17th Sep

CR IP TI ON BS SU

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

Kuwait denies ban on Syria vegetables

40 PAGES

NO: 15931

150 FILS

3

www.kuwaittimes.net

THULQADA 11, 1434 AH

Engineers begin to lift wrecked cruise liner

7

Colorado towns clean up, death toll up

Packers crush Redskins, Chargers roll

20

9

Shooting rampage in US navy yard; 12 dead One gunman killed, 2 suspects on loose near Capitol

WASHINGTON: A general view shows police and first responder activity on M Street, SE near the Washington Navy Yard following a shooting rampage yesterday in Washington, DC. (Inset right) A helicopter lifts a wounded person off the roof and (inset left) President Barack Obama speaks about the shooting. — AFP/AP

Speaker: Housing, health, education top priorities KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim said here yesterday that a recent opinion poll on Kuwaiti citizens’ priorities showed that housing, health and education topped the list.

Speaking at a news conference on the findings of the poll, carried out by the Assembly in collaboration with several other agencies, Al-Ghanim said the issue of housing came first in the list of public priorities by 21 percent, followed by health by 17 percent and then education by 13 percent. The opinion poll included 10,551 out of a total of 439,715 eligible voters, constituting 2.4 percent, he said, adding that the sample attracted different age groups from several constituen-

cies. The opinion poll is part of an effort to set out a mechanism to fulfill the expectations and hopes of the Kuwaiti people, the speaker pointed out. But, he urged people to be realistic as real ambitions greatly outweigh the capabilities and potential of the executive agency.

The poll is mainly intended to gauge the opinions of the Kuwaiti people, a thing which would have a significant influence on decision-making, he said. The next step is to hold consultative meetings with members of parliament to look into such public priorities, the speaker said, noting that the first consultative meeting will be held today. — KUNA

WASHINGTON: A shooting rampage in the heart of a US Navy complex in Washington left at least 12 people dead yesterday. One shooter was killed, but police were looking for two other possible gunmen wearing military-style uniforms. President Barack Obama said he is mourning “yet another mass shooting” and called it a “cowardly act.”

Officials said at least four people were wounded three critically - in the rampage at the Washington Navy Yard, including a law enforcement officer. The shooting led to tightened security at the Capitol and White House nearby. DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier announced the death toll and said people were being told to stay in their homes and out of the area. “The big concern for us right now is, we potentially have two other shooters that we have not located,” Lanier said. It was not immediately clear whether the number of dead included a gunman. Lanier said there was no indication of a possible motive. Authorities identified the dead shooter as a Navy employee whose work status had been changed earlier this year, said a federal government official who spoke only on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak on the record. While that may suggest the motive was job related, authorities haven’t ruled out anything including terrorism, the official said.

Police said a man in a tan, military-style outfit who had been sought in connection with the shooting rampage at the Washington Navy Yard has been identified and is not a suspect or a person of interest in the slayings.

The DC Police Department said in a tweet yesterday that the man has been identified and is not believed to be a gunman or otherwise involved in the shootings that left 12 dead. Cathy Lanier had said earlier in the day that police were searching for two other people wearing military-style uniforms. It wasn’t known if those two people were actually military employees.

Witnesses described a gunman firing down on a cafeteria from an upper floor and a gunman firing at people in a hallway on another floor. It wasn’t clear whether the witnesses were describing the same gunman. About 3,000 people work at the Naval Sea Systems Command headquarters, which builds, buys and maintains the Navy’s ships and submarines and combat systems.

Continued on Page 13

UN: Convincing evidence’ of Syria chemical attack UNITED NATIONS: UN inspectors said in a report yesterday there is “clear and convincing evidence” that chemical weapons were used on a relatively large-scale in an attack last month in Syria that killed hundreds of people.

The findings represent the first official confirmation by scientific experts that chemical weapons were used in the Syrian conflict, but the first page of the report, seen by the AP, left the key question of who launched the attack unanswered. The US has said the regime of President Bashar Assad was behind it, while the Syrian government accuses the rebels.

Secretary of State John Kerry briefed US allies on

Zawahri issues first guidelines for jihad

Miss New York Nina Davuluri poses for photographers following her crowning as Miss America 2014 on Sunday in Atlantic City. — AP (See Page 40)

Max 44º Min 24º High Tide 09:29 & 22:57 Low Tide 03:31 & 16:42

LONDON: Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahri has issued his first specific guidelines for jihad, urging restraint in attacking other Muslim sects and nonMuslims and in starting conflicts in countries where jihadis might find a safe base to promote their ideas.

The document, published by the SITE monitoring service, provides a rare look at Al-Qaeda’s strategy 12 years after the Sept 11 attacks on the United States and the nature of its global ambitions from North Africa to the Caucasus to Kashmir.

While Al-Qaeda’s military aim remained to weaken the United States and Israel, Zawahri stressed the importance of “dawa”, or missionary work, to spread its ideas. “As far as targeting the proxies of America is concerned, it difAyman Al-Zawahri fers from place to place. The basic principle is to avoid entering into any conflict with them, except in the countries where confronting them becomes inevitable,” he said.

Those comments are particularly relevant for North Africa, where many analysts believe Al-Qaeda is using the less restrictive environment which followed the 2011 Arab uprisings to seek new followers, often Continued on Page 13

a broad agreement reached over the weekend with Russia to end Syria’s chemical weapons program, pressing for broad support for the plan that averted US military strikes. Kerry met in Paris with his counterparts from France, Britain, Turkey and Saudi Arabia before seeking a UN resolution that would detail how Syria can secure and destroy its stockpile.

In Geneva, the chairman of a UN war crimes panel said it is investigating 14 suspected chemical attacks in Syria, dramatically escalating the stakes.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was scheduled to present the UN inspectors’ report to the UN Security Council yesterday.

Continued on Page 13

Ban Ki-moon

Egypt forces storm rebel-held town CAIRO: Security forces backed by armored vehicles and helicopters yesterday stormed a town south of Cairo that had been held for over two months by militants loyal to the ousted Islamist president, swiftly taking control despite some resistance from gunmen.

The pre-dawn operation to retake Dalga in Minya province underlined the resolve of the military-backed government to go after Islamic militants behind a wave of violence in several parts of the country following the ouster of Mohammed Morsi in a popularly backed July 3 military coup. Minya in particular suffered a collapse of security, with militants torching and looting courthouses, churches, local government houses and police stations.

Army troops are also going after militants in the strategic Sinai Peninsula where attacks on security forces have grown more frequent, and deadlier, since Morsi’s ouster. Dalga, some 300 kilometers (190 miles) south of Cairo,

attracted nationwide attention because militants there threw the local police force out and took over the town after Morsi’s ouster. Many of Dalga’s minority Christians, about 20,000 of the town’s 120,000 residents, have been paying militants for their protection. One of two churches torched by the militants in August is thought to be 1,600 years old. Remains of revered clerics buried in the church were disturbed and scattered around and ancient icons were taken away.

Local activists Adel Shafiq in Dalga and Ezzat Ibrahim in nearby Malawi said a joint force of army and police rolled into Dalga before dawn yesterday. They said there were about 10 minutes of intense gunfire, followed by sporadic bursts of heavy fire as government forces began house-to-house searches to arrest militants. A total of 88 suspected militants were arrested out of a list of 312 wanted men, according to security Continued on Page 13

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

LOCAL Proposal to store oil in floating tanks to cope with emergencies

KUWAIT: The Ambassador of Mexico Luis Alberto Barrero hosted a reception at Radisson Blue hotel on the occasion of the National Day of his country. A number of highranking officials, diplomats and media personnels attended the reception. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

KUWAIT: Sheikh Fahad Al-Daoud Al-Sabah, an expert on oil strategic affairs, has proposed storing Kuwaiti crude oil in floating tanks abroad to cope with possible dire eventualities such as closure of the key Hormuz Strait.

Coordination among member states of the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council is very much important to deal with future hazards that might threaten oil supplies to states around the world, particularly in emergency conditions, Sheikh Fahad said yesterday.

He called for mapping out a contingency plan, in face of threats to disrupt flow of oil to the world markets. “The Hormuz Strait is weak point for the Arab Gulf particularly at times of crises, especially with respect to the oil, commercial, food supplies, thus strategic alternative solutions must be found to ensure flow of the oil regularly.”

Kuwait should ponder acquisition of floating oil storage tanks to be installed in some countries for sake of maintaining its oil exports in crises, said Sheikh Fahad, pointing out such a plan would ensure alternative means for crude exports and Kuwait’s strategic oil security.

Such a plan ensures flexible transfer of the oil, meets the international market demand and averts crises that may send prices of the crude to high levels, he added.

Sheikh Fahd further indicated that Kuwait should follow Saudi Arabia’s example in this regard, noting the kingdom secured “strategic alternatives far away from Hormuz, at its numerous sea ports in the east and west.”

On forecast record hikes of the oil price if the United States attacks Syria, he expressed his opinion that the prices might soar to more than $250 per barrel.

Oil prices are currently stable “but conditions may change if the war erupts and its scope expands in the region,” he warned, affirming that such a dire eventuality would certainly affect the oil supplies.

He also noted that the war prospects may strengthen in case Syria tried to procrastinate and dodge its commitments to dismantle its arsenal of chemical arms, and this in turn would push the oil prices high. —KUNA

Kuwait plans to naturalize 4,000 bedoons this year List of candidates sent to cabinet KUWAIT: Kuwait announced plans to grant citizenships to stateless residents as per a law which allows naturalizing a maximum of 4,000 candidates a year, a local daily reported yesterday quoting Cabinet sources familiar with the case. The decision was announced during a recent meeting between Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, President of the Central Apparatus for Illegal Residents Saleh AlFadhalah and General Director of the General Department of Citizenships and Passports Sheikh Mazin Al-Sabah, revealed sources who spoke to AlAnba.

According to the sources, a list containing the names of 700-1,000 stateless residents should be ready by early November to be viewed during a Cabinet session later the same month. Priority will be given to bedoons who worked in the military or oil sector, and first degree relatives of Kuwaiti nationals, while all candidates must meet the criteria for naturalization which includes a clear criminal record and documents relating to the 1965 census, the source said.

Meanwhile, Al-Anba quoted a source in the Central Apparatus for Illegal Residents who said that the body sent a list to the Cabinet two weeks ago containing the names of bedoons who meet the conditions, and plans to send a similar list this month. The Cabinet also received naturalization lists for bedoon servicemen from the interior and

defense ministries, the source added.

Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Sabah met with the Central Apparatus for Stateless Residents after assuming his duties last month to view the latest updates regarding their research.

Several MPs announced plans since then to propose establishing a temporary panel whose job is to follow up with government’s procedures regarding the issue.

The parliament approved a bill last March that increased the number of candidates the government can naturalize a year to 4,000 after the government agreed to give priority to stateless residents, but the parliament’s dissolution three months later prevented lawmakers from following up with the government’s procedures to put the law into effect.

Kuwait is home to approximately 105,000 stateless residents who demand citizenship as well as civil and social rights they are deprived from, given their ‘illegal’ status. The government, in the meantime, argues that only 34,000 qualify for consideration while the rest are Arabs or descendents of Arab people who deliberately disposed their original passports after coming to Kuwait to seek citizenship in the oil-rich country.

In an effort to sort out the stateless residents’ community and find the really deserving ones including residents whose bedoon ancestors failed to register for citizenship following Kuwait’s independence more than 50 years ago - the Kuwaiti gov-

ernment established the Central Apparatus for Illegal Residents in 2010 with a five-year ultimatum to complete the job. Al-Fadhalah announced last May that the Apparatus has so far been able to identify the original nationalities of 67,000 out of 93,000 ‘bedoons’ registered in the records.

Measures were adopted within a year of the Apparatus’ work to grant stateless residents numerous rights including obtaining marriage, birth and death certificates. Several protests have taken place over the past few years, resulting in the arrest of 200 men for illegal gathering. Furthermore, stateless residents’ complaints of discrimination were fueled even more last year when the government introduced a new form of security IDs used as bedoons’ main form of identification. The cards contain colored tags referring to the category under which a holder is recognized in state records, including those eligible for naturalization and others the government claims belong to other countries. For example, a bearer of a red-tagged card is classified under ‘people with criminal restrictions’ which renders naturalization applications automatically disqualified.

Although not used in official state documents, the term ‘bedoon’, which is Arabic for without, remains the most commonly used name to refer to stateless residents since members of the community live without nationality since birth. It is a term used often by the media, press, human rights activists, parliament members and even government officials.

Ghana: More girls trafficked to Kuwait ACCRA: A school proprietor who was arraigned before an Accra Circuit Court on the charge of human trafficking has been scheduled to undergo full trial on Oct 10. Peter Nana Kwakye Firam is alleged to have recruited one Margaret Agyekum and others from Ghana to Kuwait, under the pretext of securing them better jobs.

The accused person, who had been paid in advance for the recruitment of the victims, transported them to Kuwait by air, where, upon their arrival, they were made to work under harsh conditions.

Peter Nana Kwakye Firam was arrested by the

police, when one of the victims had the chance to report the incident to a relative in Ghana through a phone call.

Upon his arrest, he admitted the offence, but later pleaded not guilty to the charge leveled against him before the court presided over by Sedina Agbemva. He was admitted to bail with two sureties each.

Sometime in 2012, Peter Nana Kwakye Firam informed the complainant that he operates a travel and tour agency, and that there was a lucrative job in Kuwait.. The Prosecutor, Chief Inspector Samuel Sakwah, told the court that upon the information,

the complainant ‘s mother, who is a witness in the case, became interested and gave the accused an amount to enable him acquire documents from an agency in Kuwait called Saad Shahel, owned by one Rooney.

“The victim, after paying the said amount, was finally transported to Kuwait on July 24, 2012.

Upon arrival in Kuwait, the victim’s Ghanaian passport, number H2196293, her mobile phone, and all other documents were seized, and she and other Ghanaians were forced to do hazardous work, and their movement restricted as they were working under guard,” the prosecutor stated.—Al-Africa

KUWAIT: The marine security department of the Coast Guard intercepted a boat which was coming from Iran and found four people on board and 80 pieces of what is suspected to be hashish. — By Hanan Al-Saadoun

More than 92,000 expats entered labor market in 2012 KUWAIT: More foreign workers came to Kuwait last year compared to 2011, according to official statistics, which show a notable difference between the number of work permits issued and the actual labor forces who entered the local market.

According to figures quoted by Al-Jarida yesterday, 138,433 work permits were released in 2012, which have showed an increase by 591 compared to 2011. Meanwhile, they show that the number of new labor forces who came to Kuwait was 92,355, and that 58 percent of the work permits were issued in favor of government contracts and projects. The statistics were made available to the newspaper by Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor sources who requested anonymity because they did not have the permission to reveal the information.

Meanwhile, the sources revealed that 644,116 work visas were renewed last year which was up by 86,017 compared to 2011. On the other hand, visa transfer operations in the public sector reached 173,864 last year, down by nearly 12,000 compared to a year before. The number of visas transferred from the private to the public sector reached 3,958, while the number of visitor’s visas that were transferred to work visas reached around 13,000. Furthermore, the statistics indicate that 7,485 dependency visas were transferred to work visas in the private sector, while 17,540 Article 20 visas given to domestic workers were transferred to Article 18 visas which are issued to private sector employees. According to the statistics, around 67,000 visas for expatriate workers were canceled last year either because of

travel or death. In other news, Al-Anba daily reported yesterday that the Civil Service Council was scheduled to approve the new organizational structure for the Manpower Public Authority, which will replace the sponsorship system in handling expatriate labor recruitment duties. The parliament passed a law to establish the authority earlier this year and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor launched efforts to set the body up under its supervision with hopes of starting operations before the year ends.

Once that happens, the plan is to have the authority handle private companies’ demand for expatriate labor forces, effectively replacing the sponsorship system that has come under pressure over the past few years.

Separately, the Kuwait Trade Union Federation warned in a recent statement that procedures to close companies which violate labor regulations could prove more harmful for workers who would lose their jobs in the process.

Local dailies on Sunday quoted Jamal AlDousary, MSAL Undersecretary Assistant for the Labor Sector who said that files of 88 companies are currently under investigations while 14 firms have already been shut down. “Al-Dousary’s statements do not provide explanations regarding the fate of employees of those companies, and even adds to the obscurity of the situation when he later indicated that all visas registered in a company’s file will become void once the company is shut down”, said Abdurrahman Al-Ghanim, Head of the KTUF’s Expatriate Labor Forces Office. He further questioned whether the ministry has taken into account “the legal, economic, social and

humanitarian repercussions” of those steps, as well as the fate of “thousands of workers who will effectively become wanted for illegal residence for no mistake of theirs”.

And while Al-Ghanim whose statements were published by Al-Qabas yesterday, applauded the ministry’s efforts to fight irregularities in the labor market including visa trafficking, he reiterated demands for scrapping the sponsorship system as “the real solution to the abnormal conditions in the labor market”.

Kuwait has been the subject of criticism from rights groups over the past few years over human rights violations resulting mostly from practices relating to problems in the sponsorship system.

For example, the system has loopholes which are exploited by visa traffickers to release work permits for fake companies or nonexistent job openings, and then sell them to unskilled labor forces looking for a chance to work in the oil-rich Gulf region. Once they reach Kuwait, workers in most cases end up with no jobs, resort to accepting hard labor, and often live without valid visas.

Kuwait is home to 2.6 million expatriates who make 68 percent of the country’s 3.8 million population, while official state figures indicate that there are nearly 90,000 living illegally in the country. Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Thekra AlRashidi announced last March that the government has a ‘demographic balance restoration plan’ which calls for deporting 100,000 foreigners each year as part of a scheme to cut the country’s expatriate population by one million within a decade. No details were since given regarding the mechanism to execute those plans, however.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

LOCAL

No Kuwaiti ban on import of fruits, vegetables from Syria Contamination fears baseless?

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Kuwait is still importing fruits and vegetables from Syria, despite suspicions that they might be contaminated after the chemical attacks in the country. Ala’ Abu Naser from the management of Alforda at the biggest fruit and vegetable market in Sulaibiya said that they haven’t received any instructions from the Ministry of Health to stop importing fruits and vegetables from Syria.

“We still have fruits and vegetables coming from Syria and even today, we received a fresh stock. The inspectors at the Customs Department and at the municipality keep a check on imported food stock to make sure it’s not spoiled and doesn’t pose a health risk,” he told the Kuwait Times yesterday.

“In case of chemical contamination of fruits and vegetables, I think they need to take samples to the Ministry of Health lab

and have them tested. The Ministr y of Foreign Affairs is involved and should play a role in banning Syrian products from entering Kuwait. We still don’t have inspectors from the Ministry of Health visiting but they are expected shortly,” added Abu Naser.

A source from the Kuwait municipality told an Arabic daily yesterday that the facilities available at the laboratories aren’t good enough to test all the fruits and vegetables which are imported and said that the checking is only “external”.

The source also mentioned that other countries also import fruits and vegetables from Syria which are exported to Kuwait and the source of origin will be completely unknown.

Saleh Al-Kanderi, a member of the Food Safety Committee noted that the municipality only inspects “visually”. “We are dealing with the Ministry of Health’s laboratory to examine the food stocks. We are not author-

ized to ban selling or importing any fruits or vegetables from Syria unless we receive an official letter from the Ministry of Health stating that these products are not suitable for human consumption,” he pointed out.

Dr Fahad Al-Anezi, Head of Pediatric department at Jahra Hospital assured people that the fruits and vegetables imported from Syria don’t pose a danger to health upon consumption.

“Usually chemical weapons use sarin gas and its effects wear off after some time.

Phosphate also tends to weaken after a few days. These imported products need about 10 days at least to reach Kuwait from Syria by which time, the effects would have disappeared. Even if the consumer is a child, the worst side effect would be diarrhea, vomiting or stomach ache. The residents of the area may be affected by these products but washing the fruits and vegetables will be enough,” he pointed out.

Oppositionists entertain ‘bold steps’ KUWAIT: Former opposition lawmaker Mohammad Hayef did not run for parliament during last July’s elections, but unlike fellow oppositionists who took a political stand to boycott the polls, he urged his supporters to vote because according to him “boycotting has reached a dead-end”.

“To be honest, there are many people disappointed with our decision to boycott the past elections”, said Badr Al-Dahoum, who was one of the 35 oppositionists who formed a majority in the parliament elected on February 2012, which was dissolved four months later. He further told Al-Rai daily that a decision to participate in future elections “remains in the hands of the Majority Bloc” - the name given to the oppositionists’ coalition, but indicated that “everyone is entitled to their individual opinion at the end of the day”.

Al-Dahoum also spoke about the opposition’s activity during their absence from parliamentary work.

“Protests are currently put on hold to prevent escalations given the situation locally and regionally”, he said, further explaining that the opposition wants to avoid having its movement misinterpreted as “an action against the ruling system”.

The opposition boycotted last July ’s elections even after the Constitutional Court made a ruling a month earlier to uphold an amendment to the electoral which cut the number of votes a voter is entitled to cast from four to one. The amendment was implemented via an emergency decree that HH the Amir approved during the parliament’s absence, prompting protests from the opposition who insist that while HH the Amir has constitutional right to

issue emergency decrees, changes to the electoral law must be made in the parliament. “We boycotted and fought for the people and in defense of their rights, but they went and voted and at the end of the day, everyone is entitled to their opinions”, Al-Dahoum indicated.

There has been speculation in recent months that the opposition could consider dropping their boycott if the current parliament amended the electoral law - with the most discussed proposal calling for increasing the number of maximum votes to two per voter. “We honored our promise to boycott the elections, but if the general interest required different steps, they we will have the courage to take those steps in accordance with any new developments”, said Majority Bloc member Osama Al-Munawer, when approached by Al-Rai for a comment.

KUWAIT: A fruit and vegetable stall at one of the markets in Kuwait. The image is used only for illustrative purpose.— Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Dashti renews victory claims

By A Saleh KUWAIT: Member of the annulled parliament Dr Abdelhameed Dashti renewed his earlier claims by saying “I am the winner of the parliamentary elections, and everyone will see the lists during the session on October 7, which includes the names of the 10 winners in each constituency, as approved by the heads of election committees.” He said “I am not against MP Maasouma Al-Mubarak, but regretfully, the list of winners does not include her name, and instead has my name.”

Meanwhile, Dashti refused to launch attacks against State Minster for Planning and Development Dr Rola Dashti, saying that there are “ministers who deserve to be grilled more than her, but no one spoke about them.” He found it strange that Shiite MPs attacked her and said that it will cause a rift among Shiites.

Qardawi visit Member of Parliament

KISR takes part in Nairobi workshop KUWAIT: The Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) participated in the regional workshop, held in Nairobi from Sept 10 to 12, on enhancing National Cooperation and Coordination for the implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions for Arabic speaking countries.

Research scientist at the Environment and Life Sciences research center at KISR and coordinator of the Institution’s Regional Centre of Stockholm Convention, Dr. Lulwa Ali, said that her participation in the workshop came at the invitation of the Joint Secretariat of the Stockholm, Basel and Rotterdam conventions as a regional center to support the secretariat’s effort towards the realization of the convention’s decisions which are calling upon the countries to strengthen the process of synergy in the implementation of the conventions at the national and regional levels, particularly the establishment and strengthening of structures and national mechanisms and encourage the exchange and dissemination of information for the management of chemicals and hazardous wastes.

Dr. Ali highlighted that the workshop program included a series of lectures and discussion platforms on the provisions of the Conventions, objectives and common denominators among them, and

how to achieve the synergetic and coordinated implementation at the national level on chemicals and issues relating to waste. Also included are working groups to enhance the understanding of information exchange process and the process of developing strategies and national action programs that will assist in realizing the objectives of those conventions.

Dr. Ali in her capacity as the coordinator of the Stockholm Convention regional center has contributed to the delivery of these presentations and also chaired some debate sessions.

On the recommendations that resulted from this workshop, Dr. Lulwa Ali highlighted that the most important of these recommendations is to formulate a regional project for the management of chemicals and hazardous waste where countries in the region share ownership in its preparation and implementation based on the principle of synergy and integration in the implementation of environmental conventions and treaties on chemicals. It was also recommended that the regional center assume the role for coordinating the preparation of the project proposal and submission of the project to the relevant funding agencies both inside and outside the region.

On the role of the regional center to assist countries in west Asia, Dr. Ali said

that the center organizes regional workshops and training programs in the field of persistent organic pollutants and other chemicals. There is also cooperation between the Centre and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) for the establishment of a regional forum for the Gulf countries for the promotion the use and transfer of the best available technologies and best environmental practices for the management of persistent organic pollutants originating from industrial activities. Support to this forum is provided by some regional organizations including the Zayed International prize for Environment and the Gulf Organization Industrial Consulting and the United Nations environment program - the regional Office for West Asia.

In the field of scientific research, the Center conducts scientific studies designed to assess the levels of persistent organic pollutants in the environment and identify potential sources and pathways through different media.

It has also planned other capacitybuilding activities and specialized training courses and monitoring and evaluation programs which will enhance the capacity of the countries in handling appropriately those pollutants so as to achieve the objectives of the Conventions. —KUNA

Boosting businesses top challenges for Arab world LONDON: Luring external investments and boosting domestic businesses will be among top challenges that will face Arab countries in the future, said UK Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt yesterday. The Middle East and North Africa need to create no less than 40 million jobs in the coming decade to ensure economic prosperity and meet aspirations of the peoples for stability and establishment of democracy, said Burt, addressing the G8 Deauville Partnership Investment Conference, held in London.

Burt said aiding Arab countries in need for economic and financial support is among priorities of the UK government, singling out Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen.

The “Arab Spring” is the greatest international event of the 21st century, he added, affirming that the major transformations in the Arab region are related to peoples’ desire to live in dignity and attain basic rights, namely the right to

work. He indicated that the two-day conference is aimed at proposing plans to Arab governments to improve investment environment and shed light on prospected business opportunities to help the Arab nations.

The past two and a half years witnessed major changes in the Arab world and this transitional period is forecast to last for generations, thus the Deauville partners have strategic outlook as to investments in these countries.

Chairman of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Dr. Ahmad Mohammad Ali affirmed that the conference is designed to examine the business status and means of enhancing investments in the “Arab spring countries.”

He indicated at the bank cooperation with the British government and the European Bank for organization of the convention.

The IDB declared plans to earmark special funds to aid Arab countries at the

previous conference, held in 2011. Up to USD 2.6 billion were allotted for Egypt and USD 1.1 billion for Tunisia.

Ali added that the bank supported construction of a free industrial zone in Yemen and a program for youth employment in Tunisia.

The UK Presidency of the G8, in association with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the IDB, organized the convention, bringing together ministers, business leaders, investors and senior government officials from across the G8, Arab Countries namely Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE and Turkey as well as representatives major international financial institutions.

It is primarily aimed at overcoming barriers to investment, set out opportunities for investment sharing experiences. The Deauville Partnership’s longterm goal is generating job creation and prosperity for the people of “the Arab Countries in Transition.” — KUNA

Abdallah Al-Tamimi criticized the visit of scholar Yousuf AlQaradawi, the ‘Godfather of the so-called Arab Spring Revolutions’ to Kuwait. He said: “Only one week after the visit of Al-Arour, AlQaradawi was allowed to visit the country though he was supposed to be on the list of those banned from entering Kuwait, after he publicly urged Arabs to carry out the revolutions, and called for shedding the blood of innocents in various Arab and Muslim countries.” He said “the latest of Qaradawi’s acts is insulting to the Gulf rulers, including HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad, when he criticized the leaders on AlJazeera for supporting the new Egyptian authorities and accused them of killing Egyptians with the money.”

Al-Nisif housing MP Rakan Al-Nisif called for the development of the private sector role in solving the housing problem, especially with regard to making legislations related to real-estate development, apart from supplying the needs of con-

struction and building. He said the state will not be able alone to provide 10,000 housing units every year, adding that the last study prepared by the real-estate union showed that the average units being made available currently is 1,250, while accumulated applications reached 105,000 and annual growth rate is between 6 percent to 8 percent.

He said laws are required to encourage the private sector to develop and prevent monopoly.

MP warns health minister MP Hamdan Al-Azmi warned Health Minister Sheik h Mohammad Al-Abdallah against neglecting people’s health, adding that the health of the Kuwaiti citizen is something he didn’t want to compromise with and his right is guaranteed by the constitution. He said many ministry officials do not know about people’s suffering and added that many citizens were given dates to meet the higher committee for treatment abroad and most of them are either the elderly or children.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

LOCAL

Local Spotlight

In my view

Time ripe for political reforms

Arab women and politics

By Labeed Abdal

By Muna Al-Fuzai

Development plan

muna@kuwaittimes.net

local@kuwaittimes.net

T

“T

Al-Anbaa

he situation in Syria, Egypt, Libya and other countries in the region needs an urgent adoption of a more representative form of government. There the most shouted word is ‘enough’.

Political reform shouldn’t be a taboo and all responsible regimes must encourage reforms and corrections from within.

It is the reality that we must take all steps and get rid of the empty promises, especially in times of massive vacuums expected in the region. There are game-over and game-changer rules that need new adaptations from both parties in places where dictators have been supported for long. After the revolts in these countries all groups were monitored yet the new radical Islamist who took the lead in Egypt showed extreme failure after failure in the basics of democracy.

To some extent, surprisingly, the old guards in the region looked safer than the new Islamists who acted as a double-edged sword. The first group aimed to avenge the old regimes and the latter aimed to attack the powers who helped to overthrow many ex-presidents. Indeed, the new adaptation became a vital plan to maintain the interests, stability and security. Some of the new fake presidents, take Egypt for example, when they took office, started disobeying the old rules.

That showed clearly that the better option was to re-establish the country’s historic strategic positions rather than dealing with self- attacks from new untrustworthy individuals. Yet the Arab region remains the big source of energy. It is a huge market with demands for many services and products worth trillions of dollars. It is not profitable or logical for that matter to deal with a president who just came out of prison and who subscribes to a gangsters’ culture.

Frankly speaking, when I hear speculations about the new chapters of the Arab Spring coming to many countries in the Gulf as a snowball, I find it risky to not support the venerable Gulf countries.

As a local proverb goes: Those you know are better than those you don’t know. In a nutshell, it’s a twoway street to protect local and international commercial and political interests.

kuwait digest

Corruption, bad management

By Dr Shamlan Y Al-Essa

A

ccording to a report in Al-Qabas on Sept 9, the General Traffic Department is currently investigating the loss of almost 20,000 blank drivers’ licenses from its offices, which it now expects are circulating with forged details.

The Interior Ministry and General Traffic Department should first of all be thanked for this admission of error. It shows, at least, that there are some officials committed to solving the problem. Yet the error itself represents a security breach of the most alarming order. If criminals can illegally bypass security in the Interior Ministry, what implications does that have for other areas of government? And if drivers’ licenses can go missing, what about passports? Visas? Nationality and residence documents?

All are administered by the same outdated system.

Security systems around the globe have developed rapidly in recent years, particularly in response to increasingly sophisticated cyber-criminals and espionage techniques. Such systems are now tremendously advanced and have the particular benefit of tracking and recording the activities of employees.

The strange thing is that many processes in the Interior Ministry are handled manually, without ever being recorded on a computer system. I remember very well one Bangladeshi tea boy at the university who came to me a week after starting and asked for help in getting a drivers’ license. I told him that he first needed to pass a

driving test. A month later, the same boy told me he was leaving the university to work as a driver. How had he got a license so quickly? He had paid KD 350 to a government employee.

As long as there is no punishment for bribery, there is no hope of reform. Whether in the Interior Ministry or any other department. So how else can we deal with such security breaches? I recognize that it is not particularly useful to compare Kuwait to the countries of the West.

However, we can learn much from the experience of our brothers in the UAE. Dubai in particular seems to be an ideal model: the equivalent transaction is performed by one employee through an automated system. The transaction, therefore, is comprehensively recorded and easily monitored.

Readers concerned by security may wish to try the Tidallal service - a home security system that allows families to record all their transactions. A telephone call to the Interior Ministry and you can inform an official of the transactions that you wish to manage electronically.

Trained engineers will pay you a visit and install the system that you require.

Why is Kuwait in the state it’s in? We are not professional enough, the law goes unenforced and corrupt employees go unpunished. How is reform to ever be achieved?

We need the rule of law to put an end to the corruption and bad management afflicting this country. —Al-Watan

his is a man’s world,” sang soul legend James Brown. A line that has entered into the vernacular of the casual chauvinist. But just how true is it? It sends a demoralizing message to women, for sure: if this is a man’s world, what’s the point of trying? This clichÈ has become so ingrained that it in itself presents an obstacle to women - women who watch men make the mistakes and themselves stay at home to count the costs.

A recent study into the political role of women across Arab societies concluded that their participation remains ‘low’ and ‘insignificant.’ In the sixties and seventies, women across the world strove to liberate themselves from the patriarchal dominance that had defined human society since Eve committed the original sin.

Now, we have taken a backseat and seem content to let men make the decisions again.

Just consider Kuwait. The government has long expressed a desire to increase the number of women in office. But how many women have got involved? How many women undertake voluntary work? How many of us have supported other women aiming for senior government roles? Very, very few.

Conservative groups and their female members are particularly culpable, refusing to support women with political ambitions out of a belief in the innately superior qualities of men, even against the most highly-qualified female candidates. Even more depressing is that many well-educated conservative women, holding a bachelor’s degree or higher, share this belief that women should have no role in politics.

In the past, most women to have held a political position in the Arab world have either been wives or relations of male figures. I believe that we should now look to the UAE as a model for female participation.

Yemen too has recently introduced a quota designed to increase the number of women in office.

As encouraging as these developments are, so much more needs to be done. Education and the media are vital, but they are controlled by men. Human rights groups should take the initiative and get into schools to educate girls about their responsibilities from as young an age as possible.

What was the next line in that song? It’s a man’s world, perhaps, “But it wouldn’t be nothing without a woman or a girl.” And as we all know, Mr Brown might have been the singer but he was only belting out the words of his lyricist - the formidable, and definitely female, Betty Jean Newsome.

kuwait digest

Creative chaos in Mideast

By Jaafar Rajab

L

et me give you a simple explanation of the situation in the Middle East: The United States of America who is fighting against Al-Qaeda and Islamic extremism, supports extremist forces in Syria. Senator John McCain who is known for his pro-Israel views supports the Syrian opposition; who in turn accuse Damascus of ‘protecting the Zionist entity’. And while the ‘advocate of peace’ Barack Obama seeks war, Republican extremists reject any intervention in the Middle East. Meanwhile, America was abandoned early by its traditional ally, the United Kingdom, whereas France, who always rejected US interventions especially in Iraq, are very excited about intervening in Syria.

Iran, in the meantime, supports the Shiites in Lebanon, but supports the Armenians against Shiites in Azerbaijan. It rejects the Taleban-like Arabs in Syria, but supports the Taleban in Afghanistan whom they had opposed in the past. It is against the American presence in the Arabian Gulf, but supported the US intervention in Iraq.

And while it opposes any American intervention in Syria, it supported it in Bosnia. It is also against the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria, but supports the party in Egypt.

Meanwhile, Turkey tried its luck in the Middle East by developing stronger ties with Iran and the Gulf states. It stood with the revolution in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt, but against the opposition in Bahrain. It supported Saudi Arabia in Bahrain but opposed it in Egypt. Basically, the Turkish government lost its relations with Syria because of their support to the opposition, and lost its relations with the Gulf states because of its current position from Egypt. It lost Iran because of its position from Iraq and Syria, and lost Iraq because of its position from the Kurds. In general, it entered the region with nothing and came out empty-handed. Instead of resolving the Middle East’s problems, it brought those problems back with it to Turkey.

As for Iraq, the country was invaded and rebuilt in accordance with the American project. This happened on the ruins of Saddam Hussein’s regime who America had first supported and provided with arms, and then turned against it and its neighbors who had supported the regime against Iran. Iran stood side by side with

America and Kuwait - who used to be an ally of Saddam’s - against the Iraqi regime. After that, Iran stood with Saddam by smuggling oil and food during the Oil for Food Program, then America interfered in Iraq in favor of Iran. Today, the prime minister in Iraq supports the Syrian government, but the parliament speaker is sympathetic with the opposition. The country’s president supports the Kurdish opposition who also opposes the Syrian government yet receives support from the Syrian government to fight the Free Syria Army and AlNusra Front.

Syria, meanwhile, supports Colonel General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in Egypt, a position that goes against that of its ally Iran who supports Mohamed Morsi. While the Syrian government is against the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, it supports the group in Gaza.

Furthermore, it is against foreign intervention in its country except for Iranian and Russian intervention. Meanwhile, the Syrian opposition voices its objection to foreign intervention while calls the international community for support.

The Gulf Cooperation Council states are with the democratic revolution in Libya and are excited for democracy in Syria, but played a role to suppress the revolution in Yemen, supported the military coup in Egypt, and silenced voices in Bahrain. Some of them are against the Muslim Brotherhood while others embrace it. They broadcast two pan-Arab news stations, one that supports Al-Sisi and another supports Morsi. Despite claiming to be unified, the actions of the six GCC states follow dozens of policies, plans and positions.

Lebanon is now getting involved in Syria after once being interfered by Syria. General Michel Aoun who fought against Syria in the past is now allied with Hezbollah who supports the Syrian regime.

The Christian community who were mostly against the Syrian regime have started to change their position from it. Meanwhile, Sunnis who always demanded disarming groups outside of the military are now condemning actions to disarm the Al-Assir group. The situation in Lebanon is too complicated and you cannot tell whether the country is pro, against or have a neutral position regarding the war in Syria. I believe I should stop here because even I do not understand anything of what I wrote! —Al-Rai

kuwait digest

The good old days

By Aziza Al-Mufarrej

S

ometime, not long ago, our sheikhs used to love us, or so we thought. We were pampered by them and taken good care of.

It’s a pity that that was then and this is now.

Kuwaitis used to get their homes without any delay, be it readymade or land and a loan to buy them and even prices of land were reasonable. The municipality used to go to homes and spray them with insecticides to protect its residents from insects and provide them with rodent traps. The Health Ministry used to administer vaccines and didn’t wait for an epidemic to break out. We were not a “trial” for inexperienced doctors to learn their job by experimenting on us or the target of greedy physicians who wanted to become millionaires at our expense.

The Education Ministry also pampered us well and did not ask our parents for much and in fact, our uniforms, food and school requirements such us pens, notebooks, rulers, and text books came from the government. Teachers were competent and sincere and we didn’t have to worry about private tuitions and never bothered our parents. They always had energy for us, not like the present case

where they are always exhausted.

Even our comfort and entertainment was a priority with the government because they paid money for it but now things are different. Something happened and our sheikhs don’t care about us anymore and in fact, it looks like they’re bored of us and have left us to struggle and deal with our own tough lives. Most of them think that Kuwaitis have a good life and do not lack anything and that’s why they have turned a deaf ear to people’s criticisms and complaints and have a standard answer for all the questions: Thank God. Kuwaiti people wish that the good old days of being cared for by sheikhs return soon and that they start listening to us and solve our problems. Our dear sheikhs, we do not deny that we love and respect you, but administrative deterioration, thefts, corruption, delayed projects and continued depletion of wealth in the form of foreign grants are really making it difficult for us and angering us.

Our dear rulers, our situation in Kuwait is getting worse and you are the only ones who have the solution, so for how long will you keep us waiting? —Al-Watan

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

LOCAL

Warning against incursion of politics into education Minister Al-Hajraf visits local schools KUWAIT: Kuwait’s education minister has warned against the incursion of politics into education, saying that it was the most ominous threat to the country. Referring to reports that some head teachers were staging a demonstration to protest against a decision to make them teach one class in addition to their duties, Nayef Al-Hajraf said that “demonstrations and rallies to issue demands” were a “new culture”.

“This new culture can be accepted anywhere, but not in the education ministry,” he said. “The education personnel is not part of such practices, and in spite of my respect for the demonstrators, I do not agree with sit-ins. There are several ways to express points of views that preserve the rights of all parties. The most dangerous threat to Kuwait is the incursion of politics in education,” he said as he toured some schools as they re-opened after the summer holidays.

The case of the protesting head teachers would be taken up by senior officials at the min-

istry, he said. However, the minister insisted on the need for special aptitudes by teachers. “ Those who do not have the capability to assume the honour of the education mission should appreciate there are many other jobs offered in all the institutions of the state,” he said.

This week, Kuwait students are returning to class, but the ministry said that the back to school process would be gradual and over the five days of the week, starting with the nurseries and elementary schools and ending with the high schools.

Members of the parliamentary educational, culture and guidance committee discussed with Al-Hajraf the ministry’s integrated plan to develop education in Kuwait.

Committee chairman MP Mohammad AlHuwaila said Al-Hajraf, also Minister of Higher Education, and senior ministry officials briefed the members about the plan, which would be

applied over students, teachers, curricula and buildings. Participants in the meeting, he added, discussed objectives of ministry’s plan and whether it could be implemented or not.

Al-Hajraf also briefed committee members about criteria to be adopted to develop administrations and environment at schools, he added.

Participants also discussed activation of role of the supreme educational council to put in place educational policies and strategies, and that its resolution be binding.

The committee members and Kuwait Teachers’ Society proposed the establishment of an independent authority with a mandate of assessing and verifying educational quality, and how the ministry was complying with the strategies.

Al-Huwaila said the committee would meet with Al-Hajraf next Sunday to discuss issued related to higher education, scholarships, cultural offices and accreditations.

Cabinet reviews CB report KUWAIT: The cabinet discussed at a meeting yesterday a recent annual report by the Central Bank of Kuwait (CB) on the FY 2012-13.

Following the meeting, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Minister of Health Mohammad Abdullah AlMubarak Al-Sabah said the report focused on major foreign economic, monetary and banking developments, the current national financial plan as well as auditors’ report on the CBK’s financial position as well as efforts to ensure financial and monetary stability in the country.

It also included efforts by the CBK in 2013 to ensure the relative stability of the Kuwaiti dinar versus main currencies by means of regulating the levels of local fluidity and credit cost, he said.

He cited the report as stressing the significance of stepping up efforts to put the economic reform program in place with a view to achieving more growth and balanced and stable economic development.

During their meeting held at Seif

Palace under His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak AlHamad Al-Sabah, the ministers were apprised of a recent letter to HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah from Senegalese President Macky Sall, thanking him for invitation to attend the 3rd Arab-African summit due in Kuwait in November.

They were also briefed on a letter to HH the Amir from Iranian President Hassan Rohani, the chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), inviting him to attend a high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly on nuclear disarmament on September 26, the minister said.

Also discussed were the positive reflections of a recent visit by HH the Amir to the US and his meeting with US President Barack Obama on several issues, including bilateral relations and Kuwaiti prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, Middle East and Syria.

Several reports on the latest Arab and international political developments were discussed during the meeting. —KUNA

Kuwait keen on bolstering ties with all Indian states

NBK Academy welcomes eighth batch of newly hired Kuwaitis KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) recently welcomed the eighth batch of newly hired young Kuwaitis in the NBK Academy. NBK Academy aims to train and develop the professional skills of young Kuwaitis as part of NBK’s strategy to attract and develop national human resources.

NBK organized a special welcoming ceremony for the newly hired employees. The ceremony was attended by Shaikha Al-Bahar, NBK Kuwait

Chief Executive Officer, Mazin Al-Nahedh, General Manager, Consumer Banking Group, Malek Khalife, General Manager, Private Banking Group, Adel Hechme, General Manager, Human Resources Group, Parkson Cheong, Group Chief Risk Officer, Carl Ainger, Group Chief Internal Auditor, Dimitrios Kokosioulis, General Manager, Operations Group, and Emad Al- Ablani, NBK Deputy General Manager, Human Resources Group, along with other NBK officials.

NBK Academy is the first initiative of its kind in the private sector in Kuwait, and is part of NBK’s strategy to attract young Kuwaitis by offering them a range of career and professional development opportunities.

NBK Academy programs run for five months and are specially tailored to provide trainees with theoretical and practical skills covering the different aspects of the banking industry in addition to on job training.

NEW DELHI: The Kuwaiti leadership is keen on bolstering relations and exchanges with all Indian states, and highly values its relationship with India, said the Kuwaiti Ambassador to India Sami Al-Sulaiman.

The remarks, reported in a statement issued by the embassy yesterday, were made during the ambassador’s meeting with the Chief Minister of Maharashtra State Prithviraj Chavan in Mumbai. The meeting was attended by Principal Secretar y of the Maharashtra Government Swadheen S Kshatriya, Home Secretary Amitabh Rajan, and Secretar y to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ashish Kumar Singh.

Al-Sulaiman relayed the greetings of the Kuwaiti leadership and expressed Kuwaitis’ pride in their ages-long relationship with the Indian city, recalling

many years of strong trade exchange between Kuwait and India that had lasting impression and effect on all aspects of life in Kuwait.

Along with expressing keenness to bolster relations with Indian states, the envoy presented the Indian official with proposals to help encourage cooperation in many areas.

Chief Minister Chavan for his part praised the strong relations with Kuwait and expressed keenness on joint action in the interest of both peoples. He also provided insights on feasible investment opportunities in his state, adding ministers are willing to respond to any queries in their competence.

The official also expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Kuwaiti government to guarantee decent conditions for the Indian community. — KUNA

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

LOCAL

Officer attacked for issuing traffic ticket in Salmiya Uncle saves teen from abusive parents KUWAIT: A man was charged for physically assaulting a police officer who issued him a ticket for blocking traffic.

The incident took place on Sunday in Salmiya after the policeman parked his motorcycle behind the man’s car to write him a ticket. The man, who was supposedly talking to a female driver nearby, got out of his car and confronted the officer after realizing that he was about to get ticketed.

An altercation ensued and escalated to a point when the driver beat up the officer and then escaped on foot before back-up police rushed to the scene. The man’s car was impounded and he was later summoned to the Salmiya police station for questioning. During investigations, the man provided a different story by claiming that the officer harassed his female relative which prompted him to respond violently. The man filed a countersuit and offered to drop the charges if the officer did the same. The officer refused him and the two cases were referred for further investigation.

Drug addict A drug addict was arrested in Jabriya on Sunday after he was found passed out inside his car in front of a fast food restaurant. Patrol officers approached the vehicle after noticing that the driver was apparently asleep. After waking him up, the officers discovered that he was intoxicated. The man, a Syrian national in his thirties, was put under arrest after police found marijuana, hashish and drug paraphernalia in the car. He was referred to the proper authorities to face charges.

Shells disposed Army officials worked with Jahra police to dispose 30 shells in Al-Adairea. The operation took place on Sunday and specialists detonated shells which were remnants from the 1990-91 Iraqi Invasion. The area was cordoned off until the police announced that it was safe.

Abusive parents A couple in Al-Qairawan approached local police on Sunday to report that their teenage daughter was kidnapped by her uncle, but investigations later revealed that the man had actually stepped in to save his niece from his sister and her husband who beat her up. The uncle had escorted the 13-year-old to the Qairawan police station after officers summoned him for investigations in a case filed by the girl’s parents moments earlier. The man said during questioning that he had to break into his sister’s house in order to free his niece who called him crying and complained that she was being beaten. The parents eventually confirmed the uncle’s story and later dropped the charges.

Infant dies An infant who was rushed in by his parents at Jahra Hospital was pronounced dead on arrival. In their statements to police who were summoned to the hospital after the 6-month-old baby was pronounced dead, family members said that he wasn’t breathing when his mother found him sleeping on his face. A case was filed for investigations.

UNDP Kuwait celebrates Int’l Day for Democracy KUWAIT: UN Development Program (UNDP Kuwait) and Kuwait Graduate Society co-organized a symposium on democratic governance marking the 6th International Day for Democracy being celebrated globally on Sunday under the slogan of “Strengthening Voices for Democracy.”

The event, hosted by Kuwait Graduate Society, included a round-table discussion on “the Role of SCOs (the civil society organizations) in Enhancing Citizens’ Democratic Political Participation.”

Addressing the gathering Dr Mobasher Shaikh, resident representative (RR) of UNDP Kuwait, said democracy was one of the universal and indivisible core values and principles of the United Nations.

“Democracy is based on the freely expressed will of people and closely linked to the rule of law and exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms,” he noted.

The UN activities in support of democracy and governance are implemented through the specialized UN agencies such as UNDP, the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF), the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), the Department of Political Affairs (DPA) and the

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Shaikh pointed out.

On his part, Deputy Chairman of Kuwait Graduate Society Ibrahim Al-Mulaifi said: “Democracy goes beyond voting to elect parliaments and municipal councils to entail a process of social behavior including individuals and institutions alike.” He appreciated the UNDP role in promoting democratic governance in Kuwait and materializing the CSOs role in democratization.

Meanwhile, Mubarak Al-Adwani, UNDP-Kuwait Assistant RR, highlighted the role of ‘diwaniyas’ (traditional meeting places) in advocating for democracy in Kuwait.

Among the other speakers at the discussion were Dr Ali Al-Zoubi, of the Social Science Department of Kuwait University; CEDAW Expert and Human Line Organization board member Esraa Al-Amiri.

In November 2007, the UN General Assembly proclaimed Sept 15 as the International Day of Democracy.

This day provides an opportunity to highlight the centrality of this universal core value and to review the state of democracy in the world. — KUNA

Lu&Lu Hypermarket holds floral-carpet competition KUWAIT: Lu&Lu Hypermarket, the regional retail leader, held a colorful floral-carpet competition, on Saturday, at their Al-Rai outlet, to mark the Kerala festival of Onam. The unique floral carpets, called ‘Ona Pookkalum’ in Kerala, are vivid and imaginative patterns traced on the floor using flowers. Creating decorative designs using flowers is a tradition that marks the advent of Onam, the annual harvest festival of Kerala.

The exciting floral competition was inaugurated in the morning with the lighting of the traditional lamp by Lu&Lu Hypermarket’s Regional Director Mohammed Haris, along with Regional Manager Sreejith and General Manager Abdul Khader.

The floral contest, which lasted for two hours, from 9.30 to 11.30am, drew keen participation from members of the Kerala community, and drew enthusiastic support and admiration from visitors to the Hypermarket.

The spirited floral competition was organized by Lu&Lu Hypermarket in association with Eastern Condiments, the leading Indian manufacturer and marketer of spices, pickles and other condiments. Exciting prizes were distributed to winners of the competi-

tion by the Regional Director, Haris and Sadiq from Eastern.

Competing teams put forward their best efforts to render some of the most amazing floral displays, and the judges had a difficult time picking the winners. Eventually, the judges had to pick three of the best and the first prize was awarded to Team P. Ges, who received a KD100 gift voucher from Lu&Lu Hypermarket, as well as a gift hamper from Eastern. The second prize winner was Team Maveli, who

received KD 75 gift voucher from the Hypermarket plus a gift hamper from Eastern. And the third place winner, Team Dennis, took home a KD 50 gift voucher from Lu&Lu Hypermarket, as well as a gift hamper from Easter.

The lively floral competition was yet another innovative event that highlighted Lu&Lu Hypermarket’s ongoing commitment to interacting with the community and sharing with shoppers the joy of different festivals.

Dow sponsors teacher orientation day KUWAIT: Dow Chemical in Kuwait sponsored the Teacher’s Orientation Day. In line with Dow’s long-standing commitments to improving and furthering education, the purpose of this day was to educate new overseas hired teachers on the history, culture, customs and educational methods in Kuwait.

The conference registered attendance of over 200 teachers from various local American, Canadian and bi-lingual Schools.

Presenters offered lectures covering many subject areas and topics that are vital to living in Kuwait.

“We believe that education is the fundamental enabler of innovation in today’s knowledge economy, and we are committed to improving it. Dow actively supports the social and economic aspirations of the Kuwaiti community, and will continue to partner on initiatives such as this one to develop and enhance our youth’s education,” said Jamel Attal, managing director, Dow, Kuwait.

“Dow advocates empowerment via education and we are using our knowledge and expertise to educate new generations about sustainable solutions for tomorrow’s world.” said Jamel Attal, Managing Director, Dow Chemical in Kuwait.

Last year, Dow in Kuwait sponsored the second Kuwait International Educators’ Conference which highlighted social responsibility towards students in Kuwait through supporting the latest in educational methods and learning strategies. The conference registered attendance of 600 delegates from 25 English, Arabic and bilingual schools in Kuwait.

Presenters offered workshops and lectures of 4 hours duration that covered many subject areas and topics that are vital to the modern educator. Literacy, Understanding by Design, Classroom Management, Special Needs, Math Assessment and Strategies, Gifted and Talented Students, Inquiry Learning in Science, Emotional Intelligence, Dealing with Work Pressure and much more.

For 18 years, Dow and Petrochemical Industries Company of Kuwait have shared one successful milestone after another, partnering on five industry-leading joint ventures: EQUATE Petrochemical Company, MEGlobal, EQUATE Marketing Company, The Kuwait Olefins Company (TKOC), and The Kuwait Styrene Company (TKSC). As the largest foreign investor, and the largest private employer of Kuwaiti nationals, through its JVs, in the petrochemicals industry in Kuwait, Dow has consistently promoted economic development and prosperity. Dow and PIC’s joint ventures combine Dow’s strong existing asset base, technology position and market presence.

Dow’s partnership with Kuwait’s noted NGO, LoYAC is in line with Dow’s commitment to the communities in which it operates. LoYAC is known in Kuwait for its inspired, innovative youth education and activities program, such as Dow’s sole partnership of the F1 Schools Challenge, support of LoYAC’s award winning Drama Club and other youth developmental programs in Kuwait and abroad.

Saudis top list of Mideast billionaires RIYADH: Saudi Arabia tops the list of Middle East’s billionaires, with 64 highly wealthy individuals possessing $204 billion in 2013, the Wealth-X and UBS World Ultra Wealth Report said. “There are 1,360 rich people in the kingdom with a total wealth of $285 billion,” the report pointed out.

The UAE came second with 1,050 billionaires with a total wealth of $190 billion, followed by Kuwait with 845 wealthy persons having $145 billion. The report said that 37 highly rich Emiratis possessed $45 billion.

About 5,300 rich people in the Middle East have a wealth of $880 billion. “Despite ongoing economic and geopolitical uncertainties, the world’s ultra wealthy population reached an all-time high of 199,235 individuals with a combined fortune of nearly $28 trillion in 2013, growing by more than 6 percent in population size from the previous year,” the report said.

During 2013, they added $2 trillion to their combined wealth, which is greater than the GDP of India.

The report also identified more than 2,000 billionaires globally with a total net worth of $6.5 trillion. As of 2013, there are 44,505 ultra-high-net-worth individuals in Asia with a combined wealth of $6.5 trillion, an increase of 5.4 percent from the previous year.

Although the US and Europe grew faster than Asia in the past 12 months, Asia will produce more ultra-highnet-worth individuals and wealth than both regions in the next five years, the report added. —AlBawaba

Kuwaiti activist wins prestigious Bahraini voluntary work award MANAMA: Vice-president of Kuwait Voluntary Work Center Ahmad Al-Marshad has won the prestigious Sheikh Isa bin Ali Al-Khalifa Award for Voluntary Work in recognition of his efforts to promote voluntary work in his society.

Al-Marshad has received the award in ceremony organized by the Bahraini Good Word Society in cooperation with the Arab Union for Voluntary Work, an offshoot of the Cairo-based Arab League.“The honoring is a great incentive to exert more efforts to spread voluntary work and to sever our societies,” Al-Marshad said yesterday.

He added that Kuwaitis were pioneers in voluntary work and had a very rich experience in the various voluntary activities to service their society.Kuwait Voluntary Work Center is carrying out voluntary environmental protection, medical awareness and campaigns.

For his part, Chairman of the Board of Directors Good Word Society Mohammad Bu Hazza said that the honoring is meant to motivate Arab volunteers to offer more to their societies as well as to increase people awareness about volunteer work.

He pointed out that the scope of the award will be widened in the coming edition to include international figures to be nominated the UN Volunteers. — KUNA

Merkel coalition grow despite Bavaria victory Page 10 TUESDAY, SEPTEMPER 17, 2013

Concordia wrested off Italian reef GIGLIO ISLAND: A complex system of pulleys and counterweights yesterday began lifting the Costa Concordia cruise ship from its side on a Tuscan reef where it capsized in 2012, an anxiously awaited operation that has never been attempted before on such a huge liner.

The crippled vessel wouldn’t budge for some three hours after the operation to right it began, engineer Sergio Girotto told reporters. But after 6,000 tons of force were applied, “we saw the detachment” of the ship from the reef using undersea cameras, Girotto said.

He said the cameras did not immediately reveal any sign of two bodies that were never recovered from among the 32 people who died during the disaster. The operation was expected to take some 10-12 hours, with the initial hours winching the ship off the reef imperceptible to the unaided eye.

The operation began three hours later than planned after an early morning storm pushed back the scheduled positioning of a floating command room center close to the wreckage. Once it was in place, engineers using remote controls began guiding a synchronized leverage system of pulleys, counterweights and huge chains looped under the Concordia’s carcass to delicately nudge the ship free from its rocky seabed perch just outside Giglio Island’s harbor.

The goal is to raise it from its side by 65 degrees to vertical, as a ship would normally be, for eventual towing. The operation, known in nautical parlance as parbuckling, is a proven method to raise capsized vessels.

The USS Oklahoma was parbuckled by the US military in 1943 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

But the 300-meter (1,000-foot), 115,000-ton Concordia has been described as the largest cruise ship ever to capsize and subsequently require the complex rotation.

The Concordia crashed into a reef on a winter’s night Jan. 13, 2012 after the captain steered the luxury liner too close to the rocky coastline of Giglio, part of a chain of islands in pristine waters.

For over a year, residents of the fishing island have watched from shore as cranes and barges have moved into place to try to remove the hulk from their port. A few dozen gathered yesterday morning on a breakwater to witness the operation getting under way, while others glimpsed it from shore as they went about their daily business.

“We’re Holding Our Breath,” read the headline in Monday’s Il Tirreno daily. One woman walking her dog near the harbor sported a T-shirt that said in English “Keep Calm and Watch the Parbuckling Project.”

“There is a little tension now. The operation is very complex,” said Giovanni Andolfi, a 63-year-old resident who spent his career at sea working on tankers and cruise ships and watched the operation from port. Asked how long it would take for people on shore to see the ship making significant movement toward the vertical, engineer Girotto said that “after a couple of hours, you should be able to see something visible from a distance.”

Engineers had predicted those first couple of hours would be critical, as pieces of the granite seabed were embedded in the hull and divers had never been able to fully inspect the area.

Despite the violent capsizing, no major pollution had been detected in the waters near the ship. Fuel was siphoned out early in the salvage operation, but food and human waste are still trapped inside. Should the Concordia break apart during the rotation, or spew out toxic materials as it is raised, absorbent barriers were set in place to catch any leaks.

Engineers though have dismissed as “remote” the possibility that the Concordia might break apart and no longer be sound enough to be towed to the mainland to be turned into scrap.

The reef sliced a 70-meter-long (230-foot) gash into what is now the exposed side off the hull, letting seawater rush in. The resulting tilt was so drastic that many lifeboats couldn’t be launched. Dozens of the 4,200 passengers and crew were plucked to safety by helicopters or jumped into the sea and swam to shore. Bodies of many of the dead were retrieved inside the ship, although two bodies were never found and might lie beneath the hulk.

The Concordia’s captain is on trial on the mainland for alleged manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning the ship during the chaotic and delayed evacuation. Capt. Francesco Schettino claims the reef wasn’t on the nautical charts for the liner’s weeklong Mediterranean cruise.

Parbuckling was supposed to begin before dawn, but daylight broke even before the barge carrying the engineers close to the ship could leave shore. After the storm blew away, seas were calm.

Costa Crociere SpA, the Italian unit of Miami-based Carnival Corp., is picking up the tab for the parbuckling and its intricate preparation. The company puts the costs so far at 600 million euros ($800 million), though much of that will be passed onto its insurers.

Despite the disaster, locals have come to appreciate the crews who have spent more than a year working on the wreckage; they have mingled with locals and contributed to their economy, renting out hotel rooms and vacation apartments that would otherwise have gone vacant during the winter months.

Andolfi, the seaman, called the crews “the best brains in the field.” But he was eager to see them finish. “I would like Giglio to return to what it was before, a beautiful place of uncontaminated nature,” he said. — AP

GIGLIO PORTO: The Costa Concordia cruise ship wreck begins to emerge from water yesterday near the harbour of Giglio Porto. Salvage workers attempt to raise the cruise ship today in the largest and most expensive maritime salvage operation in history, so-called “parbuckling”, to rotate the ship by a series of cables and hydraulic machines.

Thirty-two people died when the ship, with 4,200 passengers onboard, hit rocks and ran aground off the island of Giglio In January 2012. — AFP

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

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

Iran will accept any elected Syria ruler TEHRAN: Iran’s President Hasan Rouhani says his country will accept anyone as ruler of Syria who is elected by the Syrian people, the official news agency reported yesterday.

His remarks carried by IRNA do not signal any change of policy on Syria but mark a shift of emphasis from comments by other Iranian leaders, which have often stressed Iran’s support for its ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad, and blamed the West and Israel for the rebellion against him.

“Whoever Syrian citizens vote for to rule their country, we’ll agree with it,” Rouhani

was quoted as telling commanders of the powerful Revolutionary Guard.Syria plans a presidential election in 2014, but few in the opposition take the vote seriously or believe it can be held amid the country’s civil war.

Opposition groups say they oppose all negotiation with Assad’s government unless it is aimed at his giving up power.

Rouhani was elected in June promising a more diplomatic approach to the West in negotiations over its nuclear program, which the US and its allies say is aimed at weapons development. Iran says the pro-

gram is for peaceful purposes.

The new president has stated however that Iran will not give up its right to disputed nuclear activities, nor has he suggested any major rethinking of Iran’s alliance with Damascus. Key nuclear and security matters are under the control of the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and institutions that answer directly to him, including the Revolutionary Guard.

Syria’s opposition says the Guard is directly involved in the war on Assad’s side.

Iran denies this. “The Guards do not seek

military domination over the region,” Rouhani said. “It is a mistake by the West, which thinks Iran is after military domination over the region.”

He called on the US military, which has bases in the Persian Gulf, to pull out of the region. “You, the unsolicited guest in our region, leave the region and then you will see that it becomes heaven.”

On Monday Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said his country is ready to “resolve the nuclear issue, if the West is serious.” He said Tehran was willing

to “build trust” with Washington.

“We are suffering from lack of mutual trust,” Zarif told Lebanese news TV channel al-Mayadeen. Rouhani and Zarif plan to attend the UN General Assembly in New York later in September. Rouhani has suggested it may be an opportunity to move forward in nuclear talks.

In the same meeting, Guard commander Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari said, “So far, the enemies’ plot for military intervention in Syria has failed. We are hopeful this will continue until the end.” —AP

Egyptians urge military chief to run for president New Egyptian petition: Run, General, run CAIRO: A group of Egyptian professionals, lawyers and ex-army officers yesterday launched a campaign to collect signatures urging the country’s military chief to run for president, just two months after he ousted the first elected leader.

Organizer Rifai Nasrallah, a judge, said the goal of the petition titled “complete your good deed” is to make Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi give in to popular will and run for president, by collecting more than 30 million signatures around Egypt.

“We are here today because we want you a leader, a chief, and a president for Egypt,” Nasrallah told the launch gathering at a hotel in Cairo. Addressing el-Sissi, he said: “Don’t forget that you told the Egyptian people to ask and you will respond. Here we are asking you to be president of Egypt.”

The petition is modeled after Tamarod, or Rebel, a campaign which spearheaded protests against Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. Tamarod said it collected 22 million signatures demanding Morsi step down.

After days of protests, el-Sissi removed Morsi, and appointed an interim civilian leader. Morsi supporters still protest the coup, but elSissi and other supporters of his moves said the military chief was only acting in response to the people’s demands, dismissing charges it was an orchestrated military coup.

According to the roadmap announced by the interim civilian

president Adly Mansour, and backed by the military, presidential elections are expected early 2014, after a referendum on constitutional amendments and parliamentary elections. Organizers say they don’t have a deadline for their petition and once they collect the signatures, they plan to deliver them to el-Sissi.

Since Morsi’ ouster, el-Sissi’s star

The wave of adulation fed speculation that he will be running for president, reports that the military spokesman denied in an interview with an English language daily. The spokesman however said there is nothing stopping the general from running if he retired.

Support for a strongman to lead Egypt follows nearly three years of turbulent political transition, with

CAIRO: Supporters of Defense Minister Gen. Abdel-Fattah El-Sissi, from left, Gamel Soliman, Rafaaey Nasrallah, Islam El-Nabwi and Abd El-Nabi abd El-Satar hold a campaign to nominate the minister to run for Egypt’s president at a hotel in Cairo, Egypt, yesterday. —AP has risen. Songs of praise for him and the military are flooding the airwaves, posters of him in his trademark dark glasses and military cap, filled street walls and videos of him addressing troops or training with them are also a staple on private media.

almost daily protests that have progressively turned violent, and an economy in tatters. Many Egyptians have also been disappointed in the youth groups and new political parties that sprung after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, failing to see a potential leader that can realize the

January 25, 2011 calls for change and improvement in living conditions.

The rise of Islamists to power also alienated many, including revolutionary groups who backed Morsi for president in the 2012 election, mostly because they wanted to keep his opponent in the race, a former Mubarak-era prime minister.

Criticism quickly grew of Morsi and his allies, with many accusing them of monopolizing power and creating a new power-cliques instead of realizing demands for better wealth distribution, economic development, and improved freedoms.

Reda Said Mohammed, a Cairo resident, said he would back el-Sissi for president campaign because a civilian will not be able to reel in the country in hard times. “Under a civilian president, things spiraled out of control,” Mohammed said. “I would have like that el-Sissi would have waited a bit, so that he won’t be accused of orchestrating a coup for his, but I will support him still.”

Ex-military officer Metwalli Sherif, one of the organizers of the petition for el-Sissi, said the general passed the difficult test of responding to the will of the people and removing Morsi.

“He took hard decisions before,” Sherif said, explaining why el-Sissi qualifies for the post. “He did something difficult and came down to the will of the people...

This time it will also be the will of the people.” —AP

VIENNA: Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Reza Najafi (L) attends the 57th General Conference at the UN atomic agency headquarters in Vienna, Austria yesterday. The UN atomic agency said yesterday that it will sign an agreement with Myanmar aimed at clearing up lingering suspicions that its military junta might have sought nuclear weapons. — AFP

Iran nuke chief ‘optimistic’ on world power talks VIENNA: Iran’s new nuclear chief said yesterday that Tehran was “optimistic” about upcoming talks with world powers, offering “enhanced” but unspecified cooperation with the UN atomic agency.

“I have come here with a message of my newly elected president to further enhance and expand our ongoing cooperation with the (UN atomic) agency and with the aim to put an end to the socalled Iran nuclear file,” Ali Akbar Salehi said.

“We are optimistic about the outcome of the forthcoming five-plus-one meeting, should the two parties join the meeting with good intentions and with the resolve of solving the aforementioned issues based on a win-win approach.”

He said in a speech to the International Atomic Energy Agency general conference of all members that the election in June of President Hassan Rowhani had created a “conducive environment” to resolving the long-running standoff.

However, he added that Iran would never abandon its “right” to peaceful uses of nuclear technology and that the Islamic republic does

not want the bomb.

The UN Security Council has passed six resolutions since 2006 calling on Iran to suspend key parts of its nuclear programme because of suspicions that Tehran wants atomic weapons.

UN and Western sanctions targeting Iran’s vital oil industry and its access to the global financial system last year began to cause major economic problems for the Persian Gulf country.

The United States and Israel, widely thought to be the only Middle East country with nuclear weapons, has refused to rule out bombing Iran.

Rowhani’s election has created hope that after a decade of false starts, a diplomatic solution to the crisis can be found, with a new round of talks with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (the P5+1 or E3+3) expected soon.

New Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif earlier this month spoke by phone with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, P5+1 chief negotiator, and the two are due to meet at the upcoming UN General Assembly. —AFP

Israel court ends 3-year detention for migrants JERUSALEM: Israel’s supreme court yesterday struck down a year-old law that meant African migrants could be held in detention for up three years without charge.

The law, that came into force in June last year, was meant to deter illegal immigration but was condemned by human rights campaigners as a harsh and illegal way of treating people, especially those fleeing persecution and seeking asylum.

A right-wing lawmaker said the court’s ruling risked damaging the character of Israel - a state built on Jewish immigration - by opening the door to more Africans.

Chief Justice Asher Grunis said the law contradicted Israel’s legal guarantees of basic democratic freedoms, and “therefore, it ought to be cancelled”.

Grunis called the three-year term of detention “illegitimate constitutionally” and noted few inmates would have been likely to be released early as Israel would be unable to deport them to their countries of origin, mostly Eritrea and Sudan.

The court’s nine-judge panel gave the state up to three months to decide the fate of hundreds of migrants held under the law in desert detention centres. More than 50,000 African migrants have entered Israel since 2006, many receiving temporary permits to live in impoverished parts of Tel Aviv, a situation that has aggravated social tensions. Yariv Levine, a senior lawmaker in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party, accused the court on his Facebook page of making a “mad decision to turn Israel from a Jewish state into one of all its immigrants”.

Netanyahu said he would seek ways to observe the court’s decision while “implementing our determined policy that has already curtailed the infiltration,” and, he said, encouraged thousands of migrants to leave.

Liberal legislator Michal Rozin, chairwoman of a parliamentary committee on foreign workers, called the court ruling a welcome move “to stop anti-democratic legislation” and hoped it heralded a change in Israeli policy toward asylum seekers. The government says most Africans reaching its borders are economic migrants rather than asylum seekers.

Rights groups accuse it of being slow to review requests for refugee status.

Many Eritrean migrants say they have fled political repression, while many Sudanese say they have escaped civil strife, mostly in the Darfur region.

A newly fortified border fence with Egypt has effectively halted the arrivals across a once porous frontier, with government figures showing none having crossed since August after a peak of more than 2,000 a month in late 2011. —Reuters

TUNIS: A protester shouts slogans during a demonstration to support journalist Zied El-Heni yesterday on the Kasbah Square in Tunis. Journalist Zied El-Heni has been freed after spending three days in custody for having accused a public prosecutor of fabricating evidence implicating a cameraman in an egg-throwing attack on a minister last month. —AFP

Iraq attacks kill 11, top army officer wounded BAGHDAD: Violence in Iraq killed 11 people yesterday as an army official escaped an assassination attempt, the latest in a surge of unrest that left more than 4,200 dead this year. The attacks were the latest in months of unrelenting bloodshed, the country’s worst since 2008.

Monday’s blasts and shootings mostly struck areas north of the capital and came a day after nationwide attacks which killed 60 people. In the deadliest new attack, a roadside bombing targeting an army patrol in the northern city of Mosul killed four soldiers, an army first lieutenant and a doctor said.

Also in Mosul, a suicide bomber blew himself up at an army checkpoint, killing a soldier and wounding 10 others, among them the provincial army intelligence chief Brigadier General Ismail al-Juburi, officials said.

Separate shootings in the city left two others dead. And in Muqdadiyah, a town north of Baghdad, militants stormed a Shiite shrine and captured a family inside. They separated two of

them, a father and a son, and killed them before bombing the shrine, security and medical sources said.

Both the victims were employees of the shrine. And in the predominantly-Shiite southern port city of Basra, gunmen killed two Sunnis in separate attacks, security sources said, prompting a senior Sunni leader to suspend prayers until further notice.

“All prayers will be suspended to preserve the worshippers’ lives until security has been provided for them,” Abdulkarim al-Khazraji, head of the Basra offices of a foundation charged with running Sunni places of worship, told AFP. Violence has surged in Iraq in recent months. Authorities insist a campaign targeting militants is yielding results, but the government has faced criticism for not doing more to defuse Sunni Arab anger over alleged ill-treatment at the hands of the Shiiteled authorities.

Analysts and diplomats say militants have exploited this on the ground to recruit new fighters and carry out attacks. —AFP

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

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

Wife’s fear leads to new look at husband in deaths WATERLOO: The more Cindy Karlsen learned about her husband, Karl, the more suspicious she became. There was the $700,000 life insurance payout he received after the 2008 death of his grown son, who was crushed when the pickup truck he was working under suddenly slipped off its jack. There was the $200,000 life insurance payout he received when his first wife died in a house fire nearly two decades earlier.

And finally for Cindy Karlsen, there was the $1.2 million policy that her husband had now taken out on her life.

That’s what prompted her to work with police, leading to second-degree murder and insurance fraud charges against Karl Karlsen in the death of his 23-year-old son, Levi. And New York and California authorities are now taking a new look at the circumstances of the 1991 death of his former wife, Christina Karlsen.

Cindy Karlsen’s cooperation evolved

from an unnerving revelation a year before she came forward. She learned Karlsen had invested some of the insurance money from his son’s death into a life insurance policy on her.

“I would be worth $1.2 million dead to Karl,” she testified during a pretrial proceeding. After speaking to sheriff’s investigators last year, she agreed to wear a wire and sit down with her husband in a crowded restaurant in New York’s picturesque Finger Lakes region in hopes of getting him to confirm her suspicions about the death of his son.

“I led him to believe our marriage had a chance if he came clean,” Cindy Karlsen said in a recent hearing, the husband she is now in the process of divorcing sitting in prison orange just a few feet away. “I told him he could trust me.” The wire picked up Karl Karlsen telling Cindy how he’d removed his truck’s front tires and raised it on a single jack before asking Levi to repair the

brake and transmission lines. “It was so wobbly,” Karlsen said, according to a recording of the conversation, heard against the backdrop of restaurant noise, played recently in court. Tell the truth, Cindy Karlsen implored.

“It was never meant to be,” he said. “It was never planned from Day One to ever go that way.” A week later, Karlsen would spend 91/2 hours being interrogated by police. Seventy-five times, Karlsen denied killing his son, said his lawyer, Lawrence Kasperek. Eventually, he signed a statement acknowledging he had knocked the truck off its jack and walked away.

In the videotaped interview, Karlsen explained he never would have intentionally caused the truck to fall. After years of taking pain medication for various ailments, his mind was fuzzy, he told detectives. “In some ways, it’s a blank.”

Karlsen was immediately charged.

The 52-year-old has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in advance of his trial scheduled for next month. If convicted, he could get up to life behind bars.

Karlsen’s attorney is fighting to keep the statement and the restaurant conversation with Cindy Karlsen out of trial.

District Attorney Barry Porsch calls them crucial to the case. In an interview with The Post-Standard of Syracuse a month after his arrest, Karlsen said his ex-wife’s death, his son’s death and even a 2002 fire at his Seneca County farm that killed his Belgian draft horses, for which he collected $80,000 in insurance money, were all just coincidences.

But Art Alexander, Christina Karlsen’s father, told The Associated Press from his Murphys, Calif., home that he didn’t think bad luck had anything to do with it. “I think it’s a very greedy man with a very cold heart,” said Alexander, who has long suspected that his son-in-law and

Flooded Colorado towns clean up, rescues continue Authorities believe majority are safe but death toll to rise ESTES PARK: As Colorado mountain towns cut off for days by massive flooding slowly reopened, shopkeepers in this gateway to majestic Rocky Mountain National Park worked to both clean up and remove salvageable goods from ravaged businesses for fear the swollen Big Thompson River would rise again.

“We have limited time to get as much out as possible,” Aspen Evergreen owner Tamara Jarolimek said as she and her husband, James, worked furiously Sunday. Outside, crews plowed up to a foot of mud left standing along Main Street after the river late Thursday and early Friday coursed through the heart of town. “I hope I have enough flood insurance,” said Amy Hamrick, who had friends helping her pull up flooring and clear water and mud from the crawl space at her coffee shop. Her inventory, she said, was safely stashed at her home on higher grounds.

Meantime, hundreds of residents and evacuees gathered for updates from the town’s administrator, Frank Lancaster, who said “we are all crossing our fingers and praying” that it won’t happen again.

Across town, comparisons were repeatedly drawn to two historic and disastrous flash floods: the Big Thompson Canyon Flood of 1976 that killed 145 people, and the Lawn Lake flood of 1982 that killed three.

“Take those times 10, that’s what it looks like in the canyon,” said Deyn Johnson, owner of the Whispering Pines cottages, three of which floated down the river after massive amounts of water were released from the town’s dam. Johnson said the only warning she and her husband had to evacuate their home and their guest cabins came from their cat, Jezebel, who jumped on her sleeping husband at 4:30 a.m., batting at him and yowling.

“I always thought we were safe unless the dam went,” she said. “I credit the cat with saving my family and the lives of everyone in the cottages.” From the mountain communities east to the plains city of Fort Morgan, numerous pockets of individuals remained cut off by

the flooding. Sunday’s rain hampered the helicopter searches, and rescuers trekked by ground up dangerous canyon roads to reach some of those homes isolated since Wednesday.

The surging waters have been deadly, with four people confirmed dead and two more missing and presumed dead after their homes were swept away. Gov John Hickenlooper said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” that 16 or

expect the death toll to rise. Some 1,500 homes have been destroyed and about 17,500 have been damaged, according to an initial estimate by the Colorado Office of Emergency Management.

In addition, 11,700 people left their homes, and a total of 1,253 people have not been heard from, state emergency officials said.

With phone service being restored to some of the areas over the weekend, officials hoped

BOULDER: This US Army National Guard photo obtained yesterday shows Colorado National Guardsmen (CONG) as they respond to floods in Boulder County, Colorado CONG are working with local agencies to help citizens in the area affected by the flooding by evacuating people using high-clearance vehicles. — AFP 17 helicopters would resume searching for cut off residents. “Our primary focus is making sure we get everyone in harm’s way out of there,” he said.

“You’re got to remember, a lot of these folks lost cellphones, landlines, the Internet four to five days ago,” he said. “I am very hopeful that the vast majority of these people are safe and sound.” However, he said, authorities

that number would drop as they contacted more stranded people.

As many as 1,000 people in Larimer County were awaiting rescue Sunday, but airlifts were grounded because of the rain, Type 2 Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team commander Shane Del Grosso said.

Hundreds more people are unaccounted for to the south in Boulder County and other

US, Cuba resume talks on direct mail service HAVANA: The United States and Cuba sit down yesterday in Havana for a second round of talks on re-establishing direct mail services between the two countries after a 50-year ban.

Guidance for the talks, issued by the US State Department, said the meeting was “to work out details for a pilot project to provide direct mail service.” Both sides ended their first encounter in Washington in June with statements characterizing the meeting as positive and constructive.

The proposal to be discussed on Monday concerns letter service, not packages or express mail, a source, with knowledge of the discussions said. US postal service executive director for international postal services, Lea Emerson, is heading up the US delegation to the talks.

Direct mail service between the United States and Cuba has been suspended since 1963. Despite the ban, let-

ters and other mail still flow between the United States and the island nation 90 miles away through other countries, such as Canada, Mexico and Panama.

Relations between the two countries have been frozen since soon after Cuba’s 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro. The United States has maintained economic sanctions on Cuba for more than half a century.

Yesterday’s talks are taking place amid a few small signs the Obama administration and President Raul Castro have not completely given up on some improvement in the two countries’ hostile standoff. Former British ambassador to Cuba, Paul Webster Hare, who currently lectures on international relations at Boston University, said Cuba’s decision not to allow former U.S. intelligence analyst Edward Snowden to fly from Russia to Cuba on the way to exile in Latin America, was significant.

“The Cubans recognized that for any

ACAPULCO: A family wades through a flooded street in Acapulco, Guerrero state, Mexico following the passage of Tropical Storm Manuel yesterday.

Hurricane Ingrid and Tropical Storm Manuel triggered rain, landslides and floods on Mexico’s east and west coasts Sunday, killing at least 20 people and forcing thousands to evacuate before landfall. — AFP

prospect of better relations they needed to avoid more long-term irritants,” he said. “In Secretary of State John Kerry, Cuba should recognize someone who has previously expressed himself against maintaining a travel ban for non-Cuban Americans. So policy change might not be out of the question,” Hare said.

Obama restarted immigration and postal talks with Cuba in 2009, both suspended by the Bush administration in 2004. The separate talks were also seen at the time as a sign of further thawing in US-Cuba relations under Obama, who had earlier relaxed restrictions on remittances and travel to the island for Cuban Americans.

Both the postal talks and immigration talks were suspended again soon after the arrest in December 2009 of US contractor Alan Gross, sentenced in 2011 to 15 years for his role in setting up an underground Internet network in the Communist-run country.

Cuba has hinted at a possible swap of Gross for four Cuban agents arrested 15 years ago and still being held in the United States on espionage convictions.

Cuba allowed a US doctor to visit Gross in August, something it had refused to do in the past.

A significant improvement is US-Cuba relations must include the release of Gross and the Cuban agents, according to some analysts, while others said progress on secondary issues could lead up to a more significant change.

“Their release may ultimately come from a process of improving relations between Cuba and the U.S., where both nations engage in a progressive tit for tat,” Carlos Saladrigas, a successful Cuban American businessman who advocates engagement with his homeland and heads an organization of like-minded peers, the Cuba Study Group, said.

“Politically it is easier to conceive of their release as a consequence of a process than as the trigger,” he said. — Reuters

flood-affected areas. Air rescue efforts are planned to resume in Boulder County on Monday with improving weather.

The Office of Emergency Management is urging people who are cut off by floodwaters and need to evacuate but have been unable to communicate by phone or other means to signal helicopters passing overhead with sheets, mirrors, flares or signal fires.

The town of Lyons, about 20 miles from Estes Park, was almost completely abandoned. Emergency crews gave the few remaining residents, mostly wandering aimlessly on Main Street, looking for status updates from each other, a final warning to leave Sunday.

One man, a bluegrass musician, has been visiting his home every day and taking photos. The house has a river running through it and he can’t get close. Most of the town’s trailer parks were completely destroyed. One angry man was throwing his possessions oneby-one into the river rushing along one side of his trailer on Sunday, watching the brown water carry them away while drinking a beer.

In Estes Park, Lancaster called the flood a 500-year event. He said it was worse than previous flash floods because of the sustained rains and widespread damage to infrastructure across the Rocky Mountain Foothills.

Major road were washed away, small towns like Glen Haven reduced to debris and key infrastructure like gas lines and sewers systems destroyed, meaning hundreds of homes in Estes Park alone could be unreachable and uninhabitable for up to a year.

The good news here in Estes Park and the Estes Valley, Lancaster said, was there appeared to be no loss of life. Still, hundreds remained stranded in remote areas. “We know there are a lot of people trapped but they are trapped alive,” he told people gathered at Red Cross evacuation shelter Sunday afternoon.

And rescues continued throughout the day Sunday any way possible, including zip lines rigged to hoist people and pets across swollen rivers and creeks.—AP

former business partner was responsible for his 30-year-old daughter’s death.

Christina, Alexander was told, was trapped in the bathroom after spilled kerosene was ignited by a faulty electric light. Although Karl Karlsen is credited with getting Levi and their other two children out safely, Christina was unable to escape through the bathroom window because Karlsen had boarded it up from the outside days before, saying it was broken.

“Seventeen nails were in that board,” Alexander, 73, recalled. The insurance policy, he said, had been taken out just before Christmas. The fire happened New Year’s Day. Karlsen’s abrupt move to New York and away from scrutiny further stoked the father’s suspicions.

Even so, Alexander was surprised to hear of Karlsen’s arrest in his son’s death, and relieved to learn the 1991 fire was getting a second look: “I thought they would never catch up with him.” — AP

Judge to decide to halt hearings in 9/11 case GUANTANAMO BAY US NAVAL BASE: The judge in the Guantanamo war crimes court is to decide this week whether to halt pretrial hearings in the Sept 11 case until next year so technicians can fix computer problems that defense lawyers say are styming their work.

Hearings resume in the slow-moving case against the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and four other alleged al Qaeda conspirators who could be executed if convicted of charges that include mass murder, terrorism and hijacking.

At a hearing that ended on Aug. 23, defense lawyers said their emails and work files were vanishing and that prosecutors and defense lawyers had temporarily been given access to each other’s files.

Pentagon technicians were scheduled to testify this week about the extent of the problems and how much time and money it would take to fix. Technical advisors have said it would take at least three months, once a contract was signed and money allocated.

“Nothing has changed since the last hearing,” said Navy Commander Walter Ruiz, who represents Saudi defendant Mustafa al Hawsawi. “A lot of folks are tired of having to run out to the coffee shop to do their work.”

Because of doubts about the confidentiality of their Pentagon computer network, defense lawyers have been using personal laptops and public Wi-Fi to exchange draft documents among members of their legal teams.

Prosecutors suggested some of their concerns could be eliminated if the defense lawyers would encrypt their work. Other problems were traced to a switch in email servers and to an effort to create a mirrored system to synchronize the work the lawyers did in Washington and that done at the remote Guantanamo base.

Defense lawyers have asked the judge, Army Colonel James Pohl, to halt the proceedings until the problems are fixed. The defendants were captured in 2002 and 2003 and were first charged at Guantanamo in 2008. The tribunals and the charges were revised by the Obama administration and the defendants were arraigned on the current version in May 2012.

A week after the United States observed the 12th anniversary of the hijacked plane attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, the chief prosecutor, Army Brigadier General Mark Martins, said he sympathized with those who have grown frustrated that the trial still had not started. He said the case was complex and the court was methodically working its way through the litigation.—Reuters

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

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

Australian leader appoints lone woman to Cabinet CANBERRA: Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott has rekindled the sexism accusations that have dogged his political career by naming only one woman Foreign Minister Julie Bishop - to the 19-member Cabinet that will be sworn into government tomorrow. Six women are among the 42 executive members of government named by Abbott on Monday: Bishop, the deputy leader of the ruling Liberal Party, and five women who will serve in lower ministries or as parliamentary secretary.

Abbott, a 55-year-old former Roman Catholic seminarian, battled perceptions of sexism to lead his conservative coalition to an election victory Sept. 7. His government is likely to hold 90 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives.

Sue Boyce, a Liberal senator who will retire from Parliament next year, said the lack of women in Abbott’s Cabinet spoiled the win.

“It’s a shame that this shocking and embarrassing statistic will permanently tarnish a wonderful victory,” Boyce said in a statement. She urged her party to reform its candidate selection processes to ensure that more women take on senior roles.

Abbott said he had hoped that party stalwart

Sophie Mirabella would become a Cabinet minister, but she appears likely to become the only Liberal lawmaker to lose her seat at the election. Vote counting continued yesterday.

“So plainly, I am disappointed that there are not at least two women in the Cabinet,” Abbott told reporters. “Nevertheless, there are some very good and talented women knocking on the door of the Cabinet and there are lots of good and talented women knocking on the door of the ministries,” he said.

“So I think you can expect to see, as time goes by, more women in both the Cabinet and the ministry,” he added. Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, the first woman to lead the country, had five women in her Labor Party-led government’s 22member Cabinet in early 2012. The 42 executive members of the government then included 12 women.

Abbott was notoriously branded “a misogynist” and “sexist” by Gillard in a speech to Parliament that year that was lauded by feminists around the world.

Labor replaced Gillard as prime minister in June with Kevin Rudd, who promoted six women to his

Cabinet. The proportion of women in Australia’s Parliament has been steadily increasing since the early 1970s. Women made up 39 percent of the House of Representatives and 24 percent of the Senate before the latest election, according to the Parliamentary Library’s latest figures.

Abbott yesterday described his leadership team as one of the most experienced incoming ministries in Australian history. Chris Bowen, a senior member of the Labor government that was defeated by Abbott after six years in power, said Afghanistan, which has three female Cabinet ministers, now will have more than Australia.

“It’s a great shame that we only have one female member of the Cabinet of Australia,” Bowen said.

“Can the prime minister-elect look the Australian people in the eye and say not one other female in his entire party room was qualified enough, was meritorious enough, to serve in the Cabinet of Australia in 2013? I find that very disappointing,” he added. Eva Cox, founder of the Australian feminist group Women’s Electoral Lobby, said the conservatives need to follow Labor’s example by adopting policies to actively promote increased female repre-

sentation in politics. The conservatives have refused any quota system to increase the number of female candidates, arguing that the best candidate should be chosen on merit rather than gender.

“If they claim that the reason they don’t promote women is that they promote on merit, it suggests that the version of merit that the Liberal Party has is a very limited one,” Cox said.

Abbott also announced on Monday that Australia’s contentious new policy on asylum-seekers, which includes turning back their boats to Indonesia, will begin Wednesday when his government is sworn in.

Abbott said Monday he hopes to travel to Indonesia for high-level meetings ahead of a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in the resort island of Bali in early October.

His approach includes directing the Australian navy to turn boats back to Indonesia and buying boats from Indonesian fishing villages to prevent them from falling into the hands of people-smugglers. Indonesian officials have criticized both strategies and warned against unilateral action by Australia. — AP

Rwandans vote in parliamentary polls Turnout robust despite low-key campaign

PHNOM PENH: Leader of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) Sam Rainsy (C) greets supporters during a demonstration at the Democracy Park in Phnom Penh yesterday. Cambodia’s political rivals agreed, to seek a peaceful way out of the crisis gripping the kingdom following violent clashes that left one demonstrator dead and several wounded. — AFP

Cambodia rivals meet after protest bloodshed PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s political rivals held fresh crisis talks yesterday as thousands of protesters massed for a second day following violent clashes against a disputed election that left one demonstrator dead and several wounded.

Prime Minister Hun Sen and opposition leader Sam Rainsy met for several hours at the National Assembly in search of a way out of the deepening political standoff triggered by July polls marred by allegations of electoral fraud. In a joint statement released afterwards, they said they had agreed on three points-to heed the king’s call for an end to the violence, to set up a mechanism to bring about election reform in the future and to continue negotiations.

The talks followed violent clashes in the capital Phnom Penh Sunday on the fringes of a mass demonstration that drew an estimated 20,000 opposition supporters demanding an independent probe into the vote. Security forces fired smoke grenades, tear gas and water cannon at rock-throwing protesters. The opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) blamed the authorities for the death of a protester who, according to witnesses, was shot in the head.

“The CNRP strongly condemns the cruel violence by police who shot and beat people... causing a youth to die and many injuries and arrests by the authorities,” it said in a statement. Military police spokesman Kheng Tito denied the security forces had fired live ammunition. “The military police used only batons and shields and police used tear gas. We did not use live rounds,” he said late Sunday.

Thousands of opposition protesters joined the second of three planned days of rallies in a park in the capital on Monday to keep up the pressure on Hun Sen. “Our votes were robbed,” said 56-year-old Srin Chea, who travelled from southern Kandal province.

“I am angry. I want justice. I am not

afraid of death.” Hun Sen, 61, has been in power for 28 years and has vowed to rule until he is 74. His government is regularly accused of ignoring human rights and suppressing political dissent.

Rainsy addressed cheering supporters at the main protest site on Sunday, calling for a recount or new vote. He said opposition lawmakers would boycott the opening of the parliament on September 23 unless the government addressed the alleged election irregularities.

“Brothers, this is an important mission to rescue the nation,” Rainsy told demonstrators, many holding banners reading “my vote, my nation” and “where is my vote?”

The violence came despite a rare meeting on Saturday between Rainsy and Hun Sen, hosted by King Norodom Sihamoni, that was later described by the opposition leader as a “first step” towards ending the crisis. In a statement released on Monday, Sihamoni offered condolences to the families of the dead and injured. “I would like to appeal to compatriots-both demonstrators and the authorities-to stop all violence such as throwing rocks and using weapons that would inflict injuries and death and cause serious danger to our entire nation,” he said.

According to final election results, Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) won 68 seats in the July polls against 55 for the opposition. Rainsy, a French-educated former banker, was barred from running in the July elections because his name was removed from the electoral register last year following criminal convictions he contends were politically motivated. He returned from several years of self-imposed exile in July after receiving a surprise royal pardon. The CNRP has rejected the tally, alleging widespread vote rigging, but so far its efforts to challenge the results have failed and it has few formal options left in its bid to overturn Hun Sen’s victory. — AFP

PARIS: Protesters hold pictures of the four French hostages kidnapped in 2010 in Niger during a demonstration calling for their release in Paris yesterday. Pierre Legrand, Daniel Larribe, Thierry Dol and Marc Ferret were kidnapped on September 16, 2010 by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in the uranium mining town of Arlit, while working for Satom, a subsidiary of the French nuclear group Areva. — AFP

KIGALI: Rwandans were voting yesterday in parliamentary polls seen as a shoo-in for President Paul Kagame’s Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), the party that has held sway over the central African state since ending the genocide 20 years ago.

Voters cast ballots in polling booths that in the capital were draped in the sky blue, green and yellow of the Rwandan flag, with some playing music . Some six million people are eligible to cast their ballots before polling stations close in mid-afternoon.

Cars with loudspeakers cruised the pristine streets of the capital, neatly lined with palm trees, reminding voters not to forget their ID cards. At the school where President Paul Kagame cast his vote security was tight, with a sniffer dog on hand to inspect bags and security checks for voters going through a metal-detector gate set up specially for the occasion.

Asked whether he expects the RPF to win by a big margin, Kagame said: “I guess so. I don’t see any reason why the RPF should not win with a big margin.” Questioned about accusations of political repression in Rwanda, Kagame retorted: “Is that what you see around you in the voting?

You have eyes. Use them to see what is happening and you’ll get the answer.”

Turnout is likely to be robust despite a lowkey campaign and the absence of any serious opposition to the RPF, as local authorities encourage the population to turn out to vote.

“I’m 20, it’s the first time I can vote so it’s important,” said Sandrine, a mobile phone seller who was among the first to vote at a polling station in the capital Kigali. The only incident to upset the pre-vote atmosphere was the death of two people in grenade explosion over the weekend in a market in Kigali, a city reputed to be among Africa’s safest.

There was no claim of responsibility, but the Rwandan government blamed dissidents linked to the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a rebel group which operates across the border in Democratic Republic of Congo. The FDLR includes remnants of Hutu extremist militia who carried out the 1994 genocide in Rwanda but who were pushed out by Kagame’s RPF, at the time a rebel army.

For the parliamentary polls, the RPF is leading

a coalition that includes four smaller parties.

The tiny opposition or independent partiesincluding the Liberals, Social Democrats and the PS-Imberakuri-will be trying to scrape a handful of the seats by winning at least five percent of the popular vote, but are seen as having little chance of denting the RPF’s dominance.

Out of the 80 seats in parliament, 53 are directly elected and 27 are reserved for women, the youth and handicapped-who are indirectly appointed by local and national councils today and Wednesday. This configuration has ensured that Rwanda has the only parliament in the world where women are in a majority — 56.3 percent after the last elections.

Kagame’s RPF currently holds 42 out of the 53 directly elected seats, while deputies holding the indirectly elected seats, although in principle non-partisan, have been supportive of the majority. With Rwanda’s economy one of the

continent’s fastest growing, the government is keen to show off the elections as a badge of national unity and democratic health.

The small nation was left in ruins by the genocide of 1994, in which close to a million people, mostly from the ethnic Tutsi minority, were butchered by Hutu extremists before RPF rebels managed to take control of the country.

Rwanda has undergone a dramatic transformation in the past two decades, with robust economic growth and the strangling of corruption credited to the strong rule of Kagame.

Transparency International ranks Rwanda as the least corrupt country in Africa, while the World Bank’s ease of doing business index for 2013 ranked Rwanda 52nd out of 185 countries, and third best in sub-Saharan Africa-after Mauritius and South Africa. But critics say the economic growth and security have come at the expense of freedom of expression. — AFP

KIGALI: Rwandan electoral officials show empty ballot boxes to voters waiting for the opening of polling stations in the capital Kigali yesterday. Rwandans are voting in parliamentary polls seen as a shoo-in for President Paul Kagame’s Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), the party that has held sway over the central African state since ending the genocide 20 years ago. — AFP

Merkel coalition grow despite Bavaria victory BERLIN: Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chances of preserving her centre-right coalition were in doubt less than a week before a federal election, with a new anti-euro party rising in the polls and her current partner reeling from a regional setback in Bavaria.

An emphatic victory in Bavaria on Sunday for the Christian Social Union (CSU), sister party to Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU), was overshadowed by recent poll gains for the Alternative fuer Deutschland (AfD) and the collapse of the Free Democrats (FDP) in the rich southern state.

Should the AfD clear the five percent threshold needed to enter the national parliament in the federal vote on Sunday, or if the FDP fails to clear that mark, then Merkel has virtually no chance of securing another centre-right majority.

While she will most likely remain chancellor, her conservatives would be forced to enter difficult coalition negotiations with the Social Democrats (SPD), in which they would have to cede key ministerial posts to their centre-left rival and accept SPD demands on tax and wage policy.

“The big uncertainty now is the AfD,” said Thomas Jaeger, a political scientist at Cologne University. “They weren’t on the ballot in Bavaria but could get 5 percent nationally on Sunday.”

The AfD staged a mock burning of euro banknotes on Monday in front of Berlin’s most famous landmark, the Brandenburg Gate, in a stunt designed to draw attention to costly bailouts of heavily indebted euro zone members such as Greece.

The German election is being closely watched

by Berlin’s partners in Europe, with some hoping a “grand coalition” between Merkel and the SPD would lead to pro-growth policies and a more conciliatory approach towards struggling southern euro nations.

The latest poll from Emnid over the weekend showed support for Merkel’s conservative bloc of CDU and CSU at 39 percent and the business-

friendly FDP, her current partner in Berlin, on 5 percent, short of a combined majority.

In Bavaria, the FDP crashed out of the state assembly with a score of just 3.3 percent. That took some of the shine off a romping win for the CSU, whose leader Horst Seehofer won an absolute majority in the regional parliament with 47.7 percent of the vote.

The Emnid poll showed the AfD, which calls for an “orderly dismantling” of the euro zone, up one point to 4 percent. After languishing in the 2-3 percent range for months, pollsters and analysts now believe the AfD has a good shot at pushing above 5 percent on Sunday.

A strong score for the AfD would make it more difficult for Merkel to return to power in a centreright coalition. Hermann Groehe, general secre-

tary for the CDU and the party’s campaign manager, said the CSU’s success in Bavaria would provide a “tailwind for the conservatives across Germany”.

But a rift between Merkel and Seehofer over the CSU leader’s push for a new motorway toll for foreigners cast a shadow over the celebrations.

“We’re against a motorway toll,” Groehe said.

“We’ve got different views on that. But we’re not going to hold coalition negotiations in public about that a week before the election.”

Groehe and other conservative leaders urged voters to cast both their ballots for the CDU/CSU and not split their two votes by giving the FDP their so-called “second ballot”. The FDP, however, launched urgent appeals for those second ballots.—Reuters

BERLIN: Campaign aides charge luggage into the election campaign bus of the German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, displaying a picture of Angela Merkel in Berlin, Germany yesterday, a week ahead of the German general elections. — AFP

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

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

Philippines files graft cases against lawmakers MANILA: The Philippine Justice Department filed the first major corruption complaints against three powerful senators, former lawmakers and a wealthy businesswoman yesterday following a public outcry over the alleged plunder of millions of dollars intended for anti-poverty projects.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the complaints against the lawmakers, including veteran Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, alleged that they conspired with dummy aid organizations to steal millions of dollars in government funds that should have been used for agriculture and livelihood projects that the lawmakers had designated as recipients for the funds.

The alleged kickbacks were part of

$141 million transferred from 2007 to 2009 to dozens of questionable nongovernment organizations, including those put up by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, according to a government audit that was part of the evidence used against the lawmakers.

Thirty-eight people were named as respondents in yesterday’s complaints, including staffers of the lawmakers, but de Lima said more people will be charged. The recommended charges range from plunder - a non-bailable crime - to misuse of public funds, bribery and graft.

There was so much documentary evidence that justice officials used a truck to haul the papers to the Office of the

Ombudsman, or the anti-graft prosecutor, in a convoy of vehicles that was trailed by the media and beamed live on nationwide TV. The prosecutor will evaluate the evidence before forwarding the case to an anti-graft court, which will decide whether to issue arrest warrants. The scandal caused such an uproar in the impoverished nation that hundreds of thousands of people turned up at a huge protest in Manila last month.

At the center of it is Napoles, who is accused of acting as a conduit for the money and a mastermind of the scam.

She surrendered to President Benigno Aquino III in August after she was charged with illegal detention of a whis-

tle-blower. “ This is a cleansing process,” said Senate President Franklin Drilon. One of the respondents, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, who is a son of an ousted president, told his colleagues yesterday that he was innocent. He said that Enrile, at 89 the oldest senator, was taken to a hospital over the weekend for high blood pressure but that he would challenge the charges in court.

The complaint has recommended the plunder charges be laid against Enrile, Estrada, Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. and two former members of the House of Representatives for allegedly pocketing more than 50 million pesos ($1.4 million) each. Three other former House mem-

bers are being accused of misuse of public funds, bribery and other corrupt practices for receiving less than 50 million pesos each. Napoles is named coconspirator for both the plunder and the misuse of public funds charges.

A summary of the complaint said the scam starts with an agreement between a lawmaker and Napoles to designate her NGOs as recipients of special development funds that each member can allocate. The lawmaker allegedly then got 40 to 60 percent of the project’s cash value as a kickback, while Napoles gave 10 percent to the head of the government agency implementing the project and pocketed the rest after deducting the cost of overpriced supplies. —AP

Powerful typhoon lashes Japan, thousands evacuate Trains suspended and hundreds of flights grounded

LASHKARGAH: Afghan policewomen and relatives sit near the body of a top policewoman in Lashkargah, capital of Helmand province yesterday. Unknown gunmen shot and seriously injured the top female police officer in Afghanistan’s restive Helmand province, just months after her high-profile predecessor was killed, officials said. — AFP

Top Afghan policewoman dies after gun attack KANDAHAR: The top policewoman in Afghanistan’s restive south died yesterday after being shot by assassins, just months after her predecessor was gunned down, in the latest attack to highlight the threat to women in public life.

Nigar, who only used one name, was shot on the street in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, on Sunday and died of her wounds in hospital.

“I can confirm that Nigar died in the emergency unit of the hospital this morning,” provincial government spokesman Omar Zawak told AFP. “She died from a bad injury to her neck.”

Her predecessor as the most senior woman police officer in Helmand, Lieutenant Bibi Islam, was seen as a highprofile symbol of how opportunities have improved in Afghanistan since the repressive Taliban regime was ousted in 2001.

But before her murder in July, Islam admitted receiving regular death threats from people who disapproved of her career-including from her own brother.

The deaths in Helmand follow the murder of female police Lieutenant Colonel Malalai Kakar in neighbouring Kandahar province in 2008, and the killing of two successive women’s affairs directors in Laghman province within months last year.

And earlier this month, masked gunmen in the eastern province of Paktika shot dead Indian author Sushmita Banerjee, whose book about her escape from Islamist militants in the 1990s became a Bollywood film. Nigar, 38, was at first expected to survive her injuries after she was shot on Sunday morning as she walked near the police headquarters in Lashkar Gah. Her killers were riding a motorbike and escaped the scene.

She had worked for seven years in the police crime branch in Helmand, a hotbed of the Islamist insurgency that erupted against the US-backed Kabul government after the fall of the Taliban.

She was the mother of a son and a daughter and was based at Lashkar Gah airport after reaching the rank of investigator. Before Helmand, she had been posted

in the capital Kabul.

After Islam was killed, Nigar told local media that she was not scared of being a policewoman in ultra-conservative Helmand and that she was determined to continue doing a job she loved.

She said that she had also received death threats, but that Afghanistan needed more female police officers to protect women who often suffer repression, sexual violence and discrimination.

No one has claimed responsibility for the murders of Islam or Nigar, and no arrests have been made.

Women’s improved status is a key focus of international efforts in Afghanistan, with foreign diplomats often pointing to more female school children and greater freedom for women as signs of progress.

But donor nations have also raised fears that such advances are at risk as Islamist groups seek to increase their influence with presidential elections due in April and 87,000 NATO-led troops withdrawing next year.

Nigar’s death came as nominations opened Monday for the 2014 elections.

Any female contenders are unlikely to make a serious impact, although two women did each win a small number of votes in 2009.

There are 66 female MPs in the 249-seat lower house of parliament. One of them, Fariba Ahmadi Kakar, was freed last week after being taken at gunpoint on a highway and held hostage by the Taliban for a month.

A recent Oxfam report said that women make up only one percent of Afghanistan’s police force and as a result women are reluctant to seek justice for rising levels of violence.

“Policewomen often lack basic items, such as uniforms, which male colleagues receive. Many find themselves performing menial tasks,” the report said.

There is only one female police officer for every 10,000 women in Afghanistan, and many receive little or no training and are rarely able to investigate crimes or carry out arrests. — AFP

India child prodigy LUCKNOW: A 13-year-old girl is defying educational norms in India and pursuing a master’s degree in microbiology after her father sold his land to pay for her tuition. Sushma Verma says she was able to finish high school at 7 and undergraduate studies at 13 only with the sacrifices of her uneducated parents.

They live with her three younger sib-

lings in a cramped room in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state, and live off her father’s daily wage of up to 200 rupees (less than $3.50) for construction work. Her father sold 10,000 square feet (930 square meters) of land for 25,000 rupees (about $400) to cover some of her school fees. The rest will come from a charity. — AP

LUCKNOW: Sushma Verma, 13, right, interacts with seniors in a classroom of her school in Lucknow, India, yesterday. — AP

TOKYO: A power ful typhoon lashed Japan with torrential rain yesterday, leaving two dead as it damaged homes and flooded parts of the country’s popular tourist destination of Kyoto, where 260,000 people were ordered to evacuate to shelters.

Typhoon Man-yi, packing wind speeds of 162 kilometers per hour (100 mph) Monday night, was centered off the northern coast and heading to the nor thern main island of Hokkaido, dumping more heavy rain.

At Tokyo’s Yasukuni war shrine, a janitor was hit by a fallen tree and seriously injured. Most transportation resumed in the area by Monday evening.

Dozens of people were injured.

Police and disaster management officials said the body of a 72-yearold woman was dug out of the debris of her home, which was smashed by a mudslide the night before in Shiga prefecture, east of Kyoto. A 77-year-old woman was found dead in a mudslide in Fukui prefecture.

The Meteorological Agency said the storm dumped an “unprecedented” amount of rainfall in Kyoto and two neighboring prefectures it passed overnight, dumping as much as 8 centimeters (3 inches) per hour. It lifted a “special warning” for the area Monday but urged residents to stay alert.

In Kyoto, where the city’s major Katsura River flooded, some 260,000 people in the prefectural capital alone were told to evacuate. Hundreds of thousands of others were also ordered to evacuate across Japan.

Tourists in Kyoto were taken to safety on boats towed by rescue workers on a flooded riverside street near the normally scenic Arashiyama area.

Water gushed into a nearby hotel, flooding the lobby and the kitchen, where it knocked down a big refrigerator.

“The water in the lobby was up to the waist. I just didn’t know

KUMAGAYA: City officials look at a house destroyed by a strong wind caused by an approaching typhoon in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, yesterday. Typhoon Man-yi, one of the most powerful storms to lash Japan this season, was bearing down on Japan and went past Tokyo yesterday, leaving one dead and dumping torrential rains, damaging homes and flooding parts of the country’s popular tourist destination of Kyoto. — AP what to do when I saw that,” hotel manager Makoto Hasegawa told public broadcaster NHK as he rinsed the hotel entrance with fresh water.

In the nearby town of Fukuchiyama, an aerial view showed a vast area of muddy water swallowing the town, with houses, fields or other structures half-submerged. The town’s entire population of more than 81,000 was ordered to evacuate.

The government set up an emergency task force to assess damage and suppor t rescue efforts, said Prime Minister’s Office official Hikariko Ono. Kyoto and Shiga prefecture asked the Defense Ministry to mobilize relief teams.

More than 100 people were injured across the countr y by

Monday evening, NHK said, citing its own tally. A man was missing after he went to check fish traps in a river in Fukushima prefecture. A 41-year-old woman and her daughter, a fifth-grader, were missing in Mie, central Japan, apparently swept away by a swollen river.

Thousands of homes were flooded across Japan, according to NHK, and about 80,000 houses in the region were without electricity earlier Monday.

As a preventive step, workers at the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) northeast of Tokyo, were pumping away rainwater that was pooling around hundreds of storage tanks containing radioactive water.

Plant operator Tokyo Electric

Power Co. said the rainwater was being released to the ocean and was believed to be untainted. TEPCO said it was pumping away the water to reduce the risk of flooding and potential tank leaks mixing with rainwater, then seeping into the soil or flowing into the sea.

The government ’s Nuclear Regulation Authority, however, said the pumping and release of the rainwater into the ocean was possibly “an event ” subject to reporting under nuclear safety rules. TEPCO said the radioactivity in the released water was within allowed discharge limits, but duty regulators at the plant were checking. Recent acknowledgements by officials that contaminated water is leaking from the plant have triggered safety concerns.—AP

Philippine troops launch helicopter assault on rebels ZAMBOANGA: Philippine troops aboard helicopters fired rockets yesterday at Muslim rebels occupying parts of a major city, intensifying efforts to end an eight-day standoff that has left dozens dead. The military said it was close to defeating the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) forces, who invaded southern Zamboanga city in a bid to derail a rival rebel group’s planned peace pact with the government.

“We know for a fact that the end is near and they are trying to flee,” military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala told AFP shortly before the helicopter assault was launched. Two air force helicopters fired rockets towards the MNLF rebels held up in and around two coastal villages, the first air strikes since the military began its offensive on Friday.

About 200 rebels initially took dozens of hostages and burned hundreds of homes, forcing a shut down of Zamboanga, a city of about one million that is a key commercial hub in the region.

Zagala said there were only about 100 MNLF forces left, after dozens were caught and others fled, while key rebel-held areas had been over-run.

But the remaining gunmen were hiding among civilians and Zagala acknowledged the rebels were believed to still be holding some locals as human shields. Asked about the potential for the civilians to be caught up in the helicopter assaults, Zagala emphasised they were “precision” strikes. Human Rights Watch expressed concern about the growing dangers for civilians, four of whom had been killed in earlier stages of the conflict.

“This definitely raises the level of danger for civilians in the area,” Carlos Conde, the Philippine representative for the New York-based watchdog, told AFP from Zamboanga. “These are residential areas, how would they (soldiers) know which house or area to target? I don’t think they would have that precise information.”

Fifty-one MNLF fighters and six security forces, as well as the four civilians, have died during the standoff, according to Zagala. One of the civilians who died was a two-year-old baby who had been

taken hostage and was shot in the head, Zamboanga mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco Salazar told reporters, without identifying who fired the bullet. Nearly 70,000 other civilians have fled the fighting, however many other people are believed to be trapped inside the conflict zones. As many as 300 civilians in one village had sought shelter in an ice-making plant building after abandoning their homes, while others had stayed behind to protect their belongings, according to Human Rights Watch. Zagala said on Monday morning the remaining MNLF rebels were engaged in ground battles with troops around two coastal villages, and had proved defiant in the face of the military advance.

“They still have ammunition and they continue to fire at us,” he said. Zagala said MNLF rebels on Monday torched a section of Santa Barbara, one of the neighbourhoods they had occupied, to slow

down the military advance. Volleys of gunfire were heard ringing out across Santa Barbara before the helicopter assault, while sniper fire from the rebels prevented firemen from approaching the burning community, an AFP reporter said.

Muslim rebels have been fighting since the 1970s for an independent or autonomous homeland in the south of the mainly Catholic Philippines. An estimated 150,000 people have died in the fighting.

The MNLF signed a peace treaty in 1996 that granted limited self-rule to the south’s Muslim minority, and has since largely participated in the country’s political process rather than foment violence. But 71-year-old MNLF founder Nur Misauri has been angered by a planned peace deal between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a rival group with 12,000 gunmen, as he believes it would sideline his organisation.— AFP

MANILA: A Filipino Muslim woman hits a bell in suburban Quezon city, north of Manila, Philippines as they call for an end to the ongoing standoff between government troopers and Muslim rebels in southern Philippines yesterday. — AP

NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

Two Syria fronts: Chemical arms, rebel conference PARIS: The US and its closest allies laid out a two-pronged approach in Syria yesterday, calling for enforceable UN benchmarks for eradicating the country’s chemical weapons program and an international conference bolstering the moderate opposition.

The top diplomats from the United States, France and Britain stood side by side Monday to pressure Syrian President Bashar Assad to uphold his end of any deal on securing and destroying Syria’s chemical weapons. France and the US insisted that a military response to the Aug 21 poison gas attack that killed hundreds remains on the table, and were pressing for a UN resolution reflecting that.

The United Nations Security Council is set in coming days to take up the resolution laying out plans for the agreement brokered by the United States and Russia. “If Assad fails to comply ... we are all agreed, and that includes Russia, that there will be consequences,” Secretary of State John Kerry said ahead of meetings in Paris with his counterparts from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, two of the strongest proponents for military action against Assad. Meanwhile, invitations were going out yesterday to top members of the Syrian National Coalition - the main umbrella opposition group for an international conference in New York timed to coincide with next week’s UN General Assembly meeting, French officials said.

Bolstering the Western-backed SNC is just as crucial to Syria’s future as Assad’s agreement to give up chemical arms, said French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. “He must understand that there is no military victory, no possible military victory for him,” Fabius said. He acknowledged that broad popular support for the rebels has been hampered by fears that Islamic militants are now playing a major role in the 2

1/2-year-old uprising.

In briefing the allies, Kerry was pressing for support for the ambitious agreement that averted threatened US military strikes. It calls for an inventory of Syria’s chemical weapons program within one week, with all components of the program out of the country or destroyed by mid-2014.

Those who blame Assad for the chemical attack and supported military strikes say it is up to Assad to uphold his end of any deal. “It is extremely important that there are no evasions, that there is no cat and mouse game going on over these weapons,” said British Foreign Secretary William Hague.

The United Nations is set to take up a resolution would lay out the specific terms of the agreement, detailing how Syria can secure and destroy its stockpile. The content of that was under discussion yesterday. Kerry acknowledged the chemical arms deal would have little immediate effect on the bloodshed in Syria, which has killed more than 100,000 people, but he said full compliance was a key first step.

“This deprives Assad of a weapon,” Kerry said. “If you can translate this into that kind of negotiated settlement you can actually win peace.” Kerry’s journey began a week ago in Paris. At that time he was trying to build support for military strikes on Assad. After an extraordinary series of events and marathon negotiating sessions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Kerry is now back in Paris building support for diplomatic initiatives to strip Assad of his chemical weapons, boost support for the opposition and push a political solution to end the conflict. The trip was wrapping up Monday with a private meeting with Kerry’s Turkish counterpart and lunch with Saudi Foreign Minister Saud AlFaisal. — AP

Qaeda-linked rebels claim Syria killings Turkey claims downing Syrian copter BEIRUT: An Al-Qaeda-linked rebel group says it killed at least 30 members of President Bashar Assad’s Alawite sect during an attack on three villages in central Syria last week. Jabhat Al-Nusra’s claim of responsibility reflects the dark sectarian overtones of the civil war in Syria, where a rebel movement dominated by the country’s Sunni Muslim majority is trying to topple a regime stacked with the president’s fellow Alawites. Both sides stand accused of carrying out mass killings in the 2 1/2year-old conflict.

Turkey said it had downed a Syrian military helicopter yesterday, accusing it of violating its airspace. A Syrian MI-17 helicopter was detected two kilometers (1.2 miles) inside Turkish airspace at 2:20 pm (1120 GMT ), Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc told reporters. “It was continuously warned by our air defense but as the violation continued, it fell on Syrian soil at 2:25 pm (1125 GMT), having been hit by missiles from our planes,” he added. Arinc said there was no information about the fate of its crew because the helicopter fell on Syrian soil. Turkey has changed its military rules of engagement in response to repeated gunfire from the Syrian side towards the border areas, Arinc added.

In a statement posted online, Jabhat Al-Nusra said that its fighters attacked the predominantly Alawite villages of Maksar Al-Hasan, Jab Al-Jarrah and AlMassoudiyeh in Homs province yesterday. It said they seized Maksar Al-Hasan for 10 hours before being forced to withdraw, while the group’s artillery destroyed the other two villages. The group, which is among the most effective rebel outfits and designated a terrorist organization by the United States, said it killed more than 30 Alawites and seized 10 Russian-made weapons, ammunition, cars and other equipment in the assault.

It added that the attack aimed to avenge “the lives of Muslim sons and women who were killed in eastern Ghouta,” a reference to the suspected chemical attack last month on rebel-held suburbs of Damascus that the rebels and the US blame on the Assad regime.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said late Sunday that activists have confirmed the death of 22 villagers from Maksar Al-Hasan. It said the dead ranged in age from two to 90 years. The Observatory said that government forces regained control of Maksar Al-Husan yesterday, killing several Jabhat Al-Nusra fighters in the process. It said five regime troops were also killed in the clashes.— AFP

Zawahri issues first guidelines for jihad Continued from Page 1 through local alliances, while avoiding drawing attention to itself by eschewing attacks. “...our struggle is a long one, and jihad is in need of safe bases,” Zawahri said in his “general guidelines for jihad” posted on jihadi forums. Zawahri spelled out where conflict was inevitable, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Somalia.

In Pakistan, where intelligence sources believe Zawahri is hiding, he said fighting “aims at creating a safe haven for the Mujahideen in Pakistan, which can then be used as a launching pad for the struggle of establishing an Islamic system in Pakistan.”

Al-Qaeda has a strong support network inside Pakistan its founder Osama bin Laden lived there until his death in May 2011. It also has close ties to the Tehrik-e-Taleban Pakistan, with which the Pakistan government has said it will hold peace talks. Zawahri cited the need to weaken Algeria which crushed Islamist militants in a civil war in the 1990s and spread jihadi influence throughout the Maghreb and West Africa.

And in an apparent nod to those who say Al-Qaeda’s focus on the United States weakens their battle against governments at home, he endorsed the right of militants to fight Russians in the Caucasus, Indians in Kashmir and Chinese in Xinjiang.

Founded in 1988 during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda has adapted to the Western onslaught against it which followed the Sept 11 attacks by building a network of alliances and affiliates in Muslim countries around the world. Adept at exploiting conflicts like Afghanistan and Iraq, the Arab uprisings have given AlQaeda a new lease of life - in Syria, for example, fighters loyal to al Qaeda play a powerful role in the opposition to

President Bashar Al-Assad.

But its indiscriminate violence, including suicide bombings and targeting of Shiite Muslims, has made it unpopular among many Muslims. Zawahri called on his mainly Salafist followers to avoid attacking other Muslim sects, and said if they were attacked, they should limit their response to those involved in fighting. They should also leave alone Christians, Hindus and Sikhs living in Muslim lands, respect the lives of women and children and refrain from targeting enemies in mosques, markets and gatherings where they mix with Muslims they were not fighting.

But while affiliates subscribe to Al-Qaeda’s ideology, they are largely autonomous in day-to-day operations, making it hard for Zawahri to control the behavior of their fighters.

“The biggest theme in Zawahri’s document is restraint,” Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said on Twitter. “This seems to acknowledge the excesses that have tarnished AQ’s brand.”

The document was posted on Sept 13, according to SITE, although it was unclear when the guidelines were written

by Zawahri, whose messages - based on their content appear to take weeks to be smuggled out from where he is in hiding.

Zawahri, an Egyptian, made no specific reference to Egypt, though he said that “in the environs of Jerusalem, the foremost and primary battle is against the Jews.” He had previously been critical of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood for participating in democracy, and the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi by the Egyptian army has raised fears al Qaeda would exploit this to encourage conflict in Egypt.

However, noting that Al-Qaeda would cooperate with other Islamic groups on areas of agreement, he said “our differences with other Islamic groups should not distract us from confronting the enemies of Islam...” — Reuters

Shooting rampage in US navy yard; 12 dead Continued from Page 1 Todd Brundidge said he and other co-workers encountered a gunman in a hallway on the third floor. The gunman was wearing all blue, he said. “He just turned and started firing,” Brundidge said. Terrie Durham added, “He aimed high and missed. He said nothing. As soon as I realized he was shooting, we just said, ‘Get out of the building.’”

Rick Mason said a gunman was shooting from a fourthfloor overlook in the hallway outside his office. He said the gunman was aiming down at people in the building’s cafeteria. Mason said he could hear the shots but could not see a gunman.

Mason said there are multiple levels of security to reach his office. That “makes me think it might have been someone who works here,” he said. Patricia Ward said she was in the cafeteria.

“It was three gunshots straight in a row - pop, pop, pop.

Three seconds later, it was pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, so it was like about a total of seven gunshots, and we just started running,” Ward told reporters.

One person died at George Washington University Hospital of a single gunshot wound to the left temple, said Dr Babak Sarani, director of trauma and acute care surgery.

Janis Orlowski, chief operating officer of Washington

Hospital Center, told reporters the hospital was treating three gunshot victims in critical condition. One was Washington police officer and two were civilian women.

Orlowski said the police officer had gunshot wounds to the legs. One woman had a gunshot wound to the shoulder, and the other had gunshot wounds to the head and hand.

President Barack Obama mourned yet another mass shooting in the US that he said took the lives of American patriots. Obama promised to make sure “whoever carried out this cowardly act is held responsible.” Two Navy officials confirmed at least six people had died. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about the situation publicly.

Naval Sea Systems Command is the largest of the Navy’s five system commands and accounts for a quarter of the Navy’s entire budget. Only security personnel were allowed to be armed on the campus.

The Navy Yard has three gates, according to its website.

One is open around the clock and must be used by visitors.

A second gate is only for military and civilian Defense Department employees. The other gate is for bus traffic.

The Navy Yard is part of a fast-growing neighborhood on the banks of the Anacostia River in southeast Washington, just blocks from the Nationals Park baseball stadium. — AP

Floodwaters rage past an urban area after the Huacapa River overflowed due to heavy rains caused by Tropical Storm Manuel in Chilpancingo, Mexico, yesterday. — AP

Militant rebel groups step up crimes in Syria: UN GENEVA: Killings, crimes and other abuses by rebels, including foreign fighters invoking jihad, or holy war, have increased in northern Syria, UN human rights investigators said yesterday. “Across northern Syria, there has been an upsurge in crimes and abuses committed by extremist anti-government armed groups along with an influx of rebel foreign fighters,” Paulo Pinheiro, head of the inquiry, told the UN Human Rights Council.

“Entire brigades are now made up from fighters who have crossed into Syria, with Al-Muhajireen being one of the most active,” he said. The investigators have previously said foreign fighters from more than 10 countries, including Afghanistan and Russia’s Chechnya region, as well as Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra forces are backing Syrian rebels. The Lebanese Hezbollah is fighting along-

side government forces.

“Now it is probably more. The point is that these extreme elements have their own agenda and certainly not a democratic agenda that they are seeking to impose,” commission member Vitit Muntarbhorn said.

“That is a major worry from our side of the fence.”

Pinheiro, reporting on suspected war crimes since July 15, also said President Bashar Al-Assad’s government had continued a relentless campaign of air bombardment and artillery shelling across the country. An incendiary bomb dropped from a government warplane on a school in the Aleppo countryside on Aug 26 killed at least eight students, and 50 more suffered horrific burns over up to 80 percent of their bodies, he said, citing survivor accounts. — Reuters

Egypt forces storm rebel-held town Continued from Page 1 officials in Minya. Two army helicopters were flying low over the town as forces sealed off all entrances and ordered residents to stay indoors, according to the activists and security officials. The officials said around 11 people were injured by birdshot or treated for tear gas inhalation during the clashes.

However, many of the senior Islamists appear to have fled the town just before the start of the operation, the security officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Father Ioannis of the town’s Coptic Orthodox church said many residents knew the operation was imminent from the night before. “I live above a bakery and people waiting in line late last night were saying the army was coming in at dawn,” he said. He suggested that residents farming land on the west side of the town may have seen troops and armor massing in the area, and the news spread. “I am so happy and relieved they are here, anway” he said.

Minya’s security chief, Osamah Mutwali, said army troops and police were in complete control of the town and would remain there until law and order were fully restored. Soon after the forces entered the town, hundreds of Morsi supporters tried to stage a protest march but they were quickly dispersed by the forces’ use of tear gas, according to the activists and Islamist activist Mohammed

El-Dalgawi.

Militants had seized Dalga, located on the edge of the Nile Valley bordering the western desert, by driving out police, part of the general collapse of security in Minya after Morsi’s removal. Angry mobs torched and looted dozens of churches across the south. In Dalga, when The Associated Press visited earlier this month, a church dating back to the 4th century was a blackened shell, with the remains of revered clerics strewn around the interior and “Egypt is Islamic” painted on its inside walls.

Armed militants were visible on many of its streets, and Morsi supporters held daily demonstrations outside the police station calling for the ousted president’s reinstatement. Christians in Dalga say militants demanded money in exchange for their protection, a practice harkening back to a long abandoned tax called “jizyah” collected from nonMuslims. The security officials said the 88 arrested yesterday included members of the Gamaa Islamiya, a militant group that is a close ally of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood.

The Gamaa led the insurgency against the government in the 1990s and is blamed for a series of high-profile assassinations at the time along with the killing of wealthy Christians and western tourists. Minya is a stronghold of the Gamaa and was a heartland of the 1990s insurgency. It is also home to the largest Christian community in any of Egypt’s provinces, making up about 35 percent of its estimated 4.5 million residents. Christians account for about 10 percent of the population nationwide. — AP

UN: Convincing evidence’ of Syria...

Continued from Page 1 The inspectors said “the environmental, chemical and medical samples we have collected provide clear and convincing evidence that surface-to-surface rockets containing the nerve agent sarin were used ... in the Ghouta area of Damascus” on Aug 21. “The conclusion is that chemical weapons have been used in the ongoing conflict between the parties in the Syrian Arab Republic, also against civilians, including children, on a relatively large scale,” the inspectors said in their report to Ban. “This result leaves us with the deepest concern,” the inspectors said. The inspectors were mandated to report on whether chemical weapons were used and if so which ones - not on who was responsible. The rebels and their Western and Arab supporters blame Assad’s regime for the attack in the rebel-controlled area of Ghouta. The Assad regime insists that the attack was carried out by rebels. The UN report mentions the Ghouta areas of Ein Tarma, Moadamiyeh and Zamalka, all of which were featured in the videos of victims that emerged shortly after the attack.

The Aug 21 chemical attack unfolded as the UN inspection team was in Syria to investigate earlier reported attacks. After days of delays, the inspectors were allowed access to victims, doctors and others in the Damascus suburbs. Chief weapons inspector Ake Sellstrom handed over the report to the secretary-general on Sunday amid a flurry of diplomatic activity aimed at getting Syria to put its just-acknowledged stockpile of chemical weapons and chemical precursors under international control for destruction.

In the report, Sellstrom said the team was issuing the findings on the Ghouta attacks “without prejudice” to its continuing investigation and final report on the alleged use of chemical weapons in three other areas. The letter said it hoped to produce that report as soon as possible.

Under an Aug 13 agreement between the UN and the Syrian government, Sellstrom’s team was scheduled to investigate an alleged chemical weapons attack on March 19 on the village of Khan al Assal outside Aleppo and alleged attacks on two other sites which were kept

secret for security reasons. The letter for the first time identified the two sites still to be investigated as Sheik Maqsood and Saraqueb.

It also thanked the four laboratories designated by the Office for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to examine the samples from Syria, disclosing their locations for the first time - in Finland, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland.

In Geneva, the chairman of a UN war crimes panel, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, said his panel has not pinpointed the chemical used in the 14 suspected chemical attacks it said yesterday it was investigating. Pinheiro also said the panel believes Assad’s government has been responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity, while rebel groups have perpetrated war crimes but not crimes against humanity “because there is not a clear chain of command.”

Kerry ended a weeklong diplomacy tour in Paris yesterday after laying out with his French and British counterparts a two-pronged approach in Syria. They called for enforceable UN benchmarks for eradicating the chemical weapons program and an international conference bolstering the moderate opposition. An ambitious agreement that averted threatened US military strikes calls for an inventory of Syria’s chemical weapons program within one week, with all components of the program out of the country or destroyed by mid-2014.

France and the US insisted that a military response to the Aug 21 attack remained on the table, and were pressing for a UN resolution reflecting that in coming days.

“If Assad fails to comply ... we are all agreed, and that includes Russia, that there will be consequences,” Kerry said. But Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, said ongoing attempts to threaten the use of force against Syria would provoke the opposition and disrupt a chance for negotiations. In London, Syrian Information Minister Omran Al-Zoubi said Syria will comply with all Security Council resolutions and will facilitate the mission of the UN inspectors in line with the Russian-US agreement.

The comments were carried by state-run SANA news agency, which said al-Zoubi made the comments in an interview with Britain-based ITN TV on Sunday. —AP

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

ANALYSIS

THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF ESTABLISHED 1961

Founder and Publisher

YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN Editor-in-Chief

ABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ALYAN EDITORIAL : 24833199-24833358-24833432 ADVERTISING : 24835616/7 FAX : 24835620/1 CIRCULATION : 24833199 Extn. 163 ACCOUNTS : 24835619 COMMERCIAL : 24835618 P.O.Box 1301 Safat,13014 Kuwait.

E MAIL :info@kuwaittimes.net Website: www.kuwaittimes.net

Focus

Quebec separatists play to voters with headscarf, turban ban

By Randall Palmer

Q

uebec’s separatist government is betting on broad popular support with a proposal that prohibits public workers from wearing headscarves, skullcaps and other religious symbols, yet it is dividing the movement that advocates independence from Canada. The proposal, unveiled by the ruling Parti Quebecois today, plays with the explosive issue of minority rights in a part of Canada, a country that prides itself as being a tapestry of immigrants rather than a US-style melting pot.

The government’s proposed Charter of Quebec Values would ban teachers, doctors and other public workers from wearing highly visible religious symbols, including headscarves and large crosses, in an effort to cement a secular society in the Frenchspeaking province. The charter needs support from at least one other party to become law, and it will certainly face legal challenges.

“The vast majority of our followers agree with what we’re putting forward, although obviously this isn’t unanimous,” Bernard Drainville, the Quebec minister who introduced the proposals, told Reuters.

The broad idea of a Quebec charter that would mandate religious neutrality for government workers seems to have resonated with a majority of people in Quebec. But it has already caused an unseemly divide among the separatists. “Has the Quebec nationalist movement sunk for the decades to come into a way of doing politics that will divide Quebeckers?” asked Maria Mourani, a Lebanese Christian elected to the federal Parliament as a member of the separatist Bloc Quebecois.

The Bloc, the federal counterpart to the Quebec’s ruling Parti Quebecois, expelled Mourani from its caucus on Thursday after she expressed reservations about the charter, and she quit the party on Friday. She said her family chose Canada over France as a place to immigrate to, because it was free from the tensions over identity that she saw in France.

“We know well the number of French suburbs filled with millions of Africans and people from the Maghreb, who are still not considered French,” she said. “You see delinquency, crime, poverty, exclusion. That’s not what I want for Quebec.”

France banned religious symbols in schools in 2004 and banned the wearing of full-face Islamic veils in public in 2011.

Quebec separatists have long highlighted their differences with the rest of Canada in terms of language, culture and religion the Catholic Church long held sway in the province and the new rules won’t apply to “traditional” symbols like the crucifix hanging in the National Assembly in Quebec City. It remains unclear if the gambit will blow up in the face of those who favor independence, or if it will strengthen a separatist movement that twice lost referendums on breaking away from Canada.

Drainville, the minister who unveiled the ban, noted that a Forum Research poll found that while 47 percent of people across Canada disapproved of the proposed Quebec rules, 42 percent of Canadians approved. “We’re not that different from other advanced and democratic societies such as Britain and France and Switzerland and Scandinavia and Germany who have had this debate on how to have a healthy relationship between religion and the state,” he said.

The idea of a Quebec charter of values has the support of 66 percent of Quebec residents, according to an online SOM poll conducted between Aug 30 and Sept 5, after elements of the plan were first reported. Yet the new rules have even won the disapproval of the man often viewed as the hardline guardian of separatism, Jacques Parizeau, who was premier in 1995 when his forces came within a percentage point of winning a referendum on separation.

Parizeau’s wife, Lisette Lapointe, a member of the Quebec legislature, said the two of them oppose the new plan, which pits multicultural Montreal against the rest of the province.

“Why create this split between the regions and Montreal?

There is a kind of unanimity in Montreal, all the parties are together, all the separatists and federalists are saying ‘No, in Montreal, we don’t want this,’” she told French CBC television. “What is going on here? This has to be looked at again.”

The metropolitan area of Montreal has nearly half Quebec’s 8 million people and most of its immigrants. Mayors in and around the city have already come out aggressively against the charter.

Mourani, a member of Parliament who opposes the proposal, said the separatists can’t achieve independence without support from Montreal.

Antonia Maioni, director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, said the provincial government had to have expected some of the reaction. “I think they knew they would get some backlash, particularly in the metropolis,” she said. “Right away you could see that there would be this kind of resistance.” Outside Quebec, the official response to the charter has been largely negative. Lakeridge Health, a hospital group outside Toronto, ran a recruitment ad in a Montreal student newspaper showing a smiling young woman wearing a pink and orange headscarf.

“We don’t care what’s on your head,” the caption reads. “We care what’s in it.” —Reuters

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.

After Syria, Iran laments its own victims

By Marcus George

A

n Iranian war veteran fell into a coma in a Tehran hospital last week after suffering respiratory failure, his lungs ravaged by mustard gas during the Iran-Iraq war 30 years ago.

Hadi Kazemnejad is one of up to 1,000,000 Iranians who were exposed to chemical weapons by Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, officials say. Between 10,000 and 20,000 people were killed and 100,000 of those who survived have developed illnesses, often chronic.

Cases like Kazemnejad’s point to the long-term damage of chemical warfare and also help explain Iran’s nuanced reaction to allegations regional ally Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad used such weapons against his own people.

Chemical attacks on the outskirts of Damascus on Aug. 21, in which an estimated 1,400 people died, have reopened a sensitive debate among Iranians over their country’s support for Syria. Tehran has provided financial and military support to ensure Assad maintains what it calls the “axis of resistance” against Israel and Arab and Western states. Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters have taken up arms for Assad inside Syria.

Iranians have paid the highest price from any chemical attacks in modern history. Their suffering is etched into the existence of the theocratic state. In a Facebook posting Iran’s new foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, condemned the use of chemical weapons, “regardless of its victims or culprits”. The posting received more than 2,000 responses from Iranians at home and abroad, including many critical of Tehran’s unwavering support for Assad.

It is a debate that reaches all the way to the office of Iran’s recently elected president, Hassan Rouhani, who is keen to ensure Syria’s civil war does not ruin his

chances of making progress in negotiations with the West over Iran’s nuclear program and getting trade sanctions eased, analysts say. Rouhani has praised Syria’s move to join a global anti-chemical weapons treaty, part of a US-Russia deal that would eliminate Assad’s chemical arsenal.

Iran’s Syria policy is run by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an ideologue who is unlikely to switch his support from Assad. But some diplomats believe if Rouhani is given a stake in the process by Khamenei, Iran could play an important role in helping Syria towards peace. Iran, they say, has previously shown it can be constructive. As evidence they hold up Iran’s role in the 2001 Bonn conference that paved the way for a transitional authority in Afghanistan.

Iran’s lead representative to those talks was new foreign minister Zarif. According to US diplomat James Dobbins in testimony to the US Congress, Zarif achieved “the final breakthrough.” In a recent op-ed piece, former Iranian nuclear negotiator Hossein Mousavian - who worked under Rouhani - described the cooperation of Iran and the US in 2001 as a “blueprint for a new collaboration.”

Such a plan faces many hurdles.

Opposing even subtle change in Iran’s policy is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran’s hardline and dominant military force which is responsible for delivering support to Assad. “There are clearly divergent views. It will be interesting to see whether the Rouhani approach or the current hardline policy will prevail,” said Iran expert Ali Ansari at St Andrew’s University in Scotland. “Rouhani will have to tread very carefully as far as hardliners are concerned. It’s a pity, I think Syria could be a real opportunity.”

In an apparent indication of the suffocating influence of the IRGC, Rouhani told commanders on Monday that the force

should “keep their distance from political games”, state news agency IRNA reported.

Condemning the use of chemical weapons in Syria, Iran also accuses the world of ignoring the plight of its own victims, like Hadi Kazemnejad. International sanctions against Iran, it says, are complicating access to medicines. Western powers say humanitarian goods such as food and medicine are free from sanctions aimed at forcing Tehran to halt its nuclear work.

“When I saw him yesterday in intensive care, it made me very sad and frustrated to see that our patients who can have a chance to live and breathe are dying because of these sanctions,” said Dr Shahriar Khateri, a co-founder of the Society for Chemical Weapons Victims Support, an NGO. “They were victimized by Saddam during the war but the world community turned a blind eye to his war crimes and never tried to stop him. When they removed Saddam, our victims expected help but they not only ignored us, they targeted us with sanctions.”

From 1983, Iraqi president Saddam Hussein repeatedly attacked Iran with mustard gas, sarin and tabun to reverse the fortunes of his failed invasion of Iran three years earlier.

A declassified US state department report from Baghdad dated to February 1983 cites an Iraqi military spokesman saying: “The invaders should know that for every harmful insect there is an insecticide capable of annihilating it whatever their number and Iraq possesses this annihilation insecticide.”

Shahriar Khateri says lungs, eyes and skin problems are the most visible conditions but exposure to mustard gas attacks every cell in the body and has left survivors reeling from damage to the immune system, leaving them vulnerable to a wide range of infections and cancers.

Patients have had difficulty finding inhaler medication such as Seretide and Spiriva. There are also shortages of immunosuppressive medications such as Cellcept, Tacrolimus and Sandimmune that are needed to ensure that the immune system does not reject corneal transplants.

Hassan Hassani was on the battlefield in February 1986 when Iraqi fighter jets bombed Iranian positions. The 19-yearold clambered from the rubble of the building he was in but within an hour he and other soldiers experienced breathing difficulties and burning eyes and skin.

“After a couple of hours, we developed huge blisters on our bodies and I gradually became unconscious,” said the 46-yearold. “I had experience of being under heavy bombardment and artillery fire but seeing how gas can kill and suffocate strong soldiers was a frightening experience. I never forget the horrors of seeing huge, painful blisters on our bodies.”

Behrouz Abbasi was also exposed to mustard gas near the city of Abadan. He has suffered from breathing difficulties since and has undergone specialized corneal surgery because of the damage mustard gas did to his eyes. “It is a lifetime of suffering, it is like torture,” he told Reuters. “I hate those who make such weapons ... and those who use them.”

It is this emotion and fury that unites Iranian survivors, officials and campaign groups. “Once again breaths are stuck in chests, tears are pouring, bloody coughs have stained the earth and a rain of death has taken hold of tormented people,” read a statement by the Society for Chemical Victims of Sardasht on the events in Syria, a week after they took place. The statement calls on the United Nations and its partners to launch “humanitarian intervention without delay”, bring an end to the monstrosities and bring to trial the perpetrators. —Reuters

Syrians practice chemical arms response

By Antonio Pampliega

M

ohammad Zayed, a former student at Homs University, dedicates his days to teaching volunteers how to help fellow Syrians cope with a chemical weapons attack-just in case. “The regime has sarin, the VX (nerve) agent and mustard gas,” chemistry student Zayed, 21, tells his team of volunteers in the northern city of Aleppo.

“If it’s a sarin attack, you need to open the windows to ventilate the houses. It’s a very lethal gas but it disperses quickly. “VX is more dangerous. We cannot take off the protective clothing at any time because it penetrates the body not only through our respiratory system but also through the skin and eyes,” says Zayed. Sarin is a paralyzing, odorless agent that can kill in minutes and was developed by Nazi scientists in 1938.

Several Western countries and Syrian opposition groups say

the regime used it in the rebelheld areas of Eastern Ghouta and Moadamiyet Al-Sham in the outskirts of Damascus on August 21.

VX is an even more deadly derivative of sarin, while mustard gas causes suffocation and severe burning of the eyes and respiratory system. The United States says there are some 45 sites in Syria linked to the regime’s chemical arms program.

Washington agreed with Moscow on Saturday that Damascus’ chemical arsenal will be identified, inspected, handed over to international supervision and destroyed by mid2014. But after the alleged chemical strikes that are said to have killed hundreds, fears in rebel-held areas that they too might be hit are running high.

For two months, Zayed has been training a group of 26 civilians in the hope they can respond to another such attack.

His students include ex-fire-

fighters, students, welders and heavy machinery drivers. “If the regime uses chemical arms to attack Aleppo city tomorrow, we will be ready to act and help the civilians,” Zayed says. “They (the regime) won’t think twice before they use (chemical arms) against the civilian population, only to then blame the rebels for the attack,” he added.

Damascus and Moscow have flatly denied Assad’s regime had any part in the alleged chemical attacks near Damascus. They say the rebels staged the attack to try to provoke international intervention.

But 45-year-old Abdel Moneim, who leads this unusual civil defence team, is convinced Assad is responsible. “What happened in Ghouta is the work of Assad’s regime. If the rebels had chemical weapons, the war would have been over months ago. In any case, they would never use them against the civilian population,” he says. Like Zayed, Abdel Moneim believes the government might

use chemicals to target Aleppo, large swathes of which fell out of army control after rebels staged a massive onslaught in July last year.

“Bashar Al-Assad would not hesitate to use chemical weapons against Aleppo. And he will accuse the rebels” of staging the attack, he said.

Despite their rudimentary methods, Zayed and Abdel Moneim have full trust in their team. But their main problem is they only have 24 protective suits, which they obtained during a rebel attack against a loyalist army base, and just three gas masks. “Without masks we won’t be able to do much for people, because even a moist handkerchief to cover the nose and mouth won’t stop the chemical agents,” said Zayed.

Still, he thinks it is “very important that more groups like ours are set up in the country, to help the civilians. We know our limits but we will try to save as many lives as possible.

“Otherwise, people will die like they did in Ghouta,” said Zayed. In a school in the New Aleppo district of Syria’s second city, two of Zayed’s students volunteer to participate in an evacuation drill.

They don protective gear and masks, and move down to the courtyard. A student lies down on the ground and plays at being the victim, while Abdel Moneim calls out instructions. Meeting every day for class, “the students are trained in first aid to help civilians in case of an attack,” says Abdel Moneim.

“Our team will follow instructions of medical workers at the Zarzur hospital, which will be tasked with receiving patients” in case of a chemical attack, he adds. The volunteers have started distributing leaflets to Aleppo residents, explaining how to react to an attack, and how to “hold on until the rescue team arrives”, says Zayed. Although Damascus has agreed to hand over its arsenal, residents of Aleppo’s rebel districts are still on guard. — AFP

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

S P ORTS

Safarova defeats Erakovic

Parachutist invades pitch

Hsieh claims two victories

QUEBEC: Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic won her fifth WTA title when she edged New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic 6-4 6-3 in the final of the Bell Challenge in Quebec City on Sunday.

Third seed Safarova’s serve proved a decisive weapon as the 26-year-old left-hander ended a five-year victory drought and improved her record in WTA finals to 5-7. “I hope it’s not another five years until the next (title),” said Safarova, who was broken early in the first set but held serve the rest of the way.

Sixth seed Erakovic had her chances but the Croatian-born New Zealander squandered five break points. Safarova broke Erakovic four times on the indoor carpet. “It was just about a few points today, but I was more consistent with my game and more aggressive, and I think that’s why I won,” said Safarova, who entered the event ranked 48th in the world. “My strategy was to try to go to her backhand side and just try to use my lefty shots as well as I could. I was a little bit nervous at the end because it was so long since my last WTA title.

“I really wanted to win the title today - so it’s great I was able to do that.” —Reuters

LONDON: An English minor league match was halted at the weekend when a parachutist landed in the middle of the pitch.

To the amazement of the Salisbury City and Chester FC players and the 1,000 fans inside the stadium, the airborne invader touched down in the second half.

He then calmly packed up his chute and walked off to applause from the supporters. Former Stoke City defender Danny Higginbotham, now playing for fifth tier Chester, said it was one of the strangest things he had seen in his long career. “The most bizarre thing I have ever seen on a football pitch happened today,” he said on Twitter.

“Half way through the second half out of nowhere a parachutist landed on the pitch. No idea where he was supposed to land but he hit the ground hard. #bizarre.”

Parachutists have interrupted sporting contests before, most famously during a heavyweight boxing clash between Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield in 1993.

His arrival was less popular though as he was set upon by members of the audience in Las Vegas. A parachutist died in 2008 when he crash-landed in the stadium before an under-18 international between France and Ukraine in Orleans. —Reuters

GUANGZHOU: Reigning WTA Guangzhou Open champion and Taiwan’s first Grand Slam winner Hsieh Su-Wei claimed victory in both her singles and doubles first round matches yesterday, the opening day of this year’s tournament.

Sixth-seeded Hsieh, from Taiwan, defeated Argentina’s Paula Ormaechea 6-1, 6-2 in 56 minutes in her singles match in the morning.

In the afternoon Hsieh then won her first round doubles match with her partner, China’s Peng Shuai. The top seeds and Wimbledon champions overcame Maria Fernanda Alvarez Teran of Bolivia and Keri Wong of the United States 6-3, 6-3.

Hsieh will face China’s Zhang Shuai in the second round of the singles tournament, after the wildcard entry defeated Russia’s Olga Puchkova in their first round tie 6-0, 7-6 (7/1).

Briton Johanna Konta won her first round match against Richel Hogenkamp from Holland, 6-3, 6-2, while Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic beat Sweden’s Johanna Larsson 6-4, 6-3.

Galina Voskoboeva from Kazakhstan and Monica Puig from Puerto Rico will face off in the second round after both players won their first round games. Vania King of the United States also booked her place in the second round after a hard fought 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory over South African Chanelle Scheepers, a former winner in 2011. —AFP

Heavy rain washes out playoff event CHICAGO: A heavy rainstorm Sunday postponed completion of the final round of the $8 million BMW Championship, the penultimate event of the US PGA Tour playoffs.

Only six players finished their final rounds at par71 Conway Farms, where play was delayed twice before officials halted the round until Monday morning. There were still 22 players in the field of 70 yet to tee off, including US leader Jim Furyk, who matched the tour record low round with a 59 on Friday and followed with a 69 on Saturday to stand on 13-under par 200 for 54 holes.

Steve Stricker was second on 201 with defending US PGA playoff champion Brandt Snedeker another stroke back, Zach Johnson in fourth on 203 and world number one Tiger Woods in fifth, four adrift of Furyk in an all-American top five.

Furyk has squandered his past five 54-hole leads, including one last month at the PGA Championship, when countryman Jason Dufner passed him over the final holes to win his first major title.

The top 30 players on the playoff points list after the final round will advance to next week’s seasonending Tour Championship at Atlanta, with the top five on that list being assured of winning the playoff

crown and a $10 million prize should they win the tournament.

Snedeker, ninth on the points list entering the final round, will be the first defending champion to even reach the final event.

“It’s fantastic to have a great year and get back to the Tour Championship,” Snedeker said Sunday. “I really want to be in the top five to control my own destiny. Every position you can crawl up makes a difference. That’s what makes these playoffs so much fun.” Woods is projected to pass Sweden’s Henrik Stenson and top the points list entering the Tour Championship. Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy fired his second 68 in a row before play was halted, giving him back-to-back rounds in the 60s for the first time this season in the same US PGA Tour event. He finished 72 holes on seven-over 291.

England’s Lee Westwood, who clung to the 30th and last Tour Championship berth when the week began, fired a 74 to finish on 296, dropping him out of the top 30 in points. American Dustin Johnson fired a 72 to finish on 293 to claim the 30th position but with so much of the field having so many holes remaining, his grasp upon the spot was tenuous at best. —AFP

Luiten wins Dutch Open ZANDVOORT: Dutchman Joost Luiten ended a decade-long home victory drought in capturing the Dutch Open in a play-off at Zandvoort on Sunday.

Luiten, 27 also captured a third Tour victory and his second this season after both he and Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez ended regulation play tied on 12-under par in the bright but windy conditions on the Kennemer course.

Luiten then two-putted for par the first extra hole to deny Jimenez a second Dutch Open title victory and 19 years after his first, and seconds after the Spaniard’s par putt had lipped out.

It is the first time in the 41-year history of the

European Tour a Dutch-born player has won two events in a single season and also only the second Dutch-born golfer to win the Dutch Open in a similar period. And sponsors KLM celebrated Luiten’s success with a fly past of a 1940s DC 3 aircraft.

“Winning your own national Open for any player is like winning a Major and this is how this win feels,” said Luiten. “I went close a few years ago in but to win now feels just unbelievable and I think it won’t be later tonight when it all sinks in. “This win will be huge for Dutch golf as it’s been 10 years since Maarten Lafeber won so another Dutch winner will help the game in Holland. —AFP

Sparks down Mercury LOS ANGELES: Candace Parker and Jantel Lavender each scored 16 points as the Los Angeles Sparks routed the Phoenix Mercury 89-55 on Sunday.

Nneka Ogwumike had 12 points and eight rebounds for the Sparks (24-10) in a preview of the Western Conference semifinals. They’ve clinched the second and third seeds and will open a best-ofthree series Thursday in Los Angeles.

Brittney Griner had nine points, seven rebounds and four blocks for Phoenix (19-15), which was held to its lowest point total this season. Jasmine James also added nine points.

Diana Taurasi, who had a shot at her sixth WNBA scoring title, took a knee to a quad in the second quarter and was held out as a precautionary measure.

Phoenix ’s second-leading scorer Candice Dupree did not play.

SUN 82, FEVER 80 In Uncasville, Izzy Castro Marques made two free throws with 1.9 seconds remaining in overtime and the Sun edged the Fever.

Castro Marques led Connecticut (1024) with 19 points. Mistie Bass had 16 points and 12 rebounds and Renee Montgomery added 16 points for the Sun. Karima Christmas led the playoffbound Fever (16-18) with 21 points. Katie Douglas had 14 points, Erlana Larkins and Jeanette Pohlen each scored 12.

Larkins missed a short jumper at the buzzer for Indiana. Kelsey Griffin, who had 10 points, forced overtime scoring with 0.4 seconds left in regulation.

Both teams played with seven players because of injuries and to rest players on the last day of the regular season. Indiana will advance to the WNBA playoffs.

MYSTICS 70, LIBERTY 52 In Washington, Tayler Hill scored a career-high-equaling 16 points to help the Mystics defeat the Liber ty and clinch the third playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.

Kia Vaughn scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for her second straight double-double and her third of the season to help the Mystics split their four-game season series with New York Ivor y Latta added 12 points for Washington (17-17), which closed its season with three straight victories to finish a game ahead of fourth-place Indiana entering their first playoffs since 2010.

The Mystics will face second-seeded Atlanta in a three-game conference semifinal series. Kelsey Bone scored 11 points and Toni Young added 10 for New York (11-23) in the final game for retiring teammate and seven-time WNBA All-Star Katie Smith.

SILVER STARS 97, DREAM 68 In San Antonio, Danielle Adams scored a franchise-record 39 points as the Silver Stars closed a disappointing season by routing the playoff bound Atlanta.

Adams drove the lane for a spinning layup to top the franchise record of 38 points set by Becky Hammon on July 30, 2009 against Sacramento. A second year forward from Texas A&M, Adams was 13 for 23 from the field and 10 for 12 on free throws.

She left the game with 1:36 remaining to a standing ovation. Alex Bentley had 17 points and former Silver Stars center Ruth Riley had 10 points for Atlanta (17-17). The Dream, who are the second seed in the Eastern Conference, lost four straight to close the regular season. They will play Washington in the opening round of the playoffs.

Shamek a Christon had 24 points, Shenise Johnson added 20 points for San Antonio (12-22). —AP

Candace Parker

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

S P ORTS

Japan’s new home-run hero breaks barriers TOKYO: In the traditional world of Japanese baseball, breaking with the past is not easy but a beefy Caribbean slugger has shattered one of its most historic records in a season marked by controversy over a bouncy new ball.

When Wladimir Balentien, a 29-yearold former major-leaguer from Curacao, smacked his 56th and 57th home runs of the season on Sunday against the Hanshin Tigers, it ended a stubbornly defended mark which had stood for nearly 50 years.

It came just a few months after Japanese baseball chiefs were forced to admit to secretly introducing a new ball designed to bounce further off the bat, a move that has been credited with a surge in home runs. The Yakult Swallows outfielder’s exploits finally toppled the Japanese record of 55 homers in a season set by Sadaharu Oh, a legend of domestic baseball whose mark set in 1964 had withstood earlier challenges by foreign players-and not always fairly.

In 1985, American Randy Bass reached 54 home runs with two games to play against the mighty Yomiuri Giants, Japan’s fabled team then man-

aged by Oh. But every time Bass, of the Hanshin Tigers, stepped up to the plate at Tokyo’s Korakuen Stadium, the Giants pitchers intentionally ‘walked’ him by throwing unhittable pitches, in an unsporting bid to preserve Oh’s record.

“I was thinking I had two games left to break it. But we were playing the Giants and Sadaharu Oh was their manager,” Bass told AFP in a telephone interview from his home in Oklahoma.

“I had no idea they were going to walk me. I thought that I would have an opportunity to break or tie the record.

First time up, the catcher said ‘gomennasai’ (sorry) and I walked four pitches in a row.” The iconic Oh, Japan’s answer to Babe Ruth, denied ordering his pitchers to walk Bass. But Keith Comstock, an American pitcher for the Giants, later revealed that one of the team’s coaches had imposed a $1,000 fine for every strike thrown to Bass.

It was a similar story in 2001 when America’s Tuffy Rhodes of the Kintetsu Buffaloes faced the Daiei Hawks, again managed by Oh, having reached 55 home runs to tie the record. Again the

pitchers refused to throw strikes, and again Oh denied any collusion as Rhodes went homerless for the rest of the season. However, Hawks battery coach Yoshiharu Wakana gave a revealing insight after the game, telling reporters: “It would be distasteful to see a foreign player break Oh’s record.”

Venezuela’s Alex Cabrera also tied the record in 2002, and also saw good pitches dry up. Balentien, with some 18 games still to play this season, now has the opportunity to put distance between his record and the mark set by Oh, who was quick to offer his congratulations.

“It’s overwhelming that he has hit a home-run at a rate of one for every two games. I am looking forward to seeing how far he will go,” said the 73-year-old.

In Balentien’s favor this season was the secret introduction of a new ball designed to improve bounce off the bat, whose arrival was finally admitted in June after months of denials.

The ball, credited with a surge in home runs, was brought in after Japan spent two seasons with a much less bouncy ball. Homers had fallen to 939 in

2011 and 881 in 2012, compared with 1,605 in 2010. But the most telling aspect of Balentien’s record was the response from other teams and fans, who appeared unaffected by the prospect of one of Japan’s most fabled marks falling to a foreigner.

Underhand tactics from opposing teams were notable by their absence, and fans of all persuasion got behind the Swallows slugger in his quest to make history, indicating a new, more inclusive attitude. “I like the fact that the opposition team cheer for me, and they want somebody to take advantage and break the record,” Balentien said last week, after tying Oh’s mark.

“Every time I go up to the plate I can hear the whole stadium cheering for me and it gives me more motivation to get it done,” added the former Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds player.

“Knowing the history of everything that happened before, just to get the opposing fans on your side cheering for you is showing you that they want baseball to get to the next generation.

“Forget about what happened a couple of years ago-they just want some-

body to go further and be the new single-season home run king.”

Long-time journalist and broadcaster Marty Kuehnert believes the success of New York Yankees star Ichiro Suzuki, who has broken records in the United States, and other Japanese athletes abroad has helped change the mindset towards foreign players.

“Part of it has to do with the fact that Ichiro got the opportunity to be pitched fairly to in the US and set his records,” he said. “It was very clear they were not pitching around him to prevent him getting the record. “I think the success of Japanese abroad in sports like baseball, soccer and tennis has changed the mentality in recent years. I think that has probably changed the attitude of a lot of people.” With the original home run king’s place in histor y long since secured, Bass, who so nearly broke the record in 1985, believes Japanese baseball can afford to move on. “Sadaharu Oh has had that record for so long,” Bass said. “He will be remembered as a legend in Japan, but records are there to be broken. There shouldn’t be any silly games to stop that.”—AFP

Red Sox eliminate Yankees BOSTON: Clay Buchholz allowed two hits over six innings to improve to 11-0 and Daniel Nava had four hits to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 9-2 victory over New York on Sunday night and eliminate the Yankees from the AL East race.

Boston leads second-place Tampa Bay by 91/2 games with a magic number of four to clinch its second division title since 1995. The Yankees trail the Rays and Texas Rangers by three in the wildcard standings, with Cleveland and Baltimore also ahead of them in the race.

The Yankees had won the last two division titles and 13 of the last 17. In his second start since coming off the disabled list, Buchholz walked four and struck out three and allowed only one unearned run. Shortly after a pregame ceremony to honor Yankees closer Mariano Rivera in his last scheduled trip to Fenway Park, Mike Napoli hit a two-run homer off Ivan Nova (8-5) to make it 3-1 in the first inning.

PITTSBURGH: Neil Walker No. 18 of the Pittsburgh Pirates can’t turn a double play in front of Darwin Barney No. 15 of the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning. —AFP

Pirates get past Cubs PITTSBURGH: Francisco Liriano took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning before faltering in his first no-decision this season, and pinchhitter Justin Morneau singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth Sunday to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Chicago Cubs 3-2.

Pittsburgh remained tied with St. Louis for the NL Central lead after taking three of four from the last-place Cubs and winning for the sixth time in seven games.

Morneau, acquired from Minnesota on Aug. 31, drove in his first run for the Pirates.

The 2006 AL MVP is batting .279 (12 for 43) with Pittsburgh.

With the score 2-2 in the eighth, Andrew McCutchen was hit by a pitch from Pedro Strop (2-2), took second on Marlon Byrd’s bloop single to center and scored on Morneau’s single.

Kyle Farnsworth (1-0) pitched a scoreless eighth, and Mark Melancon completed a three-hitter with a perfect ninth for his 16th save in 18 chances.

CARDINALS 12, MARINERS 2 In St. Louis, Yadier Molina broke out of a slump with a home run and three singles as Shelby Miller and St. Louis remained tied for first place in the NL Central by beating Seattle in an interleague matchup.

Matt Adams also homered as St. Louis won for the seventh time in nine games and kept pace with Pittsburgh. Both teams are 87-62 with 13 games remaining. Miller (14-9) gave up one earned run and three hits in five innings. He became the first St. Louis rookie to reach 14 wins in a season since Dick Hughes won 16 in 1967. Molina’s secondinning homer off Erasmo Ramirez (5-2) snapped an 0-for-15 skid. Molina scored three times and raised his batting average to .317.

BREWERS 6, REDS 5 In Milwaukee, Sean Halton hit a solo homer with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift Milwaukee to the comeback victory over Cincinnati.

Halton’s home run came off reliever Zach Duke (1-2), the fifth Cincinnati pitcher. It was Halton’s third homer of the season and first career walk-off.

Jean Segura sparked a rally with a two-run triple and Carlos Gomez made a game-saving catch for Milwaukee, which dealt a blow to the Reds’ pursuit of the NL Central title. The Brewers entered the eighth trailing 5-2.

Segura’s hit came after Reds relievers walked the first two batters of the inning. Jonathan Lucroy followed with a sacrifice fly to tie it.

Jim Henderson (4-5) pitched a scoreless inning in relief to pick up the win. Gomez robbed Jay Bruce of what would have been a three-run homer in the ninth when he extended over the center field fence with two outs.

NATIONALS 11, PHILLIES 2 In Washington, Wilson Ramos had four hits and five RBIs, Jordan Zimmermann pitched seven innings for his NL-best 18th win as Washington kept up its late playoff push by routing Philadelphia.

Denard Span extended his hitting streak to 26 games, Bryce Harper hit a pair of doubles and a single and scored three times, and every player in the Nationals’ starting lineup had at least one hit.

Washington, which began the day 51/2 games behind Cincinnati for the NL’s second

wild-card berth, has won eight of nine and 25 of 35. Zimmerman (18-8) scattered seven hits and single runs in the second and third innings with seven strikeouts.

GIANTS, 4, DODGERS 2 In Los Angeles, Hunter Pence hit two more home runs and pinch hitter Brett Pill connected for a tiebreaking shot leading off the eighth inning as San Francisco beat Los Angeles.

Pinch-hitter Yasiel Puig grounded out with the bases loaded to end the game. The NL West-leading Dodgers lost three of four to San Francisco, and the magic number to clinch their first division title since 2009 remained at four after second-place Arizona won. Pence has 19 RBIs in six games. He drove in three a day after his grand slam and careerhigh seven RBIs led the Giants to a 19-3 rout at Dodger Stadium. Jean Machi (3-1) pitched one inning. Sergio Romo closed for his 35th save in 39 chances. Paco Rodriguez (3-3) gave up Pill’s homer.

DIAMONDBACKS 8, ROCKIES 2 In Phoenix, Paul Goldschmidt homered and went 4 for 4, driving in career high-tying five runs to lead Arizona past Colorado.

Colorado star Todd Helton did not play, a day after announcing he would retire at the end of this season. The crowd at Chase Field cheered him early in the game and he waved his cap in appreciation.

Goldschmidt had an RBI single in the first inning, hit a two-run homer in the third and added a two-run double in the fourth, all against Jhoulys Chacin (139). Goldschmidt leads the NL with 114 RBIs. Randall Delgado (5-6) allowed two runs and five hits in six innings for the Diamondbacks, who won have won three of four.

PADRES 4, BRAVES 0 In Atlanta, Burch Smith struck out 10 in seven innings to earn his first major league victory, and Chase Headley and Tommy Medica homered, as San Diego beat Atlanta.

The Braves lead the NL East by 10 games over Washington. Atlanta opens a three-game series at Nationals Park on Monday night, and can clinch the division by winning twice there.

Smith (1-1) held the Braves hitless until pitcher Julio Teheran singled to lead off the sixth. Smith allowed three hits and walked two. The rookie made his fifth career start - he had a 12.41 ERA in his previous starts. He struck out seven of the first 13 Atlanta batters.

Teheran (12-8) gave up seven hits, four runs, no walks and struck out six in 6 2-3 innings.

METS 1, MARLINS 0 In New York, slumping rookie Travis d’Arnaud hit a winning single with two outs in the 12th inning, lifting New York over Florida. Dillon Gee and Tom Koehler took a pitchers’ duel into the eighth inning before the Marlins and Mets each used five relievers to finish off the fifth extra-inning matchup this season between the NL East’s worst teams. D’Arnaud came through in a game of many missed opportunities after the two previous batters grounded into forceouts at the plate. New York had loaded the bases with no outs against Zach Phillip (0-1), making his third appearance for the Marlins. Vic Black (10) pitched a perfect 12th inning for his first career win.—AP

TWINS 6, RAYS 4 In Minneapolis, Joel Peralta gave up a solo homer to Ryan Doumit in the eighth inning and a three-run drive to Josmil Pinto as Tampa Bay stumbled again in the AL wild-card race with a loss to Minnesota. Tampa Bay, which had won its previous three games, wasted a 3-0 lead and dropped to 714 from Aug. 25 on. The Rays remained tied with Texas for the two AL wild-card spots, a half-game ahead of Cleveland.

Minnesota had lost 11 in a row to the Rays.

Tampa Bay led 4-2 in the eighth, but Peralta (2-8) blew a save for the third time in four chances. After Doumit’s 13th home run of the season, Trevor Plouffe singled and Josh Willingham walked. Pinto then sent an 0-1 pitch into the Rays bullpen in center field, the rookie’s second career homer.

INDIANS 7, WHITE SOX 1 In Chicago, Nick Swisher homered from both sides of the plate for the 13th time, Asdrubal Cabrera hit a three-run homer as Cleveland beat Chicago to pull within a half-game of Tampa Bay and Texas in the AL wild-card race.

In a game that started after a rain delay of 4 hours, 28 minutes, the Indians achieved a franchise first by sweeping a four-game series from the White Sox for the third time in a season. Zach McAllister (8-9) allowed one run and six hits in 6 2-3 innings with five strikeouts and a walk. Last-place Chicago has lost six in a row, and at 58-91 is 33 games under .500 for the first time since finishing 1976 with a 64-97 record, according to STATS. Chris Sale (11-13) gave up six runs and nine hits - including three homers - in 5 2-3 innings and dropped to 6-11 following a 5-2 start. He has an 8.61.

TIGERS 3, ROYALS 2 In Detroit, Alex Avila homered twice, including a tiebreaking solo shot in the eighth inning that lifted Detroit over Kansas City.

Detroit’s Max Scherzer struck out 12 in seven innings, but he was denied his 20th victory when Kansas City tied it off Drew Smyly (6-0) in the eighth. Avila answered in the bottom half with a homer to right-center. Joaquin Benoit pitched the ninth for his 20th save in 20 chances for the AL Central-leading Tigers. Jeremy Guthrie (14-11) pitched all eight innings for the Royals, who remained 31/2 games back in the AL wild-card race. Avila’s first homer was a two-run shot in the second. Alex Gordon hit a solo homer for Kansas City in the fourth.

ATHLETICS 5, RANGERS 1 In Arlington, Josh Donaldson, Chris Young and Josh Reddick all homered as AL West-leading

BOSTON: Xander Bogaerts No. 72 of the Boston Red Sox slides safely into second base following an attempted steal past Brendan Ryan No. 35 of the New York Yankees. —AFP Oakland completed a three-game sweep of chasing and slumping Texas.

Oakland took a commanding 61/2-game division lead with two weeks left after the final regularseason series between the AL West’s top two teams. The A’s have won five in a row and 13 of 16 overall. Texas is 2-11 in September after beginning the month with a two-game division lead. The Rangers lost their sixth in row, all at home - this was their first winless homestand of at least six games since moving to Texas in 1972.

The Rangers and Tampa Bay are tied for the two AL wild-card spots in a rapidly tightening race.

Texas starts a four-game series at Tropicana Field on Monday.

ANGELS 2, ASTROS 1 In Houston, Jerome Williams won a third straight start for the first time since April 2004 as Los Angeles sent Houston to its 98th loss of the season. Houston, a big league-worst 51-98, is on the verge of becoming the first major league team

to reach triple figures in losses in three consecutive seasons since Kansas City from 2004-06. The Astros were 56-106 in 2011 and dropped to 55-107 last year, their final season in the National League.

Josh Hamilton had an RBI triple in the first off Paul Clemens (4-5), a drive of the glove of center fielder Brandon Barnes as he went up Tal’s Hill. Mike Trout had reached with his AL-leading 100th walk.

Andrew Romine hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth after singles by Erick Aybar and Hank Conger.

ORIOLES 3, BLUE JAYS 1 In Toronto, Miguel Gonzalez pitched 5 1-3 innings before leaving with a strained right groin, Danny Valencia hit a two-run double as Baltimore beat Toronto. The Orioles, who came in 31/2 games behind Tampa Bay and Texas in the AL wild-card race, won their first road series since taking two of three at San Francisco on Aug. 9-11. Baltimore slugger Chris Davis, who hit his 50th home run of the season Friday, went 0 for 3 and struck out twice. He also drove in a run with a bases-loaded walk.—AP

MLB results/standings Baltimore 3, Toronto 1; Detroit 3, Kansas City 2; NY Mets 1, Miami 0 (12 innings); San Diego 4, Atlanta 0; Washington 11, Philadelphia 2; Pittsburgh 3, Chicago Cubs 2; Cleveland 7, Chicago White Sox 1; Minnesota 6, Tampa Bay 4; LA Angels 2, Houston 1; Milwaukee 6, Cincinnati 5; St. Louis 12, Seattle 2; Oakland 5, Texas 1; Arizona 8, Colorado 2; San Francisco 4, LA Dodgers 3; Boston 9, NY Yankees 2.

American League Eastern Division W L Boston 92 59 Tampa Bay 81 67 Baltimore 79 70 NY Yankees 79 71 Toronto 68 81 Central Division Detroit 86 63 Cleveland 81 68 Kansas City 78 71 Minnesota 64 84 Chicago White Sox 58 91 Western Division Oakland 88 61 Texas 81 67 LA Angels 72 77 Seattle 66 83 Houston 51 98

PCT .609 .547 .530 .527 .456

GB 9.5 12 12.5 23

.577 .544 .523 .432 .389

5 8 21.5 28

Pittsburgh St. Louis Cincinnati Milwaukee Chicago Cubs

.591 .547 .483 .443 .342

6.5 16 22 37

LA Dodgers Arizona San Francisco San Diego Colorado

Atlanta Washington Philadelphia NY Mets Miami

National League Eastern Division 89 60 79 70 69 80 67 82 55 94 Central Division 87 62 87 62 84 66 65 83 63 86 Western Division 86 63 75 73 69 81 68 80 68 82

.597 .530 .463 .450 .369

10 20 22 34

.584 .584 .560 .439 .423

3.5 21.5 24

.577 .507 .460 .459 .453

10.5 17.5 17.5 18.5

Czechs back trusty Berdych, Stepanek for Davis Cup double PRAGUE: The Czech Republic will bet on a timetested successful team of Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych when they face Novak Djokovicled Serbia in the Davis Cup finals on November 15-17.

Defending champions, the Czechs won their eighth Davis Cup tie in a row when they swept Argentina in the semi-finals in Prague, while 2010 champions Serbia, led by world number one Djokovic, saw off Canada. The Czech Republic and Serbia last clashed in the 2012 quarterfinals, which the Czechs won 4-1 on their way to the victory.

Two years earlier, Serbia had beaten the Czechs in the semi-finals in Belgrade 3-2 to lift the trophy in the end too. Against Djokovic and Janko Tipsarevic, the Czechs will pit a duo that has a stunning record since teaming up in 2007.

Berdych, the world number five, and Stepanek, ranked 61st in singles and fifth in dou-

bles, led the Czechs to their third final in five years at the weekend, having won the 13th of their 14 Davis Cup doubles rubbers together.

Experts praise their faithfulness to the teamunlike others, Berdych and Stepanek typically skip Davis Cup ties only when they are injured.

“Radek and Tomas are a great team, they have been doing great for five years and I hope we will take it to a successful end this year too,” Czech team captain Jaroslav Navratil said.

“The away game will definitely be more difficult, we saw this in Belgrade three years ago. But we’re not afraid, experience is on our side,” he added. “The opponents are incredibly strong, but if we focus on ourselves and stay in the best shape, there is a chance,” said Berdych. Still, Djokovic remains a concern given his record against the Czechs- 14-2 with Berdych, 8-1 with Stepanek. “It’s terribly hard to travel to Serbia with minus two points,” said Navratil.—AFP

PRAGUE: Czech Tomas Berdych (captain) and Radek Stepanek celebrate after winning the third round of the Davis Cup semi-final tennis match Argentina vs Czech Republic on Sept 14, 2013 in Prague. —AFP

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

S P ORTS

No more transfer talks as focus shifts on soccer BERNE: For the first time this season European players, coaches and fans were able to concentrate on soccer at the weekend without the air being clouded by transfer talk — and most of them would like to keep it that way.

Players, coaches and UEFA president Michel Platini have all complained the summer transfer window drags on too long and should be closed before the season cranks into gear.

For many, there is nothing more frustrating than starting the season with a squad of players and not knowing if they will still be together in September. “We need some fair play with the transfer window,” former Manchester United and Netherlands goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar told Reuters at a European clubs meeting last week.

“We work with a player for eight to nine weeks and just before the deadline we lose two players...so it’s great the subject has been touched upon,” said Van der Sar, now Ajax Amsterdam’s marketing director. Napoli coach Rafael Benitez, who led Chelsea to the Europa League title in May, agreed. “You prepare everything with your players and one

week later your players can be playing against you,” he said at a conference for coaches held at the headquarters of European soccer’s ruling body UEFA. Roberto Martinez summed up the feelings of many coaches after his Everton team met Cardiff City two weeks ago as Manchester United were chasing midfielder Marouane Fellaini, a deal that eventually went through. “We had to face four games while the window was open, it was an incredible situation, it has to be addressed,” Martinez told the BBC. “I don’t think it’s good for anyone. Here we were at a big football occasion, the first time that Cardiff and Everton have met in a league game in over 50 years and all the talk and focus is on transfer speculation. “It’s wrong, nobody should be put into that position, not the fans, nor any player...once the official games start, (the window) should be shut.

“They shouldn’t be overlapping and mixing emotions. In my eyes that devalues the competition and it affects everyone,” added Martinez. Antonio Conte, coach of Italian champions Juventus, was fuming after striker Alessandro Matri was whisked from under

Photo of the day

his nose and sold to rivals AC Milan two days before the deadline. “He’s the player who has scored most goals for us over the last two seasons,” said Conte. “We’ve weakened ourselves and reinforced Milan.”

World players’ union FIFPro has gone further in its criticism of the transfer system and has set up a task force, that was due to meet for the first time on Monday, to propose reform.

FIFPro has called on players and clubs to respect contracts. “There are many examples illustrating the fact that contracts and contractual stability are not taken too seriously in certain countries,” it said.

“FIFPro’s opinion is that once a contract has been signed both clubs and players have an obligation to comply with it until its termination date.” Platini is possibly the most high profile critic of the system.

“In my playing days players went on strike to be free...now I see they sign contracts (and) they don’t play because they want to leave again,” he said following a UEFA meeting in Monte Carlo last month. “There is something unhealthy about that. I agree maybe this window is...too long.” —Reuters

Mat Cowen of the UK dives from the 27 metre platform at the Blue Lagoon during the sixth stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, Abereiddy, Wales, UK. —www.redbullcontentpool.com

Valencia slip at Betis

ITALY: Fiorentina’s German forward Mario Gomez (top) injured himself during the Serie A football match against Cagliari. —AFP

Fiorentina concede late equalizer ITALY: Fiorentina conceded a late goal, had David Pizarro sent off and lost their 100 percent Serie A record in a 1-1 draw at home to Cagliari on Sunday, with an injury to Mario Gomez compounding their frustration.

Germany forward Gomez suffered a partial tear to the medial collateral ligament in his right knee after colliding with Cagliari goalkeeper Michael Agazzi as he shot wide of the goal from six metres.

Antonio Di Natale celebrated his 300th Serie A appearance for Udinese by scoring a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw at home to Bologna and Lazio efficiently swept aside Chievo 3-0 with three first-half goals.

Genoa outclassed neighbours Sampdoria to win their derby 3-0 and pick up their first points of the season. Luca Antonini’s ninth-minute opener was followed by second-half goals from Emanuele Calaio and Francesco Lodi, who curled in an exquisite free kick which prompted coach Fabio Liverani to run on to the pitch and join the celebrations.

Fiorentina, who dominated most of their

match but struggled to find a way past a well-organised Cagliari defence, finally broke through in the 71st minute when Borja Valero headed in Giuseppe Rossi’s cross from close range. The Sardinians, however, had looked dangerous throughout the second half and equalised in the 89th minute when Chilean forward Mauricio Pinilla, a second-half substitute, headed in Victor Ibarbo’s cross from the right. Fiorentina had a penalty appeal turned down in stoppage time when Rossi went down under a challenge and Pizarro, who had been on the pitch for 20 minutes, was shown a second yellow card for dissent. “I can accept technical mistakes but I don’t accept it when referees fail to judge the players’ behaviour in a uniform manner,” said Fiorentina coach Vicenzo Montella.

“Other players were saying much worse things and that’s what I told the referee at the end. “Tactically, it was a very good game but Pinilla’s goal was a shame because Cagliari were not creating anything at that point in the match.”

The draw left Fiorentina level with Inter Milan and Juventus on seven points from three games, two behind Napoli who have won all three games. Cagliari have four points.

Lazio, Livorno and Hellas Verona all won at home to move on to six points from three games. Lazio created three goalscoring chances in the first half and converted them all, through Antonio Candreva, Luis Cavanda and Senad Lulic, at a half-empty and rain-lashed Stadio Olimpico.

Two goals from Brazilian forward Paulinho gave promoted Livorno a 2-0 win over Catania, while his compatriots Raphael Martinho and Romulo scored in each half as Hellas Verona beat Sassuolo 20 in a battle of two promoted sides.

Alessandro Diamanti’s superb free kick put Bologna ahead midway through the second half at Udinese but 35-year-old Di Natale was not to be outdone, volleying home after Luis Muriel skipped between three defenders and chipped the ball to him. —Reuters

MADRID: Valencia’s preparations for Thursday’s Europa League opener at home to Swansea City suffered a setback when they were comprehensively outplayed in the first half and lost 3-1 at Real Betis in La Liga on Sunday.

Betis, who begin their own campaign in the continent’s second-tier club competition at home to Olympique Lyon on Thursday, were 3-0 ahead by halftime at their Benito Villamarin stadium in Seville. Jorge Molina lashed a shot past Diego Alves from the edge of the area to open the scoring in the ninth minute before Salva Sevilla struck twice to leave the visitors reeling.

Ricardo Costa pulled a goal back with a header from Ever Banega’s free kick with just over 20 minutes left but Betis comfortably thwarted Valencia’s comeback bid to record their first win of the campaign. With four matches played, Betis have four points. Valencia are stuck on three after three straight defeats following their opening day win at Malaga.

Mounir El Hamdaoui became the first player to score a hat-trick for Malaga in almost 10 years in a 5-0 success for the Qatar-owned club at home to Rayo Vallecano earlier on Sunday, their first win of the campaign.

The Morocco international, who was born in Rotterdam and has

Jorge Molina played in England, Netherlands and Italy, also made one assist on his first start for Bernd Schuster’s side since joining on loan from Fiorentina in the close season.

Espanyol continued their unbeaten start with a 1-0 win at Granada and Miku grabbed a double in Getafe’s 2-1 comeback win at home to struggling Osasuna. World record signing Gareth Bale scored on his first appearance for

Real Madrid on Saturday but it was a bitter-sweet debut for the 100 million euro ($133 million) man as Real dropped their first points of the season in a 2-2 draw at Villarreal.

Champions Barcelona and King’s Cup holders Atletico Madrid are the only teams with perfect records after Barca won 3-2 at home to Sevilla and Atletico beat Almeria 4-2 at the Calderon. —Reuters

Australian police charge six in match-fixing sting MELBOURNE: Australian police have charged six men, including several Britons, as the result of an operation to smash an international match-fixing ring centred on a second-tier club in suburban Melbourne. The multi-million dollar racket, embroiling the head coach and a number of players at Victoria Premier League team Southern Stars, had links with betting syndicates in Malaysia and Hungary, police told a Melbourne court yesterday.

Police named Malaysian national Segaran “Gerry” Gsubramaniam and Britons Joe Woolley and Reiss Noel among the six charged with rigging matches in the 12team league in Victoria state.

Goalkeeper Woolley and Noel both played for AFC Hornchurch in London before leaving the club in July to play for the Stars. Police declined to name the other three charged.

Gsubramaniam, 45, was described by police as the linchpin of the Australian operation and a go-between between the team and off-shore betting syndicates. “...

On a worldwide scale (Gsubramaniam) is not the bigwig, Australian-wise he is,” Detective Scott Poynder told the court.

Gsubramaniam was considered a flight risk, police said, and had been remanded for another bail hearing on Friday. Woolley and Noel, along with the other three charged, would also appear at the same court on Friday, police said.

Those charged could face sentences of up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of match-fixing. The charges follow the arrests of 10 people across Melbourne on Sunday in an operation sparked by a report of irregular betting patterns surrounding Stars matches.

Four of the arrested were released pending further enquiries. The case has sent shockwaves across sportsobsessed Australia, where rival football codes have already been rocked by anti-doping investigations involving players, coaches and officials in recent months.

Southern Stars President Ercan Cicek said a man had approached the cash-strapped club with the offer of providing players who would play “for free”.

“Our committee members are thinking, ‘Oh beautiful,

five players for free, we’re not going to pay anything, it’s a big, big bonus’,” Australian Associated Press quoted Cicek as saying.

“We (were) never thinking about (the) betting side or the other side, (that) he’s going to take money somewhere,” Cicek added. “We were thinking about only our club, what’s the advantage for our club?”

Club Secretary Tony Kiranci said the Stars were “shocked with the alleged matchfixing”. “No one from the committee is involved in any way,” he said in a statement. “We had no idea this was going on. The club is run by honest, hardworking volunteers.”

With one round left to play in the regular season, the Southern Stars are bottom of the table with one win, four draws and 16 losses.

Their solitary win was over the league’s current leaders Northcote City last month. “I did question how is it possible that they won against us,” Northcote City vice president Chris Nicolaidis told Reuters by telephone.

“But we just lost fair and square on the day.”

Police estimated betting winnings in Australia and overseas in relation to the case at more than A$2 million ($1.85 million).

David Gallop, chief of national soccer governing body Football Federation Australia (FFA), said the money was “placed mainly overseas”.

A spokeswoman for the Football Federation Victoria, the governing body of the state-based league, said she only become aware of the case when contacted by an Australian newspaper on Sunday. “We have been told

by Victoria Police that no other club (in the Victorian Premier League) is involved in match-fixing,” she told Reuters. The arrests form the latest in a string of matchfixing scandals around the world in a year when Europol said it had cracked a syndicate accused of having manipulated 380 games between 2011 and 2013. In February, the Australian Crime Commission (ACC), the country’s top criminal intelligence agency, released an incendiar y report into “widespread” doping in Australian sport and also warned that local athletes were at risk of being co-opted into match-fixing by organised crime syndicates. —Reuters

Hector Mancilla

Major Mexican clubs struggle MEXICO CITY: Coaching changes have yet to spark the desired recovery at major Mexican clubs UNAM Pumas and Guadalajara’s Chivas, whose struggles continued on Sunday.

Pumas, in their second match under Jose Luis Trejo, went down 1-0 at home in Mexico City to new leaders Morelia and remain one place off the bottom of the standings.

Morelia benefited from champions America’s 2-1 defeat, their first of the season, at Santos Laguna on Friday.

Morelia have 20 points from 10 matches, one point more than America, who have two games in hand, and Leon.

Striker Hector Mancilla scored the only goal at the Olimpico to leave seven-time champions Pumas with five points from 10 matches.

Coach Trejo said the players sometimes lacked confidence and they had to find a way to overcome that. “We faced one of the best teams (in the league) but I didn’t view the match as one we should have lost,” he told reporters. “At home these things can’t happen to us.”

A late equaliser from Chivas forward Marco Fabian salvaged a 2-2 draw at home to Tijuana but they remain four from bottom with seven points and just one win in nine matches. Chivas have managed three draws under coach Juan Carlos Ortega, who replaced the sacked Benjamin Galindo towards the end of last month.

Guadalajara owner Jorge Vergara, whose experiment with Dutch great Johan Cruyff’s consultancy last year ended in failure, admitted earlier this

month to making mistakes since he bought the club in 2002. “I made mistakes more than once, I confused arrogance with knowledge and sense (but) it’s never too late to correct and change attitude,” Vergara told reporters.

In 13 years under Vergara, Chivas, who hold a record 11 league titles jointly with America, have won only the 2006 Apertura and had 17 different coaches.

Failure is first measured in the Mexican first division by not making it to the knockout phase of the championship when the top eight teams in the 17-match league phase play for the title. Guadalajara are currently seven points behind eighth-placed Toluca, while Pumas are nine points adrift. —Reuters

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

S P ORT S

Giant killers Pilsen seek to shock City PRAGUE: Czech champions Viktoria Pilsen are looking to add Manchester City to their collection of beaten giants when the two teams clash in their Champions League Group D opener yesterday.

Pilsen beat Atletico Madrid in the Europa League group stage last season before sweeping Napoli in the last-32, and they are hungry for more while being aware City may be a harder nut to crack.

“They’re an English team, playing more physical football,” said defender David Limbersky, playing his sixth season for the current Czech top-flight leaders.

“They have a number of players from abroad and their quality is immense, but we believe in our own strength and maybe Manchester will underestimate us a bit.”

Big-spending City, sitting fourth in the Premier League with seven points from four games, owe their fans a Champions League success after failing to get past the group stage in the last two seasons.

“Now we have two years of experience.

We have an even stronger team and we hope to go through,” City striker Stevan Jovetic, acquired from Fiorentina before the season, told the uefa.com website.

City manager Manuel Pellegrini bemoaned injuries plaguing his defence after his team had stumbled to a goalless draw at Stoke City on Saturday.

“We have four of five injured players that are important. From the back four, Micah Richards, Vincent Kompany and Gael Clichy are out, and David Silva is out as well,” he said.

Besides, Argentinian defender Martin Demichelis has been ruled out for several weeks with a knee injury. Pellegrini said

Kompany, the team captain, could make it back in time for the Pilsen tie.

“We’ll see with Vincent what happens, we’ll talk with the doctor, with the player, and we’ll see if he can play on Tuesday,” Pellegrini said. His Pilsen counterpart Pavel Vrba has similar problems when it comes to defence.

Pilsen missed injured Slovak stalwart Marian Cisovsky and right-back Radim Reznik in Friday ’s 1-1 draw at Slovan Liberec while Cisovsky’s replacement Lukas Hejda limped off during the game.

“At this moment the crucial thing is to have as many players as possible available on Tuesday,” said Vrba. “We definitely want to get ready for Manchester, and we want to succeed.”

Vrba took charge at Pilsen in 2008 and led them to two Czech titles, in 2011 and 2013, as well as to a Champions League debut in the 2011/2012 season.

Viktoria played in Prague then as their stadium failed to meet UEFA requirements for European tournaments. But today’s tie will be the first Champions League experience for the western Czech city of Pilsen, famous for its Pilsner beer.

Vrba has put together several remarkable talents in the past five years who have become the backbone of the Czech national team, with many of them transferred to western European leagues.

The departure of young midfielder Vladimir Darida to Bundesliga side Freiburg two weeks ago has left the Pilsen midfield once again in the hands of Pavel Horvath, the stocky 38-year-old captain. Group D is made up of reigning champions Bayern Munich and CSKA Moscow. — AFP

LONDON: Manchester City’s Spanish striker Alvaro Negredo warms up in this file photo. — AFP

MANCHESTER: Bayer Leverkusen players take part in a training session at Old Trafford ahead of the UEFA Champions League Group A football match against Manchester United. — AFP

Leverkusen baptism for newcomer Moyes MANCHESTER: David Moyes will sample the Champions League group phase for the first time today when his Manchester United side host Bayer Leverkusen in their opening Group A fixture.

Moyes was selected to succeed Alex Ferguson as United manager at the end of last season despite having only overseen two matches in the competition during his 11-year tenure at Everton.

Those games, in 2005, saw the Merseyside club beaten 4-2 by Villarreal over two legs in the third qualifying round, but Moyes is relishing the prospect of a second bite at the apple.

“I am really excited to be involved in it,” he told United’s in-house television station, MUTV. “I have been in the Champions League before but I have not made the group stage. I had quite a few episodes in the Europa League, which were good, but nothing at the level of the Champions League.

“We will do our homework to make sure we are as prepared as we can be.” United are the only genuine European heavyweights in the group, but with Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Sociedad making up the pool, there is not a weak team in Group A either.

Moyes says that although things could have been better, they could also have been a lot worse. “It was the first time I have been involved in a draw at that level,” said the Scot.

“When the names came out, there were

some that I didn’t want and others I would have been happy with. Relatively, I am quite pleased.

“To draw Real Sociedad out of the last pot was a tough one. They have done well in Spain this year and had a great result against Lyon to get into the group stage.

“That put a little bit of a downer on it. In addition, Leverkusen are doing well in Germany and we also have the long trip to Donetsk.”

Leverkusen finished third in the Bundesliga last season and have won four of their first five games this term, with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich the only sides above them in the table.

Their last Champions League experience ended in humiliation, however, with a 10-2 aggregate defeat by Barcelona in the last 16 in February 2012.

Manuel Friedrich and Michal Kadlec were subsequently chastised by director of sport Rudi Voller over their eagerness to swap shirts with Lionel Messi, and manager Sami Hyypia has warned his players not to be dazzled by the limelight at Old Trafford.

“I hope my players want to play football in Manchester and not just get autographs from (Wayne) Rooney,” said the former Liverpool defender, who is also a group-stage novice as a coach.

Leverkusen’s defenders can expect to see

Conte eyes opening win MILAN: Juventus coach Antonio Conte admits a Champions League final appearance is beyond the Italians but says he won’t accept anything less than a win away to Copenhagen in their Group B opener today.

Juve returned to the competition last season after a three-year absence and impressed on their way to the quarterfinals where eventual winners Bayern Munich handed them a lesson in clinical football.

Bayern ran out 4-0 winners on aggregate, leaving Conte with a bitter taste and lamenting the Old Lady of Turin’s financial frailty compared to more robust rivals like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea.

Conte has since strengthened his squad with two aims-claiming a third consecutive scudetto for the first time since a record five-title haul in the 1930s, and going further in Europe this time around.

The addition, notably, of strikers Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente will allow Conte to rest key players when required.

Juve have seven games in the next month and with the luxury of rotating his squad he expects nothing less than three points in Denmark.

“We need to start on a positive note on today, with a win,” Conte said Saturday following the 1-1 draw at Inter Milan.

Mirko Vucinic, who partnered Tevez up

front at the San Siro in Conte’s preferred 35-2 formation, could start on the bench at the Parken Stadium in place of either Fabio Quagliarella or Sebastian Giovinco.

With Llorente still short of full match fitness-”we can’t forget he’s not played for a year, but I’m following his progress closely,” said ConteQuagliarella is likely to make an appearance at some point in the Danish capital.

Although used sporadically in Serie A last season, Quagliarella proved his worth in Europe.

He scored a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this time last year and then in a 4-0 rout of Nordsjaelland.

The former Napoli striker also opened the scoring to send Juve on their way to a 3-0 defeat of Chelsea in Turin and netted the second goal in a 2-0 home win over Celtic to seal Juve’s place in the last eight.

It remains to be seen if Vucinic is primed physically for today when the Danes will be looking to destabilise the Italians on their way to an upset.

What matters most for Conte is the final result: “It would be a mistake to underestimate Copenhagen, because the Champions League always brings out the best in teams. “We know how important it is to start the group stage well. That’s why we’ll be going there to win.” — AFP

PSG open European quest against in-form Olympiakos

Matches on TV (Local Timings) UEFA Champions League Benfica v Anderlecht

21:45

Aljazeera Sport +2

Sociedad v Donetsk

21:45

Aljazeera Sport +4

Viktoria Pizen v Man City

21:45

Aljazeera Sport +3

Bayern Munich v Moskva

21:45

Aljazeera Sport +7 Aljazeera Sport 3 HD

Kobenhavn v Juventus

21:45

Aljazeera Sport +5 Aljazeera Sport 4 HD

Man United v Leverkusen

21:45

Aljazeera Sport +8 Aljazeera Sport 6 HD

Galatasaray v Real Madrid

21:45

Aljazeera Sport 1 HD Aljazeera Sport +9

Olympiacos v Saint-Germain Aljazeera Sport +6 Aljazeera Sport 5 HD

DENMARK: FC Copenhagen’s Swedish defender Olof Mellberg and Norwegian manager Staale Solbakken hold a press conference ahead of the UEFA Champions League Group B football match against Juventus. — AFP

plenty of Rooney today, the England striker having returned from a head injury to score a late free-kick in Saturday’s 2-0 home win over Crystal Palace.

Moyes will be without Nani, however, as the Portuguese winger is suspended due to the controversial red card he was shown when United were eliminated by Real Madrid last season.

United also have defenders Rafael da Silva and Phil Jones unavailable due to injury, whereas Hyypia reported no new injury problems after his side’s 3-1 defeat of Wolfsburg at the weekend.

It is 11 years since Leverkusen stunned United in the Champions League semi-finals, before losing to Real Madrid in the final, and striker Stefan Kiessling knows a sizeable effort will be required to pull off a similar result.

“This is a huge event for us, but we have to give it our all for 90 minutes,” said the Germany striker, who scored twice against Wolfsburg.

Today ’s game will mark United’s first European fixture without Ferguson in the dug-out since a quarter-final defeat by Hungarians FC Videoton in the UEFA Cup in March 1985.

Their home form in Ferguson’s later years left a lot to be desired, however, and Moyes will hope to improve a record of only three wins in nine European fixtures. — AFP

21:45

PARIS: After guiding Paris Saint-Germain to an unbeaten five -match start to their domestic season, coach Laurent Blanc gets a second crack at a Champions League campaign in which significant success is expected.

Carlo Ancelotti guided the capital side on a strong run to the quarter-finals last season where they narrowly lost to Barcelona on away goals and the club’s wealthy Qatari owners will be expecting at least the same this campaign if not better.

After three wins and two draws in five league outings, PSG travel to Athens for the opening round of group matches today where they face a stiff challenge against Greek champions Olympiakos.

A good result in the capital will put them in good stead amongst a pool that also includes Europa League finalists Benfica and Belgian champions Anderlecht.

Blanc knows what it takes to succeed in football’s biggest club competition having taken Bordeaux to the 2010 quarter-finals where they were knocked out by domestic rivals Lyon.

His team came out on top at Bordeaux 2-0 in their last league outing and club owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi is optimistic about their continental quest.

“This was our best match since the start of the season and I hope it will continue,” he said following the Friday win at the Chaban Delmas stadium.

“On Tuesday we start the Champions League which is a very important competition for Paris. It is going to be tough, but we have a team capable of winning all our upcoming matches.”

While PSG come into the match as slight favourites, the Greeks cannot be underestimated and have a fine record at their Karaiskakis stadium, a venue that played a role in the first ever Olympic Games in 1896. Their Spanish coach Michel, who scored 97 goals during 14 seasons at Real Madrid, is looking to take the team past their best run of reaching the quarterfinals, which they achieved once, back in 1999. A perfect start of three wins in three matches with eight goals scored and just one conceded in league action sets them up nicely, although the 50-year-old former

ATHENS: Paris Saint Germain’s goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu gives a press conference on the eve of his club’s Champions League football match against Olympiakos. — AFP midfielder says he is spoilt for choice with many of his players on top form.

“For sure it is a pleasant headache. The truth is we are in very good condition at this time. “We needed a boost so that we can seriously tackle the match with Paris Saint-Germain and we got this push at the right time,” he said after their 4-0 thrashing of Xanthi at the weekend.”

PSG will miss the presence of Brazilian centre-back Alex who is ruled out with a thigh strain while Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani who only played 10 minutes against Bordeaux is another doubt.

Argentine playmaker Javier Pastore has a foot problem but should make the trip and Jeremy Menez is trying to shake off a troublesome kidney although Blanc shouldn’t be concerned with plenty of resources stocked within his expensively assembled squad. — AFP

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

S P ORT S

Record Real spending faces European test

GERMANY: Bayern Munich’s French midfielder Franck Ribery (left) and his teammate Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic (right) attend a training session in this file photo. — AFP

Lethargic Bayern told to show some enthusiasm MOSCOW: Bayern Munich have been told to show some passion and enthusiasm when they begin the defence of their Champions League title against CSKA Moscow today.

The visitors, meanwhile, will be hoping they can help Russia make some impact on the competition after a dismal campaign last season when the country’s two sides, Spartak Moscow and Zenit St Petersburg, managed just three wins between them on the way to group stage elimination.

Bayern’s treble-winning season was always going to be hard to live up to and there has definitely been an anti-climatic feeling about the start to the new term, despite the arrival of new coach Pep Guardiola. Even though Bayern have taken 13 points out of a possible 15 in the Bundesliga and won the Supercup, they have been overshadowed by a much more flamboyant Borussia Dortmund team who have won all their league matches and scored 15 goals to Bayern’s nine.

Bayern have also suffered with injuries to Javi Martinez and Bastian Schweinsteiger as well as new signings Mario Goetze and Thiago Alcantara.

There was definitely a run-of-the-mill feel to Bayern’s 2-0 win over Hanover 96 on Saturday, which angered sporting director Matthias Sammer.

“We played lethargically at times, we played football without emotion, we worked as if we were following rules,” Sammer told German media. “We must get out of our comfort zone. It’s nothing to do with lack of effort, we’re lacking that last five percent,” he added.

Bayern have won 12 of their last 14 home games in Europe, suggesting that Tuesday’s Group D match, the first-ever meeting between the teams, could also be something of a formality.

However, Russian champions CSKA have also started the season well and are unbeaten after eight league games. The former Soviet army club, in the group stage for the seventh time, reached the quarter-finals in 2009/10 under coach Leonid Slutsky, who is still in charge.

CSKA, who spent a modest 10 million euros during the transfer window, suffered a blow at the start of the month when their Ivorian striker Seydou Doumbia was ruled out for around six weeks with a back injury.

But they have reinforced their attack by signing 19-year-old Brazilian Vitinho who made his professional debut for Botafogo this year and quickly turned into their most important player.

Vitinho, however, could find the Champions League a huge step up from the ponderous defences in the Brazilian championship. — Reuters

ARGENTINA: Boca Juniors’ forward Emmanuel Gigliotti (left) celebrates after scoring the team’s second goal against Racing Club during their Argentine First Division football match. — AFP

Gago return inspires Boca to 2-0 victory over Racing BUENOS AIRES: Playmaker Fernando Gago revived Boca Juniors after missing their defeat at Olimpo last weekend by inspiring them to a 2-0 win over Racing Club at La Bombonera on Sunday.

Boca moved within two points of leaders Newell’s Old Boys and within one of San Lorenzo, Argentinos Juniors and Arsenal, who were held by River Plate to a 1-1 draw.

Newell’s lead the table with 14 points from seven matches after Saturday’s 2-1 home win over Olimpo in Rosario where former France striker David Trezeguet scored their equaliser and Maxi Rodriguez a penalty winner.

Boca struck in the 17th minute when midfielder Juan Sanchez Mino passed to Juan Manuel Martinez on the left and raced into the box to meet the striker’s return cross with a firm header.

The home side went further ahead in the 67th when midfielder Jesus Mendez lobbed the ball into the middle where striker Emmanuel Gigliotti beat goalkeeper Sebastian Saja with a header.

“We dominated the match, we man-

aged the rhythm and that’s good because the team’s gaining in confidence,” Gago told Futbol Para Todos.

Gago had marked his return to Boca seven years after leaving them for Real Madrid with a fine performance in a 2-1 home win over Velez Sarsfield two weeks ago.

But last weekend Gago was on duty with the Argentina team when Boca played poorly and lost 3-0 at Olimpo in Bahia Blanca.

Gago helped Argentina beat Paraguay 5-2 in a World Cup qualifier in Asuncion on Tuesday and secure the team’s ticket to the 2014 finals in Brazil. Racing remain pinned to the bottom of the “Inicial” championship table with two points.

River started well, taking the lead in the 11th minute when winger Carlos Carbonero crossed from deep on the right and defender Gabriel Mercado scored with a first time shot.

River missed a good chance when midfielder Manuel Lanzini hit the post and Arsenal hit back in the 66th through substitute striker Julio Furch. — Reuters

MADRID: Real Madrid will get their first indication today of whether unprecedented spending on players of more than 600 million euros over the past five years can secure the 10th European crown they have been chasing since 2002.

World-record signing Gareth Bale, who alone cost 100 million euros ($133 million) when he joined from Tottenham Hotspur this month, is likely to line up with 94-million-euro man Cristiano Ronaldo when Real begin their Champions League campaign at Group B rivals Galatasaray.

Wales winger Bale scored on debut in Saturday’s 2-2 La Liga draw at Villarreal, while Portugal forward Ronaldo netted his 203rd goal in as many official matches for the Spanish giants.

Real, the world’s richest club by income, have splurged 611 million euros on players in the last five years, according to the latest Prime Time Sport Football Transfer Review.

Their outlay is almost three times as much as European and Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, who have spent 227 million, and only English Premier League side Manchester City come close with an outlay of 549 million.

Real were boosted by the news on Sunday that Ronaldo had agreed a contract extension until the end of the 201718 season and club president Florentino Perez said the deal was in line with the club’s long-term policy of fielding the world’s best players. “(Former president) Santiago Bernabeu showed us that this team should always count on the best,” the construction magnate told reporters.

“This is one of the main facets of our identity and with Cristiano we have the best,” he added.

“Those of us lucky enough to have seen Alfredo Di Stefano play always say that in Cristiano we have the continuation of such unique giants of the game capable of making history.”

Real, whose draw at Villarreal was their first setback in four La Liga matches this term, travel to Istanbul with a question mark over coach Carlo Ancelotti’s policy of rotating goalkeepers Iker Casillas and Diego Lopez.

Spain captain Casillas lost his place in the starting lineup last season after falling out with Ancelotti’s predecessor Jose Mourinho and the Italian has decided that Lopez will play in La Liga and Casillas in the Champions League.

The situation has prompted speculation that Casillas, a fixture for club and country for more than a decade and a hero to Real fans, could leave in the next transfer window in January. “The decision is taken,” Ancelotti said after the Villarreal game. “Iker and Diego know it and there is no problem.”

Galatasaray’s disappointing start to the domestic season continued on Friday when they drew 1-1 at home to Antalyaspor, a third successive stalemate.

Speaking after the game, coach Fatih Terim was critical of the team’s failure to put away their chances but confident about the upcoming match.

“We don’t like losing points but the Real Madrid match will be different,” said Terim, a former Turkey and AC Milan coach. “On our own pitch and in front of our own fans I think we will benefit from the famous Ali Sami Yen Arena pressure.”

Galatasaray’s hopes will rest on the attacking duo of former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, who scored the equaliser in Friday’s match, and Burak Yilmaz, the top scorer in the domestic league for the last two seasons.

The club have been boosted by the arrival from Sporting Lisbon of Portuguese winger Bruma, one of the most promising youngsters in the nation’s under-20 side.

Defender Semih Kaya needed treatment for a thigh problem after Friday’s match, while Drogba and Brazilian midfielder Felipe Melo were in light training over the weekend after sustaining minor injuries. — Reuters

TURKEY: Real Madrid’s players attend a training session ahead of the UEFA Champions League group football match against Galatasaray today. — AFP

Ethiopia face Nigeria for World Cup place JOHANNESBURG: Giantkillers Ethiopia were drawn against Nigeria yesterday in the 2014 World Cup Africa zone play-offs. Ivory Coast face Senegal, Tunisia meet Cameroon, Ghana tackle Egypt and Burkina Faso play Algeria in the other ties created by a Cairo draw.

The outcome means the five 2010 qualifiers, Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria, can make it to the global football showcase again.

South Africa also competed at the last tournament, but only because a World Cup place is automatically reserved for the host nation.

First legs are set for October and the return matches for November with the winners qualifying for the 2014 finals in Brazil. Ethiopia were the only side to upset the seeding in the mini-league previous stage, finishing two points ahead of top-ranked South Africa. But they will face much tougher opponents in Nigeria, who beat Ethiopia 2-0 en route to winning the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa last February.

While the ‘Super Eagles’ use a mix of local and Europe-based stars, the bulk of the ‘Walias Antelopes’ squad is home based.

Didier Drogba-captained Ivory Coast will draw comfort from their dominance of Senegal in a 2013 Cup of Nations qualifier.

The ‘Elephants’ won 4-2 in Abidjan and were two goals ahead in Dakar when crowd violence forced the game to be abandoned during the second half. The west African derby pits French coaches Sabri Lamouchi of Ivory Coast and Alain Giresse of Senegal against each other.

Egypt edged Ghana 1-0 when they clashed in

the 2010 Cup of Nations final with Mohamed ‘Geddo’ Nagy snatching a late winner.

Ghana, who reached the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals, are looking powerful with Andre and Jordan Ayew, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Michael Essien available again.

A major handicap for Egypt has been the lack of crowd support with home games played behind closed doors or in front of tiny crowds due to security concerns.

Tunisia must find a coach before hosting Cameroon as Nabil Maaloul quit after a home loss to Cape Verde Islands last weekend.

The Cape Verdeans were later disqualified for fielding a suspended defender, allowing Tunisia back into the competition.

Former Dutch star Ruud Krol, who coaches local club CS Sfaxien, is the man Tunisian officials want as they seek a fifth World Cup appearance.

Cameroon captain and star Samuel Eto’o, 32, announced his retirement last week amid reports that he disagreed with some selections of German coach Volker Finke. But with a record seventh World Cup appearance by an African team beckoning, it would be no surprise if efforts were made to change the mind of the Chelsea striker.

Burkina Faso are a rapidly improving African side under Belgian coach Paul Put and hope to build on reaching the 2013 Cup of Nations final when they face Algeria.

Bosnian Vahid Halilhodzic coaches Algeriaone of six foreigners involved while Ethiopia, Ghana and Nigeria rely on locals Sewnet Bishaw, Kwesi Appiah and Stephen Keshi. — AFP

Didier Drogba’s Ivory Coast face Senegal

Cilic handed nine-month doping ban LONDON: Croatia’s Marin Cilic has been handed a nine-month doping ban, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced yesterday.

The 24-year-old, currently ranked 24th in the world, has had the ban back-dated to May 1 this year, meaning he will be able to return to action on February 1, 2014.

Cilic’s doping violation came when he tested positive for the stimulant nikethamide at the Munich Open in May. “The International Tennis Federation announced today that Marin Cilic has been found to have committed an Anti-Doping

Rule Violation under Article 2.1 of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (presence of a Prohibited Substance in a Player’s Sample),” a statement confirmed.

Cilic, a former number nine and 2010 Australian Open semi-finalist, provided a urine sample during the Munich event and a WADA-accredited laboratory in Montreal found it to contain nikethamide, which is banned under section S6 (Stimulants) of the 2013 WADA List of Prohibited Substances and Prohibited Methods.

The Croatian claimed the nikethamide, for which he did not hold a valid

Therapeutic Use Exemptions, had entered his system through his ingestion of Coramine glucose tablets that had been purchased on his behalf from a pharmacy.

An Independent Tribunal agreed that Cilic ingested the nikethamide inadvertently as a result of taking the tablets and did not intend to enhance his performance in doing so.

Therefore he met the preconditions of Article 10.4 of the programme, which entitles him to a reduction of the period of ineligibility based on an assessment of his fault. — AFP

Leverkusen baptism for newcomer Moyes

18

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

Record Real spending faces European test

19

Australian police charge six in match-fixing sting

Page 17

GREEN BAY: Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) is sacked by Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Clay Matthews during the first half of an NFL football game. —AP

Packers crush Redskins, Chargers roll GREEN BAY: Aaron Rodgers threw for a career-high 480 yards and four touchdowns and the Green Bay Packers used a big first half against the Washington Redskins to win their home opener 38-20 on Sunday.

Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III threw for 320 yards and three second-half touchdowns. Pierre Garcon had 143 yards receiving and a touchdown.

But it was too little, too late after Washington (0-2) fell short again after being outplayed early for a second straight week.

James Jones had a career-high 11 catches for 178 yards. James Starks ran for 132 yards and a touchdown. Green Bay (1-1) built a 24-0 lead by halftime and never looked back.

CHARGERS 33, EAGLES 30 In Philadelphia, Philip Rivers threw three touchdown passes to Eddie Royal, and Nick Novak kicked a 46-yard field goal with 7 seconds left, spoiling Chip Kelly’s home debut.

Michael Vick threw for a career-best 428 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score. But a porous Eagles defense couldn’t stop Rivers all day. He finished 36 of 47 for 419 yards, and the Chargers punted only once. They fumbled twice inside Philadelphia’s 10 in the first half. The teams combined for 1,150 total yards, including 539 for San Diego.

coach Marc Trestman despite committing four turnovers.

Cutler completed 28 of 39 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns. But he was also intercepted twice and got stripped by Jared Allen on a sack, leading to a 61-yard touchdown return for Brian Robison in the second quarter.

BEARS 31, VIKINGS 30 In Chicago, Jay Cutler threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Martellus Bennett with 10 seconds left.

Minnesota’s Blair Walsh had just kicked a 22-yard field goal with 3:15 remaining when Chicago took over at its 34. Cutler, who led the Bears back from an 11-point deficit in a season-opening win over Cincinnati, struck again.

A 23-yard pass to Bennett along the sideline put the ball on the 16. Cutler then spiked the ball before connecting with Bennett in the front corner of the end zone. Chicago remained unbeaten under new

CHIEFS 17, COWBOYS 16 In Kansas City, Alex Smith threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns, and the Kansas City defense held when it needed to in the fourth quarter.

Jamaal Charles ran for 55 yards and caught a touchdown pass for the Chiefs, who made new coach Andy Reid a winner in his home debut. The Chiefs also matched their victory total from all of last season by starting 2-0 for just the second time since 2005.

Dwayne Bowe’s touchdown catch in the third quarter and Ryan Succop’s 40-yard field goal early in the fourth gave the Chiefs a 17-13 lead. The Cowboys (11) answered with a deep march into Kansas City territory but had to settle for Dan Bailey’s 53-yard field goal with 3:55 left. The Chiefs offense never gave the Cowboys a chance to mount a winning drive.

TEXANS 30, TITANS 24 In Houston, rookie DeAndre Hopkins caught a 3yard touchdown pass in overtime to cap Houston’s comeback win. With Andre Johnson out after being shaken up in the fourth quarter, Hopkins reached above Jason McCourty and pulled in the pass from Matt Schaub to give Houston the victory.

The Texans (2-0) needed a franchise-record 21point comeback to win their opener at San Diego 3128. On Sunday, they charged back from an eightpoint, fourth-quarter deficit against the Titans (1-1).

Arian Foster’s 1-yard touchdown and 2-point conversion tied it at 24-24 with less than two minutes left. Houston forced a punt and got within field goal range after that. But Randy Bullock’s 46-yard field goal attempt bounced off the left upright to force overtime. It was his third miss of the day.

BILLS 24, PANTHERS 23 In Orchard Park, rookie EJ Manuel hit Stevie Johnson for a 2-yard touchdown pass with 2 seconds left. The touchdown capped a nine-play, 80-yard drive in which the first-round draft pick completed 6 of 8 attempts for 51 yards. Manuel also got help on third-and-6 from Carolina’s 29, when Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly was penalized for pass interference with 14 seconds left.

Two plays later, Manuel found Johnson alone in the left corner as Buffalo (1-1) bounced back from a 23-21 season-opening loss to New England.

The Panthers (0-2) lost yet another close game.

They were coming off a 12-7 loss to Seattle last week and have now dropped to 2-14 in games decided by 7 points or less in two-plus seasons under coach Ron Rivera.

HOUSTON: Texans’ Ben Tate (44) is stopped by Tennessee Titans’ Zach Brown (55) during the second quarter of an NFL football game. —AP

DOLPHINS 24, COLTS 20 In Indianapolis, Ryan Tannehill threw for 319 yards

and one touchdown, and the Dolphins defense held off yet another Colts comeback bid.

Charles Clay gave Miami the lead for good with a 1-yard TD run late in the third quarter. The Dolphins are 2-0 for only the second time since 2004.

Indianapolis (1-1) lost at home for the first time in 12 months and only the second time in Andrew Luck’s brief NFL career. Luck had the Colts positioned to rally yet again after reaching the Miami 23-yard line with 1:45 left in the game.

But this time, Luck threw three straight incompletions and then could not evade the Dolphins pass rush on fourth down, allowing Miami to run out the clock. Tannehill finished 23 of 34. Luck was 25 of 43 for 321 yards with one TD and one interception.

FALCONS 31, RAMS 24 In Atlanta, Julio Jones hauled in 11 passes for 182 yards, including an 81-yard touchdown, and Atlanta held on for its first win of the season.

Matt Ryan threw for 374 yards and two scores despite taking quite a beating behind the Falcons’ shaky offense line. Jason Snelling clinched it for the Falcons (1-1) with an 11-yard touchdown run with 6:18 remaining - Atlanta’s longest play of the day on the ground.

The Rams (1-1) fell behind 21-0 when Osi Umenyiora returned an interception 68 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter. Atlanta led 24-3 at halftime before St Louis fought back on a pair of short touchdown passes by Sam Bradford.

Bradford finished with 352 yards and three TDs. RAVENS 14, BROWNS 6 In Baltimore, Baltimore sacked Brandon Weeden five times before finally knocking him out of the game in the fourth quarter.

After yielding 49 points in a season-opening loss at Denver, Baltimore’s defense came up with a redemptive performance against the Browns (0-2).

Cleveland failed to score in the second half and managed only 85 yards over the final 30 minutes.

Weeden left with a thumb injury with just over three minutes left and was replaced by Jason Campbell, who could not move the team.

Down 6-0 at halftime, the Ravens (1-1) took the lead on a 5-yard run by Bernard Pierce with 5:13 left in the third quarter. Baltimore added a touchdown with 8:77 remaining on a 5-yard pass from Flacco to rookie Marlon Brown. Ravens running back Ray Rice left early in the fourth quarter with an apparent hip injury. —AP

NFL results/standings Atlanta 31, St. Louis 24; San Diego 33, Philadelphia 30; Kansas City 17, Dallas 16; Miami 24, Indianapolis 20; Houston 30, Tennessee 24 (OT); Green Bay 38, Washington 20; Baltimore 14, Cleveland 6; Buffalo 24, Carolina 23; Chicago 31, Minnesota 30; New Orleans 16, Tampa Bay 14; Arizona 25, Detroit 21; Oakland 19, Jacksonville 9; Denver 41, NY Giants 23; Seattle 29, San Francisco 3.

American Football Conference National Football Conference AFC East NFC East W L T OTLPF PA PCT Dallas 1 1 0 0 52 48 .500 New England 2 0 0 0 36 31 1.000 Philadelphia 1 1 0 0 63 60 .500 Miami 2 0 0 0 47 30 1.000 NY Giants 0 2 0 0 54 77 0 Buffalo 1 1 0 0 45 46 .500 Washington 0 2 0 0 47 71 0 NY Jets 1 1 0 0 28 30 .500 NFC North AFC North Chicago 2 0 0 0 55 51 1.000 Baltimore 1 1 0 0 41 55 .500 Detroit 1 1 0 0 55 49 .500 Cincinnati 0 1 0 0 21 24 0 Green Bay 1 1 0 0 66 54 .500 Pittsburgh 0 1 0 0 9 16 0 Minnesota 0 2 0 0 54 65 0 Cleveland 0 2 0 0 16 37 0 NFC South New Orleans 2 0 0 0 39 31 1.000 AFC South Atlanta 1 1 0 0 48 47 .500 Houston 2 0 0 0 61 52 1.000 Tampa Bay 0 2 0 0 31 34 0 Tennessee 1 1 0 1 40 39 .500 Carolina 0 2 0 0 30 36 0 Indianapolis 1 1 0 0 41 41 .500 Jacksonville 0 2 0 0 11 47 0 NFC West AFC West Seattle 2 0 0 0 41 10 1.000 Kansas City 2 0 0 0 45 18 1.000 San Francisco 1 1 0 0 37 57 .500 Denver 2 0 0 0 90 50 1.000 St. Louis 1 1 0 0 51 55 .500 San Diego 1 1 0 0 61 61 .500 Arizona 1 1 0 0 49 48 .500 Oakland 1 1 0 0 36 30 .500

Business

BLME to seek Dubai’s first listing in 4 years Page 22 Marriott Group looks to expand presence in Kuwait, Mideast Page 25

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

‘The Big Five’ exhibition kicks off

Air Arabia celebrates five years of operations in Ukraine Page 26

Page 23

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti traders follow the market’s movement at the Kuwait Stock Exchange yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Barclays ‘reckless’ over payments to Qataris Watchdog says British bank failed to disclose details of $511 million LONDON: Barclays has been branded reckless by a British watchdog for failing to disclose payments of 322 million pounds ($511 million) in advisory fees to Qatari investors who helped bail it out during the financial crisis. In its prospectus for a 5.95 billion pound ($9.4 billion) share issue, the British bank said the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) planned to fine it 50 million pounds for its failure to adequately disclose the fees that have been paid over the last five years.

The payments were made under “advisory service agreements” linked to Barclays’ emergency fundraising with Qatari investors, which helped the bank avoid taking a taxpayer bailout in 2008.

“The FCA considers that Barclays ... acted recklessly,” the prospectus said. The FCA’s findings are another blow to Barclays Chief Executive Antony Jenkins, who took over a year ago and continues to be dogged by issues from the past as he tries to clean up his bank after a string of scandals.

It was the first bank to be fined for its part in a global scam to manipulate Libor interest rates and has set aside 5.5 billion

pounds to compensate customers for mis-sold insurance and interest rate hedging products. Barclays said it was fighting the FCA’s findings. The dispute could go to a tribunal, and take months to be finalized.

The watchdog, which declined further comment, issued warning notices to Barclays last week, including notification of the financial penalty. The FCA and the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) have been investigating for about a year the circumstances surrounding Barclays’ controversial fundraising from Qatar in 2008. The US Department of Justice and Securities and Exchanges Commission are also probing the bank’s relationships with Qatar, and the US Federal Reserve has asked to be kept informed, Barclays said.

Qatar Holding invested 5.3 billion pounds in the bank in two fundraisings, which helped it avoid the government bailouts of rivals Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland. The deal raised hackles from the outset, with other shareholders angry that Middle East investors were offered lucrative terms.

Qatar has made over 1.5 billion pounds from its bet on Barclays, according to Reuters calculations, and is still the

bank’s biggest shareholder with a 6.3 percent stake. It was paid 128 million pounds in fees as part of the cash calls and agreed to provide advisory services to Barclays in the Middle East. Those services have been the subject of the investigations.

Barclays’ prospectus also said its income in July and August fell by 500 million pounds from a year ago as revenue in its investment bank was significantly below the previous year. The weak trading was mainly in its fixed income, currencies and commodities division and left adjusted income for the eight months to the end of August down 5 percent on the year. Daily income for its investment bank so far this month was ahead of July and August but below September 2012, it said.

Investors shrugged off the Qatar investigation and weak trading and said the rights issues should attract strong demand. Barclays shares were up 1.6 percent at 306.6 pence by 1450 GMT. Barclays launched its rights issue of new stock to plug a 12.8 billion pound capital shortfall identified by Britain’s regu-

Stocks, bonds rally after Summers exits NEW YORK: Wall Street was happy to see Larry Summers go. Stocks rose yesterday after Summers, who had been the leading candidate to replace Federal Reser ve chairman Ben Bernanke, withdrew his name from consideration. Summers was viewed as being more likely to rein in the government’s massive stimulus program. The stimulus has helped companies by keeping interest rates low. The president is expected to nominate Ben Bernanke’s successor as early as this month. The new front-runner is Janet Yellen, the Fed’s vice chair.

Stocks were also helped by news that US factory output rose 0.7 percent in August, the most in eight months. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 130 points, or 0.8 percent, to 15,508 as of 10:11 a.m. Eastern. The Standard & Poor’s

500 index rose 12 points, or 0.7 percent, to 1,700.

The Nasdaq composite rose 14 points, or 0.4 percent, to 3,736.

Bond prices rose, pushing yields lower. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.79 percent from 2.88 percent late Friday. The dollar fell against the yen and the euro. Companies making big moves included: Homebuilders rose as investors were encouraged by a decline in long-term interest rates.

The biggest gainer in percentage terms was Lennar, up $1.50, or 4.4 percent, to $35.98. Boise rose $2.63, or 26 percent, to $12.59 after news that Packaging Corp. of America is buying it for $1.27 billion. Packaging Corp. rose $3.06, or almost 6 percent, to $57.61.

Apple continued to slide after investors were

disappointed with the company’s latest iPhone models. Apple lost $9.22, or 2 percent, to $455.70. Summers’ withdrawal helped stocks overseas, too.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was up 0.5 percent. Germany’s DAX rose 1.1 percent, and the CAC-40 in France was 0.7 percent higher. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.5 percent, and South Korea’s Kospi advanced 1 percent. Markets in Japan were closed for a holiday.

Oil traders were monitoring Syria developments. The recent diplomatic drive, which has seen the prospect decrease of a US-led attack on Syria dissipate, has pushed oil prices back down.

The benchmark New York rate was down $1 at $107.21 a barrel. — AP

YADING, China: A Tibetan woman uses her cellphone to take photos of a flight that touched down at Yading airport, the world’s highest-altitude civilian airport at 4,411 meters (14,471 feet)above the sea level, in Daocheng of Garzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, known as “the last Shangri-La’’, in southwest China’s Sichuan province yesterday. Local media reported the highest-altitude airport began operations yesterday and offers daily flight from neighboring Chengdu, reducing a two-day drive to a 65 minutes flight. —AP (See Page 23)

lator in July. It is offering shareholders one new share at 185 pence for every four they own. The bank expects the new shares to start trading on Oct. 4.

Risk disclosures in the 185-page prospectus showed the bank is battling on several other fronts. It said it could also lose C$500 million ($484 million) from a dispute in Canada related to the sale of credit default swaps. Barclays lost a court case against Devonshire Trust, an asset-backed commercial paper trust, two years ago and in July the Court of Appeal for Ontario dismissed its appeal. Barclays said it was considering its options.

The bank said it would continue to “vigorously” defend itself against a record $453 million fine imposed by a US energy regulator in July. The fine imposed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) relates to power trading in the western United States from 2006 to 2008.

Barclays said the criminal division of the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York was also now looking at the same conduct issues as FERC. — Reuters

Investors book profits in UAE; Egypt hits 4-wk high MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS DUBAI: Gulf bourses were mixed yesterday with investors opting to book gains in United Arab Emirates’ markets, while Egypt rose to a four-week high as retail players targeted lagging stocks.

Dubai’s measure retreated 0.5 percent, halting a four-session rally. The market made a sharp recover y last week and is less than 100 points away from August’s five-year peak.

“The momentum going forward in the UAE will be positive but with limited upside,” said Ali Adou, portfolio manager at The National Investor in Abu Dhabi. “The market is very volatile and dominated by retail investors. I think it will be difficult to break the year’s highs with current volatility.”

Shares in Drake and Scull International bucked the trend and gained 1.7 percent after the firm said its unit won a 1.28 billion dirham ($350 million) construction contract in Algeria. Abu Dhabi’s index eased 0.09 percent, but is up 43.8 percent year-to-date.

Elsewhere, Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding rose 0.8 percent to a two month high after its owner, billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, made bullish comments about his investment in Twitter Inc in a Reuters interview late on Sunday. Alwaleed, who invested $300 million in Twitter in 2011, said he would not sell any of his shares in the social media giant when it goes public because of its tremendous potential.

While the market expects the company’s value once listed to be more than $10 billion, Alwaleed said it could conceivably be more than $15 billion.

Kingdom’s shares have risen 14.1 percent in the last six trading days,

partly because of news that Twitter is preparing for an initial public offer.

Saudi Arabia’s index climbed 0.5 percent, up for six in last seven sessions.

The market is at its highest since August 26 and faces resistance at 8,223 points - the peak of August when it a five-year high.

The building and construction sector index was among the biggest gainers, climbing 1.1 percent. The cement sector added 0.5 percent. Investors are bullish on both sectors, with heavy government infrastruc ture spending underpinning demand.

I n Egypt, the benchmark index climbed 0.5 percent to 5,554 points, its highest level since Aug 18. Shares in Egypt Kuwait Holding (EKH) rose 2.6 percent, trimming 2013 losses to 37.5 percent. It underperforms the wider market, which is up 1.7 percent on the year. El Swedy Electric co advanced 2.6 percent. “It’s a retail market today with a shift in interest towards underdogs,” said Mohamed Radwan, director of international sales at Pharos Securities.

“EKH has been lagging since it was removed from the MSCI emerging market index. Investors are looking for appealing stocks.”

Foreign investor participation is low as they maintain their cautious stance due to political worries and a lack of clarity on future economic outlook.

On Thursday, the government said it will extend for two months a state of emergenc y across the countr y.

Elsewhere, Doha’s benchmark slipped 0.2 percent, Oman’s index declined 0.3 percent, while Kuwait climbed 0.8 percent. — Reuters

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

BUSINESS

BLME to seek Dubai’s first listing in 4 years Nasdaq Dubai listing may take place next place

HERAT: An Afghan butcher peels off skin from the head of a cow at a meat market in Herat yesterday. Economic development is considered a vital weapon to stop the country from sinking back into civil war. — AFP

Gulf Capital hires Rothschild to advise on share issue DUBAI: Abu Dhabi’s Gulf Capital said yesterday it has hired an investment bank to advise it on a renewed attempt to issue shares in oil and gas services firm, Gulf Marine, on an overseas stock exchange. The private equity firm, which owns 79 percent of the Middle East’s largest operator of jackup barges, tried to sell the business last year for more than $500 million but talks collapsed due to financing issues and differences over its valuation.

Since then Gulf Capital has been preparing Gulf Marine Ser vices - one of the biggest assets in its portfolio - for an initial public offering in a major stock exchange such as London or Singapore.

Private equity firms in the region are looking to exit their investments due to pressure from shareholders for returns and as financial markets in the region recover from the twin blows of Arab Spring uprisings and the global financial crisis. Gulf Capital said it hired Rothschild as a financial advisor for the initial public offering (IPO).

“Gulf Marine is an extremely profitable business and the firm is ready to be listed in a major international stock exchange.

Rothschild will help us identify the location for the IPO as we prepare for the listing,”

said Karim El-Solh, Gulf Capital’s chief executive.

Gulf Capital is set to appoint Bank of America Merrill Lynch , Barclays Plc and J P Morgan Chase Inc as arranging banks on the IPO, three banking sources aware of the matter said. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity as the matter is not public. One of the sources said Gulf Capital was most likely to list GMS on the London Stock Exchange. Other Abu Dhabi-based firms have listed in London recently. Al Noor Hospitals listed in London in June with a valuation of $1 billion. Its rival, NMC Healthcare listed in London last year.

El-Soh declined to comment on the appointment of arranging banks. He expects the GMS listing to take place by mid-2014, he said. Gulf Capital had led a consortium of investors who acquired 100 percent of GMS in 2007. During Gulf Capital’s ownership of the firm from 2007 to 2012, revenue rose 460 percent and profitability rose by 750 percent, Gulf Capital said in its website.

In July, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank arranged a $360 million syndicated Islamic facility for GMS, with some of the proceeds used to pay out investors as dividends. — Reuters

German-Dubai venture files $250m claim over Doha airport contract DOHA: Lindner Depa Interiors (LDI), a joint venture between Dubai-based Depa Ltd and Germany’s Lindner AG, is seeking 900 million dirham ($250 million) in compensation from New Doha International Airport for what it called the unjust cancelling of a contract. The launch of the $15.5 billion airport in the Qatari capital has been put back several times due to delays in construction. It missed a revised launch date of April 1 this year and is not expected to open until next year.

LDI Group Chief Executive Mohannad Sweid said the company had launched its claim because it considered the termination of the $250 million deal to fit out 17 lounges at the airport to be unjustified.

Significant financial and reputational damage had been caused to LDI, it said in a

statement, adding that the matter was being considered by the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris.

Qatar Airways, expected to be the operator of the airport, declined to comment on the LCI statement. A spokesman for New Doha International Airport could not be reached for comment. The contrac t was canceled in 2012 af ter LDI declined to accept new contract terms, which the company described as “nonfavorable”. Qatar Air ways said in December 2012 it was filing a $600 million claim against LDI for causing major delays to the opening of the airport and thereby deferring the airline’s expansion plans. It was not immediately clear if that case has been filed. — Reuters

DUBAI: Bank of London and The Middle East (BLME), Britain’s largest stand-alone Islamic bank, plans to seek a listing on the Nasdaq Dubai bourse next month in what would be the emirate’s first stock listing for over four years.

The most recent listing on either of Dubai’s stock two markets occurred in early 2009, when construction firm Drake & Scull listed. The global financial crash and Dubai’s corporate debt crisis then intervened, pushing the markets down sharply and freezing most equity issuance.

Dubai property prices have rebounded this year and the emirate’s main stock index is up 64 percent year-to-date. This has prompted at least several companies to consider listings; in addition, the Dubai government said this year it would make a big effort to develop its Islamic finance sector.

2012. Percy told Reuters in an interview in May that his bank was aiming for 15 percent growth in assets this year. It currently holds over $100 million in assets under management across a range of Islamic funds, including a fixed income fund rated A by Moody’s Investors Service.

BLME has just opened a representative office in Dubai, which it said would help the bank expand its business in Gulf Arab countries as well as in Britain. Nasdaq Dubai, set up in 2005 and two-thirds owned by Dubai Financial Market, is by far the smallest and least liquid of the emirate’s two stock markets. It has only seven listed equities, despite regulations and infrastructure that comply with international standards. Dubai Financial Market, the main stock market, is the only listed bourse operator in the Middle East. — Reuters

“BLME believes that this is the right time for listing given the current market conditions and the increasingly prominent role of Dubai in Islamic finance,” BLME said in a statement yesterday. Chief executive Humphrey Percy said he expected the listing to occur in October this year. BLME said it would list in Dubai through a holding company, offering 195.7 million shares in the holding firm at an expected listing price of $2.57 each, implying a share sale worth $503 million. No new shares would be issued; the shares would be sold by existing holders, who would receive 25 shares in the holding company for each BLME share. BLME, which offers corporate banking and wealth management services, was founded in 2006 with the backing of Kuwaiti investors, including Boubyan Bank which held 21.8 percent of BLME shares as of December

Asia refiners see boost for margins before drop SINGAPORE: Asian refiners are looking to winter demand to counter the high oil prices and slow consumption growth in China that have driven refining margins to some of the lowest values since late 2010, although earnings are expected to weaken again next year. Supply disruption in the Middle East and Africa and jitters over a possible US strike in Syria pushed global benchmark Brent above $117 a barrel in August to a six-month high, shrinking profits for refiners and forcing some to cut runs.

But winter heating demand should give a brief boost to the earnings from processing crude into oil products, analysts said. “I’m quite bullish on distillates for the winter ... if you were to look at global diesel inventories, they are not very high,” said Amrita Sen of Energy Aspects.

Fourth-quarter margins, or the profit made on processing a barrel of crude into oil products, are still expected to be lower than in the same period last year, while additional capacity coming online dampens the prospect for further improvement in 2014. Complex refining margins in the last quarter should be about 5 percent higher than in the third quarter, according to Victor Shum of IHS, although he and refining consultants from FGE and JBC Energy said processing profits would drop 1050 percent in the fourth quarter against the same period a year ago.

“And now you’re getting run cuts and a lot of turnarounds. If margins remain weak, refineries are not going to come back strongly,” said Energy Aspects’ Sen. Complex refining margins have been running at $5 to $10 a barrel over the past three

smallest refiner Singapore Refining Co (SRC), wholly owned by PetroChina , is operating at 70-80 percent of its capacity, down from more than 80 percent, a source close to the company said.

And at least one refiner in Thailand is considering run cuts due to the low margins, a source there said. “There’s just too much supply chasing a pretty flat market,” said FGE consultant Alex Yap, explaining the refinery run cuts. Implied oil demand in China, the world’s second-largest consumer, slipped to the lowest in a year in August, as refineries underwent another heavy round of maintenance. China’s growth in fuel consumption was 3.4 percent in the first half of this year, below last year’s growth rate of about 4.5 percent, the slowest in four years. China’s refinery crude throughput was up in August from a year ago but the rate was still among the lowest over the past 12 months due to increased plant maintenance.

What lies ahead in 2014 could be more unnerving for Asian refiners, with new capacities coming online in the United Emirates Arab (UAE) and China. SATORP, a joint venture between France Total and Saudi Aramco, has already started operations at its new 400,000barrels-per-day (bpd) Jubail plant. China alone, the world’s second-largest oil user, will likely add some 3 million bpd or about another quarter to its refining capacity between 2013 and 2015 to fuel its economic growth, according to industry officials and Chinese media. “2014 will not be better than 2013 in terms of refining margins,” said JBC Energy’s Wech. — Reuters

years, according to Reuters data. A complex Singapore refinery that includes a fluidized catalytic cracker and a hydrocracker could earn about $3.40 a barrel less in the second half of 2013 compared with the first half, Wood Mackenzie data showed.

Woodmac expects its complex refining margin this year to be about $1.50 a barrel less than the average in 2011 and 2012, and it could fall another 50 cents next year, the consultancy said. “We are currently clearly a couple of dollars (per barrel) away from a level that could be considered as healthy,” said David Wech of energy consultancy JBC Energy.

“Furthermore, the exchange rate of many developing markets is currently moving against refiners,” he said.

That has particularly hurt refiners in India and Indonesia, where oil input costs have risen while the rupee and rupiah plunged to multiyear lows. State refiners in both countries sell domestically at controlled prices and are unable to pass on higher crude prices and foreign exchange losses to consumers. Asia’s complex refining margins - the profit or loss of refining a barrel of Dubai crude into fuel at Singapore benchmark prices - dropped to an average $3.43 over the last 15 days, according to Reuters data. The August margins were down nearly 50 percent from the averages in each of the previous two months.

South Korea’s SK Energy and GS Caltex, the country top two refiners, have cut their runs, partly due to maintenance, and industry sources have said the two may maintain the reduced throughput in October if weak margins persist. At the same time, Singapore’s

Morocco raises energy prices to cut subsidies RABAT: Morocco’s Islamist government raised energy prices yesterday as it began sensitive subsidies reform needed to meet International Monetary Fund (IMF) requirements.

Five ministers from the government’s junior partner party have resigned in protest over the decision to raise prices. These include a rise in diesel of 0.69 dirhams ($0.08) per litre, gasoline by 0.59 dirhams per litre and fuel oil by 662.88 dirhams per tonne, distributors told Reuters.

“We have received the exact prices during the last 24 hours, but we have reached an agreement with the government almost one

month ago,” said one distributor who declined to be named.

Morocco aims to bring prices closer to international market levels as it keeps spending on food and energy subsidies within a budget of 42 billion dirhams for 2013, down from 53 billion in 2012.

But the move could shake the frail economy of the North African kingdom which relies mostly on tourism, agriculture and remittances from Moroccans living abroad. The government said it would return part of the increase on diesel fuel to professional drivers in the

goods and people transport sector to avoid a snowball effect on prices. Last week, Morocco’s main Islamist opposition movement urged leftist groups yesterday to join a protest against subsidy cuts and the “mismanagement” of the Moroccan regime. Government officials could not be reached for immediate comment.

Last year the government agreed to changes including deregulating the prices of many staple goods, and reforming the pension and the taxation systems in return for a twoyear, $6.2 billion precautionary credit line from the IMF. —Reuters

EXCHANGE RATES Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal Irani Riyal

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

ASIAN COUNTRIES 2.867 4.477 2.713 2.153 2.784 225.710 36.736 3.657 6.490 8.959 0.271 0.273 GCC COUNTRIES 75.990 78.299 740.160 756.880 77.605

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 41.200 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 40.845 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.329 Tunisian Dinar 172.850 Jordanian Dinar 402.330 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.912 Syrian Lier 30.962 Morocco Dirham 34.527 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 284.850 Euro 383.120 Sterling Pound 455.760 Canadian dollar 277.900 Turkish lira 140.600 Swiss Franc 308.950 Australian Dollar 265.480 US Dollar Buying 283.650

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

GOLD 251.000 127.000 66.000

UAE Exchange Centre WLL COUNTRY Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro US Dollar Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

SELL DRAFT 265.33 276.98 306.57 377.70 285.35 448.23 2.92 3.681 4.316 2.141 2.741 2.725 77.62 758.15 41.24 405.40 740.79 78.66 76.09

SELL CASH 263.000 282.000 311.000 384.000 287.400 443.000 3.000 3.800 5.150 2.700 3.600 2.920 78.000 759.500 41.100 416.200 746.400 79.000 76.300

Bahrain Exchange Company CURRENCY Europe Belgian Franc British Pound Czech Korune Danish Krone Euro Norwegian Krone Slovakia Swedish Krona Swiss Franc Turkish Lira

Australian Dollar New Zealand Dollar

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

Selling Rate 285.000 278.290 448.020 378.675 304.795 754.545 77.570 78.230 76.865 401.755 41.281 2.143 4.463 2.716 3.664 6.493 699.120 3.830 9.195 4.070 3.900 86.710

Canadian Dollar US Dollars US Dollars Mint

Bangladesh Taka Chinese Yuan Hong Kong Dollar Indian Rupee Indonesian Rupiah Japanese Yen Kenyan Shilling Korean Won Malaysian Ringgit Nepalese Rupee Pakistan Rupee Philippine Peso Sierra Leone Singapore Dollar South African Rand Sri Lankan Rupee

BUY

SELL

0.007397 0.447087 0.006705 0.046952 0.374724 0.044102 0.008175 0.039594 0.301809 0.140113

0.008397 0.456087 0.018705 0.051952 0.382224 0.049302 0.018175 0.044594 0.311309 0.147113

Australasia 0.257353 0.227428

0.288853 0.233926

America 0.271070 0.280400 0.280900

0.279570 0.284750 0.284750

Asia 0.003147 0.045139 0.034608 0.004496 0.000020 0.002795 0.003336 0.000253 0.083593 0.002948 0.002608 0.006356 0.000070 0.222238 0.022900 0.001895

0.003747 0.048639 0.037358 0.004897 0.000026 0.002976 0.003336 0.000268 0.089593 0.003118 0.002888 0.006636 0.000078 0.228238 0.031400 0.002475

Taiwan Thai Baht

0.009472 0.008625

Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Iranian Riyal Iraqi Dinar Jordanian Dinar Kuwaiti Dinar Lebanese Pound Moroccan Dirhams Nigerian Naira Omani Riyal Qatar Riyal Saudi Riyal Syrian Pound Tunisian Dinar Turkish Lira UAE Dirhams Yemeni Riyal

Arab 0.748185 0.038233 0.000079 0.000184 0.397145 1.0000000 0.000139 0.022400 0.001207 0.732930 0.077435 0.075230 0.001937 0.169110 0.140113 0.076477 0.001292

0.009652 0.009175

0.756185 0.041333 0.000080 0.000244 0.404645 1.0000000 0.000239 0.046400 0.001842 0.738610 0.078648 0.075930 0.002157 0.177110 0.147113 0.077626 0.001372

Al Mulla Exchange Currency

Transfer Rate (Per 1000)

US Dollar

283.200

Euro

382.000

Pound Sterling

454.850

Canadian Dollar

277.850

Indian Rupee

4.527

Egyptian Pound

41.160

Sri Lankan Rupee

2.152

Bangladesh Taka

3.650

Philippines Peso

6.480

Pakistan Rupee

2.708

Bahraini Dinar

756.100

UAE Dirham

77.350

Saudi Riyal

75.850

*Rates are subject to change

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

BUSINESS

‘The Big Five’ exhibition kicks off 300 local, global firms showcase construction products

KUWAIT: Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim, Minister of Electricity and Water and Minister of Public Works, cuts the ceremonial ribbon.

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: A three-day massive construction exhibition was inaugurated yesterday at Kuwait International Fairground (KIFG) in Mishref, called ‘ The Big Five’.

Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim, Minister of Electricity and Water and Minister of Public Works, inaugurated the exhibition where about 300 local and international companies participated. The Big Five event has been around since the early 1980’s in the Middle East, with annual exhibitions mostly taking place in Dubai and Jeddah. This year however, due to the expanding construction industry and massive developments taking place in the country, ‘The Big Five’ was held in Kuwait for the first time.

“The Big Five Kuwait is a sellout venture, with over 260 exhibitors from 25 countries and 12 national pavilions. Visitors will

not be disappointed as they will be able to view hundreds of new products and companies who are exhibiting in Kuwait for the first time,” Al-Ibrahim said. Visitors will be able to view and order marble stones and heavy machinery, ventilation and air-conditioning, and even the smallest pipes and screws.

“You can find everything here under one roof. We thank KIFG for this huge opportunity to stage this event. We are confident that we can deliver a truly international construction event that Kuwait deserves,” he noted.

After cutting the ceremonial ribbon, Al-Ibrahim quickly toured the venue and was available for an interview with local and international press. He said the exhibition is a testimony of the government’s commitment to compete and continue the development program supported by His Highness the Amir. “I am happy

KUWAIT: Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim with DMG Events director, touring the venue. with this event and we hope that tified LEED training workshop, a more events will be hosted by us ‘How to Trade in Kuwait’ seminar since the country is expected to for international companies to feature more development proj- learn how to enter the Kuwaiti ects over the coming days and market and opportunities to netmonths. I have seen the exhibi- work with professionals from tion venue and I noticed compa- across the industry.

Alongside the launch of the nies eagerly showcasing their products and services. I am sure exhibition, construction profesthat all of them are really trust- sionals had the opportunity to worthy,” he added. The event is gain their USGBC LEED 201 organized by dmg events with Workshop: Core Concepts and KFIG, supported by Kuwait Strategies certificate. The workIndustries Union under the shop combined theory with pracpatronage of Minister Anas tical application, showing particiKhalid Al-Saleh, Ministr y of pants ways in which they can Commerce and Industry. Along incorporate LEED strategies into with the three-day event, semi- their own business. Commenting nars and workshops are held and on the LEED 201 workshop, Mario spearheaded by experts in vari- Seneviratne the workshop facilitator and USGBC LEED Fellow ous construction fields.

Taking place from September said, “The LEED workshop is the 16-18 at the Kuwait International most important class for anyone Fair, the event will see product who wants to understand suslaunches, new technologies, the tainability and sustainable buildlaunch of the Sustainable Design ings. Our goal here is to simplify & Construction Conference, a cer- the use of LEED in buildings.

KUWAIT: A panoramic view of the venue.

—Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

There is obviously a technological component to it, and we want to make that very lucid, which people really appreciate. They may have come to the workshop with a sense of apprehension, but they definitely left with confidence.” The Big 5 Kuwait is host-

ing international exhibitors from countries like Kuwait, Australia, Spain, Italy, Canada, Hong Kong and UAE. For further information on The Big 5 Kuwait and its educational features, please visit www.big5kuwait.com.

Summers pulls out of Fed consideration Janet Yellen to take over

ATHENS: Greek students hold a banner against education cuts as they join teachers in a protest outside the parliament in Athens yesterday. Greece was hit by a new wave of strikes as public employees protested a massive redeployment plan which is an integral part of the debt-laden country’s obligations to its creditors. — AFP

New wave of strikes hits Greece ATHENS: Greece was hit by a new wave of strikes yesterday as public employees protested a massive redeployment plan which is an integral part of the debt-laden country’s obligations to its creditors.

Secondary school teachers kicked off a week of walkouts, with students attending classes on a severely reduced schedule due to the strike launched by Greek education union OLME. “No to extended leave, redundancies and mandatory transfers,” read a sign tacked onto the closed door of a high school in Athens’ well-to-do Kolonaki neighborhood. State school teachers will gather from midday in Athens to attend protests, along with university staff who will also force shutdowns at higher education establishments this week. Staff in

unemployment benefit offices will also leave them empty to join the protests, with hospital doctors joining the strikes from Tuesday to Friday.

As part of the controversial redeployment plan in the country reeling from six years of recession, civil servants have to accept new posts or spend eight months on reduced salaries as alternative posts are found, with the risk of losing their jobs altogether. Greece has agreed to redeploy 12,500 civil servants by the end of September as part of a general restructuring of its public sector, in return for the next instalment of its EU-IMF rescue loans.

Overall, Greece is due to move or temporarily cut the salaries of a total of 25,000 civil servants and axe 4,000 state jobs by the end of the year.— AFP

Dubai school operator GEMS plans to raise $500m from stake sale DUBAI: GEMS Education, a Dubai-based schools operator, is seeking to raise about $500 million to fund growth by selling a stake of up to 20 percent in the privately owned company, Chairman Sunny Varkey said yesterday. GEMS, which employs about 11,000 staff, operates around 100 private schools across the Gulf region, home to many prosperous expatriates.

Private schools in countries such as the United Arab Emirates are expanding rapidly as demand surges along with economic growth.

“We are a company that is growing. We are looking to raise approximately $500 million in the near term,” Varkey said.

Earlier on Monday, Dubai-based Arabian Business magazine, had reported, without revealing its sources, that the firm was

looking to sell up to 33 percent to raise the sum.

“We will not sell more than 20 percent,” Varkey told Reuters. He said GEMS had appointed Credit Suisse as a financial adviser to help with the sale process and seek investors. GEMS had raised $545 million loan from local banks in April for new investments in schools in the region and for refinancing. In March, sources told Reuters the firm was merging its global operations to create a business worth up to $2 billion, and was considering an initial public offering in 2013. Varkey said there were no plans for an imminent share listing. The Abraaj Group, the Middle East’s largest private equity firm, bought 25 percent of GEMS in 2007, restructuring the stake five years later into a loan. —Reuters

WASHINGTON: Hiring is soft in the United States. Pay is barely up.

Consumers are cautious.

Economic growth has yet to pick up. And yet on Wednesday, the Federal Reserve is expected to take its first step toward reducing the extraordinary stimulus it’s supplied to help the US economy rebound from its deepest crisis since the Great Depression. If it does, the Fed will likely spark a debate: Has the economy strengthened enough to withstand the pullback?

The answer might not be clear for months. The Fed is meeting this week at a time of deepening uncertainty about who will succeed Chairman Ben Bernanke when his term ends in January.

On Sunday, Lawrence Summers, who was considered the leading candidate, withdrew from consideration.

Summers’ withdrawal followed growing resistance from critics.

His exit could open the door for his chief rival, Janet Yellen, the Fed’s vice chair. If chosen by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate, Yellen would become the first woman to lead the Fed. For months, the Fed has said it will slow its $85 billion-a-month in Treasury and mortgage bond purchases once the outlook for the job market has improved substantially. Those purchases have been designed to keep long-term loan rates low to get people to borrow and spend and invest in the stock market. Super-low rates are credited with helping fuel a housing comeback, support economic growth, drive stocks to record highs and restore the wealth of many Americans.

Few think the Fed will significantly reduce its bond purchases not now, anyway. Many economists think the Fed will announce when its two-day policy meeting ends Wednesday that it will slow its purchases by $10 billion - to $75 billion a month.

The pullback is expected to come from the Fed’s Treasury purchases. It will likely maintain the pace of its mortgage bond buying to try to keep home-loan rates down to sustain the housing rebound.

Some had once expected a sharper first reduction in the Fed’s purchases of around $20 billion a month. But that was before the government said that job growth was only modest in August and that employers added many fewer jobs in June and July than pre-

viously thought. So why do economists think the Fed will reduce its stimulus for the economy at all? In part, some Fed officials don’t think the bond purchases are doing much good anymore.

And they feel that by continuing to flood the financial system with cash, the Fed might be raising the risks of high inflation or dangerous bubbles in assets like stocks or real estate. Just the mention of a slowdown in bond purchases spooked investors. Some fear that the Fed’s ultra-low-rate policies distorted the prices of some assets.

All that said, it’s possible the Fed will choose not to slow its bond purchases now. In recent public remarks, some Fed officials have sounded uncertain that the economy and the job market have improved enough. Once the Fed announces its decisions Wednesday, it will issue updated forecasts for the economy and Bernanke will hold a news conference. Analysts expect the Fed to downgrade its economic outlook for 2013 from its previous forecast in June. That forecast estimated that the economy would grow at a still-sluggish annual rate

US Federal Reserve Vice Chair Janet Yellen speaks at an international monetary conference in Shanghai. Yellen could become the first woman to lead the US Federal Reserve (FED) after the withdrawal of candidate Larry Summers. —AFP

In addition, the Fed eventually needs to sell its vast investment portfolio, which is on track to top $4 trillion next year, without upsetting markets. The more the Fed expands its portfolio, the harder and more perilous the eventual sell-off could be. And because the Fed has been raising expectations that its pullback will start as soon as September, some Fed officials may worry that defying those expectations would rattle investors.

Finally, there’s Bernanke’s expected departure in January. If the Fed is going to slow its stimulus, officials may not want to wait until their last meeting of the year in December, just before a new chairman takes over. That’s, in part, why some think a pullback in bond purchases will be announced Wednesday. “Bernanke may well want to have a bondreduction program in place before a new chairman comes in,” said David Wyss, a former chief economist at Standard & Poor’s and now an economics professor at Brown University.

between 2.3 percent and 2.8 percent this year. Through the first six months of 2013, the economy has grown at a much slower 1.8 percent rate.

Many think the Fed will try to cushion the response to a pullback in long-term bond purchases by stressing it has no intention of raising short-term interest rates anytime soon. The Fed has said it expects to keep its benchmark short-term rate near zero at least until the unemployment rate falls to 6.5 percent - as long as the inflation outlook remains mild.

The unemployment rate is now 7.3 percent, the lowest since 2008.

Yet the rate has dropped in large part because many people have stopped looking for work and are no longer counted as unemployed - not because hiring has accelerated. Inflation is running below the Fed’s 2 percent target.

Any long-term reassurances from the Fed could face skepticism from investors who know that a new chairman might alter its policymaking. In addition, up to five new officials could join the Fed’s

seven-member board next year.

The Fed has struggled at times to send a clear message about its likely timetable for changing policies. Yet in recent months, the Fed and Bernanke have been explicit that a pullback in bond purchases would likely start by year’s end and perhaps by September.

“This is the market’s consensus view, and Fed officials are the ones who have guided the market to that consensus,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. “At this point, the Fed doesn’t want to jumble its communications.” Investors have sent long-term rates up in anticipation of a slowdown in purchases. Since Bernanke first hinted in May that a pullback was likely by year’s end, the rate on the 10-year Treasury note has jumped from 1.63 percent in early May to 2.89 percent.

And long-term mortgage rates have surged more than a full percentage point since May, an increase that’s made home-buying more difficult for some.

David Jones, chief economist at DMJ Advisors, foresees the Fed cutting back on its purchases at a rate of about $10 billion at each meeting between now and mid2014.

Even by that timetable, the Fed’s stock of Treasury and mortgage bonds will grow: The investment portfolio will likely near $4.5 trillion by next summer. It’s now a record $3.66 trillion - a four-fold increase from its level when the financial crisis erupted five years ago. Even after new bond buying winds down, the Fed plans to keep reinvesting its bond holdings. It just won’t be adding to its stockpile. It will still be providing extraordinary support for the economy. And yet some economists remain unconvinced that now is the time to slow the purchases. “Interest rates have already gone up as a result of their just talking about bond reductions,” said Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at California State University’s Martin Smith School of Business. “If they actually began cutting bond purchases, that would push interest rates up more and damage the economy.”

Wyss thinks Bernanke’s imminent departure is the main factor.

“If this were a decision based on economics, I think the Fed would wait, but given the politics of a new chairman having to go before Congress for confirmation, that could be an argument for moving now,” Wyss said. — AP

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

BUSINESS

Oil falls towards $109 as Syria deal eases concerns LONDON: Global oil prices fell towards $109 a barrel yesterday after the United States agreed to call off military action against Syria, easing supply concerns, and expectations mounted that some Libyan oil may come back online.

Benchmark front-month Brent futures touched a six-month high of $117.34 a barrel in late August amid worries that a possible US military strike against Syria might further disrupt oil supplies in the region, where unrest in Libya has already sent production to a post-war low of 150,000 barrels per day.

But prices began to drop after Russia offered to help put Syria’s chemical weapons under international control.

On Saturday, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed to back a nine-month UN program to destroy Syrian President Bashar AlAssad’s chemical arsenal, reducing expectations

of a conflict. “The most important factor is the lower perception of geopolitical risk. This has brought prices under significant pressure,” said Carsten Fritsch, oil analyst at Commerzbank.

“Despite the situation in Libya, Syria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq and elsewhere, it seems the oil market is well supplied and the question really is what has been supporting.”

Brent crude for delivery in November fell by almost $3 to $108.73, its weakest level since Aug. 12, after Libyan separatists said over the weekend that an agreement had been reached to reopen terminals in the east and an oil official said western fields could reopen yesterday. Oil pared some of those losses to trade $1.89 down at $109.81 by 1037 GMT after protesters in eastern Libya denied a deal had been struck and said terminals there would remain closed until their demands had been met.

US oil for October delivery was trading down

$1.40 cents a barrel at $106.81 at 1020 GMT after hitting a low of $106.48 earlier in the session. The decline in oil prices came despite weakness in the dollar, which typically makes dollar-denominated assets cheaper for holders of other currencies.

The dollar fell to a near four-week low against a basket of major currencies as investors bet that the U.S. Federal Reserve would take longer to end its stimulus program after Larry Summers, a former treasury secretary, withdrew from the race to succeed Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. Harry Tchillinguirian, oil analyst at BNP Paribas, said uncertainty over who would succeed Bernanke and over the direction of US monetary policy would likely boost demand for risky assets such as dollardenominated oil and put a floor under oil price declines for now.

“On the one hand you have a postponement

of a military strike that alleviates geopolitical tensions and effects a downward force on oil.

On the other hand, oil is supported as a risky asset class by the withdrawal of Larry Summers who was seen as the hawkish candidate,” said Tchillinguirian.

The Federal Open Market Committee is meeting for two days from today with expectations high that policymakers will decide to reduce the monthly $85-billion bond purchases

as they begin to end the era of cheap money that has boosted fund flows into commodities.

Credit Suisse said in a note it expects the Fed to pare down the monthly bond purchases by around $20 billion. “A series of recent economic data improvements points in this direction and the weaker-than-expected August labor market report is unlikely to keep the Fed from proceeding with slowly winding down its asset purchases,” the investment bank said. — Reuters

Protesters clash with police during a protest over a government rubber subsidy in Nakhon Si Thammarat, southern Thailand yesterday. Protesters hurled petrol bombs and bottles of acid at Thai police, who fired tear gas in return, in fresh clashes yesterday over a government rubber subsidy in southern Thailand, officials said. —AFP

Libya struggles to resume oil exports TRIPOLI: Libya struggled to resume oil exports, reduced almost to a trickle by protesters, as an attempt of a deal with the government collapsed in the country’s east and uncertainty prevailed over a deal in the west.

The government has been locked in talks with feuding tribes, militia and protester group over the past two months as output collapsed to a tenth of Libya’s maximum capacity of 1.5 million barrels per day. The stoppages have cost the Libyan government billions of dollars in lost revenues and have contributed to a spike in global prices to a six-month high during August.

Local Libyan media, including Libya Herald, reported over the weekend that protesters in the east, which produces around two thirds of Libyan output, have reached a deal to reopen export terminals from yesterday while demanding a number of conditions to be met within three months.

But the spokesman for the protesters denied the reports. “There is no deal and the port terminals in the east from Es Sider, Ras Lanuf to Brega and Hariga are closed for exports until the protesters demands are met.

The government has not responded to our

demands,” Osama Al-Oreibi told Reuters. AlOreibi is the spokesman for the federalists in the “Brega political office”, headed by Ibrahim al Jathran, who is seeking a bigger role in the oil industry.

Dialogue with protesters in Libya’s west, which produces around a third of its output, looked slightly more positive bit, although government officials said they remained cautious about the prospects of an immediate field reopening. After weekend negotiations, the government told state National Oil Corp (NOC) that they could expect a major blocked pipeline to resume operations on Monday, a senior Libyan oil official said yesterday. The pipeline links the El Feel and El Sharara fields in the south to the ports of Mellitah and Zawiya. The official asked not to be named as he said he still had concerns the deal could be delayed. “Our people are ready to restart production but we are still waiting for the valves to be reopened. We are waiting for confirmation,” he said.

“It’s supposed to start by the evening, but could happen at any time. This is what we were told by the people doing the negotiations,” he added. — Reuters

Turkish assets boosted

by Summers withdrawal ISTANBUL: Turkish assets strengthened yesterday on optimism about the outlook for the budget deficit and as fears of an aggressive tapering of US stimulus and an imminent military strike on neighboring Syria receded. Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said the budget deficit would come in below the 34 billion lira ($16.8 billion) currently forecast by the government, supported by privatization receipts and a pick-up in domestic demand. The withdrawal of Lawrence Summers from the race to head the Federal Reserve also lifted sentiment.

Summers had been seen as less wedded to policies such as quantitative easing and more likely to scale it back quicker, drying up the cheap liquidity that has flooded emerging markets including Turkey.

The lira firmed to below 2 lira against the dollar, trading at 1.9965 at 0802 GMT, from 2.0301 late on Friday. Turkey’s central bank raised the minimum amount of forex it will sell at auction to $170 million on Monday from a previously announced $160 million and did not hold its regular repo auction, giving additional support to the local currency.

The bank’s monetary policy committee is expected to leave its main rates on hold when it meets on Tuesday, a day before the Fed is likely to announce a

plan to start winding down its massive bond-buying program. “ We do not expect the Turkish central bank to change either its policy rate or interest rate corridor till the end of this year and throughout 2014 and stick to a monetary policy implementation via exchange rate reserves,” Ekspres Invest said in a note to clients.

The bank has said it will start using gross forex reserves - as well as the net reserves it has employed until now - to manage forex liquidity, suggesting it could adjust its foreign exchange reserve requirements - how much forex banks must hold with the central bank.

The main share index rose 2.51 percent to 73,432.82 points, outperforming the broader emerging market index , which rose 1.29 percent. The yield on the 10-year bond fell to 9.58 from 9.79 percent at Friday’s close. A Russia-brokered deal over the weekend to rid President Bashar al-Assad of chemical weapons, averting US led military intervention, also lifted sentiment.

Investors fear a military strike against Syria, which shares a 900-km (560-mile) border with Turkey, would boost oil prices in the short term, further increasing Turkey’s import bill and putting pressure on its gaping current account deficit. — Reuters

p25_Layout 1 9/16/2013 9:41 PM Page 1

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

BUSINESS ‘Troika’ in Portugal for fresh review of bailout LISBON: Portugal’s creditors arrived back in Lisbon yesterday to assess the country’s progress under its 78-billion-euro bailout as Brussels signals it will not cede to a request for the country’s fiscal targets to be relaxed.

Payments of the next tranche of bailout loans to Lisbon will depend on a successful review by Portugal’s “troika” of lenders-the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission and the European Central Bankof its progress in implementing economic reforms agreed in exchange for the financial aid.

The assessment by troika auditors will be the first since a political crisis erupted in July when the resignation of two key ministers pushed the government to the verge of collapse. It could be the most important review since the bailout was granted in May 2011. The rescue program is scheduled to expire in mid-2014.

Portugal is struggling to meet its deficit target of 5.5 percent of gross domestic product for this year as government reforms aimed at streamlining the government repeatedly get bogged down by legal challenges.

Portugal’s Constitutional Court last month struck down a reform allowing civil servants to be laid off if they fail to requalify for a new job. It was the third time that the court has restricted the scope of a government austerity measure. The ruling has helped push Portugal borrowing costs to levels near which it was forced to seek international aid two years ago.

The yield on Portuguese government 10-year bonds stood at 7.4 percent yesterday. Deputy Prime Minister Paulo Portas last week urged Portugal’s international lenders to ease its 2014 public deficit reduction target from 4.0 percent to 4.5 percent of GDP. The appeal got a cool response from Brussels, with the head of euro-zone finance ministers, Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, saying Lisbon should stick to the deficit reduction targets already agreed.

“I don’t think maintaining the discussion (over deficit targets) sends out a good signal,” he said Friday at a meeting of euro-zone finance minister in Vilnius. The “troika” has agreed to relax Portugal’s deficit targets twice before, in March and September 2012. “Someone has to explain to us how we are going to be able to go from a deficit of 5.5 percent in 2013 to a deficit of 4.0 percent in 2014. We have never seen such a strong reduction in the deficit,” said Antonio Saraiva, the head of the Portuguese Industry Confederation, after meeting with Portas yesterday. Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho’s centre-right government has imposed relentless spending cuts and hefty tax increases since coming to power in June 2011, causing its popularity to sink.

Despite signs of growing voter weariness with austerity, the government has announced fresh austerity measures, including an average 10 percent cut in the pensions of most government workers, which have been loudly opposed by unions.

Portugal is struggling through its deepest downturn since a right-wing dictatorship was toppled in 1974, but some signs of improvement have emerged. The country posted growth of 1.1 percent in the second quarter as exports soared, putting an end to more than two years of continuous contraction, while the jobless rate fell to 16.4 percent from 17.7 percent the first quarter.

Portugal will test market appetite for its debt on Wednesday when it hopes to raise 1.0-1.25 billion euros in a sale of three- and 18-month treasury bills. The Portuguese government had originally planned to raise 1.5 billion euros ($2 billion) in the auction but then lowered its target.

Under the terms of its bailout, Portugal should return to the long-term bond market next year although some analysts doubt it will be possible. —AFP

Credit Suisse veteran tasked with sale of UK bank stakes LONDON: Britain’s government has brought in the UK boss of Credit Suisse to manage the sale of its stakes in Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland, hoping for a successful turnaround after it had to bail both out with taxpayers’ money in 2008. James Leigh Pemberton, currently UK chief executive of Credit Suisse, has been named head of UKFI, the institution set up to manage the state’s banking investments. He was one of the main advisers to the government when it pumped 45 billion pounds ($71 billion) into RBS and 20 billion into Lloyds to keep them afloat during the 2008 financial crisis.

UKFI has already attracted criticism that it enables the government to interfere too closely in banking affairs notably when Stephen Hester was ousted as RBS chief executive in June at the behest of the Treasur y.

Pemberton, 56, must keep lawmakers and regulators happy while also persuading bank bosses that he will protect their interests as the government enforces new levels of competition in the industr y. The Parliamentar y Commission on Banking Standards, tasked with recommending proposals to reform banks, in July called for the abolition of UKFI, stating that its remit should be absorbed into Britain’s Finance Ministry. But the proposal was rejected by UK Finance Minister George Osborne. The son of a former Bank of England Governor, Leigh Pemberton’s career in the City of London has spanned five decades since he joined SG Warburg in 1979, encompassing roles in banking, capital markets and sales. He joined Credit Suisse in 1994 and was appointed to his current role in 2008. “His significant experience in the financial services industry makes him the right person to take us through the next phase of our plan for the recovery of Britain’s banking system,” Osborne said yesterday. Britain currently has an 81 percent shareholding in RBS and a 39 percent stake in Lloyds. Shares in Lloyds hit a 3-year high last week and are now trading above the average price the government bought at after sources with knowledge of government thinking said it could announce a sale of around a quarter of the shares this month. That would raise around 5 billion pounds for the public purse.

The future for Royal Bank of Scotland is far less certain.

Britain’s finance ministry is working with investment bank Rothschild to examine whether RBS should be broken up - hiving its toxic assets into a so-called ‘bad bank’ and theoretically leaving the good bank better placed to lend.

UKFI said Leigh Pemberton would join in October, replacing Jim O’Neil, who is stepping down as chief executive after three years. O’Neil, an equity capital markets expert, was expected to oversee share sales during his tenure but focused largely on strategic issues while the banks’ share prices remaining depressed. That could yet change before his departure, however.

Leigh Pemberton will become UKFI’s executive chairman in Januar y, when current Chairman Robin Budenberg will leave. UKFI will then scrap the role of chief executive. UKFI also named Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Oliver Holbourn as its new head of capital markets. Holbourn is currently head of UK, Ireland and South Africa equity capital markets origination at BofA Merrill. —Reuters

Marriott Group looks to expand presence in Kuwait, Mideast 45 new properties coming up in MENA

By Sajeev K Peter KUWAIT: Marriott International, a leading hotel group with more than 3,800 properties in 74 countries and territories worldwide, will pursue its global expansion strategy with a special focus on the Middle East and Africa region, said Vladimir Dabbah, Vice President Global Sales, Middle East & Africa, Marriott International.

Talking to Kuwait Times in an interview, Dabbah gave an overview of the group’s expansion plan and outlined the group’s customer-oriented strategy across its 18 renowned global brands.

Marriott International began its operations in the Middle East and Africa in 1980 with the opening of the 391-room Riyadh Marriott Hotel in Saudi Arabia.

“As a business group, we continue to look at opportunities to grow our existence as a brand in the Middle East and Africa. We currently operate 18 different brands globally and have 3,800 properties. We have 42 hotels in the MENA region alone. And another 45 hotels will become operational over the next few years. The new properties will add 10,875 rooms to the Marriott International’s portfolio,” Dabbah informed.

The company currently has a regional presence in 12 countries, offering 12,919 rooms and spanning seven lodging brands: JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts and the Ritz-Carlton in the luxury tier; Marriott Hotels & Resorts and Renaissance Hotels in the upscale,

quality tier; Courtyard by Marriott Hotels and Residence Inn by Marriott in the quality tier and the upscale Marriott Executive Apartments for extended stay travelers.

“In the next couple of years, we will be opening new hotels in

Marquis Hotel, in Dubai, which is the world’s tallest hotel,” Dabbah said. Located in the heart of Business Bay, the 355-metre JW Marriott Marquis Hotel was officially recognized by the Guinness World Record as the world’s tallest hotel. The iconic five-star hotel

Vladimir Dabbah, Vice President Global Sales, Middle East & Africa, Marriott International.

Kuwait and Dubai including 143unit Residence Inn by Marriott in Kuwait City. Currently we operate 313-room JW Marriott Hotel and Courtyard by Marriott in Kuwait City in addition to one of our flagship properties in Kuwait, Marriott International,” he said.

“In Dubai, we plan to open two new hotels by the end of this year.

Last year, we opened JW Marriott

has a height that is almost half or 43 percent of the height of Burj Khalifa.

“We have additional plans to grow further in Dubai in the next few years,” he added. Marriott Hotels & Resorts is positioned for further global growth, with 75 hotels in the pipeline for development by 2016, 12 in North America and 63 in four interna-

tional regions.

As a hospitality industry, the hotel group is vigorously embarking on its promotional programs as well offering a wide range of culinary options, excellent lodging, dedicated event services and planning and transport.

“We announce promotions constantly and they vary from market-to-market. Recently we launched a dedicated site for our Arabic customers. The site arabic.marriott.com helps us regularly communicate with our customers.

The site offers a unique online experience in Arabic to our customers,” he explained.

Marriott brands Marriott International is ranked by ‘Fortune’ as the lodging industry’s most admired company and one of the best companies to work for with an evolving development portfolio of innovative and awardwinning brands.

“Usually, customers relate to brands because of their experiences. As a world renowned hotel group, Marriott has 18 different brands ranging from luxury to multi-cuisine brands.

Gaylord Hotels , Ritz Carlton Hotels, JW Marriott Hotels, AC Hotels, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, Autograph Collection Hotels, Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Marriott Hotels and Resorts, Renaissance Hotels, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, The Ritz Carlton Destination Club and Marriott Vacation Club are among the leading brands that Marriot Group has

incorporated in its global portfolio.

Younger generation “Obviously, customer is very important in our business strategy.

With our customer-oriented approach, we make sure that they are well taken care of,” Dabbah pointed out. “So, we look at the global customers as well as the young and emerging customers,” he said.

He said people prefer to use Marriott Hotels when they travel to different destinations, be it for leisure or business. The restaurants in their hotels are authentic in every detail with well-crafted and diverse menu selections on offer.

“For Arabic customers, we have dedicated Arab speaking staff, Arab chefs and authentic Arabic menus in all our hotels across the world. Especially during summer season, we offer exclusive promotional packages to our Arabic customers at our hotels,” he added.

“In our pursuit of excellence, we constantly look at the younger generation as part of our workforce as we work towards evolving an environment suitable for younger generation of employees.

We have many special programs to train youngsters in order to empower them and encourage them to join the hospitality industry,” he said. The Marriott group has opened hospitality colleges for the new generation of employees, he added.

Marriott International’s regional headquarters is located in Dubai.

Vladimir Dabbah heads its global sales office in Dubai.

Bombardier’s CSeries makes inaugural flight MIRABEL: Bombardier Inc’s CSeries jetliner took flight for the first time yesterday, the culmination of a $3.4 billion program to develop the first all-new narrow-body plane of its size in decades.

The CSeries, which Bombardier says will be the world’s quietest commercial aircraft, will carry up to 149 passengers. It is the Canadian company’s big gamble to break into the hyper-competitive, larger aircraft segment currently ruled by Boeing Co and Airbus. The white-and-blue CS100 test aircraft took off from outside the Bombardier plant in Mirabel, Quebec, at 9:54 am EDT (1354 GMT) in front of a crowd of employees, media and spectators. While the thousands of spectators and engineers cheered, the plane rose from the tarmac with surprisingly little noise thanks to its new engines.

The highly anticipated first flight, which was delayed by some nine months, and the flight tests to come will be closely watched by airlines and other plane makers. Airlines looking to purchase new planes want to see proof of Bombardier’s claims of high fuel efficiency, low operating costs and low noise levels for the CSeries, a medium-haul jet made of light-weight composite materials. Competitors will eye the performance of the plane’s systems and components, most notably its PurePower PW1500G turbofan engine made by Pratt & Whitney, a unit of Connecticut-based United Technologies Corp. “The CSeries has already caused an earthquake in the airliner industry. That’s what caused Boeing and Airbus to redesign their airplanes,” said Michael Boyd, chairman of the aviation consulting group Boyd Group International.

“The CSeries, on paper, was so superior in terms of economics that you have two global companies that had to jump from

what Bombardier did.”

Airbus and Boeing announced newengine versions of their respective A320 and 737 class aircraft after Bombardier unveiled its plans for the CSeries. The two big companies have won more than 3,500 orders for those planes, although only a small portion are for the smaller models that compete directly with the CSeries.

Brazil’s Embraer SA, the world’s No. 3 planemaker, leads in sales of smaller regional jets.

Montreal-based Bombardier, which also makes trains, is hoping to stake a claim on the single-aisle, 100- to 149-seat class that is midway between the regional planes and the larger commercial jetliners. It says it can corner half that market over the next 20 years.

The CS100 seats 110 for a typical configuration, while the larger CS300 seats 135.

Another version of the CS300 can seat up to 160.The first flight could help ignite more deals for the CSeries, which have stalled at 177 firm orders, far short of Bombardier’s goal of 300 by the time the plane enters into service.

The CSeries’ entry-into-service - the industry measure for when an airline puts a plane into commercial use - is currently set for an ambitious 12 months from now, a deadline many say will be hard to meet.

“There has not been a flight test program yet that’s ever gone up there and they haven’t found something that needed addressing,” Chris Murray, an analyst with PI Financial, said recently. Like many others, Murray expects entry into service in 2015.

“First flight is likely going to be supportive of additional orders ... which is great. But it’s really, let’s get this thing in the air. You really want to see them start shipping units.” —Reuters

MIRABEL: The new bombardier aircraft CSseries is shown in Mirabel, Quebec as it is due to take off for the first time yesterday. Bombardier Inc carried out final preparations for the maiden flight of its CSeries yesterday, hoping to translate its ambitions to shatter an Airbus and Boeing duopoly into faster sales of Canada’s most ambitious jet. —AFP

NEW DLEHI: An Indian laborer rests on a cart at the spice market in the old quarters of New Delhi yesterday. RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan will review the nation’s monetary policy on September 20 to revive economic growth and curb the fiscal and current account deficits. —AP

India August inflation rises to 6-month high NEW DELHI: India’s inflation surged to a sixmonth high in August, data showed yesterday, strengthening chances the new central bank governor will freeze interest rates despite a struggling economy. Inflation, as measured by the Wholesale Price Index, hit 6.10 percent in August from a year earlier and was up from 5.79 percent in July.

“Rising wholesale price inflation will take rate cuts off the agenda until well into next year,” said Capital Economics economist Daniel Martin. The data comes as former International Monetary Fund chief economist Raghuram Rajan, famed for forecasting the 2008 global financial meltdown, prepares to chair his first monetary policy-setting meeting on Friday. India’s once-booming economy is caught in a quagmire of sharply slowing growth, stubbornly high inflation and a record current account deficit that has pushed the rupee sharply lower. Rajan has already declared he sees his main role as sustaining “low and stable expectations of inflation” and analysts said he could not ignore the latest price data.

They said the impact of the rupee’s sharp fall on the price of fuel, most of which is imported, and other commodities would also soon start showing up in the inflation figures.

The August data surprised markets which expected the figure to be in line with July’s. The inflation increase was driven mainly by food price rises due to crop dam-

age caused by monsoon flooding.

Onion prices, a dietary staple especially for the poor masses, soared a massive 245 percent from a year earlier while the cost of fruit, eggs and other goods also climbed.

The scandal-scarred government of Premier Manmohan Singh has been anxious to tame inflation-especially of food-and revive the economy as it seeks re-election in polls due by May 2014. But the weak rupee and inflation have curbed the bank’s room to cut rates to stimulate an economy which grew last year at five percent, its slowest pace in a decade. The central bank cut rates in early 2013 but was forced to tighten monetary policy again to try to stem the rupee’s fall. While still down around 12 percent this year against the dollar, the rupee has rallied following measures announced

by Rajan to liberalize financial markets to spur foreign fund inflows and bolster the currency. The rupee was at a four-week high of 62.58 against the dollar yesterday.

Business leaders have been clamouring for lower rates to lift the economy. But economists say rate cuts now could undermine the rupee and widen a record current account deficit, the broadest measure of trade, which the central bank calls the “biggest risk” to India’s economy. “Anything suggesting wanting to remove these measures would risk undermining the rupee once again,” said Credit Suisse India economist Robert Prior-Wandesforde. —AFP

Norway’s oil firms lobby for Arctic area OSLO: Oil firms in Nor way, western Europe’s biggest oil and gas producer, asked the incoming ruling parties yesterday to repeal a recent tax hike and open the sensitive Arctic Lofoten archipelago to exploration. Drilling around the Lofoten islands is becoming one of the top issues in coalition talks among the four election-winning parties and a new government is expected to uphold a drilling ban, forcing oil companies into more remote and difficult waters.

Although the top two parties which will make up the government favor

opening the area, which could hold around 1.27 billion barrels of oil equivalents, the smaller parties fiercely oppose such a move, fearing the oil industry would endanger its pristine environment, tourism and the world’s largest cod stocks. Needing the votes of the small parties for a majority, some analysts expect the Conservatives and the Progress Party to yield on Lofoten and sources close to two parties recently told daily newspaper Aftenposten that the two are ready to give in.

But energy firms argue it takes 15

years to start production from the time an area is opened to energy firms, so a delay now would impact production beyond 2025, when output in the region is already seen falling. “To curb the production decline on the Norwegian continental shelf beyond 2025, new areas need to be opened up urgently,” the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association, which represents dozens of producers including majors such as Statoil, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Royal Dutch Shell and Total, said in letter to the four parties.

“Keeping the nor theastern Norwegian Sea closed for another four years prevents a comprehensive and cost-effective development of the shelf,” it said. It also argued that a new oil tax, the first in decades, will reduce the profitability of marginal projects and will likely lead to the cancellation of new developments, further reducing production. The Conservatives, Progress, the Liberals and the Christian Democrats begun closed-door coalition talks yesterday and a final deal is not expected for several weeks. —Reuters

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

BUSINESS

Air Arabia celebrates five years of operations in Ukraine Current frequency of flights to double in October 2013 SHARJAH: Air Arabia, the first and largest lowcost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, yesterday celebrated its five years of successful operations in Uk raine. Air Arabia entered Ukraine with regular services to Kiev in 2008, and since then the airline continued to demonstrate strong growth into the country. yesterday, the low cost pioneer operates seven

week ly non-stop ser vices, which will be increased to 17 in October 2013, from its primary hub in Sharjah, UAE, to four destinations in Ukraine.

Commenting on the fifth anniversary in Ukraine, the airline’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Adel Ali, said: “Air Arabia attributes the success to the special relationship it enjoys

with its customers in Ukraine, as well as the vast potential that the country’s aviation sector offers. We are glad to announce the increase in frequency of Ukraine services to 17 weekly flights by October this year.”

Ali added: “This milestone is especially significant for Air Arabia as we continue to expand in Ukraine and the wider CIS region. Since our entry into the country in 2008, we have been offering enormous choice for customers seeking to travel between Ukraine and UAE, and beyond.”

Destinations that Air Arabia ser ves in Ukraine are: Kiev, Donetsk, Kharkiv and Odessa.

Air Arabia (PJSC ), listed on the Dubai Financial Market, is the Middle East and North Africa’s leading low-cost carrier (LCC). Air Arabia commenced operations in October 2003 and currently operates a total fleet of 33 new Airbus A320 aircraft, serving 86 routes from three hubs in UAE, Morocco and Egypt.

Air Arabia is an award-winning airline that focuses on offering comfort, reliability and value-for-money air travel.

The Protégés powered by KIPCO The experience of a Lifetime KUWAIT: The Protégés is a mentorship program that provides young people with opportunities to learn life and leadership skills. Generation 3 started on August 12th and continued for 4 weeks. Lead by a team of Mentors including Shamlan AlBahar, Rana Al-Khaled, Mishari Mufareh, Yarub Burhama and AbdulAziz Al Loughani, 23 carefully selected young people aged between 16 and 24 got the chance to be a part of this once in a lifetime experience.

The Program began in Kuwait, with daily sessions at the American University of Kuwait. During the first week, the protégés learned about entrepreneurship with visits to talabat.com headquarters, Al Sharhan Industries in Shuaiba, and Diwan AlGhannam for the chance to meet Abdulaziz Al-Ghannam and listen to his story. The Protégés also welcomed guest speakers: Abdullah Al-Mehri, comedian Bashar Al-Jazzaf and Gilbert Doumit, the managing partner of Beyond RD, who gave an important lecture about social entrepreneurship. Gilbert commented “I am delighted to be part of the Protégés experience this year.

Kuwait’s youth are its strongest asset and by promoting the social entrepreneurship mindset youth will become more able to innovatively resolve today’s challenges and be equipped to deal with the future.” The second week of the program took place in London where the Protégés attended specialized leadership courses at Kings College, one of the top thirty universities worldwide. It was a truly valuable learning experience that covered topics from presentation skills and infuencing styles to political art and medical technology. The team at Kings College provided a dynamic schedule of events that included tours of central London and the house of parliament, and visits to the national portrait gallery and Cockpit Arts, the only creative business incubator in the UK. Abeer Al-Omar, corporate communications manager at KIPCO, the main sponsor of Generation 3, visited the Protégés at Kings College.

She commented on her experience: “I was very interested to join the Protégés during their time Kings College. As one of the best universities in the world, the standard of the

course was very high with excellent contributions from the students and mentors. I was particularly interested to see how everyone enjoyed the experience of being in London.

Overall, I was very impressed with the quality of our Protégés and the work they did.” In their free time, The Protégés experienced British culture. They watched the musical Les Miserables at the Queen’s Theater, cheered on the winning team at the Chelsea vs.

Aston Villa football match, and spent a rainy day at the Science

of team work and collaboration within the Kuwaiti youth in order to achieve greater things for the country.

We try to teach our younger generation that with hard work and focus they can achieve their goals and these educative programs will be the frst step of many to come in the future.”

On September 1, the Protégés returned from the UK for one more week of workshops back in Kuwait.

Lead by the mentors, the Protégés spent most of the week brainstorming ideas for a project to positively

sponsors Abyat, Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive Company, and Al-Anba Newspaper and the bronze sponsor, IFA Consulting Services.

A very special thanks to KFAS for their support of The Protégés, Generation 3. For day-to-day coverage of the entire program, visit our blog: theproteges.wordpress.com.

And for upcoming news and more information visit our website: www.theproteges.org and follow us on Twitter: the_proteges and Instagram: The Proteges Founded in 2010, The Protégés is a program designed to positively influence

Qatar infrastructure spending will drive growth: QNB Group DOHA: QNB Group published its Qatar Economics Insight 2013 report, which highlights Qatar’s strong growth outlook as infrastructure spending increased considerably to meet the requirements for the 2022 World Cup. QNB Group forecasts real GDP growth of 6.5 percent in 2013 and 6.8 percent in 2014 as large-scale infrastructure spending by the government accelerates as part of the build-up towards the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. This will drive growth in construction and services despite a slowdown in the oil and gas sectors.

The economic impact of the World Cup is already being felt as accelerated infrastructure investment has led to a rapid increase in job creation. This has led to an influx of expatriate workers to fill the growing requirement for labor. Population growth began picking up in mid-2012 and reached double digits in June-2013 (11.3 percent), the world’s fastest rate.

Office vacancy rates in Kuwait CBD drop to 19% from improved take-up Markaz economic report KUWAIT: The oversupply in Kuwait’s CBD which according to various market estimates was 40 percent - 50 percent earlier declined to around 19 percent as of Q1-13, reported the authors of the new Kuwait real estate market outlook report from Kuwait Financial Centre KPSC ‘Markaz’. They were also of the view that investment property prices (apartments sub-segment) would continue to witness moderate levels of growth over 2013 & 14.

Museum. On August 25th, The Protégés took a train from London to Stratford-Upon-Avon, the hometown of William Shakespeare. There the mentors lead workshops and the Protégés enjoyed activities like bike riding through the beautiful country-side, scavenger hunts, a cooking competition and a crime scene challenge lead by forensics exper ts. During their stay, the group also enjoyed tours of the Stratford Butterfy Farm, the Royal Shakespeare Company and best of all, the Land Rover Factory. Mr. Yousef Alqatami, General Manager at Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive Company (Platinum Sponsor and the exclusive importer of Land Rover in Kuwait) commented on the visit “It gives us great pleasure to be part of The Protégés program and our aim behind encouraging this activity is to implant the spirit

impact Kuwaiti society. On their fnal day together, the Protégés volunteered with Eghathah founded by Khaled Al-Otaibi, helping to pack boxes of supplies for the Syrian refugees. Mentor Shamlan Al-Bahar commented on his experience with the group: “The enthusiasm and team-work we’ve seen from Generation 3 Protégés is truly inspiring. It has been a pleasure to get to know these passionate and motivated young people, I am eager to see what they will achieve in the future.”

Many thanks to all The Protégés sponsors including KIPCO and their group of participating companies: Burgan Bank, KAMCO, United Real Estate, Qurain Petrochemical Industries Company, Gulf Insurance Group, OSN, United Networks, Kuwait Hotels Company and United Education Company. In Addition to platinum

the youth of Kuwait, through an inclusive program that combines travel, lectures, group activities, challenges, games and fun. Guided by a team of mentors, The Protégés are encouraged to discover their passions and given the tools to help them excel in their future careers and contribute positively to society.

The KIPCO Group is one of the biggest holding companies in the Middle East and North Africa, with consolidated assets of $26 billion as at 31 March, 2013. The Group has significant ownership interests in over 60 companies operating across 24 countries. The group’s main business sectors are financial services, media, real estate and manufacturing. Through its core companies, subsidiaries and affiliates, KIPCO also has interests in the education and medical sectors.

Citadel Capital receives approval to call for general meeting on share issuance CAIRO: Citadel Capital, the leading investment company in Africa and the Middle East with $9.5 billion in investments under control, has received regulatory clearance from the Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority (EFSA) to convene a general meeting at which shareholders will be asked to approve the launch of an EGP 3.64 billion capital increase. The proposed share issuance would be at par value (EGP 5) and would see the firm’s paid-in capital rise to EGP 8.0 billion from EGP 4.36 billion.

Citadel Capital’s proposed share issuance is part of the firm’s transformation from the largest private equity firm in Africa into the leading investment company in the region. The proposed capital increase will be used by Citadel Capital to reach 51-100 percent ownership in most of its platform companies, in particular the firm’s subsidiaries in its five core industries: energy, transportation, agrifoods, mining and cement. The firm plans to exit non-core investments over the coming few years as it transforms its business model to become an investment company.

Focus and Growth Citadel Capital will maintain a focus on five core industries with its present emphasis on large-scale investments across Egypt, East Africa and North Africa, the heart of its current investment footprint. “Economic fallout from the Arab Spring has generally depressed asset values and put liquidity at a premium, making this an

opportune moment to increase our holding in core investments,” said Citadel Capital Chairman and Founder Ahmed Heikal. “At the same time, that fallout has also accelerated and brought into sharp relief a number of macro trends that are very favorable to our core investments.”

“Capturing the upside presented by these macro trends is demanding transformation in our DNA that will allow a more concentrated focus on a limited number of investments,” noted Heikal. “We believe we will be creating outstanding value for our shareholders by holding investments in our five core industries for the long-term. We are increasing our investment in proven management teams and in businesses that are clearly on the right side of these macro trends - all at very attractive valuations.”

The long-term holding periods permitted by the new model will allow Citadel Capital to maximize value creation through a balanced portfolio that includes a healthy mix of both assets that provide stable dividend streams and that are cash generative, and others that are in highgrowth phases.

“Moreover, the investment company model will allow management to maintain a sharp focus on the companies it knows best while simultaneously making Citadel Capital easier for analysts and investors to value,” added Citadel Capital Co-Founder and Managing Director Hisham. “The new model would further provide Citadel Capital with an expanded balance sheet, allowing for improved financing options.”

Funding At the upcoming general meeting, shareholders will be asked to vote on an EGP 3,641,875,000 capital increase at par (EGP 5 per share) that would see Citadel Capital’s total paid-in capital rise to EGP 8,000,000,000 from EGP 4,358,125,000 today through the issuance of 728,375,000 new shares, of which 182,093,750 would be preferred shares and 546,281,250 common shares.

The firm’s total number of shares post-capital increase would stand at 1.6 billion shares, of which 1.2 billion would be common shares and a further 400 million preferred.

The proposed capital increase will be a key step in a process that will see co-investors and limited partners (LPs) in the firm’s platform companies given the opportunity to become shareholders in Citadel Capital.

Valuations of the underlying platform co m p a n i e s h ave b e e n co m p l e te d by H C Securities (an independent financial consultant certified by EFSA), accepted by participating LPs, and ratified by shareholders at an ordinary general meeting (OGM) held on 2 June 2013. At the OGM, shareholders also voted to allow Citadel Capital’s Board of Directors to execute the acquisition of the a d d i t i o n a l s t a k e s i n t h e co m p a ny ’s s u b sidiaries. These purchases will be settled through the proposed issuance of shares to which participating LPs have undertaken to subscribe.

Inflation is projected to increase moderately in 2013 (3.6 percent) and 2014 (3.8 percent). The expanding population will increase rents and domestic demand, resulting in moderately higher prices.

The report forecast the current account surplus to remain high (34.1 percent of GDP on average in 2013-14) as the traditional hydrocarbon exports receipts are expected to be boosted by exports of Gasto-Liquids (GTL), petrochemicals and fertilizers.

The fiscal surplus is projected to narrow (4.7 percent of GDP in 2013 and 2.6 percent in 2014) owing to increased infrastructure investment while revenues are mildly reduced by lower oil prices.

The banking sector will benefit from the strong overall performance of the economy as rising infrastructure spending provides for ample credit opportunities. Coupled with further global expansion by local banks, this will maintain healthy profits.

Investment properties (Apartments) The report notes that the apartments segment remained marginally undersupplied, evident from low vacancy rate that are below 6 percent. The report also studies the prospects for the apartment segment from economic trends and the trends in supply. Demand for this segment is forecasted to grow by approximately 4 percent p.a. over 2013 & 14 driven by a 2.5 percent - 3 percent annual growth in expat population. Supply grew at approximately 3.4 percent per annum in the past and is expected to grow at a similar rate over 2013 & 14. As incremental demand trends are expected to be higher than supply over the near term, the market is forecasted to remain marginally undersupplied over 2013 & 14 as well. The report forecasts rents to grow at 3 percent-4 percent p.a. over 2013 & 14 , broadly reflecting overall inflation levels. Cap rates contracted up until Q1-13, as the segment remained a preferred investment asset class and due to the undersupplied nature of the market. The authors of the report do not see any major catalysts as of now triggering a trend reversal and forecast cap rates to remain stable over 2013 & 14 and forecast prices to move in line with rentals and grow by approximately 4 percent p.a over the forecast period.

CBD office market The authors conducted a detailed survey on the Kuwait CBD office market and estimated the occupied office space as of Q1-13 at c.943,000 sqm. The survey also revealed that the total supply of Class -A, B & C category office space stood at 1.17 Mn sqm as of Q1-13, with bulk of the sup-

ply over the near term to be of the Class-A category. Vacant office space stood at approximately 227,000 sqm. This results in a vacancy rate of 19 percent, as against the 40 percent-50 percent levels reported by various sources earlier. The authors noted that the improvement in take up was driven by three sources of demand, 1) organic demand from private sector, 2) demand from government organizations renting private sector office space and 3) demand from tenants upgrading to better quality office spaces. On the future trends of demand and supply, the authors forecast the demand to average 54,000 sqm p.a. over 2013-14 and noted that 176,000 sqm of office space is currently under construction, of which 120,000 sqm would be added to the market during 2013-14. The report noted that vacancy rates would stabilize and start declining from 2015 as incremental supply gets lower than demand, driving growth in rentals and prices from thereon.

Mall space retail The authors observed that demand for retail spaces had improved from better retail sector demand witnessed as indicators like consumer spending had exhibited positive trends since the global financial crisis. The study estimated that mall space in Kuwait reached approximately 550,500 sq.m as of 2012 after the completion of the Phase-III of the Avenues mall. 2014 mall space per capita in Kuwait would continue to be the lowest in the GCC despite supply increasing by 8.7 percent CAGR over 2013 & 14. Rents are expected to sustain and move higher by 3 percent-4 percent per annum during the period.

Liquidity & Transactions The report highlighted that the credit lending situation to the real estate & construction sector would continue to remain buoyant over 2013 & 14 as the overall banking system remains strong & well capitalized. This should continue to drive the improvement in transactions over 2013 & 14, after improving at a CAGR of 20 percent over 2009-12.

Lufthansa CEO promises continuity, quits for Roche FRANKFURT: Lufthansa chief executive Christoph Franz promised the German flag carrier will remain on course after the surprise announcement he will step down next year to go to pharmaceuticals giant Roche. “Don’t expect any major changes, or a different strategy. There is no alternative to the path we’ve chosen,” Franz told a telephone news conference after the unexpected news of his departure hit Lufthansa’s share price.

Following reports in both German and Swiss media at the weekend, Lufthansa confirmed early Monday that 53-year-old Franz would “not (be) available for an extension of his contract as chairman of the executive board and CEO” after it expires in May 2014. The news initially weighed on Lufthansa’s shares on the Frankfurt stock exchange where they fell by 0.7 percent to an intraday low of 13.84 euros while the overall market was up more than 1.0 percent.

But the share subsequently came back to show a gain of 0.39 percent by mid-afternoon.

For its part, Roche said in own statement that Franz had been nominated to succeed its chief Franz Humer, who plans to retire early next year.

Roche said Franz would be proposed formally to its shareholders at the group’s annual meeting on March 4. Franz said he was “delighted” to be joining the Basel-based giant. “Roche is an outstanding company. As a board member I have had ample opportunity to get to know and admire its strong business performance and corporate culture. Strategically, Roche is in very good shape,

and I am looking forward to taking on this opportunity.”

Humer, a 67-year-old Austrian and Swiss dual citizen, has been with Roche since 1995. He became chief operating officer in 1998 and chairman in 2001. Humer lauded Franz, saying that Roche was “getting a chairman with outstanding personal qualities and an impressive record as head of a major global company”. Swiss-based analysts Helvea echoed that, saying Franz’s track record was crucial and that “the proposed election looks to be positive for Roche’s future”.

Franz has carved out his career in the transport sector, having moved between Lufthansa and German rail company Deutsche Bahn.

But the German also knows the pharmaceutical sector from serving on Roche’s supervisory board since 2011. He has strong ties with Switzerland, having led the Lufthansa-owned company Swiss International Air Lines from 2004 to 2009, turning around the airline which was crafted from defunct carrier Swissair.

Franz said the decision to leave-after 15 years in the Lufthansa group was “anything but easy”.

“I like working for this company. But for career reasons, I have decided to end my work for the Lufthansa group once my contract expires in May 2014,” he said. By that time, the airline’s restructuring program and key investment decisions “will have laid the foundation for Lufthansa’s future success. That is a suitable time for a change in management,” he added. —AFP

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

technology

Can online transactions ever be safe?

T

Kaspersky Lab explains how to avoid banking Trojans

he rise of online banking has given birth to a new form of cybercrime the theft of payment information.

Fraudsters keep developing new ways of bypassing protective systems for financial data. How does their malware steal your money? How can we protect ourselves against them? Is it even possible? Kaspersky Lab experts have the answers, after studying online banking attack mechanisms.

Banking Trojans are the most dangerous kind of specialized malware. Once installed on a victim’s computer a Trojan, as a rule, automatically collects all payment data, and sometimes even conducts financial transactions on the victim’s behalf. Criminals use multi-targeted banking Trojans, able to attack customers of different banks and payment systems, as well as Trojans, targeted at a specific bank’s customers.

Criminals may send out Trojans in phishing letters which lure a user into following a link or opening an attached file that turns out to be malicious. For mass distribution of banking Trojans they also actively exploit vulnerabilities in Windows and popular applications.

After furtively penetrating the system, exploits load a Trojan on to an infected computer. In order to attack more efficiently, criminals use exploit packs - a set

of various exploits for different vulnerabilities.

Once on an infected computer, Trojans use the following techniques: • Intercepting keyboard input. Trojans detect key strokes which help perpetrators steal the account data of online banking users.

• Screenshots of a form with financial data entered.

• Bypassing virtual keyboards, giving

Why adding your boss on Facebook isn’t a good idea

By Pamela Eyring WASHINGTON: It’s been said that good manners will open doors that the best education cannot. Not surprisingly, there’s a good bit of research to support the point, too. A recent survey by OfficeTeam found that 80 percent of executives say clothing affects an employee’s chances of earning a promotion. In a separate survey, the company also found that nearly 40 percent of managers do not respond favorably to social media “friend” requests from employees while 46 percent aren’t keen on connecting with their boss on social media.

But leading the way in terms of contributing to poor form in the work place - and not all that surprisingly - is the inappropriate use of technology. In fact, a recent study by Robert Half Technology found that 64 percent of surveyed CIOs said the increase use of mobile devices, including cell phones and tablets, has led to a significant increase in breaches of workplace etiquette. That’s up from the 51 percent who reported failures in etiquette just three years ago. It’s for reasons like these that The Protocol School of Washington established Bring Your Manners to Work Day. Commemorated annually on the first Friday of September, the day is intended to remind employees and employers that manners matter. From talking loudly on one’s cell phone and texting during meetings to dressing inappropriately and showing up late, bad manners aren’t just bad form, their bad for business.

Because it’s statistically important to Bring Your Manners to Work every day, The Protocol School of Washington

offers the following dos and don’ts: Don’t cell yell. People tend to speak three times louder on a cell phone than in person. Mind your volume. Do respect people’s personal space while on the phone. A ‘safe cell distance’ is considered to be 10 feet. Don’t check your phone during meals and meetings. Instead keep phones off or on vibrate and pay attention to and engage those around you.

Do dress appropriately for the work place. In other words, save the seethrough dresses, sandals with socks, Lycra bike shorts, muscle shirts, and plunging necklines for other occasions.

Don’t “borrow” from other people’s desks or (dare I even say it) lunches without permission. Do clean up your messes, be it in the kitchen or at the copier, don’t expect others to clean up after you.

Don’t gossip. Over-sharing about your own personal life should also be avoided. Do be on time to meetings, conference calls, and appointments.

Don’t sink to someone else’s standards. Just because coworkers behave badly is not a reason for you to follow suit. Always keep your poise and do the right thing, even if you’re doing it alone.

It matters and will be noticed. If a coworker’s behavior is infringing upon your ability to perform your job well, address it directly with the individual.

Clearly state how their behavior is impacting you, and, perhaps, others.

Kindly request a change of behavior emphasizing how everyone could benefit from it. If the problem persists and is truly more than a mere annoyance, then bring it to the attention of your supervisor. On the other hand, if a change happens, by all means be sure to say “thank you.” — Reuters

criminals details of the symbols clicked on a virtual keyboard.

• Changing hosts files, which redirect users to fake websites even when the address of a legal site is entered manually.

• Injection into browser processes lets Trojans control browser connections to a server. The perpetrators can gain account data, which the user enters at a bank site, as well as modifying the con-

tents of the online banking entry page with additional forms (webInject), for instance, requesting a credit card number, owner’s name, expiration period, CVV code, secret word, etc. Thus perpetrators gain access to additional confidential information.

Moreover, banking Trojans are able to bypass additional security layers such as two-factor authentication with one-time passwords (TAN codes). One of the

approaches the ZeuS Trojan uses works like this: as soon as the victim enters an online banking system and inputs a one-time password, the malware displays a fake notification stating the existing list of TAN costs is invalid and inviting the user to get a new list of passwords. To do this the victim needs to enter all available TAN-codes into the relevant form, created by ZeuS through the webInject method, for “further blocking”. As a result the criminals acquire all the victim’s codes, and can immediately use them to transfer the money to their own accounts. In 2012 alone Kaspersky Lab detected more than 3.5 million attempted ZeuS attacks on 896,000 computers in different countries.

Even though it might seem hopeless, there is still a way out - as our Safe Money technology demonstrates. “At this stage financial data is protected by antivirus solutions and special solutions like Safe Money, which protects users from banking Trojans by using an antivirus, secure browser processes and secure keyboard input, while the web authenticity of a payment or online banking system is confirmed against a check of its digital certificate and links,” said Nikolay Grebennikov, CTO at Kaspersky Lab.

China ‘must’ crack down on critical online speech Internet users spreading online rumors to be charged BEIJING: An influential Communist Party journal yesterday decried online speech critical of the ruling Communist Party and government, comparing Internet rumours to denunciation posters during Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution. “There are some who make use of the open freedom of cyberspace to engage in wanton defamation, attacking the party and the government,” said the journal Qiushi, which means “seeking truth” in Chinese.

“The Internet is full of all kinds of negative news and critical voices saying the government only does bad things and everything it says is wrong.” The magazine said online rumours were no better than “big character posters”, hand-written signs put up in public places during the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution to spread propaganda, often denouncing people and institutions as counter-revolutionary or bourgeois.

Qiushi said online rumours, like the posters, were often published under a cloak of anonymity and containing slanderous information. Party leaders have called out for a halt to the posters “resurrecting themselves online”, it said. The Cultural Revolution sought to purge China of what were described as traditional and bourgeois elements and encouraged criticism of those seen as counter-revolutionary or capitalist. Millions were killed, tortured, imprisoned or publicly humiliated during its excesses.

“Big character posters” have also served as vehicles for political expression during other movements in Chinese history. Internet users can be charged with defamation if postings containing rumours are visited by 5,000 users or reposted more than 500 times, according to a judicial interpretation issued this month

by China’s top court and prosecutor. A

detained Internet commentator, ChineseAmerican venture capitalist Charles Xue, admitted to spreading irresponsible posts on Sunday and told state broadcaster CCTV and the official Xinhua news agency that “freedom of speech cannot override the law”.

The crackdown on rumours has sparked fears that government regulation will go beyond issues of defamation and clamp down on online speech critical of the government and the party. “In truth, the work of the Chinese government has received wide praise all over the world, even public opinion in Western countries can’t deny that,” Qiushi said. “This is a great truth, and overly criticising the government violates that truth.” Sina Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, is subject to censorship for sensitive topics, but remains a platform for Internet users to air criticism on political and social issues. — Reuters

California school monitors kids’ social media

INVER GROVE HEIGHTS: Brian Rosenberg works on a project with coworkers at Logic Information Systems in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. — MCT

Analysts in demand as big data becomes big business

K

ossi Gavi drives to class on Sunday afternoons to learn retail software, and the reason is simple. People who wield computers to analyze large amounts of digital information are in high demand, and Gavi is learning a program that chain stores worldwide use to run their businesses. Workers who know the program can earn up to $80,000 per year.

“It’s a very good program if you want more opportunities to make more money,” said the 43-year-old former refugee from Togo, now a few months from earning a bachelor’s degree at Metropolitan State University. Businesses today control massive and growing streams of information that flow from cash registers, patient records, smartphones, warehouses, the sensors in your Nikes, databases, Facebook and good old-fashioned loyalty cards.

The challenge is finding people who can put it all together and make better strategy.

Everyone from the Central Intelligence Agency to Gander Mountain is on the hunt. “I would challenge you to describe to me an organization of any size in any industry or not-for-profit setting that will not be leveraging this,” said Isaac Cheifetz, a headhunter working to find the Mayo Clinic a head of information management and analytics. “Name one. I can’t.”

Businesses have the data to keep sale racks thin, streamline shipping and get more people to click ads. What they need are better analysts.

It’s a new kind of job, and it’s coming to your workplace if it’s not already there. The McKinsey Institute predicted in 2011 that a big-data boom would create up to 190,000 new deepanalytics positions in the United States, and demand for 1.5 million data-savvy managers.

If you can run Hadoop - open-source software used by Google, Yahoo and Facebook to analyze the deluges of information churned out by the Internet - you might get a free flight to

the San Francisco Bay Area for a job interview, said Ravi Bapna, director of the University of Minnesota’s Social Media and Business Analytics Collaborative. “The premium for these sort of people is already very high, and it will only increase over time,” Bapna said. “There is a huge shortage of people who can handle the data, who have the business acumen to be able to ask the right questions, to do the experiments and make the right inferences.”

Big data refers to a series of software and hardware advances, but one of its biggest advances is a new ability to impose structure on vast pools of complex information - like pictures, consumer preferences, geographic locations and video of the ocean. Traditional data is to use one of Cheifetz’s analogies - like the zoo.

Think Excel spreadsheets. Everything has a label and fits in a format where it can be easily sorted.

But the world is awash in the unstructured information of the Internet, mobile phones, social media. Instead of a zoo, this information spreads out like a nature preserve. It’s moving, wild, and can’t be captured in database cells.

A major achievement of big data has been its ability to sort the unstructured information of the preserve, and to do complex analysis of huge amounts of information in parallel on several machines. Software like Hadoop makes it possible to analyze, for instance, a photo, attach a digital signature to the photo that describes it, and to compare that signature to the signatures of extremely large numbers of other photos.

Thus unstructured data gets structure, and analyzing huge amounts of information becomes practical. Similar approaches are used to analyze buying behavior, what types of ads people respond to, even fraud. Retail companies like Best Buy and Target are keenly interested. “Retail’s been big data for decades,” said Mike Webster, general manager of Oracle Retail. — MCT

GLENDALE: A Southern California school district is trying to stop cyberbullying and a host of other teenage ills by monitoring the public posts students make on social media outlets in a program that has stirred debate about what privacy rights teenage students have when they fire up their smartphones. Glendale Unified School District hired Geo Listening last year to track posts by its 14,000 or so middle and high school students. The district approached the Hermosa Beachbased company in hopes of curtailing online bullying, drug use and other problems after two area teenagers committed suicide last year, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday (http://lat.ms/1dgGpBq).

The company expects to be monitoring about 3,000 schools worldwide by the end of the year, said its founder, Chris Frydrych. In Southern California, the district is paying $40,500 to Geo Listening, and in exchange, the company’s computers scour public posts by students on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, blogs and other sites. Analysts are alerted to terms that suggest suicidal thoughts, bullying, vandalism and even the use of obscenities, among other things. When they find posts they think should spur an intervention or anything that violates schools’ student codes of conduct, the company alerts the campus.

The Glendale district began a pilot program to monitor students online last year at its three high schools, Glendale, Hoover and Crescenta Valley. “We think it’s been working very well,” said the district’s superintendent, Dick Sheehan. “It’s designed around student safety and making sure kids are protected.” Some students say they are bothered by the monitoring, even if it’s intended to help them.

“We all know social media is not a private place, not really a safe place,” said Young Cho, 16, a junior at Hoover High. “But it’s not the same as being in school.

It’s students’ expression of their own thoughts and feelings to their friends. For the school to intrude in that area - I understand they can do it, but I don’t think it’s right.” The company does not have a list of students’ names and instead uses “deductive reasoning” to link public accounts to students, Frydrych said. It also only looks at public postings. Brendan Hamme, an attorney with the Southern California branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the district is walking a fine line with its social media surveillance. The program is “sweeping and far afield of what is necessary to ensure student safety,” he said. Daily reports to school administrators include a screen capture of the flagged posts, along with details of whether they were made on or off campus, the time and date, the user’s name, if available, and a description of why the post caught the attention of analysts, Frydrych said. It’s up to administrators to decide to act and, so far, no students have been disciplined because of a post discovered under the pilot program, Sheehan said. — AP

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

Chinese hospital seeks virgins’ blood BEIJING: A Chinese hospital’s request for blood from healthy female virgins for use in medical research has been condemned as insulting to women, state-run media reported yesterday. The Peking University Cancer Hospital said it needed the blood of 100 female virgins aged from 18 to 24 years old for studies on the human papilloma virus (HPV), which is usually transmitted through sexual contact, the China

Daily reported. Some internet users condemned the request as promoting virginity worship and demeaning to women.

“Male virgins are not needed, just females, how is this science?” wrote one user of Sina Weibo, a social media service similar to Twitter and a lively forum for popular opinion. The hospital defended the call for donors, saying that virgins’ blood was less likely to be infected with

HPV. “It’s in line with international practice to collect female virgins’ blood samples, which serve as negative control substances in HPV research, given that the risk of contracting HPV is low among women who have never had sex,” the China Daily quoted spokeswoman Guan Jiuping as saying.

Hospital officials would take the donors’ word for their sexual status, she

added. Some internet users defended the hospital, with one saying on Sina Weibo: “People who curse are basically those who haven’t understood the whole story.

Learn some science and rationality, rather than criticizing others.” Female virginity was traditionally seen as a prerequisite for marriage in China, and today many Chinese men still prefer their wives to be virgins.

The continued importance attributed to virginity, combined with relaxed sexual mores in recent decades, has led to growth in the market for artificial hymens and restorative surgery which allows women to appear to be virgins. But some commentators in China have said the pressure placed on women to remain virgins is demeaning and evidence of a double standard. —AFP

Exercise, diet habits improving among youth NEW YORK: Over the last decade, US kids and teenagers have started getting slightly more exercise and reduced their television watching, a new study suggests. Using surveys conducted in middle and high schools, researchers also found increases in the number of days youth reported having breakfast each week and in how often they ate fruits and vegetables. Those trends have corresponded to a leveling off in obesity rates, but not a decline, the study showed.

“I would like to believe that all the public health efforts focusing on increasing physical activity and increasing fruit and vegetable consumption are having an effect, because that seems to be a pattern,” Ronald Iannotti, the lead author on the study from the University of Massachusetts Boston, said.

“The fact that (obesity) is leveling off, that’s a surprise and a major change from the steady increase that we’ve seen over time,” Iannotti, who worked on the study while at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Bethesda, Maryland, said. “This is great news.”

He and co-author Jing Wang analyzed surveys given to a nationally-representative sample of students in sixth through tenth grades in 2001-

2002, 2005-2006 and 2009-2010 as part of the Health Behavior in School-aged Children study.

Each survey period included responses from between 9,000 and 15,000 adolescents.

The researchers found “encouraging” trends on measures of most diet and lifestyle habits. For example, the number of days each week that kids reported being physically active for at least 60 minutes increased from 4.3 in 2001-2002 to 4.5 in 2009-2010, with similar trends among boys and girls. Likewise, youth reported eating breakfast on three school days each week on the first survey and 3.3 days on the last.

The average number of hours students spent watching TV each day fell from 3.1 to 2.4, with drops in both weekday and weekend viewing.

Frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption also rose slightly over time - although it remained at less than one daily serving of each, on average - and consumption of sweets and soft drinks fell. However, the proportion of survey participants who were overweight or obese, based on their own height and weight reports, did not decrease, the researchers wrote Monday in Pediatrics.

Rates of obesity - defined as body mass index, a measure of weight in relation to height, in the

MICHIGAN: Three self-published books written by Tony Saylor, 22, are shown in a classroom at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti. —AP photos

95th percentile or higher - rose from 10.3 percent in 2001-2002 to 12.7 percent in 2005-2006, then held steady through the final survey.

“This is encouraging, because at least it looks like things have kind of stabilized, and at least they’re not going in the wrong direction,” Marian Huhman, who studies health communication and health campaigns at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said. “Maybe it just takes a few years for the outcomes of obesity changes to follow from the behavioral changes,” she added.

Huhman, who wasn’t involved in the study, pointed to the “effort on many, many fronts” that may have led to the positive changes in physical activity, sedentary behavior and diet - such as walk-to-school programs and campaigns targeting food marketing.

However, adolescents “are still largely not meeting the recommendations for amount of screen time, amount of physical activity (and) amount of fruit and vegetable consumption,” she said. Iannotti echoed that concern.

“Although they’re increasing, the recommendation is five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. And we’re looking at one or two,” he told Reuters Health. “ There’s still vast room for improvement.” —Reuters

MICHIGAN: Tony Saylor, 22, draws in a classroom at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti.

Q&A: College options for students with learning disabilities expand MICHIGAN: Options for students with learning disabilities such as autism spectrum disorders or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder to attend college are expanding rapidly. But for students and families, finding programs and a good fit can be far more difficult than a run-of-the-mill college search. Here are some questions and answers on how to proceed.

Q: How should families of students with learning disabilities begin planning for a possible transition to college?

A: The transition from high school to college is abrupt for most students; for those with diagnosed learning disabilities it can be especially jarring. In K-12 schools, all such students must have a detailed learning plan and support services, and, depending on the disability, many students are highly reliant on parents to keep them organized and on track. That will have to change in college, and the sooner the transition begins, the better- even in middle school. Pamela Lemerand, director of clinical services at Eastern Michigan University’s Autism Collaborative Center, recommends some specific independence goals for a student’s senior year. Examples could include students making their own breakfast, packing their own backpack, doing their laundry, learning to use a debit card.

Q: What are some key questions to ask in the process?

A: First, ask the student if he or she even wants to go. Jane Thierfeld Brown, who works at the University of Connecticut law school and has written a college guide for autistic students, says if students want to try college, and indicate rea-

sons such as “to have couple more years of development in an educationally stimulative stetting, those are really good answers.” But often, she finds, it’s the parent pushing college.

True, sometimes such students need a push. But sometimes college aspiration “just helps the parents feel like they’re more typical, and that just makes it difficult for everyone.”

Q: How do you know if a student has a good chance at success?

A: That’s a highly individualized decision, dependent on the severity and particulars of a learning disability, which should be made in consultation with providers and teachers as well as prospective programs. But for many, Lemerand and others recommend starting at a community college. Students can continue to live at home while they see how it goes (more and more community colleges are also offering support programs). “Find a subject they like, one class, where they can succeed, and start there,” Lemerand says. Next semester move up one level and add a new subject. Soon you’ll have a sense of how the academic work is going, what support students need, and their prospects for potentially moving on campus.

Q: How does the landscape of legal rights change between high school and college?

A: Dramatically. Under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education (IDEA) law, schools must provide an appropriate education for each K-12 student, in the least restrictive environment possible. When you move to college the protections fall under civil rights law and essentially just require “reasonable accommodations” to

give students a level playing field to succeed, but with no guarantee or required adjustments to the curriculum. Such accommodations could include things like more testing time. But it’s generally up to students to request these accommodations and ensure they are provided.

Q: What are some ways to explore program options for students with learning disabilities?

A: High schools focusing on students with learning disabilities may host a college fair.

Guide books include “ The K&W Guide to Colleges Students with Learning Disabilities” and the Peterson’s guide “Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities or AD/HD.” Q: Do you have to tell a college you’ve been diagnosed with a disability when you apply?

A: No, and the college is not allowed to ask.

But while you need not tell the admissions office, you should thoroughly investigate the services offered on campus and speak with the people who provide them.

Q: How do you pick a program?

A: Ask lots of questions. Make sure there is a strong institutional structure in place and not just one person you like working with; that person could be gone before your child arrives. Ask for data, persistence rates, and references; be wary of any program that hesitates to provide references. If a program is fairly new, look for signs of a serious institutional commitment.

“Don’t be a pioneer,” Brown says. Go to a place with a well-funded and established program.

“Then you can be a college student, instead of going to a college solely to be a disability advocate.” —AP

HERMANUS: A southern right whale is seen on September 5, 2013 near the town of Hermanus, at the southern coast of the Western Cape province of South Africa. —AFP photos

Africa’s ‘right-on’ whale capital HERMANUS: Perched away from the world on the rocky southern tip of Africa, the town of Hermanus rose to global whalewatching renown almost by chance. Two decades ago, as South Africa emerged from apartheid-induced isolation, pop zoologist Mark Carwardine visited Hermanus while researching a book on the world’s best spots to watch whales. Carwardine knew whales swam in the frigid southern Atlantic waters, but when he inched open his curtains on one dreary rain-soaked day, he thought he had made a terrible mistake.

Then, from the warmth and comfort of his hotel bed, he spotted some Southern Right whales frolicking out to sea.

He pushed the bed to the window and continued to watch the show. Carwardine was so impressed that Hermanus got its own book chapter-titled “breach from the bed”-and he described the town as having the “best land-based whale watching in the world.” It is a sobriquet Hermanus residents have embraced enthusiastically ever since.

The town was founded in the early 1800s by shepherd Hermanus Pieters, who followed an elephant trail through the steep mountain valleys to Walker Bay, but it was not until the 1990s that whale watching took off.

“There is much more curiosity now,” said Ken Moore, who ditched his previous life in business to become a guide for Southern Right Charters as the boom began. “There is good whale watching in (Mexico’s) Baja California, Argentina and other places, but we have built great infrastructure here,” said Moore. South Africa, he said, also offers a touristic “surf and turf” for visitors, with the chance to see big cats and large marine mammals on one trip.

Cetacean tourism is now the lifeblood of Hermanus, which finds itself on the renamed “Whale Coast.” The town holds not

one, but two whale festivals each year. It has its own legend of a girl named Bientanga from the Khoikhoi ethnic group-whose language uses click sounds-who communicated with the whales and brought them back to the town. Wondering around the streets is perhaps the world’s only “whale crier.” He uses a horn made of kelp to summon whale-hungry tourists to a jagged ocean cliff that serves as a viewing platform.

Just meters (yards) below are the Southern Right whales that drew Carwardine to Hermanus in the first place, and thousands of others subsequently. “I’m pretty excited,” said Desiree Neubauer, one Austrian tourist visiting with her boyfriend.

“I didn’t expect them to be so close to the coast.” Although found across the Southern hemisphere, Southern Rights are among the rarest of whales. Around 12,000 of the species exist, compared to more than 100,000 Bryde’s whales, which are also found along the Western Cape coast.

They were given their name by whalers, who thought they were the “right” whales to catch because of the species’ large amount of valuable oil-used for heating and in make-up-and because they are docile and float after being harpooned. Southern Rights grow to around 15 meters long (55 feet) and can weigh as much as 50 tons.

“That sounds like a lot, and it is a lot,” said Moore. “To put it into context it’s the weight of 10 African elephants.” They are baleens, meaning that instead of teeth they have hair plates at the entrance of their mouths which filter water for zooplankton.

Every June hundreds make the trip from the edge of the Antarctic to stay off the coast of Hermanus until around November, mating and giving birth. They are also extremely playful, breaching, spouting and lobtailing at will, much to the delight of visiting tourists. —AFP

HERMANUS: A group of whale watchers observe a southern right whale.

57 children hospitalized in India after given wrong vaccine

MICHIGAN: Callie Boik, College Supports Program Cordinator, left, sits with Tony Saylor, 22, in a classroom.

MICHIGAN: Tony Saylor, 22, sits in a classroom at Eastern Michigan University.

KOLKATA: Almost 60 children were taken to hospital in eastern India after they were mistakenly instructed to swallow a hepatitis B vaccine instead of polio drops, officials said yesterday. The children started vomiting and sweating after they were orally given hepatitis B vaccine, which is normally injected, at clinics in a village in West Bengal state on Sunday, the health officials said. Some 120 children in total swallowed the medication at the clinics, set up to administer polio vaccine drops as part of a campaign to eradicate the disease, before health workers discovered the mistake, said Biswaranjan Sathpaty, director of West Bengal Health Services.

“A total of 57 children started vomiting immediately after they were administered the wrong vaccine,” Sathpaty told AFP. They were taken to a local hospital in Arambagh for treatment and have since been discharged, Sathpaty said. Doctors and officials were quoted by local media as saying the hepatitis B vaccine would not cause

any long-term harm, but the mishap could deter parents from allowing their children to be vaccinated in future.

Medical workers in India have worked hard to stamp out polio, a rare public health victory in a country where children are at risk of a range of deadly illnesses.

Almost half of all children below the age of three are malnourished. The polio clinics were set up at two schools in Goghat village 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of the state capital Kolkata, said Apurba Ghosh, director of the state-run Institute of Child Health.

Four health officials have been suspended and an investigation is under way into exactly how the mix-up occurred, Sathpaty said. “A few samples of hepatitis B mistakenly found their way into the container marked for polio vaccines,” he said. “A nurse was assigned to collect the packet of vaccines from a local government office,” he said. “But she sent her husband to get the vaccines.” —AFP

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

Doomed deer freed to feed China’s elusive tigers

CHINA: This picture taken on September 10, 2013 shows a baby Amur tiger, also known as a Siberian tiger, approaching a rabbit in Qingdao Forest Wild Animal World in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong province. —AFP

Siberian paper mill on shore of Baikal lake shuts down MOSCOW: The polluting paper mill on the shores of Russia’s Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest freshwater lake, has shut and will be firing almost 800 workers this week, employees and management said yesterday. The Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill, a gigantic Soviet-era factory built in the 1960s and located on the southern tip of the Siberian lake has “stopped and will not work again,” the head of the facility’s labor union Yury Nabokov told AFP. The factory’s manager Alexander Ivanov told RIA Novosti that it will be firing 780 workers Wednesday and starting a process to close the giant facility, which may take up to two years.

About 700 workers will continue to work at the heating plant that services the town of Baikalsk but is run by the mill, he said.

Environmentalists have long battled for the closure of the crumbling plant, the main employer

in the town of 13,000 people. The plant was shut and its employees fired in 2008, but following protests, then prime minister Vladimir Putin ordered it open again in 2010, citing unemployment concerns. The government has for years debated the future of the town and the mill, but no program has been developed for the workers, who are being laid off right before the harsh Siberian winter.

“Nobody is offering workers any other jobs.

There are no other industries in the town... there are only 100 openings, all for low-paying jobs,” Nabokov said angrily, adding that they are ready to stage protests. “Five years ago the government promised to retrain workers, but it never happened. Nobody proposed anything to the employees... again we are hanging over the abyss of poverty and unemployment,” he said. Lake

Baikal, the world’s deepest freshwater lake and a UN World Heritage site, is renowned for its unique flora and fauna, such as the unique Baikal seal, and contains about 20 percent of the planet’s freshwater reserves.

Local environmental NGO Baikal Environmental Wave said the plant now must figure out what to do with the decades’ worth of toxic waste stored around it, which consists of about six million tonnes of sludge lacerated with chlorine. “There are 14 tanks, each one of them the size of several football fields,” said Maksim Vorontsov, an employee of the group based in Irkutsk. He added that the plant’s shutdown was long expected since the plant had been lossmaking for years. “Relaunching it wasn’t worth it,” he told AFP. “For three years it was limping on both legs, and now it’s firing people right before winter. It’s not a socially responsible approach.” —AFP

CHINA: High in the mountains of northeastern China, conservationists looking to preserve the endangered Amur tiger-the world’s largest living feline-are releasing deer into the area for the big cats to kill and eat. Hundreds of the animals, also known as Siberian tigers and scientifically as Panthera tigris altaica, once roamed the lush pine and oak forests of Manchuria, but only around 20 still survive in the wild. Historically, China’s shamanistic Manchu people both revered and hunted tigers, with the Qing dynasty Kangxi emperor claiming to have killed 135 with bow and musket, according to Peter Dekker, an independent researcher of Qing dynasty weapons.

China was once home to several tiger subspecies, but now their legacy endures more in folklore-”Where there are mountains, there are tigers,” goes one old sayingthan in the flesh. Conservationists cite increased human settlement, logging and poaching of both tigers-for use in Chinese medicine-and prey as among reasons for the dramatic population fall. “The prey numbers are very low in comparison to other countries,” said Rohit Singh of global conservation organisation WWF’s Tigers Alive Initiative.

WWF has a project to increase deer numbers in the Jilin Wangqing National Nature Reserve in an effort to give the tigers-and even more endangered Amur leopards-a chance to thrive and multiply. In 2012 a total of 37 deer were released into the area, while last month a similar number were let go to feed the felines. But the tigers’ appetite is huge.

Dale Miquelle, Vladivostok-based director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Russia Program, said one tiger needs to kill about 50 deer or wild boar a year to survive, and a prey population about 10 times that size was needed for the kill rate to be sustainable.

“Whether it be red deer or sika deer or wild boar, you need a relatively large number of animals,” he said by phone from Russia, home to a far bigger Amur tiger population estimated at about 350-400.

“Ultimately the process will be about making sure that these (prey) animals are protected from poaching and that they have the area to expand their populations and that their habitat isn’t being destroyed by other activities,” he said. The Wangqing reserve is part of a corridor linking the Amur tiger population in China with the one in Russia, less than 100 kilometres (62 miles) away.

The corridor is “very important for tigers,”

said Tang Lijun, deputy director of the reserve’s administration bureau, adding steps had been taken to sharply reduce logging work in the area to help preserve it.

Measures include schemes to provide forest workers with alternative sources of income as logging work declines, such as stakes in fish, fungus and other farming ventures.

Estimates for worldwide wild tiger numbers run between about 2,700 to 3,200, said Joseph Vattakaven, a WWF conservation adviser and expert on the felines, down from an estimated 100,000 a century ago.

Given the extremely low tiger and leopard numbers in northeastern China, sightings are rare. The last time a WWF camera trap caught an image of a tiger was in April 2012, but Miquelle said devices in China’s Hunchun Nature Reserve, part of the “corridor” and where WCS has a program, had yielded views of at least four different tigers this year. Footage collected by WWF last month showed an adult male Amur leopard, scientific name Panthera pardus orientalis and the world’s most endangered feline, walking through the Wangqing reserve forest, stopping to emit a sizeable yawn before stepping over a fallen tree limb and heading out of view.

As recently as the 1970s Amur tiger numbers in China and Russia were about equal at approximately 150 each, Vattakaven said, but the Russian population rose “because of protection and other efforts”. Joe Walston, Asia executive director for WCS, added from New York: “If it hadn’t been for Russia there now would be no wild tigers in China.

“So the test really is for China to build on the efforts that have gone on in Russia.” A key factor, he added, was that China should avoid major infrastructure projects “that will divide and break up tiger habitats”. Dekker, who is based in Amsterdam, said that for the Manchu-who ruled China from 1644 to 1911 — tigers were a worthy foe and to be fought with spears rather than bow and arrow.

“Manchu men were expected to show their manliness by facing animals in the wild, preferably beating them in their own game,” he said via e-mail-although emperors would also use bows or firearms in casual hunts. The rulers were keen to preserve tiger populations to ensure they could continue their sport, he added. “It was not extensive hunting that did it for the tiger.” The WWF’s Singh said that while there were important ecological reasons to save tigers, they paled before one compelling fact. “It’s such a charismatic species,” he said. “You can’t just lose it. It’s such a beautiful species.” —AFP

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

W H AT ’ S O N

SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS

W

hat’s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others! Let other people see the way you see Kuwait - through your lens. Friday Times will feature snapshots of Kuwait through Instagram feeds. If you want to share your Instagram photos, email us at instagram@kuwaittimes.net

Greetings

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels announces signing of Millennium Hotel & Convention Centre, Kuwait

M

illennium & Copthorne Hotels announced its signed agreement with Gulf Real Estate Development House Company KSC to manage the new Millennium Hotel & Convention Centre, Kuwait. This will be the Group’s second property within Kuwait and will be dedicated to the business traveller with first class business facilities and almost 4000 m2 of conference space.

Speaking about this new relationship, President & CEO of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, Middle East & Africa, Ali Hamad Lakhraim Alzaabi, commented at the joint press conference and said “We are pleased to complement our existing hotel offering within Kuwait the Al-Jahra Copthorne Hotel & Resort, with this unique 5-star business hotel, which will be home to Kuwait’s confer-

ence and exhibition market. We are even more honoured to partner with such an esteemed and reputable company such as Gulf Real Estate Development House Company KSC. We are confident this new hotel development will provide excellent cross selling opportunities for the Group and continue to increase our brand awareness and guest loyalty within the region. We recognise the demand in Kuwait from the MICE market and it is our intention to create a first class destination for the business traveller and establish the property as the preferred business hotel in Kuwait City”.

Mudhar Al-Razouqi the Chairman of Gulf Real Estate Development House said “It is our honour to collaborate and form a long lasting relationship with a globally reputable operator such as Millennium & Copthorne Hotels. Both GDH and its

owners are very enthusiastic in this endeavour and we are confident that Millennium & Copthorne Hotels is the best fit to run and operate this convention hotel. We have concentrated mainly on the banquet and conventions aspect while building the hotel to be able to facilitate the needs of the business travellers coming to Kuwait along with the local requirements for banquet halls.

With the growing businesses and economy of the country, a hotel such as this is needed in the market. We hope that this will be a fruitful partnership for both parties involved and the country as a whole. Located in the Salmiya area of Kuwait City and strategically positioned at the major intersection of the Fourth Ring Road and Fahaheel Highway 30, the hotel will have 307 rooms comprising of standard guest rooms, deluxe guest

rooms, suites and serviced apartments.

Rooms will be equipped with the latest technology and upscale amenities in line with the brand’s design standards.

The Hotel’s Convention Centre will comprise of almost 4,000 m2 of meeting and conference facilities, including a show case ballroom of over 1,080 m2 and several meeting room styles to cater for meetings and events of all sizes and set ups. The hotel will have multiple food and beverage outlets including an All Day Dining restaurant and signature concepts, in addition to an extensive banqueting facility for the Convention Centre. Additional leisure facilities will include a state of the art health club and spa and outdoor swimming pool.

H

appy birthday to Lucy Capasoda! May you have more birthdays to come and good health. Best wishes from family and friends.

Announcements A photowalk in Kuwait on Oct 5th photowalk is more like a social photography event where photographers gather in a spot, take photos for an hour or two then maybe meet up at a restaurant after that. Scott Kelby’s worldwide photowalk never took place in Kuwait until now. Kuwait’s photowalk will be held on October 5th at Souk Al-Mubarakiya at 10am.

There are some prizes to be won like a Canon 70D and Adobe Creative Cloud Membership. So far there are 700 registered photowalks with 8700+ photographers. The prizes are for the worldwide event, not just Kuwait. Kuwait Mapping Meet-Up will be held on September 2 at 5:30 pm in Coffee Bean (Mahboula, Coastal Road). The event is for anyone interested in maps, spatial analysis or surveying in Kuwait. For more information, contact Wil at 9722-5615.

A

Bookstore opens at GUST

T

he Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) welcomed That Al-Salasil (WH Smith) who hosted the official opening of its new bookstore on GUST campus on Thursday, September 12, 2013, in coordination with the A M Al-Refai Library. The attendees included GUST management, faculty, library director, and a few staff members.

Issue of online visa

by Indian embassy oreigners requiring visas for India need to apply it online from 16th June 2013.

Applicants may log on to the Public portal at www.indianvisaonline.gov.in. After successful online submission, the hard copy, so generated, has to be signed by the applicant and submitted with supporting documents in accordance with the type of visa along with the applicable fee in cash at any of the two outsource centres at Sharq or Fahaheel. It is essential that applicants fill in their personal details as exactly available in their passports. Mismatch of any of the personal details would lead to non-acceptance of the application.

Fees once paid are non-refundable. All children would have to obtain separate visa on their respective passports.

Dr Donald Bates, President of GUST conducted the opening ceremony along with Dr Ghassan Aouad, Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Dr Salah Al-Sharhan, Vice President for Planning and Development. Also present was the staff of That Al-Salasil, including Soud Al-Mansour, General Manager of the company. Soon after the opening ceremony, light refreshments were

served to the attendees of the meeting. That Al-Salasil is one of the leading bookstores in Kuwait since 1972 and has recently been appointed as the official bookstore for GUST. The company specializes in different business sectors ranging from retail, printing, publishing, and so on.

F

Indian Embassy sets up helpline he Indian Embassy in Kuwait has set up helpline in order to assist Indian expatriates in registering any complaint regarding the government’s ongoing campaign to stamp out illegal residents from the country. The embassy said in press release yesterday that it amended its previous statement and stated if there is any complaint, the same could be conveyed at the following (as amended): Operations Department, Ministry of Interior, Kuwait. Fax: 22435580, Tel: 24768146/25200334. It said the embassy has been in regular contact with local authorities regarding the ongoing checking of expatriates. The embassy has also conveyed to them the concerns, fears and apprehensions of the community in this regard.

The authorities in Kuwait have conveyed that strict instructions have been issued to ensure that there is no harassment or improper treatment of expatriates by those undertaking checking. “The embassy would like to request Indian expatriates to ensure that they abide by all local laws, rules and regulations regarding residency, traffic and other matters,” the release read. It would be prudent to always carry the Civil ID and other relevant documents such as driving license, etc. In case an Indian expatriate encounters any improper treatment during checking, it may be conveyed immediately with full details and contact particulars to the embassy at the following phone number 67623639. These contact details are exclusively for the above-mentioned purpose only.

Marriott opens doors to next generation leaders through new ‘Voyage’ program

T

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

K

uwait Marriott Hotels recently launched, for the first time in Kuwait - a new global university relations program ‘Voyage’ by Marriott International .

In an effort to support the development goals of the country, Kuwait Marriott hotels continue to invest in local human capital to achieve considerable Kuwaitisation. As a result, this 12-18 months signature program will develop the local youth in Kuwait by arming the community’s next generation of leaders with extensive knowledge and hands on experience of the hospitality sector.

Marriott International utilized Voyage as an educational platform to attract, develop and retain university graduates by offering a structured curriculum and access to a virtual portal where participants interacted with Senior leaders and other Voyagers alike. Differentiating Marriott International as a brand on a global scale, Voyage was designed to support the company’s graduate recruiting needs with emphasis on growth areas around the globe .The new Voyage program fills the rising demand for management quality by providing highly trained entry level leaders equipped with

robust experience on international and in house hotel practice ranging from room, food and beverage operations to finance and accounting.

Once hired, the Voyager will gain access to a virtual environment that will house their program material, allow them to participate in webcasting with leadership and attend networking events. The virtual environment offers separate areas for global, continent and country specific engagement. George Aoun Cluster General Manager of Kuwait Marriott Hotels said: “ ‘Voyage’ will help secure and maintain our need for excellence by building a strong fort of next generation leaders developed on local and international grounds. As part of our ongoing famous Spirit-to-Serve community initiative, we seize every opportunity to nurture our young adults in Kuwait and enhance their overall personal and professional experience of running day to day operations in a significantly growing sector “. Marriott International has been consistently rated as one of the world’s best environments to thrive in, and recently announced as ‘one of the Top 15 companies to work for in the UAE’.

The Abdurrahman Bin Fertaj Al-Azmi Award for Scientific Excellence is scheduled to take place on September 21, 2013, General Director Talal Bin Hmoud AlAzmi announced in a recent statement. The event takes place for the fourth consecutive year and features rewarding outstanding students and support their strive for knowledge.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

W H AT ’ S O N

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF ARGENTINE For the Argentinean citizens who had not already enlisted in the embassy’s electoral register, and taking in consideration the elections which was held on Sunday 11/08/2013, it is necessary to justify they no vote by presence at our embassy which located in (Mishref - Block 6 - Street 42 - Villa 57) and should present the DNI and/or the Argentinean Passport. The Embassy of the Argentine Republic in the State of Kuwait avails itself of this opportunity to renew the assurances of its highest consideration. nnnnnnn

‘The Avenues is Their Theater’ successfully concludes Carnival

EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Embassy of Australia has announced that Kuwait citizens can apply for and receive visit visas in 10 working days through www.immi.gov.au. All other processing of visas and Immigration matters are handled by the Australian Visa Application Centre located in Al Banwan Building, 4B, 1st Floor, Al Qibla Area, Ali Al Salem Street, Kuwait City. Visit. www.vfs-augcc.com for more info. The Embassy of Australia does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visas and immigration matters is conducted by the Australian Consulate-General in Dubai. Email: Info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VIS), immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office), Tel: +971 4 205 5900 (VFS), Fax: + 971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office). Notary and passport services are available by appointment. Appointments can be made by calling the Embassy on 22322422. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF CANADA

T

he Avenues successively concluded its first carnival ever ‘The Avenues is Their Theater’ which kicked off on August 22 and lasted for three consecutive weeks featuring at The Avenues different districts a group of international street show performers from UK, Italy, Argentina, Australia and Spain.

These nine trained professionals mastered their busking carnival shows to include living statues, optical illusions, a levitation, a silent comic performance featuring Charlie Chaplin, drumming on plastic buckets, joggling on a 3-meter high unicycle, a mirror man, a walking tree, and other street buskers filled with multi-talented skills to amuse their audience.

The Carnival, organized by The Avenues management, was a major summer event aimed at attracting and entertaining the wider audience and their families at The Avenues, which is benchmarked as one of the world’s largest shopping and leisure destination.

The Carnival was another festive opportunity for targeting various age groups, in which all visitors and their families have all enjoyed buskers’ live performances within The Avenues many different districts, with 25 acts per day, reaching a total of 398 acts with total duration of 586 hours showcasing various multi-talented street performances during the past three-week Carnival event.

“We are extremely proud in reaching a huge successwith the Carnival which stimulated great attachments between the audience and street show performers” The Avenues management said. “We continuously seek new and creative ideas that add a smile to our audiences while spending their best time possible at The Avenues.”

It added, “We hold events and activities throughout the year according to a pre-planned calendar and based in surveys we conduct from time to time to find out what desires our visitors seek and experience at The Avenues.”

The Embassy of Canada in Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visa and immigration matters including enquiries is conducted by the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Individuals who are interested in working, studying, visiting or immigrating to Canada should contact the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, website: www.UAE.gc.ca or www.goingtocanada.gc.ca, E-mail: abdbi-imenquiry@international.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakei St, Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday. The reception is open from 07:30 to 12:30. Consular services for Canadian citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00, Sunday through Wednesday. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF GREECE The Embassy of Greece in Kuwait has the pleasure to announce that visa applications must be submitted to Schengen Visa Application Centre (VFS office) located at 12th floor, Al-Naser Tower, Fahad Al-Salem Street, Al-Qibla area, Kuwait City, (Parking at Souk Watia). For information please call 22281046 from 08:30 to 17:00 (Sunday to Thursday). Working hours: Submission from 08:30 to 15:30. Passport collection from 16:00 to 17:00. For visa applications please visit the following website www.mfa.gr/kuwait. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF UKRAINE The Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait would like to inform that submission of the documents for tourist visa is temporary closed (from August 26 till September 26). Within the above-mentioned period, the visa will be issued only in the case of emergency. In the case of planning travel to Ukraine, please apply for visa before August 20. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF US

The US Embassy in Kuwait has new procedures for obtaining appointments and picking up passports after visa issuance.

Beginning August 9, 2013, we now provide an online visa appointment system, live call center, and in-person pick-up facilities in Kuwait.

Please monitor our website and social media for additional information. This new system offers more flexibility for travelers to the US and to meet the increase in demand for visa appointments.

The general application steps on the new visa appointment system are: 1. Go to www.ustraveldocs.com/kw (if this is the first time on ustraveldocs.com, you will need to create a profile to login).

2. Please complete your DS-160 Online Visa Application which is available at ceac.state.gov/genNIV. 3. Please print and take your deposit slip to any Burgan Bank location to pay your visa application fee.

4. Schedule an appointment for your visa interview online at www.ustraveldocs.com/kw or by phone through the Call Center (at +9652227-1673).

5. If you need to change or cancel your appointment, please do so 24 hours beforehand, as a courtesy to other applicants. For more information, please visit the US Embassy website - kuwait.usembassy.gov - as it is the best source of information regarding these changes. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF VATICAN The Apostolic Nunciature Embassy of the Holy See, Vatican in Kuwait has moved to a new location in Kuwait City. Please find below the new address: Yarmouk, Block 1, Street 2, Villa No: 1. P.O.Box 29724, Safat 13158, Kuwait. Tel: 965 25337767, Fax: 965 25342066.

Email: nuntiuskuwait@gmail.com.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

TV PROGRAMS

00:30 River Monsters 01:20 Deadliest Catch 02:10 Deadliest Catch 03:00 Mythbusters 03:50 Border Security 04:15 Auction Hunters 04:40 Auction Kings 05:05 How Do They Do It? 05:30 How It’s Made 06:00 Sons Of Guns 07:00 Mythbusters 07:50 Ice Cold Gold 08:40 American Chopper: Senior vs Junior 09:30 Border Security 09:55 Auction Hunters 10:20 Auction Kings 10:45 How Do They Do It? 11:10 How It’s Made 11:35 River Monsters 12:25 Deadliest Catch 13:15 Deadliest Catch 14:05 Border Security 14:30 Auction Hunters 14:55 Auction Kings 15:20 Yukon Men 16:10 American Chopper: Senior vs Junior 17:00 Ultimate Survival 17:50 Dirty Jobs 18:40 Mythbusters 19:30 Sons Of Guns 20:20 Auction Hunters 20:45 Auction Kings 21:10 How Do They Do It? 21:35 How It’s Made 22:00 Hillbilly Handfishin’ 22:50 Top Hooker 23:40 River Monsters: Untold Stories

00:05 00:30 01:00 01:50 02:45 03:35 04:25 05:15 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:50 08:15 08:40 09:05 09:30 10:20 11:15 12:05 13:00 13:25 13:50 14:20 14:45 15:10 16:00 16:55 17:45 18:35 19:30 20:20 20:45 21:10 21:35 22:00 22:50 23:15 23:40

00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 03:45 04:30 05:20 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:15

How Tech Works Food Factory Moon Machines Scrapheap Challenge Prototype This Nyc: Inside Out Engineered The Gadget Show How Tech Works Moon Machines Scrapheap Challenge Junk Men Junk Men The Gadget Show How Tech Works Ecopolis Mighty Ships Scrapheap Challenge Moon Machines Junk Men Junk Men Food Factory The Gadget Show How Tech Works Scrapheap Challenge Eco-Tech Engineered Scrapheap Challenge NASA’s Greatest Missions Scrapheap Challenge Junk Men Junk Men The Gadget Show How Tech Works Scrapheap Challenge Junk Men Junk Men The Gadget Show

Dr G: Medical Examiner Psychic Witness Deadly Devotion Blood Relatives I Almost Got Away With It Dr G: Medical Examiner Psychic Witness Nightmare Next Door Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Street Patrol

08:40 09:05 09:30 10:20 11:10 12:00 12:50 13:15 13:40 14:30 15:20 15:45 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:30 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:40

Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Solved Disappeared Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Street Patrol Forensic Detectives On The Case With Paula Zahn Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

Disappeared Solved Forensic Detectives On The Case With Paula Zahn Dr G: Medical Examiner Nightmare Next Door Couples Who Kill Dates From Hell Dates From Hell Deadly Women I Almost Got Away With It

00:00 00:20 00:45 01:05 01:30 01:50 02:15 02:35 03:00 03:20 03:45 04:05 04:30 04:50 05:15 05:35 06:00 06:25 06:45 07:10 07:35 07:55 08:20 08:45 09:05 Pirates 09:15 Pirates 09:30 09:55 10:15 10:40 11:05 11:25 11:50 12:15 12:35 13:00 13:25 13:45 14:10 14:35 15:00 15:25 15:50 16:10 17:00 17:20 17:45 18:10 18:30 18:55 19:20 20:05 20:30 20:50 21:15 21:40 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:10 23:35

Hannah Montana Forever Hannah Montana Forever Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Emperor’s New School Emperor’s New School The Replacements The Replacements Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Emperor’s New School Emperor’s New School The Replacements The Replacements Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Austin And Ally Suite Life On Deck Shake It Up A.N.T. Farm Jessie Good Luck Charlie Sofia The First Doc McStuffins Jake And The Neverland Jake And The Neverland A.N.T. Farm A.N.T. Farm Jessie Jessie Good Luck Charlie Good Luck Charlie Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up Shake It Up Austin And Ally Austin And Ally Austin And Ally Shake It Up My Babysitter’s A Vampire That’s So Raven Gravity Falls Jessie Violetta A.N.T. Farm Austin And Ally Gravity Falls Shake It Up That’s So Raven A.N.T. Farm Violetta Jessie My Babysitter’s A Vampire Austin And Ally Austin And Ally That’s So Raven Jessie A.N.T. Farm Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place

06:00 Kid vs Kat 06:10 Iron Man Armored Adventures 06:35 Kickin It 07:00 Max Steel 07:25 Phineas And Ferb 07:50 Slugterra

08:15 Pair Of Kings 08:40 Kickin It 09:05 Kickin It 09:30 Lab Rats 09:55 Lab Rats 10:20 Pair Of Kings 10:45 Kick Buttowski 11:10 Mr. Young 11:35 Slugterra 12:00 Kickin’ It 12:25 Max Steel 12:50 I’m In The Band 13:15 Lab Rats 13:40 Almost Naked Animals 14:05 Phineas And Ferb 14:30 Kickin It 14:55 Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja 15:05 Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja 15:20 Phineas And Ferb 15:45 Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja 16:10 Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja 16:35 Crash & Bernstein 17:00 Lab Rats 17:30 Kickin It 18:00 Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja 18:10 Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja 18:25 Phineas And Ferb 18:35 Phineas And Ferb 18:50 Phineas And Ferb 19:00 Phineas And Ferb 19:15 Slugterra 19:40 Crash & Bernstein 20:05 Ultimate Spider-Man 20:30 Ultimate Spider-Man 20:55 Pair Of Kings 21:20 Rated A For Awesome 21:45 Kick Buttowski 22:10 Mr. Young 22:35 Scaredy Squirrel 23:00 Programmes Start At 6:00am KSA

00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 03:45 04:30 05:20 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:15 08:40 09:05 09:30 10:20 11:10 12:00 12:50 13:15 13:40 14:30 15:20 15:45 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:30 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:40

Dr G: Medical Examiner Psychic Witness Deadly Devotion Blood Relatives I Almost Got Away With It Dr G: Medical Examiner Psychic Witness Nightmare Next Door Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Solved Disappeared Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Street Patrol Forensic Detectives On The Case With Paula Zahn Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

Disappeared Solved Forensic Detectives On The Case With Paula Zahn Dr G: Medical Examiner Nightmare Next Door Couples Who Kill Dates From Hell Dates From Hell Deadly Women I Almost Got Away With It

00:00 Wilfred 00:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 01:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 01:30 Family Guy 02:00 South Park 02:30 Weeds 03:00 Two And A Half Men 04:00 Seinfeld 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 All Of Us 06:00 The War At Home 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

08:00 Seinfeld 08:30 All Of Us 09:30 Two And A Half Men 10:00 Hot In Cleveland 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 The War At Home 12:30 Seinfeld 13:00 All Of Us 14:30 Two And A Half Men 15:00 Hot In Cleveland 15:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 16:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 16:30 The War At Home 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Family Tools 18:30 Raising Hope 19:00 Two And A Half Men 19:30 Arrested Development 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Louie 22:30 South Park 23:00 Weeds 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

00:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

24 In Plain Sight Smash Once Upon A Time Special Covert Affairs 24 Switched At Birth Fairly Legal In Plain Sight Covert Affairs Emmerdale Coronation Street Fairly Legal 24 Emmerdale Coronation Street Fairly Legal Once Upon A Time Grey’s Anatomy Homeland Breaking Bad Smash

00:00 01:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 07:30 09:00 10:00 10:30 12:00 13:00 14:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

House Of Cards Good Morning America Nip/Tuck American Horror Story Good Morning America Emmerdale Coronation Street Awake Emmerdale Coronation Street Drop Dead Diva House Of Cards Live Good Morning America Drop Dead Diva Awake House Of Cards C.S.I. Miami Awake House Of Cards American Horror Story Nip/Tuck

01:00 03:00 05:00 Factor 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

The Corruptor Exorcismus Covert One: The Hades The New Daughter Mission: Impossible Alien Tornado The Man Inside Mission: Impossible Dragonheart The Man Inside Terrible Angels

01:00 Exorcismus-18 03:00 Covert One: The Hades Factor-PG15 06:00 The New Daughter-PG15 08:00 Mission: Impossible-PG15 10:00 Alien Tornado-PG15 12:00 The Man Inside-PG15 14:00 Mission: Impossible-PG15 16:00 Dragonheart-PG 18:00 The Man Inside-PG15 20:00 Terrible Angels-PG15 22:00 XXX: State Of The UnionPG15

00:00 High School-18 02:00 White Chicks-PG15 04:00 Blame It On The BellboyPG15 06:00 Gabe The Cupid Dog-PG15 08:00 Tin Cup-PG15 10:15 Who Framed Roger RabbitPG15 12:00 Blame It On The BellboyPG15 14:00 Police Academy 6: City Under Siege-PG15 16:00 Who Framed Roger RabbitPG15 18:00 The Beautician And The Beast-PG 20:00 Venus And Vegas-PG15 22:00 High School-18

01:00 03:15 05:00 07:00 PG15 09:00 11:15 13:00 15:00 PG15 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

DRAGONHEART ON OSN MOVIES ACTION

Take Shelter-PG15 Will-PG A View From Here-PG15 Love Will Keep Us TogetherTake Shelter-PG15 Will-PG Ties That Bind-PG15 When Love Is Not EnoughRemember Sunday-PG15 Morning-PG15 Flying Lessons-PG15 The Skin I Live In-R

01:00 Burning Man-18 03:00 Philadelphia-PG15 05:00 The Artist-PG

TIN CUP ON OSN MOVIES COMEDY HD 07:00 The First Grader-PG15 09:00 A Dog Named Duke-PG15 11:00 The Beaver-PG15 13:00 Bobby Fischer Against The World-PG15 15:00 StreetDance 2-PG15 17:00 The Beaver-PG15 19:00 L’amour C’est Mieux A DeuxPG15 21:00 Idlewild-18 23:00 Heavy Duty-PG15

01:15 Prime Mover-PG15 03:00 Battleship-PG15 05:15 Drew Peterson: Untouchable-PG15 07:00 Crisis Point-PG15 09:00 Gnomeo & Juliet-PG 10:45 Battleship-PG15 13:00 Blue Lagoon: The Awakening-PG15 15:00 Dating Coach-PG15 17:00 Gnomeo & Juliet-PG 19:00 In Time-PG15 21:00 Damsels In Distress-PG15 23:00 Contraband-18

01:15 02:45 04:30 06:00 08:00 10:00 11:30 13:15 14:30 Chase 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 Chase 23:30

Dragon Hunters Twigson In Search Of Santa The Ugly Duckling And Me The Emerald City Of Oz¬† Surf’s Up The Missing Lynx Twigson Moomins And The Comet A Monster In Paris Surf’s Up Easter Egg Escapade Moomins And The Comet A Monster In Paris

00:00 Dungeons & Dragons: The Book Of Vile Darkness-18 02:00 Rock Of Ages-PG15 04:15 Mandie And The Secret Tunnel-PG 06:00 Vickery’s Wild Ride-PG 08:00 The Wild Girl-PG15 10:00 Three Investigators And The Secret Of Terror...-PG 12:00 The Girl-PG15 14:00 Burden Of Evil-PG15 16:00 The Wild Girl-PG15 17:30 Think Like A Man-PG15 19:45 Snow White And The Huntsman-PG15 22:00 Taken 2-PG15

00:00 The Rugby Championship 02:00 NRL Premiership 04:00 Futbol Mundial 04:30 AFL Premiership 07:00 NRL Premiership 09:00 AFL Premiership Highlights 10:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 11:00 PGA Tour Highlights 12:00 Sailing America’s Cup Highlights 13:00 ICC Cricket 360 13:30 Live Cricket Champions League Twenty20 16:30 Futbol Mundial 17:00 ICC Cricket 360 17:30 Live Cricket Champions League Twenty20

20:30 ICC Cricket 360 21:00 NRL Full Time 21:30 Futbol Mundial 22:00 Sailing America’s Cup Highlights 23:00 Live Sailing America’s Cup

00:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 01:00 AFL Premiership Highlights 02:00 The Rugby Championship 04:00 ICC Cricket 360 04:30 Rugby Union Currie Cup 06:30 Futbol Mundial 07:00 AFL Premiership Highlights 08:00 PGA Tour Highlights 09:00 The Rugby Championship 11:00 The Rugby Championship 13:00 Futbol Mundial 13:30 AFL Premiership Highlights 14:30 Trans World Sport 15:30 Super League 17:30 PGA Tour Highlights 18:30 ICC Cricket 360 19:00 UFC Countdown

20:00 NFL 22:30 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 23:30 WWE This Week

00:30 Futbol Mundial 01:00 ITU World Triathlon Series 03:30 Top 14 Highlights 04:00 World Cup of Pool 05:00 World Cup of Pool 06:00 Golfing World 07:00 Golfing World 08:00 Futbol Mundial 08:30 World Cup of Pool 09:30 World Cup of Pool 10:30 Super League 12:30 Golfing World 13:30 Pro 12 15:30 Top 14 Highlights 16:30 Sailing America’s Cup Highlights 17:00 ITU World Triathlon Series 19:30 Trans World Sport 20:30 Golfing World 21:30 Top 14 Highlights 22:00 World Cup of Pool 23:00 World Cup of Pool

01:00 02:00 03:00 03:30 04:00 05:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 13:30 14:30 15:30 16:30 17:30 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:30 21:00 22:00

UFC Countdown Mass Participation UIM Powerboat Champs UIM Aquabike Champs Ping Pong World US Bass Fishing Porsche GT 3 Cup Challenge Porsche GT 3 Cup Challenge WWE NXT WWE Bottom Line Ping Pong World US Bass Fishing ITU World Triathlon Series European Le Mans Series European Le Mans Series European Le Mans Series Ping Pong World US Bass Fishing Porsche GT 3 Cup Challenge Porsche GT 3 Cup Challenge UIM Powerboat Champs Mobil 1 The Grid UFC Countdown UFC Prelims

It’s high season for 2013 Cliburn winner Vadym Kholodenko

V

adym Kholodenko’s Cliburn gold has turned into the busy concert pianist career he had hoped for. A few months after winning the prestigious piano competition in Fort Worth, the 26-year-old Ukrainian pianist is slated to perform at more than 50 concerts between now and next May, the busiest Kholodenko said he has ever been during a piano concert season.

“It’s opened more American stages for my career,” said Kholodenko, who recently performed at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado and Sunriver Music Festival in Oregon. “It’s just a new level of concerts. I never would have imagined I would be able to play these concerts.” As the winner June 9 of the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Kholodenko received $50,000 along with three years of international concert management from the Cliburn Foundation.

With that professional management came a professional photo shoot in the legendary late pianist’s Fort Worth home. During the shoot, Kholodenko, who describes himself as “quite serious,” was told he needed to smile more, he said. The photographer tried to get him to joke around with thirdplace winner Sean Chen, who was also there for photos. Instead, the two pianists sat down at Cliburn’s Steinway and played a short duet.

“It was so interesting to be in Van Cliburn’s home and just to feel the atmosphere of culture and intelligence in his house,” said Kholodenko, who enjoyed looking at the framed photos of Cliburn in Russia and with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. “I was very excited

with it all.” Before his busy concert season began, Kholodenko was able to spend some time at home in Moscow with his wife, Sofia, and his daughter, Nika. He even let Nika play with his gold medal, which, he said, luckily, she didn’t drop.

“She’s almost 3, but I’m not sure she really understands it just yet,” Kholodenko said. There were also a few parties to celebrate his Cliburn win, but they were “really intelligent, modern parties,” he said. With concerts in Fort Worth, San Francisco and Charlotte, Kholodenko doesn’t know when he’ll be back home in Ukraine again or when he’ll see his family. But he hopes they will be able to join him on part of his concert tour in the United States possibly in October or November so he can show them the US. Traveling to new cities in America has been an added bonus for the pianist.

Kholodenko, who likes to hike and take nature walks, said he was very impressed with Crater Lake. “It was so beautiful,” he said, having a hard time trying to describe his amazement of the Oregon lake that formed inside a volcanic crater some 6,000 feet above sea level.

And with all of the concer ts, Kholodenko is making new fans of classical music. Oftentimes, he said, he is greeted at the stage door after concerts by audience members who want to take his picture, some of which get posted on Facebook. There was one fan, he remembered, who seemed particularly moved by his performance.

“He said he was so touched by the music,” Kholodenko said, “and in this case, I sensed that I did something special.” — MCT

Classifieds TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

Kuwait SHARQIA-1 GETAWAY (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG) WISH YOU WERE HERE (DIG) YOU’RE NEXT (DIG) TOM & JIMMY (DIG)(ARABIC) WISH YOU WERE HERE (DIG)

1:45 PM 4:00 PM 6:15 PM 8:15 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

SHARQIA-2 PLANES (DIG-3D) PLANES (DIG) PLANES (DIG-3D) PLANES (DIG-3D) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:00 PM 11:00 PM 1:00 AM

SHARQIA-3 THE COLONY (DIG) RIDDICK (DIG) 2 GUNS (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG) RIDDICK (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG)

12:45 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:15 PM 11:45 PM

MUHALAB-1 THE SMURFS 2 (DIG) RIDDICK (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG) RIDDICK (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG)

1:15 PM 3:30 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM

MUHALAB-2 GETAWAY (DIG) 2 GUNS (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG) TOM & JIMMY (DIG)(ARABIC) YOU’RE NEXT (DIG)

12:45 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM

MUHALAB-3 PLANES (DIG-3D) PLANES (DIG-3D) PLANES (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG)

1:45 PM 3:45 PM 5:45 PM 7:45 PM 9:45 PM

FANAR-1 WISH YOU WERE HERE (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG) WISH YOU WERE HERE (DIG) RIDDICK (DIG) WISH YOU WERE HERE (DIG) RIDDICK (DIG)

1:45 PM 3:45 PM 6:15 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

FANAR-2 PLANES (DIG) TOM & JIMMY (DIG)(ARABIC) TOM & JIMMY (DIG)(ARABIC) YOU’RE NEXT (DIG) TOM & JIMMY (DIG)(ARABIC) YOU’RE NEXT (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG)

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:45 PM 7:00 PM 9:00 PM 11:15 PM 1:15 AM

FANAR-3 THE SMURFS 2 (DIG) 2 GUNS (DIG) WE’RE THE MILLERS (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (12/09/2013 TO 18/09/2013) WE’RE THE MILLERS (DIG) 2 GUNS (DIG) 2 GUNS (DIG)

7:45 PM 9:45 PM 12:15 AM

FANAR-4 PLANES (DIG-3D) PLANES (DIG) PLANES (DIG-3D) THE COLONY (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG)

2:00 PM 4:00 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:05 AM

FANAR-5 GETAWAY GETAWAY GETAWAY GETAWAY GETAWAY GETAWAY

1:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 9:30 PM 11:30 PM

MARINA-1 GETAWAY (DIG) 2 GUNS (DIG) THE CONJURING (DIG) TOM & JIMMY (DIG)(ARABIC) YOU’RE NEXT (DIG) TOM & JIMMY (DIG)(ARABIC)

1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 11:45 PM

MARINA-2 THE SMURFS 2 (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG) RIDDICK (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG) RIDDICK (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG)

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 1:00 AM

MARINA-3 PLANES (DIG-3D) PLANES (DIG-3D) PLANES (DIG-3D) PLANES (DIG-3D) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG)

12:45 PM 2:45 PM 4:45 PM 6:45 PM 8:45 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

AVENUES-1 ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US (DIG) 12:30 PM WISH YOU WERE HERE (DIG) 2:30 PM WISH YOU WERE HERE (DIG) 4:30 PM WISH YOU WERE HERE (DIG) 6:30 PM WISH YOU WERE HERE (DIG) 8:30 PM WISH YOU WERE HERE (DIG) 10:30 PM WISH YOU WERE HERE (DIG) 12:30 AM AVENUES-2 2 GUNS (DIG) YOU’RE NEXT (DIG) 2 GUNS (DIG) YOU’RE NEXT (DIG) 2 GUNS (DIG)

2:15 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 9:00 PM 11:15 PM

AVENUES-3 THE COLONY (DIG) ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US THE COLONY (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG)

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM

THE COLONY (DIG)

12:45 AM

AVENUES-4 GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:00 PM 11:00 PM 1:00 AM

360º 1 RIDDICK (DIG) RIDDICK (DIG) RIDDICK (DIG) RIDDICK (DIG) RIDDICK (DIG) RIDDICK (DIG)

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:15 PM 7:45 PM 10:15 PM 12:45 AM

360º 2 ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US (DIG) 1:30 PM TOM & JIMMY (DIG)(ARABIC) 3:45 PM TOM & JIMMY (DIG)(ARABIC) 6:00 PM TOM & JIMMY (DIG)(ARABIC) 8:15 PM TOM & JIMMY (DIG)(ARABIC) 10:30 PM THE COLONY (DIG) 1:00 AM 360º 3 2 GUNS (DIG) 2 GUNS (DIG) ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US 2 GUNS (DIG) 2 GUNS (DIG) 2 GUNS (DIG)

1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

360º 4 TURBO (DIG-3D) THE SMURFS 2 (DIG-3D) TURBO (DIG-3D) THE SMURFS 2 (DIG-3D) 2 GUNS (DIG)

2:15 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 9:00 PM 11:15 PM

AL-KOUT.1 PLANES (DIG-3D) PLANES (DIG) PLANES (DIG-3D) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG)

1:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 9:30 PM 11:30 PM

CHANGE OF NAME I, Anandharaj S/O Subbaiyan, holder of Indian Passport No: F4197628 residing in Kuwait hereby change my name to Abdul Rehman.

(C 4509) 16-9-2013

AL-KOUT.2 THE SMURFS 2 (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG) WE’RE THE MILLERS (DIG) YOU’RE NEXT (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG) YOU’RE NEXT (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG)

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:00 PM 11:00 PM 1:00 AM

AL-KOUT.3 TOM & JIMMY (DIG)(ARABIC) WISH YOU WERE HERE (DIG) TOM & JIMMY (DIG)(ARABIC) WISH YOU WERE HERE (DIG) TOM & JIMMY (DIG)(ARABIC) WISH YOU WERE HERE (DIG)

2:00 PM 4:15 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

I, Murali Dhar Nair, I have embraced Islam so I have changed my name as Mohammad Yaseen. So please consider my new name. (C 4507) 14-9-2013 TUITION Learn holy Quran, in perfect way, private tuition

available for elders and children by Hafiz-e -Quran.

Contact: 66725950.

(C 4502) 14-9-2013 SITUATION VACANT Required English speaking live-in nanny / maid. Please contact 99824597. (C 4508) 16-9-2013 FOR SALE

112 THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is

1889988

Prayer timings

Massive moving house hold sale, furniture, single beds, dining table, crockery, glass-ware, ladies clothing etc. Call: 67723993, 66118406, 25316866.

Fajr: Shorook Duhr: Asr: Maghrib: Isha:

04:14 05:33 11:43 15:12 17:51 19:09

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

Airlines BBC QTR PIA JZR JZR FDB THY ETH GFA UAE ETD THY RJA FDB MSR OMA QTR THY DHX BAW DHX KAC KAC KAC JZR JZR FDB UAE ABY FDB IRA QTR ETD GFA MEA TMA UAE MSR THY KNE QTR FDB SVA KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC JZR JZR UAE

Arrival Flights on Tuesday 17/9/2013 Flt Route 043 DHAKA 148 DOHA 239 SIALKOT 539 CAIRO 267 BEIRUT 8063 DUBAI 764 SABIHA 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI-INTL 768 ISTANBUL 642 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA 067 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 643 MUSCAT 138 DOHA 770 ISTANBUL 170 BAHRAIN 157 LONDON 870 BAHRAIN 206 ISLAMABAD 412 MANILA 416 JAKARTA 555 ALEXANDRIA 503 LUXOR 053 DUBAI 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 055 DUBAI 605 ISFAHAN 132 DOHA 301 ABU DHABI-INTL 213 BAHRAIN 404 BEIRUT 213 BEIRUT 871 DUBAI 610 CAIRO 766 ISTANBUL 480 TAIF 140 DOHA 057 DUBAI 500 JEDDAH 352 COCHIN 332 TRIVANDRUM 514 TEHRAN 284 DHAKA 546 ALEXANDRIA 302 MUMBAI 165 DUBAI 561 SOHAG 859 DUBAI

Time 00: 05 00: 05 01: 05 00: 40 00: 20 01: 10 01: 40 01: 45 01: 55 02: 25 02: 30 02: 50 03: 10 03: 10 03: 15 03: 20 03: 30 04: 35 05: 10 06: 30 04: 30 07: 25 06: 15 06: 35 06: 20 07: 40 07: 45 08: 25 08: 50 09: 15 09: 20 09: 25 09: 30 10: 40 10: 55 12: 00 12: 45 13: 00 13: 10 13: 20 13: 45 13: 50 14: 30 08: 05 07: 55 13: 40 08: 15 14: 15 07: 50 11: 35 12: 00 21: 15

ETD KNE SYR RJA QTR ETD UAE ABY UAL SVA GFA QTR FDB GFA AXB JAI FDB OMA ABY MEA IRA MSR KLM ALK QTR GFA JAI FDB AIC UAL DLH JAI MSR THY TMA KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR

307 47 341 640 134 303 857 127 982 510 215 144 063 219 393 572 061 647 129 402 619 618 415 229 136 217 576 059 981 981 636 574 614 772 213A 618 786 542 166 562 104 678 1802 788 674 774 742 177 535 325 557 185 135 239

ABU DHABI-INTL JEDDAH LATAKIA AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA DOHA ABU DHABI-INTL DUBAI SHARJAH WASHINGTON DC DULLES RIYADH BAHRAIN DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN KOZHIKODE MUMBAI DUBAI MUSCAT SHARJAH BEIRUT LAR ALEXANDRIA AMSTERDAM COLOMBO DOHA BAHRAIN COCHIN DUBAI CHENNAI BAHRAIN FRANKFURT MUMBAI CAIRO ISTANBUL BEIRUT DOHA JEDDAH CAIRO PARIS AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA LONDON MUSCAT CAIRO JEDDAH DUBAI RIYADH DAMMAM DUBAI CAIRO NAJAF ALEXANDRIA DUBAI BAHRAIN AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA

21: 30 14: 35 15: 15 15: 55 16: 15 16: 35 16: 55 17: 10 17: 15 17: 20 17: 20 18: 25 18: 55 19: 05 19: 15 19: 35 20: 00 20: 00 20: 05 20: 15 20: 20 20: 30 21: 05 21: 10 21: 30 21: 45 22: 05 22: 20 22: 25 22: 40 23: 10 23: 20 23: 30 23: 45 16: 00 19: 10 18: 30 18: 15 18: 40 14: 40 18: 45 19: 35 16: 40 15: 00 19: 25 21: 05 19: 30 17: 30 16: 10 16: 15 19: 10 22: 40 23: 00 22: 30

Airlines AIC AXB PIA JAI MSR DLH KLM BBC JZR FDB THY PIA THY ETH THY UAE FDB MSR OMA ETD QTR QTR JZR DHX RJA GFA THY KAC JZR KAC BAW FDB JZR KAC KAC ABY KAC UAE FDB KAC ETD IRA QTR KAC GFA KAC KAC MEA JZR JZR KAC KAC JZR TMA

Departure Flights on Tuesday 17/9/2013 Flt Route 976 GOA 490 MANGALORE 206 LAHORE 573 MUMBAI 615 CAIRO 637 FRANKFURT 411 AMSTERDAM 044 DHAKA 502 LUXOR 8064 DUBAI 773 ISTANBUL 240 SIALKOT 765 ISTANBUL 621 ADDIS ABABA 769 ISTANBUL 854 DUBAI 068 DUBAI 613 CAIRO 644 MUSCAT 306 ABU DHABI 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 560 SOHAG 52 BAGRAM 643 AMMAN 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 545 ALEXANDRIA 164 DUBAI 411D BANGKOK 156 LONDON 054 DUBAI 534 CAIRO 513 IMAM KHOMEINI 561 AMMAN 126 SHARJAH 787 JEDDAH 856 DUBA 056 DUBAI 1801 CAIRO 302 ABU DHABI 604 ISFAHAN 133 DOHA 101 LONDON 214 BAHRAIN 541 CAIRO 165 ROME 405 BEIRUT 556 ALEXANDRIA 324 AL NAJAF 677 MUSCAT 785 JEDDAH 176 DUBAI 223 DUBA

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Time 00: 05 00: 15 00: 15 00: 20 00: 30 00: 30 00: 55 01: 30 01: 30 01: 55 02: 20 02: 20 02: 40 02: 45 03: 40 03: 45 03: 50 04: 15 04: 20 04: 20 04: 25 05: 15 05: 35 06: 00 06: 35 07: 00 07: 10 07: 20 07: 25 07: 40 08: 25 08: 25 09: 10 09: 15 09: 25 09: 30 09: 35 09: 50 09: 55 10: 05 10: 15 10: 20 10: 25 10: 25 11: 25 11: 30 11: 45 11: 55 12: 10 13: 00 13: 00 13: 00 13: 20 13: 45

MSR THY KNE UAE FDB QTR KAC KNE SVA KAC SYR KAC KAC RJA JZR QTR ETD JZR KAC ABY UAE SVA GFA UAL JZR JZR QTR FDB GFA JZR KAC AXB JAI FDB ABY OMA KAC KAC MEA IRA MSR DHX KLM ETD ALK UAE KAC QTR KAC GFA FDB KAC JAI KAC JZR TMA

611 767 481 872 058 141 673 473 501 617 342 503 741 641 238 135 304 538 773 128 858 511 216 982 184 266 145 064 220 134 283 394 571 062 120 648 343 351 40 618 607 171 415 308 230 860 381 137 301 218 060 205 575 411 528 214

CAIRO ISTANBUL TAIF DUBAI DUBAI DOHA DUBAI JEDDAH JEDDAH DOHA LATAKIA BEIRUT DAMMAM AMMAN AMMAN DOHA ABU DHABI CAIRO RIYADH SHARJAH DUBAI RIYADH BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DUBAI BEIRUT DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DHAKA KOZHIKODE MUMBAI DUBA SHARJAH MUSCAT CHENNAI KOCHI BEIRUT LAR LUXOR BAHRAIN DAMMAM ABU DHABI COLOMBO DUBAI DELHI DOHA MUMBAI BAHRAIN DUBAI ISLAMABAD ABU DHABI BANGKOK ASYUT BEIRUT

14: 00 14: 10 14: 10 14: 15 14: 30 14: 55 15: 05 15: 30 15: 45 15: 45 16: 15 16: 30 16: 30 16: 55 17: 05 17: 20 17: 20 17: 40 17: 40 17: 50 18: 15 18: 20 18: 20 18: 30 18: 30 18: 40 19: 25 19: 35 19: 50 20: 05 20: 15 20: 15 20: 35 20: 40 20: 45 20: 55 20: 55 21: 05 21: 15 21: 20 21: 30 21: 50 22: 05 22: 15 22: 20 22: 25 22: 30 22: 40 22: 40 22: 45 23: 00 23: 00 23: 05 23: 40 23: 55 23: 55

34

s ta rs CROSSWORD 313

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) You may find yourself coordinating events and communicating with new people this morning. Using your mind to negotiate obstacles and dilemmas is a great talent--you radiate success. Others value the fact that you can always manage to unravel even the worst problems for them. You may need to stop and consider a superior today, or in some way seek a superior's input--even if it is not required. Communications in the morning are more productive than this afternoon. This afternoon is a time of concentration. You can demonstrate great understanding to your friends this evening as you find time to visit and enjoy their company. There is plenty of laughter to go around. You promise to take more time with a relative in the future.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You begin your day early with a determination to finish something that you had wanted to finish from last week. Your instinctive orientation at this time is in taking care of business. You will prosper through an independent point of view. Breakthroughs in your career could open up during this time, making it possible for you to solve problems and reach new levels of accomplishment. Improved solutions, insights and approaches make this an opportunity not to be ignored. There is an instinctive urge to get serious about taking care of yourself. You may want to join a health spa so that there is some regular exercise in your life. Diet, exercise and work somehow mean more at this time. You enjoy feeling good and you want to keep it that way.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

ACROSS 1. The act of scanning.

5. Perennial or biennial herb cultivated for its delicate usually blue flowers.

12. A byproduct of inflammation.

15. Edible starchy tuberous root of taro plants.

16. Rich Middle Eastern cake made of thin layers of flaky pastry filled with nuts and honey.

17. 10 hao equal 1 dong.

18. Bushy herb of tropical Asia grown for its yellow or pink to scarlet blooms that resemble the hibiscus.

20. The 17th letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

22. A sheet or band of fibrous connective tissue separating or binding together muscles and organs etc.

23. Athenian statesman whose leadership contributed to Athen's political and cultural supremacy in Greece.

25. A medieval country in northern Europe that included regions now parts of northern France and Belgium and southwestern Netherlands.

28. With anger.

29. Someone who engages in arbitrage (who purchases securities in one market for immediate resale in another in the hope of profiting from the price differential).

30. The United Nations agency concerned with atomic energy.

31. A defensive missile designed to shoot down incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles.

34. A town in southern Turkey.

38. Chief port of Yemen.

41. A mountain range in western Russia extending from the arctic to the Caspian Sea. 43. On or toward the lee.

44. Destruction of heart tissue resulting from obstruction of the blood supply to the heart muscle.

45. An informal term for a father.

49. (Islam) The man who leads prayers in a mosque.

50. (Old Testament) The wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac.

51. Lacking leadership.

53. An alloy of copper and zinc (and sometimes arsenic) used to imitate gold in cheap jewelry and for gilding.

56. The longer of the two telegraphic signals used in Morse code.

59. English theoretical physicist who applied relativity theory to quantum mechanics and predicted the existence of antimatter and the positron (1902-1984).

64. Of a pale purple color.

68. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

69. United States diplomat who was instrumental in opening Japan to foreign trade (1804-1878).

71. The mission in San Antonio where in 1836 Mexican forces under Santa Anna besieged and massacred American rebels who were fighting to make Texas independent of Mexico.

72. A caustic detergent useful for removing grease.

73. Trees or shrubs of the families Ebenaceae or Sapotaceae or Styracaceae or Symplocaceae.

75. Of or relating to or characteristic of Thailand of its people.

76. The quality of a color as determined by its dominant wavelength.

77. Being or having an unknown or unnamed source.

78. 30 to 300 gigahertz.

DOWN 1. Personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task.

2. A clique that seeks power usually through intrigue.

3. Any of several tall tropical palms native to southeastern Asia having egg-shaped nuts.

4. Perennial plants resembling yucca.

5. A dark-skinned member of a race of people living in Australia when Europeans arrived.

6. (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) Optical device that produces an intense monochromatic beam of coherent light.

7. A secret society of white Southerners to resist Black emancipation.

8. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite.

9. Greek mythology.

10. Lichens of the family Usneaceae having a pendulous or shrubby thallus.

11. A hard gray lustrous metallic element that is highly corrosion-resistant.

12. The cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100.

13. Nocturnal badger-like carnivore of wooded regions of Africa and southern Asia.

14. Literature in metrical form.

19. A state in southeastern India on the Bay of Bengal (south of Andhra Pradesh).

21. Make a high-pitched, screeching noise, as of a door.

24. One of the most common of the five major classes of immunoglobulins.

26. The compass point that is one point north of due east.

27. Of or relating to a directionless magnitude.

32. Type genus of the Bramidae.

33. A woman of refinement.

35. The basic unit of money in Bangladesh.

36. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

37. Not only so, but.

39. A person who acts as host at formal occasions (makes an introductory speech and introduces other speakers).

40. Mild form of diabetes mellitus that develops gradually in adults.

42. The 11th letter of the Greek alphabet.

46. United States writer (born in Poland) who wrote in Yiddish (1880-1957).

47. (biology) A taxonomic category below a class and above an order.

48. An honorary law degree.

54. A city in western Germany near the Dutch and Belgian borders.

55. A state in midwestern United States.

57. French writer who is considered the father of science fiction (1828-1905).

58. A city in northwestern Switzerland.

60. An Eskimo hut.

61. Tear down so as to make flat with the ground.

62. A recurring sleep state during which rapid eye movements do not occur and dreaming does not occur.

63. A small bottle that contains a drug (especially a sealed sterile container for injection by needle).

65. Being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time.

66. A woman hired to suckle a child of someone else.

67. A skullcap worn by nuns under a veil or by soldiers under a hood of mail or formerly by British sergeants-at-law v 1.

70. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

74. A radioactive transuranic element produced by bombarding plutonium with neutrons.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

Continued success on the career level may point to your abandoning some previous personal plans. Now is the time to decide what it is you really want to do. Perhaps others are depending on your paycheck. If you confided to these loved ones just what you would like to accomplish, there might be better cooperation toward helping you with the changes that are needed. It is possible to make your dreams a reality sooner than you think. There are sudden insights into your plans--perhaps a reassessment.

Patience and listening will bring you a positive response. Breakthroughs and insights into future plans are possible now. A two-month cycle of increased energy and vitality begins now. You encourage a young person to share personal talents.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Ambitious schemes and the pursuit of success and status take on a high priority. This brings a focus on the practical, the successful, the pragmatic and whatever it takes to get you ahead in the long run. The meek may inherit the earth, but the shrewd will collect the rent, as the saying goes. Ambition and achievement are qualities you hold in special regard. This is a time for getting ahead, a time for combining business and pleasure, a time to enjoy your career and savor its rewards. Keep focused and make a concentrated effort to stay on course. Seeing both sides of an issue and figuring out resolutions to opposing views are the things that take on the most importance within the family this evening. You work to bring about peace, and you teach peace.

Leo (July 23-August 22) This is a time to be disciplined regarding your career. Lock your practical skills into gear and get on with the routine and good habits. Your mind and decision-making abilities should be at a peak now. You may be called upon for your organizational skills.

You are an aggressive prime mover, a starter, able to initiate and get things moving.

Although you are not always hot on the follow-up, you will be able to tackle tasks that require real discipline. This afternoon will be a good time for surrounding yourself with friends and for having a good time. You appreciate your particular situation and enjoy support from those around you. Perhaps you and your friends can enjoy a little bicycle trip through the park or around the neighborhood.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Superiors call on you to work harder today; perhaps a bit of overtime is in the forecast. You may find that you enjoy your job or the responsibility that it brings very much. Figuring things out, spotting the fly in the ointment, separating the sheep from the goats--these things take on a special significance. A heightened interest in health and diet, as well as an urge to get things organized into a rational system, agrees with this. There is much mental busywork now. This is a good time, when your efforts really pay off and things seem to run smoothly. Now you have the ability to keep focused and coordinate and organize like never before. Bring to fruition uncompleted tasks or character development. Issues in childrearing get your attention tonight.

Word Search

Libra (September 23-October 22) More time is required to solve problems today due to new technology and a learning period. You could help others once you have learned a special technique. This would eventually make your own job easier. You may feel frustrated as to where you are headed just now, but it is all short term. Someone older or in authority may want you to take on additional work, but you must speak up. Prepare an alternate plan so that you can complete your work. It could be hard to think. This may be a frustrating time, both at home and at work. The pleasures of music, however, can be very calming. Enjoy some form of music tonight. A light meal and an after-dinner walk will help to calm you from this busy day and to plan the next.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You like to work with words and ideas and have a natural appreciation for anything that is literary or artistic. Your sense of discernment when it comes to matters of literary and intellectual taste is very refined. You could write poetry or prose and put a high value on the written word. You enjoy good conversations and may be very adept at speaking and communicating. The lunch hour could bring some fun conversations your way. This afternoon you may have to be careful not to disturb others with your urges to talk--you will do well in matters that concern proofing and editing. Expect a more confident and outgoing attitude, for you have brought to a close a time of inward examination. There is a growing sense of direction and self-worth in your life.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) There could be a change in the air with regard to your working situation.

You may want to be open to the new ideas of others. This may mean moving in a different direction within the same company for which you work or taking a class to brush up on some technical skills. You are driven when it comes to fulfilling your ambitions and carving out a career. There is no lack of motivation here, and nothing can stand in your way. Everything is poured into making the right moves. Most of your co-workers will find you outgoing, enthusiastic and diplomatic. Friends, group projects and community concerns could play a key role that effects your career direction. Humanitarian efforts can affect your work and life-path. Relax in your own back yard.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Your workday is full of demand and the passion has to come from deep within. Come on, you can do it; breathe deeply and before you know it, the end result will happen. You may feel great support from those around you. This afternoon there is a satisfied feeling from your accomplishments. Things are happening and the results of your career path will depend on your ambition, which is strong now. At home this evening you may wonder why the old porch swing or backyard lawn chairs have disappeared. As memory serves, there was nothing like an early evening with a friend, family or neighbor person, just hanging out, enjoying a cup of hot chocolate and lots of fun conversation. You may plan to put in a new swing soon.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You may have to repeat or clarify instructions, write a to-do list for yourself and check all paper work so as not to have to repeat your work. You may feel left out or passed over just now. Your own requirements may appear to limit and separate you from where the rest of the gang is headed. It would not be unusual to have a sense of isolation and loneliness--this is of short duration. This afternoon you will draw emotional sustenance and a sense of security from friends and social involvement. There are plenty of things that will grab your attention and your spirits are lifted when a young person opens up to you. Keep track of expenditures by updating your checkbook this evening.

Budgeting and helping others to budget seem to be in your favor tonight.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) There are extra charm and charisma in the way you come across to others now. Speaking in front of a group today, you can be a very forceful speaker.

You communicate with great enthusiasm. Your words just flow out and are followed by an emotional impact that brings your point or your ideas home to your listeners. Things are happening in your career and your future may strengthen, depending on your own ambition and drive, which are strong now. At home, the same depth of communication is happening when you take it upon yourself to make your home more attractive with simple actions. Planters with colorful flowers or winter plants or perhaps a new paint job on your front door welcomes people into your home and you enjoy the interactions.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

i n f o r m at i o n For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 GOVERNORATE Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Hawally

Al-Madeena

22418714

Al-Shuhada

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Faiha

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Kaizen center

25716707

Rawda

22517733

Adaliya

22517144

Al-Jahra

25610011

Khaldiya

24848075

Al-Salmiya

25616368

Kaifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salem

22549134

Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Qadsiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Gar

22531908

Shaab

22518752

Qibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla

22451082

Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Omariya

24719048

N Khaitan

24710044

Fintas

23900322

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Khaled Hamadi

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist

25665898 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535

Dentists

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

Dr. Salem soso

22618787

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart Dr. Adnan Ebil

22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada

22666300

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

3729596/3729581

Neurologists Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Kaizen center 25716707

25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888 Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

22666288

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

Dr Anil Thomas

General Surgeons

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Afghanistan 0093 Albania 00355 Algeria 00213 Andorra 00376 Angola 00244 Anguilla 001264 Antiga 001268 Argentina 0054 Armenia 00374 Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas 001242 Bahrain 00973 Bangladesh 00880 Barbados 001246 Belarus 00375 Belgium 0032 Belize 00501 Benin 00229 Bermuda 001441 Bhutan 00975 Bolivia 00591 Bosnia 00387 Botswana 00267 Brazil 0055 Brunei 00673 Bulgaria 00359 Burkina 00226 Burundi 00257 Cambodia 00855 Cameroon 00237 Canada 001 Cape Verde 00238 Cayman Islands 001345 Central African 00236 Chad 00235 Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros 00269 Congo 00242 Cook Islands 00682 Costa Rica 00506 Croatia 00385 Cuba 0053 Cyprus 00357 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Czech Republic 00420 Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia 00246 Djibouti 00253 Dominica 001767 Dominican Republic 001809 Ecuador 00593 Egypt 0020 El Salvador 00503 England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea 00240 Eritrea 00291 Estonia 00372 Ethiopia 00251 Falkland Islands 00500 Faroe Islands 00298 Fiji 00679 Finland 00358 France 0033 French Guiana 00594 French Polynesia 00689 Gabon 00241 Gambia 00220 Georgia 00995 Germany 0049 Ghana 00233 Gibraltar 00350 Greece 0030 Greenland 00299 Grenada 001473 Guadeloupe 00590 Guam 001671 Guatemala 00502 Guinea 00224 Guyana 00592 Haiti 00509 Holland (Netherlands) 0031 Honduras 00504 Hong Kong 00852 Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland 00354 India 0091 Indian Ocean 00873 Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686 Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland) 0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK) 0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

lifestyle M u s i c

&

M o v i e s

Pink Billboard’s Woman of the Year T

he ‘True Love’ hitmaker will be honoured during a ceremony in December in New York City following the success of her sixth studio album, ‘The Truth About Love’, which has sold 1.7 million copies since it was released last September, and topped the Billboard 200 chart. The star - real name Alecia Moore - said: “I was absolutely shocked and surprised to hear that Billboard named me Woman of the Year. “It’s been an incredible year

P

hylicia Rashad is best known for starring roles on stage and television, but as a director she decided to commemorate a historic moment that helped spur the civil rights movement. The Tony Award-winning actress directed a reading of the play “Four Little Girls: Birmingham 1963” at the Kennedy Center Sunday to mark the 50th anniversary of the bombing at 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. Four girls were killed in the explosion, which was set by white supremacists and helped spur passage of landmark civil rights legislation. Rashad, who is recognized for her portrayal as the matriarch on “The Cosby Show” TV series and Broadway’s “A Raisin in the Sun,” said she wanted the reading to emphasize the “sanctity of joy, human existence and the value of all life.” The play was written by Christina Ham and starred students from Howard University and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC. Rashad, an alumna of Howard University, said acting and directing are both challenging and rewarding.

In her role as director, Rashad said she works to keep the creative energy in line with the writer’s vision, “while leaving room for people to add to the vision in a collaborative effort.”

and I feel so grateful to radio for sticking by me, and to the fans and friends and all of the incredible talent that I was fortunate enough to work with for this album.” The decision was made after 2013 mid-year numbers revealed Pink to have the top selling album and song for a solo female in the US. She is also in the middle of a huge 140-date world tour. ‘The Truth About Love’ was also nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the Grammy awards. Pink’s ‘Just Give

Me a Reason’ also topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart earlier this year. Previous winners of Billboard’s Woman of the Year include Ciara, BeyoncÈ, Fergie, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

S

ee? What’d we tell you? The Justin Bieber “Batman vs Superman” “script” was, indeed, a big fat fake, TheWrap has learned. (Now if only there was a word to express that we indicated as much already!) nA person with knowledge of the real script assured TheWrap that the photo Bieber Instagrammed over the weekend is not authentic - and is most likely part of an upcoming “Funny or Die” sketch. So that settles that: Bieber will not be playing Robin in Warner Bros’ 2015 supermashup, he doesn’t have a copy of the script, has never read it, it probably doesn’t even fully exist yet, and if it did, Warner Bros. isn’t showing it to anyone. All stuff we said before, but now it’s, you know ... official. So for those of you who gave this one the benefit of the doubt, please un-give it. Oh and just to be sure, Ben Affleck is still playing Batman. That one was real.

P

olice say Carlos Santana drove into an unoccupied parked car near an upscale area of Las Vegas, but escaped injury. The Grammy-winning superstar was headed home alone when the accident occurred Friday night in Summerlin. Police Lt Ken Romane told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that it’s uncertain whether a sobriety field test was conducted, but Santana was not driving under the influence. Romane did not know the make of Santana’s vehicle or the extent of damage to it and the parked car. Romane said the accident was “minor.” According to his concert schedule, the 66-year-old Santana performed on Thursday and Saturday nights but not on Friday night. Santana has won 15 Grammys and is best known for the album “Supernatural,” which has sold more than 25 million copies.

S

cottish comic and actor Billy Connolly has had surgery for prostate cancer and is being treated for the “initial symptoms” of Parkinson’s Disease, his spokeswoman said yesterday. The 70-yearold star, who has built a film and voiceover career after success as a comic, will continue to work in TV and on stage. He is also planning to go ahead with a tour of New Zealand next year. His spokeswoman said: “Billy Connolly recently underwent minor surgery in America after being diagnosed with the very early stages of prostate cancer. “The operation was a total success, and Billy is fully recovered. “In addition, Billy has been assessed as having the initial symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, for which he is receiving the appropriate treatment. “Billy

has been assured by experts that the findings will in no way inhibit or affect his ability to work, and he will start filming a TV series in the near future, as well as undertaking an extensive theatrical tour of New Zealand in the new year.” A former shipyard welder in Glasgow who became a folk singer and then an acclaimed comic, Connolly made his cinematic breakthrough in the 1997 film “Mrs Brown” opposite Judi Dench, as a member of Queen Victoria’s staff with whom she develops a scandalous relationship.

D

emi Lovato thinks fatherhood has melted Simon Cowell’s cold heart. The singer joked that her fellow ‘X Factor’ USA mentor has been less mean-spirited on the judging panel this year, and believes the impending arrival of his first child with New York socialite Lauren Silverman might have something to do with it. Demi quipped: “He’s [mostly] the same, but maybe he’s gotten a little nicer this year.” The ‘Made in the USA’ hitmaker is enamoured with new panellists Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio - who have replaced Britney Spears and L.A. Reid - and says the dynamic between the foursome is already proving to be more fun this season, with all three girls teaming up against head judge Simon. Demi said: “This year, he’s up against me and two other girls who don’t put up with him. It’s basically a whole panel against Simon - it’s great! We’re not Simon’s angels - we’re Simon’s demons!” The 21-year-old star thinks Latina superstar Paulina in particular was a great addition to the FOX program as she provides so much comic relief. She teased: “It feels like a new and refreshed version of the show. Paulina is a firecracker! You never know what’s going to come out of her mouth.

Pretty much everything she says makes me laugh.”

Q

ueen Latifah bought a gold tooth to celebrate getting her first record deal.

The multi-talented rapper, actress and talk show host said she splashed out on the pricey filling as soon as she landed her first big money contract aged just 17 - but lost her prized new possession just a week later. She said: “I signed my first recording contract at age 17. The first thing I bought after signing was a gold tooth - which I then lost within one week.” The Oscar-winning ‘Chicago’ star also divulged her reading habits in Us Weekly’s ‘25 Things You Don’t Know About Me’ feature, insisting she is never without a Bible by her side. She said of her literary choices: “I always

travel with my Bible. I buy more interior design magazines than any other kind.”

Additionally, the 43-year-old star is a huge fan of motoring and owns no less than five motorbikes, as well as a classic car seen in one of her movies. Latifah explained: “I have five motorcycles and two Vespas. The fastest I’ve ever gone on a motorcycle is 155 miles per hour. I [also] own the 1962 Chevy Impala from my movie ‘Set It Off’.” The thrill seeker also boasts of her “French Jet Ski licence” and says she once dreamed of being a truck driver as a child.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

lifestyle M u s i c

R

od Stewart’s children are his “fountain of youth.” The ‘Maggie May’ rocker has eight children with his youngest kids being Alastair, seven, and two-yearold Aiden, with his third wife Penny Lancaster. Rod, 68, insists his two young sons keep him active and keep him feeling young. He told the new UK issue of HELLO! magazine: “Alastair comes home from school and says, ‘Dad, let’s go!’ I have a stretch and go play. If there’s a fountain of

P

akistan has put forward a film for the Oscars for the first time in nearly 50 years as its struggling film industry shows signs of revival, officials said yesterday. “The Pakistani Academy Selection Committee has selected “Zinda Bhaag”as the first Pakistani film in over fifty years to be submitted for Oscar consideration in the ‘Foreign Language Film Award’ category at the 86th Academy Awards,” a statement issued by the selectors said.

In addition to Zinda Bhaag (Flee Alive), a further three films were submitted to the committee for consideration: Chambeli, Josh and Lamha. The selection was made last week through secret ballot and Zinda Bhaag was the “overwhelming film of choice of the Committee members”.

The film is a comedy-thriller about three young men trying to escape the drudgery of their everyday lives through the use of unconventional methods available to them. The movie hits the cinemas on September 20. The film’s narrative is familiar to everyday Pakistanis. The protagonists have unfulfilled desires to achieve feats that are out of their reach and a yearning to prove themselves despite the hurdles places before them. Yet an inescapable sense of melancholy sets in when they discover their opportunities are dictated by forces outside of their control.

The film is directed and written by Meenu Gaur and Farjad Nabi, and is produced by Mazhar Zaidi. It features Indian born Bollywood stalwart Naseeruddin Shah, as well as Amna Ilyas and Khurram Patras in leading roles.

Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, chairwoman of the selection committee, hailed the nomination.—AFP

&

M o v i e s

youth, its children.”

Penny, 42, adds that Rod has a number of different roles to play to each of his children which also include grownups Sarah Streeter, Kimberley, Ruby, Renee and Sean and Liam, 19. She added: “They all require a different dad, as he puts it. The older kids want career advice, and to talk about their relationships, the younger ones’ needs are all about school, while Alastair is, ‘Dad, come and play football,’ and

Aiden is, ‘Come and roll around on the floor with me.’

“He has two personalities anyway - the rock star on stage then the husband and father, so he is able to morph himself into quite a few different roles. He’s close to all his kids, which is great.” Penny is also moved by Rod’s tribute to his children on his latest album, ‘Time’. She said: “The last song, ‘Pure Love’, is tear jerking. It’s basically about all of his children and how he’ll always be there for them. It always

G

I got all the guitar playing I ever had back, plus a good deal more.

Of course it doesn’t stack up to a real guitar player like Jerry or anything like that, but it’s good for me,” he said.

Dylan and Nashville Since Garcia’s death, Hunter has collaborated extensively with Nashville songwriter Jim Lauderdale. He has also worked a few times with Dylan, and the New Riders of the Purple Sage, Los Lobos and others. His lyrics, long characterized by a folksy mysticism, now tend to carry more of Nashville’s country flavor, he said.

He is guarded about Dylan. “I think he is a mysterious force majeure (superior force). We all have a Bob Dylan in our heads somewhere. He managed to be that guy. It can’t be easy, you know,” he said. “The fact that he worked with me is almost typical of the absolutely unforeseeable stuff the guy decides to do. He just called up one day and said, ‘How about it?’ And he gave me a bunch of titles he wanted to work with and we just got to work.”

Hunter’s lyrics provided a psychedelic aura that aided the Grateful Dead rise to fame. But years before the band’s music helped fuel writer Ken Kesey’s LSD “Acid Tests” parties in the 1960s, Hunter and Kesey were subjects in the CIA’s MKUltra program to test psychedelic drugs as mind-control agents.

He said he did not learn until much later that the CIA ran the program, which was made public in 1975. “I couldn’t figure out why they were paying me to take these psychedelics. What they wanted to do was to check if I was more hypnotizable when I was on them,” he said. “It was hard to pay attention to what the hell they were talking about, much less be hypnotized.”

When the experiment ended, Hunter said, it was a hard experience to relate to. “It was the first time I had had any of this stuff, and the drugs in themselves were rather spectacular. Nobody had had my experiences, and it was at least two years before those drugs started getting out on the street. It was like a secret club of one.” — Reuters

rateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter has dusted off his guitar, practiced five hours a day and polished a repertoire for his first live-performance tour in nearly a decade. Hunter’s way with words has earned him a place in the American idiom.

“What a long strange trip it’s been,” from the 1970 Grateful Dead hit “Truckin’,” has become a widely used description of life’s serendipities. It has also earned him enduring songwriting partnerships with Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan and others. Although best known as a non-performing member of the Grateful Dead, he occasionally takes the stage, mostly as a soloist.

“When you get on stage, then you really see if you’ve got it or not,” Hunter said in a telephone interview. “There’s nothing even remotely like it, especially being a soloist. All of the arrows are pointing in towards you and out towards the audience.” Hunter, 72, will start a solo US tour Sept 26 in Huntington, New York, after recovering from a spinal infection, with a larger tour possible in the spring. A drying up of royalties as free music flourishes on the Internet, reflections on his illness and a desire to perform all contributed to the decision to hit the road.

“Has publishing gone belly-up? It certainly has,” he said in a rare interview. “But I wouldn’t be doing it if the pleasure of doing it weren’t foremost.” In the interview, Hunter talked about the upcoming tour, his post-Dead collaborations, his experiences in secret CIA testing of psychedelic drugs, and his last conversation with Garcia before the Grateful Dead frontman died in 1995.

“He said,’I just wanted to tell you that your songs never stuck in my throat,’ which makes me wonder if he knew he was just about ready to take the long walk. He didn’t voice things that way. He wasn’t Mr Compliments or anything like that.” The songs in the shows, which will be in mid-sized theaters, will include Grateful Dead tunes Hunter wrote with Garcia over nearly three decades and some later work. Among the more than 100 songs they penned together are “Touch of Grey,” “Ripple” and “Casey Jones.” Speaking of his audience, he said: “I know what they come for, what they’re paying for, and they will get it. Plenty of Hunter-Garcia tunes, which do weather well.” Has been practicing for three months to rebuild his extensive repertoire. “I feel like

Bassist Eric Bass and singer Brent Smith of the band Shinedown perform during the Carnival of Madness tour at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on September 15, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. — AFP photos

brings a lump to my throat ... You want your children to know what your life was like when you were younger.

When He’s 90 or 100 he might not remember so it’s good that it’s committed to paper now.” — Bang Showbiz

Singer Maria Brink of the band In This Moment performs during the Carnival of Madness tour.

Spears paid $310,000 per Vegas show

B

ritney Spears will earn $310,000 for every show she performs in Las Vegas.

The 31-year-old pop star has signed a two-year deal for a concert residency at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in the US gambling capital.

According to TMZ, Britney’s contract states she will perform 48 shows a year, earning her $310,000 each time, a total of $14,880,000. The ‘Gimme More’ singer’s income comes from share of ticket sales at the PH Live auditorium which holds 4,500 people - with the projected total sales per gig being

$508,514. Britney - who has two sons, Sean Preston, seven, and Jayden James, six - was at the centre of a bidding war between several Las Vegas hotels earlier this year, with many top chains hoping to land her services for a residency before Planet Hollywood emerged as the venue for her shows. Britney is promising her concerts will be a “massive party” each night and she has been busy getting into shape for them by rehearsing at a Thousand Oaks, California, dance studio.

She previously said: “The performances won’t be simple. They’ll be a massive party from start to finish. And to pull this off, I have to be in top condition and running at full speed.” Britney will follow in the footsteps of legends such as Celine Dion, Sir Tom Jones and Sir Elton John with her Vegas residency. -Bang Showbiz

Rio Music Festival

American Justin Timberlake performs during the Rock in Rio music festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, yesterday. — AFP photos

English Jessie J performs during the Rock in Rio music festival in Rio de Janeiro.

US musician Alicia Keys performs during the Rock in Rio music festival in Rio de Janeiro.

38

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

LIFESTYLE F a s h i o n

London

Fashion Week

Models present creations by Burberry Prorsum during the 2014 Spring/Summer London Fashion Week in London yesterday.—AFP photos

Spikes Asia Festival opens

T

he Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity yesterday opened its doors to begin a program of outstanding content that includes seminars, forums, master classes and tech talks, all given by some of the biggest names in the industry.

Throughout the festival, 77 jury members are also hard at work deliberating over 4,832 pieces of work from across the region. The first shortlists have now been decided on and released by their respective juries, with the following number of entries being shortlisted in each category: Design - 53 Digital – 56 Direct – 43 Media – 92 Mobile – 29 Outdoor – 118 PR – 40 Print – 89 Promo & Activation – 49 Radio – 22 This morning at Spikes Asia, seminars were given by the likes of Richard Summers, Head of Strategic Planning, Anomaly Shanghai, who looked at a breed of creativity that is emerg-

ing from China; Shingo Ohno, Art Director, W+K Tokyo Lab, who together with Blake Harrop, Managing Director at W+K Tokyo Lab, looked at the backstreets of Japan’s internet; and Ali Shabaz, Chief Creative Officer, Grey Group – Singapore, Thailand & Indonesia, who hosted a performance by Sanddornbalance artiste Miyoko Shida Rigolo to draw parallels between the art of sanddornbalance and the creative industry. This afternoon will see competitors in the Young Spikes Integrated, Media and Agency Shoot Out Competitions receive briefings from their respective charity before being given just 24 hours to come up with their award winning campaign.

Their work will be judged on the final day of the Festival when the most deserving team in each competition will find out they are taking home gold.

Tonight, Cannes Lions and Campaign, who celebrate 60 years and 40 years respectively this year, will host celebratory welcome drinks at the Festival venue, allowing delegates to network and debrief the day’s events.

Emporio Armani Woman presents ‘Kajal’ MOOD

Kajal as range of colours, from soft creams and pinks to dark shades and mineral hues. Its simplicity and clean lines are enhanced by contrasting accessories, used playfully, which evoke contemporary culture and unpredictable aesthetics and different eras.

SHAPES

The collection offers very feminine shapes – sometimes long, with sculptural forms, where the surprising use of rough-cut neoprene renders the clothing extremely modern. Doublebreasted coats emphasize new proportions. New lengths cover the knee or reach the ankle, the tone lightened by the soft gleam of a bare leg.

Gauzed mohair makes for soft, large sweaters, and sweaters that are fullbodied, as if made of fur, are paired with trousers, Bermuda shorts and organza jackets.

ACCESSORIES

Unexpected lace-up men’s shoes with a neoprene vamp and moccasins with transparent PVC sides or a vamp embellished with large coloured crystals play an important role in the collection. Playful bowler hats pair with bright, enormous yet lightweight Jaipur-style earrings with appliquéd gems on a neoprene background – a combination also visible in the necklace that transforms a piece of sumptuous oriental jewellery into an example of great modern design.

Giordano celebrates 20 years in the Middle East G

iordano celebrates its 20th anniversary in the Middle East this year with the official opening of its new concept flagship store in The Dubai Mall. Completely redesigned and reinvigorated, the Dubai Mall store re-opening also heralds an aggressive expansion and upgrade program of Giordano stores across the region following two decades of consistent brand growth.

The global apparel brand - known for its everyday wardrobe essentials - first arrived in the region back in 1993. From a single store in the UAE’s Burjuman Centre, Giordano has since grown to become a much-loved regional retail staple and today has 250 stores across the Gulf and into South and Central Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. So successful has the brand been that the company’s international market expansion is now being handled from the Middle East, with Giordano reaching its target of 250 stores two years ahead of projection. Recent openings include flagship stores in Red Sea Mall, Jeddah and Mall of Dhahran in Saudi Arabia, Dolmen Mall in Karachi, Pakistan as well as new shops in Beirut City Centre in Beirut, Lebanon and Tblisi Mall in Tblisi, Georgia.

One reason for the brand’s success with local consumers is its consistency, and this is a quality that extends far beyond the clothes it sells.

“As we celebrate our 20th year here in the Middle East, we can look back on our modest beginnings when we opened our first store in 1993 and see just how far we’ve come. The consistent and sustainable growth of Giordano in the region is testament to the strength of our brand and our products; but most of all it is proof of the skills and dedication of our people, at every level of the company, and to our loyal customers. A clear mark of our success is the trust bestowed upon us by our growing customer base, year-on-year. As we celebrate our 20th birthday in

our new flagship store in The Dubai Mall, we have an incredible new setting that illustrates how much we have achieved.

“Looking back, I could not have predicted just how far we have come in two decades – our team, the Giordano brand, the malls, and continuous opportunities for expansion across the region. I would like to express our gratitude for the support of the Government and local authorities in each of the countries in which we operate for providing us the environment needed to thrive. It is a real cause for celebration,” said Ishwar Chugani, Managing Director of Giordano Middle East FZE and Executive Director of Giordano International.

Giordano’s new flagship Middle East store in The Dubai Mall redefines simplicity and embraces classic, polished and refined design. Space is maximized for product displays and customer interaction; including wider entrances and larger, more comfortable fitting rooms. Products are also presented in three different ways for customers’ easy visualization of style. Wood accents have been added to increase the feeling of warmth and natural space. Energy-efficient lights enhance the customer experience while minimizing the store’s carbon footprint.

“Our new shop design will roll out across all Giordano stores,” added Chugani. “Giordano will continue to strengthen our commitment to bringing high-quality retail apparel closer to our customers – through our stores and online.” Giordano International, the parent company of Giordano Middle East, is on a global expansion drive. The company now operates 2,800 stores in 40 countries and has recently opened one of its largest flagship store measuring 8,000 sq. ft in the Suntec Mall, Singapore.

39

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

LIFESTYLE

Kashmir

F e a t u r e s

Cashmere, Pashmina industries fading in

I

n his two-room wooden house high in the beautiful Grace Valley in Kashmir, Hidayat Ullah weaves at a manual paddle loom. Asked how he learned the craft, he gestures to a frail, wizened old man coughing on a bed in the corner. “I got this skill from my father, but now my son is not taking up this profession. He prefers to work in the fields and sometimes also works as a labourer—it’s better money than the loom,” Hidayat Ullah told AFP. Weavers have produced exquisite shawls in Kashmir for centuries, but their craft risks dying out in the face of cheap foreign imports and a young generation uninterested in mastering the skill.

A flock of Pashmina goats brought from high altitude Changthang area of Ladakh for experimental purposes graze in the Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST ) campus outside Srinagar.

A Pashmina goat is pictured.

Kashmir gave its name to the soft cashmere wool that commands huge prices in the West, but in Hidayat Ullah’s village there are now only 10 paddle looms, known as khadis, where once there were 100. Cashmere scarves and sweaters sell for hundreds of dollars in the developed world but Hidayat Ullah takes only 3,000 rupees -- $30 -- for the 15 days’ labor needed to make a single shawl.

For centuries the people of Grace Valley in the Pakistani-administered part of the Himalayan territory lived off their livestock, taking their animals up to high pastures in summer and bringing them down in September to shear them and spin the wool. As snow blanketed the valley for the long months of winter, villagers confined indoors wove shawls, embroidering colorful patterns by hand before selling them in the spring as the emerald slopes returned to life. Now demand among locals is collapsing. “A handwoven shawl costs 10,000 rupees ($100) while you can get the same kind of shawl in the markets for 2,000 to 3,000 rupees,” weaver Zeenat Bibi, 32, told AFP. Bibi makes shawls with her fatherin-law but says no one else in the family is interested in learning. “I have a 10-year-old daughter, who asks me why I waste my time doing this strange old job,” she said. In the past, the isolation of the area helped local craftsmen as it was difficult to bring in goods from outside. Now, as communications open up, things are changing. “These days second-hand clothes with new designs, good material and at cheaper prices are available, so they want to buy these and this old tradition is diminishing day by day,” said

Fatima Yaqoob, a lecturer at the Arts and Cultural University of Azad Kashmir.

Government help is needed to modernize the industry—in particular to switch from manual to power looms—and encourage more people to go into it, she said. In India, the government has already stepped in to minimize the impact of similar problems affecting the traditional artisans who make beautiful shawls from special wool from the Pashmina goat. It has secured a GI (Geographical Indication under WTO) mark for the fabric and the process of shawl making and set up a testing laboratory in Srinagar, the capital of Indian-administered Kashmir. Pashmina goats are reared by nomads in the Changthang area of Indian Kashmir’s Ladakh, at an altitude of more than 14,000 feet (4,250 meters) where winter temperatures can plummet to minus 50 degrees Celsius. The finest Pashmina wool is hand-spun into shawls, usually by women. Artisans then embroider them with intricate designs for a finished product that can cost thousands of dollars in the West. Thousands of Indian Kashmiris are involved in the Pashmina trade, but scarce raw materials and an explosion in fakes worries artisans and traders, and many have quit the profession.

“The term Kashmir Pashmina is being misused by very many people around the world,” said M. S. Farooqi, who heads the Craft Development Institute in Srinagar. “The craft of Pashmina making has such a historical context, exquisiteness and uniqueness that it is a coveted product worldwide... and GI will help bring

it back to the people and the region it belongs to,” Farooqi said. “Kashmir Pashmina will now be branded as that and restored to the original creators of the craft.”But the younger generation are abandoning Pashminas for jobs with the government or in the construction industry in Ladakh.

Last winter some 25,000 Pashmina goats perished in Changthang in unusually cold weather when their fodder froze under a thick icy layer of snow and land routes to the area were cut off for weeks. Scientists at the Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology or SKUAST in Kashmir last year succeeded in making a clone of the Pashmina goat, which was called Noori. The aim is to increase productivity of the Pashmina yielding goats and to send male clones into the environment to breed naturally.—AFP

Mohammad Sadiq Wani, a seller of the finest Kashmir handicraft products displays a high quality hand-embroidered Pashmina shawl at his shop in Srinagar. –AFP photos

A woman spins Pashmina yarn by hand at the Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST ) campus outside Srinagar.

An expert displays a Geotag that is attached to tested genuine Kashmir Pashminashawls in Srinagar.

A woman spins Pashmina yarn by hand on a traditional spinning wheel at the Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST ) campus outside Srinagar.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi to open

7 days a week from September

A

drenaline junkies from the GCC can get their speed fix every day of the week as Ferrari World Abu Dhabi moves to a seven-day operation starting September 30th, 2013. The move – which was first announced during Arabian Travel Market last May – will see the world’s largest indoor and only Ferraribranded theme park open all week long, including Mondays when the Park normally closes to the public.

“Our move to a 365-days-a-year operation was prompted by the growing entertainment demand on Yas Island, which is now firmly established as a regional leisure destination,” said Mike Oswald, General Manager, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi. “We opened on several Mondays in the past to meet high demand during major holiday seasons and the response from visitors and travel partners was very positive. The seven-day operation also fits perfectly with the continuous entertainment offering available on Yas Island through other key attractions such as YasWaterworld.”

In the past the extended offering proved particularly popular with visitors from the GCC who continue to rank among the biggest visitor groups to the theme park, with Saudis and Kuwaitis numbering among the largest contingents.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi is a signature attraction of

Yas Island and one of the most iconic structures within a highly concentrated entertainment offering which includes another mega theme park –YasWaterworld Abu Dhabi, a wide range of excellent hotels, a world-class golf course, a Formula 1 racing circuit and a concert arena hosting world-class musical events.

Guests are sure to have a memorable experience at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi with more than 20 Ferrariinspired rides and attractions designed to inspire people of all ages to find their drive, test their threshold for thrills and emerge winners. From state-of-the-art multi-sensory attractions such as Viaggio in Italia and Speed of Magic, to truly spine-tingling rides such as Formula Rossa, fun family rides such as Fiorano GT Challenge and Bell’ Italia, and hearty Italian restaurants such as Mamma Rossella, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi has something to thrill everyone.

Cashmere, Pashmina industries fading in Kashmir

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

39

MissAmerica crowns first winner of

Indian heritage T

Contestants walk on the runway during the Miss America 2014 pageant, Sunday. he Miss America pageant has crowned its first winner of Indian heritage. Moments after winning the 2014 crown, 24-year-old Nina Davuluri described how delighted she is that the nearly century-old pageant sees beauty and talent of all kinds. “I’m so happy this organization has embraced diversity,” she said in her first press conference after winning the crown in Atlantic City, New Jersey’s Boardwalk Hall. “I’m thankful there are children watching at home who can finally relate to a new Miss America.”

The 24-year-old Miss New York’s talent routine was a Bollywood fusion dance. The native of Syracuse, New York wants to be a doctor, and is applying to medical school, with the help of a $50,000 (38,000) scholarship she won as part of the pageant title. She is the second consecutive Miss New York to win the Miss America crown, succeeding Mallory Hagan, who was selected in January when the pageant was still held in Las Vegas. The Miss America Organization will compensate Hagan for her shortened reign. Davuluri’s victory led to some negative comments on Twitter from users upset that someone of Indian heritage had won the pageant. She brushed those aside.

Miss America 2014 contestant Miss New York Nina Davuluri wins the 2014 Miss America Competition at Boardwalk Hall Arena on September 15, 2013 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. – AP/AFP photos

Miss America 2014 contestant Miss New York Nina Davuluri (in front) is crowned 2014 Miss America by 2013 Miss America Mallory Hagan.

Miss America 2014 contestant Miss New York Nina Davuluri performs in the talent portion of the 2014 Miss America Competition.

Miss New York Nina Davuluri poses for photographers after being crowned as Miss America 2014.

Miss Puerto Rico Collegiate Shaina Millan waits in the lobby of Boardwalk Hall before the Miss America 2014 pageant.

Miss World organizer attacks government for venue change T

he billionaire media mogul who brought Miss World to Indonesia lashed out at the government yesterday for bowing to Muslim hardline pressure by moving the entire beauty pageant to Bali. But Hary Tanoesoedibjo, head of MNC media group, the local organizer of the event, conceded the whole contest would now be held on the Hindu-majority island as there was no other option but to follow the authorities’ orders. Organizers originally planned to hold only the early rounds on Bali and later rounds and the final in and around the capital Jakarta, where there is considerable hardline influence.

But days of Islamic radical protests across Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, prompted the government to order the whole three-week pageant take place on Bali.

The authorities announced the decision on September 7 -- just a day before the competition got under way. MNC claimed last week it would be “impossible” to move the entire contest to Bali at such short notice and sought to lobby the government to change the decision.

But Tanoesoedibjo said today the decision was now final and they would find a way to do it—but he added he was “disappointed” at the move as it could further tarnish Indonesia’s reputation. “This will create the perception that we are not strong enough and that a decision can instantly be changed just because of some kind of pressure,” said the mogul, who has a fortune of $1.7 billion, according to Forbes. Authorities in Indonesia have changed or cancelled events in the past due to opposition from Islamic radicals—most notably in the case of pop star Lady Gaga who called off a show in Jakarta last year following protests.—AFP

In this handout photograph released by Miss World yesterday the 130 contestants from the Miss World 2013 beauty pageant pose at the GWK cultural center in Bali on September 13.—AFP

“I have to rise above that,” she said. “I always viewed myself as first and foremost American.” Her grandmother told The Associated Press that she cried when she saw the news on television. I am very, very, happy for the girl. It was her dream and it was fulfilled,” 89-year-old V Koteshwaramma said by phone from her home in the city of Vijaywada, in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. She said there are numerous doctors in the family, both in the US and India, and that if her granddaughter wants to become one “I am sure she will do it.”

Davuluri had planned to go to the scene of a devastating boardwalk fire in the New Jersey communities of Seaside Park and Seaside Heights yesterday afternoon. But pageant officials canceled that visit after learning that Gov Chris Christie was making cabinet officials available at that same time to business owners victimized by the fire. Davuluri will visit at an unscheduled future date, pageant officials said yesterday. She will still make the traditional frolic in the Atlantic City surf. Her first runner-up was Miss California, Crystal Lee. Other top 5 finalists included Miss Minnesota, Rebecca Yeh; Miss Florida, Myrrhanda Jones, and Miss Oklahoma, Kelsey Griswold. In the run-up to the pageant, much attention was given to Miss Kansas, Theresa Vail, the Army sergeant who was believed to have been the first Miss America contestant to openly display tattoos. She has the Serenity Prayer on her rib cage, and a smaller military insignia on the back of one shoulder. Vail won a nationwide “America’s Choice” vote to advance as a semi-finalist, but failed to make it into the Top 10.—AP

Miss America 2014 co-host TV personality Chris Harrison shakes hands with judge singer Lance Bass during the Miss America Competition at Boardwalk Hall Arena.