27 Aug 2013

CR IP TI ON BS SU

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

Violence rocks troubled Myanmar

Bahrainis march for democratic reforms, rights

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SHAWWAL 20, 1434 AH

Deadly tenants nesting in the Australia suburbs

United, Chelsea draw as Rooney saga bubbles on

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Syrian intervention could spark ‘WWIII’ Russia, West on collision course; UN team under fire VATICAN CITY: A Syrian Chaldean Catholic bishop yesterday warned that an armed intervention in Syria could unleash a “world war”, while the Vatican’s official newspaper called for more “prudence” from Western powers.

“If there is an armed intervention, that would mean, I believe, a world war. That risk has returned,” Monsignor Antoine Audo of Aleppo told Vatican radio.

“We hope that the pope’s call for real dialogue between the warring parties to find a solution can be a first step to stop the fighting,” he said. Audo is also the head of the Syrian arm of the international Catholic charity Caritas and has repeatedly warned about the human cost of the war. The Vatican daily, L’Osservatore Romano, meanwhile criticized Western powers in an editorial.

“The drumbeat of an armed intervention by Western powers is becoming ever more insistent and ever less restrained by prudence,” it said. “Several representatives of these countries say they are convinced that the accusation that the Syrian army used chemical weapons is founded-a question which the United Nations is investigating,” he said.

Pope Francis on Sunday called for the international community to help find a solution to the civil war. “I launch an appeal to the international community to be more sensitive to this tragic situation and to commit itself to the maximum to help the dear Syrian nation find a solution to a war which spreads destruction and death,” he said.

Continued on Page 13

KUWAIT: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is welcomed by Kuwait Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Japan desires to expand its cooperation with Kuwait in security, economic diplomacy and education. — KUNA (See Page 3)

‘Breast bomb’ triggers alert Indian airports on red alert NEW DELHI: Major airports in India have been put on high alert following fears that Al-Qaeda’s women suicide bombers may target them with explosives hidden in breast implants, security sources said yesterday. As a result, the sources said the security personnel deployed at the main airports across the country had been asked to go for multiple scanning of passengers, especially women.

The instructions have been issued since the Indian airports lack machines that can scan the human full body to locate explosives. Women security personnel have been specially instructed to remain on alert to foil any bomb threat, the sources said. “It is a sensitive issue

and we have told our women personnel to be particularly alert. Any kind of explosives embedded in implants that do not have a metal component cannot be detected.

We are devising ways to address this threat,” the local Indian express newspaper quoted a security officer as saying.

The report added that Indian security agencies were seeking help of “international agencies to know the exact nature of the threat, posed by the improvised explosive devices concealed in implants”.

The Indian authorities have issued the alert a day after UK’s Heathrow Airport was put on high alert for the same reason. — KUNA

Max 45º Min 31º High Tide 03:16 & 16:27 Low Tide 10:10 & 22:12

ALEPPO: Photo shows a devastated street in the Salaheddine district of the northern city of Aleppo, Syria. — AFP

Kuwaiti businessman kidnapped in Manila Kidnappers demand $500,000 ransom

By Ben Garcia and agencies KUWAIT: The kidnapping incident of a Kuwaiti citizen in Manila has stirred deep concerns in Kuwait. The government has contacted the Philippines’ Charge d’Affaires Raul H Dado to address this matter swiftly and accordingly. Vice President of the Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Office, Ambassador Jassim Al-Bidaiwi has met with the Filipino diplomat to discuss the fall-out of the incident and to take the required necessary measures.

“We are shocked at the report; we have heard it and are closely coordinating with the

Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs here and our base back in Manila, the Department of Foreign Affairs, to send us an update on the matter as soon as possible. I am sure to get the latest by tomorrow morning,” he said. Dado stressed the Philippine authorities are exerting necessary efforts for a quick and early release of the kidnapped Kuwaiti.

He added that the Philippines Embassy is in constant and direct contact with the concerned authorities and is keeping a close watch on the latest developments. While confirming media reports that a Kuwaiti citizen has been kidnapped in the Philippines,

Brotherhood returns to underground past

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Kuwaiti Ambassador Walid Al-Kanderi said yesterday that the embassy is liaising with the authorities and constantly informed of developments.

“The embassy is in constant contact with the authorities, and we hope the businessman kidnapped in Manila will be found soon and the circumstances behind this incident revealed as well,” the ambassador said.

Meanwhile, Kuwaiti media reported quoting Foreign Ministry sources, that a ransom demand of half a million US dollars has been made for the release of the “well-known businessman”.

Adultery website shines spotlight

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Electronic cigar ‘not without risk’

PARIS: A man smokes an electronic cigarette in Paris. — AFP

PARIS: With growing repression on smoking in public places on the rise in France, combined with fears of health risks from cigarette smoke, French people are resorting more and more to substitute products notably the discreet electronic cigarette, whose use is increasing astronomically. An estimated one million people are now regular users of electronic cigarettes, which give a vaporized dose of nicotine or another product that replaces the effect of cigarette smoking, health authorities indicated.

But while many people believe there is little or no risk from these novel products, a consumer body warned yesterday that electronic cigarettes are not without risk and generate cancerous substances.

Consumer group “60 Million Consumers” said in a study that some electronic cigarettes, which vary according to brand and content, could be even more dangerous than regular cigarettes depending on their composition and the toxins they generate.

The consumer group has alerted the public health authorities to be vigilant and look closely at electronic cigarette use, which is not covered by any particular legislation, except for a ban on sale to people under 18.

“Up to 60 Million Consumers” maintained in its report that electronic cigarettes produce “formaldehyde, acrolein and acetaldehyde” chemicals, which are toxic and present a health hazard.

The study also pointed out individual risks with different brands of electronic cigarette. More alarming, toxic substances like acrolein, which is inhaled or absorbed orally from electronic cigarettes and regular Continued on Page 13

RAMALLAH: Palestinian militants hold up their automatic machine guns as they fire into the air in the city of Ramallah during the funeral procession of three Palestinian youths who were killed during clashes with Israeli security forces yesterday. — AFP

Iran blames outsiders for Middle East woes DUBAI: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed countries outside the Middle East yesterday for the region’s turmoil and the Shiite cleric said regional states backing radical Sunni Islamists would be damaged by conflict.

Khamenei, the most powerful man in Iran, made the comments in a meeting with Oman’s Sultan Qaboos who was in

Tehran on a visit Iranian media said may be an effort to mediate between the United States and the Islamic Republic.

If so, Khamenei’s comments appeared to be a rebuff of those efforts. “The main reason behind the status quo in the region is interference from outside the region,” the state news agency Fars Continued on Page 13

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

LOCAL

Cabinet approves proposal to draw up action plan KUWAIT: The Cabinet yesterday approved a proposal on new methods of drawing up the government action strategy on basis of balancing aspirations with capacities and ensuring implementation as scheduled as well as accountability against complacency.

The Cabinet, at its weekly session, followed up on discussion of the government manifesto, reviewing a proposal by the committee tasked with implementing HH the Amir’s Address to take a new approach in this respect.

The Cabinet was briefed by Deputy Prime Minister, Finance Minister and Committee Chairman, Sheikh Salem Abdulaziz AlSaud Al-Sabah, about that proposal that pin points shortcomings of previous experiences with regard of preparing and executing the government platform, which warrants comprehensive review of the existing action methods and tackling drawbacks that hamper sound execution and aspired accomplishment. Such objectives were included in the Amiri Addresses, HH the Prime Minister’s statement at inauguration of the National Assembly legislative term, aimed at realizing comprehensive reforms, activating sustainable development and serving interests of the homeland and citizens, at present and in the future, according to the Cabinet statement, read after the session by Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Health Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah AlMubarak Al-Sabah. The minister of finance, during the session held at Bayan Palace and chaired by HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, explained the committee proposal regarding a new method for drawing up the government action plan, aimed at realizing balance between aspirations and capabilities, ensuring a realistic approach that ensures implementation of the scheme axes, commitment to adherence to the execution timetable, along activating serious accountability toward complacency.

The Cabinet blessed the proposal and tasked relevant authorities, the Secretariat General of the Supreme Planning and Development Council to undertake practical measures to draw up the government action program according to the said methods, pending submission to the Government for adoption.

HH the Prime Minister, during the session, briefed the ministers about his positive meeting with the National Assembly Speaker, during which topics aimed at establishing serious cooperation between the Government and the NA were discussed. The ministers expressed optimism to witness a new phase, distinguished with great accomplishments on basis of full abidance by the Constitution, laws and sincere desire for constructive cooperation.

The Cabinet welcomed the current visit to the country by the Japanese Prime Minister “which falls within framework of the distinctive ties between the State of Kuwait and Japan and the serious desire to develop the mutual cooperation in diverse domains.

“The Council of Ministers deeply welcome the eminent guest, wishing him comfortable residency in the country, while affirming the significance of the visit for bolstering the cooperation between the two friendly states in diverse sectors, for service of interests of peoples of the two countries.” Moreover, the government noted that the visit would pave way for exchanging views on diverse issues of common interest at the regional and international levels.

The session got underway by briefing the ministers about a message addressed to HH the Amir from Bahraini King Hamad Bin Issa Al-Khalifa, in which the King welcomed an invitation by HH Sheikh Sabah to take part in the Third Arab-Afro Summit, to be hosted by Kuwait in November, with aspirations to take crucial resolutions at end of the summit for serving joint Arab and African interests.

The ministers were also informed about contents of a message from the President of Benin, “which was within framework of the good relations between the two friendly countries,” and another one from the UK Prime Minister including an invitation to take part the 9th World Islamic Economic Forum, due in Britain on Oct 29 and 30. The ministers discussed diverse political affairs in light of reports concerning current developments on the Arab and international arenas. On Syria, the ministers expressed “great pain and concern at recent developments following the ugly humanitarian genocide that claimed lives of hundreds of innocent civilians due to usage of chemical weapons.

“The crime constitutes serious breach of the international law and is rebuffed by international and humanitarian principles and conventions.” Commenting further on this “despicable humanitarian crime,” the Cabinet calls on the UN Secretary General to conduct investigations to bring to account the culprits of “this criminal action. “And calls upon the Security Council to shoulder the responsibility of maintaining peace and security and finding an urgent solution to this humanitarian tragedy, experienced by the brotherly Syrian people.”

On Lebanon, the Cabinet expressed deep regret and concern at the twin blasts that targeted Al-Salam and Al-Taqwa mosques in the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon last week, inflicting many deaths and leaving many people wounded. It affirmed that continuation of such “criminal actions target Lebanon’s security and stability and the whole Lebanese people,” calling on them to unite ranks and foil “the enemies’ plots” against the country’s security and national unity. — KUNA

MPs welcome GCC visa proposal KUWAIT: MPs welcomed reports which indicated that Gulf states are working on a unified visa akin to Europe’s Schengen which could be adopted starting next year and hoped that the idea could pave the way for further collaboration in economy and other fields.

Meanwhile, MP Kamel Al-Awadhi told Al-Rai daily that the project was an idea he proposed during his service period at the Interior Ministry. “I forwarded the project at the time to then Undersecretary Lieutenant General Ahmad Al-Rujaib, who asked me to join him at the meeting of undersecretaries of interior ministries in the Gulf Cooperation Council, he said. “There, he promoted my project to the General Secretariat of the GCC, and praise be to God, plans are going forward,” he added.

According to Al-Awadhi, the project is an “original Kuwaiti idea that serves merchants, directors and doctors”. Meanwhile, MP Mubarak Al-Hurais said that the idea has been entertained by economists in the region during the past decade, adding that he supports it “as long as it achieves economic unity”. Believing that economic integration reduces Gulf states’ dependency on oil, Al-Hurais further indicated that the idea of a GCC visa is good “as long as it is given to financially competent merchants who can benefit the Gulf markets”. He also added that regulations in this regard should protect the countries’ individual rights to “deny visas to people who violate their respective policies”.

In the meantime, MP Khalil Abdullah described the proposal as “a positive step towards creating a good business environment and pushing the economy forward”, while MP Yaqoub Al-Sane’a hoped that the idea would pave the way to other projects such as a unified currency similar to the euro, and a joint market akin to the European Economic Community.

In other news, MP Al-Hurais, President of the parliament’s Legislative Committee announced that the panel agreed to nominate five topics to be discussed as priorities when sessions resume on October 29. The topics include regulations to organize the judiciary and boost its independence, amendments to anti-corruption regulations, and the electronic transactions law.

NEW YORK: His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah accompanied by Deputy chief of National Guard Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabaah arrived at John F Kennedy Airport on a private visit to the US on Sunday. His Highness the Amir was received at the airport by Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Sheikh Mubarak Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Kuwait Ambassador to the US Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwait’s permanent representative to the UN Mansour Ayyad Al-Otaibi, Kuwait’s Consul in Los Angeles Abdullatif Ali AlYahya and members of Kuwait’s UN mission.

KUWAIT: The Cabinet session in progress yesterday.

Ethiopian Embassy denies TB cases, refutes report Clean shelter houses 43 runaway maids

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: The Ethiopian Embassy in Kuwait denied allegations of 15 Tuberculosis cases at the embassy’s shelter. In response to news reports about “active TB” which was published by media in Kuwait yesterday, Minister Counselor Halima Muhamed Feke, from the Ethiopian Embassy refuted the news report calling it “baseless.” “We have had very good ties with Kuwait and we hope that (the wrong report) will be corrected soon before it creates trouble,” Muhamed Feke stated, explaining that she was speaking on behalf of their Ethiopian Ambassador Dr Muhamed Gaduta, who at that time was meeting with some diplomats.

In the translation, Kuwait Times reported that the Health Ministry has asked the Foreign Ministry to request all embassies in the country, particularly the Ethiopian, to employ health procedures in the crowded labor residences of

the embassies. The report stated: ‘The request was made as unexpected cases of active TB in the Ethiopian Embassy labor house came to light. The confirmed number of such cases was reportedly 15, in addition to the discovery of 167 dormant TB cases out of the 467 individuals in the house (shelter). The Health Ministry isolated some of them in hospital, while preventive medicine was given to the rest.’

In response, Feke said: “Such piece of information was true six months ago, but we have coordinated with the Ministry of Health here and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and they helped us deal with the cases.

The people mentioned in the report returned to Ethiopia six months ago, and we only have 43 people at the shelter right now.

We do not have TB cases in the shelter or any problems with hygiene,” she said, stressing that the media should verify facts before publishing.

Feke said, “We have very good relations with

The luggage storage room

Partial scene of the hall in the shelter.

Kuwait; the issue mentioned was quite sensitive. Our housemaids go to Kuwaiti families, and they expect that each girl we have here is clean and healthy,” she said. She elaborated that six months ago there was a case of an Ethiopian girl who ran away from her employer and was found to have contracted TB from a Kuwaiti family. “She had been working with the Kuwaiti family for quite some time when she came to our shelter. We suspected that she might have some disease and hospitalized her.

When the doctors examined her, they discovered that she had TB. We closed the shelter for two months after that because we had to quarantine the place. All the runaway maids were transferred to another location and they were examined.” Feke further explained that two more girls could have contracted the disease because they found two cases in the wards.

“But the rest of our girls were TB-free,” she said.

“Now we’re free of TB and shocked to see this report which is regarding a case which happened six months ago or maybe even more.”

She went on to explain that all the people at the shelter at the time were vaccinated with the help of the Ministry of Health here. “Those maids who contracted the disease were treated properly and sent back to Ethiopia,” she said.

This reporter visited the Ethiopian Embassy shelter in Jabriya yesterday. The shelter, a twostorey spacious building is quite huge. It was clean and neat also. According to the staff running the shelter, the news report “was ridiculous” since the shelter has been very clean all the time and there has been no trace of TB. “The shelter is clean and there is no truth to the

KUWAIT: Minister Counselor Halima Muhamed Feke, from the Ethiopian Embassy speaking with the Kuwait Times yesterday. report. Everything that was mentioned in the report is 99 percent lies if not 100 percent inaccurate,” said the shelter manager who introduced himself only as Ali. According to the news report, there are 467 individuals in the house, when in fact, Ali said, there are only 43.

“This is hugely erroneous and it has to be corrected. Plus, we do not have cases of TB here,” he said. Ali allowed this reporter to tour his office and the facilities, including the maid’s room and prayer room which were visibly clean and neat. The kitchen and toilets were all spacious and clean as well.

The kitchen

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

LOCAL

KUWAIT: His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah are pictured with the visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other senior officials. — KUNA

Japan’s Prime Minister in town Agreements on education, ‘policy dialogue’ for national development signed

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah (right) is pictured with the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a welcoming ceremony yesterday. —KUNA

By Velina Nacheva KUWAIT: Kuwait and Japan signed a Memorandum of Co-operation in the field of higher education and scientific research, and a Memorandum of Cooperation for the policy dialogue on the national development. The two memorandums were signed yesterday during the two-day visit of Shinzo Abe, the Japanese Prime Minister to Kuwait.

According to Kuni Sato, Press Secretary at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the first memorandum is related to an exchange of information and research in the fields of education and scientific development, whereas the second one deals with policy dialogue on the national development of Kuwait.

Sato announced the signing of the

two memorandums at a press conference held at the Regency Hotel midday yesterday, prior to the signing of the pacts later during the day. Sato provided a detailed account of Abe’s meetings with His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

In Sato’s words, the visit of Prime Minister Abe focuses on strengthening three pillars of the relations between Japan and Kuwait: The collaboration in the political, security, and economic areas as well as the people-to-people exchange (including education).

Sato highlighted that Premier Abe’s aim is to expand and strengthen the partnership between the two coun-

KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim (left) is gifting a memorial present to Japan’s Prime Minister Abe in the National Assembly yesterday. —Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat tries in a variety of fields, such as energy, nuclear safety, healthcare, and the promotion of Japanese agriculture and foods. According to her, the ban on importing food from Japan was one of the topics that Abe discussed with Sheikh Nawaf.

Sato briefed the media on the meeting between both sides and said that Abe opened the discussion expressing his country’s gratitude and “deep appreciation” for Kuwait’s assistance after the devastating earthquake in Japan.

In 2011, Kuwait donated 5 million oil barrels, worth $500 million in addition to $3 million for the renovation of a marine scientific institute at Fukushima, apart from $2 million provided to the Japanese Red Cross Society. During the meeting with Sheikh Nawaf, Abe expressed Japan’s

Tourism capable of solving unemployment: Al-Anjeri KUWAIT: “Tourism industry is capable of playing a very significant role in solving many of Kuwait’s problems, including unemployment”, said the general manager of Leaders Group Company for Consultancy and Development, Nabila Al-Anjeri pointing out that tourism could diversify the economy, develop local and international investments as well as support and enhance other economic sectors.

In the company’s monthly report, AlAnjeri added that according to the national tourism strategy, the current ratio of national labor working in tourism was only 1.9 per cent while Kuwaitis unemployment rates have reached 4.9 per cent of the labor market. “Unfortunately, 50 per cent of those unemployed citizens are false because citizens refuse working in certain professions”, she added noting that citizens were only 31 per cent of Kuwait’s population and that national labor in local labor market form only 15 per cent of the total manpower.

Al-Anjeri also pointed that tourism helps operate 35 other sectors including aviation companies, travel agencies, hotels, real estate, transportation, car rentals, constructions, contracting and many others which can help in solving the unemployment problem.

LG’s report also called for setting practical integrated training and human resource development plans. “The long forgotten tourism strategy aimed at creating 7,000 job opportunities for citizens in the first five years”, stressed Al-Anjeri noting that this could be achievable by cooperation between relevant governmental and private sectors.

She also stressed that enhancing tourism helps boosting economy and trade, especially in view of the World Tourism Organization’s predictions of an annual boom of 8.1 per cent until 2020.

“However, Kuwait’s share of international tourism is still so poor”, she underlined noting that tourism has become one of the major sources of income in many countries.

“It is also a means of cultural exchange and communicating with others trough various aspects of life”, she added.

Furthermore, Al-Anjeri stressed that

willingness to expand the bilateral relationship beyond energy cooperation calling it “From energy to synergy.” During the meeting, Sato noted, Abe provided specific proposals to help bolster the relationship in the field of security and economy. Among these, Sato observed, were enhancing the collaboration in ensuring a stable supply of energy and promotion of infrastructure export as well as national development related co-operation.

Abe, according to Sato, expressed his hope that the offset program would be reviewed. She also said that Premier Abe expressed hope for a relaxation of the import regulations of food from Japan in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Promoting Japanese agriculture and food in Kuwait and around the world in the post-Fukushima environment

has been one of the priorities for Japan’s Prime Minister, she stressed.

Expanding the partnership for stability and prosperity between Japan and the Gulf nations and expressing Japan’s gratitude for the support after the earthquake was Abe’s focus during the discussion with Sheikh Jaber, Sato said, adding that both sides touched upon the same three pillars of the relations between Japan and Kuwait. “Premier Abe expressed Japan’s willingness to support the national development of Kuwait,” she said. National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim received Premier Abe yesterday and addressed regional issues, praised Japan’s support for regional peace, underlined the deeply-rooted Kuwaiti-Japanese ties and hailed Tokyo’s backing for Kuwaiti causes, particularly when the Gulf war

flared up, according to a KUNA report.

The discussion focused on issues of common interest, namely prospects of training Kuwaiti youth at Japanese companies and ways to cement bilateral ties in various fields.

Yesterday, Abe was welcomed at Bayan Palace with the national anthems of the two nations and with the honorary guard. There, he met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

Abe was greeted by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Mohammad Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, KUNA reported.

Kuwait is the fourth largest crude oil supplier to Japan. Kuwait exports to Japan are estimated at $15.2 billion and the imports volume is estimated at $1.9 billion.

Expert sheds light on halal items

By Nawara Fattahova

Nabila Al-Anjeri Kuwait needs a clear touristic vision to help coordinate the efforts of all touristic elements in order to stress Kuwait’s cultural, economic and recreational concept of tourism that should fully observe Kuwait’s religious and social values.

The report also stressed that touristic projects experience in Kuwait was not an easy one since the private sector started investing in touristic projects a decade ago but are now crippled by the lack of legislations that would attract more investments.

Al-Anjeri added that successive governments had been rejecting demands to establish a special authority for tourism though it was recommended in the government’s development plan. She also noted that halting the BOT system and waiting for another alternative formed an obstacle to many touristic projects. Moreover, AlAnjeri added that increasing the number of nationalities who could obtain visit visa on entry was not fruitful enough because of the lack of a well-structured reasonably priced touristic infrastructure. “Kuwait does not exert any effort to promote tourism or coordinate with investors the way most touristic countries worldwide do”, she underlined noting that Kuwait has many of the industry’s potentials.

KUWAIT: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (left) and Minister of State for National Assembly and Minister of State for Development and Planning Affairs Dr. Rola Dashti are seen at an economic event .—Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: Halal is not only about meat or food. Muslims should also care about whether the products they use on a daily basis is halal or not. Some people care to buy halal products but others can’t find it easily. Dr Hani AlMazidi who is interested in this issue is preparing to launch a halal shop in Kuwait. He also published a book on this and sued an international popular franchise for selling non-halal meat.

Dr Hani Al-Mazidi works at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) and has traveled all over the world for 33 years and visited many European countries.

“I visited many slaughter-houses and I know exactly what’s going on there. I am the eye of Kuwait government around the world, I tell Kuwait exactly what’s going on. I report to the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and also to the Saudi government as I’m a member of the Islamic International Halal Authority. I also work with the Muslim World League. I was awarded the Halal Trophy at the Halal Forum held in Malaysia in 2009 for personal achievement,” he told the Kuwait Times.

“It’s simple; if you are in doubt, leave it. One of them is meat, so if you are in doubt if the meat was slaughtered according to Islamic way, then throw it away. When it comes to meat, it is easy to recognize the source but in the case of gelatin, we eat pork gelatin here in Kuwait, and it’s called porcine.

When Allah the Almighty prohibited drinking or eating blood, it refers to it in all forms. Nowadays, plasma is taken from blood and used in food, sometimes in medicines,” said Al-Mazidi.

Some religious sheikhs invented a concept called ‘Istihala’. Here the original status of the product has been changed to another product, which means it’s okay to eat or use them. “Here, the source is not halal, and this is wrong. If we’re not allowed to eat it, we’re

Dr Hani Al-Mazidi

not allowed to use it. We’re not allowed to eat pig or non-halal animals, so we shouldn’t use the soap which is made using its fat also as it’s impure ‘Najis’”, AlMazidi explained.

Even fish has to be halal nowadays. “Cultured fish in Europe now are fed with pork and gelatin derived from pork, as the law allowed farmers to feed cultured fish pork since pork by-products are cheaper than fish feed. I’m requesting the Kuwait government to get halal certificates on all fish imported. We are also worried that the fish in Vietnam are grown in sewage areas. In

some countries, they need halal certificates for all products, like Dubai, for instance. There is a lot of corruption when it comes to halal,” stressed Al-Mazidi.

“In order for a soap to be halal, it has to mention that it has used pure vegetable derivative or no animal by-products. We should seek products without animal fat in any context. Some companies lie about their slaughtering and adver tize that the meat was hand-slaughtered, while it was stunned,” said Al-Mazidi.

Al-Mazidi went to the Ministry of Health where he presented them a book which mentioned clearly the medicines that used porcine derivatives but they didn’t care. The gelatin used in the capsules can be substituted with complex carbohydrates which even Hindus can consume, but nobody cares. This is why I open the capsule and eat the medicine directly without the cover,” he added.

Al-Mazidi is also working on establishing a halal research and development section at KISR in co-operation with the Putra University in Malaysia. “We will take products from the market to examine it or to guide the Ministry of Awqaf to elaborate why stunning is not good and the meat derived from this method is unhealthy, for instance. Or the Ministr y of Health will demand proof that a soap is not made from pig or animal fat. The consumer has the right to know what he is paying for,” he explained.

The major problem when it comes to halal meat is the technique that is used before or after slaughtering. “I’m referring to stunning. It is almost a law in

Europe that the animal must be stunned before slaughtering and sometimes even after slaughtering to maintain the quality of the chicken or beef. They believe it is humane for the animal to be stunned so it will not feel the cut, but animals anyway can’t feel the cut, the same as humans who feel the pain of a shaving cut only on seeing it and not before. The problem with stunning is that sometimes the animal dies, and we are not allowed to slaughter dead animals,” he pointed out.

“I work together with the Jewish community and we published papers on halal and kosher as we were victims of the secular society who do not take into consideration the religious requirements.

We read the old testament including Bible and Quran and they all say the same thing about religious food. For instance, we are not allowed to drink blood, but now when we look at the Christian society we find that they use blood in cooking, although the Bible forbids it as well, apart from eating pigs in some verses. This is in all old testaments, as they came from the same source,” he added.

He published a book previously including different products as a safety guide. “Now I have a new book called ‘My Food Book’ which will tell you what is good and what is not, even health-wise. It’s self educational. I’m also preparing to launch a halal shop. I’m against stunning, mechanical slaughtering, Istihala and alcohol.

This book will inform customers of complete halal products,” said Al-Mazidi.

For more information, visit: http://azkahalal.wordpress.com .

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

LOCAL In my view

kuwait digest

Parliament, corruption

Camp Zaatari and Syrians

By Muthaffar Abdullah

F

By Hamid Dabashi

ighting corruption should be one of the parliament’s priorities by supporting the newly established Corruption Fighting Authority. Questioning should not be postponed with the excuse of cooling things down. I suggest the parliament adopt a national conference on fighting corruption in order to analyze problems and come up with parliamentary, governmental and public solutions.

Check out the general shape of the relations between the parliament and the government. It seems like one is an observer and the other is the owner. The government owns all resources, wells and initiatives.

Therefore, it would be dangerous to have a weak government incapable of decision-making and execution. A weak government will definitely squander and dispose the parliament’s efforts and weaken its performance.

We almost have no planning in Kuwait. Successive governments had been adopting theories and policies of crisis management to all problems. This is the secret

T

opping the mid-August news was the horrific footage “shot by an independent journalist for Britain’s ITV News” that “appears to show victims of an alleged chemical attack that activists said killed hundreds of people” in Syria. In his assessment of this latest round of carnage in Syria, Marwan Bishara concludes, “Judging from their initial statements, I doubt the horrific death of another thousand civilians has fundamentally changed the position of those who’ve been either complicit or indifferent to the killing of one hundred thousand Syrians.”

Under these circumstances it is neither surprising nor comforting to learn that “one million children have fled Syria conflict: Half of all who fled civil war are children and many under the age of 11, joined UNHCR and UNICEF” the report says. What is to become of these children? Known and unknown refugee camps are awaiting them. Let’s visit one such camp, through the lens of one particularly caring artist.

Mario Rizzi is an Italian photographer, filmmaker, and video installation artist who is now based in Berlin. For more than a decade, he has done some extraordinary work. Born and raised in Italy, Rizzi studied classics and psychology before turning his attention to photography at Ecole de la Photographie, Arles, France and the Slade School of Fine Arts, London, UK. A quick look at his career shows his deeply caring and vastly cultivated camera work. Rizzi has a soft touch in his videography, his camera imperceptivity attending his subject with minimum of intrusion.

An accomplished, widely exhibited, and respected artist in his field, Rizzi has committed his art to investigating the consequences of globalised neo-liberalism on human life in its simplest and most immediate meanings. He patiently and judiciously attends to the daily lives of people he films, and through their stories teaches us otherwise hidden consequences of the grand narratives of our history.

Mario Rizzi’s “Al-Intithar” (“Waiting”), made about the Syrian refugee camp Zaatari in Jordan, is the first in a projected trilogy “Bayt/House”, reflecting on the emergence of a new civic imagination as to how, as he puts it, “the narration of a revolutionary event can be closely entangled with the narration of simple everyday events in the lives of unknown people”. He says: “I worked several times in the Muslim world, mainly in Palestine and in Turkey, exploring the relationship between privacy and civil engagement and considering the notions of border and inequality, particularly in relation to issues of identity and presence.”

The Syrian refugee camp Zaatari lies seven kilometres to the south of the Syrian border inside Jordan. As Mario Rizzi reports at the time of his filming, “There are already 45,000 refugees living here, and still more people arrive: 10,000 additional refugees every week. The capacity of the camp is 70,000 people.

Many Syrians would like to go home: living conditions in the camp are by no means easy and they are often far away from their husbands and sons, many of whom have stayed behind to fight.” At the writing of this essay, the total number of Syrian refuges outside their homeland has swollen to more than a million.

Syrian camps are the building blocks of their future these are not death camps, they are in fact life camps, where the children of the future Syria are born and raised, awaiting their return to their homeland. But contrary to Palestinians, these Syrians’ homeland is not occupied by European colonisers. It is occupied by dead ideologies fighting their last pitch battle.

What is the difference between Zaatari and Guantanamo Bay? Guantanamo Bay is the ruin of this (American) empire, the ruins that this empire leaves behind as it goes about trying to conquer a world that is increasingly unconquerable - precisely in the same manner that Sabra and Shatila and other Palestinian refugee camps are the ruins of European colonialism that calls itself Zionism. Zaatari is the camp where the future citizens of the emerging Arab republics, having exhausted their postcolonial promises, are born. Zaatari is exactly the opposite of Guantanamo Bay - it promises rebirth, where Guantanamo delivers despair.

In his “Al-Intithar”, Mario Rizzi has captured the historic moment when the new citizens of the new Arab republics are being born. This is a moment of pause - a momentous pause - when the history of the Arabs is being re-written. It is a historic moment, a moment no living human being has ever witnessed, lived, or experienced. On the site of the Zaatari camp, the liberation geography of all successive generations is being mapped out. People - Syrians - have left their cities and squares and homes as the foot soldiers of history, whether they are fighting on the side of Bashar Al-Assad or the side of his nemesis, are sorting out their differences. When the dust of their desperate wars are over, these Syrians will go back to reclaim their homeland, people it with steadfast ordinariness - and no dictator, no fanatic, and a fortiori no colonial machination, or imperial design, can rule these people with despair anymore. This is not a wish, a daydream - this is the evident fact of a people having gone back to point zero of their history, to reimagine it anew. Camp Zaatari marks the end of “the Middle East” and the beginning of a new cosmopolis: The evidently sudden rise of democratic revolutions from Morocco to Syria and from Iran to Yemen - extending far beyond the Arab and Muslim world - has placed a categorical hold on that most pernicious of all colonial inventions: “The Middle East”. Whether it was first used by the British colonial officers in the mid 19th century to refer to areas between Arabian Peninsula and India or by the American naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan to refer to the areas around the Persian Gulf, what we are witnessing unfold right in front of our eyes is the fading out of that colonial geography of damnation and domination into an openended geography of liberation. You may look at Egypt, Syria, Bahrain, Palestine, Iraq, all the way to Afghanistan and wonder how. But you need to look at Camp Zaatari and learn why.

Whatever the emerging contours of that geography, “the Middle East” is no more - for what is happening is the middle, or near, or far, to no East of any colonial officer who once sat in London or Washington, DC and cast a long, lasting, and domineering gaze across the Mediterranean. The Egyptian revolution, triggered by that of Tunisia, and while both have a long way to go to come to any meaningful results, has already re-centred the world. The post-American world, in earnest, has started, and “the West” is no more, or “the East”, and what does not exist has no “middle”.

kuwait digest

A collective ‘drug’ abuse

By Dr Ibtihal Al-Khateeb

W

hat if there was a drug that eliminates abusing this drug. To be motivated by Islamic oripain and kills the feelings of grief and suf- entation as to ignore the sectarianism of Morsi’s fering? What if, God forbid, you lost a regime, or by liberal orientation as to ignore the child and felt the pain taking over every cell in violence of Al-Sisi’s regime, then you must be your body? Would you take this drug to stop the abusing that drug. To use your Shiite faith so as to feeling of suffering - even if it also meant that you improve the image of Hezbollah while it continues stop caring for your loss? What if you take this to immerse its hands in Syrian blood, or your Sunni drug only minutes after hearing about the loss of faith so as to justify the murder of children in your loved one? What would that mean for you as South Lebanon, then you must have taken a heavy a human being when you choose not to grieve dose that killed every humanitarian sense in your over your loss and go through the mandatory pain body. But it is very relieving to take something that make you high, or so I caused by the death of your heard. Maybe I should not child? These philosophical To be able to use Iran and politi- blame Arab people for their points were mentioned during a debate between cal analyses in order to justify per- co l l e c t i ve ‘d r u g’ a b u s e Richard Dawkins and Sam secution of the Bahraini human which could be a way out of the sea of miseries that Harris which I was listening to recently; and at the time being and accept that they be sub- we keep sailing through couldn’t help but to apply jected to things you do not accept without any shores in sight. what they were saying on on yourself, then you must be abus- Maybe this explains why s o m e p e o p l e te l l t h e m the sad reality in our Arab and Muslim countries. Sam ing this drug. To be motivated by s e l ve s t h a t t h e c h i l d re n Harris believes that a simi- Islamic orientation as to ignore the who died were a ‘price’ that lar drug is not too far from sectarianism of Morsi’s regime, or had to be paid for a great looming victory, or a ‘sacribeing invented, but then we would face moral by liberal orientation as to ignore fice’ so that the Shiite or options with deep human the violence of Al-Sisi’s regime, S u n n i f a i t h c a n p re v a i l. implications as we tr y to then you must be abusing that W h e n yo u fo c u s o n t h e ‘great goal’ and look at the find our way between our feelings, principles and drug. To use your Shiite faith so as human casualties as ‘drops technological evolutions as to improve the image of Hezbollah in the sea of human mishuman beings. while it continues to immerse its e r y ’, w h e n yo u b e co m e ‘high’ on sectarianism and But what Harris and Dawk ins perhaps do not hands in Syrian blood, or your political justifications, then know is that we in the Arab Sunni faith so as to justify the mur- what kind of pain can you and Muslim countries have der of children in South Lebanon, feel?

Can we blame our socialready invented that drug.

It is not only taken by indi- then you must have taken a heavy eties for their collec tive viduals, but by entire dose that killed every humanitarian ‘drug’ abuse when no other nation suffers as much misnations. Collective doses sense in your body. for tunes as we do? that numb people’s feelSectarianism, tyranny, vioings and make them unsusceptible to the atrocities happening around them. lence, bloodshed, dictatorship, poverty, ignorance, To be able, as a human being, to find a way out for harassment of thinkers, accusations of blasphemy the bloodthirstiness of the Syrian regime, and use against ideologists, ethnic cleansing and other resonant words to justify how violence and killing things that all happen under the same sky. How children are ‘collateral damage’ that must fall dur- can we not abuse ‘drugs’ after that? Without numbness inside we cannot go on, therefore do not ask ing wars, then you must be abusing this drug.

To be able to use Iran and political analyses in about the meaning of this state of dullness and its order to justify persecution of the Bahraini human impact like Dawkins and Harris do. Rubbing two being and accept that they be subjected to things stones to cause a spark is better than setting ouryou do not accept on yourself, then you must be selves on fire. — Al-Jarida

Today, we hear that our distinguished lawmakers are making their own agendas according to the parliamentar y committees they are a part of. The parliament’s secretariat general was also asked to conduct a survey to probe citizens’ priorities and concerns.

Along with the parliament, the government is required to coordinate priorities to tackled at this coming phase, which is all acceptable and understandable. behind public dissatisfaction with the most important institution in the country because changes are not up to their aspirations. This has also provoked public opinion and threatened security. Today, we hear that our distinguished lawmakers are making their own agendas according to the parliamentary committees they are a part of. The parliament’s secretariat general was also asked to conduct a survey to probe citizens’ priorities and concerns. Along with the parliament, the government is required to coordinate priorities to tackled at this coming phase, which is all acceptable and understandable. But the efforts exerted by previous successive parliaments had not been adequately taken care of by the executives to resolve status quo and solve Kuwait’s problems.

As I see it, this parliament needs to responsibly and decisively activate its monitoring and constitutional tools; it must not postpone any grilling or questioning with the excuse of calming things down because fighting prevailing corruption requires haste. We are already aware of the shortcomings focused on by a lot of honest former lawmakers, the Tony Blair report and studies and remarks. Fighting corruption should be one of the parliament’s priorities by supporting the newly established Corruption Fighting Authority.

Questioning should not be postponed with the excuse of cooling things down. I suggest the parliament adapt a national conference on fighting corruption in order to analyze problems and come up with parliamentary, governmental and public solutions that would form a road map to protect the country and its homeland security. Fighting corruption is not an easy task but it is necessary by setting priorities. — Al-Jarida

kuwait digest

‘They are not tame’

By Mohammad Jasim Al-Saqer

kuwait digest

Ailing Ministry of Health

By Ahmed Taher Al-Khateeb

A

lthough the Health Ministry is one of the running the ministry that also had four undersecmost impor tant government establish- retaries during the same period; that translates to ments with direct contact with both citi- an undersecretary every two years. Such a performance shows that the zens and expatriates, it ’s is not serious unfortunately not a priority The worst thing about this min- government a b o u t re fo r m i n g t h i s as far as the government is concerned. It is last on the istry is that it is used either to politi- aging ministry. It has hapgovernment’s list of priori- cally alienate and exclude some offi- pened so many times that r nm e nt ha s ties despite the generous cials or to reward someone with the tf ahei l e dgove to f i nd a he a l t h budget allocated for it. The ministry is politically ignored title of ‘ex-minister’ during the end minister on forming new because the government has of their service. This is very clear, Ca b i ne t s d e s p i te t he skilled and qualirepeatedly failed to choose knowing that 12 health ministers highly fied nominees we have. the right person for a portfoTh e s e f a c t s co n f i r m lio heavily loaded with prob- had been appointed over the past lems and concerns, and this eight years, at the rate of more than that the Health Ministry is the bottom of the govhas made it a sitting duck three ministers every two years or a at ernment’s list of priorities. and an easy target for some lawmakers, merchants and new minister every eight months. This can be easily proven opportunists.

Only four of those 12 health minis- by the fact that the minhad been stagnant The worst thing about this ters were doctors while eight had istry for over 30 years except ministr y is that it is used for citizens’ donations either to politically alienate nothing to do with medicine at all. that helped build a clinic, and exclude some officials or to reward someone with the title of ‘ex-minister’ a center or a hospital here or there, every now during the end of their service. This is very clear, and then.

The bottom line is that the Health Ministry has k nowing that 12 health ministers had been appointed over the past eight years, at the rate of a special nature because of its daily contact with more than three ministers every two years or a th e p ub l i c. N e ve r t he l e s s, i t ha s b e e n a i l i ng because of negligence and mistakes for years new minister every eight months.

Only four of those 12 health ministers were because of bad management and politics in a bid doctors while eight had nothing to do with medi- to win certain people’s support. That is why the cine at all. The funny thing is that doctors have Health Ministry will never develop unless the govbeen the worst health ministers. They failed in ernment is serious about reforming it. —Al-Anbaa

T

he rescue group from Kuwait shooting team did well when they studied, followed and carried out the killing of a group of stray dogs in the chalets and animal pens in Kabd, Wafra and Abdaly after they attacked a little girl Ayesha. The dogs also attacked several laborers, guards and servants in the farming areas and attacked again in Abdaly and Wafra but it was not reported in the media.

A guard in Qairawan was attacked by a pack of stray dogs while he was asleep near a building under

People felt safe and secure and even their pets were now free from any type of harm. Islamic sharia says it’s legal to get rid of them if they pose a threat to humans or other tame animals. If the authorities are too lazy to carry out their duty, then the courageous youth of the country will take revenge for the little girl in a suitable fashion. construction.

These dogs were chased by the municipality during the sixties and the Interior Ministry in the seventies. The issue was then left to a group of bridge construction workers who caught the dogs and slaughtered them like they do in other countries. People felt safe and secure and even their pets were now free from any type of harm. Islamic sharia says it’s legal to get rid of them if they pose a threat to humans or other tame animals. If the authorities are too lazy to carry out their duty, then the courageous youth of the country will take revenge for the little girl, rather for all the children of Kuwait, in a suitable fashion by carrying licensed weapons and ridding the place of this kind of wild danger. — Al-Watan

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

LOCAL

KHARTOUM: The first batch of Kuwaiti humanitarian relief aid to flood victims arrives in Sudan.

Kuwaiti flood relief aid arrives in Sudan KHARTOUM: The first of 10 airbridges set to deliver humanitarian relief to flood victims in Sudan arrived on Sunday in accordance with the directives of HH the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah The military plane set to carry out the airbridge was met by Sudanese officials, Kuwait’s ambassador Sulaiman Al-Harbi and mission members in

the country, in addition to Sudanese Red Crescent and civil defence officers.

“The airbridges, worth a combined $2.5 million aimed at providing urgent relief for victims of ongoing floods in Sudan, are set to continue arriving over the next few days,” the ambassador said in a statement. The widescale floods in Sudan this month, described as the worst for a quarter of a

Kuwaiti sports pioneer passes away KUWAIT: The Kuwait Journalist Association released a statement yesterday mourning the death of veteran Kuwaiti sports figure Abdullatif Al-Yaqout, who passed away recently at the age of 83.

Al-Yaqout is considered a founding member of associated sports in Kuwait as he contributed in founding the Kuwait Sports Club and the now defunct AlJazeera Club. Al-Yaqout played basketball in his early years and represented Kuwait as a part of the country’s students team.

He also served as President of the Kuwait Basketball Association during his lengthy career. Al-Yaqout is best remembered for his high morals and flawless reputation which earned him everyone’s respect.

century, have led to the displacement of some 320,000 as initial numbers thus far recorded 73 deaths as a result, according to the World Health Organisation. The planes are carrying urgent relief Sudan had earlier requested in order to tend to the needs of victims of the floods that have led to huge losses across several Sudanese areas close to the capital Khartoum, and the operation is being

part, will begin handing out the assistance to victims as of Monday, he added. For his part, Sudanese Interior Ministry official Abdulrahman Abdulrahman expressed his country’s profound gratitude at the assistance, he described as “generous”. He said he was thankful to the Amir and people of Kuwait for their typical stances in support of Sudan, through its times of strife. —- KUNA

Iraqi MP calls for peace agreement with Kuwait MP questions Dashti, Rashidi

By A Saleh

Abdullatif Al-Yaqout

KUWAIT: An Iraqi lawmaker called for brokering a peace agreement with Kuwait under the United Nations’ supervision in order to highlight the improvement in bilateral relations after years where the two neighboring countries worked on mending ties following the downfall of former president Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003. “It is important that the bilateral relations are improved to the highest level, especially since Iraqis seek normalization of relations with Kuwait after the invasion”, said Emad Youhanna, a member of the foreign affairs committee in the Council of Representatives of Iraq.

NA allegations MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji questioned Minister of Planning Affairs Rola Dashti about allegations that she hired an Iraqi national without a clear job classification. He argued in a statement yesterday that the appointment “threatens national security” given what he said was the employee’s presence at recent meetings of the Supreme Council of Planning, as well as access to official departments “such as the Amiri Diwan, the Crown Prince’s Diwan and the

Chairman of KRCS Barjas Humoud Al-Barjas with Indonesian officials in Banda Aceh province.

Indonesia praises Kuwait’s honorable humanitarian aid KUALA LUMPUR: A number of Indonesian officials in Banda Aceh province, expressed their deep thanks and gratitude to the Kuwaiti leadership and people for their honorable humanitarian support to Indonesia, on the sidelines of the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) delegation’s visit to Banda Aceh, headed by Chairman of KRCS Barjas Humoud Al-Barjas.

According to a statement issued by KRCS, quoting Chairman of the Indonesia Red Crescent in Banda Aceh saying that the generous aid offered by Kuwait through KRCS forms a great source of support to the province.

Al-Mubarkeya Kuwaiti funded school, recently opened in the province, is part of the Kuwaiti contributions to the countries in need, he

conducted under the instructions of the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince, he added.

Abdullah Al-Fagaan, who has been put in charge of a Kuwait Red Crescent team overseeing the operation, said that the aircraft is carrying 10 tonnes of urgent assistance, including shelter material, medical supplies and blankets.

His team, along with their Sudanese counter-

added.

KRCS is a pioneer in offering relief to Banda Aceh, pointing out that the society implemented several projects in various parts of the countries since tsunami crisis, besides the frequent earthquakes, like rebuilding the village of late Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, besides a water desalination plant, as well as offering foods, medical aid, and all other forms of relief, he said.

The Secretary General of Banda Aceh, representative of the Governor said the urgent relief aid offered by KRCS in the province played a great role in alleviating the suffering of its inhabitants, especially during Tsunami crisis in 2009. —- KUNA

Al-Mubarkeya Kuwaiti funded school in Indonesia.

Kuwait water investments at $5.28 billion KUWAIT: Investments in water sector in Kuwait in the 2005-14 period amount to $5.28 billion, an economic report showed Sunday and indicated that water treatment projects valued record $3.4 billion.

Kuwait implemented many water projects in 2010 like the Sabiya water distillation stations, Shuaiba nor th distillation station and Shuwaikh water desalination station, the report by Kuwait Financial Center, or Markaz, said.

Kuwait, it added, was awaiting the execution of the north Zour water distillation station which would have a capacity of 280 gallons per day. The north Zour station, it said, includes 15 multi-stage distillation units, a water treatment unit and a 25-million-gallon per day water desalination unit.

Kuwait is the world’s largest water consumer, at 500 liters per person per day.

The report said 128.2 million gallons of fresh water were produced in Kuwait in 2011, anticipating the output to surge to 142.2 million gallons by 2015 to honor growing population. It said agricultural sector was consuming a large quantity of water in Kuwait. —KUNA

Trio held with firearms

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: The Narcotics Department arrested a trio with a large quantity of illegal fire arms and ammunition. Drugs were also found in their possession and a woman was reported to be a part of this gang.

The Narcotics Department received a tip-off about a woman and her husband who possessed firearms and drugs.

When the information was verified, the necessary warrants were obtained, and the woman, a citizen, and her husband were arrested along with the third suspect. On searching their house, 250 grams of hashish, 100 grams of shabu, pistols, three air guns, and an automatic rifle, along with a large quantity of ammo was found. The trio was sent to concerned authorities.

Meanwhile, immigration detectives arrested an Asian gang for trading in iqama illegally. The network of Asians was arrested along with several domestic helpers who were employed in nursing jobs without holding necessary qualifications. They were sent to concerned authorities for further questioning.

Smuggling attempt Customs officers arrested an Egyptian attempting to smuggle 400 Tramadol tablets. A source said a female inspector suspected the expat who arrived from Egypt and on searching him, found bottles of Viagra containing Tramadol.

Cabinet”. Separately, MP Al-Turaiji questioned Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Thekra AlRashidi about allegations that she hired unqualified relatives in the ministry with high allowances. In other news, MP Hamdan AlAzmi announced proposing a draft law to increase child support allowances that the government pays to citizens by 25 percent, and to increase pensions by 10 percent. Also, MP Mohammad Al-Enizy announced yesterday that he proposed a draft law by which the state is required to pay at least KD 10,000 as financial aid to citizens suffering from kidney diseases.

No demo Special task forces were dispatched at a location in Jahra on Sunday where activists had called bedoons to stage a demonstration to demand citizenship rights. Police later left the square located at the Taima district of Jahra after only a few dozen showed up.

Kuwaiti students Education and Higher Education Minister Dr Nayef Al-Hajraf said that he, along with Higher Education Undersecretar y Rashed AlNuwaihed, reviewed the possible options for Kuwaiti students who study in Egypt, to guar-

antee their safety. He said in case there is a need to transfer students to other universities, then each case will be considered individually according to the academic accreditation of each university, since the number of students in Egypt is over 10,000.

Money exchanges Money laundering and anti-terrorism unit at the Commerce and Industry Ministry closed two money exchange companies, for transferring funds abroad without the knowledge or approval of the central bank. The legal department at the ministry is currently considering the financial penalty for each violation which may be KD 500,000, apart from reclaiming the transferred amount. The ministry accuses the two companies of hiding and concealing the source of the funds and what it was ultimately used for.

MEW proposal Ministry of Electricity and Water has proposed a new plan to encourage consumers to use electricity judiciously and has allocated KD 1 million for this. The plan will include holding seminars and lectures, along with necessary strategizing to create awareness, especially in schools and other government entities.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

LOCAL

Five fugitives nabbed at Salmi checkpoint Search on for shooting suspects KUWAIT: Five people were arrested at the Salmi border checkpoint (West) as they were getting ready to flee the country. They were caught and taken to the proper authorities to face charges for a crime committed during their short stay in Kuwait. According to the police report, the men were accompanied by their families when they were stopped by police because they were wanted in connection with an attempted murder. Investigations revealed that the men had engaged in a fight with a Kuwaiti man who allegedly harassed a female relative. They escaped after stabbing the man who was hospitalized with serious injuries at the Adan Hospital.

The five men are in custody currently.

Suicide probe A Farwaniya resident was hospitalized in a critical condition Sunday and preliminary investigations indicate that he had attempted suicide.

The 29-year-old bedoon was unconscious when his father admitted him at the Farwaniya Hospital. The father said that he found his son

passed out inside his room and also gave medical personnel names of medication his son takes for pneumonia. Preliminary results indicated that the man suffered complications from an overdose on unknown pills. A case has been opened.

Jahra shooting Search is on for a group of men who left a man injured outside a Jahra house which they shot at before escaping. Police rushed to a house located in the Oyoun district of Jahra where shooting was reported. They found an injured man outside the house and preliminary investigations revealed that the injured man had been in a fight with a group of men who were standing outside the house. The suspects escaped after firing multiple rounds at the house but no fatalities were reported. Further investigations are on.

Suspect nabbed A fugitive was arrested in Jahra after he

was found intoxicated inside a cab. Patrol officers stopped the taxi and noticed that the man in the passenger’s seat was behaving suspiciously. They checked his identity and found out that he is wanted to serve a fiveyear jail sentence. Police also found heroin, meth, and other drugs in addition to drug paraphernalia. The Kuwaiti man in his thirties was taken to the proper authorities to face charges.

Policeman charged Investigations are ongoing in a case where a woman accused a police officer of harassing her at an early hour on Sunday morning. In her statement to police, the woman said that she was making her way to her friend’s house at 3:00 am when she was stopped by a police officer. She claimed that the officer harassed her, and then physically assaulted her when she put up a fight. She reported the name printed on his official badge to the police and they are on the lookout for him.

Zain’s Ramadan commercial ranked number one in UAE KUWAIT: Zain Group, a pioneer in mobile telecommunications across eight markets in the Middle East and North Africa, is proud to announce that its Ramadan television commercial, ‘Know your Friends’, was ranked as the number one television advert in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the holy month.

The ranking, compiled by tview, UAE’s television audience measurement system, ranked Zain Group’s Ramadan advert as the leading television commercial in the countr y during the Holy Month of Ramadan based on a variety of factors that included the number of inser tions and the ratings points assigned to it.

What makes this accolade even more significant is the fact that Zain Group does not operate a network in the UAE, and yet the advertisement still received wide viewership and positive reaction.

Responding to the news of the number one ranking of Zain’s television commercial, Scott Gegenheimer, Zain Group CEO said, “We are proud to have our creativity and messaging appreciated by audiences across the region. It is even more gratifying to have them recognized in markets in which Zain does not even have a direct, operational presence.”

Gegenheimer continued, “Ramadan is a special time of year for Zain, and we take extra care in the types of communications that we circulate during the Holy Month. Our adverts reflect our core values and our vision of a wonderful world, and it is very satisfying that these messages were well received by such a large audience in the UAE as well as in other markets across the region.”

On his part, Christopher O’Hearn, GM of www.tview.ae said “The top advertisers seem to have run fewer spots this Ramadan but placed them more effectively. Zain ran a very effective campaign which did not flood consumers with advertising but clearly targeted a wider audience and became the most viewed spot in the UAE over the month of Ramadan.”

The television commercial and song, which also coincided with the celebration of Zain Group’s 30th anniversary of operation, were dedicated to everyone who has belonged to the wonderful world of Zain over its three decades of existence, which began in Kuwait and expanded internationally. The TVC also reflected company’s efforts to forge a close relationships with the communities in which it operates on the other.

The words of the song describe this best: “They did not love us because we are a wonderful world... we are a wonderful world because they loved us” The lyrics of the song were written by Hiba Mishari Hamada, while the music was composed by Bashar al-Shatti and distributed by Badr Karam. Through Zain’s integrated campaign the company looked to highlight its deep appreciation and regard for all its customers and partners. The television commercial also highlighted Zain’s personality and caring values.

Suppor ting the adver tising campaign, Zain has also promoted a ‘the wonderful words of Zain” message to a friend competition whereby anyone could create a special message to a friend on a specially created website.

Al-Hashash chosen to judge smart content award

Gulf Bank celebrates return of Kuwait’s pearl divers KUWAIT: Gulf Bank welcomed home pearl divers following the successful conclusion of the 25th Memorial Journey for Pearl Diving, organized by the Sea Sport Club under the auspices of HH the Amir, Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The expedition consisted of 10 traditional fully crewed dhows with

182 young men on-board from Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, who sailed from Kuwait on 15th August and returned safely on Aug 22 to a traditional reception and an enthusiastic welcome by families, friends and well-wishers.

The closing day ceremony, also

called ‘Youm Al-Quffal’ in Arabic, was attended by Sheikh Salman Al-Homoud Al-Sabah, Minister of Information and State Minister of Youth Affairs, representing HH the Amir, Ahmad Alghanim, VicePresident of the Kuwait Sea Sports Club, Ali Al-Qabandi, Head of the Marine Heritage Committee of the Kuwait Sea Sports Club and

the main supervisor for the journey, Fawzy Al-Thunayan, General Manager of Board Affairs at Gulf Bank, as well as a number of VIPs and Ministry representatives who took the opportunity of welcoming back and honoring the young Kuwaiti, Bahraini and Omani

divers and the captains of the dhows for upholding and preserving the traditional legacy of Kuwait.

With the traditional tunes playing in the background, the divers showcased pearls and shells to the audience.

Commenting on the return of the divers, Fawzy Al-Thunayan,

General Manager of Board Affairs at Gulf Bank said: “We are extremely proud of the young Kuwaitis and their compatriots from Bahrain and Oman who have completed this year’s journey.

The annual pearl diving expedition is a national event that honors our forefathers and the values instilled within us from their sacrifices. The journey revives the iconic cultural aspect of our honorable heritage, and is an important symbol of Kuwaitis’ loyalty to their legacy. We salute all the divers and crew members of the dhows, led by Captain Khalifa Al-Rashid, Captain AbdulRahman Al-Mannai from the Kingdom of Bahrain, Captain Abdullah Jassim Al-Faris assisted by Ahmad Bu Marzouq who ensured a safe voyage for everyone on the dhows.”

The 25th inaugural memorial pearl diving trip commenced with the opening ceremony entitled ‘Youm al-Dasha’ (entering

day) on August 15th in Kuwait Sea Spor ts Club which was a attended by the representative of HH the Amir, Minister of Information and State Minister of Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman AlHmoud Al-Sabah along with representatives from Bahrain and Oman. Sheikh Salman Al-Hmoud welcomed the participants from Bahrain and Oman and highlighted the history and strong ties that bond citizens of the G.C.C. and praised the activity and what it does to support the

preservation of marine heritage and its values for future generations.

Gulf Bank believes that heritage and tradition must be preserved, and takes it upon itself to communicate these core values.

This is reflected in the Bank’s corporate logo, a simple reminder of Kuwait’s proud heritage and the historic journeys made by Kuwaitis in the past. The Bank has also utilized ‘Al Danah’, meaning large pearl, as the Al Danah account campaign logo.

The journey, which is organized each year by the Committee of the Marine Heritage of the Kuwait Sea Spor ts Club, has Kuwaiti sailors using dhows to sail great distances away from their families and to dive for pearls in the traditional way. The memorial journey ser ves to remind new Kuwaiti generations of the difficulties and challenges faced by their forefathers in earning their living, along with a message urging these generations to uphold the traditions and values their ancestors developed during that time.

Kuwaiti ambassador meets Honduras FM MEXICO CITY: Kuwaiti Extraordinary and non-resident Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Honduras, Samih Johar Hayat, met earlier yesterday with the Minister of Foreign Relations of the Republic of Honduras, Mireya Aguero Trejo de Corrales, at her office in the Foreign Ministry headquarters.

Hayat, who is also Kuwait’s Ambassador

to Mexico, conveyed greetings and best wishes of the Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah AlKhalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah of fur ther progress and prosperity for bilateral relations between the two countries, which contributes in achieving the two sides’ interests in all fields.

Hayat discussed with De Corrales details of his expected official visit to Kuwait the first week of September.

The Kuwaiti diploma also met with senior officials at the Honduras Foreign Ministry, meetings were attended by the Special Advisor to the President of Honduras for international affairs William Chong. —KUNA

KUWAIT: For the fifth consecutive time, the World Summit Award has chosen Kuwaiti Engineer Manar Al-Hashash to be one of the judges that will select the best e-content and most innovative applications at an event that will be held in the Estonian capital of Tallin.

WSA is an award that promotes smart content and awards e-content that contributes to a true knowledge society and promotes it at a global congress. The three-day event, held from Aug 29 to 31, will bring together 16 renowned multimedia experts from all parts of the world: United States, Russia, China, Holland, Singapore, India, Ghana, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, who have backgrounds in creative industries, telecommunication, advertising, journalism and research, as well as in teaching. The panel will judge the best contents and most innovative applications. All nominated products from each country are evaluated in a three-round judging process, and subsequently, the 40 world’s best e-contents and applications are selected.

Al-Hashash is taking pride in choosing her for the fifth time consecutively to be in judging panel of well-renowned technology experts from around the world. “To be chosen to sit among these experts is definitely brings pride to oneself,” she said yesterday. “It is, no doubt, a huge responsibility to evaluate and select the most outstanding e-content amongst many other original applications,” she said. More than

500 e-content, from 130 countries, will be presented in this event. Kuwait is participating with seven e-projects.

She noted that WSA has eight categories that reflect the most crucial social issues of every-day life. These categories are: eGovernment and pen Data, e-Health and Environment, e-Learning and Science, eEntertainment and Games, e-Culture and Tourism, e-Media and Journalism, e-business and Commerce and e-Inclusion and Empowerment. “Zakat House” is to compete in the e-Government and Open Data categories, Al-Hashash went on saying. “Beatona” Kuwait’s official electronic environment website is to participate in the e-Health and Environment category, ‘Kuwaiti Engineer for Construction and Decoration” is nominated for the e-learning and Science category, “Majedphotos” is named for eEntertainment and Games category, “Kuwait Dhows” is to engage in the e-Culture and Tourism list, “Sheeel.com” also is named in eBusiness and Commerce group. Lastly, “Directaid” website is nominated to participate in the e-Inclution and Empowerment section of the award.

The Kuwaiti engineer expressed her appreciation to the Kuwaiti leadership for an unconditional support to those who are interested in science and technology, whether they are institutions or individuals. —KUNA

EQUATE President and CEO Mohammad Husain with AIChE and faculty members.

EQUATE participates in American chemical society seminar KUWAIT: EQUATE Petrochemical Company participated in a seminar by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Kuwait University Student Chapter (AIChE) at Kuwait University.

During the seminar, EQUATE President and CEO Mohammad Husain said, “In terms of petrochemical production capacities in the Gulf, Kuwait has the fourth rank with six percent, while Saudi Arabia claims the lion’s share with 68%, followed

by Qatar and Oman respectively. During 2012, Gulf nations accounted for 13% of the global petrochemical production.”

Husain added, “Success is not only about making profits and executing set plans, as it is the result of several factors, such as integration between all relevant elements to achieve sustainability.”

Husain explained, “While EQUATE is the first international petrochemical joint-venture in Kuwait and the entire Gulf, being established first does not mean superiority or instantaneous success. Significance is a result of sustainability with the participation of qualified human resources who represent the main cornerstone for any organization which should also have the ability for further development, tackling different challenges and dealing with all stakeholders by embodying the tagline of ‘Partners in Success’.”

Husain affirmed, “Through its distinguished human resources, especially Kuwaiti nationals, EQUATE has realized several international achievements, such as launching the Middle East’s first plant water recycling project and the first project in Kuwait for CO2 recovery, as well as being the first Kuwaiti organization to receive Responsible Care accreditation and certification.”

At the end of his participation, Husain addressed inquiries raised by AIChE members and other attendees regarding EQUATE and other relevant matters.

During the seminar, a number of students from Kuwait University’s College of Engineering & Petroleum College delivered a presentation on their internship at EQUATE. Established in 1995, EQUATE is an international joint venture between Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC), The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), Boubyan Petrochemical Company (BPC) and Qurain Petrochemical Industries Company (QPIC). Commencing production in 1997, EQUATE is the single operator of a fully integrated world-scale manufacturing facility producing over 5 million tons annually of high-quality petrochemical products which are marketed throughout the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

Karzai asks Pakistan to set up Taleban talks

Palestinians call off talks after clash Page 8

Page 12

JINAN: The convoy carrying disgraced politician Bo Xilai (inset) leaves the Intermediate People’s Court at the end of his trial in Jinan, Shandong Province yesterday. The trial of fallen Chinese politician Bo Xilai on bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power charges ended yesterday after five days of hearings, the court said. — AFP

Ousted Bo trial ends in China Prosecutor demands severe punishment JINAN: Chinese prosecutors demanded a heavy sentence for ousted top politician Bo Xilai as his divisive, dramatic trial ended yesterday, saying his “whimsical” challenge to charges of bribery, graft and abuse of power flew in the face of the evidence.

Bo was a rising star in China’s leadership circles when his career was stopped short last year by a murder scandal in which his wife, Gu Kailai, was convicted of poisoning a British businessman, Neil Heywood, who had been a family friend.

Bo, who was Communist Party chief of the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing, has mounted an unexpectedly feisty defence since the trial began on Thursday, denouncing testimony against him by his wife as the ravings of a mad woman.

The court, announcing the end of the five-day trial, said the verdict would come at a later date. It did not provide details, but it could be announced within the next few weeks. Bo has repeatedly said he is not guilty of any of the charges, although he has admitted to making some bad decisions and to shaming his country by his handling of former Chongqing police chief, Wang Lijun, who first told Bo that Gu had probably murdered Heywood.

Wang fled to the US consulate in the nearby city of Chengdu in February last year after confronting Bo with evidence that Gu was involved in the murder.

Wang was also jailed last year for covering up the crime.

Summing up the evidence, the state’s prosecutor said Bo should not be shown leniency as he had recanted admissions of guilt provided ahead of the trial. “Over the past few days of the trial, the accused Bo Xilai has not only flatly denied a vast amount of conclusive evidence and facts of his crimes, he has also repudiated his pre-trial written testimony and materials,” the court cited the prosecutor as saying. “We take this opportunity to remind Bo Xilai: the facts of the crimes are objective, and can’t be

shifted around on your whim,” it said, without saying which of the four prosecutors had made the remarks.

In his final address to the court, Bo admitted to personal failings. “I know I’m an imperfect man,” Bo said. “I’m very subjective and bad-tempered. I have committed serious errors and mistakes ... I did not manage my family and subordinates well, I have made big mistakes and am sorry to the party and the people.” Bo could theoretically be given the death penalty for the charges, although many observers say that is unlikely as the party will not want to make a martyr of a man whose left-leaning social welfare policies won much popular support. Two legal experts told Reuters they thought that the details of the actual charges laid against Bo suggested he would be spared the death penalty.

“It was other people who took the money,” said Gu Yushu, a lawyer who Bo’s sister originally wanted as his lawyer, but was not allowed to retain.

“The direct link to him is not very clear,” added Gu, who thought a 15 year sentence could be expected. Shang Baojun, a prominent human rights lawyer, agreed that capital punishment was legally unlikely as Bo was not directly linked to Heywood’s murder, and praised Bo’s performance in court, even if he though it would not likely affect the verdict.

“He spoke very fluently, very passionately, but whether it was enough to convince anyone is another question,” Shang said. “He was obviously very well prepared by his defence team. He knew his talking points to a tee.” The trial has heard many salacious allegations against Bo, with transcripts, although probably edited, being carried on the court’s official microblog. The prosecution has alleged that Bo took more than 20 million yuan ($3.27 million) in bribes from two businessmen, embezzled another 5 million yuan from a government building project, and abused his power in trying to cover up Gu’s crime.

Details have been presented of a villa on

the French Riviera bought for the Bo family by businessman Xu Ming, who also paid for foreign trips by Bo and Gu’s only son, Bo Guagua, offering a glimpse into the lifestyles of China’s elite politicians. Bo said that he had initially admitted to Communist Party anti-corruption investigators that he received bribes as he had been “under psychological pressure”. Bo also said he been framed by one of the men accused of bribing him, businessman Tang Xiaolin, who he called a “mad dog”. The prosecutor said Bo’s lack of contrition would count against him. “The severeness of the accused’s crimes, and that he refused to admit guilt, don’t match the circumstances of leniency, and (he) must be severely punished in accordance with the law.”

Bo said he had offered his confession about accepting bribes from Tang because he wanted to “cooperate, to get the understanding” of the party, which at the time was leading the investigation into him.

“At the time, I had a spark of hope, I hoped to keep my party membership, to keep my political life,” Bo said, according to the court’s transcript. There was no mention in the transcript of Bo’s previous assertion of being pressured to confess, although he said he had felt “under pressure” throughout the entire investigation into him.

Bo also provided a new explanation for why Wang - who has accused Bo of punching him upon the news of Gu’s involvement in Heywood’s murder - fled to the U.S. consulate.

“He was secretly in love with Gu Kailai,” Bo said, adding that Gu had rejected the former police chief. “He muscled in on my home, on my feelings, which is the real reason for his defection.”

Despite Bo’s gutsy defence, a guilty verdict is a foregone conclusion as China’s courts are controlled by the Communist Party. State media, which speaks for the party, has already all but condemned him. — Reuters

Calm returns to Myanmar town HTAN GONE: A tense calm returned yesterday to a Myanmar town that was ripped apart by sectarian violence, leaving hundreds homeless after Buddhist mobs tore through the small, winding streets torching Muslim-owned houses and stores.

Some waved sticks and clubs as they sang the national anthem.

Authorities said they had arrested 12 suspects, and security forces were guarding the mosque in Htan Gone where some of the victims sought refuge late Saturday and early Sunday.

“We spent the whole night cowering at the back of the mosque,” said 70-year-old Daw Tin Shwe, adding that police did not help them. “There was no one there to protect us.”

The predominantly Buddhist nation of 60 million has been grappling with sectarian violence since its military rulers handed over power to a nominally civilian government in 2011. More than 250 people have been killed in the last year and another 140,000 displaced, almost all of them Muslims.

The latest violence is part of a nationalistic trend, fueled by radical monks preaching that the minority Muslim community, representing 4 percent of the population, poses a threat to thousands of years of culture and tradition.

For the first time in decades, celebrations were held in several big cities across the country to commemorate

the day in 1961 when then-Prime Minister U Nu signed legislation stating that Buddhism was the national religion. The law, however, is no longer in place.

“We couldn’t celebrate this day in the past because people were not very united,” said Sandara, a 33-yearold monk sitting in small wooden home on the outskirts of Yangon, the streets lined with yellow, red, blue and white striped religious flags.

“Now things have changed.” Asked how he felt about violence aimed at Muslims, he fired back with a question of his own: “If someone attacks your family, wouldn’t you want to do something? We can’t accept people who do bad things.”—AP

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

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

Syrian Kurds trek to Iraq over parched hills SUHILLA: Mariam Bozan Khalil spent days avoiding Syrian rebel militiamen on the road to Iraq, only to be forced to finish her journey on foot through sunscorched hills.

She is one of more than 40,000 Syrians who have escaped to Iraq’s autonomous northern Kurdish region in the past 10 days. The exodus is one of the biggest cross-border migrations since what is now a civil war between the forces of President Bashar al-Assad and the rebels trying to overthrow him started more than two years ago.

The mainly Kurdish refugees are fleeing groups of fighters that have been seizing control of villages over the border, Khalil said, at a reception camp in the Iraqi frontier village of Suhilla, around 400km (250 miles) northwest of Baghdad. “ We don’t know them. They just come, take power and give themselves a name,” she said, as her 18-month-old son slept spread-eagled on a cloth in front of her. “We don’t know who we are supposed to support. The people, we are

just left to be trampled underfoot,” the 28-year-old Kurd said.

The sudden influx of Syrian refugees has brought Iraq’s prosperous and wellarmed northern region closer to the conflict which has already killed more than 100,000 people and displaced millions.

The leader of the autonomous region has promised to protect Kurds over the border from attacks.

Some Kurds in Syria have taken up arms and clashed with rival rebel groups in a revolt which has deepened sectarian and ethnic lines. Kurds form large populations in Syria, Turkey and Iran but have autonomous rule only in Iraq.

The mass flight of into northern Iraq started just over a week ago when Iraqi Kurdish authorities opened a rickety pontoon bridge over the Tigris River. Officials said they were forced to act because there were reports that their kinsmen were being slaughtered by al Qaeda-linked fighters over the border, in a part of Syria the Iraqi regional government refers to as Western Kurdistan.

Days after the first wave of refugees, border chiefs shut the temporary bridge, saying they feared it would collapse under the weight of people. Now they are allowing only people needing emergency aid to travel over in small metal boats.

“I don’t think we can open it again, it is not safe, it is not stable,” said Nazm Hamid Abdullah, a deputy border chief at a post near the bridge, which now stops short of the shore.

The rest of those escaping have to cross by foot on a winding 4.5 km (3 mile) hill path. A mule can be hired from villagers on the Syrian side to carry luggage for about $10.

Khalil’s journey began 350 km to the west (220 miles) in the Syrian rebel-held city of Raqqa which she fled by car to avoid the fighting. Then the trouble in the border area forced her to take the path to Iraq, which avoids the river crossing.

The Islamist militias al Nusra and al Qaeda’s Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant have been fighting for control of parts of northern and northeastern Syria

in recent months against Kurdish groups which have taken advantage of the antiAssad rebellion to assert their control over majority-Kurdish areas.

At the border camp, refugee Dijla Mohammed Ibrahim said Kurds have been horrified by an alleged chemical weapons attack in the Syrian capital last week. “They did it in Damascus, maybe they will use them in Raqqa,” the 22-year-old said.

“Innocent children and women were killed. Those people who use such chemical weapons should be punished.”

The Damascus attack has revived memories of when thousands of Iraqi Kurds were gassed in Halabja by the warplanes of late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in 1988.

For Fatma Mohammed Nasser, looting by members of the rebel army had been the trigger to leave Syria. “They stole all of our things, our house, our possessions,” she said, feeding her five-month-old son with water from a baby bottle. “My brother is newly-married and their house was seized.” Rebels even made off with the

wedding dress.

“Everyone was so sad, even children started to hate life,” Nasser said. “The Free Army stopped giving us baby milk and surrounded us instead.”

She sat under a plastic canopy assembled by aid groups who handed out water and food. Aid workers said some Kurdish troops had quietly crossed into a “no man’s land” between the countries to stack crates of drinks and snacks on the path through the hills where temperatures can reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 F).

At the camp, children with cracked lips slept on top of suitcases and plastic bags stuffed with clothes. Women wrapped their faces with scarves to protect from the dusty wind and shielded children’s eyes.

“There have been two years of attacks, there is no life, no work anymore,” said Mohammed Bin Mustafa, 57, sitting in the shade with his sandals neatly tucked to one side. “I ask Allah to send someone good to us in Syria, to lead us back to the life we had before.” —Reuters

Palestinians call off talks after clash Israeli soldiers killed three protesters QALANDIA REFUGEE CAMP: Palestinian officials said they called off a planned round of peace talks yesterday after Israeli soldiers killed three protesters during clashes following an arrest raid in the West Bank.

But in comments that suggested the meeting had gone ahead as planned, a US official in Washington

resumed late last month after a nearly five-year break. Palestinian officials have accused the Israelis of stonewalling and using the process as a cover to build new Jewish settlements. The deaths of Palestinians further soured the atmosphere.

It was not known when talks will resume, but Palestinian officials said

dreds of Palestinians poured into the streets and hurled firebombs, concrete blocks and rocks at officers.

The Israeli military said soldiers rushed to the scene to provide backup and opened fire after they felt their lives were in “imminent danger.”

An official at a Ramallah hospital confirmed three deaths and more than a

RAMALLAH: A Palestinian militant fires into the air in the city of Ramallah during the funeral procession of Rubeen Abed Fares, 30, Yunis Jahjouh, 22, and Jihad Aslan, 20, who were all killed during clashes with Israeli security forces in the West Bank’s Qalandia refugee camp yesterday.

Expected peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators were cancelled after Israeli security forces shot dead three Palestinians during clashes in the West Bank, a Palestinian official said. —AFP said “no meetings have been canceled.” The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter with the media, refused to elaborate.

Israeli officials refused to comment.

The violence, the deadliest incident in the area in years, dealt a new blow to US-led peace efforts, which

the break was expected to be brief.

They spoke anonymously as they were not authorized to talk to media.

Yesterday’s clashes broke out when Israeli forces entered the Qalandia refugee camp, just outside of Jerusalem, on an overnight arrest raid. Shai Hakimi, a spokesman for the paramilitary border police, said hun-

dozen wounded.

He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

Hatim Khatib, whose brother Youssef was arrested in the raid, told The Associated Press that undercover troops dressed in civilian clothes arrived at their home at 4:30 a.m.

looking for the brother.

“After half an hour we started hearing shooting from the soldiers inside our house, and then people started throwing stones at them,” he said. Youssef was arrested after he returned from morning prayers at 7:00 a.m., he said.

He said he didn’t know why his brother was the only one arrested but said Youssef had spent time in Israeli jail for throwing rocks and was released three years ago. The Israeli military would not say why he was wanted.

The violence drew fierce Palestinian condemnations. “Such a crime proves the need for an urgent and effective international protection for our people,” Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said in a statement.

Shortly afterward, Palestinian officials said that a planned round of peace talks had been called off. They said the Palestinians were protesting the day’s violence, and were also upset by an Israeli announcement Sunday that it was pushing forward with new settlement construction in east Jerusalem.

The Palestinians object to construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, the lands they claim along with the Gaza Strip for their future state. Israel captured all three territories in 1967. It was not immediately known when talks would resume.

A Palestinian official said the talks have gotten off to a rocky start, with the sides still arguing over the agenda. The Palestinians want discussions to focus on security issues and the border between Israel and a future state of Palestine. The official said the Israelis have insisted on limiting talks only to security matters. He spoke on condition of anonymity because both sides have promised US Secretary of State John Kerry to keep the details of the negotiations secret. Israeli officials declined comment.

Kerry is expected to meet Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in Rome on Sept. 8 to help push negotiations forward, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials. —AP

Israelis queue for gas masks over war fears

JERUSALEM: Thousands of Israelis are queuing for gas masks or ordering them by phone, spurred on by fears that any Western military response to last week’s alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria could ensnare their own country in war. Western powers are considering military action to punish the Syrian government for the alleged attack that killed hundreds near Damascus last week. With speculation mounting that NATO powers might fire cruise missiles into Syria, many in Israel worry that President Bashar al-Assad, embroiled in a 2-1/2 year uprising against his rule, could strike out at the Jewish state in retaliation.

Israeli media reports of Syrian officials threatening retaliation against Israel for any Western strike have only served to heighten the anxiety.

“We live in a crazy region. All it takes is for one crazy person to push a button and you never know, everything can go up in flames,” said Victor Bracha, 72, one of those queuing for protective gear at a makeshift distribution centre in a shopping mall in Jerusalem.

Maya Avishai, spokeswoman for the Israeli Postal Service which oversees the distribution of gas masks on

behalf of the military’s homefront command, said four times as many people as usual had phoned in orders in the past two days.

“Twice as many as usual are showing up at public centres to pick them up. The pressure has been great,” Avishai said. There was also talk of expanding the number of centres handing out gas masks to meet

demand, she added.

Israel has eschewed any involvement in the internal conflicts gripping its Arab neighbours in the past two years, and some Israelis doubt Assad would turn his guns on Israel.

“It is not in his interest, it could bring about his demise more quickly,” Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said on Sunday. “It would be

JERUSALEM: Israelis receive gas masks at a distribution centre in Jerusalem yesterday. As talks of an international attack on Syria heighten, the demand for gas masks in Israel rose. —AFP

insane for somebody to try and provoke Israel,” he added in remarks to foreign correspondents in Jerusalem yesterday.

Shlomi Goldstein, 32, another shopper at the mall in Jerusalem, said he had no plans to join those queuing for masks, confident that Israel could deter any attack.

“I think Assad wouldn’t dare to attack us, he knows that if he did it could be the last thing he ever does,” he said. Israel has provided its citizens with gear to cope with possible chemical or biological attacks since the 1991 Gulf War, when US-led troops drove Iraq out of Kuwait.

During that conflict, Iraq fired Scud missiles into Israel and its leader, Saddam Hussein, threatened a chemical attack on Israel, though he never acted on this.

Three years ago Israel launched a campaign to renew the protection kits. But until last week’s attack in Syria, only around 5 million of Israel’s 8-million strong population had updated theirs, officials said.

Israel remains technically at war with Syria, which has long demanded an Israeli withdrawal from the strategic Golan Heights, land that Israel captured in a 1967 war. —Reuters

BAGHDAD: Iraqi youths inspect the damage yesterday in a Baghdad cafe which was hit by an explosion in the Tunis neighbourhood of the Iraqi capital’s Sunni Adhamiyah district the previous day. A series of attacks in Baghdad and north Iraq killed 48 people amid a surge in violence that authorities have failed to stem despite wide-ranging operations targeting militants. —AFP

Iraq fights public relations battle over death tolls BAGHDAD: As Iraq struggles to stem spiralling violence in the latest chapter of its years-long war against militants, authorities are waging a public relations battle over the number of people killed.

The government has downplayed the number of deaths from attacks in its official statements, even as violence in Iraq has reached levels not seen since 2008.

It has also challenged media reports on unrest, saying some were as dangerous as attacks themselves.

While the UN says that more than 4,000 people have been killed in Iraq violence so far in 2013, an AFP review of more than 1,700 interior and defence ministry statements issued this year and archived on their websites found only a tiny fraction of that figure was publicly acknowledged. The interior ministry statements contained references to the deaths of about 120 civilians and security forces in attacks, while the defence ministry mentioned about 30 Iraqi security forces and civilians having died.

The Iraqi government is clearly concerned about public perceptions of violence.

The interior ministry issued a statement this month slamming what it termed “fabricated news and untrue statistics” in reports on attacks.

“The malicious media attacks launched by some media organisations ... are not less dangerous than these attacks themselves,” the ministry said.“The language of numbers is important for AlQaeda, and the process of some media organisations adopting this” is “encouraging Al-Qaeda to move forward in targeting the Iraqi citizen,” interior ministry spokesman Brigadier General Saad Maan said in an interview with AFP. A senior army officer told AFP that the Iraqi government’s concern over death tolls has led it to release incomplete numbers.

“The statistics that are mentioned in defence and interior ministry statements do not include the final numbers of victims of terrorist attacks,” the officer said on condition of anonymity.

Instead, “there are orders from the senior leadership to highlight the activities of security forces and their killing of terrorists.”

Government spokesman Ali Mussawi denied that allegation, saying that “we never gave any orders to reduce the statistics.”

But the Iraqi government privately compiles much more comprehensive figures than those mentioned in its public statements.

According to those figures, which are obtained by AFP and other media organisations but not officially released, violence in Iraq has killed 2,472 civilians and security forces members so far this year.

Maan said the interior ministry’s online statements were not exhaustive and rather covered major incidents, but they made no mention of some of the worst days of violence of the year.

Not all of the interior ministry’s statements give lower death tolls than other sources, and some referred to attacks apparently not mentioned elsewhere. But in other cases, the difference in tolls is stark.

On August 15, for example, the ministry issued a statement saying that bombings in Baghdad killed three people, while sources told AFP that attacks killed 27, among them 24 in the capital. And on August 11, the ministry said that 21 people were killed in attacks the day before, while sources told AFP that 74 people died that day. AFP requires that death tolls be confirmed by either one credible named source or by two credible sources who speak on condition of anonymity. Maan and other officials also periodically give tolls from attacks in interviews with the Iraqiya state television, but they too are often lower than those from other sources.

Maan attributed the differing figures to factors including journalists rushing to break a story and reliance on inaccurate sources.

The defence ministry has meanwhile issued multiple statements in August on wide-ranging anti-insurgent operations it said resulted in the arrest of more than 900 people and the killing of over a dozen militants. None of the August statements reviewed by AFP mentioned Iraqi military casualties, while security and medical sources have reported the deaths of more than 50 soldiers this month. “Not revealing the figures is an attempt to show the situation is different from what it is,” said Essam al-Fayli, a professor of political history at Baghdad’s Mustansariyah University. “Announcing the real numbers would weaken their political position,” Fayli said of Iraq’s main political parties. —AFP

Bahrainis march peacefully for democratic reforms MANAMA: Thousands of Bahrainis were allowed to march peacefully outside Manama calling for democratic reforms, 10 days after police cracked down on scattered protests organised by an online group inspired by recent demonstrations in Egypt.

Waving Bahrain’s red and white flag and carrying pictures of political prisoners, the protesters denounced King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa and Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman alKhalifa. “Down with Hamad,” they chanted. “We are here ... because we want freedom. We are used to oppression, and teargas and beatings,” said Hayat al-Abbar, a 38-year-old secretary who joined the march. Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet, has been buffeted by bouts of unrest since February 2011 when an uprising led by the Shi’ite majority demanded the Sunni alKhalifa dynasty give up power.

The authorities crushed the revolt. An international inquiry commission said in a November 2011 report that 35 people had died during the uprising. The dead were mainly protesters but included five security personnel and seven foreigners.

“We seek our freedom and dignity and will never forget those who sacrificed their lives,” Friday’s protesters chanted. Police stayed away from the march, which was organised by the country’s main opposition parties and took place west of the capital. The Bahrain government in July passed a law banning all protests in the capital Manama. King Hamad also toughened penalties in anti-terrorism laws.

On Aug. 14, the authorities fired tear gas and birdshot to disperse demonstrators responding to an online call for street action by a new activist group calling itself Tamarrod, according to witnesses. The group was inspired by the movement of the same name that helped muster massive protests against Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi before the military removed him on July 3.

The Bahrain opposition demands a constitutional monarchy with a government chosen from within a democratically-elected parliament. It complains of discrimination against majority Shi’ites in areas such as employment and public services, which the government denies. —Reuters

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

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

California fire spreads towards water reservoir LOS ANGELES: A wildfire raging on the northern tip of California’s Yosemite National Park is spreading and just miles away from the reservoir that provides San Francisco with drinking water.

A map posted on InciWeb, the Incident Information System monitoring website, shows the blaze nearing the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, the main source of fresh water for 2.6 million people living in the San Francisco Bay Area, which lies some 200 miles (320 kilometers) to the west.

Local news media reported early Monday that flames from the Rim Fire were a mere five miles away from the reservoir. The blaze has charred through 133,980 acres (54,220 hectares) and is just seven percent contained, according to InciWeb, which monitors fires in the western United States. Tyrone Jue with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission told the San Francisco Chronicle that there have been no interruptions in the water supply, and that there has been no

change in the quality of drinking water.

The utility said it also had large reserves of water stored locally, which it will make available if the fire interrupts delivery. However, the city also relies on hydroelectric power from the same region: Two of its three power plants were shut down when the fire swept through, Jue told the Chronicle. The city kept the power flowing by relying on agreements with other utility companies and buying supplemental power.

One of the plants was still too dangerous to reach on Sunday, but repairs on the other plant were underway and should be completed by Monday, Jue told the paper. More than 2,800 firefighters, supported by helicopters and air tankers, are struggling to contain the blaze, which started on August 17 from still unknown causes.

Extremely dry conditions due to a prolonged drought, coupled with inaccessible terrain in the affected area, have exacerbated the severity of

the incident. Governor Jerry Brown earlier declared a state of emergency for San Francisco due to the threat to its water and electricity.

The state’s firefighting efforts got a boost when California received federal assistance over the weekend to help mobilize the necessary resources. But the blaze showed little sign of abating. According to satellite photos, giant columns of white smoke were drifting north into the neighboring state of Nevada. —AFP

Mexico migrant train derailment kills six 300 Central American migrants were aboard ‘The Beast’

BELTON: This undated image courtesy of Bell County Sheriff’s Office shows Nidal Hasan. The American officer who killed 13 fellow soldiers in a rampage on a military base was found guilty on all charges against him. —AFP

Fort Hood gunman may get death penalty FORT HOOD: The Army psychiatrist convicted of the Fort Hood shooting rampage that killed 13 people began the sentencing phase of his trial yesterday, and jurors are deciding whether to give him the death penalty for the worst mass shooting ever on a US military installation.

Nidal Hasan, a US-born Muslim, has admitted that he opened fire on unarmed soldiers at the sprawling Texas military base, also wounding more than 30 others. Hasan offered little defense as he represented himself in the trial, but he could take the witness stand during sentencing to say what he’s told the military, judges and journalists: that the killing of US soldiers preparing to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan was necessary to protect Muslim insurgents.

The judge repeatedly asked Hasan yesterday if he wanted to continue representing himself and

told him it was “unwise to represent yourself, but it’s your choice.” The attorneys appointed by the court to help Hasan if needed have protested that he is trying for a death sentence.Hasan leaked a report to the media during the trial showing that he told military mental health officials after the attack that he could “still be a martyr” if he were executed by the government. At the minimum, the 42-year-old Hasan will spend the rest of his life in prison. Prosecutors want Hasan to join just five other US service members on military death row.

Jurors must be unanimous to sentence him to death. No American soldier has been executed since 1961. Many military death row inmates have had their sentences overturned on appeal, which are automatic when jurors vote for the death penalty. The US president must eventually approve a military death sentence. —AP

HUIMANGUILLO: A cargo train carrying US-bound migrants derailed in a remote and swampy area of southeastern Mexico on Sunday, killing at least six people and injuring several more, officials said.

The train known as “The Beast,” which carries Central American migrants who pay smugglers to sit atop freight cars, careened off the track near a river in Tabasco state before dawn, with eight freight cars derailing, officials said. National civil protection coordinator Luis Felipe Puente said 18 people were taken to hospitals, including 17 from Honduras and one from Guatemala, all aged between 19 to 54. He had said earlier that 22 people were injured.

Tabasco public security and civil protection officials told AFP late Sunday that six people died.

Three of the dead are from Honduras, the Mexican and Honduran foreign ministries said.

Security and civil protection officials in the municipality of Huimanguillo said 250 to 300 migrants were aboard the train when it crashed at a site far from any road and only accessible by air or boat.

Cranes were sent to the site to lift the freight cars and check for any other victims through the night. Rain had poured over the area in recent days. The state’s civil protection director Cesar Burelo told Milenio television that the injured were taken to the regional hospital of Las Choapas in the neighboring state of Veracruz, which is 25 minutes away by boat.

The cause of the accident was not yet known, officials said. The transportation ministry said the train was traveling at 10 kilometers per hour (six miles per hour), moving 55 tonnes of scrap metal in nine cars while five other wagons were empty.

The speed and weight of the train were within norms, the ministry said. It also said the tracks where the accident took place were rebuilt in 2009 and were inspected recently. “The Beast” carries Mexican and Central American migrants who pay smugglers upwards of $100 for the right to travel from stations near Guatemala to the north of

HUIMANGUILLO: Handout picture released by the Tabasco Hoy newspaper, showing Mexican state policemen helping trapped people after a train, known as “The Beast”, derailed near Huimanguillo, Tabasco State, Mexico, on Sunday. —AFP Mexico. Local media showed pictures of freight cars lying on their side with the wheels detached from the bottom. The tracks are seen in a wooded area and covered with plants. At least two of the injured were transported lying on the wooden flatbed of a handcar-a small four-wheeled railroad vehicle-according to a picture posted on Twitter by Tabasco civil protection.

President Enrique Pena Nieto expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and his foreign ministry said it was providing information to Central American embassies.

Some 140,000 migrants enter Mexico illegally every year to travel to the United States, according to the National Human Rights Commission.

Migrants are exposed to many risks in their trek across Mexico. Traffickers charge huge sums to help them cross the border and, once in Mexico, gangs extort them for more money. They are often robbed, raped and killed by criminal groups.

President Enrique Pena Nieto unveiled a $309 billion plan in July to modernize the country’s infrastructure, including by reviving the nation’s moribund passenger train service. —AFP

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

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

Italy centre left rejects Berlusconi ‘blackmail’

ROME: Italy’s centre left will not accept any “blackmail” from its centre-right coalition partner, its leader said yesterday, after Silvio Berlusconi’s par ty threatened to bring down the government if he is ejected from parliament.

Relations between Berlusconi’s People of Freedom (PDL) party and Prime Minister Enrico Letta’s Democratic Party (PD) are at breaking point ahead of a Senate vote due by October on whether to expel the media mogul over his tax fraud conviction.

Following a party summit over the weekend at Berlusconi’s Milan villa, members of the PDL said his removal

from parliament was “unthinkable” and openly threatened to bring down the government if their PD coalition partners vote to evict him.

“The PD rejects any blackmail or ultimatum from the PDL,” PD secretary Guglielmo Epifani told the daily newspaper la Repubblica on Monday, reaffirming that his party would vote in favour of Berlusconi’s removal from parliament.

“Berlusconi needs to take note of what led to his conviction, and he has to explain why he would bring down the government at a time of crisis.” He warned that if the government col-

lapsed just as the euro zone’s thirdlargest economy was showing the first signs of recovery after a two-year recession, there would be “enormous costs” for society and renewed tremors in financial markets.

Letta is tr ying to push on with reforms to spur growth and fight record levels of unemployment despite deep divisions in his coalition, which was cobbled together after inconclusive elections in February.

Bond markets have calmed and Italian borrowing costs have declined well below levels that triggered concern during the height of euro zone turmoil

in 2011, when Berlusconi resigned as premier to make way for a technocrat government.

However, yesterday the difference in yield between Italian 10-year bonds and their German counterparts widened slightly as investors worried about a potential government collapse.

“It doesn’t look like the politicians will find a compromise to get out of this crisis, which puts all measures that need to be taken to spur the economy on ice,” said a Milan trader. “There is the risk that this could hit our economic recovery at a time when the country has shown some signs of a pick-up,” he said.

Letta said on Sunday it would be “madness” to bring down his government at such a sensitive time, but said he was confident the administration could resolve its problems.

The coalition partners are also arguing over an unpopular housing tax reform which they are due to agree on Wednesday. The PDL has threatened to bring down the government if the reform is not abolished, but centre-left officials say there are not enough alternative resources to scrap it completely.

The cabinet is also due to meet later to agree on measures to cut public administration spending. — Reuters

Syria oppn considers national rebel army Islamists fume, reject plans

MOSCOW: In this Wednesday, July 10, 2013 photo, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, center, speaks to his supporters and the media in Moscow. Navalny’s energy and charisma propelled him from a lonely role blogging about corruption to widely renown as Russia’s leading opposition activist. — AP

Navalny shakes up mayor campaign MOSCOW: A motley gaggle of hipsters, mothers with children and two babushkas with hair dyed bright red gather to listen to something they haven’t heard in over a decade: a stump speech for Moscow mayor.

Alexei Navalny, the anti-corruption blogger and leader of Russia’s protest movement, is trying to take his following offline and into the street, waging a traditional campaign of hand-shaking and leaflet drives to win voters outside his base of the young and websavvy.

Navalny has little hope of defeating incumbent Sergei Sobyanin - but polls show his star is rising. And if he gets a big chunk of the vote, the Kremlin will face pressure to show leniency over his five-year prison sentence, and the grassroots protest movement that fizzled out after Vladimir Putin’s return to the presidency last year may gain new wind. Sobyanin, meanwhile, is playing the regal incumbent: Throughout the campaign, the Kremlin backed politician has been all but invisible, allowing the constant drone of jackhammers or whiff of fresh paint that are signs of a Moscow makeover to remind voters of who’s in charge - and who can pull the purse-strings.

Navalny is the one who has been soaking up attention, and generating buzz. On a recent August day, the opposition leader stood on stage in a sprawling Moscow park dotted with enormous space shuttles and other scraps of Soviet-era glor y, and attempted to connect with an audience he rarely reaches through Twitter: the feared and revered babushka contingency.

“We know that (in Soviet times) our oil money was spent on enormous factories, industry, railroads, roads, science, health care, rockets,” he boomed, riffing on a nostalgia felt by many older Russians, who saw their hopes dashed and savings depleted under post-Soviet political reforms.

“But can you name a single major business that’s been built in this country in the past 10 years? I can’t!” The old ladies sitting in the first row chuckled and shook their heads. On Sunday, police briefly detained Navalny after leaving a stage of a campaign event, and released him a short time later.

The detention is part of a series of public signals to Navalny, who was given a verbal warning about various alleged campaign violations by the Moscow electoral committee last week.

Polling data on the race is spotty and inconsistent, but the trends are clear: The number of Muscovites ready to vote for Navalny on Sept. 8 has breached 10 percent and may even be moving toward 20 percent.

Meanwhile, Sobyanin’s ratings - while still above the 50 percent that would allow him to avoid run-off - are slipping by the week. There are four other party-backed candidates in the race, none projected to snag more than 5 percent.

Alexei Grazhdankin, deputy director of the independent Levada polling center, said that Sobyanin’s voter base was clearly no longer growing, and that there’s now a small chance there will be a second round.

Last month, Navalny was sentenced to five years in prison on embezzlement charges, but was released the day after his conviction in what many have described as an effort to legitimize the mayoral race and ensure that Sobyanin - who was appointed as mayor and is seen as a possible successor to Putin - is regarded as an elected politician with widespread support.

Such legitimacy is considered important because Putin’s forces are at their weakest in his seat of power: Moscow. When Putin won back the presidency last year, after ruling for a term in the lesser role of prime minister, he won only 47 percent of the capital’s vote, compared to 64 percent nationwide. That may also be a reason why, although there’s

no doubt that Sobyanin is the Kremlin’s man, he is running as an independent and has avoided public appearances with the president.

Masha Lipman at the Carnegie Endowment in Moscow said that Navalny had already achieved something: cast doubt over the inevitability of Putin’s power.

“One of his greatest achievements is ... adding an element of risk and uncertainty,” she said. “Putin built a political system in this country that is risk averse, it’s a political monopoly.” Rather than the issues - immigration, traffic, high cost of living - it’s a contrast in political style that lies at the heart of the mayoral campaign. In the Levada Center poll, 48 percent of respondents said they would vote for a mayor with “experience,” whereas 47 percent said that personal qualities, such as “openness and determination,” were crucial.

Navalny, a sharp-tongued 37-year-old lawyer, has plenty of the latter. He has waged a blitzkrieg campaign with nearly $1.5 million in funds raised online, meeting with hundreds of voters ever y day and mobilizing enthusiastic young volunteers to help hand out leaflets in the street and on the metro.

His team has also unleashed a flurry of new online projects. From a GPS mapping system that shows how many supporters live in each apartment block to an application that helps users spread pro-Navalny information on Russia’s biggest social networks, the campaign has been keen to lock down his natural base of young voters, many of whom often don’t make it to the polls.

“Currently the polls are assuming that those who haven’t yet figured out who to vote for will vote the same way as those who have,” Leonid Volkov, Navalny’s campaign manager, told The Associated Press. “The fight is for the 30 percent of voters who haven’t decided yet.”

Andrei Tvertnev, an unemployed 25-yearold former soldier who was lingering in the crowd around Navalny, is one of those yet to make up his mind.

Tvertnev wasn’t keen on Sobyanin, saying that the changes he’s brought to the city “could have been done much faster.” At the same time, he remained skeptical about Navalny. “Do I vote for a bureaucrat who made some changes, or a different person who promises even more changes?” he asked. “I think I’ll only make up my mind on the day of the elections.”

Sobyanin, who made his name as the governor of the oil-rich Siberian province of Tyumen, makes up for his lack of charisma and enthusiasm with what talks in Russian politics: experience, access and the money that comes with it.

Despite his almost invisible candidacy, Sobyanin is genuinely well-liked for the changes he’s brought to Moscow. He has poured a yearly budget of approximately $54 billion into the city’s parks and cultural institutions, although other promises to tackle traffic and parking have been lagging or limited in scope.

As if to shore up his reputation as a fixerupper, the city, which usually hits a sleepy summer lull in August, has been converted into an enormous construction site - with sidewalks torn up and facades repainted.

“There’s little doubt that before elections, the government becomes very affectionate and thoughtful,” Levada’s Grazhdankin said about the city’s makeover.

While Sobyanin, who was appointed to the mayor’s office, is eager to prove himself as a legitimately elected politician, the dirty tactics used against Navalny - from accusations that he receives foreign funding abroad to refusals by media outlets to play his campaign ads - show that he still sees Navalny as a threat. — AP

BEIRUT: Syria’s Western-backed political opposition plans to create the nucleus of a national army to bring order to the disparate rebel forces battling President Bashar Al-Assad and counter the strength of Al-Qaedalinked rebel brigades. The latest attempt to unite the rebels coincides with fierce debates in Washington and other Western capitals over whether and how to boost support for Assad’s opponents after an alleged chemical weapons attack by government forces on Wednesday.

Chaos among opposition forces and Al-Qaeda’s growing role are barriers to any intervention. Plans for an army are still under wraps but details began emerging earlier this month before the gas attack. It has the blessing of the rebels’ patron Saudi Arabia, which took over as the main regional backer of Assad’s foes earlier this year. “It is very serious. It will be a proper army. The future of Syria depends on this move,” said a senior member of Syria’s opposition National Coalition, which hopes to set up the force.

Momentum behind the new force comes from Saudi Arabia and Western nations who, alarmed by the growth of radical Islamists in rebel-held areas, have thrown their weight behind the Syrian Coalition, hoping it could help stem their power. “Once we get the (battle) field organized, then everything will be organized,” he said. “This will be the army of the new Syria. We want to integrate its ranks and unify the sources of funding and arms,” the Syrian National Coalition member said.

Saudi Arabia has prevailed over Qatar to impose itself as the main outside force supporting the Syrian rebels, in part to counter the influence of Qatari-backed Islamist militants. Riyadh has put forward $100 million as preliminary funding for a force planned to be 6,000 to 10,000 strong, rebels say.

Sources in the Coalition said the aim was to form a core of several thousand well-trained fighters that would also serve as the base for a bigger national army once Assad was toppled, avoiding a military vacuum and anarchy.

More than two years of a revoltturned civil war have turned Syria into a magnet for jihadists from across the world, fuelling fears foreign military assistance might fall into the hands of fighters hostile to the West. That has

served only to strengthen the hand of Islamist brigades whose regional backers, many of them private Gulf donors, have been more forthcoming with support.

In recent weeks, al Qaeda-linked groups attacked several Alawite villages in the coastal province of Latakia, Assad’s stronghold. They also seized a strategic airport in Aleppo province that Syrian rebels failed for months to take. Fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the alNusra Front, both of which acknowledge the authority of al Qaeda leader Ayman Zawahri, are now the ultimate rulers in many rebel-held towns.

The authority of the Supreme Military Council - the latest body that Western and Gulf powers have promoted as a moderate, unified rebel command - is increasingly challenged by radical Islamists and foreign jihadists, most recently when an Iraqi Islamist killed one of its senior commanders.

The Military Council demanded that the man, Abu Ayman Al-Iraqi, be arrested, but he remains at large, playing a prominent role in rebel campaigns.

Rebel commanders contacted by Reuters in Aleppo, Idlib, Raqqa, Homs and Damascus said they feared the new army would deepen divisions among rebels and lead to further infighting.

Comments from Islamists played into those fears. “The real goal behind this army is that they want to fight Islamists,” said a commander of a powerful Islamist brigade in Idlib province.

“It’s an open game. They will not announce it now or immediately, but this is the long term for it ... We will not join, for sure. Not only us, but many others, too.” A source in Aleppo close to AlNusra Front said: “With every passing day, those living outside are becoming tools to the West ... They fear Islam and see it as the enemy. Unfortunately, some Syrians are falling into this trap.”

Western-backed rebels say the new structure might be modeled on USbacked militias, known as “Awakening Councils”, which drove Al-Qaeda from Iraq’s Anbar region six years ago. The leader of one moderate Islamist brigade, which operates in several parts of the country, said he supported the proposal, but would not say if his fighters would join. Leaders of more radical groups see it as a Western-backed plot to fight them. “They are undermining

the work of all of us. They want to throw it in the bin, as if it never happened,” said a senior commander in Homs province.

Opposition political sources were careful not to portray the new army as a challenge to Islamists, but a senior official said it would only welcome them if they left their brigades. “This will be an army like any other army in the world.

When you join it you leave your beliefs outside. Islamists can join as individuals, not as Islamists.” The new body is not an alliance of brigades, as in previous attempts to unify insurgency groups; individual fighters will be expected to leave their units to sign up. The Homs commander said that showed the real intention was to dismantle the Islamist units. “This thing is very suspicious,” he said. Many Syrians initially welcomed the Islamists for bringing order to the chaos of rebel-held territories, but growing resentment of their puritanical rule could win popular sympathy for any new force that challenges them.

Activists in the northern, rebel-held provinces, where Islamists are most powerful, say those criticizing the Islamists are threatened or imprisoned.

“We have challenged Assad when he was strong, and now we are being bullied by radicals who are not even Syrians in our Syria,” said an activist in Aleppo who declined to be named.

With weapons and money flooding into the country, a class of warlords has emerged, including Islamists, who have grown powerful on arms deals and oil smuggling. Activists in the north complain of high levels of theft, bullying and thuggery. “With this army the Coalition will have a military force on the ground, one that is composed of the best Syrian fighters,” said a Syrian rebel commander in a powerful brigade that has fighters across Syria.

Coalition leader Ahmed Jarba “wants to strike with an iron fist”, he said, adding that the Saudi-backed Jarba wanted all weapons entering Syria to be overseen by his coalition.

However, the Al-Qaeda-linked rebels control many border crossings in the north, giving them strong influence over what enters the country and who gets hold of it. The proposed new force must also overcome the same skepticism many fighters feel towards the Military Council.

A rebel commander in the north-

eastern Raqqa province, voicing widely shared views, dismissed the body as ineffective and subject to foreign influence. “They do not have a presence on the ground. They left us on our own.

When we need them, they are not here, and then they come and ask us: Where are you getting your funding from?

Well, not from you for sure. “They are only performing external agendas. They don’t know what is happening inside; their people tell them Islamists are the enemies, you need to fight them to get funding, so they come to us and they say: Yes, let’s fight Islamists.”

Sources say the army will be launched, at a date yet to be fixed, in Deraa, the southern province that was the cradle of the 2011 uprising and where the presence of jihadists is still relatively weak. Jordan is now playing a bigger role in helping the rebels and is more flexible in allowing weapons to enter the southern front, the sources said. A military operations room to oversee the battle in the south is now in Jordan and includes Saudi, Syrian and American officers.

One of the sources said Manaf Tlas, a senior army officer and former friend of Assad who defected last year, is also a member of the joint operation room.

He is close to Jarba and has good ties to Saudi Arabia. His name has been floated as the chief of the new army. But many rebels distrust Tlas because he waited months before defecting, and his father served as defense minister under Assad and his father, Hafez AlAssad, for three decades.

A Coalition official declined to say whether Tlas would head the new army but said he would welcome him having a role. “The man has been an advocate of this from the beginning.” However, an Islamist commander in Aleppo said Tlas’s leadership would be “another reason why we will not join”. In the meantime, most agree that the disparate groups should work together, at least in temporary alliances against Assad’s troops. But they share a skepticism that the new group will ever see the light of day, or have much impact if it does.

“During this revolution we have seen many great ideas and many great attempts destroyed because of mismanagement. The Free Syrian Army is an example of this. As long as the roots of the problems are not solved, then nothing will change.” —Reuters

UN opens probe after two die in Goma protest GOMA:The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo said Sunday it has opened a probe after residents accused its peacekeepers of killing two people who tried to storm a UN base in the restive eastern city of Goma.

The United States meanwhile condemned rebel attacks on civilians and UN peacekeepers in the mineral-rich and notoriously unstable region.

Martin Kobler, head of the UN’s MONUSCO mission, said in a statement he “deplored” the deaths and had “asked for an investigation jointly led by DR Congo police and the MONUSCO to be opened”.

Witnesses said two peacekeepers from Uruguay on Saturday shot dead two people who were part of a crowd that tried to storm the mission’s base during a protest against alleged UN inaction in the strife-torn region. “It was the Uruguayans who

opened fire on our group. Two people were killed instantly and four others were injured and rushed to hospital,” Augustin Matendo, one of the protesters, told AFP. A military source who spoke on condition of anonymity said that “the Uruguayan troops were overcome by the crowd which was trying to enter their camp and shot to disperse people.”

MONUSCO was not immediately available to comment on the claim. But Uruguayan President Jose Mujica told local radio that the peacekeepers from his country were not to blame, and “have acted appropriately, complying with all protocols in place in these cases”.

Mujica pointed the finger of blame at DR Congo police, saying they were responsible for the deadly fire. Shelling in Goma’s western neighbourhood of Ndosho on Saturday killed three people and

MUNIGI: Two Congolese women walk past a government army tank in Munigi, on the outskirts of Goma in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on July 15, 2013. The United States yesterday condemned rebel attacks on civilians and UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, hailing the world body’s efforts to protect the population. State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said the US was “alarmed” by the escalating fighting between the army and rebels in the eastern DR Congo. — AFP

wounded three UN peacekeepers, just days after renewed clashes between the Congolese army and M23 rebels.

Washington said it was “alarmed” by the escalating fighting. “We condemn the actions of the M23, which have resulted in civilian casualties, attacks on the UN peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO) and significant population displacements,” said State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf.

“We call on the M23 to immediately end the hostilities, lay down their arms, and disband,” she said. Britain said Sunday that it was withdrawing staff based in the city due to the spike in violence.

“Our staff was instructed to leave the area overnight as a precautionary measure,” a Foreign Office spokesperson told AFP. After a two-month lull, fighting between the army and the M23 has erupted sporadically since mid-July in North Kivu, a chronically unstable region which has the mining hub of Goma as its capital. In an open letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Saturday, M23 rebel leader Bertrand Bisimwa accused Kinshasa of targeting civilians and demanded an independent inquiry into its actions. The M23, former fighters in a Tutsi rebel group who were integrated into the regular army under a 2009 peace deal but mutinied in April last year, have moved closer to Goma, accusing the government of reneging on its pledge to hold direct talks. Rebels have threatened to recapture Goma but UN forces, including a 3,000-strong intervention brigade with a robust mandate to eradicate armed groups in the region, moved in to create a security zone around the city.

Now in possession of a beefed-up mandate since this latest resurge in violence, the UN brigade has launched its first military action in the country to back government troops and hold off the rebels.

Rwanda, which accused Congolese troops of firing a rocket and mortar shells over the border in past days, warned Saturday that it would not stand by “indefinitely”. Eastern DR Congo, which borders Rwanda and Uganda, was the cradle of back-toback wars that drew in much of the region from 1996 to 2003 and were fought largely over its vast wealth of copper, diamonds, gold and coltan, a key mobile phone component. — AFP

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

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

Japan could be ‘main player’ in Asia conflict TOKYO: Japan could be a key participant if conflict breaks out in Asia, the defence minister said yesterday, warning China is seeking to exploit difficulties between allies.

The comments by Itsuno Onodera, who said Japan needs new equipment and must reconfigure its defence, come as Tokyo is embroiled in an ongoing spat with Beijing over disputed territory that has sparked warnings of a possible armed skirmish.

“The crisis that Japan faces now may lead to situations in which the country may have to be involved as a main player,” Onodera told a symposium in the capital.

“Before, it was expected that Japan would only be part of a group (involved in any confrontation),” he said, in apparent reference to the US-Japan security alliance.

“Or that a conflict might occur only in areas sur-

rounding the country,” he said. “Japan’s defence has been designed for that scenario. “But Japan (now) needs to have a good defence to protect the country, which can mean equipment, new aircraft, defence systems or cyber protection.” Onodera said Tokyo needed to be wary of China’s maritime expansion in the South and East China Sea. “China has made more and more advancement into the seas,” he said. “When it did not have as much military capability, China tried to promote dialogue and economic cooperation, setting territorial rows aside. “But when it sees a chance, any daylight between a nation and its ally, it makes blunt advancements. This is what is happening and what we should learn from the situation in Southeast Asia. Onodera’s speech came as he readied to head to Brunei to participate in the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+) starting on

Wednesday. The group gathers defence ministers from Southeast Asian nations and eight other regional powers-Japan, China, South Korea, the US, Russia, India, Australia and New Zealand.

Onodera said he will “repeatedly explain Japan’s position to his Asian counterparts” and that Tokyo’s motives were entirely defensive. Hawkish Prime Minister Shinzo Abe this year boosted Japan’s defence budget for the first time in over a decade against the backdrop of growing concerns among many countries in the region about China.

But any move to strengthen military capabilities rouses hostility and suspicion in the region, much of which laboured under the brutal yoke of Japanese occupation until the end of World War II. Since coming to power in December Abe has repeatedly made noises about altering Japan’s pacifist constitution, which bars the country from offen-

sive action.

The defence ministry last month published a paper saying Japan needed amphibious units and surveillance drones to protect its outlying islands.

Japan’s moves come against a backdrop of increasing Chinese activity in waters far from its mainland coast.

The two countries have spent the last year involved in a dispute over the sovereignty of the Japanese-administered Senkaku islands in the East China Sea, which Beijing claims as the Diaoyus.

Vessels and planes from both sides have played cat and mouse in their seas, with some observers warning a slip from either nation could provoke a military confrontation, with possibly wide-ranging ramifications. Yesterday, Tokyo scrambled fighter jets after a Chinese government plane approached airspace Japan claims as it own. — AFP

Karzai asks Pakistan to set up Taleban talks Move can bring stability, peace to both countries

KHARIPATI: A former Maoist rebel shares a light moment with his daughter during a ceremony at Nepalese Military Academy in Kharipati, Nepal, yesterday. Seventy former communist rebels graduated from Nepalís military academy yesterday and became officers in the national army they once fought. — AP

Ex-rebel fighters become officers in Nepal’s army KATHMANDU: Seventy former communist rebels graduated from Nepal’s military academy yesterday and became officers in the national army they once fought.

The 66 men and four women wore Nepal army uniforms and were given the rank of lieutenant by the head of the country’s interim government, Khilraj Regmi, at a ceremony at the academy just outside Katmandu.

Many of the 70 will eventually receive higher ranks after they complete further training. Maoist rebels fought against government troops from 1996 until 2006, when a peace agreement was signed.

Thousands of former rebels wanted to join the national army but many gave up because of delays in the peace process.

Yam Bahadur Adhikari, a former rebel who graduated Monday, said they will have no problems working with the people they once fought. “I hold no grudge against them. I believe there will be no problems

for us to work together.

We are now part of the same army,” Adhikari said. About 13,000 people are believed to have died in the decade-long conflict. After the peace agreement was signed, thousands of former rebels spent years in UN-monitored camps because politicians were unable to agree on their future. They finally were handed over to the national army for training last year.

“This successfully ends the process of integrating our combatants into the national army and marks an important part of the peace process.

They are no longer combatants but officers of the Nepal army who will serve the nation,” said Krishna Bahadur Mahara, a senior leader of the Unified Communist Par t y of Nepal (M aoist), the former rebels.An additional 1,352 former rebels will also serve in the national army in lower ranks once they complete basic training. — AP

ISLAMABAD: Afghan President Hamid Karzai asked Pakistan yesterday to help arrange peace talks between his government and Taleban insurgents, and called for a joint campaign against extremism in both countries.

Karzai was visiting Islamabad to hold his first talks with newly elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, despite a series of public rows that have hampered efforts to end 12 years of war in Afghanistan.

Kabul was infuriated by the opening in June of a Taleban office in Qatar, considered a precursor towards talks with US officials. He now wants Pakistan to help open dialogue with the militia, which has publicly refused all contact with his government. Elements of the Pakistani state are widely accused of funding, controlling and sheltering the Taleban. Islamabad says publicly it will do anything to stop the fighting in Afghanistan. Karzai said Afghanistan expected Pakistan to provide opportunities or a platform for talks between the Afghan High Peace Council-Kabul’s official negotiators-and the Taleban.

“We hope with this on top of our agenda we can move forward in bringing stability and peace to both countries,” he told reporters. In the past, the Afghan leader has identified Taleban havens in Pakistan as the main cause of increased violence in his country.

Yesterday he acknowledged that the “continued menace of terrorism” was a primary concern for people in Pakistan, where thousands have been killed in the last decade, as well as in Afghanistan.

“It is this area that needs to have primary and focused attention by both governments,” Karzai said. “It is with hope on this that I have come to Pakistan... to advance the course of action together... but also by having a common campaign against extremism, (to) make sure that the two countries are safer and prosperous towards a secure future.”

Sharif wished Afghanistan well in the transition from NATO to Afghan security control and reiterated support for peace and reconciliation to be “Afghan-owned and Afghan-led”.

“I assured President Karzai that Pakistan will continue to extend all possible facilitation to the international community’s efforts for the realisation of this noble goal,” he said. “I also reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong and sincere support for peace and reconcili-

ISLAMABAD: Afghan President Hamid Karzai, center left, and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, right, arrive for a meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan. Afghanistan’s president urged neighboring Pakistan to facilitate peace talks with the Taleban during a visit to Islamabad yesterday, but expectations were low in both countries that much progress would be made in jumpstarting negotiations. — AP ation in Afghanistan.” But there are question marks over what Pakistan can deliver. Analysts say it can encourage and provide logistical support for Taleban peace talks, but cannot force them to negotiate against their will.

The Taleban have publicly refused to have any contact with Karzai’s government, branding it a puppet of the United States. Afghan government peace negotiators accompanying Karzai have called for the release of the most senior Taleban figure detained in Pakistan, former deputy leader Abdul Ghani Baradar.

No mention was made about prisoner releases in the short statements made by Sharif and Karzai.

Questions were not allowed.

Pakistan released 26 Taleban prisoners late last year, including the militants’ former justice minister Nooruddin Turabi. Afghan officials believe the releases can encourage former detainees to talk to the Kabul government, although observers say

there is little evidence those hopes have been realised. Several prisoners are also understood to have returned to the battlefield.

On Sunday, the Afghan Analysts Network thinktank said attempts to go through Pakistan to reach the Taleban leadership are not new and similar moves have been unsuccessful in the past.

Last month Karzai’s chief of staff Karim Khorram claimed the Taleban office in Doha was part of a plot to break up Afghanistan, orchestrated by either Pakistan or the United States.

Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper yesterday warned of complications in Afghanistan and Pakistan working more closely together. Karzai is due to step down at presidential elections in April, Pakistan’s new government is still grappling with policy and its powerful army is preparing to change its commander later this year. “Hope for the best, but prepare for continuation of the status quo-that may be the best approach,” Dawn said. — AFP

Thousands of Filipinos protest against corruption

MUMBAI: The Indian Police Commissioner of Mumbai, Satyapal Singh (L), speaks as Joint Commissioner of Police (crime) Himanshu Roy watches during a news conference in Mumbai yesterday. Mumbai police on August 25 arrested the fifth and final member of a gang suspected of raping a photographer, a crime that reignited anger about women’s safety in India following a similar attack last year. — AFP

Indian officials promise justice in gang-rape case MUMBAI: Indian officials yesterday promised swift justice over the gang-rape of a young photographer in Mumbai, as the final suspect appeared in court over the attack that sparked angry protests.

Five men have been arrested on suspicion of raping the 22-year-old woman in central Mumbai on Thursday when she was on assignment for a magazine with a male colleague. The attack reignited widespread anger at the treatment of women in India that first erupted in December after the fatal gang-rape of a 23-year-old student on a bus in New Delhi. “We will submit a charge sheet in a court of law as soon as possible and the case will be done in a fast-track court,” Mumbai’s police commissioner Satyapal Singh told reporters. The chief minister of Maharashtra state, Prithviraj Chavan, has also promised a fast-track case “to ensure speedy justice to the victim”.

The final suspect was arrested on Sunday in New Delhi by Mumbai police, over the brutal attack in which the woman’s male colleague was allegedly tied up with a belt and the woman raped repeatedly nearby. The four alleged accomplices were earlier arrested in

Mumbai. Relatives of two of the accused told media they are juveniles but Singh insisted they were all unemployed adults and school drop-outs who were born and grew up in the city. A court remand sheet shows the men are aged 18 to 27. Singh said three suspects had criminal records for theft but police did not yet have evidence of any previous rape accusations against them. The fifth suspect, Mohammed Salim Ansari, 27, was produced before a magistrates’ court yesterday, barefoot and wearing a striped shirt.

He was remanded in police custody until September 5.

The family of the young woman said Sunday they were hopeful of the “severest of punishments” for those responsible after a tougher sex crimes law was introduced in India earlier this year.

The woman is recovering in hospital.

The attack shocked Mumbai, a city that is generally considered safer for women than the capital. But Singh insisted the attack “does not mean that Mumbai is not safe any more”. He called on women to report sex crimes against them, “otherwise the molesters of today will become rapists”. — AFP

MANILA: Tens of thousands of Filipinos protested in a Manila park yesterday, demanding the scrapping of a corruption-tainted development fund that allows lawmakers to allocate government money for projects in their districts.

A government audit released Aug 16 found that $141 million of the fund allocated over three years under the previous administration was released to questionable aid groups and ghost projects.

The scandal centered on a powerful businesswoman who allegedly collaborated with lawmakers in channeling some of the funds. She has gone into hiding after she was charged with illegal detention of a whistle-blower. Local media reports of her lavish lifestyle have angered many ordinary taxpayers in the Southeast Asian country where nearly 28 percent of the 97 million people live on a little over a dollar a day.

That prompted calls on social media for yesterday’s protest in Rizal Park, where more than 100,000 turned out including students, workers, priests and nuns. Police said about 70,000 protesters were at the peak of the rally, which also featured group singing, family picnics and a religious mass before a peaceful dispersal.

Similar protests were held in a dozen other cities across the country, and in New York and other cities where there are concentrations of Filipinos.Some Manila protesters carried placards saying “Senators, you should be ashamed of yourselves.” Others wore pig face masks or shirts calling for the abolition of the fund.

Archbishop of Manila Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle told the cheering crowd that all Filipinos should act in an honorable way. The rally coincides with National Heroes Day. “Let us also listen to the voice of God, especially in our conscience,” Tagle said.

Actress Mae Paner who wore a pig’s snout, a wig and a barrel around her body, said she was joining millions of Filipinos who “want to abolish the pork barrel system in our country.”

“We need real change, especially the people who are suffering,” said Erika Estacio, a University of the Philippines student. She said if the government’s budget was spent properly, her brother who left recently for a better-paying job in Qatar need not have been separated from his 5year old daughter.

Impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona, convicted last year by senators for failing to declare

MANILA: Students shout slogans during a rally at Rizal Park yesterday in Manila, Philippines, to call for the scrapping of a corruption-tainted development fund, that allows lawmakers to allocate government money for projects in their districts. A government audit released Aug 16 found that $141 million of the fund allocated over three years under the previous administration was released to questionable aid groups and ghost projects. The scandal centered on a powerful businesswoman who allegedly collaborated with lawmakers in channeling some of the funds. — AP $2.4 million in bank accounts, joined the rally but left after being heckled by protesters.

Critics said President Benigno Aquino III’s promise Friday to reform the system was not enough, and that all pork barrel funds must be abolished.

Aquino, who has made fighting corruption a centerpiece of his administration, said he has abolished the Priority Development Assistance Fund and will replace it with a system that plugs loopholes that allow for misuse. He said there was nothing “intrinsically wrong” with the system but it has been abused by “a few greedy individuals.” He vowed to prosecute those who misuse the fund. Aquino reiterated his promise during a National Heroes’ Day speech.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said money for the abolished fund will now go to specific projects of government agencies.

Under the PDAF system, lump sums were earmarked in the government budget for projects proposed by each lawmaker a year - 200 million pesos ($4.6 million) for each senator and 70 million pesos ($1.6 million) for each House of Representatives member. The projects and beneficiaries were identified by the lawmakers after the budget was passed by Congress.Lacierda said under the new system, no lump sum will be earmarked for legislators, no funds will be channeled to non-government organizations, and the public can monitor the release of the funds through the government’s website. — AP

NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

JOBAR: Black columns of smoke rise from heavy shelling in the Jobar neighborhood, east of Damascus. Syria has reached an agreement with the United Nations to allow a UN team of experts to visit the site of alleged chemical weapons attacks last week. — AP

Brotherhood returns to underground past Egypt authorities hunt down Islamists CAIRO: For Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, a fierce crackdown has led to a return to its underground existence of the past: avoiding phones and the Internet, changing homes and blending in. Ever since security forces forcibly dispersed two Cairo camps of protesters loyal to ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, members of his Muslim Brotherhood organization have been on the run. Authorities have arrested the group’s top leaders, including its supreme guide, effectively decapitating the movement and disrupting its organizational structure.

Morsi himself is detained at a secret location and authorities have charged him and other Brotherhood members with involvement in the deaths of protesters.

The campaign of arrests has forced the Brotherhood back to ways it had largely abandoned as it inched its way into the spotlight. Long banned in Egypt, the group had become gradually more tolerated in the years before the 2011 revolution, winning parliamentary seats through candidates who ran as independents.

It took centre-stage only after the uprising which

toppled president Hosni Mubarak, winning a majority in parliament and then the presidency. But Morsi’s July 3 ouster has reset the clock. “We’ve gone back to direct contact after having banned the use of telephones and the Internet, which could allow us to be found,” said Aisha, an activist in the Alexandria region of northern Egypt, giving a false name for security reasons. Her father, a Brotherhood member, has gone underground for fear of arrest after the August 14 break-up of the protest camps by security forces at a cost of hundreds of lives.

“It’s worse than under Mubarak,” she said. “Because in addition to the violence of the police, there’s the hostility of the people.” “Many people no longer want to have Muslim Brotherhood as neighbors, but luckily there are still some who sympathize with us.” Another activist based in Tanta, southwest of Cairo, who asked to be called Ahmed, said the group’s leaders were all on the run. “None of our leaders spend even two nights in a row in the same place,” he said.

Syrian intervention could spark ‘WWIII’ Continued from Page 1 Meanwhile, Russia’s two-and-a-half year dispute with the West over the conflict in Syria hit a new peak yesterday as Moscow warned against military action without UN approval and cast doubt over the regime’s involvement in a claimed chemical weapons attack. The alleged use of chemical weapons in an attack outside Damascus has driven a new wedge between Russia and the West, with Moscow and Western capitals offering vastly different interpretations of the incident. Washington warned Syria yesterday it would face action over the “moral obscenity” of a chemical weapons attack, as UN inspectors braved sniper fire to gather evidence about the incident. Speaking amid reports that Washington and its allies are preparing to launch a punitive cruise missile strike on Syrian targets, US Secretary of State John Kerry accused Bashar Al-Assad’s regime of engaging in a cover-up.

“Let me be clear. The indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, the killing of women and children and innocent bystanders by chemical weapons is a moral obscenity,” Kerry declared in a televised statement. “By any standard it is inexcusable, and despite the excuses and equivocations that some have manufactured, it is undeniable.”

Kerry said Washington would provide more evidence of who was behind the attack, and that US President Barack Obama was determined that the guilty would face consequences. “We have additional information about this attack, and that information is being compiled and reviewed together with our partners, and we will provide that information in the days ahead,” he warned.

“Make no mistake. President Obama believes there must be accountability for those who would use the world’s most heinous weapons against the world’s most vulnerable people.

Nothing today is more serious.” Kerry was speaking as United Nations inspectors met survivors of last week’s attack, which the independent medical agency Doctors Without Borders has said left at least 355 people dead from “neurotoxic symptoms.” The UN convoy came under sniper fire as it tried to approach the Damascus suburb where the attack was reported, but the team nevertheless managed to visit victims receiving treatment in two nearby hospitals. “It was a very productive day,” UN spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters, adding that the team, led by Swedish expert Ake Sellstrom, is “already gathering valuable evidence.”

UN leader Ban Ki-moon said that despite the “very dangerous circumstances” the investigators “visited two hospitals, they interviewed witnesses, survivors and doctors. They also

collected some samples.” The UN team was in a buffer zone between government and opposition-held areas when it came under attack.

Ban said the United Nations had made a “strong complaint” to the Syrian government and opposition forces. The rebels and Assad’s government traded blame for the sniper assault just as they did the chemical attack. President Vladimir Putin of Russia-a staunch Assad ally that provides the regime with diplomatic cover by blocking UN Security Council actionremained unimpressed by the mounting evidence of an atrocity.

Putin yesterday told British Prime Minister David Cameron there was no proof Damascus had used chemical weapons, according to Cameron’s office, which has said it has “little doubt” that there had been an attack. Cameron cut short his holiday yesterday to return to London to plan a response.

Britain, along with France, has been in the forefront of demands for tougher action against Assad’s regime. The Syrian opposition says more than 1,300 people died when toxic gases were unleashed on Eastern Ghouta and Moadamiyet al-Sham.

In Moadamiyet Al-Sham, the UN team took samples and interviewed medical staff before returning to their hotel in Damascus. Syria approved the UN inspection on Sunday but US officials said it was too little, too late, arguing that persistent shelling had “corrupted” the site. The inspection came as the West appeared to be moving closer to launching a military response, after officials confirmed the US Navy has four warships armed with cruise missiles on standby in the eastern Mediterranean.

With China and Moscow expected to boycott any resolution backing a military strike, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the West could act even without full UN Security Council backing. The alleged poison gas attack is only the latest atrocity in a conflict that has claimed more than 100,000 lives since March 2011. Assad, in an interview with a Russian newspaper published yesterday, denied accusations his government was behind the attack, calling the charges an “insult to common sense.” “The United States faces failure just like in all the previous wars they waged,” he added. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meanwhile warned of the “extremely dangerous consequences of a possible new military intervention” and said intervening without a UN Security Council resolution would be illegal. Experts believe the most likely US action would see sea-launched cruise missiles target Syrian military installations and artillery batteries deemed complicit in the chemical weapons attack. — Agencies

No rank of the Brotherhood has been left untouched, from grassroots members to supreme guide Mohamed Badie, who was arrested on August 20. Security sources say more than 2,000 Muslim Brotherhood members have been arrested in the past 12 days. But a lawyer close to the group, Ismail Wishahi, says “more than 8,000 activists have been locked up.” An anti-Brotherhood mood has been growing for weeks. The army ousted Morsi after massive demonstrations against his rule.

Ordinary Egyptians have attacked dozens of the group’s offices and the local media have lined up behind Morsi’s ouster, dubbing the Brotherhood “terrorists” and terming the crisis a “war against terrorism.” In the past, the Brotherhood has been able to mobilize tens of thousands of demonstrators, drawing on a network of supporters throughout the country. But the violent dispersal of the protest camps and the campaign of arrests has thinned its ranks and made it increasingly difficult to mobilize en masse.

Directives can now only be passed by word-of-

mouth, and checkpoints on roads make it impossible to bus supporters from the countryside into towns for demonstrations. But experts caution against writing off the Brotherhood too soon, particularly as the movement has decades of experience in facing state repression and surviving as a clandestine group. “ The Brotherhood has certainly been shaken up, but it still has control of its finances, and the majority of its activists are still free,” said Ashraf Al-Sharif, a professor of political science at the American University of Cairo.

“As a closed and secret organization, the Brotherhood is capable of resisting this wave of repression and reorganizing itself quickly,” added Haitham Abu Khalil, a former member of the group. A Brotherhood activist in the city of Port Said, in northern Egypt, said the movement would continue its work, even under pressure and despite the loss of its headquarters. “We will engage directly with the population once again, and we don’t need offices to do that,” he said. — AFP

Saudi releases woman imprisoned by family RIYADH: Saudi authorities have freed a woman who was held captive for three years by her relatives over a family dispute, an official human rights organization said yesterday. The 50-year-old woman had been imprisoned in a room in a house in the western Taif province, an official from the kingdom’s National Society for Human Rights said. According to local daily Okaz, Saudi security forces freed the woman at dawn on Sunday in the presence of representatives of the organization.

The woman’s son had alerted authorities that his mother was being held against her will due to a “family dispute over properties”, the daily reported. The woman, who lived in Riyadh, was “taken by force to Taif where she was held captive during these years,” Okaz said. Ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia, which applies a strict version of Islamic sharia law, imposes many restrictions on women, who are banned from travelling without permission from male guardians and from driving. — AFP

Electronic cigar ‘not without risk’ Continued from Page 1 cigarettes, were found to be higher in some brands of electronic cigarettes than produced from regular smoking. While the latest study does not seek to compare directly the noxious effects of electronic and regular cigarettes, it does alert to a cancer risk from the electronic replacements, a finding not confirmed yet by health authorities, which say the electronic cigarettes increase

throat and other respiratory “irritation” for the user.

The French government is due to organize a parliamentary debate on electronic cigarettes next month and will likely legislate to fill the regulatory vacuum for these products. Meanwhile, the debate continues between producers and vendors of electronic cigarettes, who are benefiting from a lucrative market, and health professionals concerned about the risks from this new and growing fashion. — KUNA

Iran blames outsiders for Middle East woes Continued from Page 1 quoted Khamenei as saying in a meeting with Qaboos. Khamenei and other top officials in the Islamic Republic frequently call on the United States and European powers to stop what they call interference in the Middle East, accusing them of a plot to take over the region.

His other comments appeared to be directed at Sunni Muslim states in the Middle East such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey which are supporting rebels fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, a

close ally of Shiite Iran. “Unfortunately, a Takfiri group has been formed with the support of certain regional states which is in conflict with all Muslim groups, but supporters of this stream should know that this fire will burn them too,” Khamenei said.

“Takfiri” is a derogatory term for hardline Sunni Islamists, who accuse Shiites and others of being infidels. Iranian officials have warned of dire albeit unspecified consequences for the United States and its allies if they intervene in Syria in response to last week’s apparent chemical weapons attack outside Damascus which killed hundreds of people. — Reuters

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

ANALYSIS

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Issues

Iran is the true Syria’s occupier

By Abduielah Alnoeimi hen a fire threatens a house, can one imagine going to the arsonist who started the fire in the first place to put it out? The answer, of course, is a strong and unconditional no. This is exactly the case regarding Syria and the idea of involving Tehran in an international solution to resolve this humanitarian, political and geopolitical crisis. In my recent trip to Europe - my first visit to the West - I faced serious issues regarding the Iranian regime’s role in the Syria crisis. As an individual who has witnessed the developments from both sides of the Syrian political spectrum, my accounts should be taken into consideration. Nearly 2 years has passed since the beginning of the Syrian people’s historic uprising to obtain freedom and their human rights, and establishing a popular government.

Bashar Assad, the bloodthirsty dictator, is resorting to genocide and crimes against humanity - including bombing cities and residential areas, and even using chemical weapons - in an attempt to perpetuate his abhorred and disgraceful rule. The price of all this has been over 100,000 martyrs, including women, children and the elderly, and the destruction of a large part of my country. However the resistance of the people of Syria, one of the cradles of human civilization, continues.

As far as the meddling of foreign forces in this desperate battle is concerned, Tehran has had the most destructive of all roles. Unfortunately, the scope of Tehran’s meddling in Syria is not understood correctly in the West. It is an occupation that is not so invisible any longer; news of Revolutionary Guard members being killed in Syria appears nearly every day in the mullahs’ newspapers.

For many years, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps officers were present as advisers alongside the highest ranks of the Syrian army. However, from the beginning of the Syrian people’s uprising aimed at obtaining freedom, and especially during the last 12 months, this presence has expanded to an unprecedented scope. I have witnessed IRGC officers in the bases and command centers of Assad’s forces, and involved in nearly all the planning. They command forces and even choose targets, and they are even present directly in the scenes of the battles.

Tehran has accelerated the dispatching of its proxy forces, from Lebanese Hezbollah and also Iraqi forces under its influence, to support Assad. Through Iraqi air space, Tehran is continuously sending weapons and equipment to Damascus. Tehran’s unsparing military and financial support for Assad, including a $3.6 billion oil credit line, is the main logistical element behind Assad’s survival and the continuing of the massacre in that country. Mullah Mehdi Taeb, one of Khamenei’s inner circle, said Feb 16: “Syria is the 35th province and a strategic province for us.”

As Maryam Rajavi, leader of the Iranian opposition - with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran at its center said in a recent Paris international conference that this regime is attempting to destroy any and all democratic trends in the region. It is worth nothing that delegations from 31 Arabic and Islamic countries participated in the gathering. Rajavi said regime’s objective is to expand its influence and dominance in the region so it can maintain its shaky rule in Tehran. (I had gone to the West for the first time from Syria in order to participate in this conference.)

Hassan Rouhani, Tehran’s new president, who in the last 34 years has had key posts in the regime’s military and intelligence apparatuses, is no different from the rest of the mullahs in this regard. In his first press conferences, he clearly emphasized his support for Assad and Hezbollah. At his inauguration, in a meeting with the Syrian prime minister he stressed that no force in the world can break the ties between the mullahs and Assad’s government. The time has come for the international community to view the mullahs’ regime as it truly is - an occupation force in Syria - and confront it with a strong tone. Labeling Rouhani as a moderate or reformist, and engaging this regime under this pretext, is a sham that provides a more open hand to the mullahs’ regime to further increase their meddling and warmongering in Syria - for which the Iranian people and the suffering Syrian people are paying the price. Expecting Tehran to be a reliable party in the Syria crisis is like asking a fox to protect a henhouse. With or without Rouhani, the mullahs’ regime is the main element of crises and continuous crimes against humanity in Syria. The US and EU must provide more than rhetoric in support of the Syrian opposition; it must send arms support as soon as possible. We guarantee that these weapons will remain in the hands of coalition forces, and assure that concern in this regard is irrelevant. Moreover, they must increase their pressure on Tehran to prevent it providing further aid to Assad. For each day of delay, the bereaved and suffering people of Syria will pay the price of with more blood, and the status quo becoming even more critical. Enough is enough.— MCT

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

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

Nerve gas still traceable, experts say of Syria attack

By Mariette Le Roux races of nerve agent would remain in victims for weeks, easily detectable if UN inspectors can examine people poisoned in last week’s suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria, experts said yesterday. Toxicology and weapons specialists said a gas like sarin or VX would still be traceable in hair and tissue from human corpses and animal carcasses, the blood of survivors, and the site where the shells carrying the supposed nerve agent exploded.

Syria’s opposition claims more than 1,300 people died when regime forces unleashed chemical weapons on rebel-held areas near Damascus last Wednesday, and Doctors Without Borders said 355 people died of “neurotoxic” symptoms. The government vehemently denies responsibility.

“We are still within the time zone where if there was a sarin attack, for example, we should be able to acquire blood samples that then can be analyzed in a laboratory outside of Syria, and where we would know for a fact afterwards whether sarin was involved,” said disarmament consultant Ralf Trapp, formerly a scientist at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

“It depends on how much freedom they (the UN inspectors) have to do what they want to do and how good their access is,” he said. UN experts headed to the site yesterday with the approval of Damascus, although their vehicle was deliberately shot at multiple times by unidentified snipers, a UN spokesman said. US officials have expressed fears that evidence of last Wednesday’s attack may already have been destroyed by continuing shelling of the area.

Footage distributed by activists last week appeared to show people foaming at the mouth while doctors give people oxygen to help them breathe and try to resuscitate unconscious children. Alastair Hay, a toxicology professor at Leeds University in England and a former chemical weapons inspector, said the symptoms “point to a potent chemical warfare nerve agent like sarin”, whose victims could carry traces in their blood for up to six weeks.

“In the environment you would have even more latitude,” he said. “In an investigation I did in the Kurdish area

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of Iraq we found mustard gas and their breakdown products in soil taken from where the munition had exploded, and this was four years after they had detonated.” Sarin is an odorless, paralyzing gas developed by Nazi scientists and used by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime to kill thousands of Kurds in 1988. It kills by asphyxiation, and is widely believed to form part of Syria’s military arsenal.

To test for sarin or a similar nerve agent, the UN inspectors should be allowed to interview, examine and take samples from survivors, given access to their medical and laboratory files as well as the doctors who treated them, said the experts. French toxicology and forensic expert Pascal Kintz said there should be no technical hurdle to

obtaining proof of nerve gas poisoning. “If the UN inspectors get the correct samples, from blood, urine and fatty tissue where these things settle, and also from the victims’ clothes, there would be no problem doing this type of analysis-even with a long delay,” he said. The inspectors should also be allowed to comb the site of the explosioninterview witnesses, take samples from the soil and from carcasses on the scene, as well as from the munition itself.

“You try to find the actual weapons, the remnants of weapons. You can do a visual inspection, an investigation of the weapon, that will allow a design specialist to decide whether this could have been a chemical weapon or whether it was something else,” said Trapp.— AFP

JOBAR: Syrian army soldiers are deployed in the Jobar neighborhood of Damascus. The president of Syria’s main opposition group called on Western nations to intervene after a suspected chemical attack kills up to 1,300 dead in the country ravaged by civil war. — AFP

Cold calculation in Egypt: US choices run from bad to worse he bloody images coming out of Egypt invite Americans to pick white hats and black hats: to punish the generals who staged a coup and, rather than listen to American pleas for restraint, killed many demonstrators. Or to hold our noses and work to restore a democratically elected President Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, no matter how much we disagree with his Islamist agenda.

In determining what America should do, there’s no satisfying answer. But there is an obvious one: The US shouldn’t cut off aid to Egypt. Despite the brutality of the military regime, Washington cannot back away from the nation at the heart of the Arab world.

Here’s why: Every country in the Middle East, every major power globally, has a stake in what happens now in Egypt.

President Barack Obama has resisted growing pressure at home to cut off hundreds of millions in military aid to Egypt but has put on hold some financing for economic programs linked to the Egyptian government. That’s as far as he should go toward interjecting the US into the Egyptians’ internal struggle. The reason to stay at arm’s length has nothing to do with how much diplomatic leverage that US foreign aid buys.

The generals haven’t listened and probably won’t listen to American entreaties for military restraint in pursuing Muslim Brotherhood militants. The generals won’t again surrender Egypt to Islamic extremists.

Given that reality, an American exit from Cairo - no money for the military, a renunciation of Morsi and the Brotherhood - wouldn’t create a power void. A US exit instead would quickly be supplanted by the growing opportunism and money of others who would relish greater influence in Cairo.

At the top of a long list: Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and, to some unknown extent, ruthless terror groups that ignore the tidy boundaries of nation-states. A stable Egypt, an Egypt at peace with Israel, an Egypt that

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thrives economically, is crucial to American interests in the region. An Egypt that instead slides into civil war becomes a fertile recruiting ground for jihadists - enemies of the US and its interests in the region. That threat is real: Witness how lethal attacks on Egyptian soldiers and police in the Sinai Peninsula have soared since Morsi’s ouster last month.

White hats? Black hats? Eli Shaked, formerly Israel’s ambassador to Egypt, told The New York Times: “We have to choose here not between the good guys and the bad guys we don’t have good guys. It is a situation where you have to choose who is less harm-

ful.” Since the assassination of President Anwar Sadat in 1981, America has dealt with unsavory allies in Egypt, including the former dictator Hosni Mubarak, who reportedly may soon be released from government custody.

We don’t pick the leaders of Egypt.

Egyptians do - and not always at the ballot box. We suffer through their choices because walking away from the most populous Arab country, which sits at one of the Earth’s most important geopolitical locations, would be the worst of many bad alternatives. Egypt of late has been as sensible in its international dealings as it has been chaotic internally. For

ISTANBUL: A Turkish Muslim woman makes the “Rabia sign” during a rally yesterday in Istanbul to support ousted Egyptian president Morsi and protest against killings in Syria and Egypt. — AFP

the US, the cold calculation ought to be that the former is more important than the latter.

Morsi, Egypt’s first elected president, lasted barely a year in office because he ruled as if he never would have to face another opponent in a free election.

He aggressively expanded his powers and protected the Islamist-dominated constitutional assembly from judicial oversight. He ignored vital secular groups and persecuted political opponents. He sidled up to the terrorists of Hamas in Gaza and welcomed thenIranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

That’s why millions of Egyptians celebrated the sudden military takeover last month. And why many Egyptians strongly backed the generals’ campaign to clear the disruptive protesters, arrest Brotherhood leaders and stabilize the country to revive its reeling economy.

Cutting off US aid to Egypt would be short-sighted and self-defeating. Aid may not buy clout. But it does buy access, and the possibility of influence. And if the current regime is repugnant, the next one, or the one after that, may listen to Washington’s suggestions on how to build a democracy. This is a time for the US to make sure its voice will be heard by the Egyptian governments of future years. A Saturday column by Rami G Khouri in The Daily Star of Lebanon concluded: “It is no surprise that Egypt and other Arab lands have moved very quickly from revolutionary moments to civil wars.

From these events, new and more rational political actors ultimately will emerge who can shape more stable governing orders after entire societies are frightened, embarrassed and then humbled by the experience of their homegrown killing sprees and political immaturity.” An America that hopes to shape an Egypt that’s evolving, however violently, ought to prove its constancy. That argues for continuing US aid and, when the sand settles, for continuing the possibility of US influence.- MCT

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

S P ORTS

Legendary Brazil keeper dies

Olympian skater suspended

Bartoli hints of comeback

SAO PAULO: Goalkeeper Gylmar, an ever present in the legendary Brazil teams that won the World Cup in 1958 and 1962, has died in Sao Paulo, aged 83.

The former Santos and Corinthians keeper suffered a heart attack last weekend and never recovered. He had been in poor health for several years following a stroke.

Broadcaster and journalist Juca Kfouri called him “simply the greatest of all time”. “No Brazilian goalkeeper was ever like Gylmar dos Santos Neves,” Kfouri said. “And none ever will be.” Gylmar began his career at Jabaquara, a small club in his home town of Santos, but he was there for less than a year before being snapped up by Corinthians. He played for the Sao Paulo side from 1951-61, winning three Paulista state championships and having the dubious honour of going down in history as the man between the sticks when Pele scored his first professional goal.

He left Corinthians in 1961 to return home to a team that was emerging as Brazil’s pre-eminent club side. Alongside Pele and other stars such as Coutinho and Pepe, Gylmar helped guide Santos through the greatest period in their history.

During his seven years in goal at the Vila Belmiro, Santos won the Copa Libetadores twice, the World Club Championship twice, and five Paulista state championships. He also played for Brazil on 104 occasions and was on the losing side just 16 times. —Reuters

KEARNS: Olympic short track medalist Simon Cho of the United States has received a two-year suspension from the International Skating Union after admitting he tampered with the skates of a Canadian rival.

US Speedskating announced the decision Sunday. The suspension runs through Oct. 4, 2014, which means Cho will not be eligible to at the Sochi Olympics.

Cho confessed on Oct. 5, 2012, that he sabotaged the skates of Canada’s Olivier Jean during the 2011 World Team Championship. Cho says he did it at the direction of former short track national coach Jae Su Chun. Chun has always denied that he had any role in the tampering. But the ISU suspended him for two years through Aug. 25, 2015, saying he also violated the code of ethics.

US Speedskating issued a statement saying it “respects the findings of the ISU” and will refer the matter to its disciplinary panel for a final decision.

The ruling came on the same day the U.S. short track team was picked for the upcoming World Cup season, an important step for a program that has been wracked by organizational infighting and allegations that coaches were abusive. Cho did not take part in the selection meet.

“As an organization, we are focused on supporting our athletes as they begin the season and work toward competing on the international stage the 2014 Olympic Winter Games,” U.S. Speedskating said in its statement. —AP

NEW YORK: Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli offered the first hint that her shock retirement may not be quite as final as she first indicated when she hinted on Sunday she could make a comeback. The 28-year-old stunned the tennis world earlier this month when she announced she was quitting just months after breaking through to win her first grand slam. The Frenchwoman, speaking in New York, left open the possibility that she could possibly make a return next year.

“You never know what is going to happen,” she told reporters. “It’s pretty hard to say I will never come back.” When Bartoli made her shock announcement earlier this month, past and present players immediately urged her to have a re-think, suggesting she take a break before making any rash decision she may later regret.

On Sunday, Bartoli revealed she had asked the Women’s Tennis Association not to take her off the rankings list, but said it was more out of curiosity than anything else. “I just wanted to see where my ranking would end up at this year without playing any more. We’ll see where it takes me,” she said. Bartoli achieved her lifetime dream in July when she defied the odds to win Wimbledon after injuries had ruined the first six months of her season. She said her body needed a break and she wanted to try new things in life but would remain involved in tennis in some capacity. She will attend the US Open, starting late yesterday, as a television commentator. “It’s hard for someone from outside to understand, starting from six years old and when you have to hit, probably, two million balls before being a pro tennis player. I’m the only one who can make the call,” she said.—Reuters

Braves roll over Cardinals ST. LOUIS: Mike Minor bounced back from the shortest outing of his career with seven strong innings, leading the Atlanta Braves to a 5-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.

Atlanta, which has the best record in the National League, salvaged the finale of the four-game set.

Andrelton Simmons hit his 12th homer for the Braves, who closed out a 2-4 road trip.

Allen Craig had three of St. Louis’ eight hits for his 44th multihit game of the season. But the Cardinals had a four-game winning streak snapped.

Minor (13-5) gave up one run and six hits while pitching on seven days’ rest after allowing four runs in 1 2-3 innings against Washington on Aug. 17. Craig Kimbrel came on with two out in the eighth and picked up his 41st save in 44 opportunities.

St. Louis right-hander Lance Lynn gave up four runs and nine hits over seven innings while dropping to 0-3 with a 5.40 ERA in his last four starts.

ST. PETERSBURG: Infielder Robinson Cano No. 24 of the New York Yankees bats against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. —AFP

Yankees scrape past Rays ST. PETERSBURG: Cuoridrtis Granderson hit a sacrifice fly in the 11th inning as the New York Yankees avoided a three-game sweep by defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 on Sunday.

Alfonso Soriano started the winning rally with a one-out double off Jamey Wright (2-2). He stole third and came home on Granderson’s fly ball to center. Mariano Rivera, making his last regular-season appearance at Tropicana Field, received a standing ovation before getting the final three outs for his 38th save. The closer is planning to retire after this season.

WHITE SOX 5, RANGERS 2 In Chicago, Jordan Danks homered after replacing the injured Avisail Garcia, backing a solid start by his brother John and helping the surging White Sox beat the Rangers.

The White Sox took two of three from the AL West leaders, giving them eight victories in their last nine games. Josh Phegley went deep after hitting the winning single in the ninth inning the previous night. John Danks (4-10) outpitched Matt Garza (3-2), allowing two runs over six innings for his second straight win.

A rare bright spot in a miserable season for Chicago was tempered by Garcia crashing into the right-field fence and slowly walking off the field.

BLUE JAYS 2, ASTROS 1 In Houston, Mark Buehrle allowed one run over eight innings as the Blue Jays rallied for two runs in the ninth inning to snap a seven-game losing streak with a win over the Astros.

Buehrle (10-7) allowed seven hits and struck out seven in winning his fifth straight. He has allowed seven runs over 27 innings, spanning his last four starts. Casey Janssen pitched the ninth for his 23rd save. Robbie Grossman had two hits to extend his hitting streak to 12 games for the Astros, who have yet to sweep a series at home this season. Moises Sierra drew a bases loaded walk to tie the game at 1-1 in the ninth. Following Sierra’s walk, Chia-Jen Lo (0-2) struck out Kevin Pillar before Kevin Chapman induced a run-scoring groundout by Ryan Goins to put Toronto in front 2-1.

INDIANS 3, TWINS 1 In Cleveland, Drew Stubbs hit a tiebreaking, two-out homer in the eighth inning as the Indians overcame four errors to beat the Twins.

Stubbs homered to dead center on a 0-1 pitch from Jared Burton (2-7) to snap a 1-all tie and lift the Indians to a crucial win in their quest a spot in the American League playoffs. Joe Smith (5-1) pitched a scoreless eighth and Chris Perez worked the ninth for his 21st save.

The Indians entered the day trailing Oakland by 21/2 games for the AL’s second wild-card spot, but didn’t look like a playoff contender for much of the day.

In addition to the four errors, the Indians made several other mistakes, both in the field and on the bases but managed to survive before starting a

crucial road trip to Atlanta and Detroit that begins Tuesday. Nick Swisher added an RBI single in the eighth.

ORIOLES 10, ATHLETICS 3 In Baltimore, Chris Davis had two hits and collected his 118th RBI, as the Orioles hit three home runs in a rout of the Athletics.

JJ Hardy, Nick Markakis and Nate McLouth connected for the Orioles, who took two of three from Oakland to move within two games of the Athletics in the race for the second AL wild-card slot.

Oakland had gone 105 straight games since April 25 without allowing 10 runs. Rookie Sonny Gray (1-2) absorbed the brunt of the damage, yielding six runs and eight hits in 3 1-3 innings.

Scott Feldman (4-3) gave up one run in five innings for the Orioles.

ANGELS 7, MARINERS 1 In Seattle, Jered Weaver gave up just three hits in eight strong innings and Kole Calhoun added a two-run homer as the Angels completed a threegame sweep of the Mariners.

The Angels gave Weaver plenty of run support by coming through in clutch situations. The Angels first seven runs were scored with two outs, including Calhoun’s homer, a two-run triple by Chris Nelson and an RBI triple from Peter Bourjos.

Weaver (8-7) continued the Angels pitching dominance in the three-game series, where they allowed two runs. His only mistake was giving up a solo home run to Dustin Ackley with one-out in the third inning on a 3-2 pitch. But Weaver followed by retiring 15 of the next 16 batters. He struck out eight, but wasn’t given the chance at his first complete game since August 2012.

INTERLEAGUE ROYALS 6, NATIONALS 4 In Kansas City, Salvador Perez homered early, then drove in the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning as the Kansas City Royals ended their seven-game losing streak, rebounding for a victory after blowing a 4-0 lead against Washington.

With two out and a runner on first and the game tied 4-all in the eighth, Billy Butler hit a hard grounder that first baseman Adam LaRoche knocked down. The ball rolled several feet to his right and when Stammen was late to cover the bag, the slow-running Butler kept the inning going by chugging to first with an infield single.

Stammen then walked Mike Moustakas on fourth pitches and Perez hit a hard grounder to shortstop Ian Desmond. He bobbled momentarily and his throw to third was late, allowing the tiebreaking run to cross the plate on what was first ruled a fielder’s choice and then changed to an infield single before David Lough’s RBI single made it 6-4. Kelvin Herrera (5-6) pitched 1 1-3 innings of relief for only the Royals’ third victory in 13 games.

Craig Stammen (7-6) took the loss and was part of a shaky defense that led to the Nationals’ first loss in six road outings. —AP

PHILLIES 9, DIAMONDBACKS 5 In Philadelphia, Roy Halladay pitched six effective innings in his return from the disabled list and John Mayberry Jr. homered as Philadelphia downed Arizona.

Cody Asche and Roger Bernadina each had two RBIs for the Phillies, who have won six of their last eight games. AJ Pollock had three hits, including a three-run homer, for Arizona, which has lost four of five. The game started just 11 hours and 25 minutes after the final out at 2:12 a.m. of Saturday’s 7-hour, 6minute marathon that set a record for length of time of a game for both clubs. The Diamondbacks won that one, 12-7.

Halladay (3-4), coming back from midseason right shoulder surgery, allowed two runs and four hits. He was going to pitch his third minor league rehab start on Sunday but was pressed into action when Sunday’s original starter, Tyler Cloyd, was one of 11 Philadelphia pitchers used on Saturday. Arizona lefthander Patrick Corbin (13-4) gave up a season-high nine runs in 5 1-3 innings.

GIANTS 4, PIRATES 0 In San Francisco, Ryan Vogelsong threw eight sharp innings for his first victory in three months, leading the Giants to the win.

Pablo Sandoval had two RBIs as the Giants won their second straight to split the series with the Pirates. Buster Posey and Joaquin Arias each drove in a run.

Vogelsong (3-4) allowed two hits, struck out five and walked one in his first win since May 20 against Washington. The right-hander used his longest outing of the season to lower his ERA to 2.55 in four starts since coming off the disabled list on Aug. 9. AJ Burnett (6-9) pitched 7 1-3 innings for Pittsburgh, giving up four runs and eight hits. He fell to 2-3 in 10 starts since returning from the DL. Sandy Rosario finished the three-hitter for San Francisco’s 11th shutout.

BREWERS 3, REDS 1 In Cincinnati, Caleb Gindl homered for Milwaukee for the second straight game, and Marco Estrada held Cincinnati’s lineup to one single over seven shutout innings.

The Brewers took two of three from the Reds, who remain right behind Pittsburgh and St. Louis in the NL Central race.

Estrada (6-4) gave up Shin-Soo Choo’s leadoff single in the first inning, and then left the Reds swinging at nothing. He walked two and fanned a season-high nine.

Jim Henderson gave up Joey Votto’s 20th homer in the ninth inning while picking up his 21st save in 24 chances. Greg Reynolds (0-2) pitched six solid innings for Cincinnati, yielding two runs and five hits.

ROCKIES 4, MARLINS 3 In Miami, Nolan Arenado hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the sixth as Colorado held on for the win.

Jorge De La Rosa (14-6) won his fourth consecutive decision, allowing three runs in five innings. De La Rosa improved to 7-0 with a 1.92 ERA in day games.

Five relievers then combined for four hitless innings, with Rex Brothers working the ninth for his 13th save in 14 chances. With runners on first and second, Brothers got Ed Lucas to ground into a field-

ST. LOUIS: Elliot Johnson No. 30 of the Atlanta Braves reaches third base on a wild pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. —AFP er’s choice to end the game.

Miami’s Justin Ruggiano homered and drove in two runs. Jacob Turner (3-5) allowed four runs - three earned - in 5 2-3 innings.

PADRES 3, CUBS 2 In San Diego, Nick Hundley hit a game-ending RBI single in the 15th inning to lift the Padres to a victory over the Cubs. Logan Forsythe set up the winning hit with a one-out single against Hector Rondon (2-1).

He moved up on a groundout before Alexi Amarista was intentionally walked.

Hundley then lined a clean single into center field and Forsythe scored easily, giving San Diego its third win in the last four games. Dale Thayer (2-3) wiggled out of a jam in the top half to get the victory.

INTERLEAGUE TIGERS 11, METS 3 In New York, Miguel Cabrera hit a mammoth homer, Rick Porcello enjoyed a happy homecoming as the Tigers polished off a three-game sweep.

Andy Dirks put Detroit ahead with a two-run shot, and the AL Central leaders improved to 12-5 in interleague play. They have won 34 of 49 overall, the best mark in the American League since July 2.

Porcello (10-7) pitched seven innings of four-hit ball before the Tigers broke it open with a seven-run

ninth. The 24-year-old right-hander, who grew up nearby in New Jersey, left 17 tickets for family and friends. Travis d’Arnaud hit his first major league homer for the Mets, who have scored five runs during a four-game slide. Dillon Gee (9-9) lost for only the third time in 16 starts.

RED SOX 8, DODGERS 1 In Los Angeles, Jake Peavy pitched a three-hitter as Boston beat Los Angeles, becoming the first team to win a series from the NL West leaders in 21/2 months.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Shane Victorino and Mike Napoli homered for the Red Sox on the anniversary of the blockbuster nine-player trade in which the Dodgers acquired Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett and Nick Punto from Boston.

Gonzalez hit his 17th homer, driving an 0-2 pitch to center field with one out in the fourth for the Dodgers’ first hit after the Red Sox staked Peavy to a 3-0 lead.

The Red Sox were the first team to win a series from the Dodgers since June 14-16, when Pittsburgh took two of three. But Los Angeles is 4612 since June 22.

Peavy (10-5) threw 111 pitches in his 300th big league start, going the distance for the 16th time while striking out five and walking one. —AP

MLB results/standings Cleveland 3, Minnesota 1; Milwaukee 3, Cincinnati 1; Colorado 4, Miami 3; Detroit 11, NY Mets 3; Baltimore 10, Oakland 3; Philadelphia 9, Arizona 5; NY Yankees 3, Tampa Bay 2 (11 innings); Kansas City 6, Washington 4; Toronto 2, Houston 1; Chicago White Sox 5, Texas 2; Atlanta 5, St. Louis 2; San Francisco 4, Pittsburgh 0; LA Angels 7, Seattle 1; San Diego 3, Chicago Cubs 2 (15 innings); Boston 8, LA Dodgers 1.

American League National League Eastern Division Eastern Division W L PCT GB Atlanta 78 52 .600 Boston 77 55 .583 Washington 65 65 .500 13 Tampa Bay 74 54 .578 1 Philadelphia 59 71 .454 19 Baltimore 70 59 .543 5.5 NY Mets 58 70 .453 19 NY Yankees 69 61 .531 7 Miami 49 80 .380 28.5 Toronto 58 73 .443 18.5 Central Division Detroit 77 53 .592 Cleveland 71 59 .546 Kansas City 65 64 .504 Minnesota 57 72 .442 Chicago White Sox 54 75 .419 Western Division 75 55 .577 72 57 .558 59 70 .457 58 71 .450 43 86 .333

Texas Oakland Seattle LA Angels Houston

6 11.5 19.5 22.5

Pittsburgh St. Louis Cincinnati Milwaukee Chicago Cubs

Central Division 76 54 .585 76 54 .585 74 57 .565 57 73 .438 55 75 .423

2.5 19 21

2.5 15.5 16.5 31.5

LA Dodgers Arizona Colorado San Diego San Francisco

Western Division 76 54 .585 66 63 .512 61 71 .462 59 71 .454 58 72 .446

9.5 16 17 18

Japan defeats California for LLWS title

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT: Japan pitcher Kazuki Ishida (10) covers home as Chula Vista, Calif.’s Micah Pietila-Wiggs scores from third on a wild pitch in the first inning of the Little League World Series Championship baseball game. —AP

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT: The victory lap around Lamade Stadium never gets old for Japan, nor does the players’ ritual of scooping up some souvenir dirt near the mound after another Little League World Series triumph.

A perennial power in youth baseball, Japan rallied past Chula Vista, California, 6-4 on Sunday to win its ninth title and third in four years, the only disappointment in that recent span a loss in 2011 to Huntington Beach, California.

Ryusei Hirooka won this one with a two-run double in the bottom of the fifth inning and Shunpei Takagi hit two solo home runs to help keep the Tokyo team undefeated in the tournament. “In all honesty, I’m really happy,” said Japan manager Masumi Omae, who also led the 2003 Japan team to the World Series title. “I definitely always dreamt about coming back to win again. To be able to trust the kids and their abilities is something I’m most proud about.” Facing one last threat in the sixth, the Japanese players erupted in glee, tossing Omae in the air near the mound after his slick fielders had turned a game-ending double play.

“Wanting to be World Series champs is all we’ve talked

about for the last two years,”Takagi said. “I was thinking, just get a hit at the plate. The outcome was two homers, so I was really happy.”

It was the 14th championship game for Japan and 23rd for California, which has won seven World Series titles.

Giancarlo Cortez had a two-run single and Grant Holman an RBI single for Chula Vista.

Trailing 4-3 after Cortez’s clutch single in the fourth, Japan tied it on Takagi’s second homer and won it when Hirooka lined a 2-2 pitch down the left-field line after not being able to sacrifice the runners up a base. “My mind was full, trying to get the bunt down,” Hirooka said. “When I didn’t get (the bunt) down, my mind was blank. I’m just so happy I could get a hit to help our team win.”

California beat Westport, Conn., 12-1 in the U.S. championship game Saturday, while Japan edged Mexico 3-2 for the international title.

The Americans left 12 runners on base in a game that was there for the taking. “We left some opportunities out there, but give Japan credit,” Chula Vista manager Rick

Tibbett said. “They made some great defensive plays.”

Unbeaten, too, entering the game, Chula Vista struck early to send a message that it would be a tense affair.

Keyed by the shaggy-haired duo of Micah Pietila-Wiggs and Jake Espinoza at the top of the order, California scored twice in the top of the first against Japan starter Kazuki Ishida to put the pressure on. Pietila-Wiggs was hit by a pitch leading off and Espinoza lined a double down the left-field line.

Pietila-Wiggs came around to score on a passed ball and Holman singled home Espinoza.

California received a scare when Cortez was hit by a pitch in the helmet during the first inning and departed for a pinch-runner after being examined on the field. Ishida went over to shake Cortez’s hand and apologize, and Cortez returned to play his position when Chula Vista took the field for the first time. Holman, who pitched a no-hitter in the World Series, hadn’t pitched since Wednesday and was shaky at the outset, walking two of the first three batters he faced and throwing a wild pitch as Japan quickly mounted a threat of its own and tied the score. —AP

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

S P ORTS

Australia’s Scott wins Barclays in tight finish

EDMONTON: Lydia Ko of New Zealand reacts to the weight of her trophy after holding it up for a few minutes while posing with it following her five stroke victory during the final round of the CN Canadian Women’s Open. —AFP

Teen star Lydia triumphs EDMONTON: Lydia Ko breezed through another perfect Sunday in the Canadian Women’s Open - until a reporter pressed the amateur about missing out on another $300,000 payday.

“I don’t care! I don’t care!” Ko said. “I can say that a couple times more, if you want.” The 16-year-old New Zealander successfully defend her title, closing with a 6-under 64 at Royal Mayfair for a five-stroke victory and her fourth win in professional events.

“I’m pretty surprised, but I played some really good golf out there, so I was really happy about that,” Ko said. “My goal today was to shoot 5 under and just play my own game. If somebody else shot better, then I can’t do anything about it.”

Last year at Vancouver Golf Club in British Columbia, the South Korean-born Ko became the youngest winner in LPGA Tour history at 15 years, 4 months, 2 days. She also became the fifth amateur winner in tour history and the first since JoAnne Carner in the 1969 Burdine’s Invitational.

“I never really thought about making history and all that,” Ko said. Ko’s other victories in professional events came last year in the Australian tour’s New South Wales Open and this year in the Ladies European Tour’s New Zealand Women’s Open. Projected to jump from 19th to seventh in the world ranking, she has played 14 LPGA Tour events the last two seasons, making the cut in every tournament. She also won the U.S. Women’s Amateur last summer.

Ko was again asked about turning professional. “I’ve got some people above me like my mom and dad, they’re the boss,” Ko said.

“They’re going to help me to make the right decision and to turn pro at what time. I think

as I’m only 16 still, it’s quite hard to make huge decisions. When I turn pro it’s like a job.

Money is all about it and everything like that, every shot counts. Yeah, I think my parents and New Zealand golf they’re all going to have a say, and hopefully we’ll make a really good decision on when I will turn pro.” Ko had a 15-under 265 total after opening with rounds of 65, 69 and 67.

A stroke behind Caroline Hedwall entering the final round, Ko birdied five of the first eight holes and reached 15 under with a birdie on the par-4 12th. She dropped a stroke on the par-4 13th, parred the next four and closed with a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th.

“I didn’t have it coming,” Ko said about her final putt. “That’s why I was like, ‘Oh, my God.’ I was pretty worried it would just go straight down because I knew it was a slippery putt.

No, I just hit a little bit, and it trickled down in the hole.”

France’s Karine Icher was second after a 67 - and ended up with the $300,000 check. “I would like to play tomorrow,” Icher said. “It was a good day today. I’m very happy with my game.” She marveled at Ko’s performance.

“She’s amazing,” Icher said. “Sixteen-yearsold and to win twice. She has no fear, I guess.

It’s incredible. As an amateur and so young, it’s great for women’s golf, but not so great for us.” Hedwall, the Swede coming off a record 50 Solheim Cup performance in Colorado in Europe’s blowout victory over the United States, had a 71 to tie for third at 9 under with Brittany Lincicome (69).

“I was trying to keep up with (Ko), but at the same time I couldn’t hit it as close and I couldn’t make as many putts,” Hedwall said.

“She was just really impressive today.”—AP

JERSEY CITY: Masters champion Adam Scott of Australia won The Barclays after a nail-biting finish, claiming the title on Sunday by one stroke over four rivals in the opening event of the FedExCup playoffs. Early finisher Scott posted a five-under-par 66 at Liberty National for an 11under-par total of 273 that stood up as Tiger Woods (69), US Open champion Justin Rose (68), Canadian Graham DeLaet (65) and Gary Woodland (73) all finished one stroke back. Scott began the day six strokes behind overnight co-leader Woodland and played eight groups behind the final pair. He finished his round about 90 minutes before the last putt was sunk.

He watched challenger after challenger come up short and at the end he was glancing up at a large screen T V near the practice range as he stayed loose in case of a playoff.

“I was thinking, I’m lucky to even have a chance, I started today on a wing and a prayer I thought,” said Scott. “I played a good round of golf but I didn’t think it was good enough.

But the closing holes threw up a challenge on these guys and luck was definitely on my side today.”

It was Scott’s first victory since his rousing playoff win over Argentina’s Angel Cabrera at Augusta, and a frustrating loss for his pursuers, particularly Woods.

Woods, who complained of a sore back this week after sleeping on a soft hotel bed, collapsed to his knees after striking his second shot on the par-five 13th hole and grabbed at his back.

The shot sailed left and into the water beyond the tee box at an adjacent hole. Woods went on to bogey the hole and the 15th as well before bouncing back with birdies at 16 and 17. He left his last birdie try two revolutions short of the cup.

“It (the pain) actually started the hole before, my little tee shot there

started it,” Woods said of his tee shot at the 12th hole. “Thirteen just kind of accentuated it.”

Woods was asked if it was a back spasm. “Oh yeah, big time,” said the 37-year-old American, who bent very gingerly each time he removed his ball from the cup. “It’s definitely spasming.” Rose needed two putts from 30 feet at the last to tie Scott, but sent his 30-foot birdie try five feet past and missed the par putt.

“I felt it was a putt to make, a putt I could make,” Rose said about his birdie try at 18 that would have won him the tournament.

“It was uphill, a little left-to-right. I was surprised to see it go five feet by, I’ve got to say. Disappointing way to finish.” Woodland had 10-foot birdie

attempts at both 17 and 18 to join Scott on 11-under but missed both. “I hit a good putt,” the long-hitting American said about his chance on the 72nd hole. “Hit it right where I wanted to. Just went the other direction. Frustrating.”

Tied for sixth place at nine under par were British Open champion Phil Mickelson, who fired a final-round 65, and fellow-Americans Jim Furyk (69) and D.A. Points (67).

While he had not won since the Masters, Scott continued to play very good golf. He tied for third at the British Open and tied for fifth at the PGA Championship earlier this month before claiming his 10th career PGA Tour victory on Sunday.

“It’s been a great year for me,” he

said. “I’ve been playing consistently well and trying hard to get another victory this year and surprised myself with this one today.

“Got to keep it going now, three big weeks in the playoffs left and hopefully I can cap it off with a big win in the FedExCup,” said the Australian, with an eye toward the $10 million bonus paid to the series winner.

“This win’s for the new member of my family, Olivia, who was born yesterday,” Scott said. “So big shout out to my sister and her husband. I’m thinking of you guys.”

The top 100 on the FedExCup points list advanced to next week’s playoffs event, the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston.—Reuters

JERSEY CITY: Adam Scott of Australia poses with the trophy after winning The Barclays at Liberty National Golf Club.—AFP

Hamilton targets Singapore BELGIUM: Lewis Hamilton hopes Singapore can be a springboard for success in the battle to rein in Red Bull’s runaway Formula One championship leader Sebastian Vettel.

Vettel chalked up his fifth win in 11 races at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday and moved 46 points clear of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso with eight rounds remaining. The German is 58 points ahead of 2008 champion Hamilton, who moved up to third overall for Mercedes following Kimi Raikkonen’s first retirement in his Lotus, and a fourth successive title is beckoning.

“That’s big gap, a huge gap. It’s going to be very tough to close that but I’m going to keep pushing,” said Hamilton, who finished third at Spa behind Alonso and Vettel after starting on pole position.

Italy is next up, the final round of the European season at the fastest track of all, before Formula One heads east to Singapore, South Korea and Japan and circuits more suited to Hamilton’s Mercedes.

“The guys will work over the next few days to try and understand where we were slower (in Belgium). Eau Rouge was particularly slow for us and down the straights,” said Hamilton.

“Maybe we will be able to unlock something before the next race but if not then I’m hoping that Singapore onwards will be much better.”

Hamilton won the previous race in Hungary, one of the slowest tracks, and has been on pole for four races in a row. He was seen before Spa - a circuit that has ranked among Red Bull’s weakest - as the man most likely to take the fight to Vettel.

However, the Briton was powerless to stop Vettel roaring past on the opening lap and Monza promises more of the same.

“When you come to this one and the next one, you get a downforce package and you’re kind of stuck with it. It either has or hasn’t worked. So we may improve in the next race or be in the same position,” said Hamilton.

“It won’t be any worse that’s for sure. And then onwards we will have the high downforce package that we had in the previous races but hopefully improved again. I’m hoping that we will be more competitive from then on.”

Red Bull and Vettel have also typically stepped on the gas in the second half of the season once Spa and Monza - races that team principal Christian

Horner called their ‘Achilles Heel’ - are behind them.

“It’s going to be very, very tough, undoubtedly,” said Hamilton. “He (Vettel) has just had a phenomenal car for a long, long time and it still is phenomenally quick and he does the job. So it’s a perfect package. “But we’ve had some really strong races and we’ve been there or thereabouts in competing with them and we have finished ahead of them in the past so it doesn’t mean we can’t do that in these next races.” Alonso had a commanding lead over Vettel going into the Belgian Grand Prix last year but ended up losing out by three points at the end of the season.

Horner said there were no guarantees that situation could not be reversed. “Fernando managed to (lose it) last year so nothing is impossible. 25 points for a victory, a couple of DNFs (retirements) and somebody puts a run together and you can be on the back foot again,” he told reporters.

“I don’t think you can write anybody off... There are still a lot of points available. But you’d probably have to say the podium (drivers) today are probably going to be the main contenders between now and the end of the year.”—Reuters

Vettel cools doubters as Alonso fights back

SPAIN: Overall leader Radioshack Leopard’s US rider Christopher Horner celebrates his Red Jersey on the podium at the end of the third day of the 68th edition of “La Vuelta” Tour of Spain. —AFP

Horner takes overall lead in Tour of Spain MADRID: American Chris Horner of the RadioShack team claimed his first grand tour victory in the third stage of the Tour of Spain yesterday and took the overall lead in the process. The 41-year-old produced an impressive kick in the 4km climb to the finishing line to edge out 2009 champion Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Katusha’s Joaquim Rodriguez, who finished third in this year’s Tour de France.

Overnight leader Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) finished 11th, the Giro d’Italia champion dropping to second overall just six seconds behind Horner. “I arrived in great form, I like the route of this tour and I feel strong,” Horner said after being presented with the leader’s red jersey. “My objective is to be as high as possible in the general classification. I have already won the Tour of the Basque country and I think I can win the Tour of Spain.”

It was another solid day for Valverde and Rodriguez as they continued to make up the time they lost in the team time trail on the opening day, with six and four bonus seconds respectively for their places on the podium. “I feel good and you can see that based on what I am showing in the race. It was a shame that we didn’t quite manage the victory again today, but

it is a positive to pick up bonuses,” said Valverde who currently lies sixth in the overall classification, 24 seconds behind Horner. Meanwhile, Sky leader Sergio Henao endured another frustrating day however as he now trails the leaders by over three minutes.

Team director for the race Nicolas Portal said earlier in the day that the Colombian had amazingly forgotten to eat during the second stage on Sunday, leaving him drained as he was dropped from the peloton on the demanding category one climb up the Alto do Monte da Groba.And his luck didn’t improve yesterday as he first suffered a puncture and was then involved in a minor crash.A second crash involving one of the pre-stage favorites Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEDGE) then split the peloton into two groups with Movistar, Astana and Katusha pushing the pace in the leading pack. However, as they reached the final climb up the Mirador de Lobeira, it was Italian Ivan Santaromita (BMC Racing) who launched a surprise attack. Santaromita though went too early and was easily reeled in by the chasing pack as Horner impressively held off Valderde, Rodriguez and Henao’s teammate Rigoberto Uran to take victory.— AFP

SPA: Sebastian Vettel silenced doubters with a dominant victory at the Belgian Grand Prix. Still, Fernando Alonso believes he can challenge for the title with eight races left. Alonso heads to Monza in two weeks with fresh optimism after a second-place finish in which he started ninth on the grid. It was Alonso at his cavalier best, overtaking established Formula One drivers almost at will. And there was clearly an added zeal in the way he carved his way through the field.

The two-time former champion gave Ferrari a welcome boost following some disappointing races and an internal feud that threatened to disrupt the campaign - until Alonso wisely calmed things down with a public show of support for his team and its president. Alonso moved back into second place in the title race.

While he trails Red Bull’s Vettel by 46 points, the Spaniard insists the gap can be closed. He need only think back to last year. “I was leading with 41 points ahead of Sebastian after the Monza race and I arrived in Texas 15 points behind, so things can change,” he said.

“Our hopes are to keep improving performance and try to repeat what happened last year the other way around. If you have a competitive car and you win four or five consecutive races, like Sebastian did last year in India, Japan, Singapore, you recover very quickly.” Ferrari’s main problem is qualifying speed - Alonso has not been on the front row all season. Yet it is testimony to his driving ability that he has still managed to win two races, although the last of those was the Spanish GP in May. “We won two of the five races and we were in a position to fight for the podium all the time. At that point, we were a very few points behind the leader,” he said. “Then there were some races in the championship where we went backwards in terms of a step in the car and we lost direction a little bit.” Alonso finished fourth at the German GP and then fifth in Hungary as the mood within Ferrari soured heading into the summer break.

The day after the Hungarian GP, Alonso was asked what he would like as a 32nd birthday present, and responded with an acerbic “somebody else’s car.” That drew a public rebuke from

Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo. Alonso resolved the matter last Thursday, saying it was a misunderstanding stemming from poor translation. He then glowingly praised his president and threw his support behind the team. Still, Alonso expects more from his car if he is to catch Vettel. “I’m doing what I can,” he said. “In the pure performance of the car, we are maybe lacking some performance compared to the others.”

Lewis Hamilton, who started from the pole for the fourth consecutive race only to finish third, also feels his Mercedes is not consistent enough. He entered the race full of confidence after his win in Hungary, and many thought he’d be Vettel’s biggest rival the rest of the way. But he finished

28 seconds behind Vettel on Sunday after being overtaken just 31 seconds into the race: a hammer blow for the 2008 champion.

“I felt that we perhaps didn’t have as good a package as these two here,” Hamilton said. “I think we’ve done a decent job, but obviously these guys have done a slightly better job. Whether or not we can make an adjustment before the next race, we’ll wait and see.” Hamilton is 58 points behind Vettel - a considerable margin given the number of races left. But Vettel is the last person to believe title talk. “I am a step-by-step kind of guy,” the German said. “What I can say is that I feel very comfortable in the car and feel that we are moving in the right direction.”—AP

BELGIUM: Red Bull Racing’s German driver Sebastian Vettel drives at the SpaFrancorchamps circuit in this file photo. —AFP

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

S P ORTS

Power wins in Sonoma after late Dixon penalty SONOMA: Scott Dixon pulled in for his final pit stop with victory nearly in his grasp. When he left a few seconds later, two members of Will Power’s crew were sprawled on the asphalt, a tire bouncing wildly in his wake. Although everybody involved had a strong opinion about what happened, Power knows one thing for certain: He’s leaving wine country with yet another trophy. Power won at Sonoma Raceway for the third time in four years Sunday, earning his first victor y of the IndyCar season by taking advantage of Dixon’s penalty for making contact with Power’s Team Penske pit crew. “I don’t like to see the call that had to take place, but everybody saw it,” Roger Penske said. “It’s unfortunate, but that’s the way racing is.” Dixon led until he received a drive-through penalty with 15 laps to go for clipping a tire in the left hand of Power’s tire holder when Dixon’s Honda left his pit directly behind Power’s Chevrolet. The tire holder went flying into another crew member, and a third member was injured by an air gun or hose. Dixon thought Power’s crew got in his way on purpose, leaving him angry and confused by IndyCar’s latest call against him.

He finished 15th and lost a bit of ground on overall IndyCar leader Helio Castroneves, Power’s Penske teammate, who finished seventh. Castroneves’ lead over Dixon grew from 31 to 39 points (479-440) with four races left in the IndyCar season. “That’s probably the most blatant thing I’ve seen in a long time,” Dixon said. “You watch most pit guys, they try to get out of the way of other people, so that was a bit of a (classless) move, to be honest. ... If that’s the way they want to try and win, that’s pretty bad.” Power scoffed at the notion any gamesmanship occurred in his first victory since early last season in Sao Paulo. He’s the only multiple IndyCar winner in Sonoma, where he’s been dominant since he broke his back in a crash in 2009. “It reminds me of so many things that’s happened to us in the last three years, so we’ll take it,” said Power, the 10th IndyCar winner this season. “I would be very surprised (if it was intentional). I haven’t seen it. It’s not even wor th commenting on. ... I really thought we’d win before (now), but we just kept at it and worked hard and were fast all weekend.”

Dixon has been burned by IndyCar’s curious penalty decisions before. In Milwaukee last year, IndyCar acknowledged it looked at the wrong replay and made an incorrect call when it ordered

Dixon to serve a drive-through penalty for jumping a restart. But race director Beaux Barfield stood behind his latest call against Dixon, saying the lines painted in the pit box don’t correspond to the actual spaces afforded to the teams.

IndyCar rules mandate penalties for drivers who make contact with pit crew members.

“If we have somebody that uses lessthan-great judgment when they leave their pit box, and we have an incident, then certainly we’ve got to make a statement by penalizing (that driver),” Barfield said. “The lines are a little bit confusing, because we don’t go in and change the lines everywhere we go. “There’s a different angle, if you looked at, you can see the difference between the Target and the Verizon signs on the wall. With the No 9 car (Dixon) leaving the pit lane, he clearly crosses right into the pit box into the No 12 car (Power) space, and that’s where the violation occurred.”

Dixon’s team saw it differently. “The guy turned his back and carried the tire into Dixon’s side,” Chip Ganassi Racing team manager Mike Hull said. “He walked into us, so if that sets the precedent, in the next race, that means somebody can walk into us with a tire in their hand.” All three crew members were fine to continue after a bit of ice.

Dixon’s penalty dropped him 19 seconds behind Power into 21st, and Power carefully maintained his lead for a victory on the same course where he was seriously injured four years ago, forcing him to miss the rest of the season. “I think they’re way overplaying this thing, as far as I’m concerned,” Penske said.

“Someone got hit, went up in the air.

Obviously, the 9 car was too close to our crew, had an accident there. The outcome is obvious.” Dixon’s brush with Power’s crew highlighted an uncommonly eventful race in Sonoma, a twisty road course that usually doesn’t allow much drama or passing.

Penske got into a finger-pointing argument post-race with Marco Andretti, who made contact with Power late in the race. Third-place finisher Dario Franchitti was mad at Team Penske, feeling Power drove him off the track with no penalty. Justin Wilson was second.

Castroneves finished behind Marco Andretti, Simon Pagenaud and Ryan Hunter-Reay. With strong wind and dust all over the course, the race featured a record seven cautions for various collisions and stalls. Sebastian Saavedra crashed heavily into a barrier with four laps to go.— AP

Photo of the day

Gabriel Fortunato performs at the Red Bull Skate Arcade at Madureira_ skatepark in Rio de Janeiro —www.redbull.com

NZ beat Italians, Challenge Oracle SAN FRANCISCO: Emirates Team New Zealand knocked Italy ’s sailors out of America’s Cup contention on Sunday by clinching a challenger match race series with a faster AC72 catamaran and will now attempt to wrest the coveted trophy from Oracle Team USA. New Zealand defeated Luna Rossa Challenge 7-1 in the Louis Vuitton Cup, the regatta that determines which boat and crew will sail against the previous winner of the 162-year old trophy.

The Kiwis beat Luna Rossa in the previous Louis Vuitton Cup in 2007.

With their 72-foot twin-hulled yacht up on its foils, the Kiwis sailed across the finish line at 46 miles an hour. Italy finished three minutes and 20 seconds behind on the fog-enshrouded San Francisco Bay as fans cheered and waved flags for the victors.

New Zealand looked so polished in the preliminary racing against Italy in July that they became the hands-down favorite.

Minutes before the race on Sunday, skipper Dean Barker confidently said “Now we get to get a nice piece of silver wear.” The America’s Cup finals are scheduled to begin September 7. In the 17-race series, governmentsponsored New Zealand will need to win 9 against the Oracle team bankrolled by software billionaire Larry Ellison. “We came here to try to win the America’ Cup, and this is all part of the preparation,” New Zealand’s Barker said after the race, pausing from drinking champagne from the bottle.

New Zealand’s team was the

SAN FRANCISCO: Team Luna Rossa Challenge skippered by Massimiliano Sirena with Chris Draper on the helm in action during race eight of the Louis Vuitton Cup finals against Emirates Team New Zealand skippered by Dean Barker. —AFP

only 2013 America’s Cup competitor with a crew almost exclusively from its home country.

Other teams also had New Zealand sailors as crew. If New Zealand wins the Cup, team managing director Grant Dalton has said he will use the defender’s right to set rules to force teams in the next America’s Cup to use sailors from their home countries. A tradition of using crews

from a team’s home country has been in place for much of the America’s Cup history but not since 2003. A nationality rule would swing the odds considerably in the Kiwis’ favor.

The Cup looms large in New Zealand, where much of the country lives near the coast, and sailing is a popular pastime. One of New Zealand’s most heralded sailors, Russell Coutts, runs the

American team as its chief executive officer. Ellison won the cup in Valencia, Spain, in 2010 and with it the right to set the rules and choose the location for this year’s regatta. High costs scared off challenges and a May training accident, which killed Olympic gold medalist Andrew Simpson of Sweden’s Ar temis Racing, threw the competition into chaos.—Reuters

Nadal looking to make up for lost time at US Open

UNCASVILLE: New York Liberty’s Kelsey Bone (left) is fouled by Connecticut Sun’s Mistie Bass (right) during the second half of a WNBA basketball game. —AP

Sparks overcome Shock LOS ANGELES: Candace Parker scored with 5.7 seconds remaining in the second overtime, lifting the Los Angeles Sparks to a hard-fought 90-88 comeback victory over the Tulsa Shock on Sunday.

Parker, who finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds, drove past Tiffany JacksonJones from the right side for the winning basket. Tulsa’s Riquna Williams watched a 23-foot jumper rim out and Nneka Ogwumike rebounded the miss as time expired. The Sparks (19-8) erased a 19point deficit in the fourth quarter and moved one game behind Minnesota for first place in the Western Conference.

Ogwumike finished with 21 points.

Tulsa’s Liz Cambage left the game with a sprained left ankle with 6:35 remaining in the fourth quarter. Candice Wiggins led the Shock (9-19) with 20 points and Williams had 17.

SILVER STARS 70, STORM 64 Shenise Johnson had 17 points and 10 rebounds as San Antonio held on to snap

Seattle’s three-game winning streak.

Danielle Adams and Jia Perkins each had 14 points and Davellyn Whyte added 13 points and seven assists in her second career start for San Antonio (10-17).

Reserve forward Noelle Quinn had 14 points to lead Seattle (13-14). Tina Thompson and Camille Little each had 11 points and Temeka Wright added 10 for the Storm.

LIBERTY 74, SUN 66 Plenette Pierson scored 18 points as New York kept its playoff hopes alive with a win over Connecticut. Cappie Pondexter scored 14 points and Katie Smith added 13 for the Liberty (11-16), who moved within a game of Indiana for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Kelsey Griffin led Connecticut (7-19) with 22 points while Tina Charles had 18 and Renee Montgomery finished with 14. The 19 losses set a franchise high for the Sun in a season.— AP

NEW YORK: A year after watching last year’s final on television, Rafa Nadal is back in New York, revitalized and ready to make up for lost time at the US Open.

A knee injury forced Nadal to miss the last grand slam of 2012, spoiling his chances of reaching the final for a third straight year. With Nadal absent, Britain’s Andy Murray went on to win his maiden grand slam title, beating Novak Djokovic in a five-set thriller. “When I was in that period of time outside of the tour I didn’t follow the tour every week, because at the end I was focused on my recover y,” Nadal told repor ters at Flushing Meadows ahead of Monday’s opening play. “But a few matches you cannot miss, and for sure I watched all the final. It was a great final.”

This time Nadal is back, fully fit and at the top of his game, having won backto-back Masters events at Montreal and Cincinnati. Nadal also missed this year’s Australian Open but has been in great form since making his comeback, winning a record eighth French Open in June. Because of his knee problems, Nadal has had to adjust his game for the North American hardcourt season, playing more aggressively to reduce the pounding on his legs, and he seems to

have found the perfect balance.

“I think you can play aggressive when you are playing well. That’s the first and important thing,” the left-hander said.

“It’s true I’m trying to take the ball a little bit early and that I worked on my game to be a little bit more aggressive.

“But at the same time, it’s true that in the past when I was playing well on this surface I had good success too, so it’s not something craz y that changed today.” Nadal’s absence from last year’s US Open could have another positive effect, helping him regain the number one ranking from Djokovic because he has no points to defend.

Nadal, currently ranked second, can overtake the Serbian if he wins the US Open and Djokovic fails to reach the final. “This tournament will make the difference. It’s true that I am having a great season. I am in a positive position,” said Nadal, who has won nine titles in 2013. “I’m gonna tr y...but being number one is not my goal. My goal is be healthy, have the chance to be competitive, and finish the year with a good feeling and having the chance to play well. “If I am number one, it will be amazing, amazing season for me.”— Reuters

Rafael Nadal

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

S P ORTS

Holloway stands up for principles in football LONDON: At times it feels like Ian Holloway is fighting a one-man war for sanity in football. In a sport where principles are sometimes abandoned quicker than clubs change shirts, one of the Premier League’s newest, returning managers is resolute in sticking to his values.

“I have got (principles) and I will always have them,” the Crystal Palace manager says. “Everyone’s got principles - but in principle they want money.”

The quick wit and jocular tone can be deceptive. After two years away from the Premier League, the former Blackpool manager is back in the big time with south London club Palace. What’s new?

“There are a few more noughts on the end of the deals,” the 50-year-old Holloway responds in a flash in his distinctive southwest England accent. Don’t be fooled by the flippant replies.

Holloway is passionate about the image of the game. What irritates him so much is not necessarily the bumper pay packets that land in players’ pockets, but how the cash changes them as people and just how pampered they are.

Quite simply, players today just don’t realize how good they’ve got it. Remind

them. Send players down to the lower reaches of the non-league as a wake-up call. “When they go out and come back in they appreciate it more,” Holloway said. “So maybe some of these overpaid starlets we’ve got flying about the place should be released and see how they like it.”

Holloway is more grounded than most, something no doubt rooted in overcoming the challenges of raising four children, three of whom were born deaf. He coped and along the way also learned sign language. It puts the football challenges into perspective.

Away from his home life he is immersed in a game that has never been awash with so much money. The latest global television deals are generating 5.5 billion pounds ($8.6 billion) for the league over three years.

Even if Palace, Holloway’s south London team, returns instantly to the second tier by finishing bottom they will receive at least 60 million pounds ($93 million) at the end of the season.

“Everyone is desperate to get to the money in the Premier League,” Holloway said. “They think it’s a free meal ticket but

it isn’t.” Not when newly promoted teams like Palace have to try to compete against - not only the behemoths at Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea - but even more modest, though established, sides.

“We’re sharks in the water,” Holloway conceded. “But there are others who are bigger than us ... they’re just bigger sharks than us.”

The Premier League thrives as the people filling the stadiums often struggle to meet the cost of attending games.

“Countries are going bust for god’s sake, but football’s thriving,” Holloway says. “I’m glad it is because it’s a wonderful game.” The conversation moves inevitably onto agents.

So key in helping to guide players’ careers. So irritating to some clubs trying to find talent and strengthen squads as they circle around potential deals.

“If you ring up a club in France before you know it that club will have then had four or five or six agents saying, ‘I can get a deal with Crystal Palace, give me the mandate, give me the mandate,’” Holloway says. “Then all those people will then ring you up and every time I’ve

had that, I’ve then said: ‘No I don’t want that player.’

“Because I don’t know if I can trust that player if he’s got all these people socalled around him. And then the prices go up and down and they all want their little cuts. That’s what we’ve found this summer.” Holloway grows increasingly exasperated.

“Everyone is getting richer and people are saying, ‘You’ve got to pay me,’” he continues. “In life there are loopholes and clever people who try to exploit them.”

The cash swilling around English football isn’t all bad.

In the shadow of the headquarters of Barclays, the league sponsor, Holloway is speaking at the gym of a college in east London that has benefited from the trickle-down effect of the league’s riches.

A grant of more than $1.2 million has funded several football pitches.

“That’s what we should be doing, it’s not all about how much the top players get - however many grillion a week,” Hollloway says, inventing a word on the spot.

“It’s not about that, what that turns them into - not very nice people, going

out spending god knows what in bars.

It’s not about that. It’s about being people - proper people.”

The example for Holloway is striker Kevin Phillips, who is still in his squad aged 40. “He’s what a real footballer should be,” Holloway says. “And I don’t mean a nice car and shiny earrings.”

While outgoing and often entertaining, Holloway wants people to take him seriously despite the occasional quip.

“Every dog has its day, and today is woof day! Today I just want to bark!” was how he responded to Queens Park Rangers gaining promotion to the second tier in 2004.

Now he’s cutting back on the one-liners that have defined him in the past.

“I’m trying to talk in a way so people don’t think I’m funny anymore,” the former Bristol Rovers and Queens Park Rangers midfielder said ahead of the new season. “I’m fed up with that. I’m not a comedian, I’m a football manager.” But Palace’s league record after two matches is played two, lost two. And however much his philosophizing is admired, he’ll ultimately be judged by his team’s results. —AP

Napoli get Benitez off to a flying start ROME: Napoli gave new coach Rafael Benitez a flying start when they beat Bologna 3-0 in their opening Serie A game on Sunday while predecessor Walter Mazzarri celebrated his first league game in charge of Inter Milan with a 2-0 win over Genoa. Benitez was able to enjoy his debut for Napoli as last season’s runners-up began life with-

since Jose Mourinho left after completing the treble three years ago, was greeted by a lukewarm response as he replaced Andrea Stramaccioni who led Inter to a dismal ninth last season, including seven home defeats. “These boys hadn’t won at home for 4-1/2 months, they had to exorcise a psychosis,” Mazzarri told Sky Sports

utes to set up a 2-1 win for Lazio over Udinese. Torino overcame Sassuolo, another promoted side 20, while Cagliari beat Atalanta 2-1 and Parma and Chievo played out a goalless stalemate. Cagliari, unable to find a suitable venue in Sardinia, played their game in Trieste on the border with Slovenia, around 1,000 kilometers from their base.

ITALY: Napoli’s Argentinian forward Gonzalo Higuain (left) vies with Bologna’s FC Daniele Natali during the Italian Serie A football match. —AFP out Edinson Cavani by over-running Bologna with two goals from Marek Hamsik and one from Spaniard Jose Callejon who was making his debut. Mazzarri, by contrast, was made to suffer as Inter Milan spluttered to a 2-0 win with late goals from Yuto Nagatomo and Rodrigo Palacio at a half-empty San Siro.

Mazzarri, Inter ’s sixth coach

Italia. “We are getting better and we are finding a balance. We are improving more than I had anticipated, we’ve done a lot in a short space of time.”

In other games, AS Roma beat promoted Livorno 2-0 on coach Rudi Garcia’s debut while Hernanes and Antonio Candreva, from a penalty, scored in the first 20 min-

HIGUAIN DEBUT There was plenty for Benitez to celebrate at Napoli as Gonzalo Higuain also made an impressive debut following his move from Real Madrid while Pepe Reina in goal was barely tested. “I saw perfect training sessions and expected this sort of match from my men,” Benitez, whose lasted only six months as coach of

Inter Milan on his only previous venture into Italian football, told Sky Sports Italia.

“This team has a lot of quality and in attack we can use any combination of (Goran) Pandev, Hamsik, Higuain, Callejon and (Lorenzo) Insigne, as well as another striker. We have the capability to change things around often.” Callejon his the post early on and put Napoli ahead in the 32nd minute from a rebound after Hamsik’s shot had been saved.

Higuain had a goal ruled out for offside shortly afterwards before Hamsik scored a brilliant second, slaloming his way through the defense before scoring from a narrow angle despite being off-balance.

Although Napoli slowed after the break, they were still in control and Hamsik turned in Goran Pandev’s cross just after the hour for their third. It was a different story at San Siro where Mazzarri was visibly relieved on the touchline when Rodrigo Palacio sealed victory with Inter’s second goal in stoppage time after Yuto Nagatomo had put them ahead with a fortuitous goal.

Mazzarri, Inter’s sixth coach since Jose Mourinho left after completing the treble three years ago, was greeted by a lukewarm atmosphere for his first league game since replacing Andrea Stramaccioni who led Inter to a dismal ninth last season. Inter dominated the game but, with captain Javier Zanetti, defender Walter Samuel and striker Diego Milito still missing with long-term injuries, their play was disjointed and shoddy.

Genoa, playing their first match under new coach Fabio Liverani, offered little threat of their own and Inter finally broke through with 15 minutes left when Jonathan’s deflected cross caught their defence offguard and Nagatomo headed in at the far post. Argentine Mauro Icardi, signed from Sampdoria in the close season, saw his header hit the crossbar shortly afterwards before compatriot Palacio latched on to Fredy Guarin’s through ball to slip the ball past Mattia Perin. —Reuters

Mexico’s Monterrey sack five-title coach Vucetich

Victor Vucetich

BUENOS AIRES: Monterrey’s most successful coach Victor Vucetich, who steered the team from northern Mexico to the last three CONCACAF Champions League titles, has been sacked. One of the longest-standing coaches in Mexico, having taken charge in 2009 and also led Monterrey to two of the club’s four domestic league crowns, Vucetich has paid for a poor start to the 2013-14 season. Monterrey are 14th in the table with six points from seven matches and only one win in the Apertura championship, the initial segment of the twopart season.

“There have been important achievements for our club but on the other hand the results we’ve had in the last three (domestic) tournaments have been below our expectations as a club,” said executive president Jose Gonzalez on Sunday. The first measure of success in Mexico is reaching the title playoffs, the eight-team knockout phase of the championship. Monterrey were knocked out in the quarter-finals of last season’s Apertura by Tijuana and the semi-finals of the Clausura

by America. Both winners went on to lift the title.

The club decided to sack Mexican Vucetich after his team lost 3-1 on Saturday at second-placed Leon whose former Estudiantes and Wigan Athletic striker Mauro Boselli scored twice. Vucetich is the third coach to have lost his job this season in Mexico after Manuel Lapuente at Puebla and Guadalajara’s Benjamin Galindo. Title holders America are top of the table with 13 points from five games. Leon, Morelia and Cruz Azul also have 13 points, all after seven matches, with inferior goal differences to America. —Reuters

Matches on TV (Local Timings) UEFA Champions League PAOK v Schalke 04 Aljazeera Sport 1 HD Aljazeera Sport +9

21:45

Legia Warsaw v Bucuresti Aljazeera Sport +7 Aljazeera Sport 3 HD

21:45

FC Basel v Ludogorets Aljazeera Sport +2

21:45

Austria Wien v Dinamo Aljazeera Sport +1

21:45

Arsenal v Fenerbahce Aljazeera Sport +6 Aljazeera Sport +3 Aljazeera Sport 5 HD

21:45

Preview

ITALY: AC Milan’s forward Mario Balotelli reacts in this file photo. —AFP

Kazakh mining town team on brink of group stage BERNE: Shakhter Karagandy, a Kazakh mining town team based nearer Mongolia than UEFA headquarters in Switzerland, could add an exotic touch to the Champions League group stage if they can hold out against Celtic tomorrow.

The team from the windswept, coal-mining town of Karagandy on the Kazakh steppe, take a 2-0 cushion to Glasgow for the second leg of their playoff tie, one of 10 being played over today and tomorrow to decide who joins the 22 teams already qualified for the group stage.

There is a lot at stake financially as each of the 32 teams in the group stage will receive a basic fee of 8.6 million euros ($11.53 million), according to UEFA, plus 1 million euros for each win and half that amount for each draw. They stand to receive further income from UEFA’s television rights and sponsorship pool.

Arsenal should comfortably make the group stage for the 16th season in a row against a Fenerbahce team caught up in a match-fixing scandal while FC Basel, Zenit St Petersburg, Real Sociedad and Austria Vienna look set to join them. Seven-times champions AC Milan, the most illustrious team in the action this week, also have a slight advantage against 1988 European Cup winners PSV Eindhoven, having drawn 1-1 away in the first leg, but are still not home and dry. Milan, who spent most of last season playing catch-up after a dismal start, cannot afford to miss out on the group stage and, worryingly, began their Serie A campaign with a 2-1 defeat at promoted Hellas Verona on Saturday.

“We know it is a crossroads for our season, we have to turn the page and focus on this match at the San Siro,” said captain Riccardo Montolivo. At the other end of the scale from Milan, Shakhter will travel across five time zones to defend their lead at former champions Celtic.

If they are successful, the Pitmen, who were founded in 1958 and never got to compete in the top flight of the old Soviet league, would be the first Kazakh team to reach the group stage since their country joined UEFA from the Asian confederation in 2002. The huge distances to Kazakhstan plus frigid conditions in November and December would make them a team to avoid in the draw and they have already attracted controversy for slaughtering a sheep before last week’s first leg.

Animal rights group PETA has written to UEFA president Michel Platini asking him to use his influence to ensure that the governing

ITALY: AC Milan’s forward Mario Balotelli reacts in this file photo. —AFP body’s “prestigious competitions are not tainted by such horrifying cruelty”. Celtic, who reached the last 16 last season, still believe they can turn the tie around tomorrow. “We will get a head of steam up, the fans will be behind us,” manager Neil Lennon told the BBC. “This team (Celtic) are capable of scoring goals at any time. We created enough chances (in the first leg) to have won the game.” Arsenal brought a 3-0 lead back from Turkey last week and, although they have twice suffered threegoal home defeats in Europe in the past, the task seems beyond a limited Fenerbahce in today’s return. Even if they were to pull off the win, Fenerbahce could still be kicked out tomorrow when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is due to announce the result of their appeal against a two-year ban from European competition over a domestic matchfixing scandal in 2011. Arsenal were among five teams who won away in last week’s 10 first leg matches. FC Basel, 4-2 winners at Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad, Zenit St Petersburg, who beat Portugal’s Pacos de Ferreira 4-1 in Porto, and Real Sociedad, who beat Olympique Lyon 2-0, should also finish the job on home ground.

Austria Vienna look almost certain to end their country’s seven-season absence from the group stage against Dinamo Zagreb after last week’s 2-0 away win which cost Krunoslav Jurcic his job as coach of the Croatian champions. The Bundesliga’s prestige faces an early test as Schalke 04 visit PAOK after being held 1-1 at home last week but with the consolation of knowing the match will be played behind closed doors in Greece. —Reuters

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

S P ORTS

Barcelona maintain perfect start, Atletico thrash Rayo

Barcelona’s Brazilian forward Neymar da Silva Santos.

Barcelona try not to overburden Neymar MADRID: Barcelona have been keen to avoid overburdening new signing Neymar but tomorrow’s Spanish Super Cup second leg at home to Atletico Madrid may see him included in the starting lineup for the first time. Coach Gerardo Martino has left the Brazil forward on the bench until the final half hour of all three of the Spanish champions’ competitive games this term following his close-season move from Santos for 57 million euros ($74.09 million).

He netted the equalizer in last Wednesday’s Super Cup first leg at the Calderon with a fine header to secure a 1-1 draw, but was on the bench again for their 1-0 win over Malaga in La Liga on Sunday.

With World Player of the Year Lionel Messi possibly coming back from injury and the home crowd behind him, the return match against Atletico may be the ideal moment to deploy the 21-year-old from the off.

Neymar showed off some of his trademark skill and pace in their nervy win at Malaga and tested home goalkeeper Willy Caballero with a curling free kick before seeing a deflected effort fly narrowly over. “I don’t know how much time is left,” Martino told reporters after the Malaga game when asked when Neymar would be ready to take his place in the starting 11. “What I do believe is that mentally he is ready and we will decide on the right moment,” added the Argentine, brought in last month to replace the ailing Tito Vilanova. “The good thing is that he plays half an hour and in that half an hour he always does something positive for the team.” Breaking Neymar in gently has been a wise move from Martino and the Barca staff given the intensity of the club’s matches and his relatively slight physical stature. He was again the target of a series of robust challenges during Sunday’s game and did well not to react when Malaga fullback Jesus Gamez

appeared to butt him in the face.

Given the lack of cutting edge Barca showed at Malaga’s Rosaleda stadium and the possible absence of Messi tomorrow, Martino could well be tempted to deploy Neymar instead of Cesc Fabregas, Pedro or Alexis Sanchez. “We did not sign Neymar for one or two games but for a number of seasons,” sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta said in an inter view with Spanish television broadcaster Canal Plus after the Malaga game. “Just because Messi doesn’t play doesn’t mean he has to play,” added the former Spain and Barca goalkeeper. “He is showing great ability to adapt to our team and our league and when he is 100 percent integrated we will see more of him.”

DIFFERENT PROPOSITION Atletico warmed up for their trip to the Catalan capital with a 5-0 thrashing of Rayo Vallecano in La Liga but know that getting the better of Barca at their giant Nou Camp arena is an entirely different proposition.

Coach Diego Simeone, a compatriot of Barca counterpart Martino, is expecting the same intensity from his players they showed at the Calderon on Sunday to steamroller their city rivals. “We don’t know how to play any other way,” he told a news conference. “We maintain this high tempo and we feel comfortable with that.”

The Super Cup pits the La Liga champions against the King’s Cup winners. Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid beat Barca to win last year’s competition on away goals after the two-legged tie ended 4-4 on aggregate. Barca won three in a row under Pep Guardiola from 2009-2011, while Atletico last won in 1985 when they beat Barca. The last time the Cup winners beat the league champions was in 2007 when Sevilla overcame Real Madrid.—Reuters

Arsenal’s French manager Arsene Wenger

Arsenal fans have been ‘brainwashed’ — Wenger LONDON: Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal fans have been “brainwashed” by the constant negativity surrounding his team.

Wenger came under fire from large sections of the Emirates Stadium crowd following Arsenal’s 3-1 defeat against Aston Villa on the opening day of the season.

That barrage of abuse followed several incidents of barracking from angry fans last season as Arsenal’s trophy drought stretched to eight years.

But Gunners boss Wenger, whose side have calmed the critics with successive victories over Fenerbahce and Fulham since that Villa loss, is convinced the occasionally poisonous atmosphere in north London is due to fans letting their emotions get the better of them after reading so many negative stories about the club.

“It’s always excessive reactions,” Wenger said. “We lost one game since the beginning of March. That’s why it (the Villa loss) was a shock.

“The defeat was a shock, because it’s the first game of the season. “We won in the Champions League away at Bayern (Munich, in March), we won 3-0 at Fenerbahce.

“It’s just like that at the moment. You (the media) have brainwashed a little bit the Emirates. “Maybe rightly so, because we haven’t won trophies for years; everything is always negative.

“We have to live this out and just play football well.” The Frenchman has been in charge at Arsenal since October 1996 and is now the top flight’s longest serving manager following Alex Ferguson’s retirement from Manchester United last season.

But Wenger, who has turned down a host of offers to leave Arsenal during his reign, believes society in general, and football in particular, has become more reactionary and less likely to show loyalty during difficult times. “On one side when people are not loy-

al, people criticise; when they are loyal, they say they are there for too long,” he said. “It’s always an excessive reaction and that’s why people in charge have to take a (step back), more than ever.

“Being responsible in life is to do things you think are right, it’s not to react to what people say. “If you listen always to what people say, you go five minutes one way and 10 minutes later you go the other way. “When you have responsibilities you have just to focus on making the right decisions and if they’re not right, you say ‘sorry, I’m wrong’.

When we lose a game, I’m wrong.”

One of the main sources of frustration for Arsenal fans is Wenger’s failure to sign a single top star since the end of last season.

Wenger has substantial funds to spend but missed out on striker Gonzalo Higuain to Napoli, while offers for Luis Suarez failed to tempt Liverpool to release the Uruguay forward.

Yet, with time running out before the September 2 closure of the transfer window, Wenger is sticking to his policy of only considering signings who would significantly improve his team.

Speaking ahead of today’s Champions League play-off round second leg against Fenerbahce at the Emirates, Wenger, who has been linked with bids for Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye and Swansea duo Ashley Williams and Michu, said: “I still am optimistic and I hope I will not disappoint you.

“We have not a fixed number (of signings in mind). I just think we are a bit short at the moment. “I’m guided by my conscience to do as well as I can for this club and by the vision of the game I want to play. “I feel with the players I have I can play the football we want to play. “I’m a great admirer of the spirit, the attitude of these players. “They are special and if I want to add something it has to be special.” —AFP

MADRID: Barcelona survived a couple of second-half scares to secure a nervous 1-0 win at Malaga on Sunday and maintain their perfect start to their La Liga title defense.

The champions were missing the injured Lionel Messi and struggled to find a way through the home defense until fullback Adriano cut in from the right and curled a power ful shot into the far corner moments before halftime. Barca defender Gerard Pique diverted the ball onto the crossbar with his back in the 58th minute before Malaga came desperately close to an equalizer.

Roque Santa Cruz found space on the left and cut the ball back from the byline but teenage forward Fabrice Olinga scuffed his shot and it bounced away off a post. Barca’s new signing Neymar, again starting on the bench, looked sharp when he replaced Pedro with around half an hour left and the Brazil forward drew a fine save from goalkeeper Willy Caballero with a free kick. Caballero’s opposite number Victor Valdes then rescued his team with a superb point-blank save from substitute Seba Fernandez’s header and a deflected Neymar shot flew narrowly over in a frantic finale.

The victory leaves Barca at the top of the standings after two matches following their 7-0 drubbing of Levante in last weekend’s opening game. Atletico Madrid also have six points in second place after Turkey playmaker Arda Turan produced a masterclass to help them to a 5-0 drubbing of city rivals Rayo Vallecano in the earlier kickoff at the Calderon. Sevilla drew 0-0 at Levante, while Real Betis were beaten 2-1 at home to Celta Vigo in the late game.

Barca’s Spain international Cesc Fabregas said fatigue after Wednesday’s Spanish Super Cup first leg at Atletico, which ended 11, may have been the reason for

SPAIN: Malaga’s defender Sergio Sanchez (left) vies for the ball with Barcelona’s midfielder Cesc Fabregas during the Spanish League football match. —AFP Barca’s sluggish performance on the south coast. Barca host Atletico for the second leg on Wednesday and will be bidding for their first silver ware under new coach Gerardo Martino, brought in to replace the ailing Tito Vilanova. “We suffered in those final five minutes but in football you have to know how to suffer,” Fabregas said in a pitch-side interview with Spanish television broadcaster Canal Plus.

“It’s true that we are starting a new season, with a lot of new things and we still have room for improvement,” the former Arsenal captain added. “We played a really, really good first half but it’s true that in the second we dropped our intensity a little. “Perhaps we were tired from Wednesday ’s match, which wasn’t easy, and playing

these two extra games is more demanding. It was a very, very tough win tonight and a very important one.” Barca’s arch rivals Real Madrid, who won their opening game at home to Betis last weekend, play at Granada on Monday.

DEFT FLICK Arda shone and Diego Costa had another excellent game as Atletico dealt out a sound drubbing to neighbors Rayo. A host of Rayo’s top performers left the cashstrapped club in the close season and Atletico were far superior on a sun-drenched evening in the Spanish capital. Raul Garcia stooped to head Diego Simeone’s side in front from a Gabi corner in the 17th minute and Diego Costa

made it 2-0 three minutes later when he struck from Arda’s assist.

Costa turned provider in the 35th minute when he sent Arda clear with a deft flick and the Turkey international rounded Rayo goalkeeper David Cobeno and stroked the ball into the net. The heavily bearded Arda, given a rousing ovation when he was replaced with around 20 minutes left, capped a fine performance when he floated a cross over from the left for an unmarked Tiago to nod in a 53rd-minute fourth. Spain forward David Villa, who joined Atletico from Barcelona in the close season, had a frustrating night and cracked a first-time shot against the bar in the 78th minute before Garcia scored his second in the 90th. —Reuters

Gutierrez shines, River Plate lose MEXICO CITY: Colombia striker Teofilo Gutierrez scored on his long-awaited debut but his River Plate team were still beaten 2-1 by Colon at the Monumental at the weekend. The club have picked up only four points in the ‘Inicial’ championship, having been without Gutierrez for three games while waiting for the transfer papers to come through from his former team, Mexico’s Cruz Azul.

It was the first home defeat in 42 matches as River coach for Ramon Diaz who returned at the end of last year for a third spell in charge, a decade after leaving in 2002. The last time Diaz was beaten at home as River coach was in 1999. The coach was satisfied with Sunday’s first-half performance but River were hit twice on the break by strikers Facundo Curuchet and Ruben Ramirez in the second period before Gutierrez pulled a goal back three minutes from time.

Diaz was less pleased when River were denied a penalty in added time for handball by Colon defender Oscar Carniello, referee Fernando Rapallini deeming it unintentional. “We don’t want to be gifted anything but if it’s handball then it should be punished,” Diaz told reporters. It was an unhappy Sunday for Argentina’s two biggest teams with River’s arch-rivals Boca Juniors also losing 2-0 to Estudiantes in La Plata. Boca have six points. Argentinos Juniors and promoted Gimnasia-La Plata are equal top with nine points each.

Gimnasia, who have a game in hand, play title holders Newell’s Old Boys in Rosario today. —Reuters

ARGENTINA: River Plate’s forward Teofilo Gutierrez (second right) gestures during their Argentine First Division football match against Colon. —AFP

Bayern eye Freiburg ahead of showdown with Chelsea

BERLIN: European champions Bayern Munich travel to Freiburg today, determined to pick up their four th straight Bundesliga win before heading to Prague to face Chelsea for the European Super Cup. Bayern were dealt a blow on Sunday with the news star-signing Thiago Alcantara is expected to miss the next seven weeks after tearing ligaments in his right ankle and is due to undergo surgery late yesterday.

The 22-year-old, who cost Bayern 25 million euros from Barcelona last month, was the only negative news from Saturday’s 2-0 league win over Nuremberg when Pep Guardiola’s side set a new Bundesliga record with 81 percent ball possession.

A Franck Ribery header in the 69thminute broke the deadlock before Dutch winger Arjen Robben cut in from the right to add the second as Bayern claimed a club record 28th game without defeat.

Now Champions League winners Bayern head to Prague’s Eden Arena to face Jose

Mourinho’s Chelsea, the Europa League holders, on Friday and Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said the Bavarians need another win at Freiburg to keep confidence high.

“We want the best possible start with 12 points from four matches, so we can go to Prague for the Super Cup with no weight on our shoulders,” said Rummenigge.

Thiago’s injury will force a rethink to Guiardiola’s midfield line-up, with Thomas Mueller or Toni Kroos likely to partner Mario Goetze in the middle, flanked by Ribery and Robben.

Freiburg, who have qualified for this season’s Europa League, picked up their only point of the season so far when they drew 3-3 at Hoffenheim on Saturday in a frantic match which saw two players sent off, while the visitors’ coach Christian Streich was also banished to the stands.

Having battered the Nuremberg goal with 26 shots on target and 10 corners, Bayern travel to Freiburg eager to keep the

winning habit.

“The important thing for us right now is to take the points and keep clean sheets,” said defensive midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who was not the only Bayern player to admit the team are still coming to grips with Guardiola’s new 4-1-41 system.

“We certainly could have scored a goal or two much earlier against Nuremberg.

“And sometimes we need a little more patience, especially against opponents who are defending well. We know we can play better, but it’ll come.” Freiburg will do well to contain Bayern, who won 2-0 at the Solar Stadium last season, while no Freiburg fans will need reminding of the Bavarians’ 7-0 romp in Munich in 2011, when Ribery scored twice. If Streich was hoping for any insider tips from Nuremberg then he won’t have been relieved by coach Michael Wiesinger ’s assessment: “In footballing terms, Bayern are quite simply a machine.” —AFP

Australia’s Scott wins Barclays in tight finish

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

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Sparks overcome Shock in WNBA action

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Kazakh mining town team on brink of CL group stage

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LONDON: Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney (right) attempts a bicycle kick past Chelsea’s Ramires during their English Premier League soccer match at Old Trafford Stadium. — AP

United, Chelsea draw as Rooney saga bubbles on Man United 0

Chelsea 0

MANCHESTER: Wayne Rooney returned to Manchester United’s starting line-up yesterday but failed to inconvenience his suitors Chelsea in a forgettable 0-0 Premier League draw at Old Trafford.

Rooney has been the subject of two failed bids from Chelsea in recent weeks, but he was one of the few impressive players on a night when the season’s first major head-to-head

clash failed to live up to its billing.

The England striker tested visiting goalkeeper Petr Cech on three occasions, while David Moyes, in his first home game as United manager, saw his side refused a second-half penalty following an apparent handball by Frank Lampard.

Jose Mourinho provided a provocative touchline presence and was goaded throughout on his return to Old Trafford as Chelsea coach, but his team rarely threatened ahead of Friday’s UEFA Super Cup against Bayern Munich.

The point was enough to send Chelsea top of the nascent standings, but they have played a game more than the rest and United can draw level with them if they win at Liverpool on Sunday.

Rooney’s inclusion in United’s starting XI,

for the first time since April, caused the evening’s first ripple of excitement, but Mourinho’s team selection was every bit as eye-catching.

The Portuguese named a team without a recognised striker, deploying Andre Schuerrle up front ahead of Oscar, Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne, and leaving Fernando Torres and Romelu Lukaku on the bench. Moyes acknowledged in his programme notes that he must prove he is “the right successor” to Alex Ferguson, but the home fans showed their approval of his appointment with a banner reading ‘THE CHOSEN ONE’ that was displayed in the Stretford End. He could not have picked a more high-profile opponent for his first turn in the Old Trafford dug-out, or a more glorious evening, but the fare on the newly laid pitch was disap-

pointing.

Twice, Oscar shot straight at United goalkeeper David de Gea, while United’s best chance of the first half saw Robin van Persie deceive half the stadium into thinking a goal had been scored with a snapshot that ruffled the side-netting.

Rooney, for his part, looked determined to influence the game, despite Chelsea’s fans mischievously taking up their United counterparts’ chants of “Rooney!” and pledging: “We’ll see you next week!”

Playing in support of Van Persie, he constantly dropped deep to demand the ball, but when he managed to find space on the edge of the box with a smart turn, his shot lacked the power to trouble Cech. Chelsea were content for their hosts to attack them, but the tactic almost back-fired in the 56th minute when

Rooney found Danny Welbeck inside the box, only for the England forward to poke the ball wide.

In response, Gary Cahill tested De Gea’s handling with a meaty drive from distance, but Mourinho decided his team needed a greater cutting edge and sent on Torres for De Bruyne.

For all the enmity between the sides, the game lacked bite, but United appeared to have cause to feel aggrieved when referee Martin Atkinson failed to award a penalty after Tom Cleverley’s shot struck Lampard on the hand.

Rooney raised the biggest cheer of the night with a full-bodied sliding tackle to dispossess Ramires, before giving Cech his last and most searching examination of the night with a powerful drive from 30 yards. — AFP

Real grind out Granada win MADRID: Real Madrid made it two wins from two games under Carlo Ancelotti with a 1-0 victory at Granada, but Los Blancos were again made to work for the three points.

Rumours of Gareth Bale’s impending arrival in Madrid had somewhat overshadowed the buildup to the game, but the visitors didn’t appear distracted as Karim Benzema opened the scoring after just 10 minutes.

Mesut Ozil then had a goal ruled out and Isco struck the post after the break as Madrid continued to have the lion’s share of the chances.

However, Granada were denied a great chance to snatch a point five minutes from time

when referee Javier Estrada Fernandez failed to spot a trip on Diego Buonanotte by Casemiro inside the area.

Real boss Carlo Ancelotti’s decision to keep faith with Diego Lopez in goal ahead of Spanish captain Iker Casillas was the big news before kick-off, but the Italian picked a very attackminded line-up with Angel Di Maria coming in for the injured Sami Khedira and the former Milan boss was rewarded with a very bright start by his side.

Benzema should have put Real in front after just five minutes when he skewed wide after a lovely reverse ball from Di Maria had played

SPAIN: Real Madrid’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (left) vies with Granada’s midfielder Fran Rico during the Spanish League football match. — AFP

him in.

The Frenchman made amends five minutes later though as Di Maria’s cross from the right was inadvertendly knocked into Benzema’s path

by Cristiano Ronaldo and he swept home from close range for his second goal of the season.

Ozil then had what would have been a lovely second goal ruled out as Fernandez adjudged the ball was still moving when Di Maria sent a quickly taken free-kick over the top for the German international to lob over Roberto.

However, Madrid’s natural attacking instinct was also leaving them susceptible to the counter-attack and Youssef El-Arabi had a great chance to equalise on 19 minutes, but Alvaro Arbeloa just got the slightest touch to take the sting out of the Moroccan’s effort and Lopez made a comfortable save.

Granada boss Luis Alcaraz replaced El-Arabi with summer signing Riki at the break and his presence gave the hosts more to aim at in the second-half.

Piti should have hit the target with a hooked effort from inside the area after Lopez had flapped at a high ball under pressure from Pape Diakhate.

However, Madrid still posed a threat themselves as Isco came within inches of a magical second as he cut inside and fired a shot off the outside of the post.

Ronaldo also had a decent opening 13 minutes from time but could only fire straight at Roberto as his search for his first goal of the season continued.

And the home fans and players were left furious in the closing stages as Buonanotte weaved his way along the by-line and seemed to be clipped from behind by misjudged challenge by Casemiro. However, Fernandez was unmoved and Madrid held on to join Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal at the top of the table with full points from two games.— AFP

ITALY: Fiorentina’s Stefan Savic (right) is challenged by Catania’s Lucas Castro during a Serie A soccer match. —AP

Rossi scores first goal since injury nightmare ITALY: Giuseppe Rossi scored his first goal since recovering from successive knee ligament injuries to set Fiorentina on the way to a 2-1 win over Catania in their opening Serie A game yesterday.

David Pizarro scored the winner for Fiorentina while Mario Gomez hit the post on his debut for the Viola after his move from Bayern Munich, all in the first half.

Rossi, who joined Fiorentina in January, got the game off to an emotional start when he slotted the ball past Mariano Andujar in the 14th minute for his first goal since his injury nightmare.

The 26-year-old’s troubles began when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury to his right knee while player for Villarreal in a Spanish league match against Real Madrid in October 2011.

The US-born Italy forward re-injured the

knee in training during the following April, causing him to miss Euro 2012, and, after moving to Fiorentina, finally made his comeback against Pescara in May. Pablo Barrientos, one of nine Argentines in the Catania starting lineup, equalised eight minutes later from close range, rewarding the Sicilians for a spell of pressure.

Chile midfielder David Pizarro rifled Fiorentina back in front from the edge of the area before Gomez hit the post when he should have scored.

Neither goalkeeper had much to do in the second half as the pace of the game dropped. Twice former champions Fiorentina finished fourth last season, just missing out on a Champions League playoff place, while Catania surpassed expectations by finishing eighth. — Reuters

Business

Worsening security stifles Iraq’s economic promise Page 22 Kuwait spending likely to drop 1%

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Euro-zone crisis far from over: Bundesbank chief

OSN acquires Pehla to expand customer base

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SEOUL: Umbrellas are displayed in an installation at a mall in Seoul yesterday. South Korea’s jobless rate was unchanged at 3.2 percent in July, Statistics Korea said on August 14, after new employment openings in education and social services offset losses in the manufacturing sector. — AFP

US orders for durable factory goods plunge Manufacturing continues to struggle, hampering growth WASHINGTON: Orders for long-lasting US factory goods fell sharply last month as demand for commercial aircraft plummeted and businesses spent less on computers and electrical equipment.

Manufacturing continues to struggle and could prevent economic growth from picking up in the July-September quarter. Orders for durable goods plunged 7.3 percent in July, the Commerce Department said Monday. It’s the steepest drop in nearly a year.

Excluding the volatile transportation category, orders fell just 0.6 percent. Both declines followed three straight months of increases.

Durable goods are items meant to last at least three years. Economists tend to focus on orders for so-called core capital goods. Those orders fell 3.3 percent, but the drop followed four straight months of gains. Core capital goods are considered a good measure of businesses’ confidence in the economy. They include items that point to expansion - such as machinery, computers and heavy trucks while excluding volatile orders for aircraft and defense.

The big drop suggests the third quarter is off to a weaker start than some had hoped. While economists cautioned that it’s just one month of data, a few lowered their growth estimates for the July September quarter after seeing the durable goods report. Economists at Barclays Capital now predict third-quar-

ter growth at an annual rate of 1.9 percent, down from their previous forecast of 2.1 percent. “At the very least, it is a reminder that the expected pick-up in economic growth in the second half of the year will be gradual,” Paul Ashworth, an economist at Capital Economics, said in an email.

One bright spot was that unfilled orders rose to their highest level since record began in 1992. Those are orders that were placed in previous months but yet to be shipped. The increase suggests output could remain steady in the coming months, despite the weak month of orders in July.

And orders for autos and auto parts rose 0.5 percent, the second straight gain. Auto sales jumped 14 percent in July compared with a year earlier.

Manufacturing has slumped this year, hurt by weakness overseas that has dragged on US exports. But there have been signs that factory activity could pick up in the second half of the year.

Europe finally emerged from recession in the spring. And in June, U.S. exports rose to an all-time high. A survey by the Institute for Supply Management, a trade group, said factory activity expanded in July at the fastest pace in two years. Companies hired more workers and new orders surged, both signs that output should rise in the coming months. Factory production slipped in July, according to the Federal Reserve.

Bourses retreat on Syria tension MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS

FRAMINGHAM: Dryers are seen from the inside of another clothes’ dryer, foreground, at a Lowe’s store, in Framingham, Massachusetts. The Commerce Department reports on business orders for durable goods in July, yesterday.— AP

But that followed two months of increases. And July’s 0.1 percent decline reflected a slowdown in auto output, which will likely be temporary. The economy expanded at just a 1.7 percent annual rate in the April-June quarter. Most economists expect that figure will revised up to a 2.2 percent annual rate, mostly because of the jump in June exports.

The government issues its second estimate for second-quarter growth on Thursday. Most analysts predict growth may pick up to about a 2.5 percent annual rate in the second half of the year. They note that steady job growth should fuel more consumer spending and the impact of higher taxes and government spending cuts are likely to fade. —AP

Islamic body IILM sells debut $490m sukuk DUBAI: A consortium of central banks from Asia, the Middle East and Africa has taken a first step towards developing a cross-border market in Islamic financial instruments by issuing a $490 million sukuk. The three-month Islamic bonds, denominated in US dollars, were issued by the Malaysia-based International Islamic Liquidity Management Corp (IILM). Its debut issue was fully subscribed, the IILM said in a statement yesterday.

Islamic finance, which obeys religious principles such as a ban on interest payments, has grown rapidly since the global financial crisis and is now estimated to have well over $1 trillion of assets around the world. But its expansion has been limited by a shortage of highly liq-

uid, investment-grade financial instruments which Islamic banks can trade to manage their short-term funding needs.

The IILM, founded by the central banks in 2010, aims to address that weakness by issuing sukuk which banks can trade across borders. The IILM sukuk received a high A-1 credit rating from Standard & Poor’s, and the IILM has said it plans to increase its issuance eventually to as much as $3 billion.

The sukuk, priced at 30 basis points over the London Interbank Offered Rate, was auctioned off to seven institutions from around the world: Kuwait Finance House, Europe’s KBL Private Bankers, Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank), National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Qatar National Bank , Standard Chartered Bank

and AlBaraka Turk , which is the Turkish unit of Bahrain’s AlBaraka Banking Group.

These primary dealers will now be responsible for selling the sukuk on to other Islamic banks and institutions in an effort to create an active market in the instruments. Sukuk are backed by assets which generate returns for investors. The IILM previously said its sukuk would be backed by sovereign assets from member countries, but it has not revealed more information about them.

The issue was delayed several times over the past two years by technical obstacles and friction among IILM members. Because of the sukuk’s multinational structure, multiple boards of Islamic

scholars needed to rule on its religious permissibility. The IILM replaced its chief executive in October last year, and this year reshuffled its sharia board, losing four of its original six members including senior Saudi and Qatari scholars.

In April, the unexpected and unexplained withdrawal of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency from the IILM deprived the body of a key founding country which is home to some of the world’s largest Islamic banks. Current shareholders of the IILM are the central banks of Indonesia, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nigeria, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank. Iran is a member of the IILM but not a shareholder. — Reuters

DUBAI: Regional markets retreated in a much-awaited profit-taking move but it was worsened by rising geopolitical uncertainty after last week’s reported chemical weapons attack in Syria.

UN inspectors yesterday travelled to a rebel-held suburb of the Syrian capital where they met and collected samples from victims of the attack, a Syrian doctor told Reuters. The visit follows calls from Western powers for military action to punish what may be the world’s worst chemical attack in 25 years. Saudi Arabia and Qatar’s bourses corrected sharply.

The Saudi kingdom’s benchmark fell 0.9 percent to 8,055 points, its biggest one-day drop since June 16 - the previous instance of heightened political tension around Syria on reports of the military’s use of chemical weapons.

“There are lots of talks on Syria, which are bringing uncertainty and that’s not good for the market,” said Hesham Tuffaha, fund manager at a Riyadh-based lender. “If talks of action against Syria escalate, it will further impact Saudi Arabia.” Tuffaha said the market rallied too sharply in recent weeks and is likely to pull back to as much as 7,900 levels before bouncing back as fundamentals will once again become attractive. Selling was spread out across sectors, trimming benchmark gains to 18.4 percent for 2013.

Elsewhere, Qatar’s measure lost 1.8 percent, extending declines since Thursday’s near-five-year high.

All firms on the 20-stock index fell with Qatar Gas Transport suffering the most, dropping 4.1 percent. In the United Arab Emirates, markets were more resilient as its safe haven status and a recovery in the real estate sector underpinned an optimistic outlook. Small-caps lead trading on Dubai’s bourse as retail traders shifted positions from other similar stocks but the index slipped 0.2 percent, trimming 2013 gains to 69.3 percent.Drake and Scull rose 2.5 percent, the most actively traded stock. National Central Cooling (Tabreed) surged 14.8 percent.

“There’s high retail activity across the region - institutional investors have participated in selective choices because they look for value rather than momentum,” said Marwan Shurrab, fund manager and head of trading at Vision Investments. Despite the softness in many markets and the fact they have already risen sharply this year, there is no clear sign that UAE markets are starting extended pull-backs.

“Second-quarter earnings were impressive and helped people maintain the attitude of recovery going into 2014,” said Shurrab. Abu Dhabi’s benchmark declined 0.7 percent, easing off a near five-year high.

Elsewhere, Cairo’s main benchmark dipped 0.4 percent, snapping a four-session gain and a recovery driven by easing in political violence. Selling pressure was limited on the bourse; 20 stocks out of 30 declined, while eight gained. Foreign investors were net sellers, while locals were buyers. Kuwait’s measure lost 0.9 percent, while Oman’s index was little moved. —Reuters

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

BUSINESS

TAQA may shelve $12bn Turkey power project ANKARA/ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi National Energy Co (TAQA) may shelve a $12 billion power project in Turkey amid a deteriorating economic outlook and increasingly difficult financing conditions, Turkish energy industry sources said yesterday.

The state-owned oil explorer and power supplier agreed in January with Turkey’s state-owned Electricity Generation Co (EUAS) on a project to build several power plants using lignite coal reserves in Turkey’s Afsin-Elbistan region. The project was already challenging, Turkish energy sources said, given the low quality of coal in the area.

But a recent emerging market sell-off that sent Turkey’s currency to record lows has dampened its growth outlook and the possibility of further capital outflows has concerned TAQA. “What we have been picking up from them recently is that they are looking at an eventual pull-

out,” an energy industry source said. “This was such a large-scale project, whose future was very much dependent on market conditions.” Appetite for emerging market investments has been hit by fears of higher global borrowing costs and a reduction in the flow of cheap cash as the US Federal Reserve prepares to rein in its monthly bond-buying program.

Turkey is particularly vulnerable, being heavily dependent on foreign inflows to finance its current account deficit, which is running at over 7 percent of national output.

“It was never realistic to see this project as something that one company alone could carry out ...Now with the changing climate towards emerging markets and Turkey, investors question the return,” one source said. TAQA said it had decided to defer the investment decision in Afsin-Elbistan

until 2014, citing “other spending priorities”.

A TAQA spokesman declined to comment on the potential cancellation of the project. Turkey’s AfsinElbistan region holds about 4.4 billion tonnes of lignite, around 40 percent of Turkey’s total reserves, and could provide up to 8,000 megawatts of power production capacity in southeast Turkey, if the coal potential is fully exploited, according to the Turkish energy ministry.

Construction of the TAQA project was originally scheduled to start in mid-2013 and was aiming to create a combined power generation capacity of up to 7,000 megawatts. Sources also cited tensions between Turkey and Gulf Arab states as one potential reason behind the possible cancellation.

“Due to the very high investment cost, if the tensions in the region could have been eased, progress might have been possible,” another ener-

gy industry source said.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s criticism of the ouster of Egypt’s President Mohamed Mursi which Turkey deems a coup - has antagonised some Gulf Arab states, which remain divided on the issue. A spokesman at TAQA, 75-percent owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, declined to comment when asked if the delay could be linked to politics.

Turkey is keen to make the most of its own coal resources so it can reduce its dependence on imported natural gas. Lignite’s role in power generation is set to expand alongside rapid growth expected in electricity demand.

The country was looking to issue an international tender for the Afsin-Elbistan region, a Turkish energy official said, once TAQA formally pulls out of the project. -- Reuters

Worsening security stifles Iraq’s economic promise Growth forecasts being cut back

ATHENS: Pedestrian walk next a clothes store in central Athens yesterday. In two bailout packages so far, Greece’s European partners and the International Monetary Fund have committed euro 240 billion ($320 billion) in loans. Last week, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said there will have to be another aid program after the current one expires next year. —AP

Greece finalizes redeployment scheme for civil servants September deadline were redeployed in July, the state-run Athens News Agency reported.

Those were mostly teachers, school wardens and administrative reform ministry employees. The remaining workers to be put on the scheme-which was the subject of today’s ministerial meeting-are expected to mainly come from ministries, the agency added. The redeployment plan has caused many protests, especially in the health sector where 1,618 doctors and staff from eight hospitals currently in the process of turning into health centres will be transferred.

Now in its sixth year of recession, crisis-hit Greece has been obliged to adopt austerity measures, including pay and pension cuts that have caused widespread resentment, in return for a massive EU-IMF bailout deal. The main public sector union Adedy plans to hold a protest action on Thursday while teachers threaten to jeopardize the opening of schools in the second week of September with strikes. — AFP

ATHENS: Greece’s government yesterday finalized a controversial redeployment scheme that will affect thousands of civil servants and is a condition for the country to receive fresh EU-IMF aid.

“We secured our final decisions, so that the country can be on schedule regarding the redeployment of 12,500 civil servants by the end of September,” Administrative Reform Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said after a ministerial meeting held under conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. Greece has pledged to redeploy 12,500 civil servants by the end of September and another 12,500 by the end of the year, in order to receive the next instalment of its rescue loans. It has also agreed to axe 4,000 state jobs by the end of 2013, as part of cuts to public spending. Workers under the scheme have to accept new posts offered to them or spend eight months on reduced salaries trying to find new posts, with the risk of losing their jobs altogether. Already 4,401 civil servants out of the 12,500 included in the

Burgan Bank announces winner of VISA card spending campaign chance. The draw will be carried out on a weekly basis, commencing on the 14th of July and will end on the 30th of September, 2013.

Burgan Bank’s latest promotion is inline with its overall commitment to provide its customers with exclusive benefits that go beyond their banking needs. To find out more about Burgan Bank’s services as well as its latest promotions, customers are required to visit their nearest Burgan Bank branch or contact the call center on 1804080.

KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announced yesterday the name of the winner of its weekly Visa card draw to win KD2,000.

The lucky winner of this week is Jamal Ali Mohammed Saad.

The winners’ announcement comes as part of Burgan Bank’s cards promotion that was launched earlier, Each KD20 spent in Kuwait or abroad using Burgan Bank’s VISA Credit Cards will grant the card holder 1 chance to enter the weekly draws; and each transaction done abroad on any Burgan VISA ATM Card will earn 1

BAGHDAD: In the past month, bombs exploding down the street from Fawzy Hassan’s snack shop in central Baghdad have frightened away many customers, and those who do still come to stock up on fruit, potato chips and candy are spending less than before.

“People bought one kilo before - now they only buy half,” said the 73-year-old Hassan, who has worked on the street since he was 10 years old.

“People are suffering financially because year after year, making a living gets more difficult.” Such gloom underlines a deterioration in Iraq’s economic prospects over recent months. A year ago, many Iraqis were optimistic that a long, oil-fuelled boom that would raise living standards and, over the next decade, narrow the prosperity gap between Iraq and its wealthy Gulf Arab neighbors. Now, rising political and sectarian violence is forcing businessmen to scale back investment plans and economists to cut growth forecasts. The promise of the country’s vast oil wealth has not disappeared, but realizing that promise is proving slower and more painful than hoped.

“The security situation has killed the economy, investment, reconstruction and public services in Iraq,” said lawmaker Nahida Al-Dayani, a member of the economic and investment committee in the national parliament. Prices fluctuate chaotically and money is not being properly invested by the state, said analyst Maijd Al-Swari from the Iraqi Economic Forum, a research body.

He thinks one of the main problems is personal consumption, which should be a motor for the economy but has remained relatively sluggish even as economic output has grown - perhaps because worried Iraqis are saving instead of spending. Some savings are sent abroad for safety, to countries such as Jordan. “Iraqis are not motivated to carry out normal daily social and economic activities,” he said.

The country has one of the biggest reserves of crude oil in the world and production has increased rapidly over the decade since the US invasion in 2003, causing gross domestic product per capita to more than quadruple to $6,300 in 2012, according to the International Monetary Fund. The growth was due in part to an improvement in security, as authorities clamped down on bomb attacks and other militant violence. Economic expansion raised hopes for a virtuous circle in which rising living standards and the reduction in violence would reinforce each other. This year has diminished those hopes. A Sunni insurgency and other violence have revived; once again, Baghdad often wakes up to the sound of explosions, wailing sirens and police helicopters.

National death tolls from sectarian violence this summer have reached around 1,000 people a month, the highest for five years.

The impact on day-to-day business activity can be seen at the checkpoints which have proliferated around Baghdad, slowing traffic and sending cars on winding, time-wasting journeys.

Iraqis are again avoiding crowded shopping areas prone to bomb attacks. This is obvious on the

streets of Karada, an upmarket Baghdad district on the banks of the Tigris River.

“There is no one here because of the security situation,” said 46-year-old government official Zainab Zukuk, browsing open-air garment stalls with her daughter. “We plan to go home immediately because we are worried. This is a sensitive place.”

Poor security in urban areas might have only a minor impact on the economy as a whole if Iraq’s oil industry were unaffected. But the insurgents have begun to target the industry because of its strategic role in the economy.

Iraq’s oil exports reached 2.62 million barrels per day last November, the highest level in decades, and the country hopes to increase them eventually to as high as 6 million bpd. But security and maintenance problems mean they have stopped rising and totalled about 2.54 million bpd this month, below the government’s target for this year of 2.9 million bpd.

One of the main reasons for the fall is damage inflicted by insurgents on the Kirkuk pipeline, built in the 1970s to bring 1.6 million bpd to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. The pipeline has been attacked at least six times this month. Partly because of the security crisis, economists have gradually scaled back their estimates of Iraq’s future growth. In April 2012, the IMF predicted Iraqi GDP growth of 13.5 percent in 2013 and 11.0 percent in 2014; it now forecasts rates of 9.0 percent and 8.4 percent for those years.

Such growth is still well above the pace of expansion of Iraq’s population, so thanks to oil, the country as a whole may continue to get richer in coming years as long as a minimum level of security exists to keep basic infrastructure operating most of the time.

Oil exports mean the country’s external position is comfortable enough to avoid heavy pressure on its currency; the IMF estimates Iraq’s foreign reserves at about $70 billion, covering 10 months of imports much higher than levels of three or four months for struggling states such as Egypt and Tunisia.

So even if security continues to worsen, Iraq may avoid the balance of payments and state budget crises suffered by other, resource-poor Arab countries caught up in political unrest. But the violence may hurt Iraq’s long-term prospects by preventing wealth from spreading through society. Distracted by the security challenge and by partisan political feuding, the government can do little to improve education, housing and other infrastructure - policies which are needed to reduce unemployment and poverty.

“The positive trend in oil production and exports contrasts with the weakening economic governance deriving from an increasingly difficult political process and worsening security,” the IMF said in a report. Unemployment was officially estimated at 11 percent in 2011 but the IMF said actual levels were likely to be considerably higher, especially among the young. About 40 percent of the population is under 15, and if these people do not find jobs in coming years, political tensions may worsen further.

In south Baghdad, taxi driver Ahmed Abul Hussein said he was struggling to make ends meet because he spent so much of his time in traffic jams caused by checkpoints. A journey costing a passenger just 6 or 7 dollars can take over an hour, he said.

“Sometimes I am not able to earn back the amount that I paid for the fuel,” the 44-year-old said.

“But this is the only way I can earn a livelihood for my family.” — Reuters

Anadarko to sell Mozambique gas stake to ONGC arm NEW YORK CITY: Texas-based Anadarko Petroleum said it had agreed to sell a 10-percent stake in a natural gas field off the coast of Mozambique for $2.64 billion cash to an Indian corporation.

Anadarko said in a statement late Sunday that it had entered an agreement with ONGC Videsh, a subsidiary of Indian multinational Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, to sell part of its stake in Mozambique’s Offshore Area 1.

Anadarko, one of the world’s largest oil and gas exploration and production companies, will remain the Area 1 operator, with a working interest of 26.5 percent down from 36.5 percent. The transaction is expected to close in late 2013, and is subject to existing preferential rights and governmental approvals.

Area 1, located in Mozambique’s deepwater Rovuma Basin, off the far northern coast of the southeast African nation, “holds an esti-

mated 35 to 65-plus trillion cubic feet (Tcf ) of recoverable natural gas resources.” Anadarko’s Area 1 partners include Japan’s Mitsui (20 percent), India’s BPRL (10 percent), Indian multinational Videocon(10 percent) and PT T Exploration & Production from Thailand (8.5 percent), and Mozambique’s Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos with 15-percent interest.

Anadarko said it planned to use money from the sale to “further accelerate the shortand intermediate-term oil and liquids opportunities” in the United States and the Gulf of Mexico. “This transaction demonstrates our continuing ability to create substantial value through exploration and to again accelerate the value of our longer-dated projects through attractive monetizations and thirdparty capital,” said Anadarko Chairman, President and CEO Al Walker. — AFP

EXCHANGE RATES Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. ASIAN COUNTRIES Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal Irani Riyal

2.886 4.436 2.466 2.147 2.819 223.610 36.7078 3.655 6.426 8.917 0.271 0.273 GCC COUNTRIES

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

75.937 78.244 739.640 756.340 77.551

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash Egyptian Pound - Transfer Yemen Riyal/for 1000 Tunisian Dinar Jordanian Dinar Lebanese Lira/for 1000 Syrian Lier Morocco Dirham

41.950 40.655 1.329 174.790 402.130 1.910 3.094 34.629

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 284.650 Euro 383.850 Sterling Pound 446.470 Canadian dollar 273.830 Turkish lira 143.440 Swiss Franc 310.250 Australian Dollar 259.030 US Dollar Buying 283.450 GOLD 20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

258.000 130.000 67.500

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

Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

Selling Rate 284.400 271.640 444.385 381.000 309.255 752.955 77.410 78.065 76.705 400.910 40.655 2.144 4.485 2.740 3.656 6.420 697.645 3.880 9.175 4.060

Singapore Dollar Sri Lankan Rupee Thai Baht

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY British Pound Czech Korune Danish Krone Euro Norwegian Krone Scottish Pound Swedish Krona Swiss Franc 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 Thai Bhat Syrian Pound

3.890 86.526 3.890 86.526

Canadian Dollar Colombian Peso US Dollars 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 Sierra Leone

SELL CASH Europe 0.4358200 0.0065615 0.0469785 0.3756918 0.0434833 0.4337028 0.0398194 0.3041454

SELLDRAFT 0.4448200 0.0185615 0.0519785 0.3831918 0.0486833 0.4412028 0.0446194 0.3111454

Australasia 0.2469748 0.2144748 0.0001127

0.2589748 0.2244748 0.0001127

America 0.2639447 0.0001447 0.2823000

0.2729447 0.0001627 0.2844500

Asia 0.0036121 0.0031552 0.0454730 0.0164300 0.0000441 0.0341269 0.0043766 0.0000212 0.0028406 0.0028013 0.0031878 0.0813070 0.0026633 0.0027175 0.0059888 0.0000727

0.0036671 0.0033852 0.0504730 0.0195300 0.0000501 0.0372269 0.0044416 0.0000264 0.0038406 0.0029813 0.0034178 0.0813070 0.0028633 0.0027575 0.0064588 0.0000757

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

0.2187059 0.0021063 0.0085433

0.2247059 0.0021483 0.0091433

Arab 0.7480832 0.0386386 0.0126425 0.1446254 0.0000791 0.0001837 0.3956266 1.0000000 0.0001744 0.0224253 0.0012076 0.7278199 0.0774761 0.0753200 0.0462492 0.0019382 0.1722778 0.0760179 0.0012831

0.7565832 0.0406536 0.0191425 0.1464154 0.0000796 0.0002437 0.4031266 1.0000000 0.0001944 0.0464253 0.0018426 0.7388190 0.0782591 0.0759600 0.0467992 0.0021582 0.1782778 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) 284.100 382.900 444.600 272.750 4.435 40.650 2.144 3.651 6.425 2.745 756.500 77.400 75.900

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

BUSINESS

Saudi British Bank weighs sukuk sale DUBAI: Saudi British Bank (SABB), an affiliate of HSBC Holdings, is aiming to sell an Islamic bond by year-end to strengthen its capital base, two banking sources aware of the matter said yesterday.

HSBC is advising SABB on the potential riyaldenominated sukuk issue to boost its Tier 2 capital position, the sources said, declining to be identified as the matter is not public. SABB’s total capital ratio - combining core Tier 1 and supplementary Tier 2 capital - was one of the lowest among banks in the kingdom at the end of June, at 14.78 percent. It was still well above the minimum capital adequacy ratio - a key benchmark of a bank’s financial strength - required by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency of 8 percent. “SABB’s capital adequacy ratio is adequate but it’s at the lower end of the Saudi spectrum,” said Jaap Meijer, director of equity research at Dubai-based Arqaam Capital, adding the value of an existing subordinated sukuk to the bank’s capital ratio was also diminishing as it moved towards maturity.

SABB, the kingdom’s third-largest listed lender by market value and 40 percent owned by HSBC, declined to comment. Saudi banks are well capitalised compared to their Western counterparts but strong loan growth fuelled by a massive government spending programme has put downward pressure on their capital position. Lending to the private sector grew by 16.5 percent year on year in May, the fastest rate since February 2009, according to central bank figures.

SABB has sold a Tier 2 sukuk once before. In March 2012, it completed a 1.5 billion riyal ($400 million) five-year issue which priced at 1.2 percent over the Saudi interbank offered rate (Saibor).

HSBC Saudi Arabia also arranged that transaction.

Given the amount of liquidity local investors have to deploy, a sukuk offering from one of the kingdom’s biggest banks is likely to draw heavy demand.

That should also bring an interest rate attractive to the lender, with a separate Saudi banker remarking that pricing between a regular sukuk and a capital-boosting issue wouldn’t be much different - meaning it made sense to sell the latter to raise funds and augment its financial strength at the same time. Standard & Poor’s raised the outlook on SABB’s A rating to positive from stable in June on the back of a similar move for Saudi Arabia’s country rating, citing the high level of likely sovereign support for the lender should it get into difficulty.

The Saudi government owns 9.5 percent of SABB, according to Thomson Reuters data. Shares in SABB were 1.2 percent lower at 40 riyals at 1115 GMT, trimming year-to-date gains to 33.8 percent. —Reuters

Kuwait spending likely to drop 1% NBK BUDGET OUTLOOK REPORT KUWAIT: The recently-released detailed figures for the much-delayed government budget for fiscal year 2013/14 (April to March) are more or less in line with expectations. Overall expenditures are due to decline 1 percent y/y in budget-on-budget terms, driven mostly by a projected decline in current spending. On the face of it, this is disappointing news for an economy heavily influenced by government spending and in need of a shot in the arm. However, the headline figures may not be a good indicator of the true stance of fiscal policy; the underlying story should be more positive.

Total government spending is targeted to reach KD21.0 billion, a small drop from a year earlier. Within the overall total, current spending is set to decline 1 percent. The drop is attributed to a projected 7 percent y/y decline in spending on goods and services, driven by a fall in the cost of purchasing fuel. Since the government is the major provider of electricity to the domestic market, this is a large budgetary item, by itself accounting for 15 percent of all current spending. Excluding this item, current spending is budgeted to rise by 1 percent y/y.

Elsewhere in current spending, civilian wages and salaries are projected to see a 1 percent rise, the smallest increase for many years. The increase is affected by a sharp fall in ‘supplementary appropriations’, which are sometimes used as a contingency or to finance expenditure commitments made after departmental targets have been agreed. As such, the figures may not be a reliable guide to the strategic direction of employment-related spending going forward. Civilian wages and salaries account for 28 percent of all current spending (and total employment costs around 50 percent).

Capital spending is budgeted to dip by 3 percent y/y to KD2.6 billion, its second consecutive annual decline. The fall is driven by a 24 percent cut in budgeted capex on electricity and water, which had seen a rapid build-up in recent years as new utility infrastructure was brought on stream. It is worth noting that the overall decline in capital spending is attributed to reduced spending on transport and equipment; spending on the much larger ‘projects’ segment of capital spending is budgeted to

rise 3 percent to KD2.2 billion. Also recall that some upcoming large projects will be executed as PPPs and thus do not appear in the budget.

Overall, these slightly lower spending targets suggest that fiscal policy will represent a mildly contractionary force for the economy this year. However, it is too early to draw that conclusion for sure. Firstly, the delay in approving the budget until well into the fiscal year creates uncertainty as to how relevant the annual targets are, and whether or not they

Egypt’s pound strengthens after muted Friday protests CAIRO: The Egyptian pound strengthened on the black market yesterday as fears the country might be sliding into a period of sustained violence eased after a protest on Friday passed relatively peacefully, traders said. The pound had dropped late last week

Cairo-based bank.

The dispersal of the sit-in and the riots it triggered left more than 900 people dead, prompting nervous companies to switch into dollars. The official price of the pound weakened at a central bank currency sale on

CAIRO: A fruit vendor waits for customers at Suleiman Gohar market in Dokki district in Cairo yesterday. Egypt’s recent turmoil has scared away tourists and affected the livelihood of the one in eight Egyptians who earn their living from tourism. —AP ahead of mass demonstrations called for Friday to protest against the dispersal by security forces of a sit-in on Aug. 14 of supporters of deposed President Mohamed Mursi.

“It was only the panic there might be Friday riots. Once they finished peacefully everything went back to normal,” said a forex trader at a

Thursday. Yesterday, black market dealers were offering to buy dollars for about 7.15 Egyptian pounds and sell them for 7.20 pounds compared to 7.20 and 7.25 pounds on Thursday, currency traders said. The pound had weakened on the black market to as low as 8.05 per dollar early this year as the country drained foreign reserves -

already low following a plunge in foreign investment and tourism due to turmoil since the country’s popular uprising in early 2011 - to support the currency.

Black market trading volumes, however, shrivelled after the army deposed Islamist President Mohammed Morsi on July 3 and the subsequent arrival of $5 billion of aid from Gulf Arab states to top up the country’s reserves. Much of the black market activity is conducted in the back offices of licensed exchange shops. The $5 billion in Gulf aid has helped the central bank to support the pound and the pound’s official price, controlled by the central bank, has been appreciating slowly since Morsi’s overthrow.

Traders say the central bank is ensuring the pound strengthens to give the impression the economy is stable and improving despite the turmoil. The central bank sold $37.6 million and the cut-off price was 6.9764 Egyptian pounds per dollar versus 6.9768 at a sale on Thursday, the central bank said. The cut-off price on July 3 was 7.0184.

The bank had offered $40 million.

The central bank introduced currency sales, held three times a week, at the end of December to help to stave off a currency crisis and thwart a run on the pound.Since then, the central bank has allowed the currency to lose more than 11 percent of its value on the official market. The currency’s value has been under pressure since the 2011 popular uprising chased away tourists and foreign investors. —Reuters

Dubai’s DAE in talks to merge assets with BBA DUBAI: Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE), owner of US-based engine repair and maintenance business StandardAero, is in talks to merge parts of its business with British aircraft services firm BBA Aviation, it said yesterday.

Dubai government-owned DAE said the talks were at a preliminary stage and gave no further details. Its statement came after the Sunday Times newspaper reported BBA was holding talks with StandardAero over a 2.7 billion pound ($4.2 billion) tie-up. The paper said DAE was seeking 1.3 billion pounds for StandardAero, which it bought six years ago. Any sale would join a series of asset disposals by Dubai, which is seeking to raise money to repay about $50 billion of debt that matures over the next three years.

DAE, which specialises in aircraft maintenance and leasing, put StandardAero up for sale in 2010 and retained Deutsche Bank to advise on the sale, Reuters reported at the time. However, the process moved slowly. After ordering more than 200 aircraft during an industry boom in 2007, DAE’s leasing unit has been forced to cancel orders. In 2011, it cancelled outstanding Airbus orders worth $5.8 billion and also cancelled orders for 35 Boeing 737s.

BBA was not immediately available for comment. —Reuters

KPN wins America Movil support for German deal AMSTERDAM: Dutch telecom group Royal KPN NV said yesterday it had won the support of its largest shareholder, Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, to sell its German unit E-Plus to Spain’s Telefonica SA after it sweetened the offer to $11.4 billion. A statement issued by KPN yesterday said that Slim’s America Movil would give its “irrevocable commitment” to back the E-Plus sale.

This would leave the path open for Slim - who according to Forbes magazine is the world’s richest man with a $73 billion fortune - to proceed in his quest to acquire the rest of KPN, which has major operations in the Netherlands and Belgium. In July KPN agreed to sell E-Plus in exchange for 5 billion euros ($6.68 billion) in cash and a 17.6 percent stake in Telefonica Deutschland, worth an estimated total of 8.1 billion euros ($10.4 billion). —AP

will actually be hit. For the early months of the year, spending was likely governed by last year’s allocations, and might now need to be adjusted.

Secondly, annual budget spending targets have been missed by a wide margin in the past, making them at best only an approximate guide to the real fiscal stance. Indeed, actual spending undershot by some 9 percent in FY12/13, so this year’s reduced budget still leaves room for a significant spending increase.

Finally, irrespective of the headline budget figures, large parts of the government’s spending outlays have little bearing on the macro economy.

These include large inter-governmental transfer payments such as the cost of purchasing fuel mentioned above, and government payments into the social security fund. Details of some of these payments have not yet been released, making a true assessment of the budget’s impact difficult. In our view, there is still a good chance that this year’s spending program will pro-

vide a moderate economic stimulus.

On the income side of the budget, total government revenues are projected to leap by 30 percent to KD18.1 billion. Underlying this is a more upbeat assumption on oil output, which is expected to average 2.7 million barrels per day, up 23 percent on a year earlier. Oil prices, meanwhile, are assumed to average $70 per barrel, up from the $65 assumed for FY12/13. Oil revenues are projected to reach KD16.9 billion, or 93 percent of total revenues. Non-oil revenues are projected to rise a more modest 4 percent to KD1.2 billion, on the back of rising customs duties and utilities charges.

Under the government’s projections, the budget sees a deficit of KD4.5 billion in FY13/14 before transfers to the Reserve Fund for Future Generations. Based upon our revenue and spending forecasts, however, the fiscal position looks much more solid.

Oil output averaged 3.0 mbpd in 2Q 2013, while oil prices averaged $101 between April and mid-August.

Although it is still early days for prices and production, our base case forecast sees oil revenues reach KD27.2 billion this year, 61 percent higher than the government’s conservative projection. Similarly, non-oil revenues are likely to finish higher than the record KD2.0 billion that they reached last year. In our view, these could help generate a budget surplus in the region of 20 percent of GDP lower than the 25 percent for last year, but an extremely robust figure nonetheless.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

BUSINESS

Gold retreats from 11-week high, awaits US policy LONDON: Gold prices eased yesterday from an 11-week high above $1,400 an ounce hit overnight in Asia, as uncertainty over the outlook for US monetary policy and a slightly firmer tone to the dollar kept

the metal in check. Weak US data and news that the world’s biggest gold-backed exchange traded fund had seen its biggest one-day inflow this year supported an early rally in bullion, with a breach of key

chart levels sparking a jump to $1,406.01, its highest since June 7.

However, it quickly retreated to trade little changed from Friday, after the technically-driven rally ran out of steam. Spot gold was down 0.2 percent at $1,395.85 an ounce by 0941 GMT. The metal rose 1.6 percent on Friday after weak US home sales data, which potentially weakened the case for the Federal Reserve to taper economic stimulus.

US gold futures for December delivery were up 10 cents an ounce at $1,395.90.

Trading is expected to be quiet on Monday with London dealers absent for a national holiday. “The market is very nervous and unsure, therefore we need a direction.

(The) Fed and US dollar seem to be it for the time being,” Afshin Nabavi, head of trading at MKS in Switzerland, said. “1400 is a big resistance, although overnight we tested 1407, due to stops.” “Demand for physical has cooled off due to the sudden rally,” he said. “We gained almost $35-40 in

a short span of time; the market needs to cool off before real buying comes in.” The dollar index edged up 0.1 percent yesterday, although moves were muted as investors awaited clearer guidance on the prospects for an early withdrawal of stimulus by the Fed. Gold is particularly sensitive to US monetary policy. The Fed’s quantitative easing program was a key factor driving gold to record highs in 2011, as it kept long-term interest rates at rock bottom, while fuelling fears of inflation.

A top US central banker said on Saturday the Federal Reserve could announce a cautious first step in tapering bond purchases at its meeting next month, provided there were no “really worrisome” signs the economy was faltering.

Investment demand showed signs of recovery.

Hedge funds and money managers boosted bullish bets in gold futures and options to their highest since early February, a report by the Commodity

Futures Trading Commission showed on Friday. The SPDR Gold Trust, the world’s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, said its holdings rose 6.61 tons to 920.13 tons on Friday, its biggest one-day inflow since October 8. “On balance, there have... been no further outflows from the gold ETFs in the past two weeks, so investment demand appears to be gradually picking up again,” Commerzbank said in a note.In South Africa, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) gave gold mining companies seven days on Saturday to meet its demand for pay rises of up to 60 percent or face strike action.

NUM, the main mining union, walked out of deadlocked wage talks with the companies last week. South Africa accounts for 6 percent of total gold output.

Among other precious metals, spot platinum was down 0.6 percent at $1,530 an ounce, while spot palladium was up 0.1 percent at $751 an ounce. Silver was up 0.2 percent at $24.04 an ounce. — Reuters

Iraq blames Shell for $4.6bn lost income BAGHDAD: Iraq’s oil ministry, struggling with sputtering output, has blamed AngloDutch energy giant Shell over $4.6 billion in lost revenue due to production delays, in a letter seen by AFP yesterday.

The document, dated July 21, 2013, sharply criticizes the foreign energy firm for shortfalls in oil extraction at the giant Majnoon field in south Iraq, and comes as oil exports have fallen to their lowest level in 16 months even as Baghdad has looked to cement its role as a key global energy producer. It indicates growing frustration within the government over oil exports, which account for the lion’s share of state revenues-a dispute with the northern Kurdish region has suspended expected sales from there, and sales via a pipeline through to Turkey have markedly dipped compared to previous years. Two separate sources with knowledge of the letter’s contents confirmed its authenticity to AFP, but declined to be identified discussing the matter.

The letter was addressed to Shell’s Iraq Vice President Hans Nijkamp and bore the letterhead of the oil ministry’s Petroleum Contracts and Licensing Directorate (PCLD).

According to parts of the letter seen by AFP, it stated that “production from Majnoon Oilfield ... has been stopped for an unacceptably long time” and added that “aggregated losses of production” at Majnoon amounted to 44 million barrels of oil. “As a result, Iraq has suffered heavy direct losses, which we have determined conservatively at more than $4.6 billion,” the letter, which was written in English, read. “Of course, Iraq continues to suffer losses each day as a result of Shell’s failure to perform its contractual obligations.”

It said that “the field has been shut down and the production stopped since 1st July 2012 based upon Shell’s request to perform the rehabilitation of the existing surface facilities.” “This rehabilitation was to have been completed in four to six months with production resuming no later than 1st January 2013.” It continued: “So far, Shell has neither resumed the previous produc-

tion ... nor achieved the First Commercial Production.”

The ministry also alleged that the company has “not taken any serious measures to handle the associated gas produced from the field.” “The flaring of this gas has had a negative impact on Iraq both economically (ie revenue losses) and on the environment as well as it’s in violation with the Iraqi laws.” A consortium of Shell and Malaysia’s Petronas signed a contract with Baghdad in Januar y 2010 to develop Majnoon, a giant oil field in southern Iraq.

Shell holds a 45-percent stake in the project, while Petronas has 30 percent, with the remainder held by a state-owned Iraqi firm.

The contract for Majnoon, which has proven reserves of 12.58 billion barrels of oil, was awarded to the consortium in a public auction in December 2009. It was originally set to produce 1.8 million barrels of oil per day within six years of the contract having been signed, but the government has in recent months sought to reduce peak production targets at several fields, including Majnoon, in order to prolong high levels of output.

Spokespeople for Shell and Iraq’s oil ministry declined to comment on the letter.

Abdul Mehdi Al-Amidi, head of the PCLD, also did not respond to requests for comment. In a statement e-mailed to AFP, however, Shell spokesman Diego Perez said: “We can confirm than when we started opening the brownfield facilities for inspections and repair towards the end of last year, our technical assessment indicated the need for major additional work.” “The safety of our people and assets remain ... our top priority in Iraq, so we have been working in getting the facilities back to an acceptable condition and ensure a safe and reliable operation.” “Drilling operations to restart new production in Majnoon have successfully concluded and we expect to open the wells in the near future, followed by a short period to test and fill in the system”. Perez said the company was targeting production of 175,000 bpd “between now and the end of the year.” — AFP

Brent falls but underpinned by Syria, US data LONDON: Brent crude eased towards $110.50 a barrel yesterday but was underpinned near a five-month high as rising tensions over a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria added to concerns that increased unrest in the Middle East could disrupt supply.

Oil prices had gained alongside equities after a steep drop in new US home sales tempered expectations the Federal Reserve will soon reduce stimulus.

“Bets are hedged for a new conflict in Syria,” Thorbjoern Bak Jensen, analyst at Global Risk Management said, “If something happened, it could spread to other countries and disrupt oil supplies.”

Brent crude for October fell 50 cents to $110.54 a barrel at 1204 GMT, after touching $111.68 in early trade, the highest since April 2. US crude for October delivery fell 29 cents to $106.13 a barrel.

Large speculators raised their net long positions in Brent futures and options to a new record high in the week to Aug 20. UN inspectors left central Damascus yesterday to investigate sites of an alleged chemical weapons strike on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, a Reuters witness said, after calls from Western powers for military action to punish what may be the world’s worst chemical attack in 25 years. “The oil market is heading to an upside due to geopolitical risks in the Middle East and positive equity markets,” said Tetsu Emori, a commodities fund manager at Astmax Investment in Tokyo.

Tighter supply due to disrupted output from the North Sea to Libya has pushed Brent higher over the past two weeks, while positive economic data from the euro zone and China last week improved the outlook for fuel demand. — Reuters

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

BUSINESS

Euro-zone crisis far from over: Bundesbank chief ECB not set to keep rates low for years

SHANGHAI: People take the escalators at the financial district yesterday in Shanghai, China’s financial hub. China’s government says growth in the world’s second-largest economy is showing signs of stabilizing after a lengthy decline. —AP

Future deficits top US fiscal problem: Experts NEW YORK: The biggest fiscal challenge facing the US is the size of projected deficits in the 2020s and 2030s, according to a survey of business economists. The National Association for Business Economics surveyed 220 of its members in July and August. The survey found that members were more concerned about the size of deficits in the next two decades than current deficits or deficits over the next 10 years: 43 percent of the economists named budget gaps in the 2020s and 2030s as the top fiscal challenge, compared with 37 percent who chose projected deficits over the next 10 years.

The policy survey found no consensus on the best way to address those deficits.

The NABE said 39 percent of those surveyed felt the best way to address the deficit-to-gross domestic product ratio in the next few decades is a mix of spending restraint and increased revenue. It said 32 percent believe the best single tool would be greater spending restraint, and 20 percent said enacting policies designed to encourage economic growth would be the best tactic.

Ballooning costs for safety net programs as the US population ages are expected to result in growing long-term budget deficits.

The NABE said there is broader agreement about monetary policy, as a majority of panelists think the Federal Reserve’s current policy is “about right.” But the respondents widely diverged on when they think the central bank will stop its policy of buying bonds to prop up the economy.

The Fed’s bond buying has helped keep US interest rates near record lows. But speculation about when the Fed will slow or stop the program has fed volatility in the financial markets. About 39 percent of survey respondents think the Fed will begin slowing the program in the fourth quarter of this year. Some, about 7 percent, think it won’t happen until 2015 or later. About 39 percent think the Fed will wait until 2015 or later to begin raising its interest rate targets, its traditional tool for balancing economic growth with keeping inflation in check. Majorities also said that a path to citizenship or other legal status for people who entered the country illegally will strengthen economic growth. —AP

NEW YORK: Stock traders work at the Goldman Sachs post at the New York Stock Exchange in New York. US stock futures were mixed on data showing that businesses cut back sharply on big-ticket purchases last month. The report from the Commerce Department yesterday, followed a report Friday revealing that new home sales tumbled last month. —AP

Fed members content with tapering outlook Weekly rates preview

By Michael Woolfolk FOMC meeting minutes this week indicated that almost all voting members agreed that changing asset purchases “was not yet appropriate” and increased guidance on ‘tapering’ might cause an “unwarranted shift” in market expectations. Most members were comfortable with the contingent outlook on ‘tapering’ later this year.

Although this did not lend further support to the September ‘taper,’ it did increase market expectations that reduced asset purchases would be announced by year-end. The steepening of the US yield curve pushed the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield to a two-year high, while equities were largely unchanged 24hours later. The Kansas City Fed Jackson Hole Symposium is under way, and without Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. Even more remarkable is that Janet Yellen’s presence is being all but

ignored by the market, despite she is supposed to be on the shortlist of candidates to replace Bernanke. Perhaps this is some indication of the extent to which Summers has gained the upper handwith respect to the front-runner for Obama’s nomination. As the summer draws to a close, rising yields have pushed mortgage rates and borrowing costs higher. Although the housing recovery has been driven largely by institutional rather than individual buyers, consumers may nonetheless be negatively impacted by higher rates due to negative valuation effects on their investment and retirement accounts are bond prices continue to grind lower. Paper losses could become a drag on confidence, and begin undermining consumer spending this fall, just as the Fed begins to tighten monetary policy.-Michael Woolfolk is Senior Currency Strategist at BNY Mellon. michael.woolfolk@bnymellon.com

Deals send stocks edging higher on Wall Street NEW YORK: A handful of deals helped nudge the stock market up in early trading yesterday, despite a disappointing report on the economy. Amgen surged 8 percent, the biggest gain in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index, after the biotech giant said it plans to buy Onyx Pharmaceuticals for $10.4 billion. The deal, announced late Sunday, would give Amgen three approved cancer treatments and several others in clinical trials. The S&P 500 index was up three points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,666 after the first hour of trading. Health-care companies led six of the 10 industry sectors in the S&P 500 slightly higher.

The Dow Jones industrial average edged up 15 points, or 0.1 percent, to 15,024. The Nasdaq composite index rose nine points, or 0.3 percent, at 3,667. In economic news, the government reported that orders for long-lasting US factory goods plunged 7.3 percent last month, the steepest drop in nearly a year. Demand for

commercial aircraft sank and businesses spent less on computers and electrical equipment.

News that members of the Pritzker family have agreed to buy TMS International sent the company’s stock up 12 percent. The deal values the service provider to steel mills at roughly $1 billion. The Pritzker family, one of America’s wealthiest, operates a global industrial conglomerate and founded the Hyatt hotel chain.

TMS jumped $1.81 to $17.38. With five trading days left in August, the major indexes are on track to end the month with slight losses. The Dow is down 3 percent for the month and the S&P 500 is down 1 percent.

In the market for US government bonds, the yield on the 10-year note slipped to 2.79 percent from 2.82 percent late Friday. That followed an even sharper decline on Friday, when they declined seven basis points. Crude oil slipped 2 cents to $106.38 a barrel and gold rose 40 cents to $1,396 an ounce. —AP

FRANKFURT: The European Central Bank is unlikely to keep its interest rates low for years, the head of the German Bundesbank said yesterday, but warned that the euro-zone crisis is far from over. “My assumption is not that interest rates will remain low for years, not least because the economic impulse of ultra-easy monetary policy will fade with time and the risks for financial stability will increase,” Jens Weidmann said.

Weidmann, who heads the German central bank, was quoted in an interview with business daily Handelsblatt. ECB chief Mario Draghi said in July that euro-zone interest rates-already at historical lows-would remain “at present or lower levels for an extended period of time” and that an exit from the current policy of low interest rates was “very distant.”

But Weidmann, who as Bundesbank chief sits on the ECB’s decision-making governing council, reiterated that Draghi’s remarks-known as “forward guidance”-did not constitute a firm promise. They were “consciously formulated in

this way because there are conditions attached”, Weidmann said. “The expectation that interest rates will not be increased for a long period is based ... on our economic forecast. If subsequent data point to a changed outlook for price stability, we will adjust our monetary policy accordingly,” he said.

The current period of relative calm in the euro-zone’s financial markets does not mean that the single currency region’s long-running crisis is over, Weidmann warned. “The crisis is not over and a lot still needs to be done to solve it,” he said, insisting that the ECB alone could not solve the crisis because the problems were not of a monetary nature.

“The structural problems in the crisis countries have built up over a long period of time.

They can’t be resolved in just a few quarters, but will need years. It’s factually wrong to say the crisis is over and will only lead to an easing up of reform efforts,” Weidmann said.

Speaking at an event in Berlin later yesterday,

the Bundesbank chief reiterated his criticism of the ECB’s OMT bond purchase program, which is credited with marking a turning point in the euro crisis. “It’s no secret that I’m particularly critical about the bond purchase program. By buying the sovereign debt of individual countries with poor creditworthiness, central banks are redistributing the risks of unsound budgetary policy on to all euro-zone countries,” Weidmann argued.

“Only parliaments and governments have the democratic legitimacy to undertake such a redistribution.” Monetary policy had already made a substantial contribution to prevent a further escalation of the crisis, the German central bank chief said. “But it has ventured into unchartered and even dangerous territory. The best contribution monetary policy can make to resolving the crisis is to safeguard its credibility and the population’s confidence in the euro,” Weidmann said. “They can do this best by focusing on the primary mandate of keeping prices stable,” he said. —AFP

Japan starts hearing on sales tax policy TOKYO: Japan’s government opened yesterday a week-long hearing with economists, business leaders and consumer advocates that may help determine Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s decision on how to proceed with a planned increase in sales tax. During six days of hearings to Saturday, the government will gather the opinions of 60 people on Japan’s most significant fiscal reform in years - a change that is unpopular but equally seen as necessary to reduce public debt, which recently reached 1,000 trillion yen ($10 trillion).

Those taking part include academics, consumer and labor union heads and executives from businesses ranging from a small spring maker to auto giant Toyota Motor Corp. Yesterday, most of the seven participants, including head of a powerful business lobby, called on the government to proceed with the scheduled two -stage tax increase from next year. Under a multi-party agreement last year, the sales tax is to rise to 8 percent from 5 percent next April and to 10 percent in October 2015 to pay for rising welfare costs in the ageing society.

A consumer union representative at the hearing opposed raising the tax at all, while a former central bank deputy governor suggested raising it more gradually. Economics Minister Akira Amari, who chairs the hearings, said the government must eventually raise the sales tax but is was seeking the best way to balance the need to revive the economy and maintain trust in Japan’s finances.

“From a medium-term perspective, not raising the sales tax and keeping it at 5 percent isn’t an option,” he told reporters after the meeting. The government must certify that the economy is strong enough to withstand the pain of the increase before making a final decision on whether to carry out the plan. The tariff is similar to a general sales tax or value added tax in other countries.

At 5 percent, Japan and Canada have the lowest equivalent consumption tax in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, according to OECD

data. Abe will make a final decision based on a summary of the debate compiled by Amari. Comments made at the hearing may offer clues on which way Abe’s administration will lean in terms of the timing and scale of the tax increases.

They may also affect what steps the government takes to cushion the economy from the impact of the increases if they proceed as scheduled, analysts say.

Amari said on Sunday the premier would likely decide before an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit on Oct. 7 and may scrutinize the Bank of Japan’s “tankan” quarterly business sentiment survey due on Oct. 1. Government officials have also flagged revised April-June gross domestic product data, due on Sept 9, as key in reaching a decision. Preliminary data issued this month showed the world’s thirdlargest economy expanded for a third straight quarter in April-June but at a slower pace than expected.

Abe has made ending 15 years of deflation and revitalizing the economy among his top priorities. Some

advisers and members of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party want to delay or water down the tax increases, worried they could hurt a budding economic recovery.

At Monday’s debate, Kazumasa Iwata, head of a private think-tank and former Bank of Japan (BOJ) deputy governor, said the government should increase the tax rate by 1 percent each year for five years, instead of raising it in two stages. If that was impossible and the government were to go ahead with the increases as scheduled, it should offset some of the pain by compiling an extra budget of up to 5 trillion yen, he said.

The Finance Ministry, on the other hand, wants Abe to proceed given the nation’s dire finances, with public debt having ballooned to twice the size of its $5 trillion economy.

Finance Minister Taro Aso and BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda will join Amari in the hearings, as well as academics such as Koichi Hamada, Abe’s economic adviser and a vocal opponent of the current plan to

increase the tax. Most economists and business leaders feel the government should proceed with the higher tax plan to maintain market trust in Japan’s finances and to avoid confusion.

“Domestic and overseas market players are already making investment decisions on the assumption the sales tax will rise as planned,” Hiromasa Yonekura, chairman of business lobby Keidanren, told reporters after the attending the hearings.

“A change in this plan may trigger a triple selling of Japanese shares, currencies and bonds.”

The public is divided. A poll taken by the Nikkei economic daily from Aug. 23 to Aug. 25 showed 24 percent of voters opposed raising the tax, and 55 percent wanted Abe to be flexible about the timing and scale of the increase. Government officials have signalled the possibility of offering tax breaks and compiling a small-scale extra budget for fiscal spending to ease the economic pain if Abe were to proceed with the tax increase. —Reuters

MADRID: Members of the Victims’ Mortgage Platform (PAH) watch out for the police, at the home of the Gonzalez family, as they wait to be evicted, in Madrid yesterday. —AP

S African construction, airport workers widen wave of strikes JOHANNESBURG: South African construction and airport workers went on strike for higher wages yesterday, extending a series of industrial action threatening to slow growth in Africa’s largest economy. The labor unrest poses a risk for President Jacob Zuma’s African National Congress as it heads into elections next year facing increasing criticism that it has not done enough to help the millions of unemployed and working poor almost 20 years after the end of white-minority apartheid rule. The rand last week tumbled to a four-year low after gold miners last week threatened to strike and 30,000 workers in the car manufacturing sector, responsible for 6 percent of gross domestic product, walked off the job.

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said about 90,000 of its members in the construction sector planned to down tools on Monday. More than 50 percent of employers were affected by the labor action, industry group SAFCEC said in a statement. Employment in the construction industry was at just over 1 million people at the end of June, according to government data.

The strike has grazed construction shares, with an index of top companies in the sector down about 0.7 percent since news broke last week of

the walk-out, compared with a 1.2 percent rise in the broad All-Share index. Firms affected by the strikes include Wilson Bayly Holmes Ovcon, Aveng Ltd and Group Five Ltd. Police reported clashes at a building project in Johannesburg’s financial district of Sandton, where NUM members in the union’s red T-shirts arrived at the site and forced workers to down tools.

“I am going to support the strike because I need more money,” said Luvo Joti who stopped work after NUM arrived. The government called for speedy and peaceful resolutions to the various labor disputes. More than 60 people have been killed in mining sector labor strife since last year, including 34 striking workers shot dead by police a year ago at Lonmin’s Marikana platinum mine.

The NUM is demanding up to a 40 percent increase in pay and benefits for some workers while employers are offering a 7.5 percent rise, according to the industry group called the South African Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors (SAFCEC). South Africa’s central bank has said that inflation is projected to run at 5.9 percent in 2013 and wage settlements well above inflation could further threaten the fragile economy. Some members of the SATAWU transport union also went on strike on Monday, stag-

ing a small picket at Johannesburg’s main international airport in pursuit of a 12 percent wage increase.

The firm that runs all the country’s major airports, Airports Company South Africa, said the strike had not affected any flights and it had contingency plans in place to ensure smooth operations. Autoworkers with the NUMSA union met on Monday to consider a revised offer from employers of a 10 percent raise. NUMSA wants 14 percent and expects to reach a decision on Wednesday on whether to accept the new offer.

The car strike that started a week ago is costing the economy an estimated $60 million a day and hitting global producers including Toyota, Ford and BMW. In the gold sector, NUM gave gold mining companies seven days on Saturday to meet its demand for pay increases of up to 60 percent or face strikes.

Major firms vulnerable to walkouts included AngloGold Ashanti, Gold Fields and Harmony.

NUM, the main mining union, walked out of deadlocked wage talks with the companies last Wednesday, setting the scene for a gold industry shutdown that could cost over $35 million a day in lost output, based on current spot prices of the metal. —Reuters

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

BUSINESS

Starwood Hotels and Resorts continues growth in Iraq DOHUK, Iraq: Star wood Hotels & Resor ts Worldwide, Inc has signed an agreement with Mase Co LLC, a company managed by Brilliant Role Group, to open a new-build Sheraton hotel in Dohuk, in the Kurdistan Autonomous Region in northern Iraq. Scheduled to debut early next year, the Sheraton Dohuk Hotel will be the first of four new Starwood hotels to open in Iraq after 20 years, and will be the first internationally-branded hotel in the emerging city of Dohuk.

“We look forward to a long-term partnership with Mase Co as we enter into our first hotel development together with the introduction of the Sheraton brand into Dohuk,” said Michael Wale, President, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa and Middle East. “We are proud to be part of the development of this important region in Iraq as we bring a new level of hospitality to the local

community and to international travellers.”

Zakaria Abdulla, Chairman of Brilliant Role Group said, “We are excited to work with Starwood to bring its world-class Sheraton brand to Dohuk.

As Dohuk continues to grow as an emerging city in the Middle East, there will be a strong demand for an international hotel brand such as Sheraton. The signing of Sheraton Dohuk Hotel is in line with our vision to support the development of the Kurdistan region as a key business destination.”

Situated in Dohuk on the border of Turkey, the 202-room Sheraton Dohuk Hotel will be ideally located at the top of a hill with stunning views overlooking the entire city and nearby mountains.

The hotel will feature an all-day dining venue, a signature restaurant, and four lounges. Sheraton Dohuk Hotel is set to become the choice gathering place for business travellers, offering extensive

meeting and event space, including three ballrooms for special events.

The hotel will feature the brand’s signature Link@Sheraton experienced with Microsoft, Sheraton Club Lounge and Sheraton Fitness, Programmed by Core Per formance, designed exclusively for Sheraton guests through its partner Core Performance. All guest rooms will be feature the all-white Sheraton Sweet Sleeper(r) bed, designed to meet AAA’s Five Diamond Award(r) criteria. Guests can also pamper themselves in Sheraton Shine Spa. Starwood in Iraq “Sheraton continues to be a first-mover into many new markets around the world, and remains a popular choice for owners and developers in both primary and secondary markets,” added Bart

Carnahan, Senior Vice President, Acquisitions & Development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa and Middle East. “As part of our global growth strategy, we seek new frontiers for our brands, and the signing of Sheraton Dohuk Hotel marks a significant milestone as we look for the right expansion opportunities in Iraq and throughout the Middle East.”

Sheraton Dohuk will mark Starwood’s re-entry into Iraq, which will be followed by the opening of Sheraton Erbil Hotel, Aloft Erbil and Four Points by Sheraton Erbil in the capital of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region in 2015.

Starwood currently operates nearly 50 hotels in the Middle East and continues to strengthen its long-established position as one of the leading luxury hotel operators in the region, with plans to open over 30 hotels in the next few years.

OSN acquires Pehla to expand customer base Pay TV network to offer premium entertainment

2013 Ford Focus earns highest possible safety rating DUBAI: The 2013 Ford Focus earned a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Focus is one of six vehicles in the small car segment to achieve IIHS’s highest rating.

Top Safety Pick+ is a new category in the IIHS ratings. Vehicles must earn a “good” rating for occupant protection in four evaluations: moderate overlap frontal crash, side impact, rollover, and seats/head restraints. The tests are scored “good,” “acceptable,” “marginal” or “poor.”

In addition, vehicles must achieve “good” or “acceptable” in a fifth test - small overlap frontal crash. Focus was rated “good” in each of the first four tests and “acceptable” in the small overlap frontal crash. “Ford is committed to designing vehicles that help keep people safe,” said Steve Kenner, global director of Ford’s Automotive Safety Office. “We are constantly seeking innovative ways to help drivers avoid accidents and keep occupants safe when an incident does occur. With families in mind, Ford took a holistic approach to safety when designing the Focus -

from its ultra-high-strength steel structure to advanced safety technologies. This approach also helped the small car earn top safety ratings from the federal government. The 2013 and 2014 Ford Focus sedan and hatchback, and the 2013 Focus Electric were each awarded a fivestar Overall Vehicle Score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The body structure of the Focus is engineered to be highly protective. It makes extensive use of high-strength and ultra-highstrength steels that help to protect the passenger cabin in a collision. Boron steel in the Focus’ structure absorbs and redirects crash forces to protect vehicle occupants in the event of a crash. “Our customers can drive withtotal peace of mind, knowing that their 2013 Focus is one of the safest vehicles in town,” said Larry Prein, Ford Middle East’s managing director. “The latest recognition from IIHSspeaks highly of the efforts Ford puts in to ensure top safety features and class-leading technologies across the range.”

De’Longhi’s innovative Roto Fry cuts cooking oil use by 50% DUBAI: De’Longhi Group, the renowned Italian small appliance manufacturer, has introduced a new range of innovative electric deep fryers - Roto Fry - in Middle East region. The product features a patented

angled rotating basket that cooks real fried food using 50 per cent less oil compared to traditional fryers. The technology ensures crispy cooking for both fresh and frozen foods while significantly reducing fat con-

tent, when compared to the traditional fryers in the market.

De’Longhi’s proven food preparation technologies highly complement efforts in the region to achieve high food quality while reducing health risks. Aside from cutting down the use of oil by as much as 50 per cent, the Roto Fry deep fryer range also has a patented ‘easy clean system’ with an oil collecting container that simplifies cooking oil filtering and preservation; a panoramic viewing window to monitor cooking even with the lid closed; and antiodor and anti-vapor filters. The Roto Fry also features a dishwasher safe, removable bowl with non-stick interior for easy cleaning as well as “cool-touch” walls that remain cool due to the air circulating between the internal and external walls.

“Adopting an intelligent approach to product innovation is integral to the way De’Longhi operates, with the underlining goal of improving the comfort, health and quality of daily life of our customers. The Roto Fry is a manifestation of this approach and we believe that food lovers in the Middle East will appreciate how we are using advanced technology to provide the best eating experience, without compromising on taste, crispness or quality,” said Ashraf Khairallah, Regional Marketing Director, De’Longhi Group.

Wataniya launches special pack which comes with a Nokia 110, SIM and free credit for 1 year KUWAIT: Wataniya Telecom caters to the diverse needs of different types of customers.

Wataniya’s plans and offers are tailored based on the usage, spending habits and communication patterns that meet each segments high priority needs. To provide value and savings for prepaid customers, the new Nokia 110 pack is launched.

This new pack offers savings up to KD20 for each subscriber. Customer can join this value oriented offer by making a onetime payment of KD12.

The customer will receive a brand new Nokia 110 along with a free SIM card which contains KD2 credit. Along with this, the customer will also get KD1 as free credit every month for the next 12 months.

The Nokia offer is one of its kind, because it not only gives the user a free phone but also free credit all year round. To enjoy the free credit every month, customers will have to recharge his/her line with as little as 500fils. The total credit will include free credit plus recharged credit which together can be used for local and international calls, SMS

and internet. For example: If a customer recharges his/her line for KD2.5 this month he/she will get KD3.5 as total credit (Recharge amount: KD2.5 + Free credit: KD 1 = Total credit: KD3.5 Wataniya Telecom commented about the offer, “We, at Wataniya are committed to providing our customers with experiences that add value to their daily lives.

The Nokia handsets are very popular amongst our customers and the new pack was tailored to ensure that our prepaid users not only get the latest handset but they also get credit which they can use throughout the year.” Nokia 110 is a durable handset which comes with a camera, Bluetooth and in built apps like Facebook. Features like FM radio and internet are also accessible and users can pick between a blue or black handset. Wataniya continues to surprise its customers by creating packs and products that are unique and bring value to their lives. New and innovative services are constantly developed at Wataniya so that people can make the best of their mobile and internet access.

DUBAI: OSN, the leading pay-TV network in the Middle East and North Africa, has significantly expanded its entertainment bouquet with the strategic acquisition of Pehla Media & Entertainment, the region’s largest provider of South Asian pay television content.

The acquisition brings nearly 40 popular South Asian channels in Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Tamil and Malayalam languages to OSN’s existing comprehensive portfolio of channels. Bringing the best in Bollywood and premium cricket, with exclusive telecast rights of the ICC Cricket World Cup, OSN Pehla will underscore the network’s position as the ultimate destination for premium content. Showcasing nearly 140 TV channels with the widest spectrum of Arabic, Western, South Asian and Filipino television entertainment, OSN now has something for everyone.

Pehla will now be known as OSN Pehla, functioning as an integral unit of OSN that is dedicated to South Asian content delivery. David Butorac, Chief Executive Officer of OSN, said: “We are marking an exciting new chapter in OSN’s history with the integration of Pehla into our network. This acquisition builds on OSN’s growth strategy to explore opportunities for market consolidation bringing greater economies of scale and operational efficiencies to offer great value entertainment for subscribers. Appealing to millions of South Asian expatriates, OSN Pehla now gives us the opportunity to reach out to one of the largest demographics in MENA, serving as the ultimate entertainment destination for all segments of the region’s population.

“OSN has already established its credentials in premium Arabic, Western and Filipino entertainment, providing unrivalled content through technologically advanced platforms and unmatched On-demand and on-the-go television experiences. OSN Pehla customers will now be able to enjoy the same value added services and benefit from OSN’s award-winning customer services, our values and international industry standards.”

Following the acquisition, Pehla subscribers will continue to enjoy an uninterrupted and seamless television experience. OSN Pehla customers will soon receive free access to OSN Play, the region’s first online TV viewing platform and can immediately participate in OSN’s rewards program, OSN Privileges, offering a spectacular range of special prizes and deals from leading retailers and lifestyle partners. Viewers will also benefit from the many advantages of being part of the OSN platform, including access to more than 400 sales touch points across the region and 24x7 customer services.

The new channels that are now available under OSN Pehla include popular entertainment choices such as Sony, Star Plus, Sun TV, Zee TV, Geo TV, ARY Digital, Asianet Middle East, Colors, Gemini TV and Kairali among others.

OSN Pehla will offer the best of Bollywood through Sony Max, Star Gold, UT V Movies International and Zee Cinema, while news followers from South Asia can tune into Asianet News, Dawn News, NDTV 24x7, Times Now and Aaj Tak. Lifestyle and music choices include Channel [V]India, MTV India, UTV Bindass and UTV Stars in addition to popular children’s entertainment channels Cartoon Network, Boomerang

David Butorac, Chief Executive Officer of OSN and Baby TV. OSN Pehla will also be the ultimate destination for cricket fans through CricOne and Ten Cricket, offering exclusive access to the widely followed ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC Champions Trophy, ICC World Twenty20 and Champions League. This complements OSN’s existing exclusive cricket rights which include The Ashes and The Champions League Twenty20.

“Bollywood and cricket are increasingly gaining popularity in the MENA region. Our acquisition of Pehla’s content will enable our existing subscribers to choose from newly tailored packages that cover the best in Arabic, Western and South Asian entertainment. A truly growth-oriented acquisition, the deal underlines our commitment to add consistent value to all our stakeholders,” added Butorac.

‘Acquisition builds on KIPCO’s strategy of growing businesses’ KUWAIT: The Kuwait Projects Company - has announced the expansion of its pay-TV company OSN through the strategic acquisition of Pehla Media & Entertainment, the largest provider of South Asian pay-TV content in the Middle East and North Africa.

Now called OSN Pehla, nearly 40 popular South Asian channels in Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Tamil and Malayalam languages will be offered to customers as part of the OSN platform. OSN Pehla will provide access to OSN’s world class premium channel line-up and advanced technology to a new group of viewers, and deliver even greater choice to its existing subscriber base.

Faisal Al-Ayyar, KIPCO’s Vice Chairman and Chairman of OSN, said this expansion underlines OSN’s position as the premier pay-TV provider across the MENA region with the widest spectrum of Arabic, Western, South Asian and Filipino television entertainment: “OSN has been providing its subscribers with the greatest choice of quality entertainment available since it was formed in 2009 with access to all the major studios and the world’s leading television brands. This acquisition builds on the KIPCO strategy of constantly

Faisal Al-Ayyar, KIPCO’s Vice Chairman and Chairman of OSN exploring opportunities for business growth and expansion, and we are always looking to accelerate growth through value-creating transactions. OSN is now expanding its reach to South Asian expatriates in the region with an excellent and popular channel offering, thereby strengthening its position as the market’s leading pay-TV network in the Middle East and North Africa. KIPCO will continue to support OSN’s expansion and look to increase its value to customers and shareholders.”

Ethiopia GDP to grow 7%, could be faster: W Bank

ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia’s economy is likely to grow 7 percent a year over the next three to five years, below its average of the last decade, and to push that rate higher, the government needs to change policy to encourage private investment, the World Bank said. While 7 percent GDP growth would be the envy of finance ministers in Western economies, it would fall short of an average rate of 10.6 percent that Ethiopia said it achieved in the last 10 years with its state-interventionist policies.

It would also be insufficient to meet Ethiopia’s target of reaching middle-income status by 2025. The bank says that goal is still within reach, however, if the government shifts the balance from public to more private investment.

“We still think growth could be robust - in the order of 7 percent in the medium term would not be unexpected,” said Lars Christian Moller, the bank’s lead economist in Ethiopia, in an interview yesterday. The World Bank estimates Ethiopia’s economy grew 7 percent in the fiscal year July 8, 2012 to July 7, 2013, below the government’s 10 percent estimate.

Moller said Ethiopia’s $43 billion economy would need to repeat its performance of the last decade to become a middle income country - defined by the bank as one with a gross

national income (GNI) per capita of around $1,430 - in 12 years.

The World Bank put Ethiopia’s GNI at $410 in 2012. Ethiopia is banking on massive statesupported energy and transport projects to help transform its agrarian economy.

Infrastructure spending required financing equivalent to 19 percent of Ethiopia’s GDP in fiscal 2011-2012, the World Bank estimates.

But while public investment in Ethiopia is the third highest in the world as a percentage of GDP, private investment is the sixth lowest.

Major sectors including retail, transport, banking and telecoms are closed to foreign investors.

Growth has been driven by an expansion in services, now the largest economic sector, and agriculture. Ethiopia’s main expor ts include coffee and horticulture products, and it is also a big aid recipient. Two thirds of Ethiopia’s 8.5 percent GDP growth in 20112012 could be ascribed to public investment, the World Bank said. Even though the public investments are intended to benefit the private sector in the long run, they are depriving the private sector of finances in the short term, Moller said. “And that is where a deliberate choice is being made,” he added. “Maybe there are some really good private investment

projects out there that could deserve to get that credit, that could actually make the economy grow even faster,” Moller said. He added that Ethiopia should keep monetary policy tight to head off inflation, which could quickly return to double digits.

The annual inflation rate accelerated to 8 percent in July from a 2013 low of 6.1 percent in April. It exceeded 40 percent in 2011. A loose fiscal stance and periodic external price shocks have left Ethiopia vulnerable to price spikes. Its public investment program has injected liquidity into the market, fuelling inflationary pressures. “We are a little bit wary that inflation is going up and perhaps could hit double-digit levels again”, within the next six to 12 months, Moller said.

So far, Ethiopia has found to keep down inflation by using its foreign exchange reserves to mop up liquidity. That has raised questions within Ethiopia’s private sector over how easily the government can sustain its spending program and keep inflation in single digits at the same time.

“The fiscal stance is loose, and so that is contributing to inflationary pressures,” Moller said. “So that would be another benefit of slowing down on public investment; you could maintain a lower level of inflation.” — Reuters

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

technology

Adultery website shines spotlight on HK marriages Religious groups slam online dating service HONG KONG: The founder of a dating service promoting adultery is setting his sights on China’s cheating hearts after a controversial launch in Hong Kong. “It is a reality of life, we are an unfaithful society,” said Noel Biderman, the founder of the Ashley Madison “married dating” service. With its slogan “Life is short. Have an affair”, the website

Kong hits in the past year without spending anything on marketing.

“That to us indicates massive appetite for this specific product,” Biderman told AFP, citing rising divorce rates in the city.

Government data show 30 out of 100 married couples filed for a divorce in 2011, twice as many as in 1991. The number of divorce cases

attracted plenty of criticism from religious groups and social workers.

“We must do everything we can to uphold the values and the stability of” marriage and family, Hong Kong Catholic Diocese reverend Lawrence Lee told AFP. “This is disrupting marriage and family, what good can it come to?” he added, noting that Chinese people had

HONG KONG: This photo illustration shows the homepage of the Ashley Madison dating website displayed on a laptop in Hong Kong. —AFP boasts more than 20 million users in more than 15 countries.

It has been expanding aggressively, adding Japan and India last year. On Friday it launched in Hong Kong, where religious and family planning groups have come together to criticise its message.

Biderman said he nevertheless expected his service to be “wildly popular” in the southern Chinese city, noting that the website received around 320,000 Hong

hit a record high of 21,125 in 2012.

Hong Kong is “in transition when it comes to relationships and marriage and that can lead to an interesting environment,” said Biderman.

“When we put ourselves into that mix, we can do extremely well.”

User “mamama222” was one of the first in Hong Kong to sign up. “I’m looking for various men to fulfil what my husband can’t,” she said on her profile. In catering to such motivations, Ashley Madison has

“great respect for marriage and family.” A Hong Kong Family Planning Association spokeswoman told AFP: “Infidelity in any form of clandestine extra-marital affair without the partner’s knowledge or consent may hurt the marital relationship and ultimately undermine family integrity”.

The concept of marriage in the city is nevertheless becoming increasingly “fragile”, Chinese University of Hong Kong professor

of Social Work Lam Ching-man told AFP. “Hong Kong people are facing lots of challenges,” Lam said, adding that couples have to deal with an increasing financial burden and other social stresses.

Lam does not believe the website will be as popular in Hong Kong compared to other locations such as Japan which saw a million users sign up in months. Hong Kong has one of the world’s lowest fertility rates, which experts say is driven by financial pressures in a city of extremely high property prices. Hong Kongers also have a reputation as some of the least active lovers in Asia, ranking low in informal surveys of sexual frequency by British condom manufacturer Durex.

Younger Hong Kong residents typically live at home deep into their 20s or 30s because they can’t afford to marry and move out earlier, meaning that many reside in close proximity to their parents in cramped apartments. But for Biderman, the city is a possible springboard for an entry into China, home to one of the largest internet markets in the world.

Over 640,000 people from China tried to access Ashley Madison in the past year before it was available, showing “a lot of pent-up demand” in the country, Biderman said. “If there were 10 times more people trying to log in from China as there were last year because of the Hong Kong launch and it starts to spread virally that way, that could be the impetus for me to take that plunge” he said.

“Bottom line is, people have affairs, they ’re having affairs because they don’t want to leave the family,” he said. “There really is a negative impact in separating a family, there is no corresponding negative impact to an undiscovered affair...The vast majority of people that have affairs, especially on our service, never get discovered.” —AFP

Review

Haswell laptops deliver long battery NEW YORK: Just in time for the back-to-school season, new laptops with extended battery life are hitting store shelves. What these laptops have in common are microprocessors that belong to a new family of Intel chips called Haswell. The chips consume less power than previous generations and promise a 50 percent boost in battery life for watching video. The improvements extend to word processing, Web surfing and other computing tasks as well. Put another way, you can unplug your laptop in the morning and go a full day without a charge, with some breaks for meals, exercise and errands. The 13-inch MacBook Air, for instance, promises up to 12 hours of battery life. Three Windows machines I tried promise seven to nine hours. For students, that’s a full day of cutting classes - and more. For business travelers, that’s a cross-country flight including delays. The catch: Slim, lightweight laptops with Haswell chips cost more than $1,000. Cheaper laptops will be heavier or come with older chips.

I reviewed Apple’s MacBook Air and Dell, Sony and Acer computers running Microsoft’s Windows 8.

Samsung and other PC makers are just coming out with Haswell laptops, so you should expect even more choices by the holidays. The four I tested use solidstate flash drives, which keep laptops light but don’t have as much capacity as traditional storage. They also lack Ethernet ports for wired Internet connections and slots for DVDs. Expect to use Wi-Fi a lot, though USB ports are available to connect devices. Base models come with 128 gigabytes of storage. You can spend a few hundred dollars more for additional storage and faster processors. Here are the four Haswell laptops I tried, starting with the cheapest: MacBook Air from Apple Inc. Starts at $1,099 for 13-inch model. With a screen measuring 13.3 inches diagonally, the larger model weighs 2.96 pounds and costs $1,099.

An even lighter, 11.6-inch version is available for $999, but promised battery life is just nine hours.

Spend the extra $100 for three additional hours and a larger screen if you can afford it. It’s odd that the Air is the cheapest of the four I reviewed, as Apple’s computers are traditionally pricier than their Windows counterparts. But in this case, the Windows laptops I tested all come with touch screens, something Apple has avoided in laptops on the premise that people don’t want to lift their hands off the keyboard to use touch controls. The base model of the Air also has a slightly slower processor - at 1.3 gigahertz, compared with 1.6 gigahertz for the three Windows laptops.

Although promised battery life on the 13-inch review unit was 12 hours, I was able to get more than 14 hours once by turning off the Wi-Fi connection. I typically got nine to 11 hours for general Web surfing.

Apple promises up to 10 hours for playing video downloaded from its iTunes store. I ran that test four times and got nine to 10 hours of playing the same episode of “Revenge” over and over. As with other laptops, performance drops significantly when streaming video over Wi-Fi, down to six to seven hours of Hulu.

Beyond having a long battery life, the Air is a solid machine that is easy to hold and carry. Although its

aluminum exterior is easy to scratch and dent, I feel comfortable banging it around in my backpack because it has few moving parts that might be susceptible to damage. I even ran four miles home with it once. Only the 13-inch model has a slot for SD memory cards. Apart from its limited storage compared with laptops with regular hard drives, the MacBook Air will work fine as a primary computer. However, if you need an even more powerful laptop, see if Apple will update its MacBook Pros with Haswell this fall.

XPS 12 from Dell Inc. Starts at $1,200. The XPS 12 is part of a category called ultrabooks - slim and light laptops, much like MacBook Airs, except they run Windows. The XPS 12 is also a convertible. The screen spins like a pig roasting on a spit. In one position, you get a laptop. Spin it 180 degrees, close the lid, and you have yourself a tablet. Magic. Unfortunately, the XPS 12 is on the heavy side. The base model is 3.35 pounds. On paper, it’s less than a half-pound heavier than the Air. But in practice, it feels heavy - especially as a tablet, at more than double the 1.44 pounds for the full-size iPad. The XPS 12 is alone in lacking an SD card slot, and its 12.5-inch screen is the smallest. But it is also the only one to have physical volume buttons on the side, and it’s more affordable than the other two Windows laptops I reviewed.

Promised battery life is about 8.75 hours. I got nearly 8.5 hours for word processing, spreadsheets and other tasks that didn’t need Wi-Fi. With wireless turned on, I got 7.5 to eight hours of use. Like the other two

Windows machines, I got five to six hours of iTunes video. That’s about half of what I got on the Air, but Apple has the advantage in being able to optimize its hardware for the software it also designs. I got about 5.5 to six hours of streaming video on Hulu, which is just about an hour less than what I got on the Air. I did have some trouble with the battery losing its charge quickly when not in use, but a software update seems to have fixed that. That said, the XPS 12 took up to four hours to get a full charge, compared with two hours or less for the others. What I like most about the XPS 12 is the fact that it automatically disables the on-screen keyboard when in laptop mode. On the Acer and the Sony laptops, the touch keyboard gets in the way when you already have a fully functioning keyboard attached. Tablet computers need that keyboard, so it comes back automatically when you flip the screen into a tablet. It’s a smart strategy that I wish all other Windows 8 computers would adopt.

Vaio Pro 13 from Sony Corp. Starts at $1,250. The Pro is an ultrabook that’s light. Very, very light. The 13.3inch laptop weighs just 2.34 pounds, only 60 percent more than an iPad. Sony uses carbon fiber to keep it

light. It feels to me like cheap plastic that’s about to break because it bends. But Sony assures me that it’s more durable than aluminum. And Sony says the fact that it bends isn’t a sign of weakness but a characteristic that lets it absorb shock. The base model starts at $1,250, though you can save $100 with an 11.6-inch Vaio Pro 11 instead. I was ready to hate the Pro 13 because the cursor keeps jumping around when I type, making it difficult to complete sentences. But I tried three machines without problems at a Sony store in New York. Turns out I had to download a piece of software to give me settings for touchpad sensitivity. I had two weeks of frustrations until then, though Sony tells me most consumers won’t need the separate download. Once that got fixed, the laptop worked fine. The laptop hinge serves as a kickstand when open to prop up the keyboard, making it slightly easier to type.

I consistently got more than the seven hours of battery life promised for general Web surfing and word processing. I reached 8.5 hours once with Wi-Fi turned off. Battery life drops below six hours, though, for iTunes video download and Hulu streaming. If you do a lot of that, you can add a spare battery for $150, doubling the battery life. The system is still less than 3 pounds with the spare battery attached. The other units I tried won’t let you replace batteries or insert a spare at all. Aspire S7 from Acer Inc. Starts at $1,450.

The Aspire has what I want in a laptop, except for the price. The laptop’s aluminum body is covered on one side with glossy white glass. It reminds me of a refrigerator, but I came to appreciate the durability it brings once I started lugging it around. It’s also fairly light, at 2.87 pounds. You can flip its screen all the way back so that both the keyboard and the screen are level with the surface, just like a tablet on a tabletop. I can’t think of any scenarios in which I would need that, though Acer says it’s good for presentations. Just press Function-O on the keyboard and the image on the screen rotates 90 degrees at a time, allowing you to show something to others sitting at your table.

Acer’s website promises eight hours of battery life. I exceeded nine hours with Wi-Fi off and got seven to 8.5 hours of general Web surfing. But I got less than six hours of iTunes video and Hulu streaming. Two complaints about the design: The power button is near the hole for the charger, so I accidentally turned the machine off by mistake several times. Acer also places the “page up” and “page down” keys next to the arrows to move the cursor. So instead of moving the cursor one line up, I’ve often moved it a whole page up or down and lost my train of thought.

I also had the cursor jump around when I first used it. A replacement unit Acer sent me to review worked without a hitch. I eventually noticed the first machine had the touchpad-sensitivity settings missing, even after resetting the unit to factory conditions and downloading new software for the touchpad. My advice is to check return policies in case you run into trouble. The MacBook Air worked well out of the box, but the three Windows machine all required software adjustments. If you want a touch screen, you’ll need to go with Windows 8. Whatever you choose, these are all great machines that will give you several hours of use on a single charge - as long as you can afford them. —AP

PLAYA VISTA: Visual production supervisor Gary Roberts (right) demonstrates the use of a virtual camera to record a re-enactment of a scene for a video game in a virtual studio at Digital Domain in Playa Vista, California. —MCT

Visual-effects firms get a boost from video games In a bombed-out section of a futuristic downtown Los Angeles, a man sits on a tire next to an overturned car, staring at a computer-controlled screen fastened to his wrist, oblivious to the machine gun fire and bomb blasts around him. The camera pans out to show an aerial view of a war zone, where jet pilot Robert Downey Jr. swoops in on French actor Omar Sy, who is trying to thwart a rooftop sniper.

Directed by Guy Ritchie, the star-studded, 60-second trailer for the video game “Call of Duty: Black Ops 2” took 12 weeks to produce and involved a team of 58 people, including 34 computer graphics artists, to render a destroyed downtown LA, complete with burned-out buildings, wrecked cars, soldiers, zombies and plenty of fire, explosions and smoke.

The trailer helped make “Call of Duty: Black Ops 2” a big hit for Activision Blizzard Inc, the Santa Monica, Calif, game publisher. The game notched a staggering $1 billion in worldwide retail sales within 15 days of its debut in November. But it was also a boon to the Mill, the visual-effects house that worked with the production company Reset and ad agency 72andSunny to create the effects for the commercial. Such projects have fueled the rapid growth of the Mill, which has 145 employees in its LA office, up from 30 in 2007.

“It’s complex work, which our guys love doing, and it involves big teams over long periods of time,” said Ben Hampshire, managing director of the Mill Los Angeles. The Mill also has offices in London and New York. “It’s a huge and vibrant part of our business, and it’s flourishing as games get more complex.”

Even as major studios cut back on the number of movies they release, the growth of the video games sector has been a welcome reprieve for California’s visual effects industry, which has been hit hard by outsourcing and global competition. Two of California’s most prominent visual-effects companies filed for bankruptcy protection from creditors in the past year, at least in part because of reductions in work from the major studios.

But the fast-growing video-game industry has been picking up some of the slack, creating new growth opportunities for local effects houses. Their services are increasingly in demand as game companies look to create more realistic, movie-like images in response to consumer demand.

Some of the work involves so-called in-game cinematics - the effects that are embedded in the games - as well as 30to 60-second commercials, with budgets of $250,000 to $500,000, that play a key role in promoting games.

The trend has been partly fueled by technology, with new and more powerful game consoles that have the horsepower to handle the large data files required by elaborate visual effects. At the same time, game players increasingly expect more sophisticated characters

and scenes that blend live action with computer-generated images. “We view this as a big growth sector,” said Rich Flier, vice president and executive producer of advertising and games for Digital Domain in Venice. “We’ve seen a huge increase in the amount of work that we do” for the video-games sector.”

Digital Domain, co-founded by “Titanic” and “Avatar” filmmaker James Cameron, was acquired last year by China’s Galloping Horse and India’s Reliance MediaWorks in a bankruptcy auction. It creates effects to promote high-profile games, including a trailer for an upcoming “Mad Max” video game from Warner Bros. Interactive; and “Ghost Recon: Future Soldier,” a shooter video game from Ubisoft Entertainment.

Another recent project was a trailer for Activision and Bungie Inc.’s “Destiny,” directed by “Iron Man” director Jon Favreau, which blended live action with high-end CGI. Digital Domain and other effects houses now commonly use performance capture - the technology that Cameron used in “Avatar” - to create increasingly realistic-looking human faces and scenes in video games.

“Everyone’s trying to crack that nut to see who can build the most realistic faces and have their characters react and emote and look like their human counterparts,” Flier said. Giant Studios, which operates virtual production studios in Manhattan Beach, Calif, and Atlanta, is known for its performance capture work on such movies as “Avatar” and “The Adventures of Tintin.” But the company now gets about half of its business from the video-game industry.

Giant Studios produced about 60 minutes of content for Microsoft Corp.’s recent “Halo 4” game. As with the “Avatar” movies, actors performed on a virtual stage wearing suits that digitally captured their movements and facial expressions in a process that lasted six weeks.

The firm’s video-game business has increased 50 percent over the last four years, said Candice Alger, chief executive of Giant Studios. “It has become much more lucrative over the years,” Alger said.

“Now they’re doing these very elaborate cinematics, which are almost little films.”

Another major player in the-visual effects industry also sees opportunity in the games sector. Digital Domain rival Rhythm & Hues of El Segundo, Calif., stopped doing games work this year when it closed its commercial division as part of a cost-cutting move. But the Oscar-winning studio, which did the visual effects for the acclaimed “Life of Pi” and was acquired this year by an affiliate of Prana Studios in a bankruptcy auction, is now eager to get back into the sector.

“R&H plans to aggressively expand into the video-game business,” said Lee Berger, president of Rhythm & Hues. “It’s a new market and it’s the type of work that is conducive to what we’re already doing: creating full CG environments with animated characters.” —MCT

Web users reward Palestinian who exposed Facebook flaw SAN FRANCISCO: Internet users have raised more than $11,000 to reward a Palestinian security researcher who hacked into Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg’s profile to expose a security flaw. The fundraising campaign on the website GoFundMe raised $11,035 from 178 people in one day for Khalil Shreateh, and was continuing to take donations after he was denied a “Facebook Bounty.”

“I hope this has raised awareness of the importance of independent researchers,” said Marc Maiffret, a security expert at the firm Beyond Trust who led the effort. “I equally hope it has reminded other researchers that while working with technology com-

panies can sometimes be frustrating, we can never forget the greater goal; to help the Internet community at large.”

While Facebook offers rewards for those who find security holes, the company said Shreateh went too far by posting the information on Zuckerberg’s own profile page without getting consent. Shreateh said on his blog he found a way for a Facebook user to circumvent security and modify another’s timeline, even if they were not friends on the network. He said he took the unusual step of hacking into Zuckerberg’s profile after being ignored by the Facebook security team. —AP

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

Indian cancer patients find uncertain shelter on street MUMBAI: With just a patchwork of colorful plastic sheets to shield patients from the heavy monsoon rains, a Mumbai street acts as an unofficial ward to one of India’s top cancer treatment centers.

Every year, the Tata Memorial Hospital draws tens of thousands of cancer sufferers thanks to its heavily subsidized medical care. But the city’s steep hotel and rental prices force scores to sleep on nearby pavements. “There’s rats, mosquitoes and dirt,” said farmer Suresh Patidar, who stays with his wife Leela, 55, as she undergoes treatment for breast cancer.

“We tried to settle on the other side of the street but the police didn’t allow it.

“A hotel is very costly. It’s impossible,” he told AFP. With their home in the central state of Madhya Pradesh at least 12 hours away by train, the Patidars’ cheapest option has been to sleep on the roadside for the past month, despite the regular torrential downpours. The bandages and surgical masks worn by others on the street betray their common suffering. The

Tata centre offers some free or cheap rooms around the city to poor outpatients, and more are being added, but numbers are difficult to manage as Indian cancer cases increase.

“There will always be more people,” said hospital spokesman S.H. Jafri. “Many NGOs give them food and things on the footpath, so because of that they tend to stay there.” The pavements have offered such patients and their families a temporary home for years, but there are signs that local residents are growing impatient over their sick neighbors.

At the nearby police station, Senior Inspector Sunil Tondwalkar said he had written to Mumbai’s municipal authorities asking them to move the sick streetdwellers to more suitable lodgings.

Locals have complained they are blocking the pathways, and that “they’re eating and going to the toilet on the footpath and the streets. It’s not hygienic,” Tondwalk ar said. He also wants the streets cleared because he says hospitals

can be a “soft target for terrorists”, while “anti-social elements”, such as thieves or beggars, can infiltrate the patients.

Despite their uncomfortable lodgings, the families for now have little alternative. Few Indian hospitals offer the range of cancer care and cheap costs of the Tata centre, where 60 percent of about 50,000 yearly patients are subsidized and 14 percent are treated for free, according to Jafri.

Those on the street said they were contributing to their medical costs, and had sold their land or livestock to help fund their treatment. “People living on the streets are people who earn daily, eat daily, so they aren’t people with longterm savings,” said H.K. Savla, founder of the Jeevan Jyot Cancer Relief and Care Trust. His charity feeds 600 patients and their families in Mumbai twice a day, and he said 150 to 200 people were usually camped outside the Tata hospital. “They have to save whatever they have to manage their treatment,” he explained. A

hotel is an extra cost that could be more effectively spent. Now a government-run centre, the Tata hospital began life in 1941 as a philanthropic venture by the industrialist Tata family after a relative died of cancer, despite going to Britain for expensive treatment. “ They said, what about the poor patients in India? So they started this,” said Jafri. The need for such services is only set to grow in the huge nation, where more than half a million people died of cancer in 2010, according to a study published in The Lancet medical journal last year. Pankaj Chaturvedi, a professor and a head and neck surgeon at the Tata hospital, said cancer is a rising blight as Indian society becomes more affluent. While breast and cervical cancers are the most common among women, lung and mouth cancers are the biggest killers for men owing to the widespread use of tobacco-especially chewing tobacco-across the country.

“Increasing tobacco and alcohol use,

unsafe food and lack of exercise-these are the four factors that lead to an increase in non-communicable diseases of which cancer is a top one,” he said. On top of these factors, improvements in medical science mean people are living longer, and “the longer you live, the higher the chance of cancer”. For some however, it still strikes early. Ponmuth Rajaram Haridas, 22, has been camping outside the Tata centre for four months with his parents while he is treated for blood cancer, having sold off all the sheep on their farm and taken out a loan.

On doctors’ orders that he eats homecooked food, his small and spritely mother makes him simple meals of rice, dahl and vegetables on a tiny stove in a corner of their makeshift tent. Speaking through a surgical mask to keep out the germs, he said he hopes to return to their village in another couple of months after he finishes two more sessions of chemotherapy. “I can’t get to sleep here. The atmosphere is much better at home,” he said.—AFP

Custodian of world’s longest running experiment dies SYDNEY: The science professor who oversaw the world’s longest running laboratory testthe Pitch Drop Experiment-has died after more than half a century on its watch, his university said yesterday. John Mainstone, the former head of the Department of Physics at the University of Queensland, was in charge of the experiment which demonstrated the fluidity and viscosity of pitch, a tar derivative once used to waterproof boats.

The experiment, established in 1927 by Professor Thomas Parnell, was designed to show that pitch, although it feels solid and can be shattered by a hammer blow at room temperature, acts like a fluid and flows through a glass funnel over time. It took three years for the pitch to settle and then the glass funnel holding the substance was cut to allow it to flow out.

In the 83 years since then, only eight drops of pitch have fallen and no one has seen one actually fall, the university said.

Earlier this year Mainstone, who died last

week aged 78 after suffering a stroke, said it looked like the next drop would fall before the end of 2013.

“It’s got a mind of its own and in blink of an eye it can drop,” the professor, who had monitored the tar’s glacial movements for 52 years, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The head of the School of Mathematics and Physics at Queensland University Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop, said Mainstone would be greatly missed.

“Professor Mainstone’s dedication to the long-running experiment well past his official retirement ensured that media, researchers and undergraduate students had easy access to relevant information and an understanding of the important science behind it,” she said. “John’s death is particularly sad as in his time as the custodian of the experiment, he did not see a single drop fall,” she added. The experiment is under constant surveillance, with three webcams trained on it to capture the ninth drop’s fall on camera.—AFP

BRISBANE: This undated handout photograph released yesterday shows John Mainstone, the former head of the Department of Physics at the University of Queensland, with students examining the world’s longest running laboratory test, the Pitch Drop Experiment.—AFP

US panda cub described as healthy and vibrant WASHINGTON: The giant panda cub at Washington’s National Zoo appears to be in excellent health, zookeepers reported after a 10-minute physical exam Sunday morning.

The panda, born Friday afternoon, weighs 4.8 ounces (136 grams), is pink with white fur and wriggled and squealed loudly when it was taken away from its mother, zoo officials said.

A second cub was stillborn Saturday night, but zookeepers were still overjoyed at the prospect of one healthy cub given that pandas are critically endangered and breeding them in captivity has proved difficult, especially in Washington. The cub’s mother, Mei Xiang, gave birth to her only surviving cub, a male named Tai Shan, in 2005. Tai Shan enjoyed rock star status before he was returned to China in 2010. China owns the pandas at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. The new cub had a full stomach, and veterinarians reported that it has been digesting its food, zoo spokeswoman Pamela BakerMasson said Sunday. Its heartbeat is steady and its lungs appear to be functioning properly. Mei Xiang gave birth to a cub last year after several years of failed breeding, but the cub died after six days. Its lungs hadn’t fully developed and likely weren’t sending enough oxygen to its liver.

Following that disappointment, zookeep-

ers changed their protocols for newborn pandas in consultation with Chinese breeders.

The plan was for veterinarians to get their hands on the panda within 48 hours of its birth, and after two failed attempts on Saturday, panda keeper Marty Dearie was able to pry the cub away from Mei Xiang on Sunday morning.

“All the external features looked perfectly normal, so the cub has been described as vibrant, healthy and active,” Baker-Masson said. “My colleagues were very, very happy.

This is joyful news.” Mei Xiang was agitated when the cub was taken away from her, pacing and growling in her den, but the mother calmed down immediately after the cub was returned to her and she began cradling it, Baker-Masson said. Veterinarians will try to examine the cub again Tuesday. Its eyes have yet to open, and its gender will not be known for two to three weeks. A DNA sample was collected to determine the cub’s paternity. Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated with sperm from Tian Tian, the male panda at the National Zoo, and a panda named Gao Gao at the San Diego Zoo. Zoo officials aren’t sure what prevented the stillborn cub from developing, but it had abnormalities around its head and was missing its brain. Results from a necropsy won’t be known for several days.—AP

WASHINGTON: In this photo provided by the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, a member of the panda team at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo performs the first neonatal exam Sunday, Aug 25, 2013, on a giant panda cub born.—AFP

DEAD SEA : (Left) A picture shows salt crystals on the coast of the Dead Sea, which reveals its receding water level. (Right) A file picture shows an aerial view revealing sinkholes created by the drying of the Dead Sea, near Kibbutz Ein Gedi.—AFP photos

Dead Sea, Red Sea plan raises environmental hackles JERUSALEM: A plan to link the Red Sea with the shrinking Dead Sea could save it from total evaporation and bring desalinated water to thirsty neighbors Israel, Jordan and the Palestinians. But environmentalists warn that the “Red-Dead” project could have dire consequences, altering the unique chemistry of the landmark inland lake at the lowest point on earth. Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Nsur said on Monday that his government had decided to press ahead with the 980-million dollar project which would give the parched Hashemite kingdom 100 million cubic meters (3.5 billion cubic feet) of water a year.

“The government has approved the project after years of technical, political, economic and geological studies,” Nsur told a news conference.

Under the plan, Jordan will draw water from the Gulf of Aqaba at the northern end of the Red Sea to the nearby Risheh Height, where a desalination plant is to be built to treat water. “The desalinated water will go south to (the Jordanian town of ) Aqaba, while salt water will be pumped to the Dead Sea,” Nsur said. The Dead Sea, the world’s saltiest body of water, is on course to dry out by 2050. It started shrinking in the 1960s when Israel, Jordan and Syria began to divert water from the Jordan River, the Dead Sea’s main tributary. Israel and Jordan’s use of evaporation ponds for extracting valuable minerals from its briny waters has only exacerbated the problem. With a coastline shared

by Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan, the Dead Sea’s surface level has been dropping at a rate of around a meter a year. According to the lat-

est available data form Israel’s hydrological service, on July 1, it stood at 427.13 meters (about 1,400 feet) below sea level, nearly 27 meters lower than in 1977. Under the plan most of the desalinated water would go to Jordan, with smaller quantities transferred to Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

But Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) and other environmental groups have called on the three partners to reject it on environmental grounds.

Fragile ecosystem The main concern, they say, is that a large influx of water from the Red Sea could radically change the Dead Sea’s fragile ecosystem, forming gypsum crystals, and introducing red algae blooms. In addition, leakage from the pipeline could contaminate groundwater along its route through southern Israel’s Arava Valley. The Israeli ministry of environmental protection says that studies so far leave “vast uncertainty” and it is calling for a pilot project to be run on a limited scale to study the potential implications. But critics contend that a small-scale pilot might not carry enough water to trigger the effects that it is intended to examine. And for the Palestinians, the joint project raises more basic political issues such as Israel allowing them to develop that part of the shore which lies within the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

“We would like to be in this cooperative project,” says Shaddad Al-Attili, head of the Palestinian Water Authority. “We would like to be treated equally as well as the Jordanians and the Israelis,

we would like to benefit from the outcome. “But before all of that we would like to get access to the Dead Sea, not only to get water and to swim in the sea, but also to build hotels and to develop a tourist area.” The Dead Sea’s mineral-rich waters and mud are considered therapeutic, while visitors love the novelty of floating in the brine which does not allow a person to sink. Israelis operate a number of tourist hotels and beaches along the western shoreline.

FoEME has called on the three partners to endorse a set of integrated actions including water recycling and conservation, rehabilitation of the lower Jordan River and even importing water from Turkey-one of three alternatives in a World Bank study that is estimated to be cheaper and have much less environmental impact than the RedDead option. Prime Minister Nsur said Jordan wanted water to supply its northern regions, while Israel needs water in the south.

Jordanian officials say the 500,000 Syrian refugees that Jordan is hosting are stretching its meagre water resources. The majority of refugees are living in the north, particularly the Zaatari camp, home to about 130,000 Syrians.

Jordan had initially agreed in principle to build, along with the Palestinians and Israelis, a $11-billion pipeline from the Red Sea to resolve the problem. But Water Minister Hazem Nasser said that due to the high cost of that project Jordan had decided to opt for its alternative plan, “which we call the ‘first phase’.” Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.—AFP

Boy dies of bubonic plague in Kyrgyzstan BISHKEK: A teenage boy has died of bubonic plague in Kyrgyzstan, the country’s health officials confirmed yesterday, adding that an epidemic was not likely. The 15-year-old was a herder from a small mountain village of IchkeZhergez in eastern Kyrgyzstan, close to the border with Kazakhstan and the Issyk-Kul Lake. He died last Thursday in the Karakol regional hospital, the ministry said in a statement. “After a meeting of doctors, he was diagnosed with bubonic plague,” the statement said. His body was cremated and remains were buried with special precautions.

“We suspect that the patient was infected with the plague through the bite of a flea,” Tolo Isakov, a ministry official who heads the sanitation department, said at a briefing in Bishkek yesterday. The oriental rat flea carries the bubonic plague after biting an infected rodent and may then pass the disease to a human. Officials have dispatched two teams to the area to “catch, exterminate, and study rodents,” Isakov said. He added that the last recorded case of bubonic plague occurred in Kyrgyzstan 30 years ago.

Health Minister Dinara Saginbayeva aimed to dispel fears of an epidemic. “There will not be a

bubonic plague epidemic,” she said. “The form of the disease in the teenager is not conducive to a plague epidemic. So there are no grounds for closing the borders.” Officials have hospitalized and isolated 105 people who have had contact with the deceased, including doctors and medical staff that treated the boy, the minister said.

Doctors are also administering antibiotics in the area, she said. Bubonic plague is a bacterial infection that is a strain of the “Black Death,” a virulent disease that killed tens of millions of people in 14th century Europe. Primarily an animal disease, it is extremely rare in humans.—AFP

Cattle in Burundi - from poetry to milk yields BUJUMBURA: Men in Burundi once recited poems to their long-horned cows as they led them to pasture, before civil war decimated the prized stocks. Now the country is rebuilding its herds, but at the cost of forsaking tradition. Burundi’s whole civilisation was built around cattle. So noble were cows considered that under the monarchy the same word was used for the stomach of the king and the stomach of a cow-quite distinct from the word used for the belly of a mere mortal.

“Before the civil war (of 19932006), we had 800,000 head of cattle,” Eliakim Hakizimana, the country’s top official in charge of livestock at the agriculture ministry, recounted. “But the conflict had terrible consequences on cattle, with only around 300,000 left at the end of the war,” he said. After 13 years of fighting and peace bids between the traditional ruling caste in the Tutsi minority and the rebellious Hutu majority, when an estimated 300,000 people lost their lives, Burundi is trying to build up its herds.

The Tutsis are mainly herders and held most of the cows whereas the Hutus tend to be farmers. During the war the cows became a prime target for militia fighters, seeking not only food but the destruction of what their foes held most dear. “Before colonial

times, before the Europeans came at the end of the nineteenth century, the cow was not just a domestic animal in the kingdom of Burundi,” explained Adrien Ntabona, a retired anthropology professor at Burundi University.

“People talked to their cows, reeled off their ancestry. They had different poems they recited when they led them to water, to pasture, brought them home or milked them. A cow was seen as a person.” Cows are traditionally given names that describe either their beauty, such as “she who

came down from the moon”, or their character. With their long horns and slender forelegs, Burundi’s Ankole cattle were held to be the epitome of beauty. Poets in this small central African nation applied to cattle attributes normally reserved for either women or warriors. Times of day were expressed in relation to activities concerning cows, with morning known as “grazing time” while early afternoon was “time for the calves to come home”.

‘Cows were a link between people’ “When someone wanted a house,

BURUNDI: A cattle herder stands among Ankole longhorns, a breed of cattle native to Africa, in Maramvya, north of Bujumbura.—AFP

a favor or even a wife, he would give a cow,” said Pierre Nduwimana, a peasant farmer in Matana in the country’s south. “A wife was referred to as a two-legged cow who could carry water and cut wood.” “Burundi’s whole civilization revolved around the cow,” Ntabona said. “Cows served as a link between people. They weren’t treated like goddesses in the way they are in India but they were relatively sacred and had to be treated as such.” Long before the civil war erupted, the arrival of colonial forces, a population boom and the shrinking of pastureland in a densely peopled country had all already taken their toll on this traditional way of life, much to the chagrin of some Burundians.

“My father had cows, just like my grandfather and my great-grandfather but I can’t afford to keep a herd,” said Pierre, a civil servant. “I feel very guilty about that-as if I’d betrayed my parents.” Since the war ended in 2006, when the last major rebel group, the Forces for National Liberation, signed a ceasefire, the cattle population has risen and it is now at 600,000 head, according to official figures.

But to acquire a cow today you either need to be rich, as one cow sells for $1,000 (almost 750 euros) — a fortune in one of the world’s poorest countries or to be a beneficiary of a cattle donation scheme. —AFP

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

SYDNEY: (Left) This picture shows snake catcher Andrew Melrose holding a green tree snake he recovered from a house. (Centre) Snake catcher Andrew Melrose holding a green tree snake he recovered from a house.

(Right) A green tree snake recovered by snake catcher Andrew Melrose from a house.—AFP photos

Snakes alive: Deadly tenants nesting in Australian suburbs

In this May 30, 2013 file photo provided by the Murnaghan family, Sarah Murnaghan, center, celebrates the 100th day of her stay in Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia with her father, Fran, left, and mother, Janet.

Mom: PA girl off oxygen after 2 lung transplants PHILADELPHIA: The mother of a 10year-old Pennsylvania girl recovering from two double lung transplants says the girl has been taken off oxygen and is doing well. Janet Murnaghan (MUR’-nuh-han) tells The Associated Press on Sunday that her daughter Sarah was taken off oxygen

but still gets support from a machine that helps her breathe. Murnaghan says that in the last few days Sarah has started to walk around the hospital with the aid of a walker and has even gone outside briefly.

The Newtown Square girl with end-stage cystic fibrosis received the

transplants at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia after a federal judge intervened in her parents’ lawsuit challenging national transplant rules.

Sarah’s first set of adult lungs failed after a transplant June 12. A second set was transplanted three days later.—AP

SYDNEY: They are the nightmare tenants who can live undetected alongside Australian families for years: the world’s deadliest snakes. Australia is home to some of the most venomous species including the lethal eastern brown, which thrive in urban areas where rubbish bins attract prey such as rats and mice. Sydney snake handler Andrew Melrose says some species even spend winter months comfortably curled up inside warm roofs, until they are disturbed, often by accident.

“Some people really panic, and they are screaming,” says Melrose of the residents who call him for help.

“They reckon they are going to sell up and move to a place like New Zealand where there are no snakes.” The irony is that the reptiles have often been living in the house or garden for years, and it is only something out of the ordinary-such as a rare day off for the homeowner or a building renovation-that brings them to light, Melrose says.

Australia is renowned as being home to a startling number of the world’s deadliest creatures, including a range of venomous snakes, spiders, jellyfish and octopuses that can kill a human within minutes. Snake deaths are rare, with only an average of one to four each year, in part because the animals shy away from humans.

“Most of the snakes, most of time we don’t see them,” says Ken Winkel, director of the Australian Venom

Research Unit at the University of Melbourne, who agrees that many people live alongside snakes for years without knowing it. “We are more a threat to Australian snakes than vice versa. In the life of the average Australian, it’s uncommon for them to see a dangerous snake.” Most fatalities are in rural areas but deaths do occasionally occur in cities.

Winkel cites the case of the elderly woman who died after being bitten by a tiger snake while tending her passion fruit vines in Melbourne’s Kew in 2003, and a 16 year-old boy who panicked and ran after being bitten by a brown snake in Sydney in 2007. Although not as venomous as the inland taipan-which is only found in remote areas-the most common killer in Australia is the eastern brown snake which exceed two meters (six feet) in length and which is found across the country. “It’s a very common snake throughout the continent of Australia, combined with the fact that it is not so fussy about what it eats, says Finkel, adding that brown snakes do well in urban habitats.

Snakes usually avoid humans, but curious children present problems. In 2012 a three -year-old boy in Townsville, Queensland, had a lucky escape when he found some eggs, placed them in a plastic container and hid them in a wardrobe. The eggs hatched deadly eastern brown snakes and he was fortunate not to be bitten. The snakes were later released

into the wild. Melrose says most of the call-outs he receives are from people claiming to have a brown snake in their house or garden, but in most cases they are not the deadly variety-often simply brown-colored snakes or lizards.

He says he usually recommends not disturbing the animals. “They are harmless and will probably find their way back there as they have lived there for 20 or 30 years. In a lot of areas... they do live in perfect harmony with the people.” Jim and Carolyn Bland are such a couple, having unknowingly shared their Sydney home for years with a nest of snakes which lived snugly above their heads.

“We found some snake skins out in the backyard,” Jim told AFP. “But it didn’t sort of twig to me that there might have been snakes living in the house or on the house.” It wasn’t until they were re-tiling their roof that workers found one snake and refused to go anywhere near it. In all, three were found-all harmless green tree snakes. “It didn’t worry us at all because we didn’t know they were there,” says Carolyn Bland, admitting that a very noisy possum in the roof and a diamond python snake which had once lived in a back tree had been more troubling.“And once we found out they were non-venomous green tree snakes, well we would have quite happily left them there because they have to have somewhere to live.”—AFP

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

W H AT ’ S O N

SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS

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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

Safir Hotel & Residences Kuwait encourages associates to ‘Stay Fit’

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afir Hotel & Residences Kuwait - Fintas organized a stay fit challenge designed to encourage the associates to get healthy and stay healthy through right diet and regular exercise. The “Stay Fit Challenge” is a twelve- week program spear-headed by the Human Resources Department. “The office can definitely be a place where people end up putting on a few pounds and that’s no surprise. Stay Fit Challenge took shape with the ultimate goal of taking on and maintaining a healthier lifestyle from now and for years to come”, said General Manager Saif Eddin Mohammed. He added, “Poor nutrition and physical inactivity is now considered the number two preventable cause of death, behind tobacco use. Stay Fit Challenge can educate our associates the value of proper

Greetings

diet and regular exercise to start a clean and healthy living. Eventually we all wanted to find ways to be more active and eat nutritious diet in order to reduce the risk of diseases associated with being overweight and obese.”

As part of the event plan, all the contestants were given the opportunity to indulge in the finest aspects of fitness, training by professional trainers, professional spinning coaches, marathon runners, specialized yoga classes and much more. This week all the contestants took part in an aerobics session to motivate and encourage them to push through until the end of the challenge. Prizes will be awarded to the top associates who lose the greatest total percentage of weight between July 1 and Sept 22, 2013.

Enjoy the taste of true Espresso at Vergnano Cafe at Olympia Complex

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appy birthday to you Deborah. May the Almighty God guide and protect you as you grow to be a blessing to our family. Greetings from mom, dad, Life Abundant International Fountain Church, friends and well-wishers.

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he superior quality of the blends comes from the meticulous selection of the best raw materials available, and from an extraordinary production process. Cafe Vergnano is the first to introduce an innovation that brings all the passion and pleasure of the perfect

espresso to everyday life at home.

Espresso is now available in Kuwait, through Al-Sanabel Al-Thahabiya Est. Tel: 22413795/98. Espresso Vergnano can be ordered through www.taw9eel.com Espresso Vergnano capsules are compatible with other espresso machines.

Kuwait Marriott Hotels organizes ‘Open Health Day’

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appy birthday to Mohammad Nawafa! May Allah the Almighty protect you and bless you always. Best wishes from father, mother and relatives.

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any, many happy returns of the day to Shaikh Aslam Basha. Best wishes from father Shaikh Mahaboob Basha, mother Afzalunissa, wife Shaikh Zarina, daughter Rihana, Shaikh Akram Basha, Reshma, Sumaya, Shaikh Samiullah, Shaikh Karimulla, Yahya, Wasim, Fahim, Alim, Arshiya, Shaikh Rafi, Sabeeha, Shaikh Kalimullah, Amanullah, Gayaz, Ghouse Basha, Zubair, Ansar, Asif (Patchi) Mastan, near and dear ones in Kuwait and India.

s part of fulfilling its active and proud Global ‘Spirit to Serve’ initiative, Kuwait Marriott Hotels management team recently organized an Open Health Day at Arraya Ballroom for all Kuwait Marriott associates. Sponsored

by Dar Al-Fouad Clinic in Hawally, the associates received complimentary blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring, BMI calculation and crucial workshops to ensure their overall welfare.

More than 100 associates benefitted from the in-house self-health awareness exercise where in Dr Usama Gameel from Dar Al-Fouad Clinic voluntarily presented informative lectures on First Aid and CPR training. “Through this internal initiative that was undertaken, we hope to create a happier workforce that can rely on the company’s level of commitment and

long standing belief in the wellbeing of the community. Our staff is our bloodline and we hope to safeguard everyone’s complete health requirements by providing preventive methods to lead a healthier and promising life, “said George Aoun, General Manager of Kuwait Marriott Hotels.

Marriott’s “Spirit to Serve” initiative is captured in uplifting human interest stories and important environmental issues across the world. Through drives like inviting its staff to donate blood, Marriott strives to be a responsible member of the local community. It continues to become an important role in people’s lives, and help them overcome adversity, embody a passion for service and achieve personal excellence.

New method for diagnosing children’s lung conditions

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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

reat Ormond Street Hospital and the UCL Institute of Child Health (ICH) are Europe’s largest academic centre for research and education in children’s health and disease. Researchers are set to rewrite the charts they use to assess children’s lungs and diagnose respiratory conditions, following an extensive study of more than 2,000 primary school pupils in London. The £1.2 million study, overseen by Great Ormond Street Hospital’s research partner, the UCL Institute of Child Health (ICH), and funded primarily by the Welcome Trust, has provided the first clear evidence of the extent to which lung capacities differ between healthy children of different ethnicities.

The ‘Size and Lung Function in Children’ or ‘SLIC’ study means doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital will soon be able to interpret each child’s lung function results against the most appropriate benchmarks for their ethnic background when diagnosing lung conditions and making decisions on the best treatment.

Janet Stocks, Professor of Respiratory Physiology at the ICH, said data from the study would be used to create new ‘gold standard’ lung growth charts. These new charts will show the normal range of lung capacities for children of different ethnic groups based not only on their gender, age and height as in the past, but also accounting for other factors like body physique (size and shape). This will improve diagnosis of lung disease and also allow researchers to determine the effects of factors such as socio-economic background and environmental pollution on lung health.

Prof Stocks said: “It has been known for about 150

years that there are ethnic differences in lung function, but never before has there been a multi-ethnic study of this size among primary school children to establish the true impact of these differences and how we might minimise them by taking more appropriate measurements of body physique.

“The new lung growth charts that we create will enable clinicians to assess children’s lungs more accurately, irrespective of ethnicity, and improve the diagnosis and treatment of conditions like sickle cell disease, asthma and cystic fibrosis.”

Last year the ICH researchers tested the lung capacity of 1,600 pupils aged 5-11 from 14 London primary schools. They are now undertaking follow-up testing which will increase the total number of pupils recruited into the project to 2,200 and the total number of measurements to more than 3,000. Prof Stocks said: “In the past, interpretation of lung function was generally based on a child’s height and gender which does not take into consideration differences like chest size. This meant that the same lung capacity would be expected for all children of the same height. However if Child A has longer legs and a shorter body for their total height than Child B, then Child A will have a smaller chest and smaller lung capacity, even if they are completely healthy. Unless body shape and size is taken into account, it could lead to misdiagnosis of lung disease.

Conversely a child with lung disease who has shorter legs and a longer body for their age may appear to have normal lung function and not receive appropriate treatment.” The researchers visited the 14 primary schools in

a 23x10 feet mobile testing lab and provided science workshops alongside the lung measurements, which proved extremely popular with both teachers and children. Dr Sooky Lum, Senior Research Fellow at the ICH, who is managing the project, said: “We had huge buy-in from head teachers because they liked the idea of helping Great Ormond Street and the Institute of Child Health.” Commenting on the lung testing that took place at St Joachim’s Catholic Primary School in Newham, head teacher James Allen said: “This was a good opportunity for the children to make a positive contribution to society in a way other than the usual fundraising. It was also an opportunity for them to see science in use for a real-life purpose, and to meet people who work in science.

“The science workshops that the researchers did with the all the children in the classrooms were fantastic and the children really enjoyed them. It was quite revealing for the children to see how much depth and detail goes into a study.” The SLIC study involved testing children who were categorised into four main ethnic groups black, white, South-Asian (Indian subcontinent) and other/mixed ethnicities. It also took other factors into account, such as the extent to which air quality in large cities such as London may affect children’s lung function. The new gold-standard lung charts will need to be verified in other parts of the world and extended to older age groups before they can be adopted internationally, but are expected to be in regular use at Great Ormond Street Hospital’s respiratory unit within two to three years.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 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 ARGENTINE

McDonald’s Kuwait hosts private screening of Smurfs 2

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cDonald’s Kuwait held a private screening of the movie “The Smurfs 2” at Souk Sharq Mall on Thursday evening. McDonald’s Kuwait constantly demonstrates its support to the community and has always provided activities and events for the special needs community to bring smiles to their faces.

With the help and support of the Shabab Alkair Group, the show included kids from a wide range of local children’s organizations including: Al-Kharafie Kids Center, Abeer 2, and various special needs organizations across the State of Kuwait.

As part of the company’s ongoing commitment to

bring families together; Guests from the media and their families were also invited to attend the screening along with staff members from McDonald’s head office and their families.

Ronald McDonald, Ambassador of Goodwill accompanied the kids to the screening of the movie and shared smiles and laughs with them. Once the movie was ended McDonald’s “Senior Stars” distributed goodie bags to the children that were filled with fun gifts and souvenirs from the movie and the children were able to take pictures with Ronald to commemorate their evening.

The Smurfs 2 is a movie for the whole family to enjoy, that’s why McDonald’s requested staff members and members of the press to bring their families and share this wonderful evening filled with fun and happiness.

Operating since 1994 in Kuwait, McDonald’s today has 69 restaurants geographically located to service customers in many areas, committed to the wellbeing of the society with an active social responsibility agenda, while maintaining high-quality products served in a safe and friendly atmosphere.

—Photos by Joseph Shagra

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 CANADA 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 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 SLOVAK The Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Kuwait would like to inform the public that on the occasion of the Anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising and the Day of the Constitutions, the Embassy will be closed on Thursday, August 29 and Sunday, September 01, 2013. The Embassy would like to inform that the Consular Section is open to the public from Monday to Wednesday from 10:00 till 13:00 hrs.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

TV PROGRAMS

00:45 Beast Lands 01:35 Untamed & Uncut 02:25 Ethiopian Wolf 03:15 America’s Cutest Pets 04:05 My Cat From Hell 04:55 Snake Crusader With Bruce George 05:20 Shamwari: A Wild Life 05:45 Call Of The Wildman 06:10 Call Of The Wildman 06:35 Call Of The Wildman 07:00 Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild 07:25 Great Ocean Adventures 08:15 The Most Extreme 09:10 Project Puppy 09:35 Project Puppy 10:05 Ethiopian Wolf 11:00 Animal Cops Philadelphia 11:55 Snake Crusader With Bruce George 12:20 Call Of The Wildman 12:50 Gator Boys 13:45 Austin Stevens Adventures 14:40 Ethiopian Wolf 15:30 Shamwari: A Wild Life 16:00 Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild 16:30 The Most Extreme 17:25 Penguin Safari 18:20 America’s Cutest Pets 19:15 Monkey Life 19:40 Call Of The Wildman 20:10 Snake Crusader With Bruce George 20:35 Shamwari: A Wild Life 21:05 Hippo: The Wild Feast 22:00 Bondi Vet 22:55 Pit Bulls And Parolees 23:50 Animal Cops Philadelphia

00:30 Gold Divers 01:20 Deadliest Catch-Up 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 Hell Roads 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 Gold Divers 12:25 Deadliest Catch-Up 14:05 Border Security 14:30 Auction Hunters 14:55 Auction Kings 15:20 Ultimate Survival 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 20:45 Auction Kings 21:10 How Do They Do It? 21:35 How It’s Made 22:00 Hillbilly Handfishin’ 22:50 Top Hooker 23:40 River Monsters: Untold Stories

00:05 The Tech Show 00:30 Food Factory 01:00 Prototype This 01:50 Prototype This 02:45 Prototype This 03:35 Prototype This 04:25 Prototype This 05:15 The Gadget Show 05:40 The Tech Show 06:05 The World’s Strangest UFO Stories 07:00 Scrapheap Challenge 07:50 Junk Men 08:15 Junk Men

08:40 09:05 09:30 10:20 11:15 12:05 13:00 13:50 14:20 14:45 15:10 16:00 16:55 17:45 18:35 19:30 20:20 20:45 21:10 21:35 22:00 22:50 23:15 23:40

The Gadget Show The Tech Show Bad Universe Bad Universe Bad Universe Alien Encounters Alien Encounters Food Factory The Gadget Show The Tech Show Scrapheap Challenge Sci-Trek X-Machines Smash Lab How The Universe Works Scrapheap Challenge Junk Men Junk Men The Gadget Show The Tech Show Scrapheap Challenge Junk Men Junk Men 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

Chasing Classic Cars Chasing Classic Cars Danger Hunters Crime Scene Wild I’m Alive Bone Detectives NASA’s Greatest Missions Way Of Life Reign Of The Dinosaurs Chasing Classic Cars Chasing Classic Cars Way Of Life Hell On High Water Toughest Military Jobs I’m Alive Bone Detectives NASA’s Greatest Missions History Cold Case Danger Hunters Reign Of The Dinosaurs Toughest Military Jobs Bone Detectives I’m Alive Welcome To India Chasing Classic Cars Chasing Classic Cars NASA’s Greatest Missions Welcome To India Crime Scene Wild Murder Shift

00:00 00:20 00:45 01:05 01:30 01:50 02:15 02:35 03:00 03:20 03:45 04:05 04:30 04:50 05:15 05:35 06:00 06:25 06:45 07:10 07:35 07:55 08:20 08:45 09:05 09:30 09:55 10:15 10:40 11:05 11:25 11:50 12:15 12:35 13:00 13:25 13:45 14:10 14:35

Hannah Montana Hannah Montana Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Emperor’s New School Emperor’s New School Replacements Replacements Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Emperor’s New School Emperor’s New School Replacements Replacements Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Austin And Ally Suite Life On Deck Shake It Up A.N.T. Farm Jessie Good Luck Charlie Good Luck Charlie Doc McStuffins Mickey Mouse Clubhouse A.N.T Farm A.N.T Farm Jessie Jessie Good Luck Charlie Good Luck Charlie Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up Shake It Up Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck Jessie Shake It Up

15:00 15:25 15:50 16:10 17:00 17:20 17:40 17:45 18:10 18:30 18:55 19:20 20:05 20:30 20:50 21:15 21:40 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:10 23:35

That’s So Raven Good Luck Charlie Jessie Violetta A.N.T Farm Austin And Ally Teen Beach Movie First Look Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up That’s So Raven A.N.T. Farm Violetta Jessie Shake It Up Suite Life On Deck Austin And Ally That’s So Raven Jessie A.N.T Farm Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place

00:05 Special Agent Oso 00:15 Imagination Movers 00:40 Jungle Junction 00:55 Jungle Junction 01:10 Handy Manny 01:30 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 02:00 Little Einsteins 02:25 Special Agent Oso 02:40 Special Agent Oso 02:50 Imagination Movers 03:20 Handy Manny 03:40 Special Agent Oso 03:50 Special Agent Oso 04:00 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 Sofia The First 10:25 The Little Mermaid 10:50 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 11:05 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 11:20 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 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 13:45 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 17:25 Doc McStuffins 17:40 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 17:55 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 18:10 Henry Hugglemonster 18:25 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 20:05 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

00:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:55 United Tastes Of America 01:20 United Tastes Of America 01:45 Jonathan Phang’s Caribbean Cookbook 02:10 Jonathan Phang’s Caribbean Cookbook 02:35 Andy Bates Street Feasts 03:00 Andy Bates Street Feasts 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 12:50 Reza’s African Kitchen 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 Reza’s African Kitchen 22:25 Reza’s African Kitchen 22:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 23:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 23:40 Food Wars

00:15 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 01:10 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 01:40 Bondi Rescue 03:30 Bondi Rescue: Bali 04:25 Endurance Traveler 05:20 Deadly Arts 06:15 Market Values 06:40 Kimchi Chronicles 07:10 Exploring The Vine 07:35 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 08:05 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 08:30 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 09:00 Bondi Rescue 10:50 Bondi Rescue: Bali 11:45 Endurance Traveler 12:40 Deadly Arts 13:35 Market Values 14:00 Kimchi Chronicles 14:30 Exploring The Vine 14:55 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 15:25 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 15:50 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 16:20 Bondi Rescue 18:10 Bondi Rescue: Bali 18:35 Bondi Rescue: Bali 19:05 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 20:00 Exploring The Vine 20:30 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 21:00 Market Values 21:30 Kimchi Chronicles 22:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 22:25 The Best Job In The World 22:55 Maverick Chef 23:20 Delinquent Gourmet 23:50 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway

00:00 World’s Toughest Fixes 01:00 Inside 03:00 Lockdown 04:00 Naked Science 2.5 05:00 Hunter Hunted 06:00 Lockdown 07:00 Blowdown 08:00 World’s Toughest Fixes 09:00 Inside 10:00 Inside 11:00 Lockdown 12:00 Naked Science 2.5 13:00 Jean Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Adventure 14:00 Lockdown 15:00 Living On Mars 16:00 World’s Toughest Fixes 17:00 Inside 18:00 Inside 19:00 Banged Up Abroad 20:00 Clash Of The Continents 21:00 Shark Men 22:00 Banged Up Abroad 23:00 Doomsday Preppers

AMERICAN REUNION ON OSN CINEMA

00:20 Wild Case Files 01:10 Australia’s Deadliest: Shark

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN ON OSN MOVIES ACTION Coast 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 23:30

I, Predator Shark Men Wild Wild West Wild Russia I, Predator Shark Men Wild Wild West Maneater Manhunt Animal Underworld When Sharks Attack Dead Or Alive Crocodile King Strike Force Shark Men Wild Wild West Maneater Manhunt Animal Underworld When Sharks Attack Dead Or Alive Strike Force Shark Men Wild Wild West Maneater Manhunt Animal Underworld When Sharks Attack

01:00 Botched-18 03:00 Covert One: The Hades Factor-PG15 06:00 Barricade-PG15 08:00 The Adventures Of Tintin-PG 10:00 Ice Quake-PG15 12:00 Brake-PG15 14:00 The Adventures Of Tintin-PG 16:00 Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome-PG15 18:00 Brake-PG15 20:00 Gangs Of Brooklyn-PG15 22:00 The Raid: Redemption-18

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:30

No Surrender-PG15 Arbitrage-PG15 Golden Christmas 3-PG15 No Surrender-PG15 This Means War-PG15 Arbitrage-PG15 Of Two Minds-PG15 The Wishing Well-PG15 Legendary Assassin-PG15 The Descendants-PG15 Margaret-18 American Reunion-18

00:00 Wilfred 00:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 01:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 01:30 Family Guy 02:00 Cougar Town 02:30 Friends 03:00 Men At Work 03:30 Men At Work 04:00 Hope & Faith 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Hope & Faith 06:00 The War At Home 06:30 Brothers 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Hope & Faith 08:30 Hope & Faith 09:00 Men At Work 09:30 Two And A Half Men 10:00 Hot In Cleveland 10:30 Brothers 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 The War At Home

12:30 Hope & Faith 13:30 Brothers 14:00 Men At Work 14:30 Two And A Half Men 15:00 Hot In Cleveland 15:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 16:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 16:30 The War At Home 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Last Man Standing 18:30 Raising Hope 19:00 Two And A Half Men 19:30 Arrested Development 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 The Big C 22:30 Enlightened

20:00 Brake 22:00 Gangs Of Brooklyn

20:00 Seeking Justice-PG15 22:00 Looper-18

00:00 Calendar Girls-PG15 02:00 Bucky Larson: Born To Be A Star-18 04:00 Turner & Hooch-PG15 06:00 Falling Star-PG15 08:00 Toys-PG 10:15 Gabe The Cupid Dog-PG15 12:00 Turner & Hooch-PG15 14:00 The Tooth Fairy 2-PG 16:00 Gabe The Cupid Dog-PG15 18:00 While You Were SleepingPG15 20:00 Cottage Country-PG15 22:00 Calendar Girls-PG15

00:10 The Prodigal-PG 02:00 Wild Rovers 04:10 Robin And The Seven Hoods 07:00 Some Came Running-PG 09:15 Bronco Billy-PG 11:10 In The Good Old Summertime-FAM 12:50 Light In The Piazza-PG 14:30 Blossoms In The Dust-PG 16:00 Riffraff-PG 17:35 Robin And The Seven Hoods 20:05 Now, Voyager-PG 22:00 Rebel Without A Cause-PG 23:50 Westworld

00:00 01:00 03:00 04:00 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

Touch Good Morning America American Idol The Client List Good Morning America Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Once Upon A Time Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Touch The Carrie Diaries Live Good Morning America Touch Once Upon A Time The Carrie Diaries Touch Once Upon A Time The Carrie Diaries

01:00 The Preacher’s Wife-PG15 03:00 Angels Crest-PG15 05:00 Snow Flower And The Secret Fan-PG15 07:00 A Fall From Grace-PG15 09:00 The Preacher’s Wife-PG15 11:00 The Vow-PG15 13:00 Love Finds A Home-PG15 15:00 The Key Man-PG15 17:00 The Vow-PG15 19:00 Coriolanus-PG15 21:00 The Firm-PG15 23:30 The Game-18

00:10 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

24 The Newsroom In Plain Sight Banshee Parenthood Covert Affairs 24 The Finder Alphas In Plain Sight Parenthood Covert Affairs Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Alphas 24 Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Alphas Royal Pains Franklin & Bash The Killing Breaking Bad

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 06:00 Hotel Impossible Special 07:00 Globe Trekker 08:00 Off Limits 09:00 Piha Rescue 09:30 Piha Rescue 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 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 Ultimate Braai Master 21:00 Reza, Spice Prince Of India 21:30 Jonathan Phang’s Caribbean Cookbook 22:00 Bizarre Foods America 23:00 Inside Luxury Travel - Varun Sharma

01:00 The Crazies 03:00 Botched 05:00 Covert One: The Hades Factor 08:00 Barricade 10:00 The Adventures Of Tintin 12:00 Ice Quake 14:00 Brake 16:00 The Adventures Of Tintin 18:00 Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome

01:15 Blind Revenge-18 03:00 Waiting For Forever-PG15 05:00 Arthur Christmas-PG 07:00 Flower Girl-PG15 09:00 Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted-PG 10:45 Skyfall-PG15 13:15 The Way-PG15 15:30 Certain Prey-PG15 17:00 Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted-PG 18:45 The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel-PG15

01:00 MIA And The Migoo 02:45 Pacific Pirates 04:15 The Elf Who Stole Christmas 06:00 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 08:00 Krazzy Planet 10:00 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva LA Fiesta!

11:30 Jelly T 13:00 Pacific Pirates 14:30 The Great Bear 16:00 Freddy Frogface 18:00 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva LA Fiesta!

20:00 Hugo 22:15 The Great Bear 23:30 Freddy Frogface

00:00 Toast-PG15 02:00 The Amazing Spider-ManPG15 04:30 Batman: Year One-PG15 06:00 Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax-PG 08:00 Paranorman-PG 10:00 Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part One-PG15 11:30 The Amazing Spider-ManPG15 14:00 One Angry Juror-PG15 16:00 Paranorman-PG 18:00 The Girl-PG15

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 09:30 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 14:15 Phineas And Ferb 14:30 Lab Rats 14:55 Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja 15:20 Phineas And Ferb 15:45 Pair Of Kings 16:10 Kickin It 16:35 Crash & Bernstein

Classifieds TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

Kuwait

SHARQIA-1 KILLING SEASON (DIG) THE SMURFS 2 (DIG) JOBS (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG) JOBS (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG) SHARQIA-2 THE SMURFS 2 (DIG-3D) DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG-3D) THE SMURFS 2 (DIG) Special Show “THE SMURFS 2 (DIG)” THE CONJURING (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG) SHARQIA-3 THE CONJURING (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG) Special Show “THE SMURFS 2 (DIG)” CHENNAI EXPRESS (DIG) (HINDI) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) MUHALAB-1 JOBS (DIG) RED 2 (DIG) CHENNAI EXPRESS (DIG) (HINDI) JOBS (DIG) MUHALAB-2 KILLING SEASON (DIG) FRI THE CONJURING (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:15 PM 5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:30 AM 2:00 PM 4:15 PM 6:15 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:45 PM 1:00 AM 1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:15 PM 6:00 PM 9:00 PM 11:45 PM 1:30 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 9:30 PM

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (22/08/2013 TO 28/08/2013) THE LONE RANGER (DIG) CHENNAI EXPRESS (DIG) (HINDI) CHENNAI EXPRESS (DIG) (HINDI) THE LONE RANGER (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

3:30 PM 6:30 PM 9:30 PM 12:30 AM

CHENNAI EXPRESS (DIG) (HINDI)

12:30 AM

AVENUES-3 RED 2 (DIG) THE LONE RANGER (DIG) RED 2 (DIG) RED 2 (DIG) RED 2 (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:30 PM 6:30 PM 9:00 PM 11:30 PM

AVENUES-4 THE CONJURING (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG)

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

360º- 1 THE CONJURING (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG)

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM 11:45 PM

FANAR-4 THE SMURFS 2 (DIG-3D) THE SMURFS 2 (DIG-3D) THE SMURFS 2 (DIG-3D) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:15 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:15 PM 12:45 AM

FANAR-5 THE CONJURING THE CONJURING THE CONJURING EL7ARAMY & EL3ABIET THE CONJURING THE CONJURING NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

MARINA-1 DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG) HAMMER OF G’S (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG) JOBS (DIG) JOBS (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:45 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:30 PM 12:30 AM

MARINA-2 THE WOLVERINE (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) EL7ARAMY & EL3ABIET (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) RED 2 (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 3:00 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 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 4:00 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

360º- 4 THE SMURFS 2 (DIG) THE SMURFS 2 (DIG-3D) THE SMURFS 2 (DIG) THE SMURFS 2 (DIG-3D) THE SMURFS 2 (DIG) EL7ARAMY & EL3ABIET (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

360º- 2 RED 2 (DIG) RED 2 (DIG) RED 2 (DIG) RED 2 (DIG) RED 2 (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:30 PM 5:00 PM 7:30 PM 10:00 PM 12:30 AM

1:30 PM 1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM

MUHALAB-3 THE SMURFS 2 (DIG-3D) DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG-3D) THE SMURFS 2 (DIG-3D) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG)

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:45 PM

FANAR-1 RED 2 (DIG) RED 2 (DIG) JOBS (DIG) JOBS (DIG) JOBS (DIG)

2:00 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 9:15 PM 11:45 PM

FANAR-2 DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG) DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG) STREET DANCE ALL STARS (DIG) DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG)

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 8:45 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

FANAR-3 CHENNAI EXPRESS (DIG) (HINDI)

12:30 PM

MARINA-3 THE SMURFS 2 (DIG-3D) DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG-3D) THE SMURFS 2 (DIG-3D) THE CONJURING (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED AVENUES-1 KILLING SEASON (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG) KILLING SEASON (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:00 PM 4:00 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:05 AM

AVENUES-2 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

AL-KOUT.1 EL7ARAMY & EL3ABIET (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) JOBS (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) EL7ARAMY & EL3ABIET (DIG) THE WOLVERINE (DIG) AL-KOUT.2 DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG) THE SMURFS 2 (DIG) DESPICABLE ME 2 (DIG) THE SMURFS 2 (DIG) JOBS (DIG) JOBS (DIG)

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM 2:00 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 8:45 PM 11:00 PM 1:15 AM

CHANGE OF NAME I, Bhaskar Hungarkatha of Indian Passport No. G 0638528 hereby wish to change my name to JOHN B. D’ALMEIDA. (C 4491) 27-8-2013

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 5:00 PM 7:30 PM 10:00 PM 12:05 AM

I, Hareesha, Indian Passport No. E 6534426, have changed my name to Hareesha Rama Moolya.

(C 4489)

12:45 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:15 PM 11:45 PM

I, Muruganandham Asokan, Indian Passport No. E6570385, have changed my name to Sam Ashok M. Anand. (C 4490) 25-8-2013

MATRIMONIAL

Prayer timings

Nair girl from Quilon district, 34 years, 153 cm, M.Sc Biotechnology, PhD, now working as scientist at Trivandrum, seeks alliance from well educated, employed youth from India/abroad (Keralite only).

Contact email: pillaisurendran56@yahoo.com (C 4492) 27-8-2013

THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is

1889988

112

Fajr: Shorook Duhr: Asr: Maghrib: Isha:

04:00 05:22 11:50 15:24 18:16 19:36

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

Airlines BBC QTR PIA JZR THY THY ETH GFA UAE ETD THY MEA NIA RJA FDB MSR RBG OMA QTR THY DHX FDB BAW JZR JZR KAC KAC JZR KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC FDB UAE ABY FDB IRA QTR ETD GFA MEA TMA UAE MSR THY KNE JZR JZR KAC KAC QTR FDB KAC SVA JZR

Arrival Flights on Tuesday 27/8/2013 Flt Route 43 DHAKA 148 DOHA 239 SIALKOT 539 CAIRO 5464 SABIHA 764 SABIHA 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI-INTL 768 ISTANBUL 408 BEIRUT 253 ALEXANDRIA 642 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 555 ALEXANDRIA 643 MUSCAT 138 DOHA 770 ISTANBUL 170 BAHRAIN 69 DUBAI 157 LONDON 555 ALEXANDRIA 1541 CAIRO 416 JAKARTA 412 MANILA 503 LUXOR 352 COCHIN 302 MUMBAI 206 ISLAMABAD 332 TRIVANDRUM 284 DHAKA 53 DUBAI 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 55 DUBAI 605 ISFAHAN 132 DOHA 301 ABU DHABI-INTL 213 BAHRAIN 404 BEIRUT 213 BEIRUT 871 DUBAI 610 CAIRO 766 ISTANBUL 480 TAIF 561 SOHAG 165 DUBAI 672 DUBAI 514 TEHRAN 140 DOHA 57 DUBAI 546 ALEXANDRIA 500 JEDDAH 257 BEIRUT

Time 00:05 00:05 01:05 00:40 00:10 01:40 01:45 01:55 02:25 02:30 02:50 02:10 02:00 03:10 03:10 03:15 03:15 03:20 03:30 04:35 05:10 05:50 06:30 06:20 06:25 06:35 06:15 07:40 08:05 07:50 07:25 07:55 08:15 07:45 08:25 08:50 09:15 09:20 09:25 09:30 10:40 10:55 12:00 12:45 13:00 13:10 13:20 12:00 11:35 13:40 13:40 13:45 13:50 14:15 14:30 14:30

KNE KAC SYR RJA JZR JZR JZR QTR ETD KAC UAE ABY UAL GFA SVA JZR KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC QTR KAC FDB GFA JZR AXB KAC KAC JAI RBG OMA FDB ABY MEA IRA JZR MSR KLM ALK UAE ETD QTR GFA QTR JAI FDB AIC JZR UAL JZR JZR JZR DLH JAI MSR THY SYR

472 562 341 640 325 777 535 134 303 1802 857 127 982 215 510 177 542 104 166 618 678 742 144 786 63 219 557 393 774 674 572 553 647 61 129 402 619 189 618 415 229 859 307 136 217 146 576 59 981 239 981 185 135 513 636 574 614 772 1283

JEDDAH AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA LATAKIA AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA NAJAF JEDDAH CAIRO DOHA ABU DHABI-INTL CAIRO DUBAI SHARJAH WASHINGTON DC DULLES BAHRAIN RIYADH DUBAI CAIRO LONDON PARIS DOHA MUSCAT DAMMAM DOHA JEDDAH DUBAI BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA KOZHIKODE RIYADH DUBAI MUMBAI ALEXANDRIA MUSCAT DUBAI SHARJAH BEIRUT LAR DUBAI ALEXANDRIA AMSTERDAM COLOMBO DUBAI ABU DHABI-INTL DOHA BAHRAIN DOHA COCHIN DUBAI CHENNAI AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA BAHRAIN DUBAI BAHRAIN SHARM EL SHEIKH FRANKFURT MUMBAI CAIRO ISTANBUL DAMASCUS

14:35 14:40 15:15 15:55 16:15 17:50 16:10 16:15 16:35 16:40 16:55 17:10 17:15 17:20 17:20 17:30 18:15 18:45 18:40 19:10 19:35 19:30 18:25 18:30 18:55 19:05 19:10 19:15 19:25 19:25 19:35 19:40 20:00 20:00 20:05 20:15 20:20 20:10 20:30 21:05 21:10 21:15 21:30 21:35 21:45 22:00 22:05 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:40 22:40 23:00 23:20 23:10 23:20 23:30 23:45 23:50

Airlines AIC PIA AXB JAI UAL DLH MSR KLM THY JZR BBC THY PIA THY ETH NIA MEA THY UAE FDB RBG MSR OMA ETD QTR QTR JZR FDB RJA GFA THY KAC JZR BAW FDB JZR JZR KAC KAC KAC ABY UAE FDB KAC ETD IRA QTR KAC GFA KAC KAC MEA JZR JZR JZR KAC KAC JZR TMA

Departure Flights on Tuesday 27/8/2013 Flt Route 976 GOA 206 LAHORE 490 MANGALORE 573 MUMBAI 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 637 FRANKFURT 615 CAIRO 411 AMSTERDAM 5465 ISTANBUL-SABIHA 502 LUXOR 44 DHAKA 773 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 240 SIALKOT 765 ISTANBUL-SABIHA 621 ADDIS ABABA 254 ALEXANDRIA 409 BEIRUT 769 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 556 ALEXANDRIA 613 CAIRO 644 MUSCAT 306 ABU DHABI 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 560 SOHAG 70 DUBAI 643 AMMAN 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 545 ALEXANDRIA 164 DUBAI 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 256 BEIRUT 534 CAIRO 513 TEHRAN 561 AMMAN 671 DUBAI 126 SHARJAH 856 DUBAI 56 DUBAI 1801 CAIRO 302 ABU DHABI 604 ISFAHAN 133 DOHA 101 LONDON 214 BAHRAIN 541 CAIRO 165 ROME 405 BEIRUT 556 ALEXANDRIA 776 JEDDAH 324 AL NAJAF 785 JEDDAH 677 MUSCAT 176 DUBAI 223 DUBAI

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Time 00:05 00:15 00:15 00:20 00:25 00:30 00:30 00:55 01:10 01:30 01:30 02:20 02:20 02:40 02:45 02:55 03:10 03:40 03:45 03:50 03:55 04:15 04:20 04:20 04:25 05:15 05:35 06:30 06:35 07:00 07:10 07:20 07:25 08:25 08:25 08:50 09:10 09:15 09:25 09:25 09:30 09:50 09:55 10:05 10:15 10:20 10:25 10:25 11:25 11:30 11:45 11:55 12:10 12:25 13:00 13:00 13:00 13:20 13:45

MSR THY KNE UAE FDB QTR KAC KNE SVA KAC KAC JZR SYR KAC KAC FDB RJA JZR JZR QTR ETD JZR ABY UAE GFA SVA UAL JZR QTR FDB GFA JZR AXB KAC RBG JAI FDB ABY OMA KAC KAC MEA IRA MSR DHX KLM ETD ALK UAE KAC QTR KAC GFA FDB KAC QTR JAI JZR JZR KAC JZR

611 767 481 872 58 141 673 473 501 617 773 188 342 741 503 8056 641 238 512 135 304 538 128 858 216 511 982 184 145 64 220 134 394 283 554 571 62 120 648 343 351 403 618 607 171 415 308 230 860 381 137 301 218 60 205 147 575 554 1540 411 528

CAIRO ISTANBUL-ATATURK TAIF DUBAI DUBAI DOHA DUBAI JEDDAH JEDDAH DOHA RIYADH DUBAI LATAKIA DAMMAM BEIRUT DUBAI AMMAN AMMAN SHARM EL SHEIKH DOHA ABU DHABI CAIRO SHARJAH DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH BAHRAIN DUBAI DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN KOZHIKODE DHAKA ALEXANDRIA MUMBAI DUBAI SHARJAH MUSCAT CHENNAI KOCHI BEIRUT LAR LUXOR BAHRAIN DAMMAM ABU DHABI COLOMBO DUBAI DELHI DOHA MUMBAI BAHRAIN DUBAI ISLAMABAD DOHA ABU DHABI ALEXANDRIA CAIRO BANGKOK ASYUT

14:00 14:10 14:10 14:15 14:30 14:55 15:05 15:30 15:45 15:45 16:00 16:00 16:15 16:30 16:30 16:40 16:55 17:05 17:15 17:20 17:20 17:40 17:50 18:15 18:20 18:20 18:30 18:30 19:25 19:35 19:50 20:05 20:15 20:15 20:20 20:35 20:40 20:45 20:55 20:55 21:05 21:15 21:20 21:30 21:50 22:05 22:15 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:45 23:00 23:00 23:05 23:05 23:20 23:25 23:40 23:55

34

s ta rs CROSSWORD 292

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) ARIES Today you may be out of touch with your feelings—perhaps out of focus.

There may be romantic inclinations, but they may also just be the culmination of too many long working days. If you can, you may decide to take off early—prepare dinner yourself and celebrate life and love with your mate. If you have young people in your home, they might enjoy an evening at the home of your sister or your mate’s sister or some friends that you know. Perhaps a trade can be worked out for this evening. You are at your best when you are with your loved ones and tonight would be a good time for quiet interactions. Look into the possibilities of taking a yoga class. There are many different types of exercise classes that are quite helpful in stress relief.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You pour a lot of energy into most things you do and can have good result in very quick order. This is the time in which you will be able to focus and produce some of your best work. Your outgoing nature is what others see when you teach, guide or help in some way. Your increased self-confidence should bring you in touch with some rather interesting personalities. Concentrate on securing your business contacts for now. At home you may decide to adapt some fragrance for healing and uplifting. Try aromatherapy with incense or potpourri. Myrrh, bayberry, blueberry, vanilla, pine and cedar are all good choices. Your healthcare options, such as massage, music therapy and meditation are pathways to teach, heal or just enjoy.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

ACROSS 1. An ancient Hebrew unit of capacity equal to 10 baths or 10 ephahs.

4. Milk thickened with a butter and flour roux.

12. A numbered compartment in a post office where mail is put to be called for.

15. A strong emotion.

16. A lace used for fastening shoes.

17. Leaf or strip from a leaf of the talipot palm used in India for writing paper.

18. Pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance.

20. Modulation of the frequency of the (radio) carrier wave.

21. One who brings about a result or event.

23. The event of dying or departure from life.

25. 100 toea equal 1 kina.

27. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

28. A character set that includes letters.

32. A port in southwestern Scotland.

36. The father of your father or mother.

41. A decree that prohibits something.

42. American professional baseball player who hit more home runs than Babe Ruth (born in 1934).

43. The rate at which red blood cells settle out in a tube of blood under standardized conditions.

45. A heavy brittle diamagnetic trivalent metallic element (resembles arsenic and antimony chemically).

47. A radioactive gaseous element formed by the disintegration of radium.

48. Using speech rather than writing.

49. A promotional statement (as found on the dust jackets of books).

52. Designer drug designed to have the effects of amphetamines (it floods the brain with serotonin) but to avoid the drug laws.

54. A chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints).

56. American dwarf fan palms.

57. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples.

61. An ancient Egyptian city on the west bank of the Nile opposite Cairo.

62. The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural).

63. Whiten with Blanco.

65. Genus of tropical Asiatic trees having large solitary flowers.

67. Of or relating to the aorta.

70. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

73. A cap with a flat circular top and a visor.

74. A characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves).

76. Greek mythology.

78. An open vessel with a handle and a spout for pouring.

79. Type genus of the Cariamidae comprising only the crested cariama.

81. A defensive missile designed to shoot down incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles.

82. Fraught with extreme danger.

83. A festival featuring African-American culture.

84. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits.

DOWN 1. To some (great or small) extent.

2. A projecting bay window corbeled or cantilevered out from a wall.

3. A summary that repeats the substance of a longer discussion.

4. A bachelor's degree in science.

5. 30 to 300 gigahertz.

6. French philosopher remembered as the

founder of positivism.

7. A very light colorless element that is one of the six inert gasses.

8. On or toward the lee.

9. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

10. Liquid containing proteins and electrolytes including the liquid in blood plasma and interstitial fluid.

11. Towards the side away from the wind.

12. Any of various herbaceous plants whose leaves or stems or flowers are cooked and used for food or seasoning.

13. Evergreen trees and shrubs having oily oneseeded fruits.

14. An aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect.

19. The intoxicating agent in fermented and distilled liquors.

22. A strip of land projecting into a body of water.

24. Austrian composer who influenced the classical form of the symphony (1732-1809).

26. (of securities) Not quoted on a stock exchange.

29. An undergarment worn by women to support their breasts.

30. A guided missile fired from shipboard against an airborne target.

31. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

33. A white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily.

34. Covered with paving material.

35. Reports of the work of a society or learned body etc.

37. Not widely known.

38. A constellation in the southern hemisphere near Telescopium and Norma.

39. United States labor organizer who ran for President as a socialist (1855-1926).

40. Malodorous tropical plant having a spathe that resembles the corolla of a morning glory and attains a diameter of several feet.

44. The scum formed by oxidation at the surface of molten metals.

46. Tropical American tree with large peltate leaves and hollow stems.

50. Any exciting and complex play intended to confuse (dazzle) the opponent.

51. (Scottish) Bluish-black or gray-blue.

53. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

55. Large burrowing rodent of South and Central America.

58. Someone who plays the harp.

59. Constituting the full quantity or extent.

60. A person of Polish descent.

64. United States pharmacologist (born in Germany) who was the first to show that acetylcholine is produced at the junction between a parasympathetic nerve and a muscle (18731961).

66. The capital and largest city of Yemen.

68. A city in northern India.

69. A cut of meat taken from the side and back of an animal between the ribs and the rump.

71. Having nine hinged bands of bony plates.

72. A metrical unit with unstressed-stressed syllables.

75. (used especially of commodities) In the natural unprocessed condition.

77. Committee formed by a special-interest group to raise money for their favorite political candidates.

80. Informal terms for a mother.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

A changeable quality in your personality is just what is needed in the workplace today. You adapt easily to other people’s moods and if needed, can step in where others fear to tread. Your intuitive abilities are heightened—you may sense and feel things that others do not. A higher-up has spoken, but co-workers do not understand; you just smile, enter the office of the higher-up and offer to help bridge the gap, so to speak. Results from your efforts could be clearer messages in the workplace. At least for this time, you have managed to create peace where there may have been problems. You love to work, be in charge and create things for others to enjoy. You are original and daring . . . Your enthusiasm replaces the indifference and negative attitude of others!

Cancer (June 21-July 22) A business or career maneuver is featured today. This could mean a plot to outfox the competition or a bid for a new employee or some other risk. You will have more responsibility and a greater chance for a promotion or financial reward as this comes to an end. Future possibilities are numerous, depending on the actions of today.

Do not push an issue . . . Give your input. This afternoon you will learn where you stand with someone connected to law or real estate. You must pay attention. When it comes to money, you are shrewd. Today, however, there may be an opportunity to invest in some scheme that could wipe it all away—careful! Animals, neighbors and gardening are all going to get your attention later this afternoon.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Equipment failure may have you on the phone most of this morning. It could be that your computer at home would be better than this one on your desk. You opt for home, but higher-ups say to just take a break. This may be one of those days that you just go with the flow. This may be the time to make use of the old beeper. Between yourself and a friendly co-worker, you can keep each other updated. Later this afternoon you may find yourself volunteering to work late . . . But not too late. You could find that there are some fantastic opportunities to relieve stress in some fun ways this evening.

You enjoy spending a little extra money to eat in a fine restaurant or see a movie with a very good friend and perhaps, several of your co-workers or a loved one.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) We all have times of disappointment and this may be one of those days where you become disappointed in someone or some product. There is always a chance for improvement and if asked to help change, correct, return, guide or instruct—you will go the extra mile to do so. Talk things over and find out what is underneath the surface.

With your attention or guidance, difficult situations will work out right. Rising above a difficult situation today is most admirable and may get you attention that you had not thought possible. Good advice from a guide or older person may be in the forecast—a good day. There is a feeling of knowing someone or having been somewhere before when a friend treats you to dinner at a new place this evening.

Word Search

Libra (September 23-October 22) You could experience sudden rebellious lapses when you have heard just about enough from one person or people or sounds. This could be loud music or loud conversation. If you are in the workplace, removing yourself for a break would not be a bad idea. If you are at home, your own music or a walk around the block may create a good enough break for you; consider that you probably needed the break anyway. As energies and concentration returns, you can complete any task that is before you with less confusion. Friends appreciate your gestures of kindness and goodwill this afternoon when you might offer to help care for young people while the adults take a break from moving, painting, yard work, etc. You enjoy sports and might have fun coaching.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Some of the changes you will be making this day will really just be to your benefit. You might decide to update your resume, conduct research and add your name to a list or sign up for noon classes at a nearby youth organization. Your goals might be to continue working in order to support some cause or sign up for an adoption or do some volunteer work. Whatever the case, you make a difference and serve yourself at the same time. Small changes often have big effects later on down the road. Make the right choice and it rebounds to your benefit; the wrong one, or no choice at all, does you no favors. This is a good day for practical ideas and planning about your work or vocation. You may receive some recognition or special attention today.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) If you have a new home, you might be considering the new antitheft devices or perhaps you will get a dog or two. During the noon break at work today bring up the subject and listen to what others do to feel secure. A community newspaper will be helpful by informing you of neighborhood updates and happenings. You might join a neighborhood group for support and information. A clear-minded insight into your own plans and methods is available to you through one or more of these steps. You will find much goodwill from those around you today. Politics and community activities can captivate you and create future ideas. A progressive and helpful mood is developing. This could mean that you will want to participate in community activities.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) It may be time to look in other directions for a career . . . Your idea of how a company should treat the employees or customers may be quite different from the opinion of the company or employer. You could become caught up in some political matter. Another choice seems the wise move—you have waited long enough. Intuition regarding work or health is valuable now; heed it. Laugh at little problems and keep moving forward. Your confident outlook will see you through any difficulties now. Exhibit your abilities to be candid and direct and save the emotions for study at a later time. Remember to use your mind and not your emotions. There may be talk this evening about some ideas for travel or short trips and you are ready to have an adventure.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You will finally be able to leave work early today. Although your career is moving along quite well, you will not be tempted or persuaded to stay late this evening. A relative, friend or neighbor is having a big bash after a wedding or some similar ritual this evening and you have never had the opportunity to go to this type of celebration. This may be some celebration that most people either your age or from your part of the country would never see. You will want to shop and get a gift as well as some fun clothing for yourself. It may be difficult to concentrate. You could feel real support and harmony at this time for circumstances and those around you. When you shop, consider going where an employee can advise you regarding your purchase.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) You are always looking for new ideas that will gain the attention of those you teach or that will help you excel in some task at work. Today, however, others seem to be teaching you. A conference or business exhibition may find you conducting a test so that people will have to have hands-on experience with a product that you sell—making it impossible for anyone to walk away without a purchase. Your mind is full of practical ideas, especially related to your job or skills. You are always coming up with new ideas that will manage things better and make things work. People in the workplace depend on you to make the day a more agreeable one—if you are not at work, they miss you. This evening you will join your co-worker friends for a fun get-together.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 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

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

lifestyle A W A R D S

Justin Timberlake performs at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013, at the Barclays Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York. — AP/AFP photos

I

Miley Cyrus, Justin Timberlake own the MTV VMAs

t may not be a good thing for her, but Miley Cyrus had the most memorable moment at the MTV Video Music Awards. The provocative pop singer was the hot topic at Sunday night’s show: Cyrus eclipsed Lady Gaga’s opening performance of her new single, Katy Perry’s closing rendition of her latest hit and Kanye West’s artsy set. The 20-year-old even grabbed more attention than Justin Timberlake’s performance with his ‘N Sync band mates.

Cyrus twerked and gyrated, stripped and swayed. She sang, too. She had a helper at the VMAs: Robin Thicke. After performing her edgy hit, “We Can’t Stop,” she sang the first verse of Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” and then grinded on the R&B singer in a nude bikini. The wild child also slapped a girl’s butt onstage. Call it the “Blurred Lines” music video 2.0., which aired live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, for a first time.

“Amazing. I thought it was awesome,” Selena Gomez said of Cyrus’ performance backstage. “I love Robin Thicke, too, so I like that they collabo’d.”

Artist to watch winner Austin Mahone also seemed to enjoy the performance: “I thought it was pretty creative. I thought it was pretty cool.”

Twitter said early yesterday that Cyrus was mentioned 4.5 million times on the social network site, ahead of Timberlake’s 2.9 million mentions. Cyrus and Thicke’s performance led in tweets per minute peaks with 306,100. Though they were attention grabbers and nominated for four moonmen each, Thicke and Cyrus walked away empty handed Sunday night.

Timberlake earned three awards, including video of the year and best male video for “Mirrors.”

Days ahead of the VMAs, his rumored reunion with ‘N Sync dominated headlines, and he and his former band mates delivered at the awards show.

As Timberlake performed a medley of his solo hits, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick emerged from the bottom of the stage in suits to sing some lines from their hits

A reunited ‘N Sync including Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez , Lance Bass, Joey Fatone , and Chris Kirkpatrick at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Justin Timberlake with his four trophies for winning video of the year award for “Mirrors”, Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, Best editing and Best direction.

Taylor Swift, winner of Best Female Video.

Bruno Mars poses backstage with the awards for Best Male Video for “Locked Out of Heaven” and Best choreography for “Treasure”.

“Girlfriend” and “Bye, Bye, Bye.” Gomez, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and possibly the entire venue were giddy as the boy band danced like they did a decade ago. Even rappers Wiz Khalifa and Juicy J admitted on the red carpet they were excited to see ‘N Sync hit the stage.

“Half of the moonmen I’ve ever won, I won with those four guys right there,” Timberlake said of his band mates when he accepted the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award. “So above all else, I’m going to share this - we can keep it my house - but I’m going to share this award with them.” Cyrus wasn’t the only pop singer with

Taylor Swift , Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers speak onstage. edge at the VMAs: Swift also turned heads. The 23-year-old, who won best female video, appeared to utter an expletive to Gomez when Swift’s rumored ex, One Direction member Harry Styles, was onstage. The boy band also earned boos when it won best song of the summer for “Best Song Ever,” beating out Gomez, Thicke, Cyrus, Daft Punk and Calvin Harris.

Rapper A$AP Rocky also provided an awkward

Zayn Malik, background from left, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles of One Direction present the award for best pop video for “Come and Get It” to Selena Gomez, center.

moment Sunday when standing next to NBA player Jason Collins, who were both announcing Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ performance. Collins, who recently said he was gay, spoke about coming out as A$AP Rocky looked uncomfortable.

“The next artist is a good friend of mine and he stands up for everything he believes in as far as everybody being equal, color, homosexuality,” the rapper said as he pointed to Collins in another

Drake performs during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.

awkward moment.

But that was followed with touching performance of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ same-sex anthem “Same Love.” It featured the song’s original vocalist, Mary Lambert, as well as Jennifer Hudson. The video won best video with a social message, while their hit “Can’t Hold Us” won best hip hop video and best cinematography. “I never dreamt I would be on a stage accepting an award, any of the awards, in particular for that song,” Macklemore said of “Same Love” backstage. “It’s much bigger than the music. It’s equality, so that was the most special for me tonight, but all of them were incredible.”

Bruno Mars, who won best male video and choreography for “Treasure,” twirled with his two moonmen backstage, while Gomez admitted she thought Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” should have won best pop video instead of her seductive “Come & Get It.” Lady Gaga kicked off the awards show in a less dramatic fashion compared to her past performances. She did change her clothes - and hair various times onstage while dancing and singing her new hit “Applause.” She finished in a thong, revealing her toned body. Katy Perry closed the VMAs under the Brooklyn bridge in a boxing ring, singing her smash hit “Roar.” — AP

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

lifestyle A W A R D S

Rapper Riff Raff arrives at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Willow Smith and Jaden Smith

Winners at the MTV Video Music Awards Video of the year: Justin Timberlake, “Mirrors” Best female video: Taylor Swift, “I Knew You Were Trouble.”

Best male video: Bruno Mars, “Locked Out of Heaven” Best pop video: Selena Gomez, “Come & Get It” Best hip-hop video: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Ray Dalton, “Can’t Hold Us” Best rock video: Thirty Seconds to Mars, “Up In the Air” Best collaboration: Pink and Nate Ruess of fun., “Just Give Me a Reason” Best video with a social message: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Mary Lambert, “Same Love” Best song of the summer: One Direction, “Best Song Ever” Artist to watch: Austin Mahone, “What About Love” Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award: Justin Timberlake Best direction: Justin Timberlake’s “Suit & Tie” (director David Fincher) Best visual effects: Capital Cities, “Safe and Sound” Best choreography: Bruno Mars, “Treasure” Best art direction: Janelle Monae featuring Erykah Badu, “Q.U.E.E.N.” Best cinematography: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Ray Dalton, “Can’t Hold Us” Best editing: Justin Timberlake, “Mirrors”—AP

Tomo Milicevic, from left, Shannon Leto and Jared Leto pose backstage with the award for Best Rock Video for “Up in the Air”.

Selena Gomez, winner of Best Pop Video.

Rihanna, left, and Will Smith attend the MTV Video Music Awards.

Ryan Lewis, left, Macklemore, center, and Ray Dalton accept the award for best hip hop video for “Can’t Hold Us” as presenters Iggy Azalea, right, and Lil’ Kim look on, at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Austin Mahone, winner of the Artist to Watch award.

Singer Miley Cyrus and Mike WiLL Made Katy Perry poses at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Bruno Mars performs on stage.

Lady Gaga performing.

Ryan Lewis and Macklemore, winners of the Best hiphop video for “Can’t Hold Us”.

Miley Cyrus performing on stage.

Musical group One Direction accepts the award for song of the summer.

Ariana Grande performing at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt speaks onstage.

Kanye West performs on stage.

Katy Perry poses at the MTV Video Music Awards.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

lifestyle

Sudanese wins return ticket to Washington in KT Ramadan Quiz contest Here’s the list of winners

KUWAIT: Adnan Saad, Kuwait Times Ramadan Raffle Draw Coordinator poses here with the representative of Etihad Airways and Wataniya Telecom with Abdulaziz Ashkanani, representative, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. —Photos by Joseph Shagra

By Ben Garcia

R

ehab Muhammad Dahab from Sudan was named the grand prize winner in this year’s Kuwait Times Ramadan Quiz contest. Dahab won the grand prize which includes economy air tickets for two to Washington and back. He is currently in Spain and could not be reached for an interview. Syed Arif Hussein, the second winner, was very happy too. “This year’s contest was easier compared to last year,” said Hussein, working as a chief accountant at Boodai Trading Company. “Overall, it was very

informative and we get to know many things”.

Hussien has been taking part in the Kuwait Times competition forever but this was the first time he won. Nedum Annadreen Saleem bagged the third prize. He is currently employed as a messenger (mandoub) at Kuwait Journalist Association. “This is the first time I took part in this competition. I did a lot of research to answer the questions and it wasn’t easy for me but I completed it anyway,” he said. “I never thought that I would win but I am very happy to hear that I am one of the winners,” he added.

Adnan Saad, Contest Coordinator of Kuwait Times Ramadan Quiz said that they received thousands of entries but had to eliminate many forms as they were incomplete. “The forms which were incomplete or had wrong answers were automatically eliminated,” he said. Saad said all the answers were strictly re-confirmed and verified by the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs. “We have representatives here from the Ministry of Trade and Commerce to supervise the draw. We kept the questions easier and more direct this year and reduced complex

questions, on our readers’ requests,” he said. Saad thanked all the participants and sponsors of this year’s Kuwait Times Ramadan Quiz especially Wataniya Telecom and Etihad Airways Co, including Abdulazisz Ashkanani, representative, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

1. Rehab M Dahab 2. Syed Arif Hussein 3. Nedum Annadreen Saleem 4. Muhamad Anas 5. Nadiya Ahmed 6. Chathammally KB 7. Ghanzanfar Ali 8. Mariam S Munsif 9. Muhammad Iftikar Hafiz 10. Raheel Nazim 11. Syed Sajeeda Begum 12. Gariela Rebello 13. Charles Osayanah 14. Shajad Naju Hussein 15. Jayamul Sarifa 16. Muhammad Gulzar 17. Kevin John Thomas 18. Angelina lantaca 19. Reeva Maria Varhese 20. Muhammad Shabeer 21. MA Majeed 22. Rameeza Anas 23. Niranjana Devi 24. Yousef Rafuan Kardame 25. Arlyn Caguiao

26. Muktadir Hussein 27. Shaikh Kadir Basher 28. MD Mujeed 29. Sumon 30. Jayanil Sarefa 31. Habibor Rahman 32. Premnath 33. Abdul Khalid Abubakar 34. Saif Ali 35. Bilal Ubare 36. Shaikh Babu 37. Zahida Porveen 38. Diraj Gurung 39. Remin Rafael 40. Muhamad Nazrul Islam 41. Kumaran S 42. Shahun Arif Mukadam 43. CH Abubakar 44. Christian Evans 45. Amina Esa Perwaz 46. Harish R Puthran 47. Nahla Amir Arain 48. Maram Mahfony 49. Hafiz M Umar 50. Muhammad Yousuf

KT Ramadan Quiz prizes 1st Prize: Two (Y Class) airline tickets Kuwait - Washington - Kuwait from Etihad Airline (tax not included). Elysee men’s & women’s watch, I- Mate mobile, two vouchers from Ruby Tuesday KD 20 each, one voucher from AlJothen KD 40, Babyliss (hair dryer with brush), Dexon juicer, Dexon grill.

2nd Prize: I-Mate Mobile, Cardini men’s & women’s watch, two vouchers from Ruby Tuesday KD 20 each, one voucher from Al-Jothen KD 40, Babyliss (hair dryer with brush), Dexon grill.

3rd Prize: I-Mate Mobile, Elysee men’s & women’s watch, two vouchers from Ruby Tuesday KD 20 each, one voucher from Al-Jothen KD 40, Babyliss Poo, Dexon grill.

4th Prize: I-Mate Mobile, Elysee men’s & women’s watch, two vouchers from Ruby Tuesday KD 20 each, one voucher from Al-Jothen KD 40, Babyliss Poo, Dexon grill.

5th Prize: I-Mate Mobile, Elysee men’s & women’s watch, two lunch vouchers from Ruby Tuesday KD 20 each, one voucher from Al-Jothen KD 40, Babyliss Poo, Dexon grill.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

lifestyle

Accountant wins TIES Ramadan Quiz contest

By Ben Garcia

A

n accountant from Al-Ghanim company was announced the winner of the recently concluded TIES-Kuwait Times Ramadan Quiz contest. Qais Tahseen Kardami who is originally from India, won the first prize at this year’s contest. The raffle draw was held at Salmiya Swimming Pool Complex last Wednesday (August 21) and was attended by a number of people, mostly participants. Ties Center is a unique non-political NGO serving Muslim Westerners in Kuwait with a variety of services like language classes, cultural tours, social events, Islamic information, cooking classes etc.

“I love answering TIES questions because, you have interesting information to share with others as well. It is not exactly a question and answer format only as in some places you have to elaborate the answer as well, “he said. Qais is married with two children and was happy to be a part of this year’s competition. “The Ties Ramadan Quiz requires you to read more of the information they provide to find

your answer” he added. He said he was not after the prizes, but interested in the knowledge it can impart to the readers.

Shuwaib Umer came second, although his mother admitted that she wrote all the answers and she named the entry after his son. “My son is in the ninth grade and he is very knowledgeable as well. I answered it.

He knows that I named him in the contest.

He is happy winning. I was part of it so I am very happy too,” the mother told this reporter. Kumar Srinivasan was named the third winner. Fourth to tenth winners were Anju Raveendran, Fanar Mohammed Hashim, Kevin John Thomas, Mariamma Chacko Varghese, Muhammad Iftikar Hafiz, Rafael Joseph and Muhammad Aniz Ali.

Winners received the following gifts 1st Prize: One year Kuwait Times subscription, watch (men or women), I-Mate Mobile, blender.

2nd Prize: One year Kuwait Times subscription, Kodak camera, blender.

3rd Prize: One year Kuwait Times subscription, Kodak camera.

4th Prize: One year Kuwait Times subscription, mobile, juice maker, Ruby Tuesday voucher.

5th Prize: One year Kuwait Times subscription, mobile, Ruby Tuesday voucher.

6th Prize: One year Kuwait Times subscription, Ruby Tuesday voucher.

7th Prize: One year Kuwait Times subscription, Ruby Tuesday voucher.

8th Prize: One year Kuwait Times subscription, Ruby Tuesday voucher.

9th Prize: One year Kuwait Times subscription, Ruby Tuesday voucher.

10th Prize: One year Kuwait Times subscription, Ruby Tuesday voucher.

Cyrus, Timberlake own the MTV VMAs

36

TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

A mural by British graffiti artist Banksy, dubbed “Slave Labour”, on a wall in north London on July 6, 2012.

— AFP photos

In a file picture taken Gallery assistants adjust “Love is in the Air” by British graffiti artist Banksy ahead of its sale at Bonhams auction house in London.

Photo shows Banksy’s “Flower Girl,” which formerly occupied a Los Angeles gas station wall will headline Julien’s Auctions “Street Art” auction to take place December 5, 2013 in Beverly Hills.

Banksy: From graffiti rebel to auction-house darling T

he auction of works by Banksy, the world’s most infamous graffiti artist, has angered residents of looted London neighborhoods and “embarrassed” the artist as the sale of street art becomes a lucrative enterprise. Hollywood A-listers Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are fans of the British artist’s stenciled designs, known for their irreverent humor and political activism. One of his most famous works is painted on the Israeli separation wall and depicts a young girl flying away while clasping a bunch of balloons. Other notable designs by the Bristol-born artist include a demonstrator throwing a bouquet of flowers, instead of a rock, and a stencil of two British policemen wrapped in a passionate embrace.

The Sincura group, a VIP concierge company which promises to “acquire access to the

inaccessible” sold a Banksy stencil in June.

“Slave Labour”, which depicts a kneeling child working away at a sewing machine making small British flags, appeared in 2012 on the side of a shop in the London district of Wood Green, the scene of serious disorder during the 2011 riots. The mural was quietly removed and later sold at auction for more than £750,000 (800,000 euros). The sale enraged local residents, who said they felt “robbed.”

“We feel very strongly that this piece was given freely by Banksy to our area, it belongs to the community and it should be returned to Wood Green,” local councilor Alan Strickland told AFP. ‘It never was about money’-Moral bankruptcy At the end of July, a similar operation saw another painting disappear from Tottenham,

light the “naked profiteering and untrammeled capitalism which illustrates the greed inherent within human nature”.

The reclusive Banksy, whose real name is reported to be Robin Gunningham, did not respond to AFP requests for an interview, but his views on the subject are expressed in Oscar-nominated documentary “Exit through the Gift Shop”. “So those famous auction houses have all of a sudden started selling street art, everything was a bit crazy, suddenly it all became about the money, but it never was about the money”, he said.

On his website (www.banksy.co.uk), Banksy invites people to freely download photos of his graffiti works and quotes Henri Matisse to convey his thoughts on the sales. “I was very embarrassed when my canvases began to fetch high prices, I saw myself condemned to a

future of painting nothing but masterpieces,” he writes. Another illustration of the perverse effects of his popularity arose recently in Los Angeles.

A disused water tank, on which Banksy in February 2011 wrote “this looks like an elephant”, and in which lived a homeless man, was immediately sold off. Without shelter, the unfortunate occupant received a sum of money from Banksy, allowing him to stay for one year.

“There’s no better guy than Banksy,” the man told Britain’s Independent newspaper.

“He helped me more than anyone in my life.”

In a sign of Banksy’s marketability in a world he claims to despise, the story of this man is now being told in a theatre show called “Banksy: The room in the elephant”, which is currently playing in Edinburgh. — AFP

Puzzle over African coins reveals Aboriginal rock art

Indonesian clerics call for ban of Miss World

O

ne of Indonesia’s most influential Islamic groups is urging the government to cancel the Miss World pageant scheduled for next month, saying the exposure of skin by women in a competition violates Muslim teachings, an official said yesterday. A top-level meeting of clerics was held earlier this month by the Indonesian Ulema Council to respond to protests from some groups over Indonesia’s hosting of the event, even after organizers agreed to cut the bikini competition and instead outfit contestants in more conservative sarongs, council chairman Amidan Shaberah said.

“Our position is clear, we reject Indonesia being the host of Miss World,” Shaberah said. “Because exposing their bodies in a contest is against Islamic teachings.” The council is an influential Islamic body that often issues fatwas, or edicts, including controversial rulings against smoking and yoga. Though not legally binding, many devoted Muslims follow such decrees because ignoring them is considered a sin. Shaberah said the council will not officially demand that the government cancel the event, but will instead recommend that it be stopped. The pageant is scheduled to be held partly on the resort island of Bali, with the final round on Sept 28 near the capital, Jakarta.

“We are not Sharia police, we are not law enforcers,” Shaberah said, referring to authorities who enforce Islamic law. “But we suggest the government cancel it.” Adjie S Soeratmadjie of RCTI, the official broadcaster and local organizer of the event, said the concerns were being heard and that some adjustments were being made to make the pageant more appropriate for Indonesian culture and more like other beauty contests held in the country. “We understand the position” of the council, Soeratmadjie said. “But the show must go on ... we call on the protesters to avoid anarchy and we are sure authorities can maintain security.”

He added that Miss Israel had dropped out of the competition, but declined to give the reason. Indonesia and Israel do not have diplomatic relations. Last week, the hardline Islamic Defenders Front pledged to stage protests across the country to prevent Indonesia from hosting the competition. “The Miss World pageant is only an excuse to exhibit women’s body parts,” said its leader, Riziek Shihab.

“We are obliged to disband it if the government allows it to be held in any region of Indonesia.”

The front has a long record of vandalizing nightspots, hurling stones at Western embassies and attacking rival religious groups. Lady Gaga was forced to cancel her sold-out Indonesia show last year after threats from the group, which branded her a “devil worshipper.” The chairwoman of the Miss World Organization, Julia Morley, earlier confirmed that none of the contestants would wear a bikini. The pageant began in the 1950s, and the first winner was crowned in a two-piece bathing suit. Most Muslims in Indonesia, a secular country of 240 million people and the world’s most populous Islamic country, are moderate, but a small extremist fringe has become more vocal in recent years. — AP

another north London district which had been at the centre of the 2011 riots. The work “No Ball Games”, which shows two children preparing to throw a sign prohibiting ball games, will be “renovated” before being sold in 2014, according to the Sincura group. A third sale, “Flower Girl”, is planned for December 5 in Beverly Hills. This stencil depicts a small girl with a basket in front of a huge plant in which the flower has been replaced by a surveillance camera with a rat’s tail, a recurring motif in Banksy’s work.

As with the other sales, proceeds from the painting, which originally appeared on the wall of a service station in Hollywood, will go to the building owner, not the artist. For Richard Howard-Griffin, director of Street Art London, which organizes guided graffiti tours of the British capital, these auctions bring to

S

olving the mystery of how 900year-old African coins ended up in remote Australia could not only recast the history of foreign contact Down Under, but shed light on Aboriginal rock art. How the ancient Kilwa coins, believed to date from about 1100, came to be discovered on the Wessels Islands off the Northern Territory in 1944 has long posed questions about foreign visits to far off Australian shores. Australian Ian McIntosh, a professor of anthropology at Indiana University-Purdue University in the United States, said rock art found on the islands-which includes one image which appears to show a type of European sailing vessel-could hold some clues.

“A big part of the next stage will be documenting, dating and interpreting (the art), together with indigenous peoples,” McIntosh told AFP from his home in Indiana. The Kilwa coins were discovered lying in the sand by Royal Australian Air Force radar operator Maurie Isenberg during World War II when he was stationed on the island as the Pacific conflict raged. He found nine coins in all, five African copper pieces and four Dutch coins of European origin which are not nearly as old. Isenberg initially tried to sell the coins but was unsuccessful. He put them away for decades and it wasn’t until 1979 that he sent them to a museum for identification, along with a map showing where he had found them.

McIntosh said there were several theories on the coins, including that they were washed ashore after a shipwreck.

European sailors are known to have sailed the coast of Australia in the 1600s, but it wasn’t until captain James Cook landed in Sydney’s Botany Bay in 1770 that the British laid claim to the country.

The coins-believed to have originated in the medieval sultanate of Kilwa, an area

which is now in Tanzania-have led to speculation that parts of northern Australia were visited by other mariners from as far away as the Middle East and Africa.

As McIntosh wrote in a recent paper for the journal “Australian Folklore”, in terms of the chain of events in the discovery, “the argument for the involvement of Kilwa traders and also the Portuguese is quite compelling”. He notes the sea route from Kilwa in east

East Africa to northern Australia,” he said.

“The whole point of this initial site survey was to try and get enough evidence to push us in particular directions.” What the researchers did uncover was the Aboriginal rock art and some potential evidence of shipwrecks-a not unlikely proposition given the dangerous reefs off the islands-in the form of a six-foot piece of timber from a boat.

McIntosh said the scientists would work with indigenous people to look at

These undated pictures released by the Powerhouse Museum Sydney show ancient Kilwa coins from Africa, believed to date from about 1100, from the collection of Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum.

— AFP photos

Africa to Oman and then onto India, Malaysia and Australia’s close neighbor Indonesia was well established by the 1500s and probably for many hundreds of years before that. McIntosh said a number of his team felt the coins had simply been washed ashore but admitted “we’re still toying with a whole bunch of ideas here”. The academic says one explanation could be that a known Indonesian, a shipwreck survivor who lived his life on the Wessels Islands, could have brought the coins to the area. The coins, he speculates, may have represented this man’s “worldly wealth”.

McIntosh said an expedition he led in July to the site where the coins were dis-

covered, which involved an intensive search in the harsh terrain, had not uncovered any further coins. “Over the past couple of years we’ve developed a whole series of hypotheses to explain how those coins might have got from

the art and see whether it matches any known ship types, adding that there were multiple stories of interaction in the past with “different people-black and white from somewhere else, not Aboriginal”. For now the mystery remains. “These coins probably remained in circulation for a couple of hundred years but only in the vicinity of East Africa, beyond that they didn’t have value,” McIntosh said, adding that other coins of this type had only been found in Zimbabwe and Oman. “Nowhere else in the world have they been found, except for northern Australia,” said McIntosh.

“Very unusual. That’s had everybody puzzled.” — AFP