27 Aug 2013 by Kuwait Times

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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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

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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

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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

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

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

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

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

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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

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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

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