Eradication of Blind Faiththat aimed to change the mindset of India’s deeply superstitious population.

Dabholkar, known for his campaigns to promote progressive and

scientific thought, had for several years been lobbying for Maharashtra state’s parliament to pass legislation banning superstition and black magic. Two years ago, in an interview with AFP, he rejected critics’ charges that such a bill was anti-religion. “In the whole of the bill, there’s not a single word about God or religion. Nothing like that. The Indian constitution allows freedom of worship and nobody can take that away,” he said. “This is about fraudulent and exploitative practices.”

Over the years, Dabholkar had also challenged some of India’s “godmen”, self-styled Hindu ascetics who have huge followings, over their claims to have performed miracles. He also campaigned against animal sacrifices during some religious rituals. Dabholkar, whom Indian media said was aged 71, was editor of a magazine called “Sadhana” or spiritual practice and was devoted to the propagation of progressive thought.

Prominent rationalist Sumitra Padmanabhan of the independent

Humanists’ Association condemned the killing. “Rationalists all over India are attacked as India is still a ver y superstitious countr y,” Padmanabhan said by telephone from Kolkata.

“There are laws against dowry, witch-hunting and child marriages but such practices are still thriving in the country,” she said. “Scientists don’t fight with each other, rationalists also don’t-but in the name of religion there is conflict because people with extremist views are thriving in India because it is very regressive country.”

Gurus and spiritual leaders play an integral role in the daily lives of thousands of Indians seeking a pathway to happiness and enlightenment. Superstitious beliefs are rampant in the fast-developing and officially secular country, where Hinduism dominates but a diverse range of ethnic groups and religious practices co-exist.

Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil condemned the shooting and said those responsible would be brought to justice.—AFP

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

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

New radioactive leak at Japan’s Fukushima TOKYO: An estimated 300 tons of radioactive water is believed to have leaked from a tank at Japan’s crippled nuclear plant, the operator said yesterday as it battled the latest toxic water threat. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said the leak was believed to be continuing at Fukushima and it had not yet pinpointed the source of it. TEPCO said puddles with extremely high radiation levels have been found near the water tanks at the plant.

The radiation level was about 100 millisieverts per hour, it said. “This means you are exposed to the level of radiation in an hour that a nuclear plant worker is allowed to be exposed to in five years,” a TEPCO official told reporters. The company later said it had identified which tank was leaking but had yet to find the spot from where it was leaking. “We have instructed TEPCO to find the source of contaminated water...and to seal the leakage point,” an official from the Nuclear Regulation Authority said.

“We have also instructed them to retrieve contaminated soil to avoid a further expansion of toxic water, and to strengthen monitoring of the surrounding environment.” There were no significant changes in radiation levels outside the plant, he added. TEPCO admitted it was possible the toxic water could contaminate groundwater and flow into the Pacific Ocean “in the longer term,” but said it was working to avoid such a situation. “We are transferring the contaminated water from a tank with a leakage problem to unbroken tanks, and retrieving leaked water and soil around it,” the TEPCO official said. “We are also beefing up existing earth-fill dams around tanks,” he said, as the region braces for heavy rain later.

So far four tons of the spilled water had been retrieved since Monday evening when TEPCO started the recovery operation, the company said. TEPCO has faced a growing catalogue of incidents at the plant including several leaks

Russia scrambling to contain record floods MOSCOW: Russians in the Far East yesterday battled rising floodwaters as authorities evacuated more than 23,000 people from affected areas and scrambled to prevent the outbreak of infection. Heavy rains pounding Khabarovsk, a Far Eastern city located near the Chinese border, since July have swelled the local Amur River to nearly 7 meters a level unseen since monitoring of the area began in 1895.

The floodwaters damaged property, infrastructure and crops, displaced tens of thousands and raised fresh questions about the Russian government’s readiness to handle natural disasters. There have been no reports of fatalities but more than 23,000 people have been evacuated so far, the office of the Kremlin’s Far Eastern envoy Viktor Ishayev said in a statement. National television footage showed locals making their way through a flooded area by boat and a cow wading through muddy waters, submerged nearly up to its neck.

The floods have affected the Yakutia, Primorsky Krai and Amur regions as well as the Jewish Autonomous Oblast but the Khabarovsk region was hit hardest. Over the night, the region’s Amur river, which serves as a natural border with China where it is known as Heilong Jiang, has risen by 16 centimeters to 673 centimeters.

It is expected to rise by another 40 centimeters over the next two days. “According to estimates, the water levels near Khabarovsk can reach 730-780 centimeters on August 24-28,” the Khabarovsk city administration said. Yury Varakin, head of the situation centre at Russia’s weather service (Rosgidromet), said the water levels around Khabarovsk reached a level unseen since regular monitoring began in 1895.

“The highest water level stood at 642 centimeters in 1897,” he said. “In many areas the river spread out over tens of kilometers. The unfavorable situation will remain until the end of the month.” The mil-

itary have been deployed to help hurriedly erect flood defense bunds along the river, with authorities saying they have prepared 10,000 sand bags to use in case the waters breached the defenses. Ishayev asked the General Prosecutor’s office to look into how the authorities have been handling the emergency.

“Residents in a number of areas say: ‘If you started a bit earlier then you’d have saved residential settlements.’ And they are right,” Ishayev said in televised remarks. He indicated that some areas did not have proper infrastructure to help protect them against the floods. “The water will be receding rather slowly,” Ishayev added.

Authorities said many in the affected areas had been left without access to money after Russia’s biggest bank Sberbank shut its branches and ATMs. Of the more than 29,000 people who needed to be vaccinated, only 2,000 received necessary shots even though the local authorities had enough vaccines against hepatitis A, diphtheria and typhoid fever, Ishayev’s office said. The defense ministry sent an airlift carrying 20 tons of vaccines and medicine to the Far East, adding it had vaccinated 2,000 servicemen involved in relief efforts. Another 2,700 will be vaccinated shortly, said the defense ministry, adding that it was also ready to immunize the local population.

Yesterday officials in the Magadan region also declared an emergency due to rising water levels. The disaster comes a year after some 170 people perished in the devastating floods that hit the town of Krymsk and its outlying areas in the southern Krasnodar region, with many people dying in their sleep. Four officials including Krymsk’s former mayor are now standing trial on charges of criminal negligence. A district court in the Krasnodar region began reading out a verdict on the case Monday.— AFP

Rohingya asylum seekers escape Thai detention BANGKOK: A group of Muslim Rohingya asylum-seekers in southern Thailand escaped from an immigration detention centre yesterday, highlighting the growing desperation of a stateless minority fleeing sectarian violence in Myanmar. Rights activists are critical of Thailand’s response to the influx of Rohingya and have urged the authorities not to deport the refugees back to Myanmar, where they face pervasive discrimination. The 87 escapees used blades to cut through iron bars and hacked at cement walls before disappearing into nearby rubber plantations, prompting a large search operation, said Suwit Chernsiri, police commander of the southern province of Songkla.

“The men were detained for many months and tensions were high,” Suwit told Reuters.

The jail break was the second after a group of 30 escaped from a Songkla police station earlier this month. More than 1,800 Rohingya who fled Myanmar by sea this past year are being detained across Thailand, often in overcrowded centres and shelters, and thousands more have been intercepted and pushed back out to sea by the Thai authorities. The deputy interior minister expressed fears that the asylum-seekers would harm locals and discourage tourists from visiting Thailand.

“The monsoon season will be over in two months and more boat people will come.

We’ve asked the UNHCR to help fix this problem,” Wisarn Techathirawat, deputy interior minister, told Reuters, adding the UN agency only took on a few asylum-seekers. “The rest

of the burden is left to us.” Myanmar, a majority Buddhist country, says the Rohingya are Muslim migrants from Bangladesh. A 1982 Citizenship Act excluded Rohingya Muslims from a list of 135 designated ethnic groups, effectively rendering them stateless.

Thailand also denies Rohingya citizenship and considers them illegal migrants.

Bangladesh also does not recognize them.

Many Rohingya hope to end up in neighboring Muslim-majority Malaysia where some have extended families but often fall prey to smugglers and traffickers in Thailand. A Reuters investigation found that Rohingya who fail to pay for their passage are handed over to traffickers, who sell some men into slavery on Thai fishing boats or force them to work as farmhands. Thailand’s navy denies its personnel are involved in smuggling and trafficking networks.

Wisarn told Reuters that the foreign media were guilty of painting the shelters and detention centers in a bad light and that the Rohingya had a tendency to act up for foreign media. “They know that it is difficult to go to a third country so when they see foreign journalists, they act up for the cameras.”

The number of Rohingya boarding boats from Myanmar and neighboring Bangladesh reached 34,626 people from June 2012 to May of this year - more than four times the previous year, says the Arakan Project, an advocacy group that has studied Rohingya migration since 2006. Many have ended up in Thailand.—Reuters

SITTWE: Myanmar security force personnel stand guard following an unrest at an Internally Displaced People (IDP) camp for Muslim Rohingyas in Rakhine State.— AFP

of radioactive water, more than two years after the worst nuclear disaster in a generation triggered by a huge quake and tsunami in March 2011. The company-which faces huge clean-up and compensation costs-has struggled with a massive amount of radioactive water accumulating as a result of continuing water injections to cool reactors.

The embattled utility in July admitted for the first time that radioactive groundwater had been leaking outside the plant. This month it started pumping it out to reduce leakage into the Pacific. The problems have led the Japanese government and its nuclear regulator to say they would get more directly involved in the cleanup at Fukushima. While no one is officially recorded as having died as a direct result of the meltdowns of Fukushima’s reactors, large areas around the plant had to be evacuated. Tens of thousands of people are still unable to return to their homes.—AFP

OKUMA: Photo shows contaminated water which leaked from a water tank at TEPCO’s Fukushima dai-ichi nuclear power plant at Okuma town in Fukushima prefecture. — AFP

China high-flyer Bo brought low Bo Xilai faces trial for bribery, abuse of power CHONGQING: Once one of China’s highest-flying politicians, Bo Xilai will find himself in a criminal dock tomorrow on trial for bribery and abuse of power in the country’s highest-profile prosecution in decades. His downfall began when a British businessman was found dead in a hilltop hotel room. As the drama finally nears its conclusion, the Communist Party is touting it as proof of its intent to crack down on corruption.

The scandal-which saw Bo’s police chief flee to a US consulate and his wife convicted of murdererupted in the buildup to a oncein-a-decade leadership handover that saw Xi Jinping elevated as communist chief in November.

Analysts say Bo’s revival of the trappings of Mao-era Chinaincluding mass concerts singing “red” songs-while party chief in the mega-city of Chongqing alarmed sections of China’s top leadership, who saw the campaigns as a brash return to a bygone era of strongman rule.

In Chongqing, winding roads lead to the Lijing Holiday hotel atop the forested Nanshan hill. In one of several villas with sweeping views of the sprawling city, Bo’s wife Gu Kailai is said to have poisoned her former business partner Neil Heywood in November 2011.

The hotel still sees a steady stream of wealthy visitors who dine in a rustic restaurant-but staff denied the existence of the room where court documents say the murder happened.

“There is no room 1605,” a hotel receptionist who declined to be named told AFP. “I do not know what you are talking about.” Bo, the “princeling” son of one of China’s most revered revolutionary generals, met Heywood when he was mayor of Dalian in the late 1990s. An English teacher turned business consultant, Heywood cultivated an aristocratic air and became close to Bo as well as his wife, a high-flying lawyer. He seemed the perfect person to guide their son Bo Guagua as he started studies at a preparatory school in Britain, before going on

JINAN: Security officials leave after making preparations at the Intermediate People’s Court where disgraced politician Bo Xilai will soon go on trial in Jinan, Shandong Province. — AFP

to Heywood’s alma mater of Harrow, and then Oxford and Harvard. As his connections with Bo and Gu deepened, Heywood reportedly bought an expensive villa in Beijing, and a Jaguar sports car with the licence plate “007”.

Bo’s family is said to have amassed immense wealth, owning property in France, Britain and the United States, and reports say Heywood helped invest millions overseas.

But as Gu became closer to Bo’s right-hand man Wang Lijun-a flamboyant martial-arts trained policeman who oversaw the politician’s mafia crackdown in Chongqing-Heywood’s relationship with her began to sour.

The two clashed over a business deal, according to the official account of Gu’s trial. And in a dingy hotel room she plied Heywood with alcohol before pouring a cyanide-based poison into his mouth, the court heard.

When Heywood’s body was discovered, he was diagnosed as having suffered a heart attack and

quickly cremated. But the scandal became public early last year after Bo fell out with Wang over the murder, slapping him in the face, according to the court account of Wang’s trial, and sacking him.

Shortly afterwards, Wang appeared at the door of the US consulate in the neighboring city of Chengdu in February 2012, offering stunned diplomats a raft of secrets. A stand-off ensued before Wang was escorted to Beijing by a top Chinese security official, reportedly because he feared assassination. As rumors of Bo’s imminent arrest began to swirl, he remained defiant, telling reporters in March last year that accusations against him were “sheer rubbish”. “A few people have been pouring filth on Chongqing and me and my family,” he said.

But a terse announcement by China’s state news agency days later sealed his fate: Bo had been relieved of his post and faced an internal party investigation,

spelling the end of his political career. Even so, it has taken more than a year for him to come to court, reportedly as communist factions jostle over his fate. Gu and Wang were convicted in carefully orchestrated trials, with Gu handed a suspended death sentenceusually commuted to life in prison-for Heywood’s murder in August, and Wang 15 years in jail for his role in its cover-up a month later. Last month Bo was formally indicted on charges of bribery, graft and abuse of power.

Analysts say the trial in the eastern city of Jinan will be short and predictable, with a guilty plea virtually certain and a decades-long jail sentence to follow. In a statement to the New York Times, the 25-year-old Bo Guagua said he had been denied contact with his parents for 18 months and warned that any horse-trading over his own well-being would mean the verdict against his father “will clearly carry no moral weight”.— AFP

8 die; Rains pummel flooded Philippines MANILA: More than 200,000 flood-battered residents of the Philippine capital fled their homes yesterday as relentless monsoon rains, which have killed eight people, submerged more than half of Manila. Streets turned into rivers with water rising above two-meters in some parts of the megacity of 12 million people, while vast areas of neighboring farming regions on the main island of Luzon were also inundated. “I was crying when I saw my house being filled with water,” said Edita Selda, 68, a sidewalk vendor who was forced to evacuate from her home in a shantytown along a major river in Manila that burst its banks.

“I chained the door shut so our belongings wouldn’t be washed away. But... the water is moving so fast.” More than half of Manila was flooded yesterday morning although that figure subsided to about 20 percent by the evening, authorities said. In one part of the capital, 47.5 centimeters of rain fell in the 24 hours to Monday morning, according to Esperanza Cayanan, a meteorologist in charge of Manila for the state weather forecaster.

She said this was the same amount which normally fell for all of August, already one of the wettest months of the year. More than 200,000 people have sought shelter in evacuation centres, the head of the Philippine Red

Cross, Gwendolyn Peng, told ABS-CBN television. Countless others were forced to wait out the floods in their water-filled homes, while the less fortunate sat on sidewalks with only plastic sheets for protection from the rain.

“We have had nothing to eat, nothing to wear. A few people went to houses on higher ground, but most of us had nowhere to go,” Dinah Claire Velasco, 44, a resident of a bluecollar coastal district on the outskirts of Manila said. “My children and other people were able to seek refuge on the second floor of my house but a lot of others had to just sit on their roofs... We’re waiting for rescue, for help, even just food.” While no-one was reported killed in Manila, five more people were confirmed to have drowned in flooded farming provinces to the north, according to the government’s disaster management council.

Among them were a one-year-old baby and a 64-year- old man, both of whom drowned in the rural province of Pampanga about an hour’s drive north of Manila. This brought the confirmed death toll from two days of flooding across Luzon to eight. The economic toll has also started to grow, with the stock exchange, government offices and schools in Manila closed for a second con-

secutive day. More than 160 domestic and international flights at Manila’s airport were cancelled.

The state weather agency said the rain would continue into Wednesday, raising the prospect of another day of paralysis in Manila. The heavy rains were due to the seasonal monsoon being exacerbated by Tropical Storm Trami, k nown locally as Maring, which was hovering to the north of the Philippines. Trami has been nearly stationary since Monday, according to the we a t h e r b u re a u. Th e S o u t h e a s t A s i a n archipelago endures about 20 major storms or typhoons annually, generally in the second half of the year and many of them are deadly.

The extent of the flooding across Manila recalled memories of Tropical Storm Ketsana, which flooded 80 percent of the capital in 2009 and claimed more than 460 lives. However Ketsana took most people in Manila by surprise and its rain fell mostly in an eight-hour deluge. Residents and the government have also since taken many measures to be better prepared. These include extensive social media alerts informing people about places to avoid and offering a platform to appeal for help.— AFP

NEWS

Mubarak casts shadow over US policy in Egypt WASHINGTON: The possible release of Egypt’s jailed former leader, Hosni Mubarak, could further complicate US ties with the post-coup country.

For nearly three decades, the US propped up Mubarak and the Egyptian military with financial and military support. In exchange, Egypt helped protect US interests in the region, including a peace treaty with Israel.

But that relationship now casts a shadow over the Obama administration as it struggles for a coherent Egypt policy following the ouster of Mubarak’s democratically elected successor, Mohammed Morsi. The US has refused to call Morsi’s ouster in early July a coup - a step that would require President Barack Obama to suspend $1.3 billion in annual military aid. Egyptian judicial officials announced Monday that Mubarak could be released from jail later this week.

The White House refused to take a position on the status of its former partner, saying it would be inappropriate to comment on a legal matter.

“President Mubarak is part of an ongoing Egyptian legal process right now,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. “And because that is a process that is internal to Egypt, it’s not something that I’m in a position to comment on from here.”

The US has frequently taken positions on legal matters in other countries, including the jailing of Ukraine’s former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, the sentencing in

Russia of the band Pussy Riot and the arrest of US aid workers in Egypt last year. Mubarak’s release likely would deepen the anger among Morsi’s supporters in the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist political movement that was illegal under Mubarak.

Morsi is also in custody. He is being held at an undisclosed location and is facing allegations that he conspired with the Palestinian militant Hamas group to escape from prison in 2011. The White House has called for Morsi’s release. Earnest on Monday said the detention was “politically motivated” and “not in line with the human rights standards that we expect other governments to uphold.”

It’s possible that Egyptian officials could keep Mubarak in custody, since the chaos that could result from his release would pose huge risks for the military-backed government. The 85-year-old has been in detention since April 2011. He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for his failure to stop the killing of some 900 protesters during the revolution that forced him from office.

Mubarak’s sentence was overturned on appeal and he is now being retried. Two judicial officials, however, said there no longer will be any grounds to hold the former president if a court accepts a petition by his lawyer requesting his release in a corruption case later this week.

Mubarak’s ouster cleared the way for

Egypt’s first democratic election.

Voters backed Morsi, but just one year into his term Egyptians took to the streets to protest, alleging that he gave the Muslim Brotherhood undue influence and failed to live up to his economic promises.

Morsi’s ouster has put the Obama administration in the awkward diplomatic position of choosing between US national security interests and its democratic values, particularly given the military’s deadly crackdown against Morsi supporters. The administration seems unlikely to move toward a blanket suspension of its annual military aid. Instead, the administration appears to be pursuing a more piecemeal approach, cutting off the delivery of four F-16 fighter jets and canceling joint USEgyptian military exercises planned for next month.

The administration is also considering suspending about $250 million in annual US economic aid for Egypt, officials said. Congressional notification by the administration could arrive in the next week, said the officials, who weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity. Just over half of Americans say it is better for the United States to cut off military aid to Egypt in order to put pressure on the government, according to a new Pew Research Center poll. That’s nearly double the percentage who prefer the US continue sending military aid to Egypt in order to maintain influence there. — AP

Saudis beheaded Continued from Page 1 Saudi Arabia, wary of traffickers and militants trespassing from Yemen, have been building a security fence along its 1,800 km border with the impoverished country since 2003.

The construction has been often halted by protesting Yemeni tribesmen, who say the fence prevents local tribes from reaching pastures for their livestock. “We were caught by surprise this morning when construction of the fence had resumed,” tribal chief Hussein Abu Dadra said. “We fired on the construction company workers and the border guards fired back. We forced them to stop construction work.” Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour Al-Turki denied the

report. “There is nothing at the border. Everything is normal,” he said. Yemen, home to one of Al-Qaeda’s most active franchises, is a major security concern for Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter and a main backer of Sanaa.

The kingdom views the volatile border, plagued by sandstorms, drought, gun runners and drug smugglers, as a major threat to its security. Last year, two Saudi border guards were killed by Al-Qaeda-linked militants trying to cross into Yemen after being released from a Saudi prison. The threat is further exacerbated by the fact that Shiite Muslim Houthi rebels control much of the border regions, with whom Saudi Arabia fought a brief war in 2009. — Agencies

GCC blasts Hezbollah Continued from Page 1 and innocent Syrians, and destroying their towns and property,” Zayani said. He even boasts that he is “ready to double the number of his militia fighters and even to join the fight himself against the Syrian people,” Zayani added.

The head of the Iran-backed movement accused radical Sunni Islamists, who have joined the fight against the Syrian regime, of being behind last week’s car bomb in the predominantly Shiite southern suburb of Beirut, which killed 27 people and wounded 336. “I will go myself to Syria if it is so necessary in the battle against the takfiris (radical Sunni Muslims); Hezbollah and I will go to Syria” to fight rebels trying to oust President Bashar Al-Assad, said Nasrallah defiantly.

Hezbollah is a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and has sent fighters across the border this year to bolster government forces, which have been battling an anti-regime revolt since March 2011. Oil-rich GCC countries, which are backing the uprising, have imposed sanction on Hezbollah over its support for Assad. The GCC comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

In another development, Jordan’s king yesterday warned that ethnic and sectarian violence sweeping across several Arab countries could lead to the “destruction” of the Muslim world. Abdullah II’s remarks came at a

conference in the Jordanian capital of 100 religious scholars, both Sunni and Shiite, from 35 countries. Christian clergymen also attended the meeting, which is discussing how Muslim nations can adopt moderate policies and preserve civil liberties and human rights.

The civil war in neighboring Syria has taken on an increasingly sectarian tone, pitting predominantly Sunni rebels against a regime dominated by an offshoot of Shiism, which is allied with Shiite-majority Iran. Jordan is worried that the violence could spill across the border.

Sunni-Shiite tensions also impact conflicts in Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon and elsewhere. In Egypt, Islamists torched churches after security forces staged a bloody crackdown on encampments protesting the toppling of President Mohammed Morsi.

“This conference coincides with our repeated calls to reject and end ethnic and intra-religious sectarian violence, which entails a recipe for the destruction of the Islamic world,” Abdullah said. He warned against the “danger of manipulating religion for political purposes and sowing the seeds of hateful ethnic and intra-religious sectarian division.” Abdullah said Muslims should respect democracy and make it inclusive. “Majoritarian rule is not the essence of democracy because democracy is achieved when all share the feeling that they are truly represented. This is the essence of political consensus in Islam,” he added.— Agencies

‘No visit visas’ for Egyptians: Kuwait Continued from Page 1 After decades as an outlawed movement, the Brotherhood emerged as the best-drilled political force following President Hosni Mubarak’s fall in pro-democracy protests in 2011. Now the state accuses it of Al-Qaeda-style militancy and subversion, charges it vehemently denies. Founded in 1928, the Islamist group used its organizational muscle to secure victory for Morsi in last year’s presidential election. It says it has about a million members among Egypt’s 85 million people, as well as offshoots across the Arab world.

The whereabouts of many other senior Brotherhood politicians are unknown. Those who had been posting frequently on social media have stopped in the last two days. Arrests have extended beyond Cairo, netting provincial leaders of the movement. The Brotherhood condemned the detention of Badie, whose 38-year-old son was killed in Cairo clashes on Friday, and denied reports that it had appointed a temporary leader. “When the hand of oppression extends to arrest this important symbol, that means the military coup has used up everything in its pocket and is readying to depart,” it said.

The state news agency said Badie was now in Cairo’s Tora prison, where other Brotherhood leaders are held. Mubarak is also jailed there, though legal moves to release him are afoot. A court will examine a bail petition for Mubarak, 85 today, judicial sources said. Freedom for the man who ruled Egypt for 30 years could stir more political tension in the most populous Arab nation, where his former Islamist foes are now being hunted down. Morsi has been held in an undisclosed location since the army toppled him following mass protests against him.

Tamarod, the youth organization which orchestrated the street campaign against Morsi, hailed Badie’s detention as “an important step on the path of the revolution, fighting terrorism and dismantling the terrorist group by arresting its leaders”. The Brotherhood, which renounced violence decades ago, has promised peaceful resistance to the army takeover.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the authorities to release Morsi, or at least ensure a transparent

process for him. He also said on Monday that the “very limited” political space for the Muslim Brotherhood should be expanded. The United States urged Egypt not to ban the Brotherhood, an option floated in the past week by the interim prime minister. Jeffrey Feltman, UN under-secretary for political affairs, arrived in Egypt yesterday for talks that Ban had said would focus on initiatives to restore peace and forge reconciliation. Egypt began three days of official mourning for 25 policemen killed on Monday by suspected Islamist militants in the Sinai near the desert border with Israel. State television carried emotional demands for retribution against the Brotherhood.

The off-duty policemen were returning to their barracks in Rafah when militants attacked them. The government said the men had been forced from their vehicles and shot in cold blood. The army said yesterday it had captured 11 “terrorist elements” in Sinai, including two Palestinians. The United States, a close ally of Egypt since it signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, said on Monday it was still reviewing whether to freeze any of its $1.55 billion annual aid package to Egypt, which mostly funds US weapons supplies.

Washington also voiced concern about the deaths on Sunday of 37 detainees who authorities said were suffocated by tear gas during an escape attempt. The circumstances remain unclear. The pro-Brotherhood alliance condemned the Sinai attack, which it accused the “security apparatus of the coup government” of carrying out to divert attention from the deaths of the 37 men who had been in transit to Abu Zabal prison near Cairo.

The alliance also called for a consumer boycott of businesses and states that “support the bloody military coup”.

Foreign ministers of the European Union, another donor to Egypt, meet in Brussels today to discuss how it might apply its influence for a peaceful compromise. However, Egypt’s interim government, buoyed by considerable popular support, as well as diplomatic backing from Israel and Saudi Arabia, which has promised to make up for any shortfall in Western aid, has said it will resist any outside pressure. — Agencies

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

Al-Jazeera woos American viewers WASHINGTON: Al-Jazeera America began wooing US viewers yesterday, with a vast campaign using traditional and social media for its cable channel launch, pledging to outdo its rivals with serious in-depth journalism. With a launch, the Qatarbased media group took out full-page ads in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today, and kept up a barrage over social media including Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr.

“Change the way you look at news,” the ad in The Wall Street Journal states. “Get more depth, More perspective.

Every day.” On Facebook, Al-Jazeera America called itself “the new American TV news channel that connects you to the human stories at the heart of the news.” The channel will reach more than 40 million households and vastly expands the footprint of Al-Jazeera despite questions about how it will be received by American viewers.

Even before its launch, social media was abuzz over the channel and its new programs. Some expressed concern that Al-Jazeera was ending its streaming Internet of its English-language service, which according to executives was required under cable TV contracts. On Facebook, the Al-Jazeera America page had 66,000 likes and a variety of comments.

“Cool! Kind of excited to see what you kind folks come up with!,” one person wrote. But another said, “You better embrace the foundation of which this country was created for FREE PEOPLE or we will remove you from this country.” Others said it was unclear if the channel would truly break new ground. Jeff Jarvis, a City University of New York journalism

professor, said on Google+ he was skeptical: “They hired people straight out of traditional TV news; they tried hard not to hire foreigners. But what I was hoping for was a new form with new perspectives.”

Americans will be able to get 14 hours of news, documentary and discussion programming daily, and updates at the top of every hour 24 hours each day. But the selling point will be long-form reporting of stories overlooked by other news organizations. Yet it is likely to face a tough sell to US audiences because of its history in the Middle East, where it was the outlet for videos distributed by Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. Some conservatives claim it is still anti-Western.

Ehab Al Shihabi, interim chief executive of Al-Jazeera America, said US viewers will come around once they see the programs. He said surveys indicate that “75 percent of people who did not watch Al-Jazeera came on the negative size and 90 percent of those who watch Al-Jazeera came on the positive side.”Shihabi said 850 staff have been hired for 12 US bureaus, and will draw on 70 bureaus worldwide to give AlJazeera unmatched scale.

Since acquiring Current TV, a struggling US cable channel, Al-Jazeera has brought in well-known names in the industry, such as former CNN and CBS journalist Joie Chen, former NBC news anchor John Seigenthaler and David Shuster, a veteran of Fox News and MSNBC. Along with 24-hour news, AlJazeera will include several showcase programs starting with the 5:00 pm time slot and carrying into “prime time” evening viewing. — AFP

Cornered Hamas looks back at Iran Continued from Page 1 received, which is not direct, suggests that the old policy will be endorsed by the new administration,” Zahar, a renown hardliner, told Reuters in an interview. Hamas hopes newly installed President Hassan Rouhani will open the financial taps again. Diplomats estimated that Iran used to give Hamas some $250 million a year, but one Palestinian official reckoned that only 20 percent of that was now being handed over.

Ehud Yaari, a Middle East expert from Israel, put the figure at just 15 percent, with no arms being offered up either. “We have a situation of close to zero arms trafficking through the tunnels into Gaza,” said Yaari. Very little material, weapons or otherwise, is passing at present through the smuggling tunnels that criss-cross the desert border between Egypt and Gaza, with the new rulers in Cairo ordering a clampdown following Morsi’s removal.

The army-backed government has accused Hamas of interfering in Egyptian affairs and suggested that Palestinians might be helping Islamist militants active in the Sinai Peninsula. The restrictions on the tunnels, which flourished thanks to an Israeli blockade on the coastal enclave, cost Gaza at least $230 million in July alone, said Hamas Economy Minister Ala Al-Rafati. But he rejected any suggestion of a financial crisis.

“There are some problems and they are being overcome,” he told Reuters on Monday, adding that the tunnel trade, which provides Hamas with a crucial source of tax income, had dropped some 60 percent since Morsi’s ousting. In an additional blow, Hamas’s close ties with Qatar have also been dented this summer. The emir of the energy-rich Gulf state visited Gaza last October promising millions of dollars of aid, but he abdicated in June and his heir has shown much less inter-

est in Hamas.

In reaching out once more to Iran and Hezbollah, Hamas’s dilemma is as much ideological as political-how to balance its Sunni Muslim Brotherhood roots with its vital interests to forge partnerships with fellow enemies of Israel. Leading a special prayer meeting on Friday for the souls of the “Egyptian martyrs”, the Hamas prime minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, made clear that the war with Israel took precedence.

“We understand that the priority of our resistance is to liberate the land, regain the rights and return the Palestinian people to the land they were forced out of,” said Haniyeh, the movement’s deputy chief. “We have no military and no security role in Egypt or in the Sinai. Our military and security role is here, on the land of Palestine and against the Zionist enemy.”

Founded in 1988, Hamas has regularly squared off against Israel, most recently in November last year in an eight-day conflagration that killed at least 170 Palestinians and six Israelis. The truce was brokered by Morsi.

Israeli analyst Yaari thought Iran would exact a price for welcoming Hamas back into the fold. “It will require them to stop opposing Assad and stop any criticism of Hezbollah’s intervention (in Syria) and Iranian support of Assad,” he said.

Zahar, who lost two sons in the conflict against Israel in past years and carries great weight in the movement, has always sought to maintain good ties with Iran.

But he also says the organization, which is estimated to have around 30,000 well-equipped fighters, has survived difficult situations in the past when US-backed strongman Hosni Mubarak ruled Egypt and kept Gaza in a vice. “We became very strong in an era where the entire surrounding environment was hostile,” he said. “Our resistance relies mainly on God and also on its capabilities. History proved we have always emerged stronger every time.” — Reuters

14

ANALYSIS

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Issues

Eritrea’s Issaias reviled, revered

By Peter Martell ero, freedom fighter, dictator: Eritrean President Issaias Afeworki has ruled the Horn of Africa nation with an iron grip from independence in 1993, following an epic 30-year liberation war. Authoritarian and austere, 67-year old Issaias led one of Africa’s most remarkable rebel armies in a bitter struggle against a far larger Ethiopian army, backed first by the United States, then the Soviet Union. At independence, Eritrea was held up as a beacon of hope for Africa by Western governments, and Issaias was hailed as a “renaissance leader” by then US President Bill Clinton.

But attitudes changed sharply as Marxist-inspired Issaias tightened control of the one-party state run by his People’s Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) and as he began backing regional rebels, including accusations of supporting Islamist Somali insurgents linked to Al-Qaeda.

Born in 1946 in Asmara into an Orthodox Christian family, Issaias moved to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to study engineering but, aged 20, left to join a fledgling separatist rebel movement fighting for Eritrea’s independence.

Tall, handsome and with a fearsome temper, Issaias rose through the ranks to command an impressively wellorganized independence movement whose guerrillas dug a warren of bunkers to hold out against Ethiopian fighter jets. The rebels finally liberated Asmara in 1991, followed by an overwhelming vote for independence in a referendum two years later. But Eritrea’s dream of freedom turned sour, relations with Ethiopia broke down and a bloody 1998-2000 border war broke out that left at least 80,000 dead.

An international court awarded the flashpoint border town of Badme to Eritrea, but Ethiopians have refused to withdraw, fuelling long-running tensions that prompted Issaias to ship guns to regional rebels to needle Ethiopia.

Partly prompted by criticism of his handling of the war, Issaias launched a brutal purge in September 2001, arresting 11 top party figures-close colleagues from the independence struggle-and forcing a wave of others to flee.

He brooked no criticism, shrugging off a long list of international condemnation, including for throwing out a United Nations peacekeeping mission and expelling international aid agencies in a draconian policy of self-reliance.

Issaias closed all independent media and jailed critical journalists. Eritrea dropped below North Korea as the world’s worst nation for press freedom, according to rights group Reporters Without Borders. Religious minorities including evangelical Christian sects are jailed in grim conditions-often locked in shipping container prisons in baking heat-because Issaias believes they are a foreign plot to foment divisions in a nation officially split equally between Islam and Christianity.

A keen admirer of Mao Zedong after training in China during the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, he still plays “a mean game of ping pong”, according to US diplomatic cables, although his once close ties to Beijing have waned in recent years. Issaias, who like all Eritreans is known by his first name, shunned the cult of personality beloved by other African strongmen. His portrait was not put on the country’s banknotes and is rarely seen outside official buildings.

Indeed, Issaias once would take regular evening strolls down the streets of the mountain capital Asmara with its elegant Italian-era colonial architecture, popping into smoky bars for a drink, apparently keen to cultivate a “man of the people” image. However, in recent years the “isolated and mercurial dictator”-as leaked US diplomatic cables describe him-has became increasingly paranoid, fearing assassination attempts which he said were backed by the US spy agency, the CIA. His popularity slumped in the tightly restricted country, where the young are conscripted into mass national service that can last for decades, and where military police prowl the streets to round up those skipping the army service. Thousands have fled to neighboring Sudan or Ethiopia despite a reported shoot-to-kill policy by border patrols, with families of those left behind risking being punished by crippling fines or imprisonment. As the economy has stagnated, rumors have grown of Issaias’s heavy drinking, furious temper and shouting fits railed at cowed officials. Although nominally under civilian rule, Eritrea under Issaias has been carved up into zones of control by army generals, who run a flourishing networks of corrupt businesses and cream off lucrative profits. But with opposition figures jailed and government media warning of a constant threat of Ethiopian attack, many feel there seems little alternative to the unelected president, still viewed as a hero of the independence war.— AFP

H

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

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

With Gulf aid, Egypt economy can limp through crisis

By Patrick Werr gypt’s political crisis has dealt a blow to any hopes for a quick economic recovery, but aid from its Gulf allies is likely to prevent a financial collapse. Clashes between followers of deposed Islamist President Mohamed Morsi and security forces have caused the deaths of at least 830 people since Wednesday, the worst political bloodletting to rock Egypt in recent history.

When the army-backed government took over after the ousting of Morsi last month, it hoped to repair the business environment and attract money back to Egypt by improving security, removing logistical bottlenecks and pumping in new funds. That in turn could reduce social tensions by starting to create jobs and raise living standards.

The latest violence may have doomed such hopes for some months at least. If the conflict continues to worsen, the economy could slow further from the anemic 2.2 percent growth in the first quarter of this year - a rate already much too low to cut unemployment, officially estimated at around 13 percent. “If you see widespread terrorism and bombs, you won’t get a recovery in tourism or domestic investment, and capital flight may continue,” said Simon Kitchen, a strategist with investment bank EFG Hermes.

But after Morsi was deposed, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates promised Egypt a total of $12 billion in loans, grants and fuel shipments. Of that, $5 billion has already arrived - an unusually fast delivery of aid commitments, showing the importance the Gulf attaches to stabilizing Egypt. That means a balance of payments crisis or a collapse of government finances - which had seemed possible during Morsi’s administration - do not appear to be on the cards. Late on Monday, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal signaled that the world’s top crude oil exporter was ready to provide more billions if necessary. “To those who have declared they are stopping aid to Egypt or are waving such a threat, the Arab and Muslim nations are wealthy with their people and resources and will not shy away from offering a helping hand to Egypt,” he told state news agency SPA in Jeddah.

E

TOURISM DAMAGED Much depends on whether the struggle between the army and the Islamists develops into a protracted armed conflict. Even if it does not, the latest violence is likely to have harmed the economy for some months. Tourism may not recover before next year at the earliest. In 2010 Egypt

attracted 14.7 million visitors, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development; in the wake of the 2011 revolution, the number fell to 9.5 million that year before partially recovering to 11.2 million in 2012. The tourism sector directly accounts for about 7 percent of Egypt’s GDP, according to its State Information Service.

In response to the latest violence, European travel agents are again suspending trips to Egypt, while the United States has warned citizens against travelling to the nation. After closing facilities in Egypt for several days, major foreign investors such as General Motors, German chemicals firm BASF and Swedish home appliance maker Electrolux have fully or partially reopened for business this week. They are likely to stay open, barring another big outbreak of violence. But even a low level of political unrest or tension in coming months could hurt the Egyptian economy at the margins, by making foreign buyers of its exports more cautious. Efforts to put Egypt’s catastrophically weak state finances on a sustainable footing may be another casualty. The army-backed government has inherited a budget deficit that since January has been running at around $3.2 billion a month, equivalent to almost half of state spending.

The cabinet expects to be in power only until early next year, when it is to be replaced after planned elections, so it lacks a popular mandate to take big steps to cut the budget deficit. Locked in a struggle with the Brotherhood, it is even less likely to push politically sensitive economic reforms. “If the violence continues, the government will be even less politically armed to go out and control the budget deficit by reducing subsidies,” said John Sfakianakis, investment strategist at Saudi investment firm MASIC. BUDGET DEFICIT Being unable to fix the finances may not matter so much, however, if Egypt can draw on the resources of the Gulf’s wealthy oil exporters, most of which view crushing the Muslim Brotherhood as a geopolitical priority, since they see the group as a long-term threat to their monarchies. Egypt’s foreign reserves totaled $14.9 billion at the end of June, before any of the Gulf aid announced in July arrived. Excluding inflows of aid, they had been falling by around $1-2 billion every month, so the aid may cover Egypt’s external deficits into early 2014.

By itself, the Gulf aid announced so far only covers a few months of Egypt’s state budget deficit, but confidence cre-

ated by the aid should help the government finance the rest of the deficit with borrowing. Yields at government Treasury bill auctions fell after Morsi was deposed; they spiked up during last week’s violence, but are still a couple of percentage points or more below their peaks under Morsi. Most importantly, as Prince Saud indicated, Egypt can count on additional billions from the Gulf if its political turmoil causes fresh capital outflows or delays the transition back to civilian rule. This should more than offset any potential loss to Egypt if the European Union or the United States cut back their economic and military assistance to Cairo in protest at the killings.

The EU and international financial bodies last year promised Egypt 5 billion euros ($6.7 billion) of grants and loans over several years, but little of that money has actually arrived and much has been blocked because Cairo failed to meet conditions for democratic reform. Washington has provided $1.3 billion of military aid and just $250 million of economic aid annually.

Qatar, which had good ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, spent about 4 percent of its GDP helping Egypt before Morsi’s downfall. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest Cairo could receive a further $40 billion, in addition to the money pledged last month, if Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait were to match prior Qatari levels now Morsi has gone. The Saudi government’s budget surplus in 2012 alone was $103 billion. Even so, such massive dependence mortgages Egypt’s future; much of the aid is in the form of loans, which must ultimately be repaid.

But for now, it gives Cairo room to manoeuvre. The government’s economic planning team said on Monday that it would work to provide financing for the budget and import essential commodities by attracting more foreign investment, especially from Arabs. It promised to speed up implementation of public-private partnerships, especially to build roads, sanitation and hospitals, and give priority to investment projects that affect the daily life of citizens. Cash from the Gulf may make some of these projects possible.

The resilience of Egypt’s stock market shows how the Gulf aid has kept hopes for the economy alive. The market is down about 4 percent since last week’s violence, but it is still up 21 percent from its low in June. The gap between the official and black market exchange rates of the Egyptian pound against the dollar, which almost disappeared in the initial weeks after Morsi was deposed, has widened since last week but remains under 2 percent. It reached 7 percent or more under Morsi.— Reuters

Musharraf: Pakistan’s fallen strongman er vez Musharraf, the first former chief of Pakistan’s army to face criminal charges, is today a far cry from the go-getting general who seized power in 1999. A cigar-smoking, whisky-drinking moderate, he was a key US ally in the “war on terror” and escaped at least three Al-Qaeda assassination attempts during his nine years in office. But his life has lurched from one crisis to another since his disastrous return to Pakistan in March, ostensibly to run for election and “save” the country from militancy and economic ruin.

After four years of self-imposed exile in Dubai and London, he was met not with a hero’s welcome but with apathy, ridicule, and a barrage of criminal cases.

The Taleban threatened to kill him, local media mocked his ambitions and his plan to return to power was dashed when he was disqualified from running in the May election, won by Nawaz Sharif-the man he deposed in 1999. He has suffered the indignity of being confined to house arrest in his villa on the edge of Islamabad, cutting a lonely and powerless figure as the tangle of cases against him moved through the courts.

The Sharif government has said the 70-year-old should be tried for treason for seizing power and subverting the constitution. He is wanted over the death of a Baluchistan rebel leader during a military operation in 2006 and was charged Tuesday with the murder of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, who died in a gun and bomb attack in 2007 after herself returning home from exile. In his memoir “In the Line of Fire”, he quoted Napoleon and Richard Nixon as models for leadership, men both known for their tenacity-and whose hubris contributed to their downfalls.

Musharraf was born in Old Delhi on August 11, 1943, and his family moved to the newly created Pakistan shortly after independence four years later. He said he had his

P

first brush with death falling out of a mango tree as a boy.

He joined the Pakistan Military Academy at age 18 and became a commando about five years later, rising through the ranks to reach the top when Sharif appointed him chief of staff in 1998. As army chief, Musharraf orchestrated the brief, high-altitude “Kargil conflict” in Kashmir that almost took Pakistan to war with its nuclear rival India.

When he ousted Sharif in 1999 in a bloodless coup, many Pakistanis celebrated the end of a corrupt and economically disastrous administration. Musharraf won a five-year term as president in a 2002 referendum, but reneged on promises to quit as army chief until late 2007. He aligned with the United States after the September 11 attacks of 2001, earning international praise for trying to tackle Taleban and Al-Qaeda militants and for presiding over a period of record economic growth.

He faced no serious challenges until he tried to sack the chief justice in March 2007, sparking nationwide protests and months of turmoil that led to the imposition of a state of emergency. After the December 2007 assassination of Bhutto, the national mood soured further and he was left isolated by the crushing losses suffered by his allies in February 2008 elections. In August 2008, he finally resigned in the face of impeachment proceedings by the new governing coalition, going into exile until his ill-starred homecoming in March this year.— AFP

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

S P ORTS

Kallis targets WCup glory

MotoGP returns to Brazil

Casillas a Real worry

CAPE TOWN: South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis is ready to return to the one-day international side for a last shot at winning the 50-over World Cup. Kallis, who will be 38 in October, played the last of his 321 one-dayers against New Zealand in February 2012, opting instead to focus on his test and lucrative Indian Premier League careers. But after a meeting with national team coach Russell Domingo and Cricket South Africa (CSA) officials yesterday, he confirmed his commitment to returning to the line-up as they build towards the 2015 World Cup in Australasia. “Playing for my country has always been both a huge honour and a privilege,” Kallis said in a statement released by CSA yesterday. “I t remains my aspiration to be available for the 2015 Wo r l d Cu p b u t , a t t h e s a m e t i m e I know as an all-rounder approaching my 38th birthday, I will need to assess my future in the game season by season.

—Reuters

BRAZIL: MotoGP will return to Brazil for the first time in a decade next year subject to an upgrade to the Nelson Piquet track in Brasilia, promoters Dorna announced yesterday.

Grand Prix motorcycling last took place in the country in Rio de Janeiro in 2004 and its return is subject to approval by the MotoGP safety commission and the agreement of the governing International Motorcycling Federation (FIM).

“Brazil is one of the most important motorcycling markets in the world (and a return) has been a wish of the whole MotoGP family for many years,” Dorna chief Carmelo Ezpeleta said after meeting with local promoters and government officials at the circuit. “I think it is really fantastic. It is an important project for us. Right now, Brazil is involved in many big projects, such as the football World Cup and the Olympic Games, so it is also very important for them.” Should the race get the go-ahead, South America would go from having no rounds in the 2013 calendar to two in 2014 with Argentina also hosting a race at the new Termas de Rio Hondo circuit. —Reuters

MADRID: Spain coach Vicente del Bosque will be watching for Carlo Ancelotti’s next Real Madrid starting XI with greater interest than usual after the Italian opened the La Liga campaign with Iker Casillas on the bench. The 32-year-old goalkeeper, long-standing captain for both club and country, saw Diego Lopez surprisingly chosen ahead of him at home to Real Betis on Sunday, Ancelotti’s competitive debut at the helm. Casillas was dropped and then suffered a bone fracture in his hand which kept him sidelined for a number of weeks under Jose Mourinho last season. When he returned from injury, January transfer window signing Lopez remained first choice. The fragmentation of support for Mourinho among the players, the fans and the media in his final months at the Bernabeu were in a large part put down to the decision to keep Casillas on the bench. Some felt it was personal rather than professional.—Reuters

Marlins demolish Dodgers MIAMI: Jose Fernandez got the better of Yasiel Puig and led the Miami Marlins over the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 Monday night.

Fernandez (9-5) allowed only one earned run in six innings, handing the NL West-leading Dodgers consecutive losses for the first time since June 20-21. Puig went 0 for 3 against Fernandez in the first matchup between the Cubans, both NL Rookie of the Year contenders.

Giancarlo Stanton hit his 15th homer for Miami.

Hyun-Jin Ryu (12-4), another standout rookie, gave up three runs in 7 1-3 innings and lost for the first time in eight starts.

WILLIAMSPORT: Aguadulce, Panama’s Tomas Sarmiento slides to second base on a wild pitch as Ottawa, Canada’s Kai Nguyen waits on the throw from home during the first inning of an elimination baseball game at the Little League World Series tournament. —AP

Tenn. sluggers highlight LLWS elimination games SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT: Knox Preston’s head turned out to be fine. And so is the Nashville, Tenn., player’s swing. A day after being cleared by Little League World Series doctors of any signs of a concussion, Preston played a big role in Nashville’s 10-0 rout of Newark, Del., in an elimination game Monday. The second baseman singled and scored the first run during a six-run, secondinning rally. He then sealed it with a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth that invoked the tournament’s 10-run mercy rule.

“I was really nervous because, at first the doctor said he was really close to saying I had a concussion,” said Preston, who landed hard on his head after being tripped up running to first base during a 10-2 win over Corpus Christi, Texas, on Saturday. “When he told me I was able to play, I was so happy because I would’ve hated to just watch my team and not be able to contribute at all.”

The Southeast champions had plenty of contributors in avoiding elimination in their second straight game. Zane Denton hit a grand slam in the second inning. Robert Hassell had a double and RBI triple.

And just as important, the shortened game allowed manager Chris Mercado to save his pitching as Nashville is still two wins from having a shot at playing in the U.S. bracket title game.

“That’s how we get out of the loser’s bracket, guys. We have the pitchers to keep them down,” Mercado said. “And once we start hitting, the other team’s going to be in trouble.”

Nashville advanced to face Sammamish, Wash., which hung on for a 6-5 win over Urbandale, Iowa, in the late game Monday.

In International bracket elimination games, Taoyuan, Taiwan, rallied from a 3-0 deficit to pull out a 6-4 win over San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico. Taiwan advances to play Aguadulce, Panama, on Tuesday.

Panama advanced with a 12-0 win over Ottawa, Ontario.

Against Nashville, Delaware (1-2) threatened with the bases loaded in the third before Joseph Davis struck out looking.

Justin Courter had the lone hit, a single, for the Mid-Atlantic champions.

After opening the tournament with a 6-3 win over Iowa, Delaware dropped a 15-3 decision to California. Newark manager John Ludman had no difficulty believing his players would be fine after their second lopsided loss.

“They’ve gone farther than any Newark team. They had a great ride,” Ludman said.

“The kids know they accomplished a lot.

There were very little expectations for this team. They really have been a Cinderella story.”

Nashville, by comparison, suddenly finds itself on a roll since a series-opening 3-2 loss to Westport, Conn. That’s nothing new for a team that’s advanced out of the loser’s bracket in each of the qualifying tournaments to reach South Williamsport, Pa. Nashville won the Southeast title by winning four straight after losing the opener.

As a result, nerves weren’t an issue for Nashville players on Monday. “I don’t think so,” Denton said. “We’ve been in this same position like four times.”

WASHINGTON 6, IOWA 5 Jacob Dahlstrom left his crutches behind to drive in two runs on four singles to help

Sammamish win despite squandering a four-run lead.

Dahlstrom was cleared to play a day after being struck by a line drive on the outside of his right knee in a 9-7 loss to Westport, Conn., on Sunday.

“Last night, I tried to walk on it, and I was feeling pretty bad,” Dahlstrom said following the game. “I tried to walk this morning on it, and I was feeling pretty good.”

Washington manager Rob Chandler’s expectations regarding Dahlstrom’s injury improved, on their way to have the knee examined earlier in the day.

“I saw him on crutches, and I said, ‘Maybe we should walk down the hill,’” Chandler said. “We walked down and he was fine.”

Dahlstrom drove in Sammamish’s second run in the first inning. He added an RBI single in a two-run sixth to build the lead to 62. Sammamish needed the insurance.

With two out in the Iowa’s final at-bat, Brook Heinen hit a two-run double to the wall in center, and then scored on a wild pitch. Reliever Will Armbruester, however, ended the game by striking out Grant Garwood. Iowa (1-2) lost for the first time in 10 games in which it has faced elimination this season.

Brady Roberts had two singles and scored once for the Midwest champions.

Washington’s Dylan Matsuoka had two-run single in the third inning.

PANAMA 12, CANADA 0 Jean Mar Sanchez hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs, and Edgardo Rosales and Juan Crisp combined on a one-hitter to help Aguadulce stay alive.

Rosales struck out four in 2 2-3 innings, while Crisp struck out two in 1 1-3 innings of relief. Panama scored six times in both the second and third innings. Rosales started the scoring with a solo homer before Rafael Eysseric added a two-run triple. Sanchez knocked home a run with a single and Crisp added a two-run single in the second.

Carmelo Cruz had an RBI walk, Jean Cornejo hit a two-run double and Sanchez homered in the third. Jack Walsh had the lone hit for the Canadians. Panama bounced back from a 13-0 loss to Mexico a day earlier.

“We talked to the kids last night and this afternoon about just forgetting about that game,” Panama manager Luis Gonzalez said, through interpreter Gilbert Monell. “There is nothing we can do now about the loss to Mexico.” Shortstop Juan Cornejo was impressed by how Panama responded.

“That is more like we played in the regionals,” Cornejo said, through Monell. “That is the first time we’ve played that well here in Williamsport.”

TAIWAN 6, PUERTO RICO 4 Huang Chao-Wei singled home two runs during a four-run fourth inning, and Lan Huai-Chein doubled and scored in the fifth in the come-from-behind win.

The Asia-Pacific champions had a short turnaround following a 3-2 loss to Japan in the late game Sunday night. Puerto Rico (12) threatened in its final at-bat, scoring once on a two-out, bases-loaded walk to Edgar Baez. But Robert Addarich bounced out to the pitcher to end the game.

Puerto Rico starter Leonardo Lizardi hit four batters into the fourth inning to tie a one-game series record set six times.—AP

CARDINALS 8, BREWERS 5 In Milwaukee, Matt Carpenter hit an RBI single with two outs in the eighth inning, putting the St. Louis Cardinals ahead during a four-run rally against Milwaukee.

The Cardinals got seven of their 16 hits in the big inning, capped by pinch-hitter David Freese’s two-run double. St. Louis won for the ninth time in 11 games. Carlos Beltran and Jon Jay homered for St. Louis and Yadier Molina had four hits.

Michael Wacha (2-0) got the win. Edward Mujica, unavailable during the weekend because of a tired arm, pitched the ninth for his 32nd save in 34 chances. Brandon Kintzler (3-1) gave up four runs and six hits while getting just two outs.

REDS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 3 In Cincinnati, Ryan Ludwick drove in his first run of the season with a double as and the Cincinnati Reds kept up their August surge, beating Arizona for their seventh win in nine games. Arizona now trails Cincinnati by six games for the final NL wild-card spot. Bronson Arroyo (12-9) won his third straight start. J.J. Hoover retired the side in the eighth, his 23rd straight scoreless appearance - the longest active streak in majors.

Aroldis Chapman gave up a pair of singles in the ninth while getting his 31st save in 36 chances. Ludwick got his long-awaited RBI during a three-run fourth inning against Randall Delgado (4-4). Ludwick tore cartilage in his right shoulder while sliding headfirst on opening day.

PHILLIES 5, ROCKIES 4 In Philadelphia, John Mayberry Jr. and Carlos Ruiz each homered to lead Philadelphia past Colorado, giving the Phillies and interim manager Ryne Sandberg two straight wins for the first time since the All-Star break.

Ethan Martin (2-2) tossed two-hit ball and struck out six over 6 1-3 innings for the win.

Jonathan Papelbon tossed a scoreless ninth for his first 21st save, and first since July 11. Troy Tulowitzki hit a solo shot for the Rockies. Jeff Manship (0-3) allowed five runs in five innings.

CUBS 11, NATIONALS 1 In Chicago, Nate Schierholtz homered twice and drove in a career-high six runs, powering Jeff Samardzija and the Chicago Cubs past Washington. Schierholtz connected for a threerun shot in the first and a two-run drive in the seventh in his fourth career multihomer game.

He also had an RBI double in the third in Chicago’s highest-scoring game since a 14-6 victory over Houston on June 23.

Donnie Murphy added a pair of solo homers

MIAMI: Donovan Solano No. 17 of the Miami Marlins slides into a double play by second baseman Mark Ellis No. 14 of the Los Angeles Dodgers at Marlins Park. —AFP and Dioner Navarro had a three-run shot for the Cubs, who managed just 12 runs total in their previous eight home games.

Samardzija (7-11) pitched a six-hitter for his second complete game of the season. He struck out five and walked none in his first victory in a month. Jordan Zimmermann (14-7) allowed a season-high eight runs in five innings.

PIRATES 3, PADRES 1 In San Diego, Cicisco Liriano struck out a season-high 13 and Pedro Alvarez hit his NL-leading 31st home run to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates past San Diego.

The Pirates, who had lost seven of nine coming in, maintained a one-game lead in the NL Central over St. Louis. The Padres struck out 17 times overall.

Liriano (14-5) tied his career high for wins.

Coming off a four-hit victory at St. Louis in his

last start, Liriano held the Padres to four hits in seven innings while walking two.

Mark Melancon pitched the ninth for his eighth save in 10 chances. He allowed Nick Hundley’s RBI double with two outs. Andrew Cashner (8-8) lost his third straight start.

RED SOX 7, GIANTS 0 In San Francisco, Jon Lester pitched into the ninth for his first victory in four tries this month, and the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox beat San Francisco after flying cross-country earlier in the day. The Red Sox chose to travel first thing Monday from Boston rather than late Sunday night after a 9-6 loss to the Yankees at Fenway Park. Lester (11-7) allowed six hits, struck out three and walked two in Boston’s seventh shutout. He outpitched two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum (6-13) to snap a three-start winless stretch.—AP

MLB results/standings NY Mets 6, Minnesota 1; Tampa Bay 4, Baltimore 3; Philadelphia 5, Colorado 4; Cincinnati 5, Arizona 3; Miami 6, LA Dodgers 2; Texas 16, Houston 5; Chicago Cubs 11, Washington 1; St. Louis 8, Milwaukee 5; Cleveland 5, LA Angels 2; Oakland 2, Seattle 1; Pittsburgh 3, San Diego 1; Boston 7, San Francisco 0.

American League Eastern Division W L PCT Boston 74 53 .583 Tampa Bay 71 52 .577 Baltimore 67 57 .540 NY Yankees 64 59 .520 Toronto 57 67 .460 Central Division Detroit 73 51 .589 Cleveland 67 58 .536 Kansas City 64 59 .520 Minnesota 54 69 .439 Chicago White Sox 49 74 .398 Western Division Texas 72 53 .576 Oakland 71 53 .573 Seattle 57 67 .460 LA Angels 55 69 .444 Houston 41 83 .331

GB 1 5.5 8 15.5

Atlanta Washington NY Mets Philadelphia Miami

6.5 8.5 18.5 23.5

Pittsburgh St. Louis Cincinnati Chicago Cubs Milwaukee

0.5 14.5 16.5 30.5

LA Dodgers Arizona Colorado San Diego San Francisco

National League Eastern Division 76 48 60 64 57 66 55 69 48 75 Central Division 73 51 72 52 71 54 54 70 54 71 Western Division 72 52 64 59 58 68 56 69 55 69

.613 .484 16 .463 18.5 .444 21 .390 27.5 .589 .581 1 .568 2.5 .435 19 .432 19.5 .581 .520 7.5 .460 15 .448 16.5 .444 17

Rays edge past Orioles BALTIMORE: Evan Longoria and Matt Joyce homered and David Price grinded through five challenging innings to win his fourth straight decision as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 Monday night in a duel between AL contenders.

Joyce hit a two-run drive in the fourth to break a tie and push the Rays toward their fifth win in six games. Tampa Bay moved within a half-game of the first-place Red Sox in the AL East, pending Boston’s late game in San Francisco.

Price (7-5) gave up 10 hits and two walks but was effective when it counted. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner allowed only two runs, as Baltimore went 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10 against the left-hander.

Fernando Rodney, the fourth Tampa Bay reliever, worked the ninth for his 28th save.

Baltimore starter Chris Tillman (14-4) gave up four runs and five hits in six innings.

RANGERS 16, ASTROS 5 In Arlington, Leonys Martin and Elvis Andrus each scored three runs for Texas, including twice each in an 11-run inning that was the biggest in the majors this season, as the Rangers beat the Astros.

All nine Rangers scored in the third, when they sent 15 batters to the plate and had seven hits - six singles and a double - along with three walks, two Houston errors and a sacrifice bunt. Only five of the 11 runs were

earned. Matt Garza (3-1) struck out eight in 6 2-3 innings. But the right-hander allowed five runs, becoming the first Texas starter in 22 games to allow more than four.

Lucas Harrell (6-14), getting another start after four consecutive relief appearances, allowed nine runs (seven earned) in 2 1-3 innings. He was initially sent to the bullpen after also giving up nine runs in 3 2-3 innings at Texas in a 10-5 loss July 5.

ATHLETICS 2, MARINERS 1 In Oakland, Brandon Moss hit a solo home run over the center-field fence with one out in the ninth inning, lifting the Athletics over the Mariners.

Jarrod Parker (9-6) pitched his first career complete game, allowing eight hits. He struck out eight, did not walk a batter and threw 100 pitches.

Josh Donaldson drove in a run for the A’s, who have won four of five. Kendrys Morales drove in a run for the Mariners, who have lost four of six.

Car ter Capps (2-3) struck out Yoenis Cespedes to open the ninth before Moss drove a 2-1 pitch to the deepest part of the park.

INDIANS 5, ANGELS 2 In Anaheim, Lonnie Chisenhall hit a tworun homer during Cleveland’s four-run fourth, and Zach McAllister pitched into the seventh inning of the Indians’ victory over

Jered Weaver and the slumping Angels. Nick Swisher homered and threw out a runner at the plate for the Indians, who won for just the fifth time in 14 games to regain ground in the AL Central.

Cleveland trails first-place Detroit by 61/2 games and sits 41/2 games out of the second wild-card spot.

McAllister (6-7) gave up five hits while striking out five, earning his second straight victory after a six-start winless stretch.

Mark Trumbo homered and drove in both runs for the Angels, who have lost 11 of 15.

Mike Trout sat out to rest his right hamstring.

INTERLEAGUE METS 6, TWINS 1 In Minneapolis, Dillon Gee pitched into the eighth inning for the Mets in a victory over the Twins in a makeup game from April 14.

Gee (9-8) turned in yet another quality start, and the offense for the Mets was about as balanced as could be with RBI singles by Eric Young, Daniel Murphy, Andrew Brown, Wilmer Flores and Omar Quintanilla. All five of them had two hits, as did Marlon Byrd, who hit his 20th home run.

Rookie Kyle Gibson (2-4) struggled again, failing to finish the fourth. He recorded 11 outs and surrendered 10 hits. The Mets won the first two games of the series here by a total score of 20-7, but the finale was postponed due to cold and rain.—AP

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

S P ORT S

Team New Zealand grabs lead over Luna Rossa SAN FRANCISCO: With a compelling current and whipping wind on San Francisco Bay, Italian skipper Max Sirena thought racing twice a day in the America’s Cup challenger finals would be “pretty painful” for the new high-performance catamarans.

Just finishing one race has proved problematic.

Emirates Team New Zealand sailed away with another win because of a mechanical failure to Italy’s Luna Rossa, taking a 2-1 lead in the Louis Vuitton Cup finals Monday.

Skipper Dean Barker guided his boat underneath at the start and made a slick move inside Luna Rossa on the first turn to go ahead. The Italians started strongly and stayed close until the control arm of their wing broke, forcing another withdrawal in a series beset by big breezes and breakdowns.

“I would not be sleeping well if I was the designer of one of these boats,” Sirena said. For the third straight day, officials called off the second race due to exceeding wind - and bailed out a broken boat.

The next two races are scheduled for today, when organizers are counting on a coming flood tide to reduce the drag of a strong wind forcing another postponement on a series that already has dragged.

All three wins in the finals have come by withdrawals. The winner of the best-of-13 series will face

defending champion Oracle Team USA in the 34th America’s Cup starting Sept. 7.

“It’s getting massively frustrating,” Luna Rossa grinder Giles Scott said. “At the moment, the racing has been almost governed on who can get around the course as opposed to win the races.” This summer has been full of setbacks for the regatta.

British sailor Andrew “Bart” Simpson died in the capsize of Swedish Team Artemis Racing’s first boat during a training run May 9. Oracle is still fighting off an alleged cheating scandal for illegal modifications to its prototype boats used last year and early this year. And the 72-foot catamarans - so expensive and dangerous that only three challengers entered the competition - are failing more than foiling.

“It’d be nice if we can get one race where both boats race all the way till the end,” Barker said. The New Zealand entry tore the trampoline tarp in the center of its catamaran during a nosedive that sent two men tumbling overboard in the opener. The Kiwis still won because the Italians struggled to fix a broken lifting system around their right daggerboard.

The New Zealanders led Luna Rossa by 400 meters late in Sunday’s race when the electronics system that controls the hydraulics shut down.

Workers had to come aboard to fix the problem, handing Luna Rossa - which had a few cracks in its wing, a problem Sirena said is unrelated to the broken control arm - the tying win.

Monday’s first race started an hour earlier in hopes both could finish before the typical afternoon breezes whip up. Instead, another uncontested win and postponement followed.

The Kiwis made a smooth foiling gybe - when a boat changes direction while sailing downwind and stays on its foils - at more than 30 knots (34.5 mph) to send them through the leeward gate about 21 seconds in front. As both boats turned right toward Alcatraz Island, the Italians pulled up with problems controlling their wing.

Luna Rossa is still winless against favored Emirates when the Kiwis’ catamaran is functional.

The New Zealanders went 5-0 against the Italians in the round-robins, including the opener that Luna Rossa boycotted because of a rules spat - another embarrassment to the regatta. They twice beat the Italians by more than 5 minutes, and the closest margin was 2:19. The current course is five legs, which is three shorter than the one used during the round-robins. Sirena said he “never thought we could be so close in performance” to Emirates now

and is hoping to get the chance for a head-to-head race till the finish.

He said part of the problem for the breakdowns in the finals is that the “fragile boats” are still so new and being pressed harder than ever before.

“When you’re sailing alone around the course, even in 20 knots, you’ll really be scared because you can put the boat down,” Sirena said. “Then when you have another boat next to you, that scare has gone away because you want to beat the other guy and you push way harder than normally.” Oracle is working to repair its own damage.

The American team, owned by Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, has been branded as cheaters by the two remaining challengers after it was found that two of its three prototype boats used in warm-up regattas last year and early this year were illegally modified.

An international jury is investigating and could sanction Oracle with a fine, forfeiture of races in the America’s Cup match or disqualification.

The jury issued notices Monday morning that it is moving forward with the investigation but said it would not announce the date of the hearing, though Sirena said he heard it would be held next week. America’s Cup CEO Stephen Barclay said he expects a decision by the end of the month. — AP

All Blacks suffer trio injury blows WELLINGTON: New Zealand suffered a trio of injury blows yesterday with confirmation that lock Luke Romano will miss the rest of the Rugby Championship, while flyhalves Aaron Cruden and Beauden Barrett are out of Saturday’s test against Australia.

All three players suffered their injuries during the 47-29 victor y over the Wallabies in Sydney last weekend and while Romano’s adductor tear is the most serious injury, Cruden’s might hit the All Blacks the hardest.

Cruden, starting in place of the injured

Luke Romano Dan Carter, put in a man of the match performance in Sydney before leaving the pitch with what scans revealed was cruciate ligament damage to his right knee, which will sideline him for two to six weeks.

Barrett came off the bench to replace Cruden but ended up straining a calf, although he should be fit for New Zealand’s third match of the championship against Argentina in Hamilton on Sept. 7.

The uncapped Tom Taylor and 10-test back Colin Slade were added to the squad

on Monday and will vie for the number 10 jersey. Slade would be the sentimental choice, once New Zealand’s second-choice flyhalf after Carter but having suffered a raft of injuries since he was sidelined during the 2011 World Cup. Hansen was cagey about who would be handed the coveted playmaker’s role, however. “You’ll have to wait till tomorrow for that,” he told New Zealand media on Tuesday, referring to the team’s announcement. “They’ve fitted in lovely ... It was pretty seamless,” he said of his backup flyhalves.

“They’ve got a lot to take in but Tuesdays for us are always about clarity, anyway ... It’s more practising the things that we want to put in place so we can have a really high intensity training run on Thursday afternoon.”

The absence of the 15-cap lock Romano will be no small loss for the team either as they look to defend the title they won with six wins out of six last year. Loose for wards Luke Whitelock and Brad Shields were called into the squad as cover for him and injured flanker Liam Messam on Monday.

“It’s obviously hugely disappointing for Luke but he is a strong character and is already planning his rehab with our medical staff,” Hansen said.

“We hopefully will have Beauden ready to prepare for the Argentina test, while Aaron will start his knee rehabilitation later this week, which will give us a better indication of when he will be back playing.” Victory for the All Blacks in Wellington on Saturday would extend their hold on the Bledisloe Cup - the trophy contested every season between Australia and New Zealand - to an 11th year. — Reuters

PRETORIA: South African Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius (right) prays with his sister Aimee (left) and his brother Carl, as he appears at the Magistrate Court in Pretoria on August 19, 2013. — AFP

Pistorius and Steenkamp family in possible out-of-court settlement JOHANNESBURG: The families of Oscar Pistorius and his slain girlfriend are in contact, a lawyer for Reeva Steenkamp’s parents said yesterday.

The communications between the two families is over a possible out-of-court settlement that would compensate the Steenkamps for the killing of their daughter by the double amputee Olympian, according to South African press reports.

A South African newspaper reported that negotiations were initiated by Pistorius’ lawyers, who the paper said were “desperately trying” to negotiate a settlement before Pistorius goes on trial in March on a charge of premeditated murder for Steenkamp’s shooting death.

Dup de Bruyn, the lawyer for the Steenkamp family, told The Associated Press that “the two sides are talking” but declined to comment further because of the delicate situation.

Before her death Steenkamp reportedly gave financial help to her parents, Barry and June. She was killed by Pistorius on Feb. 14, with prosecutors indicting the world-famous athlete on a charge of premeditated murder Monday. His trial is set for March 3-20 in the

South African capital, Pretoria, where a conviction could also make him liable to a substantial civil suit by Steenkamp’s family.

Pistorius denies murder and says he shot Steenkamp by mistake, thinking she was a dangerous nighttime intruder in his house.

South Africa’s Times newspaper reported that lawyers for Pistorius had approached Steenkamp’s family, and the newspaper said Steenkamp’s parents were seeking around $300,000 for loss of income and emotional stress.

“Pistorius’ lawyers want to settle the lawsuit before the outcome of the criminal trial, in an attempt to reduce a possible payout,” The Times said in its front-page story.

The Times said Kenny Oldwadge, one of Pistorius’ lawyers, “confirmed the discussions with Steenkamp’s family.” “You will understand this is a very sensitive situation,” Oldwadge said, according to the paper.

Oldwadge didn’t immediately answer phone calls to his cellphone from the AP. Steenkamp, a model and budding reality TV star in South Africa, would have turned 30 on Monday, the day Pistorius was indicted on charges of murder and illegal possession of ammunition. —AP

LANDOVER: Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell (26) runs as he pursued by Washington Redskins linebacker Darryl Tapp (54) during the first half of an NFL preseason football game. — AP

Redskins top Steelers LANDOVER: Kirk Cousins limped past Robert Griffin III’s locker, using crutches and wearing a stabilizing boot. “He’s OK, people,” Griffin told the awaiting group of reporters. He’d better be.

The Washington Redskins are running out of healthy quarterbacks. With Griffin again a spectator as he works his way back from major knee surgery, the team’s insurance policy suffered an injury of his own.

The preliminary diagnosis says Cousins sprained his right foot in the second quarter of Monday night’s 24-13 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, although an MRI is scheduled for late yesterday to determine if it’s something worse.

“When I first did it, it didn’t feel like it was anything serious,” Cousins said. “It feels almost like a sprained ankle, just in the middle of my foot.”

Injuries - including one to Steelers rookie running back Le’Veon Bell - penalties and turnovers dominated a mess of a game, although Griffin once again upstaged the proceedings before the first ball was kicked. He dressed in full uniform for the second straight game even though everyone knew he wasn’t going to play.

And his surgeon, Dr. James Andrews, chatted with owner Dan Snyder and general manager Bruce Allen on the sideline while Griffin was warming up.

Griffin has been pining to go harder in practice and to play in a preseason game, publicly disagreeing with coach Mike Shanahan’s more cautious plan.

But Shanahan said it’s Andrews who has to give the thumbs-up for Griffin to play, and the target date for the quarterback’s return remains the regular-season opener Sept. 9.

“He watched him out on the field. Then he brought him in and obviously checked him out,” Shanahan said. “It’s the first time that he’s checked Robert since we went to training camp, when (Andrews) approved that he could practice. He felt very good about his progress.

“But, again, he’s going to come back in a couple weeks after our preseason’s over, reevaluate him again, and then he’ll give us the ‘Yea’ or ‘Nay.’” Wearing a bulky black brace on his right knee, Griffin walked onto the field well before kickoff wearing a white T-shirt with the words “operation patience,” his ad hoc theme throughout training camp.

At one point, he walked over to the sideline and gave Snyder a hug. Griffin smiled and laughed frequently during the game and even exchanged a high-five with Andrews.

“He says everything looks good,” Griffin said during the ESPN broadcast. “We’ve just got to keep going from here.” Cousins started and went 2 for 3 for 19 yards before he got injured the same way Griffin did during a

game last season - while getting tackled at the end of a run.

He grabbed his right foot after being dragged down along the sideline by linebacker Lawrence Timmons and was examined

by Andrews before walking to the locker room.

Bell’s injury appeared similar to Cousins’.

The second-round pick, who was supposed to have the inside track on the up-for-grabs Steelers running back job hurt his right foot in the first quarter, another injury to go with the sore left knee that kept him out of Pittsburgh’s preseason opener.

The Steelers were so eager to see what Bell could do that they gave him the ball on the first four offensive plays of the game. The exMichigan State back gained 4, 3, 1 and 1 yards, left the game and never returned. He is scheduled for an MRI late yesterday. Trainers for both teams stayed busy.

Steelers fullback Will Johnson left with a rib injury and running back Baron Batch had a stinger, although coach Mike Tomlin indicated that neither injury was serious.

Redskins defensive tackle Barry Cofield broke a bone in his right hand, but should be able to play with a cast. Receivers Aldrick Robinson (bruised left thigh) and Leonard Hankerson (bruised right knee), and running back Keiland Williams (strained left knee) were also among the ailing. The hands-down star of the game was Redskins linebacker Ryan

Kerrigan, who made a juggling interception of a screen pass from Ben Roethlisberger and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown.

Later, Kerrigan stripped Roethlisberger’s backup, Bruce Gradkowski, to force another turnover. With Griffin and Cousins not available, veteran Rex Grossman took advantage of the extra playing time and completed 10 of 16 passes for 133 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

The TD pass was 10 yards over the middle to Hankerson, who reached high to make a one-handed catch.

“I’ve been to a Super Bowl. Been to some big games,” Grossman said. “But every single time you’re out there, it kind of feels like the biggest game. I wanted to make sure I was able to capitalize on this opportunity.”

Roethlisberger completed 5 of 6 passes for 66 yards before giving way to Gradkowski early in the second quarter. The Steelers got their only touchdown in the fourth quarter when rookie Landry Jones hit Derek Moye for a 10-yard score.

Both coaches will have plenty of teachable moments from a game that included 15 penalties and seven turnovers, including a sequence of three giveaways in five plays. “ Too much Steelers beating ourselves,” Pittsburgh safety Ryan Clark said. The other team felt the same. “A lot of stuff we’ve got to clean up,” Washington left tackle Trent Williams said. — AP

BOOM: Ireland’s Nicola Gray and Belgium’s Charlotte De Vos play during the match between Belgium and Ireland, in the women Pool A at the European Hockey Championships 2013, at the Braxgata hockey club. — AFP

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

S P ORTS

NZ’s Ryder banned for doping WELLINGTON: New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder has been suspended for six months for failing a doping test for banned stimulants he claimed he took in a supplement to help him lose weight, the country’s sports tribunal said yesterday.

Ryder returned a positive sample after being tested following a match for provincial side Wellington Firebirds against Northern Knights on March 24, the Sports Tribunal said in a release on its website (www.sportstribunal.org.nz).

Ryder tested positive for 1-Phenylbutan2-amine (PBA) and N, alphadiethyl-benzeneethanamine (DEBEA), both of which are banned in competition, and was subsequently handed a six-month provisional ban on April 19. Even though Ryder will be free to play again from Oct. 19, the batsman said he was “devastated” by his situation.

“Whilst everyone is aware of my well documented battles with alcohol, it’s important for me to state that I abhor drug use of any kind, both recreational and performance-enhancing in sport,” he said in a statement on the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association website (www.procricket.co.nz).

He added to Fairfax Media that he felt “fortunate”, having been worried that his cricket career might have been over. “Six months was what I was hoping for. It wasn’t the worst I could have got,” he said. The tribunal’s decision, released on Monday, said the relative lenience of the ban was because it accepted Ryder’s reasons for taking supplements.

“The mandatory penalty for this violation is two years’ suspension,” it read.”However, the suspension can be less if the athlete establishes how the prohibited substances got in his system and that the taking of the prohibited substance was not intended to enhance his sport performance.”

The tribunal added: “We do not need to detail Mr Ryder’s evidence other than to say that he expressed a sensitivity arising from public comments about his weight and, as he was in a good space at the time

about his cricketing form, he had decided to make a further attempt to reduce weight.”

The decision may raise eyebrows in New Zealand, where Ryder’s travails in a rollercoaster career have been a constant source of controversy.

A burly lefthander who stepped away from test cricket last year to deal with personal issues, Ryder has struggled with weight problems throughout his career, along with alcohol and discipline issues.

Days after being tested while playing for Wellington, Ryder was subject to a vicious assault outside a Christchurch nightspot which put him in hospital with critical head injuries.

He is expected to resume his provincial career with Otago later this year.

New Zealand’s top anti-doping authority Drug Free Sport NZ (DFSNZ) said it accepted the conclusion that 18-test batsman Ryder was not intending to enhance performance but added that he “had failed to heed clear warnings he had received”.

“This is doubly disappointing as DFSNZ, NZ Cricket and the Cricket Player ’s Association had collaborated to institute an education programme for first class cricketers and Ryder had been part of that programme,” chief executive Graeme Steel said in a statement on their website (www.drugfreesport.org.nz).

“Supplements are a minefield for athletes as, while benefits are invariably overstated, accurate information about contents and their status under sport rules is frequently insufficient.”

Doping cases have been relatively rare in cricket compared to other sports but a number of high-profile players have failed drug tests. Pakistan pacemen Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, who is currently serving a seven-year ban for spot-fixing, both tested positive for performanceenhancing drugs but had bans overturned on appeal. Former Australia spinner Shane Warne was famously banned a day before the start of the 2003 World Cup and sent home after testing positive for a banned diuretic.—Reuters

LONDON: Australia’s Michael Clarke (right) and manager Darren Lehmann take part in a practice session at Oval cricket ground in central London, ahead of the fifth Ashes Test match against England which begins today. —AFP

Aussies out to avoid worst Ashes defeat in England LONDON: Having started the Ashes series trying to produce an upset, Australia’s cricketers will end it trying to avoid gaining a place in the record books for the wrong reasons.

Another collapse at The Oval in the fifth and final test, which starts Wednesday, would leave the tourists as the first Australia side to lose four matches in a series in England.

A 4-0 margin would equal the Ashes campaign in 1978-79 as its worst. That team, captained by Graham Yallop and neutered by defections to Kerry Packer’s World Series, was beaten 5-1 on home soil. And, according to Australia vice captain Brad Haddin, a 3-0 deficit is a fair reflection of the team’s performance going into the final test.

“We just haven’t been good enough in the big moments,” Haddin said. “England deserve to be where they are, 3-0 up. So it’s up to us to see if we can build a little bit on the good things we’ve done and put it all together over five days and not just in patches.”

Although outclassed in the second test at Lord’s, Australia has otherwise been fairly competitive throughout the series.

The tourists came close to a thrilling win in the first test at Trent Bridge when their lastwicket pairing fell 15 runs short, and they also enjoyed the better of the rain-affected third test at Old Trafford that was drawn. But their failings were epitomized by the fourth test at Chester-Le-Street, where they were on top for most of the match only to collapse in the final hour to a 74-run defeat.

Careers are at stake now, according to coach Darren Lehmann. And a glance at the statistics shows why. Of the batsmen, only captain Michael Clarke (49.52), Chris Rogers (43) and David Warner (30) have averaged above 30.

After averaging just 19, Usman Khawaja’s position in the top order was the most vulnerable, and he has been dropped to enable allrounder James Faulkner to make his test debut. The only other change is Mitchell

Starc, whose eight wickets in the series have come at an average of 27, being recalled in place of seam bowler Jackson Bird.

Without singling out either Khawaja or Bird for criticism, Clarke said Tuesday that performance levels had prompted the selectors to act.

“You have to perform as a player _ if you don’t there’s always a chance that you can be dropped,” Clarke said. “That’s the life we live playing sport at the top level.”

The bowling has been more respectable than the batting in England - especially Ryan Harris, whose 20 wickets at 19.25 is the best average of any specialist bowler in the series.

Lehmann, though, must envy England’s strength in depth. With the focus already on the return series in Australia later this year, England may decide to rest James Anderson following his reduced impact since his matchwinning performance in the first test.

Injuries to Graham Onions and Tim Bresnan mean recalls to the squad for Steven Finn, who was dropped after a disappointing first test, and Chris Tremlett, who hasn’t played for England in 19 months due to injuries.

“I’m dying to get an opportunity at some point,” Tremlett said. “England are aware what I can do, but it probably depends on conditions which way they go. I hope I’ll be the guy playing in Tim Bresnan’s spot.” Bresnan was selected with one eye on his abilities as a lower-order batsman. If England’s selectors opt to replace like with like, allrounder Chris Woakes could make his test debut.

The wild card is spinner Simon Kerrigan, who was surprised by his selection. “It all felt a bit surreal to be honest,” Kerrigan said.

“Hopefully I can impress over the next couple of days and be ready if they choose two spinners.”

That’s unlikely given England’s traditional reluctance to play with more than one slow bowler, but Kerrigan is now the first reserve for Graeme Swann.—AP

Photo of the day

Jean-Eric Vergne performs during an F1-Showrun at the World Series by Renault in Spielberg, Austria. —www.redbull.com

Wozniacki, Stephens reach second round at New Haven NEW HAVEN: Caroline Wozniacki found another way to win at the New Haven Open, where she has lost just one match in six years. The four-time champion advanced to the second round Monday when Peng Shuai was forced to retire while up a set.

Peng was leading 6-2, 1-3 when the chair umpire announced the Chinese player could not continue due to illness. Tournament officials later said she was suffering from dizziness. Peng, who has a history of heart problems, spent an extended time with a trainer after Wozniacki asked for a coach while leading 3-0 in the second set.

Peng broke Wozniacki’s serve twice in the first set. But fourthseeded Wozniacki seemed to turn things around in the second game of the second set, which included seven deuces and Peng holding an advantage five times. “I tried not to think about the score too much, because with her, you never know,” she said.

Wozniacki improved to 21-1 in her six years in New Haven. Her only loss here came in last year’s semifinals when she retired due to a knee injury.

“It’s a great tournament for me,” she said, “What else can I say?” No. 6-seeded Sloane Stephens beat Anna Schmiedlova of Slovakia 6-4, 6-4 and will play German Julia Goerges in the second round.

Goerges advanced with a 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 win over Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia. Stephens, who beat Serena Williams to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open in January and made the quarter finals of

NEW HAVEN: Peng Shuai, from China, prepares to serve during a match against Caroline Wozniacki, of Denmark.—AP Wimbledon in July, came into the match ranked 17th in the world.

Two years ago, she came into New Haven ranked 110th and lost in qualifying.

Stephens said she’s been able to stay grounded with the help of some friends, including tennis great Billie Jean King, who sends her texts before every big match.

“She says, ‘Pressure is a privilege,’” Stephens said. “I think it’s one of the strongest statements I’ve heard.” Fifth-seeded Roberta Vinci of Italy and No. 8 Dominika Cibulkova both lost. Vinci went out 7-5, 6-3 to Carla Suarez Navarro,

who will next play Romanian Simona Halep.

The 21-year-old Halep, who has already won three tournaments this year, beat Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, 6-2, 6-1.

Among the other winners Monday were Russians Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Elena Vesnina, Mayo Hibi of Japan, qualifier Monica Puig of Puerto Rico and Karin Knapp of Italy.

Defending champion Petra Kvitova was to play Poland’s Urzula Radwanska in the last of the day.

But Radwanska was forced to withdraw with what was described as a

viral illness and was replaced by Annika Beck of Germany.

The match was then postponed a day because of rain, which also delayed the start of the PengWozniacki match by two hours.

Kvitova is using this tournament to help prepare for the humidity in New York next week at the US Open, which she says wreaks havoc with her asthma.

“I never like playing in America, because of my asthma,” she said.

“But last year I played quite well, I won two titles, so it was a pretty good year, so I know that I can play good here.”—AP

Sagan wins first stage of USA Pro Challenge

SCHWERIN: Germany’s former world super-middleweight champion Arthur Abraham attends a public training session. —AFP

Abraham: Defeat would KO career BERLIN: Germany’s former world super-middleweight champion Arthur Abraham admits defeat to Namibia’s Willbeforce Shihepo on Saturday night would spell the end of his career.

“Another defeat would be a catastrophe. I’d have to quit boxing, that’s clear enough,” Abraham told German newspaper Die Welt. “That would be bitter, but I would have to accept it, even if it would be damn difficult for me to admit that I no longer belong to the top level.

“If I think negatively, I’d have to wrap myself in cotton wool so that nothing happens. But that’s not how I worked.” Abraham, 33, takes on the 30-year-old Shihepo for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental super middleweight title in Schwerin, 200 kilometres north-west of Berlin.

The African has a record of 15 knock-outs from 20 wins with six defeats, the last of which came back in 2009, while Abraham has 28 knock-outs from 26 wins with four defeats from his 40 bouts.

Victory for Abraham will bring him a step closer to a third fight against compatriot Robert Stieglitz, who took Abraham’s WBO SuperMiddleweight belt from him in March when an eye injury saw Abraham suffer a fourth-round technical knock-out.

“So long as Stieglitz remains world champion and doesn’t offer to fight me, he has to defend his title against me by next summer at the latest” said Abraham, who said he wants his ‘pride and honour’ back with a second win over Stieglitz, who he beat on a unanimous decision last August before losing the rematch.—AFP

ASPEN: Cannondale’s Peter Sagan of Slovakia won the opening stage of the USA Pro Challenge on Monday, sprinting to the finish ahead of runner-up Greg Van Avermaet.

Sagan, the 2013 Tour de France sprint jersey winner, finished the 98 kilometer (60.9 mile) course in two hours, 26 minutes. He celebrated the circuit race win between Aspen to Snowmass Village by doing one of his trademark wheelies. “Maybe I was the favorite for the people, but for me I’m very surprised. I should thank all my teammates because they were on the front,” said Sagan.”We are very happy when we take the victory for the team.”

Sagan was followed closely by Belgium’s Van Avermaet (BMC) in second and American Kiel Reijnen (UnitedHealthcare). “I attacked,” Sagan said. “We were a good group with eight riders. When I was on the front nobody wanted to work with me. After, I said, ‘it’s better waiting for the group so I can do a good sprint’ and I won.”

There were no time bonuses given Monday so Sagan is tied on time with Van Avermaet and Reijnen. France’s Tony Gallopin finished fourth and Tejay van Garderen rounded out the top five. Tour de France winner Chris Froome (Sky) finished 77th, 4:59 behind Sagan. Britain’s Froome is racing in Colorado for the first time.Yesterday’s second stage is 203 kilometers from Aspen to Breckenridge.

Meanwhile, Colombian rider Sergio Henao will lead Team Sky’s challenge at the forthcoming Tour of Spain, the British team announced yesterday.

The 25-year-old climbing specialist will spearhead a nine-strong squad that also includes Edvald Boasson Hagen,

Dario Cataldo, Vasil Kiryienka, Christian Knees, Salvatore Puccio, Luke Rowe, Rigoberto Uran and Xabier Zandio.

“It’s a testament to the strength and depth in this team that we can line up in all three Grand Tours this year with such strong squads,” said team principal Dave Brailsford.

“We’ve watched Sergio develop since he joined the team and this is a great opportunity for him to demonstrate what he is capable of on a big stage like the Vuelta.”

Henao said: “The Vuelta is a huge race for me and an important and prestigious event. “It is an honour to be picked as the team leader and it’s a responsibility that I want to try and fulfil.

I respect what the team has asked of me and I want to try and make the most out of the opportunity.”

Team Sky’s Tour de France champion Chris Froome is currently engaged in the USA Pro Challenge in Colorado. The Tour of Spain begins on Saturday.—AFP

Peter Sagan

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

S P ORTS

Afghan ecstasy after easy win over Pakistan KABUL: Afghanistan’s football team sparked rowdy celebrations across the war-battered nation yesterday after securing a convincing 3-0 win over arch-rivals Pakistan in the first international match in Kabul for ten years.

A delirious 6,000 capacity crowd packed the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) stadium for a game that unleashed a wave of patriotic pride in a country beset for decades by war, poverty and Islamist extremism. Afghanistan, ranked at 139th in the world just above Pakistan, gave home fans little to worry about, dominating the game from the kick-off and going three goals ahead midway through the second half.

The match was promoted as a symbol of football’s ability to foster peace and unite countries in a shared love of sport, but the result was celebrated by many Afghans as a sweet victory over an old and bitter adversity.

“I am a huge football fan, and this match was so important for us,” said Shabir Ahmad, 27, a government employee at the match.

“There are a lot of rivalries between Afghanistan and Pakistan, even if this

match was meant to boost friendship.”

Political ties are badly strained between Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, which blame each other for bloody violence plaguing both countries.

Many in Afghanistan are convinced that Pakistan pulls the strings behind the 12year insurgency that has raged since the Taliban hardliners were ousted in 2001.

Just a small number of women were in the stands, and there was no sign of Pakistani support despite thousands of Pakistanis living and working in the Afghan capital.

Security was intense with several rings of armed riot police and soldiers beating back frustrated ticketless crowds locked outside of the stadium.

Kabul has been hit by a series of militant attacks this year, including near the president’s palace and on the Supreme Court, and the Taliban have vowed to step up violence as elections loom early next year.

One spectator, Ahmadzai Fazeli, 25, said that insurgents at a Taliban roadblock in volatile Wardak province had wished the team well.

“On the way here the Taliban stopped

me. I told them I was going to the football match, and they happily let me pass,” he said. “Now I am here feeling very patriotic and happy.”

Ahead of kick-off, tempers frayed as police struggled to control unruly crowds pushing to get access to the game, which was attended by some senior Afghan officials and foreign diplomats, including the British ambassador.

But the final whistle triggered delirium as players paraded the national flag in front of dancing spectators and crowds celebrated on the city streets.

The game, which was played on an artificial pitch funded by the FIFA world body, was the first home international since Afghanistan played Turkmenistan in 2003.

Football was not banned under the Taliban’s 1996-2001 regime but the old Ghazi stadium in Kabul was a notorious venue for executions, stonings and mutilations. Yesterday’s game-at the separate AFF stadium in the city-will be followed on Thursday by the start of the second season of the eight-team Afghan Premier League. A return match is scheduled in the Pakistani city of Lahore in December. —AFP

KABUL: Afghan footballers celebrate their 3-0 win against Pakistan at the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) stadium in Kabul yesterday.

Afghanistan’s football team sparked rowdy celebrations across the war-battered nation after securing a convincing win over arch-rivals Pakistan. —AFP

Chelsea wary of ebullient Villa

PLZEN: NK Maribor’s Martin Milec (front) challenges Viktoria Plzen’s Tomas Wagner (rear) during their Champions League play-off soccer match. —AP

1 million World Cup tickets go on sale RIO DE JANEIRO: FIFA yesterday put more than one million tickets on sale via the internet for next year’s World Cup in Brazil, as some Brazilian fans complained about the high prices.

The chase for tickets began at 1000 GMT, even though World Cup qualification is far from over and the draw for the final phase does not take place until December 6.

A FIFA statement said over one million tickets were requested by more than 163,000 applicants within the first seven hours of ticket sales. The biggest demand so far came from Brazil, Argentina, the United States, Chile and England, it noted.

The most popular tickets were those for the World Cup’s opening game in the Sao Paulo arena (more than 168,000 sought) on June 12 and those for the final in Rio’s iconic Maracana stadium (more than 165,000)scheduled for July 13, the statement said.

At least 300,000 of the tickets that went on sale are reserved for “those over 60 years old, students and recipients of the Bolsa Familia family grant ”, the International Football Federation (FIFA) said on its internet site.

Those tickets are branded Category 4,

Matches on TV (Local Timings) UEFA Champions League Schalke v Kharkiv 21:45 Aljazeera Sport +9 Razgrad v FC Basel 21:45 Aljazeera Sport +2 Fenerbace v Arsenal 21:45 Aljazeera Sport HD 5 Zagreb v Austria Wien 21:45 Aljazeera Sport HD 4 Bucuresti v Legia Warsaw 21:45 Aljazeera Sport HD 3 Spanish Super Cup Atletico v Barcelona 0:00 Aljazeera Sport HD 2

cost between $15 and $82.50 (11-62 euros), and are available only to Brazilians.

Foreigners can buy tickets in the other three categories, which cost much more.

Tickets in those categories for the opening match at the Itaquerao stadium in Sao Paulo cost between $220 and $495 while those for the final at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana will set back fans a minimum of $440 up to $990.

But some Brazilian fans find the tickets, except for the discount categories, too expensive. “I think that the tickets are too expensive, they should lower the prices,” said a 45-year-old fan outside Rio’s renovated 73,000-seat Maracana stadium.

“One should realize that the Cup is part of a process to make football standardized and elitist” which involves “evicting the poor from stadiums,” said Gustavo Mehl, a member of the Cup’s Popular Committee.

The monitoring committee has been highly critical of the way the tournament is being organized.

Many local fans are keen to see the national squad play in Rio but this will happen only if the Selecao reach the final.

“In the 1950 Cup final (also held in Brazil) , tickets represented a little more than two percent of the minimum wage at the time. By comparison the cheapest ticket for the (2014) final costs around $138 or about 50 percent of the (monthly) minimum wage,” according to Mehl.

Some 23.6 percent of Brazil’s 194-million-strong population live with the equivalent of the minimum wage of $282 while 22.4 percent live with up to twice that amount, according to official data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics.

Monday, FIFA announced that fans will have the option of receiving their tickets at home to avoid congestion at outlet centers as happened during the Confederations Cup in June. The first phase of sales, relating to around a third of the total number of tickets available, lasts until October 6, after which a ballot will be held to determine the successful applications.

So far only hosts Brazil, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Iran have booked their places at the finals. The World Cup will take place across 12 cities with around 600,000 foreign fans expected to attend the tournament. —AFP

LONDON: After a triumphant homecoming as Chelsea manager at the weekend, Jose Mourinho must steel his side for today’s visit of a buoyant Aston Villa in the Premier League.

The Portuguese made his return to the home dug-out at Stamford Bridge on Sunday after six years away and quickly slipped back into the old routine, overseeing a 2-0 defeat of Hull City that extended his run of unbeaten home games in the English top flight to 61.

The game was over once Frank Lampard made it 2-0 with a 30-yard free-kick in the 25th minute, but Mourinho’s men can expect a more searching examination at the hands of Paul Lambert’s Villa.

The Midlands club stunned Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday and with Christian Benteke already in goal-scoring form, they look poised to banish memories of last season’s nervous dalliance with relegation.

Lampard, one of eight survivors in the squad from Mourinho’s first stint, says Chelsea’s aim for this season is to mount a sustained title challenge after finishing third last season and sixth in 2012.

“The Premier League is very difficult these days. The games come thick and fast and consistency is difficult,” said the 35-year-old England midfielder, a two-time title-winner under Mourinho in 2005 and 2006. “What the manager did last time he was here was to keep us on the ball so we won week in, week out, and that’s what we have to do again. “ What matters now is Aston Villa come on Wednesday after beating Arsenal with a very quick and young team, so we can’t rest on our laurels. We have to keep kicking on.”

With a trip to Manchester United to follow on Monday, Mourinho may elect to rotate his squad for a game that has been brought forward due to Chelsea’s involvement in the UEFA Super

LONDON: Chelsea’s Spanish forward Fernando Torres gestures in this file photo. —AFP Cup in Prague on August 30.

Juan Mata will hope to feature after remaining on the bench against Hull due to a calf complaint, while either Romelu Lukaku or Demba Ba could be asked to deputise for Fernando Torres in attack.

Recent evidence, however, suggests that Mourinho will look to settle on a first-choice starting XI quickly and then stick by it, as he did in the early months of his tenure at Real Madrid.

The 50-year-old seemed humb l e d by t h e w ave o f e m o t i o n t h a t g re e t e d h i s re t u r n o n Sunday, but he warned Chelsea’s fans that the players must be the fo c u s o f t h e i r s u p p o r t i n t h e

weeks and months ahead.

“From now on, they have to support the team,” he said. “We need that ever y game, especially Wednesday, because we have a very difficult opponent today.”

Villa’s last visit to Stamford Bridge saw them humbled 8-0, on December 23 last year, and forward Gabriel Agbonlahor says he and his team-mates will be desperate to atone when the teams cross swords again.

The 26-year-for ward was described as “frightening” and “unplayable” by manager Lambert after winning two penalties against Arsenal and he is eager to carry that momentum into Wednesday’s game.

“It will be tough. We have some bad memories from there,” Agbonlahor told the club website, www.avfc.co.uk. “But we will go with tactics and a game-plan and if we stick to it, anything can happen.

“We need to work hard for each other. It will be hard. We need to forget about Arsenal and go again against Chelsea.

“The defeat last season will be on our minds. We want to put that right for the fans who went to that game. We will be hoping to do that.”

Lambert’s chief selection issue concerns centre -back Nathan Baker, who had to come off against Arsenal because of an ankle injury.—AFP

Villarreal scrape past Almeria MADRID: Giovani dos Santos scored a late equaliser and set up the winner as Villarreal came from behind to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory at another promoted club Almeria in La Liga on Monday.

The Mexico forward, a new signing for the team known as the Yellow Submarine, who return to the top flight after a season in the second division, marked his competitive debut by burying a low cross in the 83rd minute.

With four minutes to go he then carved the opening for Jonathan Pereira to grab the decider with a deflected shot, somewhat unfairly denying the hosts a share of the spoils.

Almeria had dominated for most of the game with two goals from striker Rodri, who netted in the 39th on a counter-attack, and in the 74th with a close range volley.

Villarreal had levelled at 1-1 in the 65th when Almeria defender Sebastian Dubarbier diverted a cross into his own net.

“Almeria were superior for much of the game but perhaps paid for their earlier efforts as they tired in the last 20 minutes,” Villarreal coach Mareclino told a news conference.

Espanyol came back from two goals down to grab a 2-2 draw at Celta Vigo to deny new coach Luis Enrique and former Spain midfielder an opening day win.

Alex Lopez and Charles had scored for Celta either side of halftime, but Victor Sanchez and Thievy dampened the celebrations.

Earlier, Alberto Bueno spoiled Elche’s return to La Liga after a 24-year absence by scoring twice to help Rayo Vallecano to a 3-0 home win.

The game started in bizarre circumstances as

Giovani dos Santos Rayo fans staged a silent protest against the football league’s unpopular scheduling policy to suit television with games on Mondays and Fridays and 11 p.m. kickoff slots.

The protest ended in the 24th minute when the stadium came back to life and in the 40th

former Real Madrid forward Bueno arrived late to drill a low shot into the corner.

Alberto Perea’s spectacular long-range shot a minute before the break doubled the advantage and Bueno matched his team mate’s strike with another 25-metre shot in the 74th. —Reuters

Redskins top Steelers in preseason match

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

Afghan ecstasy after easy win over Pakistan

19

Aussies out to avoid worst Ashes defeat in England

Page 18

EINDHOVEN: Joshua Brenet (right) from PSV Eindhoven fights for the ball with Stephan El Shaarawy from AC Milan during the Champions League play-off first leg soccer match. — AP

Zenit closes in on Champions League LONDON: Roman Shirokov scored a hat trick yesterday to put Zenit St. Petersburg on the brink of the Champions League group stage, while former European champions AC Milan and PSV Eindhoven are locked at 1-1 in their playoff. Shirokov’s treble came as Zenit easily overcame Pacos Ferreira 4-1 in their first leg.

At Eindhoven, Stephan El Shaarawy headed seven-time European champion Milan ahead after 15 minutes but Tim Matavz nodded in equalizer on the hour. Yesterday’s other matches saw teams claim two-goal advantages going into next week’s second legs.

Real Sociedad won at Lyon by the same score and Viktoria Plzen beat Maribor 3-1 in the Czech Republic. A further 10 clubs are in action today as they chase a spot in the lucrative 32team group stage, which starts in September.

Zenit can already start glancing ahead to the

draw in Monaco later this month. Shirokov, the Russia midfielder, took 27 minutes to find the net in Portugal, striking into the bottom of the net from Danny’s cross.

Although Andre Leone volleyed Pacos Ferreira level in the 58th, Shirokov was on target again from close range at the back post two minutes later to restore Zenit’s lead.

After Aleksandr Kerzhakov’s free kick went off the crossbar and in off goalkeeper Matias Degra in the 85th, Shirokov completed his hat trick in style in the 90th, blasting the ball into the top right corner.

It was a far tighter encounter in the Netherlands as Milan and PSV played out the night’s only draw. PSV gifted Milan possession for the opener, with Ignazio Abate seizing the ball from Memphis Depay before whipping in a cross that El Shaarawy met

PORTUGAL: Zenit St Petersburg’s Alexandr Kerzhakov (front) his tackled by Pacos Ferreira’s Ricardo, from Cape Verde, during their Champions League playoff soccer match. — AP

with a free header.

But the 1988 European Cup winner leveled on the hour, with Jeffrey Bruma unleashing a dipping, swerving shot that goalkeeper Christian Abbiati spilled, and Matavz was alert to pounce and send a downward header into the net.

Lyon has an uphill task advancing after Antoine Griezmann’s acrobatic goal and Haris Seferovic’s volley put Real Sociedad in control.

Lyon’s troubles deepened in the 75th when Milan Bisevac was sent off after being shown a second yellow card.

It was an easier night for Czech side Viktoria Plzen, which took the lead against Maribor after just eight minutes through Marian Cisovsky.

Vladimir Darida and Michal Duris extended the hosts’ lead in the second half, while Ales Mejac pulled a goal back for the 11-time Slovenian champions.

Meanwhile, in Astana, Celtic face a fight to qualify for the group stage of the Champions League after a shock 2-0 defeat to Kazakh minnows Shakhter Karagandy in the first leg of their play-off match.

The Scottish champions had started brightly and twice threatened from early corners before Shakhter captain Andrei Fionchenko prodded his side into a 12th minute lead after a long throw-in caused problems in the Celtic defence.

Kris Commons hit the woodwork, Georgios Samaras glanced a header wide and James Forrest saw his effort clawed off the line by ‘keeper Alexsandr Mokin as the Hoops came close to a crucial away goal.

But it was Sergei Khizhnichenko who doubled Shakhter’s lead in the 76th minute when he headed past Fraser Forster from close range to put his side in the driving seat to become the first Kazakhstan side to reach the group stages of the Champions League.

The defeat leaves Celtic, who reached the last 16 of the competition last season, with a mountain to climb in next Wednesday’s return leg in Glasgow.

“It was a disappointing result but we should have scored and then that would have put a different complexion on the tie,” Celtic manager Neil Lennon said.

“I don’t know how many chances we had tonight - clear cut ones as well - and if you don’t take your chances then you make life difficult for yourself. However, it’s not over yet. We have to go back to Celtic Park and we’re not down and out just yet.”

Celtic manager Neil Lennon made a couple of selection surprises as he handed Virgil van Dijk his first start for the club as he partnered Steven Mouyokolo, who only made his debut in last weekend’s win against Aberdeen, in the centre of defence.

The visitors made a strong start and Shakhter had to scramble clear after van Dijk and ‘keeper Mokin clashed contesting Charlie Mulgrew’s early corner.

The Scottish champions smelled blood and from another corner Mokin pushed away a strong header from van Dijk while Mouyokolo couldn’t force home the ball from close range.

Celtic hadn’t conceded in seven consecutive qualifying matches but it was Shakhter who took the lead against the run of play. A long throw-in that was launched into the box was flicked on and home skipper Fionchenko took advantage of some hesitancy in the Celtic defence to poke the ball past Forster from close range.

Celtic regrouped and came inches away from an equaliser minutes later when Commons let fly with a powerful strike from 30

yards that smashed against the crossbar and bounced off the line before being cleared to safety.

The Scotland international then nodded over before Samaras glanced a Mulgrew freekick wide of the post. Emilio Izaguirre conjured up a chance for himself just after the break when he cut in from the left to collect a Commons pass before jinking past two defenders but he blasted well over with the goal at his mercy.

Forrest should have levelled the tie in the 73rd minute when he met Izaguirre’s cross to bullet a header towards goal but Mokin superbly stopped it on the line.

Shakhter claimed what could be a crucial second goal when Gediminas Vicius’ deflected shot looped up for Khizhnichenko to nod past Forster. — AFP

ASTANA: Shakhter’s Sergei Khizhnichenko (left) fights for the ball with Celtic’s Steven Mouyokolo during their Champions League playoff first leg soccer match. — AP

Muslim Brotherhood leader’s arrest boosts Egypt bourse Page 22

Business

India scrambles to halt rupee slide Page 23

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

S Africa’s auto workers to ‘intensify’ strike action

Best Buy Q2 net income rises on cost-cutting Page 22 Page 24

HONG KONG: Pedestrians wak past retail shops in Hong Kong yesterday. According to the Census and Statistics Department, consumer prices rose 6.9 percent in July. —AFP

Fed unease sends shares to one-month low Today’s Fed minutes could clarify policy outlook LONDON: World shares slid to their lowest level in more than a month and emerging markets fell for the fourth straight day yesterday, as concerns about an expected cut in US stimulus and related gains in bond yields escalated.

US stock index futures, however, signalled a steadier tone ahead on Wall Street - after major indexes posted their longest losing streaks of the year yesterday - helping drag many markets off their lows.

Europe’s main stock markets were down 0.8 percent by midday, near a two-week low, while emerging stocks fell 1.3 percent to trade at a five-week low, though both indexes had recovered slightly during the morning session.

The selling has been the result of rising expectations that the US Federal Reserve will start winding down its $85 billion-a-month support programme next month. The prospect has driven up bond mar-

ket borrowing costs, which in turn has sparked a move away from the riskier assets that have soared over the last few years thanks to the extra liquidity.

The pressure is unlikely to be alleviated ahead of today’s release of minutes from the most recent Fed meeting, which investors will be scouring for fresh hints on when the process may begin.

Ahead of their release, though, the relentless rise in US government bonds yields, which sent benchmark 10-year debt to a two-year high of 2.9 percent on Monday, has slowed down slightly. The benchmark 10-year note yield had edged down to 2.88 percent ahead of the US start.

As has been the recent pattern, German government bonds, Europe’s equivalent benchmark, moved in lock step with yields , easing to 1.87 percent after topping 1.9 percent a day earlier.

On European share markets, a 10.8 percent jump to 19.40 points in the Euro STOXX 50 Volatility Index

indicated uncertainty over the near-term outlook, though the measure remained below its 2013 peak of 26.80 points.

Ramin Nakisa, a global macro strategist for UBS in London, said market turbulence was bound to pick up further as the Fed starts to switch policy direction.

“We expect volatility... People will start to wonder whether there is anything in the fixed-income world that really is safe,” he said, adding that there was also likely to be another short selloff in share markets.

The jitters about the future of US stimulus have badly affected the emerging assets of Asia, where the fear is that an end to cheap money and an improvement in the performance of advanced economies will reverse a flow of much-needed capital.

Indonesia and India, which require the inflows to fund balance of payments shortfalls, saw their stock markets fall 4 and 1 percent, respectively, as their

currencies continued to tumble.

Japan’s Nikkei slumped too, falling 2.7 percent, reflecting the exposure of many Japanese companies to India and Indonesia. The rupee and Indonesia’s rupiah as well the Thai baht saw some relief in European trading but Callum Henderson, head of FX research for Standard Chartered, said things may only settle down once the Fed’s plans become clear.

“Our base case is that the Fed will announce the start of a modest and gradual tapering at its September meeting. By then it should be fully priced in, so it seems logical that we would see some degree of stabilisation,” he said.

“If we also get a continued improvement in Chinese economic data then Asian currencies could find a more solid floor but for now having gained so much on the back of Fed QE from 2009 to 2012, some of that is being given back.”

NBK Bahrain reports net profit of $54m KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait Bahrain (NBK Bahrain), the subsidiary of NBK Group in Bahrain, reported a net profit of USD 53.9 million (BHD 20.304 million) for the first half of 2013 compared with USD 37.5 million (BHD 14.130 million) for the same period of last year, a growth of 44% year-overyear (y-o-y).

NBK Bahrain’s total assets increased by 18% y-o-y to USD 6.480 billion at the end of June 2013 compared with USD 5.500 billion at the end of June 2012. Shareholders’ Equity increased by 5% to USD 668 million compared with USD 636 million a year ago.

NBK Group Chief Executive Officer Ibrahim Dabdoub said “NBK Bahrain’s performance remains solid despite the challenging operating environment and affirms the success of NBK Group’s regional expansion strategy. Our strategy is built on a culture of prudence and strict risk management practices, which continues to serve us well in all times.”

“NBK’s strategic expansion has become a main pillar on which we will build future growth, as we expect our

international branches will continue contributing positively to the Group’s profitability and adding value to the growth in our business. We are proceeding steadily and successfully in strengthening our position regionally,” Dabdoub added.

Ali Fardan, NBK Bahrain General Manager said that the Bank has been able to achieve strong results despite the difficulties in the local, regional and global markets. “We have consistently focused on our core business and ways to diversify sources of income. NBK Bahrain benefits from the support of NBK Group to enhance its presence in the Bahraini market and develop new products to serve our corporate and consumer customers.”

NBK has been present in Bahrain since 1977 and enjoys strong and historical relationships with the major Bahraini and international companies.

NBK Group has the widest banking presence with around 170 branches worldwide. NBK’s international presence spans many of the world’s leading financial centers including London, Paris, Geneva, New York and

NBK Group CEO Ibrahim Dabdoub

NBK Bahrain General Manager Ali Fardan

Singapore, as well as China (Shanghai).

Meanwhile, regional coverage extends to Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Turkey.

NBK continues to collectively enjoy the highest ratings among all banks in the Middle East from the three interna-

tional rating agencies; Moody’s, Fitch Ratings and Standard and Poor’s. The Bank’s ratings are supported by its high capitalization, prudent lending policies, and its disciplined approach to risk management, in addition to its highly recognized and very stable management team.

Despite the focus on the Fed cutting its stimulus, the dollar fell against a basket of major currencies, a move that left both the euro and sterling at onemonth highs.

Emerging market volatility also spurred the yen.

“The yen tends to attract buying when tensions in the market increase,” said Satoshi Okagawa, senior global markets analyst for Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation in Singapore.

In commodities, copper slipped 0.2 percent to $7,293 per tonne, while gold steadied to $1,364 per ounce after snapping a three-day winning streak on Monday and moving away from a two-month high hit that session.

Brent crude prices fell 0.6 percent to $109.20 a barrel, pressured by the Fed speculation but supported by the loss of Libya’s oil exports as well as concerns that continuing unrest in Egypt could spread and interfere with supply. —Reuters

Obama urges regulators to enact Wall Street rules WASHINGTON: Three years after President Barack Obama signed a sweeping overhaul of lending and high-finance rules, execution of the law is behind schedule with scores of regulations yet to be written, let alone enforced.

Meeting privately with America’s top financial regulators on Monday, Obama prodded them to act more swiftly.

The president’s push comes as the five-year anniversary of the nation’s financial near-meltdown approaches. The law when passed in 2010 was considered a milestone in Obama’s presidency, a robust response to the crisis, which led to a massive government bailout to stabilize the financial markets.

But the slow pace of implementation has prompted administration concern that banks could still pose potentially calamitous risks to the economy and to taxpayers. Obama hoped to convey “the sense of urgency that he feels,” spokesman Josh Earnest said before the president convened the meeting with the eight independent regulators in the White House Roosevelt Room.

Lehman Brothers collapsed into bankruptcy on Sept. 15, 2008, and the administration has wanted to use that dubious milestone to look back on the lessons of the crisis and progress so far to prevent a recurrence. In a statement at the conclusion of the meeting, the White House said Obama commended the regulators for

their work “but stressed the need to expeditiously finish implementing the critical remaining portions of Wall Street reform to ensure we are able to prevent the type of financial harm that led to the Great Recession from ever happening again.”

Not everyone feels that way about the law, known as Dodd-Frank after its Democratic sponsors, Rep. Barney Frank and Sen. Christopher Dodd.

Republican House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling, an early opponent of Dodd-Frank, dismissed Obama’s meeting with the regulators, saying, “Much like Obamacare, Dodd-Frank is an incomprehensively complex piece of legislation that is harmful to our floundering economy and in dire need of repeal.”

Three years after passage, many other Republican lawmakers also see the law as more negative than positive. The law set up a council of regulators to be on the lookout for risks across the finance system. It also created an independent consumer financial protection bureau within the Federal Reserve to write and enforce new regulations covering lending and credit. And it placed shadow financial markets that previously escaped the oversight of regulators under new scrutiny, giving the government new powers to break up companies that regulators believe threaten the economy. —AP

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

BUSINESS

Muslim Brotherhood leader’s arrest boosts Egypt bourse Union Properties continues surge in Dubai DUBAI: Egypt’s bourse snapped a three-session losing streak yesterday after authorities arrested Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie, raising hopes among some investors that the government would succeed in dampening down unrest.

In the view of many foreign investors, Badie’s arrest may do nothing to resolve Egypt’s longterm political tensions; it may simply make a negotiated settlement and an eventual transition back to civilian rule more difficult. For those reasons, the stock market may not be starting any extended rally.

But many local investors approved of last month’s ouster of the Brotherhood’s President Mohamed Mursi, believing it would clear the way for better management of the economy.

They have been encouraged by the government’s action against top Brotherhood leaders.

Egyptian investors were net buyers of stocks yesterday while foreigners remained net sellers, bourse data showed.

Cairo’s main stock index climbed 1.1 percent, ending three days of declines in which it tumbled 5.6 percent as hundreds of people died during the crackdown on the Brotherhood.

“The main catalyst was the crackdown on the MB and the arrest of their leader,” said Islam Batrawy, deputy director of institutional sales trading at Naeem Brokerage in Egypt. But he added: “Investors are waiting for the country’s security situation to normalise after the recent tensions.” The exchange resumed a normal fourhour trading session yesterday after closing last Thursday and shortening trading hours for two days this week to give employees more time to obey a curfew.

Blue chips Commercial International Bank and Orascom Telecom advanced 1.1 and 1.2 percent respectively. Second-quarter earnings quality at some companies “has been good and is helping people take positions again”, Batrawy said.

The mood was also buoyed by Saudi Arabia’s

pledge late on Monday to provide more financial assistance to Egypt if needed to offset any aid cutbacks from Western nations - confirmation that wealthy Gulf states view Egypt’s stability as a geopolitical priority.

The Gulf aid will not by itself restore healthy economic growth, but it should succeed in preventing the balance of payments and state budget collapses that seemed possible under Mursi.

In the United Arab Emirates, Dubai’s index eased 0.06 percent; it is up 64.2 percent year-todate but has been trading narrowly since it hit a 57-month closing high on Aug. 6.

Monthly trading volumes in Dubai have been declining since a May peak, even as the market touched new multi-year highs. This may be at least partly due to Ramadan and summer holidays, but could be a negative technical signal.

“The market is making new highs but the momentum is not confirming - the trend is weak,” said Firas Al Zghaibi, financial markets strategist at brokerage MENA Corp. “The outlook from here is bearish but in the short term, the index might try to make new highs.”

Many other analysts have a bullish long-term outlook because of improving corporate earnings, the United Arab Emirates’ upgrade to emerging market status by MSCI, and hopes that Dubai will in November win the right to host the World Expo 2020.

Small-cap Union Properties surged 7.2 percent on Tuesday, accounting for nearly half of all trading as it played catch-up to the market’s gains this year. The stock is up 24 percent yearto-date; it rose 18.3 percent this week.

Al Zghaibi said the market usually topped after laggard stockss had played catch-up.

Qatar’s measure moved little but traded up to a new five-year high. Barwa Real Estate led trading, rising 2.0 percent and gaining for a third consecutive session as buyers returned to the stock.

Barwa tumbled earlier in August after report-

Gold pares earlier losses, silver falls LONDON: Gold prices steadied yesterday, paring earlier losses as the dollar fell against a basket of currencies, but remaining in a narrow range ahead of the release of minutes of the US Federal Reserve’s July meeting today.

News from the Fed is being closely watched for clues on the outlook for US monetary policy, a key driver of gold prices, as speculation mounts that the bank may taper its $85 billion monthly bond-buying programme from as early as September.

Spot gold was at $1,366.14 an ounce at 1034 GMT, little changed from $1,365.48 late on Monday, while US gold futures for December delivery were up 50 cents at $1,366.20 an ounce.

The dollar index fell 0.3 percent and world shares sank to their lowest in more than a month yesterday on uncertainty ahead of the release of the Fed minutes tomorrow.

“I don’t think the minutes will provide a clear signal about the September taper. If they could have, they would already have done so in the FOMC statement,” said Peter Fertig, a consultant at Quantitative Commodity Research.

“We will just get a reflection of the discussion, and we already know that some members would vote to start the tapering, and others would like to wait and see. It will be further waiting and further speculating,” he added.

Gold fell as low as $1,352.20 an ounce in earlier trade, following silver, which slid 3.7 percent to hit a low of $22.26 an ounce after posting a 13 percent gain last week. Silver had risen for eight consecutive sessions to last Friday.

Spot silver was last trading at $22.87 an

ounce, down 1 percent, as worries over U.S. stimulus and technical selling dragged it lower in its second session of losses after its biggest one-week rally in five years.

Gold buying from China, the world’s second largest bullion consumer, was quiet yesterday, traders said. Shanghai gold futures fell 1 percent after a three-session rise. Indian gold futures eased from an eight-month high yesterday as a recovery in the rupee and an early dip in overseas markets prompted buyers to cash in gains.

Technical indicators show highly overbought conditions, leading to profit-taking, said Gnanasekar Thiagarajan, director with Commtrendz Research.

Indian traders said they will start importing gold again over the next week, after the county’s central bank clarified a rule that stopped the flow of the precious metal into the top gold consumer at the end of July.

“Gold may find support from optimism that India’s bullion imports may resume.

Meanwhile, above-average rain across most parts of India so far this monsoon season is an encouraging sign for physical gold demand later this year,” HSBC said in a note. Data from the US Mint showed that August sales of American Eagle gold bullion coins stood at just 3,000 ounces as of Monday, far lower that the 39,000 ounces for the whole of August last year and the monthly average of almost 100,000 ounces for the first seven months of this year.

Platinum was last trading at $1,508.24 an ounce, up 0.4 percent, while palladium was down 0.1 percent at $747 an ounce. —Reuters

ing a slump in first-half earnings; the stock is down 4.5 percent year-to-date against the wider market’s 20.2 percent rise.

Elsewhere, Saudi Arabia’s measure declined 0.3 percent, coming off a 59-month high. Banks weighed with the sector’s index down 0.4 percent. Cement, food and agriculture shares also dropped.

Oman climbed 0.4 percent to 6,924 points.

Data on Tuesday showed bank lending growth rebounded from a three-year low to 7.7 percent in June.

The index faces very strong technical resistance at 7,044 points, which capped the market in April 2010 and January 2011.

HIALEAH: In this Monday, Aug. 19, 2013 photo, shoppers walk toward the parking lot at a Best Buy store in Hialeah, Fla. —AP

YESTERDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS EGYPT The index rose 1.1 percent to 5,387 points.

Best Buy Q2 net income rises on cost-cutting

DUBAI The index eased 0.06 percent to 2,664 points.

ABU DHABI The index edged up 0.06 percent to 3,901 points.

QATAR The index ticked up 0.06 percent to 10,044 points.

SAUDI ARABIA The index slipped 0.3 percent to 8,180 points.

KUWAIT The index slipped 0.1 percent to 8,123 points.

OMAN The index climbed 0.4 percent to 6,924 points.

BAHRAIN The index eased 0.07 percent to 1,202 points. —Reuters

DEWA plans coal-fuelled power plant DUBAI: State-owned Dubai Electricity and Water Authority has unveiled plans for a 1200 megawatt (MW) clean coal power plant and is seeking bidders to build what would be the first such project of its kind in the Gulf Arab region.

The utility has issued a request for tenders for the plant, which will be built in two phases to generate 600 MW each when completed in 2020 and 2021 respectively, a statement from DEWA said yesterday.

When fully operational, the plant will contribute 12 percent of projected output under Dubai’s 2030 Integrated Energy Strategy, the statement added.

Given the Gulf’s abundant oil and gas reserves, most power generation in the region is achieved through burning one of the two. However, Gulf nations are looking to diversify their energy mix to preserve such reserves for export, which generate significant sums for their economies.

Under Dubai’s 2030 strategy, it aims to secure 71 percent of its energy from natural gas but also 12 percent each from coal and nuclear, with 5 percent from solar power. The scheme is a revision of the Hassyan independent water and power project which the Dubai government cancelled last April, according to Project Finance International, a Thomson Reuters unit.

That plant, which was earmarked to cost $1.3 billion, would have been gas-powered and generated 1600 MW of power. A consortium including Abu Dhabi National Energy Co, Japan’s Marubeni Corp and South Korea’s SK E&S Co Ltd said it had submitted the lowest bid to build the plant before it was cancelled. DEWA was currently looking to appoint advisers to the new coal-powered scheme, PFI added. —Reuters

than the 12 cents per share that analysts had been looking for, according to a poll by FactSet. Revenue fell slightly to $9.3 billion, from $9.34 billion last year. Analyst expected $9.13 billion. Revenue in stores open at least a year slipped 0.6 percent. That’s much better than the 3.3 percent decline last year at this time.

Online sales rose 10.5 percent, a bright spot for the company, which has been working on revamping its website. “The sales number is even more impressive considering Best Buy’s entirely new website won’t launch until 2014, leading me to believe that price matching, and advertising of price matching, is closing the price perception gap with Amazon,” wrote Belus Capital Advisors CEO Brian Sozzi.

There will be some pressure during the second half of the fiscal year due to price cuts and marketing costs, said Chief Financial Officer Sharon McCollam, as well as a temporary increase in mobile warranty costs and changes in its private label creditcard agreement with Capital One. However, those costs will be offset by $390 million in annual savings from cost cuts, McCollam said. Shares rose $4.99, or 16.2 percent, to $35.72 in premarket trading. The stock has traded between $11.20 and $32.17 over the past 52 weeks. —AP

MINNEAPOLIS: Best Buy’s second-quarter net income rose sharply, helped by costcutting and legal settlements.

The struggling retailer beat Wall Street expectations and shares jumped more than 16 percent before the opening bell. The stock could hit levels not seen since 2011 if the premarket price holds.

Best Buy Co. has been cutting costs and revamping stores to offset tough competition from discounters and online retailers.

Under CEO Hubert Joly, the company has instituted a price-matching policy, opened more store-in-store areas for manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung and invested more to train employees.

Best Buy through all of these measures, is trying to prevent “showrooming,” when people browse in its stores only walk outside, or even stop within the store, to shop online for lower prices.Joly said the company has made “measurable progress” since November in two key problem areas: declining revenue in stores open at least one year and declining operating margins.

The biggest specialty electronics store in the U.S. earned $266 million, or 77 cents per share, for the period ended Aug. 3. A year earlier it earned $12 million, or 4 cents per share.Earnings were 32 cents per share excluding one-time items, much better

PYONGYANG: This photo shows customers shopping at a supermarket in Pyongyang. Chinese yuan, US dollars, euros and tea bags. Money can come in many forms in North Korea, but as a foreign visitor you’ll probably never even see a local banknote, let alone use one. —AFP

EXCHANGE RATES Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal Irani Riyal Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

ASIAN COUNTRIES 2.919 4.561 2.766 2.158 2.860 223.960 36.710 3.654 6.518 9.088 0.271 0.273 GCC COUNTRIES 76.937 78.244 739.640 756.340 77.551

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 42.450 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 40.642 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.328 Tunisian Dinar 173.570 Jordanian Dinar 402.130 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.910 Syrian Lier 3.094 Morocco Dirham 34.503 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 284.650 Euro 380.720 Sterling Pound 446.190 Canadian dollar 276.360 Turkish lira 147.070 Swiss Franc 308.400 Australian Dollar 263.590 US Dollar Buying 283.450 20 Gram 10 Gram

GOLD 260.000 131.000

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 UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

SELL DRAFT 262.13 278.37 313.69 384.12 283.95 448.84 2.98 3.667 4.466 2.158 2.819 2.769 77.38 755.76 40.62 404.13 738.45 78.41 75.85

SELL CASH 263.000 282.000 311.000 384.000 287.400 443.000 3.000 3.800 5.150 2.700 3.600 2.920 78.000 759.500 41.100 416.200 746.400 79.000 76.300

Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY British Pound Czech Korune Danish Krone Euro Norwegian Krone Scottish Pound Swedish Krona Swiss Franc

Selling Rate 284.350 279.560 441.895 379.800 308.900 752.820 77.395 78.050 76.690 400.835 40.329 2.157 4.687 2.775 3.651 6.508 697.520 3.945

SELL CASH Europe Europe 0.4369558 0.0065515 0.0467961 0.3737893 0.0441271 0.4351225 0.0396846 0.3023052

SELLDRAFT 0.4459558 0.0185615 0.0517961 0.3812893 0.0493271 0.4426225 0.0446846 0.3093052

Australasia 0.2522278 0.2232773 0.0001127

0.2642278 0.2332773 0.0001127

Canadian Dollar Colombian Peso US Dollars

America 0.2685459 0.0001447 0.2823000

0.2775459 0.0001627 0.2844500

Bangladesh Taka Cape Vrde Escudo Chinese Yuan Eritrea-Nakfa Guinea Franc Hg Kong Dollar Indian Rupee Indonesian Rupiah Jamaican Dollars Japanese Yen Kenyan Shilling Malaysian Ringgit Nepalese Rupee Pakistan Rupee Philippine Peso

Asia 0.0036121 0.0031552 0.0454730 0.0164300 0.0000441 0.0341269 0.0045235 0.0000223 0.0028406 0.0028323 0.0031863 0.0818349 0.0027015 0.0027349 0.0060701

0.0036671 0.0033852 0.0504730 0.0195300 0.0000501 0.0372269 0.0045885 0.0000274 0.0038406 0.0030123 0.0034163 0.0888349 0.0029015 0.0027749 0.0065401

Australian Dollar New Zealand Dollar Uganda Shilling

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen

9.270 4.060 3.980 89.575

Sierra Leone Singapore Dollar Sri Lankan Rupee Thai Baht

0.0000727 0.2193189 0.0021177 0.0087010

0.0000757 0.2253189 0.0021597 0.0093010

Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Ethiopeanbirr Ghanaian Cedi Iranian Riyal Iraqi Dinar Jordanian Dinar Kuwaiti Dinar Lebanese Pound Moroccan Dirhams Nigerian Naira Omani Riyal Qatar Riyal Saudi Riyal Sudanese Pounds Syrian Pound Tunisian Dinar UAE Dirhams Yemeni Riyal

Arab 0.7480832 0.0386287 0.0126525 0.1446254 0.0000791 0.0001837 0.3956266 1.0000000 0.0001744 0.0222364 0.0012076 0.7278199 0.0774761 0.0753200 0.0462492 0.0019382 0.1712025 0.0760179 0.0012831

0.7565832 0.0406437 0.0191525 0.1464154 0.0000796 0.0002437 0.4031266 1.0000000 0.0001944 0.0462364 0.0018426 0.7388199 0.0782591 0.0759600 0.0467992 0.0021582 0.1772025 0.0774679 0.0013831

Al Mulla Exchange Currency US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar 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) 284.000 381.700 446.650 276.150 4.467 40.615 2.152 3.650 6.500 2.755 756.200 77.300 75.850

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

BUSINESS

‘No quick fixes’ as JC Penney posts big Q2 loss NEW YORK: JC Penney Co reported another big loss on a nearly 12 percent drop in revenue for the second quarter, underscoring big challenges the retailer is facing as it tries to recover from a botched transformation plan spearheaded by ousted CEO Ron Johnson. The results, released Tuesday, mark the sixth straight quarter of big losses and steep revenue drops for the retailer.

CEO Mike Ullman was rehired in April to bring back frequent sales and basic merchandise that were eliminated by Johnson in a failed attempt to attract hipper, more affluent customers. Johnson, who took Penney’s helm in November 2011, was ousted 17 months into his tenure.

While Penney said yesterday it feels encouraged by back-to-school sales, the report offered few signs of a turnaround as the retailer heads into the final months of the year. Analysts worry that a turnaround at the Plano, Texas-based chain could further be derailed as a string of other earnings reports from the likes of

Macy’s and Wal-Mart have showed reluctance among shoppers to spend on nondiscretionary items as they fret about their personal finances in an uncertain economy.

“Since I returned to J.C. Penney four months ago, we have moved quickly to stabilize our business - both financially and operationally - and we have made meaningful progress in important areas of the business,” Ullman said in a statement. “There are no quick fixes to correct the errors of the past.

That said, we have identified the challenges, put solid plans in place to address them and have experienced and capable people in key roles to do so.”

The Plano, Texas-based department store chain said it lost $586 million, or $2.66 per share, for the three months ended Aug. 3. That compares with a loss of $147 million, or 67 cents per share, a year earlier.

Revenue reached $2.66 billion, down from $3.02 billion. Analysts were expecting a $1.07-per-share loss on revenue of

$2.77 billion. Revenue at stores open at least a year dropped 11.9 percent, worse than the 8.3 percent analyst expected.

That was on top of a 21.7 percent drop a year ago. However, the sales drop in the latest quarter is smaller than the 16.6 percent drop in the first quarter.

Revenue at stores open at least a year is considered a key indicator of a retailer’s health because it excludes sales at stores that have recently opened or closed.

Penney’s results come a week after its largest shareholder, William Ackman, resigned from the company’s board of directors as part of a deal to resolve an unusually public battle between the activist investor and the department store chain. Ackman’s Pershing Square Capital Management has a 17.7 percent stake, or 39 million shares, in Penney.

Ackman went public two weeks ago with statements saying he’d lost confidence in Penney ’s board and that Chairman Thomas Engibous should be replaced. Ackman and the retailer’s board also were bickering over how quickly the

company should replace Ullman.

The day Ackman resigned, Penney named Ronald Tysoe as a director to fill Ackman’s seat. Tysoe is former vice chairman of Federated Department Stores Inc., which is now Macy’s Inc. Penney will name an additional new director in the near future. Penney’s board also reiterated its support for Ullman.

Ackman, who joined Penney’s board in February 2011, was the one who pushed the board to hire Johnson, a mastermind of Apple Inc.’s successful stores. The hope was Johnson could inject new energy into a tired company.

Johnson’s plan included getting rid of coupons and eliminating most discounts in favor of every day low prices, as well as bringing in hip brands like Joe Fresh and remaking outdated stores.

But the changes that were meant to attract younger, wealthier shoppers, wound up turning off its loyal middleincome, middle-age customers who favor sales and basic merchandise like loose-fitting khakis.

As a result, Penney amassed nearly a billion dollars in losses and its revenue dropped 25 percent for the fiscal year that ended Feb. 2 in the first year of the failed transformation strategy. Sales declines and losses continued into the first quarter as Johnson’s legacy cast a shadow on the results.

Even the home area, which was Johnson’s project and features a slew of trendy new names like Jonathan Adler and Michael Graves, has failed to resonate with shoppers. Penney said yesterday that early feedback from customers made it clear that they want a more balanced assortment of trendy and traditional merchandise. The company is now working to restage the home areas in the 500 stores where the home departments were relaunched.

Penney was counting on the new home area, launched last spring, to reinvigorate customer traffic, but analysts believe some of the products like $3,000 couches are just too pricey for the company’s shoppers. — AP

India scrambles to halt rupee slide Bank intervention suspected

BAAR: In this April 18, 2011 file photo shows the headquarters of Glencore in Baar, Switzerland. Commodities trader Glencore Xstrata Plc has reported a 39 percent drop in half-year profits as it booked a US dollar 7.6 billion write-down of assets following the merger of Glencore and Xstrata this year.

The Swiss-based company, which supplies raw materials around the world and operates mines, plants and warehouses, said its net income slid to US dollar 2.04 billion from US dollar 3.36 billion from a year earlier. — AP

Glencore Xstrata reports first-half loss of $8.9bn ZURICH: Newly merged mining giant Glencore Xstrata reported a switch into a firsthalf net loss of $8.9 billion yesterday owing to merger write-downs, but signalled it would pay an interim dividend.

At the same time last year and on a comparable asset base, the business made a net profit of $2.2 billion (1.65 billion euros).

The expected dividend was a sign of confidence in the future, the group said, forecasting bigger-than-expected economies of scale.

Publishing its first results since the merger, the new group took a charge of $7.6 billion to write down goodwill, meaning intangible assets which have a lower book value than the market value when they changed hands.

The group, based in Switzerland, said that the write-down reflected the poor outlook for the mining industry and increased risks for big expansion projects and for the development of new sites.

But sales rose on a comparable basis by 4.0 percent to $112 billion (84 billion euros).

However, on a pro forma or nominal basis, sales fell by 2.0 percent to $121 billion.

Glencore Xstrata’s chief executive Ivan Glasenberg was sanguine about the group’s performance, however.

“The first half of 2013 has been a transformational period for Glencore. We completed the merger with Xstrata and have made excellent progress integrating the businesses,” Glasenberg said in a statement.

He underlined that the benefits and economies of the merger would be much greater than the initial forecast of $500 million per year.

“As we look ahead, we remain focused on the disciplined allocation of capital as well as robustly scrutinising all pre-existing capital

plans of the enlarged entity. We continue to work tirelessly and diligently to maximise returns on our capital and to our shareholders,” he added.

The group said that it expected to pay an interim dividend of $0.054 per share. It said that this was a sign of its confidence in its prospects and in the strength and flexibility of its balance sheet.

Glencore Xstrata is listed on the London Stock Exchange, where its shares were down 3.18 percent in mid-morning trading at 292.40 pence, having opened at 297.00 pence.

The group’s stock had closed at 301.95 pence on Monday. The long-awaited merger between Swiss commodities trader Glencore and mining giant Xstrata, which is also based in the Alpine country, came on May 2.

The new group took the stage alongside leading global commodities companies such as BHP Billiton, Vale and Rio Tinto. Glencore and Xstrata’s shareholders had voted in favour of the merger last November, with a view to sealing the deal by the end of 2012.

That target was pushed back to March, before again being shifted due to delays in approval by Chinese regulators.

China finally gave a green light in April on condition that once the merger was completed, the combined group would sell its interest in the Las Bambas copper mine project in Peru to Chinese-approved players.

Xstrata’s chief executive Mick Davis had been due to take the helm of the combined operation for six months, but his Glencore opposite number Glasenberg instead assumed the role, and other members of Xstrata’s management team also left the new group. —AFP

Venezuela, a paradise in search of tourists CARACAS: Boasting the highest waterfall in the world, nearly deserted Caribbean islands and dense jungles with ocean views, Venezuela has everything a tourist could want-except the tourists are not coming.

In a countr y where explorer Christopher Columbus once believed he had found heaven on earth, officials are struggling to draw travelers, with only 700,000 visitors each year, in part due to Venezuela’s somewhat tarnished image.

After neglecting the tourism sector for years, in favor of the lucrative oil industryVenezuela has the world’s largest proven reserves-the government in Caracas is now working hard to attract visitors.

However, the country suffers from outdated infrastructure-hotels, highways and domestic flights are all lacking-and wary foreigners who choose different destinations after seeing Venezuela’s high crime rates. “The main enemy of the development of tourism in Venezuela was oil,” Carlos Vogeler, regional Americas director for the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), told AFP. “When a country has such a major revenue generator, it has a tendency to ignore others.”

Venezuela’s new tourism minister, Andres Izarra, says he intends to put his country on the map as a vacation hotspot.

“Our goal is to reach one million foreign tourists” from 2014, he said. While

infrastructure may be lacking, attractions surely are not. From the biodiversity of the Orinoco Delta to the richness of the Amazon jungle, from Andean peaks to the hundreds of kilometers (miles) of idyllic beaches, Venezuela seemingly has it all.

Angel Falls is the tallest waterfall in the world, the pristine coral reefs of the Los Roques archipelago attract divers, and others are keen to explore the “tepuis”towering mountains in the southeast.

The successes of neighboring countries provide some hope: according to UNWTO statistics, Colombia welcomed 2.1 million visitors last year, 4.5 million people flocked to the Dominican Republic and its famous resorts and Brazil had 5.6 million visitors. In 2011, Cuba opened its doors to 2.6 million tourists. Several months ago, the ministry launched a high-profile campaign to draw tourists.

New air routes were opened, airports were renovated and the government renewed languishing contacts with industry players. Izarra also announced that two tropical islands previously closed to the public-La Tortuga and La Orchila islandswould soon be opened. For Marilucy Beltran, president of the Venezuelan Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies, Venezuela has not capitalized on offering vacation packages and is in desperate need of better public-private collaboration in the tourism sector.— AFP

NEW DELHI: Indians returning from abroad bring nearly 3,000 flat screen televisions into the country a day, turning airport luggage belts into revolving electronics displays. A stiff new customs duty aims to sink that popular trade as officials scramble to halt a dizzying plunge in the rupee.

The 36-percent TV tax is the latest in a slew of measures the government has announced to steady the currency and is a sign, critics say, of its increasing desperation. New limits were imposed on the amount of money individuals and companies can invest overseas. Higher taxes were slapped on gold imports. Interest rates on rupee deposits were raised. All to no avail.

The rupee has plumbed new lows against the dollar on a near daily basis, showing the pressure of a current account deficit that has swelled from high import costs. A dollar now buys more than 63 rupees, a decline of 8 percent for the rupee so far this August. The Sensex stock index is down more than 10 percent in the past month. Nearly half that fall was in the past few days.

The government is panicked because the slumping rupee threatens to worsen two important barometers of the nation’s financial standing - its budget, already in deficit because of subsidized oil imports, and the overseas trade account, also deeply in the red. “These are really piecemeal efforts,” said Anjalika Bardalai, a senior Asia analyst at the London-based consulting firm Eurasia Group. “They haven’t engaged in a big-bang reform to deal with structural problems still affecting the economy.”

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram defended the government’s efforts in parliament on Tuesday. To halt the rupee’s decline, he said the government is trying to stem demand for nonessential imports while also encouraging inflows of money.

Pessimists fear India could suffer a funding crisis like the one it experienced in 1990-91 when international investors took fright at its shaky finances. But with the central bank now stocked with $280 billion of foreign currency reserves, most experts think that scenario is unlikely.

What’s more probable is an extended period of India failing to generate fast-enough growth to either alleviate the poverty that still afflicts many of its 1.2 billion people or create enough new jobs for a population where a majority is under 30 years old and some 13 million Indians reach working age each year.

Some of the fall in India’s stock market stems from jitters about the US Federal Reserve scaling back its

unprecedented monetary stimulus.

The Fed’s low interest rate campaign drove money into stock markets worldwide in search of higher returns, a phenomenon that is now reversing.

The Indian economy, Asia’s third largest, grew 5 percent in the financial year ended March, its slowest in a decade and well off the 8 percent pace it had averaged over those 10 years.

Growth suffered under the weight of high inflation, weak investment, corruption scandals and low business confidence. Efforts to open the country wider to foreign investment have been applauded but have yet to take deeper root.

“Five percent growth is not adequate for India, that’s for sure,” said Samiran Chakraborty, head of research

at Standard Chartered Bank, South Asia. “With the kind of demographic profile we have, it’s quite likely we will not be able to satisfy the population with only 5 percent.”

In a small way, the soon to be squelched trade in flat screen TVs illustrates India’s business and economic challenges. Despite the massive size of its market and high import tariffs, local companies have not become significant players in the consumer electronics manufacturing industry.

Buying an imported 32-inch LED television costs up to $474 in New Delhi compared with $355 in Dubai or $330 in Bangkok, making the duty free exemption for individual air travelers a popular way to get a cheaper TV into India.— AP

MUMBAI: In this photograph taken on February 27, 2007, an Indian bank employee counts rupee currency notes in Mumbai. India’s rupee hit a new all-time low against the dollar yesterday on continuing fears that recent measures to stabilise the currency and kickstart the flagging economy will not work. — AFP

India central bank allows non-bank Islamic finance firm KOCHI: India’s central bank has allowed a firm in the southern state of Kerala to operate as a non-banking financial company (NBFC) that follows Islamic principles - a small step towards developing sharia-compliant finance in the country.

An estimated 177 million Muslims in India, the largest Muslim minority population in the world, are unable to use Islamic banks because laws covering the sector require banking to be based on interest, which is forbidden in Islam.

But some companies, especially in Kerala which has a large Muslim popu-

lation and an overseas diaspora of workers who remit money back from the Gulf, are nevertheless trying to develop Islamic financial products outside the banking sector.

Cheraman Financial Services, based in Kerala’s city of Kochi, plans to offer leasing and equity-finance products under Islamic principles. It said it had obtained approval to operate from the Reserve Bank of India and would follow the Islamic ban on interest; it will not take deposits from customers. “We propose to roll out the products by the end of August,” a spokesman for Cheraman, formerly

TOKYO: AirAsia Japan President Tomonori Ishii unveils its new brand name ‘Vanilla Air’ during a press conference in Tokyo yesterday. Following a break-up with AirAsia, the surviving budget carrier AirAsia Japan, now wholly-owned All Nippon Airways (ANA), will begin its service under the new name from December. — AFP

known as Al Barakah Financial Services, told Reuters.

He did not elaborate on the design of the products. Instead of interest, Islamic finance uses structures such as asset buy-backs and agency agreements to provide returns to investors.

The RBI did not respond to a request for comment on Cheraman’s case. But its decision appears to open the door to the possibility of more NBFCs offering Islamic non-interest products in future, even though fullfledged Islamic banks are expected to remain banned.

RBI governor Duvvuri Subbarao, who will step down in September, has said Islamic banking is not possible in the country but sharia-compliant products could be delivered through alternative means.

Last year, the RBI directed Kochibased Alternative Investments and Credits Ltd (AICL) to stop its non-interest NBFC business almost a decade after the firm was launched. This prompted an ongoing legal challenge

by AICL. “The grant of an NBFC licence should have an impact on the AICL proceedings and there are good chances that the matter may get settled soon,” said Suprio Bose, Mumbaibased lawyer at Juris Corp, a law firm which previously represented AICL. “The event reflects a significant and welcome change in RBI’s attitude towards sharia-based NBFCs and sets a precedent for others to follow suit.”

However, many analysts think that unless and until full-fledged Islamic banks are permitted in India, an Islamic finance sector will find it hard

to develop. “I don’t think there is going to be a rush for NBFC applications.

RBI’s attitude towards the sharia-compliance concept is yet to be tested,” said Shariq Nisar, director of research and operations at Mumbai-based Taqwaa Advisory and Shariah Investment Solutions.

Running a sharia-compliant financial institution under Indian regulations is still difficult and other firms are likely to stay on the sidelines pending the success of existing schemes before deciding to join in, he added.

Islamic equity and venture capital products have attracted little demand in India and NBFCs could face the same fate, said Nisar. “NBFC business overall has been declining over the years.” The RBI issued guidelines for NBFCs in June, cracking down on debt issuance by an industry that relies heavily on capital markets to fund its business but has faced less regulatory oversight than banks.

According to central bank data, credit extended to NBFCs increased by 1.9 percent from a year earlier in June, compared with an increase of 43.9 percent in June last year. There are over 12,000 registered NBFCs in India.

A handful of politicians have been lobbying for years to start Islamic banking in India, but they have met strong opposition from bureaucrats in the finance ministry and banking circles. Some politicians, especially from the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, say they fear Islamic banking could be used by militants and might strengthen the hold of clergy over India’s Muslim community. —Reuters

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

BUSINESS

Wood Group held back by Canadian oil uncertainty LONDON: Energy services company John Wood Group expects weakening Canadian demand to restrict earnings growth for its oil and gas engineering division this year and into 2014.

The British company has been a strong performer in the European oil services sector while others have suffered from project delays this year. But delivering first-half profit growth broadly in line with analysts’ expectations, Chief Executive Bob Keiller said it was

“not immune” to that trend.

“We have seen some reduction in western Canada ... where uncertainty over oil export routes is causing some of our customers to rethink their investment options and to delay projects,” he said yesterday.

Much of the uncertainty surrounds the Northern Gateway project to reduce Canada’s dependency on demand from the United States, which is developing more of its own shale deposits.

The plan is for a $6 billion pipeline from the inland tar sands province of Alberta to the west coast to allow export to China, but the project has become mired in political and environmental controversy. Wood Group downgraded the outlook for 2013 growth in its engineering division’s earnings before interest, tax and amortisation (EBITA) to 10-15 percent, from 15 percent previously, and said there are “challenges to growth in 2014”. The divi-

sion, which provides equipment and pipelines as well as performing work on oil-well integrity and corrosion management, accounts for about half the company’s profit. “With muted outlook commentary, we see risk to consensus estimates for 2014/15,” said Credit Suisse analyst David Thomas in a research note that cut his earnings-per-share forecast for 2013/14/15 by 3, 8 and 9 percent respectively.

Wood Group shares fell 7.9 percent

by 1120 GMT, making it the biggest faller among European oil stocks. Groupwide EBITA was $243.2 million, up 18.6 percent from a year earlier, driven by a strong performance in its oilfield services arm, PSN, and in the engineering division, which together account for more than three quarters of its business.

The Gulf of Mexico is another area suffering from project delays, the company said, but its main concern is further weakness in Canada. “We do not

expect it to recover during 2014,” it added. Wood Group, which ranks eighth by market value among companies in the European oil and gas services sector, has been partially shielded from project delays that have resulted mainly from a weakening outlook for oil prices.

The company’s wide range of small, medium and large contracts has had a smoothing effect, while some rivals have suffered heavy bumps to cashflow. —Reuters

PRETORIA: Workers on strike hold a placard asking for wage increases as they demonstrate outside Ford’s plant in Pretoria yesterday. South Africa’s auto workers downed tools over pay on August 19, bringing production to a halt at BMW, Toyota and other manufacturers. —AFP

S Africa’s auto workers to ‘intensify’ strike action JOHANNESBURG: South Africa’s 30,000 auto workers vowed yesterday to “intensify” an open-ended strike for higher pay, according to a union official. “The strike still proceeds,” said Mphumzi Maqungo, the treasurer of the National Union of Metalworkers (NUMSA).

Union officials were holding a teleconference on ways to “intensify” their strike strategy, Maqungo added. The workers are demanding a 14-percent pay increase.

Employers have offered eight percent.

No talks have taken place with the seven major car makers in the country since the workers downed tools on Monday. Hundreds of striking workers in red T-shirts and berets chanted and danced outside the Ford Motor plant in Mamelodi on the outskirts of Pretoria.

The strike is costing South Africa, the continent’s largest car producer, around 3,000 vehicles or 600 million rand ($60 million, 45 million euros) in lost revenue per day. Manufacturers say they hope to make up some of the losses when production eventually resumes.

“Once the strike is over, which hopefully will be soon, manufacturers will inevitably and invariably take steps to recover part of the lost production in order to meet their obligations to international customers,” Nico Vermeulen, director of the National Association of

Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa, told AFP. The industry exports to 148 countries worldwide, with the United States being the number one destination, followed by the European Union and other countries in Africa.

Around 60 percent of the production is sold outside the country.

South Africa’s auto sector accounts for around six percent of the country’s economy and roughly 12 percent of its exports.

Some of the world’s leading car makersincluding Toyota, Volkswagen, Mercedes Benz, Nissan, Ford and General Motors-have production plants in South Africa.

Work stoppages are common in South Africa in the middle of the year, when collective wage negotiations traditionally get underway. Wage talks are also taking place in the volatile mining sector where dozens were killed in labour unrest last year.

Despite being the largest economy on the continent, South Africa is underperforming compared to other fast-growing countries in the region, expanding only by 0.9 percent in the first quarter. Last year the country registered a meagre 2.5-percent growth rate, hit by the effects of the post-2008 global financial meltdown and the eurozone recession. —AFP

WILLISTON: In this Feb. 23, 2010 file photo, shoppers and sales representatives walk through the aisles at the Home Depot store in Williston, Vt. Home Depot’s second-quarter net income jumped 18 percent as surging home sales drove comparable-store sales up by double digits at home and abroad, according to reports yesterday. —AP

Home Depot Q2 results top Street ATLANTA: Home Depot’s second-quarter net income jumped 18 percent as surging home sales drove comparable-store sales up by double digits at home and abroad.

The nation’s biggest home improvement retailer beat Wall Street expectations and it raised its full-year earnings and revenue expectations again.

Shares rose almost 4 percent before the opening bell yesterday. A slowly improving employment landscape and extremely low interest rates this year have created such great demand that homebuilders are having some difficulty securing land and keeping pace.

On Friday, the Commerce Department said that builders began work on houses and apartments at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 896,000 in July. That was up 6 percent from June, though below a recent peak of more than 1 million in March.

On Thursday the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index reported that confidence among U.S. homebuilders is at its highest level in nearly eight years, fueled by optimism that demand for new homes will drive sales growth into next year.

There are some signs rising mortgage rates may be slowing housing’s breakneck speed, and Home Depot did cite store performance to date as part of its reason for upping its outlook. For the three months ended Aug. 4, Home Depot Inc. earned $1.8 billion, or $1.24 per share.

That compares with $1.53 billion, or $1.01 a year ago. Revenue for the Atlanta company climbed more than 9 percent to $22.52 billion, from $20.57 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet expected earnings of $1.21 per share on revenue of $21.79 billion.

Home Depot’s stock rose $2.69 to to $77.90 in premarket trading. Revenue at stores open at least a year, a key indicator of a retailer’s health, increased 10.7 percent. In the U.S., the figure rose 11.4 percent.

Same-store sales data removes the volatility of locations opened or closed in the past year.

Home Depot now foresees fiscal 2013 earnings of $3.60 per share, with revenue up about 4.5 percent. The chain previously predicted earnings of $3.52 per share, with revenue rising approximately 2.8 percent. Based on 2012’s revenue of $74.75 billion, the new guidance implies $78.1 billion. —AP

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

BUSINESS

BHP Billiton net profit plunges 29.5% to $10.88 bn SYDNEY: Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP Billiton yesterday said net profit slumped 29.5 percent to US$10.88 billion in the year to June, citing slowing global growth and commodity price volatility.

The world’s biggest miner said lower prices for its key resources, including a 17 percent dive in iron ore, wiped $8.9 billion from underlying earnings of $28.4 billion.

“BHP Billiton delivered robust financial results in the 2013 financial year, a period characterised by slowing global growth and volatile commodity markets,” the miner said in a statement to the Australian stock exchange.

“Economic conditions over the second half of the 2013 financial year were affected by lower-than-expected growth in emerging economies,” it added.

“Weaker trade and soft manufacturing activity pulled growth rates slightly below expectations in China.”

New CEO Andrew Mackenzie said softer Chinese trade and manufacturing data “provide evidence of the transition underway in their economy” but BHP was “confident of GDP growth in China of 7-8 percent”.

“In the next 15 years we expect global demand for commodities to grow by up to 75 percent,” he told reporters. “As

demand patterns evolve, given our commodity exposure across steelmaking, metals, energy and food, we are very well positioned, but we cannot be complacent.” His remarks came as BHP separately unveiled a $2.6 billion investment in its Jansen potash project in Canada, underscoring efforts to diversify its portfolio as the Asia-driven mining boom slows. The results fell short of market expectations of a $12.9 billion profit, with IG Markets analyst Chris Weston describing them as “in-line but underwhelming versus consensus.”

BHP said it had managed to cut costs by $2.7 billion in the year ended June 30, but that was more than offset by the significant fall in commodity prices. It saw a seven percent increase in total production across its businesses, including a 13th consecutive annual output record at its flagship Pilbara iron ore operation in Western Australia. But the company said the value of its products was “substantially” down over the year.

Iron ore prices were 17 percent lower, costing BHP $4.1 billion, and steelmaking and energy coal both declined, wiping a further $3.7 billion off the bottom line. Oversupply in the nickel and aluminium markets and concerns of a nearterm rebalancing in the copper sector had weighed on metals prices, reducing

earnings by around $1.0 billion.

BHP said it expected increased supply across the commodities market to continue pushing down prices in the short term, but the balance should right itself “in time”.

“The growth rates for steel demand in Asia are expected to moderate as the Chinese economy gradually rebalances.

This rebalancing should support growth in demand for other industrial metals, energy and agricultural products,” it said.

“We expect the rebalancing of the Chinese economy to be significant in terms of the nature of domestic demand as well as the types of goods and services the economy will produce,” BHP added.

“We also see India and Southeast Asia as significant sources of economic growth in the long term.” Following last year’s 34.8 percent slump in annual profit to $15.42 billion, BHP said it had approved no major growth projects in 2013 and was targeting a cut in capital expenditure to $16.2 billion in 2014.

BHP’s petroleum production grew six percent to 236 million barrels of oil equivalent, and was forecast to increase to 250 million barrels in 2014.

Western Australia iron ore output expanded seven percent to 187 million tonnes and BHP forecast that would rise

another 10 percent in 2014 to 207 million tonnes.

Steelmaking coal output was 38 million tonnes-an increase of 13 percent while energy coal was up three percent

at 73 million tonnes. Forecasts for 2014 were, respectively, 41 million and 73 million tonnes. BHP declared a final dividend of US$1.16, a four percent increase year-on-year. — AFP

OLYMPIC DAM MINE: This undated file handout photo released by BHP Billiton on February 9, 2012 shows the copper-uranium-gold-silver processing plant near the Olympic Dam mine in South Australia. AngloAustralian mining giant BHP Billiton posted a 29.5 percent plunge in annual net profit to $10.88 billion yesterday, citing slowing global growth and commodity price volatility.— AFP

Asian markets down on lingering Fed fears Manila’s market closed for second straight day

SEOUL: Workers from Hyundai Motor’s labour union leave an assembly line during a partial strike at the company’s main factory in Ulsan, southeast of Seoul, yesterday. Workers at South Korea’s top carmaker Hyundai Motor launched a partial strike for better pay and working conditions — a year after ending the costliest dispute in the company’s history.—AFP

Hyundai workers launch strike SEOUL: Hyundai’s labor union said 46,000 workers will stage a four-hour strike over two days this week as the union increases pressure on the automaker for higher wages and benefits.

Union spokesman Kwon Oh-il said yesterday that talks with Hyundai Motor Co. management had made little progress. The union demanded increased wages and benefits during three months of annual negotiations. But the talks collapsed, and the union voted to strike for a second time in two years.

Labor strife has dragged down earnings at Hyundai and its Kia affiliate after unions elected hard-line leaders. Earlier this year, Hyundai workers refused to work overtime for three weeks. That resulted in lost output of 83,000 vehicles worth 1.7 trillion won ($1.5 billion), according to the company. In 2012, the maker of the Elantra and Santa Fe estimated it lost production of 82,000 vehicles worth 1.7 trillion won due to 92

hours of walkouts.

Another round of talks with Hyundai Motor Co. management is scheduled for Thursday. Kwon said there is almost no chance of a breakthrough.

Hyundai estimated it would lose production of about 2,100 vehicles worth 43.5 billion won ($39 million) from the union’s four hour strike and refusal to work overtime.

The union wants workers to get improved benefits, including 10 million won ($8,900) support to help children of unionized workers seek jobs if they don’t go to college, a 130,000 won ($116) increase in monthly base income, bigger bonuses and full reimbursement of medical expenses if workers are diagnosed with cancer.

Hyundai said last week that many of the union’s demands were hard to accept. The labor union at Kia Motors Corp. is planning similar industrial action.

Kia workers will determine how many hours they will walk out later. — AP

Chinese oil imports to reach $500bn by 2020 PARIS: Seventy percent of China’s oil needs will come from imports by 2020, with the bill expected to land at a record $500 billion (375 billion euros) as rapid economic growth is spurring car sales, a study showed yesterday.

In the report, British advisory firm Wood Mackenzie said Chinese crude oil imports will surpass that of the United States in 2017 and are expected to reach a total of 9.2 million barrels of oil per day in 2020.

At the same time, it said US oil import requirements will shrink to 6.8 million barrels of oil per day, or a spend of around $160 billion from its peak of $335 billion, mainly on the back of falling demand and an increase in domestic supply and a growth in imports from Canada.

“We will therefore see OPEC suppliers, who traditionally focused on the US for crude sales, compelled to shift their focus towards China,” said William Durbin, the group’s Beijing-based president of global markets.

The firm estimates that Chinese

imports from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will grow to 66 percent from the 52 percent recorded in 2005.

Oil market analyst Harold York said the jump in Chinese imports can largely by attributed to domestic oil demand growth and is “driven by gasoline demand due to the near-exponential increase in personal auto vehicles and diesel demand related to commercial trucking as China’s economy grows.”

“By 2020 China will be second only to the US for the total fleet of personal auto vehicles in use. From 2005-2020, China will see the number of vehicles rise from 20 million to 160 million,” he said.

China is already the biggest energy user in the world and the secondlargest oil consumer after the United States. Last week, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said that from October, China is set to overtake the US as the world’s largest net oil importer. —AFP

HONG KONG: Asian markets fell yesterday following another weak lead from Wall Street, while attention returns to the US Federal Reserve’s stimulus programme as it prepares to release minutes of its latest meeting. Emerging markets took a beating on expectations the Fed’s quantitative easing will start to dry up. Their currencies also suffered heavy selling, with the Indian rupee hitting another record low against the dollar.

Tokyo tumbled 2.63 percent, or 361.75 points, to 13,396.38 as the dollar gave up earlier gains against the yen. Sydney slipped 0.67 percent, or 34.3 points, to 5,078.2 and Seoul lost 1.55 percent, or 29.79 points, to 1,887.85.

Hong Kong fell 2.20 percent, or 493.41 points to 21,970.29 and Shanghai was off 0.62 percent, or 13.01 points, at 2,072.59. Before the close of trading Jakarta was 5.50 percent down, extending a 5.58 percent fall Monday, while Bangkok had lost more than three percent and Kuala Lumpur was 2.14 percent lower.

Manila’s market was closed for a second straight day as the Philippine capital was hit by floods. Global markets have been in turmoil as investors fret over the future of the $85-billion-amonth Fed stimulus.

Traders are worried that improving conditions mean the US economy will not need the help the central bank has been providing.

The Fed has said it will turn the taps off once unemployment is low enough and the economy can stand on its own feet. Despite this US Treasury yields are approaching two-year highs.

With the US showing signs of improvement, analysts say the Fed will likely slow its bondbuying, which in turn will lead to higher rates at home and a repatriation of the money that flooded emerging markets when the scheme was unveiled.

However, Evan Lucas, market strategist at IG in Melbourne, told Dow Jones Newswires: “There is no reason for Treasury yields to be this high.

“Inflation is near zero, official rates are not expected to be changed until 2015 and the underlying credit market is still shaky from uneven economic data.” Eyes are on the release today of minutes from the Fed’s most recent meeting, with analysts looking for clues to its next move.

Wall Street, which on Friday ended one of its

worst weeks this year, extended those losses on Monday. The Dow fell 0.47 percent, the S&P 500 lost 0.59 percent and the Nasdaq shed 0.38 percent. With yields rising in the United States, the US dollar also climbed against emerging units.

It hit a record 64.11 Indian rupees while also buying 10,490 Indonesian rupiah, near a fouryear high, from 10,419 rupiah. The Thai baht was at a one-year low of 31.61 to the dollar, compared with 31.34 baht yesterday.

The rupee is Asia’s worst-performing major currency this year, falling 16 percent against the dollar as the Fed’s wind-down added to mounting concerns about the state of India’s ailing economy.

However, the dollar fell to 97.12 yen, compared with 97.56 in New York Monday, after peaking at 97.85 yen in morning trade Tuesday.

The euro bought $1.3344 and 129.48 yen,

against $1.3334 and 130.09 yen. On oil markets, New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate for delivery in September, was down $1.27 at $105.83. Brent North Sea crude for October eased 75 cents to $109.15.

Gold fetched $1,359.48 at 0810 GMT from $1,375.20 late Monday.

In other markets: Wellington rose 0.11 percent, or 5.13 points, to 4,508.36.

Fletcher Building was up 0.12 percent at NZ$8.21 and Contact Energy added 1.51 percent to NZ$5.38, but Air New Zealand was down 1.08 percent at NZ$1.38.

Taipei fell 0.86 percent, or 67.56 points, to 7,832.65. Smartphone maker HTC fell 2.29 percent to Tw$149.5 while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. was 1.15 percent lower at Tw$94.4. — AFP

TOKYO: A businessman passes before a share prices board in Tokyo yesterday.

Japan’s share prices fell 361.75 points to close at the Tokyo Stock Exchange, following another negative lead from Wall Street as speculation mounts that the US Federal Reserve will soon start to scale back its stimulus programme.— AFP

Sterling steadies near seven-month high against basket of currencies LONDON: Sterling was steady near a seven-month high against a basket of currencies yesterday, supported by a recent improvement in economic data that has suggested interest rates may rise sooner than the Bank of England has indicated.

Trade-weighted sterling was at 81.7, only a bit lower than Monday’s peak of 81.8, which was its highest level since January 22, according to BoE data.

The pound was up 0.1 percent at $1.5671, close to the June 19 high of $1.5678. A reported options barrier at $1.5700 would act as near-term resistance.

Beyond that resistance was cited at the 200-week moving average of $1.5753.

Earlier this month, BoE governor Mark Carney pledged to keep interest rates low until unemployment falls to 7 percent in his forward guidance but also added some “knockout clauses” that would allow the bank to tighten policy if inflation rose faster than expected or if financial stability were threatened.

Carney forecast it would take three years for the jobless rate to hit 7 percent, but financial markets expect it will be sooner given improving UK economic data.

The Confederation of British Industry said on Monday it had upgraded its UK growth forecasts for 2013 and 2014 and that the jobless rate would edge lower in coming months.

“Those knockout clauses have scrambled Carney’s ‘lower rates for longer’ message and it has turned out to be bullish sterling. To support that, UK data is looking robust and there is definitely more upside for sterling,” said Nawaz Ali, UK market analyst at Western Union.

At the short end of the curve, sterling overnight interbank average rates (SONIA) inched towards pricing in a first rate rise in 18 months. The two-year SONIA rate was at 0.5525 percent while the 18-

month rate was at 0.48500 percent, pointing to increased bets of a BoE rate hike in 2015.

Ali, however, added that sterling could see minor setbacks as some investors might choose to take profit at these levels, given that sterling has risen around 6 percent from the $1.48 levels seen in early July. Analysts also cautioned that the pound could see some consolidation against the dollar and risks edging lower ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve minutes on Wednesday, where further hints on trimming stimulus could broadly lift the dollar.

Strategists at Morgan Stanley do not expect the pound to rise further and maintain their short position at $1.5640. “Concerns regarding the sustainabil-

ity of the UK recovery are continuing to build, suggesting that sterling gains are likely to be limited. We now look for the recovery to run out of steam.”

Against sterling, the euro was flat at 85.24 pence, not far from a 1-1/2 month low of 85.05 pence.

Chartists said the pair could slip to the 200-day moving average of 84.58 pence in the coming weeks. The European Central Bank is expected to keep policy accommodative for longer than the BoE, to support the euro zone’s fragile recovery after it came out of a long drawn out recession in the second quarter.

Reflecting this, the gap between British and German 10-year bond yields was at a more than three-year high.— AP

Malaysia Airlines in the red again KUALA LUMPUR: Struggling flag carrier Malaysia Airlines said yesterday it has recorded a second consecutive quarterly loss after failing to overcome drag from earlier borrowings.

The airline said it made an operating profit of 7.9 million ringgit ($2.4 million) in the second quarter ending June 30 but still ended up with a net loss of 175.2 million mainly due to unrealised foreign exchange losses.

This improved on the 348.7 million ringgit loss in the same period a year ago, before the carrier moved into the black for the second half of 2012. But in a statement the airline said it was confident it would repeat last year’s pattern as “traditionally the second half of the year is better compared to the first half”.

“We are pleased that we have been able to bring in an operating profit in Q2 this year.

Previously in 2012, we only saw an operating

profit in Q3 and Q4,” said chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya. The airline added that net loss for the first half of 2013 was down 12.7 percent to 453.8 million ringgit compared to 520.1 million in the corresponding period last year.

Operating revenue for the quarter increased 12 percent to 3.59 billion ringgit year-on-year on the back of a 29 percent increase in passenger traffic to 4.2 million. Last year, the carrier admitted it was in “crisis”, forcing it to implement a cost-cutting campaign centred on slashing routes and other measures. This left it with a 433 million ringgit net loss for the 2012 financial year, a marked improvement from a record 2.5 billion loss in 2011.

Analysts have blamed a combination of stiff competition, poor management, change-resistant unions and government interference for the carrier’s poor performance.— AFP

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

BUSINESS

Kuwaiti companies experience security incident: Survey KUWAIT: 71 percent of IT experts in Kuwait believe that the region is a prime target for cyber criminals, according to research conducted by Gulf Business Machines (GBM). The results reveal that 27 percent of incidents are staff related, which can be avoided by increasing employee awareness. Cyber security risks are also potentially increasing with social media becoming more available within organizations, announced GBM, the region’s leading IT solutions provider.

The security landscape in Kuwait has continually evolved in recent years, largely due to

the increase ofcyber-crime. The results of the survey also highlight that 32 percent of respondents said their organizations have not been conducting regular proactive screenings to ensure that their IT infrastructure and critical data are protected. Respondents are expressing a false sense of security as the survey shows that 64 percent of respondents believe that the number of successful attacks will decrease in the next 12 months.

“Businesses are becoming more aware of the importance of technology as well as the value it brings. However, organizations still

need to become more proactive in taking pre-emptive measures against possible cyber threats,” said Piero Corsini, Country General Manager, Khorafi Business Machines, GBM’s Kuwait branch. “Nearly half of the organizations polled spend up to 10 percent of their IT budget on security. However, we are expecting that this number will increase in the future.”

Similar GBM survey, conductedlast year, showed that just over a third of those polled claimed that their organizations’ IT policies completely prohibited access to social net-

working websites. Today, this number has slightly decreased, indicating that more businesses are starting to adopt and embrace social media.

“Compared to last year, companies in Kuwait have slightly loosened their social networking restrictions, which indicate that organizations in Kuwait and the region are definitely exploring social media as a new way of communication with the public. With this in mind, it is important for organizations to be equipped with the necessary security tools since the rise in social media usage

increases the risk of cyber security attacks,” said Corsini.

Since GBM’s foundation in 1990, the company has been at the forefront of addressing challenges resulting from an ever-changing cybercrime eco-system in the region. The research coincides with the launch of GBM’s Security Framework, which assists users with mitigating risks. At the core of its IT security offering, the Security Framework enables customers to meet and exceed IT industry best practices in order to secure their infrastructure.

Middle East oil, gas sector to maintain steady growth US to lead the world in oil production DUBAI: In its report, Orient Planet concludes that the Middle East will continue to dominate the energy sector even as US oil companies develop new oil production technologies and shale gas discoveries emerge from the Americas.

Orient Planet also identifies strategic factors such as the increasing emphasis on the use of renewable energy in the Middle East - a region abundant in solar and wind resources -as key to sustained dominance in the energy domain.

Research conducted by marketing communications consultancy Orient Planet shows that upcoming upheavals to the international oil supply chain will significantly impact the global economy and oil security.

These movements, however, will not be enough to displace the Middle East as a global leader in oil in particular and energy in general. Aside from having the largest proven crude oil reserves in the world (66 per cent of reserves of OPEC members), the region enjoys close proximity to - and strong economic and cultural ties with - oil-hungry markets such as China and India. China alone is projected to account for half of global oil demand growth in the next five years.

Moreover, the report notes that the Middle East has had the foresight of broadening its energy horizons to include alternatives such as solar, wind and nuclear power. In addition, while the region has vast oil reserves, it has not yet maximized its production potential. It can still boost output to match surges in global demand as opposed to other countries where production is already at, or near, peak levels.

These are some of the factors that create a substantial buffer for the Middle East to maintain its oil dominance amidst short- and long-term market challenges.

the IEA. Moreover, oil imports are now expected account for 30 per cent of US energy needs, down from 60 per cent.

Impact in the ME So how does all this affect the Middle East? The IEA and the US Energy Information Administration have already predicted the US to lead the world in oil production as early as 2017, which is only four years away. Will it severely affect Middle East oil revenues as the US becomes the world’s largest oil producer, eclipsing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Russia?

Nidal Abou Zaki, Managing Director of Orient Planet, said, “An objective assessment of the emerging developments in the global oil space and the various economic indicators would reveal that even if the US increases its oil production, it will never dislodge the Middle East as the most influential block in the global oil trade. The primary reason for this is that the region still produces majority of the world’s oil supply. Saudi Arabia, in particular, remains the linchpin in global production because of its ability to increase production at a moment’s notice to augment any shortfall or disruption in the international supply chain.”

Moreover, Orient Planet notes that the percentage of Middle East oil imported by the US is far less than one might expect: just around 16 per cent of total US oil imports. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical agency of the US Department of Energy, the US imported 58.2 per cent of its petroleum (including crude oil) in 2007. Of this figure, only 16.1 per cent came from GCC countries. Countries in the West accounted for 49 per cent of US oil imports, while 21 per cent came from African nations. The top two oil suppliers of the US in 2007 were Canada (18.2

Nidal Abou Zaki In its research, Orient Planet refers to a recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) that has managed to stir the global oil marketplace and draw mixed reactions from various industry players. The report claims that the surge in oil production in North American will be as transformative to the market over the next five years as was the rise of Chinese demand over the last 15. This development merits closer inspection from the Middle East and other key oil players given the constant shifts in market forces. To say that the US oil boom will significantly impact the global economy is certainly a very bold statement to make, according to the study. Undoubtedly, it will have an influence, but the manner in which it has been discussed and portrayed in the media shows a certain degree of hype and overexcitement. The US has depended on oil imports to sustain its economic growth for a very long time. The possibility of weaning the US off oil imports was therefore big news and the media feasted on it.

US oil demand The US, despite being the world’s biggest consumer, never had any major breakthrough in domestic production of oil. Until recently, up to 60 per cent of oil supply in the US was imported from other countries. On the other hand, the US imported up to 20 per cent of its natural gas needs based on 2010 records.

However, as the IEA report points out, US oil companies have been able to develop new technologies and techniques that allowed them to produce oil from previously inaccessible locations. Specifically, the energy boom in the US is mainly due to shale gas and high concentration of unconventional oil deposits in various states such as North Dakota and Montana. Largely because of shale gas discoveries, the US is expected to become a natural gas exporter by 2035, according to

per cent) and Mexico (11.4 per cent), with KSA only running third (11 per cent).

The figures above show that the US accounted for only a relatively small percentage of the Middle East oil exports. Arab oil exporters cater to a global marketplace, not a single customer. This means that given the global customer base of the Middle East, it would not be too difficult to find new markets that would make up for the drop in exports to the US. And this brings the discussion to Asia, particularly China, which is fast replacing the US as the world’s top oil consumer.

Asian oil markets While the IEA expects the US to gradually become independent of oil imports, it also predicts Asian countries to end up consuming up to 90 per cent of the oil produced in the GCC region. In particular, the fastexpanding economies of China and India will be key markets with their rapidly growing demand for oil.

Moreover, with the rest of Asia experiencing energetic economic growth, Arab oil exporters can expect a surge in revenues as they expand and strengthen their presence across East Asia. It has also been predicted by the IEA that developing countries will soon collectively consume more oil than developed countries for the first time. The Middle East itself will need more oil as the region collectively tries to accelerate its social and economic development plans. Economic diversification has been the primary goal of many Arab countries, particularly the oil exporting states, and this will surely create new demand for energy. On the other hand, the overall global demand for oil has been projected to sustain a 1.2 per cent increase annually for the next five years.

Given the situation, a decline in oil demand is a distant possibility and certainly the least of Arab oil exporters’ worries, according to Orient Planet’s study. In the long

run, global economies will continue to find ways to grow and recover from the recent global downturn. In the Middle East alone, oil demand has been driven by the socioeconomic development programs implemented by different countries. Moreover, studies have shown that non-OECD oil consumption increased more than 40 per cent between 2000 and 2010, with Saudi Arabia one of the countries with the largest growth in oil consumption during the period. The long-term pursuit of economic growth will certainly ensure that oil demand will remain strong in the long run.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s proven oil reserves were the 13th largest in the world at the end of 2012 and the country remains an important supplier of oil to global oil markets. Qatar also holds the world’s third largest natural gas reserves and is the single largest supplier of liquefied natural gas. The status of the Kuwaiti market is just as favourable. The oil production capacity of Kuwait, the world’s fourth-largest oil exporter, currently stands at 3.1 million barrels per day (bpd), versus its quota which was at 2.2 million bpd.

Bahrain, on the other hand, plans to invest around USD 15 billion in the oil and gas sector over the next thirty years. Between 2010 and 2020, the government is forecasting Bahrain’s oil production to increase from 46,000 bpd in 2010 to 100,000 bpd before the end of the 10-year forecast period. In 2012, the country’s oil sector accounted for around 22 per cent of GDP and 75 per cent of government revenues.

Alternative energy Orient Planet reveals that, to demonstrate the positive outlook of the Middle East energy sector, many GCC countries are even actively looking at alternative ways to further expand their energy resources as part of a long-term energy strategy. Renewable energy is particularly attracting unprecedented attention in the Middle East given the wide availability of solar and wind across the region. Optimal use of renewable energy sources will strongly complement the abundant oil reserves in the Middle East, sustaining the region’s energy demand for centuries through sustainable and clean electricity.

As mentioned earlier, long-term strategic planning is key in the way the Middle East is handling the regional and global energy situation, as well as short-term and long-term challenges in the global energy market. In this regard, the push towards sustainable energy is in line with the realization that hydrocarbon reserves can be used for other meaningful purposes other than producing electricity. For instance, Arab oil exporters could derive most of their energy demand from alternative sources, freeing up more oil for exports that would generate more revenues. This is crucial as a recent report by the Kuwait-based Global Investment House expects the MENA region’s GDP to grow 3.1 per cent in 2013, in line with growth expectations in the region’s oil exporting countries, and then by 3.7 percent in 2014.

Dozens of renewable energy projects are now in various stages of implementation in the region, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia. However, while global renewable energy investment reached USD 257 billion in 2011 - an all-time high - the MENA region only accounts for only 2.1 per cent (USD 5.5 billion) of total renewables investment for the year, according to the Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment report. This represents a huge opportunity for the region to further grow its renewable energy capabilities and achieve unprecedented economic benefits.

The UAE was the first in the region to take its renewable energy ambitions to the next level when the country unveiled plans to develop a civilian nuclear energy program in 2009. A USD 20 billion contract was awarded to a South Korean consortium to build four reactors with a total capacity of 5.6 GWe, with one 1.4 GWe power plant coming online every year starting in 2017.

Spearheaded by the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), the UAE’s civilian nuclear program is crucial to support the country’s spiralling energy demand, which is growing at an annual rate of 9 per cent or three times the global average.

In KSA, the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KA-CARE) was established by royal decree in 2010 to oversee the development of KSA’s long-term energy mix. It has been reported that 16 reactors are to be built with a combined capacity of 22 GWe of power, which is about half of the Kingdom’s current electricity production capacity.

While Orient Planet notes that such ambitious renewable energy projects will obviously deliver huge benefits to the region in the long-term, they also clearly show that Arab oil exporters are undaunted by the reported “shake-up” in the global oil marketplace and the impending short-term consequences. The Middle East caters to a global marketplace that has an insatiable appetite for oil. That alone is enough to provide the long-term demand that will support the region’s vast oil production capabilities.

Ford ME and Amato Haute Couture team up for Karl Wolf music video DUBAI: Lebanese/Canadian singer Karl Wolf has been a constant presence on the Middle East music scene with hits “Africa”, “YallaHabibi” and now with his latest single “Go Your Own Way” which is an interpolation of the Fleetwood Mac classic by the same name.

With award winning Director David Zennie in charge of the creative process tapping into his product integration experience for previous music videos, Ford Middle East was approached to provide the hero car, a 650hp Shelby Cobra Mustang for the video and a Raptor SVT for production support. Paul Anderson, Ford Middle East’s Marketing director said: “We’re very happy to support this music video that has world-class qualities written all over. The Ford Mustang has always symbolised freedom and individualism, while oozing sheer commanding power. The legendary Shelby GT500 adds excitement and muscle to Karl Wolf ’s latest video clip,

promising to leave viewers in awe.”

The wardrobe featured in the video was provided by Famed designer Furne One from Amato Haute Couture whose designs have been seen on celebrities such as Beyonce, Nicki Minaj and Jennifer Lopez to name a few. The end result is an eclectic hybrid of modern style and surrealistic landscape blending Detroit muscle with Haute Couture designs resulting in an exciting visual experience to accompany the electrifying song. Additionally in a continued effort to promote local business Loft Beauty Station TECOM was selected to provide hair and make-up stylists to complement the wardrobe for the seven models used in the video.

The video was shot over the course of two days on the ArriAlexa camera on location in Dubai and the Hatta area. The single is now available on iTunes and the music video will be released in the third week of August.

CGM Thomas Reitmayr-Mehmet Bilginsoy

Saudi healthcare spend to cover IT-enabled solutions RIYADH: Healthcare spending in Saudi Arabia is expected to grow by 10.3 per cent this year to SAR 98 billion over 2012’s SAR 88.9 billion. The Saudi Government has announced that major projects involving healthcare along with other key sectors such as education will get additional funding and strong governmental focus in the coming months. At the same time, the Kingdom’s IT expenditure is projected to increase by around 6.6 per cent to SAR 15.3 billion this year. These parallel developments are expected to open up major opportunities in healthcare-related cloud computing adoption and investments in smart systems, among others.

CompuGroup Medical (CGM), the leading IT healthcare solutions provider in the Middle East and Turkey, says that more IT systems, equipment and services are needed to sustain the local and regional healthcare boom. CGM adds that the KSA is well-positioned to leverage technology to optimize national healthcare capabilities given its status as the largest information and communications technology (ICT) market in the Gulf. This keeps pace with the global trend of highlighting IT solutions to achieve development in various fields.

“There are several elements that are driving the growth of IT healthcare solutions in the Kingdom, such as a large and affluent population that is willing to support the adoption of leading medical systems and practices, a robust ICT sector, and increasing government focus on improving the quality of life of residents and citizens.

Industry should capitalize on such an ideal envi-

ronment to boost IT healthcare research and development and strive to sustain the growth of this important niche segment,” said Thomas Reitmayr, Vice President - Business Development, CGM CEE. “Numerous factors indicate that the Saudi healthcare sector will continue with its rapid growth in the coming years, the most telling of which is the growing desire among the current population to improve their well being. With surging healthcare demand, strong government support, a robust economy and a thriving ICT community, the Kingdom is right on track to become a regional and global leader in IT healthcare systems development and adoption as well,” added Mehmet Bilginsoy, General Manager, CGM Middle East.

As one of the leading eHealth companies in the world, CGM has introduced quite a number of scalable technology products and solutions that continue to play major roles in enhancing the quality and extent of healthcare across the KSA. Among CGM’s key offerings are the CORTTEX Integrated Hospital Information Management System Environment, the CGM CNG Clinical Information Systems, and the iOS-based iCNG Mobile Applications.

CompuGroup Medical’s products and services are used by over 385,000 doctors, dentists, hospitals, pharmacies, healthcare networks and other service providers around the world. It taps its heightened awareness of regional market variables to identify, explore and maximize prime business opportunities in the Kingdom.

Arabtec Holding PJSC appoints Sami Haidar Asad as CEO ABU DHABI: Arabtec Holding PJSC (“Arabtec”), a leading MENA construction company specialising in complex projects, announced yesterday the appointment of Sami Haidar Asad as Chief Executive Officer of Arabtec’s group of construction companies.

Asad will be responsible for the global operations of Arabtec’s construction group. He will be reporting directly to Arabtec Holding’s Managing Director and

CEO Hasan Abdullah Ismaik and will focus on leading the current pipeline of major projects and driving the company’s growth vision. Asad brings to his new job a versatile experience of over 25 years in the development and construction field. He joins from Abu Dhabi real estate development company Aldar, where he served as Chief Operations Officer then as Chief Executive Officer. At Aldar, he led a massive strategic

growth plan that saw the development of Yas Island as a sought after tourist and business destination, with the creation of such iconic attractions as Yas Marina Circuit, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld, Yas Mall, Yas Links, Yas hotels, and infrastructure works. He was also in charge of a host of residential and commercial developments in Al Raha Beach, Al Falah National Housing, Central Market and other initia-

tives that are contributing significantly to Abu Dhabi’s economic development.

Prior to Aldar, Asad worked in the oil and gas industry as Deputy Vice President of Projects for Dolphin Energy and for Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) where he spent 20 years in a number of engineering executive roles.

Asad holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the

high Institute of Technology in Cairo as well as a Business Administration degree from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom.

Commenting on Asad’s appointment, Arabtec Holding Managing Director and CEO Hasan Abdullah Ismaik said: Asad is a highly regarded figure in the two key growth sectors for Arabtec, construction and oil and gas. His wealth of knowledge in the oil & gas sector, proven experience in managing

mega construction and engineering projects and outstanding leadership experience will prove invaluable as we execute our growth strategy.”

Asad commented: “It is a great honour to be joining Ismaik and the team at Arabtec. The company has grown significantly over the past year and I am proud to be leading the company’s construction business as we enter this exciting next phase of growth.”

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

technology

Samsung ‘Mega’ phone is nearly tablet-sized Galaxy Mega stands at 7 inches

SANTA MONICA: Team Coast members (from left) Darshan “ZionSpartan” Upadhyaya, Miles “Daydreamin” Hoard, Josh “NintendudeX” Atkins, Danny “Shiphtur” Le and Brandon “DontMashMe” Phan in Santa Monica, California. —MCT

Online game League of Legends star gets US visa as pro athlete LOS ANGELES: International stars in sports such as baseball, hockey and basketball have long been afforded special immigration status to play on US. teams. Think David Beckham, the former Los Angeles Galaxy soccer player from Britain, or Los Angeles Dodgers rookie phenom Hyun-Jin Ryu, a pitcher from South Korea. Now add Danny “Shiphtur” Le, of Edmonton, Canada, to the elite list. Le, an online gamer, is one of the world’s top players of League of Legends, a virtual capturethe-flag game in which two teams of fantasy characters compete for a glowing orb. Le is so deft at racing down the virtual field and opening up gaps for teammates that he recently became the first so-called eSports player to be granted a type of visa normally awarded to athletes featured daily on ESPN. Like other stars on sports teams, Le needed the visa to live and practice with his Riverside squad. In the professional league, all five members of the team must be gathered together physically when they compete. “It’s kind of so big - actually kind of mind-blowing - that there’s a demand for visas for League of Legends,” said Le, 20.

With a generation of children having grown up playing video games, the decision by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services has been widely perceived as elevating America’s newest professional sport to the same class as old-school stalwarts. And in a worldwide competition in which the winning team can take home $1 million in prizes, the ability to sign the best players whether from Canada or South Korea or Russia was seen as a must-have for US squads.

“The elite have great reflexes. They’re fast and they’re good,” said Michael Pachter, a video game analyst with Wedbush Securities. The professional competition grew out of the free computer game League of Legends designed by Santa Monica’s Riot Games. It is probably the world’s most popular online game.

Two teams of five players compete in an epic battle fought on Internet-connected computers.

Using their computer mice and keyboards, players have to slash through opponents’ characters and an ever-growing swarm of robots called minions on a quest to destroy their opponent’s orb, known as the Nexus. Players pay real money for extra weapons and more powerful characters.

In the US bracket of the championship series, eight teams compete against one another on Thursdays and Fridays at a West Los Angeles TV studio. The games are broadcast online and draw more than 1.7 million unique viewers. A typical National Hockey League game on the NBC Sports Network last season drew a quarter of that audience.

Gaming industry analysts estimate that more than 32 million people worldwide play the game, about half of them in the United States. The rest come from Europe and Asia. By those calculations, one in every 20 Americans plays League of Legends. That dwarfs baseball, from Little League to Major League Baseball.

When Le of Canada initially tried to become the first international star on an American squad, US immigration authorities turned him away at the US-Canadian border. International eSports players had sought visas in the past. They could come as

business visitors for a single tournament and leave with prize money. But immigration rules bar such visitors from earning a salary and that resulted in Le’s denial.

Riot, the game developer, turned to immigration attorney Jeptha Evans to fight for Le. He suggested that Le could play for the US team under the P-1A visa program, which US officials said is designed “to enrich the nation’s cultural landscape” by welcoming “diverse talent” to perform in the United States.

Several thousand athletes in professional sports receive a P-1A visa each year. They include, for example, all Dodgers players who have foreign citizenship and no green card. A slightly fewer number of internationally recognized singers and entertainers receive the similar P-1B visa every year.

Evans and Riot told U.S. officials that the eSports league met government benchmarks for a major sports league because it had clear rules and at least six teams with combined revenues of more than $10 million.

Like many people hearing about League of Legends for the first time, immigration officials scratched their heads, Riot Vice President Dustin Beck said.

“We had to show this was a profession,” he said.

“We had to make a case that this is just like Major League Baseball or the National Hockey League.”

Le was approved for the visa May 29. A handful of other eSports players, including citizens of Argentina and Armenia, have received P1-A visas since then. Daniel Cosgrove, a US Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman, declined to talk specifically about eSports’ classification as a major sports league. But he said that a P-1A is “highly specific visa” designed for “internationally recognized athletes” and that the agency considers “each petition on a case-by-case basis.”

Le is now living in a Riverside house with his four teammates and their coach. In between a morning gym workout and evening personal time, the team spends almost eight hours a day in front of computer screens practicing with various characters and weapons. They sit side by side but use headsets to communicate. Practices involve “scrims,” or scrimmages against other teams in the league. Sometimes one or two teammates will sharpen their skills by joining a random team composed of amateur players.

“The game’s amazingly complex,” Le said. “It helps to be mechanically sound individually, but the great teams are also good at strategy.” The League of Legends big event, the World Championship, will be held at Staples Center in October. About 10,000 fans are expected with tens of millions around the world watching online. In all, $2 million in prizes will be awarded. Most eSports players make tens of thousands of dollars annually.

A few have total earnings in the low six figures, according to Esportsearnings.com. Many of them hope the salaries will continue to rise as more sponsors and advertisers take notice of eSports.

Data from the consulting firm Frank N. Magid Associates Inc shows eSports in the US are especially popular among Latinos and Asians, and about two in five players are men between the ages of 18 and 34. The demographics are certainly attractive to advertisers. —MCT

‘The Sims 4’ adds emotional, multitasking Sims LOS ANGELES: “The Sims” are getting in touch with their feelings. The fourth edition of Maxis’ successful life-simulating game will include more emotional versions of the virtual people whose lives and homes players can manipulate. This time around, “The Sims 4” producer Lyndsay Pearson said the developers have focused on crafting more believable Sims who can perform multiple actions - like walking and talking - at once.

While the Sims have always been an emotional bunch, they’ll be guided by their moods even more in “The Sims 4,” set for release next year for PC. During a demonstration of the game at Electronic Arts’ offices last week, a Sim named Andre felt jealous when his pal Ollie began flirting with a female Sim. He intervened but became depressed once his advances were dismissed. He then opted to blow off steam by boxing. “The key to ‘The Sims 4’ emotions is that there isn’t anything particularly better or worse,” said Pearson.

“You have the ability of what to do with that emotion. If your Sim is furious, that may seem like a bad thing, but it actually means they can write a special book or paint a special painting or go for a really good run and have a really great workout.”

The sequel will also make it easier for players to build homes for their Sims by picking pre-designed rooms and plopping them together to create a house. The abodes can then be filled with furniture and other items that inspire different emotions in the Sims. Some items can only be earned when Sims meet certain goals, either personally and professionally.

“The Sims 4” includes 18 touch points on the Sims’ bodies, which can be sculpted to create custom faces and physiques. The

developers have also added new locales for the virtual people to “WooHoo,” the franchise’s cheeky term for sexual intercourse. For example, Ollie eventually ended up getting it on with that female Sim in a rocket ship parked in his backyard. “‘The Sims 4’ and ‘The Sims’ in general has always had a really good sense of humor,” said Pearson, who has worked on the franchise for 10 years. “For us, that’s an opportunity for new places for your Sims to have a little bit of fun and ‘WooHoo’ and maybe new ways to die. All of those things are funny parts of the game we’ve maintained in ‘The Sims 4.’”

Pearson said “The Sims” franchise has now sold more than 170 million copies worldwide, cementing the 13-year-old people simulator by Electronic Arts Inc as the top-selling PC game franchise. “The Sims 3,” the previous installment launched in 2009, and 10 expansion packs, which add themed settings and features to the original game, have since been released.

“The Sims 4” follows the chaotic reboot of “SimCity” from EA and Maxis last March.

The updated edition of the 24-year-old city-building franchise required gamers to play online even if they weren’t interacting with other players. Several gamers weren’t able to log on after the game debuted, prompting some retailers to stop selling the game.

Pearson declined to comment on what the developers learned from the botched launch of “SimCity,” which went on to sell 2 million copies, according to EA. She noted that “The Sims 4” would be an offline single-player experience, although players will still be able to exchange virtual creations much the same way they did in previous editions of “The Sims.” —AP

NEW YORK: Smartphones are getting bigger as people use them more to watch movies and play games. A new one from Samsung is beyond big. With a screen measuring 6.3 inches diagonally, the Galaxy Mega is almost as big as a 7-inch tablet computer. The difference: It makes phone calls. Samsung says the Mega is a hybrid that combines the portability of a smartphone with the immersive experience that a tablet offers for movies, books, music and games. Phones of this size are typically referred to as phablets.

Samsung Electronics Co is known for big phones. Its flagship Galaxy S4 is 5 inches, while the Galaxy Note 2 is 5.5 inches. Apple’s iPhone 5 is 4 inches. Samsung is also known for offering a variety of devices, with different screen sizes and prices, to target a range of consumers.

Because of that, it’s now the leading maker of phones.

Apple, by contrast, has been releasing one model a year that targets high-end consumers. A new iPhone is expected this fall.

The Mega includes many features available in other recent Galaxy phones. That includes Multi Window, which allows multitasking in a split screen, and Easy Mode, which reduces the number of features and choices for new smartphone users. AT&T Inc says it will start selling the Mega on Friday for $150 with a two-year service contract. The Mega is also coming to Sprint and US Cellular. Dates and prices weren’t announced for those carriers. The Mega made its debut in Europe and Russia in May, but hasn’t been available in the U.S. until now. As Samsung’s phones get larger, at least one of HTC Corp’s is getting smaller. AT&T announced Monday that it will start selling a smaller version of the HTC One. Called the HTC One Mini, it will have a 4.3-inch screen, compared with 4.7 inches on the standard model. It’s also lighter, at 4.3 ounces. The One is 5 ounces. The One Mini will be about $100 cheaper than its big brother. It will be available starting Friday for $100 with a two-year service agreement. —AP

China attacks opinion-leading blogs BEIJING: Bestselling Chinese author Murong Xuecun had nearly 4 million followers on his Twitter-like microblog. One day in May his account disappeared. So did his profiles on several other social media sites. No explanation was given, but one is starting to emerge. Many famous Chinese - from pop stars to scholars, journalists to business tycoons - have amassed substantial online followings, and these largerthan-life personalities don’t always hew to the Communist Party line.

Now Beijing is tightening its grip on China’s already heavily restricted Internet by making influential microbloggers uncomfortable when they post material the government doesn’t like. Murong, whose real name is Hao Qun, is among those whose microblog accounts have been silenced in recent months. Over the past two weeks, Internet censors have called microbloggers to meetings and state media have accused some of undermining socialism and promoting Western values through lies and negative news. It is a development that dims hopes China’s new Communist Party leadership under Xi Jinping will tolerate more freewheeling discussion on the Internet and in the official media.

Many of the online personalities call attention to social injustices and question government policies. Some are advocates for democracy, freedom of speech and human rights, and others are radicals who believe China has strayed from its communist roots. Popular microbloggers, including real estate mogul Pan Shiyi, who helped force new government air quality standards through his campaign of posting daily pollution indexes, were asked at a meeting in Beijing to agree to seven standards: obey the law, uphold the socialist system, guard the national interest, protect individual rights, keep social order, respect morals and ensure factuality.

The edicts are broad enough to have a chilling effect on what China’s nascent opinion leaders say online.

State media has since publicized the standards, urging all Chinese netizens to follow suit, underlining Beijing’s determination to stay in control of the message and its fast changing medium - the Internet. More than half of China’s 1.1 billion people are online. “I think they are making so much effort because they feel it has become increasingly difficult to control public opinion,” said Yang Dali, a political scientist and director of the University of

Annie Yi, a popular Taiwanese singer, was shushed online after she voiced her support for Southern Weekly newspaper staff who protested overbearing censorship earlier this year.

Former Google China president Kai-Fu Lee has 51 million followers on Sina Weibo who lap up largely innocuous advice on career and information technology. Yet he irked Chinese censors earlier this year when he questioned a governmentfunded search engine project, and his account was suspended for three days. Authors, such as Murong

BEIJING: A man checks on his smartphone at a bus stand displaying a tablet computer advertisement. —AP Chicago Center in Beijing. “But one challenge is the mainstream media do not have much credibility, and another challenge is to live with a much more diverse world.”

Attempts to rein in the top Internet personalities, who are called “Big Vs” in China because their social media profiles are verified as genuine, often are far from subtle. Real estate magnate Ren Zhiqiang, who has 15 million followers on popular microblogging service Sina Weibo, was silenced after he was critical of the attitude of government officials in the aftermath of a deadly storm.

Xuecun, rights layers, scholars and journalists are liable to see their microblogging accounts evaporate after they attract sizable followings.

Murong is not sure why his blog was targeted. He suspects it may have been for posts critical of a document rumored to have been circulated by top leaders calling for a stifling of discussion on issues including press freedom and the party’s historic mistakes. “The influence of the Big Vs is indeed significant enough that the authorities can no longer ignore it,” said He Bing, a legal scholar who has more than 500,000 followers on the

Sina Weibo. “The authorities have in the past silenced them or deleted their accounts, but these measures apparently are not enough, and the government is now asking them to discipline themselves.” Beijing’s alarm has been reflected in an increasingly hostile drumbeat of criticism in state media. In May, authorities started accusing many top microbloggers of spreading rumors and warned the public to be wary of online information. A recent editorial by state news agency Xinhua accused some of promoting Western values and an editorial last week in the nationalist Global Times newspaper said online opinion makers should uphold the Communist Party’s rule or be silenced. Some experts, however, say too much success at silencing debate could be to Beijing’s detriment. “It will be even more difficult for the authorities to read public opinion,” said Wen Yunchao, who studies China’s Internet as a visiting scholar at Columbia University. “Then you will have strong undercurrents.”

Meanwhile, government agencies and state-run media are devising new ways to drown out competing voices.

This month, Beijing worked with major Internet companies to launch a Web site - py.qianlong.com - dedicated to refuting online rumors. The site tackles everything from the political to the mundane, including whether one should snack between meals. In early August, the party-run People’s Daily said a large number of state media with national influence such as People’s Daily, Xinhua and CCTV - as well as party newspapers at provincial and municipal levels had formed “a national microblogging team” to guide public opinion on breaking news and sensitive issues.

They claimed to be taking back the Internet’s “microphone.” Yang, the political scientist, said even state news organizations must adapt to survive in an era of social media.

“They cannot be propagandists, or they will have no followers,” said Yang. —AP

Professor works with hissing remote-controlled roaches RALEIGH: Bozkurt, an electrical and computer engineering professor at NC State University, loves cockroaches. Big, hissing cockroaches.

His research team has developed technology to automatically control the insects as they move around an environment. The work represents an important step toward developing remote-controlled animals that can investigate small and dangerous spaces, such as the rubble of a collapsed building.

Bozkurt’s cockroaches are not the kitchen invaders some of us know all too well. His hissing cockroaches from Madagascar have to be big enough, 2 to 3 inches, to wear miniature backpacks. Tiny wires are inserted into the antenna of the insects and, with electrical stimulation coming from the cockroach backpack, Bozkurt can guide the insect left or right along a desired path.

Using the popular Kinect controller for the Xbox video game system, Bozkurt can even set the controllable animals - he calls them “biobots” - on autopilot. The Kinect camera known for tracking the dance moves and soccer kicks of video gamers is effective at monitoring the movement of the cockroach.

Bozkurt’s approach to harnessing animal power is just the next step in humankind’s domestication of animals, he said. And with the physical limitations and battery requirements of engineered robots, especially at small sizes, the appeal of controlling an animal’s body as a

robot has been gaining traction.

This week, Bozkurt is at a conference in Japan to share his findings and connect with other biobot builders. The field is growing with teams working to remotely control large moths and beetles, in addition to roaches.

A company in Michigan called Backyard Brains has developed cockroach control technology similar to Bozkurt’s that allows students to direct their own bugs using an iPhone. Their RoboRoach kit, in the midst of a successful funding campaign on Kickstarter, serves as an educational tool to expose students of all ages to neuroscience, said Greg Gage, co-founder of Backyard Brains.

“I think people get kind of creeped out by remote control of insects for fun,” Gage said. But the work of both Gage and Bozkurt is not just for fun. Backyard Brains is serious about education. And Bozkurt’s research at NCSU is ultimately focused on developing technology that can be used to help humans.

His National Science Foundation funding is aimed at developing a system to search for survivors under the rubble of a collapsed building.

Resilient cockroaches also could be used for environmental sensing, such as detecting radiation levels in Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Bozkurt’s respect for insects is extreme. Even with a 3-year-old daughter at home, he spares black widow spiders he finds in his shed, using a device to harmlessly vacu-

A Madagascar hissing cockroach, wearing a backpack that allows it to be remotely and automatically directed, sits among a cockroach colony in Alper Bozkurt’s North Carolina State University lab, in Raleigh, June 27, 2013.0 um them up for release elsewhere.

“I love all kinds of insects,” Bozkurt said. He’s particularly fond of social insects, such as bees and ants, which survive in large groups.

Once Bozkurt refines his automatic

cockroach control techniques, he wants to coordinate his biobots into swarms. So, in the future, the first call after a disaster may be to Bozkurt’s team of remote-controlled cockroaches. —AP

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

Redistricting might shorten long wait for a new liver Time to make the system fairer WASHINGTON: Where you live can affect your chances of getting a liver transplant, and your risk of dying while waiting. The nation’s transplant network says it’s time to make the system fairer - and it may take a cue from how politicians redraw voting maps.”Gerrymandering for the public good” is how Johns Hopkins University transplant surgeon Dr Dorry Segev describes a proposal to change the map that governs how donated livers are distributed around the country.

The problem: Some areas have fewer donated organs, and higher demand for them, than others.

without a liver transplant doesn’t depend on your ZIP code,” said Dr. John Roberts, transplant chief at the University of California, San Francisco.

The geographic disparity adds another hurdle to the already dire shortage of livers. Just 6,256 patients received a liver transplant last year, all but a few hundred from deceased donors. Nearly 16,000 people are awaiting a liver. About 1,500 people die waiting every year.

Desperate patients sometimes travel across the country to get on a shorter waiting list, if they can afford it or even know it’s possible. The best-known

CALIFORNIA: This handout photo provided by Charles Tripp, taken in 2012 shows liver transplant recipient William Sherbert at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.

Sherbert of Garden Grove, temporarily moved from California, among the toughest parts of the country to get a donated liver, to Florida for a faster liver transplant. He recovered for his May 2012 transplant. —AP The sickest patients go to the top of the waiting list.

But the geographic variation means that someone in California, among the toughest places to get a new liver, waits longer and is a lot sicker before getting transplanted than someone in Ohio or Florida if they survive long enough. “This should not be happening,” Segev said.

Segev is advising the United Network for Organ Sharing, which runs the transplant network, as its liver specialists consider the novel idea of “redistricting” how livers are allocated - redrawing the nation’s 11 transplant regions based on the distribution and demand for donated organs, much like lawmakers set political districts based on the party voting histories of different areas.

The ultimate goal: “That your chance of dying

example is the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who lived in California but in 2009 had a transplant in Memphis, Tenn., which at the time had one of the shortest waits. That’s harder for the less wealthy to do.

“I could have withered away here,” said William Sherbert, 47, who temporarily moved from California to Florida for a faster transplant.

When hepatitis B caused liver failure, Sherbert spent a year awaiting a transplant from a Los Angeles hospital. He was getting steadily sicker, but was nowhere near the top of the transplant list when his frantic partner finally unraveled how the system works.

Patients who have the highest MELD score - a ranking, based on laboratory tests, that predicts

S Korean school suicides total 139 last year SEOUL: Nearly 140 South Korean school students killed themselves in 2012, according to a new government report that cited family problems, depression and exam stress as the main triggers.

The report, published this week by the Education Ministry, covered all students from elementary to high school.

The figure of 139 suicides recorded last year was the lowest for three years, but still worryingly high in a country with one of the world’s highest overall suicide rates.

Of the total, 88 were high school students, 48 from middle school and just three from elementary school.

About 40 percent were motivated by family-related problems, while 16 percent were triggered by depression and 11.5 percent by exam-related stress.

Dozens of teenagers kill themselves every year around the time of South Korea’s hyper-competitive college entrance exam, unable to cope with the intense scholastic and parental pressure to secure a place in a top university.

Last year’s student suicide figure compared with 202 suicides in 2009, 146 in 2010 and 150 in 2011.

South Korea has the highest suicide rate among members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, with an average of 33.5 people per 100,000 taking their lives in 2010, far higher than Hungary (23.3) and Japan (21.2) which ranked second and third.

The figure for South Korea equates to nearly 50 suicides a day and shows a steep increase from 2000 when the average incidence of suicide was 13.6 people per 100,000.

The capital Seoul has installed anti-suicide monitoring devices on bridges over the Han river after 196 people jumped to their deaths last year. —AFP

their risk of death - move up the waiting list. But it’s not a single national list. The 11 transplant regions are subdivided into local areas that form individual waiting lists, and there are wide variations in organ availability within regions as well as between them.

Generally livers first are offered to the sickest patients locally and then regionally. Changes that began this summer will allow some of the sickest patients access to livers from other parts of the country, an initial step to address disparities.

United Network for Organ Sharing figures show that in three regions stretching from Michigan and Ohio down to Florida, adults receiving new livers over the past two years had median MELD scores of 22 to 23. But in the region that includes California, recipients were far sicker, with a median score of 33.

Nearly as tough were regions that include New York, and the Dakotas and Illinois.

An Internet database, the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, compares transplant center wait times and success rates so people can choose where to go. They can get on more than one waiting list if they meet each hospital’s qualifications, and if they can get to that center within a few hours of being notified that an organ is available. Often, that means moving.

“It’s really a shame” that people have to consider such a step, Sherbert said. But he’s glad he switched to a Florida hospital’s list, possible only because his health insurance paid for the transplant plus the couple’s airfare and some living expenses during the seven-month wait. Sherbert is feeling well after his May 2012 transplant, and is back home in Garden Grove, Calif.

In a study published last month in the American Journal of Transplantation, Segev’s team used computer modeling to redistrict the transplant regions, better balancing local areas’ supply and demand.

Segev said 28 percent of Americans live in an area where they’d have a high risk of death before getting a new liver, and redistricting could drop that proportion to as little as 6 percent.

The transplant network’s liver committee is considering different map options as it debates how to improve fairness without having to fly organs too far around the country. One big challenge will be turf wars, as transplant centers with shorter waits understandably don’t want them to lengthen, said committee chairman Dr. David Mulligan of the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix.

“Every doctor wants the best for their patients.

The issue becomes stepping back and looking at the big picture and thinking about all the patients,” said Mulligan, who hopes to have a proposal ready for public comment within two years. “Yes, your patient waits a little longer, but they can wait a little longer.”

Smaller disparities exist for some other transplants, including kidneys, but the transplant network is focusing first on livers. It wouldn’t be a problem if there were more organ donors, Mulligan noted, encouraging people to register: “It’s the last chance we have to be a hero in our lives.” —AP

Study finds brain lesions in spy plane pilots WASHINGTON: Tiny brain lesions are vastly more common in US Air Force pilots who fly at high altitudes than in non-pilots, according to a study released yesterday. The findings in the journal Neurology describe an analysis of 102 pilots who fly U-2 reconnaissance aircraft at an altitude of some 21,000 meters (70,000 feet).

These pilots, age 26 to 50, had nearly four times the volume and three times the number of brain lesions as non-pilots, said the study.

The lesions were spotted whether or not the pilots reported having the symptoms of decompression sickness.

Non-pilots had some lesions, too, associated with normal aging. But they were mainly in the frontal white matter, while the lesions in high-altitude pilots were evenly distributed throughout the brain.

Still, the impact of these lesions

remains unclear.

“The risk for decompression sickness among Air Force pilots has tripled from 2006, probably due to more frequent and longer periods of exposure for pilots,” said study author Stephen McGuire of the University of Texas in San Antonio and the US Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine.

“To date however, we have been unable to demonstrate any permanent clinical neurocognitive or memory decline.” Decompression sickness is frequently called “the bends,” and can affect scuba divers, pilots and mountain climbers when the pressure around a person changes quickly and nitrogen bubbles are released in the blood. U-2 planes began flying in the 1950s and were initially a project of the Central Intelligence Agency to improve surveillance of the Soviet Union after World War II. —AFP

Specks in vision can signal serious eye conditions HARVARD: These “floaters” are not just bothersome. They can be signs of potential retinal disease.

Floaters, those tiny specks that drift across your field of vision, are usually harmless and often disappear or become less noticeable on their own. But sometimes they indicate a condition that can lead to vision loss. “A new onset of floaters may herald retinal disease,” says Dr Jeffrey Heier, director of the retina service at Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston and clinical instructor in ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School.

Floaters are pieces of debris that block the light shining into the retina-the part of your eye that captures light and sends it to the brain via the optic nerve. The debris is usually made of pieces of the vitreous-a thick, jelly-like substance that fills the center of your eye and attaches to the retina. Aging causes the vitreous to liquefy and break apart; parts of the vitreous that don’t liquefy can be perceived as spots or lines in the eye. “A lot of people complain that floaters affect

their vision and disrupt their ability to read,” says Dr Heier. But he says floaters often settle over time and become less noticeable.

Sometimes the vitreous detaches from the retina. While noticeable as a large floater, it doesn’t hurt, doesn’t require treatment, and often becomes less bothersome in weeks or months.

But the tugging of the vitreous on the retina can cause traction on blood vessels, leading to bleeding, which appears as many floaters, and it can also cause tears in the retina, sending many small spots across the field of vision.

A retinal tear isn’t painful, but it does have symptoms: the sudden onset of brief, flashing lights or a shower of floaters. Untreated, retinal tears can lead to a vision-threatening retinal detachment.

If the vitreous detaches, it may pull on the retina and cause a tear. This may cause blood to ooze into the vitreous gel, and a person will see black spots or floaters. Without treatment, progression from a tear to a retinal detachment could cause permanent vision loss.

Diagnosis and treatment If you’ve lived with an abundance of floaters for a long time, there’s little you can do. Dr. Heier warns against treatments that promise to use lasers to dissolve floaters: “Some people say it’s safe, but the reality is we’ve never studied it in an appropriate clinical trial.” Surgery to remove the floaters is possible, but only rarely offered, and only in severe, disabling cases.

If you notice a sudden increase in floaters, you may have a retinal tear and should be examined urgently, notes Dr. Heier. Without treatment, progression from a tear to a retinal detachment could cause permanent vision loss.

There’s no way to prevent floaters, and no nutrition component or supplement regimen that will stop the vitreous from shedding debris as you age. The secret to coping with floaters is patience. But the good news is that you can help prevent retinal detachment by being proactive if you experience a sudden increase in floaters. And the sooner you get to your ophthalmologist, the better. —MCT

PARIS: A handout photo released yesterday by Eurekalert ! shows meteoric iron beads, originally strung with tubular lapis lazuli (blue), carnelian (brownish/red), agate, and gold beads on necklaces. The earliest iron artefacts ever found-funeral beads strung around bodies in a 5,000-year-old Egyptian cemetery — were made from a meteorite, archaeologists said yesterday. —AFP

Earliest iron artefacts came from meteorite PARIS: The earliest iron artefacts ever found funeral beads strung around bodies in a 5,000-year-old Egyptian cemetery-were made from a meteorite, archaeologists said yesterday.

Hi-tech scanning of the beads, discovered by British archaeologists in the Lower Egypt village of el-Gerzeh in 1911, shows the metal came from a rock in outer space, they said.

The nine small beads come from two burial sites dated to around 3,200 BC, where they were found in necklaces along with exotic terrestrial minerals such as lapis lazuli, agate and gold.

They are stored at the University College London (UCL) Petrie Museum.

Meteorite iron is an alloy that has a different composition from terrestrial iron.

The scientists teased out a signature of the elements in the beads through a nondestructive ID test called prompt-gamma neutron activation analysis (PGAA).

Under this, a sample is bathed in lowenergy beams of neutrons. Elements in the sample absorb some of the neutrons and

emit gamma rays in response, the level of which provides the telltale.

The team found traces of nickel, phosphorus, cobalt and germanium that meant the source could only have been extraterrestrial.

X-ray scanners, meanwhile, showed that the meteorite iron had been repeatedly heated and hammered to make the precious jewels for the afterlife.

This shows that in the fourth millennium BC, the Egyptians were already advanced in the art in smithing, say the researchers.

Meteoritic iron is much harder and more brittle than copper, the commonly-worked material of the time.

“They were rolled and hammered into shape,” said Thilo Rehren, a UCL professor of archaeology.

“This is very different technology from the usual stone bead drilling, and shows quite an advanced understanding of how the metal smiths worked this rather difficult material.”

The study appears in the Journal of Archaeological Science. —AFP

Salmonella outbreak linked to poultry hatchery SANTA FE: A national outbreak of salmonella has been linked to an eastern New Mexico hatchery that sells live baby chickens, ducks and other poultry by mail and supplies them to feed stores, state health officials announced yesterday.

The state Department of Health said a strain of salmonella that’s infected more than 300 people in 37 states was found in a duck pen at Privett Hatchery in Portales.

No deaths have been reported, but 51 people have been hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children ages 10 and younger account for nearly three-fifths of those who’ve become ill.

People buy baby chickens and other poultry to keep as pets and to raise the birds for eggs or meat.

Paul Ettestad, state public health veterinarian, said the hatchery was most likely the source of the outbreak. However, he said questions remain because federal officials have found that the people sickened with salmonella had purchased baby poul-

try at 113 feed store locations that were supplied by 18 mail order hatcheries in several states.

The CDC said more testing is ongoing.

Privett Hatchery said in a statement on its web site that it’s cooperating with state and federal officials, and that some of the salmonella cases may be linked to its operation. The department said the hatchery has agreed not to sell any poultry from the pen where the salmonella strain was found, will administer a vaccine to its birds and include a brochure on the safe handling of baby poultry in all of its shipments.

According to the CDC, the salmonella cases have occurred across the country from California to New York - since March.

Colorado has reported the most cases, 37, followed by Texas with 32.

Salmonella infections can happen when baby chicks are brought inside a home and children handle them. People should thoroughly wash their hands after touching live poultry or anything in the area where they roam, the department said. —AP

Poison Oak plant

Dodging skin irritations from problem plants NEW YORK: These simple steps can save you from itchy, oozing rashes.

You probably learned about the risks of poison ivy a long time ago, but as you spend more time in the garden this spring, you should know that many plants can cause rash.

So it’s important to learn which are the common offenders and how to take precautions against them. “For some people, one exposure to a plant is all it takes to become allergic to it,” says dermatologist Dr Kenneth Arndt, a Harvard Medical School professor.

Just like animals, many plants have defenses to protect themselves. Some secrete an allergenic oil or sap. If you touch it or brush against it, the contact triggers an allergic reaction that shows up in two to 10 days as a red, swollen, itchy, blistering rash known as allergic contact dermatitis. Poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac are best known for causing the problem, but there’s a long list of other offenders, such as tomato plant leaves and many flowers, including marigolds, chrysanthemums, poinsettias, and philodendrons.

Other plants protect themselves with spines and thorns. Roses and cacti are famous for these, but the tiny spikes are on many common plants, such as some mosses, palms, and blackberry and raspberry bushes. The rash that results from contacting these spikes is similar to contact dermatitis, but includes tiny puncture wounds and is called mechanical irritant dermatitis.

Poison Ivy and Poison Oak are either vines or shrubs that have 3 broad shaped leaves on a stem. Poison Sumac is a shrub that has stems containing 7-13

leaves arranged in pairs.”

Dr. Arndt says the allergic reaction will go away on its own in about 10 days, but you’ll likely want relief from the burning, itching sensation. To relieve symptoms, he recommends applying cool compresses and then patting your skin dry. He also prescribes topical steroids. “Hydrocortisone is available over the counter, but it’s low potency,” says Dr. Arndt. He says the most potent creams are prescription-only-clobetasol (Cormax, Temovate) and fluocinonide (Lidex).

You’ll have to apply the creams a few times a day until the rash clears up. The best way to apply the creams, says Dr. Arndt, is to wash the affected skin, pat it dry, and then apply the cream while the skin is still moist. It will be better absorbed that way.

The easiest way to avoid one of these rashes is to protect yourself when you’re outside.

That means wearing protective clothing-long sleeves and pants when gardening or spending time near potentially poisonous plants.

Dr. Arndt also suggests using a thick pair of work gloves. “The best gloves are heavy enough that they aren’t easily penetrated, but flexible enough that you can work with them,” he says.

You can also be proactive once you’re back inside. Use soap and water to wash your hands or any part of your body that may have come in contact with poisonous plants. “If you wash immediately, most of the plant oil will diminish or come off,” says Dr. Arndt. “If you wait 10 to 15 minutes, half of the oil will come off. If you wait an hour, none will come off.” —AP

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

Progress on obesity, but the war is far from over What if what you ‘survived’ wasn’t cancer?

SAN FRANCISCO: For decades, the reigning theory has been that the earlier a cancer is spotted and treated, the less likely it is to be lethal, because it won’t have time to grow and spread. Yet this theory infers causality from correlation. It implicitly assumes that cancer is cancer is cancer, even though we now know that even in the same part of the body, cancer is many different diseases-some aggressive, some not. Perhaps people survive early-stage cancers not because they’re treated in time, but because their disease never would have become life-threatening at all.

This isn’t just logical nit-picking. Thanks to widespread screening, the number of earlystage cancers identified has skyrocketed. In many instances-including types of breast, prostate, thyroid and lung cancers-more early diagnoses haven’t led to proportionate decreases in mortality. (New drugs, not early detection, account for at least two-thirds of the reduction in breast-cancer mortality.) The cancers the tests pick up aren’t necessarily lifethreatening. They’re just really common. So more sensitive tests and more frequent screening mean more cancer, more cancer treatment and more cancer survivors. “We’ll all be cancer survivors if we keep going at the rate that we’re going,” says Peter Carroll, the chairman of the department of urology at the University of California at San Francisco and a specialist in prostate cancer.

In a well-intended effort to save lives, the emphasis on early detection is essentially looking under the lamp post: Putting many patients who don’t have life-threatening diseases through traumatic treatments while distracting doctors from the bigger challenge of developing ways to identify and treat the really dangerous fast-growing cancers.

“Physicians, patients, and the general public must recognize that overdiagnosis is common and occurs more frequently with cancer screening,” argues a recent JAMA article by the oncologists Laura J. Esserman (a surgeon and breast-cancer specialist), Ian M. Thompson Jr. (a urologist) and Brian Reid (a specialist in esophageal cancer). They argue for limiting the term “cancer” to conditions likely to be lifethreatening if left untreated.

That’s going to be a tough change for a lot of people to swallow. For patients and the rest of the public, getting tested offers a sense of

control, encouraging an almost superstitious belief that frequent screening will ward off death. (A few years ago, when the actress Christina Applegate was making the talkshow rounds urging young women to get breast MRIs, my own oncologist told me he was getting calls from women who thought the tests would not merely detect but prevent breast cancer.)

Early detection of non-life-threatening cancers also produces a steady supply of “cancer survivors,” who work to support cancer charities and make their efforts look successful. There’s an entire industry devoted to celebrating “breast cancer survivors” in particular, and many women are heavily invested in that identity. It offers a heroic honorific as a reward for enduring horrible treatments. A term originally coined to remind cancer patients that their disease need not be fatal has become a badge of personal achievement. Physicians, meanwhile, fear making a mistake. It seems safer to treat someone who doesn’t really need it than to miss something potentially fatal. But, warns Esserman, director of the Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center at UCSF, “the cancers that grow and spread very quickly are not the ones that you can catch in time with screening.” If anything, emphasizing early detection misdirects research and funding. “We have to come up with better treatments, we have to figure out who’s really at risk for those and figure out how to prevent them,” she says. “We’re not going to fix it with screening.”

There are plenty of scientific unknowns.

Take the commonly diagnosed breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ, which accounts for about a third of new U.S. diagnoses, 60,000 a year. In these cases, the cells lining the walls of milk ducts look like cancer, but they haven’t invaded the surrounding breast tissue. DCIS was a rare diagnosis before the introduction of mammograms, which are highly sensitive to milk-duct calcifications, and the JAMA article labels it a “premalignant condition” that shouldn’t even be called cancer. Arguably, a lot of women who think of themselves as “breast cancer survivors” have survived treatment, not cancer. Yet oncologists who identify DCIS have been surgically removing it (and in many cases the entire surrounding breast) for 40 years, so it’s hard to

know how dangerous it actually is. “Since we really don’t know the true natural history of DCIS we do not know if DCIS always progresses to invasive cancer or not,” says Colin Wells, a radiologist at the University of California at Los Angeles specializing in breast imaging. “There are some reasons to think not, but this needs to be worked out” with further research. If DCIS does spread to invade breast tissue, the question remains whether that cancer threatens to go beyond the breast, becoming lethal if untreated. By contrast, we do know that a lot of prostate cancer isn’t dangerous.

Autopsy studies show it’s quite common in older men who die from unrelated causes.

“Out there in the street, if you remove the prostates in men over the age of 50, 30 to 40 percent would have some kind of cancer,” Carroll says, “most likely, low grade and low volume.”

Thanks to more sensitive tests, he notes, the prostate “cancers we’re detecting today are totally different than the cancers we saw two decades ago. And our ability to distinguish these tumors is much better. We have the wherewithal now to be able to tell a patient that your cancer is highly likely confined to your prostate, of small volume, slow growing, and something that may not need immediate treatment at all.”

Carroll has more than 1,000 patients under “active surveillance,” getting regular PSA tests, imaging and biopsies. Only about one in three turns out to need treatment within five to 10 years. (An additional 10 percent opt for surgery simply because they get tired of all the tests or can’t take the anxiety.) The program is also working, Carroll says, to “decrease the burden of testing,” ideally by eliminating the need for repeated biopsies.

Prostate cancer illustrates the cultural barriers to abandoning what Esserman calls today’s “scorched earth policy.” Despite the widespread awareness that many prostate cancers aren’t life-threatening, many physicians are determined to find and treat it any time a PSA score comes in a little high. “I saw a gentleman this week who had had 12 biopsies, no cancer, and they said there must be cancer in there and they did 24,” says Ian Thompson of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, who is one of the JAMA authors.

WASHINGTON: There have been a few signs recently that obesity might not develop into the spectacular publichealth crisis it seemed destined to become. It might just remain a huge public-health crisis.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported this month that the obesity rate dropped among younger, poor children in 19 states and territories between 2008 and 2011. The rate remained the same in 19 other states and in the District and Puerto Rico. Only three states saw increases.

(Not enough data were collected in 10 states.) No place saw its rate decline by more than a percentage point, but the results are still striking. Public-health advocates have worried for years that the United States was entering an age of obesity, the American waistline inexorably expanding and along with it the prevalence of diabetes, heart conditions, joint trouble, even cancer. Now it seems the country may be reaching a plateau, even among at-risk children.

Last year, health economists estimated that keeping the national obesity rate where it is would avoid $550 billion in extra health spending over the next two decades. But the country must do better than simply stand still.

Medical costs related to adult obesity already cost the nation about $150 billion a year, not to mention loads of unquantifiable suffering. One in eight young children remains obese, and the numbers are worse among African Americans and Hispanics. Very often, the weight stays on.

The CDC could not pinpoint a trend or a policy that made the difference over the past few years; that will take a lot more research. But Laurence Grummer-Strawn, chief of the nutrition branch in the CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity said that the agency could offer its “best guess.” The federal Women, Infant and Children (WIC) program, which offers food vouchers to poor families, changed the way it distrib-

utes its benefits to encourage the buying of fresh fruit rather than sugary fruit juice and of low-fat milk rather than whole milk. The CDC also points out that more mothers are breastfeeding, which might help, and that public education and outreach have ticked up.

Experts are still trying to figure out what, if anything, the government can do that works. No matter how that debate unfolds, we would suggest starting by eliminating economically irrational agriculture subsidies that favor crops such as corn. Meanwhile, health insurers should give their customers direct, financial incentives to take care of their bodies. It makes sense that adjusting the WIC program might have changed some people’s behavior; at the least, it meant that taxpayers would no longer fund the consumption of junk. Congress should think about how it might change the broader$75 billion food-stamp program along similar lines.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

W H AT ’ S O N

What to do in Kuwait this summer?

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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

YMCA Kuwait celebrates 169th Founders Day

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MCA Kuwait conducted 169th Founders Day celebrations and 67th Independence Day celebrations at Hi-dine Auditorium, Abassiya presided over by Babu Johnson. Meeting began with the opening prayer of Mathews Mammen. Parimanam Manoj (General Secretary) welcomed the guest and members.

Rev K A Varghese (Vicar - Ahmadhi Mar Thoma Church, Kuwait) inaugurated the function. Rev Achen Kunju George (Vicar - St Thomas Evangelical Church) delivered the Independence Day Message. Deacon Santhosh Mathew, Dr A T Varghese and Br Sunny Andrews felicitated on this occasion. Solos were sung by Sangeetha Remy and Anna Elsa Raju. Different games were also arranged. Mathews Eapen (Vice President) gave vote of thanks. Closing prayer was led by M C Mathew Tharakan.

Announcements Indian Embassy sets up helpline he Indian Embassy in Kuwait has set up helpline in order to assist Indian expatriates in registering any complaint regarding the government’s ongoing campaign to stamp out illegal residents from the country.

The embassy said in press release yesterday that it amended its previous statement and stated if there is any complaint, the same could be conveyed at the following (as amended): Operations Department, Ministry of Interior, Kuwait. Fax: 22435580, Tel: 24768146/25200334.

It said the embassy has been in regular contact with local authorities regarding the ongoing checking of expatriates. The embassy has also conveyed to them the concerns, fears and apprehensions of the community in this regard.

The authorities in Kuwait have conveyed that strict instructions have been issued to ensure that there is no harassment or improper treatment of expatriates by those undertaking checking. “The embassy would like to request Indian expatriates to ensure that they abide by all local laws, rules and regulations regarding residency, traffic and other matters,” the release read. It would be prudent to always carry the Civil ID and other relevant documents such as driving license, etc. In case an Indian expatriate encounters any improper treatment during checking, it may be conveyed immediately with full details and contact particulars to the embassy at the following phone number 67623639. These contact details are exclusively for the above-mentioned purpose only.

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Issue of online visa

by Indian embassy oreigners requiring visas for India need to apply it online from 16th June 2013.

Applicants may log on to the Public portal at ww.indianvisaonline.gov.in. After successful online submission, the hard copy, so generated, has to be signed by the applicant and submitted with supporting documents in accordance with the type of visa along with the applicable fee in cash at any of the two outsource centres at Sharq or Fahaheel. It is essential that applicants fill in their personal details as exactly available in their passports. Mismatch of any of the personal details would lead to non-acceptance of the application. Fees once paid are non-refundable.

All children would have to obtain separate visa on their respective passports.

Visit the Sadu House

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l-Sadu Society is dedicated to preserving, documenting and promoting the rich and diverse textile heritage of the Kuwaiti Bedouin, from the nomadic weaving of the desert to the urban weaving of the town. Sadu is a traditional Bedouin art that involves weaving geometric designs on dyed and colored wool that is spun by hand to create magnificent carpets, rugs, and Bedouin tent screens. Inside the Sadu House, visitors have the opportunity to see Bedouin women weaving. Sadu House is located near the National Museum. It is considered to be the center of Bedouin art aiming at presenting Kuwait’s roots and protecting Bedouin crafts from eradication.

Address: Arabian Gulf Street, Next to the National Museum of Kuwait, Kuwait City Opening Hours: Saturdays to Thursdays: Mornings from 08 am to 1 pm. Evenings from 4 pm to 8 pm.

Contact: 22432395 E-mail: info@alsadu.org.kw Website: www.alsadu.org.kw View Boushahri Gallery The Boushahri Art Gallery was established in 1982 by Jawad Boushahri, the Chairman of the Boushahri group who is also an acclaimed Kuwaiti sculptor. It is one of the oldest private art galleries in the Middle East.

This long established gallery showcases contemporary regional work. In order to create an awareness toward art in Kuwait as a community service, the Boushahri Art Gallery educates, supports and sponsors local and international artists, displaying their paintings, potteries, ceramic portraitures, designs, photographers, sculptures and much more.

To encourage the Art lovers and educate society, Boushahri Art Gallery offers many courses, seminars and lectures about Art. Address: Salmiya, Baghdad St., Building Number: 36, in front of Al- Laheeb Mosque Opening Hours: 10 am to 1 pm and 5 pm to 9 pm. The museum is closed on Friday and Thursday afternoons.

Contact: 25621119/99770607 Website: www.boushahrigroup.com/client/Photoand Art.aspx Take a break at Al-Khiran Resort The Al-Khiran resort is a relaxing “getaway” from the mayhem of stressful city life.

The resort provides a soothing tranquil environment that includes beautiful green lawns, wide, well-defined roads, ample parking spaces, and clean well-maintained beaches.

It has many chalets that are beautifully furnished and air-conditioned. The resort also offers a variety of other facilities such as football and basketball courts, luxurious restau-

rants, yacht clubs, an amusement park for children, electronic computer arcade and the ‘Duza’ ballroom. The resort also provides variety in food as it includes a fast-food counter, and a counter that offers seafood, Italian and oriental food.

Address: Gulf Street, Al-Khiran district Contact: 23951122 E-mail: mailbox@khiranresort.com Website: www.khiranresort.com Stop at the Tareq Rajab Museum The Tareq Rajab Museum houses an anthology of over thirty thousand items collected over the last fifty years, of which approximately ten thousand are on permanent display. Tareq Sayed Rajab was the first Kuwaiti to be sent abroad to study art and

the Islamic arts and culture. It has three main fascinating attractions: Aquarium, Discovery Place and IMAX Cinema. The Aquarium presents an ecosystem of desert, sea, and coastal edge. Visitors of the Aquarium explore the lives of beings and animals in their environments. When entering the Discovery Place, visitors gain scientific experience through educational games. Highly specialized trainers are assigned to guide visitors through hand-on playful training. On entering the IMAX Cinema, one can watch 3D movies played on the giant screen. Visitors can enjoy watching educational and documentary presentations and get engaged into a highly imaginative experience.

Address: The Scientific Center, Gulf Road

archaeology and his collection includes Islamic arts, ceramic, gold and silver jewelry, English manuscripts, metal and glass works, old English costumes, and musical instruments. His personal collection includes over thirty thousand Islamic treasures that were gathered over the years. The Museum is divided into two parts: in Area A, calligraphy, manuscripts, ceramics, metalwork, glass, jade, wood and stone carvings are exhibited.

Area B contains objects such as costumes, textiles, jewellery and musical instruments produced in the Islamic world.

Address: Jabriya, near the intersection of the Fifth Ring Motorway and the Abdulaziz Bin Abdilrahman al-Saud Expressway (Fahaheel Expressway); Street 5; Block12; House 16 Opening Hours: Weekdays from 9 am to 12 pm; Evenings: From 4 pm to 7 pm; Fridays: From 9 am to 12 pm.

Contact: 25317358/25354916 Website: www.trmkt.com The Scientific Center, Kuwait The Scientific Center is designed to reflect

Contact: 1848888 E-mail: info@tsck.org.kw Website: www.tsck.org.kw Visit Dar Al-Funoon gallery Dar Al-Funoon, which was established in 1993, focuses on contemporary Arab art as well as Arabic calligraphy. Exhibitions are held monthly from October to May, and a special silk exhibition of arts and crafts is held in December. Between temporary exhibitions, items from the private collection are on display, which can be bought. The gallery is located between the Sheraton Hotel and the Arabian Gulf Street. The area itself is interesting thanks to its old Kuwaiti-style houses and a large courtyard which includes a number of excellent restaurants.

Address: Behbehani compound, Salhiya, House No. 28, Al-Watiah, Kuwait City Opening Hours: Sundays to Thursdays: 10 am to 1 pm Evenings: 4 pm to 8 pm Contact: 22433138 E-mail: info@daralfunoon-kw.com Website: www.daralfunoon-kw.com Bayt - Lothan

Bayt Lothan is dedicated to the promotion of arts and crafts and is host to various exhibitions and displays throughout the year. It covers an area of 4,000 square meters on the Arabian Gulf Street and caters to all tastes and themes, including sculpture, ceramic arts, jewelry and photography, as well as contemporary art and calligraphy.

Watch out in the local press for details of current and forthcoming exhibitions or seminars. There is also a small coffee shop for basic refreshments and for theatre lovers they also hold drama classes throughout the year.

Address: Gulf Street, beside Marina Mall, in front of Corniche Hotel Contact: 25755866 / 25727388 E-Mail: info@baytlothan.org Opening Hours: Sundays to Thursdays: 9 am to 1 pm; Evenings: 5 pm to 9 pm Website: http://www.baytlothan.org Visit Ghadir Gallery, Kuwait The Al-Ghadir Gallery Kuwait is dedicated to promote the Kuwaiti formative artist and writer Thuraya Al-Baqsami and successfully accomplished 120 national and international solo art exhibitions, literary and poetry readings and musical events. It also participates in charity activities worldwide. The gallery offers varieties of art including paintings, frames, handcrafts, art materials and antiques.

Address: Block 6, Street 5, Villa 40, Mishref, Kuwait Contact: 22435101, 22426240 E-mail: info@ghadirgallerykuwait.com Website: www.ghadirgallerykuwait.com Take the kids to Al-Shaab Leisure Park Al-Sha’ab Leisure Park is located on the southern coast of Kuwait City. It combines more than 70 special rides on the level of the Middle East. It also provides integrated services, including restaurants, a mall, and rides and games that meet the interests of all age groups. The park also offers indoor games as well as outdoor sports like bungee jumping, pony rides and ice-skating. Families can also access facilities such as the movies and the delicious meals at the restaurants. At AlSha’ab Leisure Park, all these facilities are maintained according to international standards.

Address: Baghdad Street, Block 11, Salmiya Opening Hours: All days from 5 pm to 1 am (Summer) and 10 am - 12 Midnight on weekends.

Contact: 25613777 E-mail: shaabpark_fb@uetc.com.kw Website: www.shaabpark.com

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8th Expo Pakistan to commence in September he 8th Expo Pakistan will be held from September 26 to 29 in Karachi. Held annually, Expo Pakistan is the biggest trade fair in the country showcasing the largest collection of Pakistan’s export merchandise and services.

Foreign Exhibitors also use the event to launch their products. Expo Pakistan 2012 was visited by delegates from 52 countries and generated a business of over $ 518 million. A 16 member delegation from Kuwait including reputable companies like Al-Yasra Foods also took part in the last exhibition.

Expo Pakistan 2013 is being held under the auspices of the Trade Development Authority Pakistan. Details about the event can be viewed www.expopakisan.gov.pk. Further information and details of sponsorship can be obtained from the office of Commercial Secretary, Pakistan Embassy, Jabriya (25356594) during office hours.

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Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

An excursion to Pakistan: Journey begins at Crowne Plaza Kuwait

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rowne Plaza Kuwait, one of the country’s most popular five star hotels, has announced the opening of a three-day Pakistan Food Festival in association with the Pakistan Embassy in Kuwait at its Al-Ahmadi international buffet restaurant. The festive inaugural ceremony held in the presence of the Pakistani Ambassador Syed Abrar Hussainin addition to a large number of the media in Kuwait August 14, 2013.

Amongst the invitees were the regular customers of Al-Ahmadi who have been the driving force behind the success of the restaurant over the years.

The festival starts from Aug 14-16, 2013 at the Al-Ahmadi International Buffet restaurant to commemorate 64 years of Pakistan Independence. AlAhmadi restaurant is known to offer rich international buffet of delicious mouthwatering food suitable for all tastes where guests enjoy their breakfast, lunch

and dinner. This food festival is yet another feather in its cap in offering an international dining experience to its guests.

Pakistan cuisine is a delicious and refined blend of local cooking traditions with those of wider South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. It combines the rich spicy and highly seasoned cuisine from Punjab, Kashmir and Sindh with the mildly spicy aromatic and simple recipes.

Emmauel Pauliat, Executive Chef of Crowne Plaza Kuwait, has carefully designed and prepared a special corner highlighting the delicacies of Pakistan made from aromatic rice and mangoes flown in all the way from Pakistan for this festival, so the guests can be assured of capturing the true flavors of the region.

The Festival features a wide array of Pakistani dishes and Al-Ahmadi International buffet restaurant guarantees the ambiance and dining experi-

ence aiming to relive the true spirit of the Pakistan Culture, which will surely taken you on an excursion to Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion Ramy Haykal, General Manager Crowne Plaza Kuwait said, ‘Crowne Plaza Kuwait is excited about this association with the Embassy of Pakistan in Kuwait to hold this gastronomic festival. The delicious Pakistani

delights, lively atmosphere and attentive service at Al-Ahmadi restaurant will allow our diners to enjoy their dining experience. The guests will experience service of the highest standard- something that Crowne Plaza has always pioneered.’

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

W H AT ’ S O N

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Embassy of Australia has announced that Kuwait citizens can apply for and receive visit visas in 10 working days through www.immi.gov.au. All other processing of visas and Immigration matters are handled by the Australian Visa Application Centre located in Al Banwan Building, 4B, 1st Floor, Al Qibla Area, Ali Al Salem Street, Kuwait City. Visit. www.vfs-augcc.com for more info. The Embassy of Australia does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visas and immigration matters is conducted by the Australian Consulate-General in Dubai. Email: Info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VIS), immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office), Tel: +971 4 205 5900 (VFS), Fax: + 971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office). Notary and passport services are available by appointment. Appointments can be made by calling the Embassy on 22322422. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF CANADA

Movenpick Hotel & Resort Al-Bida’a Kuwait sponsors charity event for Down Syndrome

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he charity event was held on Monday, August 19, 2013 in Al-Bida’a Ballroom at the hotel and aimed at raising awareness about Down Syndrome in Kuwait. The event was attended by Sheikha Sheikha AlAbdullah and all the Association’s team as well as a

huge number of Down Syndrome children along with their parents. Speaking about the event, Maged Gubr, the hotel’s General Manager, said: ‘We are honoured to be able to help raise awareness about Down Syndrome in Kuwait by being the host venue. Movenpick Hotel &

Resort Al-Bida’a Kuwait has established a reputation for serving the society with active involvement in many local and international charities as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, in line with its vision and values.’

Maged added.

The Embassy of 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, UAE. 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. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF ARGENTINE For the Argentinean citizens who had not already enlisted in the embassy’s electoral register, and taking in consideration the elections which was held on Sunday 11/08/2013, it is necessary to justify they no vote by presence at our embassy which located in (Mishref - Block 6 - Street 42 - Villa 51) and should present the DNI and/or the Argentinean Passport. The Embassy of the Argentine Republic in the State of Kuwait avails itself of this opportunity to renew the assurances of its highest consideration. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF GREECE The Embassy of Greece in Kuwait has the pleasure to announce that visa applications must be submitted to Schengen Visa Application Centre (VFS office) located at 12th floor, Al-Naser Tower, Fahad Al-Salem Street, Al-Qibla area, Kuwait City, (Parking at Souk Watia). For information please call 22281046 from 08:30 to 17:00 (Sunday to Thursday). Working hours: Submission from 08:30 to 15:30. Passport collection from 16:00 to 17:00. For visa applications please visit the following website www.mfa.gr/kuwait. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF US Parents of Kuwaiti citizen children may drop off their sons’ and daughters’ visa applications - completely free of an interview or a trip inside the Embassy. The children must be under 14 years of age, and additional requirements do apply, but the service means parents will no longer have to schedule individual appointments for their children, nor come inside the Embassy (unless they are applying for themselves). The service is only available for children holding Kuwaiti passports. To take advantage, parents must drop off the following documents: Child Visa Drop-off cover sheet, available on the Embassy website (http://kuwait.usembassy.gov/child_visas.htm) - Child’s passport; The Child’s previous passport, if it contains a valid US visa; 5x5cm photo of child with eyes open (if uploaded into DS160, photos must be a .jpg between 600x600 and 1200x1200 pixels, less than 240kb, and cannot be digitally altered); A completed DS160 form; Visa Fee Receipt from Burgan Bank; A copy of the valid visa of at least one parent. If one parent will not travel, provide a visa copy for the traveling parent, and a passport copy from the non-traveling parent with a letter stating no objection to the child’s travel. - For children of students (F2): a copy of the child’s I-20.

Children born in the US (with very few exceptions) are US citizens and would not be eligible for a visa. Parents may drop off the application packet at Window 2 at the Embassy from 1:00 to 3:00 PM, Monday to Wednesday, excluding holidays. More information is available on the U.S. Embassy website: kuwait.usembassy.gov/child_visas.html nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF UKRAINE The Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait would like to inform that submission of the documents for tourist visa is temporary closed (from August 26 till September 26). Within the above-mentioned period, the visa will be issued only in the case of emergency. In the case of planning travel to Ukraine, please apply for visa before August 20. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF VATICAN The Apostolic Nunciature Embassy of the Holy See, Vatican in Kuwait has moved to a new location in Kuwait City. Please find below the new address: Yarmouk, Block 1, Street 2, Villa No: 1. P.O.Box 29724, Safat 13158, Kuwait. Tel: 965 25337767, Fax: 965 25342066.

Email: nuntiuskuwait@gmail.com

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

TV PROGRAMS

00:45 01:35 02:25 03:15 04:05 04:55 05:20 05:45 06:35 07:00 07:25 08:15 09:10 10:05 11:00 11:55 12:20 12:50 Safari 13:45 14:40 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:25 18:20 19:15 19:40 20:10 20:35 21:05 22:00 Safari

After The Attack Untamed & Uncut Big Five Challenge Bondi Vet Pit Bulls And Parolees The Snake Buster Shamwari: A Wild Life Gator Boys Call Of The Wildman Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild Too Cute!

The Most Extreme Penguin Safari Big Five Challenge Animal Cops Philadelphia The Snake Buster Call Of The Wildman Lion Man: One World African Animal ER Big Five Challenge Shamwari: A Wild Life Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild The Most Extreme Talk To The Animals Pandamonium Going Ape Call Of The Wildman The Snake Buster Shamwari: A Wild Life Big Five Challenge Lion Man: One World African

00:30 Hillbilly Handfishin’ 01:20 Top Hooker 02:10 River Monsters: Untold Stories 03:00 Mythbusters 03:50 Auction Kings 04:15 Auction Hunters 04:40 Auction Kings 05:05 How Do They Do It? 05:30 How It’s Made 06:00 American Guns 07:00 Mythbusters 07:50 Ultimate Survival 08:40 What Happened Next?

09:05 Magic Of Science 09:30 Border Security 09:55 Auction Hunters 10:20 Auction Kings 10:45 How Do They Do It? 11:10 How It’s Made 11:35 Hillbilly Handfishin’ 12:25 Top Hooker 13:15 River Monsters 14:05 Border Security 14:30 Auction Hunters 14:55 Auction Kings 15:20 Stan Lee’s Superhumans 16:10 What Happened Next?

16:35 Magic Of Science 17:00 Ultimate Survival 17:50 Deadliest Catch 18:40 Mythbusters 19:30 American Guns 20:20 Auction Hunters

00:05 The Tech Show 00:30 Mean Green Machines 01:00 Scrapheap Challenge 05:15 The Gadget Show 05:40 The Tech Show 06:05 The World’s Strangest UFO Stories 07:00 Alien Mysteries 07:50 The Science Of Star Wars 08:40 The Gadget Show 09:05 The Tech Show 09:30 James May’s Man Lab 13:50 Mean Green Machines 14:20 The Gadget Show 14:45 The Tech Show 15:10 Alien Mysteries 16:00 Sci-Trek 16:55 Mighty Ships 17:45 Smash Lab 18:35 The World’s Strangest UFO Stories 19:30 Alien Mysteries 20:20 The Science Of Star Wars

21:10 21:35 22:00 22:50 23:40

The Gadget Show The Tech Show Alien Mysteries The Science Of Star Wars The Gadget Show

00:45 01:10 01:35 02:30 03:25 04:20 05:10 06:05 07:00 07:50 08:15 08:45 09:35 10:30 11:20 12:10 13:05 13:55 14:50 15:45 16:40 17:35 18:25 19:20 20:10 20:35 21:05 22:00 22:55 23:50

Ultimate Cars A Racing Car Is Born Welcome To India Crime Scene Wild I Shouldn’t Be Alive Bone Detectives Empire Mighty Mississippi Prehistoric Disasters Ultimate Cars A Racing Car Is Born Mighty Mississippi Danger Hunters Weaponology I Shouldn’t Be Alive Bone Detectives Empire Mummy Autopsy Welcome To India Prehistoric Disasters Weaponology Bone Detectives I Shouldn’t Be Alive Secrets Of...

Ultimate Cars A Racing Car Is Born Empire Secrets Of...

Crime Scene Wild Murder Shift

00:00 00:45 01:30 02:15 03:00 03:45 04:30 05:15 06:00 06:25 06:45 07:55 08:45 09:05 09:30 10:15 11:05 12:15 13:00 14:10 15:30 15:50 16:10 16:15 16:35 17:20 17:45 18:10 18:30 18:55 19:20 19:40 20:30 20:50 21:15 21:40 22:00 22:25 22:50

Hannah Montana Brandy & Mr Whiskers Emperor’s New School Replacements Brandy & Mr Whiskers Emperor’s New School Replacements Brandy & Mr Whiskers Austin And Ally Suite Life On Deck A.N.T Farm Good Luck Charlie Doc McStuffins Mickey Mouse Clubhouse A.N.T Farm Jessie Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up A.N.T Farm Go Figure Good Luck Charlie Jessie Teen Beach Movie First Look Shake It Up A.N.T. Farm Austin And Ally Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up That’s So Raven Suite Life On Deck Jessie A.N.T. Farm Shake It Up Suite Life On Deck Austin And Ally That’s So Raven Jessie A.N.T Farm Good Luck Charlie

00:05 00:15 00:40 00:55 01:10 01:30 02:00 02:25 02:40 02:50 03:20 03:40 03:50 04:00

Special Agent Oso Imagination Movers Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Little Einsteins Special Agent Oso Special Agent Oso Imagination Movers Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Special Agent Oso Timmy Time

04:10 Imagination Movers 04:35 Little Einsteins 05:00 Jungle Junction 05:15 Jungle Junction 05:30 Little Einsteins 05:50 Special Agent Oso 06:00 Special Agent Oso 06:15 Jungle Junction 06:30 Jungle Junction 06:45 Handy Manny 07:00 Special Agent Oso 07:15 Jungle Junction 07:30 Higglytown Heroes 07:45 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 08:10 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 08:35 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 08:50 Doc McStuffins 09:05 Doc McStuffins 09:20 Zou 09:35 Henry Hugglemonster 09:50 Henry Hugglemonster 10:00 Lilo And Stitch 10:25 The Little Mermaid 10:50 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 11:05 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 11:20 Sofia The First 11:45 Mouk 12:00 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 12:05 Art Attack 12:30 Doc McStuffins 12:45 Doc McStuffins 13:00 Zou 13:15 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 13:30 Henry Hugglemonster 13:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 14:20 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 14:45 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 15:00 Lilo And Stitch 15:25 Mouk 15:40 Higglytown Heroes 15:55 Zou 16:10 Zou 16:20 The Little Mermaid 16:45 Lilo And Stitch 17:10 Doc McStuffins 17:40 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 18:10 Henry Hugglemonster 18:35 Sofia The First 19:00 Timmy Time 19:10 Pajanimals 19:25 Doc McStuffins 19:35 Zou 19:50 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 20:20 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 20:25 Pajanimals 20:35 Doc McStuffins 20:45 Mouk 21:00 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 21:25 Pajanimals 21:35 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 22:00 Timmy Time 22:10 The Hive 22:20 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 22:30 Jungle Junction 22:45 Handy Manny 22:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 23:20 Little Einsteins 23:50 Special Agent Oso

06:00 Kid vs Kat 06:10 Iron Man Armoured Adventures 06:35 Kickin It 07:00 Max Steel 07:25 Phineas And Ferb 07:50 Slugterra 08:15 Pair Of Kings 08:40 Kickin It 09:05 Kickin It 09:30 Lab Rats 09:55 Lab Rats 10:20 Pair Of Kings 10:45 Kick Buttowski 11:10 Mr. Young 11:35 Slugterra 12:00 Kickin It 12:25 Max Steel 12:50 I’m In The Band 13:15 Lab Rats 13:40 Almost Naked Animals 14:05 Phineas And Ferb 14:30 Lab Rats 14:55 Randy Cunningham: 9th

BENEATH THE DARKNESS ON OSN ACTION HD

Grade Ninja 15:20 Phineas And Ferb 15:30 Phineas And Ferb 15:45 Pair Of Kings 16:10 Kickin It 16:35 Crash & Bernstein 17:00 Lab Rats 17:30 Max Steel 18:00 Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja 18:25 Phineas And Ferb 19:15 Slugterra 19:40 Crash & Bernstein 20:05 Pair Of Kings 20:30 Zeke & Luther 20:55 I’m In The Band 21:20 Rated A For Awesome 21:45 Kick Buttowski 22:10 Mr. Young 22:35 Scaredy Squirrel 23:00 Programmes Start At 6:00am KSA

00:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:55 United Tastes Of America 01:45 Reza’s African Kitchen 02:35 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 03:00 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 03:25 Food Wars 03:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 04:15 Unique Eats 04:40 Chopped 05:30 Iron Chef America 06:10 Food Network Challenge 07:00 Unwrapped 07:25 Unwrapped 07:50 Andy Bates American Street Feasts 08:15 Unique Sweets 08:40 Reza’s African Kitchen 09:05 Jonathan Phang’s Caribbean Cookbook 09:30 Amazing Wedding Cakes 10:20 Extra Virgin 10:40 Unique Sweets 11:10 Unwrapped 11:35 Have Cake, Will Travel 12:00 Food Network Star 13:15 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 13:40 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 14:05 Tyler’s Ultimate 14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 14:55 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 15:20 Symon’s Suppers 15:45 Chopped 16:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 17:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 17:25 Tyler’s Ultimate 17:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 18:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 18:40 Guy’s Big Bite 19:05 Symon’s Suppers 19:30 Food Wars 19:55 Food Wars 20:20 Chopped 21:10 Chopped 22:00 Charly’s Cake Angels 22:25 Charly’s Cake Angels 22:50 Unique Sweets 23:15 Unique Sweets 23:40 Food Wars

00:15 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 00:45 Scam City 01:40 Warrior Road Trip 02:35 Banged Up Abroad 03:30 Scam City 04:25 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 05:20 Don’t Tell My Mother 05:45 The Best Job In The World 06:15 Maverick Chef 06:40 Delinquent Gourmet 07:10 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 07:35 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 08:05 Scam City 09:00 Warrior Road Trip 09:55 Banged Up Abroad 10:50 Scam City 11:45 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 12:40 Don’t Tell My Mother 13:05 The Best Job In The World 13:35 Maverick Chef 14:00 Delinquent Gourmet 14:30 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 14:55 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 15:25 Scam City 16:20 Warrior Road Trip 17:15 Banged Up Abroad 18:10 Extreme Tourist Afghanistan 19:05 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 20:00 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 20:30 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 21:00 Maverick Chef 21:30 Delinquent Gourmet 22:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 22:55 One Man & His Campervan 23:20 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 23:50 Maverick Chef

00:00 Megastructures 01:00 Nazi Temple Of Doom 02:00 Alaska Wing Men 03:00 Banged Up Abroad 04:00 Naked Science 05:00 Shark Men 06:00 Banged Up Abroad 07:00 Doomsday Preppers 08:00 Megastructures 09:00 Nazi Temple Of Doom 10:00 Alaska Wing Men 11:00 Banged Up Abroad 12:00 Clash Of The Continents 13:00 Shark Men 14:00 Banged Up Abroad 15:00 Doomsday Preppers 16:00 Megastructures 17:00 Human Lampshade: A Holocaust Mystery 18:00 Alaska Wing Men 19:00 Helicopter Wars 20:00 A Traveler’s Guide To The Planets 21:00 Monkey Thieves 21:30 Monkey Thieves 22:00 Helicopter Wars 23:00 Pirate Patrol

WAITING FOR FOREVER ON OSN CINEMA

00:20 01:10 02:00 02:50 03:45 04:40 05:35 06:30 07:25 08:20 09:15 10:10 11:05 12:00 12:55 13:50 14:45 15:40 16:35 17:30 18:25 19:20 20:10 21:00 21:50 22:40

Dead Or Alive Sharks Of Lost Island Fish Warrior Dangerous Encounters Man-Eater Of The Congo Wild Russia Fish Warrior Dangerous Encounters Man-Eater Of The Congo World’s Deadliest Killer Three Monster Fish Ninja Shrimp World’s Weirdest Shark Gangs Fish Warrior Dangerous Encounters Croc Invasion World’s Deadliest Killer Three Monster Fish Shocking Sharks World’s Weirdest Fish Warrior Dangerous Encounters Croc Invasion World’s Deadliest Killer Three Monster Fish

00:00 End Of Days-18 02:15 Cherry Falls-18 04:00 Iron Sky-PG15 06:00 Mission To Mars-PG15 08:00 Super 8-PG15 10:00 Paycheck-PG 12:00 Killer Mountain-PG15 14:00 Super 8-PG15 16:00 Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes-PG15 18:00 Killer Mountain-PG15 20:00 Beneath The Darkness-PG15 22:00 The Keeper-18

01:45 Katy Perry The Movie: Part Of Me-PG 03:30 Waiting For Forever-PG15 05:15 Adventures Of Sharkboy And Lavagirl-PG 07:00 Lying To Be Perfect-PG15 09:00 Katy Perry The Movie: Part Of Me-PG 11:00 Henry’s Crime-PG15 13:00 Encounter With DangerPG15 15:00 Just Crazy Enough-PG15 17:00 A Heartbeat Away-PG15 19:00 Shark Night-PG15 21:00 One Day-18

00:30 01:00 01:30 02:00 02:30 03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30 Leno 05:30 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:30

The Daily Show The Colbert Report The Big C Enlightened Friends Last Man Standing Raising Hope Hope & Faith The Tonight Show With Jay Hope & Faith The War At Home Brothers Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Hope & Faith Hope & Faith Last Man Standing Two And A Half Men Arrested Development Brothers

11:00 Leno 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 Leno 21:00 21:30 22:00 22:30 23:00 23:30

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

The Tonight Show With Jay 08:00 Mission To Mars 10:00 Super 8 The War At Home 12:00 Paycheck Hope & Faith 14:00 Killer Mountain Hope & Faith 16:00 Super 8 Brothers 18:00 Rise Of The Planet Of The Raising Hope Apes Two And A Half Men 20:00 Killer Mountain Arrested Development 22:00 Beneath The Darkness The Daily Show The Colbert Report The War At Home Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Friends 00:00 Hard Breakers-18 The Simpsons 02:00 Eurotrip-18 Modern Family 04:00 Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Happy Endings The Tonight Show With Jay Insult-PG15 06:00 Mad Buddies-PG15 08:00 Lemony Snicket’s A Series Of The Daily Show Unfortunate-PG The Colbert Report 10:00 Stop! Or My Mom Will ShootThe Big C PG15 Enlightened 12:00 Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final The Ricky Gervais Show Insult-PG15 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 14:00 Beethoven-FAM 16:00 Stop! Or My Mom Will ShootPG15 18:00 Beware The Gonzo-PG15 20:00 Bridesmaids-18 Good Morning America 22:15 Hard Breakers-18 American Idol Good Morning America Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Once Upon A Time 00:00 Mahler On The Couch-18 Emmerdale 01:45 Here-PG15 Coronation Street 04:00 Scarface-18 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 07:00 Ondine-PG15 Touch 09:00 Here-PG15 The Carrie Diaries 11:15 Phenomenon-PG Live Good Morning America 13:15 Stealing Bess-PG15 Touch 15:00 The Prey-PG15 Once Upon A Time 17:00 Phenomenon-PG The Carrie Diaries 19:00 Out Of Sight-PG15 Touch 21:00 Columbus Circle-PG15 Once Upon A Time 23:00 7 Days In Havana-18 The Carrie Diaries Glee American Idol

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Revenge The Killing Breaking Bad Homeland Franklin & Bash Royal Pains Revenge Eureka Alphas The Killing Royal Pains Franklin & Bash Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Alphas Revenge Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Alphas Warehouse 13 Bones Castle Justified Homeland

00:00 02:00 04:15 06:00

Ong Bak 3 End Of Days Cherry Falls Iron Sky

01:00 Blue Lagoon: The Awakening-PG15 03:00 Hugo-PG 05:15 A Dog Named Duke-PG15 07:00 Something Borrowed-PG15 09:00 The Lucky One-PG15 11:00 A Mother’s Choice-PG15 13:00 Flicka 3-FAM 15:00 Tinker Bell And The Secret Of The Wings-FAM 17:00 The Lucky One-PG15 18:45 Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows-PG15 21:00 Chernobyl Diaries-18 23:00 Total Recall-18

01:00 D’Fenders 02:45 A Venetian Rascal Goes To America 04:30 Everyone’s Hero 06:00 Olentzero And The Magic Log 08:00 Teo: The Intergalactic Hunter 10:00 Rookie Of The Year 11:45 Everyone’s Hero 13:15 A Venetian Rascal Goes To America 14:45 The Lucky Dragon 16:30 Marco Macaco 18:00 Rookie Of The Year 20:00 Baby Geniuses 22:00 The Lucky Dragon 23:45 Marco Macaco

00:00 People Like Us-PG15 02:00 Battleship-PG15 04:15 Nacho Libre-PG 06:00 Burden Of Evil-PG15 08:00 Treasure Buddies-PG 10:00 Mandie And The Secret Tunnel-PG 11:45 Battleship-PG15 14:00 The Scorpion King 3: Battle For Redemption-PG15 16:00 Treasure Buddies-PG 18:00 Bernie-PG15

00:05 02:25 04:30 07:00 09:00 10:35 12:15 14:10 16:00 PG 18:05 20:00 22:00 23:55

The Wild Bunch-U Cool Hand Luke The Wild Bunch-U The Human Comedy-FAM Tribute To A Bad Man-PG The Gazebo-U Hell Divers-PG The Asphalt Jungle-PG The Ballad Of Cable HogueDr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde-PG The Last Time I Saw Paris-PG The Formula The Comedians-PG

00:00 World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides 01:00 Xtreme Waterparks 01:30 Bert The Conqueror 02:00 Off Limits 03:00 Globe Trekker 04:00 Bizarre Foods America 05:00 Bizarre Foods America 06:00 Hotel Impossible 07:00 Globe Trekker 08:00 Airport 24/7: Miami 08:30 Airport 24/7: Miami 09:00 Off Limits 10:00 World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides 11:00 Bert The Conqueror 11:30 Xtreme Waterparks 12:00 Globe Trekker 13:00 Bizarre Foods America 14:00 International House Hunters 14:30 International House Hunters 15:00 Hotel Impossible 16:00 Inside Luxury Travel - Varun Sharma 17:00 World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides 18:00 Off Limits 19:00 Bizarre Foods America 20:00 World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides 21:00 Descending 22:00 Departures 23:00 Inside Luxury Travel - Varun Sharma

13:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 20:30 21:00 23:00

Agatha Christie’s Poirot Murdoch Mysteries The Jonathan Ross Show 60 Minute Makeover Emmerdale Coronation Street Coach Trip Come Dine With Me Ireland Lewis Trial & Retribution

Classifieds WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

Kuwait SHARQIA-1 KILLING SEASON (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG) HAMMER OF G’S (DIG) STREET DANCE ALL STARS (DIG) HAMMER OF G’S (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG)

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:30 PM 6:30 PM 8:45 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

SHARQIA-2 THE WOLVERINE (DIG) DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG-3D) THE SMURFS 2 (DIG-3D) EL7ARAMY & EL3ABIET (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 9:45 PM 12:15 AM

SHARQIA-3 RED 2 (DIG) THE SMURFS 2 (DIG) RED 2 (DIG) THE LONE RANGER (DIG) RED 2 (DIG) THE LONE RANGER (DIG)

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

MUHALAB-1 CHENNAI EXPRESS (DIG) (HINDI) 12:30 PM ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI DOBARA CHENNAI EXPRESS (DIG) (HINDI) 6:30 PM HAMMER OF G’S (DIG) 9:30 PM PACIFIC RIM (DIG) 11:45 PM MUHALAB-2 KILLING SEASON (DIG) RED 2 (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG) THE LONE RANGER (DIG) RED 2 (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:15 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

MUHALAB-3 THE SMURFS 2 (DIG-3D) DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG-3D) THE SMURFS 2 (DIG-3D) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) EL7ARAMY & EL3ABIET (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG)

1:30 PM 4:00 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

FANAR-1 DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG) 1:00 PM RED 2 (DIG) 3:00 PM DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG) 5:30 PM ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI DOBARA RED 2 (DIG) 10:30 PM RED 2 (DIG) 12:45 AM FANAR-2 KILLING SEASON (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG) HAMMER OF G’S (DIG) STREET DANCE ALL STARS (DIG) HAMMER OF G’S (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG)

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 9:00 PM 11:00 PM 1:00 AM

FANAR-3 CHENNAI EXPRESS (DIG) (HINDI) THE LONE RANGER (DIG)

12:30 PM 3:30 PM

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (15/08/2013 TO 21/08/2013) CHENNAI EXPRESS (DIG) (HINDI) CHENNAI EXPRESS (DIG) (HINDI) THE LONE RANGER (DIG)

6:30 PM 9:30 PM 12:30 AM

THE WOLVERINE (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) NO SAT

FANAR-4 THE WOLVERINE (DIG-3D) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG-3D) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:00 PM 4:45 PM 7:15 PM 9:45 PM 12:15 AM

360º- 1 RED 2 (DIG) RED 2 (DIG) RED 2 (DIG) RED 2 (DIG) RED 2 (DIG)

2:30 PM 5:00 PM 7:30 PM 10:00 PM 12:30 AM

360º- 2 THE LONE RANGER (DIG) THE LONE RANGER (DIG) THE LONE RANGER (DIG) THE LONE RANGER (DIG) RED 2 (DIG)

1:00 PM 4:00 PM 7:00 PM 10:00 PM 1:00 AM

360º- 3 DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG-3D) DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG) DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG-3D) DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG) DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG)

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

AL-KOUT.1 THE WOLVERINE (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) EL7ARAMY & EL3ABIET (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) EL7ARAMY & EL3ABIET (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG)

12:30 PM 3:00 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 10:00 PM 12:30 AM

AL-KOUT.2 DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG) THE SMURFS 2 (DIG) DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG) THE SMURFS 2 (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG)

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:45 PM 6:45 PM 9:00 PM 11:00 PM 1:00 AM

AL-KOUT.3 RED 2 (DIG) STREET DANCE ALL STARS (DIG) RED 2 (DIG) STREET DANCE ALL STARS (DIG) RED 2 (DIG) RED 2 (DIG)

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

AL-KOUT.4 HAMMER OF G’S (DIG) HAMMER OF G’S (DIG) THE LONE RANGER (DIG) PACIFIC RIM (DIG) HAMMER OF G’S (DIG) THE LONE RANGER (DIG)

12:45 PM 2:45 PM 4:45 PM 7:45 PM 10:15 PM 12:15 AM

FANAR-5 THE SMURFS 2 PACIFIC RIM THE SMURFS 2 EL7ARAMY & EL3ABIET EL7ARAMY & EL3ABIET PACIFIC RIM

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

MARINA-1 KILLING SEASON (DIG) HAMMER OF G’S (DIG) THE LONE RANGER (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG) HAMMER OF G’S (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG)

1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

3:30 PM MARINA-2 THE WOLVERINE (DIG) STREET DANCE ALL STARS (DIG) EL7ARAMY & EL3ABIET (DIG) EL7ARAMY & EL3ABIET (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) MARINA-3 DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG-3D) THE SMURFS 2 (DIG-3D) DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG-3D) RED 2 (DIG) RED 2 (DIG) RED 2 (DIG)

7:30 PM

1:00 PM 4:00 PM 6:15 PM 8:15 PM 10:15 PM 12:45 AM 1:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

AVENUES-1 HAMMER OF G’S (DIG) STREET DANCE ALL STARS (DIG) HAMMER OF G’S (DIG) HAMMER OF G’S (DIG) HAMMER OF G’S (DIG)

2:30 PM 4:45 PM 7:00 PM 9:15 PM 11:30 PM

AVENUES-2 CHENNAI EXPRESS (DIG) (HINDI) CHENNAI EXPRESS (DIG) (HINDI) CHENNAI EXPRESS (DIG) (HINDI) CHENNAI EXPRESS (DIG) (HINDI) CHENNAI EXPRESS (DIG) (HINDI)

12:30 PM 3:30 PM 6:30 PM 9:30 PM 12:30 AM

AVENUES-3 EL7ARAMY & EL3ABIET (DIG) EL7ARAMY & EL3ABIET (DIG) EL7ARAMY & EL3ABIET (DIG) EL7ARAMY & EL3ABIET (DIG) EL7ARAMY & EL3ABIET (DIG) EL7ARAMY & EL3ABIET (DIG)

2:15 PM 4:15 PM 6:15 PM 8:15 PM 10:15 PM 12:15 AM

AVENUES-4 THE WOLVERINE (DIG)

12:30 PM

3:00 PM 5:30 PM

BAIRAQ-1 DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG-3D) DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG-3D) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG-3D) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:30 PM 7:00 PM 9:15 PM 11:45 PM

SITUATION VACANT For a family of two adults, a live-in house boy and home care. Good English and Arabic is preferred, transferable visa. Contact: 99060969.

20-8-2013 ACCOMMODATION For ladies or bachelor Filipino only near big Jamiya Farwaniya. Available August 25, 2013. Contact 66158188 or 66826412.

20-8-2013

CHANGE OF NAME I, Thottakath Abu, holder of Indian Passport No. G9943123 issued at Kuwait on 28/10/2008, have changed my name to Aboobacker Thottakath.

(C 4488) 21-8-2013 I, Thamer Medhat Moh. Khattab holder of Filipino Passport No. T T0990386 hereby change my name to Tamer Medhat Moh. Khattab, hereafter all dealings in my new name.

20-8-2013

SITUATION WANTED Indian lady Accountant, B.Com with 3 years experience in Kuwait. Looking for a suitable accounts job. (Can join immediately). Contact: 65173606/67668929.

(C4486) 20-8-2013 FOR SALE Mitsubishi Jeep Nativa model 2011 white color, 6 cylinder engine, alloy rim excellent condition, 4 wheel drive (installment possible), cash price KD 3,400 negotiable. Tel: 99194874. (C 4487) 20-8-2013

MATRIMONIAL Marthomite parents in Kuwait, invites proposals for their daughter (28/160/fair), BB Kuwait, Masters UK, well employed in Kuwait, from well qualified and employed Marthoma/CSI/Orthodox/Ja cobite boys preferably in Kuwait/Dubai/USA/Australi a/Canada with good family background and clean habits. Email: jacobthomask3@yahoo.com (C 4485) 20-8-2013

Prayer timings

LOST Original document Policy No. 633002728-1 of Mohammad Naeem by the State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan, Gulf Zone is reported to have been lost. Anyone finding the same or claiming any interest in it should communicate with State Life Office Kuwait Tel: 22452208.

(C 4483)

Fajr: Shorook Duhr: Asr: Maghrib: Isha:

03:55 05:20 11:51 15:26 18:23 19:43

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

Airlines QTR THY KAC JZR JZR RJA THY ETH GFA UAE ETD LZB THY RJA FDB MSR OMA QTR THY DHX FDB KAC JZR JZR JZR BAW KAC FDB KAC KAC UAE ABY IRM FDB QTR IRA ETD QTR UAE TGZ GFA MEA IAW MSC IRM JZR JZR KNE UAE MSR KAC KAC KAC KAC JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR

Arrival Flights on Wednesday 21/8/2013 Flt Route 148 DOHA 5464 SABIHA 504 BEIRUT 267 BEIRUT 539 CAIRO 644 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA 764 SABIHA 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI-INTL 7779 BOURGAS 768 ISTANBUL 642 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 643 MUSCAT 138 DOHA 770 ISTANBUL 170 BAHRAIN 69 DUBAI 412 MANILA 1541 CAIRO 529 ASYUT 555 ALEXANDRIA 157 LONDON 206 ISLAMABAD 53 DUBAI 382 DELHI 344 CHENNAI 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 1186 TEHRAN 55 DUBAI 132 DOHA 603 SHIRAZ 301 ABU DHABI-INTL 6130 DOHA 4987 DUBAI 1553 BATUMI 213 BAHRAIN 404 BEIRUT 157 BAGHDAD 403 ASYUT 1188 MASHAD 165 DUBAI 561 SOHAG 470 JEDDAH 871 DUBAI 610 CAIRO 790 MEDINAH 284 DHAKA 302 MUMBAI 352 COCHIN 177 DUBAI 535 CAIRO 777 JEDDAH 357 MASHAD 787 RIYADH 189 DUBAI 481 SABIHA

Time 00:05 00:10 00:15 00:20 00:40 00:30 01:40 01:45 01:55 02:25 02:30 02:35 02:50 03:10 03:10 03:15 03:20 03:30 04:35 05:10 05:50 06:15 06:25 06:40 06:20 06:30 07:25 7:45 07:30 08:20 08:25 08:50 09:10 09:15 09:25 09:25 09:30 09:45 10:05 12:50 10:40 10:55 11:00 11:35 11:45 11:35 12:00 12:15 12:45 13:00 13:55 8:15 7:50 8:05 17:30 16:10 17:50 16:50 16:15 20:10 20:10

THY CLX KNE IYE KAC QTR FDB IRC MSR SVA JAV FDB KAC KAC RJA QTR ETD UAE ABY UAL SVA GFA KNE NIA KAC SYR QTR KAC KAC FDB GFA KAC MSC KAC KAC MSR KAC JAI FDB OMA ABY ETD MEA AXB KLM ALK UAE ETD QTR GFA DHX KAC JZR JZR QTR JAI FDB AIC UAL JZR DLH JAI MSR THY

766 792 480 826 672 140 57 6692 575 500 621 8051 502 538 640 134 303 857 127 982 510 215 462 251 542 1273 144 786 166 63 219 618 405 774 674 606 102 572 61 647 129 933 402 489 417 229 859 307 136 217 872 154 239 185 146 576 59 975 981 135 636 574 614 772

ISTANBUL LUXEMBOURG TAIF SANAA DUBAI DOHA DUBAI MASHAD SHARM EL SHEIKH JEDDAH AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA DUBAI BEIRUT SHARM EL SHEIKH AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA DOHA ABU DHABI-INTL DUBAI SHARJAH WASHINGTON DC DULLES RIYADH BAHRAIN MEDINAH ALEXANDRIA CAIRO DAMASCUS DOHA JEDDAH PARIS DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA SOHAG RIYADH DUBAI LUXOR NEW YORK MUMBAI DUBAI MUSCAT SHARJAH ABU DHABI-INTL BEIRUT COCHIN AMSTERDAM COLOMBO DUBAI ABU DHABI-INTL DOHA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN SABIHA AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA DUBAI DOHA COCHIN DUBAI CHENNAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN FRANKFURT MUMBAI CAIRO ISTANBUL

13:10 13:15 13:20 13:30 13:40 13:45 13:50 14:00 14:15 14:30 15:10 15:35 15:40 15:50 15:55 16:15 16:35 16:55 17:10 17:15 17:20 17:20 17:45 18:00 18:15 18:15 18:25 18:30 18:40 18:55 19:05 19:10 19:15 19:25 19:25 19:30 19:35 19:35 20:00 20:00 20:05 20:05 20:15 20:35 21:05 21:10 21:15 21:30 21:35 21:45 21:40 22:20 22:30 22:40 22:00 22:05 22:20 22:25 22:40 23:00 23:10 23:20 23:30 23:45

Airlines AIC JAI UAL DLH MSR THY RJA THY THY ETH LZB THY UAE FDB MSR OMA ETD QTR QTR JZR FDB RJA GFA THY JZR KAC BAW FDB KAC JZR KAC KAC ABY KAC UAE FDB ETD KAC QTR IRA IRM UAE JZR QTR GFA KAC MEA IAW KAC JZR JZR KAC MSC JZR KAC IRM KNE JZR TGZ MSR THY

Departure Flights on Wednesday 21/8/2013 Flt Route 982 AHMEDABAD 573 MUMBAI 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 637 FRANKFURT 615 CAIRO 5465 ISTANBUL-SABIHA 645 AMMAN 773 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 765 ISTANBUL-SABIHA 621 ADDIS ABABA 7780 BOURGAS 769 ISTANBUL 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 613 CAIRO 644 MUSCAT 306 ABU DHABI 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 560 SOHAG 70 DUBAI 643 AMMAN 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 164 DUBAI 537 SHARM EL SHEIKH 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 117 NEW YORK 534 CAIRO 789 MADINAH 671 DUBAI 126 SHARJAH 501 BEIRUT 856 DUBAI 56 DUBAI 302 ABU DHABI 153 ISTANBUL-SABIHA 133 DOHA 602 SHIRAZ 1187 TEHRAN 4987 BEIRUT 356 MASHHAD 6131 DOHA 214 BAHRAIN 541 CAIRO 405 BEIRUT 158 AL NAJAF 175 FRANKFURT 776 JEDDAH 480 ISTANBUL-SABIHA 103 LONDON 406 SOHAG 786 RIYADH 785 JEDDAH 1189 MASHHAD 461 MADINAH 176 DUBAI 1554 BATUMI 611 CAIRO 767 ISTANBUL-ATATURK

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Time 00:05 00:20 00:25 00:30 00:30 01:10 01:30 02:20 02:40 02:45 03:25 03:40 03:45 03:50 04:15 04:20 04:20 04:25 05:15 05:35 06:30 06:35 07:00 07:10 07:25 08:00 08:25 08:25 09:05 09:10 09:15 09:25 09:30 09:45 09:50 09:55 10:15 10:15 10:25 10:25 10:30 10:50 11:00 11:15 11:25 11:30 11:55 12:00 12:10 12:25 12:30 12:30 12:35 12:50 13:00 13:10 13:10 13:20 13:50 14:00 14:10

KNE UAE FDB IYE CLX QTR IRC MSR KAC KAC SVA JZR KAC FDB JAV RJA JZR QTR ETD JZR ABY UAE SVA GFA JZR UAL JZR KNE NIA SYR QTR FDB GFA JZR MSC KAC MSR JAI FDB ABY KAC KAC OMA KAC MEA DHX KLM ETD ETD ALK UAE KAC QTR KAC DHX GFA FDB KAC QTR JAI JZR JZR KAC JZR

481 872 58 827 792 141 6693 576 673 617 503 188 773 8052 622 641 238 135 304 538 128 858 511 216 184 982 266 471 252 1274 145 64 220 134 404 283 619 571 62 120 361 331 648 351 403 171 417 934 308 230 860 381 137 301 873 218 60 205 147 575 554 1540 415 528

TAIF DUBAI DUBAI RIYAN MUKALLA GIALAM DOHA MASHHAD SHARM EL SHEIKH DUBAI DOHA MADINAH DUBAI RIYADH DUBAI AMMAN AMMAN AMMAN DOHA ABU DHABI CAIRO SHARJAH DUBAI RIYADH BAHRAIN DUBAI BAHRAIN BEIRUT JEDDAH ALEXANDRIA DAMASCUS DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN ASYUT DHAKA ALEXANDRIA MUMBAI DUBAI SHARJAH COLOMBO TRIVANDRUM MUSCAT KOCHI BEIRUT BAHRAIN DAMMAM SHARJAH ABU DHABI COLOMBO DUBAI DELHI DOHA MUMBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DUBAI ISLAMABAD DOHA ABU DHABI ALEXANDRIA CAIRO KUALA LUMPUR ASYUT

14:10 14:15 14:30 14:30 14:45 14:55 15:00 15:00 15:05 15:45 15:45 16:00 16:00 16:20 16:30 16:55 17:05 17:20 17:20 17:40 17:50 18:15 18:20 18:20 18:30 18:30 18:40 18:40 19:00 19:15 19:25 19:35 19:50 20:05 20:15 20:15 20:30 20:35 20:40 20:45 20:50 20:50 20:55 21:05 21:15 21:50 22:05 22:05 22:15 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:40 22:45 23:00 23:00 23:05 23:05 23:20 23:25 23:50 23:55

34

stars CROSSWORD 286

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) Stumbling blocks could occur today that basically pertain to emotions.

Work at removing the emotional parts of a situation and deal with only the business side of whatever is set before you now. A problem-solving attitude will help you find the answers you need. A new subject can be mastered soon. You have great internal strength and tend to be independent. You are self-motivating, able to take care of yourself, and autonomous to a high degree. You will work well with others today. Let yourself dream this evening. This time does not come all that often—so do not ignore this opportunity to let your imagination loose.

Loved ones could be disappointed tonight, if you do not follow through on previous travel plans. Stand by your promises.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Others enjoy praising you for your hard work. You are appreciated for your feelings and your ability to act and get things done; you set a good example for others to follow. This is the time when you can expect a little boost, some sort of extra support from those around you. You may feel that you are in touch and in harmony with others because any support you need is there for anything you want to accomplish. You may be called on to speak or lead a group and you will not need to worry about anyone misunderstanding you—you can do very well. You have an ability to enchant others with your words and images. Your presence has a way of easing things as you are able to help others let go of any differences and stand behind what unites us all.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

ACROSS 1. The United Nations agency concerned with international maritime activities.

4. (formal) Ordinary and not refined.

12. A secret agent hired by a state to obtain (military) information about its enemies or by a business to obtain industrial secrets from competitors.

15. Any of several small ungulate mammals of Africa and Asia with rodent-like incisors and feet with hooflike toes.

16. Oldest known reptiles.

17. God of war and sky.

18. An Indian tree of the family Combretaceae that is a source of timber and gum.

20. A theocratic republic in the Middle East in western Asia.

21. Small shrubby African tree having compound leaves and racemes of small fragrant green flowers.

23. (New Testament) The sages who visited Jesus and Mary and Joseph shortly after Jesus was born.

25. The compass point that is one point east (clockwise) of due north.

27. A series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished.

28. (of pain or sorrow) Made easier to bear.

30. An attendant who carries the golf clubs for a player.

31. A person forced to flee from home or country.

33. 1,000,000,000 periods per second.

37. (Zoroastrianism) Title for benevolent deities.

40. United States baseball player and manager (1873-1934).

42. An atom having a valence of one.

43. A software system that facilitates the creation and maintenance and use of an electronic database.

46. (used of count nouns) Every one considered individually.

47. A state in New England.

48. The capital and largest city of Japan.

49. Being seven more than forty.

50. Lower in esteem.

54. Voluntary contributions to aid the poor.

56. An extension at the end and at right angles to the main building.

57. (Old Testament) Wife of Isaac and mother of Jacob and Esau.

60. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

62. Localized necrosis resulting from obstruction of the blood supply.

65. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

66. In bed.

68. United States naval officer and historian (1840-1914).

70. Large swift fly the female of which sucks blood of various animals.

74. A decree that prohibits something.

77. A republic in West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea.

78. Resinlike substance secreted by certain lac insects.

79. A tricycle (usually propelled by pedalling).

81. Morally bad or wrong.

82. An inflammatory disease of connective tissue with variable features including fever and weakness and fatigability and joint pains and skin lesions on the face or neck or arms.

83. A state in the southeastern United States on the Gulf of Mexico.

84. A quantity of no importance.

DOWN 1. Severe diabetes mellitus with an early onset.

2. A member of the Siouan people formerly living in the Missouri river valley in NE Nebraska.

3. A member of the Siouan people formerly living in Missouri in the valleys of the Missouri and Osage rivers.

4. The cry made by sheep.

5. An associate degree in nursing.

6. Submerged aquatic plant having narrow leaves and small flowers.

7. The month following March and preceding May. 8. (commerce) The period of time permitted by commercial usage for the payment of a bill of exchange (especially a foreign bill of exchange).

9. In the Arabian Nights a hero who tells of the fantastic adventures he had in his voyages.

10. A state in the Rocky Mountains.

11. A rotating disk shaped to convert circular into linear motion.

12. Showing deterioration from age.

13. A city in Tuscany.

14. The basic unit of money in China.

19. Virility drug (trade name Viagra) used to treat erectile dysfunction in men.

22. Pig iron containing manganese.

24. A Mid-Atlantic state.

26. Mild yellow Dutch cheese made in balls.

29. Any of a number of fishes of the family Carangidae.

32. The cardinal number that is the sum of four and one.

34. A coffee cake flavored with orange rind and raisins and almonds.

35. Arrived at without due care or effort.

36. For a short time.

38. An organization of independent states to promote international peace and security.

39. The capital and largest city of Japan.

41. A row of unravelled stitches.

44. A unit of length equal to one thousandth of an inch.

45. Leafless East Indian vine.

51. (psychology) An urge to withdraw or avoid a situation or an object.

52. Cause to go somewhere.

53. Liquid containing proteins and electrolytes including the liquid in blood plasma and interstitial fluid.

55. The act of scanning.

58. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light.

59. A large fleet.

61. A city in western Germany near the Dutch and Belgian borders.

63. A member of an American Indian peoples of NE South America and the Lesser Antilles.

64. A case or sheath especially a pollen sac or moss capsule.

67. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples.

69. (Old Testament) In Judeo-Christian mythology.

71. Rock that in its molten form (as magma) issues from volcanos.

72. A town in north central Oklahoma.

73. Offering fun and gaiety.

75. A health resort near a spring or at the seaside.

76. The fatty flesh of eel.

80. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

You might like to ignore your duties and do some socializing, but responsibilities rule and you are smart to tend to business. Later this afternoon thoughts can return to the social sector and plans can be made. Close relationships take on more emotional depth, power and importance now. This is a great time to attend or plan a social event.

People value you for your warmth and dynamic qualities as much as for your ideas. You may find it easier to acquiesce with your animal warmth than to develop your mind. You can relate to almost all types of people with equal ease. Your dreams, visions and ideals move you forward—follow your inner guide and your ambitions will show the way. This evening is a great time for lovers.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) You may have the opportunity to gain a new customer today or at least satisfy the demands of the public. You have an ability to organize and manage all that is vulnerable and sensitive in the human psyche, the public mind. You exhibit your tremendous practical sense and are able to cut through all the red tape and present the right decisions when asked.

Progress in the business world is satisfying. A friend or family member may need your advice this afternoon. Clear and useful ideas are within your reach and you will be able to give helpful advice.

There is a chance to understand those around you and to have a special time with someone you love.

This can be a very good day and it is one in which you may feel that much has been accomplished.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Today may not be the time to solve problems. There is something about you that others cannot seem to get enough of; yet for all your confidence, you tend to depend on others for advice. Your grasp of situations is unquestioned—have faith. You may find yourself needing the advice of someone non-biased and that will give you direction from time to time. Family and home may be most important to you this afternoon. You appreciate their guidance through the years and may decide to do something special for them at this time. If you are not the regular cook, you may decide that tonight is the night for you to cook a special meal, etc. You make it a point to do little favors or grant special requests. You and your family enjoy each other’s company this evening.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Some of you run late as you try to tie up loose ends around the house this morning. It would be of benefit to know that whatever information you hear on the television news can be gathered from the internet at your workplace. If a delay is due to getting up late, find ways to create a backup system. Family members can help you with any changes you might like to make. You could feel real support and harmony at this time. A political or civic activity around the home front is on your mind today and a few phone calls can bring several people together for a meeting of what steps are needed. The impromptu meeting will bring new friends to your attention as well as a business contact or two. Keep notes on the meeting for future reference.

Word Search

Libra (September 23-October 22) Breathing fresh air, enjoying your surroundings and having no responsibilities are what you would like to enjoy today. Think again, you have several days before you can enjoy that kind of day. It isn’t spring but someone you are coming to know may make you feel as though you have spring fever. You make your own way through a few problems today—you are in control. Active and inspired, you are a refreshing influence for others. Once you become better focused, your enthusiasm is contagious. You have a gift for motivating others. Creative projects get underway this evening and with your friends’ help, you and your friends will be able to pull in some extra income before the next weekend. Your friends confirm your strengths and fill you with love.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) When it comes to business and career, you have a mind that just cannot help but take care of business. Your thoughts and ideas are nothing if not practical and your clear-sightedness makes some form of management or supervision almost unavoidable. Your sense of honesty and truth is something that other people sense in you and support. You might find yourself in a position of trust—handling money, vouchers, receipts and expensive items, etc. An interest and ability in athletics, exercise and working with the physical body, the outdoors and such, should be lifelong and this evening you will find yourself with your friends in some sort of sports environment. Travel with friends is indicated soon—there will be time for planning this evening.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You are in a planning mood and very clearheaded and able to view all the alternative paths. Go ahead and make your decisions. You can see the road ahead and will make the right choices. You could be popular with your superiors. You may find that you enjoy your job or the responsibility it entails more than usual. Pace yourself and work on maintaining a balance. If you need to change your thinking in order to solve problems today, that is what you will do. This could mean that you are a detective or some other type of individual that solves or finds the solution to problems. Everyone needs some fun in their life— are you having fun this evening is a pleasant time for you. This is also a positive time to make long-range plans.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) CAPRICORN

You are in a good position to put in for that raise or job change, or to otherwise make yourself known. This is a time for imagination and creativity when it comes to ideas and thinking. This, along with the ability to put your thoughts into words, allows you to charm and enthrall. You are able to create an easy-to-read report on your job and how you can serve better in the future. Your overwhelming ability to feel things intuitively helps you make the right moves when it comes to the business world. This is a good time to consider how you fare financially. You will gain insight into any changes that need to be made at this time. A lover or child will play a big part of your life today.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Perhaps this is an ultra-mundane day—whatever the case, it is a day in which you will be able to be more creative and lend your ideas to improving business somehow. You have an ability to work with the imagination, reaching beyond the average to your highest potential. This just may be the best time to create an outline for that story you have wanted to author. Your sense of the unity behind things spiritual and psychological is clearly felt by those around you. There could be plenty of discussions with loved ones around these subjects tonight. You are, no doubt, a romantic, at home in the world of dreams and images.

You enjoy working in these areas. A good conversation with those you love is possible this evening.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) You seem to be more expressive than usual today. This quickens your wits!

You have a natural sense of what others want and can make clear decisions that affect many people. There are plenty of opportunities to pick and choose future projects—personal or professional. There is a surge of independence and a need for freedom with an interest in trying new and different experiences. Unusual or unconventional behavior and an interest in the exotic may be just the thing for you now. This afternoon is a good time for surrounding yourself with friends and young people and for having a good time. You appreciate your particular situation and enjoy support from those around you. This is a perfect time to bond or enhance a love relationship.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 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

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

Al-Madeena

22418714

Al-Shuhada

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

Kaizen center

25716707

Rawda

22517733

Adaliya

22517144

Al-Jahra

25610011

Khaldiya

24848075

Al-Salmiya

25616368

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

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Omariya

24719048

N Khaitan

24710044

Fintas

23900322

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

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. 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

Neurologists

22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

3729596/3729581

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

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

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

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

lifestyle

Lopez

G O S S I P

Melissa George is pregnant

T

deal with ‘Idol’ imminent

A

person familiar with negotiations to bring Jennifer Lopez back as an “American Idol” judge says her return will be announced this week. The person said Monday that a deal is close to being signed with Lopez, who was an “Idol” judge for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. The person wasn’t authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The person says Lopez decided to rejoin the show because its pro-

duction schedule will allow her to spend more time with her children, 5-year-old twins Emme and Max. Lopez will join returning judge Keith Urban and a third person who hasn’t been announced. Fox has declined to comment on whether Lopez is joining “American Idol” and did not immediately respond to another request for comment Monday. Lopez’s agent did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

he ‘Hunted’ actress is expecting a baby with her French millionaire boyfriend Jean-David Blanc and are overjoyed with the happy news, according to the New York Post newspaper. The couple have started to tell family and close friends they are becoming parents who have all been equally thrilled for them.

Melissa and Jean-David have been dating after over a year after first meeting at a BAFTA after-party in 2012 where they were spotted passionately kissing. The 37year-old actress previously admitted she was ready to have kids after finding the right man for her. She said: “I am going to be a mother, absolutely obvious no matter how, when, what. I really am picking the right father for my child. It’s very simple.

“Words can’t describe, sometimes, things that feel so right. I wouldn’t want to butcher it by doing that. I had a marriage, and lots of other things, and they were really, really hard. I had to take a break this year. I thank God he dropped this man into my life.” Melissa was previously married to film director Claudio Dabed but they split in 2011. She then went on to date music mogul of Russell Simmons.

Swift

performed duet with Lloyd

Pattinson R

obert Pattinson is renting a plush $3.7 million mansion in Beverly Hills. The ‘Twilight’ hunk recently moved out of the swanky property in Los Feliz, California, he shared with his ex-girlfriend Kristen Stewart - who he dumped for good this summer over her contact with ex-lover Rupert Sanders and has settled into a new French Mediterranean-style abode. The 5,292 sq-ft home - which has previously been owned by Gwen Stefani, Hilary Duff and Britney Spears - sits in the luxurious affluent area of 90210 and is complete with five bedrooms, six bathrooms and a sweeping staircase. The bachelor pad has a modern feel to it with a gourmet kitchen and oak sports bar for when he chooses to entertain his guests, as well as an outdoor terrace and patio for those warm nights under the stars. The house also comes with a built in spa for when he needs some vital relaxation treatments as well as an outdoor swimming for a quick dip to cool down during the summer months. The 27-year-old actor recently met up with Kristen in Los Angeles and friends believe they are close to reconciling. A source said previously: “They will probably pick up where they left off. Rob is obsessed with her.”

Cowell’s pregnant lover

Price wants baby number five

to meet his mother K S

imon Cowell is to introduce his pregnant lover to his mother. The music mogul has arranged for Lauren Silverman to jet across to the UK with him in order to meet his mum Julie Brett after the news broke that he is expecting his first child with the New York socialite following a passionate affair. A source told Closer magazine: “Lauren is flying to the UK to be formally introduced to Simon’s mum. He’s more nervous about that than becoming a dad!

Simon’s mum is the boss. “He wants her approval, and for Lauren and Julie to become close. It means everything to him that the two most important women in his life form a good bond.” The 53-yearold star has agreed to give the brunette beauty her own £10 million mansion on the Trousdale estate in Beverly Hills as well as renting her a £15,000-a-month apartment in New York City following the finalization of her messy divorce from ex-husband Andrew Silverman, which saw her agree to a £1.3 million settlement and joint custody of their seven-year-old son Adam. The source added: “Simon sees Lauren as family now and says they have a bond for life.

He wants to do everything in his power to honor her and their child.”

Simon has remained tight-lipped on his feelings for Lauren - who is believed to be 11 weeks pregnant - but pals say ‘The X Factor’ boss is keen to tie the knot with her in order to be a proper family. The source explained: “Simon’s playing his cards close to his chest, but it’s clear he has deep feelings for Lauren. Marriage isn’t such an offlimits idea and Simon’s mum would want that for him.”

atie Price “can’t wait” to have another baby despite the traumatic birth of baby Jett Riviera. The reality TV star and her husband Kieran Hayler welcomed the tiny tot, their first child together, into the world last week via emergency Caesarean section after his heart rate dropped dangerously low, but despite the eventful ordeal the couple are already planning their next child - Katie’s fifth.

Speaking to The Sun newspaper, she said: “We’ve been through a nightmare, but it’s made me and Kieran so much stronger and we can’t wait to have another baby.” The 35-yearold star was rushed to hospital while on holiday in Europe with her family and was forced to deliver her son eight weeks early in a foreign hospital after tests showed she had an infection, which ran the risk of harming the baby in her womb. Katie has revealed she wanted to hit someone in the face because she barely got to spend any time with her newborn before he was whisked away to be accessed. She said: “The only thing that had got me through the nightmare was the thought of cradling my little boy. But he was only put near my face for seconds. I was really upset. I felt like punching someone.” The former glamour model - who has 11-year-old son Harvey from her relationship with Dwight Yorke, and son Junior, eight, and daughter Princess Tiaamii, six, with her exhusband Peter Andre - is still in hospital but has assured her fans that all is well.

Niall Horan dating Ellie Goulding?

N

iall Horan is reportedly dating Ellie Goulding. The One Direction heartthrob and the ‘Explosions’ hitmaker have sparked rumours they’ve struck up a budding romance after they were spotted canoodling during Kings of Leon’s performance at Virgin Media’s V Festival in Chelmsford, Essex, on Sunday night. The blonde beauty who called time on her relationship with Jeremy Irvine last month - appeared to be giggling away as Niall threw his arms around her, while bodyguards protected the pair from fans attempting to take photos. The duo reportedly snuck off early during the band’s final track - ‘Sex is on Fire’ - to avoid the masses of fans, before ending the night in the exclusive Mahiki area at the festival for some cocktails, according to the Daily Mirror newspaper. The 19-year-old heartthrob previously admitted to having a crush on the 26year-old singer after claiming that he and his bandmates Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik struggle to make time for a relationship because of their busy schedule. He said: “I’ll say one thing: Ellie Goulding wow. She’s absolutely amazing looking.” The pair shared a mutual love-in on Twitter two months ago when Niall complimented the ‘Lights’ hitmaker on her “beautiful voice”. He

Humes in sickly situation

rents $3.7 million mansion

T

aylor Swift performed a duet with Cher Lloyd during her concert at the Los Angeles Staples Centre on Monday night. The ‘Trouble’ singer surprised fans by bringing out the 20-year-old pop star during her sold out performance at the 18,000 capacity venue. Cher teamed up with Taylor to perform her 2012 hit ‘Want U Back’ which charted at number 12 in the US Billboard charts. Taylor described the impromptu collaboration as her “favourite” moment of the gig. The 23-year-old musician wrote: “One of my favorite moments of the night was @CherLloyd coming out to sing ‘Want U Back’. The crowd went insane!! And she’s such a fun girl! To everyone who came to the show tonight in LA, I adore you. To anyone coming to the next 3 shows, expect more of the unexpected :) (sic)” Cher - who has enjoyed mainstream success since initially finding fame on ‘The X Factor’ UK in 2010 - was clearly thrilled to perform with the pop sensation. Cher posted a photo of the pair hugging and smiling together backstage with the accompanying caption: “Had the most amazing time performing with @taylorswift13 , She’s the sweetest girl I’ve ever met!!!

Loved it!!! Xxx (sic)” Taylor will play her fourth sold-out show at the Staples Centre on Saturday (24.08.13) after which she’ll claim the record for the solo artist with the most sell outs gigs at the Los Angeles venue, with 11 to date. The star will be tied with Latin pop group Mana for the most overall sell outs, for which she’s being acknowledged on Tuesday (20.08.13) by Staples Senior Vice President and General Manager Lee Zeidman and officials from ‘Red Tour’ promoter the Messina Group.

R

ochelle Humes was left grossed out after her baby was sick on her face.

The Saturdays singer was incredulous when her three-month-old tot Alaia-Mai - who she has with her husband, JLS star Mar vin Humes projectile vomited all over her face with no prior warning, forcing her to change her sick-stained outfit. She posted on Twitter: “Alaia-Mai was just sick on my face..wow... second time I have got dressed today lol / Bless her for Mumma lol x / Her timing is always unbelievable LOL xx (sic)” The 24year-old star hasn’t been having much luck today. She announced she had broken her phone and lost all her contacts just one hour before the baby’s barfing incident. She wrote: “Friends. I broke my phone and lost everryyy number!! If you have mine please can you text me yours xx (sic)” Rochelle and Marvin - who have landed a role guest hosting breakfast show ‘This Morning’ - have been enjoying parenthood so far and recently revealed Alaia-Mai was a well behaved baby. The ‘All Fired Up’ singer gushed: “It’s going well, she only wakes up once in the night so great so far ... We’ve been living in a bubble. “She’s amazing. I don’t know who she’s more like, she looks like my baby pictures but everyone says me and Marvin look similar anyway - she looks like his brother actually!”

wrote previously: “Just listening to some @elliegoulding !

What a talent she is! Beautiful voice ! (sic)”. Eventually, Ellie spotted the comment and later replied: “I knew you loved me hahaha. (sic)”. Niall spent much of Saturday at the festival relaxing in the Virgin Media Louder Lounge VIP area where he was spotted scoffing pancakes - although the pop superstar didn’t have any cash to pay for his sweet treat and had to borrow some money from a pal. — Agencies

Blanchett didn’t work with Allen to get an Oscar

C

ate Blanchett didn’t work with Woody Allen because she wants an Oscar. The actress - has been tipped to win an Academy Award for her lead role in Woody’s latest film, ‘Blue Jasmine’, but played the rumors down at the film’s Australian premiere in Sydney. Cate - who already won an Oscar in 2005 for her role in ‘ The Aviator’ alongside Leonardo DiCaprio said: “I don’t think anyone enters into an exchange with Woody thinking about that as an outcome. I think along with those actresses he’s created a number of iconic, strange, weird and wonderful women that have been on celluloid.” The 44year-old star admitted she hadn’t initially read the script to the film, but didn’t need long to consider working with the director, who has previously taken home five Oscars. She said: “I think most people [want to sign up immediately] when they hear Woody Allen wants to work with them. Apart from being a great filmmaker and auteur, he’s an incredible dramatist.”

‘Blue Jasmine’ follows an elite New York City housewife who loses her wealth and powerful status when her businessman husband - played by Alec Baldwin - is found guilty of running an investment scam.

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

LIFESTYLE M U S I C

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M O V I E S

Fans wait for the arrival of the British boyband One Direction ahead of the world premier of their feature film ‘One Direction:This Is Us’ in Leicester Square, central London, yesterday. The film, made by ‘Super Size Me’ director Morgan Spurlock, shows the group in concert at London’s O2 Arena, along with fly-on-the-wall footage showing what life is like inside one of the world’s biggest bands. (Right) Fans wait for the arrival of the British boyband One Direction ahead of the world premier of their feature film “One Direction: This Is Us”.

One Direction launch 3D behind-the-scenes documentary ‘This Is Us’ ritish boy band One Direction, one of the pop music industry’s biggest acts in the last two years, plan to show the world what they’re really like in a new 3D documentary that will premiere in London yesterday. The five singers told a news conference in the British capital on Monday that “This Is Us” allowed them to present themselves in a more realistic manner than they are depicted on videos, in concert and on the ubiquitous social media sites that track their every movement on and off stage.

“There is only so much you can get across in terms of your personality, you know, social media and like 10-minute interviews you do with people,” singer Harry Styles said. “So I think ...(it’s) a way for us to get across what we are like and what we are like with each other for the fans to see.” Band members Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and

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Styles were all on hand to talk about the behind-thescenes film and the media interest that has engulfed them since they first became a group on a British TV talent show in 2010.

The film, directed by “Super Size Me” documentary maker Morgan Spurlock, includes concert footage, life backstage and on the road. But Styles laughed off one reporter’s question about whether footage with groupies or drugs had been edited out. “ This is a family press conference,” Styles said.

Spurlock said the film would show that part of the band’ssuccess stems from their down-to-earth personalities. “Part of the reason I think they have been so successful with their fans is that they are so incredibly grounded and normal and that’s what comes off in the movie, there’s no air of superiority,” he said.

‘We’re not celebrities’ One Direction shot to fame as runners-up on “The X Factor” television singing competition and have conquered the global market with two albums and a string of catchy hit singles. They said in May they are working on a third “edgy” album and will embark on a world tour next year.

The band, whose members are aged in their late teens and early 20s, topped the Billboard 200 album chart twice last year with “Up All Night” and their second album “ Take Me Home”. They were named Billboard’s top new artist/group in 2012.

In an interview with Reuters TV on Monday, Malik said certain aspects of fame took the band by surprise. “We never wanted to have the title ‘celebrity,’ we just want to be normal lads in a music band.

We’re not celebrities, we’re just in a band,” the singer

said. Horan added that the documentary helped the band members themselves process the phenomenon that One Direction has become.

“Because we live in this bubble ... we don’t get to see exactly what it’s like because it’s happening to us,” he said. Hundreds of fans have already started to camp out in London’s Leicester Square for a chance to see One Direction walk the red carpet at the film’s world premiere yesterday. The band has a devoted following of fans around the world mainly comprising teenage girls, including 14 million Twitter followers, and Tomlinson said he felt a certain responsibility to the young fan base. “Being put in this position, you almost feel with the likes of Twitter, you almost feel pressured to be that role model, and it’s kind of balancing that and meeting in the middle,” he said. — Reuters

Dick Van Dyke escapes

unhurt from car fire on Los Angeles freeway

eteran actor Dick Van Dyke, best known for his hit television comedy of the 1960s, survived a car fire unscathed on Monday when a passerby pulled him from the smoldering vehicle before it burst into flames on the side of a Los Angeles-area freeway. A spokesman for the California Highway Patrol confirmed that the 87-year-old performer was the driver seen slumped over the steering wheel of a Jaguar that was reported to be on fire on the shoulder of the Ventura Freeway.

Van Dyke said a group of motorists who stopped to render assistance, one of them apparently an off-duty firefighter, saw him huddled in the driver’s seat while he was trying to place a call for help and pulled him out of the car to safety. “They thought I had passed out so they yanked me out of the car,” Van Dyke recounted in an interview with the celebrity news website TMZ.com, saying he had not initially realized that his car was burning.

“It just started making a noise, and I thought I had a flat at first, then it started to smoke, then it burned to a crisp,” he said smiling. He added that he was unhurt and got out of the vehicle “long before” it went up in flames. Still, he counted himself lucky

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Brown

File photo shows actor Dick Van Dyke at the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. —AP to be alive. “Not only that, there was a fireman, a nurse and a cop just happened to be passing by. Somebody’s looking after me.” The actor’s publicist, Bob Palmer, said the car, a “brand new” Jaguar, inexplicably caught fire after Van Dyke heard an unusual noise while driving and pulled over to the shoulder of the freeway. He quoted Van Dyke, who had been on his way to a dental appointment, saying afterward, “The only

thing I’m embarrassed about is that I could never figure out that damned car.”

‘He’s fine, thank god’ Firefighters were “quickly able to extinguish the flames and evaluate the driver’s medical condition. He did not require transport to a medical facility,” Los Angeles city fire department spokesman Erik Scott said. Palmer said the actor was back at his home and was fine. A six-second video clip

pulls out of Canada festival, shows canceled Insane Clown Posse feels qualified to do FUSE show A four-concert festival in Canada has been canceled after its headliner, R&B singer Chris Brown, had to pull out for personal and health reasons, the festival’s promoter said on Monday.

“After ongoing conversation and consultation with this year’s headline act Chris Brown, and in light of the performer’s recent personal and health-related issues, a decision has been made to cancel all four scheduled performances,” Drop Entertainment Group owner Stephen Tobin said in a statement about the Energy/Summer Rush Canadian concert series that was to run Aug 29 to Sept 1. “In the absence of a festival headliner, we cannot proceed.” Brown, 24, is on probation in California for assaulting former girlfriend and fellow singer Rihanna in 2009, and has become a polarizing figure after the assault, which took place in Los Angeles on the eve of that year’s Grammy awards.

Neither the promoter nor Brown’s publicist elaborated on the issues behind the cancellation. But the publicist did confirm that the Grammy winner suffered a non-epileptic seizure on Aug 9 in Los Angeles. The decision also comes after some sponsors, including Canadian telecom company Rogers Communications Inc and Molson Coors Brewing Co, pulled their affiliation with the concert in Halifax, Nova Scotia, after Brown was named as a performer. “Our agreement to continue sponsorship of the series was made before Chris Brown’s appearance was announced,” Rogers spokeswoman Heather Robinson said.

“However, as soon as he was confirmed as one of eight performers, we decided to withdraw our sponsorship.” An online petition in Nova Scotia protesting Brown performing in Halifax gained more than 16,000 signatures and the city’s mayor, Mike Savage, also spoke out against the “Turn Up the Music” singer playing there. The concert series is to be rescheduled for 2014, the promoter said. The shows were scheduled for Winnipeg, Manitoba; Toronto; Halifax; and Saint John, New Brunswick. Last week, Brown agreed to complete an additional 1,000 hours of community labor in Los Angeles after his probation was temporarily revoked and he was accused of cutting corners on earlier community labor work. — AP

hey are the self-proclaimed “Most Hated Band in the World,” and now they’re bringing their own theater of the absurd to the Fuse Network with the aptly titled “Insane Clown Posse Theater.” For 24 years, Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler have taken on the persona of wicked clowns, transforming themselves into their alter egos, Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope.

On their weekly forum, the Detroit-area rappers critique all things pop culture, claiming to bring an outsider’s perspective “as people not involved with pop culture.” A good part of the show has the guys critiquing music videos, much like Beavis and Butthead from a generation ago. “Maybe this is conceited, but I don’t care,” Bruce said. “This is what we believe right here. Nobody is qualified to do something like this as ICP because ICP is the only group in the position in the history of rock ‘n’ roll that ever sold as many millions of records as we had and had as much success as we’ve had and it’s still considered a joke. It’s still considered the most hated band in the world.”

With a sardonic smile, he added: “We love to be hated.” Perhaps that’s just when it comes to their music because both want the show to go beyond their infamous Juggalo fan base. Throughout their long career, what the duo had lacked in terms of a mainstream audience was overshadowed by their dedicated, clown-faced fan base known as Juggalos.

A portion of this vast subculture has come under attack in recent years, and at one point the FBI had classified them as a “gang threat.” The band filed a lawsuit that was eventually settled, saying that a majority of Juggalos are law-abiding folks who are simply misunderstood.

“Calling them a gang is people who fear what they don’t understand,” Bruce said. Utsler added: “It’s a huge body of people. In any group that large you’re going to have people that aren’t the most fantastic people in the world. You’re going to have awesome people. So how can you say just because, like, there is

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a group of kids that happen to be Juggalos that are in a gang that you can say like, little Jimmy Beaver from Iowa in the cornfields is a gang member because he’s a Juggalo? That’s ridiculous. It’s stupid.”

The band started to gather this fan base in the mid-1990s with the song “The Juggla,” and started calling people around them Juggalos. The name stuck and the fan base grew. As for “Insane Clown Posse Theater,” the guys have poked fun at videos by Miley Cyrus, D’Angelo, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and Christina Aguilera. Besides watching music videos, they have a different guest star each week, make fun of red carpet photos and poke fun at different trends. One thing that they won’t do is talk about news. “I don’t care about a royal baby,” Utsler said. “I don’t care about Detroit going bankrupt. I’m just living. And I don’t know all the details. I don’t know politics, who caused it or why it’s caused? I’m just dumb like that because I don’t care.” — AP

File photo shows Joseph Utsler, also known as Shaggy 2 Dope, left, and Joseph Bruce, also known as Violent J, from Insane Clown Posse, in New York. — AP

posted on Twitter by Van Dyke’s wife, Arlene, showed the performer’s charred vehicle on the freeway and a brief glimpse of the actor talking to officials at the scene.

Van Dyke appeared unharmed in the video clip.

A caption accompanying the clip said: “Van Dyke’s melted car ... He’s fine thank God!!” The tall, lanky actor, whose air of affability and gift for physical comedy helped make “The Dick Van Dyke Show” one of the most beloved sitcoms in US television history, received a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild in January. The sitcom, co-starring Mary Tyler Moore as his wife, ran on CBS from the fall of 1961 to the fall of 1966 and continued on in syndicated reruns for decades.

His role as the comedy writer and family man Rob Petrie, earned him three Emmy awards.

Van Dyke also starred in the family musical movies “Mary Poppins” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” and the original Broadway cast of the Tony-winning musical “Bye Bye Birdie.” He reprised his stage role for a 1963 film version of that show. He scored another prime-time hit with the crime drama “Diagnosis Murder” in the 1990s and early 2000s. — Reuters

‘Butler’ tops N America box office ee Daniels’ “The Butler,” about an African American who witnesses decades of US history as a White House servant, debuted at the top of the North American box office, final figures showed Monday. The historical drama, which stars Forest Whitaker in the title role and Oprah Winfrey as his wife, pulled in $24.6 million over the weekend, industry tracker Exhibitor Relations said.

“We’re the Millers,” a dark comedy about potsmuggling starring Jennifer Aniston as a stripper, finished in second place with $18 million.

Last week’s top earner, science-fiction thriller “Elysium” starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster, dropped to third place at $13.7 million. Animated film “Planes,” a spin-off of the hugely successful “Cars” franchise, landed in fourth place, raking in $13.4 million, just ahead of superhero sequel “KickAss 2,” which debuted at $13.3 million.

“Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters,” an adaptation based on the book series by Rick Riordan about a schoolboy who is the son of the Greek god of the sea, Poseidon, made $8.8 million, dropping to sixth place from fourth last week. “Jobs,” the biopic with Ashton Kutcher in the role of Apple founder Steve Jobs, opened over the weekend in seventh place, with $6.7 million in box office receipts. The Denzel Washington-Mark Wahlberg action comedy “2 Guns” slid to eighth place after three weeks in theaters, making $5.8 million. Ninth went to “The Smurfs 2” with $4.8 million in ticket sales, while “The Wolverine,” with Hugh Jackman, clung to tenth, making $4.5 million. — AFP

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

lifestyle

Bolivian he’s 123, F E A T U R E S

says

Carmelo Flores Laura gestures in the community of Frasquia.

may be world’s oldest person C ould this be the world’s oldest person? Carmelo Flores Laura lives high in the Bolivian mountains, chews coca leaves, cooks on open fires and says he’s 123 years old. Flores Laura was born on July 16, 1890, according to his government identification card. Bolivia’s Electoral Tribunal confirmed his identity and his age.

“His residence is in Frasquia, and as a profession he is a farmer,” the office told AFP. According to the document, this Bolivian Methuselah was born in the same year as Charles de Gaulle and Ho Chi Mihn, and 13 years before the Wright brothers flew their airplane in Kitty Hawk. According to the Guinness World Records, the world’s oldest person whose age could be verified was a French woman, Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122. The official world’s oldest man is 112 year-old Salustiano Sanchez Blazquez, a Spaniard living in New York. Government officials in La Paz said that they will approach Guinness to update their records with information on their aged compatriot.

Bolivian Carmelo Flores Laura, an Aymara native who claims is 123 years old and if confirmed would be the oldest man alive, waves outside his house. — AFP photos

Life on the top of the world Flores Laura speaks only speaks Aymara, the language of the Andean

natives of Peru and Bolivia. He is 1.6 meters (five foot three inches) tall, has no teeth, and walks with some difficulty but without a cane. He does not wear glasses. When he goes outside he wears a wool cap known as a chullo that covers his ears under his broad-brimmed hat-protection from both the bitter cold and the bright sunlight of the Bolivian altiplano. Frasquia is a quiet cluster of adobe-brick buildings 4,050 meters above sea level and some 100 kilometers northwest of La Paz. The hamlet is near Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake, and at the foot of the snow-capped Mount Illampu.

There is a school, a small clinic and access to electricity, but the nearest grocery is a three-hour walk away in the town of Arista.

Onions, potato and broad beans are grown, watered by runoff from Illampu’s snow.

Flores Laura arrived in Frasquia as a young man from a nearby village searching for work, and fell in love with a local widow.

The couple married and had three children.

“She died a long time ago,” Flores Laura tells AFP, speaking through an interpreter.

His wife was 107 years old when she died, according to Flores Laura’s 27-year-old grandson. Two of the old man’s children

Carmelo Flores Laura chews coca leaves. have also died. “I only have one surviving son, Cecilio,” Flores Laura said, moved by just mentioning his name. Cecilio lives in the working class town of El Alto, just outside of the capital La Paz. Flores Laura also has 14 grandchildren, and 39 great-grandchildren. With a mouth full of coca leaves, Carmelo Flores Laura recounts passages of his long life in short bursts, speaking slowly and with difficulty.

Back in the old days When he was young he worked as a farmhand on the estate of a wealthy landowner named Mollinedo, he recalls. Later he was drafted into the army to fight in the 1932 to 1935 Chaco War between Bolivia and Paraguay. “They took me to La Paz as a common soldier,” he said. He also recalls participating in many of the uprisings and coups that shook Bolivia in the 20th centuries. “We’d go to fight with clubs and slings,” he said.

However his memory has faded over the years, and he doesn’t remember any of the causes or leaders he fought for. Finding food in the bleak region was always a challenge. “Before, there was nothing to eat.

That’s why we even had to eat lizards. I trapped lizards and snakes and would slit open their bellies. I’d fry them or put them in the soup,” he said. “I’d prepare myself soup with quinoa leaves. But now I can buy rice and noodles to mix in.” Flores Laura said that he also used to hunt foxes, and he still prepares his meals over an open-flame fire using llama dung as fuel. “I know Carmelo, he’s my neighbor of course, my elder,” said 80 year-old Francisca Aruquipa, a Frasquia resident, also speaking in Aymara. “The man used to like to dance.” — AFP

Kellan Lutz of ‘Twilight’ unveils new fashion line

‘Garconne’: Actor-designer Kellan Lutz, right, and his partner Danny Guez look through their prespring 2014 clothing line Abbot + Main at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. — AP photos hat’s a hulking vampire to do described as trendiness-challenged - he without moody mortals in dis- started modeling at 14 and developed tress and with no more comput- an eye for style hanging out with fashion er-enhanced battles to wage in the for- and photography greats. Soon enough, est? For 28-year-old “ Twilight” actor he stopped borrowing clothes from Kellan Lutz - better known as Emmett some of his six brothers. They were borCullen, the heartthrob brother of leading rowing from him.

His brand - which debuted in 2011 man Edward - it’s still about looking as good as superhumanly possible. Lutz and is named after an intersection in the unveiled his Pre-Spring 2014 collection beachy-cool Venice Beach, Calif neighwith Abbot + Main this week in Las Vegas borhood where Lutz once lived - mainly during MAGIC, one of the fashion world’s consists of soft, slim-fitting T-shirts and not-trying-too-hard hoodies. Initially just for men, two-thirds of the collection is now for women. There’s a peachcolored, long-sleeved sweater of translucent hacci fabric; a draping tank top in matte gray.

Meant for layering, prints and logos are nowhere to be found.

Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom carry the line.

Pants retail for $91, while hoodies go for $98. Lutz works with business partners mainly over Skype as Kellan Lutz holds up an item from his pre-spring he travels around the world filming. He’s star2014 clothing line. ring as the oft-shirtless Hercules in the upcoming “Hercules 3D.” most influential trade shows.

“It’s great to find something outside After MAGIC, he’ll be headed to Bulgaria of acting,” he said in an interview to shoot “The Expendables 3,” an action Monday at a Las Vegas Strip hotel suite, thriller that’s set to include Sylvester resting a chiseled, stubbly chin on a sofa Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and pillow. Born in North Dakota and raised things blowing up. Stephenie Meyer, in Arizona and the Midwest - places he author of the books that led to the movie series that grossed $1.4 billion in US box office receipts, told “Variety” last week that she’s done with the fantastical world of glittery-skinned, bloodthirsty knockouts.

“I get further away every day,” Meyer’s quoted as saying. “I am so over it. For me, it’s not a happy place to be.” But the small supporting role that carved him a place in the acting world - and in many a teen girl’s heart looms large for Lutz. “I’m so thankful for everything that movie’s done for me,” Kellan Lutz looks through his pre-spring 2014 cloth- he said. “‘Twilight’ gave ing line Abbot + Main. me a name.” — AP

Giorgio Armani’s

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new collection

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t’s a way of living, and interpreting femininity the kind of independent spirit that ignores conformism and all that is commonplace. it’s an autonomous way of dressing and mixing pieces, a personal attitude to pairing accessories, that defines a particular style and character.

“Garconne” features simple lines, while its perfect cuts and combinations of materials transform it into something decidedly avant-garde black, its overarching color, enhances the figure, emphasizing its shape with jeweled jackets, trousers and skirts-cum-bermuda shorts, as well as with long, hip-hugging skirts that end in a bias cut.

Hints of white create luminosity and contrast, as do the golden fabrics paired with lacquered black shoes and accessories.

Calculated eccentricity shines through in berets featuring special workmanship in woven velvet, their spherical forms adorning the head, as well as in exquisite suspenders, evening and daywear “Garconne” jumpsuits and embroidered tops.

Woven, lacquered high-heeled shoes leave a luminous wake black onyx buckles are a common thread running through the jewellery, and make their mark on accessories, echoing the button motif that also runs through the collection.

Versace plans hotel in

Asian gambling hub Macau

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talian fashion house Versace says it has signed a deal to build a luxury hotel at a casino-resort in Macau, the world’s top gambling market. Versace and Macau casino operator SJM said in a joint statement yesterday that the Palazzo Versace hotel will be part of the resort SJM is building in the former Portuguese colony.

SJM, founded by billionaire Stanley Ho, received official approval in May to build a 2,000-room resort with 700 gambling tables. It will be SJM’s first resort on the Cotai Strip, modeled as Asia’s version of the Las Vegas Strip.

Macau is the only place in China where are casinos are legal. It earned $38 billion in casino revenue last year thanks to rising numbers of affluent mainland Chinese visitors. —AP

Donatella Versace

Handbags haul for Italian police in secret cellar raid

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talian police said yesterday they had seized 320,000 counterfeit handbags and accessories with fake labels from Gucci and Prada hidden in a secret cellar and shut down 15 websites selling illegal luxury items. The two operations are the latest in a crackdown this year that has led to the seizure of 64 million fake goods and 50 arrests of people “affiliated with criminal groups,” the police said in a statement. A police video showed officers from the financial crimes police in Vicenza in northern Italy tearing down a fake partition to reach a room in a sweatshop where some of the counterfeit items were stored.

“The organisation was run by Italians,

Romanians, Senegalese and Moroccans and production took place in Campania and Lombardy,” the regions around Naples in the south and Milan in the north, the police said.

Counterfeit labels for top fashion brands Prada, Fendi, Armani Jeans, D&G, Louis Vuitton and Roberto Cavalli could be seen in the police video. Fake goods are widely available in Italy despite repeated crackdowns on the business and are usually sold by unlicensed street vendors in tourist hotspots. In another operation in Bergamo, the police said they had shut down 15 websites that were selling counterfeit goods online, posing as official retailers for some of the world’s top fashion brands. — AFP

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

lifestyle T R A V E L

Archaeologists race to save Gaza’s ancient ruins

File photo shows a baptism basin is pictured at St Hilarion’s monastery in the Jabaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip. (Right) A man walks through remains of St Hilarion’s monastery in the Jabaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip. — AP photos

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he ruins of this ancient complex sit on dunes by the sea, a world away from Gaza City’s noise and bustle. Up in the sky, birds compete for space with children’s kites flying from a nearby farm. St Hilarion’s monastery, a reminder of the time in late antiquity when Christianity was the dominant faith in what is now the Gaza Strip, is one of many archaeological treasures scattered across this coastal territory. But Gaza is one of the most crowded places on earth, and the rapid spread of its urban sprawl is endangering sites spanning 4,500 years, from Bronze Age ramparts to colorful Byzantine mosaics, experts say.

Archaeologists, short of funds and unable to find sufficient trained local staff, say they are scrambling to find and protect the monuments. Some are left open to the weather.

Others are engulfed by new development projects. “Archaeology in Gaza is everywhere,” says French archaeologist Jean-Baptiste Humbert, who excavated in the territory from 1995 to 2005. He says it was once a “very rich oasis, with gardens, cities and you have settlements, dwellings, fortresses, cities everywhere, everywhere.” The strip of land on the Mediterranean, sandwiched by Israel and Egypt, is now largely isolated, but once was a thriving crossroads between Africa, the Levant and Asia. Today, about 1.7 million Palestinians are squeezed into about 360 square kilometers (140 square miles), an area roughly twice the size of Washington, DC. The need for housing is in Gaza greater than that for preserving ancient artifacts, said Humbert, who is affiliated with the Ecole Biblique, a French academic institution in Jerusalem. Not only does the territory have a

high birth rate, but since the Islamic militant Hamas group seized Gaza in 2007, construction has often been interrupted by shortages in building materials caused by border blockades enforced by Israel and Egypt. Six years on, the ruins of St. Hilarion about 10 kilometers (six miles) southwest of Gaza City illustrate the challenges of saving Gaza’s ancient treasures.

The two-hectare (five-acre) monastery complex, known in Arabic as Tel Umm Amer, is believed to mark the birthplace of St Hilarion, a fourth century AD. Christian monk considered to be one of the founders of monasticism in the Holy Land. The site includes walls and foundations that are the remains of two churches, a cemetery, baths, a baptism hall and mosaic pavements.

The ruins were uncovered in 1999, said Nabila Maliha, an archaeologist at Gaza’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Now, local authorities have trouble preserving it. “We lack the capability, the support and the proper materials,” she said. Ecole Biblique, the UN cultural agency UNESCO and students from Gaza’s Islamic University have tried to help.

Preservation work includes covering the mosaic with a protective layer of sand, shoring up crumbling walls with sandbags and clearing weeds. A shortage of trained local staff is a problem. After Hamas seized Gaza from its political rival, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, most of the civil servants at the time stayed away from their jobs. As part of the dispute between the two factions, Abbas’ West Bank-based government only paid civil servants who did not work. Employees hired by the Antiquities Ministry after 2007 don’t have enough experience, said the deputy minister,

Photo shows a man looks at a mosaic at St Hilarion’s monastery in the Jabaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip.

Mohammed Khella, adding that some of the Gaza. Another site, called Jebaliyah, is located archaeological sites in Gaza are “in very bad just 100 meters (yards) from a refugee camp of condition.” As a result of the border blockades, the same name, the largest of eight camps in local staff had difficult leaving Gaza for training Gaza.

Here, Humbert is trying to shield a abroad.

Even foreign help can only do so much, and Byzantine mosaic pavement dating back to the an injection of money - according to Humbert sixth century. But the concrete shelter that at least 35,000 euros ($47,000) a year - is need- would protect it from the weather will cost ed to preserve sites like St Hilarion. UNESCO $75,000 and the archaeologist is still looking has given some money, but “funds needed to for funding. The Jebaliyah mosaic pavement is complete the emergency measures to put the part of what once was a Byzantine church site in safety are not available,” said Junaid located on the road from Gaza to Jerusalem.

Sorosh-Wali, from the Ramallah office of Weather can also contribute to a site’s demise, UNESCO, the office responsible for the works in such as at Tel Es-Sakan in central Gaza. It was

excavated in 2000 by French universities and contains the oldest rampart ever discovered in the Middle East, dating back some 3,500 years, Humbert said. But once uncovered, the mud bricks were exposed to rain and the walls started to vanish. Today, only a few remnants still exist.

The biggest threat to Tel Es-Sakan, however, was the construction of a branch of the Palestine University in 2008 that eventually brought about the destruction of one-fourth of the site, said Humbert. An official at the university said that it received full approval from the government before starting construction, and that the building was monitored by the municipality. He spoke anonymously as he had no authorization to talk to the media. Despite the challenges, the local antiquities authority has conducted its own excavation, at Tel Rafah along the border with Egypt, for the past three years. The site is believed to correspond to a Roman-era city where coins, jars, tools and animal remains have been found.

Humbert estimated that several dozen more archaeological sites are “buried under the sand” in Gaza. New discoveries are made all the time as buildings are being constructed, he said, but residents only report finds to the authorities in some cases.

Gaza only has a handful of museums that can help connect the residents and their heritage. The ministry runs the public Qasr alBasha Museum, while construction company owner Jawdat Koudary runs a private one. But for the time being, Humbert said, any archaeologist in Gaza “is like a mad man running here, running there, to check what is in the process of destruction.” — AP

Afghanistan’s circus gives children fun with a future

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linging sparkling clubs into the air, the girls showed off their juggling skills as the boys executed dazzling acrobatics and climbed into a four-storey human pyramid. Afghanistan’s Mobile Mini Circus for Children would have been heretical under the Taliban, when music was banned by the Islamic fundamentalist movement and girls were forbidden from performing in public and going to school. But today the circus, founded by Danish dance instructor David Mason to teach cooperation and creativity to children scarred by years of war, is one of few projects expanding despite a drop in international aid to Afghanistan.

“Left on the street, kids turn to bad things, becoming suicide bombers or street thugs,” said Murtaza Nowrozi, an 18-year-old juggler from the western province of Herat. “It’s better for them to go to school and join programs like this.” Nowrozi found out about the circus at school but many of the members are orphans or from refugee camps.

The most talented children have been on tour to Denmark, Germany, Italy and Japan, and some have stayed on with the project to become teachers. Mason started the circus with his own money and got the first donation of $1,000 in 2002, the year after US-led forces invaded Afghanistan to oust the Taliban. Despite the dangers, the project has grown so popular that it now runs centres in seven provinces and has about 300 regular students. With dozens of donors and workshops to raise money, the budget is close to $500,000 and its tours of 25 of the country’s 34 provinces have reached nearly 3 million people.

Doing things the Afghan way The brightly painted circus “funtainers” - shipping containers converted into practice and performance areas - are hard to miss, but the shows are tailored to regional customs. In eastern parts of the country, girls do not perform. In the ultra-conservative south, performances run without music. Passages from the Koran, the central religious text of Islam, are always recited at the start. “We are doing things in a very Afghan and Islamic way,” said Mason, noting that all of the circus staff, children and customs are native to the country. “We are not trying to come up with new ideas unfamiliar to Afghans.”

Mason refuses to be dispirited by the prospect of a Taliban revival. He is confident the circus will thrive despite the deterioration in security conditions accompanying the withdrawal of foreign troops from various areas as they prepare to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014. “It’s just a matter of mutual understanding and accepting each other,” Mason said.

That message also applies to the National Circus Festival run by the project each year to bring together circus children from different provinces and ethnic groups to encourage them to work together and become friends. “What we do at the social circus is, for example, making the pyramid,” said Mason. “You have 10 people that have to, with all their bones and muscles, understand themselves and the others.”

The festival, including a juggling championship, was held in and around Kabul in mid-August. On the last day, the winners of a photography competition were invited on stage to show poster-sized images of their work. All turned out to be girls, including Shazia, 13, from the northern Panjshir Valley. “When they first gave me a camera, I felt very intimidated. I was a poor Afghan girl who had never held a camera before so I was terrified my pictures would be bad,” said Shazia, who like many Afghans has only one name. “Now I’m so happy I won, I feel like I can succeed at many things I haven’t tried before.” — Reuters

File photo taken on March 22, 2013 shows houses in the Kasbah of Algiers.

—AFP photos

Algerian boys walking in a narrow street of the Kasbah of Algiers.

Neglect and decay threaten historic Algiers Kasbah W

ith its rich history, winding white-washed alleyways and enviable Mediterranean setting, the Kasbah of Algiers has been a world heritage site for 20 years but is now threatened by neglect and decay.

The city within a city, crowned by a 16th-century hilltop citadel overlooking the bay and studded with Ottoman palaces, hammams, mosques and souks, has been rocked down the centuries by earthquakes, fires, floods and conflict.

The “outstanding” value of what has survived gained official recognition in 1992 when it was awarded world heritage status. The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation described the city as “one of the finest coastal sites on the Mediterranean”. But little has been done since, and certainly not fast enough, to preserve this unique medina, or Islamic city, from gradual decline, experts say. Abdelwahab Zekkar, who heads the national office for the management of protected cultural assets, says a plan to renovate the Kasbah was launched only in 2007, and the studies were finished in May 2010.

“It took more than three years,” he told AFP. The buildings in the walled medina, more than 80 percent of which are privately owned, were largely abandoned during Algeria’s civil war in the 1990s, when the warren of streets offered sanctuary to Islamist insurgents. The Kasbah had done the same for Algerian nationalists during the war of independence against France 40 years earlier-a struggle later immortalized in Gillo Pontecorvo’s film “The Battle of Algiers”. The departure of many inhabitants also meant that people “did what they wanted”, building in an unregulated, chaotic fashion, Zekkar said.

The French were to blame for damage done during the colonial period, when they knocked down the lower part of the town that connected it to the sea. Wandering

through the medina today invariably means surprises, like coming upon a palace or historic mosque, carefully restored houses and a team of Polish builders in charge of renovating the citadel. But overcrowding, neglect and a disregard for sanitation are all too visible in the narrow streets, where rudimentary scaffolding props up the walls of houses on the point of collapse and stray cats forage in stinking piles of rubbish.

An Algerian woman going down the stairs of the Kasbah of Algiers.

‘The Kasbah is still alive, but very sick’ The flight of residents during the civil war failed to halt the long-term population boom, from around 30,000 inhabitants in the 19th century to some 52,000 now.

Adding to the problems it faces, the densely populated town is on a slope “so all the houses are supporting each other”, Zekkar said. If one falls, “all the rest could come down with it.” The state has rehoused people whose dwellings are most threatened, giving rise to a common scam in which relatives, neighbors or friends move in and promptly demand new accommodation in their turn, according to Halim Faidi, an architect and Kasbah specialist. But some residents like Nasser Eddine Meziane have taken on the task of trying to stop the rot.

He is doing up the house he inherited from his parents with the help of a few builders and some public funding. “I’m just a simple worker who earns 18,000 dinars (168 euros / 224 dollars) per month, while the restoration will cost around 60,000 euros,” he said. “We’ve done nearly six months of work. We changed the ceilings, the floors and the drains. We had to strip the walls.”

Algeria’s burgeoning bureaucracy has played its part in hampering the renovation process.

A national agency is responsible for negotiating with owners who repair their houses and offering financial assistance, as well as for selling empty properties to be restored. But that does not stop other authorities, such as the municipal council or neighborhood committees, from disputing the agency’s decisions and priorities.

“The Kasbah is still alive, but it’s very sick,” Zekkar said.

The authorities want to revive old crafts such as carpentry, copper and leather work, and the production of tiles, to preserve the traditions of a place so much a part of Algeria’s history. —AFP

Archaeologists race to save Gaza’s ancient ruins

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013

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A visitor walks through a work by Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez entitled ‘Chromosaturation’ at La Estampa Museum in Caracas on August 18, 2013. Carlos Cruz-Diez, one of the most internationally recognized Venezuelan artists, celebrated his 90th birthday on the eve in Paris, where he has lived and made his research on color and kinetic art since the early sixties. — AFP

Zumba is creating a new fan base for Latin stars Z

umba Fitness instructors worldwide are not only using a Latin- heavy song lineup in their classes, they’re also creating new fans for artists such as Pitbull, Daddy Yankee and Don Omar.

Omar’s “Zumba” has remained high on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart for nearly a year, peaking at No. 2. In Greece, Daddy Yankee’s “Limbo,” currently in the Top 10 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, is featured in a

A woman looks at ‘Cassiopeia, June 1866’ and ‘The Mountain Nymph Sweet Liberty, June 1866’ photographs of a model identified as ‘Mrs Keene’ on display in the exhibition ‘Julia Margaret Cameron’.

— AFP photos

Victorian woman photographer

Cameron celebrated at NY museum show

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ith a camera meant to amuse her in her solitude and some famous friends, Julia Margaret Cameron managed to forge a body of work focused on Victorian portraiture that is still celebrated a century and a half later.

“She was one of the greatest portraitists in photography, and one of the great portraitists in any medium,” said Malcolm Daniel, curator of a new exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art which features 35 pristine 19th-century photographs.

Cameron, who was British and died in 1879, was “eccentric in manner, spiritual in sensibility and unconventional in technique,” Daniel told Reuters on Monday before the opening of the show, which runs through Jan 5. “She was not really interested in the documentation of how people looked. It was about finding the inner spirit and soul of a person,” said Daniel, senior curator at the Met’s Department of Photographs. As such, he added, the pioneering photographer’s work has seen “waves of popularity and dismissal” for generations, with Cameron’s soft focus, long-exposure works deemed variously “treacly, or celebrated as an artist.” For her part, Cameron dismissed documentary portraiture as “mapmaking and skeletal rendering of feature and form.” Cameron received a camera as a Christmas gift in 1863 from her daughter with the idea that “it might amuse you, mother, to try to photograph during your solitude.”

With no training in art, she eschewed professional models, instead shooting friends, family, neighbors and household staff. Her friends were not just ordinary folk - among them were the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson, a neighbor on the Isle of Wight, and the Victorian scientist and mathematician Sir John Herschel, each of whom is represented by several portraits from 1865-66. Cameron’s oeuvre comprised three bodies of work: portraits of great men, such as the philosopher Thomas Carlyle, women such as nieces or maids who often posed as literary or historical figures like Sappho, and staged, costumed tableaux featuring Shakespearean, Biblical or Arthurian themes. —Reuters

promotional video that has Greek Zumba instructors dancing to a Puerto Rican reggaeton beat in a beach setting. “Daddy Yankee texted me five days ago and said, ‘I wanted you to know that ‘Limbo’ is as much your hit as it is my hit,’” said Zumba Fitness co-founder and CEO Alberto Perlman. “It was perfect for Zumba.

When he showed it to us, he said, ‘I said Zumba nine times in the song and it’s because you guys have inspired me.’”

Zumba, a dance-based fitness program created by Colombian dancer and choreographer Alberto “Beto” Perez in 2001, was born and is still based in South Florida. It has expanded worldwide, creating new fans of dance styles such as Perez’s native cumbia and new fans of Latin music. Some 14 million people in 185 countries are now dancing and singing to the songs, smiling and sweating in Zumba classes and clamoring to buy the music.

“Being from Michigan, I wasn’t exposed to any of that music, and now it’s easy to find and we hear it so often,” said Jill Cooper of Ann Arbor, a longtime fitness professional. She was one of 8,000 Zumba instructors from around the world who attended the annual Zumba Instructor Convention in Orlando, Florida. Walking through the convention space, you hear an international smorgasbord of music.

Polynesian music blares from one room while the sexy samba of “Mas que Nada” pulsates next door, all punctuated by a “Yeah!”

And Pitbull, always Pitbull. “My mom loves Pitbull, and she loves Pitbull because of Zumba class,” Perlman said. “She would never, ever have heard Pitbull on the radio because she doesn’t listen to those stations, but because of Zumba class, she’s listening to him and I’m like, ‘Mom, stop singing Pitbull songs.’” Perez said the music is treated differently in Zumba than in traditional aerobics classes. “In the aerobics world, it’s very cheap music. It’s ‘boom-shhboom-shh-boom-shh,’” Perez said, imitating the beat of workout music. “The music is in the background. We need to put the music in front because it’s a party. How do you enjoy the party if the music’s no good?”

Bill Roedy, former chairman and CEO of MTV International, is a consultant for Zumba. He said it’s that party atmosphere that makes people curious about the music. “Zumba has these captive audiences at 160,000 locations around the world, 14 million users every single week, so you get in this room and you’re dancing and you’re getting healthier and you’re listening to this music - you can’t change the radio dial,” Roedy said “It’s a captive audience, and you’re building these endorphins so you feel even better about the music.” Brazilian superstar Claudia Leitte, one of the celebrity coaches on the Brazilian version of “The Voice,” will be a featured performer at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. She recently was named Zumba Fitness’ global ambassador.

“We’ve been talking about Claudia for a very long time and we had a dream of meeting Claudia and trying to get her involved in Zumba because we’d go on YouTube and type in ‘Claudia Leitte’ and see her with concerts of 800,000 people,”

File photo shows Don Omar performing during the Latin Billboard Awards in Coral Gables, Fla. — AP photos Perlman said. “You take the biggest star in the US, multiply that by 10, and that’s Claudia in Brazil.” Leitte, already a fan of the Zumba Fitness workouts, sees the partnership as a love affair of sorts. “It’s about passion. I can see the love in everything that Zumba is doing.”

Leitte was showcased in the Zumba convention’s opening-night concert that also spotlighted Jamaican dancehall performer Sean Paul, Nickelodeon actresssinger Victoria Justice and three singers labeled Zumba Fitness Emerging Artists Haitian singer J. Perry, Colombian singer Mara and American singer Dahrio Wonder.

Perlman said choreography is designed to a particular song. “We have to concentrate on the verse, the chorus, the bells, the drums - anything in the song we can use.

And that makes people have to think about the song while they’re taking the Zumba class.

And that’s why after the class, they always go up to the instructor and say, ‘What was that song that you played?’ and they start singing it. And the instructor says, ‘Oh, that’s Claudia, that’s Victoria, that’s Sean Paul.’ And that drives a lot of sales on iTunes, views on YouTube, social media mentions.” That social media connection and Zumba’s global reach is what has driven Perez to scour the world for new beats, on display in the “Zumba Fitness World Party” video game, which will be in stores in October. The game offers more than 30 global dance and music genres, including salsa, Tahitian, calypso, Bollywood, cumbia, reggaeton, Irish step and capoeira.

“It was just Latin artists, but now artists from different parts of the world come and say, ‘Hey guys, I’m here. Can we do something?’” Perez said. “But I say, ‘Let me hear if your music works for Zumba.’ I can’t call Adele, for example - it doesn’t work, you know? But if maybe Adele says, ‘We can do a song together,’ if we’re working together,

then maybe.” But other artists are a perfect fit, without alterations. “Now the artists come, we make a deal, like Claudia Leitte.

She’s like the Beyonce of Brazil and I say ‘OK. You push us in Brazil, and you want to come to the American market? OK, we push you in America.’”

A big part of that push comes every month to members of the Zumba Instructor Network. Instructors are sent a CD of music to use in their classes, along with a DVD that shows the choreography for each song. That collection comes from Zumba’s music department, headed up by producer-musician Sergio Minski. Zumba’s influence on the music industry had a coming-out party of sorts in April at the Latin Billboard Awards. “Daddy Yankee opened the show with the song ‘Limbo,’ which is pretty much associated with the program,” Minski said. “Don Omar closed the show with the song ‘Zumba.’ And Beto danced with Don Omar, so Zumba pretty much ruled the awards. We opened and closed them. Inevitably it’s getting associated with mainstream music and a lot of artists are just throwing ‘Zumbas’ out there in their songs.” — AP

File photo shows singer Daddy Yankees performing at the Latin Billboard Awards in Coral Gables, Fla.

File photo released by Starpix shows Zumba creator Beto Perez performing at the 2012 Zumbathon Fitness Concert on the first day of the 2012 Zumba Instructor Convention in Orlando, Fla.