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CR IP TI ON BS SU

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

Europeans oppose Syria intervention

Businessmen lose KD 150,000 to hacker

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THULQADA 13, 1434 AH

BlackBerry unveils Z30 smartphone

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Moscow denounces UN findings on Syria Assad thanks Russia for help against ‘savage attack’

MAALULA, Syria: A six picture combo from top left to bottom right shows AFP reporter Sammy Ketz, taking cover as a Syrian soldier runs past during a snipper fire in Syria’s ancient Christian town of Maalula yesterday. Ketz and a photographer were reporting on the town which lies around 55 kilometers from Damascus and which is strategically important for rebels, who are trying to tighten their grip on Damascus. — AFP

Max 43 º Min 25º High Tide 11:37 Low Tide 05:38 & 18:12

MOSCOW: Russia denounced UN investigators’ findings on a poison gas attack in Syria as preconceived and tainted by politics yesterday, stepping up its criticism of a report Western nations said proved President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces were responsible. Russia, which has veto power in the Security Council, could cite such doubts about proof of culpability in opposing future efforts by the United States, Britain and France to punish Syria for any violations of a deal to abandon chemical weapons.

“We are disappointed, to put it mildly, about the approach taken by the UN secretariat and the UN inspectors, who prepared the report selectively and incompletely,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the state -run Russian news agency RIA in Damascus. “Without receiving a full picture of what is happening here, it is impossible to call the nature of the conclusions reached by the UN experts ... anything but politicized, preconceived and one-sided,” said Ryabkov, who met Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Moualem yesterday.

The report issued on Monday confirmed the nerve agent sarin was used in the Aug 21 attack but did not assign blame. Britain, France and the United States said it confirmed Syria’s government, not rebels as Russia has suggested, was behind it. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday the investigation was incomplete without examination of evidence from other sources and that suspicions of chemical use after Aug. 21 should also be investigated. Ryabkov said Syrian authorities had given him alleged evidence of Continued on Page 13

UK steps up Islamic Bahrain’s oppn suspends talks finance ambitions Traffic fine? No

KUALA LUMPUR: Britain is encouraging banks through a task force to establish sharia-compliant products, aiming to position London as a Western hub for a fastgrowing Islamic finance sector that is expected to reach $2.6 trillion by 2017.

Aiming to build on London’s status as a leading exporter of financial services, Britain hopes to step up the challenge to Islamic finance centers such as Dubai and Kuala Lumpur.

“We want to be the leading (Islamic) finance sector outside of the Muslim world,” deputy mayor of London Edward Lister said in a press conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Islamic finance follows religious principles such as bans on interest and gambling, and is playing an increasingly prominent role internationally as often oil and gas-rich investors from Islamic countries put more of their money to work overseas.

Britain’s Islamic finance task force, established in March, is led by several ministers and industry figures as well as top executives from Gatehouse Bank and Oakstone Merchant Bank Ltd. It was launched ahead of London hosting the World Islamic Economic Forum in October and its mandate is to facilitate Islamic financial business, including investment in British infrastructure by Islamic sovereign wealth funds.

The forum, which saw 28 billion ringgit

($8.6 billion) worth of deals inked last year, is being held outside an Islamic city for the first time. Islamic finance has already played a role in several major deals in London, with Qatari investors taking part in funding the city’s Shard tower, Harrod’s department store and the athletes’ village used for last year’s summer Olympics.

A Malaysian consortium is also spearheading the redevelopment of London’s Battersea power station, after acquiring the site for 400 million pounds last year.

Malaysia is the second largest investor in London’s real estate market behind the United States. “The task force has just started and its aim is to make it easier for banks in London to have Islamic products, which is still quite a new concept to any of them,” Lister said. “Only now people are beginning to understand what the products actually mean and how they comply ... What you will see is a lot of companies introducing those products.”

Maybank Islamic, an arm of Malaysia’s largest bank Malayan Banking Bhd, has launched a sterling-denominated and sharia-compliant mortgage product for high net-worth Malaysians looking to invest in London’s real estate market.

Britain currently has 22 financial institutions, including five fully sharia-compliant banks, offering Islamic finance products.

They are supported by 30 London law firms offering expertise on the sector. — Reuters

9,404 Kuwait marriages, 4,067 divorces in 2012

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Civil ID renewal

By A Saleh KUWAIT: The Interior Ministry said that expats’ iqamas will not be renewed until they pay their traffic fines. A statement read that the immigration and traffic department agreed to create a website to implement the new decision.

BAHRAIN: Bahrain’s largest opposition party yesterday suspended its participation in talks with the government aimed at ending 2-1/2 years of political turmoil in protest at the arrest of its deputy leader. Al Wefaq was responding to an announcement by the public prosecutor of the Gulf Arab kingdom that Khalil AlMarzouq would be held for 30 days while being investigated for inciting terrorism in a series of speeches.

In a statement, Al Wefaq, an Islamist group that says it advocates non-violent

methods, said it would temporarily boycott a so-called national dialogue aimed at resolving a crisis that began with mass pro-democracy protests in February 2011. The group would keep its position under constant review “in light of political and human rights developments on the ground”. The talks began in February but have become bogged down in procedural issues in an atmosphere of mutual mistrust, with little apparent narrowing of differences on the opposition’s Continued on Page 13

hair in tablet? drugmaker under fire WASHINGTON: During a visit to a facility of leading Indian drugmaker Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd last year, US inspectors found that a black fiber embedded in a tablet may have been a hair from an employee’s arm, according to documents seen

by Reuters. That and other quality concerns led the US Food and Drug Administration to impose an “import alert” on its Mohali plant last week, saying the factory owned by India’s biggest drugmaker by sales had not ensured manufacturing quality.

Ranbaxy, which is 63.5 percent-owned by Japan’s Daiichi Sankyo Co and gets more than 40 percent of its sales from the United States, did not immediately respond to a request yesterday for comment on the FDA observations. The FDA’s action has dealt another blow to an Indian generic drug industry battered by a rash of American regulatory rebukes and as US demand for generics grows, especially under President Barack Obama’s new healthcare program.

Continued on Page 13

DAIH: A Bahraini anti-government protester holds a crowbar during clashes with riot police in Daih, Bahrain. — AP

Nigerian crowned Miss Muslimah Muslim beauty pageant challenges Miss World

JAKARTA: Contestant of the Muslimah World Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola (left) of Nigeria is crowned by Indonesian Muslimah 2012 during the Muslimah World competition in Jakarta yesterday. — AFP

JAKARTA: A Nigerian woman tearfully prayed and recited Quranic verses as she won a beauty pageant exclusively for Muslim women in the Indonesian capital yesterday, a riposte to the Miss World contest that has sparked hardline anger.

The 20 finalists, who were all required to wear headscarves, put on a glittering show for the final of Muslimah World, strolling up and down a catwalk in elaborately embroidered dresses and stilettos.

But the contestants from six countries were covered from head to foot, and as well as beauty they were judged on how well they recited Quranic verses and their views on Islam in the modern world.

After a show in front of an audience of

mainly religious scholars and devout Muslims, a panel of judges picked Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola from Nigeria as the winner.

While the event in a Jakarta shopping mall paled in comparison to Miss World on the resort island of Bali, in which scores of contestants are competing, Ajibola was nevertheless overwhelmed.

Upon hearing her name, the 21-year-old knelt down and prayed, then wept as she recited a Quranic verse. She said it was “thanks to almighty Allah” that she had won the contest.

She received 25 million rupiah ($2,200) and trips to Makkah and India as prizes. Ajibola said before the final that

the event “was not really about competition”. “We’re just trying to show the world that Islam is beautiful,” she said.

Organizers said the pageant challenged the idea of beauty put forward by the British-run Miss World pageant, and also showed that opposition to the event could be expressed non-violently.

Eka Shanti, who founded the pageant three years ago after losing her job as a TV news anchor for refusing to remove her headscarf, bills the contest as “Islam’s answer to Miss World”. “This year we deliberately held our event just before the Miss World final to show that there are alternative role models for Muslim women,” she said. — (See Page 39)

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

LOCAL

Two businessmen lose KD 150,000 to hacker Pregnant woman attempts suicide KUWAIT: Two businessmen in Kuwait lost KD 150,000 after receiving e-mails from a regular client in South Africa which were actually sent by a hacker. The two men, a Kuwaiti and a Lebanese national, who trade in fruits and vegetables sent the money to new bank accounts in South Africa and the Netherlands based on what they believed was their clientís request. Soon afterwards, they received text messages from their client warning them that his e-mail account had been hacked, and told them to ignore any letter they receive from the same account. Since the damage was already done by then, the two businessmen were left with no other choice but to report the incident at the Sulaibiya police station.

Suicide attempt A pregnant woman was hospitalized in a critical condition following a suicide attempt, but doctors managed to stabilize her condition in time and save her pregnancy. An ambulance rushed to a house in Jahra where the woman fell sick, and it was soon discovered that she had consumed 30 sedative pills which belonged to her husband. The woman, who is in her twenties and was five months pregnant,

underwent an urgent operation after which her condition gradually improved. She spoke with officers after she was discharged from the intensive care unit, and confirmed that domestic disputes drove her to attempt suicide. Her husband confirmed the story during questioning and gave police a prescription for the sedatives he received from the Psychological Medicine Hospital. An attempted suicide case was filed at the Jahra police station.

Fake policemen Four teenagers were arrested for impersonating police officers as investigations are ongoing to determine their motives. Police headed to a location in Saad Al-Abdullah Tuesday when a man reported witnessing four juveniles in casual clothing setting up a checkpoint at a street. The four were placed under arrest and police found out that they are aged between 15 and 18. They were referred to the Juveniles Protection Department where they are held.

Fatal crash A man died in an accident reported on Tuesday at the King Fahad Highway and an investigation was

underway. Paramedics and police arrived at the scene where the manís car reportedly lost balance and overturned. The Indian driver was pronounced dead at the scene and the body was taken to the forensic department. Investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances which led to the accident.

Unlicensed weapons Twelve men were arrested with unlicensed weapons during a security crackdown in Al-Sabbiya.

The operation which primarily targeted illegal hunting in Jahraís desert also saw 17 people arrested for failing to carry IDs and 4 others for intoxication, while 9 vehicles were impounded.

Passenger questioned A man was briefly detained at the Kuwait International Airport and was later allowed to catch his flight after agreeing to give up a bullet which was found in his luggage. The American man told officers that he was taking the bullet which was spotted during luggage X-Ray screening as a souvenir. Police allowed the man to board his plane back home after brief questioning.

Al-Hashem testifies in libel case against Speaker KUWAIT: Immigration detectives arrested an African gang for harboring absconding maids and violating iqama. The arrest was made following a tip-off that the gang deployed the girls for housework. About 15 men and 40 women were arrested and taken to the immigration detectives department. — Photos by Hanan Al-Saadoun

Inflation largely unaffected by Ramadan KUWAIT: The Consumer Price Index went up by 2.9 percent y/y in July, slowing slightly from its 3.0 percent pace in June. The softness in inflation was a result of a lower-thanexpected rise in food prices, which often rise sharply during Ramadan (which began in July this year), a weekly report by the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) showed here yesterday.

However, it is possible that food price hikes will show up in the August figures, reversing the good news from July. Outside of the food component, the inflation figures were relatively benign, it said.

Encouragingly, “core” inflation - which excludes food prices - remains even lower than the headline rate, slowing to 2.2 percent from 2.4 percent in June.

Prices of food and beverages rose by 5.4 percent y/y in July, down from 5.8 percent in June. Prices went up 0.5 percent m/m, a lessthan-typical amount for the start of Ramadan.

Slowing food price inflation was also the main cause of the 0.1 percent point drop in inflation from its June rate. Even if food price inflation rebounds somewhat in the August data, it may still trend lower for the remainder of the year, given trends in international food

prices. This suggests that although it will remain an upward source of inflationary pressure, its impact will wane.

Elsewhere, a small increase in inflation in the furnishing and household maintenance segment (up 2.8 percent y/y in July, from 2.7 percent in June) was more than offset by a drop in inflation in the smaller segment “miscellaneous goods and services” (including items such as cosmetics and jewelry), it said.

Inflation in the education component was unchanged from June, at 0.2 percent y/y.

Inflation in this segment has moved little of late, but sometimes emerges later in the year as changes in education fees come into effect.

Similarly, deflationary pressures in the clothing & footwear segment - where prices are currently falling by 0.5 percent y/y - may start to reverse. Despite the prospect of modest rises in inflation ahead in certain “core” segments, broader inflationary pressures are expected to remain contained over the next year due to an expected continued deceleration in food price inflation, the report concluded . — KUNA

Kuwait environmental portal attracts int’l recognition KUWAIT: The national project known as “Beatona” which is the official environment portal for Kuwait posts a great deal of information on the subject of the environment in the country, said an official today, marking Kuwait’s winning the award for Informatics for 2013.

Acting director of the environmental protection agency (EPA) Muhammad Al-Enizi told a press conference held here to celebrate bagging the award that Beatona (which in Arabic means our environment) is an online portal that serves the government agencies, ministries, and civil society at large to garner facts, charts, and statistics, and general information regarding all aspects of the environment in Kuwait. It does that in a

highly technical and visually appealing manner, he said.

The official state portal Beatona has been one of seven Kuwaiti technological participations vying for the coveted Informatics award for 2013, said secretary general for the Kuwait Electronics Award and member of the panel of judges at the international Informatics award for 2013 Manar al-Hashash. She stressed the fact that Information Technology as a whole was enormously supported by the government of Kuwait and its civic institutions and national organizations.

The portal Beatona will be honored at a special ceremony to be held in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka in October, to be attended by that country’s head of state. —- KUNA

By A Saleh KUWAIT: The Public Prosecution summoned MP Safa Al-Hashem yesterday to give her testimony in a case in which she accuses Parliament Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem of libel. The case was filed over statements in which Al-Ghanem claimed that there are lawmakers who receive bribes to make certain inflammatory comments. The fact that he used a feminine Arabic proverb to refer to the allegedly corrupt MPs led Al-Hashem, one of two female MPs with longtime lawmaker Maasouma Al-Mubarak, to file the case.

According to sources, Al-Hashem arrived at the Public Prosecution with her lawyer Salah Al-Hashem, and handed officers a recording of the press conference where Al-Ghanem made his controversial statements. The Public Prosecution is expected to summon Al-Ghanem at a later date to hear his version of the story.

In other news, the parliament’s financial committee discussed amendments proposed by the Central Bank of Kuwait to open branches for foreign banks operating in Kuwait. The panel expressed approval on the project in principle ‘as long as it does not negatively affect local banks’, said committee chairman Faisal Al-Shaya, who added that the amendments need the parliament’s approval.

On a separate note, several MPs hinted about possible grilling motions that could be filed soon after the parliament resumes sessions on October 29.

‘There are many issues in the state that require questioning against the relevant ministers’, said MP Khalil Abdullah. Meanwhile, MP Osama Al-Tahous threatened to file a grilling against Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Thekra Al-Rashidi for failing to answer his questions regarding alleged mistreatment of residents at social care homes.

MP Riyadh Al-Adasani announced that he plans to file a grilling against Prime Minister HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah if the Cabinet’s work program which is set to be presented to the parliament following the summer recess ‘did not include proposed solutions for the housing crisis’. Shortage in land and housing projects topped a list of priorities that Parliament Speaker Al-Ghanem announced last Monday following a public survey.

MP Dr Mohammad Al-Huwailah, in the meantime, blamed ‘people with influence’ for holding back solution while MP Yaqoub Al-Sane proposed relocating stables, livestock farms and industrial facilities in Kabd to free lands to be used for housing projects.

Meanwhile, MP Ali Al-Omair sent a question to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah about rumors speculating that Kuwait granted Russia a $4 billion loan less than

Kuwait implements anti-doping treaty KUWAIT: A special national committee conducts medical tests to national athletes on regular basis in implementation of the International Convention Against Doping in Sports, said a senior sports official yesterday.

The national committee for combating doping examines the athletes who take part in local tournaments and take punitive action against offenders, said Faisal Al-Jazzaf, Chairman and Director-General of the Public Authority for Youth and Sports, in a statement prior to his flight to Paris to take part in the international conference for discussing antidoping measures in sports, due on September 1920. A bill, prepared by PAYS, to proclaim the committee as an official entity has been submitted to the cabinet for endorsement, he said.

Elaborating, Al-Jazzaf said the authority would host the 11th meeting of the Anti-Doping Regional Organization of the GCC and Yemen in October for experience exchange and examining anti-doping measures in the regional countries.

On the Paris conference, he said the participants would examine states’ abidance by the international treaty. — KUNA

two weeks ago. In a list of questions made available to the press yesterday, Al-Omair asked the minister to either confirm or deny the news, and explain whether Kuwait’s economic condition allows for a loan of this magnitude to be given, if the rumors are to be believed.

Also yesterday, MP Maasouma Al-Mubarak sent questions to Minister of Public Works Abdul-Aziz AlIbrahim regarding recent news that indicated that the ministry canceled tenders for renovation projects at the Ibn Sina maternity, Al-Razi and pediatric hospitals. Meanwhile, MP Dr Abdurrahman Al-Jeeran urged Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khalid Al-Sabah to ëtighten control’ over cafes and game rooms around the country against immoral behavior. In the meantime, MP Abdullah Al-Tamimi launched a stern attack against the Ministry of Commerce and Industry as well as retail markets in Kuwait who he accused of raising stationary prices uncontrollably and simultaneously with the beginning of the school year.

Separately, MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji applauded Minister of Education Dr Nayef Al-Hajraf for ‘his quick response’ with regard to recent decisions to refer senior ministry officials to retirement. Al-Turaiji said that the decisions were taken after ‘the minister was provided with documents that proved violations committed on by officials’.

Majority of Middle East managers ‘hired online’ DUBAI: Around 98 per cent of job applicants in senior management positions across the Middle East applied online for potential openings, according to a study by recruitment solutions consultancy Cazar.

Contrary to popular belief, the study found that senior candidates prefer to engage directly with potential employers online.

Companies’ dedicated career websites received around 65 per cent of the applications for senior positions, while job boards received around 29 per cent of the applications. LinkedIn was the third biggest source for job seekers.

The report examined the trends adopted by the companies in the Middle East when hiring senior management across sectors including retail, construction, banking, transport, IT, media and telecoms. Applications for senior positions were found to be almost double the number for mid-level and entry-level positions. While a single senior position vacancy attracted an average of 566 applicants, a regular vacancy drew in around 274 job seekers. There has been a 70 per cent rise in applications for management positions since 2011, the report said, adding that the increase could be attributed to the current economic climate and the popularity of online searches for jobs. The candidates’ preference to look online for employment is also reflected in the hiring trends.

Majority of the candidates (38 per cent) hired

for senior positions across the region were employed from the company’s career website.

This reaffirmed that good quality candidates see a benefit in engaging directly with the employers, the study said. Around 22 per cent of the senior candidates were hired through the company’s talent pool while internal promotions were also successful with 14 per cent of the management recruits hired via this channel.

The study also found that the most efficient way for senior management candidates to get hired is through professional networking and employee referrals. Around 37 per cent of the recruitment happened through professional networking while 27 per cent of senior managers were hired through employee referrals.

“Quality senior candidate know who they want to work for, so they directly go on those employers’ career website. That is why it is so essential for these companies to present content that is attractive to potential applicants,” said Guy Rickett, CEO, Cazar. But Rickett said that just adding a career page is not just enough to attract quality talent since candidates want to engage with their employers. “Having a good talent pool should be every employer’s objective. It is the fastest, easiest and most cost-efficient recruitment method. Especially, in the case of senior roles, it drastically cuts agency costs and can slash hiring time by 50 per cent,” said Rickett.

BEIRUT: Volunteers of the Al-Rahmah International Society distributing relief aid to Syrian refugees in Lebanon yesterday.

‘Firm, determined’ position on Syria PARIS: French President Francois Hollande yesterday held talks here with Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid Al-Attiyah to discuss the Syrian crisis and both men agreed on the need for “a firm and determined” stance on this issue.

A diplomatic source close to the talks said that the Qatari official had thanked President Hollande for his role in preparing a UN resolution on the Syrian chemical weapons issue.

Qatar said that the disarmament of the Syrian regime in this context “should take place through a binding resolution in the Security Council.”

Both sides agreed on this approach, the source said, and on “the need to maintain a firm position”

vis-a-vis Syria. They underlined their “great convergence of views” on the Syrian question.

Al-Attiyah’s visit comes after intensive consultations between Foreign Ministers of France, the US and Britain, and indeed in close collaboration with President Hollande, who met the Foreign Ministers of the “P3” on Monday here.

France is entering UN Security Council negotiations “in good faith” and is hoping for full cooperation by all members, particularly Syria’s ally, Russia.

Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius is in Moscow on Tuesday to try to convince the Russians of the need for a “binding resolution” with “serious consequences” for Syria in the case of non-compliance by

Damascus. But Russia is not inclined to accept a resolution under Chapter VII that provides for automatic sanctions and “all necessary measures” to force compliance with the chemical disarmament agreement, reached last Friday between the US and Russia in Geneva.

The source remarked that Russia is a partner for France and a partner in the Security Council and added that negotiations will take place at the end of the week on the exact terms of the UN resolution on Syria. The discussions will address the Chapter VII application and also the sanctions in case Syria violates the agreements, the source said.

Concerning the UN experts’ report on Chemical

Weapons use on Aug 21 in Damascus, where as many as 1,500 died, the source said that France felt its position was bolstered by the report and it felt its position on the “exclusive responsibility” by the Syrian regime was strengthened.

France, Britain and the US all say that the Syrian regime is the culprit in using chemical weapons in the conflict. Lastly, the diplomat said that France agreed with the position of the US Secretary of State John Kerry, who stated on Monday that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad must be removed through the transitional, political process envisaged in the Geneva I talks which took place in June 2012. — KUNA

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

LOCAL

Sheikh Mubarak attends OANA General Assembly KUWAIT: Board Chairman and Director General of Kuwait News Agency Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaij Al-Ibrahim Al-Sabah headed to Moscow yesterday with a delegation of officials to attend the 15th General Assembly of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA), hosted by ITAR-TASS. The KUNA chairman noted it is of great importance to take part in OANA meetings to keep in touch with the latest in operation and mechanisms in news agencies in Asia and Australia. The meetings provide opportunity to exchange views and expertise in all areas and on all topics of common interest.

Topping issue to be discussed by the OANA assembly is confidence building and cooperation among OANA members and serious effort to keep up with the advancements in the fields of communication and internet applications to improve performance and output, he remarked. The attendees would also discuss the rise of social networks and online media as important and inescapable source for news content.

Among issues to be stressed during the meetings is the need to get informa-

tion and news pertaining to member states from OANA news sources, to guarantee reliability, credibility, and objectivity, Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaij remarked.

The sessions would also be an occasion to meet officials from GCC, Arab, and other news agencies and discuss means of bolstering cooperation with KUNA. KUNA joined the organization in the year 2000, and is contributing to the photo exhibit held on the sidelines of the General Assembly. The Kuwaiti contribution includes photos showing the progress in scientific, social, and economic life in the country till the present day.

Russian news agency ITAR-TASS is set to take over OANA three-year presidency from Turkey’s Anadolu News Agency.

The Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) was formed in 1961 on the initiative of UNESCO to secure direct and free exchange of news between the news agencies of a region inhabited by more than one half of the world’s population. At present, OANA brings together 40 news agencies from 33 countries, and OANA members are responsible for twothirds of information circulated throughout the world. — KUNA

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and his accompanying delegation depart Kuwait for New York yesterday.

Premier set to attend General Assembly session KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah departed Kuwait for New York on yesterday to attend as an envoy for HH the Amir the 68th General Assembly session.

The importance of attending the meeting was stressed as it ìmarks 50 years since Kuwait joined the General Assembly, to which it bore witness to many important accomplishments,î the prime minister said in a statement.

Separately on the local scale, Sheikh Jaber affirmed the importance of positive cooperation between the legislative and executive branches of government in the country in order to achieve

the aspirations of the people. ìAt the current stage, what is needed is the doubling of efforts and serious work between the National Assembly (parliament) and the cabinet, bearing in mind the benefit of the nation and its people, to support efforts for development aimed at improving the livelihood of people in the country, services and the national economy,î he said.

Bidding a farewell to the senior official at Kuwait International Airport was Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Sheikh

Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Oil Minister Mustafa Al-Shemali and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Sheikh Salem Abdulaziz Al-Sabah.

Also present were other sheikhs, ministers governors, advisors at the prime ministerís diwan, army, police and National Guard senior officers and leading officials.

The prime minister is being accompanied by Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Amiri Diwan Advisor Mohammad Abulhasan and officials from the Foreign Ministry and the Prime Ministerís Diwan. — KUNA

Kuwaitis move to other Gulf countries for jobs Improved professional opportunities

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Interior Ministry Assistant Undersecretary Maj Gen Abdulfattah Al-Ali (left) addressing the press conference. — Photo by Joseph Shagra

Govt projects aim to address traffic congestions: Al-Ali KUWAIT: The interior ministry plans to build bridges, expand existing roads and use modern technology to address traffic congestions and facilitate movement of vehicles in Kuwait. The ministry’s General Traffic Department is carrying out a national traffic strategy which includes giant projects dealing with flow of vehicles in streets, Assistant Undersecretary for Traffic Major-General Abdulfattah Al-Ali said.

He was speaking before a seminar coorganized by Kuwait Journalists Association (KJA) and the Traffic Safety Society about problems of traffic congestion in Kuwait and how to solve them.

Al-Ali said these projects were implemented by the ministry of public works and

would improve quality of road safety nationwide as well as facilitate traffic.

He highlighted important role of media to educate public about major role of policemen and traffic issues.

KJA Secretary General Faisal Al-Qinae said the most suitable solution for traffic was to boost awareness campaigns and spread proper traffic culture. Member of Traffic Safety society Dr. Khulood Al-Najjar said the society sought spread of traffic culture among public in order to minimize number of accidents. These events, she added, would contribute to boosting guidance and awareness about traffic matters with the objective of preserving lives of people and properties. — KUNA

KUWAIT: More and more Kuwaitis are searching for jobs in other GCC countries, motivated both by improved professional and social opportunities. The embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Kuwait also confirmed that they had recently been receiving an unusually high volume of telephone inquiries about work permits.

29-year-old Fatma, a divorced mother working in the private sector, has big ambitions. She is open to moving to either Dubai or Qatar for work: “If I received a good offer with similar benefits to what I receive here, I would definitely move. My conditions are a high salary, free housing and transportation, and free education for my two-year-old son,” she told the Kuwait Times.

She also likes the lifestyle in these countries. “Life there is modern and free, which suits me. I also think that it would be a good opportunity to develop professionally. I would gain experience and get in contact with people from different nationalities and

backgrounds: I’m not improving here. I will miss my family if I left, but I spend most of the day at work so either way, I don’t spend much time with them. Plus UAE and Qatar are close to Kuwait, so I could easily visit my family any time I like,” added Fatma.

23-year-old Khalid is currently unemployed and is waiting for his turn to be employed after he quits work. He is also interested in working in UAE, but not Qatar. “I would go immediately if they offered me double the salary that I was getting in my previous job as life there is more expensive than in Kuwait, where I’m living with my family and not paying any rent. I will have to leave my friends and social life here but I can visit my family frequently as Dubai is close by” he pointed out.

He prefers to try it out first. “I will try this new life for a few months first to see if it’s working or not. If I didn’t like it, I will go back.

I think I would like to work in Dubai as it’s more free than Kuwait and there are many places there to hang out with friends on weekends. I don’t know if social security is

AG hopeful regarding ‘judiciary independence’ law KUWAIT: Attorney General Dherar al-As’ousy hopes that the cabinet can soon finish reviewing the draft of a law, designed to grant full independence to the judiciary, in time for the bill to be discussed by parliament next term.

In a statement to Al-Jarida on Tuesday, AlAsousy explained that the draft law, which grants the full financial and administrative autonomy to the judicial system, was prepared by the Supreme Judicial Council before being referred to the Ministry of Justice. It was sent from there to the cabinet to be studied by legal committee there.

“The legal committee has put the discussion on hold for the time being but we that that it resumes the discussion so it can be sent on to parliament,” he said.

Al-Asousy also offered an explanation for the failure to hire 62 prosecutors promoted by the Supreme Judicial Council, including 22 women who, once appointed, will become the first female prosecutors in Kuwait’s history. Clarifying that “the candidates must first pass a course at the Legal Researchers Judiciary Institute, which was recently reduced from two years to one,” he added that

the 62 candidates are set to be hired in September 2014, provided that they pass the course. The Attorney General was also asked about ongoing investigations into vote-buying during elections held in July last year. “We expect the outcome of a number of cases to be announced within the next few days, when they will either be shelved or referred to the Criminal Court,” he said, while indicating further that the Public Prosecution had concluded investigations into six cases filed against four candidates, including one now in office.

KUWAIT: Farwaniya fire department held a mock exercise drill in Rehab polyclinic yesterday, led by Col Hussein Asad, director of Farwaniya fire department. The motive behind the exercise was to test how prepared the firemen are when they deal with a real blaze. The drill included a mock fire in Rehab medical center with people trapped inside with some casualties. The team reached the center in record time and two injured people were evacuated, except an employee. — By Hanan Al-Saadoun

available there and I need to do my research regarding that,” Khalid further said.

Nawaf, a 30-year-old Kuwaiti holds a good position at work and gets an additional income from his private business. “I’m satisfied here with my career, work, and life in general, so why should I go somewhere else?

Even if they offered me triple the salary, I won’t move anywhere,” he said.

Saleh is a 26-year-old telecommunication engineer who doesn’t mind moving to the UAE to work as he thinks that they don’t have wasta there.

“Here Kuwaitis are only employed through wasta or if they are from a big family. While there is no corruption in ministries and the parliament, people only care about themselves and aren’t bothered about others. The atmosphere there is similar to Kuwait and we have common traditions and customs so I can take my parents along with me. I hate the humidity in Dubai though. The salary should definitely be good and as a citizen of a GCC country, I believe I will have good rights there as well,” he stated.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

LOCAL ‘Flying ambulance soon...’

kuwait digest

Believe me they will make you fly with happiness

No time to waste

In my view

What’s taken us so long?

By Amina Semlani

F

By Labeed Abdal

Al-Anbaa

rom the exhilaration of popular revolution to the tragedy of on-going conflict, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has occupied a prominent place in the headlines. Yet there is another, often silent, drama that is not receiving the attention it deserves.

It is playing out in both rich and poor countries, albeit in different forms. A series of alarming statistics reveal a deterioration in the overall health of the people of the region. This trend is aggravated by underfunded public health systems that provide limited and low quality care.

MENA governments commit on average only eight percent of their national budgets to healthcare. This compares with an average of 17 percent in OECD countries. One significant consequence of this low spending is that individuals are made to shoulder the majority of the costs for care. It often forces households, poorer ones especially, into making the difficult choice between spending on health or other necessities, such as food and education.

In Yemen, the statistics for malnutrition and stunting have reached emergency proportions. Close to 60 per cent of children are stunted and are at increased risk of death due to malnutrition The region is currently paying a high social cost for the lack of attention paid to public health, and these costs will grow ever more severe in the absence of concerted action.

Obesity is nearing epidemic proportions in MENA, with some of the highest rates in the world.

In Egypt, half of all women are obese and one fifth of all men - landing them in the global top 20 for obesity. Among women, Kuwait ranks second globally with 55.2 per cent of its female population considered obese. Other Middle Eastern countries which made it to the Global Top 20 for female obesity include the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (42.0 percent), Bahrain (37.9 percent), and Jordan (37.9 percent).

The obesity rates are not much better for men. Within the top 20 countries globally, 29.6 percent of Kuwaiti men are obese followed closely by UAE (24.5 percent), Saudi Arabia (23.0 percent), and Bahrain (21.2 percent).

Obesity is closely linked to chronic diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. In fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death and disability in the Arab world, while high blood pressure is the second leading cause (and has been for the past 20 years).

At the same time, alongside obesity, there are high levels of child under/malnutrition and stunting across the region. In Egypt, 30 percent of children below five years of age are stunted, while 20 percent of children within the same age category are obese. The statistics also reveal significant regional inequalities, with children in rural areas experiencing higher rates of stunting compared to urban areas.

In Yemen, the statistics for malnutrition and stunting have reached emergency proportions. Close to 60 per cent of children are stunted and are at increased risk of death due to malnutrition. Other countries that have a high burden of child under/malnutrition include Morocco, Iraq, Libya and Syria.

While under-nutrition can threaten the lives of young children, it also has long-term effects such as impaired cognitive development. This can affect everything from school performance to productivity and earnings in later adult life.

Undernourished children may be particularly sensitive to weight gain as adults, with an increased risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Turning to young people in the region, and young men specifically, their main cause of death currently is road traffic accidents. In one year 35,900 young men died due to traffic injuries (2010). Although death due to traffic accidents is the third largest killer in the Arab world - for people of all ages - (a total of 73,500people of all ages perished in 2010) young people are disproportionally affected. Also a large killer of children after their first year of life, with the 3,950 casualties in 2010, road traffic accidents are robbing the region of its future generations!

The region is at a critical historical juncture and with it comes also a window of opportunity to transform its health systems - an opportunity to move from only treating sickness to instead focus on preserving and promoting health.

Depression is the leading cause of illness for women in MENA. It is especially women between the ages of 15 and 49 that are affected. In fact, the prevalence of depression among women in MENA is ranked higher than any other region.

While men in MENA are also more prone to depression, the percentage gap between men and women is higher in MENA than all other regions, with the exception of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Despite all of these daunting health challenges governments are not focusing on preventive interventions.

Prevention could result in tremendous future savings - but most importantly it could improve long-term health and protect people from future suffering. There are several factors that impact health, many of which lie outside the health sector itself, such as education, sanitation, roads, environment, etc. Preventive care can be achieved through policies aimed at behavioural risk factors.

The Arab world presents a good environment for successful prevention. The region has high literacy rates and relatively good media coverage; critical elements for effective, mass scale public information campaigns.

In addition, school enrolment rates are high so targeted school-based interventions on road safety, diet and nutrition etc. could work well. The challenges, therefore, are more about leadership, which is essential to establish the vision and strategies for effective public policies that advocate for better public health.

With low government spending on healthcare, households in the middle-income countries must cover almost 40 percent of all health care costs themselves. Patients in the low income countries have to cover a full 55 percent of healthcare costs out of their own pockets. Unfortunately, many cannot afford these medical expenses so people either chose to forgo much needed medical care or face impoverishment as a result.

The low public financing for health compromises both access and quality of care. Patient experiences at health facilities across the region are characterized by long waiting lines, absent providers, lack of privacy and informal payments.

Satisfaction with existing health services is very low regionwide. As one Egyptian woman expressed it: “A public hospital is where you lose your life...a private one is where you lose your money”.

In order to address the daunting challenges fair and accountable health systems have to be developed, according to a new World Bank strategy for engaging in health in MENA. Fairness - the absence of systematic disparities - could be achieved through prevention and care and the just distribution of the burden of costs according to people’s ability to pay. Accountability - responsibility and answerability- would require that services are effective, safe, cost-conscious, and patient-centred.

The region is at a critical historical juncture and with it comes also a window of opportunity to transform its health systems - an opportunity to move from only treating sickness to instead focus on preserving and promoting health. There is no time to waste.

local@kuwaittimes.net

S

omething needs to be done about the desperate situation faced by many expatriate workers in Kuwait.

We all know the story: a worker comes to Kuwait with the help of a sponsor in the hope of making a living. On arrival, however, it is common for workers to be subject to extremely long working hours, withheld wages and even physical or sexual abuse. To combat these issues, Kuwait would do well to copy the steps taken by other

kuwait digest

Sense and sensibility

By Dr Shamla Y Al-Essa

T

he sheer pace of developments in Syria is a have travelled to Syria to fight.

Young men have been travelling to Syria from the problem for any political analyst trying to make sense of things, let alone come up with a solu- Gulf to engage in jihad since the war began. The tion. With the Russian-American agreement to over- extreme violence with which peaceful anti-regime see the destruction of chemical weapon stockpiles, a demonstrations were suppressed led to thousands of militar y strike now no longer seems imminent: Syrian youths taking up arms against their governPresident Obama has asked Congress to postpone its ment. As time went on, anti-government rhetoric vote authorizing an attack and negotiations between acquired an increasingly religious character, appealKerry and Lavrov in Geneva seem to have been posi- ing not only to Syrians but attracting jihadist youth from throughout the Gulf. We witnessed legitimate tive.

The Syrian regime has announced that it is does not demands for democratic reform replaced by Islamic intend to hand over its chemical weapons for one month calls to re-establish the caliphate, distorting the original aspirations of the Free after signing the Chemical Army and the Syrian Weapons Convention, which it The Gulf states, which counted Syrian people itself. The Gulf states applied to join last Thursday, September 12. Turkey has on Western support for the Syrian and their Western allies are united in desiring peaceful warned that that the Russian proposal is merely an attempt people, now find themselves in an change in Syrian and are concerned by the to buy Assad time. GCC coununenviable position. Western pre- deeply appropriation of the resisttries issued a statement from Jeddah echoing these con- varication over military action has ance movement by jihadist youth segments lead by Alcerns and, stating that the crisis is not just a question of allowed government forces to con- Nusra and Al-Qaeda.

The longer this war conchemical weapons and the tinue to massacre its own people tinues, the more it threatattack on Ghouta, emphasized the need for an immediate half with conventional weapons while ens to tear apart the fabric f G u l f s o c i e t i e s. We a re to the killing and displacement the opposition, which the West has oseeing ex tremist sheik hs of Syrian civilians.

The Gulf states, which failed to arm, remains outgunned. and propagandists take to the pulpit of mosques counted on Western support t h ro u g h o u t Ku w a i t a n d for the Syrian people, now find themselves in an unenviable position. Western Saudi Arabia, collecting donations for these two prevarication over military action has allowed govern- jihadi organizations. As a consequence, both counment forces to continue to massacre its own people tries have tried to implement controls over preachwith conventional weapons while the opposition, i n g i n m o s q u e s. S o m e p re a c h e r s h ave b e e n banned and all sermons are now recorded. A prowhich the West has failed to arm, remains outgunned.

These countries have two further matters to deal longed conflict is not in the interest of moderate with. First is the presence of over two million Syrian Gulf and Arab regimes and a security-oriented refugees in neighbouring countries, in dire need of approach will not work. The solution is only to be humanitarian aid, especially as winter approaches. found in a sea-change in our culture. Religion must Second are the Islamic jihadists from the Gulf who have nothing to do with politics. —Al-Watan

kuwait digest

Beginning of a long road?

By Hassan Al-Essa

A

strong debate is currently ongoing in the West tors, threw Muslim Brotherhood oppositionists in jail regarding the position of the United States and announced Martial Law that took Egypt back to President Barack Obama on the Syrian crisis and even darker days than those of former president Hosni the military coup in Egypt (which liberals there like to Mubarak (the last phrases were from me, and not refer to as the ‘June 30 Revolution’). The heated argu- Diehl’s). ments of columnists and journalists are not affiliated to Obama tipped the scale. From the doctrine of interextreme rightist, leftist, new conservative, or neo-liberal vention and maintaining America’s global domination views. They are mostly connected to the American laid down by James Monroe, Theodore Roosevelt and President’s position and policies in the Middle East. Harry Truman, going through Ronald Reagan’s doctrine Furthermore, they also react of containing the Soviet Union, on Congressmen’s positions in now follows Obama’s Where do Arab countries go America the United States which vary policy of walking cautiously. between criticizing the ‘nega- from there? Horrifying tribal wars This policy cannot lead to the tive stand’ of the American behind religious and sectarian desired level of security administration by not punishregardless of the American ing the Syrian regime, and masks are raging in the region, administration’s justifications. If applauding the ‘wise step’ from Syria to Lebanon and Iraq, the soft policy was aimed at which help avoid repeating closing the jihadist Pandora the Iraqi or Afghani examples. and we could find them knocking Box in Syria, some believe that In his New York Times’ on our front doors soon enough. the policy is actually doing the columns, Nicholas Kristof who exact opposite. Failing to supis generally considered to be At the same time, these struggles port the moderate opposition closer to the left and an advo- help tyrant regimes strengthen in Syria left the door wide cate of humanitarian posiopen for Al-Qaeda members to tions, supports a military strike their hold on power for longer as join rebel fighters. Similarly, the against the Syrian regime from they feed off the ‘fear of the American position towards the the standpoint of ‘humanitarirule in Egypt could unknown future’ in the Arab military an intervention’. According to open the doors for jihadist him, while issues were faced in world. work in Egypt, and lead Iraq and Afghanistan, the oppressed parties to oppose NATO also played a critical role in ending human suffer- the ruling system even more intensely. ing in Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Kosovo and Bosnia.

Where do Arab countries go from there? Horrifying Meanwhile, Deputy Editorial Page Editor of The tribal wars behind religious and sectarian masks are ragWashington Post Jackson Diehl was unhesitant when he ing in the region, from Syria to Lebanon and Iraq, and criticized President Obama for ‘creating the doctrine’ of we could find them knocking on our front doors soon American non-intervention and indifference doctrine enough. At the same time, these struggles help tyrant when he (in Diehl’s words) “opposed spending some of regimes strengthen their hold on power for longer as his political capital on the Middle East’s crises”. On Egypt they feed off the ‘fear of the unknown future’ in the Arab for example, Diehl says that Obama was indecisive fol- world. Is it time to declare that the Arab Spring has lowing the coup and regarding the US aid to the new failed? Or are we still at the beginning of a very long and Egyptian regime that persecuted peaceful demonstra- difficult road? Time will tell. —Al-Jarida

The Manpower Authority must also play a more active role in keeping track of all workers who enter the country.Our international human rights ranking rightly reflects our continuing failure to deal with this problem. We need to mobilize.

Gulf countries.

One idea would be for the state to take the place of private sponsors, which would eliminate the web of private sponsors competing with each other in exploitation.

Effective penalties must be put in place. Organisations which deprive workers of their passports and keep them in cramped, unsanitary conditions must be blacklisted.

The Manpower Authority must also play a more active role in keeping track of all workers who enter the country. Our international human rights ranking rightly reflects our continuing failure to deal with this problem.

We need to mobilize. We must accept that the eyes of the world are on us and every day that we fail to act against the violators of human rights greatly damages our international standing.

It is vital that we form a new, active government body, with employees able to work in multiple languages, that will report directly to the government to bring violators of human rights to justice.

kuwait digest

A tale of two countries

By Ahmad Al-Sarraf

A

recent study has shown that Filipinos are the most sought-after workers by employers in the Gulf, a region which has traditionally relied on foreign manpower to support its industrial, technical and service sectors. Advantages of recruiting Filipinos are said to include their proficiency in English, strong work ethic and previous experience gained through training back home.

Over ten million Filipinos work abroad and send more than $22 billion back to the Philippines every

The Gulf ’s expatriate labor force is considerably diverse, with large populations of workers from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Nepal in addition to the Philippines. Of these countries, it is India and the Philippines where workers enjoy the best conditions and legal protection. year, constituting a vital contribution to the national economy. This expat community itself is spread across 45 countries, with particularly high populations in Italy (250,000), Japan (370,000), Indonesia (1 million) and the Middle East (2 million). The Gulf’s expatriate labor force is considerably diverse, with large populations of workers from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Nepal in addition to the Philippines. Of these countries, it is India and the Philippines where workers enjoy the best conditions and legal protection.

What motivates someone to to work abroad for low pay (we are not talking about Western expats here)? To provide for one’s family back home, first of all.

Moreover, this same family will have one less mouth to feed, more money to feed the remaining mouths and more room too. The expat to will be hoping for improved living conditions abroad. But the reality often proves to be quite different. We all know the story.

Cramped living spaces, confiscation of passports, excessively long hours, withheld pay. Faced with such inhumane conditions, many workers turn to crime. Or the most desperate turn to suicide. We all read a few days ago the terrible story of the Asian expat found dead in a stable in al-Jahra. He had hanged himself and was only 28 years old.

Despite the dire humanitarian situation faced by expat workers in this country, it has received almost no attention from Kuwait’s academic institutions. There have been no studies on suicide rates among expat workers, nor attempts to elicit the specific cases in which they have been motivated to take their own lives.

In a country of such fantastic wealth, it is reprehensible that the plight of expat workers remains largely ignored.

How many more will have to hang themselves in squalor before someone bothers to act? —Al-Qabas

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

LOCAL

KUWAIT: Saad Al-Abdallah Academy for Security Sciences received the 43rd batch of General Secondary Certificate holders. This class included GCC, Jordanian and Yemeni students. The accepted students completed all the procedures and passed the tests. The students were received by Academy Director General Maj Gen Saif Al-Saif, Assistant Director for Education and Training Brig Haroon Al-Omar, and Acting Police College Manager Col Ali Al-Muhaib. — Photos by Hanan Al-Saadoun

EU officials praise Al-Mulla’s diplomatic capabilities BRUSSELS: A number of Members of the European Parliament heaped praise on Kuwait’s ambassador to Belgium, the EU and Luxembourg, Nabeela Al-Mulla, who will be ending her tenure here soon, for her contribution to strengthening EU-Kuwait and also EU-GCC relations. The chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with the Arab Nabeela Al-Mulla Peninsula, Angelika Niebler, said “Ambassador Nabeela is a wonderful person”. “She is a very high ranking diplomat and everyone appreciated having contact with her. She is just great and we are all very sad that she is going to leave Brussels,” Niebler said after a meeting of the delegation here Tuesday evening.

“She was always someone we contacted to get information. She was open. She was the very best representative of her region and her country. We wish her all the best,” added the German Member of the European Parliament. Al-Mulla is also the Dean of the Arab Diplomatic Corps in Belgium.

Greek MEP Rodi Kratsa -Tsagaropoulo said “Nabeela is an exceptional personality. She is well known and very respected by the diplomatic community and by the political actors in the European Parliament, the European Commission and the EU diplomatic service.”

“We will miss her but I hope she will be happy at home and very useful with the experience she had and the will she has for the development of Kuwait,” Rodi, also a former vice president of the European Parliament, said.

British MEP Ashley Fox said “Nabeela Al-Mulla has been a long serving ambassador. She has been recalled. She is a good friend. It was good to talk to her and we enjoyed having her to brief us here today.”

Fox said he “wants the best possible relations with Kuwait and the GCC and it was very good to hear from your ambassador”.

On his part, John O’Rourke, head of division for the Arab Peninsula in the EU foreign service, EEAS, said “Ambassador Al-Mulla is going to be much missed because she is a colourful person who is able to deliver very clearly her point of view without shying away from difficult issues. I appreciate her sense of humour and her warmth.”

“I appreciate the give-and-take we had with her and I think she has made a very good contribution to promotion of EU-GCC relations,” he said. — KUNA

9,404 Kuwaiti marriages, 4,067 divorces in 2012 KUWAIT: More than 9,000 Kuwaiti couples married last year and more than 4,000 marriages ended in divorce the same year, a local daily reported yesterday quoting official statistics. The statistics released by the Ministry of Justice and published by Al-Qabas daily indicate that 9,404 marriages between Kuwaitis took place last year compared to 4,067 divorces, or 43.3 percent.

The same statistics also indicated that 4,910 marriages took place between a Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti spouse in 2012, compared to 2,605 divorces in the same category. In detail, the statistics show that 814 Kuwaiti men married non-Kuwaiti women in 2012, while 648 Kuwaiti women married non-Kuwaiti men the same year. The percentage of Kuwait couples in the total number of marriages last year reached 65 percent, according to the statistics, while 19 percent took place between non-Kuwaiti couples. 10 percent of marriages took place between a Kuwaiti man and a non-Kuwaiti woman, while marriages between a non-Kuwaiti man and a Kuwaiti woman also reach 10 percent. Regarding divorce percentages, the statistics show that 19 percent of divorce cases happened between non-Kuwaiti couples, 12 percent between couples in which the husband is Kuwaiti and the wife is non-Kuwaiti, and 7 percent between couples in which the husband is non-Kuwaiti and the wife is Kuwaiti.

Regarding academic qualifications, the statistics show that 35 percent of women married last year have university degrees, 30 percent have high school degrees, and 19 percent have diplomas, whereas 29 percent of men have university degrees, 24 percent have high school degrees, 21 percent have middle school qualifications and 20 percent have diplomas.

On the other hand, the statistics show that the majority of women divorced last year have university degrees (29 percent), while the majority percentage of divorced men have middle school qualifications (29 percent).

Kuwait presents efforts for child rights at UN Top priority to health, education GENEVA: The State of Kuwait has established bodies and enacted laws for protecting children against abuse, maintaining their good health and ensuring their social and health and educational rights, said Kuwait’s permanent Representative in the UN in Geneva Ambassador Dherar Al-Razzouqi. The Gulf country has established national bodies and councils for protection of child rights, namely the Higher Commission for Human Rights, founded in 2008, the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, established in 2005, the Women Affairs Committee, established in 2002, the department for tackling illegal residents’ affairs (2010), in addition to support to a long chain of associations specialized in children rights and issues.

Ambassador Al-Razzouqi, addressing a session of the UN Committee on the Rights of Child, indicated at establishment of a series of other entities such as the human rights diwan, a supreme council for legal protection of the child against abuse, in line with pledges that had been made by Kuwait to the international community at this level. He also hinted at an integrated law that regulates children social, health and educational rights and issues. Moreover, the State is keen on securing health services for children for free, with aim of minimizing death rates, he said, also alluding to the compulsory educational system.

Kuwait’s Law (3/1983) considers juvenile delinquents as victims of extraordinary social circumstances, thus special legislations have been enacted for their psychological and social rehabilitation, and other laws sanction tough penalties for child abuse. In addition to the special laws for child protection, the State of Kuwait has helped in setting up special associations for sound upbringing of the children, particularly those in dire need for support. Child labor does not exist in Kuwait

GENEVA: Ambassador Al-Razzouqi addressing a session of the UN Committee on the Rights of Child yesterday.

and labor laws prohibit employment of children aged below 15. Those aged 15 and 18 cannot be hired to work in dangerous or harmful crafts. Concerning children of special needs, Kuwait has recently joined the international Convention on Rights of Children with Disability and enacted relevant domestic laws.

The authorities, since 1985, have sought to regulate status of the illegal residents, collecting data and figures about and working out plans to secure their humanitar-

ian, health and teaching needs, and a special apparatus was established in 2012 to tackle their affairs. In 2011, the cabinet endorsed their rights for medical treatment, free education, issuance of personal papers such as certificates of birth, driving licenses as well as providing special services for the disabled and involving them in social and cultural activities. The 1962 Kuwait Constitution affirms the child rights through the family and mother preservation and protection. — KUNA

Lawmakers urged to approve Gulf security treaty KUWAIT: Kuwait’s foreign ministry undersecretary has urged his country’s lawmakers to approve the Gulf security treaty when it is submitted to them.

“The treaty will be presented to the parliament and we hope that the MPs will endorse it,” Khalid Al Jarallah said. “We believe that this treaty will be a very important and highly influential and effective framework to confront security challenges. We do hope the Kuwaiti parliament will pass it because all the other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have endorsed it and everybody is now waiting for Kuwait to ratify it so that it can be put into practice,” the official said, quoted by local daily Al-Qabas yesterday.

Al-Jarallah, who was attending a reception hosted by the Slovakian embassy to mark its national day, was

speaking one day after Saudi Arabia’s cabinet said that it had approved the Gulf security pact upon a recommendation from the Shura (Consultative Council).

“There are those who have argued that there was a conflict between the security treaty and the Kuwaiti constitution, but in my appreciation, I see that the first article in the treaty stipulates that if there is a conflict between the provisions of the agreement and the provisions of the constitution, the priority will be for the provisions of the Constitution, and what is stated in this article applies to all the terms of the treaty,” AlJarallah said.

“We hope that this agreement will have the support of the deputies when it is presented to them,” he said.

The treaty, an amended version of the Gulf security

pact first announced at the Manama Summit in December 1994, was endorsed at the GCC summit in Bahrain in December.

Bahrain’s Interior Minister Shaik h Rashid Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa in January said that the treaty aimed “to broaden cooperation, to unify and integrate security measures and to exchange expertise, potential and information in a manner that helps the concerned security agencies to assume their tasks according to the highest standards”.

“Gulf security cooperation is based on the premise that whatever affects one GCC country affects all the other member states,” he said. The GCC was established in Abu Dhabi in 1981 by Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

LOCAL

Kuwait coordinates with world powers on nuclear safety IAEA plans to double efforts VIENNA: Kuwait is currently coordinating with world powers and relevant authorities for completing ratification measures of the Convention of Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM), said the Kuwaiti ambassador to Austria. Sadeq Maerefi, also Kuwait’s permanent representative at international organizations here, affirmed in a statement at the 57th session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), late on Tuesday, Kuwait had signed the convention and was presently coordinating with the concerned authorities to finalize ratification procedures.

The convention genuinely holds the host country of a nuclear site liable for compensation for accidents’ damage. The world has witnessed several nuclear accidents, namely the ones that occurred at Chernobyl’s nuclear reactor in the Ukraine, in 1986, and Fukushima, Japan, in 2011. Wide Kuwait is concerned about safety at nuclear sites to safeguard humanity against radiation and tough regulations must be enforced to spare nations such deadly accidents, stressed the Kuwaiti diplomat.

The Gulf state has been coordinating with the IAEA various agencies and departments for ensuring safe utilization of the nuclear energy, Maerefi added, indicating Kuwait’s regular consultations and meetings with GCC and IAEA experts at this level.

The IAEA should double efforts to ensure security at nuclear plants worldwide, Maerefi said, affirming the Gulf country interest in implementing the IAEA standards and “assurances” for all forms of nuclear activities in the Middle East, he added, regretting Israel’s abstention from signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Israel’s intransigence in this respect negatively affects regional and international security and stability.

Maerefi called on Iran to increase cooperation with the IAEA and respond to its queries regarding nature of its nuclear program. He also exressed satisfaction at steps to be taken by Iran in coordination with the IAEA to assure its neighbors regarding safety of Bushehr nuclear reactor, namely by means of implementing safety standards.

The CPPNM entered into force on February 8, 1987 and, and 136 countries signed it by June 30, 2008. The convention is the only legally binding international instrument in the area of physical protection of nuclear material and one of the 13 international counter-terrorism instruments. It establishes measures related to prevention, detection and punishment of offenses related to nuclear material.

On July 8, 2005, states parties to the CPPNM adopted by consensus an amendment. Whereas the obligations for physical protection under the CPPNM covered nuclear material during international transport, the amendment to makes it legally binding for states parties to protect nuclear facilities and material in peaceful domestic use, storage and transport. It also provides for expanded cooperation between and among States regarding rapid measures to locate and recover stolen or smuggled nuclear material, mitigate any radiological consequences of sabotage, and prevent and combat related offences.

The amendment will enter into force when it has been ratified by two-thirds of the states parties of the convention. The amendment constitutes an important milestone in international efforts to improve the physical protection of nuclear material and facilities. The amendment is vitally important for nuclear security and will have a major impact in reducing the vulnerability of states parties to nuclear terrorism.

Meanwhile, leading sports officials from around the world, including Kuwait, are set to attend a conference in Paris today discussing anti-doping measures in sports.

The Conference of Parties will be held at the UNESCO headquarters on Sept 19 and 20, and will witness the participation of the 174 signatory nations of the International Convention Against Doping in Sports, in addition to UNESCO members.

Kuwait is to be represented by Faisal Al-Jazzaf, Chairman and Director-General of its chief sports body the Public Authority for Youth and Sports.

The biannual conference, held for the fourth time, is aimed at overseeing the implementation and monitoring of the convention, whereby signatories will be presenting their internal procedures taken on the matter.

Attendees will also discuss how to best utilise a UNESCO fund aimed at anti-doping, to which Kuwait actively provides a sum of $20,000 aimed at assisting other countries in building effective antidoping programmes.

Kuwait was chosen by its Arab counterparts to lead a representational group in 2011 due to its widescale international efforts on the matter and recently headed doping inspection activities for several regional sports events in the surrounding Gulf.

It is also a clear supporter of the World AntiDoping Agency (WADA) through annual donations and its leading presence in the global body’s meetings.

On the local scale, the country has formed the Kuwait Anti-Doping Committee and, as recently as last March, adopted a nationwide programme for athletes and the youth aimed at limiting the spread of performance-enhancing drugs, and warning of their dangers. —- KUNA

Kuwait signs accord with CTBTO to operate Radionuclide Station VIENNA: The State of Kuwait hammered out yesterday an agreement with the Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive NuclearTest-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) to operate Kuwait’s Radionuclide Station RN40.

The agreement was signed here by Director of Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) Dr Naji Al-Mutairi and CTBTO Executive Secretary Lassina Zerbo.

The signing ceremony was attended by Kuwaiti Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Delegate to the UN Organizations in Vienna Sadeq Maarafi. Kuwait’s Radionuclide Station RN40 was built by and currently operated by KISR in coordination with Vienna-based CTBTO to detect nuclear tests and ensure compliance with Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty across the globe.

Maarafi said on the sidelines of the signing ceremony that Kuwait signed the Nuclear-Test-

Ban Treaty in 1996 and the treaty signature was officially ratified in May 2003.

“CTBTO has proved great effectiveness in detecting several nuclear tests across the globe,” Marafi said, adding that fifteen out of 26 countries in the Middle East joined the CTBT. For his part, KISR Director Al-Mutairi revealed that Kuwait had hosted a radionuclides station from 1994 to 2000 to provide information to the International Data Center (IDC) which collects, processes and analyses monitoring data.

“In 2004, Kuwait-based Radionuclide Station RN40 was endorsed by CTBTO as certified station,” Al-Mutairi said.

“This station, operated by Kuwaiti cadres of KIRS, is ranked 40th among over 80 station worldwide.” — KUNA

Dar Al-Shifa Hospital conducts fire drill KUWAIT: In accordance with its objectives of maintaining safety and security measures, Dar Al-Shifa Hospital, in coordination with the Hawalli Fire Department organized a fire drill involving the entire hospital’s staff on Sept 4. The purpose of the drill was to provide tactical experience and training for the staff to ensure they are knowledgeable of the responsibilities assigned to them and all the policies and procedures of fire prevention.

At first, a ‘fire’ broke out in the 4th floor electrical room, and as part of the training, a nurse called out “Code Red” while another broke the fire alarm glass. An electrician and head nurse then immediately closed the back side metal doors and came out to the reception area to evacuate patients in the nearby vicinity and tried controlling the situation with the use of fire extinguishers located at all floors of the hospital. Simultaneously, “Code Red” announcement was made and the Hospital Emergency Response Team assessed the situation and immediately sent out a distress signal to the nearest fire station, while informing the CEO about the situation.

Internally, announcements using the PA system were made immediately to all departments, to evacuate and head to the designated assembly point located outside the hospital, in the car parking area, using the nearest emergency exits. Within a few minutes, fire fighters entered the building and took over the command center to control the fire.

Chief Executive Director at Dar Al-Shifa hospital, Ahmad Nasrallah, commented on the successful routine practice by saying: “Our main priority at the hospital is ensuring the safety of all our patients and visitors through implementing risk management strategies. For that, we are continuously raising our level to meet Qmentum Canadian accreditation to reach recent sets of best practice standards. With this certification, Dar AlShifa proves yet again that it is committed to improving quality and safety in its services.”

Nasrallah also stressed: “All rooms are equipped with the latest smoke detectors and fire-fighting equipment that are in line with international standards.”

Civil bodies urged to serve children KUWAIT: Civil society organizations should join hands for the service of children, participants in a seminar about childhood said yesterday.

The participants in the child and childhood issues in modern society agreed there should be more endeavors for the service of child.

Dr Lateefa Al-Kanderi, of Basic Education College at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), called on importance of contribution of civil society organizations to the raising of children.

There is a need to attach great attention to principles of social education of the child as a pillar to building societies, she said. Dr. Abdulsattar Mahfoudhi, of the child education center, called for addressing difficulties of reading the Arabic language among children in their early years.

Ayed Al-Humaidan, an international narcotics expert, said the child should receive warmth care not abuse, as well as protecting children from drugs.

He said the constitution of Kuwait has cleary started that family was the foundation of society. Dr. Nasser AlMunai of Kuwait University’s Social Sciences Faculty said the Arab world lacked laws related to the child which trigger children’s problems. — KUNA

CBK participates in BSK carnival KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait participated in the British School of Kuwait carnival on Saturday. The purpose of the carnival was to welcome new students to the school as well as the numerous activities and services that are found in Kuwait.

An estimated 5,000 students and their parents from more than 70 nationalities visited the carnival and enjoyed playing games, won prizes from the raffle in addition to watching musical and acting performances.

The Commercial Bank of Kuwait had a special booth at the school

to attract the students and their parents while representatives from the Sales department were present to inform them about the wide variety of accounts and services that the bank offers, specifically the MFA for kids and the famous Najma prize accounts.

The My First Account is saving account targeted towards kids aged 0-14 years old which offers special discounts at selected kids stores and places, and includes recreational and educational activities during the year in addition to an amazing gift upon opening the account.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

Austrians stunned as poacher’s rampage kills 4

Egypt partially reopens Gaza crossing after closure Page 8

Page 10

CANBERRA: Tony Abbott, third from left, poses for a photo with, from left, daughters Louise, Bridget, wife Margaret, daughter Frances and Governor General Quentin Bryce after being sworn in as the 28th prime minister of Australia at Government House in Canberra yesterday. — AP

Abbott sworn in as Australia’s PM ‘Today is not just a ceremonial day, it’s an action day’ CANBERRA: Tony Abbott was sworn in as Australia’s new prime minister yesterday and immediately ordered the scrapping of the nation’s carbon tax and the halting of asylumseeker boats.

The 55-year-old conservative launched straight into work with a cabinet meeting after the ceremony at Government House in Canberra where his Liberal/National government officially brought six years of Labor rule to a close.

“Today is not just a ceremonial day, it’s an action day. The Australian people expect us to get straight down to business and that’s exactly what this government will do,” said, Abbott, a political hardman who has worked to soften his macho image in recent months.

In presenting his frontbench team to Governor-General Quentin Bryce, he added: “We will be a problem-solving government based on values not ideology.”

Abbott was elected on September 7 on a pledge to quickly scrap taxes on corporate pollution and mining profits imposed under Labor, as well as introducing a costly paid parental leave scheme and a vow to build new roads across the vast nation.

Top of his to-do list is axing the unpopular carbon tax, which charges the country’s biggest polluters for their emissions at a fixed price. His government instead favours a “direct action” plan that includes an emissions reduction fund to pay companies to increase their energy efficiency, and money for schemes to replenish soil carbon and plant 20 million trees.

Abbott, who once said that evidence blaming mankind for climate change was “absolute crap”, said he would immediately instruct officials “to prepare the carbon tax repeal legislation”. ‘A message to the people-smugglers’ Another central plank of his election campaign was stopping asylum-seeker boats. His policy of using the navy to tow them back to Indonesia-their typical point of transit-came into effect yesterday, and could prove to be an early test of his mettle.

“It’s so important that we send a message to the people-smugglers that, from today, their business model is coming to an end,” Abbott said. The military tow-back is part of Operation Sovereign Borders, which is widely expected to be led by Deputy Chief of Army Angus Campbell, a former special forces com-

mander, reporting directly to new Immigration Minister Scott Morrison.

It includes a proposal to embed Australian police in Indonesia, buy up fishing boats to keep them out of people-smugglers’ hands, and pay locals for intelligence-plans that have received a cool reception in Jakarta.

Australia has struggled to manage the stream of asylum-seekers arriving on rickety, overloaded fishing boats with hundreds dying on the risky journey in recent years. Counting of postal votes is still under way after the election, but the conservatives are on track to win 90 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives to Labor’s 55.

It gives Abbott a clear majority, although the makeup of the upper house of parliament is not yet apparent, with the likelihood that six to seven minor party candidates could secure seats to hold the balance of powercomplicating the new government’s legislative push. The new prime minister and his key ministers were sworn in by Bryce 11 days after Abbott’s overwhelming victory over Kevin Rudd and he wasted no time asserting his authority, axing three high-profile public service department heads and making two new

Nigerian army claims raid kills 150 Islamists LAGOS: A military strike on a Boko Haram camp in Nigeria’s restive northeast last week left about 150 Islamists and 16 soldiers dead, the army said yesterday, amid reports of dozens of troops killed.

The army ’s claim of a major offensive against the Islamist insurgents on September 12 came after local media reported that Boko Haram had ambushed a group of soldiers in the same area, killing 40 and leaving dozens of others missing.

Military officials were not available to comment on the reported Boko Haram ambush, speaking only about the purported military strike.

Details of last week’s military operation had not been previously made public. “It was a highly fortified insurgent camp with heavy weapons in (northeastern) Borno State,” army spokesman Ibrahim Attahiru said, adding that the camp was in the Kasiya forest.

“The army raided the camp on September 12. Some 150 Boko Haram terrorists were killed, while the military lost 16 soldiers. Nine soldiers are still missing,” he told AFP. The forest where the alleged raid occurred is some 70 kilometres (43 miles) northeast of Borno’s capital Maiduguri, the city where Boko Haram was founded more than a

decade ago.

The area surrounding Kasiya had acquired a reputation for armed robbery. There has been speculation that Boko Haram had strengthened its presence in the remote area in recent months, several people familiar with the region told AFP. Borno was placed under a state of emergency in mid-May, when the military shut down the mobile phone network to block Islamists from coordinating attacks amid an operation aimed at crushing the insurgency.

With the communication network switched off, details of attacks have been slow to emerge and difficult to verify.

Residents, victims as well as local political leaders have been largely unreachable, with military statements forming the main source of information in the ongoing offensive against Boko Haram.

The military has claimed major successes in the operation, describing the insurgents as being in disarray.

There are indications that Boko Haram attacks, which were previously carried out across northern Nigeria, have been partly contained in the northeast, especially Borno state, the group’s historic stronghold.

If confirmed however, Boko Haram’s

reported ambush on the military would cast doubt on claims that the insurgents’ capacity to attack has been curbed.

According to local media, the alleged Boko Haram ambush happened in the northeastern corner of Borno state, towards the border with Chad.

Widely read Punch newspaper, citing a high-ranking military source, said the military failed to send aerial support for the soldiers who were ambushed.

According to the paper, the failure to send air support has led to anger among soldiers involved in the pursuit of Boko Haram.

Since the offensive was launched, Boko Haram has been blamed for massacres that left dozens of students of dead, as well as the mass killing of Muslims gathering for morning prayers, among other attacks.

The Islamists have also repeatedly clashed with vigilante groups which have formed in Borno.

Boko Haram has said it is fighting to create an Islamic state in northern Nigeria, but its aims have shifted and the group is believed to consist of different factions. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation and top oil producer, with a mostly Christian south and a predominately Muslim north. — AFP

appointments.

While Abbott has kept a low profile since the polls, he has been criticised for naming just one woman in his 19-person front-bench-Julie Bishop as foreign minister. The previous Labor government had six women in cabinet. He has also attracted criticism, including from his own party, for streamlining his ministry, with key portfolios such as water, climate change, science and aged care wrapped

into other portfolios.

“I mean we’ve got a Minister for Sport for God’s sake, but we don’t have a Minister for Science,” said Liberal MP Dennis Jensen, comments seized on by Labor as a “sign of disunity” in the government. Other ministers sworn in included Joe Hockey as treasurer, George Brandis as attorney-general, and Nationals leader Warren Truss as deputy prime minister. — AFP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

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

Hailing ‘flexibility’, Iran leader commends new nuclear gambit DUBAI: Talk by Iran’s Supreme Leader of “flexibility” days before his government’s debut at the United Nations General Assembly in New York suggests a new willingness at the highest level to explore a compromise solution to Tehran’s nuclear row with the West.

Western governments are intrigued, but wary. It is unclear how much bargaining room Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an unyielding promoter of Iran’s nuclear programme, would allow his negotiators, whether in secret talks with Washington or in multilateral dicussions with major powers.

But the timing of his remarks, days before his new president and foreign minister meet Western officials on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly, sends a message that the West should expect, and reciprocate, a new desire to clinch a deal.

His comments, to an audience of the Revolutionary Guards, were also aimed internally, signalling to powerful security hardliners at home that they should not seek to torpedo any forthcoming attempt at negotiations, diplomats and analysts say.

Khamenei was quoted by ISNA news agency as saying: “I agree with what I years ago called heroic flexibility, because this is sometimes a very good and necessary move but with sticking to a basic condition.”

“Sometimes a wrestler shows flexibility for technical reasons but he doesn’t forget who his opponent is and what his real goal is.”

To one Iran expert, Baqer Moin, the speech was exceptional. It “opens a new chapter in Iranian internal and external relations and may prove to be as important as Ayatollah Khomeini’s acceptance of the ceasefire with Iraq in 1988.”

UK-based writer Moin said Khamenei wanted to create political space domestically for new President Hassan Rouhani, elected in August, to solve the dispute and end sanctions. “Rouhani can now negotiate with the US without worrying that he might be undermined by his hardline opponents,” he said.

Mehran Kamrava, an Iran expert at Georgetown University in Doha, said Tehran perceived a window of opportunity for meaningful negotiations.

His remarks were a signal to other actors in the political system not to undermine Rouhani’s efforts, Kamrava said. “This is one of those signals that, whatever Rouhani’s engaging in, is done with the support and blessing of the highest levels of the political system.”

Initial reaction from Western officials was cautious. Ten years of talks between Tehran and world powers on Iran’s nuclear activities,

eight of them during the term of former hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, ran continually aground, bereft of mutual confidence and dogged by historical suspicions.

The United States and its allies believe Iran is seeking a nuclear weapons capability, and have imposed sanctions aimed at stopping it. Iran denies it wants a bomb and says its nuclear program has peaceful aims.

“All the signs of change in direction need to be grasped, but what counts are acts. We are not there yet and need to be attentive,” said a French diplomatic source.

A Tehran-based diplomat said there had been a significant change of mood in the government but the real question was whether Rouhani would bring any new initiative to New York. “Khamenei’s words indicate that Iran may have a bit of space to compromise but it’s very unclear how much that will be. It’s unclear whether this is a change in negotiating tactics or preparing for Iran to compromise,” the diplomat said.

The Western message that Iran’s more conciliatory language needs to be backed up with concrete action was underlined by the United States, France, Britain and others at this week’s annual gathering of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. Speaking to reporters on Monday

after the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, said he saw an “opening” in the nuclear dispute, U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, said: “The proof will be in the pudding The words have to be followed by concrete action.” Rouhani and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif do not have carte blanche to cut a deal-any agreement would have to be approved by Khamenei-and in any case they must first settle the arrangements under which any new talks would happen.

But diplomats and Iran watchers said that, after the often fractious Ahmadinejad years, the new tone was refreshing, and that was important for encouraging discussion and communication.

The United States and Iran cut diplomatic relations in 1980, after students and Islamic militants stormed the US Embassy in Tehran and took American diplomats hostage.

But since the election of Rouhani, a centrist cleric who defeated more conservative candidates, in June, officials from both countries have made increasing hints that they are open to direct talks to seek an end to the decade-long nuclear dispute.

Peter Jenkins, UK representative to the IAEA from 2001-06, now a partner in a negotiation consultancy, The Ambassador Partnership, said Khamanei’s remarks showed

Rouhani and Zarif had “his blessing to do what’s needed to get an agreement”.

Jenkins described Zarif as “one of the most skilful diplomats of his generation and someone to whom the need for flexibility in negotiation is a given”. Most of the action in New York would be talks about talks, Jenkins said, perhaps setting up secret talks between Iran and the United States. “Both parties understand that it’s the pair of them that most need to agree on the nuclear question.”

In Israel the reaction among Iran watchers was cool. To Uri Lubrani, who served as Israeli ambassador in Tehran before the Iranian revolution, Khamenei’s praise of flexibility was a way of paving the way for Rouhani to hold “protracted” nuclear talks. But Rouhani had not changed Khamenei’s views or outlook, he said, referring to Khamenei’s strong support for Iran’s nuclear programme.

Israel, believed to be the only nucleararmed state in the Middle East, has said it is keeping all options open to prevent Iran amassing enough uranium to fuel one nuclear bomb.

Jenkins said he expected strong Israeli opposition to any deal. “I think we are going to see the Israelis bending over backwards in coming weeks and months to try to derail any negotiation,” he said. —Reuters

Egypt partially reopens Gaza crossing after closure Gaza’s Hamas rulers, Cairo government at odds GAZA: Egypt partially reopened its border crossing with the Gaza Strip yesterday, a week after it was closed in response to a deadly attack on an Egyptian military headquarters near the frontier.

Witnesses said two buses took 100 passengers into Egypt through the Rafah crossing, the main win-

dow to the world for the Gaza Strip’s 1.7 million Palestinians. Hundreds of other people waited outside the gates for a chance to enter Egypt.

Officials of the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank-based rival of Gaza’s Hamas Islamist rulers, said Cairo agreed to open the crossing for four hours on Wednesday and

Thursday at Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s request to address the humanitarian needs of patients seeking treatment in Egypt and of students studying there.

Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, has governed Gaza since 2007 and has an uneasy relationship with Egypt’s new army-

RAFAH BORDER: Palestinians surround buses crossing the Rafah border during a brief opening for special cases yesterday as they protest against the “indefinite” closing by Egyptian authorities of the crossing the day before. The measure, which left hundreds of Palestinians stranded on both sides of the crossing, followed widespread unrest in Egypt after a bloody crackdown yesterday by security forces on loyalists of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. —AFP

backed leadership, which toppled the elected Islamist president, Mohamed Mursi, a Hamas ally, in July.

Since Mursi’s removal, Cairo has shut Rafah three times. Thousands of Palestinians have been stranded in the Gaza Strip for weeks. When Rafah has been open, Egypt has limited the number of passengers allowed through each day to 300 compared with 1,200 before Mursi was removed.

Egyptian authorities last shut Rafah a week ago after assailants crashed two explosive-laden cars into a security building adjacent to the border zone, killing six Egyptian soldiers. The lawless Sinai peninsula has seen frequent battles between the Egyptian military and Islamist gunmen.

Egyptian officials have accused Hamas of aiding the Muslim Brotherhood in Sinai - an allegation the Palestinian group denies - and say restrictions at Rafah were linked to the security situation in the peninsula.

In addition to the clampdown at Rafah, Egypt has been waging a campaign to destroy the network of smuggling tunnels that delivered weapons and goods to the Gaza Strip, which is partially blockaded

by Israel.

With the tunnels shut, prices for consumer items have risen in the enclave. Cheap Egyptian fuel is in short supply, with hours-long lines each day at Gaza petrol stations. Israeli fuel is available - at double the price of the Egyptian product. —Reuters

Lebanese man convicted of storing bomb materials BANGKOK: A Thai court yesterday convicted a Lebanese man with alleged links to Hezbollah militants for illegal possession of bomb-making materials that he was storing in a warehouse outside Bangkok.

Atris Hussein, who also holds Swedish nationality, was arrested Jan 12, 2012, at Bangkok’s main airport after a tip-off from Israeli police, who claimed he was going to stage a terrorist attack in Thailand.

After being questioned, Hussein led police to a warehouse with hundreds of boxes containing more than 2,800 kilograms (6,200 pounds) of liquid ammonium nitrate and 8,800 pounds (4,000 kilograms) of urea fertilizer, both of which can be used to make explosives.

The court convicted and sentenced Hussein to two years and eight months in prison for illegal possession of the ammonium nitrate, which is a banned substance under Thailand’s Weapons Act. It did not convict him for possession of the fertilizer, which is not an illegal substance. He will serve about one more year of the term due to time already spent behind bars.

After the verdict, the 49-year-old Hussein - his legs in chains - told reporters he was “happy” with the ruling. His lawyer said they plan to appeal.

Hussein has claimed innocence in the case and denies any links to Hezbollah. He has said he was probably framed by Israel’s Mossad spy agency.

In an interview last year with a Swedish newspaper, Hussein said that he was involved in a business that exported a variety of goods from Thailand to other countries, including Lebanon. The products included fans, copy machine paper and frozen gel packs used for pain relief, he said.

“There is ammonium in these packs. That’s all there is to it. We never traded with fertilizer. It must have been placed there by someone, probably Mossad,” Hussein said told Aftonbladet newspaper.

In its verdict, the court said Hussein’s claims “did not hold weight” because he showed no proof of any trading transactions that a normal business would have.

“The defendant was involved in the process of

BANGKOK: Lebanese-Swedish man Atris Hussein (C) leaves a holding cell for the courtroom at the criminal court in Bangkok yesterday. Thailand sentenced the Swedish citizen of Lebanese origin to two years and eight months in prison for possession of materials that could be used to make a bomb. —AFP transferring, packing and handling the materials ... so it is considered that he was the owner of the material,” the judges said in their verdict.

Hussein said he moved to Sweden in 1989 and became a Swedish citizen five years later. He said he worked in the country as a hairdresser before moving back to Lebanon in 2005. His arrest in Thailand was linked to warnings by the United States and Israel of a possible terror threat in Bangkok, coming at a time of heightened tension over US and Israeli responses to the prospect that Iran was moving ahead with its nuclear program.

Police testified that they had received a tip-off from Israeli authorities that Hussein had suspected

links to pro-Iranian Hezbollah militants and was preparing to stage a terrorist attack at a key location in Thailand.

Thai police have said Hussein’s case was unrelated to a botched bomb plot in Bangkok that was exposed on Feb. 14, 2012, shortly after his arrest. In that case, which also wrapped up recently, an accidental explosion blew apart a Bangkok home where a group of Iranians were staying.

A court last month sentenced one of the Iranians to life in prison and his compatriot to 15 years in jail for possession of illegal explosives and other charges for the plot that officials say was aimed at Israeli diplomats in Bangkok. —AP

BEIJING: King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein of Jordan, third right, attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with their delegations at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing yesterday. —AP

Jordan’s king calls for China role in Syria crisis BEIJING: Jordan’s King Abdullah called on China to play an active role in resolving the conflict in Syria, saying yesterday that Beijing should use its influence as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and as a “friend of Jordan and the Middle East.”

Abdullah made his appeal in his opening remarks at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a state visit to China. He also praised relations between the two countries and emphasized a common commitment to promoting progress on global issues of concern.

“It is in that spirit that I am here today to discuss with you as a key member of the United Nations Security Council and a friend of Jordan and the Middle East, ways and means of achieving peace, stability, civility and prosperity in our region through an active role in the (IsraelPalestine) peace process as well as that of the Syrian conflict,” Abdullah said.

Reporters were ushered from the room following Abdullah’s remarks and it wasn’t clear how Xi responded. However, in his own opening remarks, the Chinese president stressed the friendship between the two countries and said he looked forward to in-depth talks on “regional and international issues of mutual interest.”

Asked about China’s response, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China had made “strenuous mediation efforts” between the parties in the Syrian conflict. Hong said China backed Security Council discussion of the Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack that, according to the U.S., killed more than 1,400 people, including at least 400 children.

“China is willing to work with the global community and remains committed to resolving the Syrian chemical weapons issue and launching the process of dismantling the chemical weapons in Syria,” he said. Beijing has called for a negotiated political settlement to the more than 2-year-old conflict in Syria. It has joined Russia in blocking moves at the United Nations that could result in the government’s removal - leading to criticism from the US and others that the two countries were prolonging a conflict that has left 100,000 people dead and more than 2 million displaced.

Despite that, China has sought to play a bigger role in the Middle East as part of efforts to stand among leading nations in helping shape world events. Abdullah is the latest in a string of Middle East leaders to visit Beijing, and China has frequently dispatched diplomats to the region to nurture ties with all parties, including Israel. —AP

Drug shortages threaten health catastrophe in Syria DAMASCUS: Not only is Syrian father Motaz struggling to put food on the table, he must also pay astronomical prices to import insulin for his diabetic son because of drug shortages in the war-torn country.

Drug production in Syria has plunged ever since an uprising broke out against President Bashar al-Assad 30 months ago and degenerated into civil war. “I must count every penny because my son’s treatment takes up a big portion of my salary,” the 46-year-old Motaz told AFP. His three children no longer enjoy any day trips because “the priority now is to treat the 12-year-old boy,” he said.

The shortage caused by the raging war has created “a very critical situation” in Syria, said the World Health Organisation’s Elisabeth Hoff.

“Pharmaceutical factories only cover 20 to 30 percent of the needs, though they used to cover 90 percent” before the conflict, she told AFP. Hoff explained that most factories are located in the central city of Homs, Aleppo in the north and in the outskirts of Damascus.

The three areas have seen some of the worst fighting and destruction in the conflict.

Eighteen of 73 factories have closed down because of damage, transport difficulties and a halt in raw material imports.

The WHO warned in March that drug production had fallen because of restrictions on imports, fluctuations in the exchange rate and spiralling production costs.

Syria’s pharmaceutical companies suffer import difficulties because of Western restrictions on financial transactions.

Hoff complained, saying “vital materials such as medicines must not be placed under such restrictions.”

Chamber of Industry director Fares Shehabi said factories suffering shortages “are forced to import their raw materials at parallel exchange rates.” The Syrian pound has lost much of its

value during the course of the conflict, and there is a vast gap between the official exchange rate and the black market rate that factories are forced to use when importing goods. A government newspaper warned recently of “a real catastrophe”, as locally produced medicines are in short supply and “foreign-produced medicines are smuggled in at five times the price.”

Yet Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi insisted in a televised statement on Tuesday that “Syria’s drug security is stable.”

“All medicines are available, barring some... which will be imported from friendly countries, mainly Iran, Russia, China, Pakistan, the BRICS countries and Cuba,” Halqi added.

But the Central Bank has halted all transfers at the official exchange rate, forcing factories to stop producing several drugs because of the higher costs.

“The crisis is having a very serious effect on the pharmaceutical industry,” said health ministry lab director Habib Abbud.

He said just “10 factories could cover Syria’s needs” if “they can import raw materials without restrictions.”

Abbud described those who have continued to produce medicines as “heroes,” adding that the ministry provides people who have health insurance with free drugs at hospitals.

But others struggle to find medicines, a real concern Hoff said, particularly for those wounded in the fighting.

Umm Maher, 75, spoke to a friend in Europe to try to obtain a medicine she needs for her hypertension.

She complained the drugs will cost her “10 times more” than they would have if she could have purchased them locally.

Umm Maher refuses to buy smuggled drugs, even though they are cheaper, because she fears they could be expired, or contain different ingredients than advertised. —AFP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

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

Polanski sex assault victim tells her story in memoir NEW YORK CITY: The woman sexually assaulted by filmmaker Roman Polanski 36 years ago, when she was a girl of 13, has published her memoir, saying it was time to “take back ownership of my own story.”

“The Girl: A Life Lived in the Shadow of Roman Polanski,” co-written by American Samantha Geimer, now 50, and her lawyer, details her account of the events of March 10, 1977, for which Polanski was initially charged with six felony counts, including rape and sodomy, before he accepted a plea deal.

In the book, Geimer described how Polanski-who fled the United States before he could be sentenced-had her

pose for photos as he plied her with champagne and drugs, and then had sex with her, in Jack Nicholson’s Hollywood home. Under the effects of the alcohol and the drug, and overwhelmed by the star power of the successful directer and his greater age, Geimer said she did not try to fight him off. “Why fight?” she wrote. “I’ll do pretty much anything to get this over with.”

She described her fear and her tears later in the car as Polanski drove her home and asked her if she was okay and told her not to tell her mother. “I got my pics taken by Roman Polanski and he raped me. Fuck,” she wrote after that night in her diary, according to the book.

She pressed charges, becoming the focus of a media and police storm, which prompted her, she wrote, to wish she’d never told anyone what happened.

“Somehow, what had happened-as bad as it was-was not going to be as bad as what was coming,” Geimer wrote.

“I ran into the two-headed monster of the California criminal justice system and its corrupt players, whose lust for publicity overwhelmed their concern with justice.” At age 13, “My crime? Being the rape victim of a Hollywood celebrity.”

Now a mother of three, Geimer said she harbors no hate or rage for her attacker. “My family never asked that Polanski be punished. We just wanted

the legal machine to stop.” And Geimer repeated that she ultimately forgave Polanski, not for him, but for herself, and denounced those who describe her as a “victim,” a label she rejects.

“So much has been written about the Polanski case, but none of it has been written by me, the person at the center of it,” she said, explaining her motivation for the memoir. She also included a short letter Polanski sent her in 2009, in which the fugitive filmmaker said he wanted her “to know how sorry I am for having so affected your life.”

After pleading guilty to unlawful sex with a minor, Polanski served 42 days at a secure unit undergoing psychiatric evalu-

ation.

But the Franco-Polish director, now 80, fled the United States on the eve of his sentencing in 1978 amid fears the trial judge planned to go back on a previously agreed deal.

In 2009, he was arrested again in Switzerland as the US sought extradition.

But he was ultimately freed by Swiss authorities who said the US justice department failed to provide records of a hearing in which Polanski claimed his case had been settled and sentence agreed. Geimer’s book, accompanied by several black and white photos taken in 1977 by Polanski, is set for release in France on October 3. — AFP

Spy row leads Brazil leader to postpone US state visit Most serious diplomatic fall-out

OTTAWA: A city bus is severely damaged after colliding with a Via Rail passenger train at a crossing in Ottawa, Ontario, yesterday. An Ottawa Fire spokesman told CP24 television there are ‘multiple fatalities’ and a number are injured from the bus but no injuries on the train. — AP

Several killed in train, bus crash in Canada OTTAWA: Several people were killed when a passenger train collided with a city bus at a crossing in Canada’s capital, Ottawa, at the peak of morning rush hour, police said yesterday. Witnesses said the bus went through a closed crossing barrier. Photos show the front end of the double-decker bus was ripped off by the impact with the Via Rail train.

It was Canada’s worst train accident since an oil train derailed and exploded in a Quebec town in July, killing dozens of people. A number of bus passengers were injured yesterday, Ottawa Fire spokesman Mark Messier told CP24 television. Via Rail posted a message on Twitter saying there were no reports of major injuries to passengers or crew on the train.

Via Rail canceled trains on its OttawaToronto route after the accident, which occurred just outside a suburban train station in the city’s west end. Via Rail identified the station as Fallowfield. Pascal Lolgis, who witnessed the crash, said the bus appeared to drive through a lowered

crossing barrier.

“Boom! It went into the train like that,” Lolgis said. “”He just didn’t stop.” Another witness, Mark Cogan, said the rail barrier was down. “The train is going through,” Cogan said. “And I was just looking around, just watching things happen. And noticed that in the bus lane, the double-decker bus ... I saw him, and he just kept going. “I just thought maybe there’s a side way around or something, but instantly, he just ... he smoked the train. He went through the guard rail and just hammered the train, and then it was just mayhem.”

The train tracks in the area cross a major city street and a transit line reserved for buses only. Rescue crews swarmed over the wreckage. The injured from the bus who could walk were taken to a second bus nearby to be treated by paramedics.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper posted a message on Twitter saying he was deeply saddened by the accident and his thoughts and prayers were with the families of those involved. — AP

Obama urges new gun laws WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama called on Congress Tuesday to tighten gun laws after the latest in a “ritual” of shooting massacres, but lawmakers admitted there is insufficient support for new legislation.

A day after a gunman shot dead 12 people at a US Navy facility a few miles (kilometers) from the White House, Obama said the “overwhelming majority” of Americans agreed with him on the need for commonsense firearms reform.

“I do get concerned that this becomes a ritual that we go through every three, four months, where we have these horrific mass shootings,” Obama said in an interview with the Telemundo Spanish-language television network. “Everybody expresses understandable horror. We all embrace the families... and yet we’re not willing to take some basic actions.” Obama introduced a sheaf of measures including a plan for enhanced background checks on gun buyers and a ban on assault-style rifles as America reeled after 20 children and six adults were killed in a school rampage in Newtown, Connecticut last December.

Yet the package foundered in Congress, partly due to a fierce lobbying campaign by pro-gun groups and opposition from some of his fellow Democrats from conservative states, leaving Obama to introduce a smaller set of measures using his executive powers.

“Ultimately, this is something that Congress is going to have to act on,” he said in the interview. “I’ve taken steps that are within my control. The next phase now is for Congress to go ahead and move.”

Monday’s killings were greeted with a chorus of revulsion across the political spectrum, but as the previous gun-reform fight showed, it will take more than White House appeals for action to sway lawmakers. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he wanted to revive the debate sooner rather than later.

“But we’ve got to have the votes first. We don’t have the votes,” Reid said after meeting with fellow Democrats. “I hope we get them but we don’t have them now.” The blunt assessment by the man who schedules Senate floor debate speaks volumes about the uphill battle facing gun control advocates. Several Democrats, including Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, said they hoped to reintroduce legislation on background checks and ensuring that the mentally ill would not have access to firearms. “I think there is a potential opening for a new

consensus and new momentum and impetus for gun violence prevention,” Blumenthal told AFP, but he acknowledged it would be a hard sell to Republicans, most of whom voted against expanding background checks in April. That bill failed by five votes in the 100seat Senate (Reid changed his vote to “no” so he could bring up the legislation again), and it would have been an even tougher political lift in the Republican-controlled House. But Senator Chris Murphy said Americans won’t let lawmakers “ignore this continuing slaughter,” noting that more than 8,000 people have died in US gun violence in the nine months since Newtown.”

“People are just not going to accept that Congress continues to sit on its hands while these mass shootings happen,” he said.

Republican Senator Bob Corker did not foresee action on guns this year.

“I bet that doesn’t happen,” he told AFP. “Nobody is talking to me about (gun reform).” Asked if he has sensed any shift in gun-control support after Monday’s tragedy, Senator Tom Carper said “I don’t think so.”

Carper, a Democrat who chairs the Homeland Security Committee, said he may soon hold hearings on security shortcomings that may have led to a mentally unstable contractor gaining legitimate access to a military base.

The suspect in Monday’s shooting, 34year-old Aaron Alexis, was working on a Navy contract through computer giant Hewlett-Packard, but reports show he had prior run-ins with police. “Whoever did the background check, were they aware of the earlier arrests, the charges?” Carper asked.

“I’m not sure that they were. So we’re going to drill down on this.” Lawmakers including Senator John McCain, one of a handful of Republicans who voted for the background bill this year, said mental health could emerge as a focal point of legislation.

Most states mandate that people diagnosed as mentally ill be barred from purchasing a firearm, but critics argue that such laws are not fully enforced.

The White House meanwhile ordered a review into security standards for contractors at federal agencies following Monday’s shootings. The review will be conducted by the White House Office of Management and Budget and will run at the same time as a separate probe into national security clearances launched in the wake of revelations by fugitive leaker Edward Snowden. — AFP

BRASILIA: Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff postponed a long-planned state visit to Washington on Tuesday, the most serious diplomatic fall-out yet from Edward Snowden’s leak of US secrets. While both sides couched the cancelation in diplomatic terms, it marks an embarrassment for President Barack Obama and a blow to his efforts to improve ties with the key Latin American power.

The visit had been scheduled for October 23 but was called into question after documents leaked by Snowden, a former US intelligence technician, revealed the extent of American spying on its Brazilian ally.

Obama has been trying to defuse the row, most recently during talks with Rousseff on the sidelines of this month’s G20 summit, and he spoke with her again on Monday by telephone.

But Brazil was unmoved, and on Tuesday Rousseff brought an end to the speculation, confirming that her trip was off.

“The two presidents decided to postpone the state visit since the outcome of this visit should not be conditioned on an issue which for Brazil has not been satisfactorily resolved,” Rousseff’s office said. Her statement reflected Brazil’s anger over Snowden’s disclosures that the NSA spied on her email communications and on the staterun energy giant Petrobras.

“The illegal interceptions of communications and data of citizens, companies and members of the Brazilian government represents a serious act which violates national sovereignty and is incompatible with democratic coexistence between friendly countries,” Rousseff ’s statement said. David Fleischer, a Brasilia-based international expert, described the visit’s postponement as a diplomatic “slap in Obama’s face” and linked it to Rousseff’s slumping popularity since last June’s nationwide street protests ahead of next year’s presidential polls. “She is showing firmness toward Obama, the world¥s most powerful leader and this goes down well with the Brazilian public,” Tullo Vigevani, a Sao Paulo University analyst, concurred.

In Washington, White House spokesman Jay Carney, put a brave face on the situation. “It’s because the relationship is so important and because it has so many facets that the president

agrees with this decision they made together to postpone the visit,” Carney said.

Insisting that another later visit could be organized, Carney added: “It should not be overshadowed by a bilateral issue no matter how important or challenging the issue may be.” The spying row stems from allegations made by Snowden, a former NSA contractor who fled the

BRASILIA: Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff speaks during a ceremony in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday. Rousseff on Tuesday postponed a state visit to the US to protest an American spy program that has aggressively targeted the Latin American nation’s government and private citizens alike. — AP United States and revealed the scope of the agency’s activities to Brazil-based journalist Glenn Greenwald.

In July, the Brazilian daily Globo, citing documents provided by Snowden, who has been granted temporary asylum in Russia, reported that US agencies eavesdrop on Brazilians’ phone calls and Internet communications.

The report said Washington maintained an intelligence base in Brasilia, part of a network of 16 such stations operated by the NSA around the world to intercept foreign satellite transmissions. Brazilian Communications Minister Paulo Bernardo dismissed claims by US officials that the NSA was only collecting metadata-logs of phone numbers called and the duration of such calls-and not listening in on calls.

Washington, he said, is conducting a “much deeper surveillance.” Brazil demanded an investigation and a US promise to stop such spying.

Snowden, who first fled to Hong Kong before moving on to Russia, is wanted by the United States on espionage charges.

Rousseff is to address the UN General Assembly session in New York later this month and her aides said she will raise the spying issue.

Brazil’s first woman president visited Washington last year, returning a trip to Brazil by Obama the previous year. Brazil is Latin America’s economic powerhouse and Obama made it a priority to improve ties, which were often prickly under Rousseff’s predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The canceled visit shows, however, how the Snowden row has damaged ties between the two trading giants-the United States is currently Brazil’s second biggest trading partner behind China.

A Brazilian government source said last week that the spying row may have brought negotiations on buying US warplanes to a halt. The talks to buy 36 fighter jets at a cost of around $5 billion have been going on for years, and got a nudge when US Vice President Joe Biden visited Brazil in May. Vying for the lucrative Air Force contract are the US Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, the Rafale from France’s Dassault the Gripen NG

by Saab of Sweden. Snowden’s revelations about international US spying and snooping programs have also caused Obama acute embarrassment and in relations with other allies. Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto complained to Obama over reports US spies had gone through his emails. There have also been pointed questions on the NSA issue from the likes of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, for whom the revelations caused trouble during a re-election campaign. — AFP

Desperation in Mexico, storm death toll rises ACAPULCO: The death toll in massive flooding in southern and central Mexico rose to 57 yesterday as desperation mounted in the cut-off resort of Acapulco, where residents looted a store and thousands of exhausted, despondent tourists waited to be ferried out by air.

Gun-toting state police guarded the entrance to a Costco store in Acapulco, hours after people looted the partly flooded outlet on one of the city’s main boulevards, carting off shopping carts full of food, clothing, and in some cases flatscreen TVs. Hundreds of people waded through waisthigh brown water in the store’s parking lot on Wednesday, fishing out anything - cans of food or soda - that looters might have dropped. Others shouted for the now-shuttered store to be reopened. “If we can’t work, we have to come and get something to eat,” said 60-year-old fisherman Anastasio Barrera, as he stood with his wife outside the store. “The city government isn’t doing anything for us, and neither is the state government.” Mexico was hit by the one-two punch of twin storms over the weekend, and Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said 57 storm-related deaths had occurred. The country could get another double blow by week’s end. A tropical disturbance formed over the Yucatan Peninsula on the country’s eastern tip and Tropical Depression Manuel - the same storm that battered Acapulco - regained force in the Pacific.

It was expected to hit Baja California on the country’s far west as a renewed tropical storm.

With the twin roads from Acapulco to Mexico City closed down, at least 40,000 tourists saw a long holiday beach weekend degenerate into a desperate struggle to get weeping children, elderly parents and even a few damp, bedraggled dogs back home. Two of Mexico’s largest airlines were running about two flights an hour from Acapulco’s still-flooded international airport Tuesday, with priority for those with tickets, the elderly and families with young children.

Everyone else who couldn’t wait for the government’s promise to reopen the roads within two days flocked to Air Base 7, about 20 minutes north of Acapulco, where a military air bridge made up of barely more than a dozen aircraft ferried tourists to Mexico City. The normally quiet beachfront installation was transformed into a scene from a conflict zone.

Families in shorts and sandals waited for as long as eight hours outside the gates of the base, held at bay by rifle-toting soldiers until they were

ACAPULCO: Victims of heavy rains wait for humanitarian aid in Acapulco, Guerrero state, Mexico yesterday. The official death toll rose to 47 after the tropical storms, Ingrid and Manuel, swarmed large swaths of the country during a three-day holiday weekend, sparking landslides and causing rivers to overflow in several states. — AFP allowed to drag suitcases, pet carriers and red eyed children across the tarmac, where they jostled furiously for a chance at one of the 150 seats on the next departing Air Force Boeing 727.

Military officials said only two of the passenger planes were in service, although a few hundred people got seats on one of the five helicopters or seven cargo planes also pressed into emergency duty. Many told of spending the weekend trapped by torrential rains inside their hotels, emerging to discover there was no way back home. “It’s probably one of the worst holidays I’ve ever been on,” said David Jefferson Gled, a 28year-old from Bristol, England, who teaches English at a private school in Mexico City. “It wasn’t really a holiday, more of an incarceration.”

By the end of Tuesday, 24 hours after most vacationers were supposed to be back, about 2,750 people had been flown out of Acapulco, the Guerrero state government said. But many still waited miserably on the runway or, worse, with thousands of other sweating, blank-eyed people in a roughly quarter-mile-long line outside the base. “It’s horrible. We haven’t eaten anything

since nine in the morning,” said Lizbeth Sasia, a 25-year-old teacher from Cuernavaca. “They keep telling us we’ll be on the next flight, but the next flight never comes.”

Adding insult to injury, a few immaculately dressed families skipped the line and were escorted to private jets by soldiers, to the incredulous stares of the sweltering masses.

“We’re cooking here, burnt. We’re tired, desperate,” said Irma Antonio Martinez, a 43-year-old housewife from suburban Mexico City who came to celebrate the three-day Independence Day weekend with 12 relatives. “We just want to get home to our poor house. Our families are waiting for us.” Asked how she felt, Juana Colin Escamilla cradled her toddler daughter and was able to get out one word, “bad” before she burst into tears.

Some cash machines along Acapulco’s coastal boulevard were low on bills, but most of the city’s tourist zone appeared back to normal, with roads clear, restaurants and hotels open and brightly lit and tourists strolling along the bay in an attempt to recover some of the leisure time lost to three days of incessant rains. —AP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

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

Parliamentary election to test if Austria ‘going to the dogs’ VIENNA: A business leader’s offhand pre-election comment that Austria is “going to the dogs” has galvanised a debate about whether the nation’s enviable prosperity will wither away.

The remark by Chamber of Commerce head Christoph Leitl held up a mirror to a comfortable and slightly coddled country that sailed through five years of economic crisis with little of the misery that euro zone peers like Greece or Cyprus endured.

With the centrist, pro-Europe coalition parties counting on low unemployment and gathering economic momentum to return them to power in a Sept.

29 parliamentary election, their reluctance to do little more than preserve the status quo has raised fears that they will jeopardise future economic growth. The coalition of Social Democrats (SPO) and the conservative People’s Party (OVP) has tweaked policy rather than press austerity, eager not to stall the export-driven economy in a push for fiscal rectitude.

Polls show the two are set to keep a combined majority despite challenges from right-wing eurosceptics and Greens. But critics say the lack of appetite for change will over time jeopardise the standard of living that most of Austria’s 8.4 million residents enjoy in a society that a United Nations study this month called

the eighth-happiest in the world. In his new book “The End of Comfort”, former SPO finance minister and industrialist Hannes Androsch bemoans slipping competitiveness and urges reforms in education and pensions, reducing bureaucracy and tightening public finances. If not, “then we will fall back further and this is highly dangerous. This has to be avoided.” He said the two big parties lacked resolve to push through structural change that would upset some of their supporters. Whether the two parties, the tax-and-spend Social Democrats and their more free-market OVP coalition partners, could agree on change is another matter.

Life in Austria is mostly good. The jobless rate is the European Union’s lowest at 4.8 percent, crime is low, pensions are generous and healthcare is practically free for most. Shattered by World War Two and occupied for the decade that followed, neutral Austria has made huge strides since.

Over the past four decades its output per capita rose more quickly than other small European countries and Germany at just over 2 percent a year to one of the highest levels in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Wage constraints in a country with strong ties

between employers and labour has boosted productivity and anchored a manufacturing sector that employs nearly 15 percent of workers, higher than most small economies in Europe, the OECD says.

“Austria is one of the star countries among OECD members,” said Monika Queisser, the organisation’s head of social policy.

But prosperity comes at a high price that the country may have trouble affording as the population ages.

Despite efforts to rein in early retirment, less than a fifth of people aged 60-64 work. Nearly 14 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) goes to state pensions.

A quarter of GDP is redistributed as subsidies, keeping income inequality low but leading OVP Finance Minister Maria Fekter to declare Austria to be “European subsidy champion”.

Government revenue accounts for nearly half of GDP, well above the OECD average of 36.6 percent, but no tax relief is in sight given the big hits taxpayers face for bailed-out banks like nationalised Hypo Alpe Adria.

SPO Chancellor Werner Faymann has called for a new wealth tax on millionaires and wants to extend indefinitely a levy on big banks’ assets that has lenders up in arms. A sheltered services sector makes Austrians pay more than their neighbours for many goods. Two out

of three women work, but a lack of day care means nearly half work part-time.

Austria’s famed apprenticeship schemes and job training help get young people into the labour force and keep them there, but standardised tests show the average 15-year-old’s score in reading, maths and science is below the OECD average.

Austria has slid to 23rd place on the IMD business school’s world competitiveness ranking - down 12 places in five years - and is 16th on the World Economic Forum’s global ratings.

But labour leaders scoff. “Competitveness rankings are more hidden lobbying by managers than objective indicators. Austria’s position is much better than some single rating would have us believe,” said Werner Muhm, head of the Chamber of Labour. Still, universities are underfunded and have high drop-out rates, data show. Fewer than a fifth of Austrians get a college education versus 31 percent on average in the OECD. Austria lacks entrepreneurial spirit. Venture capital investment is .008 percent of GDP, a third of the EU average. “In Austria if you light a candle, nine others come to put it out. In the United States nine others come to light their own candles as well,” Telekom Austria boss Hannnes Ametsreiter said. — Reuters

Austrians stunned as poacher’s rampage kills 4 Wife’s death ‘hit him for six’

HAMBURG: Supporters of German Chancellor Angela Merkel hold up placards with her nickname Angie as they wait for her to arrive for an election campaign event of her German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party in Hamburg, northern Germany yesterday, with only a few days of campaigning left before the September 22 poll. — AFP

Germans ponder life after Merkel BERLIN: It is heresy even to pose the question to the chancellor’s supporters before Sunday’s general election and, if she does win a third term, the answer will remain evasive. But some Germans are asking anyway: who can succeed Angela Merkel? “Angela the Great”, as one magazine dubbed her, looks a near certainty to be re-elected, the main doubt being whether her centre-right coalition gets a new lease of life or she has to govern with the centre-left.

Both scenarios are fine with the public, pollsters say, as long as “Angie” stays in charge.

But two recent credible media reports that she will only serve two or three years of a fouryear term, denied by Merkel, will make it hard for her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to keep a lid on succession talk for long.

Three potential heirs are widely touted Labor Minister Ursula von der Leyen, Lower Saxony’s ex-premier David McAllister and Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere - though all deny any such ambition. None has Merkel’s command of the party, or her ability to glide over daily politics and win elections. Smiling benignly from giant posters or offering reassurance in bland campaign speeches, the popular 59-year-old chancellor leaves it to underlings to debate policy details with struggling Social Democrat (SPD) challenger Peer Steinbrueck.

A majority of Germans say they feel comfortable under her steady, homely leadership, and many are in no hurry to know who comes after her. Party leaders avoid the issue publicly.

“Either Merkel wins the election and there won’t be a discussion for a few years, or she loses and the cards will have to be reshuffled completely,” said a member of the CDU’s top governing board, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Since nobody in the party believes she can lose on Sept 22, they are confident the debate “won’t get going until a year or two after the election”, said another senior party member.

But academics who study the CDU, and some party insiders not in the grip of Merkel-mania, believe it would be short-sighted of the party not to start grooming an heir immediately. Her aides accept succession speculation will be a growing “annoyance factor” in a third term and risks making her a lame-duck well before the 2017 election - meaning it must be quashed.

HISTORY LESSONS “Of course there is a debate about the succession,” said one long-standing member of the Bundestag lower house, critical of a cult atmosphere where Merkel has become “our only asset”. “What is the CDU without Angela Merkel? That is the pressing question. When we answer that, a candidate may arise who stands for these values,” said the lawmaker, who asked not to be named. “I really think they need to resolve this sooner than 2017,” said politics professor Wichard Woyke, adding that historically the CDU has often behaved as a “Kanzlerwahlverein” - a club for electing chancellors - rather than a vehicle for policy ideas.

“There is no discussion of content. This will be a problem for the CDU in the post-Merkel era,” he said.

There are echoes of the CDU under Konrad Adenauer in the early 1960s and Helmut Kohl in the ‘90s - two towering figures whose reluctance to make way for an heir caused turmoil in the party and, in Kohl’s case, contributed to defeat by the SPD. Kohl was Merkel’s mentor,

which did not stop her putting the knife in when, as deputy CDU leader in 1999, she criticized the former chancellor over a party financing scandal. That act of ruthlessness by Kohl’s innocent-looking “Maedchen” (girl) put her on the path to power that Wichard said was “a strewn with political corpses”.

THERE WERE THREE...

The careers of CDU “princelings” came to a premature end. Potential rivals were sidelined to jobs in Europe, left politics or were felled by scandals of vanity or venality. Two ministers fell over plagiarism in academia and Christian Wulff quit as president for taking cheap loans and free hospitality. This has whittled the succession shortlist down to three Merkel loyalists. Going by the rule of thumb that the louder politicians deny interest, the keener they are, von der Leyen is top contender.

Dubbed “Mother of the Nation” by one paper in reference to her seven children, she likes to say that each generation has its leader and “my generation’s chancellor is called Angela Merkel”. Younger than Merkel at 54 and in many ways her antithesis - a ready smile, blue blood, a western CDU pedigree, cosmopolitan upbringing and vast family complete with dogs and ponies - she ranks close behind veteran Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble in terms of popularity. But she can irritate party colleagues.

“The rule is usually that you either have the party behind you or the public,” said the CDU board member. “In von der Leyen’s case, it’s the public.” Her ministerial experience and progressive profile on issues like gender quotas and same-sex couples, on which Merkel sits on the fence, make von der Leyen a compelling candidate. She may switch after the election to a role with more political heft such as parliamentary floor leader, or even foreign minister.

“The CDU would have to be blind not to pick von der Leyen after Merkel,” said eminent social historian Hans-Ulrich Wehler. McAllister was wildly popular with public and party until he narrowly lost Lower Saxony state to the SPD this year. “‘Mac’ would have been the best successor, which is why the CDU was so shocked by his defeat,” said a senior CDU colleague. The half-Scot, who cried in defeat, is embarking on an EU career but, aged 42, could return as a contender in 2017.

They don’t come more loyal than de Maiziere, Merkel’s most trusted lieutenant until a bungled defense contract tarnished his reputation for competence. At 59, he lacks charisma: one party colleague described him as “a quintessential bureaucrat”.

Two others mentioned must first prove they can win votes: Volker Bouffier, 61, defends Hesse for the CDU this Sunday in a close contest; Julia Kloeckner, 41, must win RhinelandPfalz in 2016 to live up to headlines billing her as “the next Merkel”.

Merkel gives no clues except to say “a successor has always been found”. The eventual choice may be as improbable as she was - a Protestant woman from former East Germany leading a predominantly Catholic patriarchy from the West. Her biographer, politics professor Gero Neugebauer, says she may yet try to match Kohl’s record 16 years in office by running again in 2017, which would remove the lame duck scenario. “You know I don’t decide on things until they crop up,” has been Merkel’s enigmatic response to that idea. The message to “wannabes” waiting for the nod is clear: don’t hold your breath.— Reuters

VIENNA: Normally peaceful Austria was in shock yesterday after a poacher killed three policemen and a paramedic before perishing in a fire at his farm surrounded by police marksmen and army tanks.

The drama began just after midnight on Tuesday when police commandos tried to stop Alois Huber near Annaberg, some 100 kilometres (60 miles) west of Vienna, after a tip-off that he was hunting illegally.

The childless 55-year-old, whose wife reportedly died from cancer a few years ago, smashed through the police road block in his car and shot one of the police in the neck, fatally wounding him.

Less than an hour later, while the commando was still receiving treatment, he picked off an ambulance driver using a night-sight on his rifle, killing him, and shot a second policeman, but not fatally.

After crashing his Toyota pick-up truck, he continued on foot for two kilometres until another police roadblock, where he shot dead one policeman and took a second hostage. By now it was around 2:00 am.

He stole their police car and drove, with his captive, some 60 kilometres (40 miles) to his farm at Grosspriel near the town of Melk.

According to the Kronen-Zeitung, after daybreak he phoned friend and hunting companion Herbert Huthansl, confessing to the killings-he also shot his dog-and to “say goodbye”.

“The house is surrounded by police, they’ve got a helicopter and they’re coming to get me,” the paper quoted Huber as telling Huthansl. “I shot three policemen. They shot me in the stomach too, but that doesn’t matter now ... I have already shot Burgi (his German Shepherd dog) and they’re not going to get me.”

By this time the farm, comprising several buildings, was surrounded by heavily armed police, joined later by several army tanks while helicopters buzzed overhead.

A siege ensued as Huber, the legal owner of a whole arsenal of hunting guns including a high-powered rifle able to pierce police body armour, hid inside, letting off occasional pot shots. At around 2:00 pm, the tanks moved in and the stolen police car was found in a shed, the dead body of the policeman taken hostage inside. Attempts to make contact with Huber, either by phone or loudspeaker, failed.

At dusk, with power to the farm cut off, “Cobra” commandos tried approaching the main farmhouse but Huber fired at them, so police waited longer, finally storming the building at around 11:30 pm.

In a tricky operation carefully combing through the labyrinth-like house floor by floor, fearing at any moment that Huber could emerge with all guns blazing, the commandos found a hidden room on fire.

When the fire was brought under control “the charred body of a man, believed to be the poacher and murder suspect, was discovered,” said police spokesman Roland Scherscher.

The three slain police officers, all family men, were named as Roman Baumgartner, 38, Manfred Daurer, 44, and Johann Ecker, 51. The paramedic, Johann Dorfwirth, 70, had received numerous awards during a long career. Hunting is a popular pastime in Austria. Huber was well known locally for defying police and licensed hunters, often leaving the heads of dead animals on roads.

He was said to have had his hunting permit revoked several years ago following a brawl with local hunters.

Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said that the “dramatic events are unique in the history of the Austrian police”.

“My complete sympathy and deep-felt condolences go out to the relatives and colleagues of those members of the emergency services who died,” Chancellor Werner Faymann said.

Erwin Proell, premier of Lower Austria state where the drama unfolded, ordered flags to fly at half-mast on all public buildings. “I can’t understand it, we were best friends,” Huthansl told the Oesterreich daily.

“He was a good man but the death of his wife hit him for six.” — AFP

GROSSPRIEL: A police car stands near the farm house in Grosspriel, Lower Austria, yesterday, where Austrian police was hunting for the killer of four people. Regional police spokesman Roland Scherscher says a body was discovered early yesterday in a compartment behind a double wall of one of the buildings on the farm grounds of what they believe was the gunman. — AP

Clegg seeks to rally flagging party behind new coalition LONDON: Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, far adrift in the opinion polls less than two years before an election, will stake his political survival on persuading voters to back his plan to form another coalition government with one of his two larger rivals.

The Liberal Democrat leader’s popularity has slumped and his party has haemorrhaged support since he took power in a rare coalition with Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron after an inconclusive election in 2010.

In a sign of the trouble that lies ahead for his party, a poll suggested the centrist Liberal Democrats could be wiped out at the 2015 election, finishing in fourth place, behind the small UK Independence Party, an anti-European Union group. Clegg will seek to rally supporters in a speech to his party’s annual conference in Glasgow, saying their best course is to stay in government in another coalition, despite “every insult we have had to endure”.

He will take credit for helping the economy to recover from its worst crisis since World War Two and suggest that he held back the Conservatives from making more painful cuts under the coalition’s flagship austerity plan. If the next election ends without one party in overall control of parliament, Clegg said he is ready to work in the prime minister’s 10 Downing Street office with Cameron’s centre-right Conservatives or Ed Miliband’s centre-left Labour.

“The country is finally emerging from the biggest economic crisis in living memory,” he will

say, according to extracts of his speech released in advance. “The absolute worst thing to do would be to give the keys to Number 10 to a single party - Labour or the Conservatives.”

Ranked in the weeks before the last election as the most popular British politician since Winston Churchill, the 46-year-old father-ofthree’s appeal has plumetted during his time in government.

His support for unpopular austerity measures, a broken promise not to increase student tuition fees and the daily compromises of coalition government have all taken their toll. Clegg tried to start rebuilding trust with an announcement late on Tuesday of free school meals for all undereights. The first British coalition since World War Two has been strained by bitter arguments over the austerity drive, taxes, the European Union and planned reforms to electoral boundaries.

With polls giving Labour only a three or four point lead over the Conservatives, there is a chance that Britain will once again have a coalition government. The Liberal Democrats could play the role of kingmakers, as they did in 2010.

A BBC survey earlier this week said four out of 10 Liberal Democrat activists would prefer a coalition with Labour, with just 15 percent in favour of a new deal with the Conservatives.

In his speech, Clegg will defend the austerity measures as the only way to rebuild the economy and will cast his party as a powerful brake on a Conservative Party that “only cares about the rich”. — Reuters

PARIS: In this Aug 2, 2013 file photo French police officers stand guard at the Louvre Museum, Paris, during a visit of French Interior Minister Manuel Valls, unseen, during a tour focusing on security at the city’s top tourist areas. Police have arrested a group of pickpockets who dressed like tourists in order to target visitors of Paris’ most famous museums and monuments. They operated at the Louvre, the Musee d’Orsay, the Eiffel Tower and the Chateau de Versailles, bringing in as much as 2,000 euros ($2,700) per day by grabbing the wallets of tourists. — AP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

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

Cambodian king urges opposition to join parliament PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s king appealed to opposition lawmakers yesterday to drop a planned boycott of parliament for the sake of “national unity” following strongman premier Hun Sen’s disputed election win.

In a royal letter-seen by AFP-to 55 elected opposition lawmakers, King Norodom Sihamoni said he would preside over the first meeting of the lower house on Monday.

“I would like to invite his and her excellencies to attend the first meeting of the National Assembly in order to show national unification and unity,” Sihamoni said. Opposition officials could not be reached immediately for comment.

It is the first time that Sihamoni has intervened to resolve a political crisis since he took the throne in 2004. While he is the official head of state, he has no political power. In the past his father, former King Norodom Sihanouk, actively intervened to resolve political deadlock, particularly after elections. The royal message came a day after Cambodia’s two main political parties said they were nearing an agreement to end a stalemate over controversial elections held in July.

Hun Sen, who has ruled for 28 years, held talks with opposition leader Sam Rainsy on Tuesday for a second straight day in the wake of violent clashes at the weekend in which one civilian was shot dead

and several wounded. On Monday Hun Sen and Rainsy, a French-educated former banker, agreed 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, according to a joint statement that gave few details.

The two sides, however, remained at odds over the opposition’s demand for the creation of an independent “truth committee” to investigate the disputed polls.

Rainsy’s Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) has left open the possibility of further protests, after wrapping up three consecutive days of mass rallies in the capital on Tuesday.

The opposition has blamed the authorities for the death of a protester who was shot during a clash in Phnom Penh Sunday, on the fringes of a mass demonstration that drew an estimated 20,000 people demanding an independent probe into the vote. International rights groups accused the security forces of firing live ammunition-an allegation denied by the authorities. Security forces fired smoke grenades, tear gas and water cannon at rockthrowing protesters.

Six men have been charged by Phnom Penh Municipal Court with intentional violence and destruction of public property for their alleged role in the clashes, according to rights activists. — AFP

Verdict against China’s Bo Xilai expected on Sunday Court almost certain to find Bo guilty

HONG KONG: Members of the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body hold a protest outside a court where a local couple (not pictured) stands trial for abusing their Indonesian domestic helper in Hong Kong yesterday. A Hong Kong couple were jailed yesterday for a shocking string of attacks on their Indonesian domestic helper, who was burnt with an iron and beaten with a bike chain. — AFP

HK couple jailed for torturing maid HONG KONG: A Hong Kong couple were jailed yesterday for torturing, beating and abusing their Indonesian maid, who said they once dressed her in a diaper and tied her to a chair for five days while they went on holiday.

Tai Chi-wai, 42, an electric appliance salesman, was jailed for three years and three months and his wife, Catherine Au Yuk-shan, 41, a public hospital assistant, got five-and-ahalf years after being found guilty of a total of eight charges, including assault and wounding with intent. The couple repeatedly assaulted and tortured Kartika Puspitasari, 30, over a two-year period until she escaped last October, beating her with a bicycle chain and scalding her on the face and arms with a hot iron, the District Court had heard.

Kartika also said that she was left in a diaper and tied to a chair without food or water for five days while her employers went on holi-

day with their children to Thailand, although the judge said he believed some of this testimony had been exaggerated.

The case had done harm to Hong Kong’s reputation as a safe place to work and the court’s decision was to “send a clear message that every worker is protected by the laws”, said Deputy District Judge So Wai-tak.

The Mission for Migrant Workers said last month that a survey of more than 3,000 women conducted in Hong Kong last year found that 58 per cent had faced verbal abuse, 18 per cent physical abuse and six per cent sexual abuse.

“We call on to the Hong Kong authorities and policymakers to make the needed and urgent reforms that will mitigate the possibility of another Kartika in our midst,” the Coalition of Service Providers for Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong said in a statement. —Reuters

BEIJING: The corruption verdict against fallen Chinese politician Bo Xilai will be issued Sunday, the court that tried him said, potentially drawing to a close the Communist party’s worst scandal in years. Bo, 64, was once tipped for membership of China’s most powerful political body and his downfall exposed the ruling party to allegations of graft at a senior level.

The scandal added to divisions ahead of a once-ina-decade leadership transition which saw Xi Jinping installed as party chief in November. Now the court is almost certain to find Bo guilty and hand him a lengthy prison sentence, with the verdict decided as a result of extended backroom political bargaining, analysts say. “The Jinan Intermediate People’s Court will openly announce its verdict on the Bo Xilai bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power case on September 22, 2013 at 10 am,” the court said on a verified account on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter. Before his ouster last year, Bo was the top official in the southwestern megacity of Chongqing and one of China’s most prominent politicians. But he fell from grace after his police chief fled to a US consulate.

His wife was later convicted of the murder of a British businessman.

In an extraordinary trial last month, Bo vehemently denied the charges against him while the prosecution accused him of corruptly obtaining 26.8 million yuan ($4.4 million) and covering up the killing committed by his wife. Revelations of private jet flights, luxury villas and gifts of rare animal meats held Chinese Internet users spellbound during the fiveday trial, with the court’s weibo account gaining more than half a million followers.

Bo’s defiance over the course of the hearings astonished a public unfamiliar with the open airing of top-level intrigue and was in stark contrast to previous Chinese political trials, in which most defendants have humbly confessed their crimes in opaque court proceedings. He dismissed testimony by his wife Gu Kailai as “insane”, launched a scathing attack on his former police chief Wang Lijun as “full of lies and fraud”, and compared another prosecution witness to

Philippine military warns Muslim rebels to surrender ZAMBOANGA: Philippine soldiers pursued heavily armed Muslim rebels through the streets and homes of a major city yesterday, warning they would be killed or captured unless they surrendered.

About 200 members of the Moro National Liberation Front sailed into the southern port city of Zamboanga on September 9 to stake an independence claim and derail peace talks aimed at ending a decades-long insurgency.

Eighty-six MNLF gunmen, as well as 14 security forces and four civilians have died in the ensuing conflict, which has seen street battles in neighbourhoods occupied by the rebels as well as military helicopter rocket attacks.

Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala said fresh fighting took place Wednesday, and soldiers had orders to “neutralise” the remaining 30-40 rebels, who were roaming through houses in urban areas.

“We will continue with our calibrated military response until they are neutralised, either through being killed or captured, or they surrender,” he told AFP. “We want to let them know there is no dishonour in surrendering,

when that saves lives.”

MNLF leader Nur Misuari had reportedly called for safe passage for his men back to their island strongholds as part of a failed ceasefire initiative, but President Benigno Aquino rejected the condition.

Zagala emphasised the military was intent on not allowing the remaining rebels to escape, with troops blocking strategic routes out to sea. Nevertheless, he said the military could not conduct a full-out assault against the rebels for fear of endangering civilians ensnared in the conflict.

“We want to finish this in the soonest possible time. But we want to ensure the safety and security of the civilians who are either trapped or being held hostage,” Zagala said.

Troops look for booby traps The rebels were believed to be holding as many as 21 hostages, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas told reporters in Zamboanga, as he outlined operations to flush the insurgents out of the communities. “ We are now at the stage of clearing operations... we are going from house to house, block to block.

Houses are built close together, the streets are narrow,” Roxas said. “We

ZAMBOANGA: Residents affected by the stand-off between government forces and Muslim rebels wash at an evacuation center inside a sports complex in Zamboanga, on the southern island of Mindanao yesterday. Dozens of people trapped in a deadly urban battle between Muslim rebels and Philippine troops rushed to safety, as the guerrillas lost ground in more heavy fighting, authorities said and nearly 70,000 other civilians have fled the fighting. — AFP

have to ensure that there are no more fighters there and that no booby traps were left behind.”

The rebels have shown no intent to surrender despite being heavily outnumbered, with the military reporting that two more soldiers were killed on Tuesday.

Those deaths occurred as the military achieved one of its biggest breakthroughs, securing the release of more than 140 civilians after taking back control of some neighbourhoods.

About 100,000 people, or roughly 10 percent of Zamboanga’s population, have been displaced due to the fighting, while the city has been brought to a standstill with schools closed and transport services suspended.

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 conflict.

Muslims regard the southern Mindanao region as their ancestral homeland, although Catholic immigration and population increases over recent decades has made them a minority in many areas.

The MNLF signed a peace treaty in 1996 that granted limited selfrule to the south’s Muslim minority.

However MNLF troops never gave up all their weapons, as they had agreed, and they have proved an enduring if sporadic security threat in parts of the south.

Misuari deployed his men to Zamboanga to show opposition to a planned peace deal between the government and the remaining major Muslim rebel group, the 12,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The MILF is close to signing the peace pact, which Misuari believes would sideline the MNLF. One of the main points of contention is the envisaged creation of a new autonomous Muslim political and economic entity for the southern Philippines, to replace the one created under the MNLF-brokered deal in 1996.

The rival MILF would have most control of the new autonomous region and the potential riches on offer if large mineral deposits and the area’s fertile farming regions are exploited. — AFP

JINAN: In this Aug. 24, 2013 file photo released by the Jinan Intermediate People’s Court, former Politburo member and party leader of the megacity of Chongqing Bo Xilai, in the defendant seat listens to a testimony by former Chongqing city police chief Wang Lijun, unseen, at Jinan Intermediate People’s Court in Jinan, in eastern China’s Shandong province. — AP a “mad dog”. At the close of the trial prosecutors said Bo’s crimes of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power were “extremely serious” and there were no mitigating factors.

Death penalty?

Though a guilty verdict is almost certain, his punishment remains in question. The charges against him mean he could be handed a death sentence, but several analysts said they expect him to receive a prison term of around 20 years.

Bo could yet appeal, but the verdict will be seen by party authorities as a chance to draw a line under the scandal. “As far as the party leaders are concerned, this is the end of the matter,” Zhang Ming, a political analyst at Beijing’s Renmin University told AFP. David

Zweig, a professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said the verdict was “about trying to get things done, and move things along”.

“The question really is how long they put him away for, and I think the assumption is that they’re going to throw the book at him, and give him a long time,” he added.

The son of one of China’s most famous revolutionary leaders, Bo’s populist policies in Chongqing won him supporters across China and he is still thought to have high-level allies within the ruling party. But his brash approach also alienated other top party leaders, who saw his open ambition as harking back to a bygone era of strongman rule. The verdict comes as the party attempts to show it is cracking down on corruption and government waste. —AFP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

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

Sri Lanka editor flees after armed attack COLOMBO: An editor critical of Sri Lanka’s government has fled the country following death threats and an armed attack on her home which she suspected was intended to find documents, a media rights groups said yesterday.

The Free Media Movement (FMM) said Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema left for an undisclosed country Tuesday, joining some 80 journalists who have sought refuge abroad since President Mahinda Rajapakse came to power in 2005.

Five men held the associate editor of the Sunday Leader newspaper at knifepoint and searched her

Colombo home in a pre-dawn raid on August 24. The military admitted that two of the five men involved were soldiers who had deserted the army, but denied that security forces were behind the crime.

Police, who shot one of the intruders dead, insisted it was a straight-forward robbery unrelated to her work at the newspaper.

“She had received several death threats after she raised suspicions that the gang was not looking for valuables, but for some documents,” the FMM said in a statement. “She and her family lived in hiding, moving from house to house since the break in burglary

of her residence.” The founding editor of the Sunday Leader, Lasantha Wickrematunge, was shot dead near the group’s office in January 2009. The assassination remains unsolved. Abeywickrema has been critical of the government in her political commentary and recently set up a trade union for journalists.

The intruders were suspected by her to be looking for the documents related to a multi-million-dollar state land sale she was investigating.

Two weeks later another break-in saw a computer stolen from her home which was unoccupied at the time, the FMM said. The FMM called on the govern-

ment to end the “impunity which has become the shield for attacks against media and journalists in Sri Lanka and bring all perpetrators to justice”.

Abeywickrema’s investigative newspaper was considered anti-government until last year, when it was bought by a businessman who is widely seen to favour the administration.

In September last year, the newspaper’s new owner dismissed the editor, Frederica Jansz, who said she was fired after resisting demands to water down criticism of the president. She has since fled to the US following death threats. — AFP

Taleban gunmen kill Afghan election chief Karzai condemns killing

DHAKA: Bangladeshi social activists shout slogans during a rally against a strike called by Bangladesh’s largest Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, yesterday. The Jamaat-e-Islami party, called for a 48-hour general strike across the country beginning yesterday after Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Tuesday sentenced Abdul Quader Mollah, a senior member of the party, to death for committing crimes against humanity during the nation’s 1971 independence war against Pakistan. — AP

Bangladesh Islamists protest death penalty Karzai condemns killing DHAKA: Violent protests erupted across Bangladesh yesterday leaving one person dead, police said, amid a nationwide strike over the death sentence given to a senior Islamist leader for mass murder.

Supporters of the country’s largest Islamist party hurled bricks and small, home-made bombs during protests in southern and northern Bangladesh, while police retaliated with rubber bullets and tear gas, officers said.

A police officer was shot and seriously wounded by activists who attacked a police camp near the port city of Chittagong, a senior police officer said. “His condition is critical,” the city’s police chief, Hafiz Akter, told AFP. The violence came as towns and cities shut down for the strike called by the Jamaat-e-Islami party over the death sentence handed on Tuesday to Abdul Quader Molla for crimes committed during the 1971 war of independence.

An auto-rickshaw driver died after being hit with stones in the southern coastal district of Noakhali as Jamaat activists protested Molla’s sentence, which they say is politically motivated.

“The auto-rickshaw driver came under attack from Jamaat supporters at a place called Talerchar this morning. He was hit by several stones,” Anisur Rahman, the district’s police chief, told AFP, adding the victim was declared dead at a local hospital.

The demonstrations are the latest to hit Bangladesh, which has been reeling from some of the deadliest violence since independence over the sentences given to Islamists for atrocities committed during the war against Pakistan.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court strengthened the sentence originally given

to Molla by the country’s war crimes tribunal, and rejected an appeal for acquittal by his defence lawyers.

Molla, 65, the fourth-highest leader of Jamaat, had been given a life sentence in February by the tribunal, then sparking deadly protests and riots by Islamists but also by secular activists on the other side who considered it too lenient.

Molla was convicted of rape, murder and mass murder including the killing of more than 350 unarmed Bengali civilians, a poet and a top journalist during the war, when he was a physics student at Dhaka University.

Prosecutors described him as the “Butcher of Mirpur”, a Dhaka suburb where he committed most of the atrocities. The tribunal has since January convicted six Islamists of crimes related to the 1971 war, in which pro-independence fighters battled Pakistani forces which were helped by local Islamist leaders.

The opposition has criticised the tribunal’s trials as a politically motivated exercise aimed at settling old scores rather than meting out justice.

The government says three million people died during the war while independent estimates put the death toll at between 300,000 and 500,000.

The latest verdict could further inflame political tensions in the country, about four months before it holds elections. The main opposition party, an ally of Jamaat, leads in opinion polls.

In the northwestern city of Rajshahi and southern Satkhira town, police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse scores of rock-throwing Jamaat protesters, police inspector Ziaur Rahman told AFP. —AFP

India lawmakers face arrest over Hindu-Muslim riots NEW DELHI: A court in northern India yesterday ordered the arrest of dozens of suspects including politicians and community leaders for inciting violence during recent Hindu-Muslim clashes that left 49 people dead, police said.

The state lawmakers, including those from the ruling Congress party and main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), are among 69 people wanted by police over the riots in India’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh.

“The court in Muzaffarnagar today ordered their arrest after we registered cases against 69 people who include leaders from some political parties,” state police spokesman Manoj Jha told AFP by telephone.

The unrest, during which mobs burned houses and a mosque forcing hundreds of people to flee, erupted this month in Muzaffarnagar, 105 kilometres (65 miles) northeast of capital New Delhi, before spreading to other villages.

Thousands of extra paramilitary personnel were rushed to affected areas of the state, which has a history of religion and caste-based violence in its 200-million population.

Uttar Pradesh witnessed riots in 1992 following the razing of a mosque by a Hindu mob. More than 2,000 people-mostly Muslims-were killed after the 16th-century structure in Ayodhya was demolished.

The latest violence has triggered speculation that parties are seeking to

polarise the politically pivotal state along religious lines ahead of general elections due next year.

A federal opposition MP was among the politicians and community leaders wanted for questioning for allegedly making inflammatory speeches during the unrest, Jha told AFP by telephone from Muzaffarnagar.

He did not say how many politicians and community leaders were being targeted, but the Press Trust of India, quoting unnamed police officials, put the figure at 16. Some have already been arrested and charged with inciting violence, according to local media.

Headlines Today television station said a state cabinet minister, Azam Khan, allegedly told police to go slow on controlling the riots. A police officer was caught on secretly recorded video saying they were under instructions from Khan, from the state’s governing Samajwadi Party, the TV station said.

Khan denied the allegation, saying he was prepared to face the “harshest of punishment if proven guilty”.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday visited victims of the unrest, who have sought shelter in makeshift camps in Uttar Pradesh, and promised tough action for those responsible.

The clashes erupted on September 7 after thousands of Hindu farmers held a meeting to demand justice over the killing of three Hindu men who had protested when a woman was allegedly harassed. — AFP

KUNDUZ: Taleban assassins riding motorbikes gunned down a senior election official in northern Afghanistan yesterday, raising fears next year’s presidential vote will trigger a surge in violence.

Amanullah Aman, head of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) in Kunduz province, was killed by two gunmen outside his home in Kunduz city as he left for work.

His murder, the first of an election official in recent years, came after candidate nominations opened Monday. All potential runners in the race to succeed President Hamid Karzai must declare themselves by October 6.

“Aman was shot dead in the morning in front of his house as he was leaving for his office,” Kunduz provincial spokesman Enayatullah Khaliq told AFP. “Two men on motorcycles opened fire on his car and severely wounded him, he later died in the hospital.” Deputy police chief Ebadullah Talwar said that Aman was murdered after going grocery shopping and was not accompanied by any bodyguards. Talwar added that five arrests had already been made, but gave no further details. The Taleban, who often target government officials, released a brief statement on their website claiming responsibility for the attack.

Last month Taleban leader Mullah Omar called the election a “waste of time”, but has so far stopped short of threatening an increase in attacks targeting preparations for the April 5 vote. “We’ll boycott elections in April. We did not say we’ll attack it, but the commanders on the ground will,” one member of the Taleban, which dismiss Karzai as a US puppet, told AFP recently.

Karzai condemned yesterday’s killing, saying the Taleban wanted to ensure that “Afghans do not take part in the election to decide about their future”.

The IEC said that Aman was an experienced election official whose death would be “a big loss to the country’s democratic process”.

Kunduz, which borders Tajikistan, is in the

ISLAMABAD: Visiting Afghan Energy Minister, Ismail Khan, right, meets Pakistan’s adviser to the national security and foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz at the Foreign Office in Islamabad, Pakistan, yesterday. — AP more peaceful north of Afghanistan, but it is still a hotbed of Islamist insurgent activity.

The province is also a major route for drug trafficking and has a volatile mix of rival ethnic groups and armed militia.

A successful presidential election next year is widely seen as the key test of international military and aid efforts since the fall of the Taleban in 2001. Karzai on Tuesday repeated his vow to help oversee a safe and credible vote, which will be Afghanistan’s first democratic transfer of power. “A good election this time will be good for my good reputation,” he said in a speech. “I will be involved until the candidates are registered... and I will only get involved again on

polling day when I will cast my vote for my favourite candidate.

“I will remain neutral in all election deals, but will be providing security and will stop foreigners meddling in it.” Karzai has said former warlord Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, 2009 runner-up Abdullah Abdullah and former finance minister Ashraf Ghani were possible candidates.

Attention has also recently focused on lowprofile Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul as a strong technocrat candidate from within Karzai’s camp. The election coincides with the withdrawal of 87,000 NATO combat troops by the end of 2014 as Afghan soldiers and police take charge of the fight against the Taleban. — AFP

Pakistan’s internet censors seek help from Canadians ISLAMABAD: In a nondescript, creeper-draped building in the capital of Islamabad, a small team of men is purging Pakistan’s Internet.

Shadowy government officials are blocking thousands of pages deemed undesirable. But they are not fast enough. So the government is now testing Canadian software that can block millions of sites a second. The censorship helps shape the views of 180 million Pakistanis on militancy, democracy and religion. Online debates dissect attacks by US drone aircraft, the uneasy alliance with the United States and prospects for peace with arch rival India. But activists say liberal voices are increasingly silenced while militants speak freely. They worry customised filters will only deepen that divide.

“Secular, progressive and liberal voices are being increasingly targeted,” said Shahzad Ahmad, the founder of Bytes For All, which campaigns for internet freedoms from a small, crowded office. “Anything can be banned without debate.”

An internet provider who declined to be identified said the number of banned pages doubled in five years, partly a reaction to cartoons or films offensive to Muslims.

Citizen Lab, a research centre at the University of Toronto, published a report in June showing the Pakistani government was testing filtering software supplied by Canadian firm Netsweeper.

The Pakistani government and Netsweeper declined to comment. In 2012, the government circulated a five-page document seeking filtering software. “Pakistani ISPs and backbone providers have expressed their inability to block millions of undesirable websites using current manual blocking systems,” the government said in the paper, a copy of which was seen by Reuters. It said it needed a system “able to handle a block list of up to 50 million URLs”.

Activists from Bolo Bhi, an internet freedom group whose name means “Speak Up”, said Pakistan wanted the strict online censorship practiced in its ally China.

About 42 million Pakistanis can get online, the government says, and the Internet is one of the few places where they can speak freely, said Bolo Bhi director Farieha Aziz. Twitter helps voters reach leaders directly.

“Now Pakistanis can get direct access to politicians. Previously they were just on television, telling you stuff,” Aziz said. Bolo Bhi asked technology companies to refuse the bid and said U.S.-based Websense, Cisco, Verizon, OpenDNS, and Canada’s Sandvine all agreed. “Any company whose products are currently being used for government-imposed censorship should remove their technology so that it is not used in this way by oppressive governments,” Websense said in an open letter seen by Reuters.

Instead, Netsweeper took the contract, Citizen Lab said. Netsweeper has categorised 5 billion URLs and offers customised blocking and blocking by keyword, it says on its website.

Activists say tests run to install the filtering system led to the temporary blocking of sites like Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. State lawyers have referred to the tests in a court case in which the government is being sued by free-speech activists. Many sites on human rights, news and religion are already permanently blocked.

“The internet Pakistan is seeing is not the same as

the rest of the world is seeing,” said Ronald Deibert of Citizen Lab. Pakistani officials decline to discuss Netsweeper, even with their own legislators.

“They told us they’d shelved it,” said legislator Bushra Gohar, who raised the matter in the National Assembly. “There are violent groups operating openly in this country and they want to ban objectionable content?”

Officially, only sites that are blasphemous, pornographic or threaten national security are banned. But pages banned in recent months include a Facebook group wanting to end the death penalty for blasphemy, a band whose song mocked the military, a site tracking sectarian murders, and pages a cleric who has spoken against sectarian violence, according to an official list seen by Reuters.

Hate speech denouncing religious minorities like Shi’ites, who make up about 20 percent of Pakistan’s population, is freely available online. So are pages maintained by militant groups the Pakistani government has banned. Lawyer Yasser Latif Hamdani, who is suing the government on behalf of internet freedom activists, said while some of the hundreds of web pages he had found blocked were pornographic, most were secular or sites belonging to religious minorities.

“I can’t think of any religious extremist group that has been blocked,” he said. “They are not blocking the guys who are going to come on the road and start burning things, they are not blocking the people who are inciting violence against religious

minorities.” Last year, at least 325 Shi’ites, a minority sect in Pakistan, were killed, including children shot on their way to school. About 200 more were killed in twin bombings this year.

The government does not release statistics, but the Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan said about 4,500 URLs were banned, including some websites like YouTube.

The Google-owned, video-sharing channel was blocked a year ago after clerics organised violent protests against an anti-Islam film posted on the site.

Thousands of protesters armed with sticks and stones battled riot police in major cities.

Officials have said they hope the filters will help Pakistan to re-open YouTube, by blocking links to specific material and allowing the rest.

In the meantime, censorship is theoretically decided by the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC), a secretive body comprising members of the security forces, religious leaders and chaired by a secretary from the Ministry of Information Technology.

The secretary declined requests for an interview.

But the committee only meets a couple of times a year, and the authorities are directing hundreds of pages to be banned each month, an industry official said. Sometimes the IMC retroactively approved bans from the Ministry of IT - headquartered on the fourth floor of the nondescript brick building, said a government official who was not authorised to speak to the media. He could not say who added sites to the blocked list in the first place. — Reuters

HUSSAINSAGAR LAKE: Indian Hindu devotees participate in a procession with idols of the elephant-headed god Lord Ganesha ahead of an immersion ceremony at Hussainsagar Lake in Hyderabad yesterday. Hindu devotees bring home and offer prayers in temporary temples built for idols of Lord Ganesha in order to invoke his blessings for wisdom and prosperity during the ten-day Ganesha Festival, culminating with the immersion of the idols in bodies of water, including the ocean. — AFP

NEWS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

LAHORE: A Pakistani boy carries a sheep on his shoulders near a cattle market in Lahore yesterday. — AFP

Americans, Europeans oppose Syria intervention BRUSSELS: A majority of Europeans and Americans strongly oppose their countries intervening militarily in Syria’s 30-month-old civil war, according to a transatlantic poll published yesterday. “Transatlantic Trends”, an annual survey of public opinion in the United States and Europe, also found that China’s image in both continents was deteriorating and most Europeans did not want to see Beijing take strong leadership in world affairs. The survey, by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a US think tank that promotes cooperation between North America and Europe, and the Compagnia di San Paolo, an Italy-based private foundation, measured public opinion in 11 European Union countries, Turkey and the United States.

The poll found 62 percent of Americans and 72 percent of Europeans believed their countries should avoid military intervention in Syria’s civil war, which has killed more than 100,000 people. Only 30 percent of Americans and 22 percent of Europeans felt their countries should intervene in Syria. In Turkey, which borders Syria, 72 percent said their country should stay out, while 21 percent favored intervention. In all regions, the survey found a hardening of attitudes against outside intervention, compared with last year.

Opposition to Western intervention in Syria was reflected in the parliamentary defeat British Prime Minister David Cameron suffered last month, when he sought approval for a motion that would have authorized military action in principle. The United States and Russia agreed last Saturday on a proposal to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal, averting the possibility of any immediate US military action.

On Iran, Europeans and Americans said economic sanctions were the best way to prevent the acquisition of nuclear weapons. Very few Europeans but 18 percent

of Americans backed military action against Iran when presented with a range of options ranging from offering economic incentives to accepting that Iran could acquire nuclear arms.

Respondents who chose a non-military option for dealing with Iran were asked if they would favor military action if peaceful options failed. In that scenario, 48 percent of the Europeans and 64 percent of the Americans favored the use of force. Western powers suspect Iran’s nuclear program is aimed at developing a nuclear weapons capability, although Tehran insists the program is peaceful. The survey found China had a poor image in the West. Sixty percent of Europeans and 58 percent of Americans had an unfavorable view of China, both higher than last year.

The United States and the European Union have both engaged in high-profile trade disputes with China over the past year. Sixty-five percent of Europeans, 72 percent of Turks and 47 percent of Americans said it would be undesirable for China to take strong leadership in world affairs. Europeans, Americans, and Turks saw China as more of an economic threat than an economic opportunity. Forty-nine percent of Americans also viewed China as a military threat, although most Europeans and Turks disagreed.

Russia also had an image problem. Forty-six percent of Americans viewed Russian global leadership as undesirable, as did 65 percent of Europeans and 67 percent of Turks. Fifty-nine percent of Americans, 62 percent of Europeans and 68 percent of Turks had a negative view of Russia. Countries surveyed were France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Britain, the United States and Turkey. About 1,000 people were polled in each country between June 3 and July 2 — Reuters

Moscow denounces UN findings on Syria Continued from Page 1 chemical weapons use by Assad’s opponents. The stark disagreement over blame for the attack may complicate discussions among Security Council members Russia, China, the United states, Britain and France - over a Western-drafted resolution to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons.

“We are surprised by Russia’s attitude because they are calling into question not the report, but the objectivity of the inspectors,” French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in Paris yesterday. “I don’t think anybody can call into question inspectors that have been appointed by the UN,” said Fabius, who met Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday and said several aspects of the UN report clearly pointed to Syrian government involvement.

Russia has been Assad’s most powerful backer during the conflict that has killed more than 100,000 people since 2011, delivering weapons and - with China - blocking Western efforts to use the Security Council’s clout to pressure his government.

Moscow argues that the danger emanates from rebels, many of whom harbor militant Islamist ambitions for Syria that could ultimately pose a threat both to Russia, which is fighting against Islamist militants on its southern fringe, and the West. In his meeting with Ryabkov, Assad voiced appreciation “for Russia’s stances in support of Syria in the face of the vicious attack and ... terrorism which is backed by Western, regional and Arab forces”, Syrian state news agency SANA said.

The draft resolution is intended to support a USRussian deal reached on Saturday calling for Syria to account for its chemical weapons within a week and for their destruction by mid-2014. The accord was based on a Russian proposal accepted by Assad. The deal halted efforts by US President Barack Obama to win Congressional approval for military action to punish Assad for the gas attack, which the United States says killed more than 1,400 people in rebel-held areas. US Secretary of State John Kerry called on Tuesday for a res-

olution with the strength to force compliance from Assad. Diplomats said the current US-British-French draft was written so that its provisions were under Chapter 7 of the UN charter, which covers Security Council authority to enforce its decisions with measures such as sanctions or force. But Russia has made clear it believes authorization of the use of force would require a second resolution to be introduced if the Syrian government or its opponents are found to have violated the country’s commitments on chemical weapons.

Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad yesterday thanked key backer Russia for helping his regime face down a “savage attack” by Western-backed rebels, state television reported. Russia is helping “create... a new global balance”, Assad said, after Moscow opposed the use of force should the Damascus regime refuse to abide by an agreement to hand over its chemical weapons stockpile.

Assad’s statement came during a meeting with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

“President Assad expressed... his gratitude to Russia for its position of helping Syria face down the savage attack... and the Western, regional and Arab-backed terrorism,” he said, using the regime’s term for the armed revolt in the country. Ryabkov, who flew in to Damascus on Tuesday, accused UN inspectors investigating chemical attacks in Syria of being “biased and one-sided”.

Russia has received “evidence that the rebels are implicated in the chemical attack,” Ryabkov was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti and ITAR-TASS news agencies.

Damascus flatly denies using chemical weapons against opposition areas, and instead blames rebels for such attacks. Also yesterday, Assad criticized US policy on Syria during a meeting with American personalities opposed to Western intervention in the conflict. State news agency SANA, which said the team was made up of former members of Congress, journalists and peace activists, quoted Assad as saying that US policy in the Middle East was concentrated on “imposing its hegemony on the people of the region”. — Agencies

MAALULA: A Russian made Syrian army armored personnel carrier (APC) is stationed along a street leading into Syria’s ancient Christian town of Maalula - scene of fighting between pro-government troops and rebels forces yesterday. The town lies around 55 kilometers from Damascus and is strategically important for rebels, who are trying to tighten their grip on Damascus. — AFP

hair in tablet?

Continued from Page 1 The import alert issued to Ranbaxy prohibits it from making FDA-regulated drugs at the Mohali facility and selling them in the United States until its methods, facilities and controls are in compliance with good manufacturing standards. The unexpected import ban on the Mohali facility sent shares in Ranbaxy plunging by one-third on Monday, and comes just a few months after it pleaded guilty to US felony charges related to drug safety and agreed to $500 million in fines.

It brings under sanction all three of Ranbaxy’s plants in India dedicated to supplying the United States, and followed FDA inspections in September and December last year.

During one of the inspections, the FDA concluded that a black fibre embedded in a tablet was likely either “tape remnants on the nozzle head of the machine or a hair from an employee’s arm that could be exposed on loading the machine”, the documents showed.

Ranbaxy had said on Tuesday it would review the details of the FDA import alert and take “all necessary steps to resolve the concerns” at the earliest. “The USFDA had conducted inspections at Ranbaxy’s Mohali facility in 2012, resulting in certain observations,” Ranbaxy said in the statement. “The company believes that it has made further improvements at its Mohali facility ... and remains committed to addressing all concerns of the USFDA.” The Mohali plant, in the northern state of Punjab, had not been making US exports since last November, when it voluntarily recalled its generic version of cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor in the United States due to the potential pres-

ence of glass particles in certain batches. The FDA’s ban of US shipments from the Mohali plant was unexpected as the facility is relatively new and accounted for 50 percent of new generic drug filings by Ranbaxy, said Sarabjit Kour Nangra, a sector analyst at Angel Broking.

The latest action against Ranbaxy came months after the FDA imposed an import ban on one of the plants of Wockhardt Ltd after inspectors found torn data records in a waste heap and urinals that emptied into an open drain in a bathroom six meters from the entrance to a sterile manufacturing area.

Wockhardt Chairman Habil Khorakiwala said this month the problem at its Waluj plant was “an inexcusable lapse, but we have taken swift and definitive action, both corrective and pre-emptive”. India produces nearly 40 percent of generic drugs and over-the-counter products and 10 percent of finished dosages used in the United States. In March, India allowed the FDA to add seven inspectors, which will bring its staff in India to 19. In Ranbaxy’s case, the FDA inspections in Mohali also found that a tablet was not within the specified weight limit, the FDA inspectors wrote.

Other findings by the FDA included use of dirty glassware, spots and abrasions on the surface of tablets and potential packaging line failure that resulted in unlabeled bottles sent to pharmacies. The latest Ranbaxy import ban and a weak rupee may force Daiichi Sankyo to revise down full-year guidance when it announces first half earnings on Oct 31, Atsushi Seki, an analyst with Barclays Japan wrote in a report. “It appears Ranbaxy still has problems that need to be resolved,” Seki wrote. Ranbaxy has lost half its value from its highest level in 2008, when it was first hit by an import ban. — Reuters

Bahrain’s oppn suspends talks Continued from Page 1 main demand for an elected government. Persistent unrest since February 2011, when an uprising led by the Shiite Muslim majority demanded the Sunni al-Khalifa dynasty give up power, has placed Bahrain on the front line of a struggle for regional influence between Shiite Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia. Shiites have long complained of entrenched discrimination in areas such as employment and public services, despite the denials of the Sunni-led government. The government denies any discrimination.

Al Wefaq demands a constitutional monarchy with a government chosen from within a democratically elected parliament. The government quelled the 2011 revolt, one of a series of “Arab Spring” upheavals, but protests and clashes have carried on. An international inquiry said in a November 2011 report that 35 people had died during the uprising mainly protesters, but also including five security personnel

and seven foreigners.

Bahrain’s head of public prosecution, Nayef Yousfi, said police investigations showed Marzouq had spoken at many forums promoting what they described as terrorism, the most recent of which was a speech at Saar district west of the capital Manama on Sept 6. At that event he raised the flag of the opposition group, the February 14 Coalition, Yousfi said. He described the group, a network of activists that uses social media to organize anti-government protests, as a terrorist organization. Yousfi said Marzouq was interrogated in the presence of his lawyer and subsequently “charged under the Law for Protecting the Community from Terrorist Acts, with inciting and advocating terrorism, and using his leadership position in a legally organized political society to incite crimes”. The kingdom hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet and is seen in the West as a key regional ally. The government has accused Iran of fomenting unrest in Bahrain, a charge Tehran denies. — Reuters

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

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Focus

Skeptical Glasgow eyes breakaway

By Katy Lee

P

lagued by a reputation for poverty and ill-health, yet brimming with economic promise-Scotland’s biggest city Glasgow is a place of sharp contrasts. And when it comes to opinions on the break-up of the United Kingdom, things are no different.

Yesterday marked exactly a year until Scotland holds a historic referendum on whether to leave the rest of the United Kingdom-England, Wales and Northern Ireland-and go it alone as an independent state.

Breaking a 300-year union with London, a “yes” vote would be a momentous decision for the 5.3 million people of Scotland. But on the wet streets of Glasgow, enthusiasm was conspicuously thin on the ground on Tuesday. “Look at the state of this place. Independence wouldn’t make a bit of difference,” said Brian Reilly as he stood in the rain surveying what used to be his jewelry store, halfway along a row of sad-looking shops and shuttered pubs in Calton, one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.

“There’s no money. Junkies everywhere. The politicians haven’t done anything for this place,” said the 54year-old, who was forced to shut his business in February. Alcoholism, drug abuse and pockets of appalling deprivation-a legacy of the decline of the city’s once proud shipyards, steelworks and other heavy industries-have earned Glasgow a medical term for its sharp health inequalities-the “Glasgow effect”.

And with a third of its households completely out of work, Glasgow is Britain’s capital of joblessness, according to official figures released this month. But money has been poured into regenerating the city in the last two decades, and next year it hosts the Commonwealth Games. Gleaming, futuristic buildings now cluster along the River Clyde, while the government markets the 600,000-strong city as a hub for specialist manufacturing and digital media companies. ‘ This would be the worst divorce in history’Glasgow is home to one of the oldest universities in the English-speaking world-and many of the students who thronged there on Tuesday, as the new academic year got underway, had strong opinions on the coming referendum. “I’m going to vote no,” politics student Maria Ure told AFP. “There’s too many unanswered questions if we split. Are we going to have our own army? Are we going to be a part of the UN and NATO?” Shaun Gallacher, bravely wearing sunglasses despite the Glasgow chill, agreed. “I think this would be the worst divorce in history,” he said as he distributed flyers outside the university for a local gay club night.

“We’d be screwed. I think Scotland has a better chance on the world stage as part of the UK. You don’t want to be this tiny little country that has no say on anything.”

But his friend Jodie McKenna said she’d be voting for independence. “Scotland has more to offer on its own,” she said. Opinion polls suggest only around a third of Scots currently intend to vote “yes”, although Scotland’s nationalist leader Alex Salmond claims a year is plenty of time to win over a majority with his economic and political arguments. He has promised an independent Scotland that is not only rich because of its North Sea oil reserves, but more egalitarian-a vision that appeals to some of the nation’s traditionally left-wing voters.

“We’re a socialist country by nature,” said Mick McNulty, a 59-year-old electrician, nursing a pint in a Glasgow pub. Like many Scots, he will never forgive late Conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher for overseeing the demise of Scotland’s heavy industry, and is not a fan of Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservative-led government. “If it’s between enduring decades more Tory government and independence, I think Scots might vote for independence,” McNulty said.

But in the well-heeled neighbourhood of Pollokshields, there was little appetite for a “yes” vote.

“Scotland wouldn’t survive on its own-but a lot of (pro-independence) Scots aren’t thinking like that, they’re thinking emotionally,” said June Charlton, one of a group of ladies in their fifties having a coffee after their yoga class. Her friend Julie Hanson jokingly suggested the separatists were aping Mel Gibson in the movie “Braveheart”, in which he plays a heroic warrior who leads the Scots in a 13th century war against the English. “It’s just a Scottish macho thing to do,” the yoga instructor said. “They haven’t put any thought into it at all. “I think it would be the worst thing ever for Scotland.” —AFP

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.

Ambivalence on civil liberties and terrorism

By Jennifer Agiesta

W

hen it comes to the balance between civil liberties and the war on terrorism, Americans seem to want the best of both worlds. By an almost 20-point margin in a recent poll, they say it’s more important for the government to protect the rights and freedoms of citizens than to keep the public safe from terrorism. Yet by an equally large margin, they say it is sometimes necessary to sacrifice rights and freedoms in order to stop terrorists.

Those findings, from a survey released last week by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, highlight the public’s ambivalence when it comes to the war on terror. The revelation of massive government surveillance via National Security Agency documents released to the media

by Edward Snowden caused just a small shift in the public’s preference toward rights over safety, yet majorities still want both.

An AP-NORC Center poll in 2011, before Snowden, found that 54 percent said the government should prioritize the protection of rights and freedoms, while 64 percent said it was sometimes necessary to sacrifice those freedoms. After Snowden, 58 percent say protect rights, and 59 percent say it’s sometimes necessary to sacrifice them. But the majorities on either side mask a divided public.

Combining these two questions results in three evenly-sized groups: 28 percent who say it’s more important to protect rights and citizens should never have to sacrifice them (let’s call these the “all rights”), 28 percent who prioritize protecting rights yet think it’s sometimes necessary to sacrifice them (the “some rights”) and 27 percent who think the government ought to prioritize keeping citizens safe and that citizens sometimes must sacrifice their freedoms for safety’s sake (the “safety first” group).

The remaining 17 percent are unsure on either question, or are among the 8 percent

who prioritize safety yet say it’s never necessary to compromise rights; that group is too small to analyze. These divisions drive opinions on nearly all questions related to government surveillance or its conduct in the war on terror: Among the “safety first” group, 4 in 10 say they have lost rights and freedoms as a result of the fight against terrorism, but 77 percent of them say that loss was necessary. By contrast, in the “all rights” group, 71 percent believe they have lost rights and just 17 percent of those consider it necessary.

60 percent of the “all rights” strongly oppose the court process authorized by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, while only 28 percent of the “safety first” group feel the same. On nearly all surveillance programs tested, those in the “all rights” group express much stronger opposition than the other groups, including government monitoring of US citizens’ Internet use and the collection of telephone metadata.

61 percent in the “all rights” group say

the government should prove publicly that its anti-terror programs do not violate civil rights; just 28 percent in the “safety first” group agree. Just 38 percent of the “all rights” say the government is doing enough to protect rights, compared with 60 percent of the “some rights” and 67 percent of “safety first.” The three primary groups comprise surprising partisan coalitions, and seem to defy the typical demographic divides driving American politics.

The “safety first” group is the most partisan, while the “all rights” group is the least.

A majority in the “all rights” group say they are independent or affiliate with no party (61 percent), compared with about 4 in 10 each in the other two groups. And the group most concerned with protecting the US from terrorism is predominantly female, older and lower-income - two traits typically associated with Democratic affiliation and one with Republicans. Among those on the other extreme, nearly 6 in 10 are men, about half are under age 40 and most have

Punished at polls, Cambodia long-serving PM smiling again

By Andrew R Marshall and Prak Chan Thul

H

is party is reeling from its worst-ever election result.

His political opponents have grown bold and vocal. His people are protesting on the streets. So why is Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen smiling?

The long-ruling autocrat emerged beaming from lengthy closeddoor meetings this week with his old political foe, Sam Rainsy, who says Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) cheated its way to a narrow victory in a July 28 general election.

He has reason to be cheerful.

Although lawmakers from Sam Rainsy’s Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) are threatening to boycott the new session of parliament, due to begin on Monday, until an independent inquiry is held into electoral fraud, the recent political violence has left Hun Sen mostly unscathed.

Thousands of CNRP supporters dispersed on Tuesday after a three-day rally in a park in the capital, Phnom Penh, where one man was killed and several injured when police opened fire on stonethrowing protesters on Sunday night. Hun Sen’s composure after this week’s meetings suggests his renewed confidence in breaking the political deadlock and extending his nearly three decades of rule by another five years, say analysts.

His smiling photo-ops, however, could also hint at changes ahead for Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge soldier who has stamped his authority on every walk of life in Cambodia. After millions of Cambodian voters deserted the CPP in an election widely regarded as tainted, Hun Sen appears intent on softening his remote and fearsome image. From a humble farming background, Hun Sen was just 33 when he took power in 1985, and is now in the unenviable company of enduring dictators such as Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe and Kazakhstan’s Nursultan Nazarbayev.

SERVANTS OF THE PEOPLE? The CPP’s shock election result could force him to change both his party and leadership style. His party officially won the election with 68 seats to the CNRP’s 55, a greatly reduced majority that signaled widespread disenchantment with Hun Sen’s iron-fisted rule despite rapid economic growth of more than 7 percent a year. “Hun Sen and his party must change drastically and fast to be able to remain a relevant political force,” said Lao Mong Hay, a prominent Cambodian academic. “They need to work as ser-

vants of the people, not their masters.”

China quickly offered its congratulations to Hun Sen on his election “victory”, but the United States and European Union have withheld theirs. Strong economic and political ties with Beijing have allowed Hun Sen to largely ignore criticism from the West and enjoy waves of Chinese investment. In return, Cambodia has emerged as an important Southeast Asian ally for China, defying its neighbors and backing China in tense diplomatic talks over the South China

Prime Minister Hun Sen

Sea where overlapping sovereignty claims have led to standoffs with Vietnam and the Philippines.

Hun Sen claims credit for leading Cambodia from the chaos and poverty following the 1975-1979 “Killing Fields” regime of the Khmer Rouge in which an estimated 1.7 million people - about one third of the population - died. Now 61, Hun Sen has vowed to rule Cambodia into his seventies. But Cambodia’s youthful population about 70 percent of its 14 million people are under 30 - is focused on more immediate concerns, including land grabbing, labor disputes, joblessness and rampant corruption.

Hun Sen’s cordial talks with the opposition come as a surprise considering his past ruthlessness with political opponents and his history of antagonism with Sam Rainsy. A former minister of finance, Sam Rainsy has twice fled into exile to evade criminal charges that USbased Human Rights Watch said were politically motivated. In 2010, he was sentenced in absentia to 12 years in jail for destroying property and spreading disinformation in relation to a new border agreed by Cambodia and Vietnam. He returned to Phnom Penh in July after a royal pardon to lead the CNRP, formed after two parties merged last year.

WHERE IS MY VOTE? Sam Rainsy says the CNRP was robbed of 2.3 million votes that would have handed it victory in July. But Hun Sen rejects his demand for an independent inquiry into election fraud. “If Hun Sen agreed to an outside investigation at this stage that would be tantamount to conceding the elections were rigged,” said Carlyle A. Thayer, a Cambodia expert at the University of New South Wales in Canberra, Australia.

On Tuesday, CNRP supporters at Phnom Penh’s Freedom Park waved placards reading “Where is my vote?” and chanted “Change!

Change!” With hopes of an inquiry fading, Sam Rainsy must now convince them to get behind a longer-

term campaign to fix the electoral system. “(The CNRP) will have to reconcile themselves to the fact that they are the opposition party for the next five years,” said Thayer.

Assuming the CNRP takes its place in the 123-seat National Assembly, or lower house, the party’s effectiveness there depends on what concessions its leaders can wring from Hun Sen this week.

The CNRP wants reforms to the National Election Committee, the body stuffed with former CPP officials, as well as its own television station to break Hun Sen’s stranglehold on the country’s media, which has largely avoided covering the protests. The CNRP is also angling for the presidency or deputy presidency of the National Assembly, as well as positions on parliamentary committees long dominated by Hun Sen loyalists, say analysts.

“Without these concessions, the CNRP will not be able to achieve very much,” said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights. Hun Sen must also reform his own aging and corruption-riddled party.

“Internally, the CPP is one big mess - from nepotism and family ties through marriage, to economic deals that favor close allies,” Ou Virak said. A CPP spokesman could not be reached for comment. But while Hun Sen might add some new faces to his cabinet, he will not risk destabilizing the party by removing its most powerful figures, said Ou Virak.

“The party will remain out of touch with the young and ambitious Cambodian population as a result,” he said. That he is talking to the opposition at all suggests Hun Sen is changing too, said social analyst Kem Ley. “He has been quiet, which means he is listening more now,” he said. “And he is smiling - that’s already a positive sign.”

Even so, autocrats aren’t exactly famous for makeovers. “Power shouldn’t be centered on one man,” said Kem Ley. “He must have faith in other people. In his system, he doesn’t trust anyone except for himself.” —Reuters

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

S P ORTS Schiavone through in Seoul

Hsieh falls in Guangzhou

Varane, Coentrao back in training

SEOUL: Former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone fought her way into the WTA Korea Open quarter-finals as tournament seeds tumbled yesterday.

The unseeded Italian, 33, seeking her second title of the year, overcame France’s Virginie Razzano in three sets 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-3 to reach the last eight for the first time since June.

Russian third seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova eased past Korean wildcard Lee Ye-Ra 6-4, 6-1, but German seeds Julia Goerges and Annika Beck both fell by the wayside.

Sixth-seeded Goerges, the world number 49, capitulated 6-4, 6-0 to Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu, while Russian Vera Dushevina ousted eighth seed Beck 6-3, 7-5.

Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska and Maria Kirilenko of Russia, the top two seeds, will play their second round matches today.

World number four Radwanska will be in action against Spain’s Estrella Cabeza Candela, while Kirilenko faces Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm. —AFP

GUANGZHOU: Reigning Guangzhou Open champion Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan failed to make the quarter-finals at this year’s event, crashing out yesterday to her unseeded opponent.

But it was a successful night for Britain with Laura Robson and Johanna Konta beating Chinese opposition to make it through to the last eight.

Sixth-seeded Hsieh lost her second-round match against China’s Zhang Shuai 6-2, 6-2 in little over one hour 15 minutes.

Hsieh’s disappointing exit follows a golden year for the world number 42, who was crowned women’s doubles Wimbledon champion earlier this year.

She remains in the doubles competition in Guangzhou, where she is the top seed with her partner, China’s Peng Shuai.

Peng will also play no further part in the singles competition after the fourth seed was well beaten by British number three Konta, who claimed a 6-1, 6-3 victory.

Third-seeded Robson booked her place in the quarters with a hard-fought 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) victory over China’s Zheng Saisai. France’s Alize Cornet beat Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in her second-round match after an early scare.

The number two seed was taken to a tie-break in the first set, but won it 7/4 before dominating the second set and taking it to love. —AFP

MADRID: Real Madrid defenders Raphael Varane and Fabio Coentrao stepped up their recuperation from injury as they began training with the rest of the squad, the club announced yesterday. Varane hasn’t been involved in first-team action since suffering a lateral meniscus injury in his left knee that required surgery back in May. The 20-year-old French international’s recovery has taken a lot longer than the original four to six weeks anticipated by the club’s medical staff, but he could now feature before the end of the month. Coentrao, meanwhile, also hasn’t played for Madrid under new coach Carlo Ancelotti after asking to leave the club before the end of the transfer window earlier this month. A move for the 25-year-old never materialised and he then picked up a thigh injury when on international duty with Portugal last week. However, Coentrao could now start against Getafe on Saturday as Marcelo is also currently sidelined with a muscular problem.

Gareth Bale also took an active part in the session on Wednesday after making his Champions League debut for Real in the 6-1 thrashing of Galatasaray on Tuesday night.

The Welshman was introduced as a substitute by Ancelotti with half an hour to play and he made a significant contribution as it was from his free-kick that Cristiano Ronaldo smashed home his second and Madrid’s fourth of the evening before the Portuguese went onto complete his 23rd career hat-trick. —AFP

Tiger targets sixth win to lock up Player of Year ATLANTA: Tiger Woods heads into this week’s Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club with his sights set on a sixth victory of the season which, in all likelihood, would secure him PGA Tour Player of the year honors.

Though he has not claimed a major title since the 2008 US Open, the American world number one feels his 2013 campaign has been one of the most consistent of his career, having included two wins in the prestigious World Golf Championship events.

As the top seed in the FedExCup points standings going into the PGA Tour season finale, Woods is one of just five players in the elite field of 30 who can land overall playoff honours and the $10 million bonus with victory this week.

“I’m excited to be back here at East Lake,” Woods told reporters yesterday before heading out for a practice session ahead of Thursday’s opening round.

“The playoffs have been pretty successful. I’ve gotten to the No. 1 spot coming into the Tour Championship and that’s kind of where I wanted to be, especially having the year I’ve had.

“Winning five times this year has been pretty good, and to have the No. 1 spot, just like the other four guys in the top five, we control our destiny. I’m looking forward to the week and getting started tomorrow.”

Asked how much bearing the season-ending Tour Championship would have on the battle for Player of the Year honours, Woods replied: “This tournament has a lot of value to it.

“There are guys who have won a couple of times but they’ve had major championships in there. I’ve won five times.”

Woods’ main rivals for Player of the Year honours are Masters champion Adam Scott and British Open winner Phil Mickelson, who have both triumphed twice on the PGA Tour this season.

“This week has a lot to do with it,” said

Woods, a 14-times major champion. “Up for grabs are the Player of the Year, the Arnold Palmer award (leading money winner), the Vardon Trophy (best scoring average) and all those things.

“The Player of the Year award is something we hold dearly because it’s the respect of our peers. It’s pretty special. I’ve had my years over the course of my career, and hopefully this will be another one.” Woods, who has the best scoring average this season with 68.87, has won PGA Tour Player of the Year honours 10 times and the Vardon Trophy on eight occasions.

Asked whether he felt he had already done enough to secure the Player of the Year accolade with his five-win season, Woods smiled: “Well, I’d like to get a sixth win, how about that?”

The American did not hesitate in his reply when asked if he felt his 2013 campaign had been one of the most consistent of his career.

“I think so,” Woods said. “I won some big events this year, two World Golf Championships, a Players (Championship) ...

I think that’s been a pretty good year.

“I’m excited the way I’ve put together my last couple of years, coming off the (assorted leg) injuries. A lot of people thought I would never win again, and here we are with some more wins.”

Woods, FedExCup champion in 2007 and 2009, feels very comfortable heading into Thursday’s opening round at East Lake as a twice former winner of the Tour Championship.

“I’ve had a good run here,” he said. “I’ve won twice and finished second four times.

That’s not too bad over the course of my career here.

“I have felt comfortable on this golf course. This week’s going to be interesting.

We’re going to get some different weather coming in here, and obviously got to make the adjustments.” —Reuters

New Zealand gets fresh shot to wrest America’s Cup from Oracle SAN FRANCISCO: Emirates Team New Zealand gets a fresh opportunity to capture the America’s Cup from Oracle Team USA yesterday after high winds scuppered the previous day’s racing.

The America’s Cup could be decided if the Kiwi challengers win both races. New Zealand dominated

matches between the two teams in the first week of the America’s Cup finals on San Francisco Bay, then lost momentum over the weekend when a vastly improved Oracle won its second and third matches, raising hopes of a last-minute comeback.

The New Zealanders lead the competition seven

SAN FRANCISCO: Emirates Team New Zealand (left) and Oracle Team USA sail past one another during pre-race manouevres during the 34th America’s Cup. —AFP

races to one, with Oracle’s first two wins having been negated by a cheating penalty before the finals began.

The first team to score nine points will take home the 162-year-old America’s Cup trophy.

Oracle, which lost six of the first seven races in the series, is faster since making changes to its twin-hulled AC72 and has greatly improved its upwind tacking.

Both crews now execute polished high-speed maneuvers when zigzagging across the bay.

Tuesday’s scheduled races were canceled after a seasonally strong out-flowing tide and high winds created conditions that exceeded safety limits set for the delicate 72-foot catamarans.

Organizers set the limits on wind speeds in the America’s Cup after Swedish team Artemis Racing suffered a fatal training accident in May. Tuesday was not the first time weather interrupted the regatta. High winds forced organizers to call off Saturday’s second race while already in progress.

A proposal by Oracle this week to increase the wind limits for racing was rejected by New Zealand. Many observers believe Oracle’s performance over the weekend shows its AC72 is faster than New Zealand’s in heavy winds.

Sunday’s matches were among the most thrilling in yacht-racing history. The two supercharged AC72s dueled neck and neck in the second race, changing leads four times, an America’s Cup record, before New Zealand eked out a victory. On Saturday, New Zealand narrowly avoided catastrophe with a near-capsize that could have cost it the race.

The recent wild racing has been a vindication for America’s Cup organizers, led by software mogul Larry Ellison, whose decision to use extremely expensive and sometimes-dangerous high-tech catamarans for the competition has been widely criticized.

When Ellison’s team won the America’s Cup in Valencia, Spain in 2010, it gained the right to set the rules and chose windy San Francisco Bay for this year’s competition.

The Kiwis first won the America’s Cup in 1995 and successfully defended it in 2000 before losing the trophy three years later to Swiss biotechnology billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi in a disastrous campaign that left the team in shambles. —Reuters

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

S P ORT S

Nationals blank Braves

ST. PETERSBURG: Infielder Elvis Andrus No. 1 of the Texas Rangers bats against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. — AFP

Rangers snap losing streak ST. PETERSBURG: Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus homered and drove in three runs each as the Texas Rangers snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 7-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.

The Rangers pulled even with the Rays at the top of the AL wild-card race. The Rangers, who held the No. 1 wild-card spot or the AL West lead for most of the summer, won for only the fourth time in 17 games. Kinsler hit Jeremy Hellickson’s first pitch for his 12th home run, breaking a streak of seven homerless games for the Rangers, their longest in 23 years. The 1-0 lead marked the first time Texas has led in a game since its last victory, on Sept. 8. Kinsler added a two-run single in the Rangers’ four-run third, driving in three runs on the first two pitches he saw from Hellickson (11-9). Andrus followed with his third home run of the season to put the Rangers up 5-0. Alexi Ogando (7-4) won in his first start since Aug. 13, giving up two hits in five innings ORIOLES 3, RED SOX 2 In Boston, Danny Valencia tripled to stop closer Koji Uehara’s streak of 37 consecutive outs and pinch-runner Alexi Casilla scored on Matt Wieters’ sacrifice fly in the ninth inning to lift Baltimore over Boston. The Orioles overcame a 2-0 deficit on Brian Roberts’ run-scoring groundout in the fifth and Chris Davis’ 51st homer of the season in the sixth that tied the score 2-2. Davis broke the club record set by Brady Anderson in 1996.

Uehara (4-1) fell four outs short of Bobby Jenks’ major league record for a reliever of 41 consecutive retired batters set in 2007 and Mark Buehrle’s mark for all pitchers of 45 in 2009. The run was the first off Uehara in 30 2-3 innings and ended a streak of 27 scoreless outings since July 9.

TIGERS 6, MARINERS 2 In Detroit, Miguel Cabrera homered, Austin Jackson hit a two-run single as Detroit held off Seattle despite a short-handed bullpen. The AL Central-leading Tigers were ahead 3-2 when they escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth while playing without closer Joaquin Benoit and left-handed reliever Drew Smyly. They were both given the night off.

Anibal Sanchez struck out 10 in 6 1-3 innings, but the Mariners tied it at 2 against him in the seventh, forcing Detroit’s relievers into action. Al Alburquerque (3-3) got out of the seventh, and Phil Coke and Jose Alvarez made it through a dodgy eighth. Alvarez got two outs in the ninth, and Jose Veras finished.

Yoervis Medina (4-6) took the loss.

BLUE JAYS 2, YANKEES 0 In Toronto, RA Dickey pitched seven innings to win his fourth straight decision, Colby Rasmus and Rajai Davis homered as Toronto handed slumping New York its fourth straight loss. The Yankees came in 21/2 games behind Texas in the AL wild card race and lost for the eighth time in 12 games. The Yankees have 11 games remaining.

Dickey (13-12) allowed four hits, walked two and struck out eight. The knuckleballer retired the final 11 batters he faced and 15 of the last 16. Dickey has not lost since the Yankees beat him in the Bronx on Aug. 21. He’s 4-0 with a 2.73 ERA in five starts since. Sergio Santos pitched the eighth and Casey Janssen finished in the ninth for his 31st save in 33 chances.

INDIANS 5, ROYALS 3 In Kansas City, Asdrubal Cabrera drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning as Cleveland rallied against Kansas City’s stingy bullpen to remain a half-game behind Texas and Tampa Bay in the AL wild-card race.

The Indians were shut out until the sixth by Yordano Ventura, who made an electric major league debut. They tied the game 3-all in the seventh off reliever Kelvin Herrera, and Cabrera’s double off Wade Davis (7-11) in the eighth scored Drew Stubbs and gave Cleveland the lead.

Michael Bourn added a homer in the ninth to provide a cushion. Meanwhile, Cody Allen (61) was among six Indians relievers who kept Kansas City off the scoreboard the final 4 1-3 innings. Chris Perez handled a perfect ninth for his 25th save. The Royals are 31/2 games adrift in the wild-card race.

ATHLETICS 2, ANGELS 1 In Oakland, Josh Donaldson hit a game-winning, bases-loaded single with two outs in the ninth inning as Oakland beat Los Angeles to decrease its magic number to clinch another AL West title to six.

Donaldson delivered his third career gameending hit - all this season - in Oakland’s eighth walkoff victory this year. Grant Balfour (1-3) struck out the side in order in the ninth for the win. Alberto Callaspo singled to start the bottom of the ninth against Michael Kohn (1-3) and Jemile Weeks entered as a pinch-runner.

Weeks advanced on Stephen Vogt’s fly to left and pinch-hitter Jed Lowie was intentionally walked to bring up Coco Crisp. Crisp walked on the 10th pitch he saw to load the bases.

WHITE SOX 4, TWINS 3 In Chicago, Dayan Viciedo had three hits and drove in two runs and Jose Quintana pitched six effective innings to lead Chicago over Minnesota. Quintana (8-6) won for the first time since he last faced the Twins, on Aug. 16.

He allowed one run while scattering eight hits with five strikeouts and two walks.

After a 2-15 stretch, the White Sox won the first two games of the series against the Twins for their first series victory since Aug. 27-29 against the Astros. They have won five straight against the Twins. White Sox closer Addison Reed pitched a scoreless ninth for his 38th save in 44 opportunities, benefiting from Alejandro De Aza’s leaping catch of Trevor Plouffe’s flyball against the center-field wall. Twins starter Mike Pelfrey (5-13) went 4 1-3 innings and allowed three runs on nine hits.

INTERLEAGUE REDS 10, ASTROS 0 In Houston, Jay Bruce hit a grand slam and had five RBIs, Mike Leake pitched eight scoreless innings as Cincinnati handed Houston its 100th loss. Cincinnati is 41/2 games ahead of Washington for second NL wild card. The Astros are the first major league team to lose at least 100 games in three straight seasons since Kansas City from 2004-06.

The Reds got to work early, with Zack Cozart driving in two runs in a four-run first inning.

Cincinnati was up by five in the fourth before Bruce’s towering slam to the Crawford Boxes in left field pushed the lead to 9-0 and chased Jordan Lyles (7-8). Leake (14-6) allowed five hits over eight innings and struck out six with two walks. — AP

WASHINGTON: Tanner Roark threw seven shutout innings as the Washington Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves 4-0 to sweep a day-night doubleheader Tuesday, ensuring the Braves leave Washington without the NL East title.

Roark (7-0) allowed just two hits, struck out six and retired the final 13 batters he faced.

Ryan Zimmerman hit a home run, Ian Desmond an RBI double and Adam LaRoche an RBI single in the eighth inning. Steve Lomardozzi had a second-inning RBI single off Freddy Garcia (1-2).

Washington entered the nightcap, which followed the Nationals’ 6-5 win in the makeup of a series opener postponed by a shooting rampage a day earlier at the nearby Navy Yard, within 41/2 games of Cincinnati for the NL’s second wildcard berth. The Nationals, who have won 10 of 11, have 11 games remaining. Craig Kimbrel had converted 37 consecutive save chances since early May, and Andrelton Simmons began the day with the second-best fielding percentage among National League shortstops. But they conspired to blow a three-run lead in the ninth inning of the first game. Kimbrel (3-3), who leads the major leagues with 47 saves, blew a save chance for just the fourth time this season.

CARDINALS 11, ROCKIES 4 In Denver, Matt Holliday had four hits, including a two-run homer, to help St. Louis take over sole possession of the NL Central lead.

The Cardinals entered the night tied with Pittsburgh, which lost 5-2 at home to San Diego.

St. Louis reduced its magic number for clinching a playoff spot to five with 11 games remaining.

Joe Kelly (9-4) allowed three hits over five sharp innings before turning a 10-0 lead over to the bullpen. Juan Nicasio (8-8) lasted just 2 2-3 innings and allowing eight runs, which tied a career high.

Holliday led an 18-hit night by the Cardinals, who had seven players with at least two hits.

Holliday finished 4 for 4 with a walk, double and two-run homer against his former team. He drove in three runs and scored twice.

The Cardinals ran away with the game in the third when they sent 11 batters to the plate and scored six times. Daniel Descalso had a two-run triple in the inning, while Holliday added a double and an RBI single. Colorado’s Michael Cuddyer finished 2 for 3 with a walk and an RBI to raise his average to.331, which is tops in the NL. PADRES 5, PIRATES 2 In Pittsburgh, Jedd Gyorko blasted a threerun homer among his three hits for San Diego.

Ronny Cedeno added three hits for San Diego, which beat the Pirates for the second straight game and dropped Pittsburgh one game behind St. Louis in the NL Central. The Cardinals beat the Rockies 11-4.

Luke Gregerson worked the ninth for his fourth save. Eric Stults (9-13) allowed two runs over five innings to pick up his first win in more than two months. Stults struck out five and walked one.

Andrew McCutchen went 2 for 3 and Marlon Byrd drove in both of Pittsburgh’s runs. Jeff Locke (10-6) allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings, striking out five and walking three.

DODGERS 9, DIAMONDBACKS 3 In Phoenix, Juan Uribe and Adrian Gonzalez homered and Zack Greinke pitched six strong innings as Los Angeles inched closer to clinching the NL West title.

One day after coming off the disabled list, Matt Kemp went 4 for 4 with two doubles and three RBIs. The Dodgers, who once languished in last place 91/2 games out, snapped a four-game skid and can clinch the division title by beating Arizona on Wednesday night.

Greinke (15-3) allowed two runs and six hits in six innings to improve to 7-0 in his last nine starts. Patrick Corbin (14-7) gave up six runs and seven hits in two innings plus three batters, his shortest outing of the year. After starting the season 12-1, Corbin is 2-6 in his last 10 starts.

Aaron Hill hit a solo home run for the Diamondbacks. Hanley Ramirez, who had missed the Dodgers’ previous four games with a sore back, reached base four times with a single and three walks and scored three runs.

PHILLIES 6, MARLINS 4 In Philadelphia, Chase Utley hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs and Roy Halladay tossed six effective innings for Philadelphia.

Halladay (4-4) allowed one run and four hits

in his fifth start after returning from right shoulder surgery. The two-time Cy Young Award winner didn’t top 88 mph and relied on guile to get outs.

The top three hitters in Philadelphia’s lineup Cesar Hernandez, Jimmy Rollins and Utley - were 8 for 12 with four RBIs and six runs.

Jonathan Papelbon allowed an RBI single to Giancarlo Stanton before finishing for his 28th save in 35 chances. Marlins starter Brian Flynn (02) gave up six runs and 11 hits in six innings.

Juan Pierre, pinch-hitting for Flynn in the seventh, hit a double to right for his 2,215th career hit, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio for 175th on the all-time list, according to STATS. GIANTS 8, METS 5 In New York, San Francisco’s Angel Pagan homered, tripled and drove in three runs on a perfect night at the plate against his former team.

Pagan went 3 for 3 with two walks and scored twice from the leadoff spot for the Giants, who have won four straight and seven of nine. His tiebreaking homer in the seventh inning made a winner of Yusmeiro Petit (4-0) in his second start since nearly pitching a perfect game.

Pagan homered off Sean Henn (0-1) leading off the seventh to give the Giants a 5-4 lead. It was his first home run since an inside-the-park

shot that ended a 6-5 victory over Colorado on May 25.

Pagan spent four seasons with the Mets before they traded him to San Francisco in December 2011. Hunter Pence of the Giants singled home a run in the ninth for his 20th RBI in his last seven games.

BREWERS 4, CUBS 3 In Milwaukee, pinch-hitter Logan Schafer dropped a suicide squeeze bunt with the bases loaded in the ninth to give Milwaukee the wine.

Aramis Ramirez walked to open the inning off Justin Grimm (0-2), who came on to start the ninth. Jeff Bianchi pinch-ran for Ramirez and advanced on Carlos Gomez’s single to center.

Grimm then mishandled Scooter Gennett’s sacrifice bunt for an error to load the bases.

After Caleb Gindl popped out, Schafer put down a slow roller toward the mound, scoring Bianchi. Jim Henderson (5-5) allowed a leadoff double in the top of the ninth, but retired three straight for the win.

Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija struck out eight in seven innings, giving him 203 strikeouts in 201 2-3 innings this season. Gomez drove in three runs for Milwaukee with a two-run homer and a sacrifice fly.

Brewers starter Marco Estrada had allowed just two singles before the Cubs scored three runs in the seventh inning.—AP

WASHINGTON: Tanner Roark No. 59 of the Washington Nationals pitches in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park. — AFP

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

American League Eastern Division W L Boston 92 60 82 68 Tampa Bay Baltimore 80 70 NY Yankees 79 72 Toronto 69 81 Central Division Detroit 88 63 82 69 Cleveland Kansas City 79 72 Minnesota 64 86 Chicago White Sox 60 91 Western Division Oakland 89 62 82 68 Texas LA Angels 73 78 Seattle 66 85 Houston 51 100

PCT .605 .547 .533 .523 .460

GB 9 11 12.5 22

.583 .543 .523 .427 .397

6 9 23.5 28

.589 .547 .483 .437 .338

6.5 16 23 38

Atlanta Washington Philadelphia NY Mets Miami St. Louis Pittsburgh Cincinnati Milwaukee Chicago Cubs LA Dodgers Arizona San Diego San Francisco Colorado

National League Eastern Division 89 62 81 70 71 80 67 83 55 96 Central Division 88 63 87 64 86 66 67 83 63 88 Western Division 87 64 76 74 70 80 70 81 69 83

.589 .536 .470 .447 .364

8 18 21.5 34

.583 .576 .566 .447 .417

1 2.5 20.5 25

.576 .507 .467 .464 .454

10.5 16.5 17 18.5

Button raises questions while Massa dodges them

Felipe Massa in action in this file photo.

SINGAPORE: Felipe Massa dodged questions about his Formula One future on Wednesday while Jenson Button wondered whether Ferrari would really be a stronger team when Kimi Raikkonen replaces the Brazilian next season. Ferrari announced last week that Massa would leave the team at the end of the season, after eight years with them, to be replaced by their returning 2007 world champion alongside Spaniard Fernando Alonso. A media scrum awaited Massa when he arrived to open a new Ferrari showroom in Singapore ahead of this weekend’s night-time grand prix.

He and Ferrari were less keen to discuss the split, with reporters shushed and microphones pulled away from the driver who only said “expectations are high” for Sunday and that he hoped for “a great race”. Massa, who is currently seventh overall in the drivers’ standings 143 points behind Red Bull’s championship leader Sebastian Vettel, was more forthcoming in an interview with Brazilian television earlier this week.

“I know both Fernando and Kimi on and off the track and I rate them as excellent drivers, but I’m afraid they will collide when sharing the team,” he told TV Globo.

“I told the bosses to breathe as much as possible while they still can because it will be hard for them to breathe next season.”

Button, who formed part of Formula One’s most recent team of champions with Lewis Hamilton at McLaren until the end of last sea-

son when Hamilton moved to Mercedes, was keen to see how the new Ferrari pairing got on. “It’s going to be an interesting atmosphere between those two especially if Kimi is as quick as Fernando,” the Briton told reporters.

“If Kimi starts out-qualifying Fernando that would be a big one because Fernando is not the quickest guy but as a package he’s exceptional, his race pace, he’s very good at thinking about situations so he’s going to be a tough guy to beat for Kimi.

“It’s fun for us watching from the outside you know, does it make the team stronger? I personally don’t think it does,” added the 2009 world champion.

Massa has been inconsistent since he came back from a life-threatening crash at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2009 and has not won for Ferrari since he almost took the championship at the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Raikkonen has enjoyed a record run in the points, which ended last month in Belgium, since returning to Formula One with Lotus in 2012 after a two-year absence.

His pairing with Alonso, a double world champion, promises points but also fireworks.

Button’s McLaren team mate Sergio Perez expected them to be strong rivals for the other teams, however. “I think it will be very interesting for all of us to see how they get on, both of them,” he told Reuters. “Looking forward I think Fernando and Kimi will be a tough couple to beat.”— Reuters

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

S P ORT S Photo of the day

Ashes to feature extra DRS reviews

Daniel Serra performs at Round 9 of the Brazilian Stock Car Series 2013 at Autodromo do Velopark in Nova Santa Rita, Brazil on September 15, 2013. —www.redbullcontentpool.com

Cavendish wins Tour stage LONDON: Britain’s Mark Cavendish won the fourth stage of the Tour of Britain yesterday as compatriot Bradley Wiggins remained top of the general classification.

Sprint specialist Cavendish emerged at the front of a bunch finish at the end of the stage that started in Stoke in the English Potteries before ending in Llanberis in northwest Wales. Isle of Man racer Cavendish emerged at the front of proceedings after the peloton hauled in an a 11-strong breakaway group with a just a kilometre left in the Snowdonia National Park. Cavendish, who rides for the Omega Pharma-Quickstep team, then saw off the challenge of opening stage winner Elia Viviani (Cannondale) and Steele von Hoff (Garmin Sharp).

Olympic champion Wiggins, the 2012 Tour de France winner, who went to the head of the standings with a dominant display in the stage three time trial, finished in the peloton to remain in front with four stages left.

Meanwhile, Brian Cookson, the International Cycling Union (UCI) presidential hopeful, has vowed if he is elected to offer cyclists an amnesty should they come clean about doping. British Cycling president Cookson is challenging incumbent UCI head Pat McQuaid for the presidency in next week’s elections in Florence, during the World Championships.

McQuaid has come under fire recently after a leaked dossier alleged he and his predecessor as UCI president, Hein Verbruggen, accepted bribes and covered up failed dope tests, notably by former Tour de France winners Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador.

Irishman McQuaid has described the allegations against him as “a complete fabrication” and accused his rival of indulging in “gangster politics”.

However, since a number of American cyclists turned whistle-blowers and lifted the lid on the doping culture in the US Postal team, which led to Armstrong’s downfall, there have been growing calls for a truth and reconciliation commission aimed at giving riders the chance to reveal all the dirty details about what really went on in the peloton.

“We need to define exactly what we mean by (truth and reconciliation) and certainly as part of that we need to have more of an incentive for people to come forward

and tell the truth, so I guess there will have to be some sort of amnesty or reduction in sanction,” said Cookson in a conference call attended by AFP. “Let’s not forget that doping in sport is actually against the law and illegal in some countries now, so (we need) to be clear about what level of amnesty and what level of offers we can make to people before we encourage them to tell the truth.

“I don’t know Lance Armstrong, I’ve never met him but like all of us I watched the Oprah Winfrey show. It’s clear he was telling some of the truth, I’d like to encourage him now to tell all of the truth.

investigation about the doping culture on the team during Armstrong’s pomp, the Texan himself finally admitted to his sordid drug past in the Oprah interview in January, despite years of denials and defamation court cases against his accusers. One of his former teammates, Tyler Hamilton, wrote a best-selling book last year in which he revealed the shocking extent of doping in the peloton, although few riders so far have corroborated his outrageous claims.

One who has is Floyd Landis, who like Armstrong was stripped of his Tour title from 2006 after he was caught doping in

Mark Cavendish

“I’m sure we all know he was not the only rider who was guilty of doing what he did, but certainly he’s the only one who won seven Tours de France so he obviously bears heavy responsibilities for some of the activities in that era.

“What I want to make sure we do is treat everybody on an equitable basis to make sure people are treated fairly, but I want to get more of the truth out and I want to get it out once and for all so that we don’t have this continual drip, drip, drip of information and confessions, forced or otherwise, as we’ve seen through the course of this year.”

After a number of his former Postal teammates told a United States Cycling

that race.

Landis it was who first accused Verbruggen of colluding with Armstrong to cover up failed dope tests. And Cookson says if such claims prove to have foundation, no-one will be above the law.

“Let’s be clear, if people have misbehaved or done things they shouldn’t have done, (such as) anything illegal or ‘collusional’, then there is no hiding place,” he warned. “It’s absolutely right that public authorities, the police or judicial authorities should treat all those things in the appropriate way. “I hope that’s not the case, I like to think there hasn’t been anything like that but clearly we need to investigate that.”— AFP

China stars fall at Japan Open TOKYO: Women’s world number one Li Xuerui pulled out of the Japan Open yesterday with a sore knee and men’s number two Chen Long suffered a shock defeat to cap a miserable day for China.

The withdrawal of Li, the top seed and London Olympic champion, from the eighth leg of the 12-round World

Superseries was linked by her team-mate to a jam-packed competition schedule for Chinese players, with Chen also saying that he was fatigued.

Li’s nearest rival and second seed Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand, who beat the Chinese at the world championship final in August, was also forced out the

JAPAN: Fifth-seeded Nguyen Tien Minh of Vietnam hits a return during his first round match against Wang Zengming of China at the Japan Open 2013 badminton tournament. — AFP

competition, suffering lower-back pain.

The back problem had also sidelined the 18-year-old Thai from the China Masters last week. Chen, the All-England champion, went out 24-22, 21-16 to Kazuteru Kozai of Japan, ranked 287th in the world and with no major international success to his name.

“What I need is to rest first of all,” the 24-year-old Chen said through an interpreter. “I have fought week after week. But it’s the same for the whole Chinese team. I am tired but it’s just normal.

“I wish the Badminton World Federation will arrange a less tight schedule.” Chen, who lost to China’s superstar Lin Dan in the world championship quarter-finals last month, also fell in the last eight at the Chinese National Games. He pulled out of the China Masters.

The packed playing schedule has been a common concern for badminton stars, with Malaysian world number one Lee Chong Wei being advised to reduce his tournament appearances in order to continue his career toward the 2016 Rio Olympics. But top-seeded Lee, 30, who skipped the China Masters to focus on the Japan Open, breezed past Taiwan’s Hsu Jen Hao 21-15, 21-9 in the final match of the first round.

Li Xuerui, 22, suffered pain in her left knee before the first round started. Her team-mate Wang Zhengming told AFP: “I think she probably had an old injury that was hurting again somewhat because of fatigue.” Li, after losing to Ratchanok in the August 11 world championship final in Guangzhou, China, lost to another Thai, Porntip Buranaprasertsuk, in the China Masters semi-finals. Between the two international contests, Li also played in the National Games to claim gold. — AFP

LONDON: England and Australia will be granted additional reviews during the forthcoming Ashes series as part of a change to the controversial Decision Review System, the International Cricket Council said yesterday.

At a meeting of the ICC’s chief executives’ committee at the global governing body’s Dubai headquarters, officials agreed the number of reviews will be “topped-up” to two after 80 overs of a Test innings.

Currently, teams are only permitted a maximum of two unsuccessful reviews per innings. The new playing conditions will be trialled from October 1, meaning they will be in force for the Ashes which begin with the first Test in Brisbane starting on November 21.

Yesterday’s statement from the ICC came after England’s recent 3-0 Ashes series win at home to Australia was beset by numerous rows over the use of DRS, with both sides unhappy at different times.

Things got so bad the ICC took the highly unusual step of sending their general manager of cricket, Geoff Allardice, over to England to meet the teams midway through the series in a bid to address their concerns. One repeated complaint centred around the third umpire’s use of DRS and the way in which the replay official interpreted their remit while another problem area focused on the reliability of the Hotspot thermal imaging device in detecting thin nicks.

In response to these issues, and a technology trial conducted during the third Ashes Test at Manchester’s Old Trafford ground, the ICC said they’d set up a Working Group to look at ways of improving both DRS and the training of umpires.

Officials also suggested a Real-Time Snickometer-currently used by television broadcasters covering matches but not part of the DRS-could be added to the list of tools at the third umpire’s disposal. “The CEC (chief executives’ committee) agreed a Working Group be constituted to consider how the ICC should best use technology in

umpire decision-making in the future,” the ICC statement said. “The considerations of the group will be wide ranging and include a review of the objectives and philosophies of using technology, the technologies, protocols and procedures as well as the role and training of television umpires.

“It was also agreed that a trial will be conducted whereby a team’s referrals will be topped-up to two reviews after 80 overs of an innings.

“This trial will start from 1 October 2013 in all Test matches in which the DRS is used, with the results being monitored and considered by the Working Group.”

As for adding ‘Snicko’ to the DRS, the statement said: “Noting that most of the contentious decisions relate to faint edges, the performance of the Real-Time Snickometer during the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 and the Ashes, and the potential to use this technology to assist the umpires in making these decisions was discussed.

“An independent assessment of this technology will be conducted before a decision is made on its inclusion in the list of approved DRS technologies.”

One Ashes controversy that had nothing to do with DRS concerned the umpires’ decision to take the players off the field for bad light during the ultimately drawn final Test at The Oval in south London when England were just 21 runs adrift of victory, with the floodlights on.

There has also long been a feeling spectators are also being short-changed by time-wasting tactics sich as slow over-rates.

But a meeting of leading match officials has promised a clampdown and the ICC said: “The CEC also endorsed the umpires’ intention to become far stricter on poor over-rates and time wasting and to maximise playing time in conditions where it is safe to do so.”

Meanwhile two white balls, one from each end, will continue to be used during a one-day international innings although this will be reduced to one ball when ODIS are cut to fewer than 25 overs in the first innings. — AFP

Add suspension to NFL ‘Rules of the Road’ NEW YORK: Football will never be safe. Science proved that. Roger Goodell can try to make the NFL safer, but he can’t legislate that, either. The commissioner’s power in such matters relies on coercion, and judging by last weekend’s slate of games, some of the same people he’s trying to reach couldn’t care less. A few seemed more determined than ever to wring their opponents necks, regardless of the consequences. A rough count turned up at least four reported concussions.

There were another three helmet hits in the New Orleans-Tampa Bay game that were questionable at best and cringe-worthy at the very least. And in what can best be described as frontier justice, Washington safety Brandon Meriweather concussed Green Bay running back Eddie Lacy with a helmet-to-helmet blow, then suffered a concussion of his own trying to administer the same punishment to another Packer back later in the game.

Incredibly, neither blow drew a flag on the field, though Meriweather was fined after a review by the league. Not surprising, coach Mike Shanahan defended his player in both instances. “On the first one it looked like the running back was kind of going downhill, and when Brandon went for the tackle it looked to me like it was perfect and then all of a sudden when (Lacy) ducked his head, I couldn’t tell,” the coach said.

“The second one on the sidelines, that’s what you’re supposed to do. That’s a legal hit,” Shanahan said, and league director of officiating Dean Blandino agreed.

Even less surprising, Packers coach Mike McCarthy saw it differently. Of the first play he said, “ The Washington safety definitely led with his helmet, so I know that’s not what we’re looking for.” About the second hit, on James Starks, McCarthy added, “Same thing, different result.”

It didn’t help Meriweather’s case that he had a rap sheet dating to 2010, being docked $40,000 for a pair of helmet-to-helmet hits while playing for New England, and another $20,000 for a similar incident a year later playing for Chicago. But Meriweather wasn’t the only repeat offender on the weekend. That honor was claimed by Tampa Bay’s Dashon Goldson, who finally got suspended for all his efforts - but only for one game.

Goldson was fined $30,000 just last week for a hit on Jets tight end Jeff Cumberland. He’s collected more personal fouls than anyone in the league - 15 total - since 2010. That history hardly stopped him from trying to lower the boom on Saints’ running back Darren Sproles, or worrying too much about the suspension afterward.

“The NFL has its own rules, but we’re just trying to play football,” he told the Tampa Bay Times. “We’re not worried about those penalties, we’re really not. That’s just football. We learn how to tackle when we’re young and (we’ve) been doing this for a long time.”

Goldson is right; both the part about leaning into tackles with the helmet, and ignoring what follows. The recent $765 million settlement ending a lawsuit by thousands of former players against the NFL reminded us of that. Granted, those players didn’t know how much damage the game was causing. But just like today’s better-informed cohort, most of them played without dwelling for long on the consequences. We can argue whether Goodell has been an honest broker. On the one hand, he hired independent experts to study the concussion problem not long after taking over, instituted brain baseline testing and standardized reporting and preventive measures, even helped push through rules including one introduced just this season - to reduce collisions and punish blows to the head.

On the other hand, he and his owners had to be shamed into those steps by the improving science on concussions and mounting threats of legal liability. He’s also pushed for an 18-game regular season, and taken the lead in an increasingly disingenuous PR campaign aimed at the game’s fans, rather than its players - suggesting that football can somehow be made safe.

Goodell has lent his powers of persuasion to the NFL’s “Heads Up Football” initiative, which purports to teach kids and their coaches tackling skills that would minimize potential head and neck injuries. He knows how little difference those measures would make, and in case he needed reminding, a 16-year-old high school football player outside Buffalo died Monday night after a helmetto-helmet hit in a game on Friday. It’s not just Goodell’s fight, of course. He can’t protect players from themselves.—AP

Haroon Lorgat

South Africa-India relations turn sour CAPE TOWN: At the dawn of what became popularly known as the new South Africa, there was a special relationship between the country’s cricket officials and their counterparts from India.

It is a relationship that Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive Haroon Lorgat and Sanjay Patel, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), will try to repair this week.

The two men are attending the International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executives meeting in Dubai, where they will discuss “scheduling issues” that threaten India’s tour of South Africa at the end of the year. India were the first country to host South Africa after the formation of a racially unified board in 1991, ending 21 years of isolation caused by the South African government’s apartheid policy.

India were also the first country to make a Test tour of South Africa in the post-unity era. Both events were heavy with symbolism and bonhomie. India had been in the forefront of nations that imposed sanctions on the apartheid government, and the two countries had never played cricket against each other. But when South Africa’s new United Cricket Board (UCB) put its case for membership of the ICC in July 1991 — more than two years before the country’s first fully democratic elections-it was India that proposed a motion in favour of admission, opening the way for the longtime pariahs to return to the international game.

Four months later, a UCB delegation, which included former Test captain Ali Bacher, arrived in India as part of a “get to know you” tour of cricketing nations which had not previously had ties with South Africa. A planned tour by Pakistan had fallen through and the Indians invited South Africa to fill the gap by playing three one-day internationals.

The first match was played at the cavernous Eden Gardens stadium in Calcutta, stronghold of Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of the Bengal cricket association, who went on to become president of the BCCI and later the ICC. Dalmiya and Bacher had struck up a friendship on the fringes of the ICC meeting in London, and the Indians went all out to make the South African players, officials and supporters welcome.

The hospitality was reciprocated in 1992-93 when India visited South Africa in what was officially labelled the “Friendship Tour”. In subsequent years the friendship was cemented when South Africa hosted the Indian Premier League at short notice in 2009 when it had to be moved from India.

South Africa and Australia became partners of the BCCI in the lucrative Champions League Twenty20.

The first hint of trouble came when it emerged that the Indians were not happy about the prospect of Lorgat being appointed chief executive of CSA. He had seemingly upset them while filling the same post at the ICC. CSA announced in July an itinerary that included three Tests, seven one-day internationals and two Twenty20 internationals.

The number of matches was in accordance with the Future Tours Programme (FTP) agreed by ICC member countries more than three years ago. The Indians complained that they had not agreed to the itinerary-although South African officials claim they have correspondence proving that there were detailed negotiations about the fixtures. It came as a shock to CSA when India unilaterally announced a tour by the West Indies-which was not part of the FTP-which will end on November 27, nine days after the tour of South Africa is due to start.

A further shock came when it was announced that India’s scheduled tour of New Zealand would start with a one-day international on January 19 — the day when the third and final Test in South Africa is due to finish.

An Indian tour is a massive money-spinner, and South African officials are wary about making any public comment that could jeopardise it. But there is a belief that it would be possible to condense the tour and play most if not all of the international matches by cutting down on warm-up games and rest days. It was reported that the BCCI was working on back-up plans for a triangular one-day series in case the South African tour was cancelled-although this would place the Indians in breach of their obligations under the FTP.—AFP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

S P ORT S

Guangzhou cruise into Asian Champions League semi-finals

Wayne Rooney

Rooney ‘very proud’ of United goal milestone LONDON: Wayne Rooney spoke of his pride yesterday after becoming only the fourth player to score 200 goals for Manchester United.

The 27-year-old striker reached the milestone in United’s 4-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday, when he scored twice and also laid on a goal for Antonio Valencia.

Rooney joins Bobby Charlton (249), Denis Law (237) and Jack Rowley (211) in reaching a double-century of goals for the club, and now trails Charlton by 49 goals in United’s all-time scoring chart.

“It’s a great honor for me to have scored 200 goals for a club like Manchester United,” Rooney said in an article on his website, www.officialwaynerooney.com.

“When you look at the list of top scorers, I think I’m only the fourth player in the club’s history to have reached this number after Sir Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and Jack Rowley.

“It’s certainly something I’m very proud of. My main aim is always to help the team win games and if I score, that’s a bonus. Hopefully there are still a few more goals to come from me yet.”

Rooney also hailed the club’s fans, who afforded him a standing ovation

when he was substituted towards the end of the Group A game at Old Trafford.

“The reception I got when I was substituted was amazing and meant a lot, so I want to thank the fans for that,” he said.

“The Manchester United fans have been brilliant since the start of the season, their support home and away is always top drawer and means a lot to the team.”

Rooney reportedly became unsettled during the close season and was the subject of two bids from United’s Premier League rivals Chelsea, both of which were rejected. He was reluctant to discuss his status at United after the Leverkusen game, however.

Asked if he was happy at Old Trafford, he told an ITV reporter: “Listen, I’m concentrating on my football, as I’ve done all summer.

“I got my head down and worked hard to get myself fit and ready for the season. I’m delighted with the way I’ve come back, delighted that I’m back playing and scoring goals.”

Pressed by the reporter as to whether he had asked to leave the club, Rooney snapped: “Listen, I’ve just told you-I’m concentrating on my football, which I’ve been doing all summer.”— AFP

SINGAPORE: Marcello Lippi’s Guangzhou Evergrande remained on a treble trophy course yesterday when they breezed past Lekhwiya of Qatar to reach the Asian Champions League semi-finals. The Chinese side won 4-1 in Doha to complete a comfortable 6-1 aggregate win in their last-eight clash and become the first club from China to get to the semi-finals in eight years.

It was their South American front men who once again did all the damage. Dario Conca and Elkeson, who were both on target in the first leg last month, scored in the 14th and 16th minutes respectively to put their side comfortably in control.

Muriqui added a third in the 31st minute to take his tournament tally to nine. The Qataris grabbed a consolation in the 50th minute through South Korean midfielder Nam Taehee.

But Elkeson claimed his second-and his side’s fourth-in the 72nd minute. Lippi’s men have three trophies in their sights. They hold a 14-point lead in the Chinese Super League and have reached the domestic cup semifinals.

A last-gasp goal sent South Korean champions FC Seoul into their first AFC Champions League semi-final but there was heartbreak for plucky Thai outfit Buriram United.

Montenegrin striker Dejan Damjanovic’s 89th-minute strike was enough to settle a scrappy 1-0 win for FC Seoul over Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli for a 2-1 victory on aggregate.

FC Seoul have twice crashed out in the quarter-finals, although they were runners-up in the last edition of the tournament’s precursor, the Asian Club Championship, in 2002.

Meanwhile Buriram sent their fans into a frenzy at a packed Thunder Castle Stadium when Spanish defender Osmar Barba scored in the first half against Esteghlal, levelling the tie at 1-1 after last month’s 1-0 loss.

But Hanif Omranzadeh nodded home a farpost header to put Esteghlal back on top, before Andranik Teymourian made it 2-1 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate with a thunderbolt in stoppage time.

In Seoul, the hosts repeatedly threatened from dead-ball situations in the first half and defender Kim Jin-Kyu set the tone when he

South Africa Nigeria in African showdown

TURKEY: Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo (right) is congratulated by his welsh teammate Gareth Bale after scoring during the UEFA Champions League football match in this file — AFP

Ronaldo reminds Bale who is the boss at Real MADRID: With his hat-trick against Galatasaray, Cristiano Ronaldo reminded new Real Madrid team mate Gareth Bale who is the boss on the pitch, after the Welshman had surpassed him off it as the world’s most expensive player.

The Portuguese forward grabbed three second-half goals as Real romped to a 6-1 away win in their Champions League Group B opener on Tuesday, taking his tally with the nine -times European champions to 206 goals from 204 games.

Bale’s arrival from Tottenham Hotspur for 100 million euros this month, surpassing the then-record 94 million they paid for Ronaldo in 2009, prompted the club to move swiftly to keep their leading scorer happy.

Ronaldo agreed a new contract with Real president Florentino Perez on Sunday which ties him until 2018 and reportedly makes him the world’s highest-paid player with a net annual wage of some 17 million euros.

“The last few days have been great for me,” Ronaldo told reporters. “I am very pleased. We did what we had to do, which was to win, and the others drew (Copenhagen held Juventus 1-1), which is even better. “Our next two games are at home so if we win them we will be doing really well towards making the next stage.”

Bale came on as a second-half substitute and played a part in setting up the fourth and fifth goals for Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

Ronaldo, who spent six years in England with Manchester United, was the first to greet Bale when he arrived for his debut training session last week, seemingly taking him under his wing

and speaking to him in English, and has been seen pushing him hard in training.

“We are getting to know each other,” Ronaldo said. “He is steadily getting up to speed because he has been out of action for a while and it is all going well for him.”

Bale joked at his official presentation that Ronaldo was the boss when it came to team hierarchy and the taking of free kicks, but the midfielder got to take the set piece that led to Ronaldo’s second goal. “It was great to be back in the Champions League again,” Bale, who scored on his league debut against Villarreal at the weekend, told reporters.

“It was nice to be able to contribute immediately, taking the free kick. It was fantastic to be involved in all three of the goals at the end.

“It was important to be able to show what we can do. It was great to play for a bit to help me improve my physical fitness.”

Fellow new recruit Isco has also set a high standard for Bale to match. He scored the all-important opening goal against Galatasaray, to make it four goals in five appearances in all competitions so far.

France striker Karim Benzema’s brace helped him to respond to rumblings of discontent with some of his recent performances, in particular with his national team.

“I’m feeling good. I had a difficult moment (being a substitute for France’s last international outing) but I am looking to change this quickly,” the 25-yearold told reporters. “It’s not a problem. I feel very settled at the club, happy, and I work hard to put in these types of performances.”— Reuters

JOHANNESBURG: Major rivals South Africa and Nigeria were drawn together yesterday in the first round of the 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN).

Mali and Mozambique complete a tough Group A in a tournament for home-based footballers to be staged between January 11 and February 1 in South Africa.

The rivalry between South Africa and Nigeria is among the most intense on the continent with the west Africans having a distinct advantage since it began 21 years ago.

More than half the South African side are locals while eight of the 23 Nigerians at the 2013 Confederation Cup in Brazil play at home. South Africa are competing at the CHAN for the second time with a makeshift team losing to Algeria in the 2011 quarter-finals in Sudan.

It will be the first appearance by the Nigerians, who edged Ivory Coast 4-3 overall in a qualifying thriller to secure a place. The mini-league will be hosted by Cape Town, as will Group B, which comprises Zimbabwe, Uganda, Burkina Faso and Morocco.

Ghana, runners-up in the inaugural CHAN tournament four years ago, are in Bloemfontein-based Group C with Libya, Ethiopia and Congo Brazzaville. Democratic Republic of Congo, who beat Ghana to win the first edition in 2009, were placed in Group D which is based in Polokwane along with Gabon, Burundi and Mauritania.

The Nations Championship follows the traditional Confederation of African Football (CAF) format with group winners and runners-up advancing to the quarter-finals.

CAF headquarters in Cairo was the draw venue and those who attended included the president, Issa Hayatou, and the secretary-general, Hicham El Amrani, of the organisation.

Qualifiers are played on a regional two-legged basis with defending champions Tunisia among the casualties as they fell 1-0 to Morocco.

Angola, defeated 3-0 by Tunisia in the 2011 final, also failed to make it, going out on the away-goal rule to Mozambique after two draws. DR Congo,Ghana and Zimbabwe have reached all three tournaments and Gabon, Libya, Mali, South Africa and Uganda two each.

Burkina Faso, Burundi, Congo Brazzaville, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique and Nigeria are the eight debutants. — AFP

QATAR : China’s Guangzhou Evergrande player Gao Lin (center) vies for the ball against Qatar’s Lekhwiya club players Ali Afif (left) and Hussain Ali during their AFC Championship League football match. — AFP snap-shot, but it was Buriram who had the headed over from an early corner.

Captain Ha Dae-Sung fired a free-kick better of the first half.

And the hosts’ hard work paid off eight straight at goalkeeper Abdullah Al Muaiouf, who was then fully extended by a long shot minutes from half-time when Spanish centreback Osmar rose unmarked at a corner and from Colombian Mauricio Molina.

Mustafa Al Bassas thrashed a powerful planted a downward header which levelled strike into the side-netting in one of the best the tie 1-1 on aggregate.

However, Esteghlal came alive in the secmoments from Al Ahli, last year’s runners-up, before Molina and Kim Ju-Young both headed ond half and there was no surprise when they grabbed the vital away goal on 53 minutes, over.

South Korean international Cha Du-Ri, who when Teymourian’s stabbed cross was met at earlier took a boot to the face, had the closest the far post by Omranzadeh.

And in injury time, Iranian international moment of the opening half when his looping header over Al Muaiouf bounced back off the Teymourian dispossessed Buriram’s Theerathon Bunmathan in a central position crossbar.

Damjanovic clinched it in the 89th minute and buried a scorching shot from fully 30 when he was set free in the box and took full yards.

Later, Japan’s Emperor ’s Cup-holders advantage, despite a poorly hit shot, as the Kashiwa Reysol are locked at 1-1 with Saudi ball bounced clumsily into the net.

Over in Thailand, Esteghlal threatened in Arabia’s Al Shabab ahead of the second leg in the first five minutes through Teymourian’s Riyadh.— AFP

Man United announce record £363.2m turnover LONDON: English football giants Manchester United announced record financial results yesterday after a year of rapid commercial expansion.

Having added a glut of new sponsors to their portfolio over the past 12 months, the 20-time English champions saw revenues rise 29.7 % to £152.5 million ($243.5 million, 182.4 million euros) for the year ending June 30, 2013. The leap in revenues helped the club from the English northwest register a 13.4 % increase in turnover to a club-record figure of £363.2 million, while debt fell 10.9 percent to £389.2 million. United floated on the New York stock exchange last year, in a bid to tackle the huge debt loaded onto the club by American businessman Malcolm Glazer’s takeover in 2005. Sponsorship revenue alone in the 2012-13 period rose 44.1 5 to £90.9 million.

The club revealed that “exceptional items” costs of £6.2 million were partly due to the contracts of coaching staff members Mike Phelan, Rene Meulensteen and Eric Steele being cancelled following the departure of long-serving manager Alex Ferguson at the end of last season.

United expect their revenue to surpass the £430 million mark next year, provided the club meet the fairly modest objective of a top-three finish in the Premier League and reach the Champions League quarter-finals. “For fiscal 2014, Manchester United expects revenue to be £420 million to £430 million,” United said in their annual report, which was released yesterday.

“This assumes the team finishes third in the FA Premier League and reaches the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League and the domestic cups.” Despite the eye-catching figures, United moved cautiously during the close-season transfer period, waiting until the final day of the window before sanctioning a £27.5 million move for

Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini.

However, amid reports United failed with bids for a number of transfer targets, the club have moved to reassure supporters that money was made available to new manager David Moyes.

In a letter to fans, communications director Phil Townsend wrote: “ The club has always backed the manager in the transfer market, as Sir Alex (Ferguson) has said on many occasions, and it will continue to do so. “The club has demonstrated its belief in, and commitment to, David Moyes through the award of a six-year contract.

Allowing him to shape the future Manchester United team is a long-term project, not an eightweek panic.

“He must be given time to assess his new squad and come to his own decisions on which players he feels will strengthen it. Additional resources were there to add to that, but it was not possible to agree with other clubs for the right players to leave.

“The key point there is that the players we buy have to be the right ones for Manchester United; not just any player.”

Townsend was responding to letters sent to him by supporters concerned by reports that United had missed out with approaches for players including the Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas, Spanish midfielder Thiago Alcantara, who left Barcelona for Bayern Munich, and Ander Herrera of Athletic Bilbao. United had announced two new regional sponsorship agreements earlier on Wednesday.

They have signed five -year deals with Commercial Bank of Qatar and Emirates NBD Bank, which will become known as the club’s official financial services partners in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.—AFP

LJUBLJANA: Slovenia’s Zoran Dragic (center) challenges France’s Nicolas Batum (left) and Alexis Ajinca (right) during the 2013 EuroBasket Championship quarter-final match against France. — AFP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

S P ORT S

Napoli send Dortmund crashing

MARSEILLE: Arsenal’s English midfielder Theo Walcott (left) vies with Marseille’s French defender Jeremy Morel (right) at the Velodrome stadium during the UEFA Champions League Group F football match. — AFP

Arsenal see off Marseille MARSEILLE: Arsenal got their Champions League campaign off to the ideal start yesterday as second-half goals by Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey secured a 2-1 win away to Marseille.

An even contest at the Stade Velodrome swung Arsenal’s way in the 65th minute when their French hosts were made to pay for a defensive error, as Jeremy Morel’s pitiful attempted clearance inside his own box was pounced upon by Walcott, who slammed the ball past Steve Mandanda in goal.

Walcott’s first goal of the campaign was followed by a sixth of the season for the inform Ramsey, who drove through the middle of the home defence before firing low past the helpless Mandanda on 83 minutes.

Jordan Ayew pulled one back from the penalty spot at the death, but that could not prevent Arsenal from making it six straight wins in all competitions.

They have set themselves up nicely for the remainder of their Group F campaign, with tough fixtures against Borussia Dortmund and Napoli to come, while outsiders Marseille already face an uphill struggle to rescue anything from their European season.

They had welcomed Andre Ayew back into their starting line-up after a domestic suspension, while Giannelli Imbula kept his place in midfield despite suggestions that he might be replaced by Benoit Cheyrou.

Imbula, who turned 21 last week, impressed on his Champions League debut as the hosts started well inside a Stade Velodrome open on one side and which still resembles a building site.

Aware of the need to get off to a good start, Elie Baup’s side had the better of the first-half chances, and the first genuine fright for Arsenal came when Andre Ayew headed a Dimitri Payet cross just wide in the 21st minute.

That was in the midst of Marseille’s best spell of pressure in the first period, as

Arsenal struggled to contain the lively trio of Mathieu Valbuena, Imbula and Payet.

Per Mertesacker, who was back in the Arsenal line-up after missing Saturday’s 3-1 Premier League win at Sunderland, then cleared a low Payet cross from practically underneath his own bar before AndrePierre Gignac headed just over from Payet’s corner.

In contrast, Arsenal created little of note in the first period, with the exception of a Walcott effort which was saved by Mandanda inside six minutes.

However, the match was a far more open affair after the restart. The unlikely figure of Rod Fanni appeared inside the penalty area within two minutes of the second period beginning to send a volley fizzing just past the far post, before Mandanda denied Kieran Gibbs, who had been the beneficiary of a marvellous backheeled pass by Mesut Ozil as the action swung from end to end.

As the hour approached, Marseille captain Mandanda was called into action again, saving from Jack Wilshere after the England midfielder was picked out unmarked by Bacary Sagna’s cross.

There was then an almighty let-off for the London club, as Gibbs did brilliantly to clear the ball away from under his own bar and avoid a certain own-goal after Mertesacker had managed to spoon a cross over the helpess Wojciech Szczesny.

Four minutes later, Gibbs played a central part in the crucial opening goal, as his cross from the left sparked confusion in the Marseille area and Walcott took full advantage to score.

Ramsey, who scored the only goal when Arsenal won at the same venue in a Champions League group game two years ago, then made sure of the win before Jordan Ayew, on as a substitute, netted a stoppage-time penalty consolation for OM after Ramsey was adjudged to have fouled Andre Ayew inside the area. — AFP

GERMANY: Schalke’s Atsuto Uchida (left) challenges for the ball with Bucharest’s Adrian Popa (right) during the Champions League Group E soccer match. — AFP

Freak goal helps Schalke to victory GERMANY: A freak goal by Japan defender Atsuto Uchida helped Schalke 04 make a winning start in their Champions League campaign yesterday in their 3-0 victoy over Steaua Bucharest.

The Romanian champions held out for more than an hour until Uchida’s curious goal broke the deadlock on 67 minutes before Kevin-Prince Boateng and Julian Draxler also netted for Schalke.

The Royal Blues were enduring a frustrating night until right-back Uchida floated in a harmless cross. The ball was too long for Boateng, but Steaua centreback Lukasz Szukala failed to clear the danger and watched in despair as the ball flew over his head and past goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu.

Szukala’s dejected body language was in sharp contrast to Tatarusanu’s furious glares. Having finally taken the lead, Schalke found plenty of space in the Bucharest defence with Peru winger Jefferson Farfan being turned down for a penalty appeal moments later.

The hosts doubled their lead when

Farfan passed across goal for talented teenager Draxler in the middle and he laid the ball off for Boateng to slam home the second goal on 78 minutes.

It was Boateng’s second goal in as many matches having scored the winner in Saturday’s 1-0 victory at Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga as Schalke extend their winning streak to four games.

Draxler, who turns 20 on Friday, then added the third on 85 minutes when he combined with Farfan before darting in behind the defence and slamming his shot home.

Only the post stopped the hosts scoring a fourth as Uchida’s pass to replacement Christian Clemens, on for Farfan, was drilled onto the post.

Jens Keller’s Schalke face the acid test in the Bundesliga on Saturday when they host European champions Bayern Munich at the Veltins Arena. Schalke’s next European match is away to Swiss champions FC Basel on October 1, the same night Steaua host Chelsea in Bucharest. — AFP

NAPLES: Napoli condemned last season’s Champions League runners-up Borussia Dortmund to their first defeat of the season yesterday as the Germans’ European campaign endured a disastrous start.

Gonzalo Higuain and Lorenzo Insigne grabbed the goals in the Italians’ 2-1 Group F win after Dortmund had goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller red-carded on the stroke of halftime, with coach Jurgen Klopp also sent to the stands.

“All things considered, it was a deserved defeat. Napoli passed the ball well and we tried everything we could,” said Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin.

“Every defeat hurts, especially when you know that a win would have been huge for our campaign. “Napoli are a quality side and when you are down one man, it is very difficult.”

Napoli soaked up early pressure from the Germans who went into the match with a perfect record of five wins in the Bundesliga and not having lost a match since their Champions League final defeat to Bayern Munich in May. Marco Reus slid a fine pass through for Robert Lewandowski in the 26th minute, but the Polish striker’s left-foot shot was wellsaved by Pepe Reina.

Sven Bender then saw his volley from the edge of the box take a deflection over the crossbar. Napoli grabbed the lead on the halfhour mark. Camilo Zuniga crossed from the left for Higuain to get in front of Marcel Schmelzer and head the ball into the bottom corner beyond the dive of Weidenfeller.

It was the Argentine striker’s second goal in successive games at the Stadio San Paolo, after netting in the weekend win over

NAPLES: Napoli’s Uruguayan defender Angel Miguel Britos (right) fights for the ball with Dortmund’s Polish striker Robert Lewandowski (center) and Dortmund’s Serbian defender Neven Subotic (left) during the Group F Champions League football match. — AFP

Atalanta, and his third in three games.

Klopp was so incensed by the goal that he was sent to the stands for his protests. Ten minutes before the break, Reus volleyed wide of the target before the night got even worse for last season’s runners-up. Captain and goalkeeper Weidenfeller came rushing off his line to deny Higuain but was sent-off for handling outside the area.

Australian goalkeeper Mitchell Langerak came on to replace Weidenfeller and he was straight into action having to stop Higuain’s

low free-kick. Langerak denied Gokhan Inler on the hour mark before Reus missed another golden chance when he shot over the bar.

Dortmund were made to pay for their wastefulness. In the 67th minute, Insigne found the target when he curled a free-kick around the Dortmund wall and in off the underside of the crossbar. Three minutes from time, Zuniga volleyed the ball into his own goal off the far post to give Dortmund hope but it was too little, too late. — AFP

Zapata, Muntari late show leads AC Milan past Celtic

MADRID: Zenit’s goalkeeper Yury Lodygin celebrates after his teammate Zenit’s Brazilian forward Hulk scored during the UEFA Champions League football match against Atletico de Madrid. — AFP

Atletico too strong for Zenit MADRID: Atletico Madrid made winning a return in their first Champions League encounter for four years with a 3-1 victory over Zenit St Petersburg at the Vicente Calderon.

Brazilian defender Miranda had headed the hosts into a deserved half-time lead, but Diego Simeone’s men were pegged back at the start of the second period by a wonderful strike by Hulk.

Atletico had the stroke of luck they needed 25 minutes from time though as the ball ricocheted around the Zenit area and struck Arda Turan on its way into the net. Leo Baptistao sealed the three points with his first goal for the club 10 minutes from time.

It was a familiar feeling for Zenit as the Russians were also beaten in Spain on matchday one last season by Malaga, but in truth they deserved little more from a disappointing display that only sparked into life for a brief spell after half-time.

Atletico were without their top-scorer so far this season in Diego Costa through suspension and the Brazilian’s presence was missed in the opening period as the hosts failed to make the most of their dominance in possession.

Turan and David Villa saw early efforts from range easily held by Juri Lodigin before Koke prodded wide from inside the area after good work by Mario Suarez.

Filipe Luis then came close from 25 yards with a shot that whistled just past the post, but Atletico’s best option of scoring looked like it was going to be from a set-piece and so it proved as they opened the scoring six minutes from half-time when Miranda rose highest to nod home Koke’s corner.

Koke nearly added a second moments later with a wonderfully curling effort from fully 30 yards that drifted just wide as Atletico finished the half strongly.

However, it was roles reversed at the start of the second as after Thibaut Courtois produced a stunning save to turn Alexander Kerzhakov’s header behind, Hulk fired an unstoppable effort past the Belgian from outside the area.

Hulk was desperately unlucky not to add a second to his tally moments later as he fired a freekick off the crossbar. Yet, the game swung back in Atletico’s favour on 64 minutes as Arda put the hosts back in front in bizarre fashion when a Zenit defender smashed a clearance off the Turk’s shins and the ball rebounded into the net.

Lodigin then kept the Russians in the game with a fine save from Villa’s free-kick, but Leo did make the game safe for Atletico with virtually his first touch after replacing Adrian Lopez as he collected Arda’s pass and curled beautifully into the far corner. — AFP

MILAN: Late goals from Cristian Zapata and Sulley Muntari secured a 2-0 win for unconvincing AC Milan over a plucky Celtic side in their Champions League Group H opener yesterday.

A raft of injuries to key Milan players including Kaka and captain Riccardo Montolivo forced coach Massimiliano Allegri to reshuffle his squad and gave Neil Lennon’s men hopes of causing a major upset at the San Siro.

But after a promising second half from the visitors, in which striker Anthony Stokes hit the woodwork with a curling free kick, Zapata broke the deadlock with a deflected shot on 82 minutes and Muntari poked home a rebound from Mario Balotelli’s free kick three minutes later.

Having battled through a tough qualifying campaign Celtic came to Milan brimming with confidence but with 20 defeats in their previous 22 away games in the competition, history was against them. Indeed it took Celtic until the half hour mark to really settle, by which time depleted Milan had threatened several times.

After just four minutes Balotelli volleyed Valter Birsa’s delivery from 12 yards out only for Fraser Forster to block while the ‘keeper did well minutes later to stop Birsa as he charged down under pressure from Mikael Lustig.

Lustig was lucky to escape without a caution when he upended Balotelli as both players challenged for the ball in midfield.

Minutes later Celtic were awarded an indirect free kick metres from goal after an infringement by Christian Abbiati but Charlie Mulgrew’s shot was blocked by Kevin Constant as Milan packed the goalline. Milan spurned further chances, with Balotelli’s flicked-on header blocked

by Forster and unmarked Antonio Nocerino seeing his dipping half-volley from Phillipe Mexes’s cross sail just over.

Celtic’s only realy chance of the half came on 40 minutes Stokes turned Constant after battling down the left only to drive his shot into the side-netting.

Milan, meanwhile, finished the half as they had started, Balotelli collecting Matri’s lay-off and seeing his deflected low drive force Forster to parry while Muntari half-volleyed a poor clearance barely a metre over.

Milan kicked off the second half but it was Celtic who threatened in the early exchanges. After Kris Commons skewed an early shot wide Lustig flicked on a header from a corner that was cleared by the Milan defence.

The Swede spurned another chance when he sent his delivery from deep on the right flank wide of Abbiati’s goal and Celtic edged closer when Samaras sent a 20-metre drive just wide of Abbiati’s upright. Milan set up in Celtic’s third of the pitch briefly, with both Zaccardo and Balotelli seeing shots blocked by the defence.

However Celtic upped the pace and after a Balotelli free kick hit the defensive wall the visitors countered to give Scott Brown a solid scoring chance but the skipper’s tame shot was collected by Abbiati. Both sides made changes, with Brazilian midfielder Robinho replacing Constant and Dirk Boerritger coming on for Adam Matthews.

Celtic came agonisingly close when Stokes sent in a delightful free kick from 25 yards which hit the crossbar. It was a miss that would be felt minutes later when Zapata hit a low drive from 20 yards out and took a deflection off Emilio Izaguirre to leave a beaten Forster rooted to the spot.

Milan grabbed their second five minutes later when Balotelli’s powerful free kick was somehow kept out by the ‘keeper, but with Muntari pouncing from close range to fire home the rebound. — AFP

ITALY: Celtic’s Emilio Izaguirre (left) and AC MIlan’s Valter Birsa vie for the ball during the Champions League Group H soccer match. — AP

China stars fall at Japan Open

17

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

Napoli send Dortmund crashing

19

Button raises questions while Massa dodges them Page 16

SPAIN: Barcelona’s Javier Mascherano in action with Ajax’s Bojan Krkic during their Champions League Group H soccer match. — AFP

Messi hat-trick sweeps aside Ajax BARCELONA: Lionel Messi moved into second place on the all-time list of Champions League goalscorers with his 27th career hat-trick as Barcelona beat Ajax 4-0 at the Nou Camp yesterday.

The four-time World Player of the Year now has 62 Champions League goals to his name as Barca cruised to victory in the first ever competitive meeting between the two sides.

Messi opened the scoring on 22 minutes with a sensational free-kick and made the game safe 10 minutes after half-time with a typically cool left-footed finish.

Gerard Pique added a third when he headed Neymar’s cross past the stranded Kenneth Vermeer before Messi rounded off the scoring 15 minutes from time.

“In the first-half we found it a bit difficult because they played well, but in the second we moved the ball much better and controlled the game,” Messi told Canal Plus.

“In general I think we played a very good game.

The more variety we have the better. There are games where we need to manage the ball, control the game, and others which are more difficult where we will need to do a bit more.”

Messi also took time to lend his support to coach Gerardo Martino, who will fly back to Argentina after the game to attend his father’s funeral.

“It was a special game. It is a shame what has happened and he is suffering, but we are all with him in this moment.” Despite causing little threat of their own, Ajax had managed to limit Barca fairly well in the opening 20 minutes with a Neymar shot that was easily held by Vermeer the hosts’ only attempt on goal. However, their good work was undone when Lerin Duarte unnecessarily dived in on Messi on the edge of the area and the Argentine picked himself up to fire the resulting free-kick in off the inside of the post.

Ajax then did manage to carve out a decent opening when Bojan Krkic-who was allowed to feature despite being on-loan from Barca-found Ricardo Van Rhijn with a low cross in behind Adriano, and his diving header forced Victor Valdes into a smart stop low to his right.

Valdes was called into action again six minutes later to keep out Duarte’s effort from the edge of the box. However, Barca could also have extended their advantage before the interval as Messi uncharacteristically lacked precision in his finish when faced

with just Vermeer to beat in first-half stoppage time, the goalkeeper making a comfortable save.

Van Rhijn made a vital intervention at the start of the second-half to prevent Neymar slotting home at the back post.

But it was only a matter of time before the Ajax goal was breached again, and unsurprisingly it was Messi as he received Sergio Busquets’s pass, cut inside and slotted past the helpless Vermeer.

The Argentine nearly had his hat-trick in bizarre circumstances seconds later as he prodded the ball towards goal with his knee from Neymar’s cross, only for it to dribble inches wide.

Barca were in cruise control by this stage and they did eventually get their third of the evening when Vermeer got nowhere near Neymar’s in-swinging cross and Pique had the simple task of heading into an unguarded net.

Messi then sealed his hat-trick with another unerring finish that arrowed into Vermeer’s bottom left-hand corner from the edge of the area.

And the visitors were even denied a consolation when Valdes saved Kolbeinn Sigthorsson’s penalty 13 minutes from time after Javier Mascherano had upended Thurani Serero. — AFP

Gonzalez breaks deadlock in Vienna VIENNA: Argentine midfielder Lucho Gonzalez scored in the 55th minute to give Portuguese champions Porto a 1-0 victory over Austria Vienna in their opening Champions League Group G match yesterday.

Gonzalez calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net after a cross from Danilo at the Ernst-Happel stadium in Vienna.

Porto dominated possession in the first half but showed little penetration against the Austrian champions who were making their first appearance in the Champions League.

They stepped up the pace after the interval to take the lead through Gonzalez’s goal but were put under immediate pressure when a header from Austria Vienna striker Marko Stankovic hit the woodwork and a fierce shot from his team mate Philipp Hosiner’s flew just wide.

Gonzalez could have grabbed a second but he was just unable to make contact with a clever cross from Silvestre Varela and although the home side won three late corners they were unable to snatch an equaliser. — Reuters

Basel stun Chelsea LONDON: Jose Mourinho’s return to the Champions League with Chelsea started in dismal fashion as FC Basel came from behind to seal a stunning 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge yesterday. Mourinho’s first spell at Chelsea came to an acrimonious end exactly six years ago when he was sacked following a lacklustre 1-1 draw against Rosenborg in the Champions League.

And his hopes of erasing that painful memory with a win over Basel in his first match back with Chelsea in Europe’s elite club competition since that night were dashed by a remarkable fightback from the Swiss champions.

Brazilian midfielder Oscar had given Chelsea the lead just before half-time, but the Blues paid the price for a sloppy display featuring a host of missed chances as Mohamed Salah equalised after the break and Marco Streller bagged the winner with nine minutes remaining.

Mourinho has already overseen Chelsea’s worst start to a Premier League season for a decade and, just five days after a 1-0 defeat at Everton, he has now suffered a second successive loss and one of the more embarrassing setbacks of his illustrious career.

Blues owner Roman Abramovich was captured shaking his head as the full-time whistle was greeted with boos from a section of the stunned home crowd.

In truth, Chelsea, who have rarely been beat-

en at home under Mourinho, had never been anywhere near their best and could have few complaints.

Mourinho gave Willian his debut after his £30 million (35.8 million euros, $48.4 million) move from Anzhi Makhachkala, but the Brazilian forward was missing in action for much of the night. With Basel content to sit deep and launch occasional counter-attacks, and Chelsea struggling to find any tempo to their passing, the opening 25 minutes offered little to get the fans out of their seats.

When the first real chance finally came it was Basel who were on the offensive. Valentin Stocker slipped a superb pass to Salah, who used his blistering pace to escape Ashley Cole.

But, instead of taking an instant strike at the exposed Petr Cech’s goal, the Basel winger opted to cut back inside the penalty area and eventually miscued his shot harmlessly wide.

Despite spluttering for long periods, Mourinho’s side took the lead with their first shot on target in the last minute of the first half.

David Luiz brought the ball out of defence and picked out Frank Lampard 20 yards from the goal.

Rather than take a shot, the Chelsea captain unselfishly slipped a perfectly-weighted pass through to Oscar, who drilled a first-time strike low past Yann Sommer.

Mourinho sat unmoved with an impassive look on his face that suggested his disappointment at the preceeding 44 minutes.

The Blues boss was more impressed when, 10 minutes into the second half, Oscar intelligently worked space for a sublime curling shot from the left edge of the penalty area that crashed down off the bar and bounced to safety.

That inventive effort drew applause from Mourinho, and Oscar threatened again moments later as his deflected strike drifted past the far post.

Oscar, a more confident figure than during his underwhelming first season at the club, then showed great vision to play in Hazard, only for the Belgian to shoot over.

But Chelsea’s profligacy came back to haunt them when the unheralded Swiss minnows equalised against the run of play in the 71st minute.

A swift interchange of passes carved open the Chelsea defence as Streller gave Salah a sight of goal which he converted in style with a curled finish into the far corner.

Suddenly it was Basel calling the shots and, with Chelsea offering little in response, the visitors stole the win in the 81st minute. Streller showed more desire and cunning than Gary Cahill as he got in front of his marker to glance a corner past Cech at his near post. — AFP

LONDON: Chelsea’s English midfielder Frank Lampard (left) vies with FC Basel’s Swiss midfielder Valentin Stocker (right) during their UEFA Champions League Group E football match. — AFP

Business THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

Hedge funds enjoying post-crisis popularity Page 22 Austerity-hit Europeans fear Merkel poll victory Page 23 Eco-friendly materials at ‘The Big Five’ expo

With the end of QE in sight, US public says ‘Huh’ Page 22

Page 23

VIRGINIA: A construction worker paves a concrete sidewalk and driveway while building single family homes in Aldie, Virginia. Home building in US edged higher in September amid signs that higher mortgage interest rates were keeping buyers on the sidelines. — AFP (See Page 22)

Germany - Economic giant reluctant to lead An industrial machine that’s the envy of the planet in the

news

Dubai’s Mashreq to allow foreigners to own shares DUBAI: Dubai’s Mashreq will allow foreigners to own up to 20 percent of the bank’s shares, it said in a bourse statement yesterday. Foreign investors currently own only 1.9 percent of the bank’s shares, data from the Dubai Financial Market shows. The change in foreign ownership is effective from today, Mashreq said. About 20 percent of Mashreq’s shares are free float, while the Al-Ghurair family holds a 70 percent stake, according to Reuters data. Mashreq is Dubai’s third-largest bank by market value.

UAE developers unveil $4.5 b Baghdad project DUBAI: Two developers based in the United Arab Emirates say they have signed a deal for a $4.5 billion residential and commercial project in Baghdad that would be one of the county’s biggest non-oil investments. Plans calls for 30,000 housing units, five shopping centers and schools and stores to be built over a seven-year period in the Iraqi capital. Foreign investment has flowed into the relative stable Kurdish region of northern Iraq, but other areas such as Baghdad have lagged far behind because of ongoing violence. The developers, Dubai-based Al Handal International Group and Abu Dhabi-based Bloom Properties, said yesterday the project is expected to create 10,000 jobs for Iraq’s struggling economy.

Iraq tests southern pipeline after repair BASRA: Iraq has begun test pumping on a major southern oil pipeline and normal flow is expected to resume today, two oil officials said yesterday. Testing came after repair work on a leak that reduced oil production in Iraq’s south. The leak in the ageing pipeline - buried three meters underground - emerged last week due to corrosion, forcing Iraq to cut output from the super-giant Rumaila oilfield, said an official at Iraq’s Southern Oil Co. “Early yesterday morning, test pumping started after the pipeline leak was repaired.

We expect to restore normal output levels after resuming complete production from Rumaila today,” one Iraqi official said. Rumaila, the workhorse of Iraq’s oil industry, was producing around 1.47 million barrels per day (bpd) before the leak, which cut production to around 870,000 barrels, two oil officials close to Rumaila operations said. A lack of adequate energy infrastructure and security issues have slowed Iraq’s oil recovery to reach a projected target of 3.4 million bpd Baghdad by end-2013. In light of the recent leak, Iraq has decided to evaluate all its key oil pipelines in the south to avoid future disruption from technical problems, another Iraqi oil ministry official said.

BERLIN: Germany boasts the world’s most powerful woman, Europe’s most powerful economy and an industrial machine that’s the envy of the planet. With all that muscle, it seems a natural to assume the mantle of Europe’s undisputed leader. But Germany is a reluctant giant - and this Sunday’s national elections are unlikely to change that.

If the political debate ahead of the election proved anything, it’s that neither incumbent Angela Merkel’s conservative forces, nor her center-left rivals - nor indeed the German people at large have any appetite to take center stage as a European or global leader, despite the unmistakably German flavor of the continent’s response to its debt crisis. Germany seems content to lurk in the shadows, perhaps quietly pulling strings or exerting pressure, but unwilling to assume the risks that true political leadership entails.

That fact has been reflected on the campaign trail, with little discussion of Germany’s role in Europe and the wider world, or the future of the common euro currency. Such issues have taken a back seat to more mundane matters such as higher taxes for the rich or a national minimum wage. And both Merkel and challenger Peer Steinbrueck were quick to rule out German participation in any military strikes against Syria.

To be sure, since Greece’s debt troubles ignited Europe’s debt crisis nearly four years ago, Germany’s economic firepower has made it the country without which few significant decisions can be made in

Europe. Sixty-eight years since the collapse of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime, Berlin is in a novel position of pre -eminence after decades of being on equal terms with France as the continental heavyweight.

But with Europe often seen as rudderless, some - even among former victims of German World War II aggression - would like Germany to embrace its leadership role openly. Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski of Poland, a country traditionally wary of its bigger neighbor, has said that “nobody else can do it.” “I fear German power less than I am beginning to fear German inactivity,” Sikorski told a largely German audience in late 2011.

Merkel is fond of saying that Europe must become more competitive as China and other powers rise. “The world doesn’t sleep,” she said recently. However, she hasn’t coupled that with any grand visions for a continental revival. In Europe, Merkel - an instinctively cautious politician - concentrates on what she calls her “step-by-step” approach of methodically tackling the continent’s debt and competitiveness problems, keeping a tight hold on Germany’s purse strings. And if Germany’s allies want it to exert more than economic “soft power,” they are likely to be disappointed.

“Berlin quite simply lacks the political ambition to provide clear leadership in turbulent times,” Ulrike Guerot of the European Council on Foreign Relations wrote in a research paper this month.

“Rather, it hopes to influence events by force of example, getting others to trans-

pose the German model of thriftiness at home and competitiveness abroad into their own financial, economic and political cultures.” Concerns run high beyond Europe over Germany’s timid attitude to global affairs, especially since it is one of NATO’s biggest members. “ There’s a lot of frustration in Washington with Germany’s reluctance to take on a bigger role in international security affairs in particular,” said Chris Chivvis, a political scientist at the RAND Corporation. “ There’s a sense sometimes, rightly or wrongly, that Germany occasionally allows its history to become an excuse for not taking on responsibilities that are expected of a country with its wealth and, frankly, its global interests.” German politicians of all stripes balk at publicly embracing a dominant political role.

In July, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said “the idea that Europe should be - or even can be - led by a single country is wide of the mark,” not only because of Germany’s history but because the complex 28-nation EU isn’t suited to a “leader-follower dynamic.” “We do not want a German Europe,” he said. Joachim FritzVannahme of Germany ’s Bertelsmann Foundation think tank notes that the German word for “leader” - “Fuehrer” - is itself problematic since it was used by Hitler. Postwar Germany long rejected any notion of “leadership,” he added.

Germany has become more self-confident but still “relatively frequently refuses to exert leadership and doesn’t want to

hear the word ‘hegemon,’” he said. “That is the great psychological inhibition that exists both in the electorate ... and among our leading politicians.” That lack of desire for the kind of high-profile role played by the United States - or by Britain and France generations ago - means the country hasn’t translated its economic clout into international political power.

Germany backed the 1999 bombing of Serbia during the Kosovo crisis and agreed to send troops to Afghanistan. But the Germans refused to join in the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and the 2012 Western bombing campaign that toppled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. If anything, Germany’s reluctance to join in military interventions has increased over recent years. Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle advocates a “culture of military restraint,” a view that is widely shared across the political spectrum.

On Syria, Merkel has taken a cautious line, pushing for diplomatic progress and leaving open whether it would be legitimate for others to take military action. She also has argued that it makes sense to “help trustworthy partners” ensure security in their own regions, sometimes by delivering military equipment. Even that has drawn fire from domestic opponents, who argue that she’s too ready to export weapons to sensitive areas such as the Persian Gulf region. “With me as chancellor, no weapons would be exported to flashpoints or to countries that violate human rights,” Steinbrueck said this summer. — AP

Greece crippled by fresh strikes ATHENS: Thousands of striking Greek public sector workers took to the streets yesterday, closing hospitals, schools and transport links, bringing many parts of the country to a standstill. In the latest round of strikes, civil servants marched through the capital against a job redeployment scheme demanded by Greece’s EU-IMF creditors in return for access to bailout loans, and likely to bring additional layoffs in the recession-hit country.

Banners were held aloft by protesters reading,” No to layoffs” and “No to the dissolution of public services”.

“They will abolish permanence and sell whatever they can from the public property, be it schools, hospitals, social insurance funds,” said Christos Vagenas, a 39-yearold civil servant. “Essentially, everything will be given to the private sector,” he said. The protests were held in a tense climate following the killing hours earlier of a leftwing artist allegedly by a suspected member of neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn. Pavlos Fyssas, a 34-year-old hip hop singer, was stabbed to death yesterday in the western Athens district of Keratsini outside a cafeteria, in an apparent ambush.

Government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou blamed the incident squarely on Golden Dawn, condemning the group’s “raw violence” and calling on other parties to “raise a barrier to the vicious circle of tension and vio-

lence”. Police said a 45-year-old alleged member of the Golden Dawn neo-Nazi group arrested at the scene of the killing had confessed to stabbing Fyssas, who wrote music under the nickname Kilah P. “The suspect confessed his act and also admits that he has a specific political affiliation,” police spokesman Christos Parthenis told a news conference.

Parthenis added that “offices and homes” apparently belonging to Golden Dawn were being searched by police in connection to the murder. Speaking to reporters, the victim’s father said Fyssas had been “hunted down” by a group of assailants and dealt a “professional” stab blow. Golden Dawn immediately denied any connection, but the incident-a few days after a group of Communists were beaten by suspected neo-Nazis-was likely to inflame tensions in Greece where anger is simmering over four years of austerity cuts.

At least 2,000 Communist unionists demonstrated in Athens yesterday, rejecting the government cuts but also shouting anti-fascist slogans. “Block the fascists in every quarter,” the crowd chanted. Yesterday’s protests followed strikes earlier in the week. On Monday, at least 17,000 teachers and civil servants took to the streets to protest against plans for massive public sector redeployments and layoffs. — AFP

THESSALONIKI: Teachers march in Thessaloniki during a 48-hour civil servants strike. — AFP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

BUSINESS

Navigating the financial labyrinth of German Landesbanken HAMBURG: To the casual observer, the Landesbanken’s results for the first half of this year might suggest Germany’s publicly-owned regional banks are in rude financial health. But the headline numbers belie a more complex reality. Four of the five major Landesbanken boasted improvements in profits for the first half of 2013, sometimes quite dramatic, like the 400 percent increase in pre-tax profits at Hamburg and Kiel based shipping lender HSH Nordbank. As a group, their ‘tier one capital ratios’ - a measure of how much high quality capital they have to weather future losses - came in slightly ahead of Europe’s thirty largest banks by market capitalization.

Both measures are open to particular quirks in the Landesbanken world.

Take HSH - Christian van Beek, of ratings agency Fitch, points out that the bank can actually obtain compensation as some loans that were expected not

to be repaid are sold off at a loss or a write down is agreed. This is because, a provision for a bad loan comes off HSH’s profit and loss account, but once the loss on certain loans is actually crystallized, HSH can claim against a 10 billion euros state-sponsored asset guarantee scheme. “Net income/loss is currently not a good indicator for the bank’s progress in establishing a viable business model,” said van Beek, who instead focuses on the bank’s new business generation.

On the capital front, while European banks are tapping their shareholders for more support, some Landesbanken will be treading the opposite path as they wean themselves off state aid. “BayernLB needs to return major amounts of capital to its owners to fully comply with compensation measures for state aid, and also LBBW will need to make further efforts to regain its independence,” said Katharina Barten, a Frankfurt-based analyst at Moody’s, referring to the

two biggest Landesbanken.

Bayern was ordered to pay back 5 billion euros by 2019, it has already paid back 1.1 billion euros to the Free State of Bavaria, beating a repayment schedule that has not been made public. LBBW must reduce its reliance on a state guarantee, as the guarantee is eased, the bank’s capital position will worsen. The terms of the European Commission agreement only allow deviations from the repayment schedule if the bank’s regulator objects. If this happens more than once, a new state aid application must be made.

LBBW does not have a binding repayment schedule.

Brussels could ease up on the demands if the banks’ profits are too low, but there are no guarantees. Bar ten said experience suggests Europe would open a fresh competition investigation if “bank specific” reasons meant the aid could not be repaid. “If a bank can prove that it has done every-

thing in its power to comply with its EC-set targets, but due to extremely adverse market conditions it is not in a position to comply, the EC’s ruling is likely to take these circumstances into account,” she added. A more pertinent measure for sectorwatchers is profit margin.

Annualized return on equity ranges greatly across the Landesbanken, from 10.3 percent at Bayern LB to 2.5 percent at Nord LB for the first half of 2013, to average 6.12 percent across the group. Europe’s 30 biggest banks had an annualized average return on equity of 8 percent, according to an analysis by Reuters of the largest banks as ranked by market capitalization. “Will Landesbanken ever make very strong European competitive banking? - The answer is no, the banking structure does not allow high market share, big penetration or earnings power,” a senior Landesbanken banker said. — Reuters

Hedge funds enjoy post-crisis popularity with ‘safe’ image Pension funds want protection from market meltdowns

OMAHA: Photo shows a new home under construction in Omaha, Neb. The Commerce Department reports the pace at which builders broke ground on homes in August. — AP

Multifamily homes restrain US housing starts, permits WASHINGTON: US housing starts rose less than expected in August as multifamily activity slowed sharply, but a surge in permits to build single-family homes pointed to a sustained strengthening in the housing market recovery.

The Commerce Department said yesterday housing starts increased 0.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 891,000 units. July’s starts were revised down to a 883,000-unit pace instead of the previously reported 896,000 units.

Economists had expected groundbreaking to rise to a 917,000-unit rate last month. Starts for the volatile multifamily segment tumbled 11.1 percent to a 263,000-unit rate last month. But groundbreaking for single-family homes, the largest segment of the market, surged 7.0 percent to a 628,000-unit pace. That was the highest since February and took some of the sting out the report. The drop in multifamily starts suggested a spike in mortgage rates could be making developers a bit cautious about taking on new projects.

Higher mortgage rates have slowed the pace of home sales, but demand for accommodation as household formation continues to recover from multi-decade lows is expected to keep residential construction supported. In a separate report, the Mortgage Bankers Association said applications for loans to buy a home rose

last week as mortgage rates eased off recent highs. Mortgage rates have risen in anticipation of the Federal Reserve reducing the $85 billion in bonds it is buying each month to keep interest rates low. Economists believe the Fed will make an announcement on the future of the program at the end of a two-day meeting later.

US financial markets were little moved by the data as investors awaited the Fed’s statement on policy. Permits to build homes fell 3.8 percent in August to a 918,000-unit pace, confounding economists’ expectations for a 950,000 rate.

Permits lead starts by at least a month.

But the drag last month came from the multifamily sector, where permits dropped 15.7 percent. Permits for singlefamily homes rose 3 percent to their highest level since May 2008.

The rise in single-family permits fits in with a survey on Tuesday showing confidence among single -family home builders held near an eight-year high in September, with builders upbeat about prospective buyer traffic. The sustained gains in residential construction should help to support the economy. Though home building only accounts for 3.1 percent of gross domestic product, economist estimate that for every single-family home constructed, three jobs that last for a year are created. — Reuters

LONDON: Hedge funds may be making their clients less money than mainstream financial markets, but with their portfolios increasingly seen as a safer, low-volatility option in a tough investment landscape they have more cash to manage than ever. The industry’s coffers hit a record $2.4 trillion globally in 2013, swollen by money from US and European pension funds seeking help to find returns in the face of low interest rates and unpredictable markets post-financial crisis.

“At times when equities rally, trustees will ask ‘Why did we have those hedge funds again?’ But it’s big volatility events in markets and big selloffs that make people remember, ‘Oh yes, that is why we have that hedge fund’,” said Aon Hewitt’s Guy Sainfiet, who advises pension funds on their investments.

Market meltdowns have ravaged investors’ portfolios in the past five years. In 2008, at the height of the financial crisis, the MSCI World Index dropped by more than 40 percent. Over the same period global hedge funds fell less than 20 percent, according to industry data firm Hedge Fund Research.

As a result investors have thrown cash at the industry, which now manages nearly 30 percent more money than in 2007, Hedge Fund Research data shows. An August survey by research group Preqin, covering 450 investors running $11.7 billion, showed 29 percent planned to raise hedge fund allocations over the next 12 months, while only 12 percent expected to cut them.

A closer look at the numbers shows however that the money hedge funds have made - beyond what their clients could have earned from investments tracking the main asset classes - has plunged since the financial crisis.

This return, known in the industry as ‘alpha’, even turned negative in 2011, according to a recent research paper based on the returns of more than 31,000 funds.

“Total returns have recovered since the financial crisis but average hedge funds’ risk-adjusted performance appears to have fallen in the last few years,” said Robert Kosowski, associate professor at Imperial College London and co-author of the study with fellow finance academics Juha Joenvaara and Pekka Tolonen. Their research found the average fund made 5.32 percent more than the so-called ‘beta’ return delivered by a basket of the major bond, stock, commodity and currency indexes between 1994 and February 2012.

But that headline number hides significant variations in hedge fund returns over time.

Over 36 months, hedge fund ‘alpha’ - or above market - returns reached almost 10 percent in 2001 but by early 2012, investors were worse off by between one and two percentage points than if they had invested in the basket of major asset class indexes. “There could not have been more perfect conditions for passive beta (market) investing over recent years,” said Arie Assayag, chief executive at UBP Alternative Investments.

Indeed, a simple tracker fund such as the SPDR S&P 500 Exchange Traded Fund, one of the most

common so-called “passive funds”, is up 16 percent this year, against a 3.9 percent rise in the average hedge fund.

SAFE HANDS, HIGH FEES Increasingly, then, investors are turning to hedge funds to help them manage volatility and ensure steady - if low - returns, rather than hoping for one-off bumper returns. From 2007 to 2012, average annual hedge fund volatility was 9.8 percent according to the HFRI index - a widely-used benchmark of hedge fund returns - while the MSCI Global Equity Index was almost twice as volatile at 18.2 percent. Volatility in the S&P 500 was 16.6 percent. “Many investors are looking for Libor plus 300-500 basis points, while others want returns similar to equity markets but with lower volatility,” said Morten Spenner, CEO of International Asset Management.

This is particularly true for pension funds.

Steady returns help them to map out how much they need to pay out to retirees - against new money coming in - with greater confidence and consistency. The price for avoiding volatility?

Higher fees. Annual hedge fund management fees can be as high as 2 percent of assets and 20 percent of all profits. By contrast, funds which passively track a basket of stocks or bonds charge around 0.5 percent.

Critics say pension trustees are paying too high a price for safety when the hedge funds’ gains have declined so much. The hedge funds themselves, capitalizing on investors’ concern, now present their fees as the price of peace of mind. In a far cry from the industry’s early days, when hedge fund managers built their reputations on high-risk, contrarian bets backed by lots of debt, many are now recasting themselves in a more conservative mould, using less leverage and taking fewer risks. — Reuters

With the end of Fed QE in sight, US public says ‘Huh’ SAN FRANCISCO: The Federal Reserve this week is expected to start winding down an epic economic stimulus that is credited with helping the United States claw back from the deepest slump since the Great Depression. The Fed’s $2.8 trillion “quantitative easing” program has, among other things, lifted stock prices to record highs, driven interest rates to record lows and put a floor under what had been a reeling housing market.

Yet barely a quarter of Americans even know what it is. A poll leading up to the Fed’s pivotal decision, expected yesterday afternoon, found just 27 percent of US adults could correctly pick the correct definition of quantitative easing from among five possible answers. Quantitative easing, or QE for short, is when the Fed buys bonds in order to push down interest rates and boost the economy.

The ongoing Reuters/Ipsos poll included interviews with 857 adult Americans between Sept 12 and 16. The result’s credibility interval, a measure of its accuracy, is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

The Fed’s bond-buying program, particularly the current third round known as QE3, has been controversial both at home and abroad, and while some question its effectiveness, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke says it has helped bring down unemployment and averted a damaging cycle of deflation.

Bernanke has signaled he’ll look to reduce the program this year and end it next year, but keep shortterm rates low for many months afterwards in order to continue to encourage investment and hiring.

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR Twelve percent of respondents thought QE was a computer-assisted program that the Fed uses to manipulate the dollar. Another 11 percent thought it was part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform legislation enacted following the crisis. To be sure, two of the more popular incorrect answers - “a way the Fed

makes it easier for commercial banks to borrow money from Fed and relend it to consumers,” and “when the Fed repeatedly lowers its official interest rate” - were in the right ballpark, if not completely on target. After all, quantitative easing is geared to reducing borrowing costs. But for a Fed that has emphasized how important communications are and how much the effectiveness of its policies depends on the public’s understanding of their impact on inflation and employment - the fact that 73 percent of respondents cannot define the critical program suggests the Fed has a serious communications challenge. In particular, Fed officials have stressed how important it is that the public does not equate a reduction in quantitative easing with a rise in interest rates. Nevertheless, the Fed’s well telegraphed intention to pare back its bond buying has raised interest rates over the last five months, and markets will be watching closely for the size of the reduction. If the public does not understand what QE is in the first place, drawing that distinction will be difficult, said Scott Anderson, chief economist at Bank of the West in San Francisco.

“I think they understand the Fed is trying to stimulate the economy, but I don’t think they understand the mechanics of how it works,” Anderson said. That means, he said, “People get the message that interest rates are going up.” And that can have negative effects for the economy, he said. Margaret Miranda, a 60-year-old home health aide who lives in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, was stumped by the question on quantitative easing.

She works part time for $8 and $9 an hour, and says wages are not keeping up with costs. She thinks unemployment is too high. But she did not know the Fed is charged with maximizing employment and stabilizing prices, let alone what quantitative easing is. She thought it might have to do with regulation. —Reuters

EXCHANGE RATES Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

UAE Exchange Centre WLL 2.869 4.507 2.695 2.148 2.825 226.410 36.701 3.654 6.527 8.991 0.271 0.273

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

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

75.924 78.230 739.510 756.210 77.537

UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal

77.62 758.15 41.24 405.40 740.79 78.66

ASIAN COUNTRIES Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal Irani Riyal GCC COUNTRIES Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

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

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash Egyptian Pound - Transfer Yemen Riyal/for 1000 Tunisian Dinar Jordanian Dinar Lebanese Lira/for 1000 Syrian Lier Morocco Dirham

41.100 40.814 1.328 173.960 401.980 1.910 3.093 34.707

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 284.600 Euro 381.650 Sterling Pound 454.220 Canadian dollar 277.250 Turkish lira 142.300 Swiss Franc 308.180 Australian Dollar 266.950 US Dollar Buying 283.400 GOLD 20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

249.000 126.000 65.000

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

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

Malaysian Ringgit Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

86.710 9.200 4.075 3.900 86.770

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY Belgian Franc British Pound Czech Korune Danish Krone Euro Norwegian Krone Romanian Leu Slovakia Swedish Krona Swiss Franc Turkish Lira

SELL CASH Europe 0.007399 0.446111 0.006710 0.046878 0.374858 0.044282 0.082121 0.008180 0.039947 0.3011085 0.140163

SELLDRAFT 0.008399 0.455111 0.018710 0.051878 0.382358 0.049482 0.82121 0.018180 0.044947 0.310585 0.147163

Australian Dollar New Zealand Dollar

Australasia 0.258014 0.227934

0.269514 0.237434

Canadian Dollar US Dollars US Dollars Mint

America 0.271302 0.280500 0.281000

0.278902 0.284850 0.284850

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

Asia 0.003148 0.045156 0.034620 0.004413 0.000020 0.002785 0.003333 0.000253 0.084031 0.002949 0.002552 0.006386 0.000070 0.222856

0.003748 0.048656 0.037370 0.004814 0.000026 0.002965 0.003333 0.000268 0.090031 0.003119 0.002832 0.006666 0.000076 0.228855

South African Rand Sri Lankan Rupee Taiwan Thai Baht

0.023118 0.001896 0.009475 0.008628

0.031616 0.002476 0.009655 0.009178

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 0.748451 0.038248 0.000079 0.000184 0.397286 1.0000000 0.000139 0.022412 0.001207 0.733190 0.077462 0.075257 0.001938 0.169172 0.140163 0.076504 0.001293

0.756451 0.041348 0.000080 0.000244 0.404786 1.0000000 0.000239 0.046412 0.001842 0.738870 0.078675 0.075957 0.002158 0.177172 0.147163 0.077653 0.001373

Al Mulla Exchange Currency US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 284.200 382.300 454.050 277.600 4.507 41.195 2.148 3.652 6.498 2.705 756.600 77.375 75.900

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

BUSINESS

Eco-friendly construction materials at ‘The Big Five’ expo

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: Environmentally-friendly construction materials are among the most indemand construction products nowadays.

Speaking with the Kuwait Times, Andy White, Group Event Director, organizer of the ongoing construction exhibition dubbed ‘The Big Five’, said, environmentally friendly materials are on top of the list for many customers now.

“Decision-makers are looking for more environmentally-friendly materials. We are into green culture now - or at least materials that reduce the use of electricity and water,” said White. He noted that there are some who are looking for a longer life span of the

building materials to save money and time in the long run.

“Nowadays, there are building guidelines being followed in every country. Like in Dubai, for instance, architects are now focusing more and more on designs which are eco-friendly. So green construction designs are in,” he reiterated. The three-day expo was inaugurated on Monday by Abdulaziz AlIbrahim, Minister of Electricity and Water and Minister of Public Works. About 300 local and international exhibitors participated in the first ever Big Five event in Kuwait.

“The event here in Kuwait is very successful. We already exceeded our expectations and the first day was superb! The halls are just so busy with visitors. This turnout means

Austerity-hit Europeans fear Merkel poll victory MADRID: Across southern Europe, people hardest hit by towering unemployment rates and savage spending cuts view the prospect of German Chancellor Angela Merkel winning re-election this weekend with a sense of foreboding. For many in Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy, Merkel has come to symbolize an austerity regime that slashed health and education spending and sent jobless rates spiraling to 27.9 percent in Greece, 26.26 percent in Spain, 16.4 percent in Portugal and 12.0 percent in Italy. When Merkel visited Athens last October, she was greeted by protests at which banners declared: “No to the Fourth Reich.”

Some even displayed the Nazi swastika.

A month later in Lisbon demonstrators greeted her with signs that read: “Angela Merkel murderer.”

Merkel is set for re-election as Germany’s leader in Sunday’s general elections, polls show, but it is unclear whether her pro-austerity centre-right coalition can rule alone. Depending on the outcome, she may have to create a grand coalition with her main rivals, the left-leaning Social Democrats, who favor relaxing Merkel’s strict fiscal policies in Europe. If Greeks, Portuguese, Italians and Spaniards had a vote in the Germany elections, Merkel’s fortunes might be different.

Despite his Spanish nationality, Daniel Correa, a 33-year-old coordinator in Madrid for the pan-European civic platform Citizens For Europe, is taking measures to have a say in the outcome in Germany. He is taking advantage of an “Electoral Rebellion” by German grassroots group Egality Now, in which about some 50 German voters have agreed to cast their ballots for parties chosen by non-Germans, in protest, they say, at a lack of democracy. Organizers said the initiative sparked interest across southern Europe.

Under the scheme, Correa arranged for a German voter to cast her ballot for a left-wing party in Germany’s general election. “There needs to be a change.

Germany imposes austerity measures because it wants to recoup the money it has loaned. It treats other nations as its subjects, not like part of a team,” Correa said at his central Madrid office. Merkel has argued that belt-tightening is the only way to ensure sustainable economic growth and avoid the type of policies that touched off the crippling debt crisis.

She has slightly softened her tone during the election campaign, offering German job creation assistance to countries such as Spain and acknowledging that stricken nations like Greece may need more time to pay off their debts.

Fears that a Merkel re-election will lead to more German-ordained austerity are

perhaps deepest in Greece and Portugal, both subject to strict fiscal conditions in return for multi-billion euro international bailouts.

“Merkel’s re-election will further punish the working class, workers and pensioners, so it will deepen poverty,” said Christos Alefantis, the editor of “Shedia”, Greece’s first magazine sold by homeless people which was launched in Athens in February. “The austerity policies that have been followed are not the solution, they deprive a large part of the population of hope that things will change.”

There is a similar sentiment in Lisbon where Marisa Maria, a European Union lawmaker from Portugal’s far-left Left Block said that with a Merkel win “we know already that austerity will continue and European policies will not change very much”.

‘SPANIARDS DON’T WANT MERKEL’ In Spain, Merkel’s standing has slumped. In a survey of Spaniards’ assessments of 10 global leaders, Merkel has dropped from the number-two spot after US President Barack Obama in 2009 to the number seven position, ahead only of Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Argentina’s Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro. “There has never been such a huge drop in the ranking of a leader in Spain before. It is very significant,” said Javier Noya, the main researcher at Spanish think tank Elcano Royal Institute, which carries out the thriceyearly survey. “Spaniards do not want Merkel to win, of course, although they do not know what the alternatives are,” Noya said.

Some Europeans held out hope for a softening in Germany’s economic policies even under Merkel. Nuno Melo, a European lawmaker with the conservative Popular Party, the junior partner in the Portugal’s governing coalition, said he had faith that Merkel would accept a shift in her economic policy “in favor of jobs and economic growth”. “These themes have been on the sidelines of German political discourse now because they do not provide an election payoff,” he said.

But others were more wary. Even under a “grand coalition” government, a Merkel victory would mean “generalized austerity, mistrust towards Europe and a jealous defense of national interests,” wrote Maurizio Ricci in Italian centre-left daily newspaper La Repubblica.

“Merkel’s dominance even in a ‘grand coalition’ means that existing policies would not change since she will insist on austerity,” added Yannis Panagopoulos, the leader of Greece’s biggest labor union GSEE. — AFP

that Kuwait really deserved the best expo for their expanding construction business,” he added. The exhibition is being organized by dmg events, a Dubai-based event company which was established over 30 years ago. “In Dubai, we have a hall which is 10 times this size and have about 45-50,000 visitors annually. In Kuwait, we expected around 3,500 visitors but I am quite sure that we can have over 5,000 by the end of the show, given the number of visitors on the first day,” White beamed.

“Kuwait is a very important market to everyone in the GCC, and this is the reason why international companies are here right now. We staged this event to take advantage of many opportunities available to every-

body,” he noted. Visitors at the expo include decision-makers, architects, building consultants and people involved in selecting specific products like contractors.

Asked on why the company he represents is known to be ‘The Big Five’, he said “It goes back to over 20 years ago when we held an exhibition which comprised machineries, marble, stones, ceramics and air-conditioning. We called it The Big Five and from then, it has been a strong brand name for us, and we have been known by this name for years. It is irrelevant now because we have had over 10 different product lines in construction business.” The next Big Five exhibition is scheduled for September next year.

India cenbank chief may roll back some FX steps ‘The Guv’ likely to strike a hawkish tone MUMBAI: New Indian Central Bank chief Raghuram Rajan will make his first monetary policy statement tomorrow with expectations he may scale back some of the emergency measures that have helped the rupee bounce from a record low. But in a reflection of the policy challenges faced by the former IMF chief economist who has been dubbed “The Guv” by the Indian media, Rajan is likely to strike a hawkish tone on inflation.

With price pressures rising but economic growth running at a decade low, Rajan must find a fine balance in central bank policies to support economic activity without adding fuel to inflation and giving investors fresh reason to sell the currency. “There is a change of guard, so we

NEW DELHI: An Indian laborer rests on a cart at the spice market in the old quarters of New Delhi, India. RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan will review the nation’s monetary policy tomorrow to revive economic growth and curb the fiscal and current account deficits. — AP

Raghuram Rajan arrives at the RBI headquarters in Mumbai. don’t know what the flavor will be, but Rajan is likely to be hawkish and reiterate the importance of low and stable inflation for sustained economic recovery,” said Rajeev Malik, senior economist at CLSA in Singapore.

Famed for predicting the global financial crisis, Rajan took office at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Sept. 4 as India was confronting its biggest economic crisis since 1991 and wowed central bank-watchers with an action plan on his first day. Since hitting a record low on Aug. 28, marking up losses of about 20 percent for the year, the rupee has strengthened by 9 percent.

Rajan, 50, pushed back his maiden policy review by two days and will now follow the pivotal meeting of the US Federal Reserve, which later is widely expected to announce a winding down of its extraordinary monetary stimulus.

Investor concern that India and other emerging markets will see reduced capital inflows once the Fed trims its stimulus program has been a

major factor in the rupee’s slump. India was seen as more vulnerable than many emerging markets because it is running hefty current account and fiscal deficits. Absent shock waves from the Fed meeting, economists expect at most a partial rollback on Friday of the slate of measures implemented by Rajan and his predecessor to support the rupee , which had the side affect of stifling credit.

With wholesale inflation at a six-month high in August, he is likely to keep the repo rate, the RBI’s official policy rate, on hold at 7.25 percent.

Some economists expect Rajan to build the case for shifting the central bank’s key inflation measure to the consumer price index from the wholesale price index. That would put India in tune with other major economies but would also reinforce a near-term hawkish stance given that consumer inflation has been consistently high, registering 9.52 percent in August.

In his first-day press conference, Rajan spoke of the need for communication and a “clear framework” as to where the central bank is headed. “We need a more comprehensive policy statement from the RBI underlining the outlook on inflation and guidance around the future of monetary policy framework, especially with regards to inflation targeting,” said Gaurav Kapur, senior economist at Royal Bank of Scotland.

DE FACTO POLICY RATE Rajan is widely expected to leave the marginal standing facility (MSF) unchanged, a Reuters poll shows. The overnight rate is generally viewed as the central bank’s effective policy rate now, since it is the major interest rate tool being used to support the rupee. The central bank jacked it up by 200 basis points in July to 10.25

In China, the Devil doesn’t wear Prada HONG KONG: The Devil, it seems, wears anything but Prada in the eyes of Chinese bloggers determined to expose corrupt government officials flashing luxury labels way past their pay grades. Prada is among a few premium brands reporting solid growth in the world’s second largest luxury market even as a government campaign against conspicuous spending and gift-giving hurts firms with instantly recognizable brands like LVMH, Compagnie Financiere Richemont and Kering SA. The logos on Prada’s deluxe leather handbags, wallets and shoes are, by and large, low-key and these days, discretion is key in China. This month, the government jailed a provincial official for 14 years for corruption after pictures of him wearing expensive watches - including what bloggers said was a Vacheron Constantin - became a hit on the Internet, earning him the nickname “Brother Watch”.

Richemont owns several leading luxury watch companies including Vacheron Constantin, Cartier and Piaget, and earlier this month said demand in China had weakened. “Some companies, like Richemont, had a lot of exposure to sectors that have taken a big hit in China this year, especially luxury watches,” said James Roy, senior analyst at China Market Research Group in Shanghai.

“Many luxury clients here are moving away from more loud or bling-focused luxury brands like Gucci or Louis Vuitton, towards things that are a bit more subtle and sophisticated without the flashy logo,” he added. LVMH’s Louis Vuitton and Kering-

owned Gucci, which won over legions of fans with their visibly branded products, have recently moved away from the logolook and are now offering more upmarket leather handbags.

Both companies do not comment on their rivals’ performance. Prada on Tuesday reported a nearly 8 percent increase in net profit for the six months ended July. The 308 million euros ($411 million) profit slightly lagged the 321.3 million euros average forecast by five analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. “The greater China area (PRC, Hong Kong and Macau) generated net sales of Euro 396.7 million, contributing significantly

Andy White

to the development of the Far East market,” Prada said in its earnings statement.

CRACKING CHINA The shift away from in-your-face luxury brands is most prominent in big cities such as Shanghai and Beijing, where many companies have their biggest stores and where customer tastes are rapidly evolving. Logos, however, are still very popular in China’s vast interior, where luxury labels are still a novelty, analysts say.

“Prada really offers an alternative to Louis Vuitton and Gucci from a customer’s choice perspective. They are a third choice, an under-

MADRID: A model displays a Spring/Summer design by Agatha Ruiz de la Prada during Madrid’s Fashion Week, in Madrid. — AP

stated choice for people who stay away from logos,” said Franklin Yao, CEO of Shanghaibased consultancy SmithStreetSolutions.

Another plus factor for Prada is its pricing many handbags and wallets are less expensive than the equally discreet offerings by Kering-owned Bottega Veneta, whose woven leather goods are also gaining popularity in China. “What I am looking for is bags with great quality, low-profile, which means the logo should be smaller,” said Chloe Chen, a 23-year-old college graduate in Shanghai.

“As for brands, I don’t like those known by the majority, such as Burberry, Gucci, LV. Personally speaking, LV or Gucci are a little out of fashion.” Other luxury brands that are doing well in China include jeweller Tiffany & Co., which has benefitted from the rising demand for diamonds among couples, Burberry Group Plc and leather goods maker Coach.

Investors sensing the shift in China’s luxury market have also helped propel Prada’s shares 8 percent higher so far this year, beating a 2 percent gain for the benchmark index. Prada, at 23.6 times forward earnings, is more expensive than Burberry and LVMH but earnings growth expectations are higher: on average, analysts expect Prada’s earnings to grow a fifth next year, or about 50 percent quicker than LVMH or Burberry.

“From a valuation perspective, we maintain that although the PE does not look appealing, Prada remains the most interesting stock in the luxury sector from a ‘price to growth’ point of view,” HSBC wrote in a research note last month. “Prada is an Asia Super Ten stock.”— Reuters

percent so that it stood 300 basis points above the official policy repo rate, aiming to tighten market liquidity and make it more expensive to speculate against the rupee.

Still, A Prasanna, economist at ICICI Securities Primary Dealership Ltd in Mumbai, said it was a 50/50 call as to whether Rajan cuts the MSF to 9.25 percent. “If the governor cuts MSF he wouldn’t want to give an impression that it is the start of further cuts or that we will go back to 7.25 percent and so on. Thus he has to guide markets that 7.25 percent is not coming back soon and further easing will be calibrated and data-dependent,” he said. Several economists expect Rajan to reverse some of the other rupee-supporting steps.

He might relax a requirement that banks meet 99 percent of their cash reserve ratio on a daily basis. The minimum was increased from 70 percent previously, which drained liquidity from money markets but also choked off credit. Rajan took over at the RBI with what many observers warned were impossibly high expectations given the difficulty of revitalizing an economy whose record-high current account deficit makes it especially vulnerable to an exodus of foreign fund flows, especially if the Fed tapers its stimulus program.

Additionally, the weak coalition government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has had difficulty pushing through policy reforms, and with national elections due by May, little economic reform is expected in the near term. Several RBIwatchers said the rupee, at 63.25 to the dollar on Wednesday, is not yet out of the woods and that it would be premature to wind back significantly the support measures. — Reuters

Greek fragile balance ‘could be overturned’ ATHENS: Greece is not out of the woods yet and the fragile balance created as the coalition government tries to implement reforms to tackle the economic crisis could easily be overturned, experts say. “When we are dealing with such a crisis, which is the most serious crisis Greece has experienced since WWII, any sort of accident... could prove fatal for society and institutions,” former minister of the interior Prokopis Pavlopoulos said.

Currently a lawmaker in Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’s conservative New Democracy party, Pavlopoulos was interior minister during the riots that shook Athens in December 2008, sparked by the death of a 15-year-old student killed by police. “Political and social conditions remain very fragile,” Pavlopoulos said. This week, thousands of state workers are on strike protesting an overhaul of the public sector, part of the austerity program imposed by Greece’s so-called troika of EU, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank creditors.

Public sector unions have called demonstrations around the country. Hard hit by the economic crisis, Greece is experiencing a sixth year of continuous recession and has a staggering 27-percent unemployment rate. Meanwhile, Greece’s conservative-socialist coalition government is “squeezed” between radical leftists Syriza and neo-Nazists Golden Dawn, says a lawmaker of socialist party Pasok who chose to remain anonymous.

Golden Dawn, which ranks as the third most popular party according to polls, “is eating away voters from New Democracy,” added the same deputy. The coalition currently has a very narrow five-seat majority in parliament.

According to the same deputy, Samaras’ criticism of political extremes earlier this week was an effort to restrain his party’s overtures to the neo-Nazi party. It will take many months for the public to appreciate the benefits from his government’s austerity policies, Samaras said.

That is why the next few months are “the most crucial politically,” he said, further describing this transitional period as very appealing “to extremists.” —AFP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

BUSINESS

Traders watch Russia-Belarus potash spat Trading Russian oil? Learn more about potash MOSCOW: Kremlinology, or understanding Moscow politics, has long been crucial for traders of Russia’s oil. But rarely have the signals from the Russian capital been trickier to read than in the ongoing diplomatic spat with Belarus over another commodity, potash. When Russia and its former Soviet neighbor first locked horns in August over the collapse of a joint RussianBelarusian potash production cartel, the prognosis for Russian crude supplies looked straightforward.

Russia had been expected to retaliate by cutting oil supplies to Belarus, a traditional move in rows between Moscow and Minsk that would also hit refineries in Poland and Germany by emptying Belarusian transit pipelines. Russia’s pipeline monopoly, run by Nikolai Tokarev, a

close ally of President Vladimir Putin, did not surprise by ordering a swift curtailment in flows.

But then Putin’s top ally in the oil industry, state giant Rosneft’s head Igor Sechin, said he would oppose the cuts, effectively siding with Belarus and its long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko. What started as a fairly predictable game is quickly becoming one of the more complex stories of feuding clans in Putin’s entourage.

“My head is spinning. This Belarusian story is one of the most important for Europe’s oil markets this winter. Everyone wants to know where this oil ends up and how much prices will drop,” said a big buyer of Russian oil with a Western major.

PUTIN SILENCE Sechin, who has built Rosneft into the world’s

largest publicly traded oil firm by output since Putin became Russian leader in 2000, says he opposes the cuts as Belarus is one of the most profitable destinations for Russian oil. “Who will compensate us for the losses?” he said on a visit last week to Minsk, where he met Lukashenko, whose ties with the Kremlin, based on loyalty in exchange for economic and financial support, have often been difficult. “We want to continue supplies ... We don’t have any problems,” said Sechin. Belarus has two major refineries, one of which is partially owned by Rosneft. While most traders agree that duty-free oil exports to Belarus are indeed a significant money-spinner, they note that profitability was hardly ever a factor in previous spats between Russia and its much poorer neighbor.

Russia has cut energy supplies to transit countries Ukraine and Belarus several times over the past decade during various disputes, in what the European Union has repeatedly described as politically motivated moves that put EU energy security at risk. Yet Putin has said surprisingly little since Minsk detained Vladimir Baumgertner, CEO of Russian potash producer Uralkali , in August. Belarus accuses the executive of causing damage by sparking a possible collapse in global potash prices as a result of quitting a partnership with a Belarusian firm.

“The most important thing is that Putin, who decides on everything, so far hasn’t lashed out with criticism of Belarus,” said Ildar Davletshin, an energy analyst at investment bank Renaissance Capital in Moscow. Such a move by Minsk would have been impossible without the blessing of Lukashenko and would normally be expected to precipitate a tough response from the Kremlin.

The absence of such a reaction has triggered market speculation about Sechin’s intentions and whether he and Putin want the same thing.

NATIONALISATION Key among the questions traders are asking is whether Uralkali’s billionaire owner Suleiman Kerimov has fallen out of favor with Putin as a result of quitting the potash cartel and infuriating close ally Belarus. Kerimov has seen abundant support from officials in the government of

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. On Tuesday, a preliminary export schedule by the Russian energy ministry showed oil supplies to Belarus would be cut by over 40 percent from October to December.

That in theory could lead to a massive drop in Russian oil prices in the Baltic region, as most volumes would be rerouted to that market. It might also trigger a supply crisis at Polish and German refineries as Belarus could cut transit supplies, as it has done in the past. But given Sechin’s opposition to the cuts for Belarus and near-normal supplies in September, oil traders say they have yet to get a clear picture about the outlook for supplies from Russia in coming months. “I’m learning something new about potash every day,” a Russian trader with a major company joked.

Sechin seems to be learning about potash too. On Monday, he said the owners of Uralkali had yet to make an offer to sell their shares to Rosneftegaz, a state holding company Sechin heads in addition to his job at Rosneft. That remark left the door open to a potential nationalization - even if Sechin ruled out a purchase by Rosneft. Such a scenario would reduce the likelihood of an energy spat with Belarus, said Sergei Zhavoronkov of the Gaidar Institute, a Moscowbased think tank. “Longer-term, those conflicts will continue ... We are seeing those spats with Belarus almost every year,” he said.— Reuters

YANGON: Myanmar boatmen play a game of dice at a jetty in Yangon. From toothpaste to tinned fruit, cosmetics to Coca-Cola, global firms have Myanmar firmly in their sights as the nation’s 60 million people find themselves thrust onto the frontline of consumerism. — AFP

Investors jostle ahead of Fed decision on stimulus Stock, bonds, FX in tight ranges LONDON: Markets took last minute positions yesterday ahead of what is expected to be the first tentative step by the US Federal Reserve to wean the world off the super-easy money it has used to treat the last five years of financial turmoil. Expectations are that the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will be cautious with cuts to its $85 billion in monthly asset-buying when it announces its plans at 1800 GMT, while also seeking to reassure investors that an actual rise in interest rates is still distant.

Reuters polls suggest a $10 billion reduction, but recent data has moved some in the market to expect less. The uncertainty kept the dollar pinned near a four-week trough against a basket of major currencies, idling at 98.90 yen and hovering near the week’s low against the euro at $1.3350. After months of speculation about the Fed’s intentions, caution ruled stock markets, though most seemed to be holding their nerve.

European shares were up 0.5 percent by 1130 GMT and Wall Street was expected to add 0.2 percent after similar sized gains on Tuesday.

European investors had a couple of distractions to fill the gap until the Fed decision in the shape of minutes from the Bank of England which showed there were no longer calls for more stimulus. The market was also watching Italy, where a Senate committee will rule, probably later in the day, on whether to expel Silvio Berlusconi from parliament over his tax fraud conviction. Before that the former prime minister and media mogul is expected to release a prerecorded video statement.

The latest expectations were that he would say he was not ready to harm his country by bringing down the government if the committee ruling were to go against him. Italian bonds extended the gains of the previous two days to leave yields, which move inverse to prices, at 4.358 percent and at their lowest in two weeks, while Milan’s stock market also recovered from a slow start.

Mathias van der Jeugt, a euro-zone periphery rate strategist at KBC, said Italian bonds were likely to make further ground if the Berlusconi expectations were correct, but added that worries about political instability were unlikely to go away.

“Short-term they (Italian bonds) could rally but longer-term I am not completely convinced because as we have seen in the past Berlusconi can say X today and Y tomorrow.” “As long as the threat to pull the plug on the government hangs over the market ... we won’t see a longer-term outperformance, versus Spain for example.”

DEVIL IN THE DETAIL For the Fed, consensus had congealed around a reduction of $10-$15 billion a month, with all purchases expected to end by the middle of next year. Yet even that cautious timetable would be contingent on the economy performing as well as hoped. With such an outcome largely priced in, it could lead Treasuries and the dollar to rally modestly. A slower tapering would tend to benefit bonds and stocks but hurt the dollar. The bigger reaction would likely come if the Fed pulled back more aggressively, as that would lead market to price in an earlier start to rate rises as well.

That would be especially painful for emerging market countries that rely on foreign capital to

fund current account deficits, with India and Indonesia among the most vulnerable. The tension was evident in Jakarta where both shares and the rupiah came under pressure. For commodities, the more dovish the outcome from the Fed the more supportive for prices. Copper futures were 0.5 percent firmer at $7,108 and oil halted its recent slide. Spot gold eased back to $1,297.89 an ounce XAU= as dealers took a “just in case” attitude to the Fed. MANAGING EXPECTATIONS Still, dealers warned against a hasty reaction as there were so many moving parts in play. As well as tapering its stimulus, the Fed may choose to alter its threshold for monetary tightening, perhaps by lowering its target level of unemployment from the current 6.5 percent. On top of that it will also publish its first economic forecasts for 2016 and the stronger the picture the harder it will be to persuade markets that any future rise in interest rates will only be slow and measured. —Reuters

Oil eases below $108 LONDON: Brent crude slipped below $108 a barrel yesterday as Libyan production began to recover and ahead of a Federal Reserve decision on bond purchases. Libyan oil supplies are expected to rise to between 400,000 and 450,000 barrels per day (bpd) as one of the biggest western oilfields, El Sharara, ramps up after workers resumed pumping on Monday. The country’s oil production, however, is still far below its pre-war level of 1.6 million bpd. “Apart from the diminished geopolitical risks, reports that oil production in Libya appears to be rising slightly have been weighing on prices,” said Commerzbank.

Brent slipped 30 cents to $107.89 a barrel by 1217 GMT, after slipping to its lowest in more than a month in the previous session.

US crude gained 18 cents to $105.60, after settling $1.17 per barrel lower on Tuesday.

Investors were also awaiting the outcome of a two-day Fed meeting at which the US central bank is expected to cut its monthly bond purchases by at least $10 billion. While the likely outcome of the Fed discussions might already be priced into oil, a bigger tapering could pose a risk to oil prices and prompt selling, analysts said.

Oil was also pressured after world powers held talks to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons - easing concerns that oil supply from the Middle East would be at risk. US crude inventories fell by 252,000 barrels in the week to Sept 13, compared with analysts’ expectations for a drop of 1.4 million barrels in a Reuters poll, data from industry group the American Petroleum Institute showed. Oil inventory data from the US government’s Energy Information Administration is due at 1430 GMT. — Reuters

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

BUSINESS

Omar Alghanim, Japanese Ambassador and Takahiro Kurowarabe are seen cutting the ribbon at the launch of TOTO’s products. —Photos by Joseph Shagra

Omar Kutayba Alghanim, CEO of Alghanim Industries

Takahiro Kurowarabe, Sales Director, TOTO

Mark Ladham, Senior General Manager, Safat Home

Safat Home launches exclusive partnership with TOTO KUWAIT: Safat Home, a division of Alghanim Industries, has announced the launch of an exclusive partnership that will allow the group to showcase TOTO’s products in the company’s Shuwaikh showroom alongside the rest of its dynamic brand portfolio. The agreement makes Safat Home TOTO’s sole distributor in Kuwait. TOTO will showcase its line of luxury ceramic bathroom furnishings across all its ranges, and will also highlight its latest brand roll outs.

In addition to offering luxury bathroom solutions at affordable prices, TOTO’s product range brings innovation to the fore, creating solutions that are both cost-efficient and eco-friendly. Its implementation of green technology through its range of power and water saving ultrahygienic bathroom solutions matches Alghanim Industries’ philosophy and company values of pursuing sustainability throughout its divisions and group offerings.

The agreement was announced at a special event held on Monday night at Safat Home’s major showroom in Shuwaikh, and was attended by leading representatives of Japan’s diplo-

matic mission in Kuwait, including Ambassador Toshihiro Tsujihara and Commercial Attaché Shigeru Yamamoto, in addition to Alghanim Industries CEO, Omar Kutayba Alghanim.

Speaking during the occasion, Alghanim said: “It is at the heart of our promise as one of the most forward-thinking companies in the regional market to open up access for our customers to the best technology, quality and service on offer globally - and this is what we are proud to have achieved once again with this agreement with TOTO. TOTO’s catalogue of industry leading, quality offerings will complement and enhance Safat Home’s already comprehensive range and give our customers the widest and highest quality choice in the market at accessible prices.

“TOTO’s products are fitted with some of the most technologically advanced specifications in the field, and it is also a recognized leader in the implementation of green technology, something which dovetails exactly with our company values of pursuing sustainability and environmental responsibility across the markets in which we as a group have a presence. Key to

this is ensuring that the diverse brands both within the Alghanim Industries portfolio and our key partners follow international sustainability standards where applicable - and TOTO leads the way in developing eco-friendly solutions.”

“Our value is to provide high quality products, our mission is to enhance the comfortability of our users and our overall goal is to meet our TOTO Green challenge with our environmentally friendly products” Takahiro Kurowarabe, TOTO Sales Director for Middle East & Asia. The partnership with TOTO marks the second agreement this year between Alghanim Industries and a major Japanese brand, coming soon after the June announcement that Alghanim Motors would become the sole distributor and service provider for all Honda products including its motorcycle and automobile ranges, power products and marine products.

In addition to Safat Home hosting TOTO’s wide range of bathroom furnishings, the agreement will see the opening of the Japanese brand’s first technical centre in the region, which will be based in Kuwait.

ABOUT ALGHANIM INDUSTRIES Alghanim Industries is one of the largest, privately-owned companies in the Gulf region.

Originally founded in 1932 by Yusuf Ahmed Alghanim in Kuwait, the company has since grown into a multi-billion dollar conglomerate, employing over 14,000 employees in 30 businesses, and operating in over 40 countries across Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Alghanim Industries is a market leader in almost every major sector of its operations. These sectors include engineering, retail, automotive sales and service, manufacture of insulation and pre-engineered building structures, logistics and warehousing, fast moving consumable goods, office automation, advertising, insurance, consumer credit and travel. This range of business activities has allowed it to develop long-standing relationships with more than 300 global brands, including household names such as AC Delco, American Express, Avis, British Airways, BP, Cathay Pacific, Daewoo, General Motors, Honda, SaintGobain, Toshiba and Whirlpool.

The company has consistently been seen as one of the region’s best employers, winning a number

of major awards. Most recently these have included ‘Best Employer in the Middle East’ from Aon Hewitt for 2009/2010, ‘Asia’s Best Employer Brand’award for 2010/2011 from the Employer Branding Institute and the World HRD Congress, and the ‘Best Corporate Governance - Kuwait’award in 2012 from World Finance magazine.

ABOUT SAFAT HOME Safat Home offers a broad range of high quality and affordable home furniture and accessories, garden furniture, sanitary and tiles to suit a range of international tastes, and in line with the Alghanim Industries vision is committed to becoming the premier furnishings retailer in the Middle East region.

ABOUT TOTO TOTO was established in 1917 in Japan. Today TOTO is one of the world’s leading suppliers of bathroom products including sanitary ceramics, faucets, furniture, accessories. The company has an annual $5bn sales turnover company with 30,000 employees and manufacturing & sales offices around the world.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

BUSINESS

LG Al Babtain debuts premium 100-inch laser display KUWAIT: LG Al Babtain Electronics Co unveiled its premium 100-inch (254 cm) Laser Display at a grand event in Kuwait that will enhance the home cinema experience, as never before. Home cinema enthusiasts can now watch their favorite film and sports match on a gigantic screen without compromising on picture quality in the comfort of their living room.

This new masterpiece by LG, which was named Product of the Future at CES 2013, offers Full HD 1080p screen resolution along with an incredible contrast with LG’s laser-based technology.

“LG are delighted with the positive and overwhelming response we have received from both our customers and the media when we first unveiled the Laser Display at

CES 2013 earlier this year”, said D Y Kim, President of LG Electronics, Gulf FZE. “The Laser Display provides unparalleled cinema experience to customers in their homes, astonishing natural color tones with high performance and narrow bezel design that will add elegance to homes.”

LG’s UST unit can be positioned a mere 22 inches (approximately 56 centimeters) away from the 100-inch display. This clever, spaceefficient configuration means the user doesn’t have to sacrifice half the room in order to enjoy the many benefits of the Laser Display.

TRULY CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE The LG Laser Display boasts Full HD resolution and a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, rendering the most vivid images in incredible clarity. The anti-reflective screen allows viewers to enjoy stunning, cinematic picture quality, even in the brightest of conditions. While conventional projection systems require a considerable distance to display images on a large screen, the lens of

UNOBTRUSIVE, MINIMALIST DESIGN LG’s Laser Display has two 10W speakers built into in the UST unit, which support virtual surround sound for an authentic cinema experience at home. The compact device features LG’s understated yet stylish Dynamic Arc Design with a subtly curved surface that reaches an unobtrusive 5.7 inches in height. Meanwhile, the 100-inch screen adopts LG’s CINEMA SCREEN design

for a slim and minimalistic appearance, compatible with any interior dÈcor.

LESS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT LG’s UST projection unit employs a technologically advanced laser-based illumination system. It features a specialized bulb that can operate for 25,000 hours without needing replacement, which is five times longer than an environmentally-unsound mercury lamp. Removing mercury from its high quality products is just one example of how LG is striving to become more environmentally friendly.

IDEAL SOLUTION FOR BUSINESSES Though the Laser Display excels in the home, it is also perfect for business applica-

tions as well. Its versatile features, large screen, and compact UST system make it ideal for video conferencing or delivering important multimedia presentations. At 100-inches, the screen can be easily viewed by all video conference participants or presentation attendees.

UNIQUE PREMIUM PRODUCT LG’s Laser Display - A giant to start a new era of TV Home Entertainment for Kuwait consumers. Screen reflections and small displays will now become an issue of the past.

With a 100-inches screen and Tru-Laser Technology LG’s Laser Display enables exclusive viewing experience with comfortable and smooth picture quality inside every living room.

In Ethiopia, state controls hold back a waking giant Ethiopia’s revival a tale of Africa Rising ADDIS ABABA: When global drinks giant Diageo bought a brewery in Ethiopia, it paid a premium for a stake in a barely tapped African market that in the 1980s had spectacularly failed to feed its own population. Diageo paid $225 million for state-owned Meta Abo, joining a list of firms seeking a foothold in Africa’s second most populous nation that was once run by communists and now has an emerging middle class after a decade of double-digit growth.

“We paid a premium of course and that was a deliberate decision ... We knew the value of what we were buying,” Francis Agbonlahor, Diageo’s managing director at Meta Abo, told Reuters in a capital that boasts smart highways and new office blocks. Ethiopia is now sub-Saharan Africa’s fifth biggest economy, leap-frogging next door Kenya and wooing investors from Sweden, Britain and China, as other emerging markets lose some of their shine.

Few nations can better tell the story of “Africa Rising”, the narrative of a hopelessly mismanaged and violent continent now prized for strong growth and, in many cases, the kind of political stability scarcely imaginable a decade or two ago. Yet like other African nations, Ethiopia must now work out how to maintain economic momentum as the US Federal Reserve starts to turn off the taps of easy money that drove investors to more adventurous markets, and when China’s economy and those of other emerging powers start to shift down a gear.

That means another tricky transition for Ethiopia, which has until now relied on the state to run its economy, but which has seen growth rates slip to 7-8 percent, short of the level needed for its goal of middle income status by 2025. “When you are starting from a very low base with a lot of donor support, it is easy enough to grow in a strong, robust way,” said Razia Khan, head of Africa research for Standard Chartered bank. “As the economy matures ... it is going to become a lot more difficult.”

DILEMMA Opening up the economy, as many businesses at home and abroad want, could draw in new investment but may also loosen the controls that can be exerted by a government made up of ethnic and regional parties that has carefully managed development and kept a lid on rivalries. That is the dilemma for Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and his cabinet, who still work in the shadow of Meles Zenawi, the rebel-turned-statesman who ruled with an iron grip for two decades until he died last year. Caution remains the watchword.

“We are not ready now,” Foreign Affairs Minister Tedros Adhanom said when asked if Ethiopia could open up its mobile network or

banks, prime targets for foreign investors.

Concerns about a deepening rich-poor divide and worries about changing the tried and tested policies of a charismatic leader, all weigh in to deter officials from a big shift.

But moving too slowly risks squandering investor enthusiasm and damaging the prospects of a nation once best known for “Red Terror” purges under communist rule in the 1970s and its 1980s famine. For now, at least, it has not deterred investors. “I was in India recently and the thing that caught me by surprise (when talking) to foreign investors (was) the country that kept being mentioned was Ethiopia,” said Khan. Diageo is not alone in seeing the potential. Heineken of Holland and France’s BGI Castel have snapped up breweries, which were among first state firms to be sold off.

The Ethiopian Investment Agency says Unilever and Nestle are sniffing around, and South Korea’s Samsung told Reuters it was exploring Ethiopia as a place to assemble its electronic goods. The two European companies did not comment. Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), the world’s second biggest fashion retailer, has put in test orders as the nation seeks to boost textile exports to $1 billion a year by 2016 from $100 million last year. H&M spokeswoman Marie Rosenlind said that, if the tests were successful, production could start this autumn.

LENDING SUPPORT With manufacturing accounting for just 4 percent of gross domestic product, Ethiopia needs such investors to help reduce its reliance on exports of coffee, horticultural products and livestock that have driven growth until now. It also remains one of the world’s biggest recipients of aid. “No other country that I’m aware of, aside from these resource-rich countries, ... can go to middleincome status with still 50 percent of GDP on agriculture,” Guang Z Chen, the World Bank’s country director, told Reuters in a June interview. China could lend support, though this time not in the usual form of donations that have helped African growth till now. Chinese shoe exporter Huajian has announced plans to co-invest $2 billion in an industrial zone outside Addis Ababa to bolster its Ethiopian exports and create up to 100,000 jobs.

The African Development Bank says a switch by Beijing towards domestic consumption may boost manufacturing in African economies like Ethiopia, where labor is cheap and power is a third of the price in China.

Ethiopia is building a huge dam on the upper reaches of the Blue Nile, part of plans to export electricity in a few years. Until now, the most visible signs of growth are in the capital, where building sites clad in wooden scaffolding have mushroomed. In the upmarket Bole

Gulf Bank announces winners of ‘Win a trip to Disneyland Paris’ KUWAIT: Gulf Bank announced the lucky winners of the Disneyland Paris summer campaign for its valued MasterCard credit and debit cardholder which includes flight and hotel accommodation for three nights for two people.

Mohammad Ali Abdullah Al-Bahrani.

Winners of the travel packages are: Feras Fouad Al Saleh, Mehsen Ershad Sayed Ershad Ali, Haifa Mohammed Abdulaziz Mohammad Al-Bader, Kareem Tabbaa Abdullah Al-Dhafiri, Bashar Mohammad Ali Al-Shawaf,

Winners of 100,000 Gulf Rewards points are: Tariq Ali Hasan Kamshad, Aisha Mohammad Abdulaziz Al-Hawli, Habib Abdulrazaq Ahmad AlAbdulrazaq, Najeeb Ahmed Abdullah Ahmed, Faleh Noiar Faleh Al-Hajri.

Winners of 250,000 Gulf Rewards points are: Feras Abdulkhader Abbas Al-Saleh, Dommarju Loganathan, Abdulrazaq Malek Mohammed Hasan.

Medhane Alem suburb, an emerging middle class is enjoying new luxuries.

A fast-food outlet sells burgers and fries for a just over $4, more than many Ethiopians earn for several days’ work. “We’re not coping with demand,” said one employee. At a nearby coffee house, whose logo mimics Starbucks, hip youths in low-cut jeans sip frappuccinos and caramel macchiatos. “The middle class is growing and is really increasing its purchasing power,” said 18-year-old Yohannes, sitting near a billboard advertising two new residential tower blocks carrying the slogan: “From shabby to chic. Witness the transformation.”

I WON’T BE ONE OF THEM Yet for some, change is not being felt, including those in the capital’s tin-roofed slums. “You can see it all around you, there are rich people. But I am not going to be one of them,” said Elias Zelalem, a teenager who earns $1.60 a day shining shoes-if business is brisk. Ethiopia’s ambition is to achieve middle income status in 12 years time, defined by the World Bank as a per capita income of $1,430.

In 2012, Ethiopia’s per capita income was $410.

Yet to do this, Ethiopia’s $43 billion economy needs to repeat the 10.7 percent average annual growth achieved in 2004 to 2011.

Some question whether the state’s determination to meet this target is coming at the cost of private business. “We have to overcome poverty. How fast we should do this, therein lies the difference (of opinion),” said Zafu Eyessus Zafu, whose United Insurance Company is a shareholder in a commercial bank. He wants financial services open to foreigners.

Two thirds of Ethiopia’s 8.5 percent growth in 2011/12 was due to public spending, the World Bank said. Half of spending needs are raised domestically, leaving little for private firms. “If we need 50 million birr ($2.7 million) from the bank we may get 20-25 million,” said a truck importer who identified himself as Taye, wary of using his full name in a nation where the state has long kept a tight lid on dissent and criticism. “For foreign currency it is impossible. We can apply to the bank and wait a month or more,” he added.

PROVEN POLICY The credit crunch is deepened by a stateimposed requirement that each time a bank lends cash it must loan an additional 27 percent of the loan’s value to the government in the form of a low-interest Treasury bond to help fund development projects. But the government shows no change of tack. Reining in the state would challenge the vision of Meles, whose portrait still hangs in government offices. “There is no need to look for policy changes at this time,” deputy premier Muktar Kedir told Reuters earlier this year. “We are of the mind that we have to fully implement the policy that has already proven itself successful,” he said.

A policy shift could open rifts along ethnic lines in the coalition made up of four main regional parties. There is little room for anyone who might challenge the status quo.

Without the force of personality or reputation of his predecessor, Hailemariam has shown no sign he has the political will or clout to veer from Meles’ path. That may mean Ethiopia has to be content with slower growth and investors will need patience. “Ethiopia is missing out in several respects,” said Standard Chartered’s Khan. “But there is this very cautious policy.” —Reuters

Asaad Al Banwan

Zain Group CEO Scott Gegenheimer

Zain publishes second sustainability report KUWAIT: Zain Group, the leading telecommunications provider in eight countries across the Middle East and Africa, announces the publication of its second sustainability report, which is entitled “Dedicated to the Promise of a Wonderful World”. Building on the success of its inaugural report published in 2012, the publication offers in-depth insights into various regional sustainability-related challenges that put pressures on the business. The report also highlights Zain’s approach in successfully overcoming these challenges, both by the Group and its operations, and additionally it transparently addresses the risks the organization faces in further conducting its business.

“Dedicated to the Promise of a Wonderful World” was prepared utilizing the Global Reporting Initiatives - GRI G3.1 guidelines and the principles of materiality, inclusivity and responsiveness taken from the AA 1000 Accountability Principles Standard. The report also includes the results from the organization’s first Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) survey, conducted in 2012, measuring its CSR priorities and perspectives of its employees and partners, reflecting Zain’s commitment to maintaining a continuous and constructive dialogue between the organization and its stakeholders.

The survey achieved a significant response rate of 57%participation. Focus was given to workers’ rights, human rights, the environment, ethics and governance, community involvement and supplier relation. In addition to the survey, Zain took at a closer look at the gender disparity thereby pledging to address the gender gap in leadership positions within Zain and across the regional telecommunications industry.

Sustainability developments that have been documented by the Group in the year since the publication of the inaugural report include: Zain Kuwait having been identified as having the country’s best CSR program by the Arab Organization for Social Responsibility in December 2012; and Zain’s initiative to bring clean water to villages in the Red Sea State in the Republic of Sudan, which impacted an estimated 1.53 million people during 2012.

Commenting on the publication of the report, Zain Group CEO Scott Gegenheimer said: “Zain is committed to adopting a more sustainable business model covering capacity building, education, health issues and greater benefits of the communities we serve. We are positioning ourselves as a regional telecommunication leader not only through our innovative products and services, but also through our proactive selfgovernance and our ever-increasing social contribution.”

He continued, “Zain Group is a pioneering organization at its core, and we hope that the transparent documenting and more importantly our undertaking of sustainability developments is something that will be considered by other players in the region. There has been tremendous progress achieved by the organization with respect to sustainability activities since the publication of the inaugural report in 2012 andthis publication with its additional areas of focus and comparison, underlines our dedication to being transparent with respect to these issues, and to holding ourselves accountable for the manner in which we conduct our business.”

Furthermore, Gegenheimer noted the company’s focus on narrowing the digital divide by expansion of the network to offer telecommunications services to rural and marginalized segments in various vast countries where Zain operates, and enhancing the livelihoods of many, especially the youth, with a focus in areas of conflict. He noted the company’s several initiatives and focus on establishing training centers for telecommunications, sponsoring student contests on technology, and an e-learning scholarship programs are only a few of the initiatives Zain is undergoing to support the narrowing of the digital divide and improving the livelihoods of many.

As an example, Gegenheimer noted community and educational youth programs currently in place in South Sudan, including a partnership with Peace Earth foundation, UNESCO and Ericsson to support the Youth Peace Network initiative by providing mobile connectivity in the state of Jonglei. The program aims at providing young community leaders with negotiation and conflict resolutions skills through the use of ICT thus narrowing the digital divide.

Another significant community initiative Zain has undertaken in South Sudan is the partnership with the Vodafone Foundation Instant Network, to extend mobile telecommunications coverage to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) refugee camp at Yida, Unity State, that supports aid workers efforts to undertake lifesaving work easing the plight of more than 70,000 Sudanese refugees.

The connectivity will enhance better coordination of food and medical supplies amongst other critical communications tasks undertaken

by UNHCR. Italso allowsrefugees to contact their loved ones for free and in the future, there are plans to install telecommunications services that will provide thousands of children living in refugee camps with access to life-changing educational programs which cannot be delivered through any other means.

Other achievements highlighted and disclosed in the latest report include, but are not limited to: - In 2012, a total of 83 battery hybrid and nine solar hybrid solutions were deployed across Zain’s operations; A total of 4,500 handsets were recycled in Bahrain between 2011 and 2012 through the organization’s Handset Recycling initiative.

Site-sharing was also implemented in 237 base stations across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Sudan, Jordan and Bahrain in 2012. 104 managers participated in Jordan’s Zain Al Khair Fund, a volunteer, employee-based initiative that provided Zain managers with the opportunity to donate money and support 92 families through the establishment of sustainable businesses. 200 thousand students in seven states in the Republic of Sudan have benefited from the Back to School program. More than 118 thousand people (including about 65 thousand students) enrolled in the e-learning program Taaleb powered by Zain Kuwait. Children’s Museum hosted Mobile Jordan more than 45 thousand children from rural communities in the year 2012. Zain initiative to bring clean water to villages in the Red Sea state in the Republic of Sudan, helped approximately 1.5 million people in the year 2012.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

TECHNOLOGY

Japanese sports teacher beats boy in YouTube video TOKYO: A video emerged yesterday showing a volleyball coach repeatedly slapping a schoolboy-just days after Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Olympics-in the latest example of brutality to tarnish Japanese sport. A short clip posted on YouTube and other video-sharing sites showed the teacher at Hamamatsu Nittai Senior High School in central Japan smacking the student’s face at least 13 times in 16 seconds. It was authenticated by the school.

The episode was captured on a mobile phone by another student during a practice game in Gifu, northwest of the city, on Sunday. By mid-afternoon yesterday it had garnered some 1.6 million viewings on YouTube. “Don’t joke around, kid! Do you understand? You’re stupid,” the teacher yells in the video as he repeatedly slaps the child’s face.

According to the school, the teacher has admitted the physical abuse of the second-grader, saying: “I wanted to shake him up, but I went about it the

wrong way”. Students in Japan are 16 or 17 years old in second grade of high school. Toshitaka Shiozawa, assistant principal of the school, told AFP the 41year-old teacher had also beaten another student on the same day. He declined to reveal the teacher’s name. Neither student suffered any lasting injuries in the attacks, Shiozawa said, adding the school was considering disciplining the teacher as “we regard the act as corporal punishment”.

The school held an emergency meeting with the parents of students in the volleyball team Tuesday night, at which the teacher and the school principal apologised for the incident, Shiozawa added. In May last year, the same teacher also slapped a student’s face, causing a nosebleed, but the school did not take any punitive measures “because the student did not complain,” he said.

In a separate case in western Japan, nearly 70 junior high school students were left with injuries on

Review

New iOS software has features to discover

By Anick Jesdanun MOUNTAIN VIEW: The changes to Apple’s iOS software became apparent as I drove to the headquarters of the company’s rival, Google. As I navigated using Apple’s mapping app, I noticed one of my favorite attributes was missing: the directions for each next turn presented in green boxes that resemble highway signs. Many of the changes in Apple’s operating system for mobile devices are cosmetic. Gone are threedimensional icons that mimic real-world counterparts, such as a magazine rack for the Newsstand app. They are replaced by larger, two-dimensional icons sporting abstract designs and pastel colors. Apple also extended that new look to many of its apps. In Maps, the green boxes are replaced with solid white across the top.

It didn’t take long to realize that deeper down, the new iOS 7 software is the same as the one I’ve come to know.

The new software does have several functional improvements, but those take time to stumble upon. The good

The iPhone 5C screen, displayed, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013 in New York, is available in green, blue, yellow, pink or white. — AP news is that even if you never discover them, you can still use your device the way you did before. The free update is available starting Wednesday. I’m covering the features specific to Apple’s new iPhone 5S and 5C in a separate review.

This one is about whether it makes sense to upgrade to iOS 7 on your existing iPhone or iPad. The biggest functional change is the use of swipes instead of taps to access key functions.

You can already swipe up from the bottom right side of the screen to quickly access the camera when your phone is locked. With iOS 7, you can also swipe up for the Control Center, which contains frequently used settings and apps.

That’s available whether or not the phone is locked.

Swipe down from the top of the screen to get recent notifications and the day ’s highlights, including the weather, appointments, reminders and stock quotes. Swipe down from the center of any home screen for a search box.

From many apps, you can swipe from the left or the right instead of tapping the left and right buttons.

The Control Center is the most useful of the functional improvements. From there, you can turn Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on and off. Before, you had to find those switches in the settings. That would have come in handy for my flight to Silicon Valley last week for Apple’s event introducing the new phones and software. Likewise, a Do Not Disturb feature is easier to access. It lets you silence incoming calls and messages, though you can make exceptions for certain numbers or for those calling repeatedly, in case there is a true emergency.

The Control Center also lets you easily control music playback and adjust the screen’s brightness. It gives you quick access to a flashlight feature, the clock, a calculator and camera. My only com-

plaint: You can’t pick the apps featured and replace the calculator, for instance, with Facebook or Gmail. I found the left and right swipes useful primarily within certain apps. In the Safari browser, I use it to return to the previous page. In Mail, I return to the list of messages after reading one. Again, these are all things I could do before with taps rather than swipes, but sometimes the swipe feels more natural.

The new software also makes it easier to manage multiple apps at once.

Double click on the home button to see all open apps, each represented by a large image showing the app’s content rather than just an icon, as was the case before. Close an app by swiping the image up. In the past, you had to hold down an icon and hit the minus button.

The Siri voice assistant is better, too. She sounds less robotic than she once did and can adopt a male voice. Siri is able to handle a greater range of commands, including adjusting settings and returning recent calls.

The most useful change is the ability to edit voice commands. I asked Siri how the Nets did, but she heard me as Mets. Instead of having to repeat the phrase over and over until Siri got it right, I simply hit “tap to edit.” Then again, maybe she’s smarter than me: The Mets are in season, while the Nets don’t start the regular season until Oct. 30.

Specific apps that come with iOS are also improved, including these: The Maps app offers voice navigation for walking directions, though it still lacks biking and transit directions, as Google offers. The background of maps now dims at night so the screen light doesn’t distract drivers. Safari makes it easier to switch between open Web pages.

Before, you got one page at a time and had to scroll through all to get to the last one. Now, all the open pages are presented like upright dominos, so that you can jump right away to one in the back. The Camera offers eight filters to tweak photos the way you would on Instagram. But with Camera, you see what your filtered photo would look like before snapping. You can now take square photos, perfect for Instagram. In addition, photos you take are automatically grouped by trip and other attributes, so they’ll be easier to find and share later. The App Store offers suggestions based on your current location. I get an app for the American Museum of Natural History in New York when I’m a few blocks away, and apps for food delivery near my apartment in another neighborhood, where people with small kitchens don’t cook.

A new iTunes Radio service offers free Internet radio stations, with buttons to easily buy songs you like on iTunes. I got my fill of 80s music with a Hits of the ‘80s station. I can create new stations based on songs or artists I hear, and I can move a slider between hits and discovery, the latter for more obscure tunes. Sad to say, few of the 80s songs were obscure, but that’s a reflection of my listening habits and not the software. Unless you pay for the $25-a-year iTunes Match service, you’ll get about four ads an hour.

Although I dismissed many of the changes as cosmetic, a few of them improve functionality. Gone are those familiar bars showing cellular signal strength. You see five dots instead. The idea is to create more space for actual content. In many apps, including Maps and Safari, menus automatically disappear until you need them again, again to leave more space for content. These are all nice touches that make upgrading well worth it, especially for something free. You don’t necessarily need a new phone.

ABOUT IOS 7 SOFTWARE Starting Wednesday, Apple will make its new software available for free for the iPhone 4, 4S and 5 models, the iPad 2 and later, the iPad Mini and the iPod Touch released last year. It will also come with new phones, including the new 5C and 5S models out Friday. Apple warns that not all features will be compatible with all older devices. To get it, just respond to the prompt when it arrives on your device over the next week, or go to “Software Update” in the settings under “General” if you want it sooner. — AP

their feet after being ordered by their teachers to run barefoot, local media said. The students were forced to run up to 1.2 kilometres (0.7 miles) over ground heated up by strong sunshine because they were late for an exercise at a sport festival at Suma Gakuen junior high school in Kobe, news reports said.

Immediate confirmation of the reports was not available. Japan banned corporal punishment in schools after World War II, but it remains far from uncommon, particularly in sports education, despite a number of high-profile cases. In December, a teenager killed himself following repeated physical abuse from his high school basketball coach in Osaka, western Japan.

Earlier this month, world judo champion Shohei Ono was suspended from his university for physically abusing junior members of the judo squad. Japan’s judo community was rocked in January when it emerged the coach of the national women’s team

was found to have beaten athletes, sometimes using a bamboo sword, calling his charges “ugly” and telling them to “die” in the run-up to the London Olympics.

The latest incident came less than two weeks after Japan was awarded the right to host the 2020 Olympic Games, and followed the announcement that the government was to create a sports agency to boost elite athletes’ performance. Mieko Ae, professor and sports psychologist at Tokyo Women’s College of Physical Education said many coaches in Japan believe physical abuse can improve students’ performance.

“In order to get rid of sports abuse, we have to change this way of thinking and if necessary, we should consider introducing measures on those who break the rules,” Ae said. “Extreme sports bullying is not discipline, it’s a crime,” she said. “It’s time to remove all violence from sports.” — AFP

BlackBerry unveils the Z30 as its new flagship smartphone Z30 boasts a five-inch touchscreen display in fact more likely to clinch that spot as its devices continue to gain ground.

Although the new line of BlackBerry devices has been well received by reviewers, analysts say the company lacks the financial heft to vie against industry giants like Apple, Google, Samsung and Microsoft, which boast massive marketing and R&D budgets. Some analysts contend that Microsoft’s move earlier this month to acquire Nokia’s phone business and license its patents for 5.44 billion euros ($7.3 billion), poses another hurdle for BlackBerry, as the software giant is likely to redouble its catch-up efforts in the mobile device business. But Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry, which is set to report its fiscal second-quarter results next week, appears to be sticking with its product roadmap for now, even as it reviews its alternatives. The company, which touts the Z30 as its “biggest, fastest and most advanced smartphone” to date, said the device will begin to hit store shelves in the UK and parts of the Middle East as early as next week. The smartphone will go on sale with select carriers and retailers in other regions over the remainder of the year, said the company, adding specific pricing and availability will be announced by its partners at the time of their respective launches. — Reuters

TORONTO: BlackBerry Ltd launched its new Z30 flagship smartphone yesterday, as it battles to win back market share despite uncertainty around its future. Once a pioneer in the smartphone arena, BlackBerry said last month it was weighing options that could include an outright sale, in the face of lacklustre sales for its new devices that run on the BlackBerry 10 operating system.

The long-rumored Z30 device, which is first being unveiled at an event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will be BlackBerry’s new top-of-the-line device, taking the crown from the smaller Z10 that was launched early this year. The new touchscreen device, which boasts a five-inch display and a 1.7 gigahertz processor, will compete against the likes of Apple Inc’s new iPhone 5S and Samsung Electronics Co’s Galaxy S4, along with a slew of other devices that are powered by Google Inc’s Android platform.

The company faces an uphill battle in generating interest in the new phone, however, given the lack of clarity around its future. While the company has long aspired to make its BlackBerry 10 operating system the No. 3 smartphone platform in the market, the latest industry data indicates that Microsoft Corp’s Windows Phone platform is

Crackdown on online rumours seen as trick to target critics BEIJING: China’s crackdown on online “rumourmongering”, widely seen as a tool to halt criticism of the ruling Communist Party, has chilled political discourse, with high-profile bloggers saying they have reined in sensitive posts for fear of detention. Lawyers and activists called the crackdown a significant, if crude, expansion of powers to police the Internet and a blow to those who rely on microblogs to disseminate information that is often not monitored as strictly as traditional media.

“I am really scared now that any whistleblowing might lead to an arrest,” said Zhou Ze, a rights lawyer with more than 165,000 followers on the Twitter-like microblog Sina Weibo. “We all have to talk less, and more carefully.” It is common for politically sensitive posts to be taken down by censors and for users to be blocked, but recent detentions have sparked fears of harsher punishments. At the heart of the issue is a judicial interpretation by China’s top court that says bloggers can be prosecuted for posting rumours seen by more than 5,000 people, or forwarded more than 500 times. “If rumours can lead to detention or arrest, everyone will fear for themselves and become particularly scared about criticizing officials, which we are seeing less of on the Internet,” Zhou said. An estimate of data provided to Reuters by Weiboreach, a social media data analysis firm, shows that in a random sample of 4,500 highly influential users known as “Big Vs”, those with a self-reported occupation in government or academia had a much higher rate of deletion in August than those in entertainment. The data does not differentiate between posts that users had deleted themselves and those that were deleted by authorities.

Moving target Analysts said the judicial interpretation specifically targeted the hundreds of Big Vs - “v” for verified - who send opinions, news and information to thousands or even millions of followers. Many are entrepreneurs, celebrities or academics.

Weibo users known for political and social commentary have been detained in recent weeks, enforcing fears that rumour-mongering is not the target of the law.

Wang Gongquan, an outspoken venture capitalist, was taken away by police on Friday on charges of disturbing public order after he helped lead a campaign for the release of another activist. Well-known whistleblower Wu Dong, more commonly recognised by his online handle “Boss Hua”, was taken into police custody in Beijing, the official Liberation Daily reported on its verified Weibo feed.

He said via Weibo yesterday that he had been released. His phone was off and he could not be reached for comment. Wu, a watch lover, is one of many Weibo users who post about official corruption. He drew attention last year when he posted photos of expensive watches worn by government officials last year, helping to bring down one high-flying official. Chinese-American venture capitalist Charles Xue was detained on charges of prostitution and appeared on state TV in handcuffs on Sunday to apologise, saying his status as a Big V had gone to his head.

“Freedom of speech cannot override the law,” said Xue, who was known for outspoken comments on political and social issues online.

Spreading rumours is common on Weibo, and there is little protection against defamation. “It’s

important that those who spread slander are held legally responsible,” said Peng Jian, a lawyer with more than 100,000 followers on Weibo. “But if it’s not implemented properly, it could suppress freedom of expression.”

Opinions “shouldn’t be suppressed” The problem, lawyers say, is that the interpretation takes a broad view of what constitutes a rumour. “The goal is pretty obvious, and it’s certainly not to suppress so-called rumours. In some sense that’s just an excuse,” said rights lawyer Mo Shaoping. “Most of the things people post on the Internet are just opinions and views. Those things shouldn’t be suppressed.” Mo said he had stopped using Weibo two years ago under pressure from officials.

Legal experts said that the court’s interpretation amounted to a broadening of authority to police the Internet, as if Weibo were a physical public space. “It’s a significant expansion because it criminalizes postings that were not criminalized before, and not only rumours and libellous comments,” said Nicholas Bequelin, of New York-based

Human Rights Watch.

Tong Zhiwei, a professor at East China University of Political Science and Law who has about 95,000 Weibo followers, said he had seen a rise in the number of his posts that had been censored in recent weeks. “It’s not so much the judicial interpretation per se that is affecting my comments,” said Tong, who frequently comments on social issues from a legal perspective. “It’s the atmosphere it has created.”

Criticising one-party rule was in effect forbidden already, Bequelin added. “Nine tenths of the Internet population would be in prison if you were to apply this very strictly,” Bequelin said. “But that is the root of China’s regulation of freedom of expression.” The latest crackdown was also significant because it targeted Internet users who didn’t see themselves as dissidents, said Sarah Cook of Freedom House, a US-based group promoting political freedom and human rights. “Now you’re having a criminal judicial interpretation and then actual arrests of people who don’t see themselves as political,” Cook said. “The group of people being targeted is much wider.” — Reuters

TOKYO: A woman demonstrates a voice-activated Internet search engine linked to a 3D printer, next to 3D printed objects (front left), at a press briefing yesterday. Yahoo Japan Corp has developed a voice-activated Internet search that links to a 3D printer, letting users look online for blueprints to deliver solid objects in a few minutes, the company said. — AFP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

British cosmologist Hawking backs right to assisted suicide LONDON: British cosmologist Stephen Hawking has backed the right for people who are terminally ill to choose to end their lives and to receive help to do so as long as safeguards are in place. The wheelchairbound Hawking was diagnosed with motor neurone disease aged 21 and told he had two to three years to live.

Now 71, he is one of the world’s leading scientists, known especially for his work on black holes and as author of the international bestseller “A Brief History of Time”.

Speaking ahead of the release of a documentary about his life this week, Hawking said he backed the right to die but only if the person

involved had chosen that route. He recalled how he was once put on a life support machine after suffering pneumonia and his wife was given the option of switching off the machine but this is not something he wanted.

“I think those who have a terminal illness and are in great pain

Stephen Hawking

should have the right to choose to end their lives, and those who help them should be free from prosecution,” Hawking told the BBC. “There must be safeguards that the person concerned genuinely wants to end their life and are not being pressurized into it or have it done without their knowledge and consent as would have been the case with me.”

Assisted suicide is illegal in Britain and the issue of whether or not to decriminalize it for people whose lives are unbearable is a matter of debate in many countries. Right-todie advocates say people capable of making that decision should be allowed to die with dignity.

Opponents say liberalizing the law could leave vulnerable people at risk.

Switzerland and several US states are among places where some forms of euthanasia or assisted suicide are legal under certain circumstances.

Hawking, who has made guest appearances in TV shows such as The Simpsons and Star Trek, says his active mind and sense of humor are key to his survival. Hawking communicates via a cheek muscle linked to a sensor and computerized voice system. He urged anyone with a disability to focus on what they can do and not regret what they cannot do.

“Theoretical physics is one field where being disabled is not a handicap. It is all in the mind,” said the scientist, who works at Cambridge University. The documentary “Hawking” by Vertigo Films is due to be released in Britain on September 20. —Reuters

Amid ‘uncertainty’ scientists blame mankind for global warming Contrast may complicate message OSLO: Top climate scientists will blame mankind more clearly than ever for global warming next week but may struggle to drive home the message in a report that uses the term “uncertainty” 42 times. The ‘language gap’ between scientists and the policy makers, public and media they seek to alert is proving hard to bridge. Scientists say uncertainty is inevitable at the frontiers of knowledge - in, for instance, calculating how much of Greenland will thaw or how fast temperatures will rise by 2100 - but that policymakers and the public often mistake it for ignorance.

That gap in semantics may complicate the message of greater overall understanding of global warming in the repor t by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), due for release in Stockholm on Sept 27 after a final round of editing.

A final draft summary raises the probability that most climate change since the 1950s has a human cause to at least 95 percent, from 90 in 2007 and 66 percent in 2001. Temperatures could rise by almost 5 degrees Celsius (9 F) by 2100, bringing enormous risks for society and nature. Yet it also has the words “uncertainty” or “uncertainties” 42 times over 31 pages, according to a final draft obtained by Reuters, a comparable rate to 26 mentions in 18 pages in 2007.

Among the biggest uncertainties, it says, is how aerosols, such as air pollution, affect cloud formation. The white tops of low clouds can reflect sunlight and so cool the Earth’s surface.

“When scientists are explicit about the underlying uncertainties an immediate response from decision-makers and the public is: ‘Oh, scientists do not really know what they are talking about’,” said Ottmar Edenhofer of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. “This is actually an inappropriate response,” he said. Edenhofer, who is a co-chair of a separate IPCC report looking at costs of fixing the problem due in 2014, and all other experts gave personal opinions and not details of the reports.

Jailed Society needs to understand uncertainty and risk, he said. Unrelated to climate change, he noted that six scientists were sentenced to jail in Italy last year for manslaughter after wrongly reassuring people of low risks shortly before an earthquake killed more than 300 people in L’Aquila in 2009. “We know more and more about the big picture” of climate change, said professor David Vaughan of the British Antarctic Survey and a lead author of the study to be issued in Stockholm.

“At exactly the same time we are getting more and more data about the little pictures which are much harder to explain.” Governments were no longer satisfied with estimates of global sea level rise, for instance, but wanted to know regional estimates, in places such as south England, to plan flood risks.

“Most people’s view of science is that ‘scientists know things’. But it’s actually all about uncertainty,” said James Painter, head of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University.

A study he published on Wednesday found that media focused on disasters and uncertainty in covering climate change and that it might be better to stress risks and business opportunities.

Scientists reckon the focus on uncertainty, by governments and the media, may brake action to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

“There’s a general frustration among scientists that we get more and more certain: why doesn’t more happen?” said Cecilie Mauritzen, head of the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo. Scientists use a mixture of data and “expert judgment” to decide how likely it is that climate change is man-made and rule out other factors, such as changes in the sun’s output.

The IPCC draft halves the likelihood that natural factors are to blame to 5 percent from 10, the flip side of raising the probability that climate change is man-made to 95 percent. “It’s based on a discussion among the authors...There must be multiple lines of evidence,” said Eystein

Jansen, of the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research in Norway and one of the authors of the Stockholm draft.

A graph in the draft, reconstructing temperature rises in the 20th century, shows the trend cannot be explained without the warming effect of greenhouse gases spewed into the atmosphere from cars, factories and power plants.

Those sceptical over human contribution to warming often say more certainty is needed before acting, something proponents of action reject given risks of floods, heatwaves, and rising sea levels. Society may act on little certainty when risks are high.

Al Qaeda Former US Vice President Dick Cheney, for instance, once said that if there was a 1 percent chance that Pakistan was helping al Qaeda to develop nuclear weapons, then Washington had to treat it as a certainty in terms of its response.

Dan Kahan, a professor of Law and Psychology at Yale University, doubted that any change of certainty by the IPCC would have much impact on the public. Governments have not cut rising emissions even though repeated surveys show that 97-98 percent of climate scientists reckon warming is man-made.

“People fit evidence of what scientists believe - like all other sorts of evidence - to the position that affirms their cultural identity,” he said. In the United States, Democrats are more likely to agree with climate science than Republicans.

And IPCC reports, stretching to about 3,000 pages, have had errors in the past, such as a mistake in 2007 that Himalayan glaciers might all melt by 2035, a big exaggeration of the thaw.

That has led to some criticisms that the IPCC stresses the negative effects of climate change.

A review by outside experts in the InterAcademy Council in 2010 said that errors did not affect the IPCC’s overall conclusions but that authors should do more to nail down the probabilities of their predictions. —Reuters

ATLANTA: In this undated photo provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is one form of CRE bacteria, sometimes called “nightmare bacteria.”—AP

Drug-resistant bacteria are common killers ATLANTA: For the first time, the government is estimating how many people die from drug-resistant bacteria each year - more than 23,000, or about as many as those killed annually by flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the number Monday to spotlight the growing threat of germs that are hard to treat because they’ve become resistant to drugs. Finally estimating the problem sends “a very powerful message,” said Dr Helen Boucher, a Tufts University expert and spokeswoman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. “We’re facing a catastrophe.”

Antibiotics like penicillin and streptomycin first became widely available in the 1940s, and today dozens are used to kill or suppress the bacteria behind illnesses ranging from strep throat to the plague. The drugs are considered one of the greatest advances in the history of medicine, and have saved countless lives.

But as decades passed, some antibiotics stopped working against the bugs they previously vanquished. Experts say their overuse and misuse have helped make them less effective. In a new report, the CDC tallied the toll of the 17 most worrisome drug-resistant bacteria. The result: Each year, more than 2 million people develop serious infections and at least 23,000 die.

Of those, the staph infection MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, kills about 11,000, and a new superbug kills about 600. That bacteria withstand treatment with antibiotics called carbapenems - considered one of the last lines of defense against hard-to-treat bugs.

Germs like those have prompted health officials to warn that if the situation gets much worse, it could make doctors reluctant to do surgery or treat cancer patients if antibiotics won’t protect their patients from getting infections. “If we’re not careful, the medicine chest will be empty” when doctors need infection-fighting drugs, said CDC Director Dr Tom Frieden.

It’s not clear that the problem is uniformly growing worse for all bugs. Some research suggests, for example, that MRSA rates may have

plateaued and a separate CDC report released Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine found that serious MRSA infections declined 30 percent between 2005 and 2011.

MRSA bacteria have been the target of many hospital infection control efforts. These germs often live without symptoms on the skin, but also can cause skin or tissue infections, and become more dangerous when they enter the bloodstream. Serious, invasive MRSA declined in all settings for a total of 80,461 infections in 2011, the journal report found. Most were linked with health care in people who’d recently been hospitalized or received other medical treatment. But for the first time, the more than 16,000 infections picked up in community settings outnumbered the 14,000 infections that began in the hospital. A 2005-2010 study in the same journal suggests that pig manure might be a cause of some mostly less serious MRSA infections in people living near fertilized farm fields.

The study is based on patients from Danville, Pa-based Geisinger Health System. It offers only circumstantial evidence, but the authors said the MRSA link is plausible because antibiotics are widely used on pig farms and other livestock operations to enhance animal growth, and the drugs are found in pig manure. The study involved nearly 3,000 MRSA cases, about half of them not linked with health-care. The authors estimated that living near pig manure-fertilized fields may have accounted for about 11 percent of MRSA not linked with health care.

But how the germs might spread from pig manure to people with no close animal contact is uncertain, the study authors said. Close contact with an infected person or sharing personal items used by an infected person is the usual way MRSA spreads. Dr William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University infectious disease specialist, called the report “very provocative” but inconclusive. Asked generally about antibiotic use in farm animals, the CDC’s Frieden said it’s an important problem, but he added, “Right now the most acute problem is in hospitals and the most resistant organisms are in hospitals.”—AP

British police chief proposes ‘drunk tanks’ LONDON: British police chiefs proposed yesterday creating privately run “drunk tanks” to house revelers who drink so much they cannot look after themselvesand they would be given a bill for their care the next day. Adrian Lee, a chief constable who leads police policy on alcohol harm, argued that too much time is wasted by officers and health workers dealing with people who have consumed so much alcohol they require medical treatment.

He made the suggestion at the launch of a new campaign aimed at highlighting alcohol harm, amid ongoing concerns about the pressure drinkers are putting on accident and emergency services and

police. “I do not see why the police service or the health service should pick up the duty of care for someone who has chosen to go out and get so drunk that they cannot look after themselves,” said Lee, chief constable of Northamptonshire Police, north of London.

“So why don’t we take them to a drunk cell owned by a commercial company and get the commercial company to look after them during the night until they are sober? “When that is over we will issue them with a fixed penalty and the company will be able to charge them for their care, which would be at quite significant cost and that might be a significant deterrent.” —AFP

Mangroves bring wildlife back to Senegal coast TOBOR: Crabs scuttle among mangrove roots in a dense riverbank forest in southern Senegal, where a major reforestation project is reviving wildlife and boosting the west African country’s lukewarm economy.

“Everything you see here has been replanted. Before 2006, there wasn’t a single tree,” said Senegalese environmental activist and government minister Haidar El-Ali in Tobor, a village near Ziguinchor, the main city of the Casamance region. He gestured toward mangroves tied to stilts bordering the Casamance river, planted by his Oceanium environmental organization to boost an area that experts said was severely depleted by deforestation, drought and increased salt levels in the water.

Alongside the road leading to the neighboring Marsassoum valley, and around the paddy fields used in the centuries-old activity of rice cultivation, various mangrove species are abundant. The habitat was destroyed through decades of illegal logging in mangrove forests for firewood and building. “There has been nothing here since the 1960s and 70s.

Replanting is bringing back the mangrove,” said Simeon Diatta, the chief of Diakene Diole village near the GuineaBissau border, pointing at riverside vegetation.

Since 2006, reforestation has

revived 12,000 hectares (30,000 acres) of mangrove in Senegal-an area larger than the city of Paris-mainly in Casamance but also in the north and centre of the country, according to official figures. “I am struck by the extraordinary success that this initiative represents,” French Development Minister Pascal Canfin said on a recent visit to Casamance, descriving the program as “model for Senegal, Africa and

the world”.

“With the return of the mangrove, people are catching a lot of fish and oysters. Women are selling them on and making a lot of money,” Diakene Diola resident Simeon Diatta told AFP. The mangrove, which thrives in salt water, is important for trade in forestry and fishery products. The swamps provide a nursery area for many marine species, most of which are

TOBOR: Senegalese ecologist and Minister for the Environment and Protection of nature, Haidar El- Ali, stands with militants asking for the reforestation of the mangrove in a village near Ziguinchor, the main city of the Casamance region. —AFP photos

important for food such as fish, crabs and shrimp. In the nearby village of Diakene Ouolof, resident Mariama Tine said “everything was dead” before the replanting program began.

“The mangroves stopped the advance of salt and we were able to recover rice fields. There were no fish here before but we are starting to get a lot of them, along with oysters and ark clams,” she said. Mangrove ecosys-

tem also vital to indigenous worship Tobor mangrove farmer Mamadou Faye Badji says the ecosystem created by the tree is also vital in the worship rituals of the region’s indigenous people. “The totems of the Diola are all in the forest. If forests are not dense enough, they will not stay here,” he told AFP, while Fisheries Minister Haidar El-Ali said the mangrove had become part of the cultural heritage

TOBOR: Senegalese ecologist and Minister for the Environment and Protection of nature, Haidar El-Ali, speaks with French development minister Pascal Canfin.

of the region’s villagers.

The damage done to mangrove swamps by deforestation remains “enormous”, however, and the battle is far from won, according to an environment ministry official. Senegal’s economy is concentrated on fishing, tourism and groundnut production, with limited mineral resources and a narrow export base. While the country has a long history of stability, its growth is below average on the continent and the reforestation is expected to contribute to an improvement.

Yet the project is not without controversy, with some believing the mangrove tree’s abundance is detrimental to the production of rice, since paddy areas are increasingly making way for mangrove swamps. Lecturer Pape Cherif Bertrand Bassene mused in a recent column for the Quotidien daily newspaper that locals in Casamance, rather than welcoming the reforestation workers, should be decrying their “ignorance of tradition which results in a policy that does violence to this rice-growing culture”.

Bassene said reforestation had led to the “unavoidable consequence of divorcing the Casamance youth from their traditional rice-growing roots” and had reestablished mangrove swamps that local people “have always cut down to turn them into rice fields”. —AFP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

UK cost agency questions benefits of Sanofi MS pill LONDON: Britain’s healthcare cost watchdog wants more information from Sanofi on the effectiveness of its new multiple sclerosis pill Aubagio before deciding if it should be used on the state health service. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which decides if drugs should be paid for by the system, said yesterday it had asked the French drugmaker’s Genzyme unit to come up with additional information by October 8. Sanofi has already offered to provide Aubagio at a discount to the National

Health Service. The drug’s list price is 13,529 pounds ($21,600) per patient a year but the size of the discount has not been disclosed. NICE, whose decisions are monitored by health authorities around the world, has a reputation for taking a tough line when deciding if new medicines offer value for money. Aubagio is one of two new multiple sclerosis (MS) drugs that Sanofi is hoping will drive future sales growth. Its injectable treatment Lemtrada was approved by the European Commission on Tuesday. —Reuters

DURHAM: In this photo taken Wednesday Sept 11, 2013 a new DURHAM: In this photo taken Wednesday Sept 11, 2013 a new designed plate is propped up at the dining hall at the University designed plate that shows sections of healthy foods at the dinof New Hampshire. —AP ing hall at the University of New Hampshire.

NH college uses dishes to promote healthy eating Veterinarians: National Zoo panda cub is healthy WASHINGTON: The National Zoo’s giant panda cub has been given a clean bill of health after its first veterinarian exam.

Veterinarians performed a 20-minute examination Monday after panda mother Mei Xiang (may SHONG) gave them an opportunity. She put the female cub down and left the den for a short time to eat bamboo and drink water.

The cub, born Aug 23, is already showing her coloration with black patches around her ears, eyes and back. Curator Brandie Smith says it’s amazing to see how much the cub has grown in less than a month. It now weighs slightly less than two pounds, more than double her weight from a short exam on Aug 25.

From nose to tail, the cub is 10.6 inches long.

Her eyes have not yet opened.—AP

Dino model shows the glide path to flight PARIS: Scientists using a wind tunnel and a fullscale model have shed light on how feathery dinosaurs adapted to the skies, a study said yesterday. A widening consensus among palaeontologists is that birds evolved from small, feathery dinos-but the question is: how? Researchers at the University of Southampton created an anatomically correct model of a five-winged “paravian,” a type of dinosaur deemed to be a precursor of birds. They made a microraptor, a denizen of the Early Cretaceous that lived around 130 million years ago. It was the first

known theropod, or two-footed dinosaur, to have feathers on its arms, legs and tail, providing it potentially with five surfaces with which to gain “lift” against the air. Experiments in a wind tunnel, supported by flight simulations, showed that even though these wings were rudimentary compared to those of modern birds, the critter could still carry out slow glides from low heights.

From a height of about 30 metres (100 feet), it could glide between 70 and 100 meters (yards) — a useful means of grabbing a prey or fleeing a predator. —AFP

DURHAM: They may not be binging on broccoli, but some University of New Hampshire students are at least pausing before they fill up on fried food, thanks to dishware designed to remind them about healthy options.

Two years after the federal government abandoned the food pyramid as a symbol for healthful eating and adopted an image of a plate instead, the university has gone a step further by printing dietary guidelines directly on plates used in campus dining halls. The socalled “Wildcat Plates,” named after the school’s mascot, offer a bit more detail than the “My Plate” graphic promoted by the US Department of Agriculture. While the USDA image shows a plate divided into four segments labeled “fruits,” “vegetables,” “grains,” and “proteins,” the Wildcat plate specifies “lean protein” and “whole grains” and offers suggestions such as “try whole wheat pasta, brown rice or quinoa.”

Like schools around the country, UNH has revamped its dining halls in recent years to add healthier - some would even say gourmet offerings. The university has set a goal of becoming the nation’s healthiest campus by 2020 and believes the new plates are a helpful tool for students who may be away from home and making their own food choices for the first time, said Jo Porter, deputy director of the New Hampshire Institute for Health Policy and Practice. “They’re moving from a place where sometimes their dining experiences at home were kind of dictated by their parents, and now they have a lot of freedom, which is great in

some ways, but this becomes one of the helpful reminders for how to eat well,” she said. “Some people will use them to get kind of a sense of what a healthy plate looks like, and then ingrain that in their everyday living and not need that plate every single time.”

The plates, made of melamine, are mixed in with the university’s standard ceramic plates, with about 1,300 circulating through three dining halls that serve 12,000 meals per day.

During one recent lunch hour, some students piled their plates with veggies, while others reached for grilled cheese, pasta and sausage.

Freshman Mike Carbone covered the fruit and vegetable portions of his plate with fried onion rings and the protein section with grilled chicken. There was a pile of chicken nuggets in the middle, and blobs of ketchup and mustard in the grain section. “It’s not a very nutritious lunch, but I’m drinking water,” he said.

Carbone, 19, said he does try to eat healthily but said he pays no attention to the plates.

Sophomore Nicole Grote said while she doesn’t match her food to the plates, they’ve made her more aware of portion sizes, and in general, she thinks the university is taking the right approach. “I think it makes sense,” said Grote, who stays away from both sugar and dairy products. “People should eat healthy.” Peter Heislein, a junior, said the plates have prompted him to choose an apple instead of french fries on occasion, but they have not been a major influence on his diet. And his main reason for preferring the plates had more to do with how

they emerge from the dishwasher than the healthy message.

“I wish it was better than this, but I like them because they’re not searing hot like the ceramic plates,” he said. “It does make a little (health) conscious, but not a ton.”Dining hall manager David Hill said he has seen some students taking the plates seriously, while others ignore them. It’s all part of the challenge of keeping up with students’ changing tastes while also promoting health, he said. “We’re always trying to infuse more healthy options as a choice, but we don’t impose it on people,” he said. “That’s really our strategy: to have a balance.”

A number of versions of the plates are available commercially, and they’re often used as teaching tools, said Dr Robert Post, acting executive director at the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. He did not know of other schools that have been serving food on the plates like UNH but said many are using the image in banners and posters.

And since the USDA launched its “My Plate on Campus” initiative in the spring, he said, more than 800 students in all 50 states and nearly a dozen other countries have signed up to become ambassadors who encourage healthy eating at their schools. The Wildcat plates are manufactured by a New Hampshire company. With USDA permission, UNH has copyrighted its modified design and hopes to license it to other high schools and colleges that could add their own logos to the plates and use them in their dining halls. —AP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 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

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.

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Issue of online visa

by Indian embassy oreigners requiring visas for India need to apply it online from 16th June 2013.

Applicants may log on to the Public portal at 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.

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Indian Embassy sets up helpline he Indian Embassy in Kuwait has set up helpline in order to assist Indian expatriates in registering any complaint regarding the government’s ongoing campaign to stamp out illegal residents from the country. The embassy said in press release yesterday that it amended its previous statement and stated if there is any complaint, the same could be conveyed at the following (as amended): Operations Department, Ministry of Interior, Kuwait. Fax: 22435580, Tel: 24768146/25200334. It said the embassy has been in regular contact with local authorities regarding the ongoing checking of expatriates. The embassy has also conveyed to them the concerns, fears and apprehensions of the community in this regard.

The authorities in Kuwait have conveyed that strict instructions have been issued to ensure that there is no harassment or improper treatment of expatriates by those undertaking checking. “The embassy would like to request Indian expatriates to ensure that they abide by all local laws, rules and regulations regarding residency, traffic and other matters,” the release read. It would be prudent to always carry the Civil ID and other relevant documents such as driving license, etc. In case an Indian expatriate encounters any improper treatment during checking, it may be conveyed immediately with full details and contact particulars to the embassy at the following phone number 67623639. These contact details are exclusively for the above-mentioned purpose only.

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8th Expo Pakistan to commence in September he 8th Expo Pakistan will be held from September 26 to 29 in Karachi. Held annually, Expo Pakistan is the biggest trade fair in the country showcasing the largest collection of Pakistan’s export merchandise and services.

Foreign Exhibitors also use the event to launch their products. Expo Pakistan 2012 was visited by delegates from 52 countries and generated a business of over $ 518 million. A 16 member delegation from Kuwait including reputable companies like Al-Yasra Foods also took part in the last exhibition.

Expo Pakistan 2013 is being held under the auspices of the Trade Development Authority Pakistan. Details about the event can be viewed www.expopakisan.gov.pk. Further information and details of sponsorship can be obtained from the office of Commercial Secretary, Pakistan Embassy, Jabriya (25356594) during office hours.

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Treat your family to an exhilarating weekend at Marina Hotel Kuwait

P

erfect for a short break or a weekend getaway, Marina Hotel Kuwait has recently rolled out its attractive and indulgent weekend package for residents and locals. Guests can choose from any of the superior rooms for a quick getaway with friends and family to enjoy the state-of-the-art facilities the hotel offers, without missing out on other activities including shopping, wellness, sports and much more.

The package offers special rates for weekenders in the superior rooms which include buffet breakfast, free access to the hotelís health club, beach and pool area.

Guests and their families can experience a luxurious escape after an exhaustive week, and indulge themselves with a complimentary buffet breakfast for two persons at Six Palms Restaurant.

Guests whose taste palettes crave for unique and diverse cuisines can watch authentic innovations spring to life for lunch and dinner at the renowned Atlantis Restaurant with the finest dishes from around the world and views of the Arabian Sea. Guests are invited to spend their weekends in style in the midst of absolute comfort. With a multitude of facilities and services, they

can break the daily routine enjoy the vibrant white sands of the private beach along with the three pools and the pool bar - all not far away from the favourite shopping destination.

In close proximity to Marina Mall which is among the best shopping malls in Kuwait and the Crescent which houses a variety international restaurants and coffee shops, Marina Hotel is an ideal location for family leisure. The award winning Marina Hotel Kuwait is the destination to be for its dedication to a unique guest experience and high standard of quality service.

Porsche early childhood road and traffic safety program for schools

T

he Porsche Early Childhood Road and Traffic Safety Program is sponsored by Porsche Centre Kuwait, Behbehani Motors Company and takes place at Qadsiya Sports Club. This week children from the English School Salmiya visited the program at the start of the new school year.

Upon arrival the children and their teachers were welcomed into the reception room where they were introduced to the four ‘Golden Rules’; l ‘CLICK’ Seatbelt l Arms, head inside! l Look and listen as you cross the road l No mobiles in the car!

There are accompanying hand and arm actions as children recite the ‘Golden Rules’ with appropriate questioning to ensure understanding. The traffic light game follows - Red Stop, Yellow Slow and Green for Go! The children are then introduced to the features of the cars - steering, braking, forward and reverse and the sound effects. The practical driving commences with an introductory circuit, followed by the main circuit complete with traffic lights, car park, rocking ramp, speed bump, tunnel and roundabout.

Road traffic signs are explained and discussed. At all times the ‘Golden Rules’ and basic principles of road safety are emphasized, as are respect and consideration for other road users - keeping a safe distance, not driving too fast or bumping the cars. Applying their knowledge and understanding during the practical driving is the main highlight of the visit for most students. There is also a practical element on crossing a busy

road where children hold the teachers hand, waiting for the road to be clear of cars, then continuously looking and listening as they cross the road.

At the conclusion of each group visit the Golden Rules are reviewed and students are presented with gift bags containing the Porsche children’s activity book, Porsche parent’s book, first driving license and refreshments. Certificates are presented to each child along with the

curriculum guide for the school which integrates road and traffic safety into established Early Years’ curriculum topics.

Many of the groups follow up the visit back in schools, with displays of pictures and writing, assembly presentations and continuous review of the ‘Golden Rules’.

Feedback from teachers and parents has been extremely positive and encouraging, indicating a strong impact upon the students. The specially designed curriculum guide which is presented to all participating groups encourages road and traffic safety to be integrated into existing foundation stage topics and has met with unanimous teacher approval. The program and materials used have the approval of both the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Education.

The success of this project has been made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of Porsche Centre Kuwait, Behbehani Motors Company and Qadsiya Sports Club for providing the excellent indoor sports hall venue. The program is being continued during this new academic year when a further 10,000 students are expected to participate.

Hindi Diwas celebrated at Indian Embassy in Kuwait

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eptember 14 is observed every year as “Hindi Diwas” across India.

A function to celebrate the Hindi Diwas was organized at the Embassy of India, Kuwait to promote the use of Hindi. Embassy officials as well as their family members, including children actively participated in the function.

The function was inaugurated by

Ambassador of India Satish C Mehta by lighting the traditional lamp. In his address he spoke on the relevance of Hindi and the need to promote its use.

This was followed by competitions in Hindi including composition by adults and recitation of poem by children.

The topics for composition/speech this year were: Bharthiya Sanskruti ke

dhwaja ko vishwa ke konne konne thak faharaane wale - “Swami Vivekananda” ka vyakthithva and Sann 2025 AD mein bharat ka vishwamunch par pramukh shakthi ke roop mein sthaan.

The event witnessed impressive performance by participants who creatively expressed themselves in Hindi. The competition was followed by prize dis-

tribution by the ambassador. M P Bharatiya received the first prize in the adults category followed by Priya Mandal, Shakeel Ahmed and C Dhanya.

In the children category the first prize was bagged by Prachi followed by Shreya Prasad and Shivani Sagar. The programme was ably compeered by Manoj Kumar Mandal.

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

IPC Spring Course 2013 graduation ceremony (Left) Xing Xue Jun Second Secretary at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Kuwait (middle) is seen with Antonia Dimitrova, spouse of the First Secretary and Consul of the Bulgarian Embassy in Kuwait (left) and Aisha, during the Islam Presentation Committee Spring Course 2013 graduation ceremony held in Ardiya on Tuesday evening. (Right) A group photo of all the graduates is seen.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 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

Kuwait Banks Club organizes beach cleaning campaign

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he Kuwait Banks Club organized a beach cleaning campaign at the Kubbar Island during a recent trip in which KBC officials were accompanied by Assistant Undersecretary for Borders Security at the Interior Ministry, Major General Sheikh Mohammad Al-Yousuf Al-Sabah.

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 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.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

TV PROGRAMS

00:30 Dynamo: Magician Impossible 01:20 The Big Brain Theory 02:10 Mythbusters 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 Finding Bigfoot 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 Dynamo: Magician Impossible 12:25 The Big Brain Theory 13:15 Mythbusters 14:05 Border Security 14:30 Auction Hunters 14:55 Auction Kings 15:20 Strip The City 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 Sons Of Guns 22:50 Outlaw Empires 23:40 Shadow Ops

00:05 How Tech Works 00:30 Food Factory 01:00 NASA’s Greatest Missions 01:50 Scrapheap Challenge 02:45 Alien Mysteries 03:35 Stephen Hawking’s Grand Design 04:25 Engineered 05:15 The Gadget Show 05:40 How Tech Works 06:05 NASA’s Greatest Missions 07:00 How Stuff’s Made 07:25 How Stuff’s Made 07:50 Bang Goes The Theory 08:15 Bang Goes The Theory 08:40 The Gadget Show 09:05 How Tech Works 09:30 Ecopolis 10:20 Mighty Ships 11:15 Scrapheap Challenge 12:05 Moon Machines 13:00 Bang Goes The Theory 13:25 Bang Goes The Theory 13:50 Sci-Fi Science 14:20 The Gadget Show 14:45 How Tech Works 15:10 How Stuff’s Made 15:35 How Stuff’s Made 16:00 Eco-Tech 16:55 Engineered 17:45 Scrapheap Challenge 18:35 NASA’s Greatest Missions 19:30 How Stuff’s Made 19:55 How Stuff’s Made 20:20 Bang Goes The Theory 20:45 Bang Goes The Theory 21:10 The Gadget Show 21:35 How Tech Works 22:00 Stuck With Hackett 22:25 Stuck With Hackett 22:50 Bang Goes The Theory 23:15 Bang Goes The Theory 23:40 The Gadget Show

00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 03:25 03:45

Dr G: Medical Examiner Psychic Witness LA: City Of Demons I Was Murdered I Was Murdered I Almost Got Away With It

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 22:50 23:40

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 On The Case With Paula Zahn Nightmare Next Door 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 Adventures 06:35 Kickin It

Armored

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 15:20 Phineas And Ferb 15:30 Phineas And Ferb 15:45 Lab Rats 16:10 Lab Rats 16:35 Crash & Bernstein 17:00 Lab Rats 17:30 Kickin It 18:00 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 Max Steel 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 03:25 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 22:50 23:40

Dr G: Medical Examiner Psychic Witness LA: City Of Demons I Was Murdered I Was Murdered 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 On The Case With Paula Zahn Nightmare Next Door I Almost Got Away With It

00:30 01:00 01:30 02:00 02:30 03:00 04:00 04:30 Leno 05:30 06:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 10:00 11:00 Leno 12:00

The Daily Show The Colbert Report Louie South Park Weeds Two And A Half Men Seinfeld The Tonight Show With Jay All Of Us The War At Home Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Seinfeld All Of Us Happy Endings The Tonight Show With Jay The War At Home

12:30 Seinfeld 13:00 All Of Us 15:00 Happy Endings 15:30 The Daily Show 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 The War At Home 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Family Tools 18:30 30 Rock 19:00 30 Rock 19:30 Hot In Cleveland 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Web Therapy 22:30 It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia 23:00 Weeds 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 18:00 19:00 20:00 22:00 23:00

24 Castle Justified Smash Bones Warehouse 13 24 Switched At Birth Fairly Legal Bones Castle Warehouse 13 Emmerdale Coronation Street Fairly Legal 24 Emmerdale Coronation Street Fairly Legal The Carrie Diaries The X Factor U.S. Red Widow 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 Treme 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 Drop Dead Diva Awake House Of Cards Treme Nip/Tuck

00:00 02:00 04:00 05:45 08:00 10:00 12:15 Doubt 14:00 15:45 18:00 20:00 22:00

A Dangerous Man Creature Seconds Apart Mission: Impossible II Tombstone Mission: Impossible III Jesse Stone: Benefit Of The Interview With A Hitman Mission: Impossible III Paycheck Interview With A Hitman Sudden Death

21:00 The Rum Diary-18 23:00 Sleepy Hollow-18

01:00 360-18 03:00 Men In Black 3-PG 05:00 Flower Girl-PG15 07:00 Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax-PG 09:00 Hotel Transylvania-PG 11:00 Men In Black 3-PG 13:00 Perfect Plan-PG15 15:00 My Afternoons With Margueritte-PG15 17:00 Hotel Transylvania-PG 19:00 The Darkest Hour-PG15 21:00 The Campaign-18 23:00 Lawless-18

07:00 Cricket Champions League Twenty20 10:00 Cricket Champions League Twenty20 13:00 The Rugby Championship 15:00 ICC Cricket 360 15:30 Cricket Champions League Twenty20 18:30 NFL Gameday 19:00 WWE NXT 20:00 UFC Unleashed 21:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 22:00 Sailing America’s Cup Highlights 23:00 Live Sailing America’s Cup

00:30 Golfing World 01:30 AFL Premiership 04:00 World Cup of Pool 00:00 Creature-18 02:00 Seconds Apart-PG15 03:45 Mission: Impossible II-PG15 06:00 Tombstone-PG15 08:00 Mission: Impossible III-PG15 10:15 Jesse Stone: Benefit Of The Doubt-PG15 12:00 Interview With A HitmanPG15 13:45 Mission: Impossible III-PG15 16:00 Paycheck-PG 18:00 Interview With A HitmanPG15 20:00 Sudden Death-PG15 22:00 Three Kings-18

01:15 02:45 04:30 06:00 08:00 10:00 11:30 13:15 14:45 16:00 Days 18:00 20:00 22:00 23:30

00:00 Rushmore-PG15 02:00 Flypaper-18 04:00 Celtic Pride-PG 06:00 Another Stakeout-PG15 08:00 Mad Buddies-PG15 10:00 While You Were SleepingPG15 12:00 Celtic Pride-PG 14:00 Stop! Or My Mom Will ShootPG15 16:00 While You Were SleepingPG15 18:00 Nacho Libre-PG 20:00 A Very Harold And Kumar Christmas-18 22:00 Rushmore-PG15

00:00 Today’s Special-PG15 02:00 Superman vs. The Elite-PG15 04:00 Flicka 3-FAM 06:00 Today’s Special-PG15 08:00 Why Did I Get Married Too?PG15 10:15 Madea’s Big Happy FamilyPG15 12:00 Dark Shadows-PG15 14:00 Best In Show-PG15 15:45 Why Did I Get Married Too?PG15 18:00 The Double-PG15 20:00 House At The End Of The Street-PG15 22:00 Violet & Daisy-18

02:00 Waiting For Forever-PG15 03:45 Katy Perry The Movie: Part Of Me-PG 05:30 Hidden Crimes-PG15 07:15 On The Inside-PG15 09:00 Waiting For Forever-PG15 11:00 33 Postcards-PG15 13:00 No Surrender-PG15 15:00 Separate Lies-PG15 17:00 I’ve Loved You So Long-PG15 19:00 Ondine-PG15 21:00 Martha Marcy May Marlene18 23:00 The Woman In Black-PG15

TOMBSTONE ON OSN MOVIES ACTION

RUSHMORE ON OSN MOVIES COMEDY HD

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00

Blue-Eyed Butcher-18 Color Of Night-18 Something Borrowed-PG15 The Key Man-PG15 The Wild Hunt-PG15 Dolphin Tale-PG Resistance-PG15 The Imposter-PG15 Dolphin Tale-PG Secret Window-PG15

Marco Antonio Cinderella Problem Child Charlotte’s Web Freddy Frogface The Best Bad Thing Arthur Christmas Cinderella A Cat In Paris Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Dog The Best Bad Thing Winx A Cat In Paris Freddy Frogface

01:30 Rugby Union ITM Cup 03:30 PGA European Tour Weekly 04:00 Inside The PGA Tour 04:30 Golf The Challenge Series 05:00 Trans World Sport 06:00 ICC Cricket 360 06:30 Futbol Mundial 07:00 NRL Premiership 09:00 PGA European Tour Weekly 09:30 Inside The PGA Tour 10:00 Trans World Sport 11:00 Rugby Union Currie Cup 13:00 European Senior Tour Highlights 14:00 PGA Tour Highlights 15:00 PGA European Tour Weekly 15:30 Live PGA European Tour 19:30 Inside The PGA Tour 20:00 Live PGA Tour

00:00 Cricket Champions League Twenty20 03:00 Futbol Mundial 03:30 Sailing America’s Cup Highlights 04:30 AFL Premiership

05:00 World Cup of Pool 07:00 Golfing World 08:00 Asian Tour Highlights 09:00 Live Asian Tour Golf 13:00 Asian Tour Golf 13:30 Total Rugby 14:00 Futbol Mundial 14:30 World Cup of Pool 15:30 World Cup of Pool 16:30 The Rugby Championship 18:30 Cricket Champions League Twenty20 21:30 Futbol Mundial 22:00 Live Super League

00:00 01:00 01:30 02:00

Mass Participation Triahlon UK Porsche GT 3 Cup Challenge Porsche GT 3 Cup Challenge

02:30 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 13:30 14:30 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 22:30 23:00

Mobil 1 The Grid European Le Mans Series Ping Pong World US Bass Fishing Triahlon UK Mobil 1 The Grid WWE SmackDown Ping Pong World US Bass Fishing ITU World Triathlon Series WWE Vintage Collection WWE Bottom Line WWE This Week Porsche GT 3 Cup Challenge Porsche GT 3 Cup Challenge UFC Mass Participation WWE NXT Porsche GT 3 Cup Challenge Porsche GT 3 Cup Challenge UFC Countdown

Digital Asia Festival names Jason Kuperman as jury president The Digital Asia Festival Awards, which sets the benchmark for the best in creativity, innovation and effectiveness in digital marketing in the Asia-Pacific region, has appointed Jason Kuperman, Vice President of Omnicom Digital for Asia Pacific, India, Middle East & Africa, to chair this year’s awards.

Charged with leading strategic initiatives across all digital properties at Omnicom, Jason’s focus is to help Omnicom companies and their clients drive marketing innovation through emerging communications technologies. Working with all the divisions of Omnicom in the region to continue to advance their digital capabilities and profiles, Jason’s responsibilities include recruiting top digital talent, training and general evangelism, capability development, and strategic acquisitions.

“Jason’s vast experience in the digital arena and his progressive vision for digital marketing, ideally positions him for this role. With digital trends developing at a fast pace, the jury leadership for the Digital Asia Awards could not be in better hands,” remarks Terry Savage, Chairman of Lions Festivals.

Commenting on his role as jury president, Jason Kuperman says, “I’m honored to again

be working with an amazing jury of digital marketing experts to recognize the best work in our field. It is because of the work celebrated in the DMA’s that digital marketing has become a key component of almost every marketing effort.”

Jason began working in marketing in 1988 at Chiat/Day. Inspired by the design of the agency, he eventually went on to receive a professional degree in architecture. He returned to agency life in the late 1990’s, founding the Interactive division of the Omnicom Group agency TBWA\. In January 2007, Jason left Los Angeles to lead Agency.com in Shanghai where he served as the Managing Director of China operations before taking his current role at the holding company group in 2008.

The members of jury joining Jason will be announced shortly. Further information about the awards, including categories and details of how to enter can be found on the website www.digitalasiafestival.com. The entries deadline is 25 September with the winners being announced on 18 November 2013. The Digital Asia Festival Awards is jointly organized by Haymarket Media Group and Lions Festivals.

File photo shows Carole King performs after President Barack Obama presented her with the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize.

— AP

Classifieds THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

Kuwait SHARQIA-1 PRISONERS (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED SHARQIA-2 PLANES (DIG-3D) BATTLE OF THE YEAR (DIG-3D) PLANES (DIG-3D) BATTLE OF THE YEAR (DIG-3D) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) SHARQIA-3 MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) 2 GUNS (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED MUHALAB-1 MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) RIDDICK (DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) THE COLONY (DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG)

1:00 PM 4:00 PM 7:00 PM 10:00 PM 1:00 AM

12:45 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM 11:30 PM 1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:30 PM

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (19/09/2013 TO 25/09/2013) 2 GUNS (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:05 AM

MARINA-1 PRISONERS (DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) TOM & JIMMY (DIG)(ARABIC) THE COLONY (DIG) YOU’RE NEXT (DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:05 AM

MARINA-2 PRISONERS (DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:45 PM 4:45 PM 7:15 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

MARINA-3 BATTLE OF THE YEAR (DIG-3D) PLANES (DIG-3D) PLANES (DIG-3D) BATTLE OF THE YEAR (DIG-3D) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:15 PM 11:15 PM 1:15 AM

AVENUES-1 THE COLONY (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG) WISH YOU WERE HERE (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:15 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

MUHALAB-2 BATTLE OF THE YEAR (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:15 PM 6:15 PM 9:15 PM

MUHALAB-3 PLANES (DIG-3D) PLANES (DIG) BATTLE OF THE YEAR (DIG-3D) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG)

1:45 PM 3:45 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM

AVENUES-2 2 GUNS (DIG) YOU’RE NEXT (DIG) 2 GUNS (DIG) YOU’RE NEXT (DIG) 2 GUNS (DIG)

FANAR-1 BATTLE OF THE YEAR (DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) BATTLE OF THE YEAR (DIG) RIDDICK (DIG) BATTLE OF THE YEAR (DIG) BATTLE OF THE YEAR (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM 11:45 PM

AVENUES-3 BATTLE OF THE YEAR (DIG-3D) BATTLE OF THE YEAR (DIG-3D) BATTLE OF THE YEAR (DIG) BATTLE OF THE YEAR (DIG-3D) BATTLE OF THE YEAR (DIG-3D) BATTLE OF THE YEAR (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

FANAR-2 PRISONERS (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:15 PM 5:15 PM 8:15 PM 11:15 PM

360º- 1 MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

FANAR-3 2 GUNS (DIG) TOM & JIMMY (DIG)(ARABIC) THE COLONY (DIG) YOU’RE NEXT (DIG) TOM & JIMMY (DIG)(ARABIC)

12:45 PM 3:15 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM

360º- 2 THE COLONY (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG)

2:15 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 9:00 PM 11:15 PM

2:00 PM 4:15 PM

WE’RE THE MILLERS (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG) THE COLONY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

6:30 PM 8:45 PM 11:00 PM 1:15 AM

360º- 3 2 GUNS (DIG) 2 GUNS (DIG) ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US 2 GUNS (DIG) 2 GUNS (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:15 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

AL-KOUT.1 PLANES (DIG-3D) PLANES (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) BATTLE OF THE YEAR (DIG-3D) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:45 PM 3:45 PM 5:45 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:05 AM

AL-KOUT.2 THE COLONY (DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) THE COLONY (DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) YOU’RE NEXT (DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:00 PM 4:00 PM 6:15 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

AL-KOUT.3 PRISONERS (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:30 PM 5:30 PM 8:30 PM 11:30 PM

AL-KOUT.4 BATTLE OF THE YEAR (DIG) 2 GUNS (DIG) BATTLE OF THE YEAR (DIG) TOM & JIMMY (DIG)(ARABIC) RIDDICK (DIG) 2 GUNS (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM 11:45 PM

BAIRAQ-1 PLANES (DIG-3D) PLANES (DIG-3D) BATTLE OF THE YEAR (DIG-3D) PLANES (DIG-3D) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 8:45 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

BAIRAQ-2 THE SMURFS 2 (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:15 PM 3:30 PM 6:30 PM 9:30 PM 12:30 AM

(C 4509) 16-9-2013

CHANGE OF NAME I, Anandharaj S/O Subbaiyan, holder of Indian Passport No: F4197628 residing in Kuwait hereby change my name to Abdul Rehman.

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)

TUITION

SITUATION VACANT Required English speaking live-in nanny / maid. Please contact 99824597. (C 4508) 16-9-2013

Learn holy Quran, in perfect way, private tuition available for elders and children by Hafiz-e -Quran.

Contact: 66725950.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

Airlines BBC QTR JZR JZR FDB SAI THY ETH GFA UAE ETD THY FDB MSR QTR DHX THY QTR DHX FDB JZR JZR JZR BAW FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE IRA KAC KAC KAC IZG ABY IRA FDB QTR ETD SYR GFA KAC MEA JZR JZR JZR MSC UAE MRJ MSR MSR JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR JZR THY KNE

Arrival Flights on Thursday 19/9/2013 Flt Route 43 DHAKA 148 DOHA 267 BEIRUT 539 CAIRO 8063 DUBAI 441 LAHORE 764 SABIHA 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI-INTL 768 ISTANBUL 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 138 DOHA 870 BAHRAIN 770 ISTANBUL 6130 DOHA 170 BAHRAIN 69 DUBAI 555 ALEXANDRIA 529 ASYUT 503 LUXOR 157 LONDON 53 DUBAI 382 DELHI 206 ISLAMABAD 302 MUMBAI 284 DHAKA 855 DUBAI 605 ISFAHAN 362 COLOMBO 332 TRIVANDRUM 352 COCHIN 4161 MASHAD 125 SHARJAH 617 AHWAZ 55 DUBAI 132 DOHA 301 ABU DHABI-INTL 341 DAMASCUS 213 BAHRAIN 412 MANILA 404 BEIRUT 165 DUBAI 561 SOHAG 241 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA 403 ASYUT 871 DUBAI 4813 MASHAD 610 CAIRO 579 SOHAG 777 JEDDAH 535 CAIRO 177 DUBAI 787 RIYADH 125 BAHRAIN 269 BEIRUT 766 ISTANBUL 480 TAIF

Time 00:05 00:05 00:20 00:40 01:10 01:30 01:40 01:45 01:55 02:25 02:30 02:50 03:10 03:15 03:30 04:30 04:35 04:50 05:10 05:50 06:20 06:40 07:40 06:30 07:45 07:30 07:25 07:50 08:15 08:25 08:40 08:45 07:55 08:05 08:45 08:50 09:10 09:15 09:25 09:30 10:10 10:40 10:45 10:55 11:35 12:20 12:35 12:40 12:45 12:55 13:00 13:05 17:50 16:10 17:30 16:15 16:25 19:15 13:10 13:20

QTR FDB KAC KAC ABY SVA KNE OMA KNE NIA RJA QTR ETD UAE ABY UAL GFA SVA TAR QTR FDB GFA AXB JAI FDB OMA ABY JZR MEA AFG MSC MSR MSC SYR KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC JZR JZR JZR ALK UAE ETD QTR GFA JAI FDB THY AIC UAL DLH JAI MSR KLM THY

140 57 546 562 121 500 472 645 470 251 640 134 303 857 127 982 215 510 327 144 63 219 393 572 61 647 129 189 402 415 405 618 401 1381 674 176 104 542 118 786 774 788 618 614 502 239 185 513 229 859 307 136 217 576 59 6512 981 981 636 574 614 411 772

DOHA DUBAI ALEXANDRIA AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA SHARJAH JEDDAH JEDDAH MUSCAT JEDDAH ALEXANDRIA AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA DOHA ABU DHABI-INTL DUBAI SHARJAH WASHINGTON DC DULLES BAHRAIN RIYADH TUNIS DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN KOZHIKODE MUMBAI DUBAI MUSCAT SHARJAH DUBAI BEIRUT KABUL SOHAG ALEXANDRIA ALEXANDRIA DAMASCUS DUBAI GENEVA LONDON CAIRO NEW YORK JEDDAH RIYADH JEDDAH DOHA BAHRAIN BEIRUT AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA DUBAI SHARM EL SHEIKH COLOMBO DUBAI ABU DHABI-INTL DOHA BAHRAIN COCHIN DUBAI ISTANBUL CHENNAI BAHRAIN FRANKFURT MUMBAI CAIRO AMSTERDAM ISTANBUL

13:45 13:50 14:15 14:40 14:25 14:30 14:35 14:40 15:05 15:50 15:55 16:15 16:35 16:55 17:10 17:15 17:20 17:20 18:00 18:25 18:55 19:05 19:15 19:35 20:00 20:00 20:05 20:10 20:15 20:20 20:25 20:30 21:00 19:55 19:25 17:45 18:45 18:15 16:00 18:30 19:25 15:00 19:10 19:35 18:50 22:30 22:40 23:20 21:10 21:15 21:30 21:30 21:45 22:05 22:20 22:20 22:25 22:40 23:10 23:20 23:30 23:40 23:45

Airlines AIC AXB JAI MSR DLH JZR BBC FDB THY SAI THY ETH THY UAE FDB MSR ETD QTR QTR JZR DHX QTR FDB GFA THY JZR KAC JZR BAW FDB JZR KAC ABY KAC IRA IZG UAE KAC FDB IRA ETD QTR KAC KAC SYR GFA KAC KAC MEA JZR JZR KAC JZR JZR JZR MSC MSR MSR MRJ THY

Departure Flights on Thursday 19/9/2013 Flt Route 976 GOA 490 MANGALORE 573 MUMBAI 615 CAIRO 637 FRANKFURT 502 LUXOR 44 DHAKA 8064 DUBAI 773 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 442 LAHORE 765 ISTANBUL-SABIHA 621 ADDIS ABABA 769 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 613 CAIRO 306 ABU DHABI 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 560 SOHAG 521 BAGRAM 6131 BEIRUT 70 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 240 AMMAN 545 ALEXANDRIA 164 DUBAI 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 534 CAIRO 561 AMMAN 126 SHARJAH 787 JEDDAH 606 MASHHAD 4162 MASHHAD 856 DUBAI 153 ISTANBUL-SABIHA 56 DUBAI 616 AHWAZ 302 ABU DHABI 133 DOHA 101 LONDON 501 BEIRUT 342 DAMASCUS 214 BAHRAIN 541 CAIRO 165 ROME 405 BEIRUT 776 JEDDAH 786 RIYADH 785 JEDDAH 176 DUBAI 124 BAHRAIN 268 BEIRUT 406 SOHAG 580 SOHAG 611 CAIRO 4812 MASHHAD 767 ISTANBUL-ATATURK

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Time 00:05 00:15 00:20 00:30 00:30 01:30 01:30 01:55 02:20 02:30 02:40 02:45 03:40 03:45 03:50 04:15 04:20 04:25 05:15 05:55 06:00 06:20 06:30 07:00 07:10 07:10 07:20 07:25 08:25 08:25 09:10 09:25 09:30 09:35 09:40 09:45 09:50 09:50 09:55 10:10 10:15 10:25 10:25 11:10 11:10 11:25 11:30 11:45 11:55 12:25 12:50 13:00 13:20 13:30 13:35 13:40 13:50 14:00 14:05 14:10

KNE UAE FDB QTR ABY KAC KNE OMA KAC KAC KNE SVA JZR KAC NIA RJA JZR JZR QTR ETD JZR ABY UAE GFA SVA UAL JZR JZR TAR QTR FDB GFA AXB KAC JAI FDB ABY KAC OMA KAC SYR KAC MEA AFG MSC MSR KAC DHX MSC ETD ALK UAE QTR KAC GFA FDB KAC JAI JZR KAC KAC JZR

481 872 58 141 122 673 473 646 617 773 471 505 188 613 252 641 238 512 135 304 538 128 858 216 511 982 184 266 328 145 64 220 394 283 571 62 120 331 648 343 1382 351 403 415 404 619 543 171 402 308 230 860 137 301 218 60 205 575 554 411 415 528

TAIF DUBAI DUBAI DOHA SHARJAH DUBAI JEDDAH MUSCAT DOHA RIYADH JEDDAH JEDDAH DUBAI BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA AMMAN AMMAN SHARM EL SHEIKH DOHA ABU DHABI CAIRO SHARJAH DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH BAHRAIN DUBAI BEIRUT TUNIS DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN KOZHIKODE DHAKA MUMBAI DUBAI SHARJAH TRIVANDRUM MUSCAT CHENNAI DAMASCUS KOCHI BEIRUT JEDDAH ASYUT ALEXANDRIA CAIRO BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA ABU DHABI COLOMBO DUBAI DOHA MUMBAI BAHRAIN DUBAI ISLAMABAD ABU DHABI ALEXANDRIA BANGKOK KUALA LUMPUR ASYUT

14:10 14:15 14:30 14:55 15:05 15:05 15:30 15:40 15:45 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:35 16:50 16:55 17:05 17:15 17:20 17:20 17:40 17:50 18:15 18:20 18:20 18:30 18:30 18:40 18:50 19:25 19:35 19:50 20:15 20:15 20:35 20:40 20:45 20:50 20:55 20:55 21:00 21:05 21:15 21:20 21:25 21:30 21:30 21:50 22:00 22:15 22:20 22:25 22:40 22:40 22:45 23:00 23:00 23:05 23:20 23:40 23:50 23:55

34

s ta rs CROSSWORD 315

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) ARIES A group meeting takes place early today and a new sales idea for selling a particularly difficult item is helpful. New goals for the future come to mind. You may feel as though a weight has lifted from your shoulders—you have the wherewithal to make your dreams come true. You have a natural sense of what a loved one is in need of this evening and you want to do what you can to make him or her happy. Making someone else’s dreams come true may give you some really rewarding experiences. Close relationships take on more emotional depth, power and importance. A young person appreciates your support. Feeling cared for and needed is comfortable and that is what you have today—you count your blessings for this rewarding day.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) New ways to communicate or an easy manner will make conversations and interactions with others go well. You may be helping a superior with some new phone system, etc. This is an open time when laughter and frankness can be viewed. You are at your mental best with sharp ideas and clear thoughts. This is an excellent time to make decisions and take care of mental work. There is an instinctive imperative to being in control. There is an interest in healing and investing and the great mysteries of life and death.

This could involve an elderly person, real estate, investments—perhaps in purchasing an antique or some old coins. You may find yourself at a bookstore this afternoon. This evening may prove to be interesting if you are single.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

ACROSS 1. An enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of many body compounds (e.g., epinephrine and norepinephrine and serotonin).

4. Bubble shells.

12. A federal agency that supervises carriers that transport goods and people between states.

15. A human limb.

16. The peers of a kingdom considered as a group.

17. The syllable naming the fifth (dominant) note of any musical scale in solmization.

18. Put (things or places) in order.

20. The principles of right and wrong that are accepted by an individual or a social group.

21. (Babylonian) The sky god.

22. New Guinea echidnas.

24. The United Nations agency concerned with the interests of labor.

26. An official language of the Republic of South Africa.

27. (Old Testament) In Judeo-Christian mythology.

30. The capital and largest city situated centrally in Spain.

33. An annual publication including weather forecasts and other miscellaneous information arranged according to the calendar of a given year.

38. Any orchid of the genus Aerides.

42. God of war and sky.

43. A ballistic missile that is capable of traveling from one continent to another.

45. A nucleic acid that transmits genetic information from DNA to the cytoplasm.

46. A gift or money given (as for service or out of benevolence).

49. Striped hyena of southeast Africa that feeds chiefly on insects.

52. Relating to anemia or suffering from anemia.

53. Paralysis of the vocal cords resulting in an inability to speak.

54. East Indian tree yielding a resin used medicinally and burned as incense.

56. (Norse mythology) One of the Aesir known for his beauty and skill with bow and skis.

58. Call upon in supplication.

59. A federation of North American labor unions that merged with the Congress of Industrial Organizations in 1955.

66. The (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb.

70. A river that rises in eastern Kansas and flows eastward into Oklahoma to become a tributary of the Arkansas River.

71. (archaic) The emperor of Japan.

73. The cry made by sheep.

74. Tag the base runner to get him out.

75. Relating to or characteristic of art or artists.

77. A container.

78. A unit of surface area equal to 100 square meters.

80. Large northern deer with enormous flattened antlers in the male.

DOWN 1. French painter whose work influenced the impressionists (1832-1883).

2. Any of several tall tropical palms native to southeastern Asia having egg-shaped nuts.

3. A member of the Siouan people formerly living in the Missouri river valley in NE Nebraska.

4. In bed.

5. A Dravidian language spoken in southern India.

6. A trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group.

7. Fish eggs or egg-filled ovary.

8. The innermost membrane of an organ (especially the inner lining of an artery or vein or lymphatic vessel).

9. Tropical woody herb with showy yellow flowers and flat pods.

10. A fee charged for exchanging currencies.

11. An international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members.

12. (Old Testament) The second patriarch.

13. Relating to or resembling a cone.

14. European sedge having small edible nutlike tubers.

19. Deciduous trees with smooth usually silvergray bark of North America and Europe and Asia.

23. A public promotion of some product or service.

25. Gully or streambed in North Africa and the Middle East that remains dry except during rainy season.

28. Before noon.

29. A full skirt with a gathered waistband.

31. Fallow deer.

32. A rare heavy polyvalent metallic element that resembles manganese chemically and is used in some alloys.

34. A woody climbing usually tropical plant.

35. Of or relating to walls.

36. The mother-in-law of Ruth whose story is told in the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament.

37. (computer science) A kind of computer architecture that has a large number of instructions hard coded into the cpu chip.

39. Comical in an odd or whimsical manner.

40. (Sumerian) God of the air and king of the Sumerian gods.

41. The second month of the Moslem calendar.

44. A small cake leavened with yeast.

47. A toothed wheel that engages another toothed mechanism in order to change the speed or direction of transmitted motion.

48. A complete metric system of units of measurement for scientists.

50. Of or relating to rabbis or their teachings.

51. English author of satirical novels (19031966).

55. Inflammation of the iris.

57. A midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region.

60. An emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight).

61. (anatomy) A somewhat rounded subdivision of a bodily organ or part.

62. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

63. A unit of pressure equal to 0.001316 atmosphere.

64. A strip of land projecting into a body of water.

65. (prefix) Opposite or opposing or neutralizing.

67. A French abbot.

68. Horny plate covering and protecting part of the dorsal surface of the digits.

69. Unpleasantly cool and humid.

72. South American wood sorrel cultivated for its edible tubers.

76. A hard gray lustrous metallic element that is highly corrosion-resistant.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

A career decision seems too difficult to be worthwhile, but if you relax, you will see that this is just a minor slowdown. You will be able to get back to your regular speed in no time. Later today you concentrate on working toward a goal of personal significance. Circumstances may augment and stimulate appreciation and enjoyment of your life situation. Your system of values may deepen, providing you with a better sense of discrimination and good taste. Purchasing, selecting colors, etc., is at a high. Your mind is very clear now and your thoughts are brought into a sharp focus. You will find it easy to organize your thoughts and communication of all kinds is furthered.

Write that book or sign up to take a course. Your thoughts count now.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Your abilities to work with co-worker friends or others and help guide them toward more positive directions may come into play today. You think about something you want to change and with concentration you achieve the desired success in record time. After work, a friend or sibling seems disturbed over some form of family security.

You have the gift of working with others and can shine some insight into matters of personal freedom. You come up with brilliant ways to express, emote or act things out. You relax with children, sports, acting, singing, etc. You may enjoy eccentric friends this evening and perhaps participate in a group that has some kind of humanitarian flavor.

You may be asked to join a political group.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Others may sidetrack you from your plans for the day—you could have a problem with organizational skills just now. This distraction will end when you recognize that the difficulty is distraction. You have a charming way of ending conversations so that you can get back to your work. Some distractions could be car problems or a delayed appointment. After the noon break you are back, working at full speed. This could be a challenging afternoon in the amount of work you will want to accomplish. You may find a little overtime will be necessary. Becoming more honest with a loved one has resulted in a deeper bond between the two of you. You enjoy taking a little time each day for hugs, laughter and loving communication.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You are a natural diplomat, always courteous and concerned with the comfort and welfare of others. Today is the day to speak up and be heard—talk about your goals, or your company’s goals, perhaps to a manager. This could mean an employee review or it could also mean that you have been offered a better position in the business world. You value personal contact, cutting through all the externals and getting to the heart of things. You may find yourself involved in long leisurely conversations with a loved one later today. A new understanding may repair some problems or misunderstandings of the past. Changes and transforming experiences are the general mood of the day. Have a seat on the porch and breathe in some fresh air; relax.

Word Search

Libra (September 23-October 22) Obtaining and exchanging information takes on a more noteworthy importance now. You gather information today that will help you with some new phase of your work. When you gain the information you need, you plow through your work quickly. You have a determination that is miraculous and you aim to achieve everything you set out to accomplish. Being more involved with neighbors or siblings this afternoon satisfies a deep emotional need of belonging and sharing. You enjoy helping others and communicating feelings becomes an important way to share. Sports, communication, entertainment, work and chores all can be enjoyed when there is a team effort.

Unexpected company this evening may compliment you on your home and family.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) There is a tendency to be too strict with yourself and to insist that whatever does not contribute to security and other long-term goals is trivial. Making your mark on the world has a special significance for you. This week is a busy but successful one. You may be thinking of beginning your own little place of business. This is something that may take some thinking and counseling with other people that know about owning a business. You have the power to make good things happen. Your career always seems to get the support you need, and this is one of the areas of life that runs smoothly. You have the ability to work with others, in particular regarding vocation or career guidance. You can also guide others in matters requiring work-related decisions.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You may shift more of your interest from the home front to the workplace at this time but if you create some time for your family, you will be able to accomplish a great deal wherever your concentration is focused. There is a short-time energy spurt available to help you when you need strength. It could be you find yourself working overtime or will need to attend a class or perhaps to learn a new technique.

Creating time with family members this evening may mean improvement in communication and expressing feelings. Consider showing off your professional talents to your family so they will see just how talented you really are. This will help to create a close bond between you and your loved ones. You could invite a family member to share.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Work is an easy task today. Your thoughts, however, may move to passionate times or times when your feelings, emotions and basic life urges undergo change and possibly, transformation. You feel more personal and direct and find that you waste less time with hurt feelings than before. If it makes sense you love it, and if it does not you feel guilty about it: that’s what it’s like now. You may decide to sign up for an exercise class with a friend later today—or perhaps, teach a class. You give a friend loving attention this afternoon—this friend may have been going through some hard times lately. This is a good time to examine and think about what is important and of lasting value. Someone surprises you with attention this evening—perhaps a gift as well.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Some plan you made in the past comes to your attention. You are able to rework and adapt new ideas into this plan. A completion or realization may be near. A business contact may see the importance of your plan and come to your aid. You are fortunate to have the determination that helps you reach your goals. Success in business or in anything you choose to accomplish should be visible now. Family members may comment on your progress this month; it is all positive. Late afternoon brings opportunities to laugh and be with your loved ones. This evening an important relationship comes into focus; perhaps with someone in your near environment. You are able to understand this person as you have never understood him or her before.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) New equipment graces the halls of your workplace and you scurry around to discover that you and some of your workmates will be learning new skills soon. Most of this day may be spent in shuffling customers around, tending to them and tending to the progress of updating some equipment. Life is fun in this ever-changing work world and you rather enjoy the process of it all. Young people may involve you in their activities most of the after-work hours today. This may mean you have become the sports; math or English tutor for the neighborhood school children. There is a chance to understand those around you and to have a special time with someone you love. There are good feelings and a sense of harmony this evening.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 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

Al-Madeena

22418714

Al-Shuhada

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Sabhan

24742838

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Al-Helaly

22434853

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Al-Faiha

22545051

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

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

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Hawally

Kaizen center

25716707

Rawda

22517733

Adaliya

22517144

Al-Jahra

25610011

Khaldiya

24848075

Al-Salmiya

25616368

Kaifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salem

22549134

Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Qadsiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Gar

22531908

Shaab

22518752

Qibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla

22451082

Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Omariya

24719048

N Khaitan

24710044

Fintas

23900322

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Khaled Hamadi

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist

25665898 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535

Dentists

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

22618787

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

General Surgeons Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart Dr. Adnan Ebil Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

22666300 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

Neurologists

22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

3729596/3729581

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Kaizen center 25716707

25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888 Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

22666288

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

Dr Anil Thomas

Dr. Salem soso

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Afghanistan 0093 Albania 00355 Algeria 00213 Andorra 00376 Angola 00244 Anguilla 001264 Antiga 001268 Argentina 0054 Armenia 00374 Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas 001242 Bahrain 00973 Bangladesh 00880 Barbados 001246 Belarus 00375 Belgium 0032 Belize 00501 Benin 00229 Bermuda 001441 Bhutan 00975 Bolivia 00591 Bosnia 00387 Botswana 00267 Brazil 0055 Brunei 00673 Bulgaria 00359 Burkina 00226 Burundi 00257 Cambodia 00855 Cameroon 00237 Canada 001 Cape Verde 00238 Cayman Islands 001345 Central African 00236 Chad 00235 Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros 00269 Congo 00242 Cook Islands 00682 Costa Rica 00506 Croatia 00385 Cuba 0053 Cyprus 00357 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Czech Republic 00420 Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia 00246 Djibouti 00253 Dominica 001767 Dominican Republic 001809 Ecuador 00593 Egypt 0020 El Salvador 00503 England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea 00240 Eritrea 00291 Estonia 00372 Ethiopia 00251 Falkland Islands 00500 Faroe Islands 00298 Fiji 00679 Finland 00358 France 0033 French Guiana 00594 French Polynesia 00689 Gabon 00241 Gambia 00220 Georgia 00995 Germany 0049 Ghana 00233 Gibraltar 00350 Greece 0030 Greenland 00299 Grenada 001473 Guadeloupe 00590 Guam 001671 Guatemala 00502 Guinea 00224 Guyana 00592 Haiti 00509 Holland (Netherlands) 0031 Honduras 00504 Hong Kong 00852 Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland 00354 India 0091 Indian Ocean 00873 Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686 Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland) 0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK) 0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

lifestyle M u s i c

W

ith a subject as specific as sex addiction, comparisons to 2011’s “Shame” are inevitable. That dark drama was a deepprobe character study, intensely focused on a man consumed by his cravings. By contrast, “Thanks for Sharing” is an ensemble piece juggling humor with sober observation of three men intent on overcoming their dependence on the pleasures of the flesh.

Making a technically polished directing debut, screenwriter Stuart Blumberg (“The Kids Are All Right”) has in essence crafted the date-night version of the sexaholic’s confessional.

While it doesn’t crawl under the skin the way “Shame” did, this serio-comedy, with its name cast, offers a glossy portrait of New York as a playground of visual stimuli. Captured in crisp advertising imagery and singing colors by cinematographer Yaron Orbach, it’s a metropolitan catwalk, a promo-reel for romance and desire. All of that keeps “Thanks for Sharing watchable and mildly entertaining, even if it’s 15-20 minutes too long. What stops the film from being more satisfying, however, is a problem with the way the central character’s arc takes shape, and a key piece of miscasting. Bashing Gwyneth Paltrow has become a tired, easy sport that anyone can play. But her preening performance in an inconsistently drawn role here is a major intrusion.

A smart, soulful environmental consultant celebrating five years in recovery, Marc Ruffalo’s Adam is carefully set up to give the film a core of emotional integrity. When his sponsor, Mike (Tim Robbins), insists it’s time for him to bite the bullet and start dating again, he conveniently meets Paltrow’s Phoebe at a foodie bug-tasting evening. She’s a cancer survivor and fitness fanatic whose previous boyfriend’s alcoholism gave her an aversion to addicts, which means

Adam predictably stalls before sharing details of his recovery.

In a staggeringly miscalculated scene, Phoebe processes the unsettling news and then gives the relationship another shot by stripping down to fetish lingerie and demonstrating her lap-dancing skills on a stunned Adam. While this reads as insensitive, sadistic, stupid or all three, Blumberg and co-scripter Matt Winston justify the behavior by having Phoebe say: “I’m a very sexual person. I need to express that side of me.” The queen of mixed signals, she’s a phony character and a too-transparent catalyst for Adam’s inevitable fall from the wagon.

This shortchanges Ruffalo, who gives a typically sensitive performance, both in his monastic adherence to the vigilant rules of sobriety and his wounded admission of defeat. But it’s hard to remain invested in whether or not Adam and Phoebe work things out.

He deserves better. The film has more nuance and credibility in its secondary strands. One concerns the stubbornness of Mike, an aphorism-spouting addiction group elder statesman, who has little faith in the claim that his ex-junkie son Danny (Patrick Fugit) is now clean and eager to atone for his missteps. And Danny is still waiting for Mike’s contrition for his drunken toxicity during the boy’s childhood.

Also getting considerable attention is the progress of Neil (Josh Gad), a chubby young ER medic doing court-ordered SAA time for nonconsensual frottage.

Unrepentant at first, and reluctant to adopt the austerity measures required by the program - no television, no Internet, no masturbation, no subways - Neil alienates his designated sponsor, Adam. But when he’s fired as a result of his illness, he gets serious. Help comes, paradoxically, from the lone female in the group, Dede (Alecia Moore), a tattooed tough girl.

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M o v i e s

A breakout star of “The Book of Mormon” on Broadway, Gad does the film’s comedic heavy lifting, much of it demeaning physical gags and scenes with his suffocating Jewish mother (Carol Kane). But it’s in the sweet blossoming of Neil’s loving yet platonic friendship with Dede, and their mutual support, that Gad’s work resonates most. Better known as poppunkster Pink, Moore proves a capable actor and a relaxed, enormously likable screen presence. “Thanks

for Sharing,” a Roadside Attractions release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for “language and some strong sexual content.” Running time: 112 minutes. — AP

United States 1. Arcade Fire, “Reflektor” (Arcade Fire Music, LLC) 2. Zedd, “Stay The Night - featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore” (Interscope) 3. Coldplay, “Atlas - From “The Hunger Games: Chasing Fire”“ (Parlophone Records Ltd) 4. Betty Who, “Somebody Loves You” (Betty Who) 5. Janelle Monae, “Give Em What They Love (feat. Prince)” (Bad Boy Records) 6. RAC, “Let Go” (Interscope) 7. Janelle Monae, “Primetime (feat. Miguel)” (Bad Boy Records) 8. Travie McCoy, “Rough Water (feat. Jason Mraz)” (Fueled by Ramen) 9. Mike Will Made It, “23” (Interscope) 10. Klingande, “Jubel” (Klingande)

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aybe, just maybe, Ron Howard and screenwriter Peter Morgan are perfect opposites: one a swinging playboy, the other a cold calculator. They have twice now collaborated on what you might call coin-flip films: movies about dueling, diametrically opposed forces. Their latest, the Formula One thriller “Rush,” is a lot like their “Frost/Nixon,” only on wheels. Chris Hemsworth plays the English bounder James Hunt, a dashing head of blond hair whose daring-do and high-class accent turn women into mush. Daniel Bruhl plays Niki Lauda, an analytical Austrian with pointy front teeth and a complete dearth of what you might call people skills.

Whereas Hunt is a classic, carousing, bigego racer, Lauda is a methodical tactician. The film, based on the lives of the two famous racers, captures the climax of their collision in the 1976 world championship that came down to the final race and that also featured a crash that left Lauda’s face terribly burned.

Just as “Frost/Nixon” marveled at the contrast of flashy TV newsman David Frost and the curmudgeonly Richard Nixon, “Rush” (also set in the ‘70s) toggles between Hunt and Lauda.

Howard’s film is propelled by the clash of styles that repels them from one another, even as their mutual dedication draws them closer.

Racing films often speed inevitably toward cliches of fast-paced living catching up to the men behind the wheel. “Rush” has plenty of that - the adrenaline-fueled death dance required for the checkered flag. (Hunt describes his car as “a little coffin, really, surrounded by high-octane fuel.”) But it veers away toward something much sweeter: a simple ode to rivalry. “Rush” makes for a terrific double feature with the superb 2010 documentary “Senna,” about Brazilian Formula One racer Ayrton Senna, which Howard has said

he studied in making “Rush.” Formula One, which engenders far more passion in Europe than in the NASCAR-favored US, has otherwise seldom turned up in the movies. Most notably, there was the handsomely photographed “Grand Prix” (1966).

While “Rush” has plenty of exciting, highly saturated racing scenes as it makes pit stops through famous Formula One courses, Howard (whose directorial debut, 1977’s “Grand Theft Auto,” was a far less accomplished tale of car chases) is more concerned with the personality conflict, played out at high speed. Without Thor’s hammer in tow, Hemsworth looks particularly unburdened in a role perfectly suited to his talents and natural bravado. Bruhl, though, is even more compelling. The German-born actor (who also makes a strong impression in the upcoming WikiLeaks drama “The Fifth Estate”), makes Lauda, with a clipped Austrian accent, endearing in his obsessive pursuit.

Howard, with cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, frames both actors in close-up, letting the ping pong of their competition fill the movie. There are other good supporting performances (Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara as the drivers’ wives), but the film belongs to Hemsworth and Bruhl as they weave through a tumultuous racing season.

It’s not only one of the better racing films, it’s one of Howard’s best. For Morgan, who also penned another distinct sports film, 2009’s “The Damned United,” it’s yet another example of his great talent for taking seemingly minor true stories and expanding them operatically.—AP

United Kingdom 1. Arcade Fire, “Reflektor” (Arcade Fire Music, LLC) 2. Ylvis, “The Fox” (Parlophone Music Norway) 3. Emiliana Torrini, “Speed of Dark” (Rough Trade) 4. Coldplay, “Atlas - From “The Hunger Games: Chasing Fire”“ (Parlophone Records Ltd) 5. Janelle Monae, “Give Em What They Love (feat. Prince)” (Bad Boy Records) 6. Avicii, “True - Preview Mix” (Avicii Music AB) 7. The Naked and the Famous, “Hearts Like Ours” (Polydor Limited (UK)) 8. Ben Pearce, “What I Might Do - Radio Edit” (Universal) 9. Roots Manuva, “Stolen Youth” (Big Dada) 10. Moderat, “Bad Kingdom” (Monkeytown Records)—Reuters

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ctress Kerry Washington, who scored an Emmy nomination for her role in the ABC television drama “Scandal” is the “World’s Best Dressed Woman,” People magazine said yesterday. Washington, 36, headed a list of style icons that included Academy Award-winner Jennifer Lawrence, singer-songwriter Solange Knowles and actresses Jenna Dewan-Tatum and Kate Bosworth. “I don’t wear a lot of pants,” Washington said in a statement announcing the honor. “When I go somewhere I want to know I’m going to be comfortable and I’m dressed for the event.”

People magazine Executive Editor Elizabeth Sporkin praised Washington for her fashion sense. “There has been a trend this year in lady-like fashion and I think she is almost single-handedly responsible for it,” Sporkin said in an interview. Although Washington nabbed the best dressed title, Lawrence, the winner of this year’s best actress Oscar for “Silver Linings Playbook” was cited as having the best high fashion style, and actress Jessica Chastain, the star of 2012’s “Zero Dark Thirty” had the best red carpet style, according to People.

Solange Knowles got top marks for style risk-taking and confidence. “She really does push the envelope,” said Sporkin. “No one else would even think of putting together the looks she wears. She always pulls it off.” “Avatar” actress Zoe Saldana had the best denim style and actress Lily Collins was named the best for up-and-coming style. The celebrity magazine compiled the list after getting input from its editors, its 42 million readers and fashion directors and bloggers.

Along with selecting the best dressed women, the magazine also looked back at fashion mistakes, citing actress Sarah Jessica Parker’s haute punk mohawk headdress by designer Philip Treacy at the Met Ball in New York and first lady Michelle Obama’s bangs, which she has recently grown out. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow was named best dressed last year. — Reuters Kerry Washington arrives at the 65th Emmy Awards Nomination Celebration at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences on Tuesday in North Hollywood, California. — AP

My-HD announces the availability of all MBC channels in HD on Arabsat DUBAI: The successful alliance between My-HD, one of the rapidly growing satellite Pay-TV platform in the MENA region, and Arabsat, one of the world’s leading satellite operators and service providers in the Arab World, has been reaching scaling heights since inception. This partnership has taken another step forward with the announcement of the availability of all current 8 MBC channels in High Definition(HD) on Arabsat, giving My-HD a total of 30 premium HDchannels in its bouquet out of which 20 are exclusive to My-HD such as the MBC 3HD channel which is available with English and Arabic audio.

Commenting on this announcement, Khalid Balkheyour, President and CEO of Arabsat, said, “Our inclusion of MBC’s premium channels in HD on the My-HD package is just the beginning, as we continue to work on positioning Arabsat as the leading HD hotspot in MENA. In a short span of time since we announced our strategic partnership with My-HD, the launch of MBC channels in HD has now made us the only satellite operator to carry both leading MENA networks - MBC and Rotana - in HD, and 30 HD channels in total so far which brings the number of HD channels on Arabsat to a total of 65with the Saudi football League being completely exclusive on our satellite.

The eight MBC HD channels are currently available to subscribers on Arabsat via the My-HD platform, which has the exclusivity of receiving premium HD channels such as MBC HD,Rotana HD, Al-Nahar HD, Fox HD among many others with only on one satellite dish.

Cliff Nelson, CEO My-HD said, “Our strategic alliance with Arabsat has by far proven to be one of the most successful partnerships since we entered this industry. Today, we have the region’s two largest networks - MBC and Rotana Group - available in HD for the first time only on My-HD and Arabsat, giving our customers across the MENA region unbeatable value” My-HD is rapidly positioning itself as the region’s leading Pay-TV platform and through its strong partnership with Arabsat and Content Providers like MBC its plan to offer the most and best HD channels to MENA satellite TV Households at ultra-low prices is on track.

The 30 HD channels are expected to grow significantly before the end of 2013, as My-HD gears up to announce soon the exclusive inclusion of a a newly launching 9th channel that belongs to the MBC Group. From his end, Sam Barnett, MBC Group CEO, said: “We are pleased to see our HD channels join MyHD on Arabsat, which has a clear vision to become

the number one HD Hotspot in the MENA region. We also laud Arabsat’s principles and policies which prevent pirate TV channels from operating on its satellite.

We look forward to our shared growth, as we launch further HD channels as part of our migration strategy from Standard Definition.” According to Nelson, My-HD has major plans lined up to reach the goal of being the first and foremost Ultra Low Pay-TV platform in the region. “We have great ambitions that we are on track to realizing, through the genuine support of our partners and our rapidly growing customer base,” emphasized Nelson. “By next October, we forecast the launch of over 35 HD Channels on Arabsat, and to ensure reach to a wider audience, we have also further extended our geographic coverage to Iraq and Morocco, thus allowing our audience in those markets to enjoy our full bouquet of family entertainment channels.”

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

lifestyle M u s i c

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Cop accused for remarks about Whitney Houston’s naked body

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policeman lifted a sheet covering the just-dead body of singing legend Whitney Houston and made “inappropriate” comments including saying “Damn, she’s still looking good, huh?” another officer claims. Beverly Hills Detective Sergeant Terry Nutall had “no legitimate” reason for the action or remarks, made at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 11 last year, after she had been found dead in a bath, said a legal document filed by the fellow cop, published Tuesday.

A coroner subsequently ruled that the 48-year-old singing legend died of accidental drowning, with cocaine and heart disease listed as contributing factors, on the eve of last year’s Grammys show. In the legal claim, published by the Los Angeles Times, fellow officer Sergeant Brian Weir alleges that he was stripped of various privileges when he raised the alleged misconduct with superiors. “Nutall, for no legitimate (reason) knelt beside and leaned over the decedent (and) removed the sheet and/or other covering from the body of the decedent to an area below the pubic region of the decedent’s body,” it said.

He then “came in close proximity to touching the body .. while making inappropriate comments to the effect .. that the decedent ‘looked attractive for a woman of her age and current

state’ and ‘Damn, she’s still looking good, huh?’” “Nutall... treated the dead body of the decedent in a way that Nutall knew would outrage ordinary family sensibilities,” he alleged in the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles on September 11. Weir said he responded to the Beverly Hilton Hotel-where Houston was due to attend a traditional pre-Grammys party that Saturday evening-as the senior patrol sergeant on duty at the time.

Afterwards, he raised the alleged misconduct with superiors, but claims that the city of Beverly Hills and its Police Department “retaliated” by removing him from duty with SWAT and K-9 units, cutting overtime pay, withdrawing certain privileges and harassing him. Weir “has sustained and will continue to sustain economic and non-economic damages including emotional distress and damage to claimant’s reputation, and other injury, damage, loss, or harm,” said the lawsuit. Beverly Hills Police spokesman Lincoln Hoshino said there was no “retaliation” against Weir over the claim, which he said the department knew about.

He added that Nutall had been entitled to look at the body.

“The responding detective sergeant in question was working in the city of Beverly Hills on another assignment, and he did

properly and appropriately respond to the scene,” he told the LA Times.”It is appropriate for a responding detective sergeant to briefly examine the body upon arriving to a scene like that.”And he added: “At this time we’re not aware of any inappropriate behavior or inappropriate comments.”

A 42-page coroner’s report issued in April last year said Houston drowned face down in her bathtub at the famous Beverly Hills hotel, possibly after overdosing on drugs and alcohol. Various bottles were found in the hotel room-in all some 12 medications prescribed by five different doctors, including anxiety treatment Xanax and the potent corticosteroid Prednisone, the report said. The singer of hits such as “I Will Always Love You” sold more than 170 million records during a nearly threedecade career, but also fought a long battle against substance abuse. — AFP

Whitney Houston

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This publicity photo released by Fox Searchlight shows Julia Louis-Dreyfus, right, and James Gandolfini in a scene from the film, ‘Enough Said.’ — AP

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eholding the late James Gandolfini doing a lovely job in a change-of -pace role significantly intensifies the already funny/sad aspects of “Enough Said,” an engaging comic romance set amid the minefields that imperil starting up mid-life relationships. The title notwithstanding, writerdirector Nicole Holofcener’s look at a 50-ish divorced mother with a daughter about to leave home is never at a loss for words, many of them quite amusing, making the film a leading contender for best girls’ night movie of the season. For their part, men will enjoy watching Gandolfini in a relaxed, self-effacing, regular guy performance.

Employing to her advantage a more traditional story structure than is her norm, Holofcener builds her snappy social comedy around a key piece of information that her heroine doesn’t know, that the guy she’s beginning to date is the much-disparaged ex of her new best friend. This sort of trick has provided the trigger for rich farcical doings going back at least as far as Shakespeare, and Holofcener uses it as a springboard to look at a raft of self-absorbed, often myopic LA Westside types who have it together in some ways but not in others.

Almost everyone here is divorced with an ex living nearby and one kid who’s about to fly the coop for college. Eva (Julia LouisDreyfus) is a massage therapist who lugs her portable table to her clients’ homes and is preparing emotionally for the looming moment when her smart daughter Ellen (Tracey Fairway) heads East for school. A crowded cocktail party provides a convenient way to start stirring the pot, as well as for the writer to show her knack for lively, acerbic banter, much of it coming from Eva, who

early on decides that there’s no one there she finds attractive. The man she’s just met, Albert (Gandolfini), agrees.

With her uncensored emotional expressiveness and ready humor, Eva is an instantly accessible protagonist, always ready to confide and/or make a joke about a situation or herself. No intellectual, she nonetheless strikes up a quick friendship with an odd bird, Marianne (Holofcener regular Catherine Keener), a divorced poet whose refined lifestyle Eva admires and who speaks very openly about the many shortcomings of her unnamed former husband. The castoff, of course, is Albert, who, on a dinner date with Eva, proves to be spirited company.

He is, admittedly, quite heavy (“I’m planning on losing some weight. I really need to,” says Gandolfini’s character, who has to work at not being a slob. But he’s got a daughter (Eve Hewson) heading for college as well, he and Eva laugh easily together and there are no awkward silences. Promising. While massaging Marianne, Eva hears more and more horror stories about her ex, just as Eva is enthusing to her girl pals, such as Sarah (Toni Collette), about her freshly revived intimate life. At the same time, she gets into trouble by encouraging one of her daughter’s friends (Tavi Gevinson) to go ahead and lose her virginity and otherwise doesn’t always use the best judgment.—AP

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t 66 years old, Elton John says he can make whatever kind of music he wants, regardless of commercial pressure, but he professes to love what young musi-

Musician Elton John performs songs from his new album The Diving Board with USC Thornton School of Music students. — AFP

ricket great Shane Warne yesterday denied rumors of a split with girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley, tweeting that they were “not throwing in the towel yet” after the actress said her feelings were “too raw” to share. A last minute noshow by the legendary leg-spinner at a press conference for his foundation earlier in the day added fuel to speculation in the British and Australian press that the celebrity couple had called it quits.

But Warne said last night that he and Hurley were working through their problems. “Some of the reports re EH & me r absolute rubbish. Yes we’re sorting through some (private) issues. But we’re not throwing the towel in yet,” he wrote on Twitter. Half an hour earlier “Bedazzled” star Hurley had posted: “Apologies to loyal followers for Twitter silence on recent events. Too raw & personal to share right now.”

The rumors were sparked by a lack of tweets between the pair with Hurley not sending Warne a 44th birthday message on September 13, although she was in England and he was in Australia visiting his three children. Both of them are prolific social media users but Warne’s last tweet to his 47-year-old fiancee was on August 30. She was reportedly due in Melbourne a week ago but has not turned up. A Hurley tweet earlier this month that read “The more I know of man, the more I love my dog” only added to the speculation.

Warne had been due to attend a press conference in Melbourne yesterday regarding his foundation, which helps raise funds for ill and underprivileged children, but he pulled out just 90 minutes before it was supposed to start. Cricket Victoria blamed a “scheduling conflict” while Warne tweeted his apologies. “Hey guys apologies about today & the late notice everyone!” The Telegraph newspaper said journalists had been warned not to ask questions about the rumored

romance troubles, while other reports said Warne was lying low due to the supposed break-up.

The Sydney Morning Herald, a leading broadsheet, splashed the headline: “Shane Warne cancels ambassadors event, igniting Liz Hurley split rumors.” The tabloid Sydney Daily Telegraph went further, asking: “Is Shane Warne’s ex-wife Simone Callahan behind his rumored split with Liz Hurley?”

Warne and Hurley, the long-time former girlfriend of actor Hugh Grant, reportedly met in 2010 and confirmed their engagement via Twitter in 2011. — AFP

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A combination of pictures shows British-Australian actress Naomi Watts (who plays Diana, Princess of Wales) attending the world premiere of Diana in central London on September 5, 2013 and a file picture of Diana, Princess of Wales arriving at the equitable building on a trip to New York in February 1, 1989. — AFP

cians are doing today. At a rare free concert in Los Angeles on Monday night, John told the audience that it’s time to turn over the spotlight to younger artists, even as he prepares to release his 30th solo studio album “The Diving Board.” “I (my music) don’t play on the radio. It’s other people’s turn. But at my age, I can do what I want,” the British singer-songwriter, clad in his usual long glittering coat, said on Monday during a question-and-answer session between concert segments at the University of Southern California.

Despite the loud and energetic performance that included popular 1970s hits “Tiny Dancer” and “Levon,” John’s age was a prominent theme of the evening, and he opened the show with the number, “Sixty Years On.” John, who studied music for six years at London’s Royal Academy of Music after winning a scholarship at age 11, told the audience, many of whom were music students, that he puts special emphasis on the youth.

“Listen to everything. Don’t be dismissive,” instructed John, who said he dropped out of music school to pursue rock because his fingers were like “cocktail sausages” and not long enough for a career in classical music. “I pay tribute to the young. I have faith in the young and I love listening to new music,” he added. John, who underwent surgery this summer for appendicitis, raved about young artists like 16year-old New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde and described working in the studio with rappers Eminem and Kanye West as inspirational.

‘Coasting in dangerous’ “If you want to coast and play ‘Bennie and the Jets,’ you might as well, just (expletive) off. Coasting is dangerous,” he said, referring to himself and his need to constantly try new

approaches and to listen to the new music of the day. After speaking, John played a few songs from “The Diving Board,” his new album that will be released on Sept 24. He described the album as more mature and reflective than his earlier work.

“This is an album by a 66-year-old man,” he said, noting it was not an album he would have put out in his 20s, when he wrote songs like “Rocket Man.” The new album was written by John and longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin and produced by Grammy and Oscar winner T Bone Burnett. John played “Oscar Wilde Gets Out” and “Home Again” and “Mexican Vacation (Kids in the Candlelight),” among others from “The Diving Board.”

John is also set to make his Emmys debut this Sunday with a tribute to Liberace as part of the annual television awards show. The HBO biopic of the late pianist, “Behind the Candelabra,” starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon, vies for 15 awards. After playing his new songs, John dove back into some oldies but goodies like “The Bitch Is Back,” “Bennie and the Jets,” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”

For an encore, he waved away his guitarist for a solo performance of “Rocket Man.” For much of the performance, John was backed by his own band and also by the university’s student symphony. — Reuters

This file photo shows former Australian cricket player Shane Warne and girlfriend Liz Hurley attending the opening of new gaming lounge and bar in the Crown Casino in Melbourne.

— AFP

he film “Diana” starring Naomi Watts, which received a critical drubbing after its premiere in London earlier this month, gets its first European general release in Hungary from today. Purporting to tell the story of the late Princess Diana’s romance with UK-based Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan, the movie has been dismissed by Khan as “based on hypotheses and gossip”. Some scenes in the film depict incidents already widely reported in British media such as Khan being smuggled into Diana’s Kensington Palace London residence lying on the backseat of her car covered in a blanket or Diana meeting his mother in Lahore in Pakistan.

Others are either less well known or purely imaginary such as Diana accompanying Khan to a jazz club disguised in a brown wig and bedroom scenes such as one in which they are shown lying under a cover by a bed. In the absence of testimony from Khan, the film is necessarily controversial as it draws on author Kate Snell’s 2001 book “Diana: Her Last Love” with which Khan did not cooperate.

It suggests that Diana had been dating Dodi Fayed, who died with her in a car crash in Paris, in order to make Khan jealous following the break-up of the relationship, a claim disputed by many close to her. Diana, who was divorced from Charles in 1996, died aged 36 alongside Fayed and Henri Paul, the French chauffeur of the car in which they were travelling, in August 1997. Sixteen years earlier, as Lady Diana Spencer, she was catapulted to global fame when she married heir to the British throne Prince Charles in a “fairy tale” ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral.

But as the world’s most photographed woman, she ultimately fell victim to an increasingly rapacious paparazzi. After her death, then Prime Minister Tony Blair memorably described her as “Queen of People’s hearts”. Many thousands of people lined the streets of London for her funeral which was televised around the world. The film generated controversy even before its premiere in London after Watts appeared to claim in an interview that Diana had in some way granted approval for the film from beyond the grave.

“I felt like I was spending a lot of time with her. There was one particular moment when I felt her permission was granted,” the actress told Britain’s Mail on Sunday newspaper. The British-Australian actress later stormed out of a promotional interview with BBC radio, apparently offended by some the line of questioning. Directed by Germany’s Oliver Hirschbiegel, best known for his 2005 film “Downfall” about the last days of Hitler, the film has been officially ignored by the royal family.

One reviewer panned it as “atrocious and intrusive” with a “squirmingly embarrassing script”. For his part, Khan, 54, whom Diana supposedly called her “Mr Wonderful” continues to work in Britain and is also setting up a charity heart hospital near his parents’ home in Jhelum in Pakistan. Played in the film by British-Indian actor Naveen Andrews, he has always refused to talk about the details of their relationship and said he has no intention of seeing the movie.

“It is based on gossip and Diana’s friends talking about a relationship that they didn’t know much about, and some of my relatives who didn’t know much about it either. It is all based on hypotheses and gossip,” he told the Mail on Sunday last month. After Hungary today, “Diana” will be released in Iceland, Poland, Ireland and the UK tomorrow, in Belgium on September 25 followed by France on October 2 and Italy October 3. — AFP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

lifestyle F E A T U R E S

Gucci

kicks off Milan Fashion Week with opium den style

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ucci kicked off Milan Fashion Week yesterday with a collection reminiscent of a luxurious opium den, with billowing seethrough tops and Art Nouveau-style floral patterns. Shimmering golds, azalea purples, lizard greens and salmon pinks were the dominant colours on the catwalk, all worn over fishnet black underwear with straps and belts left drooping.

Billowing nightgowns and flowing veils featured strongly in a collection that appeared to reach further back from this year’s Art Deco inspired fashions to the turn of the century and Orientalism. Among those attending the show at the Sheraton hotel in Milan was French luxury tycoon Francois-Henri Pinault, the husband of actress Salma Hayek and the chief executive of the multinational holding Kering, which owns Gucci. Also present was US actress Blake Lively, who sat next to US Vogue editor Anna Wintour in her trademark sunglasses.

Fashion week, which runs until Monday, will feature 74 catwalk shows ranging from familiar names like Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Gucci, Prada and Versace to up-and-coming young designers. Organizers have said they are aiming to inject more young talent into the industry, as it looks forward to 2014 when it hopes to shake off the recession.

While fashion giants have stayed buoyant thanks to booming sales in emerging markets, smaller labels have struggled after a plunge in the domestic market.

Mario Boselli, head of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, which organizes Milan Fashion Week, said the latest estimates point to turnover for the industry next year that will equal that of 2008, before the economic crisis. “For the first time we have hopes that the domestic market will prove more buzzing,” Boselli said, although he admitted that turnover for the industry as a whole for 2013 would still be down 2.5 percent

Designers Dean and Dan Caten pose with models at the end of their show for fashion house DSquared 2.

from 2012. “We are ready to do everything to return to Italy and to Milan a leading role on the international fashion stage,” he said.

Thousands of young revellers packed into fashion boutiques on the eve of fashion week as DJs pumped out club music in an event called Vogue Fashion’s Night Out. Milan has to establish itself as “the most prestigious platform for young talent”, Franca Sozzani, editor of Vogue Italia, said at a press conference. Famous designers and VIP guests were expected to turn out later for a gala at La Scala, the world-famous opera house that is opening its doors to fashion week for the first time.

DSquared2 also had its show yesterday in a nightclub-a visually stunning parade of sizzling summer wear inspired by the 1950s and locations like Acapulco. The Canadian twin design duo, Dean and Dan Caten, said they were going for a feel of “island glamour”, including lampshade hats and cat eye glasses. Particularly memorable were the bathing suite-style cocktail dresses and lace skirts, with models sipping cocktails and sashaying down the catwalk to the sounds of the mambo and the cha cha cha.

French-owned Fendi and pride of Milan Prada take to the catwalks on Thursday, followed by Emporio Armani, Etro and Versace on Friday.

Saturday it will be the turn of Bottega Veneta, Roberto Cavalli, Gil Sander and Moschino, then Missoni and Salvatore Ferragamo on Sunday.

Dolce & Gabbana will also be showing on Sunday although they are not on the official calendar following a reorganization of fashion week and a spat with Milan authorities over a tax fraud case they are involved in. Giorgio Armani and Gianfranco Ferre will round off the week on Monday. Italian fashion house Costume National will also be returning to Milan after more than two decades of showing in Paris-a gesture of solidarity from designer Ennio Capasa to help out Italy at a time of economic hardship. — AFP

Models present creations for fashion house Gucci as part of the spring/summer 2014 ready-to-wear collections during the fashion week in Milan yesterday. —AFP photos

Art of war: Dubai gallery haven for Syrian artists

People view works of art, including a silkscreen print titled, ‘The Stam’ by Saudi artist Abdulnasser Gharem, middle, and another titled, ‘Yellow Cow Cheese,’ by Saudi artist Ahmed Mater, right, during an auction at the Ayyam gallery.

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nside the gallery, artworks by Syrian artists were drawing auction bids from collectors. Outside on the street, the artists traded the latest gossip from Syria and checked their smartphones for news from the civil war. So goes the divided world for a cadre of Syrian artists brought to the safety of Dubai by their gallery to continue their work but still remain deeply connected and influenced by the bloodshed they left behind. The Syrian refugee diaspora - now at 2 million and growing has fanned out across the region and beyond for more than two years from tent camps in Jordan to others trying to rebuild lives in cities such as Beirut and Istanbul.

But the Gulf states present a paradox: Deeply involved in the war as some of the strongest backers for the Syrian rebels yet holding firm to tight entry controls that effectively block most refugees.

The auction Monday in Dubai’s evolving art district tucked inside an industrial zone of warehouses and businesses - served as a window into a small but forward-looking effort to save one niche of Syria’s artistic community with no end in sight to the civil war that has already claimed more than 100,000 lives. “It’s a tragedy what is happening there now, but it would be an even bigger tragedy if all this art and culture that Syria has so

File photo shows Syrian artist Tammam Azzam, 23, poses in front of one of his works, a digital print titled ‘Syrian Olympic’ during the Young Collectors Auction at Ayyam gallery in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. — AP

much of would be lost,” said Hisham Samawi, whose Ayyam Gallery moved from Damascus to Dubai in late 2011 as the Arab Spring rebellion widened.

“For us,’” he added, “the artists are part of our family.

We had to do it. It was for us and for them.” Step by step for nearly two years, the gallery operators moved 15 artists and their families to Dubai - hiring them as employees to obtain visas in line with United Arab Emirates’ system that requires a person or company to act as sponsors. Meanwhile, Ayyam crews managed to ship about 3,000 paintings, sculptures and other pieces as fighting intensified in the Syrian capital. Among those under the gallery’s wings in Dubai is one of the rising stars in Syria’s revolution-inspired art world, Tammam Azzam, a Damascus-born painter who has shifted to prints and multimedia work seeking to draw attention the horrors of conflict.

One piece, “Freedom Graffiti,” superimposed the golden-hued sensuality of Gustav Klimt’s masterpiece “The Kiss” over a shattered and bullet-scarred apartment wall near Homs. The image became an Internet sensation with hundreds of thousands of views and established the 33-year-old Azzam as one of the artistic voices of the civil war. Another piece done since his arrival in

An employee of the Ayyam Gallery, that moved from Damascus to Dubai in late 2011, holds a piece by Syrian artist Tammam Azzam, titled ‘Freedom Graffiti’.

Dubai is “Syrian Olympics,” a digital print of stick-figure stencils in the shape of Olympic event logos. The shooters aim like snipers at the runners. A signed copy sold for $12,000 at the auction, attended by more than 300 people. A copy of “Freedom Graffiti” brought in $6,000.

“I have to do something for the people there,” said Azzam. “I want to do anything to send any message to people around the world about what happened in my country: People dying every day, every minute, and nobody can stop that.” Azzam struggles with the frustrating feeling that “art doesn’t make sense” in the middle of a war. But conflict has always been an incubator for creativity: The political cartoons of the American and French revolutions in the 18th century, the powerful canvases inspired by the 1930s Spanish Civil War such as Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica,” and now the Web-driven protest art of Middle East uprisings.

In Iran, songs, videos and artwork followed onto the Internet during the unrest after the disputed presidential re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009. In the latest election this June, Iran’s art community and others rallied around the fictitious candidacy of “Zahra,” the heroine of a graphic novel narrative begun in 2009.

Since 2011, dozens of prominent exhibitions have show-

cased the work of Arab Spring artists, including Egyptian Ahmed Basiony, who was killed during clashes in Cairo during the final days of Hosni Mubarak’s rule.

Street battles this summer in Turkey, meanwhile, stirred a kind of mass performance art as anti-government protesters mimicked the “Standing Man” sentinel of choreographer Erdem Gunduz, who stood motionless amid the skirmishes around Istanbul’s Taksim Square.

“The artists are paramount so we had to get them out,” said gallery owner Samawi.

“There was no question about it. It wasn’t like: We’ll go find other artists. These are our artists. We believe in them and believe they have a voice.” He said there are plans to try to bring other Syrian artists out of the country, but the efforts are made more complicated by the deepening battles and the increasing lockdown atmosphere in Damascus over threats of possible US-led military action.

“It’s a good thing we started when we did,” said Samawi, “because it becomes more and more difficult as every month passes.” The artist Azzam said he has friends watching his abandoned studio in Damascus.

“But who knows if it will be there when I return,” he said.

“And who knows when I can return.” — AP

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

lifestyle F E A T U R E S

Nigeria’s Obabiyi

Contestants of the Muslimah World pageant take part in a rehearsal for the grand final of the contest in Jakarta. —AFP photos

wins Muslim beauty pageant

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he finale of a beauty pageant exclusively for Muslim women took place in the Indonesian capital yesterday in a riposte to the Miss World contest in Bali that has drawn fierce opposition from Islamic radicals. Nigeria’s Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola won the title of the Muslimah World while Indonesia’s Noor Aspasia is the 1st Runner Up. Twenty contestants showed off the latest Islamic fashion trends in the Muslimah World pageant and took part in other activities, such as reciting the Koran, aimed at demonstrating their piety. “We’re just trying to show the world that Islam is beautiful,” said Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola, a 21-year-old contestant from Nigeria, one of six countries represented at the pageant.

“We are free and the hijab (Muslim headscarf ) is our pride.” The contestants-who can only enter the competition if they wear a headscarf-have undergone three days of “spiritual training” in the run-up to the final in Jakarta, waking up before dawn to pray together and sharpen their Quranic reading skills. Organizers say they want to show Muslim women there is an alternative to the idea of beauty put forward by the British-run Miss World pageant, and also want to show that opposition to the pageant can be expressed non-violently.

Organizer Eka Shanti, who founded the pageant three years ago after losing her job as TV news anchor for refusing to remove her headscarf, bills the contest as “Islam’s answer to Miss World”. “This year we deliberately held our event just before the Miss World final to show that there are alternative role models for Muslim women,” she told AFP. It is a starkly different approach to the groups of Islamic radicals who have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest Miss World, denouncing the contest as “pornography ” and burning effigies of the organizers.

Despite a pledge by organizers to drop the famous bikini round for the pageant in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, radical anger was not appeased and the protest movement snowballed. The government finally bowed to the mounting pressure and ordered the whole three-week pageant be moved to Hindu-majority Bali, where it opened on September 8. Later rounds and the final, on

Jameyah Sheriff, an education expert from Malaysia who is on the judging panel. Shanti said the contest was first held in 2011 and was then only open to Indonesians but it proved so popular that it was opened up to international entrants. — AFP

September 28, had originally been scheduled to be held in and around Jakarta, where there is considerable hardline influence.

While beauty is very much at the heart of Muslimah World-contestants’ height and weight is shown on the pageant’s website and it is sponsored by a halal make-up brand-the contestants’ piety is also a big factor. More than 500 contestants competed in online rounds to get to the final in Indonesia, one of which involved the contenders comparing stories of how they came to wear the headscarf. Last night, contestants repeated these stories and answered questions from judges at the final in a Jakarta shopping mall.

Contestant of the Muslimah World, Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola of Nigeria reacts for her title of the Muslimah World as 1st Runner Up Noor Aspasia of Indonesia looks on.

Indonesian Muslimah World pageant contestant Putri Puspita Wardani takes part in a rehearsal.

The newly crowned the Muslimah World 2013 Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola of Nigeria speaks to the audience.

“What I will be looking for is strength of personality-someone with a vision for the future, who gives back to their community and shows that beauty is not just about bodies,” said

The newly crowned the Muslimah World 2013 Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola (center right) of Nigeria is congratulated by contestants during the Muslimah World competition in Jakarta yesterday.

A contestant of the Muslimah World pageant holds a copy of the Quran while they prepare backstage.

Contestants of the Muslimah World pageant, Dayangku Rabiatul Adawiyah (left) of Brunei, Futri Virginia (second left) of Indonesia, Aisha Aderonkie Adeshina (second right) of Nigeria and Masoumeh Ebrahimi of Iran take part in a rehearsal.

Contestants of the Muslimah World pageant prepare for the grand final of the contest.

French Senate votes to ban child beauty pageants F

rance’s Senate has voted to ban beauty pageants for children under 16, in an effort to protect children especially girls - from being sexualized too early. Anyone who enters a child into such a contest would face up to two years in prison and 30,000 euros in fines, according to the measure. A pageant organizer expressed regret that the move was so severe. The Senate approved the measure 197-146 overnight, as an amendment to a law on women’s rights.

The legislation must go to the lower house of parliament for further debate and another vote.

Such beauty pageants, involving girls of all ages heavily made up and dressed up, regularly elicit public debate in France and elsewhere. While such pageants are not as common in France as in the United

States, girls get the message early on here that they are sexual beings, from social messages and advertising and marketing campaigns - and even from department stores that sell lingerie for girls as young as 6.

“The foundations of equal rights are threatened by the hyper-sexualization that touches children ... between 6 and 12 years old,” said conservative lawmaker Chantal Jouanno, who authored the amendment. “At this age, you need to concentrate on acquiring knowledge. Yet with mini-Miss competitions and other demonstrations, we are fixing the projectors on their physical appearance. I have a hard time seeing how these competitions are in the greater interest of the child.”

She noted it’s primarily focused on protecting girls. “When I asked an organizer

why there were no mini-boy contests, I heard him respond that boys would not lower themselves like that.”

The amendment’s language is brief but sweeping: “Organizing beauty competitions for children under 16 is banned.”

It doesn’t specify what kind of competitions would be covered, including whether it would extend to online photo competitions or pretty baby contests. It would apply to parents or others who enter children in such contests - but also anyone “who encourages or tolerates children’s access to these competitions.”

The amendment says it’s aimed at protecting children from danger and being prematurely forced into roles of seduction that harm their development. Michel Le Parmentier, who says he has been organizing “mini-Miss” pageants in France

since 1989, said he’s disappointed that the draft law involves an overall ban. He said that he has been in discussions with legislators about regulating such pageants but wasn’t expecting such sweeping language.

The senators did debated whether to come up with a softer measure limiting such pageants but in the end decided on an overall ban won out. Some pageants make an effort to de-sexualize the competitions. One recent pageant in the Paris region specifically banned makeup, swimsuits, high heels or anything inappropriate for the child’s age. In the same debate, the Senate rejected an amendment that would have restricted the use of models under age 16 to modeling for products or services destined for children. — AFP

Cop accused for remarks about Whitney Houston’s naked body

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

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Performers from the entertainment company ‘Cirque du Soleil’ pose during a photocall outside the Royal Albert Hall in central London as they prepare to celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2014. The company will perform ‘Quidam’ at the Royal Albert Hall starting January 4, 2014. — AFP

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major exhibition of Australian art opens in London on Saturday, charting 200 years of extraordinary change through the country’s relationship with its dramatic landscape. Twelve rooms at the Royal Academy have been taken over for the show, which includes bark paintings, early colonial watercolours, heroic pioneer scenes and modern works.

The landscape forms a thread that links them all together, from the inhospitable bush portrayed by the early settlers to the abstract indigenous paintings of ceremonial places. “Two hundred years is a lot of ground to cover,” said Kathleen Soriano, the Royal Academy’s director of exhibitions.

The exhibition is largely chronological, although it begins with a room of modern interpretations of tens of thousands of years of Aboriginal art, containing rock engravings, body paintings and ceremonial ground designs. “The first room represents 50,000 years of a culture,” Soriano explained. In one of the most comprehensive surveys of Australian art seen outside the country, the 200 works by 146 artists shine a light on the diversity of its people, its land and how it became the nation it is today.

The earliest colonial art shows a wariness of Australia’s terrain, which the first British settlers in 1788 found hard to cultivate, portraying settlements as bright spots in a dark and dangerous landscape. But the paintings chart how those who survived built railways and raised cattle, and finally began to enjoy the views-and the beach. Many early works are watercolours in

the English tradition, but after the gold rush other Europeans and Chinese began arriving, bringing different styles with them.

Some artists acknowledged the price the indigenous people paid for the colonial expansion, including Eugene von Guerard in his “Stony Rises” (1857), which shows a group of Aborigines cast in darkness as the sun sets. “It’s the sun setting on the Aboriginal people,” said Ron Radford, director of the National Gallery of Australia who co-curated the show. The exhibition showcases some spectacular Aboriginal art, including eucalyptus bark paintings from Arnhem Land, northern Australia, and works by Albert Namatjira, who learned watercolours while acting as a guide and painted some of the earliest and most striking pictures of the Australian desert.

There are works from the 1970s, when Aboriginal men in the Western Desert began to paint their mythology or “dreaming” on discarded building materials, and more modern paintings such as Anatjari Tjampitjinpa’s concentric circles from 1981, depicting ceremonial grounds in central Australia. The exhibition also looks at the establishment of the landscape as part of Australian identity, with pictures celebrating the heroism and strength of those forging a new life in rugged terrain.

Frederick McCubbin’s 1904 triptych “The Pioneer” shows a young couple starting out with only a wagon, then with a homestead and a child, and finally the son at his father’s grave, a new town in the distance. Four decades later, Sidney Nolan presented his vision of Ned Kelly, an outlaw character similar to England’s Robin Hood, outwitting the comically stupid police.

By the 1960s, the landscape had been distorted, as shown by Fred Williams’ “Yellow Landscape”, which discarded the horizon and depicted trees as mere dots and dashes of paint against a rusty background.

The exhibition closes with modern works, from Peter Dombrovskis’s famous photograph of the Franklin River, which became a symbol for the green movement in the 1980s, to Fiona Hall’s sardine tins, each with a lid molded into a plant and a sex act depicted inside the aluminum container. “Australia” runs from September 21 to December 8. — AFP

A visitor views a painting by Australian artist Sidney Nolan entitled ‘Pretty Polly Mine’ at the Royal Academy in central London. — AFP photos

A visitor views a painting by Australian artist Frederick McCubbin entitled ‘The Pioneer’ at the Royal Academy.

A visitor walks between paintings by Australian artist Sidney Nolan entitled ‘Ned Kelly’ and ‘Glenrowan’ at the Royal Academy.

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elgian painter Rene Magritte’s work, featuring men in bowler hats, mysterious landscapes and bright blue skies, may be familiar to many art lovers, but a new exhibition focuses attention on the artist’s surrealist pieces. “Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926-1938,” which opens on Sept 28 at the Museum of Modern Art and runs through Jan 12, covers 13 years in his life - an intense period when he worked in Brussels and Paris refining his technique.

It is the first major show of Magritte’s works in New York for more than a generation. “Over the course of these 13 years, this is when Magritte becomes Magritte,” Anne Umland, the show’s curator, said in an interview.

“During these years, he is such a player in surrealist art in terms of rethinking the way that images can make the world strange to us.”

The exhibition, three years in the making, includes collages, periodicals, photographs and 80 paintings from MoMA’s collection, private and institutional lenders. It begins in Brussels from 1926-1927 with Magritte’s early collages and somber, dark works, such as “L’assassin menace” (The menaced Assassin), which shows the bloodied corpse of a woman in a room, framed by two men wearing bowler hats and another listening to a gramophone, who seems to be oblivious to his surroundings. “For me, that is the beginning of the way Magritte has this ability to create pictures in which you can identify every part, and yet, they don’t have any coherent, logical narrative,” Umland said.

‘Something alien, something strange’ Another painting from the same period, “Le Sens de la nuit” (The Meaning of Night), is an example of his use of doubling, or repetition, with two suited men with their backs to each other. Doubling, misnaming objects, mirroring and concealment are recurrent themes in Magritte’s flat style of painting. At times, his work can be unsettling - one piece shows a girl with a bloodied mouth eating a bird.

After moving to Paris in 1927, Magritte produced some of his best known works as well as his words and object paintings, such as “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” (This is not a pipe), a painting of a pipe with the words of the title underneath the object. In his 1928 painting “Tentative de l’impossible” (Attempting the Impossible), Magritte is shown painting the figure of his wife out of thin air. “It is both deadpan and magical at the same time,” Umland said.

The final section of the show covers 1930-1938, his years in Brussels before the outbreak of World War Two. The paintings are brighter, with blue skies and lighter colors than in his earlier years in the Belgian capital. “La condition humaine” (The Human Condition) incorporates the use of an object to hide what lies behind it, showing a painting on an easel in front of an open window blending seamlessly into the landscape behind it.

Le Sens de la nuit

La condition humaine

“Magritte’s art has a real clarity. It has an instant point of entry, and then it gets you, usually, often, always,” Umland said. “Familiarity is the first step ... and then there is something alien, something strange, something that keeps you looking and makes the ordinary out of the strange and mysterious.” The exhibit will travel to Houston and Chicago after its New York run. — Reuters